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Community Corner

🌱 Good Groundhog Day + Honoring John Lewis + 7th Bar Shooting

The quickest way to get caught up on the most important things happening today in Atlanta.

Kathy Cioffi, Community Contributor
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(Patch)

Happy Thursday, Atlanta! Let's get you all caught up to start today off on an informed note.

First, today's weather:

Warmer with a few showers. High: 68 Low: 55.

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Here are the top stories today in Atlanta:

  1. Good Groundhog Day news for Georgians: Gen. Beauregard Lee emerged Wednesday morning and didn't see his shadow. What that means, at least as far as this particular marmot is concerned, is spring will be coming sooner rather than later in the Peach State. While the groundhog has gotten it wrong six out of the last 10 years, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, one commercial weather forecasting service actually backs up Gen. Beauregard Lee. In Georgia, AccuWeather predicts it will begin to feel like spring either this month or sometime in March. (Atlanta Patch)
  2. A bill that would rename a post office in southwest Atlanta in honor of late senator and civil rights icon John Lewis has been passed by the US House of Representatives. Following approval from Georgia's Congressional delegation, Atlanta's main post office, located along 3900 Crown Road SW, could soon be renamed the "John R. Lewis Post Office Building." Renaming a United States Postal Service building takes the entire Congressional delegation and both US Senators representing the state where the building is located. Now the bill heads to the US Senate for a vote. If passed, it will continue on to the White House where President Biden is expected to sign it into law. (CBS46 News Atlanta)
  3. A 28-year-old security guard was shot and killed Wednesday morning after he was asked to escort a man from a downtown Atlanta bar, according to police. The guard, identified as Tyshon Ross by the Fulton County Medical Examiner's Office, was found with at least one gunshot wound when Atlanta police were called to the Encore Hookah Bar on Luckie Street shortly after midnight. Ross died at Grady Memorial Hospital. The deadly shooting comes after a violent week in Atlanta during which two people were killed and eight were injured in shootings at six other bars or nightclubs. Police released photos of a suspect in Wednesday's incident and are asking for the public's help to identify him. Tipsters can remain anonymous, and be eligible for rewards of up to $2,000, by contacting Crime Stoppers Atlanta at 404-577-8477, texting information to 274637 or visiting the Crime Stoppers website. (Free: WSB Atlanta; Subscription: The Atlanta Journal Constitution)
  4. CNN Worldwide President and WarnerMedia News and Sports Chairman Jeff Zucker announced his resignation from the network Wednesday morning, writing in a memo that he did not disclose a relationship he had with a senior executive at CNN. Zucker, who is based out of New York, presides over a news operation that still has a major presence in Atlanta. While Zucker didn't name the senior executive, she has been identified as CNN Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer Allison Gollust, who is remaining at CNN, according to CNN Chief Media Correspondent Brian Stetler. (Atlanta Patch)
  5. The Olympic Winter Games begin this week in Beijing and two members of USA Bobsled surely have Georgia on their minds. Olympic bobsledder Elana Meyers Taylor and her husband Nic, named as an alternate on the men's team, call Smyrna home, along with their son Nico, who arrived in early 2020. Nico, who was born with Down syndrome, is deaf in both ears, but doctors recently surgically implanted a device that allows him to hear. And with help from the Atlanta Speech School - an important part of the family's home base in Atlanta – little Nico is starting to hear the world around him and learning to engage with it. "Ever since he got his cochlear implants, it's been a night and day difference," Elana told 11Alive. "Whenever you are a parent, you aren't sure what the best decision is, especially with implants. To see him have such development since then, it really feels good." (11Alive.com WXIA)

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Today in Atlanta:

  • Celebrate the Year of the Tiger at the DeKalb County Public Library (All Day)
  • Horizon Theatre Performance of "Every Brilliant Thing" at Little Five Points Center for Arts and Community (11:00 AM)
  • Celebrating Black in Tech | How They Got There: Black Leaders in Tech, a Zoom Panel (5:00 PM)
  • Virtual Family Magic Night, a Free Online Event Offered by Amerigroup Georgia (6:00 PM)
  • Saxophonist Deon Yates | South City Jazz hosted by West Byrd at St. James Live (7:30 PM)

From my notebook:

  • L I G H T I T U P in Atlanta! Check out this snap via @urbansoul._. #atlantasnaps (Instagram)
  • What is it? When the Atlanta History Center team first spotted these in Goizueta Gardens, they thought it might be a fungus. But a closer look revealed ... these are ice sculptures created by mother nature herself! "Ice flowers" are present-day conundrums despite public accounts about these striking winter "blooms" existing since the 1800s. There's not an official name for them yet, but they have plenty of nicknames, including ice fringes, ice ribbons, ice filaments, rabbit ice, and frost flowers. Even on a cold winter morning, Goizueta Gardens is full of wonder. Come see for yourself and keep an eye out for one of these delicate frozen formations. (Facebook)
  • The biennial Atlanta Botanical Garden Flower Show is always a sight for sore eyes – a late-February jolt of color, fragrance and creativity. Join us for "Metamorphosis" Feb. 25-27 for countless displays of floral design, horticulture and photography. (Facebook)
  • Happy #BlackHistoryMonth! This month, Atlanta Public Schools looks forward to honoring the incredible accomplishments, innovations and history-making impact of African Americans in our schools and communities! APS family, show us how you plan to celebrate Black History Month by tagging us! (Facebook)
  • Mark your calendar for MARTA's in-person hiring event this Saturday, Feb. 5, from 9 a.m. to noon. $3,000 sign-on bonus available for bus operators and technicians! Learn more: https://itsmarta.com/marta-job... (Facebook)

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Alrighty, you're all good for today! I'll see you soon.

— Kathy Cioffi

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