🌱 Atlanta Hospital Gains Maternal Care Title + Police Budget Increase

Hey, everybody! I'm back in your inbox this morning with your new edition of the Atlanta Daily. Let's get this Friday started off right with a quick guide to everything you need to know about what's happening in town these days, including updates on...

• Atlanta's Northside Hospital received a Level IV Maternal Center designation.
• The Fulton County Sheriff's Office was granted an additional $11.2 million for its 2023 budget.
• One city official is pushing for a website to connect Atlantans with affordable housing options.

But first, today's weather:

Partly sunny and cooler. High: 55 Low: 36.

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Here are the top five stories in Atlanta today:

1. The Northside Hospital in Atlanta delivers more newborns than any other facility in the country and received a Level IV Maternal Center designation from The Joint Commission's Maternal Levels of Care program, meaning the hospital can take on the most medically complex cases. The program ranks hospitals based on the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology standards, which are used to set measures and evaluate facilities by available services for mothers and newborns. (GPB News)
2. The Fulton County Sheriff's Office received an $11.2 million budget increase for 2023, making the operating budget $140.2 million. The new funding will support overtime pay for staff in the Fulton County Jail and salary increases for sworn and civilian staff. The Fulton County Board of Commissioners approved the budget with a four-to-three vote. (11Alive.com WXIA)
3. Atlanta City Councilman Michael Julian Bond recently introduced a resolution to create a website for Atlantans looking for affordable housing. The resolution mentions that Boston partners and third-party companies can give updated information on affordable, accessible, senior, veteran, and Section 8 housing. Bond urges the City Planning Department to discuss the website's feasibility with the council's Community Development/Human Services Committee before May 31. (Subscription: The Atlanta Journal-Constitution)
4. In an effort to help couples with costly weddings, Mary Andre Dickens and Marry We events are partnering to encourage couples to say "I do" on Valentine's Day for only $1,000. The ceremony will include all couples who joined the event getting married at once, taking place at Piedmont Park on Feb. 14 with Mayor Dickens as the officiant. (WSB Atlanta)
5. Atlanta and DeKalb County police took at least four protestors into custody yesterday morning in the same area where a protestor shot a Georgia State Patrol officer. The people named themselves the "Forest Defenders" and were trying to stop the construction of Atlanta's new public safety training facility. (WSB Atlanta)

Today in and around Atlanta:

• Friday Movies: The Woman King At Toco Hill-Avis G. Williams Library, Decatur (1:30 PM)
• Free Wine Tasting With Phil Long At Wine Shoe (5:00 PM)
• Trevor Noah At Fox Theatre (8:00 PM)

From my notebook:

• The Atlanta Hawks and State Farm Arena successfully redirected over 2.5 million pounds of waste from landfills during its basketball games, concerts, and ancillary events in 2022. (Henry Herald)
• The Emory Police Department is asking for the public's help locating a missing man. Clifford Lakes, 31, was last seen leaving Emory University Hospital Midtown on Wednesday. (11Alive.com WXIA)
• Are you looking for a new family member with four paws? Check out the list of adoption-ready pets in the Atlanta area at the link! (Atlanta Patch)

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Alrighty, you're all caught up for today! I'll see you around.

— Lauren Kubiak

About me: Lauren is a freelance copywriter for content creation agency Lightning Media Partners. She graduated from Rowan University with a Bachelor’s Degree in journalism. She is a full-time editor at an association management firm, editing peer-reviewed nursing journals, textbooks, and newsletters.