Friday for good
Nov. 21 — Demolition is underway on Sparks Hall, a former Georgia State University classroom building. The demolition is part of the school’s plan to create a campus quad and expand the GSU Greenway, creating more connections to its various buildings and facilities in Downtown Atlanta.
☔ Showers and 73° today. More of the same Saturday, but the sun returns Sunday.
🗳️ You can watch the Sandy Springs Mayoral Runoff Forum hosted by Rough Draft on our YouTube channel.
🛩️ The DeKalb County Commission approved a $45 million expansion plan at DeKalb-Peachtree Airport (PDK) after years of opposition from residents.
💰The DeKalb School District will pay interim Superintendent Norman Sauce a base salary of $325,000 as part of his one-year contract.
💸 Brookhaven City Council passed an ordinance to remove a cap on the city’s millage rate, despite pleas from residents to allow a decision to be made by referendum.
ELSEWHERE
💼 The delayed September jobs report showed employers added 119,000 jobs, far outpacing forecasts, but the unemployment rate rose to 4.4 percent, the highest since October 2021.
🤝 President Donald Trump and New York mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani meet today at the White House for their first face-to-face talks.
🗣️ President Trump accused a group of Democratic lawmakers of “seditious behaviour, punishable by death,” over a video of them reminding the military of the obligation to refuse illegal orders.
🎨 Frida Kahlo’s self-portrait “El sueño (La cama)” sold for $54.7 million last night at Sotheby’s in New York, setting a new record for a woman artist.
🕖 Here’s what’s in today’s newsletter:
• Thanksgiving smackdown
• Film Review: ‘Wicked: For Good’
• The Sports Section
AND
• Top Stories of the Week
Have a good weekend!
🍂 This Thanksgiving, embrace new traditions. Join the Waldorf Astoria for an abundant Thanksgiving Day Buffet where familiar flavors experience an elegant twist. Reserve your table today and prepare for an unforgettable celebration. SPONSOR MESSAGE
1. North vs. South Thanksgiving Smackdown
🦃 When it comes to Thanksgiving, every family thinks that their specific way of making side dishes and cooking a turkey is the end all, be all. But this holiday season, we want to celebrate all Thanksgiving dishes and their many shapes and sizes. Sarra Sedghi and Beth McKibben have compiled recipes from across the country to provide a comprehensive taste of Thanksgiving in the U.S.
🍠 Everyone knows that side dishes are the most important part of any Thanksgiving spread. Check out sweet potato mash and macaroni pie here.
🌽 If you’re looking for some must-have hot dishes for your table, you can’t go wrong with crab dressing or corn pudding.
🥬 Vegetables are an essential part of any balanced Thanksgiving meal. Get your fill of greens and green bean casserole here.
Former Atlanta Braves Catcher Travis d’Arnaud’s home hits the market
SPONSORED BY ATLANTA FINE HOMES
🏡 Priced at $1.95 million and nestled within the gates of Rivers Call, this distinguished residence sits at the end of a quiet cul-de-sac, enveloped by the woodlands of the Chattahoochee National Recreation Area.
Moments from The Battery yet worlds away from any sense of bustle, the setting offers an extraordinary blend of convenience, tranquility, and privacy. This home enjoys a walk-out main-level backyard framed by dense natural greenspace for complete seclusion.
Atlanta Fine Homes Sotheby’s International Realty is Metro Atlanta’s No. 1 residential real estate company and No. 1 in luxury home sales above $1 million.
👉 Check out our current listings here.
2. ‘Wicked: For Good’ is ill-paced and ill-conceived
WEEKLY FILM REVIEW | BY SAMMIE PURCELL
🎞️ Sammie Purcell’s 2024 review of “Wicked” began with the notion that the film would have been much better if someone hadn’t made the decision to split act one and act two of the 2003 Broadway musical into two separate movies.
Now that the second film, “Wicked: For Good” (a roughly hour-long act stretched into a two-hour-and-17-minute movie), has come out, she feels she can firmly say that she was right. But that certainly doesn’t make her feel any better.
“Wicked: For Good” has its moments. But, outside of those few moments, it feels immensely slow and ill-conceived, and unworthy of the two stars at its center.
🎥 Click here to read Sammie’s review. You can also check out her review of the film “Train Dreams” here.
🍿 Stay in the picture with Scene by Rough Draft, our weekly newsletter about Georgia’s film industry. Subscribe for free.
3. Falcons limp into New Orleans; WNBA Draft
BY SAMANTHA GARDELLA | SPONSORED BY NYO
🏀 The Hawks lost last night to the Spurs in San Antonio. They play in New Orleans tomorrow and host Charlotte on Sunday. (FanDuel Sports; 92.9 FM)
⚽ Women’s sports bar Jolene Jolene and Atlanta NWSL are hosting a NWSL Championship watch party at Side Saddle Wine tomorrow at 8 p.m.
🏀 WNBA’s 2026 Draft Lottery will air Sunday at 6:30 p.m. on ESPN. The Atlanta Dream is locked in with a lucky number 13 pick.
⚽ Both Emory men’s and women’s soccer teams have advanced to the Sweet 16 of their respective NCAA Championship tournaments. Their next games will be live-streamed Saturday afternoon on NCAA.com.
🏈 Falcons QB Michael Penix Jr. sustained a knee injury last week, sidelining him for the rest of the season. Kirk Cousins has been promoted to starting QB for Sunday’s game in New Orleans at 4:25 p.m. (FOX; 92.9 FM)
🏈 Dr. Charlie McAdoo Jr., a Druid Hills teacher, coach, and mentor, has been named the 2025 Falcons Fan of the Year.
🏈 Metro Atlanta high school football playoffs are in full swing with 55 games being played tonight. No. 1 Grayson High School takes on No. 82 Colquitt County High School. Follow along at Score Atlanta.
🏈 Here are this weekend’s local college football games:
- No. 4 Georgia hosts Charlotte in Athens tomorrow at 12:30 p.m. (SEC Network; 106.1 FM).
- No. 16 Georgia Tech hosts Pitt for the last regular season game at Bobby Dodd Stadium tomorrow at 7:00 p.m. (ESPN; 106.3 FM).
- Kennesaw State’s seven-game win streak was snapped last week, and they play Missouri State tomorrow at 2:00 p.m. (ESPN+; Sirius XM 984).
- Georgia State travels to Virginia tomorrow to face Troy University at 2:00 p.m. (ESPN+; 88.5 FM).
- Mercer is heading to Auburn for tomorrow’s game at 2:00 p.m. (SEC Network; Mercer Sports Network).
- Georgia Southern hosts Old Dominion for their final home game tomorrow at 1:00 p.m. (ESPN+; Georgia Southern Sports Network).
🏀 Here are this weekend’s local college basketball games:
Morehouse takes on Spring Hill College in Mobile, AL, tomorrow at 6:30 p.m. (SIAC Network).
UGA men are in South Carolina this weekend for the Shriners Children’s Charleston Classic (ESPN2; 91.1 FM).
UGA women are looking to go 7-0 as they host Georgia Tech on Sunday at 2:00 p.m. (SEC Network; 91.1 FM).
Georgia Tech men host West Georgia this Sunday at 2:00 p.m. (ESPN).
GSU men are in South Dakota tonight for an 8:00 p.m. game.
GSU women are off this weekend in preparation for their Thanksgiving home tournament which begins on Mon., Nov. 24 (ESPN+).
Emory men travel to Greensboro, NC, for tomorrow’s game against Guilford College at 2:00 p.m. (FloCollege).
Emory women are looking to continue their win streak as they host Rhodes College on Sunday at 1:00 p.m. (FloCollege).
CAU men and women travel to Tuskegee University tomorrow for a double header starting at 1:00 p.m. (SIAC Network.
🎸 The Bloom Effect presents Holidaze! Smith’s Olde Bar is the place to be on this festive night of Rock ‘n’ Roll on Fri., Dec. 12, with artists Five Eight and The Ladies Of…featuring James Hall. Doors open at 7; show starts at 8 p.m. 18+ only. 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 Kroger to move into former Walmart space in Dunwoody
② Midtown safe streets projects cause headaches, but advocates say growing pains worth it
③ Dunwoody High’s Fortenberry to retire in December
④ Skate Sandy Springs opens for holiday season (pictured)
⑤ Grand opening of Tucker Town Green marks new era for city
🎸 Grab your friends and head to Midtown Alliance’s Jingle Mingle Holiday Party on Dec. 10 from 4 to 6 p.m. Enjoy free live music on the plaza at Peachtree and 15th Streets, churros, hot chocolate and a prize raffle for local experiences. RSVP here! 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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