Prince Hall Masonic Lodge and Temple, the so-called “Jewel of Auburn Avenue” has been home to many Atlanta greats over the years Martin Luther King Jr.’s only office, the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, the country’s first Black-owned radio station and Madame C.J. Walker’s Beauty Shoppe. Now it’s home to the local nonprofit Center for Civic […]
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Atlanta drops long-awaited audit of Tax Allocation Districts
A newly-released audit of the city’s tax allocation districts has three recommendations for the city as it plans to extend the TADs — and they’re all about transparency. It’s the latest in Atlanta’s ongoing TAD saga. Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens has spent months on a full-court press to renew six of the city’s eight tax […]
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Remembering Jim Minter, longtime editor of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution
James G. “Jim” Minter of Inman (Fayette County) died May 27 at the age of 95. At Minter’s request (orders), a modest memorial service was held at his gravesite on May 30. At the service, Rev. David Campbell said Minter did not want to be memorialized with long speeches. It’s hard to overstate how important […]
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Should Atlanta extend the TADs? School leaders aren’t so sure.
The Tax Allocation Districts are a touchstone issue in Atlanta. In his second term, Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens has championed the funding mechanism for his ambitious $5 billion neighborhood reinvestment initiative to rewrite the “tale of two cities” with development in the city’s neglected areas. But the TAD extension is a controversial proposal. Not everybody […]
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Volunteers take on downtown beautification days before World Cup
Just weeks before the World Cup touches down in Atlanta, hundreds of volunteers took to the streets for the 2026 “Together for Downtown Community Day,” a large-scale volunteer initiative to revitalize South Downtown. Hordes of volunteers painted murals, landscapes, cleaned up litter and covered graffiti at the all-day event on June 1. In total, organizers […]
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Atlanta Civic Circle’s newsroom closes its doors
After five years in business, the Atlanta Civic Circle is shuttering due to funding challenges. It was one of the city’s few nonprofit civic newsrooms. On June 1, the nonprofit newsroom announced via an open letter it would permanently cease operations after being “unable to secure the consistent funding needed to sustain our work.” The […]
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Georgia continues to bear severe drought as it heads into the summer
Georgia, alongside much of the Southeast, has been experiencing varying levels of intense drought. The latest from the U.S. Drought Monitor shows 100 percent of Georgia is in drought, with most of Metro Atlanta under extreme drought (D3) or exceptional drought (D4) designations, and smaller swaths of the state falling under D2 (severe drought) or […]
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The Rialto celebrates dual milestones with some major changes
For 110 years, downtown Atlanta has been home to some version of the Rialto Center for the Arts — a movie theater, a shuttered building and now an arts and culture hub all on the same corner. Now the theater team is looking to the future. 2026 also marks a 30-year anniversary. In 1996, Georgia […]
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Justin Cutler to exit as Atlanta Parks and Rec commissioner
After four years Atlanta Parks and Recreation Commissioner Justin Cutler is set to exit the role, according to park insiders. He will host a going away party later this week. Cutler joined in 2022, in the midst of some major Atlanta park improvements. He brought over 20 years of local government experience from places like […]
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Atlanta launches new World Cup ‘Cultural Exchange’ at former CNN Center
With only 25 days until the 2026 FIFA World Cup lands in Atlanta, the city is making its final preparations to welcome the world. The Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs is the latest to join a roster of projects like Centennial Yards, SoDo and Decatur WatchFest with the Atlanta Cultural Exchange – the city’s new “cultural […]
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The Georgia Research Alliance adds two member universities
During its quarterly board meeting on May 20, the Georgia Research Alliance added Georgia Southern University and Kennesaw State University to its network. They will join Georgia’s leading universities in research and entrepreneurship, bringing the total to 10 public and private institutions dedicated to maximizing the research capabilities of the state. GRA said both universities […]
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Atlanta cracks top 20 in national ParkScore – but the city may cut park funding
It’s official: Atlanta has the 18th ranked park system in the nation, according to the Trust for Public Land’s annual ParkScore rating. But the announcement comes amid possible funding cuts for the city’s sprawling park system. Atlanta moved up three spots from last year’s 21st ranking in the national nonprofit’s list of park systems in […]
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Fay Twersky to retire as head of the Blank Family Foundation
After more than five years as president of the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation, Fay Twersky is planning to retire once her successor is on board. Twersky’s tenure at the Blank Foundation, which began in February 2021, will be known for its dramatic increase in giving. In 2020, the foundation awarded $67 million. In 2025, […]
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Virginia Highland Porchfest preps for first-ever paid year
Last year’s Virginia Highland Porchfest put up serious numbers. Organizers estimate well over 40,000 people attended the free, single-day neighborhood festival with over 100 bands at 50 porches-turned-stages. Things are changing this year. For the first time since it began six years ago, the May 16 Porchfest will be a ticketed event. Attendance will be […]
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Gov. Kemp vetoes historic rehabilitation tax credit expansion to preservationists’ dismay
On Wednesday, Georgia Governor Brian Kemp vetoed 12 state bills before the signing deadline, including HB 376, a bill that would have expanded tax incentives for historic property preservation. The bill, passed in the House and Senate, would have increased the limit on the available tax credits from $30 million to $60 million. It was […]
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How the Beltline generates billions, from ‘tacos to tech’
“From tacos to technology, and everything in between.” That’s how Atlanta Beltline, Inc. President and CEO Clyde Higgs sums up the Beltline appeal. The bustling attraction and “new business mode” has a little bit of everything –grocery, offices, retail, dining and plenty of people. In the early 2000s, the city of Atlanta was losing residents […]
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Peachtrees are finally returning to Peachtree Street – temporarily
Atlanta has a staggering 71 streets and roads named Peachtree, but few are lined with their namesakes. That’s about to change. On May 8, Atlanta Way 2.0 announced PeachTrees on Peachtree, a three-week “immersive celebration” of the state fruit. 16 trees from Pearson Farms, one of the state’s remaining family-owned peach farms, will be placed […]
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U.S. Soccer training center opens thanks to Arthur Blank and Dan Cathy
It’s official. Metro Atlanta is the new home for soccer in the United States. The Arthur M. Blank U.S. Soccer National Training Center officially opened on May 7 at its new home in Fayette County, bringing together a cadre of civic and corporate leaders. Two central changemakers were instrumental in bringing the national facility to […]
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Fox Theater gives $1 million to Rome, Thomasville for theater restoration
In the 1970s, Atlanta rallied around a campaign to “Save the Fox Theater” from imminent destruction. It rescued the building, preserving an iconic piece of the city’s landscape and a hub for the arts. Now the theater wants to pay it back. On May 6, National Historic Preservation Month, Fox Gives awarded $1 million in […]
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ATLFF: Craig Zobel and James Ponsoldt on the fight to make Georgia films
Craig Zobel knows it isn’t easy to make a movie in Georgia. At an April 28 Atlanta Film Festival Creative Conference panel, the director of “The Penguin” and “The Mare of Easttown” got candid about the difficulty of creating in his home state. “The world doesn’t want you to,” he said. “You have to fight […]
