The City Schools of Decatur sent around this traffic notice from the Decatur Police Department…

 Due to the accident this morning in involving a Marta bus and a CSX train, the intersections of North McDonough Street at West Howard Avenue and South McDonough Street and West College Avenue will be closed to vehicular traffic for approximately the next twenty-four hours. The roadway will be closed utilizing barricades and directional signage. During this time, repairs will be made to the railroad tracks. Once the repairs are made, CSX will notify the police department the barricades can be removed. Repairs will also have to be done to one of the crossing arm poles that was knocked over during the accident. It will take approximately 2-3 days to replace the pole, but will not require the intersection to be shut down. CSX will place stop signs at the intersections and the train conductors will be given notice to stop at the intersection before proceeding. They will be required to put out flares before going through the intersection

Commerce Drive, Decatur GA (pic courtesy of Gwyneth)

  

As part of the Decatur Arts Festival’s Art Walk this Friday, Little Shop of Stories is hosting a silent art auction to benefit On The Same Page, our city’s community-wide reading initiative. Work by six great illustrators of children’s books will be up for bid from 5 to 9pm: Peter Brown, James Dean, Tony DiTerlizzi, Jarrett Krosoczka, Mike Lowery, and Judy Schachner. The art is currently on display at Little Shop and photos and details have also been posted on their blog.

Here’s a chance to own a great work of art and support a great cause.

A special congratulations to James Dean and author Eric Litwin are in order. At least one of their Pete the Cat books has been on the New York Times Best Sellers list each week since May 13, 2012. That’s 54 consecutive weeks and counting!!! The hat trick occurred last August when they had #1, #2, and #3.

This Week:

Susan Puckett, author of Eat Drink Delta, : A Hungry Traveler’s Journey Through the Soul of the South, Wednesday, May 22nd at 7:15pm, sponsored by Georgia Center for the Book, free.

Bill Cheng, author of Southern Cross the Dog, Thursday, May 23rd at 7:15pm, sponsored by Georgia Center for the Book, free.

Annalee Newitz, author of Scatter, Adapt and Remember: How Humans Will Survive a Mass Extinction, Wednesday, May 29th at 7:15pm, sponsored by Georgia Center for the Book, free.

From the AJC…

Most metro Atlanta school districts saw improved graduation rates in 2012. At 91.41 percent, Decatur City Schools has the best graduation rate among the 15 metro Atlanta districts, with Atlanta Public Schools, at 50.87 percent, bringing up the rear.

APS was one of three metro Atlanta districts — Clayton (53.61 percent) and DeKalb (57.28 percent) with graduation rates lower than 60 percent.

According to the AJC database, Decatur’s graduation rate increased 2 points in 2012 vs. 2011 from 89% to 91%.

UPDATE: From CSD’s Facebook page…

Buses may not be on schedule this morning due to a train accident on McDonough Street near the high school. Traffic will be challenging. Tardies will be excused this morning. The reported accident involved a MARTA bus and the train. No injuries were reported.

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11Alive reports this morning that a MARTA bus has hit by a freight train at the McDonough crossing in Decatur this morning.  According to the report, witnesses say the bus got stuck on the tracks prior to being hit.  The report on television says that no one was hurt.  But obviously expect delays around that area with morning.

More details as we have them (and there goes the helicopter over the house).

Photo courtesy of Lee