Key Points:• Fulton County Schools plans $15.7 million for Sandy Springs Middle renovations.• The project completion is expected by December 2027. Fulton County Schools plans $15.7 million in renovations to Sandy Springs Middle School that include HVAC, electrical, and flooring upgrades and replacements. (Provided by Fulton County Schools) The Fulton County Board of Education plans to spend $15.7 million on renovations to Sandy Springs Middle School. The school board, during its Oct. 7 work session, approved putting the contract with SmithBuilt Construction Group of Alpharetta on its consent agenda for its next regular meeting on Oct.

The Sandy Springs City Council approved the $650,000 sale of a former marijuana grow house property and will be reimbursed for its demolition costs and receive a share of the proceeds after mortgage and fees are paid.

Rough Draft attended a preview of upcoming weekly food festival Smorgasburg Atlanta, sampling as many dishes as possible. Today, we're sharing some of our favorite bites ahead of Smorgasburg Atlanta's public debut in South Downtown on Oct. 18.

Happy Pride! Oct. 8 — Atlanta Pride is this weekend with a full slate of events and activities across the city. We've got a complete roundup below, plus you can check out our Pride Guide in the October issue of Georgia Voice. Please stop by our booth in Piedmont Park this weekend to say hello or wave to us in the Sunday parade! And now a few headlines: ⚖️ The U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments Tuesday in Chiles v. Salazar, a case that could determine whether states can ban conversion therapy on minors.

Georgians should now be able to get the updated Covid vaccines at pharmacies without a prescription after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention approved the latest federal guidelines. The same goes for access at county health departments, the state Department of Public Health said in a Tuesday press release. In line with federal guidance announced Monday, “health department nurses or other providers will counsel patients on the risk-benefit of the vaccine based not only on age but other health conditions or considerations an individual may have,” DPH said. Disruptions to the usual process for recommending who should receive the vaccines caused weeks of…

Georgia’s net tax collections rose by 1.9% last month compared to September of last year, the state Department of Revenue reported Tuesday. The state collected $3.27 billion in September, up $60.3 million over the same month a year ago. Monthly individual income tax receipts rose 3.2% over September 2024 as tax refunds fell 16.2% and withholding payments rose 1.7%. Other categories were up too, the sales and use tax by 2.9% and the corporate income tax by 7.6%. Motor fuel taxes gained 1.8% and tag and title fees rose 20.8%. The title ad valorem tax, a small category that brought in $71.7 million for the month, fell 8.5% compared to a year ago.

Meet Somporn Veeranarong, co-owner of the former Red Snapper Seafood Restaurant on Cheshire Bridge Road, who shares her recipe for the restaurant's coquilles, an appetizer combining creamed spinach with shrimp or crab in spring roll wrappers.

ELEVATE Atlanta 2025 curators (from left): Courtney Brooks (Steele Fresh), Melissa “Phyllis Iller” Alexander (The Culture Comb-Out), and Stephen Wilkins and Jordan Neal of SLW & Steady Productions (Welcome to the Westside). Courtesy Atlanta Office of Cultural Affairs Each day of ELEVATE Atlanta 2025, happening Oct. 10–12, plays out like a love song to a different corner of the city's creative map. The festival's theme, "Rooted & Rising," runs through every performance, pop-up, and gathering, serving as a call to celebrate the neighborhoods and spaces that continue to shape Atlanta's creative pulse.

A rendering of LOOP’s interior activation space, where immersive lighting and large-scale installations invite public interaction. Courtesy of MALL Stayner Architects. Next spring, Goat Farm will power LOOP, a seven-acre arts and technology project at historic 665 Marietta St. Developed with Georgia Tech Arts, the West Midtown site will mix artist studios, performance spaces, and tech-infused installations just steps from the Ferst Center For The Arts and Science Square, with doors open to both campus and city. For Georgia Tech Arts strategist Birney Robert, LOOP reflects a larger goal years in the making: helping Georgia Tech play a bigger role in Georgia’s creative industries.

A detour will be necessary overnight to pave the roadway on the Mt. Vernon Highway bridge over I-285 in Sandy Springs. (Provided by GDOT) Motorists who use Mt. Vernon Highway over I-285 may get caught up in an overnight detour from Wednesday through Friday as contractors pave the roadway. The nightly detours on Mt. Vernon Highway will be between Glen Errol Road NW and Hears Ferry Road NW from 7 p.m. to 5 a.m. on Oct. 8 through Oct. 10, according to a news release. During these overnight detour periods, motorists should use Riverside Drive.

Working for Wednesday Oct. 8 — Funeral services will be held for former Dunwoody High School Football Coach Mike Nash on Oct. 12 at Dunwoody Baptist Church. Chattahoochee County High School, where Nash was coaching before he died on Oct. 3, will host a candlelight vigil tonight at 6 p.m. ☁️ Cloudy and 82° today. 💸 As the White House warned that there might be no back pay, thousands of federal workers in Georgia are scrambling to make ends meet during the government shutdown, which is now in its eighth day.

Rough Draft Atlanta hosted 14 Sandy Springs City Council candidates in district-wide forums to share their policy ideas regarding the city. Georgia Public Broadcasting’s Sarah Kallis and Bob Pepalis of Rough Draft Atlanta asked questions of the candidates. Donna Lowry, host of the network’s “Lawmakers” show, moderated the forums. District One Two candidates are campaigning for the District Two council seat, incumbent John Paulson and Lorrie Connor. Paulson said he hopes that efforts by Sandy Springs to create recommendations for mixed-use developments to replace aging shopping centers in the North End will help with redevelopment.

The Atlanta City Council approved a resolution on Oct. 6 appointing members to the City of Atlanta Reparations Study Commission. The commission, established to research and document the city’s historical role in the legal discrimination of African American residents impacted by slavery, includes 14 members: Dr. Skip Mason, representing the Mayor; Ann Hill Bond, representing Atlanta City Council At-Large Post 1; Adria Kitchens, representing the Atlanta City Council At-Large Post 2; Erik Wilder, representing City Council Post 3; Larry Riley, representing City Council President; Dr. Shelia Flemming…

A previous Tucker Civic Association candidate forum (File photo) Tucker Civic Association will offer voters the chance to interact with mayoral and city council candidates and hear where they stand on the issues Thursday night. TCA will host the Tucker Mayor/City Council Election Candidate Forum from 6-9 p.m. Oct. 9 at Northlake Church of Christ, 1625 Cooledge Road. All three mayoral and six city council candidates are expected to be in attendance for the meet and greet and planned forum, according to Neal Stubblefield, president of Tucker Civic Association. Here’s the schedule for Thursday’s forum:

Novel Tuesday Oct. 7 — This week's edition of Silver Streak features a one-on-one with author John Grisham, who will be the opening speaker for the Book Festival of the MJCCA on Oct. 22. We also have updates on how hurricanes and severe weather are impacting Georgia pecan farmers. And, scroll down for details on the memorial service and vigil scheduled for former Dunwoody High School Football Coach Mike Nash, who died unexpectedly on Oct. 3. And now for a few headlines: 🗳️ Early voting begins one week from today. You can check where to vote in your county…

Table Talk: Grant Park Restaurant Exclusive + Coquilles Recipe Oct. 8 — Happy Tuesday, and welcome to the table! In today's "Family Meal," I'm bringing you a subscriber-first exclusive on an upcoming butcher shop, seafood counter, and cafe headed to the Beacon in Grant Park. ➕ Plus, Rough Draft Dining Reporter Sarra Sedghi kicks off her "Grandmas of Atlanta" recipe series with the coquilles from former Red Snapper Seafood Restaurant owner Somporn Veeranarong. But first, I’m sharing answers to a few questions I’ve received recently from readers about my dining strategies and Atlanta's food scene.

A second location of Virginia-Highland's Kinship Butcher & Sundry will open at the Beacon in Grant Park next fall, which will feature a full-service cafe, a bar, butcher shop with seafood butchery program, and outdoor seating. Read this Rough Draft exclusive.

Northside Church celebrates 75 years of community and growth, with a rich history and dedicated members, including Linda Lou Sumlin, a living charter member.

Key Points: The Justice for Cornelius Taylor Coalition spoke at the Atlanta City Council meeting on Oct. 6, advocating for a housing-first initiative complete with wraparound services. Members of the coalition also advocated for increased funding to existing housing, an end to encampment sweeps, and the renaming of Old Wheat Street to Cornelius Taylor Street. The coalition is hosting a vigil for Taylor on Oct. 8 at 7pm on Old Wheat Street. Nearly a year after the death of Cornelius Taylor, a coalition of advocates is still fighting for wraparound services for residents facing homelessness.

Key points: • Tucker mayoral candidates differed on their views about recreation amenities and the need for a police department at a Rough Draft candidate forum on Oct. 6.• Several candidates said a feasibility study that showed a dedicated police department could be viable is an option to explore, while others were not on board with the costs associated with starting one up. Candidates for Tucker's mayoral slot answered questions from representatives from Rough Draft, WABE, and the SaportaReport. (Facebook screenshot) On Oct. 6, WABE’s Rahul Bali moderated the forums devoted to the Tucker mayoral, District 1, 2, and 3 posts, races, less than a month away from Election Day on Nov.

Peter Farrugia (center right) speaks to Jason Esteves (center left), Democratic gubernatorial candidate and former state senator. (Credit: Sarah Kallis/GPB News) Peter Farrugia (center right) speaks to Jason Esteves (center left), Democratic gubernatorial candidate and former state senator. (Credit: Sarah Kallis/GPB News) Thousands of federal workers in Georgia will need to figure out how to make ends meet while they are going without a paycheck until the federal government reopens. The federal government shut down at midnight Wednesday after Democrats and Republicans in Congress failed to reach an agreement to fund the government that included significant cuts to the Affordable Care Act.

(L-R) Leslie Jordan, Olivia Newton-John, and Sarah Hunley on the set of "Sordid Lives." (Photo courtesy of Del Shores) In 2013, playwright and filmmaker Del Shores served as an honorary grand marshal during Atlanta Pride. While he’s written and directed many times over, people along the parade route kept screaming out quotes from one of his films in particular – lines like, “Shoot her, Wardell, shoot her in the head!” This is a line from Shores’ 2000 film “Sordid Lives,” an eccentric black comedy about a Texas family coming together in the wake of their matriarch’s death.

Courtesy Atlanta Pride Happy Pride, Atlanta! Fifty-five years ago, a group of local activists came together and made a choice to organize and push back on the threats and challenges facing LGBTQ+ people. In the wake of the Stonewall Uprising and Atlanta’s own “Lonesome Cowboys” raid, our community chose to gather – and that gathering grew into what is now the largest free Pride celebration in the nation. Atlanta Pride Executive Director Chris McCain From the start, Atlanta Pride has been more than a festival: it is a declaration that our community’s roots run deep and our resolve endures.

Northside Church celebrated its 75th anniversary with a gathering of members, a display of the church's history, and the recognition of Linda Lou Sumlin, one of the only living charter members.

(Courtesy of Stage Door Theatre) Stage Door Theatre's production of "The Cottage" takes the audience through a twisted witty tale of infidelity that's sure to entertain. The play, which runs through Oct. 19, opens with star-crossed lovers Sylvia and Beau making their annual secret romantic rendezvous at Beau's family cottage. We soon find out that Sylvia is married to Beau's brother, Clarke. During their weekend together, Sylvia (Charls Sellick) decides she is ready to leave her husband and start a new life with Beau (Benjamin DeWitt Sims), and sends a telegram to both her husband (played by Jerome Manning) and Beau's wife, Marjorie (Tori Thompson), revealing the affair.