Closing the loop
Friday, Oct. 2 — The Atlanta Beltline closed on its final property, a 0.2-acre parcel in Blandtown, clearing the way to build the last five miles of the 22-mile trail. The milestone caps two decades of dealmaking, with nearly 200 closings worth more than $200 million. Full completion is targeted for 2030.
🌤️ Partly sunny with a high of 84° today, but look out for rain throughout the weekend.
⚾ The Braves beat the Phillies to advance to the NLDS, where they will face the Dodgers in a best-of-five-game series starting tomorrow at 4 p.m. in Los Angeles.
🎓 The Board of Regents formally named former Southern Company CEO Thomas A. Fanning chancellor of the University System of Georgia yesterday. He takes the helm Jan. 1, succeeding retiring Sonny Perdue.
🛜 Delta’s decision to pass on Starlink for in-flight Wi-Fi spilled onto social media, with Starlink’s Elon Musk attacking CEO Ed Bastian over his reported remarks dismissing the service.
🏆 The Council for Quality Growth honored Integral Group Chairman Egbert Perry with its Four Pillar Award last night. Perry helped pioneer the “Atlanta Model” of mixed-income redevelopment with Centennial Place.
⚽ Atlanta City FC will unveil the new women’s soccer team’s colors, crest, and branding on Sunday at a free celebration with music, merchandise, and food at Southern Exchange Ballrooms.
🧇 Outkast and Waffle House are celebrating their new merchandise collab with an event today from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. at the Waffle House at Centennial Olympic Park.
✝️ “Sacred Cycles,” an immersive, audio-visual exploration of the similarities of Islam, Christianity, and Judaism, is on display through tomorrow at the Atlanta Art Fair.
🏈 Unbeaten No. 5 Newton visits No. 8 Westlake tonight in this week’s Drive for the GHSA State Title broadcast. The pregame show starts at 7:30 p.m., with kickoff at 8 p.m. on Atlanta News First (Channel 46) and ANF+.
🚀 Rough Draft is growing: As reported by the AJC this morning, we are launching coverage of Athens, GA, with a newsletter starting this month (subscribe) and a new, print edition in January.
ELSEWHERE
⚖️ The family of Renee Good, the Minneapolis woman shot and killed by an immigration officer in January, filed wrongful death lawsuits against the officer and the U.S. government.
🗝️ Sean “Diddy” Combs was moved to solitary confinement after NBC News reported that he paid fellow inmates at New Jersey’s Fort Dix prison for massages, meals, and housekeeping.
📞 Congress mandated and funded the return of the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline’s “Press 3” option for LGBTQ youth this week, more than a year after the Trump administration cut it.
🕖 Here’s what’s in today’s newsletter:
• Ansley Park Tour of Homes
• Estate sales
• What’s it Worth?
• Film Review: ‘Verity’
• Upcoming Events
AND
• Top Stories of the Week
🤝 The TOUR Championship is more than a week of great golf. Discover how Southern Company, alongside other Proud Partners and the surrounding community, is creating lasting impact, inspiring future generations, and making the championship one of Atlanta’s most meaningful summer traditions.
SPONSOR MESSAGE
1. Ansley Park Tour of Homes returns this weekend
🏡 During this weekend’s 2026 Ansley Park Tour of Homes, visitors can not only see beautiful homes throughout the neighborhood, but also take advantage of Ansley’s proximity to the best Midtown Atlanta has to offer.
The tour, “Ansley Park: An Arts-Filled Legacy,” features eight extraordinary residences with stops ranging from the very first home built in the neighborhood to an ultra-modern condominium directly across from the High Museum.
In addition to the homes, tour planners have also added numerous “extras” to educate and entertain, including visits to the Woodruff Arts Center and MODA.
🛋️ See more details on the tour here.
A Weekend of Free Music in Alpharetta
SPONSORED BY AWESOME ALPHARETTA
🎸 Gather friends and family for Wire & Wood, a FREE festival on Oct. 9 & 10, with over 30 performances across 7+ stages throughout downtown Alpharetta, with everything from Americana and Indie to Southern Rock, Pop, Country, and more!
2. Weekend estate sales
🛍️ Treasure hunting? Here are some of this weekend’s estate and yard sales worth checking out around Atlanta and beyond.
💍 Old Buckhead treasures (Buckhead/Vinings): Vintage jewelry and clothing, English and German porcelain, Japanese art, midcentury glassware, furniture, and more. Today, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.; Sat., 9 a.m.-3 p.m.
🕰️ Vintage time capsule (Decatur): A house full of vintage finds from Cotton & Company Estate Sales. Fri.-Sun., 9 a.m.-3 p.m.
🏰 12,000 square feet of finds (Alpharetta): Country Club of the South estate packed with furnishings and décor – with more than 800 photos posted. Reservations recommended for neighborhood entry. Fri.-Sat., 9 a.m.-4 p.m.
🪆 A collector’s paradise (Marietta): Antiques, MCM pieces, jewelry, art, porcelain dolls, vintage kitchenware, tools and collectibles from around the world. Fri.-Sun., 9 a.m.-2 p.m.
👜 Worth the drive (Athens): Designer handbags meet fishing poles and tools at this eclectic Athens estate sale. Fri.-Sat., 9 a.m.-5 p.m., Sun., 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
👻 Dad’s Garage’s newest original sketch show, The Bottle Tree, is an interactive, spooky collection of horror-comedy sure to send tingles down your spine!
SPONSOR MESSAGE
3. What’s it Worth?
SPONSORED BY ATLANTA FINE HOMES SOTHEBY’S INTERNATIONAL REALTY
🏠 Set on 3.8± private acres, this 8,300-square-foot Spanish-style estate features a heated pool and spa, tennis and bocce ball courts, a cabana and an expansive lawn. Inside, highlights include a wine cellar, fitness room, Pilates studio, and guest suite.
❓ Guess the price below!
4. Film version of Colleen Hoover’s “Verity” simply isn’t trashy enough
WEEKLY FILM REVIEW | BY SAMMIE PURCELL
📖 Since 2024, there have been four feature film adaptations of Colleen Hoover novels. But the most recent, “Verity,” is a bit of a different animal than Hoover’s standard romantic fare.
Directed by Michael Showalter with a screenplay from Nick Antosca, “Verity” stars Dakota Johnson as Lowen Ashleigh (continuing the trend of Colleen Hoover protagonists with bonkers names), a struggling author trying to make ends meet in the wake of her mother’s death. Her luck changes when, out of nowhere, she receives a lucrative offer to ghostwrite for none other than bestselling author Verity Crawford (Anne Hathaway), whose psychological thriller series is unfinished – and might continue to be so, since Verity was recently in a car accident and can no longer move or talk.
As far as Hoover adaptations go (and they’re becoming a genre unto themselves), “Verity” is operating at a higher level than most. It’s got bigger stars, and director Michael Showalter clearly has an affection for classic noir, as the film’s visual references range from “Leave Her to Heaven” to “The Night of the Hunter” to “Notorious.” There’s a classiness to this movie, at least on the surface, that elevates it above what you might expect. But maybe “Verity” could have used a bit of good old-fashioned trash. Because besides Hathaway doing her damnedest to inject this thing with a bit of humor, “Verity” is just about as boring as it could possibly be.
🛶 Click here to read Sammie’s review. You can also read her review of “Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother.”
🍿 Stay in the picture with Scene by Rough Draft, our weekly newsletter about Georgia’s film industry. Subscribe for free.
5. Upcoming Events
📘 Decatur Book Festival Keynote Conversation; tonight at 7 p.m. in Downtown Decatur.
🎤 The Classic Improv Show; tomorrow at 8 p.m. at Whole World Improv Theatre.
🥕 Virginia Highland Farmers Market; Sun., Oct. 4 at 8:30 a.m. at Highland Woodworking.
🏀 Atlanta Hawks vs. Memphis Grizzlies; Mon., Oct. 5 at 7 p.m. at State Farm Arena.
🪩 Charli xcx; Tues., Oct. 6 at 8 p.m. at State Farm Arena.
📧 Find out how you can get your event featured in Rough Draft.
🗓️ For more events, visit RoughDraftAtlanta.com/events.
🕯️ As the sun sets over Atlanta, the past comes alive. Now in its 20th year, history, theatre, and Halloween thrills converge at Oakland Cemetery for Capturing the Spirit of Oakland Halloween tours on Oct. 15-18 & 22-25 from 5-11 p.m.
SPONSOR MESSAGE
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 University of Georgia student hospitalized after dramatic eight-story fall
② Man shot and killed in Atlanta’s historic Old Fourth Ward Park
③ Did you miss these September 2026 Atlanta restaurant openings?
④ Mule Train brings Southern-leaning cuisine and open-door hospitality to Atlanta (pictured)
⑤ VIDEO: Giant pandas arrive at Zoo Atlanta from China
🔤 Play News Word Atlanta, our daily word game.
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