Weekend in bloom
Friday, April 10 — The 90th Annual Atlanta Dogwood Festival is this weekend in Piedmont Park. Here’s a guide to the event that has helped define the start of spring in Atlanta for almost a century.
☀️ Sunny with a high near 81° today, tomorrow, and Sunday.
🏜️ Atlanta is now more than 5 inches below its average rainfall this year, with 98% of Georgia experiencing drought conditions.
🚨 Channel 2 Action News reports that two GSP troopers were hospitalized last night after the pursuit of a Range Rover on Peachtree Road in Buckhead.
🚒 Roswell firefighters battled a large blaze at the Enclave Apartments on Greenhouse Drive Thursday evening. No injuries were reported.
🌳 The Sandy Springs City Council approved a nearly $4 million contract to construct a new 23-acre park on Old Riverside Drive.
🚨 The Norcross Police Department is joining a multi-agency special response team with Duluth, Lilburn, and Suwanee.
⛳ Rory McIlroy shot a 5-under 67 in the opening round of the Masters, sharing the lead with Sam Burns. Round 2 begins at 7:40 a.m. today. Here’s how to watch.
🏀 The Hawks host the Cavaliers tonight at State Farm Arena at 7 p.m. (Prime Video; 92.9FM).
⚾ The Braves also host a Cleveland team, with the Guardians visiting for a three-game series starting this evening at 7:25 p.m. (Braves.TV; 93.7FM).
🎨 Looking for more weekend plans? Check out the Spring Festival on Ponce, the opening weekend of the Georgia Renaissance Festival, and the Indonesian Night Market in Norcross.
ELSEWHERE
🗣 In a rare press conference, first lady Melania Trump denied being a victim of Jeffrey Epstein and called on Congress to hold a public hearing for his survivors.
🍼 The U.S. fertility rate fell to a record low in 2025, as women delay starting families and teen birth rates remain historically low.
🚀 NASA’s Artemis II mission is scheduled to splash down in the Pacific Ocean tonight just after 8 p.m.
🇮🇷🇺🇸🇮🇱 Here are some updates on the war in Iran:
- After telling Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to “low-key it” in Lebanon, President Donald Trump said he was “very optimistic” about peace talks in Pakistan.
- Netanyahu said direct peace talks with Lebanon will begin next week in Washington.
- Get live updates here.
🎸 The 2026 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival starts today near Palm Springs, CA, with David Byrne, SOMBR, Teddy Swims, and Justin Bieber performing this weekend.
🕖 Here’s what’s in today’s newsletter:
• Dear FoundHer on April 16
• Film Review: ‘Hamlet’
• Restaurant noise levels
AND
• Top Stories of the Week
🌱 Join Love is Love Cooperative Farm’s Spring Plant Sale TOMORROW in Mansfield, GA! Shop organic seedlings, enjoy local food, music, and family-friendly activities. Explore the farm, learn from experts, and celebrate spring with your community. Pre-order plants online or browse in person. SPONSOR MESSAGE
1. Dear FoundHer event in Dunwoody aims to inspire women over 40
💁♀️ Billed as a post-40s girls’ night out, the Dear FoundHer tour with “Sunny and Jenn” is popping into Dunwoody on April 16 at the Marcus Jewish Community Center of Atlanta as founder Lindsay Pinchuk joins influencers Pam “Sunny” Sunshine and Jenn Sherman on stage.
Dear FoundHer is a podcast, a community of mentors, and a source of inspiration and motivation for women over 40. Pinchuk calls it “a movement” in which women can gather resources, share frustration, and celebrate success.
Topics for the event will include personal style, friendships, career, marriage and family, health and wellness, and perimenopause and menopause.
🎧 Learn more about the event here.
Spring Plant Sale Blooms at Love is Love Farm
SPONSORED BY LOVE IS LOVE COOPERATIVE FARM
🌼 Love is Love Cooperative Farm will host its annual Spring Plant Sale tomorrow in Mansfield, GA, offering a lively day of plants, food, and family-friendly activities.
Guests can shop certified organic seedlings, enjoy local food vendors, and take part in workshops, farm tours, and hands-on experiences. Highlights include a guided tour of the 70-acre farm and expert gardening advice. The event celebrates community, sustainable agriculture, and the joy of growing, welcoming both seasoned gardeners and newcomers to connect, learn, and enjoy spring outdoors.
2. New ‘Hamlet’ adaptation features great performance, some adaptation struggles
WEEKLY FILM REVIEW | BY SAMMIE PURCELL
🎭 “Hamlet” might be one of the most adapted properties of all time. When taking stock of those adaptations, the story mostly stays the same, but the focus usually changes.
It all comes down to preference – maybe you’re like Laurence Olivier, concentrating mostly on the psychology of the character and fascinated by his Oedipus complex (so much so that he cast the younger Eileen Herlie to play his mother when he was 40). Or, you’re more like Kenneth Branagh, interested in delivering a four-hour, word-for-word epic. Or, you fancy yourself like Michael Almereyda, updating the story to take place in modern-day New York City, replacing kings with CEOs.
Aneil Karia’s recent adaptation takes place in modern-day London within a wealthy South Asian community, starring Riz Ahmed as the titular prince – the heir to a construction company rather than a country. Updating Shakespeare to modern times but keeping the language as-is can always be a little tricky, and this version has its cinematic ups and downs – the incorporation of South Asian culture works rather well, although certain filmic choices lack the emotional gut punch the story contains. But Ahmed is mesmerizing, handling the dichotomy of the language and the setting with ease, and making Shakespeare feel effortlessly modern.
👑 Click here to read Sammie’s “Hamlet” review. You can also read her review of the new Japanese horror film “Exit 8.”
🍿 Stay in the picture with Scene by Rough Draft, our weekly newsletter about entertainment. Subscribe for free.
3. Are Atlanta restaurants getting too loud?
👂 No, it’s not just you – restaurants seem louder these days. And what’s more, there’s no lone factor amplifying the noise. A restaurant’s design, square footage, music, seating arrangement, and even table material and shape all contribute to how sound travels in the dining room.
Restaurants that don’t factor in the effects of sound as part of the hospitality experience may be unwittingly throwing up an invisible barrier to entry. Some customers simply won’t return after one uncomfortably loud dinner. Then they go home and tell their friends – or worse, share their experience on social media.
Over the course of two weeks, a trio of Rough Draft reporters recorded decibel readings at Atlanta restaurants using the mobile app Soundprint, which measures noise levels in a space.
🎉 The all-volunteer Inman Park Festival returns for its 54th year! Enjoy free live music, art, a parade, kids’ activities, and food in historic Inman Park. Sat. & Sun., April 25-26. The Tour of Homes runs Friday-Sunday. Tour tickets on sale now! 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 APD releases images of persons of interest in fatal shooting of 16-year-old (Pictured)
② All anti-LGBTQ+ bills defeated as Georgia legislative session ends
③ In just four months, Tucker Town Green receives more than 10,000 visitors
④ Former Dunwoody cop can no longer serve as an officer in Georgia
⑤ Beltline seeks contractor for new Northeast Trail segment
🏥 Join Move For Grady on April 25! Three intown biking distances and two run/walk options means there’s something for everyone. Come to move, stay for the party – plenty of food and drinks to celebrate at GSU’s Center Parc Stadium. 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!
🔤 Play News Word Atlanta, our daily word game.
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