Monday lines

March 23 — The Trump administration said it is deploying ICE agents to airports nationwide, including Atlanta, to help alleviate hours-long security wait times caused by a shortage of TSA agents. Already this morning, lines of more than two hours have been reported at Hartsfield-Jackson, with the airport advising passengers, “to allow at least 4 hours or more” to get through security. A deadly collision between a plane and a fire truck at LGA is also impacting travel nationwide. Details are below.

☀️ Mostly sunny and 75° today.

🏫 DeKalb County School officials revealed that Vanderlyn Elementary School, at first slated for closure, may be turned into an annex or a ninth-grade academy for Dunwoody High School.

🚨 Brookhaven Police are investigating a shooting in the parking lot of a busy Kroger store on Peachtree Boulevard yesterday.

🔥 A fire at a Brookhaven apartment complex on Friday night partially collapsed the parking deck.

🗣️ Sandy Springs is hosting four T-SPLOST public open houses in April for residents to weigh in on proposed transportation projects.

🎭 The Fox Theatre is now accepting applications from Atlanta-area high schools for the All-Access Pass program for students to explore careers in the performing arts.

🏀 Here are some March Madness updates:

📰 Hear Rough Draft’s Keith Pepper speak about the Evolution of Local News at the Buckhead Business Association’s monthly breakfast on Wed., March 25, at Burton’s Grill & Bar.

ELSEWHERE

✈️ An Air Canada regional jet collided with a firetruck on a LaGuardia Airport runway late last night, killing both pilots, injuring two police officers, and sending 41 of the 72 passengers and crew to the hospital. The airport will remain closed until at least 2 p.m.

🌧 Several islands in Hawaii faced their worst flooding in 20 years, after a second severe storm in a week caused damage that could exceed $1 billion.

🎗️ Robert Mueller, the former FBI Director who led the agency from 2001 to 2013 and later oversaw the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election, died Friday at age 81.

🎙 A federal judge sided with the media, blocking the Pentagon’s press credentialing policy and ordering the reinstatement of journalists, ruling it violated First and Fifth Amendment rights.

🕖 Here’s what’s in today’s newsletter:

• Running for a cause

• The Iran war and your finances

• Global Headlines

AND 

• Look & Listen

🏌🏼 Celebrate one of the world’s biggest golf events by letting The Ritz-Carlton Reynolds, Lake Oconee be your premier destination. Culinary experiences, championship golf courses, and a newly transformed spa welcome you back after a visit to Augusta National. Find your reason to linger longer. SPONSOR MESSAGE

Photo courtesy of Rebecca Ludwig

1. Tucker runner to run the Boston Marathon for veteran housing organization, Homes for Our Troops 

🏃♀️ The Abbott World Marathon Majors is a series of six of the world’s most renowned marathons – soon to be seven with the addition of the Sydney Marathon. Completing the majors will get a runner the coveted Six Star Medal, considered the holy grail among the running community.

As of 2025, only around 23,000 people are Six Star finishers. This spring, Tucker resident Rebecca Ludwig will become one of them.

Ludwig began running in 2012 solely for exercise, but when she moved to the U.S. from Germany in 2017, she found community in the Tucker Running Club and Atlanta Track Club. As she made friends with other runners, her interest in long-distance running grew.

🏅 Read more about Ludwig and her chosen charity here.

Insider’s Guide to The Masters Tournament at Lake Oconee

SPONSORED BY VISIT LAKE OCONEE

⛳ Conveniently located halfway between Atlanta and Augusta, Lake Oconee offers an unforgettable experience during Masters week. From luxurious lodging to savoring a delectable meal, there are plenty of ways to indulge during your stay.

🏌🏼 For golf lovers, the area’s six stunning courses provide the perfect opportunity to test your skills while soaking in the beauty of Greene County.

⛳ Lake Oconee is the ideal destination to make the most of Masters week. Find your reason to linger a little longer.

2. The Iran war and your finances

VIA NERDWALLET ON ROUGH DRAFT

⛽ Look no further than your local gas station if you want to see how the Iran war is already shifting financial conditions for U.S. consumers.

Oil prices have surged past $100 per barrel, and gas prices have increased more than 32% since last month, according to data from AAA, which tracks prices at the pump. The spikes are driven by disruptions to shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, pushing costs higher for consumers and businesses.

Global energy shocks can ripple into everyday expenses, squeezing consumers’ budgets and potentially fueling inflation that, up to this point, had been trending in the right direction.

💵 Read more about the war’s impact on your finances.

3. War in Iran enters 4th week; Tina Fey hosts SNL’s UK debut

🇮🇷🇮🇱🇺🇸 Here are updates from the war in Iran:

🇩🇰 Denmark deployed soldiers to Greenland in January and was prepared to blow up airport runways to prevent a U.S. invasion. 

🇬🇧 Four ambulances belonging to a Jewish volunteer medical service were set ablaze in London, in what police called an antisemitic hate crime.

🇮🇹 Hepatitis A outbreak in Naples, Italy, overwhelmed the city’s main infectious disease hospital, with cases running 41 times above normal, prompting an emergency ban on raw shellfish. 

🏴 Lawmakers in Scotland rejected a measure that would allow terminally ill adults the choice to end their lives.

🇬🇧 Nearly 100 dukes, earls, viscounts, and other aristocrats will lose their hereditary seats in Britain’s House of Lords after Parliament voted to end the practice that dates back to the 15th century.

🇫🇷France’s municipal elections handed wins to the Socialist Party in Paris, the far-right National Rally in Nice, and President Emmanuel Macron’s Renaissance party in Bordeaux, offering an early preview of next year’s presidential race.

🇰🇷BTS returned to Seoul on Saturday with a free concert after a four-year hiatus driven by mandatory military service, launching a global tour and a new album that sold nearly four million copies on its first day.

🇫🇮 The 2026 World Happiness Report ranks Finland and other Nordic countries as the happiest places on earth (the U.S. ranks 23rd).

🇬🇧“Saturday Night Live UK” debuted on Sky One with Tina Fey as host to generally positive reviews, with critics calling it “shockingly competent.”

🗓️ Atlanta is rapidly emerging as America’s soccer capital. Join U.S. Soccer CEO JT Batson on April 27 for an exclusive fireside chat on the organization’s move to Atlanta, the new National Training Center, and how the 2026 FIFA World Cup will transform the region’s economy, global profile, and future. Register today.   

⛳ Conveniently located halfway between Atlanta and Augusta, Lake Oconee offers an unforgettable experience during Masters week. From luxurious lodging to savoring a delectable meal, there are plenty of ways to indulge during your stay. Find your reason to linger longer. SPONSOR MESSAGE

4. Streaming recommendations

If you’re looking for something new to watch on one of the streamers, Collin Kelley has some suggestions from his own recent binge-fests. 

🔎 Amazon Prime’s “Scarpetta,” based on Patricia Cornwell’s novels, is ridiculous fun, with deadly serious Nicole Kidman as the eponymous, embattled medical examiner and Jamie Lee Curtis chewing the scenery as her boozy sister.

📲 HBO Max’s “DTF St. Louis” is a dark comedy starring Jason Bateman and David Harbour as two co-workers going down a hook-up app rabbit hole and one of them winding up dead. You might notice it was filmed in and around Atlanta. 

📚 HBO Max’s “Rooster” chronicles the complicated relationship between a bestselling author played by Steve Carell and his professor daughter. 

👑 Season four of Netflix’s “Bridgerton” delves into class issues and “Cinderella” territory as Benedict Bridgerton falls in love at a masked ball with a mysterious woman who turns out to be a maid. 

🏌🏼 Celebrate one of the world’s biggest golf events by letting The Ritz-Carlton Reynolds, Lake Oconee be your premier destination. Culinary experiences, championship golf courses, and a newly transformed spa welcome you back after a visit to Augusta National. Find your reason to linger longer. SPONSOR MESSAGE

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This report was compiled and written by Rough Draft Atlanta's staff.