Morning, y’all! A new study finds most people hit the snooze button every morning. I’m very, very guilty. On any given morning, I have three or four phone alarms set, plus the two “big” alarms on the family Echo. Nice to know us snoozers are in good company.
Let’s get to it.
STILL WAITING ON HELENE FUNDS
Credit: Miguel Martinez/AJC
Credit: Miguel Martinez/AJC
Nine months after Hurricane Helene tore a path of devastation through the South, agricultural producers in South and Middle Georgia are still waiting on the biggest pool of federal relief. That money is still tied up in red tape, negotiations and long waits.
- Congress passed a $100 billion disaster aid package in December, with $21 billion of that going toward farmers across the nation affected by recent natural disasters.
- In March, the USDA said it would roll the money out in stages.
- Applications for money needed by Georgia farmers should open in July.
- Georgia also still needs to negotiate with the USDA for further funds in the form of block grants—funds from the government that local jurisdictions can divvy up at their discretion.
While farmers wait on large portions of relief, they also have a wary eye on any coming storms. Hurricane season is upon us soon, and it’s supposed to be just as bad as it was last year.
🔎 READ MORE: Why some Georgia farmers say it will take more than financial aid to repair their livelihoods
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A SHORTER ROUTE FOR MARTA’S RAPID BUS LINE
Credit: JOHN SPINK / AJC
Credit: JOHN SPINK / AJC
Over the last few years, MARTA’s plan for a rapid bus transit line has been reorganized, stalled, changed and changed again. Oh, and let’s not forget the horse bones.
The latest possible change in the plan could move the northern endpoint of the future Clifton Corridor rapid bus route from the existing Lindbergh Center station to a proposed infill station at Armour Yards.
- For the geographically challenged, that would shorten the route by a little more than a mile, bringing the endpoint of the bus line below the 85/400 split.
- Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens also prefers the Armour Yards endpoint, though his office didn’t say why. However, it is close to the Beltline, which is a big development spot for the city in anticipation of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Why the Clifton Corridor route is important
- The Clifton Corridor is one of the Atlanta metro’s largest employment centers, home to Emory University, the VA Medical Center, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and countless other big employers.
- It’s also not accessible by high-speed transit, limiting who can work and live in the area.
🔎 READ MORE: Why MARTA thinks Armour Yards, currently a growing commerce destination, is a good alternative
FOOD BANKS FACE CUTS
Three years ago, the Atlanta Community Food Bank served less than 150,000 families per month, according to the food bank’s CEO.
That number has now increased by 60% to about 250,000 families a month.
Though more people need support, food banks face uncertain futures due to higher food prices and cuts at the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Federal cuts could devastate food bank programs that support specific vulnerable populations like the elderly.
About 1 in 7 people and 1 in 5 children face hunger in the state of Georgia, according to a new study from Feeding America.
CEO PAY RISES
Corporate profits and CEO pay rose in 2024, with the average compensation packages for S&P 500 leaders ballooning almost 10%. These figures are from a new Associated Press CEO compensation survey.
The median pay package for a CEO last year? $17.1 million.
MUST-KNOW POLITICS AND BUSINESS
🚪 ICE announced several leadership changes at Enforcement and Removal Operations, the department responsible for finding, arresting and removing immigrants from the U.S.
⚖️ President Donald Trump’s lawyers are arguing he suffered “mental anguish” and had his reputation as a “content creator” damaged because of CBS News’ “60 Minutes” interview with Democratic opponent Kamala Harris last fall. Trump says the interview was unfairly edited.
🗳️ There’s an open U.S. House seat in coastal Georgia. Who wants it? The incumbent for Georgia’s 1st Congressional District, Rep. Buddy Carter, R-St. Simons Island, entered the 2026 U.S. Senate race earlier this month. Behind the scenes, interest is now high in what’s expected to be a wide-open race without high-profile elected officials.
WEEKEND PLANS
Credit: Photo courtesy of Duluth Lantern Festival
Credit: Photo courtesy of Duluth Lantern Festival
You don’t need to be a multimillionaire CEO to enjoy Atlanta this weekend! School’s out, the weather’s nice and the activities are free or low-cost.
🏮 Light the rainbow: Duluth’s Art Month comes to a close with a colorful lantern festival and parade Friday night.
🎹 Wig your wag: The fourth annual WigWag Fest at Avondale Estates includes performances from Atlanta indie rock musician girlpuppy and Puddles Pity Party, the famous Atlanta singing clown.
🚗 Show off your ride: Or just admire the view at the Summer Downtown Classic Car Cruise in Acworth.
🚒 Be the star of the weekend in your kid’s eyes: Chat with police and fire chiefs and check out police and fire vehicles at Roswell’s Coffee with Chiefs/Touch a Truck event. C’mon, you can touch a truck! Mooom, can we go?
☀️ More art, music and start-of-summer fun for the weekend here.
NEWS BITES
The WWE returns to Atlanta with a knockout slate of summer events
The drama, the camp, the storylines, the personalities: William Shakespeare, you would have loved WWE wrestling.
Why ‘Survivor’ chose two alums with Georgia ties for its all-star 50th season
Because we’re awesome here, obviously.
Bidets are the bathroom upgrade you never knew you needed
You know how to tell if someone recently installed a bidet? Don’t worry, they’ll tell you.
What would happen if the Amazon rainforest dried out? This years-long experiment has answers
Spoiler: It would be really bad.
ON THIS DATE
May 29, 1886
Credit: AJC
Credit: AJC
From the front page of The Atlanta Journal: Aids digestion and assimilation, cures dyspepsia, cures neuralgia and sick headache, invigorates the brain and nervous system. Wine-Coca conduces to mental activity and clearness, prevents fatigue and exhaustion, brings cheerfulness and sweet refreshing sleep. Try it, and you will exclaim as thousands of others have done, “Eureka!” For sale by druggists …
This headline’s from yesterday’s date, but we couldn’t resist. It’s the very first ad for Coca-Cola in The Atlanta Journal! Two Atlanta icons, together at last.
If the ad copy promising miraculous healing sounds too good to be true, remember “wine-coca” was literally wine mixed with cocaine. Yeah, I bet it brought cheerfulness.
ONE MORE THING
girlpuppy, the Woggles, Lemonmnm, Puddles Pity Party the singing Atlanta clown: I mean this in the most shadeless way possible, but the lineup for this weekend’s WigWag Fest sent me into Low Earth orbit. My brain exited the atmosphere like Ludacris in a Pontiac Fiero in “F9.” No idea what’s going on. I probably need to get out more.
Thanks for reading to the very bottom of A.M. ATL. Questions, comments, ideas? Contact us at AMATL@ajc.com.
Until next time.
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