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Andrew Cauthen

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Task force takes on rising animal euthanizations

A private animal shelter in DeKalb County says it is turning away a record number of animals every day. Because of the economy, pet owners are losing their jobs and homes, and moving to apartments that do not allow pets. Others, simply can not afford...

DeKalb County crime on the decline

While some police departments have had to consider furloughs and hiring freezes, the Chamblee Police Department has maintained a ratio of one officer per 500 residents. “Our people have free time to drive through neighborhoods, talk to businesses a...

County facing $25 million shortfall, credit rating downgrade

Diminishing property values and a possible credit rating downgrade are forcing DeKalb County officials to reconsider a tax increase. Less than six weeks after Standard & Poor’s (S&P) Ratings Services downgraded its ratings on some of DeKalb...

Alleged church rapist pleads not guilty

John Russell Carter. Photo by Andrew Cauthen
The man accused of the rape of a Stone Mountain church worker in February waived his arraignment and pleaded not guilty in court on May 3. John Russell Carter, 50, of 157 Mill Court in Atlanta, was indicted last month for the Feb. 26 rape of a female...

Trial date set for Dunwoody murder case

The trial for Hemy Neuman, suspected of the murder of Dunwoody entrepreneur Russell Sneiderman late last year, has been set for Oct. 17. During a May 5 hearing to schedule the trial, Judge Gregory Adams also said he plans to allow pre-trial motions i...

Business, community leaders unite for Memorial Drive renewal

Brick medians, decorative streetlights, and wider sidewalks are being installed on Memorial Drive as part of a $19 million streetscape project. Local residents and community leaders are hoping to return the corridor to its former glory. Photo by Andrew Cauthen
The road construction signs on Memorial Drive are indicative of a sense of excitement building as community, business and government leaders come together to revitalize the corridor. “We want Memorial Drive to be a destination spot where people wil...

Mountain Industrial businesses seek upgrades

Artist rendering
A group of businesses in the Stone Mountain Industrial Park area want to tax themselves and use the funds to spur local economic development. On April 26, the DeKalb County Board of Commissioners approved a community improvement district (CID) consis...

County faces additional $25 million deficit

DeKalb’s financial woes just got a little bit worse. Declining property values in the county are forcing an additional $25 million deficit in the county’s 2011 budget. “Our values have fallen greater than we anticipated,” said DeKal...

Black Purple Heart recipient may be oldest alive

After being hit with shrapnel during the Korean War, retired Army Sgt. Macron Justice of Decatur may be the country’s oldest living Black Purple Heart recipient. Photo by Andrew Cauthen
His military card lists him as a “Black Bayonet Fighter and Trainer” with the M1 rifle. At 81 years old, retired Sgt. First Class Macron Justice, a DeKalb County veteran of World War II, the Korean War and Vietnam War, may be the oldest Black Pur...

Water woes cost $1 million in legal fees

Before a penny is spent on repairing DeKalb County’s aging watershed infrastructure, more than $1 million has already been spent on legal fees for the pending consent decree. Add to that amount $35,000 for a communications campaign and $453,000 to ...