Monday morning quarterback
Sept. 8 —The Falcons lost 23-20 to the Buccaneers in their season opener after Younghoe Koo missed a potential game-tying 44-yard field goal with seconds left, following a drive that had given Atlanta the lead with 2:17 remaining. Atlanta plays at Minnesota next Sunday night.
🌤️ A mix of sun and clouds with a high of 79° today.
🚨 Dunwoody Police arrested a man after a car crash that killed an eight-year-old girl on Peachtree Industrial Boulevard.
🚈 Starting today, the Atlanta Streetcar will be suspended for three to four months for infrastructure work. Shuttle vans will ferry passengers along the route.
🚧 MARTA will close Garnett Station for six weeks beginning Saturday while construction crews replace the 44-year-old platform pavers.
🚰 DeKalb County and the Urban League of Greater Atlanta launched the Water Rate Assistance Program (WRAP), an initiative aimed at helping income-eligible households manage water and sewer bills.
🍸 The Sandy Springs City Council approved an ordinance that will allow City Springs restaurants to sell a higher percentage of alcohol than food.
🚣♀️ The Sandy Springs Council also approved the $2.6 million sale of approximately 14 acres of North Island Ferry Road riverfront property to expand the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area.
⚕️ A federal judge has preliminarily blocked a Georgia law prohibiting prison inmates from receiving gender-affirming care. ELSEWHERE
🎾 Aryna Sabalenka beat Amanda Anisimova to win her second straight US Open on Saturday. Carlos Alcaraz beat Jannik Sinner to win the men’s title yesterday, claiming his sixth Grand Slam championship.
🏆 Ariana Grande won video of the year at the 2025 MTV Video Music Awards. Lady Gaga claimed four awards, including artist of the year.
💰 Saturday’s record $1.8 billion Powerball jackpot will be shared by two winners, one in Texas and one in Missouri.
🕖 Here’s what’s in today’s newsletter:
• Pedestrians in the Westside
• ICE raid analysis
• Global Headlines
AND
• Look & Listen
🏠 This six-bedroom, 8,700±-square-foot custom farmhouse estate in Milton’s Lake Haven features panoramic lake views, recent luxury renovations, a main-level owner’s suite, and outdoor living with a saltwater pool, a firepit, and a screened porch. The home is listed at $2.99 million with Atlanta Fine Homes Sotheby’s International Realty. SPONSOR MESSAGE
1. Slow improvements may make Atlanta’s Westside more connected, pedestrian-friendly
🚶 Just west of the Downtown Connector lies a string of historic neighborhoods lumped together between old warehouses: The Goat Farm Arts Center on Huff Road, Brickworks along the Marietta Street Artery, and the Howell Interlocking Junction near Brady Avenue – all harken back to a time when Atlanta flourished because of the railroad.
This once industrial area, known locally as “the Westside,” has become a boomtown in recent years. But for residents and visitors, those same railroad tracks crisscrossing the land often muck up easy access to the restaurants, entertainment, and daily necessities less than a mile away.
Rough Draft talked to Westside residents about growing pains when it comes to connectivity and walkability, and how those residents choose to interact with their neighborhood through shopping, restaurants, personal services, and more.
🚗 Check out the full article here.
Step into a Storybook at the High Museum
SPONSORED BY THE HIGH MUSEUM
📚 Experience the imaginative world of artist and children’s book author Faith Ringgold. Explore over 100 vibrant illustrations from her award‑winning stories and bring your family to imagine a more empathetic, hopeful world together.
➞ On view now at the High Museum.
2. ICE raid on Hyundai plant rattles Korean-American community
WITH ATLANTA K
🚨 Last week, federal agents arrested 475 people in a massive immigration raid at the Hyundai battery plant construction site near Savannah, GA, with most detainees being South Korean nationals. Yesterday, it was announced that South Korean workers detained will be returned to South Korea on a chartered flight.
🇰🇷 We asked our media partners at the Korean-language local news website Atlanta K to help explain the reaction in Georgia’s Korean community
① Editor-in-Chief Eunice Lee spoke to a project manager who said, “It felt like a war zone. We thought we came here to help build Georgia’s largest factory. What we faced instead felt like a military raid.”
Lee calls the raid a “defining moment” and writes that the Hyundai-LG plant was intended to symbolize the future of clean energy manufacturing, but now symbolizes a fracture between immigrant communities and law enforcement, between U.S. rhetoric and reality, and between two nations caught in the crosshairs of domestic politics.
② In an opinion piece titled “An alliance under arrest,” Atlanta K Publisher Paul Lee says that the ICE raid sent “shockwaves through Georgia’s Korean-American community,” and that “the raid’s execution dramatically outpaced its stated intent.”
He spoke to a Korean trade official who lamented, “For years, we were told the U.S. wanted our investments. Now we’re wondering if they want our people.”
3. Terrorist attack in Jerusalem kills 5; UN General Assembly begins in New York
🇮🇱 Five people were killed in a terror shooting attack in Jerusalem this morning.
🇺🇦 Russia launched its largest air attack of the war yesterday morning, striking Kyiv’s main government building and killing four people – including an infant – with 805 drones and 13 missiles.
🇺🇳 Leaders from nearly 200 countries travel to New York this week for the 80th United Nations General Assembly. The Trump Administration has drawn criticism for denying visas to dozens of Palestinian officials.
🇱🇧 Lebanon’s government announced plans to disarm Hezbollah, an Iran-backed Shia Islamist military force.
🇫🇷 France’s Parliament will hold a confidence vote for Prime Minister François Bayrou as the fiscal hawk struggles to gain support for his efforts to rein in spiraling public spending.
🇭🇰 Hong Kong schools are closed today as the region weathers Tropical Cyclone Tapah.
🇻🇦 The Roman Catholic Church has welcomed two new saints, including its first millennial.
🇯🇵 After less than a year in office, Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba resigned in the wake of his party losing its majority coalition over the summer.
🇯🇵 Japan celebrated the 19th birthday of its likely future emperor – Prince Hisahito – with a traditional coming-of-age ceremony.
🇬🇧 Prince Harry visited London, prompting questions about a potential reunion with his father, King Charles III, who’s been receiving cancer treatment.
🇧🇷 The Chargers beat the Chiefs 27-21 in São Paulo on Friday, the NFL’s second time hosting a game in Brazil as part of its effort to grow international audiences.
🗓️ In the wake of a historic immigration raid on a Korean car plant near Savannah, what’s next for the U.S.-Korea economic alliance? Join the World Affairs Council of Atlanta on Sept. 18 for a high-level panel on U.S.–South Korea Economic Cooperation in 2025. Secure your seats today.
🎬 Experience the power of story at Art Farm’s first Film Showcase Weekend. Join us for a special screening of “Parrot Kindergarten“ and a live conversation with the director and the film’s subject. On Sat., Sept. 13. Get tickets here!
SPONSOR MESSAGE
4. Are you ready for some football?
The NFL season is officially underway, and love ’em or hate ’em, the Atlanta Falcons are hoping a revamped defense will take them from also-rans to Super Bowl glory (or at least a division title or NFC Championship). Here are some pods to get you ready for Dirty Birds season.
🎙️ The Atlanta Falcons’ own Falcons Podcast Network, including “Final Whistle” with post-game analysis, gives an inside look at the team.
🎧 The “Locked On Falcons” podcast is your daily ticket to stay ahead of the game with the latest news, analysis, and insider info for the team.
🎙️ Scott Kennedy and Nick Kendell offer analysis, previews, and predictions on “The Falcons Podcast.”
🎧 Host Kevin Knight brings you in-depth coverage of the Atlanta Falcons all year long with multiple episodes of “Dirty Birds & Brews” each week.
🏠 This six-bedroom, 8,700±-square-foot custom farmhouse estate in Milton’s Lake Haven features panoramic lake views, recent luxury renovations, a main-level owner’s suite, and outdoor living with a saltwater pool, a firepit, and a screened porch. The home is listed at $2.99 million with Atlanta Fine Homes Sotheby’s International Realty. SPONSOR MESSAGE
🔤 Don’t miss News Word Atlanta, our new, daily word game.
🦋 Connect with us on Bluesky.
📤 Have a friend or colleague who would enjoy getting this newsletter? Forward them this link to subscribe.
