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Sewage spills increase, judge signs consent decree

A full year after it was announced, a federal judge has signed a consent decree in which DeKalb County agreed to pay a $453,000 penalty for excessive sewage spills. In the consent decree, signed by U.S. District Judge William S. Duffey, Jr., on Dec. ...

Commissioners say proposed budget has issues

The 2012 budget proposed by DeKalb CEO Burrell Ellis has problems. That’s what commissioners said during a county finance meeting on Jan. 12. The budget is overly optimistic in its assumption of how much revenue the county will bring in, and it fai...

E911 operators say they feel underpaid, under-appreciated

If it weren’t for negative attention, DeKalb County E911 dispatcher Nyesha Brown says she and her co-workers would hardly get any recognition. In September, when the county recognized first responders during its Sept. 11 commemoration, Brown said E...

Parents of slain FAMU band member to sue bus company for negligence

The parents of Florida A & M band member Robert Champion, who died in a hazing incident last November, said they will sue the company that owns the bus where the incident occurred. At a recent press conference, Champion’s parents Robert and Pam...

County pays tribute to King legacy with speeches, parades, music and more

At a county celebration of the birthday of Martin Luther King Jr. DeKalb County CEO Burrell Ellis reminded the audience that DeKalb County just 40 years ago had been the national gathering place for the Ku Klux Klan, a group dedicated to suppressing...

News update, Jan. 18

Man killed in hit-and-run identified The man killed in the hit and run accident on I-285 on Jan. 14 has been identified as 23-year-old Terrance Jackson, according to DeKalb County Police spokeswoman Mekka Parrish. Jackson was a passenger in...

School system lifts marching band ban

DeKalb County School System Superintendent Cheryl Atkinson announced at a news conference Jan. 18 that the suspension of all marching band activities announced Dec. 14 has been lifted. “We feel confident that our students are safe and that nor...

10-year-old accident victim honored in Fun Run/Walk at Stone Mountain Park

Olivia Hayes, 10, was on her way to school on a rainy day in August 2008, when an armored truck struck the school bus she was riding on. Days later, Olivia died. To cope with their loss, Olivia’s parents, Norman and Nikki Hayes founded a non-profit...

News update, Jan. 17

The DeKalb County Police Department is investigating a shooting and a home invasion that happened early on Jan. 17, spokeswoman Mekka Parish said. According to a witness, a two people were arguing at an apartment complex on Tregony Drive in sout...

New mayor seeks to strengthen Lithonia’s foundation

Lithonia’s new mayor Deborah Jackson wants to “lay the foundation so that we will have a strong, vibrant community.” Photo by Andrew Cauthen
There was a time when Lithonia’s new mayor did not know the small city existed, even though she was attending a church just outside the city limits. Mayor Deborah Jackson, who has degrees from Princeton University, Rutgers University and Souther...