THURSDAY, MARCH 20, 2025

Good morning! On this day in 1957, Spike Lee was born in Atlanta. After growing up in New York, Lee returned to Atlanta, where he earned a communications degree at Morehouse and took film courses at Clark Atlanta.

With spring and summer vacations approaching, check out how a swim school is helping children as young as 3 months old with lessons in today's Et Cetera section. How old were you when you learned to swim? Let us know in today's Poll.

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Bulldogs Pumped for March Madness Return

The Georgia men's basketball team makes its first appearance in the NCAA tournament since 2015 today. The last time the school won a tournament game? 2002.

The Bulldogs enter the matchup against perennial championship contender Gonzaga, which has made nine straight Sweet 16s, with confidence and a "chip on our shoulders." Tip-off is set for 4:35 p.m. ET in Wichita.

Atlanta native and NBA legend Dwight Howard thinks the No. 9-seeded Bulldogs can make a run to the Elite Eight, which would be a first for the school since 1983.

In the women's NCAA tournament, Georgia Tech plays Richmond on Friday in Los Angeles. In 2021, the Yellow Jackets advanced to the Sweet 16 for the second time.

Kemp Names Labor Commissioner

Gov. Brian Kemp appointed Barbara Rivera Holmes as the state's labor commissioner. Holmes is the first Hispanic woman to hold a statewide office in Georgia.

Georgia's previous labor commissioner, Bruce Thompson, died in November, eight months after he disclosed he had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.

Rivera Holmes, who was born in Puerto Rico, previously worked as a journalist for the Albany Herald and served as president of the Albany Chamber of Commerce.

Child Prodigy Accepted into Morehouse

Joshua Suddith celebrated his 13th birthday by receiving an acceptance letter from Morehouse College, achieving a goal he set when he was just 4 years old.

Suddith wrote his first book at age 3 and the next year, after reading about Martin Luther King Jr. attending Morehouse College at 15, he set a goal to surpass King's milestone.

The Conyers teenager has been accepted into more than 20 colleges and currently attends Hills Academy and Augusta Technical College as a dual enrollment student with a 3.88 GPA.

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Warner Robins: A large sinkhole caused the closure of a section of Highway 96. The city hopes to reopen the road by today. (See Photo)

Marietta: The school board approved installing artificial intelligence-aided weapons detectors in schools. The technology allows students to pass through without interruption. (More)

College Park: A widespread fire at Somerset Apartments left more than a dozen families homeless. An investigation is underway. (More)

Coffee County: Deputies arrested a corrections officer who allegedly reported to work with an odor of marijuana. A K-9 search revealed illegal substances in her vehicle. (More)

Savannah: Police arrested Kenneth Gordon on suspicion of vehicular homicide and other charges after his car allegedly ran into and killed a 60-year-old man during a police chase. (More)

Atlanta: Mayor Andre Dickens announced a $2 billion, 20-year plan to upgrade the city's aging water system for clean and reliable water in the future. (More)

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➤ The Atlanta Hawks recorded a season-high offensive rating in a 134-102 win over the Charlotte Hornets. (More)

➤ Atlanta Braves all-time saves leader Craig Kimbrel signed a minor league deal to pitch for the team for the first time since 2014. (More)

➤ Georgia Bulldogs coach Kirby Smart revealed the team does not plan to televise its annual intra-squad scrimmage. (More)

➤ A Georgia woman who almost quit on her dream of entrepreneurship now runs a successful mobile chocolate shop in Decatur, supported by Goodwill's business program. (More)

➤ Porter Logistics expanded into cold chain logistics, adding 145,000 square feet of Atlanta warehouse space equipped to provide a wide range of storage temperatures. (More)

➤ The Georgia Hemp Company lost 50% of its revenue last year after hemp regulation laws took effect, one of the small businesses voicing concerns with more restrictive THC legislation in play. (More)

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➤ Big Blue Swim School in metro Atlanta emphasizes early swim lessons for children as young as 3 months old to prevent drowning incidents. (More)

➤ Atlanta's Fox Theatre has announced its upcoming lineup, including the Peter Pan musical, a Jimi Hendrix tribute show, and Dave Ramsey's financial advice tour. (More)

➤ A Georgia Tech student discovered that his classmate, a retired OB-GYN doctor, delivered him more than 21 years ago. (More)

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