Morning, y’all! Does anyone else use weighted blankets? I can’t get enough of mine. I’m under one right now. Sometimes, if I’m really stressed, I’ll fantasize about getting fed through a giant pasta press. Can’t have any worries if you’re two-dimensional.
Let’s get to it.
A POSSIBLE CELLPHONE BAN EXPANSION
Last year, Georgia passed a bill banning cellphones in K-8 public schools. The ban received so much positive feedback from educators that lawmakers may now expand it.
- House Speaker Jon Burns, who is in favor of the idea, said he expects House lawmakers to pass a measure during the annual legislative session (more on that later) extending Georgia’s K-8 cellphone ban to high school students.
- The Georgia Department of Education recently encouraged an expansion, citing teacher surveys showing overwhelming support.
- Early data from schools show increased student engagement and a decrease in discipline problems. Of course, there are still details to refine and concerns to address over safety and communication issues.
- Roughly three dozen states now have laws or rules that restrict cellphone use in schools.
🔎 READ MORE: Lawmakers expect ‘lively debate’ over the issue
💬 TELL US: We know this is a huge issue for kids and parents. How has your family responded to school cellphone bans? Have they made a difference? We really want to know. Email us here. Remember to include your full name and where you’re from.
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.
REPORT: HARM TO BLACK FULTON RESIDENTS WORTH BILLIONS
Fulton County Reparations Task Force, a volunteer group in Georgia’s most populous county, recently submitted a 636-page report on the harms the municipality dealt through slavery and discrimination against Black residents.
- In the first decade of its existence, from 1853 to 1863, Fulton County brought in about $75,000 from taxes on the assessed “value” of enslaved Black people — about $2.4 million today, or up to $674 million depending on compound interest. That money built infrastructure and government buildings and paid salaries for Fulton leaders.
- Post-slavery “chain gangs” and convict lease programs, mostly made up of Black prisoners, provided cheap or free labor under conditions so extreme they drew huge public outcry as early as 1907.
- Over the years, Black residents have been repeatedly forced out of neighborhoods to make room for white properties and interests. These residents received little to no compensation for their land and homes.
But what is there to be done? That’s the task force’s next step. Reparations critics say there’s no point in paying for crimes the current population didn’t commit. Supporters say the effects of this oppression are still felt in Black communities today.
🔎 READ MORE: More from the report, and why reparations options are so complex
LEGISLATIVE SESSION PREVIEW
The annual Georgia General Assembly begins Monday, Jan. 12. This is when state legislators negotiate, refine and rewrite their bills and eventually vote on them, so get ready for a lot of lawmakin’ through April.
The legislative session operates on a two-year cycle. This is the second year, which means bills that didn’t make the cut last year are still in play. Some of the biggest ones to watch:
- Housing: A bipartisan set of bills seeks to curb out-of-state hedge funds that have bought up real estate in Georgia. (Remember, affordability is a big issue for 2026, so expect a lot of measures that deal with real-money issues.)
- School safety measures: Expect continued ripples from the deadly Apalachee High School shooting in late 2024. A Republican bill, with Democratic support, would require guns to be safely secured in locked storage devices.
- Sports betting: It’s been an issue on Georgia’s legislative radar since 2019, but lawmakers haven’t been able to legalize it amid the quickly shifting world of online betting. Will this be the year? Maybe.
🔎 READ MORE: Other issues include reproductive care and foreign workers
MUST-KNOW POLITICS AND BUSINESS
📺 Warner Bros. rejected a takeover bid from Paramount for the second time. Company leaders told shareholders to stick with a rival offer from Netflix.
🏗️ New housing and retail could crop up around Mercedes-Benz Stadium as part of a possible 8-acre development project south of the stadium. The area is a nexus for several high-profile development projects aimed at boosting commerce downtown.
⏺️ An ICE officer shot and killed a woman in Minneapolis. Federal officials say it was an act of self-defense and called the woman’s actions an “act of terrorism,” but multiple video angles of the killing show the woman attempting to remove herself from the scene in her vehicle. Officers approach the vehicle, shooting from close range through the front windshield and driver’s side window. The death was at least the fifth linked to immigration crackdowns.
💰 President Donald Trump seeks more than $6.2 million from the Fulton County District Attorney’s Office to cover his attorney fees in the recently dismissed election case against him. The DA’s office says taxpayers would be unfairly on the hook for any payout.
A SECRET TO SLEEP?
Viral sleep advice called the “10-3-2-1-0″ method claims to fix some big barriers to a decent night’s rest. Since morning is the keenest time to feel the consequences of bad sleep hygiene, I thought I should share while we’re at our most contrite:
10 hours before sleep: No more caffeine
3 hours before sleep: No more meals
2 hours before sleep: No more work
1 hour before sleep: No more screen time
0 hours (when you wake up): No snoozing the alarm
😴 Why do experts claim it works, and why these specific habits? Read more here.
NEWS BITES
12 metro Atlanta arts events to look forward to this coming week
If your date says, “Wow, where did you get this idea?” and you say, “The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, you should subscribe,” I will send a carrier pigeon to deliver five $2 bills and a forehead kiss.
Thought leaders amp up discussions about AI and innovative tech at CES 2026
Please, no more scary robots.
End of an era: Hawks agree to trade Trae Young to Wizards
I was fortunate to witness a very intense conversation among some of our sports (and newsletter) people about Young’s next move. Yes, your neighborhood journos really care.
WATCH: Kava bars are changing Atlanta’s drink scene
What is kava? Now you have to guess:
a. a plant with relaxing chemicals
b. a protein-rich nut that tastes like chocolate
c. a fermented drink similar to kombucha
d. a South American rodent
Answer at the bottom.
ON THIS DATE
Jan. 8, 1981
Coke sign will live on as souvenirs. Ten days from now the giant neon Coke sign that has welcomed visitors to downtown Atlanta for more than 30 years will disappear from Margaret Mitchell Square, but its memory will live on — encased in plastic. The Coca-Cola Co. Wednesday announced a plan to dismantle the sign, break up its steel frame into 1,000 one-inch squares that will be imbedded in clear plastic blocks that will be presented to the Atlanta Historical Society.
An elite Atlanta collectors’ item.
ONE MORE THING
Kava is a plant that is a rising star on the nonalcoholic drink scene. Does it taste good? Someone report back.
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.
