Although the first World Cup match in Atlanta isn’t until Monday, FIFA is already here, leaders emphasized during a Wednesday news conference — and they said the city is ready.

Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens, Atlanta Police Chief Darin Schierbaum and others gathered at the police department’s Joint Operations Center to give an overview of what the city is doing to keep the public safe during the month-long event.

“Here’s the bottom line: Residents and visitors, they want confidence as they come to this city. They want to know that Atlanta is ready,” Dickens said. “… My message is simple: We are ready.”

North America’s longest continually operating major league sports franchise is marking its 60th season in Atlanta, and its history here is full of some of its biggest milestones.

On April 12, 1966, the Atlanta Braves’ first-ever game was played at Atlanta Stadium (as it was then known) against the Pittsburgh Pirates before more than 50,000 fans.

The Braves’ history in Atlanta would see a Black baseball player demolish a long-cherished sports milestone in the heart of the deep South; thrill a city and a region with an unthinkable turnaround in fortunes; field a remarkable roster of future Hall of Famers; and win Atlanta’s first-ever major league championship.

Award-winning broadcast reporter Adam Murphy and Tim Darnell look at the history of baseball in Atlanta and the Braves.

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.

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 answered several questions Thursday as the 83-year-old business and philanthropic titan held a news conference following a huge shakeup in the Falcons’ front office.

Early Sunday evening, Blank announced the firing of both Terry Fontenot and Raheem Morris from their positions of general manager and head coach, respectively.

Fontenot and Morris were fired only hours after the Falcons defeated the New Orleans Saints, finishing with a second consecutive record of 8-9.

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.

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."

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.