🌱 Toys R Us Re-Opening For The Holidays + Man Burned In House Fire

Hello, friends. I'm back in your inbox this morning to walk you through everything you need to know about what's happening these days in town.

First, today's weather:

Humid with a thunderstorm. High: 90 Low: 75.

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Here are the top five stories in Atlanta today:

1. Don't look now, but the giraffe is back. Toys R Us, the one-time shut-down retailer, announced that it will temporarily reopen in select markets this Christmas. The retailer, which moved to sell its products exclusively online, says it is expanding its partnership with Macy's to begin opening shops this month and continue through the holiday season. One such location will open in Buckhead at Lenox Square mall. (The Business Journals)
2. A customer stole and held thousands of dollars worth of bounce house equipment for ransom, according to police. After videotaping the set-up of the equipment and paying the deposit for the bounce house, the customer refused to return the supplies. "I hate to give you bad news, but you're not getting your stuff back," the thief said. As of Tuesday evening, there is no word on whether the thief has been arrested. (Atlanta Patch)
3. Police arrested a man who they say was trying to break into cars in Buckhead on Friday. The officer, who was patrolling along West Paces Ferry and Slaton Drive, spotted the man who was armed and dressed all in black. The man was ultimately arrested and charged with possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, criminal trespass, and entering an automobile. (WSB Atlanta)
4. A man was hospitalized with severe burns after a house fire on Tuesday morning. According to officials, the fire began at about 7:00 a.m. at a boarded-up house on the 500 block of Simmons Street Northwest. The man was injured by the flames after reportedly running in to try and rescue anyone inside. Officials say the fire inflicted second and third-degree burns to his leg and arms. As of Tuesday evening, there is no word on the cause of the fire. (FOX 5 Atlanta)
5. Your favorite mobile eatery could be feeling the squeeze these days. Local food trucks are learning how to adjust to rising costs, and it could end up affecting you. From the cost of services supplies like gloves and utensils to the price of raw ingredients and gasoline for running the trucks, food truck operators say there's been a perfect storm of rising prices. Read stories from food truck owners around the city at the link. (The Atlanta Journal Constitution)

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Today in Atlanta:

• BYOB "Bring Your Own Book" Book Club at Stone Mountain-Sue Kellogg Library (6:00 PM)
• SLAM Atlanta July Board Meeting at SLAM Academy of Atlanta (6:30 PM)
• "Square Blues" at Horizon Theatre (8:00 PM)

From my notebook:

• MARTA is wild about bus rapid transit! The buses running in their own dedicated transit lane do what light rail does, but for less cost overall. Click the link to learn more about local transit. (MARTA via Facebook)
• Atlanta City Council member Jason Dozier will join the Department of Public Works to hold a town hall for District Four. You can attend in person at VICARS Community Center or online via the link at the post. The town hall is tonight from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. (Atlanta City Council via Facebook)
• Atlanta Department of Watershed Management wants you to check out the latest Water Quality Report. You can click the link to view that, as well as tips for staying safe in the heat. (Atlanta Department of Watershed Management via Facebook)

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You're officially in the loop for today. See you all 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.