Atlanta, GA
New 'Neighborhood Sports Council' aims to ease event-related strain on Atlanta communities
Atlanta sports council to curb parking strain
There will be many large-scale sporting events in Atlanta in the coming years. Those kinds of events can have a negative effect on neighbors. Especially, when it comes to parking.
ATLANTA – In three years, Atlanta will once again host another Super Bowl. But, before kickoff in 2028, there will be many large-scale sporting events at Mercedes-Benz Stadium that will bring out thousands of fans, like the FIFA World Cup matches next year.
Events like that can affect neighbors nearby with more traffic and community disruptions during big events, but now the Atlanta City Council just approved a new group that aims to make things better for everyone.
World Cup, NCAA Final Four, other major sports events coming to Atlanta
Atlanta City Council approves Neighborhood Sports Council
What we know:
The Atlanta City Council approved the creation of the “Neighborhood Sports Council” last week.
According to the city, the group will work with the Atlanta Sports Council in an effort to address community concerns.
“The Neighborhood Sports Council is hereby established to address neighborhood concerns during large events and facilitate collaboration with the Atlanta Sports Council,” the approved resolution reads. “The Neighborhood Sports Council shall prioritize effective communication and collaboration between neighborhoods, event organizers, and other stakeholders to address concerns and implement solutions.”
The Neighborhood Sports Council will include members from multiple neighborhood organizations and some business associations.
The resolution says it will remain in place until the end of 2026.
Vine City is one of neighborhoods impacted by big events at Mercedes-Benz Stadium and the Georgia World Congress Center.
Neighbors say being near the big events can be good, but also sometimes bad.
What they’re saying:
“As residents, it’s overwhelming with all this illegal parking,” said Linda Adams, the public safety chairperson of the Vine City Civic Association.
Adams has lived in the neighborhood for more than two decades, so she has seen the growth.
“We got several people that come illegally, what they call gypsy parkers, and just invade our neighborhood with all this illegal parking,” she said.
Adams says people have put up no parking signs throughout the area in an effort to deter people, but it is still a problem.
She says aside from illegal parking, noise and light pollution, among other issues, gets worse around big events impacting neighbors.
“They say seniors go to bed early, but with them having the event until 10 or 11 o’clock at night, all we hear are car doors slamming, and we are just afraid there is going to be a terrible accident,” she said.
Adams says she is happy that the city council is taking the problems seriously.
“I can’t wait to see this neighborhood sports council, and I’m hoping I’ll be part of that,” she said.
The Source: FOX 5 Atlanta reporter Tyler Fingert interviewed Linda Adams, the public safety chairperson of the Vine City Civic Association. This article also references a resolution approved by the Atlanta City Council.
The search for missing 16-year-old Benjamin Braithwaite is over. Atlanta police announced just before midnight Thursday that he had been located, more than a week after he vanished from his Regency Trace home.
The department shared the update on social media but did not release additional details about where he was found or the circumstances surrounding his recovery.
Braithwaite had been missing since the night of April 27, when he was last seen around 9 p.m. at his home in Atlanta. His family said they had no contact with him during the entire time he was gone.
The disappearance of the KIPP Atlanta Collegiate High School sophomore and basketball team member had galvanized the Atlanta community. His family, teammates, Atlanta police officers and neighbors gathered at the school last week to raise awareness about his disappearance. Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, where his mother works, joined the search effort — asking the public to watch for him at MARTA stops and fast food restaurants.
A $10,000 reward had been offered for credible information leading to his safe return.
“Even small details matter. Your awareness could make the difference,” the airport wrote in an Instagram post earlier this week.
FLOWERY BRANCH – The Atlanta Falcons are gearing up for rookie minicamp this weekend after a flurry of player moves over the last several weeks. General manager Ian Cunningham is not finished making changes to his roster, and the front office has reunited with another former player.
According to a press release from the team, the Falcons have signed cornerback Darren Hall and released safety Tysheem Johnson in a corresponding move.
Hall was originally selected by the franchise in the fourth round (108th overall) of the 2021 NFL Draft out of San Diego State. Over his four seasons with the Falcons (2021-22) and Arizona Cardinals (2024-25), he has appeared in 48 games (12 starts), registering 85 total tackles, three tackles for loss, six passes defended, one sack, one forced fumble, and one fumble recovery.
In the time between his stints in Atlanta and Arizona, Hall was a member of the Indianapolis Colts’ practice squad (2023).
As a college player for the Aztecs, he tied the FBS lead for pass breakups with 16 in 2019. He appeared in 34 games (22 starts) over his three seasons (2018-20) with San Diego State, recording 134 tackles (101 solo), 31 passes defensed, eight tackles for loss, six interceptions, three forced fumbles, 2.5 sacks, and one fumble recovery. He was a first-team All-Mountain West selection following the 2020 season.
As a pro, Hall’s career has not gone exactly as he would have hoped. 10 of Hall’s starts came with the Falcons, and he largely struggled in 2022. He surrendered 362 receiving yards and four touchdowns on 27 receptions against 37 targets. The Falcons waived him in August 2023 in favor of rookie Clark Phillips III, Jeff Okudah, Tre Flowers, and Mike Hughes.
Hall is still a versatile player with solid tackling ability, giving him a shot at being a depth cornerback on this roster or earning a spot on the practice squad. He will face stiff competition to earn that spot, with Phillips, Cobee Bryant, Darnay Holmes, Mike Ford Jr., C.J. Henderson, and Natrone Brooks all standing in his way.
For now, he is the second player from that 2021 draft class (Terry Fontenot’s first as a general manager) to receive some form of a second contract (Kyle Pitts was franchise tagged earlier this offseason) – it just did not happen the way anyone expected. Hall now becomes the third former Falcon to join the roster via free agency this offseason after stints with other franchises (Austin Hooper and Olamide Zaccheaus).
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EMS crews often face waits of an hour — or more — to transfer patients into hospital care.
A medical crew wheels a patient across the parking area into Grady Memorial Hospital after parking across the street because the ambulance bay was full on Friday, May 1, 2026. (Ben Hendren for the AJC)
Some Georgia ambulances are reaching hospitals with a patient on board and then shifting into park.
And waiting.
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A ambulance leaves the parking bay outside the Marcus Trauma and Emergency Center at Grady Memorial Hospital on Friday, May 1, 2026. (Ben Hendren for the AJC)
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Asia Simone Burns is a rapid response reporter for the AJC. Burns was formerly an intern in AJC’s newsroom and now writes about crime. She is a graduate of Samford University and has previously reported for NPR and WABE, Atlanta’s NPR member station.
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