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Peachtree Road Race T-shirt sparks debate over color, design

The design, titled "We the Peaches," was created by Marietta artist Dyan Szall and unveiled Saturday.

Culture

Days after tens of thousands of people walked, wheeled and ran the Northside Hospital Peachtree Road Race, Atlantans are still talking about this year&#x27;s T-shirt.Why it matters: Receiving the shirt at the end of the race is the pinnacle of Atlanta&#x27;s 4th of July tradition of running a 10K in the Georgia heat and humidity along the city&#x27;s most famous street from Buckhead to Midtown.

Island Ford's revamped trails make a favorite hike even better

Island Ford now offers 6.4 miles of trails, new bridges and better access while protecting the riverbank.

Things to Do

One of the <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area&#x27;s" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/atlanta/2025/10/02/chattahoochee-river-parks-open-but-tread-lightly" data-vars-content-id="fe2a6aef-a712-443d-8bfc-4ee492ca197d" data-vars-headline="Island Ford&#x27;s revamped trails make a favorite hike even better" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/atlanta/2025/10/02/chattahoochee-river-parks-open-but-tread-lightly" target="_self">Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area&#x27;s</a> best spots for fly-fishing and shaded, summertime walks has a reimagined trail system.Why it matters: The <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="top-to-bottom overhaul" data-vars-click-url="https://www.chattahoocheeparks.org/chattahoochee-river-national-recreation-area-announces-reopening-of-island-ford-trails" data-vars-content-id="fe2a6aef-a712-443d-8bfc-4ee492ca197d" data-vars-headline="Island Ford&#x27;s revamped trails make a favorite hike even better" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.chattahoocheeparks.org/chattahoochee-river-national-recreation-area-announces-reopening-of-island-ford-trails" target="_blank">top-to-bottom overhaul</a> of Island Ford&#x27;s trail system in Sandy Springs is part of a multiyear effort to improve the roughly 7,000-acre recreation area&#x27;s hiking paths.

Urban Alchemy helps shape Atlanta's homelessness response

Urban Alchemy has helped the city of Atlanta in its campaign to find housing for people in the Downtown area.

News

For years, cities focused on clearing <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="homeless encampments" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/atlanta/2025/01/21/homeless-man-death-encampment" data-vars-content-id="542d2b7f-68a4-4a6a-b39d-5b56d12fbd21" data-vars-headline="Urban Alchemy helps shape Atlanta&#x27;s homelessness response" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/atlanta/2025/01/21/homeless-man-death-encampment" target="_self">homeless encampments</a>. Urban Alchemy aims to build trust inside them first.Why it matters: The <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="nonprofit" data-vars-click-url="https://urban-alchemy.us/" data-vars-content-id="542d2b7f-68a4-4a6a-b39d-5b56d12fbd21" data-vars-headline="Urban Alchemy helps shape Atlanta&#x27;s homelessness response" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://urban-alchemy.us/" target="_blank">nonprofit</a>, which has expanded to Atlanta, takes a different approach to homelessness by hiring formerly incarcerated and formerly homeless workers to build relationships with people who are unhoused and connect them with services.

Ludacris to headline free World Cup festival at Piedmont Park

The festival includes a screening of the final World Cup game.

Atlanta will host the last of its eight matches for the FIFA World Cup next week, and the city will close out the weekslong event with a free festival at Piedmont Park.The latest: A <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Celebration of Soccer &amp; Sound" data-vars-click-url="https://showcaseatlanta.com/celebration" data-vars-content-id="4c323fee-501a-4ef8-a49a-49a53a3a2ea6" data-vars-headline="Ludacris to headline free World Cup festival at Piedmont Park" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://showcaseatlanta.com/celebration" target="_blank">Celebration of Soccer &amp; Sound</a> runs from 11am to 8pm Sunday, July 19, at the park.

Wellstar uses federal grant to expand maternal care in rural Georgia

The $1.2 million federal Health Resources and Services Administration grant allows Wellstar to expand obstetrician and gynecological care and hire three doulas.

Health

Wellstar Health System is using a federal grant to help improve health outcomes for pregnant women and new mothers in nine rural counties across Georgia.Why it matters: Georgia continues to have worse-than-average infant and <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="maternal health" data-vars-click-url="https://thecurrentga.org/2026/07/02/report-nearly-90-of-georgias-maternal-deaths-were-preventable/" data-vars-content-id="49b1799b-b7ac-46d0-8caa-05f315b0f1b3" data-vars-headline="Wellstar uses federal grant to expand maternal care in rural Georgia" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://thecurrentga.org/2026/07/02/report-nearly-90-of-georgias-maternal-deaths-were-preventable/" target="_blank">maternal health</a> outcomes. According to a 2025 March of Dimes <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="report" data-vars-click-url="https://www.marchofdimes.org/peristats/reports/georgia/report-card" data-vars-content-id="49b1799b-b7ac-46d0-8caa-05f315b0f1b3" data-vars-headline="Wellstar uses federal grant to expand maternal care in rural Georgia" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.marchofdimes.org/peristats/reports/georgia/report-card" target="_blank">report</a>, the state&#x27;s infant mortality rate was 7 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2023, higher than the national average of 5.6.<ul><li>The preterm birth rate (11.8) is also higher than the national average (10.4).</li></ul>

More Georgians now qualify for medical cannabis program

New rules allow stronger products, more qualifying conditions, and pharmacy sales across Georgia.

Georgia&#x27;s <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="biggest-ever expansion" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/atlanta/2026/04/01/georgia-medical-marijuana-expansion-hemp-delta8-thc-laws-2026" data-vars-content-id="9fb9e266-b657-4d6b-9b98-3372579ac610" data-vars-headline="More Georgians now qualify for medical cannabis program" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/atlanta/2026/04/01/georgia-medical-marijuana-expansion-hemp-delta8-thc-laws-2026" target="_self">biggest-ever expansion</a> of its medical cannabis program takes effect Wednesday, allowing stronger products, more qualifying conditions, and sales through independent pharmacies.Why it matters: The changes significantly broaden access to regulated <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="medical cannabis" data-vars-click-url="https://dph.georgia.gov/low-thc-oil-registry" data-vars-content-id="9fb9e266-b657-4d6b-9b98-3372579ac610" data-vars-headline="More Georgians now qualify for medical cannabis program" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://dph.georgia.gov/low-thc-oil-registry" target="_blank">medical cannabis</a> and may bring Georgia closer to neighboring Southern states&#x27; programs.<ul><li>Industry leaders believe enrollment may eventually triple.</li></ul>

Atrium Health files for 1st Atlanta hospital in West End

The proposed West End teaching hospital could help replace beds lost after Wellstar's Atlanta Medical Center closed.

A <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="new state filing" data-vars-click-url="https://weblink.dch.georgia.gov/WebLink/DocView.aspx?id=1064081&amp;dbid=1&amp;repo=HealthPlanning" data-vars-content-id="d807a409-9368-4fd0-88b3-33373fae471f" data-vars-headline="Atrium Health files for 1st Atlanta hospital in West End" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://weblink.dch.georgia.gov/WebLink/DocView.aspx?id=1064081&amp;dbid=1&amp;repo=HealthPlanning" target="_blank">new state filing</a> makes it official: Charlotte-based Atrium Health wants to build a hospital on a proposed 40-acre medical campus in West End.Why it matters: The proposed facility would be Atrium&#x27;s first hospital in metro Atlanta and could help fill health care gaps left by the closures of Wellstar&#x27;s Atlanta Medical Center and AMC South.

Atlanta partners with Throne Labs to install public restrooms along Beltline

Restrooms have so far been installed at Cascade Springs Nature Preserve, Piedmont Park and Historic Fourth Ward Skatepark.

Atlanta is partnering with a company to install public restrooms in several areas around the city.Why it matters: Nothing is more stressful than trying to enjoy an outing in Atlanta while mentally mapping out the nearest bathroom.

Northside Hospital expands emergency department to meet demand

The 67,000-square-foot expansion will add 18 treatment rooms, a new entrance and lobby, five triage rooms, EKG rooms, and a CT scanner in a two-story building.

Northside Hospital Atlanta in Sandy Springs is expanding its emergency department footprint to respond to the steady increase in patients each year.Why it matters: As metro Atlanta <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="grows" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/atlanta/2025/08/14/atlanta-population-growth-arc-region-fulton-henry-gwinnett-forsyth" data-vars-content-id="3382d792-2336-442d-8fa4-cacf95ef6aae" data-vars-headline="Northside Hospital expands emergency department to meet demand" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/atlanta/2025/08/14/atlanta-population-growth-arc-region-fulton-henry-gwinnett-forsyth" target="_self">grows</a>, area hospitals and medical facilities must meet the demand that comes with an expanding population.

Emory monitors 2 cruise passengers linked to hantavirus outbreak

The Georgia Department of Public Health says there is no risk to the public.

Two passengers who were aboard the cruise ship MV Hondius at the center of a <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="hantavirus outbreak" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2026/05/11/hantavirus-response-cdc-questioned" data-vars-content-id="00568331-113f-4dc8-9a53-262565c5dc05" data-vars-headline="Emory monitors 2 cruise passengers linked to hantavirus outbreak" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2026/05/11/hantavirus-response-cdc-questioned" target="_self">hantavirus outbreak</a> are being monitored at Emory University Hospital&#x27;s specialized biocontainment unit.Why it matters: Emory&#x27;s <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Serious Communicable Diseases Unit" data-vars-click-url="https://ebola.emory.edu/" data-vars-content-id="00568331-113f-4dc8-9a53-262565c5dc05" data-vars-headline="Emory monitors 2 cruise passengers linked to hantavirus outbreak" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://ebola.emory.edu/" target="_blank">Serious Communicable Diseases Unit</a> in Atlanta is among a few facilities in the U.S. that are equipped to treat patients with dangerous infectious diseases.

Why your symptoms might not tell the full story

You can research symptoms, track changes and still not have a clear answer — but imaging could help guide next steps.

Partners

You now have more ways than ever to research symptoms, compare treatments and track your health.<ul><li>But even with all that information, getting a clear diagnosis isn&#x27;t always straightforward.</li></ul>The landscape: The traditional care path often focuses on managing symptoms first, either by waiting to see if symptoms improve or through treatments.<ul><li>That approach doesn&#x27;t always identify the cause of the issue, and without a clear diagnosis, care can become a series of short-term fixes instead of a targeted plan.</li></ul>

Grady to open freestanding emergency department in south Fulton

The emergency department in Union City will be open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Grady Health System on Monday will host a ribbon cutting to celebrate the opening of its freestanding emergency department in south Fulton County.Why it matters: The facility is part of Grady&#x27;s effort to address a gap in health care access created after WellStar in 2022 <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="closed" data-vars-click-url="https://www.11alive.com/article/news/local/wellstar-amc-south-emergency-room-closes-south-fulton-county/85-6dcd0c20-bebb-4e3d-ae4f-c2516f32c25b" data-vars-content-id="d2213199-7f50-4807-ad3d-4d6e8bc58cf7" data-vars-headline="Grady to open freestanding emergency department in south Fulton" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.11alive.com/article/news/local/wellstar-amc-south-emergency-room-closes-south-fulton-county/85-6dcd0c20-bebb-4e3d-ae4f-c2516f32c25b" target="_blank">closed</a> its Atlanta Medical Center South hospital in East Point and its <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="main hospital" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/atlanta/2022/09/02/atlanta-reels-after-news-of-atlanta-medical-center-closure" data-vars-content-id="d2213199-7f50-4807-ad3d-4d6e8bc58cf7" data-vars-headline="Grady to open freestanding emergency department in south Fulton" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/atlanta/2022/09/02/atlanta-reels-after-news-of-atlanta-medical-center-closure" target="_self">main hospital</a> in the Old Fourth Ward.

Black maternal mortality gap still persists in U.S.

The maternal mortality rate for Black women was 44.8 deaths per 100,000 live births, compared with 14.2 for white women, 12.1 for Hispanic women and 18.1 for Asian women

Black women remain three times more likely than white and Hispanic women to die from pregnancy-related complications, according to the <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="latest maternal mortality rates" data-vars-click-url="https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/hestat/hestat113.htm" data-vars-content-id="1d5fc442-0c27-466c-96c5-a065bd79abe6" data-vars-headline="Black maternal mortality gap still persists in U.S." data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/hestat/hestat113.htm" target="_blank">latest maternal mortality rates</a> released last month by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Why it matters: Advocates fear inconsistent abortion access across the U.S. and anti-DEI efforts by the Trump administration could fuel the continued racial disparities.

Colorectal cancer's alarming rise in young Georgia adults

Many young adults in Georgia aren't getting screened early enough.

<a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Colorectal cancer" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2025/08/05/early-colorectal-cancer-screening-more-cases" data-vars-content-id="3f2600cc-5d1d-47e8-8cdb-a14b2afd2505" data-vars-headline="Colorectal cancer&#x27;s alarming rise in young Georgia adults" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2025/08/05/early-colorectal-cancer-screening-more-cases" target="_self">Colorectal cancer</a> is now the deadliest cancer for Americans <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="under 50" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2023/03/02/colorectal-cancer-rises-55-and-younger" data-vars-content-id="3f2600cc-5d1d-47e8-8cdb-a14b2afd2505" data-vars-headline="Colorectal cancer&#x27;s alarming rise in young Georgia adults" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2023/03/02/colorectal-cancer-rises-55-and-younger" target="_self">under 50</a>, per new <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="JAMA research" data-vars-click-url="https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2844189" data-vars-content-id="3f2600cc-5d1d-47e8-8cdb-a14b2afd2505" data-vars-headline="Colorectal cancer&#x27;s alarming rise in young Georgia adults" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2844189" target="_blank">JAMA research</a> — and cases are rising in Georgia.Why it matters: Screening more young adults for colorectal cancer could save lives.

Health 🩺

Wellstar uses federal grant to expand maternal care in rural Georgia

More Georgians now qualify for medical cannabis program

Atrium Health files for 1st Atlanta hospital in West End

Atlanta partners with Throne Labs to install public restrooms along Beltline

Northside Hospital expands emergency department to meet demand