The city of Smyrna is seizing a rare opportunity to expand its downtown borders as part of its larger efforts to rebrand its central business district.

Why it matters: Smyrna, like many suburban Atlanta communities, is looking at ways to revitalize its city center as the region grows.

Driving the news: Smyrna council members created an advisory committee to manage the public engagement process for the "Downtown the Downtown" project.

• The city is in the process of closing on the purchase of Smyrna First Baptist Church property, which will add another nine acres to downtown at the corner of King and Church streets.

What they're saying: Council member Travis Lindley, who chairs the advisory committee, told Axios that Smyrna is now in the process of soliciting proposals from firms to redesign the downtown master plan.

• The revamp will include ideas for what could be built on the church property.

Flashback: In 2021, council members voted to approve a $5.7 million project to remove the fountain and roundabout in the Village Green area of downtown and replace it with green space, according to the AJC.

• The city had plans to build a three-story parking deck as part of its downtown reboot but removed that idea from consideration, the Cobb Courier reported in February.

What's next: Smyrna economic development director Andrea Worthy told Axios that once a firm is hired, it will work with the advisory committee to get feedback from residents and stakeholders about what should go on those nine acres.

• That process could take nine months to a year, she said.

The bottom line: Lindley told Axios that the project is a "huge opportunity" because cities rarely have the opportunity to expand their downtown.

• "This has the potential to be a game changer for Smyrna, once again, as we lead into the next 50 to 100 years."

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The 2024 James Beard Awards are over, and none of the winners are from Atlanta.

Why it matters: The James Beard Awards are considered the Oscars of the food and restaurant world.

Catch up quick: Atlanta had several semi-finalists this year, but Parnass Savang and Rod Lassiter of Summerhill restaurant Talat Market made it to the finalist round.

• Savang was previously a 2018 semi-finalist in the Rising Star Chef of the Year category, but this is the duo's first time as finalists.

What they're saying: Savang told Axios prior to the awards show that being a James Beard finalist is the accumulation of 13 years of his cooking career.

Context: Talat Market's menu combines Thai cooking techniques with local Georgia ingredients.

Flashback: Last year, Terry Koval of Decatur's The Deer and the Dove took home the James Beard Award in the same category.

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👋 Hello, hello! Thomas here.

My bud Sarah Lawrence is an Atlanta graphic designer and perpetual creative project accomplish-er. She's always wanted to make a mini-game about Atlanta but never had an opportunity that made sense.

• Then the Atlanta water crisis happened.

Why it matters: If the five-day water shortage turned you into an infrastructure nerd, consider "Aquageddon" an early Christmas present.

How it works: The game's free and simple: Use your rotating inventory of pipes to build out Atlanta's infrastructure before water overwhelms the system.

• Remember to fix broken pipes along the way, and watch out for those metal plates.

Zoom out: Lawrence creates "silly little apps" using Google Sheets to react to news events and board games to summarize research projects.

What they're saying: "When the water main broke and I was sitting around on day three of waiting for my giant stock pot of nonpotable water to boil, a friend texted me and said this might be the game theme I've been looking for," she told Axios.

• "I immediately pictured the 'Pipe Mania' game from the late 1980s and ran with it."

The bottom line: The game plays best on desktop and tablet.

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The defense attorney for Grammy-winning Atlanta rapper Young Thug was arrested and held in contempt of court yesterday during the complex and historic racketeering trial.

Why it matters: Fulton County Superior Court Judge Ural Glanville said attorney Brian Steel violated court regulations by obtaining information about a private meeting between the judge, prosecutors and key witness Kenneth Copeland, 11Alive reports.

• Steel was taken into custody after he repeatedly refused to tell Glanville how he heard about the meeting.

Catch up quick: Two years have passed since Jeffery Williams, aka Young Thug, and 27 others were arrested and accused of criminal street gang activity. Six people are still on trial after plea deals and severances.

• Fulton District Attorney Fani Willis alleges Williams used his Young Slime Life music group to conceal murders, robberies, drug dealing and other crimes. Williams says it's just a music label.

Friction point: Steel and Keith Adams, Williams' second attorney, called for a mistrial, WSBTV reports.

• Glanville denied the motion.

What they're saying: At 7:33pm, Glanville said Steel will have to spend his weekends behind bars at Fulton County Jail, beginning Friday, June 14, until Sunday, Aug. 18, for a total of 20 days in custody.

• Glanville said he would tell Fulton County Sheriff Pat Labat to allow Steel to continue meeting with Williams during his jail period.

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🌎 A small earthquake was reported in metro Atlanta for the third time since Thursday night. (WBSTV)

⛔ A national nonprofit that aids low-income people who are behind bars has closed its Atlanta branch due to Georgia's new law that restricts organizations that post inmates' bonds as they await trial. (AP)

🐘 Chuck Hand, a Republican congressional district candidate convicted in the Jan. 6 Capitol riots, abruptly left Sunday's Atlanta Press Club debate after reading a prepared statement. (Georgia Recorder)

⛪ This year marks the 155th anniversary of New Hope African Methodist Episcopal Church, a historic Black church in Buckhead. (WABE)