Morning, y’all! Shoutout to whoever coined the little “Thirty days hath September, April, June and November” mnemonic. It has saved the day countless times. Perhaps literally. Get it? Saved a day? Ha! That’s good.
Let’s get to it.
WHO’S YOUR NEIGHBOR, REALLY?
Credit: Philip Robibero / AJC
Credit: Philip Robibero / AJC
The AJC investigative team has a wild report on a rich Russian banker who bought a bunch of properties around Atlanta but disappeared before the U.S. sanctioned him and his business.
The lowdown:
Sergey Khotimskiy spent about $37 million on property in Georgia, including a building that housed a popular Virginia-Highland pub and a former movie theater converted into a church.
In the months before he was sanctioned, he transferred his stake in the properties to another owner. While the Russia of it all adds a fascinating twist, the real revelation is how little we know about who owns what in our city – and how little we’re entitled to know.
I talked to AJC investigative reporter Thad Moore, who worked with The Post and Courier of South Carolina, the independent Russian news outlet iStories and a freelance journalist on the story.
A few surprising facts:
- In nearly every state in the U.S., including Georgia, the government doesn’t collect info on who actually owns LLCs, meaning corporate tenants sometimes have no idea who they are paying rent to behind a company name.
- In the case of Khotimskiy, no one told the business owner tenants that the properties had changed hands because the same holding company LLCs owned their buildings.
- In fact, Moore told me one business owner only found out the building his pub was renting had been connected to a sanctioned Russian when he independently researched the sanctions. (Always follow your curiosity!)
- Sanctions on foreign investors have the potential to cause headaches close to home. They include freezing real estate, quite an inconvenience if you’re trying to operate out of a rented space that is subject to sanctions. Doing business with sanctioned individuals is illegal, too, leading to serious risks tenants may not even know about.
What went into the investigation:
If you want a taste of what it’s like to be an investigative journalist, Moore described the scope of the documents he examined throughout the project: court records, bank filings, code enforcement records and more, all from several different states.
“It was fun to report, because we found clues about Khotimskiy in unexpected places, like Fulton County restaurant inspection records, or San Diego County judgment levies.”
That’s not to mention all of the interviews with experts, including one with the head of the Office of Foreign Assets Control.
“I know way too much about sanctions now,” Moore said.
🔎 INVESTIGATION: A Russian banker purchased millions in Atlanta property, and then disappeared
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THE ELECTION BOARD IS FIGHTING
Credit: Abbey Cutrer/AJC
Credit: Abbey Cutrer/AJC
Georgia’s State Election Board is getting a little messy. During their meeting last week, attempts to get rid of no-excuse absentee voting and subpoena 2020 election ballots were punctuated by a tense exchange over ... manhood.
Oh, and members of the board from both parties have said the whole group is “dysfunctional.”
- The AJC’s Mark Niesse explains the Republican-majority board chafed after the state Supreme Court reduced its power this spring, ruling the group couldn’t create new election rules that surpassed state laws.
- That hasn’t stopped them from trying. They’ve also debated eliminating voting touchscreens and shortening voting deadlines for military and overseas voters
- The board’s three Republicans are also beefing with the Republican chair, who is sometimes supported by the group’s lone Democrat.
Here’s an idea: Make it a reality show. All the drama, plus full public transparency, educational entertainment and civic engagement all in one.
🔎 READ MORE: A look inside the board’s duties and disputes
A BIG BLOW COMING FOR GA HEALTH CARE
Georgia’s health sector is set to lose $3.7 billion in revenue in 2026 if Congress and President Donald Trump allow Affordable Care Act health insurance subsidies to expire.
- The depressing conclusion is from a new study by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the left-leaning Urban Institute.
- The deficit would affect hospitals, doctors and other health businesses and would be among the three largest losses in the nation following Florida and Texas.
🔎 READ MORE: What it would mean for Georgia citizens
GEORGIA HS GRAD RATES ARE UP
Great news! Georgia’s high school graduation rate reached another historic high, improving for the fourth year in a row.
- 87.2%: The graduation rate for the state’s class of 2025. That’s a 6.4-point increase compared to 10 years ago.
- 81.4%: The graduation rate in DeKalb County, which has historically had one of the lowest rates in the state. They earned a nearly 2-point jump.
DeKalb Superintendent Devon Horton says it’s all very intentional. High schools have implemented programs like “half cap” ceremonies to encourage sophomores to keep going, and focused post-graduation plans to maintain vision.
🔎 READ MORE: How did your school do?
MUST-KNOW POLITICS AND BUSINESS
🎥 Trump announced a 100% tariff on foreign-made films. He first threatened the levies back in May, and the details are still very unclear.
🚂 CSX railroad replaced its CEO amid pressure to compete with the looming Union Pacific-Norfolk Southern merger.
🏦 Synovus Financial, Georgia’s largest homegrown bank, says it won’t leave its 137-year history in Columbus behind when it merges with Nashville-based Pinnacle Financial Partners.
SOME THINGS ARE WORTH MELTING FOR
Credit: Courtesy of Aurubis AG
Credit: Courtesy of Aurubis AG
A new $800 million Augusta recycling facility brings a new shade of green to Georgia’s energy and electric vehicle industries.
Aurubis Richmond melts down metals, which are then recycled into fast-growing electronic and battery supply chains, which power EVs, data centers and energy infrastructure.
It’s the first facility of its kind in the U.S. and is expected to bolster national supply chains for copper, nickel, tin and other precious metals. Currently, the U.S. relies on China and other countries for a lot of those rare earth metals.
🔥 READ MORE: The effort has bipartisan support
NEWS BITES
Maybe I’m a softie, but the man just won us a World Series four years ago and has regularly led the Braves to the playoffs. Let him do his thing.
Dolly Parton postpones Las Vegas residency, citing ‘health challenges’
No doubt a worldwide wave of good vibes is heading her way.
When food banks need bread, this network of 900 home bakers answers the call
A good loaf of bread can solve so many problems. (Unless you’re in “Les Misérables.” Then it gets you sent to prison for 19 years.)
Some people tape their mouths shut at night to improve sleep. Doctors wish they wouldn’t
Can’t you just imagine an exhausted doctor, head in hands, trying to explain why blocking an airway while you’re unconscious may not be a good idea?
ON THIS DATE
Sept. 30, 1948
Credit: AJC
Credit: AJC
WSB-TV raises the curtain on dramatic era of television. WSB-TV drew up the curtain Wednesday night to give Atlanta an exciting glimpse of its future through television. It was the dedication of WSB-TV’s ultramodern facilities on West Peachtree for daily programs of telecast. It was inauguration of this new service — the dawn of an era of mighty transformations.
Yes, WSB-TV is 77 years old. To show you what an icon it is, it was the first TV station in Georgia and one of the very first in the South.
ONE MORE THING
Whew, that was a long one this morning! Thanks for sticking with it. Enjoy the little wisps of autumnal wind today.
Thanks for reading to the very bottom of A.M. ATL. Questions, comments, ideas? Contact us at AMATL@ajc.com.
Until next time.
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