Weekend time
Friday, July 17 — Neighborhoods around Piedmont Park are raising security concerns about the 50,000 soccer fans expected for a FIFA World Cup watch party and concert for Sunday’s final between Spain and Argentina. The event, which includes a performance by Ludacris, is free but requires an RSVP. While the Centennial Park Fan Festival is over, Decatur’s WatchFest includes a Sunday night concert by the Indigo Girls.
⛈️ Scattered thunderstorms with a high of 89° today. Rinse and repeat for the weekend.
🗣️ The White House announced that President Trump will visit Cobb County on July 22 to promote his education savings accounts.
🏗️ Fulton County commissioners passed a bipartisan resolution opposing Atlanta’s proposed tax allocation district extension, arguing it violates state law and would divert billions from county services.
🩺 The former Northlake Mall in Tucker will be transformed into a new campus for Emory Healthcare, which already has a presence at the mall.
📚 The Decatur Book Festival revealed its initial slate of authors for the Oct. 2-3 event, including keynote speaker Brian Goldstone.
🥗 After being damaged by a fire, the original location of MetroFresh at Midtown Promenade has permanently closed. The One Midtown Plaza location on Peachtree Street remains open.
🚣 Paddlers from across the Southeast will compete in the inaugural Sandy Springs SUP Showdown on Aug. 15 at Morgan Falls Overlook Park.
🍽️ The next Rough Draft DNNR Club is set for Tues., July 21. It’s a great way to make new friends, meet like-minded RD readers, and enjoy dinner at a local restaurant. Learn more and sign up here.
ELSEWHERE
🗣️ In a primetime address from the White House, President Donald Trump released declassified intelligence he said revealed election vulnerabilities, renewing his push for the SAVE America Act as Democrats and independent experts disputed his claims.
⚖️ Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche met with Jeffrey Epstein survivors after Sen. Thom Tillis demanded it, though survivor Danielle Bensky called the meeting “insufficient” to advance his confirmation.
💸 President Trump’s teleprompter operator was placed on unpaid leave after federal regulators found he made more than $100,000 betting on the content of Trump’s speeches.
🌊 Flash flooding has killed at least two people in Texas’s Hill Country.
🕖 Here’s what’s in today’s newsletter:• Georgia at the Jimmys
• Film Review: ‘The Odyssey’
• Upcoming Events
• Experience COSM Atlanta
• The Sports Section
AND
• Top Stories of the Week
❤️ Therapy that helps you feel seen, supported, and understood—while building practical skills to navigate life with confidence at Intown Psychology. SPONSOR MESSAGE
1. Jake James brings the Jimmy Awards home to Georgia
🎭 If you know anything about theater, you know the Jimmy Awards are a big deal. They’re the country’s highest honor for high school musical theater, and previous winners and nominees include the likes of Eva Noblezada, Andrew Barth Feldman, and Renée Rapp. Now that list includes Milton High School rising senior Jake James.
On June 22, Jake James won the Jimmy Award for Best Performance by an Actor. To qualify for the Jimmys, he won the Shuler Hensley Award – Georgia’s national high school musical theater award – for his performance as Jacob in “Water for Elephants.”
The 17-year-old won for his performance of “It’s Hard to Speak My Heart,” a song from the musical “Parade,” which tells the story of Atlantan Leo Frank, a Jewish man who was wrongly convicted for the murder of 13-year-old Mary Phagan in 1913.
🎤 Sammie Purcell spoke to James recently about his win. Check out their conversation here.
When the Matches End, the Dining Begins
SPONSORED BY LIVABLE BUCKHEAD⚽ After cheering on your favorite teams across Atlanta, treat yourself to the city’s best tables during Buckhead Restaurant Week, July 27-Aug. 1.
More than 50 participating restaurants are serving exclusive prix-fixe menus and inventive pairings crafted to turn post-game energy into an unforgettable evening. Whether you crave bold flavors or a relaxed celebration with friends, Buckhead delivers.
➞ Explore the lineup and discover your next favorite meal. The final whistle is just the beginning of a delicious night.
2. ‘The Odyssey’: We have a responsibility to each other in Nolan’s soulful take on the epic
WEEKLY FILM REVIEW | BY SAMMIE PURCELL
🐴 Christopher Nolan’s version of “The Odyssey” feels like the sentimental counterpart to his previous film “Oppenheimer” – similarly anti-war and interested in humanity’s ability to excuse abject evil in the name of cleverness or progress.
The film follows Odysseus (Matt Damon) in the 10 years following the Trojan War as he tries to make his way home to Ithaca, continuously thwarted by his own ego and forces beyond his control. Nolan’s version of Homer’s epic takes up the mantle of exploring the idea of responsibility. When Odysseus came up with the idea for the Trojan Horse – when the Greeks faked peace in the form of a gift in order to slaughter the Trojans – a door opened that he spent the rest of the film trying to slam close. Nolan’s interpretation brings up questions of trauma, of the ways in which we give ourselves permission to be cruel to each other, and of where our responsibilities lie and to whom.
These are all ideas that you can glean from the original text, but Nolan pushes them to the forefront, digging through the plethora of ideas contained by this centuries-old story of a clever, complicated man (Nolan sure does love those, doesn’t he?) trying to get back home – and does it in spectacular, blockbuster fashion.
🏹 Click here to read Sammie’s review.
🍿 Stay in the picture with Scene by Rough Draft, our weekly newsletter about Georgia’s film industry. Subscribe for free.
3. Upcoming Events
🎸 Kurt Vile & The Violators hit the stage at The Eastern tonight starting at 8 p.m.
🦞 Hapeville’s Downtown Live Concert Series kicks off tomorrow with the potent combination of jazz and seafood.
🏊♀️ “The Games in Black and White,” a documentary about the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, at the Tara Theatre on July 18.
⚽ Celebrate the end of the World Cup with the “A Celebration of Soccer & Sound” event on July 19 from 11 a.m.-8 p.m. at Piedmont Park. Cap off the end of the tournament with food, drink, music, arts and crafts, and more.
4. FIFA World Cup™ Comes Alive at Cosm Atlanta
IN PARTNERSHIP WITH COSM ATLANTA
⚽ The world is coming to Cosm Atlanta. The excitement of the 2026 FIFA World Cup™ reaches new levels as fans are transported pitchside in Shared Reality.
When countries from around the globe compete to be crowned world champions, there’s one way to witness it all pitchside without leaving Atlanta. The massive, ultra-high-definition dome inside Cosm Atlanta puts fans inside the stadiums for the biggest event in the world.
5. Spain v Argentina; Hawks ink deal with Gray Media
SPONSORED BY COSM
📺 Watch the 2026 FIFA World Cup Final between Spain and Argentina this Sun., July 19, at 3 p.m. at Cosm.
⛳ Jackson Suber, who’d never played links golf before this week, shot a 5-under 65 to lead The Open Championship after the first round at Royal Birkdale. Get live updates on Round 2 or watch on Peacock.
🏀 Gray Media’s Atlanta News First will broadcast all non-nationally televised Atlanta Hawks games for free starting next season, marking the team’s return to local over-the-air TV.
⚾ After the All-Star break, the Braves resume play with a weekend series against the Rangers tonight at 7:15 p.m. at Truist Park (Braves.TV; 93.7 FM).
🏀 The Dream are in Toronto to face the Tempo tonight at 7:30 p.m.
⚽ 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
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 DeKalb County passes budget with millage rate increase, launches $12 million housing fund
② Atlanta doctors discuss the pros and cons of taking a GLP-1 for weight management
③ Scaffolding collapses onto Midtown street at stalled construction site
④ Warnock, Dickens celebrate new law to boost homeownership for renters (pictured)
⑤ Dunwoody Council discusses variances for new grocery store at former Walmart site
🏃 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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