A.M. ATL: Check your lake plans

Morning, y’all! The tailless squirrel that hangs out in my backyard has started to drink directly from the hummingbird feeder, and now I’m worried she’ll get diabetes. I wasn’t aware that was a thing one could worry about.

Let’s get to it.

PARK CLOSURES AROUND GA LAKES

Credit: Steve Schaefer/AJC

Credit: Steve Schaefer/AJC

Doing some lake living this Memorial Day? Better check twice and save yourself some disappointment. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers indefinitely closed 23 lakeside parks in Georgia due to budget cuts and “staffing shortfalls.”

Twenty of the closed parks are around Lake Lanier, two are around Lake Allatoona, and one is on Lake George W. Andrews. They include recreation areas, campgrounds and beaches.

The Corps says it can’t maintain proper safety measures with current staffing and provided no timeline for reopening the parks.

A witness who was at Lanier’s Little Ridge Park when it was closed said concrete barriers were put up to prevent people from driving into the park.

Dozens of other facilities at federal lakes and reservoirs in six other states have been affected by closures or reduced hours due to budget cuts.

READ MORE: Here’s a full list of GA lake park closures

ATL LEADERS LIVID OVER PEDESTRIAN DEATHS

Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC

Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC

Two pedestrians have been killed on Peachtree Street in the last few months, and Atlanta city leaders are fed up.

The city is making huge street upgrades ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, but pedestrian safety groups and local officials want to put pressure on Mayor Andre Dickens’ office to focus more on the current dangers of Atlanta’s streets.

Atlanta’s Department of Transportation says much of the $120 million in road upgrades will increase safety, like repainting road lines and filling potholes. However, some City Council members are worried that other safety promises, like crosswalks at dangerous intersections, aren’t getting prioritized.

A WORLDWIDE MALWARE TAKEDOWN IN GEORGIA

Credit: Dreamstime/TNS

Credit: Dreamstime/TNS

One of the most well-known global malware operations is facing justice in Georgia. It’s like a techno-legal drama in real life. The malware group involved is called Lumma Stealer, and it’s been a target of cybercrime organizations around the world for years.

First, a refresher:

👾 What is malware? Malware is a type of software sold through the dark web to people who want to steal passwords, credit card numbers, bank account information and other valuable online assets.

👾 How does it work? Groups that use malware will send emails or other messages impersonating a trusted source. The goal is to get the victim to open and download the software onto their computer, which then collects data. Malware attacks can kneecap entire companies or even industries.

Now, let’s talk about how the case made it to Georgia:

There’s a lot we don’t know about Lumma, like the identities of the actual people who run it. But a lot of interesting cybersecurity details will play out right here in the city.

MUST-KNOW POLITICS AND BUSINESS

✍🏻 How would President Donald Trump’s ‘big, beautiful bill’ affect Georgia? The House reconciliation bill that would shape future government budget agendas is headed for a House vote soon. The bill increases spending on border security and national defense while cutting federal funding for Medicaid, food stamps and clean energy programs. Critics also say its much-touted income tax cuts would mostly benefit the richest in the U.S.

🕙 Gov. Brian Kemp asked GOP Senate donors for more time so he and fellow Republicans can decide on a consensus candidate to back in the 2026 Georgia Senate race against Dem. Sen. Jon Ossoff.

⚖️ Ximena Arias-Cristobal, the Dalton State College student detained by ICE after a traffic stop, will be released on bond today. Her case isn’t over, though. She’ll be able to stay at home with her family while the U.S. government continues to pursue her deportation. Her father was also recently released on bond but still faces possible deportation.

CHEERS TO US!

Credit: Courtesy of Sea Island

Credit: Courtesy of Sea Island

A Georgia bartender took the title of U.S. Bartender of the Year at the U.S. Bartenders’ Guild’s World Class competition in Atlanta.

Nic Wallace is the resort bars and spirits manager for Sea Island Properties. He’s worked at Sea Island Resort for 12 years and leads a team of more than 60 bartenders and beverage specialists.

The Brunswick native was the only Georgia bartender to participate in the three-day, five-part competition. Now that he has his national title, he’ll go on to compete against peers from 50 countries at the Global Finals this fall.

🥃 Obviously, every world-class bartender needs a signature cocktail. Wallace’s is called The Soul of the South: Bulleit bourbon, apple brandy, lemon juice, apple cider syrup and six dashes of Talisker 10-Year Scotch. Hoowee.

NEWS BITES

About three in 10 adults make use of astrology, tarot cards or fortune tellers at least once a year

I mean, the stars have been out there for a really long time. They must know something.

Buttermilk Kitchen founder shares make-at-home favorites in new book ‘Brunch Season’

As an introvert who hates crowds, bringing the good brunch place to the house is the dream. (Yes, I’m a Cancer. IYKYK.)

NFL team owners tried and failed to ban the tush push in games

Let us end our suffering. I’m putting an explanation of the tush push at the end of the newsletter, and we never have to speak of it again.

Rick Ross’ popular car show at his Promise Land estate is back for the fourth year

See, this is cool rich people behavior. Show off neat cars, see other people’s neat cars. Do you know how many people attended this get-together last year? Between 6,000 and 8,000. Nuts.

ON THIS DATE

May 22, 1984

Credit: AJC

Credit: AJC

From the front page of The Atlanta Journal: State Patrol gets new DUI weapon. Known as an Alco-Sensor, it will be used in all 700 State Patrol cars by July 1, and 125 will be here in time to measure intoxication levels this Memorial Day weekend … As a result, patrolmen will not waste time carting suspects to the station only to discover that their level of intoxication is not high enough to charge them with violating the law, State Patrol spokesman Bill Wilson said.

Alco-Sensors are still in use! Did you know breathalyzer technology goes all the way back to the 1920s?

ONE MORE THING

OK, so the tush push. It’s actually exactly what it sounds like. Imagine you’re in a short 3rd or 4th down situation. You need juuust a few yards, maybe even a few feet, to keep the drive alive. After the snap, players around the quarterback simply ... push him forward. From the tush. It’s one way the Philadelphia Eagles won the last Super Bowl, hence the alternative name: The Brotherly Shove.

(Other teams don’t like it because it apparently doesn’t require any skill. Ah, but innovation and teamwork are skills!)

🌈⭐ The More You Know 🌈⭐

Thanks for reading to the very bottom of A.M. ATL. Questions, comments, ideas? Contact us at AMATL@ajc.com.

Until next time.