Atlanta, GA
Neighbors march for safer sidewalks in southwest Atlanta
ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) — Dozens of neighbors marched through the streets of Southwest Atlanta on Thursday evening.
The group included seniors with wheelchairs and walkers, along with babies being pushed by their parents in strollers.
The residents hoped to highlight the lack of sidewalks within the Capitol View neighborhood.
The group’s patience reached a final straw this week as the Atlanta City Council approved $120 million in bond funding for a large-scale transportation project in order to make over downtown in advance of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Zachary Adriaenssens organized Thursday’s march. He and other neighbors have been told by local leaders that there isn’t any funding available to fill the gaps in their existing sidewalks.
“The City of Atlanta needs to be responsive to its residents,” Adriaenssens said. “We cannot call ourselves a world-class city if we have seniors in wheelchairs walking in the street.”
According to GDOT data, nine pedestrians were killed in Atlanta City Council’s District 12 in 2023.
Back in 2019, KaeAnne Parris was hit by a car while riding her bike at the intersection of Dill Avenue and Allene Avenue.
“Someone hit me going west in their car,” she said. “I was flung into the middle of the road and had to go to the hospital via an ambulance.”
In the five years since that crash, the City of Atlanta has added a crosswalk and signs at that intersection.
As the sidewalks continue to crumble apart in Capitol View, Parris said these changes simply aren’t enough.
“I think people are still going to keep getting hit and killed,” she said. “It’s a really big problem.”
Hila Isseks was one of the neighbors marching up Allene Avenue towards the Beltline on Thursday.
Last October, her one-year-old son Lev, was hit by car while she was walking him in a stroller.
“I was horrified, I had to call an ambulance,” she said. “Thankfully, I swerved a bit and he survived.”
Atlanta News First reached out to the Atlanta Department of Transportation (ATLDOT) about these concerns for safety.
“With limited financial resources available for sidewalk repairs and new installations annually, ATLDOT uses a citywide inventory of existing and missing sidewalks combined with a Safety, Equity, and Mobility Model to prioritize sidewalk segments for funding,” an ATLDOT spokesperson said in a statement. “Priority is always given to areas lacking sidewalk connectivity, or in proximity to/overlapping with a variety of geographic and social factors.”
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The highly anticipated NBA Draft is finally going to take place tomorrow and the Atlanta Hawks are 1 of 14 teams hoping the ping pong balls bounce their way.
This is going to be the final payoff for what was arguably the best move that any team made last offseason. Atlanta traded down from the No. 13 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft and acquired the unprotected 2026 first-round pick from the New Orleans Pelicans, the most favorable of the Pelicans’ and Bucks’ selections. The Pelicans finished 7th in the lottery odds, and Milwaukee is 10th. Based on the odds, the Hawks have a 40% chance of jumping into the top four.
The last time the Hawks were in the lottery, they jumped from 10th to 1st and selected Zaccharie Risacher. While that was a huge stroke of luck, it has not always worked out that way for the Hawks.
Hawks lottery history
The Hawks have been in the NBA Lottery 16 times since 1985 and in that time span, the Hawks have:
- Moved up five times (2024-moved from 10th to 1st, 2018-moved from 4th to 3rd, 2007- moved from 4th to 3rd, 2001- moved from 5th to 3rd, and 1985- moved from 7th to 5th)
- Moved down five times (2020- moved from 4th to 6th, 2019- moved from 5th to 8th, 2006- moved from 4th to 5th, 2005- moved from 1st to 2nd, and 2000- moved from 5th to 6th)
- Stayed where they were projected to six times
Their biggest move up by far came in 2024 when the moved up to No. 1 and were able to select Risacher, which has not quite panned out.
There is an element of what if to each of these scenarios, especially the years the Hawks moved down. In 2020, they moved down in a draft that contained Anthony Edwards, who is from the state of Georgia and one of the elite players that the league has right now. Atlanta ended up selecting Onyeka Okongwu, but there is a big what if about being able to pair Edwards with Trae Young.
In 2019, the Hawks were 5th in the highly anticipated 2019 lottery that featured Zion Williamson, but they fell three spots. While WIlliamson has not had quite the career most had hoped, he is still an All-NBA caliber player and would have paired nicely with Young as a tandem.
There have been some hits and misses during the 16 times that the Hawks have been in the lottery, but there have seemingly been more missed opportunities, even when they jump up in the standings. They are hoping that they get another stroke of luck tomorrow in what could be a franchise altering day for the Hawks.
Final projected odds for the Hawks:
No. 1- 9.8% chance
No. 2- 9.9% chance
No. 3- 10.1% chance
No. 4- 10.30% chance
No. 7- 19.75% chance
No. 8- 30.18% chance
No. 9- 9.19% chance
No. 10- 0.67% chance
No. 11-
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The Georgia Department of Transportation announced that a major weekend construction project, set to fully shut down two miles of I-285, has been postponed due to inclement weather. Atlantans are relieved, with many looking forward to more freedom to travel this Mothers’ Day weekend. Kim Leoffler has the story.
ATLANTA – An Atlanta flight attendant and mother of eight is among 17,000 Spirit Airlines workers struggling to find a new “destination” after the carrier suddenly shut down.
Spirit Airlines Atlanta impact
What we know:
Spirit Airlines ended all operations on Saturday, grounding its entire fleet and ending employment for its 17,000-person workforce. Flight attendants and customers were stranded across the country, often forced to pay for their own travel home after the discount carrier ceased operations.
Kamille Carter, an Atlanta-based flight attendant of five years, said she received the termination email from the CEO at 3 a.m., despite earlier assurances from union representatives that the company was stable. The company immediately cut healthcare benefits and stopped payments for sick leave and vacation time for all staff members.
Unpaid wages and benefits
What we don’t know:
It is unclear if Carter and her fellow employees will ever receive their final paychecks or if there is any legal recourse for the lost benefits. The company has not specified if any transition assistance will be provided to workers, some of whom had been with the airline since it launched in 1994.
Employee reaction in Georgia
What they’re saying:
“This is a death because you have to mourn, you have to grieve, it’s a process,” Carter said of the sudden job loss. Despite the financial strain of supporting eight children, Carter is looking toward her passion for cooking as a potential new career. She noted that while being uncomfortable is difficult, it can “push you to your destiny.”
Finding help in Atlanta
What you can do:
Community members looking to support Carter and other local workers affected by the shutdown can find more information on the FOX 5 Atlanta website. The station is collecting resources for those navigating the sudden loss of income and healthcare.
The Source: The information in this story was gathered from an interview conducted by FOX 5 reporter Eric Perry, who spoke directly with former flight attendant Kamille Carter in Atlanta. Previous FOX 5 Atlanta reporting was also used.
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