6 DECEMBER 2025
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EDITOR'S NOTE
Where it began and where it ended
EDITOR'S
NOTE
CATHY COBBS
Welcome to the Reporter Newspapers’
December issue, our last of 2025 (words
that are hard to
comprehend).
This issue
marks one year
since I took
over our print
publication duties,
and it’s been both
a wild ride and
a steep learning
curve. From my
first issue in January featuring our annual
20 Under 20 winners, I came to the
rude realization that there is a difference
between “busy covering two city beats”
and “busy spinning five or six plates
that absolutely must never crash to the
ground.”
While the schedule for many of our
monthly issues is set in stone, I have had
the opportunity many times to flex my
creative muscles. While pursuing stories, I
practiced yoga with an emotional support
(Photo by Cathy Cobbs)
llama, interviewed best-selling author John
Grisham, delighted in pictures of pets
and their people, almost met Timothee
Chalamet (your loss, buddy), and wrote
many other stories that took me from
Dunwoody to Downtown Atlanta to
Dalonegha.
I was given a front-row seat to the
amazing writing produced by our stellar
staff— something one doesn’t always
witness when buried in a city beat. I
was fortunate to have the support of
our editor-in-chief/dining reporter Beth
McKibben and executive editor Collin
Kelley who guided (or dissuaded) me
regarding some of my "ambitious-but-
not-that-smart" ideas and lent more than
a helping hand when the plates started
slowly slipping off the poles. And finally,
big thanks to our publisher, Keith Pepper,
who said “yes” more than “no” as I tried
to put my personal stamp on the print
publication, and reminded me (in vain)
that it doesn’t have to be that hard. I’ll go
to the grave disagreeing with him on that
point.
The hard work by our staff is so very
evident in this final 2025 edition. We have
a special section celebrating Sandy Springs’
20 years as a city, one that involved the
work of many of our reporters and support
staff, cooperation from city leaders and
organizations, and lots of late nights
dreaming about and
executing a narrative
to honor the hard-
working heroes who
fought like hell to
make incorporation
happen.
But that’s not all —
our dining team spent
the entire year eating
its way through metro
Atlanta to compile a
list of the best new
restaurants around
metro Atlanta — with
the deserving winners
highlighted in this
issue. Hot off the
press, as the old timers
say, are the results of
the December runoff
elections that held
a few surprises, and
some not-so-surprising
(the Sandy Springs
mayoral election). We
also have our usual
round-up of city news,
holiday happenings,
and other stories you
might have missed
while your plates were
spinning.
Along with my
friends, family, life-saving yoga classes,
and life-shortening addiction to Fritos
and Peppermint Patties, I am grateful
for the readers and the advertisers who
continue to support Rough Draft, its print
publications, and daily newsletters.
Have a great holiday and see you in
2026.
