Atlanta, GA
Escaped inmate arrested after deadly stabbing in NE Atlanta
William Coleman (Fulton County Sheriff’s Office)
ATLANTA – An escaped inmate is back in custody following a deadly stabbing in northeast Atlanta on Friday night.
Officials with the Atlanta Police Department tell FOX 5 that 27-year-old William Coleman is facing charges of murder, aggravated assault, and possession of a knife during the commission of a felony.
The incident began when officers responded to reports of a stabbing on the 200 block of Montgomery Ferry Road NE.
When officers got to the scene, they found the body of a man who had been stabbed multiple times. The victim’s identity has not been released.
During their investigation, officers detained Coleman, who officials say matched the suspect’s description.
Shortly afterward, officers discovered Coleman was wanted by the Department of Corrections for an escape.
Coleman is now in custody with the Atlanta Police Department. Officials have not shared his relationship with the victim or the circumstances that led to the stabbing.
If you have any information that could help with the investigation, call the Atalnta Police Department.
Atlanta, GA
Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport receives among lowest rate of TSA complaints ahead of Christmas travel
For millions of travelers, airport security can feel like the most stressful part of any trip — shoes off, laptops out, lines inching forward while flight boards flash warnings overhead. But new data obtained by CBS News suggests travelers flying through Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport may be navigating that experience with less frustration than many expect.
According to a decade-long analysis of TSA complaint data, Hartsfield-Jackson recorded one of the lowest complaint rates among major U.S. airports, especially notable given that it is the busiest airport in the world. Between 2015 and 2024, the airport logged 4.53 TSA complaints per 100,000 passengers, placing it tied for seventh-lowest nationwide among the country’s largest airports.
Big crowds, fewer complaints
The study analyzed TSA complaints submitted to the agency’s Contact Center and compared them against total passenger enplanements at 63 of the busiest U.S. airports. The goal is to measure how often travelers felt compelled to formally report issues, such as customer service problems, screening delays, or mishandled property.
Over the 10-year period, Hartsfield-Jackson handled more than 461 million passengers — far more than most airports on the list — yet still maintained a relatively low complaint rate.
By comparison, some smaller airports recorded complaint rates more than double Atlanta’s, suggesting that airport size alone doesn’t determine passenger frustration.
Why it matters during holiday travel
As Christmas and New Year’s travel ramps up, the findings offer some reassurance for families heading out of Atlanta.
TSA lines remain long during peak hours, but the data suggests that most travelers are getting through security without issues serious enough to file formal complaints.
Travel expert Shayne Fitz-Coy, CEO of Rustic Pathways, says the airport experience often shapes how people remember their trip.
“Airports are often the first and last part of any journey,” Fitz-Coy said. “A smooth security process can make a real difference in how travelers feel about their entire experience,” according to the study’s findings .
Setting expectations, not guarantees
Airport officials caution that no system is perfect, especially during holiday surges. Weather delays, staffing shortages, and passenger volume can still create bottlenecks. But the data suggests Atlanta’s TSA operations have remained relatively consistent over time, even under extraordinary demand.
As holiday crowds continue to swell, the numbers point to a rare travel bright spot: at the world’s busiest airport, frustration doesn’t always come standard.
Courtesy of CB Hackworth
In the early part of the last century, at Christmastime, the Atlanta Journal customarily encouraged children of its readers to write Santa Claus short letters and entrust the newspaper with their safe delivery to the North Pole.
No suspicions were raised, apparently, when the Journal printed many of those letters a few days before the holiday.
And so it came to pass that the endearing, sometimes humorous wish lists of almost 300 kids filled two full pages in the edition published on December 23, 1908. In the middle of all that gray type, hidden in plain sight and forgotten for well over a century, was one that’s historically noteworthy:
Dear Santa Claus: I am a little girl nine years old. My papa is dead. I have no one to look to but mamma. We are very poor, too, I will ask you to bring what I want. A nice doll and carriage, a tea set, and something for mamma. Be careful and don’t get smutty. Your friend, MARY PHAGAN, College Park, Ga., Gate City Mills, No. 47.
I discovered the small item just a couple weeks ago during eleventh hour fact-checking for Andrew Young’s eight-part documentary series Atlanta Story, expected to air on Georgia Public Broadcasting early in 2026. Even after more than three years in production, I’m compelled to follow rabbits down wikiholes—and not for nothing. Very recent advances in technology have enabled us to use almost forensic detective work to investigate and uncover a fascinating, untold history of Atlanta.
As much as possible, I try to avoid clichés, but it actually did feel as if my heart skipped a beat.
Doubtlessly, you recognize the name, too.
The rape and murder of Mary Phagan in 1913 remains of the most infamous and sensational crimes in the storied history of Atlanta, if not the state and country, and was a particularly traumatic chapter in the life of this city. The tragic story has been told in countless articles, books, movies and TV shows, Alfred Uhry’s acclaimed Broadway musical Parade, and the old folk ballad by Fiddlin’ John Carson, “Little Mary Phagan”—but the single most definitive account, by far, is And the Dead Shall Rise, written by Steve Oney and published in 2003.
Mary was barely a teenager when her abused body was discovered in the basement of the National Pencil Factory on Forsyth Street, near what today we call “The Gulch” and now home to Centennial Yards, a downtown revitalization project. She earned 10-cents an hour, working 12-hour shifts at a machine that inserted rubber erasers into the metal tips of pencils.
The pencil factory was temporarily closed due to a shortage of materials, but April 26 was Confederate Memorial Day and Mary, having taken a trolley downtown to watch the parade, stopped to collect $1.20 she was owed for one day’s work. The discovery of her body in the factory basement led to the sensational trial and conviction (wrongful, most now believe) of the factory’s Jewish superintendent Leo Frank—and two years later, in 1915, his notorious lynching in Marietta and the rebirth of the Ku Klux Klan atop Stone Mountain.
Oney, who is a friend, dedicated 15 years of painstaking research—the hard, old fashioned, pre-internet kind—and his beautifully written book identifies a number of prominent citizens who took part in Frank’s lynching—which, he proves conclusively, was not a random act of mob violence, but, rather, an unsanctioned execution orchestrated at the highest levels of state government.
He also was able to get a hold of a letter written by Mary to her cousin and friend Myrtle Barmore on December 30, 1912, just a few months before her death, and quotes it very early in his book. Perhaps ironically, that correspondence also mentioned Christmas—with Mary chiding Myrtle, “I don’t know what to think of you for not coming.”
I was excited to share the “find” with Oney. If anybody knew of Mary Phagan’s letter to Santa, it would have been him—but it came as a surprise. I don’t think anybody could have known—until now.
An enormous, ever-growing repository exists online at newspapers.com—which, of course, is great—but even in the recent past, you’d have to know where, what, and when to look. The game changer is optical recognition, which allows the digitized microfilm to be searched by keyword and date.
If you type “Mary Phagan” in the search bar and leave the “date” field blank, you get 88,625 hits. Narrow the search to Georgia newspapers, and that number shrinks to 2,987. But filter those in chronological order, oldest to newest, and at the very top of the list is just a single mention of that name before 1913.
Georgia’s child labor laws were “reformed” in 1906, setting 10 as the minimum age to work in a factory—yet, the little girl’s letter to Santa establishes she was nine when it was written—and already working at Gate City Mills, a mammoth textile factory that processed cotton.
Beyond that sad fact, and mention of her father, who died before Mary was born, it isn’t a smoking gun or clue to anything—just a small but nevertheless historically significant remnant of her life—or, as Steve puts it, “the only examples we’ll ever have of Mary’s voice.”
But, last night, I came across two more!
On ancestry.com, relatives have put up two postcards to Myrtle, in Mary’s writing. One is postmarked January 29, 1910—a little more than a year after her letter to Santa was published in the Atlanta Journal and she asks, “What did Santa Claus bring you?”
I wonder what, if anything, he brought “Little Mary,” as she would come to be remembered.
It’s been on my mind, haunting me this holiday season. Did the impoverished child who left school for long hours of factory work get that doll and carriage or the tea set she wanted?
How exciting it must have been, two days before Christmas, for a poor mill worker to see her name printed in the newspaper!
Four years later, her name would appear in newspapers across the country for months to come. She is forever known and remembered.
CB Hackworth, an occasional contributor to Atlanta magazine, is a longtime journalist in both print and broadcast media. His work in television has been recognized with “about” 40 Emmy Awards as head of the investigative unit at WXIA-TV, senior producer of Action News Primetime and Closeups for WSB-TV, and a 20-year collaboration with Andrew Young on a series of nationally syndicated documentaries. However, he says that on the rare occasion his name is recognized, it is for having been a columnist and editor of the weekly newspaper Creative Loafing during the late 1980s and early 90s.
Advertisement
How a celebrated pastry chef and her community came together to create Atlanta’s hottest and most ambitious late-night hangout.
Pastry chef and co-owner Claudia Martinez at Bar Ana in Atlanta on Thursday, December 4, 2025. (Arvin Temkar/AJC)
Bar Ana had been open exactly two weeks when Dalarie Gonzales visited December 4.
It was already the millennial real estate agent and self-described infrequent drinker’s third time patronizing Ponce de Leon Avenue’s new late-night bar.
tahW“ htiw eht eht eht ehs .dias riap em evol speek woh ”,stressed suoiciled gnimoc .sliatkcoc sliatkcoc ?kcab I yltsenoH dnA
— — htiw ohw saw ot ot .relppit eht ,steews yllacificeps ehs dias ,margorp yrtsap renwo neesrevo erom .unem reganam sevol deripsni reh ezinomrah dneirf rof srovalf ecneirepxe tressed setaerc detaerc denibmoc yranoitcefnoc-liatkcoc fehc detarbelec yb egareveb tseb emoceb rab dna suorutnevda a ,smailliW ehT ehT miyaM zenítraM ,selaznoG aidualC raB s’anA
A view of a mini mango, coconut crunch, white chocolate
dessert and Caribbean sour drink at Bar Ana in Atlanta on Thursday, December 4, 2025. (Arvin Temkar/AJC)
htiw htiw ,htuomrev koot eht eht aliuqet s’revres odasoper noitadnemmocer ,etanargemop tiurfnoissap deriap fo tsom elom .laczem ti desserpmi reh dah ehcanag ,tressed .hcnurc noitcocnoc ,eeffoc etalocohc yb neeb dna dna dna denroda a ehS ,acubmaS selaznoG ,otcerroC éfaC inaugnarA
htiw mraw sillert ot eht steews kcartdnuos spis ehs sdnimer noteagger gnignar hcaep ,tniap fo ton lacisum .sevol ,gnithgil tsuj s’ti sti .dnalemoh poh-pih reh nedrag morf s’ylimaf citegrene gniliec atahcab dna dna dna dna na ,ecnaibma ,staeborfa a selaznoG tuB raB s’anA
oY“ sihT“ — tnaw odot ot ot ”.emit opmeit eht eht sekat gnihctiws kaeps ehs ,dias oreiuq em em .skram sekam .segaugnal ti stih loñapse le erofeb lla lla olba sihT hsinapS ”,ocixeM
Customers dine at Bar Ana in Atlanta on Thursday, December 4, 2025. (Arvin Temkar/AJC)
deklaw sriatspu ot hguorht eht eht eht ,elbat dellorts ,ekops gnilims ehs ehs moor tnaruatser wen reh dedaeh tuognah evag rof .roolf rennid gninid tressed gnireviled .tnemilpmoc ta sa rehtona evoba a ,ecnoP nacixeM zenítraM selaznoG selaznoG lE erofeB raB sA ,anA
uoY“ ,erehw tnaw ot yllaer ,lacitilop ecalp ekam yllaretil ,ekil ,ekil ,wonk s’ti ti si ni t’nod ,emirc ”.looc tub gnieb a a nacixeM I
erehw tahw hguorht niereht eht eht maet ,teews sretroppus evisrevbus yrtsap ylralucitrap fo fo fo fo retsam rekam cigam seil del thgin-etal sti si ,ytilanoitanretni ni evah mrof epacse sremaerd .noitanimreted tressed .tnecsed ,ssensuoiciled ecnaifed detaerc ,seitinummoc liatkcoc detarbelec yb ,rab decnalab ta dna dna dna dna dna dna gnoma a a a a naleuzeneV zenítraM ,nitaL s’tI s’tI cinapsiH raB s’atnaltA dnA .anA naebbiraC-orfA
The talented Ms. Martínez
detnaw ot eraperp ecalp .seirtsap nwo fo gnol reh sah a ,zenítraM aidualC ,33
dekrow htiw elihw erehw erehw ot ot eht delggurts ehs ehs ehs ,loohcs tnaruatser yrtsap devom .level snehctik ni gnitaudarg remrof dellecxe yraniluc sessalc reerac tub nageb cisab gnidnetta dnetta ta ta decnavda nacsuT .loohcS slliH hgiH reH ,ellirG diurD ettolrahC daehkcuB oirB retfA
gnikrow ohw saw saw pu rednu yadot emit eht selor margorp ,yrtsap yrtsap snwo no dereffo desolc-won devom enil del tsuj boj ni reh gniniag morf dedne tnereffid eerged yraniluc .kooc fehc ta ta sa dnuora dna dna retfa a a selaW ,ytisrevinU ehS ,llessuR tnaruatseR tnaruatseR rooP zenítraM nosnhoJ nI .xirdneH s’eneguE eneguE s’daehkcuB noraA ,5102 ;pma&
htiw htiw ot naht steews elpmis gniwohs d’ehs ehs .loohcs selor deraperp deraperp yrtsap .tuo nehctik ni woh reh reh yvaeh leef yltnereffid yraniluc stiderc dluoc ylsuounitnoc gnignahc sekac denrub nageb eb dna ehS llessuR tuB
I“ tahw t’nsaw saw saw koot ot ot ,emit kniht eht taht taht emos os tuo fo ”.txen latnem evol evol tsuj sboj ti ecap-hgih .dnamed-hgih htlaeh dah taerg erugif dediced ,kooc tub esuaceb ,yawa ta dna yM I I I
— — gnikrow tuohtiw ot ot hguorht eht eht egats slliks ehs ehs kaeps-yrtsudni-tnaruatser tnaruatser tiuq gnihctip yap yrtsap reffo tfel nrael boj ni yletaidemmi sih flesreh reh reh rof detcatnoc fehc fehc ta ta dna derimda detpecca a nehW .S.U .nedewS tnaruatseR zenítraM ,margatsnI nI eneguE ,7102
… yehT“ nedewS“ uoy krow htiw htiw gniw .keew ot ot ot ot sgniht ,ereht eht ekat ehs .dias yrtsap ”,ecap ton ”.noitavitom erom .sekatsim em em ekam edam edam evol ,ekil ekil denrael ,wonk tsuj s’ti s’ti .ti yrtsudni ni llaf tnereffid tnereffid ytiralc emac .skaerb yllacisab kcab dna dna na .niaga a KO KO KO KO s’tI s’tI s’tI I I ruoh-08
Tiny Lou’s Team (from left to right) pastry chef Claudia Martinez, executive chef Jeb Aldrich, and beverage manager Jordan Moore. (Photo credit:Mia Yakel)
raey krow erehw saw saw saw koot ot ot neht eht ehs ehs tsilanifimes emas detiurcer noitingocer yrtsap yrtsap lanoitan lanoitan eman gnivom gnikam edam ;level .retal boj ni flesreh rof rof rof tsilanif evitucexe denrae .stressed kooc fehc gnitavitpac erofeb emoceb drawa ta ta sa dna a a a a a a a s’noinU yniT ehS ehS yrtsaP gnidnatstuO relliM ,s’uoL semaJ reH .fehC draeB drawA saltA ,1202 0202
sraey eht eht rats ,esor llup fo gninioj otni .derongi .flesreh reh gniog rof tlef yraniluc t’ndluoc ssenisub eb erulla retfa noinU owT relliM zenítraM sA
I“ dluow htiw saw ot ot eht nekat hctiws emos deifsitas tnaruatser ylbaborp tniop reven dedeen ekam tsal wenk boj ni evah dah .gniod ,degnellahc esuaceb eb ta gnihtyna dna a noinU ,oS relliM m’I m’I I I I ”.atnaltA
Pastry chef Claudia Martinez of Miller Union said she always likes to incorporate fruit and keep things light, and she often pays homage to her Venezuelan heritage. (Styling by Claudia Martinez/Chris Hunt for the AJC)
hcihw ot ot ,ereht yats ehs .tup evom ni reh degaruocne dediced deredisnoc tub kroY weN sdneirF
s’atnaltA“ I‘ htiw tnew saw saw detnaw pirt deirt ot ot ot ot taht gnihtemos os nepo no ’.wen reven ym ym em ,ekil ekil evael thgin-etal wenk ni ,emoh .daeh ,evah evah dneirf rof od tressed liatkcoc kaerb erofeb neeb ”.rab dna dna dna syawla a a a ocixeM ev’I I I I I I
A family affair
s’ehS“ skrow ohw saw deklat ecaps retsis ecnis ehs dias nwo .dezinagro ,snoitarepo gninepo ”,elttil gnipeek reh slaicnanif evitucexe seitud ,rotanidrooc sa dna evitartsinimda tuoba ,zenítraM s’aidualC raB aerdnA s’anA
I“ tsriF“ — ”,raew ot kniht s’taht sekat ”.gniticxe-repus s’retsis retsis .dias elor elor ?thgir stneserper ecnedecerp revo rehto ro ym ym yam ti reh reh tah ,slaog noitiurf ,tsomerof ,maerd ,maerd gnimoc sa yna dna zenítraM I reH aerdnA
t’ndluow tuohtiw ohw eht eht eht taht detnelat troppus retsis ytilaer redlo fo fo ylekil .yenruoj denioj ni reh evah sdneirf ,ysae maerd t’ndid werc emoc fehc eveileb emoceb dna dna dna a a s’tI
gnikrow htiw ot deppets stirips ,secalp srentrap no fo evitan tem gnitekram gnikool ekil ekil yrtsudni sedulcni ni .egatireh og gnidnuf morf rof setaremolgnoc sdnarb egareveb nageb dnuorgkcab yawa dna dna dna dna ni-lla a kroY ,akdoV noinU s’otiT ehS ’sotnaS ,sotnaS weN relliM zenítraM soL soL ,HMVL yraunaJ yerG esooG nacinimoD oegaiD eD eD ytiC .sogimasaC raB eitrA .anA 4202
ohw ohw saw .rehtegot ralimis nar nar tup pu-pop ti ni eh eeffoc selcric dellac ssenisub atsirab sa dna a a hguohT ,siloS sotnaS ,sodreuceR ,zenítraM zenítraM soL navI eD
enO“ ebyaM“ I‘ ,yeH‘ uoy krow krow ’,htiw ohw saw saw annaw pu .rehtegot ot ot siht er’yeht emos erahs .dias yllaer ”.srentrap nepo eno fo won ym gnikool ,ekil ,ekil wonk si saedi ”,flesmih syug ,sdneirf t’nod od yad tpecnoc nac tub ssenisub ssenisub tseb ,dloheb dna dna dna a siloS oL I I aidualC ,eitrA
(L-R) Restaurant team Artie De Los Santos, Rosa Thurnher, Dallas Dawson, Claudia Martinez, Ivan Solis, and Mayim Williams pose at Bar Ana in Atlanta on Thursday, December 4, 2025. (Arvin Temkar/AJC)
— — gnuoy hcihw tahw saw ot eht devres dias stnediser stneserper ,tnediserp .snoitisop s’noitazinagro noitazinagro ro fo nem srebmem tnaem pihsredael ni ni sdneirf wollef od ytinummoc noitaroballoc dellac dliub htob emaceb sa dna na gnoma gnuoY riehT siloS sotnaS slanoisseforP soL nitaL aL cinapsiH ,EPYH EPYH .azraG ,sruenerpertnE eD eD ynreB s’atnaltA atnaltA ;pma&
nehW“ dluow dluow saw detnaw ot ot siht kniht eht eht taht .dias yllaer .nepo tem noitnem .ti otni eh eh eh tsrif leef ygrene etaluspacne ebircsed rab dnuora dna elba aL I I eH azraG eD raB ,eitrA ”,anA
… dnA“ ot esoht kniht kniht sgniht er’yeht neht eht eht stops yas seirtsap eno fo ,nam elttil tsuj s’ti si .elbidercni elbidercni ni stuognah doog noitauqe hguone gnikrow-oc .fehc t’nac tub desaib tseb esuaceb dna na gnidda yletulosba tuoba a sodreuceR ebyaM m’I I I I aidualC ”.atnaltA dnA
navI“ I“ htiw erehw nehw ew saw saw saw saw pu ,rehtegot ot ot gnikniht eht s’taht detrats ,ekops .ecaps ”,ecaps emos pohs ”.esnes dias ,tniop tcefrep rentrap gninwo gninepo fo fo fo fo denoitnem edam gnikool gnikool dnik dnik tsuj pmuj ti ti otni etargetni sih mih eh annog rof tsrif eeffoc tub .rab ta dna dna noitibma osla lla tuoba a a a oS sotnaS soL I eD aidualC
eW“ htiw saw .ebiv eht eht taht denifer tuo ruo fo fo elddim tem ”.devlovni neppah .gninid-enif derugif esitrepxe trepxe tnemele nwod gnitaerc nac thguorb htob ta dna na a sotnaS zenítraM soL eD raB anA
saw eht eht noitatneserper renwo ylno fo won reganam deifingam noisulcni gnidulcni dah morf esitrepxe yb rab dna dna smailliW ,aleuzeneV tahT .siloS ,sotnaS ,cilbupeR sodreuceR ocixeM soL .aciamaJ nacinimoD eD yB raB anA
gnikrow gnikrow elihw eerht detroppus semitemos elgnis stnaruatser ylteiuq otno no ,gnithgilnoom shtnom gnikam ekil boj ni sih flesreh reh dleh rof rof maerd stressed .yad yad yb ta dna dna lla a llamS sotnaS ,s’ymmaS zenítraM olaM soL ,yrF lE eD raB .anA
tI“ I“ raey krow hcihw tahw saw pu ot ot ot ot eht eht klat ecaps ehs dias ”.spihsnoitaler erusserp detalp lanosrep .gninepo no fo fo ym .em ekam tol ekil gnidael si evah ”,drah dah stseug neve ,od od od t’ndid ,stressed etaerc t’ndluoc esuaceb dna a rebmevoN I I I raB dnA s’anA
A view of a Araguani chocolate, passion fruit ganache, pomegranate, mole crunch dessert at Bar Ana in Atlanta on Thursday, December 4, 2025. (Arvin Temkar/AJC)
saw ,rehtegot ehs denosaes yler pihsnoitaler s’rehto eno no fo gnolefil .semoh .sdneirf yltneuqerf hcae rennid dluoc tseb rednetrab dednetta eta ta dna dna dna a ,smailliW yehT sloohcS enO elddiM s’zenítraM slliH hgiH diurD atnaltA
ehS“ reH“ dluow tahw detnaw ,rehtegot ot sgniht s’taht ehs .dellacer tup scincip no fo tol elttil wenk ”,secneirepxe ”.od gninid kooc dna dna dna syawla a smailliW I
htiw htiw ohw erehw pu yeht s’ehs devres dias stnaruatser gnitneserper margorp seliforp seirtsap gniriap fo ekam si si reh depleh werg s’dneirf rof rovalf detavele .reisae sknird ,tnecsed sedaced .yllarutluc stnuoc .sliatkcoc srab rab dna dna gnoma tuoba ,smailliW ehS zenítraM gniwonK llabmiK naciamaJ esuoH lanidraC ,tacelteeB raB atnaltA s’anA
A bartender makes a Caribbean sour at Bar Ana in Atlanta on Thursday, December 4, 2025. (Arvin Temkar/AJC)
eW“ aidualC“ ,dlrow ”,skrow tahw ew gnitsiwt tsurt laciport ot meht eht taht taht taht taht taht .teews .teews gnikcits ecaps .dias stcelfer denifer seirtsap ylgnimlehwrevo ylgnimlehwrevo rehto erom ekam ekam elttil ti ti si si ni ni rof ”.srovalf tsixe hcae t’nod t’nseod ,od sliatkcoc scissalc tub htob tib rab era era dna dna a a smailliW er’eW I naebbiraC
A view of a Caribbean sour drink at Bar Ana in Atlanta on Thursday, December 4, 2025. (Arvin Temkar/AJC)
nehw saw sgniht sretroppus ekil yek sdneirf .gnignellahc emaceb dna dna osla ,smailliW rehnruhT sotnaS asoR soL gnivaH eD
sraey eunev eht eht eht llams ehs ,tnaruatser gnisahcrup ytreporp snwo bulcthgin ,retal otni ni tsrif eritne yb .gnidliub thguob thguob htaeneb dniheb dna a rehnruhT neT ehS .ecnoP lE lE ,raB 6002
ohw hcihw saw ,eunev ralupop deyalp ,elpoep cisum ekil nwonk deripsni ni ni ygrene-hgih rof tif deid gnicnad dluoc desolc yb yb dnuora ehT ,xxxofrekaepS lE sJD raB atnaltA .0202 .8102 001
ohw eht eht nups ees sdrocer fo rehtom tem ssol ekil sih ,bulc s’nerdlihc .teewsrettib ta ta sa dna osla ,emoS naeS noylaF lE lE JD raB raB
I“ I“ ’sreehC‘ htiw saw klaw ”,ereht eht taht os os .dias .secalp elpoep eno no fo ”.thgin ynam ynam ekil tsuj ni ni ni meg morf morf morf tlef ydobyreve yreve tnereffid tnereffid dluoc detcennoc ytic eb a mroN noylaF lE raB atnaltA
htiw eunev yrt ot eht eht taht ,redaerpsrepus dias edistuo detavitom stnedicni reh tnereffid ,htaed dluoc snrecnoc bulc esolc .sessenisub emoceb dna dna gnola a rehnruhT s’xxxofrekaepS lE DIVOC raB
Jarina Naone (left) and Rosa Thurnher, co-owners of El Ponce restaurant and El Bar, a dance club located in the rear lower level of the building at 939 Ponce de Leon Ave., pictured in 2020 during the pandemic. (Ligaya Figueras/AJC)
nemow saw tnacav ot yeht eht eht ,ecaps ylsuoiverp spu-pop .ecnenamrep yrtsap yrtsap tem gnikool detivni ni ni ni ni tsoh dah rof rof doof tsrif rennid detaroballoc fehc gnitarbelec tub .egareveb ta dna dna a rehnruhT ehS ecnoP zenítraM lE aidualC 4202 1202
tahW“ I“ ruoy uoy detnaw owt ot emit ”,gniht eht eht ,gniklat tops ehs ehs gnirahs .dias nwo nepo wonk wenk tpek ni fi .saedi reh ,laog ”?sriatsnwod t’ndid did yad ta ,deksa dna ecivda rehnruhT rehnruhT enO ecnO s’zenítraM ,hcraM
,raey erew ot eht eht eht ,ecaps .rentrap nepo ,reffo denioj ni gnipoh evah reilrae .deyaled gnignahc tub nageb sa dna detpecca a rehnruhT yehT zenítraM raB anA
eW“ eW“ uoy uoy erew su ot ot .emit sgniht sgniht er’yeht yeht eht eht maet ffuts emos os gniyas .dias nar dehsup .tniop elpoep edistuo tuo no ,fo fo lamron on yenom srebmem tsol ,nrael ,wonk ,wonk tsuj rotsevni mih evah dah dah tog gniog rof ylimaf od .t’ndid t’ndid etaroproc ssenisub .gnikcab ”.kcab ta ta dna na eW emoS ”,)sotnaS elpoeP zenítraM soL ,tsuJ I eD(
roF“ htiw ohw ,etihw etihw yrev ot ot siht kcuts ehs .dias .snosaer lanosrep srentrap ytinutroppo ton ,em ”,nam s’ti si .lanoitnetni reh gniog evig rof ma a ,rehnruhT ,ekiL I
I“ ot ot sgniht s’taht ,taht taht ,ecaps dluohs efas ,thgir ,tnaruatser hsup trap ewo ffo .fo noitagilbo ton ym ekam tol gnivil ekil ti fi woh evah ,drawrof leef od erutluc etaerc etaerc .ytinummoc ”.eb dna na a a a a a gninwO nacixeM m’I s’tI I I I
doow nehw keew saw desu sesillert ot ot eht eht eht eht taht devivrus dereffus oiduts egavlas rehto .gninepo ylno fo lairetam ssol ti si ni sih erif hsinif deyortsed rengised .noitcurtsnoc xelpmoc ,segnellahc gniliec retneprac .ezalb erofeb dna elba a a ehT htuoS reviR eH noswaD sallaD raB raB trA gnomA s’ANA s’ANA
Ash and debris remain after a fire damaged the main building at South River Arts Studio in DeKalb County on Friday, Nov. 14, 2025. (Natrice Miller/AJC)
tI“ aidualC“ uoY‘ .oN‘ tahw saw saw gniyrt ydegart oot ot ot ot ot hguorht siht ev’yeht ev’yeht yeht eht taht erus os os .dias gnihsup hsup ruo ’.gninepo .nepo no ”,em em ekam ,ekil ekil detsisni tnatropmi .ereh eh evah doog teg rof ”’.dehsinif t’nod dluoc nac neeb neeb esuaceb eb hsilpmocca hsilpmocca eW s’teL m’I noswaD raB anA
ruO“ I“ flesruoy uoy lliw nehw su tespu dlot ot ot ot ekat tup revo ton deen ekil ti .snamuh teg .tsrif ”,tsrif seilimaf semoc emoc ”.kaerb sa gnihtyna a eW KO zenítraM s’tI .noswaD
esohw elihw erehw gnitiaw deifinu eerht yeht rieht eht eht s’taht ,selbat ezilobmys s’ffats gnihtemos llams retsis ,moor der edirp sotohp gniogno no fo fo fo seman eman ,rehtom rehtom :srebmem .srebmem .seicagel sti si si ni ni etaidemmi reh reh evah ,srehtomdnarg morf rehtaf ylimaf ylimaf ylimaf cimanyd sknird yalpsid sremotsuc ,egalloc gnitiawa ta era dna dna dna dna seirtsecna na ssorca noitaiverbba a ehT aroN s’zenítraM s’zenítraM edisnI raB degnarrA ,seliuqA .aerdnA ,anA
erehw llew drawot ot emit ereht detegrat ecnis yltnecer seicilop .elpoep ylralucitrap rehto ni noitargimmi tnargimmi ,emoh sah spuorg rof leef tnemecrofne hcae .noitatroped seitinummoc esolc gnignahc yb neeb dekcatta sa sa dna osla a .S.U .S.U ev’yehT htuoS nacixeM s’tI naciremA naebbiraC-orfA
htiw detisiv ,rehtegot hguorht eht eht eht yraropmet gniraet srosserts ffats gnidneps stnaruatser .rehto gninepo .noitaripsni depleh puorg morf rof ,erif epacse hcae repeed syad tcennoc srab dna dna osla osla ehT ocixeM zenítraM ytiC erofeB
er’eW“ eW“ retfA“ ,dlrow s’tahw ew ew ”.syaw saw su pirt rehtegot ot ot ot ,emit siht sgniht eht taht taht taht kaeps os ehs .dias yllaer tuo ,no no no fo deen .em gnol s’ti ni ni ni tnatropmi woh tog annog gniog gniog rof erugif tnereffid etacinummoc ”,esolc esuaceb eb era dna dna lla lla lla dengila gnitceffa tuoba a
m’I“ I“ ,haeY‘ lliw erehw erehw s’tahw ew ew yrev yrev ot ot eht taht ekat lufsseccus dias ,efas gnitsiser .ecnatsiser ”,ecnatsiser ecalp ecalp elpoep elpoep etanoissap etanoissap ruo eno .no fo fo on ym ekam ekam ,ekil wonk yoj flesti ti si si evah gniog .nuf mrof leef tcaf tsixe tnellecxe gniunitnoc .ytinummoc nac sessenisub neeb eb eb eb ”’.yawa era dna tuoba tuoba elba a a a er’eW sU .siloS teL m’I
erehw .hctaw ot eht eht snoisnet dias das yllanosrep si reh sah ,morf ylimaf gnitalacse neewteb neeb dna ,aleuzeneV .S.U zenítraM
s’tahT“ gnitaerC“ dluow .dlrow etihw s’tahw ew ew saw .su hcuot ot siht siht kniht eht taht gnikat ,ecaps ehs .dias hcir yllaer ”.no no no ym hcum dnim ekil gniwonk tsuj ti si ni evah evah evah redrah yug gniog gnidnuf llaf t’nod t’nod t’nseod ”,yltnatsnoc ,ecnahc neeb esuaceb esab rab .gnikcab kcab lla lla tuoba a a a er’eW eW I dnA
krow htiw .eunev ot yeht yeht taht dias nalp ,elpoep no won ekil evah spuorg rof stneve ytinummoc dna a ehS nitaL cinapsiH EPYH
… I“ htiw ohw emoclew detnaw ot ot ot eht eht taht ffuts pets ehs .dias ecalp elpoep ekil ni morf leef gnilaed ”,ssenizarc emoc eb rab yawa era dna lla elba a
Pastry chef and co-owner Claudia Martinez poses at Bar Ana in Atlanta on Thursday, December 4, 2025. (Arvin Temkar/AJC)
The sweet escape
ot eht taht evitcudes emas ycnediser nepo sgninrom .noonretfa-dim sti roiretni sevig sevig gnineve yleritne ygrene tnereffid ngised eeffoc ta erulla ehT ,sodreuceR raB anA
swodniw sllaw ot ot eht eht eht syarnus ecaps llams mees esoprup detniap-hcaep ton wen raen tsuj ni .sruoh evah morf rof gniretne ylrae .erutluc ytinummoc ,gniliec noitanieffac tub semoceb dna a a sknahT tI
gnikrow htiw elihw dias no ,evitan evol ni eh llef eeffoc .supmac gnidnetta ta dna a s’ytisrevinU ytisrevinU etatS ,siloS pohS ainohtiL s’idlaK aigroeG yromE eeffoC dlo-raey-92
… I“ elihw gnihctaw ot eht eht eht elpoep evol evol ettal tsuj maerd ,liated ”.atsirab noitnetta tra syawla tuoba ,ekiL
Ivan Solis pours coffee at Bar Ana in Atlanta on Thursday, December 4, 2025. (Arvin Temkar/AJC)
— — dekrow htiw ot ot semeht eht eht gnilletyrots yllacificeps ees lanosaes unem retal avaj deripsni gnicneulfni gnidulcni ni mih knird .yltnereffid stiderc gnitaerc eeffoc eeffoc renwo-oc gnignahc yb ssenisub ssenisub atsirab ta sa hcaorppa dna a a a enotS siloS .niatnuoM semaJ eH ylliG ylliG leinaD s’nworB werB denwo-kcalB elbiB ,raB niwdlaB
gnikaM“ tahw gnikniht eht ytlaiceps .dias detoor ,ym ym ym ”,tnemom ni ,egatireh morf sknird dluoc eb ,yrtsecna tuoba siloS m’I
htiw saw allitrot tnet gnilles tnaruatser pu-pop pu-pop fo asam dehcnual edisni ni sih tsrif sknird rennid snoitaroballoc eeffoc eeffoc fehc delttob nageb ta ta ta sa dna dna a a s’ageV sodreuceR airtaP kraP enO nacixeM .tekraM aleciraM eH tnarG sremraF .anicoC aidualC ocihC 2202
.dlrow htiw ohw eht eht decruos nigiro-elgnis sevres sretsaor ytilauq fo morf railimaf ylevisulcxe syojne gnitacude ssensuoiciled sremotsuc ,eeffoc .efac dnuora t’nera dna siloS sodreuceR nacixeM nacixeM
A view of the Recuerdos coffee bar at Bar Ana in Atlanta on Thursday, December 4, 2025. (Arvin Temkar/AJC)
htiw htiw nehw tahw mraw detisiv denifernu eht eht ,ragus ecips ytlaiceps lanosaes ,tnediser ollicnolip ,leep egnaro no tao .klim unem edam ekil atahcroh eh dah serutaef sknird ed iahc elyts-oniccuppac nworb egareveb gnikab dna dna osla a a moT nwotsdlonyeR ’sodreuceR sodreuceR ,allO ,relliM s’tI rebmeceD éfaC .4
ot ot s’oiduts ecnis revocer sih flesmih pleh sah morf dewollof erif yllaicnanif .naf detanod .egamad gnidnufdworc detaerc sredisnoc reerac ngiapmac dna osla a a relliM s’zenítraM eH noswaD 0202
A view of a mini mango, coconut crunch, white chocolate
dessert at Bar Ana in Atlanta on Thursday, December 4, 2025. (Arvin Temkar/AJC)
s’tI“ I“ — saw ot ot sgniht eht ”,ffuts ffuts s’ehs ehs gnilles ees .dias rebmemer ytterp cimednap hcum gnivom peek woh eh ”.nworg gnirud seikooc seinworb emosewa dna dna gnola
— gnikrow etihw gnimoclew ot eht taht ,elpoep elpoep fo ton seitironim .nam puekam sniatniam ekil tsuj s’ti stsisni rof sleef enoyreve yllaicepse ,werc .ssalc tub tub dna dna dna ,lla elbissecca a X ehS ,relliM zenítraM ,nitaL cinapsiH noitareneG etipseD naebbiraC raB raB s’atnaltA anA s’ANA
A view inside Bar Ana in Atlanta on Thursday, December 4, 2025. (Arvin Temkar/AJC)
elpoeP“ ohw ohw stnaw ,su owt ot siht dneps ecaps ehs ehs .dias eno no ton ekil ekil s’ti otni gnivah gniog leef ”,tressed ,sremotsuc elbatrofmoc sliatkcoc tub deksa sa dna a nehW 001$
tey htiw hcihw saw pu lausunu ot eht eht eht sgnir secirp rep gninepo no netfo ton tsom unem dnif evisnepxe ,knird liatkcoc liatkcoc srab ta evoba ,elppaeniP s’tI ytriD 02$ .71$
gnimoclew eht eht eht taht dias ,tnaruatser detneserper .ecalp elpoep fo fo ynam s’ti si devlovni ni tnatropmi ,stnargimmi nevig railimaf nerdlihc gnieb dnuorgkcab sa dna a smailliW raB anA
s’tI“ tahw er’ew ”,suoitneterpnu ot taht .dias yllaer gnitneserp em si tnatropmi smailliW
Customers dine at Bar Ana in Atlanta on Thursday, December 4, 2025. (Arvin Temkar/AJC)
.rehtegot eht eht ffats os ehs dias ,thgin setunim tpek evah tnorf sdneirf tsrif ylimaf artxe rood dluoc desolc dna na nO zenítraM engapmahC raB s’anA 01
,llitS“ I“ er’ew ew ew ew ot ”.siht siht llits dluohs .dias fo ,erom ekil wonk dnik ,ti ,ti ti ni woh tlef leef neve t’nod did did ,yad ”,yzarc gnitarbelec tub tub eb dna ydaerla zenítraM I
tey dlrow elihw ot ot ot llirht eht eht eht eht .hcamots yracs dias tnaruatser detaretier gniraperp nepo nepo no fo fo ton ti ni sih s’eh tsrif leef hguone elbatrofmoc .gnitarbelec tub gnieb gnieb dettimda ,sotnaS yadnoM soL eH ,rebmeceD eD raB anA
dna” tuB“ niw ew ”.su ,rehtegot kniht taht taht ,dias fo sekam wonk ti ti rof did enola lla a sotnaS soL I I eD
Mike Jordan is senior editor at The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s Black culture brand, UATL. A longtime culture journalist, his work has been published in The Wall Street Journal, The Guardian, National Geographic, Rolling Stone and others. Jordan won the James Beard Foundation’s 2024 Jonathan Gold Local Voice Award and was a 2023 finalist.
New Epstein files mention Trump. And, SCOTUS rules on National Guard in Chicago
Dem Senate candidate faces backlash after violent fantasy against conservative SCOTUS justices goes viral
Oklahoma teaching assistant fired after uproar over flunking Christian student who referenced Bible in essay
Boca Raton mayor launches run for Congress, touting GOP as ‘party of the middle class’
Brown University shooting: Timeline of terror that left 2 dead, 9 injured
Florida High School Football Rankings: Top 25 teams – Oct. 21
Cleary's 21 help Le Moyne down Central Connecticut State 69-64 in OT
How old is Bo Nix? What to know about Oregon quarterback ahead of 2024 NFL Draft
99th annual Pony Swim held in Virginia
Video: ‘It Didn’t Have to Happen This Way:’ U.Va. Faculty Call for Review of Police Response to Protests
New Epstein files mention Trump. And, SCOTUS rules on National Guard in Chicago
Nick Fuentes says he’ll campaign against Vivek Ramaswamy in Ohio in slur-laced rant
Libyan army chief killed in plane crash: What next?
U.S. and Ukraine reach consensus on key issues aimed at ending the war
A 3-D Look Inside Trump’s Revamped Oval Office
-
Iowa1 week agoAddy Brown motivated to step up in Audi Crooks’ absence vs. UNI
-
Maine1 week agoElementary-aged student killed in school bus crash in southern Maine
-
Maryland1 week agoFrigid temperatures to start the week in Maryland
-
New Mexico1 week agoFamily clarifies why they believe missing New Mexico man is dead
-
Detroit, MI1 week ago‘Love being a pedo’: Metro Detroit doctor, attorney, therapist accused in web of child porn chats
-
Massachusetts1 week agoMIT professor Nuno F.G. Loureiro, a 47-year-old physicist and fusion scientist, shot and killed in his home in Brookline, Mass. | Fortune
-
Health1 week ago‘Aggressive’ new flu variant sweeps globe as doctors warn of severe symptoms
-
Maine1 week agoFamily in Maine host food pantry for deer | Hand Off