Thursday thoughts
April 10 — November’s Atlanta City Council races got a little more crowded this week as Dist. 8 incumbent Mary Norwood announced her re-election bid, local banker Juan Mendoza joined the Post 1 At-Large race, and community activist Stephanie Flowers threw her hat in for the Dist. 12 seat.
☔ A 40% chance of showers and 72° today.
⛓️💥 Atlanta rapper Yak Gotti is set to be released from the Fulton County Jail nearly three years after his arrest in the Young Slime Life racketeering case.
✍️ Georgia Recorder looks at the bills passed by the legislature still awaiting Gov. Brian Kemp’s signature.
🎨 Check out the new art installations and events coming to the Atlanta Beltline Art program this spring.
💵 The Chattahoochee Nature Center in Roswell received a major donation toward its volunteer center.
⛳ The Masters Tournament tees off today in Augusta. Here’s how to watch.
ELSEWHERE
📈 Stocks skyrocketed yesterday after President Donald Trump paused some proposed tariffs, with the S&P 500 jumping more than 9.5%, as markets recovered from their four-day plunge. Global Markets followed suit today with Japan’s Nikkei recording its best day since 2008. U.S. stock futures are trending lower this morning.
🖋️ President Trump signed executive orders directing investigations of two former officials who publicly criticized him, and another rolling back “the left’s war on water pressure” he called “ridiculous.”
🕖 Here’s what’s in today’s newsletter:
• The regulars of Thinking Man Tavern
• Delta Flight Museum
• Turning side hustles into income
AND
• Stolen dog reunited with owner
🌼 Springtime in Atlanta means it’s time for the 89th Annual Atlanta Dogwood Festival. Held in Piedmont Park April 11-13, this three-day outdoor event has fine art, live music and entertainment, children’s activities and more — and it’s free to attend! SPONSOR MESSAGE
1. Sunday night is industry night at Thinking Man Tavern
🍻 Throughout the week, Atlanta’s restaurant and bar workers spend their time catering to other people’s needs.
Whether it’s cooking and plating food, mixing drinks, or waiting tables, most food industry workers need a place to unwind after long shifts, especially during peak weekend times.
Enter Sunday “industry night” at Thinking Man Tavern, the brainchild of longtime Atlanta hospitality veterans Davy Wilson and Alan Connor, who took over ownership of the low-key Decatur bar in 2022.
🧠 Check out more from Laura Scholz’s “The Regulars” column here.
QUICK BITES
😋 For this week’s Quick Bites, dining editor Beth McKibben has details on restaurant closures in Buckhead, Brookhaven, and Duluth, service shifts at Prefecture Japanese Steakhouse in Buckhead and Staplehouse on Edgewood, and a new cookbook from Atlanta chef Duane Nutter.
➡️ Here’s the full roundup of this week’s dining news from Beth.
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2. Newly reopened Delta Flight Museum brims with history and art
VIA SKETCHBOOK, A WEEKLY NEWSLETTER ABOUT ART | SUBSCRIBE
🛩️ Since 1995, the Delta Flight Museum has invited visitors to experience the history of aviation through interactive exhibits and experiences.
Located in two 1940s-era maintenance hangars used for servicing Delta aircraft – the sprawling 68,000-square-foot facility was designated a Historic Aerospace Site in 2011.
Over the years, the museum has undergone several transitions, adding comforts such as air conditioning, and modernization to enhance the experience for visitors. The most recent large-scale renovation was completed in March. The museum reopened to the public on April 7.
🖼️ Read more about the museum here.
3. How tech workers are turning creative side hustles into real income
💸 In an era where even those with seemingly stable tech salaries feel the pinch, the quest for an extra income stream has become a nearly universal pursuit.
For Atlanta-based data engineer Alicia Arnold, building a side hustle started when she realized she could turn her knack for hosting into a thriving event space rental gig on Peerspace.
For those unfamiliar, Peerspace operates as a curated platform connecting individuals and businesses with unique spaces for a variety of purposes, from photoshoots and workshops to corporate meetings and intimate gatherings. After launching in the Atlanta market in 2018, the Peerspace platform has expanded to boast over 2,000 hosts and 2,600 diverse spaces across the city.
➡ Read the whole story from Hypepotamus here.
🌼 Springtime in Atlanta means it’s time for the 89th Annual Atlanta Dogwood Festival. Held in Piedmont Park April 11-13, this three-day outdoor event has fine art, live music and entertainment, children’s activities and more — and it’s free to attend! SPONSOR MESSAGE
4. A stolen champion Shiba Inu is reunited with its owner
🐶 Little did Chantel Hunter know that when she found a flea-ridden, mostly furless dog wandering around a school garden in Tucker that it was a retired American Kennel Club Grand Champion Shiba Inu that had been stolen more than a year ago.
On April 7, Hunter, who was checking on plants in a garden at Turning Sun School’s Tucker Campus, said the friendly dog, now identified as Shogatsu, wandered up to her, dragging a frayed rope attached to his collar. Much of his backside was devoid of fur, and it was obvious that the dog was suffering.
Hunter called DeKalb County Animal Services, and the responding officer scanned it for an identifying microchip. Almost immediately, the dog’s identity and owner were found, ending a 13-month, heartbreaking search for the prize-winning, six-year-old Shiba.
➳ Read more about the reunion in Cathy Cobbs’ story.
🌼 Springtime in Atlanta means it’s time for the 89th Annual Atlanta Dogwood Festival. Held in Piedmont Park April 11-13, this three-day outdoor event has fine art, live music and entertainment, children’s activities and more — and it’s free to attend! SPONSOR MESSAGE
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