Arden’s Garden, the Atlanta-born brand known for its juices and plant-based snacks, is marking its 30th year. The milestone is rooted in the vision of its late founder, Arden Zinn. Her fascination with healthy ingredients took shape in the late 1960s, when she experimented each morning in the kitchen, mixing up what Arden called “concoctions” […]
Posts
Posted inMaria's Metro
Historic Georgia Baptist Hospital is now rubble
Three men walked into a meeting — a preservationist, a developer and the head of a demolition company. The topic was the historic Georgia Baptist property, which is being redeveloped by the Integral Group. We met in the offices of Barry Roberts, founder and an executive of Atlanta Demolition, which is clearing the site of […]
Posted inAtlanta Way 2.0
Shopping small, building big: How the Atlanta Beltline supports economic mobility
On Saturday, Nov. 29, 2025, the Atlanta Beltline invites everyone to celebrate Small Business Saturday, founded by American Express, at the Atlanta Beltline Marketplace locations and support an ecosystem of programs designed to advance economic mobility through community collaboration. Small Business Saturday, the national movement encouraging people to “shop small,” takes on special meaning along […]
Posted inAtlanta Way 2.0
It takes a village: Reimagining schools as anchors of hope and opportunity
ICS, a school that serves more than 500 students from families representing over 60 nationalities and 31 languages, is leading a bold transformation. In 2025, ICS became the first elementary school in Metro Atlanta, and possibly in the entire state of Georgia, to fully embrace the Community School Model.
Posted inFinancial Inclusion
Operation HOPE Founder, Chairman and CEO John Hope Bryant Recognized as One of U.S. News & World Report’s Best Leaders in 2025
Operation HOPE is proud to announce that its Founder, Chairman and CEO John Hope Bryant has been named one of U.S. News & World Report’s Best Leaders in Business in 2025. The annual designation recognizes 25 influential leaders across business, education, public service and healthcare who exemplify the leadership qualities Americans value most. Mr. Bryant […]
Posted inSecuring Atlanta's Future
The 2025 Early Childhood Checkup—Two Significant Takeaways
Every year, GEEARS publishes the Early Childhood Checkup, an assessment of Georgia’s support for its youngest children and their families. With a quick scan of cute baby faces shaded green, red, or yellow, Georgians can see if certain indicators have shown improvement, declined, or remained static. While we’re pleased by the green babyface that indicates […]
Posted inGlobal Health & Development
At a Tipping Point: Why Charitable Healthcare Providers Matter More Than Ever for Women’s Health
By Stacey Koehnke, MedShare CEO/Executive Director In recent years, a convergence of global and domestic policy shifts has placed women’s health—particularly maternal and child health—under mounting pressure. Budget cuts, program disruptions, and international funding restrictions have created ripple effects that disproportionately impact vulnerable women, girls, and families. Amid these growing challenges, free and charitable clinics […]
Posted inColumns
The Beltline is Atlanta’s Wild West. Who is going to tame it?
About a year ago, I bought an e-bike to cycle around the city, and it completely changed my relationship with the Atlanta Beltline. Like most people, I started out using the trail as a pedestrian. Atlanta isn’t known for its pedestrian infrastructure, but the so-called “Emerald Necklace” is a walking and riding paradise. If I […]
Posted inAdrianne Murchison, Columns
Atlanta Community Food Bank aims to distribute 10M meals over the holidays
Across metro Atlanta, food pantries and volunteers are working to ensure families have what they need for the holidays. Among them are two organizations: Dreamz Always Come True, a Sandy Springs–based nonprofit, and separately, the Atlanta Community Food Bank, which is expanding its reach in high-need communities. The Atlanta Community Food Bank hosted a media […]
Posted inColumns
‘Wicked: For Good’ is ill-paced and ill-conceived
My last year’s review of “Wicked” began with the notion that the film would have been much better if someone didn’t make the decision to split act one and act two of the 2003 Broadway musical into two separate movies (apparently, this idea might have stemmed from Craig Mazin?). Now that the second film, “Wicked: For […]
Posted inGuest Column
Second chances, stronger cities: Atlanta’s opportunity to break the cycle of recidivism
In cities like Atlanta, known for innovation, resilience and civic pride, public safety talks often focus on enforcement. But if we truly want safer streets and stronger neighborhoods, our efforts must go beyond just enforcement. We need to address recidivism, which is the rate at which individuals reoffend after entering the justice system, and understand […]
Posted inReporter's Notebook
Reporter’s Notebook: Rivian CEO meets with Rotary, Shaq scholarships, ViHi tour of homes
Rivian CEO: Georgia is key to company’s success R.J. Scaringe, founder and CEO of Rivian Automotive, knew what he wanted to do from an early age. “When I was about the age of 10, I decided I wanted to start a car company,” Scaringe told members of the Rotary Club of Atlanta on Nov. 17. […]
Posted inLatest News
Invest Atlanta unveils four-pillar plan to bring food access for all
At a Nov. 20 board meeting, Invest Atlanta laid out a four-part plan to bring all Atlantans within 0.5 miles of fresh and affordable food by 2030 — including a second Azalea Fresh Market location set to open that year. The city’s economic agency has worked on the food access plan since 2022. First, it […]
Posted inColumns
College Park developer refutes claims by fired city manager
A new wave of controversies has emerged in College Park following the firing of City Manager Lindell Miller. The developer renovating the former Chelsea Gardens apartments is refuting her allegations. Miller issued a written statement and has spoken to media outlets about her firing, which occurred during Monday’s city council meeting. A resident shared her […]
Posted inColumns
An Intimate Evening with David Foster and Katharine McPhee at Fox Theatre is a must-see this holiday season
There is no better way to get cozy and ring in the holiday spirit than to spend the evening with 16-time Grammy-winning producer and songwriter David Foster and singer-actress and American Idol runner up Katharine McPhee at their Atlanta tour stop at Fox Theatre on Dec. 11. As they prepare to visit venues across the country with […]
Posted inAtlanta Way 2.0
Partners in Change advances economic mobility through coaching, self-empowerment
When Destiny Quarterman-Johnson saw how Partners in Change (PIC) had transformed her friend’s life, she knew she wanted in on the action. A year later, at Quarterman-Johnson’s graduation from the program on Nov. 8, she spoke on a panel before an audience of her peers, coaches and other supporters. “Being in college, being in your […]
Posted inCommon Chords
Where the beat became the barricade: Public Enemy’s It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back
There’s no easing into It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back. It doesn’t start so much as it detonates — a siren, a shout, a sample barrage that sounds like every protest and party in America colliding in a single furious second. Chuck D’s voice hits like scripture yelled through a megaphone: […]
Posted inLatest News
ArtsBridge brings 2,000 students to theater field trip during ‘ArtsBridge Day’
On a sunny morning at the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre, 2,000 students from nearby schools poured into the theater’s sunny atrium as they geared up for a science spectacular showing of “Mr C. Live!” It’s the latest in the nonprofit ArtsBridge Foundation’s field trip programs, which subsidize tickets in under-resourced schools to bring middle […]
Posted inFinancial Inclusion
Why Homeownership Still Matters: Reflections from the EMPIRE Realtists 65th Anniversary
Last weekend, I joined the EMPIRE Board of Realtists here in Atlanta to celebrate their 65th anniversary. They were kind enough to honor me with an award for leadership and impact, but throughout the night, I was reminded of something important: awards don’t change the world. People do. Communities do. Movements do. Realtists have been part of […]
Posted inColumns, Mark Lannaman
Live Thrive’s Corporate + Community Challenge returns for another year of friendly corporate competitiveness
The Atlanta corporate community is in some good old-fashioned competition for a good cause — to see who can recycle the most over the course of six months. Live Thrive, an Atlanta-based nonprofit focused on reuse, waste diversion and recycling of materials, has brought back its popular Corporate + Community Challenge for another cycle, which […]
