Both William and Altmod write in with eye-witness reports of a bomb scare at the Emory Village CVS.  Here’s the time-line thus far…

• At 6:40pm, William reported that the pharmacy had been evacuated due to a “bomb scare”.
• An hour later Altmod wrote in “We are having to walk back to Decatur as no cars can leave cvs lot. Doc chey’s evacuated too…”
• A couple minutes later, she wrote “Actually suspicious bookbag next to CVS.  Bomb squad on the scene.”

From the Emory Report…

Emory’s new campus bookstore and admissions office continues construction on Oxford Road. The building is expected to be complete in late May, and occupied later this summer.

When completed, the three story structure will house a Barnes & Noble Bookstore on the first and second level, a large Starbucks coffee shop on the first level, and a Barnes and Noble “spirit merchandise” sales area on the third level. The new undergraduate admissions office will also be on the third floor.

A landscaped plaza, the Anne Register Jones Courtyard, will bridge the area between the new building and the B. Jones Building.  Recently named to honor the wife of Boisfeuillet Jones, the courtyard will be a large “green roof” over a new parking deck.

Interior and Exterior Renderings courtesy of the Emory Report

When it comes to politics, some times you just have to get out there and state the obvious.

Steve points to this new guest column by Decatur Mayor (and GA Municipal Prez) Bill Floyd on Maria Saporta’s SaportaReport.  Here’s an excerpt…

It’s time for the conversation about cities in Georgia to change. But that change will require state leaders to embrace three things.

First, they will need to appreciate the grassroots. Although people may love their state, they don’t live and work and play at the “state level.” Instead, they live their lives at the “local level.” It will be here where leaders will be able to tap into the energy of people and institutions to make a difference.

Two, the state will have to partner with cities to get the results we all seek. Innovation and expertise are found at the local level throughout Georgia.

Third, the state will have to learn to trust her local governments and not legislate to the least common denominator. Instead, they must create the political and policy infrastructure that allows communities to meet the diverse social and economic demands they face, both within their boundaries and in the larger regions they serve.

A tall order indeed.

This was just posted in DM’s classifieds section…

East Lake Farmers Market is located at the corner of 2nd Ave & Hosea Williams, at the convergence of the East Lake, Oakhurst, & Kirkwood neighborhoods. Last year East Lake resident Doug Williams started the farmers market against all odds. “We got the green light at the end of March, & managed to pull together a small but great group of vendors to participate by mid-May, operating all season on a tiny budget” Doug explains, who set-up the market every Saturday for 26 weeks. Each week, over 100 neighbors from around the area supported the market.

Many improvements are underway for the 2010 ELF Market season, which opens Saturday, May 1st with a ‘Collard Greens Cook-Off’ benefitting Hosea Feed the Hungry, including purchasing EBT equipment that will enable the use of food stamps, making healthy produce more available to all. Community fund raisers, live music, & market demonstrations are being planned throughout the season.

The ELF Market is now accepting donations for the 2010 season.

Two new multiple choice questions on Decatur’s Open City Hall website deal with tax levels and whether residents have the stomach for an increase.

The first question is similar to an unofficial poll I recently threw up on DM…

In today’s current economic condition, it is the City’s goal to maintain the existing levels of service at current property tax rates. If that is not possible, which of the following options would you prefer?

• Maintain tax rate, decrease levels of service
• Maintain levels of service, increase tax rate up to one-half of a mill ($100 per year on a $400,000 property)
• Maintain levels of service, increase tax rate up to one mill ($200 per year on a $400,000 property)
• Decrease tax rate no matter how much it decreases levels of service

The second has to do with a potential new bond referendum to renovate the Police Department, Fire Station 1 and Rec Center…

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