The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Historic shuttered theater in Atlanta being restored
What once was an eyesore on Atlanta’s vibrant Westside will soon be reborn into a space for arts and culture programming. The Grove Park Foundation has begun restoring the long-shuttered Grove Theatre along Donald Lee Hollowell Parkway, a milestone in...
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Georgia will get older and more diverse
The face of Georgia will change substantially in the decades ahead as the state continues to grow older and more diverse. That’s according to the latest longterm population projections recently released by the Governor’s Office of Planning and Budget....
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Panda-monium
Zoo Atlanta set up a VIP ceremony Friday morning to officially debut the two new giant pandas from China with speeches, a ribbon-cutting and no shortage of grip-andgrin photos. But Ping Ping, the male panda, was dutifully unimpressed with the hoopla...
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What Georgia business leaders are watching now
Voters’ economic concerns were central to the blue tsunami that washed over Georgia during the midterm election, flipping control of all statewide offices for the first time in decades. Promising pocketbook relief, Keisha Lance Bottoms and her fellow...
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Blue wave gives Dems control of state House
Democrats have won control of the Georgia House of Representatives for the first time in 22 years, part of a blue wave election that has transformed Georgia politics by rejecting Republican rule. Democrats defeated at least 12 incumbent Republicans...
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With early voting over, it’s all about Tuesday now
As voters line up outside the Ponce de Leon branch of the Atlanta-Fulton Public Library during the last day of early voting on Friday, inside the library Hilda Jacobo holds her ballot in one hand and her 1-yearold daughter, Violet, in the other....
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Angry voters put GOP grip on Georgia to test
Georgia voters are mad. They’re pessimistic about the nation’s direction. And they’re heading into the final full week of an exhausting election cycle spoiling to make their voices heard. The final sprint promises more fireworks, with both parties...
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A driver in Cherokee County passed too close to nearby bicyclists. Now, he could die in prison.
WOODSTOCK — He is a villain to bicyclists, a fascination to impatient motorists, a criminal in the eyes of the local authorities. Outside the metal armor of his notorious Honda Pilot, Jerry Ross is a fragile man. Ross is 73 years old, weakened by...
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Mail voting falls as early turnout breaks records
The number of people who have returned their Georgia midterm ballots through the mail has sharply declined compared with the same period during the 2022 midterms, even as the state breaks early voting turnout records. More than 69,000 mail ballots...
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AJC poll: Georgians want government to regulate AI
In this heated political climate, it can feel like there are few things Republicans and Democrats can agree on. But there is at least one area where they find common ground: government regulation of artificial intelligence. It comes as both adoption...
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State's first beatification will be of 5 martyred friars
Michael Putnam lightly DARIEN — slaps the wooden club against the palm of his hand as he relays what happened here 429 years ago. Standing with him on this creek bank, you can visualize Friar Francisco de Veráscola, a Spanish missionary priest in a...
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In high-stakes battle, Bottoms and Jackson are in a dead heat for governor
Republican Rick Jackson has a staggering financial edge in Georgia’s race for governor, but Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms is campaigning in a climate shaped by President Donald Trump’s tanking approval ratings. A new Atlanta Journal-Constitution poll...
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Midtown church project raises some objections
The fate of one of Midtown Atlanta’s oldest church halls is starting to come into focus. All Saints’ Episcopal Church is pursuing a sweeping renovation for its one-block campus, including the 108-year-old Egleston Hall that recently suffered...
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Roller coaster death clouds Six Flags’ goal of better performance
About two years ago, Six Flags Entertainment Corp. set out to boost visitors to its parks and increase revenue after merging with a competitor. The theme park operator said it would invest more than $1 billion over the following two years on...
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Children suffered burns and beatings. Georgia calls it quality daycare.
Laura Scott’s mind raced as she studied the bright red rash and blisters on her daughter’s arms. Daycare workers suggested that her 1-year-old could be having an allergic reaction to pineapple. But Scott knew that wasn’t true. What is Quality...
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Trump’s Ga. gamble: Can he help Republicans more than he hurts them?
Rick Jackson didn’t mention DALTON — Donald Trump’s name once during his opening speech at the president’s rally on Friday. He offered a carefully measured tribute later when Trump called him back to the stage. Meanwhile, U.S. Rep. Mike Collins...
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GDOT picks record-setting bid for Perimeter toll lanes
Toll lanes are coming to the top of I-285 under a record-setting public-private partnership between the Georgia Department of Transportation and the international consortium picked to build and maintain the express lanes. The design and construction...
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‘Horrific, rare event’ may trigger lawsuits
Hassan Kariem was riding on a roller coaster just outside of Atlanta, his home city, when police say he was ejected from his seat. Authorities say he struck other riders as he plummeted from the Goliath roller coaster in the Monday incident. He was...
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Early voters in Georgia begin choosing candidates
On Tuesday, voters across Georgia began selecting candidates for nearly every statewide office, including governor, lieutenant governor, secretary of state, attorney general, state school superintendent, and the commissioners of agriculture, insurance...
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A Dream nightmare: Where to play WNBA Finals
The Atlanta Dream are back in the WNBA Finals for the first time since 2013 and they’ll face the Golden State Valkyries in the best-of-seven series, beginning Saturday in San Francisco. Golden State will host Games 1 and 2, with the Dream hosting...
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How do Georgia candidates vote?
Republican nominee Rick Jackson has pledged to be President Donald Trump’s favorite governor. But he has consistently used the president’s most-maligned method of voting in recent years — absentee ballots. Jackson’s opponent, Democrat Keisha Lance...
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Their kidnapper is still on death row.
OSMYRNA n May 4, 1976, two girls left Russell Elementary School and took a shortcut home through the woods. On that path they met a stranger. He said hi, or hello, and the girls did the same. They walked past him. The younger one was Lori Ann Smith,...
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Georgia braces as Isaias slams Gulf Coast
Top Georgia officials and weather authorities across the state urged people to take precautions Friday as Hurricane Isaias, the season’s first Atlan tic hurricane, drew nearer to making landfall. The National Weather Service said conditions were...
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Officials: MARTA blew fiscal year budget by 17%
MARTA officials are implementing monthly reviews to keep better tabs on spending after they said last fiscal year’s expenses went over budget by nearly 17%. Every category of expenses ran over, and the agency’s net deficit, $92.9 million, would have...
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It was fun while it lasted for the Braves
The Braves’ postseason run came to an end Wednesday night at Truist Park, losing 4-1 to the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 4 of the National League Division Series. The Braves struggled to get his and score runs all series against the Dodgers’ pitching....
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Governor candidates focus on policy: 5 takeaways from debate
For one hour Tuesday, Georgia voters got something they likely won’t get again before Election Day: Keisha Lance Bottoms and Rick Jackson standing side-by-side on a debate stage tackling the biggest divides of the campaign for governor. And what...
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Atlanta suburb considers, then bans data centers
It appeared Lovejoy, a small bedroom community south of Atlanta, would get its first data center after a $1 billion project was proposed late last year. Fast-forward 10 months and that project no longer is happening. And thanks to the backlash it...
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2 dead, 35 hurt in shooting
VIENNA — Ashley Gee thought she was hearing things. The party to celebrate Dooly High’s homecoming in Vienna had stretched into Sunday’s early morning hours, and Gee had just picked up food from a tent. What happened next, she said, felt like a dream...
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A HURRICANE SEASON WITHOUT HURRICANES?
Zero Hurricanes or tropical storms that have threatened Georgia so far during 2026. 2024 The last year Georgia experienced significant tropical storms, including Debby, Helene and Milton. Oct. 8-10 Dates when two recent major Georgia-impacting...
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Outkast and Waffle House bring Atlanta together
Heather King had been in line for nearly four hours when she saw the Cadillac. It was hard to miss. John Williams had pulled up to the Waffle House in the heart of downtown Atlanta in a 1972 Cadillac Coupe DeVille, the kind of car that, on this...
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BRING ON THE DODGERS!
Finally!!! Or should we say, Phinally?! A trio of home runs Thursday night powered the Braves to a series-clinching win over the Phillies. The Braves had lost all three of their previous playoff series against Philadelphia (’93, ’22, ’23). Their reward...
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Upcoming festival will be a real page-turner
A Pulitzer Prize winner and the U.S. poet laureate are among 100-plus writers set to appear on 70 panels at this year’s Decatur Book Festival Friday and Saturday.
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2028 Olympic torch will begin its U.S. journey in Atlanta
More than three decades after Atlanta hosted the 1996 Olympic Games, the flame will return to the city. Local leaders and Olympic committee members for the 2028 Summer Games in Los Angeles announced Tuesday that Atlanta will be the first U.S. stop for...
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Development debate rages on Cumberland Island
CUMBERLAND ISLAND — As homesites go, the acreage along Old House Creek is a stunner. Towering pines and stately live oaks make up the surrounding maritime forest. Water glitters in a golden marsh stretching from the shore, promising breathtaking...
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Morehouse med students facing food struggles
Leah Mohnkern had heard there were delays in financial aid disbursements at the Morehouse School of Medicine, but she didn’t realize how serious the problem was until a few weeks ago when she learned a classmate was struggling to afford meals. “She’d...
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She moved to Georgia at age 70 to grow a peculiar crop. Now, at 85, she’s a bamboo guru
Amid rolling pastures along the northern edge of this Ocmulgee River town, where harness horses train in winter and pine forests and pecan groves flourish, a 3-acre patchwork of a most curious crop has taken root. Daphne Lewis plunges her spade into...
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Atlanta Roller Derby tries to save legendary rink
After investors purchased 52-yearold Golden Glide Skating Rink last year, they offered the property to potential buyers as “flex space” with suggested uses including a warehouse and a data center. In other words, another metro Atlanta roller rink was...
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State Farm office towers in Dunwoody for sale
Many of the Atlanta-area office buildings that have traded hands since the COVID-19 pandemic have done so under duress. Several building owners watched their tenants leave or payments on their debt balloon with rents unable to keep up after the 2020...
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'We cannot sit in silence ...' After gunfire kills 2 boys, DeKalb starts program to combat youth violence
What started with a football game and accusations of bullying ended days later with a confrontation and a shooting that killed two young brothers in DeKalb County, newly released arrest warrants said. On Sunday evening, a family was spending time in...
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Emory, Tech, UGA ace U.S. News rankings
Universities across Georgia almost certainly had Tuesday circled on their annual calendar, as they eagerly awaited — or perhaps dreaded — the annual release of the U.S. News Best Colleges rankings. Just how useful the rankings are in determining the...
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Ex-Atlanta Fed president maps out his next chapter
When Raphael Bostic stepped down as president and CEO of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta at the end of February, he said the first day of his retirement he was going to sleep in. “The idea is really just to exhale, to relax, to recover and to try...
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Atlanta airport ranks low in customer satisfaction
Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport may be the world’s busiest, but it is not the most satisfactory, says the latest JD Power North America Airport Satisfaction Study. This year, Hartsfield-Jackson ranked 15th among 20 “mega airports,”...
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Three Atlanta family members crush Candy Crush in global competitions
A family that Candy Crushes together, stays together. Two metro Atlanta sisters and their niece not only found solace and unity playing mobile video game Candy Crush through family health crises but also channeled their skills into cold hard...
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Scams hit record high. Victims face new low.
Virtually every American has been targeted by scammers in some way, exclusive new polling data shows. Scams in the U.S. have surged to a record high, causing billions in losses for Americans. But the U.S. still lags behind some other countries in...
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A year later, more than 500 Georgia National Guard troops remain in D.C.
A s the black van edged its way down the street in front of Wheatley Education Campus, a pre-K-8 school buffered by row homes, the parents and activists gathered on the sidewalk began to chant loudly. “Guard. Out. Now.” Jaime Fearer, who has a third...
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Remote study program opens world to its students
On a recent Sunday night at Nakato Japanese Restaurant near Buckhead, a group of students and faculty gathered for dinner, celebrating the students’ recent completion of a unique academic achievement. It’s time for the second-to-last course: sukiyaki,...
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Amazon plane barrels off Miami runway, killing 5
MIAMI — An Amazon cargo plane barreled off a runway at Miami International Airport on Sunday, killing at least five people as it struck vehicles and burst into flames, authorities said. The aircraft overran the runway at about 2 p.m. after arriving...
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Roundabouts calm traffic but make some drivers anxious
At the Hyundai Metaplant test track, newly assembled EVs and hybrids bump over a cobblestone road, turn figure eights on a skid pad and brake squeal through a hairpin turn. The course challenges drivers as well as cars. Another test, though, lies just...
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Seven countries could shape governor's race
In a tightening race for governor, the path to victory could wind through the margins of some densely populated metro Atlanta counties and the leftward trends of previously reliable Republican areas. Recent polls show a toss-up between Democrat Keisha...
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Leaders agree Flock needs guardrails — but not on how far to go
Georgia’s political leaders are endorsing new guardrails around Flock cameras and other license-plate readers after a cascade of reports of law enforcement officers improperly using the technology. Georgia’s nominees for governor — Republican Rick...
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Freedom II will soar again. We just don't know when.
STATESBORO — You hear Freedom II before you see her, the shrill squawk echoing from the bald eagle enclosure near the heart of Georgia Southern’s campus. For years, such a call has communicated one thing around here: It’s time for football. Eagle...
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Alpharetta asked whether an NHL arena is feasible. Here’s the report.
Could a professional hockey arena make financial sense if placed in Alpharetta, an affluent suburb 25 miles north of Atlanta? The city is giving the idea a shot, voting last week to clear the way for North Point Mall’s redevelopment into a...
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Cumberland Island can now welcome more visitors
Cumberland Island is on many a nature lover’s bucket list. Soon, would-be visitors will have more flexibility in planning their trips to the remote Georgia barrier island. The National Park Service on Friday adopted a new visitation policy for the...
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Georgia has a powerful lieutenant governor. Will it stay that way?
Whoever wins Georgia’s lieutenant governor race in November will lead the state Senate chamber for the next four years, but the scope of his power will rest in the hands of the likely Republican majority. Many lieutenant governors across the country...
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South Georgia residents take up arms to eliminate this invasive species
Jim Gillis lowered the big tailgate on his F-250, revealing a cooler that might accommodate a picnic lunch. With a slight flourish, he flipped open its lid. It revealed a creature, mottled black and white, its obsidian eyes glowing even in death. It...
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After freezes, furloughs, Robins hiring 600 people
ROBINS AIR FORCE BASE — In an office a few blocks from the flight line here the other day, a patch of yellow sticky notes, one from an area mayor, one from a local city councilman among others, sat clumped near the phone on Tim Lawrence’s...
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Marietta man wins $4.3M against law firm
A Marietta man who hired Morgan & Morgan after being injured in a rearend collision has won $4.3 million in a legal malpractice fight against the law firm, which he accused of settling his crash lawsuit for $45,000 without his permission. Robert...
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Mayor’s legacy of revitalizing Atlanta hinges on school board
The fate of Mayor Andre Dickens’ signature legislation aimed at tackling Atlanta’s massive wealth divide now rests largely in the hands of the local school board. Dickens’ Neighborhood Reinvestment Initiative would extend the life of six of Atlanta’s...
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Dolly Parton
Born in abject poverty, her drive, talent and irrepressible optimism turned her from ‘Backwoods Barbie’ into a global superstar and beloved icon. Dolly Parton, the rhinestones-to-riches daughter of Appalachia who for six decades ruled country music...
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A real-life family feud: Coca-Cola heirs sparring
David Ball is readying for his annual late-summer trip to High Point, his family’s private retreat on Cumberland Island. He’s cleaning and rigging his fishing gear, collecting supplies and foodstuffs — there’s no grocery or convenience store on the...
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