Here’s Friday
July 25 — Atlanta-based Norfolk Southern and Union Pacific confirmed Thursday that merger talks are happening to create a single U.S railroad with service stretching across the country.
🌩️ Isolated thunderstorms and 91° today. The weekend looks sunny and hot.
🗳️ After meeting with Gov. Brian Kemp, Insurance Commissioner John King has suspended his campaign for U.S. Senate. Kemp is reportedly backing former football coach Derek Dooley in the race to unseat incumbent Jon Ossoff.
💵 Atlanta Public Schools said it will give pay raises to its “frontline employees,” including bus drivers, custodians, paraprofessionals, and nurses — ranging from one to 10%.
✂️ A Brown University study says cuts to Medicaid put 37 Georgia nursing homes at risk of closing.
🔎 The Atlanta Citizens Review Board will begin receiving notice of officer-involved shootings, deaths in custody, and firearm discharges within 24 hours following a new agreement with city leaders.
⚕️ The Fulton County Board of Health said it will restore at least 14 HIV prevention and sexual health workers after laying them off in May.
💰 Candidates in the upcoming Sandy Springs municipal elections have raised more than $580,000.
🏞️ The Lavista Park master plan has been approved by the Brookhaven City Council, addressing flooding, trails, and lighting.
🩰 The Atlanta Ballet will host the premiere of “Frida,” a tribute to artist Frida Kahlo, choreographed by Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, during its 2025-26 season.
ELSEWHERE
🇫🇷 France will recognize Palestine as a state at the UN General Assembly in September.
🥵 New York and New Jersey are bracing for a heat wave with temperatures that feel like 105°.
🎗️ Jazz musician Chuck Mangione, whose instrumental hit “Feels So Good” reached No. 4 in 1978, died earlier this week at age 84.
🎗️ Pro-wrestling icon Hulk Hogan died yesterday at age 71.
🕖 Here’s what’s in today’s newsletter:
• Chef McCoy pop-up
• Film review: ‘Oh, Hi!’
• The Sports Section
AND
• Top Stories of the Week
Have a good weekend!
💡 Eddiver Rodriguez discovered something through Georgia’s Work-Based Learning program that many adults never find: exactly what he wanted to do with his life. While classmates were filling out college applications, he was splicing underground power cables. Learn how WBL connected him with his career at Georgia Power before graduation. SPONSOR MESSAGE
1. Chef Olivia McCoy wants her fine dining pop-up to be an inclusive food experience
VIA SIDE DISH, A WEEKLY NEWSLETTER ABOUT FOOD | SUBSCRIBE
🥗 Chef Olivia McCoy wants to create a fine dining space where all Atlantans can eat, regardless of dietary restrictions or food allergies. And her pop-up, String Bean, which she hopes to nurture into a restaurant, is just the beginning.
“I’d like to bring to the table and make sure that everyone is having this unified experience where they feel comfortable and confident in the food they’re eating,” McCoy said. “Make them feel nourished, like everybody’s part of the party.”
McCoy has hosted a handful of pop-ups thus far and learned crucial lessons – gauging how much food she actually needs to prepare for an event as opposed to a restaurant, and simultaneously wearing multiple hats as a chef, business owner, and marketer. Her current priority is establishing a fan base and getting support from the local food scene.
👩🍳 Learn more about McCoy’s path to String Bean here.
Why flea & tick prevention is a must in the summer
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22. ‘Oh, Hi!’ offers an uneven form of satire
WEEKLY FILM REVIEW | BY SAMMIE PURCELL
🍓 Out of almost every bad break up between a man and a woman, a singular narrative arises: he was a jerk, and she was crazy. “Oh, Hi!,” the sophomore feature from filmmaker Sophie Brooks, posits: What if that were true?
Iris (Molly Gordon) and Isaac (Logan Lerman) have been seeing each other for a few months when they decide to go on a romantic weekend getaway. The getaway turns sour, however, when it becomes clear that while Iris thought the two were a couple, Isaac did not.
“Oh, Hi!” plays into the crazy girlfriend trope, turning Iris into a manic pixie nightmare as she tries to convince Isaac to overcome his fear of commitment (which quickly evolves into a fear of her). It would be dishonest to say that “Oh, Hi!” doesn’t have its moments – it’s made by funny people who have modern comedic sensibilities. Despite that, its attempts at satire are uneven at best, making for a hollow take on gender roles and the rules of contemporary dating.
⛓️ 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. Venus Williams loses in second round; Falcons training camp begins
BY HANNAH MUCH
⚾ The Braves play the Rangers in an away weekend series, starting tonight at 8:05 p.m.
⚽ Atlanta United tries to find a silver lining in a disappointing season when they host the Seattle Sounders tomorrow at 7:30 p.m. at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
🚴 Catch the final three stages of the Tour de France this weekend, ending with stage 21 on the famed Champs-Élysées in Paris on Sunday (NBC).
🎾 Venus Williams, 45, saw her comeback tournament end with a 6-2, 6-2 loss, just two days after becoming the oldest woman to win a tour-level match since Martina Navratilova in 2004.
🏀 The Hawks performed well at Summer League with a 4-1 record, with standout performances from new draftee Asa Newell, as well as Nikola Đurišić and Kobe Bufkin.
🏈 The Falcons began training camp yesterday, with sold-out tickets to watch practices on Saturday and Sunday at 9:30 a.m.
💡 Eddiver Rodriguez’s path from a Work-Based Learning student to apprentice to future journeyman with Georgia Power is more than one success story. It’s a model of how schools and industry can partner to solve workforce gaps while helping students who might otherwise struggle to find their path after high school. Learn more here. 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 These regulars are ‘the lifeblood’ of The Colonnade in Atlanta (pictured)
② Georgia ranks fourth in U.S. for STDs
③ Kroger stores closing earlier than expected
④ Fulton County holding town hall meetings on property tax assessments
⑤ Explore the buzz around banana drinks on summer menus
💡 Eddiver Rodriguez discovered something through Georgia’s Work-Based Learning program that many adults never find: exactly what he wanted to do with his life. While classmates were filling out college applications, he was splicing underground power cables. Learn how WBL connected him with his career at Georgia Power before graduation. 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!
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