Atlanta Journal-Constitution Briefing

Get ready to drive on the shoulder of Ga. 400 at rush hour for the last time. Also, he Wellstar Health System said Wednesday that local leaders were simply trying to score “cheap political points” by assailing the decisions instead of working to keep medical facilities open.

Ex-Clayton Sheriff sentenced to 18 months in federal prison; Cash buyers made up more than half of metro Atlanta home sales in 2022; New rift over HOPE funding divides Georgia leaders; Georgia Senate gives final approval to $1 billion income tax rebate

Governor Kemp signs midyear budget; No answers in second autopsy of slain activist; Jury awards Roswell parents $6.1 million after son’s hazing death at LSU; Georgia Power customers to see one-time credit on March bills

Biden promotes Atlanta native to senior White House role; Bond hearing set for mother accused in toddler son’s beating death; Grady to celebrate opening of new outpatient surgery tower; Protest over derailment held at Norfolk Southern’s Atlanta headquarters

House backs $32.4 billion budget; Massive increase in antisemitic propaganda in Georgia; Upgraded Georgia voter registration system speeds up elections; Key Georgia Republican says sports betting is still on the table

Wellstar hit with federal complaints on Atlanta hospital closures; Feds recommend 46-month sentence for convicted Clayton Sheriff Victor Hill; Rivian to sell $1.3B in bonds to support future Georgia plant; House leaders OK budget raises for teachers and law officers

Tyler Perry and Byron Allen headline battle for BET; Home sales climb in February; NTSB launches special probe into Norfolk Southern safety practices; Georgia Republicans target transgender issues over other culture wars

Tyler Perry interested in buying majority stake in BET; Almost all detainees arrested after training site violence are from elsewhere; Buckhead cityhood movement calls it quits ‘for now’; Why public health workers are quitting;

State rural lending program back for another try; Environmentalists, clergy, other activists rally against training center; Kirby Smart: No culture problem, no policy change as a result of fatal crash; Separate shootings involving young people leave 2 dead, multiple injured

Police say charges against UGA’s Jalen Carter appropriate; State officials will review billions worth of special-interest tax breaks; Itchin’ mad about the early pollen? Blame the warm weather; Newly discovered early ‘Gone With the Wind’ movie script reveals a much harsher depiction of slavery;

UGA football staffer drunk during fatal crash; Kemp, Rivian double down on $5B Georgia factory despite challenges; Georgia Power customers’ bills could jump again soon; Kemp administration deals blow to Buckhead cityhood push

Black ATL investors to buy Utah bank; Georgia could spend billions to keep freight moving; Why creating ‘incredibly insulting’ new Buckhead city would be so complex; Georgia agency proposes rule to curb surprise hospital closures

Quin Snyder ready to lay foundation with Hawks; Former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms leaving White House job; Gray Television delays second phase of massive Assembly project in Doraville; Senate committee backs Buckhead cityhood bills

GBI arrests South Georgia police chief; Why The Atlanta Journal-Constitution will no longer run ‘Dilbert’; Ex-Atlanta watershed official gets 4 years in prison for bribery scandal; Residents, scientists slam Okefenokee mining proposal

Trump attorneys call special grand jury probe ‘a clown show’; UGA player charged with racing had been questioned about fatal crash; Georgia House passes income tax rebate, Senate OKs property tax rebate; Flu vaccine worked well in season that faded fast

Judge rules against DOJ over communications in Georgia voting lawsuit; Ex-Doraville police officer now charged with murder in 16-year-old’s death; Georgia bills address electric vehicles’ future; Lawmakers consider making it easier for city residents to de-annex

Cities might run their elections, with help from a fake Georgia elector; Home Depot gives $1 billion in raises to front-line workers; Senate leaders back $32.5 billion state budget with property tax break; Sewon becomes latest supplier to Hyundai’s Georgia EV plant

Digital tool to link Atlanta’s small businesses with big corporations; State finds Cobb schools denied services for student with disabilities; State finds Cobb schools denied services for student with disabilities; Ohio residents ‘not satisfied’ by Norfolk Southern response; 4-month-old Georgia boy found safe

Judge denies request to halt land work at public safety training center site; Will special grand jury recommend Trump be indicted?; At least 15 children injured in weekend shootings across Georgia; Biden, other Washington leaders share prayers, accolades for Carter

Grand jury report recommends perjury charges; State urges appeals court to OK Rivian incentive deal; Southern Co. reports big profit increase but costly Vogtle delays loom; School librarians could face criminal charges under Georgia bill

Tyler Perry donating $2.75 million for low-income Atlanta seniors; Georgia bill could end runoffs by deciding winners in general election; Hartsfield-Jackson handled 93.7 million passengers in 2022; Republican bill opens new front in culture war over Georgia schools

Georgia sets international trade record for second straight year.; Senate backs placement of Clarence Thomas statue at Georgia Capitol; Ex-cop suspected of dumping missing Gwinnett teen’s body in woods; Carr defends domestic terrorism charges for training center protesters

Portions of Trump grand jury report to be released this week; Norfolk Southern could be liable for Ohio train derailment cleanup; Medical marijuana bill seeks to clear roadblocks to Georgia sales; Georgia lawmaker files metro chamber-backed sports betting bill

CDC adds COVID vaccines to list of routine vaccines; Maternity, newborn care in Atlanta challenged by abrupt closure of AMC; Brian Kemp maneuvers to gain influence in 2024 politics; Westside Lead Superfund site to get new EPA funds to speed up cleanup

Georgia advances wage hikes for caregivers amid ‘workforce crisis’; 2nd Gwinnett teenager found dead this week from same high school; Loeffler calls for ‘investigation’ after DeKalb accepts elections grant

Harris focuses on climate change in touting Biden agenda; Woman investigated for bringing gun to vote as Black voters gave out water; Georgia school board picks leader after letter targeted her sexuality; Georgia Democrats applaud, Republicans pan Biden’s State of the Union speech;

Atlanta to return $10M in emergency rental assistance to federal government; Georgia bill would make attacking critical infrastructure a felony; Dickens defends training center, efforts to combat crime; Georgia Supreme Court throws Camden spaceport into uncertainty

Bill aims to stop Georgia scammers from getting seniors’ money; 30-story building poised to tower over Margaret Mitchell House; Antisemitic flyer targets Jewish sponsor of hate crime bill; Warnock, Black Caucus push Biden to make policing a theme of State of the Union

Democrats vote to boost Georgia in 2024 lineup; Autopsy shows training center activist shot at least 13 times; Mayor’s office revives Atlanta’s ‘Clean Energy Advisory Board’; Georgia senator files bill to restrict TikTok;

Georgia House passes $32.5 billion midyear budget; Georgia could try ranked-choice voting in cities under new bill; Many Georgia Republicans want no part of Trump’s comeback; Dickens supports Atlanta Streetcar extension

Judge to decide over Georgia voter challenges; Federal judge bans Forsyth school board censorship of profane speech; Rivian announces 2nd round of layoffs within 7 months; ; Georgia House leaders pass midyear budget with property tax rebate

Land disturbance permits set to be issued for Atlanta training center; Rivian opponents refile lawsuits to challenge state’s site takeover; Fulton sheriff mulls renaming ‘Scorpion’ unit after Tyre Nichols killing

Faith in Georgia elections rises as fraud frenzy fades; Guilty pleas entered in 2017 killing at Atlanta’s Barcelona Wine Bar; YSL defendant files formal complaint against Fulton deputies; Leaders urge Biden to pick Atlanta for Dem convention

Tyler Perry concerned about emissions near his studio; Poll reveals Georgians’ concerns that Congress cannot overcome division; Former UGA quarterback arrested in Dallas in public intoxication case; Judge rules Fulton DA must re-indict jailers in detainee’s death

Governor signs order to call up National Guard troops after violent unrest; Atlanta leads state with robust addition of 126,400 jobs for the year; Poll shows Georgia voters want marijuana legalized; Some MARTA officials question Atlanta Streetcar extension

Governor launches ‘new phase’ of crime crackdowns; Flu, COVID and RSV all declining now in Georgia; Medical marijuana rules approved in a ‘milestone’ for sales in Georgia; Qcells partners with Microsoft to advance its clean energy goals

UGA investigating events surrounding fatal crash; Decision on indictments in Trump probe may be ‘imminent’; Walmart, J&J partner to tackle Georgia’s Black maternal health crisis; Georgians oppose runoffs, back sports betting and abortion rights

Gun tied to trooper shooting purchased by protester who was killed; Gwinnett teacher turnover rate outpaces state; Ex-Atlanta police officer charged with murder wants case moved to federal court; Georgia football player arrested on domestic violence charges

Out-of-state protesters in spotlight with arrests; Mohawk Industries warns of shortfall; Employee on leave after video suggests he snuck CRT in Georgia schools;

Devin Willock’s father says he has no plans to sue UGA; Atlanta’s homicides are up for third straight year; Georgia economy ends year with growth but shows some signs of fatigue; Details trickle out after deadly encounter at Atlanta training center site

Atlanta airport again leads nation for guns caught by security; Protester dead near Atlanta training center site; Gas prices again break above $3; Looming end of pandemic funds to oust waves of Georgians from Medicaid;

More details on fatal crash involving Georgia football players; FEMA official to visit Georgia communities impacted by storms; Georgia economy doing well, but stock market drop will hurt state revenue;

King’s legacy depends on being a part of change; Georgia lawmakers begin work on Kemp’s budget

Georgia football player killed in car crash after title celebration; MARTA short of cash for Atlanta, Clayton County expansions; Kemp details his budget proposals for Georgia schools; Georgia tax collections rebound, but state officials cautious about future

Massive cleanup begins after strong storms in metro Atlanta; Elections might move faster with new Georgia registration system; Delta bans employees using flight benefits from Sky Clubs; CNN employees moving to Midtown campus;

Kemp will call for teacher, state worker raises; Solar manufacturer confirms historic Georgia expansion plans; Georgia legislators pass rules on shielding their speech; Georgia ICE whistleblower files suit against private prison company

Former Atlanta councilman pleads guilty to fraud charge; Georgia asks judge to uphold voting system in election security case; Georgia resumes collecting fuel tax Wednesday; Atlanta and former mayor, police chief sued in 2020 shooting

Fulton special grand jury completes Trump investigation; Solar panel maker Qcells expected to announce huge Georgia expansion; Lawmakers elect Georgia House Speaker Burns on quick first day

Georgia teachers broke and looking to quit; MARTA parts ways with deputy general manager; Clyde flips to McCarthy, helps him become House speaker after 15 rounds; Georgia Democrats face uphill fight to move state up on 2024 primary calendar

Biden to honor former Fulton election workers on January 6th; Third Hyundai supplier announces factory near future Georgia EV plant; Chick-fil-A investigating ‘suspicious activity’ on mobile app; Georgia’s governor blasts tailgating policy at football title game