Morning, y’all, and welcome back. Expect a few morning showers and high temperatures in the mid-80s.
Today’s newsletter offers the latest on Donald Trump’s newest court obligation, two chefs up for a big award and UGA baseball, which is one win from the College World Series. Plus: Flamingos spotted on the Georgia coast!
But first: A fresh twist in the battle between Atlanta and its transit agency.
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MORE MARTA DRAMA
Credit: Jason Getz/AJC
Credit: Jason Getz/AJC
MARTA’s plan to redevelop the Five Points rail station — and restrict some access to it for years while doing so — already was unpopular. Now it’s at the heart of a battle involving Atlanta’s mayor, the transit agency and millions of dollars in purportedly misplaced funds.
As the AJC’s David Wickert reports, Mayor Andre Dickens is urging MARTA’s CEO to delay the Five Points project, which largely would shut down pedestrian and bus access to the key station until 2028. But why?
- According to the city, the preliminary findings of an audit examining MARTA’s Atlanta-based spending found the transit agency’s “More MARTA” fund may be about $70 million short.
- “More MARTA” is the Atlanta expansion program that’s funded by city sales taxes.
- The audit’s initial findings suggest unspecified “errors” shorted the city about $10 million in 2022. Another $59.9 million or so may have been allocated elsewhere between 2017 and 2021.
City Council President Doug Shipman said the findings “are in line with the questions that I and other council members raised more than a year ago.” Those questions emerged in March 2023, after MARTA announced a slimmed-down list of priorities in the city (which includes the Five Points redo).
At the time, MARTA CEO Collie Greenwood said “the idea of spreading that peanut butter too thin and getting a little done in every area was not serving anyone.”
City officials immediately suggested there should, in fact, be plenty of peanut butter to go around, with the “More MARTA” sales tax figuring to bring in $2.7 billion over its lifetime.
And while the full audit isn’t expected until next month, the initial findings seem to back them up.
- Dickens now wants MARTA to hold off on launching Five Points construction “until we are in receipt of the final report and engage in subsequent discussions together to determine the best possible path forward.”
MARTA said it would comment on the situation later today. Stay tuned — and find more AJC coverage of the issues below.
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TOP CHEFS
Credit: Courtesy photo/Bailey Garrot
Credit: Courtesy photo/Bailey Garrot
The prestigious James Beard Restaurant and Chef Awards take place tonight. Will Rod Lassiter and Parnass Savang of Summerhill’s Talat Market beat out the other finalists for Best Chef: Southeast?
- A win would give Atlanta two in a row, with the popular Thai eatery following in the footsteps of Terry Koval from Decatur’s The Deer and The Dove.
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MORE TOP STORIES
» The convicted Jan. 6 rioter running for a southwest Georgia congressional seat stormed off the stage during a debate with his GOP runoff opponent.
» A 40-year-old Marietta man drowned in Allatoona Lake after falling off a tube.
» Authorities believe a Fort Valley police sergeant shot and killed a man in DeKalb County before fleeing the scene and taking his own life.
» Atlanta police say illegal street racing is seeing another resurgence. The department made six arrests over the weekend.
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WAIT ... FLAMINGOS?!
Credit: Stock image
Credit: Stock image
Folks recently spotted wild flamingos in Georgia for the first time ever. The birds, which typically reside in the Caribbean and further south, appeared on Little St. Simons Island and near Savannah.
- “It’s something I didn’t expect to see,” said Scott Coleman, Little St. Simons’ ecological manager.
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NATION AND WORLD
» Former President Donald Trump is scheduled to be interviewed by New York probation officials today. It’s a required step ahead of the July sentencing in his hush money case.
» An Israeli military operation rescued four hostages from a refugee camp — and left at least 274 Palestinians dead. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken returns to the region today as a cease-fire deal hangs in the balance.
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WIN OR GO HOME
Credit: Jason Getz / Jason.Getz@ajc.com
Credit: Jason Getz / Jason.Getz@ajc.com
After an embarrassing loss in Saturday’s super regional opener, Georgia baseball rebounded to beat NC State 11-2 on Sunday. That means the winner of today’s Game 3 (7 p.m. on ESPN) heads to the College World Series — and the loser goes home empty-handed.
More sports highlights:
- Top Braves pitching prospect Hurston Waldrep made his big league debut in front of his cancer-battling mom. The game didn’t go his way, with an 8-5 defeat marking another series loss to the Nationals.
- The Falcons start a mandatory minicamp today. The AJC’s D. Orlando Ledbetter offers five things to look out for.
- Atlanta-owned race horse Dornoch won Saturday’s Belmont Stakes in a major upset.
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BANANA BALL HITS BOSTON
The AJC’s Adam Van Brimmer went to Boston to chronicle the Savannah Bananas’ sold-out game at historic Fenway Park.
“I don’t know what to compare them to,” one fan told him, “but they sure are fun.”
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IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
» Atlanta drinking water system suffered as city spent billions on sewers
» Young Thug trial: State witness held in contempt, taken into custody
» ‘Good Day Atlanta’ anchor Sharon Lawson takes Fox 5 buyout
» Biden appoints Emory doctor to National Cancer Advisory Board
» Cobb poised to join Gwinnett with transit expansion vote
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ON THIS DATE
June 10, 1914
Amid a blazing heat wave, Atlanta’s city park board reiterated a rule banning sleeveless bathing suits — for boys and men! — at Piedmont Park. No bare biceps, gentlemen.
Just as interesting: This related to bathing in the lake at Piedmont Park, which is where folks cooled off until a pool opened in the 1970s.
Credit: File photo
Credit: File photo
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PHOTO OF THE DAY
Credit: Ryan Fleisher for the AJC
Credit: Ryan Fleisher for the AJC
AJC contributor Ryan Fleisher captured Mick Jagger belting out the hits during the Rolling Stones’ weekend stop at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Consider reviewer Dan Klepal impressed.
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ONE MORE THING
Meanwhile: Atlanta’s own TLC charmed the audience at Stockbridge Amphitheater over the weekend, celebrating the 30th anniversary of their “CrazySexyCool” album.
The AJC’s Leon Stafford loved it, but offered one note to the artists: “The Stockbridge Amphitheater audience skews a little older, and when it’s after 10 p.m., there is not a lot of interest in filler.”
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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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