Morning, y’all! Apparently, April 15 is World Art Day. I’m normally not one for an extraneous holiday, but I am one to celebrate the arts. I challenge you to put down your phone — after you read this entire newsletter — and make or admire some art today. It’s good for the soul.
Let’s get to it.
RECORDING IN PROGRESS
If you’re in Dunwoody and suddenly get the sense that you’re being watched, it’s probably because you are. A surveillance system from Flock Safety is in the city to stay.
- Dunwoody was an early adopter of the Atlanta-based company’s expansive network of hundreds of cameras and AI-enabled license plate readers.
- Supporters say regular access to that network has transformed how law enforcement agencies solve crimes.
- But opponents say the risks outweigh the benefits: Some Georgia law enforcement officers have used the technology for nefarious purposes, like stalking. And depending on the share settings, ICE could access the cameras for immigration enforcement — even if Dunwoody doesn’t share directly with the agency.
Despite the pushback, Dunwoody’s mayor said the city never considered ending its relationship with Flock. Leaders hope an amended contract will soothe critics.
🔎 READ MORE: Are we being watched? Dunwoody approves controversial Flock contract.
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TUITION HIKE
The University System of Georgia voted yesterday to raise tuition for the 2026-2027 school year.
- The good news: Tuition for in-state undergraduate students is only going up by 1% at the state’s 25 public colleges and universities.
- The flat-rate tuition will top $5,300 at Georgia Tech. At UGA, it will be $5,067.
- USG blamed rising operational costs and a cut to state funding. This is the fourth tuition hike in 10 years.
Students can expect to pay between $500 and $800 in fees on top of tuition at the state’s largest schools.
🔎 READ MORE: Regents raise tuition for all public Georgia colleges
MUST-KNOW POLITICS AND BUSINESS
💰 Democratic U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff shattered a Georgia fundraising record by raising more than $14 million over the first three months of the year. Almost all of the donations were $100 or less. Ossoff enters the spring with $31 million cash on hand in one of the nation’s most closely watched Senate races.
🥪 Georgia will participate in a federal summer meal program for kids after saying “no thanks” for two years. An estimated 1.1 million families in Georgia will be eligible for $120 per kid in the summer of 2027 to help pay for groceries. More than half of the state’s students qualify for free or reduced-price meals during the school year.
✈️ ATL is the world’s busiest airport, again. In 2025, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport counted 106.3 million passengers. That’s down from 2024, but no other airport in the world topped 100 million passengers, according to preliminary data from Airports Council International World.
⚖️ The High Museum of Art’s ex-COO pleaded not guilty to misappropriating $600,000 in funds. He is accused of using the money as his own “personal slush fund,” including to buy luxury guitars, personal music lessons and woodworking equipment.
A HOLE NEW WORLD
Wouldn’t it be nice if that 4-acre hole in the ground in Midtown wasn’t just a hole in the ground? Perhaps instead, a beautiful park? The Midtown Alliance is working to make that dream a reality.
- The organization bought the hole at 98 14th St. for $46 million, after several other planned developments fell through.
- Now the plan is to turn it into a public park, featuring a central performance space, an “art walk” between 14th and 15th streets and botanical balconies.
- Mayor Andre Dickens called it a bold move, but we can’t say exactly how bold: The group wouldn’t give an estimated budget.
🔎 READ MORE: This 4-acre hole in Midtown will become Atlanta’s newest park. Take a look.
NEWS BITES
Why these Atlantans are spending big bucks on luxury fitness memberships
Time to sweat in style.
Kirby Smart fires back at Steve Smith’s criticism of Georgia: ‘Do your homework’
Enough said.
Powerball is going international in an effort to build larger jackpots
Your odds stay the same, though.
ON THIS DATE
April 15, 1912
With 1300 souls on board, liner Titanic hits iceberg and is reported sinking. The new White Star liner Titanic is reported in advices received here late tonight to have struck an iceberg. … The last signals from the Titanic were heard by the Virginian at 12:27 o’clock a.m. The wireless operator on the Virginian says these signals were blurred and ended abruptly. … The Titanic carried about 1,300 passengers of whom 350 were in the first cabin. Among those are … Major Archibald Butt, military aide to President Taft (and Augusta native).
The story was later updated with more information.
ONE MORE THING
If you need something new to watch today after work (during work?), I humbly suggest our new original YouTube series, “Curiosities of the South.” The first episode is all about the demise of a strange, Stonehenge-like monument in South Georgia.
▶️ WATCH: We found out what happened to the Georgia Guidestones
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
Cassidy Alexander covers Georgia education issues for the AJC. She previously covered education for The Daytona Beach News-Journal, and was named Florida's Outstanding New Journalist of the Year.
