Morning, y’all! Another day with high temperatures in the low 80s headed our way.
Today’s jampacked newsletter offers the latest on a DeKalb schools paycheck snafu, a plan to use public money to address homelessness and a long-awaited national ranking for Georgia Tech football. Plus: an interesting Jamie Foxx update.
But first, how about a look at the new TV series highlighting a seminal Atlanta moment — and the heist that followed?
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‘FIGHT NIGHT’
Credit: Parrish Lewis/Peacock
Credit: Parrish Lewis/Peacock
October 1970.
Muhammad Ali is in Atlanta preparing to return to the boxing ring, three years after The Man stripped his heavyweight title (and his license) for refusing to participate in the Vietnam War.
A soon-to-be-legendary heist is also in the works.
- “After-Fight Partygoers Robbed Of $100,000 in Cash, Jewelry,” the Atlanta Journal headline would read the day after Ali’s dominant performance against Jerry Quarry.
It was actually much, much more money than that. And nearly 54 years later, the story is coming to your TV.
The AJC’s Rodney Ho recently spent time on set and spoke to key figures behind “Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist,” a star-studded series filmed at Doraville’s Assembly Studios and set to premiere tomorrow on Peacock.
Credit: File photo
Credit: File photo
I won’t spoil the plot too much, but Kevin Hart plays the real-life hustler known as “Chicken Man.” Chicken Man and his lady friend (Taraji P. Henson) host a glamorous party full of wealthy out-of-towners. Mobsters are involved and, as you might have gathered, things quickly go south.
- Also featured: Chloe Bailey, Don Cheadle, Terrence Howard and Samuel L. Jackson.
The fight — which drew Black celebrities from Hank Aaron to Diana Ross — was a momentous event in Atlanta’s history. The heist in Collier Heights, too.
But don’t expect a 100% fact-based retelling in “Fight Night.”
“Our goal creatively was to depict how these events were integral in the creation of Atlanta as ‘The Black Mecca,’” executive producer Shaye Ogbonna told the AJC. “In order to achieve that, we had to take more creative license developing characters and storylines in the aftermath of the robbery.”
Watch the official trailer for “Fight Night” and check out more entertainment coverage from the AJC.
(Also: The above item serves as your daily look back at history, so no “On This Date” today!)
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SETTLEMENT REACHED
Credit: Jason Getz/AJC
Credit: Jason Getz/AJC
Victoria Bowles — a former UGA recruiting analyst who survived the January 2023 crash that killed a football player and a fellow staffer — settled her lawsuit against the university athletic association.
The terms were not disclosed. Bowles’ legal fight with the estate of staffer Chandler LeCroy and former UGA football star Jalen Carter continues.
- More courts coverage: Key Young Thug witness wraps testimony; Where’s Julie Chrisley?
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PAYDAY POSTPONED
DeKalb County Superintendent Devon Horton apologized to more than 500 school district employees who weren’t paid on time last week. His office blamed the snafu on data entry errors and a new payroll system.
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PUT THE PHONE DOWN!
Many local school districts have instituted cellphone bans or are otherwise working toward one. But columnist Nedra Rhone says students aren’t the only ones in desperate need of a screen break.
“We’re in the throes of addiction,” she writes, “and some of us are in denial.”
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A NEW APPROACH
Credit: Matt Reynolds/AJC
Credit: Matt Reynolds/AJC
Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens’ latest pitch to address homelessness includes using $60 million in public funding to help build temporary housing and cover the cost of wrap-around services for those in need.
“We must act with urgency to rehouse our homeless, to stop the displacement of low-income renters, and to (prevent) our legacy residents from being priced out of their homes,” Dickens said.
- More from City Hall: Council bans some data centers; wants to review investigator’s office
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ELECTION OVERTURNED
A South Georgia judge ordered a new school board vote in Tift County after finding that elections officials included an apartment complex in the wrong district.
The twist: Conservative group True the Vote supported Democratic candidate Ambrose King Jr. in his challenge of the original results.
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COMMUNITY SUPPORT
Credit: Channel 2 Action News
Credit: Channel 2 Action News
The fine folks of west Georgia are rallying around Carson Kimball, the Bremen High School quarterback who suffered a serious in-game spinal injury.
A GoFundMe page raised more than $44,000 thus far, and a tailgate before Friday’s game against McNair High will benefit the family, too.
- Braves: Chris Sale dominated again, recording his 200th strikeout in a 3-0 win over the Rockies. Second baseman Whit Merrifield checked out OK after a pitch hit him in the head.
- Dream: Comeback efforts fell short in a 74-66 road loss to the Mercury.
- Falcons: Sunday’s matchup with the Steelers means Atlanta coach Raheem Morris pressed pause on his friendship with Pittsburgh’s Mike Tomlin.
- Jackets: Georgia Tech football comes in at No. 23 in the latest AP poll — the first time the team’s been ranked in nearly a decade.
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RAYGUN ALL THE RAGE
Atlanta’s annual Dragon Con festivities are a pretty good indicator of Halloween costumes to come.
And if that holds true this year, prepare to see plenty of folks busting out bad breakdancing moves in green tracksuits next month.
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MORE TO EXPLORE
» Roswell cops shoot man accused of trying to stab MARTA driver
» Hyundai unveils new EV slated for Georgia factory
» Union wants out of mediation with AT&T as Southeast strike goes on
» Fox 5 meteorologist Jeff Hill retiring after 26 years
» Review: Eclectic barbecue experience awaits at Gene’s in East Lake
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PHOTO OF THE DAY
Credit: Tyson A. Horne/AJC
Credit: Tyson A. Horne/AJC
Photographer Tyson Horne captured the sign going up at the AJC’s future home across the street from Colony Square in Midtown. We’re hoping to move in by the end of the year!
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ONE MORE THING
It’s feeling more and more like autumn out there — meaning it’s the perfect time to check out (and bookmark!) our guides to fall festivals and fall fairs. Everything’s covered, from intown to the ‘burbs.
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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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