High on a hill in Morningside, Jack Harich has spent nearly 50 years quietly and carefully building — mostly by himself, sometimes with friends — The Tower, the house of his dreams.

A mix of Swiss chalet and medieval castle with a pinch of Tim Burton fairy tale, the more than 2,000-square-foot home has been a "design-as-you-go, pay-as-you-go" labor of love for Harich and his wife, Martha.

Details: Harich, a sustainability researcher who's also worked as a furniture maker and software engineer, bought the one-third acre lot in 1973 and started construction in 1975 with a round stone tower.

• He worked outward, creating the lower floor surrounded by walls made from 95 tons of Cherokee marble. Then came a grand hall on the upper level with arched ceilings and flooded with light from windows.
• All the flashing and many of the eaves are copper sheet and have turned green, brown and slightly purple over time.

The big picture: Harich, who these days spends most of his time working and spending the night in The Tower, set out to create a home that was "perpetually inspiring to live in."

Read the full story for more construction details and photos.

The gloves came off last night when incumbent Gov. Brian Kemp and former Sen. David Perdue, once allies and now opponents, took part in the first Republican gubernatorial primary debate.

The big picture: Two years ago it would have been difficult to find differences between Kemp and Perdue's policies, but over the course of his campaign Perdue has doggedly found issues to set them apart and attacked Kemp's record.

Details: The two sparred over the last election, immigration, education and crime.

• Perdue said the only reason he lost his Senate seat was because of Kemp’s handling of the 2020 election.
• He also repeated his central campaign argument: falsely accusing Kemp of allowing the 2020 election to be stolen. (The U.S. attorney general found no evidence of widespread fraud in the 2020 election.)

Between the lines: Perdue has latched onto the immigration issue. Kemp campaigned on it in 2018 with a memorable ad promising to "round up criminal illegals" in his own pickup truck.

• In closing, Perdue said, "What you heard tonight was a weak governor trying to cover up a bad record."
• "My opponent is attacking my record because he has none of his own, which is why he didn't win his Senate race," Kemp replied. "He's trying to blame everybody but himself."

What's next: A second debate is happening Thursday night on Savannah's WTOC. And a third, organized by the Atlanta Press Club, is scheduled for Sunday.

• Early voting for the primary begins May 2.

Teachers and other non-temporary employees in the Cobb County School District could see a nice bump in their paychecks in the summer.

The district's proposed $1.4 billion budget for fiscal year 2023 includes raises ranging from 8.5% to 13.10% for educators, custodians, bus drivers, social workers and other employees.

Cobb County schools has allocated about $86.8 million in its general fund to accommodate the raises, district documents show.

State of play: Cobb's raises come as educators and other staff members continue to feel the mental strain of teaching students during a pandemic.

Context: The proposed raises follow the Georgia General Assembly's approval of $2,000 raises for teachers backed by Gov. Brian Kemp.

• Cobb Superintendent Chris Ragsdale extended that to include the district's full- and part-time employees for this month's payroll, the district said.
• The $2,000 raises were part of Kemp's 2018 campaign promise to give educators a $5,000 raise. More than half of that promise — $3,000 — was approved in 2019, according to the AJC.

Of note: So far, one other metro school district — Gwinnett — has announced that some of its employees would get raises. Teachers would also get a $2,000 cost-of-living boost, the AJC adds.

What we're watching: The Cobb school district will conduct public hearings May 19 so residents can provide feedback on the proposed budget. The school board can adopt the budget that night during its regular meeting.

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Kroger is such a key part of metro Atlantans' shopping habits that we've given some local stores quirky nicknames. But Publix is gaining ground.

The big picture: Kroger has controlled roughly a quarter of metro Atlanta's grocery store business for at least the past three years, according to Chain Store Guide, a sales-tracking firm.

Yes, but: The percentage has slowly dropped as Publix has held a steady hold on second place, followed by Walmart.

Of note: Kroger has fewer stores (125) than Publix (142), but reports $420 million more in annual sales than its Florida-based rival.

• Dollar Tree/Family Dollar and Dollar General have 300 and 253 locations, respectively, the most of the grocers in CSG's report.

Metro Atlantans spent a reported $22.7 billion at the stores in 2021.

Yes, but: For neighborly charm and excellent beer selections, you can't beat grocers like Westview Corner Grocery, Candler Park Market, Grant Park Market, Carver Market, Oakhurst Market, Little's Food Store, Savi Provisions, Sevananda and more.

🍎 Atlanta startup Goodr is taking on food waste and hunger. (Atlanta Magazine)

🧐 Inside the implosion of CNN+. (New York Times)

☮ Fulton officials launch a summer youth gun violence prevention initiative. (GPB)

🌲 Atlanta activists call for national climate change action. (WABE)

👨🏻‍⚖️ Marjorie Taylor Greene defiant, forgetful in court challenge to re-election eligibility (Georgia Recorder)