Morning, y’all! A happy Monday to everyone except stores that already have Christmas merchandise on display. It is too hot for that.
Let’s get to it.
COBB TEACHERS INVESTIGATED FOR WALKING OUT OF DIVISIVE SPEECH
About 200 teachers in the Cobb County school system were questioned last week over whether they walked out of a shocking speech made by Superintendent Chris Ragsdale.
- At a back-to-school kickoff event for staff in July, Ragsdale equated people who oppose book banning to people who support human trafficking, drawing an incoherent line between books found in libraries and child predation:
“Every two minutes, a child is sold into trafficking in the United States of America. Let that sink in. Now, folks, the sexually inappropriate materials we remove from this school district have one intended action. To condition kids at a young age to accept this whole deal around trafficking is normal some way, shape or form. And either you agree with protecting kids or you don’t. There’s no politics involved.”
- Jeff Hubbard, the president of the Cobb County Association of Educators, called the speech “chilling” and said several teachers walked out to collect themselves.
The district is investigating the teachers
- The district reviewed security tapes from the speech to identify teachers who walked out.
- Teachers were asked two questions: Why they walked out of the superintendent’s speech, and who gave them permission. (Unasked: Why they needed permission to walk out of a speech.)
- Hubbard says they could be accused of insubordination or unprofessionalism.
- The incident comes among lingering tensions from President Donald Trump’s recent visit to Wheel High School. That event was organized to promote Trump Accounts, but ended up bearing many hallmarks to a political rally.
🔎 READ MORE: More about the investigation
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WARNOCK BLASTS DATA CENTER DEAL
Open AI's approach to this whole project has been anything but open. It's been closed. How do you bring a multibillion dollar site to a community and not have a single community hearing?"
U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock criticized Effingham County officials and OpenAI, which recently announced a $20 billion data center there, calling for a moratorium on similar projects in Georgia unless Big Tech companies and developers can promise specific economic and environmental protections for residents. More here.
MUST-KNOW POLITICS AND BUSINESS
💰 The city of Atlanta secured up to $50 million in philanthropic funding for Mayor Andre Dickens’ Neighborhood Reinvestment Initiative. This is the project we discussed Friday, the funding for which has divided the Atlanta City Council and other local leaderships.
💬 U.S. Rep. Mike Collins is once again having to answer for the company he keeps. A new report reveals the Republican U.S. Senate nominee’s former fundraising consultant posted Ku Klux Klan and Nazi imagery, including a picture of himself wearing a KKK robe. This is in addition to online activity from Collins’ son-in-law, who praised Hitler, posted racist and hate-filled remarks, and is now arguing that women should not have the right to vote.
⛽ Georgians have spent an extra $1.4 billion on gasoline since the start of the Iran war, according to new analysis. Fellow pickup truck drivers who cringe at the pump as the dollar amount flips to three digits, I feel your pain.
🪖 Georgia veterans in state nursing care are living in inadequate and hazardous conditions, and Gov. Brian Kemp must do something about it, argues four-star Gen. Robert Magnus (ret.), former assistant commandant of the U.S. Marine Corps.
TYLER PERRY LAUNCHES NEW DIVISION FOR UPSTART FILMMAKERS
For the past two decades, Tyler Perry Studios’ bread and butter has been bringing films written and directed by its namesake mogul to life. Now, the studio is expanding its focus by investing in the next generation of filmmaking talent.
The production studio has launched a new specialty division dedicated to developing and producing projects from independent filmmakers, while also helping them secure distribution and reach audiences.
- Dubbed Maxscene, the Atlanta-based division will be led by Antoinetta Stallings, the head of development and acquisitions at TPS.
- Its first projects will include a romantic comedy, coming-of-age story and thriller.
- Titles and cast details will be announced in the coming months, according to a press release.
The new arm of the studio was named in honor of Perry’s late mother, Maxine. In a statement, Perry said she believed in him “before anyone else did, and that belief is the reason I never stopped chasing this path.”
“Maxscene exists to be that same source of belief for the next generation of storytellers,” Perry said.
🔎 READ MORE: This is the latest initiative under Perry’s belt to support upstart filmmakers.
LOVE AND RAINBOWS
DanceOut Atlanta, a queer group for country and line dancing, celebrated the late, great Dolly Parton over the weekend. AJC reporter Olivia Wakim has a lovely write-up about all the ways Atlanta’s LGBTQ+ communities are honoring an all-time icon.
NEWS BITES
Tua starts at QB and Falcons beat Dolphins in final preseason game
Phew, OK. No one broke themselves during the preseason. Now it’s time for regular season fretting.
Fairgoers delight in the classic Tilt-A-Whirl ride as it turns 100
Tilt-A-Whirl: Leading cause of regurgitated funnel cake since 1926.
Talk to a tree or the wind instead. They’re likely to give you a more human answer.
ON THIS DATE
Aug. 31, 1984
Racing waiter. Luis Mora, a Waverly Hotel waiter, jumps an obstacle in his race to the finish line during the Hotel Sales Management Association waiters race to benefit the Muscular Dystrophy Association. Grand prize is a round trip for two on a Delta domestic flight.
Yes, that’s a tray of beverages in his hand. (Want a closer look at the front page? Click or tap the image to bring it to the forefront, and you should be able to zoom in and out. Let me know how it goes.)
ONE MORE THING
Fellow cosplaying Dragon Con attendees, it’s go time. Only a few more days! We’ll have more on Dragon Con later this week.
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Until next time.