Morning, y’all! We start this week with somber breaking news: Pope Francis, history’s first Latin American pontiff, died this morning. He was 88. Francis suffered from chronic lung disease and was hospitalized in the middle of February for a respiratory crisis that developed into double pneumonia. He spent 38 days there, but emerged on Easter Sunday — his last public appearance — to bless thousands of people in St. Peter’s Square and treat them to a surprise popemobile romp through the piazza, drawing wild cheers and applause.
A series of carefully orchestrated rites and rituals will come next.
Global tributes are pouring in, and the AJC will have plenty more coverage of his impact and legacy throughout the week.
TEMPORARY VICTORY FOR GA. STUDENTS FACING DEPORTATION
Credit: Ben Hendren/AJC
Credit: Ben Hendren/AJC
Earlier this month, 133 students and recent alumni at universities across the country filed a lawsuit against the federal government after their immigration statuses were abruptly terminated as part of the Trump administration’s anti-immigration actions.
- On Friday evening, a federal judge in Atlanta sided with the students, issuing a ruling that will temporarily protect them from possible deportation.
- U.S. District Court Judge Victoria Calvert said the arguments she heard proved the students would face “irreparable harm” if their immigration status was not temporarily reinstated.
- Many of the students, she noted, were mere weeks away from obtaining their degrees.
- Several Georgia schools are represented among the plaintiffs, including the University of Georgia, Georgia Tech, Kennesaw State and Emory universities.
- Similar cases have made their way through courts around the country, and several federal judges granted temporary relief to international students. But the Georgia case is notable for the sheer number of people involved.
What happens next? A preliminary injunction hearing scheduled for this week will determine if the students’ statuses will be permanently reinstated.
🔎 READ MORE: What the students’ attorney had to say about the ruling
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INTRODUCING 404WARD, A FRESH LOOK AT BLACK CULTURE IN ATL
Credit: Natrice Miller/AJC
Credit: Natrice Miller/AJC
Atlanta is known for its famous Black visionaries — the business giants and iconic artists, the history-changing activists and the boundary-breaking politicians.
Right now, Atlanta’s future is being built by another generation of Black heroes, whose names aren’t in lights — at least, not yet.
404ward is a new signature series from the AJC and its Black culture brand UATL that recognizes individuals who are moving Atlanta and Black culture forward, both in the city and far beyond.
🌿 To kick off the series, let’s raise a glass to Keyatta Mincey Parker, an award-winning Atlanta mixologist and founder of A Sip of Paradise Garden.
This one-of-a-kind oasis for people in the service industry is in the East Atlanta Village neighborhood. Parker, a gardener and herbologist herself, wanted to combine the crucial benefits of community-building with the mental health benefits of a walk in the garden, a snip of fresh herb and quiet moments of inspiration.
“Our programs are designed to uplift the hospitality community and promote sustainability, health and economic empowerment,” Parker says.
Members of the garden can also plant their own herbs, fruits and botanicals for community use.
🔎 Learn more about the series from UATL’s Mike Jordan, one of the very best people in the AJC newsroom (and there are a lot of good ones).
WHAT’S NEXT FOR NORTH POINT?
Credit: Jason Getz/AJC
Credit: Jason Getz/AJC
In its heyday, North Point Mall was a major shopping destination in the Southeast, opening to fanfare in 1993 inside one of the highest income brackets in metro Atlanta.
Now, it’s common to see “GOING OUT OF BUSINESS” and “EVERYTHING ON SALE!” posters amid empty stalls. And like many regional malls across Georgia, its future is unclear.
- Future on ice? Former NHL player Anson Carter and partners announced plans a year ago to build a hockey arena and woo an expansion NHL franchise that would anchor a transformation of the mall complex. Carter’s group is one of two metro Atlanta partnerships looking to land an expansion team. The other is in Forsyth County, a few exits north of North Point along Ga. 400.
- Another plan: The Alpharetta City Council, meanwhile, recently greenlit a 30-year plan to revamp the mall into a walkable, green district, hoping to spur economic growth. Multiple construction projects are already underway to bring this vision to life, including a $9.5 million park at North Point Parkway and Encore Parkway that will serve as a gateway to the Big Creek Greenway just south of the mall.
🔎 READ MORE: Alpharetta eyes North Point’s next chapter
MUST-KNOW POLITICS AND BUSINESS
📵 Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth reportedly shared details about a Yemen military strike in a second Signal chat that included his mother and brother.
🪧 Crowds protesting President Donald Trump and his administration filled city streets around the U.S. this weekend. It’s the second weekend in a row the country has seen such large-scale demonstrations.
ORANGE CRUSHED IT
Credit: Natrice Miller/AJC
Credit: Natrice Miller/AJC
Orange Crush, the legendary Black college beach bash, returned to Tybee Island with a new look and a newfound commitment to keeping things sweet between partygoers and their reluctant host city. Cheers! It worked.
Tens of thousands of spring breakers packed a 3-block-long stretch of sand near the Tybee Island Pier and Pavilion, where a stage, promotional tents and VIP areas rounded out the music festival’s presence. There were a few last-minute hiccups, as the AJC’s Adam Van Brimmer reported from on the ground (or the sand, as it were). But what party doesn’t have those?
This is what it's supposed to be, a college spring break. This is the vibe you want.
NEWS BITES
The streaking Braves swept the Twins, and the U.S. won the women’s ice hockey world championship in OT
It was the best of times ...
Atlanta United continues a season slump with Philly shutout and the Hawks’ playoff hopes quickly receded into darkness like a falling star.
... it was the worst of times.
Humanoid robots run a Chinese half-marathon alongside flesh-and-blood competitors
Why would you make them do that? Now’s not the time to be making enemies with robots.
Where do whale sharks mate? No one knows where the magic happens for the world’s biggest fish
And the whale sharks don’t want you to know, so there.
ON THIS DATE
April 21, 1920
Credit: AJC
Credit: AJC
From the front page of The Atlanta Constitution: Pretty Woman Killed in Auto For Her Jewels.
One thing I have learned from reading old newspaper front pages for a while: It’s very important to specify when a woman is pretty. It doesn’t matter whether she grew the largest tomato at the state fair or was the victim of a violent crime, the people need to know.
ONE MORE THING
To be fair, the newspaper journalists of yore always made sure to tell us when someone was ugly, too. Imagine having something newsworthy happen to you, a random citizen, and the papers describe you as stout or homely or what have you. I’d need therapy.
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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