🌱 Man Charged In Gas Station Shooting + Platez Southern Kitchen

Hi all. I'm back in your inbox this warm summer morning with your new copy of the Decatur-Avondale Estates Daily, fresh off the presses. Here's all the community news you need to know right now.

📣 Our readers love to celebrate good news! You can now shout out your big announcement at the top of the Decatur-Avondale Estates Daily newsletter. Whether it's a grand opening, new product for sale, birthday, anniversary, engagement, wedding or new baby, let everyone celebrate alongside you! Submit your announcement here.

First, today's weather:

Sunshine and patchy clouds. High: 85 Low: 67.

Here are the top three stories today in Decatur-Avondale Estates:

1. A man has been arrested in connection with July's fatal shooting at a Decatur gas station. 25-year-old Jimmy Holmes, accused of shooting Demario Kentrall Parrish on Candler Road, faces charges of murder and aggravated assault if convicted. Holmes was taken into custody at the Candler Forest Apartments and remains in custody at the DeKalb County Jail. (CBS 46 News)
2. Craving some local comfort food? Platez Southern Kitchen and Cocktailz will open Friday, Aug. 10 here in Decatur. Located on Clairmont Avenue at the Courtyard by Marriott, Platezs Southern Kitchen will feature Southern dishes like catfish filets, fried chicken, and sweet potato pie. (Eater Atlanta)
3. An update on the Decatur School Board's recess policy decision: the school will not withhold recess as punishment for students. The school board offered Superintendent Maggie Fehrman suggestions for edits to the draft document — including removing the controversial sentence that would allow recess to be taken away. “They are trying to keep us as close to policy written by the state legislature as possible, which I fully agree with, but I think we need to make sure that, particular with unstructured break time, that we keep it within what we believe in City Schools of Decatur,” said Fehrman. "We do want to protect it for our students and not let it be taken away." (Decaturish.com)

Today in Decatur-Avondale Estates:

• Second Saturdays At Harmony Park (11:00 AM)

From my notebook:

• The Decatur Planning Commission recommended the approval of a permit for the development of affordable housing at Legacy Park, formerly known as the United Methodist Children’s home. (Decaturish.com)
• Keep the kids entertained with these five Atlanta-area outings that won't break the bank. (Subscription: The Atlanta Journal Constitution)
• The community is invited to Coffee with a Cop on Wednesday, Aug. 17. Head over to Banjo Cold Brew Coffee between 7 a.m. and 9 a.m. for all the fun. (City of Avondale Estates via Facebook)

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Events:

• New Birth 5K New Shoe Distribution to K-12 Grade Students (August 13)
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You're officially in the loop for today. I'll be in your inbox Monday with another update!

— Danielle Fallon-O'Leary

About me: Danielle Fallon-O’Leary is a senior writer with content creation agency Lightning Media Partners and assists Patch.com with community newsletter curation. Danielle also holds a Master’s Degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders and works part-time as a pediatric speech therapist.