Morning, y’all! Inside you there are two wolves of the weekend: One is drooling to check out a new club or museum, and the other is already crawling into a pile of blankets on the couch. (There’s a third wolf that does chores around the house, but we try to ignore that one.) Which will you feed? We have fare for both.
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THE RETURN OF RETURN TO OFFICE: FEDERAL EDITION
Credit: Natrice Miller/AJC
Credit: Natrice Miller/AJC
President Donald Trump’s executive order requiring all government employees to return to in-person work has prompted some questions, like “Where?” “How?” and “???!!!!!!??!!”
Atlanta is home to several federal agencies and tens of thousands of government workers, and there are several factors that could complicate the latest RTO push. That’s not even counting the “I don’t have to wear shoes when I’m working from home” argument, as valid as it is.
Less space: Remote and hybrid work routines during the pandemic led to lots of agencies and companies giving up pricey office space. Many Atlanta-area federal workers say piling back into the office just isn’t doable, at least if everyone wants a desk.
Broken promises: The AJC’s Zachary Hansen spoke to several area commercial real estate experts who said, among other things, that the mandate could run afoul of union telework agreements.
🔎 How experts think the mandate will affect Atlanta
Lost talent: It’s obvious from any angle that most workers like hybrid work flexibility. The American Federation of Government Employees has said such arrangements are important for attracting key talent.
It just seems like a bummer: On social media and message boards, federal workers say the whole situation in general will make them less effective and will probably kill morale. It’s one of those things people tend to brush off until they’ve been in a workplace situation that sucks at their soul. It really does matter!
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GEORGIA JOBS NUMBERS ARE LOOKIN’ GOOD
The last jobs report of 2024 is in, and Georgia added 60,000 jobs last year. The sectors with the biggest job gains were local government (10,000), professional, scientific and technical services (6,1000) and federal government (4,200).
The state’s unemployment rate ended the year at 3.7%, which is lower than the national average of 4.1%. A spokesperson from the Georgia Department of Labor said the state’s strong business climate was a big factor in keeping that figure down.
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ENOUGH WORK TALK, IT’S THE WEEKEND
If the adventurous wolf does win this weekend, there are plenty of exciting new things to do in town.
The Atlanta History Center has a new children’s attraction, featuring a mini Fox Theatre and a mini Varsity. (No mini MJQ, though.) The foundation that funded the attraction plans to update the space with new themes every year, so see “Our Great Big City” while you can!
The Southern Museum of Civil War & Locomotive History in Kennesaw is holding its annual “Trains, Trains, Trains!” event on Saturday and Sunday. Word has it you can ride in a real caboose.
Here are 15 more things to do this weekend, from the Atlanta Camping and RV Show to luminous Lunar New Year celebrations.
PLUS, COMING SOON: UNDERGROUND x MJQ
Credit: Hyosub Shin / AJC
Credit: Hyosub Shin / AJC
Yes, it’s the Atlanta nightlife crossover of the century: Grungy dance club MJQ spent 30 years burrowed under the asphalt off Ponce de Leon Avenue, but was pushed out for new mixed-use developments. Meanwhile, Dante’s Down the Hatch at Underground Atlanta was a downtown icon until the Underground closed in 1999 (it’s currently seeing a revival). It just makes sense that MJQ’s co-owners would want to be part of it.
The theme is: SPACE! Dante’s, as the lifers remember, was pirate ship-themed, with shiplap and ropes and a very grungy feel. The new MJQ Concourse is spaceship themed, with neon lights and futuristic art. But don’t worry, the grunge is still there. After all, it’s a selling point.
“Underground is just dirty as hell, and it reminds me of the old Ponce de Leon and Little Five Points,” MJQ co-owner Ryan Murphy told the AJC. “It’s just grimy and cool.”
🔎 Get a look inside the revived Underground digs, which open Jan. 29
I asked the AJC’s Zach Hansen, who’s just everywhere this week, what he thought of the place.
“I think they’re the right (and maybe the only) owners who could pull off that space,” he told me. “I’m not much of a dancer, but the two-story dance floor, I think, will be pretty cool.”
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TRUMP DECLASSIFIES JFK, MLK ASSASSINATION RECORDS
Oh, this is going to be interesting. Yesterday afternoon, President Trump declassified thousands of documents about the 1963 assassination of President John F. Kennedy. The executive order will also declassify records related to the assassinations of Sen. Robert F. Kennedy and the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.
“All will be revealed.” That was Trump’s cryptic answer when reporters asked him for comment on the move.
Larry J. Sabato, director of the University of Virginia Center for Politics, told the AJC he’s not expecting any bombshells. But then again, you never know.
“There’s always the possibility that something would slip through that would be the tiny tip of a much larger iceberg that would be revealing,” he said. “That’s what researchers look for. Now, odds are you won’t find that but it is possible that it’s there.”
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NEWS BITES
Three ways Georgia’s recent cold weather could harm your health
Parents who have had to deal with the chaos of unexpected snow days could probably add a few more.
CNN makes big cuts to TV staff, but Atlanta operations could benefit
It’s hard to explain, but Atlanta media folks like to watch out for each other. So godspeed, friends.
Chick-fil-A announces more locations in Canada
A fire in every hearth, and a Chick-fil-a on every corner.
‘Megalopolis,’ confusing Coppola passion project shot in Atlanta, gets six Razzies Award nominations
What? It’s not our fault!
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ON THIS DATE
Credit: File photo
Credit: File photo
From the Jan. 24, 1951 edition of the Atlanta Constitution: Miss Margaret Bryan, a dancing teacher who has touched the lives of thousands of pupils in the past 27 years, is Atlanta’s “Woman of the Year” for 1950.
Congratulations to Miss Bryan, who according to the paper was also the first businesswoman to be chosen for the honor.
Meanwhile, below the fold, several people were apparently charged with smuggling ridiculous amounts of diamonds into the country in the heels of their shoes. Very fashionable.
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PHOTO OF THE DAY
Credit: Crisp County Sheriff's Office
Credit: Crisp County Sheriff's Office
The AJC’s Macon bureau chief Joe Kovak Jr. spent some time in Cordele, where they got up to nine (!!!) inches of snow this week. It’s quite a tale! The Crisp County Sheriff provided a nice laugh by jokingly swearing in a snowman. We hear it’s a temporary post.
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ONE MORE THING
Thank you to readers Betty and Robert, who provided my favorite explanations for the strange bird bath ice formation I showed y’all yesterday. Betty shared an article that describes warmer water expanding as it cools, breaking through the frozen surface above. Robert said a pine needle or other debris could have drifted into the bird bath and built up an increasing coat of moisture, which eventually froze. I’ve only been writing this newsletter for two weeks and I already love our A.M. ATL family. :)
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Thanks for reading to the very bottom of A.M. ATL. Questions, comments, ideas? Contact me at tellus@ajc.com.
