Morning, y’all! I’m back! We’ll warm up to around 78 degrees today.
News wise, we’ve got the latest on presidential campaigns in Georgia, a campus shooting and proof that your kids should do their homework. Plus: The Falcons fall flat and the financial fallout from UGA’s big win over Texas.
But first, shock and despair at Sapelo Island.
***
WOE ON THE WATER
Hundreds of people ventured to Sapelo Island on Saturday, for an annual event honoring the culture of the Gullah Geechee people — descendants of Black slaves who’ve long called the Georgia coast home.
But the event ended in horror, when the gangway to the ferry that helps carry visitors to and from the island collapsed. A total of seven people, including a chaplain, died. All were between 73 and 93 years old.
The scene, as told to AJC reporters by several survivors and witnesses, was pure chaos.
- “Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. It looked fairly new … and nothing felt wobbly or anything like that. It collapsing never ever would have crossed my mind,” said Rachel Taylor, visiting from Buford.
- “Then, from one moment to the next, it was like you were in a different world … It was like being on a water slide,” said Teaka Zuidema, a photographer from Savannah.
Marsha Armstrong said she and her fiance “heard a click and then we were down in the water.”
- “Everybody was fighting the water. I sprained every muscle in my body trying to fight that water to stay afloat, and God sent an angel.”
Maurice Bailey rushed from his nearby home to help.
- “The aftermath was controlled chaos,” he said. “Everybody who was able to help, helped. Our training kicked in.”
Armstrong again: “It was like we were in a movie. I never thought this would happen to us.”
- “There were so many bodies” on the shore, she said.
It remains unclear what, exactly, led to the collapse.
Many more visitors than usual showed up that day. But officials say the dock and gangway were replaced in 2021 and should’ve been strong enough to withstand the extra pressure.
On the other hand, Georgia DNR Commissioner Walter Rabon said he wasn’t aware of any structural inspections taking place after a series of recent storms that produced strong surf conditions.
An investigation is underway.
Read more about Sapelo Island’s history (and controversy) here. And stay tuned to AJC.com for updates as we learn more.
***
THE WEEK AHEAD
Credit: Mitch Martin/Atlanta United
Credit: Mitch Martin/Atlanta United
✅ Today: The second week of early voting in November’s election begins. So does hunt-deer-with-guns season.
️⚽️ Tuesday: Atlanta United visits Montreal for a one-game showdown in the MLS Playoffs (7:30 p.m. on Apple TV). The state Supreme Court hears a case involving Young Thug attorney Brian Steel.
- Plus: Join the Politically Georgia road tour in Atlanta for a special taping featuring guests like U.S. Rep. Lucy McBath and Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger!
🏀 Wednesday: The Hawks host the Nets to open their new season (7:30 on Bally Sports Southeast). Ca-caw!
🎸 Thursday: Country star Sturgill Simpson plays Gas South Arena in Duluth.
📬 Friday: The last day to request an absentee ballot (but given our mail issues, maybe consider a different option if possible!).
***
PRESIDENTIAL PULPIT
Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris capped her star-studded Atlanta weekend with an appearance at New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in Stonecrest.
She told worshippers she grew up in church and learned of a “loving God who asks us to speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, and to defend the rights of the poor and the needy.”
- Republican nominee Donald Trump continues the churchy trend Wednesday, when he joins Georgia Lt. Gov. Burt Jones in Zebulon for a “Believers and Ballots Faith Town Hall.”
» From columnist Bill Torpy: MAGA and State Election Board schemes put on ice, for now
***
HOMECOMING HAVOC
Police say homecoming weekend gunfire at Albany State University left an Atlanta teenager dead and five more people wounded. The football team played Morehouse College earlier in the day.
***
LOOK FOR THE HELPERS
Credit: Miguel Martinez-Jimenez/AJC
Credit: Miguel Martinez-Jimenez/AJC
Whenever disaster strikes, there’s always someone — or lots of someones — helping. Take the aftermath of last month’s Hurricane Helene, when dozens of volunteer pilots from Georgia delivered much needed supplies to the hardest-hit areas.
- “There’s a whole other area, always, after any storm, that’s affected that people really don’t know about,” one volunteer told the AJC. “We really try to reach out to very local communities.”
***
SORRY, KIDS
AJC education columnist Maureen Downey has some bad news: A new study suggests that doing your homework does, in fact, pay off. There’s a bright side, though!
» More schools coverage: Students build skills, confidence in construction class
***
DON’T LOOK!
Credit: Miguel Martinez-Jimenez/AJC
Credit: Miguel Martinez-Jimenez/AJC
Penalties, turnovers and a toothless pass rush doomed the Falcons in Sunday’s 34-14 home loss to the Seahawks. Head coach Raheem Morris said the team “did not come out with the energy that was required to win a football game.”
But at least Michael Penix looked good in his (brief) regular season debut?
- Georgia football, meanwhile, moved up to No. 2 in the AP poll following Saturday’s adventurous win against top-ranked Texas. And the Longhorns received a whopping $250,000 fine for that whole “throwing stuff on the field” situation.
***
GOOD EATS
This week’s roundup of restaurant news includes Agave Bandido opening in Dunwoody, a new Thai spot in Buckhead and nationwide delivery for local pizza favorite Bocado.
***
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
» The Municipal Market in Atlanta celebrates 100th birthday
» Georgia sheriff dies in office at age 92
» Georgia children put in foster care because of homelessness
» Agency floats expanding Okefenokee refuge into mining area
***
ON THIS DATE
Oct. 21, 1928
Georgia Tech football beat Notre Dame — and two people died in the frenzy.
The Atlanta Journal reported that one man got “caught in the crush of a mob” wedging its way into Grant Field. Another collapsed while leaving in a similarly claustrophobic crowd.
Credit: File photo
Credit: File photo
***
PHOTO OF THE DAY
Credit: Hyosub Shin/AJC
Credit: Hyosub Shin/AJC
Georgia Tech did not beat Notre Dame this time around, but AJC photographer Hyosub Shin caught a fan having fun with mascot Buzz anyway.
***
ONE MORE THING
The weather looks absolutely fantastic all week. Go for a walk or three!
***
Thanks for reading to the very bottom of A.M. ATL. Questions, comments, ideas? Contact me at tyler.estep@ajc.com.
Until next time.
