Rough Draft Atlanta

09/10/2025

Georgia Democrats are losing a member of the state Senate as he gears up his campaign for next year’s Democratic primary for governor. Sen. Jason Esteves, D-Atlanta, said Wednesday that he is resigning from the Senate “because the best way I can serve the people of Georgia is by putting my whole heart into this campaign.” The former Atlanta school board member is contesting two prominent Democrats for the party nomination. Former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms is running, as is former Georgia Labor Commissioner Michael Thurmond, a former state lawmaker who served as the appointed school superintendent for DeKalb County in the 2010s and then as the elected CEO of DeKalb....

Georgia Democrat Sen. Jason Esteves resigns to focus on campaign for governor. He will face prominent Democrats in the primary.

09/10/2025

Atlanta police shot and killed a man they say refused to drop his gun at the Four Seasons Hotel in midtown Atlanta. Police received a call at about 12:48 a.m. that a man with a gun was in the lobby of the Four Seasons Hotel on 14th Street NE. Police said the man exited the building before they arrived, but stayed on the property. When police arrived, they say the man walked around the building towards the parking garage. According to Deputy Chief Prenzinna Spann with the Atlanta Police Department, three officers ordered the man to drop his gun, but he refused and one of the officers shot him....

09/10/2025

Big band leader Joe Gransden will be joined by Atlanta-based jazz vocalist Karla Harris for a Valentine's Day performance. (Photo provided by joriz/Sandy Springs PAC) The Sandy Springs Performing Arts Center (PAC) announced more performances for its 2025–26 season lineup, including the traditional "Love in the Key of Swing" performance and Ireland’s folk group, The High Kings. The Funny Fridays comedy series adds more dates, and Love in the Key of Swing will bring its toe-tapping rhythms to Sandy Springs, William Haggett, executive director of the Sandy Springs Performing Arts Center, announced in a press release....

The Sandy Springs Performing Arts Center (PAC) announced more performances for its 2025–26 season lineup, including the traditional "Love in the Key of Swing" performance and Ireland’s folk group, The High Kings.

09/10/2025

Today, we're sharing a recipe for the Trinidadian doubles from Caribbean restaurant Miss Conduck on Edgewood Avenue....

Today, we're sharing a recipe for the Trinidadian doubles from Caribbean restaurant Miss Conduck on Edgewood Avenue.

09/10/2025

Artist Melissa Mitchell’s Bloomingdale’s installation features bold chairs, ottomans, and rugs in her signature abstract prints. Image by Sherri Daye Scott On the men’s floor of Bloomingdale’s Lenox Square, in the corner where returns were once processed, Abeille Creations founder Melissa Mitchell has installed something closer to a dream made tangible. The space reads like a hybrid gallery and retail pop-up: oversized paintings line the walls, rugs explode with color, and mannequins wear her signature, saturated prints. Up front, greeting visitors as they step in, are her newest creations — custom-upholstered indoor/outdoor chairs and ottomans designed with Atlanta-based…...

Step into Melissa Mitchell's imaginative installation at Bloomingdale's, where Atlanta artistry meets bold furniture design.

09/10/2025

The Atlanta Design Festival announced its inaugural Advisory Board, including (clockwise from top left): LeKeith Taylor, Dr. EunSook Kwon, Todd Bertsch, Adriane Jefferson, Ingrid van der Wacht, Andrew Graves, Katherine Dirga, and Simon “Sy” Gray. Courtesy of ADF. Two of Atlanta’s leading arts organizations are reshaping their leadership, bringing in figures whose backgrounds extend beyond the traditional art world. The High Museum of Art and the Atlanta Design Festival announced new boards in recent weeks, reflecting a broader strategy: building institutions that draw on expertise in business, education, design, and civic life as well as culture....

Discover how the High Museum of Art and Atlanta Design Festival are evolving their boards with new members for 2025.

09/10/2025

Award-winning playwright and screenwriter Topher Payne has a new comedy premiering this week at OnStage Atlanta that zeros in on a scandal-ridden U.S. presidency. And, no, it's not about the current administration, although Payne said theatre-goers will likely see parallels between the 29th president and the 47th. "A First Lady's Guide to Killing the President" looks back at the events leading up to the death of President Warren G. Harding in 1923. Harding was on a summer-long whistle-stop tour out west to mend his damaged reputation after he gave high-ranking positions to golf buddies and cronies who used their offices to accept bribes, commit fraud, and dispense political favors....

Award-winning playwright Topher Payne's new comedy, 'A First Lady's Guide to Killing the President,' premieres at OnStage Atlanta.

09/10/2025

Wonderful Wednesday Sept. 10 — Lady Gaga is expanding the North American leg of her "Mayhem Ball" tour and will stop at State Farm Arena on March 4 & 5. Ticket presales start today for Citi and Verizon customers. 🌞 Sunny and 84° today. ⚖️ A Fulton County judge said he will dismiss racketeering charges against protesters accused of trying to stop construction of "Cop City." 🚒 DeKalb County firefighter Preston Fant, a 21-year veteran of the department, was killed in the line of duty on Monday. 📈 Georgia’s net tax collections…...

Ralph Ellis, veteran journalist, releases debut novel 'The Accident Report'. Join us at the Decatur Book Festival and enjoy 100+ authors.

09/10/2025

From a trifecta of Lao, Thai, and Khmer food in Chamblee and Greek dishes and cocktails in Midtown to a dessert bar in Poncey-Highland and Neapolitan pizza in Dunwoody, put these upcoming Atlanta restaurants on your opening radar this fall....

From a trifecta of Lao, Thai, and Khmer food in Chamblee and Greek dishes and cocktails in Midtown to a dessert bar in Poncey-Highland and Neapolitan pizza in Dunwoody, put these upcoming Atlanta restaurants on your opening radar this fall.

09/10/2025

Walkable Tuesday Sept. 9 — Welcome to this week's Silver Streak! Read below for more on the Dunwoody City Council's final decision to reject a low-income senior housing complex near Ashford Dunwoody Road. ➟ Plus, there's news on improvements and requisite growing pains when it comes to centering connectivity and walkability for Atlanta's west side. And, Sandy Springs UMC has announced a campus demolition and reenvisioning that will focus on the congregation's long-term needs and budget. But first, a few headlines: 🚰 DeKalb County and the Urban League of Greater Atlanta launched the…...

09/10/2025

Table Talk: Most Anticipated Fall Restaurant Openings Sept. 9 — Happy Tuesday, and welcome to the table! In today's "Family Meal," I'm bringing you updates on eight restaurants I'm excited to see open this fall, including restaurants serving Cambodian food, Greek dishes paired with martinis, Neapolitan pizza, and desserts from an award-winning pastry chef. ➕ Plus, for "The Move," I tell you why you need to check out Yaba's Bagels in Dunwoody. And Rough Draft Dining Reporter Sarra Sedghi provides you with a recipe for the Trinidadian doubles from Edgewood Avenue Caribbean restaurant Miss Conduck....

Table Talk: Most Anticipated Fall Restaurant Openings Sept. 9 — Happy Tuesday, and welcome to the table! In today’s “Family Meal,” I’m bringing you updates on eight restaurants I’m excited to see open this fall, including restaurants serving Cambodian food, Greek dishes paired with mar...

09/09/2025

A traveler experienced confusion and frustration when attempting to locate the off-airport parking shuttle pickup location at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, due to a lack of signage and unhelpful employees, and was later forced to follow a shuttle out of the parking lot due to a mix-up with reservations....

Navigating the challenges of airport construction and parking issues, while reflecting on the importance of a work ethic.