North Druid Hills-Briarcliff|News|
Make a Difference, Buy Local
State Rep. Karla Drenner asks local residents to shop local this holiday season.

Email: jonathan.cribbs@patch.com
Phone: 678-490-6497
Hometown: Owings, Md.
Birthday: Aug. 2
Bio: I moved to the Atlanta metro area in 2008 and freelanced for several publications before The Champion Newspaper in Decatur hired me to cover the news in DeKalb County in 2009. I joined Patch in October 2010.
I live in the North Druid Hills community and have worked for daily and weekly newspapers in Maryland, Virginia and the Carolinas. I graduated from the University of Maryland in 2005 with a degree in English Language and Literature, a wonderful field of study that will challenge and engage you even as it lays the groundwork for your future unemployment. (But you'll know how to chart our nation's secular transformation from the works of Charles Brockden Brown to Seinfeld. FYI: Moby Dick is a turning point.)
I grew up in southern Maryland near the Chesapeake Bay. I'm a huge ice hockey fan and played the sport through middle and high school. I also love movies and own a somewhat sad collection of more than 500 movies.
As a journalist, I've covered everything from large national stories (the Washington, D.C., snipers in 2003) to the smallest story you can think of, including pizza day at Lady's Island Elementary School in Beaufort, S.C.
State Rep. Karla Drenner asks local residents to shop local this holiday season.

It was a down week for crime, but it may not stay that way. Here are some tips.
The top stories from the previous week in North Druid Hills-Briarcliff Patch.
Some 200 million pounds of meat went in the trash this Thanksgiving. Let's hear your suggestions for that waste.
Did you decorate your house for the holidays this year? Enter our "Deck the House" contest and you could win $100,000 for your local school district and $500 to pay your electric bills!
Tips for getting the presents they want without having to hoof it from Lutz to the North Pole.
These DIY Thanksgiving crafts will lend festive fun to your holiday decor.
Most local government offices are closed Thanksgiving and Friday as well as the weekend.
The gourmet sandwich shop will move in next to Famous Pub.
The regional chain will move into Northlake Festival early next year.
The free screening day will be held Friday, Dec. 7.
Patel Plaza celebrated the end of Diwali, a yearly Hindu festival, with a fireworks display Monday night.
Patel Plaza celebrated the end of Diwali, a yearly Hindu festival, with a fireworks display Monday night.
Minerva hopes to put the development on about 2 acres near the intersection of North Druid Hills and Briarcliff roads.
Minerva hopes to put the development on about 2 acres near the intersection off Lavista and Briarcliff roads.
The regional chain, which started in Toco Hill, will move into Northlake Festival early next year.
The Vikings played Carver in basketball over the weekend. Check out these snaps.
The Lebanese restaurant will open on West College Avenue in Decatur early next year.
The Lebanese restaurant will open on downtown's West College Avenue early next year.
The incidents were mostly along the Buford Highway corridor.