A.M. ATL: Use it or lose it

Morning, y’all! I am back from a lovely jaunt around the British Isles. After two weeks of cool north Atlantic breezes, I was not prepared for the first soupy gust of air walking out of Hartsfield-Jackson. I’ll just imagine it was Atlanta giving me a big, wet “Welcome Back” kiss.

Let’s get to it.

A FRESH GEORGIA VOTER ROLL AUDIT

Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger will oversee the new voter roll audit.

Georgia election officials are preparing a new audit of the state’s voter rolls. This one will mostly focus on voters registered under unusual addresses. Here’s what they’re looking for:

• Voters registered at business addresses, UPS stores or post office boxes
• Single-family residences where more than 10 people are registered to vote
• Voters older than 105 who may have died recently

By law, voters have to register with the address where they live to make sure they’re voting for the correct slates of representatives. Business addresses can be listed as mailing addresses, though.

What happens next? Registrations flagged by the audit won’t automatically be canceled, but voters will have to update their information with a residential address.

The results of the audit should be revealed in September. Past voter roll audits have produced vanishingly small inconsistencies: A citizenship audit of Georgia voter rolls last year revealed 20 non-U.S. citizens out of more than 8 million registered voters.

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HOMELESS ENCAMPMENT CLEARING

The Old Wheat Street encampment where Cornelius Taylor was killed during a clearing in January.

The city of Atlanta will clear the Old Wheat Street homeless encampment today, the same location where an unhoused man named Cornelius Taylor was killed during clearing operations early this year.

• City officials say they have offered housing to 14 residents of the camp, as well as alternate temporary shelter solutions.
• They also say the procedure will implement safety measures recommended by a task force on homelessness response established after Taylor’s death.

However, advocates and activists involved in fighting homelessness say the decision amounts to an “eviction” and is part of the city’s short-term solution to clear unhoused people ahead of big events like next year’s World Cup.

🔎 READ MORE: Police are warning people not to return to the area after it’s cleared

MUST-KNOW POLITICS AND BUSINESS

💰 Georgia is on track to end the year with another budget surplus for potentially the fifth year in a row.

🗳️ Voter turnout is still “miserably low” in that actually very important runoff election for Georgia Public Service Commission seats.

🐘 U.S. Rep. Buddy Carter has raised more than $1 million and kicked in another $2 million for a possible Senate bid. Carter is one of the state Republicans jockeying to challenge Democratic incumbent Jon Ossoff’s Senate seat neat year.

HEY NOW, YOU’RE AN ALL-STAR

Special Pimento cheese mornay sauce will be available wherever Bavarian pretzels are sold at Truist Park during MLB All-Star weekend aaand now I'm hungry.

Put the tea on and lay out the cheese straws, because Atlanta is shining up the Southern hospitality before next week’s MLB All-Star game.

As any baseball fan knows, the All-Star game isn’t just about the game. Cobb County will also play host to the Home Run derby, HBCU Swingman Classic, celebrity softball game, MLB draft (at the Coca-Cola Roxy) and numerous other events and presentations for attendees.

Most of the events will be centered around Truist Park and the All-Star Village at the nearby Cobb Galleria. Here are some more highlights:

• The Braves unveiled a lineup of special All-Star Game foods like fried green tomato sliders, birria hot dogs, pimiento cheese dipping sauce and southern nachos served in something they’re calling a “boom box.”

🌮 READ MORE: Yes, we have food pics. You’re welcome

• The festivities will have another special guest: Robo umps. MLB plans to use its Automated Ball-Strike system ahead of possible regular season use in the future.
• Atlantans still remember when the Braves lost the MLB All-Star game four years ago (winning the World Series crown that year was a nice little consolation). This time around, Cobb County is ready to go.
• Fellow frequenters of Cobb Parkway, we must remind each other to completely avoid the area next week. No Costco or TJ Maxx runs. No trips to The Border or This Is It! Save it for another time. Pass it on.

NEWS BITES

You can rent just a bedroom at this new Atlanta skyscraper, which is supposed to simplify roommate situations

Then you get to miss out on the most beloved of roommate activities: Arguing about the utility bills.

Elaborate multistep shower routines are all the rage on social media, but experts say simple is best

We really need to know less about each other’s shower habits.

Ludacris, Zac Brown Band to headline MLB All-Star Game performances

A “Welcome to Chicken Fried Atlanta” collab would literally change history.

Atlanta United to open content studio at headquarters in Marietta

Very shiny, very high-tech. Very befitting our Kings of the South.

ON THIS DATE

July 10, 2000

The Atlanta Journal — Doubling up: Williams sisters bring home another Wimbledon trophy. Make it two Wimbledon titles for the Williams family and a fourth American victory at the world’s most prestigious tennis tournament. Two days after winning the women’s singles championship, Venus Williams teamed with sister Serena today to capture the women’s doubles crown … It’s the first time in history that sisters have won the Wimbledon doubles title.

Just a little postscript: The legendary pair went on to win doubles titles in 2002, 2008, 2009, 2012 and 2016.

ONE MORE THING

I hope everyone was nice to Eric while I enjoyed a piano recital at Edvard Grieg’s house in Bergen, hiked in Northern Ireland and the Scottish highlands and got delayed by a royal motorcade in London (the ultimate tourist experience). A quick stop at Waffle House will fix this jet lag right up!