Chamblee is approaching a major step in its downtown redevelopment while investing in the parks, trails and public spaces that will serve a growing city. City Center, the mixed-use project planned across from City Hall, is expected to close on its property transaction at the end of October, with groundbreaking anticipated in November. Fish Bolt Park is under construction along the Rail Trail, targeting completion in summer 2027.

Since Gwinnett’s first baseball season in 2009, Nick Dixon has helped keep the team running behind the scenes, managing the home clubhouse and handling team travel and equipment transport on the road. Now the Stripers’ home clubhouse manager has earned a first for the franchise. Minor League Baseball named Dixon the 2026 International League Home Clubhouse Attendant of the Year on Oct.

The machines working construction sites and farms across the Sun Belt need people who can keep them running. Finding those technicians remains a challenge, creating opportunities for workers entering the trades or changing careers, according to the AED Foundation. Sean Fitzgerrel, the foundation’s vice president, told North Atlanta Star that longer operating seasons in the Southeast add to demand: equipment works for more of the year, increasing the need for maintenance and repairs.

Rebuild Manufacturing plans to add 150 skilled manufacturing and engineering jobs in Rock Hill, South Carolina, through a roughly $20 million expansion expected to begin operating in November. The project, announced Oct. 6, will add a 130,000-square-foot advanced manufacturing facility at 2021 Williams Industrial Blvd. The company already operates in Rock Hill and is expanding its advanced composites operations to serve aerospace, defense and industrial customers.

About 185 acres of Birmingham Park will be protected from incompatible development under a conservation easement approved by Milton’s City Council on Oct. 5. The agreement places the land under the oversight of the Georgia-Alabama Land Trust while leaving ownership and maintenance with the city. Milton announced the decision Tuesday, following years of work to protect the park’s trails, creeks, meadows and forest.

A city council can approve hundreds of homes on Monday while the property remains wooded and quiet on Tuesday. Construction may still be months or years away. That gap often causes confusion around North Atlanta. Neighbors may assume approval means bulldozers are coming immediately. When nothing happens, they may conclude that the project has been canceled. Neither assumption is necessarily correct.

One of the original anchors at The Forum Peachtree Corners is leaving just as the shopping center enters a very different chapter. Belk will close its Peachtree Parkway department store on Jan. 15, 2027, ending a run that began when The Forum opened in 2002. The retailer said the decision followed a review of its business and is allowing employees to seek transfers to other locations.

Marksman Security is recruiting full- and part-time officers for Alpharetta, Johns Creek, Milton and Suwanee, with advertised pay of $17 to $20.50 an hour depending on location and openings across all shifts. The company’s Oct. 15 hiring event runs from 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at Embassy Suites by Hilton, 5955 North Point Parkway in Alpharetta. Applicants should wear business attire and bring a printed, updated résumé.

Woodstock Mill District is approaching completion with a growing lineup of restaurants, fitness studios and service businesses preparing to occupy the Publix-anchored development. The 118,000-square-foot district on Towne Lake Parkway is now 79% leased. Tenants are expected to begin taking possession of their spaces this fall in preparation for a spring 2027 opening. The project combines an 11-acre development with the renovated Towne Lake Plaza shopping center, creating continuous commercial frontage between Interstate 575 and downtown Woodstock.

Alice and Joey Lee had a name for their business nearly 20 years before it became a familiar stop for Korean fried chicken in North Atlanta. They imagined Kimchi Red on Korean food products someday. A restaurant was never the original plan. Then an opportunity to open a small restaurant came along. The couple took it, started with a handful of dishes and built the menu as Joey developed new recipes.

Brookhaven residents can practice English and Spanish, learn salsa steps and share food at a free Hispanic Heritage Month gathering on Wednesday, Oct. 14. The city and the Latin American Association will host “Celebrating our Roots Coffee Hour” from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the association’s headquarters, 2750 Buford Highway NE. Space is limited, and registration is required. The evening will include traditional dances from Latin American countries and an introductory salsa lesson, alongside opportunities to meet neighbors and practice both languages.

Visitors can take home a small work of art, leave one of their own or donate supplies at three new Mini Art Galleries in Suwanee, Duluth and Peachtree Corners this October. The galleries are part of Explore Gwinnett’s 10th annual ARTober celebration, which also brings a temporary art installation to downtown Norcross and an evening festival to Lawrenceville. Take Art, Leave Art…

Roswell’s Mimms Museum of Technology and Art has received a 2026 Southeastern Museums Conference honorable mention for “iNSPIRE: 50 Years of Innovation from Apple.” The permanent exhibition, which opened April 1, was recognized in the competition’s category for exhibitions costing more than $1 million. Award recipients were honored September 30 at the conference’s annual meeting in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. iNSPIRE…

One of the largest migration waves in recent U.S. history did not stop in Miami, Houston or other established immigrant gateways. It reached smaller Sun Belt cities, too. Federal data covering about 4.5 million migrants released after crossing the U.S.-Mexico border between October 2018 and July 2025 show newcomers heading to communities across Florida, Texas, Tennessee, the Carolinas and other parts of the South, including places with relatively little recent experience absorbing international migration.

A women’s fashion boutique with nearly two decades of history in downtown Alpharetta is preparing to add a Johns Creek location. Moop’s Boutique plans to open Oct. 29 at Medley, the new mixed-use district at Johns Creek Parkway and McGinnis Ferry Road. The approximately 990-square-foot store will carry the brand’s collection of European-inspired clothing and accessories. Owner Carolyn Gordon has described the boutique’s style as both “quirky and preppy,” with pieces intended to feel polished without becoming overly formal.

Townhomes advertised in the mid-$300,000s, larger detached houses approaching $1 million and rental communities in Duluth illustrate the range of housing options currently featured in North Atlanta Star’s Homes & Neighborhoods guide. The October 4 snapshot draws on community entries mostly checked October 3. These are advertised prices for selected developments, not a comprehensive inventory or a measure of what homes across North Atlanta typically sell for.

Forsyth County will open a dedicated recreation center for residents with disabilities Oct. 15, following an approximately $744,000 renovation of the former Charles Place Senior Services Center in Cumming. The new Thrive Center, at 595 Dahlonega St., includes indoor activity spaces, an adaptive outdoor court, a patio and a backyard. A ribbon cutting is scheduled for 2 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 15.

North Carolina state employees are gaining expanded parental leave, while temporary workers could move into permanent positions sooner under changes that took effect October 1. The Public Workforce Modernization Act expands paid parental leave to 12 weeks for both parents following a birth, adoption or foster placement, according to the state Office of Human Resources. It also increases vacation leave and standardizes bereavement leave across state agencies.

High school students will put the questions to Fulton County Commission candidates Bridget Thorne and Maggie Goldman on Monday, October 5, at Rivermont Country Club in Johns Creek. The District 1 debate runs from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m., following a meet-and-greet at 6 p.m. Admission is free and open to the public. Republican Thorne and Democrat Goldman will face questions prepared by Student Leadership NORTH’s Secretary of State Ambassador team.

Independent wellness practitioners have a new workspace option in Sandy Springs: furnished treatment rooms they can rent by the hour, day or month. The Bodyhood offers space for massage therapists, chiropractors, physical and occupational therapists, and other independent practitioners at 6065 Roswell Road, Suite 170. Its flexible rentals do not require a long-term lease. The business also operates in downtown Decatur.

Swig has opened its first metro Atlanta shop in Brookhaven, turning a former McDonald’s at Cambridge Square into a drive-thru stop for customized sodas, cookies and pretzel bites. The opening brings the Utah-founded chain to Ashford Dunwoody Road. The specialty is “dirty soda”: a soft drink mixed with flavorings, fruit, purees or cream. Customers can customize their drinks, and the Brookhaven location offers both drive-thru service and curbside pickup.

Music Milton will open its second season October 10 with an all-Mozart concert featuring the Vega Quartet, clarinetist Laura Ardan and pianist William Ransom. The performance begins at 7:30 p.m. at Birmingham United Methodist Church, bringing together Emory University’s quartet-in-residence, the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra’s former principal clarinetist and Music Milton’s artistic director. The concert program includes Mozart’s G Minor Piano Quartet and Clarinet Quintet.

A new hotel is open on East Crogan Street, a 63-home neighborhood is planned west of downtown, and Northside Hospital Gwinnett is putting new clinical space into service. Lawrenceville’s next round of construction will also bring raised downtown intersections and water-line work stretching into spring 2027. Other projects are further out, including a proposed greenway connecting neighborhoods, parks and downtown.

Sherwin-Williams has completed a major expansion in Statesville, North Carolina, turning the longtime facility into the paint and coatings company’s largest manufacturing plant in North America. The expanded plant adds nearly 50,000 square feet of improvements, increased automation, additional production capacity and four new rail spurs designed to move raw materials and finished products more efficiently. Sherwin-Williams marked the completion with a Sept.

Canton and Woodstock residents looking for work closer to home can meet local employers at the Cherokee Career Expo on Oct. 14, with free preparation sessions this Wednesday offering an extra half-hour with recruiters. The expo runs from 2 to 6 p.m. at the Northside Hospital Cherokee Conference Center, 1130 Bluffs Parkway in Canton. Participating businesses must have a Cherokee County location, giving the event a specific focus on local employment.

A federal judge has temporarily blocked border-barrier construction across Texas’ Big Bend region, stopping work inside Big Bend National Park and along surrounding stretches of the Rio Grande while a lawsuit over the project moves through court. U.S. District Judge Kathleen Cardone issued the preliminary injunction Friday, preventing the federal government from building barriers, roads or related infrastructure or carrying out other ground-disturbing construction in the Big Bend Sector unless it complies with applicable laws.

Nearly four in five Milton adults hold at least a bachelor’s degree. In Lawrenceville, roughly one in four does. Across 18 cities from Canton to Chamblee, college-degree attainment ranges from 77.9% to 26%, a difference of 51.9 percentage points. Eight cities exceed 60%, while three fall below Georgia’s statewide rate of 34.9%. The comparison reveals a region with sharply different educational backgrounds, even among nearby communities sharing the same roads and employment centers.

Amazon plans to invest more than $1 billion over five years in U.S. communities hosting its data centers, funding education, job training, energy-efficiency improvements and local projects. The October 2 announcement comes as data-center expansion faces opposition over electricity demand, utility costs and water use. Amazon has major projects or expansions underway in Louisiana, Mississippi and North Carolina, putting several Sun Belt states at the center of that debate.

A closed industrial facility in Honea Path, South Carolina, is headed back into production under a $215.56 million investment by wood-products manufacturer Adeptus USA. The company plans to create 217 jobs at 1205 Hamby Road in Anderson County, with operations expected to begin in the second quarter of 2027. It will be Adeptus’ first South Carolina operation. The plant will produce processed pine products used in construction and interior finishing, including painted and primed molding, boards, shiplap and panels.

Indigenous music is taking over two very different Houston spaces Saturday, moving from a church filled with vendors, food and workshops to an evening concert devoted to Native classical, traditional and experimental music. The Good Medicine Indigenous Music Festival is holding the second day of its two-day gathering at Faith Lutheran Church and MATCH Gallery, bringing together Indigenous composers and performers from several tribal nations.

A Roswell job fair will bring together 22 employers Tuesday, giving North Fulton residents access to recruiters from health care, government, education, banking, retail, construction and logistics. North Fulton Community Charities will hold its free 2026 Job Fair from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Oct. 6 at the Barbara Duffy Center, 11275 Elkins Road. The employer lineup includes Wellstar Health System, Northside Hospital, the cities of Alpharetta and Roswell, Fulton County Schools and the Fulton County Sheriff’s Office.

Jeff’s Bagel Run opened its first Forsyth County shop Friday, Oct. 2, bringing freshly made bagels, spreads and coffee to west Forsyth. The restaurant is at 5610 Bethelview Road in Cumming, near the intersection of Bethelview and Castleberry roads. The Cumming location is open from 6:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. daily and accepts advance orders. Bagels are made from scratch, boiled and baked inside the shop throughout the day.

By late Friday afternoon, students were arriving for dress rehearsal at School of Rock Dunwoody. There were balloons waiting for the next day’s grand opening, a game of Connect Four between young musicians and a steady stream of greetings from owner Yael Lindenboim. One student played piano. Another played bass. A friend had come along to watch. Lindenboim welcomed them in while keeping track of who was still on the way.

North Atlanta residents planning to vote in the Nov. 3 election have a nearer deadline to check: Monday, Oct. 5, is the last day to register. Early voting begins Tuesday, Oct. 13, and ends Friday, Oct. 30. Voters can check their registration, review their sample ballot and find their assigned Election Day precinct through Georgia’s My Voter Page. During early voting, residents may use any open advance-voting location within their own county.

Keter, the home and outdoor-products company known for storage sheds, garden beds and patio furniture, has opened its North American headquarters and showroom in Alpharetta. The company celebrated the opening Sept. 16 with Mayor Jim Gilvin and Keter North America President Louis Thurman. The offices are at 3440 Preston Ridge Road. The facility brings executive operations together with a showroom displaying outdoor storage, planters, furniture and home-organization products.

Fulton County residents will be able to take free artificial intelligence courses through a new program launching this month, with preregistration now open. Develop Fulton has approved $97,500 for the seven-month initiative, which will serve at least 500 residents and municipal employees through April 2027. The Enterprise Technology Association will administer the training, combining online coursework with in-person sessions. For residents of Johns Creek, Alpharetta, Milton and Roswell, the program offers a chance to learn skills ranging from basic prompting to using AI in everyday business tasks.

A fall weekend away can start with a short drive north and end with Sunday breakfast somewhere you do not have to wash the dishes. From mountain cabins to walkable downtowns, these five destinations offer enough for an overnight escape without using a full day to get there. Drive times below are rough planning estimates from the Alpharetta–Cumming area. Your starting point, Friday traffic and busy fall weekends can add time.

More than 500 North Carolina high school students spent part of this summer training for careers in electrical work, advanced manufacturing, agriculture, biotechnology, construction, information technology and health care. The programs are part of a growing effort to connect teenagers with employers and community colleges before graduation, particularly in industries facing worker shortages. Since 2024, the state's NC Career Launch initiative…

A national nursing and rehabilitation operator is entering Florida in a single sweep, taking over nine facilities with 831 skilled-nursing beds from Pensacola to Jacksonville, Central Florida and the Gulf Coast. The Ensign Group began operating eight Florida facilities on Oct. 1 and separately acquired both the real estate and operations of a ninth in Pensacola. The move gives the California-based company its first presence in a state where nearly one in four residents is 65 or older.

Texas is moving to undo a year-old tax treatment that added another cost to selling products, delivering meals, driving passengers and doing business through some of the country’s largest online platforms. State Comptroller Don Huffines signed an executive order Sept. 30 directing his agency to remove marketplace and platform fees from the definition of taxable data-processing services. The change could reach businesses and independent workers using Amazon, eBay, Etsy, DoorDash, Grubhub, Uber Eats and a long list of other digital marketplaces.

Gwinnett County is recruiting temporary poll officials for the Nov. 3 general election, offering paid roles to applicants as young as 16 and a hiring event Monday in Norcross. The Election Poll Official posting is open continuously. Nearly 500 residents are recruited each election to supplement returning workers, although submitting an application does not guarantee an assignment. Vacancies are filled by elections staff and poll managers.

Friday, Oct. 2, 2026 The Braves’ postseason advance and the closing of a longtime Norcross department store lead Friday’s briefing. Georgia is weighing election-system changes, Gwinnett has opened new public-health programs, and a busy festival weekend will bring traffic changes across several communities. 1. Braves advance to face the Dodgers The Atlanta Braves are moving on to the National League Division Series after defeating the Philadelphia Phillies 6-2 in Thursday night’s decisive wild-card game.

Driving to Lake Lanier can cost $7, $8 or $10 before the boat, picnic supplies or fishing gear leave the vehicle. The difference depends on who manages the destination. Forsyth County, Hall County, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Georgia State Parks operate separate systems around the lake, each with its own daily fee and annual pass. Those passes are not interchangeable.

October’s first weekend brings art festivals, a downtown parade and two nights of free music to North Atlanta. From Friday, Oct. 2, through Sunday, Oct. 4, families can browse Crabapple Fest in Milton, join Roswell’s Youth Day celebration or spend an afternoon among artists at Norcross’s Thrasher Park. Here are seven ways to plan the weekend. Crabapple Fest fills downtown Milton…

The roughly $100,000 average annual pay projected for Oklahoma Primary Aluminum’s proposed Inola plant includes overtime and cash benefits, the company told North Atlanta Star in written responses. The clarification gives prospective workers more detail about the compensation behind the project’s jobs pitch. But the company did not provide base-pay ranges for production and maintenance positions or explain how much overtime is built into the average.

An intimate Italian restaurant in Johns Creek, a longtime Roswell favorite and a Thai dining spot in Milton are among the restaurants on OpenTable’s September Diners’ Choice list for Fulton. Trattoria one41, di Paolo and Yum! Thai Cuisine & Bar appear on the reservation platform’s Best Overall list for Fulton, alongside restaurants serving everything from sushi to French and Persian cuisine.

Sarah Emerson wants the trees outside a Webb Bridge Park tunnel to feel as though they continue right through it. The Roswell artist is painting a nature-inspired mural inside the tunnel at the Alpharetta park, turning a dark stretch of a familiar walk into a place to pause. Native plants and flowers are central to a design that will eventually wrap around the passage, bringing the park’s surroundings onto its concrete walls.

Construction has begun on a $3.2 billion shipyard in Brownsville, Texas, where a four-year-old defense technology company plans to build large military and commercial vessels with a workforce that could eventually reach 10,000 people. Saronic Technologies broke ground Wednesday, Sept. 30, on Port Alpha at the Port of Brownsville, turning one of the year's biggest Sun Belt industrial announcements into an active construction project.

Thursday, Oct. 1, 2026 A proposed data-center expansion in Alpharetta leads Thursday’s briefing. The Braves face a winner-take-all playoff game, Cumming is moving forward with a major water-system upgrade, and several road and trail closures require attention. 1. Alpharetta hears data-center substation plan tonight Alpharetta’s Planning Commission will consider a Georgia Power substation and expansion at the existing Royal 400 Data Center tonight.