⚖️ Willis off Trump case
The Friday before
Dec. 20 — Georgia’s Court of Appeals ruled Thursday that Fulton County DA Fani Willis cannot continue prosecuting the 2020 presidential election interference case against President-elect Trump and 14 of his allies.
☀️ Sunny and 54° today. The weekend is looking sunny, but cold.
🪧 Amazon workers at seven facilities across four states, including Georgia, went on strike Thursday in a Teamsters-organized effort to force contract negotiations.
📈 Georgia's unemployment rate rose slightly last month, but still remains lower than the national jobless rate.
🚨 Atlanta’s new public safety training center is nearly complete and expected to open in the first few months of 2025.
🎗️ Kennesaw State University graduate Erin West, 42, was confirmed as one of the victims in this week's school shooting in Madison, WI.
🏗️ An apartment building in Buckhead’s Garden Hills neighborhood could soon be demolished despite attempts by area residents to preserve it for affordable housing and its historic character.
🛒 Big Lots will close the remainder of its stores, including those in metro Atlanta, after a deal to sell the discount chain collapsed.
🐕🦺 Police briefly closed Abernathy Road yesterday for a helicopter landing to transport Amor, a Georgia State Patrol K9 officer who suffered gunshot wounds while on duty.
ELSEWHERE
🏛️ The House rejected a new Republican shutdown proposal backed by President-elect Trump that would have tied government funding to debt ceiling changes. Without a deal, federal funding lapses at 12:01 a.m. Saturday.
🇷🇺 In his annual end-of-year press conference, Russian President Vladimir Putin said he regretted not invading Ukraine sooner and insisted Russia was achieving its goals, while dismissing concerns about Syria's Assad regime.
🕖 Here's what's in today's newsletter:
• Mt. Vernon School lights
• Film Review: 'Nosferatu'
• The Sports Section
AND
• Top Stories of the Week
Have a good weekend,
Collin & Sammie
🫶 Giving Kitchen has helped over 26,000 food service workers in crisis and awarded over $14 million in financial assistance since 2013. As the year ends, demand is unprecedented. Your year-end donation can make a significant impact. Please support us today!
PARTNER MESSAGE
1. Planning Commission recommends denial of Mt. Vernon School's lighting request
💡 The Sandy Springs Planning Commission voted 6-0 on Wednesday night to recommend that the city council deny Mount Vernon School’s request to light its athletic field.
Hundreds of residents from neighborhoods surrounding the school property at 510 Mount Vernon Highway filled the Studio Theatre. An overflow crowd watched the meeting on a screen in the theater’s lobby. The residents expressed their approval verbally after hearing the unanimous recommendation from the commissioners.
Planning staff had recommended approval, with conditions that limited times and days for the lighting, limited sound levels, used lights intended to minimize light spillage, and required vegetation to screen the field from the neighboring homes.
Keep your dog safe this holiday season with these simple tips
SPONSORED BY SCENTHOUND
🎄 Christmas and the holiday season find most of us spending time with our loved ones, and for many of us, loved ones include our dogs. Celebrating with your pup can make the holidays even more memorable, but there are safety tips to keep in mind.
➡️ Learn more here about precautions to take that will keep you and your pup happy and healthy this holiday season.
🐾 Scenthound is a wellness-focused, membership-based service providing hygiene essentials and grooming for your dog.
Recommended by LinkedIn
2. 'Nosferatu' and the reimagining of a legend
WEEKLY FILM REVIEW | BY SAMMIE PURCELL
🧛 Over the course of film history, there have been six versions of the story of “Nosferatu” (or at least six easily found on the internet). And that’s to say nothing of the countless “Dracula” films that have also graced our screens over the years.
The first of these films, from German Expressionist director F.W. Murnau, debuted in 1922 – an unofficial adaptation of Bram Stoker’s 1897 novel “Dracula.” The first official version of Stoker’s work would come out in 1931, directed by Tod Browning.
Suffice it to say, “Nosferatu” is a property synonymous with film history, and a tale older than Hollywood itself. But, as evidenced by his previous work – “The Witch,” “The Lighthouse,” “The Northman” – writer/director Robert Eggers has an affinity for legends. And “Nosferatu,” which in part involves a strange creature who brings a plague unto humanity, certainly feels ripe for reimagination in 2024.
Eggers brings his signature weirdness and the height of filmmaking craft to the endeavor, and while the story might not change all that much, that’s sort of the thing about legends — there’s always something new to mine.
🍿 Stay in the picture with Scene by Rough Draft, our weekly newsletter about Georgia's film industry. Subscribe for free.
3. Penix to start for Falcons, Tech women undefeated
BY: JIM BASS♂️ 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!
🏈 The 12-team College Football Playoff begins tonight with No. 10 Indiana facing No. 7 Notre Dame at 8 p.m. on ABC. The winner will meet Georgia in the Sugar Bowl on Jan. 1, though Bulldogs quarterback Carson Beck's status remains uncertain.
🏈 Falcons’ head coach Raheem Morris announced that the team will start rookie Michael Penix Jr. over a struggling Kirk Cousins moving forward. The Falcons host the Giants on Sunday at 1 p.m. (FOX; 92.9 FM).
🏈 Former Falcons quarterback Michael Vick will become Norfolk State’s next head coach. The coaching job will be Vick’s first in football.
🏌️ Buckhead native, Marist grad, and former UGA golfer Will Chandler earned his first PGA Tour card after an improbable final stage rally in PGA TOUR’s Q-School on Sunday.
🏀 No. 17 Georgia Tech women’s basketball team has started the season 12-0, including wins over rivals Georgia and North Carolina. The Yellow Jackets will host No. 23 Nebraska tomorrow at 5:30 p.m.
🏀 After a 110-102 loss to the Bucks in the NBA Cup semi-final, the Hawks fell to the Spurs last night.
🏈 After an 8-4 season, Georgia Southern lost 31-26 to Sam Houston State last night in the R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl.
🏈 The GHSA Football and Flag Football State Championships were held this week at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Here are the results:
🫶 With a 39% increase in Ask For Help requests in 2024, Giving Kitchen needs your support now more than ever. Your year-end donation will prevent homelessness and hunger for food service workers in crisis. Make a difference today!
PARTNER 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.
💭 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.
🔤 Don't miss our new, daily word game - you have six chances to guess a five-letter word connected to a news story.