A.M. ATL: Horses lose lawsuit
Morning, y’all! Expect high temperatures in the low 60s (mmm, fall) before rain moves in tonight.
- While you were sleeping, People magazine named John Krasinski (Jim from “The Office,” among many other things) its new Sexiest Man Alive. Just, uh, in case you wanted to know.
Otherwise, today’s jam-packed newsletter offers the latest on the certification of last week’s election, a peek at the high school football playoffs and an interesting legal development for the man accused of killing Athens nursing student Laken Riley.
But first: a court ruling that went against an iconic (and wild) piece of coastal lore.
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NEIGH IT AIN’T SO
Ladies and gentlemen, I regret to inform you that the wild horses of Cumberland Island have lost.
In court.
Where they were suing for better treatment. And perhaps a new home.
But let me back up: Only a smattering of humans live on Cumberland, Georgia’s southernmost barrier island. But horses have been there since at least 1742, when the Spanish and English were still fighting over the coastline.
- They went fully feral sometime before the island became a national seashore in 1972.
Since then, animal advocates contend, neither the feds nor the state of Georgia have done a great job helping them survive.
They’re prone to encephalitis (that is, brain inflammation) and susceptible to parasites. There’s not much fresh water. They damage the homes of endangered species.
And they die sooner than they should.
Enter attorneys, a couple of nonprofits, an author and a Cumberland resident, who filed a federal lawsuit last year. It sought to make the horses themselves — all 125 to 175 of them — lead plaintiffs and force government agencies to act.
- In this case, “act” meant both taking better care of them and starting the gradual process of moving them off the island.
Now back to the ruling: As my colleague Bill Rankin reports, U.S. District Court Judge Sarah Geraghty did agree that the untamed equines could qualify as plaintiffs. But then she dismissed the suit, saying state and federal laws don’t give her the power to order the requested actions.
A “very disappointing decision,” one of the horses’ attorneys said.
But one with at least an ounce or two of optimism.
Geraghty wrote that she hopes the suit will spur the National Park Service to address the situation.
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IN THE JUDGE’S HANDS
Jose Ibarra, the man accused of killing Athens nursing student Laken Riley earlier this year, waived his right to a jury trial Tuesday.
- What’s that mean? There’s still a trial, and it’s scheduled to start Friday. But Superior Court Judge H. Patrick Haggard — not a jury — will listen to evidence and render a verdict.
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UNFIT FOR COURT
Meanwhile, in Fulton County: A judge deemed the man charged in last year’s deadly shooting at a Midtown medical building not competent to stand trial. For now.
- State officials will reevaluate Deion Patterson’s mental capacity at a later date.
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CERTIFIED FRESH
County boards across Georgia certified the results of last week’s election, meeting Tuesday’s deadline. Republicans didn’t question Donald Trump’s victory but continued calling for changes to state laws governing their access to documents.
- Ossoff pressuring Williams to step down as state party chair, officials say
- Torpy: Dems have lost the middle. And there’s not enough left to win
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A BIG HONKING DEAL
Electric vehicle startup Rivian and automotive giant Volkswagen finalized a $5.8 billion joint venture. The partnership potentially helps shore up Rivian’s finances as it attempts to revive plans for a massive factory east of Atlanta.
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BUYER BEWARE
Authorities in Middle Georgia arrested an Alpharetta man they say sold unsuspecting fans more than $1.3 million worth of fake tickets to the Masters Tournament, UGA football games and Taylor Swift concerts.
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GWINNETT IS GREAT?
As high school football playoffs approach, we can’t help but wonder: who might win a title in the state’s largest classification?
Carrollton and Super 11 quarterback Julian Lewis may be the favorites — but prep sports expert Todd Holcomb sees an all-Gwinnett County final in our future.
- Braves: Former Atlanta catcher Travis d’Arnaud agrees to a deal with the Angels.
- Bulldogs: Georgia dropped out of the latest College Football Playoff bracket, but columnist Michael Cunningham says the committee sent another message, too.
- Hawks: A Trae Young-less squad still managed to beat Boston 117-116 in the first game of the NBA’s weird in-season tournament.
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BURGERS AND BOOZE
Wahlburger’s is done at The Battery Atlanta. But Shake Shack is moving in early next year — and bringing the alcohol with it.
It’ll mark the burger joint’s first U.S. location with a full bar. Except for the Denver airport.
- What other places do you wish had a bar? I vote for those germ-infested indoor playground places. Sanitize your insides a bit.
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BOUNCING BACK
SweetWater 420 Fest plans to return in full force at Kirkwood’s Pullman Yards in April 2025, with headliners like Cypress Hill and Drive-by Truckers.
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MORE TO EXPLORE
» DeKalb mother charged with murder after child drowns in bathtub
» The STD epidemic has slowed dramatically in the U.S. but not in Georgia
» Former Kicks Atlanta host Deborah Richards dead at 62
» Enrollment rises at Georgia’s public universities
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ON THIS DATE
Nov. 13, 1988
After losing the presidential election, Democrats were left to wonder how to regroup and approach their quest for the White House the next time around.
Sound familiar?
Though back then it was, of course, fairly easy to say “maybe don’t put Michael Dukakis in a tank next time.”
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PHOTO OF THE DAY
AJC contributor Aaliyah Man caught Gene’s BBQ owners Avery Cottrell (left) and Matt Christensen showing off their “Biscoff Banana Pud-Pud.” We’ve got the recipe for the East Lake eatery’s reimagined Southern classic, too.
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ONE MORE THING
Just how much did the late Bernie Marcus, Arthur Blank and Home Depot alter the home improvement industry — and the retail business, writ large? The AJC’s Michael Kanell explains in his latest deep dive.
“They completely changed the game,” one academic type told 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.
About the Author
Tyler Estep hosts the AJC Win Column, Atlanta's new weekly destination for all things sports. He also shepherds the Sports Daily and Braves Report newsletters to your inbox.
