Just forwarded from the city’s Linda Harris.  Note that the animal was found nearly 2 weeks ago.

Rabies Alert

From the DeKalb County Board of Health

Residents in the Michigan Avenue area should be aware that a raccoon was captured on October 2, 2009, and tested positive for rabies.

· Anyone who has been bitten or scratched by a wild animal should seek medical attention immediately.

· Watch your pets. If they are acting unusually nervous or aggressive or if they have excessive drooling or foaming at the mouth, contact DeKalb County Animal Control at 404-294-2996, Monday-Friday from 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. or 404-294-2519 (other times).

· Pet owners should make sure their animals are vaccinated against rabies.

For more information about what you can do to protect yourself and your family, call the DeKalb County Board of Health, Monday-Friday, 8:15 a.m. – 5 p.m. at 404-294-3700.

Linda adds “Flyers are being posted in the neighborhood. We have also posted the information on the Decatur website under Late-Breaking News.”

This time next week, city of Decatur residents will be rushing from work to the grocery stores, filling their buggies with bottles of Honest Tea and fresh veggies (a Decatur version of soda and popcorn), in preparation for what has been called (by me, right now) the most anticipated hour-and-a-half ever hosted on the internet!

That’s right, we’re just one week away from Decatur Metro’s online live city commission debate, piped directly into your homes via the internets at 8pm (7pm Central) right here at www.DecaturMetro.com!

As detailed previously, we’ve got all four comissioners in the same space at the same time!  Boykin, Garrett, Radford and Williams!  District 1or District 2, we’ve got’em all!

So keep sending in your debate questions via decaturite[at]gmail.com. Questions can be addressed to individual candidates, district candidates, or the whole lot.  Please also provide your first and last name along with your street address so I can confirm residency.  All resident questions will be posed as “Joe on Clairemont Road asks…”

See you there!

(Phew! Huckstering is exhausting work!)

I realize I did a post like this last year too, but I still find it rather incredible that every year people end up paying more than double the face value of a Decatur Beer Festival ticket to spend an afternoon on the Square with thousands of others, throwing back half-full tasting glasses of various craft brews.

I mean, I love this fest as much as the next person, but the going rate on eBay and Craigslist is around $80 a ticket!  That’s some serious drinking money!

What is it about this festival that makes people sell first-borns to get through the gate?  It can’t just be getting drunk…because anyone can easily get drunk with $80.  Is it the drunken comradery?  The choice selection?  The brewery stickers in inappropriate places?

A resident writes in…

Crime Alert:

Friday night after 3:00 in the morning, vandals threw an object at the front door of a house on Ridgeland Ave and broke a window pane. The homeowner, who had been asleep, immediately walked outside to investigate and found a large, dark-colored SUV parked in the middle of the street at the corner of Ridgeland and Fairview. Two boys appeared to be looking at another car parked in the street. When the boys saw the homeowner, they ran towards the SUV. One of the boys was approximately 16 years old, African American and 5 feet 8 inches tall. The other boy was White, approximately 14 years old and 5 feet 4 inches tall and called the first boy “Jay” or “Jake.” As the SUV drove away, the homeowner tried to see the license plate but was not able to see the plate clearly in the dark. The homeowner thought he saw W65 9V1, however, the police did not get a hit on this number. It’s possible though, that part of plate number is correct.

If you have relevant information about this vandalism, you are encouraged to contact the investigating officer, Investigator Bellis, at 678-553-6616 or dan.bellis[at]decaturga.com.

From Jim Newbury…

Plan to join the crowd of Bulldog Fans at SpiritFest 2009! We will gather at the promenade outside the new gymnasium (you can enter from McDonough or Commerce Streets) at 6:00. There will be fight songs, cheering, and lots of prizes from “Spike” the DHS Bulldog himself. So come out and get fired up before DHS takes on Westminster at 7:30.