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Georgia "I voted" sticker by Atlanta artist draws criticism

Counties can offer the new Steve Penley design, the classic peach sticker or both this election.

Culture

A new &quot;I voted&quot; sticker designed by an Atlanta artist that an AJC columnist once dubbed the &quot;<a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="da Vinci of the GOP" data-vars-click-url="https://www.ajc.com/politics/opinion-meet-steve-penley-the-da-vinci-of-the-gop/2X6E35GSGNE7HGVR2UDNQ4KQFA/" data-vars-content-id="7be031fb-f822-45f6-bfe8-5a6cb1d03f8a" data-vars-headline="Georgia &quot;I voted&quot; sticker by Atlanta artist draws criticism" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.ajc.com/politics/opinion-meet-steve-penley-the-da-vinci-of-the-gop/2X6E35GSGNE7HGVR2UDNQ4KQFA/" target="_blank">da Vinci of the GOP</a>&quot; is <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="drawing" data-vars-click-url="https://www.reddit.com/r/Georgia/comments/1wtds1m/new_voting_sticker_for_midterms_what_do_we_think/" data-vars-content-id="7be031fb-f822-45f6-bfe8-5a6cb1d03f8a" data-vars-headline="Georgia &quot;I voted&quot; sticker by Atlanta artist draws criticism" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Georgia/comments/1wtds1m/new_voting_sticker_for_midterms_what_do_we_think/" target="_blank">drawing</a> <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="criticism" data-vars-click-url="https://x.com/NilesGApol/status/2104981658701267378" data-vars-content-id="7be031fb-f822-45f6-bfe8-5a6cb1d03f8a" data-vars-headline="Georgia &quot;I voted&quot; sticker by Atlanta artist draws criticism" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://x.com/NilesGApol/status/2104981658701267378" target="_blank">criticism</a> online.Why it matters: <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Steve Penley&#x27;s" data-vars-click-url="https://www.penleyartco.com/" data-vars-content-id="7be031fb-f822-45f6-bfe8-5a6cb1d03f8a" data-vars-headline="Georgia &quot;I voted&quot; sticker by Atlanta artist draws criticism" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.penleyartco.com/" target="_blank">Steve Penley&#x27;s</a> reboot of a routine election giveaway fueled fears that <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Georgia&#x27;s beloved peach" data-vars-click-url="https://www.reddit.com/r/2american4you/comments/17q2y8y/georgia_has_the_best_i_voted_sticker_by_a_country/" data-vars-content-id="7be031fb-f822-45f6-bfe8-5a6cb1d03f8a" data-vars-headline="Georgia &quot;I voted&quot; sticker by Atlanta artist draws criticism" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.reddit.com/r/2american4you/comments/17q2y8y/georgia_has_the_best_i_voted_sticker_by_a_country/" target="_blank">Georgia&#x27;s beloved peach</a> sticker was going away — and sparked <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="chatter" data-vars-click-url="https://x.com/AnneofGA/status/2105273272837329313" data-vars-content-id="7be031fb-f822-45f6-bfe8-5a6cb1d03f8a" data-vars-headline="Georgia &quot;I voted&quot; sticker by Atlanta artist draws criticism" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://x.com/AnneofGA/status/2105273272837329313" target="_blank">chatter</a> <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="online" data-vars-click-url="https://x.com/AngieAsadourian/status/2105301881170141333" data-vars-content-id="7be031fb-f822-45f6-bfe8-5a6cb1d03f8a" data-vars-headline="Georgia &quot;I voted&quot; sticker by Atlanta artist draws criticism" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://x.com/AngieAsadourian/status/2105301881170141333" target="_blank">online</a> about the artist&#x27;s conservative politics.

Weekend events: Doggie Bash, Other Art Fair, concerts, festivals

There's so much happening this weekend around Atlanta. Here's just a sampling of the events.

Things to Do

It&#x27;s the weekend! Let&#x27;s go and explore your city. Here are a few events to consider:⚾️ The Braves play the last of its three-game postseason series against the Phillies. (<a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Thurs." data-vars-click-url="https://www.ticketmaster.com/atlanta-braves-wild-card-game-3-atlanta-georgia-10-01-2026/event/0E006512BCCEB651" data-vars-content-id="5032d910-ba7e-4108-8f1a-7728c77b2248" data-vars-headline="Weekend events: Doggie Bash, Other Art Fair, concerts, festivals" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.ticketmaster.com/atlanta-braves-wild-card-game-3-atlanta-georgia-10-01-2026/event/0E006512BCCEB651" target="_blank">Thurs.</a>)

Georgia's library checkout rate is among nation's lowest

Georgians check out far fewer library materials per person than the national average, federal data shows.

News

Georgia has one of the lowest rates of library checkouts per person in the country. The big picture: Public libraries nationwide reported 6.5 checkouts per person in FY 2024, according to the Institute of Museum and Library Services survey.<ul><li>That figure includes physical items and electronic materials like e-books.</li></ul>

I tried ATL's Minute Suites for an airport nap

Minute Suites offer travelers a private place to rest between flights.

Travel

Editor Geoff here! I was in your fine city this week and decided to try ATL&#x27;s <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Minute Suites" data-vars-click-url="https://minutesuites.com/locations/atlanta-airport/#" data-vars-content-id="4a0a1105-9675-4c2f-a474-20885c698312" data-vars-headline="I tried ATL&#x27;s Minute Suites for an airport nap" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://minutesuites.com/locations/atlanta-airport/#" target="_blank">Minute Suites</a> while waiting several hours for my flight home on Wednesday.Why it matters: All of Axios Local convened in Atlanta this week for our annual retreat. We journalists love to karaoke, throw back a few rounds and yap into the wee hours, so a bit of rest was much needed.<ul><li>And I&#x27;m sorry, but I&#x27;m just not that traveler who can lie down on a filthy gate carpet. (And tbh, neither should you. You&#x27;re better than that!)</li></ul>

Celebrating five years of Axios Atlanta newsletters

Thanks to roughly 140,000 readers for joining us as we've covered this dynamic city we call home.

Sunday marked five years since the first Axios Atlanta newsletter arrived in readers&#x27; inboxes. <ul><li>If you&#x27;ve been with us since the beginning or just started reading, thank you.</li></ul>Why it matters: One of the best ways to understand this dynamic city we call home is with quality journalism, and Axios is charting a new sustainable path to help provide coverage.

Giant pandas are back in Atlanta

Ping Ping and Fu Shuang are in Atlanta under a new conservation research agreement.

Two highly anticipated giant <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="pandas from China" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2026/09/24/xi-trump-panda-diplomacy-zoo-atlanta" data-vars-content-id="f69951a6-52b9-47db-82e3-2a4706e5aaf8" data-vars-headline="Giant pandas are back in Atlanta" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2026/09/24/xi-trump-panda-diplomacy-zoo-atlanta" target="_self">pandas from China</a> have finally arrived in Atlanta. Why it matters: The fuzzy ambassadors have long been one of China&#x27;s most beloved tools of soft power — and their arrival could signal an attempt to cool tensions with the U.S.

Georgia has 119 more data centers planned

Another 119 data centers are planned in Georgia, potentially nearly quadrupling today's capacity.

Georgia is expected to have roughly 60 large data centers by the end of 2026, with nearly twice as many planned for the years ahead.Why it matters: The 119 data centers planned for later years would increase Georgia&#x27;s 3,906 MW capacity by 287%, according to records analyzed by market intelligence company Cleanview.

Mechanicsville fights for historic designation

Advocates want to see the Atlanta neighborhood included on the National Register of Historic Places.

DeMicha Luster has lived in Atlanta&#x27;s Mechanicsville neighborhood for more than a decade, serving in nearly every capacity in its civic association and running <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="a nonprofit" data-vars-click-url="https://www.theurbanadvocate.org/" data-vars-content-id="e86f30b5-3b15-476f-a063-f0d74356c704" data-vars-headline="Mechanicsville fights for historic designation" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.theurbanadvocate.org/" target="_blank">a nonprofit</a> that works to reduce gun violence in the community.<ul><li>&quot;We&#x27;re proud of our neighborhood despite the challenges that we experience,&quot; she told Axios. &quot;We have a very long history.&quot;</li></ul>Why it matters: It&#x27;s that history that Luster and other preservationists want to see protected as they push to get Mechanicsville listed on the <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="National Register of Historic Places" data-vars-click-url="https://www.nps.gov/subjects/nationalregister/index.htm" data-vars-content-id="e86f30b5-3b15-476f-a063-f0d74356c704" data-vars-headline="Mechanicsville fights for historic designation" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.nps.gov/subjects/nationalregister/index.htm" target="_blank">National Register of Historic Places</a>.

Atlanta 911 outage triggers emergency backup operations

Dispatchers relocated during the outage, while officials say emergency calls continued to connect.

City officials are investigating why Atlanta&#x27;s 911 system suffered an outage on Monday night, spurring officials to activate a backup center.Catch up quick: APD officials publicly acknowledged around 9pm that the system was experiencing technical issues that affected the ability to receive and dispatch emergency calls.

Atlanta zoning code rewrite will undergo a rewrite

A city-commissioned review warns the current proposals could make it harder to expand Atlanta housing choices.

Politics

City officials are pumping the brakes on a years-long effort to rewrite Atlanta&#x27;s antiquated zoning code after a city-commissioned critique warned the proposals could leave the city worse off than what&#x27;s currently on the books.Why it matters: Zoning drives the look and feel of a city, and ATL Zoning 2.0 is the first overhaul of Atlanta&#x27;s rules and regulations since 1982, when the city had roughly 100,000 fewer people and no Atlanta Beltline.<ul><li>Mayor Andre Dickens&#x27; administration is working to revise the draft before the City Council considers adopting a new code, officials said Monday.</li></ul>

8 houseplant lessons I learned the hard way

Here are some tips, tricks and hot takes if you want to start collecting houseplants.

I&#x27;ve spent five years building my houseplant collection — or hoard, depending on the year.Flashback: After seeing my sister and a former coworker show off their plant care skills on social media, I went to Pike Nursery and left with some beginner-friendly plants.<ul><li>Since then, I&#x27;ve picked up a few tips and learned some hard truths about houseplants:</li></ul>

Atlanta seeks answers on the future of Beltline rail

A council resolution aims to end the limbo over what transit Atlanta can build around the Beltline.

Transit

An effort to get Atlanta on track to building Beltline rail is moving forward.Why it matters: A resolution by Atlanta City Council Member Kelsea Bond asks Mayor Andre Dickens, MARTA and Atlanta Beltline leaders to create a road map for bringing a <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="$3.5 billion" data-vars-click-url="https://beltline.org/blog/a-recap-on-the-beltline-transit-study/" data-vars-content-id="50b39bfb-7b0d-48d0-a5fb-67918e793b8c" data-vars-headline="Atlanta seeks answers on the future of Beltline rail" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://beltline.org/blog/a-recap-on-the-beltline-transit-study/" target="_blank">$3.5 billion</a> vision of rail around the 22-mile loop to life.

Atlanta's unpaid water bill tab swells to $236 million

More than 60,000 accounts owe the city money as officials weigh more shutoffs and payment plans.

Water

<h2 class="text-h6 !font-sans !font-normal !leading-[1.2em]">$236 million</h2>The total amount of unpaid water bills in the city of Atlanta, up from $198 million in 2023, across 60,168 accounts as of April, <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="according to a city auditor report presented to Atlanta City Council members this week" data-vars-click-url="https://www.atlaudit.org/department-of-watershed-management-water-billing-and-collections-follow-up---august-2026.html" data-vars-content-id="0dabd13e-cb25-4df9-9cab-5a10c2ac415b" data-vars-headline="Atlanta&#x27;s unpaid water bill tab swells to $236 million" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.atlaudit.org/department-of-watershed-management-water-billing-and-collections-follow-up---august-2026.html" target="_blank">according to a city auditor report presented to Atlanta City Council members this week</a>.

A choropleth map of the U.S. shows library checkouts per person in a given service area for FY 2024. The national rate is 6.5 physical and digital items. Oregon leads with 13.3 items per person, while Mississippi lags with 1.9. Data is not available for Florida, Iowa, Massachusetts and Oregon.

Library materials checked out per person

Data: Institute of Museum and Library Services Public Libraries Survey; Note: Reporting periods and adherence to survey definitions can vary by state; "No data" states did not report electronic material circulation; Map: Sami Sparber/Axios

News 🗞

Celebrating five years of Axios Atlanta newsletters

Georgia's library checkout rate is among nation's lowest

Giant pandas are back in Atlanta

Georgia has 119 more data centers planned

Mechanicsville fights for historic designation