What could have been a very alarming story instead thankfully ended with minimal damage this afternoon.

Around 3:05p, Carl tweeted “fire happening in the rear of the Holiday Inn/Decatur Conference Center” and posted a pic of a closed Marshall Street.  About 20 minutes later, Carl reported the smoke had dissipated and the street had reopened.

So, what the heck happened?

DM has learned from Fire Chief Dixon and Lyn Menne that an HVAC unit on the roof of the conference center had caught on fire, but was thankfully “contained to the unit”, resulting in no damage to the building.

Nice work Decatur Fire Department!  We certainly don’t need to lose a building the city JUST finished paying off!

It’s only July and the District 2 race is already heating up.

Last week, Kyle Williams came out with endorsements from Reps. Stuckey-Benfield and Abrams for his city commission campaign.  Today, Patti Garrett’s campaign announces two big endorsements of their own.

Here’s the release…

Decatur’s Mayor Bill Floyd and City Commissioner Mary Alice Kemp are supporting candidate Patti Garrett for the Decatur City Commission, District 2. Kemp is retiring from the contested South Decatur (District 2) seat at the end of 2009.

“I have known Patti for several years now,” Mayor Floyd said. “She is an intelligent and capable person whose dedication and involvement in her community, along with her willingness to work hard, will make her a great commissioner.”

“When Patti moved to Decatur years ago, she immediately began to volunteer her assistance to community events,” Commissioner Kemp said. “Her energy, leadership and joyous embrace of Decatur will serve us well as a City Commissioner.”

“I am grateful that these two people, whose hard work in service to our community I admire and respect so much, have chosen to support my campaign,” Garrett said. “It’s a vote of confidence in my intentions to continue and deepen their good efforts on behalf of the City of Decatur and especially South Decatur.”

Caribou, Inman Perk, Method…Can anyone other than Starbucks make a living brewing coffee in Emory Village?

Carl tweets that the latest contender in Emory Village’s rotating coffee space, Method, is out, and westside coffee joint, Octane Coffee, is in.

There have always been a lot of stories swirling around about this space.  When Inman Perk left, the owners claimed the issue was a grease-trap, but then the Emory Wheel told a different story.  One thing’s for sure, coffee ain’t easy in that spot.  I hope Octane has the magic formula to make it work.