Archived News

Decatur man sentenced for mail theft

Decatur resident Shawn Edwards, 39, and two others were sentenced on charges stemming from a scheme to steal shipments of registered mail.

Edwards was sentenced to three years’ probation for stealing registered mail shipments to Atlanta by commercial airline carriers.

United States Attorney Sally Quillian Yates said in 2010, the Postal Inspection Service received numerous complaints that registered mail sent from Arizona was not received by the intended recipients throughout the southeastern U.S.

“The inspection service determined that on July 31, Aug. 14, and Aug. 21, 2010, registered mail shipments bound for Atlanta from Phoenix, Ariz., via commercial airliner were never received by the Postal Service in Atlanta.  The three shipments contained more than $600,000 worth of gold, gold coins and expensive jewelry.  The shipments also contained five packages containing cremated human remains,” a press release said.

Officials identified the suspects by placing a tracking device in a mail container bound from Phoenix to Atlanta.

DCTV receives award

DeKalb County’s government access station, DeKalb County Television (DCTV), received a Bronze Telly Award for outstanding achievement for its news show Inside DeKalb.

The 30-minute program features stories and events happening in DeKalb County with a direct focus on county government departments. The show also informs residents about upcoming events, special affairs and how to utilize various services offered throughout the county.

This is the second Bronze Telly Award for DCTV this year. It also received three Pegasus Awards of Honor and four Pegasus Awards of Distinction earlier this year.

Rescheduled Earth Day events in DeKalb held May 5

The Earth Day events rescheduled due to inclement weather will take place May 5.

A workshop on community gardens and the opportunities they provide to improve nutrition, the environment and the overall quality of life in the community will be held from 10:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. at Exchange Park, at 2771 Columbia Drive in Decatur. Adults and children ages 10 and older are welcome to participate; however, registration is encouraged.

From 1 p.m.-4 p.m. residents are invited to celebrate the opening of a new section of the PATH trail, the completion of the wetland project at the old Decatur water works site and the opening of a dog park at Mason Mill Park.