Decatur Patch
Weekend Planner: Football Clinic, Rock at DHS, 'Copenhagen,' Civic Chorus, Running and Meditation, Yard Sales
Youth Football Clinic at DHS Stadium
When/where: Check-in at 5:30 p.m. Friday, May 18, at Decatur High School, 310 N. McDonough St., Decatur. Clinic runs from 6 to 8:15 p.m.
Why go: The new DHS coach, Brad Waggoner, is trying to get young kids interested in youth football to grow the overall football program in Decatur.
Price: Free but space is limited. To register in advance, send an E-mail to clinic@dhyf.org with your child’s name, grade, and school. A waiver is required. Contact Coach Balch for more clinic info at alanbalch@yahoo.com or 404-373-6255.
Rock 'n' Roll Review At DHS
When/where: 7 p.m. Friday, May 18, and 2 and 6:30 p.m. Saturday, May 19, at the Decatur High Performing Arts Center.
Why go: To hear some good local bands, and the added bonus of the Faculty Band at 6:30 p.m. Friday only. The Smeagles, N16s, Mountain Men and Dinosaur Sr. will be playing songs from before they were born.
Price: $5.
Final Weekend For 'Copenhagen'
When/where: 8 a.m. Friday, May 18, and Saturday, May 19, and and 2:30 p.m. Sunday, May 20, at the Academy Theatre, 119 Center St., Avondale Estates.
Why go: This is your last chance to see this Tony-award winning play at the Academy Theatre, which says, "At its heart, this play questions who gets to decide who gets nuclear weapons and what responsibility scientists have to a human race which may not have the best interests for their discoveries at heart?"
Price: $15 online. Available at the door.
When/where: 7 a.m. Saturday, May 19, at 232 Mount Vernon Drive, Decatur.
Why go: You will find lots of bargains.
Price: Free admission.
Free Clinic on Running and Meditation
When/where: 9 a.m. Saturday, May 19, at Fleet Feet Sports, 431 W. Ponce de Leon Ave., Decatur.
Why go: Fleet Feet says, "This free workshop is designed for runners and walkers of all levels and will introduce us to the practices of sitting, walking and running meditation. After working with our mind in stillness, we will learn how to bring our practice into our running using principles presented in Sakyong Mipham's book 'Running with the Mind of Meditation.' "
Price: Free.
Lutheran Church of the Messiah Yard Sale
When/where: 10 a.m. Saturday, May 19, at the Lutheran Church of The Messiah, 465 Clairemont Ave., Decatur.
Why go: Lots of bargains.
Price: Free admission.
Handwriting Expert at the Decatur Library
When/where: 10:30 a.m. Saturday, May 19, at the Decatur Public Library, 215 Sycamore St., Decatur.
Why go: Josh Batchelder, the graphologist, is returning to talk about what your handwriting indicates about you. Bring your family and friends and learn some of the shortcuts professionals use to assess you through your handwriting.
Price: Free.
Decatur Civic Chorus Spring Concert
When/where: 3 p.m. Sunday, May 20, at the Decatur First Baptist Church at 308 Clairemont Ave., Decatur.
Why go: For great music performed by your friends and neighbors. The chorus will perform selections from the Broadway hit show, “Les Miserables,” Requiem by Gabriel Faure and a salute to the U.S.A.
Price: Free.
Decatur Lacrosse: Good Crowd, Bad Score
Several hundred supportive fans turned out Wednesday night to watch Decatur High's biggest lacrosse game ever: a matchup against Pope for a spot in the state championship game.
But they left disappointed. Decatur fell behind quickly and never caught up to the Greyhounds. The final score was 11-6.
Pope scored in the first seven seconds of the game to set the tone. Decatur's Jonah Florence responded with a goal at the 10:54 mark, but Pope dominated the rest of the half.
The Greyhounds played ball control offense and systematically reeled off seven straight goals to make the score 8-1 at intermission. The Bulldogs got off very few shots.
The third period opened with a bright spot or Decatur. Sophomore Deangelo Watkins scored at the 10:50 mark, but Pope came right back and scored less than a minute later, making the score 9-2.
Pope scored two more times in the third period. Watkins scored again and Lang Rogers, Kurt Robinson and Nick Bentley also got into the scoring column during the fourth period.
Decatur ends its season with a 14-6 record, but can feel good about having moved deeper into the playoffs than ever before. Pope, now 16-3-1, advances to the finals against the winner of the Westminster-Lambert game.
DHS-Pope Lacrosse Game at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday
The lacrosse teams are an athletic success story at Decatur High, but the 7:30 p.m. Wednesday home game against Pope High represents a new peak of accomplishment.
For the first time, Decatur has reached the semi-finals of the state tournament.
Said community coach Don Rigger, "This is uncharted territory for the Bulldogs."
The game starts at 7:30 p.m. at Bulldog Stadium. Admission is $7 per person.
The school has fielded boys and girls teams since 2005 and the boys' team has played in the state tournament yearly since 2007, Riggers said.
Many of the boys have played together since recreation league was introduced to Decatur. Some of the top players for Decatur are defenders Davis Byrd, Sam Weitnauer and Branford Frison and offensive players Nick Bentley, Deangelo Watkins and Nathan Wilinski. Ben Rigger, the starting goalie, was named to the A-AAAA Georgia All-State third Team (Honorable Mention).
Decatur (14-5) lost a scrimmage 8-5 in February to Pope (14-3-1). Many of the Bulldogs' wins have been by one goal.
"This team has been through the fire," Rigger said.
The players and coaches are trying to not look ahead, but if Decatur wins, the state championship game would be played Saturday night at Bulldog Stadium.
Decatur advance to the semis by with a 6-5 overtime victory over Chattahoochee last Saturday. Jim Scully of the Decatur Bulldog Boosters wrote this account of the game.
Here's how the Georgia Lax Blog described the matchup…
"This one will be interesting... neither team has really played that tough of a schedule... but Decatur would appear to be more battle tested. They lost OT games to 5A playoff teams Roswell and Northview recently, and took a defensive must-win against SPX. Hooch hasn't lost since early March when they were worked over by Northview. One of these two will be a newcomer in the Semis."
Indeed, a closer match could not have been divined. Although the Hooch record of 13-2 placed them above Decatur in computer rankings, the Bulldogs’ 5 losses were to top teams with a total difference of 6 goals. Decatur had the disadvantage of having three key players, Wesley Berberick, Will Raines and Jack Scully, sidelined due to injuries. But we had one big advantage: home sweet home field.
It became evident that this was to be a defensive scrap, as the Cougars scored the first goal of the game with only 1:54 remaining in the first quarter. Then early in the second quarter Sam Berg fed a pass to Jonah Florence for his first goal, which tied the match at 1. Two minutes later Deangelo Watkins scored with a slick assist from Bulldog assist king Nathan Wilinski to give Decatur the lead. The Cougars scored a goal of their own to end the half tied at 2.
In the third quarter, Nathan Wilinski put another notch in his assist belt by setting up Nick Bentley for a go-ahead goal, his 56th goal of the season. (Side note: Bentley literally limped into the 2012 lacrosse season, still recovering from a severe leg injury sustained in a football game. But once the season got underway Nick showed his determination by not missing a single game and averaging over 3 goals per game).
Once again, Hooch came back to tie the score and then scored again to recapture the lead at 4-3. But it was a Jonah Florence solo shot in the 4th that brought the Decatur crowd to a fever pitch that wouldn’t relent for the rest of the game. With just three minutes left in the game the Decatur offense charged down the field with a series of expertly executed passes.
Game “Jacket and hat”-winner, Kyle Kitchens got the play started by scooping up a ground ball and heading full speed down the field. Just over the mid-field stripe, Kyle dished the ball to a crossing Nathan Wilinski who then looked to take the ball right down the middle. Nathan saw Nick and passed him the ball where it ended up in Bentley’s stick just a few yards in front of the Cougar goalie.
Everyone in the stadium, including the Hooch goalie, expected Nick to shoot. But instead, he deftly flicked the ball to the awaiting Deangelo Watkins on the other side of the goal, leaving the goalie defenseless. But Hooch refused to scooch, sending the game into overtime with a late 4th quarter goal. End of regulation play: Decatur 5 – Chattahoochee 5.
Kyle Kitchens, a back-up defenseman, was awarded the game jacket for stepping up his play on a day when his team needed him. Not only was Kyle’s overall play note worthy, but the coaches felt his starting the go-ahead fast break was a turning point in the game! Well done Kyle!
Throughout the season, a chink in the Bulldog armor has been our win-loss ratio in face-offs, winning 132 compared to our opponents’ 165. In a sudden-death overtime situation a lost face-off could easily result in sudden defeat. But we had the Decatur fans on our side, plus the recently improved face-off performance of Lang Rogers, freshman LSM (long stick middie).
Lang won the face off to the deafening screams of both fan sections. But Chattahoochee fans would be the ones to fall silent when for the third time in the game Deangelo Watkins found the net, this time with an unassisted shot that almost ripped a hole in it.
Kudos to the whole team, but especially goalie Ben Rigger, whose All-State play has kept us in every game in the playoffs and throughout the season.
By damming the Hooch (reference to Lydia Simms’ awesome DAM THE HOOCH poster slogan), Decatur has made it to the final four in Georgia A – AAAA lacrosse for the first time in our history. The semi-final match against Pope will be held Wednesday evening, May 16th, 7:30 PM at Decatur Stadium. Come out and be part of DHS history!
DHS Clubs Raise Money
By Chris Billingsley
Decatur High Teacher and Club Sponsor
1. The Decatur High School Conservative Club did a service project over the weekend called "Bloomin' Decatur."
The purpose of the service project was to help Decatur area homeowners spruce up their yards. This was a free service but four homeowners donated more than $250 the the Conservative Club.
Club members hope to have a cook-out for all DHS clubs before the end of the year. Any money left over will be donated to the Decatur Ed Foundation. Great Job DHS Conservatives!
2. The DHS 9th Grade Service Team will make their end of the year donation to the Decatur Ed Foundation this Thursday.
Students raised over $1,500 through various service projects including participation in the Emory Law School Mock Trial competition (students served as jurors).
Including this year's donation, the DHS 9th Grade Service teams will have donated more than $6,000 to local charities and foundations since 2007. Congratulations, Ninth Grade Students!
Avondale To Hold Hearing Today on Tornado Siren
The Avondale Estates City Commission will hold a public hearing at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 16, on the city's plans to purchase a tornado siren.
The commission discussed buying a tornado siren a few months ago and had talked about it a year ago. It probably would be placed at Lake Avondale and would have to be tested monthly. The pricetage would be about $25,000.
Decatur has four tornado sirens that are tested at 5:30 p.m. the first Wednesday of the month.
When the public hearing ends, the city commission will hold a work session. Agenda items include fencing permits and stormwater, a budget amendment resolution and a discussion of the statewide mutual aid agreement.
The meetings will be held in city hall at 21 North Avondale Plaza. Both meetings are open to the public.
Floyd, Ellis To Give June 13 'Wireside Chat'
Decatur Mayor Bill Floyd and DeKalb County CEO Burrell Ellis will promote the transportation referendum on June 13 in a modernized version of President Franklin Roosevelt's "fireside chats."
The local leaders will be on the phone at 7:30 p.m. June 13 for a "wireside chat" -- a play on FDR's national radio broadcasts during World War II.
To sign up to hear the chat, residents should go to www.metroatlantatransportationreferendum.com/wireside.
People who register will receive an email reminder and background documents several days before the wireside chat.
On June 13, they will receive a call on the number they provided. After a brief overview of the referendum, they can ask questions.
Floyd and Burrell support the 10-county referendum and have devoted hours to it. The referendum will be held July 31.
They both served on the roundtable that narrowed down a list of projects that would be funded by the referendum, if it passes. Only a few weeks ago they appeared on a panel at Emory University together.
Leaders from the nine other counties in the 10-county region will also take part in wireside chats in June.
What do you think of the PR campaign on the transportation referendum? Is it too much? Has it changed your position? Tell us in the comments box below.
Agnes Scott Speaker: Women Execs Seek Pay Parity
ANN Inc. CEO Kay Krill told Agnes Scott College graduates last weekend that women's career opportunties have improved, but they still have not achieved equality in compensation.
The college website described Krill's commencement address on Saturday:
“When I graduated from Agnes Scott, the professional workforce was very male dominated, and today, 35 years later, we have achieved equality in the workforce, but not parity in compensation,” Krill said. “We now hold 54 percent of management positions, which has doubled from 1980, but sadly, female CEOs represent only 3 percent of the Fortune 1000 companies.
“The path was paved for all of you by the many assertive, smart, passionate women who wanted to make a difference, who wanted to contribute, who had great talent … Speak out, have a voice, share your opinions and ideas. The world needs to listen more to smart, insightful women like yourselves.”
Krill graduated from Agnes Scott in 1977. She went on to an executive career in the retailing sector.
Lacrosse Coach 'Had A Vision'
Don Rigger brought lacrosse to Decatur.
Need proof? Go to Bulldog Stadium on Wednesday night and watch the Decatur High team battle Pope High in a semi-final game for the state championship. The action starts at 7:30 p.m.
Many of the Decatur players learned the sport from Rigger years ago in recreation department leagues. He's still instructing them today as a community coach on the high school team.
"I remember thinking when these guys get to high school they're going to have years of lacrosse under their belts," said Rigger, whose real job is with the Environmental Protection Agency. "All that lacrosse IQ is developed by playing together over years."
Greg White, director of the Decatur Active Living Department, said Rigger has a passion for the game.
"Don had a vision and said let's give it a try," said Greg White, director of the Decatur Active Living Department. "He's the one who championed the whole idea."
Rigger grew up playing lacrosse outside Baltimore and competed in college on the Washington and Lee team. He moved to the Atlanta area in 1984 and found virtually no youth lacrosse programs.
He approached the Decatur Active Living Department about 10 years ago and convinced them to give lacrosse a try.
Rigger helped the city obtain a grant to buy lacrosse equipment and coached, too, remembering that "we got creamed in every game" the first few years. Now about 250 kids play in the spring rec leagues.
In 2005, Rigger approached Carter Wilson, the Decatur High athletic director, about starting a school team.
"It would have been easy to say, 'No, we don't want to do that,' " Rigger said. "You know how it is in Decatur, there's never enough fields."
But Wilson said yes, and JV teams for boys and girls were launched, though they had to practice on the Winnona Elementary field most of the time. In 2007, varsity teams for girls and boys started.
Rigger wanted to make sure the sport was played by kids throughout the Decatur community.
"I didn't want it to be a white sport in an integrated school," he said. "We actively recruited African-American kids to play."
Stacy Green, Active Living program director, said Rigger went after the best athletes. "Don would come to the basketball games and if they were fast he'd follow them out of the gym," she said with a laugh.
The strategy worked. Decatur has developed an integrated team that's made the state playoffs every year since 2007, Rigger said. However, the team has never reached the semi-finals until this year.
Another measure of success is that several Decatur players have received college lacrosse scholarships, including Green's son. Satrick Green plays at Limestone College in South Carolina.
Rigger and his wife, Mary, have three kids: Ben, a junior and goalie on the Decatur High team; Wytch, a 2009 Decatur High grad who plays lacrosse at Ursinus College in Pennsylvania; and daughter Madison, who played lacrosse at Decatur and will graduate this weekend from Davidson College.
"If I'd stayed in the Baltimore area I would have been one of a thousand dads who know something about lacrosse," Don Rigger said. "Here it's kind of special. I love building something -- that's what's fun."
Editor's note: An earlier version of this story had the wrong first name for Don Rigger's wife, Mary.
Pets and Peeps: Sealed With A Lick
The People: Cindy Powell of Decatur.
Pet's name, nickname, age and breed: I had a name in mind. It was Tupelo Honey after the Van Morrison song. But when my fur child picked me and I brought her home, she just didn’t look like a Tupelo. So I started at the top of the alphabet and went through names until I got to “L” and it hit me, she looks like a Lolly! More so as in “Lolly Lolly Lolly get your Adverbs here” from the “Schoolhouse Rock!” segment I used to watch on Saturday mornings as a kid. Her name has since evolved into Lollykins, LaLa, LP and her country name Snuffa Jean. She is an 8-year-old lab/shepherd mix.
How I met my pet: I first met Lolly in Rocky Face, Ga., with my parents who live in Dalton. My dad is a housepainter, and his painting partner’s dog, a full-blooded chocolate lab, had a litter of puppies sired by Mr. MUTT, aka one of three mystery dogs who hopped the pen when the parents were away. I drove to meet my folks and go meet the two remaining puppies. I said to myself the first puppy to give me a kiss would be mine. My mom and I took turns holding the pups and I noticed when my mom held one, it would wiggle and smoother my mom with kisses. And the one I was holding just dangled listlessly in my hands staring all around but not at me! Each time we traded pups, the pup my mom held went nuts with affection towards her. Finally I said, OK, the first one of you to give me a kiss is mine. And with reluctance and I'm not totally sure was even a kiss but more her sticking her tongue out at me, Lolly managed to reach my nose and the rest is history, or herstory.
I love it when my pet does this: She loves to bring me one of her toys to show me when I get home. Not to grab and toss for her, but just for me to acknowledge how pretty her toy is.
I wish my pet would stop doing this: Eating my friend Becky’s cat Oliver’s cat poo. It’s like she’s a pig in a truffle patch!
What my pet eats: Besides cat poo, she loves her Oijen fish formula dog food, especially with chicken broth on it, and she loves her bully sticks which by the way smell atrocious! So anything stinky she loves! She has a canine refined palette.
What people say about my pet: That she’s shiny and sweet! And No Jump!
Most exciting moment with my pet: Going to St. George Island and playing fetch in the ocean. She can swim out past the breaking waves to get her tennis ball, and she body surfs back in, it’s the most amazing thing to see! My friend Terry calls her Lifeguard dog after witnessing this event.
How my pet has enriched my life: She makes my “house a home” although I live in a condo -- same difference.
If my pet could talk she would say: “I’m pretty! I don’t know what that means but mommy says it to me all the time, so it must be a part of my name.” A close second would be, “Did you feed me? I don’t think you fed me.”
Patch would like to know about your dog, cat, snake, lizard, monkey, llama -- whatever kind of pet you have. If you're interested in being profiled in Pets and Peeps, email Ralph.Ellis@Patch.com.
You can also read other Decatur Patch pet stories at the Pets Topic Page.
What Should Go Here? 800 Block of Columbia Drive
It looks like this convenience store on Columbia Drive has been closed for quite a while.
The windows are boarded up and the gas pumps are long gone.
Surely something could be made of this site next to the Friends School of Atlanta.
Any ideas? What kind of business would you like to see move into this spot?
About this column: Every week or so, we'll post a picture of a vacant store or lot in Decatur and Avondale Estates. You can tell us what you think should replace the empty space. Know of an empty building we should highlight? E-mail ralph.ellis@patch.com.
Pinewood Tippling Room Opens Tuesday Night
The Pinewood Tippling Room opens at 7 p.m. Tuesday in the old Cakes & Ale location at 254 W. Ponce de Leon Ave.
The "Southern style gastropub" will carry variations on classics such as green tomatoes, pork belly, sweet potatoes and a fried bologna sandwich, according to the What Now Atlanta website.
One of the signature cocktails is the "Decatur Discretionary," which is made of mellow corn bonded corn whiskey, bianco, luxardo maraschino, PWTR No. 3 orange bitters, orange twist and gomme syrup. Price: ten bucks.
The Pinewood Tippling Room says this on the restaurant website:
The Pinewood Tippling Room is neighborhood bar that serves extraordinary cocktails and reinterpreted regional fare in downtown Decatur, Georgia.
We appreciate equally the high-class and the home-spun, and we think a neighborhood hangout ought to be both. That’s why our menu features elegantly inventive dishes alongside old-school southern comfort foods, all of them made from locally sourced ingredients.
Julia Leroy is the consulting chef on the menu, which can be found at the restaurant website.
She was also named the chef de cuisine for the new Watershed restaurant opening in Buckhead.
In a recent interview with Atlanta magazine, she said she's not making any changes in the Watershed fried chicken recipe.
McDonald's Says Money Stolen From Safe
This information comes from Decatur police reports.
Decatur police are investigating the suspected theft of $1,530 cash from the safe at McDonald's in Decatur.
Officers went to McDonald's shortly before midnight May 3 when a customer reported a door to the restaurant was unlocked but nobody was working inside. When officers arrived they found the customer and two men there to clean the grease traps.
The manager was called and arrived. She told officers she got a call about 11 p.m. from the man responsible for closing who said he having trouble dropping the night deposit into the safe. A printed receipt showed that employee running totals at 10:59 p.m.
The manager checked the safe and compared numbers and money amounts to determine $1,530 in cash was missing from the safe. A video surveillence camera showed the man removing money from the safe at 11:13 p.m. and leaving the restaurant at 11:17 p.m.
No charges had been filed as of Monday. It's unknown if the employee returned to work.
About $694 in audio equipment was reported stolen from the Marriott Conference Center at 130 Clairemont Ave.
The complainant said he set up the equipment in a ballroom about 6:30 p.m. May 2 and arrived back at 6:15 a.m. May 3 to find it missing.
The equipment was descirbed as a ProFX 1G Audio Mixer worth $630 and a Whirlwind Direct Inbox Audio/Video Plug worth $64.
An employee of Our House Daycare at 711 Columbia Drive reported May 2 that $186 was stolen from her wallet.
The woman said she left her purse unattended in the employee kitchen at 8:30 a.m. and noticed about 9 a.m. that her wallet was sitting on top of the purse. She checked the walled and found the cash missing.
DHS Spring Football Practice Begins
The Decatur High football team started spring practice Monday under new head coach Brad Waggoner.
The middle and high school players will work out in pads this week and next.
Waggoner was hired away from Chattooga High, where he'd been head coach since 2009.
Emory Added As Book Fest Sponsor
Emory University signed on this week as a major sponsor to the Decatur Book Festival, the largest independent book festival in the country.
"It is Emory's presence in the Atlanta region and the Decatur community that helped set the stage for the AJC Decatur Book Festival,” festival director Daren Wang said in a statement.
The seventh annual AJC Decatur Book Festival will be held Aug. 31 to Sept. 2 in Decatur Square. The Friday night keynote address will be held at Emory’s Schwartz Center for the Performing Arts. Previously, that event had been held at Presser Hall at Agnes Scott College.
The keynote speaker and other featured authors will be named in early summer. Previous keynote speakers have included Jonathan Frazen (2010) and Colin Meloy and Carson Ellis, authors of Wildwood, a book of bravery and adventure for families, kids, and adults (2011).
Many departments at Emory will take part in the sponsorship including Emory Libraries, Barnes & Noble at Emory, Arts at Emory with the Schwartz Center for Performing Arts and the Michael C. Carlos Museum.
Julie Delliquanti, gallery director and associate curator of exhibitions for Emory Libraries, said, “Working together with a broad group across the university who provide a variety of artistic, cultural and educational offerings for the community will add to our efforts to create awareness of Emory as a center for literary excellence among the expected 80,000 festival attendees.”
In February, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution signed on for a three-year contract as title sponsor of the book festival. Wang noted the AJC has been a vital part of the Festival since the early organizational meetings prior to the first event in 2006.
What authors would you like to see at the book festival?
Was Owen Fired From Eddie's Attic?
Eddie Owen may have been fired from Eddie's Attic, the music listening room that bears his name.
Rich Eldredge first reported on the Atlanta magazine website Monday morning that Owen wrote on his Facebook page that he'd been fired. Eldredge said Owen wrote:
"I'm headed...this AM to put my FINAL Dave FM radio show in the can for 'Inside Eddie's Attic.' I won't be going inside Eddie's Attic again, got fired on Friday night."
Owen could not be reached Monday morning with a phone call to the club.
Owen has had an on-and-off relationship with the folk club in the last year. He founded the club in 1992 but has not owned it for several years, though he did manage it.
He quit last year, then was rehired when concert promoter Alex Cooley bought the club. Lately, Owen has been putting a lot of effort into running the Red Clay Theatre in Duluth as a new music venue.
Owen's Facebook page describes his relationship with Eddie's Attic:
1992 to 2012
the eddie that is the founder and original owner of this little joint, may 7. 1992. in beautiful downtown decatur, ga. got married there, raised my sons there, saw my daughter born there. honored to have had 20 years of great memories, honored to have heard and befriended some of the best songwriters touring our land. honored and blessed to have made so many decatur friends.
'Ride of Silence' To Honor Decatur Bike Fatality
The death of Paul Taylor, a bicyclist killed April 30 in Decatur, will be fresh on the minds of fellow bike riders Wednesday, May 16, during the annual "Ride of Silence."
Riders will gather at 6:30 p.m. at the 10th Street/Charles Allen Drive entrance to Piedmont Park and ride about 90 minutes to honor bikers who were injured or killed on the road. Rides of Silence are held across the country that day.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution talked to Atlanta area bikers and heard many of them complain about poor biking conditions throughout the metro area.
While hard and up-to-date data is difficult to find, between 2003 and 2008, 28 people died in bike related accidents in Cobb, DeKalb, Fulton and Gwinnett counties, according to the Atlanta Bicycle Association. The association reported 1,476 accidents and classified 137 of those as serious.
“Some drivers see us as nuisances,” said Ken Rosskopf, a semi-retired Decatur lawyer who is an avid cyclist and specializes in bike injury cases. “But we can share the road, as long as everybody recognizes the roads are there to share.
Meanwhile, Decatur police say they have not completed the investigation of the fatal collision that happened at 6:23 a.m. Monday, April 30, on North Decatur Road, just west of the intersection with Willivee Drive. No charges have been filed.
The police report says Taylor's GT Series 3 bike and a 2004 Ford Ranger truck driven by Jorge Mercado-Perez, 57, of Snellville were both in the inside, eastbound lane of North Decatur Road.
The report said Mercado-Perez "stated the bicyclist appeared to be kneeling in the roadway as if he had fallen."
Taylor, 53, was a physician’s assistant in neonatology and a champion of women’s health at Grady Health System for over twenty years.
He ran marathons, participated in triathlons and was well-known for supervising the annual fund-raising barbecue at Oak Grove United Methodist Church in Decatur.
Youth Football Clinic May 18 at DHS Stadium
Brag Waggoner, the new Decatur High football coach, has said starting a youth football program is a big part of rebuilding the sport at the high school level.
Decatur High and Druid Hills Youth Football recently announced a partnership.
On Friday, May 18, a youth football clinic will be held at Decatur High. Here's the information provided by DHYF.
Coach Brad Waggoner, the new Decatur High School head football coach, invites all youth in 1st through 5th grade to a free football clinic on Friday, May 18th at Decatur High School Stadium.
Participant check-in will begin at 5:30 pm and the clinic will run from 6 pm to no later than 8:15 pm. Space is limited, so register in advance. The clinic is being hosted by DHYF, the youth program of Druid Hills High School Football and Decatur High School Football.
Stations will be set up for different skills and positions led by coaches from DHYF and Decatur High School. The clinic will culminate in a sprint, pass and kick competition. Top performers at each grade level will receive small prizes. Bring a water bottle and athletic shoes (preferably cleats).
To register in advance, send an e-mail to clinic@dhyf.org with your child’s name, grade, and school. Walk-up registration will be available at check-in if space permits. Every child MUST have a waiver signed by their parent or guardian to participate, and waivers will be available at the check-in table.
For more info about fall football registration, please visit www.dfhy.org. For more info about the clinic, please contact Coach Alan Balch at alanbalch@yahoo.com or 404.373.6255.
The Truth About Tessa
At one point during this year's Art B Que, Avondale's signature street party, there was a small crowd gathered around a particular dog crate in the adoption tent manned by LifeLine Animal Project.
"Oooooh, look at that face!" one woman squealed.
"Omigod, she is so cute," another person commented.
A young child of about 5 years scooted around the group to see what everyone was looking at and came face to face with Tessa the pit bull terrier. He hesitated for a second as their eyes met, then stuck his hand in the crate and stroked one of her large ears. He then yelled for his parents, "I want this one!"
His mom and dad gently reminded him of the two dogs they had at home and lured him away with a promise of a treat from King of Pops. As they walked away the man commented, "Good looking dog, though."
Tessa, a sturdy and sweet 3-year-old is a good looking dog. Her coat glows. She's never met a tennis ball she didn't like. In fact, she can happily fit three tennis balls in her mouth at one time.
She also has one crossed-eye, a feature some might consider a flaw, but when you see her you realize that it actually adds to her character and charm. She's alert, loves people and calmly observes the world around her.
When Tessa looks at you, you feel looked at.
However, she wasn't always chasing tennis balls and her coat didn't always glow with good health.
Tessa came to LifeLine as a cruelty case, so emaciated she could barely stand. All she was able to eat for weeks was baby food, which the staff fed to her by hand.
While no one was sure she would survive, she did. More than that, under the watchful care of LifeLine's Dog House staff, she thrived. Tessa soon became a favorite of the volunteer dog walkers who come weekly to help exercise and socialize the rescued dogs.
"Tessa is amazing and so smart," says Jes Hand, a long-time volunteer, "She has such a beautiful coat and face. And those eyes melt your heart. She is a dream on the leash and really attentive when she walks."
"She's a special girl," adds Donna Troka, who regularly helps at LifeLine and has fostered dogs from the Dog House.
To Tessa's total delight, Hand and Troka try to always bring her a tennis ball or two to play with when they walk her.
Tessa weighs about 60 pounds, is spayed, current on her vaccinations and is leash and crate trained.
To learn more about her or inquire about owning this special survivor, please contact adoptions@lifelineanimal.org
Starbucks Closed For Remodeling
The Starbucks in Decatur will be closed a few days.
The interior of the coffee shop on East Court Squae has been gutted for remodeling. A sign on the door said the coffee shop will be closed May 13-16.
Customers are encouraged to visit the Starbucks at Emory of Little Five Points until it reopens.
Top Spots for Ice Cream and Frozen Yogurt
When the temperature rises, nothing cools you down like ice cream or frozen yogurt.
Patch wants to know where you go for your treats. In this week's Readers' Choice Poll, you can choose from these places:
You can vote for your favorite spot through 9 a.m. Friday.
Feel free to add a comment. In case of a tie, the winner will be selected based on what you say in the comments and in reviews on the Directory listings. (You can find the Directory listings by clicking on the links above.)