The effort to convert Downtown’s nearly empty city jail into a diversion center for people experiencing mental illness, homelessness or poverty took a leap forward this week.

Why it matters: Aimed at addressing the root causes of some crimes, the center could help ease crowding at the Fulton County jail, address recidivism and put people on the path to living a healthy and more productive life.

Details: On Monday, the Atlanta City Council advanced legislation that creates the legal groundwork needed to convert part of the monolith overlooking South Downtown into a 24-hour center where police could bring non-violent offenders who opt to receive mental health counseling, treatment or other assistance instead of going to jail.

• The city and county will split the cost of operating the center once it opens.

The facility, the city said in a statement, will include “peer reception, behavioral health screenings, non-emergency medical care, sobering rooms, case management, warrant resolution and food, laundry and showers.”

What they’re saying: Moki Macias, the executive director of the Atlanta Policing Alternatives and Diversion Initiative, tells Axios Atlanta even a conservative estimate of diverting 40 people a day from the jail and into the services they need could have a substantial effect.

Macias adds the center is but one part of a larger system that must be built, funded and maintained.

• “We need to invest in the whole continuum of resources” — meaning high-quality and accessible healthcare, housing and recovery options — “that people need to be more well,” she says.

Read the full story.

Sen. Raphael Warnock is calling on the EPA to investigate the south Atlanta metal processing plant that’s accused of releasing industrial waste near a middle school, single-family homes and a park.

Why it matters: Soil and water sampling conducted by the EPA — plus sampling performed by the Altamaha Riverkeeper and Eri Saikawa of Emory University — found elevated levels of lead and other hazardous metals downhill from TAV Holdings’ roughly 37-acre facility in south Atlanta.

• In its emergency order to TAV Holdings, the EPA expressed concerns that some of the dust stored in large mounds on the site could become airborne, posing a risk to the community. Crawford Long Middle School is near the facility.

Go deeper: Read Axios' reporting on the facility's impact on local communities.

What they’re saying: “These negligent actions put the health of our communities and environment at risk, and corrective action is needed immediately,” the Democratic senator says in the letter sent yesterday to the EPA and obtained by Axios Atlanta. Warnock urges the EPA to “swiftly move forward with the remainder of its investigation to identify all potential off-site contamination.”

Gov. Brian Kemp intends to introduce a bill to give parents the power to decide whether their children wear masks, in effect overruling any districtwide mask mandates.

Why it matters: A handful of school districts in Georgia – largely in metro Atlanta – have mask requirements.

• Kemp told reporters yesterday that some parents are “beyond frustrated.” He said "parents have the tools that they need to best take care of their children."

Kemp insisted he’s “still a local control guy” but pointed to declining COVID-19 case numbers and hospitalizations as justification for the move.

• The AJC reports metro Atlanta districts have seen a nearly 50% drop in cases since their mid-January spike.

The big picture: Several Democratic states this week announced plans to lift mask mandates in schools.

Yes, but: CDC director Rochelle Walensky is standing by CDC guidance to require masks in K-12 schools.

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Commuters stuck in gridlock at I-285 near Truist Park — and maybe even President Biden when Air Force One lands at Dobbins — now have a dazzling light display to keep them entertained.

Driving the news: Last night, TK Elevator switched on a state-of-the-art “mesh” on the facade of its 420-foot test tower where teams develop the next generation of lifts (and fine-tune the old workhorses you find in everyday buildings).

Details: The eight-story-tall screen has about 2 million LED diodes that can create messages or colorful patterns.

• Additionally, the 11,000 square-foot screen will “learn” how to create patterns and designs, a TK Elevator spokesperson tells Axios. Designed and installed by Atlanta-based Nanolumens, the screen is the first time the technology has been used on a building in metro Atlanta, the company says.
• The tower also includes a two-floor events space at the top that offers clear views of Sandy Springs, the entire Atlanta skyline and Stone Mountain.

According to CEO Kevin Lavallee, the tower will be seen by nearly 300 million people including drivers, baseball fans and flights passing overhead.

He tells Axios the company might even help the Braves celebrate the occasional home run during important games.

• “We're not really an advertising company. We're an elevator company. It's about engineering, design, cutting-edge and the digitalization of our elevator business.”

🗳 Camden County must have a special election on March 8 to determine the fate of a proposed spaceport. (The Current)

💉 Georgia's head of public health says she's afraid vaccine politics could revive eradicated diseases. (GPB)

🛍 A walk through the New Black Wall Street Market in Stonecrest. (Capital B)

👨🏾‍⚖️ Judge might delay Georgia primary if he throws out new districts. (AJC)

📚 A guide to Atlanta bookstores where you can also eat and drink (wine). (Eater)