Adiós, July
Friday, July 31 — Students across the region head back to classrooms next week to begin the 2026-27 academic year. Districts including Cherokee, Clayton, Cobb, DeKalb, and Fulton counties, as well as City Schools of Decatur and Atlanta Public Schools, will open Mon., Aug. 3. Marietta City Schools starts on Tuesday, and Gwinnett County, the state’s largest district, will begin classes Wednesday.
🌤️ Mostly sunny with a high of 92° today. Temperatures in the 80s with potential thunderstorms throughout the weekend.
💸 Gov. Brian Kemp’s office has instructed state agencies to freeze spending levels as they prepare budget proposals for next year’s legislative session.
⚖️ Colin Gray, the father of Apalachee school shooter Colt Gray, was sentenced yesterday to 15 years in prison.
🏗️ John Dewberry of Dewberry Capital has regained full ownership of the long-stalled Campanile Building redevelopment in Midtown after a lender released its interest in the property.
🔟 Officials are sponsoring a scavenger hunt to encourage residents to discover and learn about Tucker’s history in honor of the city’s 10th anniversary.
🥵 Above the Waterline columnist Sally Bethea spent part of her summer in Venice, Italy, and got a close-up look at how climate change is bringing extreme heat across the globe.
ELSEWHERE
🇮🇱🇵🇸 President Donald Trump announced a deal for Hamas to disarm and Israel to withdraw from Gaza, though officials offered no firm timeline and Israel gave no public confirmation.
➡ The president hinted he might withdraw Todd Blanche’s nomination for attorney general after two Republican senators held up his confirmation.
📉 The U.S. economy grew at a 1.5% annual rate in the second quarter, a slowdown from earlier in the year, as consumers dipped into savings to keep pace with rising prices.
⚽ UEFA said its 55 European member associations would boycott the World Cup unless FIFA abandoned a plan to sell private investors minority stakes in the tournament’s commercial rights.
🕖 Here’s what’s in today’s newsletter:
• Best dishes to try
• Film review: ‘I Want Your Sex’
• Upcoming Events
AND
• Top Stories of the Week
🎨 Soak up the sun with Midsummer at ArtsXchange for a two-day festival of art, community, and family. Enjoy an evening art auction and dancing today, July 31, then return tomorrow, Aug. 1, for free workshops, live entertainment, vendors, food, crafts, and games for all ages. More details. SPONSOR MESSAGE
1. Best dishes to try from Atlanta restaurants
🍝 Each month, Rough Draft’s dining team, Beth McKibben and Sarra Sedghi, share their favorite dishes to try at restaurants around Metro Atlanta. They also share a few restaurant discoveries and cool pop-ups to put on your radar.
😋 Check out their latest recommendations.
Where should Beth and Sarra eat next? Send your restaurant and dish recommendations to Beth via email.
You Can Still Be Part of the Magic
SPONSORED BY CHRIS 180
✨ The 2026 CHRIStal Ball is officially sold out, but you can still help make life-changing moments possible for people like Gisha Bayless. Through CHRIS 180’s Foster Care & Adoptions team, Gisha opened her heart and home to a resilient teen, building a bond rooted in trust, healing and unconditional love.
Your donation helps CHRIS 180 provide mental health care, safe housing, foster care and adoption services so Atlanta’s children, youth and families can heal, live and thrive.
2. Gregg Araki explores young people’s sexual anxiety in ‘I Want Your Sex’
WEEKLY FILM REVIEW | BY SAMMIE PURCELL
💄 “You’re all dying to f*ck. But you’re just too chicken sh*t to admit it.” When Erika Tracy (Olivia Wilde) says this in “I Want Your Sex,” you can almost feel filmmaker Gregg Araki screaming into the abyss. Erika, a contemporary artist whose work focuses on the pleasures of sex, says this to her assistant-turned-BDSM-playmate (he’s the sub) Elliot (Cooper Hoffman) well before their sexual relationship begins, berating him for the ways in which his generation relates to sex – that is to say, for the fact that they don’t really relate to it at all.
Elliot tries to explain his peers’ hang-ups – lack of socialization, too many phones, the whole nine yards – but Erika just can’t understand. The sex she’s had over the years – the good, the bad, with women, with men, with anyone! – has made her who she is. She doesn’t understand, nor does she sympathize with, an entire generation’s paralyzing fear of connection.
Erika serves as a bit of a mouthpiece for the director (although, he doesn’t condone all of her behavior – and thank God), and “I Want Your Sex” channels Araki’s frustration over that fact into a satirical take on a noir where farce and erotica make for a potent combination.
🎨 Click here to read Sammie’s review. You can also read Jim Farmer’s interview with Araki about the inspiration and making of the film.
🍿 Stay in the picture with Scene by Rough Draft, our weekly newsletter about Georgia’s film industry. Subscribe for free.
3. Upcoming Events
🪡 The 18th annual Atlanta Quilt Festival runs today, July 31, through Sept. 5 at the Southwest Arts Center.
🎤 Enjoy an Evening of Classic Hip-Hop with Doug E. Fresh, and Slick Rick & Friends on Saturday, Aug. 1, at Mable House Barnes Amphitheatre.
🪕 Mumford & Sons take the stage at State Farm Arena for their Prizefighter Tour on Tues., Aug. 4.
📽️ The Atlanta Underground Film Festival runs next weekend from Aug. 6-9 at 7 Stages Theatre.
🍻 Oakhurst Market’s 15th & Steinbeck’s 20th Anniversary Block Party; Sat., Aug. 8 from noon-5 p.m.
💙 The 2026 CHRIStal Ball is officially sold out! You can still make an impact by donating to CHRIS 180, helping Atlanta’s children, youth and families heal, live and thrive. Every gift makes a difference. Donate today. SPONSOR MESSAGE
4. 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 Indoor amusement park Thrillz Atlanta opens near Spaghetti Junction
② Dunwoody City Council paves way for Kroger redevelopment
③ 4-year-old ‘Toy Story’ fan awaiting heart transplant has wish come true, thanks to love and medication (pictured)
④ Concert Review: Noah Kahan makes small town anxieties feel fit for a crowd of thousands
⑤ Chef Anne Quatrano opens Summerland at Upper West Market
🎨 Soak up the sun with Midsummer at ArtsXchange for a two-day festival of art, community, and family. Enjoy an evening art auction and dancing today, July 31, then return tomorrow, Aug. 1 for free workshops, live entertainment, vendors, food, crafts, and games for all ages. More details. SPONSOR MESSAGE
💭 Test your knowledge of the week’s news in tomorrow’s News Quiz. Keep an eye out for our email at 8 a.m. or bookmark this page!
🔤 Play News Word Atlanta, our daily word game.
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