From Decatur PD…

Decatur Police have been investigating a series of mail thefts reported in late January in the Lenox Place neighborhood and earlier this week in the Glendale/East Ponce de Leon Avenue/Sycamore Street area.  In earlier messages to the Decatur community, we have asked that you call police immediately if you observe suspicious behavior.

We would like to express a tremendous thank you to the Winnona Park resident who quickly called in this morning to report witnessing two males going through mailboxes on Avery Street.  Her immediate response, detailed physical description, explanation of what behavior she witnessed and direction of travel allowed officers to strategically approach the area, locate the suspects and recover mail that had been stolen from 14 locations throughout the Winnona Park and Oakhurst neighborhoods this morning.  Several checks were included in the recovered items.

Additional investigation has revealed these are the same suspects from the previously reported mail thefts in the Lenox Place neighborhood in January and earlier this week in the Glendale/East Ponce de Leon Avenue/Sycamore Street area.  The suspects, both juvenile males from Decatur, have been charged with multiple counts of theft.  The resident who called to report what she saw is to be commended for her awareness and quick response.

Carl points to this extensive interview on Eater with Cakes & Ale’s cofounder Chef Billy Allin.  The Q&A includes his thoughts on the challenges he’s faced at the restaurant and the current Decatur restaurant scene. Here’s a taste…

Now, Decatur Square is a restaurant row. Good or bad, I don’t know. But if you come to Decatur, you have a lot of options, and they’re solid in most cases across the board. The outlook, I think, is positive. More and more people are coming to Atlanta from other parts of the country because of costs of living, there are more businesses opening. You’re getting people who are well-traveled, who are used to different experiences, and that’s fueling a boom in the restaurant world of Atlanta. Decatur, I think, is almost in the forefront— there are a few other little areas, Westside being one, Roswell doing a good job— really booming and catering to not just people who have lived here, but a lot of people that are coming from elsewhere. That’s a net positive in the long run because there’s going to be a flush out of restaurants all the time— some of them may be good, some may not be good. But in the long run it will keep intriguing other restaurateurs, hopefully a lot of independent restaurateurs, to put both feet in and go for it.

Anne sent in these pics of a City of Decatur Public Works crew planting some new trees along West Ponce yesterday.

Feel free to use this post to make comments and ask questions about local issues not discussed here over the past week.

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