About 500 people, including U.S. Sen Jon Ossoff, Deputy Consul General of Israel Anna Shteingart, a handful of state and local politicians, and dozens of Jewish community leaders gathered at Greenwood Cemetery in Southwest Atlanta today to mark Yom HaShoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day. The event was organized by The Breman, Eternal Life-Hemshech, the Lillian and A.J. Weinberg Center for Holocaust Education, and Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta. The 59th annual ceremony was also a rededication of the Memorial to the Six Million, which has recently undergone a complete renovation led by Landma ..read more

A grasshopper sparrow. (Courtesy Birds Georgia) Credit: Photo by Adam Betuel Birds Georgia has received a grant to restore riparian meadows and wildlife corridors along the Chattahoochee River. The Bill Terrell Avian Conservation grant from the Georgia Ornithological Society (GOS) will be used to restore an early successional habitat at the Cochran Shoals Unit of the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area (CRNRA).  “We’re excited to receive this generous grant from GOS to restore bird-friendly habitat at Cochran Shoals CRNRA,” says Adam Betuel, director of conservation for Bird ..read more

Adolescents are increasingly struggling with their mental health and seeking support online, according to a new report from Mental Health America (MHA). The Online Screening Program offers 11 free tests for issues across the mental illness spectrum. Results are collected for studies, but participants retain anonymity and confidentiality. More than 40% of Americans screening themselves last year were under age 18, and, for the first time, depression dropped to the second most popular test taken, after folks checking for symptoms of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder. The me ..read more

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis was free to hire special prosecutors to pursue the election interference case against former President Donald Trump and pay them whatever she thought was necessary, two high-ranking county officials testified Friday. “That’s solely the prerogative of the district attorney,” Fulton County Commission Chairman Robb Pitts told members of a state Senate committee formed to investigate allegations of misconduct and misuse of public funds lodged against Willis in her handling of the Trump prosecution. “We don’t get into that sort of detail.” The Senate Spec ..read more

A majority of faculty in Emory University’s College of Arts & Sciences passed a no-confidence vote against President Gregory Fenves following arrests of pro-Palestine and Stop Cop City protesters on campus last week. According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the vote was 358 in favor of the no-confidence motion and 119 against. The vote signals to Emory’s board of trustees that it has no faith in Fenves’ leadership. The text can be read below. The Emory Wheel student newspaper reports that faculty in Oxford College, another unit of the university, also voted no confidence in Fenves ..read more

Anne Hathaway as Solène and Nicholas Galitzine as Hayes Campbell in “The Idea of You” (Photo courtesy Pime). “The Idea of You” begins with the song “Light On” by Maggie Rogers. As soon as I heard those opening notes, I thought: an Anne Hathaway vehicle about womanhood with an indie pop anthem as its opening needledrop? We are SO back. But Anne Hathaway’s life isn’t just underscored by pop perfection – she’s dating it, too. In Michael Showalter’s romantic dramedy, Hathaway plays Solène, a 40-year-old divorced mother of a teenager, whose idea of letting loose is going camping by herself. But, an ..read more

The Positive Athlete organization has named their Regional Award Winners for the Atlanta region, where student-athletes representing 27 different boys’ and girls’ high school sports, two coaches, and North Atlanta High School have been selected as the “Most Positive” in their categories. Paideia track team [Photo: Dan McCauley]   In addition to excellence on the field, each nominated Positive Athlete was required to show characteristics such as an optimistic attitude, teammate encouragement, servant leadership, heart for others, ability to admit imperfections, giving 100 percent all the t ..read more

This birds eye view of GA 400 southbound to the I-285 eastbound ramp shows some of the lanes that can confuse motorists during traffic incidents. (Provided by GDOT) The Sandy Springs Fire and Police Departments have concerns that the additional isolated lanes the Georgia Department of Transportation constructed for its Transform 285/400 project have made emergency responses more difficult and take longer. The number of collector and distributor lanes has made it confusing, Police Chief Ken DeSimone told the Sandy Springs City Council during its April 30 meeting. “If you can tell us exactly whe ..read more

The inside of a Waffle House is filled with sounds from the chefs working the grill, to the host calling out orders and cleaning plates. But recently, workers have been making noise outside the Waffle House. In March, longtime Conyers Waffle House employees Cindy Smith and Katie Giede led a group of about 50 protesters and union members in chants right outside the building where they usually work. “We deserve $25 an hour,” Giede said. “We deserve 24/7 security. We deserve an end to unfair paycheck deduction. And we deserve respect from management.” Waffle House worker Cindy Smith speaks with m ..read more

Rough Draft Atlanta is partnering with Community Farmers Markets to let you know what’s in season at your local market. Each week, we’ll share a list of ingredients that are farm fresh as well as a couple of recipes including those products that you can try at home.  Here’s what we’ve got for you this week: Strawberries, blueberries, asparagus, artichokes, pea shoots, spring onions, sweet onions, green garlic, garlic chives, leeks, fennel, lettuces, carrots, turnips, radishes, arugula, kale, collards, broccoli greens, cabbage, spinach, dill, cilantro, parsley, microgreens, gourmet mushroo ..read more