Sandy Springs reporter. (Sandy Springs, GA) 2007-current, March 02, 2021, Image 1

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Newspaper Page TextCOMMENTARY Lessons learned as pandemic arrives FOOD FOR THOUGHT Inside an authentic Cuban sandwich shop P8 ARTS & ENTERTAINMEHT Hear DIY songs named for local towns P10 Springs Reporter is mail delivered to homes on selected carrier routes in ZIPs 30327,30328, 30342 and 30350 For information: delivery@reporternewspapers.net SL# liuxied VO ‘eojuoiAi aivd e6eisod sn SSMU03 aislysyd y3i/\ioisno ivisod Pandemic Then and Now MASKS REQUIRED To stop the spread of the virus, Kroger requires all customers and associates to wear a mask while in our stores. Thank you for shopping with us today. A Do you feel sick? If you are sick or have been in the last 24 hours, please DO NOT ENTER. FILE/PHIL MOSIER In March 2020, shoppers formed long lines inside the Kroger at City Walk on Sandy Springs Place in the crush to stock up before pandemic lockdowns. A year later, the Kroger has posted signs about a mask-wearing requirement and the chain is home to COVID-19 vaccinations. For local reaction to the pandemic’s grim first anniversary, see our story on p. 20. Next question for Hammond Drive widening: Who pays? BY BOB PEPALIS Now that the city has a design for turn ing the two-lane section of Hammond Drive into a complex, four-lane version, the next question is whether residents have the appe tite to pay for it. Some nearby residents wonder what the city will do with the property purchased for the road if it never gets enough funding to build the road, which is projected to cost as much as $60 million. Though city officials have said they expect more funding for the project in the next transportation special lo cal option sales tax (TSPLOST) referendum, it won’t be enough to cover all construction costs. And voters could reject a five-year ex tension of the tax. “They are going two houses deep, so you See NEXT on page 15 Violent crime is up while overall rate drops BY BOB PEPALIS An increase in violent crime reported by the Sandy Springs Police Department in the city in 2020 matches national trends shown in the increase in homicides and aggravated assaults during the year of the pandemic and social unrest. The SSPD’s annual report said the over all rate of reported crime was down 8% from 2019. More violent crimes, including aggra vated assault, robbery and murder were re ported in 2020 than in 2019, the SSPD re ported in the city’s “2020 Year in Review” document. For property crimes, vehi cle theft and arson showed an increase in 2020. Larceny, entering auto and burglary cases dropped in 2020 from the previous year’s figures. Homicides, aggravated assaults and gun assaults began increasing dramatical ly over 2019 numbers in late May 2020, ac cording to “Pandemic, Social Unrest and Crime in U.S. Cities,” a report on 2020’s na tional crime rates produced by the Wash ington, D.C. think tank the Council on Criminal Justice. The think tank’s report said it wasn’t clear why reports of those crimes in creased. That timing coincides with the start of racial justice protests over George Floyd’s death at the hands of police. Crim inologists in the report say it’s too soon to tell whether there is any connection. Crime statistics come with many quali fications. Not all crimes are reported to po lice, and some that are reported turn out not to be crimes or are classified as differ ent offenses later. The six homicides investigated by SSPD in 2020 is an example of the statistical com- See VIOLENT on page 29 WELRY WHEN YOU ARE SEARCHING FOR SOMETHING OUT OF THE ORDINARY. THERE'S ONLY ONE PLACE TO GO. k I

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Sandy Springs reporter. (Sandy Springs, GA) 2007-current, March 02, 2021, Image 1