ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) — Heavy downpours in the city of Atlanta has prompted the National Weather Service to issue a flash flood warning and had closed all lanes of the Downtown Connector.

The rain caused several issues on roads. There are also reports of flooding along North Avenue in the city.

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This spring marks five years since LifeLink of Georgia and Piedmont Atlanta Hospital partnered to create a space dedicated to families of loved ones going through the organ donation process. 

While thousands of Georgians are still waiting, the Donor Care Unit at Piedmont Atlanta is recognizing a milestone as they march on to save and extend more lives.

More than a thousand names are on the ‘Tree of Life’ wall of LifeLink of Georgia’s offices. Their names are marked to remember the more than 3700 life-saving organ donation gifts through the unit in 2025 alone. It’s a milestone that would not exist without families like Kruchtens. 

Jed and Veronica Kruchen of Forsyth County did not need much convincing. Their son Finley, a 6-foot-4 varsity football player at Denmark High School, died in October 2024 after suffering a pulmonary embolism. He was 17. 

“His favorite book was ‘The Giving Tree’ growing up,” Jed Kruchten said. “We both looked at each other… of course, that’s what he would want to do. There’s zero cost, and you help save lives. Why wouldn’t you do it?”

Finley donated a kidney and his heart to a 55-year-old man. A 15-year-old girl received his other kidney. He gave the gift of sight to another person and dozens more were helped through tissue donation. 

“One life. One body. What you have can help 70 people,” Jed said. 

Three months after Finley died, Jed and Veronica launched the LL74 Finley Kruchten Foundation, giving scholarships to students. Two years in, applicants are still writing about Finley by name. 

“He was described this year as legendary,” Veronica said. 

Finley’s final days were spent inside the Donor Care Unit – one of only a handful in the country. 

It does not look like a traditional intensive care unit by design. Inside, it has six ICU beds, private family rooms, and quiet spaces built for the hardest conversations. 

“Everybody shows up, whether it’s LifeLink or Piedmont Atlanta team members, with that intent, that compassion, solely based on honoring our donors and honoring the donor families,” said Hope Weed, executive director of LifeLink of Georgia. 

Still, the need is great. More than 3 thousand Georgians are currently on the national transplant waiting list. Nationally, that number exceeds 109 thousand. 

“There’s only 36% of Georgians that are signed up,” Weed said. “That’s why we always encourage people to learn more about organ donation. Registered donors are key.”

Georgians can register as organ donors in about 60 seconds at 

mystorycontinues.com through LifeLink’s platform. Residents can also designate their donor status when renewing a driver’s license or hunting and fishing license. And to learn more about Riley’s story, visit their foundation’s website at LL74.org.

Well, that was straight up awful. Absolutely atrocious by Atlanta United in the U.S. Open Cup, a.k.a. the one significant chance they’ve had at a trophy in years. The team stayed down in the central Florida city after the 1-1 draw on Saturday in league play, but unfortunately all hopes that they’d improve in a more meaningful match were answered in the first 15 minutes. Here are the final whistle thoughts from the Mickey Mouse city after a terrible 4-1 loss.

Tactical changes

I won’t sit here and act like the tactical changes that Tata Martino made are entirely at fault. They certainly didn’t help, but they were exacerbated by an unwillingness of players to do their jobs, whether because they were confused or they were incapable.

Players on the backline were thoroughly out of position, as were players in the midfield. The amount of space between Atlanta’s “center backs” and the deepest-lying midfield players when Atlanta was in the attack was quite literally an acre. Orlando was able to hit on 1v1’s against Jayden Hibbert, even a 2v1 at one moment, all evening long. It was truly a tactical mismatch for the Five Stripes and one to which the players never adjusted.

Players

If you’re not going to commit to playing the entire game, you don’t need to be here. I don’t care if your position is water boy, if you aren’t putting 110% in the defense and the attack, you have to go. It’s one thing to make mistakes, it’s another entirely to sit around and watch someone go up for a free header in your own box or witness your entire defense get hammered while you and 5 other players watch from the attacking half.

There are a drastic set of moves that need to be made in the summer and one can only hope Chris Henderson, Mauricio Culebro, and the rest of the front office can make them happen. This tactical change just showed that the team appears incredibly one-dimensional and can only be at their best when they don’t have to change much of anything.

I’d love to dive more into how bad this one was but honestly, those two points basically sum up the entire season so far. Fans have an absolute right to be sickened by how bad Atlanta United played in this match. Barring Jay Fortune, Cooper Sanchez, and Saba, I struggle to find a player that showed much heart in this one. Forget playing well, because no one did that, but the spirit and the desire to play for the badge over the chest was missing tonight. Cancel the flight for the players and make the drive back up I-75 from Orlando, since that’s what the three fans who made the trek down there have to do.

Let us know below what you thought of the match.