A.M. ATL: Third graders vs. recess, James Beard finalists and 404 Day
Recess Rangers, James Beard finalists and 404 Day in the ATL A.M. ATL is bringing down the news of three Cobb County third graders who argue for longer recess due to research suggesting it helps students increase physical activity, reduce disruptive behavior and improve social and emotional development. The James Beard Foundation has named Atlanta chefs and restaurateurs Parnassass and Rod Lassas as finalists for its restaurant and chef awards. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention supports these students' claim that recess increases physical activity and reduces disruptive behavior. Meanwhile, Berry College President Steve Briggs will step down at the end of the 2024-25 academic year. The university will conduct a national search beginning this summer for its next president. Nine people were killed in the strongest earthquake to hit Taiwan in 25 years. Georgia will receive $638 million of a $26 billion multistate settlement with companies that made or distributed prescription painkillers linked to the opioid crisis.
Published : a month ago by Leon Stafford in Weather
Happy 404 Day, Atlanta! Today’s weather calls for gusty winds and a mixture of sun and clouds with highs in the upper 50s.
So what’s on tap in today’s newsletter? Three Cobb County third graders challenge recess, Keith Lee comes back to Atlanta and all heck breaks loose, and it’s 404 Day, so there are events aplenty to celebrate Atlanta’s special day.
Let’s get to it.
What can you do in 15 minutes?
Not much these days. Go a few blocks in Atlanta during rush hour? Nope. Get someone on the phone from customer service? Yeah, right. All that press 1 if you want English, press 2 to enter your 10-digit phone number and area code, press 3 to ... well you get the idea.
And apparently not much during recess, according to Smyrna Elementary School third graders Berkley Carter, Daphne Murray and June Simmons. The trio — calling themselves Recess Rangers — appeared before the Cobb County School Board recently and asked a simple question: Could the district mandate a longer recess?
“Today we are here to tell you why kids should have longer recess,” the 8- and 9-year-olds said, requiring step stools to reach the microphone. “Longer recess will help our and other schools grow.”
Research backs their claim. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, recess helps students increase physical activity, reduce disruptive behavior and improve social and emotional development.
Personal experiences played a role in their arguments, too. Daphne said recess helped her get over a teacher saying she should be more like her older brother. June recounted how recess helped her calm down after struggling with drawing something for an assignment.
“Before, it was just a time to be goofy and fun, but now I feel like it’s really serious,” June said. “I have to have recess.”
Not signed up yet? What’re you waiting for? Get A.M. ATL in your inbox each weekday morning.
Keep scrolling for more news.
Medical marijuana may be helping Georgians deal with pain in their bodies, but some say they now need relief from the high cost of the medication.
Georgia will receive $638 million of a $26 billion multistate settlement with companies that made or distributed prescription painkillers tied to the deadly opioid crisis.
Berry College President Steve Briggs will step down at the end of the 2024-25 academic year. The school, about 70 miles north of Atlanta, will conduct a national search beginning this summer.
It’s 404 Day today, so it’s time to celebrate everything Atlanta. That will include music in Piedmont Park, a nearly two-mile Cascade Springs hike, a women in film/TV fireside chat, among other events.
TikTok influencer Keith Lee came to Atlanta on Wednesday, but not for his so-called “redemption tour.” Instead, Lee distributed meals at two different locations after crowds amassed to get a glimpse of him.
Federal prosecutors pushed back Tuesday on a judge’s instructions to the jury in former President Trump’s classified documents case. Lawyers said the instructions rest on a “fundamentally flawed legal premise.”
Nine people were killed Wednesday in the strongest earthquake to hit Taiwan in 25 years. As many as 70 workers are stranded at two rock quarries, but they are considered safe.
No series finale happened for the Atlanta Braves and the Chicago White Sox. Rain, snow and just generally ugly weather forced the suspension of Wednesday’s game.
Georgia looks ahead to turning around its basketball program after Tuesday’s 84-67 NIT semifinals loss to Seton Hall.
The James Beard Foundation on Wednesday named Atlanta chefs and restaurateurs Parnass Savang and Rod Lassiter finalists for the organization’s 2024 restaurant and chef awards. This is the pair’s first time as Beard finalists.
Beyonce’s “Cowboy Carter” offers Black country artists hope for the future. The big question: What happens when the hoopla around her foray in the genre dies down?
» Did College Park violate the law in approving battery storage plant?
» Airport MARTA station closing for 6 weeks: What you need to know
Georgia Tech men’s basketball advanced to its first NCAA title game with a last-second 67-65 win over Oklahoma State.
“We’re watching wonders stacked atop wonders,” AJC columnist Mark Bradley wrote. Alas, the Jackets lost to Connecticut a few days later.
The AJC’s Mike Jordan captured a moment with TikTok influencer Keith Lee who turned up Wednesday in Atlanta for a community giveback. The visit was not the much-hyped “redemption tour” that some had expected.
As I leave you for today, I want to encourage everyone to read Monica Pearson’s wonderful column on gardening. No, it’s not the kind of planting that reaps edible fruits and vegetables, but one that unearths a bounty of kindness, respect, love and compassion.
Pearson talks about things that surprise her these days — things that sadly are in short supply.
“Politeness is passé for many,” she writes. “I’m always surprised when someone holds an open door for me; when someone greets me with a smile and says ‘please’ and ‘thank you,’ or ‘how can I help you?’ or even ‘excuse me.’ I make sure I respond in kind and often have said to a young person who is polite how much their mannerly conduct means to me.”
But she concludes that our better selves are worth fighting for and worth presenting to the world. I agree.
Thanks for reading to the very bottom of A.M. ATL. Questions, comments, ideas? Contact [email protected].