For Thursday, August 20:

1. Georgia officials blame a spike in highway deaths on distracted drivers — and reckless ones. [Read more about the state and national spikes in deaths]

2. Gov. Nathan Deal explains why he removed "Confederate Memorial Day" and Robert E. Lee's birthday from the state calendar. [Read about his decision here]

3. Former President Jimmy Carter will discuss his recent cancer diagnosis today at 10 a.m. at the Carter Center in Atlanta. [Read the full story here | check back for updates]

4. A now-former U.S. State Department employee from Atlanta is accused of threatening to share sexually explicit photos of his victims unless they gave him additional photos and videos. [Read the full story here]

5. The chance of rain is only 20 percent, but that doesn't mean you'll see the sun. [See the full forecast here]

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Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Juneteenth, among others, will no longer be considered fee-free days at U.S. National Parks. While the MLK National Historic Park in Atlanta doesn't charge admission, the new schedule will affect such metro Atlanta sites as Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park. (Miguel Martinez/AJC)

Credit: Miguel Martinez-Jimenez

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Ceudy Gutierrez reads a book to her 2-year-old son, Matias, at their home in Buford, GA, on Tuesday, Nov. 18, 2025. Ceudy Gutierrez is struggling to make ends meet for herself and her three young kids following her husband’s ICE arrest earlier this fall. (Miguel Martinez/ AJC)

Credit: Miguel Martinez-Jimenez