5 things to know tonight: ‘Shift’ in team pushed Falcons to Super Bowl, Dan Quinn says; R. Thomas restaurant founder dies and more

Atlanta Falcons head coach Dan Quinn walks into a press conference Wednesday in Flowery Branch.

Credit: David Goldman

Credit: David Goldman

Atlanta Falcons head coach Dan Quinn walks into a press conference Wednesday in Flowery Branch.

1. Dan Quinn: 'Shift' in team pushed Falcons to Super Bowl. Atlanta Falcons coach Dan Quinn appeared on "Inside the NFL" with Phil Simms and Ed Reed to discuss the matchup against the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl on Feb. 5, 2017, in Houston. [Read more]

2. Richard Thomas, owner of Buckhead's R. Thomas restaurant, has died. A fixture on the Atlanta dining scene has died. Richard Thomas, who opened the health food eatery R. Thomas Deluxe Grill at 1812 Peachtree St. in Buckhead in 1985, died Wednesday, according to What Now Atlanta, who confirmed the death with his family. [Read more]

3. Mom of ex-'Love & Hip Hop' bit player found safe. The mother of a former bit player on a popular VH1 reality TV show has been found safe, but the case is "still being treated as a kidnapping," DeKalb County police said. [Read more]

4. Mayor Reed on corruption case: Bickers did not report to me. Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed on Thursday distanced himself from a former city employee identified by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and Channel 2 Action News as having a close connection to the man arrested for intimidating a key federal witness in the on-going City Hall bribery scandal. [Read more]

5. Mexican president cancels planned DC meeting with Trump. Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto canceled a planned Tuesday meeting with President Donald J. Trump on Thursday, signaling a remarkable souring of relations between Washington and one of its most important international partners just days into the new administration. [Read more]