AUSTELL, Ga. (Atlanta News First) — With Christmas just two weeks away, many customers are expressing frustration with FedEx.

Hundreds of packages remain stuck at the company’s shipping facility in Austell.

The backlog has left many wondering whether their deliveries will arrive in time for the holidays.

For Chris Stephens, this delay has been quite costly.

His front porch in Douglasville has sat empty for two weeks while he waits for several packages.

“Probably $5,000 worth of stuff,” he said. “So, this is costing me quite a bit of money that I needed for Christmas.”

Stephens is among dozens of customers who say their packages have been delayed for weeks at the Austell facility.

“Black Friday, Cyber Monday stuff,” he said. “It’s all sitting in Austell.”

Tracking information for one of Stephens’ packages, shipped on Nov. 26, illustrates his frustration.

The item arrived at the Austell facility early on Nov. 29 and was marked as being loaded onto a delivery truck later that day.

However, it still has yet to leave the facility.

“You watch tracking, and they never get on a truck,” Stephens said. “They just come right back and that goes on every day.”

Atlanta News First reached out to FedEx about these issues, who responded with this statement:

“We sincerely regret any inconvenience caused by delays in the areas serviced out of our Austell facility and appreciate our customers’ patience as we implement contingencies, including securing additional delivery resources, to deliver these packages as quickly as possible.”

Nevertheless, Stephens says he’s frustrated by the lack of communication from FedEx.

“If I were to know that it was going to take three weeks to get something, that’s much better than having no idea at all what’s going on,” he concluded.

Copyright 2024 WANF. All rights reserved.

ATLANTA – A man accused of damaging a car and trying to shoot the driver near the Atlanta airport has been arrested.

Police were called to Hartsfield-Jackson just before 2 p.m. on Wednesday after shots were fired.

The victim told police he dropped a client off at the lower level of the airport’s south terminal and was trying to leave when another driver “became irate.” The victim said the driver sideswiped his car, shot at him and then sped away.

The victim sustained minor injuries and damage to his vehicle.

Through a quick canvass of the area, police located the suspect in the commercial area of 4210 Moreland Avenue SE, about 10 miles away from the scene.

The suspect was identified as 39-year-old Eric Freeman. He is expected to face criminal charges.

Before the New York Yankees signed left-handed pitcher Max Fried to an eight-year, $218 million contract, the Athletics were reportedly among the most aggressive teams in pursuit of him.

It is unclear if the A’s ever made an official offer to Max Fried and, if they did, what the contract terms were, but we can speculate that the offer was made if the A’s were “one of the most aggressive teams” in pursuit of the dominant lefty.

This news comes just five days after the A’s uncharacteristically spent big money and signed right-hander Luis Severino to the biggest deal in franchise history: a three-year $67 million deal.

So, the question has to be asked: if the A’s are reportedly willing to pursue one of the best pitchers on the market, what is their next move?

The A’s are after starting pitching, with some of the bigger names off the market, who could they go after next? Sean Manaea was rumored to be an A’s target before they pivoted to Severino, and with Manaea still unsigned, they could resume their pursuit. Corbin Burnes and Jack Flaherty sure seemed like “unrealistic” targets before the news of Fried. The Athletics could pivot and make a splash landing another top right-handed pitcher.

Nick Pivetta and Trevor Williams are interesting right-handed pitchers who performed well in 2024 before their injuries. The A’s may be able to sign one of them to a short-term contract, like Severino’s, and have a solid one-two punch leading their rotation.

The A’s want to up their payroll to around $100 million, and after the Severino deal and projected arbitration contracts, the payroll sits at around $78.44 million. If the A’s seriously want to get their payroll near $100 million, they have a good chunk of money to offer to free agents. They’ll also have incentive to reach that magical number.

While pitching is the biggest need for the A’s, they have some holes in the lineup and on the field. Eventually, they will have to make some upgrades there as well, and they have a lot of options in free agency.