Inside City Hall: Biden’s visit to Atlanta means prepare for traffic

A weekly roundup of the most important things you need to know about Atlanta City Hall.
A portrait of Rosalynn and Jimmy Carter made from mulch, peat moss and stones sits on a hill in Freedom Park in Atlanta on Wednesday, Nov. 22, 2023.   (Ben Gray / Ben@BenGray.com)

Credit: Ben Gray

Credit: Ben Gray

A portrait of Rosalynn and Jimmy Carter made from mulch, peat moss and stones sits on a hill in Freedom Park in Atlanta on Wednesday, Nov. 22, 2023.   (Ben Gray / Ben@BenGray.com)

Atlantans should prepare for heavy traffic this week as high-profile politicians make their way to the city to say goodbye to Former First Lady Rosalynn Carter, who died Nov. 19 at age 96.

Emory University will host a tribute service in Glenn Memorial Church at 1 p.m. on Tuesday where members of the Carter family, top Georgia politicos and even President Joe Biden gather for the invitation-only event.

Current first lady Jill Biden, as well as Vice President Kamala Harris and second gentleman Doug Emhoff, are also scheduled to travel to Atlanta for the services. Other high-profile guests making the trip include Former President Bill Clinton, Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Former First Lady Michelle Obama.

Atlanta City Council member Alex Wan warned residents in his newsletter to expect changes or delays on their usual road routes.

“(The event) is likely to cause major traffic disruptions that echo throughout the district due to road closures and security for incoming dignitaries,” he said.

Many roads around the Emory campus will be closed from 4 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Tuesday and teachers have been asked to run classes virtually to avoid any jams getting to health care facilities.

The following roads will be closed on Tuesday:

  • North Decatur Road from Clifton Road to the Emory Village Circle
  • Fishburne Drive and Lane
  • S. Kilgo Circle (including the accessible parking spaces near Carlos Hall)
  • Mizell Bridge
  • The Dowman Drive entrance to campus

You can find a full schedule of events online at AJC.com.

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Michael Nolan, case manager for nonprofit Intown Cares, stands for a portrait in the heart of East Atlanta Village on Oct. 12, 2023. Nolan will be spearheading a new pilot program in the neighborhood to make connections with individuals experiencing homelessness and help get them housed. (Riley Bunch/riley.bunch@ajc.com)

Credit: Riley Bunch/AJC

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Credit: Riley Bunch/AJC

The city is expanding its effort to reach Atlantans experiencing homelessness through area-specific case managers that will work within communities to help house struggling residents.

Through a $350,000 allocation to nonprofit Intown Cares, case managers will have face-to-face conversations with vulnerable populations in designated neighborhoods, compile the necessary paperwork to get them into housing, and help connect them to medical and career resources.

The approved legislation builds off of a pilot program in East Atlanta Village that was spotlighted in an Atlanta Journal-Constitution article last month that gave a look inside how the community raised tens of thousands of dollars in just a few weeks to hire a case manager for the community.

You can read the AJC’s full article on the program here.

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                        Radcliffe Bailey’s mural “Saints,” a 40-foot-long collage blending blocks of color with old photos of dead relatives, on display at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. Bailey, a Georgia-based artist whose collage paintings and sculptural assemblages incorporated family tintypes, African figurines, disassembled piano keys and other objects in an exploration of both his personal history and the broader sorrows and joys of the Black experience, died on Nov. 14, 2023, at his home in Atlanta. He was 54. (via the artist and Jack Shainman Gallery, New York via The New York Times) -- NO SALES; FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY WITH NYT STORY SLUGGED OBIT BAILEY BY ALEX WILLIAMS FOR NOV. 20, 2023. ALL OTHER USE PROHIBITED. --

Credit: NYT

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Credit: NYT

We offer our condolences to the family of Atlanta Artist Radcliffe Bailey who died earlier this month at the age of 55. The internationally-known painter and sculptor spotlighted the city’s legacy of Black excellence and achievement.

“For decades, Radcliffe has shaped Atlanta’s cultural landscape through his own unique, creative genius,” Mayor Andre Dickens said in a statement. “While often bringing the intersectionality of ancestry, race and art to the forefront of a discussion, his talent was both personal and accessible to our community.”

Bailey’s works landed in collections at the country’s most prestigious institutions including the Art Institute of Chicago, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston, the Studio Museum in Harlem and the Smithsonian Institution.

Atlanta officials along with Bailey’s family and friends gathered on Saturday at the Cascade Springs Nature Preserve and High Museum for his homegoing services.

Click here to read more about his life and accomplishments.

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This week’s newsletter includes a special shout-out to Council member Michael Julian Bond who, 30 years ago, won his first race to serve on City Council. Bond was the representative for District 3 from 1994 to 2001 before he was elected to a citywide seat in 2009.

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Got tips, tricks or just want to say hello? Email me at riley.bunch@ajc.com.

 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution's City Hall reporter Riley Bunch poses for a photograph outside of the Atlanta City Hall on Thursday, Feb 23, 2023
Miguel Martinez /miguel.martinezjimenez@ajc.com

Credit: Miguel Martinez

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Credit: Miguel Martinez

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