Morning, y’all! “Wednesday” is a good example of how silly the English language can be. It definitely shouldn’t be spelled like that. It’s giving “handed down through various dialects and cultures, and now it’s a mess” energy, which is accurate. Wednesday comes from the Old English “Wodensday,” or day of Woden. Woden was the Germanic version of the Norse god Odin, who is probably laughing at our mortal game of linguistic telephone. Hey man, we’re trying.
Let’s get to it.
IMMIGRATION ARRESTS SHOCK DALTON
The immigrant community in the North Georgia town of Dalton is reeling from a late December immigration raid that led to 40 arrests.
- On Dec. 30, officials in unmarked black vans blocked streets and set up several impromptu checkpoints to intercept cars during the morning commute. People in ICE vests arrested anyone they thought to be in the country without proper documentation.
- Among those arrested were five roofing company workers who had set out at 6:40 a.m. on their way to a job in Woodstock.
- “It was chaos,” said Gilbardo Guerrero, pastor of a Spanish-language church in Dalton.
- Witnesses told others some of those being arrested said it was easier to just comply than to try and make a case for their freedom.
- “They did so much work here. They gave so much to this community,” said the owner of the company the roofers worked for. “It’s sad. I didn’t expect to start the new year this way.”
Two weeks later, the community is still raw. Guerrero, the pastor, said people have pared down their routines out of fear.
🔎 READ MORE: Advocates describe the scene, local police say they had no part
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A NEW GOP CAMPAIGN FINANCE CASE
It’s no secret major GOP players in the Georgia governor’s race have beef with each other. One major point of contention: how much cash Lt. Gov. Burt Jones can raise for his campaign.
- Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger is challenging state laws that limit his ability to raise money while Jones can rake in unlimited cash through a leadership committee.
- Only the governor, lieutenant governor, the Democratic and Republican nominees for those offices and legislative leaders of both parties can create leadership committees. That means Jones can, but Raffensperger and others can’t.
- It’s no small change, either. Raffensperger can accept contributions of up to $8,400 for each election while running for governor, while Jones has accepted contributions of up to $250,000 through his leadership committee.
Raffensperger tries a new strategy
- This is a longtime bipartisan gripe with Georgia’s campaign finance laws. Attorney General Chris Carr, another gubernatorial candidate, filed an unsuccessful lawsuit last year trying to cap Jones’ spending.
- Instead, Raffensperger is arguing he, too, should have unlimited fundraising capacity.
🔎 READ MORE: The lawsuit gets a hearing today
BIG TECH IS STARTING TO REALIZE PEOPLE DON’T LIKE DATA CENTERS
Microsoft has figured out people don’t want big, ugly, cavernous, power-guzzling, water-sucking, waste-belching warehouses full of computers in their backyards.
In response to this revelation, the tech giant laid out a list of community commitments it is making for its data center projects. The five central promises include:
- preventing electricity prices from increasing for existing customers
- limiting water usage
- creating jobs
- generating new tax revenue
- installing new workforce training programs near new sites
Microsoft is one of Georgia’s largest data center operators and says it’s investing billions in projects on Atlanta’s Southside as well as Douglasville, Fayetteville and Rome.
This latest announcement shows a new emphasis on public relations as tech companies encounter more resistance from neighborhoods and municipal leaders.
🔎 READ MORE: What data center skepticism looks like in Georgia
Meanwhile, environmental groups have asked Georgia’s Public Service Commission to reconsider its approval last month of a $16 billion power fleet expansion for Georgia Power. The company says they need all of that new juice to keep data centers humming.
🔎 READ MORE: Groups say legal standard was not met
MUST-KNOW POLITICS AND BUSINESS
🪖 The U.S. Senate finally confirmed Lt. Gen. Tom Carden as the new vice chief of the National Guard Bureau after months of political standoffs. Carden, a former Georgia National Guard commander, had bipartisan support from Gov. Brian Kemp and Sen. Raphael Warnock.
✈️ Delta Air Lines might bring in record profits in 2026, CEO Ed Bastian said — provided no geopolitical chaos throws the airline off track.
SAD HOCKEY NEWS, ATLANTA
Last year, the Atlanta-area hockey scene was aglow with the possibility of an NHL expansion franchise.
Sorry, friends. Looks like that’s not going to happen.
The AJC’s Ken Sugiura lays out the clues:
- The head of the Forsyth County group courting an NHL expansion bid hasn’t heard from the league in months. Hopes were high because Forsyth approved a $3 billion mixed-use project that included an “NHL-ready” arena.
- Some time after the announcement, NHL team owners learned if the league expanded beyond its 32 teams, the franchise fees would get way steeper, to the tune of $2 billion.
- In September, the league’s deputy commissioner, Bill Daly, called Atlanta bids “aspirational” and said the city needed a plan that’s “a little more actionable than where we currently are.”
In other words, if we were a Magic 8 Ball, we’d say “Outlook not so good.”
🔎 READ MORE: Recapping the developments and promises behind ATL’s NHL dreams
NEWS BITES
Alumni still in dark after Morris Brown College fires president
A media release from the historically Black college thanked former President Kevin E. James for his service, but didn’t address why its board of trustees made the decision.
Georgia Regents vote to demolish Legion Pool on University of Georgia campus
“I’m disappointed, but not surprised,” said local activist Tony Eubanks after Tuesday’s vote. “They manipulated the process to get the preconceived result they wanted.”
Tips on how to avoid the January blues
Whatever makes life more bearable without endangering anyone. Zero judgment here.
Atlanta dermatologists weigh in on snail mucin, TikTok’s slimiest skincare trend
The fountain of youth flows with snail snot. (Personally, I’m a fan.)
ON THIS DATE
Jan. 14, 1990
Jerry Glanville to get Falcons job
At-home office ideas
‘Sane lanes’ for carpoolers
Solving childlessness
Falcons head coach search, traffic problems, some stuff about Russia? What year is it??!!
ONE MORE THING
Classic Magic 8 Balls have 20 different answers, and the answer nugget in the blue pool is a 20-sided polygon, called an icosagon.
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.
