Missing Kitty

Chairman Meow has been missing 3 days and it is very unlike him to not come home when his Dads call him. He is wearing a dingy orange collar wtth no tags ( he pulls them off constantly). He is very friendly.

His Dads love him very much. He meows a lot.

IF ANYONE HAS SEEN HIM PLEASE CALL 404-831-7084 OR 404-281-3946.

Food trucks serving up hot food in East Point

UPDATE: According to the downtown development coordinator, food trucks are coming to Downtown East Point (in the Commons, once a month next to the East Point Farmer’s Market-more information will be in the Downtown Newsletter this Friday).

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Food trucks in East Point?  Apparently efforts are underway to make East Point friendly to these restaurants-on-wheels.

Already, East Point has one food truck. The colorful Blaxican Food Truck - "Mexican soul food" - parks off of Washington Road, close to downtown.

Of course, Atlanta has its park.

I've emailed Erin Rodgers, the downtown development coordinator, to see what she can tell us about this project.

UPDATE: Food Trucks are Coming to Downtown East Point (in the Commons, once a month next to the East Point Farmer’s Market-more information will be in the Downtown Newsletter this Friday).

Free training program for the TriCities 10K and 5K run/walk

The fourth annual TriCities 10K Run and 5K RunWalk takes off on May 4 at 8 a.m.

The race raises money for www.themainstreetacademy.com

Organizers want to help people to cross the finish line:

FREE TRAINING FOR REGISTERED PARTICIPANTS

Starting today train with Orlando Daniels, 20 years experienced distance runner and trainer; Every WED, 7PM, Badgett Stadium (last session May 1). First timers and veterans learn basic running skills, techniques to improve your speed, strengthen your stamina and tone your muscles.

Badgett Stadium: 3636 College Street, College Park GA, 30337

SIGN UP NOW for just 20 BUCKS

[mappress mapid="75"]

Local school fundraiser

Chick-fil-A Spirit Night

Please join The Main Street Academy tomorrow night, Tuesday - 2/26/13, from 4:30pm-6:30pm at Chick-fil-A on Cleveland Avenue for our monthly fundraiser.

As always, there will be activities for the children and they have a great playground.  Tell the cashier you are with TMSA and a portion of your total bill will be donated to the school.  Drive-thru is included.

TMSA is built on the foundation of our 8 Core Values.  It's important for both students and parents/guardians to keep these in mind as we gather in the community for school-related events.  We need to be "the proud face of TMSA" and have fun, but still mind our manners.  There should be no running or screaming at any of our partner establishments.  Please display the TMSA core value of Respect at our community events as if you were visiting a friend's home for dinner.

Thank you for your continued support of TMSA!

 

Social media now a police tool

EAST POINT - To track down the suspect of an armed robbery, city police used the newest tool in their arsenal: social media.

The gunman was caught on security tape, but there was no luck  in identifying the man, wearing a dark hooded sweatshirt.  So, police posted the video on Facebook and the East Point Police Department's Youtube channell. A tip came with a name and the suspect was later identified in a line up.

That's the success Sgt. Allyn Glover, a veteran police officer, sees as the department embraces Facebook and other social media.

"To date the page has been nothing less than a success. I feel that keeping everyone informed on the goings on in our city can only result in better communication and more success stories," said Sgt. Glover, the social media guy at the department.  A 16-year veteran on the force,  he is currently assigned as to the Major Crimes Unit in the Criminal Investigations Division.

Law enforcement have embraced social media. Nearly nine out of 10 law enforcement agencies now use social media, a part of the arsenal as walking the beat. The International Association of Police Chiefs surveyed 600 agencies and more than half said social media had helped solve crime.

The city police joined joined Facebook in early 2012.  While others may share vacation pictures or funny videos, the police are using the social media to share news about crime and develop better community relations. The police department uses the page to issue news releases, along with photos and videos of suspects and remarks from the community.

Facebook is the most popular outreach with social media, according to the police association survey. As of February, some 283 follow the department's page. In the future, the department may weigh whether to join Twitter.  Already, an account has been reserved by the department, but it hasn't been activated, Glover said.

Other parts of city government are turning to social media to get the word out. The city of East Point has been on the site since 2010 used Facebook to share community information. It has 435 fans.

Sgt. Glover responded via email to questions about Facebook.

When did the department first start using Facebook and what prompted using it?

We have been using social media since early 2012. We wanted to find better ways of using today's technology and felt that social media was a great way to accomplish that. We brought the idea before the Interim Chief Chase and he embraced the idea of using social media to better communicate with other agencies and citizens.

What has been one of the surprises for the East Point Police Department about using Facebook?

We were already very familiar with social media. We are happy to say that so far there have been no real surprises.

What has been a success of using Facebook?

As recently as last week we were able to identify an armed robbery suspect after posting a video on our Facebook and Youtube pages. Cobb County Detectives contacted us with a tip on who they believed the suspect was and he was subsequently identified with the use of lineups.

Any hiccups that the department wasn't expecting and it'd caution other police departments to avoid?

To date the page has been nothing less than a success. I feel that keeping everyone informed on the goings on in our City can only result in better communication and more success stories.

Does the department use other social media?

We use Youtube as well to post our videos. The channel is EastPointPolice. We have reserved a Twitter account but it's not active yet.

How many people at the department are responsible for the site? And how often is it updated?

I am the sole administrator for the social media sites. I review all correspondence that comes to me and post as needed. Chief Chase also monitors and posts on occasion. I have a Smartphone that allows me to keep the page updated at all times.

Can people submit tips via Facebook or should that be done over the phone?

Yes. We recommend that the submissions be done through our Facebook email as opposed to an open post. But yes.

 

Second Annual 'Love Feast' Saturday

Jeannine Henderson organized the community potluck she dubbed a "Love Feast." It is coming up on Saturday. She talked about how it got started and how others can get involved.  Check out the photo gallery below.

What was the inspiration and motivation behind this event?

That is an interesting story. I am the creator and administrator for the East Point Neighbors Give-Sell-Swap page on Facebook (think Freecycle meets Craigslist, but specifically for our area). Once the group reached 500 members, I felt a celebration was in order. We decided to do a potluck gathering. After some suggestions from residents, the potluck quickly evolved into an Appreciation for East Point's Police and Fire/EMT departments. Valentine's Day was coming up in about two weeks from the inception of the idea and I thought this would be a nice tie-in to include the holiday in a way. Since it was to happen around Valentine's Day I dubbed the event "Love Feast" because the event is all about showing our love and appreciation for our first responders who work hard to keep us safe and sometimes put their lives in the line. Last year we had around 125 people in attendance including our guests of honor. We felt that it was a great success and we received a lot of positive feedback from our first responders and citizens.

-Is this your own initiative or part of an organization?

The Love Feast is a labor of love that is organized and hosted by citizens independent of any organization. Citizens donate their time and resources to coordinate and execute the event. We also rely on donations and participation from Local Businesses. Last year's planning committee consisted of Matt and Ali Jewell, Isabel and Craig Jeffares, Kerry Kirwin-Milwood, Tim Baxley, Dennis Morgan, and myself. Turning Point Wellness Center was the first business to jump on board last year. They donated all of the paper goods used at the event along with a gift certificate for the raffle. Taco Pete, The Flower Cottage, and Oz Pizza also contributed by donating food or gift cards for the raffle. Some citizens also pitched in and offered prizes for the raffle. This year, TurningPoint Wellness has graciously offered to have their therapist on hand to pamper our hardworking first responders. Matt and Ali Jewell have again played an instrumental role in helping me spearhead our 2nd Annual Love Feast.

 

-What do you hope it brings to the community?

My hope with any local endeavor is to bring people together and foster a greater sense of community. Since last year's Love Feast I have become a member of the East Point Main Street Association and also the Jefferson Park Neighbors Association. Both of these organizations focus on community. However, Love Feast is extra special to me because it evolved from something so simple and has so much heart behind it. With the Love Feast, my main objective was to give back to those who give so much of themselves and their time to keep us safe. They work while we are sleeping, they work on weekends, they work on holidays, and they are often away from their loved ones. Public safety jobs are not glamorous and they are not lucrative, these jobs are labors of love. You have to love what you do in these fields. I don't know of another community where the chief of police, additional police units, firefighters, and a public service worker with a backhoe would come out on the weekend in the pouring rain at night to rescue a drowing cat from a storm drain! Our first responders truly care about the citizens, even the furry ones!

-What is required of the participants?

We just ask that our neighbors bring a covered dish to share at the event and extend their appreciation to the first responders. We had some delicious food last year.Two residents even baked treats featuring the different public safety departments. There were cupcakes with the police, fire, and EMT insignias piped onto each cupcake with icing and another resident made heart cookies that said "Thank You." It is the little things such as this that show our first repsonders how much we appreciate them.

-How can someone get involved with this event?

The easiest way to get involved is to just come out (with a covered dish to share) for some great fellowship and to extend your appreciation to our first responders. In addition to having top notch first responders who genuinely care about their community, one of the things that makes East Point such a wonderful place to live is the amazing sense of community that our neighbors share for each other and our city. If someone wanted to donate their time or goods to the cause, they may contact me to coordinate.

-How has the response been from the public safety agencies in East Point?

They were thrilled! Nothing like this had been done before last year. Having members from all over the community come out just to shake their hand, give them a hug, and offer up a home baked dish made their day. The smiles on their faces made my week.

-What are the future plans for the event?

This is the second year for the event. We plan to make this an annual event. We may add another gathering in the Fall, most likely around Thanksgiving. Showing our appreciation around Valentine's Day and Thanksgiving seems like a great time to give back to our Police, Fire/EMT departments.

Gallery of the 2012 celebration