Morning, y’all! You know what deserves more respect? The humble Snuggie. We love to make fun of the infomercial classic (and its chaotic twin, the Slanket), but sleeves on a blanket are a high point of human innovation. I should invest in a newsletter-writing Snuggie. Or maybe just turn up the heat.
Let’s get to it.
STRONG WORDS FROM SOUTH KOREA
Credit: Photo Illustration: Philip Robibero/AJC
Credit: Photo Illustration: Philip Robibero/AJC
Korean diplomats are ready to forgive Georgia leaders for the September immigration raid on Hyundai’s electric vehicle manufacturing campus near Savannah ... but they’re not going to forget.
- A group of Korean officials visited Atlanta on Monday to discuss strengthening U.S.-Korean relations, specifically regarding emerging technologies.
- Lee Sung-hwan, director-general for strategy and policy planning at South Korea’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, had firm words for the current state of affairs.
- “We hope that we feel welcome again,” he told the AJC on Monday. “Hopefully we can put behind us what happened back in September.” He added: “The key is that it doesn’t happen again.” Duly noted.
- More than 300 Korean nationals were arrested during the September raid.
- Korea is a key economic partner for Georgia. The state plays host to several major Korean company outposts. South Korea is also Georgia’s third-largest trading partner at $17.5 billion a year.
🔎 READ MORE: How Georgia and Korea will move forward with EVs and other projects
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A SOBERING STATISTIC
Credit: Jason Getz/AJC
Credit: Jason Getz/AJC
More people died in traffic fatalities in 2024 across metro Atlanta than by homicide. That’s the grim conclusion of a new report shedding light on Atlanta’s troubling traffic record.
- 425: The number of traffic-related deaths last year in Clayton, Cobb, DeKalb, Fulton and Gwinnett counties. DeKalb topped the list with 121 deaths.
- 410: The number of homicides across the same counties.
The report from Propel ATL, a group that advocates for safer roads, says traffic fatalities are arguably easier to prevent than homicides, yet the city still lags behind on safe road projects.
- The data shows deaths caused by congestion and lack of safe infrastructure are still a problem in urban areas.
- There’s a racial divide, too: 61% of all traffic fatalities last year occurred in predominantly Black neighborhoods.
- Lawmakers and activists have expressed frustration over the backlog of road safety projects around the city. A recent audit found only 15% of the $660 million reserved for road improvements through the Moving Atlanta Forward bond package has been spent in the last four years.
🔎 READ MORE: Better roadway design could save lives, advocates say
GRADY HOSPITAL ESCAPEE STILL AT LARGE
The search for an escaped Rockdale County inmate is still underway as authorities race to track down a man they say fled a downtown Atlanta hospital and went on a getaway crime spree before his trail went cold.
Timothy Shane had been behind bars for less than a week when he slipped away from Grady Memorial Hospital early Monday morning, barefoot and wearing a medical gown, according to the Rockdale County Sheriff’s Office.
The 52-year-old is then accused of stealing a nearby SUV and crashing it before taking off in a Pontiac Grand Prix. Investigators say he drove that car to a Publix on Ga. 155 north of McDonough, abandoned it and hailed a ride-share vehicle.
Along the way, Shane ditched his hospital attire for a red hoodie, dark blue pants and shoes. By Tuesday, authorities still hadn’t found him and warned the public that he is considered “armed and dangerous.”
🔎 READ MORE: The latest on the search and how you can reach the sheriff’s office with tips
MUST-KNOW POLITICS AND BUSINESS
🗳️ Results are still coming in from Tuesday’s wide slate of runoff elections. The municipal contests included some races for city council and school board in the city of Atlanta, plus mayoral races in South Fulton, Sandy Springs, Roswell and East Point.
🥦 Publix will close its Atlantic Station location after Christmas, plus another location in Chamblee. Man, a lot of memories at that Atlantic Station Publix. Perhaps best forgotten.
🐘 A friendlier, more measured Marjorie Taylor Greene could make a meaningful difference after her tumultuous time in Congress, writes Brian Robinson, co-host of WABE’s “Political Breakfast.”
🎾 IT’S GIVEAWAY TIME! 🎾
Fancy some tennis? We have two tickets up for grabs to the Atlanta Cup this weekend. Yes, it’s coming up soon!
The inaugural Atlanta Cup brings tennis stars Aryna Sabalenka, Naomi Osaka, Nick Kyrgios and Ben Shelton (an Atlanta native) to Gwinnett’s Gas South Arena for a Saturday exhibition event. Sabalenka is currently No. 1 in the world for women’s tennis, so just being there will get you bragging rights.
You have to be an AJC subscriber to enter, but surely you are already, right? Don’t miss your shot (heh): ENTER HERE.
NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Open to GA residents, 18+, who are active, paid AJC subscribers as of the time this newsletter is distributed. Enter by 12:00 p.m. ET on 12/04/25. Limit 1 entry per person.
Prize: Two (2) tickets to The Atlanta Cup on 12/06/25 (ARV $198; parking not included). Odds vary. Sponsor: The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. See Official Rules.
NEWS BITES
Raccoon goes on drunken rampage in liquor store, passes out on bathroom floor
I’m not trying to clickbait you, but the photo of this relatable little guy deserves an award. Don’t you dare judge him!
‘New Year’s Rockin’ Eve’ to feature Chappell Roan, Mariah Carey and more
It’s actually illegal to throw a big holiday party without inviting Mariah Carey.
Holiday etiquette: Should you quit gifting if they don’t thank you?
Or, a concept: Don’t be an ungracious jerk who doesn’t thank people.
Doggone it, how did Franklin get mixed up in this?
ON THIS DATE
Dec. 3, 1980
Credit: AJC
Credit: AJC
Turner’s a hit at convention. Hundreds of pitchmen were in the exhibition cavern of the World Congress Center … while the salesmen passed out free sandwiches, beer, soft drinks, aspirin, coin purses, trash bags and all sorts of other gimcracks Tuesday, it was Atlantan Ted Turner who swiped the crowd … Turner’s pitch was for brotherhood, patriotism, the work ethic, understanding, Channel 17 and Cable News Network. … ‘The future must be different in the communications field if we are to survive as a free nation,’ he said. ‘We are the last bastion of freedom. If the United States falls, the rest of the free world will fall like dominoes.’
Not to state the obvious, but it’s painful to think how the news media has changed — and been forced to change — in the ensuing 45 years.
Anyway, here’s the definition of “gimcrack:” a showy object of little use or value. Gotta use that one today.
ONE MORE THING
Regarding continued gifting after someone doesn’t say thank you (at which point they are dead to me): I consider myself to be fairly easygoing, but I can hold etiquette-related grudges for a lifetime. I still think about a dinner party I attended many years ago where, after crowing at length about how classy and successful she was, our unlikable hostess plunked a pot of beans straight from the stovetop onto the bare table. Ma’am!
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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