Build it, and they will come
Tuesday, June 23 — With crowds estimated at more than 250,000 people, the FIFA Fan Festival said it will add an extra day this Thursday for the matches, including Turkey v. USA at 9 p.m. There are four matches today, starting at 1 p.m. with Portugal v. Uzbekistan. Yesterday, France, Norway, and Argentina all advanced to the Round of 32, with Lionel Messi making history by becoming the all-time leading scorer in World Cup play. Algeria also won.
🌞 Sunny with a high of 80° today.
🎗️Tributes from both sides of the aisle are pouring in for longtime Georgia radio host, political commentator, and conservative activist Martha Zoller, who died unexpectedly yesterday. She was 67.
🏟️ Georgia Tech revealed design plans for the $70 million renovation of Bobby Dodd Stadium, including new seats, remodeled suites, and a new Founders Club.
💻 The City of Atlanta has expanded its free Wi-Fi network to Centennial Park and Atlanta University Center.
⛔ The City of Atlanta shut down a neighborhood World Cup and Father’s Day festival for not having the proper permits or security. 🇺🇸 The Dunwoody Garden Club will dedicate a Blue Star Memorial at Brook Run Park on July 2 as part of the America 250 observance.
🤢 Fifteen miles of Georgia beaches – including parts of Tybee, St. Simons, and Jekyll – were added to a list of impaired waters after fecal levels exceeded recreation standards.
🗳 The Temple is hosting a bipartisan dinner conversation on civic engagement on Fri., June 26, with former Sen. Saxby Chambliss, former Gov. Roy Barnes, and former Mayor Shirley Franklin.
🏀 The Hawks have the 8th and 23rd pick in the first round of the NBA Draft, which starts tonight at 8 p.m. in Brooklyn (ABC/ESPN).
ELSEWHERE
🪞 President Donald Trump blamed vandalism for the algae-filled Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool and threatened to sue ABC for its coverage.
🌡️ A dangerous heat wave continues to grip Europe, with red alerts issued in Britain, France, Spain, and Italy as temperatures topped 104°F.
📉 SpaceX shares closed at $154.60, down 23% from their peak after the company’s record-breaking IPO.
🎗️ Alan Greenspan, the Federal Reserve chairman under four presidents, who was known as “the Maestro,” died Monday at 100.
🎗️ Music mogul Clive Davis, who shaped the careers of music legends including Whitney Houston and Bruce Springsteen, died yesterday. He was 94. Here’s a playlist honoring him.
🕖 Here’s what’s in today’s newsletter:
• SCAD x Rough Draft
• TrustDALE
• Found Pop Festival footage
• Medicaid work requirements
AND
• Volunteer Opportunities
⚽ When the matches end, the dining begins. After cheering on your favorite teams across Atlanta, savor the city’s best tables during Buckhead Restaurant Week, July 27 through Aug. 1. More than 50 restaurants serve exclusive prix fixe menus. Learn more here. SPONSOR MESSAGE
1. SCAD x Rough Draft film story partnership
📽️ Over the course of the spring semester, our editorial team mentored writing students at the Savannah College of Art and Design, walking them through the finer points of research, sourcing, writing, and editing.
This year, the students’ stories revolved around film and entertainment in Georgia, including interviews with filmmakers, film-related scoops, and deep dives on movie theater snacks. The student journalists explored why Gen Z is embracing Videodrome, cosplaying at the Georgia Renaissance Festival, and the charm of a Marietta movie theater.
🍎 Explore the students’ stories on our website.
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2. Fake CAPTCHA scams are hiding malware
TOGETHER WITH TRUSTDALE
💻 CAPTCHAs have become part of the scenery online. You’re shopping, checking an account, reading an article, or trying to get past a login screen, and suddenly you’re asked to prove you’re human.
Most people don’t pause over it anymore, which is exactly why scammers have started dressing malware in that familiar little costume.
A recent FTC warning describes a fake CAPTCHA scam that looks like a routine security check, but steers people into running harmful commands on their own devices. Today, the folks at TrustDALE walk through how the scam works, what separates a real CAPTCHA from a dangerous one, and what to do fast if you think you followed the wrong prompt.
❓ Check out the full post here.
3. Restored footage of Atlanta International Pop Festival to debut at Pullman Yards
🎸 In the summer of 1970, crowds gathered in a field near the Middle Georgia Raceway in Byron, GA to listen to the likes of Jimi Hendrix, Bob Seger, the Allman Brothers Band, and more.
This would become the last iteration of the Atlanta International Pop Festival, a rock ‘n’ roll festival founded by the late music promoter Alex Cooley. It was a weekend full of live music, drugs, bracing heat, and hundreds of thousands of hippies and young people embracing counterculture with open arms. And later this summer, people who weren’t there will be able to experience the festival too.
On July 25, footage from the 1970 Atlanta International Pop Festival will play at an event called “That 70s Experience” at Pullman Yards. From 2-10 p.m., visitors will walk through an installation that takes you back in time, experiencing a world of vintage shopping, roller rinks, and amazing music.
🛼 Read Sammie Purcell’s interview with the director of the footage here.
4. Medicaid work requirements could be leading to poor mental health
🧠 A study published in the JAMA medical journal suggests that the work requirements under Georgia’s Pathways to Coverage program may be worsening mental health outcomes.
Under Pathways, eligible low-income adults are required to report 80 hours of work every month to qualify for healthcare.
That’s caused administrative hurdles for many enrollees, and far fewer people have enrolled than state leaders originally projected.
➡ Read more in this story from GPB.
❤️ Alan Mothner knows that making art helps in making a community. That’s why he’s the CEO of Spruill Center for the Arts, a nonprofit that’s connected people in Perimeter for over 50 years. Watch this video to see what’s bringing everyone together. SPONSOR MESSAGE
5. Volunteer Opportunities
IN PARTNERSHIP WITH HANDS ON ATLANTA
🤝 Atlanta Beltline Partnership launched a new volunteer portal, an online platform designed to connect residents with volunteer opportunities on the trail.
🥦 Sweetwater Mission, Inc. is looking for volunteers on Thursday morning in Austell to help with their food pantry. Roles include client assistance, organizing shelves, and packing groceries.
🗑️ Park Pride (pictured) needs volunteers on Saturday afternoon in Atlanta to beautify Gresham Park. Volunteers will remove invasive plants and pick up trash along the Michelle Obama trail.
🌱 Five Points Farm is seeking volunteers to help in their community garden on Sunday morning in Atlanta. Expect to weed, plant, water, and assist with other site beautification projects.
⚽ When the matches end, the dining begins. After cheering on your favorite teams across Atlanta, savor the city’s best tables during Buckhead Restaurant Week, July 27 through Aug. 1. More than 50 restaurants serve exclusive prix fixe menus. Learn more here. SPONSOR MESSAGE
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