By AJ Willingham Sr. Reporter, A.M. ATL host

Morning, y’all! Thank you to our Spanish-speaking friends for the word “rodeo,” which means “round up” and comes from the Spanish verb “rodear,” to go around.

Let’s get to it.

WHAT’S A PIT MANEUVER, AND WHY IS IT SO DANGEROUS?

Ramonne and Terrica Thomas of Mableton, surrounded by images of their son, Boston Thomas. They're suing Cobb County to learn more about the events leading to their son's death. (Miguel Martinez/AJC)

A dangerous police chase technique is at the center of a new lawsuit filed by a couple whose son died after being pursued by a Cobb County police officer in 2024.

• Boston Thomas, 21, was pulled over by Cobb officer Connor Gehan for a minor traffic violation. When Thomas fled the scene in his car, Gehan pursued and used a PIT maneuver, causing Thomas’ car to roll several times.
• The Precision Immobilization Technique involves an officer matching a fleeing car’s speed, making contact with it, and then turning the wheel quickly toward the fleeing car.
• The maneuver is supposed to cause the other car to spin out to a stop.
• At low speeds, law enforcement experts say it’s a safe way to end a chase.
• However, a reliance on PIT maneuvers has contributed to Georgia having the highest death rate in police pursuits of any state in the country in recent years, an AJC investigation found.

Thomas’ parents are suing Cobb County to learn more about the decisions that led to their son’s death. While they acknowledge their son made mistakes, they say there was no reason for the officer to use a PIT maneuver against someone who hadn’t committed any serious crime or posed a threat to the public.

🔎 READ MORE: Parents say police accounts and video evidence don’t match up

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WHY THE SITUATION IN IRAN MATTERS TO GEORGIA

Batool Zamani, an Atlanta-based Iranian American human rights advocate and president of the Iranian American Community of Georgia, breaks down the local economic and human impact of the U.S. war with Iran.

NEW TECH STADIUM PLANS, UNVEILED

Bobby Dodd, but better. (Georgia Tech Athletics)

Georgia Tech unveiled a final rendering of the $70 million remodel of Bobby Dodd Stadium. Praise or criticize as you see fit.

• The updated plans will include 12,500 mesh chairback seats, remodeled suites, overhauls of several club spaces and a new state-of-the-art video board and sound system.
• However, the renovation will reduce capacity from 51,913 to approximately 50,000.
• Construction will begin after Tech’s 2026 football season and is expected to be completed in time for the 2027 season.

If you frequent Bobby Dodd, you know a new sound system will be highly, highly appreciated. But what’s up with keeping most of the bench seats? There’s a good reason for it.

• Tech’s initial renovation plans included installing chairback seats throughout much of the stadium, but it would have dropped capacity to 42,000.
• That’s what happens when you build on history. Blame the 113-year-old stadium’s narrow seating dimensions.

🔎 READ MORE: Details about Bobby Dodd’s upcoming nip and tuck

MUST-KNOW POLITICS AND BUSINESS

🐴 The Georgia GOP held a rodeo event to promote their statewide midterm ticket. The event at the Georgia National Fairgrounds and Agricenter in Perry was a departure from the party’s usual buttoned-up socials. Speaking of departure, new GOP gubernatorial nominee Rick Jackson didn’t attend, and neither did Jackson allies Attorney General Chris Carr and Insurance Commissioner John King.

🗳️ State Democrats are pushing back on a provision that would require a hand recount of ballots for top midterm election contests. It’s part of the GOP-led legislature’s plan to postpone replacing QR code ballots. Hand counting has been proven to be more prone to error, costlier and likely to delay results, but it’s a favored fix among 2020 election deniers.

📻 Martha Zoller, a longtime conservative Georgia talk show host, has died. The Gainesville-based personality was 67 and just days away from retiring. Zoller was known for inviting both Republican and Democratic state leaders on her show, and her passing prompted condolences from both sides of the aisle.

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DID YOU KNOW …

Georgia is the site of the largest archaeological dig in U.S. history?

• Beginning in the 1930s, archaeologists unearthed more than 2.5 million artifacts from an area that now includes the Ocmulgee Mounds National Historical Park.
• The site is sacred to the Muscogee (Creek) Nation. It’s also capital-A Ancient, having seen constant human habitation for more than 12,000 years.
• A spear tip discovered in 1935 literally shifted assumptions about how long people had inhabited the area. Likely used by one of the first inhabitants of the area, it proved that people had migrated this far east sometime around 9,000 B.C.

🔎 READ MORE: Why one expert says its importance is ‘hard to overstate’

NEWS BITES

Iconic music producer Clive Davis has died at 94

Rodney Ho has a great piece about how Davis championed Black artists and shaped Atlanta’s early sound.

$75 caviar-topped tots and other World Cup fare from different locations

If I’m eating $75 anything, I’m doing so with real silverware at a real table, not parked on a moist two-top in a crowded stadium concourse.

Wine brands chase Gen Z with playful tie-ins to Shark Week, NASCAR and more

Healing thoughts to whatever creative team had to brainstorm Shark Week wine ideas.

Ozzie Albies says there’s something special about this year’s Braves squad

The Braves survived a rough set of games recently, but thankfully, the rest of the NL East is still way worse.

ON THIS DATE

June 23, 1976

German visitors coming to Cobb. Approximately 30 delegates from Marietta’s sister city, Linz, Germany will arrive in Cobb County Monday for a week’s tour of Marietta and surrounding area. Excitement is high among Mariettans working on the Sister City Committee who have left no stones unturned in an effort to provide a comprehensive and entertaining week for visitors.

Linz am Rhein is still Marietta’s sister city, along with Heredia, Costa Rica. Also, “Mariettans” is a great demonym.

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ONE MORE THING

If you’ve ever thought, “Gee, I’d love to hang out and watch some soccer with the folks who make the local newspaper,” I have great news for you.

The AJC is hosting a World Cup watch party on Wednesday, July 15, at Monday Night Brewing. It’ll be an all-important semifinal game, made even more fun with drinks, music and AJC personalities, if you want to call them that.

Not me though, I’ll be in Seattle. Pour one out for me if you go. It’s free! RSVP here.

Thanks for reading to the very bottom of A.M. ATL. Questions, comments, ideas? Contact us at AMATL@ajc.com.

Until next time.