Morning, y’all! The first day of summer isn’t playing around. We may break 90 degrees in the Atlanta area today, and sauna-like temps will continue through the weekend. Well, at least for y’all. I’ll be on a plane to Iceland. Be good while I’m gone!
Let’s get to it.
MORE CHARGES FOR MARIO GUEVARA
The Atlanta-based Spanish language journalist arrested at a weekend demonstration and detained by ICE has now been hit with additional criminal charges from the Gwinnett County Sheriff’s Office.
- The charges are unrelated to his arrest last weekend.
- Instead, they may be connected to his daily journalism work, which sometimes involves him following ICE agents in his car while live-streaming to an audience on social media.
- The charges include “distracted driving, failure to obey traffic control device, and reckless driving,” according to the GCSO.
- The AJC requested additional comment from the sheriff’s office. No records related to the charges were available.
- It’s unclear what this means for Guevara’s case. The journalist is being held at Folkston ICE Processing Center.
🔎 READ MORE: Guevara’s legal status is complex
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TEXAS ROADHOUSE SAYS IT WASN’T LIABLE FOR GA CHILD’S DEATH
Steakhouse chain restaurant Texas Roadhouse says they’re not liable for the death of a 13-year-old boy struck by a driver who had just drank a beer at the chain’s Cumming location.
- Leonardo “Leo” Camacho was struck and killed by Katie Pancione in June 2020 minutes after she left Texas Roadhouse, according to court records. The boy’s father was also struck.
- The child’s parents say the restaurant is liable under Georgia’s Dram Shop Act because Pancione was served a beer despite being noticeably drunk and likely to drive away.
- The family is demanding $95 million in damages. Pancione is serving a prison sentence after pleading guilty to several charges related to the case.
MUST-KNOW POLITICS AND BUSINESS
📉 Georgia’s unemployment rate dropped to 3.5% in May for the first time in a year.
📱 President Donald Trump delayed a possible TikTok ban for the third time, giving his administration another 90 days to broker a deal to bring the Chinese social media platform under U.S. control.
✈️ The U.S. is seeing fewer international travelers this year, including at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. However, a packed schedule of big events in Atlanta could keep tourism numbers up through the summer.
🎤 A controversial plan to remove homeless people from downtown Atlanta before the 2026 FIFA World Cup could lead to some arrests “solely to make the city look nice,” according to Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney.
WEEKEND PLANS
It’s never too hot for some weekend fun (at least, that’s what we tell ourselves as the sweat starts to drip in our ears). Luckily, there are plenty of indoor options for the particularly wilty among us.
🌈 Pride with a Disney twist: Here’s a triple delight. Members of Atlanta Gay Men’s Chorus will join the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra for “Disney Pride in Concert,” a multimedia show combining two natural allies — Pride Month and the magic of Disney.
💅🏿 Celebrating Black beauty: The Beauté Noir Fest is Atlanta’s answer to New Orleans’ iconic Essence Festival. The event is all about Black beauty and culture, and features a roster of exciting musical guests and vendors.
🎮 Nerding out: The Southern-Friend Gaming Expo features arcade games, pinball machines, classic console games, vintage games, game swaps and ... old school wrestling?! That’s a win-win-win-win-win-win.
🌳 Accessible trails: It’s tough finding trails for seniors who are active but prefer not to break a hip tripping over giant rocks. Luckily Atlanta is full of great options.
🎺 A dozen other things to do: Juneteenth, Pride, bourbon, science fairs, mocktails, whew! Those are some excellent words.
A WIN FOR GA SYMPHONIES
If there’s one thing you should know about me, I’m a classical music devotee. Obsessed. If you need a classical recommendation for any vibe, I’m your gal.
Imagine my delight to learn symphonies around Georgia are finally seeing some good news after years of slumping interest and ticket sales due to COVID-19. A lot of that growth comes from organizations trying new things and updating the staid “dead white guy music a few dozen times a year” model. (No offense to dead white guys, but classical music is for and by everyone.)
Here are some bold moves that have paid off for the state’s more than 15 classical orchestras:
- The Albany Symphony offers concerts for free, with a suggested donation, to keep events inclusive. They’ve also experimented with shorter concert formats at more convenient times, as well as smaller niche gatherings.
- The Atlanta Symphony, which just closed its 80th season, will offer more prominent features from living, female and non-white composers. I have also been super impressed with their program notes, which feature lots of extra cool facts and info to help people learn classical basics.
- The Columbus Symphony has reimagined intermission, with the conductor and musicians often mingling with patrons at a short, themed cocktail hour.
🎵 READ MORE: How GA symphonies are keeping the music alive
NEWS BITES
Think you know ‘Jaws?’ Test your movie knowledge to celebrate the film’s 50th anniversary
Here’s our own trivia question: What’s the Latin word for “fear of sharks?” Answer at the bottom as usual.
Atlanta named one of the best cities for ‘staycations’
There’s something so cute about being a tourist in your own city. Stay in a lil’ hotel, pack a lil’ bag. Maybe mess around and get an “I ❤️ ATL” shirt.
Stop oversharing, dating expert says. It gives people the ‘ick.’
Nah. Tell me all your trauma and food allergies babe, life is short.
The Asian needle ant: venomous, invasive, and could be right in your backyard
Welcome to scary bug season, Atlanta!
ON THIS DATE
June 20, 1964
Rights bill given okay by Senate. The Senate has passed, 73 to 27, a historic civil rights bill giving the federal government broad new powers to end racial discrimination. The target date for President Johnson to sign it is July 4 … Sen. Richard B. Russell, the Georgia Democrat who fought the bill until cloture silenced him, put on a straw hat and headed for home in Georgia and a family reunion. He didn’t like losing, but he knew he was going to. “I have no regrets,” he said.
Saying “I have no regrets” right after doing everything possible to stymie the Civil Rights Act is wild stuff.
ONE MORE THING
“Galeophobia” is the term for a fear of sharks. Here, the newsletter team is at odds: Producer Nicole loves sharks, but I can’t even handle the “Jaws” ride at Universal Studios. Blame Quint’s brilliant USS Indianapolis monologue from the film. No thank you.
Thanks for reading to the very bottom of A.M. ATL. Questions, comments, ideas? Contact us at AMATL@ajc.com.
Until next time.
About the Author
AJ Willingham is an National Emmy, NABJ and Webby award-winning journalist who loves talking culture, religion, sports, social justice, infrastructure and the arts. She lives in beautiful Smyrna-Mableton and went to Syracuse University.
