Atlanta

Aug. 8 (UPI) — The suspected shooter on Emory University’s downtown Atlanta campus on Friday is dead and a DeKalb County officer responding to the incident was killed, authorities said.

The shooting occurred before 5 p.m. EDT at Emory Point CVS, which is part of a shopping center of restaurants, shops and apartments where some students live, CNN reported. No civilians were injured, police said.

Police believe the suspected shooter targeted the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention because he believes the Covid-19 vaccine made him sick, and it was approved by the agency, a law enforcement official told CNN.

The unnamed officer, married and father of three, died from his injuries, interim DeKalb County Police Department Chief Greg Padrick said.

“He was committed to serving the community. At this time we are asking for the community’s prayers,” Padrick said at a news conference. “It’s a noble profession we all do. We answer the call to serve our community and he gave his life to a commitment to serve others.”

“This evening there is a wife without a husband,” DeKalb County CEO Lorraine Cochran-Johnson said. “There are three children, one unborn, without a father.

“There is a mother and a father, as well as siblings, who also share in this traumatic loss.”

The Atlanta Police Department can’t confirm why the police officer was present in its jurisdiction.

“It’s not uncommon for patrol patterns to cross multiple jurisdictions that may share the space,” Atlanta Police Chief Darin Schierbaum told reporters. “Was he going to work? Was he coming home from work? We don’t know if he was on patrol.”

Schierbaum said multiple rounds struck four nearby Centers for Disease Control and Prevention buildings.

The police chief said 911 calls about an active shooting were received around 4:50 p.m. in front of the CDC campus.

Responding officers found the critically injured DeKalb County officer.

The suspect died on the second floor of the CVS of gunshot wounds, police said.

“We do not know at this time if it was an officer’s or if it was self-inflicted,” Schierbaum said

A shelter-in-place remained in effect late Friday at the CDC, which is a mile from the Emory campus.

“We at CDC are heartbroken by today’s attack on our Roybal Campus, which remains on lockdown as authorities investigate the shooting,” CDC Director Susan Monarez said in a statement.

She said the CDC is cooperating with law enforcement in the investigation.

At 5:31 p.m., Emory’s Office of Critical Events Preparedness and Response instructed people to shelter in place on the private college’s campus.

About one hour later, a DeKalb County official said the situation was contained and there was no active threat, NBC News reported. But county residents should remain indoors as a precaution during the investigation.

Police said there was a single shooter.

The father of the alleged shooter’s father called law enforcement before the shooting to report that he believed his son was suicidal, a law enforcement official told CNN.

A CDC employee told CNN a man approached the steps of a building at the agency’s campus, put a backpack down, pulled out a rifle, and shot at the building.

Chris Weaver told WXIA that he believed he heard the shots.

“I was stunned at first,” he said, adding he thought he was safe.

The FBI sent agents to assist local law enforcement. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation is leading the investigation.

This was the second shooting in Georgia in the past week.

On Wednesday, an active-duty soldier opened fire at Fort Stewart, injuring five service members. The suspected shooter was taken into custody.

Fort Stewart, which is part of the Savannah metropolitan area, is 243 miles southeast from Emory.

Gov. Brian Kemp posted on X: “Twice this week, deranged criminals have targeted innocent Georgians. Each time, brave first responders rushed toward the danger to subdue the shooter and save lives, reminding us of just how crucial they are.”

Emory is a liberal arts research university with enrollment of 5,727.

ATLANTA — Detroit safety Morice Norris was attended to for about 20 minutes and taken off the field in an ambulance during the Lions’ preseason game Friday night against Atlanta, with the game ending with 6:31 to go after the players let the clock run.

Norris was hurt with 14:50 to go trying to tackle Nathan Carter.

“We’re just praying for Mo and ask that everybody prays for him,” said Lions coach Dan Campbell, who said he had “positive information” from hospital.

“He’s breathing. He’s talking. He has some movement,” Campbell added.

When play resumed, Falcons quarterback Emory Jones took a snap and then held the ball as players from both teams stood at the line of scrimmage and the clock continued to run. Finally, with 6:31 left, an official announced the game had been suspended “per New York.”

The Lions led 17-10 when played was stopped.

Campbell and Falcons coach Raheem Morris made the decision to not finish the game.

“Raheem Morris is a class act,” Campbell said. “He’s the ultimate class act. We agreed it just didn’t feel right to finish that game.”

Lions quarterback Kyle Allen said the decision to not finish the game was easy to make.

“I don’t think anyone on that sideline wanted to play,” Allen said. “We weren’t part of that decision but you could look in anyone’s eyes and see that.”

MANCHESTER UNITED drew 2-2 with Everton in Atlanta to conclude their pre-season tour of the United States.

Ruben Amorim‘s side twice squandered leads on the night, but still did enough to win the Premier League Summer Series.

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Skipper Bruno Fernandes fired the Red Devils into a 19th minute lead from the penalty spot, after James Tarkowski was adjudged to have fouled Amad Diallo in the box.

Iliman Ndiaye levelled for the Toffees before half-time, profiting on a poor mistake by Manuel Ugarte to score.

A brilliant strike by Mason Mount might have won it for United, but for Ayden Heaven‘s freak own goal 15 minutes from time.

Here is how SunSport’s Martin Lipton rated each Red Devil in Atlanta.

Altay Bayindir – 5

Keeper‘s United future is decidedly uncertain and all the reasons for that were again in evidence.

Slow reactions to Garner’s free-kick should have been punished by O’Brien although he could do nothing about Ndiaye’s strike.

United need a reliable back-up to Andre Onana. It’s hard to make a case for the Turk deserving that responsibility.

Leny Yoro – 7

Third start in a row for the French, a clear sign that Amorim has him in  mind to be the right-sided defensive starter.

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His callowness at times is on display, as you should expect.

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There are occasional errors but the potential is unquestioned and one tackle on Beto after De Ligt was dumbfounded was crucial. He would surely welcome more help than Amad will ever give him, though.

Matthijs de Ligt – 5

Had the task of neutering Beto’s threat but looked lumbering at times. Too often, when asked to defend, United stand off their men rather than forcing errors.

The Dutchman is unlikely to ever change at this stage in his career and you can envisage him and Maguire being in and out of the team all season. Strikers with genuine pace might be licking their lips.

Luke Shaw – 6

England veteran will probably be the man in possession on the left of the defensive trio for the start of the season and his emphatic backing for Amorim was a significant pointer of dressing room buy-in.

But Shaw will know this was not one of his more persuasive performances as he seemed ill at ease whenever Everton opted to run at him. Doesn’t help when the midfield is a leaky bathtub.

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Amad Diallo – 7

Clearly viewed as a wing-back this season and unleashed his rocket speed well to create Cunha’s opening before winning the penalty converted by Fernandes.

A real threat going forward yet his defensive weaknesses – clear once again in the “Big Peach” – will surely be targeted by opponents as the season wears on. Can you risk him against the top Premier League sides?

Manuel Ugarte – 4

The Uruguayan insists he is now ready for the Premier League. He will have to be better prepared than he was in Atlanta – as he was nowhere near good enough.

Everton appeared to feel they could force errors by putting him under pressure. They were not wrong, catching him in possession for Ndiaye’s equaliser. This system will always see the most defensive midfielder exposed at times.

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Kobbie Mainoo – 5

Amorim is adamant the England midfielder can make a genuine first team claim and that he is fitter and more mobile after the pre-season campaign.

Yet it is hard to make the case that Mainoo has progressed over the past 12 months. Still not entirely sure what sort of player he is going to be or if he can fit this United shape..

Diogo Dalot – 6

Portuguese defender, one of the six-man “leadership group”, started on the left – although that would make him Dorgu’s likely understudy.

Did make one really key intervention in front of his own goal as simple centres from Everton left United looking more than vulnerable and happier when moved to the right for the second half.

Bryan Mbeumo – 7

First outing in a United short for the £71m recruit from Brentford, who drifted off the right hand side with purpose and penetration.

Superb instant switch of play led to the penalty and his willingness to forage on either flank was evidence that the Cameroonian will instantly upgrade United’s forward threat. Would have loved to cap his display with a goal but understandably has debut run-out restricted to 45 minutes.

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Bruno Fernandes – 7 

A third goal of the US Tour and second from the spot for the skipper, who is expected to reject the latest Saudi offer and remain at United, although if Sesko is bought he will have to play deeper than he did last night.

Saying that, the way he played in and around Mbeumo and Cunha suggested United might not have to sign the Slovenian to have real attacking threat, with Fernandes showing creativity and enterprise throughout although spat with Ndiaye was utterly needless.

Matheus Cunha 7

The Brazilian was asked to fill the central attacking role, rather than playing off the front man, although the trident gave him the opportunity to roam at times. 

Prodded wide of the far post when he might have done better early on but the run in behind was excellent.

The feeling remains he is a scorer of great goals more than a great goal scorer. United surely need someone who can do the ugly stuff in front of the net.

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Subs:

Patrick Dorgu (for Mbeumo, 46) 7

One of the stand-out successes of the US Tour and his entrance on the left saw Dalot switch flanks and Amad move further forward. Instantly improved the United left with the ball.

Ayden Heaven (for Yoro, 57) 6

Teenager walked into a defence that was being worryingly stretched and did his best to bring more security. Own goal was not his fault at all.

Harry Maguire (for Shaw, 57) 6

A little bit of calmness is always welcome. Been there, got the tee-shirt. May not have the starting shirt, though. 

Mason Mount (for Mainoo, 57) 8

Mount is desperate for an injury-free campaign and goals like he produced to put United back in front win this one will only help his cause. Terrific finish from 16 yards.

Casemiro (for Ugarte, 72) 6

Brazilian cannot lose the pace he never had. And surely he is smarter and more streetwise than Ugarte. 6

Rasmus Hojlund (for Cunha, 72) 6

Dane knows his United days may be numbered, even if that is against his will. All he can do is try to prove Amorim he can do a job. 

Tyler Fredricson (for De Ligt, 88) 6

A late run-out for the youngster. Something more for him to remember from his fortnight Stateside

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Keshia Knight Pulliam, who shared the screen with Malcolm-Jamal Warner on “The Cosby Show,” highlighted the Emmy-nominated actor’s musical talents as she broke her silence on his death.

Pulliam on Sunday shared an Instagram video of Warner playing the bass at Atlanta’s City Winery. She shared the video of Warner, best known for his portrayal of clean-cut Theodore Huxtable, a week after he drowned while swimming in the Caribbean off Costa Rica. He was 54.

“A week ago I lost my big brother but I gained an angel,” Pulliam captioned her video. She played Rudy Huxtable, the youngest of the TV family’s children.

“I love you… I miss you,” she added, before referencing the other Huxtable children. “We got our girls.”

“House of Payne” star Pulliam, 46, is the latest “Cosby Show” star to mourn Warner. As news of the actor-musician’s death spread last week, co-stars including Bill Cosby, Geoffrey Owens and Raven-Symoné paid tribute. Cosby told CBS News last week he and co-star Phylicia Rashad were “embracing each other over the phone” when they learned of Warner’s death.

“He was never afraid to go to his room and study. He knew his lines and that he was quite comfortable even with the growing pains of a being a teenager,” Cosby said of Warner.

Owens, who appeared as Warner’s on-screen brother-in-law, Elvin Tibideaux, said in a statement shared with Deadline that his co-star’s death had left him speechless. “Malcolm was a lovely man; a sweet and sensitive soul. I respected him for many reasons, including the fact that he genuinely loved the act of creation,” he said.

Warner, also a TV director and a Grammy-winning musician, was on vacation with his family at the time of his death. He was swimming when a current pulled him deeper into the ocean.

The Red Cross in Costa Rica confirmed to The Times last week that its first responders also tended to another man in the same drowning incident that claimed Warner’s life. The patient, whose identity was not disclosed, survived. First responders found Warner without vital signs, and he was taken to the morgue.

As news of his death spread last week, his Hollywood peers, including Morris Chestnut, Tracee Ellis Ross, Viola Davis and Niecy Nash also paid tribute on social media. Beyoncé honored the actor, briefly updating her website to include a tribute to the TV star.

Pulliam also thanked fans on Sunday for their support as she mourned. “Thank you for every text, call and all the love that you have sent my way,” she said in an Instagram story. “I’ve just needed a moment.”

City Winery in Atlanta, the venue from Pulliam’s video, will host an event in Warner’s honor on Wednesday. “This tribute is our communal offering to say: Thank you. For the way he gave, for the work he created, for the bridges he built between TV, poetry, music, and love,” says the event website. According to the site, all profits will go to Warner’s family. He is survived by his wife and daughter.

Jonathan Singletary is almost ready to go live on Instagram. He scans his short-sleeve button-up — it’s clean and different from the one he wore last time. He takes a few deep breaths. He throws up a quick thank-you to God, opens Instagram, hits the white circle and goes live at 5:30 p.m. People from across the country begin to tune in for improvised music in a welcoming spiritual space. It’s time for “Piano & Prayer.”

The late afternoon Los Angeles sunlight shines through gauzy curtains behind Singletary, who sits at his piano with fingers poised over the keys. The music starts. On Instagram, members of the “Piano & Prayer” community greet one another and share where they are listening from: Atlanta, Pittsburgh, Houston, New York City, Maine, Rhode Island, New Jersey and even Chile.

Jonathan Singletary connects with new people and longtimers during his “Piano & Prayer” sessions.

(Amanda Villarosa / For The Times)

Singletary riffs with the confidence of a musician who began playing a toy piano at the age of 5 in his family home in Nashua, New Hampshire. Now, a 38-year-old father of two, he starts vocalizing as he plays, sometimes forming words, but always in a soothing harmony.

During the early days of the pandemic, from his living room in New York, Singletary started “Piano & Prayer,” a weekly spiritual, but not necessarily religious gathering, for people to connect and share. For him, it was the perfect antidote to the isolation he was feeling.

“Hello, hello, welcome to ‘Piano & Prayer.’ Happy Monday,” Singletary says. He stops playing and turns toward the camera with a warm, welcoming smile.

Singletary’s eyes light up. “Jaden, good to see you, my mom’s in here, so many familiar faces, Hannah, good to see you, Aunt Jeanette, good to see you. I missed y’all, I missed this.” Singletary and his family had been on vacation for a couple of weeks, and he’s excited to be back. “Debra, good to see you.”

Debra Mazer, a “Piano & Prayer” original, is watching from Atlanta. “ I had Jonathan’s sessions on my pandemic roster . I had a schedule for myself that I put in the calendar because the Zoom groups were very important to my mental health and well-being,” Mazer says. She discovered this gathering by following Singletary’s then-financée, now wife, Elaine Welteroth, former editor in chief of Teen Vogue.

It was a tough time to be a professional musician in April 2020. “ I made music. I’ve done a lot of shows,  but all of that was shut down,” Singletary says. He credits Welteroth with encouraging him to combine social media with music. He remembers her saying, “ Go on in there and just play, just play some music.”

Jonathan Singletary played music at New York venues before the pandemic, but once stay-at-home orders were in place, he needed another outlet: Enter “Piano & Prayer.”

(Amanda Villarosa / For The Times)

Singletary confesses it was a bumpy start. The first iteration was him playing acoustic versions of his songs: “I t didn’t fully resonate with me.” So he returned to his first instrument, the piano. “Piano & Prayer” wasn’t set up to be a moneymaking endeavor at first, but Singletary recently launched a Patreon, which allows creators to collect money directly from fans.

“ I was always playing piano for fun. I would go into the chapel at my Catholic high school, and I would play piano, and my friends would come in and lie on the floor and just zen out while I played,” he remembers. “This thing [“Piano & Prayer”] has existed for a while.”

Fast forward to 2020, instead of a chapel floor, isolated people from across the country carved out 45 minutes to connect. Mazer notes that while the world has moved on from COVID, “Piano & Prayer” is one of the online activities she started during the pandemic that she still attends regularly.

Jonathan Singletary riffs while playing during his Instagram sessions, sometimes just vocalizing as viewers share their prayers in the comments.

(Amanda Villarosa / For The Times)

The Monday evening sessions are a blend of gentle piano music, meditation, prayer and community. During a recent livestream, 40 people gathered — those who want to share what they are thinking and feeling in the chat, offering prayers for themselves and others.

“For those affected by the flooding in TX,” one person shares.

“Praying for my students that they make up their work this summer session and pass to graduate,” someone types.

“Praying for the families in Texas. Lord, have mercy,” pops up.

Jonathan Singletary plays the piano in a corner of his home.

(Amanda Villarosa / For The Times)

Singletary adopts a friendly approach, meeting people where they are with their religiosity or spirituality. Never preachy or too churchy — sometimes God is never mentioned. He was raised in a churchgoing family. “The church was a huge part. Has been a huge part of my life for as long as I can remember.”

For Singletary, the idea of going to church every Sunday changed during the pandemic. He didn’t feel safe, and then he moved to a new city and finding a new church was hard with social distancing.

On the other side of the country, it’s 8:30 p.m. and Bobby Brown’s four children, ages 5 to 12, are in bed. “Piano & Prayer” plays on his phone while Brown and his wife are hanging out in the humid night air. “ It’s just like a romantic thing in the background while we’re talking,” Brown explains.

“Then he [Singletary] throws out some prayers. We pause and take some deep breaths, because he tells us to and he reminds us to.”

Jonathan Singletary, with his children.

(Amanda Villarosa / For The Times)

Before relocating to Atlanta, Brown lived in Inglewood. He runs a nonprofit group called Donuts For Dads, a supportive community for fathers. This is where he and Singletary first connected. Brown says he didn’t realize his friend had this growing online community.

“ He doesn’t even promote it. It was just like, ‘Hey, I’m going live, ’” Brown laughs. “Whenever I see any of my friends go live, I just click to support them. Even if I can only hop on for a couple of minutes, try to throw some hearts in there.”

Both Mazer and Brown could be considered part of a larger trend of individuals who identify as spiritual rather than religious. A 2023 Pew Research Center survey found that 41% of U.S. adults report having grown more spiritual throughout their lifetime, compared with only 13% who say they have become less spiritual.

This data makes sense to Sarah Wilkins-Laflamme, an associate professor in social studies and legal studies at the University of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada, where her area of  expertise is the sociology of religion.

“ It’s like, no, religion’s not for me. But I like spirituality. All these shifts have happened across generations, especially amongst younger cohorts, the term religion itself now has almost a negative connotation in some contexts, but spirituality doesn’t.”

Singletary, who has about 25,000 followers, publishes the Instagram Lives on his grid and says the views on each “Piano & Prayer” session are usually around 1,000, but have reached as high as 5,000.

“This isn’t about people watching me do a thing. The most touching to me and maybe validating as well, is that I see people engaging with each other and encouraging each other and praying for one another and responding to each other’s prayer requests.”

For the moment, if it’s a Monday at 5:30 p.m., you can find Singletary at his black lacquered piano ready to welcome anyone who needs it into the “Piano & Prayer” family.

Police in Cincinnati arrested at least 13 people, including two journalists, after demonstrators protesting the immigration detention of a former hospital chaplain blocked a two-lane bridge carrying traffic over the Ohio River.

A reporter and a photography intern who were arrested while covering the protest for CityBeat, a Cincinnati news and entertainment outlet, were among those arraigned Friday morning in a Kentucky court.

Other journalists reporting on protests around the U.S. have been arrested and injured this year. More than two dozen were hurt or roughed up while covering protests against immigration raids in Los Angeles.

A Spanish-language journalist was arrested in June while covering a “No Kings” protest against President Trump near Atlanta. Police initially charged Mario Guevara, a native of El Salvador, with unlawful assembly, obstruction of police and being a pedestrian on or along the roadway.

A prosecutor dropped the charges, but Guevara had already been turned over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and is being held in a south Georgia immigration detention center. His lawyers say he has been authorized to work and remain in the country, but ICE is trying to deport him.

Video from the demonstration in Cincinnati on Thursday night shows several tense moments, including when an officer punches a protester several times as police wrestle him to the ground.

Earlier, a black SUV drove slowly onto the Roebling Bridge while protesters walked along the roadway that connects Cincinnati with Covington, Ky. Another video shows a person in a neon-colored vest pushing against the SUV.

Police in Covington said those arrested had refused to comply with orders to disperse. The department said in a statement that officers who initially attempted to talk with the protest’s organizer were threatened and met with hostility.

Among the charges filed against those arrested were rioting, failing to disperse, obstructing emergency responders, criminal mischief and disorderly conduct.

Reporter Madeline Fening and photo intern Lucas Griffith were charged with felony rioting and several other charges, said Ashley Moor, the editor in chief of CityBeat.

A judge on Friday set a $2,500 bond for each of those arrested.

The arrests happened during a protest in support of Ayman Soliman, an Egyptian immigrant who worked as a chaplain at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital. He was detained last week after he showed up for a routine check-in with ICE officials at its office near Cincinnati.

Protesters met in downtown Cincinnati on Thursday in support of Soliman, then walked across the bridge carrying a banner that read, “Build Bridges Not Walls.”

Covington police said that “while the department supports the public’s right to peaceful assembly and expression, threatening officers and blocking critical infrastructure, such as a major bridge, presents a danger to all involved.”

Seewer writes for the Associated Press. AP reporters Kate Brumback in Atlanta and Hallie Golden in Seattle contributed to this report.

INDIANAPOLIS — Sabrina Ionescu won the three-point contest and her New York Liberty teammate Natasha Cloud was the skills champion at the WNBA’s All-Star Friday night.

Ionescu, who won the title in 2023 with a record performance, had a strong final round, scoring 30 points. It was less than her record-breaking effort of 37 two years ago when she made 25 of 27 shots — the most ever in either the WNBA or NBA. The total of 30 ranks matched the second-highest in the event.

Atlanta’s Allisha Gray, who made her own history last year by winning the three-point shootout and skills competition, fell short in both this time. She had 22 points in the three-point contest.

Ionescu’s 30 points was the second-highest in a WNBA three-point contest.

Gray went last in the opening round and needed to beat Kelsey Plum’s 22 points to reach the final round. Gray hit her final four shots, including the money ball to tie Ionescu and advance.

Plum, from the Sparks, was looking to become the first player in WNBA history to win an All-Star MVP (2022), skills challenge (2023) and three-point contest.

Lexie Hull who was a fill-in for Indiana teammate Caitlin Clark, who injured her right groin on Tuesday night, scored 20 points to finish fourth. Clark hyped up the crowd from the sideline before Hull’s turn.

Washington rookie Sonia Citron scored 19 points in the opening round.

Cloud had the fastest time in the first round of the obstacle course that combines passing, dribbling and shooting. She needed to beat Seattle’s Erica Wheeler’s mark of 37.5 seconds in the finals. Cloud won despite missing all three of her shots from the corner over the windmill defender. She was able to get through the obstacle course in 36.4 seconds — 1.1 faster than Wheeler.

After beating Wheeler, Cloud hugged Ionescu. She then picked up her girlfriend and Liberty teammate Isabelle Harrison and gave her a hug and kiss. Harrison had told Cloud that she needed to win so they could put a down payment on a house.

“You’re gonna get that house,” Cloud said after winning.

Cloud received $55,000 from Aflac as part of a partnership with the WNBAPA. She also receives $2,575 from the league for the victory, which was part of the collective bargaining agreement.

Wheeler competed a year after missing the competition in Phoenix because of flight issues due to a faulty software update that caused technological havoc worldwide. Wheeler spent a few years in Indiana and received a loud ovation from the fans when she was introduced.

Defending champion Gray, who was wearing custom A’ja Wilson shoes with “money sign” on them, was in trouble after missing all three of the chest passes, which slowed her time and spoiled her bid for a repeat.

She finished the course in 39.4 seconds, which was behind Cloud and Wheeler’s opening-round times. Courtney Williams (42.0) and Skylar Diggins (44.3) also didn’t make the final round.

ATLANTA — In 2021, Times columnist Bill Plaschke incurred the wrath of Atlanta by blaspheming the entertainment district surrounding the Braves’ ballpark as a “sterile shopping mall.” The district, called The Battery, prefers the grand descriptor of “the South’s preeminent lifestyle destination.”

Let’s take a walk around The Battery, so you can understand why it could become one of the flash points in the coming holy war between owners and players.

If you leave the ballpark through the right-field gates, you are in The Battery. You’ll see a plaza in front of you, and around you places to ride a mechanical bull, go bowling, navigate an escape room or take in a concert.

You can eat, drink, shop, dance, stay in a hotel. You can live here, in apartments above the storefronts. You can work here, in office towers housing corporate giants.

“To create an environment where you can spend eight, nine hours at The Battery and the field, and still feel like you have all the time in the world, I think they’ve done a wonderful job building this place,” Dodgers and former Braves All-Star first baseman Freddie Freeman said.

The Braves built all this, not only to lure fans to come early and stay late on game days but to make money from the property 365 days a year rather than 81. On that front, it is a spectacular success: Nine million people come here each year, and the Braves generated $67 million in revenue from The Battery last year.

This, according to major league officials, is the template for the modern team. The Angels had planned a ballpark village twice as large as The Battery. Imagine what the Dodgers could build, and how much revenue they could generate, on property twice as large as the Angel Stadium site.

And, speaking of revenue, Rob Manfred has something he likes to say to players about it. The MLB commissioner spoke at the Braves’ Investor Day last month and said he tells players that their share of the sport’s revenue has dropped from 63% in 2002 to 47% today.

Baseball is the only major sport in America without a salary cap system, in which owners agree to spend a designated percentage of revenue on player salaries.

“If we had made a deal 10 years ago to share 50-50, you would’ve made $2.5 billion more than you made,” Manfred said he has told players, in comments first reported by Sports Business Journal.

The players and their union rolled their collective eyes at those comments. It is no secret that many owners want a salary cap, and the cost certainty that comes with it.

“It’s all tactics,” Dodgers All-Star catcher Will Smith said. “It’s all early negotiating stuff.”

Said Arizona Diamondbacks All-Star outfielder Corbin Carroll: “Owners don’t want to put money in our pockets. For them to emphasize how we need this so much, there’s a reason for that.”

Tony Clark, the union’s executive director, said the revenue numbers the league shares with the union are not consistent with Manfred’s statements. And, when you consider a percentage of revenue, you have to define what counts as revenue: What goes into the pool to be shared with players?

Tony Clark, executive director of the MLB players’ union.

(Brynn Anderson / Associated Press)

So let’s go back to The Battery, and to the revenue opportunities that such ballpark villages create for teams.

A report released in April by Klutch Sports, the Los Angeles-based agency, called such villages “the sports industry’s $100+ billion growth engine,” particularly as media revenue wanes. Within the pitch to team owners: Those villages “generate attractive financial returns that stand outside of league revenue sharing requirements.”

Translation: You can make all these millions without sharing any of it with the players.

The Braves are building here because the team plays here. That is the new issue looming over the next round of collective bargaining: If a team builds around its ballpark, should that revenue be shared with players?

“Oh yeah,” Athletics All-Star designated hitter Brent Rooker said. “Revenue is just any dollar that teams bring in that ultimately could be turned around and used to put a better product on the field. It’s got to include tickets, TV, concessions, all the things around the stadium. It’s got to include all of it.”

Is the money a team makes from renting office space outside the ballpark really relevant to the team?

Here’s what Braves president and chief executive Derek Schiller told ESPN about The Battery: “You’ve got a whole other set of revenues from the real estate development that can then be deployed for the baseball team.”

I asked Clark whether, if negotiations turn to the possibility of revenue sharing along the lines Manfred discussed, the money from ballpark villages needs to be part of the conversation.

“Yes,” Clark said.

He declined to elaborate. Understand this about Clark: He can filibuster a yes or no question into a 45-second monologue without actually answering yes or no. That he would say a clear “yes” and nothing else leaves no doubt about his position.

If the players do ask that owners share revenue from such ballpark villages, the response would be predictable: First, we share baseball revenue from baseball operations, and real estate developments are not baseball operations. Second, if you want to share in the revenue, you can share in the risk too, by helping to fund construction of the ballpark village, say, or by assuming some of the losses when a tenant drops its lease and leaves storefronts or office buildings unoccupied.

Said Carroll: “I think that’s a conversation that won’t need to happen, because it won’t get to that point. A salary cap is a nonstarter from the union’s perspective.”

Enjoy the All-Star Game Tuesday, because this summer is one of relative peace. The collective bargaining agreement expires after next season, which means the rhetoric between players and owners ought to be flying this time next year. If the owners insist on pushing a salary cap, a lockout almost certainly would follow.

And, if the owners push revenue sharing, The Battery could provide the push for the players’ pushback.

The 2025 MLB All-Star Game had plenty of big moments, as the National League let a six-run lead slip away in the late innings but emerged victorious after a home run “swing-off” determined the outcome of the 95th annual event for the first time.

One of the biggest moments from the game, however, actually occurred 51 years, three months and one week earlier. That’s when the legendary Hank Aaron broke Babe Ruth‘s longstanding MLB record with his 715th home run — a milestone event that was re-created in dramatic fashion after the sixth inning Tuesday night (July 15, a.k.a, 7/15) at Truist Park in Atlanta.

The actual milestone event took place about 10 miles from there on April 8, 1974, when Aaron and the Atlanta Braves hosted the Dodgers at the since-demolished Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium. A crowd of 53,775 was on hand, with millions more watching on national TV, when Aaron launched a fourth-inning pitch by Al Downing over the left-center-field wall to make baseball history.

This week, a crowd of 41,176 — again with millions more watching on TV or streaming — witnessed the moment come back to life through video and audio clips (yep, that’s legendary Dodgers announcer Vin Scully you hear, along with Braves announcer Milo Hamilton), pyrotechnics and lots of modern technology.

It was really a sight to behold as Aaron and the others somehow appeared on the field as the events unfolded just like they did more than a half-century ago. A firework was launched from home plate and scorched through the air marking the trajectory of Aaron’s landmark blast. Lighted footprints traced the Hall of Famer’s every step around the basepath.

The tribute included part of Scully’s call from that day. “What a marvelous moment for baseball,” he said, “what a marvelous moment for Atlanta and the state of Georgia, what a marvelous moment for the country and the world.”

(Although it wasn’t included in the tribute, Scully went on to explain one of the reasons the moment was so significant: “A Black man is getting a standing ovation in the Deep South for breaking a record of an all-time baseball idol. And it is a great moment for all of us, and particularly for Henry Aaron.”)

Hank Aaron’s historic 715th home run.

Aaron died in 2021 at age 86, but his wife Billye Aaron was on hand for the festivities.

“I think people can look at me and say, ‘He was a great baseball player, but he was even a greater human being,’” Aaron said in a clip that played at the end of the tribute.

ATLANTA — There were no tears.

There were no tears when he addressed the crowd in a Fox interview that was played over the Truist Park sound system.

There were no tears when manager Dave Roberts removed him from the game in the top of third inning so the fans could salute him once final time.

Freddie Freeman didn’t cry Tuesday at the All-Star Game.

“I didn’t know how it was going to go,” Freeman said.

This was the kind of setting that could have very easily turned the emotional Freeman into a sobbing mess, and he admitted as much the previous day. He was returning to the market in which he spent the first 12 years of a career to play in the kind of event that is often a source of reflection.

The absence of tears represented how much can change in four years, especially four years as prosperous as the four years Freeman has played for the Dodgers.

“Time,” Freeman said, “heals everything.”

For both sides.

The same fans who watched him transform from a 20-year-old prospect to a future Hall of Famer warmly cheered for him during pregame introductions — just not with the kind of back-of-the-throat screams they once did.

The same fans who used to chant his name chanted his name again — just not as long as they used to, and definitely not as long as the fans at Dodger Stadium now chant his name.

Freeman will never be just another visiting player here. He won an MVP award here. He won a World Series here.

Braves fans appreciate what he did for them. They respect him. But they have moved on to some degree, just as Freeman has.

“You spend 12 years with Atlanta, you pour your heart into it,” Freeman said. “Now I poured my heart into four years with the Dodgers and still got many more hopefully to go.”

Gaining such a perspective required time.

Freeman acknowledged he was wounded by the decision the Braves made after they won the World Series in 2021. They didn’t offer him the six-year contract he wanted and traded for Matt Olson to replace him as their first baseman. Freeman signed a six-year deal with the Dodgers.

“To be honest, I was blindsided,” Freeman said at the time. “I think every emotion came across. I was hurt.”

He carried that hurt with him into his return to Atlanta, which came a couple of months into his first season with the Dodgers. He spent much of the weekend in tears.

Now looking back, Freeman said, “It does feel like a lifetime ago.”

So much so that Freeman said it was “a little weird” to be back this week in the home team’s clubhouse at Truist Park.

“I was sitting with [Braves manager Brian Snitker] in the office and seeing him and talking to him, seeing all the home clubhouse guys and then it kind of just comes all flying back that, like, well, it has been four years,” Freeman said.

Freeman has since returned to Southern California, where he was born and raised. He’s been embraced by an entirely new fan base that supported his family when his now-five-year-old son was temporarily paralyzed last year because of a rare disease. His postseason heroics — particularly his walk-off grand slam in the Game 1 of the World Series last year — has made him one of the most beloved players on a stacked roster.

“Now, everything’s in the past,” he said. “I get to play in front of my family every single day and we won a championship, so everything’s OK.”

His experience in Los Angeles has liberated him from the negative feelings associated with his breakup with the Braves, allowing him to focus on his positive memories with the organization.

Because of that, Freeman was grateful he was offered a chance to speak directly to the fans before the game.

“From the bottom of my heart, thank you,” he told them.

He was also thankful of how Roberts replaced him with Pete Alonso at first base while the American League was batting. The crowd gave Freeman a standing ovation. Freeman saluted the crowd in return.

“I really appreciate the moments,” Freeman said.

Freeman grounded out in his only at-bat, which was preceded by respectful applause and a brief chant of his name. Another NL first baseman elicited louder cheers when he stepped into the batter’s box, however. That player was Olson, his successor in Atlanta. Freeman wasn’t the only one who had moved on.

ATLANTA — In a week where so much of the focus was on players who weren’t playing in the All-Star Game, and those who were selected that weren’t seen as deserving, it was the player who had been in more Midsummer Classics than anyone else who delivered the most profound reminder.

Before the start of Major League Baseball’s 95th All-Star Game at Truist Park in Atlanta, National League manager Dave Roberts called upon longtime Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw to speak in the clubhouse.

And in an impromptu pregame speech as the team’s elder statesman, Kershaw imparted the most important lesson he’s learned from his 11 All-Star Games.

“The All-Star Game, it can be hard at times for the players,” Kershaw recounted when asked about his message to the team. “It’s a lot of travel, it’s a lot of stress, chaos, family, all this stuff.”

“But,” the 37-year-old future Hall of Famer added, “it’s meaningful, it’s impactful for the game, it’s important for the game. We have the best All-Star Game of any sport. We do have the best product. So to be here, to realize your responsibility to the sport is important … And I just said I was super honored to be part of it.”

Kershaw, admittedly, was picked for this year’s game for more sentimental reasons than anything.

After making only 10 starts in the first half of the year following offseason foot and knee surgeries, the future Hall of Famer was shoehorned in as a “Legend Pick” by commissioner Rob Manfred, getting the nod a week after becoming the 20th pitcher in MLB with 3,000 strikeouts.

The honor made Kershaw feel awkward, with the three-time Cy Young Award winner repeatedly joking that he hadn’t really deserved to return to the All-Star Game for the first time since 2023, despite his 4-1 record and 3.38 ERA so far this season.

At first, he acknowledged, he even had a little hesitancy about participating in this week’s festivities in Atlanta.

“My initial response was just, you don’t ever want to take somebody’s spot,” he said. “You don’t ever want to be a side show.”

A side show, however, Kershaw was not.

Instead, as the man with the most All-Star selections of anyone in this year’s game (and the fourth-most by a pitcher), Kershaw was at the center of one of the most memorable moments from the National League’s win on a tiebreaking home run derby after a 6-6 tie.

Upon entering the game at the start of the second inning, he retired the first two batters he faced; the latter, a strikeout looking of Toronto Blue Jays slugger Vladimir Guerrero Jr. He then turned to the dugout to see Roberts coming to get him, ending what could very well be his final appearance in the Midsummer Classic (even though, he has made a point of noting, he has not made any decision on retirement after the season).

And as he exited the mound, he was serenaded with one of the night’s loudest ovations, waving a hand in appreciation before blowing a kiss to his family in the stands.

“I didn’t anticipate to be here. I definitely didn’t anticipate to pitch,” Kershaw said. “So it was awesome. So thankful for it now.”

Many others in Atlanta felt the same way about sharing the week with Kershaw.

Shohei Ohtani watches his base hit during the first inning.

(Brynn Anderson / Associated Press)

NL starter Paul Skenes of the Pittsburgh Pirates had the locker next to Kershaw in the Truist Park clubhouse, and joked his only hope was that veteran left-hander wouldn’t get sick of him by the end of the event.

“He’s such a class act, it’s just so impressive,” Skenes said. “We were in the waiting room before the red carpet today, and he had all his kids, and watching him as dad too, it was a cool experience.”

San Francisco Giants ace Logan Webb recalled his memories of watching Kershaw while growing up in Northern California.

“I just respect him so much, watching him pitch,” Webb said. “You could’ve asked me five years ago, and you could’ve said Clayton Kershaw was a legend already. He is a legend. I’m just happy I’m able to share a clubhouse with him.”

Kershaw’s lighter side was on display Tuesday, as well, with the pitcher mic’d up with the Fox broadcast team for his brief outing.

“I’m gonna try to throw some cheese real quick, hold on,” he joked while unleashing an 89-mph fastball to Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh, which turned into a lineout in left thanks to a diving effort from Kyle Tucker of the Chicago Cubs.

“Hey!” Kershaw exclaimed. “That was sick.”

On his first pitch to Guerrero, Kershaw threw another fastball that the Blue Jays’ star took for a strike.

“Right down the middle,” Kershaw said. “I’m so glad he didn’t swing.”

When Guerrero got to a 1-and-1 count after a curveball in the dirt, Kershaw contemplated his next pitch.

“I think I probably gotta go slider,” he said. “Let’s see what Will thinks.”

Behind the plate, teammate Will Smith instead called for a curveball.

“Nope, he wants curveball again,” Kershaw laughed. “All right, fine.”

Guerrero swung through it — “Oh, got him,” he said — before freezing on a slider two pitches later for a called third strike.

“I’m getting blown up by former teammates saying, ‘Wow, you’ve changed so much,’ and they’re right,” Kershaw joked afterward, acknowledging his once-fiery demeanor never would have allowed him to embrace an in-game interview like that. “I don’t think I would’ve ever done that [in the past]. But it was actually kind of fun.”

Really, that was the theme of Kershaw’s whole week.

Reluctantly accepting his stature as one of the game’s most decorated players. Accepting an invitation designed to honor his career accomplishments. And providing a reminder of the All-Star Game’s meaning, in what will perhaps be his last time on such a stage.

“It’s a very awesome, special thing to get to come to All-Star Games,” he said. “I remember the first one, how special that was. And I don’t think a lot has changed for me over the years to get to come to these things. So I don’t take that for granted. I think it’s really awesome. I mean, I shouldn’t be here anyway, so it’s very possible this could be my last one. So it was just a very awesome night, special.”

ATLANTA — Seven days ago, Jacob Misiorowski was really only known by the most die-hard of baseball fans.

And even then, he was far from any sort of household commodity.

“I don’t even know who I’m pitching against,” future Hall of Fame Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw said last week, a day before squaring off against the Milwaukee Brewers’ rookie phenom who had made only four career starts prior.

“Is that the guy who twisted his ankle on the mound, the ‘Twisted-His-Ankle’ guy?’” Kershaw added, able only to recall a widely shared clip of Misiorowski having to exit his MLB debut a month earlier amid five hitless innings after turning his ankle on the downslope of the hill.

“I know he throws hard. I saw a couple highlights,” Kershaw continued.

But, as far as the 23-year-old’s reputation was concerned, that was it — both to Kershaw, and most casual observers of the sport.

Then, however, came the game that changed everything — for Misiorowski, Major League Baseball and the conversation around this year’s All-Star festivities in Atlanta.

Last Tuesday, Misiorowski had his official coming-out party with a dominant six-inning, one-run, 12-strikeout gem against the mighty Dodgers — easily the most electrifying outing of the young flamethrower’s nascent career.

Days later, in a move that stunned the sport, Misiorowski was unexpectedly added to the National League All-Star team — an immediately controversial move given his one total month of big-league service time.

On Monday, at an All-Star media day event near Truist Park in Atlanta, Misiorowski’s presence was still dominating story lines at the Midsummer Classic, especially after several members of the Philadelphia Phillies (who felt two of their pitchers, Cristopher Sánchez and Ranger Suarez, were more deserving of All-Star nods even though they wouldn’t have pitched in the game) derided Misiorowski’s selection over the weekend as a “joke” and public relations stunt by the league.

It was the first question Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, who will helm the National League team after winning last year’s World Series, fielded at a Monday afternoon news conference at the Coca-Cola Roxy Theater.

And when Misiorowski took his seat at media day, he was immediately peppered with questions about the backlash to his inclusion, and how he felt about people who argued he wasn’t deserving of being in the game — especially his NL teammates from the Phillies.

“I mean, they’re not happy,” Misiorowski said with an awkward smile. “But they’re not upset with me. It’s nothing I did. So they were all nice to me. The clubhouse has been good.”

For all the visceral takes and viral reactions the Misiorowski story has generated in recent days, chances are it will blow over by the time Tuesday’s game rolls around.

Roberts confirmed Misiorowski will pitch in the contest, probably somewhere in the middle innings.

And while he said Misiorowski’s selection, coupled with the withdrawals from numerous other NL All-Star pitchers, required a “deeper conversation” about how the game could be improved, he added that he was all for having Misiorowski take part in this year’s event.

“For this young kid to be named an All-Star, I couldn’t be more excited for him,” Roberts said. “It’s gonna be electric. The fans, the media, you’re gonna love it. So for me, it’s an easy answer, because if it brings excitement, attention to our game, then I’m all about it.”

If it wasn’t for Roberts’ team, the Misiorowski drama might have never happened.

Entering his start against the Dodgers last week, Misiorowski had a 3.20 ERA, was coming off a five-run, 3 ⅔ inning clunker against the New York Mets, and (despite his 100-plus mph fastball and wicked repertoire of breaking pitches) was nowhere near the All-Star picture.

Even internally, he acknowledged, he was still getting comfortable in the majors.

But in that game against the Dodgers, Misiorowski bounced back from a leadoff home run from Shohei Ohtani by giving up just three other hits. He mowed through the Dodgers’ league-leading offense with triple-digit fastballs and upper-90s mph sliders, which Dodgers catcher Will Smith called the nastiest current pitch in the sport. And he emerged with a newfound sense of belonging at the big-league level.

“That’s one of those games you look back on and you’re like, ‘OK, now we go,’” Misiorowski said Monday. “Now it starts.’”

Afterward, no one praised the young right-hander more than Kershaw, who started his postgame remarks about Misiorowski by quipping, “I know him now, huh?”

And now, a week later, so too does the rest of the baseball world; with Misiorowski’s dismantling of the Dodgers helping to thrust him into a spotlight he could have never imagined seven days earlier.

“I think it was just one of those things that, when it happened, it’s not really anything I’ve done,” he said. “I’m not gonna say no to MLB about coming to the game, so it is what it is.”

ATLANTA — Seattle’s Cal Raleigh won his first Home Run Derby after leading the big leagues in long balls going into the break, defeating Tampa Bay’s Junior Caminero 18-15 in the final round Monday night.

The Mariners’ breakout slugger nicknamed “Big Dumper” advanced from the first round on a tiebreaker by less than an inch over the Athletics’ Brent Rooker, then won his semifinal 19-13 over Pittsburgh’s Oneil Cruz, whose 513-foot first-round drive over Truist Park’s right-center field seats was the longest of the night.

Hitting second in the final round, the 22-year-old Caminero closed within three dingers, took three pitches and hit a liner to left field.

Becoming the first switch-hitter and first catcher to win the title, Raleigh had reached the All-Star break with a major league-leading 38 home runs. He became the second Mariners player to take the title after three-time winner Ken Griffey Jr.

“Usually the guy that’s leading the league in homers doesn’t win the whole thing,” Raleigh said. “That’s as surprising to me as anybody else.”

Raleigh was pitched to by his father, Todd, former coach of Tennessee and Western Carolina. His younger brother, Todd Raleigh Jr., did the catching.

“Just to do it with my family was awesome,” Raleigh said.

Just the second Derby switch-hitter after Baltimore’s Adley Rutschman in 2023, Raleigh hit his first eight left-handed, took a timeout, then hit seven right-handed. Going back to lefty, he then hit two more in the bonus round and stayed lefty for the semifinals and the final.

Caminero beat Minnesota’s Byron Buxton 8-7 in the other semifinal.

Atlanta’s Matt Olson, Washington’s James Wood, the New York Yankees’ Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Rooker were eliminated in the first round of the annual power show.

Cruz and Caminero each hit 21 long balls and Buxton had 20 in the opening round. Raleigh and Rooker had 17 apiece, but Raleigh advanced on the tiebreaker of their longest homer, 470.61 feet to 470.53.

“One little tweak in the system and I’m not even in the next round, so that’s crazy,” Raleigh said.

Cruz’s long drive was the hardest-hit at 118 mph.

The longest derby homer since Statcast started tracking in 2016 was 520 feet by Juan Soto in the mile-high air of Denver’s Coors Field in 2021. Last year, the longest drive at Arlington, Texas, was 473 feet by Atlanta’s Marcell Ozuna.

Wood hit 16 homers, including a 486-foot shot and one that landed on the roof of the Chop House behind the right-field wall. Olson, disappointing his hometown fans, did not go deep on his first nine swings and finished with 15, He also was eliminated in the first round in 2021.

Chisholm hit just three homers, the fewest since the timer format started in 2015.

Blum writes for the Associated Press.

When Harvard-Westlake grads Max Fried of the New York Yankees and Pete Crow-Armstrong of the Chicago Cubs are introduced on July 15 at the MLB All-Star Game in Atlanta, their former high school coaches, Matt LaCour and Jared Halpert, will be in the stands celebrating the historic moment.

“We’re all proud on campus,” said LaCour, now the school’s athletic director and former coach of Fried.

“It’s kind of everyone wins if Max faces Pete,” Halpert said.

Harvard-Westlake has received attention for its success sending pitchers to the majors with Fried, Lucas Giolito and Jack Flaherty, all of whom were members of the 2012 team and first-round draft picks.

Chicago Cubs’ Pete Crow-Armstrong.

(Nam Y. Huh / Associated Press)

Crow-Armstrong, a first-round draft pick in 2020 who was selected by the fans to start in center field, is a breakthrough hitter for the Cubs.

“We’ve got a couple hitters coming through, so maybe we’ll change the pitching narrative,” LaCour said.

But who will the coaches root for if Fried is on the mound and Crow-Armstrong is at the plate?

“That definitely would be cool,” LaCour said. “I’ll root for Max and Jared will root for Pete.”

LaCour is in Atlanta this week coaching a youth team and will stay an extra two days to watch the All-Star Game. Halpert is flying out next Tuesday morning, then taking a rideshare to the ballpark.

They shouldn’t have any trouble getting tickets because they know an all-star.

Bayern Munich’s Harry Kane, center, celebrates with his teammates following their Bundesliga championship win on May 10.

(Matthias Schrader / Associated Press)

Bayern Munich (Germany)

Notable achievements: Winner of 34 German titles, including 12 of the last 13, six-time European champion and two-time Club World Cup winner

Top players: F Harry Kane, MF Michael Olise, MF Joshua Kimmich, GK Manuel Neuer

Auckland City (New Zealand)

Notable achievements: 10-time New Zealand champion and winner of 13 OFC Champions League titles

Top players: F Guillermo May, D Ryan De Vries, GK Alex Paulsen

Boca Juniors (Argentina)

Notable achievements: 35-time Argentine champion, winner of six Copa Libertadores and two Copa Sudamericanas

Top players: F Miguel Merentiel, MF Carlos Palacios, D Lautaro Blanco, F Edinson Cavani

Benfica (Portugal)

Notable achievements: 38-time Portuguese champion and two-time European champion

Top players: F Vangelis Pavlidies, MF Kerem Akturkoglu, D Nicolás Otamendi, GK Anatoliy Trubin

Group-play schedule

June 15: Bayern–Auckland, Cincinnati

June 16: Boca-Benfica, Miami Gardens

June 20: Benfica-Auckland, Orlando; Bayern-Boca, Miami Gardens

June 24: Auckland-Boca, Nashville; Benfica-Bayern, Charlotte

June 6 (UPI) — Authorities on Friday night recovered the body of a 17-year-old after his small unmanned boat was found in a lake north of Atlanta one day earlier.

Around 5 p.m., the Georgia Department of Natural Resources said they found the body of Jackson Cole Croft of Woodstock. Family members embraced one another at the scene, WXIA reported.

The agency earlier Friday identified the missing boater as Croft of Woodstock after the empty boat was found circling near the Little River area of Allatoona Lake on Thursday night. The lake is 37 miles north of Atlanta.

At 5:20 p.m. Thursday, crews from Cherokee County Fire and Emergency Services responded after receiving a call about a boat spinning in place without a visible operator. Responders stopped and secured the boat.

DNR game wardens and Cherokee County divers used sonar technology to look for the boater.

On Friday morning, search efforts resumed with several agencies. They used a remotely operated vehicle with a camera.

“It’s a very tragic situation and it’s one that none of these officers enjoy,” DNR spokesperson Mark McKinnon said at a news conference before the body was found. “It’s a difficult spot.”

He said the search is challenging because of Lake Allatoona’s varied depth and underwater terrain, including submerged trees.

“So in order to search that area, you have to do a grid to cover all sides of those objects. Very tedious and very methodical,” McKinnon told reporters.

McKinnon said they believe the teen was alone on the small boat. Officials haven’t said whether Croft was wearing a life jacket.

Family members said they didn’t know about the teen’s plans.

MONTREAL — Olivier Giroud and Mark Delgado each scored for LAFC on Saturday night in a 2-2 tie with CF Montreal.

Montreal scored multiple goals for the first time since a 3-2 loss to Atlanta in its season opener on Feb. 22.

Hugo Lloris stopped five shots for LAFC (6-4-5).

Giroud scored on a one-touch finish from point-blank range to make it 2-2 in the 77th minute.

In the fifth minute, Montreal’s Prince Owusu had his shot blocked but the loose ball rolled directly to Giacomo Vrioni, who held a defender on his hip before spinning and rolling a shot inside the right post for a goal. Owusu converted from the penalty spot in the 22nd to give Montreal a 2-0 lead.

Delgado put away a cross played in by Nathan Ordaz, blasting a one-touch shot from near the penalty spot that deflected off goalkeeper Jonathan Sirois into the net in the 38th minute.

Sirois finished with seven saves for Montreal (1-9-5).

Montreal rebounded from a 6-1 loss to Toronto last week.