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

Squad goals.

Credit: Photo courtesy of Dragon Con

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Credit: Photo courtesy of Dragon Con

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

Not signed up yet? What’re you waiting for? Get A.M. ATL in your inbox each weekday morning. And keep scrolling for more news.


CDC OFFICIALS SPEAK OUT

CDC Director Susan Monarez was ousted by the White House after less than a month on the job.

Credit: Kayla Bartkowski/TNS

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Credit: Kayla Bartkowski/TNS

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

ajc.com

Credit: Arvin Temkar /AJC

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Credit: Arvin Temkar /AJC

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

Dracula ballet? Dracula ballet!

Credit: Courtesy of Atlanta Ballet

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Credit: Courtesy of Atlanta Ballet

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.

The AJC is going digital-only in 2026

Big changes afoot, but we’ll get through them together!


ON THIS DATE

Aug. 29, 2001

ajc.com

Credit: AJC

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Credit: AJC

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.

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