Carl reports on Twitter that the Zoning Board of Appeals’ Kyle Williams will run for the Decatur City Commission District 2 slot (everything south of the tracks except Agnes Scott) to replace the out-going Mary Alice Kemp this fall. I sent an email to Kyle yesterday to confirm, but haven’t yet received a response.

No word on District 1 candidates yet.

Stay tuned.

Greg helps me out by sending in the details…

Earth Day ‘09 – Oakhurst’s Harmony Park

4/18/09 10am-2pm

Join the Earth Day celebration in Oakhurst’s Harmony Park, featuring birds of prey, educational activities, crafts and earth friendly activities.  Enjoy music by the Morgan Rowe Band and Sydney Rhame.  Join the Giant Puppet Parade featuring the Seed and Feed Marching Abominables at 12:30pm.  (Parade line up is at Oakhurst Presbyterian Church.

Earth Day partners and participants include the City of Decatur, Oakhurst Community Garden, Oakhurst Presbyterian Church and Samuel L. Jones Boys and Girls Club.

Sponsors- Oakhurst Community Garden, City of Decatur and Renewal Design Build.

For information call 678-553-6543 or email sallywylde@mindspring.com or greg.white@decaturga.com

Michele Hennessy, a Glennwood teacher and owner of the soon-to-open Savage Pizza in Avondale Estates gives us a quick update…

We have an existing location in Little Five Points that has been open for 13 years. The new location is slated to be open at the end of May. It is located on the corner of Clarendon and Laredo Dr. We will deliver to the Avondale and Decatur areas. It has a huge patio, nice bar and overall a beautifully designed building.

In addition to this weekend’s Sweetwater and Dogwood Fests, tomorrow is also Record Store Day across this great nation.

Decatur’s Paste Magazine has brought back its “Pay What You Want” offer for a year’s subscription (minimum $1) to celebrate, while Decatur CD plans a seductive offer of its own: universal discounts and free alcohol.

All the details are on Decatur CD’s blog.  But here’s a taste…

Sale!
First and foremost, 10% off EVERYTHING. Compact discs, slabs of vinyls, books, box sets, anything that can’t be tied down. If you can purchase it at Decatur CD, you can purchase it on Record Store Day for 10% off the usual price.

Beer!
We’ll have some. Probably a lot. You know the drill. Nice stuff, in bottles, on ice, in that good old trusty giant white cooler. We hope you’ll drink it and that it’ll convince you to hang around and chat with us about music and independent/local business and drinking and Saturdays and good times.

Clare writes in…

Chicks in the City Tour – A Tour of Decatur’s Urban Chicken Coops
Saturday April, 25th 230pm – 530pm
Purchase tickets online and find more info at www.oakhurstgarden.org

Take an afternoon self-guided tour of chicken coops in Decatur on the second annual “Chicks in the City” Tour. Learn what it takes to have your own urban flock! A variety of coops will be on display, from elaborate to simple. Owners will answer your questions and resources and ordinances will be discussed. The tour is co-sponsored by Georgia Organics, the Oakhurst Community Garden Project and Oh Baby! Fitness.

Tickets will also be available for purchase on the day of the tour at the Oakhurst Community Garden Project located at 435 Oakview Road, Decatur, GA, 30030. None of the other homes on the tour will have on-site ticket sales.

Cost is $20 for non-members, $15 for Georgia Organics and Oakhurst Garden members, $5 for kids 8 years and up and kids under 8 are free.

The coop tour is bike-friendly, an easy route of 8 homes in Decatur.

For more information, please call 678.642.4977.

Here’s another really great example of a local business looking to give back to its community.

Justin at Onyx Consulting writes in about their new foundation, which sells “OCF Certified” used Mac and PC equipment through its web-store at a discounted rate (around 25%) and gives all proceeds to the DeKalb Rape Crisis Center on Church Street in Decatur.

To find out more info about this new Foundation click here.  Or jump directly to Onyx’s web-store and see what’s currently for sale.

If you have computer equipment you no longer use and would like to donate, click here to find out Onyx’s minimum requirements and to fill out a donation form or click here to read about potential tax benefits from donating.

In a stunning reversal from earlier this week, the AJC announced yesterday that former food writer John Kessler has been allowed to return to the dinner table.

The startling about-face by the Atlanta daily from its earlier hardline that Kessler would no longer be allowed to consume any food henceforth, apparently had something to do with top brass at the paper not knowing the full details of Kessler’s new “assignment.”

The break down in communication came to a head on Thursday morning, when an unnamed AJC exec came upon Kessler in a hallway at the paper’s Marietta St. headquarters, already ghostly thin and scribbling on a napkin about the “subtle undertones” of a half eaten Lenders bagel that he had apparently pilfered from someone’s desk.

“I hadn’t heard of John’s newest assignment”, said the exec who’s name I’ve conveniently forgotten, “and when I saw him writing that stale bagel review from a fetal position my heart just melted.  I marched straight to the newsroom and demanded some answers.  When all I encountered was finger-pointing and something about a new “reality” column under that adorable weather report, I put the kibosh on it.”

With the surprising change of fortune, Kessler is back on the food-beat.  There are already reports this morning that he’s shaved the body-length beard he had grown and was again fitting snugly into his favorite polo shirts.

Asked if his experiences over the past week would influence his future writing, John replied, “I realized that I never really appreciated the fine art of cold, stale foods.  I think its uncharted territory.  Its a medium I hope to fully explore in the weeks ahead.  I already have a brain-full of ideas for articles on things like Chef Boyardee straight from the can, the complex aging process of a Hot Pocket, and the chocolicious flavors imparted to a piece of Hostess Cupcake chipboard.”

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The real story of the AJC’s reversal can be found here.

Thanks to Andisheh and Carl for pointing out John’s Facebook update.