🌱 GA Salmonella Outbreak, Raw Oyster Recall + APS Offers Telehealth

Good morning, hello! It's me, Lauren Kubiak, your host of the Atlanta Patch newsletter — here to explain everything you need to know about what's happening in our community. Including updates on...

• Wild oyster recall in Georgia due to a salmonella outbreak
• Atlanta Public Schools now offering telehealth for students
• BeltLine construction to be completed by 2030

But first, today's weather:

Cloudy, showers; humid. High: 70 Low: 63.

Interested in reaching our local readers with targeted messaging that drives traffic to your business? I have a limited number of sponsorships available to introduce our readers to local businesses they need to know. If that's you, then I invite you to learn more and secure your spot now.

Here are the top five stories today in Atlanta:

1. A wild oyster recall has been issued due to a salmonella outbreak affecting people in Georgia, Florida, and Alabama. The recall affects wild oysters harvested between Dec. 16, 2022 and Feb. 24 in the FL-3012 shellfish harvesting area near Cedar Key, Florida. The recall includes both wild oysters in the shell and shucked wild oysters. Florida health officials have closed the harvesting area for testing and consumers who purchased Florida oysters since Dec. 16 should check packages to determine where the oysters were harvested. (Atlanta Patch)
2. Atlanta Public Schools have partnered with Hazel Health to offer virtual doctor's appointments and mental health services to students who need help beyond the school building. The telehealth service, which cost the district $500,000, aims to address both physical and emotional health issues and get students back to the classroom faster. The program is available in all traditional Atlanta public schools, and parents can contact their counselor or school nurse for more information. (WSB Atlanta)
3. Atlanta's BeltLine trail construction is set to be completed by 2030, and construction on the Southside trail segments four and five is set to start on Mar. 13. Atlanta City Council has also announced that land was acquired for housing development along the BeltLine and that a grant of just under $800,000 will be used to support small businesses. The project aims to connect neighborhoods, boost economic development, and provide residents with affordable housing and a healthy lifestyle once the 22-mile loop is completed. (11Alive.com WXIA)
4. An update to yesterday's (Mar. 1) newsletter has been released regarding Kaiser Ulrick Suggs, who was mistakenly released from the Clayton County Jail in November 2022. Suggs turned himself in at the Fulton County Jail on Tuesday. He was wanted in connection with a murder investigation in Fulton County. (Atlanta Patch)
5. Jo Ann Macrina, a former commissioner of Atlanta's Department of Watershed Management, has been sentenced to four years and six months in prison for accepting bribes from a contractor, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office Northern District of Georgia. Macrina received bribes in exchange for steering city business worth millions of dollars to the contractor's company, including $10,000 in cash, a diamond ring, and landscaping work at her home. She will have to pay $40,000 in restitution and serve three years of supervised release following her sentence. (11Alive.com WXIA)

Today in Atlanta:

• Dinner With A View At The Promenade (6:00 PM)
• Sucia Thursdays At Red Martini (6:00 PM)
• Film Screening: Monument, The Untold Story Of Stone Mountain At Stone Mountain – Sue Kellogg Library (6:00 PM)

From my notebook:

• Thinking of dipping your toes into the housing market? Check out the list of open houses happening this week in the Atlanta area at the link. (Atlanta Patch)
• Sam's Club is set to invest $142 million to open a new fulfillment center in Georgia. The facility will be built in Douglas County and is expected to create 600 jobs and enhance Sam's Club's distribution capabilities in Georgia and the Southeast. (13WMAZ.com)
• "The Stitch" project, which aims to build a 14-acre mixed-use development over the I-75/85 Downtown Connector in Atlanta, has received a $1.1 million federal grant from the Reconnecting Communities Pilot Program. The project seeks to restore a portion of Atlanta divided by the interstate and address decades of racial inequality. Once completed, the project will create a continuous surface from Ted Turner Drive to Piedmont Avenue and is estimated to cost about $700 million. (11Alive.com WXIA)

More from our sponsors — thanks for supporting local news!

Featured businesses:

• Colony Roofers — (Visit website)
• Add your business here

Featured events:

• Online Event about our services in the Atlanta area (March 4)
• Mother Lode's Women's History Month Pop-Up (March 4)
• An Afternoon with Jimmy Broccoli - Poet (March 4)
• PRIDE Kickball Spring '23 League - Registration Deadline March 9th (March 9)
• Add your event

You're officially in the loop for today! See you tomorrow for another update.

— 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.