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American Dream for Rent Pt. 2: Over the last decade, investor-backed firms bought more than 65,000 houses across metro Atlanta. The growth of investor-owned, single-family rental giants has come at an extraordinary cost for many of the residents who live in those homes, an Atlanta Journal-Constitution investigation found. The investor buying spree is pushing the American Dream of homeownership out of reach for many first-time buyers who find they can’t compete with the flood of cash. A number of families told the AJC they were outbid by investors for a home on the one hand, only to be stuck renting from them on the other. See the full investigation at the link in our bio. #atl #atlanta #fulton #dekalb #gwinnett #cobb #rent #homebuyers #realestate #investigation

This month, we're saying goodbye to West Egg Cafe in Atlanta’s Westside. West Egg Cafe opened as a coffee and sandwich shop with counter service, offering a place for neighbors to gather. As brunch became more popular, the Johnsons leaned in. “The hardest thing about the decision to close the restaurant is that we have a group of people who care about the place as much as we do. When you find these people, you want to work with them forever,” said co-owner Jennifer Johnson. “We are doing everything we can to move the staff to our other restaurants or to find homes for them in restaurants we know will treat them well.” Find recipes from West Egg Cafe at the link in the @ajcnews bio. 💔🍳 ✒️: C.W. Cameron for the AJC 📸: Courtesy of West Egg Cafe and Bob Andres | AJC

If you forgot to order presents online, NOW is the time! You can ship packages late into the month of December, but you may end up paying more for faster shipping to get packages there in time. Joshua Colin, the Postal Service’s chief retail and delivery officer, said in a written statement that “we are ready and confident to handle the holiday surge.” What are you waiting for? Go go go! ✒️: Kelly Yamanouchi | AJC

A dominant defense. An electric offense. Grayson left no doubt. The Rams claimed the Class 6A championship with a 38-24 statement win over Carrollton, marking their fourth state title and first since 2020. Grayson’s defense put the clamps on JuJu Lewis with relentless pressure, while Elijah Miller’s three TDs led the offense to 456 yards. Coach Bryant’s squad showed what happens when a team plays for each other and its community. For all your high school football playoff coverage and in-depth game analysis, head to AJC.com.

The Georgia Court of Appeals ruled on Thursday that Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis and her office should be removed from the 2020 election interference case, a bombshell decision that will upend what’s expected to be the last remaining criminal case against incoming President Donald Trump. A panel of three judges, all GOP appointees, concluded that Willis’ onetime romantic relationship with former special prosecutor Nathan Wade constituted a conflict of interest that merited her dismissal from the case. Willis is expected to appeal the ruling to the Supreme Court of Georgia. A spokesman did not immediately respond to a request for comment. ✒️: Tamar Hallerman and Bill Rankin | AJC 📸: @arvintemkar | AJC

Not all of us can take a sleigh powered by eight flying reindeer this holiday season. 🎅 Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport predicts the peak day of the upcoming holiday period will be Friday, Dec. 27, when it expects to handle nearly 328,000 passengers. The Transportation Security Administration also predicts Dec. 20 will closely follow. Atlanta airport officials are warning travelers to take transit, rideshare or reserve parking spots because of the ongoing parking deck construction. It continues to urge people to allow 2½ hours for domestic flights during busier periods, including between 6-9 a.m. and 3-6 p.m., and three hours for international flights. Read more at the link in our bio. 🎄✈️ ✒️: Emma Hurt | AJC 📸: John Spink | AJC

When Spc. Landon Gnade's leaders at his Army camp asked for volunteers to help care for a litter of puppies abandoned at the gate, he was eager to help. He spent most of his deployment raising Lepo, who’s now just under a year old 🐶 Now, thanks to the nonprofit Paws of War the Great Pyrenees mix has come to the U.S. to live with Gnade on his family farm in Dallas. “It’s almost like seeing your family again when you come home,” Gnade said, of his reunion with Lepo. Read their full story at the link in our bio ✒️ Taylor Croft | AJC 📸 Ben Gray | AJC and Courtesy of Paws of War

Navy veteran and motivational speaker Anthony Thomas was already well-known as the guy picking up trash in his fluorescent hat, gloves and jacket. The story brought him even more attention, he said. Then, his story appeared in the AJC’s Inspire Atlanta in June. One was a shoutout he received from Dan Cathy, the billionaire CEO of Atlanta-based Chick-fil-A, during a community meeting. Thomas told the AJC how he’d been touched by kind words Cathy wrote him for his “unwavering commitment to maintaining the charm of Fayetteville. Read more about Anthony and our Everyday Heroes at the link in our bio. 🖋️:Nancy Badertscher – For the AJC 📷:Phil Skinner for the AJC Editor’s note: We have removed a slide from this carousel that contained an image not related to the story.

Milton made history at the Benz. Led by AJC Super 11 standouts Luke Nickel and CJ Wiley, the Eagles capped off their first undefeated season in program history with a commanding 56-35 win over Hughes in the Class 5A state championship. Nickel was near-perfect, throwing for 413 yards and 4 touchdowns, while Wiley’s clutch end-zone grab helped secure back-to-back state titles. With 671 total yards and a relentless second-half defense, Milton showed why they’re a national powerhouse—and maybe, a national champion.

From AJC Columnist Nedra Rhone: Raise your hand if you have ever been cruising down any major thoroughfare in metro Atlanta and been suddenly blinded by the searing white headlights of an oncoming car. 🙋‍♀️😵‍💫 While there is an incentive to increase headlight brightness — more light improves night driving — there is less incentive to do anything about glare. Even if new technology using LED capabilities to shift a swath of light away from oncoming cars does become a standard feature, drivers frustrated by bright headlights still may not find much relief. While the new technology works with high beams; those super bright low-beam LEDs will still shine as bright as ever. Read her full column at the link in our bio. 🚘🔆 ✒️: @nrhone | AJC 📸: John Spink | AJC

State utility regulators voted this week to allow Georgia Power to raise its rates again starting Jan. 1, the latest in a series of increases that have raised customers’ electric bills sharply. The vote means the company will be allowed to collect about $306 million more from its ratepayers starting next year. Once the new rates kick in, Georgia Power’s ratepayers will have faced six different hikes since the start of 2023 to pay for fuel costs, the expansion of Plant Vogtle and more. More at the link in our bio. 🖋️ Drew Kann | AJC

Braves baseball is coming to even more fans in 2025. A new partnership with Gray Media, including Peachtree TV, will bring select games to over 15 million households across six states. Fans can catch 15 regular-season games simulcasted with FanDuel Sports Network and 10 exclusive spring training games produced by Gray. Whether it’s on Peachtree TV, local affiliates, or streaming, Braves Country just got a whole lot bigger. Stay tuned for the game schedule and more details.