Atlantafi.com is bringing you the latest on the coronavirus pandemic, which has the state of Georgia and the city of Atlanta under a state of emergency.
-
Airline passengers stranded in Atlanta got a miracle of sorts on Sunday when Chick-fil-A, who is famously closed on the Sabbath, opened up to serve thousands of people at the airport. On Monday, Papa John’s is stepping to the plate.
Power is back after an outage Sunday that caused mass cancellations and backed up much of the air traffic in the Southeast. More than 1,100 flights were delayed, then canceled as the world’s busiest airport prepared for the biggest weekend of the holiday travel season.
“The mayor called about 10 p.m. and asked for assistance. We immediately mobilized staff and team members who live and work near the airport, and they are making sandwiches and delivering them to the EOC (emergency operations center),” Chick-fil-A spokesperson Jackie Jags told the AJC.
“It has been a very difficult day for thousands of travelers, and while Chick-fil-A is always closed on Sunday, our restaurants open occasionally to serve communities in need,” Jags said.
About 11 a.m. Monday, Papa John’s tweeted that “To help those stranded over the last 24 hours, we’ll be delivering pizzas to the airport today.”
On Facebook, Hartsfield Jackson Airport shared images of workers delivering Chick-fil-A to fliers. “LIGHTS ON and delivering food and water to our passengers! Thank you @dancathy with @ChickfilA for opening on a SUNDAY! #ChristmasMiracle”
-
If you want to party, this weekend has a slew of events on tap. To get things started, let’s go down the list, shall we?
Day Javu Day Party: Sat, December 16, 2017 4 to 6 pm. “The #daytimedrinking champions are back to defend our title as the best #Dayparty every Saturday Afternoon at @atlantisatlrestaurant_ 3115 Piedmont Circle NE. Join DJ PNUT (V-103 FM) + DJ KASH (Hot 107.9 FM) as they keep you partying until 9pm!RSVP here for free admission.
Spoken Word,Paint and Shop Jazz Night: Fri, December 29, 2017, 7:30 PM – 11:30 PM ET. Looking to unwind? The key is to hold a paintbrush in one hand and a wine glass in the other, with jazz and soul playing in the background. It sounds like a tall order, but that (and more) is exactly what Spoken Word, Paint and Shop Jazz Night has on tap at Manuel’s Tavern in Atlanta.
WOMEN EXPO: Artists, Speakers, Vendors, Dancers, Comedians And More: WOMEN EXPO SATURDAYS Starting Saturday, MAY 13… over 300 Women will invade @TheVooll 8P-12A to sip, shop, and network at Atlanta’s weekly social for BOSS CHICKS! RSVP $10 entry in advance and receive FREE VENDOR TABLE for your products! Our goal is to promote women-owned businesses, open connections for women, and increase overall sisterhood in the city through arts & entertainment.
-
Atlanta’s vibrant, diverse metropolitan community has been called the New York of the South and for good reason. Not only is the city’s population booming, but much like NYC, the area’s food options continue to expand as new cultures make their footprint in the region.
Adding to the New York flavor, The Halal Guys, a sandwich shop that began as a cart, will get a brick-and-mortar spot in Midtown. The shop, the eatery’s second in the city, will be located at the base of the high-rise building of Mill Creek’s Atlanta residences.
“Much like New York City, Midtown Atlanta is a vibrant, fast paced, diverse metropolitan community very rich in culture,” Joe Hafez, the eatery’s director of operations, said in a press release.
“The addition of The Halal Guys to the retail landscape at Modera Midtown is a huge win for the community,” Vice President of Development Harvey Wadsworth said in a statement. “We’re excited to partner with the team there and are looking forward to seeing the concept further energize Midtown’s evolving culinary scene.”
-
A new documentary “Maynard,” recently debuted at the DOC NYC Festival in New York, offering a fresh look at the racially charged political and economic climate of the early 1970s, which parallel strangely enough to modern times.
The film’s director, Sam Pollard, who previously worked as editor for Spike Lee, is bringing the movie to today’s masses to “give this new generation of young people – black, white, Latin, Asian – an introduction to one of the most important politicians of the last half of the 20th century,” he was quoted as saying to NBC News.
An Atlanta lawyer and Morehouse man, Jackson forged relationships with the city’s power players early on, failing in a bid for the U.S. Senate in 1968 and earning the position of vice-mayor in Atlanta the following year.
In 1973, Jackson’s victory in a runoff election against his white incumbent firmly established him as the leader not only of a new Atlanta but of the “New South.” He immediately got to work by shaking up the white-dominated field of municipal contracts, making sure at least a quarter of them went to minorities.
He also rode shotgun over the expansion of the Atlanta airport, which now bears his name.
-
“Real Housewives of Atlanta” castmember Kim Zolciak recently appeared on the Sunday night show and acted the fool, getting into it with Kenya Moore. The two had to be pulled apart during a spat.
Speaking to E!, Zolciak says she regretted the exchange. “I hate watching the drama unfold with Kenya, just allowing somebody to push by buttons,” she told the TV show.
Zolciak rose to prominence on the show but broke away when she married NFL player Kroy Biermann after meeting her at a charity event in 2010. The couple are raising six kids in a suburban Atlanta mansion.
Biermann is currently a free agent after the Atlanta Falcons didn’t re-sign him in 2016. Meanwhile, Zolciak says she has soured on reality TV — or has she?
“I have not watched Housewives, I have not watched every episode since I left, so I didn’t know that Kenya was the type—I didn’t even know Kenya. I didn’t know she was the type to just push people and push people until they just lose it until Porsha [Williams] explained to me what she’s been through with her. So I didn’t feel as bad that somebody was able to trigger me and get me that pissed off. But that’s behind me. You’ll see through the season that that doesn’t happen again. No matter what I have to do when she’s around me, I do many things to just not even deal with her.”
-
Atlanta just opened another outdoor gathering place, this time the $500,000 Broad Street Pedestrian Plaza. Mayor Kasim Reed and other officials were on hand for a ribbon-cutting ceremony Wednesday to celebrate the space.
The Broad Street Pedestrian Plaza will be an outdoor social space with adequate seating for nearby eateries and other businesses.
“The Broad Street Pedestrian Plaza is truly something special. If you look around Atlanta there is nothing else like it,” Mayor Reed said in a statement. “This new plaza is designed to be a thriving center of social interaction. Its proximity to Woodruff Park, Centennial Park, Georgia State University, MARTA and the Atlanta Streetcar guarantees that it will always have the kind of bustling foot traffic that attracts new business and supports the restaurants and companies already located here. I want to thank all the partners who have made this project a reality.”
In addition to Mayor Reed, at the event was joined by William Johnson, Deputy Chief Operating Officer and Commissioner of Public Works, Terri Lee, Deputy Commissioner of the Department of City Planning and Jennifer Ball, VP of Planning and Economic Development, Central Atlanta Progress/Atlanta Downtown Improvement District.
-
Atlanta’s biggest company, Delta Airlines, once again got major props for its in-air cuisine, according to rankings by nutritionist Charles Platkin, aka the Diet Detective.
Platkin runs a blog, DietDetective.com, which gauges the healthiness of food served by multiple entities. The blog noted that although Delta has upped the calories in 2016, “calories are not everything; we are looking at the nutrients.”
He also lauded the Atlanta institution for its dedication to serving responsible meals to travelers.
“Delta is doing an incredible job focusing on improving its food, transparency and communication,” Platkin said. “It is the clear leader among the big carriers by a long shot. While calories are surely not everything, it’s always nice to see a decrease; the overall calories are down from 527 to 480.”
-
This weekend, Grambling State and North Carolina AT&T get first dibs in Atlanta’s shiny new Mercedes Benz Stadium. Called the Celebration Bowl, the game will feature two of the best HBCUs in all the land: The Tigers (11-1) and Aggies (11-0).
The winner of Saturday’s game will be the undisputed champion of black college football, a notable accomplishment that will be immortalized on T-shirts, banners and national TV: ABC is covering this year’s game.
Kickoff is set for noon on Saturday, Dec. 16. The weather will get up to 56 degrees and down to 36.
As in previous years, the Celebration Bowl pits the winner of the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) against the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) champion.
The game will be one of three at the venue over a three-week period. On Jan. 1, No. 12 UCF (12-0) will face off against No. 7 Auburn (10-3). Then on Jan. 8, for all the marbles, CFP National Championship Semifinal winners will play.
While many people will be looking forward to what’s going on between the hash marks, the $1.5 billion stadium will share top billing. The luxury seats, jumbo screens and retractable roof promise to play spoiler before, during and after the game.
Nearly four months ago, the Chick-fil-A Kickoff game made history, becoming the first college football matchup to not only play at Atlanta’s new Mercedes-Benz Stadium, but to sell out.
Celebration Bowl 2017
Date: Saturday, Dec. 16
Time (ET): 12 p.m. ET
Location: Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta
TV: ABC
Live stream: WatchESPN
Tickets: Ticket Master
-
The latest and some say the most exciting chapter in the journey of Luke Skywalker and the Force debuts this week in Atlanta and much of the nation. “Star Wars: The Last Jedi” features more than 2 hours of galactic fun.
Atlanta theaters are expecting packed houses to see the movie, which debuts Thursday, Dec. 14, 2017. Speaking of ATL, its name appeared in “Star Wars” headlines this weekend for a more secular reason.
Actor John Boyega, who plays a good-hearted Stormtrooper who sides with the Jedi, got stuck in Atlanta during the L.A. premiere of the movie. Boyega tweeted that he couldn’t get out of Atlanta for the Hollywood premiere due to a snow storm that dumped six inches on the area.
Power outages ensued and air traffic suffered mass cancellations because of the weather. But Boyega evidently used The Force — because he got a plane to take him to L.A.
Here are some selected showtimes for “Star Wars: The Last Jedi” on Thursday, Dec 14 in Atlanta:
-
Come experience Comtrast, a new party event featuring the one and only Digital D, an up-and-coming personality in Atlanta’s halftime and experimental bass scene. The Thu, Dec 14, 2017, begins at 9 p.m. and indulges attendees into hip-hop greatness until 1 a.m.
You can get tickets at this EventBrite link, which says “UUEIRD is proud to bring you Contrast, a new party where we can take over the Edgewood Speakeasy, grab some BBQ next door at Bone Lick BBQ, and enjoy some cocktails to the sounds of your favorite local DJs as they step away from their usual styles and dig deep into their music collections to showcase deep cuts, influences on their current sound, and other styles that you rarely hear them play.