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Atlanta Mayor-designate Keisha Lance Bottoms was sworn in Tuesday in an emotional ceremony that saw the wife and mother vow to uplift the city and continue its deliberate path to greatness.
“I am committed to working with City Council to resolve issues surrounding property deeds to the Atlanta Public Schools & land on the Morris Brown campus,” Lance Bottoms told the crowd, which was filled with many who look like her.
“It is imperative that we be united, so we can move forward and take the next great step in our collective future. Now is the time to put aside race and division and geography and politics, and invest in becoming #OneAtlanta.”
Yesterday was incredibly special to me. Being sworn in as the 60th Mayor of Atlanta was one of the happiest moments of my life. Here is a look back at my inauguration speech. pic.twitter.com/zvb7kFlake
— Keisha Lance Bottoms (@KeishaBottoms) January 3, 2018
The inauguration was streamed live on the city of Atlanta’s website so that any who wished could see the star-studded event. Outgoing Mayor Kasim Reed spoke, as did former Mayor Andrew Young.
Lance Bottoms seemed overwhelmed with emotion at times as she reflected on her place in local and national history. “Standing here today as the 60th Mayor of Atlanta is the proudest moment of my life. I want to thank all of Atlanta and each and every one of you here today for your support, your encouragement and your faith in me.”
She promised to work with regional leaders to help improve the lot of all Atlantans and pledged to create a citywide Children’s College Savings account for each child entering kindergarten in the Atlanta Public Schools. She also said that she would appoint a Chief Education Officer on her staff to make sure the city’s youngest residents were a priority.
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It wasn’t easy, but the Atlanta Falcons got the job done Sunday evening with a 22-10 victory over the Carolina Panthers. The win secured the final playoff spot in the NFC for the Falcons, who had to win to keep the Seattle Seahawks at bay.
Matt Ryan passed for 311 yards, besting Cam Newton, who had a terrible game. The Falcons outgained the Panthers 371 to 248 in a packed Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
The Falcons will play the Rams in Los Angeles in the NFL Divisional Round of he playoffs.
Newton was consistently pressured by the Falcons front four. He started the game 0-9, a record of futility that ironically tied Ryan in 2008 in his second career start.
The Falcons now turn their attention to the Rams, who have very little playoff experience and cold be vulnerable. The winner of that game will travel to Minnesota to play the red-hot Vikings.
Panthers fall to Falcons 22-10 #WXII pic.twitter.com/RtxqljmguO
— Brian Formica (@BrianFormica) January 1, 2018
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The reminders of Margaret Munnerlyn Mitchell are all around Atlanta, including the author’s longtime home in Midtown.
Her lasting testament was one solitary novel, “Gone With the Wind,” a Civil War-era masterpiece which won the title of Most Distinguished Novel in 1936 and a Pulitzer Prize the following year.
Mitchell, who was born in 1900 and died in 1949, was shaped by much of what she learned in “The ’60s” — the 1860s. That’s what the old-timers of her day often told her about when she listened to their stories. Civil War veterans waxed on about a poetic South where the white man’s enchanted existence was seen as unstoppable.
When recalling her mother, Mitchell once said, “She talked about the world those people had lived in, such a secure world, and how it had exploded beneath them. And she told me that my world was going to explode under me, someday, and God help me if I didn’t have some weapon to meet the new world.”
From her older relatives who remembered the genuine, slaveholding Old South, this is what she said: “On Sunday afternoons when we went calling on the older generation of relatives, those who had been active in the Sixties, I sat on the bony knees of veterans and the fat slippery laps of great aunts and heard them talk.”
As a literary superstar Mitchell was second to none in Atlanta. So it made quite a commotion when in August 1949, she died at Grady Hospital of injuries received when she was struck down by a speeding caron Peachtree Street in downtown Atlanta.
The driver, a 29-year-old taxi driver, was charged with drunken driving, speeding and driving on the wrong side of the street.
Gov. Herman Talmadge ordered the flag over the State Capitol lowered to half-staff until after the funeral.
Crowds of people swelled to pay respects at a funeral service at Spring Hill, Atlanta funeral home. Today, she rests entombed at the historic Oakland Cemetery on the city’s east side.
Years later, it was disclosed that Mitchell secretly donated funds to educate young black men.
“We have in our archives, our collection, the bank books, the checks,” says college archivist Herman “Skip” Mason.
“Dr. Martin Luther King in his ‘I have a Dream’ speech talked about, ‘One day, I’d like to have a nation where the sons of former slaves will be able to sit down at the table of brotherhood with the sons of former slave-owners,'” Atlanta historian Ira Joe Johnson was quoted as saying. “And I say, at Morehouse, twenty years before Dr. King gave that speech, Margaret Mitchell not only sat down at the table, she pulled out the check.”
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The long studied and anticipated plan to turn an old, abandoned granite quarry into prime green real estate is one step closer to reality. Outgoing Mayor Kasim Reed announced this week that the city has came up with $26.5 million to build the initial phase of the Westside Park at Bellwood Quarry.
The 280-acre space will also be able to house a 30-day supply of drinking water for the city, Reed said.
A fall 2017 tour revealed the city’s plans to reporters, as reported in Intown Atlanta.
“We are very ambitious over here” said Amy Phuong, Commissioner of the Atlanta Parks & Recreation Department, was quoted as saying. “As we grow to 1.2 million residents, how do we connect folks to nature?”
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In his last act as Atlanta’s mayor, Kasim Reed announced the expansion of Piedmont Park, the city’s emerald green crown jewel. Reed is poised to leave the city on a high note, with Mayor-elect Keisha Lance-Bottoms set to guide the city to new heights.
Job one for Lance-Bottoms is to secure the Amazon deal, which would bring the city a worldclass headquarters for the world’s No. 1 online retailer.
Reed said that the city is in the middle of purchasing five acres at the corner of Piedmont Avenue and Monroe Drive. The parcel will cost the city $20 million, a low amount considering the rapid pace of real estate appreciation in the area.
Reed said that before the deal is complete, the city will acquire a few more parcels. He has appointed Home Depot Chief Financial Officer Carol B. Tome to chair a committee to raise the remaining $80 million from Atlanta’s philanthropic community, the AJC reports.
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Fresh off the success of his first Netflix venture, “Bright,” actor Will Smith is bringing his next movie to the red clay of Georgia. “Gemini Man” will film in Georgia, according to Project Casting.
The film, which will be directed by Ang Lee, has been around Hollywood for more than a decade in various versions. It is about an assassin who finally meets his match, actually a younger clone of himself.
“Previous drafts were penned by a revolving door of scribes that included Brian Helgeland, Andrew Niccol and David Benioff. Previously, Tony Scott considered directing as well as Curtis Hanson,” according to Deadline.com. “Skydance acquired the project in 2016 with Jerry Bruckheimer attached to produce with David Ellison, Dana Goldberg, Don Granger and Don Murphy and Chad Oman executive producing.”
Smith is coming off the success of “Bright,” an alien-mystical-cop movie that has drawn a mixed reaction from critics, but garnered more than 11 million views in its first week.
“Gemini Man,” which is being produced by Jerry Bruckheimer and executive produced by Don Murphy, is set to hit theaters in October 2019.
Smith is also set to star in Disney’s live-action version of “Aladdin.”
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The first funeral arrangements for iconic broadcast journalist Amanda Davis have been announced, AtlantaFi has learned. The family of Davis, a nationally renown Atlanta broadcaster, will hold a public viewing of her body Tuesday, Jan. 2, 2017 at Gregory B. Levett Funeral Home in Decatur at 4347 Flat Shoals Parkway Tuesday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
A public funeral will follow on Wednesday, Jan. 3, 2018, at 11 a.m. at Cascade United Methodist Church, where Davis attended.
Davis, 62, passed away Wednesday after suffering a sudden stroke while waiting to board a flight to bury her father in San Antonio, Texas. We are still awaiting funeral plans, which have yet to be released by Davis’ family.
“I couldn’t talk for awhile I was crying so much,” colleague Paul Ossmann, now chief meteorologist at CBS46, told the TV station. “Those are tears of what I’m feeling for my loss but I am the lucky one. I have memories of her and I spent a lot of time with her. I feel very fortunate. I didn’t want to go to work but that’s where I need to be.”
According to CBS46, Davis has been at WAGA-TV for 26 years. “She has received numerous honors and awards during her career, including: RTDNA Edward R. Murrow Award, ten Southeast Regional Emmy Awards, Georgia Association of Broadcasters Gabby Award and the Atlanta Association of Black Journalists Pioneer of the Year Award.”
Atlantans and many across the nation have wished the family well as Davis touched thousands of people through her work on air as well as her being a national figure in journalism and media.
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OpenTable is busily accommodating Atlanta diners around the city. Right now you can access OpenTable to reserve seats at a number of Southern Proper Hospitality restaurants including The Big Ketch Saltwater Grill, Smokebelly BBQ, Gypsy Kitchen, The Southern Gentleman, Beni’s Cubano, Milton’s Cuisine & Cocktails and Tin Lizzy’s Cantina.
Just log on or download the app to reserve a table now.
A few months ago, the Big Ketch Saltwater Grillhas added a seafood counter for patrons who want to grab and go. The counter does not require advanced orders and is open daily.
The eatery, open on Roswell Road since 2010, offers fresh seafood in a beachy atmosphere, something that is remote to inland-bound Atlantans.
“Fresh seafood delivered daily is a point of pride for us, and we are excited to be able to share that with our guests now both in and out of our dining room,” co-owner John Piemonte said in a news release. “With our new seafood counter, diners can get fresh seafood to go to prepare at home. It’s another way to provide the great-tasting seafood they’ve come to love in a way that’s fast, convenient and affordable.”
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Update 11 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 27 2017: News anchor Amanda Davis has died, according to news reports. “The CBS46 news team is in shock,” Steve Doerr, news director told the AJC. “No one saw this coming.”
Colleague and news anchor Sharon Reed said, “She shared so much of herself, her vulnerability, on multiple nights,” Reed said. “Hats off. We’re going to miss her.” Reed got teary-eyed while talking about Davis.
On her Legacy page, fans, family and friends left condolences, with one saying: “Sorry for your lost. Jehovah gained him an angel this year. Not, 1 but2 . You and step father can rejoyce in heaven together. Rest on Amanda youll be missed!”
original story: Longtime Atlanta news anchor Amanda Davis has been hospitalized after suffering a “massive stroke,” various media outlets reported Wednesday.
The unfortunate news comes from CBS 46 news director Steve Doerr, who spoke to the AJC.
“She suffered a spontaneous massive stroke while waiting for a flight to go to San Antonio,” Doerr told the newspaper. Doerr was headed back to Atlanta from a vacation in New England to be with Davis at the hospital.
Davis was about to board a flight to attend the funeral of her stepfather in San Antonio, according to Doerr.
According to CBS46, Davis has been at WAGA-TV for 26 years. “She has received numerous honors and awards during her career, including: RTDNA Edward R. Murrow Award, ten Southeast Regional Emmy Awards, Georgia Association of Broadcasters Gabby Award and the Atlanta Association of Black Journalists Pioneer of the Year Award.”
“Her family has asked for privacy and will update her condition as the situation develops,” Doerr told local media.
Saddened to hear about the sudden passing of Atlanta news icon, Amanda Davis. Our thoughts and prayers are with her loved ones during this difficult time. She will truly be missed.
— Kasim Reed (@KasimReed) December 28, 2017
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If you aren’t still hemming and hawing over Black Thought’s freestyle on Funk Master Flex’s radio show, then maybe you’re immune to the wizardry of unbridled lyricism — or dead. Either way, you don’t want to miss the Roots’ performance in Atlanta this weekend at The Roxy Theatre.
Need tickets? Check out this LiveNation link. Here are some other events on tap this weekend around Atlanta.
New Year’s Bubble Bash: Children’s Museum of Atlanta on Dec. 31, 2017 at 10 a.m.
The Atlanta Hawks take on Orlando Magic at Philips Arena. Dec. 27, 2017 at 7:30 a.m.
Buckhead Ball NYE 2018 ft Kap Slap: Silent Disco room upstairs with 3 live DJs.
The Atlanta Falcons play the Carolina Panthers at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Dec. 31, 2017.
New Beers Eve: All inclusive party with appetizer buffet, well liquor drinks, house wine, & over 40 beer choices.