Monday, May 20, 2013
An Atlanta city councilor has proposed regulating where gun ranges can be located? Our Question of the Week: do you agree?
The Atlanta City Council may vote on an ordinance this week that would restrict gun ranges from locating within 800 feet of residential neighborhoods, schools and churches. The proposed ordinance, sponsored by Atlanta City Councilwoman Yolanda Adrean, was prompted when a shooting range announced plans to open in Loring Heights, a West Atlanta neighborhood. The 30,000-square-foot proposed project on Bishop street would replace a plumbing supply building, and would have 24 indoor firing lanes. So our Patch Question of the Week is, would you want an indoor shooting range in your community? Are these facilities safe, or do you think they're too dangerous? Take our Patch poll and share your thoughts and opinions in our Comments section below…
Thursday, May 9, 2013
This week's news that millions have been found in DeKalb's school budget begs the question: where should the money go? Patch wants your opinion.
Talk about a nice problem to have. DeKalb school officials this past weekend came across $21 million in previously overlooked revenue - news that interim school superintendent Michael Thurmond shared with "stunned" school board members Monday. Thurmond also said another $7 million in unaccounted revenue in the current fiscal year was discovered. So, if you were running DeKalb's school board, where would you spend the money? Teacher pay raises, or hiring more teachers? Better classroom technology? Paying down those legal fees the board's suspended members racked up at taxpayer expense? Or paying down the system's $15 million deficit? Share your thoughts in the Comments section below. See Also: Questions Arise After School Board Millions …
Thursday, April 25, 2013
Metro Atlanta has seen more than a few scares over the last week or so. Are you more aware of things that seem suspicious lately?
In the wake of the Boston Marathon bombings, metro Atlanta has seen quite a few public safety scares centered around suspicious packages. Five suspicious packages have been investigated by police since the Boston incidents, while another package was reported in the Virginia Highland community. All were deemed safe, but the resulting investigations shut down metro Atlanta traffic for miles around and hours at a time. Are you more aware of your surroundings since the bombings? Have we become too quick to see potential threats over the last couple of weeks? Can there be too much vigilance, or not enough? Share your thoughts in the Comments section below. See Also: Police Investigated Fifth Buckhead Suspicious Package in a Week GA-400, Howell…
Thursday, April 11, 2013
Observers say the issue of allowing guns on college campuses is likely to resurface. What do you think of the idea?
Georgia Senator Frank Ginn (R-Danielsville) introduced Senate Bill 101 this past legislative session, which would have allowed guns on university campuses. On Tuesday, during an Athens-area legislative delegation meeting with the ACC Commission and mayor of Athens, Ginn asked them if they had an opinion about the bill that failed to pass. How did they feel about having guns on campus? "For me, it's a volatile issue," Ginn said. "Between now and the next session, y'all maybe put that on the agenda for discussion." Commissioner Jerry NeSmith said that he supports the Second Amendment and that he himself has owned guns. He said he would prefer that Ginn work on the issues the Commission told the delegation are important for Athens. "Gun …
Thursday, April 4, 2013
How much would you be willing to pay to support no-kill shelters in DeKalb and Fulton counties?
LifeLine Animal Project, a nonprofit animal rescue organization based in Avondale Estates, has won the contract to operate the Fulton County shelter and was recently awarded the contract to run the DeKalb shelter. Both county shelters have been criticized for high euthanasia rates and conditions. LifeLine wants to find a way to eventually convert them to no-kill operations. But can a nonprofit organization run animal shelters for two of the nation's biggest metropolitan counties as no-kill operation? Some animal rescue groups have noted that no-kill shelters often turn away unwanted animals when they don't have space - meaning that many of those animals end up at county-run shelters that do kill. In 2009, 8,754 dogs and cats ended up at …
Thursday, March 28, 2013
Just when you thought the Harlem Shake craze had run its course, people all over metro Atlanta are making their own videos and sharing them online.
Bank employees in Buckhead did it - and got in trouble. Georgia State University students have done it and Georgia Tech students have too. Kids in a Dunwoody church youth group tried it and people have done it on a MARTA train. Of course, we're talking about Harlem Shake videos, which feature people in odd costumes dancing and goofing around at school, in bars, in the workplace, and sometimes on public transit. Some versions have gotten more than 100,000 views, including the one that got a group of Wells Fargo employees in Buckhead into some hot water with their employer. Check out these Harlem Shake videos shot around metro Atlanta. Which is your favorite? Or are you just tired of this internet meme? If you know of a more creative Harlem …
Thursday, March 21, 2013
Tell us how the economy is treating you. Do you think the job market is looking up?
A new Stone Mountain Zaxby's gave out 700 - 700! - applications to people hoping to land one of 60 fast-food jobs. Some might see that as a desperate sign of the times. Meanwhile, high-tech companies are planning new offices in the area and more restaurants, retailers and corporate offices are planning hires from Sandy Springs to Stone Mountain. What do you think of the job market these days? Are you having trouble getting interviews, or as your prospects bright? And employers, what do you think? Tell us in the comments area below. See Also: Hundreds of Health Technology Jobs Head to Ponce City Market New Zaxby's Gives Out 700 Job Applications Mobile Tech Firm to Bring 800 Jobs to Sandy Springs Dunwoody Welcomes New Cops, New Krystal …
Thursday, March 7, 2013
A lot of them have sure been falling lately. Storms aren't the only reason why.
A downed tree knocked out power for about 9,000 people in DeKalb's Toco Hills community last Tuesday night. It was just the latest example of a large tree crashing down and causing havoc for people in metro Atlanta. In recent weeks, trees have crushed homes and a driver was killed when a tree fell onto his truck on I-20. Granted, we've been seeing a lot of high winds lately that have uprooted trees. But in 2011, Atlanta began studying the health of the city's 9,000-plus trees. Many are nearing the end of their natural life span. Tree loss in the metro area has been attributed to a variety of reasons, including drought years, powerful storms, an increase in invasive species and pests and natural causes. Patch wants to know: Do you worry …
Thursday, February 28, 2013
Few people in metro Atlanta know what to expect if the sequester happens. Will you or somebody you know be affected if federal budget cuts kick in?
If the federal government imposes the $85 billion "sequester" cuts, which could go into effect Friday night, the changes may not be immediately apparent for many metro Atlanta residents. Many of the departments and agencies likely to be affected, such as the Federal Bureau of Investigation, are themselves unsure how they would be affected. "It is not clear how individual field offices will be impacted by the implementation of the sequester," said Stephen Emmett, spokesman for the FBI's Atlanta field office. Politico reports that the Atlanta-based disease detectives at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention could see their funding cut, hampering their ability to mobilize if there is a public health crisis. CDC Director Tom Frieden …
Thursday, February 21, 2013
The IOC's decision to remove one of its oldest sports sent shock waves throughout the wrestling world. Patch wants to know what you think.
The recent decision by the International Olympic Committee to drop wrestling from the 2020 Summer Games stunned and disappointed wrestling coaches across metro Atlanta. The IOC’s decision really hit home with Patrick Ryan during the recent Georgia wrestling championship tournament in Macon. Ryan, Lithonia High School’s wrestling coach, said his all-time best wrestler told him, “I don’t even want to wrestle anymore.” “Here is my all-time greatest wrestler, telling me he wants to quit,” Ryan said, “and I had to convince him to keep going.” In a secret vote, the International Olympic Committee’s executive board decided to eliminate wrestling from the Olympics. The committee agreed to pare down the 26 sports it features to 25 so that a new …
Sophist
7:27 pm on Tuesday, May 21, 2013
There are some great points raised by Decatur Mom. However, it's worth noting, the proposal is not for the gun range to be squeezed between two residential homes. The selected location rubs shoulders with Ikea, Target and a railroad line in a highly industrialized section of town right next to Atlantic Station. Open a Google street view map for Bishop St NW, and look at the proposed site location… more ›