On Sept. 5, 1955, two Atlanta businessmen - Joe Rogers and Tom Forkner - opened the very first Waffle House, located in DeKalb County's Avondale Estates community. Rogers started in the restaurant business as a short-order cook in 1947  at the Toddle House in Connecticut.

By 1949, he was a regional manager, then moved to Atlanta. He met Forkner while buying a house from him in Avondale Estates.

Today, Waffle House has more than 1,900 locations in 25 states.

Njeri Boss, vice president of public relations, and Virginia Angles, curator of the Waffle House museum, talk about this national iconic culinary brand.

On April 3, 1948,  the first Black police officers began patrolling Atlanta's streets around Auburn Avenue, marking the official integration of the Atlanta Police Department. Author Thomas Mullen discusses the challenges these pioneers faced in mid-20th century Atlanta. Mullen is the author of seven books, including Darktown, Midnight Atlanta and Lightning Men, written in the timeframe of 1940s and 1950s Atlanta.

Dr. Jeffery Wells, author of 2011′s “The Atlanta Ripper: The Unsolved Case of the Gate City’s Most Infamous Murders,” the definitive book about the crimes, talks with ATLVault. 

On April 6, 1972, a fire began at the Triangle Refinery in Doraville, starting with an overfilled storage tank. Vapors from the tank reached nearby homes on Doral Circle and ignited a pilot light at one of the homes causing an explosion. The explosion then set three storage tanks on fire. 

In all, 300 people were evacuated from their homes, staying at nearby elementary schools, hotels, or with friends and family. Two people died in the fire, whose flames reached up to 400 feet and were visible from downtown Atlanta.

In 2022, Valerie Biggerstaff wrote a 50-year retrospective on the famous Doraville refinery fire, and shares her research with digital content producer Tim Darnell and ATLVault on Atlanta News First. 

Last week's assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk shook the nation and the world, and its aftermath continues to permeate every fabric of America's political consciousness.

 Conservative political analyst Charlie Kirk was shot and killed last week as he spoke to a crowd gathered in a courtyard at Utah Valley University.

Less than 48 hours later, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox identified a suspect arrested as Tyler Robinson.

In this week’s episode of On The Record, political consultants Jason Shepherd and Fred Hicks discuss the latest act of political violence to convulse the United States.

Also in this week’s show:

Former state senator Jason Esteves would make history as Georgia's first Black and first Hispanic governor if he's elected in next year's historic 2026 elections. But first, he must win a crowded Democratic gubernatorial primary, which is filled with four other candidates with the same aspirations. 

Esteves sat down with Atlanta News First Political Reporter Doug Reardon to discuss the issues he is emphasizing in his campaign, including the recent economic development boon awarded to Hyundai during Gov. Brian Kemp's tenure.

“If we can afford to give $1.8 billion to give to Hyundai, we can afford to give our small business owners across this state low-interest loans to the tune of a billion dollars,” he said. 

After Master Firefighter Preston Fant died in the line of duty on Monday, the community has come together to remember his impact. Also, the city of Tucker is considering creating its own police force.

Atlanta News First and Decaturish take you through your latest DeKalb County news headlines and the stories people are talking about most!

Catch weekly episodes every Wednesday at 12:30 p.m. EST on ANF+ and Decaturish.com.

More from Atlanta News First: https://www.atlantanewsfirst.com/

More from Decaturish: https://decaturish.com/ 

A stunning immigration raid in a tiny southeast Georgia town continues to politically reverberate across the nation, as the White House promises more such workplace operations to continue.

Also: Georgia governor's candidate Jason Esteves will be featured in Sunday's On The Record With Atlanta News First.

Affordable properties are at risk of being redeveloped as market pressures increase, according to a report presented to City of Decatur Commissioners.

The report examined Naturally Occurring Affordable Housing (NOAH) and was created in collaboration with Atlanta Regional Commission and Georgia Conservancy.

The project looked at methods to preserve affordable housing options through energy and sustainability updates.

Larry Padilla, CEO of the Decatur Housing Authority, joined Decatur Dish to talk about the current state of affordable housing. 

Decatur Dish, co-hosted by journalists Dan Whisenhunt and Mariya Murrow, airs every Thursday on ANF+ at 11:30 a.m.