A.M. ATL: Strangers in your house

Morning, y’all!

Anyone out there hit the Powerball last night? Make sure you set aside at least $250,000 to spend on a “sponsorship package” for Mayor Andre Dickens’ inauguration. (Or, you know … maybe not. Riley Bunch has the details.)

Let’s get to it.

LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION

Nadia Giordani inside her tiny rental home in Cabbagetown.

For people all over this big blue marble, the World Cup will be a reason to visit Atlanta in 2026.

For many Atlantans, it’ll be a reason to get out of dodge — and make some cash while they’re at it.

“I’ve been getting a lot of people reaching out to me who want to be ready for FIFA and would like to host their private homes,” Cabbagetown resident Nadia Giordani told the AJC’s Amy Wenk.

“They plan on leaving the city for a while, going to stay with family, or leaving the country, even going on vacation, and putting their homes on Airbnb.”

Giordani rents out her tiny home through Airbnb and also helps new hosts get up to speed. She figures to be pretty busy on that front in the coming months.

• An Airbnb-commissioned study figures at least 6,000 visitors will stay in the company’s local rentals during the international soccer party.

That’s just one of several non-hotel options — and the rush is already starting. According to analytics firm AirDNA:

• About 11% of short-term rentals in metro Atlanta are now booked for June 15, the date of the inaugural match at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
• About 10% are already rented for July 15, the recently announced date of Atlanta’s World Cup semifinal.

Doesn’t sound like much, maybe. But it is only December. And Bram Gallagher, AirDNA’s director of economics and forecasting, said it’s “way ahead of where we were at this time last year.”

“Seeing people book this early is definitely unusual,” he said.

Lots more of that heading our way over the next few months. Best get used to it.

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.

SPECIAL EDUCATION, AT A CROSSROADS

The first two parts (here and here) of the AJC’s investigation into the special education program known as GNETS laid out plenty of problems.

Today’s installment looks at how schools are adapting — and what the future could look like across the state.

• Public schools in Atlanta, Gwinnett and Fulton counties are all shifting away from the model.
• They say more autonomy helps them serve students better while keeping them in schools or facilities closer to home — and less segregated from their nondisabled peers.
• “I think they get exposed more to the curriculum,” one special education teacher told the AJC. “They get exposed more to socialization with their peers, which helps them to socialize better (in general).”

Of course, debates over how much funding is needed — and how it’s delivered to school districts — remain. Read on for more.

MUST-KNOW POLITICS AND BUSINESS

✅ It’s Election Day for state House seats based in Canton and south of Athens, both Republican-leaning areas.

🤔 State Sen. Colton Moore — perhaps best known for quarreling with his Republican colleagues — wants to fill Marjorie Taylor Greene’s seat in the U.S. House.

🤑 Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, a GOP candidate for governor, does not like that one of his opponents can rake in unlimited campaign cash through a “leadership committee.” So he wants the state to lift limits on his own fundraising.

⚖️ State Rep. Sharon Henderson faces federal unemployment fraud charges after authorities say she filed for pandemic-related benefits under false pretenses. Henderson was a candidate in 2020.

🍿 Paramount wants to spoil Netflix’s party by buying Warner Bros. and it’s not afraid to get hostile. Savannah Sicurella has the local angle.

OH CHRISTMAS TREE, OH CHRISTMAS TREE

Ain't she a beaut?

In terms of … less necessary political intel, I present to you: The Georgia state Capitol Christmas tree.

It’s a 26-foot red cedar donated by some folks in Floyd County and it’ll rock the rotunda through the holiday season.

🌲 Some fun, AJ Willingham-ish facts from the Arbor Day Foundation: “The eastern red cedar is an ancient tree, dating to aboriginal America, where fossil evidence indicates it covered large portions of the continent. Early explorers took note of the tree. Arthur Barlowe and Phillip Amadus were quoted as saying the trees were ‘the tallest and reddest cedars in the world’ when they arrived at Roanoke Island in 1564.”

Who knew? Click here to check out more photos from Monday’s lighting.

HAVE A BITE (OR 10)

Hey … did you know our AJC dining friends are releasing their list of the city’s 10 best new restaurants of 2025?

🤔 Lots of cool spots on there, but can you guess which restaurant this is?

• “One of the most universally beloved new openings of 2025, [THIS RESTAURANT] placed No. 9 in the Atlanta 50 amid a spate of national media attention. Rather than shrinking from the hype, [THIS RESTAURANT] has continued to deliver elegant plates of food and an interesting, highly curated wine selection. This is the first new restaurant from Miller Union chef and owner Steven Satterfield in more than a decade, and it appears to have staying power with the talented chef Ollie Honderd helming the kitchen.”

Peep the story (which you’ll also want to bookmark for future date night references) to find out … and don’t forget to consult our ranking of Atlanta’s 50 best restaurants, either.

NEWS BITES

Man pleads guilty in 2022 stabbing death of Buckhead grandmother

Authorities said Eleanor Bowles, 77, stumbled upon the suspect trying to steal her SUV. Awful.

Small stockings land Sandy Springs woman on “Shark Tank”

You hang them on the tree and put stuff in them. She’ll explain more on Wednesday night.

Georgia Tech, BYU coaches bonded by favorite Pop-Tarts

Who doesn’t like a strawberry pseudo-pastry?

Golden Globe nominations offer snubs and surprises

“K-Pop Demon Hunters,” a Netflix production, got nominated for … box office achievement.

ON THIS DATE

Dec. 9, 1969

War to end regardless of talks, Nixon declares. President Nixon says he intends to announce new U.S. troop withdrawals about Christmas time as part of a plan he declares will result in the Vietnam War ending regardless of efforts for a negotiated peace. … He said the war is cooling off with casualties and infiltration both down now as compared with a year ago.

Spoiler alert: The Vietnam War did not, in fact, end in 1969. The U.S. didn’t pull out until 1973. Saigon didn’t fall until 1975.

Presidents say the darnedest things.