A.M. ATL: Planes, trains, cars and bikes

Morning, y’all! Each of us dreams of an ideal form of existence. For me, one would definitely be “worm driving a hollowed-out apple,” a la the iconic children’s author and illustrator Richard Scarry. Don’t worry, that thought is related to one of today’s stories. Kind of.

Let’s get to it.

OSSOFF TAKES ON GEORGIA’S HOUSING CRISIS

Credit: Jason Allen/AJC

Credit: Jason Allen/AJC

U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff wants to find out just how much Georgia housing is owned by corporate landlords and out-of-state companies and how the takeover is contributing to the state’s affordable housing crisis.

Announcing the launch of his investigation, Ossoff cited a 2023 Atlanta Journal-Constitution investigative series that looks at how investors and corporations price Georgia families out of homeownership by snapping up properties to use for profit. Here are the basics:

Wall Street investors and big companies often buy homes and properties for sale to either flip for a profit and sell again or rent out. This creates insurmountable competition for homebuyers and drives real estate prices up.
Several studies and inquiries, including the AJC investigation, found these landlords were more likely to charge unnecessary fees to tenants, were slow with repairs and other issues and were difficult for tenants to contact.
The AJC investigation (linked below, you should read) found investors purchased more than 65,000 single-family homes in 11 counties since 2012. Of these, 11 companies each owned more than 1,000 homes.

🔎 READ MORE from the AJC investigation: Why is Atlanta such a hot spot for corporate real estate investors?

A 2024 Georgia State study also found corporate landlords owned more than 19,000 homes in Atlanta that they control through a web of corporate aliases.
That’s where Ossoff’s investigation begins. He sent inquiries to four major real estate players to determine how far their corporate tentacles reach.

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NEW PLANE TRAIN AUTOMOBILES

Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC

Say it with me: Welcome aboard the Plane Train! Please hold on, this train is departing.

In a city full of trains, few are as beloved as Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport’s Plane Train. Enfold thyself in its metal bosom, weary travelers, and find rest. Soon, with new and upgraded cars!

The airport unveiled its first new Plane Train car in 15 years Wednesday.
The new fleet of cars is part of the Plane Train’s planned $370 million upgrade, which also includes a tunnel expansion.
The new cars will hit the tracks in 2026, but it will take two years to fully replace the fleet.
The fleet will also expand from 59 to 73 cars. Do they have names? They should have names.

RIVAL GANGS RESPONSIBLE FOR FOREST PARK SHOOTOUT

Credit: Johnny Crawford

Two rival gangs were at the center of a deadly shootout that killed two people during a Forest Park motorcycle gathering last month, police have revealed. The plot gets even thicker: One of the gangs is based in Philadelphia and may have been trying to establish a presence in the Atlanta group’s territory.

The two gangs are called “Outcast” and “Wheels of Soul.”
Outcast has been an Atlanta fixture for decades and was founded in Detroit in the 1960s.
Wheels of Soul, from Philly, calls itself the “largest mixed-race ‘outlaw’ motorcycle club in the United States,” according to FBI data.
The feud between the two gangs is a long-standing thing. Both were involved in a 2014 shooting in Alabama on the territory of a third motorcycle club, Showstoppers.
Two men belonging to Outcast have been charged in April’s Forest Park shooting. The two men who died reportedly belonged to Wheels of Soul.

MUST-KNOW POLITICS AND BUSINESS

🐘 Why did Gov. Brian Kemp pass on a bid for Senate despite his party’s optimism? To hear him say it, it’s simple: He wasn’t all-in on the idea.

⚕️ House Republicans may back off some (but not all) Medicaid cuts in their big tax breaks bill after a Congressional Budget Office report showed millions would lose their health care as a result.

💧 Georgia regulators fined the giant Hyundai factory outside Savannah for violating wastewater disposal rules. The $7.6 billion facility produces loads of wastewater, but the reclamation facility it plans to pump it all to is still under construction. For now, it’s going straight into Savannah’s sewer system.

🚙 Electric vehicle startup Rivian’s plans for a $5 billion factory in Georgia may be under threat from the Trump administration’s funding cuts, but the company says it isn’t worried. It’s more concerned with tariff threats and has lowered its projected production as a result.

‘ANTIQUES ROADSHOW’ COMES TO SAVANNAH

Credit: Justin Taylor/AJC

What hidden treasures can we uncover in Savannah? The iconic PBS TV series “Antiques Roadshow” filmed three episodes for its 2026 season in April at Savannah’s Georgia State Railroad Museum.

As you probably guessed, the event was a smash for Savannah locals. About 12,000 people applied for tickets to the event. Of those, 4,000 were invited to participate. Appraisers spent the daylong shoot examining whosits and whatsits galore.

About 140 items were remarkable enough to make it into the show, including, of all things, a very curious sheep statue.

NEWS BITES

A glossary of terms used in the Roman Catholic Church’s conclave

Challenge: Shoehorn these into everyday conversation. Extra omnes, I’m trying to work here!

The Kentucky Derby winner is not competing in the Preakness, raising some philosophical questions about the sport of horse racing

Horses aren’t great philosophers, so good luck with that.

How to not get a date, according to a dating expert

We know one way to get a date: “How did I know that? I read it in The Atlanta-Journal Constitution.” 😉

A prosecutor said two men who cut down a beloved tree in the UK committed the “arboreal equivalent of mindless thuggery”

“Far from being the big men they thought they were, everyone else thought that they were rather pathetic,” the lawyer said. GET EM.

ON THIS DATE

May 8, 1915

Credit: File photo

From the from page of The Atlanta Constitution: Destruction of the British liner Lusitania with the loss of many lives shocked officials of the United States government ... the view was general that the most serious situation confronted the American government since the outbreak of the war in Europe.

Another fascinating look at history as it happened. Obviously, we know now the sinking of the Lusitania was one of the early factors that brought the U.S. into World War I. Though, like a giant ocean liner, we were slow to turn. The U.S. didn’t enter the war for another two years.

ONE MORE THING

I’m still thinking about a quote from that great “Antiques Roadshow” piece. Apparently, one of the show’s New York-based star appraisers was very impressed with our Southern hospitality. Or, at least, our lack of outright hostility.

“People here are very nice,” Nicholas D. Lowry told the AJC. “When I tell them their family heirloom is worthless, they accept it with a smile and don’t yell at you.”

Good job, Savannah!

Thanks for reading to the very bottom of A.M. ATL. Questions, comments, ideas? Contact us at AMATL@ajc.com. Until next time.

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