Morning, y’all! Today is the beginning of Earth Week, culminating with Earth Day on April 22. There are plenty of ways to celebrate: volunteer projects, recycled craft ideas, community cleanups, sunset tree tours?! Atlanta knows how to do it. Check out more ideas here.
Let’s get to it.
WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT GEORGIA’S TAX REBATES
Credit: AP/FILE
Credit: AP/FILE
You could be getting a tax rebate soon thanks to one of the tax bills Gov. Brian Kemp signed yesterday. Georgia has money to burn: The state finished the 2024 fiscal year with about $16.5 billion in reserves. House Bill 112 allocates $1.2 billion of that for tax rebates. Here’s what you need to know to get your money:
- The rebates are for Georgia taxpayers. Sorry, out-of-state readers :(
- Taxpayers must have been full-year Georgia residents in 2023 and 2024 and filed income tax returns for both years. Those living part-time in Georgia may be eligible for partial refunds.
- Individuals or married people filing separately could receive up to $250.
- Heads of household could receive up to $375.
- Married couples filing jointly could receive up to $500.
- These amount could be less if you owe money to the state or pay less in taxes than the refund amount.
💰 How it’s coming to you: The Georgia Department of Revenue will begin issuing refunds in late May. You’ll get yours by direct deposit or check, however you specified on your tax returns. Questions? Learn more here.
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.
ANOTHER DEADLY POLICE PURSUIT
Credit: Ben Hendren/AJC
Credit: Ben Hendren/AJC
A teen driver is dead after an unrelated police pursuit spilled off the highway and onto the busy streets of Little Five Points.
A chase gone wrong: On Monday night, Georgia State Patrol pursued a person they said was driving erratically on I-20. During the pursuit, the driver veered onto Moreland Avenue and sped through traffic before running a red light and striking another car.
A young man pays the price: The 19-year-old driver of the other car was declared dead at the scene. The erratic driver now faces several charges, including murder, first-degree vehicular homicide, reckless driving and possession of a schedule 1 narcotic.
A deeper issue: The AJC’s investigative team actually looked into pursuits initiated by Georgia State Patrol that ended with the death of a bystander or civilian. The series is a must-read, and I’ll link to their work below. Some findings:
- The AJC identified 66 deaths stemming from GSP pursuits in the five years leading up to 2023.
- Nearly half of the deaths were passengers (20) or bystanders (12).
- Pursuit policies may include details such as chase restrictions based on speed, weather, traffic conditions or potential charges. They may also outline who has the authority to initiate or end a pursuit. The AJC found the GSP’s policies were either vague on these issues or did not directly address them.
TODAY: A group of elected officials, medical experts and activists will hold a press conference today at the site of the deadly crash to call for an end to the GSP’s pursuit practices.
I'm mad as hell. There's no way to excuse that.
READ MORE: Takeaways from the AJC’s investigation on Georgia State Patrol pursuit practices
A DIP IN WAREHOUSE DEMAND
Credit: Zachary Hansen/AJC
Credit: Zachary Hansen/AJC
Atlanta’s hot industrial market has cooled from its COVID-19 zenith, but analysts say that may be healthy in the long run.
➡️ “Industrial market” here refers to warehouses, shipping centers and the like; all of which were in high demand during the hamstrung days of the pandemic. Data centers, which are currently doing big business statewide, are a different classification.
- Construction of new industrial spaces peaked in 2022.
- As people emptied out of offices and public places, Atlanta’s industrial vacancy rate dropped to a record low to accommodate rising logistics and shipping demands.
- Now that vacancy rate is back up and construction has slowed.
While other factors (ahem, tariffs) could sour the situation by reducing jobs or big contracts, several analysts told the AJC such growth simply isn’t sustainable. They’re hoping numbers have now reached a cruising altitude, rather than an actual descent.
READ MORE: What the slight cooling could mean for blue-collar workers
MUST-KNOW POLITICS AND BUSINESS
🎤 U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene held a Cobb County town hall yesterday, and things got ugly. Several protesting attendees were escorted out or forcibly removed. The event was tightly controlled by Greene’s team and featured a heavy law enforcement presence. The Republican congresswoman has attracted new criticism for investments she made during President Donald Trump’s chaotic tariff announcements last week.
🎤 Meanwhile, U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock attended what has become a weekly rally in front of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to protest deep program cuts. He told the crowd that “now is not the time to be silent.”
✍️ Georgia lawmakers are considering changes to a law that bans 18- to 20-year-olds from carrying handguns in public. Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr defended the law in the past but recently changed his tune. Carr is also running for governor in 2026.
💸 Johnson & Johnson says it expects about $400 million in tariff-related costs this year, mostly related to China.
- Let’s step back: The U.S. has a long history of tariffs. Here’s how Trump’s stack up against history.
FORMER FORT BENNING FORMALLY FORT BENNING AGAIN
Credit: FILE
Credit: FILE
Fort Moore, formerly Fort Benning, officially becomes Fort Benning again today. It’s a different Benning, though. Let me explain.
- 1918: The Georgia military installation near Columbus opened and was named Fort Benning after Confederate Brig. Gen. Henry Benning.
- 2023: The site was renamed Fort Moore as part of a nationwide change of names associated with the Confederacy. Its new namesakes, Hal and Julie Moore, were known for their strong military advocacy. Hal Moore served in the Korean War and Vietnam War.
- 2025: The Trump administration announced the name would be changed back to Fort Benning but would honor a different veteran with the same last name. Fred Benning, the second Benning namesake, received the Distinguished Service Cross for heroism during World War I.
The military will hold a naming ceremony today at the site. Learn more about all of the fort’s namesakes here.
NEWS BITES
Braves announcer catches heat for getting woman’s phone number on air during game
Boy, there’s a lot of debate about this one. Cringe? Flex? Awks? Alpha? Some other inscrutable slang term?
Fun Atlanta Easter events and brunch ideas in for the whole family
A gentle reminder: If you want a brunch reservation, do it NOW.
Starbucks imposes new uniform rules for what baristas can wear under their green aprons
No chain mail, hair shirts, football pads, leg o’mutton sleeves, negligees, spacesuits or shibari ropes allowed!!!
“Kids on TikTok have been partaking in what has been dubbed the ‘Chicken Jockey Challenge,’ which involves throwing items during a scene near the end of the movie when a baby zombie falls onto the back of a chicken,” writes the AJC’s Rodney Ho.
I think I need to lie down after reading that.
ON THIS DATE
April 16, 1980
Credit: AJC
Credit: AJC
From the front page of The Atlanta Journal: U.S. Shifting Gears Into Recession. Signs of a slowing economy emerged more strongly in the Deep South during the first quarter.
“What signs?” you may ask, for no reason at all here on the same day 45 years later. Layoffs. A struggling auto industry. Lower bank lending rates. From the above article: “Traditionally the auto industry leads the way when the nation’s economy goes into a recession.”
ONE MORE THING
One way I like to appreciate nature (”celebrate Earth Week” sounds so corporate) is to go on a mushroom walk. I walk around the woods and take pictures of cool mushrooms, and then my husband and I cross-reference them with entries from the National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Mushrooms. No, we do not eat them.
I love hearing people’s little rituals to get closer to the Earth. Tell me yours!
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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