A small plane crashed on Doraville's Homeland Drive near the Dunwoody city limits on Sunday, Dec. 28, shortly before 10 a.m., injuring two passengers. According to Dunwoody Police PIO Michael Cheek, debris was scattered along Homeland Drive, with some pieces located in Doraville and others in Dunwoody. Atlanta News First reported that two people had minor injuries, but that no homes had been hit. At a news conference at the scene, Doraville Assistant Chief Brian Harris said a call reporting the crash was received around 9:30 a.m., and that both jurisdictions responded.

A group of juveniles ejected from Atlantic Station for shooting off fireworks later damaged buildings in Midtown with gunfire. According to a report from the Atlanta Police Department, officers responded to Atlantic Station on Saturday, Dec. 27, around 7:15 p.m. after a report of shots fired. Upon arrival, officers observed multiple "unruly juveniles" igniting and discharging fireworks at several locations on the property and into the crowd, according to the police report. Additional officers responded to the scene for assistance and the juveniles began to disperse. There were no reported injuries.

When you step into the Atlanta Water Gardens showroom on Cheshire Bridge Road, you’re transported into an oasis of ponds, fountains, and beautiful garden fixtures. The company, which celebrates its 30th anniversary in 2026, seeks to bring this same serenity to the backyards of Atlanta.   Co-owner Randle Ross came to Atlanta from Mississippi in 1999 to work at Atlanta Water Gardens, and immediately fell in love and bought into the company soon after. “Something about walking in the door of this business, it really does something to your inner being because there’s just a peace when you walk in here, a serenity,” he said.

Atlanta Police are investigating the death of a man and a woman inside a home on Cooledge Avenue in Virginia Highland. On Dec. 27 at approximately 4 p.m., officers responded to the home for a welfare check and, upon entry, located a male and female deceased inside. Both had gunshot wounds, according to APD. During a press conference, it was confirmed that one of the deceased was an APD officer. Names of the deceased were not revealed as the investigation is ongoing. Police said in a statement that there was no threat to the community and that it was "isolated incident." "We are not looking for any outstanding suspect(s) at this time," the statement said. Check back for updates on this developing story.

An Atlanta Housing Authority administrator who oversaw a subsidy program for low-income renters, known as Section 8, has been charged with fraudulently obtaining some of that money for herself while also securing thousands of dollars in federal emergency and disaster loans for a business she owned. Tracy Denise Jones, 61, of Atlanta, pleaded not guilty to three federal charges alleging she defrauded the government in connection with the Section 8 and COVID-19 relief programs. Jones’ lawyer could not be reached for comment. She was senior vice president of her agency’s Housing Choice Voucher Program, according to the U.S.

A Saturday Quiz Dec. 27 — Georgia Tech enters today's Pop-Tarts Bowl with a chance at its first 10-win season since 2014. The 22nd-ranked Yellow Jackets (9-3) face 12th-ranked BYU at Orlando’s Camping World Stadium at 3:30 p.m. (ABC; 93.7 FM). ☁️ Cloudy and warm today and tomorrow with highs in the low 70s.MARKET UPDATE 📈 Stocks wrapped up a quiet, winning holiday week with the S&P 500 touching a new record before closing nearly flat. The Dow Jones Industrial Average and Nasdaq both closed down on Friday, but were up for the week.

It’s time to test your knowledge with this week’s Atlanta News Quiz! Click here to play, and please let us know how you do by sharing on Instagram, Facebook, or X @RoughDraftATL. This week’s quiz is sponsored by SCAD. SCAD Celebrates André Leon Talley ✨ Step inside André Leon Talley: Style Is Forever at SCAD FASH Museum of Fashion + Film in Midtown, a spellbinding homage to the legendary editor, cultural force, and beloved SCAD mentor. The exhibition showcases nearly 70 iconic garments—from couture to bespoke dressing—drawn from Talley’s personal vault, alongside treasured mementos and artworks by his contemporaries.

2025 Tucker tales Dec. 26 — It's Cathy and Stephanie from Rough Draft with our weekly newsletter on Tucker. It's the day after Christmas, when your visiting relatives are creeping ever closer to violating the fish rule, your stretchy pants are feeling just a little too snug, and you are wondering if your once-fresh tree is going to make it to New Year's Day. On the bright side, January is coming in all its glory. 🤔 As promised, this issue will highlight some of our favorite Tucker stories of 2025. From efforts to curb Main Street crime to electing a new mayor to new initiatives that have been met with various degrees of support or dissent, the city certainly has a story to tell. 

Winding down 2025 Dec. 26 — We hope you are spending time with family and friends as the year comes to an end, but we still want to keep you in the loop on what's happening in your city. 🤬 Community leaders condemned symbols of hate that were found on properties in Sandy Springs and other nearby cities. 🧊 Atlanta News First reports officials had challenges keeping Skate City Springs safe for visitors during this week's unusually warm temperatures. 👷🏻 A Sandy Springs street that has needed resurfacing for years was…

A day of rest Dec. 26 — Merry Day-After-Christmas, everyone! For the next two weeks, Scene will be a tad shorter than usual, giving you all ample time to enjoy your holiday and watch as many movies, read as many books, and eat as much food as you want. During my break, I've been catching up on "Heated Rivalry" (a show that everyone has been very, very normal about), reading a bunch of books as I desperately try to reach my goal for the end of the year (it was 50, and I don't think I'm going to make it), and listening to this…

The recipients of Invest Atlanta's Small Business Improvement Grant program Invest Atlanta’s board of directors has approved $400,000 in Tax Allocation District funding to support local small businesses through the economic development agency’s Small Business Improvement Grant (SBIG) program. The grant initiative provides monetary support to eligible businesses, allowing them to make improvements to their storefronts and interiors, with funding priority given to locally owned businesses that support job creation, neighborhood revitalization and equitable economic development, according to Invest Atlanta. Recipients of the latest grants come from a wide range of sectors, including food service, retail, creative enterprises and professional services.

The 11th-grade students of academic program Breakthrough Atlanta gifted new books to children at Scott Elementary School as part of the “1 Million Book Giveaway,” a national literature-distribution initiative started by Chick-fil-A Leader Academy (high school leadership program that Breakthrough participates in). Held during Hands On Atlanta’s Discovery Day, the event saw the Breakthrough pupils hand out various literary works to a total of 130 Fulton County children. All of the donated books included a handwritten note from the Breakthrough students, offering words of encouragement for the elementary school recipients.

Unboxing Friday Dec. 26 — We hope you got exactly what you wanted for Christmas yesterday. The holidays roll on as it's the first day of Kwanzaa, as well as Boxing Day (hello, Canada, UK, and Australia!). ⛅ Partly cloudy with springlike temperatures continuing with a high of 67° today. Rinse and repeat for the weekend. 🇺🇦 Seventeen Ukrainian teens who lost parents in the war spent three weeks in metro Atlanta, hosted by local families through the Global Alliance for Ukraine. 🧠 Mount Vernon School senior Christian Foster e…

Georgia Tech enters the Pop-Tarts Bowl with a chance at its first 10-win season since 2014, facing 12th-ranked BYU at Orlando's Camping World Stadium, with quarterback Haynes King taking his final snaps and the defense facing a major challenge against BYU's ground attack.

Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson in "Song Sung Blue." (Photo provided by Focus Features) “Song Sung Blue” begins with a close up on Mike Sardina’s (Hugh Jackman) face. “I am, I said,” he begins, invoking the Neil Diamond song of the same name. “I am, I cried! An entertainer.”  Jackman, certainly, is just that. Throughout this sequence, the only thing the audience has to go on is Jackman’s face, giving life to Mike’s love for music and, more importantly, love for Diamond. Mike is what you might call a yapper, regaling his unseen audience with stories about how much he loves music.

Each week in Rough Draft's "Family Meal" newsletter, we shared recipes from Atlanta chefs and restaurants. But Magnolia Room Cafeteria's key lime cake, Rumi's Kitchen's roasted salmon, two Thanksgiving side dishes, Lonely Sweets' ube banana pudding, and Krupana's pljeskavica were Rough Draft readers favorite recipes of 2025.

Shaping the future of Judaism   Dec. 25 (5 Tevet 5786) Today's newsletter is mostly focused on Birthright Israel, but first, a couple of unsettling headlines: 🚨 Local police are investigating after swastikas were spray-painted on utility poles and on hiking trails in Roswell, Sandy Springs, and Virginia-Highland. 🇦🇺 A rabbi’s family was evacuated in Melbourne, Australia, after his car was firebombed on Christmas morning in an antisemitic attack. Now, on to the main event: 🇮🇱 Birthright Israel for 25 years has been sending teens and young adults to explore the magic of the Dead Sea, the history of Masada, and the taste of Israeli street food.

Birthright Israel has launched its 2025-2026 winter season, expecting to bring over 10,000 participants from 40 countries to Israel for educational trips, volunteering programs, and other activities.

 Georgia state officials plan to invest funds from the federal Rural Health Transformation Program across 29 separate projects, which fall into five major categories. Jill Nolin/Georgia Recorder State officials have introduced a $1.4 billion plan to improve rural health outcomes over the next five years under the federal Rural Health Transformation Program created as part of this summer’s budget reconciliation bill. In a 96-page application, officials from the state’s Department of Community Health requested funds to improve access to primary and specialty care in rural areas, strengthen telehealth infrastructure and recruit more health care providers across the state’s dozens of rural counties.

Birthright Israel participants from the Atlanta area share their stories of how the program changed their lives, from providing support during illness to helping them find love and explore their Judaism.

Merry Christmas! Dec. 25 — We're keeping today's holiday edition of "Side Dish" short and sweet. As many of us will spend today eating, whether that be with family and friends at home, or out at a restaurant, we're giving you a glimpse into the past via a handful of vintage Christmas Day menus. These five menus offer a snapshot into the holiday dishes of yesteryear. The menus included below range from an 1887 White House Christmas Day menu and Queen Victoria's Christmas Day dinner from 1899, to the 1949 Christmas Day dinner menu from The Plaza hotel in New York City and a 1961 Christmas Day menu from Luchow's in the East Village.

Woodward Academy senior Joshua Meredith (Photo courtesy of Janelle Meredith). Joshua Meredith, a senior at Woodward Academy, has been named a winner of the Moises Jam Sessions, a music competition. 17-year-old Meredith – who is a drummer, singer, and keyboardist – won for his cover of pianist Cory Henry’s song “Dance.” He produced the song using Moises, which is an AI-powered music platform. “The competition called for a cover or remix of the song ‘Dance’ by Cory Henry,” Meredith said in an emailed statement. “I chose to do a full cover so I could use all of my musical abilities.

Merry Christmas Dec. 25 — From all of us at Rough Draft, we send our best wishes for a very Merry Christmas. ⛅ We didn't have 73° on our weather bingo card for Christmas Day, but here we are. 🚨 Police are investigating after swastikas were spray-painted on utility poles and on hiking trails in Roswell, Sandy Springs, and Virginia-Highland. 🛡️ Columbus, GA-based Aflac said that a June cyberattack exposed personal data tied to roughly 22.6 million people, as the insurer began notifying victims and offering credit monitoring. 🤢 The CDC said…

Key Points:• Seventeen students visited Metro Atlanta as a respite from war-torn Ukraine in December.• Each teen had lost at least one parent in the Ukraine-Russia war. The students from Ukraine made a visit to Sandy Springs for the Sparkle Sandy Springs parade on Dec. 7, and met Mayor Rusty Paul in the lobby of City Hall. (Provided by Global Alliance for Ukraine) Seventeen Ukrainian teenagers left their war-torn country behind for a short healing visit to metro Atlanta. Each of the teens lost at least one parent. Global Alliance for Ukraine brought the teens to the U.S.

Happy Holidays from all of us at Rough Draft. Our offices are closed until Jan. 5, 2026 but please check the website daily or our Facebook and Instagram accounts for breaking news. You can also sign up for our morning Rough Draft newsletter, a daily look at news and features from around metro Atlanta, which will arrive in your inbox throughout the holiday season.