Morning, y’all! TGI-finally-F. The forecast calls for scattered showers and storms throughout the day and most of the weekend.
Today’s newsletter touches base with a survivor of last year’s Midtown shooting spree, offers details on Kirby Smart’s big new contract and shares a few ideas for weekend festivities. Plus: The many next steps for Atlanta radio legend Frank Ski.
But first, it’s off to the races.
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GIDDY UP
Credit: Courtesy photo
Credit: Courtesy photo
For casual Kentucky Derby observers, the day typically goes something like this: Tune in shortly before it starts. Pick a horse with a cool name and halfway decent odds. Root your little heart out for two minutes.
And that’s fine!
But Atlantans will have something more to pull for when this year’s Derby kicks off shortly before 7 p.m. Saturday — not one but two locally owned equines.
“I hope I don’t have a heart attack,” Larry Connolly told the AJC.
Connolly and his pal, Keith Mason, co-founded West Paces Racing LLC a few years back. They found winners in Dornoch and Society Man, who will try to fend off 18 other thoroughbreds for the most prestigious title in horse racing.
- Oddsmakers give Dornoch (named for a golf course in Scotland) a 20-1 chance of emerging victorious. At least one expert picked him to win, perhaps because he’s the brother of last year’s Derby champion.
- Society Man’s name is apparently a reference to President Lyndon B. Johnson, who once dubbed Georgia Gov. Carl Sanders as much. At 50-1, the equine version is among the field’s longest shots.
Connolly and Mason couldn’t be more excited. While we’re watching NBC’s broadcast, they’ll be at Churchill Downs with their families — hoping for the ultimate prize, but relishing the moment either way.
“This is the 150th anniversary of the derby,” Mason said. “Somehow, I think history is looking down on us.”
Looking for somewhere to take it all in? Try Hartley Kitchen & Cocktails at the Kimpton Shane Hotel (1340 W. Peachtree St. NW, Atlanta), The Southern Gentleman (3035 Peachtree Road NE, Atlanta) or Taffer’s Tavern (33 S. Main St., Alpharetta). More details (and mint julep recipes) right here.
The city of Duluth is also hosting a family-friendly party. And AJC reporter Ernie Suggs has the lowdown on Alpha Derby, a fashion-forward gathering that raises money for local charities.
Not signed up yet? What’re you waiting for? Get A.M. ATL in your inbox each weekday morning.
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A SOMBER ANNIVERSARY
Credit: Family photos
Credit: Family photos
Today marks one year since a gunman went on a shooting spree in Midtown, killing one woman and wounding four more inside a medical building. Survivor Alesha Hollinger is on a mission.
“People are killing each other and there’s no reason for it and it needs to stop,” Hollinger told the AJC.
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MORE TOP STORIES
» Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens made some key changes to his cabinet, including new leaders for Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport and the perpetually problematic watershed department.
» A federal judge sentenced Locust Grove resident Jack Wade Whitton to more than four years in prison for assaulting police officers with a metal crutch during the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.
» Electric vehicle maker Rivian — which recently paused its plans for a massive Georgia plant — scored an incentives package worth more than $800 million to expand production in Illinois.
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MIDDLE EAST AMBIVALENCE?
Credit: Matt Kempner/AJC
Credit: Matt Kempner/AJC
As campus protests over Israel’s war in Gaza march on, the AJC’s Matt Kempner spoke to a few dozen University of Georgia students. Plenty had trouble taking sides.
“I can’t control it,” one undergrad said. “The only thing I can control in my life is these finals.”
- Israel and Hamas, meanwhile, appear to be seriously negotiating an end to their war. A leaked truce proposal hints at concessions for both sides.
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TRUMP ON TRIAL
As testimony in Donald Trump’s New York hush money trial continues, the judge is weighing whether the former president violated his gag order four more times.
» Fani Willis’ reelection campaign not focused on Trump
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MEDAL OF FREEDOM
Among the 19 new recipients of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor: Clarence B. Jones, attorney and speech writer for Martin Luther King Jr.
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BACK ON TOP
Credit: Jason Getz/AJC
Credit: Jason Getz/AJC
Georgia made Kirby Smart the country’s highest paid college football coach yet again, bumping his annual salary up to $13 million and adding two years to his already lengthy contract.
The university also extended the contract of athletic director Josh Brooks. It now runs through June 2030.
More sports highlights:
- The Braves start their series with the rival Dodgers tonight in L.A. During Comcast’s carriage dispute with Bally Sports South. AJC.com will offer video recaps after each game. Stay tuned!
- Why did the Falcons draft quarterback Michael Penix Jr.? Here’s a look at what Atlanta’s scouts saw.
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NEXT CHAPTER(S)
Radio legend Frank Ski chatted with the AJC about his new ambient concept album, helping kids interested in the environment and a potential return to Atlanta airwaves. He’s writing a book, too.
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WEEKEND FUN
There’s lots going on this weekend, including “Fiesta de Mayo” at the Battery Atlanta, a children’s book festival in Decatur and beer at Oakland Cemetery. Music festival Shaky Knees starts today, too.
- If you’re into...nerdier things, Saturday is May the Fourth. That means Star Wars activities ranging from a themed drag brunch to a special event at the Children’s Museum of Atlanta.
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MORE TO EXPLORE
» Quavo-backed Midtown restaurant opens tomorrow
» Byron Allen’s media company cuts staff at The Weather Channel, TheGrio
» Former Fulton inmate sues county, sheriff’s office over stabbing
» Report: Financial gaps between Black and white Atlantans still growing
» DeKalb CEO touts successes in final state of the county address
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ON THIS DATE
May 3, 2001
Two venerable Georgia congressmen — U.S. Rep. John Lewis and Sen. Max Cleland — introduced legislation to create a National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, D.C.
It took two years for the measure to gain approval and another 13 before the museum opened its doors. About 1.6 million people now visit each year.
Credit: File photo
Credit: File photo
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PHOTO OF THE DAY
Credit: Natrice Miller/AJC
Credit: Natrice Miller/AJC
AJC photographer Natrice Miller captured Georgia State University student Jayden Smith soaking in her recent graduation ceremony. More photos here.
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ONE MORE THING
Before we go: AJC reporter Kelly Yamanouchi takes us inside Hartsfield-Jackson’s Gate Gourmet kitchen, where chefs are upping their game and diversifying in-flight meals. “It cannot just always be the short rib,” one official said.
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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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