Atlanta, GA
Atlanta spa shootings victims remembered 3 years later
Spa shooting rampage 3-year anniversary
It’s been three years since a shooting rampage at spas across Atlanta left eight people dead, including six Asian women.
ATLANTA – Leaders in Metro Atlanta’s Asian American community held a remembrance ceremony and call to action to honor the eight people who lost their lives in the Atlanta spa shootings on March 16, 2021.
It started with a banner procession, then organizers read the names of the eight people killed, six of whom were Asian women.
One of those victims was Michael Webb’s former spouse, 49-year-old Xiaojie Tan.
“She worked hard, she was dedicated to her business. To see her work so hard and save, then to have her life cut short like that is something I think about every day,” Webb said.
Xiaojie Tan (Supplied by family)
He says he came to Saturday’s ceremony to share her story three years later in hopes of preventing something like this from happening again.
“Because what we went through, nobody should have to go through,” Webb said.
Organizer Cam Ashling said they wanted people to understand the fight against Asian hate is still ongoing.
“I want them to not take it for granted, because something like this could happen to any one of our family members. It could happen to my mom, my sister, myself,” Ashling said.
Eight people total were killed at three spa locations in Cherokee County and Atlanta on March 16, 2021. (Supplied)
We asked her how well she thought state leaders have addressed Asian hate and gun violence in the three years since the shooting.
“Horrible. Yeah, I don’t think we’ve gotten very far. We haven’t gotten any kind of meaningful, safe gun legislation passed since then,” Ashling said.
Many young people participated in the ceremony, through musical numbers, speeches and even a traditional lion dance.
Student organizer Tyler Lee is an 11th grader at Peachtree Ridge High School.
“I’m a Korean-American. My grandmother is a Korean-American. Some of the women that were shot and killed look like my grandmother, and I was extremely disheartened. So, I decided something needed to be done,” Lee said.
Lee has worked to get stricter gun laws passed that he says might have helped prevent the 2021 shooting rampage.
Investigators have said shooter Robert Long bought a gun shortly before going on the killing spree.
Atlanta Spa Shooting suspect serving life without parole
Two years after shootings at three spas in Cherokee County and Atlanta that killed eight people, including six Asian Americans, the man who claims responsibility for at least one of the shootings remains behind bars.
Lee says young Asian Americans need to be a bigger part of the fight against hate.
“I truly believe that we will be the pioneers of what we expect to change in our society,” Lee said.
Ashling says they need the entire Atlanta community to stand together with them against this hate in order to make a real difference.
“We just all want to stand together, and we don’t just want Asian Americans to stand together. We need other communities to stand with us, too,” Ashling said.
Organizers called on those in attendance to share their stories of discrimination and hate.
They also called on people here and throughout the metro area to vote in upcoming elections and show how important fighting asian hate is to their elected officials.
ATLANTA, Ga. — Cities across North America are gearing up for the start of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, with Atlanta set to become a major hub for matches and fan events.
Even for people without tickets to games inside the stadium, Atlanta is preparing to celebrate across the city.
8 years ago in June of 2018, FIFA made the official announcement that the 2026 FIFA World Cup would be coming to North America.
“This has been quite a prep, we’ve been at this for over a year now. So now seeing it all finally come together it’s very exciting and terrifying at the same time,” says Atilla Meijs, Atlanta FIFA FanFestival Executive Producer.
Now, at Centennial Olympic Park, crews are putting finishing touches on a large fan fest that is expected to draw about 15,000 people per day.
The fan fest will include multiple areas for watching matches, including a 40-foot Jumbotron that organizers are promoting as a key place in North America to watch the opening stretch of games on Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
““We’ve got soccer communities that are gonna come play on our pitch, we’ve got podcasts, we’ve got stuff for kids going on like face panting I think we have folks selling honey we have a tattoo shop on certain days. So I really encourage everybody to check online for our daily programming, everyday we’ll have a new set,” Meijs says.
With the Spanish National Team currently in Chattanooga preparing for their first two games in Atlanta. there‘s already Chattanoogans in Atlanta
Spain’s National Team practicing at Baylor in Chattanooga. Image: WTVC
“I saw people from Chattanooga even coming over here. There was a mom with her son, they drove for an hour and a half just to look through the gates to see how the FIFA store was They’re so excited if you’re a soccer fan, you gotta be here,” Meijs says.
Atlanta’s first match is scheduled for next week, when Spain plays Cabo Verde at noon on Monday. The stadium is about 0.5 miles from Centennial Olympic Park.
“There’s a lot of excitement about this event. This is the best place to watch the match,” Meijs says.
For viewers who aren’t traveling to Atlanta, the World Cup will also be available to watch on Fox Chattanooga.
Atlanta, GA
Atlanta Dream hold off Chicago Sky 82-75, Rhyne Howard becomes youngest player to hit rare WNBA milestone
The Atlanta Dream beat the Chicago Sky 82-75 Tuesday night, pulling away in the fourth quarter to move to 3-1 in Commissioner’s Cup play.
Atlanta outscored Chicago 25-17 in the fourth to put the game away after the Sky had cut it to one point midway through the third quarter. Jordin Canada, Allisha Gray and Rhyne Howard each made key plays down the stretch to secure the win.
Howard became the youngest player in WNBA history to reach 2,500 career points, 500 rebounds, 500 assists, 200 steals and 100 blocks, finishing with 17 points and five assists.
Angel Reese added 17 points and 17 rebounds, her second straight 17-rebound game, the first time any player in Atlanta Dream history has done that back-to-back. It was also her eighth double-double of the season and the 57th of her career, the most double-doubles in WNBA history through 75 games.
Naz Hillmon chipped in a season-high 16 points on 50% shooting, knocking down three 3-pointers, while Allisha Gray added 14 points and three steals off the bench.
Atlanta led after the first quarter, 18-17, then fell behind by as many as three in the second half before pulling away in the fourth quarter. Canada controlled the floor all night, finishing with 14 points and six assists.
Natasha Cloud led Chicago with 18 points off the bench, and Skylar Diggins added 17. But the Sky couldn’t stop Atlanta’s second-half surge.
With the Dream’s third Commissioner Cup win, they have raised $10,000 for The King Center, their designated charity for the competition.
ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) — Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens and other city leaders are expected to gather in downtown Atlanta Wednesday to share plans aimed at helping visitors and residents safely enjoy FIFA World Cup events in the city.
Ahead of the press conference, Dickens spoke about safety concerns, and MARTA announced its planned changes for the FIFA World Cup on Tuesday afternoon.
MARTA’s safety plan announcement comes less than a week before Spain and Cape Verde are set to face each other inside Atlanta Stadium.
It also comes during a violent stretch for MARTA, with a shooting last week and two stabbings, one of them deadly, more than 10 days ago.
MARTA is under a federal investigation following those incidents.
“A lot happened in a short amount of time and it’s time for us to show the world that they can course-correct,” Dickens said Tuesday.
Dickens said the recent incidents have put new pressure on MARTA as the region prepares for an influx of riders heading to matches and related events.
“This is go time. So MARTA is going to step up big, I think, to make sure they meet the moment. I am optimistic about what has occurred over the last couple of weeks has really lit a fire for MARTA that they will be able to meet this moment,” Dickens said.
MARTA has shared a safety plan it says will begin Thursday, June 11.
Under the plan, MARTA Police will work 10- to 12-hour shifts, six days a week, patrolling trains, stations, buses, bus transfer hubs and parking lots. MARTA also says its Real Time Crime Center will monitor the system around the clock through a network of cameras.
The agency says officers will also be stationed in a Mobile Command Vehicle positioned at key locations, and MARTA’s Emergency Operations Center will be activated for match and fan fest days.
MARTA said other changes are aimed at reducing crowding at stations on match and fan fest days, including trains running every five minutes to shorten wait times.
The agency also plans to keep at least 30 buses on standby and use special shuttle trains near Atlanta Stadium to handle ridership surges, while urging riders to spread out by using multiple downtown stations such as SEC District, Vine City and Peachtree Center.
MARTA has also launched a new safety feature in its transit app: integrated incident reporting that allows riders to report safety concerns in real time without needing the standalone “See & Say” app.
Some riders said the changes should have come sooner.
“Y’all are going to do it for some people coming across? What about the people of Atlanta?” MARTA rider Michael James said.
Other riders welcomed the update, calling it “much better” and saying it was “a good addition” with a “simple display.”
Meanwhile, James questioned how effective an app can be in a fast-moving emergency.
“I mean, you talking about an app, by the time you get to the phone, you’re already stabbed to death,” he said. “How am I getting stabbed and I’m looking for a phone?”
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