Morning, y’all! Happy long holiday weekend. A.M. ATL is also off for Labor Day, so we’ll reconvene again Tuesday morning and talk about all the fun things we did. Deal?
Let’s get to it.
A PACKED WEEKEND
Hot take: This may be the most Atlanta weekend of the year. Though, with so many things going on, it’s definitely not the weekend for casual errands across town.
🐉 Dragon Con: Sci-fi, superheroes, anime, fantasy, fairies, robots, crafts, art, writing, weird parties, new friends, one-in-a-million chance encounters: If you’re into it, it’s here. Don’t forget Saturday’s Dragon Con parade!
💅🏾 Atlanta Black Pride Weekend: The celebration of LGBTQIA+ power kicks off at Atlanta City Hall, and will include galas, mixers, cultural events and, of course, brunch.
🏈 Football preview: YES. YES! Whoa, sorry. Football season always does something to me. Partly because it’s so close to “cozy sweatshirts” season. Our Georgia teams are back in action, and we’ve got some intriguing matchups. Georgia Tech takes on Colorado (preview here), and Georgia State will face Ole Miss. Is it too early for a satisfying upset? Never.
🐯 More fun things to do: Animal encounters, classic cars and DIY art
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CDC OFFICIALS SPEAK OUT
Leaders at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention who resigned after CDC director Susan Monarez was fired by the White House are making their frustrations clear.
The White House confirmed Monarez was fired because she was not “aligned with” President Donald Trump’s agenda. After news of her ousting, several top CDC officials turned in their resignations, pointing to HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. and the Trump Administration at large.
- “I came to the point personally where I think our science will be compromised, and that’s my line in the sand,” said Dr. Demetre Daskalakis, former head of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases.
- “We knew ... if she leaves, we don’t have scientific leadership anymore,” said Dr. Debra Houry, the agency’s former deputy director and chief medical officer.
🔎 READ MORE: RFK Jr.’s response to the to latest upheaval
THESE COLORS DON’T RUN
This summer, U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy told cities to do away with colorful Pride-themed crosswalks, baselessly claiming a threat to road safety and calling them “political banners.”
Atlanta’s, however, aren’t going anywhere. Atlanta streets are maintained by city money, and the state doesn’t have jurisdiction over them.
🔎 READ MORE: Some experts say colorful crosswalks may actually improve safety
MUST-KNOW POLITICS AND BUSINESS
💰 Lt. Gov. Burt Jones can keep earning unlimited cash for his Georgia governor bid despite fellow gubernatorial hopeful Attorney General Chris Carr claiming his bottomless coffers are unfair. (Because of his position, Jones can leverage certain fundraising methods.)
🐘 Call it the Dooley Effect: Former Braves player Mark Teixeira is running for the Republican nomination for a U.S. House seat in Texas.
💡 Georgia Senators are studying ways to improve family caregiver services through new legislation.
YOUR FALL ARTS PREVIEW IS HERE
We have every date night, friend hangout, let’s-try-something-new impulse covered with our guides to all of the cool arts events landing this fall. Get your calendars out, you’ll want to write these down.
- Big concerts: Paul McCartney, Doechii, Erykah Badu, the Indigo Girls and more.
- Classical and jazz: Keep it low-key with more intimate events at churches and universities.
- Film events: Campy horror, Tim Burton and Hong Kong classics get the cinephile treatment this season.
- Theater: It’s all about the gals this fall, from “Taming of the Shrew” to “Sister Act: A Divine Musical Comedy.”
- Art shows: Explore the art of high fashion with exhibits dedicated to Viktor & Rolf and the late, great André Leon Talley.
- Dance: Two words: Dracula ballet.
NEWS BITES
Perfumery captures the scent of Atlanta
What does Atlanta smell like to you? I’ve been thinking about this for a while and have only come up with “warm concrete.”
Meet five kids who have already built their own cosplays
Save some cool for the rest of us, amigos.
How MLB’s upcoming deals will change how you watch games
Ah, my favorite part of baseball: Broadcasting rights.
Big changes afoot, but we’ll get through them together!
ON THIS DATE
Aug. 29, 2001
From the front page of The Atlanta Journal: Gas price hikes likely; shrinking supplies to blame. Get ready for sticker shock at the gas pump. On the eve of the Labor Day weekend, U.S. gasoline supplies are shrinking, a harbinger of higher prices in the coming months. Nationwide, gas prices are up less than a penny from a year ago. But industry data released late Tuesday showed U.S. inventories of gasoline dwindling significantly ahead of the Labor Day holiday.
The average price per gallon in 2001 was about $1.50, if you feel like crying today.
ONE MORE THING
I got fitted for a hearing aid earlier this week, which was really exciting! I forgot how cool hearing things is. The audiologist mentioned her senior patients are sometimes ashamed of their hearing loss. “Don’t get old,” they tell her. Don’t get old? First of all, there are only two alternatives: Dying young or feasting on the hearts of town youths until you’re vanquished by the local hero during an enchanted sword fight.
Getting old is literally the goal. If you’re reading this, and you’re old, cheers! You’re who we all want to be one day.
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.
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