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DeKalb Schools names final superintendent candidate

Dr. Cheryl Atkinson
The DeKalb County School Board announced that it has selected Dr. Cheryl Atkinson as the final candidate in the system’s long-running superintendent search, but not all members are in favor of her. Atkinson is currently the superintendent of the Lo...

Allaben convicted of murder, sentenced to life in prison

A DeKalb County jury sentenced 47-year-old Dennis Allaben to life in prison for strangling his wife, then driving to Virginia with her body in the bed of his truck. On Aug. 11, Superior Court Judge Linda Warren Hunter sentenced Allaben to life in pri...

New virtual simulator trains cops for real situations

DeKalb County Police Sgt. Mark Johnson demonstrates the department’s new firearms training tool. The XVT Meggitt Firearms Simulator allows officers to use real weapons that have been retrofitted with lasers and Bluetooth to work in a virtual environment. Photo by Andrew Cauthen
Tablet PCs and Bluetooth technology just joined the war on crime in DeKalb County. During a media demonstration on Aug. 4, the DeKalb County Police Department unveiled its new, high-tech firearms training tool, the XVT Meggitt Firearms Simulator. Wit...

Sketch artist drawn into a life of catching criminals

Georgia Bureau of Investigation sketch artist Marla Lawson sits behind the desk of her office in DeKalb. Photo by Daniel Beauregard
The lifelike clay heads with glazed eyes that line the shelves of Marla Lawson’s office in the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) headquarters in DeKalb County create a spooky scene. Lawson, a forensic artist, who has been sketching criminals an...

Softball preview: Replacing pitchers a priority for playoff teams

Chamblee seniors, from left, Jessie Bragg, Taylor Harris and Lucy Mason will lead the Bulldogs after a breakout 13-7 season in 2010. Photo by Robert Naddra
Replacing the top two pitchers in the county from 2010 will help determine if Chamblee and Southwest DeKalb can make return trips to the state playoffs this season. The two teams were among five schools in DeKalb County that earned playoff berths. Ma...

Severe heat causes coaches to monitor athletes closely

Druid Hills players take water breaks every 15 minutes during practices. Coaches are closely monitoring players' eating and drinking habits in the wake of the deaths of two football players outside DeKalb. Photo by Robert Naddra
Kip Hall can better keep up with his football players now that school is back in session. Hall, the head coach at Druid Hills, is able to monitor his players’ fluid intake and make sure they’re eating right. With the heat index hovering near or a...

Service contracts save Dunwoody $1 million

When the city of Dunwoody needs a new employee, there’s a chance the worker will not get on the city’s payroll. Instead, Dunwoody is providing some of its government services using a split contract service model. A form of outsourcing, the split ...

Publix still weighing whether to continue curbside service

Busy families in some areas of DeKalb County have the opportunity to scratch one item off their to-do lists—walking around the grocery store to select items for the week’s meals. Nationwide, Publix has three grocery stores that allow customers to...

Judge denies defense motions in Neuman case

A Superior Court judge heard a series of motions Tuesday in the case of Hemy Neuman, who is facing charges related to the 2010 death of a Dunwoody man. Neuman is accused of malice murder and possessing a firearm during the commission of a felony...

Group seeks to restore South River

An alliance is seeking to restore South River, which runs through south DeKalb before making its way to the Atlantic Ocean. Photo by Andrew Cauthen
It’s sometimes called Atlanta’s “other river.” South River begins underground near the state capitol and winds 63 miles through south DeKalb on its way into Lake Jackson in Butts County, where it joins the Yellow and Alcovy rivers to form the...