Sunday, October 18, 2026

Good morning! On this day in 1900, Lamar Trotti, a Hollywood screenwriter and producer who earned an Academy Award for his screenplay for the 1944 film Wilson, was born in Atlanta.

The Chick-fil-A Fayetteville Dwarf House will temporarily close next month. What’s your favorite menu item from Chick-fil-A? Let us know in today’s Poll.

In case you missed it on The Flyover Podcast, Amy unpacked the IRS notices landing in millions of mailboxes about a new program that deposits up to $1,000 a year in federal matching money directly into retirement accounts, rather than just trimming your tax bill. But there’s a catch. Plenty of savers will get the full amount while others won’t see a dime, and the difference comes down to a few details on your tax return. Amy covered who qualifies, what disqualifies you, and how to actually claim the money. Tune in here!

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No Date Yet for New MARTA Trains

MARTA’s new CQ400 railcars still have no date to enter service, and likely won’t be carrying passengers in 2026.

CEO Jonathan Hunt told city officials that the trains were nearing readiness but still required safety certification.

“The trains will be ready when they’ll be ready. But that being said, we are extremely close,” Hunt said. "We won't be having this discussion 6, 8 months from now."

The new railcars will include open gangways that allow passengers to move between connected cars, improved accessibility, security cameras, phone-charging stations, space for luggage, and more.

The Stadler-built railcars were planned to debut in June, before World Cup crowds arrived, but were delayed due to safety and testing reasons. The current fleet will be replaced in phases over the next several years.

Chatham County Ordered to Refund $30M

Chatham County has been ordered to refund eligible property owners more than $30 million after the Georgia Supreme Court upheld a ruling that its fire protection fee was an illegal tax.

The justices ruled that the fee functioned as a property tax, which Georgia law requires to be based on a property’s value. The fee was based on flat rates and building square footage.

The county collected the mandatory fee from July 2022 through June 2024, but dropped it after creating its own fire department and shifted the cost onto property taxes.

“We had options of making it a fire tax or making it a fire fee,” said Chatham County Commission Chairman Chester Ellis. “We chose the fire fee, and now we are finding out that shouldn’t have been the way.”

Deer Firearms Season Begins

Georgia's firearms deer hunting season opened Saturday and runs through Jan. 10 for the majority of the state.

Last season, 200,000 hunters harvested about 250,000 deer, up from 220,000 during the 2024-25 season.

Hunters are allowed to harvest up to 10 antlerless deer and two antlered deer that meet antler requirements.

State wildlife officials are advising hunters to have deer harvested in Atkinson, Berrien, Lanier, and Lowndes counties tested for chronic wasting disease (CWD). More than 2,900 deer were tested across Georgia last season, with 14 testing positive for CWD.

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➤ Statewide: Georgia’s 2026 graduating class earned an average ACT score of 20.9, surpassing the national average of 19.2 for the 10th consecutive year. (More)

➤ Fayetteville: Chick-fil-A’s Fayetteville Dwarf House on Banks Station will temporarily close Nov. 6 to prepare for changes planned for 2027. A reopening date has not been announced. (More)

➤ Savannah: Wesley Monumental United Methodist Church has completed a $2.3 million restoration of its sanctuary more than a year after a ceiling collapse. (More)

➤ Douglas: Wheeler Park reopened Friday after Hurricane Helene destroyed its tree canopy, playground, and shelter in 2024. (More)

➤ Macon: A man found with items belonging to the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame was arrested on trespassing and burglary charges after allegedly causing a disturbance at the Tubman Museum. (More)

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➤ Top-ranked Georgia fell 27-24 to unranked Auburn in Athens after Gunner Stockton's late fumble set up Alex McPherson's 34-yard field goal as time expired. The loss snapped the Bulldogs' 53-game winning streak against unranked opponents. (More)

➤ Georgia Tech lost 34-24 to Virginia Tech despite a career-high 335 passing yards and two touchdowns from Alberto Mendoza. (More)

➤ The Atlanta Dream fell to the Golden State Valkyries, 68-64, in Game 1 of the WNBA Finals yesterday after allowing 17 fourth-quarter points. (More)

➤ The Atlanta Falcons host the Chicago Bears tomorrow, entering the game as three-point underdogs. Both teams had disappointing finishes in Week 5, but the Bears return star quarterback Caleb Williams, who will play his first game since Week 2. (More)

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➤ Atlanta ranked sixth among the best U.S. cities for families in a new study by Manhattan Mental Health Counseling. (More)

➤ Jekyll Island recorded its second successful green sea turtle nest in its history after a nest laid Aug. 16 hatched 66 eggs in October. (More)

➤ Fort Valley State University received a record-setting philanthropic donation, a $5.8 million estate gift from alumnus Eddie D. Smith Sr. and his wife, Martha, to support the university and its students. (More)

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➤ Why Do Bruises Suddenly Show Up After 50? You don't remember bumping into anything—yet another bruise appears. While many people chalk it up to aging or medication, easy bruising may be a clue worth paying attention to. It's one of 7 commonly overlooked warning signs that can become more noticeable with age. See all 7 warning signs—and what they could be telling you.

The following stories are featured exclusively on The Flyover Podcast—a daily show that gives you the most important headlines in under 15 minutes, straight from the heart of the country.

➤ A grandfather built a $2 million business by giving families a reason to get lost in a cornfield. (Hear More)

➤ The NBA has built an AI detective to sniff out suspicious bets. (Listen Now)

➤ Three studies suggest that the cold shoulder sometimes conceals a guilty conscience. (Podcast Available)