A.M. ATL: Tough life choices

Morning, y’all!

Hopefully you escaped Saturday’s extreme thunderstorms, which hit the Paulding County/Dallas area hard and cut power for thousands.

Also, happy St. Patrick’s Day. Is it too early for a ... Coke? I was reading about these coffee-based indulgences you can make from home and can’t decide between Spiller Park’s Cola Cocktail and Valor’s Lavender Vanilla Latte. I’ll probably flip a coin.

Same goes for my first March Madness bracket, where the University of Georgia landed a No. 9 seed and will play No. 8 Gonzaga on Thursday in Wichita, Kansas.

These, of course, are relatively inconsequential choices compared to the life-changing options many currently face on both a personal and professional level.

Let’s tackle a few of those.

TOO MANY PATHS

Credit: Miguel Martinez-Jimenez

Credit: Miguel Martinez-Jimenez

Plummeting stock prices, a trade war, job cuts, inflation and growing fears of a recession. These things have put investors at a fork in the road.

A story from the AJC’s Kelly Yamanouchi and J. Scott Trubey looks at how Georgia businesses are also approaching uncertainties as they’re being whipsawed by on-again, off-again tariffs and other Washington policies.

Should they spend and hire, or wait and see?

📈 While the stock market undulations are unnerving, it’s not a time for consumers or businesses to panic, says Adrian Cronje, CEO of Balentine, a Buckhead-based independent investment advisory. Goldman Sachs recently put the chance of recession at 20% over the next year.

📉 Still, Harvard economist Larry Summers posted on X this week: “We’ve got a real uncertainty problem, it’s going to be hard to fix.”

Families around the state are also taking varied approaches to the current climate.

🥩 Ellijay resident Laurel Graves said she is buying discounted meat, items on sale and fewer impulse purchases while grocery shopping. She also canceled a planned trip to Montana because of “government and economic instability” and is looking for a part-time nanny job to pay for home improvements.

☮️ Patrick Fisk, a retired financial adviser in Woodstock: “Oftentimes it’s really best to do nothing and just take a deep breath and know that this too shall pass. Right now, where there’s a lot of uncertainty, let’s ride out the storm to see what happens.”

Other big decisions:

U.S. Senators opted on Friday to keep the government open: The U.S. Senate averted a government shutdown, adopting a spending bill that keeps federal funds flowing through September but also slashes $13 billion in nondefense spending. Georgia Sens. Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock joined all but one Democrat in opposing the measure. The move to avoid a shutdown appears to give the Trump administration authority to spend funds in a broader manner than in previous budgets. Experts told the AJC this could result in funding cuts for research on gun violence, opioid abuse and suicide by Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Georgia universities face hard choices amid federal cuts: Researchers in the Peach State have seen grants evaporate. UGA has had nine grants terminated. Georgia Tech has lost three. GSU has lost at least that many. Most grants, however, remain untouched. Researchers hope it’ll stay that way. Amid the uncertainty, some are hesitating to bring on new staff. Some academics fear a “lost generation” of students who turn away from the sciences to pursue careers that suddenly appear more stable.

🔎 MORE TO EXPLORE: Emory is among more than 40 universities under federal investigation for race-exclusionary practices

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IF YOU DO CHOOSE TO VACATION ...

Credit: Visit Macon

A Macon historical park — whose supporters are pushing for it to become Georgia’s first national park — has been named one of the world’s greatest places of 2025 by Time Magazine.

The expansive Ocmulgee Mounds National Historical Park holds seven ancient mounds built around 900 C.E. on land that has been occupied for over 12,000 years. The land was home to four prehistoric cultures, according to the National Park Service.

Other regional destinations on this year’s list: the Georgia Safari Conservation Park in Madison; the Radical hotel in Asheville, North Carolina; and the Palm House, a luxury hotel in Palm Beach, Florida.

TO BAN THC DRINKS, OR NOT

For now, THC-infused drinks are a legal alternative to alcohol, a trendy newcomer to the adult beverage scene across Georgia and much of the U.S. But a bill moving through the Georgia General Assembly would ban these moderately intoxicating beverages, taking them off the shelves of hemp businesses and convenience stores.

Another Georgia bill targets gummies that contain delta-8 THC, which has a slightly different chemical structure than delta-9 THC, a compound in marijuana that produces a high.

GREEN ENERGY

Credit: HYOSUB SHIN / AJC

I’m a sucker for a cute pup. There were plenty of those, plus hundreds of humans in lucky green — from seaweed-colored wigs to four-leaf clover sunglasses — along Peachtree Street for Atlanta’s annual St. Patrick’s Parade. More pics here.

💚 Here is what you need to know about Savannah’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade today that’s among the largest and oldest celebrations of Irish heritage in the U.S.

🏀 For those of you looking to celebrate March Madness (The First Four games start Tuesday; first round on Thursday) here are some top Atlanta spots to watch games.

‘GAINING MANY MORE BABIES’

Credit: By Karley Brunatti

If you need a quick lift (and maybe a few tears), read this story about ex-Falcons star Sean Weatherspoon. After the loss of his baby son Kai, the former linebacker escaped the darkness through coaching. A nice story from D. Orlando Ledbetter.

🔎 READ MORE FROM SPORTS: Falcons to pay Kirk Cousins’ roster bonus, retain him on the roster

NEWS BITES

NIL (name, image and likeness) deals remain scarce for Georgia high school athletes

Any of you young ballers read A.M. ATL? I’ll check our budget.

Nate Bargatze to shoot comedy ‘Breadwinner’ in Atlanta this spring

Still my favorite of his bits.

On his way out, former U.S. Rep. Drew Ferguson spent big from campaign account

Among the reported purchases: a high-end ski resort in Utah and a music and arts festival at Willie Nelson’s ranch in Texas. Talk about leaving on a high note.

You only turn 100 once. How Delta celebrated at a lavish gala

That blue is quite thinning. The airline doesn’t look a day over 80.

ON THIS DATE

March 17, 1937

Credit: AJC

From the front page of The Atlanta Constitution: Amelia Will Race 2 Clippers Today. An unintended air “race” across the Pacific may start tomorrow with Amelia Earhart on her world flight ...”

A fascinating bit of history in print: Earhart’s first attempt to fly around the world, which was scuttled after a nonfatal crash. It wasn’t until her third try, in July of the same year, that she’d make her final, fateful ascent. (The “race” refers to two other large planes that were scheduled to take off around her during that first try.)

ONE MORE THING

I went to Atlanta United’s match last night against Inter Miami, with the realization it could be my only chance to see Lionel Messi, the Michael Jordan of soccer, in person. He didn’t disappoint, scoring a nifty goal on my end of field; Atlanta did, squandering their chance at a draw in the final minutes. Also of note, Linda Cardellini, of “Freaks and Geeks” fame, slammed the Golden Spike pregame. Overall, quality Sunday night.

As a reward reading to the very bottom, you get good news: AJ Willingham returns as A.M. ATL host tomorrow. Please serenade her with love and ask her to never leave again.

Questions, comments, ideas? Contact us at AMATL@ajc.com.

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