Atlanta, GA
Security tightened for Hanukkah celebrations across metro Atlanta after Sydney mass shooting
ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) — Dozens of Hanukkah celebrations across metro Atlanta will go on as scheduled this week.
Security is now top priority following the brutal shooting that killed 15 people at Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia.
“Of course the minute the news came out from Australia we were in touch with our law enforcement partners,” said Renee Kutner, president and CEO of the Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta. “We went back through the plans. We amped them up where we needed to. People will see extra patrols around, not because there’s threats but because we just want to make sure everybody knows that they’re safe.”
The Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta says it spends millions of dollars every year securing its community against antisemitic attacks.
“We are so blessed to have really, really great relationships with law enforcement at every level across metro Atlanta and throughout Georgia,” Kutner said. “And we’ve been in contact with all of them. They are so supportive and they will be at our events – they will amp up the security.”
According to Kutner, the heightened security is out of an abundance of caution.
“We have no credible threats, no reason to believe that lone actors somewhere else will affect anything here, and we want to give our community the chance to celebrate,” Kutner said.
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Copyright 2025 WANF. All rights reserved.
Atlanta, GA
Head to Roswell for Garlicky Grilled Chicken and a Savory Za’atar Martini
Co-owner and chef Mark Mansour walks about the pink and green-hued dining room at Bey, greeting each guest with his signature smile and warmth. There is an ease about him as he brings platters of hummus and pita to tables, telling stories of his father’s chicken recipe and how a full dining table feels like Sundays at home. He’ll even plop a seat next to you, asking about your kids or the weather — a note of Lebanese hospitality that is abundant here.
Atlanta, GA
San Jose roll on, Atlanta correct course & more from Matchday 10 | MLSSoccer.com
Chaos reigned in St. Louis and D.C., both of the league co-leaders took a punch or two, the defending champs got stymied at home yet again, and we got treated to a James Rodríguez sighting in Minnesota.
MLS Matchday 10 served up a spicy feast for MLS viewers from coast to coast. Have a taste…
How ‘bout them Earthquakes?
Remarkably, San Jose’s stupendous start has stretched to nine wins in their first 10 matches, as Bruce Arena’s Quakes survived a stout test in St. Louis Saturday night to remain tops in the Supporters’ Shield table.
In a vibrant clash that offered one of the best watches of the matchday, the visitors struck first via Preston Judd before STL CITY SC dashed off two goals in two second-half minutes to raise the roof at Energizer Park. But the NorCal boys responded via Timo Werner, who converted a penalty kick before rasping a nasty volley past his old German Bundesliga adversary Roman Bürki to deliver a 3-2 win.
Werner’s now up to 4g/5a in his first 450 MLS minutes, and is the first Quakes player in history to net at least a goal and an assist in three straight games.
It was a gut punch for CITY, though San Jose’s dramatic turnaround should offer encouragement for Yoann Damet’s rebuilding project in the Gateway City. And feverish atmospheres like that one will surely power the ‘Ravioli Boyz,’ as STL’s hardcore fans have dubbed them, to positive results in the coming months.
San Jose-STL wasn’t Saturday’s only 3-2 thriller. Let’s swing through Audi Field next.
What’s gotten into D.C. United? A Black-and-Red side that scored just four goals across their first eight games have suddenly rattled off seven in their last two, following up a wild 4-4 midweek draw vs. Atlantic Cup rivals Red Bull New York with an open, topsy-turvy 3-2 defeat of Orlando City, even with their attacking linchpin Tai Baribo held out due to an injury concern.
With no Baribo, it was the perfect time for record winter signing Louis Munteanu to step up: The Romanian bagged his first goal for United to equalize at 2-2 in the 84th minute after the visiting Lions thought they’d snatched the points with two tallies of their own. Then, Australian defender Kye Rowles donned the hero’s cape with a game-winning header from close range at the death to send the United faithful into raptures.
“Something is growing up, something is emerging, and I’m happy for the team,” said D.C. head coach René Weiler, who’d recently called out his team’s mentality with some strong words after ugly home setbacks vs. FC Dallas and to USL League One side One Knoxville SC in US Open Cup play.
“Building the confidence, for this it’s important that you have some good results, that you win sometimes. It was a little bit lucky at the end, but well deserved, because everybody was pushing forward. I felt it, that the guys, they wanted to get a good result.”
Another fun one unfolded out West in Vancouver, where the Whitecaps kept pace with San Jose atop the standings with their fourth straight win, holding off a spirited challenge from the Colorado Rapids to bank a 3-1 win before a bumper crowd of 27,588 at BC Place – VWFC’s 19th straight league home match with more than 20,000 in attendance.
Vancouver’s potent attack, combined with a Rapids side happy to open up the throttle, led to an end-to-end slugfest, the two sides producing a combined 6.5 expected goals. Despite a determined push from the Mile High Club, a Brian White brace enabled the ‘Caps to pull away down the stretch.
Now here’s where things get really interesting for Thomas Müller & Co. Due to BC Place’s duties as a 2026 FIFA World Cup venue, Vancouver will play their next nine games on the road, starting with tasty-looking visits to LA Galaxy and San Jose early next month, and won’t host at their downtown home until August. Can they keep up this explosive form amid such nomadic wanderings?
After a string of profoundly chaotic barnburners at BMO Field – if you don’t know what we’re talking about, start by searching ‘Luka Gavran goal’ – things finally got slightly less wild in Toronto FC’s Saturday afternoon clash with Atlanta United. Well, aside from the development that the Five Stripes actually won a game.
Thanks to a banger of a free kick from much-critiqued Designated Player Alexey Miranchuk and a gorgeous team goal finished by Tristan Muyumba, ATLUTD secured a 2-1 victory, their first away W of the season and just their third overall across all competitions, snapping a lengthy winless skid while also ending a TFC unbeaten run.
How rough has 2026 been down in Georgia? Just a few days ago, Atlanta head coach Gerardo ‘Tata’ Martino declared he “would probably be fired” by now were it not for the glorious legacy of his first stint in charge of the team. So this was a big, big result for ATL, and a correspondingly cold sensation for TFC – who are getting absolutely ravaged by the injury bug; about half their preferred XI was already sidelined, and this weekend Benjamin Kuscevic and José Cifuentes both limped off in the first half.
Around the grounds
Showpiece offseason signing Germán Berterame scored his third goal in four games to fuel his hopes of a role with the Mexican national team at this summer’s 2026 FIFA World Cup. Yet Inter Miami remain winless at Nu Stadium after a 1-1 draw with the New England Revolution on Saturday, which marks three draws in their first three fixtures at their glittering new home.
The resulting low rumble of discontent among their fans is understandable to a point, though more so a sign of the sky-high expectations around the Herons, who sit second in the Eastern Conference and have lost just one game this season.
Did Marco Reus just produce his best performance in an LA Galaxy kit? The German legend was the main man at Dignity Health Sports Park in Sunday Night Soccer presented by Continental Tire, nailing a pinpoint free kick and a late game-winning PK to see the Gs past Diego Luna’s Real Salt Lake, 2-1.
Amid injuries and wider team struggles in LA, Reus has found rhythm hard to come by in MLS. But if he can contribute more displays like this, it could elevate the Galaxy in the West reckoning.
Is… is that… is that a WINNING STREAK underway up in Québec? Indeed it is: CF Montréal, who posted just six league victories in their 2025 campaign and failed to win back-to-back matches at any point, edged New York City, 1-0, at Stade Saputo for their second consecutive W.
An early strike from Prince Owusu, whose six goals and three assists rank him as one of MLS’s most productive attackers, made the difference, a fitting tribute to beloved local soccer scribe Matthias Van Halst on his passing earlier in the day. Meanwhile, NYCFC’s winless skid has now run to six games.
Atlanta, GA
Atlanta church’s “Environmental Justice Sunday” puts spotlight on health gaps in communities of color
On Auburn Avenue, where Atlanta’s Black history runs deep, a Sunday service turned into a call for survival.
At Big Bethel AME Church, faith leaders, activists, and residents gathered for “Environmental Justice Sunday,” urging Atlanta to confront a stark reality: environmental inequality is shaping who gets to live healthier, longer lives.
Timed with Earth Day weekend, the service reframed climate and environmental issues as both a moral and public health crisis — one disproportionately impacting Black communities.
“Environmental justice is about making sure all communities are not exposed to environmental hazards,” said Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis Jr., a pioneer of the movement.
The disparities, close to home
Speakers pointed to challenges already playing out across metro Atlanta:
All are part of a broader pattern where environmental burdens fall unevenly — and predictably.
Faith meets policy
Rev. Dr. Jonathan C. Augustine framed the issue as a responsibility that extends beyond the church.
Leaders called for greater investment in public health and stronger environmental protections, arguing that solutions will require action at every level — from local infrastructure to federal policy.
Why it matters now
Organizers said the goal isn’t just awareness; it’s mobilization.
Because for many communities, environmental justice isn’t theoretical. It’s immediate:
- The air they breathe
- The heat they endure
- The flooding they can’t escape
And increasingly, it’s shaping long-term health outcomes and economic stability.
The bottom line
At one of Atlanta’s most historic Black churches, the message was clear:
The fight for justice is expanding with the environment now at its center.
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