News

City of Decatur and Surrounding Area News

New superintendent tackles DeKalb School District’s problems with Phase 1 of a restructuring plan

DeKalb County, GA — Superintendent Devon Horton laid out a $12 million reorganization of school district staff, including the addition of 70 positions, at a Board of Education retreat on July 17. Horton said $9.7 million will come from Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funds, while $2.4 million will come from the district’s […]

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(PHOTOS) DeKalb County School District holds Back-to-School Rally

Clarkston, GA — DeKalb County School District hosted its annual Back-to-School Rally at James R. Hallford Stadium in Clarkston on Saturday, July 22. The theme was “Level Up for Success” and the free event featured live entertainment, a children’s Fun Zone, school supplies while they lasted, family resources, health screenings, testing, vaccinations, and more. DeKalb […]

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Clarkston Finance Director warns council about payment requests from city manager

Clarkston, GA — Clarkston’s Finance Director on Friday warned the city council about three different payment requests from Clarkston City Manager Shawanna Qawiy. “Given recent scrutiny and questions about contracts and purchasing issues and all of the miscommunication and obvious lack of communication going in this city, I feel the need to bring these items to […]

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DeKalb County celebrates opening of East DeKalb Senior Center

DeKalb County, GA — DeKalb County celebrated the opening of the East DeKalb Community and Senior Center with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Thursday, July 20. The new 24,000 square-foot facility will serve citizens of Districts 4 and 7 and features an indoor heated saltwater lap pool, a large commercial kitchen, a multipurpose dining room with […]

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DeKalb Board of Elections swears in members

DeKalb County, GA — DeKalb Board of Registration and Elections members were sworn in at their meeting on July 20, including new Democratic member Vasudevan Abhiraman. Abhiraman was appointed after the departure of former board chair Dele Lowman Smith. “It’s a privilege to be doing this. I was born, raised, and schooled in DeKalb County,” […]

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Man shot dead in apartment parking lot in Stone Mountain

By Jennifer Lifsey and Madeline Montgomery, Atlanta News First STONE MOUNTAIN, Ga. (Atlanta News First) – Police are looking into a death at a DeKalb County apartment complex overnight. It happened at the Park at Somerset apartments at Abberley Way and Hambrick Road in Stone Mountain. The complex is near Memorial Drive. Atlanta News First spoke with a […]

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Man wanted, accused of igniting molotov cocktail at Clarkston home, officials say

By Zac Summers and Atlanta News First staff CLARKSTON, Ga. (Atlanta News First) – An unidentified man is wanted in connection to an arson incident after a woman’s Clarkston home caught fire from a molotov cocktail, according to the DeKalb County Fire Rescue Department. Monique Cole has never been more grateful for her two dogs than she was […]

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Wylde Center planning $2.8 million renovations to four of its gardens

Decatur, GA — The Wylde Center is working to improve four of its gardens. The $2.8 million capital campaign includes significant renovations to Oakhurst Garden in Decatur. The Wylde Center has five greenspaces – Oakhurst Garden, Edgewood Community Learning Center, Hawk Hollow, Mulberry Fields and Sugar Creek Garden. The total cost to improve all five […]

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McKoy Pool in Decatur to reopen on July 22

Decatur, GA — McKoy Pool in Decatur will reopen on Saturday, July 22 following some repairs. The pool closed on June 23 for emergency repairs. Here are the hours for McKoy Pool: Operating Hours: Starting Saturday, July 22 Monday-Friday: 10 a.m. – 8 p.m. Saturday-Sunday: 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. Our Post Season Hours: Aug. […]

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DeKalb to Brookhaven: You investigate petition fraud allegations and then we’ll discuss annexation vote

Brookhaven, GA — Brookhaven wants DeKalb County to hold a referendum on annexing Merry Hills and Toco Hills into the city. But the county says that’s not happening until Brookhaven investigates fraud allegations surrounding an annexation petition. On July 19, Brookhaven announced the petition had been withdrawn, but renewed its call for the county to allow […]

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