North Druid Hills-Briarcliff|News|
St. Pius Basketball Star Commits to Play at Stetson
Senior guard Sydni Payne becomes the first Class of 2012 athlete to sign with a school to play a sport.

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.
Senior guard Sydni Payne becomes the first Class of 2012 athlete to sign with a school to play a sport.

A group of residents will meet Nov. 17 to consider forming a Neighborhood Watch program to combat crime in the community.
Senior Trey White has verbally committed to play at the Charleston, S.C., military college.
It was a sad, sad night at North Druid Hills-Briarcliff Patch. A lot of "Seinfeld" reruns and two large bowls of unopened candy.
Another sighting: This time it's three coyotes on Shasta Way in the Briarcliff area. These things never get old.
Boys and girls cross country took Region 5-AAA championships over the weekend and head to the state championships next week.
Check out some footage of the Viking band's performance at a Saturday competition.
The center, with the help of more than 40 agencies, will provide legal assistance, Social Security information, house and employment assistance and free haircuts, among other things.
The victim was carjacked in the parking last week after leaving Party City, according to the North Briarcliff Community Association.
The shopping center plans to hire off-duty police officers to make the area safer between 7pm and midnight, according to the North Briarcliff Civic Association.
The victim was carjacked in the parking lot Wednesday afternoon after leaving Party City, according to the North Briarcliff Community Association.
Volleyball and football rolled ahead with victories, and the football team maintained its No. 2 spot in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution's rankings.
The FBI thinks the suspect is wanted in connection with several robberies in DeKalb County.
The Georgia Department of Banking and Finance shut down the bank earlier today. The five Decatur First branches will reopen tomorrow as Fidelity Bank branches.
The team defeated Sutton Middle School, which has taken the title over the last three years, 3-2.
Patch’s Little Pumpkin Costume Challenge with Heidi Klum needs your entries now.
The letters are part of a project through Q100's "The Bert Show." They will be sent to American soldiers in time for Thanksgiving.
The green is believed to be the first one installed on a high school campus statewide.
Patch rounds up a short list of cool Halloween events scheduled through the North Druid Hills-Briarcliff area.
Football moves up in the rankings, and volleyball opens the playoffs with three straight wins.