Morning, y’all! The weekend storms are gone and temperatures should creep toward the mid-60s.
News wise, get ready to discuss what the Falcons’ latest loss means for their playoff hopes, a historic home hitting the market for $1 and plenty more.
But first and foremost: The death of Georgia’s only president, and what his legacy means for us all.
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BUILDING A BETTER WORLD
Credit: Ben Gray for the AJC
Credit: Ben Gray for the AJC
I’m not a big resolution guy. My professional life involves plenty of arbitrary deadlines; if I can help it, I don’t subscribe to them on a personal level.
But as the new year nears, I have been thinking a lot lately about being a better person.
Being kinder, more thoughtful, more present. More intentional about helping people — not because it feels like the right thing to do, but because I want to. More deliberate about finding (and fostering) joy.
Acting more like the person I like to think I am, basically.
- Former President Jimmy Carter — who died at home in Plains on Sunday, about three months after his 100th birthday — provided a towering example on that front.
“Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter have done more good things for more people in more places than any other couple on the face of the Earth,” President Bill Clinton said while awarding the couple the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
And that was a quarter-century ago.
Credit: Ben Hendren for the AJC
Credit: Ben Hendren for the AJC
I’m not exactly breaking new ground with this sentiment, but none of us will live up to Carter’s legacy. We won’t advocate for peace and democracy across the world. Or pick an infectious disease to eradicate. We probably won’t help build hundreds of homes for people who need them. Or write 32 books, for that matter.
The good thing is we don’t have to.
In a funny sort of way, Jimmy and Rosalynn taught us that being yourself is enough. Living your beliefs is enough. Doing what you can is enough, too.
But you have to actually do it.
One of my AJC colleagues stopped by Manuel’s Tavern, Atlanta’s longtime watering hole for both amateur and professional politicos, on Sunday. A denizen there framed Carter’s death this way: “We need an army of him.”
And it’s not too late for any of us to enlist.
The AJC has complete and continuing coverage of Jimmy Carter’s life and death. Find a sampling below and stay tuned for more from our journalists in Plains and beyond.
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THE WEEK AHEAD
Credit: Jason Getz/AJC
Credit: Jason Getz/AJC
🐷 Today: National Bacon Day, apparently.
🎆 Tuesday: New Year’s Eve, with festivities aplenty on tap — including the return of the Peach Drop! Zac Brown Band plays at State Farm Arena, too.
🏈 Wednesday: Georgia football takes on Notre Dame in the Sugar Bowl, a College Football Playoff quarterfinal (8:45 p.m. on ESPN). Texas and Arizona State square off in Atlanta’s Peach Bowl (1 p.m. on ESPN).
🕎 Thursday: Hanukkah ends at sundown. The Christian conference known as Passion starts at State Farm Arena.
🥴️ Friday: The start of the last weekend of your kids’ winter break! (Cobb and Gwinnett schools return Jan. 6 while Atlanta, DeKalb and Fulton go back Jan. 7).
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THIS OLD HOUSE
Credit: Miguel Martinez/AJC
Credit: Miguel Martinez/AJC
Wanna buy a pre-Civil War home that once served as a Union general’s headquarters? In Cobb County, that’ll only cost you a buck — but you gotta agree to relocate and preserve it, too.
- “Trying to make it as cheap as possible for somebody is our goal,” said Trevor Beemon, executive director of the nonprofit Cobb Landmarks. “But at the same time, we’re going to do this application process where we’re going to determine who we feel has the best chance of actually succeeding.”
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FIND A FRIEND
Several dogs at Lifeline Animal Project’s shelters in DeKalb and Fulton counties face euthanization if they’re not adopted today. The shelters are also waiving fees for senior pets. Consider giving a new friend a new life!
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SAYING GOODBYE
During a public ceremony at the Tara Theatre, friends and loved ones remembered Tyler Perry Studios President Steve Mensch as a family man with an adventurous spirit. Mensch, 62, died earlier this month when his plane crashed in Florida.
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COMMANDERS 30, FALCONS 24
Credit: Nick Wass/AP
Credit: Nick Wass/AP
Michael Penix Jr’s first touchdown pass as a Falcon tied Sunday night’s game against Washington with a little over a minute left — but some bungled clock management, a missed field goal and a porous overtime defense helped the win slip away.
In order to make the playoffs, Atlanta now has to win next weekend’s regular season finale against Carolina and root for New Orleans (gross) to beat Tampa Bay.
- Hawks: Trae Young’s 34 points and 10 assists fueled a 136-107 rout of the Raptors.
- Jackets: The 13th-ranked women’s hoops squad dropped 100 points on Pittsburgh to extend its undefeated start to the season.
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MORE TO EXPLORE
» BioLab fire: Chemical cloud has left Rockdale, but grief has not
» Building a skyscraper takes an army. Meet those helping Hotel Phoenix rise
» Berrien Moore III, pioneering scholar and Atlanta native, dies at 83
» Atlanta police ‘most wanted’ suspect arrested, accused in 2 homicides
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ON THIS DATE
Dec. 30, 1916
An odd cartoon warned women that their window to lock down a man on their own terms was closing.
Apparently, there used to be a whole thing about leap years and ladies being “allowed” to propose to their feet-dragging sweethearts!
Credit: File photo
Credit: File photo
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PHOTO OF THE DAY
Credit: Mike Luckovich/AJC
Credit: Mike Luckovich/AJC
AJC editorial cartoonist Mike Luckovich imagines a heavenly reunion between former President Jimmy Carter and his hometown sweetheart, Rosalynn, who died last year.
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ONE MORE THING
“I think I have been as blessed as any human being in the world.” — Carter upon being diagnosed with cancer in 2015.
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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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