Rude awakening
Sunday, Nov. 1 — Hi, there. It’s Executive Editor Collin Kelley back with your Sunday slowdown edition of Rough Draft. Did you remember to set your clocks back an hour?
☔ Rain is in the forecast today, with a high of 60°
🗓️ Can you believe it’s November? My bestie called last week asking where we should make a reservation for our annual Thanksgiving lunch, and I was tempted to hang up on her. Last year, we went to the Hard Rock Cafe, which one might not associate with holiday dining, but the Turkey Day spread was delicious.
☕ Since the holiday season is officially here, we have a guide to events; Sally Bethea has a new Above the Waterline column on the endangered hellbender; and it’s time to nominate an extraordinary student for our annual “20 Under 20.”
LOCAL NEWS
🏀 A red-hot Gabby Williams led the Golden State Valkyries past the Dream 68-63 in Game 7 last night to clinch the WNBA Finals, winning the title in the franchise’s second year. Williams, the series MVP, had 30 points, 28 of them in the second half.
📚 The 35th Book Festival of the MJCCA opens today and runs through Nov. 22. Dena Schusterman kicks things off at 1:30 p.m., and Rachel Goldberg-Polin, whose son Hersh was killed in Hamas captivity, speaks tomorrow at 7:30 p.m.
🗳️ Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger said he wasn’t concerned about Justice Department election monitors headed to Georgia, noting bipartisan poll watchers and the Carter Center will also observe.
📰 The Macon Telegraph celebrates its 200th anniversary today with special features in the print edition and free ice cream at Shuster’s Candy & Creamery.
🏈 Yesterday’s local college football results:
- Allen 26, Morehouse 23
- Coastal Carolina 31, Georgia State 20
- Mercer 28, The Citadel 19
- No. 3 Georgia 27, No. 17 Florida 8
- Abilene Christian 59, West Georgia 0
- Albany State 21, Clark Atlanta 17
- Pitt 34, Georgia Tech 11
ELSEWHERE
🇩🇪 Germany is the latest European country to be hit by youth-led protests, as tens of thousands marched against living costs and mandatory military service yesterday, with rioters looting stores in Frankfurt.
⚕️ Deaths in Congo’s Ebola outbreak have surpassed 5,000, according to the latest government data.
🎽 A record 60,000 runners will line up on Staten Island this morning for the 50th anniversary New York City Marathon. Pro women start at 8:35 a.m. and men at 9:05 a.m. (ESPN2).
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Holiday Happenings Guide
🎅🏻 The holiday season will be in full swing this month with concerts, plays, opera, visits with Santa, drag shows, and illuminated landscapes.
Cirque du Soleil is bringing its stage show, “‘Twas the Night Before” (pictured), back to the Fox Theatre, and I highly recommend it. The Center for Puppetry Arts’ recreation of the 1960s animated TV special “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” is fun for kids and their parents. And if you need a little camp in your life, “Liza’s Christmas with a Z” at Out Front Theatre should fit the bill.
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Hellbent on seeing hellbenders
ABOVE THE WATERLINE BY SALLY BETHEA
📋 Earlier this year, I had a significant birthday. To celebrate, and also grapple with this dubious milestone, I made a list of 75 things I’d never done before to accomplish, if possible, before the end of this year’s trip around the sun.
On this list: swimming with hellbenders in a cold, clear mountain stream. My destination will likely be the Watauga River in North Carolina, where the local riverkeeper organization is leading conservation efforts to protect this amazing, threatened species.
Endearingly known as snot otters, lasagna lizards, devil dogs, and mudpuppies, these ancient amphibians lived with the dinosaurs and have inhabited Appalachian streams for over 160 million years.
👓 Read Sally’s full column here
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20 Under 20 nominations are open
👩🎓 Rough Draft is taking nominations for our annual 20 Under 20, which honors students who are doing extraordinary things in their community. The deadline is Nov. 13.
I am always in awe of these students’ ability to excel academically while giving back to the community in such meaningful ways. Last year, we had more than 100 nominations, and the honorees created their own nonprofits, raised thousands of dollars for medical research, and were leading the charge on environmental concerns.
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