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

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Atlanta seeks lifetime license suspensions for speeding

The Atlanta City Council wants lifetime license suspensions for the worst driving offenders.

News

Remembering Keisha Lance Bottoms' mac and cheese

On Christmas Day in 2018, the internet reported a murder: Bottoms showed the world her Christmas feast spread.

Keith Lee's Atlanta reviews spark backlash, debate about restaurant scene

His visit has ignited a larger discussion about Atlanta's Black-owned dining culture.

Food and Drink

Five Atlanta restaurants receive Michelin stars

Atlanta's inaugural guide did not include any two or three-star restaurants.

Fulton's at-home STI testing program bridges health care gaps

Kits are getting scooped up almost immediately, said Joshua O'Neal, the county division's director.

Health

Fulton County health officials say a local experiment that gives people the option of testing for <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="sexually transmitted infections" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/atlanta/2023/10/10/hiv-prep-equity-access-georgia" data-vars-content-id="e91201c3-dd7b-496f-b8a4-c6156aaf3a3f" data-vars-headline="Fulton&#x27;s at-home STI testing program bridges health care gaps" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/atlanta/2023/10/10/hiv-prep-equity-access-georgia" target="_self">sexually transmitted infections</a> at home could become a powerful tool in public health.Why it matters: Metro Atlanta is home to one of the highest HIV infection rates in the country. Rates of syphilis, gonorrhea and other STIs have recently spiked, too.

An at-home STI testing kit including applicators and sample packets displayed on a red background

Atlanta politics news: Startup fund, grant money, healthcare concerns

There's never a quiet week in Atlanta politics

There&#x27;s never a quiet week in Atlanta politics, so every Wednesday Axios will aspire to highlight what you need to know about the local government in a new weekly series.<ul><li>Our colleague Emma Hurt had a similar series called &quot;<a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Trail Notes" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/atlanta/2022/04/08/trail-notes-georgia-governors-campaign-polling" data-vars-content-id="0225ca68-bb5c-49cf-8231-1135f8ede59c" data-vars-headline="Atlanta politics news: Startup fund, grant money, healthcare concerns" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/atlanta/2022/04/08/trail-notes-georgia-governors-campaign-polling" target="_self">Trail Notes</a>&quot; during last year&#x27;s primary campaign season. Please send us name suggestions for this new segment!</li></ul>🖥️ Tech startup support: Applications are <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="open" data-vars-click-url="http://www.investatlanta.com/startupgrowth" data-vars-content-id="0225ca68-bb5c-49cf-8231-1135f8ede59c" data-vars-headline="Atlanta politics news: Startup fund, grant money, healthcare concerns" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="http://www.investatlanta.com/startupgrowth" target="_blank">open</a> for Atlanta&#x27;s new <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="$1 million loan program" data-vars-click-url="https://www.atlantaga.gov/Home/Components/News/News/14840/672" data-vars-content-id="0225ca68-bb5c-49cf-8231-1135f8ede59c" data-vars-headline="Atlanta politics news: Startup fund, grant money, healthcare concerns" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.atlantaga.gov/Home/Components/News/News/14840/672" target="_blank">$1 million loan program</a>, which will give local technology startups direct loans of up to $150,000 to grow and scale.<ul><li>The loans are for equipment, furniture, fixtures, signage, inventory, and purchasing or renovating commercial space in the city.</li><li>Recipients must be incorporated within the last five years with a city business license.</li><li>Applicants must have a &quot;scalable, high-impact solution&quot; within technology.</li><li>Startups must demonstrate growth potential in their sector (AI, SaaS, e-commerce, manufacturing sustainability, fintech, etc.)</li><li>Applicants can operate from home, commercial space, incubator, accelerator, or a co-working space in the city.</li></ul>☀️ EPA solar grant: The City Council is set to discuss plans to seek $250 million in federal funding.<ul><li>The funds come from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency&#x27;s Solar for All Grant program.</li><li>Atlanta is a co-applicant with three Georgia local governments and a non-profit.</li><li>What we&#x27;re watching: How exactly do lawmakers envision spending this money, if the city receives it?</li></ul>🏡 Property tax relief: The Council will also consider whether to seek $250,000 to provide property tax assistance to Atlanta homeowners.<ul><li>The grant would come from the Rocket Community Fund, a philanthropic arm of Rocket Companies, which is the Detroit-based parent company of the Rocket Mortgage company.</li></ul>🏥 Atlanta Medical Center: City Councilman Amir Farokhi wants to end the redevelopment ban on the former AMC site, according to the <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="AJC&#x27;s Donovan J. Thomas" data-vars-click-url="https://www.ajc.com/news/health-news/atlanta-councilmember-calls-for-the-end-of-citys-amc-redevelopment-ban/3XVH5XBEZJAX3OHWIZG6SQRLRI/" data-vars-content-id="0225ca68-bb5c-49cf-8231-1135f8ede59c" data-vars-headline="Atlanta politics news: Startup fund, grant money, healthcare concerns" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.ajc.com/news/health-news/atlanta-councilmember-calls-for-the-end-of-citys-amc-redevelopment-ban/3XVH5XBEZJAX3OHWIZG6SQRLRI/" target="_blank">AJC&#x27;s Donovan J. Thomas</a>.<ul><li>Farokhi says the 25-acre site is &quot;ripe for mixed-use development, including affordable housing.&quot;</li><li>Mayor Andre Dickens <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="initiated the ban" data-vars-click-url="https://www.ajc.com/news/atlanta-news/exclusive-atlanta-mayor-halts-amc-site-redevelopment-prior-to-hospital-closure/J6GZBABVEBDVXIBAIQKJZM6GGI/" data-vars-content-id="0225ca68-bb5c-49cf-8231-1135f8ede59c" data-vars-headline="Atlanta politics news: Startup fund, grant money, healthcare concerns" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.ajc.com/news/atlanta-news/exclusive-atlanta-mayor-halts-amc-site-redevelopment-prior-to-hospital-closure/J6GZBABVEBDVXIBAIQKJZM6GGI/" target="_blank">initiated the ban</a> because he wants health care services at the site.</li><li>If the council extends the ban, Wellstar Health System will have to wait until April before it can do anything new with the property.</li></ul>What&#x27;s next: No votes are expected this week on these issues. The Council will host committee meetings next week to decide if these items will go before the full council on Nov. 6.

The push for HIV PreP equity

Expanding Medicaid and helping people pay to take PrEP could bend curve on state's high number of new diagnoses

Public health researchers are urging politicians and policymakers to make a revolutionary HIV treatment more accessible to Black and Hispanic people in Georgia, one of the states with the <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="highest rates of new diagnoses" data-vars-click-url="https://aidsvu.org/local-data/united-states/south/georgia/#prep" data-vars-content-id="77045749-3715-47bb-bf89-7a9e44a0d300" data-vars-headline="The push for HIV PreP equity" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://aidsvu.org/local-data/united-states/south/georgia/#prep" target="_blank">highest rates of new diagnoses</a>.Why it matters: Though no vaccine or cure for HIV is currently available, HIV is preventable and treatable thanks partly to advances in medicine including pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP.

Illustration of a red AIDS awareness ribbon shaped like a "no" sign 

Georgia's birthrate is declining

Georgia's birth rate fell nearly 29% between 2007 and 2022

Georgia&#x27;s birthrate dropped significantly between 2007 and 2022 — falling nearly 29%, according to new CDC data. Why it matters: The birthrate is a closely watched figure for myriad reasons. <ul><li>It <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="tends to fall" data-vars-click-url="https://www.stlouisfed.org/on-the-economy/2016/december/link-fertility-income" data-vars-content-id="9b5b51b3-cb8a-4fda-a7a9-450859d2b86f" data-vars-headline="Georgia&#x27;s birthrate is declining" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.stlouisfed.org/on-the-economy/2016/december/link-fertility-income" target="_blank">tends to fall</a> as income rises, which can be an indication of better access to contraception, family planning and abortion care.</li><li>And it tends to be lower in societies with higher rates of women in the workforce.</li></ul>

Emergency room visits are getting longer in Georgia

The median time Georgians spent in emergency rooms was 2 hours, 37 minutes last year.

The median time Georgians spent in emergency rooms was 2 hours, 37 minutes last year — the latest in a steady increase from pre-pandemic times, according to the latest Centers for Medicare &amp; Medicaid Services <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="data" data-vars-click-url="https://link.axios.com/click/32719508.10/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuYXhpb3MuY29tL2JyaWRnZT91cmw9aHR0cHM6Ly9kYXRhLmNtcy5nb3YvcHJvdmlkZXItZGF0YS9kYXRhc2V0L2FweWMtdjIzOSZzPTEyNDY3MSZuPTQ1YWQ0ZDc3JnQ9N2E5NDQyZGNmMjcyZDkwZjA4NmNlMWZkYzUyYTc5NDAzNmUxNmUyYSZ1dG1fc291cmNlPW5ld3NsZXR0ZXImdXRtX21lZGl1bT1lbWFpbCZ1dG1fY2FtcGFpZ249c2VuZHRvX2xvY2FsbmV3c2xldHRlcnRlc3Qmc3RyZWFtPXRvcA/628d54b6b6584c3ca20ec6fbB66fef97b" data-vars-content-id="7675e06c-e7d3-4e40-8df7-5494f2babbf9" data-vars-headline="Emergency room visits are getting longer in Georgia" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://link.axios.com/click/32719508.10/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuYXhpb3MuY29tL2JyaWRnZT91cmw9aHR0cHM6Ly9kYXRhLmNtcy5nb3YvcHJvdmlkZXItZGF0YS9kYXRhc2V0L2FweWMtdjIzOSZzPTEyNDY3MSZuPTQ1YWQ0ZDc3JnQ9N2E5NDQyZGNmMjcyZDkwZjA4NmNlMWZkYzUyYTc5NDAzNmUxNmUyYSZ1dG1fc291cmNlPW5ld3NsZXR0ZXImdXRtX21lZGl1bT1lbWFpbCZ1dG1fY2FtcGFpZ249c2VuZHRvX2xvY2FsbmV3c2xldHRlcnRlc3Qmc3RyZWFtPXRvcA/628d54b6b6584c3ca20ec6fbB66fef97b" target="_blank">data</a>.Why it matters: Time spent in the ER is a key metric for tracking hospital performance, Axios&#x27; Alex Fitzpatrick <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="reports" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2023/09/15/hospital-er-visit-time-length" data-vars-content-id="7675e06c-e7d3-4e40-8df7-5494f2babbf9" data-vars-headline="Emergency room visits are getting longer in Georgia" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2023/09/15/hospital-er-visit-time-length" target="_self">reports</a>.

Serenbe plans innovative senior living center

The senior campus will break up the traditional senior living model by "de-coupling" housing from medical care

Development

Over the past 20 years, South Fulton&#x27;s Serenbe showed that a planned community in sprawling metro Atlanta could weave together sustainability and strong design to create a place where people would pay premiums to call it home.<ul><li>The team behind the luxury utopian development now wants to change the way people think about growing older with more independence.</li></ul>

A rendering of sleek apartments with sloping roofs that also act as wall facades surrounding a courtyard

Judge calls time out on Georgia's gender-affirming care ban

The law would likely "put some individuals at risk of the serious harms associated with gender dysphoria," judge says

A federal judge on Monday temporarily blocked Georgia&#x27;s law prohibiting transgender minors from using certain medical treatments.Why it matters: The hot-button issue dominated the conversation during the most recent legislative session and put Georgia among <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="roughly 20 states" data-vars-click-url="https://www.hrc.org/resources/attacks-on-gender-affirming-care-by-state-map" data-vars-content-id="15b86d04-92bb-40d9-b231-e6935b2c00de" data-vars-headline="Judge calls time out on Georgia&#x27;s gender-affirming care ban" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.hrc.org/resources/attacks-on-gender-affirming-care-by-state-map" target="_blank">roughly 20 states</a> with laws banning gender-affirming care for minors.<ul><li><a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Major medical organizations" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2023/03/03/gender-affirming-care-trans-youth-us" data-vars-content-id="15b86d04-92bb-40d9-b231-e6935b2c00de" data-vars-headline="Judge calls time out on Georgia&#x27;s gender-affirming care ban" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2023/03/03/gender-affirming-care-trans-youth-us" target="_self">Major medical organizations</a> consider such care necessary and potentially <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="lifesaving" data-vars-click-url="https://www.nbcnews.com/feature/nbc-out/early-care-leads-better-mental-health-transgender-youths-study-finds-n1241289" data-vars-content-id="15b86d04-92bb-40d9-b231-e6935b2c00de" data-vars-headline="Judge calls time out on Georgia&#x27;s gender-affirming care ban" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.nbcnews.com/feature/nbc-out/early-care-leads-better-mental-health-transgender-youths-study-finds-n1241289" target="_blank">lifesaving</a>.</li></ul>

Illustration of a gavel with a trans flag on it

COVID hospitalizations rise in Georgia

The alarming trend is a reminder that the virus is still a public health issue.

COVID

COVID-19 hospitalization rates across Georgia were nearly double the national average between June and July amid signs of a late summer wave sweeping the country.Why it matters: With the rise in <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="at-home testing" data-vars-click-url="https://link.axios.com/click/32439200.131/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuYXhpb3MuY29tLzIwMjIvMDEvMDgvaG9tZS1yYXBpZC1jb3ZpZC10ZXN0LXJlcG9ydC1wb3NpdGl2ZS1hbWVyaWNhP3V0bV9zb3VyY2U9bmV3c2xldHRlciZ1dG1fbWVkaXVtPWVtYWlsJnV0bV9jYW1wYWlnbj1zZW5kdG9fbG9jYWxuZXdzbGV0dGVydGVzdCZzdHJlYW09dG9w/62040854aec03c0b97f858b5B42506e79" data-vars-content-id="446c0907-7dfd-471c-af7e-7eaebe4c5af1" data-vars-headline="COVID hospitalizations rise in Georgia" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://link.axios.com/click/32439200.131/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuYXhpb3MuY29tLzIwMjIvMDEvMDgvaG9tZS1yYXBpZC1jb3ZpZC10ZXN0LXJlcG9ydC1wb3NpdGl2ZS1hbWVyaWNhP3V0bV9zb3VyY2U9bmV3c2xldHRlciZ1dG1fbWVkaXVtPWVtYWlsJnV0bV9jYW1wYWlnbj1zZW5kdG9fbG9jYWxuZXdzbGV0dGVydGVzdCZzdHJlYW09dG9w/62040854aec03c0b97f858b5B42506e79" target="_blank">at-home testing</a> making official COVID-19 case numbers less reliable, hospitalization rates are an important metric for gauging viral spread.

Georgia's Alzheimer's hot spots

Calhoun County in southwest Georgia has the highest rate with 17%.

An estimated 12% of Georgians ages 65 and older have Alzheimer&#x27;s disease, according to a new study.Why it matters: It&#x27;s critical for public health officials, policymakers and others to have a clear look at the number of Alzheimer&#x27;s cases in a given area, authors of the study say.

Salmonella outbreak in cantaloupes hits Georgia

A salmonella outbreak linked to cantaloupes has affected at least five Georgians.

An outbreak of salmonella poisoning linked to eating pre-cut cantaloupe has infected at least five Georgians, according to the Georgia Department of Public Health.Why it matters: Health officials say 117 people have been infected nationwide. Nearly half of those cases required hospitalization.

Health 🩺