Pokémon predicament
Wednesday, May 6 — Good luck to all the finalists at tonight’s Atlanta Press Club Awards of Excellence at The Gathering Spot. The annual ceremony honors the best in Georgia journalism across print, broadcast, and digital. Rough Draft is up for two awards: Sammie Purcell for entertainment journalism and Sarra Sedghi for narrative writing.
⛈️ Thunderstorms are possible with a high of 77° today.
🕵️ The Atlanta City Council voted to create an advisory group to review public events in Piedmont Park in the wake of the fatal shooting of a teenager last month.
🚗 Atlanta City Council President Marci Collier Overstreet withdrew her request for a taxpayer-funded car and driver, saying she “heard the internet crashing” following public backlash over the proposal.
✍️ Gov. Brian Kemp signed a package of education bills into law yesterday, including an initiative to boost literacy and a cell phone ban for public high school students.
😠 DeKalb County Schools scrapped its controversial Student Assignment Plan yesterday, announcing a shift to a more community-based process after months of protests and pushback.
🏗️ More than 400 attendees at yesterday’s Envision Perimeter 2026 State of the District meeting heard updates about massive highway infrastructure projects and the general health of the Perimeter market.
🚨 Trading card shops in Gwinnett County are seeing more break-ins, including one over the weekend in Norcross, as the value of Pokémon cards increases.
🚧 Drivers traveling on I-285 in both directions should expect major delays and detours this weekend as crews work to replace a section of roadway between Martin Luther King Jr. Drive and Cascade Road.
✈️ Delta will cut free snacks and beverages in economy on flights shorter than 350 miles beginning May 19, affecting fewer than 10% of its daily schedule.
🌳 With acres of trees cleared between Huntingdon Trail and State Route 400 in Sandy Springs, the Northridge Forest neighborhood is organizing to protect homes from the impact of the construction.
🪦 South-View Cemetery, one of the oldest African-American cemeteries in Atlanta, is now listed on the Georgia Register of Historic Places and may also be gaining national recognition.
ELSEWHERE
🇮🇷🇺🇸🇮🇱 Less than 48 hours after it began, President Donald Trump paused the mission to force open the Strait of Hormuz, citing progress toward a nuclear deal with Iran and requests from Pakistan.
🗳 President Trump exacted revenge on Indiana Republicans who defied him, defeating five incumbent state senators Tuesday. In Ohio, Vivek Ramaswamy won the GOP gubernatorial primary, and former Sen. Sherrod Brown secured the Democratic Senate nomination.
🎭 The 2026 Tony Award nominations were announced Tuesday, with “The Lost Boys” and “Schmigadoon!” leading with 12 nominations each, and the revival of “Ragtime” close behind with 11.
PICTURE THIS: The Georgia Historical Society recently dedicated a new marker recognizing H. J. Russell & Company as part of its Georgia Business History Initiative. The unveiling took place at the former headquarters for the company, which has been transformed into the Russell Innovation Center for Entrepreneurs (RICE) in Atlanta.
🕖 Here’s what’s in today’s newsletter:
• Scraplanta gives back
• Bellwood Coffee mural
• The Reset
AND
• Concert Picks
🚤 No classic summer is complete without a little time on the lake, and at Lake Oconee, there are countless ways to make a splash. Whether you’re cruising the shoreline on a pontoon boat, tubing behind a ski boat, or paddling out in a kayak, the water is where summer memories are made. SPONSOR MESSAGE
1. Atlanta crafters unite to create quilts for refugees
🧶 Many hands make light work. When those hands are organized by Scraplanta, Atlanta’s creative reuse non-profit based in Tucker, they also make crafts for a cause.
This month, the organization will be unveiling two quilts made by dozens of local crafters to benefit the Refugee Women’s Network.
The collaborative quilts were made with historic patterns used by abolitionists on the Underground Railroad to communicate with people escaping slavery. Scraplanta will unveil the community quilts at a reception on May 15 at the Clarkston Community Center at noon.
🤝 Learn more about the initiative here.
This deserves a spot on your spring calendar
SPONSORED BY THE HIGH MUSEUM
🎨 You’ve seen Amy Sherald’s iconic portrait of Michelle Obama. Now, her largest exhibition to date comes to Atlanta, featuring rarely seen paintings and monumental portraits spanning nearly two decades. This is one show you won’t want to miss.
Can only make it in the evening? We’ve got you covered. The show stays open after hours every Friday. Grab a drink, snag an exclusive exhibition poster, and explore the galleries at your leisure.
2. Bellwood Coffee vows to recommission Jovita Moore mural in Grant Park
☕ Local coffee shop Bellwood Coffee opened its sixth location in Grant Park last week. But the decision to paint over the mural of a beloved local public figure on the side of the building led to online backlash that eclipsed the shop’s opening.
Prior to its April 25 debut, the owners of Bellwood Coffee painted over a mural memorializing late Channel 2 Action News anchor Jovita Moore. Moore, who joined Channel 2 in 1998 and won her first of nine Emmys in 2001, died from brain cancer in 2021.
Bellwood Coffee quickly addressed the community backlash directly on Instagram, calling the mural’s removal a “mistake” and saying that they acted “without enough consideration.” They vowed to “make it right” with the mural’s recommission.
3. The Reset | Mental Health Awareness Month
SPONSORED BY INTOWN PSYCHOLOGY
Our Wellness Wednesday feature, which started last summer as an intern project, is getting a bit of a glow-up. Starting this month, it will be renamed The Reset by Rough Draft and will be edited by Laura Scholz, one of Atlanta’s most respected lifestyle journalists. Send Laura tips and ideas via email. In June, The Reset will become a weekly newsletter with even more content, and you can subscribe here.
🧠 May is Mental Health Awareness Month– a time to recognize that mental health is just as important as physical health. Conditions like anxiety, depression, and stress-related disorders are common and treatable, and seeking help is a sign of strength, not weakness.
🏃🏼♀️ The Atlanta Track Club (ATC) will hold its 2026 All-Comers Track & Field meets on May 12 and 19 at Morehouse College and May 26, Jun. 2, and Jun. 9 in Decatur. Free and open to athletes of all ages with no experience or ATC membership required, you can register here for all events except the Wingfoot Mile on May 19, which requires a separate registration and is limited to ATC members.
🧘 The Sip, Stretch, & Stroll event is on Sat., May 9, from 1:30-3 p.m. at Highland Yoga in Decatur. Beginning with a 30-minute flow led by Emily Childs, participants will later grab a cup of iced Dancing Goats Coffee (provided in the studio’s lobby) for a two-mile historical walk around Decatur.
💪 Mother’s Day is Sun., May 10. Here are some special fitness classes for mothers and caregivers:
- Join in a Mother’s Day Morning Sweat from 9-11 a.m. at the Perimeter Mall. Hosted by Lululemon ambassador Kendra Fuentes, expect a high-energy fitness session.
- Sign up for a Mother’s Day Flow on The Interlock grass lawn from 9:15-9:50 a.m. The free, all-levels outdoor class, hosted by The Sunrei Wellness instructor Camrei, will be followed by a private shopping experience at the Lululemon Howell Mill store.
- Register for the Spiritual Loc Mother’s Day Wellness Party in the Park at Freedom Park from 12:30-2:30 p.m. Expect yoga with instructor Qishanda La’ree, plus a soft dance session, African henna tattoo art, a sound bath, and more.
❤️Therapy that helps you feel seen, supported, and understood – while building practical skills to navigate life with confidence at Intown Psychology.
🚤 No classic summer is complete without a little time on the lake, and at Lake Oconee, there are countless ways to make a splash. Whether you’re cruising the shoreline on a pontoon boat, tubing behind a ski boat, or paddling out in a kayak, the water is where summer memories are made. SPONSOR MESSAGE
4. Concert Picks
Wed., May 6
🌠 Kid Cudi (pictured) @ Lakewood Amphitheatre
🌊 Yellowcard @ Coca-Cola Roxy
🎹 Clara La San @ The Eastern
🥞 Courtney Barnett @ Tabernacle
🔥 Freddie Dredd @ Buckhead Theatre
Thurs., May 7
🪑 Braxton Keith @ Buckhead Theatre
⚔️ Dance With The Dead + Magic Sword + Megan McDuffee @ Terminal West
🧠 Kranium @ The Loft
🍻 Pub Choir @ Variety Playhouse
Fri., May 8
👰 Black Veil Brides @ Tabernacle
🏝️ Bahamas + Sister Ray @ Terminal West
🪕 Folk B*tch Trio @ Vinyl
🌼 Sammy Virji @ Coca-Cola Roxy
🦴 St. Paul and the Broken Bones + Brother Wallace @ The Eastern
Sat., May 9
⚰️ Dethklok + Amon Amarth @ Coca-Cola Roxy
🚂 Alison Krauss and Union Station + Jerry Douglas @ Synovus Bank Amphitheater at Chastain Park
☎️ Brigitte Calls Me Baby @ Vinyl
🍵 Built to Spill @ Variety Playhouse
👾 The Monster Outbreak Tour Presents: Che @ Tabernacle
Sun., May 10
✝️ Third Day + Zach Williams @ Gas South Arena
🏃 Xscape + K. Michelle @ Fox Theatre
🌕 Lil Xan @ Vinyl
🥁 Sons of Legion @ Buckhead Theatre
Mon., May 11🇮🇳 Bloodywood @ Buckhead Theatre
🦊 Thornhill + Fox Lake @ Variety Playhouse
💣 Napalm Death + Deadguy @ Terminal West
Tues., May 12
🕶️ One Night of Queen @ Atlanta Symphony Hall
🌟 Miles Minnick @ Vinyl
Wed., May 13
🎸 Brit Floyd @ Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre
🚣♀️ Mac DeMarco @ The Eastern
💙 Whitney @ Terminal West
🚤 No classic summer is complete without a little time on the lake, and at Lake Oconee, there are countless ways to make a splash. Whether you’re cruising the shoreline on a pontoon boat, tubing behind a ski boat, or paddling out in a kayak, the water is where summer memories are made. SPONSOR MESSAGE
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