Morning, y’all! You look great today. Is that a new shirt? It’s your color. No, I’m being serious! Hope the rest of your Monday is as stylish.
Let’s get to it.
A NEW LEGISLATIVE SESSION
Today is the beginning of the annual Georgia General Assembly, the monthslong legislative session that produces a passel of new laws for the state. We’ll have plenty of time to talk specific bills and priorities. For now, a general overview:
- Legislative sessions work in two-year cycles. This is year two, so bills still on the table in 2025 can carry over to 2026.
- It’s also an election year session, which should make it extra spicy. Players like Lt. Gov. Burt Jones and Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, both hopefuls for Georgia governor, will be strategic with what they support.
- This is Gov. Brian Kemp’s last General Assembly, and people are wondering if he’s going to make any big legislative moves on his way out. So far, any plans are being kept close to the vest, though Kemp’s aides tease big reveals during two of Kemp’s key speeches this week.
🔎 READ MORE: Politicos are guessing on Kemp’s agenda
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ICE PROTESTS IN ATLANTA
Anti-ICE protests dotted the country this weekend after a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer shot and killed a Minneapolis woman on Wednesday.
- Demonstrators filled streets across Georgia, including one on the 17th Street bridge in Midtown Atlanta, another in East Cobb County and events in Augusta, Fayetteville and Gainesville.
- The one in Midtown drew about 300 people. In addition to the Minneapolis shooting, participants voiced opposition to the U.S.’ involvement in Venezuela.
- “People are in the streets all across the United States in opposition to these complete, blatant attacks and lawlessness,” a Party for Socialism and Liberation Atlanta organizer told the AJC.
🔎 READ MORE: Photos from Atlanta-area ICE demonstrations
GEORGIA GETS MILLIONS FOR RURAL HEALTH
Georgia is on track to receive about three-quarters of the $1.4 billion it sought from the federal government in the first of five annual grant awards to “transform” rural health care. The state Department of Community Health will now have to scale back its plans for the funding.
- All states are sharing $50 billion from the Rural Health Transformation Program passed last summer in President Donald Trump’s One Big, Beautiful Bill Act.
- Georgia has been awarded $219 million for year one of the program and if future awards are similar, the state could receive about $1.1 billion over the next four years.
- Georgia is prohibited from adding new projects or eliminating any from its original list as it pares down the budget, DCH officials said. The U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, which oversee the fund under Dr. Mehmet Oz, has not disclosed if future award amounts will vary.
🔎 READ MORE: From Starlink-powered telehealth to storm-ready hospitals, see what proposals could face cuts
THREE GUYS, 38 MARTA STATIONS, ONE DREAM
Life is such a rich tapestry of people and passions. Take the three men from Chicago who, motivated by some inscrutable force, recently attempted to set a Guinness World Record for fastest time visiting every single MARTA transit station. I wonder what it’s like inside their minds. Very orderly, probably.
- The three friends started at North Springs and finished at the Atlanta airport station, clocking a full circuit at three hours, 21 minutes, 37 seconds.
- While they stayed positive and encountered lots of kindness along the way, the workaday frustrations of Atlanta transit threatened to break them.
- “It’s just frustrating that it’s just so inconsistent,” one of them said after missing a transfer and being unable to access train schedules. “I mean, it could be the reason people miss a job interview or just not make it at all.” Amen, brother.
🔎 READ MORE: What moved the men to take on MARTA
NEWS BITES
Matt Ryan is back with the Falcons as president of football
“President of football” sounds like the made-up dream job of every 12-year-old, and our guy deserves nothing less.
What to watch for in Atlanta United’s preseason
You can start with the return of Gerardo Martino, back for his second act as team manager.
The Gridlock Guy takes on a common traffic pet peeve: Bright headlights
The combination of super bright purplish headlights and the uncanny little whirring sound electric vehicles emit make me feel like I’m being raptured.
A new UGA study says binge watching shows can actually supercharge your imagination
Love that. It’s not “dissociating from your problems for hours at a time,” it’s “building retrospective imaginative involvement.”
ON THIS DATE
Jan. 12, 1964
Smoking major hazard to health, panel finds. A blue-ribbon science panel reported Saturday that heavy cigarette smoking is a major health hazard and something should be done about it. Surgeon General Luther Terry of the U.S. Public Health Service said his agency will move at once to recommend remedial action called for by the science group. Meantime, he told a news conference: “I would advise anyone to discontinue smoking cigarettes.”
ONE MORE THING
I don’t listen to the radio much anymore, but if I were President of the Airwaves I would outlaw traffic sounds in commercials. Maybe I should write a letter to the AJC.
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.
