Axios Atlanta

June 12, 2024
Happy Wednesday. Which holiday are you celebrating?
βοΈ Today's weather: Mostly sunny. High near 89.
Situational awareness: One person was killed and a suspect was arrested following a three-county police pursuit of a hijacked Gwinnett County transit bus yesterday, the AJC reports.
π Happy birthday to our Axios Atlanta member Ian Green!
Today's newsletter is 920 words β a 3.5-minute read.
1 big thing: College Park climbing wall battle hits the metaphor
A popular recreation center climbing wall that became a lightning rod in College Park politics will stay put.
Why it matters: The climbing wall storyline felt as if it was ripped straight from a "Parks and Recreation" script and highlighted the poor relationship among elected officials governing the small city sitting in the shadow of the world's busiest airport.
Catch up quick: Council member Tracie Arnold, the driving force on the legislative body behind the Tracey Wyatt Recreation Complex climbing wall's removal, said staffers had concerns about safety and utilization. Last month, council members tasked the city manager with investigating the wall and, if needed, finding the wall another home.
- The problem: No other rec center in College Park could accommodate the structure. Kai Lightner, a professional rock climber who grew up in the community, helped raise funds for the wall.
- Families and supporters βΒ and Lightner himself β said removing the $100,000 wall would be one less experience for College Park kids and make other nonprofits and donors think twice before giving to the city.
The latest: At Friday night's marathon council meeting, members Roderick Gay and Jamelle McKenzie voted to keep the wall in place after the issue became too "political," the AJC reports. Arnold voted no.
State of play: The tabling of the wall will do little to soften the craggy conditions among the city's leaders.
Context: College Park City Hall is really going through it at the moment.
- For one, Mayor Bianca Motley Broom has filed a First Amendment lawsuit against her council colleagues over an ordinance that prohibits her from speaking about city issues prior to a vote. A federal judge recently denied a request for an injunction by Broom, the city's first Black and woman mayor.
- Then there's the controversial rezoning to attract a battery storage plant, council members' objection to livestreaming budget meetings, and a resident-led recall effort.
Follow the money: College Park is a small city (roughly 14,000 people) with an outsized budget ($171 million this past year) thanks to the portion of tax revenues and business license fees it collects related to Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport.
The big picture: At Friday's meeting, McKenzie expressed the need for the legislative body to find a consultant who can help the elected officials conduct their meetings.
2. Peachtree Center shooting victims, suspect expected to survive
Atlanta police say the three victims shot during a Tuesday shooting at the Peachtree Center food court in Downtown, along with the suspect who was shot by an off-duty officer, are expected to survive their injuries.
The latest: All individuals are expected to survive, Atlanta Police chief Darin Schierbaum told reporters yesterday.
- As of yesterday, the victims and suspect are recovering at Grady Memorial Hospital and Emory Midtown, according to Mayor Andre Dickens.
Zoom in: Around 2:15pm, Schierbaum said, a 34-year-old person armed with a handgun entered the food court and shot another person after a "brief altercation."
- Two other people were hit, possibly at random, the chief said. The victims are a 47-year-old from Grayson, a 69-year-old female from East Point and a 70-year-old female from Atlanta.
An Atlanta police officer working an extra job nearby shot the suspect. The officers on the scene applied first aid to stabilize the suspect, Schierbaum said.
- Schierbaum said the suspect was armed when the officers encountered him and when they kicked his gun away.
What's next: The Georgia Bureau of Investigation is leading the case because it involves an officer shooting.
3. Celebrate Juneteenth with these events
Juneteenth is next Wednesday, so here are some events happening this weekend and through next week commemorating the holiday.
The Home Depot Backyard's Truist Night Market will host a Juneteenth edition, spotlighting Black chefs, artists and Black-owned spirit brands. (Thursday)
The Cobb County branch of the NAACP will host its 21st annual Juneteenth Weekend Celebration on Marietta Square. All events are free and open to the public. (Friday-Sunday)
The Juneteenth Atlanta Parade and Music Festival will return for its 12th year next week to Piedmont Park. (June 21-23)
Atlanta History Center's Juneteenth Celebration will be held from 10 am-4pm. (Saturday)
Live music, free tours and children's storytelling will be part of Historic Oakland Cemetery's Juneteenth Family Festival. (Saturday)
The Arabia Mountain National Heritage Area will host its second annual Juneteenth Storytelling Festival from 11 am-2pm at the Bruce Street School. (June 18)
4. Grindr bus in Atlanta this week for Pride Month
Users on the dating app Grindr picked their favorite LGBTQ+-friendly Atlanta businesses.
The big picture: Though Atlanta Pride is commemorated in October, June is recognized nationwide as Pride Month.
Driving the news: Grindr has a bus outfitted with a photo studio for snapping new profile pics, and it'll be at Ansley Square Shopping Center bars tonight.
- Check it out in front of Oscar's, Felix's and Mixx from 8pm-1am.
- The bus will also have free swag and sexual health resources.
Here are the local businesses that Grindr users love:
- Best gym: LA Fitness
- Best queer-owned business: Boy Next Door Menswear
- Best gay bar: Eagle Atlanta
Future events
π Start planning your days ahead.
Jollof Festival Atlanta at Westside Motor Lounge on July 20: Experience a variety of jollof rice dishes from different cultures. Enjoy music, dance performances, and more.
Hosting an event? Email [email protected].
5. Five-ish Points: 'Sewer mayor' on ATL water outage
π³οΈ Cobb and Gwinnett voters will decide in November whether to impose a penny sales tax to pay for transit projects. (AJC)
π The state of Georgia has barely used a federal program that provides rental assistance to youth previously in foster care. (WABE)
π Homer Rice, former longtime athletic director at Georgia Tech who hired some of the school's most successful coaches, has died at the age of 97. (AP)
π° Former Mayor Shirley Franklin, Atlanta's "sewer mayor," advises Andre Dickens to address the root causes of the latest water woes. (AJC)
πͺ Kristal really needs to sharpen her kitchen knives.
π Thomas is reading Central Atlanta Progress' argument for why MARTA should halt the Five Points renovation project.
π Wil started reading about ladybugs after he found six of them in his grapes.
This newsletter was edited by Jen Ashley and copy edited by Natasha Danielle Smith and Anjelica Tan.
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