A.M. ATL: Take my money

Morning, y’all! My kids are tearing open Advent calendars for the first time this year. One is tiny Bluey trinkets, the other squishy animals. They came from their Jewish grandma, who doesn’t even know what Advent is — it’s purely for commercial fun. What I didn’t know: This is apparently a whole thing. Social media feeds are being flooded with influencers unboxing high-end Advent calendars for things like wine, whiskey, THC, jewelry and caviar that can cost thousands of dollars.

I’ll count my blessings and pray my kids will be satisfied with “treasures” (aka junk) for at least a few more years. We can’t afford to unbox a real-life Bluey right now.

Now, let’s pop open some more of the good stuff.

BANK BLAST FROM THE PAST

Ryan C. Floyd would be president and CEO of Georgia Skyline Bank, which expects to complete fundraising early next year.

Building banks used to be cool.

In the late 1990s, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency received more than 100 de novo charter applications annually.

But new bank formation has stagnated across the U.S. since the Great Recession, which led to hundreds of bank failures nationwide. From 2011-2024, bank charter applications fell on average to fewer than four per year. In Georgia, only five new banks have started since 2016 — the most recent, Moultrie Bank & Trust in South Georgia, established in May 2022.

🏦 Enter a group of Atlanta area executives and investors who plan to buck the trend, writes the AJC’s Amy Wenk.

• Georgia Skyline Bank recently cleared key regulatory hurdles.
• Its target is small and midsize businesses in the affluent north Fulton County market (like Roswell and Alpharetta) with commercial loans, along with deposit products including checking and savings accounts.

Why the bank slowdown: More stringent regulations and higher compliance costs.

Why now: Regulators are signaling an appetite for new banks under a more business-friendly Trump administration. North Fulton, Forsyth County, Cherokee County and parts of Gwinnett County have strong populations but lack locally headquartered banks, according to the Georgia Bankers Association.

More coming? Another new Georgia bank is attempting to start, Private Bank & Trust of Gainesville, which submitted an application to the FDIC on Nov. 28.

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.

WHAT’S NEXT FOR MTG

In an interview with the AJC yesterday, U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene reflected on her five years in office and a very public split with President Donald Trump. The Rome Republican also had a few things to say about her future:

She added: “So, maybe I don’t know what I’m gonna do, and I know it’s hard for the political world to imagine someone actually just saying, ‘OK, I’m done,’ and stepping away. I know that’s hard for people to understand.”

👂You can hear the whole conversation on today’s Politically Georgia podcast

NEW SCHOOL IN SESSION

The tentative plan for Druid Hills High would be to demolish all of the existing buildings except for the main historic building, and replace them with a new four-story academic building.

After years of debate, the aging Druid Hills High School received a green light on a $185 million modernization plan.

The approved plan keeps the nearly 100-year-old school where it is, building almost an entirely new school on the campus. It will take three to four years to complete.

• Background: The DeKalb County School District’s board in 2022 removed the school from a list of facilities it was planning to modernize. That changed within a few months, after students published a video showcasing the school’s water-damaged ceilings and walls, electrical hazards and plumbing issues.
• What changes: The historic front office building will be renovated, and the rest of the school will be torn down. A brand-new four-story academic building and a two-story parking garage with an athletic field on top will take their place.
• Size matters: The new school should be able to accommodate 1,600 students, compared to the current enrollment of about 1,450.
• The decision wasn’t unanimous: Board members Diijon DaCosta and Tiffany Hogan raised concerns about the large price tag possibly hindering the completion of projects at other DeKalb schools.
• 🗣️ DaCosta: “I’m asking the board to honestly make a decision on how we allocate resources amongst the north, south, east and west of DeKalb County.”

🔎 READ MORE: Money for the project will come from a sales tax on the ballot next November

MUST-KNOW POLITICS AND BUSINESS

🗳️ Democrat Eric Gisler flipped a solidly Republican state House seat in a special election Tuesday to represent parts of Oconee and Clarke counties. In Cherokee County, Republican Bill Fincher and Democrat Scott Sanders will head to a runoff election Jan. 6.

⚖️ Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis will testify about her conduct before a state Senate committee next week, her lawyer told the Georgia Supreme Court.

💰Through its Fox Gives initiative, the Fox Theatre awarded $500,000 in grants to fund rehabilitation projects and upgrades for eight historic theaters and cultural landmarks across Georgia.

IF YOU’RE CUTTING BOOZE IN 2026

Freshly prepared kava at Kava Mama is poured into halved coconut shells or small glasses.

If you’re considering a booze-free resolution in 2026, there’s an increasing number of options for you. That includes kava, the South Pacific Island plant that’s been used for centuries to make drinks for both recreation and traditional ceremonies. It’s known for producing a calming effect.

Kava bars, similar to coffeehouses, have a growing presence in the U.S., including in Atlanta.

• The best part: When ready to drink, you call out “Bula” (translated to life in Fijian), clap twice and down the bitter, mouth-numbing, alcohol-free beverage like a shot.

🗣️ Angie Lizarraga, co-owner of Kava Mama in Mechanicsville: “In Fiji, they believe alcohol tears families apart, but kava brings them together.”

A researcher told the AJC’s Olivia Wakam that if you drink kava, do so in moderation because of slight chances of issues with your liver. Bula!

🔎 Read more: Atlanta kava bars offer island culture, alcohol-free social spaces

NEWS BITES

Netflix has several shows and films in the Georgia pipeline this month

Hulu is also shooting “Chad Powers” season two. Honest assessment: Is it worth watching?

Falcons’ Raheem Morris feels he has 100% of Arthur Blank’s support

I believe the long-suffering fans might grade with a different percentage.

Brunswick football coach resigns in wake of Gainesville altercation involving some 80 players

Garrett Grady led the Pirates to three region titles in four seasons.

Philanthropist MacKenzie Scott gave $7.1 billion to nonprofits in 2025, a major increase

She really puts us all to shame, in the best way.

ON THIS DATE

Dec. 10, 1932

The Atlanta Constitution — Conference split; thirteen schools form new group. The long-rumored break within the Southern conference came tonight as 13 institutions officially presented their resignations and announced the formation of a new group to be known as the Southeastern conference. The teams to withdraw from the parent conference were Alabama, Auburn, Tennessee, Sewanee, Vanderbilt, Kentucky, Florida, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Louisiana State, Tulane University, Mississippi and Mississippi State. … (University of Florida president Dr. John J. Tigert): “Since in our judgment the time has arrived for a more compact organization for the administration of athletics, it seems wise for a division of the Southern conference to be made solely on geographical lines.”