A.M. ATL: Chicken business

Morning, y’all! We’ve had a fair bit of rain the last few weeks, which is great news for the thirsty Georgia soil. Farmers are tending healthy crops, and water managers are beginning to breathe a sigh of relief after the critical drought earlier this year. We’re heading into the hottest and driest part of the year, though, so the state’s water management gurus are still hard at work prepping for any setbacks.

Let’s get to it.

FEDS: DRONE-FLYING PRISON SMUGGLERS USED OLD DAYCARE AS STOREHOUSE

Not sure what questions you could have that aren’t answered by this totally normal headline. It’s pretty self-explanatory.

• An alleged smuggling ring said to have airdropped drugs, cigarettes, cellphones, weapons and other contraband into 10 federal prisons in the South and Mid-Atlantic was based right here in Macon. This is not the notoriety we strive for.
• Federal officials say the operation was based at a former daycare center that some of the accused dubbed “the Lab.”
• Almost all of the 12 people arrested in connection with the operation had some tie to Macon.
• The alleged scope of the operation is jaw-dropping: In at least 38 instances, the ring flew six large-payload drones to deliver contraband to federal lockups in Atlanta and Jesup, and at prisons in Alabama, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia.

READ MORE: ‘Drone drops’ are a growing problem for prisons

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CHICK-FIL-A, WITHOUT THE CHICKEN

Chick-fil-A is expanding its business reach, and its new venture has nothing to do with chickens, cows or food at all. Want to take a guess? Let’s take a cow break.

• The Georgia-based chicken chain is expanding into home services.
• Red Wagon Ventures, a subsidiary of Chick-fil-A that serves to incubate and invest in businesses, quietly launched Acrew Home Professionals in metro Atlanta late last year.
• Acrew offers professional handyman services.
• Red Wagon’s VP says the new venture offers the “same hospitality-first approach” as Chick-fil-A’s restaurant empire.

READ MORE: Chick-fil-A has expanded beyond food before

THE AJC WANTS TO HEAR FROM YOU

Here’s a message from the AJC’s incredible investigations team. They’re working on something new, and you may be able to help them.

The AJC is looking into how Georgia’s daycare system is serving families and if it meets their needs. We want to understand the challenges daycares face, and what it’s like to work in the sector.

We are looking to speak to parents, daycare workers, directors and former employees who can share their experiences. Some of the topics we are reporting on include staffing, safety, quality, inspections, affordability and access to reliable childcare for families across the state.

If you’re interested in speaking with someone, go here to learn more and fill out the form.

MUST-KNOW POLITICS AND BUSINESS

Georgia’s special legislative session may be over, but there’s a possibility legislators may have to reconvene once again. Gov. Brian Kemp could call them back later this year for another special session to talk redistricting, especially if Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms wins the governor’s race in November.

Rick Jackson won the GOP governor’s nomination in dramatic, multimillion-dollar fashion. Now he faces another challenge: Winning over Republicans who don’t know what to make of his outsider status and blistering ad hominem campaign against establishment GOP figure Lt. Gov. Burt Jones.

Experts say the Warner-Paramount merger will threaten more CNN and Turner jobs in Atlanta. More layoffs are likely, and the cuts will shrink a strong media pipeline that has made Atlanta a hub for homegrown media talent. But, at least Paramount will save $6 billion in “corporatewide efficiencies.” Whew!

MORE BAD NEWS FOR GA HOCKEY HOPES

Let’s get ready to grummmmmble!

• For a while, Georgia business leaders and hockey fans maintained a tenuous hope that, through big spending, shiny new arenas and a can-do attitude, the state could attract an NHL expansion team to fill the puck-shaped hole in our hearts.
• The hope has dwindled over the years, and now it appears its last embers have faded into smoke.
• The NHL, that faithless object of our ardor, announced it’s formally exploring expansion in Houston and Austin.
• NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman didn’t rule out an eventual bid from Atlanta. He was pretty wishy-washy about it, though, saying Atlanta’s two bids weren’t “quite as far along in the process” as the Texas ones.

READ MORE: Why columnist Ken Sugiura thinks there’s something else afoot

NEWS BITES

AI is helping gas stations collude to raise California fuel prices, lawsuit says

Guess AI really can do anything.

What’s the 2026 song of the summer? Some predictions

There’s a larger conversation here about how streaming and algorithmic listening shoves us all into our own little listening silos, disintegrating the shared music experiences that make “songs of the summer” possible. It’s not very catchy, though.

Agility Robotics bets $2.5B on staffing warehouses with humanoids

I’ll take “things you read in the news at the beginning of a disaster movie” for $200.

Charlie Brown’s longtime pen pal is finally revealed in new Apple TV ‘Peanuts’ movie