Wednesday results
Dec. 17 — Former Cobb County School Board member Jaha V. Howard defeated retired state Rep. Roger Bruce in yesterday’s Georgia State Senate District 35 runoff election.
⛅ Partly cloudy with a high of 61° today.
🗣️ Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis will testify before the Senate Special Committee on Investigations this morning. She says the subpoena over her prosecution of President Donald Trump is “political theater.”
🪙 The annual prediction by the Selig Center for Economic Growth rates the risk of a recession in Georgia at pretty much a coin toss – 49%.
🗓️ Georgia’s parole board postponed tonight’s execution of convicted murderer Stacey Humphreys due to alleged conflicts of interest in clemency proceedings.
🧯 DeKalb fire officials say a lit menorah was the cause of a fire that gutted a Dunwoody home.
🔎 Authorities are investigating the death of a 77-year-old man who was struck and killed by a FedEx truck driver over the weekend near the entrance of a Target in Tucker.
🗄️ The Boulder, CO police department says it has collected new evidence in the 1996 unsolved murder of Atlanta-born JonBenét Ramsey.
🕎 Join The Spring for the Fifth Night Hanukkah party tomorrow at 7 p.m. at Ponce City Market. Bites from chefs Todd Ginsberg and Tal Baum will be featured with cocktails and music.
🏆 North Oconee, Blessed Trinity, Worth County, Carver-Columbus, and Carrollton won their respective GHSA Football Championships yesterday. Play continues today at 1 p.m. at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
ELSEWHERE
🚨 Rhode Island officials released new images and video of a masked person of interest in the Brown University shooting, as investigators said the suspect appeared to case the area for hours.
💼 The unemployment rate rose to 4.6% in November, the highest since September 2021.
📺 President Trump will deliver a prime-time address from the White House tonight at 9 p.m.
PICTURE THIS: If you’re in the mood for an evening drive to look at holiday lights, we’ve updated our Decked Out guide for Metro Atlanta with some suggestions in Midtown and Virginia-Highland (pictured).
🕖 Here’s what’s in today’s newsletter:
• A John Waters Christmas
• Perspectives in Architecture
• World Cup volunteers
• Wellness Wednesday
AND
• Concert Picks
🍑 Celebrate local flavor with Georgia Grown gifts! Build beautiful baskets or grab flavorful stocking stuffers from local craft makers. Enjoy chef demos, tasty samples, and meet the farmers. Visit us Sat., Dec. 20, 9 a.m.-8 p.m. at Cook’s Warehouse Ansley Mall. SPONSOR MESSAGE
1. Have yourself a Merry John Waters Christmas
🎬 When it comes to iconic Christmas scenes in movies, none can top the tree-toppling tantrum thrown by cha-cha heels-deprived Dawn Davenport in John Waters’ fifth full-length feature “Female Trouble” from 1974.
Therefore, it’s not all that surprising that Waters continues to make art out of Christmas, performing his spoken word Christmas tour in cities across the country. He’ll stop at Variety Playhouse in Little Five Points tonight.
Waters has even more reason to celebrate with the release of his new red vinyl 7” single, a cover of Little Cindy’s “Happy Birthday Jesus (A Child’s Prayer)” on the A-side, and “A Pig Latin Visit From St. Nicholas” on the B-side.
🎄 Waters spoke with Rough Draft ahead of his stop in Atlanta. Check out that interview here.
Fashion meets art at the High Museum!
SPONSORED BY THE HIGH MUSEUM
👗 Experience Viktor&Rolf: Fashion Statements – a bold, breathtaking exhibition celebrating avant-garde fashion visionaries who blurred the line between haute couture and art. Only at the High, the exhibition’s sole U.S. stop.
➞ On view through Feb. 8, 2026.
2. Perspectives in Architecture: Historic building makes news with renovation
🏛️ The Atlanta Constitution Building opened in 1947 as the most innovatively designed newspaper headquarters in the country. Designed by Atlanta-based architectural firm Robert & Company at a cost of $3 million, the five-story Art Moderne Building with curvilinear walls, horizontal bands of windows, and understated exterior ornamentation housed the Atlanta Constitution newspaper, WCON radio station, WCON-TV station, and ground-floor retail space.
By 1955, the merger of the Atlanta Constitution and Atlanta Journal newspapers led to the decision to vacate the building. Although Georgia Power and other occupants used the building in subsequent years, the Atlanta Constitution Building has been vacant since 1972. Neglect has taken a toll on the building with the removal of exterior windows, proliferation of graffiti, fire damage, and growth of trees on the rooftop.
After a decade of false starts, plans are underway for the rehabilitation of the Atlanta Constitution Building. Given the building’s history and proximity to the Five Points MARTA Station, Centennial Yards, and the South Downtown district, Gensler Studio Director Doug Schuette notes, “Our firm is thrilled to be a part of revitalizing Downtown Atlanta.”
🏗️ Read more from Melody Harclerode here.
3. Suit Up for the Home Team!
IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE ATLANTA BELTLINE
⚽ From the sidelines to the spotlight, you can be part of the World Cup excitement right here in Atlanta!
🌎 The Beltlineneeds enthusiastic volunteers to help welcome fans, keep events running smoothly, and showcase the best of our city. Lend a hand, make a play, and be part of a world-class experience. Don’t miss your chance to help Atlanta shine on the global stage!
4. Wellness Wednesday
👂 Join Raye Andrews (pictured) for a healing sound bath at Unity Atlanta Church in Peachtree Corners on Thursday at 7 p.m. Expect an immersive listening experience that will bring relaxation and a sense of calm.
🐐 Experience the ultimate blend of tranquility and cuteness with your yoga practice by attending GGA Dwarf Goat Yoga at Phoenix and Dragon Bookstore in Sandy Springs on Saturday at 11 a.m. Led by a certified “goga” instructor, this one-hour session combines the serenity of yoga with micro Australian dwarf goats.
🪑 Bend and stretch as part of a gentle Chair Yoga class at Five Forks Branch library in Lawrenceville on Saturday at 11 a.m.
🍑 Celebrate local flavor with Georgia Grown gifts! Build beautiful baskets or grab flavorful stocking stuffers from local craft makers. Enjoy chef demos, tasty samples, and meet the farmers. Visit us Sat., Dec. 20, 9 a.m.-8 p.m. at Cook’s Warehouse Ansley Mall. SPONSOR MESSAGE
5. Concert Picks
Wed., Dec. 17
🎼 Sarah Brightman @ Atlanta Symphony Hall
💀 The Front Bottoms @ The Eastern
Thurs., Dec. 18
🔔 96.1 The Beat’s Jingle Ball @ State Farm Arena
🇰🇷 KARD @ Buckhead Theatre
🏨 TyFontaine @ Aisle 5
Fri., Dec. 19
🪕 Béla Fleck & The Flecktones + Victor Wooten @ The Eastern
🎧 JID @ Coca-Cola Roxy
🛻 Kip Moore @ Buckhead Theatre
Sat., Dec. 20
🎻 Celtic Woman Symphony Christmas Tour @ Atlanta Symphony Hall (also Sunday)
⛵ Yacht Rock Revue @ Coca-Cola Roxy
🎵 Zaytoven & Friends + Renaissance Orchestra @ Tabernacle
Sun., Dec. 21
🔥 Lil Crank @ Vinyl
Tues., Dec. 23
🎤 Nick Murphy + Mandal @ The EARL
🍑 Celebrate local flavor with Georgia Grown gifts! Build beautiful baskets or grab flavorful stocking stuffers from local craft makers. Enjoy chef demos, tasty samples, and meet the farmers. Visit us Sat., Dec. 20, 9 a.m.-8 p.m. at Cook’s Warehouse Ansley Mall. SPONSOR MESSAGE
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