Soccer, Buckhead City & screaming at streaming costs

Atlanta Intown is not a sports publication, but when we heard about Morningside resident Caleb Wiley signing with Atlanta United, it got our wheels spinning about a package of stories on soccer.

Atlanta United held its first home game of the season on Feb. 27, the team’s supporter groups are already fired up, youth soccer is underway, and our contributor Dyana Bagby interviewed Caleb while he was in Mexico for pre-season training. You can read more starting on page 6.

Editor’s Letter

Collin Kelley has been editor of Atlanta Intown for almost two decades. He’s also an award-winning poet and novelist.

While soccer is alive and well, Buckhead City is dead – at least for this year. In a rare sign of bipartisanship, Republican and Democrats blocked legislation that would have put the question of cityhood on the ballot.

While Buckhead City proponents said they will fight on, maybe the next year will give them time to come up with answers to basic questions like start-up costs, where kids will go to school, and bond debt. The group is sticking with its current leader, which is a mistake, since he set the movement back by posting misinformation, thinly veiled racism, and reprehensible smears on social media. He also never bothers to show up to debates and conversations where actual facts are necessary.

collin@AtlantaIntownPaper.com

Mayor Andre Dickens has moved decisively in his first few months in office to shore up support for keeping the city unified, and even Republicans said they wanted to give hizzoner time to act on his crime reduction plan. Without fearmongering over crime, Buckhead City hasn’t got an antler to stand on.

I don’t have a smooth or clever transition, so let me just jump right into complaining about the ever-increasing cost of streaming. A few years ago, I got rid of cable and decided to go all-in on streaming. That immediately cut my monthly bills, and I was a happy camper.

However, my appetite for entertainment has now far outweighed my initial savings. I’ve got subscriptions to YouTube TV, Netflix, Prime, Hulu, HBO Max, Disney+, and BritBox. When I got an email that Netflix was jacking up its subscriptions again, I cursed so loudly I’m sure my neighbors heard it.

With my internet connection and subscriptions, I’m spending around $260 a month, which just seems outrageous. I’ve already decided to dump BritBox (sniffle) and YouTube TV is likely next. I welcome your suggestions and recommendations on how you’ve cut your streaming bills.

Last month, I ventured out for my second trip to a movie theater since the pandemic began. Plaza Theatre held a 20th anniversary (gulp!) screening of David Lynch’s “Mulholland Drive” and one its stars, Rebekah del Rio, was on hand to sing “Llorando.” It was a treat to watch one of my favorite films in 35mm on the big screen again. Maybe more outings like this is the answer to cutting some of my streaming concerns.

Play on!