Atlanta, GA

💃🏽 Clubbing at the High

Published

1 year ago

October 25, 2024

High Frequency Friday

Oct. 25 — The weekend is here, and if you’re looking to fill your dance card, between One Musicfest at Central Park,Jerry Seinfeld at the Fox, or the Hawks at State Farm Arena tonight, there is much to choose from. Visit our How Do You Atlanta? event calendar for more ideas.

☀️ Sunny and 81° today. The weekend also looks warm and sunny.

🫏 Former President Barack Obama, Bruce Springsteen, and Tyler Perry joined Vice President Kamala Harris at her Clarkston campaign rally yesterday, which drew an estimated 20,000 people.

⚖️ Defense attorneys for the three Brunswick, GA men convicted of killing Ahmaud Arbery are asking for a new trial for their clients.

🌳 A full master plan for The Stitch – the Downtown Connector capping park – will be released on Oct. 31.

👂 DeKalb County CEO-elect Lorraine Cochran-Johnson started her constituent listening tour in Dunwoody this week. See where else she’s headed.

🏡 A movement to declare the Candler Park neighborhood a city historic district has failed after a community vote.

💨 Conyers residents are demanding the BioLab chemical plant answer their questions, pay restitution, and leave town nearly a month after smoke from a fire brought daily life to a standstill.

🚒 DeKalb Fire & Rescue had to rescue two 10-year-old boys who tried to zip line after hours in Dunwoody’s Brook Run Park.

🎗️ A group of local Jewish organizations is hosting “Reflecting on a Year of Heartbreak, Resilience, and Hope” on Sun., Oct. 27 from 2-5 p.m. The event is open to all, but registration is required.

🍔 Tucker Meat Market owner Andrea Woolf is trying to bring home the title of the World Burger Champion at the World Food Championship next month.

⛸️ An ice skating rink will be a part of Brookhaven’s citywide winter celebrations for the first time this year.

ELSEWHERE

🙏 President Joe Biden will visit a Native American reservation today, where he’ll formally apologize for federal Indian boarding schools’ historical abuses.

⚖️ The Los Angeles district attorney said he will seek resentencing for Erik and Lyle Menendez, who killed their parents in 1989, saying they’ve “paid their debt to society.”
🕖 Here’s what’s in today’s newsletter:

• Clubbing at the High
• Film Review: ‘Conclave’
• The Sports Section
AND
• Top Stories of the Week

Have a good weekend,
Collin & Sammie

🎹 Join us Sat., March 29 for an Intimate Evening with Jason Isbell LIVE at The Fox Theatre! Tickets go on sale today, Fri., Oct. 25, at 10 a.m. at FoxTheatre.org!
SPONSOR MESSAGE

*Photo courtesy of the High Museum of Art*

1. Friday evening jazz and DJs transform the High into Atlanta’s hottest nightclub

🎷 Twice a month on Friday night, the High Museum of Art stays open later than usual for High Frequency Friday and Friday Jazz. Both evenings invite people to see the High in a different light — beyond just a museum — offering music, dancing, cocktails, and mingling with art as the backdrop to it all.

People begin lining up for Friday nights at the High well before the doors open at 6 p.m. Crowds come dressed to the nines, transforming the museum into the city’s hottest pop-up nightclub for four hours featuring some of Atlanta’s best DJs and jazz musicians.

Once the doors open, museum staff members begin scanning QR codes on tickets. The line moves quickly. People soon find the cocktails, beer, and wine inside and head toward the music.

🎨 Learn more about the pop-up here.

Georgia Power hosts backpack and supply drives for families in need

SPONSORED BY GEORGIA POWER

🎒 This summer, Georgia Power employees teamed up with local organizations to host backpack and supply drives to support families in need. Spearheaded by 15 citizen chapters across the state, these grassroots efforts gathered more than 2,800 backpacks filled with essential school supplies, benefiting 20 school districts.

Georgia Power employees are not just giving back; they’re helping to create a supportive environment where education can thrive. It’s all about building a brighter future for students across Georgia, one backpack at a time.

➡ Read the full story here.

2. ‘Conclave’ is petty politics done right

WEEKLY FILM REVIEW | BY SAMMIE PURCELL

🗳️ One of the most important locations in “Conclave” – a film that beautifully recreates echoing church halls and the dramatic, high ceilings of the Sistine Chapel – is a simple auditorium.

It’s here where a few men are trying to decide who should become the next pope. The men in this room – including Cardinal Lawrence (Ralph Fiennes), who has been tasked with running this election – think it imperative that the progressive Cardinal Bellini (Stanley Tucci) wins. Mostly because he doesn’t want it. “No sane man would want the papacy,” Bellini says.

It’s a familiar adage, although perhaps used in an unfamiliar setting; the person who does not seek power is usually the best person to wield it. “Conclave,” directed by Edward Berger and written by Peter Straughan, based on the novel by Robert Harris, meditates on many ideas like this, ideas that feel poignantly on the nose in today’s climate.

It’s a political thriller dressed up in a cardinal hat, but one that’s a lot more fun to languish in than our current political state. “Conclave” isn’t reinventing the wheel, but is an eminently watchable and entertaining parable about the perils of ambition and what happens when grown men get a little too big for their britches.

⛪ Read Sammie’s full review here.
🍿 Stay in the picture with Scene by Rough Draft, our weekly newsletter about Georgia’s film industry. Subscribe for free.

3. ATL United faces Messi in playoffs, World Series begins

IN PARTNERSHIP WITH GEORGIA POWER

⚽ Atlanta United plays in Round One of the MLS Playoffs against Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami tonight at 8:30 p.m. in Ft. Lauderdale, FL (Apple TV+; 92.9 FM). The Five Stripes advanced after beating CF Montréal in a penalty shootout.

⚾ Game 1 of the World Series between the Yankees and Dodgers is in Los Angeles tonight at 8:08 p.m. (FOX). This will be the 12th time the iconic MLB teams have faced each other in the Fall Classic.

⚾ Former Dodgers pitcher Fernando Valenzuela died this week at 63. The Mexican-born star started “Fernandomania” by winning both the Cy Young Award and Rookie of the Year in 1981.

🏀 The Atlanta Hawks won their season opener against the Brooklyn Nets 120-116 in Atlanta on Wednesday night. The Hawks face the Hornets at home tonight at 7:30 p.m. (FanDuel Sports Network; 92.9 FM).

🏈 Previously winless Kennesaw State upset previously unbeaten Liberty University on Wednesday night 27-24 as fans rushed onto the field.

🏈 Here are tomorrow’s local college games:

Georgia Tech plays at Virginia Tech at noon (ACC Network; 93.7 FM)
Georgia State plays at Appalachian State at 1 p.m. (ESPN+; 88.5 FM)
Mercer hosts Western Carolina at 3:30 p.m. (ESPN+)
West Georgia hosts Southern Utah at 2 p.m. (ESPN+)
Morehouse College hosts Fort Valley State at 2 p.m. (ESPN+)
Georgia Southern lost to Old Dominion last night.
No. 2 Georgia and Clark Atlanta are off this week.

🏀 The New York Liberty won the WNBA Finals in overtime against the Minnesota Lynx 67-62 on Sunday. The championship-deciding Game 5 was the most-watched WNBA Finals game in 25 years.

🏈 The Falcons play division-rival Buccaneers in Tampa Bay on Sun., Oct. 27 at 1 p.m. (FOX; 92.9 FM).

🏈 The Drive for the GHSA State Title continues tonight with Woodward Academy vs. Decatur, live on the Peachtree Sports Network at 8 p.m. Stream the game here.

♂️ The Sports Section is sponsored by Gameday Men’s Health Buckhead, offering testosterone, weight loss, peptide, and ED therapies so you can get back in the game. Learn more today!

🎹 Join us Sat., March 29 for an Intimate Evening with Jason Isbell LIVE at The Fox Theatre! Tickets go on sale today, Fri., Oct. 25, at 10 a.m. at FoxTheatre.org!
SPONSOR MESSAGE

4. Top Stories of the Week

IN PARTNERSHIP WITH HANDS ON ATLANTA

A look back at this week’s most-read stories from our website. Follow @RoughDraftATL on Instagram for regular updates.

① Two long-derailed Dunwoody properties move forward with new owners

② Kemp announces another $1B tax rebate

③ 7 classes in Atlanta for keeping your kitchen and culinary skills sharp (pictured)

④ Capitol skybridge proposal concerns historic preservationists

⑤ Georgia Supreme Court delays ruling on election board rules until after Nov. 5

💭 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!

📧 Today’s newsletter was edited by Julie E. Bloemeke.

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Atlanta, GA

Falcons deny Cowboys’ request to interview DC Jeff Ulbrich, per report

Published

4 hours ago

January 8, 2026

Press Room

Falcons deny Cowboys’ request to interview DC Jeff Ulbrich, per report

The Atlanta Falcons are in the process of hiring a new head coach and general manager, but that doesn’t mean the team is completely cleaning house. Defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich has done an incredible job with the Falcons defense since replacing Jimmy Lake in the offseason.

The Falcons would prefer to keep Ulbrich, as team owner Arthur Blank stated, but the new head coach will have the final say. According to a report from ESPN’s Todd Archer, Atlanta blocked the Dallas Cowboys’ request to interview Ulbrich on Thursday.

“The Cowboys were denied by Atlanta to talk with Jeff Ulbrich for DC job, according to sources,” wrote Archer. “He remains under contract [with] the Falcons despite their search for a head coach. A potential interview can be revisited later if they hire a [head coach], who has a different coordinator in mind.”

Blank discussed Ulbrich’s impact during his Thursday press conference and said he was impressed with the work he did with the team’s rookie draft class. James Pearce Jr. led all rookies in sacks with 10.5 this season, while third-round pick Xavier Watts racked up a rookie-high five interceptions as the team’s starting safety.

“You can’t dictate to the new head coach who their coordinators would be, but I’d certainly recommend to the new head coach to consider Ulbrich,” Blank said of the Falcons’ current defensive coordinator.

It sounds like the Falcons aren’t going to let Ulbrich out of their sights, and it’s hard to blame them. The Falcons defensive coordinator helped the team record a franchise-record 57 sacks this season, just one year after finishing 31st in the NFL with just 31 sacks.

Follow along with each request and interview with our Falcons head coach tracker.

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Atlanta, GA

What the $245M refinance of a Midtown office tower signals for Atlanta

Published

16 hours ago

January 8, 2026

Press Room

What the 5M refinance of a Midtown office tower signals for Atlanta

Business

The tower at 1105 W. Peachtree St., which bears Google’s logo, recently secured a new loan at a time many landlords are struggling to do so.

1105 West Peachtree (Google Tower in Midtown) is shown Friday, Dec. 19, 2025, in Atlanta. The Google Tower is one of the developments done by Selig Enterprises. (Jason Getz/AJC)

It hasn’t been easy the past few years to be an office landlord.

Many tenants shrunk their workspaces coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic, meaning buildings that lost rental revenue also lost value. Interest rates surged. Many banks got gun shy over having too much money lent to office tower owners, and a whole lot of loans have been coming due.

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The tower at 1105 W Peachtree St. in Midtown Atlanta is one of the city’s newest office buildings.

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Zachary Hansen, a Georgia native, covers economic development and commercial real estate for the AJC. He’s been with the newspaper since 2018 and enjoys diving into complex stories that affect people’s lives.

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Atlanta, GA

Atlanta meth lab kingpin sentenced to 30 years after massive seizure

Published

1 day ago

January 7, 2026

Press Room

Atlanta meth lab kingpin sentenced to 30 years after massive seizure

ATLANTA – A Mexican national will spend the next 30 years in federal prison for operating clandestine methamphetamine laboratories across the Atlanta area, federal officials announced Wednesday.

What we know:

Ramiro Contreras-Sandoval, 41, of Michoacán, Mexico, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Eleanor L. Ross following his conviction for running conversion labs that housed more than 135 kilograms of liquid methamphetamine hidden in paint buckets. Contreras-Sandoval, who also went by several aliases including Manuel Santiago Vazquez and “Mirin,” was also convicted of possessing firearms as an illegal alien to protect his drug trafficking operation.

The investigation began in April 2019, when law enforcement seized the methamphetamine mixture from a conversion lab in Morrow, Georgia. Contreras-Sandoval and his co-defendant, Genaro Davalos-Pulido, fled the area after a vehicle they were using to transport the drugs was stopped by police.

The pair remained at large until the fall of 2021, when agents tracked them to a neighborhood in Norcross, Georgia. During a search of a Norcross residence, agents discovered a full-scale liquid meth operation, a loaded Beretta handgun, $84,000 in cash, and a .50-caliber rifle that appeared ready for shipment to Mexico. Contreras-Sandoval was arrested nearby with approximately $12,000 in his vehicle and pockets.

What they’re saying:

“This case should send a clear message to anyone thinking about running drugs or using deadly weapons to protect their operation: the federal government will relentlessly seek justice and protect the community from drug traffickers,” said U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg.

“Operating methamphetamine labs is a reckless and dangerous crime,” said Jae W. Chung, Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Atlanta Division. “This conviction underscores that DEA will aggressively pursue anyone who engages in drug trafficking activities that put lives at risk.”

What’s next:

Contreras-Sandoval’s 30-year sentence will be followed by five years of supervised release. His co-defendant, Davalos-Pulido, previously pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 20 years in prison in October 2024.

The Source: The U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office provided the details for this article.

AtlantaNewsCrime and Public Safety

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