A.M. ATL: The field is set

Morning, y’all! This is the part where we talk about the weather. Wet, huh? It’s going to stay rainy today, with flood watches across the state. I don’t care how hard it pours — I’ll still take a walk outside to enjoy the 60-something-degree temperatures.

Let’s get to it.

ATLANTA GETS READY FOR ELECTION TIME

Credit: Ben Hendren/AJC

Credit: Ben Hendren/AJC

In just a few months, Atlantans will cast their votes in the mayoral election and select a full slate of City Council members. Needless to say, things are ramping up at City Hall.

Candidates will submit qualifying paperwork on Aug. 18, officially setting the field.
Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens is already going hard in hopes of a second term. However, the current Atlanta City Council president and two council members announced they won’t run for reelection. Those should be interesting races.

🔎 READ MORE: What to know about November’s elections

Meanwhile, former football coach Derek Dooley officially entered the race for U.S. Senate in Georgia yesterday with the blessing of Gov. Brian Kemp.

Dooley doesn’t have any political experience, but Kemp and his advisers are hoping Dooley’s ties to the popular governor will make up for that minor detail.
He’ll face two heavyweights in the primaries, though: U.S. Reps. Mike Collins and Buddy Carter.

🔎 READ MORE: How Kemp plans to back Dooley

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BIG WINS FOR TOP GA UNIVERSITIES

Credit: Courtesy Andrew Tucker, UGA

UGA is No. 1

The University of Georgia topped an annual survey of number of commercial products brought to market based on university research. In simpler terms, UGA develops life-changing stuff.

Some of the 69 new research-based products released in FY 2024 include poultry vaccines, biodegradable plastics, disaster preparedness technology, biomedical research tools and several new plant varieties.

Tech closes in on $2B

In town, Georgia Tech just hit a fundraising record with $300 million raised in FY 2024. The school’s “Transforming Tomorrow” campaign aims to raise $2 billion by the end of 2027.

With the latest windfall, it’s sitting pretty at $1.6 billion raised since the campaign began in 2018.

🐝 READ MORE: How Tech plans to use the money

SCAM ALERT

If the police call asking for money, hang up. Local law enforcement agencies warned of a new scam going around Atlanta in which people impersonate police to demand payments over the phone.

The DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office, Gwinnett police and the Cobb County Sheriff’s Office have all reported instances of scam attempts in the last few months.
Like many phone scams, the premise is upsetting. Callers threaten people with arrest on an outstanding warrant or some other charge if they don’t pay up. In Gwinnett, scammers asked for payment for traffic tickets.
Here’s how to tell it’s a scam: Police simply don’t call people demanding payment by phone. In the case of the Gwinnett parking ticket scam, a spokesperson said the police department doesn’t even handle such matters.

MUST-KNOW POLITICS AND BUSINESS

⛔ The State Department wants applicants for business and tourist visas in the U.S. to post a bond of up to $15,000 to enter the country. If it comes to pass, untold numbers of people would be priced out of the process.

💰 Tesla awarded CEO Elon Musk about $29 billion in restricted stock shares. Six months ago, a judge ordered the company to revoke Musk’s massive pay package, saying Musk organized the payout through sham negotiations.

⚡ Amazon’s data center division will pay $270 million to secure nearly 1,000 acres between Atlanta and Macon for potential data center development.

I WENT TO THE WOODS BECAUSE I WISHED TO WRITE DELIBERATELY (ABOUT MURDER)

Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC

Atlanta crime author Karin Slaughter just celebrated a huge milestone: Her 25th book, “We Are All Guilty Here,” hits shelves later this month.

The Covington native and Georgia State alum writes dark and twisty crime thrillers.
Some have been turned into TV: Atlanta-based “Will Trent” is from her “Will Trent” novel series. Her 2018 novel “Pieces of Her” was adapted into a Netflix limited series, and another series based on “The Good Daughter” just wrapped in June.
That’s all great. But more importantly, this woman’s writing schedule is ... well, exactly what you would expect from a prolific crime/thriller writer.
Rather than being normal about it, she’ll occasionally lock herself up in a cabin for a few weeks to bang out another winner. Icon.

The AJC’s Danielle Charbonneau spent time with Slaughter in her newest writing retreat near Blue Ridge. It’s definitely worth a read.

NEWS BITES

Georgia football debuts at No. 4 in coaches preseason poll

Know your enemies (aka Nos. 1-3): Texas, Ohio State and Penn State.

AJC’s DawgNation celebrates 10 years

You get a top-notch community for Georgia fans, we get cupcakes in the office. Win-win!

The vast majority of U.S. adults are stressed about grocery prices, poll finds

Yeah, thanks, we are fully aware.

A ‘gruesome’ wasting disease has killed off 5 billion sea stars, and scientists finally know the culprit

Bacteria, if you were a little bigger, it would be pistols at dawn for this.

ON THIS DATE

Aug. 5, 1996

Credit: AJC

From The Atlanta Journal: The party’s over; life in Atlanta begins returning to normal. It’s time to return to the routine. MARTA stopped running a 24-hour schedule today and is back to pre-Olympic hours. … The lights at Centennial Olympic Park were turned off and the popular gathering place for the Olympic Games became a construction site again.

Wow, that last line hurts. But 24-hour MARTA ... I don’t think they’re pulling that one back out for the World Cup.

ONE MORE THING

Remember last week when we had an “On This Date” that mentioned a mysterious statue in downtown Atlanta? Thanks to a few A.M. ATL sleuths, the mystery has been solved.

The question posted in a 1969 edition was this:

What’s the name of the statue on Hunter Street between Spring and Forsyth, next to the post office. It’s a lady holding a bird. What does it stand for?

I was at a loss because the statue is definitely not there anymore. Thanks to a few insightful readers, the mystery has been solved. The artwork, formally titled “Atlanta from the Ashes,” now resides in Woodruff Park. Thanks, Ward, Bill, Charles, Andrew and Lewis! Our A.M. ATL family never misses.

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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