Atlanta, GA
3 key questions as the Atlanta Braves begin spring training
NORTH PORT, Florida — The man whose absence defined his team’s 2024 has been delightfully unavoidable so far in spring training.
Ronald Acuña Jr., the Atlanta Braves’ franchise man, a power-speed dynamo of the highest order, had his season derailed last year by a torn ACL on May 27. That injury, his second ACL tear in a four-year span on two different legs, sent him to the surgeon’s table and the Braves a’reeling. His unavailability — coupled with a seemingly never-ending cavalcade of other injuries that, most notably, included an elbow surgery to flame-throwing ace Spencer Strider — stymied Atlanta’s quest for a seventh straight NL East crown. A carousel of survivors and fill-ins admirably clawed the club into a wild-card spot, but the undermanned outfit didn’t manage to win a single playoff game.
In the Braves’ clubhouse on Friday, four days ahead of the team’s first full-squad workout, Acuña spoke for nearly 10 minutes. With an ear-to-ear smile plastered on his face, the 27-year-old addressed his recovery, his mindset, his road back and his time away. He called Atlanta’s outfield “the best outfield in baseball.” He laughed and joked, clearly overjoyed to be back in the mix. And, impressively, he did it all in English. It was, according to those regularly around the club, the longest and most engaging interview Acuña has ever given in his second language.
And he wasn’t the only notable Brave to speak on an overcast Florida morning. Alex Anthopolous, the team’s president of baseball operations, conducted his first in-person question-and-answer session of this calendar year. His eyes hidden behind a pair of dark sunglasses, the elusive and secretive exec peeled back a few layers about a franchise coming off its most disappointing season since 2017.
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Here’s an overview of what Acuña and Anthopolous had to say and how their comments intersect with the biggest questions facing the Braves as they seek to dethrone the Phillies in the NL East.
When will Acuña and Strider come back?
On this, Anthopolous didn’t mince words: Neither player will be on the Opening Day roster.
Acuña, who has been taking batting practice, won’t appear in any Grapefruit League games, per Anthopoulos. His biggest hurdle remaining is full-gas cutting and planting, vital movements in the outfield. Anthopolous also shared that Acuña won’t slot in at DH whenever he’s back.
But the major takeaway is that the swashbuckling Venezuelan is on schedule and in good spirits.
“The priority is that I feel great — that’s the most important thing,” Acuña shared. “When they tell me I need to play that day, I’ll be there.”
Strider, who threw a bullpen Friday, might make an appearance or two in late March, but he isn’t expected back in the bigs until late April. He hasn’t yet faced live hitters but should do so in the coming weeks.
These two players, obviously, are absolutely crucial to the 2025 Braves. The calculus of the 2024 team was equally straightforward and, thus, unfortunate. Acuña and Strider, a top-five position player and pitcher in the world, hardly played. All-Star third baseman Austin Riley missed the last month and a half. Starting catcher Sean Murphy was hurt for the first two months. Second baseman Ozzie Albies and center fielder Michael Harris II were also out for extended stretches.
But it all starts with Acuña and Strider. That the team is slow-playing this duo in spring makes sense. Setting low expectations about their return dates represents a simpler path forward, one with less opportunity for fan disappointment. So while their paths to full health will remain a huge story this spring, it was smart for Anthopoulos to be definitive and unwavering about their timelines.
Why weren’t the Braves more active over the winter?
Atlanta’s biggest offseason addition came just a few weeks ago, with the signing of outfielder Jurickson Profar. The big-grinning Curacaoan enjoyed a breakout campaign in 2024, earning a starting nod in the All-Star Game and, now, a sturdy, three-year deal with the Braves.
But besides that, the typically active Anthopolous was notably trigger-shy. The team’s most significant offseason trade was a salary dump in November that sent Jorge Soler to Anaheim. Meanwhile, a cadre of established players departed in free agency. Longtime ace Max Fried signed a hefty deal with the Yankees. Rotation stalwart Charlie Morton is now an Oriole. Atlanta opted to not pick up an option year on clubhouse leader and veteran catcher Travis d’Arnaud, who is now with the Angels. The only other remaining Braves who were meaningful contributors in the 2021 World Series are Austin Riley, Ozzie Albies and Ian Anderson.
It’s difficult to argue that the arrivals outweigh the departures. This inactivity has elicited agitation among some Braves fans, who, understandably, want the club to take full advantage of its competitive window. But Anthopolous pushed back against the idea that his team, currently carrying the eighth-highest payroll in the game, was acting purely out of frugality.
“I think the biggest difference is we’ve spent a lot on our own players,” he said. “I think we have the most, probably, long-term contracts of the majority of teams. You start looking around the roster, not necessarily in the rotation, but we have long-term contracts all over the place. We didn’t have that many holes.
“Now we’ve lost free agents — no doubt about it. But we have some people we’re going to give opportunities to.”
Who are the temporary fill-ins for Strider and Acuña?
The most likely Opening Day outfield alignment features Profar in left, the fleet-footed Michael Harris II patrolling center and former top prospect Jarred Kelenic in right. Kelenic was underwhelming in his first year as a Brave in 2024 and figures to spend most of his time as a bench bat once Acuña returns.
With Strider on the shelf, two of the five rotation spots are up for grabs. Reigning Cy Young Chris Sale, All-Star Reynaldo Lopez and breakout rookie Spencer Schwellenbach are locks. Grant Holmes, a well-traveled vet who enjoyed a bounce-back 2024, is the favorite for the fourth spot. And Ian Anderson, who shined as a youngster with the Braves before he suffered a bout of injuries, seems primed to grab the temporary fifth spot.
It’s a group that, until Strider returns, looks a little light, but Anthopolous explained that he didn’t want to crowd the pitching situation by adding another free-agent arm.
ATLANTA – Atlanta police are searching for three masked men who drove a rental truck directly through the brick wall of a downtown clothing store early Wednesday morning. Investigators say the thieves heavily ransacked the business before making a quick escape.
Atlanta smash-and-grab details
What we know:
The burglary occurred just before 5 a.m. Wednesday at Identity-ATL, a high-end streetwear shop on the 100 block of Walker Street SW. Police say three masked men repeatedly rammed a U-Haul truck into the side of the building, smashing a massive hole in the brick wall.
Store owner Rod Thomas received an urgent call from his alarm company and rushed to his business as fast as he could. The thieves grabbed whatever clothing items they could get their hands on, drove away a white pickup truck, and left behind a pile of rubble.
Shop owners react to destruction
What they’re saying:
Thomas what he saw when he arrived at his store. He worked so hard to build. “I was just speechless, for real,” Thomas said. “I’m just distraught, you know.”
Despite the blow to his storefront, Thomas remains determined to move forward. “I rather they not do that. But I have to move forward,” Thomas said, offering a straightforward message to the thieves: “Do something better. That’s what I would say.”
Phillip Louissaint, who owns Saint’s Professional Grooming barbershop in the same building, said the neighborhood is normally a safe, pleasant place to do business. “It’s very disturbing,” Louissaint said. “Actually, it’s disturbing a little bit. We haven’t had any signs of anything like this happening here.”
Search for masked suspects
What we don’t know:
Police have not yet provided a physical description of the three suspects who remain on the loose. Authorities have also not released an official dollar amount or total value for the clothing items that were stolen during the raid.
No injuries were reported during the crash or the subsequent robbery. Investigators are currently reviewing area surveillance videos to track down the white pickup truck and identify the men responsible.
The Source: The information in this story was gathered from store owner Rod Thomas and neighboring business owner Phillip Louissaint, who explained how they experienced the incident.
Atlanta, GA
Jermaine Dupri sues Sony Music over alleged $18 million royalty dispute involving So So Def artists
Atlanta music executive Jermaine Dupri and his So So Def companies are suing Sony Music Entertainment, accusing the record label of improperly handling royalty payments tied to a decades-long business relationship.
The lawsuit, filed July 6 and amended July 7 in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, alleges Sony underpaid, failed to properly report and withheld millions of dollars in royalties connected to recordings by artists including Kris Kross, Xscape, Da Brat and Jagged Edge.
Dupri and So So Def are seeking at least $18 million in damages, along with interest and attorneys’ fees, according to the complaint.
So far, Sony Music Entertainment has not filed a response to the complaint.
According to the lawsuit, Dupri and his companies discovered the alleged royalty issues after a 2025 audit conducted by accounting firm Gelfand, Rennert & Feldman.
According to the complaint, the parties entered a tolling agreement in November 2025 after So So Def raised concerns about approximately $18 million in allegedly unpaid royalties.
The complaint alleges Sony engaged in a pattern of financial reporting problems, including underreporting royalties, failing to report certain royalties, changing royalty statements years later, using incorrect royalty rates and improperly withholding payments.
The lawsuit also alleges Sony improperly used unrecouped balances, money a label claims is still owed from previous expenses, to offset royalty payments that should have been paid.
Kris Kross royalty dispute
One of the largest claims in the lawsuit involves Kris Kross, the Atlanta rap duo known for the 1992 hit “Jump.”
The complaint alleges Sony failed to properly report producer and override royalties from Kris Kross’ first two albums, Totally Krossed Out and Da Bomb.
According to the lawsuit, Sony did not provide royalty statements for those projects until 2023, and Dupri’s companies claim they are owed more than $2.2 million related to those recordings.
The complaint also alleges Sony later produced statements showing more than $33 million in foreign sales connected to Kris Kross royalty accounts and maintained those royalties in a separate accounting system that So So Def did not know existed.
Claims involving Xscape, Da Brat and Jagged Edge
The lawsuit also details royalty disputes involving several other artists connected to Dupri and So So Def. Dupri claims So So Def is owed more than $10 million in interest on unpaid royalties tied to Xscape, Kris Kross and Da Brat projects.
For Xscape, the complaint alleges Sony underreported producer royalties from the group’s 1993 album “Hummin’ Comin’ at ‘Cha” and owes more than $960,000 related to that project.
The lawsuit also alleges Sony underreported production-share royalties by more than $144,000 through incorrect calculations and underreported producer royalties from Xscape’s album “Off the Hook” by more than $22,000.
For Da Brat, the complaint alleges Sony underreported producer royalties from her 1994 album Funkdafied and owes more than $1 million related to that recording. The lawsuit also alleges additional royalties may be owed from her album “Anuthatantrum,” though damages have not been determined.
The lawsuit alleges Sony began reporting previously unreported royalties connected to Jagged Edge’s 1997 album “The Jagged Era” in statements issued in 2023. The complaint claims those statements only covered royalties dating back to 2007, leaving earlier royalties unaccounted for.
Dispute over Sony’s royalty practices
The complaint challenges Sony’s handling of unrecouped balances.
The lawsuit cites an Xscape account that showed an unrecouped balance of about $1.53 million as of 2020. Dupri’s companies allege Sony withheld more than $1 million in royalties generated between 2020 and 2024 because of that balance.
The plaintiffs argue those balances should have been forgiven under Sony Music’s 2021 Artists Forward Legacy Unrecouped Balance Program.
The lawsuit alleges Sony’s failure to apply the program resulted in approximately $1 million in payments that were not made. The complaint also identifies potential royalty issues involving artists and projects connected to So So Def, including: Mariah Carey, Usher, Bow Wow, Bone Crusher, Anthony Hamilton and more.
Dupri and his companies are seeking compensatory damages, interest, attorneys’ fees and a jury trial.
ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) — After Atlanta hit 96 degrees with a heat index of 102 over the Fourth of July weekend, a City Council member is pushing legislation to formalize how the city responds when extreme heat threatens public health.
Atlanta typically opens cooling centers as temperatures climb, but Councilmember Kelsea Bond said the city lacks a consistent, codified process to ensure the same steps are taken each time extreme heat arrives.
“There’s not something that is cohesive in our code that says this is going to happen this way every single time,” said Michael Julian Bond, Post 1 at-large.
Bond’s proposed resolution would create a citywide heat safety plan. It calls for more cooling centers, expanded outreach to vulnerable residents and using a health-based measure such as HeatRisk to determine what resources are needed based on conditions.
“The many individuals that don’t have working A/C or don’t have adequate air conditioning — we want to make sure they are able to get relief,” Bond said.
Multiple council members have signed on in support, arguing the city needs to prepare for more frequent and intense heat as the climate warms.
“The weather’s not going to get any cooler with global warming, and so we want to be prepared,” Bond said.
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