North Point NHL?
Monday, Aug. 24 — Students will be back on campus today at Georgia Tech, Georgia State, and Kennesaw State, and on Wednesday at Emory University and Agnes Scott. The AUC colleges, Atlanta Tech, Mercer, and the University of Georgia started the fall semester last week.
☀️ Sunny and 90° today. Code Metro Atlanta is under a Code Orange Air Quality Alert.
🚨 A suspect is in custody after the fatal stabbing of a 29-year-old man yesterday afternoon on the Atlanta Beltline Eastside Trail near the Kroger supermarket.
🏒 The Alpharetta City Council votes tonight on a redevelopment plan that would transform North Point Mall into a 20,000-seat arena, hotels and apartments, potentially paving the way for an NHL team.
🚌 DeKalb County Schools has shifted the focus of its Student Assignment Project to overcrowded schools in the Lakeside, Cross Keys, Chamblee, Tucker, Dunwoody, and Druid Hills clusters.
💊 Physicians are raising concerns and citing new research about the threat fentanyl poses to older adults.
💰 Atlanta-based mental health nonprofit CHRIS 180 raised more than $915,000 at its 2026 CHRIStal Ball.
🇯🇵 Chef Fuyuhiko Ito has opened Sozou, the last of his three restaurants at the Spring Quarter development in Midtown.
⚽ Atlanta United won its third straight match, beating Sporting KC 2-1 yesterday. Earlier in the day, the Five Stripes signed Swiss forward Breel Embolo, 29, through the 2029-30 season.
➡️ In other weekend sports, the Falcons beat the Colts in preseason action, the Dream beat the Mercury, but the Braves lost two of three to the Brewers.
🤦 In yesterday’s Publisher’s Note, the name of Puck’s chief national correspondent was misspelled. It’s Peter Hamby not Hanby. Apologies for the error.
ELSEWHERE
🗣️ According to the New York Times, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries and presidential adviser Jared Kushner met privately in recent weeks to discuss possible areas of common ground.
⚡ More than 20,000 people remained without power in northwest Indiana Sunday, nearly two weeks after storms with 100 mph winds hit.
✉️ The USPS announced a new rule adding verification requirements to all mail-in ballots if a court injunction against the Trump administration is lifted.
🏁 Kyle Kirkwood won the IndyCar Freedom 250 in Washington, DC, yesterday.
🕖 Here’s what’s in today’s newsletter:
• New hospital announced
• Upcoming Events
• TEDxAtlanta
• Global Headlines
AND
• Look & Listen
🤝 A Proud Partner of the TOUR Championship, Southern Company believes energy is more than a utility. It’s what powers all life’s moments and builds brighter futures for generations. From First Tee—Metro Atlanta to Purpose Built Schools, decades of partnership with the East Lake community have turned Atlanta’s biggest golf week into lasting community impact. Learn more. SPONSOR MESSAGE
1. Morehouse, Atrium Health to open new teaching hospital in Southwest Atlanta
🩺 Morehouse School of Medicine and Atrium Health have received approval to open a new teaching hospital at 675 Metropolitan Parkway SW, which will include a network of primary, urgent, and specialty care.
Atrium Health is committing more than $700 million in capital and clinical investment to bring the Level III trauma center to Southwest Atlanta
The new hospital will open with 50 beds and the capacity to expand to more than 700 as community needs grow. It will deliver comprehensive acute care, including around-the-clock emergency and Level III trauma care, obstetrics and a neonatal intensive care unit, adult critical care, advanced imaging, cardiac catheterization, interventional radiology, and endoscopy.
🏥 Find out more about the hospital’s plans here.
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2. Upcoming Events
⚾ Atlanta Braves v. Los Angeles Dodgers at Truist Park on Tue., Aug. 25, at 7:15 p.m.
🌅 Buckhead Business Association’s Business Empowerment Breakfast w/ Jay Bailey at Burtons Grill & Bar; Wed., Aug. 26 at 7:45 a.m.
🐾 Dos Caminos in Midtown is celebrating National Dog Day on Wed., Aug. 26, from 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. with Paws on the Patio.
🎸 AC/DC brings its “Power Up” tour to Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Thurs., Aug. 27, at 7 p.m.
🎺 Callanwolde Fine Arts Center kicks off its annual Jazz on the Lawn series on Fri., Aug. 28, at 7:30 p.m. with Dr. Tyrone Jackson & Friends.
💙 Mental health care should be accessible to everyone. We offer affordable, professional counseling through in-office, telehealth, school-based, and community programs. You don’t have to face it alone. Find a therapist today at Summit Counseling Center. SPONSOR MESSAGE
3. Where does imagination take us?
IN PARTNERSHIP WITH TEDXATLANTA
✨ What can an imaginary world, a Georgia farm and a collaboration between two artists reveal about creativity?
Genevieve LeDoux, Dyllón Burnside, Yvonne Miller and Stefan Hochhuber find inspiration in very different places. At TEDxAtlanta, their stories invite us to look beyond the obvious sources of creative thinking and consider what we might discover when we pay closer attention to the worlds around us, within us, and those we have yet to imagine.
→ See where these ideas lead. Join us Oct. 2 and 3.
4. US-Canada trade tensions; Angélique Kidjo honored
🇺🇸🇨🇦 Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said his country was “at war” with the U.S. after trade talks collapsed and President Donald Trump imposed 50% tariffs on Canadian goods.
🇺🇸🇮🇷 Iran’s parliament speaker said President Trump’s threatened “economic D-Day” against Tehran showed the U.S. had failed militarily, as diplomatic efforts to revive stalled peace talks went nowhere.
🇮🇱🇺🇸🇹🇷 U.S. Ambassador Tom Barrack suggested Israel’s recent strike on a Syrian airbase may have been an attempt to “bait” Turkey into conflict ahead of Israel’s October elections, contradicting official U.S. policy.
🇮🇸 Icelanders head to the polls this week to decide whether to revive talks on EU membership, potentially reshaping the country’s relationships.
🇨🇳 A Chinese-made humanoid robot broke Usain Bolt’s 100-meter sprint record Saturday, completing the distance in 9.39 seconds at Beijing’s World Humanoid Robot Games.
🇻🇪 Heavy rains flooded Caracas and neighboring Venezuelan states Saturday night, sweeping through streets and homes and leaving at least four people missing amid overflowing waterways.
🇪🇬 The FBI returned forty-eight ancient Egyptian artifacts after an investigation determined that the objects had been illegally trafficked out of the country into the U.S.
🇧🇷 In Brazil, conjoined twin sisters Heloísa and Helena Batista da Silva died minutes apart during a 15-hour surgery to separate them after being born with a rare condition that affects one in 2.5 million live births.
🇧🇯 Beninese singer and five-time Grammy winner Angélique Kidjo made history as the first Black African person selected for a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
🗓️ Join the World Affairs Council of Atlanta for an evening with former U.S. Ambassador and Senator Jeff Flake, one of America’s most respected voices on democracy, diplomacy, and global affairs. Don’t miss this opportunity to hear firsthand from a leader who has been at the center of some of the most consequential foreign policy and political debates of our time. Register today.
🧑💼 Across Atlanta, Oglethorpe alumni are making an impact through the arts, nonprofits, public spaces, healthcare, and community organizations. Their careers may take different paths, but they share a commitment to service, leadership, and strengthening the city they call home. Read more of their stories. SPONSOR MESSAGE
5. Local news & views
Rough Draft launched its first podcast, “From the Paper to the Pod,” on Friday with deep dives into local stories and more. For this week’s Look & Listen, we’re sharing some other local news pods.
🎙️ “Politically Georgia” from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution provides analysis on both local and national politics affecting the state.
🎧 “Closer Look with Rose Scott” on WABE is a daily news magazine featuring discussions of the key stories and issues affecting Atlanta.
🎙️ “Georgia Today”, the daily podcast from GPB News, offers in-depth reporting and compelling stories from across the state.
🎧 Michelle Shidlovsky’s Instagram account, “Forgotten Georgia,” uncovers hidden local history, abandoned spaces, lost towns, and forgotten landmarks across the state.
🔤 Play News Word Atlanta, our daily word game.
💡 Help support independent local media by becoming a Rough Draft member today. Pick up some cool swag, including our new, limited-edition LOCAL hoodie.
📤 Have a friend or colleague who would enjoy getting this newsletter? Forward them this link to subscribe.
