USA!
Thursday, July 2 — Harry Kane scored twice in the final 15 minutes to lift England past Congo DR 2-1 in Atlanta yesterday, sending the Three Lions into the round of 16, where they now face Mexico in Mexico City on Sunday. In other action, Belgium beat Senegal, and the U.S. eliminated Bosnia-Herzegovina. The Americans will be without star forward Flo Balogun, whose red card last night means he is ineligible for the team’s next match against Belgium on Monday in Seattle. There are three knockout round matches today, beginning at 3 p.m. (FOX).
🌞 Mostly sunny with a high of 94° today.
⚖️ The trial of Robert Aaron Long, the man accused of killing eight people in the 2021 Atlanta spa shootings, may be delayed because of changes to his defense team.
🤰 A state legislative commission found that Georgia ranks just outside the top 10 states for infant mortality rates. A separate report found that nearly 90% of maternal deaths were preventable.
💰 Midtown International School will not declare bankruptcy, despite blaming its abrupt closure earlier this year on financial issues.
🐟 The City of Atlanta is investigating a fish kill in the South River due to a potential chemical release at a water reclamation center on June 29.
📍 The Dunwoody City Council is expected to hold a public hearing on July 13 about several zoning modifications for a proposed Kroger grocery store on Ashford Dunwoody Road in a space formerly occupied by Walmart.
📣 Out Front Theatre, Atlanta’s LGBTQ+ theater company, announced the show lineup for its 11th season.
ELSEWHERE
🇷🇺🇺🇦 Russia hit Kyiv, Ukraine, overnight with a barrage of missiles and nearly 500 drones, killing at least 13 people and injuring dozens.
✈️ President Donald Trump took his maiden flight aboard the new, Qatari-gifted Air Force One yesterday, a $400 million Boeing 747 with a navy-and-gold color scheme.
💍 Two people were taken into police custody after they climbed New York City’s Empire State Building with a peace banner and apparently got engaged.
💔 Actor Danny Glover, known for his roles in films like “Lethal Weapon” and “The Royal Tenenbaums,” revealed that he has been living with Alzheimer’s disease for several years.
🕖 Here’s what’s in today’s newsletter:
• Raphael Bahindwa x FIFA
• Real Estate Quiz
• Bullion takes on banking gap
• MARTA Dining Guide
• Quick Bites
AND
• Events
❤️ Therapy that helps you feel seen, supported, and understood – while building practical skills to navigate life with confidence at Intown Psychology. SPONSOR MESSAGE
1. Atlanta art scene embraces Congolese artist Raphael Bahindwa’s FIFA World Cup series
VIA SKETCHBOOK, A WEEKLY NEWSLETTER ABOUT ART | SUBSCRIBE
🇨🇩 Raphael Bahindwa paints to bear witness.
Born and raised in the Democratic Republic of Congo, he moved to the United States to study art, earned his B.F.A. in painting from SCAD Atlanta in 2022, and since built a body of work here devoted to his homeland, its people, and the aspirations of its youth.
This summer, as DR Congo competed on the FIFA World Cup pitch at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, that practice has found its moment in Bahindwa’s adopted hometown. The team may have lost to England yesterday, but the country’s spirit and Bahindwa’s art remain.
⚽ Sherri Daye Scott has more here.
You can hear the fireworks. Can you hear your friends?
SPONSORED BY CLEARWORKS AUDIOLOGY
🎆 The Fourth of July fills the air with booms, crackles, and laughter – but for the 1 in 5 adults with hearing loss, the conversation is often the hardest part to follow.
Hearing loss doesn’t just affect what you hear. It affects how connected you feel. Straining to keep up in a crowd, nodding along, quietly withdrawing – it chips away at the moments that matter most.
You deserve to be fully present with the people you love.
ClearWorks Audiology is Sandy Springs’ and Atlanta’s trusted choice for hearing care – let’s get you back in the conversation.
➞ Visit our website to learn more.
2. What’s it Worth?
SPONSORED BY ATLANTA FINE HOMES SOTHEBY’S INTERNATIONAL REALTY
🏡 Located in Morningside, this gated 6,555±-square-foot home features a detached guest suite, two-story playhouse with electricity, covered outdoor living space, and a luxurious primary suite with a private terrace. The home offers six bedrooms and six bathrooms.
❓ Guess the price below!
3. Bullion tackles the business banking gap for African and Latin American startups
🏦 Raise venture capital in USD. Then start building globally. That is a playbook international tech founders often follow, says Atlanta-based entrepreneur Joshua Afolabi. But, the pain starts the minute that money hits their account.
“Startups operating across Africa and Latin America often have to stitch together multiple financial tools just to operate globally,” said Afolabi – something that they need to do to manage treasury, payroll, vendor payments, and day-to-day operations across multiple currencies and regions.
It was a FinTech problem that Afolabi saw firsthand and is now working to fix with his second startup, Bullion. The platform is building modern financial infrastructure for startups. What that means in practice is that founders can use the Bullion platform to open business accounts and corporate cards and manage vendor payments in each global market, without having to deal with different currencies and accounts.
➡Read the whole story from Hypepotamus here.
4. MARTA Dining Guide: Arts Center and Midtown stations
🚇 This Rough Draft dining series highlights restaurants in cities and neighborhoods within easy walking distance or a short bus ride from MARTA rail stations.
Located on West Peachtree Street in Midtown, Arts Center Station sits directly behind one of Atlanta’s top cultural attractions: The Woodruff Arts Center, home to the High Museum of Art, the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, and the Alliance Theatre.
Meanwhile, sandwiched between Peachtree Place and 10th Street a few blocks south, Midtown Station drops passengers within walking distance to Georgia Tech, the Margaret Mitchell House, the Fox Theatre, and Piedmont Park.
Together, these stations also anchor one of Atlanta’s most walkable and transit-friendly neighborhoods. This MARTA dining guide to Midtown spotlights two dozen restaurants, bars, coffee shops, and a food hall easily walkable from the Arts Center and Midtown stations.
⚽ When the matches end, the dining begins. After cheering on your favorite teams across Atlanta, savor the city’s best tables during Buckhead Restaurant Week, July 27-Aug. 1. More than 50 restaurants serve exclusive prix-fixe menus. Learn more here. SPONSOR MESSAGE
5. Quick Bites
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😋 In this week’s Quick Bites, get updates on restaurant openings at Pittsburgh Yards and in Midtown, restaurant closures in Chamblee and Duluth, and Joystick GameBar’s upcoming departure from Edgewood Avenue. (Don’t worry, the popular gaming bar plans to reopen elsewhere.) We’ve also got intel on some dining events, including a recurring vegan block party in the West End and a cake swap in Duluth.
🍴 Get the latest Atlanta dining news here.
6. Upcoming Events
🎆 Tucker’s Independence Day Celebration; Fri., July 3, from 6-11 p.m. on Main Street.
🎇 Norcross Red, White & Boom; Fri., July 3, 5-10 p.m. at Lillian Webb Park.
⚾ Atlanta Braves vs. New York Mets; Friday – Monday at Truist Park. 🇺🇸 Dunwoody Fourth of July Parade and Festival. The parade starts at 9 a.m. at Mt. Vernon and Jett Ferry.
🏀 Atlanta Dream vs. Golden State Valkyries; Sat., July 4 at 1 p.m. at Gateway Center in College Park.
🍿 “Hook,” starring Robin Williams; Wed., July 8, 7 p.m. at SCADshow Summer Series.Submit events for consideration at RoughDraftAtlanta.com/Events or email us for more information on promotions opportunities.
🏃 100 miles. Six weeks. One incredible community. Join the Chastain Challenge and help keep Chastain Park clean, safe, and green while reaching your own goals. Details here. SPONSOR MESSAGE
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