Waiting on a Friday
June 7 — The Rolling Stones pull into Mercedes-Benz Stadium tonight for their “Hackney Diamonds Tour.” Tickets are still available if you’ve got the urge to rock out.
🌞 Sunny with a high of 87° today. A picture-perfect weekend lies ahead with highs near 90°.
🚒 A massive fire heavily damaged the historic Kodak and Atlanta Eagle buildings on Ponce de Leon Ave. last night. Our Dyana Bagby was on the scene and spoke to Mayor Andre Dickens.
🚨 An arrest has been made in the murder of two people last month at Elleven45 nightclub in Buckhead.
🗳 DeKalb CEO candidates Lorraine Cochran-Johnson and Larry Johnson will meet in an Atlanta Press Club debate on Sun., June 9, at 4 p.m.
💦 Fulton County will review and verify water billing records for six major service accounts that the City of Atlanta claims are past due.
🚑 Sandy Springs and four other North Fulton cities have entered into a new agreement for faster ambulance response.
⚖️ A Chicago man is filing a civil suit against the Dunwoody Police Department after his arrest on a dismissed disorderly conduct charge. The arresting officer has been reprimanded by the department.
ELSEWHERE
📺 Pat Sajak’s final episode of “Wheel of Fortune” airs today, ending his historic 41-season, 8,010-episode run. Dunwoody-native Ryan Seacrest will take over as host this fall for Season 42.
🥂 Two American restaurants – Atomix in New York City and SingleThread in California’s Sonoma Valley – made the World’s 50 Best Restaurants list for 2024.
🕖 Here’s what’s in today’s newsletter:
• Virginia-Highland Summerfest
• Eleventh Street Pub still closed
• Film Review: ‘Hit Man’
• The Sports Section
AND
• Top Stories of the Week
Have a good weekend,
Collin & Sammie
⚡ The Atlanta Hawks’ She Leads Women’s Empowerment Program wrapped up its final session at Georgia Power in a day focused on financial wellness. This year-long development program supports the advancement and growth of early-career women in Atlanta and inspires the next generation of leaders to thrive and rise.
SPONSOR MESSAGE
1. Virginia-Highland Summerfest set for June 8-9 with The Whigs and more
🎸 Virginia-Highland Summerfest returns for its 39th year this weekend, with art, food, and live music headlined by rock groups The Whigs and The Vegabonds.
Summerfest takes place Saturday (10 a.m.-10 p.m.) and Sunday (11 a.m.-5 p.m.) on Virginia Avenue between North Highland Avenue and Park Drive and John Howell Park. The weekend begins with the Friday Night Kick-off Party tonight from 6-9 p.m.
Known for its fine art market, Summerfest welcomes 200 artists working in a variety of mediums, such as clay, fiber, jewelry, mixed media, painting, photography, sculpture, and more. There will also be a Makers’ Market, where vendors offer crafts and artisan products.
☀️ More on Summerfest here.
Why is my pup chewing its paws?
SPONSORED BY SCENTHOUND
🐾 Excessive chewing and licking of the paws happen for a variety of reasons, from dry skin to allergies, and even anxiety. Some licking is normal, but if you have noticed your pup is constantly chewing their paws there may be an underlying issue that needs attention.
Time to Ask the Vet! Chat 24/7 with a licensed U.S. veterinarian and get your questions answered right in the Scenthound app.
🐕 Learn more here and discover the Scenthound difference at our Buckhead, Dunwoody, and Tucker locations.
2. Eleventh Street Pub still closed after damage from water main breaks
🌊 Seven days after the start of what would become a nearly week-long water crisis in Atlanta, Steamhouse Lounge reopened yesterday at the corner of 11th and West Peachtree streets in Midtown. But for neighboring Eleventh Street Pub, reopening will take quite a bit longer and will include drying out, assessing, and repairing widespread water damage throughout the bar.
On May 31, nearly 12 hours after a large water main break in Vine City crippled much of the water supply for downtown Atlanta and several neighborhoods to the east, a second water main break would cause major disruptions throughout much of Midtown.
The water woes for the Eleventh Street Pub began in Midtown around 9 p.m. on May 31 when pub patrons noticed water bubbling up from the pavement beside the bar on 11th Street. Two hours later, water gushed from the deteriorating asphalt, spraying as high as 18 feet in the air.
🍻 Read more about the damages here.
3. ‘Hit Man’ and finding truth in the con
WEEKLY FILM REVIEW | BY SAMMIE PURCELL
🎞️ About halfway through “Hit Man,” Gary Johnson (Glen Powell) finds his stride while teaching a college philosophy class.
We’ve seen him teach a few variations of this class already, but this time, he’s got a little more pep in his step. As he goes on about the concept of the self, what we consider to be moral and how our primal instincts urge us to act, passion seems to flow out of him. He’s standing a little taller, his voice rings a little louder, he’s flashing his dimples whenever he gets the chance. One of his students leans over to her friend and says: “When did our professor get hot?”
This is, objectively, a very funny thing to say about a man who has spent the entire film up to this point looking like Glen Powell. But the student has a point – the Gary Johnson we meet at the beginning of “Hit Man” lacked the confidence of the one standing before her in this moment. He might have the same silly hairstyle, the same cartoonish smile, the same glasses. But this version of Gary has learned how to perform, how to alter his very being to appeal to whatever audience he finds himself in front of at any given time. In that way, Gary is a movie star – and “Hit Man” solidifies Powell as one as well.
🎥 Click here to read Sammie’s review.
🍿 Stay in the picture with Scene by Rough Draft, our weekly newsletter about Georgia’s film industry. Subscribe for free.
4. Giakoumakis headed to Mexico; Gauff loses in French Open semis
BY MADISON AUCHINCLOSS
⚽ After firing coach Gonzalo Pineda this week, Atlanta United looks to right their season with a win over Houston Dynamo at home on Sat., June 15, at 7:30 p.m. However, they will soon be without striker Giorgos Giakoumakis, who is rumored to be heading to Mexican team Cruz Azul in a $10 million deal. (TV: Apple TV+)
⚽ Decatur FC has won their two games of the franchise’s existence without giving up a goal. They now face their first real test against new rival Georgia Impact tonight at 7 p.m. at Decatur High School. (Tickets)
⚾ Marcell Ozuna’s league-leading 18th home run of the season led the Atlanta Braves over the Washington Nationals last night 5-2. The two teams face off again tonight at 6:45 p.m. in Washington. (TV: BSS)
⚾ Georgia hosts NC State in this weekend’s Super Regional round of the NCAA baseball tournament. (TV: ESPNU)
🏀 The Celtics beat the Mavericks 107-89 last night in Game 1 of the NBA Finals. Game 2 is set for Sunday at 8 p.m. (TV: ABC)
🏒 The Florida Panthers face the Edmonton Oilers in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup finals tomorrow at 8 p.m. (TV: ABC)
🏇 The Belmont Stakes is tomorrow at 6:50 p.m. ET in Saratoga Springs, NY. The race is typically held in Elmont, on Long Island, but has moved upstate this year due to construction. (TV: Fox)
🏀 The Atlanta Dream lost to the New York Liberty last night, bringing their record to 4-4. The Dream faces the Chicago Sky tomorrow at 5 p.m. ET in Chicago. (TV: WNBA League Pass)
🎾 Iga Swiatek beat Coco Gauff 6-2, 6-4 in the semifinals of the French Open, and will face No. 12 Jasmine Paolini in Saturday’s finals. In this morning’s men’s semifinals, Carlos Alcaraz faces JannikSinner at 8:30 a.m. and Casper Ruud plays Alexander Zverev at 11:30 a.m. (TV: NBC)
🏃🏾♂️ Kenyan runner Rhonex Kipruto, a two-time winner of the Peachtree Road Race, has been stripped of his world record and banned for doping.
📧 Coming soon: Sideline, a weekly, pop-up newsletter about sports for the summer. Subscribe here.
👽 Embark on an out-of-this-world evening at the Museum After-Hours event on Fri., June 14, from 5:30-9 p.m. at the Computer Museum of America. Dress as your favorite sci-fi character and explore artifacts that once seemed like fiction through a scavenger hunt. Tickets include full museum access, light bites, and live music.
SPONSOR MESSAGE
5. Top Stories of the Week
A look back at this week’s most-read stories from our website.
① Rough Draft’s coverage of the Atlanta water crisis
② Goats provide maintenance, entertainment in Dunwoody
③ Bike lane, raised pedestrian crossing coming to Monroe Drive (pictured)
④ Atlanta City Council approves $2.75 billion budget for 2025
⑤ Why Bombchel boutique owner Archel Bernard is a regular at Desta Ethiopian Kitchen
💭 Test your knowledge of the week’s news in tomorrow’s News Quiz. Keep an eye out for our email at 8 a.m. or bookmark this page!
📧 Today’s newsletter was edited by Julie E. Bloemeke.
