Morning, y’all! Well, as I predicted last week, the warm weather was fun while it lasted. Shoutout to whoever invented those winter hats with the earflaps on them. I had never worn one until I grabbed a random hat to walk the dog last night. Game changer.
Let’s get to it.
TARIFF CONFUSION, PART 537
Last Friday, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled it was illegal for President Donald Trump to impose tariffs under an emergency powers law without congressional approval.
The decision was supposed to provide clarity for businesses that have spent the last year surfing the waves of tariff announcements and subsequent recalls. In Georgia, clarity may come, but for now, there are only more questions.
How have tariffs affected Georgia businesses?
- Atlanta-based Newell Brands, the parent company of consumer brands like Rubbermaid and Yankee Candle, paid $174 million in unplanned tariff-related costs in 2025.
- Last year, Home Depot said higher tariffs would cause “modest price movement” in some categories.
- Owners of some small retail businesses noted declining sales and inventory challenges.
What will change with the ruling?
- The biggest question companies want answered is whether the government will issue refunds for costs related to tariffs that are now considered invalid.
- One expert said companies will be lining up to demand refunds, but it won’t be easy to sort out what is owed and who actually bore tariff costs.
- Economists hope this means prices will go down, but it may be a while before retailers feel the effects. In a business where buying decisions are made seasons in advance, that kind of wait can add up.
🔎 READ MORE: How Georgia businesses feel about the SCOTUS decision
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APALACHEE SHOOTING TRIAL UPDATES
The trial of Colin Gray, father of the suspected Apalachee High School shooter, is in its second week.
Here’s a catch-up of testimony from last week: The jury heard emotional testimony from Apalachee students about their experiences during the deadliest school shooting in Georgia history. Prosecutors also revealed 14-year-old Colt Gray was “obsessed” with school shootings.
- Yesterday, the teen’s mother, Marcee Gray, testified that she warned her estranged husband to lock up the family’s guns so Colt Gray couldn’t access them.
- She said the gun used in the shooting was a Christmas gift from Colin Gray to his son. Gray also bought his son tactical gear and accessories despite his son’s comments about violence and his known mental health concerns, she claimed.
- Colin Gray is facing more than two dozen charges, including two counts of second-degree murder and two counts of involuntary manslaughter, related to the shooting that killed four people in September 2024.
- He is a rare but increasingly visible example of a parent being held legally liable for a shooting perpetrated by their child.
🔎 READ MORE: ‘Dad’s going to finish my school shooter outfit’
WEIGH IN ON DEKALB SCHOOL CLOSURES
The DeKalb County School District is evaluating a plan to close more than two dozen school buildings, resulting in major shuffles and uncertainty for thousands of students and their parents.
As part of the process, the district is soliciting feedback from parents and other potentially affected residents.
“Our message is simple,” Interim Superintendent Norman Sauce has said. “We need to hear from everyone.”
🔎 Here’s more information on how to weigh in, from surveys to a detailed list of in-person and virtual meetings.
MUST-KNOW POLITICS AND BUSINESS
💰 A group of state Republicans backing Lt. Gov. Burt Jones for governor filed a bill that would disqualify billionaire dark horse Rick Jackson from the race. House Bill 1362 would disqualify anyone who had certain financial or business interests in any state agency. Jackson’s campaign said such a rule could possibly disqualify Jones, too.
🏈 Gov. Brian Kemp is all in on former football coach Derek Dooley as his pick for the GOP’s U.S. Senate candidate. That’s a gamble for Kemp’s legacy, and so far, it’s not moving the needle. Dooley has struggled to rise above fellow hopefuls U.S. Reps. Mike Collins and Buddy Carter.
🏠 A French firm more than doubled production at its Georgia roof shingles factory. Doesn’t sound particularly interesting, until you realize that’s a $140 million bet on a homebuilding surge in the South.
⚖️ Fulton County Superior Court Judge Shermela Williams has resigned while facing possible removal over misconduct charges and a related lawsuit. The Georgia Judicial Qualifications Commission found her “illegal” jailing of a young woman during a 2023 divorce hearing was the most serious of several missteps that undermined confidence in her ability to serve.
ALL-AMERICAN FOOTBALL FAMILY
Ivory and Chance Gilbert, a sister-brother football duo from Coweta County, made history when they both made the Under Armour Next All-America Game earlier this year.
- Ivory just finished her senior season of flag football and was a four-year, do-it-all standout for East Coweta.
- Chance is a junior 4-star safety prospect expected to play for either Alabama, Clemson, Georgia or Georgia Tech in 2027.
- The siblings have been playing football together their whole lives.
- “When he was little, he used to come to my room and beg me, ‘Ivory, come throw the football with me,’” Ivory Gilbert said.
Football was a clear path for Chance, but it’s less so for young women. With the rise of high school flag football, Ivory was stoked she got to use her skills and follow her football passion. Oh, she also loves cars and has a vision of opening her own body shop.
🏈 READ MORE: The coolest siblings you’ll read about today
NEWS BITES
A horse’s neigh is a unique sound in the animal kingdom. Scientists have figured out how they do it
It’s actually two different frequencies: a lower grunt/singing and a higher whistle. (Side note: The Grunt and Whistle would be a great name for a coaching inn.)
The Met Gala’s next dress code: ‘Fashion is Art’
Perfect opportunity to misunderstand the assignment and show up as a weird little Hieronymus Bosch creature.
5 things students should do if they receive multiple college acceptances
No. 1: Celebrate!
ON THIS DATE
Feb. 24, 1883
Carver defeats Bogardus in the shooting match. The day was cold and disagreeable, disappointing those who hoped for warm, sunny weather for the contest between Bogardus and Carver. The match was shot on the grounds of the Jockey Club near the city … The traps were arranged … the terms of the match being “one hundred birds, 30 yards rise, 80 yards boundary.” … (Carver) ran out defeating his opponent by one bird — Carver 83, Bogardus 82.
A monumental day in history, but not for the fowl: Feb. 24, 1883, was the very first publication of The Atlanta Journal.
ONE MORE THING
Please help, I have fallen down a rabbit hole of horse vocalizations and laryngeal structures. I will never hear them neigh the same again.
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.
