In memoriam
Monday, May 25 — We hope the long weekend isn’t an entire washout for you. Our summer intern, Ansley Kelly, was out and about at Decatur FC soccer on Friday and the Atlanta Jazz Festival on Saturday. Check out her pics on our IG. If you’re headed to a Memorial Day observance today, bring an umbrella. Below is a roundup of events happening across the region.
☔ Heavy thunderstorms with a high of 76° today.
🛏️ Portman Hospitality Fund acquired the Westin Peachtree Plaza from Marriott, bringing Atlanta’s most recognizable hotel back under the control of the firm that designed and built it nearly 50 years ago.
🏠 Starting June 1, Agnes Scott College in Decatur will begin renting out three restored historic homes adjacent to the campus for short-term stays.
⚾ Georgia and Georgia Tech both claimed conference baseball championships Sunday: The Bulldogs won their first-ever SEC Tournament title with an 11-1 win over Arkansas, while the Yellow Jackets took the ACC crown with a 13-6 victory over UNC.
⚾ The Braves dropped two of three to the Washington Nationals at home over the weekend, their first home series loss of the season.
ELSEWHERE
🚨 About 50,000 Orange County, CA, residents remained evacuated Sunday after a pressurized tank filled with toxic chemicals threatened to explode.
🚨 The Secret Service fatally shot a gunman who opened fire on officers at a White House security checkpoint Saturday.
🏁 Felix Rosenqvist won the closest Indianapolis 500 in history Sunday, edging David Malukas by 0.023 seconds.
🕖 Here’s what’s in today’s newsletter:
• Memorial Day observances
• Free World Cup events
• Global Headlines
AND
• Look & Listen
🎓 It’s not too late to find a great high school. At The New School, your teenager will be known, valued, and challenged, both inside and outside the classroom. Students graduate from TNS knowing themselves and the city – and they head into the world with confidence. Reach out today! Financial aid available. SPONSOR MESSAGE
1. Memorial Day observances
🎖️ We’ve got a roundup of Memorial Day events happening across the Metro this morning.
Roswell: The 27th Roswell Remembers Ceremony kicks off at 10 a.m. at Roswell City Hall, featuring a military ceremony and the Roswell New Horizons Band.
Marietta: The city’s annual Memorial Day Ceremony takes place at noon at the Marietta National Cemetery.
Dunwoody: Dunwoody City Council member Catherine Lautenbacher, an Air Force veteran, will be the guest speaker, along with music by the Georgia State Defense Force Band. The indoor event starts at 10 a.m. at Dunwoody City Hall.
Alpharetta: Memorial Day Tribute inside City Hall at 9 a.m.
Atlanta: Hear the stories of men and women of Oakland Cemetery who served from the Mexican-American War to the Korean War. The Veterans Tour event begins at 11 a.m. in the visitor’s center.
Milton: A Memorial Day ceremony is scheduled for 10 a.m. at The Green at Crabapple Market.
Norcross: Thrasher Park hosts an 11:30 a.m. Memorial Day Remembrance featuring remarks, free hot dogs, and a performance by the 166th Army Band (pictured).
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2. Free World Cup watch parties, festivals and fan events
⚽ No World Cup tickets? No problem. There are plenty of fan activation events taking place throughout Metro Atlanta this summer.
From Decatur’s 34-day WatchFest with music by Big Boi and Indigo Girls, to the Beltline Fan Fest, to FIFA’s official fan event at Centennial Park, there’s something for everyone.
👀 Check out Sarra Sedghi’s roundup here.
3. U.S. – Iran peace talks; Pope urges caution with AI
🇺🇸🇮🇷 The U.S. and Iran signaled progress Sunday toward a peace deal that would reopen the Strait of Hormuz and curb Iran’s nuclear program, though President Donald Trump said he would not rush to finalize an agreement.
🇻🇦 Pope Leo XIV released his first encyclical, urging world leaders to slow AI development, calling for stricter oversight of tech companies, repudiating the “just war” doctrine, and apologizing for the Catholic Church’s role in transatlantic slavery.
🇮🇱 Ultra-Orthodox parties in Israel’s Knesset rejected the latest Haredi military draft exemption bill, pushing the country closer to September elections amid an ongoing manpower shortage in the Israeli military.
🇨🇩 Uganda confirmed five Ebola cases as neighboring countries imposed Covid-style screening measures from a DR Congo outbreak that has killed 177 people — and forced Congo to move its World Cup training camp to Belgium.
🇮🇷 Iran moved its national team’s World Cup training base from Tucson, Ariz., to Tijuana, Mexico, citing security concerns. FIFA has not confirmed the move.
🇫🇷 A French court found Air France and Airbus guilty of corporate manslaughter in connection with the 2009 Rio–Paris flight crash that killed 228 people.
🇪🇸 Spain’s government was ordered to return $69 million to Colombian singer Shakira after a court ruled she was improperly charged back taxes.
🇪🇬 Egypt announced a major new energy discovery estimated at 330 billion cubic feet of natural gas, along with roughly 10 million barrels of condensates and crude oil.
🇦🇺 Cameras captured what is believed to be a meteor blazing across the skies over Sydney.🏴 Arsenal claimed their first Premier League title in 22 years.
🇫🇷 The French Open is underway at Roland Garros, with a pair of first-round upsets yesterday, as American wild card Nishesh Basavareddy beat No. 7 seed Taylor Fritz, and Argentina’s Solana Sierra knocked out Emma Raducanu.
🇫🇷 Romanian director Cristian Mungiu won his second Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival for “Fjord,” with the Grand Prix going to Andrey Zvyagintsev’s “Minotaur.”
🗓️ The World Affairs Council of Atlanta will host “NATO in a Changing World: A Conversation with Kay Bailey Hutchison” on July 1. Drawing on her experience as U.S. Ambassador to NATO, Hutchison will share timely insights on the Alliance’s future, the evolving U.S.–NATO relationship, and the challenges shaping global security in the 21st century. Register for free today.
😌 You’re invited to the Wednesday Wellness Series with the Chastain Park Conservancy at Farm Chastain this June. Enjoy relaxing evenings of sound bath, Qigong, restorative yoga, and meditation surrounded by nature. Free and open to the community. Register today at Chastain Park Conservancy. SPONSOR MESSAGE
4. Lights, camera, action!
VIA SCENE, A WEEKLY FILM & TV NEWSLETTER | SUBSCRIBE
Scene newsletter curator Sammie Purcell has some suggestions to keep you busy on this rainy holiday.
🍿 Local filmmaker Aaron Strand wrote a great piece for his Substack this week about the costs of rental fees for independent theaters. You can check that out here.
📽️ A new documentary about professor and Civil Rights activist W.E.B. Du Bois called “W.E.B. Du Bois: Rebel with a Cause” aired on GPB on May 19 as part of the PBS “American Masters” series. For GPB, Kristi York Wooten spoke with director Rita Coburn about the activist’s impact and his time in Atlanta. Check it out here.
🐈Paul Schrader’s 1982 remake of the classic horror film “Cat People” is an incredible relic of the 80s – wild sexual politics and a plot that doesn’t really make a whole lot of sense. At the same time, it’s an eminently watchable piece to put on your radar.
⛳ Golf Chastain: Nine at Night returns July 27 for a one-of-a-kind glow golf experience at Chastain Park. Enjoy dinner, drinks, music, and a glow-in-the-dark round of golf under the lights. Grab your friends and register here! SPONSOR MESSAGE
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