A.M. ATL: Must be something in the air

Morning, y’all! Have you had enough water today? I get it — maybe you just woke up, but get a few sips in! We’ll be here when you get back.

🚰 💦

Okay, welcome back. Feel better? Now relax your shoulders. Take a deep breath. Do it! There. You’re gonna have a great day, I believe in you xo.

Let’s get to it.

SMOGLANTA

Credit: Jason Getz/AJC

Credit: Jason Getz/AJC

There’s no other way to say it: Metro Atlanta’s air quality really blows. The American Lung Association gave Atlanta an “F” rating for ozone pollution in its annual State of the Air report. An F! That’s down from a C last year. Why so smoggy?

The report grades cities on exposure to unhealthy levels of ozone, or smog, and particulate matter, or soot.
Ozone, in this case, is created when airborne chemicals coughed up from vehicles and factories get “cooked” by the hot sun. Think of it like passing gas in a sauna. Inhaling this smog can physically damage the lungs.
Atlanta averaged 5.5 days with unhealthy ozone levels in this year’s report period, up from 1.8 in last year’s. That’s why we got the failing grade.
Hey, it could be worse! Atlanta actually had the third-poorest air quality in the Southeast, behind Memphis, Tennessee, and Baton Rouge, Louisiana. We also tied with Augusta, so don’t get all high and mighty over there.

It’s way worse on the West Coast, too, where cities like Long Beach, California, averaged 153.7 high-ozone days this report cycle. And if you can believe it, air quality has gotten better overall in the last two decades. Experts credit federal air quality regulations.

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SILENCE IN THE SOUTH

Credit: Ben Hendren/AJC

More than 360 university leaders signed a statement this week in response to the Trump administration’s mounting pressure on academic institutions. The letter called out “unprecedented government overreach and political interference,” alluding to several incidents in which the federal government has pulled or threatened to pull grant funding from universities unless they comply with a government-prescribed policy overhaul.

In Georgia, Agnes Scott College was the only institution whose leader signed the letter.

The exchange of ideas among individuals of differing opinions is central to the liberal arts education Agnes Scott College provides. We join our colleagues … in calling for an opportunity to engage in a constructive conversation about these important issues for higher education.

- A statement from Agnes Scott College, whose president, Leocadia Zak, signed the open letter.

Representation was also thin from institutions in other Republican-led Southern states. Policy experts say this could be due to a myriad of factors. Other notable Southern institutions that signed include Davidson College, Duke University, Rollins College, the University of the South and the University of Virginia.

OYSTER UPDATE

Credit: Miguel Martinez/AJC

A while ago, we talked about the possibility of Georgia opening oyster season year-round to give an extra boost to coastal food and tourism industries. Well, good news! The AJC’s man on the coast, Adam Van Brimmer, has the update:

You can disregard that old saw about only eating oysters in months with the letter R in the name (September through April). Georgia regulators on Tuesday formally revised an oyster harvesting rule that allows fishermen who grow the mollusks in floating cages to bring their product to market year-round.

The change applies to two Savannah-area farms set up following the passage of a 2019 state law that legalized the practice. Those farmers — Tybee Oyster Co. and Savannah Oyster Co. — can continue harvesting after coastal water temperatures warm to 81 degrees and above, so long as they operate under certain restrictions to maintain food safety, which you can read more about here.

That means “Tybee Salt Bombs” and “Bull River oysters” will be on menus in Savannah and Tybee Island throughout the summer. So for those heading to the coast for a holiday, be sure to pack that oyster shucking knife along with sunscreen and that favorite swimsuit.

🦪 My personal favorite way to eat an oyster? Cold, fresh, with a splash of gin and a squeeze of lemon in the shell. Down the hatch!

LEGAL DRAMA OVER ORANGE CRUSH

This year’s Orange Crush revival in Tybee Island was a success, but its future is in doubt because of a legal feud between the festival’s operator and the Orange Crush trademark owner, who partnered on this year’s event.

The trademark owner, George Ransom Turner III, wants a $50,000 licensing fee for Smalls to use the Orange Crush name in the future.
Smalls, who spearheaded the event’s new look as a less-wild-but-just-as-fun music festival, said he’ll challenge Turner’s trademark ownership on the grounds that Turner’s “actions have damaged the brand and undermined the positive direction we’re building.”

MUST-KNOW POLITICS AND BUSINESS

👂 Veterans Affairs asks employees to report “anti-Christian discrimination” as the department prepares to cut up to 80,000 jobs.

🏭 The world’s biggest companies have caused an estimated $28 trillion in climate damage. That almost equals the sum of all goods and services produced in the United States last year.

💸 An Atlanta business owner found guilty of fraud after she secured a $156 million Federal Emergency Management Agency contract in the wake of Hurricane Maria has been sentenced to 12 years in prison.

NEWS BITES

‘Puppy Prov!’ raises awareness and howling laughs at Dad’s Garage

Honestly? The puppies need work. Couldn’t build a scene, no instinct for blocking, lackluster delivery ... at least they’re cute!

Belgian teenagers found with 5,000 ants valued at $9,200 to be sentenced soon

That headline is raising far more questions than it answers.

Book publishers see surging interest in the U.S. Constitution, the Declaration of Independence and other essential founding government documents

We love primary sources! Could use some cool pictures, though.

The NFL draft starts today!

Time to cry over some kid you’ve never met getting drafted by a team you don’t even care about.

(I made a variation of this joke a few years ago in a different newsletter, except it was “city you don’t even care about,” and a suspicious amount of people from Jacksonville sent me irate letters, even though I didn’t mention Jacksonville by name.)

ON THIS DATE

April 24, 1998

Credit: File photo

From the front page of the Atlanta Journal: Whether it was simple larceny or the lure of the lottery, a Fayette County man admitted in federal court that he was the reason as many as 100,000 greeting cards and the cash gifts inside never made it to their intended recipients.

100,000?! The guy worked at the airport, but still, if it weren’t so devious it would be impressive.

ONE MORE THING

To be clear, I have no beef with Jacksonville. Beautiful place, lovely trees. Snazzy team colors. Please do not bully me.

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

Orange Crush future in limbo after clash between organizer, trademark owner

The Orange Crush beach bash brought tens of thousands of HBCU students to Georgia's coast, but its future is clouded by a dispute between the trademark owner and organizer.