Know your (parking) rights
Wednesday, Sept. 2 — Atlanta City Councilman Jason Dozier proposed a city ordinance mandating a “Parking Bill of Rights,” targeting private parking lots and aiming to provide clarity about parking processes within the city. Dozier introduced the ordinance in a committee hearing, and it will soon be up for a full vote.
🌞 Sunny with a high of 94° today.
🎗️ Atlanta Police Department trainee Moses Russ, 24, was killed in a motorcycle accident yesterday while on his way to the city’s public safety training center.
🗳 Democratic gubernatorial candidate Keisha Lance Bottoms is pushing for more debates with her Republican competitor, Rick Jackson, ahead of the November elections.
🏝️ The NPS advanced a plan to more than double Cumberland Island’s daily visitor cap to 700 from 300, despite conservation groups’ objections. Read more from The Current.
✍️ Discover Dunwoody, the city’s official destination marketing organization, signed a new lease for office space at the High Street development in Perimeter.
💸 Norcross City Council Member Josh Bare wants the city to cover the cost of restoring historic windows, about $30,000, at a publicly owned residence in the city’s well-preserved downtown district.
🎥 Despite a moratorium on data center development in DeKalb County, Shadowbox Studios recently pitched the local community on pivoting parts of their campus to a data center.🔎 Georgia scientists recently rediscovered an animal species that hasn’t been documented in 15 years.
🛍️ The annual Camp Twin Lakes Partners Card went on sale yesterday, offering 20% off at hundreds of Atlanta shops and restaurants Oct. 23-Nov. 1.
ELSEWHERE
🗳️ Progressive Sen. Ed Markey, 80, held off more moderate challenger Rep. Seth Moulton, 47, in yesterday’s Massachusetts Democratic Senate primary despite concerns about his age.
🪖 The White House accepted Army Secretary Dan Driscoll’s resignation this week following persistent tension with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth over the firing of senior military officers.
📬 A USPS whistleblower warned that “untested” technology for President Donald Trump’s mail-in voting order could “derail” the midterms.
🤷 A Massachusetts jury remained deadlocked yesterday in Lindsay Clancy’s murder trial, prompting the judge to order a fifth day of deliberations.
PICTURE THIS: Selfie photo op! The giant letters spelling out MIDTOWN that once stood in front of Colony Square are returning to the new Midtown Green park on 14th Street. Exercise classes – including Pilates and cardio dance – kick off this week, while food trucks and a Sunday afternoon artisan market are on the way. See the schedule here.
🕖 Here’s what’s in today’s newsletter:
• Best dishes in ATL
• Upcoming Events
• The Reset
AND
• Concert Picks
💙 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
1. Best dishes to try at restaurants around Metro Atlanta
🍆 Each month, Rough Draft’s dining team, Beth McKibben and Sarra Sedghi, share their favorite restaurant dishes to try, along with a few restaurant discoveries and cool pop-ups to put on your radar.
This month, they tried dim sum at Best BBQ, the tuna sando from Ticket to Tokyo, Yaya’s eggplant fries from KR Steakbar, and more.
🍣 Check out their full list of recommended dishes for 2026 here.
Amy Sherald: American Sublime
SPONSORED BY THE HIGH MUSEUM OF ART
🎨 You’ve seen Amy Sherald’s iconic portrait of Michelle Obama. Now, her largest exhibition to date is here in Atlanta, featuring rarely seen paintings and monumental portraits spanning nearly two decades.
Amy Sherald: American Sublime is in its final weeks, marking the last chance to see one of the leading artists of her generation on view in her home state. Get your tickets before the show wraps.
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. Upcoming Events
SPONSORED BY THE ATLANTA BELTLINE
💲 FREE financial workshop with the Beltline on Sept. 12 at Pittsburgh Yards. Build a spending plan that works for you. Register now.
🍸 Cocktails in the Garden, featuring live music and cash bars, is tomorrow from 5-9 p.m. at Atlanta Botanical Garden.
🧂 Join Design Book Club at Peachtree Branch Library to discuss “Salt: A World History” on Fri., Sept. 4 at noon.
🔮 Check out the Immersive Sound Experience at Spruill Studios on Friday from 5-7 p.m. at North DeKalb Cultural Arts Center.
🎭Tony Award-winning musical, “Parade,” runs Sept. 4-20 at the Earl and Rachel Smith Strand Theatre.
🍽️ Unplug and meet fellow RD readers at the next Rough Draft Dinner Club; Tue., Sept. 22.
🎤 Join Sissy Goff and David Thomas at Greater Atlanta Christian School on Fri., Sept. 11. Hear takeaways from their new book “Capable,” recently featured on the TODAY Show. FREE and open to the public. Register here and bring a friend! SPONSOR MESSAGE
3. How e-bikes and pedestrian safety projects are changing the daily travel habits of Atlantans
THE RESET | SPONSORED BY INTOWN PSYCHOLOGY“The Reset by Rough Draft” is edited by Laura Scholz. The Reset is a weekly, Wednesday newsletter with even more content, and you can subscribe here with one click.
🎒 “One more day home won’t hurt.” On any single morning, that’s true. The problem is it’s never a single morning. Jeremy Salzman, Psy.D., speaks on how school avoidance builds and what actually helps. Intown Psychology. Free consultation.🚲 Read Laura’s story on how Atlanta residents are finding more ways to get around without driving as safer streets, improved infrastructure, and new programs make walking, biking, and other types of transportation more accessible to the public.
💪🏼 Wind down with sunset yoga at Piedmont Park’s Active Oval on Fri., Sept. 4.
🪷 Enjoy a sound bath held in a Himalayan salt room at Decatur Healing Arts on Sat., Sept. 5.
🐶 Don’t miss the Atlanta Humane Society’s puppy yoga class on Sat., Sept. 12.
❤️ Therapy that helps you feel seen, supported, and understood – while building practical skills to navigate life with confidence at Intown Psychology.
🌱 Come spend a day on the farm! Love is Love’s Fall Plant Sale & Family Day is Sept. 12 in Mansfield. Shop certified organic plants, enjoy FREE gardening and foraging workshops, farm tours, local food, artisans, kids’ activities, and more. Pre-order plants by Sept. 6! Details here. SPONSOR MESSAGE
4. Concert Picks
Wed., Sept. 2
🎚️ Bryson Tiller @ Lakewood Amphitheatre
🇰🇷 One Pact @ Center Stage Theater🎧 Mudy @ Aisle 5
Thurs., Sept. 3
🚢 Kehlani @ Lakewood Amphitheatre
📖 Brandi Carlile (pictured) @ Gas South Arena
🖍️ Chance the Rapper @ Coca-Cola Roxy
👼 Cordovas @ Eddie’s Attic
Fri., Sept. 4
🛩️ Jack Harlow @ Coca-Cola Roxy
💁♀️ ISOxo @ Tabernacle Presented by iTHINK Financial
🎛️ Channel Tres @ Buckhead Theatre
Sat., Sept. 5
🌼 Gin Blossoms + Blues Traveler + Spin Doctors @ Synovus Bank Amphitheater at Chastain Park
⚰️ Sevendust + Theory of a Deadman @ Tabernacle Presented by iTHINK Financial💥 Atticus Roness @ Vinyl
🪙 Mike D 5D @ The Eastern
🪂 Hayley Williams @ Ameris Bank Amphitheatre
🧑🚀 FATTMACK @ Buckhead Theatre
Sun., Sept. 6
🇲🇽 Jesse & Joy @ Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre
🎤 Grupo Frontera @ Gas South Arena
📺 Wé Ani @ Vinyl
Mon., Sept. 7
🫂 Citizen @ The Masquerade
Tues., Sept. 8
Staind @ Lakewood Amphitheatre
⚾ The Avett Brothers @ Truist Park
🎵 Bella Kay @ Variety Playhouse
Wed., Sept. 9
🇬🇧 Henry Moodie @ Vinyl
🇨🇴 Juanes @ Coca-Cola Roxy
🔤 Play News Word Atlanta, our daily word game.
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