Time for Thursday
Aug. 29 — Stress is taking a toll on Americans. The U.S. Surgeon General warns that parental stress in particular has become a serious public health concern. Nearly half of parents feel overwhelmed daily, citing social media, gun violence fears, and work-life balance as key stressors.
🌞 Sunny and 94° today.
🚇 MARTA will close the Oglethorpe/Brookhaven station for six weeks starting Oct. 7 to replace pavers on the rail platform.
🚨 A Sandy Springs woman was one of three people arrested by Roswell Police on human trafficking charges in a multi-jurisdictional enforcement operation.
🏗️ The Atlanta City Council’s zoning committee endorsed granting The Galloway School special zoning regulations so it can renovate its campus facilities and construct a new building.
⚖️ Former Atlanta Chief Financial Officer Jim Beard was sentenced to three years in federal prison for his role in a multi-year scheme to obtain money and property from the city for private use.
➡ Cobb County commissioners accepted the state-drawn electoral map that removes Jerica Richardson from her district. A vote to formally vacate her seat failed.
🏌️ The Tour Championship begins today at East Lake Golf Club, with the first pairing teeing off at 11:16 a.m. (TV: Golf Channel)
ELSEWHERE
📺 Vice President Kamala Harris and running mate Gov. Tim Walz will sit with CNN’s Dana Bash today, marking the pair’s first interview since becoming the Democratic nominees. It’s scheduled to air at 9 p.m.
⚖️ A former Nevada politician was found guilty of murdering journalist Jeff German, who had written critical stories about his time in office.
💻 Nvidia shares dipped in premarket trading despite beating Q2 estimates, as analyst expectations overshadowed strong results at the closely watched AI chip maker.
🕖 Here’s what’s in today’s newsletter:
• New views of The Stitch
• North Springs High breaks ground
• SCANA homework centers
• QuestRead
AND
• Quick Bites
Have a great day, and tell us: how many times have you listened to “Wonderwall” this week? Asking for a friend.
Collin & Sammie
🙋♀️ Hey, Dunwoody! What’s best about living or working here? What would you change? The city’s comprehensive plan will help shape the future. Take our survey, then come to our public workshop Sept. 10 at Park Place, 5-7 p.m. (SPONSOR MESSAGE)
1. New details, renderings for The Stitch
🌳 New renderings and details of The Stitch, which will cap a section of I-75/85, were revealed during an Atlanta Downtown Town Hall on Wednesday.
With $200 million in funding already secured and the engineering underway, construction on phase one of The Stitch is expected to begin in 2026 or 2027, according to development manager Jack Cebe.
The first phase will be a 4.5-acre park over the Downtown Connector between Peachtree and Courtland streets. There will also be improvements made to existing roads in the vicinity of the park.
👓 See more renderings and find out about walking tours here.
Honoring Veterans in Sandy Springs
SPONSORED BY CITY OF SANDY SPRINGS
🎖️ The City of Sandy Springs is proudly expanding Veterans Park to pay tribute to the men and women who served our country. Be part of this important initiative as we add iconic sculptures and war memorials to honor their sacrifice and valor.
You can also recognize and pay tribute to your loved ones with personalized pavers and benches. To have your paver engraved by Veterans Day, make your purchase by Sept. 30.
🫶 Learn more about how to contribute to this meaningful project and honor our veterans.
2. Ground broken for new North Springs High School
🚧 Ground was broken Tuesday for a new North Springs High School campus, which is set to open in 2027.
Students will continue to attend classes in the existing high school during the construction of the new buildings. Once the new high school is constructed, the existing building will be demolished, Fulton County School Chief Operating Officer Noel Maloof said during the groundbreaking ceremony. New athletic facilities will be constructed during the 2027-2028 school year.
Maloof said the construction of a new high school campus was made possible by community support and the commitment of the school district. Funding has come from a one-cent education sales tax voters reauthorized through the next five years.
3. SCANA’s partnership with local schools for homework program sees dramatic results
🎒 A partnership between Metro Atlanta Title 1 schools and SCANA Energy has resulted in dramatic improvements in students’ test scores, grades, and overall esteem.
Of the 10 schools in Georgia that SCANA funds, two of them in DeKalb County – Stone Mill Elementary in Stone Mountain and Woodward Elementary School in Brookhaven – receive funds to run free after-school homework centers.
SCANA funds homework centers that supply minority, special education, and ESL (English to Speakers of Other Languages) students with after-school tutoring. The results have been significant.
📚 Read more about those results here.
4. QuestRead wants to help students dealing with the long-term impacts of COVID
⚕️ Janessa Ferrell left her career as a school teacher in 2019 to solve the reading proficiency gap. While she was working on solving this problem, the world came to a halt.
The pandemic had a large impact on education and new research from Education Recovery Scorecard found that the average U.S. public school student in grades 3-8 lost the equivalent of half a year of learning in math and a quarter of a year in reading. Ferrell has observed this gap specifically as it relates to learning to read.
Ferrell founded QuestRead in 2023 to attempt to close this learning gap. QuestRead’s mission is to create an encouraging adventure out of the journey to reading mastery for children at all levels.
📘 Click here to read the full story on Hypepotamus.
🙋♀️ Hey, Dunwoody! What’s best about living or working here? What would you change? The city’s comprehensive plan will help shape the future. Take our survey, then come to our public workshop Sept. 10 at Park Place, 5-7 p.m. (SPONSOR MESSAGE)
5. Quick Bites
VIA SIDE DISH, A WEEKLY NEWSLETTER| SUBSCRIBE HERE
🥂 Kirkwood’s bottle shop Soberish is celebrating its first anniversary by opening a second storefront at Serenbe in Chattahoochee Hills. Be sure to follow their Instagram for daily specials this week and to learn more about their N/A beverages, cannabis selections, and functional wellness products.
🍔 Atlanta-based Smalls Sliders is taking their cheeseburger sliders on the road with their new Smalls Sliders CanVan. They will be popping up in a number of cities to share their sliders, milkshakes, and seasoned waffle fries. Follow their Instagram for more updates.
🤝 September is National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, and a variety of Atlanta-area restaurants are supporting CURE Childhood Cancer with special sales and events. Select locations of Chicken Salad Chick, Bad Daddy’s Burger Bar, and Chopt are all joining in, and you can see the full list here.
🇨🇴 National Hispanic Heritage Month is from Sept. 15-Oct. 15 and Alpharetta’s Fogón and Lions (pictured) is celebrating with a Rum-Ba Fest on Sept. 15. Featuring live music and craft rum cocktails, there will also be sampling stations representing fare from Venezuela, Colombia, Mexico, the Caribbean, and more. Reservations can be made here.
✈️ Coffee lovers rejoice! Boarding Pass Coffee has opened a new storefront in Alpharetta City Center (ACC), making this their fourth Georgia location. The travel-themed coffee shop features authentic airplane seating, aviation accessories, an actual airplane – yes, you read that right – along with kid-friendly games and activities.
🎉 Congratulations are in order for Dunwoody’s E. 48th Street Market, which was recently selected as “The Best Deli in Georgia” by media brand Taste of Home.
🔪 Original ChopShop is coming to Alpharetta’s Haynes Bridge Road in late September. The fast-casual restaurant is known for its protein bowls, wraps, shakes, fresh juices, and parfaits and includes gluten-free, dairy-free, vegetarian, and vegan options.
🏈 Streamline game day with tailgating packages from Ladybird Grove & Mess Hall. Featuring an assortment of wings, pulled pork barbecue, and a selection of sides, you can place orders through Tripleseat for pickup or delivery. Follow on Instagram for more updates.
🥂 If you are not ready to let summer go just yet, stop by the St. Regis Atlanta on Wednesdays through Sept. 25 for their Rosè + DJ night. Starting at 7 p.m., you can expect a selection of both still and sparkling rosè, including an elderflower rosé French 75 and a rosé spritz with Lillet. See their Facebook page for more details.
🍸 Atrium, the American bistro and martini bar at Ponce City Market, has launched a new dinner and martini bar menu. Think miso-glazed black cod or mushroom risotto in addition to a mandarin-forward Vesper Di Amalfi or a lychee-based martini.
🖤 Channel your inner Alice in Wonderland for the Queen of Hearts high tea service at the Waldorf Astoria Atlanta Buckhead. Now through Sept. 29, enjoy signature cocktails, teas, scones, cucumber sandwiches, mousse, and even an optional caviar accompaniment. Imaginative attire is encouraged. Reservations can be made here.
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📧 Today’s newsletter was edited by Julie E. Bloemeke.
