The AJC just posted a nice piece that tells the story of how athletics director Carter Wilson turned his dream of a new sports complex and auditorium at Decatur High into a reality.

If a lesson can be pulled from Wilson’s story, it seems to be: if you can work well with others and learn to compromise, you may one day  find yourself and everyone else driving past your daydreams on North McDonough.

Photo Courtesy of Neil Gaiman’s website

It’s no secret that Decatur has lusted after fantasy/sci-fi rockstar writer Neil Gaiman for a good, long while.

This past year, the Decatur Book Festival went out of its way to get Gaiman’s attention, urging festival-goers to sign an online petition to get Gaiman as a keynote speaker.  Unfortunately, the process was “cumbersome” – according to Daren Wang – and it wasn’t enough to get Gaiman inside the city limits.

But while Decatur Gaiman-ites were disappointed, they certainly were not defeated.

Only a few weeks ago, Little Shop of Stories heard Gaiman’s challenge to bookstores: throw the best damn Halloween party in the country, and he would reward them with a visit.

And so in true Henry V style, Little Shop picked up the DBF’s fallen banner and declared to the world…

We tried our darnest to get Neil Gaiman to come to the AJC Decatur Book Festival this year. There was an e-mail campaign. We contacted people we knew at Harper Collins. We begged. We failed.

…So we’re doing it. Friday night. October 30th. On the Eve of All Hallows Eve. 7pm

There are some 35 other bookstores in North America also competing for Neil’s affections. (You can click here to look at the entire list on this map.) But ours will be best because, after all, this is Decatur.

We few, we happy few, we band of brothers.

OK, maybe I added that last line, but you get the idea.

And throw a Halloween party they did.

Well hell if that “little” bookstore didn’t just go and win the whole damn contest!

To get the info straight from the horse’s mouth, jump over to The Little Shop blog.  Details like date and time will be announced later this week!

UPDATE: Daren Wang reports that Gaiman will be at Little Shop on December 14th.

The AJC has an update on the woman who was the vicitim of a hit-and-run on North Decatur last week, including her name and a description of the vehicle involved.

DeKalb County police are searching for a white car that was involved in a deadly hit and run Tuesday night.

Margaret Henderson, 58, was walking east on North Decatur Road around 7 p.m., when she was struck by the car, DeKalb police spokesman Jason Gagnon said.

According to DeKalb police, the car was traveling eastbound when it hit Henderson, but then did a u-turn and fled the scene going west.

UPDATE: After doing more sleuthing, CL’s post on the closing of SOVO and David magazine is much more in-depth and substantive.

Another newspaper shuts down, as reported by another newspaper.

Southern Voice has closed its doors after a long-time financial battle to stay afloat.

The publishers closed it and a handful of other gay publications nationwide over the weekend, the newspaper’s editor, Laura Douglas Brown, confirmed Monday.

Thanks to Steve for pointing this out!

Craig wants to help, but needs options…

Hi DM — Any chance you could post something about possible volunteer opportunities over the Thanksgiving and other winter holiday season? I’d like to give back, but not sure what’s out there.