Park celebrations

Tuesday, June 30 — The state is gearing up for the country’s 250th birthday, and Georgia State Parks and Historic Sites is hosting Independence Day events across the state to celebrate. 

🌩️ Scattered thunderstorms with a high of 93° today, but it will feel much hotter as extreme heat advisories remain in effect.

🎗️ Clayton County police recovered the body of 6-year-old Ramon “RJ” Jett, who was nonverbal and autistic, from a pond yesterday, following his disappearance Sunday.

🚨 A 50-year-old woman is dead after a driver allegedly hit her early Sunday morning.   🔎 The FBI is searching Metro Atlanta and Northeast Georgia for potential witnesses and victims in an ongoing child pornography investigation.

✅ Democrat Adrienne White Carden was sworn in to represent Gwinnett County’s Senate District 7, winning a special election that restored the chamber to its full 56 members.

🗣️ The Dunwoody City Council will consider a zoning request that would allow a former church property that straddles the Sandy Springs line to be developed into a residential community.

FIFA WORLD CUP

⚽ In round of 32 action yesterday, Brazil scored in stoppage time to beat Japan 2-1. Paraguay upset Germany on penalty kicks, and Morocco beat the Netherlands on PKs, eliminating the Dutch in the round of 32, their earliest World Cup exit ever. 

🗓️ There are three matches today, starting at 1 p.m. on FOX. ELSEWHERE

⚖️ The U.S. Supreme Court’s 2026 term ends today. Here’s a rundown of rulings the justices issued yesterday:

📈 Alphabet, the parent company of Google, replaced Verizon on the Dow Jones Industrial Average, helping push the blue-chip index above 52,000 for the first time yesterday. 

🕖 Here’s what’s in today’s newsletter:

• Furkids Dog Shelter

• TrustDALE

• Indie Spotlight: Kiah Clingman

• Around the State: GPB

AND 

• Volunteer Opportunities

⚽ When the matches end, the dining begins. After cheering on your favorite teams across Atlanta, savor the city’s best tables during Buckhead Restaurant Week, July 27-Aug. 1. More than 50 restaurants serve exclusive prix-fixe menus. Learn more here. SPONSOR MESSAGE

Photo courtesy of Caren West PR

1. Furkids opens new non-traditional dog shelter

🐶 Georgia’s largest no-kill shelter, Furkids, opened its new 15,000-square-foot Sutherlin Dog Shelter, intended to reduce animal stress and create a more humane environment.

Rather than cramped kennels, the facility in Cumming, GA, features a private room for each dog with a capacity of 135, grooming areas, play suites and yards, training and enrichment spaces, quarantine capabilities, and safer walking access.

The new space is designed to make the overall shelter experience more pleasant and welcoming, which will encourage increased adoption rates.

🎾 Rachel Spooner has more on this story here.

Atlanta’s Trusted Source for Orthopedic Care

SPONSORED BY PEACHTREE ORTHOPEDICS 

🎾 The last thing anybody has time for is an injury that disrupts their week. But, Peachtree Orthopedics is here to make life easier.

For 70 years, we’ve been committed to helping Atlantans return to the activities they love. At our 11 convenient locations, we have 42 leading physicians, all of whom are fellowship-trained, with specialties in every body part.

Injured in the evening or on the weekend? Skip the ER. Our UrgentORTHO clinic offers same-day, evening, and Saturday hours.

➞ It’s time to get back to doing what you love. Peachtree Orthopedics is here to help you Get Better.

2. Small handyman repairs that prevent big bills

TOGETHER WITH TRUSTDALE🛠️ A loose door latch doesn’t always look like the start of a bigger problem. Neither does a slow faucet drip, cracked caulk, wobbly trim, or the drywall scar left behind after moving a couch.

Still, small repairs have a habit of hanging around until they start costing more time, more money, or both.

Today, the folks at TrustDALE will cover the everyday fixes homeowners shouldn’t ignore, how to decide between DIY and hiring help, and what to look for before booking a handyman.

🚰 Read more at TrustDALE here.

Photo courtesy of Kiah Clingman

3. Indie Spotlight: Kiah Clingman on finding distribution for ‘Color Book’

VIA SCENE, A WEEKLY NEWSLETTER ABOUT FILM | SUBSCRIBE

🍿 This story is part of a series of interviews with Atlanta creatives about what it’s like to be working in Atlanta’s independent film scene. Click here to read more stories.

The first time I spoke with local Atlanta producer Kiah Clingman, she had just helped win a $1 million grant through the AT&T Untold Stories program for “Color Book,” David Fortune’s Atlanta-made film about a single father’s sojourn to take his son to his first baseball game.

That was in 2023. On June 19, after a successful festival run, “Color Book” debuted on Netflix. It’s a bit of a full-circle moment for Fortune as a filmmaker – he was part of the Netflix and Ghetto Film School Content Creator Program in 2022, as well as Film Independent’s Amplifier Fellowship, which is supported by Netflix. But still, according to Clingman, the process of finding distribution for the film was a hard one.

⚾ Read more on this story from Sammie Purcell here.

4. The search for how to best use music to treat Alzheimer’s and other dementias

🎶 Today, Caroline Nickel has such a sharp mind at 82 years old that she still does long-term substitute teaching in Monroe County schools. But, a little more than a decade ago, she imagined herself in a nursing home with dementia.

After watching “Alive Inside,” a 2014 documentary about music, memory, and the power of music therapy, Nickel brought an idea to the Centenary United Methodist Church in Macon. She introduced the film to Yvonne Stuart, who had been helping to arrange lectures, host art and cooking classes, and find engaging activities for Macon residents.

The pitch to bring iPods loaded with music to the residents in the memory care unit went over well. With support from Centenary and the wider local community, Nickel and Stuart raised more than $6,000. People donated iPods, iTunes gift cards, and grant money.

➡ Read more in this story from GPB. 

🏃 100 miles. Six weeks. One incredible community. Join the Chastain Challenge and help keep Chastain Park clean, safe, and green while reaching your own goals. Details here. SPONSOR MESSAGE

Photo via handsonatlanta.org

5. Volunteer Opportunities

IN PARTNERSHIP WITH HANDS ON ATLANTA

🧹 Enough to Share Inc. is looking for volunteers for their food pantry tomorrow morning in Atlanta. Expect to help with preparing food for distribution, organizing shelves, and cleaning.

🥫 NETWorks Cooperative Ministry (pictured) needs volunteers in their grocery-store-style food pantry in Tucker on Friday morning. Look forward to serving as a host or assistant in the lobby, helping with intake forms and reception, or offering interpreter services in Spanish/English and Dari/English.

🏃 Celebrate the U.S. semiquincentennial by volunteering for the Atlanta Track Club and Northside Hospital Peachtree Road Race on Saturday morning in Atlanta. Participants will cheer on runners, help at the start and finish lines, serve water on the course, and assist with setup and breakdown.

🤝 DeKalb County Juvenile Court is recruiting volunteers for its Judicial Citizen Panel Review Program, which advocates for the roughly 540 children currently in foster care. A free, all-day training is scheduled for Thurs., Aug. 27 via Zoom.

⚽ When the matches end, the dining begins. After cheering on your favorite teams across Atlanta, savor the city’s best tables during Buckhead Restaurant Week, July 27-Aug. 1. More than 50 restaurants serve exclusive prix-fixe menus. Learn more here. SPONSOR MESSAGE

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This report was compiled and written by Rough Draft Atlanta's staff.