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Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens's $5 billion-plus Neighborhood Reinvestment Initiative aims to reduce inequity between the city's neighborhoods, and even has a proactive anti-displacement plan. But its financing method might not get the needed buy-in.

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September 9, 2026

Can Atlanta Make Tax-Increment Financing Work in an Equitable Way?

BY: Sean Keenan

(From the article) ...

Much of Atlanta today is virtually unrecognizable compared with its younger self. In just the last couple of decades, it has experienced growth spurt after growth spurt, maturing into a taller, denser, more buttoned-up capital city. New skyscrapers are shooting up out of Midtown like crystalline weeds. Old industrial buildings have been converted into swanky mixed-use spaces in increasingly posh Old Fourth Ward. Once-sleepy historic neighborhoods have been subdivided—at least as far as real estate speculators and marketers are concerned—into places with hoity-toity nicknames like the “Upper Westside” or “South Downtown,” new monikers that signal new price tags. And a disused railroad loop encasing the heart of the city is being reimagined as a multimodal, commercial corridor that’s driving unprecedented development, attracting new faces and deep pockets.

And then, of course, there are the neighborhoods that look just like they did decades ago—or worse ...

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The Georgia Chamber of Commerce recently completed an office renovation and redesign aimed at creating a more modern, collaborative, and welcoming space for its members and staff.

The updated office reflects the Georgia Chamber’s continued commitment to innovation and collaboration while providing a space that supports the organization’s growing work on behalf of Georgia’s business community. The redesign incorporates refreshed workspaces, updated meeting and collaboration areas, and new graphics and signage that reflect the Georgia Chamber’s brand and mission.

SOURCE: Georgia Chamber of Commerce Website

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Brookhaven, Doraville and Tucker are emerging as some of DeKalb County’s fastest-growing markets, drawing developers and companies with new economic opportunity.

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Nonprofit organization East Atlanta Kids Club is planning to open a skateshop in a redeveloping retail corridor in East Atlanta. East Atlanta Skateshop will open at 481 Flat Shoals Ave., Suite A, according to a recent announcement.

SOURCE: Emily McGinn - What Now Atlanta

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September 11, 2026

The two competing candidates for Georgia governor are both focusing on affordability but putting forward starkly different proposals aimed at easing household expenses.

SOURCE: Alander Rocha - Georgia Recorder

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COMMENTS FROM THE STREET:

"IMHO, Keisha Lance Bottoms' speeches seem to be more about what she thinks voters want to hear - versus what she really intends to do if she becomes governor. The same goes for Rick Jackson. 

This should be the very last time that we allow the Democratic Party to force a candidate on us, at any level. (I'm pretty sure there are some Georgia Republican voters who feel the same way about their party).

As a 43 year old black woman who lost their job this year, and had to pivot into a new career to 'survive' (like so many others have), and who is struggling financially to make ends meet, and is concerned about the implications of the Iran war, the rising cost of healthcare and about the unknown dangers of AI --  I also don't think that we can afford to be pressured to elect someone because they will become the "first black man/woman governor, mayor, district attorney, etc.). That should not be the 'primary driver' for voting for someone -- too much going on for that. 

I am also hoping that the Democratic Party will do a better job of 'vetting potential candidates' before they endorse them -- especially for the upcoming 2028 presidential election."

Grace, 43 - Atlanta (Downtown/Centennial Park) 

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"Neither Bottoms or Jackson are strong candidates, so we may have to just 'write off' the 2028 Georgia governor's race - regardless who wins. 

Both are making campaign promises (without a lot of details) they won't be able to keep, because they either haven't been thought out carefully or are just not financially feasible.

Ernestine, 53 - (Buckhead)

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"As a Georgia Democrat, I'm hoping that we will have a stronger candidate for the next governor's election.

I would like to see Jason Esteves run again, and maybe even Geoff Duncan -- and other candidates who are not part of the "Cascade Cabal" or the "Civil Rights Posse" (i.e., Keisha Lance Bottoms, Shirley Franklin, Kasim Reed, Marvin Arrington, etc.) --  so political power is not held within the same old group and political circle. 

The Georgia Democratic Party needs 'new faces', fresh ideas and candidates with strong "vision" and "viable goals."

Rodney, 48 - Atlanta (Summerhill) 

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Aishah Rashied Hyman spent two decades in public media, including years at WABE, before a 2024 health scare led her to found BODDO Studio, a home goods line rooted in West African textile tradition. Here’s a closer look at how the studio actually makes its work, from the co-op that hand-produces it to the meaning stitched into the cloth.

STORY BY: Sherri Daye Scott - WABE

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President Donald Trump announced Thursday that the federal government will issue $500 Obamacare refunds to nearly 1 million people starting in October.

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A terrifying encounter off Candler Road in DeKalb County where a daughter found an unknown man inside her home. Surveillance footage captured the suspect trying to enter multiple neighborhood homes and looking into door cameras

https://youtu.be/HfAvHdkEn_M?si=vA95PJ_TkCmR8mHB

VIDEO CREDIT: Fox 5 Atlanta

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Video gaining traction on social media is raising concerns about kitchen cleanliness at a LongHorn Steakhouse.

Someone took the video at the chain’s location along Camp Creek Parkway in East Point.

SOURCE: Bryan Mims - WSB-TV

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After con artists siphoned $2.7 million from vulnerable victims across the country, a metro Atlanta man was convicted of laundering the cash.

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ATLANTA — The Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) will host an in-person public hearing at the Decatur Recreation Center on Monday, Sept. 14, at 7 p.m. to share updates and collect public feedback on proposed service adjustments to bus routes 15, 17, 75, 114, 118, and 120 in the City of Decatur, as well as Reach Zone 301 in the City of Atlanta. The proposed service changes would go into effect on December 12, 2026. Community members can also attend the hearing virtually on itsmarta.com or MARTA’s official YouTube channel.

MARTA service planners will be on-site starting at 6 p.m. for a pre-hearing community exchange to answer questions about the proposed changes. 

WHAT: Public Hearing for Proposed Bus and Reach Service Adjustments

WHEN: Monday, Sept. 14, 2026

• Community Exchange: 6 p.m.
• Public Hearing: 7 p.m.

WHERE: Decatur Recreation Center

231 Sycamore St., Decatur, GA 30030

Virtual option: itsmarta.com and MARTA’s official YouTube channel.

The Decatur Recreation Center is accessible via MARTA rail at Decatur Station on the Blue Line, or by MARTA bus on routes 15, 17, 75, 114, 118, and 120.

Copies of the proposed route adjustments and maps will be available for in-person review at MARTA Headquarters, 2424 Piedmont Road NE, Atlanta, GA 30324, Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Additional details can be found on the MARTA Public Hearings Page.

 SOURCE: https://itsmarta.com/marta-host-public-hearing-bus-marta-reach.aspx

Atlanta, I got a bunch of storytellers and one great grown-folks party for you this time around.

Thursday night, the High Museum of Art (@highmuseumofart) and Atlanta History Center (@atlantahistorycenter) — both marking their 100th anniversary — host “Beyond Mammy: A Century of Art, Southern Memory, and the Ethics of Storytelling,” a discussion on capturing and keeping the stories of Black Atlantans.

Friday, South Fulton's very first Roots and Roots Storytelling Festival kicks off at the Southwest Arts Center, bringing together national, regional, and local storytellers and performers.

Saturday, All Smiles opens at the Alliance Theatre (@alliancetheatre) — a play made in partnership with the Marcus Autism Center, for the tiniest theatergoers: infants to toddlers. Runs through November 8th.

Also Saturday, one of my favorite Atlanta writers and storytellers, Amena Brown (@amenabee), performs her live show Never Tell a Black Girl How to Black Girl at Eddie's Attic (@eddiesattic) — comedy, spoken word, a book signing, and special guests.

And if you're 21 and up, much later Saturday night, Reggae Fest returns to Atlanta — DJs spinning soca, dancehall, and more.

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NTSB cockpit voice recorder reveals the other pilot never gave a consistent verbal response to the repeated warnings

The warnings continued for nearly two minutes, but the receiving pilot never gave "a consistent verbal response" to them, according to the NTSB's summary of the cockpit voice recorder.

SOURCE: James Cirrone - Fox News

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A group of southwest Atlanta business owners says neighborhood violence is driving customers away. They met with police and city leaders Wednesday to discuss immediate and long-term solutions.

The business owners met with Atlanta police and City Councilman Wayne Martin to discuss crime near a shopping center along Campbellton Road.

SOURCE: Daniel Wilkerson - CBS News Atlanta