North Atlanta Today: Provisional Ballot Documents Are Due by 5 P.M.

Georgia voters who were told to provide identification or other documentation for a provisional ballot have until 5 p.m. Friday to complete that step with their county registrar.

Friday, November 6, 2026. Reporting cutoff: 12:01 p.m. Eastern Standard Time. Election, weather and visitor information was checked at that time.

A 5 p.m. deadline for provisional voters

The Georgia secretary of state’s election calendar sets 5 p.m. Friday as the deadline for provisional-voter documentation from Tuesday’s general election. Anyone who received instructions to show identification, proof of registration or other material should contact the county election office now rather than assume the ballot will be counted automatically.

The same calendar puts county certification at 5 p.m. Monday, November 9. Until certification, election results remain unofficial. Read the full NAS Friday morning roundup, and use the Georgia secretary of state’s dated election calendar for the controlling deadlines.

Alpharetta weighs $1.3 million for 531 trees

Alpharetta City Council will consider a $1,296,535 contract Monday to plant 531 trees along Webb Bridge Road and North Main Street. The package averages about $2,442 per tree, but that figure covers more than the plants themselves.

The proposal includes installation, 18,340 feet of root barriers, two years of watering and equipment, and a two-year tree warranty. The two road projects would receive oaks, hollies, tulip poplars, cypresses, magnolias, American elms, eastern red cedars and dawn redwoods.

City staff says the prices are competitive with current conditions and Alpharetta’s other landscaping costs. The proposal would use an existing on-call contractor rather than a new standalone bidding process, and shrubs would come before the council separately in 2027. The vote is scheduled for the 6:30 p.m. Monday meeting at City Hall. Read the full cost breakdown and what remains outside the contract.

Duluth housing expansion will more than double capacity

Two apartment buildings are nearing completion at Rainbow Village in Duluth, where a $1.1 million federal award will support expanded housing and services for families experiencing homelessness.

The 36 new apartments will increase the nonprofit’s capacity from 30 to 66 families. Rainbow Village said it received 1,876 calls seeking help in 2025, a measure of the gap between demand and available space. The organization has not announced an exact opening date.

“At Rainbow Village, we believe that every family deserves more than a roof over their heads,” CEO Melanie Conner said. “They deserve the opportunity to build a stable, successful future.”

The work also includes space for adult learning, career and financial education, and services for parents and children. See the expansion and the support programs taking shape in Duluth.

FICEP opens its South Forsyth headquarters

Italian machinery maker FICEP has celebrated the opening of its U.S. headquarters at 5525 Ecopark Drive in south Forsyth County. The nearly 20-acre campus is designed for assembly, testing, customer demonstrations and training.

The first phase includes about 60,000 square feet of warehouse, showroom and office space. FICEP makes automated systems that cut, drill and assemble structural steel and plate, and it has described eventual local production as a goal for the U.S. operation.

The company chose Forsyth County after a national search, with access to technical workers, software expertise, transportation and customers among the factors cited by the developer. Read what the company plans to demonstrate and build at the new campus.

Lanier Tech’s CDL course moves closer to Workforce Pell aid

Lanier Technical College’s eight-week commercial-driving program has cleared a state hurdle toward qualifying for federal Workforce Pell grants. Federal authorization is still required, so students should not assume the aid is available for an upcoming class.

The Class A program at Lanier Tech’s Hall campus combines classroom instruction, range work and road training. Its proposed course cost is $2,038. Applicants must meet admissions and driving-record requirements, complete a Department of Transportation physical and pass a drug screening before behind-the-wheel training.

The state decision opens a possible route to federal help for short-term career training, but the timing remains unresolved. Our guide explains who can apply and what prospective students should verify first.

Look ahead: pandas today and a sunny, cooler weekend

Ping Ping and Fu Shuang make their public debut Friday at Zoo Atlanta’s renovated Panda Grove. The six-year-old giant pandas arrived from Chengdu in September. The $6 million habitat renovation added larger indoor dayrooms, climbing structures, pools and outdoor water features.

Friday’s delayed opening is 10:30 a.m. For a weekend visit, the zoo plans to open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, with last entry at 3:30 p.m. Meet the pandas and see what changed at the habitat.

The National Weather Service’s 5:46 a.m. zone forecast called for sunshine across North Fulton, Forsyth and Gwinnett through the weekend. Friday’s high should reach the lower 70s, with Saturday in the mid-60s and Sunday in the upper 60s. Friday night temperatures are expected in the mid-40s, falling to around 40 Saturday night.

Check the latest National Weather Service zone forecast before leaving. Weather, ticket availability and operating plans can change after this edition’s cutoff.