A.M. ATL: Ronald Acuña, elections and the week ahead
Morning, y’all! Welcome back. There’s a chance of rain this morning, with temperatures eventually climbing into the low 70s.
Today’s newsletter gets you ready for the week ahead with a look at the build-up to Georgia’s presidential primary, Ronald Acuña’s injured knee and a potential cease-fire in Gaza, plus the latest on a police shooting at Six Flags Over Georgia. Also: someone won $1 million on a Powerball ticket purchased at a Stockbridge convenience store.
Let’s get to it.
***
THE WEEK AHEAD
Lots going on this week, locally and across the globe. Let’s take a look at three stories to watch, shall we?
Super Tuesday and politics aplenty: Voters in 16 states head to the polls for their respective presidential primaries on Super Tuesday. The results could go a long way toward sealing the nominations of President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump — but keep an eye on the Supreme Court, which could rule as early as today on a Colorado case that threatens to kick Trump off the ballot in several states for his efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss.
Georgia, meanwhile, gets its primary opportunity March 12, making this the final week for advance voting. Biden is expected to make a campaign stop in Georgia on Saturday, two days after his state of the union address. It’s not yet clear if or when Trump will come to town.
- On top of all that, it’s candidate qualifying week for the U.S. House and the state Legislature. With shifting lines and Democratic incumbents paired against each other, the first qualifying period since the state’s contentious redistricting fight could offer plenty of drama.
Ronald Acuña Jr.’s knee: The reigning MVP left a Braves spring training game last week with knee soreness. A subsequent MRI showed “irritation in the right meniscus.”
That leads us to today, when Acuña is scheduled to be evaluated by another doctor in Los Angeles. Braves officials said that, as things currently exist, they expect the star right fielder to be ready to go for the team’s March 28 season opener — but the new tests could certainly change things.
Acuña tore the ACL in that same knee in 2021, ending his season.
- Stay tuned to AJC.com and follow reporter Justin Toscano (@JustinCToscano) for the latest on Acuna and all your spring training news. And sign up for the daily Braves Report newsletter here.
Cease-fire progress: Internationally, talks about a six-week cease-fire and hostage release in Gaza are ramping up. Israel says it’s agreed to a framework and Vice President Kamala Harris is set to meet with a member of the Israeli war cabinet today.
Representatives from the Hamas militant group were in Egypt for discussions. The goal is to get the cease-fire in place by the start of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which begins a week from today.
- The United Nations says at least one-quarter of Gaza’s population is at risk of starvation. The death toll recently eclipsed 30,000 people, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.
Not signed up yet? What’re you waiting for? Get A.M. ATL in your inbox each weekday morning.
Keep scrolling for more news.
***
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Judge Scott McAfee said late Friday he hopes to rule on efforts to disqualify Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis from the 2020 election interference case within the next two weeks.
***
MORE TOP STORIES
- The GBI says a 15-year-old is in critical condition after Cobb County police shot him outside Six Flags Over Georgia. Officers reportedly responded to the park after a large “unruly crowd” triggered chaos inside.
- Microsoft paid $6 million for land to expand its data center in southern Fulton County. The announcement comes shortly after Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens pressured the tech giant to make a decision on its halted plans for a separate campus on the Westside.
- A proposal to remove automatic voter registration stalled in the General Assembly last week. But many other election-related bills are moving forward.
***
LEARNING IS EARNING
Atlanta Public Schools is driving to double enrollment in its adult education classes, with an eye toward improving the performance of younger students, too. “Our families have a better chance of getting out of poverty” if both parents’ and students’ needs are met, one official told the AJC.
***
SPORTS HIGHLIGHTS
- High school hoops: State championship games are set for Thursday and Friday. Take a quick look at the match-ups.
- RIP, Mort: Chris Mortensen, a longtime NFL reporter for ESPN who formerly worked at the AJC, died at age 72.
- College hoops: Iowa star Caitlin Clark became the all-time NCAA Division I scoring leader, breaking the late Pete Maravich’s 54-year-old record. (Fun fact: Maravich played for the Atlanta Hawks in the early 70s.)
- College baseball: An eight-run comeback gave Georgia an 11-9 win and a sweep of its weekend series with rival Georgia Tech.
***
MAR(CH) YOUR CALENDARS
This month is full of activities worth planning for, including the Atlanta St. Patrick’s Day Parade, the Georgia Food and Wine Festival and Brookhaven’s Cherry Blossom Festival.
» Savannah on parade: A guide to 200th anniversary of St. Patrick’s celebration
***
MORE TO EXPLORE
» Wrecking ball or second life for a Savannah landmark?
» Former leader of Atlanta FBI office dead at 62
» Crews leveled an Atlanta homeless camp. Here’s what happened to residents
» In wake of killing, Latino students at UGA call out racism and xenophobia
» Georgia House punts on Okefenokee bills as mining fight rages on
***
ON THIS DATE
March 4, 1986
The folks over in Madison — one of the few east Georgia towns spared during Sherman’s March to the Sea — found themselves in an uproar because of another unwanted arrival: Hardee’s. A proposal to tear down a handful of old (but not antebellum) houses to build a fast food franchise sent city residents scrambling.
“We don’t want anyone else finishing off what Sherman didn’t do,” one resident said.
***
PHOTO OF THE DAY
AJC contributor Ben Gray captured 4-year-old Esther Oratz posing for a caricature at the Atlanta Jewish Life Festival, held over the weekend at the Georgia Aquarium.
***
ONE MORE THING
Before we go: About halfway through spring training, new Braves pitcher Chris Sale offered his tongue-in-cheek assessment of Atlanta fans: “Just don’t suck and they’ll like it.” Fair enough!
***
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.
