🌱 Ukraine Solidarity Rally + ATL City Official Sentenced To 4.5 Years

Welcome back, Atlanta. I'm here in your inbox today to tell you everything you need to know about what's going on around town, including updates on:

• Ukraine solidarity rally in Piedmont Park
• Atlanta community and elites remember Thomas W. Dortch Jr.
• Former Atlanta official to go to prison for accepting bribes

But first, today's weather:

An afternoon shower. High: 73 Low: 56.

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Here are the top five stories today in Atlanta:

1. Around 200 people gathered in Piedmont Park on Saturday night to show their support for Ukraine, with a display of yellow and blue lights in the sky. The rally aimed to express solidarity with the country and bring awareness to the war that has caused destruction and chaos across Ukraine. Some attendees had personal experiences of the war and shared stories of the impact it has had on their lives, but remained optimistic about the future and confident in Ukraine's strength. (WSB Atlanta)
2. The community paid tribute to Thomas W. Dortch Jr., a prominent Atlanta businessman and philanthropist who died on Feb. 15 at the age of 72, leaving a legacy of civic participation and charitable giving. Dortch was the former chairman of the National Coalition on Black Civic Participation and the "100 Black Men of America," and a great supporter of Georgia's Historically Black Colleges and Universities. His life and achievements were celebrated in Stonecrest by hundreds of people, including Atlanta's elite, who remembered him as a selfless man who had a hand in many things. (11 Alive)
3. Former Atlanta city official, Jo Ann Macrina, has been sentenced to four and a half years in prison for accepting bribes during her time as commissioner of the city Department of Watershed Management. Macrina was charged as part of an investigation into corruption at City Hall during former Mayor Kasim Reed's administration, which led to charges against several individuals. She was found guilty by a jury in October on charges of conspiracy and federal program bribery, and is the second former city official to go to trial. (FOX 5 Atlanta)
4. The second phase of bridge construction began Friday night at the intersection of I-285 and Georgia 400, the site of Georgia's largest road project, causing frustration and confusion for drivers. The first part of the phase involves the eastbound lanes shifting to the inside lanes of the new bridge. The Georgia Department of Transportation restricted traffic to three lanes in each direction last October so crews could replace I-285's bridges over Georgia 400, and now the workers are focusing on the outside portions. (WSB Atlanta)
5. A 64-year-old Atlanta man has been charged with two misdemeanor counts of vehicular homicide almost two years after he allegedly caused a fatal crash in Newton County. Kuan Jian Zheng also faces charges of improper lane usage and failure to maintain lane. Darren Lee "Buddy" Horton, 51, and his wife Stephanie Horton, 48, were killed in the accident after Zheng's vehicle entered the eastbound lanes of I-20, overturned, and struck the front of their Toyota Tacoma. (Rockdale Newton Citizen)

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Today in and around Atlanta:

• LinkedIn Workshop At Conant Performing Arts Center (1:00 PM)
• DIY Succulent Planter At Wesley Chapel-William C. Brown Library, Decatur (5:00 PM)
• Monday Night Social At Red Martini (7:00 PM)

From my notebook:

• Saturday, Mar. 4 is Georgia Beer Day, and multiple breweries in Atlanta are celebrating! Proceeds from Beer Day benefit the Georgia Craft Brewers Guild and its member breweries. Visit the link for more information, including a list of participating locations. (Georgia Craft Brewers Guild)
• New homes have been listed for sale in the Atlanta area! Get all the property details at the link. (Atlanta Patch)
• The City of Refuge is hosting its annual Refuge Run 5K on Mar. 18 to benefit the faith-based organization's efforts to help individuals and families transition out of a crisis, including provisions like food, housing, health care, education, job training, and financial literacy. A new project is underway to build a 36,000-square-foot Transformation Center one block from their 200,000-square-foot campus. (Subscription: The Atlanta Journal Constitution)
• Perc Coffee is opening its third metro Atlanta location in Tucker in the spring and will serve its menu of rotating single-origin drip coffee, milk-based drinks, and seasonal offerings. (Subscription: The Atlanta Journal Constitution)

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Featured events:

• Online Event about our services in the Atlanta area (March 4)
• Mother Lode's Women's History Month Pop-Up (March 4)
• Minority Men's Health Discussion (March 9)
• PRIDE Kickball Spring '23 League - Registration Deadline March 9th (March 9)
• Advancing Neuroscience and Health Equity (March 23)
• Add your event

That's it for today. See you all 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.