Tuesday’s ticker
Jan. 7 — Atlanta’s jail diversion program (PAD) resumed services Monday after resolving a months-long contract dispute with Mayor Andre Dickens’ office.
☀️ Sunny and cold with a high of 43° today.
🎗️ The public viewing of President Jimmy Carter’s body at The Carter Center ended this morning. His remains will be flown to Washington D.C. today to lie in state at the U.S. Capitol before a state funeral on Thursday.
🚨 The third juvenile suspect wanted in the fatal shooting of a MARTA bus driver in Decatur last week surrendered to police on Monday.
🔎 A suspect is in custody after a double shooting at the Honduran Consulate in Doraville yesterday left one person dead.
💉 After a study conducted in Atlanta, researchers expect the FDA to approve a twice-yearly shot that reduces HIV infection risk by 96%.
🍟 No, you’re not imagining it: Atlanta-based Chick-fil-A changed its beloved waffle fries and some customers aren’t happy about it.
🫒 The Barcelona-inspired tapas restaurant and cocktail bar Boqueria opens on Jan. 21 at Colony Square in Midtown.
ELSEWHERE
🗳️ Congress officially certified Donald Trump’s victory in the 2024 presidential election.
🇨🇦 Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced his resignation.
⚖️ Rudy Giuliani was held in contempt of court for failing to pay $148 million in damages to two Georgia election workers he defamed.
🐼 The National Zoo’s giant pandas were captured frolicking in Washington D.C.’s first snowfall of the year, while the storm caused widespread disruption across the Midwest and mid-Atlantic.
🕖 Here’s what’s in today’s newsletter:
• Regal 24 quietly closes
• ‘& Juliet’ opens at The Fox
• Around the State: Jimmy Carter’s custom guitar
AND
• Volunteer Opportunities
Stay warm,
Collin
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1. Regal Hollywood 24 quietly closes in Chamblee
🍿 Twenty-five years after it opened with the premiere of “Star Wars: Episode I- The Phantom Menace,” the Regal Hollywood cinema quietly closed its doors over the weekend.
The 37-acre property located on the Northeast Expressway I-85 access road is listed for sale by CBRE at an undisclosed price.
The Knoxville-based Regal conglomerate, which is a subsidiary of Europe-based Cineworld, announced last year that it would close the Regal Hollywood, but did not indicate when they would officially end operations.
➳ Read more in Cathy Cobbs’ report.
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2. ‘& Juliet’ explores all forms of love at The Fox
🎭 Rachel Webb, who plays the lead character in the national touring company of “& Juliet,” says the hit Broadway production flips the script of Shakespeare’s tragedy.
“& Juliet,” coming to The Fox Theatre for an eight-performance run starting tonight, presents an alternate universe retelling of the classic play where Juliet doesn’t follow Romeo into the afterlife.
Webb (pictured second from right) said the show features familiar pop tunes – “Since U Been Gone,” “Baby One More Time,” “Can’t Stop the Feeling,” and “Roar” among them – as Juliet looks for life and love after Romeo.
➳ See the full interview and get tickets here.
3. At 95, Jimmy Carter cut down planted trees to make a custom guitar
🌳 The late President Jimmy Carter wanted to make a point about sustainability, so he planted an orchard of Empress (Paulownia) trees on his property in the 1990s.
These non-native trees grow to full maturity in 25-30 years. So, as Carter (a lifelong musician and three-time Grammy Award winner) accumulated Grammy Award nominations – including a 10th for his audiobook “Last Sundays in Plains: A Centennial Celebration” – he had one more musical thing in mind.
At the age of 95, the peanut farmer-turned-world leader used a chainsaw to personally cut down a Paulownia tree. Carter and friend Todd Lundberg then milled the tree and sent it to Jason Kostal, a world-class luthier with a seven-year-long waiting list for a custom-built guitar.
➡ Read more in this story from GPB.
RELATED
✍️ In 1972, Carter wrote a letter vouching for four Atlanta college students about to embark on a cross-country trip. Read Cathy Cobbs’ story – and see a photo of the letter – here.
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4. Volunteer Opportunities
IN PARTNERSHIP WITH HANDS ON ATLANTA
🤝 Opportunities for MLK Days of Service begin as early as this Fri., Jan. 10 and run through Mon., Jan. 20. You can learn more about events, volunteer opportunities, and how to participate here.
🍎 LaAmistad in Atlanta (pictured) is looking for after school homework helpers at Incarnation Church on Thursday afternoon. Volunteers will work with staff members to provide elementary-age homework assistance; no Spanish education or experience is necessary.
🥖 Grace Community Fellowship Church in Atlanta needs assistance in their food pantry on Friday afternoon. Volunteers will help distribute groceries to seniors and communities in need.
🌳 Friends of Herbert Taylor Park and Daniel Johnson Park are looking for volunteers to help with park restoration on Saturday morning. You will meet at Herbert Taylor Park in Morningside to help remove invasive plants and improve the habitat for native species.
📧 Today’s newsletter was edited by Julie E. Bloemeke.
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