Author: Tee Johnson

Southwest Atlanta has a new place to kick a ball, meet neighbors, and grow the game. On Wednesday, August 26, 2026, the ribbon was cut on a new mini soccer pitch at the Andrew & Walter Young Family YMCA.

The City of Atlanta marked the opening as more than a ceremony. In posts following the event, officials described the compact field as “a new place to play, connect and grow,” and as another way to expand opportunities for young people in the city’s southwest neighborhoods.

Mini Soccer Launches at Young Family YMCA

The pitch sits at one of Atlanta’s most storied community centers. Founded in 1959 as the Southwest Y and later renamed for civil rights leaders Ambassador Andrew Young and Dr. Walter Young, the branch at 2220 Campbellton Road SW has served families in East Point, College Park, Hapeville, West End, and surrounding neighborhoods for more than six decades.

Recent years have already brought major upgrades to the campus, including a multimillion-dollar renovation of indoor spaces. The new outdoor pitch adds a dedicated soccer home to that investment.

Part of a statewide soccer legacy

The field is a GA 100 mini-pitch, one of a growing network of small-sided soccer spaces funded by the Atlanta United Community Fund, an associate-led fund of the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation. Launched in 2020 in partnership with Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC), GA 100 aims to build up to 100 pitches in under-resourced communities across Georgia. Eligible partners can receive matching grants of up to $100,000. By early 2026 the program had committed nearly $4.5 million and advanced more than 50 pitches into construction or operation.

Atlanta United has framed the campaign as World Cup-era infrastructure that should last long after the tournament lights dim. “The growth of soccer is felt not just in our stadium, but in neighborhoods across Georgia,” Chief Business Officer Skate Noftsinger said when the fund announced a new round of grants this year. “Creating safe, accessible places to play” is how the club says excitement becomes a lasting community asset.

The Young Family YMCA site had been on the 2026 opening calendar alongside other GA 100 projects, including pitches at schools, parks, Boys & Girls Clubs, and other YMCA branches. Mini-pitches in the program are typically compact courts—often about 60 by 90 feet—with goals and rebound boards designed for small-sided games, clinics, and informal play. That format fits after-school programs, summer camps, and neighborhood pickup equally well.

Why this YMCA matters

The Young Family Y already offers swim lessons, day camp, after-school care, a teen center, a gymnasium, and wellness programs. Soccer has deep roots in Atlanta’s YMCA network: organized youth soccer in the United States traces much of its early growth to YMCA leagues launched in metro Atlanta in the late 1960s. Adding a dedicated mini-pitch on Campbellton Road extends that tradition into a neighborhood where families already come for childcare, fitness, and youth development.25

For the city, the ribbon cutting also fits a broader push to treat recreation as neighborhood infrastructure. Dickens has repeatedly tied youth sports to opportunity—safe places to play, scholarships, clinics, and public-private partnerships that keep facilities open after the cameras leave. Pairing the city’s most visible soccer club with one of its oldest YMCAs is a practical version of that idea: a field next door to programs that already serve children every week.

What comes next

The pitch is now open as part of the YMCA campus. Families looking to use it can start with the Andrew & Walter Young Family YMCA at (404) 523-9622, or follow YMCA of Metro Atlanta and Atlanta United Community Fund programming for clinics, camps, and league play. Statewide, GA 100 continues to accept and build projects at schools, parks, and community organizations working toward the 100-pitch goal.36

A ribbon is a beginning, not a finish line. The measure of this field will be the after-school scrimmages, first touches, and Saturday pickup games that follow—soccer made ordinary, and close to home, in Southwest Atlanta.

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Target has apologized and removed a children’s Halloween costume from sale after widespread criticism that the design evoked racist stereotypes associated with blackface and 19th-century minstrel shows.

The product, listed as the “Kids’ Glows Under Blacklight Circus Clown Halloween Costume” (or similar variations such as the Kids’ Circus Glow Clown Costume Bodysuit), was part of the retailer’s seasonal Hyde & EEK! Boutique private-label brand and sold for about $25.

Target issues an apology and pulls a children’s Halloween costume after backlash over its resemblance to blackface and minstrel imagery

It featured an orange-and-black clown-style outfit, black gloves, a small top hat, and a mesh mask or face covering shaped like a wide, exaggerated grinning mouth with large teeth. A promotional image on Target’s website showed a Black child modeling the costume, sometimes in a pose that critics compared to Jim Crow-era caricatures.

Social media users quickly shared screenshots and argued that the combination of elements—particularly the dark face covering, oversized smile, gloves, and presentation—mirrored historical minstrel-show imagery that caricatured and demeaned Black people. Minstrel shows were a form of 19th-century American theater built around such stereotypes.

On Monday, August 24, 2026, Target confirmed it had stopped selling the item and issued a statement acknowledging the mistake. “As a company, we got this wrong, and we are deeply sorry,” the company said. “The costume is offensive and should never have been part of our assortment. It is no longer available for sale. We know this is especially hurtful for our Black guests, team members and partners. Removing the costume is an important first step, and the company is looking closely at how this happened and what needs to change to ensure this won’t happen again.”

The product listing was deleted from Target’s website. The controversy adds to a series of recent reputational challenges for the Minneapolis-based retailer, which has faced criticism over its handling of Pride merchandise in prior years and changes to its diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives. Some observers linked the oversight to those earlier shifts, while others noted the company’s rapid response in pulling the item and issuing an apology.

Target has not provided further details on the design process or the specific individuals involved in approving the costume. The retailer operates roughly 2,000 stores across the United States.

Atlanta-based streetwear and sneaker boutique Wish has announced it will permanently close at the end of 2026, marking the end of an era for one of the city’s most influential cultural and style destinations. The Little Five Points staple, a fixture for over 20 years, will shut its doors on December 28.

Atlanta’s Wish Boutique to Close

Founded and led by Lauren Amos with business partner and CEO Julie Hogg, Wish has long stood out as a woman-owned luxury streetwear and sneaker boutique in a space traditionally dominated by other voices.

Located at 447 Moreland Avenue in the heart of Little Five Points (in a building that previously housed the local Carnegie Library), the store became far more than a retail outlet. It evolved into a hub where fashion, art, music, and community intersected—celebrating limited-edition sneakers, carefully curated designer pieces, local talent, and global brands while fostering a distinctive creative energy unique to Atlanta.

Amos, who took the reins in 2004 after graduating from the Atlanta College of Art, helped grow Wish into a successful destination known for exclusive drops, thoughtful collaborations, community events, and a welcoming atmosphere that drew both longtime locals and visitors. The shop’s impact extended beyond commerce: it helped put Atlanta on the map for streetwear culture and supported artists, musicians, designers, and the broader creative class.

According to Amos, the decision to close stems not from financial struggles but from “monumental life changes” for her and Hogg. “I’m sad and I’m happy. It’s like we are all sad and we’re all happy. This isn’t easy. This wasn’t an overnight decision,” she told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The pair described the choice as deeply personal after years of dedicated work building the business.

For many Atlantans, the news lands as a genuine loss. Wish was more than a place to shop—it was a cultural landmark that reflected and amplified the city’s style and creative spirit. As one longtime admirer put it simply: a huge loss for the city. “I loved that boutique man.”

Amos has expressed hope that a young, cool, creative person will step into the space and build something new. In the months ahead, the team plans to celebrate the store’s legacy with staff, regulars, and the community that helped sustain it for 22 years. While the physical doors will close, Wish’s influence on Atlanta’s fashion and cultural landscape is likely to linger long after the final sale.

ATLANTA/DALLAS — Several passengers were reportedly injured Friday when a laptop caught fire aboard an American Airlines flight from Atlanta to Dallas-Fort Worth, filling parts of the cabin with smoke before the crew contained the blaze.

American Airlines Flight 2398, an Airbus A321 carrying 133 people, departed Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport around 5:30 p.m. ET on Aug. 21.

Laptop Catches Fire on American Airlines Flight from Atlanta to Dallas

About 30 minutes before landing, a passenger’s laptop began smoking and erupted in flames, according to accounts from those on board and air traffic control audio.

Passenger Jessica Irgens, who was seated nearby, described the scene as “absolutely terrifying.” “I just saw the smoke first, and then it all happened really fast,” she told ABC’s Good Morning America. “He was trying to get it away from him into the aisle.” Other passengers assisted as heavy smoke filled the area, and Irgens said some people later had their hands in bags of ice and appeared visibly shaken.

The pilot radioed air traffic controllers about a cabin fire toward the rear of the aircraft. Flight attendants worked to extinguish it and ultimately secured the device in a specialized thermal containment bag designed for lithium-ion battery incidents. The pilot reported that four to five passengers may have suffered burns, primarily to their hands, and requested medical personnel meet the plane.

The aircraft landed safely at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport around 8 p.m. ET (approximately 6:55 p.m. local time) and taxied to the gate under its own power. Emergency responders met the flight. American Airlines said one person was treated on scene and released. Airport officials confirmed the same, noting the injuries were minor and no hospital transport was required.

In a statement, American Airlines said: “American Airlines Flight 2398 landed safely at DFW after reports of smoke from a customer’s device during landing. We thank our crew for their professionalism and swift response to quickly contain the device.”

The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating the incident. Lithium-ion batteries in personal electronic devices have been linked to multiple smoke or fire events on passenger aircraft this year, according to FAA data.

No further injuries were reported, and the plane arrived without additional incident.

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