The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Man dies in fire at vacant home
Apparently homeless, he was unable to escape.
An apparent homeless man was killed Thursday morning when the vacant home where he was trying to take shelter caught fire, trapping him inside.
All of the windows of the home in the 1400 block of Gault Street had been boarded up except for in one room, according to Atlanta Fire Rescue spokesman Sgt. Cortez Stafford.
“Right now, we believe that is how the male got inside the home,” he said.
That room is likely where the fire started, according to investigators. Fire officials said it appears the man tried to get out of the home during the fire, but couldn’t.
“It looked like the only exit for him to escape would have been through the room where the fire originated,” Stafford said.
Firefighters were called about 2 a.m., Stafford said. When they arrived, they saw thick, heavy flames coming from the structure’s windows and front door.
“First units described that they had approximately 70% of the home that had flames coming out of it,” Stafford said.
Crews weren’t able to enter the house right away due to the strength of the flames.
“There was too much fire and too much impingement of the fire for our firefighters to go in,” Stafford said. “So, they had to knock it down externally.”
When they had extinguished the fire enough to go inside, crews found the body. The man, who was in his 30s or 40s, was discovered in a hallway near the center of the home, Stafford said. His identity was not known.
“Anytime someone attempts to stay warm and they possibly lose their life for it, is very unfortunate,” Stafford said. “We have had instances like this in the past. We encourage people who are seeking shelter to go to one of the shelters downtown or in the Atlanta area instead of attempting to go into a vacant home.”
An investigation is ongoing.
In agreeing to host this year’s tamped-down NBA AllStar Game amid the COVID-19 pandemic, principal owner Tony Ressler and the Hawks had one condition.
“They said, ‘Frankly, as long as this doesn’t count as our turn to have a full-fledged All-star, we’d be happy to partner with the league,’ ” NBA Commissioner Adam S ilver remembered.
Silver quickly agreed, as the All-star Game on March 7 at State Farm Arena certainly won’t look like your typical three-day weekend festivities, which are packed with community and fan events that attract tourists, publicity and ample business to the host city (last year in Chicago, former President Barack Obama helped All-star players, including Hawks guard Trae Young, pack backpacks for low-income Chicago Public School students during the NBA Cares All-star Day of Service). This year, the game, skills contests and dunk contest have been compressed into a one-night affair.
In this case, there are zero plans outside the official All
Star events that will be held that Sunday night, which will not be a ticketed event open to the public, and the league is actively discouraging any sort of in-person congregating (the NBA still estimates it will have a significant economic impact on the city — more on that later). Roughly 1,300 people will be in attendance, consisting of students and staff from HBCUS (which the league will feature throughout the night), local health care heroes and family and close friends of All-star players.
Playing a physical All-star Game amid a pandemic has generated controversy, with the context that 30 NBA games, as of mid-february, have been postponed this season because of players testing positive for COVID19 or contact tracing. But, the league and the Players Association came to an agreement, and the location of State Farm Arena made it the go-to host candidate. Turner Broadcasting is close and its employees wouldn’t have to travel, the Hawks renovated the arena not long ago, and Atlanta has several HBCUS in the area that the league plans to highlight, with Clark Atlanta University Philharmonic Society Choir performing an original rendition of “Lift Every Voice and Sing” and step teams from Spelman and Morehouse performing that night.
The Hawks will be “aggressive bidders” to host the Allstar Game again in the coming years, eager to do it big and do it right after having such limitations on them this time. Although the next handful have been decided, per Silver, hosting this year will only help their cause in the future.
“There’s a process, of course, for awarding Allstars, and we’ve already awarded the next few years, assuming things return to normal and we’re back to doing the traditional Allstar weekend, but there’s no doubt that there’s a bonus in their column for holding All-star this year,” Silver said. “And I commit, in no way could it possibly
hurt them, it could only help them, and I think we all recognize that these are all such highly unusual circumstances and to be holding an All-star during a pandemic.”
More on the decision to hold an All-star Game this year in the first place:
Local and global impact
The All-star Game is the NBA’S No. 1 fan engagement event of the entire season. Based on past ratings and precedent, the game will be seen by approximately 130 million people globally, and if you extend that to people who consume different forms of media about the game, that extends to around 1.8 billion, per Silver.
Televised in 210 countries, even though this won’t bring many people to Atlanta in-person, the spotlight on the city will still have significant reach.
There’s an obvious economic component at play, as well, in a year where the league’s revenue has taken a drastic hit.
“While there’s a health emergency in this country, there’s also an economic crisis, so I think that’s sort of, for us, the ongoing tension,” Silver said. “We’re not hiding from the fact that we’re also tasked with the difficult job of keeping our league operating during a pandemic. And part of continuing to operate is to hold games and to hold marquee
events like All-star.”
Silver said the league’s revenue will be down somewhere between 30% and 40% this year, so, the goal is to keep typical operations going, to whatever extent is possible, with added safety precautions. That doesn’t mean the decision was easy or that there’s no risk. Beyond the NBA, the financial devastation from the pandemic has hit numerous industries and people hard.
“It’s going to be that ongoing balance in the country, as we try to find our way out of the pandemic now,” Silver said. “Again, I just keep going back to sort of the economic crisis that we’re in, and that’s in many ways as real as the health emergency . ... It so happens now, 15 of our 30 teams now have fans. So half of our jurisdictions have decided it’s not a good idea, and half of them have decided it is a good idea under limited circumstances. It’s why I’ve said, none of these decisions are risk-free. I wish they were. It’s why I accept the criticism; there’s no absolute right decisions here.”
Regarding Atlanta, specifically, Temple University estimated the league will have $9.3 million of direct spending, defined as spending that can be attributed to All-star events, direct investments by the NBA or league partners into the community. Indirect spending — or inter-industry transactions, the spending occurring after the initial money from the All-star event hits the city’s economy — will amount to about $3 million.
Induced spending, household-level spending and re-spending of money in the community will amount to roughly $5.4 million. The Allstar Game and events will generate more than 2,500 jobs (albeit temporary), in the form of arena gameday labor, transportation, hotels for players and guests, Bioreference Laboratories for COVID-19 testing, local printers and decor companies, local unions and production companies and local minority- and women-owned business including decor, restaurants, catering, gifts and additional local labor.
Health and safety
Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms has asked fans not to use the All-star Game as a reason to travel to the city and party, and the Hawks are discouraging people from gathering, as well, trying to market the game as a made-for-tv event.
But, events scheduled for that weekend have already started popping up around the city.
Silver joined with the mayor in discouraging large parties related to the All-star Game, but still thinks the positives of the game being played in the city outweighs the negative. He added that the league will continue to advertise the game as a limited event not open to the public, and supports the mayor in trying to limit large gatherings.
Bottoms released a statement “strongly (encouraging) promoters, clubs, bars, etc. not to host events in the city related to this game.” Ultimately, though, Georgia has more lax coronavirus restrictions, with a law that shields businesses from legal liability unless they show “gross negligence, willful and wanton misconduct, reckless infliction of harm, or intentional infliction of harm.”
“Part of my job and my disposition is to worry about everything,” Silver said. “It’s not lost on me, and at the same time, when we balance that against the job creation and the economic impact, the attention that will be paid on Atlanta and Georgia, at least for these All-star festivities, we still think it’s net very positive, and in terms of those unauthorized parties, I know the mayor has means to address those and whatever we can do to continue to amplify the message that this strictly an arena event, we will do so.”
On the player side, the league is creating a “mini-bubble” of sorts. Players will arrive Saturday night via private plane and will leave Sunday night after the game. They will remain in hotels where everything will be provided for them, then will head to the arena for the game Sunday.
Only a handful of players, of course, are All-stars, with the vast majority of the league going on a mini-break for a few days before the second half of the season beginning March 10. This season is unique, with only 72 games, a compressed schedule and a completely different calendar than usual, because of last season’s hiatus. For mental and physical health reasons, the Players Association understandably wanted a break at midseason.
The controlled environment of the mini-bubble in Atlanta may be less risky than players who will be on their own for the break, Silver thinks.
“Everything these days is a function of relative risk, not absolute risk, so once we determined with our Players Association that there was going to be a midseason break, and that was something that players felt very strongly about, then the question is what can we do to reduce their risk to the extent we can, when players are operating outside our team protocols during that break,” Silver said.
“The fact is, roughly 5% of our players will be participating in All-star, and the other 95% will be on a minibreak. On a relative basis, I’m more concerned about what players will potentially do on that mini-break than they will in the mini-bubble we are creating in Atlanta.”
Partnering with the Hawks, HBCUS
Because the All-star Game is so reduced this year and isn’t open to fans, Silver likened State Farm Arena to the game’s TV studio.
But, there might not have been anyone in the stands, even the small amount that will be present, had the Hawks not already had the infrastructure in place to do so. Since late January, the Hawks have permitted 8% fan capacity at games, which amounts to about 1,300 people, with mandatory masks, contactless entry and security screenings and rapid-response COVID-19 testing for those sitting within 30 feet of the court.
“That was hugely important to us and in fact we’re going to in essence try to replicate their operations,” Silver said. “We’re leaning on them heavily . ... Roughly 1,300 people or so will be in attendance, and that’s something that I’m not sure we would have been able to do that if the Hawks hadn’t already come up with a mode of operations that allows fans to come in, guests to come in in a safe way, practicing all the appropriate safety protocols.”
Stemming from conversations with the Players Association, the league plans to commit more than $2.5 million in funds and resources for HBCUS and “support and awareness around equity and access to COVID-19 care, relief and vaccines.”
The league will create public service announcements and will highlight HBCUS through entertainment and programming throughout the show. It also will feature HBCU graduates and campuses.
“I think we felt, again trying to find the appropriate balance, that if we were going to play an Allstar Game, we needed to find some greater meaning to it, as well,” Silver said. “And I think Atlanta in particular, because of the concentration of HBCUS there, that prior involvement of the league with HBCUS, and given the disparate impact that COVID has had both economically and health-wise on the Black community in the United States, it seems like this created an opportunity.”
Alpharetta’s Bob Royak will defend his championship at the Jones Cup Senior Invitational at Sea Island. Royak, the reigning U.S. Senior Amateur champion, beat Gene Elliott of Iowa by one shot to claim the Jones Cup championship in 2020, one of the last competitions before the COVID-19 shutdown.
The tournament usually is conducted on the iconic Seaside Course but is moving this spring to the Plantation Course, a Walter Travis original design that was renovated by Mark Love and Davis Love III in 2019. Royak said the different venue could help bunch the field, since few have as much experience on Plantation.
“I just love the atmosphere at Sea Island, the golf courses are terrific, and there’s a lot of history there,” Royak said. “And the practice area is great. You can go there and hit balls for hours.”
Royak, 59, will be joined in the field by his younger brother, Paul Royak, 56, who was the Florida State Golf Association’s Senior Golfer of the Year in 2020.
Bob Royak competed in the 66th Gasparilla Championship in Tampa last week and tied for 36th — with Paul — in an event primarily designed for mid-amateurs. Sixteen senior-level players made the cut. Mcdonough’s Rusty Strawn tied Brian Keenan, of Tampa, for first place in the division, but Keenan prevailed in a playoff. He tied for ninth overall at 3-over 213.
Atlanta’s Tug Maude finished second in the overall championship.
Georgia Tech earns first win of spring
A young Georgia Tech team took a big step by getting its first victory at the Wyoming Desert Classic in Palm Desert,
California. It was the first win in four tries for the Yellow Jackets and the 65th under coach Bruce Heppler.
The Yellow Jackets finished 16-under and finished ahead of Charlotte. Noah Norton shot 68-72-67 and finished second for his 10th career top-10. Freshman Christo Lamprecht closed with a 68 and tied for sixth.
Tech plays again at the Linger Longer Invitational at Reynolds Lake Oconee at Great Waters from March 12-14.
Around the campus
Led by medalist Tyler Copp, the Mercer men won the Invitational at Savannah Harbor by 12 shots. The senior shot 7-under 209, claimed his first college victory, and the Bears took a 12-shot win. …
The No. 10 Georgia women finished sixth at the Florida Gators Invitational. Caterina Don tied for 20th to lead the Bulldogs. “We have to go to work and figure out why we’re not playing as well as we should,” Georgia coach Josh Brewer said. “It happens sometimes in golf.” … The Georgia State women finished seventh in the Strutter Gus Invitational in Statesboro. Mahina Leveau tied for 12th. Host Georgia Southern finished second thanks to Alberte Thuesen’s tie for second place. … Kennesaw State’s Tai Anudit was named
the Atlantic Sun’s player of the week for third time in her career. She finished second at the Reynolds Lake Oconee Invitational. … Clayton State finished second and Georgia Southwestern was third in the Hurricane Invitational at Doublegate Country Club in Albany. Clayton State’s Joseph Kim tied for 10th and Simon Estrada was fifth for Georgia Southwestern. … The Georgia men will compete in the LSU Invitational that concludes Sunday.
Miscellaneous
The team of Ty Henley, Evan Parrish, Colby Hook and Brandon Russell shot a 23-under 59 to the Georgia State Park Cup qualifier at the Wallace Adams Golf Course in Helena. The quartet, which plays out of Forest Heights Country Club in Statesboro, earned a spot in the championship weekend at Arrowhead Pointe on May 7-8. … UGA grad Grayson Sigg and Georgia Tech alum Anders Albertson tied for seventh at the LECOM Suncoast Classic, the opening event on the Korn Ferry Tour. … The Piedmont Driving Club will host a 36-hole sectional qualifier for the U.S. Open Championship on June 7. The club, which has never hosted a sectional, is one of 11 sites for the 121st U.S. Open at Torrey Pines from June 17-20.