Fuming about Fern
Jan. 23 — It’s Cathy and Stephanie from Rough Draft with our weekly newsletter on Tucker. Cathy has a beef with whoever named a potentially life-threatening ice storm after a feathery plant.
Out of curiosity, we looked up our names to see if they have been associated with a storm, tropical event, or hurricane. Here you go:
⛈️”Tropical Storm Stephanie formed in the Atlantic Ocean during the 2000 hurricane season. It was a relatively weak system, causing minimal impact. The name ‘Stephanie’ has been retired from use in the Atlantic due to its association with the storm.”
AND
🌍 “Hurricane Cathy was the first named storm and first hurricane of the 2010 Atlantic hurricane season. It formed off the coast of Africa and trekked through the east and central Atlantic Ocean before becoming extratropical on July 23.” The takeaway: Stephanie is the GOAT, and Cathy is a fruity drink. That tracks.
Usually, this is the place we list upcoming events in the city, but Fern has ruined it for everyone. So let’s just get on with this week’s news.
🍹 Extratropical-ly yours,
Stephanie and Cathy
🎉 Celebrate Food Service Workers! Join Giving Kitchen on Sun., March 15, at Truist Park for THE culinary tasting of the year! Team Hidi 2026, fueled by Georgia Natural Gas, brings nearly 100 top food & beverage partners. Get details and tickets here. SPONSOR MESSAGE
Assume that everything is closed
🚪Aside from the Tucker Winter Concert tonight, almost everything else has been canceled or postponed, except one (see below). Let’s hit the highlights.
• The DeKalb Police hiring event has been rescheduled to Jan. 31 from 8 a.m. to noon at the DeKalb County Police Department Training Academy.
• The Tucker Recreation Center will close at 2 p.m. Sat., January 24.
• Public school weekend activities have been canceled. DeKalb Interim Superintendent Dr. Norman Sauce said a decision about whether to close schools on Monday will be made Sunday night.
• City offices will be closed on Monday, and the city council meeting that was scheduled that night has been pushed to Feb. 2.
🪣 We are keeping track of all of the closures and weather updates on our running blog.
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.
Weigh in while you’re staying at home
🗳️ Tucker residents and business owners are invited to offer their feedback on 911 call times and overall public safety in the city.
The Tucker-Northlake Community Improvement District, in partnership with the Georgia Association of Chiefs of Police, completed a public safety assessment and feasibility study last year. As a part of the process, the groups are now gathering feedback from those who live, work, or spend time in Tucker regarding their experiences and perceptions around public safety.
‘Achieve the Dream” talks housing
🏡 DeKalb County and the Neighborhood Assistance Corporation of America (NACA) are joining forces to make homeownership a reality for thousands of residents.
On Jan. 20, a panel discussion, “A Candid Conversation on the State of Housing,” brought together DeKalb County CEO Lorraine Cochran-Johnson, Alan Ferguson Sr., DeKalb County’s chief housing officer and COO Zach Williams, and Bruce Marks, NACA’s executive director. The discussion is a part of the CEO Lecture Series.
During the panel, the four-day “Achieve the Dream” event, which began Jan. 22 and is sponsored by DeKalb and NACA, was announced. The event will serve as one of the key initiatives for DeKalb’s housing development plan. NACA, a non-profit, U.S. Department of Housing and Development-certified organization dedicated to making homeownership affordable for low-to-moderate-income individuals, has helped secure 75,000 mortgages over the last four decades.
NOTE: This weekend event has not been canceled as of Friday, but you should probably check the county’s website before you take your life into your own hands on Sunday.
🥶 Read Stephanie’s story here.
🎉 Celebrate Food Service Workers! Join Giving Kitchen on Sun., March 15, at Truist Park for THE culinary tasting of the year! Team Hidi 2026, fueled by Georgia Natural Gas, brings nearly 100 top food & beverage partners. Get details and tickets here. SPONSOR MESSAGE
Picture this: Peter’s Park restroom open
🚻 One would think that building a park restroom would not be a big deal, but this one was a long time coming. On Tuesday, council members and DeKalb County District 1 Commissioner Rob Patrick, who supplied some of the funds for its construction, were on hand to cut the ceremonial ribbon on the park’s newest addition.
According to the Tucker P&R department, the park, officially called William McKinley Peters Park, had its parking lot rebuilt/regraded in 2020-2021. It also includes a new playground and workout area, a large grassy field, and a playground located directly west of the parking lot. And now, a nice restroom.
🚾 Here is more information about the park.
Share your love of Rough Draft with a friend
Use the personal referral link below and get cool stuff.
Get 10 referrals and we’ll send you some stickers.
Get 20 and you’ll get a t-shirt!
