Friday limbo
Nov. 14 — The government has reopened, but GPB News reports that Affordable Care Act tax subsidies hang in the balance as Georgians navigate open enrollment with more questions than answers.
☀️ Sunny and 71° today. The springlike weather continues through the weekend.
⚖️ A North Carolina man has been convicted of a hate crime targeting Georgia State Rep. Esther Panitch and a Macon, GA, rabbi.
🗳️ Early voting ends today for voters in Fulton and Cobb counties deciding between six candidates for Senate District 35, ahead of the Nov. 18 special election.
🚒 A fire ravaged South River Art Studios earlier this week, destroying 25-30 artist studios. You can donate to the South River Studios Fire Recovery Fund here.
🛣️ The Atlanta Regional Commission re-elected Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens as Chair of the Board of Directors.
🌳 The newly completed Tucker Town Green will host an official grand opening event today from 4-7 p.m.
📱 The DeKalb County School District has spent $4.3 million on a federal lawsuit against Meta, TikTok, Snapchat, and YouTube to get funding for a social media addiction program.
🎶 After canceling a summer event due to weather, ATL Free Fair returns to East Atlanta tomorrow with free food, educational discussions, skill shares, crafts, and more.
ELSEWHERE
☕ Starbucks baristas staged a Red Cup Day strike, with walkouts hitting stores in 41 cities, including stores in Roswell and Alpharetta, GA.
☎️ Verizon said it will cut 15,000 employees, the company’s largest-ever layoff.
🇬🇧 The BBC apologized to President Donald Trump for misleadingly editing a speech.
🇵🇷 Bad Bunny won his first major Latin Grammy, winning album of the year for “DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS.”
🕖 Here’s what’s in today’s newsletter:
• Mujo’s next move
• Movie Review: ‘The Running Man’
• The Sports Section
AND
• Top Stories of the Week
🎄 Community Tradition. New Home. Enjoy Light Up Dunwoody at the historic Donaldson-Bannister Farm! Enjoy festive performances, Santa photos, reindeer, crafts, food, and fun! Gather with neighbors and friends to light the tree and menorah and welcome the holiday season. SPONSOR MESSAGE
1. Team behind Michelin-starred Mujo planning Japanese supper club in Buckhead
🇯🇵 It’s been nearly four years since the debut of Mujo, the Michelin-starred omakase restaurant backed by the Castellucci Hospitality Group. Now, its chef, J. Trent Harris, and the Castellucci family will follow up on Mujo’s success with Koshu Club in Buckhead.
Opening in early 2026 at the 99 West Paces building, Koshu Club takes inspiration from Japan’s Shōwa era cuisine, often a fusion of Western foods (yoshoku) and traditional Japanese dishes (washoku).
At just 40 seats, like Mujo, Koshu Club will offer an intimate dining experience, one Castellucci “calls fine dining with flexibility.”
🍣 More on this story from Beth McKibben here.
Italian Ruins to DIVE for!
SPONSORED BY FERNBANK MUSEUM
🌊 Journey beneath the waves with Sunken Treasures, Ancient Seas at Fernbank Museum.
You won’t want to miss this immersive journey beneath the Mediterranean Sea to uncover ancient shipwrecks, artifacts, and lost worlds. Featuring real relics found off the coast of Italy, HD video explorations, and more, this exhibition reveals how underwater archaeologists bring the past to light.
➞ This exhibit is open daily, or you can swing by for after-hours during select special events! On view now until Jan. 11, 2026.
2. ‘The Running Man’ is a little too silly to take itself so seriously
WEEKLY FILM REVIEW | BY SAMMIE PURCELL
🏃 About a day into “The Running Man” – the titular game show from Edgar Wright’s adaptation of the Stephen King novel – a contestant named Jansky (Martin Herlihy) is about to die. Jansky is one of three contestants tasked with avoiding a murderous crew of hunters for 30 days in order to win $1 billion. Unbeknownst to him, the cashier he’s been hitting on for the last few minutes has reported him to the authorities. One of the other contestants, Ben Richards (Glen Powell), is watching the whole doomed affair play out on television.
Jansky is painted as a fool during his death sequence. In contrast, Richards is all seriousness, quietly urging Jansky to run away, his rage-filled eyes pained at the sound of the gunshot that kills his competitor.
This moment is emblematic of the type of tonal clash that can be found all over “The Running Man,” a movie that’s a little too absurd for how seriously it takes itself. While Wright is a capable action filmmaker and finds the right balance in a few key moments, convoluted plotting and characterization – and a third act that tanks whatever goodwill the film earns early on – drag “The Running Man” down.
📺 Click here to read Sammie’s review. You can also read her reviews of “Nouvelle Vague” and “Put Your Soul on Your Hand and Walk.”
🍿 Stay in the picture with Scene by Rough Draft, our weekly newsletter about Georgia’s film industry. Subscribe for free.
3. Georgia v. Texas in Athens; Ohtani, Judge repeat as MVPs
BY SAMANTHA GARDELLA | SPONSORED BY NYO
⚾ The Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani and the Yankees’ Aaron Judge repeated as MVPs, with Ohtani winning unanimously for the third straight year
🏏 Ground was broken last week on the LaGrange Cricket Stadium, a new 10,500-seat venue being designed by Atlanta-based firm TVS.
🏀 The Hawks have won four in a row, after beating the Jazz 132-122 last night. They play at Phoenix on Sunday at 8 p.m. (FanDuel Sports; 92.9 FM).
🏈 The Falcons will try to snap a four-game losing streak when they play at home against the Carolina Panthers on Sunday at 1 p.m. (FOX; 92.9 FM).
🏈 Here are this weekend’s local college football games:
- No. 5 Georgia hosts No. 10 Texas in Athens on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. (ESPN/ABC).
- No. 16 Georgia Tech heads to Boston College for a Saturday afternoon game at 3:30 p.m. (ACC Network; 106.3 FM).
- Kennesaw State looks to continue its seven-game win streak at Jacksonville State Saturday at 8 p.m. (ESPNU; Sirius XM 984).
- Georgia State hosts Marshall for their final home game of the season on Saturday at 2 p.m. (ESPN+; 88.5 FM).
- Mercer hosts Chattanooga on Saturday at 3:00 p.m. (ESPN+; Mercer Sports Network).
- West Georgia hosts Utah Tech for the final home game on Saturday at 2 p.m. (ESPN+).
- Georgia Southern looks to improve to 5-5 as they host Coastal Carolina on Saturday at 6 p.m. (ESPN+; Georgia Southern Sports Network).
🏀 Here are this weekend’s local college basketball games:
- Georgia MBB hosts Georgia Tech tonight at 9:00 p.m. as they attempt to extend their record to 4-0 (Tickets; ESPN; 91.1 FM).
- Georgia’s women beat South Carolina State last night, 85-49.
- Georgia Tech’s women beat Charleston Southern last night 87-40.
- Georgia State got its first win last night, beating Fort Valley State 90-56.
- GSU women lost to Furman in OT 90-89.
- Emory’s men travel to Chicago this weekend for the Midway Classic, where they’ll play Trinity and UCSC (FloCollege).
- Emory WBB hosts the Tip-Off Classic this weekend, taking on Randolph-Macon and Dickinson (FloCollege).
- Kennesaw State men look to improve to 4-0 when they play USF on Sunday at 2:00 p.m. (ESPN+), and the KSU women host Tennessee Tech tomorrow at 2:00 p.m.(ESPN+).
- Clark Atlanta’s men open their season tonight at 7 p.m. against Florida Southern, while the women travel to Alabama for the GSC/SIAC Challenge.
- Morehouse begins its season tomorrow against Embry-Riddle at 7 p.m.
🏈 The Score Atlanta game of the week is the first-round playoff matchup between the Lee County Trojans (7-3) at the Sprayberry Yellow Jackets (9-1) tonight at 8 p.m. Watch live on Atlanta News First (Channel 46) and the Peachtree Sports Network, beginning with the Georgia High School Countdown to Kickoff pregame show at 7:30 p.m. Postgame coverage airs live until midnight.
💚 Open Hand delivers love, dignity, and nutrition to neighbors with chronic disease, homebound seniors, or those unable to cook for themselves. Help us deliver 100,000 meals for our neighbors in need by the end of the year. Donate today to support those who need it most. 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 Trump pardon of 2020 election allies won’t erase Fulton charges
② Concerns voiced over double drive-thru at proposed Raising Cane’s in Dunwoody
③ Deconstruction of concrete canopy underway at MARTA Five Points Station (pictured)
④ Tucker trans woman’s encounter with officer sparks DeKalb Police investigation
🎼 The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra warmly invites you to revel in the joy of the season at the Coca-Cola Holiday Concerts. Enjoy beloved carols, hymns, orchestral favorites, and more, starting Dec. 11 at Symphony Hall. 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.
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