🌱 Former City Employees Guilty Of Bribery + Josef Martinez Suspended

Hello again, neighbors! It's me, Danielle Fallon-O'Leary, your host of the Atlanta Daily. Let's get this day started off right, with a quick review of the most important things going on these days in town.

First, today's weather:

Cloudy and humid. High: 84 Low: 69.

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Here are the top five stories in Atlanta today:

1. A former Atlanta city employee will be sentenced today after being found guilty on bribery charges in March. Mitzi Bickers, Mayor Kasim Reed's former director of human resources, was also found guilty on charges of money laundering and wire fraud, in addition to the bribery charges. The corruption investigation accused Bickers of using her power position to get away with two million dollars for herself by funneling about $17 million worth in business to two city contractors. (CBS 46 News)
2. Parts of Atlanta's skyline cityscape have gone into foreclosure after owners defaulted on loans. The six office towers and an underground mall at the Peachtree Center complex in downtown Atlanta are reportedly owned by Miami-based Banyan Street Capital, which owe more than $125 million on the properties collectively. In April, it was reported the buildings were about 40 percent vacant which may have aided to the company's loan default. (WSB Atlanta)
3. Atlanta United soccer star Josef Martinez has been suspended from the team. The team announced yesterday the player would not be participating in Saturday's game for "conduct detrimental to the team." Specific details of the conduct were not made public as of Wednesday evening. (Subscription: The Atlanta Journal Constitution)
4. "Georgia Special Chicken and Pork Smoked Sausage" vacuumed sealed in 28-ounce packaging with a sell by date of "10-28-22" has been recalled because it may contain pieces of blue plastic. The USDA said about 4,500 pounds of the Georgia-mad product by Sunset Farm Foods Inc. is being recalled in Alabama, Florida, and North Carolina — in addition to Georgia. The USDA says to throw out the sausage if it matches the recall or return it at the place of purchase. (WSB Atlanta)
5. Atlanta Public Schools' middle and high schools will become safer with the installation of more-advanced weapons screeners. While the schools already have metal detectors, the new technology will offer the school system the ability to screen large amount of students — just like Mercedes Benz Stadium does with visitors. The school board hopes to have the new technology in place by January 2023 after agreeing to a one-year contract at an estimated cost of $2.6 million for the technology. (WSB Radio)

Today in Atlanta:

• Earth Moon And Sun At Fernbank Science Center (3:00 PM)
• From Earth To The Universe At Fernbank Science Center (4:00 PM)
• Live Music At The Office Bar At Epicurean Atlanta (5:00 PM)
• Tour Of France Wine Dinner At Stem Wine Bar (6:30 PM)
• COMEDY JAM! At Venkman's (7:00 PM)

From my notebook:

• Are you in the market for a new place to call home? Open houses in the Atlanta-area are taking place today and this weekend! (Atlanta Patch)
• If you are in the mood to groove this weekend, check out the weekend concert picks at the link! (Reporter Newspapers)
• The World of Coca-Cola has added new installations to the Pop Culture Gallery! Get tickets to see the new additions here. (CBS 46 News)

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• Fall Wellness Festival (September 10)
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You're all caught up for today! See you tomorrow for another update.

— Danielle Fallon-O'Leary

About me: Danielle Fallon-O’Leary is a senior writer with content creation agency Lightning Media Partners and assists Patch.com with community newsletter curation. Danielle also holds a Master’s Degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders and works part-time as a pediatric speech therapist.