VOLUME 25, NUMBER 36
DECEMBER 20, 2019
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Cochran-Johnson pushes to halt saturation of dollar stores DeKalb in national spotlight
D
eKalb County Commissioner Lorraine Cochran-Johnson is speaking out about the growing prevalence of dollar stores and the negative impact they are having on communities from a health standpoint and on local grocers locally and nationally. DeKalb County Commissioner Cochran-Johnson joined Lorraine Cochran-Johnson a national conversation on the subject during the Dec. 8 CBS “Sunday Morning” interview with Special Contributor Allison Aubrey. DeKalb County and Moville, Iowa were featured in the segment, along with business owners and case studies from across the United States. The issue is one that prompted DeKalb’s Board of Commissioners (BOC) to approve a 45-day moratorium on dollar stores this week. The DeKalb BOC is not alone. In November, the City of Stonecrest approved a ban on future smallbox stores offering items that costs less than $5 after residents complained about the prevalence of the stores, and expressed a desire for better quality retail, restaurants and grocery stores. In neighboring Rockdale County, BOC Chairman Oz Nesbitt announced the temporary shutdown in October of the Family Dollar store at 2460 Salem Road, Conyers after the store failed to address repeated violations cited by the county’s code
DeKalb County Sheriff Melody Maddox
Joshua Bryant
PSC APPROVES RATE HIKES Power bills going up in 2020
that not only enhance the customer experience, but the safety and reliability of our system,” said Bryan Batson, president of Atlanta Gas Light. “We are mindful of the impact any increase can have on customers with low or fixed incomes. Fortunately, thanks to today’s lower natural gas prices, consumers are still paying on average $250 less on their total natural gas bill than even 10 years ago.” The PSC last filed for a rate increase in 2010 when the PSC approved a $26.5 million increase, nearly 10% increase in residential rates, officials said. Liz Coyle, executive director of Georgia Watch, said she worked with the the PSC to make sure an additional $1 million a year would
Tiffany Swanson
Two more suspects arrested in assault, carjacking of 74-year-old woman
SEE STORES page 7
Customers will see an increase in their Atlanta Gas Light (AGL) and Georgia Power bills beginning in January 2020. The typical AGL residential customer’s bill will go up by about $2.54 per month, about a 4 percent increase. The Georgia Power bill will go up by about $6 a month, which also represents about 4 percent increase. The Georgia Public Service Commission (PSC) approved the Georgia Power increase on Dec. 17. The $1.77 billion increase, which will fund improved infrastructure, will be phased in over a three-year period, officials said. Officials said AGL’s $65 million rate hike, approved on Dec. 19, would be used to fund two years of system improvements and other compliance initiatives, as well as to boost faster responses to leak complaints, and other customer services including automatic reminders of appointments and shorter window waits for scheduled AGL visits. The adjustment will be reflected in the Atlanta Gas Light Pass-Through or Base Charge on customers’ bills. “These rate adjustments allow us to continue making investments
“... We will pull out all of our resources to make sure you are taken into custody.”
be provided for energy assistance to low-income families. Additionally, the PSC will initiate a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking in 2020 to develop a long-range planning process similar to that which exists in the electric industry. The new planning process will integrate the current Capacity Supply Plan process with a new multi-year infrastructure plan that will include capital projects and estimated costs over a 10-year planning horizon. The new planning process, which will take place every three years, will be useful for the company and regulators in ratemaking proceedings, as the vast majority of capital spending will have already been examined and acted upon.
The DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office has arrested all three suspects wanted in connection with the Dec. 5 beating and carjacking of Aaron Johnson 74-year-old Rosa Smith. Joshua Bryant, 20, of Atlanta, and Tiffany Swanson, 19, of Statesboro— were arrested on Dec. 19 and booked into the DeKalb County Jail. The first suspect, Aaron Johnson, 17, of Atlanta surrendered to police and has been in custody at the DeKalb County Jail since Dec. 11 on robbery and elder abuse charges. The DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office Fugitive Unit, working with U.S. Marshals and Atlanta Police Department arrested Bryant and Swanson on Cedar Avenue in Atlanta. DeKalb County’s new sheriff, Melody Maddox, issued a warning to others who have crime on their minds: “If you think that you are going to intimidate the citizens of DeKalb County, especially our most vulnerable ones, which is our youth and our seniors, we will pull out all of our resources to make sure you are taken into custody,” Maddox said during a news conference where the arrests were announced after the arrests. According to authorities, Smith was trying to vacuum her Nissan Rogue outside a gas station on Gresham Road in Decatur when the violent carjacking took place. Smith, a retired attorney, was taken to the hospital after being beaten. Authorities said although she suffered no broken bones, she was left with gashes and bruises on her forehead, mouth and cheeks. She also complained of pain in her hips from the attack. The suspects drove off in Smith’s car with her terrier mix, Daphne, still
SEE SUSPECTS page 6