Diane forwards this note sent to the Decatur High School community from principal Lauri McKain-Fernandez…

I want to alert you to an issue that took place at school today. Shortly after 10am, it was brought to the administration’s attention that a student was in possession of a gun. Along with the School Resource Officer, I went to the classroom to get the student and did find a firearm. It was not loaded, and though I don’t believe our student body was ever in danger, I do think it is important that you are all aware that this took place. I wanted to be sure that you all heard about this issue directly from me. We have worked on investigating throughout the day and do not have any reason to believe that any of our students were in direct danger. Regardless, this is a serious and difficult issue to deal with as a school community. As always, the Decatur Police Department was very responsive and supportive in this matter.

Thank you for your ongoing support.

In a post on the beautifully formatted Atlanta Magazine site, the Covered Dish blog ladles out some potentially delicious news.

In the next 18 months, MetroFresh owner Mitchell Anderson plans to open three new sandwich locations, called “MitchWich”, around the ATL.  The concept?

MitchWich will feature a 1,000-1,500 square-foot floor plan with a “warmer and woodsier feel” than MetroFresh but with a slightly different design for each location. Anderson has worked with a brand development firm over several months to develop the concept that will continue his food philosophy without duplicating the style of Metro Fresh. It will serve a breakfast and lunch menu focusing on sandwiches made with quality, organic ingredients, along with some soups and salads crafted by Anderson and his executive chef, Byran Kraatz.

And amongst the contenders…

Initially, Anderson is looking at neighborhoods such as the Fairlie Poplar district, Westside and Decatur because of their proximity to MetroFresh.

h/t: Oakhurst Gossip (via Twitter)

What can the ranch house teach us?

That question, presented to a historian, architect, or planner will garner three (or more!) very different responses.

• Its long and low form is a direct result of its suburban environment.
• Its interior spaces document the American family’s desire for larger interior spaces.
• The ranch’s simplified architectural style, evolved loosely from Frank Lloyd Wright’s Prairie Style, speaks to the growing desire in the mid-20th century to keep the cost of construction down .

On Wednesday, March 24th at noon, the DeKalb History Center will dedicate an entire Lunch & Learn on one of the most controversial, yet wide-spread house types/styles of the last century: the Ranch House.

All details after the jump!  So jump!

Photo of a “typical ranch house in Belvedere Park” courtesy of the DeKalb History Center

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Renewal Design Build announced yesterday that it had received a regional Whole House award from the National Association of the Remodeling Industry for its “green” renovation of 601 Third Avenue in Oakhurst.

During its construction in 2007-2008, the Third Avenue renovation was a media darling, from its feature on Discovery’s Planet Green, which helped fund some of the renovation, to its inevitable AJC spread.  The only other Decatur residence with such extensive media exposure in recent years is another eco-friendly home, Wilton Avenue’s RainShine House.

Though at the time of 601’s completion I wondered how REALLY eco-friendly a house twice the size of the old could be, Renewal states that the remodel “doubl[ed] the home’s existing square footage while cutting its energy bills in half.”

Not too shabby.

Disclosure: Renewal is a Decatur Metro sponsor

From the Decatur Metro “This Story is Completely Fictional” desk…

As Decatur continues to trudge through the wet, winter months, steady progress continues on one of the city’s most controversial bond projects in recent memory: the Great Glenlake Mudpit.

It’s a story of love, hate and political savvy.  A giant pit of mud that symbolizes an underlying turmoil inside five, precious square miles.

It all started with what is now being termed a “simple mistake.” In an effort to be more inclusive than humanly possible during a city-wide vote on how to spend bond-project money, city staff, commissioners and Glenlake Park advocates agreed that in order to include literally EVERYONE in the city’s decision-making process, children from 2-18 years-old would also get a say.

When asked about left out 0-2 year-olds, Glenlake improvements advocate Frank McGuilt-Trip chuckled knowingly and explained “Well, while we really DID want to include every city resident in this decision, when it came to the two-and-unders we felt that their general lack of understanding of most anything might impede their decision-making on the Glenlake project.”

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