The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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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Ga. restaurants prep to post origin of shrimp they serve
Coastal Georgia is known for its hospitality as well as its shrimp-abundant waterways and estuaries. However, not all restaurants along the coast source their seafood from local waters, while allowing people to assume they do. Foreign imports have...
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Could it now slide back?
The schools helped bring Charles Rousseau to Fayette County — and the schools are what drew him to the political front lines. It all started with a tense phone call his wife received from their son’s middle school principal that felt unfair and...
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‘Soccer in Sanford’ shatters NCAA attendance records
At the University of Georgia, football often dominates the headlines. Thursday night, though, a different kind of football stole the spotlight at Sanford Stadium. With an attendance of 25,433 for Georgia’s 6-0 win against James Madison on Thursday,...
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Activist group pushes for ICE schools policy
Amid the start of a new school year and reports of more ICE arrests in Georgia, some community groups are advocating for rules in a few metro Atlanta school districts that would make it tougher for the federal agents to remove a student from a public...
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More solar projects heading to rural Ga.
A trio of new renewable energy projects could soon cover thousands of more acres of rural Georgia in solar panels, according to filings submitted in recent days to state regional planning authorities. The proposals come as Georgia seeks to keep up...
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His Waffle House song went viral. Then the company fired him.
A Gwinnett County man whose song celebrating Waffle House went viral has been fired by the Atlanta-headquartered restaurant franchise for violating its policy. Edric Riley, whose musical moniker is Rockstar Riley, told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution...
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Savannah’s homebuilding boom reshapes the coast
SAVANNAH— The roads bear names like Little Neck and Fort Argyle, Belfast Keller and Blue Jay, Pine Barren and Quacco. They stretch through the countryside just beyond the grip of Savannah’s sprawl, but there are signs that this frontier is soon to be...
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Ossoff wants more than win over Collins
U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff is showing no mercy. The Democrat leads Republican challenger Mike Collins in every major public poll, holds a massive fundraising advantage and now is trying to peel away GOP voters. At his Sunday rally in Atlanta, Ossoff made...
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Inside the online realm where the Apalachee school shooter spent his time How parents and teachers can identify children who may be developing an unhealthy obsession with mass killers.
The Apalachee High School shooter didn’t have friends and didn’t attend school his entire eighth-grade year, court hearings showed. But online, he found a community that prosecutors said led to him carrying out his attack, which became the deadliest...
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GOP pushes politics of past, including communism, Shariah
ROME — Republicans’ annual Tillman Rally has graduated from a sweltering airport hangar to a swanky lakeside venue, but it still acts as a gauge for the mood of Georgia’s grassroots conservatives. This year, it sometimes felt like a walk back in...
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MARTA interim CEO gets job permanently
MARTA’s next general manager and CEO will be Jonathan Hunt, a familiar face who has been with the agency for more than a decade, including spending the past year as its interim leader. Hunt was the unanimous selection of MARTA’s board of directors,...
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Population growth slows slightly amid tight housing
While metro Atlanta is adding thousands of new residents, population growth is slowing, hampered by housing supply, a new study found. The 11-county metro added 53,690 residents between April 2025 and April 2026 — the slowest pace of population growth...
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Honey, call the bee vet!
At the University of Georgia’s veterinary teaching hospital, aspiring animal doctors learn to minister to a menagerie: dogs with dermatitis and horses with colic, diabetic cats and malnourished parrots, bleeding rabbits and wheezing snakes. “Whatever...
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Study: Nearly 150 acres of tree canopy lost a year
In the years since the Great Recession, many of Atlanta’s intown neighborhoods have been transformed by a building boom aimed at keeping up with the city’s growing population. But for “the city in the forest,” that development has come at the expense...
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What’s behind state’s rising home insurance costs?
Georgia homeowners are continuing to feel it in their wallets as insurance costs climb, driven by stronger storms and higher rebuilding costs. A recent LendingTree analysis showed that home insurance costs in Georgia increased by an average of 7.3% in...
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The food pantry line at a suburban Atlanta church is as long as it is diverse
Financial situations can change quickly. An illness or lost job can lead to an emergency. And some recipients here at the church may just be delivering food to others in need. Snapshots of American life, taken from vehicles rolling through a...
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RFK Jr. marks CDC attack with visit to Atlanta
U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. visited the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Friday to mark the one-year anniversary of a shooting that locked down the federal facility for hours and killed a police...
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Inside Rivian’s next phase of construction
Vertical construction doesn’t just mean buildings rising above Georgia’s clay-stained dirt. It also includes subterranean work, and there’s plenty of that taking place an hour east of Atlanta at the site of Rivian’s future $5 billion electric vehicle...
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Wanted: Buyer for historic downtown mansion
If walls could talk, the Rufus M. Rose House might cry out for help. The circa-1901 Victorian mansion has sat vacant along Peachtree Street in the shadow of the Southeast’s tallest skyscraper for at least two decades. Ivy crawls up its red-brick...
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A magnolia tree falls in Atlanta, but its baseball legacy lingers
With sawdust on the asphalt and splintered wood on the hillside, one of the city’s most venerable trees was torn apart on Monday. Not many people saw it happen. Those on the Beltline above could have run or bicycled past without knowing anything was...
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A picture-perfect day to go back to school
Monday was the first day of school in many districts across metro Atlanta, including Cobb County, where a group of third graders gathered for a photo at Pickett’s Mill Elementary School in Acworth. For more back-to-school coverage, go to AJC.com.
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Access to free, low-cost school lunches tightening
Changes to federal safety net programs could mean many Georgia children will start the new school year without access to subsidized school meals, a recent report from the Center for American Progress says. The longtime policy research nonprofit, based...
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Inspections uncover violations at Georgia med spas and IV clinics
Anew inspection program examining Georgia’s med spas, IV clinics and other healthcare businesses has found numerous problems that threaten public safety. The unannounced checks by the Georgia Composite Medical Board discovered medical services being...
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South Downtown slows growth after World Cup fever
South Downtown has been a whirlwind of construction in recent months to get ready for the World Cup, but it’s about to switch from offense to defense. The owners of dozens of historical buildings in the 10-block neighborhood say they’ve pumped $140...
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Apalachee High shooter’s father gets 15 years
WINDER — The father of Apalachee High School shooter Colt Gray was sentenced Thursday to 15 years in prison, two days after his son was without the possibility of parole for Georgia’s deadliest school shooting. Colin Gray, 55, is the first Georgia...
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Atlanta Public Schools unveils tactical, drone security teams
Atlanta Public Schools is bolstering its school security this year by adding tactical and drone teams to its police force. District officials debuted the new units recently, running practice drills at a school district property in the Polar Rock...
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Apalachee school shooter to serve life with no parole
WINDER — Colt Gray was sentenced to life without the possibility of parole Tuesday after three days in court hearing testimony from victims, experts and other witnesses after he pleaded guilty last week to all 55 charges in the Apalachee High School...
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World Cup brought surge in use of e-bikes, scooters
Residents and visitors racked up nearly 1 million miles on one company’s scooters and e-bikes over the six weeks Atlanta hosted World Cup matches. Lime said Friday that it saw the number of rentals skyrocket during the soccer tournament, especially in...
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