Friday freeze
Jan. 23 — The weather appears to be turning frightful for the weekend. We’ve got more below about the governor’s state of emergency, and visit RoughDraft.news and follow us on Instagram and Facebook for ongoing coverage of the impending winter storm.
☁️ Cloudy and 52° today, ahead of the predicted ice and snow starting tomorrow afternoon.
🗳️ It remains unclear whether or not the state will comply with a 2024 state election law by eliminating QR codes from ballots.
➡ Georgia Lt. Gov. Burt Jones renewed attacks over the 2020 election as his GOP rival, Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, declined to appear before a Senate committee.
🚲 The Atlanta Beltline broke ground for the city’s first Bike Park on Thursday at Shirley C. Franklin Park on the Westside.
🍎 A parent-led nonprofit filed a long-shot petition to open a new charter school in Sandy Springs, aiming to replace shuttered Spalding Drive Elementary.
✊ Dozens of veterans gathered at the state Capitol on Wednesday to protest a bill that would put guardrails around who can serve as a Veterans Affairs claims agent.
ELSEWHERE
📽️ “Sinners” dominated the Academy Award nominations, breaking records and earning 16 nods. “One Battle After Another,” “Sentimental Value,” and “Marty Supreme” also received multiple nominations. The winners will be announced on March 15.
💸 President Donald Trump sued JPMorgan Chase and its CEO yesterday, claiming he was debanked for political reasons.
📱 TikTok struck a deal to spin off a new U.S.-controlled company, with investors including Oracle and Silver Lake.
🕖 Here’s what’s in today’s newsletter:
• Winter weather
• Film Review: ‘H is for Hawk’
• The Sports Section
AND
• Top Stories of the Week
🎉 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 together nearly 100 top food and beverage partners. Get details and tickets here. SPONSOR MESSAGE
1. State of emergency ahead of winter storm; venues, schools cancel weekend events
🌨️ Gov. Brian Kemp said Georgia could be facing a “major winter storm” this weekend as sleet, freezing rain, and snow move into the state beginning tomorrow.During a press conference on Thursday morning, Kemp said he had already declared a state of emergency for the next seven days and called up the National Guard to stand by for deployment. The state’s emergency operations center is also open.
⛄ Kemp said state agencies were “on point and ready to roll” as weather forecasters have already put North Georgia and all of Metro Atlanta under a winter weather watch from tonight until Monday morning.
🏫 In response to the winter weather threat, Atlanta Public Schools, Fulton County Schools, DeKalb County Schools, and City Schools of Decatur preemptively cancelled weekend sporting events and other activities. More closure announcements are expected throughout the day. The University of Georgia urged students to head home for the weekend and said they expected to cancel classes on Monday. Weekend events are cancelled at all local colleges and universities.
🎟️ The Fox Theatre, Atlanta Botanical Gardens, Atlanta Track Club, Atlanta Symphony Hall, JF&CS, and The Tabernacle also postponed events.
NATIONWIDE
❄️ As of this morning, 46 states are under winter weather advisories, watches, or warnings. Wind chill temperatures as low as -40° have led to school cancellations in Chicago and Milwaukee.
The largest artist market in the Southeast opens on Monday
SPONSORED BY TRINITY SCHOOL
🎨 See the work of more than 400 artists from around the country at the annual Spotlight on Art Artists Market at Trinity School, which begins at 6 p.m. on Mon., Jan. 26, and is open through Sat., Jan. 31.
❄️ Weather Watch! Keep an eye on our socials and website for any weather-related updates.
➡ New art daily! The Market features an ever-changing variety of art in 6,000 square feet of gallery space!
➡ Free entry all week long! And don’t miss next Monday’s Opening Night (6-9 p.m.) and next Friday’s Cocktails & Canvases (6-8 p.m.)! Beverages and hors d’oeuvres are complimentary at these two evening events; no tickets required.
🖌️ Click here for details, including VIP Early Access tickets, hours, and parking.
2. ‘H is for Hawk’ explores isolation in the wake of grief
WEEKLY FILM REVIEW | BY SAMMIE PURCELL
🦅 To anyone who has experienced grief of any kind, there’s a recognizable pattern that takes over. Sometimes, after a loss, you throw yourself into something so fully – work, hobbies, romance, whatever it may be – as a way to make sure you have no time to think about anything else, especially not the person who died.
In 2007, writer Helen Macdonald handled the sudden passing of their father (Alisdair Macdonald, the famed photojournalist) by diving back into a hobby they’d long left in the past: Macdonald purchased a hawk.
The year that Macdonald spent training that hawk turned into the 2014 memoir “H is for Hawk,” which has been adapted into a film by director Philippa Lowthorpe with a script from Lowthorpe and Emma Donoghue. On its face, “H is for Hawk” feels like your standard sort of weepy film about grief, and someone saved by the healing power of animal connection. But Helen’s story is more complex than that. Sometimes, the very thing that’s keeping you sane is also the thing that’s driving you crazy – and the thing that grounds you can also be the thing that keeps you isolated. “H is for Hawk” considers the thorniness of that idea, accentuated by the beauty of Charlotte Bruus Christensen’s cinematography and anchored by a quietly moving lead performance from Claire Foy.
📸 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. Drama Down Under; Hawks host Suns
BY SAMANTHA GARDELLA
🎾 After a first-round, show-stopping jellyfish-inspired outfit, Naomi Osaka made headlines again with a frosty handshake after beating Sorana Cirstea in the second round of the Australian Open.🏐 The Atlanta Vibe lost to the Dallas Pulse last night and plays again on Sunday in Columbus, OH at 2 p.m. (YouTube).🏈 Former UGA All-American Greg Blue was named defensive coordinator for the Dalton High School.🏀 The Hawks host the Suns tonight at 7:30 p.m. (FanDuel Sports; 92.9 FM).🏀 In celebration of MLK Day, the Hawks announced a new initiative with Be The People called Atlanta Changemakers. The campaign aims to unite Atlanta and transform fan enthusiasm into meaningful action.🏆 The NCAA announced four new women’s championships – acrobatics and tumbling, stunt, DII bowling, and DIII wrestling. Flag football joins the Emerging Sports program.🏀 Here are this weekend’s local college basketball games (weather permitting):
Morehouse hosts Spring Hill tomorrow at 1 p.m. (SIAC Network)
No. 21 Georgia men head to Austin for tomorrow’s game against Texas at 1 p.m. (SEC Network; 95.5 FM)
Georgia women are in Lexington on Sunday for a noon game against Kentucky (SEC Network; 95.5 FM)
Georgia Tech men host Clemson tomorrow at noon (ACC Network; 93.7 FM)
Georgia Tech women travel to Tallahassee for Sunday’s 4 p.m. game against FSU (ACC Network; 93.7 FM)
Georgia State men host Arkansas State tomorrow at 2 p.m. (97.5 FM)
Georgia State women head to Alabama for tomorrow’s game against Troy at noon. (ESPN+)
Kennesaw men play Louisiana Tech today at 2 p.m. in Ruston, LA (ESPN+)
Kennesaw women host New Mexico State tomorrow at noon. (ESPN+)
Emory men host Case Western tonight at 5:30 p.m. (FloCollege)
Emory women host Case Western tonight at 7:30 p.m. (FloCollege)
🎉 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 together nearly 100 top food and beverage partners. Get details and tickets here. 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 City of Refuge receives $1.25M grant for affordable housing project
② Here are Atlanta’s 2026 James Beard Awards semifinalists
③ What’s up with all the Atlanta restaurant closures?
④ DeKalb superintendent faces child cruelty charges after alleged dispute with wife
⑤ Hundreds of Georgia Tech students join nationwide protest against ICE (pictured)
🎉 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 together nearly 100 top food and beverage partners. Get details and tickets 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 daily word game.
