A.M. ATL: 🙏 Paying respects

Morning, y’all! Temperatures are in the mid-30s this morning and should peak around 50 degrees. Expect chillier temperatures through the weekend, with rain moving in Sunday.

News wise, we’ve got the latest developments on and off the football field in New Orleans, plus a startling new step in the ongoing beef between Atlanta and its diversion services provider. Some weather-appropriate soup recipes, too.

But first: A quick look at how you can bid farewell to a beloved former peanut farmer from Plains.

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SAYING GOODBYE

Credit: Ben Gray for the AJC

Credit: Ben Gray for the AJC

Ceremonies celebrating the life and legacy of former President Jimmy Carter officially get underway tomorrow, when a motorcade carries his remains from Americus to Atlanta.

Carter will lie in repose at The Carter Presidential Center until early Tuesday morning. Here’s what to know if you plan to go.

The schedule: After stops at Carter’s boyhood farm and the Georgia state Capitol, the motorcade is expected to arrive at the Carter Center for a private service around 4 p.m. Saturday.

Getting there: The Carter Center is at 453 John Lewis Freedom Parkway NE — but on-site parking lots will remain closed. Visitors are encouraged to take MARTA.

Not permitted: No bags, purses or backpacks allowed on the MARTA shuttle or at the Carter Center.

Here are some more details on tomorrow’s motorcade, which kicks off from Phoebe Sumter Medical Center in Americus. The public’s invited if you’re up for a drive.

AJC reporters will fan out across the state this weekend to bring you the latest, so stay tuned to AJC.com. Go ahead and spend some time with our existing coverage of Georgia’s first and only president, too!

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COMING UP SHORT

Credit: Jason Getz/AJC

Credit: Jason Getz/AJC

While authorities in New Orleans continued investigating Wednesday morning’s deadly Bourbon Street rampage, Georgia football took the field for an emotional edition of the Sugar Bowl.

Replacement quarterback Gunner Stockton “played his heart out,” but the Bulldogs’ many mistakes sealed their 23-10 loss to Notre Dame and the end of a brief College Football Playoff run.

“Notre Dame played well,” head coach Kirby Smart said. “We didn’t play great.”

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MORE ON THE ATTACK

» Atlanta reporter Sean Keenan spoke to the AJC about interviewing New Orleans rampage suspect Shamsud-Din Jabbar when he was a student at Georgia State University: “He did not throw any red flags.”

» Elle Eisele, the UGA student critically injured in the attack, is a sophomore studying chemistry. She recently posted about raising money for children’s hospitals.

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DIVERSION DIVISION

Credit: Ben Gray for the AJC

Credit: Ben Gray for the AJC

The organization tasked with helping Atlantans battling homelessness, mental health and substance abuse issues get the services they need — and stay out of jail — suspended its operations in the city.

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CRIME WATCH

» A sheriff’s office near Augusta wants to speak to a man they say littered the front steps of a predominantly Black church with cotton, calling it “an incident involving trespassing and inappropriate activity.”

» DeKalb County police say a home invasion at a local apartment complex left one man dead and another wounded.

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GET OUTSIDE!

Credit: Courtesy photo

Credit: Courtesy photo

Looking for something to do this weekend? Post-holiday festivities include a 5K on the Beltline, Repticon in Lawrenceville and the last chance for ice skating at Avalon.

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SOUP FOR THE SOUL

Did we mention it’s starting to get quite chilly again? Try warming up with these hearty recipes from Side Hustle Soups — a Decatur-area delivery service whose deliciousness I can personally vouch for!

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ON THIS DATE

Jan. 3, 1983

A busy local news day included hotels in New Orleans complaining about boisterous UGA fans in town for the Sugar Bowl and the opening of a new city jail on Garnett Street. But the Brunswick Police Department’s newest hire was the real story of the day.

Because “Detective Glynn H. Carr” was actually a life-size doll donated by a 75-year-old artist named Mildred Huie.

“When Mrs. Huie heard that local policemen are sometimes forced to go out on patrol alone because of a manpower shortage,” the Atlanta Journal reported, “she decided to give the city one of her creations.”

Credit: File photo

Credit: File photo

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PHOTO OF THE DAY

Credit: Courtesy photo

Credit: Courtesy photo

Officials at Hartsfield-Jackson provided this fun photo of the airport’s light up canopy, which is helping the travel hub celebrate its 100th birthday in 2025.

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ONE MORE THING

Columnist Bill Torpy’s latest missive reflects on the passage of time — and the fact that Y2K is now a quarter-century in the rearview mirror.

“Time is our most valuable resource,” he writes, “one we thoughtlessly fritter away.”

Happy Friday!

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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.