Email: Ralph.ellis@patch.com
Phone: 404-234-8734
Hometown: Waynesville, N.C.
Birthday: July 31
Bio: Ralph Ellis is a veteran journalist who has lived in Decatur since 2007. He serves on the homeowner’s association board for the 335 West Ponce condo building in downtown Decatur.
Ralph has extensive experience as a writer and editor for newspapers in the Southeast. A graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, he joined The Atlanta Journal-Constitution in 1990. He reported on a variety of subjects, such as a couple coming to grips with their son’s homosexuality, the high cost of local elections in North Fulton County, and a man who started a Kenyan orphanage for children with AIDS in honor of his late wife.
Ralph is married to Susan Puckett, the former food editor at the AJC.
He has three grown children, Robert, David and Julia.
When he’s not working, Ralph likes to walk, swim, read, and play with his greyhound, Laney. Ralph belongs to the Atlanta Writers Club and has written a mystery novel (unpublished) and is working on a second novel.
Ralph's Beliefs At Patch, we promise always to report the facts as objectively as possible and otherwise adhere to the principles of good journalism. However, we also acknowledge that true impartiality is impossible because human beings have beliefs. So in the spirit of simple honesty, our policy is to encourage our editors to reveal their beliefs to the extent they feel comfortable. This disclosure is not a license for you to inject your beliefs into stories or to dictate coverage according to them. In fact, the intent is the opposite: we hope that the knowledge that your beliefs are on the record will cause you to be ever mindful to write, report and edit in a fair, balanced way. And if you ever see evidence that we failed in this mission, please let us know.
Politics
I have moderate Democratic leanings, but I’ve voted for some Republicans.
Religion
I was raised a Methodist and am now a member of Kairos Church in Grant Park, which is affiliated with the Presbyterian Church.
Local Hot-Button Issues
People in Decatur and Avondale Estates care deeply about quality of life issues, and that starts with the local school systems. Both towns have become magnets in recent years for couples with young children, so the emphasis on education will only increase.
Other issues people care about: Dogs, backyard farming, food and drink.
Here are five things to know about the week ahead in Virginia Highland and Druid Hills. You can enjoy the Shaky Knees Music Festival, run a special kind of 5K race, hear and discuss poetry, listen to a fundraising recital and celebrate charter schools.
U.S. Poet Laureate Natasha Trethewey was chosen to join one of the nation's oldest honorary societies.
On Monday, the two Decatur restaurants will donate a portion of their proceeds to law enforcement officers hurt or killed in the Boston Marathon bombings.
U.S. Poet Laureate Natasha Trethewey, a Decatur resident, was chosen to join one of the nation's oldest honorary societies.
People also wanted to read about real estate in Virginia Highland and Druid Hills.
Patch readers also clicked on articles about crime and a big mixed-use development proposed for downtown development.
Looking for new digs? Here are some homes for sale in and around Decatur and Avondale Estates.
You can also find jobs as a babysitter, golf shop attendant, restaurant server and fashion store buyer.
There are also jobs available in and around Decatur and Avondale Estates for an account managers, restaurant servers and a tow truck driver.
Chris Pearsall from Brio Tuscan Grill will work with English Peas from Cimino Farms around 9 a.m. Saturday. And here's a list of expected vendors.
It didn't take much effort to make the Poncey-Highland watering hole look like the 1970s.
On May 13, the Decatur Zoning Board of Appeals will consider the appeals filed by people living near the site of the proposed 315 West Ponce mixed-use development.
You can learn about autism, find book bargains, stock up on fresh produce, join a pet loss grief support group and discuss the challenges of male puberty.
You can learn about trees in Avondale Estates, dine out for a good cause, tour beautiful kitchens and observe the theatre of the absurd.
Here are some of the most expensive homes listed for sale in Decatur and Avondale Estates.
Patrons visiting these restaurants will have 25 percent or more of their bill donated to Open Hand.
The retired Atlanta Brave will speak May 9 at Class Day. The former U.S. Poet Laureate will deliver the keynote address at the May 13 commencement ceremony.
The retired Atlanta Brave will speak May 9 at Class Day. The former U.S. Poet Laureate will deliver the keynote address at the May 13 commencement ceremony.
The Decatur Police Department is also investigating break-ins at an apartment and two businesses.
The one-car wreck happened about 5:15 p.m. Monday.
