Atlanta, GA
Atlanta nonprofit close to setting world record for longest basketball game
FAIRBURN, Ga. – A group of metro Atlanta basketball players are in the final stretch of setting a new Guinness world record.
The players with Men Opposing Sex Trafficking have been on the court since Sunday morning, playing nonstop to break the record for the longest continuous basketball game.
And the final buzzer is so close they can taste it.
What we know:
The group, who already have the record for the longest continuous basketball game, isn’t just dedicated to beating the record. They’re also in to raise awareness of their cause – encouraging men to take a stand against sex trafficking.
The 24 players are required to stay in the gym nearly the entire time and will have to eat and sleep on the court. An exception is made for five-minute bathroom breaks, which can be taken every two hours.
There are no quarter breaks or timeouts.
Organizers say a minimum of five players must be on the court at all times and groups of six will play in two-hour shifts throughout the day with alternating five-hour shifts for sleeping overnight.
A player rests during the game (FOX 5)
Any player who has six fouls in a two-hour window will be disqualified. Only one man has been forced to drop out so far because of an injury.
What they’re saying:
Going into Friday, the players say they’re certainly tired but remain in good spirits.
“The hardest part for me has been playing and then having to rest,” player Candler McBrayer said. “Obviously you have to rest, and then getting back up from the rest, because you’re extremely sore, and your muscles are cold, and it takes a minute to get them fired up, so the pain that comes from that.”
What’s next:
The current record of 120 was achieved in Buffalo, New York in 2021.
To beat that, the players have to reach 10 a.m. on Friday.
You can watch the final hours of the game on the group’s livestream here.
The Source: FOX 5’s Lindsay Tuman reported on this story out of Fairburn. Additional information came from MOST and previous FOX 5 reporting.
The Georgia Department of Transportation announced that a major weekend construction project, set to fully shut down two miles of I-285, has been postponed due to inclement weather. Atlantans are relieved, with many looking forward to more freedom to travel this Mothers’ Day weekend. Kim Leoffler has the story.
ATLANTA – An Atlanta flight attendant and mother of eight is among 17,000 Spirit Airlines workers struggling to find a new “destination” after the carrier suddenly shut down.
Spirit Airlines Atlanta impact
What we know:
Spirit Airlines ended all operations on Saturday, grounding its entire fleet and ending employment for its 17,000-person workforce. Flight attendants and customers were stranded across the country, often forced to pay for their own travel home after the discount carrier ceased operations.
Kamille Carter, an Atlanta-based flight attendant of five years, said she received the termination email from the CEO at 3 a.m., despite earlier assurances from union representatives that the company was stable. The company immediately cut healthcare benefits and stopped payments for sick leave and vacation time for all staff members.
Unpaid wages and benefits
What we don’t know:
It is unclear if Carter and her fellow employees will ever receive their final paychecks or if there is any legal recourse for the lost benefits. The company has not specified if any transition assistance will be provided to workers, some of whom had been with the airline since it launched in 1994.
Employee reaction in Georgia
What they’re saying:
“This is a death because you have to mourn, you have to grieve, it’s a process,” Carter said of the sudden job loss. Despite the financial strain of supporting eight children, Carter is looking toward her passion for cooking as a potential new career. She noted that while being uncomfortable is difficult, it can “push you to your destiny.”
Finding help in Atlanta
What you can do:
Community members looking to support Carter and other local workers affected by the shutdown can find more information on the FOX 5 Atlanta website. The station is collecting resources for those navigating the sudden loss of income and healthcare.
The Source: The information in this story was gathered from an interview conducted by FOX 5 reporter Eric Perry, who spoke directly with former flight attendant Kamille Carter in Atlanta. Previous FOX 5 Atlanta reporting was also used.
The search for missing 16-year-old Benjamin Braithwaite is over. Atlanta police announced just before midnight Thursday that he had been located, more than a week after he vanished from his Regency Trace home.
The department shared the update on social media but did not release additional details about where he was found or the circumstances surrounding his recovery.
Braithwaite had been missing since the night of April 27, when he was last seen around 9 p.m. at his home in Atlanta. His family said they had no contact with him during the entire time he was gone.
The disappearance of the KIPP Atlanta Collegiate High School sophomore and basketball team member had galvanized the Atlanta community. His family, teammates, Atlanta police officers and neighbors gathered at the school last week to raise awareness about his disappearance. Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, where his mother works, joined the search effort — asking the public to watch for him at MARTA stops and fast food restaurants.
A $10,000 reward had been offered for credible information leading to his safe return.
“Even small details matter. Your awareness could make the difference,” the airport wrote in an Instagram post earlier this week.
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