1 big thing: Can I borrow a cup of sugar, officer?

2. Map: Punxsutawney "Skill"

3. Oakland Cemetery's plants feel the frost's bite

A photo of frozen and dead rosemary bushes in a historic cemetery

Terminus Modern Ballet begins anew

4. 🩰 Terminus begins anew

A ballet dancer in red performs outside on a green lawn while a person watches 

A new career is waiting for you

5. Five-ish Points: Rivian job cuts

Illustration of a peach with arms and legs walking past some trees. 

It's Thursday. Take a deep breath. You got this!

Today's weather: Showers with a high of 51.

Situational awareness:  Beyoncé is coming to Atlanta on Aug. 11 as part of her Renaissance world tour. Find out how to get your tickets here.

Today's newsletter is 923 words — a 3.5-minute read. 

🦫 Emma is wondering what Punxsutawney Phil really thinks of all of us. (And yes she knows that's technically a beaver emoji.) 

😳 Kristal wonders which purchases y'all won't make this month in order to afford Beyonce's concert tickets.

😐 Thomas is realizing the inexpensive and suspicious “standing” desk he bought online is more of a “leaning over" desk.

Atlanta

A daily look at the most significant and interesting stories affecting Atlanta. Written by Emma Hurt, Kristal Dixon and Thomas Wheatley.

Axios Atlanta

1 big thing: Atlanta mourns with Memphis

Is a new job in your future?

Energy costs, supply chain push Atlanta food prices to new high

2. No surprise here: Food prices spike in Atlanta

Zilch Market brings the zero-proof bar concept to Atlanta

3. Zilch brings the zero-proof bar concept to ATL

A person wearing a shirt that says "Zilch" slides a dark cocktail with a dried orange across a stained wood bar.

4. Five-ish Points: Northside Drive needs to chill

Illustration of concrete wall with a sign reading "5-ish," with six points after it.

It's Monday. How can you end today better than you started it? 

Today's weather: Umbrella time. Cloudy and rainy with a high of 61. 

Today's newsletter is 912 words — a 3.5-minute read. 

🍷 Kristal really loves Amici's Russian River Valley Pinot Noir.

🎬 Thomas is bummed he missed Francis Ford Coppola's surprise appearance at the Plaza Theatre over the weekend but is happy the director stopped by. 

❄️ Emma is back from skiing in some incredible Colorado snow. The price? Idling for an hour trying to cross a mountain pass in a snowstorm. 

This newsletter was edited by Jen Ashley and copy edited by Alex Perry.

Buford Highway pedestrian safety gets a funding boost

1 big thing: Slowing down Buford Highway

Illustration of a pedestrian crossing sign with a dollar sign.

Get married by the Atlanta Mayor on Valentine's Day

2. 💍 Get married by the mayor

Battle of the Bands to showcase Southeast's best HBCU marching bands

3. Battle of the bands

A photo of a marching band with brass instruments and a bandleader leading out front 

4. Things to do: Black History Month

Illustration of the state of Georgia lit by red, green and yellow lights.

New jobs to check out

5. Five Points: "Bo Legs" documentary

Illustration of five-ish points animating to form the letters ATL. 

It's Friiiiiiiiiiday. First round is on you.

Today's weather: Sunny with a high of 46. 

Situational awareness: Microsoft is pressing pause on its planned mega-campus on Atlanta‘s westside, per Bisnow.

🎂 Happy birthday to our Axios Atlanta member Dov Wilker! And happy early birthday to member Michelle Hiskey.

Today's newsletter is 927 words — a 3.5-minute read.

😬 Kristal's plant wish list on Etsy is out of control.

🪴 Emma just learned you can buy plants on Etsy! 

😳 Thomas is never getting his eyes dilated again. 

Leaders consider housing subsidy for police, firefighters

1 big thing: "Cop City" moves forward

Plan your future

2. Black History Month is here amid teacher fears

3. The most influential Black Atlantans

Illustration of a Black woman's hands holding the city of Atlanta.

4. Five-ish points: Midtown salsa

Illustration of a neon sign on a metal tower reading 5ish Points. 

It's Wednesday, and it's February. Pull yourselves together, friends.  

☁️ Today's weather: More clouds and a high of 56. 

Situational awareness: Blue Ridge banker Johnny Chastain won a runoff to replace the late Georgia House Speaker David Ralston in state house district 7.

He defeated Ralston's widow, Sheree, by about 500 votes. 

Today's newsletter is 864 words — a 3.5-minute read. 

😌 Kristal is glad to report that Hannah, her dog, is feeling better. 

🎂 Emma is celebrating the beginning of February, the shortest but sweetest month. Shout out to all my fellow Pisces. 

🦫 Thomas is recovering from the experience of visiting the Buc-ee's south of Macon... and finding it unusually quiet. 

Empty bathrooms. No one shopping for "Live, Laugh, Love" signs. Surreal.

1 big thing: Heavy loads on local roads

Illustration of an anvil with tires like a 5-axle truck driving down the street, cracking the pavement.

Cobb County elections director announces retirement

2. Cobb elections director to retire

3. 🥊 Showdown for the DNC

4. New pro cycling race coming to Atlanta

Take your career to the next level

5. Five-ish Points: Bye-bye, Bed, Bath & Beyond

Today's weather: Cloudy, with a chance of rain. High around 64.

😀 It's a great day to contribute to our newsroom by becoming a member! 

Situational awareness: After nearly 20 seasons doing play-by-play for Atlanta Braves games, announcer Chip Caray is heading to St. Louis.

Today's newsletter is 923 words — a 3.5-minute read.

🐕 Kristal wonders what her dog Hannah dreams about when she's sleeping.

👑 Emma just finished Harry & Meghan and is wishing Tyler Perry would participate in a royal christening. 

🧠 Thomas is still thinking about the hilarious, crushing and touching "The Banshees of Inisherin."

Georgia companies that use big commercial trucks and the local governments who maintain roads are facing off yet again over the amount of weight those trucks can haul. 

Why it matters: The seemingly annual — and very wonky — battle at the Georgia Capitol has big effects on infrastructure, safety and the finances of some of Georgia’s biggest employers.

What's happening: Georgia's forestry, concrete, poultry and other members of the state's largest industries plan to ask the state to allow commercial trucks to weigh up to 90,000 pounds on state roads. 

That's up from the current 80,000-pound limit on the books. Industries cite higher fuel costs, inflation and tight labor markets.

Of note: The federal government prohibits trucks heavier than 80,000 pounds from traveling on the interstate, which means heavier trucks have to stick to local roads. 

State of play: In March 2020, Gov. Brian Kemp issued an executive order allowing trucks to haul up to 95,000 pounds to keep supply chains moving during the pandemic. That executive order sunsets on Feb. 9. 

Without an extension or new legislation, industry officials told Axios, Georgia would have the lowest weight limits in the South, putting companies at a competitive disadvantage with other states.

Zoom out: The issue doesn't just affect rural areas. The Atlanta City Council recently approved a resolution urging the state and federal government not to bump up truck weight limits.   

Yes, but: City and county governments maintain roughly 80% of roads in Georgia and more than 8,000 bridges, Kathleen Bowen of ACCG, an association that represents counties at the Capitol, told Axios. 

90,000 pounds is nearly double the weight that most county roads can accommodate, she says, and the increased wear and tear and extra strain on bridges increase maintenance costs and shortens their lifespans.

The other side: If trucks can pull more weight, the industry argues, they'll have fewer trucks on the road. 

The forestry industry could reduce the number of miles traveled on roads and bridges by 20 million miles a year, officials say.

Georgia industries want higher weight limits on commercial trucks

Cities and counties and state's biggest industries square off

Trucks

Georgia companies that use big commercial trucks and the local governments who maintain roads are facing off yet again over the amount of weight those trucks can haul. Why it matters: The seemingly annual — and very wonky — battle at the Georgia Capitol has big effects on infrastructure, safety and the finances of some of Georgia’s biggest employers.

News

Politics

Terminus Modern Ballet Theatre is bringing ballets based on Johnny Cash, a children's classic and creative genius in its upcoming spring and summer seasons.

What's happening: In March, the acclaimed modern ballet troupe heads to Piedmont Park to perform free ballets set to the music of Cash's later career — in cowboy boots, no less — and "Peter and the Wolf."

Yes, and: In May, Terminus will dance to Ana Maria Lucaciu's "Long Ago and Only Once," at Kennesaw State University.

This summer, expect a touring residency in Florida and Terminus Ballet School performances.

Catch up quick: In 2017, some of the Atlanta Ballet's top dancers broke off from the city's most well-known troupe to form Terminus, their own company focused on modern ballet. 

Think of more original works about aging, love and complex questions of neuroscience, along with family-friendly fare like "Peter and the Wolf" in outdoor spaces.

The big picture: "We're not a tutus and tiaras kind of ballet company," John Welker, Terminus' co-founder and artistic director, told Axios. 

"We tell stories grounded in human experience. We create original works that use the beauty and the rigor of ballet” to tell stories with which people can identify. 

What we're watching: The Johnny Cash ballet, obviously.

"We're not a tutus and tiaras kind of ballet company."

Photo: Courtesy of Terminus Modern Ballet Theatre

Terminus Modern Ballet Theatre is bringing ballets based on Johnny Cash, a children&#x27;s classic and creative genius in its upcoming spring and summer seasons.What&#x27;s happening: In March, the acclaimed modern ballet troupe heads to Piedmont Park to <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="perform free ballets" data-vars-click-url="https://www.artsatl.org/terminus-modern-ballet-announces-spring-season-free-concerts-in-the-park/" data-vars-content-id="1fa49522-18d4-4d81-9b46-3a7c5441c5f4" data-vars-headline="Terminus Modern Ballet begins anew" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.artsatl.org/terminus-modern-ballet-announces-spring-season-free-concerts-in-the-park/" target="_blank">perform free ballets</a> set to the music of Cash&#x27;s later career — in cowboy boots, no less — and &quot;Peter and the Wolf.&quot;

If you think driving on Buford Highway is the opposite of relaxation, try walking. New funding, however, might make it less of a nightmare for pedestrians.

Why it matters: Though designed for cars, Buford Highway is used by a surprising number of pedestrians going to work, school, shopping, or medical appointments. 

Transit riders, too. One of MARTA's most popular routes runs along the highway that's seven lanes wide in some spots.

Driving the news: $1.5 million in federal funding will help make the highway safer and more accessible along a stretch in Doraville between I-285 and Longmire Way.

Details: That money, secured by Sen. Jon Ossoff, will be spent on audible push buttons for crosswalks; landscaping; benches, bike racks, and waste receptacles; curb ramps, and more.

State and local officials, along with community advocates like We Love Buford Highway, have spent more than $50 million — and more than a decade — to add pedestrian refuges, bright crossing signals, and other projects to slow down cars. 

Zoom out: Within just a few miles on Buford Highway, the average person could buy churros at La Churreria, banh mi at Lee's, and Chinese at Canton House. But food shopping by foot is a gamble.

For decades, traffic planners have prioritized the speed of automobiles over the safety of pedestrians on Buford Highway. Doraville has seen more than 30 crashes involving pedestrians over the past five years.

By the numbers: GDOT says a hectic rollercoaster segment from Lenox Road to the Doraville city limits — once one of Georgia’s most dangerous — hasn't seen a pedestrian death in roughly five years thanks to new medians and other safety fixes.

Another project is scheduled to finish construction in 2015.

Of note: Much of Metro Atlanta's immigrant population and their families have flocked to Buford Highway over the decades for its affordable housing and sense of community.

The multicultural corridor is facing gentrification and displacement as development pressures from surrounding cities like Brookhaven encroach on the thoroughfare.

More than $1.5 million will add curb ramps, audible crosswalk signals and more.

Transportation

If you think driving on Buford Highway is the opposite of relaxation, try walking. New funding, however, might make it less of a nightmare for pedestrians.Why it matters: Though designed for cars, Buford Highway is used by a surprising number of pedestrians going to work, school, shopping, or medical appointments.

Eight bands. Hundreds of musicians. Countless drumsticks. This Saturday, they will pack Mercedes-Benz Stadium to showcase some of the Southeast's best HBCU marching band talent.

What's happening: Musicians from Alabama State, North Carolina A&T and Grammy-nominated Tennessee State universities will compete alongside two of Atlanta's best high school marching bands — Westlake in South Fulton and Mableton's Pebblebrook — at the All-Star Battle of the Bands.

What we're watching: The Westlake Mighty Marching Lions. Called the heartbeat of the school, the roughly 130-member band has been working on their performances since July, director Cedric Young told Axios. 

Expect formations spelling out words, numbers and characters, plus plenty of flair, he said.

The Marching Lions will deliver a high-level, university-caliber arrangement that shows off the year-round program’s musicianship, Young said. Maybe a ballad or two, which Young said shows off both artistry and skill. 

What they're saying: HBCU marching bands have their roots in military drum corps. Some still employ military drill commands like about face, dress right dress, and come to attention.

"The terminology hasn’t changed," Young said. "Just the feel of the performance has changed. The groove."

Of note: In addition to an incredible sight and sound to behold, the marching bands offer parents and guardians a chance to educate kids about the emotional, social and leadership skills that playing in the band can offer. 

"These students have been in band since middle school and now most of them are receiving scholarships," Young said. "How about using band and academics to get your education paid for through being in these bands?"

Eight bands. Hundreds of musicians. Countless drumsticks.

Music

Eight bands. Hundreds of musicians. Countless drumsticks. This Saturday, they will pack Mercedes-Benz Stadium to showcase some of the Southeast&#x27;s best HBCU marching band talent.What&#x27;s happening: Musicians from Alabama State, North Carolina A&amp;T and <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Grammy-nominated" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/nashville/2022/11/16/tennessee-state-university-nominated-best-roots-gospel-grammy" data-vars-content-id="c6828dda-1506-4a69-ae86-67f5437edaa2" data-vars-headline="Battle of the Bands to showcase Southeast&#x27;s best HBCU marching bands" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/nashville/2022/11/16/tennessee-state-university-nominated-best-roots-gospel-grammy" target="_self">Grammy-nominated</a> Tennessee State universities will compete alongside two of Atlanta&#x27;s best high school marching bands — Westlake in South Fulton and Mableton&#x27;s Pebblebrook — at the <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="All-Star Battle of the Bands" data-vars-click-url="https://allstarbattleofthebands.com/" data-vars-content-id="c6828dda-1506-4a69-ae86-67f5437edaa2" data-vars-headline="Battle of the Bands to showcase Southeast&#x27;s best HBCU marching bands" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://allstarbattleofthebands.com/" target="_blank">All-Star Battle of the Bands</a>.

The Democratic National Committee is reportedly close to making a decision on the host city for the 2024 convention. 

Last week, the DNC told Houston the city was out of the running, and sources tell us that Atlanta and Chicago are the frontrunners. 

Today, Axios reporters from each city make an argument for their town. 

Read Chicago's frivolous arguments here. 

Why Atlanta: Atlanta played one of the most important roles in the civil rights movement — a point a coalition of political leaders made in a full-page AJC ad when Biden visited the city last month: "Cement your legacy. Choose Atlanta." 

✅ We have a fancy stadium, a recently renovated arena and a convention center that’s so big it was used as a makeshift hospital during the pandemic — all within walking distance of each other and 10,000 hotel rooms.

✅ Outkast, Jeezy, Goodie Mob, Ludacris, Soulja Boy, 2 Chainz, Gucci, Tag Team, Future, Kris Kross (yes!). We can keep going.

✅ Democrats don’t need reminding that Georgia voters are responsible for their Senate majority. How about some tax revenue in return? On a visit last summer, DNC chair Jamie Harrison even admitted: “The Democratic Party owes Georgia a whole lot.”

❌ Atlanta has a variety of pizza options. Chicago has a deep pie filled with marinara and cheese, and that's being charitable.

❌  Taking MARTA from the world’s busiest airport to Downtown’s convention district takes roughly 30 minutes. The trip on the "L" from O’Hare to Chicago's convention center takes more than double that. 

❌  It doesn’t have a museum centered on a soft drink, a giant chicken with rotating eyes or a faux Arc de Triomphe.    

Atlanta hosted the DNC for the first and only time in 1988. It was memorable for a Rob Lowe scandal and Ann Richards’ famous speech.

Our airport is basically an art gallery where planes just so happen to take off and land.

We have a cheerleader for our bid inside the White House.  

Why Atlanta should host the DNC — not Chicago

First, we have better pizza. Hear us out.

Our last Democratic National Convention. The Rev. Jesse Jackson with nominee Michael Dukakis on July 18, 1988. Photo: Karen Engstrom/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service via Getty Images

Democratic National Committee (DNC)

The Democratic National Committee is reportedly close to making a decision on the host city for the 2024 convention. <ul><li>Last week, the DNC <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="told" data-vars-click-url="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/27/us/politics/dnc-convention-cities-2024-biden.html" data-vars-content-id="e69b0916-4743-4530-87da-a2dae3e7012b" data-vars-headline="Why Atlanta should host the DNC — not Chicago" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/27/us/politics/dnc-convention-cities-2024-biden.html" target="_blank">told</a> Houston the city was out of the running, and sources tell us that Atlanta and Chicago are the frontrunners. </li></ul>

Thomas Wheatley

Stories

Buford Highway pedestrian safety gets a funding boost

Battle of the Bands to showcase Southeast's best HBCU marching bands

Terminus Modern Ballet begins anew

Why Atlanta should host the DNC — not Chicago

Georgia industries want higher weight limits on commercial trucks

Newsletter editions

💍 Atlanta's group wedding

👩‍🚒 Public safety housing

✅ Cop City greenlit

🚚 Truck weight debate

🕯 The South mourns