Kathy writes in…

Apparently this is a huge mess, so people will want to avoid this area until it is cleared

· DeKalb Co.: Gas Main Break…ALL LANES BLOCKED at Scott Blvd. and DeKalb Industrial Blvd. Expect big delays.

“When I watch the footage of the first explosion, I look at the Boston Public Library Main Branch across the street, and I think no matter who they turn out to be–Islamic jihadists, home grown militia, neo-Nazis, something else–what really scares them, what they truly hate, is the access to knowledge that building exemplifies.

“Youngest victim is 8. Sigh. What can you do with that? If your “CAUSE” involves the death of kids, it’s not a cause, it’s a pestilence.

“So proud to be a Bostonian tonight. So brokenhearted to be one, too.”

Dennis Lehane, author and a trustee of the Boston Public Library, posted on his Facebook page.

This Week

Bob Dotson, author of American Story: A Lifetime Search for Ordinary People Doing Extraordinary Things, Wednesday, April 17th at 7pm, Jimmy Carter Library, sponsored by Georgia Center for the Book, free.

The Love and Death Tour featuring Lauren Oliver, author of the Delirium trilogy, Lauren Morrill, author of Meant to Be, and Lenore Appelhan, author of Level Two, Wednesday, April 17th at 7pm, Little Shop of Stories, free.

Clifford Brooks, poet and author of The Draw of Broken Eye and Whirling Metaphysics, Saturday, April 20th at 2pm, Eagle Eye Book Shop, free.

Olivier Tallec, children’s book illustrator, Tuesday, April 23rd at 11am, Little Shop of Stories, free.

Katherine Wilkinson, author of Between God & Green: How Evangelicals Are Cultivating a Middle Ground on Climate Change, Tuesday, April 23rd at 7:30pm, Charis Books, suggested donation of $5.

Mo Willems, author of That Is NOT a Good Idea!, Wednesday, April 24th at 6pm, Decatur Library, sponsored by Little Shop of Stories and Georgia Center for the Book, free.

At Monday night’s City Commission, Asst. City Manager David Junger detailed the robberies that have occurred around the city since February 7th and the steps taken by Decatur Police to tackle the issue.

According to Mr. Junger’s presentation to the commission, DPDs response included implementation of a “robbery suppression plan” after the 4th robbery – and before the Wahoo! robbery – which included increased patrols around the central business district by off-duty officers, the Special Investigations Unit, the traffic unit and other DPD resources.  They are also utilizing undercover officers and unmarked vehicles in their efforts to curb and investigate these robberies.  Mr. Junger reiterated that DPD has met with the Oakhurst Neighborhood Association and with the employees of Wahoo! about the recent robberies and are planning more appearances at groups around town.  All in all, DPD has worked over 200 hours of overtime to deal with this issue. Decatur will also be hosting a multi-agency meeting with Atlanta PD and DeKalb PD soon, to share information about these robberies and “make sure everyone is one the same page”.

Mr. Junger noted that other than the first two robberies on February 7th and 26th, Decatur Police don’t have reason to believe that any of the other robberies are connected, based on variations in descriptions by victims and other items of evidence.

“They are working hard on many, many leads” according to Mr. Junger, and the GBI have drawn up sketches of some of the suspects.  (You can view sketches of suspects from the March 15th robbery along Commerce Drive and a security camera picture of a suspect in the Wahoo! robbery on crimestoppers.com.)

Commissioner Patti Garrett noted that DPD had mentioned the recent prevalence of cell phone ATMs (which Patch reported on recently) at the ONA meeting, as a potential reason in the uptick of cell phone robberies.

DPD is advising all residents to be more vigilant about their surroundings and be careful about when and where you use your cell phone around the city.  Also, if you ever feel unsafe, DPD encourages residents to call the non-emergency # (404-373-6551) and they can escort you to your destination.