Morning, y’all! Crafting clubs are very in right now. Think macaroni pictures, but for adults. Painting night, anyone? Maybe a little crochet tutorial? Don’t be shy. Our hands were made for more than typing on keyboards.
Let’s get to it.
WHAT’S UP AT ATL AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL
Given the number of recent air travel scares and tragedies, it’s only natural to wonder how things are going in Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport’s own crow’s nest.
Well, there’s concerning news and less-concerning news:
The concerning
- ATL is understaffed: Hartsfield-Jackson’s air traffic control tower was 69% staffed in September 2023, the most recent date from Federal Aviation Administration figures. Nationally, air traffic control towers are about 74% staffed on average.
- It’s vulnerable to failures: Being the world’s busiest airport, issues at other airports, including smaller local facilities, can easily muck up the works in Atlanta.
- Air traffic controllers literally use paper: Yes, controllers still use paper strips to keep track of flights. Atlanta’s supposed to get digital strips next year.
The less concerning
- Air traffic control issues in Atlanta are the same everywhere: Understaffing, vulnerabilities, even the paper flight records are typical obstacles among U.S. air traffic control units right now.
- Atlanta pays well: Experts told the AJC Atlanta’s on the high end of the pay scale and is a desirable post for air traffic controllers.
- Atlanta’s airport is laid out well: One former air traffic controller said Hartsfield-Jackson is laid out efficiently and thus operates better than other airports.
READ MORE: What air traffic control towers need to operate safely
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AN EXONERATED MAN ALLEGES CORRUPTION
Joey Watkins spent 22 years behind bars for a 2000 crime he didn’t commit. The Floyd County man was cleared and released in 2023, but the damage to his family, finances and well-being could not be erased.
Now, he’s suing Floyd County Police and several GBI law enforcement investigators, who he says falsified and hid evidence in the case.
His claims echo several other recent Georgia cases and Watkins’ claim is the third of its kind against Floyd County.
- Two other men, Daryl Clark and Cain Storey, filed similar lawsuits in November and December 2024 over murder convictions and prison time stemming from the 1996 death of a teenager.
- Terry Talley, a LaGrange man, spent 40 years in prison before being exonerated of rape charges. He alleged LaGrange police and GBI officers framed him to protect the real perpetrator — a city police officer.
- The city of LaGrange recently approved a $10.5 million settlement to resolve Talley’s complaint. The GBI is still fighting the claims.
A new law passed this year could help wrongfully convicted people get compensated by the state for their time in prison.
READ MORE: What a wrongful conviction steals from people and how justice groups are trying to help
HOW TO SPOT DROWNING DANGERS
A second boy has died after a drowning incident on Lake Tobesofkee near Macon last week. Three young boys aged 7, 8 and 10 were pulled from the water near Michael Dewayne Jones Public Fishing Area after authorities surmise they fell in while standing along the shore. The 7- and 8-year-olds did not survive.
Such a tragedy is a solemn reminder to keep vigilant around the water. Drowning doesn’t look the way we often think it would.
- Drowning people may not wave or yell for help. Experts say the way a body reacts when drowning simply doesn’t allow for these actions.
- Drowning can happen quickly, in as little as 20 to 60 seconds.
READ MORE: Watch for these other signs of drowning
MUST-KNOW POLITICS AND BUSINESS
✈️ More white South Africans are arriving in the U.S. under what the Trump administration calls a new refugee program. President Donald Trump has falsely alleged white South Africans are victims of widespread targeted racial attacks.
🐘 John Kennedy, the top-ranking Republican in Georgia’s state Senate, has joined the 2026 race to be the next lieutenant governor. Current Lt. Gov. Burt Jones is expected to run for governor next year.
⚖️ Trump administration lawyers have filed emergency appeals to the Supreme Court a little less than once a week on average since January. Many of the outstanding cases on the emergency docket pertain to executive orders blocked by lower court judges.
WEIGHING RFK’S AUTISM CLAIMS
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has made several inflammatory and incorrect comments about autism. Recently, he said autism “destroys families.”
“[Children with autism] will never pay taxes, they’ll never hold a job, they’ll never play baseball, they’ll never write a poem, they’ll never go out on a date. Many of them will never use a toilet unassisted,” he added.
Families of children with autism, and adults with autism, shared their thoughts.
I see where he was going with his comments. But I also think that's not how you measure the value of our children's lives. The language we use matters.
I don't appreciate people presenting themselves as experts when they don't know a damn thing about something.
NEWS BITES
We’re still pulling for you, Milky Way.
Campbell’s sees sales rise as more Americans cook at home
What’s not to love about cooking at home? Usually cheaper and you don’t need to put on shoes. (Probably not as easy if you have kids, though.)
Journalism is the favorite to win at Belmont
Journalism needs fan merch. I want to wave a little “Go Journalism!” pennant.
Ultraprocessed foods significantly increase risk of early death
Good luck getting away from them, though! When’s that galaxy supposed to hit again?
ON THIS DATE
June 3, 1953
From the front page of The Atlanta Constitution: Queen crowned in splendor of old, envisions new glories for empire; Prince awe-stricken as mom is crowned. It was a busy and exciting day today for little Prince Charles, 4 1/2-year-old heir apparent to the British throne. He was taken to Westminster Abbey to watch his mother being crowned. From a window of Buckingham Palace, he saw the splendid procession that brought Queen Elizabeth II back from her triumphal ride through the heart of the capital.
Another major moment of history in print. Time marches on, princes become kings.
ONE MORE THING
Seriously, take up a fiddly little craft. Your mental health will thank you. (The key is, you don’t have to be good at it. Perfectionism is a myth, anyway.)
Thanks for reading to the very bottom of A.M. ATL. Questions, comments, ideas? Contact us at AMATL@ajc.com.
Until next time.
About the Author
AJ Willingham is an National Emmy, NABJ and Webby award-winning journalist who loves talking culture, religion, sports, social justice, infrastructure and the arts. She lives in beautiful Smyrna-Mableton and went to Syracuse University.
