Morning, y’all. Time to give thanks. I’ve been at the AJC almost a year and can’t begin to enumerate how many things I’m grateful for. I’ll try to name a few this week, starting with our AM ATL family.
I’m grateful for every piece of random wisdom, gentle grammatical correction, sweet observation and kind word we receive every day — even if I’m not the best at keeping up with our email. Yes, even those of you who like to tussle in the inbox (you know who you are). Respectful and informed disagreement is a wonderful whetstone for the mind, and it wouldn’t be the same without you.
Let’s get to it.
IT’S THE DARN DATA CENTERS AGAIN: GEORGIA POWER EDITION
Energy analysts warn that if Georgia Power is allowed to build out its proposed power fleet expansion to support data center energy needs, residential customers will be the ones paying for it. Literally.
- Analysts with the Georgia Public Service Commission’s staff say customers could see monthly bills jump $20 or more if the energy stockpiling plans continue as is.
- Georgia Power has requested to add 10,000 megawatts to its power generation fleet in the next five years. Trust us, that’s a lot of power.
- Environmental and consumer advocacy groups have also raised alarms.
- Instead, PSC analysts recommend the commission approve only a third of the new power plants and batteries requested.
- The PSC will vote on the Georgia Power expansion plans Dec. 19, less than two weeks before the two newly elected Democratic members take office, replacing two longstanding Republican members.
🔎 READ MORE: Where those costs would come from and when they would take effect
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OMG, MTG
As you most likely know, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene announced she’s resigning from Congress at the end of the year. There’s a lot to unpack, so here’s all we know so far:
- The Rome Republican posted a 10-minute video on X Friday announcing her decision. In it, she made it quite clear her rift with President Donald Trump was a factor.
- “It’s all so absurd and completely unserious,” she said in the video. “I refuse to be a battered wife hoping it all goes away and gets better.”
- Greene has broken with Republicans several times recently, but made it clear she still adheres to a conservative, populist, “America First, America Only” agenda.
🔎 READ MORE: From ‘Jewish space lasers’ to subcommittee spats, a summary of Greene’s time in Congress
LISTEN: The AJC’s politics team breaks down the surprising news in a special edition of Politically Georgia
What’s her next move?
- Political office: There’s widespread speculation that Greene may eye a run for Senate or even governor. However, that would be tough with Trump as an enemy. Some politicos even wonder if she’ll make a bid for president in 2028.
- Pol-turned-pundit: Greene’s recent appearances on “The View” and HBO’s “Real Time With Bill Maher” have also fueled talk that she’s testing the waters for a media role.
🔎 READ MORE: The AJC’s Greg Bluestein weighs the possibilities
BREAKING BREAD TOGETHER
If it’s a time for thanks, it’s also a time for giving (it’s right there in the name, after all).
- The Latin American Association held a massive food drive this weekend in collaboration with the Atlanta Hawks and CareSource.
- About 450 households were served, the nonprofit estimates.
- The giveaway took place on Buford Highway, one of Atlanta’s main immigrant corridors.
- Harsh immigration policies and the fear they’ve sown, along with benefit cuts during and before the government shutdown, have contributed to food insecurity among Georgia’s immigrant communities.
At the event, a teenager said her mother “didn’t believe it at first,” that people were giving away food to help those in need.
“At the end of the day, we got to realize these are all families, and we’re all just trying to eat,” she said.
🔎 READ MORE: The AJC’s Lautaro Grinspan talked to people at the event
MUST-KNOW POLITICS AND BUSINESS
🪖 U.S. Rep. Buddy Carter wants more ICE officers in Atlanta. The Republican U.S. Senate hopeful put his request in a letter to the Trump administration and said Georgia residents “are clamoring for additional federal support.”
🛑 Georgia has suspended or eliminated several state programs for families and children in foster care. The Georgia Department of Human Services blamed the cuts on the federal government shutdown and a growing agency deficit.
📱 A Georgia school cellphone ban should be extended to high schools, the Georgia Department of Education says. In a recent survey, 90% of the 3,000 Georgia teachers polled said they supported such an expansion. The state passed a ban for grades K-8 earlier this year.
20 YEARS OF THE GEORGIA AQUARIUM
Can you believe the Georgia Aquarium has been around for 20 years? The massive facility, one of the best in the nation, is credited with helping revive Atlanta’s downtown area and supports important conservation efforts.
By the numbers
- When the Georgia Aquarium opened in 2005, its 500,000-square-foot facility holding 8 million gallons of water and more than 100,000 animals crowned it the largest aquarium in the world.
- More than 45 million visitors have passed through its watery wonders.
An evolving mission
- In recent years, the aquarium launched conservation programs along the Flint River, including a project that surveys mussels critical to water filtration.
- It’s also involved in global research projects and conservation studies. New innovations, like an in-house aquaculture system, raise sustainable fish and crustaceans for the aquarium’s animals, essentially producing the facility’s own, er, fish food.
We're looking at the next 20 years not in terms of how much more we can build, but how much more we can do — for animals, for ecosystems and for people.
🔎 READ MORE: The ups, downs and future of the Georgia Aquarium
NEWS BITES
‘Wicked: For Good’ soars to a $226 million global debut
The theater kid in me honors the theater kid in you.
Tech gets a bad loss, Georgia gets a win, both are ready for next week’s rivalry game
Georgia may have a long winning streak, but remember it took them eight overtimes to best Tech last season.
Three creative ways to reimagine Thanksgiving leftovers
Bookmark now to save yourself from four straight days of turkey sandwiches.
KPop Demon Hunters is officially eligible for the Oscars
🎵 We’re goin’ up up up, this is our moment !!! 🎵 ... et cetera, ad infinitum, ad absurdum. (Also, sorry for the morning ear worm — just when we were all getting past the obsession.)
ON THIS DATE
Nov. 23, 1977
Confidence for Braves. Bobby Cox has taken over as manager of the Atlanta Braves and demonstrates he is eager to set a confident tone for next baseball season. “… the main thing I want to establish is to have our players believing we can be a serious contender when we come out of spring training.”
❓ Today’s front page is a day off, but we couldn’t pass up a little Braves trivia: Cox is famous for holding which baseball-related record?
a. the most games as manager
b. the most ejections
c. the most mound visits
d. the longest pregame clubhouse speech
Answer right below.
ONE MORE THING
Cox, ever the passionate sportsman, holds the all-time record for most MLB ejections at 161 (that’s including postseason ones). If you’re so inclined, relive his 150th ejection in 2009 through photos.
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.
