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Cobb, Atlanta police crack down on "teen takeovers"

Officers arrested more than a dozen people on the Beltline Saturday night

News

Cobb County and Atlanta police were on high alert this weekend over concerns that large, loosely organized &quot;<a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="teen takeovers" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/chicago/2023/04/17/teen-takeover-chicago" data-vars-content-id="305acd59-4e19-464b-8443-358f876e21e3" data-vars-headline="Cobb, Atlanta police crack down on &quot;teen takeovers&quot;" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/chicago/2023/04/17/teen-takeover-chicago" target="_self">teen takeovers</a>&quot; promoted on social media would wreak havoc at Cumberland Mall and other locations.Why it matters: Social media-fueled gatherings of young people in public spaces have led to property damage and violence in some cities, prompting heightened law enforcement scrutiny.

Black Effect Podcast Festival returns to Atlanta with Charlamagne Tha God

The Black Effect Podcast Festival returns to Atlanta on April 25 at Pullman Yards, hosted by Charlamagne Tha God and DJ Envy.

Culture

The <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Black Effect Podcast Festival" data-vars-click-url="https://blackeffect.com/podcastfestival/" data-vars-content-id="67b04ceb-5213-470b-83d0-dc19c1b0f161" data-vars-headline="Black Effect Podcast Festival returns to Atlanta with Charlamagne Tha God" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://blackeffect.com/podcastfestival/" target="_blank">Black Effect Podcast Festival</a> is coming back to Atlanta for its fourth year.Why it matters: Atlanta is cementing its role as a national hub for Black media and culture and this festival puts the city at the center of the podcast boom.

The Strokes, Wu-Tang Clan and Gorillaz lead Shaky Knees

The 3-day Piedmont Park festival returns with Gorillaz, Wu-Tang Clan and rising indie acts.

Music

Rising bands Geese and Fontaines D.C. will join legends LCD Soundsystem and Pavement and dozens of other acts at Shaky Knees in September.Why it matters: Now in its 13th year, the weekend festival stretching across multiple stages in Piedmont Park is one of the Southeast&#x27;s top music events.<ul><li>This year&#x27;s line-up is really solid.</li></ul>

Falcons close the book on Kirk Cousins era in Atlanta

After eight playoff misses, releasing the veteran QB frees cap space and hands the reins to Michael Penix Jr.

Sports

The Atlanta Falcons plan to cut ties with veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins, closing out a $180-million investment that never produced sustained success.Why it matters: The Falcons&#x27; short-lived quarterback experiment created confusion about the team&#x27;s direction and stalled momentum during another losing season.<ul><li>The team plans to release the veteran from the roster when the new league year starts next month, Falcons general manager Ian Cunningham <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="announced" data-vars-click-url="https://www.ajc.com/sports/2026/02/new-gm-ian-cunningham-says-falcons-plan-to-release-quarterback-kirk-cousins/" data-vars-content-id="8c6f71a6-4a5f-4d2b-a5b9-2741aab0d70a" data-vars-headline="Falcons close the book on Kirk Cousins era in Atlanta" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.ajc.com/sports/2026/02/new-gm-ian-cunningham-says-falcons-plan-to-release-quarterback-kirk-cousins/" target="_blank">announced</a> Tuesday at the NFL Scouting Combine.</li></ul>

Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter's personal items go up for auction

A handwritten note, campaign items, jewelry and even the former president's handmade furniture are part of the sale.

Politics

If you ever wanted to own one of former President <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Jimmy Carter&#x27;s ties" data-vars-click-url="https://onlineonly.christies.com/s/american-collector-including-property-mr-mrs-john-d-rockefeller-3rd/group-ties-worn-president-jimmy-carter-864/286672?ldp_breadcrumb=back" data-vars-content-id="c7354490-6b2c-447d-84ee-74d283d18ea9" data-vars-headline="Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter&#x27;s personal items go up for auction" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://onlineonly.christies.com/s/american-collector-including-property-mr-mrs-john-d-rockefeller-3rd/group-ties-worn-president-jimmy-carter-864/286672?ldp_breadcrumb=back" target="_blank">Jimmy Carter&#x27;s ties</a>, now might be your opportunity.Driving the news: Christie&#x27;s is <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="auctioning" data-vars-click-url="https://onlineonly.christies.com/s/american-collector-including-property-mr-mrs-john-d-rockefeller-3rd/viewing-room/1/3949?sc_lang=en" data-vars-content-id="c7354490-6b2c-447d-84ee-74d283d18ea9" data-vars-headline="Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter&#x27;s personal items go up for auction" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://onlineonly.christies.com/s/american-collector-including-property-mr-mrs-john-d-rockefeller-3rd/viewing-room/1/3949?sc_lang=en" target="_blank">auctioning</a> dozens of Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter&#x27;s personal mementoes and memorabilia, some of which have strong links to historic events or the family&#x27;s inner lives.

The viaducts that lifted Atlanta above its railroads

A new GSU exhibit explores how the blink-and-you-miss-them bridges fueled growth — and left some old streets behind.

History

Around the turn of the 19th century, <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Downtown Atlanta" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/atlanta/2025/06/06/folio-house-atlanta-affordable-housing-constitution" data-vars-content-id="a929617b-af9f-484b-bfa8-67abfb6e0559" data-vars-headline="The viaducts that lifted Atlanta above its railroads" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/atlanta/2025/06/06/folio-house-atlanta-affordable-housing-constitution" target="_self">Downtown Atlanta</a> was increasingly congested as the growing city center tried to coexist with some of the Southeast&#x27;s busiest railroad crossings.<ul><li>To keep apace, city leaders decided, one could only go up.</li></ul>

Remember when Georgia fell for the ole alien monkey trick

In 1953, two barbers and a butcher sparked a martian mania with a dyed green monkey

For one glorious week in 1953, Georgia was the middle of <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="martian" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/atlanta/2024/02/26/georgia-ufo-sightings" data-vars-content-id="8bedd04b-e4cf-4f59-8d41-8b783d999c83" data-vars-headline="Remember when Georgia fell for the ole alien monkey trick" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/atlanta/2024/02/26/georgia-ufo-sightings" target="_self">martian</a> mania. Then reality reared its ugly head.Why it matters: The list of great hoaxes wouldn&#x27;t be complete without a tricky trio who tried to pass off a dead, hairless monkey dyed green as an alien body.

Decades-empty Atlanta Constitution building gets new life

A long vacant downtown building will soon offer affordable homes for essential workers in Atlanta.

Development

A historic but beat up South Downtown building that sat vacant for five decades is getting the overhaul it has long deserved.Why it matters: Developer Gorman and Company plans to turn the former Atlanta Constitution building into <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Folio House" data-vars-click-url="https://www.gensler.com/projects/143-alabama-st-folio-house" data-vars-content-id="57093d34-68f9-4b46-a95f-1b66e74402a9" data-vars-headline="Decades-empty Atlanta Constitution building gets new life" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.gensler.com/projects/143-alabama-st-folio-house" target="_blank">Folio House</a>, a mixed-income housing development with rents affordable for service workers, bus drivers and more.

Remember when Georgia sold land that reshaped America?

Bribes and a bonfire on the Georgia Capitol lawn marked one of the country's earliest land scandals.

Georgia&#x27;s borders once stretched as far west as the Mississippi River. But the corrupt Yazoo land deal selling off the sprawling territory to political insiders changed the state&#x27;s shape forever.Why it matters: The shapes of U.S. states are quirky, especially in the eastern United States, where geography, greed and <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="questionably shoddy surveying work" data-vars-click-url="https://saportareport.com/georgia-got-northern-boundary-cant-get-water-tennessee-river/archived-columnists/jamils-georgia/nge/" data-vars-content-id="b9f50370-88ec-4729-94ac-de1354b6c002" data-vars-headline="Remember when Georgia sold land that reshaped America?" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://saportareport.com/georgia-got-northern-boundary-cant-get-water-tennessee-river/archived-columnists/jamils-georgia/nge/" target="_blank">questionably shoddy surveying work</a> made squiggles and swerves on maps.

The long legacy of Atlanta civil rights elder statesman Benjamin E. Mays

The son of freed people shaped civil rights leaders, Morehouse College and Atlanta public education.

Education

Very few Atlanta leaders saw the intersection of civil rights, education and youth development quite as clearly — and early — as Benjamin E. Mays.Why it matters: <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Mays" data-vars-click-url="https://www.atlantapublicschools.us/domain/3263#:~:text=Mays%20served%20as%20president%20of,to%20serve%20on%20the%20Board." data-vars-content-id="d5c6d727-8057-4db8-ab0f-5da06151dc16" data-vars-headline="The long legacy of Atlanta civil rights elder statesman Benjamin E. Mays" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.atlantapublicschools.us/domain/3263#:~:text=Mays%20served%20as%20president%20of,to%20serve%20on%20the%20Board." target="_blank">Mays</a>, the longtime president of Morehouse College and the first Black president of the Atlanta Board of Education, is often called the intellectual architect of the Civil Rights Movement.

The best places to cry in Atlanta

Things to Do

Valentine&#x27;s Day can be tough. Blame it on heart break, cold weather fatigue or the lack of dinner reservations.<ul><li>If you&#x27;re feeling down and out, here are a few places where you can have a good cry courtesy of your Axios reporters and readers.</li></ul>Piedmont Park: Get over the sting of a break-up or kickball tournament loss on one of the benches overlooking Lake Clara Meer.<ul><li>In the nearby Atlanta Botanical Garden, reader J.S. recommends the trellis by the pond near the Earth Mother sculpture.</li></ul>Freedom Parkway Trail: Reader A.Q. parks at the King Center and walks east along the path. &quot;Head toward the Carter Center and feel all the feels.&quot;<ul><li>&quot;If you&#x27;ve gained your composure by then, pop down to the Beltline for some good ole people watchin&#x27;.&quot;</li></ul>Resting places: Oakland Cemetery in Grant Park and Sylvester Cemetery in East Atlanta offer benches, ledges and shaded spots.<ul><li>&quot;Even though I&#x27;m not actively mourning someone, it&#x27;s a place that I feel really puts us all in the same shoes, so to speak,&quot; reader C.S. writes about Decatur Cemetery. &quot;We all mourn the people we love when we lose them.&quot;</li></ul>For a skyline view, head to the top of Crestlawn Cemetery off Marietta Boulevard.Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport: There&#x27;s crying aplenty here, from folks saying farewell to loved ones or that oversized can of saline spray verboten by TSA.<ul><li>If you&#x27;re looking for privacy, find an empty gate on Concourse E.</li></ul>The Downtown Streetcar: Listen, we want this transit line to succeed, but you&#x27;re always going to find an open seat where you can quietly weep on the streetcar.A hidden gem: Morgan Falls Overlook Park in Sandy Springs. This riverside park has perfectly-spaced swings facing the Hooch. <ul><li>It&#x27;s the perfect place to cry if you want to be alone, but still enjoy the scenic views. </li></ul>

Atlanta MLK Day events and volunteer opportunities

The King Center, Morehouse College and others plan tributes.

Day on, not a day off. Here are several of the many Martin Luther King, Jr. Day events planned in metro Atlanta to pay homage to the civil rights legend.Honor: <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="The King Center" data-vars-click-url="https://thekingcenter.org/king-holiday-2025/" data-vars-content-id="acaf935e-0d2c-4941-8a99-e740a95b9d21" data-vars-headline="Atlanta MLK Day events and volunteer opportunities" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://thekingcenter.org/king-holiday-2025/" target="_blank">The King Center</a> pays tribute with the Beloved Community Commemoration at Ebenezer Baptist Church and a community service project.

Atlanta's Winecoff Hotel disaster changed fire safety

Advertised as "absolutely fireproof," the Peachtree Street tower had no fire escapes or sprinklers.

The reason why your hotel room has a sprinkler system and plenty of exits has its roots in a fire on Peachtree Street.Why it matters: The Winecoff Hotel fire claimed the lives of 119 people, making it the deadliest hotel blaze in U.S. history. <ul><li>The disaster, along with hotel blazes that same year in Illinois and Iowa, led to changes to fire codes across the country.</li></ul>

English Avenue's Carnegie Library changes hands

The Westside Future Fund plans to convert the building into offices

Real Estate

A nonprofit tasked with revitalizing Westside communities and preventing displacement has purchased a little library that you likely never knew existed.Driving the news: The Westside Future Fund closed on its purchase of the Carnegie Library on Donald Lee Hollowell Parkway in late October.