ATLANTA – The Atlanta Beltline has purchased the property of the now shuttered Elleven 45 Lounge in Buckhead and plans to convert it into a portion of the trail. 

“We had a young lady lose her life and people got shot at this club that should not have allowed guns into the premises. So, they were bad actors and bad operators,” said Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens, describing the violent events at Elleven 45 on Mother’s Day.

When a gunman shot and killed two people and wounded four others. 

In August, a Fulton County Superior Court Judge deemed the club a “public nuisance” and shut it down. 

Dickens says the city then saw an opportunity. 

“We talked to the ownership and said, ‘hey, we want to buy this property so we can complete the beltline trail,’” he said. 

It turned out the property sits in an ideal spot for the Northwest Segment 2 of the Beltline trail. 

“The Northwest Trail is perhaps the most technically challenging from an engineering and design perspective,” said CEO for Atlanta Beltline Clyde Higgs.

He says acquiring this property has given them a golden opportunity to connect the trail to Peachtree Road and make that portion of the trail much more accessible.

“This last acquisition piece was significant because it’s going to create a better trail experience from an ADA access perspective of getting access to the Shepherd Center to Piedmont Hospital,” Higgs said. 

It came at a hefty price tag. Higgs confirms it cost them around $11 million. Much more than the original plan for this section of the trail. 

“This was bigger than our original budget. But because we have realized cost savings in other places along the Beltline, we were able to repurpose some of those savings and bring that to an area in order to make sure Buckhead gets a significant investment from the Beltline,” Higgs said. 

Mayor Dickens says it’s a two-for-one special the city previously could have only dreamed of. 

“We got rid of a nuisance, and we’re improving the city by putting the Beltline through here. So, you’re going to see something amazing come about from this,” Dickens said. 

It’s a big step forward for one of Atlanta’s most ambitious projects. 

A project that aims to have much of the trail completed in time for the arrival of the world’s biggest sporting event. 

“We will have nearly 18 miles of the Beltline completed before the World Cup arrives in Atlanta in 2026,” Higgs said. 

He said that will likely not include the portion with the Elleven 45 Lounge property. 

He says the Northwest Segment 2 portion will be completed in late 2026 or early 2027.

The major awards season is around the corner for Major League Baseball. While the Players Choice Awards and accolades from publications have been dropped, we await the biggest hardware of them all. 

Some Atlanta Braves players should be in the running for some of these awards – or at least be finalists for them. Let’s look at some key dates that are relevant to Braves who are up for or are expected to be up for awards in November. 

This is a very jam-packed day. Buckle up.

The first major award that will be up for grabs by a Braves player is the Hank Aaron Award. Named after the Braves legend, the award aims to recognize some of the top offensive performers from the season. 

Designated hitter Marcell Ozuna is the Braves rep who is up for the award. 

The All-MLB First and Second Teams will be announced. Five Braves players have a shot to be on either team. 

First Base: Matt Olson

DH: Marcell Ozuna

Starting Pitchers: Chris Sale and Reynaldo López

Relief Pitcher: Raisel Iglesias 

Then, there is Comeback Player of the Year. Chris Sale has already won it during the Players Choice Awards and for Sporting News. That could be a sign he’ll take it home a third time when the writers at MLB.com decide their winner. 

A reliever in each league will be named the Reliever of the Year – named for Trevor Hoffman in the NL and Mariano Rivera in the AL – be on the lookout for Raisel Iglesias who was stellar for the Braves this season. He had a 1.95 ERA and had a run of 30 games without giving up a run. 

Lastly, there is the Edgar Martinez Outstanding Designated Hitter Award. There is one winner. It will likely be Shohei Ohtani, but it can’t hurt to look out for Ozuna. 

Like with the Gold Glove Awards, the Silver Slugger Award will be handed out to a player at each position. 

The lone Braves finalist this season is once again Ozuna. Now, he’s up against Shohei Ohtani. It might be some of the stiffest competition for an award that anyone has. 

But since he is a finalist nonetheless, we’ll be on the lookout. 

The National League Rookie of the Year finalists have yet to be announced, so we mention this date. Starting pitcher Spencer Scwellenbach had a phenomenal rookie season, but he has stiff competition.

San Diego Padres outfielder Jackson Merrill has felt like a favorite for a bit as does Pittsburgh Pirates starter Paul Skenes. Shota Imanaga looked good in his first MLB season over in Chicago with the Cubs. The odds are stacked against him, but maybe he’ll be a surprise finalist. 

Brian Snitker is not likely to be named the National League Manager of the Year. But we don’t even know the finalists yet, so until then, we mark the date. 

Chris Sale is without a doubt the clear Cy Young frontrunner in the National League. He took home the first NL Triple Crown since 2011 – 18 wins, 2.35 ERA and 225 strikeouts. 

Triple Crown winners win the award more often than not. He won Outstanding Pitcher of the Year at the Players Choice Awards. His peers like him. Now, it’s up to the writers to agree. 

Again, maybe Ozuna is a finalist for the award. It looked certain at one point he would at least be one. But after going on a bit of a production slump down the stretch, it’s to be determined. 

If he is, he’ll likely get the honor of finishing third behind Shohei Ohtani and New York Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor. 

ATLANTA – As the Atlanta Falcons prepare for their upcoming game against the New Orleans Saints, the team has taken a moment to give back to one of its most loyal fans. Tiffany, a devoted supporter, and her four daughters received a complete home makeover, courtesy of a partnership between the Falcons and Rooms to Go.

The top-to-bottom renovation marks the fourth home makeover the Falcons have completed this year. Tiffany and her family expressed immense gratitude for being chosen for the life-changing experience, calling it unforgettable.

This initiative is part of the Falcons’ ongoing efforts to give back to their community and support their fans in meaningful ways.