Lunchtime Reads for National Coffee Day (September 29)

Hello! This morning, I was out at Georgia’s newest designated historic landmark for a groundbreaking ceremony, so I am very late in getting to y’all today.

It’s National Coffee Day, which is every day for many of us. Nevertheless, there are deals, and it’s only fair that I point you to them before we move on to the news.

Which we’ll do now.

Pat Conroy

• The first draft of the redistricted Congressional map was released yesterday.
• Two DeKalb Commissioners have started the road to a removal process for the controversial cannon at the county courthouse. (Alternate link.)
• A federal appeals court ruled yesterday that Alpharetta did not violate the constitutional rights of a Sons of Confederate Veterans group when it banned the Confederate battle flag from a parade.
• The Atlanta spa-shooter (already convicted of four of the murders outside of the city) plead not guilty yesterday in Fulton County Superior Court.
• WellStar and UnitedHealthcare are again in a contract squabble, which could put 80,000 Georgians in an out-of-network insurance situation as soon as this weekend.

Alice Walker

• With a government shutdown looming, here are the services that will be affected.
  • Reminder: The debt limit is about past spending, not new spending.
• Top Brass are back for a second day of testimony to Congress.
• United Airlines says fewer than 600 workers will be fired over its vaccine mandate, as most elected to comply and get the shot.
• Similarly, over 99% of workers complied with a vaccination mandate at a North Carolina hospital system when it was put in place.
• Hundreds of hospital workers in Missouri have been issued personal panic buttons after a sharp increase in violence against staff members.
• YouTube is banning vaccine misinformation and those who traffic in it. (Alternate link.)
• U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services has declared 23 species extinct, pointing to an increasing rate of extinction worldwide. (Alternate link.)
• A new congressional report shows several brands of baby food still contain high amounts of toxins.
• Natural gas prices are up 180%.
• A COVID surge in Vietnam is causing major delays for American retailers. (Alternate link.)
• At least 30 inmates have been either shot or decapitated in a Ecuadorean prison riot.
• A shortage of truck drivers in Britain is causing fuel shortages. (Alternate link.)
• Japan will soon have a new Prime Minister.
• All 39 of the trapped Canadian miners have been rescued after three days.
• Australia’s Daintree Rainforest has been returned to aboriginal ownership.

Flannery O’Connor

• You can catch flu and COVID simultaneously.