📌 A quick programming note: Rough Draft Sunday debuts tomorrow morning. Look for it in your inbox at 8 a.m.
Oil price spike
Saturday, Sept. 5 —The price of diesel reached an all-time high on Friday, with prices in Atlanta hitting $5.62 a gallon, just shy of the state average at $5.64 a gallon. The national average is $5.85 per gallon.
🌤️ Light rain expected today, and then sunshine tomorrow. Temperatures will be in the 90s all weekend, before dropping to the upper 70s for a cloudy Labor Day.
MARKET UPDATE
📉 The Dow fell 271.86 points, or 0.51%, on Friday, while the S&P 500 slid 0.38% and the Nasdaq dropped 0.29%, after a stronger-than-expected August jobs report raised fears of a Federal Reserve rate hike. For the week, the Dow was down slightly, while the S&P and Nasdaq each edged higher.
LOCAL NEWS
🏢 Georgia-Pacific Center’s owners are scrapping plans to convert the 51-story downtown tower into more than 400 apartments and retail space, citing higher construction costs and shifting market conditions.
🤝 The Dunwoody community and a newly formed non-profit are teaming up to help a 14-year-old DHS student recently diagnosed with a rare brain cancer.
🚨 Atlanta police are investigating two separate homicides, one that occurred in Buckhead and one in Downtown Atlanta.
🏗️ The Lovett School broke ground on Rita Anne Rollins Hall, a new state-of-the-art campus hub for worship, dining, the arts, and student support.
🏈 In Friday night high school football action: North Atlanta beat Maynard Jackson, Roswell beat Etowah, Tucker topped Stephenson, and North Oconee outlasted Clark Central. Full scoreboard here.
🏈 Georgia State beat North Carolina A&T 59-10 last night in Atlanta.
🏈 In today’s college games:
- Clark Atlanta plays at Morehouse at 1 p.m. (SIAC Network).
- No. 3 Georgia hosts Tennessee State at 3 p.m. (SEC Network; 95.5 FM).
🎙️ Today’s UGA game marks the debut of a new play-by-play voice of the Dawgs, as Jeff Dantzler, who grew up idolizing the legendary Larry Munson, takes over Georgia football radio broadcasts.
ELSEWHERE
⚖️ A Massachusetts jury deadlocked after five weeks of testimony, forcing a mistrial in the case of Lindsay Clancy, charged with killing her three children amid a postpartum psychosis defense. Prosecutors have not decided whether to seek a retrial.
📮 A federal judge again blocked the U.S. Postal Service from carrying out a White House plan to restrict mail-in voting, as the fight over the rules headed to the Supreme Court.
🎾 Serena and Venus Williams blew a 5-0 lead in a third-set tiebreak and lost to Maya Joint and Hao-Ching Chan in their first US Open doubles match together since 2022.
WHAT TO DO THIS WEEKEND
🦸 Dragon Con, Atlanta’s pop culture and gaming convention, continues this weekend through Sept. 7 in Downtown Atlanta. The Georgia Aquarium is hosting Dragon Con Night tomorrow from 7-11 p.m.
🏳️🌈 Atlanta Black Pride is also this weekend, with events every day through Sept. 7.
🇺🇸 “Hamilton” is running at the Fox Theatre through Sept. 20.
🎭 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.
➡ Here are some concerts to check out:
🌼 Gin Blossoms + Blues Traveler + Spin Doctors @ Synovus Bank Amphitheater at Chastain Park (tonight)
⚰️ Sevendust + Theory of a Deadman @ Tabernacle Presented by iTHINK Financial (tonight)
💥 Atticus Roness @ Vinyl (tonight)
🪙 Mike D 5D @ The Eastern (tonight)
🪂 Hayley Williams @ Ameris Bank Amphitheatre (tonight)
🧑🚀 FATTMACK @ Buckhead Theatre (tonight)
🇲🇽 Jesse & Joy @ Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre (tomorrow)
🎤 Grupo Frontera @ Gas South Arena (tomorrow)
📺 Wé Ani @ Vinyl (tomorrow)
🌱 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
Violinist Joshua Bell + Atlanta Symphony
SPONSORED BY ATLANTA SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
🎻 Superstar violinist Joshua Bell joins the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra for a one-night-only concert at Atlanta Symphony Hall on Wed, Sept 16. From breathtaking lyricism to dazzling technique, Bell brings an extraordinary energy that continues to captivate audiences around the globe.
The program opens with Prokofiev’s witty, effervescent “Classical” Symphony, then turns to Lalo’s vibrant Symphonie espagnole, where Bell brings dazzling color and rhythmic flair to the Spanish-inspired showpiece. The evening closes with Rachmaninoff’s Symphonic Dances, a brilliant orchestral showcase filled with sweeping melodies, glittering textures, and irresistible momentum.
IT’S TIME TO PLAY THE QUIZ
🧠 Click here to play, and please let us know how you do by replying to this email or sharing on Instagram, Facebook, or Bluesky @RoughDraftATL.
Enjoy your Saturday!
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
🥾 Ready for a challenge that changes lives? Join Make-A-Wish Georgia for the Trailblaze Challenge, a hike for all experience levels. Choose 22 or 13 miles and help grant life-changing wishes for critically ill kids. Register for an information session today. SPONSOR MESSAGE
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