Morning, y’all! It’s Wednesday, which is better than Tuesday. It may also be our last warmish day this week.
- Traffic alert: A crash had all lanes of I-285 South blocked near Camp Creek Parkway and the airport this morning. Stay tuned for the latest.
Otherwise, today’s newsletter takes a look at the Thanksgiving travel rush, the beginning of the end for Fulton County’s YSL trial and a dating docuseries focused on older Atlantans. Plus: Georgia’s latest landing spot in the College Football Playoff rankings.
But first, a local sheriff who just can’t seem to have it his way.
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WHOPPER WOES
Credit: Courtesy photo
Credit: Courtesy photo
The Cobb County sheriff’s flame-broiled imbroglio rages on.
In fact, another other bun just dropped.
Get caught up: Last month, in the height of Craig Owens’ ultimately successful reelection bid, Republican challenger David Cavender unveiled an unsavory situation from 2023.
- The sheriff went to Burger King and ordered a Whopper with no mayo. They slathered the sauce on anyway and, when confronted with the issue, apparently refused to switch the sandwich or offer a refund.
Lame, but it’s happened to all of us. You vow to never come back and move on with your life, right?
Wrong.
- Owens opted to summon deputies to the scene. Bodycam footage shows three of them arriving — on duty! — before Owens directed them to “find out who owns this place so I can do an official complaint.”
A wild choice, indeed. Read columnist Bill Torpy’s take here. But now there’s more!
It seems some locals, including Cavender, took to the sheriff’s office Facebook page to offer their thoughts on situation.
- And a new federal lawsuit they filed claims Owens violated the First Amendment by limiting, deleting or hiding their comments.
My AJC colleague Rosie Manins reports that the sheriff’s office deferred comment on the suit to Cobb County, which basically said Owens operates on an island.
So … do they have a case? This is hardly the first time an elected representative has faced legal action over social media activity. They’re pretty limited in what they can restrict on official government pages.
- Threats and obscenities? Delete and block away. Completely off-topic? The kibosh is probably kosher.
Criticism and opposing views generally get to stay.
But even then: In a Facebook post earlier this month, Owens’ office said it turned off comments altogether. Might a blanket blackout be permitted?
Perhaps! That’s for a judge to decide.
And one more way the sheriff put himself in a pickle.
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.
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HOLIDAY HEADACHES
Credit: John Spink/AJC
Credit: John Spink/AJC
We’re just about a week out from Thanksgiving, and transportation officials predict the busiest holiday travel period on record.
About a million folks are expected to pass through security at Hartsfield-Jackson. Another 2.3 million will drive more than 50 miles from home.
- Make sure to check out the AJC’s guide to navigating the world’s busiest airport. And prepare yourself for the possibility of the flu, too.
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COURT WATCH
» Nearly two years after jury selection started, Fulton County prosecutors rested their case in the “Young Slime Life” trial. Only two defendants remain after Grammy-winning rapper Young Thug and three others took pleas.
» Prosecutors also rested their case in Athens, where Day 3 of testimony in the Jose Ibarra trial covered video footage, text messages and Laken Riley’s mother’s frantic efforts to reach her.
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ARE YOU SURPRISED?
Georgia is still battling lawsuits filed before this month’s presidential election but has seen far less postelection litigation than in 2020. I wonder why!
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LEFT WITH NOTHING
Credit: Lautaro Grinspan/AJC
Credit: Lautaro Grinspan/AJC
Hurricane Helene hit Georgia farmers hard. The storm also wreaked havoc on the lives of immigrant farmworkers, destroying homes and eliminating their only source of income.
“We were left without work, without anything,” one worker told the AJC’s Lautaro Grinspan. “The fields are ruined.”
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THE OPINION PAGE
» Remember the North Georgia mother arrested after her 10-year-old walked to the Dollar General? Columnist Bill Torpy weighed in — and you can probably guess what an old guy from Chicago’s South Side thinks!
» The AJC’s Nedra Rhone, meanwhile, tackled the hurdles moms face when running for office: “I couldn’t do a lot of things I would have done if I didn’t have kids,” one candidate told her.
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AWARD-WORTHY BRAVES PITCHER
Credit: Miguel Martinez/AJC
Credit: Miguel Martinez/AJC
As mentioned previously: Braves pitcher Chris Sale is highly favored to take home the National League Cy Young Award tonight and become Atlanta’s first winner since the halcyon Glavine-Maddux-Smoltz days of the 1990s.
Relive more highlights here before the 6 p.m. announcement on MLB Network — and take your mind off fellow ace Max Fried declining Atlanta’s qualifying offer.
- Bulldogs: Georgia moved up to No. 10 in the latest College Football Playoff rankings. And it’s still possible the Dawgs make the SEC title game.
- Dream: The team formally introduced new head coach Karl Smesko, who wants to bring a “fun and exciting” style of play to town.
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ANOTHER PONCE DEPARTURE
Java Jive, Ponce de Leon Avenue’s pancake paradise for three decades, is set to close next month.
“What a crazy ride it has been to be on Ponce for the last 30 years as the city has changed around us yet we’ve remained the same,” owners Steven Horwitz and Shira Levetan wrote on Instagram.
- Nearby Bookhouse Pub plans to move out by the end of the year, too.
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MORE TO EXPLORE
» Body found after fire under DeKalb bridge causes crashes, police say
» Ousted Georgia judge suspended from practicing law
» Senate confirms Biden’s pick on Atlanta-based appeals court
» Carter Center marks anniversary of Rosalynn Carter’s passing
» White House Jimmy Carter ornament available at Home Depot
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ON THIS DATE
Nov. 20, 1977
The Atlanta Journal reported that the average new car price of about $5,450 had Georgia customers “gagging.”
The current, even more gag-worthy figure? More than $47,000, as of earlier this year.
Credit: File photo
Credit: File photo
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PHOTO OF THE DAY
Credit: John Spink/AJC
Credit: John Spink/AJC
AJC photographer John Spink caught Georgia Tech students dodging rain drops on campus Tuesday. The weather system is expected to usher in overnight lows in the 30s by Thursday.
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ONE MORE THING
“Golden Bachelor”? Pffft. Make way for the Michelle Obama-produced Netflix show “Later Daters,” which follows older Atlantans looking for love. It drops Nov. 29 — and seems a smidge less schlocky.
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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.
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