Morning, y’all! In case you haven’t gotten 800 marketing emails about it, or you just returned from a month-long jungle retreat and haven’t looked at a calendar yet, tomorrow is Valentine’s Day. Just saying. If someone is counting on you to remember, you now have no excuse. (This is not for my own husband, who has the time sense of an atomic clock. But it’s for someone’s husband or wife, I guarantee it.)
Let’s get to it.
THE SEARCH CONTINUES ON LAKE OCONEE
Credit: Channel 2 Action News
Credit: Channel 2 Action News
A weekend tragedy on Lake Oconee has turned into a full mystery this week. Officials are still searching for a missing track and field coach days after his companion, a Spelman College professor, was found dead near an empty boat the two had reportedly been aboard together.
What authorities know:
- Putnam County Sheriff Howard Sills said witnesses saw a boat circling the waters in Oconee late Saturday afternoon.
- By Sunday, the body of Joycelyn Nicole Wilson had been found near the vessel.
- The Georgia Department of Natural Resources is now searching for Gary Jones, a coach at the Westminster Schools, a private school in Atlanta. Jones was also reported missing in the area and was seen aboard the boat with Wilson.
- On Sunday morning, the DNR also asked police to go to The Lodge on Lake Oconee, a hotel often used by lake-goers, to collect personal belongings of the people who were missing.
- Rain has been a complicating factor in the search, which continues today.
Wilson, 49, was a member of the mathematics department and held the position of program director of the Spelman/Salem STEM Mentoring Program. A statement from Spelman called her a “highly respected member of the Spelman College community.”
“We extend our deepest condolences to her family, friends and the many people whose lives she touched,” it read.
🔎 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution is staying with this story through new developments.
Not signed up yet? What’re you waiting for? Get A.M. ATL in your inbox each weekday morning. And keep scrolling for more news.
A NEW GUN TAX BREAK
Credit: Jack Taylor
Credit: Jack Taylor
A group of Republican state senators have approved a bill that could give hunters an 11-day tax holiday for firearms just in time for hunting season in October.
It’s because of the deer: State Sen. Jason Anavitarte said the tax break, which would begin the second Friday of October, is needed to encourage hunters to deal with Georgia’s overpopulation of deer.
However … the break would not be limited to hunting equipment, and would extend to handguns, assault-style rifles and any other type of guns and accessories.
That’s causing some friction: One Democratic state senator called the bill “tone deaf” and pointed out it would go into effect shortly after the anniversary of last year’s shooting at Apalachee High School in Barrow County.
MUST-KNOW POLITICS AND BUSINESS
🍑 Atlanta City Council President Doug Shipman will not seek reelection later this year. He said on social media that family medical issues would prevent him from serving a second term. Shipman was the founding CEO of the National Center for Civil and Human Rights and former head of the Woodruff Arts Center before winning his City Council bid in 2021.
💰 Tax cuts and refunds worth more than $2 billion have cleared a big hurdle in the General Assembly, meaning taxpayers are one step closer to getting a second refund this year. This is a big priority for Gov. Brian Kemp.
🗳️ Cobb County’s special election primaries have set the stage for the election of new commissioners in April – but one of the primary races has to go to a runoff first.
BRUNSWICK IS #1
Credit: Voyage Creative/Courtesy Georgia Ports Authority
Credit: Voyage Creative/Courtesy Georgia Ports Authority
After two decades of intense jockeying, the Port of Brunswick has overtaken Baltimore as America’s busiest port for automobiles and heavy equipment.
🚚 Did you know? In the industry, wheeled and tracked cargo is known as roll-on, roll-off — or RORO — cargo.
There’s a good chance Brunswick will hold on to the lead. The Port of Baltimore has more space constraints, and population patterns are moving south, giving Brunswick a leg-up in the future.
We are going to keep accelerating. We are going to keep doing what we do well. In five years, I want us to look over our shoulder and not see any competition.
And there you go, the toughest quote about shipping ports you’ll hear today.
LUDACRIS BEING LUDACRIS
Credit: Miguel Martinez/ AJC
Credit: Miguel Martinez/ AJC
There goes Ludacris, doing nice things in Atlanta again. One of the city’s most well-loved heroes is launching a pilot program for arts education at The Utopian Academy for the Arts. The Ludacris Foundation is partnering with Microsoft to launch TechTunes at the Clayton County charter school. The program will provide students access to music technology, workshops and other resources.
Government funding for the arts has declined in Georgia, but artists and educators have worked hard to keep such critical education accessible for students. In fact, the 900-student Utopian Academy was chosen specifically because of its arts-based opportunities.
NEWS BITES
Outkast and the Black Crowes represent Atlanta among the 2025 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame nominees
It’s the first time either act has been nominated, which rocks.
The Dodgers may have broken the bank in the offseason, but the Braves are happy with their roster
Who needs a rotation worth the combined GDP of half a dozen small countries? We have the power of friendship and Acuña on our side!
Three ways to make the ultimate breakfast sandwich
You know those perfect breakfasts where you just look at it and you know you’re gonna be OK? Yeah, that’s what we’re going for here.
Monty the Giant Schnauzer wins Best in Show at the Westminster Dog Show
Congratulations to Monty! I bet he’s ...
Credit: Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP
Credit: Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP
Oh wow, he IS giant. I don’t mean to alarm you, ma’am, but I think that’s a horse.
ON THIS DATE
FEBRUARY 13, 1923
Credit: AJC
Credit: AJC
From the front page of the Atlanta Constitution: The Weather: RAIN.
That’s literally all it says. It has its own little box and everything. A poetic succinctness: RAIN. That is all. And here we are, 102 years later, on another rainy February 13.
ONE MORE THING
I am super excited about this, yall ... we have our own email inbox now! Don’t worry, our team was seeing everyone’s emails before, but now there’s a dedicated place just for your praise, criticism and daily banter. I accept and look forward to all three. Look, it’s down below!
Thanks for reading to the very bottom of A.M. ATL. Questions, comments, ideas? Contact us at (our new email address!) amatl@ajc.com.
Until next time.
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