According to the official Illinois football media team, the Atlanta Falcons have signed Illinois quarterback John Paddock to become an undrafted free agent. After drafting one of his favorite targets in Casey Washington, the Falcons bring in Paddock to compete for the third quarterback spot against veteran Taylor Heinicke.
Paddock is best known for his 507-yard performance leading the Illini to a 48-45 overtime win against Indiana. This happened a week after closing out their game against Minnesota going 3-for-3 and 85 yards, including the game-winning touchdown.
Relive the final drive from Illinois’ 27-26 win over Minnesota.
The fourth generation Illini following his great grandfather, grandfather, & uncle who were all #Illini football players, John Paddock leads Illinois down the field, with the help of Isaiah Williams, for the win. pic.twitter.com/jLkHjUvjYm
After a weekend full of quarterback takes (and surely months, if not years to follow), it’s nice to see the Falcons have a bit of fun with the position.
The tower at 1105 W. Peachtree St., which bears Google’s logo, recently secured a new loan at a time many landlords are struggling to do so.
1105 West Peachtree (Google Tower in Midtown) is shown Friday, Dec. 19, 2025, in Atlanta. The Google Tower is one of the developments done by Selig Enterprises. (Jason Getz/AJC)
It hasn’t been easy the past few years to be an office landlord.
Advertisement
Many tenants shrunk their workspaces coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic, meaning buildings that lost rental revenue also lost value. Interest rates surged. Many banks got gun shy over having too much money lent to office tower owners, and a whole lot of loans have been coming due.
erew yraw ot eht eht reparcsyks eruces rotces niamer yltnecer s’cimednap srenwo eciffo fo fo wen evissam ynam .naol srednel yhsalf ,snoitpursid retfa elba a a elihW nwotdiM
,raey hcihw saw ,rewot ot eht eht taht tnanet detneserper rentrap eno fo fo fo wen noillim ogol naol tsal tsegral dnik sti sti sti ni ni ni rof dezilanif tbed gnidliub sraeb dna dna rohcna gnidrocca a .W ehT .tS gileS gileS .ABS ABS eerthcaeP .elgooG adirolF adirolF sesirpretnE rebmeceD ,ERBC atnaltA yrots-13 5011 542$
.dlrow dekrow krow htiw nehw elbanu ot ot ot eht ,ecaps ylwols seludehcs etomer ecnanifer setar cimednap-erp cimednap-tsop srenwo detadtuo ro eciffo fo stekram snaol seussi tseretni .desaercni evah evah tulg erusolcerof decaf dessertsid tbed yrtnuoc dna retfa tsujda ssorca a a emoS gnilpparG
a“ ”.elohw ,dnert rewot gnituot .semit eht eht eht taht taht tnanet gans tnacifingis retsor ecnanifer ruo ylno reciffo eciffo ton wen ylraen enotselim tekram tnemtsevni depleh lluf rof rof tluciffid etipsed tbed ynapmoc feihc dellac tub skcub ta sa a a .W ,gileS ,eldneR eerthcaeP ttaM tuB 5011
Advertisement
tA“ nehw eulav serocsrednu ylurt noitcasnart emit siht siht eht eht ,elacs dias .esaeler secnanifer ”,ytreporp eciffo fo fo swen tekram mret-gnol rotsevni tseretni ni ni ,gnineppah rof wef lanoitpecxe yllaicepse deunitnoc stessa era dna a a a eldneR atnaltA
The tower at 1105 W Peachtree St. in Midtown Atlanta is one of the city’s newest office buildings.
nehw saw rednu ,rewot eht eht ,stnanet evitaluceps dengis decnuonna-erp denepo eciffo gninaem etal tsegral ti ti ni ni ni evah dnuorg t’ndid noitcurtsnoc noitcurtsnoc gnidliub gnidliub ekorb yna dna dima .W ehT ehT eerthcaeP elgooG atnaltA .1202 .9102 5011
hcihw eciv ot eht eht eht erauqs skaeps ,ecaps dias tsubor ytilauq eciffo fo fo fo fo fo wen .doohrobhgien ylraen naol .desael si sedulcni ni teef ytilibarised namriahc gnidliub gnidliub sa dna a ehT derutcurtS ,nayR ekiM nwotdiM puorG ecnaniF tbeD s’ERBC ,atnaltA %4.59 000,456 ;pma&
sihT“ noitcasnart ot eht gnorts swohs dias .esaeler eciffo fo swen tekram ni woh eh gnirudne seunitnoc ssalc-ni-tseb eb ”,stessa laeppa dna a nwotdiM s’atnaltA
ekilnu eht seitiruces laer setar etar etavirp ralupop detanigiro fo fo wen tsom .segagtrom dekcab-egagtrom gninaem .naol ,naol ,naol nwonk sti tseretni tseretni emoh mrof etar-gnitaolf laredef etatse tbed laicremmoc laicremmoc segnahc sa edisgnola a a a s’tI SBMC knaB aciremA
Advertisement
tey daerpsediw erew evaw ot ot ot eht eht taht emos laer setar revo tesno fo fo fo elbaton ortem .ezilairetam snaol del seussi tseretni noitalfni desaercni ni ni evah sah serusolcerof serusolcerof sraef .tuollaf etatse dehsilbatse ssertsid tbed laicremmoc tabmoc tub erofeb neeb dima retfa a erehT etar-gnitaolF 91-DIVOC ,atnaltA 0202
saw tnacav detnawnu ot eht eht esaelbus erauqs ecaps ,shgih-drocer ro redlo eciffo fo fo fo raen ortem ssel si ni ni rof egatoof dne rehtie elbarised detartnecnoc .sgnidliub elbaliava ta dna tnuoma hguohtla lla gnidrocca s’tahT ,rebmeceD .ERBC atnaltA tuobA %5.13
Zachary Hansen, a Georgia native, covers economic development and commercial real estate for the AJC. He’s been with the newspaper since 2018 and enjoys diving into complex stories that affect people’s lives.
Zachary Hansen, a Georgia native, covers economic development and commercial real estate for the AJC. He’s been with the newspaper since 2018 and enjoys diving into complex stories that affect people’s lives.
ATLANTA – A Mexican national will spend the next 30 years in federal prison for operating clandestine methamphetamine laboratories across the Atlanta area, federal officials announced Wednesday.
What we know:
Advertisement
Ramiro Contreras-Sandoval, 41, of Michoacán, Mexico, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Eleanor L. Ross following his conviction for running conversion labs that housed more than 135 kilograms of liquid methamphetamine hidden in paint buckets. Contreras-Sandoval, who also went by several aliases including Manuel Santiago Vazquez and “Mirin,” was also convicted of possessing firearms as an illegal alien to protect his drug trafficking operation.
The investigation began in April 2019, when law enforcement seized the methamphetamine mixture from a conversion lab in Morrow, Georgia. Contreras-Sandoval and his co-defendant, Genaro Davalos-Pulido, fled the area after a vehicle they were using to transport the drugs was stopped by police.
The pair remained at large until the fall of 2021, when agents tracked them to a neighborhood in Norcross, Georgia. During a search of a Norcross residence, agents discovered a full-scale liquid meth operation, a loaded Beretta handgun, $84,000 in cash, and a .50-caliber rifle that appeared ready for shipment to Mexico. Contreras-Sandoval was arrested nearby with approximately $12,000 in his vehicle and pockets.
Advertisement
What they’re saying:
“This case should send a clear message to anyone thinking about running drugs or using deadly weapons to protect their operation: the federal government will relentlessly seek justice and protect the community from drug traffickers,” said U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg.
Advertisement
“Operating methamphetamine labs is a reckless and dangerous crime,” said Jae W. Chung, Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Atlanta Division. “This conviction underscores that DEA will aggressively pursue anyone who engages in drug trafficking activities that put lives at risk.”
What’s next:
Contreras-Sandoval’s 30-year sentence will be followed by five years of supervised release. His co-defendant, Davalos-Pulido, previously pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 20 years in prison in October 2024.
Advertisement
The Source: The U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office provided the details for this article.
Highlights include a musical from Alicia Keys, Atlanta Jewish Storytelling Festival, ‘Twelfth Night.’
The Lawrenceville Symphony Orchestra will perform works of Johann Strauss II and George Gershwin (featuring pianist Anna Keiserman) on Saturday. (Photo courtesy of Lawrenceville Symphony Orchestra)
By Mary Caldwell – For the AJC
Advertisement
2 hours ago
From theater to music and dance to visual arts, the metro Atlanta area has a busy arts scene offering something for nearly everyone. This week, happenings include a Lawrenceville Symphony Orchestra performance featuring the iconic works of Johann Strauss II and George Gershwin as well as the second annual Atlanta Jewish Storytelling Festival. This weekly roundup will help you explore Atlanta’s arts and culture over the coming seven days.
“Hell’s Kitchen,” singer Alicia Keys’ autobiographical musical, continues at the Fox Theatre through Sunday. (Photo by Marc J. Franklin)
s’lleH“ ”nehctiK
flesruoy ruoy renniw owt taht yrots deggans .esoprup lacisum si morf gnidnif ega-fo-gnimoc dna tuoba a ynoT sihT syeK ymmarG sdrawA drawA aicilA emit-61
New York storyteller Laura Sims leads workshops and performs stories on Saturday and Sunday during the Atlanta Jewish Storytelling Festival at The Breman. (Photo courtesy of The Breman)
“The Family Album of Ralph Eugene Meatyard” is on view at the High Museum of Art through May 10. (Photo courtesy of the High Museum of Art)
ehT“ fo hplaR ”draytaeM ylimaF eneguE mublA
eht hcus degats senecs sporp shpargotohp no netfo fo fo sksam nwonk sih rof gnirutaef ylimaf tibihxe gniyolpme .sllod tseb ta sa sa era dna dna srotca ehT hplaR muesuM ,draytaeM hgiH eneguE ,trA
detpircsnu eht taht ekat mrofrep trap .cisum zzaj si sweivretni .dedulcni ni tseug og evitucexe fehc yb hcnurb dniheb tsitra dna dna osla tsinaiP ihavaL lraK eoJ ttoillE namretlA A
Sandler Hudson Gallery hosts “primary,” a solo exhibition featuring the works of Georgia artist Betsy Cain through Saturday. (Photo courtesy of Sandler Hudson Gallery)
”ylf“ ”noitanillopssorC“ nehw esu esu ygolirt ot ot ot siht ev’yeht eht eht eht nekat llits leets deifidilos srotplucs parcs elbasuer gniruop azalp sremrofrep ecnamrofrep tuo no fo fo sdlom sdlom gnitlem egaugnal ti nori otni deripsni ni ni ,toh seebyenoh eebyenoh sih seldnah gniwolg .smrof snoitamrof mrof lanif serutaef tneve desab-ecnad .etacinummoc dloc retpahc yb dezis-drib seeb skrowtra ,tra era era dna dna dna ehT s’nosreteP s’yraropmetnoC atnaltA nellA