With over 47 students competing for the title, Phalne Hammond claimed victory in the recent spelling bee at Sandy Springs Charter Middle School. Phalne correctly spelled the word “salinity” in order to win first place. Claudia Chu was second runner-up, and Delonte Harris came in third. Phalne forges ahead to compete in the Fulton County Bee on Feb. 2 at Ison Springs Elementary School. Debra Oxford, assistant principal, and Emily Payne, the language arts school contact, conducted the school bee in the media center.

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Cox Enterprises CEO Alex Taylor and AJC Publisher Andrew Morse were joined by AJC editors and Atlanta business react during the ribbon-cutting ceremony at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution in Midtown on Friday, January 24, 2025.
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Austin Walters died from an overdose in 2021 after taking a Xanax pill laced with fentanyl, his father said. A new law named after Austin and aimed at preventing deaths from fentanyl has resulted in its first convictions in Georgia, prosecutors said. (Family photo)

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