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Matt Amatto

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Pedal power: 41 years and counting

“If we were ripping people off, we wouldn’t have lasted this long,” said Fred Boykin, owner of Bicycle South, which has been in business for 41 years. Photo by Kathy Mitchell
Fred Boykin and Mark Zuckerberg have more than one thing in common. Zuckerberg attended Havard. Boykin went to the “Harvard of the South.” Another shared interest: Both presided over successful business startups in college.  Zuckerberg (with a l...

Led by quarterback McCrary, Cedar Grove looks back for bright future

Jonathan McCrary (2) is flanked by his teammates at DeKalb County’s high school football media day. Photo by Travis Hudgons
  It’s the stuff of Friday Night Lights dreams. Down five points, seconds left, game on the line, 40 yards from the end zone, and one play to make it happen. In DeKalb, the safest hands in that situation belong to quarterback Jonathan McCrary, who...

Scottdale centenarian celebrates milestone birthday

On July 4, 1912, the country celebrated Independence Day by proclaiming the new 48-star flag as the official symbol of the United States. The date was also memorable for a train crash near Corning, N.Y., in which 41 people were killed. Three days lat...

Daughter gives unique Father’s Day gift

Father’s Day isn’t synonymous with an outpouring of sacrificial generosity. Golf balls, socks, ties, after shave, slippers–they’re patriarchic acknowledgements available at most drug stores, not tokens of limitless family love. But as Stewart...

Summer swim league brings communities together

Swimmers from across the area converged on Emory University’s Woodruff PE Center June 30 - July 1 for the DeKalb County Swim League Championship Meet. Spanning two days, the event was a chance for members of the area’s 22 swimming clubs to compet...

Columbia Boys and girls continue basketball dynasty with state titles

Nearly a two-hour drive from DeKalb County, the city of Macon has become a showcase for the county’s most prolific basketball dynasty. For the third year in a row, the Columbia High School boys’ team won the Class AAA state basketball championshi...

New center helps community youth develop artistically

The Daisy Dancers at the KIDDS Center for Youth Development and Performing Arts get ready to rehearse for an upcoming production. The center, which features a new dance studio, center, and a piano class was made possible by a $50,000 grant. Photo provided
“A tutu has magical powers,” said Pat Martin, referring to a ballet costume. “It makes a little girl feel beautiful.”  That observation, made many years ago, moved the former behavioral psychology nurse to help children develop through ...

Chamblee celebrates Chinese New Year

Lots of eating, a touch of singing and a touch of dancing. They’re common ways to celebrate civic calendar events. And in this respect Chinese New Year in Chamblee on Feb. 5 was globally conventional. Participants adorned traditional costumes. Trad...

Medlock Elementary supporters face second front against closure

For area residents and parents at Medlock Elementary, the battle to avoid the chopping block was already won. At least that’s what they assumed last year when a committee of community members failed to reach the consensus that would have closed the...

NFL incident spotlights dangers of concussions on high school level

A spate of concussions during week six of the NFL season has prompted national debate about head injuries in football. In one helmet-to-helmet collision, replayed throughout the following week and fodder for sports radio, Atlanta’s Dunta Robinson a...