From the front page of the Sunday Times’ National Section and website…

…as the team makes plans to head a dozen miles northwest to a new $672 million baseball stadium in Cobb County, a regional civic conversation has begun: Is the move a blow to a city beginning to enjoy a post-recession urban renaissance, or is it a signal of a new era in which traditional assumptions about the divide between city and suburb no long apply?

…“We’ve got to make a decision — either we’re going to be a region or we’re not,” [Mayor Kasim Reed] said at a packed news briefing the day after the Braves’ announcement. “It bothers me that we have not come far enough as a community that people feel that a team moving 12 miles is a loss to the city of Atlanta.”

All AJC print subscribers received this email yesterday.

Dear _________,

The floods that washed across most of Georgia have personally impacted everyone. Whether you’ve experienced power outages, been stuck in the traffic gridlock or have property damage, your life has been affected.

This epic story is a reminder of the vital role that newspapers play in the communities we serve. Our journalists traveled far and wide in the middle of the floods, photographers took to the skies in a helicopter to document the damage, and newspaper carriers battled traffic, detours and downed trees to deliver the paper to you. Like no other news source could, the AJC delivered ongoing, up-to-the-minute information on ajc.com, and in-depth coverage in the AJC.

Each and every day, employees are committed to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution being a forum for the local community. The AJC doesn’t take this responsibility lightly. We work very hard at fulfilling our mission – providing news and information that’s meaningful to our readers every day.

With the largest news-gathering team in the state, the AJC will continue to bring you the most extensive coverage on the efforts to recover and rebuild. You can trust that we will see the story through and provide investigative journalism that only a newspaper can provide. Our commitment to serving you remains strong. Thank you for being our subscriber.

Sincerely,

Michael Joseph

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