A.M. ATL: By the numbers

Morning, y’all! New scary weather term just dropped: frost quake. A frost quake, or cryoseism, happens when water in the ground quickly freezes during a cold snap. The ice expands, building pressure in the soil, which can cause cracks, shaking and even deep booming sounds. Now imagine how scary it would be hearing all that and not knowing what it was!

Let’s get to it.

MILLION‑DOLLAR CUT LOOMS FOR GEORGIA SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM

Students and supporters wait for Gov. Brian Kemp to arrive to sign Senate Bill 233, known as the Georgia Promise Scholarship Act, at Liberty Plaza in April 2024.

In the program’s first year, about 7,700 students qualified for the Georgia Promise Scholarship — meaning fewer than half of the vouchers the state set aside were actually claimed. Taking a closer look at the numbers:

• The $6,500 awards were poised to go to students who are zoned to attend low-performing public schools.
• Lawmakers set aside $141 million, or enough for more than 20,000 scholarships.
• Between March 1 and Dec. 12, 2025, 20,217 students applied for the scholarship, according to data provided this month by the Georgia Student Finance Commission.
• Only 7,744 students qualified to receive one, at a cost to the state of about $55 million.

Gov. Brian Kemp’s amended budget for fiscal year 2026 proposes cutting $86 million of the allocated funding. GSFC President Chris Green told lawmakers it would be a “one-time reduction” to reflect the actual number of participants.

Lawmakers in the Georgia House of Representatives proposed budgeting less than $50 million for the scholarships last year. Georgia senators aligned with Kemp on the $141 million funding plan, which ultimately prevailed.

🔎 READ MORE: See how many scholarships were awarded by district

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FMR. CLAYTON COUNTY SHERIFF IS AT IT AGAIN

Victor Hill has served time and owes thousands for civil rights violations.

You may not know about former Clayton County Sheriff Victor Hill. Allow me to introduce him.

• Hill became Clayton County’s sheriff in 2005. He began his tenure by firing 27 deputies who were escorted out under the watch of sheriff’s office snipers on the roof.
• He had his predecessor’s brother arrested after two heated phone calls and was forced to pay more than $600K in a civil judgment.
• Multiple people have accused him and his staff of mistreatment, saying they were strapped to restraint chairs inside the Clayton County Jail for hours on end as punishment.
• He owes $500,000 to one of those people, a landscaper who said Hill arrested him and strapped him to a chair.
• He served 10 months in an Arkansas prison for violating the civil rights of jail detainees.

Now, he’s filed for bankruptcy for a second time while facing multiple lawsuits worth hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Oh, and he launched a bid for Georgia’s 5th congressional seat last year.

🔎 READ MORE: How else Hill is accused of using his power for personal scores

MUST-KNOW POLITICS AND BUSINESS

📦 Amazon secured initial approval for a tax break in Fulton County Tuesday as part of a $500 million project to transform an existing warehouse into a high-tech package facility.

🗳️ A federal appellate court tossed a challenge to the state’s authority to take over county election boards. Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger praised the 11th Circuit ruling and credited the 2021 state law for making Georgia elections more secure.

🏗️ Kaiser Permanente is paying top dollar to acquire land south of downtown Atlanta for a future development project. The health care provider announced Monday it bought a 7-acre site in Summerhill near Center Parc Stadium — formerly Turner Field and home of the Atlanta Braves.

A NEW CENTER FOR AT-RISK YOUTH

City and community leaders, including Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens, cut the ribbon at the grand opening of the city's fourth At-Promise center.

Atlanta has opened its fourth At-Promise Center, a space dedicated to reducing crime among the city’s youth.

• Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens says the center addresses some of the challenges kids face growing up in high-crime areas. It provides a place for kids to go after school, during the summer and on weekends.
• Programs at the centers focus on three key goals: education, economic opportunity and a stable home life.
• The four centers are managed by the Atlanta Police Foundation. The newest was helped along by a $3.5 million donation from QuikTrip.
• According to the police foundation, the centers have helped cut crime relapses from 85% in 2017 to a current 6%.

🐦‍🔥 READ MORE: How youth centers help keep youth on a brighter path

NEWS BITES

The Winter Olympics start Feb 6. Here’s a schedule

Time for everyone to get super into curling for a few weeks.

How to cope when the news fuels anxiety

You know, we say “touch grass” as a joke, but there’s truth to it. Please, go touch grass. The Anxieties will be here when you get back.

Maker of friendly new humanoid robot hopes it will help people be more comfortable with robots in their homes

No. [🤖 sad beeping noises 🤖] Sorry little guy. I mean, “No, thank you.”

‘Doomsday Clock’ moves closer to midnight over nuclear threats, climate change and AI

Oh Doomsday Clock, such a flirt.

ON THIS DATE

Jan. 28, 1986