Atlanta, GA
Atlanta Water Safety Coalition working to increase access to water-safety programs
ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) – Roughly 70% of the earth is covered in water, and yet, many people do not know how to interact with it.
That problem is especially prevalent in African-American communities. According to the National Institutes of Health, from 2019 to 2020, the drowning rate for Black or African Americans ages 29 and under increased by 23.7%.
That problem was a catalyst behind the 2023 creation of the Atlanta Water Safety Coalition.
“We have to do something,” said Allison Toller, the Chief Social Impact Officer of the YMCA of Metro Atlanta.
Swimming is a life skill that has struggled to wade into some metro Atlanta communities. For people who don’t know how to swim, the idea of being close to large bodies of water can be terrifying. And if parents don’t swim, there’s a good chance their children don’t either.
“The highest rate of death in children is a result of drowning,” Toller said.
This is the thinking behind the AWSC, a union of the YMCA of metro Atlanta, Atlanta Parks and Recreation, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, and the Red Cross.
“We share our resources, and we come together and share ideas, and we use those ideas to help advocate for water safety,” said Atlanta Aquatics Director Marcus Byams. “Some people may have a fear of water, and we’re here to help them overcome those fears as well.”
That’s especially true for the area surrounding the Villages at Carver Family YMCA in Southwest Atlanta.
“In those brown and black communities, the percentages of drownings have increased,” Byams said, echoing the NIH data.
Part of creating access is spreading the word, something addressed in the showing of the documentary, Drowning In Silence at the ‘Carver YMCA’ on Thursday night.
“The documentary sheds a light on a few families that have experienced drownings and the effects it had on their lives,” Byams explained.
The message is spreading. David Goldstein swims at the Carver YMCA five times per week and has seen the plan in action.
“You can tell each time the kids come they get more comfortable, and they really do a good job with their youth program, teaching kids to swim,” Goldstein said.
While the AWSC is barely six months old, the coalition has created an excellent jumping-in point to teach people to safely interact with 70% of the earth.
“We’re just getting started,” Toller said.
Copyright 2024 WANF. All rights reserved.
Atlanta, GA
Midtown Atlanta sewer work to close part of 10th Street
ATLANTA – Drivers in Midtown Atlanta should prepare for traffic changes this week as a new roadwork project begins along 10th Street.
What we know:
The Atlanta Department of Watershed Management said part of 10th Street will close starting Wednesday for sewer repairs.
The construction will impact the eastbound lane between Charles Allen Drive and Monroe Drive.
Officials said the repair project is expected to continue for about four weeks.
Crews will work overnight on weekdays from 5 p.m. until 5 a.m. Construction activity will continue around the clock on weekends until the project is complete.
What you can do:
Motorists traveling through Midtown are encouraged to plan ahead and expect delays in the area during the closure.
Atlanta, GA
Three Biggest Questions Facing the Atlanta Hawks Following the NBA Draft Lottery Results
The 2026 NBA Draft has come and gone, and while the results did not go the way that the Atlanta Hawks had hoped, landing at No. 8 overall, but they are still getting a top-eight pick in a deep draft when they are coming off a season in which they won 46 games and made the playoffs. Atlanta had hoped that having the most favorable selection from the Pelicans and Bucks would turn into a top-four pick, but they are going to get a chance to add to their young core with a high-level talent.
Now that the NBA Draft Lottery is over, what are some questions facing the Hawks?
1. Who could they take with the pick?
We will get into other scenarios later, but for this exercise, let’s just assume that the Hawks are going to stick at No. 8 and make a selection.
While the top four picks are likely going to be (in some order) AJ Dybantsa, Darryn Peterson, Cameron Boozer, and Caleb Wilson, the rest of the draft does not seem to be as certain.
There is a popular sentiment that the quarter of guards consisting of Keaton Wagler, Darius Acuff, Kingston Flemings, and Mikel Brown Jr are going to be picks 5-8, but that is not as much of a certainity as the top four.
The Clippers are picking 5th, but they just made a big trade for Darius Garland. Brooklyn just took four guards in last year’s draft, and the Kings are always a wild card, though of these teams, they have the biggest need at guard and don’t seem likely to veer from that.
In the NBA, needs is usually ignored in the draft and the best player available is taken most of the time, but it will be interesting to see which players the Clippers, Nets, and Kings decide on.
If those teams do take three of those guards, the Hawks would have their choice of whoever is left over from that group or players such as Michigan center Aday Mara, Arizona guard Brayden Burries, or Michigan forward Yaxel Lendeborg.
2. Could the Hawks move up or down in the draft?
While I think as of right now that the most likely scenario is that the Hawks stay put at No. 8, they do have some interesting options to potentially move up or down depending on how things fall.
As I mentioned earlier, the Clippers just traded for Darius Garland and if the Hawks wanted to get ahead of the Kings and Nets to land the guard of their choice, they could try and put together an attractive package to try and make a trade with Los Angeles.
The Nets seem less likely to move down, but after taking four guards in last year’s draft, could they move down and try to target another position?
What about a trade down? If the Hawks had been at No. 7 or in the top four, I would say a trade down is unlikely, but at No. 8, there could be an opportunity there for Hawks general manager Onsi Saleh. Would Oklahoma City be interested in moving No. 12 and No. 17 for No. 8? That would give the Hawks three first round picks and if they like a player that could be in that range, that would be a possibility, though all of this is just hypothetical at the moment.
3. Do the Hawks attempt to move the No. 8 pick for an established star?
Saleh has been adamnat that the team is not one player away and that the Hawks wanted to add through the draft, but even in a draft as deep as this one, the odds of getting a star player at No. 8 are long.
It is tough to really gauge the trade market for this offseason right now, but the No. 8 pick is an attractive asset. Could the Hawks try to trade for Celtics star Jaylen Brown? Again, it is tough to know who else could be available this summer and I would bet against the Hawks moving this pick for a veteran player, but never say never in the NBA.
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Atlanta, GA
Braves News: Remembering Bobby Cox, strides from Spencer Strider, more
On a sad day overall for Braves Country, due to the passing of the legendary Bobby Cox, Spencer Strider gave Atlanta fans something to be happy and hopeful about with a stellar outing, shutting down the Dodgers potent offense for 6.0 innings with 8 strikeouts and 15 whiffs. He looked as good as he has in a long time. His fastball averaged 96.4 MPH, with 17 inches of induced vertical break and he had four pitches working nicely together. Even if Strider doesn’t quite return to his Jacob deGrom levels of dominance, having him as a true #1 or #2 quality starter would make a huge difference for this Braves team to pair with Chris Sale. Bryce Elder has been great this season, but shouldn’t be the second best starter in the rotation of a World Series contender. If Strider can keep something like Saturday night’s version of himself moving forward, that’s a huge development for him and this team.
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