🌱 Douglasville PD Named Agency Of The Year + Visionary City Award

Good morning, everybody. It's Wednesday in Douglasville and I'm back in your inbox with everything you need to know about what's happening in our community. Today's briefing includes...

• Douglasville Police Department was named "Agency Of The Year".
• Mableton mayoral candidate disqualified.
• Douglasville wins "Visionary City" award.

But first, today's weather:

Some rain and a thunderstorm. High: 62 Low: 36.

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Here are the top five stories today in Douglasville:

1. During his first court appearance on Monday, the father of a 3-year-old boy who shot himself in the head told a judge he didn't think he did anything wrong. According to the boy’s mother, Ciera Scott, the father Devante Porter lied to first responders about the shooting and instead told dispatchers the child hit his head on a mini-fridge at the hotel. Judge Susan Camp called Porter, along with Jermecia Martin who was also in the room at the time, a danger to the community and denied them both bond. They now each face charges including tampering with evidence, false statements, reckless conduct, cruelty to children, and aggravated assault. (WSBTV)
2. The Douglasville Police Department has been named "Agency Of The Year" for its active community engagement efforts and its Youth Against Violence Program. According to a press release from the city on Jan. 24, the department and Chief Gary Sparks were named the “Phyllis Goodwin Award”— Agency of the Year and “Robbie Hamrick Award”— Member of the Year by the Georgia Chapter of the FBI National Academy Associates, Inc. The awards were distributed at the Jan. 12 Annual Winter Business Meeting and Training Conference in Augusta. (Press Release Desk)
3. In nearby Mableton, a candidate has been disqualified for the mayoral election. On Tuesday, Cobb County Elections Director Janine Eveler said boxing coach and reverend Henry Okafor's name was removed from the ballot due to a bounced check for the qualifying fee payment. The check was bounced due to insufficient funds; according to court officials, Okafor can have his name re-added to the ballot if he can show evidence the bounced check was a bank error by Feb. 3. The disqualification comes a day after a Mableton city council candidate, Paul Chukelu, was disqualified for the same reason. (Patch)
4. Douglas County Sheriff's Office's SCOPE (Sheriff's Community Outreach Programs and Education) Team has been visiting each of the high schools in Douglas County to tell them about the Explorer Program. Law Enforcement Exploring is a nationally-known program used to educate youth ages 14-20 years old about the career of law enforcement. To register or learn more about the program, click here. (Douglas County Sheriff's Office (Georgia) via Facebook)
5. On Jan. 22, the City of Douglasville was among nine Georgia cities awarded the “Visionary City” award from the Georgia Municipal Association. Douglasville won the award, which honors cities that have made positive community change through civic engagement efforts, in the large city-population over 25,000 category. The award was presented at the Georgia Cities United Summit hosted in Atlanta. (Press Release Desk)

Today in Douglasville:

• Pranayama, At Douglasville Conference Center (12:00 PM)
• Business Fundamentals, At Douglas County Public Library (12:30 PM)
• Elementary Craft & Stor, At Douglas County Public Library (3:30 PM)

From my notebook:

• Police are investigating a string of burglaries that targeted multiple Hispanic grocery stores in metro Atlanta. (WSB Atlanta)
• Are you in the market for a new home? Numerous properties have been put on the market in the Douglasville area, including multiple homes under $300,000. Click the link to view information on each of the properties, along with information about an upcoming house for a 4,200 sq. ft. five-bedroom, five-bathroom home that's listed for $1,100,000. (Douglasville Patch)
• The Douglasville Police Department and Douglasville Parks and Recreation are teaming up again to host a youth basketball spring league at the Alice J. Hawthorne gymnasium every Friday starting Apr. 14 through Jun. 2. The league is free and registration opens on Feb. 1. (Douglasville Police Department via Facebook)

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Events:

• Crossing Over With Psychic Medium John Edward (Live)! (February 23)
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Thanks for following along and staying informed. I'll be in your inbox tomorrow morning with your next update!

— Sean Peek

About me: Sean Peek is a writer and entrepreneur with a degree in English Literature from Weber State University. Over the years, he has worked as a copywriter, editor, SEO specialist, and marketing director for various digital media companies. He currently co-owns and operates content creation agency Lightning Media Partners.