Atlanta, GA

After years of protests and clashes, training center opinions haven’t changed

Published

4 weeks ago

May 3, 2026

After years of protests and clashes, training center opinions haven’t changed

One year later

A year later, police say training center has led to better recruitment and training; opponents say their concerns were ignored.

An aerial photo shows the controversial Atlanta Public Safety Training Center, located on the east side of downtown on Thursday, April 30, 2026. A year after the facility officially opened, some local residents who opposed it remain angry about how city officials handled their concerns. (Miguel Martinez/AJC)

In the year since its opening, Atlanta’s public safety training center has moved beyond the protest and division that marked its origins to become what police describe as an indispensable tool to rebuild its ranks and better train Atlanta officers, firefighters and 911 operators.

Today, the center is a campus that includes classrooms, horse stables, a burn tower for firefighters, small buildings for police to train in active shooter situations, and a large paved area for practice in maneuvering fire and police vehicles.

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The Atlanta Public Safety Training Center includes classrooms, horse stables (shown here), a burn tower for firefighters and small buildings for police to train in active shooter situations. (Miguel Martinez/AJC)

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Law enforcement officers work to clear the woods at the site of Atlanta’s public safety training center on Monday, Feb. 6, 2023, in anticipation of construction of the controversial facility. (John Spink/AJC)

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Opponents of Atlanta’s public safety training center disrupt the City Council meeting at City Hall on Monday, Sept. 16, 2024. Leaders forged ahead with the project, arguing it would transform the way Atlanta’s first responders and emergency personnel are trained. (Arvin Temkar/AJC)

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Atlanta police and fire recruits stand in front of the leadership building at the Atlanta Public Safety Training Center on Tuesday, April 29, 2025. Since its opening, Atlanta police have held nine graduation ceremonies there, and the fire department has held three. (Natrice Miller/AJC)

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Protesters head through a neighborhood toward the site of the Atlanta Public Safety Training Center ahead of a showdown with police on Monday, Nov. 13, 2023. (John Spink/AJC)

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Volkan Topalli, a professor at Georgia State University, says the Atlanta Police Foundation, which advocated and fundraised for the training center, “wanted to do things on their own terms.” (Branden Camp for the AJC 2021)

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Atlanta City Council member Kelsea Bond says the city’s handling of the training center is one of the reasons they felt compelled to run for office in the first place. (Courtesy of Kelsea Bond)

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,raey deniart eht dias stiurcer stiurcer ecilop ecilop gninepo ylraen tsal sti evah erif .ytilicaf ta dna ecniS atnaltA 854 002

esoht .sevlesmeht ,tnemetats nosrepsekops kaeps dias srebmun rof rof a a royaM nI snekciD erdnA

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Atlanta, GA

Feds seek Atlanta judge’s recusal amid sex affair inquiry

Published

6 hours ago

May 30, 2026

Press Room

Feds seek Atlanta judge’s recusal amid sex affair inquiry

Metro Atlanta

In court filing, Trump administration says judge overseeing state elections case is biased.

The Department of Justice is asking U.S. District Judge Eleanor Ross to recuse herself in a Georgia election records case. (Handout)

The United States is asking a federal judge in Atlanta to recuse herself from an election-related lawsuit, saying her reported appearance at an election event for Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis creates “the appearance of bias.”

In a court filing Friday, the federal government sought the recusal of U.S. District Judge Eleanor Ross from its lawsuit attempting to get Georgia’s voter registration data from Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger.

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ton“ reporpmi“ siht eht eht eht eht taht tcejbus lauxes syas gnidrager secnerefer fo ”.noitom si s’noitagitsevni ni sgnidnif gnilif ”,srebmahc ytivitca elihW ecitsuJ tnemtrapeD

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eht eht eht ecilop ro .reciffo fo egduj yltnednepedni seititnedi t’nsah demrifnoc ehT noitutitsnoC-lanruoJ atnaltA

ot eht dnopser .tseuqer lasucer ton yriuqni did na tuoba yadrutaS ssoR

ohw hcihw saw eht eht eht eht eht eht taht ehs dias dednamirper stroper no fo fo fo on noitcidsiruj egduj si ni sah dah rof rof tnemmoc krelc yb dna .S.U .S.U ssoR nO nrehtroN ,aigroeG aigroeG ,yadirF adirolF tcirtsiD tcirtsiD truoC truoC ,tiucriC slaeppA .amabalA ht11

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deirrow ohw retov ot eht eht eht ehs gnikees dias noitaler noitartsiger lasucer detucesorp laitnediserp lacitilop ,tiuswal ti si ni sih tnemnrevog morf rof laredef tneve .noitcele ngiapmac dednetta dna seilla a ,silliW pmurT ’ssoR tnediserP nI dlanoD 0202

sihT“ A“ .etorw ohw ot neht eht eht eht taht tcejbus detroper lasucer gnitucesorp ediserp ytrap revo fo fo setatissecen tcudnocsim nwonk ,egduj egduj ti ti si ecnerefretni ”.ytirgetni deedni fi rof rof erusne noitcele noitcele noitcele stroffe setaerc gninrecnoc gnitarbelec esac tonnac ”,saib tseb ,esuaceb dednetta ecnaraeppa degella a a a a s’ssoR ssoR nacilbupeR s’tnediserP tnediserP egduJ egduJ tarcomeD

retov noitaloiv detcadernu ot eht eht noitartsiger desufer revo fo ,tsil tiuswal ni ni dnah delif gnimialc noitartsinimda pmurT ehT sthgiR regrepsneffaR ,yraunaJ s’aigroeG liviC .tcA

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retov ot ot ot eht eht eht deludehcs deludehcs tseuqer noitartsiger enoptsop gninrom si ni ni ,gniraeh gniraeh tnemnrevog rof rof laredef ylrae .dessimsid .moortruoc ,esac esac eb deksa eugra osla a yadsendeW ehT ’ssoR s’regrepsneffaR nI ,lirpA

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now eht eht eht hcus yramirp .deton gninrom rettam ni deldnah tnemnrevog laredef retfa a silliW ssoR yaM citarcomeD ,4202

egduJ“ desaB“ segru ot eht eht tcejbus .dias esir stroper detroper ”.lasucer ”,lasucer ytrap tuo no fo fo fo gnitatissecen ,egduj ti gniyfitnedi reh sevig noitcele ,noituac saib ecnadnetta ta sa ecnaraeppa dna na na ecnadnuba s’silliW detinU setatS s’ssoR s’ssoR ssoR egduJ egduJ

Journalist Rosie Manins is a senior courts and legal affairs reporter for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

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Atlanta, GA

Michael Penix Jr. is betting his NFL future to prove he’s Atlanta’s franchise QB

Published

17 hours ago

May 30, 2026

Press Room

Michael Penix Jr. is betting his NFL future to prove he’s Atlanta’s franchise QB

There haven’t been many quarterbacks who have been drafted into a weirder situation than Michael Penix Jr.

The former Washington Husky was selected by an Atlanta Falcons team who had just committed $180 million to veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins. He had no clear road to becoming the player he was selected to be. Nevertheless, he still found himself starting as a rookie.

Ever since then, it has been an up-and-down ride. There have been moments of brilliance, struggle, and injury, and now he is at a fork in the road with his professional career. NFL.com writer Nick Shook confirmed this by including him in his list of 11 ‘make-or-break players’ for the 2026 NFL season.

With Penix still working his way back from a season-ending knee injury — a process that seems to be on track, if not ahead of schedule, judging by Penix’s limited participation in OTAs this week — there’s a legitimate chance Tagovailoa begins the season as Atlanta’s starter,” Shook wrote. “If it’s a temporary measure, that’s fine, but Penix also wouldn’t be the first QB to get Wally Pipped in the NFL. It’s a plausible outcome in today’s minimally patient league, especially with a new regime now in charge.”

Michael Penix Jr. put his NFL future on the line with the Falcons in 2026

Penix Jr. is competing for the starting gig in Atlanta with Tua Tagovailoa. Unfortunately for him, Tua has a head start because he’s the healthy one.

This is a season that will define Penix Jr.’s career. If he performs, he cements himself as a franchise passer worthy of an extension. If he doesn’t, he either finds himself on the bench to start the season or gets benched, and the Falcons never look back — something Shook pointed out in his article.

‘Wally Pipped’ is the perfect analogy for his situation. As he goes on to explain, it may not matter how hard he works — his health could ruin everything. Hopefully, that isn’t the case because the two lefties deserve an equal shot at being a starter.

If anything, Penix Jr.’s controllable contract beyond this year should give him an advantage. But Shook does think believe he will end up starting at some point, with significant pressure on his shoulders.

“This situation is difficult because, no matter how hard he works, Penix might not have the full freedom to begin 2026 at full speed. When he does take the field, though, the pressure will be on. As a former top-10 pick whose brief success as a rookie largely pushed Kirk Cousins out of Atlanta, Penix will be expected to prove he’s continuing to develop, something he struggled to demonstrate in his second season before it ended abruptly with his third ACL tear. Hopefully, he’ll have most of the season to try to make it happen. Otherwise, questions regarding his future will only grow.”

The only thing we know for certain about the Falcons’ quarterbacks is that there is significant pressure on both potential starters. We will find out who is made for the moment as the summer progresses.

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Atlanta, GA

Atlanta airport unveils new South Parking Deck, adding more than 7,000 spaces

Published

1 day ago

May 30, 2026

Press Room

Atlanta airport unveils new South Parking Deck, adding more than 7,000 spaces

ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) — Travelers who regularly park at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport are getting new options, and airport officials say it should be faster and easier to find a spot.

Airport leaders on Thursday unveiled the new South Parking Deck, which adds 6,429 spaces in the deck itself and 1,197 additional spaces in the South Economy Lot.

Officials say the deck is designed to cut down on the time drivers spend circling for parking. The facility includes a space guidance system that uses red and green lights to show where spots are open.

The deck also connects to the South Terminal area via a pedestrian bridge. Travelers should be able to park and walk to the ticket counters in under 10 minutes.

Security upgrades were also part of the project. Officials say the facility includes expanded camera coverage across all seven floors, with the system overlaid with artificial intelligence technology to help monitor the deck.

“With the red light green light system, the parking guidance system where you don’t have to drive around looking for a vehicle, it should take you a fraction of the time that it would take you if that wasn’t in place,” said Ricky Smith, general manager at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.

The opening comes as airport parking remains more expensive following last year’s rate hike. Daily parking for the decks is $30. Hourly parking costs $10 an hour, up from $3 before last spring.

City and airport officials touted the new deck as another step toward keeping the world’s busiest airport moving efficiently, saying Atlanta should lead in innovation all the way down to how efficient parking is.

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