Archive for October, 2010

The Clayton County Sheriff’s Office and Clayton County Public Schools have joined forces to keep our schools and communities safe by adding law enforcement substations to four campuses.

“We hope to enhance the security of the areas immediately surrounding the substation sites through our added visibility there, increase the presence of CCSO in the community-at-large, and facilitate more interaction between deputies and citizens and their children,” says Sheriff Kem Kimbrough.

The program will be tested at: Northcutt Elementary/North Clayton Middle School (Hwy 314 at Norman Drive, College Park); Harper Elementary/Sequoyah Middle School (Valley Hill Road, Riverdale); East Clayton Elementary (Ellenwood Road at I-675, Ellenwood); and Lovejoy High School (McDonough Road, Lovejoy).

Initially, substations will be open only Monday thru Friday for eight hours a day with posted hours of operation. The pilot program will begin within 30 days and if successful, four additional …

Continue reading CCSO and CCPS unite for community and student safety »

Below is a listing of local candidates on the November 2 ballot who hope to represent Clayton county, including write in candidates challenging the unopposed.  If you need further information on any candidate, please refer to the AJC voter guide.

County Commissioner – District 4: Michael Edmondson (I) versus Lee Scott.

STATE REPRESENTATIVE:

76th District: Sandra Scott (no web site) versus Gail Buckner (write in).

77th District: Darryl Jordan (I) (no web site) versus James Brown.

STATE SENATOR:

34th District: Valencia Seay (I) versus Zannie (Tiger) Billingslea (no web site).

44th District: Gail Davenport versus Carlotta Harrell (write in).

U.S. REPRESENTATIVE:

District 5: John Lewis (I) versus Fenn Little.

District 13: David Scott (I) versus Mike Crane.

SCHOOL BOARD:

District 8: Alieka Anderson (no web site) versus Michelle Lake (write in; no web site).

CANDIDATES RUNNING UNOPPOSED ARE:

County Commissioner: Sonna Singleton (District 1).

Board of Education: Pamela Anderson …

Continue reading Who gets your vote on November 2? »

Clayton residents know better than any other metro Atlanta county the power a school board has, and how its members can contribute to making or breaking a school system.

Recently, other counties have been exposed for similar (or some may argue, worse) acts as compared to those which caused Clayton County Public Schools to lose its accreditation. While I wouldn’t wish what we went through on anyone, some Clayton residents wonder why SACS wasn’t as quick to punish those counties currently making headlines. Some have blamed this slight on race, but given DeKalb’s makeup that conclusion seems unlikely.

Four Clayton Board of Education members up for reelection in November are running unopposed. So if you have an issue(s) with how the BOE currently operates, know that the players will not change until 2013. This includes Superintendent Edmund Heatley, whose contract was recently extended through June 2013.

The AJC article lists the problem areas most school boards experience as …

Continue reading How is our BOE doing? »

While some believe Riverdale’s best days are behind it, others can see a promising future, thanks to the city’s new Town Center.

Almost three years in the making, Riverdale’s new “Downtown” has finally come to fruition and will celebrate its grand opening beginning this Saturday, Oct. 9, at 11 am (7210 Church St.).

Visualized by Riverdale’s Livable Centers Initiative (LCI) in January 2008, the plan included building a new 21,000-square-foot City Hall Complex, a 42,000-square-foot Center for the Arts, Business and Leisure Services, a public plaza with an interactive water feature and a 1,000-seat amphitheater.

LCI is still searching for a private developer to implement the second and third phases of the project, which will include a hotel, retail shops, restaurants and residential units.

The grand opening starts with a ribbon cutting ceremony, followed by multi-cultural performances and tours of the business expo and complex. For the night owls, a celebratory concert …

Continue reading Celebrate with Riverdale as it opens new Downtown »