EXCLUSIVE: Community activist ordered to shut down pirate radio station

Federal authorities have ordered a community activist and event-facility operator to shut down a pirate FM radio station that has been operating on 88.9 MHz since last August.

The Federal Communications Commission has sent a "notice of unlicensed operation" to Charles McCorkle and his GB Ministries, Inc., after finding that a radio station identifying itself as "The Community's Voice" was transmitting from 4225 Snapfinger Woods Dr. in Decatur.

DeKalb begins three-year water meter replacement program

DeKalb County has begun a three-year program to replace 102,000 water meters, partially funded by a legal settlement reached last year with a meter manufacturer.

The county has created an interactive online map where residents can to determine, by entering their address, if they will be receiving a new meter and in what month the replacement is scheduled.

Stacey Abrams honored at Stone Mountain church

Stacey Abrams was honored with a Trailblazer Award at the Antioch African Methodist Episcopal Church in Stone Mountain on Sunday morning, as the church recognized women of DeKalb County during National Women's History Month.

Others honored with "Women On The Move Awards" included DeKalb NAACP President Teresa Hardy, On Common Ground News publisher Valerie Morgan and DeKalb County Commissioner Mereda Davis Johnson.

Pedestrians targeted in Memorial Dr. safety crackdown

Authorities in DeKalb County have begun an effort to caution pedestrians crossing major thoroughfares who aren't using crosswalks or are distracted by their electronic devices. WSB-TV reports DeKalb Police were on Memorial Drive on Friday evening, giving warnings about the risks to pedestrians.

The crackdown by police is in partnership with DeKalb County Board of Health, which received a $30,000 grant from the Governor's Office of Highway Safety last year for a "Live Safe DeKalb" program. The state office says that about one-third of the of the 196 deaths related to motor vehicle crashes from 2014 to 2016 in DeKalb County involved pedestrians.

Dunwoody businesses complain of unfair property assessment hikes

DeKalb County officials say most of DeKalb County has not seen the sharp rise in commercial property assessments that has led to complaints by Republican leaders that Dunwoody businesses are being unfairly targeted for increases, according to the Reporter Newspapers.

"At no time did we unfairly target Dunwoody," the article quotes DeKalb County Board of Assessors chairman Robert Burroughs as saying. "We used the same standards across the county."

DeKalb BOC rejects slaughterhouse zoning application

The DeKalb County Board of Commissioners on Tuesday evening unanimously rejected an application to permit an abattoir behind a single-family home located on a 5 1/2-acre lot at 1676 Rice Rd., in Lithonia. The zoning application sought a rezoning from R-100 (Residential Medium Lot) District to RE (Residential Estate) [large lots] for the property just north of S. Deshon Rd.

The vote against was 6-0-0. (Commissioner Nancy Jester did not attend the zoning meeting.)

Decision on Porter Road mixed-use development delayed one month

The DeKalb Board of Commissioners on Tuesday delayed action for one month on an application to rezone 11 acres of property at the corner of Porter Road and Covington Hwy. from R-75 to MU-1 (Mixed Use Low Density) for 60 townhomes and unspecified retail. The applicant has changed the proposal several times and presented a January 18 site plan.

At the BOC zoning meeting, a spokeswoman for the applicant said retailers including Panera Bread and Cold Stone Creamery have expressed interest in the retail space. However, Derik Rinehart, in opposition, said he had spoken to the woman who would be the first point of contact at Cold Stone Creamery and she said she had never heard of the proposed development.

DeKalb County approves elections board audit

The DeKalb County Board of Commissioners on Tuesday unanimously approved an audit of the DeKalb County Voter Registration & Elections Department after hearing complaints from voters about the way last fall's elections were handled.

A resolution approved by commissioners in a 7-0-0 vote calls for the Office of Independent Internal Audit to coordinate and manage an external operational overview of the elections office that includes a fiscal and performance audit.

John Greene, Chief Audit Executive for DeKalb County, told commissioners that it would take a couple of months to determine the "scope, objectives and methodology" for the audit.

"It will become a high priority in our work plan," he said. He estimated that it would take "six months or less" for the audit to be completed.

Stone Mountain man arrested for robberies in two states

A 21-year-old from Stone Mountain is one of two men arrested in Mississippi for a series of robberies of fast-food restaurants in Mississippi and Alabama. WLBT-TV reports that Sharae Threadgill of Stone Mountain and Jaylen Benton, 18, of Ellerslie, Ga., were arrested near Vicksburg after a police chase. Brandon police say the two are also wanted for a murder in Georgia.

Coastal vote against new city may turn the tide

Voter rejection of a proposed city of Skidaway Island near Savannah last week may put a damper on legislative approval of new cities, writes Charlie Harper, the Marietta-based publisher of GeorgiaPol.com and executive director of PolicyBEST, which focuses on policy issues of business climate, education, science and medicine, and transportation.

Skidaway Island, a 6,300-acre island surrounded by tidal marshes and the Intracoastal Waterway, is in unincorporated Chatham County. About 63 percent of voters opposed the proposed new city. Of the island's more than 8,000 voters, 73 percent cast ballots.

Georgia gets failing grade for lead in school drinking water

Georgia is among 22 states that have earned a failing grade for their efforts to eliminate lead from drinking water in schools, according to an analysis by the Environment America Research & Policy Center and the U.S. Public Interest Research Group Education Fund.

The "Get The Lead Out" report said Georgia had no policies related to lead in schools' drinking water. "Outlets at 25 of 60 Atlanta schools tested found lead in water above 15 ppb," it said, citing a 2016 Atlanta Journal-Constitution story.

Stone Mountain college student's beach litter pick-up goes viral

A college student from Stone Mountain has been thanked by Miami Beach Police for picking up litter on a busy beach. His efforts have gained widespread recognition in social media.

Grant to fund Davidson-Arabia Mountain Nature Preserve viewing platform

DeKalb County has received a $3,000 grant from the State of Georgia for a wildlife viewing platform at the Davidson-Arabia Mountain Nature Preserve.

Commercial zoning sought for residential lots on Deshon Rd. north of Rockbridge

A zoning application has been filed to rezone three wooded residential lots located about 1,000 feet north of the intersection of Rockbridge Rd. and Deshon Rd., where Deshon Plaza is located. The application asks for the zoning at 425, 433 and 441 N Deshon Rd. to be changed from R-100 (residential) to NS (Neighborhood Shopping) for unspecified "commercial uses."

DeKalb County is 16th healthiest in Georgia: report

DeKalb County ranks 16th in the state for health outcomes, according to the annual County Health Rankings & Roadmaps report conducted by the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute with support from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Forsyth County nabbed the top spot as the healthiest county in the state.