Live from Friday
Sept. 27 — Stay home if you can. Be safe. Tropical Storm Helene is quickly moving through Georgia; we have updates in our first block below.
🌧️ Dangerously high winds and heavy rain ending in the afternoon. High of 73°.
🗳 Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger announced Thursday that ballot tracking notifications are now available on the Georgia My Voter Page (MVP).
🎮 The city of Brookhaven is restricting the use of drones in its public parks.
🗣️ Parents at a recent community forum questioned when Fulton County elementary schools will get resource officers and why the district doesn’t use metal detectors at high schools.
🏥 On Sunday, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta will move over 300 patients from Egleston to the new $1.5 billion Arthur M. Blank Hospital. The 12-hour operation involves 65 ambulances in a meticulously planned transfer.
🏢 The Atlanta Business Chronicle reported that seven top brokers, including Aileen Almassy, Andy Sumlin, and John Zintak, have left Cushman & Wakefield to join Partners Real Estate (subscription required).
⛳ The Gwinnett Board of Commissioners voted unanimously to deny a zoning change that would pave the way for a 229-home subdivision on a Tucker-area tract of land that’s currently a nine-hole golf course.
ELSEWHERE
🇮🇱 As he prepares to address the UN General Assembly this morning, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said ceasefire talks with Lebanon will continue.
🤣 “Saturday Night Live” starts its 50th season tomorrow night. Maya Rudolph returns as Vice President Kamala Harris, and Atlanta-native Kenan Thompson begins his record 22nd season as a cast member.
📺 Hoda Kotb announced she’s leaving her co-anchor role on NBC’s “TODAY” show in early 2025.
🏙️ New York City Mayor Eric Adams was indicted on federal charges of conspiracy, wire fraud, and bribery, but says he won’t resign.
🕖 Here’s what’s in today’s newsletter:
• Helene update
• ABV in EAV
• Film review: ‘Megalopolis’
• The Sports Section
AND
• Top Stories of the Week
Have a good weekend,
Collin & Sammie
🎉 Don’t miss Party on the PATH, an evening of live music, delicious food, and fun benefiting Livable Buckhead’s programs to create a vibrant community where people want to live, work, and play. On Oct. 6 at Eclipse di Luna, it includes tapas, sangria, and dancing to the sounds of 3rd Stream Big Band. Buy tickets today. SPONSOR MESSAGE
1. Helene barrels through Georgia with heavy rain and strong wind
🌀 Hurricane Helene slammed into Florida’s Big Bend region last night at 11:10 p.m. as a massive Category 4 storm, with 140 mph winds and heavy storm surge before moving into Georgia overnight.
Downgraded to a tropical storm, Helene is now quickly heading towards metro Atlanta with 60-70 mph winds, heavy rain, and flooding, but is expected to move out later this morning.
⚠️ A Flash Flood Warning is in effect for most of the Atlanta area until 12:45 p.m.
🚣♂️ During the 6 a.m. hour, WSB-TV reported that residents of the Peachtree Park Apartments in Buckhead were being rescued by boats after floodwater inundated the complex. There have been numerous reports of trees down on roadways and other water rescues across metro Atlanta.
🔌 As of 6 a.m., nearly 900,000 Georgia customers were without power with 23,000 of those outages in Fulton and DeKalb. You can track outages here and report them to Georgia Power or Georgia EMC.
➡ Three people have died in Georgia in Helene-related incidents.
➡ Government offices and schools remain closed and it’s a smart idea to check with local stores and restaurants before heading out due to power outages.
🚗 If you’re driving, the Georgia Department of Transportation reminds you to avoid standing water, downed trees, and powerlines, and to treat malfunctioning traffic signals as a four-way stop.
➡️ Read more in our continuing coverage online.
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2. ABV finds room to grow in EAV
VIA SKETCHBOOK, A WEEKLY NEWSLETTER | SUBSCRIBE HERE
😃 This weekend, ABV Gallery celebrated a major milestone: the debut of their new home in East Atlanta Village.
ABV Gallery + Agency, which stands for “A Better View,” is a creative hub for exhibitions and representation for artists that has been a mainstay of the local art scene ever since it first opened in 2010. The gallery had occupied a storefront in Old Fourth Ward’s Studioplex ever since.
Over the years, ABV’s reach has grown in scope. They have maintained well-attended exhibition openings, established special art events such as their popular monthly Drink & Doodle and annual mural festival the OuterSpace Project, as well as executing an impressive array of artist collaborations through the agency side of the organization. Eventually, with a burgeoning staff of creatives and arts professionals, they needed a larger venue to support their continued growth.
🎨 Learn more about ABV’s new space here.
3. ‘Megalopolis:’ Francis Ford Coppola’s epic vision is messy and mesmerizing
WEEKLY FILM REVIEW | BY SAMMIE PURCELL
👑 Ahead of the release of Francis Ford Coppola’s “Megalopolis” at the Cannes Film Festival, the press reported on its lengthy and complicated production, and that process has given way to a movie that is equal parts baffling and mesmerizing.
A Q&A with Coppola before the film’s screening confirmed what the movie makes clear, that Coppola is worried about the upcoming election – specifically, what Donald Trump’s election might mean for the country – and is considering his place in the world as an artist as a result. In exploring that question, “Megalopolis” is a movie that often rambles, that oscillates from simplistic platitudes to uniquely staggering visual storytelling. It’s a movie that often feels in conflict with itself.
But it’s also a movie from an elder statesman of cinema – the man who made “The Godfather,” “Apocalypse Now,” and “The Conversation” – and he still has a bit of a fastball when it comes down to it. It’s confounding. It’s earnest. It’s bloated. It’s monumental. It’s a completely unique theatrical experience, one you aren’t likely to get from anyone else.
🏗️ Read Sammie’s full review here. You can also find her review of the coming-of-age film “My Old Ass” here.
🍿 Stay in the picture with Scene by Rough Draft, our weekly newsletter about Georgia’s film industry. Subscribe for free.
4. Braves fight for wild card; Go Dawgs v. Roll Tide
♂️ The Sports Section is Sponsored by Gameday Men’s Health Buckhead. September is Prostate Cancer Awareness Month, a good time to learn more about a disease that affects one in eight men.
⚾ After Hurricane Helene postponed two Braves-Mets games this week, Atlanta fans find themselves rooting for the Padres and the Brewers, who play the Diamondbacks and the Mets, respectively, in this weekend’s final regular season matchups.
Atlanta hosts Kansas City for three games beginning tonight at 7:20 p.m. The Braves and the Mets will play a doubleheader on Mon., Sept. 30, though the wild card race may be settled by then.
🗓️ This week’s Georgia high school football schedule has been dramatically altered. Many schools have postponed their games until Saturday, while others will be either making up games at a later date or not at all. To stay up-to-date, check in with our friends at Score Atlanta.
🏈 The Falcons host division rival New Orleans on Sun., Sept. 29 at 1 p.m. (FOX, 92.9 FM)
🏈 Here are Saturday’s local college games:
- No. 2 Georgia visits No. 4 Alabama at 7:30 p.m. (ABC, 95.5 FM)
- Morehouse hosts Benedict College @ 1 p.m.
- Mercer at Wofford @ 1:30 p.m.
- Clark Atlanta hosts Savannah State University @ 2 p.m.
- West Georgia hosts North Alabama @ 2 p.m.
- Georgia State hosts Georgia Southern at 3:30 p.m. (ESPNU, 88.5 FM).
- Kennesaw State hosts UT Martin at 6 p.m. (ESPN+).
- Georgia Tech is off.
⚽ Atlanta United plays at Philadelphia tomorrow at 7:30 p.m. (Apple TV+, 92.9 FM). Arsenal legend Patrick Vieira is said to be a finalist for the Five Stripes’ open head coaching position. Vieira previously managed NYCFC and has English Premier League experience with Crystal Palace.
📚 Celebrated as one of the Southeast’s most anticipated literary events, the 33rd annual Book Festival of the MJCCA, held Nov. 2-17, features an impressive array of authors, including Anthony Fauci, Emily Giffin, Seinfeld’s Michael Richards, Mitch Albom, and many more. Get your tickets here. SPONSOR MESSAGE
5. Top Stories of the Week
A look back at this week’s most-read stories from our website. Follow @RoughDraftATL on Instagram for regular updates.
① Atlanta Opera to transform Bobby Jones Clubhouse into performing arts center
② Fulton County seeks volunteers to help seniors stay in their homes longer
③ New Georgia law regulating hemp industry goes into effect Oct.1 (pictured)
④ Sandy Springs location of The General Muir will close for good this Sunday
⑤ Salvadoran restaurant and pupuseria La Bodega relocating to Sylvan Hills
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