Friday focus
Dec. 19 — Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport is expecting 5.3 million travelers during the holiday period starting today and running through Jan. 4. Passengers are advised to arrive at the airport at least two hours early for domestic flights and three hours for international flights.
☀️ Sunny with a high of 60° today. Rinse and repeat for the weekend.
⚖️ The U.S. Justice Department sued Georgia and three other jurisdictions over voter data requests, as Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger said the state complied legally while pushing back on broader federal demands.
🍻 The Sweetwater 420 Fest is moving from Pullman Yards to Shirley Clarke Franklin Park on the Westside in 2026.
🏀 ESPN host and Atlanta native Elle Duncan has signed a deal with Netflix to host sports and other live events.
❓ Changes at the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development have left housing support organizations in Georgia unsure of where their 2026 funding will come from.
ELSEWHERE
🚨 The suspected gunman in Saturday’s deadly Brown University shooting and the killing of an MIT professor, a 48-year-old former Brown student, was found dead by suicide in a New Hampshire storage unit.
➡ In Washington, the Kennedy Center board voted to add President Donald Trump’s name to the arts institution, prompting legal questions and backlash. At the White House, plaques on the Presidential Walk of Fame now include disparaging commentary on Trump’s predecessors.
🏳️⚧️ The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services proposed a broad set of regulatory actions that would sharply restrict genderaffirming care for minors.
🎗️ Former NASCAR driver Greg Biffle and several others were killed in a plane crash in North Carolina yesterday.
🕖 Here’s what’s in today’s newsletter:
• Atlantic Station reacts to Publix closure
• Film Review: ‘The Housemaid’
• The Sports Section
AND
• Top Stories of the Week
🏀 ATL – Celebrate the holidays with Hawks basketball! Big games vs. top opponents like the Spurs, Bulls, Heat, Knicks, and Timberwolves await. Secure your seats today to be a part of the action.
SPONSOR MESSAGE
1. After Publix closure announced, Atlantic Station residents want their voices heard
🛒 When Atlantic Station residents discovered that the Publix grocery store and pharmacy were leaving the 20-year-old, mixed-use development on Dec. 27, they jumped into action by organizing a petition and requesting meetings with elected officials.
A dense, urban development towering above the Connector to the west, Atlantic Station is home to around 6,000 residents. Once considered a shopping destination in the heart of Atlanta, major retailers for years have opted out of renewing leases there, including West Elm, Gap, Athleta, Banana Republic, and DSW. Gap, Inc. has been closing hundreds of stores nationwide to consolidate and strengthen the company. Atlantic Station, along with Lenox and Perimeter malls, was among the closure locations.
Once Publix shutters, the closest, most accessible grocery store to Atlantic Station residents is Lidl on Northside Drive near 14th Street, nearly one mile away.
🛍️ Click here to hear more about what residents have to say.
Wrap Up a Year Full of Surprises
SPONSORED BY FERNBANK MEMBERSHIP
🎁 Looking for the perfect gift?
Something that sparks joy, incites hugs, induces smiles, and warms the heart? Share a year of exploration with a Fernbank Membership – unlimited daytime general admission to exhibits, films, and nature adventures.
🎄 Members enjoy 75 acres of outdoor fun in WildWoods and Fernbank Forest, plus three floors of hands-on science exhibits indoors. Seasonal activities, canopy walks, and nature play areas await.
And don’t forget: Fernbank is unveiling new museum experiences over the next two years, starting with “Our Place in the Cosmos“ in late 2025.
✨ Look for our Holiday 2025 sale running now through Dec. 25.
2. ‘The Housemaid’ is deliciously trashy
WEEKLY FILM REVIEW | BY SAMMIE PURCELL
🗝️ There is something to be said for a good, old-fashioned trashy movie. I’m not talking “guilty pleasures,” but rather a movie unashamed of its tastelessness. A movie that’s smart in its stupidity, that doesn’t take itself too seriously, but still manages a certain slyness along the way.
Director Paul Feig is certainly no stranger to this type of film. 2018’s “A Simple Favor,” starring Anna Kendrick as a mommy blogger who strikes up a friendship with an enigmatic, icy blonde (Blake Lively), is the platonic ideal of this genre – a silly, campy script delivered from the mouths of actors who know just how to play the preposterousness of it all.
Feig’s latest film, “The Housemaid” (written by Rebecca Sonnenshine, based on Freida McFadden’s novel of the same name), is not the best of these types of films. But it certainly lives in that lineage, and is all the better for it.
🩰 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. KSU’s first bowl game; CFP begin tonight
BY SAMANTHA GARDELLA | SPONSORED BY NYO
🏀 The CBS Sports Classic returns to State Farm Arena tomorrow with Kentucky vs. No. 22 St. John’s at 12:30 p.m., followed by Ohio State vs. No. 11 North Carolina at 3 p.m.
🏀 The Hawks begin a five-game homestand tonight against the Spurs at 7:30 p.m. and the Bulls on Sunday at 3:30 p.m. (FanDuel Sports; 92.9 FM).
🏈 The Falcons are in Arizona this weekend to face the Cardinals on Sunday at 4:05 p.m. (FOX; 92.9 FM).
💰 The Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation is donating $6.3 million over the next three years to six metro Atlanta school districts as a way to increase access to sports.
⚾️ Robert Suarez signed a three-year, $45 million deal with the Braves, pushing their payroll over $260 million, a $40 million increase from last season, according to Spotrac.
🏈 Here are this weekend’s college football playoff games:
- Kennesaw State makes its college bowl debut against Western Michigan in the Myrtle Beach Bowl today at 11 a.m. (ESPN; Sirius XM 963).
- No. 8 Oklahoma hosts No. 9 Alabama tonight at 8 p.m. (ABC; ESPN; 103.7 FM).
- Tomorrow’s playoff games feature No. 7 Texas A&M at No. 10 Miami, No. 6 Ole Miss hosts No. 20 Tulane, and No. 5 Oregon hosts. No. 24 James Madison.
🏀 Here are this weekend’s local college basketball games:
- Georgia men host West Georgia on Monday at 2 p.m. (SEC Network, 95.5 FM).
- Georgia women are in Virginia this week to play VCU tonight at 7 p.m. and Coppin State on Sunday at noon. (ESPN+; 95.5 FM).
- Georgia Tech men host Lafayette tomorrow at 2 p.m. (ACC Network Extra, 93.7 FM).
- Georgia State men travel to Appalachian State tomorrow for a 1 p.m. game. (97.5 FM).
- Georgia State women head to Coastal Carolina tomorrow for a 1 p.m. game. (ESPN+).
- Morehouse hosts Lincoln University today at 10 a.m. (ESPN+).
- Emory men are in Charlotte, NC to play Christopher Newport University today at 5 p.m. and then The College of NJ tomorrow at 5 p.m. (FloCollege).
🍑 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 tomorrow, 9 a.m.-8 p.m. at Cook’s Warehouse Ansley Mall. 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 Jaha Howard wins Georgia District 35 runoff election(pictured)
② Fire started by menorah candle guts Dunwoody home
③ Forge Atlanta moves forward in Downtown Atlanta
④ Atlanta restaurants offering dine-in and takeout on Christmas Day
⑤ DeKalb extends data center moratorium amid health concerns
🏀 ATL – Celebrate the holidays with Hawks basketball! Big games vs. top opponents like the Spurs, Bulls, Heat, Knicks, and Timberwolves await. Secure your seats today to be a part of the action. 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 daily word game.
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