Lovely.  Patch reports…

Traps in Decatur and other parts of DeKalb County captured 74 collections of mosquitoes that tested positive for West Nile Virus through Friday, a big increase over the number found with the virus last year, according to data from the DeKalb County Board of Health.

The Board of Health has not reported any new cases of people who have contracted West Nile Virus in Decatur or Avondale Estates, but the board said a 79-year-old in Tucker has been infected.

DHS Teacher Chris Billingsley writes in…

Your readers may be interested in knowing that detention hall, a DHS tradition for many years, has returned after a brief hiatus. The rules are pretty simple: Sign in, sit down, be quiet, act properly, do something constructive and you will be dismissed after 30 minutes. [Above] is what one of our students did to be released early.

I guess some things never change. Enjoy!

It used to be a familiar sight around the neighborhood: Amanda with a fistful of leashes attached to a pack of happily trotting pups; Amanda on her scooter pulling up to a house with a pocketful of doggie treats, greeted by a joyful barking of “She’s here! She’s here!”; Amanda sitting on a front step with a contented, purring kitty velcroed to her lap.

Then one day last year, as my next-door neighbors and I were both planning to be out of town at the same time, we were surprised, then dismayed, then completely delighted when Amanda told us that she wouldn’t be in the pet-sitting biz any more (What!?). The reason was that she had just signed a major three-book contract with Random House (What!?!?).

One day she’s our favorite neighborhood pet-sitter, the next she’s a publishing rockstar. It was a goosebump moment.

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Comments close Monday.

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Decatur School Board Member John Ahmann writes…

Over the last eight years, I have worked hard to contribute to helping City Schools of Decatur be among the best of the best. But just as in a relay race, I think now is the time to “pass the baton” so that someone else may continue the sprint to the finish line, and I have decided to not seek re-election to the Board.

I do not intend to stop working on K-12 education reform but rather apply what I have learned in other areas.

I have learned a tremendous amount in my two terms, and I am grateful to the community for the opportunity to serve. I’m also grateful to my current and former board colleagues, the students, the Superintendent and the many fantastic teachers, principals and other staff in the school system.

Having worked in public policy change my entire adult life, I am acutely aware that any successful endeavor involves many people working together as links in a chain. I am proud to have been a link in the chain for arranging pro bono support from the Boston Consulting Group to develop the System’s strategic plan eight years ago; brokering philanthropic partnerships that led to the early childhood learning center and the program with the Ben Franklin Academy (which ensured dozens of at-risk students graduated from Decatur High School); and working closely with Lt. Governor Casey Cagle on the legislation that enabled the creation of Charter Districts.

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