A.M. ATL: Atlanta’s best eats

Morning, y’all! I’ve tried to cut down on my mindless phone scrolling. (Not this, though. This is very mindful, keep going!) Instead I’ve been reading pages of poetry anthologies at random to generate some analog dopamine. It totally works. I ran into a good one from Ella Wheeler Wilcox called “You and Today.” It begins:

With every rising of the sun,

Think of your life as just begun.

Let’s get to it. (Or, as the poem ends, “Go forth, I say. Attain! Attain!”)

APALACHEE FAMILIES TO FILE SUIT

A new mural at Apalachee High School memorializes last September's tragedy.

The families of at least three victims in last year’s deadly Apalachee High School shooting are preparing lawsuits, saying local school districts and law enforcement ignored warning signs before the tragedy.

• The families of students Christian Angulo and Mason Schermerhorn and teacher Richard Aspinwall claim authorities knew Colt Gray, the 14-year-old shooting suspect, had talked about committing violent acts.
• The legal notices claim the school didn’t take any safety precautions when Gray’s mother called a school counselor the day of the shooting, concerned about a cryptic text message her son had sent.
• Each notice had similar wording, describing the shooting as “the direct and foreseeable result of systemic negligence, policy failures and a complete breakdown in communication and accountability across multiple agencies.”
• Two of the families are demanding $25 million each in compensation.

A TERRIFYING RIDE

A Bartow County bus driver was charged with driving a school bus under the influence of alcohol after her erratic driving last Friday prompted frightened 911 calls from students aboard.

• “We’re on the school bus. I think our bus driver is going crazy or something. She’s all over the road. She almost hit a ditch, and she almost hit a car,” one student told 911.
• A parent said her child, who was on the bus, said students “had to yell at her to stop the bus due to her passing their stops.”
• The bus was finally pulled over by police on U.S. 411 north of Cartersville before 4 p.m.
• Lori Hagaman, 51, was a substitute driver and is no longer employed by Bartow County Schools. The school district said their transportation department has strict hiring policies.

THE ATLANTA 50, REVEALED

The AJC's top Atlanta restaurant serves up modern takes on Japanese dishes, paired with an outstanding overall experience. What is it? You'll have to read to find out.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution is reviving a delicious tradition with its new list of the 50 best restaurants in metro Atlanta.

It’s impossible to rank such a number, so the AJC Food and Dining team identified a Top 10 best-of-the-best, along with 40 unranked favorites.

AJC dining critics Ligaya Figueras and Henri Hollis know there’s no perfect way to create such a list. These were some of the things they took into account:

• It’s not meant to be an award. Rather, they wanted the list to be a tool for readers.
• During their months of eating at nearly 150 establishments, they kept a scoring system that took into account food, service, drinks and atmosphere — with food being the most important.
• They only considered local, independently owned restaurants in the five main metro counties: Cobb, Clayton, DeKalb, Fulton and Gwinnett.

Bookmark the above, and you’ll never have to worry about date night again. “I heard this place was pretty good. Yeah, it made the AJC’s list of 50 best restaurants.” Done and done.

MUST-KNOW POLITICS AND BUSINESS

NEWS BITES

Two lucky players become millionaires in Georgia Lottery scratch-off games

They’re about to have a bunch of new best friends.

Where to see the most colorful foliage in town (once it actually appears)

My mom calls it leaf peeping, so now we all should.

That naked guy in Netflix’s ‘The Hunting Wives?’ He’s from Atlanta!

I’ve thought of so many unprintable jokes for this, but let’s just say it was a raw performance in every respect.

ChatGPT is not ready to give comprehensive health advice, experts say

What do you mean the water-sucking funhouse mirror of meaningless words can’t be trusted with human health issues?

ON THIS DATE

Sept. 23, 1906

You know, we had a conversation about this one behind the scenes because of the sensitive language of the time and the fact it’s, well, very difficult to read about. But we must read difficult things and recognize difficult histories to be fully equipped for our present callings as clear-eyed, circumspect citizens.