Flaming Friday
July 28 — Barricades have been put in place around the Fulton County Courthouse in anticipation of DA Fani Willis announcing indictments against Donald Trump for alleged election meddling.
🌤️ Partly cloudy with a high of 95° today. July will go down as the world’s hottest month on record.
⚖️ In a big legal win for opponents of Atlanta’s Public Safety Training Center, a federal judge ruled Thursday that people who live outside the City of Atlanta can collect signatures to put a “Cop City” referendum on the November ballot. The ruling also reset the 60-day timeline to collect signatures.
🪀 The City of Clarkston is in disarray, with calls for the city manager to resign, a city council member abruptly quitting, and its police force operating at less than half capacity.
🎗️ Former Atlanta City Council President Marvin Arrington Sr. will be laid to rest today in a homecoming ceremony at Ebeneezer Baptist Church. Yesterday, Arrington lay in state at City Hall.
🏗️ Rockefeller Group broke ground Wednesday for a 60-story tower that will become Atlanta’s fifth tallest building.
🏠 A historic Druid Hills home with ties to the Golden Age of Hollywood is on the market for $2.3 million.
📖 DeKalb County approved a $338,000 contract on July 25 for the architecture and engineering of a new library in Brookhaven.
🙏🏽 As music lovers continue to mourn the passing of Sinead O’Connor, GPB’s Kristi York Wooten explores the Irish singer’s Atlanta connections.
🕖 Today’s newsletter is ⑤ stories:
• The Sandwich Project celebrates milestone
• Film Review: ‘Talk to Me’
• The Sports Section
• Top Stories of the Week
AND
• Bonus Content: Calling all Kate Bush Fans
Have a good weekend, and let us know if you win the $910 million Mega Millions jackpot,
Collin, Sammie, & Madison
🌿 Passionate about nature? Check out the Friends of Conservation and Sustainability in Georgia online giving circle. Learn about the nonprofits that treat every day like Earth Day as they make a difference for the outdoors in Georgia. Learn more here.
SPONSOR MESSAGE
1. The Sandwich Project celebrates its millionth meal for those with food insecurity
🥪 The Sandwich Project, a volunteer-driven initiative with roots in Dunwoody, has reached a significant milestone, collecting and donating one million sandwiches to individuals and families living with food insecurity.
According to its co-founder Marcy Louza, the sandwich project began as a grassroots effort with a few friends making and delivering sandwiches to a church in Downtown Atlanta.
“We felt that it was a meaningful way to contribute,” Louza said. “It was also a way for people who wanted to make a difference to be able to help in a way that fit into their schedules.”
➡️ Learn more about the nonprofit here.
You say tomato, I say tomato
SPONSORED BY GEORGIA ORGANICS
🍅 Attack of the Killer Tomato Festival (#AKTF) returns to Westside Provisions District on Sun., July 30 from 1-4 p.m. for an annual celebration of the juiciest fruit in Georgia: tomatoes.
Passes include tastings and beverages featuring tomatoes in all the ways from Georgia restaurants, bars, and other tomato-serving establishments.
This annual fundraiser benefits Georgia Organics, the oldest statewide non-profit providing direct support to local and organic farmers, and celebrates the delicious Farmer Champion partnership between Georgia’s organic farmers and the culinary teams who make local ingredients shine.
🎟️ Tickets include tastings and beverages from local chefs and bartenders.
➡ Get your tickets today.
2. ‘Talk to Me’ has an unwavering commitment to cruelty
WEEKLY FILM REVIEW | BY SAMMIE PURCELL
✋ When was the last time you saw a truly spiteful horror movie?
One that comes to mind is last year’s “Speak No Evil,” a demented satire that chews up the idea of politeness for politeness’ sake and spits it out. Other than that, lately it feels like horror movies that take the care to be genuinely mean are far and few between, particularly when it comes to mainstream releases. But “Talk to Me,” from Australian directing duo Danny and Michael Philippou, is oddly refreshing in that respect, meeting cruelty with a bloody smile.
“Talk to Me” inhabits a dark reality where apathy has reached a critical level, a world underscored by selfishness and bleakness. This is a world where teenagers are glued to their phones while unspeakable things take place just feet in front of them, the darkness only broken by the light of an iPhone camera.
The Philippou brothers, along with co-screenwriter Bill Hinzman, certainly seem to want to say something about our connection to the device we use as a shield between us and the surrounding world. But that line of commentary isn’t as interesting as the film’s staunch commitment to malevolence, the undercurrent theme of addiction pushing “Talk to Me” toward a nasty conclusion.
👹 Read Sammie’s full review here.
🍿 Stay in the picture with Scene by Rough Draft, our weekly newsletter about Georgia’s film industry. Movie reviews, profiles, what’s filming where, plus more. Directed by Sammie Purcell. Subscribe for free.
3. The Sports Section
A WEEKLY FEATURE | BY MADISON AUCHINCLOSS
⚽ At the Women’s World Cup, the US faces Portugal in their final match of the group stage on Tues., Aug. 1 at 3 a.m. ET. After tying the Netherlands on Wednesday and beating Vietnam last week, the Yanks need a win to lock in a spot in the round of 16. (TV: FS1)
🏀 The Dream continues to lead the league in sellouts, having sold out eight of 11 home games this season (pictured). The Dream lost to the conference-leading New York Liberty yesterday and look to get back on track when they host Washington on Sun., July 30 at 3 p.m. (TV: ESPN3)
⚾ The Braves are showing signs of being human after dropping seven of their last ten games, including two in a row to the Red Sox. The team looks to bounce back tonight versus the Milwaukee Brewers. (7:20 p.m., TV: BSS)
🎾 The Atlanta Open continues through the weekend at Atlantic Station, and we’ve got recaps of each day’s action here. The singles round of 16 and the doubles quarterfinals take place today with local favorite Chris Eubanks playing at 7 p.m. (TV: Tennis TV)
🏈 The Falcons began training camp on Thursday at IBM Performance Field in Flowery Branch. Back Together weekend takes place tomorrow with giveaways, speeches from coaches, and more. Tickets are free.
🏌️♂️ The LPGA’s Amundi Evian Championship is this weekend in Evian-les-Bains, France. Brooke Henderson will look to keep her title among a field of previous tournament winners and young upstarts making their debuts. (TV: Golf Channel)
🥁 ESPN announced they will host the inaugural Band of the Year National Championship in Atlanta on Dec. 15. The event will feature marching bands from HBCUs.
🌿 Passionate about nature? Check out the Friends of Conservation and Sustainability in Georgia online giving circle. Learn about the nonprofits that treat every day like Earth Day as they make a difference for the outdoors in Georgia. Learn more here.
SPONSOR MESSAGE
4. Top Stories of the Week
A look back at this week’s most-read stories from our website.
① Newport RE to sell South Downtown portfolio to Braden Fellman
② More than 100 cars broken into, guns stolen in Inman Park
③ Atlanta BeltLine CEO says $25M grant could mean early completion (pictured)
④ Fulton County proposes property tax hike
⑤ Two Atlanta homes part of HGTV Ultimate House Hunt contest
5. Calling all Kate Bush fans!
BONUS CONTENT | WHAT TO DO THIS WEEKEND
💃🏻 If you’re a fan of British singer/songwriter Kate Bush (whose “Running Up That Hill” became a global mega-hit last summer due to “Stranger Things”), then you’ll definitely want to be in Candler Park tomorrow.
The eighth-annual, international “The Most Wuthering Heights Day Ever” will take place in Atlanta and more than 45 cities around the globe.
Fans of Kate Bush and her 1978 hit “Wuthering Heights” – a lyrical retelling of Emily Bronte’s famous novel – gather to recreate the dance routine from the music video wearing a similar red dress.