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City of Decatur and Surrounding Area News

(PHOTOS) DeKalb County teams with local faith leaders to give away food, school supplies

Tucker, GA —  DeKalb County teamed with local faith leaders and other partners to distribute 5,000 bookbags filled with school supplies and 5,000 boxes of food on Saturday, Aug. 5.  “Our goal is to help parents and guardians prepare their children for a successful school year,” DeKalb County CEO Michael Thurmond said in a press […]

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Decatur City Commission to consider agreements for sidewalks on Derrydown Way, S. Columbia Drive

Decatur, GA — The Decatur City Commission will meet on Monday, Aug. 7 for its regular meeting at 7:30 p.m. There will also be a dinner session at 4:30 p.m., an executive session at 5 p.m. and a work session at 7 p.m. The meetings will be held in person at Decatur City Hall, 509 […]

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Recipe: Summer Oyster Mushroom Bites

Summer Oyster Mushroom Bites Chef Natalie Chavez of @thelocalcoco Ingredients: 3 Cucumbers, sliced into rounds (Rodgers roots and greens) 1 lb Oyster mushrooms (Southern Cap) 1/2 cup Cashews 1 Lemon, juiced 1 tbs Nutritional yeast 5 cloves Raw garlic Salt and pepper to taste 1 tsp Rice vinegar Handful of Tulsi (also known as holy […]

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Clarkston City Council ‘to consider action’ on city manager’s employment

Clarkston, GA — The Clarkston City Council will discuss City Manager Shawanna Qawiy’s employment with the city at a special called city council meeting on Monday, Aug. 7. The meeting will be held on Monday at 7 p.m. at the Clarkston Women’s Club, located at 3913 Church Street. To see the full agenda for the Aug. […]

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New road closures outside Fulton County courthouse could indicate indictments are close

By Doug Reardon, Atlanta News First ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) – In another possible sign that an indictment announcement could be coming – and with it a large crowd and media presence in downtown Atlanta – Fulton County announced a road closure outside the courthouse Thursday. Beginning Monday, August 7 at 5 a.m. and […]

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Clarkston council member un-resigns; council plans to increase budget for police salaries

Clarkston, GA — Clarkston Councilmember Susan Hood returned to the Clarkston city council after abruptly resigning last week. “I want to apologize to the community and to my city council colleagues for the disruption I caused last week when I announced my resignation…I reflected on why I had run for council to begin with and […]

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Students celebrate dress code reform in DeKalb Schools

By Jaedon Mason, contributor  DeKalb County, GA — On Aug. 2, the DeKalb County School district sent out a letter to parents informing them of the updated dress code for the 2023-2024 School year.  It was the culmination of months of activism by students – including Anna Katz, Hannah Choi, and Troy Butler – who argued […]

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Plight of single mom, 4 kids show need for affordable housing

By Rachel Polansky, Atlanta News First ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) — A Decatur mother and her four children are still living in a shelter after a fire tore through their federally subsidized apartment in April. Four months later, they’re still waiting for the Decatur Housing Authority to make repairs. The family’s plight highlights metro […]

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DeKalb County School District demonstrates new safety systems ready new school year

DeKalb County, GA — DeKalb Schools Police Chief Brad Gober along with other officers and Principal Dr. Derrica Boochee-Davis offered a demonstration of new safety systems at Columbia High School on Aug. 3. An emergency alert system, CINTEGIX Crisis Alert, is already active in all schools, while a weapons detection system EVOLV Express is installed […]

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Clarkston Finance Director threatens to sue city; City councilmember rescinds resignation

This story has been updated. Clarkston, GA — The drama in Clarkston continues to unfold as the council plans to meet this evening, Aug. 3, at 7 p.m. Records obtained by Decaturish show that Finance Director Dan Defnall recently threatened legal action against the city following a confrontation with City Manager Shawanna Qawiy over the availability […]

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