Free-For-All Friday 5/5/17

Feel free to use this post to make comments and ask questions about local issues not yet discussed here over the past week.

23 thoughts on “Free-For-All Friday 5/5/17”


  2. Good morning. When the new street lights were first installed, it sounded like deflectors would be installed on all of them. Then, it sounded like that wasn’t happening on all of them?

    Has anyone requested & had one of the deflectors installed?

    2. I posted a few weeks back about calling GA Power to have a shield put in a light behind our house. They responded quickly, (on a Sunday no less), and the lineman put a shield in the light in front of our house as well.

      Unfortunately the light in back of our house isn’t square to the street — it sticks out at an angle. So the light still hits the side of our house and shines in our windows. The shields only cut light that shines behind and/or in front of the light. They want the light to shine down the middle of the street to the sides of the fixture. So if the lamp is twisted the shields don’t help.

  4. In what grade do kids actually have books? I miss the idea of…easily…being able to move ahead a bit if the child is doing well, or just flipping a few pages back if we need to review old stuff. Plus it makes it easy to have an overall view of what the child will learn that school year.

    Compass learning is fine, but there’s enough screen time as it is.

    I miss books.

  6. Anyone heard an update on when Double Dragon in Oakhurst is opening? I’m dying for some good and nearby Chinese food.

    1. Don’t know, but I’m betting it will beat Big Boss Chinese, which I believe is in its third year of development at this point.

      1. I read on Tomorrow’s News Today that Big Boss is not going to open at all. http://www.tonetoatl.com/2017/05/exclusive-steel-city-pops-secures-first.html

  8. So, the tornado siren last night in Decatur: it only seemed to blast for about a minute. Does that mean that the risk of a tornado quickly passed–i.e. when the siren went off, it was safe to come out of shelter? Or does the siren only last a minute no matter how long the danger persists?

    2. AHID,

      Based on what I was watching on the news and tracking on the weather app, the threat passed by Decatur very quickly and thus siren ceased.

      The siren would have sounded longer if our area was under threat for a longer time.

      It has been my experience that the siren lasts for as long as we are under a threat.

    3. According to this article, sirens sound for 3-5 minutes whenever an a tornado is spotted or a warning has been issued for the Decatur area.

      http://www.decaturish.com/2017/05/what-do-you-do-when-you-hear-a-tornado-siren/

    4. For a minute? In my part of Decatur over near the Seminary, it was going for at least 5 minutes or more. The pup and I were down in the basement pronto and he was barking his head off at it. We stayed down there until it stopped blasting.

  10. If the siren runs for 10-13 seconds it’s a severe storm. If 14 seconds it’s a watch. If it’s 15 or 16 seconds its a warning. If it’s 17 seconds or more, it’s already too late.
    Be sure to count precisely for accuracy.

    Or, just go ahead and take shelter as soon as it goes off. Which is the real answer, of course.

      1. Exactly the point! Once the siren stopped, we weren’t sure if that meant it’s ok to come up out of the cellar or whether we should be waiting for an all clear of some sort like in those old World War II movies about the Blitzkrieg.

        1. http://thedecaturminute.com/2017/05/05/outdoor-tornado-warning-sirens-and-safety/

          I don’t think the siren will keep going for the duration of the warning, that could be hours depending on the storm. Also, as the info at this link says, it’s really intended for people outdoors to get the warning to go inside and take cover and not necessarily designed to be heard inside buildings.

          It doesn’t signal an all clear as far as I know, it goes off if the national weather service indicates a tornado warning in our area and to let you know you should take cover. Given the apps available to follow weather online, that’s your best bet for knowing when it’s ok to emerge. Though I recommend having a weather radio too, those are good to have if your power goes out or you lack internet or cell coverage during a storm.

    2. So if I am in my house and I have the TV very loud would I still hear the sirens?
      If I had on the Muffin Headsets (Beats) listing to music would I still hear the sirens?
      Better yet:
      I am on my computer and watching a movie with Muffin Headsets would I still hear the sirens?

      I think I am doomed.

  12. Decatur Makers Grand Opening! (yes we’ve been around a while, but now it is official!)

    1-6pm. Sat May 6. 605 W Ponce (behind First Christian Church)

    Ribbon cutting at 4pm with Mayor Patti Garrett as guest ribbon cutter.

    Raffles and build/make/play activities all day.

    More info at:

    https://decaturmakers.org/finally-grand-opening-party/

  14. http://www.ajc.com/news/local/closed-for-two-years-decatur-big-tex-open-this-fall/hYxNGMB6b6KVu5Wnv85SPK/

    By this fall did they mean next fall?

    1. We are a couple of weeks away. At first we wanted to open immediately but some other projects jumped up so we didn’t start until Feb. Should not be long before we open.

      1. Nice! You going to have the fox brothers smoked wings again? How about the creamed corn? The corn was one my favorites.

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