Wilton Drive, Decatur GA (pic taken by Chuck and sent in by Tamara)

Asst. Superintendent Thomas Van Soelen alerts us to a 9th map option added to the mix in CSD’s ongoing discussion with the community about redistricting Decatur’s K-3 school enrollment zone, in order to bring Glennwood back into the mix.

While this map is titled “Map 9″, it is really one of just three redistricting options still on the table.  You can still view and give feedback on all three maps here.

Here’s part of a note, just posted on CSD’s website, announcing the additional map.

In response to public input received during the Board public sessions, Map 9 has been created. In this map, revisions are made to keep neighborhoods whole as much as possible. In addition, a programmatic decision was made to continue the current practice of serving K-3 students who need English as Second Language services at Winnona Park.

I would also point out that the “non-white” percentages, which have received a lot of the focus in DM conversations, are now all in the 31%-39% range in this 9th scenario.

The AJC’s John Kessler reports that Drew Belline – “longtime chef” at Floataway Cafe – will take the helm at Ford Fry’s recently announced, but yet-to-be-named Decatur restaurant, which will take over the Eurasia Bistro space along East Ponce in the coming months.

As we previously reported, the restaurant will be “Italian-inspired”, but Kessler gives us some context, stating that Fry “cites San Fransico’s A16 as inspiration.”

Hot diggity!

I’m quite excited to announce this morning that Decatur Metro and the Decatur Education Foundation have teamed up in a first-ever “Tools to Success” campaign that looks to provide selected Decatur High School graduates with their own laptop computers to help them achieve their potential at the post-secondary school level.

First a little back-story.

No surprise that this great idea actually came from DM readers and commenters.  Back in early October, a number of commenters here openly expressed a desire to use their recently announced $70 tax credit from the city to somehow help Decatur’s student population.  From that back-and-forth on DM, I initiated a conversation with the Decatur Education Foundation’s Executive Director Gail Rothman, who offered up some excellent suggestions of how we could team up to target a specific unmet need among our city’s student population.

From the start, the DEF’s laptop initiative jumped out at us both as the perfect collaborative opportunity.

The campaign’s goal is to give out as many laptops as can be purchased to DHS graduates coming from low-income households with plans for college or other post-secondary school.  Students will be selected by the “Tools to Success” committee – which will include reps from DEF, CSD and the community – after completing an application that asks how a laptop would help them achieve their goals.  I have agreed to be on-hand to represent the program when the laptops are given out at the annual DHS Scholarship Dinner.

But what fun is a campaign without a challenge, right?  So here it is.  In this inaugural year, we are challenging the Decatur community to purchase 5 laptops.  And DM will get things rolling by purchasing the first laptop in its entirety.

Read the rest of this entry »

Thankfully it sounds like the encounter was more due to poor planning on the burglars part than pure brashness.  Still frightening.

From the AJC…

Burglary suspects forced their way through a window and into an Avondale Estates home Sunday morning. But the crime was interrupted when they realized residents were in the home, police said.

In a panic, the suspects got out of the DeKalb County home, but didn’t get very far. Officers arrived at the Kensington Road home just before 8 a.m. and began searching for suspects.