Thomas Wheatley reports over on Fresh Loaf that Cobb, Paulding, Douglas and Cherokee County have qualified for federal assistance after Monday’s incredible flooding around metro Atlanta.

As Wheatley points out…

Left out of Obama’s declaration were 13 other metro countries, including DeKalb and Fulton County. Gov. Sonny Perdue says the state’s request for the remaining counties is still pending.

Also, the AJC reports that VP Joseph Biden will be in Atlanta on Friday to survey the damage.

Sorry kids, nothing in life is free.  From CSD’s Maria Lewis…

CSD Parents,

To make up the school day that was missed on September 22, 2009, the last day for students will now be Wednesday, May 26, 2010.

My wife forwards the note in Daily Candy yesterday that announces that Mama’s Bath & Body and Lotion Bar, has moved to East College Ave at the intersection with Sam’s Street.  Here’s a pic of the new building from her site…

Though she is already open at her new location, Mama will be hosting a grand-opening on October 3rd from 10-6p.  Skirt Atlanta drops the word that there will be…

…complimentary mar-tea-nis by local tea maker Just Add Honey and sweets from the neighboring Cookie Studio. The first 25 customers will get swag bags loaded with Mama samples and goodies. And [owner Emilie] Sennebogen will be giving product-making demonstrations throughout the day in the wide-open workshop area.

Check out Mama’s blog for product announcements, recent press, and stories of her adventures in the new space.  (Looks like one of you crazy College Ave drivers hit her chalkboard sign the other day!)

All AJC print subscribers received this email yesterday.

Dear _________,

The floods that washed across most of Georgia have personally impacted everyone. Whether you’ve experienced power outages, been stuck in the traffic gridlock or have property damage, your life has been affected.

This epic story is a reminder of the vital role that newspapers play in the communities we serve. Our journalists traveled far and wide in the middle of the floods, photographers took to the skies in a helicopter to document the damage, and newspaper carriers battled traffic, detours and downed trees to deliver the paper to you. Like no other news source could, the AJC delivered ongoing, up-to-the-minute information on ajc.com, and in-depth coverage in the AJC.

Each and every day, employees are committed to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution being a forum for the local community. The AJC doesn’t take this responsibility lightly. We work very hard at fulfilling our mission – providing news and information that’s meaningful to our readers every day.

With the largest news-gathering team in the state, the AJC will continue to bring you the most extensive coverage on the efforts to recover and rebuild. You can trust that we will see the story through and provide investigative journalism that only a newspaper can provide. Our commitment to serving you remains strong. Thank you for being our subscriber.

Sincerely,

Michael Joseph

Read the rest of this entry »

Michael and an anonymous tipster report that a letter was sent out to parents from College Heights Early Childhood Learning Center principal Suzanne Kennedy announcing that the pre-K program had received a grant to add additional spots to the current Head Start preschool program and open an Early Head Start (birth to 3) program at the school.  Kennedy sees the need because CSD still is striving to close the achievement gap between blacks and whites and provide equal opportunities to infant and toddlers from low income families.

But as is often the biggest challenge in little ol’ Decatur, in order to expand, you need room to expand.  And in order to accommodate expansion needs quickly, we must call in the trailers…or as they’re referred to in the letter, “learning cottages”.

The principal has called an open meeting to help decide how to use the trailer, umm learning cottage, to implement the Head Start and Early Head Start programs while “keeping our goal to blend the Decatur-DeKalb YMCA with the PCA program”.  The meeting will be held next Tuesday, September 29th from 5p-6p in the school’s cafeteria.

You can read the full letter, provided by Michael, HERE (pdf).