A.M. ATL: Park talk

Morning, y’all! Atlanta, the Braves and Truist Park did us proud with last night’s All-Star Game. The vibes were fantastic, the entertainment and city representation impeccable. I’ll tell you more at the bottom, along with a surprise appearance.

Let’s get to it.

CUMBERLAND MALL INCIDENT LEAVES UNANSWERED QUESTIONS

Demond Crump Sr. and Qiana Crump say their adult son, Demond Crump Jr., is usually treated with kindness by other people.

A couple whose son has cerebral palsy and uses a wheelchair says they were discriminated against by Cumberland Mall staff during a recent mall event.

• Last Friday, business owners Demond and Qiana Crump attended a pop-up event for local vendors at Cumberland Mall. They brought their 32-year-old son, Demond Jr.
• The couple says that while they were there, an event staff member and the mall’s general manager told them their son couldn’t be with them at their table. The family left.
• A video of Mr. Crump describing the incident went viral on social media, prompting more questions about the encounter.
• A spokesperson for Brookfield Properties, the mall’s operating company, told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution it was “a deeply unfortunate situation, and we regret our poor communication.”
• The Crumps, still hurting from the incident, are exploring options with an attorney. “This is my son. He’s a human being,” Mr. Crump said. “He’s not a child that we just shove off in a corner.”

🔎 READ MORE: What the family said mall staff told them

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LIGHTNING STRIKE DANGERS

Two young Georgia men are among the ten lightning strike deaths so far in the U.S.

Two Georgia teens were struck and killed by lightning while fishing late last week. The tragedy brings the grave lesson that, while rare, lightning strikes can be a real danger.

• Ten people have died of lightning strikes in the U.S. this year
• Georgia and North Carolina are the only states with two deaths
• Lightning deaths in the U.S. have generally decreased over time, likely due to better awareness and technology.
• Channel 2 Action News meteorologist Brad Nitz told the AJC lightning can strike up to five miles away from a storm.
• The odds of getting struck by lightning? Less than one in a million.

Joey Nelson, 18, and Randall Martin III, 19 were Ware County High School graduates. Their former school hailed them as “fun loving kids” and “fine young men.”

🔎 READ MORE: Lightning safety tips and statistics

PRESERVING A GEORGIA TREASURE

Lawmakers say the new legislation will also help return some stewardship of the land to the Muscogee (Creek) Nation.

Did you know Georgia has zero national parks? To be clear, we have 11 wonderful sites in the National Park System, but strictly speaking, they have designations like “national recreation area” or “national historic site.” But of the 63 official national parks in the U.S., Georgia has none.

That could change if Georgia leaders can convince Congress to pass the bipartisan Ocmulgee Mounds National Park and Preserve Establishment Act.

• Ocmulgee Mounds is already a National Historic Park, but a bigger designation would give the area more environmental protection and support.
• Lawmakers also say the designation would boost tourism and job creation.
• The Ocmulgee Mounds were built more than 1,000 years ago by Native Americans. The site is also part of the Ocmulgee River Corridor, an important ecological area in Middle Georgia.

🔎 READ MORE: Two GA lawmakers explain why the legislation is so important to them

MUST-KNOW POLITICS AND BUSINESS

🪖 The Pentagon is ending the deployment of 2,000 National Guard troops in Los Angeles. About 4,000 National Guard soldiers and 700 Marines were called to the city in early June as a response to immigration protests.

🗳️ Georgia Republicans are discussing more election changes ahead of 2026. A special legislative committee dominated by Republican lawmakers met yesterday for the first time. Possible changes could include new voting machines and a more widespread removal of QR codes from ballots.

A POSITIVE DEVELOPMENT

Atlanta broke ground on a new fully affordable housing redevelopment that city leaders say will provide stability in an economically disadvantaged area.

• The Sylvan Hills II Family Apartments feature 233 affordable family apartments and townhomes, available in 2026.
• In the Sylvan Hills neighborhood in southwest Atlanta, 60% of renters are cost burdened, meaning they pay more than 30% of their income to housing.
• Based on local income calculus, rent will range from about $1,150 to $2,100 a month.

🔎 READ MORE: Mayor Andre Dickens and others are hopeful about the project

NEWS BITES

Where to stream the top Emmy-nominated shows and how long it will take to watch them

“How long will it take to watch them” is my #1 concern when choosing a new show. Will this be a pleasant month of TV, or am I about to lose years of my life to a 10+ season show with like, 250 episodes?

Acclaimed Savannah restaurant The Grey opens a new sister restaurant in Paris

Good brunch is a universal language.

If you missed Beyoncé‘ in Atlanta , here are some highlights from the four shows

“Cowboy Carter” ATL had everything: Fashion, a dramatic theft, Jay-Z, cowboy hats with the little fringe curtain bits, a stampede at a MARTA station and a flying golden horse.

Atlanta United’s Ronny Deila: ‘Don’t be a firefly’

He probably means something like “don’t blink bright for a few games and fade out,” but all I can think about is how he must hate that Owl City song.

ON THIS DATE

July 16, 1979

From the front page of The Atlanta Journal: THAT was the real Jimmy Carter. Jimmy Carter found his voice again Sunday night. The speech he delivered to an expectant nation, after 10 days of isolation, may or may not rescue his faltering presidency, revive public confidence and set America on the road to energy independence. But it will surely go down in history as one of the most extraordinary addresses a Chief Executive ever has given.

More than 45 years later, Carter’s famous “Crisis of Confidence” speech will still punch you right in the solar plexus.

ONE MORE THING

Some stray notes from the All-Star Game last night:

• I had a $25 “birria” hot dog. It was good, but birria is a hard concept to translate into a hot dog. It was extremely large though, at least enough for two adults, which made me feel a little better about the price.
• I also had peach cobbler nachos. We’re just putting any old words together, aren’t we? Food Mad Libs. They were astonishingly good.
• The loudest applause was for Ronald Acuña, no surprise there. Lots of noise for Freddie Freeman, but some of it fraught, likely the pained bellows of fans still unused to seeing him in a Dodgers jersey.
• Shoutout to the Clark Atlanta marching band and dance team, who dazzled before the game.
• Ludacris is the glue that holds Atlanta together.

Finally, look! It’s the AJC newsletter team! Tyler Estep says hi.