Coke Fans were rejoicing 38 years ago this week when the company announced it would be bringing back it’s original recipe after briefly switching over to “Coke II.”
Coke II was like a sweet, carbonated fever dream. Struggling to compete with Pepsi, Coca-Cola debuted the new recipe in April ‘85 that replaced its original soda that had been sold for around a century. But only three months later — after 400,000 phone calls and countless letters from customers — the company started selling the original recipe again, this time rebranded as “Coca-Cola Classic,” on July 11.
On to local news:
DeKalb gets expansive new nondiscrimination ordinance
DeKalb County has an expansive new nondiscrimination ordinance, protecting everything from political opinions to hairstyles in both private businesses and government hiring.
Approved by the Board of Commissioners (BOC) on July 11, the ordinance bars discrimination based on “race, color, religion, national origin, sex, pregnancy, age, disability, genetic information, familial status, political affiliation, political opinion, sexual orientation, parental status, gender identity, marital status or protective hairstyle.”
The hair provision refers to textures and styles “associated with race, gender identity, cultural identity, national origin or religious belief.”
The ordinance allows complaints about private businesses to be filed with the County for a refundable $50 fee. Voluntary mediation is the first step, followed by the possibility of a hearing before an officer who could impose a $500 fine or recommend suspensions of business and alcohol licenses. Appeals would go to state courts.
Among exempted groups are single-gender children’s organizations, private clubs and noncommercial aspects of religious organizations.
The ordinance takes effect in about 180 days.
The ordinance was introduced by District 1 Commissioner Robert Patrick and District 7 Commissioner Lorraine Cochran-Johnson. Its passage was celebrated with an LGBTQ flag-raising at the Manuel J. Maloof Center in Decatur, where the BOC meets.
Most of the 13 cities within DeKalb, including part of Atlanta, also have nondiscrimination ordinances created or amended in recent years to at least cover LGBTQ people.
— John Ruch
New recycle, reuse service comes to Atlanta
Ridwell is ready to collect Atlantans’ recyclables. The recycling and reuse service recently opened in the city, providing front-door pick-up of materials that can be recycled — both everyday and hard-to-dispose-of — or reused.
Here’s how it works: Every two weeks, the team collects materials placed on your doorstep using their tote bags. They accept materials like plastic film, textiles, batteries, lightbulbs, chargers and more. They take more unique items, including kitchenware, paint and candy. The service costs $14 a month.
In Atlanta, Ridwell is working with partners like Scraplanta, PAWS Atlanta, FODAC and Blue Goblin.
Ridwell began as a small project, with a father and six-year-old son starting a “recycling carpool,” collecting neighbor’s materials like light bulbs, electronics and styrofoam. Now, they have seven locations. The company is headquartered in Seattle, but Atlanta is its first Southeastern location.
— Hannah E. Jones
Emory set to provide primary sports medicine care for CAU athletics
With the fall sports season quickly approaching, Clark Atlanta University Athletics has partnered with Emory to provide primary sports medicine care for student-athletes across all sports.
“We are very excited to have Emory Healthcare to provide Primary Sports Medicine care to Clark Atlanta University,” said Dr. Michael Douglas, Assistant A.D. for Sports Medicine, “Panther Sports Medicine’s vision is to continue to grow, through evidence-based practice, education and a commitment to excellence in order to provide the best possible healthcare to our student-athletes.”
Emory Healthcare is the official healthcare provider of several professional teams, including the Atlanta Hawks, Atlanta Braves, Atlanta Falcons, and Atlanta Dream and takes care of college teams such as Georgia Tech, Emory University and Oglethorpe University, as well as athletes in high school athletic programs at more than 20 metro Atlanta schools.
— Allison Joyner
East Point creates hospital authority board to remedy the loss of medical access for residents
During last month’s regular business meeting, the East Point City Council voted to create a hospital authority board to address the issues brought on by the closure of WellStar AMC South medical center last year.
The board will work to bring a healthcare facility to the Fulton County community to prevent their residents from traveling long distances to receive medical care.
“We have made the first step to return health care to the more than 200,000 residents who do not have access to a hospital,” said Joshua Butler, an East Point Councilmember.
The board will hire a professional hospital management company specializing in turning around underperforming hospitals.
— Allison Joyner
APS Chief Equity Officer wins Council Award
Yesterday, Atlanta Public Schools announced their Chief Equity and Social Justice Officer, Dr. Tauheedah Baker-Jones, as the recipient of the “Champion Equity” Urban School District Equity Leader Award from the Council of the Great Schools’ Curriculum, Research and Instructional Leaders.
The award honors an equity leader in a school district who has demonstrated leadership in developing strategies designed to dismantle inequities within their district.
“This work is in my DNA,” Baker-Jones said. “I am very honored to receive this award and proud to have a team of phenomenal equity leaders who lean into this work with me despite the ever-growing challenges presented to us daily. We remain proud and passionate about the work we have done and are doing to advance educational equity in the district, and now, APS is a national model for intentionally, explicitly, and sustainably addressing challenges of equity in education.”
Baker-Jones has served as the first chief equity and social justice officer for APS since 2020, where she leads the district’s efforts to build a culture of inclusion and advance educational equity. She has spent more than 20 years working to ensure that every child is provided with an excellent and equitable learning environment and has held diverse leadership roles across the K-12 spectrum within the district, charter, and non-profit sectors.
— Allison Joyner
Surgery Chair appointed at Morehouse School of Medicine
Earlier this month, Morehouse School of Medicine (MSM) announced Dr. John Stewart IV as the new Chair of the Department of Surgery.
A practicing surgeon and oncologist, Stewart is the current professor of surgery at LSU Health New Orleans School of Medicine and the founding director of the LSU-Louisiana Children’s Medical Center Health Cancer Center.
“With his board and multifaceted experience, Dr. Stewart will provide unparalleled leadership and insights to MSM students and faculty as well as to the health care providers and patients at Grady Health System,” said Dr. Joseph Tyndall, executive vice president of health affairs and dean of MSM.
— Allison Joyner
Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies Coalition of Georgia announces next board of directors
Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies Coalition of Georgia (HMHBGA) recently welcomed its board, a combination of new and established members.
The new board will continue to support HMHBGA’s role as a statewide voice advocating to improve access to healthcare and overall health outcomes for mothers and babies in Georgia. Maternal and infant care is an area where Georgia falls short, with the state ranking poorly on national health indicators.
The returning board members include:
- Board President: Rachel Powell, CDC Foundation
- Board Vice President: Margaret Master, Emory University Rollins School of Public Health
- Board Treasurer: Katie Deutschler
- Board Secretary: Jennifer Fease, Equifax
- Alex Kim, Accenture Song
- Shannon Stevenson, Emory University’s Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing
- Theia Smith, PricewaterhouseCoopers
- Jonathan Smith, JM Huber Corporation
- Irene Yang, Emory University Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing
The new board members are:
- Emma Benton, Clayton County Public Schools
- Bethany Cole Munshi, Camber Collective
- Anne Debeer, (Retired) Federal Reserve Bank
- Jenna Howell, Contour Pilates ATL
- Earlisha Louis, Elekta
- Tracey Steele, Chick-fil-A
- Lydia E. Thacker, Agosto Associates
- Alison Thompson, Emory University
“We are delighted to welcome our new board members and extend our heartfelt gratitude to the returning members for their unwavering dedication and invaluable contributions. The combined expertise and vision of our board will play a pivotal role in shaping the strategic direction of HMHBGA. We are confident that their guidance will drive our continued growth and success,” wrote CEO Ky Lindberg.
— Hannah E. Jones
