Dr. Norman Sauce was appointed as the acting superintendent of DCSD on Oct. 9, 2025, after Devon Q. Horton was indicted on 17 charges, and Sauce has appealed to parents and community members to support the school staff and students during this difficult time.

Several Atlanta financial technology startups are set to receive a major boost to their operations through a new initiative called the “Pinnacle Atlanta Innovation Accelerator.” The Pinnacle Atlanta Innovation Accelerator is a 12-week program that is investing $500,000 into five local “fintech” companies ($100,000 each), along with providing mentorship/coaching opportunities for each respective owner. The first cohort announced for the program, selected from over 80 applicants, includes finance-focused brands that were started by “under-resourced founders” in the Metro Atlanta area, according to a press release. Among the companies taking part in the inaugural initiative include Billseye (mobile billing app for service professionals), Blended (financial platform for divorced and single-parent families), Guala (social point-of-sale and merchant wallet for micro-sellers), LUXE AI (AI system for maximizing credit card rewards) and Pagarva (multilingual point-of-sale platform for immigrant-owned businesses).

Melissa Carter on The Bert Show. (Courtesy The Bert Show) After serving as one of the first out morning radio hosts in the country, I certainly thought there would be a line of LGBTQ+ media personalities to follow. That ended up not being the case, and I saw the results of that at a recent event where I was asked to speak.  I even heard myself say to the audience, “This makes me want to be back on air,” before expressing my concerns. For those unfamiliar with my tenure in Atlanta radio, I served on the morning shows of 99X, Q100, and B98.5  and spoke honestly about being a lesbian on each.

The Sandy Springs Education Force will host its annual Lightning Run 5K/10K on October 25th to raise funds for local students, with proceeds supporting after-school enrichment, STEAM initiatives, mentoring, reading programs, and college and career readiness resources.

Key Points: • The average SAT score at North Springs High fell 54 points in 2025.• The district average for Fulton County Schools rose by 13 points in one year. North Springs High students bucked the trend of higher SAT scores in 2025. (Photo by Bob Pepalis) Fulton County Schools officials say it’s too early to know why the 2025 SAT score averages at North Springs High School dropped 54 points in a year when the district's overall average score rose. Chief Academic Officer Brannon Gaskins told the Fulton County Board of Education during its Oct.

In the spirit of the upcoming holiday season, "Rick Case Bikes for Kids" is once again inviting the Atlanta community to donate gently-used bicycles to help bring joy to local children in-need. Now in its 44th year, the annual program — organized by the Rick Case Automotive Group — is accepting donations from now through Dec. 20, at participating dealerships. Residents have the option of dropping off their used bikes at Rick Case Hyundai (3180 Satellite Blvd., Duluth), Rick Case Mazda (2493 Pleasant Hill Road, Duluth), Rick Case Kia (3285 Commerce Ave.

The Atlanta History Center (AHC) and the Georgia Historical Society (GHS) agreed to exchange historical records to make them more accessible for the public The Atlanta History Center (AHC) and the Georgia Historical Society (GHS) have completed a monumental exchange of archival collections. The exchange, supported by a $500,000 contribution from Atlanta-based railway company Norfolk Southern, consolidates related collections that were previously separated by the two history organizations, in a joint effort to make them easier to access for the public. As part of the agreement, AHC acquired the Central of Georgia Railway Collection from GHS.

A Tennessee Williams classic will return to Atlanta as The Glass Menagerie launches Theatrical Outfit’s 49th season. The semi-autobiographical work, which runs Oct. 29 to Nov. 23, is about how the past can become a prison, and how dreams can set us free.  “Like no other writer, Williams captures themes of loss and longing; of dreams unfulfilled, and the tender connections between human souls,” said Artistic Director Matt Torney in a news release. “The characters in the play are all caught between worlds.” “Trapped in the harsh reality of the industrialized Midwest, Amanda longs for the nostalgic comfort of her girlhood in Mississippi.

The Indie Craft Spooktacular, a Hallowen-themed market event, is returning to Atlanta on Oct. 26, 2025 The Indie Craft Experience announced the return of its Halloween-themed market, the "Indie Craft Spooktacular,” on Sunday, Oct. 26, at Atlanta Utility Works in East Point. From noon to 7 p.m., more than 50 independent artists, crafters and makers will showcase a wide range of handmade goods, including eerie art, gothic jewelry, hand-poured candles and dark decor, among others. Other highlights planned for the event include a “Maker Station” geared towards children, Halloween-themed selfie stops, live tarot readings, a…

The Druid Hills neighborhood will host a community yard sale on September 20th, supported by the Druid Hills Civic Association, with a Google map of participants available to help plan stops.

Temperate Tucker takes Oct. 10 — It's Cathy from Rough Draft with my weekly newsletter on Tucker. We are deep into election season, with numerous opportunities to get to know the candidates who will be making decisions for Tucker over the next four (or more) years. 🗳 This newsletter will highlight some of the candidate forums that have been happening around town, including our WABE/Rough Draft session that you can watch from the comfort of your couch. In addition, we report on the 17-count federal indictment of DeKalb Schools Superintendent Devon Q.

SCAD Savannah Film Festival lands stellar lineup Oct. 10 — Happy Friday! If you're up for a trip to Savannah this year, have I got a film festival lineup for you! The SCAD Savannah Film Festival, which takes place Oct. 25-Nov. 1, just announced its lineup, and boy, is it a "who's who" of Oscar hopefuls. Among so many others, attendees will be able to see Yorgos Lanthimos' new film "Bugonia," starring Jesse Plemons and Emma Stone; "Sentimental Value," the new film from "The Worst Person in the World" director Joachim Trier; "The Testament of Ann Lee," Mona Fastvold's musical starring Amanda Seyfried that I am DYING to see; and even some old classics like Jean-Luc Godard's "Breathless" and Steven Spielberg's "E.T.

Rough Draft hosted candidate forums for the Tucker City Council election on Oct. 6, with questioners from WABE, Cathy Cobbs of Rough Draft, and Delaney Tarr of SaportaReport.

Home HIV testing kits use an oral swab and can deliver results in about 20 minutes. (Courtesy of the CDC) Funding for an Atlanta-based program that has provided nearly 1 million free HIV home testing kits nationwide has been restored, allowing it to continue for another year. Together Take Me Home, based at Emory University, delivers the tests through an easy-to-use website and integration with dating apps. The program is funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and earlier this year received notice that its funding would not be renewed amid cuts to the CDC.

The 1972 Atlanta Pride March (Photo by Boyd Lewis/Touching Up Our Roots) The origins of Atlanta and Georgia’s LGBTQ+ rights movement stretch back to the upheavals of the 1960s, when a handful of activists began laying the groundwork for visibility and justice. Abby Drue. (Photo by Katie Burkholder) Among the earliest leaders was Lorraine Fontana, co-founder of the Atlanta Lesbian Feminist Alliance (ALFA), the state’s first lesbian organization. Abby Drue became the first openly LGBTQ+ person to serve at Atlanta City Hall, working under three mayors and later leading the Ben Marion Institute for Social Justice.

Sandy Springs speaks Oct. 9 — It’s been a busy week at Rough Draft. We hosted a series of candidate forums for mayor and City Council to help you prepare for Sandy Springs’ upcoming elections. Bob Pepalis breaks it down for you below. But first, some other news.. 🚌 The Fulton County Board of Education plans to spend $15.7 million on renovations to Sandy Springs Middle School. 👩🏻‍💻 Nashville coworking concept E|Spaces will open at East Palisades Office Park on Peachtree Dunwoody Rd. 🧑🏼‍🌾 The Sandy Springs Farmers Market has been nominated for the Georgia Business Council’s Best of Georgia’s produce markets and local farms.

Maria Helena Dolan and Liz Hill at the 1979 March on Washington. (Courtesy Touching Up Our Roots) This is my first arrest. The jail is gritty and grimy, but it’s filled with incredible Queer spirit. It’s Oct. 13, 1987, and I’m in Washington D.C. for the second National March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights with more than 700,000 fellow Queers and allies. I’m taken into custody on the steps of the U.S. Supreme Court on the charge of civil disobedience. I’ve made my way inside the jail and am standing in line to await fingerprinting.

The Atlanta Hawks close out the Pride festivities on Monday, Oct. 13, with their eighth annual Pride Night. The event, coinciding with their first preseason home game of the 2025-26 season against the Miami Heat, will feature in-game programming and performances that honor and uplift the LGBTQ+ community. The celebration will begin with a pregame concourse parade, featuring members of the Atlanta Pride committee and an exclusive pregame happy hour before tipoff at 6 p.m. “We are thrilled to be a part of the Hawks’ upcoming Pride Night following the festivities of the Atlanta Pride Parade and Festival,” said Steven Igarashi, Director of Communications and Community Engagement at Atlanta Pride.

Photo courtesy of the SCAD Savannah Film Festival. The Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) 28th annual SCAD Savannah Film Festival will feature awards season contenders such as “Bugonia,” “Sentimental Value,” and more. The festival will take place Oct. 25 - Nov. 1 in Savannah. According to a press release, the lineup features 167 films, including 56 narrative feature films, 15 documentary features, and 96 short films. On Oct. 25, the festival will open with “Eternity,” a romantic comedy directed by David Freyne and starring Elizabeth Olsen, Miles Teller, and Callum Turner.

Two years later  Oct. 9 (10 Tishri 5786) 🇮🇱 It's been two years. Musical notes hang in the air, a song interrupted by screams, guns, crashing, exodus, violent noise. There's a duality in hope for negotiations between Israel and Hamas and the devastation of two years of intense war. 📍 The Atlanta Jewish community met at AA Synagogue, while other cities like Washington, D.C. and New York held public displays. 🕊️ While we're waiting for peace in the Middle East, here are a few websitesI'm following. ⁉️ Did you read that…

Rainbow Friday Oct. 10 — The Rough Draft crew will be at Piedmont Park this weekend for the Atlanta Pride celebration. Stop by our booth to say hi, and wave to us on Sunday as we march in the parade with a Mercedes-Benz convertible, courtesy of Mercedes-Benz of Buckhead. Our complete Pride Weekend Guide is here. ☀️ After a cool morning, it will be sunny and 72° today. A spectacular fall weekend is ahead with sun and temperatures in the mid-70s. ⚖️ DeKalb County School District Superintendent Devon Q. Horton was placed on leave after he was criminally indicted on…

Ann Morrison in the national tour of "Kimberly Akimbo." (Photo by Joan Marcus) When Ann Morrison was 25 years old, she made her Broadway debut as Mary Flynn in the much-maligned (now, reclaimed) Stephen Sondheim musical “Merrily We Roll Along.” Morrison was asked to play a woman in her 40s moving backward through time. Now, at the age of 70, she’s being asked to play a teenager. Morrison plays the titular role in the national tour of “Kimberly Akimbo,” a show about a teenage girl with a rare genetic condition that makes her age at a much faster rate than her peers.

It's another busy fall weekend in metro Atlanta, with the Atlanta Pride celebration of the LGBTQ+ community, free rock 'n' roll at the Oakhurst Porchfest, and the opening of the High Museum's new fashion-forward exhibition. Courtesy Atlanta Pride Atlanta PrideOct. 11 – 12, Piedmont ParkThe 55th annual Atlanta Pride celebration will feature events, activities, parties, performances, and the big Sunday parade through Midtown. See our complete guide here. Oakhurst PorchfestOct. 11, DecaturMore than 200 bands will be performing on front porches and in yards across the Decatur neighborhood.

(L-R) Tonatiuh and Diego Luna in "Kiss of the Spider Woman." (Photo provided by Roadside Attractions) Watching “Kiss of the Spider Woman,” one thought kept crossing my mind – why has it taken this long for someone to put Jennifer Lopez in a musical? Thankfully, director Bill Condon has righted this travesty. In “Kiss of the Spider Woman,” based on the 1993 stage musical, which is in turn based on Manuel Puig’s 1976 novel, Lopez plays the diva multiple times over. She is a movie star named Ingrid Luna – a vampy, musical siren a la Rita Hayworth or Marilyn Monroe.

Rough Draft hosted candidate forums for the Tucker Mayoral election on Oct. 6, featuring candidates Anne Lerner, Noelle Monferdini, and Beverly E. Williams.