A.M. ATL: Still waiting

Morning, y’all! Eid Mubarak to our Muslim A.M. ATL fam. Fun fact: The end of Ramadan is decided by the appearance of the waxing crescent moon, or the phase after a new moon (that’s when the moon is totally dark).

Even more moon talk at the bottom of today’s newsletter. I know you’re excited.

Let’s get to it.

AIRPORT STATUS: BAD

Aaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhh. Euuuuggghhh. Noooo.

There’s no polite, printable word to describe the security line situation at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport right now. FUBAR, maybe. That scene in the CW’s “Supernatural” where hell is imagined as a long queue with no end in sight.

• Some wait times reached 90 minutes early Thursday morning. (There goes your plan of getting there super early to avoid the worst of it.)
• At least it wasn’t the two hours some people waited on Wednesday.
• Airport officials think things will get worse this weekend with spring break travelers.

When to get there if you have a flight:

• Three hours before flight time for domestic travelers, officials recommend
• Four hours if you’re flying international, according to Delta Air Lines

Transportation Security Administration officers have been working without pay for weeks now due to the partial government shutdown affecting the Department of Homeland Security.

At Hartsfield-Jackson, about 36% of TSA officers have called out of work. After all, if you’re not getting paid, neither are your bills. Gotta find money elsewhere.

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.

DRONE WARS AT THE FULTON COUNTY JAIL

The Fulton County Sheriff’s Office revealed a new drone they say will combat contraband deliveries at the troubled Fulton County Jail.

Now, when I see “police drone,” my mind goes to “surveillance (!)” but apparently contraband-by-drone has been a real problem at the facility.

• There were almost 300 unauthorized drone flights in and around the property in the first half of 2025, Sheriff Patrick Labat says.
• Inmates at the Rice Street facility have received food, drugs, weapons and other deliveries that are sometimes dropped through holes in windows “virtually unabated and undetected,” according to a federal monitor.
• The sheriff says he wants to eventually fill out a fleet of 19 police drones.
• Money for the devices will come from the Fulton County Sheriff’s Foundation, Labat says — not taxpayers’ pockets.

🔎 READ MORE: What else Labat plans for the drones

MUST-KNOW POLITICS AND BUSINESS

🚗 Uber plans to invest up to $1.25 billion in electric vehicle maker Rivian for a fleet of about 50,000 Georgia-made robotaxis. The production will take place at Rivian’s planned $5 billion Georgia factory east of Atlanta.

💰 Georgia lawmakers carved out millions for state projects from Congress’ series of appropriations bills put out each year to fund government agencies. Among the projects getting funding: the Riverwalk restoration project in Savannah and a job training center for Georgians returning from incarceration.

PEACE MONK WALKS AGAIN AFTER GA TREATMENT

Buddhist monk Bhante Dam Phommasan says he used breathing and meditation techniques to get through the worst of the pain.

Buddhist monk Bhante Dam Phommasan lost part of his left leg after being struck by a car during last year’s 2,300-plus-mile “Walk for Peace” that inspired the nation.

After the love, hope and comfort Phommasan and his fellow monks brought people through their weekslong sojourn across the South, it feels good to know Georgia was able to help when he needed it.

• Phommasan, a native of Laos and abbot at a Buddhist temple in Snellville, was recently fitted with a prosthetic leg at Mercer University.
• Mercer is known for its “Mercer on a Mission” program, which develops low-cost, lightweight prosthetic limbs.
• Phommasan’s story of pain and loss is harrowing but shows how deeply he lives his philosophy of peace.

🔎 TODAY’S MUST-READ: How a chance encounter changed the monk’s story after his injury

WEEKEND SPOTLIGHT: NOW THAT’S WHAT I CALL MUSIC!

The Renaissance Orchestra strings section lead Annie Collins making beautiful music.

Atlanta’s Renaissance Orchestra is going viral on TikTok because, well, they’re awesome.

• The 28-piece ensemble fuses classical music with R&B, pop and rap hits.
• After their performances at Eddie’s Attic in Atlanta grabbed them nationwide attention last year, the group has played backup to rap greats Zaytoven and Boosie, headlined an Atlanta Hawks halftime show and performed for Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens.

If you’ve been wanting to hear them, now’s your chance: They’re playing the Buckhead Theatre tonight as one of the last stops on their first solo tour.

🎻 READ MORE: How this talented, genre-bending group got started

NEWS BITES

Braves outfielder Jurickson Profar is suspended for the whole 2026 season

That human chorionic gonadotropin (a performance-enhancing drug) will get you every time.

Industry insiders share etiquette tips for parents dining out with children

We have GOT to do something about the scourge of children asking for A.1. with their wagyu and snapping their fingers when they want the check. C’mon, parents.

AJC Critic’s Pick: Three fun new Atlanta watering holes with surprising depth

They’re why the word “vibey” was invented.

In an ‘always on’ culture, employees try ‘microshifting’ to reclaim personal lives

I love these little work trends; they make normal things like “putting in a load of laundry if you are privileged enough to have the time in the middle of your workday” sound so subversive.

ON THIS DATE

March 20, 1937

Spring comes at 6:45 p.m. today with sun in constellation Aries. Huzzas for spring were in order Saturday, a challenging thermometer and snow-clad fields notwithstanding. … Spring begins when the sun enters the constellation Aries, (astronomer) Charles C. Wylie explained.

Yes, today is also the first day of spring and the beginning of Aries season!

An equinox is when the Earth’s axis is perpendicular to the sun, resulting in nearly equal times of daylight and night. (In Latin, “equinox” means “equal night.”)

Lots of exciting stuff happening in the sky. Huzza if you must.

ONE MORE THING

Everyone remembers their moon phases, right?

🌑 new moon 🌒 waxing crescent (looks less than half-full) 🌓 quarter moon 🌔 waxing gibbous (looks more than half-full) 🌕 full moon 🌖 waning gibbous 🌗 last quarter moon 🌘 waning crescent.