Atlanta, GA
Atlanta mandates push-button doors: What new zoning laws mean for businesses
ATLANTA – For many people, automatic door buttons are background noise — a small detail you walk past without noticing. For others, that button is the difference between independence and being stuck outside.
This week, the Atlanta City Council approved a zoning amendment aimed at expanding accessibility. Most street-facing business entrances will now be required to have push-button access, with limited exemptions.
What the ordinance does
What we know:
With the passage of Ordinance 26-O-1001, Atlanta now requires push-button access at most street-facing entrances to businesses.
In a statement, Councilmember Kelsea Bond, District 2, called the ordinance “an important step” toward ensuring that as Atlanta grows, the city does so “in a way that expands accessibility for everyone.”
Bond also framed it as part of a broader approach to “using zoning and infrastructure investments to make Atlanta more livable for people who use wheelchairs and walkers.”
Read her full statement below:
“I was proud to cosponsor this ordinance, originally written by former District 2 Councilmember Carden Wyckoff.
“Passing this is such an important step toward making sure that as Atlanta grows, we’re doing so in a way that expands accessibility for everyone. This ordinance underscores the importance [of] how zoning and infrastructure investments can be used as tools to make our city more livable for individuals who use wheelchairs and walkers. Something as simple as a push button to open a door can make a huge difference in the lives of our neighbors with disabilities as they navigate the city every day. I can’t wait to see this new policy implemented in practice.”
Disability advocates say the work isn’t finished
What they’re saying:
Kim Gibson, executive director of DisABILITY LINK, has dedicated her career to disability advocacy. She views the ordinance as one door opening while the community continues pushing on others.
“I don’t think Atlanta is unique to pretty much anywhere, it’s just we’re left behind,” she said.
Gibson welcomes the amendment but wishes it had been done sooner.
“So, that should have been done way before 1990. Should have been done way before 2026,” she said.
For people with disabilities, Gibson said, access is not a special request.
“Access to transportation. Access to housing. Access to a building. That’s all we’re asking for. Nothing special. Nothing special about it,” Gibson told FOX 5.
In other words, the ability to move through the city the way everyone else does, without needing assistance at every threshold.
So, what’s next?
What’s next:
The ordinance takes effect immediately.
It’s not yet clear what the zoning code amendment means for existing buildings.
FOX 5 reached out to Councilmember Bond for clarification and has not yet received a response.
The Source: The details in this article are sourced from official Atlanta City Council legislative records. Councilmember Kelsea Bond (District 2) provided a statement on the ordinance’s impact, and Kim Gibson, the executive director of the nonprofit disABILITY LINK, offered an advocacy perspective.
Atlanta, GA
Critically missing: 11-year-old missing in Atlanta after running away
Omari James. Photos provided by Atlanta police
ATLANTA – Atlanta police are asking for the public’s help locating 11-year-old Omari James, who has been classified as critically missing.
What we know:
Investigators said Omari ran away from his home around 9:30 p.m. Thursday after getting into an argument with his parents over his cell phone.
Police said Omari was last seen wearing a black shirt, red, white and blue shorts, black Nike slides and a Nike ski hat.
What you can do:
Anyone who has seen Omari or knows where he may be is asked to call 911 or contact the Atlanta Police Department’s Special Victims Unit. The investigation remains ongoing.
Atlanta, GA
Georgia Secretary of State opens investigation into voter registration mailers sent to deceased residents
Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger announced Thursday that his office has opened an investigation into Ready to Register and other third-party organizations after reports that voter registration mailers were sent to deceased Georgians and other ineligible recipients.
According to the Secretary of State’s Office, election officials have received numerous complaints about voter registration solicitations being mailed to people who have died. In one unusual case cited by the office, a deceased family dog reportedly received one of the mailers.
State officials said they are reviewing whether the mailings violate Georgia law or otherwise undermine confidence in the state’s election system.
The Secretary of State’s Office said third-party voter registration groups frequently conduct mass mail campaigns ahead of major elections but often rely on commercial databases that can contain outdated or inaccurate information, unlike Georgia’s official voter registration system.
“Groups like this highlight the unreliability of commercial data,” Raffensperger said in a statement. “Georgia maintains one of the cleanest voter rolls in the nation through continuous list maintenance and citizenship verification. These outside organizations don’t use those standards. Instead, they flood mailboxes with inaccurate solicitations that confuse voters and waste election officials’ time.”
Raffensperger also thanked voters who alerted his office to the mailings.
“I want to thank the voters who have flagged the inaccurate mailings and sent them to our office,” he said. “Whether checking their ballots for accuracy or keeping their own registration information up to date, voters are a crucial line of defense in election security.”
Georgia officials said the issue mirrors problems recently identified in North Carolina, where election officials warned residents about similar mailings from Ready to Register. According to the Georgia Secretary of State’s Office, North Carolina officials said the organization mailed registration forms to deceased individuals, used outdated forms, listed incorrect election office addresses and included QR codes that raised privacy concerns.
Raffensperger criticized the mass mailing campaigns, saying they create confusion while increasing the workload for local election offices.
“Whether intentional or simply reckless, these mail campaigns operate like a grift — raising money and generating activity while shifting the costs onto taxpayers, election officials, and voters,” Raffensperger said. “Georgia taxpayers should not have to clean up the mess created by organizations that prioritize volume over accuracy.”
The Secretary of State’s Office is encouraging Georgians to verify their voter registration through the state’s My Voter Page and says voters who are already registered at their current address should disregard unsolicited voter registration mailers.
Atlanta, GA
Mosquitoes in Atlanta neighborhood test positive for West Nile Virus
Project aims to curb dengue by releasing millions of mosquitoes
Google-backed researchers are taking an unusual approach to fighting mosquito-borne diseases: releasing more mosquitoes. The effort, known as Debug, is designed to reduce populations of mosquitoes that spread illnesses such as dengue fever by using specially bred male mosquitoes that cannot produce viable offspring.
Fox – 35 Orlando
Mosquitoes in the Grant Park neighborhood of Atlanta have tested positive for West Nile Virus, according to Fulton County health officials.
Fulton County Board of Health Environmental Health mosquito control staff say the mosquitoes were tested following trapping in Fulton County.
“Mosquitoes can be dangerous if infected and may pose a serious health risk to people in our area,” Environmental Health Director at the Fulton County Board of Health, Brandon Leftwich, said in a statement from the agency. “We want to make sure communities are aware and take necessary precautions to protect themselves.”
Grant Park is in southeast Atlanta, south of Old Fourth Ward and west of East Atlanta.
Here’s what to know.
What is West Nile Virus?
West Nile Virus is the illness caused by infections from a pathogen in the Flaviviridae family. Mosquitoes are hosts for the pathogen, meaning they can spread it to people and other animals without dying.
It is the leading cause of mosquito-borne illness in the contiguous United States, infecting more than 2,000 people each year. About 1,300 people develop a severe illness, and more than 130 people die annually in the U.S. from the infection, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
It spreads during mosquito season, or the period between June and October each year. Infections typically peak in late August and early September.
Many people infected may never show symptoms, and others will only experience mild, flu-like symptoms. It can take between 2 and 6 days after a mosquito bite to feel poorly, and then people may experience headaches, body aches, joint pain, vomiting, diarrhea or a rash. Those with mild illness can recover completely, but some fatigue and weakness can last much longer, even weeks or months.
In cases of severe illness, West Nile Virus attacks their central nervous system and can result in hospitalization or death. Patients may experience a very high fever, headaches, neck pain, stupor, disorientation, muscle weakness and other serious symptoms. Recovery can take weeks or months, and some effects could become permanent.
How is West Nile Virus treated?
There is no medicine that can treat West Nile Virus, so those with mild symptoms can take over-the-counter medication like acetaminophen to manage pain, fever or headaches. Those with West Nile Virus should not take ibuprofen or other non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, according to the CDC. Patients should stay hydrated and take lots of rest to let your body fight the virus and recover.
Those with severe illness may need intravenous fluids, pain medication and nursing care at the hospital level, though there is still no medication that can be taken to cure the infection.
It is believed that those who have been infected by West Nile Virus develop a lifelong immunity or protection, meaning they can’t get the virus again, according to the CDC.
How to prevent mosquito bites
Fulton County health officials recommend following the “5Ds of mosquito bite prevention” to keep yourself safe from mosquito-borne illnesses.
- Dusk/Dawn: Avoid being outside during periods when mosquitoes are most active, including in the early morning and as the sun is setting.
- Dress: Loose-fitting clothes and items with long sleeves or pants will reduce the amount of exposed skin for a mosquito bite and make it difficult for a mosquito to bite through clothes.
- DEET: Insect repellant should contain DEET. It is the most effective ingredient in mosquito repellant.
- Drain: Standing water is a great place for mosquitoes to breed, so make sure to dump out water from buckets, barrels, flowerpots and tarps outside that could harbor mosquito larvae. You should also cut overgrown grass or weeds.
- Doors: While it might be nice for a breeze to pass through your house in the evenings, make sure doors and windows are closed and sealed to keep mosquitoes out of the house.
Irene Wright is the Atlanta Connect reporter with USA Today’s Deep South Connect team. Find her on X @IreneEWright or email her at ismith@usatodayco.com.
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