Morning, y’all! Temperatures sit in the mid- to upper 40s this morning — but things will only warm up a few degrees throughout the day.
- Atlanta police say they’re investigating an officer-involved shooting that shut down southbound lanes of I-75 overnight. Stay tuned to AJC.com for updates.
Otherwise, we’ve got the latest on the parents accused of helping fuel a teen’s fatal crash, a frightening MARTA mishap and a new spot for Italian beef. Kelly Loeffler’s potential gig in the second Trump administration, too.
But first: Christmas trees!
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WHERE THE TREES AT?
Credit: Hyosub Shin/AJC
Credit: Hyosub Shin/AJC
Still need to head out and hunt for that perfect live Christmas tree?
- Bad news: It’s less than three weeks ‘til Santa time, man! Get on it!
- Good news: You shouldn’t have trouble finding a fantastic fir.
Various factors have driven shortages in previous years, but that’s (somewhat surprisingly) not the case in 2024.
As the AJC’s Taylor Croft reports, metro Atlanta’s home to plenty of pick-your-own tree farms. Otherwise, though, many Christmas evergreens come from western North Carolina — which, of course, got hammered by Hurricane Helene back in September.
- But fear not! While washed out roads kept some farmers from accessing parts of their would-be harvest, the trees largely escaped unscathed.
That’s a relief for folks like Matt Bowman, who grows trees in North Carolina and sells them at lots across Atlanta. Same goes for 82-year-old Lee Culpepper, who picked up a nine-footer at one of those lots in Chamblee on Wednesday.
“There’s more vibrancy in things that are alive,” she said.
A valid point (though my allergies would say that’s exactly the problem).
Bowman, meanwhile, said early sales are booming — as is often the case after a presidential election.
- “Whatever side you’re on, you’re ready to not think about politics,” Bowman said. “You just want to kind of move forward and celebrate the holidays.”
Just don’t tell anyone the Bidens have an 18 1/2-foot Fraser fir from North Carolina at the White House.
Now that your tree anxiety is assuaged, how about finding something to slide under that bad boy? We’ve got ideas below — and make sure to check out the rest of our guide to the holidays, too!
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‘EGREGIOUS DISREGARD’
Credit: Henri Hollis/AJC
Credit: Henri Hollis/AJC
DeKalb County District Attorney Sherry Boston announced Wednesday the indictment of a teen driver behind the wheel during a crash that killed her Lakeside High School classmate — and, in an unusual twist, charges against the parents of another passenger, too.
Sumanth and Anindita Rao stand accused of allowing all three teens to drink wine in their home before they hit the road.
- “As a prosecutor and a mother of two teenage daughters, I have never seen a more egregious disregard for the safety and well-being of young people as I have in this case,” Boston said.
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TRAIN TROUBLES
An incident initially described as a “mechanical issue” closed down the King Memorial MARTA station for hours Wednesday, forcing riders to take a “bus bridge” between Georgia State and Candler Park.
- The specifics are a little more unsettling: According to MARTA, a westbound train derailed after a set of wheels “lost contact with the rail.”
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TRUMP CHECK-IN
Attorneys for Donald Trump formally asked the Georgia Court of Appeals to dismiss his charges in the Fulton County election interference case, deeming the soon-to-be-sitting president “completely immune from indictment or any criminal process.”
- Trump later tapped Georgia’s Kelly Loeffler to lead the Small Business Administration.
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PROSECUTORS PANNED
Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
The AJC spoke to a juror from the “Young Slime Life” trial. He was … unimpressed by the case presented by Fulton County prosecutors.
“Everything to me was a torn up picture they were trying to tape back together,” he said. “You try to make it whole, but you are missing some pieces.”
- Meanwhile: Another YSL defendant not involved in the first trial entered a guilty plea Wednesday.
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MINDING OUR BUSINESS
» Atlanta’s inspector general says Mayor Andre Dickens’ administration gave a city vendor an “unfair advantage” during the contract bidding process. Dickens’ office called the assertion “misguided and baseless.”
» Fulton County’s development authority reversed course, approving a $2.9 million tax break for a student housing project that’s already well under construction.
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TALENT EVERYWHERE
Credit: Jason Getz/AJC
Credit: Jason Getz/AJC
College football’s early signing period for recruits started Wednesday, and Georgia’s on pace to pull in the top class in the country — and land more in-state prospects than it ever has under head coach Kirby Smart.
A resurgent Georgia Tech ain’t doing too shabby on the recruiting trail either.
- High school football: Norcross’ Keith Maloof, Gwinnett County’s all-time winningest coach, announced his retirement.
- Hawks: Atlanta 119, Milwaukee 104. That’s five straight wins.
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GOOD EATS
The first Georgia location of Portillo’s, famed purveyor of Chicago-style street food, is coming soon to Kennesaw. And a brand new food hall is already open in Roswell.
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MORE TO EXPLORE
» DOJ, critics say new Fulton jail not among solutions to inmate death crisis
» Atlanta’s Black-owned beauty brands seek stability and community
» Kim Zolciak, Kroy Biermann avoid home foreclosure yet again
» Man jailed in religious sect slaying charged with killing homeless Ga. man
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ON THIS DATE
Dec. 5, 1982
Legendary UGA running back (and less successful politician) Herschel Walker won the Heisman Trophy, college football’s most prestigious award.
No one from Georgia (the university) has won it since, but two natives of Georgia (the state) have: Charlie Ward and Cam Newton. As we discussed yesterday, Colorado star and Collins Hill High School grad Travis Hunter looks likely to add to the latter list this season.
Credit: File photo
Credit: File photo
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PHOTO OF THE DAY
Credit: John Spink/AJC
Credit: John Spink/AJC
AJC photographer John Spink caught Rut Flores bundled up against the cold as she opened R&R Produce at the Atlanta State Farmers Market this week.
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ONE MORE THING
President Jimmy Carter’s still alive, a few months after turning 100 and almost a year after entering hospice care. On the AJC’s “Politically Georgia” podcast, grandson Jason summed things up like this:
“On a more personal level, I just think he’s stubborn. I mean, he’s never given up on anything in his life and he’s not going to start now.”
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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.
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