Brookhaven News - Reporter Newspapers

Brookhaven mayor to negotiate $6.3M in CARES Act funding with DeKalb County

by Erin Schilling | Aug 12, 2020 | Brookhaven Reporter, Coronavirus, Politics, Top Stories | 0

The Brookhaven City Council has unanimously approved a resolution allowing for Mayor John Ernst to negotiate an agreement with DeKalb County for $6.3 million in federal COVID-19 relief funds. The intergovernmental agreement is between DeKalb County and the 12 cities in the county and allows the county to distribute $32.5 million of its federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act funds among its cities. Brookhaven is set to receive $6.3 million from the agreement. During an Aug. 11 council meeting, city attorney Chris Balch said the agreement is “time-sensitive,” and the resolution allows the city to approve the...

DeKalb runoff election settles Board of Commissioners races

by John Ruch | Aug 12, 2020 | Brookhaven Reporter, Dunwoody Reporter, Politics, Slideshow, Top Stories | 0

Edward “Ted” Terry appeared poised to take one Board of Commissioners seat, while another one is set for a general election campaign, in unofficial results from DeKalb County’s Aug. 11 runoff election. With all precincts reporting on the morning of Aug. 12, Terry was leading Maryam Ahmad, 58.62% to 41.38%, for the Super District 6 seat that will be open as incumbent Kathy Gannon is not running for re-election. With no challengers from other parties, Terry essentially will take the seat if the runoff election results are confirmed. Robert Patrick led Cynthia Yaxon, 54.68% to 45.32%, in the race...

Children’s Healthcare doctor to speak about COVID-19 in children in virtual event

by Bob Pepalis | Aug 11, 2020 | Brookhaven Reporter, Buckhead Reporter, Coronavirus, Dunwoody Reporter, Sandy Springs Reporter | 0

The Sandy Springs Perimeter Chamber of Commerce plans to host a virtual “Conversation about COVID-19 in Children” on Aug. 18 with Dr. Matt Linam. Linam, a physician specializing in pediatric infectious disease at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, will speak on “Challenges and Solutions: Pandemic 2020 COVID-2019 from 11 to 11:45 a.m., the chamber announced in a news release. The event is free and open to the public, but registration is required. Linam joined Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta and Emory University as Associate Professor in 2017. He completed his internship and residency at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, where he...

Brookhaven to tentatively plan 2021 Cherry Blossom Festival

by Erin Schilling | Aug 11, 2020 | Arts & Entertainment, Brookhaven Reporter, Top Stories | 0

The city of Brookhaven will tentatively start planning its annual Cherry Blossom Festival after canceling it last March because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Brookhaven City Council gave the green light to Patty Hansen, the director of strategic partnerships, to plan the event for 2021 during a July 28 work session. The city has tentatively slated April 10 for the annual Cherry Blossom Festival’s 5K run and April 17 and 18 for the festival. The Cherry Blossom Festival is a two-day arts and music festival put on by the city that attracts tens of thousands of people and includes...

Brookhaven and Dunwoody’s ZIP code COVID-19 diagnoses surpass 950 cases

by Erin Schilling | Aug 11, 2020 | Brookhaven Reporter, Coronavirus, Dunwoody Reporter, Public Safety, Top Stories | 0

COVID-19 diagnoses in the areas of Brookhaven and Dunwoody within the cities’ main ZIP codes have surpassed 950 cases, according to a DeKalb County Board of Health case tracker. The local ZIP code diagnoses are at 973 as of the county’s Aug. 9 report, compared to 891 as of the last report on Aug. 4. As of Aug. 9, Dunwoody’s main 30338 and 30346 ZIP codes had about 386 cases, which is up 35 cases since Aug. 4. Brookhaven’t main 30319 ZIP code had about 587, which is up 47 cases since Aug. 4. The county does not track...

Runoff Election Day arrives Aug. 11

by John Ruch | Aug 10, 2020 | Brookhaven Reporter, Buckhead Reporter, Dunwoody Reporter, Politics, Sandy Springs Reporter, Top Stories | 0

Runoff Election Day arrives Tuesday, Aug. 11, where voters will decide some key races and choose Democratic nominees in others. The runoff follows the June 9 primary and special elections. That election was marred by long lines and other delays, partly due to coronavirus pandemic precautions, and had long-delayed results. Those precautions will be in place again for the runoff. For information about polling places and voter registration status, see the Georgia Secretary of State’s Office website here. Fulton County has changed the polling place for two precincts in Buckhead; see our story for details. DeKalb County In DeKalb...

Worth Knowing: TurningPoint helps breast cancer survivors with ‘support puzzle’ of pandemic era

by Carol Niemi | Aug 9, 2020 | Brookhaven Reporter, Buckhead Reporter, Commentary, Coronavirus, Dunwoody Reporter, Making a Difference, Sandy Springs Reporter | 0

One day in 2015, while riding in the car with her mother, eighth-grader Lauren Scalise overheard her mother Stephanie take a phone call. “She got this random phone call, and we pulled over so she could answer it,” said Lauren. “I was confused until she hung up the phone, looked me in the eyes and told me she had breast cancer.” The two sat by the side of the road in silence while processing what they had just learned, and then the tears flowed. “I couldn’t believe that my strong and resilient mom would be the one going through...

Robin’s Nest: Finding our true selves in the pandemic

by Robin Conte | Aug 8, 2020 | Brookhaven Reporter, Buckhead Reporter, Commentary, Coronavirus, Dunwoody Reporter, Sandy Springs Reporter | 0

Faced with the COVID changes in our lives during these past months and how much time we have been left to our own without external distractions, many of us are learning a lot about ourselves. We might have discovered that we are extroverts who thrive on social interaction, or introverts who are recharged by solitude, or omniverts who are a sort of crossbreed of the two. I, for one, have realized that I am more of an “cawnfigovert,” which is to say, a person who is Content Alone When Nothing Fun Is Going On. Anyway, I liken this period...

Transform 285/400 traffic changes through Aug. 17

by John Ruch | Aug 7, 2020 | Brookhaven Reporter, Buckhead Reporter, Dunwoody Reporter, Public Safety, Sandy Springs Reporter | 0

The Georgia Department of Transportation has announced the latest round of lane and ramp closures and other traffic changes for Transform 285/400, its massive project to reconstruct the I-285/Ga. 400 interchange. Schedules may change based on the work and the weather. Abernathy Road lane closures Aug. 14, 9 p.m., through Aug. 17, 5 a.m., eastbound between Barfield Road and Ga. 400, two right lanes. Ga. 400 ramp closures Aug. 12-14, 9 p.m. to 5 a.m., northbound ramp to I-285 westbound closed. Aug. 14, 9 p.m. to 5 a.m., southbound ramp to I-285 eastbound closed. Ga. 400 lane closures Aug....

DeKalb Schools removes John Lewis memorial at namesake elementary school

by Erin Schilling | Aug 7, 2020 | Brookhaven Reporter, Education, Top Stories | 0

For weeks, people added to a small memorial to civil right leader John Lewis at his namesake elementary school in Brookhaven. Now DeKalb County School District has removed the memorial and placed “one of the patriotic arrangements” inside the school, a spokesperson said. Brookhaven resident Lissie Stahlman, 67, started the memorial two days after Lewis’s death on July 17. She placed a potted mum and a photo at the elementary school sign at the entrance of the parking lot and posted about the memorial, which garnered more people to add their own tributes to Lewis. It is unclear exactly...

Rooms To Go regional headquarters to move from Dunwoody to Brookhaven

by Erin Schilling | Aug 6, 2020 | Brookhaven Reporter, Dunwoody Reporter, Perimeter Business, Top Stories | 0

Rooms To Go is relocating its Atlanta-area headquarters in Perimeter Center just across city limits from Dunwoody into Brookhaven. The furniture retailer announced it will move into 4004 Perimeter Summit in Brookhaven at the beginning of 2021, according to a city press release. The move is less than 2 miles away from its current location at 400 Perimeter Center Terrace in Dunwoody. “We believe the new office environment in Brookhaven will help us recruit additional talented associates as we grow our Atlanta-area headquarters over the next several years,” Rooms To Go CEO Jeff Seaman said in the press release....

State Sen. Harrell discusses COVID-19 liability, Brookhaven mayor term limits and other legislation

by Erin Schilling | Aug 6, 2020 | Brookhaven Reporter, Dunwoody Reporter, Politics, Sandy Springs Reporter, Top Stories | 0

State Sen. Sally Harrell discussed new laws that restrict business’s COVID-19 liability and could allow unlimited terms for Brookhaven’s mayor, among other legislation, in a July 27 town hall. Harrell, whose District 40 represents parts of Brookhaven, Dunwoody and Sandy Springs, explained which bills passed and which bills died during the 2019-2020 session during Councilmember Madeleine Simmon’s monthly town meeting on July 27. The session had a three-month break in mid-March because of COVID-19 concerns and came back for the last 11 days of the session at the end of June, according to the Georgia House of Representatives calendar....