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MARCH 2019 • VOL. 13 — NO. 3
Buckhead Reporter
MARCH
2019
Sandy Spring s
Section Two
Dunw oody Brookh aven
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‘Battle of Atlanta’ Cyclorama painting returns to view BY DY AN
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BY JOHN RUCH johnruch@reporternewspapers.net JOHN RUCH
Visitors view the “Battle of Atlanta” painting and its diorama of soldiers, which was added later, from the ground level of the display area.
COMMUNITY
Libraries to close this spring for renovations P10
Court, police zone reform among crime-fighting ideas BY JOHN RUCH johnruch@reporternewspapers.net
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From an “Adopt a Judge” court-watching program to an effort to shrink Buckhead’s police beat, residents and officials are responding to a fear-inducing uptick in neighborhood crime. Buckhead’s Zone 2 police district saw a reported increase in crime of about 14 percent as of mid-February. Among the crimes: the shooting of a Fire Rescue captain in a broad-daylight robbery; a multimillion-dollar jewelry store burglary; and a litany of car
break-ins. Atlanta Police Maj. Barry Shaw, the commander of Zone 2, frequently informs the neighborhood about new crimes and call for reforms while also trying to calm fears. At the February meeting of NPU-A, he spoke about crime in terms of “buts.” Buckhead’s pretty safe overall, he said, but its crime is up, unlike most of Atlanta. He sends out updates on significant crimes for posting on social media like Next Door, but warns that social media can spread unwarranted fear. Police staffing is too low, but officers are See COURT on page 22
The historic “Battle of Atlanta” Cyclorama painting is back as part of a major new permanent exhibit at the Atlanta History Center that opens Feb. 22. A Feb. 21 preview of showed the 130-year-old painting, which depicts the key Civil War battle in gigantic, circular format, is back in an eye-popping restoration. Unlike its display at its former home in Grant Park, the painting is hung under tension with a slight curve that creates an optical illusion of depth of the battlefield’s landscape. The painting was moved in 2017 from Grant Park to the History Center at 130 West Paces Ferry Road in Buckhead. After two years of work, it is on display in a custom-designed wing that includes an enormous circular chamber containing the painting and See BATTLE on page 12
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2 | Community
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Community Briefs An illustration of Pace Academy’s proposed new Lower School building. SPECIAL
PA C E A C A DEMY’ S N EW LOWER SCHO O L BUI L DI N G GETS N P U-A A P PR O VAL
Pace Academy’s plan to replace the Lower School building is heading for city review with an approval recommendation from NPU-A. The approval for the change at the 966 West Paces Ferry Road campus came after the private school agreed to drop a controversial plan to build a new natatorium as well, according to NPU-A chair Brink Dickerson. Pace spokesperson Caitlin Goodrich Jones declined to discuss detailed plans or long-
term campus plans pending city approvals of the Lower School project. The current plan would replace the existing Randall Building, which dates to 1951, with a new structure at West Paces Ferry and Rilman roads. With a peaked roofline and stone façade, the new Lower School building would echo the style of Pace’s trademark main building, known as “The Castle.” The new Lower School building would not expand enrollment, and driveway locations would remain the same, according to plans filed with the city. For the project, Pace needs two approvals. One is an amendment to its special use permit to operate the school, which is expected to go before the Zoning Review Board in March. The other is a zoning variance for height, 39 feet instead of the 35 feet allowed by code, which is expected to go before the Board of Zoning Adjustment in April. NPU-A voted to support both requests at its Feb. 5 meeting, following an agreement with the West Paces Neighborhood Association. That agreement followed months of negotiations over the more controversial part of the original proposal, according to Dickerson: demolishing the head of school’s house and another house front on West Paces Ferry to build the new natatorium, a structure containing a swimming pool. Dickerson said in an email that “Pace badly misjudged community opposition” and that agreement came relatively quickly once the natatorium plan was dropped. However, he said, that proposal is likely to return in four or five years when a previous neighborhood agreement expires.
PEACHTR EE R O AD FA R M ER S M A R KET TO O P EN EA R LY
The Peachtree Road Farmers Market is getting a head start on the shopping season, with a scheduled opening March 2 – about a month earlier than usual. Farmers market spokesperson Carly Grady said the early opening of the 13th season comes from public demand and growers who are ready and willing. “Our customers have also requested an early opening and we are happy to support the demand for local-grown [food],” she said. Held rain or shine on Saturday mornings in at the Cathedral of St. Philip’s parking lot, 2744 Peachtree Road, the market features more than 50 vendors, chef demonstrations and more. All of the vendors are producers, not re-sellers. This year’s market will run Saturdays through Dec. 14. The hours are 8:30 a.m. to noon through Sept. 28 and 9 a.m. to noon for the remainder of the year. For more information, see PeachtreeRoadFarmersMarket.com. Lillian Schapiro, MD, FACOG
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G D O T TO TEMP O R A R I LY C LO S E R O S WEL L , PEACHTR EE LANES I N Y EA R - LO NG P RO JEC T
Lanes will be temporarily closed along Roswell and Peachtree roads in Buckhead and Sandy Springs during a year-long project to relocate utility poles, the Georgia Department of Transportation and Georgia Power announced. Approximately 100 existing power line poles will be relocated from near the curb to the back of the sidewalk along an eight-mile stretch of Peachtree and Roswell roads. The project begins in Midtown and continues through Buckhead to Roswell Road at Windsor Parkway in Sandy Springs, Georgia Power announced in a Feb. 13 press release. The temporary lane closures will occur only in the areas immediately impacted by the pole relocation, the release said. GDOT and Georgia Power said in the release they will make every effort to limit lane closures related to the project, avoiding rush hour and heavy traffic-related events. The lanes will be closed outside of normal rush hours between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m., according to the release. The project is the fifth time GDOT and Georgia Power have worked together on the “Clear Roadside Project” initiative in metro Atlanta that extends the distance between utility poles and traffic flow, the release said. BH
Community | 3
MARCH 2019 ■ www.ReporterNewspapers.net
F ULTON C OUN TY H OMESTEAD P RO P ER T Y TA X EXEMP TI ON F I L I N G DEAD LINE IS APR IL 1
April 1 is the deadline to file for new homestead exemptions to property taxes in Fulton County, according to the Board of Assessors. Applications can be made online at fultonassessor.org. Anyone who bought a new home or made changes to their deed at their primary residence in 2018 should apply. Also, several new homestead exemptions were approved by voters last year; most will automatically apply to existing homeowners. One of the new exemptions is for seniors ages 65 and older, which increases their basic exemption from $30,000 to $50,000 for the county portion of property taxes. Homeowners who do not currently have a senior homestead exemption should apply. Applications can be made at homestead exemption offices, including one in Sandy Springs at the North Fulton Service Center, 7741 Roswell Road N.E., Suite 210. For more information, see the website or call 404-612-6440, ext. 4.
M A XIN E R O C K , F ORMER N ORTH BU CKHEAD CIVIC A S S OC IATION P RESI DEN T, DIES AT 78
Maxine A. Rock, 78, of Atlanta, passed away peacefully on Feb. 19. Rock was born in New York City on April 29, 1940 to parents Jean and Louis Hochman. She graduated from New York University in 1961 and from the University of Michigan in June 1963 with a graduate degree in journalism. She was a journalist and writer who authored numerous articles and books on medicine, environment, human relations and science. Her favorite book was the one she wrote with her grandchildren titled, “Adventures in Faun Forest.” She was a founder and President of the North Buckhead Civic Association and was instrumental in the creation of the PATH Foundation, which has built numerous walking and bicycle trails throughout the Atlanta region. She was a tireless advocate for the environment and maintained membership in the Sierra Club, the Nature Conservancy and other environmental and wildlife agencies. She was an enthusiastic cyclist, potter and painter. She is survived by her husband, David, daughter Lauren Rock and son Michael Rock of Atlanta; by son-in-law Jarad Schiffer and daughter-in-law Pamela Rock; and by grandchildren Rachel Rock Schiffer, Ren Rock Schiffer, Sara Rock and Jordyn Rock, all of Atlanta, Georgia.
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A celebration of life service will be held at the home of daughter Lauren Rock, on Feb. 24, 2019 at 2 p.m. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to the PATH Foundation, pathfoundation.org/support/donations. --Obituary information from Dressler’s Jewish Funeral Care
CITY O R D ER ED TO PAY $1 .4 M IN B UC KHEA D M A NHO L E CR ASH L AWS UIT ; M AY A P P EA L
A jury has ordered the city of Atlanta to pay $1.4 million to a woman injured in a car crash caused by a missing manhole cover on a Buckhead street. The city says it is considering an appeal. The Feb. 8 Fulton County Superior Court lawsuit decision, reported by the Daily Report, followed the 2016 accident on one of the city’s main thoroughfares. According to the lawsuit, plaintiff Pamela Dale, a Buckhead resident, was driving home from her job at Phipps Plaza mall when her car hit an open manhole in front of Maggiano’s Little Italy restaurant at 3386 Peachtree Road. The impact caused her car to flip over in a crash that injured her. The lawsuit argued that the manhole was improperly installed, and the Daily Report reported that a key piece of evidence in court was city’s lack of routine inspections of manholes. The city’s press office did not respond to questions about manhole inspections, only issuing a brief statement saying it is considering an appeal of the decision. “The city is disappointed, but fully respects the decision of the jury,” the statement said. “At this time, the city is considering its appeal rights.”
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B U CKHEAD CID B O A R D L EA DER S HI P C HA NG ES
The Buckhead Community Improvement District board of directors has new top officers following a January election, according to Executive Director Jim Durrett. Thad Ellis, a senior vice president at the major real estate firm Cousins Properties, is the new chair of the board, moving up from the vice-chair position. He replaces David Allman, the president of Regent Partners, who had chaired the CID since its inception 20 years ago and chose not to run for re-election. The new vice-chair is Robin Suggs, the general manager of the Lenox Square and Phipps Plaza malls on behalf of Simon Properties.
4 | Community
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Lime scooter company won’t reveal Atlanta impacts of brake issue BY JOHN RUCH
ously described as “rare” and “very rare” without specific numbers, can “cause sudden excessive braking during use.” The problem usually happens when the rider is going “downhill at The scooter company Lime warned users in February of a top speed while hitting a pothole or other obstacle…,” the post safety issue where some of its vehicles’ front wheels suddensays. ly lock, a problem that has caused crashes and injured riders. “While this issue has affected less than 0.0045 percent of all The company says it is updating the scooter software to fix the Lime rides, some riders have been injured, and, although most issue, but would not reveal whether it has caused problems in have been bumps and bruises, any injury is one too many,” the Atlanta. post says. “Use extra caution in the next few days while we issue the fiSome fixes have already been made, “which immediately renal firmware update — especially when riding downhill,” Lime sulted in a material reduction of occurrences,” Lime says, and a warned in a Feb. 23 blog post. “Always stay in full control of final update will be completed “shortly.” your scooter and don’t go full speed while riding downhill.” While the post says that Lime is “committed to being transScooters placed on public streets by Lime and rival compaparent with our riders and with the community,” spokesperny Bird have been both popular and controversial. The city of son Alex Youn would not answer questions about the number Atlanta recently passed a package of rules to legalize and regof such software problems and injuries in Atlanta, when the fiulate the scooters. The city of Brookhaven has been considernal fix will be complete, and whether an independent organizaing similar ordinance. tion is reviewing the solution. Youn did not respond when asked Atlanta City Councilmember Howard Shook, who repwhy Lime would not release that information. resents Buckhead’s District 7, was the only member to vote The rival company Bird is not having similar braking isagainst legalization, saying the vehicles are fundamentally sues or other accident-causing firmware issues, according to a unsafe. He says the wheel-locking reports emphasize his consource close to the matter. cerns. The city of Atlanta did not have immediate comment. “I voted against the ordinance legalizing the use of scooters The Washington Post recently reported on safety issues with SCOOTER COMPANY LIME for a couple of reasons, including the likely inability of the city Lime’s scooters, including one model that sometimes broke to meaningfully enforce the ordinance, and the kind of rise apart during use. in accidents and injuries that other cities have experienced,” According to media reports, a man in Austin, Texas, is suing Shook said in an email. “The sooner the law is repealed, the Lime for an injury allegedly caused by the sudden braking issue, safer we’ll all be.” and officials in Auckland, New Zealand say Lime told them of 92 unexpected brakIn its blog post, Lime said the problem is a software bug that, in situations variing incidents in their city, of which 30 caused injuries. johnruch@reporternewspapers.net
Use extra caution in the next few days while we issue the final firmware update — especially when riding downhill.
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Education | 5
MARCH 2019 ■ www.ReporterNewspapers.net
E
very year, the Professional Association of Georgia Educators Foundation, known as the PAGE Foundation, identifies top students at public and private high schools across Georgia. The foundation says its Student Teacher Achievement Recognition program, or STAR student and teacher honors, has highlighted the achievements of more than 25,000 students since it started in 1958. The program identifies high school seniors who post the highest SAT scores for their schools and rank among the top 10 percent or top 10 students in their class in grade-point average. Each STAR student then chooses her or his STAR teacher. Once school winners are selected, regional STAR students and teachers are chosen to compete for the state title. Here are the STAR students and teachers for high schools located in Reporter Newspaper communities. Atlanta Girls School
Elizabeth Becker Star Student
Suzy Beckham Star Teacher
Chamblee Charter High School
Alice Bai Star Student
Fred Avett (not pictured) Star Teacher
Holy Innocents’ Episcopal School
Will Scarborough Star Student
Chris Yarsawich Star Teacher
Mount Vernon Presbyterian School
Ivan Mo Star Student
James Roberts Star Teacher
Atlanta International School
Pablo Patel Star Student
Medad Lytton Star Student
Cross Keys High School
Jennifer Godoy Star Student
Watson Casal Star Student
Jake Eismeier Star Teacher
Thomas Cole Star Teacher
North Atlanta High School
Robert “Jake” Churchill Star Student
Daniel Gribble Star Teacher
Brandon Hall
Rabbi Daniel Estreicher Star Teacher
Tianya Zhan Star Student
Dunwoody High School
Noah Covey Star Student
Holy Spirit Preparatory School
Riverwood International Charter School
Michelle Stanek Star Student
Ecaterina Lungu Star Teacher
Atlanta Jewish Academy
Adam Brooks Star Teacher
Bradley Hendrickson Star Teacher
Samuel Rosner Star Student
Elaine Wen Star Student
Rowan Wiley Star Student
Gordon Mathis Star Teacher
Marist School
Kevin Randolph Star Teacher
Isabella Hay Star Student
North Springs Charter High School
St. Pius X Catholic High School
Mike Scirocco Star Teacher
The Galloway School
The Lovett School
Dylan Shapiro Star Student
Alexander Pike Star Teacher
Eric Smith Star Teacher
Pace Academy
Charlie Hirsch Star Student
The Westminster Schools
Jessica Lao Star Student
Brittany Loudermilk Star Teacher
Reanna Ursin Star Teacher
Gus Whyte Star Teacher
6 | Education
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Lucretia Gant, Chamblee Charter High Lucretia Gant is working to grow the robotics program at Chamblee Charter High, a school that serves Brookhaven students, helping it win a state championship in February. Gant, who teaches engineering and started at Chamblee Charter in 2010, has been involved in leading the program since 2013, working to get more students to participate and making sure they have the resources to explore robotics. The school’s team has won several tournaments and qualified for the VEX Robotics World Championship in the past two years. VEX Robotics, which runs competitions for elementary through university students worldwide, held the Georgia state championship in McDonough, Ga., on Feb. 8-9. Chamblee Charter, in a combined team with Tucker High, came away with the win in that competition, said Gant, who began her teaching career 18 years ago. “I am most proud that the teams have developed a community of passionate enthusiast for VEX Robotics and that we have had a focus on exposing underrepre-
SPECIAL
Lucretia Gant, right in black, stands with the robotics team she leads at Chamblee Charter High.
sented groups to robotics,” Gant said.
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Q: How common are robotics programs at public schools?
A: Robotics programs are becoming more
popular at schools. However, DeKalb has had a strong focus for some time, and I believe that this is commendable, in that students are developing skills that the workforce is looking for: problem solving, critical thinking, risktaking, teamwork, perseverance, research and dedication.
A: What keeps me going from year to year
is creating opportunities for students. I definitely love to hear from former students about how their doing in their classes or internships, what their involvement
Exceptional
Educator
ucator?
in school is like, and how their experiences in clubs and classes have helped them to be successful on the next level. Matching students to opportunities and experiences they otherwise would not have had is why I do what I do.
A: I decided to become an educator while
Q: What are you most proud of in your
Q: Why did you decide to become an ed-
at Georgia Tech, pursuing my chemical engineering degree, after tutoring a local elementary student in math in the nearby Techwood Homes community. I recall being struck by how close in proximity this student was to Georgia Tech, but how far away the student was in skill level and ability. This made me reflect on my challenges pursuing my degree at Tech and the root causes for those challenges. I, along with two other students, started a group to look at how we could address this issue and change it while at Tech.
Q: What keeps you going year after year?
career?
A: I am most proud of the relationships
that I have with my students and some parents that span beyond the classroom. Many of my students come back to give to Chamblee even if they were students from another school. If I need help with volunteering, tutoring [or] judging, I can usually reach out and depend on students and parents to assist with whatever activity I am doing. I value these relationships and I love to hear about their pursuits beyond high school and how they are doing great things like I knew they would.
Education | 7
MARCH 2019 ■ www.ReporterNewspapers.net
Q:
What do you hope students learn from you?
A: I hope that students learn that they are great. I believe that this is my call to nurture the gifts and talents that all students have so that they can fulfill their purpose. When they learn and know that they are meant to make a valuable contribution to society, I believe they will better embrace opportunities in the classroom and in lessons.
Q: Why do you think technology and science are important for students to learn?
A: Technology is a vehicle to obtaining,
transferring and manipulating knowledge of nature to our benefit. Understanding how to use and leverage technology will help to secure a sustainable lifestyle in one’s future. Embracing science will allow students the opportunity to understand why nature works as it does and will afford them opportunities to work to shape and improve it to make the world a better place for everyone.
Q:
What is your favorite memory at your school?
A: This is really hard to answer, because
I have several, but, my fondest memory was when one of my students shared that I had been very integral in her success and the reason she had pursued engineering. She shared that I had been like a mother to her, since she had been in a single-parent home with just her father. This is one of my favorite memories because I had similar circumstances as a student growing up and teachers were very integral and the key to my success in life. So, it was nice to know that I have served their example well in the work that I do each day.
Riverwood school building to be reused, renovated BY EVELYN ANDREWS evelyn@reporternewspapers.net
Some parts of Riverwood International Charter School will be saved and renovated instead of rebuilt to save money as the construction cost skyrockets. The change is expected save the district an estimated $10 million on a project that is already millions over budget. The Fulton County School System approved the changes at its Feb. 21 meeting, which include renovating the auditorium and performing arts spaces to reduce the costs of the already over-budget project. The physical education spaces, including the gym, would be identical to the approved design, but reoriented. The new design, if approved, still would go an estimated $3.8 million over budget rather than $14.6 million for the current design. The approved budget for the entire project is $102.9 million. Residents had a mixed response to the proposed changes in the Riverwood International Charter School reconstruction project at a Feb. 13 community meeting. While some thanked the Fulton County School System for shaving costs, others lamented features that would be lost. “This is just great. I really appreciate what you have done to be fiscally responsible,” one resident said at the meeting. An added bonus to the cost savings, officials said, is that the students won’t be without an auditorium for a year. Since it will only be renovated, the work would be done over two summers while school is not in session. “We do not have to take the auditorium away for a year with this proposal,” said Doug Carey, the district’s director of capital planning. The explanation of the change was originally described in meeting documents as building a smaller school build-
ing, but that was later corrected to say it would be actually be slightly larger, said Patrick Burke, the district’s chief operating officer. The changes come as construction costs for the project have skyrocketed. The board previously had to approve a $5 million increase for the second phase in 2018. Burke has previously said that the higher costs were being caused by the complicated nature of building the project in seven construction phases and how the project is being funded. Increased material prices and tariffs were also driving the increases. The school, located at 5900 Raider Drive, is being built in seven phases. Phases 3 through 7 are the ones that will be addressed with the change. The main school building and media center are already built or are in progress and are not affected. The shell of the existing performing arts areas and auditorium like the steel, walls, foundation and roof, will be reused instead of demolished, Burke said. “Everything one sees, feels and touches will be new, but we will not incur the costs associated with the steel and concrete,” Burke said. Some parts of the building would also be reconfigured with new interior walls. The gym and related physical education spaces are planned to still be new and identical to the approved design, but reoriented, Burke said. The new gym will be built farther north than under the original proposal to be next to the existing auditorium. The practice field becomes full size and moves behind the gym. School system officials discussed the project at Board of Education member Gail Dean’s monthly community meeting, which was held in Riverwood’s auditorium and attended by parents and res-
idents. Most concerns raised by residents at the meeting were about how the old and new parts of the school would look joined together. Carey said they plan to resurface the exterior of the old building with the same material used for the new construction, but details are still being worked out. Riverwood Principal Chuck Gardner said overall he supports the idea, but understands the concerns about how the exterior would look. “The aesthetics are the biggest things I’m worried about,” he said. The changes would decrease the length students would need to walk to get to different parts of the building. Accessing the auditorium, field and gym for evening events would also be easier and more secure, Gardner said. “Hats off to the team,” he said. The plan would also provide enough room and funds to build a full-size practice field, which the school has never had, Gardner said. “I can’t overstate how big of a deal that is,” he said. The practice field and tennis courts would be built close to I-285 and Raider Drive, where the Georgia Department of Transportation has discussed building an interchange for its toll lanes project. Patrick Burke, the district’s chief operating officer, said there is no information about how the project would affect the school. “We don’t have a clear picture from [GDOT] on the exact scope of what they’re doing,” he said. The district had to make changes to the project to lower the costs, and realized the auditorium is already in an ideal location on the campus, Carey said. “Why tear it out and put it right back where it was just for the sake of calling it new?” he said.
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8 | Education
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Education Briefs TWO SCIEN C E, TEC HNO LO GY EV ENTS ANNO U NCED FO R S A NDY S P R I NG S
Two science and technology events have been planned for Sandy Springs. The Sandy Springs Education Force has set its ninth annual STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and math) Showcase for March 13. Atlanta Jewish Academy will hold its event for Young Women in STEM event March 17. SSEF’s event, which is free, will be held all day and be open to the public from 6 to 8 p.m. at North Springs Charter High, 7447 Roswell Road. Sandy Springs’ 11 public schools will be showcasing their STEAM programs, SSEF said in a press release. AJA’s event will be held from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. at the school, located at 5200 Northland Drive. Held in partnership with the Jewish Women’s Fund of Atlanta, the event is only open to Jewish female high school students or rising ninth grade students, the press release said. Dr. Lori Zeltser, an associate professor of pathology and cell biology at Columbia University, will be the keynote speaker. There will also be mini classes, interactive presentations, career booths and networking, according to the release.
Our assisted living is accredited for two reasons. You. And your family. Because having the confidence and peace of mind of accreditation is important. That’s why The Piedmont at Buckhead is accredited by CARF International, an independent organization that sets exceedingly high standards for care and service. It’s a lot like an accreditation for a hospital or college. Or a five-star rating for a hotel. So if you’re looking for assisted living services, take a good look at The Piedmont. We think you’ll find that our CARF accreditation is only one of the many reasons you’ll like what you see.
Please join us for a complimentary lunch & tour. Call 404.381.1743 to schedule.
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ST. M AR TIN’S SCHO O L R EO P ENS FI R E- DA M AG ED B UI L DI NG
After 18 months of construction, St. Martin’s Episcopal School in Brookhaven opened its new Early Childhood Learning Center on Feb. 19. The new building, which serves children two through kindergarten, is double the size of the previous building. The building replacSPECIAL es the school’s Early Students explore the new St. Martin’s Episcopal School building, which was rebuilt after damaged caused by an arson fire. Childhood wing that was destroyed by an arson fire on in July 2017. “It has long been the school’s vision to create a larger, purpose-built space to meet the unique needs of the youngest students,” said Head of School Dr. Luis Ottley in the press release. “When the fire destroyed the home of our Early Childhood Program we embraced the opportunity to execute that vision.” The new building includes a “STEAM village” that intentionally connects a science lab, tinker space and art room, all geared to foster engagement and collaborative learning among young children. In the spring, the outdoor learning space and natural play area will be completed, and the garage doors in lower level classrooms will allow for a seamless transition between indoor and outdoor learning. “We are incredibly grateful to St. Martin-in-the-Fields Episcopal Church for graciously allowing us to share their space for the past 18 months,” said Early Childhood Principal Cindy Alexander. “And thank you to SMES parents, community members and the staff and crew at Evergreen Construction who all helped make this vision a reality.”
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SPECIAL
Riverwood International Charter School students Madeline Chen, left, a sophomore harp player, and Nathaniel Stone, right, a freshman cello player, were chosen for the Georgia Music Educators Association’s All-State Orchestra and Fulton County High School Honor Orchestra.
Two Riverwood International Charter School students have been selected to participate in a statewide orchestra program, the school announced. Madeline Chen, a sophomore harp player, and Nathaniel Stone, a freshman cello player, were chosen for the Georgia Music Educators Association’s All-State Orchestra and Fulton County High School Honor Orchestra. For the 2018-19 All-State Orchestra, the students will travel to Athens for two days of workshops and practice, culminating in a performance March 2 in the Classic Center.
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MARCH 2019 ■ www.ReporterNewspapers.net
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10 | Community BY JOHN RUCH AND DYANA BAGBY Buckhead’s local libraries are getting long-awaited makeovers, which will require lengthy makeovers likely to start in the spring. Atlanta-Fulton Public Library System officials unveiled the plans for the Buckhead and Northside branch libraries at recent community meetings to general approval. They are among 22 libraries getting renovations in the latest phase of an Atlanta-Fulton Public Library System’s capital improvement program approved in 2008. The library system is accepting comments via email at librarycomments@ fultoncountyga.gov. Commenters should identify the branch library in the subject line of comment emails.
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Libraries to close this spring for renovations
Buckhead Branch
The “comprehensive” renovation plan for the Buckhead Branch Library at 269 Buckhead Ave. was unveiled at a Feb. 7 meeting to a largely positive response from around two-dozen patrons and staff. Not so popular: a construction closure that may start in April and run as late as December. The Buckhead branch’s $2.7 million renovation is “comprehensive,” said Al Collins, the administrator of a county bond program funding the system’s new and improved libraries. It includes everything from a new roof and signs outside to completely new layout and furnishings inside. The exact construction timeline is uncertain due to such issues as permitting, officials said, but the work is expected to happen roughly from early May through early November, with closure extending a little before and after for preparations. Two renovation features that got attendee applause were new lighting and a new 48-seat meeting room to complement an existing 80-seat room. Other significant new features include three self-checkout stations; four glass-walled study rooms of varying sizes; and a vending machine area dubbed the “café.” The overall vision of the renovation is more flexible space and a more open layout to improve security and the atmosphere, according to Collins and architects with the firm McAfee3. A big change related to that theme is doing away with the traditional circulation desk. Instead, there will be a one-person station that can be moved to different spots, though it likely will remain in the lobby. Collins said the idea is that other librarians will visit various areas of the building instead of sitting at the desk. The new layout will include a larger children’s section, gained in part by eliminating the traditional reference area, and a distinct teen’s section. Concerns raised by attendees related to the use of specific spaces. Where and how temporarily exhibited artwork would be stored was one issue. Another was how the branch’s friends group would conduct its ongoing book sales, as the new layout placed its storage in a side room. Collins suggested that the flexible layout allowed for library staff to find space for such uses in the new rooms or
DYANA BAGBY
Top right, the new Northside Branch Library layout as presented at the Feb. 19 meeting.
Above, a metal sculpture that has sat in front of the Northside branch library for many years is being relocated as part of the renovations to begin in May. JOHN RUCH
Below, the new Buckhead Branch Library layout as presented at the Feb. 7 meeting.
lobby area. Some other concerns had no immediate solution. A drive-through book dropoff box is not possible, Collins said in response to an attendee’s question. Another concern was the loss of a sink in the main meeting room, an existing feature that the architects said was eliminated due to public comments; Collins said it could return to the plan if the budget allows. One feature that will remain, with only a cleanup, is “The Storyteller,” a collection of sculptures depicting a deer-headed human speaking to a group of dogs. Now wedged against the front of the library, “The Storyteller” was controversially displaced a few years ago from a park at Peachtree and Roswell roads as part of its makeover into a tribute to developer and Aaron’s Inc. rental empire founder Charlie Loudermilk. Along the way, other elements of the sculpture – including
several turtles and a rabbit – went missing, with Loudermilk’s son Robin reportedly giving away some of them. A meeting attendee called for the return of the missing pieces, leaving Collins to say, “I don’t know where the rabbits are” and that further sculptures could be a tripping hazard on the sidewalk.
Northside Branch
The Northside Branch Library at 3295 Northside Parkway is slated to close May 20 and remain closed for most of the year as the building and property undergo $2 million in major renovations, including the addition of a new roof, creation of a new and larger meeting room, an expanded children’s reading section and adding dedicated parking spaces in the tight parking lot to be used for people just wanting to quickly drop books off. The planned projects for the small li-
brary tucked in into a residential area were unveiled at a Feb. 19 community meeting to a crowd of more than a dozen library supporters and staff. The closure is expected to begin May 20 and run into December. Northside Branch Library Director Gabriel Morley said the renovations to the library were “very tricky” due to its small size and “unique” footprint. The library will remain the same size as will its small parking lot. Adding more parking was deemed too expensive for the approximate $2 million in renovations dedicated to this branch, officials said. A vending machine area dubbed the “café” will be added off the front glassedin atrium. The atrium space will also be getting new glass that should help alleviate extreme temperatures in the room during summer and winter months, according to Cheryl McAfee and architects with McAfee3 Architects. A small, central circulation desk, a teen area, a renovated children’s area and a separate computer and printing area for the adult area are also planned as part of the renovations. A much larger meeting room is planned as well, which received audible sounds of approval from the people attending the Feb. 19 meeting. The iconic metal art sculpture at the entrance of the building will be removed at the request of many of the patrons and staff members and may be place another library facility, according to Al Collins, the administrator of a county bond program funding the system’s new and improved libraries. Some meetings attendees say the sculpture poses a risk to children who climb on it. The news of its removal was received with loud cheers of joy from many of the attendees. Library officials are still trying to determine the artist of the sculpture and did not know where it would be relocated to. Howell Williams, the branch manager for Northside Library for 15 years before retiring in 2017, said it was among artworks created for the Atlanta Gateway Industrial Park, which was built in the late 1960s. The industrial park was located in south Atlanta near the Six Flags amusement park. Eventually the sculptures were donated to various Fulton facilities, Williams said. BH
Community | 11
MARCH 2019 ■ www.ReporterNewspapers.net
Peachtree-Dunwoody/Windsor intersection remake is criticized
BY EVELYN ANDREWS evelyn@reporternewspapers.net
Residents criticized Sandy Springs’ plan to remake the Peachtree-Dunwoody Road and Windsor Parkway intersection with new and extended turn lanes at a Feb. 7 open house, saying it would largely help commuters and make the area less safe. The city and consultants designing the concept said it would improve traffic flow and give better pedestrian access. “It seems like you’re moving traffic through the neighborhood at the detriment to the neighborhood,” one resident said at the meeting held in City Springs, which about 40 people attended. The intersection, near the city’s border with Buckhead and Brookhaven, is surrounded by single-family home communities and the Sandy Springs YMCA. It is often heavily congested and needs more room for turning cars, according to the city. The proposal, which is in the concept stage, would add a right turn lane on westbound Windsor and extend the left turn lanes on northbound and southbound Peachtree-Dunwoody. Pedestrian improvements are included, too, with a new sidewalk running from down Windsor from the intersection to Estate Way. It’s one of many city projects funded by the transportation special local option sales tax. Although there is enough extra room in the existing right of way for most of the improvements, the city would need some property from the YMCA’s lot. The homeowners association that BH
Above, an illustration shows Sandy Springs’ proposal to add new turn lanes and crosswalks to the PeachtreeDunwoody Road and Windsor Parkway intersection.
SPECIAL
EVELYN ANDREWS
Right, residents discuss Sandy Springs’ concept for the Peachtree-Dunwoody Road and Windsor Parkway intersection at a Feb. 7 meeting held at City Springs.
would be affected by the new right turn lane and sidewalk on Windsor is concerned the widening would cost them property value and said consultants were not being upfront about the changes. “Do they think the residents are idiots?” Brookhaven Estates HOA President Gail Newcomb said. “Get ready for a battle.” The concept would add a sidewalk several feet closer to Brookhaven Estates’ houses and remove trees, but would stay within the city’s right of way, consultant Bradley Cox said. The removal of trees would increase the traffic noise, Newcomb said. “This is a real problem,” she said. “It’s going to hit our values, increase traffic and be for other people.” Other residents were concerned noise would increase because there would be a general increase in traffic. “It is going to increase volume. When it becomes easier for people to come through there, they will,” resident Rob Wilson said. Wilson, and several others, said they believe Sandy Springs would be paying for improvements that would largely benefit commuters passing through the city. “Why should Sandy Springs residents pay for DeKalb County residents to get to [Ga. 400] faster?” Wilson said.
“It seems like there’s a lot more benefit to Brookhaven than Sandy Springs,” another resident said. The morning traffic brings “severe” congestion on northbound Peachtree-Dunwoody and Windsor, according to the city. Evening rush hour clogs southbound Peachtree-Dunwoody. There are typically too many cars to fit in the existing left turn lanes. Between 2013 and 2017, there were 53 crashes with 12 injuries, the city said. The changes would cut down travel times for nearly all directions, according to the consultants’ traffic study. Some said that congestion can make it safer for residents leaving their homes to turn onto the intersection’s roads by providing breaks in traffic. With the added traffic flow, some feared cars would be going too fast for them to safely leave, especially if they are turning left. Other residents believes the problem lies elsewhere. Some residents suggested the city take a look at the traffic light timing, which causes major problems at nearby intersections such as the Glenridge Connector, where red lights last so long traffic can back up to Windsor. “If you don’t fix the light at the Glenridge Connector, that’s not going to help,” one resident said.
Joe Gillis, the traffic manager for TSPLOST projects, said a system that coordinates signals is planned to come to the area that would help with those problems. People generally liked the idea to bring crosswalks to every direction on the intersection and the added sidewalks. The crosswalks would be signaled with a pedestrian refuge island at westbound Windsor and southbound Peachtree-Dunwoody. “The crosswalks are a no-brainer, everybody wants that,” Newcomb said. Some suggestions were thrown out by residents, including a roundabout, but others said the project is bad enough the city should scrap the whole idea and save its money. “I’d like to see you not do this and save your money for anything else,” a resident said. The proposal is in the early stages and many details have not been determined. The city will next meet with stakeholders, like homeowners associations, before moving forward, said Dan Coffer, the city’s community relations manager. For more information and to follow the project’s progress, visit sandyspringsga. gov/windsor.
12 | Community
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A
‘Battle of Atlanta’ Cyclorama painting returns to view B
C
D
A - The high, curving wall of the painting’s rear. B - Alecia Zackery admires the Cyclorama from the ground-floor walkway. C - The restored locomotive “The Texas” is on display as part of the larger exhibit around the Cyclorama. PHOTOS BY PHIL MOSIER
D - An exhibit explains the Cyclorama’s role in “Lost Cause” myths about the Civil War. E- Visitors view information about the “Battle of Atlanta” painting on a touch-screen at the ground level of the display. PHOTOS BY JOHN RUCH
Continued from page 1 a 15-foot-high platform from which to view it. The painting is about 50 feet high and 370 feet around. After more than two years of painstaking restoration work, the Cyclorama painting is now part of a larger exhibit called “The Big Picture.” As the name implies, it gives a larger context of Atlanta’s history and the myths and realities of the Civ-
il War. Other prominent Atlanta artifacts on display in the wing include the legendary 1856 locomotive the “Texas,” which was once stolen by Union troops; the Zero Mile Post that long marked the original city center; and the Solomon Luckie lamppost, named for an African American barber who was killed during the Battle of Atlanta’s shelling in 1864. The exhibit addresses several Civil War
myths, especially the “Lost Cause,” a heroic vision of the Confederacy that ignores slavery as a key motivator of the war. The Cyclorama painting is itself an artifact that became part of local Lost Cause mythology. An entertainment fad of the late 1800s, Cycloramas were huge, circular paintings of dramatic scenes intended to give the viewer an immersive experience—“the virtual reality of its time,” as Gordon Jones, the
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Community | 13
MARCH 2019 ■ www.ReporterNewspapers.net History Center’s senior military historian and curator, previous put it. The “Battle of Atlanta” painting was created by artists in Minnesota in 1886 as a dramatic tribute to Union Gen. William Sherman’s key victory in seizing and destroying Georgia’s capital. Among its dramatic licenses was including a soaring eagle – “Old Abe,” a mascot of a Wisconsin Union regiment that did not fight in the battle and would not have let the bird fly if it had, Jones says. The painting toured several states in temporary displays before ending up in Atlanta, where it was altered to suit pro-Confederacy tastes. One famous change – later reversed — was repainting Confederate prisoners of war to transform them into
fleeing Yankee troops. After the city constructed a permanent building in Grant Park to house the painting in 1921, it became a local icon of Lost Cause myths. Only 17 Cyclorama paintings survive worldwide, museum officials say, and “The Battle of Atlanta” might have joined the others in rotting away if it were not for two African American mayors. Maynard Jackson, the city’s first black mayor, ordered a restoration that was completed in 1982, saying it was important to save a tribute to a key battle in a war that helped to free his ancestors. In 2011, Mayor Kasim Reed gathered a group to find a new and safe home for the painting as talk began of selling its Grant Park building. The History Center won the rights to
host it by raising nearly $36 million for the restoration, new building and long-term conservation, starting with a $10 million gift from residents Lloyd and Mary Ann Whitaker. The complex symbolism that now attaches to the Cyclorama painting is addressed in an introductory movie that is projected onto the painting itself as an orientation. The movie features actors depict-
ing various points of views: the artists who made and altered the painting; Union and Confederate veterans seeing themselves in its battle; and women and African Americans who were left out of the picture, though not out of the real war. For tickets and more information, see the Atlanta History Center website at atlantahistorycenter.com.
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Emory’s wastewater recycling greenhouse is a model for Buckhead, advocates say
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PHOTOS BY JOHN AWTREY
Kean Hamilton, the WaterHub’s director of operations, shows a handful of clear water in the facility’s greenhouse.
BY JOHN RUCH johnruch@reporternewspapers.net
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Imagine a group of Buckhead’s new office towers or apartment buildings fronted by a greenhouse full of banana trees and ginger plants, like a miniature Atlanta Botanical Gardens. Now imagine that the greenhouse is not just pretty plants, but also a facility that recycles sewage or stormwater into semi-clean, lower-cost water for the buildings’ heating, cooling and toilet systems. That’s the dream that the nonprofit Livable Buckhead hopes to bring to major properties and the future park capping Ga. 400. And it’s already a reality at Emory University, where a facility called the WaterHub provides nearly 100 percent of the campus’s mechanical-use water at a lower cost than needlessly pumping in county drinking water. “Water is not cheap in the city of Atlanta,” says Denise Starling, Livable Buckhead’s executive director. “Basically, you don’t need drinking water to water your plants… It doesn’t make sense to have drinking water in your toilet.” A recent tour of the WaterHub showed you also don’t need an enormous treatment plant to recycle wastewater. The main works are a modest greenhouse full of plants that help filter the water and contains an operations center; a few storage tanks and solar panels for extra power; and, across the street, an artificial wetland – providing further water-filtering -- that looks like typical planting beds. The air carried not even a whiff of sewage odor anywhere.
Atlanta, GA Saturday, March 30, 2019 Old Fourth Ward Park across fromPonce City Market Check-in begins at 8:30AM Walk begins at 9:30AM
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Plants inside the WaterHub greenhouse help to filter wastewater. Illustrations on the floor show where the system’s pipes flow on the Emory campus. BH
Community | 15
MARCH 2019 ■ www.ReporterNewspapers.net Kean Hamilton, the WaterHub’s director of operations, says the “community space aspect” is different from typical water treatment plants. He says “it gives people a different take on water treatment… It can be this beautiful space we create. And for a beautiful neighborhood like Buckhead, it’s a no-brainer.” The WaterHub is a private enterprise, the brainchild of a Virginia company called Sustainable Water and built and operated by the construction and engineering firm Reeves Young. The Emory WaterHub was the first of its kind when it opened in 2015, Hamilton says, and a second one is now being built in Virginia for the giant tobacco corporation Altria Group. At Emory, the WaterHub connects directly to a wastewater outflow pipe and recycles it into water for boilers, heaters, coolers and toilets. It can handle 400,000 gallons a day. Up to 50,000 gallons are held in reserve, and excess water can be pumped back into the DeKalb County water supply. Hamilton wouldn’t say what the WaterHub cost to build beyond calling it “millions,” but the private operators paid for it and charge Emory a variable water rate lower than the county utility. The facility now provides about 40 percent of Emory’s overall water, according to Hamilton and university publicity materials. The WaterHub works by running wastewater through several different kinds of fil-
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A greenhouse contains the main systems of the WaterHub at Emory University.
ters, as well as chlorine and ultraviolet light, in a process that takes about nine hours. The dirty water runs through tanks containing floating bits of plastic that sewage-eating microbes can cling to. Other filtration happens under the greenhouse, where the banana and ginger roots help remove toxins, too. The artificial wetland, complete with a pump-driven simulated tide, filters it further. Very little organic waste is left over – about one 55-gallon container every two weeks, Hamilton said. The product is technically “graywater” unfit for human drinking – or even eating the bananas that grow in the greenhouse. But the water was already clear and odor-free as it flowed through an open pool in the greenhouse. Hamilton plunged a bare hand into the water without hesitation to show its clarity. “It’s very, very clean reused water,” he said. “If I was in the desert, I would drink it.” For Emory, the WaterHub doubles as a “living laboratory” on such topics as the microbes that help to filter the water. “Our bugs are very unique,” Hamilton says. “We kind of covet our bugs here.” They are naturally occurring, but the strains are evolving in the specialized wastewater-processing environment. One is a strain of the common bacteria Bacillus subtilis, which Hamilton said student researchers have dubbed “a phosphorus-eating monster.” The greenhouse makes for a nice showcase, but Hamilton said that many different configurations are possible for other types of properties, including more modest and even smaller facilities. Livable Buckhead hopes it can sell major property owners on some version of a WaterHub. Starling calls it a “mini-utility” that is part of “future-proofing” properties in an era of water shortages. Creating such facilities is part of the nonprofit’s new sustainability work plan. “It has to be done in a super-block… to make economic sense,” said Cecilia Shutters, Livable Buckhead’s director of sustainability, who toured a group of unnamed local property owners through WaterHub about a year ago. She said they appeared “impressed,” but haven’t built their own yet. Still, she’s hopeful that people will be inspired as she was when she attended a conference at Emory and heard it had a new sewage recycling plant. “When you tell people about it, it sounds like one thing,” Shutters says, “and when you see it, it looks like something completely different.” BH
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A Place Where You Belong
Sandy Springs annexing Buckhead? Residents chatter, officials shrug BY JOHN RUCH johnruch@reporternewspapers.net
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Could Buckhead be annexed into the city of Sandy Springs? The idea has become a topic of neighborhood chatter as a spinoff of longstanding talk of Buckhead becoming its own city. Mary Norwood, chair of the Buckhead Council of Neighborhoods, says she would neither lead nor oppose such a move. But Sandy Springs official say annexation would be difficult and they’re not especially interested. Sandy Springs City Councilmember Andy Bauman, who represents part of his city bordering the Chastain Park area, is among those who has seen Buckhead annexation chatter on the Nextdoor social media app. “I’ve read it, and I guess the answer would be, it’s certainly flattering that people want to be a part of Sandy Springs,” Bauman said, adding that “it’s not something that I’m focused on or that I think is very likely.” The notion of Buckhead breaking off from Atlanta and becoming its own city has been floated for over a decade amid concerns about the neighborhood not getting enough city services and in debates fraught with overtones of race and class. Norwood attended a 2008 meeting about the cityhood idea, and has since lost two close and bitter races for mayor in 2009 and 2017. The Buckhead cityhood idea revived last year when a wealthy area of Stockbridge, Ga., attempted to become its own city of Eagle’s Landing in a move shot down by voters. There was no organized Buckhead cityhood movement, but Atlanta City Councilmember Howard Shook was among those making approving comments on the Eagle’s Landing effort. Sam Massell, a former Atlanta mayor and president of the Buckhead Coalition, spoke out against cityhood. Cityhood talk has continued in such forums as Nextdoor, where the idea of Sandy Springs annexation has become a prominent sub-topic. “I wonder if it would be easier to join Sandy Springs v[ersus] start a full-on separate city?” wondered one resident in a January chat on Chastain Park’s Nextdoor group. Jane Collins, president of the Pleasant Hills Civic Association, raised the idea at the February meeting of Neighborhood Planning Unit A, saying that joining Sandy Springs might be one way to improve police staffing levels amid concerns about crime and traffic. Norwood said she has not heard the Sandy Springs annexations discussions, at least “not in any organized fashion,” and is hopeful that groups like BCN help Buckhead residents feel heard by Atlanta’s city government. But, she added, her position on the related issue of cityhood has been that “I will neither lead the charge to leave the city” nor oppose anyone else who wants to. “If people want to do it, I wouldn’t stand in their way,” Norwood said of the annexation idea. Sandy Springs city spokesperson Sharon Kraun did not say whether anyone has contacted officials about idea, but she commented on the complicated process. “As the surrounding area is incorporated, there would have to be a de-annexation before Sandy Springs could annex [Buckhead],” Kraun said. “That would require agreement of both municipalities or the action [would have to be] done via local legislation. It is not on the city’s current agenda of priorities.”
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cold, tingling, stinging, aching, and you cramping at the treatment site. These sensations subside as the During the procedure may experience sensations of pulling, tugging, mild pinching, intense cold,area tingling, stinging, pinching, intense cold, tingling, stinging,ataching, and cramping at the treatment site. as These sensations subsideFollowing as the area aching, and cramping the treatment site. These sensations subside the area becomes the g, blanching, bruising, firmness, tingling, stinging, tenderness, cramping, aching, itching, or numb. skin sensitivity, y redness, swelling, blanching, bruising, firmness, tingling, stinging, tenderness, itching, or skin sensitivity, OLANSKY DERMATOLOGY procedure, typical side effects include temporary redness, swelling,cramping, blanching,aching, bruising, firmness, tingling, stinging, OLANSKY DERMATOLOGY OLANSKY DERMATOLOGY ffectsRare mayside alsoeffects occur. The CoolSculpting® procedure is not for everyone. You should not have the ment. may also occur. The CoolSculpting® procedure is not for everyone. You should not have the tenderness, cramping, aching, itching, or skin sensitivity, and sensation of fullness in the back of the throat after a ysmal cold hemoglobinuria. The CoolSculpting® procedure isoccur. not aThe treatment for obesity. Ask your doctor if You submental area treatment. Rare effects may also procedure is not foryour everyone. disease, or paroxysmal cold hemoglobinuria. Theside CoolSculpting® procedure isCoolSculpting® not a treatment for obesity. Ask doctor if should 404-355-5484 cold .coolsculpting.com.not have the CoolSculpting® procedure if you suffer from cryoglobulinemia, cold agglutinin disease, or paroxysmal m. BUCKHEADOFFICE: OFFICE: 3379 RdRd NE,NE, Suite 500 500 Atlanta, BUCKHEAD 3379Peachtree Peachtree Suite Atlanta,
hemoglobinuria. The CoolSculpting® procedure is not a treatment for obesity. Ask your doctor if CoolSculpting® is right for you. To learn more about what to expect, visit www.coolsculpting.com. n. ©2018 Allergan. All rights reserved. COOLSCULPTING® and its are registered trademarks of ZELTIQ Aesthetics, . All rights reserved. COOLSCULPTING® and its design aredesign registered trademarks of ZELTIQ Aesthetics, *CoolSculpting® is the treatment doctors use most for nonsurgical fat reduction. ©2018 Allergan. All rights reserved. COOLSCULPTING® and its design are registered trademarks of ZELTIQ Aesthetics, Inc., an Allergan affiliate. IC03668-B
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Community | 17
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At anti-Semitic bullying forum, expert panel offers advice, urges reporting BY EVELYN ANDREWS evelyn@reporternewspapers.net
Over 100 parents, students and teachers attended a Feb. 10 forum on anti-Semitic bullying to question an expert panel put together days after a swastika was painted on a Roswell high school, rattling the north metro Jewish community. Local school officials said at the Sandy Springs event they have “strict” punishments and protocols for bullying and harassment and encouraged students to report it immediately. And a state representative said he is hopeful this legislative session will bring the passage of a hate crimes bill that could help reduce such incidents. “Anytime something comes up, you need to say something,” North Springs Charter High Principal Scott Hanson said at the event, which was held at Temple Emanu-El and attended by over 100 people. “That’s the most important thing. Don’t assume someone else is going to.” The panel, which also included representatives from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, Anti-Defamation League, DeKalb County School District and a state representative, was held by the Atlanta Initiative Against Anti-Semitism in response to a recent vandalism incident at Roswell’s Centennial High School. Among the vandalism there was graffiti of a swastika near the front entrance. AIAAS was formed by Dunwoody-ar-
EVELYN ANDREWS
Director of Georgia Commission on the Holocaust Sally Levine, center with microphone, answers an audience question at the Feb. 10 event about incidents in schools. Joining her are, from left, Centennial High School Assistant Principal Dr. Bre Peeler; North Springs Charter High School Principal Scott Hanson; DeKalb Department of Student Relations Director Dr. Quentin Fretwell; Fulton County School District Assistant Superintendent Dr. Chris Matthews; Anti-Defamation League Regional Director Dr. Allison Padilla-Goodman; Marist School teacher Brendan Murphy; Georgia Bureau of Investigation Assistant Special Agent in Charge Andy Mossman; and state Rep. Josh McLaurin.
ea mothers in 2017 “amidst what felt like an explosion of anti-Semitic events,” said Lauren Menis, on the founders, when introducing the panel. They have held two previous events that discussed the rising incidents. AIAAS cites numbers from the FBI and ADL that say anti-Semitic incidents and hate crimes targeting Jews are on the rise nationwide. Incidents at North Springs in 2017 included a swastika drawn on a bathroom wall. To help deter these incidents, the AIAAS
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has been pushing for a state hate crimes legislation in partnership with the ADL. State Rep. Josh McLaurin (D-Sandy Springs) said the legislation is expected to be filed this session with bipartisan support. He is hopeful this can be the year it passes. The bill would create an additional sentence for crimes found to be against a protected class based on categories that often include race, religion, sexual orientation, gender or disability. Previous state hate crimes legislation has not gained serious traction or failed to pass, such as last year’s effort by former state Rep. Meagan Hanson
(R-Brookhaven). A sponsor to carry the bill has not been determined, McLaurin said. But he pledged that the legislation will be comprehensive and “not just a solution for one community.” “We cannot have hate crimes legislation that’s not comprehensive,” McLaurin said, a comment that received applause. The ADL regional director agreed that its “comprehensive or nothing.” “We feel pretty good about it this year,” Allison Padilla-Goodman said.
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Our mission is to provide our readers with fresh and engaging information about life in their communities. Published by Springs Publishing LLC 6065 Roswell Road, Suite 225 Sandy Springs, GA 30328 Phone: 404-917-2200 • Fax: 404-917-2201 Brookhaven Reporter | Buckhead Reporter Dunwoody Reporter | Sandy Springs Reporter www.ReporterNewspapers.net Atlanta INtown www.AtlantaINtownPaper.com Atlanta Senior Life www.AtlantaSeniorLife.com
C O NTA C T US Founder & Publisher Steve Levene stevelevene@reporternewspapers.net Editorial Managing Editor John Ruch johnruch@reporternewspapers.net INtown Editor: Collin Kelley Editor-at-Large Joe Earle Staff Writers Dyana Bagby, Evelyn Andrews Creative and Production Creative Director Rico Figliolini rico@reporternewspapers.net Graphic Designer Julie Murcia Advertising Director of Sales Development Amy Arno amyarno@reporternewspapers.net Sales Executives Melissa Kidd, Jeff Kremer, Janet Porter, Jim Speakman Office Manager Deborah Davis deborahdavis@reporternewspapers.net Contributors John Awtrey, Doug Carroll, Robin Conte, Phil Mosier, Judith Schonbak, Jaclyn Turner
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Community Survey: Are toll lanes worth taking homes? Are separate toll lanes alongside Ga. 400 and I-285 a good idea, especially if they require razing houses to make way for the new roads? Reactions to the proposal appeared sharply split in our most recent 1Q survey. Although more than four in 10 of the 200 respondents said they would use the proposed toll lanes if they were built, about a third of the respondents said they wouldn’t use the lanes and fully a quarter said they weren’t sure whether they would or not. The survey was conducted by 1Q.com via cellphones used by residents of Reporter Newspapers communities. The results reflect only respondent opinions. When asked whether private property should be taken and 20 or more homes razed to make room for the lanes, respondents were sharply divided, with a few more saying no than yes. “No one should be forced to give up their home for a toll road,” a 44-year-old woman commented. “The state should find an alternative.” “Please don’t do that [take private property for the toll lanes],” a 34-year-old Brookhaven man responded. “Let’s complete the existing projects and see how that impacts traffic flow and then we can move on.” State transportation officials are moving ahead with plans for building a new system of toll lanes along the Ga. 400 and I-285 interchange over the next decade. The four “express lanes” are intended to help move traffic through the area and to
work
toward
solving
con-
gestion issues. Not everyone will like the solutions, but letting fic
traf-
continue
to get worse is not an option if Atlanta is going to continue growing (which seems to be a given).” And
a
40-year-old Sandy Springs woman put it simply: “Twenty houses for the greater good of Atlanta traffic? Definitely!” But not all respondents were convinced the toll lanes would do any real, lasting good. “Toll lanes are stupid,” a 19-year-old improve traffic flow. The Ga. 400 lanes also would carry a new MARTA bus rapid transit route, which would require adding access points and stations. Although GDOT officials say they haven’t yet fully figured out how much land building the lanes will require, many homeowners in the area have said the state already says it must acquire some or all of their property for the project. Supporters of the project were quick to say that residents should be paid a fair price, or even a premium price, if their homes were taken for the project. Some suggested that any homeowners forced to move because of construction should be paid relocation costs in addition to the price of the property. A 33-year-old Brookhaven man said he would support taking the property “as long as a fair price is paid for the houses. The city is growing rapidly and needs to
Dunwoody woman commented. “I will not use them. Let them stay in their homes.” Other respondents thought the money could be spent better elsewhere, especially on expanding public transit. “Twenty houses isn’t a significant number, but I still don’t think that it’s worth it to build toll lanes,” a 34-year-old Brookhaven woman commented. “I think it would definitely be worth it to expand the rail and public transit options. More lanes won’t affect the number of cars on the road, and it’s not possible to add enough lanes to truly match the cars that want to be at that interchange. “The only long-term solution is to enable people to get from A to B without cars or without going through that interchange, such as enabling folks to live closer to where they work.”
Here’s what some other respondents had to say about taking homes for toll lanes: No! Toll lanes effect our community schools, neighborhoods and children. We do not want them built. – a 35-year-old Sandy Springs woman Yes. Atlanta traffic is among the worst in the country. We are getting more and more cars on the road and we have to do something. – 49 year-old Buckhead/Sandy Springs woman Civil engineers will tell you that increasing lanes doesn’t alleviate traffic in the long term. More cars come to fill them. The best way to reduce traffic is to do as other major cities in the world do -- invest in public transportation. – 38-year-old Atlanta woman
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The toll lanes are a money grab with minimal traffic alleviating benefits. The fact they are taking people’s homes seems inherently wrong. – 34-year-old Dunwoody man While I would use them … I think expansion in Atlanta is so poorly done I don’t think I can support eminent domain from an incompetent government and GDOT. – 47-year-old Atlanta man No. We just paid off a toll road [on Ga. 400]. Why would we want another one? Push MARTA and expand that. – 37-year-old Atlanta woman
1Q is an Atlanta-based startup that has developed a technology which sends questions and surveys to a cellphone via app or text message from businesses and organizations across the country. Respondents are paid 50 cents per answer, through PayPal, for sharing their opinions. Payments may also be donated directly to charity. Sign up to be included in our local community polls at 1Q.com/reporter or by texting REPORTER to 86312.
1Q.COM/REPORTER OR TEXT REPORTER TO 86312
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Commentary | 19
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Little What’s-Her-Name I choke at introductions. It doesn’t matter if you have lived next door to me for eight years, if we chaired the school auction together, if you have the same name as my first-born child, if you ARE my first-born child. If I have to introduce you to someone else, I will forget your name. It’s not that I’m uncouth. It’s just, as I admitted, that I choke at introductions. It’s like a mini-stage fright. Now, I recognize that the statutory grace period for forgetting someone’s name is 28 days or three meetings, whichever comes first. After that time, you are expected to know the name, and you can no longer ask for it. Moreover, if you’ve seen the same person at least four times and each encounter included conversation, hugs and cheek-to-cheek air kisses, the next time she happens along, you are charged with the responsibility of introducing her to the person standing beside you, or you are liable for crimes against etiquette. Those are the rules -- at least in the South. So, I have developed two (hopefully) face-saving introduction strategies, which I will share with you now: Strategy A. The Southern Strategy, a.k.a The Hey Stack This, of course, is the word “Hey,” uttered over a period of 23 seconds and inserting a veritable rollercoaster of inflections and a bell curve of vowels ranging from A to E to Y, then followed immediately with a warm embrace and a gleeful, “How ARE you!?” You then proceed directly to the introduction of the person you’re with, “This is my friend Jane…” (Odds are pretty good that if you are already together, you will remember your companion’s name at this moment.) And you wait in awkward silence for Nameless Friend to introduce herself, while smiling Robin Conte lives with brightly and pretending that you didn’t really forget her name. her husband in an empSometimes you can interject an intimate anecdote about ty nest in Dunwoody. Nameless Friend (“Liz is married to my brother”) as soon as her name is revealed, just to prove that you really do know her. Guys can’t pull-off the Hey Stack as well. They must resort to the Hey Slap, which is a slap on the back and a “Hey, buddy!” kind of greeting, I suppose. I really don’t know what guys do. If you’re a guy, please tell me. Strategy B. The Help Me, Rhonda, a.k.a. The Preemptive Prompt If you see Nameless Friend approaching in advance, you might prompt your companion and beg, “Please introduce yourself -- I forgot her name!” You then proceed as described above. After the niceties have ended and Nameless Friend has moved on, you and your companion can have a lengthy yet amusing conversation about all the other things you can’t remember. My daughter gets irritated by the fact that I can’t remember the names of all her friends, but she doesn’t realize that my forgetfulness is not spiteful, it’s a biological defect. I’m not going to attribute it to age, though that would be the easy, albeit discomforting, thing to do. I can’t remember directions, either, and I’ve always been that way. The fact is, if I happen to see you at any given time, chances are that I have forgotten your name. The Hey Stack still works very successfully in terms of a greeting in these instances, but with the unfortunate side effect that when you leave, I will still be clueless as to your name. If you are dating one of my sons, you will be referred to by me as “Little What’s-HerName.” I will remember your name if he gives you a ring … or if I hope that he will. If my accent were thick and syrupy enough to drip out of my mouth and attract bees as I speak, I could sidestep the use of actual first names by using generic “nom de bonbons,” such as Sugar or Honey or Puddin’, but it isn’t. Sometimes I use the more accent-neutral “Sweetie,” which can be uttered with an efficient clip, but is generally more appropriate for people who are younger than I am (which is increasingly turning out to be most people). So, if I see you at the grocery store and smile brightly and give you a hug and say “Hey,” please tell me your name.
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Robin’s Nest
Read Robin Conte’s debut book ‘The Best of the Nest’ “The Best of the Nest” offers 49 of Reporter Newspapers columnist Robin Conte’s witty essays on suburban family life, organized by seasons. They include some of the pieces that won Robin the first-place Lifestyle/Features Column award in 2017 and 2018 and first-place for Humorous column in 2018 from the Georgia Press Association.
Order the book at bestofthenest.net Follow Robin’s book-related appearances at robinconte.com.
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20 | Commentary
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An Olympics champion finds a home at the MJCCA
Liliyah Podkopayeva.
SPECIAL
When gymnast Liliyah Podkopayeva came to America more than two decades ago, she was just a teenager and the United States seemed “far, far, far, far away” from her home country, Ukraine. “The United
Around Town
States,” she said, “was like a different planet.” Here, everyone spoke English, a language Podkopayeva didn’t then understand. Everyone needed a car to get around. They had new computers. All sorts of things just seemed strange. Plus, she was a gifted young athlete at the top of international competition. She had taken top honors in the all-around competition at the 1995 World Championships. Then, in 1996, she represented Ukraine in the Atlanta Olympics and claimed the all-around gold medal, a second gold medal for floor exercises and a silver medal on balance beam. She was in the spotlight. In 1997, she said, she was named “Person of the Year” in Ukraine. That same year, she joined a bus tour of the U.S. with other Olympic athletes, including members of the celebrated U.S. team. The “Tour of Champions” did something like 70 shows, Podkopayeva remembers, and performed in front of thousands of people at a time. “You kind of felt like a pop star,” she said. Still, she felt like visitor in the U.S. “When you travel for competition you don’t see anything, you don’t see the culture,” she said. “It was hard because I didn’t speak English at all, but it was great. … It
Northside
was a lot for a girl who was 18.” Besides, Ukraine was her home. Even after she moved on from gymnastic competitions, she was a celebrity there. She competed twice in the Ukrainian version of “Dancing with the Stars” and won that competition in 2007. Now, at 40 and a mother of two, she feels more comfortable in the U.S. than she did when she was younger. “Now it’s my home,” she said. She’s still moving around and spending time in gyms. Since the late 1990s, she’s continued shuttling from the U.S. to Ukraine for work, she said. “Gymnasts have gypsy blood,” she said. “We couldn’t stay home.” A little more than a year ago, she and her family settled in Atlanta. She recently started working as a coach for young gymnasts at the Marcus Jewish Community Center of Atlanta, which is located in Dunwoody. She’s among about 15 coaches at the MJCCA’s gymnastics center, where she primarily works with the older and more experienced girls, center director Stacey Harris said. “I’m thrilled [she’s here],” Harris said. “She’s a delightful person. Her presence in the gym is just amazing. Here knowledge of gymnastics and how to coach it is world
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class. And it’s just fun.” Podkopayeva says she likes living in Atlanta. It reminds her more of her Ukrainian home than her previous residence in Florida. She likes the hills. And the seasons. It seems like a good place to raise kids. “It reminds me a little bit of Kiev,” she said. She feels other ties to Atlanta, too. There are memories of her gold medal performances in the Atlanta Olympics, of course. And she credits a doctor at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta with saving her daughter’s life when the child needed surgery related to blood vessels in her brain. Podkopayeva calls the doctor her own Olympic champion. “I consider myself a Ukrainian, but I really appreciate everything I got here in the U.S. When I was here [before], I was like 20 years old. When you’re in gymnastics, you know nothing but gymnastics. You practice seven, eight hours a day. You get used to it.” And even though she stopped competing, she couldn’t just walk away from gymnastics. Twenty years on, she can’t imagine herself as a pensioner, someone who doesn’t keep working and keep active. “I don’t like it when my cellphone doesn’t ring,” she said.
Three convenient Atlanta locations Sandy Springs Office 6135 Barfield Road NE Suite 100 Atlanta, GA 30328 Phone: 404-847-0049
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Visit our website for information on our six other convenient locations.
Classifieds | 21
MARCH 2019 ■ www.ReporterNewspapers.net
Personal & Professional Services Directory TRUSTS and ESTATES ATTORNEY ■ ■ ■ ■ ■
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Host a French Teen for 20 Days in July Twenty French teens, who speak English and are from professional French families (ages 14-18). Each student needs an American host family who will provide room and board (host families are compensated), hospitality, and friendship. They are fully insured, come with ample spending money for expenses. Contact: Linda Farmer - Retired French teacher - lgfarmer@aol.com or 770-9732452. Also, see www.lec-usa.com.
Graphic Designer (part-time)—Springs Publishing seeks an experienced graphic designer for a part-time position (approx. 15 hours per week) to work on print and digital products, especially ad design and page layout. You should be proficient with Adobe Creative Suite, specifically InDesign and Photoshop. Knowledge of web design (using WordPress), videography and social media is a plus. You must be available to work in our office on specific weekdays; with some flexible hours and remote work possible. Please provide your resume and samples of your work (via links, etc.) to publisher@reporternewspapers.net.
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Moving Sale— Friday/Saturday - March 22 & 23, 8 am -2 pm, Bluffhaven Way, Brookhaven 30319 (Bluffs of Nancy Creek). Great selection of home furnishings, designer clothes, etc.
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22 | Public Safety
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Court, police zone reform among crime-fighting ideas Continued from page 1 catching a lot of suspects. But judges often let the suspects out immediately. But either way, the sheer number of thieves heading to Buckhead quickly replaces those who are caught. “It’s delicate to put it like this,” said Shaw. “You really, really are probably in the safest police beat in the entire city.” He said “two things that are true at the same time” – Atlanta has its lowest crime rate in about a half-century, but the rates are up in Zone 2 and Downtown. In Buckhead, Shaw said, the uptick is mostly property crime. He said car breakins have become a top form of thievery “because people leave guns and keys and cash and $3,000 purses.” Shaw wasn’t pulling the idea of expensive purses out of thin air. “We found out that they take some of those purses to highend consignment sales,” he said. “We’ve had [criminals] tell us they can make five or six thousand dollars a week coming up here.” Whatever the type of crime, many residents have voiced fears in meetings and Facebook groups for over 18 months. “We’re all frightened,” one woman told Shaw at the NPU-A meeting. The Buckhead Council of Neighborhoods was scheduled to focus its March meeting on the crime issue, according to chair Mary Norwood, who sent the mayor and City Council a letter in January calling for more crime-fighting action. “We can’t allow these random acts of damage and violence,” Norwood said in an interview. “’Brazen’ and ‘random’ – those are two words when you put them together with ‘crime,’ that’s frightening.” Shaw appeared at the January BCN meeting, where he said police staffing levels would be helped by a recent significant pay increase approved by Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms and the City Council. He has other solutions in mind, too, including reforming the way Fulton County judg-
es bond out some defendants and a proposal to shrink Zone 2’s boundaries.
Judge-watching
Local discontent with Fulton County judges has simmered since last summer’s murder and robbery at the Capital City country club. In that case, a 17-year-old suspect was on the streets from a previous armed robbery conviction due to a controversial private probation order from Superior Court Judge Doris Downs. More recently, residents and officials have complained about Fulton judges letting defendants free immediately without full knowledge of their criminal records – though the nature of the complaints vary. Shaw voiced concern about the use of “signature bonds,” which is a pledge to show up for trial without any deposit. City Councilmember J.P. Matzigkeit of Buckhead’s District 8 recently wrote in his newsletter about a 17-year-old defendant getting out on a cash bond of $30,000, but without the judge knowing he was wanted on active warrants and a suspect in other active cases. Taryn Chilivis Bowman, a local business owner and sometime political candidate, says that such apparently routine signature bonds are “a slap in the face to our whole police force and the citizens of Atlanta.” Bowman is starting up a “Fulton County Judicial Accountability Task Force” to educate residents about the court system and pay attention to how judges decide particular cases. Nicknamed “Adopt a Judge” by Norwood, the program right now is a basic sign-up sheet where a resident agrees to follow a particular judge in any Fulton court, learn about their background, show up in their courtrooms, and find out when they are up for election or who appointed them. “Everybody is picking a judge and we’re really going to watch them,” says Bowman. “We’re letting them know we’re there and
we’re watching… We’re trying to help the good judges do what they need to do and get the bad judges out.” Her effort is largely organized through such private crime-fighting Facebook groups as Concerned Citizens United, which held a large meeting last year about Judge Downs’ decision. She says the group has identified about 65 judges and as of late February had 22 residents signed up to watch one. Bowman ran unsuccessfully last year as a Republican for Buckhead’s House District 40 seat, a race eventually won by Democrat Erick Allen. Bowman said she would still like to hold that office, but added, “I probably won’t run again.” Political ambition is not behind her judge-watching, she said. Fulton County government has its own court liaison program, called Citizen CourtWatch, but several leaders of local Facebook crime-fighting groups have said it’s of little or no use. Norwood said she hopes Robb Pitts, the chair of the Fulton County Commission and a Buckhead resident, will take the lead on arranging some meetings with judges. Pitts did not respond to questions. Matzkeit wrote that he and City Councilmember Matt Westmoreland recently met with Fulton Superior Court Chief Judge Robert C.I. McBurney and Chief Magistrate Judge Cassandra Kirk to discuss the issues. He said the discussion of judges lacking full information about defendants during a bond decision “illuminates a potential opportunity to fix a crack in the system.” Norwood called for more “appropriate” sentencing of young offenders to keep them out of gangs and longer prison terms. “We could not be more effectively harming lives and destroying lives of young people in our city if we don’t get the appropriate – and the key word is ‘appropriate’ – consequences for young [offenders],” she said.
Redrawing Zone 2
Zone 2 is the Atlanta Police Department’s geographically biggest zone, which is a factor in its crime rate, though Norwood and Shaw have indicated the rate is out of proportion. Shaw recently has touted a plan to redraw the zone by removing the Cheshire Bridge Road and Howell Mill Road areas, which produce more regular calls, while keeping the same number of officers. While that looks like a quick way to lower Zone 2 crime rates, Shaw has said it will allow officers to focus on better patrolling residential Buckhead. Zone 2 is “way too big, way too many calls for service,” Shaw said. The police department has not responded to questions about the zone redrawing. Shaw said in an interview that the plan is still a draft stage following a Georgia Tech study. “It’s not a done deal,” he said, but is being presented individually and privately to City Council members for review, with “zero objections” so far. Buckhead-area Councilmembers Matzigkeit and Howard Shook said they support the plan. “I’ve seen a draft, which I love,” said Shook, who represents Council District 7. “No [Zone 2] manpower reduction, but it loses two problematic beats. Given the heightened concerns about Buckhead crime, I’ve urged the chief to implement it ASAP.” “I strongly support APD’s work to shrink Zone 2, which is the largest police zone in the city,” said Matzigkeit. “While Zone 2 will decrease in size, we will not lose any officers and all of District 8 will remain in Zone 2. The beat realignment is one part of a larger effort to reduce crime in Buckhead.” Shaw said there is not a specific timeline for unveiling the zone redrawing plan, but that he expects it “very, very soon.”
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MARCH 2019 ■ www.ReporterNewspapers.net
Police Blotter / Buckhead The following information, involving events that took place in Buckhead Feb. 7 through Feb. 21, was provided to the Buckhead Reporter by the Zone 2 precinct of the Atlanta Police Department from its open data records.
AGGRAVATED ASSAULT 400 block of Armour Drive — Feb. 8 3300 block of Lenox Road — Feb. 8 300 block of Peachtree Hills Avenue —
Feb. 15
3100 block of Piedmont Road — Feb. 17 2600 block of Piedmont Road — Feb. 18 Burglary-Residence
900 block of Huff Road — Feb. 11
3500 block of Piedmont Road — Feb. 20
2100 block of Piedmont Road — Feb. 18
400 block of Bishop Street — Feb. 11
3400 block of Kingsboro Road — Feb. 20
3300 block of Peachtree Road — Feb. 19
2300 block of Parkland Drive — Feb. 13 2400 block of Cheshire Bridge Road —
BURGLARYNON-RESIDENCE
ROBBERY
Feb. 13
2100 block of Hollywood Road — Feb. 7
3700 block of Vermont Road — Feb. 15
2100 block of Piedmont Road — Feb. 8
1100 block of LaVista Road — Feb. 16
3400 block of Lenox Road — Feb. 8
2400 block of Cheshire Bridge Road —
200 block of Armour Drive — Feb. 9
Feb. 16
1300 block of Wesley Place — Feb. 7
LARCENY Between Feb. 7 and Feb. 21 there were
78 larcenies from vehicles reported across Zone 2 and 58 reported cases of larceny and shoplifting.
2100 block of Defoors Ferry Road — Feb. 9
3400 block of Valley Road — Feb. 17
2900 block of Peachtree Road — Feb. 13
2300 block of Piedmont Road — Feb. 18
3200 block of Peachtree Road — Feb. 17
AUTO THEFT Between Feb. 7 and Feb. 21, there were 24
reported incidents of auto theft.
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FROM POTTERY TO SCARVES, LOCAL ARTISTS FEATURED IN AMERICAN CRAFT SHOW PAGE 26
Dunwoody Brookhaven Buckhead
SECTION TWO
SPECIAL AD SECTION ■ PAGES 32-38
A TV comedy pioneer joins a movie theater’s new era BY DYANA BAGBY dyanabagby@reporternewspapers.net
Bill Tush became one of Atlanta’s beloved cult personalities in the 1970s with a late-night newscast that became the prototype for such shows as “The Daily Show” and launched the careers of such comedy stars as Jan Hooks. Tush (the name rhymes with “rush”) now is a manager at Springs Cinema & Taphouse in Sandy Springs, where he helped usher in a complete transformation of the former Lefont art house theater. Luxury, heated recliners have replaced beaten up and stained traditional movie seating. A
full bar with a wide selection of craft beer and menu items including chicken fingers have replaced a lonely hot dog warmer. The popcorn, candy and sodas remain, although with a wider variety. Working at a movie theater is a natural choice for employment in his “twilight years,” he says. His love of movies dates back to his childhood when he would charge neighborhood kids to watch 8mm films in the backyard of his Pittsburgh home, even serving up popcorn. “I think I watched too much ‘Little Rascals.’ They were always trying to start a business,” he says. The changes made by Brandt Gully, who
purchased the theater from George Lefont, are perhaps life-changing for people who want to go out for a movie experience but retain the comfort sitting in their living rooms, Tush says. “You can’t just show a movie anymore,” he said.
Bill Tush, who garnered cult figure status on Ted Turner’s fledgling local TV station in the 1970s, is now a manager at Springs Cinema & Taphouse. PHOTO BY DYANA BAGBY
Cult figure status
Before there was an art house theater, though, there was WTCG Channel 17, a local station purchased by Ted Turner. Tush got a job in the 1970s at the new station, where he became a jack-of-all-trades and Turner’s “yes man” and loyal “pal.” Turner filled his new station’s airwaves in the mid-1970s with Atlanta Braves ball-
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games and old sitcoms like “Gilligan’s Island” and Bugs Bunny cartoons. During the weekends on Channel 17, Tush’s love for movies was put to use as the host for film broadcasts ranging from Academy Award-winners like “Giant” star-
READ MORE PAGE 30
2 6 | Art & Entertainment
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From pottery to scarves, local artists featured in American Craft Show BY JUDITH SCHONBAK Lora Rust, a native Atlantan, grew up in a Buckhead home filled with beautiful original pottery. But is was not just for show. “We had many special pieces that we used every day, for the sheer enjoyment of touching them instead of just looking at them.” That enjoyment never faded, and it is the heart of her ceramics. She creates distinctive functional works -- bowls, vases, mugs and tumblers -- with lush, fluid surfaces that “beg to be touched,” she said. Rust is one of more than 230 artists showcasing their work in the prestigious American Craft Show in 2019, scheduled for March 15-17 at Cobb Galleria Centre. It is celebrating its 30th consecutive year in Atlanta. One of the largest juried fine craft shows in the Southeast, it features top contemporary craft artists nationwide in handmade ceramics, fine jewelry, textiles, wood work, apparel, home décor and furniture. Felting artist Debra Kidd is also among the 32 artists from Georgia this year. It is her fourth appearance in the annual craft show in Atlanta. Her Brookhaven studio is stacked with bins of yarns and fabrics in many colors from suppliers around the globe, rolls of bubble wrap and a stash of shortened swimming pool noodles. The space is dominated by two long tables – the stage where she creates her signature scarves and other wearable art. Kidd said she is pleased to return to the American Craft Show. “It has such high-quality artists and I like the energy of the people who come. They are so interested in the crafts and are art-savvy.”
An ‘aha moment’ in pottery
Rust first put her hand to a pottery wheel in high school, when she opted for pottery for her required art course. The experience with the wheel stayed with her. After graduating from Tulane University, she took a job with a fast-growing young company and ultimately became
Top, Debra Kidd in her studio. Above, Lora Rust at work. Above left, One of Lora Rust’s artworks. Left, a scarf created by Kidd.
SPECIAL
the head of human resources. Some years later, married and with two thenteenage girls with busy school and gymnastic schedules, she left the corporate world to be a full-time mom. With more time for herself, she took the opportunity to tap into her creative side and enrolled in a pottery course at Callanwolde Fine Arts Center. She found her passion in ceramics. Rust studied for four years under Glenn Dair, former director, now retired, of Callanwolde’s acclaimed pottery department, who shares her studio space. She entered a two-year internship in pottery at the arts center where she developed her signature style. She had an “aha” moment that led to that style. While using the end of a ruler to make a design in a mug, the tool slipped and bunched up the clay. It was a fortuitous mistake. It gave the design texture and depth, she said. When she starts creating the design by pushing the surface of the clay on the form, she calls it “loralizing.” Her pieces have an Art Nouveau design. “I was drawn to that type of design before I knew it had a name,” she said. “I love its fluidity.” She is also influenced by designs and patterns found in Gothic architecture, from her days as a choirgirl, staring at the architecture in cathedrals, notably the Cathedral of St. Philip’s in Buckhead, she recalled. She is inspired, too, by the fall and drape of textiles and fashion design. They provide movement to the texture on the clay form. Rust has created her own tools that each make a special design element in
Art & Entertainment | 27
MARCH 2019 ■ www.ReporterNewspapers.net the clay and she has borrowed shapes for tools like a bear’s leg puzzle piece and an oar for a pirate ship puzzle, among others. She recently developed a basic set of tools that went on the market in February this year. Using fine white porcelain clay, Rust throws her pieces on the wheel in her studio in the Zonolite complex in Atlanta. Once they are set to what is called “leather hard,” she begins pushing the design into the clay. When she has pieces ready, she packs them up for a trip to her soda kiln in Blue Ridge, Ga., where she and her husband have a second home. Science and chemistry meld with artistry to create certain glazes and colors on all the pieces. It’s a complex process that requires careful placement in the kiln; the use of just the right amount of glazing chemicals – her favorite is copper; the proper spraying in the kiln with a mixture of water, baking soda and soda ash; proper venting and, of course, temperature. The sodium vapors glaze the exterior of each piece. She is always experimenting and recently began looking beyond her functional vessels to create decorative wall pieces. “I want to keep on going,” Rust said, “and be a very old lady potter.” She has been teaching at Callanwolde for 10 years and holds workshops nationwide. This is her fifth year in the American Craft Show in Atlanta. “I love being a local artist and connecting directly with customers. The Atlanta show is a big draw,” she said, “and it is an opportunity to meet other artists as well as to connect with potential art centers, galleries and workshops.”
Show are light in weight, airy, colorful and rich in texture. Kidd is an architect with a boutique firm in the Old Fourth Ward. She works every day with glass, steel and concrete and exact measurements. “The softness and freedom of felting is a totally different experience and a kind of escape,” she said. She discovered felting by way of a gift of a felted scarf from her sister and, she said, “I became obsessed with how to do it.” When the last recession hit the architectural community hard, Kidd was temporarily laid off. The silver lining was that she had time to pursue her obsession. Through experimentation, she taught herself the art of felting. She continues to experiment to discover new effects. The obsession is alive and well, and she has gone on to teach workshops in felting and win awards as a fiber artist. Felting is an ancient process that has been used around the world for millennia. There is dry and wet felting. Kidd does both, but wet felting is her specialty. She lays out carded or combed and hand-dyed wool fibers -- choosing among alpaca, merino, cashmere, angora, mohair, yak and more -- on top of a length of fine natural fabric like silk or chiffon. Bubble wrap protects her work tables in this wet art form. With a practiced eye for color and de-
The freedom of felting
For many of us, the word felting may suggest a wool fabric in jackets and hats, and Kidd has created those, but her scarves featured at the American Craft
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sign and an intimate knowledge of fibers, she is in her element. For design, she adds other fibers, like silk, ribbons or mixed fibers of various thicknesses. She then sprays the piece with warm soapy water that shrinks the fibers. A 10-foot length of silk can shrink to 6 feet long. “Wool is the glue that holds it all together. It is a living fiber that entangles
and migrates through the layers,” she says. “Agitation -- rolling the assembled piece with a plastic-covered noodle -- and compression cause the fibers to hook together and make a single piece of fabric.” It’s a long process that can involve hours to lay out and hours of rolling. “Good for the arm muscles,” she said with a laugh.
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Q&A with Clint Harp How Dunwoody shaped a famous TV woodworker
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For those who believe there are no coincidences in life, we give you Dunwoody’s Clint Harp and two occasions when his life took a fortuitous turn. You might know about the first one, when Harp bumped into Chip Gaines at a gas station in Waco, Texas, seven years ago. At the time, Harp was broke and trying to make a go of his passion for custom furniture-making. One thing led to another, and within months the woodworker and Chip and Joanna Gaines were filming a pilot for “Fixer Upper,” which became a hit show for HGTV, airing for five years. You probably don’t know about the second one, which happened way back when Harp was a teenager and part of a youth group at Dunwoody Baptist Church. Allen Jackson — then the church’s youth minister, now its senior pastor — had a soft spot for Harp, and both of them were part of the church’s mission trip to inner-city New Orleans. “Somehow, we ended up at Café Du Monde together,” Harp recalls of the trip. “As we talked, he said, ‘Clint, there’s three types of people: those who make things happen, those who watch things happen and those who wonder what just happened.’ And he also said, ‘Your integrity is the most important thing about you.’ “Those words of wisdom define me today. I’m a person of integrity, and I’m one who makes things happen.” Harp’s ability to make things happen — by making things — has resulted in a measure of national
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Art & Entertainment | 29
MARCH 2019 ■ www.ReporterNewspapers.net fame and will bring him to the 41st annual Atlanta Home Show for speaking appearances on March 22 and 23 at the Cobb Galleria Centre. (For more information, go to AtlantaHomeShow.com.) None of Harp’s success — he’s also the author of a book, “Handcrafted: A Woodworker’s Story” — comes as a surprise to Jackson, who says he remembers a boy earnestly “trying to figure out his family” in the wake of his parents’ divorce. “He was in the process of deciding to live a life of integrity, no matter where his journey took him,” Jackson says. “I remember picking him up so that he could be at church on Wednesday nights. I remember him being easy for everybody to like. He was friends with everybody. “Clint is such a good, good guy. He was authentic then, just like he is now.” We explored Harp’s Georgia days with him in a recent phone interview.
Q: How does Dunwoody fit into
your life story? A: I’ll always consider Dunwoody
home. I was born at Piedmont Hospital in 1977, and in about 1980 I moved with my mom and stepdad to Asheville, North Carolina. For about eight years, I spent every other weekend back in Atlanta with my dad. At age 11, I moved back to Atlanta. I went to Woodland Elementary School, Ridgeview Middle School, Peachtree Junior High School and Dunwoody High School, graduating in 1996.
Q: What are some of your favorite memories of those days? A: One of the best memories is the
time I spent with my family on my dad’s side in the Paces Ferry and Vinings area. My granddad on my mom’s side, I got my genes for building from him. He built a house off Spalding Drive on the Chattahoochee River. I was constantly canoeing on the river and playing on a rope swing and hanging out on the sandbars. There
were peacocks walking around the yard. My grandmother, Ann Callaway Martin, worked for President Carter at his library and knew the Carter family.
Q: What’s the first thing you ever built? A: In shop class in the ninth grade, I built a trashcan out of pine for my mom.
Q: When you speak to an audience, as you will at the Atlanta Home Show, is there a message that you try to leave with them? A: I try to tell a story. I believe that as
we share, we find that we have a lot in common. Everyone has themes in their life, and family struggle was a theme in mine. But people stepped up in my life, as well. I’m where I am because of all the things that happened in my life. I’ve used all of it to get to where I am today. I was married with two kids when I quit a six-figure job (in medical sales) to go for
my dream. We went for it. I chose years ago to make something happen with no promise of anything. I never would have met Chip Gaines if I hadn’t been going for it.
Q: What are the Gaineses like? A: Joanna is just as talented as you
think she is. She’s the real deal, insanely gifted and a great person. Chip is just as funny in person [as he is on TV]. You want to have barbecue and a beer with him. He has an energy that attracts people to him.
Q: What are your thoughts about coming back to Atlanta for the show? A: I’ve wanted to do the Atlanta Home
Show for a long, long time. I told them, “I don’t care what date it is, put me down for it!”
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A TV comedy pioneer joins a movie theater’s new era Continued from page 1 ring James Dean and Rock Hudson to Hollywood classics like 1935’s comedy “Ruggles of Red Gap” starring Charles Laughten, who went on to star as Quasimodo in 1939’s “Hunchback of Notre Dame.” “We ran the gamut … it’s like what TCM [Turner Classic Movies] does now,” Tush says. Tush also started hosting a 3 a.m. newscast on Channel 17, where he and a few crew members incorporated silly skits into a regular reading of events of the day. There was the episode where Tush was literally dragged off the set by a “kidnapper” as part of a sketch highlighting news of diplomats being kidnapped around the globe, he said. “There was fake panic from the crew,” Tush remembers as he actually screamed while being forcefully removed from behind his news desk. Then there was the addition of a new, award-winning weatherman from Cleveland, Ohio. Tush and his crew promoted his start date for a week. On the day the new weatherman started, Tush said, he grabbed an older announcer who worked elsewhere in the station, positioned him in front of a weather map, and gave him his cue that he was on the air. The star weatherman introduced himself, then grabbed his chest as part of the gag and died on air, creating another fake panic on set. “That was the joke!” Tush laughed. Nothing was written down other than the weatherman would die on air after a week of anticipation, he said. Late-night viewers were instantly amused and Tush achieved a cult following of fans captivated by this new niche entertainment. The success led him to becoming a face of Turner’s media empire during its fledgling years. He still receives an invitation to Turner’s birthday bash every year. Tush’s 1970s newscasts are considered by many TV pundits as a pioneer in late-night TV. In 2002, renowned Associ-
Bill Tush, in rear, with Jan Hooks, at left, and the rest of the crew of the sketch comedy show “Tush” that aired on what is now TBS in 1980-81. The show helped launch Hooks’ career, including on “Saturday Night Live.” SPECIAL
ated Press TV writer Frazier Moore wrote of Channel 17 and Tush’s brand of humor, “Here, a quarter-century ago, was Comedy Central’s ‘The Daily Show’ stripped down to raw abandon, on zero bucks.” “People always say it was ‘The Daily Show’ before ‘The Daily Show.’ But it wasn’t,” says Tush with a headshake. “It was a crazy, all ad-libbed, [a] whatever goes, goes show. There were no writers, no scripts.” Tush says he still writes jokes and humorous musings on one of his six typewriters in his Atlanta apartment. He keeps the pages and pages of ideas, with nowhere yet to go, in boxes of stationery paper he finds at Goodwill stores. The success of his newscasts led Turner to give Tush his own one-hour sketch comedy show aptly named, “Tush.” The one-hour show aired from 1980-81 on what is now the multichannel TBS network. The show helped launch Hooks’ career, as well as the careers of writers Bonnie and Terry Turner, who went on to
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create such massive hit sitcoms as “3rd Rock from the Sun” and “That ’70s Show.” Hooks was a master of many personalities, Tush says. On “Tush,” her character Tammy Jean pleaded in a sugary sweet Southern accent for viewers to donate money to save humanity from the evils of hang gliders. She sang the song “I’m Commercial,” a satire of Helen Reddy’s “I Am Woman,” with the chorus, “I’m inane, I’m an imbecile, I’m commercial.” She played Tootsie Plunkette, the diva of the popular “Captain Space” skit, where Tush and others wore weight loss sauna suits as uniforms and oversized water bottles as helmets. Sometimes Tammy Jean was so convincing, people would send in $4 or $5, he said. Back then, that was enough for a lunch. “She was the star of the show,” Tush said of Hooks. During a recent afternoon in the Springs Cinema lobby, Tush, 70, took out his cellphone and nervously played the last
message Hooks left him, the date stamp showing March 2014. Hooks died Oct. 9, 2014, at age 57, of throat cancer. “I’m deathly afraid of erasing this darned thing,” Tush said, visibly frustrated as he taps his phone’s screen. After a few seconds, “Biiiilllll!” in Hooks’ familiar voice, although a bit scratchy, finally played. “It’s Jan. You’re probably away across the ocean, but, um, I haven’t talked to you in a while and I just wanted to check in … and I’ve been thinking about you,” she says. “I hope all is well. OK. Bye.” “I don’t know what to do with this,” he says of the message, which came when he was working in Nigeria as a consultant for a new TV network. “When I came back, she was already dead ... and I had this message.” When “Tush” was axed after one season, Turner landed Tush a job as host of a new entertainment show, “People Now,” on CNN. The new gig meant packing up and moving from Atlanta to Los Angeles. Tush and Hooks were roommates along with a former “Tush” writer; all three decided to take their chances and head to Hollywood together. “She’s out there, doing her thing, getting nowhere. Then [“People Now”] is canceled, and I’m left drifting,” he says. “She’s struggling. And she’d call me and say, ‘I can’t take it anymore. I’m calling you to tell you I’m killing myself. “I’d say, don’t do it! And meet me at Alan Hale’s Lobster Barrel,” he says of what became a tradition for the duo. The two would meet at the small restau-
Art & Entertainment | 31
MARCH 2019 ■ www.ReporterNewspapers.net rant where Hale, the skipper from “Gilligan’s Island,” would come out every night at 6 p.m. and make an appearance. “And we’d go there and drink and laugh,” Tush says with a smile. “And a week later, I’d call Jan and say the same thing, and we’d meet again.” Tush then got a gig at CNN’s “Showbiz Today” in New York City and Hooks called a few months later to say she was coming to New York to do “Saturday Night Live.”
She also went on to do “Designing Women” and also “3rd Rock from the Sun,” a show created by former “Tush” writers Bonnie and Terry Turner. “So, we went from Atlanta to L.A. to New York together. We were always together,” he says. “We’d call each other four times a week to talk about stupid things. And then I go to Nigeria and she gets sick.” Hooks was a heavy smoker and Tush said he later learned she smoked right up
to the end, removing her oxygen mask to take a drag and to drink her wine. “We always had this running gag where she’d go, ‘Biiiillllll!’ he said. “We had so many crazy fun times together.” A few months ago, another close friend and “Tush” alum, Bob Gillies, died. Gillies had starred in “Rowan & Martin’s Laugh In” in 1967 before becoming teaming up with Tush and Hooks. Gillies is now in an urn on a shelf in
Tush’s apartment. Tush said he’s not sure what he’s going to do with him. Sneaking his ashes on an upcoming trip to London on the Queen Mary luxury cruise ship and dumping them into the ocean may be a good idea, he says. “He’d like that,” Tush says. “He’s got nowhere to go. Like me, I’ve got nowhere to go. Throw me over the side.”
Springs Cinema & Taphouse renovation gets rave reviews BY DYANA BAGBY dyanabagby@reporternewspapers.net
At a Feb. 7 VIP reception, more than 100 people gathered to see for the first time the extensive renovations to Springs Cinema & Taphouse movie theater, formerly the Lefont. Plenty of “oohs” and “ahs” were expressed at everything from the new rug in the lobby area, the tasty food, bartenders slinging cocktails and such details as movie reel fixtures throughout the lobby. Attendees were able to catch a free screening of now Best Picture Oscar-winner “Green Book” while checking out seats that heat up or extend into recliners with a push of a button. “This theater is important to Sandy Springs,” said Howard Mavity at the reception. As a 16-year city resident, he said he watched movies at the theater when it was operated by George Lefont and plans to attend even more screenings at its sequel under the helm of new owner Brandt Gully. “I loved George, but it was time,” Mavity said. “What’s [Gully] has done is very unique. It’s a home run. This place has been embraced by the city.” A full bar where people can grab a Jack and Coke and watch a basketball game, a venue where nonprofit organizations can hold fundraisers, and even a place where a pre-teens can have celebrate birthdays and play “Fortnite” on the big screen – these are all now available at what Gully says is “different than your typical chain movie theater.” But make no mistake, movies – art films, foreign films, blockbusters -- are the top priorities, he said. “First and foremost, this is a movie theater,” Gully said, “and it is when people come to the movies that they discover what else we have.” Gully purchased the theater in 2017 from Lefont, who retired after a career that spanned more than 40 years of making Atlanta movie history as the owner of the Silver Screen in Buckhead; the landmark Plaza Theatre, still Atlanta’s oldest continuously operating theater; the Screening Room; and the Garden Hills Cinema. The theater is located in the Parkside Shops shopping center at 5920 Roswell Road, in the rear facing Sandy Springs Circle. Gully is no amateur when it comes to running a movie theater. For years he’s worked in securing funding for construction and renovation of movie theaters and other entertainment venues, including at the large corporation GE Capital, and working with such major chains as AMC and General Cinemas. In 2009, he started his own business,
EFA Partners, to help venues broker funding. Among local companies he has worked with are the CineBistro at Town Brookhaven theater and the Topgolf golf-oriented entertainment complexes. Lefont gave him an office at his theater about three years ago and Gully said he fell in love with the place and in love with the loyal customers. But the movie theater was falling into serious disrepair. Dirt and muck caked the floors, hot dogs sold from behind the register came with buns that were hard as a rock, and over the summer the air conditioning units went out in two theaters. Gully wanted to take his experience and transform the theater he knew was important to the community. “I think the location is fantastic for an entertainment venue ... and there’s tons of exciting growth in the area,” Gully said. For more information, see springscinema.com
Springs Cinema & Taphouse boasts new luxury recliners as seating in the renovated movie theater.
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CAM
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Horse Lovers Summer Camp Chastain Horse Park - convenient Buckhead location! Boys and girls ages 4-8 – Mon-Fri 8am-1pm Many weeks to choose from during Summer 2019 Camp activities for our younger riders include horsemanship instruction (grooming, safety and more), riding lessons, crafts and games! Contact us at (404) 252-4244 ext.1001 or camps@chastainhorsepark.org. More information regarding summer schedule dates and registration form can be found at chastainhorsepark.org, select Riding Services, then select Summer Camp!
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BROOKHAVEN
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Thursday, March 7 through Saturday, March 9, 7 p.m. A satirical musical about a world where a corporation controls restrooms, performed by Chamblee OnStage students. Chamblee Charter High School Auditorium, 3688 Chamblee-Dunwoody Road Chamblee. Tickets $10. Info: cchsurinetown.bpt.me.
XANADU, JR.
Thursday, March 7 through Sunday, March 17 Jerry’s Habima Theatre, Georgia’s only theatrical company featuring actors with special needs, presents a musical about a Greek Muse coming to California. Morris & Rae Frank Theatre, Marcus Jewish Community Center of Atlanta, 5342 Tilly Mill Road, Dunwoody. Members: $25, Non-members: $35. Info: 678-812-4002, or visit online at atlantajcc.org/habima.
SOUTH PACIFIC
Thursday, March 8 through Sunday March 17 Directed and choreographed by Tony Award Recipient Baayork Lee, the 10-time Tony
H I G H
•
DUNWOODY
•
SANDY SPRINGS
Award winning musical comes to Sandy Springs. Set on a tropical island during World War II, the Rodgers and Hammerstein classic tells a story about love transcending the harsh realities of war and prejudice. Presented by City Springs Theatre Company. Byers Theatre, Sandy Springs Performing Arts Center, 1 Galambos Way, Sandy Springs. $30-$62, Info: citysprings.com.
POETRY OUT LOUD
Sunday, March 17, 1 p.m. A high school poetry competition incorporating the dynamic aspects of slam poetry, spoken word, and theater into the English and drama class. The Georgia winner competes at the National Finals in Washington, D.C. Atlanta History Center, 130 West Paces Ferry Road, Buckhead. Free. Info: atlantahistorycenter. com.
ANASTASIA AND PETER PAN
Saturday, March 23 and Sunday, March 24 Roswell Dance Theatre and Atlanta Dance Theatre present “Anastasia, Once Upon a December” and “Peter Pan, Pirates and Pixie Dust.” Byers Theatre, Sandy Springs Performing Arts Center, 1 Galambos Way, Sandy Springs. $20-$28, Info: citysprings.com
HIGH MUSEUM OF ART ATLANTA | HIGH.ORG
Enjoy free admission and special programs on the second Sunday of each month.
Designed for little kids, big kids, and the whole family, Second Sundays are for everyone. Visit us each month and experience new interactive, innovative family activities inspired by our collections and ever-changing exhibitions. Second Sundays are sponsored by the Lettie Pate Evans Foundation.
Art & Entertainment | 39
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ARIEL RIVKA DANCE COMPANY
Saturday, March 23, 8 p.m.; Sunday, March 24, 5 pm The all-female contemporary group based in New York/New Jersey uses emotional movement, precise technique and harmonized collaboration in their critically acclaimed performances. MJCCA – Zaban Park, 5342 Tilly Mill Road, Dunwoody. Members: adults $25, children $15; Non-members: adults $36, children $20 Info: atlantajcc.org/arielrivka.
MUSYKA, MUSIQUE, MUSICA, MUZIK, MUSIC
Sunday, March 24, 4 p.m. The Atlanta Concert Band and Synagogue Ahavath Achim is present a concert of influences on the American sound. Synagogue Ahavath Achim, 600 Peachtree Battle Avenue, Atlanta. Free. Info: atlantaconcertband.org.
LISTEN: WORKS BY WOMEN
Sunday, March 24, 4 p.m. A special chamber performance by Atlanta Symphony Orchestra musicians honors Women’s History Month and International Women’s Day with chamber music written by women. Skylight Gallery, Oglethorpe University Museum of Art, Lowry Hall, 3rd Floor, 4484 Peachtree Road NE, Brookhaven. Free. Info: connect.oglethorpe.edu.
VISUAL ARTS SEVEN POINTS OF VIEW
Saturday, March 9, 6-8 p.m., through April 17 An exhibition of paintings by the collective “Seven Points of View,” based at the Chastain Arts Center, featuring works from Claudia Earnest, Brenda Hinton, Cindy James, Margot Longreen, Helen McSwain, Twinkle Nelson, Sheryl Pressler, Sallie Ritter Smith and Kay Summers. Gallery 4945, Highpoint Episcopal Community Church, 4945 High Point Road, Sandy Springs. Info: gallery4945.weebly.com or Clara Blalock at 404-434-9606.
LEARN SOMETHING
EXPLORING MARS
Thursday, March 14, 8 p.m. National Geographic Live hosts NASA mechanical engineer Kobie Boykins, a supervisor of the mobility and remote sensing teams for the rover Curiosity and winner of a NASA Exceptional Service Medal. Studio Theatre, Sandy Springs Performing Arts Center, 1 Galambos Way, Sandy Springs. $35. Info: citysprings.com.
SWARM SCIENCE: HOW HONEYBEES MAKE DECISIONS
Saturday, March 16 and Sunday March 17, 10 a.m. Is it really true that the queen bee calls the shots? How do honeybees communicate and make the best decision for the hive community? Come for a fascinating close-up look at the latest honeybee research, complete with hive observations, a honey tasting, and an outdoor experience part of the Atlanta Science Festival. Blue Heron Nature Preserve Field Research Center, 3931 Land O’Lakes Drive, Buckhead. $12. Info: atlantasciencefestival.org
FESTIVALS ATLANTA JEWISH MUSIC FESTIVAL
Thursday, March 7 through Saturday, March 16 The Atlanta Jewish Music Festival shares and celebrates Jewish heritage through music and artist experiences, this year featuring Grammy-winning artists, up-and-coming bands and history presentations on the theme of “Jewish Contributions to American Music.” Performers include Bill Charlap Trio (March 7, Atlanta History Center) and soul-pop band Lawrence (March 9, Vinyl @ Center Stage). Various locations and prices. Info: atlantajmf.org.
WHAT’S ON THE DARK WEB?
Tuesday, March 12, 11:30 a.m. - 1 p.m. At the Sandy Springs Perimeter Chamber Signature Luncheon, Dr. Donald Hunt, a cybersecurity expert and former National Security Agency and FBI consultant, will bring the “dark web” of unlisted internet sites to life and chat about how criminals operate. Westin Atlanta Perimeter North, 7 Concourse Parkway, Sandy Springs. Members: $40, nonmembers: $45. Info: business.sandyspringsperimeterchamber.com.
THE ASTROBIOLOGY OF STAR WARS
Wednesday, March 13, 5-7 p.m. Gather for this all-ages Star Wars adventure, where Professor Jay Dunn and Dr. Jessica Parilla will lead a discussion on how the worlds and aliens of the “Star Wars” films compare to known planets and life in our solar system and beyond. Part of the Atlanta Science Festival. Georgia State University Perimeter College, Dunwoody Campus, Building NC, Room 1100, 2101 Womack Road, Dunwoody. Free. Info: atlantasciencefestival.org.
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MADAME FOURCADE’S SECRET WAR
Monday, March 11, 8 p.m. Author Lynne Olson discusses her book about the leader of a Resistance intelligence organization, during World War II. Atlanta History Center, 130 West Paces Ferry Road, Buckhead. Members $5; non-members $10. Info: atlantahistorycenter.org or 404-814-4150.
PCCATL.net
Meet our New Buckhead Doctors
Primary Care Doctors with Urgent Care Hours ■ Primary Care ■ Urgent Care ■ Men’s Health ■ Women’s Health
Joshua Yager, MD Family Medicine
Lindsay Young, DNP Family Medicine
■ Medical Weight Loss ■ Wellness Physical ■ Travel Medicine Most Insurance Accepted Walk-in or Schedule an Appointment
3867 Roswell Rd NE, Atlanta, GA, 30342 (1/2 mile north of Piedmont, across from Superica, formerly Perimeter Clinic Buckhead)
678-904-5611 www.allcarefamilymed.com Hours: Mon-Fri 9am - 7pm, Sat 10am - 5pm
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Experience Metro Atlanta’s Most Exciting Spring Festival Artist Market • Pet World Kidz Zone • Classic Car Show
FREE PERFORMANCES
SMASH MOUTH
The Wallflowers
March 30-31, 2019 Blackburn Park 3493 Ashford Dunwoody Rd.
SPIN DOCTORS
The ROMANTICS
Josie Dunne • The Marias • HONNA • Wesley Cook March 23 Cherry Blossom 5k
to benefit Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta 2019 Peachtree Road Race Qualifier
BrookCherryFest.org SplashFestivals.com SPONSORED BY:
Stone Mountain Park • Oglethorpe University Atlanta Braves • LeafFilter Gutter Protection MAA Post Briarcliff • Perimeter Summit • Regency Centers