Morning, y’all! With the scratch of a lottery ticket bought at a Henry County gas station, one lucky player won $4 million this week. The next Mega Millions drawing will be held tomorrow with an estimated jackpot of $625 million, lottery officials said. Maybe your next snack run turns into a jackpot story too?
Let’s get to it.
THE NEW GEORGIA PROJECT SHUTS DOWN
A once-powerful political group founded by Democrat Stacey Abrams is shutting down this week after legal and internal struggles.
- The New Georgia Project was founded by Abrams in 2013. Its goal was to build a “multiracial, multigenerational, cross-class movement” in Georgia. Abrams left the group in 2017 before her 2018 gubernatorial race.
- At the height of its power, it boasted a multimillion-dollar budget and the good word of U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock. The NGP was credited with registering tens of thousands of voters.
- This January, the NGP was ordered to pay a $300,000 fine for violating Georgia campaign finance laws. That fee has reportedly been paid in full, but the toll the ordeal took on the group’s reputation and internal leadership was significant.
“As we close this chapter, we recognize that the work of building a just and truthful world remains urgent,” the group’s board of directors said in a statement. “This moment calls for strong and courageous leaders to step forward, guided by principle and purpose.”
🔎 READ MORE: More struggles behind the scenes
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.
ICE’S AD BLITZ HITS ATLANTA
“Attention, Atlanta law enforcement. In sanctuary cities*, you’re ordered to stand down while dangerous illegals walk free** ... join ICE and help us catch the worst of the worst. Drug traffickers. Gang members. Predators.”
It’s tough out there for Atlanta law enforcement. One minute, you’re enjoying a football game, and the next, ICE is trying to recruit you through a fear-mongering 30-second ad spot.
- The agency spent $950,000 on ads targeting the Atlanta area in the first week of October alone, more than any other city in the U.S.
- Here’s the thing: Atlanta-area police departments are already understaffed. Incentives at local precincts are a fraction of the plum $50,000 signing bonus ICE is offering.
- Could that cause a conflict with local agencies that are still trying to meet staffing goals? We’ll see.
*Sanctuary jurisdictions have been prohibited in Georgia since 2009.
**As it follows, this is not true for various reasons.
STREET VENDORS’ WORLD CUP WORRIES
The 2026 FIFA World Cup brings plenty of opportunities for Atlantans to make a few bucks. Among them are street vendors, a common and colorful thread in the tapestry of any major downtown event.
- However, Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens announced a freeze on permits for street vendors and community gatherings during FIFA activities, throwing plans for small businesses like merch retailers and food truck operators into doubt.
- Dickens says he’s in support of vendors during the 30-day event and claims the freeze will allow time to make a specialized permitting process.
🔎 READ MORE: What FIFA madness could mean for small businesses
HOSPITAL? DATA CENTER? BASICALLY THE SAME THING
A $10 billion megaproject in Butts County, backed by Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, centers on a 450,000-square-foot rural hospital. Oh, and a whole bunch of new data centers, the kind that are already clogging up Georgia’s development pipeline.
In fact, most of the project’s big budget would be spent on such sites, with 11 million square feet of data centers taking up as much floor space as seven Lenox Square malls.
That’s not the only reason the project is controversial. Jones’ father, Bill Jones, owns Interstate Health Systems, which acquired large tracts of land near the project’s intended site. That’s raised questions about how the lieutenant governor and his family may benefit from the development.
🔎 READ MORE: Potential conflicts of interest go deep for Jones
MUST-KNOW POLITICS AND BUSINESS
🏛️ The Supreme Court could gut a key provision of the 1965 Voting Rights Act used to root out racial discrimination. The case centers on complaints brought by a group of white voters that a Black majority congressional district in Louisiana was created on the basis of race. The state of Louisiana and the Trump administration joined in the legal effort. Gerrymandering’s still OK, though, thanks to a separate 2019 Supreme Court decision.
⚕️ Democratic governors from 14 states and Guam formed a new alliance to coordinate their public health initiatives in response to the Trump administration’s attacks on federal public health programs.
🇧🇪 President Donald Trump has nominated Atlantan Bill White for U.S. ambassador to the Kingdom of Belgium. Read about White’s plans for the position and why he’s eager to strengthen ties between Atlanta and Brussels.
SOME RELIEF IN HAIR RELAXER LAWSUIT
The Georgia Supreme Court sided with Georgians who claim they were seriously injured by prolonged use of chemical hair straighteners, but the ruling comes with a caveat.
- The court unanimously decided to revive previously dismissed product liability claims, allowing plaintiffs to pursue further legal action.
- However, the court said it could be a difficult road since Georgia has a 10-year limit on product liability claims. Things like hair relaxers are administered over years, so women will have to prove a very specific timeline of alleged damage.
NEWS BITES
Smucker’s sues Trader Joe’s, saying its new sandwiches are too close to PB&J Uncrustables
Can’t we all just get along? And by get along, I mean have as many little PB&J tea sandwich options as possible?
Check out scares at five of Georgia’s longest-running haunted houses
Fact: The older and more low-tech/decrepit the haunted house, the more traumatizing it’s likely to be.
What Falcons players had to say after great 24-14 win over the Bills
“Yay!”
Walking is good for you. Walking backward has even more benefits
Plus, you’ll be the talk of the neighborhood.
ON THIS DATE
Oct. 16, 1916
Atlanta to Be Jammed Today With Visitors All Wearing Tiny Blue Keys. Little decorations are good for admission into Lakewood Grounds to see the wonderful exhibits gathered there by directors of the Southeastern fair.
Apparently, there was a car to be won with all of those little keys, too.
The best part of this front page, however, is the tiny box reading “Weather Prophecy: Fair.” Petition to start calling meteorologists “weather prophets.
ONE MORE THING
Sometimes when I walk in the woods behind my house, I carry one of my machetes (her name is Judith) to reduce the likelihood someone will bother me. That could probably be achieved by walking backward, too, but I’d definitely fall over.
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.
