Atlanta News First
Atlanta News First

Atlanta News First

Your home for breaking news, leading headlines, and extended conversation on issues impacting the metro Atlanta community

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Preparing your home and car ahead of an ice and snow storm

Preparing your home and car ahead of an ice and snow storm

Ice and snow are predicted this weekend in metro Atlanta. In this podcast, award-winning investigative reporters Anastassia Olmos and Harry Samler - better known as Better Call Harry - talk about the home and auto preparations you should be undertaking ahead of winter's biggest storm yet.

Staying safe and warm in your home during ice and snow

Staying safe and warm in your home during ice and snow

Ice and snow are predicted for this weekend in metro Atlanta. In this podcast, award-winning investigative reporters Anastassia Olmos and Harry Samler - better known as Better Call Harry - talk about the dangers of alternative heating appliances in your home. 

Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank addresses front office firings | Atlanta News FirstGeorgia, Atlanta officials step up as SNAP benefits in limbo | Atlanta News First podcast

Georgia, Atlanta officials step up as SNAP benefits in limbo | Atlanta News First podcast

On Nov. 1, funding ran out for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, due to the government shutdown. 

Although a federal judge has ordered the Trump administration to continue supporting SNAP, benefits remain in limbo. Georgia Democrats have called on the state to intervene, while Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens announced measures to assist those in need. 

For more coverage, visit atlantanewsfirst.com or download the Atlanta News First app. 

The Million Dollar Heist, Atlanta's most famous armed robbery in history | ATL Vault

The Million Dollar Heist, Atlanta's most famous armed robbery in history | ATL Vault

In the late hours of Oct. 26, 1970, and into the early morning hours of Oct. 27, the most famous armed robbery in Atlanta history happened. And it was right after the city's most famous sports event in its history, up until that time: Muhammad Ali's return to professional boxing in a sanctioned fight at Atlanta Municipal Auditorium against Jerry Quarry. 

Jeff Keating is president of Doghouse Pictures, and hosted a podcast entitled "Fight Night and the Million Dollar Heist."

 

Muhammad Ali vs. Jerry Quarry fight in Atlanta | ATL Vault

Muhammad Ali vs. Jerry Quarry fight in Atlanta | ATL Vault

The return of the champion ended with Atlanta’s most famous armed robbery in history.
On Oct. 26, 1970, Muhammad Ali returned to the right for the first time since his three-year suspension from boxing for refusing to be inducted into the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War.

The fight was being held in Atlanta at the Municipal Auditorium - site of Friday night wrestling, all-night gospel singing and President William Howard Taft’s 1909 pre-inaugural possum dinner - and what happened in its aftermath will live forever in Atlanta lore.

 

 

Four days in April - Hank Aaron's rendezvous with sports immortality | ATL VaultBars, brothels and brawls - the story of Atlanta's first mayoral election | ATLVault

Bars, brothels and brawls - the story of Atlanta's first mayoral election | ATLVault

The two political candidates couldn’t have been more different. One man, descending from a family line of Baptist ministers and championing the values of temperance and chastity, promised law and order. The other belonged to a political party thriving on social disorder and looser interpretations of the laws regarding recreational pursuits.

Such a scenario could be easily imagined in any modern election, but it was exactly the case in 1848, when the newly renamed and incorporated city of Atlanta held its first mayoral election.

Atlanta’s most infamous missing persons case began 60 years ago | ATL Vault

Atlanta’s most infamous missing persons case began 60 years ago | ATL Vault

Sixty years ago today, Mary Shotwell Little left her job at C&S Bank, where she worked as a secretary. That evening, she met a coworker for dinner and shopping at Lenox Square, and parted ways about 8 p.m.

She never showed up for work the next day, thus beginning one of metro Atlanta’s most infamous missing persons cases of the 20th century.

On Nov. 12, 2025, “The Vanishing: The 60-Year Unsolved Disappearance of Mary Shotwell Little” is premiering at the SCADshow Theater on Spring Street in midtown. The film was produced by Monument Motion Picture LLC, a company headed by founder/CEO/producer Steve Kendrick; producer Bill Vanderkloot; executive producer W. John Fedack; and associate producer Pamela Pennamen.

In this episode of ATL Vault, Fedack talks with Atlanta News First about his involvement in the case; what he believes happened to Little; and why her case matters so much today.

Oakland Cemetery, where Atlanta's history is woven together | ATL Vault

Oakland Cemetery, where Atlanta's history is woven together | ATL Vault

Early city officials purchased six acres in 1850 to be a public burial ground for a young-but-fast-growing town of Atlanta. 

Originally called Atlanta Graveyard or City Burial Place, this was the beginning of Oakland Cemetery. 

It was officially renamed in 1872. By then it had expanded to 48 acres, mainly due to pressures of the Civil War. In the late 19th century, families tended the plots of loved ones, creating an assortment of lovely gardens. Oakland became a popular destination for Sunday carriage rides and picnics.

As the 20th century unfolded, Oakland increasingly was surrounded by residential and industrial development. With the passage of time, many graves went unattended as descendants moved away or lost touch with their antecedents. After years of deferred maintenance and budgetary shortfalls, Oakland became a  deteriorating landscape of weed-choked lots and neglected monuments.

In 1976, Oakland Cemetery was listed on the National Register of Historic Places and experienced a renewal of interest and attention from “friends” that would eventually take over much of the restoration and maintenance of the cemetery and become the Historic Oakland Foundation.

Through restoration projects, fundraising, willpower, and imagination, Oakland Cemetery and its stories have been saved from obscurity. Today, the cemetery welcomes 105,000 visitors a  year who stroll the grounds, attend a tour or special event, and come to learn about Atlanta’s rich history.