The commission is set to discuss a request from Georgia Power to increase the state’s energy capacity by nearly 10,000 megawatts, equal to about five Hoover Dams, to meet an expected spike in demand because of new energy-hungry data center growth. Staff initially recommended approving only about one-third of the utility’s request and granting conditional approval to another third but changed their recommendation to agree with Georgia Power to move forward with the full request.

Several people disrupted the start of proceedings with chants of “Rein in Georgia Power” and “Power to the people, not Georgia Power,” and were escorted out. According to law enforcement, no one was arrested, and some people were allowed to return to the hearing.

Georgia Power spokesperson Matthew Kent said in a statement that the company welcomes “all public comment during this important process, but these public hearings are in professional settings that require an amount of decorum.”

In exchange for allowing Georgia Power’s energy buildout of at least $16 billion, with 90% of it intended to power data center growth, Georgia Power promised to lower power bills by about $100 a year in its subsequent rate case proceedings. Because Georgia Power and the commission agreed to a three-year rate freeze, the promised savings wouldn’t be considered by the commission until after 2028.

“This plan means more money stays in your pocket while we power Georgia’s future,” said Georgia Power’s head, Kim Greene, in a statement.

But environmental organizations involved in the proceedings weren’t convinced about Georgia Power’s promise that the deal would lead to “downward pressure” on customers’ power bills. Jennifer Whitfield, a senior attorney with the Southern Environmental Law Center, said during lunch break that there is no guarantee the decrease will ever materialize, and it was unclear what the customer got out of the deal.

“It doesn’t mean that in 2029 residential customers will see their bills go down. What it means is that when they do all the various accounting, they promise that if we have a rate case — which we may not — that this class of customers will put downward pressure on the costs otherwise attributed to residential customers, which is just a really long, complicated way of saying, ‘we don’t know what’s going to happen,’” Whitfield said.

At the start of the hearing, Whitfield asked commissioners for additional time to review the agreement, saying they had not had enough time because they became aware of it on their commute to the hearing. PSC Chair Jason Shaw said that, because of the public hearings, lawyers for the advocacy organizations had the morning to review the agreement and could leave the room if they wished.

“There’ll be some more time there. We will probably not even get to the hearing until after lunch,” Shaw said.

This is a developing story and will be updated.

The post PSC hearings disrupted by protestors after surprise agreement with Georgia Power appeared first on Rough Draft Atlanta.

In a Facebook post on Dec. 2, Dean urged the LGBTQ+ community to support the club amid what he described as a lack of support from the City of Atlanta for Lore and other Edgewood establishments like Pisces, Sister Louisa’s, and Joystick.

“We do not live in a city that is friendly to small businesses, and especially nightlife,” he wrote. “The City of Atlanta and the Mayor’s nightlife division has all but abandoned Edgewood and scapegoated the bars for all of the problems that persist outside our doors, down the street, after operating hours. Instead of working with us on solutions to improve our historic neighborhood, we have been harassed and ignored at every turn.”

Related story: Lore brings unpretentious queer fun to Edgewood Avenue

The City did not respond to Georgia Voice’s request for comment.

Dean cited “disheartening” feedback from friends and colleagues about the lack of parking, the prices, and, from gay men, the amount of women in the club, and said there is plenty of free street parking and a “wide range” of drink prices. He added that LORE is “never going to be” the bar to cater to only one type of queer clientele.

“I understand that many of us are struggling financially right now and aren’t in a place to support ANY nightlife,” he said. “But for those who can afford to go out once or twice a week, please please consider stopping by LORE… Peoples [sic] perception of how well a project or venue is doing does not always match reality. We have so much programming and exciting events going on to draw people in, but we NEED more regulars.”

Nightlife has played a critical role in LGBTQ+ history, serving as safe spaces for the community when it was more dangerous to be openly queer in public. Atlanta, however, has lost many of its historic spaces over the years, like Backstreet and Hoedowns. And with only a few remaining – most of which specifically cater to gay men – Dean says the queer space Lore creates is critical.

“Queer bars should be for everyone! We love being a place where different people can gather, party and build community together,” he said. “…We are not perfect and still have a lot of work to do, but we made a lot of sacrifices to create a Queer space that was uncompromising in values and vision. Even if we crash and burn, I do not regret fighting for this.”

Dean urges patrons to share their feedback and help Lore grow by taking a customer satisfaction survey. Take the survey here. To learn more about Lore and buy tickets to upcoming events, visit loreatl.com.

Related story: Queer Atlantans are fostering alternative nightlife with DIY parties, raves, and events

The post LGBTQ+ nightclub Lore is ‘barely getting by,’ says owner appeared first on Rough Draft Atlanta.

I took the lesson to heart. As a child, I would hand out “experience” gifts — like an offer to spend quality time with someone or a voucher to do a chore. As I got older, I got more creative.

For my parents’ recent 50th wedding anniversary, I wrote them an original song to a Beatles tune and arranged for their nine grandchildren to sing it to them. They loved it so much they were crying happy tears — and it cost me only my time, not money.

Last year, I used a digital illustrator on Etsy to turn a family photo into a Regency-era portrait because my mom loves Jane Austen. It was another hit and cost less than $50.

This holiday spending season, I have my eye on a custom play. Etsy seller TinyPlayScripts writes personalized plays based on the recipient’s interests for $30. I’m also considering hosting a night of Regency-inspired “parlor games” — typically involving word play or cards — as a gift for my mom.

Personalizing gifts based on what you know about the recipient and your relationship with them can save a lot of money during this gift-giving season. In fact, I think it’s one of the most under-utilized holiday budgeting strategies.

Consumers are planning to spend a hefty $890 on average this year on holiday gifts, food, decorations and other seasonal items, according to the National Retail Federation. This technique could go a long way toward reining in overspending.

I asked my fellow Nerds to share some of their money-saving suggestions for gift giving:

Turn to thrifting

Writer Amanda Barroso knew she had to approach the holiday season differently after seeing tariffs and inflation drive up prices across many toy categories.

Months before the holiday season started, she started checking out consignment sales and secondhand shops for her two young children’s Christmas gifts. So far, she’s thrifted dress-up outfits, a learning game, books and more. She estimates she’s saved around $250.

“Thrifting has become a fun hobby for me. I love sifting through the racks, trying to find the perfect thing. And I’ve found toys I never would have considered otherwise,” she says.

Buy someone’s groceries for them

Whenever her friends bring home newborns, content coordinator Jessica Cano skips the customary baby gift and delivers bags full of groceries instead.

She opts for easy-to-prepare foods like bagels and frozen meals along with staples like bread.

“I feel like our friends have been more grateful with these items than with another pair of PJs or baby blankets,” she says.

Celebrate a memory

For her first wedding anniversary, writer Lauren Schwahn had a custom 520-piece puzzle made for her husband. It was a collage of four photos: one from their wedding day and one from each of the three cities they visited on their honeymoon.

It cost just $35 and gave them a way to savor those memories without falling victim to “giftflation.” It also turned out to be a fun way to spend time together.

“It came in handy when we were stuck inside one day due to bad wildfire smoke,” she says.

Grow something beautiful

Over the summer, writer Abby Badach Doyle planned her garden around flowers that are easy to dry and preserve — like strawflowers, celosia and globe amaranth. She included herbs like lavender, rosemary and sage, too.

She had noticed some local flower farms selling similar bouquets and thought to herself, “I could do that!”

This year, her girlfriends are receiving gifts straight from her garden: custom herb and flower bundles dressed up with a dried orange slice for a chic, budget-friendly flourish.

“I love having a stash of homegrown blooms in the attic to ‘shop’ when I need a quick, thoughtful gift for neighbors, drop-in visitors or party hosts,” she says.

Donate to a meaningful cause

Editor Karrin Sehmbi makes charitable donations in honor of family members in lieu of physical gifts. She chooses a few organizations that feel meaningful, writes up a description of the charity and shares it with an e-card.

“There’s no need to disclose the amount donated and it’s always appreciated,” she says.

She says her family is full of animal lovers. “So we almost always have an animal-related organization in the mix,” she adds.

One year, that included sponsoring a goat named Pixie. The gift was unique, meaningful and certainly memorable.

The post The Nerds Share Tips for Memorable, Budget-Friendly Gifts appeared first on Rough Draft Atlanta.

The Brookhaven City Council at a short December meeting held a public hearing and later passed amendments to language regarding short-term rentals within the city.

The amended language defined a short-term rental host as a person or entity in valid legal possession of a short-term rental unit who rents units to guests either directly or indirectly, according to a staff memo regarding the changes.

In addition, the new language requires the short-term rental hosts to maintain records related to guest stays for two years following the end of the calendar year, including the date of each stay and the number of guests, the costs for each stay,
including relevant taxes, and records related to their registration as short-term rental hosts with the city.

It also requires owners of short-term rental units to secure a permit in order to offer their services.

“We are making some amendments to ensure compliance,” City Attorney Jeremy Berry said. “I think we have had some issues before. This will make sure those people who are serving as hosts comply [with the ordinance].

There were no comments for or against the ordinance at the Dec. 2 meeting. It was passed unanimously.

In other action, the council approved:

• several items on the consent agenda that included meeting calendars for various commissions, the 2026 budget for the Brookhaven Convention and Visitors Bureau at $607,000, and the minutes of the Nov. 18 council meeting;

• an additional services agreement with JMT for right-of-way acquisition for Ashford Dunwoody Rd at Windsor Parkway intersection improvements of $11,250;

• a resolution to approve $350,000 to establish a permanent Brookhaven Police Department Real-Time Operations Center;

• a resolution authorizing the city to acquire temporary easements for site improvements and to complete the Ashford Dunwoody Road Multi-Use Path Project.

The post Brookhaven modifies language to short-term housing ordinance appeared first on Rough Draft Atlanta.

Walmart announced the new service with partner Wing on Wednesday. In addition to metro Atlanta, the two will be rolling out drone deliveries in Charlotte, Houston, Orlando and Tampa.

They say they plan to reach a hundred stores in a year, after piloting the service at 18 locations in Dallas-Fort Worth.

“The popularity of drone delivery in DFW is a testament not just to its convenience, but to the way this technology quickly becomes a part of everyday life,” Wing CEO Adam Woodworth said in a statement.

The partnership is billing this as the first commercial drone delivery service in metro Atlanta. Yet illegal air deliveries are already commonplace to certain shady customers in Georgia. On Monday, state corrections officials lamented at a legislative hearing how drones had become a security threat, routinely penetrating the airspace over prisons to deliver contraband to inmates.

And driverless Waymo cars are already an everyday sight in Atlanta, where they have been delivering people to destinations since the summer.

But the new pilotless air shipping promises to give Christmas procrastinators who live within delivery range another chance to buy last-minute stocking stuffers, plus seasonal essentials such as wrapping paper and ingredients for holiday meals.

Wing says its 12-pound, white and yellow drones can range up to six miles at a cruising speed of 60 mph, delivering packages in five minutes. Besides quicker delivery, the company says communities stand to benefit when fewer packages move by road: less traffic would be a gift to everyone.

The six Georgia Walmart locations with drones will be in Conyers, Dallas, Hiram, Loganville, McDonough and Woodstock. (Check your address eligibility at wing.com/walmart).

The post Holiday deliveries coming to some homes by air, without the ‘ho ho ho’ appeared first on Rough Draft Atlanta.