Morning, y’all! It’s the last full day of spring and temperatures may not even reach 90 degrees, which is nice.
- It’s also Juneteenth, the state and federal holiday commemorating the last enslaved people in the U.S. learning they were free. More on that momentarily — but keep in mind that many government offices, banks and post offices are closed.
- And in a sad bit of national news: Beloved baseball legend Willie Mays has died at age 93.
Otherwise, today’s newsletter introduces you to the man tapped to lead Atlanta Public Schools, another local school district banning cellphones and the newest members of the Falcons’ Ring of Honor. Plus: Monica Pearson chats with Atlanta’s favorite can-crushing exotic dancer.
But first, let’s count those ballots.
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RUNOFF RUNDOWN
Credit: Hyosub Shin/AJC
Credit: Hyosub Shin/AJC
Yet another election day is over — and this one brought a few surprises.
Here are a few highlights from a day of runoffs, but make sure to check out the full list, too. And remember: All results are considered unofficial and incomplete until certified at a later date.
ON THE CONGRESSIONAL FRONT, convicted Jan. 6 rioter Chuck Hand lost the 2nd District GOP nomination to Wayne Johnson (who will have an uphill general election battle against longtime Democratic U.S. Rep. Sanford Bishop.)
- Longtime Donald Trump adviser Brian Jack bested former state Senate leader Mike Dugan for the GOP nod in west Georgia’s 3rd Congressional District.
IN THE STATE LEGISLATURE, Randal Mangham, Kenya Wicks and RaShaun Kemp won Democratic runoffs in the districts formerly held by longtime Atlanta-area legislators Gloria Butler, Valencia Seay and Horacena Tate, respectively.
- Democrat Arlene Beckles beat Sonia Lopez to replace longtime Gwinnett County Rep. Pedro Marin.
Credit: Hyosub Shin/AJC
Credit: Hyosub Shin/AJC
FOR THE LOCAL STUFF, we’ll break things down by county.
- Clayton: Sitting Sheriff Levon Allen held off Jeff Turner to keep his job. Alieka Anderson appears set as the next county commission chair.
- DeKalb: Lorraine Cochran-Johnson easily beat Larry Johnson to become the county’s next CEO.
- Fulton: Challenger Mo Ivory ousted controversial incumbent Natalie Hall for the District 4 commission seat.
- Gwinnett: Challenger Rachel Stone finished ahead of incumbent school board member Karen Watkins by an incredibly slim margin.
- Rockdale: JaNice VanNess, a longtime Republican running as a Democrat, appeared to oust incumbent Oz Nesbitt Sr. in the runoff for county commission chair.
Again: There’s lots more over at AJC.com, where our politics, education and local government teams will offer updates throughout the day.
Now on to November!
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ANOTHER NEW LEADER
Credit: Bita Honarvar for the AJC
Credit: Bita Honarvar for the AJC
In non-election news, Atlanta’s school board tapped Bryan Johnson as the sole finalist for the district’s next superintendent. It’s been nearly a year since APS had a permanent leader.
- Johnson previously led the school district in Chattanooga, Tennessee. He’s currently the executive vice chancellor and chief strategy officer at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.
- Learn more about him (and his plans!) in this Q&A.
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BAG ‘EM UP, KIDS
Marietta City Schools, meanwhile, moved forward with a new policy banning cellphones and smartwatches for middle schoolers. Come August, students will put such devices in a magnetic pouch at the start of the day.
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FREEDOM DAY
Credit: Natrice Miller/AJC
Credit: Natrice Miller/AJC
Vice President Kamala Harris’ latest visit to Atlanta included a trip to rapper Quavo’s anti-gun violence summit — and a Juneteenth block party with hundreds of guests.
The AJC’s coverage of today’s holiday also includes:
- Columnist Nedra Rhone urging folks to celebrate those who fought for freedom.
- And a South Cobb community honoring former enslaved people.
Plus there’s a don’t-miss episode of the “Politically Georgia” podcast, featuring UATL’s Mike Jordan in conversation with Black Atlantans: Does Georgia live up to Juneteenth’s promise of freedom?
Listen to an excerpt here and tune into AJC.com at 10 a.m. to stream live.
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CRIME NOTES
» An Alabama man pleaded guilty to threatening Fulton District Attorney Fani Willis and Sheriff Patrick Labat over the county’s investigation into Donald Trump.
» Another victim in last month’s shooting at Buckhead nightclub Elleven45 filed a lawsuit. That makes four.
» Young Thug attorney Brian Steel accused Fulton County Judge Ural Glanville of joining the “prosecutors’ team” and asked for a mistrial.
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FALCONS LEGENDS
Credit: AJC file photo
Credit: AJC file photo
The Falcons will induct former quarterback Matt Ryan and owner Arthur Blank into the team’s ring of honor this fall.
Blank’s ceremony is set for the Sept. 22 game against the Chiefs. Ryan’s comes Oct. 3 against the Buccaneers.
More sports highlights:
- More strong pitching from Spencer Schwellenbach + RBIs from Ozzie Albies and Marcell Ozuna = a 2-1 Braves win over the Tigers.
- Atlanta United travels to D.C. United tonight (7:30 p.m. on Apple TV). The Five Stripes are now halfway through their season — and things could certainly be going better!
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BLONDIE MEETS MONICA
Credit: AJC staff
Credit: AJC staff
Anita Rae Strange — better known as Blondie, the Clermont Lounge’s most infamous exotic dancer — joined “The Monica Pearson Show” this week. She talked about her life motto, her three-hour prayer routine and her poetry.
- And, uh, for what it’s worth: Blondie doesn’t dance on a pole anymore but figures she “could still work it.”
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MORE TO EXPLORE
» Postal Service woes are years in the making, Georgia lawmakers seek fix
» Pamela Stephenson, former state lawmaker and Grady CEO, dies at 73
» Court of Appeals hears arguments in Atlanta training center cases
» Food giant Cargill to hire 400 tech workers at new Atlanta office
» Treasury secretary to visit Atlanta, launch plan to curb fentanyl trafficking
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ON THIS DATE
June 19, 1990
Atlanta’s Alliance Theatre tapped a young Kenny Leon as its next artistic director.
Some 34 years later, the Clark Atlanta University alum is an acclaimed director and producer on Broadway and television, with one Tony Award and many more nominations to his name.
Credit: File photo
Credit: File photo
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PHOTO OF THE DAY
Credit: Jason Getz/AJC
Credit: Jason Getz/AJC
AJC photographer Jason Getz captured Justyna Zabinski (left), a diabetes educator at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, talking with 11-year-old patient Elizabeth Thomas.
Zabinski is one of six former CHOA diabetes patients who now work there. Read more here.
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ONE MORE THING
Say hi to Anthony “Spark Plug” Thomas, the Fayette County man on a decades-long quest to eliminate roadside litter: “If I can do something to make something more beautiful, then why not?”
Amen, brother.
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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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