Click here for the Tucker Election Guide.

The forums were hosted by Rahul Bali of WABE. Cathy Cobbs of Rough Draft and Delaney Tarr of SaportaReport were the questioners.

Watch the forums below or on our YouTube page.

City Council District 1 (Post 1)

• Roger Orlando | Campaign Website
• Karen Peters-Rivers | Campaign Website

City Council District 2 (Post 1)

• Patrice Cosby Campaign Website
• Cara Schroeder (story) | Campaign Website

City Council District 3 (Post 1)

• Sam Ulrich | Campaign Website.
• Alexis Weaver | Campaign Website

The post Watch: Tucker City Council candidate forums appeared first on Rough Draft Atlanta.

Note: Cathy Cobbs is the managing editor of the Reporter’s monthly print editions. This is the column she wrote for the April edition. You can access the April issue here.

Welcome to the April print issue of Reporter Newspapers. As I started working on this column, I found that I was falling into the worst black hole that journalists dread over the course of their careers – writer’s block.

It’s kind of like the “yips” that many athletes experience, when you just can’t seem to do your job, no matter the fact that you’ve done it over years, even decades.

For example, Jon Lester, a Chicago Cubs left-handed pitcher who had an incredible command of the strike zone, couldn’t seem to make a simple toss to first.

Hall of fame golfer Tom Watson revealed a little-know fact – that his short game, plagued by the yips, cost him at least one major victory each year over his most dominant decade as a pro golfer.

Seven-footer Shaquille O’Neal was a dominant big man in the NBA, but
he had a profound weakness – his free-throw shooting. He made only 52
percent of his attempted shots over his 19-year NBA career.

Experts suggested Shaq try the “granny-style” method, which meant launching the ball underhanded. To me, this feels like a real insult for grannies, who
could probably shoot better than him at any age.

Consider this: Lester, knowing that he just couldn’t do it, sometimes threw his entire glove (with the ball securely tucked away in it) to his first baseman so as to not give easy runs to the Cubs’ opponents. Shaq, on the other hand, said he’d rather shoot zero percent from the line than lower himself to trying a method endorsed by elderly people.

My writer’s block couldn’t have come at a worse time – with less than
24 hours before the paper goes to the printer. So I’ve decided to go with the “Lester” method by highlighting the work of our talented journalists who have written really good stories for the April issue.

Collin Kelley has done a great job recounting 10 years of CHaRM, DeKalb’s hard-to-recycle facility that is expanding its operations to a third location. In our Brookhaven special section, Beth McKibben discusses MARTA-friendly dining choices in Brookhaven and beyond.

We’ve also got a lot of real estate news spread throughout the paper and, for a change, it’s mostly positive.

Bob Pepalis and Logan C. Ritchie have the scoop on Sandy Spring and Brookhaven on our city-focused pages. And back when I possessed the ability to put words together, I wrote a Tucker-based story about a stolen goat. But that was in the good old
days (AKA a week ago).

Well, this too shall pass, as the grannies say. In the meantime, thanks, as always, for reading all of our offerings, whether print or digital, and supporting local journalism.

The post With writer’s block: Be a ‘Lester,’ not a ‘Shaq’ appeared first on Rough Draft Atlanta.

Cathy Cobbs is the managing editor of the Reporter’s monthly print editions. This is the column she wrote for the February edition.

It’s not every day when people my age get a chance to experience a “first,” except, perhaps, “my first knee replacement” or other aging-related
horrors.

But this is an exciting inaugural event – my first column (and issue) as managing editor of Reporter Newspapers. Being a registered and card-carrying member of the imposter syndrome club, I am waiting for the powers that be to realize what a terrible mistake they made (before I have a chance to prove it).

In the meantime, let’s talk about the February print issue, and the interesting news it contains. The Atlanta Jewish Film Festival is celebrating its 25th anniversary with renewed energy and an eye on the future with its new capital campaign. Logan C. Ritchie met with AJFF Executive Director Kenny Blank and wrote a great story about the festival’s past, present and future. Our associate editor Sammie Purcell weighed in on the 10 AJFF films she’s excited to see.

This issue also contains a comprehensive report by reporter Sarra Sedghi on the top six hot pot restaurants to try, along with an in-depth analysis of the different ingredients and preparation methods unique to East Asian cultures.

Our city pages will keep you informed about government machinations in Brookhaven, Buckhead, Dunwoody, Sandy Springs, and Tucker and the impact it will have on people in those communities. This month’s issue focuses on the drama surrounding a controversial proposal to close Spalding Drive Elementary School in Sandy Springs and information about a reduction in vehicle thefts, homicides, robberies, and property crimes in Atlanta.

It also contains heartwarming stories about two strangers coming together to help a paralyzed firefighter and a tribute to a beloved rabbi whose humor helped
thousands of people get through tough times.

Programming note and confession: I love holding a printed publication in my
hand. Turning the pages, looking at the pictures, re-reading articles, as I glean a
new bit of information or different nuance in the text – it’s delicious.

However, I realize that I am one of a dwindling number of consumers who prefer to become informed using something that doesn’t beep, buzz, or update minute-by-minute the “news” of the world.

The reality is that the printed word is not a sustainable forum for those who
want to be fully informed in a timely manner. But I don’t think that the printed product is obsolete if we position it correctly. We curate our Reporter Newspapers content so that you can catch up on the news you may have missed, or take the time to do a deep dive into a subject that involves careful analysis and thought.

Our daily online Rough Draft newsletter is the primary vessel that gives you breaking local and national news. And our weekly newsletters, like Crosswalk, Scene, and others, provide a deep dive into specific and fascinating topics. We believe that both the online and printed editions complement each other, and honestly, it’s two different and wonderful experiences. (Click here to subscribe to our newsletters.)

As always, thanks for investing your time in our print publications, our curated newsletters, and our online news product, Rough Draft Atlanta. I welcome your input – good, bad or otherwise – at cathy@roughdraftatlanta.com.

P.S. You can read the print edition online here.

The post Editor’s Note: Some ‘firsts’ at Reporter Newspapers appeared first on Rough Draft Atlanta.