Pandas express to ATL
Friday, Sept. 25 — The 28th annual East Atlanta Strut is tomorrow, kicking off with a 5K race at 8:30 a.m., followed by the Strut Parade at noon, and live music & more until 6 p.m.
🌤️ After another cool morning, it will be partly sunny with a high of 76° today.
🐼🇨🇳 After a meeting with President Donald Trump yesterday, Chinese President Xi Jinping announced that he will soon send two giant pandas to Zoo Atlanta.
🔎 A junior from Atlanta was among the two college students found dead in Oxford, MS. Investigators are trying to determine if kratom (which is banned in some states but legal in Georgia and Mississippi) played a role.
🏆 Georgia ranked No. 1 in Area Development magazine’s annual survey of corporate site selection consultants for a 13th straight year.
💼 DeKalb PTA Council officials are threatening legal action against a Chamblee Middle School parent who has been seeking information about the council’s leadership and finances.
🗣️ A contentious work session over the City of Atlanta’s plan to sell the Atlanta City Detention Center to Fulton County ended in a shouting match between officials.
🚧 Westside I-285 will be closed in both directions from Langford Parkway to Cascade Road this weekend, from 7 p.m. tonight through Monday at 5 a.m., for reconstruction work.
🏈 The Falcons got their season back on track last night in Green Bay, beating the Packers 35-14. Michael Penix Jr. rebounded from an early interception, while Bijan Robinson and Drake London each piled up nearly 200 yards.
🏈 The Drive for the GHSA State Title heads to Roswell tonight, where Fellowship Christian hosts Prince Avenue. Pregame coverage starts at 7:30 p.m., and kickoff is at 8 p.m., live on Atlanta News First (Channel 46) and streaming online.
🏀 The No. 4-seeded Atlanta Dream will host the Washington Mystics in a best-of-three first-round playoff series starting Sunday at State Farm Arena. Tickets are on sale now.
🎗️ Bob Pettit, who won the NBA’s first MVP award and led the Hawks to their only championship in 1958, a decade before the franchise left St. Louis for Atlanta, died yesterday at 93.
ELSEWHERE
📈 The average 30-year mortgage rate rose above 7% for the first time since January 2025, amid bond market volatility from the Iran war and a Federal Reserve hike.
🇮🇱 Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called genocide accusations over Gaza “the greatest lie of the century” in a UN General Assembly speech yesterday, as most Arab and Muslim delegations walked out.
☕ Starbucks announced it will close about 250 underperforming North American cafes this week, its second round of cuts since launching a turnaround last year.
🌧️ A multi-day nor’easter is pounding much of the East Coast, bringing coastal flooding, heavy rain, and strong winds from North Carolina to New England through the weekend.
🕖 Here’s what’s in today’s newsletter:
• Estate, vintage & yard sales
• Movie Review: ‘Primetime’
• Upcoming Events
AND
• Top Stories of the Week
🍂 The first cool morning of fall changes everything at Lake Oconee. If you’re looking for an easy fall escape from Atlanta, there’s no better time to visit. Find your reason to unwind, reconnect, explore, and linger longer with this Ultimate Fall Getaway Guide. SPONSOR MESSAGE
1. Weekend treasure hunts
Not into watching football all weekend? Here are some of this weekend’s estate and yard sales worth checking out around Atlanta and beyond.
🏘️ Druid Hills Community Yard Sale: Shop yard sales throughout the neighborhood, with participating homes plotted on a handy digital map. Tomorrow, 9 a.m.-2 p.m., rain or shine.
👜 Hermès, Chanel & vintage finds – Virginia-Highland: Designer clothes, art, Oriental rugs, French furniture and more. Today through Sunday.
🪑 Antiques meet Restoration Hardware – Buckhead: Persian rugs, vintage clothing, Herman Miller, books and Grandmillennial décor inside an 8,200-square-foot home. Tomorrow and Sunday.
🪴 Furniture, plants & crafty finds – Northcrest: Vintage furniture, patio pieces, art, houseplants, barware and high-end craft supplies. Tomorrow and Sunday.
🏷️ Final weekend at Amsterdam Walk – Morningside: Estate Sale 365 is clearing out its Amsterdam Walk location before moving to Toco Hills. Today through Sunday.
🎸 Stevie Nicks & vintage finds – Smyrna: Vintage Pyrex, furniture, a midcentury stereo console, tools, and some unexpected Stevie Nicks memorabilia. Today through Sunday.
🚗 Worth the drive: Vintage Athens – Athens: Antiques, vintage pieces, furniture, kitchenware, and household finds in Westwood Hills. Today and tomorrow.
Oglethorpe alumni are making an impact
SPONSORED BY OGLETHORPE UNIVERSITY
🤝 Atlanta is shaped by people who choose to invest their talents in something bigger than themselves.
Across the city, Oglethorpe alumni are making an impact through healthcare, the arts, nonprofits, public spaces, and community organizations that help Atlanta thrive.
→ Their careers may take different paths, but they share a commitment to service, leadership, and creating opportunities for others. Here are story highlights on just a few of the graduates whose work is strengthening Atlanta and helping shape its future.
2. ‘Primetime’ is a surreal reckoning with reality
WEEKLY FILM REVIEW | BY SAMMIE PURCELL
🎞️ The first time you see Chris Hansen in action in “Primetime,” he’s framed like God himself.
We spend a little bit of time with Chris (Robert Pattinson) ahead of this moment, but this marks the first time we see Chris Hansen as we know him, in full “To Catch a Predator” mode.
The camera points up at him in awe as he dramatically sweeps the curtain aside. He begins slinking his way down the stairs toward the former Marine (Tony Revolori) who has come to this house to try to have sex with someone he believes is a 13-year-old girl.
🎥 Click here to read Sammie’s review. Also be sure to check out her review of “Ha-Chan, Shake Your Booty!,” which also opens today.
🍿 Stay in the picture with Scene by Rough Draft, our weekly newsletter about Georgia’s film industry. Subscribe for free.
🎸 Gather friends and family for Wire & Wood, a FREE festival Oct. 9 and 10, with over 30 performances across 7+ stages throughout downtown Alpharetta, with everything from Americana and Indie to Southern Rock, Pop, Country, and more! SPONSOR MESSAGE
3. Upcoming Events
IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE HISTORIC OAKLAND FOUNDATION
☀️ Atlanta’s liveliest cemetery music festival returns to Oakland for its 48th year! The iconic Sunday in the Park ft. Tunes from the Tombs festival is back this Sun., Sept. 27, blending live music, history, and family fun in one unique experience.
🦋 Jolene Jolene in Atlanta is hosting a Dolly Parton drag tribute, “Dream More,” tonight at 8 p.m.
🏃🏾♂️ AIDS Walk Atlanta Music Festival & 5K with headliner Kelly Rowland is tomorrow, starting at 9 a.m. in Piedmont Park.
🚲 Atlanta Streets Alive is back on Peachtree Street on Sunday from 2 to 6 p.m.
🎻 “La La Land” will be screened with live accompaniment by the ASO on Sunday at 3 p.m. at Atlanta Symphony Hall.
🗣️ The Moth StorySLAM is Mon., Sept. 28, at 7:30 p.m. at Vinyl.
📧 Find out how you can get your event featured in Rough Draft. For more events, visit RoughDraftAtlanta.com/events.
🎉 Say thank you today! Two out of three people in the U.S. have worked in food service. Join Giving Kitchen’s National Food Service Worker Day today by celebrating the people who make our meals and moments possible. Show a food service worker some love and say thank you! SPONSOR MESSAGE
4. 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 Shaky Knees festival evacuated as strong storms move through Atlanta
② Canvas Companies acquires century-old North Highridge Apartments in Poncey-Highland (pictured)
③ Several buildings in State Farm campus up for sale
④ Chef Linton Hopkins bringing back The Buttery, opening new Buckhead restaurant
⑤ Shamika Boyd says she’ll file a lawsuit after alleged assault by musician at Tucker theater
🔤 Play News Word Atlanta, our daily word game.
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