Bunnie Jackson-Ransom, who was married to Atlanta’s first Black mayor, Maynard Jackson, has died at age 82. Former first lady of Atlanta, Bunnie Jackson-Ransom (Credit: NAACP / via Twitter) Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens released the following statement at 6 p.m. on Feb. 2, 2023: “The City of Atlanta is sending prayers of comfort and peace to the family of Bunnie Jackson-Ransom. The former wife of Mayor Maynard Jackson was an incredible force of her own. She was a PR wiz and marketing pro, an educator, and an author. But perhaps most importantly, she was a wife, mother, and grandm ..read more

The Fulton County Commission has approved a new youth curfew for the unincorporated parts of the county in response to escalating violence. The curfew applies to those 16 and younger with the new hours of 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. every night of the week.   Commissioner Khadijah Abdur-Rahman, who proposed changing the curfew hours, said even though it was only enforceable in the unincorporated area, she hoped it would be an example for the cities in Fulton County. “We’re encouraging municipalities to vote one end of the county to the other to follow suit and put something in place because we don ..read more

Quianah Upton (Photo by Maggie Kane) Nourish Botanica is kicking off its anniversary weekend by expanding into food and coffee pop-ups.  Nourish Botanica is a Black-owned plant nursery and shop that officially opened in the spring of 2022 in south Atlanta. Founder, artist, event producer and social justice advocate Quianah Upton continued raising money to expand the space to include a cafe.  According to a press release, the space currently sits on about ¾ acres in the neighborhood of Joyland in south Atlanta. The space consists of a plant shop, a cafe which will undergo renovations ..read more

Executive Chef Jay Swift (photo courtesy of Erik Meadows). This story first appeared in Side Dish, a weekly newsletter. Subscribe at sidedishatlanta.com. Executive Chef Jay Swift has a delicious crab cakes recipe that you can make right at home. Swift, who serves as the executive chef of Two urban licks, has over 30 years of culinary experience. He has previously worked at South City Kitchen, and also at his own restaurant, 4th & Swift.  Located on the Atlanta BeltLine, TWO urban licks serves up delicious wood-fired cuisine and features a delicious booze and food menu, including ..read more

The Georgia House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed a $32.6 billion mid-year budget Thursday that includes a $1 billion property tax rebate worth $500 to the average homeowner. The mid-year budget, which covers state spending through June 30, sailed through the House 170-1 and now moves to the Georgia Senate. With the state sitting atop a $6.6 billion revenue surplus, the mid-year budget would increase spending by 7.8% over the fiscal 2023 budget the General Assembly adopted last spring. “This budget and $2 million in new revenue go a long way toward meeting the needs of Georgians,” Ho ..read more

Jackalope founder Dave MoucheLemon Pepper Wet Dumplings The Darwin Hotel, a cool new boutique hotel in Atlanta’s Old Fourth Ward, is partnering with Punk Foodie to launch The Evolution of ATL Dining: A Pop-Up Chef Series.  The series puts a spotlight on Atlanta’s pop-up scene, which is, as leading food journalist Hannah Raskin suggests, ‘a defining force in Atlanta’s impressive food-and-beverage scene.’ This is evidenced by many of the city’s most prominent restaurants tracing their origin to starts as pop-ups, including Lazy Betty, Talat Market, Little Bear and James ..read more

Hakeem Isaiah Lewis The Fayette County Sheriff’s Department has charged a 19-year-old man with multiple counts of financial identity fraud, which the victims believe are related to a rash of U.S. Postal mail thefts. T. Rene Rodriguez, who had mailed a check at a post office located at the corner of Trowbridge and Roswell Roads in Sandy Springs, said he received a phone call from a detective with the Fayette County Sheriff’s office on Jan. 25, saying that the authorities had the check in their possession. Rodriguez said the officer, whom he identified as David Gunter, said authorities had arre ..read more

Mayor Andre Dickens and Invest Atlanta announced the launch of ATLinBusiness Marketplace – a new, dedicated digital marketplace for city-based businesses to sell and market to other local businesses and corporations. “ATLinBusiness Marketplace will create a more equitable business-to-business environment by connecting buyers and sellers in metro Atlanta—including minority-owned, women-owned and legacy businesses,” Dickens said in a statement. “With this program, we aim to provide resources to support our local economy, create more good-paying jobs and ensure Atlanta is a city of opp ..read more

The roundabout on Windsor Parkway in Lynwood Park, where commercial development may soon occur. (Photo by Logan C. Ritchie) One year ago, the Brookhaven Planning Commission approved a special area plan to encourage commercial development at Windsor Parkway and Osborne Road in Lynwood Park. Now that plan is one step closer to reality.  The vision is a chef-driven restaurant and a “complementary” retail business with a patio and parking lot. John Mansour of Stature Properties presented the plan at the Feb. 1 Planning Commission meeting. Mansour owns four parcels off the roundabout – three z ..read more

The future public safety headquarters at 620 Morgan Falls Road. (File) Sandy Springs Police Chief Ken DeSimone said incidents like the death of Tyre Nichols  make it more difficult to retain and recruit officers. At the Jan. 30 Sandy Springs City Council meeting, Mayor Rusty Paul said the death of Nichols after a confrontation with now-indicted Memphis officers was on everybody’s minds. Paul said the city spends a lot of time training officers to make sure they respond properly in tense situations, but he asked what goes on in that kind of situation and what Sandy Springs does to ensure i ..read more