Bobby Dodd thriller
Friday, Sept. 4 — Colorado blocked a last-second field goal by Georgia Tech to beat the Yellow Jackets 14-13 in last night’s season opener at The Flats. Outside the Perimeter, Kennesaw State dismantled West Georgia 47-0 last night. Morehouse, Clark Atlanta, Georgia Southern, and No. 3 UGA all play tomorrow.
☀️ Sunny and hot, with a high of 93° today. More of the same throughout the weekend.
💍 The Fulton County Probate Court is relaunching its free “Forever Fridays” wedding ceremonies today, offering couples music, cupcakes, and a surprise celebrity officiant at a 3 p.m. group ceremony in College Park.
📰 The Georgia First Amendment Foundation will honor UGA’s First Amendment Clinic and longtime AJC reporter Bill Rankin for their work on government transparency and free speech at its Oct. 28 Weltner Banquet.
🔎 An Atlanta reparations commission will examine the city’s historical role in discrimination against its Black residents.
🏗️ Construction on a 382-unit luxury apartment building on the site of a former UPS office at 35 Glenlake Parkway is underway.
🚌 MARTA’s upgraded “Reach” on-demand shuttle vans will be hitting the streets tomorrow.
🥎 A new girls’ softball league is set to launch in Tucker this fall.
🛣️ Atlanta Watershed Management crews plan to reopen a closed section of Roberts Drive near Roswell Road for Labor Day weekend.
🕯️ A memorial service for Rev. Dr. Joanna Moseley Adams will be held today at 11 a.m. at Trinity Presbyterian Church, 3003 Howell Mill Road NW.
🏈 This week’s Drive for the GHSA State Title matchup pits Grayson at Langston Hughes tonight at 8 p.m. Grayson is trying to avoid its first 0-3 start in 20 years. Watch live on Atlanta News First, with a pregame show starting at 7:30 p.m.
ELSEWHERE
⚖️ A Massachusetts jury failed to reach a verdict for a sixth day in Lindsay Clancy’s murder trial, prompting the judge to reject a defense request to remove a juror and reissue instructions on reasonable doubt.
📺 Fox News abruptly parted ways with longtime anchor Maria Bartiromo, ending a 12-year run tainted by her promotion of false 2020 election fraud claims that fueled costly defamation suits.
🤖 Nvidia said it will acquire Hugging Face, the open-source AI model repository, for $12.9 billion, expanding the chipmaker’s reach across the AI ecosystem.
🕖 Here’s what’s in today’s newsletter:
• Downtown ATL MARTA dining guide
• Film review: ‘Onslaught’
• Real Estate Quiz
• Upcoming events
• Decatur Book Festival Kidnote
AND
• Top Stories of the Week
🏢 Insight Global COO Tim Stutz has watched Perimeter grow alongside his company for more than 20 years. Discover why he believes Perimeter is the ideal place for businesses to succeed in the Heart of Perimeter video series. SPONSOR MESSAGE
1. MARTA dining guide: North Avenue/Downtown ATL stations
🚆 Rough Draft’s latest MARTA dining guide highlights more than three dozen local restaurants, bars, coffee shops, and a food hall walkable from train stations in southern Midtown and Downtown Atlanta.
You’re spoiled for choice when it comes to transit-friendly restaurant and bar options in this part of Atlanta. As the heart of the city’s tourist district, the area is home to the Fox Theatre, numerous attractions, hotels, Mercedes-Benz Stadium and State Farm Arena, and the Georgia World Congress Center.
😋 Check out the MARTA dining guide here.
We work with every hearing aid. Even the one you already own.
SPONSORED BY CLEARWORKS AUDIOLOGY
🦻 You invested in hearing aids. But something isn’t quite right. Maybe they’re uncomfortable, or speech still sounds unclear. Maybe you’ve just learned to live with “good enough.” Maybe they’re sitting in a drawer.
ClearWorks Audiology supports all hearing aid makes and models, regardless of where they were purchased. We frequently fine-tune hearing aids you already own – and we often achieve results our patients didn’t think were possible. You deserve better than good enough.
➞ ClearWorks Audiology – Sandy Springs’ and Atlanta’s trusted choice.
2. ‘Onslaught’ is an ’80s riff that fails on a structural level
WEEKLY FILM REVIEW | BY SAMMIE PURCELL
🪖 With his new film “Onslaught,” Adam Wingard is open about his influences. And, on its face, that’s not necessarily a bad thing.
There are sections of “Onslaught” (written by frequent Wingard collaborator Simon Barrett) that are inoffensive in their clear reverence for the films of John Carpenter, James Cameron, and a slew of action/horror films from the 1980s. Like many of those films, “Onslaught” sets you up for a story about someone – specifically, army veteran Celeste (Adria Arjona) – who has been screwed over by the U.S. government and now has to take on a terrifying new enemy brought on by that very same U.S. government: genetically engineered super soldiers with nothing but killing on the brain.
The synth-driven score, the presence of actors Michael Biehn (“The Terminator”) and Reginald VelJohnson (“Die Hard”), the general distrust in the American system – it all screams ’80s action film. (Not that distrust in the government is a feeling that solely belongs in that decade, but, in a lot of ways, “Onslaught” feels terribly relevant.) However, “Onslaught” might be a little too interested in its reference points and not interested enough in the basic film structure that helps make the movies it so reveres work.
🪚 Click here to read Sammie’s review. You can also read her review of the new film “Dear You.”
🍿 Stay in the picture with Scene by Rough Draft, our weekly newsletter about Georgia’s film industry. Subscribe for free.
🥾 22 Miles. One day. The Trailblaze Challenge is a life-changing endurance experience that helps Make-A-Wish Georgia grant wishes for children fighting critical illness. Not ready for 22 miles? Try Trailblaze 2.0 – same weekend, same trail, just 13 miles! Oct. 24-26. SPONSOR MESSAGE
3. What’s it Worth?
SPONSORED BY ATLANTA FINE HOMES SOTHEBY’S INTERNATIONAL REALTY
🏡 Located in Sherwood Forest, this 6,000±-square-foot modern home features four bedrooms, a renovated media room, a dedicated gym, and a refreshed pool with a pool house. Recent upgrades include a new roof, HVAC systems, updated bathrooms, flooring, and custom built-in bookshelves. ❓ Guess the price below!
4. Upcoming Events
🎤 Jack Harlow performs tonight at 7:30 p.m. at the Coca-Cola Roxy.
🎸 The Gin Blossoms, Blues Traveler, and the Spin Doctors are in concert tomorrow at 6 p.m. at Synovus Bank Amphitheater at Chastain Park.
🐟 The Georgia Aquarium is hosting Dragon Con Night tomorrow from 7-11 p.m.
🎭 Tony Award-winning musical “Parade” is on stage Sunday at 3 p.m. at The Strand Theatre in Marietta. Shows run through Sept. 20.
🍻 New Realm Brewing Co.’s Labor Day Beltline Block Party; Monday from 5-10 p.m.
✏️ SCAD AnimationFest returns to Atlanta Sept. 23-25.
5. Beloved “Kidnote” returns with Katherine Applegate & Gennifer Choldenko
IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE DECATUR BOOK FESTIVAL
🐶 Authors Katherine Applegate (“The One and Only Ivan”) and Gennifer Choldenko (“Al Capone Does My Shirts”) bring “I Am a Good Dog” to the DBF children’s stage. Metal Head, a robot dog at Dogtown shelter, yearns for a forever home. When a girl named Esme visits, he goes on a mission to get her to adopt him.
🗓️ The Kidnote is at 10 a.m. on Sat., Oct. 3, on the Decatur Square Stage.
ℹ️ Learn more about the Decatur Book Festival here.
6. Top Stories of the Week
A look back at this week’s most-read stories from our website. Follow @RoughDraftATL on Instagram for regular updates.
① Former Kohl’s turns into worship venue after $28 million renovation
② Did you miss these August restaurant openings? (Pictured)
③ Best dishes to try at restaurants around Metro Atlanta
④ Midtown Atlanta shelter launches new homeless prevention pilot
⑤ Arrest made in fatal shooting at Sandy Springs apartment
🌱 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
🔤 Play News Word Atlanta, our daily word game.
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