🎶 Opera's new digs
Tuesday takes
Sept. 24 — The Gulf Coast and Georgia could be in for some heavy rain and winds this week as the National Hurricane Center tracks what is likely to become Hurricane Helene.
🌤️ Partly cloudy and 89° today.
🏫 Apalachee High School students returned to campus yesterday for the first time since the Sept. 4 shooting that killed four. At an open house, the school offered counseling and showed increased security. Classes resume this morning.
🗣️ Sheriff Pat Labat is expected to address budget needs and outstanding invoices for the embattled county jail at the Oct. 2 Fulton County Commission meeting.
🏢 The Tucker Planning Commission approved a special land use permit to convert an office building into apartments on Cowen Road.
🎭 Theatrical Outfit's "A Raisin in the Sun" has been extended through Oct. 6. Our drama critic Manning Harris says you should see it.
🎟️ Tickets are still available for the Party for Piedmont Park fundraiser on Thurs., Sept. 26, which has a totally tubular '80s theme.
🏀 The Atlanta Dream face a must-win game in the first round of the WNBA Playoffs against the Liberty tonight at 7:30 p.m. in New York. (ESPN)
⚾ The Braves open a crucial series against the Mets tonight at 7:20 p.m. with the team's playoff hopes hanging in the balance. (BSS; 93.7 FM)
ELSEWHERE
🇮🇱🇱🇧 Israel struck Hezbollah targets in Lebanon, while the Iran-backed group attacked rockets into northern Israel, escalating tensions after Lebanon's deadliest day in decades. Here are live updates from the AP.
📉 FBI statistics show violent crime in the U.S. dropped three percent in 2023, with murders down nearly 12%. The data indicates a return to pre-pandemic levels. (The AJC reports that Atlanta outpaced the national numbers.)
🕖 Here's what's in today's newsletter:
• Leadership Perimeter 2025
• Atlanta Opera at Bobby Jones
• Around the State: GPB
AND
• Volunteer Opportunities
Have a good day,
Collin & Sammie
🎉 Don’t miss Party on the PATH, an evening of live music, delicious food, and fun benefiting Livable Buckhead’s programs to create a vibrant community where people want to live, work, and play. On Oct. 6 at Eclipse di Luna, it includes tapas, sangria, and dancing to the sounds of 3rd Stream Big Band. Buy tickets today.
SPONSOR MESSAGE
1. Leadership Perimeter announces 44-member class for 2025 program
🤝 Leadership Perimeter recently introduced its 2025 class featuring 44 experienced and emerging leaders embarking on a nine-month community development program.
The organization – which serves Brookhaven, Dunwoody, and Sandy Springs – develops and inspires leaders to serve their communities.
“The class is made up of dynamic and engaged community members and we’re thrilled for them to fully launch their experience with the opening retreat,” said LP Program Director Catherine Lautenbacher.
➡️ Learn more about the program here.
The Decatur Book Festival is back!
SPONSORED BY THE DECATUR BOOK FESTIVAL
📚 Join us for the 2024 Decatur Book Festival, a vibrant celebration of literature and community on Oct. 4-5 in the heart of Decatur!
Free and open to the public, the festival features diverse author panels, book signings, chef demos, poetry readings, emerging student writers, live entertainment, and family-friendly events. Highlights include Keynote speaker Joyce Carol Oates and Kidnote speaker Stacey Abrams, along with a variety of exhibitors, vendors, and sponsors.
➡️ With activities for all ages — there’s something for everyone. Explore the full list of authors and activities here.
2. Atlanta Opera to transform Bobby Jones Clubhouse into new performing arts center
⛳ The Atlanta Opera will transform the historic Bobby Jones Clubhouse into a performing arts center with a recital hall, theatre venue, education spaces, and administrative and rehearsal areas for the Opera.
Located in Peachtree Battle on Woodward Way along the Atlanta Beltline, the facility is expected to cost $45 million with core funding already secured.
Announcements of the donors and a capital campaign will be made soon, and the project is estimated to be completed by the summer of 2027.
🎼 Learn more about this transformation here.
3. Pleasant Hill Landing affordable housing planned for historically Black neighborhood in Macon
🏘️ Macon-Bibb County government has announced a new affordable housing development in the heart of one of the city’s most prominent historically Black neighborhoods.
Pleasant Hill Landing will be built at the crown of the Pleasant Hill neighborhood, once a center of Macon’s Black middle and professional class.
The neighborhood, which also was the home to the first Black legislator to speak on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives, has dealt with a number of setbacks over the years, such as bank disinvestment driven by federal redlining that began in the 1930s and by being cut in half by the original construction of I-75. Now, 64 apartments across three multi-story blocks are planned for Pleasant Hill Landing, financed through about $1.4 million in federal low-income housing tax credits.
➡ Read more in this story from GPB.
🎨 Don't miss the final days of the 3rd Annual Art Pop-Up + Shop in Town Brookhaven this Thursday through Sunday. This year’s event features 40 artists covering multiple mediums. The event appeals to the seasoned collector as well as the first-time buyer.
SPONSOR MESSAGE
4. Volunteer Opportunities
IN PARTNERSHIP WITH HANDS ON ATLANTA
➡ Hands On Atlanta is hiring a full-time community & Civic Engagement Coordinator to work with nonprofit partners and manage volunteer experiences. Ideal for early career professionals who thrive in fast-paced environments.
🍓 Stella Love Non-Profit in Roswell (pictured) needs volunteers for its Free Food Giveaway on Thursday morning. You will assist clients with intake forms, direct traffic, unload the food truck, and help with food boxes.
🤝 Christian City in Union City needs volunteers for a day of service honoring the late Terry Chapman on Friday morning. Multiple tasks and roles are available for over 90 volunteer slots. Read more about Terry’s legacy and the Terry Chapman Day of Service here.
🌿 Park Pride and Friends of Louise G. Howard Park are looking for volunteers for their Cathedral Woods forest restoration on Sunday afternoon. You will remove non-native plants and invasive species while working to restore the ecological health of an old-growth forest.