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R&B singer Mariah the Scientist (born Mariah Amani Buckles) made a homecoming appearance at her alma mater, Southwest DeKalb High School in Decatur, Georgia, on Friday, October 23, 2026. The visit coincided with the school’s hosting of the 2026 Georgia High School Football Hall of Fame Game at Buck Godfrey Stadium, where the Southwest DeKalb Panthers faced the undefeated Mays Raiders.
Mariah the Scientist Returns to Southwest DeKalb
Buckles graduated early from Southwest DeKalb (originally slated for the class of 2015, she finished in 2014). She was active in school activities, including cheerleading and dance, and has spoken about her time there and her early interest in science. She later enrolled at St. John’s University in New York City with plans to become a pediatric anesthesiologist before leaving during her junior year to pursue music full-time. After being discovered by Tory Lanez, she built a successful career with albums including Master (2019), Ry Ry World (2021), To Be Eaten Alive (2023), and the 2025 release Hearts Sold Separately, which produced hits such as “Burning Blue” and “Is It a Crime” (with Kali Uchis). She is engaged to Young Thug.
Friday’s game drew significant attention as part of the Georgia High School Football Hall of Fame festivities. Mays rallied from a 21-7 deficit to defeat Southwest DeKalb 34-31 in double overtime. D’Andre Hennix of Mays earned MVP honors after catching three touchdowns, including the game-winner. The event also honored the 2026 Hall of Fame class ahead of the induction ceremony.
Mariah the Scientist joined the SCORE Atlanta broadcast team on the field as a special guest and alumna. The outlet highlighted her as a “very special Southwest DeKalb Alumni” and “hometown hero” supporting her alma mater. Photos from the night show her in a glamorous sequined gold-and-black dress with cutouts and feather details, holding a microphone while appearing on set with SCORE reporters on the field under the stadium lights. Fans and local accounts also noted her taking the field with the Southwest DeKalb band and dance team during homecoming activities. A Southwest DeKalb Homecoming Alumni After Party was held the same evening nearby.
The appearance resonated with local fans and alumni, many of whom expressed surprise and pride that the Atlanta-born artist (who has maintained ties to Georgia) had attended the school. Her presence underscored a full-circle moment for the singer, who has risen from a science-focused high school student on the east side of Atlanta to a charting R&B artist while still showing support for her roots.
Mariah continues to tour in support of Hearts Sold Separately and remains active in both music and public life. Her return to Southwest DeKalb highlighted the lasting connection many artists maintain with the high schools that shaped them.
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Selene Finance LP has filed documents in Pinky Cole’s ongoing Chapter 11 bankruptcy case, alleging she owes more than $164,000 on a three-bedroom, two-bathroom home in the Atlanta area and seeking court permission to pursue remedies that could include foreclosure.
According to the filings, the mortgage servicer claims Cole has not made payments on the property since December 2025. Cole, the founder of the plant-based burger chain Slutty Vegan and a cast member on The Real Housewives of Atlanta, owns multiple homes in Georgia, many of which are rental properties.
Pinky Cole Possible Foreclosure: What We Know
Cole’s attorney, Jamie Christy, told TMZ that the property in question is not Cole’s primary residence. “This property is not Pinky’s home, but rather, a rental property. The property is being treated in the bankruptcy plan,” Christy said. She described the lender’s motion as “an impulsive move by the servicer” and noted that it is being reset. “The focus should be on Pinky righting her finances and growing her business to fund her plan of reorganization,” Christy added.
This is the latest property-related dispute in Cole’s bankruptcy proceedings. Earlier this year, after she filed for Chapter 11 protection in February 2026, a creditor seized a different rental home she owns in Loganville. A federal bankruptcy judge later ordered the property returned to her, finding that the seizure violated the automatic stay protections that halt collection actions during bankruptcy. Court records from the case have shown significant liabilities, including a roughly $1.2 million Small Business Administration loan and other debts that have grown in subsequent filings.
Cole has continued to operate her business interests while reorganizing under court supervision. Her bankruptcy plan treats various real estate holdings, including rentals, as part of efforts to generate income and repay creditors. The new motion from Selene Finance LP seeks relief from the automatic stay so the company can move forward with collection efforts on the Atlanta-area property.
Cole starred in the most recent season of The Real Housewives of Atlanta. Representatives for the lender did not immediately respond to requests for additional comment.
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CAB Castings is seeking an African American infant to portray a newborn in a paid role on a hit television series filming in the Atlanta area later this month.
The company is casting a male or female baby who is 6 to 9 weeks old at the time of filming, or who can realistically portray that age. The infant should weigh approximately 6 to 9 pounds. Twins are preferred, though single infants are encouraged to submit.
Filming is scheduled for either October 22 or October 23, 2026, in the Atlanta, Georgia area. The exact date will be confirmed closer to the shoot. The rate is a flat $500. A parent or legal guardian must accompany the infant, and production will follow applicable requirements and safety guidelines for infants and minors working in entertainment.
Parents or guardians interested in submitting should email INFO@CABCASTINGS.COM with the subject line “NEWBORN BABY.” The email should include the infant’s full name, the parent or guardian’s full name and phone number, the infant’s date of birth and current age, current weight and length or height, clothing and diaper size, race or ethnicity, a Georgia Department of Labor minor entertainment work permit number if applicable, availability for both October 22 and October 23, and two current photos of the infant with no filters.
CAB Castings asks that all requested information be included for proper consideration. If selected, a representative will contact the parent or guardian directly with booking details. The company is accepting serious submissions only and asks that applicants not call.
The notice was issued by CAB Castings, LLC.
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A Frontier Airlines jet that beat its schedule into Atlanta by 20 minutes still left much of the cabin stuck in the dark at the gate, after a jet bridge at Hartsfield-Jackson malfunctioned and deplaning was stopped.
Passenger video from the world’s busiest airport shows the wait ending in a confrontation at the forward door.
Frontier Airlines Flight Arrives To Atlanta Early, Leaves Passengers on Plane
Frontier flight 2052, an Airbus A321 registered N670FR, left New Orleans around 5:37 p.m. on October 6 and touched down at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport around 7:38 p.m., about 20 minutes early, according to airline and aviation accounts of the flight.
The aircraft taxied to the gate, the jet bridge was brought up to the forward door, and the first passengers — along with the pilots, by one account — began to get off.
Then the bridge failed. Frontier says a mechanical problem left it misaligned with the cabin door, so crews halted the rest of the deplaning until maintenance could fix and reconnect it. In a statement, the airline said announcements were made, deplaning resumed once the bridge was safely repaired, and it was “sincerely” sorry for the “inconvenience and discomfort.” It said it was still gathering details.
That is the airline’s version of an Atlanta ground stop. Passengers describe something closer to a sealed cabin.
The traveler who posted the clip, TikTok user @tavi.dinero, wrote that once the plane was at the gate the engines and lights were cut, the air conditioning stopped, and people sat without water. Cabin video shows only emergency lighting. She said that after about 30 minutes a woman began hyperventilating, shaking, and became unresponsive for five to eight minutes, and that the door still was not opened.
She also wrote that some passengers and the pilots had already left, that the wait ran roughly 35 to 50 minutes, and that communication was poor. The New York Post reported passenger claims of a wait of up to an hour in a stuffy, dark airplane, with people struggling to breathe.
The woman in the gray hoodie at the door was, according to the poster, the daughter of the passenger who had collapsed. In the 13-second clip she screams “Open the door!” A flight attendant wraps his arms around her and pushes her back from the doorway while another passenger shouts not to put hands on her. The poster later said the daughter was beating on the door, not trying to open it, because a Frontier worker was already standing on the other side.
The date is slightly muddled in the public record. Frontier’s statement places the arrival on October 6. The passenger’s caption says the night of October 7. What is not in dispute is the airport.
Hartsfield-Jackson is not a side gate where a broken bridge is a private inconvenience. It is the busiest airport in the world, a Delta fortress with a thin Frontier footprint and a jet-bridge system that has to turn aircraft on a clock measured in minutes. The bridge itself is airport ground equipment. When it slips out of alignment after the first passengers have already walked off, the people still in the seats are trapped between two systems: an airline that has shut the engines down, and an airport fix that has to happen before the door can be used again.
That is the Atlanta-specific failure. The flight did its job. It landed early at ATL. The breakdown started at the gate, on the jet bridge, after the aircraft was already parked. With the auxiliary power apparently not keeping the cabin cool and the main door closed for safety, the early arrival became a wait in a dark A321 while maintenance worked the bridge. One passenger account says a woman passed out in that interval. Her daughter’s reaction is what the video captured.
Frontier’s apology treats the episode as discomfort during a safety hold. The Atlanta footage treats it as a cabin that had already been partly emptied, then sealed again, at the airport that moves more people than any other on earth. The jet made up 20 minutes in the air. Hartsfield-Jackson gave them back, with the lights off.
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Cavender’s Boot City will open its seventh Georgia store in Alpharetta later this month with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 11 a.m.
The western-wear retailer, which has operated for more than 60 years, is launching the 21,150-square-foot location at 7011 North Point Parkway on Saturday, Oct. 24.
Cavender’s Boot City Set To Open in Alpharetta
The company said the grand-opening celebration will include discounts and a chance for shoppers to join its My Cavender’s loyalty program, with those offers running through Saturday, Oct. 24.
The store will carry Cavender’s full assortment of men’s, women’s, and children’s western apparel and accessories, including handcrafted boots, hats, shirts, jeans, dresses, and belts, along with work boots and apparel. Merchandise will include established labels as well as the retailer’s own lines: Rockin’ C, Rafter C, and JRC & Sons.
In-store services will include boot fitting, hat shaping, and boot stretching.
My Cavender’s members receive exclusive offers, early access to sales and promotions, returns, and invitations to special events, according to the company.
The Alpharetta store will be open Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
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AtlantaEstranged Wife of Georgia Native, NFL Player Tyreek Hill Levies Explosive Allegations in Abuse Trial
October 7, 2026
4 Min ReadIn a clip from ongoing civil proceedings that spread quickly on social media Wednesday, Keeta Vaccaro told a Florida courtroom under cross-examination that police officers repeatedly lied or minimized incidents to protect her estranged husband, NFL wide receiver Tyreek Hill.
The exchange, captured by Law & Crime trial coverage and posted by accounts circulating the hearing, centers on an alleged January 2024 confrontation. Vaccaro had testified that Hill forcefully shoved an unlit blunt or cigar into her mouth.
Tyreek Hill‘s Estranged Wife Levies Explosive Allegations in Abuse Trial
Defense counsel walked through the police response: officers noted no broken or swollen lip, no scratches or redness matching her account, and observed only a pre-existing pimple.
When pressed on the discrepancy, Vaccaro said the officers “are never writing exactly what’s happening” and “want to make sure they’re protecting Tyreek.” She added that it had been “like that every single time,” that the responding officers (described in questioning as five or six at an Orlando-area hotel) were fans who “definitely wanted to cover it up,” and that she was sometimes scared to tell police everything because the couple still hoped to salvage the marriage through therapy.
She also stated that officers asked whether she wanted Hill arrested and indicated they would do so if she said yes, but that she declined.
The attorney contrasted that recollection with standard probable-cause requirements and with written reports finding no visible injury and no basis for arrest. Similar points appear in contemporaneous reporting on the January 30, 2024, call, in which Hill told officers he had only “flicked” a cigar that never struck her, and responding officers recorded no marks or the cigar itself.
The testimony is part of a civil assault-and-battery claim folded into the couple’s divorce case in Miami-Dade. Vaccaro, sister of former NFL safety Kenny Vaccaro, alleges a pattern of physical and verbal abuse beginning around a disputed postnuptial agreement in January 2024 and continuing through her pregnancy.
Among the claims reported from her direct testimony: Hill placed hands on her neck, twisted her breasts, wrestled her, pulled hair hard enough to remove strands, attempted to strike her pregnant abdomen (which she said she blocked with her hands) while saying he did not want the child, spit at her late in pregnancy, and, in an April 2025 incident at their Sunny Isles Beach condominium, became physical near their infant.
A nanny-cam recording from that April episode has been played in court; transcripts and descriptions circulated beforehand include Hill using profanity, saying police do not scare him, and references to throwing her. Police who responded that day wrote that the argument never became physical. Vaccaro filed for divorce the next day. No criminal charges resulted from the calls she described.
Hill has denied the abuse allegations. His lawyers have characterized the suit as financially motivated and have used cross-examination to highlight timeline inconsistencies, Vaccaro’s decisions not to pursue charges at the time, and police documentation that found insufficient evidence of injury. Cross-examination continued into Wednesday. Hill, a free agent after a serious knee injury ended his 2025 season with the Dolphins, has been the subject of an NFL personal-conduct review tied to the allegations. A day before testimony began, his agent indicated he could sign with a team soon.
The case also sits against Hill’s earlier legal history. In 2014 he pleaded guilty to domestic assault and battery by strangulation in an Oklahoma matter involving a previous partner and completed probation. Those events contributed to his dismissal from Oklahoma State before he entered the NFL.
The courtroom video does not resolve the underlying factual disputes. It shows Vaccaro maintaining that official reports systematically understated what occurred because of Hill’s celebrity, while the defense treats the same reports, the absence of documented injuries, and her contemporaneous choices not to seek arrest as contradictions of her current account. The civil trial remains underway.
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Judge Judy told people unhappy with America to “go somewhere else.” Fellow TV judge Ms. Pat called the remarks out of touch, privileged, and something Sheindlin should be ashamed of.
The clash pits two blunt courtroom personalities against each other at a moment when Judith Sheindlin is winding down her on-camera career and Patricia “Ms. Pat” Williams is building her own unfiltered version of the same format.
Ms. Pat Responds To Judge Judy’s Comments
The exchange has become a shorthand for a larger argument: whether criticizing the country and demanding change is compatible with patriotism, or whether people who dislike the system should simply leave it.
What Judge Judy said
In a wide-ranging USA Today interview tied to the 30th anniversary of Judge Judy, Sheindlin, 83, described America as her home and “the greatest country in the world.” She praised its capitalist system, entrepreneurship, and culture of excellence, citing examples from the polio vaccine to Apple, Amazon, and AI. Then she drew a hard line.
“If you don’t like this country, go somewhere else,” she said. “Don’t come to the greatest country in the world, the most successful country in the world and say, ‘I want to change it.’ There are other countries that have the something else that you want. Go there.”
Sheindlin has used a house metaphor in related remarks: America is her home, and people should not walk in and announce they intend to redecorate it. She also rejected the idea that “everybody should be equal,” saying people differ in talent, height, and ability.
The comments came as CBS aired a primetime special looking back at her career and as she prepared to step back from regular on-camera work after Judy Justice wraps. The original Judge Judy ran 25 seasons from 1996 to 2021.
The remarks quickly drew criticism. On The View, Ana Navarro and Sunny Hostin accused Sheindlin of selfishness and failing to distinguish love of country from criticism of a particular government. Other cohosts defended her emphasis on excellence and free enterprise.
Ms. Pat’s response
Ms. Pat did not hold back when TMZ caught up with her on a rainy New York City street. The comedian and host of BET’s Ms. Pat Settles It and her own self-titled show, which films in Atlanta, said Sheindlin was “out of her mind” and spewing “stupid s***” that ignores the daily struggles of ordinary people.
She argued it is easy for Sheindlin to take that position because she is wealthy and white. For many Americans—especially minorities—leaving is not a realistic option, and the country’s problems land differently depending on who you are.
Ms. Pat said Sheindlin is out of touch with “the struggle of real people” and ought to be ashamed of herself. She added that when those same issues eventually hit Sheindlin personally, her reaction will not be polite.
The TMZ clip, posted September 29, captured her speaking directly to camera under an umbrella, delivering the kind of raw, profane dressing-down that has become her brand. TheGrio summarized her position as a challenge rooted in differing life circumstances: Sheindlin’s wealth and status give her a perspective many Americans simply do not share.
Two judges, two styles
The contrast is personal as well as political. Sheindlin built an empire on no-nonsense rulings, personal responsibility, and a courtroom style that brooks no excuses. Ms. Pat has openly described herself as “what Judge Judy would be if they weren’t holding her back.” A convicted felon who once sold cocaine, she now hosts a court-arbitration show that leans into comedy, family drama, and language that would never air on network daytime television. She has joked about wanting a crossover episode.
Their disagreement is not really about whether America has problems. It is about what people who live here are allowed to do about them. Sheindlin frames the country as a successful house that outsiders (or dissatisfied residents) should not try to gut and rebuild. Ms. Pat frames that view as the luxury of someone who has already won the game and no longer feels the cost of the rules.
The video and the original interview have circulated as two competing versions of blunt talk: one that says love it or leave it, and one that says that advice is easier to give from the top. Both women have made careers out of saying the quiet part out loud. This time they said it about each other.
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Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp has suspended the state’s motor fuel excise tax for 30 days, starting at 12:01 a.m. on September 29, 2026, and running through October 29.
The move comes as gasoline and diesel prices remain elevated amid the ongoing U.S. conflict with Iran and related global market volatility.
Georgia Gas Tax Suspended: What To Know
Kemp issued an executive order declaring a state of emergency over petroleum supply disruptions and unpredictable price shocks. The order pauses the 33.3-cents-per-gallon tax on gasoline and the 37.3-cents-per-gallon tax on diesel (and certain other motor fuels). Officials expect the break to cost the state roughly $200 million a month in lost revenue, which is expected to be covered from Georgia’s surplus.
Statewide averages stood at about $4.19 per gallon for regular gasoline and $6.24 per gallon for diesel at the time of the announcement—still below some national figures but far higher than a year earlier. Because the excise tax is collected at the distributor level rather than at the pump, motorists may not see the full savings reflected immediately; prices typically adjust as new fuel shipments arrive.
The order also temporarily lifts certain state weight limits on commercial trucks (excluding interstates and posted bridge limits, and requiring permits). Officials say this could reduce the number of trips needed to move goods and help ease costs for groceries and other consumer products. Price-gouging protections on fuel and related emergency goods are included as well.
Kemp framed the action as part of a pattern of tax relief. “Over the past several years, with the help of our partners in the General Assembly, we’ve been able to give billions of dollars in relief to hardworking Georgians,” he said. “We’ve remained committed to helping them and our small businesses fight through the tough times, and that’s why I’m taking this action today to give further relief.”
Agriculture Commissioner Tyler Harper and other state leaders highlighted particular pressure on farmers facing high diesel costs.
This is not Georgia’s first fuel-tax holiday under Kemp. Similar pauses occurred in 2022 after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, in 2023 amid high inflation, in 2024 after Hurricane Helene, and earlier in 2026 after the start of the Iran conflict (initially 60 days, with a later short extension). Earlier 2026 data showed the tax holiday lowered pump prices but did not fully offset broader market increases. Local sales taxes on fuel remain in effect.
The timing coincides with political pressure ahead of November elections, as household budgets feel the strain of higher energy and goods prices. Whether the 30-day window is extended will depend on oil markets and any further emergency declaration. Drivers should watch station prices over the coming days rather than expecting an instant, uniform drop equal to the full tax amount.
Atlanta’s retail scene continues to be a bright spot for the local economy — and that means more sales for everyone!
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Uncle Nearest, once valued at $1.1 billion, is heading to trial in October 2027 while a court-appointed receiver runs the company. The brand that made Nathan “Nearest” Green a household name is now at the center of a federal lending fight, asset sales, and questions about how a celebrated Black-owned whiskey company became insolvent
Uncle Nearest Trial Date: What We Know
Uncle Nearest was founded to restore a missing chapter in American whiskey history. Nathan “Nearest” Green, a formerly enslaved Black man in Tennessee, taught a young Jack Daniel how to distill and later served as the first known Black master distiller at what became Jack Daniel’s. His role was long minimized until a 2016 New York Times story brought it back into public view.
Fawn Weaver, a California entrepreneur, read that account, sought permission from Green’s descendants, and launched Uncle Nearest in 2017 with her husband, Keith. The company opened Nearest Green Distillery in Shelbyville, Tennessee, in 2019 and built a brand around Green’s legacy, tourism, and premium whiskey.
Within a few years it was sold in all 50 states and multiple countries, claimed more than $100 million in annual sales, and was described as the fastest-growing whiskey brand in U.S. history, with a self-declared $1.1 billion valuation in 2024.
How the company ended up in court
That ascent collided with debt. On July 28, 2025, Farm Credit Mid-America sued Uncle Nearest Inc., Nearest Green Distillery Inc., Uncle Nearest Real Estate Holdings LLC, and the Weavers, alleging defaults on loans totaling more than $108 million. The lender also claimed the company overstated barrel inventory used as collateral, failed to keep required cash balances, and lacked adequate financial controls.
In August 2025, U.S. District Judge Charles E. Atchley Jr. placed the companies into receivership and appointed attorney Phillip G. Young Jr. to take control of operations and assets. The receivership later expanded to include Grant Sidney Inc., Fawn Weaver’s holding company. Judge Atchley has described the business as insolvent and has put the debt figure as high as $207.9 million.
The Weavers have disputed the lender’s account. They have accused Farm Credit of a smear campaign, attempted to end the receivership, and in March 2026 filed Chapter 11 petitions that a bankruptcy judge quickly dismissed, ruling that only the receiver had authority to act for the companies. A federal judge later found Fawn Weaver not credible as a witness and concluded the company concealed a $20 million third-party loan from its lender.
Who is running the company now
Young terminated Fawn and Keith Weaver from Uncle Nearest effective June 1, 2026. In a July 10 quarterly report, he said the move reduced confusion among employees and vendors and made operations smoother. He now oversees the Shelbyville distillery, real estate, intellectual property, affiliated ventures, and Grant Sidney.
The receiver has sold a Martha’s Vineyard property, identified a buyer for French vineyard holdings, and pursued a letter of intent to sell substantially all core operating assets, reportedly to a Black-owned investment firm, subject to court approval. He has also said a receiver-authorized Chapter 11 sale remains possible. The New York Times has reported that federal agencies, including the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the SEC, are investigating alleged financial misconduct.
The trial calendar
The lawsuit is now on a long federal timetable in Chattanooga:
- Summary-judgment motions are due May 18, 2027.
- Final trial materials are due Sept. 7, 2027.
- Pretrial briefs are due Oct. 5, 2027.
- A pretrial conference is set for Oct. 11, 2027, at 3 p.m.
- A bench trial is scheduled to begin later that month, with reports pointing to Oct. 26, 2027.
Judge Atchley has said late motions will not be accepted except in extraordinary circumstances and has ordered the parties into federal mediation. The case could still settle or shrink before trial.
Why it matters
Uncle Nearest was more than a spirits company. It became one of the most visible Black-owned brands in American whiskey and a vehicle for rewriting Green’s place in the industry. The coming trial will not just decide who is owed what. It will determine whether that brand survives as a going concern, is sold in pieces, or is defined less by its founding story than by the fight over its books.
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MARTA is installing modern sliding fare gates across Atlanta’s rail stations as the centerpiece of its “Better Breeze” fare-collection overhaul.
The project replaces decades-old equipment that frequently malfunctioned, was easy to bypass, and could not reliably count riders or collect revenue. As of late September 2026, work continues at 14 of MARTA’s 38 stations and is expected to finish by the end of October.
MARTA Installing New Faregates: What To Know
The new gates feature taller partitions, contactless tap-to-pay readers, and remote monitoring. Riders can tap a credit or debit card, a mobile wallet, a new orange Breeze card, or a virtual Breeze card. Old silver Breeze cards and the previous mobile app no longer work.
Why the New Gates Are Necessary
The old fare gates had reached the end of their useful life. They were frequently broken, stuck open, or easy to push through or jump. MARTA officials have described the prior system as being in a “state of disrepair,” with gates that anyone could walk through without paying.
This created two related problems: lost revenue and unreliable ridership data. In some periods MARTA could not accurately count rail passengers because taps were not registering, even as other modes of service showed growth.
Fare evasion was a persistent issue. The old equipment invited opportunistic non-payment—jumping gates, walking through emergency doors left open, or simply pushing past broken barriers. Transit agencies nationally have treated high evasion rates as both a financial drain and a signal of disorder that can undermine rider confidence.
MARTA’s new gates are designed to make those behaviors harder. They include taller barriers specifically intended to deter jumping and can be monitored and adjusted remotely. After some of the initial glass panels were smashed, MARTA switched to thicker half-inch glass and posted warnings that damaging a gate is a felony. Cameras throughout the system support enforcement; police have made arrests for both vandalism and evasion since the new gates began operating.
Revenue protection matters because fares help fund operations. During the prolonged construction period MARTA kept some gates and emergency doors open rather than close station entrances. Officials estimated that choice cost about $9.7 million in uncollected fares but argued it was preferable to shutting stations and disrupting service.
Interim CEO Jonathan Hunt has said the agency prioritized reliability and access while crews worked. Once installation is complete, the expectation is tighter revenue control and more accurate passenger counts.
The upgrade also modernizes the rider experience. Contactless bank-card and mobile-wallet payments reduce the need to buy or reload a dedicated card for every trip. New touchscreen vending machines accept cash and cards and give change. ADA-accessible gates are part of the design. MARTA framed the project as preparation for large events, including the 2026 FIFA World Cup matches held in Atlanta, when the system saw a sharp ridership increase. Officials have said the new equipment is harder to tamper with and supports a more secure station environment.
Rollout and Remaining Work
Installation began in late 2025 at stations such as Lindbergh Center and Doraville. The new system went live in late March 2026, followed by a transition period in which both old and new equipment operated and many gates were left open. Fares were required again starting May 30 at stations with completed new gates. Construction delays pushed the original spring completion target into the fall. Some stations still use a mix of old gates, emergency doors, and new equipment. Riders are advised to have a valid payment method to avoid being unable to exit.
Balances on old cards could be transferred through breezecard.com for a limited window. New physical orange cards cost $2 and store value in an account rather than on the card itself. The one-way fare remains $2.50.
The new gates are not a complete solution to every transit challenge—vandalism occurred even after installation, and the transition created lines and confusion for some reduced-fare customers. They do, however, address the core failures of the previous generation of equipment: unreliability, easy evasion, poor data, and an outdated payment experience. Once the remaining 14 stations are finished, MARTA will have a more consistent, monitorable, and contactless entry system across the rail network.
Final Word
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