Rise (up) & shine
Monday, Oct. 26 — The Falcons beat the 49ers to salvage what was otherwise a losing weekend for Atlanta sports. The Dream face the Valkyries in Game 5 of the now-tied WNBA Finals tonight at 8 p.m. in San Francisco (USA; CNBC; Peacock). Game 6 is back in Atlanta on Thursday, but it’s still unclear where, as State Farm Arena is booked for the Hawks-Cavs game, although team and league officials are negotiating.
☁️ Cloudy and 70° today.
🎢 Six Flags will add seat belts to Goliath and similar coasters and hired independent engineers to review rides at all its parks following this month’s fatal accident at Six Flags Over Georgia.
🗳️ An AI bot associated with Anthropic accessed public voter data through Georgia’s data hub, according to the Georgia Secretary of State’s office.
🚘 Audi announced on Saturday that it plans to build its first U.S. manufacturing plant in Peach County.
🦠 U.S. measles cases have topped 4,580 this year, more than double 2025’s total, according to the CDC. Georgia’s count is 22, up from 10 in all of last year.
⚕️ The Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta Arthur M. Blank Hospital was reverified as a Level IV Neonatal Center.
🌺 Jan Paul was named the Greater Atlanta Perimeter Chamber’s 2026 Woman of Distinction at a luncheon last Wednesday.
🎂 Marist School is celebrating its 125th anniversary with events and exhibitions.
💼 The new class of Leadership Georgia includes 63 people from across the state.
💰 Georgians are ranked fifth in the nation for spending on lottery tickets, according to a new study from LendingTree.
ELSEWHERE
🌧 A disaster emergency was declared for 12 Colorado counties after days of flooding in the Four Corners region, where the state meets Arizona, New Mexico and Utah. Forecasters expected clear skies today.
⚾ Game 3 of the World Series is tonight at 8 p.m. in St. Petersburg, FL, with ALCS MVP Freddy Peralta starting for the Rays, who trail the Brewers 2-0 (FOX).
🕖 Here’s what’s in today’s newsletter:
• StationSoccer milestone
• Upcoming Events
• ‘Silent Night’
• Global Updates
AND
• Look & Listen
⛳ Learn how the TOUR Championship, a beloved summer Atlanta tradition at East Lake, created meaningful community impact, has inspired future generations, and is making a difference beyond the leaderboard – with more than $71 million invested in local nonprofits. SPONSOR MESSAGE
1. New StationSoccer field opens at H.E. Holmes MARTA Station to serve Metro youth
⚽ MARTA and Soccer in the Streets officially celebrated the grand opening of the newest StationSoccer field at H.E. Holmes Station last week.
The launch comes a decade after the partners unveiled the world’s first transit-station pitch at Five Points Station.
The new space will provide the surrounding communities with direct access to athletic programming for local families and youth ahead of the 2027 StationSoccer season.
🥅 Find out more about the program here.
Calling all Dawg fans!
SPONSORED BY THE CITY OF CHAMBLEE
🏈 Join us in Downtown Chamblee for the UGA vs. Florida 3rd Spot Watch Party on Sat., Oct. 31, at 3:30 p.m., at 3518 Broad Street! Wear your team colors, bring your friends, and come ready to cheer every touchdown, first down, and big defensive play.
2. Upcoming Events
🍿 Simply Weird Film Festival; tonight at 6 p.m. at Red’s Beer Garden.
👻 Legends and Lore; tomorrow at 6:30 p.m. at Rhodes Hall.
👠 Night of the Living Drag; Wed., Oct. 28, at 8 p.m. at Tabernacle Presented by iTHINK Financial.
🎤 Jon B.; Thurs., Oct. 29, at 8 p.m. at Center Stage.
🔮 Hocus Pocus Live with the ASO; Fri., Oct. 30, at 7:30 p.m. at Atlanta Symphony Hall.
📧 Find out how you can get your event featured in Rough Draft. For more events, visit RoughDraftAtlanta.com/events.
3. Silent Night: A Night of Peace in a Brutal War
IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE ATLANTA OPERA
🎶 On Christmas Eve 1914, in the midst of the First World War, the fighting stopped. Soldiers climbed out of their trenches and stepped into no man’s land not to fight, but to meet the men they had been ordered to kill.
They exchanged gifts, shared photographs, sang carols, and even played soccer. By morning, they returned to war.
→ Silent Night, winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Music, brings this astonishing true story to the stage in a powerful reminder of humanity. Tickets are selling fast!
💙 Mental health care should be accessible to everyone. We offer affordable, professional counseling through in-office, telehealth, school-based, and community programs. You don’t have to face it alone. Find a therapist today at Summit Counseling Center. SPONSOR MESSAGE
4. Lula wins in Brazil; Finland’s 24-hour puppy cam
🇧🇷 Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, 80, won a record fourth term, defeating Sen. Flávio Bolsonaro, son of jailed former leader Jair Bolsonaro. The younger Bolsonaro called for the result to be annulled.
🇷🇸 Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic conceded defeat in Sunday’s parliamentary election after a slate backed by student protesters won at least 135 of 250 seats.
✊ Other student-led protests tied to economic worries, war, and more spread across Europe this weekend, with demonstrations reported in France, Spain, Italy, Portugal, Belgium, and Albania.
🇮🇱 Israelis head to the polls tomorrow in the country’s first parliamentary elections since the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attacks. The outcome is set to determine the composition of the country’s next governing coalition amid ongoing debate over security, governance, and national priorities.
🇻🇪 After nearly a year in exile and several unsuccessful attempts to return, Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado says she is back in Venezuela.
🇦🇺 A 65-year-old independent member of Australia’s parliament lost both legs after being struck by a vehicle outside her office last week in what police describe as a targeted attack.
🇫🇮 Pentulive, a 24-hour puppy livestream in Finland, has become a television phenomenon by giving viewers an unfiltered, round-the-clock view of newborn puppies. Watch live.
🗓️ After Israel’s election, join the World Affairs Council of Atlanta for a virtual discussion examining the results and their implications for Israel, the United States, and the broader Middle East. Featuring historian Geoffrey Levin of Emory University and political scientist Eli Sperling of the University of Georgia, the program will combine historical perspective with contemporary political analysis. Register today.
🧣 The Cashmere Sale pop-up is back with 244 gorgeous styles of 100% cashmere for women and men, plus accessories and gifts. Open today, Mon., Oct. 26, at 4407 Roswell Rd. Hours: Mon.-Sat., 11 a.m.-5 p.m.; Sun., 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Shop the collection. SPONSOR MESSAGE
5. Thrills & Chills
In honor of Halloween, we’ve rounded up some spooky shows and podcasts to help set a spine-tingling mood.
🎙️ Hosted by Danny Robins, the BBC’s “Uncanny” investigates real-life ghost sightings and unexplained mysteries while putting each claim through rigorous stress tests and analysis.
🎧 “The NoSleep Podcast” is an adults-only horror fiction anthology bringing terrifying stories to life with full audio production.
🎙️The paranormal comes to life as husband-and-wife duo Dan Cummins and Lynze Cummins share terrifying stories on the “Scared to Death” podcast.
🎧 “Two Girls One Ghost” is a paranormal comedy podcast hosted by friends Corinne Vien and Sabrina Deana-Roga, who bring an obsession with the strange, the spooky, and the supernatural to deeply researched stories.
🔤 Play News Word Atlanta, our daily word game.
💡 Help support independent local media by becoming a Rough Draft member today. Pick up some cool swag, including our new, limited-edition LOCAL hoodie.
📤 Have a friend or colleague who would enjoy getting this newsletter? Forward them this link to subscribe.
