Make sure to check out this page for all the discounts and free food and drink available on Thursdays in November and December as shops and restaurants participate in “Decatur Terrific Thursdays”.

Click here read the latest Decatur Focus (PDF).

Highlights (from my own narrow-minded perspective)…

• The city has received a FEMA grant to purchase four properties on Westchester Drive that are below the base flood elevation and have “flooded several times”. Houses on the properties will be demolished and the land will be preserved as green space.
• Starting in 2008, residents will have to start paying for Dog Park tags for their dogs. The price is $20 for the first dog and $5 for each additional dog. Non residents now can also use the park if they are willing to pay a heck of a lot more: $60 for first dog, $15 for each additional dog. Maybe I’ll just drive up to Mason Mill Dog Park instead. Click here for a full list of Georgia dog parks. (page 4)
• The renovation of Boyce/Frost residence at 601 Third Ave in Oakhurst will be featured on Discovery Channel’s Green Homes TV, which will debut in 2008. Ah, how ironic…can you say “Oakhurst Historic District”? (page 5)
• Dancing Goats Coffee offers public “cuppings” ever Friday at 10a. According to the all-knowing Focus “Cupping is the evaluation technique used by coffee professionals and is similar to that of wine tasting.” (page 8)
• Steinbeck’s Oyster Bar will host The Great Oakhurst Chili Cook Off in its parking lot from Nov 17th from 12p-6p. Also check out Steinbeck’s new Brunch menu, which features pumpkin pancakes! (page 10)

All right…five bullets classifies as “highlights”. Anymore and I’m rewriting the whole darn thing!

AJC and UMCH

Sigh…

A teenage boy, angry at another, set fire to his room last night, sending Leigh Cottage on the campus of the United Methodist Children’s Home up in flames.  Thankfully, no one was injured.  The AJC has details…

“All of the kids have got to go shopping tomorrow because they lost everything,” Cochran said. “Plus, there’ll be some counseling going on. They’ve got to be shook up.”

11 Alive says that the teen has been taken into custody.

The Children’s Home website accepts online donations. Click here to give.