PHOTOS: AJC Photos of the Month -- March

Photo Galleries

The end of Georgia's legislative session, high school state basketball championships, Easter sunrise service, St. Patrick's Day, the removal of the iconic CNN sign, the Hawks and Atlanta United are just some of the events covered by AJC photo staff and freelancers.

An young Savannah Bananas fan hits a home run during pregame ceremony event before first of three-game series at Coolray Field, Saturday, March 23, 2024, in Lawrenceville. The Savannah Bananas’ visit is their first to the Atlanta area since their founding in 2016. The team is based in their namesake Georgia city and plays 30-plus games a year at Historic Grayson Stadium, a century-old ballpark on Savannah’s eastside. (Hyosub Shin / Hyosub.Shin@ajc.com)

State representatives throw paper in the air to celebrate the end of the legislative session at the House of Representatives in the Capitol in Atlanta on Sine Die, Thursday, March 28, 2024. (Arvin Temkar / arvin.temkar@ajc.com)

(L-R) Patient Peter Brown and engagement coordinator Jennifer Heffron laugh as Alana Shepherd, founder of Shepherd Center, speaks during a patient dinner at the Shepherd Center in Atlanta on Tuesday, March 12, 2024. (Arvin Temkar / arvin.temkar@ajc.com)

Georgia Tech running back Dontae Smith leaps during Georgia Tech Pro Day at Georgia Tech football's indoor practice facility, Friday, March 15, 2024, in Atlanta. (Hyosub Shin / Hyosub.Shin@ajc.com)

Party Animals and Savannah Bananas players dance battle during pregame events before first of three-game series at Coolray Field, Saturday, March 23, 2024, in Lawrenceville. The Savannah Bananas’ visit is their first to the Atlanta area since their founding in 2016. The team is based in their namesake Georgia city and plays 30-plus games a year at Historic Grayson Stadium, a century-old ballpark on Savannah’s eastside. (Hyosub Shin / Hyosub.Shin@ajc.com)

Katuri, who has been in the shelter since December 2022, enjoys playing outside with volunteers on Thursday, March 21, 2024, in one of the patios at the Dekalb County Animal Shelter. After being free for a court case, she is now being put up for adoption.
Miguel Martinez /miguel.martinezjimenez@ajc.com

Mayor Andre Dickens, the 61st mayor of Atlanta, waves to the guest as he enters for the 2024 State of the City Business Address on Monday, March 25, 2024, at the Woodruff Arts Center in Atlanta. Miguel Martinez /miguel.martinezjimenez@ajc.com

Georgia House Speaker Jon Burns, R-Newington, speaks to media on Wednesday, March 13, 2024, after Gov. Brian Kemp signed a law letting a commission to discipline and remove prosecutors begin operating. (Arvin Temkar / arvin.temkar@ajc.com)

Trans rights activists hug following a Senate vote on HB 1170, which would ban puberty-delaying medications, at the Capitol in Atlanta on Thursday, March 28, 2024. The Legislature banned hormone therapy for trans kids last year. (Arvin Temkar / arvin.temkar@ajc.com)

A sign celebrating Sine Die is seen in the lieutenant governor’s office at the Capitol in Atlanta on the last day of the legislative session, Thursday, March 28, 2024. (Arvin Temkar / arvin.temkar@ajc.com)

State Rep. Lehman Franklin, R-Statesboro, throws a paper plane as the evening wraps up at the House of Representatives in the Capitol in Atlanta on Sine Die, the last day of the legislative session, Thursday, March 28, 2024. (Arvin Temkar / arvin.temkar@ajc.com)

The demand for gas has increased for people heading for spring vacations, and Metro Atlanta has started seeing prices rise. Gas prices typically rise in the spring thanks to both ends of the supply-demand equation. Monday, March 18, 2024.Miguel Martinez /miguel.martinezjimenez@ajc.com

(From second left) Jason and Amanda Riley, father and step-mother of slain nursing student Laken Riley, appear at the Senate at the Capitol in Atlanta on Wednesday, March 20, 2024. On the far left is Sen. Colton Moore. (Arvin Temkar / arvin.temkar@ajc.com)

Attorney General’s Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit lead Hannah Palmquist, left, and Investigator Frances Reyes stand outside of their office on Trinity Avenue, Thursday, March 7, 2024, in Atlanta. Attorney Palmquist was hired in 2019 to lead the newly-created Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit, July 2019. Investigator Reyes is the first female human trafficking investigator to join the Attorney General’s Office. (Jason Getz / jason.getz@ajc.com)

A person walks outside Plaza Fiesta on Buford Highway on Friday, March 22, 2024. The rain has begun, and it's starting to wash away the pollen, likely causing allergies or discomfort. The rain is anticipated to continue until early Saturday morning,
Miguel Martinez /miguel.martinezjimenez@ajc.com

Grayson's Gicarri Harris (24) celebrates with teammates after Grayson beat McEachern to win GHSA Basketball Class 7A Boy’s State Championship at the Macon Centreplex, Saturday, Mar. 9, 2024, in Macon. Grayson won 51-41 over McEachern. (Hyosub Shin / Hyosub.Shin@ajc.com)

Midtown's Sinclair Richman (13) gets a hug from Jackson-Atlanta's Journey Conley (left) during GHSA Basketball Class 5A Girl’s State Championship game at the Macon Centreplex, Thursday, Mar. 7, 2024, in Macon. Jackson-Atlanta won 58-44 over Midtown. (Hyosub Shin / Hyosub.Shin@ajc.com)

Kathy Scott-Lykes watches balloons float away after a balloon release ceremony for her son, Jarvis Lykes, in Atlanta on Friday, March 15, 2024. Arvin Temkar / arvin.temkar@ajc.com)

Members of Union Charreria Associations of Georgia and Tennessee, an equestrian group, walk through the Capitol in Atlanta on Wednesday, March 13, 2024. (Arvin Temkar / arvin.temkar@ajc.com)

Fulton County senior medical examiner investigator, Brian Reents (right) breaks the news to the mother, brother and sister of the deceased man found shot to death on Cheshire Bridge Road Friday. A man is dead and another is injured after gunfire broke out early Friday morning, March 22, 2024 in a parking lot at a busy northeast Atlanta intersection, according to officials. Atlanta police said they got the call about a person shot shortly before 5 a.m. It happened in the parking lot of the old Rhodes Bakery building, which has since been closed, at the corner of Cheshire Bridge Road and Windemere Drive in the Morningside-Lenox Park neighborhood. Authorities said the injured man was shot multiple times in the leg and was undergoing surgery at Grady Memorial Hospital. He is expected to survive, but the other man died at the scene, officials said. Details are limited, but investigators said they believe a ‚Äúnarcotics transaction‚Äù is what precipitated the shooting, and it appears both men shot each other. Officers and crime scene investigators worked the scene throughout most of the morning looking for and documenting evidence. (John Spink / John.Spink@ajc.com)

Alana Shepherd, founder of Shepherd Center, reacts while demonstrating how she uses binoculars to view new construction at the Shepherd Center in Atlanta on Tuesday, March 12, 2024. (Arvin Temkar / arvin.temkar@ajc.com)

Great egret is seen in the Okefenokee Swamp, Monday, Mar. 18, 2024, in Folkston. Last month, the Georgia Environmental Protection Division (EPD) released draft permits to Twin Pines Minerals for a 584-acre mine that would extract titanium and other minerals from atop the ancient sand dunes on the swamp’s eastern border, which holds water in the refuge. (Hyosub Shin / Hyosub.Shin@ajc.com)

Picture shows Okefenokee Swamp covered with waterlilies, neverwet, pipewort, ferns, maidencane, and a variety of sedges and grasses, Monday, Mar. 18, 2024, in Folkston. Last month, the Georgia Environmental Protection Division (EPD) released draft permits to Twin Pines Minerals for a 584-acre mine that would extract titanium and other minerals from atop the ancient sand dunes on the swamp’s eastern border, which holds water in the refuge. (Hyosub Shin / Hyosub.Shin@ajc.com)

Great egret flys over the Okefenokee Swamp, Monday, Mar. 18, 2024, in Folkston. Last month, the Georgia Environmental Protection Division (EPD) released draft permits to Twin Pines Minerals for a 584-acre mine that would extract titanium and other minerals from atop the ancient sand dunes on the swamp’s eastern border, which holds water in the refuge. (Hyosub Shin / Hyosub.Shin@ajc.com)

Carola Briceño, a refugee from Venezuela, poses in the kitchen of her appartment as she tries to put together all the pieces for her to find a decent life in Georgia; her settlement agency has not been given the tools to become independent. Her story indicates the struggles many refugees face when they come to the U.S.
Miguel Martinez/miguel.martinezjimenez@ajc.com

A traveler is seen navigating through the atrium at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport on Monday, March 11, 2024. Miguel Martinez /miguel.martinezjimenez@ajc.com

Rep. Yasmin Neal, D-Jonesboro, one of the AJC’s “Best-Dressed Lawmakers” of 2024, poses for a portrait at the Capitol in Atlanta on Monday, March 11, 2024. (Arvin Temkar / arvin.temkar@ajc.com)

Atlanta Hawks forward Bruno Fernando (24) reacts as he dunks during the second half against the New Orleans Pelicans at State Farm Arena, Sunday, March 10, 2024, in Atlanta.
Miguel Martinez / miguel.martinezjimenez@ajc.com

LaKlieshia Izzard, a mental health therapist, poses for a portrait at her home in Oxford on Friday, March 8, 2024. (Arvin Temkar / arvin.temkar@ajc.com)

Baldwin's Madison Ruff (3) and Baldwin's Janaye Walker (5) celebrate their dramatic victory over Hardaway at the end of the fourth quarter during GHSA Basketball Class 4A Girl’s State Championship game at the Macon Centreplex, Wednesday, Mar. 6, 2024, in Macon. Baldwin won 47-39 over Hardaway. (Hyosub Shin / Hyosub.Shin@ajc.com)

Baldwin fans react at the end of the fourth quarter during GHSA Basketball Class 4A Girl’s State Championship game at the Macon Centreplex, Wednesday, Mar. 6, 2024, in Macon. Baldwin won 47-39 over Hardaway. (Hyosub Shin / Hyosub.Shin@ajc.com)

Greenforest Christian players celebrate their win over Montgomery County during GHSA Basketball Class A Division II Girl’s State Championship game at the Macon Centreplex, Wednesday, Mar. 6, 2024, in Macon. Greenforest Christian won 39-23 over Montgomery County. (Hyosub Shin / Hyosub.Shin@ajc.com)

Supporters listen to Lorraine Cochran-Johnson, a candidate for DeKalb CEO, speak outside her headquarters in Stone Mountain on Thursday, March 7, 2024. (Arvin Temkar / arvin.temkar@ajc.com)

Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport held a full-scale preparedness exercise, known as “Big Bird,” with Atlanta Firefighters, law enforcement, rescue personnel, and nearly 70 volunteers participating at the Fire Training Center on Wednesday, March 6, 2024. The Airport Certification Manual and federal regulations mandate this critical exercise every 36 months.
Miguel Martinez /miguel.martinezjimenez@ajc.com

After hours of work, a crane lifted the iconic CNN sign onto a flatbed truck on Monday, March 2024. The famous symbol will be renovated and relocated to the Techwood campus near the Warner Brothers studios in Midtown. Miguel Martinez miguel.martinezjimenez@ajc.com

UGA bulldogs shortstop Kolby Branch (9) cannot grab a ground ball during the third inning against Georgia Tech on Sunday, March 3, 2024, at Coolray Field in Lawrenceville.
Miguel Martinez /miguel.martinezjimenez@ajc.com

The casket of Laken Riley, the 22-year-old nursing student who was killed last week on UGA’s campus, is brought to a hearse following her funeral at Woodstock City Church in Woodstock on Friday, March 1, 2024. (Arvin Temkar / arvin.temkar@ajc.com)

Meagan Danley helps her son William Michael touch the name of his great grandfather William Callinan at the Vietnam War Memorial Wall at the National Infantry Museum in Columbus, Ga. on Friday, March 29, 2024. Callinan died in a helicopter crash in the Vietnam War. (Natrice Miller/ Natrice.miller@ajc.com)

Spring break travel reached its peak at Hartsfield-Jackson International, with more than 335,000 passengers passing through the world’s busiest airport on Friday, March 29, 2024. That included more than 90,000 passengers passing through security checkpoints, with hundreds of thousands of other passengers arriving and connecting at the Atlanta airport. Friday was expected to be the busiest day of the spring break period at Hartsfield-Jackson. The second-busiest day is expected to be Sunday, March 31, with more than 323,000 passengers moving through the airport. An estimated 3.6 million people are expected to pass through the Atlanta airport from March 27 through April 7, the busiest stretch of the spring break travel period that started in mid-March. (John Spink / John.Spink@ajc.com)

Rep. Lauren Daniel, R-Locust Grove, holds her baby Zane in the House chambers on Sine Die at the Georgia State Capitol on Thursday, March 28, 2024. (Natrice Miller/ Natrice.miller@ajc.com)

The marquee sign on a Midtown McDonald’s located at 1105 Northside Drive NW caught on fire Monday morning, March 2024 prompting employees to evacuate. The fire was reported around 9:15 a.m. after an off-duty Atlanta firefighter called 911 as he drove by on his way home, fire Capt. Justin Turner said. All of the Northside Drive restaurant’s employees, who were in the middle of preparing food, evacuated quickly after a drive-thru worker alerted everyone to the smell of smoke, franchise owner D.J. Mitchell said. “Everybody is safe,” he said. “We’re just working on getting ’em over to different restaurants.” The fire was coming from the sign atop the roof, Turner said. The building’s interior had minor smoke and water damage, he added. The cause of the fire remains under investigation. (John Spink / John.Spink@ajc.com)

Amaris Johnson, a senior music major at Morris Brown College comes out as the newest member of the Beta Lambda chapter of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority Inc. on Friday, March 22, 2024. The sorority will be the first on campus in more than 20 years. (Natrice Miller/ Natrice.miller@ajc.com)

Rev. Misha Sanders from Northwest Unitarian Universalist Congregation in Sandy Springs says a prayer during a vigil for death row inmate Willie Pye at Georgia Diagnostic Prison on Wednesday, March 20, 2024. (Natrice Miller/ Natrice.miller@ajc.com)

Attorney Daniel Kolber holds a sign that reads “Don’t Kill WIllie Pye” across from Georgia Diagnostic Prison in Jackson, Ga. where Willie James Pye, is set to be executed on Wednesday, March 20, 2024. (Natrice Miller/ Natrice.miller@ajc.com)

Atlanta fire crews work the scene of a fire that gutted a MARTA bus in southwest Atlanta on Monday morning, March 11, 2024. Officials said the bus driver was finishing a route with no passengers aboard when flames started coming from the left rear inside tire. It spread to the rear of the bus and quickly engulfed the rest of it before it was extinguished, leaving behind only its charred framework. (John Spink / John.Spink@ajc.com)

Mariah Parker with The People Stop Work Order uses a bullhorn to lead chants as law enforcement try to extricate a protester from a construction elevator. For nearly three hours Thursday morning, March 7, 2024 an activist protesting Atlanta's planned public safety training center was locked to equipment at a Midtown construction site, prompting the partial closure of a major street. (John Spink / John.Spink@ajc.com)

Elycia Woodham, a senior music major at Spelman College sings a solo during a performance with the Spelman Glee Club inside Krog Street Tunnel on Thursday, March 7, 2024. The performance is part of the Creative Placemaking Summit taking place in Atlanta from March 5-8. (Natrice Miller/ Natrice.miller@ajc.com)

A fire investigator begins his inspection. A woman and her dog were rescued from a burning house in southwest Atlanta early Friday morning, March 1, 2024. Atlanta firefighters were called ahead of daybreak to the house in the 1800 block of Windsor Drive not far from Campbellton Road, where they found heavy flames coming from one side of the house, fire Captain Justin Pedrazzi said. The cause is still under investigation. (John Spink / John.Spink@ajc.com)

Miracle Fletcher, a tenant of Chelsea Tree Villages Apartments cries as she testifies during a U.S. Senate Human Rights Subcommittee Hearing addressing unsuitable housing conditions at Roswell City Hall on Monday, March 4, 2024. (Natrice Miller/ Natrice.miller@ajc.com)

Atlanta police officers throw rocks and debris out of the roadway along Ponce de Leon to make a clearing for traffic after the roof of Mary Mac’s Tea Room in Midtown Atlanta partially collapsed overnight Wednesday, March 6, 2024. A public information officer for the Atlanta Police Department told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution that firefighters responded to the restaurant at 224 Ponce De Leon Ave. NE just before 4 a.m. They found a pole down atop the partially collapsed roof and debris in the roadway. There were no injuries. The single-story Mary Mac’s building was built in 1915, according to Fulton County property records. The iconic restaurant has been an Atlanta institution for over 75 years, serving made-from-scratch Southern comfort food, including fried chicken, country fried steak, meatloaf, collards, yeast rolls and macaroni and cheese. Open in 1945 as Mrs. Fuller’s Tea Room, the restaurant was purchased by Mary McKinsey in 1951, and she eventually changed the name to Mary Mac’s. (John Spink / John.Spink@ajc.com)

Atlanta United midfielder Saba Lobjanidze (9) and New England Revolution defender DeJuan Jones (24) battle for the ball during the second half at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Saturday, March 9, 2024, in Atlanta. Atlanta United won 4-1. (Jason Getz / jason.getz@ajc.com)

Norcross guard Jaron Saulsberry (1) attempts a three-point shot against McEachern forward Nnadozie Onyirimba (30) during the quarterfinal round of the Class 7A boys GHSA boys basketball playoffs at McEachern High School, Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2024, in Powder Springs, Ga. McEachern won 72-57 to advance to the semi-finals Saturday. (Jason Getz / jason.getz@ajc.com)

Georgia guard Silas Demary Jr. (4) attempts a shot during the second half against Xavier in the first round of the NCAA’s NIT at Stegeman Coliseum, Tuesday, March 19, 2024, in Athens, Ga. Georgia won 78-76 to advance to the second round of the NIT. (Jason Getz / jason.getz@ajc.com)

Michael Lusk, the US Fish and Wildlife Service's refuge manager for the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, steps on floating peat mat in the Okefenokee Swamp, Monday, Mar. 18, 2024, in Folkston. Last month, the Georgia Environmental Protection Division (EPD) released draft permits to Twin Pines Minerals for a 584-acre mine that would extract titanium and other minerals from atop the ancient sand dunes on the swamp’s eastern border, which holds water in the refuge. (Hyosub Shin / Hyosub.Shin@ajc.com)

An alligator surfaces in the Okefenokee Swamp, Monday, Mar. 18, 2024, in Folkston. The most iconic species that resides in the Okefenokee NWR, is the American Alligator. With an estimated population of approximately 15,000 alligators living in the Okefenokee Swamp. Last month, the Georgia Environmental Protection Division (EPD) released draft permits to Twin Pines Minerals for a 584-acre mine that would extract titanium and other minerals from atop the ancient sand dunes on the swamp’s eastern border, which holds water in the refuge. (Hyosub Shin / Hyosub.Shin@ajc.com)

The sun rises behind the cross during Easter sunrise service on top of Stone Mountain on Sunday, March 31, 2024. (Ben Gray / Ben@BenGray.com)

Kids with the Walton Youth Running Club work out in Marietta on Thursday, March 28, 2024. (Ben Gray / Ben@BenGray.com)

SAVANNAH, GA - MARCH 16, 2024: Members of The Guard Pipes and Drums from County Somerset, N.J. carry a large Irish flag while marching in the St. Patrick's Day parade, Saturday, March 16, 2024, in Savannah, Ga. This is the 200th parade since the first in 1824. (AJC Photo/Stephen B. Morton)

SAVANNAH, GA - MARCH 16, 2024: An honor guard leads a group of dignitaries past the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist during the beginning of the 200th anniversary of SavannahÕÕs St. Patrick's Day parade, Saturday, March 16, 2024, in Savannah, Ga. The parade lineup featured at least 230 pipe-and-drum bands, dignitaries, marching military units and shamrock-decorated floats. (AJC Photo/Stephen B. Morton)

SAVANNAH, GA - MARCH 16, 2024: Six-year-old Eloise Tallon of Savannah waves to friends during the St. Patrick's Day parade, Saturday, March 16, 2024, in Savannah, Ga. This is the 200th parade since the first in 1824. (AJC Photo/Stephen B. Morton)

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Credit: Hyosub Shin/AJC

An young Savannah Bananas fan hits a home run during pregame ceremony event before first of three-game series at Coolray Field, Saturday, March 23, 2024, in Lawrenceville. The Savannah Bananas’ visit is their first to the Atlanta area since their founding in 2016. The team is based in their namesake Georgia city and plays 30-plus games a year at Historic Grayson Stadium, a century-old ballpark on Savannah’s eastside. (Hyosub Shin / Hyosub.Shin@ajc.com)

Today's Gallery Headlines

Allyson Phillips (center), Laken Riley’s mother, prays at UGA’s Tate Plaza on Saturday, Feb. 21, 2026, during a memorial service for her daughter. Riley was attacked on Feb. 22, 2024 while running in Oconee Forest Park on the UGA campus and killed. (C.J. Bartunek for the AJC)

Alerts

PHOTOS: Hundreds honor Laken Riley with 5K, memorial on UGA campus

PHOTOS: Holy Innocents’ wins Region 5AA championship in basketball

PHOTOS: Georgia State gets by Georgia Southern

PHOTOS: Trump visits Georgia, revisits 2020 election

PHOTOS: Georgia track and field gets major facilities upgrade

PHOTOS: Civil rights icon Jesse Jackson found stage and home in Atlanta

PHOTOS: Day 5 of spring training for the Braves

Metro Atlanta students write valentines to veterans