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Axios Atlanta
Hotel Granada opens in Midtown after two-year renovation
A 100-year-old historic building in the heart of Midtown Atlanta is now open after a two-year renovation and restoration project. The latest: Hotel Granada at 1302 W. Peachtree Street NW has been transformed into "a sophisticated respite for all who enter through its Spanish colonial archways," according to its press release. New York-based Monomoy Property Ventures and Scarp Ridge Capital Partners were in charge of the top-to-bottom renovation. Aparium Hotel Group manages the hotel.What they're saying: Alfonce McKinney, the hotel's general manager, said they are "thrilled to reintroduce this iconic landmark... where classic Southern inspirations mix with an old-world European feel to create an entirely new energy."The vibe: The renovated 120-room hotel includes a restaurant called Pom Court, a meeting space, and a cocktail bar that's in the works.Rooms start at $179 per night. Flashback: The property originally opened in 1924 as Granada Apartments, according to real estate firm Hodges Ward Elliott. It was later converted to hotel use in 1984 and reopened as Artmore Hotel. Photo: Jason Thomas Crocker/Hotel Granada Photo: Jason Thomas Crocker/Hotel Granada Photo: Jason Thomas Crocker/Hotel Granada Photo: Jason Thomas Crocker/Hotel Granada
Georgia Senate committee side steps recommending new Fulton jail
A Georgia state Senate subcommittee tasked with studying issues at the Fulton County Jail released its recommendations for improvements but stopped short of suggesting a new facility be constructed.Why it matters: The 17 recommendations released Friday by the Senate Public Safety Subcommittee on the Fulton County Jail will most likely not move the needle on whether Sheriff Pat Labat's desire for a new facility will become a reality.The latest: Instead, the report calls on the city of Atlanta to turn over its Detention Center to Fulton County to house Fulton inmates who have court cases pending.The district attorney and sheriff's...
Remember when Atlanta's upstanding citizens burned Snake Nation to the ground?
Atlanta was just four years old when a tug of war between its upstanding business class and denizens of drinking houses and bordellos threatened to pull the railroad town apart.Why it matters: The civic and political battles over quality of life, the city's reputation and nightlife businesses are as old as Atlanta and time itself.Flashback: In 1850, Atlanta was home to roughly 2,500 people and a hangover-inducing 40 saloons, according to Atlanta Magazine.Catch up quick: That year, the newly elected mayor Jonathan Norcross of the Moral Party promised to crack down on Atlanta's vice enterprises — the enthusiasts of which...
Beltline makes official trail names and boundaries
The Atlanta Beltline dropped the "L," and now it's drawing boundaries and formalizing names. How it works: Beltline officials this month released an updated "naming convention" for the biking and jogging trails that aligns with the path's location in the city. They also clarified where trails begin or end. Why...
Georgia county election boards could become 2024 battleground
A steady stream of bureaucratic rule changes in Georgia is creating a framework that election deniers could use to delay the certification of the presidential election results come November, advocates say.Why it matters: Former President Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris know the road to the White House runs through Georgia, and the new rules could help cast doubt and fan flames of suspicion on the democratic process like it's 2020 all over again.Driving the news: In recent months, MAGA and GOP activists have helped push the State Election Board's Republican appointees to approve what they market as common-sense measures...
Georgia is 10th most expensive state for car insurance
Data: Insurify; Chart: Axios VisualsThe cost of car insurance is hitting high water marks nationwide, though drivers in Georgia are feeling the pain more than others.Why it matters: Rising rates are fueling a transportation affordability crisis, especially in Atlanta, where car dependency has dominated for decades.Driving the news: Georgia ranks 10th as the most expensive state for car insurance, with the average annual cost reaching $2,688 as of June, according to Insurify, which helps users collect quotes from multiple insurers.That's 15% higher than the national average.Peach State drivers saw a 21% increase in the cost of full-coverage insurance from June...
Georgia COVID infections increasing
Wash your hands, cover your mouth and wear a mask. Georgia and other Southern states are seeing a summertime increase in new COVID infections, according to the state and federal health data. Why it matters: The number of COVID-related deaths is low compared with the early days of the pandemic,...
Chick-fil-A opens first-ever "elevated drive-thru" concept in metro Atlanta
Chick-fil-A is unveiling its first-ever "elevated drive-thru" restaurant as the fast food company tests the countless ways that customers can buy a chicken sandwich.Why it matters: The new two-story location opening Thursday on Jodeco Road off I-75, about 30 minutes south of Atlanta, features four drive-thru lanes and a kitchen on the upper floor. The store has no dining area.Zoom in: The upstairs kitchen is two times larger than a typical Chick-fil-A's, the company says.Employees will place a customers' order on a "sophisticated conveyer belt system" that has the capacity to deliver a meal every six seconds.By the numbers: Drive-thru makes up 60% of Chick-fil-A's sales, the company said in a statement.Company executives think the new layout could accommodate three times more vehicles than a standard Chick-fil-A restaurant drive-thru.Zoom out: The new design is one of two rolled out by the company in July 2023, along with a walk-up, pick-up concept for urban areas.Chick-fil-A grand openingThe new Chick-fil-A is located at 2155 Jodeco Road in McDonough.It'll be open from 6am to 10pm Monday through Saturday.Go deeper: Drive-thru mania pushes chains to rethink restaurantsSign up for Axios Atlanta for free.
Cobb schools appeal state ruling overturning a student's expulsion
The State Board of Education overturned a Cobb County student's expulsion, but he's unable to return to class as the school district appeals the decision.Why it matters: A Cobb Superior Court judge's ruling granting the district's request to halt the order as it appeals the case is the first time a judge stopped a student from returning to school after the state reversed a local decision, says Michael Tafelski, the attorney with the Southern Poverty Law Center who is representing the student.Zoom in: At issue is whether the district indeed had jurisdiction to expel the North Cobb High School student...
"Noble" podcast revisits Georgia's Tri-State Crematory scandal
An Atlanta journalist's hit podcast series explores the unsettling story of a Georgia crematory that hoodwinked hundreds of families and improperly disposed of bodies in its care.Why it matters: "Noble," a new podcast series by journalist Shaun Raviv, revisits a small town's shocking story that rippled across the country and its still unanswered questions.Right now, the show is No. 1 on Apple Podcasts.Catch up quick: In 2002, investigators from the Environmental Protection Agency discovered dead bodies on the grounds of the Tri-State Crematory in Noble, a town in the northwest corner pocket of Georgia.For years, Ray Brent Marsh, the business...
Dr. Anthony Fauci coming to Atlanta Jewish book festival
Anthony Fauci, former chief medical advisor to the president, is among several keynote speakers announced for this year's Book Festival of the Marcus Jewish Community Center of Atlanta.The latest: The festival, the largest in the Southeast, will be held Nov. 2–17 at the Jewish Community Center in Dunwoody.The lineup of presenters includes author Mitch Albom, famous for his bestseller "Tuesdays with Morrie"; journalists John Quinones, Maria Elena Salinas, and Amir Tibon; former U.S. Ambassador to the European Union Stuart Eizenstat; and chef and cookbook author Joan Nathan.What they're saying: The festival is a "true celebration of storytelling, offering our community...
Cobb teachers use virtual reality to enhance classroom lessons
Cobb County teachers will soon begin using virtual reality to help their students better grasp science and math lessons.Why it matters: Educators are increasingly exploring ways to meet students where they are, and that means incorporating into the classroom technology they may already have at home.Driving the news: The Cobb County School District on Monday held a professional learning session where teachers were introduced to virtual reality headsets featuring the Prisms of Reality platform.The platform, designed to get students interested in the STEM fields, features modules that present real-world problems for students to solve.Subjects on the platform include seventh- and...
Cobb teachers use virtual reality to enhance classroom lessons
Cobb County teachers will soon begin using virtual reality to help their students better grasp science and math lessons.Why it matters: Educators are increasingly exploring ways to meet students where they are, and that means incorporating into the classroom technology they may already have at home.Driving the news: The Cobb County School District on Monday held a professional learning session where teachers were introduced to virtual reality headsets featuring the Prisms of Reality platform.The platform, designed to get students interested in the STEM fields, features modules that present real-world problems for students to solve.Subjects on the platform include seventh- and...
Julian Bond helped the Democratic Party open its doors and eyes
In 1968, Georgia state Rep. Julian Bond led a new guard of progressives to claim their place in the Democratic Party and shine daylight on issues of poverty and racism.Why it matters: The Democratic National Convention returns to Chicago on Monday for only the second time since that consequential convention, which took place during one of the most politically turbulent times in the country's history and helped nudge the divided party to become more diverse and progressive.The big picture: The 1968 convention was marked by a divisive floor fight over the party's nominee and violent protests outside the convention center's...
Georgia has fifth-highest percentge of residents who are uninsured
Data: U.S. Census Bureau; Note: Estimated from administrative and survey data; Chart: Axios VisualsGeorgia has the fifth-highest percentage of people under 65 without health insurance, according to new U.S. Census bureau data, with 13.6% of residents, or 1.2 million people, uninsured as of 2022.Why it matters: That's a big improvement over 2006, when 19.7% of Georgians were uninsured — but still more than the national uninsured rate of 9.5%.Georgia is 1 of 10 states that have yet to expand Medicaid eligibility to more residents under the Affordable Care Act.Zoom in: The rate of people without health insurance is highest in some of...
Forth, a 1970s-inspired rooftop cocktail bar along the Eastside Trail, opens
Moonlight, the new bar in FORTH overlooking the Atlanta skyline in Old Fourth Ward, is now open.Why it matters: The latest addition to the city's rooftop bar scene is remarkable for its style just as much as the view.Zoom in: Located on the 16th floor of the hotel and private club, Moonlight mixes the feel of a 1970s cocktail bar and sharp design to create an intimate low-key setting.Vibes: Mellow and sophisticated with "the decadence of Italian mid-century modernism," according to New City Properties, which developed FORTH and the new Mailchimp headquarters nearby. There's a fireplace and a wraparound outdoor seating area overlooking Historic Fourth Ward Park as well. What to eat: The menu focuses on "seafood-forward bites" and small plates like deviled eggs, tuna cannoli, lobster rolls and caviar service.Go: Moonlight is open from 5pm-midnight Wednesday through Saturday. Moonlight is open to the public. Reservations will be available via Resy.Sign up for Axios Atlanta for free.
Forth, a 1970s-inspired rooftop cocktail bar along the Eastside Trail, opens
Moonlight, the new bar in FORTH overlooking the Atlanta skyline in Old Fourth Ward, is now open.Why it matters: The latest addition to the city's rooftop bar scene is remarkable for its style just as much as the view.Zoom in: Located on the 16th floor of the hotel and private club, Moonlight mixes the feel of a 1970s cocktail bar and sharp design to create an intimate low-key setting.Vibes: Mellow and sophisticated with "the decadence of Italian mid-century modernism," according to New City Properties, which developed FORTH and the new Mailchimp headquarters nearby. There's a fireplace and a wraparound outdoor seating area overlooking Historic Fourth Ward Park as well. What to eat: The menu focuses on "seafood-forward bites" and small plates like deviled eggs, tuna cannoli, lobster rolls and caviar service.Go: Moonlight is open from 5pm-midnight Wednesday through Saturday. Moonlight is open to the public. Reservations will be available via Resy.Sign up for Axios Atlanta for free.
Biggest games on the Atlanta Hawks 2024-25 schedule
The path the Atlanta Hawks will have to traverse to get back to the NBA playoffs in the 2024-25 season has been unveiled. State of play: The NBA released season schedules Thursday and here's what you need to know about the Hawks'.Season openersAtlanta opens the season on Oct. 23 at home against the Brooklyn Nets and stays home for the second game of the season on Oct. 25 against the Charlotte Hornets. Their first road game of the season comes Oct. 27 against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Old faces, new placesThe Hawks will see guard Dejounte Murray for the first...
Weekend events: Car show, Piedmont Arts Festival
It's going to be a nice weekend, so let's get out there and explore the city with these events:🚗 The Savoy Automobile Museum in Cartersville hosts the annual Connection Car Show. (Sat.)🖼️ The Piedmont Park Arts Festival features more than 200 artists, music, a children's play area, food and beverages. (Sat.-Sun.)🎞️ Limelight Theater celebrates DIY and grassroots movies and shorts at the Atlanta Underground Film Festival (Fri.-Sun.)🎤 Usher brings his Past Present Future tour to State Farm Arena. Tickets are sold out, but there are some available on the resale market — for eye-watering prices. (Fri.-Sat.)🪩 The Masquerade gets down...
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