Anne writes in…

The students of Oakhurst Elementary are presently holding a change drive entitled “Change for Haiti” in which the funds collected will go towards UNICEF’S “School-in-a-Box” Program providing temporary schools for children in disaster zones. Each “School-in-a-Box”, which costs $232, contains enough school supplies for 80 children.

This idea grew from 2 of Oakhurst’s very own students who were wanting to do something for the children of Haiti following the devastating earthquake. The third graders are collecting and counting/rolling the change and using their knowledge of estimation, multiplication and money as they make real life connections all while raising money for a good cause. It also draws close a real world example of Empathy and Caring, one of the design principles of Expeditionary Learning. By last Friday, the end of the first week, Oakhurst had collected well over $1000!

“Change for Haiti” will continue until this Friday, February 12th.

Creative Loafing’s Omnivore reported this story a couple days back, but props go to self-proclaimed Tortillas-junkie Suzanne for pointing it out to me.

Part-time Morehouse professor Matt Hinton missed Tortillas burritos so much when they closed in 2003, that he’s recreated them and many of their other items from scratch.  And now he’s selling his Tortillas “cover band” creations to the public under the name West End Burritos!

If you ever went to Tortillas on Ponce before they closed, you know that they had the best burritos in Atlanta. Well, I have finally, after much trial and error, come VERY close (95%) to an exact replica of some of their most popular items, including both the red and green sauces. I will begin offering Tortillas style burritos and other sundries (see attached menu) next week which I will deliver to you!

HERE’S HOW IT WORKS: Each Monday [Update: Tuesdays to be added soon], I will make a delivery run from Downtown Decatur to West End. If you live within 2 miles or so of this route, you are eligible for delivery. I will deliver to your door or leave it on your stoop. Deliveries will occur from approx. 4-6:30, so every Monday can be Burrito night.

Hinton’s delivery zone extends from West End to Decatur (a map is shown on his order page).  The full West End Burritos menu can be found HERE, while you can read more about the venture on the West End Burritos Facebook page.

Could an American city embrace and support a “community bookcase”?

Apparently there are cities across Europe where bookshelves sit on sidewalks, jam-packed with novels and non-fiction, just waiting to enlighten those passing by.  Each one operates on an honor system.  You’re welcome to pick up a book or two at your leisure, just as long as you’re willing to replace it with a book of your own in the coming days.

Here in Amurica (misspelling intentional), we’ve taken to a different type of book exchange.  We’re all about the online book exchange variety, such as BookMooch.

Without the strong community oversight of many European cities – like this one in Germany – the idea of putting free books out on an American street seems absolutely ludicrous.  Erect a bookcase, stuffed with books out on a sidewalk and it’s easy to imagine that within hours all the good books would be gone (and not replaced) and the not so great ones would be defiled and strewn across the ground.  The bookcase itself would then be hauled off quicker than most residential curbside items.

Too bad.  Because ultimately, it’s sort of a huge waste of energy to ship a book across the country for a trade you could have made with a neighbor down the street.

So, back to my original question.  Could a city like Decatur, or any of it’s surrounding Georgia city brethren and sistren, EVER support something such as this?  Maybe with a few tweaks? Or will we forever be regulated to online, long-distance sharing, supported by a heavily subsidized mail system?

h/t: DCPLive

Bailey writes in…

The Booster club is having their spring fund raiser [Saturday] March 27th at the Church of the Epiphany. If anyone has any items that they would like to donate to our auction it would be very helpful.  It can be anything from a special cake you bake to donating a week at your mountain house.  Or if you would like to donate time,that would help also.

The money goes to student athletes of Decatur High and Renfroe. Please contact Bailey Pendergrast -sbpender@gmail.com

WSB has a new video report on the tornado siren vandalism, which took place at Winnona Park Elementary last week.

According to WSB, the graffiti in the parking lot reads “Siren is EMC boondoggle.  Who is responsible?”

Decatur Police Chief Mike Booker states there are currently no leads in the case.

h/t: InDecatur

Carlo Petrini is such a great public speaker that he easily overcomes the need to have a translator on stage with him. If you haven’t encountered Petrini before, the clip above will give you an idea of   what I mean.

The Italian founder of the Slow Food movement – who is also scheduled to give the keynote at this year’s Georgia Organics Conference the previous evening – will be part of a faculty panel and discussion session at Emory on Monday, February 22nd entitled “Food, Family and the Family Meal.”  Other featured speakers include the CDC’s Joel Kimmons and Emory Psychology Professor Marshall Duke.

The event is open to the public and will take place from 4pm-6pm at 1531 Dickey Drive on the Emory Campus.  Petrini will be on hand to sign books post-discussion.

h/t: Clairmont Heights

Diane forwards this note sent to the Decatur High School community from principal Lauri McKain-Fernandez…

I want to alert you to an issue that took place at school today. Shortly after 10am, it was brought to the administration’s attention that a student was in possession of a gun. Along with the School Resource Officer, I went to the classroom to get the student and did find a firearm. It was not loaded, and though I don’t believe our student body was ever in danger, I do think it is important that you are all aware that this took place. I wanted to be sure that you all heard about this issue directly from me. We have worked on investigating throughout the day and do not have any reason to believe that any of our students were in direct danger. Regardless, this is a serious and difficult issue to deal with as a school community. As always, the Decatur Police Department was very responsive and supportive in this matter.

Thank you for your ongoing support.

In a post on the beautifully formatted Atlanta Magazine site, the Covered Dish blog ladles out some potentially delicious news.

In the next 18 months, MetroFresh owner Mitchell Anderson plans to open three new sandwich locations, called “MitchWich”, around the ATL.  The concept?

MitchWich will feature a 1,000-1,500 square-foot floor plan with a “warmer and woodsier feel” than MetroFresh but with a slightly different design for each location. Anderson has worked with a brand development firm over several months to develop the concept that will continue his food philosophy without duplicating the style of Metro Fresh. It will serve a breakfast and lunch menu focusing on sandwiches made with quality, organic ingredients, along with some soups and salads crafted by Anderson and his executive chef, Byran Kraatz.

And amongst the contenders…

Initially, Anderson is looking at neighborhoods such as the Fairlie Poplar district, Westside and Decatur because of their proximity to MetroFresh.

h/t: Oakhurst Gossip (via Twitter)

What can the ranch house teach us?

That question, presented to a historian, architect, or planner will garner three (or more!) very different responses.

• Its long and low form is a direct result of its suburban environment.
• Its interior spaces document the American family’s desire for larger interior spaces.
• The ranch’s simplified architectural style, evolved loosely from Frank Lloyd Wright’s Prairie Style, speaks to the growing desire in the mid-20th century to keep the cost of construction down .

On Wednesday, March 24th at noon, the DeKalb History Center will dedicate an entire Lunch & Learn on one of the most controversial, yet wide-spread house types/styles of the last century: the Ranch House.

All details after the jump!  So jump!

Photo of a “typical ranch house in Belvedere Park” courtesy of the DeKalb History Center

Read the rest of this entry »

Renewal Design Build announced yesterday that it had received a regional Whole House award from the National Association of the Remodeling Industry for its “green” renovation of 601 Third Avenue in Oakhurst.

During its construction in 2007-2008, the Third Avenue renovation was a media darling, from its feature on Discovery’s Planet Green, which helped fund some of the renovation, to its inevitable AJC spread.  The only other Decatur residence with such extensive media exposure in recent years is another eco-friendly home, Wilton Avenue’s RainShine House.

Though at the time of 601’s completion I wondered how REALLY eco-friendly a house twice the size of the old could be, Renewal states that the remodel “doubl[ed] the home’s existing square footage while cutting its energy bills in half.”

Not too shabby.

Disclosure: Renewal is a Decatur Metro sponsor