🌱 Tree Falls On Occupied School Bus + Community Orchards Coming

Hello, 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 dive into everything you need to know about what's happening around town.

First, today's weather:

A stray afternoon thunderstorm. High: 85 Low: 70.

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Here are the top five stories today in Atlanta:

1. A tree fell on an Atlanta Public Schools bus occupied with students on Thursday morning. The bus was traveling on the 22000 block of Beecher Circle in southwest Atlanta when the tree came down. Six students were on board, along with the bus driver, but no one was injured. (CBS 46 News)
2. The Southern Center for Human Rights, an advocacy and non-profit law firm, is looking to pay city residents to participate in town hall meetings. The firm created the 'Use of Force' project, where they will give participating residents a $50 gift card for attending a town hall on policing initiatives. The goal of the project is to educate and increase policy recommendations regarding policing by using lived experiences from residents. (WABE 90.1 FM)
3. Georgia State University welcomed 5,133 first-year students to its Atlanta Campus this week. The number is the second-largest in the university's history, and the total applicants for the fall semester totaled 28,158. The first-year accepted students also boast a 3.61 GPA overall – 0.04 points higher than the class before them. (Georgia State University News)
4. Full-time public school teachers and staff in the state of Georgia, along with Pre-K teachers, will now have access to free resources to support their mental health and wellness. The Georgia Department of Education's Employee Assistance Program will offer mental health counseling, financial and legal resources, referral services personally and professionally, and more. Along with being free, the program is also confidential. (Columbus CEO)
5. The Atlanta Braves will have a hand in creating 20 community orchards across the metro Atlanta area. The team is 'Pitching in for the Planet' in a partnership with multiple companies that will help increase access to fresh, healthy foods in neighborhoods where the orchards will be located. In total, 300 fruit trees will be planted. (Metro Atlanta CEO)

Today in Atlanta:

• Heart Of Peace Free Public Talk At Kadampa Meditation Center Georgia (6:30 PM)
• Summer Shade Festival With Ethel At Elsewhere Brewing (7:00 PM)
• Grey Sunday At Billy Allen's (8:30 PM)

From my notebook:

• Have you been longing to spend your days giving out pets and receiving unconditional love? Look no further than this list of cats and dogs available for adoption! (Atlanta Patch)
• Celebrate your dog or go to a festival – there's so much to do this weekend in Atlanta! (Atlanta Magazine)
• College football fans, mark your calendars! Events are taking place Labor Day Weekend as part of the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. (Discover Atlanta via Facebook)

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Events:

• 3hr Bachata lesson - Beginner / Beyond Basics Aug 27th (August 27)
• ALDI’s National Hiring Week (August 28)
• Free Zoom meeting about roof replacement near Atlanta, GA (August 31)
• Mini City Fall School Event (September 1)
• 2022 Purple Pansies Annual Gala Pillars of Hope Presented by Kroger (September 18)
• Add your event

Alrighty, you're all good for today! I'll be in your inbox tomorrow morning with your next 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.