A.M. ATL: Hear from detained ATL journalist

Morning, y’all. I don’t consider myself old by any means, but occasionally I’ll say something that reminds me time is ever at my heels. Audiobooks? Weird, they’re books on tape to me. Every once in a while, I don’t make a copy, I make a Xerox. Don’t correct me, or I’ll get real stubborn about it. What vintage word do you still use?

Let’s get to it.

MARIO GUEVARA SPEAKS OUT

Credit: Courtesy of Mario Guevara

Credit: Courtesy of Mario Guevara

Mario Guevara, the Atlanta-based Spanish-language journalist arrested during a protest and sent to an ICE detention center, spoke to the AJC’s Lautaro Greenspan about his ordeal.

Guevara is being held in solitary confinement in the Folkston ICE Processing Center in South Georgia. He told the AJC he’s “emotionally destroyed,” having only two hours of time a day away from his windowless cell while he awaits deportation to El Salvador.
“I’m plainly convinced that my situation in this ICE jail is direct retaliation for my coverage,” Guevara told the AJC. “I haven’t committed any crimes. The government wants to use me as an example, they want to send a message that people can’t be following ICE operatives or expose what’s happening.”
Guevara says he once politically identified with the GOP, but he doesn’t recognize the party anymore. “I’m so disappointed knowing that those Christian morals I thought they had, they’ve turned into racial hatred.”
Despite the conditions in the ICE facility, Guevara said his brief time in the Atlanta Federal Penitentiary earlier in his ordeal was worse.

Guevara’s legal status is complicated. The reporter doesn’t have permanent legal status, but has a valid work permit and a path to a green card through his U.S. citizen son. The Department of Homeland Security has said Guevara “is in ICE custody because he is in our country ILLEGALLY.”

🔎 We hear so much about these arrests, detainments and deportations, but it’s rare to hear directly from someone going through them. If A.M ATL had required reading, Greenspan’s piece would be today’s. Read the full article here.

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NICE HOUSE, IF YOU CAN GET IT

Credit: J. Scott Trubey/AJC

Atlanta has had one of the biggest home price decreases year over year of any metro area, but “decreased” definitely doesn’t mean “affordable.”

The median Atlanta sale price for homes dropped 2.5%, signaling a buyer’s market after a long period of inflated prices.
There were 63% more sellers than buyers in the metro area in April, according to Redfin.
Experts say this marks the strongest buyer’s market since 2014, which is kind of depressing since the median Atlanta home sale price was $397,000 in June.
Generally, housing is considered a financial burden if it eats up 30% or more of a family’s income. In metro Atlanta, the income needed to own a median-priced home in April was 40%.

TRUE FOREVER, TRUE FOREVER

Credit: Hyosub Shin/AJC

New Morehouse College President F. Dubois Bowman isn’t just ready for the job, he’s armed with effusive gratitude and undeniable credentials:

The ‘92 Morehouse alum was a faculty member at Emory University, a department chair at Columbia University and dean of the University of Michigan School of Public Health.
Through it all, he’s kept close to his alma mater by mentoring Morehouse students and identifying opportunities for them.
Bowman is focusing on growth, from the Morehouse campus footprint to enrollment numbers.
Oh, and his wife is a Spelman alum.

“Morehouse changed my life. I hope I'm able to deliver to (students) the same kind of transformative experience that I had here."

- F. Dubois Bowman, speaking to the AJC

MUST-KNOW POLITICS AND BUSINESS

🐘 U.S. Rep. Mike Collins is preparing a Senate run, joining the stable of GOP leaders hoping to challenge Democratic incumbent U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff next year. Collins’ politics are hard-line and in sync with President Donald Trump’s MAGA pathos, a trait that could distinguish him among the field.

🖋️ Trump wants Texas Republicans to redraw House districts to assure Republican future majorities. They’re game, but their plan could inadvertently put other GOP seats at risk.

💸 Gov. Brian Kemp told Georgia agencies not to expect more money in the coming year, despite a continued state surplus. If agencies lose money amid federal cuts, they have to deduct it from their budgets.

TWO LIVES, A DEATH AND A FIGHT FOR FREEDOM

Update your podcast list: Season 11 of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution podcast “Breakdown” just dropped. This award-winning production tells deeply human stories about the Georgia justice system, and this season shows how quickly and cruelly fate can turn.

“Three Days in May” tells the story of a military couple who welcomed a baby girl. Their joy turns to tragedy when their infant daughter dies, but the nightmare doesn’t end. The couple is convicted and charged with their daughter’s murder.

Through six episodes, AJC journalists explore the conscious and unconscious biases of the medical and legal system. Hear Ashley and Albert Debelbot’s story in their own words, and follow their long journey to legal vindication.

🎙️ Learn more and listen here, with links to Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeart Radio and Amazon Music.

NEWS BITES

NFL training camp is on, and here are five Falcons storylines to watch

Yay!

Atlanta United’s season goes farther off course with latest loss

Boo!

John Oliver’s minor league baseball team, the Erie Moon Mammoths, debuts to record crowds

Hmm, alliteration, pleasant rhythm, seeming nonsequitur illuminated by local history (in this case, a man named Moon who found a mammoth bone in Lake Erie) … all in all, a very good minor league baseball name.

Pope Leo XIV called Buzz Aldrin on 56th anniversary of moon landing

Reminds me of one of my favorite pieces of art, the Space Window at the Washington National Cathedral, which I fell in love with as a girl. Talk about childhood wonder!

ON THIS DATE

July 21, 1932

Credit: AJC

From the front page of The Atlanta Constitution: The American Federation of Labor called upon President Hoover today to use his influence in behalf of a nationwide application of the five-day week and six-hour day in all industries as the only cure for unemployment … ‘The nation must either give up machinery or give up the long work week and long work day,’ said a statement of the (federation’s executive) council.

A reminder that after FDR was elected later that year, his New Deal plan for economic recovery included fewer work hours (the birth of the 40-hour workweek), less child labor and a minimum wage.