The AJC has a feature Decatur resident and Emory Law School grad, Melody Moezzi, who’s irritation with the way Islam is portrayed in the press has compelled her to write a cleverly titled response, “War on Error”.

“War on Error: Real Stories of American Muslims” (University of Arkansas Press, $18.95) is a collection of profiles of young Muslims, as wide-ranging as they are peaceful: a feminist Muslim, a gay Muslim, a rapper, a convert from Catholicism, a buff Muslim with tattoos and one who sounds like a surfer when he tells her, “Dude, I think I’m like one of the worst Muslims I know.”

Moezzi will discuss and sign her book this Friday night @ 7:30p @ Wordsmiths in Decatur.

(Photo courtesy of the AJC)

…from last night’s school board meeting.

Over on the Oakhurst Message Board, resident Suzanne Miller (who also referenced the annexation map/presentation) reports back from last night’s CSD Board Meeting and gives the impression that the city commission already considers the annexation a done deal and wants a blind-sided school board to brace itself for 500 additional students. (All of this assuming that residents in the annexed areas vote in favor of incorporation in November.)

Here’s a snippet from her reflection….

According to the discussion at the school board meeting last night,
the mayor is telling the school system to go ahead and plan for 500ish
kids because the annexation is going forward and the kids are going to
be there in 2009. He says that he is working to have the annexation
proposal approved in THIS legislative session. The demographer that
the school system hired to help them with planning also reported
tonight that city leaders told him that the annexation was for
practical purposes a done deal. In fact the demographer’s report went
ahead and assumed that all 500 (actually the estimate is between 422
and 526) kids would enter the school system in August 2009.

All of this is in contrast to the messages that some
commissioners/city staff are putting out to citizens that this is only
in the preliminary stages and that no one has anything to worry about
because the Commission is only looking at its options. So, which is
it? Is it a done deal or are they only looking at it as an option for
sometime in the distant future? It appears that the answer to that
question depends on who is asking.

Obviously I can’t personally vouch for any of Suzanne’s recollections at this time, but I’m beginning to get the feeling that she is right about the city being a lot further along than they’ve claimed in either the GoDeKalb or AJC articles, where the city manager has said that discussions were only “preliminary”. Doesn’t a full-fledged presentation and analysis kind of fly in the face of that?

City staff will present their plan for annexation at next Tuesday’s (Jan 22nd) commission meeting. An official response from the city before that to clarify all of this would certainly be welcome.

According to another slide in the Rosser presentation to CDS, Winonna Park ranks as the city’s wealthiest neighborhood, with a median household income of $84,707,  It’s closely followed by Ponce de Leon Terrace/Clairemont Estates/northwest of Scott ($82,294 HH income) and Ponce de Leon Heights ($80,637 HH income).

Take a look to the west, beyond the city limits and you’ll see HH income jump well into the $100k+ as you get venture closer to Clifton Rd/Druid Hills.

The area between Ponce and W. Howard, west of McDonough, where the soon-to-be-redeveloped Allen Wilson Terrace subsided housing is located has by far the city’s lowest median income ($10,146 HH income)

Ask and ye shall receive!

Yesterday a commenter asked if a map existed showing the city’s proposed north and east annexation.  Well, thanks to a link found on the Oakhurst Message Board, I found this presentation by Rosser International given to the school board regarding the annexation, which shows not only the proposed new boundaries of the city, but also a breakdown of how many students live in each area.

While this map (click it for an even larger version or go to the presentation)  shows the expansion north and east as described in the GoDeKalb article, it also shows an annexation to the northeast, up DeKalb Industrial to N. Decatur and east on Ponce to DeKalb Industrial Way (where the street where Paddywax and Wag-a-Lot reside).

This presentation seems to indicate that the school system is already many steps in to analyzing this issue and the rest of up are playing catch up.

A lot of interesting info on our neighborhoods in this presentation.  Be sure to check it out!