Your logo here
Wednesday, Aug. 19 — Kindergarten immunization rates are falling, and vaccine exemptions are on the rise, according to data from the CDC released this week. In Georgia, the vaccination rate sits around 89%, slightly up from last year.
🌤️ Partly sunny with a high of 92° today.
📸 Protesters are rallying this week against Flock Safety’s license plate cameras at the company’s Atlanta customer meetings, citing cases of officers misusing the surveillance system.
📬 Jewish organizations in Metro Atlanta are warning about a mail scam offering Holocaust reparations.
😤 About 100 Brookhaven residents pushed back on a Windsor Parkway plan that would remove 206 trees for a roundabout, though Mayor John Park left room to modify the multi-use path.
✈️ The Atlanta City Council approved an ordinance to use $1.3 billion in revenue bonds to fund capital projects and environmental protections at the Atlanta airport.
🤖 The City of Atlanta is using an AI music tool for tourism and convention campaigns, despite concerns from local artists.
🏗️ Industry leaders discussed the impact of AI on development and permitting at last week’s Council for Quality Growth Development Conference.
🐾 Progressive Insurance struck a sponsorship deal that puts its logo on UGA’s Sanford Stadium field, joining 12 other schools in the ad initiative debuting this season.
🎙️ According to the AJC, Star 94 fired morning hosts Kevin Avery and Taylor Scott after less than a year, the latest shake-up in Atlanta’s radio lineup in recent weeks.
🎧 We are launching our first RD-produced podcast, “From the Paper to the Pod,” a behind-the-scenes look at stories that you read in print, online, and in this newsletter. It’s hosted by Summer Evans, and the first episode drops on Friday. (Please follow: Spotify, Apple, YouTube).
ELSEWHERE
🗳️ A Democratic socialist won Florida’s Democratic Senate primary. Here are the full results.
⚖️ ABC filed a lawsuit yesterday against the FCC on First Amendment grounds over demands for early review of broadcast licenses.
🎗️ ESPN founder Bill Rasmussen, who conceived the idea for a 24-hour sports network in 1978, died yesterday at 93 from complications of Parkinson’s disease.
PICTURE THIS: TriNet CEO Mike Simonds and Dunwoody Mayor Lynn Deutsch cut the ribbon yesterday at the HR company’s new 150,000-square-foot office at Dunwoody’s High Street development. TriNet committed to bringing 750 new jobs to Atlanta over the next five years and unveiled murals celebrating music, sports, and history.
🕖 Here’s what’s in today’s newsletter:
• Short film screening
• Upcoming Events
• The Reset
AND
• Concert Picks
🍃 Visit Atlanta’s newest outdoor public space this fall for free fitness classes, artisan markets, lunchtime events, live music + more. Midtown Green is located in the heart of the city at 98 14th St., near MARTA and deck parking. Learn more here. SPONSOR MESSAGE
1. Visionary Justice StoryLab to celebrate Southeastern filmmakers with screening event tomorrow
✊ The Visionary Justice StoryLab is celebrating the work of emerging Southeastern filmmakers with a screening event at the Tara Theatre tomorrow.
The Resisting Narratives of Erasure Short Film Showcase marks the end of the lab’s 2026 fellowship of the same name. The culminating event features eight original short films from the fellowship participants, centering intersectional and QTBIPOC (Queer, Trans, Black, Indigenous and People of Color) stories.
“What we really care about is liberatory storytelling – the ways in which filmmakers have access to the tools and the resources they need to tell the powerful stories that we know they’re capable of and that they have,” said Lara Davis, impact producer with the Visionary Justice StoryLab. “We fit within that community as creatives and makers ourselves.”
🍿 Read the full story here.
Your commute is about to get a lot more fun
SPONSORED BY PERIMETER COMMUNITY IMPROVEMENT DISTRICTS
🚆 Transit Month is bringing a little fun to your commute this September! Throughout the month, Perimeter Connects is popping up at Medical Center, Sandy Springs, and Dunwoody MARTA stations with free coffee, bagels, treats, plants, live music, giveaways, and more.
Whether you’re commuting to work or just passing through, stop by to enjoy the festivities and discover how Transit Month rewards riders all month long.
🎉 Explore all the rewards and event schedule.
2. Upcoming Events
SPONSORED BY THE ATLANTA BELTLINE
🛍️ Celebrate Black Business Month across four Beltline Marketplace locations on Sat., Aug. 22 from noon-4 p.m., featuring Black-owned businesses, local art, music, food, shopping ,and family fun.
♠️ Monday Night Garage’s weekly spades night is tomorrow from 6-9 p.m.
🍿 Videodrome is hosting a special screening of Michael Mann’s 1986 classic “Manhunter,” presented in 4K at the Plaza Theatre tomorrow. Additional showings will follow through next Wednesday.
🎶 OYE FEST Block Party 2026 is this Sat., Aug. 22 from 2 p.m.-midnight at Believe Music Hall.
3. Breathe in Color brings creative wellness classes to Atlanta and Clayton County
THE RESET | SPONSORED BY INTOWN PSYCHOLOGY
“The Reset by Rough Draft” is edited by Laura Scholz, one of Atlanta’s most respected lifestyle journalists. The Reset is a weekly, Wednesday newsletter with even more content, and you can subscribe here with one click.
📚 School is back in session, and now’s the time to help children and teens settle into a strong routine. If your child struggles with anxiety, friendships, emotional regulation, or the back-to-school transition, Intown Psychology is here to help. Learn more here.
🎨 A graduate of Clayton County’s Stillwell School of the Arts, Teylor Parks felt her mental health spiral during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. She turned to the same arts and crafts projects she had enjoyed as a child, making colorful affirmation cards and paintings and sharing them online. It was the beginning of Breathe in Color, Parks’s creative wellness brand that offers a line of affirmation cards, guided journals, and facilitated in-person experiences.
🖌️ Read Laura’s story about how Breathe in Color is bringing arts and wellness classes to Atlanta and Clayton County.
🧘🏼 Get ready to flow at Golda Kombucha, which kicks off a three-part yoga series tomorrow night. Sign up for the all-levels vin-yin classes, then wind down with a complimentary glass of kombucha.
🔔 Sign up for a restorative yoga and sound bath session at Tucker Yoga on Sat., Aug. 22. Reservations are required.
⚡ The Fit-X Experience is coming to the Atlanta area on Sat., Aug. 22. Expect an all-levels, DJ-driven workout with Ish “The Black Superman” Sandiford and high-energy vibes. Reserve your spot here.
🐶 Sunday Stroll wraps up its summer season with a special puppy edition on Sun., Aug. 23. Come with your own (leashed) dog for the 75-minute social walk, or mix and mingle with adoptable puppies from PAWS Atlanta. Bring a donation of dog or cat food or pill pockets and get a free iced coffee.
🩺 Attend the Roswell Senior Expo at the Roswell Adult Recreation Center on Wed., Aug. 26 for free health screenings and information on Medicare, financial planning, mobility solutions and more.
📝 Join Breathe in Color for a journaling and meditation class on Mon., Aug. 31. Sign up here to reserve your spot.
🚲 Atlanta-based WKND eBikes is hosting its first community pop-up at Huckleberry’s Corner Store on Sat., Aug. 29. Take a complimentary test ride and get a sneak peek at the brand’s debut bike collection between 4-7 p.m.
❤️ Therapy that helps you feel seen, supported, and understood – while building practical skills to navigate life with confidence at Intown Psychology.
🍃 Visit Atlanta’s newest outdoor public space this fall for free fitness classes, artisan markets, lunchtime events, live music + more. Midtown Green is located in the heart of the city at 98 14th St., near MARTA and deck parking. Learn more here. SPONSOR MESSAGE
4. Concert Picks
Wed., Aug. 19
🌲 Eric Johanson @ Eddie’s Attic
🐕 Roofdog @ Eddie’s Attic
🔪 Kill Bill @ Aisle 5
Thurs., Aug. 20
🎹 Joe Alterman @ Eddie’s Attic
🎸 Buddy Guy @ Atlanta Symphony Hall
👨🍼 Father @ Terminal West
Fri., Aug. 21
👑 Her Majesty’s Request at Avon Theatre (pictured)
🥃 Chris Stapleton @ Mercedes-Benz Stadium
🥞 Jack Johnson @ Ameris Bank Amphitheatre
🇲🇽 El Tri @ Tabernacle
🏨 Hotel Burgundy @ Vinyl
❤️🔥 The Dirty Guv’nahs @ Terminal West
🌅 Toro y Moi @ Variety Playhouse
🇮🇳 Ammy Virk @ Coca-Cola Roxy
Sat., Aug. 22
🇰🇷 Baek Ji Young @ Atlanta Symphony Hall
🐈 Squeeze + Adam Ant @ Fox Theatre
🕺 Gareth Asher @ Eddie’s Attic
🥨 The Isley Brothers + The O’Jays @ Synovus Bank Amphitheater at Chastain Park
🎷 Olivia Dean @ State Farm Arena
🛣️ Calle 24 @ Tabernacle
Sun., Aug. 23
🐺 Sean McConnell + Olivia Wolf @ Eddie’s Attic
🪞 Jon Batiste + Atlanta Pops Orchestra @ Synovus Bank Amphitheater at Chastain Park
Tues., Aug. 25
🍒 Chxrry @ The Loft
Wed., Aug. 26
🌻 The Wilder Flower @ Eddie’s Attic
📍 Celebrate Little Five Points at People Make the Place Sun., Aug. 23 at 7 Stages. Hear the stories of those supporting health & wellness in L5P and be entertained by Dad’s Garage improv. Light bites and food with ticket purchase! 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.
💡 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.
