Morning, y’all! The rain’s gone and temperatures in the mid-80s are moving in.
Today’s newsletter offers the latest on campus clashes across the country and a disturbing urban-rural divide in preventable deaths. Plus a significant marijuana proposal, a very large catfish and bad news for Braves fans who use Comcast.
But first: our city on screen and page.
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THE ATLANTA WAY
Credit: Courtesy of Netflix
Credit: Courtesy of Netflix
The book that set Atlanta on fire is now a Jeff Daniels-starring Netflix series.
“A Man in Full,” adapted from Tom Wolfe’s lengthy 1998 novel of the same name, starts streaming tomorrow. Daniels and his attempt at a Southern accent play Charlie Croker, the protagonist Atlanta power broker facing a financial downfall.
“It was a chance to play a larger than life character,” Daniels told the AJC’s Rodney Ho. “You don’t get those a lot.”
- Watch the trailer (which is very much for grown-ups!) here.
But I also want take a look back at the hysteria that ensued around these parts when the original novel dropped — and discuss which local real estate moguls likely helped inspire the brash and broken Croker character.
When word emerged Wolfe was releasing a book set in Atlanta, those in power got a little antsy. The Washington Post’s advanced review called Wolfe “a new Sherman” for his unflattering depiction of the city’s racial, social and political structures. Mayor Bill Campbell balked at the not-so-subtle insinuations about the “Atlanta way.” The Buckhead Coalition reportedly banned him from speaking.
- “I’ve always loved courtesy in the South,” Wolfe said after the book’s release. “Even when it takes the form of hypocrisy. I can stand insults, so long as they’re couched in courteous terms.”
Plenty of powerful folks did embrace the attention. Everyday folks, too.
- The AJC started a (mostly tongue-in-cheek) “Wolfe Watch” column, tracking the author’s activities in the city.
- At one book signing, something like 1,000 folks waited up to three hours to meet him.
Part of the thrill that accompanies seeing your city on the page is, of course, trying to suss out which real-life figures might’ve inspired the characters.
And Atlanta offered plenty of likely candidates.
The Croker character is a former Georgia Tech football hero with a bum knee, a membership at the Piedmont Driving Club and a penchant for Old South ways. Quail hunting and horses and the like.
- Real estate developers Kim King and Taz Anderson fit the Yellow Jacket requirement (though Anderson pointed out that he had two bad knees).
- Folks like Tom Cousins and John Portman (who, like Croker, once ran far afoul of his creditors) mirrored other aspects.
Then there’s Charlie Loudermilk. The founder of Aaron Rents, he played for Georgia Tech and blew out his knee. He was a member at the driving club and (like Cousins) owned a quail farm in south Georgia.
The AJC paid a visit shortly after the book’s release. Loudermilk quickly pointed out another similarity with the fictional Croker: “I have a ‘trophy wife’ who is 39 years younger than me.”
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CAMPUS CHECK-IN
Credit: Hyosub Shin/AJC
Credit: Hyosub Shin/AJC
Hundreds of New York City police officers entered Columbia University’s campus late Tuesday, aggressively clearing a building occupied by protesters. In California, pro-Palestinian and pro-Israeli groups clashed at UCLA.
Things stayed calmer in Georgia.
- As small groups gathered again on UGA’s campus, university system Chancellor Sonny Perdue told the AJC he thinks Athens authorities have handled things appropriately.
- At Emory, a group of faith leaders held a news conference to decry the local police response. University officials later announced the arrest of a North Carolina man accused of bringing weapons onto campus.
The protests and responses are dividing Georgia Democrats, the AJC’s Greg Bluestein reports.
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MORE TOP STORIES
» The right-wing conspiracy theory website Gateway Pundit filed for bankruptcy as it tries to fend off a defamation lawsuit filed by former Fulton County election workers Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss.
» Walmart is closing its health centers nationwide. That includes 17 in Georgia.
» Plans for infill MARTA stations at locations across Atlanta spurred both anticipation and anxiety among residents.
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URBAN-RURAL DIVIDE
Credit: Stephen B. Morton for the AJC
Credit: Stephen B. Morton for the AJC
A CDC study found that rural Georgia residents die earlier from preventable deaths than their urban counterparts. The causes of such deaths range from heart disease and stroke to “unintentional injuries,” which includes drug overdoses.
- Likely at play, according to the experts: structural problems like lack of doctors, health insurance and broadband internet service.
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TRUMP ON TRIAL
The judge in Donald Trump’s New York hush money trial found that the former president violated his gag order nine times. The judge ordered Trump to pay $9,000 in fines.
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POT TWIST
The DEA plans to move to reclassify marijuana as a less dangerous drug. That would mark an enormous shift in policy but stop short of legalizing the drug all together.
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BRAVES BROADCAST DRAMA
The Braves’ 3-2 loss to the Mariners marked the first time they’ve dropped back-to-back games this season.
- Bigger news for a large swath of fans: Thanks to failed contract negotiations with parent company Diamond Sports Group, local Bally Sports channels are no longer available on Comcast. That means no Braves games.
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A MODIFIED ‘MOCKINGBIRD’
Credit: Courtesy photo / Julieta Cervantes
Credit: Courtesy photo / Julieta Cervantes
Aaron Sorkin’s version of “To Kill a Mockingbird” comes to the Fox Theatre next week for a six-night run.
Expect to see Atticus Finch taken “off the pedestal” and Black characters — including Tom Robinson, played by Morehouse College grad Yaegel T. Welch — exhibiting “a little more agency.”
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VISIT THE PYRAMIDS
A new virtual reality experience exploring Egyptian pyramids set up shop at the Illuminarium building, not far from the Beltline and Historic Fourth Ward Park. The AJC’s Rodney Ho tried it out and says it’s “educational and truly immersive.”
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MORE TO EXPLORE
» 11-year-old killed in shooting at Paulding home
» Georgia Supreme Court overturns road rage murder conviction
» Keisha Lance Bottoms joins crypto firm as an advisor
» Lakeside High student charged with vehicular homicide
» Appeals court affirms conviction of former Clayton Sheriff Victor Hill
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ON THIS DATE
May 1, 1992
As the nation continued to react to the verdict acquitting Los Angeles policemen in the videotaped beating of Rodney King, police ringed the Atlanta University Center and the Georgia National Guard stood waiting.
The city saw looting and riots downtown, including at the Macy’s department store on Peachtree Street. Check out AJC archive photos here.
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 captured workers cleaning up the last of the energy drinks that spilled all over Fulton Industrial Boulevard near I-20 Tuesday when a tractor-trailer overturned.
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ONE MORE THING
Before we go: This guy caught an 80-pound catfish on Lake Sinclair, which is apparently a record. The photo does not disappoint.
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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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