Atlanta, GA
MLB power rankings: Perfect Padres throttle Braves to put Atlanta in early 2025 hole
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Sure, the Los Angeles Dodgers are unbeaten in five games and the New York Yankees can’t stop hitting home runs, but let’s pause to consider what the San Diego Padres have pulled off.
It’s not even April, and they’ve already clinched the season series against the Atlanta Braves – and cracked the top five in USA TODAY Sports’ first power rankings installment.
Oh, it probably won’t matter, but it’s worth pondering that the most significant feat of this opening weekend was the Padres sweeping four games against Atlanta, marking six consecutive victories over them at Petco Park, dating to their wild-card steamrolling during last year’s playoffs.
Perhaps you might remember that: The Braves, New York Mets and Arizona Diamondbacks all had to wait until hurricane-delayed Games 161 and 162 were played to determine the final NL playoff spots. Sure, most tiebreakers don’t come into play, but with the Padres and Braves very likely slotting in wild-card spots this year, it’s not entirely meaningless.
Of greater note, San Diego’s throttling of Atlanta might at least force observers to recalibrate their expectations for both teams, with the Padres perhaps providing resistance to the Dodgers in the West, while the Braves are already a pace behind what should be an excellent three-team race in the East.
Then again, 158 games remain for both.
A look at our updated rankings:
1. Los Angeles Dodgers
- You might say they, uh, torpedoed Brewers pitching.
3. Philadelphia Phillies
- Jesús Luzardo wins first start as Phillie.
- Bullpen allowed one earned run in 16 innings.
5. Baltimore Orioles
- Blasted 10 homers in four games against Toronto.
6. Texas Rangers
- Jack Leiter did enough to win first start; can Kumar Rocker follow suit?
7. Arizona Diamondbacks
- Next time, just start the guy you just gave $210 million.
8. New York Mets
- Oh, they’ll hit soon enough.
9. Houston Astros
- Spencer Arrighetti picks up where he left off after strong 2024 finish.
10. Detroit Tigers
- They’re definitely done with the Dodgers.
11. Boston Red Sox
- Rafael Devers doing anything but designated hitting: 0 for 16 with 12 strikeouts.
- Ah yes, three games at the Dodgers should wash that 0-4 start right away.
13. Cincinnati Reds
- It’d be a shame if relief woes sank an otherwise solid and charismatic roster.
14. Chicago Cubs
- Relief acquisition Eli Morgan has given up six runs in 3 ⅔ innings.
15. Seattle Mariners
- After four-run opening day explosion, they score two, zero and two runs against A’s.
16. Cleveland Guardians
- Jose Ramírez’s wrist is barking a little bit.
17. Kansas City Royals
- Tough opening series ends on grim note when pitch strikes Jonathan India in face.
18. Tampa Bay Rays
- They embrace the great outdoors with two wins over Rockies, including walk-off homer.
19. San Francisco Giants
- Maybe this Old Guys Rule rotation will work out.
20. St. Louis Cardinals
- So far, their “reset” has resulted in a perfect record.
21. Toronto Blue Jays
- The Max Scherzer thumb saga already getting painful.
22. Washington Nationals
- Dylan Crews hitless in 11 at-bats, with eight strikeouts.
23. Minnesota Twins
- Top prospect Emmanuel Rodriguez with a three-hit night in Class AAA opener.
- We feel confident in saying they will not see the New York Yankees again this year.
25. Los Angeles Angels
- Tim Anderson gets a nice welcome in return to Chicago’s Southside.
26. Athletics (Sacramento)
- Their Yolo County Era begins this week.
27. Miami Marlins
- Griff Conine hits game-tying homer on night his dad is inducted into club Hall of Fame.
28. Pittsburgh Pirates
- First three losses all walk-offs. So they’re coming close.
- Chase Dollander watch: Strikes out five in four innings of first Class AAA start.
30. Chicago White Sox
- Clip and save this for posterity: Their 1.00 ERA leads the major leagues
The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news — fast. Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more.
Atlanta, GA
Atlanta artist’s tribute to his Haitian culture and resilience gets featured on iconic Dior handbag
It’s a cold and rainy day outside Patrick Eugene’s studio in Atlanta, but as you walk in, you immediately feel the warmth of his art.
Eugene started painting at 27. He’s self-taught and doesn’t use photos for reference.
“Every piece that I paint has a flower or plant somewhere in the piece, and that’s an ode to my mother and grandmother. I grew up being my mother’s assistant with gardening,” he said.
Eugene is Haitian-American. He tries to honor his heritage through his work. Now, elements of that Caribbean culture are gracing the handbags of one of the most iconic French fashion houses.
The Atlanta artist was handpicked by Dior to reinterpret the brand’s Lady Dior handbag for the 10th anniversary edition of its Dior Lady Art Project.
“Instantly, I felt this was something way larger than myself. So rather than translating a work directly onto the bag, I honored Haiti. I titled the series the Pearl of the Antilles,” he said.
Haiti earned the nickname during the French colonial era because of the immense wealth made from its coffee and sugar production. It was considered France’s richest colony in the 18th century.
From 1791 to 1804, Haitians revolted against the French, resisting the European country’s colonial exploitation.
“It’s a phrase that they didn’t get to necessarily benefit from. It’s a beautiful phrase; it sounds rich, it sounds elegant, and that’s what the people of Haiti are. So, I wanted to reclaim that for them,” Eugene said.
Each of his bags is designed to reflect Haiti’s hilly landscape, adorned with a pearl, and brought to life through his signature color palette. Eugene created digital mockups, wrote an essay about why the opportunity was important to him, and sent it to the Dior team.
“They received it beautifully and flew out to my studio here in Atlanta with suitcases of materials,” he recalled. “We sat down for hours clipping various materials on the bag, what would work, what wouldn’t work.”
Instead of picking one design, Dior chose all three. The bags just premiered at Art Basel Paris and will be showcased at Art Basel fairs around the world.
“This opens up an opportunity to have conversations about the work, but also the narrative about Haiti, which lives through my paintings always, but I found this as a vessel and a way to get this out globally in another way,” Eugene said.
Haitian culture wasn’t always part of Eugene’s work. For years, he focused on abstract pieces, but a trip to Haiti after the catastrophic earthquake in 2010 shifted his focus.
“It changed everything for me, and I went every year after that, and there was something about the people, the resilience of the people, the history of the island that really spoke to me,” he said.
Eugene believes that when you tap into who you are, that’s when doors open.
“I think there’s something genuine about not giving too much of a care about what the outside world feels immediately, and so when I dive into it, it’s spiritual, it’s me and my space,” he said.
You can see more of Eugene’s work on his Instagram page.
Atlanta, GA
Loaded gun magazine with inscription discovered on Frontier Airlines flight in Atlanta
A passenger discovered a loaded gun magazine with a mysterious inscription aboard a Frontier Airlines plane at a Georgia airport, sparking a multi-agency probe, according to authorities.
The traveler aboard the Airbus A320 aircraft at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport found a loaded magazine containing ten hollow-point rounds near seat 7A, around 4:30 p.m. on Sunday, the Atlanta Police Department said in a statement on Wednesday.
The Frontier Airlines flight was at the gate for a return flight to Cincinnati when the magazine marked with the initials “K H” was found, cops said.
Officers coordinated with the TSA, DOA, Frontier Airlines, the Department of Homeland Security, and Atlanta Police K-9 units after the concerning magazine was reported, authorities added.
The aircraft was deplaned and thoroughly searched. TSA also re-screened all passengers aboard, according to police.
No additional items of concern were found, and the flight departed safely by 7:56 p.m., cops said.
The FBI has been notified of the incident.
Frontier Airlines told Fox5 that the loaded magazine belonged to a law enforcement officer who had flown on the same aircraft before the flight out of Atlanta.
“A subsequent investigation confirmed that the ammunition belonged to a law enforcement officer who was on an earlier flight on the same aircraft,” the airline told the outlet in a statement.
“The ammunition and magazine were taken into the custody of the Atlanta Police Department, and the property owner was referred to Atlanta P.D. to retrieve his items.”
An Atlanta police source, however, told the outlet that investigators have not yet confirmed that claim.
Frontier Airlines did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for comment.
“I’ve heard of a lot of delays, canceled flights, but I’ve never heard of this before. This is brand new,” traveler Terry Foster told the outlet.
Atlanta, GA
Atlanta Public Schools should think twice before closing Dunbar Elementary
Atlanta is investing in revitalizing neighborhoods like Mechanicsville. Closing Dunbar would undermine principles of equity and community.
Jared Hill, a second grade teacher at Dunbar Elementary School, leads students in the annual Storybook Character Parade. The parade features students and faculty dressed in costume. (File/AJC 2016)
By Jason Dozier – For The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
1 hour ago
Editor’s Note: The Atlanta Journal-Constitution is running a series of guest essays about APS Forward 2040, the long-range plan under discussion in Atlanta Public Schools to reshape its future. Here is another selection in these essays.
Paul L. Dunbar Elementary School is the heart of Mechanicsville — a refuge, a gathering place and a symbol of resilience for a community that has endured decades of disinvestment and displacement.
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Jason Dozier is a Paul L. Dunbar parent and represents District 4 on the Atlanta City Council. (Courtesy of Jason Dozier)
Safety, parental involvement risks
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Closing Dunbar would send the wrong message
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APS officials can look to master plan for solutions to keeping Dunbar open
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er’uoy uoy gnitirw su sthguoht siht eht ,egap ro de-po eton ,meti detseretni ni fi evah rof .moc.cja@noitacude noitacude pord ta yna na tuoba a fI s’CJA
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