A.M. ATL: Lock in

Morning, y’all! November is Native American Heritage Month, and we’ve collected a bunch of different opportunities in Atlanta to learn about, celebrate and uplift indigenous cultures.

Let’s get to it.

IT’S THE FINAL COUNTDOWN

Election Day is tomorrow, not that you were at any risk of forgetting.

In Fulton County, years of election conspiracies sown by President Donald Trump and his administration still linger over the midterms, but election workers say they’re focused on doing the work they always do.

Concerns about meddling

• As an act of transparency, Fulton County officials invited media to the same sprawling elections hub where FBI agents seized more than 650 boxes of ballots and other 2020 election records nine months ago.
• Some voters and experts say they’re still worried Trump or his supporters will try to interfere in Georgia election processes.
• Recent state GOP attempts to curb voting procedures in Fulton have been unsuccessful.

🔎 READ MORE: Audits, eligibility challenges and other details from Georgia’s elections history since 2020

Some elections experts told the AJC that, while they wouldn’t bet against Trump trying to sow doubt if Tuesday’s elections don’t go his way, they have faith our democratic institutions are strong and will stymy any significant meddling.

🔎 READ MORE: How Trump may affect Georgia’s election day, and how he already has

Planning to vote tomorrow?

• More than 2.8 million Georgians cast ballots during the early voting period, with a younger, more diverse electorate and stronger turnout in left-leaning areas fueling the record-breaking surge. Here’s what the numbers tell us.
• If you weren’t among that number, you’ll have to wait until tomorrow. Review our list of do’s and don’ts, along with other must-know info before you go.

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.

MUST-KNOW POLITICS AND BUSINESS

🌎 G20 leaders left this weekend’s Atlanta meetings without a consensus on key issues, but the city shone as a host to some of the world’s most influential leaders. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio called Atlanta “one of America’s great business and innovative hubs.”

• (Important to note the closing cultural enrichment for these powerful foreign dignitaries was ... the Georgia-Florida college football game at the Benz. Extremely American, extremely Southern. No notes.)

⚖️ Democrat David Dillie can stay on the ballot in his state House race after his godfather testified he mistakenly filed a Nevada ballot in Dillie’s name, a state judge said. The controversy sparked an investigation from Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger’s office and could have handed the election to Dillie’s Republican opponent.

⚡ Georgia Power named a new CEO as the utility embarks on huge expansion. Stan Connally, previously the chief operating officer of corporate parent Southern Co., will take over for Kim Greene. Greene will become the president of Southern Company Operations. Got it? There will be a test.

A HISTORIC MASS IN SAVANNAH

Native American Heritage Month is a good time to remember how often the history and perspectives of Indigenous people are lost in prevailing narratives.

This can be especially uncomfortable when the prevailing narrative holds its own special significance, but pondering such complexities strengthens our minds and our spirits. On we go.

A holy occasion

• More than 12,000 people attended a Catholic Mass and beatification ceremony this weekend in Savannah for a group 16th-century Spanish Franciscan friars known as the Georgia Martyrs.
• Beatification is a complex and profound act in the Roman Catholic Church that grants special distinction for deceased members of the faith. It’s also a step on the path to sainthood for a select few.
• This was the first beatification in the state of Georgia. Atlanta’s Archbishop called it the biggest event in history for the state’s Catholic community.

🔎 READ MORE: The scene at the Savannah service

What the Georgia Martyrs did

• The five missionaries were among countless others sent by the Spanish Empire during the period of Spanish colonization.
• Their job was to convert the indigenous Guale people to Catholicism. The task held spiritual import for the missionaries, but conversion was also a powerful political instrument of Spanish imperialism.
• All five men were killed in 1597 after opposing a baptized Guale leader taking a second wife.
• Their promotion of Catholicism and defense of Catholic marriage led them to be recognized within the Church as martyrs.

Indigenous leaders respond

• While the moment was meaningful for innumerable Catholic faithful, the Muscogee (Creek) Nation released a statement encouraging a wider cultural reading.

“ (W) e respect the Church’s desire to honor the lives and faith of the five Franciscan friars,” the statement reads in part.

“The events of 1597 occurred during a complex and often violent period of Spanish colonization, when Indigenous peoples struggled to preserve their sovereignty, cultural traditions and ways of life. While the killing of the friars was tragic, the history of the Guale people extends far beyond those events and deserves to be understood in its own right.”

🔎 READ MORE: The rest of the Muscogee Nation’s statement, plus a fascinating read on the history of Spanish missions in Georgia

BERT WEISS ON LIFE AFTER ‘THE BERT SHOW’

• It’s been a year since radio host Bert Weiss signed off his wildly popular program, “The Bert Show.”
• Now, nearing 60 and loving his new era, Weiss sat down with the AJC’s Rodney Ho about what led him to walk away from the mic, and how the radio industry changed his life.
• Before you feel sad about the above quote, Weiss had some thought-provoking words about authenticity and keeping up with the times:

“I was talking about things that didn’t interest me anymore,” he said, of trying to stay current. “I was aging out of the drama, which I know plays well on radio and social media.”

⭐ READ MORE: Weiss reveals the nitty-gritty of being a radio star

NEWS BITES

UGA wins yearly Georgia-Florida battle at Mercedes-Benz Stadium

“Win” is an understatement. It was like Chicken Soup for the Georgia Fan’s Soul.

The Falcons also played a football game, albeit a very rainy one

Or maybe it was mud wrestling. Either way, they lost.

The Atlanta Dream also dropped the WNBA title game to the Valkyries