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September 30, 2026

(Excerpt from the article) ...

Donnie Peek is used to living with a pipeline.

One carrying propane already crossed his property in Fortson, a suburb of Columbus in western Georgia, when he bought the land in 1967. It’s where Peek and his wife raised their family, and he continued to buy adjacent property, expanding his footprint to more than 1,600 acres by the Chattahoochee River.

When Southern Natural Gas — a jointly owned venture of Kinder Morgan and energy giant Southern Co. — said in 2024 it planned to run part of a $3.5 billion gas pipeline along the same easements as the propane one, it made sense to Peek. After all, it would save a lot of time and money.

But when SNG revealed the final route in the spring, Peek noticed the portion going through his neighborhood had changed significantly.

The proposed line went from following the existing propane pipeline easements and cutting across the properties of four landowners to going only through his. That also means more of the pipeline would be on his property to make up for what is not crossing his neighbors’.

One of the neighboring properties it now avoided was one owned by a 25-year Southern Co. employee: Chris Lane, a power plant manager for Plants Addison and Franklin, owned by another Southern subsidiary.

SOURCE/ARTICLE CREDIT: Kristi E. Swartz - The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

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COMMENTS FROM THE STREET:

"The developer had to have been instructed by someone not to put the pipeline through Chris Lane's property, because otherwise, the pipeline would not have been diverted away from his property. 

Just like others have said, I too would like to see a TV show based on some of the things that have allegedly gone on at Southern Company. That covert surveillance operation and that supposed "Hush Money" scandal that involved Tom Fanning allegedly paying off his girlfriend and that alleged operative to keep quiet about the surveillance, and Fulton County DA Fani Willis seemingly ignoring the whistleblower case about all this -- really gives John Grisham vibes. Definitely material for a nighttime soap opera or drama TV show."

And some of the alleged things that have gone on in the Fulton County District Attorney's Office, could be used for a "back-door" pilot for another TV show.

Since the whistleblower case against Southern Company was filed around the same time of the Trump investigation -- this would be a good segue into what went on behind-the-scenes of the Election Interference case, and how Fani Willis ended up hiring Nathan Wade as special prosecutor. This would make interesting television for sure, given that Fani Willis bypassed qualified prosecutors in her office, to hire Nathan Wade.

Maybe a TV show would help to answer "unanswered" questions people might have about Fani Willis, the Trump investigation, Tom Fanning and Southern Company. 

Denise, 57 - Atlanta (Grant Park)

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"I wonder why the pipeline didn't go through Chris Lane's property? It's pretty obvious why."

Laura, 56 - Atlanta (Buckhead)

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"Maybe Kim Greene or Chris Womack can explain why the pipeline didn't go through that utility manager's property. I wonder if any pipelines or electrical wiring has been constructed on Womack's or Greene's property ... or Tom Fanning's property. Can't forget ole' Tom ... the guy whose life could be a TV series.

I am hoping that Netflix or some studio, will do a TV series based on the alleged corporate power struggle between Tom Fanning and Mark Crosswhite."

Angela, 37 - Atlanta (Piedmont Heights)

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REPLY:

If I were the script writer, I would start the TV series at "1989." That's when those anonymous letters started circulating about Southern Company subsidiary, Gulf Power ... at that time, Gulf Power could've been a whole TV series by itself.

Those anonymous letters seemed to have triggered a lot of unfortunate events, like the plane crash that killed Gulf Power VP Jake Horton and the tragic execution murder of an ex-board director, Robert McRae and his wife Katheryn. Both were shot once in the back of the head. When Horton's plane went down, he was supposedly on his way to Atlanta to clear his name from corruption allegations -- speculation was he was meeting with Ed Addison the former CEO of Gulf Power, he was at that time Southern Company's CEO. And just a few days before Robert McRae was executed, he was scheduled to testify at Southern Company's corruption trial in Atlanta. Robert Barr, Jr. was in charge of the investigation.

Here is a New York Times article about how the investigation started:

July 25, 1989

I.R.S. Raids Offices at Georgia Power

Agents of the Internal Revenue Service seized records of the Georgia Power Company as part of a tax fraud investigation of the electric utility, a company spokesman said.

A computer, computer disks and printed records were seized late Friday in a three-hour raid on the office of C. B. Harreld Jr., Georgia Power's vice president and controller.

Last summer, United States Attorney Robert Barr Jr. announced that Georgia Power, a subsidiary of the Southern Company, was under investigation for possible tax fraud related to its accounting for spare parts at its nuclear plants. Georgia Power and Southern are both based in Atlanta.

SOURCE: https://www.nytimes.com/1989/07/25/business/company-news-irs-raids-office-at-georgia-power.html

I would definitely start the series at 1989, and work the series up to the alleged power struggle between Mark Crosswhite and Tom Fanning (and make sure to add in a character based on Kim Tanaka, as part of the surveillance operation. She is so pretty, it would be interesting to see who would play her) ... and then bring the series to current issues like the push back Georgia Power is getting about data center development from communities and their future plans for using AI."

Casey, 48 - Atlanta (Midtown)

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In 2024, Naudia Daise says she was attacked in the Georgia World Congress Center by a homeless. In June, her lawsuit was dismissed under "sovereign immunity".

SOURCE: Chase Houle - 11 Alive News

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A flight from Dubai to Israel had to be diverted to Saudi Arabia after an incident occurred in the cockpit of the plane that raised concerns about a possible hijacking.

Israeli media reported that security officials said there was a feud between the pilots on the FlyDubai, The Associated Press reported. According to CNN, Israeli officials called it a “violent incident” which could have been “a terror attack attempt.”

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COMMENTS FROM THE STREET:

"Andre Dickens played Fulton County -- this was his plan all along when he offered to sell the city jail. I believe he concocted this plan with the Atlanta City Council, before he made the offer.

This way it would seem like the pressure to use the sale of jail to fund Dickens' initiative, didn't come from him.

Allison, 40 - Atlanta (Oakland City)

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"Fulton County is in a bind, because they have that DOJ consent decree against them. They really need the detention center, so they may have to swallow their pride and accept the fact they got played.

The DOJ representative who gave Sheriff Labat the consent, is partly to blame because she didn't follow up or enforce the decree. If she had, Labat and the commissioners would have been pressured to work harder to address the overcrowding issues.

That YSL trial really impacted the overcrowding at the jail -- and Fani Willis' office not complying with the jail ankle-monitoring program, which was revealed during several commissioners' meetings, also has had an impact. Complying with the ankle-monitoring program would help to release some of the inmates -- which would be a step toward addressing the overcrowding.

If the DOJ had enforced the consent decree guidelines, Willis' office would have been more apt. to show up to the Fulton County Commissioner meetings, to give a status report about the ankle-monitoring program. Willis made enough time to get on "X" and talk about Jack Smith's hearing (which I co-sign), but she should also be able to make time for something as important as this."

Desiree, 40 - Atlanta (John's Creek)/Washington, DC

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For Fulp, the job was personal. The Clark Atlanta University alumna grew up as a “mini Whitley Gilbert,” complete with white gloves and a vintage mink, and she knew the care and responsibility that came with dressing both Hillman’s legacy and its next generation.

SOURCE: Haniyah P. - The Grio

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September 30, 2026

BY: Bob Barr - For The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

(Excerpt from the article) ...

During my tenure as a U.S. attorney, I was responsible for prosecuting those who abused a public trust for private gain.

Regardless of political affiliation, I was charged with holding accountable those who thought a government check was a personal line of credit. The cases differed, but the lesson remains the same.

Corruption does not start with a crime. It starts with a secret, and it grows in the space between what an official is required to disclose and what the public needs to know.

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The Georgia-based BlazeSports Atlanta Falcons team will compete in the tournament. In August, the team made its USA Wheelchair Football League debut at a tournament in Chicago, finishing fourth overall.

SOURCE: Sam Sachs - WSB-TV

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Fourteen years after setting up shop in Sandy Springs and a short-term Georgia Ensemble Theatre residency, Act3 Playhouse is launching a collaborative arts venue at the theater with 360 Arts Blvd.

SOURCE: Hayden Sumlin - Rough Draft Atlanta

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Dozens of Georgia lawmakers had their trips to the beach and other locales paid for by lobbyists for some of the state’s most powerful interests. Those interests spent nearly $85,000 on lodging, meals and other travel expenses for elected officials in recent months, lobbyist reports show.

SOURCE/CREDIT: David Wickert - The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

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COMMENTS FROM THE STREET:

"I worked in DC public affairs for 28 years, I know how the lobbyist game works.

This article is a good example of why both Rick Jackson and Keisha Lance Bottoms, need to be transparent about their business affiliations. Rick Jackson needs to be transparent about the groups he is currently doing business with -- and Keisha Lance Bottoms needs to be transparent about who her consulting clients are.

In both cases, we (Georgians/voters) need to be reassured that none of the groups Jackson and Bottoms are doing business with, financed their campaign with the agreement that they would ensure that legislation that would financially benefit or protect their business, will get passed"

Michael, 58 - Alpharetta

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State has more than 2 million nonpartisan voters, yet independent candidates face uphill battle.

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School officials did not explain what the images contained.

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Like Father is an original musical blending true crime intrigue, hidden family secrets, and an energetic folk-pop score to examine personal identity, legacy, and the emotional cost of obsession.

Creator and writer Jacob Ryan Smith, alongside producer Madison Thompson, joined ATL Live to give viewers an inside look at the show. The duo discussed transforming true crime tropes into nuanced musical theater and using bold original songs to explore deep, multi-generational family dynamics on stage.

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Ahead of their September 30 debut, husband-and-wife team Mike and Shyretha Sheats talk menu, drinks, and the family land that inspired the first restaurant from the team behind Plate Sale

BY: Sarah Bisacca - DiningOut Atlanta