By Robert Blondeau You recently published an article on Michelle Hiskey's Saporta Report profile of Intown Ace Hardware and its approach to the potential challenges faced by the proposed Walmart Supercenter in Suburban Plaza.  Thanks for your continuing coverage of this important community issue. Included in Ms. Hiskey’s article was a clarifying note from Walmart's Director of Community & Media Relations, William C. "Bill" Wertz.   Here's the note from Michelle Hiskey: After this story was published, Wal-Mart's Director of Community & Media Relations, William C. "Bill" Wertz, notified me of …

George Leach lives in Avondale Estates. Neighbors, I'd like to address House Bill 954, which is a bill that just passed the House and is now pending a vote for the state Senate.  As a local Emergency Medicine physician, I believe this bill would be a bad move for women's health in our state. In brief, this bill prevents abortions after 20 weeks unless the mother is critically ill.  If an abortion is needed after 20 weeks, the fetus is required to be delivered by inducing labor or C-section.  Inducing labor this early in a pregnancy is often unsuccessful; therefore C-section would be most …

  This letter to the editor first appeared on North Druid Hills-Briarcliff Patch.While I am not a fan of Walmart, this area desperately needs tax revenue and revitalization. Suburban Plaza is dying, and this area needs to jump-start with a major retailer. I would love to see a mixed use development with unique stores there, but the demographics don't support it. If the support were there, it would be going there as opposed to Clifton Road across from the Centers for Disease Control. Residents opposing the development need to get over it because, truthfully, the bad element they fear is …

Decatur-Avondale Estates Patch welcomes letters from readers of up to 300 words. Send them to renee.valdes@patch.com.  Dear Editor, Georgia took center stage in the national debate over childhood obesity last week. Our state ranks second in the nation in childhood obesity with an estimated cost to our health care system of nearly $2.5 billion. Georgia ranks sixth in the nation as the largest producer of fruits and vegetables, yet according to the Centers for Disease Control fewer than 14 percent of Georgians consume the recommended daily allowance of fruits and vegetables. If our children are…

Decatur-Avondale Estates Patch welcomes letters from readers of up to 300 words. Send them to renee.valdes@patch.com.  Dear Editor, In response to the "Dear Editor" letter regarding teleworking tips, I'd like to provide my own useful tips for teleparenting for those of us who usually have their children in school, after-care programs or early childhood learning centers who have now found themselves in need of activities to keep everyone busy and continually learning during the day, while snowed-in.1.  Start with a plan. As I have three kids under four, my plan mainly involves keeping the same…

Decatur-Avondale Estates Patch welcomes letters from readers of up to 300 words. Send them to renee.valdes@patch.com.  Dear Editor: As a teacher, I have enjoyed the time off from school this week. It’s been a welcome break to recover from a cold that set in at the end of last week. Although, now that I’m feeling better, I’m beginning to get a little cabin fever and I’d like to get out of the house. With the “snow-cation” extending through the week, many of my colleagues and I are concerned that we’ve lost a week of preparation for the CRCT. For those of you parents who are looking for new …