Back on track?
Thursday, Sept. 10 — Atlanta City Council member Kelsea Bond introduced a resolution, co-sponsored by nine of her colleagues, to prioritize putting light rail on the Atlanta Beltline. The resolution requests that Mayor Andre Dickens, MARTA, and Atlanta Beltline Inc. collaborate to present an implementation plan and timeline by January 2027 to construct a rail network.
🌤️ Mostly cloudy with a high of 89° today.
🚨 Two people are in custody, and police are actively searching for a third after shots were fired inside Piedmont Park on Wednesday afternoon. The annual free ASO concert proceeded as planned.
🦟 Channel 2 Action News reports that mosquitoes trapped at Chastain Park tested positive for West Nile virus, prompting the city’s pest control vendor to treat the area tonight and tomorrow.
🚒 The City of Atlanta broke ground yesterday on a new 40,000-square-foot E911 Communications Center located at the city’s public safety training center facility.
💰 We’ve got more details and reactions on the City of Atlanta’s plan to sell the downtown jail to Fulton County for $68 million.
🗳️ The Georgia Chamber of Commerce endorsed Republican candidate Rick Jackson to be the state’s next governor. Jackson also floated his plan for “intelligent” expanded Medicaid.
⚕️ Measles infections in an Atlanta-area daycare were confirmed among eight children who were unvaccinated or not fully vaccinated, according to the Georgia Department of Public Health.
💸 The public accounting and business advisory firm Nichols Cauley acquired The LaRocco Companies, a privately owned employee benefits brokerage headquartered just outside Norcross.
ELSEWHERE
🗣️ At the GOP’s first midterm convention in Dallas last night:
- President Donald Trump delivered a nearly hour-and-45-minute keynote, where he promised $5,000 “Trump dividends” if Republicans hold the House and Senate.
- Georgia Rep. Mike Collins touted his support of the Laken Riley Act, while attacking Senate rival Jon Ossoff, who also voted for the bill.
- Democratic Sen. John Fetterman appeared in a video praising Trump and fellow Pennsylvania Sen. Dave McCormick.
Apple unveiled its first foldable iPhone, featuring dual screens, a titanium case, and a side-button fingerprint sensor. The $1,999 device hits stores Oct. 23.
🎾 Coco Gauff saved two match points to beat Mirra Andreeva 2-6, 7-6 (7), 6-2 in the US Open quarterfinals, setting up a semifinal against Elena Rybakina tonight, after top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka faces Jessica Pegula at 7 p.m. (ESPN).
🕖 Here’s what’s in today’s newsletter:
• Susan Antinori Visual Artist Award
• Upcoming Events
• Food writers at DBF
• Standard Education startup
AND
• Quick Bites
🍂 The first cool morning of fall changes everything at Lake Oconee. If you’re looking for an easy fall escape from Atlanta, there’s no better time to visit. Find your reason to unwind, reconnect, explore, and linger longer with this Ultimate Fall Getaway Guide. SPONSOR MESSAGE
1. Inside Idea Capital’s Susan Antinori Visual Artist Award
VIA SKETCHBOOK, A WEEKLY NEWSLETTER ABOUT ART | SUBSCRIBE
🏆 Susan Antinori’s path to funding Idea Capital’s Susan Antinori Visual Artist Award began with a neighbor and friend.
Atlanta curator and arts advocate Mary Stanley sits on the Idea Capital Steering Committee. Through her, Antinori learned how the nonprofit funds Atlanta artists whose projects fall outside what traditional institutions will support.
Stuart Keeler, Susan Todd-Raque, Pam Rogers, Louise Shaw, and Cinqué Hicks launched Idea Capital in spring 2008, putting up $100 each to seed a pooled artist grant fund. The group’s first grant went to performance and conceptual artist Allison Rentz. That model – small donations from the arts community, redistributed directly to artists – has held for nearly two decades. As Antinori learned more about the group’s work, a gap became glaring and would eventually shape the award that now carries her name.
🧑🎨 Read the full story from Sherri Daye Scott here.
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2. Upcoming Events
🎗️ Events marking the 25th Anniversary of 9/11 are happening in Avondale Estates, Dunwoody, Milton, Norcross, Roswell, and Suwanee.
🌬️Air Supply, tomorrow at 7:30 p.m. at Atlanta Symphony Hall.
📖Stand for Peace, a storytelling festival, Sat., Sept. 12 from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. at First Baptist Church of Decatur.
🐶Puppy yoga class, Sat., Sept. 12 at 1 p.m. at Atlanta Humane Society.
🎭“Macbeth,” Sat., Sept. 12 at 8 p.m. and Sun., Sept. 13 at 2 p.m. at Oglethorpe’s Conant Performing Arts Center.
🎨Sandy Springs Artsapalooza, Sat., Sept. 12 from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. and Sun., Sept. 13 from 11 a.m.-5 p.m. at 6100 Lake Forrest Drive NW.
🍻Brews & Bites supporting The Ansley School; Oct. 1 at 6:30 p.m. at Monday Night Brewing – The Garage.📧 Find out how you can get your event featured in Rough Draft.
🗓️ For more events, visit RoughDraftAtlanta.com/events.
✨ Come see what’s possible at Mount Vernon. Join us for a personalized small-group campus tour, offered weekly through March. Explore our approach, meet our people, and experience learning in action. Schedule your visit here. SPONSOR MESSAGE
3. Mouthwatering food writing at DBF!
IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE DECATUR BOOK FESTIVAL
🍴DBF is excited to welcome Chefs Meherwan Irani (Chai Pani) and Ron Hsu (Lazy Betty), barbecue expert Steven Raichlen (“Planet Barbecue!”), and sourdough maven Amy Duska (Little Spoon Farm) to this year’s stage!
🥓 In addition, DBF and Georgia Humanities are partnering on a session honoring American food and the landscapes and communities that shape it, featuring historian Mark A. Johnson and Southern food writer Rebecca Lang.
🗓️ See the full schedule here.
4. Atlanta’s Standard Education uses data to help more students graduate
🎓 TJ Muehleman and Jason Elgin know they have a pretty cool job.
“Helping kids graduate from high school is pretty awesome,” as Muehleman put it.
The two are behind Standard Education, a bootstrapped data platform helping school districts with some of their most pressing problems, including graduation rate, chronic absenteeism, and funding problems. And from their HQ in Atlanta, they are seeing some impressive traction in rural school districts across the country.
➡ Read the whole story from Hypepotamus here.
5. Quick Bites
VIA SIDE DISH, A WEEKLY NEWSLETTER | SUBSCRIBE HERE
😋 In this week’s Quick Bites, get updates on new restaurant openings around Atlanta, along with a bake sale raising funds for flood victims in Nepal and Tibet. We’ve also rounded up a few food events, including this week’s annual Atlanta Food & Wine Festival, West Midtown Restaurant Week, and a Bridgerton-inspired tea party.
🍴 Read the latest Atlanta dining news.
MORE DINING NEWS
🍷 A new wine bar called Sagra opened on Gresham Avenue in East Atlanta Village last month. Founded by Eric Di Nardo (Bacchanalia), the spot focuses on Italian wines paired with sourdough pizzas, focaccia, and cicchetti (Italian snacks).
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