Warnock visits Mechanicsville small business to talk tariffs
By DONNELL SUGGS
The smell of raw chocolate immediately hits your nose upon entering through the front door of Xocolatl Chocolate in Atlanta’s Mechanicsville neighborhood. The small business, which employs 19 people, including the owners Matt Weyandt and Elaine Read, calls the once historic all-Black neighborhood home to its factory and tasting room. Set among a cluster of low slung brick buildings, this was once home to small mechanic shops.
Small business is the foundation of Mechanicsville, and Xocolatl Chocolate is one of those small businesses that has been birthed out of a newer Mechanicsville. Small business is also the foundation of commerce in Georgia, which has over one million registered small businesses, according to data from the U.S. Small Business Administration. Tariffs on countries that produce goods being used by small businesses in Georgia can negatively affect the business ecosystem.
“99 percent of the businesses in Georgia are small businesses,” Georgia Senator Raphael Warnock said while seated next to Weyandt and Read on Tuesday morning.
“Congress could put forward a more coherent tariff policy if it chose to do so, and so far my Republican colleagues have ceded all of their power and authority to the Executive Branch.”
The first Black Senator in the history of the state dropped by Xocolatl Chocolate to speak with Weyandt, read, and their staff about how tariffs affect their bottomline. Xocolatl does business with several foreign cocoa farmers in countries such as the Dominican Republic, Peru, Uganda, and Tanzania. All of these small countries have traditionally paid tariffs in order to do business in the United States. However, effective immediately, those tariffs have grown as high as 15% in some cases. In the case of Nicarauga, that tariff is now nearly 20%.
Warnock believes the Trump administration’s negligence in regard to the tariffs, calling it a “reckless and unorganized tariff program” is hurting small businesses in Georgia.
“There’s a tendency to look at big corporations, and certainly they play a role in our economy, but small businesses really are the lifeblood of the Georgia economy,” Warnock told The Atlanta Voice. “Businesses like this, they don’t have a lot of margin. They are not sitting on a large amount of capital that they can wait to see what’s on the other slide of a 90-day pause.”
The 90-day pause on tariffs, which originally was scheduled to end in July for many countries, and on August 14 for China, was extended. For many small businesses like Xocolatl Chocolate, it’s been a waiting game. An expensive waiting game, according to Weyandt and Read.
“It’s tough for us to buy products that we may not use,” Read said of the cocoa beans, sugar, and packaging equipment the company uses on a daily basis in order to fill retail and wholesale orders. During his visit to the factory, Warnock took part in some of the process of breaking down cocoa beans. He stepped up on a stool and put the beans into a big grinder, before stepping down and pouring the sugar into a large mixer. Berhane Weldegebreg, an experienced roaster and longtime employee with Xocolatl, was there to assist him. In another smaller room, Jacquell Grier, a packager at Xocolatl, carefully and skillfully wrapped the chocolate bars into the colorful paper from which they belong. Both Grier and Weldegebreg are employed at Xocolatl because the business decided to raise prices
Asked if he wanted to try taking over for Grier, Warnock immediately recognized her skills and declined.
“I can’t even wrap my Christmas gifts,” he joked. “This is a tough job, but somebody’s got to do it.”
Small businesses do not employ the majority of workers in Georgia and around the country, but for people like Grier and Weldegebreg, they allow them to use unique skillsets to feed their families. Where else will a packager get to impact a business as much as Grier does at Xocolatl?
Asked if the 90-day pause on the tariffs helped them at all, Weyandt and Read said it didn’t.
“Our cocoa prices have gone up over the years,” said Weyandt, who said the business
gets busier in the fall and winter seasons and thus has to buy more cocoa in order to accommodate the orders they have coming in. Read said Weynadt has had many sleepless nights over how much cocoa to order. Warnock’s visit will undoubtedly put a spotlight on this local business, but there are many more that are confronting the same issues as Xocolatl. What’s next for small businesses and the tariffs that they face will be up to the current administration.
Georgia Senator Raphael Warnock (above) visited Xocolatl Chocolate in Atlanta’s Mechanicsville neighborhood on Tuesday morning. Photo By Tabius H. McCoy/The Atlanta Voice
Xocolatl Chocolate, a small business in Atlanta that sources cocoa from several foreign countries, is struggling with increased tariffs that are affecting their bottom line. Photo By Tabius H. McCoy/The Atlanta Voice
Georgia Senator Raphael Warnock (above) visited Xocolatl Chocolate in Atlanta’s Mechanicsville neighborhood on Tuesday morning. Photo By Tabius H. McCoy/The Atlanta Voice
ERICA Sr. Maintenance Specialist
Voices
Invisible Red Lines: Gerrymandering and the Black Community
By DR. MUSTAFA ALI
There’s a cruel kind of magic to how power redraws a line.
Not with a gun. Not with a bomb. But with a pen. A line drawn in the dark, behind closed doors, in state houses thick with lobbyists and thin on conscience. They call it redistricting. But when that pen curves just enough to corral Black voices into silence — when that curve becomes a cage — it becomes something else entirely. Gerrymandering. And like so much of American history, it starts with a lie and ends with stolen breath.
The origins go back to 1812 — Elbridge Gerry, the Massachusetts governor who lent his name to the tactic, twisted a voting district into the shape of a salamander. But let’s not be polite and call this history a curiosity. Gerrymandering isn’t a quirky footnote. It’s a weapon. A scalpel used to cut Black communities out of political power. A scalpel that leaves scars not just on democracy, but on bodies, on bank accounts, on entire ecosystems.
Because what happens when your voice has been gerrymandered out of existence?
You don’t get a hospital.
You don’t get clean water.
You don’t get flood protection or asthma monitors or heat resilience centers.
You get the highway.
You get the landfill.
You get the smokestack, the dump, the promise of a grocery store that never comes.
In district after district, from Birmingham to Baton Rouge, Flint to Fort Worth, Black voters have been packed together or cracked apart — clustered just enough to be ignored, or split just enough to be irrelevant. The result is the same: communities stripped of their ability to shape the decisions that shape their lives.
And that has consequences.
Gerrymandering doesn’t just kill democracy. It kills people.
Let’s say you live in a majority-Black community, sliced out of political influence by district lines drawn with surgical precision. Your representative doesn’t need your vote, so they don’t need to care. And if they don’t need to care, they won’t fight for Medicaid expansion. They won’t push for clean energy investments. They won’t demand accountability for toxic waste dumped down the road from your child’s school.
So your babies breathe in diesel, your elders can’t afford insulin, and your water smells like something you shouldn’t touch, let alone drink.
The same political machinery that redlined us into underfunded neighborhoods is gerrymandering us out of the halls of power. It’s the same machinery. Different gears, same grind. We’re seeing that machinery at full throttle right now in places like Texas, where state lawmakers have launched a mid-decade redistricting effort — one not driven by population shifts, but by raw political ambition.
Under the appearance of complying with the Voting Rights Act, officials are dismantling “coalition districts” where Black and Latino voters have long joined forces to elect leaders who fight for healthcare access, environmental protections, and housing equity. These newly proposed maps — engineered behind closed doors — threaten to silence entire communities under the pretense of fairness. If passed, they would gift one party disproportionate control while leaving the most vulnerable exposed to the exact same structural harms we claim to be correcting. It’s not just about who wins elections. It’s about who gets clean air, who gets protected from floodwaters, who lives long enough to cast another vote.
And the environment? The land? The air? Gerrymandering doesn’t just redraw districts. It redraws who gets saved when the waters rise and who gets left behind to drown. When maps are manipulated to dilute Black voting power, it’s not a coincidence that climate mitigation money skips over the neighborhoods that need it most. It’s not an accident when zoning laws favor polluters. It’s by design. And when the next heat wave rolls in — like the last one, and the one before that — it will bake the same cracked sidewalks. The same redlined zones. The same gerrymandered ghosts of representation.
And people will say it’s just the weather.
But this isn’t just about weather. It’s about weathering.
Weathering the chronic stress of being unheard and unseen. The cortisol that never leaves your bloodstream because you live in a state of political invisibility. The heart disease, the premature births, the shortened life spans that come not just from poverty or pollution — but from the persistent knowledge that even your vote, even your voice, has been carved into insignificance.
We talk about policy as though it were paperwork. But it’s personal. Gerrymandering is not abstract. It is intimate. It is the reason why some neighborhoods get bike lanes and others get bus stops with no benches. Why some schools have air conditioning and others have mold. Why some communities get evacuated during wildfires, and others are simply called collateral.
If democracy is supposed to be a mirror of the people, then gerrymandering is the hand that smashes the glass and rearranges the shards into a funhouse version of truth.
But what if we stopped accepting this map as destiny?
What if we stopped treating manipulated lines as fixed boundaries and started treating them as battle cries?
The fight for fair maps is not just about politics. It’s about public health. It’s about environmental survival. It’s about the wealth that never made it past the invisible walls that gerrymandering built around Black dreams.
We need to talk about independent redistricting commissions. About the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act. About restoring Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act. But more than that, we need to understand that the lines on the map are drawn in real blood. And if we don’t fight to redraw them, they will keep redrawing us—erasing Black futures with every census.
A line drawn in silence is still a line. But a line drawn in resistance can be a road.
Let’s walk it. Let’s march it. Let’s build something better on the other side.
Dr. Mustafa Ali is a poet, thought leader, strategist, policymaker, and activist committed to justice and equity. He is the founder of The Revitalization Strategies, a business focused on moving our most vulnerable communities from “surviving to thriving.”
FOUNDED
May 11, 1966
FOUNDER/EDITOR
Ed Clayton
Immortalis Memoria
PUBLISHER/EDITOR
J. Lowell Ware
Immortalis Memoria
The Atlanta Voice honors the life of J. Lowell Ware.
PUBLISHER
Janis Ware
PRESIDENT/
GENERAL MANAGER
James A. Washington 2018-2024
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Chia Suggs csuggs@theatlantavoice.com
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Dr. Mustafa Ali breaks down what partisan gerrymandering is and how it works as a weapon against political representation and justice. Photo Credit: iStock.com/Philip S. Cardamone
Spiritually Speaking: The Power of Humility
BY JAMES A. WASHINGTON
I guess it’s all in the interpretation. I went to church intent on hearing a particular preacher, only to find him absent from the pulpit. The guest minister’s sermon on humility was a stark reminder that it’s all about the message and not necessarily the messenger. Fortunately for me, that was one of the spiritual lessons I learned from the minister who saved my life, coincidentally, the one I would hear on that Sunday. As the guest pastor was trying to clarify and explain, humility should be viewed from Philippians 2. That entire chapter is devoted to Paul’s message to the Church at Philippi regarding “imitating Christ’s humility. “As I listened, humility went from a concept of docile behavior to a fact of faith and strength of conduct. By that, I mean it was made clear that Christ chose to consider Himself at best equal to, if not lesser than, his fellow man. Remember, we’re talking about God here. He consciously chose to make himself human to serve His divine purpose. The text says, “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others
Paul teaches us that as Christians, it is our fundamental responsibility to be united to emulate Jesus’ denunciation of status, pride, ego, and self.
are better than you. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.” Now, my recollection of Christ says that a pretty good description of how He looked upon His duty is what got Him killed. I mean, isn’t it interesting that the most dangerous, therefore the most powerful and important, thing you can do in life is to care about someone else more than you care about yourself? This humility does indeed have teeth. Paul teaches us that as Christians, it is our fundamental responsibility to be united to emulate Jesus’ denunciation of status, pride, ego, and self. Surely,
if anyone had a right to be arrogant, it was the living Son of God. You try being the walking, talking Word and deliberately transform yourself into a mortal human. If you can grasp that thought, please don’t let it blow your mind because you know you couldn’t do it. Become Christ and die willingly on the cross by the hands of mere men. Fortunately, the minister clarified that Paul is not asking us to do the impossible. He lets us know that our goal is to serve men. Put a lid on what we think of ourselves and prideful independence in favor of our collective interdependence upon each other and
In Memoriam: Dr. Alyce M. Ware
By STAFF REPORT
The Atlanta community pauses to honor the life and legacy of Dr. Alyce M. Ware, the beloved wife of the late J. Lowell Ware, co-founder of The Atlanta Voice, and mother of Publisher Janis L. Ware and Dr. Rhonda Ware. A woman of extraordinary grace, compassion, and resilience, Dr. Ware devoted her life to nurturing her family, uplifting those around her, and serving as a source of wisdom and strength to all who knew her.
Education was both her calling and her gift. Ware taught in DeKalb County and Atlanta Public Schools for more than 40 years, shaping generations of students with her patience, knowledge, and care. She served as a homebound instructor, bringing education
into the homes of children who were unable to attend school, ensuring that no child’s circumstances kept them from learning.
Her own academic journey reflected her commitment to excellence. Ware attended Alabama A&M University, where she majored in English and graduated in 1951. She went on to earn a Master’s degree from Columbia University and later a Doctorate in Education from Atlanta University. Achievements that underscored both her determination and her passion for learning.
Her warmth was matched only by her unwavering faith and her lifelong commitment to community. To her children, she was a guiding light whose love shaped their paths and inspired their own leadership and
service. To friends and neighbors, she was a steady presence of kindness, generosity, and encouragement, someone whose words and actions left a lasting imprint.
Dr. Ware’s impact extends far beyond her immediate family. As the matriarch of a family devoted to truth, service, and community empowerment, her legacy of love, dignity, and perseverance will continue to live on in the many lives she touched and the institution she helped strengthen.
The Atlanta Voice family extends its deepest sympathies and prayers to Rhonda, Janis, and the entire Ware family. Dr. Alyce Ware’s memory will remain a blessing, and her spirit will continue to guide and inspire all who were fortunate to know her.
the Almighty. Christ died to save us all here in Philippi. Paul tells us that our conduct must be rooted in the following truth: out of this thing called humility, Christ saved the world. Are we better than him? Think it through. If you looked down your nose at anyone for any reason, if you truly think you’re better than anyone else, then you think you’re better than Jesus, who thought himself no better and even less than you. He died in service to us, you and me. Do something good for someone else today simply because you can. If you don’t get this… May God bless and keep you always.
This column is from James Washington’s Spiritually Speaking: Reflections for and from a New Christian. You can purchase this enlightening book on Amazon and start your journey toward spiritual enlightenment.
The Atlanta Voice
Mothers Demand Justice for Preventable Deaths in Georgia
By ISAIAH SINGLETON
Three years have passed since the tragic death of Amber Nicole Thurman, a Georgia mother. A year has passed since Candi Miller, also a mother, lost her life. Both women lost their lives due to Georgia’s extreme abortion ban.
Amber’s mother, Shannette Williams, and Candi’s sister, Turiya Tomlin-Randall, joined alongside Free&Just, community members, and local leaders for a vigil at Free & Just’s mural in Atlanta to mark the third anniversary of Amber’s passing and demand justice for all those impacted by abortion bans.
In November 2024, ProPublica reported on the preventable deaths of Amber and Candi.
Details included in reports from Georgia’s Maternal Mortality Review Committee, which investigates pregnancy-related deaths in the state, confirm both women’s deaths were preventable and the result of limited access to prompt medical care.
Williams only learned of the details of her daughter’s passing after ProPublica’s investigation surfaced previously withheld information. In response to ProPublica’s reporting, officials in Georgia dismissed all members of the state’s Maternal Mortality Review Committee, which investigates the deaths of pregnant women across the state.
Instead of working to keep Georgia women safe or addressing the state’s alarmingly high maternal mortality rate among Black women, Georgia health authorities are being called out for circling the wagons and attempting to make it more difficult to understand how and why pregnant women across Georgia are suffering poor pregnancy outcomes and even preventable deaths.
Abortion bans are killing women across the country, and instead of working to expand access to care, Trump and extremists in Congress have jammed through dangerous cuts that will strip millions of people from health care, leaving more lives at risk.
Williams also says her grief turned into a fight when she learned the truth about her daughter’s death.
“The discovery of what happened to Amber is what made my grief turn into a fight, not to harm, but an advocacy for rights,” she said.
Williams says she is at a loss for words and has mixed emotions, but it doesn’t stop the fight.
“I am just taken by the fact that I must go to the cemetery to visit my baby. Amber’s death was preventable, and the fact that I hear crickets now, considering the President and Vice President acknowledged her death was preventable. Yet, they are not doing anything to save the other women,” she said.
She adds that the Trump administration is trying to strip women of everything that could save them. Williams also says her daughter Amber was affected as other women are being affected now, and that it’s her earthly purpose, goal, and breath she takes to make sure she fights for justice for Amber and all the other women who have been affected or lost their lives.
“Bringing other women together by my strength empowers me to keep going. I don’t have a ‘give up’ bone in my body because our family has suffered a tremendous loss,” she said. “When my grandson expresses how much he misses his mom and breaks out in tears, and we cannot console him… do you know what it means to be a grandmother to go to all lengths and measures to ensure her grandchildren are happy? I can’t quit.”
She also said this is what happens when the community allows politicians to have a voice and sends a message to Georgia politicians and the Trump administration to “get the h— out of our business.”
“Can anyone tell me, as a man, what I’m going through at this point? The relationship between me and my physician has been tainted because I don’t trust them anymore, and that’s a profession I’ve been in over half my life,” she said.
With experience in the healthcare field, Williams says she, without a doubt, knows
“The biggest loss is for her children who would never get to see their mother again, especially her then-three-year-old, who was in the bed with her when she passed because she was too afraid to go to the hospital because Georgia law said if she took an abortion pill, she would be in prison,” she said. “It’s unthinkable, and the worst part is I didn’t even know for a, almost two years, year and a half the real cause of her death; Clayton County waited almost six months to give me an autopsy, to make it make sense.”
Senator Jon Ossoff also made an appearance to speak a few words and said it’s hard to believe it’s been three years since the death of Amber. He also said he has reflected on parenthood over the last few months as he and his wife introduced their second child, a baby girl, into the world recently.
“You pour everything into your child. There is nothing more precious in your life, there’s no relationship or possession that can rival the irreplaceable value of a child,” he said. “To lose a child in an unnecessary death because of decisions made by selfish, foolish politicians, it’s a burden that both Shannette and Turiya have borne with such tremendous grace, strength, and tenacity.”
He also says to both Shannette and Turiya, the community, himself, people across the country and state are determined to do whatever they can to support them as they continue to bear their losses.
Additionally, Williams says she wants to bombard the Trump administration and the Supreme Court because they are the ones responsible for overturning Roe V. Wade.
“Why aren’t we in their faces? Why is it so hard to get to them? Half of my family is ripped apart because my daughter is gone, and we were once a strong, solid family,” she said. “I’m beyond standing on the podium, I want to see politicians face to face. I want to see change now.”
women may have the same symptoms, but each woman is different, and their body is not the same.
“We don’t even trust the people that took the oath to say, ‘we’re not going to do any harm, but we’ll do whatever it takes to save lives,’ that statement has been tainted,” she said.
Tomlin-Randall said she doesn’t go a day without thinking about her sister, and, unfortunately, she and Shannette had to meet under these circumstances.
“Meeting Shannette has been one of the greatest blessings I’ve had because she gave me courage to come forward on behalf of Candi. Who would be if I wasn’t her voice?” she said. “Adriana, Candice, Amber, and all of the other women we don’t know about, no one should have to do this.”
She continues saying Candi’s name was not a talking point, and not just a memory, because when everyone stopped saying their names, their loved ones had to wake up every day facing it.
As for advice, Williams says she wants every mother who is experiencing loss and thinks they do not have a voice, or has just buriedd thinks their child is forgotten, to muster the strength to make the world remember thei their child, anr child.
“You must muster up the strength to make the world remember your child. We went through nine months of connection and how old your child is before death,” she said. “Why would you quit? Why would you not fight? Why would you let your child’s name and memories be forgotten and buried with them? You must fight as a mother, it’s what we do.”
Furthermore, Williams said this fight is not just about her and her family, but she stands on the strength of God to bring change for every woman.
“A ‘no’ to me doesn’t mean a thing. Looking at what’s going on at the White House, I could care less because my God is the President and he made a promise and he will not break his promise,” she said. “Together we stand, and we will get through it, and we’re going to get change.”
Amber Nicole Thurman’s mother, Shannette Williams, and Candi Miller’s sister, Turiya TomlinRandall (left), joined alongside Free&Just, community members, and local leaders for a vigil at Free & Just’s mural in Atlanta to mark the third anniversary of Amber’s passing and demand justice for all those impacted by abortion bans.
Photo by Isaiah Singleton/The Atlanta Voice
Nourish + Bloom: First AI-powered grocery store in U.S.
By ISAIAH SINGLETON
Nourish + Bloom Market is the first 24-hour AI-powered, frictionless grocery store in the U.S. Based in Atlanta, the company leverages autonomous technology to provide customers with seamless access to healthy meals and everyday essentials in a contactless, staff-free environment.
This development expands access to frictionless shopping technology for customers who use Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits.
Co-Founders of Nourish + Bloom Market and married couple for 20-years, Jamie and Jilea Hemmings, says when people enter the store, they should step into the future of what shopping looks like.
“When you come in our store, there’s no cashiers, no staff. You’re literally able to scan in, grab what you want, and get back to your day,” Jilea said. “It’s showcasing the future of innovation, but it still has a really warm environment, it’s like a neighborhood grocery store.”
The store’s AI-based system allows for real-time inventory tracking, contactless entry, and seamless checkout using a mobile app.
Nourish + Bloom’s technology is designed to operate with minimal staffing while still maintaining a high level of security and service.
have access to fresh fruits and vegetables and other healthier items.
AV: When you walk into the store and scan your debit/credit card, there is a $40 hold on your card. What is this for?
Nourish + Bloom also deploys autonomous smart fridges in corporate offices, stadiums, and hospitals to expand access to fresh food in high-traffic environments.
Furthermore, The Atlanta Voice went to Nourish + Bloom and spoke to the co-founders about their goals, success, and hopes for the future.
The Atlanta Voice: How did Nourish + Bloom get its start?
Jilea Hemmings (JH): Nourish + Bloom Market came out of a personal need for my family. We had just moved to Atlanta, just found a school for our kids, and found ourselves
living in a food desert. Also, in the middle of the pandemic, we saw all the challenges around food insecurity for everyone in store closings and social distancing, and we knew that AI could change that.
AV: How does it feel to be going into your fourth year of the business?
Jamie Hemmings (JHEM): It’s been a journey. Going from just an idea and a concept to building this out, our story is out there into the world. That’s not something that I expected, and for Jilea and I, it was more of building something for the community, wanting to people to
Atlanta Airport workers gain free rides via Shift On Demand
By TABIUS McCOy Report for America Corp
On Thursday, August 14, AACIDs and transit tech provider Via cut the ribbon to announce the launch of Shift On Demand, a new transportation service for Atlanta Airport area employees.
Shift On Demand offers free, on-demand rides to airport workers who live outside the reach of traditional transit or work shifts outside normal transit hours.
The service drops off at both the South Cargo area and Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. Employees can book trips a day ahead or request them on the spot using the Shift On Demand app, available on the Apple App Store and Google Play.
Unlike MARTA or Cobb Linc, there’s no set schedule or fixed route.
“It’s meant to meet people where they’re at when they need it,” said Katie Marticke, program manager of Shift, the organization overseeing Shift On Demand.
Marticke said the idea came from the high number of jobs at the Atlanta Airport and the limited access to reliable transportation for many of those positions.
“We’re also trying to help employers in the airport area address serious recruitment and retention challenges by bridging that transportation gap,” she said.
The service launched on August 5 as part of a two-year pilot program and is expected to expand to more drop-off locations and service areas soon.
JH: The way the store works is that either you can download our app and put your debit card, credit card, Apple Pay, EBT card on file, or you can tap a card or use Apple Pay on our turnstile. There’s no one here, and we obviously don’t know what you’re going to purchase, we put a hold just to cover what you potentially be picking up, and then it gets deducted from whatever you take. So, if you only take something for $10, you’ll get credit back $30. It’s temporary, but because you’re in a closed environment, and once you’re in there, we just must verify payment before you go inside.
AV: Do you have any role models who inspires you as a business owner?
JH: I come from a family of entrepreneurs. My father and grandfather inspire me. They all have worked for themselves for over 20 plus years. Being able to see them against all odds, be able to persevere and push through has been important. Also, Pinky Cole is someone who inspires me as well. Seeing that she was able to create something with an idea that inspires me.
AV: Where do you see Nourish + Bloom in the next five years?
JH: In next five years, we want to see ourselves all over the country. Due to the fact we’re the first in Atlanta and also first in the southern United States, and first Black-owned AI store in the world, So, we’re going to be franchising Nourish + Bloom.
AV: Now, what do you want people to take away from your business
JH: We’re in the new workforce of tech revolution, and this is another way that AI is changing how we do things, but also to hopefully spark creativity in others of how do we utilize this new technology to be able to continue to enhance the world and make it a better place.
AV: What kind of advice do you have for aspiring business owners?
Jamie: Don’t give up. You must keep pushing through because there’s going to be a lot of obstacles in your way. Once you’re able to push through, that’s where you find the true success. Many entrepreneurs talk about the positive side of entrepreneurship, but people don’t really talk about the hard work that goes into it. When you’re an entrepreneur, it’s 24/7. It doesn’t stop and delay. Being partners, being husband and wife, doing this thing is, let me tell you, it’s day-in-day-out, but you just got to keep pushing through.
Shift On Demand offers free, on-demand rides to airport workers who live outside the reach of traditional transit or work shifts outside normal transit hours. Photos are Courtesy of Shift on Demand
Co-Founders of Nourish + Bloom Market and married couple for 20 years, Jamie and Jilea Hemmings, opened the first 24-hour AI-powered, frictionless grocery store in the U.S. Photo by Isaiah Singleton/The Atlanta Voice
ATLDOT celebrates safer routes to school with walk lane extension
By ISAIAH SINGLETON
The Atlanta Department of Transportation (ATLDOT), Councilmember Antonio Lewis, and other school officials joined with parents, students, and community stakeholders for a ribbon-cutting ceremony and celebratory walk to school marking the completion of the newly extended tactical walk/ bike lane along Empire Boulevard.
The lane now spans from Mt. Zion Road to Ward Drive to support safer travel for residents and Crawford W. Long Middle School students. This vital extension enhances pedestrian and cyclist safety for students and residents traveling to Crawford Long Middle School, offering a more connected and secure route.
The expanded lane officially opened to the school community at the start of the 2025–2026 academic year, building on the success of the original segment completed in 2023 with generous support from General Motors and the National Center for Safe Routes to School.
Lewis says this is a special moment for him as he is a devoted scooter rider and her jogs every day through his community.
“To see this type of progress on Empire Boulevard really touches my heart,” he said. “This is more than just a ribbon cutting to me, it represents a new chapter for our community, one that says we care about safety, health, and about our citizens.”
He also says the bike lane will allow children to walk to school without fear and will allow
State
He also says they are building a city where every street is safe for every Atlantean, a clear example of Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens seeks after; A one safe city.
Commissioner of ATLDOT Solomon Caviness said he receives comments about them only caring about the Southside, but he rebuttals and says, “we’re here again, only two years since our kickoff over at Crawford Long Middle School where we put our pilot initiative for Safe Routes to Schools.”
“We’re here again, out on Empire Boulevard, making a difference. You see kids walking up the sidewalks heading to school, and you see buses going by,” he said. “This is what it’s all about, making sure we have facilities for all.”
seniors to stroll with confidence.
“This extension of this tactical walk/bike lane connects families, neighborhoods, and students at Crawford Middle to a safer, healthier way to move,” he said.
According to the National Institute of Health, Lewis says, marked and protected bike lanes were associated with a roughly 50% reduction in injury rates, collision frequency, and crash rates compared to roadways without that type of infrastructure.
Behind this statistic, he says, is a person, a neighbor, a grandmother, a child. From an environmental perspective, he states this extension opens doors to reduce injuries or fatalities.
Ossoff calls on Republicans to act now on healthcare affordability crisis
By DONNELL SUGGS
Georgia Senator Jon Ossoff was surrounded by official and representatives from several Georgia-based organizations on Thursday afternoon in Atlanta. Only a week after a shooting near the Center for Disease Control (CDC) headquarters in Atlanta took the life of DeKalb County police officer David Rose, and healthcare professionals protested cutback within the CDC and Emory Hospital, Ossoff was having another health care-related conversation.
The Atlanta native and first Jewish Senator in the 236-year existence of the state of Georgia, was urging the Republican Party to stop join their Democratic counterparts in belong prevent potential increases in health care premiums for Georgians.
Along with Ossoff. Georgia NAACP President Gerald A. Griggs, and representatives from Georgia STAND UP, the Georgia Rural Health Association, Georgia Hospital Association,
and Urban League of Greater Atlanta all agreed that failing to extend the enhanced credits for healthcare coverage will put thousands of Georgia families in a tough position.
“We are within months of a potential 2040% increase in healthcare premiums for Georgia families,” Ossoff said. “I am urging Congressional Republicans to reverse course. Time is of the essence.”
Ossoff, who co-sponsored the Health Care Affordability Act of 2025, said this issue can be fortified when Congress meets in September. It doesn’t have to wait till the end of the year and beyond. Ossoff, a father and husband, said Georgia families should not have to make decisions on whether they will pay the extra thousands of dollars per year for health insurance or “put food on the table.”
“The last thing Georgia families need right now is increases in healthcare premiums,” Ossoff said.
Griggs agreed.
C,” Griggs said. “On behalf of 3.3 million minorities in this state, 2.2 million African
“This is a shared space and responsibility, but this is about people being safer drivers, walkers, and cyclists, who all have a role in making our streets more respectful and safer,” he said.
“Empire Boulevard is a place for everyone”.
Frederick Gardiner, Atlanta deputy chief operating officer, said they’re celebrating more than an opening of a new walk, but celebrating the creation of a safer, more connected area.
“This project represents a major step towards our Vision Zero goal of eliminating traffic deaths and serious injuries by giving people a protected space to walk, bike, and travel safely,” he said. “It’s about access, opportunity, and investing in our next generation.”
ATLDOT Deputy Commissioner of Strategy & Planning Betty Smoot-Madison said, as Mayor Dickens has always said, Atlanta is a group project.
“This was truly the epitome of a group project, not just our strategy and planning team, but our engineering team as well,” she said. “People like Councilmember Lewis, who felt this project was needed and important, put his own funding towards this, so we are truly grateful for his support in the community.”
Additionally, she says the city of Atlanta has had 33 fatalities to occur in 2025 thus far on city streets, and while they are trending lower than the number this time last year, “one fatality is still too many.”
Americans, we want to make sure quality healthcare is affordable and accessible to all of those individuals.”
Georgia Rural Health Association Executive Director Lloyd Sirmons said the increases will not only affect underserved Georgians, it can quickly become a statewide issue along all economic lines.
“This is going to affect a lot of people,” Sirmons said.
Ossoff, Griggs, and others took questions
from the media during and after the press conference, which took place in Ossoff’s Midtown office.
The United States Senate and House of Representatives return to session in the nation’s capital on Tuesday, September 2. Both chambers were on summer break.
“Putting the political issues aside, we’re talking a bout families paying more for healthcare,” Ossoff said. “We can fix this when we get back.”
Georgia Senator Jon Ossoff (center)was surrounded by officials and representatives from several Georgia-based organizations on Thursday, August 14, 2025. Photo by Donnell Suggs/ The Atlanta Voice
The Atlanta Department of Transportation (ATLDOT), Council member Antonio Lewis, and other school officials joined with parents, students, and community stakeholders for a ribbon-cutting ceremony and celebratory walk to school marking the completion of the newly extended tactical walk/bike lane along Empire Boulevard. Photo by Isaiah Singleton/The Atlanta Voice
Atlanta residents voice concerns at budget town hall with Rep. Williams
By LAURA NWOGU
Georgia Rep. Nikema Williams and Atlanta city councilwoman Andrea L. Boone held a joint budget town hall at Jackson Memorial Baptist Church on Thursday. The two listened to concerns and questions from constituents of the “fighting fifth” congressional district, which includes a significant portion of Atlanta and other cities such as Brookhaven, College Park, Decatur, East Point, Forest Park, Lake City, Morrow, and South Fulton.
Nearly 200 people packed the church pews to express their issues and concerns. The town hall began with a moment of silence for DeKalb County officer Derrick Rose, who was killed in the line of duty after responding to a shooting at the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) headquarters in Atlanta. Williams then lamented the gun violence in the city. She touched on the Israel-Hamas war and humanitarian crisis in Gaza, which garnered a round of applause and an interrupting yell from a member in the audience, who demanded she call it a “genocide.”
“Nowhere in the world should children be dying of starvation or forced to live in the conditions that the people of Gaza have
had to endure. That too is unacceptable. It’s not just enough for me to say this is unacceptable; I have to lead with my actions as a leader in this country,” Williams said. “What I know is that we have atrocities happening right here at home in our backyard.”
Williams criticized the Trump Administration and its One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which was signed into law on July 4, 2025. The bill affects tax reform and includes shifts in healthcare, immigration, and SNAP. Williams said that while Americans, young and old, experience cuts to healthcare, food assistance and educational programs and grants,
the rich will benefit from tax breaks.
According to data posters displayed at the church’s altar, 651,540 people across Georgia will lose healthcare, 154,000 people across Georgia will lose food assistance, 180,913 students in Georgia will have their Pell Grants cut or eliminated, and 2,023,789 social security recipients in Georgia who receive $3.6 billion in monthly benefits will be affected.
“We are here because decisions made in Washington, D.C., on the federal budget, Medicaid, taxes, infrastructure, and so much more directly impact our everyday lives right here in Atlanta,” Boone said. Some of those
developments are positive and deserve to be celebrated. Others require us to push back, speak up, and demand better. Tonight is about hearing directly from you.”
The districts’ constituents presented a range of concerns about housing, Medicaid, President Trump and Republican control of Congress, the deployment of The National Guard in D.C., and the crisis in Gaza, the latter of which presented a moment where a Palestinian woman began aiming criticism at U.S. support for Israel while another member of the audience was asking a question about the war.
Many expressed their surprise and satisfaction at seeing so many people attend the town hall, with demands that the people of Atlanta fight back against the current administration.
“The Trump administration is telling our students to dream smaller. It’s telling our families to make smaller portions and making our medical debts larger, all for tax cuts to billionaires,” Williams said. “I am just your voice in D.C., but we do this work together. So, it is important that I hear from you. It is important that you raise your voice, especially at this moment with so much confusion and chaos in this country.”
Williams (above, right) criticized the Trump Administration and its One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which was signed into law on July 4, 2025. Photo by Laura Nwogu/The Atlanta Voice
Ralph Lauren celebrates Black Excellence at Martha’s Vineyard
By NOAH WASHINGTON
MARTHA’s VINEYARD, MA. - On a warm August Friday evening at Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School, the stories of two worlds converged. The genteel summer retreat of Oak Bluffs met the rich legacy of historically Black colleges and universities through Ralph Lauren’s partnership with Morehouse and Spelman.
The south and the legacy of HBCUs was brought to Martha’s Vineyard by Ralph Lauren through what began as a retail collaboration but evolved into something far more profound, a multi-year journey to document and celebrate the interconnected stories of Black excellence, family traditions, and the American dream.
A Vision Beyond Commerce
The partnership began with a coRalph Lauren celebrates Black Excellence at Martha’s Vineyardnversation when Ralph Lauren executives approached Morehouse and Spelman colleges with an unusual proposition. Unlike typical corporate partnerships focused solely on profit, this collaboration aimed to “uncover the stories behind these incredible HBCUs,” as Valerie Jarrett, CEO of The Obama Foundation and Ralph Lauren board director, explained during a Ralph Lauren reception at the Martha’s Vineyard Museum.
Education
“Ralph believed, even though he is this magical creator, that there are many stories to be told and that he doesn’t own stories that he doesn’t own and that other people own stories,” Jarrett said, reflecting on the fashion mogul’s approach to the project.
James M. Jeter, creative director of Men’s Polo at Ralph Lauren, served as the driving force behind both collections and films. His personal journey mirrors the American dream narrative the company sought to capture. Starting at Ralph Lauren’s Georgetown store at age 16 in 2008, Jeter never imagined he would stand on
Spelman College Reopens Historic Dorm After $32 Million Renovation
By NOAH WASHINGTON
Spelman College has officially reopened Morehouse-James Hall this fall after an 18-month renovation that brought modern amenities to the 124-year-old residence hall while preserving its historic character.
The dormitory, built in 1901 and last renovated in 1979, now features central air conditioning, an elevator, new electrical and plumbing systems, and enhanced security measures. The 77-bed facility returned to service for the fall 2025 semester after being closed for the entire 2024-25 academic year.
The renovation is part of a broader $160 million infrastructure investment at Spelman over the past five years, with $32 million dedicated to air conditioning two historic buildings: Morehouse-James and Abbey Aldrich Rockefeller halls.
“We’ve been able to show the well-being of our students and the care for our students, and now we’re able to do that in a very physical way,” said Dr. Darryl Holloman, Spelman’s vice president of student affairs, during a tour of the facility.
The renovation comes amid what Holloman described as a “resurgence of interest in HBCUs,” with Black students increasingly choosing historically Black colleges over predominantly white institutions.
“When we want to have the same level of amenities that all of our colleagues have at their other institutions,” Holloman said. “When they come, we want to make sure that they have all of the things that they would have if they had gone to another school.”
The project restored the building to its original 1901 layout after decades of modifications. In the 1970s, bathrooms were added in the middle of floors, disrupting the building’s circulation pattern. The renovation moved those facilities and reopened access to a second-floor porch overlooking the historic Spelman Oval.
Arthur Frazier, Spelman’s director of facilities management and services, oversaw the 18-month renovation project that transformed the building’s infrastructure from top to bottom.
“There are things that a lot of us take for granted, particularly on the maintenance side. It makes our lives a little easier than maintaining systems that are antiquated,” Frazier said.
“I think HBCUs get a lot of criticism about not paying attention to the infrastructure, not listening to the infrastructure, and this is a living example that HBCUs invest in their infrastructure similarly to other institutions,” Holloman said.
Martha’s Vineyard 16 years later, celebrating a project that bridges his corporate role with his passion for storytelling.
“This is such a full circle moment for me,” Jeter said during the panel discussion. “I still remember the first day I walked into that store in Georgetown and never thought in a million years that 16 years later, I will be standing here in Martha’s Vineyard with this incredible community.”
The Power of Authentic Storytelling
The collaboration’s first collection, focusing on Morehouse and Spelman, sold out immediately, a commercial success that validated the approach but wasn’t the primary goal. The real victory came in the stories that emerged from the filmmaking process.
A screening of the film A Portrait of the American Dream: Oak Bluffs, a film accompanying the collection took place on Aug. 8. Presented by Ralph Lauren and the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, the event drew an enthusiastic & large crowd. The free public event featured the documentary followed by a panel discussion moderated by Dr. Carla Thompson Payton, chief strategist and impact officer at the W.K. Kellogg Foundation.
The renovation also added a ground-floor entrance, microfridge units in each room, and a community kitchen and student lounge area.
For current senior Morgan Jackson, who lived in Morehouse-James from fall 2022 to spring 2023, the transformation was striking.
“It’s very open, and it invites community and Spelman is all about sisterhood,” said Jackson, whose traditional college experience became a “full circle moment” when she discovered her mother also lived in the building decades earlier.
Her mother, Joslyn Jackson, Class of 1996, who lived in Morehouse-James during the 1993-94 academic year, brought mixed emotions to seeing the transformed space ahead of her 30th reunion in May.
“It’s a little bit emotional,” the elder Jackson said. “I’m excited. I’m happy. I think this is amazing. I think that the college deserved it, the students deserve this upgrade.”
Morgan Jackson said the upgrades represent both legacy and progress at the historically Black women’s college.
“Just appreciate the legacy and the progress that Spelman has made. In the past, we didn’t have AC. We didn’t have all of these things, but now we do all because of the efforts of alumni like my mom and of all the
other alumni networks,” she said.
The renovation included completely new electrical, plumbing and mechanical systems throughout the four-story building. Frazier said the air conditioning and elevator are the most significant new features for students, especially given Atlanta’s climate.
Holloman emphasized that the infrastructure investment supports the college’s broader mission of student well-being, including counseling services and support for neurodivergent students.
“We want to make sure for our students today, regardless of their institutional type, that we’re leaning into a sense of their well being,” Holloman said.
Joslyn Jackson (left) and her daughter, Morgan Jackson, toured the facility together on Monday, August 11. Photo by Noah Washington/The Atlanta Voice
Ralph Lauren brought the south and the legacy of HBCUs to Martha’s Vineyard through what began as a retail collaboration. Photo by Noah Washington/The Atlanta Voice
MH II might be having the best second half in Atlanta Braves history
By DONNELL SUGGS
With Atlanta Braves first baseman Matt Olson on third base and two outs in the first inning, Michael Harris II stepped to the plate and hit a two-strike, two-run home run to give the Braves the lead. A night earlier, Harris was 4-4 with a home run. He was pinch-run for in the eighth inning and missed an opportunity to bat with the bases loaded and the Braves down by four runs. Harris didn’t waste any time getting those lost RBIs back. The home run gave him 16 for the season and 68 RBI, second on the team behind Olson’s 72.
Two months earlier Harris and the word Gwinnett were being mentioned in the same sentence. These days he is being talked about on MLB TV broadcasts and local radio as one of the hottest players in Major League Baseball. What a difference a couple weeks make. Michael Harris II might be in the midst of the best second half in the history of The Atlanta Braves franchise. Heck, the Boston Braves, Milwaukee Braves are included in that hyperbole as well.
Entertainment
When Harris came up to bat during the series against the Chicago White Sox earlier this week, the rounds of applause were
typical of a star player playing on another level. In the third inning on Tuesday, with Ronald Acuna, Jr., on second base following
a walk and stolen base, Harris didn’t get a hit. He did, however, advance the runner to third base with a ground ball up the middle that Lenyn Sosa threw to first.
In the past 30 games, including all three games against the White Sox, Harris is batting over .400 with 10 home runs and 24 RBI. Harris is also slugging over .770 and has an on base percentage just over .420.
During his 12-game hitting streak, Harris is batting closer to .500 and has seemed to take full advantage of the amount of baserunners he has seen while batting in the cleanup, fifth and sixth spots in the lineup. Months earlier he was batting eighth and ninth.
There have been great players in this franchise’s history, including Baseball Hall of Famer Hank Aaron, but Harris’s second half is something special.
When Harris wasn’t helping the team with his bat on Tuesday, he used his glove. A pair of catches in the night inning helped Atlanta secure the victory. Braves manager Brian Snitker was complimentary of Harris after the game.
“He never takes a play off on defense,” said Snitker. “Michael has been the hottest player on the planet for a while.”
Denzel Washington stars in Spike Lee’s new crime thriller
By NOAH WASHINGTON
On Wednesday, August 13, Atlantic Station hosted a screening of Spike Lee’s new crime thriller “Highest 2 Lowest,” just two days before its nationwide theatrical release. Lee’s latest film is the reimagining of Akira Kurosawa’s 1963 classic “High and Low” which also marks a triumphant reunion between the legendary director and Denzel Washington after nearly two decades apart.
Washington, who stars as David King, a music mogul with “the best ears” in the business who built his Stackin’ Hits label by discovering chart-topping artists. But after decades of success, the industry has bypassed him as AI and social media have revolutionized the music landscape. When King decides to buy back his company rather than accept a lucrative merger deal, his world is turned upside down by a devastating kidnapping crisis.
In a cruel twist of fate, kidnappers mistakenly snatch Kyle (Elijah Wright), the son of King’s driver and childhood friend Paul (Jeffrey Wright), instead
of King’s own son, Trey (Aubrey Joseph). Despite the mix-up, the ransom demand remains: $17.5 million or the boy dies. This sets King on a journey through New York City’s streets, from Puerto Rican Day parades to Yankee Stadium, as he faces an impossible choice between saving Kyle’s life and preserving his musical empire.
The film features an ensemble cast including Ilfenesh Hadera as King’s wife Pam, and Rakim Athelaston Mayers, popularly known as A$AP Rocky as aspiring rapper Yung Felon. Mayers also contributed two songs to the film’s soundtrack.
Alan Fox’s screenplay updates Kurosawa’s original story (itself adapted from Ed McBain’s novel “King’s Ransom”), while Lee infuses his beloved themes of music, history, and sports.
This collaboration represents the fifth partnership between Lee and Washington, their first since 2006’s “Inside Man.” Their previous collaborations include acclaimed films like “Malcolm X” and “He Got Game”.
“Highest 2 Lowest” premiered at the
Cannes Film Festival in May, screening out of competition to critical acclaim. The film currently holds a 93% rating on Rotten Tomatoes from 66 reviews and a score of 75 out of 100 on Metacritic.
Principal photography took place in New York City from March through May 2024, with Matthew Libatique serving as cinematographer. The production united A24, Apple Studios, Escape Artists, Mandalay Pictures, and Lee’s own 40 Acres and a Mule Filmworks.
The crime thriller continues Lee’s recent hot streak following “ChiRaq,” “BlacKkKlansman,” and “Da Five Bloods,” further cementing the 67-year-old filmmaker’s status as an essential Hollywood voice. While the pacing proves uneven at times in the more melodramatic opening sequences, the film finds its rhythm in the latter half as King’s moral complexity unfolds.
“Highest 2 Lowest” opens in theaters nationwide on Friday, August 15, distributed by A24. It will then stream exclusively on Apple TV+ beginning September 5.
Michael Harris II (above) celebrates after hitting a home run during the series against the Chicago White Sox at Truist Park. Photo Credit Matthew Grimes Jr./Atlanta Braves
Spike Lee’s new crime thriller ‘Highest 2 Lowest’ reunites him with Denzel Washington in a gripping story of music, kidnapping, and moral complexity. Photo By Noah Washington/The Atlanta Voice
Street Lines: 2025 Mazda3
2.5 Turbo Premium Plus Hatchback AWD
By DENNIS MALCOLM ByRON AKA ALE SHARPTON
The compact auto segment continues to garner popularity particularly due to affordability and practicality, but the 2025 Mazda3 2.5 Turbo Premium Plus AWD hatchback takes it to the next level with sophistication and punch. Flaunting a curvaceous frame enhanced by Snowflake White Pearl exterior, 18-inch black aluminum alloy wheels, black accents, and red leather interior, the headturn factor is in full effect.
Under the hood, the SKYACTIV-G 2.5-liter DOHC turbocharged engine delivers a muscle-flexing 227 horsepower and 310 lb-ft of torque, making it one of the most powerful options in its class. Paired with Mazda’s i-ACTIV all-wheel drive and G-Vectoring Control Plus, this baby grips confidently through curves and virtually any challenging road
condition. The 6-speed automatic transmission with sport mode boosts the thrill even more, Inside, the Mazda3 continues to impress with some premium appointments, including heated front seats and heated steering wheel; a 10.25-inch center display with Apple CarPlay/Android Auto and Alexa Built-In connectivity; and a banging 12-speaker Bose sound system up to five adults can bop their heads to.
To ease the mind, driver assistance and safety technology are generously plentiful. Features like blind spot monitoring, lane keep assist, rear cross traffic alert, and Mazda radar cruise control keep every excursion worry free. Add the 360-degree surround-view camera system, parking sensors, active driving display, and adaptive front lighting to keep roads well lit, and a driver’s
confidence is through the roof. When considering the responsiveness and turbo designation, the fuel economy is solid for this turbo hatch, measured at 26 MPG combined. Then again, the owner of this vehicle will have no problem feeding the Mazda3 to continue experiencing its thrills on the road. Ultimately, if you’re looking for a compact hatchback that blends performance, an
upscale interior, and all-weather capability, the 2025 Mazda3 2.5 Turbo Premium Plus is one of the best in the game.
Fuel Economy: 23 city/31 highway/26 combined
Price: The 2025 Mazda3 2.5 Turbo Premium Plus is $36,950, and $37,535 with added options as reviewed.
For more information, visit Mazdausa.com.
and Brass Fittings under this ITBC shall be certified to NSF/ ANSI standard 61 and NSF/ANSI Standard 372.
4. All Corporation Stops and Brass Fittings under this ITBC that do not come in contact with potable water shall conform to AWWA Standard C800 (ASTM B62and ASTM B584, UNS C83600, 85-5-5-5)
5. The body design for each Corporation Stop and Brass Fitting mentioned in this ITBC shall be designed to provide wrench flats to facilitate installation.
6. The only Corporation Stops and Brass Fittings that will be acceptable will be the ones that are manufactured in the United States.
7. All Vendor(s) will be required to provide a price quote for ALL Corporation Stop and Brass Fittings mentioned in this ITBC based on the specifications listed below. Each vendor must provide a quote on Ford Meter Box Inc. Brass Fittings or an approved equivalent. If any bidder that is supplying or equal item, each bidder must show proof that their item is equivalent by providing documentation, drawings, etc. to show that their item is equivalent. Any bidder that does not submit a bid on all items mentioned, and any vendor that fails to provide proof that their item(s) are equivalent will be deemed as non-responsive.
In order to obtain complete information about this solicitation, please click the link below where this document and supporting documents can be downloaded, https://www.bidnetdirect.com/georgia/fultoncounty
FEE: N/A
CONTRACT TERM: 1 Year with (2) One-Year Renewal Options.
PRE-BID CONFERENCE: will be held virtually online via a Zoom Conference on Tuesday, August 26, 2025 at 10:00 A.M
Photo courtesy of Mazda