Morning, neighbors! Slow week in the neighborhood, but some stories in surrounding areas: Manuel's Tavern just hit the big 7-0, but this week also brings some bittersweet news: a famous centerfield magnolia from the old Ponce de Leon Park, once dinged by Babe Ruth himself, has fallen. Good news for your weekend plans, though: the Piedmont Park Arts Festival rolls into town Saturday and Sunday, and there's plenty of governmental and construction news worth a scroll.

- News — Manuel's Tavern celebrates 70 years, APS posts its best academic growth in a decade, and a home-run-scarred magnolia tree finally topples at old Ponce de Leon Park.
- Events — The Piedmont Park Arts Festival anchors a packed weekend alongside the Green Market, Cocktails in the Garden, and a full slate of live music at Smith's Olde Bar and Blind Willie's.
- Government — Fulton commissioners vote 5-0 against data center tax breaks and put a transit sales tax on the ballot, while City Council eyes a 2028 DNC bid and a Ponce de Leon/BeltLine rezoning.
- Construction — A new restaurant is filing in on N Highland, Cheshire Bridge gets a salon gut job, and overnight lane shifts hit I-85 as crews swap in LED lighting.

Let's dive in.

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NEWS

Manuel's Tavern celebrates 70 years of beer, politics, and community in Poncey-Highland
Founded in 1956, the Poncey-Highland tavern is marking seven decades as a gathering spot for Atlanta politicians, journalists, and neighborhood regulars alike.

APS ranks No. 1 among metro area school systems for academic improvement, district says
Atlanta Public Schools reported its strongest academic growth since the Georgia Milestones Assessment System launched in 2015, outperforming other metro Atlanta districts.

Historic magnolia tree from Ponce De Leon Park centerfield falls down
The magnolia once stood in deep centerfield at Ponce de Leon Park, across from present-day Ponce City Market, and was famously struck by home runs from Babe Ruth and Eddie Mathews during Atlanta Crackers games.

Midtown Atlanta sees continued growth in residents and visitors
New figures show both full-time residential population and daily visitor counts continuing to rise across Midtown's commercial and residential core.

EVENTS | Presented by

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Monday, August 10
- Community Game Night | Piedmont Park
- Preston Lydotes x Clara Kay: The Outrun Summer Tour | Smith's Olde Bar
- Atlanta Running Meetup | 7pm - 9pm/Park Tavern
- Fresh Plates Dinner Series: Registration | Atlanta Botanical Garden

Tuesday, August 11
- Community Craft Night | Piedmont Park
- Michelle Malone Solo Blind Willies Industry Night Atlanta | Blind Willies Blues Club
- Tease Tuesday Burlesque | Red Light Cafe
- Garden Playtime | Atlanta Botanical Garden
- Weekly Walking Club | Piedmont Park

Wednesday, August 12
- Summer Strolls | Piedmont Park
- Wednesday Night Jazz Jam - Gordon Vernick Quartet | Red Light Cafe
- Glass Mansions | Smith's Olde Bar
- Storybook & Sensory Bin Time | Atlanta Botanical Garden

Thursday, August 13
- Cocktails in the Garden | Atlanta Botanical Garden
- Paint & Sip: Summer Edition | Piedmont Park
- Garden Grooves | Atlanta Botanical Garden
- BATA! BATA | MJQ Concourse

Friday, August 14
- 2026 Taste of Generosity: Atlanta: A Bourbon & Botanicals Fundraising Experience Benefitting th | The Stave Room
- Shows for Seedlings: Musical Fun In The Sun! with Mr. Jason | Atlanta Botanical Garden
- Elephants Dancing | SweetWater Brewing Company
- Secret Aisle: A Magic and Comedy Show - August | The Supermarket ATL
- The Super Cozy Show 8 | The Supermarket ATL
- In The Wild Dating Atlanta: Find Your Best Connection | Park Tavern
- Bedroom Division | Smith's Olde Bar
- KIT + CHAR and Hannah Murphy at Smith's Olde Bar | Smith's Olde Bar
- SKYLER SAUFLEY | Blind Willie's
- Azzecca | District Atlanta

Saturday, August 15
- Piedmont Park Arts Festival | Piedmont Park
- Green Market | Piedmont Park
- Frog Feeding | Atlanta Botanical Garden

Sunday, August 16
- Piedmont Park Arts Festival Returns August 15-16 | Piedmont Park
- Live Portrait Drawing Session to Music - August | The Supermarket ATL
- Kids 'N Crafts - August | The Supermarket ATL

GOVERNMENT

Note: our information comes from posted meetings documents (agendas and minutes when available) — latest source document hyperlinked to each meeting.

Past Week Roundup

Fulton County Board of Commissioners
Commissioners took a firm stand against tax breaks for data centers, voting 5-0 to oppose incentives for any such project in the county, and specifically flagged possible deals with OpenAI and Anthropic. They also revived a Budget Commission to help shape the county's annual budget going forward. On the public safety side, the board approved $771,900 for suicide prevention upgrades at the Fulton County Jail and another $581,000 to outfit 11 inmate transport vans for the Sheriff's Department. In a separate special meeting, commissioners voted 4-0 to put a Transportation Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax on the ballot, along with an agreement spelling out how that money would get split among cities if voters approve it. That referendum matters to you because it would fund local roads and transit projects for years to come, and commissioners also approved election agreements with Atlanta and Sandy Springs to prepare for the November 2026 general election.

Atlanta City Council
The council's regular meeting agenda, which hasn't been finalized in minutes yet, includes a vote on agreements tied to Atlanta's bid to host the 2028 Democratic National Convention, a proposal to turn part of Jesse Hill Jr. Drive near Grady Hospital into a pedestrian plaza, and new consumer protection rules for private parking garages and lots covering rate disclosures and dispute resolution. Council members are also set to weigh in on a $5.6 million expansion of the city's solar energy contract and a 20-year lease with a nonprofit to build a youth community center near Center Hill Park, plus a 60-acre truck terminal proposal on Jonesboro Road and major water infrastructure spending topping $50 million combined. Keep in mind these are agenda items only, so any of them could get tabled, deferred, or changed before a final vote. Separately, the Committee on Council met and its minutes confirm the appointment of Stephanie Jackson as City Auditor for a five-year term, along with two new appointments to the Community Access Media Board. That committee held several policy proposals for further review, including a council civility pledge, a rule requiring a lead sponsor on all legislation, and a request to station certified law enforcement officers at recreation centers used as polling places.

Notable Neighborhood Mentions

Atlanta City Council
- 774–798 Ponce De Leon Avenue NE and 790 Bonaventure Avenue NE — A rezoning proposal on the agenda would shift 1.75 acres from PDMU/C-1 to Mixed Residential Commercial (MRC-3/BL) to allow mixed-use redevelopment right along the BeltLine.

Meetings This Week
- Atlanta Public Schools — Board of Education | Aug-10 | key topics: new A.D. Williams Elementary School construction, multi-property demolition bundle, Tax Anticipation Note & budget adjustments, facility repurposing policy updates
- Atlanta City Council - Zoning Committee | Aug-10, 11:00 AM | key topics: Ponce de Leon/Decatur Street mixed-use rezonings, self-storage & cannabis dispensary permitting rules, APD C.A.R.E.S. unit expansion, fire inspection fee increases
- Atlanta City Council - City Utilities Committee | Aug-11, 10:00 AM | key topics: solid waste rate & fee adjustments, Data Center Task Force proposal, $25M drinking water renewal contract, CDP land-use redesignations along Ponce de Leon/Decatur/Ellsworth Industrial
- Atlanta City Council - Transportation Committee | Aug-12, 9:30 AM | key topics: Peachtree Street Midtown safety project, $55M citywide infrastructure funding, Mercedes-Benz Stadium debt refinancing, Old Fire Station 22 lease

CONSTRUCTION

Permits

- 1397 N Highland Ave NE — Build-out permit filed for a new restaurant inside an existing suite. Another spot in the pipeline for Virginia-Highland's dining scene.
- 1858 Cheshire Bridge Rd NE — Vacant commercial space converting to salon suites, with all-new electrical, plumbing, and mechanical systems. Full gut job before anyone's getting a haircut there.
- 1345 Piedmont Ave NE — ABG Expansion project adding an office trailer, with a second permit filed the day before. Expect some added activity on site as this build-out continues.
- 650 Montgomery Ferry Rd NE — Fire alarm installation tied to new construction of an education and arts building. This one's part of a larger build going up, so expect ongoing construction noise nearby.
- 2301 Cheshire Bridge Rd NE — Permit covers a full parking lot demo and rebuild for this section of the property, plus removal of boards covering the front entry. Additional materials are still required before this one moves forward, but it signals a visible refresh is coming.
- 2157 Lenox Rd NE — Multi-family building replacing 77 windows and repairing three others. Not glamorous, but if you live nearby, expect exterior work and lifts on site for a while.
- 450 Piedmont Ave NE — Heat pump and air handler replacement on Unit #408. Routine mechanical work, low impact.

Outside these, the area logged 46 smaller residential permits this week, mostly electrical work, HVAC swaps, and arborist removals for dead or hazardous trees. Nothing there should disrupt your street.

Road Work

Under Construction

- I-85 Lighting Upgrade (I-75 to North of Lenox Road) — Crews are swapping out old HPS lighting for energy-efficient LED fixtures along this stretch of I-85. The work may also include new poles and conduit, so expect some lane shifts if you're driving this corridor at night.
- SR 13 Resurfacing (SR 9 to North Fork Peachtree Creek) — GDOT is repaving this section of SR 13 (Piedmont Road) after years of wear pushed the road's condition score too low. It hasn't been resurfaced since 2012, so this one's overdue.
- Buford Spring Connector Tunnel Lighting (I-85) — This project brings the tunnel's lighting up to modern LED standards, with possible work on wiring and conduit too.
- Lavista & Shepherds Lane Signal Upgrade (DeKalb County) — Crews are upgrading the traffic signal at this intersection. It's just over the county line but close enough to affect anyone commuting toward DeKalb, so give yourself extra time if you pass through here.
- SR 9 Resurfacing (SR 3 to North of Paces Ferry Road) — Another low-OCI resurfacing project, this one covers SR 9 (Northside Drive/Peachtree Road) near Paces Ferry. Expect fresh pavement soon, but also expect some construction delays in the meantime.

Service Requests

Potholes top the list this week, with 17 reports clustered on Johnson Rd NE, Piedmont Ave, and Cheshire Bridge Rd NE, plus scattered spots on Lakeshore Dr, Lenox Rd NE, and a handful of other streets. Crews have most of them in progress, though a few are tagged as duplicates or bounced to state DOT.

Traffic signals also need attention. You'll find 6 emergency-level repair calls at Ponce de Leon Ave and Frederica St (hit twice), N Highland Ave and Virginia Ave, and Piedmont Ave at Cheshire Bridge, with most already resolved. Non-emergency signal issues cropped up at Monroe Dr and Park Dr, Ponce de Leon Ave NE, and the pedestrian hybrid beacon at Piedmont Ave and 15th St, and those are largely closed out too.

Overgrowth is blocking sightlines at Lenox Rd NE, Greenwood Ave NE, and Virginia Ave at Kanuga St, but the city's marked all four reports as solved. And if you're near Park Dr NE, watch for crews addressing a downed tree still in progress.

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Until next week,
VaHi / Morningside Busybody

Disclaimer: We use advanced data retrieval and analysis techniques across hundreds of sources, and may be prone to occasional error. Independently verify information with a secondary source, and please let us know if we got anything wrong via the feedback form.