Mayor Andre Dickens is backing Summerhill residents in their fight to keep the cauldron from the 1996 Summer Olympics game in their community.

Why it matters: A letter written Thursday by Dickens could — at the least — encourage those who want to relocate the cauldron to take stock of residents' concerns.

The latest: Moving the cauldron to Centennial Olympic Park "does not reflect the collaborative approach these communities deserve," Dickens wrote in the letter to Jeff Cravens, president of Atlanta Legacy '96, the committee that wants to move the cauldron.

What they're saying: The mayor also said Summerhill and its neighbors in Mechanicsville and Peoplestown served as the world's "living room" when Atlanta hosted the games.

• John Helton, president of the Organized Neighbors of Summerhill, told Axios in a statement the group was "very excited to receive such a resolute letter of support" from Dickens.

Flashback: The cauldron, its tower and the Olympic rings bridge are world-famous landmarks that cement Summerhill's role in the 1996 games.

• Muhammad Ali lit the cauldron at the stadium in Summerhill during the opening ceremony.

The other side: Georgia World Congress Center Authority spokesperson Holly Richmond said the organization is "committed to honoring the communities, individuals, and organizations that have shaped and preserved the legacy of the 1996 Games for the past 30 years."

• The authority's role, she said, has been to respond to the Legacy '96 organization's petition to move the cauldron and "serve as its caretaker on behalf of the organization."
• "We have approached that responsibility with great respect for all those who made the Centennial Olympic Games possible," Richmond told Axios.

Catch up quick: The authority in June issued a request for proposals to relocate the cauldron from the tower and bridge at the corner of Hank Aaron Drive and Fulton Street to Centennial Olympic Park, which it owns.

What we're watching: If Dickens' letter will propel GSU and the Atlanta Legacy '96 committee to convene public meetings with the Summerhill community.

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Atlanta could allow state-licensed medical cannabis dispensaries to seek the OK to operate closer to schools, day care programs and houses of worship.

Why it matters: The city currently has three licensed medical cannabis dispensaries within its boundaries, and the proposal could open the door for more to open in Atlanta.

Zoom in: An ordinance sponsored by Atlanta City Council Members Wayne Martin and Antonio Lewis would create a special permit process for dispensaries that want to operate inside the state-mandated buffers.

Context: Municipalities like Atlanta have had the authority to relax distance requirements since 2021, city planners say (PDF).

• However, the recent expansion of Georgia's medical cannabis program has created a surge of new people looking to join the registry.

Caveat: The new ordinance would not automatically exempt state-licensed medical cannabis from the buffers.

• Proposed dispensary locations would have to be in a zoning district where retail establishments, hospitals and clinics are permitted principal uses and go through the local approval process.

What's next: The city's Zoning Review Board on Thursday recommended the Atlanta City Council approve the ordinance. The proposal now heads to Council's Zoning Committee.

• If approved, the City Council would need to vote on the measure.

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The U.S. is projected to become majority-minority in 2046, but hundreds of rural pockets in Georgia and elsewhere crossed that demographic benchmark years ago, an Axios analysis finds.

Why it matters: The evolving face of rural America, driven both by immigration and increased mobility, has invigorated communities, increased their diversity — and presented new challenges.

• Rural governments dealing with rapid change, for example, often have few interpreters, bilingual election workers or translated materials — the machinery that turns civil-rights protections into access.
• Population shifts, particularly in rural areas, can leave schools, courts and election offices struggling to catch up.

Zoom in: Texas leads the nation with 57 rural majority-minority counties — all Hispanic along the Southern border and into the oil-rich Panhandle. Mississippi has 25 such counties, followed by New Mexico with 18, Georgia with 17 and Alaska with 15.

The Axios analysis joined 2020 Decennial Census demographic data with the USDA's 2023 Rural-Urban Continuum Codes.

• A county is defined as majority-minority when fewer than 50% of residents identify as non-Hispanic white alone.
• Nonmetro counties are defined as those falling outside USDA metropolitan labor market boundaries.

State of play: Fast-growing Hispanic agricultural hubs and Southern poultry towns are absorbing non-English-speaking populations with little to no federal mandate for bilingual ballots, poll workers or court interpreters.

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🏥 Kai Mentzer, the director of the Atlanta VA Medical Center, is resigning after two years to take a job with another health care organization. (WSB-TV)

⚖️ Most murder appeals in Georgia will be heard by the state Court of Appeals rather than Georgia Supreme Court starting next July, as the high court focuses on cases with broader legal significance. (Georgia Recorder)

🙏 A Fulton County Schools administrator is recovering after a driver struck him and his bike-riding partner last week in southwest Atlanta. (WANF)