Atlanta, GA
Atlanta’s Boys & Girls Clubs working to protect more teens from gun violence
ATLANTA — Shaniya Simmons will never forget the first time she walked through the door.
“I was 6. Honestly, I was nervous,” Shaniya said.
Now, she’s a tutor at the Warren Boys & Girls Club in Southeast Atlanta, where they are doubling down on their efforts to help local kids.
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“It’s our hope this can be a game changer and part of the solution in our city,” said David Jernigan, Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Atlanta CEO.
He is working on the plan to invest a $1 million donation from the city of Atlanta. The goal is to expand safe spaces for kids to come to.
Recent gun violence like the shooting in the parking lot of a high school in Cobb County has leaders looking for solutions. The Boys & Girls Clubs have one, which is expanding club hours on weekends.
“Friday and Saturday nights. To give teens a place to come that is safe and off the streets,” Jernigan said.
Shaniya is sure it will help. She’s an 11-year veteran of this club.
“I think it will have a great impact and give them a new place to go to be safer,” she said.
She already comes to the Warren Club five days a week, and if they’re open weekend nights, she’s all in.
“It has meant a lot. It has definitely helped with character building. I don’t know where I would be if I didn’t go here,” Shaniya said.
TRENDING STORIES:
There are 25 Boys & Girls Clubs across metro Atlanta.
Weekend hours will start with the three clubs inside the city.
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Atlanta, GA
How to watch San Francisco Giants vs. Atlanta Braves
The San Francisco Giants welcome the Atlanta Braves to Oracle Park tonight to begin a three-game series.
As of the time this is being written, the Giants have not yet announced a starting pitcher. I assume that means that the last resort left for this season is the element of surprise. But check the comments below for more up to date information.
Whoever it ends up being will face off against Braves right-hander Reynaldo López, who enters tonight’s game with a 3.50 ERA, 4.62 FIP, with 39 strikeouts to 21 walks in 43.2 innings pitched. His last appearance was in relief in the Braves’ 9-4 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers on Sunday, in which he allowed one unearned run on one hit with three strikeouts and a walk in three innings.
Who: San Francisco Giants (33-47) vs. Atlanta Braves (48-31)
Where: Oracle Park, San Francisco, California
Regional broadcast: NBC Sports Bay Area
Radio: KNBR 680 AM/104.5 FM, KSFN 1510 AM
Atlanta, GA
Chef’s Tableware brings affordable ceramics to Atlanta’s chefs and home cooks
Photograph by Martha Williams
Atlanta diners may recognize the name Adidsara “Vicky” Weerasin as co-owner of both Tum Pok Pok, the beloved Thai restaurant in Chamblee, and Yao in Buckhead. But they might not know she’s also the person behind Chef’s Tableware, the ceramics shop all over many Atlantans’ “for you” page on TikTok. From its New Peachtree Road warehouse, Chef’s Tableware offers handcrafted plates, cups, and bowls, sourced from Thailand, that look like they’re from Anthropologie but sell for a fraction of the price. And while it is a wholesale operation, it’s open to both restaurant-industry professionals and savvy Atlanta shoppers.
Weerasin’s pieces appear on tables at top Atlanta restaurants, from the soft-green platform bowls used to showcase Claudia Martinez’s confectionery creations at Bar Ana to the speckled black plates heaped with pasta at BoccaLupo. Another place you can expect to find Chef’s Tableware selections is at Georgia Boy, the tasting menu–only restaurant in the back of Southern Belle. “I picked up matte black dinner plates, an artsy pedestal bowl with a bubbled ceramic finish, and concave, high-gloss porcelain pieces,” says Georgia Boy and Southern Belle chef and owner Joey Ward. “Each one helps elevate the way we present a dish.”
Weerasin first discovered her love of ceramics when she took a pottery-making class at her high school in Thailand. She’s now lived in Atlanta 20 years, but she returns to her homeland every year to visit family. It was during one such trip in 2023 that she visited a family member’s ceramics business and saw the type of stunning handmade pieces that now fill her store. She originally intended for her 4,500-square-foot, two-room space to be more of a friend-to-friend operation, but after several requests, she opened it to the public.

Photograph by Martha Williams

Photograph by Martha Williams

Photograph by Martha Williams
Weerasin says she sources pieces with chefs in mind, collaborating with them on the right textures and weights for their serving dishes and explaining how each aspect might factor into the guest and server experience. “Each restaurant has a different concept, [so] I try to consult and recommend different types of ceramic, stone, clay, and porcelain,” she says.
Her industrial shelves are filled with a wide range of items, from the expected (plates, bowls, cups) to the unusual (sushi boats, matcha bowls, coffee pour-overs). Other offbeat items include an elephant-shaped mug, a peapod cutlery rest, and animal-shaped chopstick rests, located by the register. Customers looking for well-priced gifts for weddings, birthdays, and housewarmings can find dish sets and colorful wine glasses for less than $15.
Popular picks include “donut bowls”—large, shallow pieces that allow for creative plating and are especially popular for serving tasting menus. These bowls, which retail for $39.95 each, also offer a way to pair texture and color with the dishes; for home entertaining, they make a table look grander.
Weerasin’s favorite pieces for first-time shoppers: beautiful drinkware with a drip-style glaze. The glass glaze, known as nagashi (Japanese for “flowing”), is fired at more than 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit, which produces a natural crackle effect. “It’s very unique,” she says.
This article appears in our June 2026 issue.
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Atlanta, GA
Semi-truck, train collide in fiery crash in SW Atlanta
ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) — A semi-truck collided with a train overnight on the city’s southwest side, sparking a fire in the wreckage.
No injuries have been reported as authorities have yet to locate the driver of the tractor-trailer. No occupants were found on the train either, according to Atlanta Fire Rescue.
Crews responded to reports of a vehicle fire just before 4 a.m. at the intersection of Lee and Spark streets in southwest Atlanta.
When first responders arrived, they encountered a tractor-trailer afire after being struck by a train. Firefighters worked to put out the flames in the cab, trailer as well as on debris strewn about the railroad and roadway, Atlanta Fire Rescue told Atlanta News First.
Crews have not identified any hazardous materials in the wreckage.
An investigation is ongoing as no occupants were found in the tractor-trailer, train or surrounding area, authorities said.
Norfolk Southern and MARTA briefly halted operations in the area as police activity and cleanup continued.
The crash happened just below elevated MARTA rail tracks which run between the West End and Oakland City transit stations.
MARTA said that it had requested a bus bridge to transport riders between Oakland City and West End Stations “due to police activity” until further notice.
The transit agency was also offering riders Uber and Lyft credits for rail travel involving the Lakewood, Oakland City, West End and Garnett stations.
This is a developing story. Please stay with Atlanta News First as we learn more.
Copyright 2026 WANF. All rights reserved.
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