Holiday weekend ahead
May 23 — The long Memorial Day weekend is here, and major events include the Atlanta Jazz Festival, MomoCon, and the Atlanta Caribbean Carnival at Rodney Cook Sr. Park. Let’s hope the weather holds.
☀️ Sunny and 79° today, but the weekend is looking soggy with rain and possible thunderstorms through Monday.
🚤 The Army Corps of Engineers reversed course on Lake Lanier park closures for Memorial Day weekend after Georgia lawmakers protested staffing shortfalls.
🚘 Mercedes-Benz will move up to 500 jobs to Sandy Springs as it establishes Atlanta as its North American headquarters.
🎤 Ravine, a Midtown music venue that shuttered during the pandemic, will reopen at Underground Atlanta this fall.
🔎 The FBI’s Atlanta office is warning of a scam that threatens international students with prosecution or deportation unless they pay a fine.
ELSEWHERE
💵 The House narrowly passed President Trump’s massive tax and spending package, which faces likely changes in the Senate.
🎓 The Trump administration banned Harvard from enrolling international students.
💰 After more than 200 years, the U.S. Treasury will stop producing pennies by early 2026, as each penny costs 3.7 cents to make.
🌀 Forecasters predict there will be 13 to 19 named storms during the 2025 hurricane season, which runs from June through November.
🕖 Here’s what’s in today’s newsletter:
• Decatur FC preview
• Film review: ‘Mission: Impossible’
• The Sports Section
AND
• Top Stories of the Week
🤟 Join Westside Motor Lounge this Memorial Day weekend on Sat., May 24 for ATHday with five Athens-based bands spanning bluegrass, rock, and funk. Vendors, drink specials, and plenty of Bulldogs celebrating the Classic City. $15 in advance, $20 day of event. SPONSOR MESSAGE
1. Decatur FC gears up for second season
⚽ It’s clear that Atlanta has soccer on the brain. And tonight, things will heat up even more when Decatur FC begins its second season against Union 10 FC.
Last summer, Decatur FC made a successful debut in the Women’s Premier Soccer League (WPSL), ending the season ranked second in the Southeast division with a 6-1-1 record, while setting attendance records along the way.
This year, Coach Campbell Chapman said he is confident in the team’s roster, and the team is looking forward to making a difference both on and off the field.
🦶 Learn more about the upcoming season in this report from our summer intern, Hannah Much.
Party like a Bulldog on ATHday!
SPONSORED BY WESTSIDE MOTOR LOUNGE
🤟Join Westside Motor Lounge this Memorial Day weekend on Sat., May 24 for ATHday, a Classic City Celebration!
Expect live music by five Athens-based bands, bringing a mix of genres like bluegrass, rock, and funk for guests to enjoy.
With food and drinks, art and vendors, prizes, and more, there’s no better time to celebrate the Classic City.
➞ Tickets are $15 in advance, $20 day of – get yours now!
2. ‘Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning’: Tom Cruise says goodbye
WEEKLY FILM REVIEW | BY SAMMIE PURCELL
✈️ Tom Cruise is one of our most important movie stars, and also one of our most improbable – and not just because he is still somehow alive after spending a career doing things like driving motorcycles off of cliffs.
Despite a significant rough patch in the 2000s/early 2010s, despite the Scientology of it all, despite all the couch jumping in the world – he has managed to stay relevant and position himself as the savior of movies. And let’s be honest: it truly feels like he is sometimes!
🎥 “Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning” serves as both a goodbye and a thank you, a remembrance of sorts for all the great movie moments Cruise has wrought over the years with this franchise. That nostalgia oversteps at times, particularly in the film’s first hour, which is a strange and tedious mix of exposition and moments from previous films (seriously, so many clips!). But, in true Cruise fashion, when “The Final Reckoning” locks in, it locks in with a vengeance, and the film’s latter half delivers some of its best action moments to date.
🏍️ Click here to read Sammie’s review.
🍿 Stay in the picture with Scene by Rough Draft, our weekly newsletter about entertainment. Subscribe for free.
3. Dream drop home opener; NFL players approved for Olympics
BY MIA FISHMAN
🏀 The Indiana Fever overcame shooting struggles to beat the Atlanta Dream 81-76 last night. The 1-2 Dream hosts the Dallas Wings tomorrow at 3 p.m. (YouTube TV).
⚾️ The Braves play San Diego tonight at 7:15 p.m. at Truist Park, followed by 4:10 games tomorrow and Sunday (FanDuel Sports; 93.7 FM).
⚽️ Atlanta United hosts Cincinnati on Sunday at 7 p.m. (Apple TV, MLS Season Pass).
🏈 NFL players are permitted to play in flag football during the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles following a 32-0 vote from team owners.
🏎️ The 109th running of the Indianapolis 500 begins on Sunday at 12:45 p.m. (FOX).
⚾️ Georgia was eliminated from the SEC Tournament by Oklahoma, but is expected to be a top-eight seed in the NCAA Tournament.
⚾ Georgia Tech beat Cal to advance to the semifinals of the ACC Tournament in Durham, NC.
🏈 Jim Irsay, the owner of the Indianapolis Colts, died on Wednesday. He was 65.
🤟 Join Westside Motor Lounge this Memorial Day weekend on Sat., May 24 for ATHday with five Athens-based bands spanning bluegrass, rock, and funk. Vendors, drink specials, and plenty of Bulldogs celebrating the Classic City. $15 in advance, $20 day of event. SPONSOR MESSAGE
4. 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 Police say Georgia Tech student’s shooting death was ‘targeted act’
② Hulu series about Murdaugh murders films in Dunwoody (pictured)
③ Staffing shortages force closure of lakeside recreational areas
④ Fulton Schools CFO warns of looming financial crisis
⑤ Georgia Power offers to freeze customer rates
🤟 Join Westside Motor Lounge this Memorial Day weekend on Sat., May 24 for ATHday with five Athens-based bands spanning bluegrass, rock, and funk. Vendors, drink specials, and plenty of Bulldogs celebrating the Classic City. $15 in advance, $20 day of event. SPONSOR MESSAGE
💭 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!
🔤 Don’t miss News Word Atlanta, our new, daily word game – Presented by Oglethorpe University, Atlanta’s premier undergraduate learning experience.
🫶 Support independent, local journalism by becoming a member of Rough Draft for just $12 a year.
