Tucker, GA — Here’s a quick look at the latest stories from the Tucker Observer, a new website created by Decaturish.com.

– Stone Mountain, GA – DeKalb County teachers braved the cold, windy weather on Monday, Feb. 1, to protest at the DeKalb County School District offices in Stone Mountain.

Teachers gathered at the entrance way to advocate for a safe return to school. The people who attended the protest believe now is not a safe time to return.

“I’m terrified,” said Miss C, a DeKalb County teacher who teaches first and second grade reading. “So my point out here is, I love teaching, but I want to live. It shouldn’t be a matter of my job and my life. It’s not someone’s choice.”

To read the full story, click here.

–DeKalb County, GA — Ricky Hawk, better known as Silento, has been arrested and is accused of murdering his cousin.

DeKalb County Police announced the arrest on Feb. 1.

He remains in DeKalb County jail and is charged with murder. The Atlanta Journal Constitution confirmed that Hawk is Silento, best known for his hit  “Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae).”

To read the full story, click here.

– DeKalb County, GA — Rep. Hank Johnson of Georgia’s 4th Congressional District on Jan. 30 gathered public health and policy experts to offer an update on the current state of the COVID-19 pandemic response.

“It’s an extreme emergency, this COVID 19 pandemic. The virus is out of control. Variants are emerging, 436,000 Americans have lost their lives and almost 26 million have been infected. It’s very serious,” said Johnson.

Johnson said that Operation Warp Speed was successful in that two vaccines were expedited through the approval process, but when Biden took office he discovered there was no distribution plan for the vaccine.

To read the full story, click here.

– Tucker, GA — On target to open in November at the intersection of Hugh Howell and Mountain Industrial Boulevard, is a brand-new Publix supermarket flanked by shops, restaurants and a bank. Specifically, what will the high-end shopping center offer? It all depends on the market research.

Tucker’s Downtown Development Authority met on Feb. 1 to hear from research and marketing expert Chuck Branch, CEO of NextSite, a commercial development recruiting company. Branch presented data on consumer traffic patterns in the Mountain Industrial Boulevard corridor. Collected data can track shopping habits and frequency of visits, but it is anonymous.

“It allows us to start seeing where [consumers] are stopping before and after this major intersection,” said Branch told the DDA last October. “This data can be used to pinpoint their social media campaigns. More importantly, we can now quantify the number customers and what zip codes their coming through.”

To read the full story, click here.

DeKalb County, GA — A new and potentially more lethal version of the COVID-19 virus has been detected in DeKalb County, according to the state Department of Public Health.

“The Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH) is confirming there are now 19 cases of COVID-19 variant B.1.1.7 identified in Georgia,” the Department of Public Health announced. “This is the same variant discovered in the U.K. and in several other countries and U.S. states. So far, no other COVID-19 variants have been identified in Georgia.”

The B.1.1.7 cases were found in individuals age 15 to 61, including eight males and 11 females.

To read the full story, click here.

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