A.M. ATL: 🍎 A candidate for the social studies teachers

Morning, y’all! Temperatures creep back into the mid-90s this afternoon. Yay.

Today’s newsletter offers the latest on Tropical Storm Debby, the results of a state elections board meeting and a first look at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta’s new hospital. Plus: the Savannah Bananas … on TV!

But first, a very specific subset of people weighs in on the Democratic nominee for vice president.

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EDUCATED GUEST

People talk a ton about identity politics.

Black folks appealing to Black folks. Women appealing to women. Twenty-somethings appealing to Leonardo DiCaprio.

Good, bad? I don’t know (except for Leo, that’s icky).

But I’ll tell you one thing: Local social studies teachers? They can identify with Tim Walz.

Yep. Kamala Harris’ pick for a Democratic running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, used to teach social studies.

At a public school, no less!

“I haven’t done a lot of research on him but when I saw that he was a former teacher and coach I thought ‘Ahh, finally somebody may really get it,’” former Georgia teacher of the year Ernie Lee II said.

He spoke to Ty Tagami, my irreplaceable AJC colleague, for his latest story.

She suspects that historical perspective grants Walz an extra dose of empathy.

To be clear: None of these folks weighed in electorally, exactly. Politics are politics. We shan’t discuss that now or here.

But appreciation for a fellow classroom veteran? Count on it.

More coverage from the AJC:

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JUST ROLLING THROUGH

Credit: Miguel Martinez/AJC

Credit: Miguel Martinez/AJC

Debby completed its tour through coastal Georgia, dumping 10 inches of rain in some places. Some threats, like falling trees, still linger.

But things could’ve been much worse. As one local put it: “We dodged a bullet.”

» More AJC coverage: Dispatches from South Georgia and the coast

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STILL SUSPENDED

Six University of Georgia students barred from campus for participating in April protests over the Israel-Hamas war will remain suspended through the fall semester.

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COMPELLING THE WITNESS

The judge in rapper Young Thug’s Fulton County trial ordered key witness Kenneth Copeland to start over with his testimony — or go to jail.

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CARING FOR KIDS

The AJC got a sneak peek inside Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta’s new Arthur M. Blank Pediatric Hospital, which is set to open next month near I-85 and North Druid Hills Road.

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A LEADER LOST

Friends and colleagues continue mourning Georgia Aquarium CEO Brian Davis, who died suddenly this week.

“We are heartbroken by this news,” said Steve Koonin, chairman of the aquarium’s board. “Brian was a giant in leadership with his intellect, wisdom, and imagination.”

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A BIG FAN

Credit: Jason Getz/AJC

Credit: Jason Getz/AJC

Bryce Elder struggled on the mound as the Braves lost 10-0 to the Brewers, marking their second straight shutout loss.

But at least Big Boi threw out the first pitch (see above) and people got Outkast bobbleheads?

More sports highlights:

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LIVIN’ THE DREAM

Leah Rudick, the comedian that does those “Wealthy Woman” videos on TikTok, comes to City Winery Atlanta for two shows later this week.

“All my dreams are coming true, as sappy as that sounds,” she told the AJC.

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THAT’S THE SPIRIT

Popular Athens brewery Creature Comforts is conspiring to cook up something new: liquor. Permits to add a distillery to its downtown taproom are pending.

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MORE TO EXPLORE

» Atlanta special education audit reveals need for monitoring, training

» Microsoft fires back in response to Delta’s legal threats

» NCR Voyix selling banking biz for $2.45 billion

» Atlanta hits absentee property owners with blight tax

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ON THIS DATE

Aug. 7, 1957

Fired up after the death of a swan, Mrs. Roy H. Petree embarked on a one-woman crusade to care for the animals at the Grant Park zoo.

Petree, a florist by day, regularly took “100 to 300 pounds of foodstuffs” out to Zoo Atlanta’s predecessor. She had the manager at her beck and call, too.

“I’d been mad for a long time about how animals and birds were treated out there,” she told the Atlanta Constitution. “When I heard that lovely swan died, it was just the last straw.”

Credit: File photo

Credit: File photo

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PHOTO OF THE DAY

Credit: Ziyu Julian Zhu/AJC

Credit: Ziyu Julian Zhu/AJC

AJC photographer Ziyu Julian Zhu captured Autumn Nelon (center) singing during a Tuesday funeral in Carroll County. Three members of her family, all who performed in the Georgia-based gospel group known as the Nelons, died in a recent plane crash.

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ONE MORE THING

Don’t miss reporter Matt Kempner’s look at the quiet final years of William Calley, the U.S. Army lieutenant at the center of the Vietnam War’s My Lai Massacre. He spent decades out of the public eye in Columbus and Midtown Atlanta.

“He made it very clear that was a different part of his life, and he was not going to relive it,” according to one person who knew him.

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Thanks for reading to the very bottom of A.M. ATL. Questions, comments, ideas? Contact me at tyler.estep@ajc.com.

Until next time.