From Catherine over at The Decatur Minute…

he City of Decatur Public Works Sanitation Division is working to resolve an issue with a defective Pay-As-You-Throw bag shipment from the bag manufacturer. It appears that the problem is isolated to the green, 8-gallon bags. We apologize for any inconvenience this has caused. If you have received defective bags please return them to the retail store where they were purchased in order to receive replacement bags. You may also take the defective bags to the Public Works Office at 2635 Talley Street in Decatur and receive replacement bags. We are checking the bag inventory to ensure that defective bags are not delivered to the retail stores.

If you have any questions, please call David Junger, Assistant City Manager, at 404-377-5571 or email david.junger@decaturga.com .

Location not given.  (submitted by Rod)

On Twitter, TheseGiants alerts us that Ale Yeah! Craft Beer Market is coming to Decatur.  A quick check of Ale Yeah!’s Twitter feed confirms it.

Decatur… full circle we have indeed come. Lease signed at 906 W College Ave. How sweet, the sound. Deets to follow.

In case you’re wondering, that seems to be the address of the strip where Avellino’s and Isabella’s are located.

What is Ale Yeah! Craft Beer Market?  From their website…

Our mission is to provide to all residents of the Metro Atlanta area the wonders of the art of beer, the magic of a beverage not simply as a means to an end, rather a process of profound beauty that through innovation and creativity can be enjoyed with cuisines from all around the world or simply in a social setting with friends and loved ones.

We will showcase an abundance of American craft beer as well as varieties from around the world that exemplify liquid perfection. We will carry bombers and also give people the opportunity to “build-your-own” 6-pack. We will also offer fine cheeses, cured meats and chocolates that compliment the experience of a perfect pint.

Also of note from their Twitter and Facebook feeds, it sounded as if the original plan was to open in East Atlanta Village, but a “zoning snag” didn’t work out for one reason or another.  So instead they’re coming to Decatur.  An all too familiar story and one that benefits Decatur every time!

The rumor that Dollar General is moving into the old NAVO/Big H space in Oakhurst has been floating around for a while, but the reliable WriterChad seems to have a pretty good source that the chatter is indeed true.

From a Free-For-All Friday comment…

Pretty wife was power-walking with a galfriend and a Dollar General corporate dude stopped and asked for directions. The address he was looking for was the Big H.

If you haven’t gotten tickets yet you’re probably SOL (to put it bluntly), but ArtsCriticATL.com gives us a good idea of the rarity of a Jonathan Franzen appearance.  Not just at the Decatur Book Festival, but ANYWHERE.

Franzen, author of the acclaimed “The Corrections” and the new “Freedom,” arguably the most anticipated literary novel of 2010, is not quite in Thomas Pynchon’s neighborhood of reclusiveness, but he’s clearly someone who doesn’t relish the modern publicity machine. (His official publicity photo looks like it was taken by a stalker without his knowledge or consent.)

To publicize “Freedom,” his first novel in nine years, he agreed to a recent Time magazine cover story … and the DBF… and not much else. (The Oprah reference, if you don’t recall, goes back to 2001, when she wanted “The Corrections” for her Book Club, he made some mildly ambivalent comments, and the media fanned it into a feud.)

“I have a sneaking feeling there’s not going to be many more chances to see Jonathan Franzen on a book tour,” says DBF mogul Daren Wang. “It’s fair to say he doesn’t really enjoy the limelight. I think he’s going to step back from these kinds of public appearances. We’re really lucky. It moves the book festival forward one more step in terms of national importance.”

I really hope that Franzen gets a chance to check out the Festival, though I imagine that may be difficult without attracting a mob – something he obviously avoids like the rest of us would a giant, slobbering book monster.

After the jump, you can view a recent Franzen video where he describes his “profound discomfort at having to make videos like this”.

Read the rest of this entry »