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Thomas Wheatley

@thomaswheatley.bsky.social
1K followers 277 following 49 posts

@axios Atlanta reporter / cherry tomato supporter

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Thomas Wheatley @thomaswheatley.bsky.social · 30/09/2025
The Atlanta City Council president race has become a rare citywide flashpoint — a test of the political ripples from Atlanta's public safety training center, also known by opponents as "Cop City." www.axios.com/local/atlant...
axios.com
Atlanta City Council president race heats up with clash over training center, website
The contest between Marci Collier Overstreet and Rohit Malhotra has become a rare citywide flashpoint.
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Jarrett Walker @humantransit.bsky.social · 14/08/2025
In every debate about extending public transit into a US suburban area, we always hear this. (Source in first reply.)
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Thomas Wheatley @thomaswheatley.bsky.social · 28/07/2025
Oakland Cemetery — the final resting place of Bobby Jones, Maynard Jackson, Kenny Rogers and others — is Atlanta's most exclusive place to spend the afterlife (burial plots have mostly only been available through private sales for roughly 140 years). www.axios.com/local/atlant...
axios.com
Oakland Cemetery to sell new spaces for first time in 140 years
The historic cemetery's new columbarium could be your actual forever home.
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stephen fowler @stphnfwlr.com · 28/07/2025
The original architect of Project 2025, the conservative blueprint President Donald Trump has closely followed since returning to the White House, is now drawing up his next plan to reshape Washington: launching a Republican primary challenge against U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham in South Carolina.
postandcourier.com
Paul Dans, ex-director of Project 2025, will challenge US Sen. Lindsey Graham in SC GOP primary
Paul Dans, Project 2025’s architect, is launching a Senate bid against Lindsey Graham in an effort to oust the longstanding South Carolina lawmaker.
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Thomas Wheatley @thomaswheatley.bsky.social · 20/07/2025
Experts tell @axios.com the move could spur landlords who accept vouchers and are facing rising property taxes or upkeep costs to switch to market-rate tenants, short-term rentals or sales. The end result: more housing instability and fewer affordable units. www.axios.com/local/atlant...
axios.com
Atlanta housing authority freezes rent hikes for Section 8 homes
Uncertainty over federal funding for housing is spreading to local governments.
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Thomas Wheatley @thomaswheatley.bsky.social · 14/07/2025
The official TSA post-screening bench
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Greg Bluestein @bluestein.bsky.social · 08/07/2025
Just in: Lt. Gov. Burt Jones enters Georgia governor’s race with Trump-aligned platform. Flush with $14 million in a campaign account, Jones is vying to become the GOP frontrunner — and land Donald Trump’s endorsement. #gapol ajc.com/politics/202...
ajc.com
Burt Jones enters Georgia governor’s race with Trump-aligned platform
Lt. Gov. Burt Jones joins the race for Georgia governor with $14 million in campaign cash.
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Nora Benavidez @attorneynora.bsky.social · 08/07/2025
Benavidez, of @freepress.bsky.social, told @thomaswheatley.bsky.social @axios.com the case "is emblematic of a pervasive nat'l effort to undermine diversity of speech & to delegitimize the viewpoints of those fighting for equity, human rights, & progress generally." www.axios.com/local/atlant...
axios.com
First "Stop Cop City" defendant goes to trial
The case could could set the tone for dozens of activists' cases.
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Thomas Wheatley @thomaswheatley.bsky.social · 01/07/2025
Pornhub, Youporn and other adult websites, citing Georgia’s new age-verification law, went dark today. www.axios.com/local/atlant...
axios.com
Adult sites go dark for Georgia residents
A law requiring users to verify their age has taken effect, spurring some sites to close access.
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Thomas Wheatley @thomaswheatley.bsky.social · 20/06/2025
Huge news about one of Georgia's natural wonders.
ajc.com
Historic land deal halts mining project next to Okefenokee Swamp
The move puts an immediate halt to a project that scientists and environmentalists had feared could irreparably damage North America’s largest blackwater swamp.
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CJ Ciaramella @cjciaramella.bsky.social · 19/06/2025
The good part of the arrest report is that the officer notes what Guevara was wearing, but not what his clothes said ("PRESS"), or what we was doing (filming), or what he said when approached ("I'm press").
ARRIVAL AND ENFORCEMENT ACTION:Upon arrival at the scene, Chief Atkinson advised me to block the intersection of ChambleeTucker Road at Northcrest Road to prevent vehicular traffic from passing through. Afterpositioning my marked patrol unit, I observed DeKalb County officers issuing additionaldispersal orders to the crowd, followed by the deployment of chemical agents.The protesters began to flee the area, crossing Chamblee Tucker Road into Embry VillagePlaza and moving in the direction of Northcrest Road. As the crowd advanced, I observedDeKalb County Lieutenant Obester (Badge #2169) verbally instruct a male subject, lateridentified as Mario Guevara (DOB: /1977), to exit the roadway and return to thesidewalk. Guevara, who was wearing a helmet, red shirt, and ballistic vest, appeared tocomply, walking toward the sidewalk while shaking his head in disagreement.Shortly thereafter, I heard Lt. Obester again address Guevara, who had re-entered the roadway,advising him that he had been given multiple warnings and would be arrested if he continuedto violate the order. Guevara then walked into the Embry Village Plaza parking lot.I maintained visual contact with Guevara as he moved through the parking lot. I then observedhim look around quickly before unlawfully entering Chamblee Tucker Rd after NorthcrestRoad in front of the Wells Fargo located at 3601 Chamblee Tucker Rd. At that time, Iimmediately approached Guevara, detained him, and secured him in flex cuffs behind his back.He was then escorted to a nearby DeKalb County patrol vehicle, where he was searched
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Thomas Wheatley @thomaswheatley.bsky.social · 12/06/2025
Council member @District4ATL Jason Dozier said the skybridge proposal is another example of the state building projects that are "antagonistic towards this idea of these properties being open to the people." www.axios.com/local/atlant...
axios.com
Georgia Capitol's $10 million "hamster tube" hits city snag
Atlanta City Council members cite concerns over the proposed walkway's effect on Downtown pedestrian activity.
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Thomas Wheatley @thomaswheatley.bsky.social · 11/06/2025
"Could you conceive of the White House having what looks like a toilet paper roll sticking out of one side of it connected to another building for elected officials to waddle back and forth?" www.axios.com/local/atlant...
axios.com
$10M Capitol walkway plan faces preservationist backlash
State officials say a new bridge boosts security and access. Critics call the plan a scar on Georgia's most prominent public building.
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Thomas Wheatley @thomaswheatley.bsky.social · 04/06/2025
"The latest claim comes after Rippling alleged earlier this year that a staff member had been spying on behalf of Deel. The employee locked themselves into a bathroom and smashed their phone with an axe when confronted with allegations, according to their own testimony." 🪓
ft.com
New spying claims emerge in Silicon Valley corporate espionage scandal
HR start-ups Rippling and Deel trade allegations their leaders directed efforts to steal company secrets from one another
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Kristal Dixon @kristaldixon.bsky.social · 26/05/2025
@thomaswheatley.bsky.social and I forgot to mention Friday that we're off today, so no Axios Atlanta newsletter today folks❤️
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Lydia DePillis @lydiadepillis.bsky.social · 23/05/2025
Today from me: Under Kelly Loeffler, the Small Business Administration is cutting staff, tightening lending standards, terminating programs for women and veterans, and barring loan applications from companies that have even one drop of non-American investment. www.nytimes.com/2025/05/23/b...
nytimes.com
Under Trump, a Mainstay for Small Businesses Clamps Down
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Thomas Wheatley @thomaswheatley.bsky.social · 22/05/2025
“If it were $2 million, we'd have an easy Plan B. But this is $25 million," @atlantabeltline.org CEO Clyde Higgs told the Fulton County Commission.
axios.com
Beltline WiFi and trail funding in jeopardy
Private donors may step in after "digital equity" grant gets clawed back and doubts linger over path to Lindbergh
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Thomas Wheatley @thomaswheatley.bsky.social · 03/05/2025
The group said it planned to release the data within 48 hours.
axios.com
Ransomware group threatens Cobb County data leak, shares images of apparent sensitive documents
Hacker group Qilin says it has 150GB of files from Cobb County, including autopsy photos, IDs and arrest reports.
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ProPublica @propublica.org · 30/04/2025
Ed Martin, Trump's pick for D.C. U.S. District Attorney, ghostwrote online attacks against an Illinois judge with whom he was in a legal dispute. We obtained emails that show Martin bought a laptop for the woman who made the posts and coached her on how to make them look organic: propub.li/4d1aut5
Several emails dated October 21, 2016.

Ed Martin writes: "Go slow and steady. Not too much of a flood. Make it organic. Email his comments to others and say 'is this right?' Direct message him and play sweet/dumb ... 'i am not a lawyer but how can this happen?' And 'john and roger and others are grieving their mother's death ... can't this wait?'"

A reply back from Priscilla Gray says "on it."

Another email from Martin says: "Turn up the heat with others on his page. Call what he did unfair and rigged over and over. He's doing it like hillary does ...."

And a third email reads: "Go back on his page and write 'your ruling puts anne cori and her co plaintiffs in charge of the entity they sued, Eagle Forum. How can the anne cori and the plaintiffs now be telling the lawyers for defendant eagle forum how to defend themselves? That is not justice but a rigged system. So, you gave them eagle forum by rigging it so anne cori is lawyer for both sides. Shame on you and this broken legal system.'"
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emmagoldberg.bsky.social @emmagoldberg.bsky.social · 18/04/2025
I went to the Natal Conference in Austin and wrote about the women drawn to the pronatalism movement — and those who are criticizing it for the far-right voices it's bringing into the tent www.nytimes.com/2025/04/17/s...
nytimes.com
The Women Who Think the World Needs More Babies
At a convention of the pronatalist movement, the relatively few women in attendance agreed: Motherhood needs a rebrand.
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Adam Tamburin @atamburin.bsky.social · 11/04/2025
I learned about these famous pimento cheese sandwiches they sell for $1.50 at the Masters c/o @thomaswheatley.bsky.social, and now I really want one of those famous pimento cheese sandwiches they sell for $1.50 at the Masters. www.axios.com/local/atlant...
axios.com
Why a $1.50 pimento cheese sandwich is a Masters tradition
Golf's most exclusive event boasts a Southern classic served in its own green jacket.
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Thomas Wheatley @thomaswheatley.bsky.social · 01/04/2025
If you are a #CDC employee in metro Atlanta who was affected by today's cuts and you want to talk about the process or potential impact, please get in touch with me. thomas dot wheatley at axios dot com or DM a good contact.
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Shravya Jain-Conti @shravya.bsky.social · 28/03/2025
Heatmap is absolutely killing it 🔥
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Thomas Wheatley @thomaswheatley.bsky.social · 27/03/2025
Atlanta is the world champion of delayed alerts about street closures and boil water advisories
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Thomas Wheatley @thomaswheatley.bsky.social · 26/03/2025
El tercero El Tesoro
axios.com
El Tesoro picks South Downtown for third location
Yes, there will be a great patio
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Mikayla Arciaga MA.Ed. @mikaylaarciaga.bsky.social · 26/03/2025
I honestly don’t know if folks are prepared to learn just how much governance takes place by group chat.
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Thomas Wheatley @thomaswheatley.bsky.social · 25/03/2025
FILA
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Thomas Wheatley @thomaswheatley.bsky.social · 18/03/2025
The Georgia Supreme Court says former Atlanta City Council member H. Lamar Willis should be readmitted to the bar. www.gasupreme.us/wp-content/u...
gasupreme.us
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Thomas Wheatley @thomaswheatley.bsky.social · 14/03/2025
"This severe weather outbreak will test NOAA's ability to handle a large-scale, potentially deadly weather event in the wake of laying off about 800 meteorologists and other staff in late February." via Andrew Freedman
axios.com
100 million at risk from severe weather, tornadoes Friday, Saturday
This could be a large outbreak of severe weather, including "numerous significant" tornadoes.
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Thomas Wheatley @thomaswheatley.bsky.social · 14/03/2025
Somewhat expected but still very surprising. Dickens’ proposed change marks a huge shift in the Beltline’s development and Atlanta’s future growth. www.axios.com/local/atlant...
axios.com
Mayor Dickens puts Beltline Eastside Trail transit on back-burner
Administration wants to prioritize building rail on Southside Trail instead
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Propel ATL @letspropelatl.bsky.social · 12/03/2025
"For many people who use wheelchairs, transit, bicycles or their feet, getting to work or school can be unpleasant at best and deadly at worst," observed @thomaswheatley.bsky.social in @axios.com Atlanta.
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David Roberts @volts.wtf · 10/03/2025
Aw man, this is so sad. Kevin was one of the original bloggers & a true, true mensch. He modeled thoughtful, respectful engagement in a way that had a huge impression on an entire generation of writers. Feels like the end of an era -- and not in a good way.
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Greg Bluestein @bluestein.bsky.social · 07/03/2025
The Macon Middle Manager in the Middle of Musk’s MAGA Makeover. #gapol www.ajc.com/politics/obs...
ajc.com
Obscure Middle Georgia bureaucrat now key figure in Elon Musk’s federal overhaul
A leader in the Trump administration's effort to cut the federal workforce is a little-known bureaucrat from Macon.
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Greg Bluestein @bluestein.bsky.social · 06/03/2025
Organized chaos? A dreary drudge? A crystallizing moment? However you see Georgia’s Crossover Day under the Gold Dome, it’s here. While not a day when legislative dreams often come true, it is a day that they can die. #gapol ajc.com/politics/pol...
ajc.com
What to watch for on Crossover Day in the Georgia Legislature
Tax cuts, sports betting and school safety proposals await their fate as lawmakers rush to meet a key deadline.
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Carl Quintanilla @carlquintanilla.bsky.social · 05/03/2025
We’re in the how-to-raise-your-own-chickens-on-page-one part of the egg price cycle. 🥚 @tricityherald.bsky.social
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Thomas Wheatley @thomaswheatley.bsky.social · 28/02/2025
"The terminated contracts represent 35% of Mana’s orders, enough to feed 300,000 children, according to the nonprofit."
ajc.com
USAID cancels large contracts of Georgia peanut butter supplier
Mana, which produces peanut-butter based food pouches in Georgia, said USAID had terminated $12 million of its contracts to feed malnourished children in Africa.
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Nolan Hicks @ndhapple.bsky.social · 27/02/2025
Here's an example of how the news deserts open even when there still is a daily newspaper. Not 10 years ago, this would have been three jobs and probably five jobs. And no, one reporter can't do what five reporters used to. - County gov - Regional politics - Sac delegation - DC delegation
job description from a metro daily that's really about five jobs that have slammed together into one.
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Alejandro Alvarez @aletakesphotos.bsky.social · 27/02/2025
Strategically parked around the corner …
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Adriel Bettelheim @abettel.bsky.social · 24/02/2025
Supreme Court scheduled arguments for April 21 in the challenge to the Affordable Care Act preventive services mandate. www.supremecourt.gov/oral_argumen...
supremecourt.gov
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Thomas Wheatley @thomaswheatley.bsky.social · 24/02/2025
I’m looking to talk with federal workers in Georgia who were fired under the recent DOGE cuts and are trying to access state unemployment benefits. thomas dot wheatley at axios dot com or DM a good contact.
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Christina Lee @minaannlee.bsky.social · 21/02/2025
Lately (and not just because of Target ending DEI efforts), I've been so grateful that here in Atlanta, I can support small businesses to meet basic and not-so-basic needs. Some of my favorites:
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Thomas Wheatley @thomaswheatley.bsky.social · 20/02/2025
The Georgia General Assembly is engaging in laser disc erasure
A screenshot of a piece of legislation with a red circle calling attention to the phrase "laser disc." The phrase is struck-through, indicating it will be deleted.
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Thomas Wheatley @thomaswheatley.bsky.social · 19/02/2025
Another animal story: Zoo Atlanta officials say they're "engaging in dialogue with partners in China" to bring giant pandas back to the city. Only D.C. and San Diego zoos currently have pandas. www.axios.com/2025/02/19/z...
axios.com
Zoo Atlanta in talks to get new giant pandas
Zoo Atlanta officials say they've started talks with China to bring back giant pandas to the city.
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Thomas Wheatley @thomaswheatley.bsky.social · 19/02/2025
We weren’t expecting to rescue a cat from a storm drain this morning but you gotta take what life throws at you
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Thomas Wheatley @thomaswheatley.bsky.social · 19/02/2025
One catch: The buyer must continue to operate the resort for 10 years
axios.com
North Georgia nudist resort Serendipity Park for sale for $1.8 million
It's OK to be curious
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Bruce Stiftel @brucestiftel.bsky.social · 09/02/2025
Don Shoup was the model of a planning scholar who built a focused research program on an important transportation/land use issue which was understudied. His results have transformed thinking about parking nationwide and to some extent worldwide. His students are carrying the work on.
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Lois Norder @gainvestigate.bsky.social · 10/02/2025
www.ajc.com/politics/geo...
ajc.com
Georgia Republicans seek to shield carpet companies, cities from costly toxic PFAS lawsuits
Facing half a dozen water contamination lawsuits, a new bill introduced by several Northwest Georgia Republicans seeks to shield the carpet industry and others from liability.
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conputer dipshit @davidcrespo.bsky.social · 10/02/2025
interesting stats from Anthropic. if you've wondered who is using LLMs at work, there is a very clear answer: programmers I suspect OpenAI's numbers would be a little different — programmers prefer Claude more than most groups www.anthropic.com/news/the-ant...
chart from Anthropic of AI usage by job type showing "computer and mathematical" as a huge outlier with 3.4% of jobs but 37% of Claude conversations
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Thomas Wheatley @thomaswheatley.bsky.social · 10/02/2025
Yes, but... "Why do we treat college athletes different to other college students? Why should someone who makes their money through sport be taxed differently than someone who is a very talented musician or an artist or flips burgers for their living?"
axios.com
Georgia senator says college athletes with NIL deals deserve a tax break
The lawmaker says the measure would give top football programs like Georgia a recruiting advantage
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