Atlanta United begins 2025 season with new coach and optimism

Friday kicks

Feb. 21 — After spending over $40 million on transfers, including the return of fan-darling Miguel Almirón, Atlanta United begins its 2025 season with a new coach and optimism that the club will again be MLS Cup contenders. The Five Stripes hosts CF Montréal tomorrow at 7:30 p.m. at Mercedes-Benz Stadium (Apple TV+; 92.9 FM).

☀️ Sunny and 44° today. Mostly sunny with highs in the mid-50s this weekend.

🏫 The Fulton County School Board voted to close Parklane and Spalding Drive elementary schools.

🔎 Funeral services were held Thursday for Spelman instructor Joycelyn Wilson, who died in a mysterious boating accident at Lake Oconee on Feb. 8. The search continues for her fiancé, Westminster coach Gary Jones.

🚓 DeKalb County Police Chief Mirtha Ramos was placed on administrative leave amid conflicting reports about her status. Ramos, the department’s first female chief, has served since 2019.

🚨 Sandy Springs Police are investigating the shooting of a teenage girl at a Roberts Drive apartment complex early Thursday morning. The victim is in stable condition.

🗣️ Chairman Robb Pitts touted successes like the construction of a $350 million water reclamation facility and acknowledged challenges such as the condition of the county’s jail during his annual State of Fulton address.

📻 The popular “Politically Georgia” radio show is leaving WABE at the end of the month and will continue as a standalone podcast by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

🌎 The World Affairs Council of Atlanta opened applications for its 2026 Global Leadership Fellows program. The program includes an immersive trip to Germany.

🛋️ Two new Midtown luxury apartment buildings – The Juniper and The Reserve at Juniper – have announced they will begin leasing this spring.

ELSEWHERE

🇮🇱 Israel’s military confirmed the remains of Ariel and Kfir Bibas, who would now be aged five and two, were returned by Hamas, but said a third body was not their mother Shiri as claimed.

🚨 Kash Patel secured Senate confirmation as FBI director in a 51-49 vote, with two Republican senators joining Democrats in opposition.

🕖 Here’s what’s in today’s newsletter:

• Health nonprofits nervous
• Film Review: ‘From Darkness to Light’
• The Sports Section
AND
• Top Stories of the Week

Have a great weekend,
Collin & Sammie

💚 Celebrate and support food service workers at Team Hidi 2025! Over 100 food and beverage partners will unite to help raise critical funds for Giving Kitchen’s mission on Sun., March 16 at Truist Park. View the full lineup. SPONSOR MESSAGE

1. Uncertainty over USAID’s global health aid impacts Atlanta-based nonprofits

❓ The Trump administration’s threat to cut funding for global health initiatives is being felt in Atlanta, where nonprofits administer millions in USAID awards.

The nation’s main foreign aid agency funds Atlanta-based organizations like CARE, The Task Force for Global Health, and The Carter Center’s work on global health projects.

USAID’s work is important to Atlanta on “many levels,” said Mark Rosenberg, former president and CEO of the task force, which is headquartered in Decatur, from supporting nonprofits to preventing disease.

Black Violin comes to Atlanta Symphony Hall on March 2

SPONSORED BY ATLANTA SYMPHONY HALL

🎶 Step into Black Violin’s Full Circle Tour, where GRAMMY-nominated duo Wil Baptiste and Kev Marcus redefine the possibilities of music by merging classical depth with hip-hop’s pulse.

🎻 This tour captures the essence of returning to where it all began—transformed and reimagined. Each powerful performance invites audiences to reflect on their own journeys, discovering that even as we evolve, we’re often drawn back to our roots with renewed purpose. From high school orchestra classmates to groundbreaking artists, Black Violin’s path reflects resilience, creativity, and the courage to challenge expectations.

➡️ Join them for an unforgettable night that celebrates growth, music, and the beauty of coming full circle.

2. ‘From Darkness to Light’ examines Jerry Lewis’ biggest failure

WEEKLY FILM REVIEW | BY SAMMIE PURCELL

🤡 During the Holocaust, a man in a concentration camp attempts to distract a child from the horrors surrounding them through humor.

You probably clocked this logline as the plot of 1997’s “Life is Beautiful.” Directed by and starring Roberto Benigni, “Life is Beautiful” was one of the most lauded films of that awards season, winning the Grand Prix at the Cannes Film Festival and taking home three Academy Awards. However, this description also applies to a different film – one made roughly 20 years prior that is still the subject of mockery and mystique to this day: Jerry Lewis’ “The Day the Clown Cried.”

The Lewis film, which remains unfinished and unreleased, also takes place in a concentration camp and follows a German circus clown (played by Lewis), who is tasked with making Jewish children laugh before they’re marched into a gas chamber and killed. The film is one of Hollywood’s most storied, mythical failures, and is now the subject of a documentary called “From Darkness to Light,” playing at the Atlanta Jewish Film Festival.

🎬 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.

3. Hockey drama; Carson Beck hit by car thieves

🇺🇸 🇨🇦 In a politically charged hockey match in Boston, Canada edged the U.S. 3-2 in overtime at the 4 Nations Face-Off final. With lingering threats by the Trump administration to annex his country, Prime Minister Trudeau said, “You can’t take our country – and you can’t take our game.”

🏀 The Hawks lost to Orlando last night. They host Detroit on Sunday at 6 p.m. (FanDuel Sports Network; 92.9 FM).

🏁 It’s a full weekend of racing at Atlanta Motor Speedway, with the Xfinity Series on Saturday and the NASCAR Cup Series taking the spotlight on Sunday.

🏈 Former Georgia quarterback Carson Beck had two luxury cars (a Mercedes and a Lamborghini) stolen in Miami, where he transferred for his final season. His girlfriend’s SUV was also taken, but was later recovered.