Morning, y’all! We’re looking at the high 30s right now, but temperatures should approach 70 degrees later on.
Today is presidential primary day here in Georgia. We’ll also discuss the latest on child tragedies in Gwinnett and Athens, a pair of powerful new Porsches and Monica Pearson’s latest gig.
But first: a look at the Falcons’ bold move to bring a new quarterback to town.
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YOU LIKE THAT?
The Falcons agreed to terms with the top free agent on the market: quarterback Kirk Cousins. Is he a superstar? Nope. But he’s a veteran, pretty darn good — and, if healthy, would mark a dramatic improvement over last season’s Desmond Ridder-Taylor Heinicke interception spectacular.
Here’s the latest, with a hat-tip to the AJC’s inimitable Falcons beat reporter D. Orlando Ledbetter.
The contract: Per Cousins’ agent, the deal is for four years and $180 million. Of that, $100 million is guaranteed. There’s wiggle room for the Falcons to cut bait after two seasons if need be.
The pros: Cousins is a 12-year NFL veteran. He spent the last six seasons in Minnesota, where he was a three-time Pro Bowler and led the Vikings to two playoff appearances. His 18 touchdown passes were tied for most in the NFL when he tore his Achilles midway through last season.
The cons: Cousins will turn 36 years old before the season starts, and he’s still recovering from that Achilles injury. He’s just 1-3 all-time in playoff games.
The Atlanta connection: Cousins’ wife, Julie, was born and raised in Alpharetta and attended the University of Georgia.
What’s next: The signing becomes official Wednesday afternoon, at which time we’ll have a better idea of the contract structure and how active the Falcons can be in pursuing other free agents. But bringing in Cousins certainly suggests the team wants to field a playoff-worthy squad in 2024.
The Falcons could still take a quarterback-of-the-future in next month’s NFL Draft, though it’s now unlikely they’ll do so with their first-round pick.
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Keep scrolling for more news.
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PRIMARY DAY
Credit: Associated Press
Credit: Associated Press
Today’s the day Georgians can help Joe Biden and Donald Trump secure the presidential nominations of their respective parties. The candidates also hope to get a better sense of their support in what will be a general election swing state.
- Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. throughout the state.
- Check out mvp.sos.ga.gov for precinct information.
- Anyone can vote in either party’s primary.
- And don’t freak out: Georgia’s ballots list a whole bunch of candidates, including folks who have dropped out. That’s because they set the ballot awhile back.
Stay tuned to AJC.com for updates throughout the day.
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CHILD TRAGEDIES
Family members identified 4-year-old Abigail “Abby” Joy Hernandez as the girl who died after a driver hit her in a Mall of Georgia parking lot over the weekend. “Unimaginable is the only word I have to describe this,” her aunt said.
In Athens, Cedar Shoals High School bolstered security as authorities search for two former students accused in a 3-year-old boy’s shooting death.
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IMMIGRATION LAW
In the wake of nursing student Laken Riley’s death, the Georgia state House passed legislation allowing police to arrest anyone suspected of being in the country illegally and detain them for deportation. Latino advocates say it would lead to racial profiling and potentially dangerous repercussions for residents.
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VROOM VROOM
Credit: Courtesy photo
Credit: Courtesy photo
At its North American headquarters in Atlanta, Porsche unveiled new models of two electric vehicles that can produce more than 1,000 horsepower. That’s a lot.
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NATION AND WORLD
An aid ship carrying 200 tons of food gathered by World Food Kitchen, the charity of celebrity chef José Andrés, set sail for the Gaza coastline and is expected to arrive in two or three days.
» Israeli military says about 100 projectiles fired from Lebanon
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After months of delays, the Education Department started sending the federal data that colleges and universities need to put together financial aid offers for incoming students.
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MORE SPORTS
Credit: Jason Getz/AJC
Credit: Jason Getz/AJC
Quarterback Haynes King and the rest of the Georgia Tech football team kicked off spring practice Monday. “The expectation we have as coaches and that I have as the head coach, we’re not close to being there yet,” second-year coach Brent Key said. Check out more photos here.
- Braves: Reigning MVP Ronald Acuña Jr. started taking live batting practice as he bounces back from a knee injury.
- Hawks: Forward Saddiq Bey tore his ACL and is out for the season.
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ICON IN GREEN
The AJC’s own Monica Pearson will serve as grand marshal of Atlanta’s 140th St. Patrick’s Day parade. The parade kicks off at noon Saturday at the intersection of Peachtree and 15th streets.
» Catch up on “The Monica Pearson Show”
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GOOD EATS
- Opening next week in Chastain Park: Pendolino, an Italian-inspired restaurant from a former executive with Ford Fry’s restaurant group.
- Coming to the Lindbergh area: J’ouvert Caribbean Kitchen. Check out the menu!
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MORE TO EXPLORE
» DeKalb high school graduations moving indoors
» RICO defendant’s motion asks for halt to training center construction
» Al Pacino explains that odd Oscars announcement
» Atlanta manufacturer fined for employees’ cancer-chemical exposure
» Health care fraud trial set for John Oxendine
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ON THIS DATE
March 12, 1929
A pretty wild front-page photo showed Georgia Tech running back “Stumpy” Thomason watching as a (relatively small) “Rocky mountain bear” guzzled a soft drink. Thomason apparently deemed it wise to get in shape by engaging in “training bouts” with the 9-month-old bear.
Thankfully, he emerged unmaimed. He played pro football for seven years after leaving Atlanta.
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 the remnants of a MARTA bus that caught fire in southwest Atlanta. No passengers were on board.
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ONE MORE THING
Before we go, a quick reminder: Please don’t get health advice from TikTok. Experts say that “mystery illness” everyone’s talking about over there is ... you know, the flu or something.
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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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