Morning, y’all! This weekend’s full moon was a special one: It was a micromoon, which happens when the moon is at or near the farthest point of its elliptical orbit around the Earth. In fact, it was the farthest full moon of the year! I hope it shone down on a lovely weekend for you.
Enough moon talk. Let’s get to it.
A COASTAL FIGHT COMES TO ATLANTA
Credit: Justin Taylor/AJC
Credit: Justin Taylor/AJC
The fight to preserve history on Georgia’s Sapelo Island is going all the way to the Georgia Supreme Court this week. It’s one of those tricky cases with a string of appeals and blocks, but in short, Sapelo residents want to hold a referendum vote challenging a 2023 ordinance change that would allow bigger developments to be built.
Why people are fighting: Sapelo locals, including members of the Gullah Geechee community, don’t want an increase in development that would likely price people out of their homes and infringe upon the sparsely populated, history-rich barrier island. The Gullah Geechee are a cultural group made up of the descendants of enslaved Africans who stayed in the area after the Civil War.
How they’re fighting: After local leaders passed the ordinance in 2023, Sapelo residents filed a lawsuit claiming discrimination. It was dismissed in 2024. Then, members of the Gullah Geechee led a petition drive to get enough signatures to trigger an election on the matter. They met the requirement, and an election was set, but McIntosh County filed an answering lawsuit challenging the legality of the election.
🔎 READ MORE: The history of Sapelo’s legal battle to preserve its heritage
Things to know about Sapelo and the Gullah Geechee
- Sapelo Island sits along Georgia’s coast. Because of its historical significance, it has dodged the influx of vacation homes, resorts and other signs of oceanside development characteristic of its neighbors, like Tybee Island.
- The state of Georgia owns most of the island, which operates as a reserve and marine institute.
- The Gullah Geechee maintain a community on the island called Hog Hammock. With fewer than 40 residents, their numbers are dwindling as new generations pursue life off the island. However, their lifestyle and presence on the island represent a critical part of the region’s history.
The Georgia Supreme Court will hear residents’ appeals for the blocked referendum Wednesday at the Nathan Deal Judicial Center in downtown Atlanta.
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CONVICTED MURDERER RECAPTURED IN FLORIDA
Kathan Guzman, the man convicted of murder who was mistakenly released from the Clayton County Jail two weeks ago, was arrested again Friday by U.S. Marshals.
- Guzman was mistakenly released from jail in late March. The Clayton County Sheriff’s office came under fire after they waited nearly two weeks to issue any public announcement about his release.
- An underpublicized manhunt for Guzman looped in the U.S. Marshals Service, which located the 22-year-old in Orange County, Florida.
- Now, the sheriff’s office said they didn’t discover the mistake until the district attorney’s office alerted them 12 days later.
- Sheriff Levon Allen said his office is investigating how the mistake happened.
READ MORE: Reactions, questions in this unusual case after Guzman’s rearrest
MCILROY’S MASTERS MOMENT
Credit: Ashley Landis/AP
Credit: Ashley Landis/AP
At long last, Rory McIlroy has his green jacket. The 35-year-old Irishman won the 2025 Masters, completing a career Grand Slam. (That’s when a player wins all four major tournaments: the Masters, the PGA Championship, the U.S. Open and the British Open.)
McIlroy is one of the biggest names in golf, but consistently came up short in Augusta. Before Sunday’s victory, he also hadn’t won a major tournament in more than 10 years.
I'm very proud of myself. I'm proud of never giving up. I'm proud of how I kept coming back and dusting myself off and not letting the disappointments really get to me.
I think it’s so cool that McIlroy spoke positively of himself like this. Very pro-mental health. You can do hard things! And when you do, be proud of yourself for it!
⛳ READ MORE: If McIlroy can win the Masters, there’s hope for all of us
WINE SELLERS SOUR ON TARIFFS
Credit: Thibault Camus/AP
Credit: Thibault Camus/AP
Another day, another industry uniquely affected by the U.S.’ back-and-forth tariff war. Some Atlanta-area wine sellers are at their wit’s end trying to prepare for tariffs that could decimate already-slim profit margins.
Businesses are preparing for anything. Some have preemptively stocked inventory from specific places, while others anticipate cost cuts through layoffs or slimmer selections.
The wine industry’s already lost some punch. American wine sales declined 6% in 2024. Experts say a wider array of alcoholic beverage options may be a factor.
Not an issue of “buying American.” When it comes to wine, going global is part of the fun. It’s also just the way the business works. One wine buyer told the AJC there’s literally not enough domestic supply to replace imported wines.
🔎 Read more: Why one wine seller says he’s “losing sleep”
MUST-KNOW POLITICS AND BUSINESS
📋 The Trump administration says it classified thousands of living immigrants as dead and canceled their social security numbers to convince them to “self-deport.” One problem: To obtain a social security number, an immigrant must be living in the U.S. legally in the first place.
🚔 Some public Florida universities agreed to deputize campus police officers to act as immigration enforcers. Colleges around the country are already in turmoil as federal officials have begun revoking the visas of international students with unclear justification.
👩👧 Republican Rep. Anna Paulina Luna’s push to allow proxy voting in the U.S. House for new parents spiraled into a multi-dimensional philosophical debate on the Hill.
NEWS BITES
Hawks guard Trae Young won the 2024-25 Sekou Smith Award
The award goes to a player who represents himself and the team well in media interactions. Feathery claps for Trae!
Atlanta United is off to the worst start in franchise history
Saturday’s heartbreaker against New England was a definite “drive home from the game in complete silence” moment.
‘A Minecraft Movie’ is already the highest grossing Hollywood release of 2025
I gather it’s like “Citizen Kane” for kids. The cinematic experience, I mean. Not the plot. Unless I’ve really missed something about Minecraft.
You can hang out with capybaras at a capybara cafe in Florida
But ... do they want to hang out with us?
ON THIS DATE
April 14, 1960
Credit: AJC
Credit: AJC
From the front page of The Atlanta Constitution: ... the Age of Anxiety — this deeply troubled century which has advanced the science of psychiatry, and spawned the multi-million dollar tranquilizer industry, and a whole body of peace-of-mind literature ... Many Americans, cushioned in creature comforts and insured against the common disasters, would be hard pressed to pinpoint the source of their anxiety.
Is the Age of Anxiety still going, or are we in a new one now? Please advise.
ONE MORE THING
I know what you’re thinking. I know it’s been keeping you up at night. Yes, the Masters jacket has its own Pantone color. It’s Pantone 342: Masters Green (#006747).
Thanks for reading to the very bottom of A.M. ATL. Questions, comments, ideas? Contact us at AMATL@ajc.com.
Until next time.
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