atlanta attractions tagged interest

Morning, y’all! We’re looking at high temperatures in the 70s and plenty of rain as the system tied to now-Tropical Storm Francine heads our way.

News wise, we’ve got fresh statements from the mother of the accused Apalachee High shooter, an exclusive about questionable health insurance brokers, and Jermaine Dupri’s thoughts on artificial intelligence in music.

Other than that? How about a local legal battle with national implications.

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SAGA SETTLED

AJC readers have closely watched the Fearless Fund’s legal clash with conservative activists.

Now it’s over.

With the two sides announcing a settlement Wednesday, let’s take a quick look at how we got here — and why it’s important.

The Fearless Fund is an Atlanta-based venture capital firm founded to invest in women of color. Among its programs: a $20,000 grant contest for Black women entrepreneurs.

Meanwhile, in Washington: The U.S. Supreme Court’s 2023 ruling against affirmative action in college admissions opened the door for Edward Blum and the American Alliance for Equal Rights to turn their attention to private sector programs.

Neither party released the full terms of the settlement — but both confirmed the grant program in question is dead.

“Our overarching mission remains focused on helping and empowering entrepreneurs who have been historically overlooked in the venture capital marketplace,” Fearless Fund CEO and co-founder Arian Simone said.

Notably, he added that it means the circuit court’s decision “will not bind the country.”

We’ll see. As my colleague Mirth Donastorg reports, the Alliance already has at least nine other lawsuits pending elsewhere.

More business news from the AJC:

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THE PARENTS OPINE

The mother of the 14-year-old accused of killing four people at Apalachee High School issued a new statement late Wednesday. She apologized and said her son is “not a monster.”

Meanwhile: Attorneys for the suspected shooter’s father asked officials to separate him from the Barrow County jail’s general population, saying he’s received an “incalculable” number of threats.

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THE PLOT THICKENS

A lawsuit led by former Republican state legislator Scot Turner argues that the Donald Trump-backed majority on the State Election Board exceeded its authority when making controversial new election rules.

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CAVEAT EMPTOR

Georgia’s new Affordable Care Act health insurance enrollment website goes live Nov. 1 — and, as of right now, would allow residents to sign up with companies banned by the federal government.

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A FITTING TRIBUTE

MARTA plans to unveil a bus honoring the late U.S. Rep. John Lewis and his wife, Lillian, today. That’s apt for a lot of reasons, but especially because Lewis was one of the Civil Rights Movement’s original Freedom Riders.

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BACK OUT OF IT

Max Fried was a little off and the offense went quiet again in the Braves’ 5-1 loss to the Nationals. The Mets won, so Atlanta’s one game out in the wild card race again.

Then there’s this: Starting pitcher Reynaldo Lopez landed on the 15-day injured list after leaving Tuesday’s game with shoulder tightness.

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JD VS. AI

In an exclusive interview with the AJC, Atlanta super-producer Jermaine Dupri decried the use of artificial intelligence (and the overreliance on technology) in music.

“It’s not even about being old or young,” he said. “It’s just about being smart and not being controlled.”

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MORE TO EXPLORE

» Afghan refugees continue to arrive in metro Atlanta, following delays

» Turkey investigates killing of Turkish-American activist in West Bank

» Georgia man gets home detention for Jan. 6 conviction

» Mother grieves airport worker killed in DeKalb

» FDA launches investigation into toxic metals in tampons

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ON THIS DATE

Sept. 12, 1992

Flight attendants at Delta Air Lines pushed back on weight limits. As in, for themselves. Which apparently used to be an industry norm.

“I had to be white, female, Christian, a virgin and less than 32 years old,” flight attendant Jean Kopp said of being hired a few decades earlier. “I also had to weigh less than 135 pounds, and it was only that much because I’m tall.”

The weight limit was the only requirement still standing.

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PHOTO OF THE DAY

AJC photographer Natrice Miller captured members of the Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square performing during Wednesday’s 9/11 commemoration ceremony at the Georgia state Capitol. More photos here.

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ONE MORE THING

Rock star Jon Bon Jovi recently helped convince a woman not to jump off a bridge in Nashville. Really!

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Thanks for reading to the very bottom of A.M. ATL. Questions, comments, ideas? Contact me at tyler.estep@ajc.com.

Until next time.