Millage on the rise
Thursday, June 4 — In response to growing concern over a stalled construction site at Peachtree and 14th streets in Midtown, the Atlanta City Council is exploring tax penalties equivalent to 25 times the current millage rate for owners of blighted properties.
☀️ Sunny with a high of 82° today.
🚨 MARTA Police and Crimestoppers Atlanta released new surveillance images of a suspect wanted for a stabbing at the Georgia State Station on May 24.
💰 The New York Post reports that the Georgia World Congress Center Authority spent $600,000 on World Cup suites and tickets, even as executives privately called the prices “crazy” and questioned the use of public funds.
🏬 Tenants at Northlake Mall received notice that their leases were being terminated with less than 30 days to vacate. Tucker officials said the city was not informed of the evictions or an apparent sale of the mall.
🚶🏽During the Sandy Springs City Council’s June 2 meeting, officials pitched ways the city can accelerate the construction of sidewalks and paths through right-of-way coordination, neighborhood consensus, and staffing.
⚖️ A former senior vice president at the Atlanta Housing Authority was sentenced to federal prison for her involvement in a housing assistance and pandemic relief fraud scheme.
👶 Content creators and fathers through surrogacy, Terrell and Jarius Joseph, will be featured speakers at the upcoming Men Having Babies conference in Atlanta, June 5-7.
💵 The DeKalb County School District proposed a 2026 millage rate of 22.78 mills, which would leave the rate unchanged, and homeowners will see their property taxes increase by about 3%.
🫖 The Looking Glass, an Alice in Wonderland-inspired restaurant and entertainment venue, will open at The CTR in downtown Atlanta next spring.
🅿️ The Norcross City Council communications team pitched recent actions to increase parking in the downtown area as reflecting an “ongoing commitment to enhancing public spaces [and] investing in public safety infrastructure.”
ELSEWHERE
🇮🇷🇺🇸 Four House Republicans crossed party lines to rebuke President Donald Trump’s Iran war powers, a symbolic resolution that now heads to the Senate.
🇮🇱🇱🇧 Israel and Lebanon agreed to renew a ceasefire following U.S.-brokered talks in Washington, contingent on Hezbollah’s withdrawal from southern Lebanon.
🚗 Ford recalled over 420,000 cars because of seatbelt issues.
🏀 The Knicks beat the Spurs to take a 1-0 lead in the NBA Finals. Game 2 is tomorrow night in San Antonio.
🏒 Las Vegas leads Carolina 1-0 in the Stanley Cup Finals with Game 2 set for tonight in Raleigh at 8 p.m (ABC).
🕖 Here’s what’s in today’s newsletter:
• Romare Bearden documentary
• ‘Doorwoody’ art project
• Atlanta AI recommendations
AND
• Quick Bites
⛱️ Looking for things to do this summer or planning a weekend getaway near Atlanta? Just over an hour away, Lake Oconee is one of Georgia’s top summer destinations, offering everything from boating and fishing to berry picking and small-town charm. Plan your nostalgic summer escape today.
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1. Atlanta filmmaker Deborah Riley Draper honors artist Romare Bearden in new documentary
VIA SKETCHBOOK, A WEEKLY VISUAL ARTS NEWSLETTER | SUBSCRIBE
🎥 Atlanta filmmaker Deborah Riley Draper named her production company, Coffee Bluff Pictures, after a place many people don’t know about, a small enclave in Savannah, GA, historically settled by formerly enslaved families.
The name is a reminder, Draper says, of who she is and to whom she is accountable: the communities whose stories she carries to the screen.
That accountability shapes every project she takes on as a filmmaker. It runs visibly through her new documentary, “Romare Bearden: A Life in Collage,” the first feature-length film ever made about the artist, which Draper screened at the Cannes Marché du Film this past May. Bearden spent his life insisting that Black people, rather than outside institutions, should be the ones documenting and telling stories of Black life.
🖌️ Learn more about the documentary here.
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2. Create Dunwoody launches ‘Doorwoody’ art project
🚪 Create Dunwoody has launched Doorwoody, a public art exhibit featuring hand-designed miniature door displays created by Dunwoody High School students and installed at local businesses throughout the Greater Dunwoody Village area.
Developed in partnership with the Dunwoody Team of Leadership Perimeter, the exhibit features work from 14 student artists. Students submitted designs for consideration, then transformed plain miniature doors using paint and other mixed media.
➡ Read more about the art project here.
3. Atlanta’s AI Commission sends recommendations to City Council
📋 Atlanta’s Artificial Intelligence Commission has wrapped its year-long work and is sending a set of recommendations and possible legislative changes to the Atlanta City Council that could shape how the city uses AI in government services, procurement, employee training, legal compliance, and workforce development.
So what does that mean for Atlantans? Well, it could shape the future of city services, public trust, workforce disruption, procurement, privacy, bias, cybersecurity, and government efficiency for local residents.
➡ Read the whole story from Hypepotamus here.
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4. Quick Bites
VIA SIDE DISH, A WEEKLY NEWSLETTER | SUBSCRIBE HERE
😋 In this week’s Quick Bites, get caught up on a restaurant opening in Ponce City Market, a new rotisserie chicken spot on the Westside, and the second location of a self-serve wine bar in Sandy Springs. There are also details on an Atlanta bartender – named one of the country’s best by digital drinks publication Punch – plus a bully breeds benefit at Confab Kitchen & Bar in Brookhaven, and the return of the Atlanta Summer Halal Food Festival.
👉 Read the latest Atlanta dining news.
MORE ATLANTA DINING NEWS
🍴 Check out the complete list of May restaurant openings.
🥘 Food That Rocks, a celebration of Sandy Springs’ top restaurants and chefs, is tonight from 6-10 p.m. at City Springs.
🍝 Read Beth McKibben’s feature on the artistry behind plating at restaurants: More than just a pretty plate of food.
☀️ Kick off summer at VaHi Summerfest! Enjoy live music, over 200 artists and makers, delicious food, family-friendly fun, a KidZone, and the iconic 5K race. Join Atlanta’s favorite neighborhood festival June 6-7 for an unforgettable weekend of art, community, and celebration.
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