After he was the only Decatur School Board member to vote against the new bell schedule for all CSD schools last month, John Ahmann wants the Board to reconsider the item in June.  He recently sent a note out to parents who opposed the recently adopted bell schedule and his letter was posted on a “Concerned Parents of CSD” message board.  He also questions the expense of paying DeKalb County to bus our students around as opposed to CSD lease purchasing its own buses.

Here is his letter in full…

Thank you for your email opposing the City of School’s Decatur (CSD) Bell time schedule for the 2011 -  2012 school year. At the recommendation of the Superintendent, at the May 10, 2011 the Board adopted on a 3-1 vote (1 member was absent) the following Bell schedule:

- Decatur High: 8:00 – 3:00
- Clairemont Elementary: 8:00 – 2:30
- Glennwood Elementary: 8:00 – 2:30
- Oakhurst Elementary: 8:00 – 2:30
- Winnona Park Elementary: 8:00 – 2:30
- Fifth Avenue 4/5 Academy: 8:45 – 3:45
- Renfroe Middle: 8:45 – 3:45

I voted no. I sought to table this Bell schedule for a month to give time for the Superintendent to give clearer and more accurate information on many of the questions raised by myself and the community on the proposed Bell schedule and also examine an alternative Bell schedule with a later high school start time and the 4/5 starting at 8:15. No board member seconded the motion so it failed.

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Nellie thinks Decatur’s zombie lovers might be interested in this On Location Vacations blurb…

We are starting casting for some featured zombie types — looking for men and women 18 – 60 — VERY slim builds ONLY some acting or movement experience is great – we will be posting for other roles soon but for now only very slim types and slim facial features for very specific roles, must be available to work on southside of Atlanta — email clear recent face shot and body shot to: twdextras@gmail.com

Great news from a press release just sent in by Deputy Police Chief Keith Lee…

Decatur Police have arrested 21-year-old Seth Shammah Ben Israel of Stone Mountain for a series of entering autos that occurred in Decatur during the month of May. Residents from Clarion/ Nelson Ferry/Woodlawn/Fairfield/Garden reported (9) entering autos which occurred overnight, May 15th-16th. Residents of the Great Lakes neighborhood then reported (28) vehicles entered overnight, May 21st-22nd. Israel was targeting unsecured vehicles parked in driveways and on the street and taking items such as change, currency, credit cards, GPS systems, iPods and cell phones. Further investigation revealed a great deal of pawn activity by Israel in recent months and led investigators to other victims in Atlanta and DeKalb County.

Israel was identified through the use of the AFIX Tracker system (Automated Fingerprint & Palm Print Identification System). The Decatur Police Department has recently hired a part time certified latent print examiner and purchased the AFIX Tracker system which allows for fingerprint evidence to now be worked in-house rather than being sent to the GBI. The turnaround time has been drastically diminished as it can take months to receive results from the GBI due to the volume of cases they work for the entire state.

Israel was spotted in the East Ponce de Leon/Glendale area by two Decatur officers on their way into work on 06-04-11 and taken into custody without incident. Israel has admitted to entering an unknown amount of vehicles in recent weeks. Investigators are still working to recover and return stolen property.

Nice work DPD!

Have you ever dreamed of a romantic outdoor dinner in Decatur accentuated by the (very) occasional rumble of MARTA trains below your feet?  Another interesting blurb from this month’s Decatur Focus in the “Focus on Downtown Development” section…

We are currently working with restaurant owners around the MARTA plaza to provide table service on top of the plaza.  The plan would bring more tables to the square, provide an amenity on the plaza and remove some of the sidewalk table congestion along the Sycamore Street area.  Participating restaurants will identify their tables by different color umbrellas.

Restaurants must agree to keep the area clean, and secure table and chairs and store umbrellas at night.  All tables must be removed from the area during designated festival events.  As part of the agreement, some table be designated for public use and participating restaurants agree to secure these tables and store umbrellas each night on our behalf.

I wonder how many tables we’re talkin’ here.