Posted in Uncategorized on December 23, 2013 | 1 Comment »
Monday, Dec. 23 and Tuesday, Dec. 24 solid waste and recycling will be picked up on the regular schedule.
The City will be closed Wednesday, Dec. 25 & Thursday, Dec. 26 so regular solid waste and recycling for both Thursday, and Friday will be on Friday, Dec. 27.
New Year’s Day is on Wednesday, Jan. 1 so there are no changes to the regular solid waste and recycling schedule.
Have a safe and happy holiday!
Posted in Uncategorized on December 19, 2013 | 2 Comments »
Sunday night was cool and clear- a perfect night for looking at holiday decorations! Decatur is such a warm and welcoming community already, but the way our residents and businesses decorate for the holidays really makes this City to-notch. Here are 2013 Decorate Decatur winners:
Commissioners Cup-122 Woodlawn Avenue
122 Woodlawn (and he says he has MORE decorating to do!)
Decorate Decatur winner, David Dasilva and Mayor Baskett
Decorate Decatur Winners (in no particular order)
608 Avery
308 Kings Highway
901 3rd Avenue
335 Leyden Street
139 Vidal Blvd.
219 Harold Byrd Drive
211 Second Ave
Little Shop of Stories and the Community Tree
Art Institute of Atlanta- Decatur Campus-Picture coming soon!
We would like to award Winnona Park with the neighborhood spirit award for their beautiful luminaries. We should also mention that the intersection of Kings Highway and W. Davis is particularly festive this year!
Posted in Uncategorized, tagged aca, affordable care act, benefits, health, health benefits, health care, healthcare, healthcare.gov, medical benefits, obamacare on December 17, 2013 | Leave a Comment »
Posted in Art & Culture, Community, Retail & Restaurants, Uncategorized on December 11, 2013 | Leave a Comment »
Last year we launched the first in a series of City of Decatur ornaments created by local artists. This year our featured artist is Jamie Calkin. He created three different scenes – the Old Courthouse surrounded by a wreath, the Community Bandstand decorated with garlands, and the tree high atop Little Shop of Stories, lighted by Santa. Each ornament is numbered and signed by Jamie.
Ornaments are regularly $18 but we are offering a Terrific Thursday special this week – you can purchase them individually for $15 or all three for $42. While you’re out at Terrific Thursdays, look for Santa shopping as well! You can purchase the ornaments at Wild Oats and Billy Goats, Vivid, and Little Shop of Stories.
In addition to our special one-of-a-kind Decatur ornaments, James Dean created a special Pete the Cat “PEACE” in the City of DeCATur print and holiday cards. Prints are $35 and packages of 5 cards are $20 (you can also purchase individual cards for $5). We love our Pete the Cat and we are so glad he is celebrating with us in this special way. You can purchase Pete the Cat items at Wild Oats and Billy Goats.
All proceeds from the sale of these items goes back into creating the 2015 Decatur ornament.
Jamie Calkin has other items for sale at Wild Oats & Billy Goats
Posted in Uncategorized, tagged burglar, Decatur Police, Decatur Police Department, holiday, holiday season, police, robbery, safety, safety tips on December 10, 2013 | Leave a Comment »
Sgt. Jennifer Ross with the Decatur Police Department sends along the following:
To burglars, the holiday season in particular, means that your home generally has more things to steal. Not a very joyful thought, but an unfortunate reality. You can choose to be paranoid and add to the stress of the holiday season or take the time to throw up a few more roadblocks to annoy or discourage potential burglars and then relax and enjoy yourself.
I found my dad to be the hardest person to buy for when I reached the age to actually go pick out gifts myself. I wish there had been home improvement store gift cards, light timers, motion sensor lights, higher end deadbolts, window pegs and recommendations to change out 6” screws for the standard 2” screws in lock strike plates and door hinges back in the day because it would have provided great gift options for my paranoid dad who also liked projects around the house. So maybe you can give the gift of safety to someone in your home or just take care of a few things yourself and celebrate the holidays with a little more peace of mind.
Here are a few tips to think about concerning YOUR home for the holidays. Remember to make safety a habit and not a headache!
Posted in Uncategorized on December 9, 2013 | 3 Comments »
Tis the season in Decatur once again. Decorate your home or business in the spirit of the holidays in time for the annual Decorate Decatur contest. Judges will ride by the nominated locations on Sunday, Dec. 15th in order to pick their favorites. Winners will include homes, a business, a neighborhood, and an overall winner who will receive the coveted Commissioners Cup from the City Commission on Monday, Dec. 16th.
Send a photo of your favorite decorations to specialevents@decaturga.com or call 678-553-6573 to nominate your favorite homes or businesses. All of the winners will be announced on the City’s blog, www.thedecaturminute.com on Monday, Dec. 16th
***Please note that the house pictured above is not in Decatur but we expect you to step up to the challenge 🙂 ***
Posted in Uncategorized, tagged Decatur Police, Decatur Police Department, holiday theft, Kind bars, package theft, police, safety, theft, UPS on December 6, 2013 | Leave a Comment »
An important message from Sgt. Jennifer S. Ross, Community Information & Education Officer for the City of Decatur Police Department:
We have received several reports of package thefts from doorsteps in the past few days.
On Tuesday, 12-3rd packages were stolen from the doorsteps of two units at Talley Street Lofts. At one of the units, two packages were stolen and six were left behind with one of the six having been opened. (Delivered at approximately 2:30pm and discovered missing at 6pm)
On Thursday, 12-5th packages were stolen from the doorstep of a residence in the 200 block of Lansdowne Avenue. (Delivered at approximately 1:50pm and discovered missing at 4pm)
On Thursday, 12-5th a package was stolen from the doorstep of a unit at Talley Street Lofts, and two other packages were left behind. (Delivered at approximately 12pm and discovered missing at 7:30pm)
The stolen packages contained electronics, clothing, accessories and household items. All of the stolen packages were delivered by UPS.
I know one of the biggest reasons many of us shop online is the convenience of having what we ordered shipped directly to us but unfortunately thieves use our timesaving efforts as a way to do a little “shopping” of their own, especially during the holiday season. I have yet to recover the case of “Kind Bars” I ordered a few months back, in an effort to save a little money with a bulk sale price and free shipping, that sprouted feet and sent me on a personal investigation that lasted weeks and ended in me having $50.00 less than when I started and no Kind Bars. Since parcel bandits are trying to intervene in our holiday fun, here are some tips to help prevent package thefts.
Also, UPS offers an option to schedule your deliveries and receive an alert by voice, email or text message notifying you the day before your package will be delivered. You can then reroute or reschedule the delivery if you need to do so. Go to http://www.ups.com/mychoice/ to check out this option.
Another option is to have the package rerouted to a UPS Store. The store will hold the package until the consumer can go and pick it up. Consumers can always change the delivery address on UPS.com or by calling 1-800-PICK-UPS. Consumers can also request “signature required service” and UPS drivers will not deliver the package until they receive an adult signature.
If you are using a different shipping company, find out what options are available for a more secure delivery. Monitor and inventory your deliveries and don’t assume your packages were sent in separate shipments. In two of the three recent cases, some packages were stolen while some were left behind.
The non-emergency number for the Decatur Police Department is 404-373-6551.
(If you see my runaway case of Kind Bars cruising the city, let me know.)
Posted in Uncategorized, tagged Decatur Police, Decatur Police Department, fraud, holiday, holiday safety tips, PD, police, safety, safety tips on December 4, 2013 | Leave a Comment »
More holiday safety tips from Sgt. Ross:
The next topic in our Holiday Safety Series covers tips for online shopping. Most of us are already busier than we should be without adding holiday shopping to the endless list of things we need “to-do”. I don’t like considering holiday shopping a chore because that diminishes the very purpose of why I am shopping in the first place. I try to make most of my holiday shopping a chance to spend time with friends, grab a bite, catch up and take care of our shopping lists. However, I usually end up online trying to find a certain item, like the Spiderman shoes with illuminated eyes that arrived today for my 4-year-old Godson, and I know the risks. I have been the victim of identity fraud twice in six years but the convenience of online shopping outweighs any paranoia I may have. It is simply a way of life for many of us so just follow a few tips to try to reduce your risk.
Posted in Uncategorized on December 3, 2013 | 1 Comment »
The December FOCUS has just come out and there is a tiny typo on the front cover. The story states that the Bonfire and Marshmallow Roast is December 14th but it is actually on Thursday, Dec. 12th at 7pm. The Breakfast with Santa is listed as Dec. 16th but it is actually on Saturday, Dec. 14th. Sorry for the confusion!
Posted in Uncategorized on December 3, 2013 | Leave a Comment »
Tomorrow is the first Wednesday of December so we’ll be testing the tornado outdoor warning sirens at 5:00 p.m. The test should last approximately one minute. Should the weather become inclement, the test will be postponed until Thursday, 5 December 2013.
If you have questions or want more information about the siren system, check out the Siren page on the City’s website or contact the Police Lt. Barry Woodward at 404-373-6551.
