🌱 Medical Center Becomes Level 1? + Parents And Children’s Safety Act

Good morning, friends! It's me, Lauren Kubiak, your host of the Patch newsletter. Come along to find out the most important things happening around town. Today we have these stories and more:

• Northeast Georgia Medical Center applied to be a Level 1 trauma center.
• A Georgia lawmaker proposed a bill to keep teachers and school staff from discussing gender and sexuality issues with students.
• Hatched is a newly released dating app tailored to Atlantans.

But first, today's weather:

Cloudy with a shower or two. High: 67 Low: 57.

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Here are the top five stories today in Atlanta:

1. Another Level 1 trauma center might be on its way to metro Atlanta. Northeast Georgia Medical Center applied to become a Level 1 center for critical injuries, making it the fifth health system in the state. The closure of Atlanta Medical Center in November left Grady Hospital as the only Level 1 trauma center in the region. "We’re already very busy; we’re a busy Level 2,” Jesse Gibson, the trauma program director for Northeast Georgia Medical Center, said. “I think we have one of the top volumes [for Level 2] in the state.” (WSB Atlanta)
2. Georgia Sen. Carden Summers introduced a new bill called the Parents and Children’s Safety Act, preventing teachers and school counselors from talking to students about gender or sexuality issues without parental consent. However, critics of the bill say it takes away a vital lifeline for students struggling with gender or sexuality. Sometimes children can't speak with their caregivers/parents about these topics and need to talk with other adults. (WSB Atlanta)
3. A new dating app was launched and created specifically for Atlantans. Founders Mitchell Alterman and Sam Lukens created "Hatched," which puts a unique twist to match people by their shared interests rather than based on looks. While some things stay the same as your average dating platform, such as name, age, and sexuality, the unique twist of the app asks the user to choose an egg avatar placed in front of your photo. "The avatars are supposed to represent a hobby or an interest, so I might choose the basketball avatar, the golf avatar, or the hiking avatar," Alterman said. Matches are made based on match preferences. (WABE 90.1 FM)
4. Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens announced the recipients of the first set of the city's Youth Development Grant Awards, which totals $1 million from the American Rescue Plan. The Urban League of Atlanta will facilitate the grant to 19 community-based organizations providing programming and resources for Atlanta students in grades K-12. (Subscription: The Atlanta Journal-Constitution)
5. Comedian and actor Tracy Morgan is making his way back to the stage in Atlanta. Morgan will headline a stand-up appearance for the first time in seven years. doing stand-up in Atlanta for the first time in seven years. The show will take place at the Tabernacle on May 6. You can grab tickets, which go on sale this week, here. (Subscription: The Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

Today in Atlanta:

• Art Exhibit: Calvin Couther At Wesley Chapel-William C. Brown Library (10:00 AM)
• Black History Month Trivia Challenge At Wesley Chapel-William C. Brown Library (10:00 AM)
• Monet: The Immersive Experience At Exhibition Hub, Atlanta Art Center (10:00 AM)

From my notebook:

• The 20th annual Atlanta Mission 5K Race to End Homelessness begins at 8:30 a.m. on Feb. 18 at Pemberton Place Greenspace. You can register for the race here. (Subscription: The Atlanta Journal-Constitution)
• New homes have been listed for sale in the Atlanta area! Get all the property details at the link. (Atlanta Patch)
• Jersey Mike’s Subs will open a new location at 187 N. Arcadia Ave. The grand opening will begin with a fundraiser through Sunday, Feb. 19 to support the National Black MBA Association Atlanta Chapter and the 100 Black Men of Atlanta. (Decaturish.com)

More from our sponsors — thanks for supporting local news!

Featured events:

• AID Atlanta Night @ The Hot Wing King (February 17)
• Anna Razumovskaya Artist Show (February 18)
• Atlanta Dogwood Festival Run for the Arts 5K (February 18)
• Atlanta Caribbean Lions Annual Fundraising Dinner & Gala (February 18)
• Pretty in Pink Noche Caliente Latin Night Atlanta @ Tonys Johns Creek Sat Feb 18, 2023 (February 18)
• Taxes in Retirement Webinar (February 20)
• BJ's Wholesale Club Pre-opening Limited-time Offer (February 23)
• LiveLifeFun Sand Volleyball Leagues - Registration Deadline March 2nd (March 2)
• Xernona Clayton Statue Unveilng on International Women's Day March 8 (March 8)
• PRIDE Kickball Spring '23 League - Registration Deadline March 9th (March 9)
• GO Kickball Spring Leagues - Registration Deadline March 9th (March 9)
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Alrighty, you're all good 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.