Atlanta, GA
Atlanta hairstylist turns original Madam C.J. Walker beauty shop into Black history museum
ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) – Atlanta hairstylist Ricci de Forest turned an original Madam C.J. Walker beauty shop into a museum filled with Black history.
De Forest said he accidentally stumbled upon the shop 30 years ago after a turn off historic Auburn Avenue.
11 years after that moment, he got the space and everything inside, including the original hair tools from the Madam C.J. Walker shop.
Walker sold beauty products and became one of the wealthiest Black women of her time.
De Forest told Atlanta News First he was fortunate enough to meet one of the shop’s last living stylists.
“When she started doing hair here in the 1940s with these tools, a shampoo and press was 25 cents for a Negro woman,” de Forest said.
De Forest discovered even more civil rights history hidden upstairs.
The first Black-owned radio station, WERD, was on the second floor of the building.
“1949 to 1968, it’s the station Dr. Martin Luther King used,” de Forest said. “No white station would let a Negro come on and say where to boycott or coordinate logistics for the Civil Rights Movement, so WERD is crucial.”
De Forest decided to incorporate the music aspect into the space, with a donated collection of nearly 15,000 records.
Inside the museum, photos of prominent Black artists line the walls and hang from the ceiling.
“These are some of the individuals that would have gone to WERD back in the day,” he said.
Everything in the museum represents a puzzle piece that de Forest put together in his own artistic way to show the history.
Copyright 2024 WANF. All rights reserved.
Atlanta, GA
1 teenage girl killed, another injured in shooting at Piedmont Park, police say
Editor’s note: The video above is from an earlier report.
ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) — A teenage girl was killed and another was injured in a shooting at Piedmont Park on Saturday night, according to Atlanta police.
The shooting prompted a large police response to the Midtown Atlanta park around 9 p.m., soon after a festival there celebrating the city’s 404 Day, which drew thousands of people, wrapped up.
Upon arrival, officers located two girls with gunshot wounds.
Paramedics pronounced one victim, a 16-year-old, dead at the scene. Her identity has not been released.
The second victim, a 15-year-old, was alert, conscious and breathing, and was taken to the hospital, police said.
Soon after the incident, a witness told Atlanta News First that hundreds of people took off running after dozens of shots were fired.
Police said the park’s permitted 404 Day festival concluded around 7:45 p.m.
“At this time, there is no information indicating that the shooting is connected to that event,” police said.
Instead, the department’s “preliminary investigation indicates the incident stemmed from an unpermitted gathering that occurred near the far west end of the park,” the opposite side of the park from where the festival was being held, police said.
Earlier, a witness told Atlanta News First there was also a “teen takeover” event in the park Saturday night.
Officers were seen gathered around Lake Clara Meer in the heart of the park.
Police shut down surrounding streets, and video captured an ambulance at 12th Street NE and Piedmont Avenue, at the southwest corner of the park.
Police have not announced suspects.
This is a developing story. Check back with Atlanta News First for updates.
Copyright 2026 WANF. All rights reserved.
Atlanta, GA
Driver dies after head-on crash with MARTA bus in NW Atlanta
A driver died on April 4, 2026, after colliding head-on with a MARTA bus in northwest Atlanta. (FOX 5)
ATLANTA – A Jeep driver died in the hospital Saturday morning after their SUV crossed into oncoming traffic and hit a MARTA bus in northwest Atlanta.
What we know:
Atlanta police responded to the crash around 8:14 a.m. near 266 Hamilton E. Holmes Drive NW.
When they arrived, they discovered a MARTA bus, and a Jeep Patriot had collided head-on.
The driver of the Jeep Patriot was rushed to the hospital in critical condition and later died from their injuries.
No one on the bus was reportedly injured, police said,
Investigators said that the Jeep Patriot had crossed into the opposing travel lane when it crashed into the MARTA bus.
An investigation is ongoing.
What we don’t know:
Authorities have not yet released the name of the driver who died.
It also remains unclear why the Jeep traveled into the opposing lane of traffic before the impact.
The Source: Information in this report comes from the Atlanta Police Department.
Atlanta, GA
Atlanta gears up for 404 Day 2026
Atlanta is set to celebrate its rich culture and global influence this Saturday with a massive lineup of 404 Day events, including a downtown parade, a 5K run, and a music festival at Piedmont Park.
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