Happy Tuesday!

🌤️ Today's weather: Mostly sunny, with a high of 72 and a low of 49.

🇺🇸 A quick programming note: We'll be off Wednesday in observance of Veterans Day.

• To all veterans, thank you for your service. We'll see you Thursday.

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

Housing costs are once again the top concern that keeps residents of the Atlanta Regional Commission's 11-county area up at night.

Why it matters: The growing number of residents who struggle to afford housing is no longer just an urban issue; it's now a pain point for people in suburban and exurban counties.

The latest: In the 2026 Metro Atlanta Speaks survey, which was released last week, 30% of respondents said housing affordability was the biggest problem in metro Atlanta.

• That was followed by traffic at 22% and the economy at 16%.
• Housing affordability was also the top concern among residents who participated in the 2025 survey.

By the numbers: In the 2026 survey, 51% said the cost of housing greatly affected their economic mobility.

• 38% pointed to a lack of job opportunities as another factor.
• Transportation costs (28%), caring for an aging parent (26%) and public assistance eligibility (26%) were also listed as burdens.
• 35% said they were doing worse economically this year, which is up from 29% last year (27% said they were doing better, which is around the same for 2025).
• 40% said they did not have many friends whose income was different from theirs, and 1 in 3 said it's hard to find good jobs within a "reasonable commute."

Driving the news: The survey results were unveiled Nov. 4 during the ARC's State of the Region, where the ARC announced its new Opportunity Rising initiative.

• This collaborative effort, said ARC CEO & executive director Anna Roach, is about "agreeing on what success looks like for children, families and communities, and finding ways of working together to achieve it."
• The initiative will use data to understand what factors and barriers prevent residents from ascending the economic mobility ladder.

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The southwest Georgia landscape that helped shape President Jimmy Carter's commitment to conservation is set to become permanently protected as public land.

Why it matters: The Conservation Fund's purchase of 2,458 acres of farmland and forests, including the Carter family's property outside Plains, Georgia, carries on an often overshadowed part of the humanitarian's legacy.

• It will also expand a state wildlife management area known for its longleaf pine forests and gopher tortoise habitat.

Zoom in: The Carter family acquired the land around the turn of the 20th century, Stacy Funderburke, the nonprofit's vice president of the central Southeast region, told Axios.

• Jimmy Carter and his father planted peanuts, corn and sugarcane and hunted turkeys on the land. Carter also fished on the property, including in a pond where he had his famous (and sensationalized) encounter with a "swamp rabbit."
• Today, the property is mostly forest, Funderburke said. One of Carter's last land-management decisions was to replant longleaf pines, restoring the native habitat.

What they're saying: "Long before Jimmy Carter protected millions of acres across America, he was a boy working the fields and roaming the woods of southwest Georgia," Funderburke said in a statement.

• "This land shaped him and his legacy, and he never stopped coming home to it."

The big picture: The acquisition, which includes a separate tract purchased from another landowner, will expand the Lanahassee Creek Wildlife Management Area to nearly 7,000 acres.

• Funderburke told Axios the land cost roughly $8 million.

What's next: The Conservation Fund expects the property to open to the public for hunting, fishing and other outdoor recreation as soon as 2027.

• The nonprofit plans to transfer ownership to the Georgia Department of Natural Resources in 2028.

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The U.S. states with the greatest shares of veterans are Alaska (9.7%), Virginia (9.0%) and Montana (8.6%), per the latest census data.

• New York (3.3%), New Jersey (3.4%) and Washington, D.C. (3.5%) had the lowest share.

How it works: That's among civilians 18 and older, according to 2025 American Community Survey.

The big picture: Veterans make up 5.9% of the U.S. population overall.

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😬 Fans are demanding refunds and a new show after Thursday's concert featuring Usher and Chris Brown started more than two hours late. (WSB)

• The two singers, who were allegedly beefing before the show, are scheduled to perform tonight and tomorrow at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

🏘️ The 9-acre site that was once home to Pitts Elementary School in northwest Atlanta is being eyed for a redevelopment project that could bring more housing to the area. (AJC)

🚰 Water service has been restored in the north Georgia town of McCaysville as last week's flooding, but officials say it's not safe to drink. (11 Alive)

The two giant pandas at Zoo Atlanta, Ping Ping and Fu Shuang, made their debut Friday at the Arthur M. Blank Panda Grove.

• Learn more about the pandas on Zoo Atlanta's website.

🐦 Thomas is setting up a webcam-equipped bird feeder and checking out the Beacon Hill Black Alliance for Human Rights' initiative to install a monument on the Agnes Scott College campus.

🤣 Kristal is laughing and wondering how Uncle Luke mistook 8 Ball & MJG for Three 6 Mafia. He later corrected himself.

This newsletter was edited by Crystal Hill.