Public safety agencies in Fulton County practice evacuation procedures The Fulton County Sheriff's Office and partnering agencies conducted a mass evacuation drill at the Fulton County Justice Center Complex to ensure employees, public safety personnel and partner agencies are familiar with…

🚙 Kemp suspends gas tax A dreamy weekend Saturday, May 16 — The 2-0 Atlanta Dream open their 2026 home campaign against the defending champions, the Las Vegas Aces, tomorrow at 1:30 p.m. at State Farm Arena, one of five games they play there this season. The game is the team's 50th consecutive…

Award-nominated musical ‘Hot Jambalaya’ returns to Horizon Theatre May 22 Horizon Theatre is set to showcase the award-nominated musical whodunit, Hot Jambalaya, beginning this month. Following its successful debut at Dad’s Garage Theatre Company, the encore production brings its mix of murder…

Elliot Tuttle and cast discuss making of controversial ‘Blue Film’ Director Elliot Tuttle's "Blue Film," which opens in Atlanta on May 22, has drawn controversy for its subject matter, which includes pedophilia and child abuse. “Blue Film” was turned down by a few major festivals before eventually…

The Carter Center to host annual mental health forum on May 19 The Carter Center is hosting the 30th annual Rosalynn Carter Georgia Mental Health Forum on Tuesday, May 19.  The day-long event will look to progress mental health policy and practice in Georgia while also honoring the legacy of the…

Theatrical Outfit unveils 50th anniversary season Atlanta theater company Theatrical Outfit (TO) has revealed its 50th anniversary season plans: a yearlong celebration of performing arts, under the theme "Changing Generations," that TO said will reflect its “rich history and exciting future.” "For…

The Atlanta News Quiz for May 16 It’s time to test your knowledge with this week’s Atlanta News Quiz! Click here to play, and please let us know how you do by sharing on Instagram, Facebook, or X @RoughDraftATL. This week’s quiz is sponsored by Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. 🎻 As the season comes to…

🙌🏼 So much winning Simply the best Friday, May 15 — Congratulations to the winners of Atlanta Best Media's Best of 2026 for Sandy Springs. The city is fortunate to be the home to many great businesses — even those that didn’t make the winners’ list, so let’s make sure we give some love to all our…

❤️‍🔥 Horror twist = ‘Obsession’ Bonjour! Friday, May 15 — It's Friday! And I don't know about you, but I've had a very Tony Soprano meets "Ballad of a Homeschooled Girl" type of week! I've got a film festival hangover, Atlanta traffic made me late to my "Obsession" screening (didn't stop me from…

🎩 Vietnamese black-tie gala Black-tie gala: "A Night of Vietnamese Immersion"  May 15 — It's Hayden with my weekly Norcross newsletter. Remember my story last week on the Piedmont Pathway? Residents, business owners, and community stakeholders attended an open house earlier this week to learn more…

😄 The kids are all right It ain't easy being cheesy Friday, May 15 — Katie and Cathy here with your weekly dose of all things Tucker. Today is National Pizza Party Day (seriously). Take this as your sign to head over to Hugh Howell Road and grab a pie or two from Enzo's, Jet's, or Antico. Tucker's…

Georgia governor declares state of emergency over high gas prices Georgians will receive a 33-cent per gallon break at the gas pump for two weeks due to a state of emergency declared by Gov. Brian Kemp in response to spiraling fuel prices.

Rescheduled repairs to close two miles of I-285 this weekend All lanes on the west side of I-285 will close this weekend between Cascade Road and Martin Luther King Jr. Drive as the Georgia Department of Transportation begins major repairs on the Perimeter. The shutdown will begin at 7 p.m.…

Questions remain as Kirkwood senior housing project heads for full Atlanta City Council vote A rezoning request to build an apartment building for homeless senior citizens in Kirkwood received approval from the Atlanta City Council’s Zoning Committee on May 11, but with a series of added…

Atlanta World Cup news: Trophy tour stop, ball crew training day, ATL nonprofit receives FIFA grant The FIFA World Cup matches in Atlanta are less than a month away. As anticipation builds, FIFA awarded a local nonprofit a grant, Showcase Atlanta announced a Piedmont Park watch fest, and the World…

Atlanta Pride announces 2026 recipients for Georgia Pride grant Atlanta Pride will award $40,000 in grants to twelve organizations across Georgia to support Pride celebrations and initiatives, continuing the Pride Across the Peach State grant initiative which has awarded $90,000 to 16…

Brookhaven Police arrest pre-school teacher, director on child cruelty charges A teacher and the director of an Oglethorpe Presbyterian Pre-School and Kindergarten in Brookhaven were arrested on multiple counts of first-degree child cruelty after an investigation into the mistreatment of children…

MomoCon brings Wonder Festival to North America This year, MomoCon, Atlanta’s annual celebration of gaming, comics, and anime, has a new partner on the docket. Wonder Festival, a renowned Japanese figure and modeling event, will hit the floor at the Georgia World Congress Center. Sponsored by the…

🗳️ Early voting ends today Make your vote count Friday, May 15 — As of early this week, nearly half a million Georgians had cast early ballots ahead of the May 19 primary, and that number is expected to grow today as early voting closes. You can find out where to vote here and check your…

Travis Willingham and Marisha Ray on MomoCon and Critical Role’s success Playing Dungeons & Dragons for a living sounds like a kid’s pipedream. But for the team at Critical Role, it’s a reality. Critical Role is a web series where a group of voice actors play Dungeons & Dragons on a livestream.…

‘Obsession’ offers a clever, horror twist on the crazy girlfriend trope Early on in Curry Barker’s new horror film “Obsession,” Nikki (Inde Navarrette) stands outside the passenger door to her coworker and friend Bear’s (Michael Johnston) car. She leans down into the vehicle, making intentional…

🍿 Ballpark popcorn+chardonnay Ballpark combo: popcorn and chardonnay May 14 — Hello, internet friends. 🗓️ You know what I love? Impromptu food events. I'll be covering for Beth this year as a judge at Kirkwood's Wing Fling on May 16. I am really looking forward to it. But when I told my husband I…

🇮🇱 Jerusalem Day Ariel had a little lamb   Thursday, May 14 (27 Iyar 5786) 📰 Here's a look at the week's headlines. 🎉 On the 28th day of Iyar, Israel will celebrate Yom Yerushalayim (Jerusalem Day) with a parade and visitors pouring into the city. 🫱🏻‍🫲🏽 The World Jewish Congress met in Geneva this…

The Red and Black editor-in-chief Katie Guenthner attributed the student newspaper's recent traffic gains to a few factors, including four February stories that made national news and newsroom workflow changes related to social media. www.niemanlab.org/2026/05/loca...

Gwinnett Technical College sets enrollment records for third consecutive year Gwinnett Technical College has seen record enrollment in the last three years due to the increasing demand for faster, hands-on career paths, and has partnered with businesses to create career pathways for its students.

Atlanta Police search for suspect in fatal Beltline stabbing Atlanta Police are searching for a Black male suspect who is believed to have stabbed two people on the Atlanta Beltline, resulting in one fatality, and may have also attacked a USPS employee with a rock just prior to the stabbing.

Sarita Smith, instrumental in Student Assignment Project, resigns from DeKalb Schools Sarita Smith, the executive director of the controversial Student Assignment Project, resigned shortly before it was discovered that she was using a Gmail address to conduct official business.

‘White Winged Doves’ celebrates Stevie Nicks through poetry Reading through the introduction of “White Winged Doves: A Stevie Nicks Poetry Anthology,” it's clear that its editors have very different relationships with the queen of rock and roll. “I’ve grown up with her, the older sister I never…

DeKalb DA says ‘I’m going to fight’ new law on nonpartisan elections DeKalb County’s district attorney is considering partnering with other metro Atlanta DAs to challenge a new law that would make their elections nonpartisan. Those counties include Fulton, DeKalb, Clayton, Cobb and Gwinnett – all…

New nonprofit initiative supports Georgia’s film industry workforce development The Georgia Production Partnership has launched the Georgia Production Partnership Alliance (GPPA), a new initiative focused on direct investment into Georgia’s future filmmakers. The GPPA is a nonprofit branch of the…

Don McLean headlines Sandy Springs Stars & Stripes celebration on July 4 Don McLean will be performing "American Pie" at the City of Sandy Springs' annual Stars & Stripes Fireworks Celebration on July 4, which will feature food trucks, live entertainment, and a fireworks show to celebrate the…

Gunshots reported as man surrenders to Sandy Springs police A 33-year-old Sandy Springs man was arrested on May 13 after he allegedly assaulted the mother of his child and barricaded himself in an apartment, with officers ultimately convincing him to surrender peacefully without incident.

Sandy Springs Society awards record-breaking grants to 45 local nonprofits The Sandy Springs Society announced the recipients of its 2026 Philanthropy Grant Awards during the nonprofit’s annual spring meeting, awarding 45 grants totaling $380,000 to dozens of organizations serving the community.…

Georgia filmmakers celebrate their history with Atlanta Film Festival 50th anniversary In 2013, “The Spectacular Now” felt like the perfect choice to close out the Atlanta Film Festival. Athens native James Ponsoldt shot the movie – a coming of age romance based on Tim Tharp’s novel of the same…

Virginia Highland District Porchfest returns May 16 On May 16, Virginia Highland District Porchfest returns for its sixth year, turning more than 50 neighborhood homes into stages for over 100 bands and drawing tens of thousands of people from across Atlanta and beyond. Even at that scale,…

Erika Allen named High 5 for Teachers winner in Metro Atlanta Erika Allen, an audio/visual technology and film teacher at Tucker High School, was chosen as the High 5 for Teachers winner, receiving $2,500 for her programs.

Norcross Housing Authority completes 5-year effort to boost affordable housing The City of Norcross celebrated the grand opening of Walton Crossing and The Legacy at Walton Crossing, a $46 million project that provides 137 affordable housing units to Mitchell Road, tripling the city's affordable…

📣 Gold Dome redux Back to the dome Thursday, May 14 — Gov. Brian Kemp signed a proclamation on Wednesday calling for a special session of the Georgia General Assembly on June 17 to redraw the state's electoral maps in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court's dilution of the 1965 Voting Rights Act.…

May 14 Quick Bites: New Buckhead Vietnamese restaurant, North Avenue Dairy Queen closes, Nakato chef departs In this week’s Quick Bites, get details on restaurant openings in Buckhead and the former Bookhouse Pub space, new hotel restaurants in downtown Atlanta, and a fast-food restaurant's…

🪞 Atlanta’s best face Welcome to Atlanta Wednesday, May 13 — FIFA World Cup 2026 matches begin in June, and this city is doing what Atlanta has always done when the spotlight finds it – making itself into something worth seeing. Public art projects are a key part of that effort. That impulse – to…

Lag B’Omer event in Dunwoody welcomes unexpected birth of lamb Mable the sheep gave birth to a lamb during a Jewish celebration of Lag B'Omer at Congregation Ariel in Dunwoody, much to the surprise of the attendees.

Georgia lawmakers to draw new congressional and legislative districts June 17 The Georgia Legislature will meet for a special legislative session on starting on June 17 to redraw the state's U.S. Congress, state House, and state Senate maps. The move comes after the U.S. Supreme Court's Louisiana…

Brookhaven residents face multiple charges in juvenile sex abuse case Two Brookhaven residents, Olga Patricia Mejia Zavala and Andres Hernandez, have been charged with multiple offenses, including trafficking of persons for labor servitude, rape, aggravated child molestation, and first-degree…

Self-guided Midtown Garden Stroll returns May 17 The Midtown Neighbors' Association will host the 13th annual Midtown Garden Stroll on Sunday, May 17, from noon to 5 p.m. The free, self-guided tour will feature 30 private gardens, ranging from formal to casual. MNA marketing and communications…

First Senior Center of Georgia to host Vietnamese Immersion gala The First Senior Center of Georgia is hosting a black-tie gala on May 16 to benefit Vietnamese seniors in metro Atlanta, featuring cultural entertainment, authentic decorations, delicious Vietnamese food, and a live auction.

🦅 Flying in rare air Definitely too much info Wednesday, May 13 — It's Cathy from Rough Draft with my weekly newsletter on Dunwoody. One of the truly special things about getting older, besides the inability to get out of bed without groaning, is getting a preventative colonoscopy, which I did for…

🎨 ‘American Sublime’ at the High The ridiculous and the sublime  May. 13 — We're jumping right into the news today, starting with the untimely passing of a trailblazing sports figure, the ongoing Trump administration war against trans people, and the arrival of a landmark art exhibiton in Atlanta.…

Atlanta Housing boosts down payment assistance to $60,000 for eligible families Atlanta Housing, the city's housing authority, has announced a new initiative providing up to $60,000 in down payment assistance for eligible participants in its Housing Choice Voucher Program (HCVP), more than…

Tucker fourth graders to compete in global Lego robotics competition The Lego Lords, a robotics team of fourth grade students from the GLOBE Academy and Kittredge Magnet School, have qualified for the global competition Western Edge after months of fundraising and hard work.

Governor cuts budget after income tax bill creates $1.3 billion hole An income tax cut bill that the governor signed into law Monday has caused a $1.3 billion revenue shortfall for next year’s budget, which takes effect in July. Gov. Brian Kemp, who is term-limited and serving his final year in…