Moooving into Sunday
Sunday, September 13 — Good morning, folks. It’s Collin Kelley, executive editor of Rough Draft, helming today’s newsletter. For your Sunday slowdown, we’ve got Sally Bethea’s latest Above the Waterline column on Atlanta’s disappearing tree canopy, a DeKalb art project to moo about, and my personal tribute to the legendary Dolly Parton. Please don’t forget to register for our monthly Rough Draft Dinner Club. The next one is on Tuesday, Sept. 22, and it’s a fun & easy way to unplug and meet fellow RD readers “IRL.”
☀️ It will be sunny and 88° today.
LOCAL NEWS
☔ Several inches of rain triggered flash flooding across metro Atlanta yesterday, prompting warnings in six counties and leaving more than 2,700 Fulton and DeKalb County customers without power.
🛍️ The Atlanta Beltline has expanded its small-business incubator program to 13 businesses, adding entrepreneurs offering everything from vegan food and desserts to fashion, gifts, specialty foods, and haircuts.
💰 The Atlanta Women’s Foundation said it will invest $1.418 million in local nonprofits as well as research, leadership development, training, and other mission-driven work.
⚾ The Braves will try to complete a three-game sweep of the Phillies today at 1:35 p.m. at Truist Park after routing them 12-2 yesterday.
⚽️ Atlanta United drew D.C. United 0-0 last night in Washington.
🏈 In yesterday’s local college football action:
- No. 2 Georgia 70 Western Kentucky 20
- Central State 40 Morehouse 21
- Furman 20 Mercer 13
- Kentucky State 20 Clark Atlanta 3
- No. 18 Tennessee 45 Georgia Tech 24*
- Georgia State 31 Kennesaw State 17
- Arkansas State 52 West Georgia 7
- Clemson 22 Georgia Southern 7
✱ Georgia Tech cornerback Jaylen Mbakwe was taken to Grady Hospital after a helmet-to-knee collision. He later said on social media he was “fine and feeling well.”
🏈 The Falcons open the season at Pittsburgh today at 1 p.m. (92.9 FM; Fox).
ELSEWHERE
🤖 Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei called for an industry-wide slowdown in AI development, warning that swarms of rogue AI agents could seize the internet within six months. OpenAI’s Sam Altman agreed.
🛢️ Saudi Arabia closed a critical oil pipeline after it was struck by drones launched from Iraq.
🇺🇸🇮🇪 President Donald Trump said a unified Ireland would be “fantastic” during a weekend visit to his golf course there, wading into a politically sensitive debate.
🎾 At the U.S. Open, Elena Rybakina beat Aryna Sabalenka to win the women’s title yesterday. The men’s final is No. 1 Alexander Zverev vs. No. 8 Ben Shelton today at 2 p.m. (ABC).
🍴 West Midtown Restaurant Week debuts Sept. 20-26, uniting James Beard-honored kitchens like Bacchanalia and Miller Union with beloved favorites like Taqueria del Sol. Enjoy prix fixe dinners, tasting flights, and signature cocktails crafted for the occasion. Reserve your table today! SPONSOR MESSAGE
Atlanta’s disappearing tree canopy
🌳 Twenty-seven years ago, I bought a house because I fell in love with a tree. The huge silver maple growing through the elevated deck attached to the back of the house captured my heart the moment I saw her. The screened treehouse beside the maple sealed the deal.
About forty feet from the ground, the tree’s trunk splits into two large stems, creating a V-shape: open arms reaching skyward to feel the warmth of the sun. Sadly, at 100-plus years old, she is not doing well. Midtown Atlanta’s dense urban environment and climate change have taken their toll.
Boutee Tree has kept excellent watch over her through the years. Now, they say it’s time to let her go. I’m not coping well with this news, despite expecting it.
➞ Read Sally Bethea’s full column here.
RELATED
🗣️ DeKalb County is seeking public input on potential updates to its tree ordinance.
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Moooo! DeKalb’s new public art project
🐮 Cows are coming to DeKalb County! The 12+1 Initiative is a new county-wide public art project bringing a herd of customized painted cows to each city in DeKalb.
Life-size fiberglass cows are being delivered to 12 cities in DeKalb County to be transformed by local and regional artists into one-of-a-kind creations celebrating each community’s creativity, culture, and character.
Why the cow? It’s a nod to the county’s history as the dairy capital of Georgia and largest Grade A milk producer in the South.
➞ Find out more about the project here.
🗣️ TEDxAtlanta 2026 is two days of conversations, experiences and talks fueled by one simple belief: Bold, brave ideas can change the world. Engage with new ideas and meet people working to solve tomorrow’s challenges, today. Reserve your seat. SPONSOR MESSAGE
I will always love Dolly Parton
💔 Dolly Parton’s death was a gut-punch. I was a lifelong fan, discovering her old 1970s television variety show when I was 5 years old. I was so obsessed that my parents bought me the Dolly doll that was released in 1976 when I found it at a KB Toy Store (remember them?!) in the mall. I’ve still got her, as you can see in the photo.
When I posted that story on my social media, a number of my followers praised my mom and dad for buying me a doll when so many parents of that era would have shoved a GI Joe action figure in their sons’ hands and told them that “Dolly was for girls.”
My parents were open-minded (partly because my Uncle Terry – my mom’s beloved brother – was gay) and also music lovers, but with very different tastes. Dolly was one of the artists we could all agree on. I think the world felt that way.
