Champion Free Press - Feb. 14, 2014

8/13/2019 Champion Free Press - Feb. 14, 2014

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/champion-free-press-feb-14-2014 1/24

eKalb County School District Superintendent Mike Thurmond says the district has made “significant progress” with him at the helm. Photos by Caleb Wade

From left Karyn Greer, Jennifer Ffrench-Parker, Steen Miles, Valerie J. Morgan, Joyce Godfrey and Carolyn Jernigan Glenn. Photo by Travis Hudgons

EDUCATION, 18A

Business ........................17A

Classified .......................20A

Education .............. 18-19A

Sports...................... 21-23A

QUICK FINDER LAKESIDE

CITY BILL

STILL ALIVE

DEKALB

SCHOOLS HOLD

TECH FAIR

VALENTINE’S DAY

BIG FOR SCOTTDALE

FLORIST

BUSINESS, 3ALOCAL, 10A

championnewspaper championnewspaper champnewspaperchampionnews

thechampionnewspaper.com

We’re Social FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2014 • VOL. 16, NO. 47 • FREE

• A PUBLICATION OF ACE III COMMUNICATIONS • Serving East Atlanta, Avondale Estates, Brookhaven, Chamblee, Clarkston, Decatur, Doraville, Dunwoody, Lithonia, Pine Lake, Tucker and Stone Mountain.

F REE P RESS

See Honors on page 15A

See Thurmond on page 15A

Thurmond’s first year: ‘We are progressing’

DeKalb History Center honors five local trailblazers

On Feb. 8, 2013, Mike Thurmond became the superintendent of theDeKalb County School District. Inhe past year, Thurmond, a former

Georgia labor commissioner, has dealtwith accreditation probation, a schoolhooting, a contentious lawsuit and even

a snow storm.The following is the first of a two-

part interview by Andrew Cauthen,news editor for The ChampionNewspaper.

You started with the school boardsituation. You had the schoolshooting. You had AdvancED and you had the snowstorm. How would you describe your year in light of allof these pretty significant events?

Let’s not forget the budget deficit.Let’s not forget we had a $15 millionbudget deficit. The first challenge

was…the hearing at the state board,then the removal of the board. Therewas a period of time…when we didn’t

have a quorum. And, of course, thedeficit and then, of course, SACS andthe potential of losing accreditationand the shooting at McNair and mostrecently, the ice storm.

It’s been an eventful year. We’vemade, I think, significant progress,although there are many challengesahead. But I’ve enjoyed it. It’s been

a wonderful experience for meand probably the most rewardingexperience of my professional career,

particularly my public career.

Why do you think this has been themost rewarding? Why would you saythat?

I now understand why men andwomen…are called to be educators. Iunderstand now why they answer thecall. It’s inspiring to be surrounded by

100,000 young people every day. Youknow that you have potential to impact

by Kathy [email protected]

For the seventh year as part of itsBlack History Month celebration,the DeKalb History Center rec-

ognized county trailblazers. This year’sprogram—held Feb. 6 at the Historic

DeKalb Courthouse, which houses theHistory Center—honored women inmedia. Carolyn Jernigan Glenn, pub-isher of The Champion Newspaper — he program’s presenting sponsor—pre-ented awards to fve colleagues in the

news industry.“I have a personal connection with

ach of these recipients. It feels likeeunion time,” said Glenn, a past recipi-nt of the History Center award.

Award recipient Rashan Ali wasn’ton hand to receive her award person-ally, but noted in remarks read by hermother, Joyce Godfrey, “I’m probablyight at this very moment doing the

very thing you are giving me an award



THE CHAMPION FREE PRESS, FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2014 PAGE 2ALOCAL NEWS

Chamblee approves 2014 budget

Online studentLindsay Littleenrolled inan accountingclass whilestudying abroad.

Step upthe pace.

Be Fearless.

Are you juggling work and family and just need one class to

graduate? Maybe you want to start college by taking just an

art or history class? In any case, GPC offers eight-week spring

courses on campus and online to fit your busy schedule. Second-

half registration is now open for classes starting March 19.

Registration must be completed by February 21.

gpc.edu/secondhalf

. :

by Carla [email protected]

he Chamblee City Coun-il approved the $20.7 million

2014 fiscal year budget Feb. 3.According to the bud-

get outline, all funds total$20,679,326, with a generalund of approximately $15.7

million, using 2013’s millageate of 6.4 mils. General fundxpenditures exceed revenues

by $159,462 and require thatamount in fund balance to beappropriated.

Chamblee city councilmanThomas Hogan said the citys positioned “very well” for

2014.“On the heels of some

good priority-setting meet-ings, I feel that the budgetincludes funds necessary togrow our staff and to main-tain our services accordingto the standards that we set,”Hogan said. “We’re happy tomake [services] available tothose in the Chamblee annexarea.”

he budget includes thecosts associated with Cham-blee taking over the sanita-tion service for the 2011 an-nexation area–Huntley Hillsand Chamblee Motor Mile.he Solid Waste EnterpriseFund will require a transferfrom the general fund of$302,240 to supplement itsrevenues and achieve a bal-

anced budget, according tocity officials.

On Dec. 30, Chamblee’ssize and demographics in-

creased due to the passing ofthe annexation vote. City offi-cials said the population grewby roughly 75 percent from

15,600 to 27,300. he city’ssize grew by 63 percent from

See Budget on page 16A



THE CHAMPION FREE PRESS, FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2014 PAGE 3A

Commissioner working to get south DeKalb improvementsby Carla [email protected]

he Wesley Chapel corridor wasat one point a lively area with shops,estaurants and department stores.

However, with changing eco-

nomic conditions, the corridor alsounderwent changes with businessesuch as Ingles, Walmart and K-Marteaving the strip. DeKalb County

Commissioner Larry Johnson no-iced what was happening and orga-

nized a tour in 2005 o the area ordevelopers, members o the bankingcommunity as well as real estate andetail proessionals.

“We were looking at things tory and revitalize the area and try to

make it more prudent or businessopportunity and growth, not know-ng that the economy was going tourn the way it did,” Johnson said.

I saw what was happening in theDunwoody area with their commu-nity improvement districts (CID)and I said, ‘Why can’t we do theame thing or our area?’”

A task orce was ormed and in2008, the Wesley Chapel OverlayDistrict was ormed, and undingwas approved or a CID study.

A Livable Centers Initiative (LCI)was also ormed or Wesley Chapel.Funding was secured rom the At-anta Regional Commission (ARC)

and the area was included in ARC’sCommunity Choices program.

“his is a visioning processwhere community members, the

business community and govern-ment come together to identiyhose things in the community that

are great and good, those things thatare needed and develop methods bywhich those things that are neededcan be secured,” Johnson said.

As a result o those communitymeetings, the I-20 Overlay Districtwas ormed. his includes not onlyhe Wesley Chapel area, but the

Candler, Flat Shoals and Gresham

areas—areas that were suitable ordevelopment and redevelopment.

Phases 1 and 2—the easibilitystudy and identiication o propertyowners—were completed in 2009.Beore Phase 3 was complete—which sets the boundaries, createsthe CID board, sets the millage rate

and determines how the unds willbe used—business owners in theStonecrest area began consideringorming a CID as well.

“We decided to do a combinationon all o the south DeKalb areas,”Johnson said. “So the money thatwe’re shooting or Phase 3 will beused to look at how we get the busi-nesses who want to be a part o it tosign in and help because all o theunding will stay in that area or ex-tra police protection and beautiica-

tion.”Johnson said organizers are now

at the phase where the county canask businesses whether they want tobe a part o a CID. Phase 3 has to becompleted by the commercial prop-erty owners who then decide theboundaries o the CID.

“We’re now going to talk to busi-nesses to see i they would like to join and show them the beneits obeing a part o a CID,” Johnson said.“We need 60 to 70 percent [partici-pation].”

With the economy turningaround, development and redevel-opment is already taking place inthe Wesley Chapel corridor. A Race-rac gas station will be constructedsoon. A Krispy Kreme and a DunkinDonuts will be constructed later this

year, according to Johnson.Johnson also said Scores Sports

Bar and Grill on Wesley ChapelRoad will be torn down and theowners o the shopping center willremodel the inside o the store.

“he owner o that strip wherethe Kroger is located is going to do

the açade and the parking lot overagain,” Johnson said. “We’re also try-ing to get a major tenant in the oldK-Mart space and do the other halas a Dave and Busters project.”

Johnson is also encouraging resi-dents to become entrepreneurs andstart businesses in their community.

“Don’t wait or these name brandbusinesses to come in,” he said. “Getyour money together, be entrepre-neurs and do great things.”

Shopping centers on Wesley Chapel Road would be revitalized as part of the South DeKalb community improvement district. The WesleyChapel corridor will soon welcome new businesses such as a RaceTrac gas station, Krispy Kreme and Dunkin Donuts. Photos by Carla Parker



ONE MAN’S OPINION

There’s no business like...

“So, if you still think asuccessful career is much aboutuck, stop reading. If not, read

ahead so you can be prepared.”—Bloomberg TV anchor, reporter andauthor Betty Liu, in her new book Work Smarts.

I have led in many ways afortunate life, and I often sayhat I would rather be lucky than

good. In addition to intentionallyself-deprecating humor, I learneda long time ago that we can plan,prepare and try to be ready as bestwe can. And then if God and fortuneare still smiling on us, incredibleopportunity will often presenttself. We then need to make theight/best choices, move forward

and execute.A longtime friend and fellow

ournalist, Betty Liu, alreadywell-known to regular viewers of Bloomberg TV, CNBC or readersof The Financial Times ( FT ), orDow Jones Newswire, is wisebeyond her years in the ways ofbig business. Determined to cuta unique niche in business newseporting at a young age, Betty, a

first generation American after herparents legally immigrated to theUnited States. from China, wantedo become a “business journalist”

since her high school days inPhiladelphia.

She quickly succeeded on thatfront, with early stints as actingTaiwan bureau chief for Dow Jonesand later the FT Atlanta bureau,breaking significant stories andwinning global recognition by theSociety of Professional Journalists

SPJ) in 2000, 2001 and 2002 asa Top Business Journalist Under30. Other awards and recognitionfollowed, while Betty also becamea young mother of twin boys, andco-authored her first book on agingand living well titled, Age Smart ,

with Dr. Jeffrey Rosensweig ofEmory University and the GoizuetaSchool of Business.

But business “how to” bookscan often be a dry read, whetherghost-written or dictated, even bythe likes of Jack Welch and LeeIacocca. Not a bad read mind you, just a bit difficult to slag throughfrom one cover to the other.Lessons learned, yes, but not unlikethat high school teacher or college professor who “taught you a thingor two”—you still occasionallynodded off in their class.

Liu’s book, which is writtenvery much in the inviting andaccessible manner in which sheconducts an interview, is much morelike attending a cocktail party in

Manhattan with some of the world’smost successful entrepreneurs. Eachis in a good mood, willing to sharesome of the tricks of their particulartrade, as well as the life lessonswhich they most credit with helpingthem climb to what might appear toothers to be unreachable heights.

Liu’s new book, available onAmazon.com as well as better booksellers from Wiley Press, offersher narrative in a series of quickchapters and interview excerpts with

the likes of Warren Buffet, JamieDimon, Bill Gates, Rachel Ray, Sam Zell and Sir Martin Sorrell, the CEO of WPP, the world’s largestmarketing and communicationsholding company.

But like Liu’s morning news program In the Loop on Bloomberg,the book never dwells or stays toolong on any one topic. It adroitlyhops to a related quote, or subject,keeping the narrative moving anddropping another life lesson rightin front of the reader, like a seriesof never-ending bread crumbstaking you towards that sought afterknowledge pot of gold.

Advice books walk a tight ropeof offering guidance and “how to”without reading as preachy, or a

step-by-step procedural. This bookis neither, and at just under 200 pages, it’s easily digested on a planeride, afternoon at the pool or beachor on a rainy day, instead of stayingslimly bookmarked on the bed standgathering dust over a period ofmonths.

But you don’t need to take myword for it. Suzy Welch, author,wife of Jack , and former editorof the Harvard Business Review,says this about Liu’s book, having

written or co-authored a dozen orso of her own “how to succeedin business” tomes: “Betty haswritten a powerful, insightful book for anyone who has ever feltthey needed an extra push in theircareers. Packed with sharp advice,candid revelations, and funny personal stories, Work Smarts is anessential book to have if you wantto succeed.”

I can’t recommend it as aValentine’s gift, but GraduationDay this spring will be here ina blink, and any friend goingthrough a career lull or transitionwill benefit—and I certainly gotmore than a few pointers on myown. Cheers to Ms. Liu, keep ‘emcoming.

Bill Crane also serves as a political analyst and commentator for Channel 2’s Action News, WSB- AM News/Talk 750 and now 95.5 FM, as well as a columnist for TheChampion, Champion Free Pressand Georgia Trend. Crane is a

DeKalb native and business owner,living in Scottdale. You can reachhim or comment on a column [email protected].

THE CHAMPION FREE PRESS, FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2014 PAGE 4AOPINION



Let Us Know What You Think!

THE CHAMPION FREE PRESS encourages opinions fromits readers. Please write to us and express your views. Lettersshould be brief, typewritten and contain the writer’s name,address and telephone number for verification. All letters willbe considered for publication.

Send Letters To Editor, The Champion Free Press, P. O. Box 1347,Decatur, GA 30031-1347; Send E-Mail to [email protected] To: (404) 370-3903 Phone: (404) 373-7779Deadline for news releases and advertising: Thursday, one week prior topublication date.

EDITOR’S NOTE: The opinions written by columnists and contributing editorsdo not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editor or publishers. The Pub-lisher reserves the right to reject or cancel any advertisement at any time. ThePublisher is not responsible for unsolicited manuscripts.

Publisher: John Hewitt

Chief Fina ncial Offi cer Dr. Earl D. Glenn

Managing Editor: Kathy Mitchell

News Editor: Andrew Cauthen

Production Manager: Kemesha Hunt

Photographer: Travis Hudgons

The Champion Free Press is published each

Friday by ACE III Communications, Inc.,

114 New Street, Suite E, Decatur, GA. 30030

Phone (404) 373-7779.

www.championnewspaper.com

DISPLAY ADVERTISING (404) 373-7779 x 110

F REE P RESS

STATEMENT FROM THE PUBLISHER

We sincerely appreciate the discussion surroundingthis and any issue of interest to DeKalb County. TheChampion was founded in 1991 expressly to providea forum for discourse for all community residents onall sides of an issue. We have no desire to make thenews only to report news and opinions to effect amore educated citizenry that will ultimately move ourcommunity forward. We are happy to present ideasfor discussion; however, we make every effort to avoidprinting information submitted to us that is known tobe false and/or assumptions penned as fact.

Printed on 100%post-consumer recycled paper

Andrew [email protected]

News Editor

Poultry victims of fatal accident should be remembered

It was a sad day in January whena truck carrying live chickens over-urned in Athens, killing dozens—

dozens o chickens, that is.According to the Gainesville

Times, the early morning Jan. 27crash injured a Hall County sheriff ’sdeputy driving a pickup and theruck driver. Te men were treated

and released rom the hospital the

same day. Many chickens were not solucky.

Earlier this month, Atlanta resi-dent Sarah Segal, a member o Peopleor the Ethical reatment o Animals,applied to the Georgia Department

o ransportation (GDO) to place a10-oot-tall memorial tombstone atthe site o the crash.

Te memorial would read, “Inmemory o the dozens o terrifiedchickens as a result o a truck crash,January 27, 2014. Go Vegan.”

Tree years ago, GDO got intothe roadside memorial businesswhen it decided that makeshif me-morials are a distraction to driversand a saety hazard. Now, GDOwill place a white sign with the

name o the deceased at the sites oatal accidents or $100 ee.

In Segal’s application or a road-side memorial, she said, “Althougha relative o the deceased is usuallyrequired to ulfill requests or road-side memorials, I hope you will al-low a concerned citizen such as meto suffi ce in this case.

“Tese chickens, who spent theirentire short lives … on a actoryarm beore their agonizing deaths,have no known living relatives,” shesaid.

I can only imagine what thosedozens o chickens experiencedwhile being tossed about in theirchicken cages as the truck crashed.What went through their tiny poul-

try minds? In addition to the terrorcited by the text o the proposedmemorial, I believe they elt regret.

Teir destinies were cut short aew days too soon. Tey would nev-er be plucked or marinated or nug-getized. Tey would never be riedand stuffed into a ast-ood chickenbucket. Tey would never see a grillor roaster or hot oven. Tey wouldnever adorn a plate or go on a pic-nic. Tey would never be a part o asandwich or a taco or a dip.

Teir deaths were so meaning-less.

So I support the monument. Nouneaten chicken should ever die un-remembered.

THE CHAMPION FREE PRESS, FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2014 PAGE 5AOPINION




COMMUNITY “ in

When Doreen Carter learned that AARP wasplanning a job air or

job seekers 50 years oldand older she decidedshe’d be perect as a vol-unteer. “I have a lot oexperience organizing

job airs so I have ex-pertise I believe will be

valuable,” she said. “hisis a group I eel stronglyabout helping.”

With an accountingdegree and a master’sdegree in business ad-ministration, Carter saidshe’s pleased to be able toapply her business edu-cation and experience inways that strengthen thecommunity. A Leader-ship DeKalb graduate,she commented, “I alwayswant to improve where Iam.”

For the past 14 years,Lithonia has been Carter’shome and where she hasplaced most o her volun-

teer energies.Carter, who is presi-

dent o the GreaterLithonia Chamber oCommerce, said she’sheavily involved in thecommunity and almostall the community workshe does is as a volunteer.“I’m a widow with threeboys, so people are otensurprised at how much Ido on a volunteer basis,but that’s just who I am. Ieel that serving the com-munity is just part o be-

ing a good citizen.”An Atlanta native,Carter recalled that whenshe was growing up hermother “was very en-gaged in community andchurch work. For me,” she

said, “it has always justbeen part o lie—part owhat you do.”

Carter has served on atask orce to ind ways tospur economic growth inthe Stonecrest area and in2006 and 2007 served onthe Blue Ribbon Commit-tee or Future Funding oDeKalb.

Although the GreaterLithonia Chamber oCommerce is supportingthe AARP event, sched-uled or March 20 at theLou Walker Senior Cen-ter, Carter said the bulko the work she’s doing inpreparation or the airis outside her duties withthe chamber.

“here’s a lot morework than most peoplerealize involved in settingup a job air,” she said.“Large numbers o pro-spective employers need

to be lined up. I help withthat and with marketingand publicizing the air.And, o course, I’ll bethere working on the dayo the job air.”

If you would like to nominate someone

to be considered as a future Champion

of the Week, please contact Kathy

Mitchell at [email protected] or

at (404) 373-7779, ext. 104.

DOREEN CARTER

ChampionoftheWeek

Brookhaven residents askingcity to settle with Pink Pony

Suspect in murder case shot at New Birth Churchby Carla [email protected]

A man wanted in con-

nection with the death o hisgirlriend’s baby was shotby a DeKalb County deputyFeb. 5 in the parking lot oNew Birth Missionary Bap-ist Church in Lithonia.

Nicholas ClarenceWade, 27, o Lithonias accused o killing an8-month-old boy Feb. 3.

According to the police re-port, Wade’s girlriend, Jil-ian Belk , told police she let

her son, Keon Belk , withWade around 5:20 a.m. Belkaid she received a phone

call rom Wade inormingher that he was at Children’sHealthcare o Atlanta at Eg-eston with the toddler, ac-

cording to the police report.Wade told Belk the child

was having diiculty breath-ing, so he called 911. heboy was in cardiac arrestwhen emergency respond-

ers arrived to the scene, thepolice report states. hetoddler had an cracked liverand ractured skull, accord-ing to the police report. hechild later died.

DeKalb Sheri’s Oicespokesman Lt. Kyle Jonessaid deputies received inor-mation Feb. 5 that Wade wasin an apartment complex inthe area o Panola and Fair-ington roads in Lithonia.

“When deputies re-sponded to that locationthey observed [Wade] get-ting in a black BMW withtwo emales,” Jones said.

he deputies, who werein an unmarked car, ol-lowed the suspect into theparking lot o New Birth.

“At that time, the depu-ties elt like that was thesaest place, away rom thepublic, to conduct a elony

traic stop on his vehicle,”Jones said. “hey were ableto pull alongside the car andbox him in.”

Jones said Wade exitedthe vehicle armed with asawed-o shotgun, pointedthe gun at himsel then atthe deputy, prompting an-other deputy to shoot him.Jones said Wade was able toget o one shot.

Wade was taken intocustody and transported toGrady Memorial Hospital,where he was treated or hisinjuries. Wade is currentlyin the DeKalb County jailhas been charged with mur-der and cruelty to children.

A bond has not been set.


A Brookhaven resident has started a pe-ition asking city oicials to settle with the

Pink Pony adult entertainment club.On Jan. 19, Brookhaven resident

Kathy Forbes posted the petition on theBrookhaven alerts website asking otherBrookhaven residents to sign the petition.

“Brookhaven residents are being calledupon to sign a petition requesting thatBrookhaven’s elected oicials representheir constituents,” Forbes wrote. “he pe-ition speciically requests that the city o

Brookhaven reach a settlement agreementwith the Pink Pony that allows them to con-inue to operate as they have or the past 22

years.”

On Dec. 23, Superior Court JudgeCourtney Johnson issued an order grant-ng Brookhaven’s motion to dismiss Pink

Pony’s lawsuit against the city, ruling it hasno legal merit. he Pink Pony adult enter-ainment club o Buord Highway iled aawsuit in May ater the city adopted an

ordinance that would prohibit nudity andorce stricter alcohol pouring and salesimes or liquor license holder businesses inhe city.

Pink Pony’s lawyer planned to appeal theuling. In June, Brookhaven temporarily

halted enorcing the ordinance against PinkPony until a ruling was made in the law-uit. he city’s ordinances mirror those in

DeKalb County, Fulton County, Doraville,

Sandy Springs, Johns Creek and other near-by jurisdictions.

In the petition, Forbes listed nine sup-porting arguments on why the city shouldettle. he arguments include lack o evi-

dence “that the Pink Pony has had a nega-ive eect on surrounding property values;”he $460,000 the Pink Pony will provide

the city in annual revenues; and the lack oevidence “that supports the city’s claim thatthe Pink Pony negatively aects the well-being and saety o Brookhaven residents.”

“I we continue the battle, we not onlylose out on the revenue, we continue toincur costly litigation expenses, potentiallyor years to come,” Forbes stated. “UnderDeKalb’s existing ordinance, no new stripclubs have opened in DeKalb County or20 years. In act, two clubs closed and wentout o business during that period. hesettlement agreement with DeKalb Countyworked or everyone.

“We expect our elected oicials to treatbusinesses airly,” Forbes added. “Deliber-ately including a long-time business withincity limits, then immediately acting to shutit down upon incorporation, is not airtreatment. It is not right.”

Brookhaven resident Kathy Forbes posted apetition on the Brookhaven Alerts website thatasks city ofcials to settle with the Pink Pony adultentertainment club.




COMMUNITY

AROUNDDEKALBSPECIAL EVENTS

Feb 14. Valentine’s Parent’s Night Out to

benefit heart foundation. Valentine’s Parent’sNight Out, an event beneting The Children’sHeart Foundation, Georgia Chapter, will be heldat Leapin’ Lizards Play and Party Center, 185Sams St., Decatur, 7-11 p.m. Children ages 4 andolder can have supervised playtime and snackswhile parents go out for Valentine’s Day. A do-nation of $25 is requested for the rst child and$20 for each additional child. Rafe tickets to wina Leapin’ Lizards birthday party valued at $250are available for $5 each. For more information oro purchase tickets, visit http://weblink.donorper-

fect.com/ParentsNightOut.

Feb. 15. Great Bird Count. Te Dunwoody Na-

ure Center will be offering classes or adults andchildren to participate in this year’s Great BackyardBird Count. It will eature inormation about speciesdentification, the importance o the bird count,

how to do basic bird observation, and how to cor-ectly enter the tally into the Great Backyard Bird

Count website. Several computers will be availableat the Nature Center so that participants will beable to enter their data correctly. Participants areencouraged to use the 22 acres o Dunwoody Parko do their bird count. Te event is ree and openo the public, but reservations are recommended.

Te event is held rom 9:30-11 a.m. at the naturecenter, 5343 Roberts Drive, Dunwoody. Call (770)394-3322 or more inormation.

Feb. 16. Rushdie to Speak at Two Public Events atEmory . Acclaimed author Salman Rushdie returnso Emory University for two public events during

his February visit.Tickets are now available for Rushdie’s first

public appearance, “Wonder Tales,” presented byhe Emory College of Arts and Sciences and the

Office of the Provost on Sunday, Feb. 16 at 5 p.m.n Glenn Memorial Auditorium.

Tickets are free, and can be ordered online. Formore information, visit www.emory.edu/events/ushdie.

For this event, Rushdie returns to the roots of hisove of literature with a lecture about the so-called

“wonder tales” of the East — the Mahabharata,Ramayana, Panchatantra, Katha-Sarit-Sagar, andArabian Nights stories.

Rushdie also will discuss current and emerg-ng writers in India during the 5th Annual India

Summit, Monday, Feb. 17 from 4 to 5 p.m. inGoizueta Business School’s Boynton Auditoriumroom E130).

During a conversation on “Contemporary Lit-erature in India” Rushdie will be joined by mod-erator Paul Courtright, professor of religion andAsian studies at Emory, to explore the cultural,political, and global influences of contemporaryndian literature.

A two-day pass or the summit, which runs Feb.17 and 18, is $25; a one-day pass is $15. icketsnclude entry into all keynotes and sessions, along

with catered lunch and rereshments.o register, or or more inormation, visit www.

halleinstitute.emory.edu/india-summit/.

Feb. 21. Emory Hospital to host heart healthevent. he presentation “How to Prevent, Detect

and reat Heart Disease in Women” will be deliv-ered by Emory Women’s Heart Center physicianAlexis Cutchins at Emory University Hospital,12:30-1 p.m. in the hospital’s atrium. Emory Uni-

versity Hospital is located at 1364 Cliton Road, NE,Atlanta. o learn more or to register or a women’sheart health event, call Emory HealthConnectionsat (404) 778-7777. he event is ree and parkingwill be available in the hospital’s main parking lot.

Feb. 22. DeKalb Convention & Visitors Bureau’sReunion Planning Workshop. Those planning afamily reunion may want to attend this workshop togain advice and tips on making the most of this spe-cial family event. The workshop takes place from9 a.m. to noon at Marriott Evergreen ConferenceResort, 4021 Lakeview Drive, Stone Mountain. Itis free but pre-registration is required. Call (770)429-5016 to register.

March 29-30. Village hosts annual bluegrassfestival. Stone Mountain Village is hosting its an-nual bluegrass and arts and crafts festival, locatedon Main Street in Stone Mountain.

The Fifth Annual Bluegrass Roots Music andArts Festival will also be celebration the 175th an-niversary of the founding of Stone Mountain.

Entertainment includes bluegrass music, artsand crafts, folk dancing and other genres of re-gional music.

The festival will also feature glassblowing, a

blacksmith, food, trains rides and inatables forchildren. Parking, admission and all musical per-formances are free and open to the public.

The festival runs Saturday 10 a.m.- 6 p.m. andSunday 11 a.m.- 6 p.m. For more information con-tact Chris Strawbridge at (770) 413-0607.

Ongoing. Tours of Callanwolde Mansion.Area residents can experience Callanwolde’s27,000-square-foot Gothic-Tudor mansion locatedon 12.5 acres in the Druid Hills neighborhood ofAtlanta. Those on the tour see how the Candler fam-ily of Coca-Cola fame lived as they stroll throughthe formal and native gardens, view artists at workand learn more about Atlanta history. Callanwolde,

located at 960 Briarcliff Road NE in Atlanta, islisted on the National Register of Historic Places.Tours are available from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. week-days. Tickets are $8-$12. For more information, goto www.callanwolde.org.

Ongoing. Homeschool Extras. he MarcusJewish Community Center o Atlanta (MJCCA)recently introduced Homeschool Extras. MetroAtlanta homeschool amilies are welcome toMJCCA’s’s 52-acre, state-o-the-art Dunwoodycampus to participate in hands-on group activi-ties. Participants in Homeschool Extras can getactive with sports such as tennis, gymnastics, andswimming; or explore their artistic side with drama

and dance. Registration is open now. Classes startin January. Programs are oered between 11 a.m.and 1 p.m., Monday-Friday. For more inormation,contact Ashley Cohen at (678) 812-3867 or [email protected]; or visit www.atlanta-

jcc.org/homeschool. Oered on a semester basis,Homeschool Extras is designed or age groups: 4-6,7-9 and 10-13. MJCCA membership is not required,

and Homeschool Extras is open to the community.

Ongoing. Registration for Second AnnualRace for the Art. Registration is open or this 5Krun/walk starting at the Porter Sanord Perorm-ing Arts and Community Center, 3181 RainbowDrive, Decatur. Cost or an individual is $20 and$25 or teams with ive or more participants. herace takes place March 29. o register go to www.active.com/decatur-ga/running/distance-running-races/second-annual-porter-sanord-race-or-the-arts-5k-walk-run-2014.

Ongoing. Free tax assistance and preparation. his service, available or low- and moderate-income taxpayers, is available rom AARP Founda-tion ax-Aide rom Feb. 3 through April 15. Youdo not need to be a member o AARP or a retireeto use this service. AARP Foundation ax-Aide

volunteers, trained in cooperation with the Inter-nal Revenue Service, will oer help with personalincome tax returns at various locations aroundGeorgia. Last year, AARP Foundation ax-Aide

volunteers in the United States helped more than2 million people ile their ederal, state and localtax returns. he program is oered at many sitesin Georgia, including senior centers, libraries andother convenient location. Call the toll-ree number,1-888-AARPNOW (1-888-227-7669) or visit thewebsite at www.aarp.org/taxaide during this tax sea-son, to locate an AARP Foundation ax-Aide site.

Ongoing in February. Eat Well Indie-catur. InFebruary, Decatur Active Living and Decatur Visi-tors Center team up again with local restaurants orthe Eat Well Indie-catur Campaign. Visit a partici-pating restaurant any day during February, chooseone o their eatured healthy entrees and get a EatWell Indie-catur card signed. Cards will be availableat participating locations and at the Decatur VisitorsCenter. Participate three times during February andearn a recipe book eaturing some o Decatur res-taurants’ healthiest recipes. Recipes will be availableat the Decatur Visitor’s Center, 113 Clairemont Ave.in Decatur. Participating restaurants are Victory,246, Chai Pani, wain’s, Parkers on Ponce, Corner

Pub, Colbeh, Cakes and Ale and Sapori di Napoli.

REGULAR MEETINGS

West African dance classes. Classes are taughtby master West African dance instructor AssaneKouyate. Open to participants of all ages and lev-els who are ready for a fun-filled, energy packedclass. raditional and modern dances are taught.In addition, participants can develop an aware-ness of how song traditions work hand in handwith dance movement as a means of expressionand communication of daily life in West Africancultures. Tursdays; Beacon Hill Centre Teatre

(corner Electric and W. rinity Place–inside Eb-ster Rec Center at the back), 404 West rinityPlace, Decatur, 7 - 8:15 p.m., Cost: $12. For moreinformation, Email: [email protected] or visit www.sekhousenegal.com/westafricandance.




Dunwoody recognizes top cops

Restaurant Health InspectionsEstablishment Name: Rice ThaiAddress: 8075 Mall Parkway, Suite 110Current Score/Grade: 88/BInspecon Date: 01/31/2014

Observaons and Correcve AconsUpon inspector arrival, raw beef was being thawed at room tem-perature. Corrected to thaw under running water. Corrected On-

Site. New Violaon.Sliced pineapples were not kept in a dispenser designed to preventcontaminaon. Corrected to store the pineapples in an approvedcontainer. Corrected On-Site. New Violaon.Employee beverages were being stored in direct contact with icestored in the ice machine. Corrected to remove the beverages, drainand clean the ice machine. Corrected On-Site. New Violaon.Upon inspector arrrival, the cooks were not wearing hair restraints.Corrected to wear hair nets. Corrected On-Site. New Violaon.Soiled dirty wiping cloths were being stored on counter tops be-tween uses. Corrected to store cloths in the sanizer bucket. Cor-rected On-Site. New Violaon.Hot water was not available inside the men’s restroom. Restore thehot water immediately. New Violaon.Live roach acvity was observed crawling inside the kitchen. Theowner was advised to seek pest control.Several dead roaches were observed in the kitchen on walls andooring. Corrected to clean up the dead roaches. Repeat Violaon

Establishment Name: Classic Wings And Dogs

Address: 4270 Covington HighwayCurrent Score/Grade: 92/AInspecon Date: 02/03/2014

Observaons and Correcve AconsNo cered food safety manager employed at facility. PIC advised toregister for CFSM course. New Violaon.Tank near fryer unclean with excessive grease build-up. PIC advisedto clean at a frequency which prevents accumulaon. New Viola-on.Faucet at hand sink in disrepair- hole in faucet causing water tospray upwards. PIC advised to have repaired. New Violaon.Light near fryer unshielded. PIC advised to replace shield. New Vio-laon.

Establishment Name: Somali Youth CafeAddress: 5047 Memorial Drive, Suite BCurrent Score/Grade: 74/CInspecon Date: 02/03/2014

Establishment Name: Hong Kong CityAddress: 4819 Rockbridge Road, Suite 9Current Score/Grade: 82/BInspecon Date: 02/03/2014

Observaons and Correcve AconsCold-held potenally hazardous foods not maintained below 41F;no me controls/documentaon in place.Observed cooked/pre-cooked chicken, prok, shrimp, tofu, pasta andmixed vegetables (carrots & peas) not maintained at 41F or below.Advised to discard and to maintain at 41F or below.PIC discarded food items except for pasta which he put me con -trols in place. Corrected On-Site. Repeat Violaon.Observed gravy at steam table however steam table was not turnedon.PIC discarded gravy. Corrected On-Site.In-use, wet wiping cloths not stored in an approved sanizing solu-on.Advised to store wet wiping cloths in sanizer.PIC stored wet wiping cloths in sanizer. Corrected On-Site.

Facilies for storage of employee belongings not used appropriately.Advised to store personal food on boom shelf below customerfood and equipment.PIC removed personal food and stored on boom shelf. CorrectedOn-Site.Perimeter walls/roofs not eecvely protecng the establishmentfrom weather or the entry of pests.Observed daylight at rear door.Advised to re-do the weather strips on boom and sides of door.

Establishment Name: Pizza Hut # 4765Address: 3255 Buford HighwayCurrent Score/Grade: 92/AInspecon Date: 02/06/2014

Establishment Name: Harbour Bar & Fish HouseAddress: 129 Church StreetCurrent Score/Grade: 98/AInspecon Date: 02/06/2014

Establishment Name: American DeliAddress: 1881 Chamblee Tucker Road, Suite 3-2Current Score/Grade: 83/BInspecon Date: 02/06/2014

by Andrew Cauthen

[email protected]

Dunwoody Police O-icer Kerry Stallings saidhe best part o his job is he

gets to play “real cops-and-obbers.”

“You get to do the untu,” Stallings said. “You

get to look or bad guys andchase people in cars. Everykid in the world dreams atome point about being ableo chase a bad guy.

“You play cops-and-obbers as a child and that

dream never really goesaway,” Stallings said.

Stalling has been namedDunwoody Police Depart-ment’s 2013 Oicer o theYear or responding to a callabout a woman preparing tocommit suicide.

In May 2013, Stallings

responded to a call at the

Manhattan Condominiumswhere he saw a womanpreparing to jump o theith loor o a parking deck.When Stallings made hisway to the ith loor, heound the woman cryingand standing with her eethalway o the nine-inchledge.

Stallings talked with thewoman and ater severalminutes was able to workhis way close enough to grabthe woman’s hand, pull herto him, and wrap her in abear hug. He then lited herover a barrier and onto theparking deck.

“I responded and did thebest that I could,” said Stall-ings, a Georgia native.

For the incident, Stallingsalso was awarded the gov-ernor’s public saety award

and Dunwoody’s meritous

award.Other 2013 achievementawards given out by theDunwoody Police Depart-ment include employee othe year, Brian Bolden;marksman o the year, Ser-geant Aaron Belt; top copaward, Sergeant PatrickKrieg ; rising star award, O-icer Terell Styles; oicero the irst quarter, OicerHarold “Trey” Nelson; o-icer o the third quarterand meritorious servicemedal, Oicer ChristopherIrwin; Oicer o the FourthQuarter and Chie ’s Award,Oicer Tim Fecht; meritori-ous service medal, OicerDanny Tedesco; physicalitness challenge awards:Oicer Trey Nelson and O-icer Ian Fein.

Dunwoody Police Ofcer Kerry Stallings has been named the department’s ofcer of the year. Photo by CalebWade

NOTICE OF INTENTION TO INTRODUCE LOCAL LEGISLATION

Notice is given that there will be introduced at the regular 2014 session of the

General Assembly of Georgia a bill to amend an Act to reincorporate the City of

Clarkston in the County of DeKalb, approved April 21, 1967 (Ga. L. 1967, p.

3391), as amended, so as to change the corporate limits of the city by annexing

certain territory; to provide for related matters; to provide for a referendum; toprovide an effective date; and for other purposes.

Tracy Ashby, City Clerk

City of Clarkston




Commissioners, county staff discuss budget priorities

CLAUDIA G. LAWSONTax Commissioner

DeKalb County, GA

4380 Memorial Drive, Suite 100, Decatur, Georgia 30032 (404-298-4000)

ATTENTION ALL DEKALB COUNTY

HOMEOWNERS

The 2014 Property Tax Exemption Deadline is FastApproaching!

If you owned and resided in a home in DeKalb County on January 1st, you may

apply for a Basic Homestead Exemption and Property Assessment Freeze with

the County by April 1st of this year. The home must be your primary domicile

and legal residence for all purposes, including the registration of your vehicles

and the filing of your Federal and State income taxes. Applications received

after April 1st will be processed for 2015.

In addition to the basic homestead exemption available to all homeowners, there

are special exemptions available for residents 62 and older, disabled veterans or

their un-remarried spouses, and other disabled residents. Eligibility for special

exemptions is based upon age or disability, total household income, and must

be applied for in person. When applying, please bring your State and Federalincome tax forms, Social Security 1099, and any other forms of income you

may receive, to one of our three offices across the County.

North Office Main Office South Office1358 Dresden Dr., NE 4380 Memorial Dr. 2801 Candler Rd. #66

Atlanta, GA 30319 Suite 100 South DeKalb Mall

Decatur, GA 30032 Decatur, GA 30034

Remember, the deadline for applying for all homesteads is

April 1st!

Apply for the Basic Homestead Exemption, the Property Assessment Freeze, or

renew your tag registration online at: www.dekalbcountyga.gov/taxcommissioner

Questions? Call (404) 298-4000 or email us [email protected]

by Daniel [email protected]

In anticipation of nal-zing a 2014 budget, mem-

bers of the DeKalb County

Board of CommissionersBOC) met with departmentheads Feb. 6 to discuss theirbudget priorities and chal-enges.

At a nance, audit andbudget committee meet-ng, staff from the DeKalb

County Transportation Divi-ion, Roads and Drainage

Division and the DeKalbCounty Public Library dis-cussed their budgetary re-quests.

Interim TransportationDirector Doug Edwardsaid the transportation divi-

ion responsibilities includemaintenance of trafc sig-nals, management of road-way construction projectsand street light maintenance.

This year’s proposedbudget from interim DeKalbCounty CEO Lee May hasoutlined $3.4 million for thedivision, an increase of ap-proximately 70 percent from2013. However, Edwardsaid that there has been a

high turnover rate in the de-partment in past years.

According to ofcials,

out of 29 authorized posi-ions there are 24 fundedpositions in the proposed

2014 budget. Edwards saidthis is due primarily to sev-eral inspectors retiring andengineers retiring.

“Since 2008, the numberof positions in the depart-

ment has steadily declinedfrom a maximum of 46,”Edwards said.

Morris Williams, chiefof staff for the BOC, said itwill take approximately sixweeks to ll the positions.

“Something is falling behind,” CommissionerLarry Johnson said. “I justdon’t want to lose the thingswe’re working on based onexpertise not being here.”

Edwards offered com-missioners a list of high-lights from 2013, whichincluded the completion

of the Moreland Avenuestreetscape project, begin-ning construction on theCandler Road streetscape project and opening the Li-thonia Industrial Boulevardextension to trafc.

Additionally, Edwardssaid the division faces chal-lenges this year. He saidthey will need to addressthe loss of staff and limitedHomestead Optional SalesTax (HOST) will restrictthe implementation of new projects.

The county’s Roadsand Drainage Division isresponsible for maintain-

ing the county’s roadwaysand stormwater drainagesystems. Associate Direc-tor Peggy Allen said lastyear the division spent approximately $12 million on

stormwater funding and $8million for roads and drain-age. Since 2009, there have been signicant reductionsto the division’s budget.

In May’s proposed 2014 budget, there is approxi-mately $9 million desig-nated for roads and drain-age, a 9.4 percent increasefrom last year. This yearsstormwater budget, whichincludes reserves, is approx-imately $24 million.

Allen said her depart-ment will also be undertak-ing more stormwater proj-

ects in 2014 than it did lastyear and will make pavingroads a priority.

“This is an area that wehave to put more attention

to, so we’re going to do alot more of that this year because our roads are failingand we need to patch them before they get worse,” Al-len said.

The DeKalb County Pub-lic Library system, which isresponsible for operating the22 library branches in thecounty, is slated to receiveapproximately $12.7 millionfor its budget. Additionally,the library system receivesapproximately $1 millionin grants each year from theGeorgia Public Library Ser-vice. This funding is divided between all of the 63 librarysystems in the state.

Alison Weissinger,director of the library sys-tem, said the main issue the

system struggles with eachyear is its materials budget.Weissinger said since 2008the system has experienceda cumulative loss of more

than $10 million, which hasaffected the system’s abilityto purchase titles and main-tain resources for patrons.

The materials budget forthe library system covers or-

dering books, CDs, DVDs,databases, periodicals andmore. Weissinger said thelack of funding for suchmaterials has hampered itsability to expand into newformats patrons are askingfor such as downloadableeBooks, music and movies.

“DeKalb lags behind ev-ery other large metro countyand even some countiesin the most poor and ruralareas of Georgia when youlook at per capita spendingon materials,” Weissingersaid.

The nal budget must beapproved by the BOC andadopted no later than March1.

More than 1,000 tireshave been removed romoadsides, woods and wet-ands in and around the

Arabia Mountain NationalHeritage Area. On Satur-day, Feb. 8, volunteers romhe Georgia Conservancy

and the Arabia MountainHeritage Alliance, which in-cludes the City o Lithonia,Panola Mountain State Park,Monastery o the Holy Spir-

t, Flat Rock Archives andhe Davidson-Arabia Moun-ain Nature Preserve, anned

out across parts o DeKalband Rockdale to clean up

scrap tire dumps.For more than our

hours, trucks deposited tiresat drop-o points at theNature Preserve and PanolaMountain State Park. Localresidents brought in tiresthat littered their proper-ties or placed them alongdesignated roadside pick-upareas.

Liberty ire Recyclingretrieved the tires ree-o-

charge and will transormthem into rubber mulchused in landscaping and ac-tivity trails.

Volunteers remove 1,000tires from Arabia Mountain




Lakeside city bill passes senate committeeby Andrew [email protected]

Voters in the Lakeside commu-

nity came a step closer to orming anew city Feb. 5.

Georgia Senate Bill 270 made ithrough the Senate’s state and local

governmental operations commit-ee. he bill, which still has to maket to the loor o the House and Sen-te, would give Lakeside voters thehance to vote to incorporate.

“What we’re asking or is not onlyocal control, but what we reer tos walking distance representation,”aid Kevin Levitas, an Lakeside City

Alliance board member.“In our county, or every one

ommissioner there are 140,000

esidents,” Levitas said. “For eacht large commissioner, there are40,000 residents. Under the pro-

posed [Lakeside] map, there wouldbe roughly 15,000 residents to eachone city council person.

“he idea is that i you have apothole, i you have a zoning issue…nd you go to the dairy section ohe Kroger, you can spin the mayorround and say, ‘What are you guyshinking?’” Levitas said.

Levitas said the proposed incor-poration is “not about pulling awayrom the county, it’s about takingontrol o your rights and your

destiny in your area and being re-

ponsible or those things. I you’rebout local control, this is as local ast gets.”

Mary Kay Woodworth, chair-woman o the Lakeside City Alli-

ance, said the nonproit citizens’group has been working or 13months to create a city that would“do the same as the other new cities

in DeKalb.”Lakeside would “help boost the

[county’s] tax revenue to help make[DeKalb] a stronger county,” Wood-worth said. “I you have a strong citywith a great sense o community andgreat place to do business, peoplewill want to locate there.

“I think that we can do greatthings within the city and with thecounty,” she said.

here was opposition to theLakeside bill going orward.

Deborah Keefe, who lives nearthe proposed city, said, “I don’t thinkwe have to go into all these cities.

“I don’t want to gut the countyand I don’t think we really need allthese cities,” Keee said. “Maybe weshould be working on the countylevel to straighten all these thingsout and put that energy there.”

Sen. Gloria Butler , a membero the Senate’s state and local gov-ernmental operations committee,objected to the legislation going di-rectly to the Senate instead o goingthrough the local delegation.

“In most cases…we’ve alwayshandled local legislation in the localdelegation,” Butler said. “We’re notollowing the process that we shouldollow. All o the senators in this

state will have the ability to vote onsomething that should just concernthe certain people that live in thatarea.”

Sen. Fran Millar , a Republican,

said he presented the bill as a gen-eral bill instead o a local delegationbecause the Republican Party is incontrol o the Senate.

In the past, he said, “everybody voted on a local bill, it’s a question owhen they vote on it.”

Lakeside is one o three proposedcities, along with Briarcli anducker, with overlapping maps; eacharea is vying or the Northlake busi-ness district.

Ater a Jan. 9 DeKalb legisla-tive delegation meeting, lawmakersurged proponents o all three pro-posed cities to resolve their overlap-ping maps within 10 days. No suchmediation has taken place to date.

Interim DeKalb CEO Lee May said the incorporation issue is “a

conversation that we…are having inthe public that we really should behaving in DeKalb County.”

“You all have been put in a veryuncomortable position, or those oyou who don’t live or represent anyparts o DeKalb County,” May toldsenators.

May said DeKalb County leadersare changing their stance on city-hood.

“It’s not one o saying ‘no, no,no,’” May said. “Historically, that’swhat it’s been. It’s been ‘no’ to Dun-woody, ‘no’ to Brookhaven, ‘no’ tonew cities, period.

“My position is this: New cities

are not a bad thing, but I am criti-cally concerned about the process,”May said. “he process…has a verypunitive eect on the county.”

Each incorporation takes unding

rom the county and increases theinancial burden on the remainingunincorporated areas, he said.

In addition to the proposed cities

with overlapping maps, there are ex-isting cities with “master annexationplans [that]…encroach into theseproposed cities, he said.

“Any vote that you take is goingto irritate a whole lot o people,”May said. “We believe as a countythat we can work out this issue to-gether, sitting down at the table.

“What we’re asking or is a cool-ing o period,” May said. “Let us getthrough this session with nothingdone—no winners, no losers—butwith the county and all the keystakeholders sitting down at thetable to discuss rules o engagement,

the process, those issues in state lawthat makes it so punitive and unairto the county.”

May said the DeKalb legislativedelegation is working on a jointresolution calling or the “coolingo period” and a task orce “to workthis out internally.”

In a statement ater the Senatecommittee’s 4-3 vote in avor o thebill, the City o Briarcli Initiativesaid it “remains conident the Briar-cli cityhood bill will move orwardin this Georgia legislative session.”

“he group has recently inal-ized a charter that provides a strongramework or cityhood and is

awaiting presentation in the GeorgiaHouse within this legislative ses-sion,” according to the statement.

Residents get a look at a revised map of the proposed city of Lakeside during a state Senate committee hearing Feb 5. Top right, Sen. Fran Millar tells fellow senators that he believesoters will approve the city, while interim DeKalb County CEO Lee May, center, unsuccessfully urges lawmakers to delay approving the bill giving voters the chance to form the new city.

Photos by Caleb Wade




No amount of time would be sufficient to recognize all of the

tra ilbla zer s who saw wha t no one els e could , did wha t no one

else dared and gave us all what we needed most. Georgia Power

is proud to honor the achievements of African-Americans

th roug ho ut Blac k His to ry Month a nd mo re impo rtan tl y bey on d.

THE CELEBRATION LASTS 28 DAYS;

THE CONTRIBUTION, A LIFETIME.

georgiapower.com

Defendants accused of stealing from disabled agree to pleaby Daniel [email protected]

Several defendants haveagreed to plead guilty totealing approximately $1.69

million in donations fromhe Mouth Foot PaintingArtists Association (MFPA),which is owned and run bydisabled artists.

Defendants ChristinaKelly , Tujuana Ross, KianteSmith, Tyleshia Avant, RoryRoss and Glen Kelly werendicted May 2013 and areharged with violating the

Racketeer Influenced andCorrupt Organizations ActRICO).

he defendants allegedlytole donations by creating

a fraudulent checking ac-

ount in the name of MFPAand stealing $1.68 millionover a five-year period. hedefendants’ debit cards wereinked to the account, thendictment states.

MFPA is an international,

for profit association thathelps disabled artists meettheir financial needs. Mem-bers paint with brushes heldin their mouths or feet. Mostof the artists’ disabilities were

sustained at birth or throughan accident or illness thatleft them unable to use theirhands. he organization cre-ates cards, calendars, booksand other gifts using theirartwork, which are then sentto donors.

According to the indict-

ment, Kelly worked as aseasonal employee for MFPAbeginning in 2002. At somepoint before 2006, Kelly al-legedly devised a scheme tosteal money from the com-

pany and opened a fraudu-lent bank account. She wouldthen deposit checks in theaccount.

ujuana Ross, a full-timeMFPA employee, joined thescheme in 2006. Ross wouldsteal checks and deliver themto Kelly, who in return would

write Ross a check from thefraudulent account. Kellyalso wrote checks to Smith,Avant, Rory Ross and Kelly.According to prosecutors,more than 200 checks were

written over the five-yearperiod.he indictment states

that in addition to draftingchecks from the fraudulentaccount, the defendants alsoused the account to purchasetrips to Las Vegas, San Juan,Puerto Rico and Los Angeles.

he defendants also used theaccount to make timesharemortgage and cell phonepayments.

heir racketeering activityincludes money laundering,

theft by taking, theft by re-ceiving and identity theft, theindictment states.

A representative fromDistrict Attorney RobertJames’ office said the detailsof the plea agreement are notimmediately available.

My nameis Emily,

and in seven yearsI’ll be an alcoholic.

START TALKINGBEFORE THEY

START DRINKING

Kids whodrinkbeforeage15are 5 times more likely to have

alcohol problems when they’re adults.

To learn more, go towww.stopalcoholabuse.gov

or call 1.800.729.6686




New look and feel forDeKalb rec center

Upcoming Seminars at DeKalb Medical

For a referral to a DeKalb Medical physician or to reserveyour space for these free seminars, please call 404.596.4772 .

Light refreshments will be served. Parking is free.

Doc Talks

www.dekalbmedical.org dekalbmedical

Heart Healthy Living

Tursday, February 18, 20146:00–7:00 p.m.Community Room atDeKalb Medical –Hillandale campus

In recognition of AmericanHeart Month, TeneciaAllen, M.D., a DeKalbMedical cardiologist, willshare tips for improvingyour heart health andsafeguarding againstmany heart issues,including cholesterolbuild-up, stroke andcardiac arrest.

Call 404.596.4772

or visitwww.dekalbmedical.org.

Ricardo

Coronary Angioplasty patient

DeKalb County Commissioner Larry Johnson held anopen house Feb. 8 to celebrate the completion of the secondphase of renovations at N.H. Scott Recreational Center. Ap-proximately $572,000 went to creating a new reception area,

a multi-use room, larger game room, office space, computerlab, kitchen area and playground.

“N.H. Scott is a family resource center where we focuson the assets of our youth—it’s a resource center and talentbuilder,” Johnson said.

With the new space the center is able to hold moreclasses and activities for the community such as Zumba andnew sports such as volleyball and soccer. “With the updatescomes more programming. It allows us to do more activitiessimultaneously,” Donnie Stallings, director N.H. Scott Rec-reational Center, said.

“People need to visit all of our rec centers and see whatthey have to offer to the community. here’s a lot goingon—and it’s still free.” Johnson said.

–Photos by ravis Hudgons




Once-a-week trash pick-up coming

Searching for Our Sons and Daughters:

For a programming guide, visit www.yourdekalb.com/dctvNow showing on DCTV!

Finding DeKalb County’s Missing

Stories of our missing residents offer profoundinsights and hope for a positive reunion.

DCTV – Your Emmy® Award-winning news source of DeKalb County news. Available on Comcast Cable Channel 23.

Photos brought to you by DCTV

WEEKPICTURESIn

Feb. 7. The steeple for Greater Piney Grove Baptist Church’s new sanctuary sits in sections in the parking lot prior tobeing lifted atop the building with a crane. Photo by Kathy Mitchell

eb. 7. Jamal Dudley and Tariq Sewell, students at DeKalb Academyf Technology and Environment, work on a recycling robot, theirroject for the DeKalb County School District’s technology fair.hoto by Andrew Cauthen

eb. 7. American Idol contestant Bria Johnson, a student at DeKalbSchool of the Arts, talks to fellow students about her experiencesn the TV show. Photo by Caleb Wade.

eb. 8. Parents, students and a teacher from Allgood Elementaryecord a DCTV spot for the DeKalb Technology fair. Photo by Caleb

Wade.

Feb. 6. Jennifer Ffrench-Parker, Steen Miles, Valerie J. Morgan and Karyn Greer were recognized as trailblazingwomen in media by the DeKalb History Center. Photo by Travis Hudgons




y Carla [email protected]

National Signing Day is a specialccasion or high school ootballeniors, but it was more special or

ucker High School deensive tackleElisha Shaw.

As Shaw walked up on the stagen his school auditorium, everyoneould see him holding a hat with the

University o Georgia symbol on it.But as he was about to put on thehat, he pulled an Alabama hat romunderneath the Georgia hat and

laced the Alabama hat on his head.Shaw committed to Alabama

nd the ootball program oeredo put him on medical scholarships a student coach or trainer so hean still get a college education. He

will be able to train with the teamut will not play. Shaw said he will

work toward becoming a coach. Heot a lot o practice at coaching thisast season as he coached his uckereammates during their run to thetate championship game

It was a dream come true or

haw to be able to experience thatmoment, but his dream o playingootball or Alabama may neverome to ruition.

During his junior year, Shawburst onto the scene as one o thetop deensive players in the state. Heinished his junior season with 22tackles, seven tackles or a loss andtwo sacks. With his size, speed andskill set, the 6-oot-5, 295-pound

junior earned a 4-star grade andwas ranked the No. 2 deensivetackle in the 2014 class, according to247Sports.com.

When college ootball recruitersbegan taking notice o him, Shawound his dreams o becoming acollege ootball star were starting tobecome true. However, everythingchanged last summer beore thestart o his senior season. During

the second day o summer practice,Shaw was making a tackle duringa passing drill when he injured hisneck.

“When it happened I went numbor a little bit, but I hopped rightback up,” he said.

Shaw saw a doctor the ollowingday, but the doctor could not tellhow signiicant the injury was andput a brace on his neck.

“hey really couldn’t tell any-thing,” Shaw said. “My neck was inpain but he thought I had a concus-sion. I didn’t know the seriousnesso it.”

Despite not knowing how seriousthe injury was, Shaw still had everyintention to get back on the ootballield. However, on his third visit tothe doctor he received the devastat-ing news that he would never beable to play ootball again.

“I was stunned,” he said. “Itelt like a dream because I neverthought something like this wouldhappen to me.”

ucker head coach Bryan Lamarsaid it was tough to see Shaw dealwith this situation.

“It’s hard when you have to cometo grips with not being able to playwith all the hard work you’ve put

in rom your reshman year to yoursenior year,” Lamar said. “Elisha hasbeen playing since he was a kid andto grow into a big time recruit and

The Tucker lineman is determined to play again after career-ending neck injury Elisha Shaw: ‘I haven’t lost hope’

See Shaw on page 16A

lthough Elisha Shaw didn’t play his senior season, he was an honorary captain when Tucker faced Creekside for the AAAAA state championship at the Georgia Dome. Photos by Travisudgons

Shaw has strained ligaments in his neck that may never heal.



Thurmond Continued From Page 1A

Honors Continued From Page 1A


them in a positive way.

How would you describe the state of the schooldistrict now that a year has gone by?

We are progressing. Obviously moving in theright direction. And people throughout the district–north and south, east and west–are rallying tothe flag, so to speak. Our “near death experience”

helped to refocus the district on trying to improveeducational opportunities for all the children in ourcounty.

What would you say has been your biggestchallenge over the year?

Helping and encouraging others to believe againin this district, rebuilding a sense of trust and hopeand developing a positive outlook for all the internaland external stakeholders—that’s been the greatestchallenge because people have been damaged invery significant ways psychologically and otherwiseby recent events. Rebuilding that has been andcontinues to be an ongoing challenge.

Everybody is not a believer yet. A case in point is

the Druid Hills cluster. How do you reach thosewho are still nonbelievers?You have to continue to be successful. There are

those who are “nonbelievers” but it’s not withoutrational evaluation. There’s reason for people notto believe yet, not to fully trust in the district orin me, for that matter. I clearly understand thatand that’s part of the motivation to try to continueimprovement. We’re not there yet by any stretchof the imagination. Thank God, we’re not wherewe were, but I also recognize that we’re not wherewe need to be if we’re going to earn the right to beconsidered one of the elite public school districts inthe state or even in the nation.

What’s been your biggest disappointment?I came in with my eyes wide open. To be honest

with you, there was low expectation for me as asuperintendent not having any experience in leadinga public education institution prior this. So my eyeswere wide open.

You mean the expectations that other people hadfor you?

Yes. That created a great opportunity for me tobe successful.

So you think you’re successful?

So far I think we’ve been successful. I’m judgedby the success of the district. We’re no longer in

deficit. We have a balanced budget. We’re buildinga fund balance. I think that people can’t argue thatthat’s not successful, from a financial stability pointof view. We’ve elevated our accreditation status frombeing on probation to being off probation—you can’treally argue with that and say that’s not progress. On

just those two items alone there’s irrefutable evidencethat we’re moving in the right direction.

What have you gotten wrong?

I underestimated the emotional andpsychological trauma that employees have sufferedthroughout the district, and the pain that stillremains, to be honest with you—the fear that justdominated the psychology of an organization….there was a tremendous amount of fear among

the employees and it kind of manifested itself inhopelessness and haplessness. Having to eradicatethat and rebuild and restore and refresh—Iunderestimated how much time and energy I wouldhave to invest to address those issues.

You go into schools a lot, of course. What do yousee when you walk into schools?

I see myself. I see myself in the eyes of thechildren. I just see unlimited potential of thestudents and I see dedicated employees who reallywant what’s best. I see parents who are investing allof their time and resources available to support theirchildren. That’s what inspires me.

There are a lot of people who say, and probablywith good reason, that the school district has not

been very concerned about schools, has not beenfocused on students in the past. Do you thinkthat’s true and have we turned the page on that?

I think it’s true that people believe that’s true and

not without some evidence that might have led tothose opinions. Once you resolve these extraneousissues—the adult issues—that has given us moretime and space to refocus and reinvest our timeand energy on our children and on teaching andlearning. When you have ongoing controversieson all levels, not just in the county but at the statelevel in the courts, it’s very difficult to focus on

teaching and learning. For example, if you settle aHeery lawsuit that frees up bandwidth—emotionaland psychological–that now can be refocused andredirected on teaching and learning….

Where do you see the school district in five years?

Immediately after the announcement fromSACS that we were no longer on probation, I metwith our senior team within 48 hours and this iswhat I told them: That’s yesterday’s news. Ultimatelythe DeKalb County School District will be judgedon whether or not we can improve academicachievement and increase our graduation rate. Nowwe must focus like a laser beam…on increasingacademic performance [and] improving ourgraduation rates. Those two things will ultimatelyshape the reputation of this school district and anyother school district. I’m convinced that we’ve beenworking on that throughout the year away fromthe media—the spotlight of the media—and I’mexpecting, even this year, to see some incrementalimprovements in both of those two categories.

There are some people who think our kids aren’tcapable of doing any better.

Absolutely. We’re going to prove them wrong.The devil is a liar. Always has been, always will be.And what we have to do is put our young people ina position where they can be more successful. Whenwe are not focused on teaching and learning, whenwe aren’t good stewards of the taxpayers’ dollars,when we allow other agendas to subordinate theagenda around children, then that impacts on their

ability to achieve.

for.” Godfrey and her husband Buck , a record-set-ing DeKalb County coach, accepted the award on

Ali’s behalf.Ali is described in the program as “a formidable

multimedia personality within the sports and enter-ainment industries.” Her career has included co-

hosting The Ryan Cameron Show on V-103 FM and

hosting Streetz 94.5’s The Streetz Morning Grind .She has acted in the motion pictures 3 Can PlayThat Game, The Gospel , and Trois 3. Ali is the au-hor of the children’s book Piper Sky’s Pink Popsicle

Shoes.Glenn described award recipient Jennifer

Ffrench-Parker as her “sister-girlfriend in printournalism.” Ffrench-Parker has been editor and

publisher of award winning CrossRoadsNews for9 years. Before cofounding the newspaper with

her husband Curtis in 1995, Ffrench-Parker was aeporter and assistant metro editor with the Atlanta

Journal Constitution, a business writer with theCharlotte Observer in North Carolina and the TimesHerald Record and Wall Street Transcript in NewYork. She also worked for the Jamaica Daily News n her native Jamaica.

Ffrench-Parker thanked the center for puttingher “in the company of illustrious women.” She saidhat as a journalist her goal is always to provide the

public with information in time for them to act on it.I let them know when something’s coming.”

Glenn said of 11Alive Morning News anchorKaryn Greer, another award recipient, “Most people have no idea how much she volunteers in thecommunity. She is constantly giving her time andtalent in community service.”

A native of Chicago, Greer started her broad-cast career at a station in Champlain, Ill., where she

quickly became an on-air reporter. After time at astation in Charleston, S.C., Greer came to Atlanta in1989, where she anchored and reported for the new-ly formed WGNX news team. In 1999, she joinedWXIA-TV 11 Alive News, the Atlanta NBC afliate.

In talking about her busy life and careers, Greerlightheartedly quoted Mother Theresa, “I know Godwon’t give me anything I can’t handle; I just some-times wish he didn’t trust me so much.”

Glenn called another award recipient, her long-time friend and media associate, Steen Miles “a raregift to the community.”

“Whenever I’ve needed something, she’s always been there,” Glenn said of Miles, who until recentlywrote an award-winning weekly column for TheChampion Newspaper .

During her days as a broadcast journalist, Miles

was a three-time Emmy Award-winning reporter-an-chor for WXIA-TV 11Alive. She capped her 30-year broadcast career, which started at a station in her na-tive South Bend, Ind., with a position as managingeditor at 11Alive.

She was elected to the Georgia Senate, whereshe represented the 43rd District 2005-2007 andchose to run for lieutenant governor rather than seekre-election to the Senate.

“I could go around this room and have a storyabout my associations with nearly everyone here.DeKalb is my family,” Miles said.

“We’ve always been able to come together on is-sues that affected our industry,” Glenn said of fellownewspaper publisher Valerie J. Morgan, another2014 History Center award recipient.

Morgan is editor-in-chief of On CommonGround News Inc., which provides print and onlinecoverage in DeKalb, Fulton, Gwinnett, Henry andRockdale counties. She and her husband GlennMorgan founded the newspaper in 1995 “as a wayto enlighten, enrich, and educate the community,”according to the award luncheon’s printed program.

In 1993 Morgan was recruited by the Atlanta Journal Constitution, where she helped launch theCityLife news section of the paper and served asedition-chief for specialty magazines published bythe AJC during the 1996 Olympics.

Morgan said she has always been driven to gath-

er and report news. “Last week when everybody elsewas trying to get out of the snow storm,” she said, “Iwas trying to get in it.”




Decatur revamping unified development ordinanceby Daniel Beauregard

[email protected] city of Decatur is moving

orward with overhauling certainections of its development code

and fine-tuning it to make it morebeneficial for residents and businessowners.

Caleb Racicot from SW andAssociates, the firm managing theoverhaul, presented an update basedon stakeholder input that identifieseveral areas that need improvement.

hese improvement areas includeaddressing certain code language tomake it more user-friendly; addition-ally, it lists key issues including devel-

oping new zoning districts, historicpreservation, and improvements intormwater and sustainability.

he new and amended zoning is

intended to create new districts that

reflect the character of existing resi-dential and commercial areas. hesechanges include allowing 50-foot lotsfor single-family homes, creating dis-tricts for middle-sized homes and al-lowing more mixed-use development.

Additionally, the plan also recom-mends amending local commercialproperties to allow for more urbandesign and mixed-use development.

he plan also proposes updatingthe city’s stormwater systems to alignit with zoning and tree conservationregulations and incorporate “green”best management practices.

o address the construction ofnew homes in the city, the unified

development ordinance (UDO) willintroduce regulations to preserve theintegrity of neighborhoods facing de-

velopment pressures. However, these

regulations will not be as strict as

the regulations for historic districts.his will include delaying some de-molitions by establishing a periodof review for permits, including thenotification of neighbors and a publichearing.

Other areas proposed in the planare updating outdoor lighting regula-tions, addressing historic districts,enhancing sustainability and animalregulations.

he Decatur City Commissionapproved the table of contents of theUDO Feb. 3 and a timetable detailingthe scope of work the city will have todo over the next several months.

City of Decatur Planning Director

Amanda Thompson said the cre-ation of the final UDO will includesignificant public involvement.

“here are going to be four in-

depth public workshops around com-

munity character, stormwater, sus-tainability and some proposed newzoning districts,” hompson said.

hompson said the public work-shops will be held in March and Apriland the city will release the first draftof the plan in the summer. She saida final plan will come before the citycommission for a vote in September.

At the meeting, Decatur MayorJim Baskett let stakeholders knowthat the city is not adopting any newmeasures.

“We’re only setting a scope so thatwe can actually know what kind ofproject this is going to be,” Baskettsaid. “Right now, we’re just approving

the scope of the work and a timetableof that work.”

Shaw Continued from page 1A

Budget Continued from page 2A

have that taken rom him,hat’s tough.”

Shaw said his injury isimilar to the neck injuryhat took the lie o Creek-ide High School ootball

player Deantre Turman.urman died ater injuringhis neck during a scrimmagegame in August. Shaw saidhat he eels blessed that hisnjury did not have the sameesults.

“he only thing thatmade me eel better was that

was still alive and I couldmove and I still had all mytrengths,” Shaw said.

Although he could notplay, he was still able to trainwith his teammates. At hisast appointment, the doctorold Shaw that he is looking

a lot better.Beore the injury oc-

curred, Shaw had collegeecruiters calling him every

day expressing their inter-est in him to play ootball atheir school. Shaw had de-

veloped close relationships

with the coaches at Ala-bama, Auburn and Georgia,and those schools becamehis top three choices.

When Shaw inormed therecruiters at Alabama, Au-burn and Georgia about hisdiagnoses, they expressednothing but encouragementand positive expectations.

“hey were telling me tostay positive and just gaveme hope,” Shaw said. “ButI’ve always had hope. I neverlost hope and I still haven’tlost hope.”

While he was gettingwords o encouragementrom those three schools, re-cruiters rom other schools

slowly began backing away

rom Shaw. Lamar com-mended Alabama, Auburnand Georgia or sticking byShaw.

“[hey are] just irst classorganizations,” Lamar said.“I you recruit a kid and puteort and energy into thatkid as a person, it’s more

than just ootball. He couldhave walked on campus andget injured his irst day.”

Shaw said he elt ortu-nate and hopeul as he cele-brated National Signing Dayalongside his teammates, but

added that he would haveelt dierently i he knew hewas going to college to con-tinue his ootball career.

“But it’s cool. It’s aboutgetting an education and be-ing around successul peo-ple,” he said. “I’m going towork on being a coach, get-ting a great education andbe around positive people.”

His current coach be-lieves he could be a success-ul coach i he stays ocusedand gives it his all.

“I’m just proud o him

and how he has handledthis,” Lamar said. “It’s justa start. He still has a lot owork to do in order to getthere.”

Tucker defensive lineman Elisha Shaw, who suffered a career-ending neck injury before his senior season,signed with Alabama on National Day. Alabama offered to put him on medical scholarship as a student coachor trainer so he can still get a college education. Photo by Carla Parker

4.81 to 7.85 square miles and the totalnumber of residential parcels grew by

0 percent from 2,560 to 4,610.According to city manager Marc

ohnson, the financial effects of thisecent annexation are based on as-umptions and estimations.

“As has long been our practice, weontinue to be conservative in ourstimates, particularly for revenue,”ohnson stated in the budget presenta-ion. “Given the size and magnitude

of this annexation, staff has been evenmore conservative in the financial as-

sumptions involved with this budgetuntil such time as we develop a provenhistory with the annexed area.

“At the same time, the mayor andcity council have made it clear thatChamblee will not lower the highquality of its services due to an an-nexation, and newly annexed areaswill receive the same level of serviceas their predecessors,” Johnson added.“herefore, among other things, theannexation requires a significant in-crease in personnel.”

According to the budget, the city

added 37 new full-time equivalentpositions, including 27 at the policedepartment, a new economic develop-ment manager and a communicationsmanager/executive assistant to the citymanager.

he city awarded a 1.5 percentcost-of-living adjustment (COLA) andbudgeted $185,000 for merit raises

where warranted. he average meritraise is expected to be 3.5 percent.he capital equipment required to

serve the two annexed areas was paidfor by a five-year lease, at 1.73 percent,

providing a shared burden for old andnew citizens.

he defined benefit retirementcontribution for 2014 will decreasefrom 12.56 percent to 10.93 percentfor employees who remain in thatplan, according to the budget. hecity’s contribution remains at 10 per-cent for employees in the new defined

contribution plan.Peachtree Benefits, the city’s in-surance broker, was able to negotiatethe city’s health insurance costs to anaverage increase of 8 percent.



THE CHAMPION FREE PRESS, FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2014 PAGE 17ABUSINESS

The Voice of Business in DeKalb CountyDeKalb Chamber of Commerce

404.378.8000 www.DeKalbChamber.org

Two Decatur Town Center, 125 Clairemont Ave., Suite 235, Decatur, GA 30030

Love in bloom—Valentine’s Day big for Scottdale floristby Kathy [email protected]

For lorists such as Maud BakerFlowers in Scottdale, Valentine’s Days a bit o a mixed blessing. On the

one hand, it ocuses a good deal owork into a single day, explainedScott Wieler, a member o the am-ly that owns and operates Maud

Baker Flowers. On the other hand,

ales or Feb. 14 typically equal tohose or two other months.“People want lowers delivered

on Feb. 14—not the day beore orhe day ater,” Wieler said. Evenhough Valentine’s Day this year is

on a Friday, providing a weekendover which the holiday could betretched, that’s not what peopleend to do, added Wieler, whose ca-eer in the loral industry started as

a buyer or a chain in North Caro-ina.

“Actually, the act that it’s Fridaycauses a bit more o a crunch or

businesses such as ours. People liketo have lowers delivered to an oiceand sometimes people leave early onFriday, especially when it’s the starto a holiday weekend. his year, theMonday ollowing Valentine’s Day isPresidents’ Day. Some people havethe day o and may be planning toleave early or a long weekend out otown. hat means we need to deliverby mid-aternoon.” Winter storms

in the delivery area made Valentine’sDay 2014 more o a challenge orMaud Baker Flowers.

Second only to candy, lowersare a avorite among Valentine’s Daygit-givers, according to this year’ssurvey released by the National Re-tail Federation (NRF). Among thosewho said they are planning to giveValentine’s gits, nearly hal (48.7percent) said they will buy candy;more than a third (37.3 percent) willgive lowers.

“Valentine’s Day will continue tobe a popular git-giving event, even

when consumers are rugal withtheir budgets. his is the one day othe year when millions ind a wayto show their loved ones they care,”said NRF President and CEO Mat-thew Shay .

O the nine retail spendingevents tracked by the NRF, Valen-tine’s Day is the ourth largest, com-ing in only slightly behind Mother’sDay. Nationwide, the average person

plans to spend $133.91 on candy,cards, gits, dinner and more, upslightly rom $130.97 last year, thecurrent NRF survey indicates. otalValentine’s Day spending is expectedto reach $17.3 billion.

he NRF survey indicates thatmen will on average spend $108.38on gits or their signiicant othersthis Valentine’s Day—twice as muchas women who will spend an aver-age o $49.41 on their special some-one. But Valentine’s Day isn’t justor couples; people will show theirappreciation or amily members

(59.4 percent) riends (21.7 percent)teachers (20.4 percent) and col-leagues (12.1 percent).

Red roses are traditional, and, ac-cording to Wieler, still popular, buthe added, that’s starting to change.“Roses are losing their rank justbecause the price goes up so mucharound Valentine’s Day. Our suppli-ers raise their prices, so we have nochoice but to raise our prices. It’s a

matter o supply and demand—likeoil.”More people are choosing tulips

and mixed arrangements, Wielersaid. “hey can be just as beauti-ul and people eel they get a better

value.”Maud Baker Flowers has been in

the area since 1947, irst in Deca-tur and more recently in Scottdale.Originally owned by the Bakeramily, the business had only oneother owner beore the amily thatcurrently owns it bought the lowershop in 2005.

Red roses, though more expensive on Valentine’s Day, are still popular.

Maud Baker Flowers, now in Scottdale, has been in the Decatur-Scottdale area since947.

Scott Wieler holds the type of mixed arrangement he says many customers now request forValentine’s Day. Photos by Kathy Mitchell



THE CHAMPION FREE PRESS, FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2014 PAGE 18AEDUCATION

DeKalb Tech fair attracts 186 projectsby Andrew [email protected]

Tirteen-year-olds Jamal Dudley and TariqSewell said they like technology.

“Te part that excites me the most is you can useyour imagination,” Jamal said about why the pairbuilt a recycling robot—a robot that picks up recy-clable materials and deposits them into appropriatebins.

“In our classrooms, people don’t use the recyclingbins correctly,” Jamal said. “Tere would be…oodin all o them and paper in the plastics [bin] andplastics in the paper bin. We can correct that.”

It took the two DeKalb Academy o echnologyand Environment students two days to build andprogram the robot, made o pieces rom the LegoNX Mindstorm setup box, ariq said.

“We’re not lying; it took us two days,” ariq said.

“We use our time wisely.”Te recycling robot was one o 186 projects inthe 2014 DeKalb County School District (DCSD)echnology Fair held Feb. 8 at Elizabeth AndrewsHigh School in Stone Mountain.

“Te technology air is an opportunity or allmembers o the DCSD community to learn moreabout technology,” said Monika T. Davis, managero DCSD’s instructional technology department.

“As digital natives, our students are immersed intechnology as an organic part o their lives,” Davissaid. “Te technology air provides them with anopportunity to inuse their natural ability and skillswith academic content and create amazingly inno-

vative projects.“During the process, students are able to col-

laborate with peers, educators, parents and judges,

which makes or an even richer experience,” shesaid. “Te competition is the icing on the cake inthat it provides incentive or our students to con-tinue their quest or knowledge and innovation andbe recognized or it.”

DeKalb students had the opportunity to submitprojects in several categories, including 3-D model-ing, animated graphic design, case modification,digital photography, digital video production, newgame design, hardware, new mobile apps, multi-media applications, non-animated graphic design,non-multimedia applications, project programming,robotics, and Web 2.0 internet applications.

Te first place winners in each category andgrade level will qualiy to compete in Georgia ech-nology Fair held in March.

“DCSD has success every year with studentsplacing and even winning in their respective cat-egories,” Davis said. DCSD has sponsored a district-wide echnology Fair since February 2002.

Eric Smart, a judge who reviewed Jamal’s andariq’s recycling robot, said, “We might have bigwinners here. Tey have been the most knowledge-able because they understand the ull concept othe sofware involved and what it’s linked to,” Smartsaid. “Tey understand the ull use o the robotics—what it’s intent is. Tey understand the ull dynam-ics o what their working with.”

Participants in the technology air are doing“more than turn on a computer to sur the web,”Smart said.

“Tey’re programming a robot to go down,turn around, pick something up and do whateveryou would like or it to do,” he said. “Most o thesekids built these robots in two days. One gentlemanprogrammed his robot while sitting in the waitingroom.”

Joshua Jones presents his quad copter drone to a judge during the DeKalb County School District’s TechnologyFair. Photos by Andrew Cauthen

Jonathan Expose, a fourth-grader at DeKalb Academy of Technology and Environment, demonstrates a robot.

Students work on their laptops before showing their projects to judges.



THE CHAMPION FREE PRESS, FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2014 PAGE 19AEDUCATION

PLEASE RECYCLE THIS PAPER

Two DeKalb studentssurprised with scholarships

galottery.com

It’s elementary, actually. See, every time you play the Lottery,

you’re helping our kids get one step closer to their dreams.

For over 20 years the Georgia Lottery has contributed more

than $15 billion to education. On top of that,

1.6 million HOPE scholars have gone to college

and 1.3 million 4-year-olds have attended a

Lottery-funded Pre-K Program. Add those

numbers up and, well, let’s just say that’s a

hair-raising number of happy kids.

TAKE A GENIUSTO KNOW THAT WHEN YOU PLAY,

IT DOESN’T

GEORGIA’S KIDS WIN.

Adams (A21935610) is amale Labrador Retriever; heis about 2 years old. Adamsis stunning and smart! Healready knows how to walknicely on leash; he won’t pullyou down the street duringyour afternoon stroll. Ad-ams is friendly with otherdogs. You could easily bring

him home and have a greatsingle pet or a wonderfulcompanion for an existing

pet. Adams is so great; he isa volunteer favorite. Adamscame to the shelter throughno fault of his own; pleasehelp him find his way out ofthe shelter and into a lovinghome.

AdamsMale

Pet Weekofthe

The adoptions number: (404) 294-2165For adoption inquiries: [email protected]

For rescue inquiries: [email protected] volunteer and foster inquiries: [email protected]

Two students at DeKalb School of theArts were surprised with scholarships toQueens University of Charlotte, N.C.,during a Feb. 7 school assembly.

Sydney Cash was awarded theollege’s Presidential Scholarship, valuedt more than $100,000 over four years.

The scholarship is awarded for superior

cademic and leadership achievement.“We really enjoyed having Sydney Cashn campus two weeks ago and hope thathe left with the feeling that Queens is thelace where she can thrive,” said Ashley

S. Willumitis, an admissions counselor atQueens University, in an email to schoolfcials. Willumitis cited Sydney’s “great

success over the past four years” and her performance at the college’s ScholarshipDay as reasons she received the scholarship.

“Sydney is someone we really want atQueens,” Willumitis said. “We hope shends us to be her perfect match in a school.”

Queens University also presented BaileyHunt with a $56,000 Byrum scholarship,

the university’s second-highest honor.Bailey was one of 20 students to receive thescholarship.

“This scholarship recognizes a student’sachievement and overall signies the typeof student who really thrives at Queens,”Willumitis said.

DeKalb School of the Arts students Bailey Hunt, left center, and Sydney Cash, right, received scholarships to attend the Queens University of Charlotte, N.C. Photos by Caleb Wade



PAGE 20A THE CHAMPION FREE PRESS, FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2014

AUCTIONS

ADVERTISE YOUR AUC-TION in over 100 news-papers for only $350.Your 25-word classiedad will reach more than1million readers. Call Jen-nifer Labon at the Geor-gia Newspaper Service,

770-454-6776.

BUSINESSOPPORTUNITIES

Be your own boss! Owna yogurt, dollar, mailbox,party, teen, clothing ortness store. Worldwide,100% Financing, OAC.From $55,900 Completeturnkey. (800)385-2160.

www.drss3.com

DRIVERS

25 New Driver Train-ees Needed! Become adriver for TMC Transpor-taon! Earn $750 perweek! No CDL? No Prob-em! Local 15 day train-ng! 1-877-648-2755.

Drivers: Run FB withWTI. Be home throughthe week and weekends.Start Up to 28% plusfuel bonus. New equip-ment. BCBS. Experienceneeded. LP available. Call877-693-1305.

Drivers HOME WEEKLY& BIWEEKLY Earn $900-$1200/WK. Major bene-

ts available. Class A CDL& 6 months exp. Req.No Canada, HAZMAT orNYC! 877-705-9261.

Experienced OTR FlatbedDrivers earn 50 up to 55cpm loaded. $1000 signon to Qualied drivers.Home most weekends.

Call 843-266-3731/www.bulldoghiway.com EOE.

COVENANT NEEDS DRIV-ERS! Truck Drivers are inDemand! Great benets,stability, and earningpotenal! The avg. truckdriver earns $700+/wk*!No CDL? 16 Day trainingavail! CALL TODAY! N. GA866-494-7434 OR S. GA866-557-9244. *DOL/BLS

2012.

START THE NEW YEARwith a Great Career byJoining our Team. Class AProfessional Drivers Call877-277-7298 for moredetails or visit SuperSer-viceLLC.com

Train to be a PROFES-SIONAL TRUCK DRIVERthrough Primes StudentDriver Program. Obtainyour commercial DriversLicense, then get paidwhile training. 1-800-277-0212. www.drive-forprime.com

Train and work for us!Professional, focusedCDL Training available.Choose Company Driver,Owner Operator, Lease

Operator or Lease Train-er. (877) 369-6712. www.CentralTruckDrivingJobs.com

FOR RENT-RESIDENTIAL

House For Rent 4 bed-room, 2.5 baths N litho-

nia, living room withre place, dining room,kitchen with all appli-ances, laundry room andtwo car garage. Homeis over 2700 square feetwith ceiling fans in eachbedroom and carpetthroughout. Built in 2000this home is located inLithonia in a great themeschool district. 1150/month 1000/deposit.

Contact jim 770-331-3641

HEALTH/BEAUTY

PELVIC/TRANSVAGINALMESH? Did you undergotransvaginal placementof mesh for pelvic or-gan prolapse or stressurinary inconnencebetween 2005 and pres-

ent? If the mesh causedcomplicaons, you maybe entled to compen-saon. Call Charles H.Johnson Law and speakwith femal sta mem-bers.1-800-535-5727.

HELP WANTED

Make 2014 your year!

Earn $100K+ annually.Recruing, FranchiseSales, Home Improve-ments, or Copier Sales aplud. For more informa-on send resume to JimKinning: [email protected]

MISCELLANEOUS

WELDING CARRERS –Hands on training for ca-reer opportuies in avia-on, automove, manu-facturing and more.Financial aid for qualiedstudents – housing avail-able. Job placement as-sistance. Call AIM (877)205-2968.

REAL ESTATE

MOUNTAIN STREAMBARGAIN! Beaufullywooded acreage – 390’crystal clear stream,natural yr-round spring,prime Blue Ridge Moun-tain locaon. Pavedroads, ulies munici-

pal water, more. Only$27,900. Excellent -nancing, lile down. Callnow 866-952-5303 ext112.

DISCLAIMER: We do not knowingly accept advertisements that discriminate, or intend to discriminate, on any illegal basis. Nor do we knowingly accept employment advertisementsthat are not bona-fide job offers. All real estate advertisements are subject to the fair housing act and we do not accept advertising that is in violation of the law. The law prohibits

discrimination based on color, religion, sex, national origin, handicap or familial status.

The Champion is not responsible for any damages resulting from advertisements. All sales nal.

RATES: $30.00 for up to 40 words, each additional word $0.60.All ads are prepaid! All Major credit cards accepted!

For Prices, Deadlines and Information

Visit www.championclassieds.com

Classifieds TheChampion

Ads Due By Friday - Noonfor next publication date.

For a Free Brochure Call:

800-841-9400

www.hudsonmarshall.comGAL 274

Also Selling in the Atlanta Sale:

AuctionSelling By Order of the

Court Appointed Receiver

4001 Presidenal Drive, Atlanta, Dekalb County, GA• 3.576+/- Acres Vacant Land • Zoned Light Industrial

• Great Locaon - Easy Access to I-85 & I-285• Approximately 416’ of Road Frontage

• 80.5 Acres Kimberly Road at Cascade Road, Fulton Co.• 1.055 Acres Commercial - 1940 Dallas Highway, Cobb Co.

• 19.94 Acres at Tributary Way, Fayette Co.

• 2 Commercial Lots on Tara Blvd, Clayton Co.

• 3 Residential Lots in Longview Creekside S/D, Newton Co.

• Gas Station/Mini Mart at 4350 Lawrenceville Road, Loganville

• 3 BR/2 BA Home at 6042 Creekford Dr, Lithonia

Sale Date: February 20th @ 11 A.M.Sale Site: Marrio Courtyard Atlanta Northlake

Located at 4083 LaVista Road, Tucker, GA (exit 37 o I-285)



THE CHAMPION FREE PRESS, FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2014 PAGE 21ASPORTS

Miller Grove’s Tiffany Flynn signs trackscholarship with Mississippi State


Miller Grove High School had an-other signee on National Signing Dayas triple jump state champion TiffanyFlynn signed a scholarship to competein track and ield at Mississippi StateUniversity.

Flynn, the No. 1 ranked triple jumper in Georgia in indoor trackand ield, said she chose to sign withMississippi State because o the amilyatmosphere.

“I like the campus, and the coach-ing sta is nice and they’ll work withme,” she said. “I I need them I can goto them just like I’ve been able to go tomy teachers here at Miller Grove andall o the schools I’ve been to. hey’llbe my next amily.”

Flynn began running track herninth‒grade year. Since then, she haswon the Class AAAAA triple jumpstate championship in 2013 with a leap

o 40 eet ‒ 9.75 inches, a Miller Groveschool record. She placed second inthe state in the long jump (19 eet‒ 4.0inches) and second in the 100 meterhurdles (14.45) in 2013. She earned the

Al Woodham Best Perormance Awardat the 2013 GHSA State Champion-ships and was named to the All-Metrorack and Field eam by the Atlantarack Club.

She also holds the school long jumprecord o 19 eet ‒ 1.75 inches and waspart o a school record time o 47.66as part o the 4x100 relay team. She isranked No. 3 nationally in the triple

jump and No. 5 in hurdles.Miller Grove girls track coach Eric

Keddo said Flynn has gotten bettereach year since her reshman year.

“She’s a huge part o the team,”Keddo said. “She does whatever shecan or the team. A lot o the girls lookup to her and one thing I know aboutiany is that she is going to go ar.”

Flynn holds a 3.5 GPA, was on thehonor roll or three consecutive yearsand has compiled a 4.0 GPA during theirst semester o her senior year. Anactive student, Flynn is co-editor o theMiller Grove yearbook, a cheerleader

or our years and co-caption this sea-son, a manager or the boys’ basketballteam or two years and was voted byher classmates as the 2014 Best AllAround and Most Athletic Senior.

Each week he Cham-pion spotlights former highschool players from thecounty who are succeeding inathletics on the college level.

William ‘Shaq’ Good-win, Memphis (basketball):he sophomore orwardscored 10 points and addedeight rebounds in the 60-54win over Gonzaga Feb. 8.Goodwin is averaging 12.4points and 6.7 rebounds pergame.

Brandon Morris, Geor-gia (basketball): he sopho-more orward rom MillerGrove scored 10 points inthe 62-50 win over exasA&M Feb. 8. Morris is aver-aging 9.5 points per game.

Queen Alford, Jackson- ville (basketball): he soph-

omore guard rom Decaturscored 18 points in the 66-51 win over North FloridaFeb. 8. Alord is averaging13.2 points per game.

he Champion chooses amale and female high school

Athlete of the Week eachweek throughout the school

year. The choices are basedon performance and nomina-tions by coaches. Please emailnominations to [email protected] by Monday atnoon.

MALE AHLEE OFHE WEEK

Gunnar Bentz, St. Pius(swimming): he seniorswimmer broke his state re-cord in the 100-yard butter-ly with a time o 47:26 andset a state record in the 200individual medley with a

time 1:45.55 to lead his teamto the 1A-5A state swim anddive title Feb. 8.

FEMALE AHLEE OFHE WEEK

Davion Wingate, South-west DeKalb (basketball):he junior guard led theteam in scoring with 22points in the 59-9 win overM.L. King Feb. 7. Wingateis averaging 15.3 points pergame.

Miller Grover triple jumper Tiffany Flynnsigned with Mississippi State University.Flynn is the No. 1 ranked triple jumperin Georgia in indoor track and eld.Photo by Carla Parker

iffany Flynn signs her letter of intent toMississippi State.




Southwest DeKalb winswrestling region title Arabia Mountain makes school

history with largest signing classby Carla [email protected]

Ater making school history withits irst winning record, the ArabiaMountain Rams ootball programmade history again on National Sign-ing Day with its largest signing class.

Arabia Mountain had nine seniorootball players to sign letters o intentFeb. 5 and expects 10 more players tosign in the coming week, which wouldbring the program’s total to 19 signees.

Head coach Stanley Pritchett, who isin his irst year as head coach o theRams, said this senior class set the baror the program.

“When I irst got here last summerwe wanted to set a standard or theprogram, to build the program to bethe premier program in the county,”Pritchett said. “I think the senior classbought into that and this is the rui-tion o what’s going on.”

In Pritchett’s irst year as headcoach, the Rams picked up their irstwinning season with a 7-3 record. Inits ith season o existence, the Ramsteam had one o the top ive oenses

in the county and inished second inthe county in deense this past season.Because the program was not as well-known with college recruits as some othe other programs in DeKalb, Pritch-ett said, he did a ew things to get hisplayers’ names out there.

“We went to recruiting airs and Iused my network,” he said. “My repu-tation as a coach is pretty good andpeople want to know where I’m at andsee what kind o kids we have.”

With his connections and the suc-cess o the players on the ield, collegerecruits saw what kind o talent theprogram has.

Arabia Mountain had our players

sign with Division I schools, whichincluded a pair o military academysignees in deensive back NasiirEdwards (Air Force) and DemetroStephens (Army). Wide Receiver

Gregory Phillips signed with Big10’s Purdue University and deensivetackle Kayton Samuels signed withSyracuse out o the ACC.

Samuels, who inished the 2013season with 94 total tackles and eightsacks, is proud o how ar he and histeammates have come.

“I was a reshman when the schoolirst opened in 2009 and we werenothing,” Samuels said. “We built thisootball program and now most o ourguys are going to Division I schools.

hat’s a huge accomplishment.”Phillips, who led the team with 10

touchdown receptions, said it means alot to him to be a part o the program’slargest signing class.

“We’re setting the [standard] or theyounger players behind us,” Phillipssaid. “We’re making history so theycan have something to ollow and havesomething to look up to so they cantop us and keep the history o the Ara-bia Mountain Rams going.”

Pritchett said the large numbero signees rom the program sends a“huge” message to the younger players.

“We were in the weight room this

morning at 6 a.m. and we had at least40 guys in there working out, so weknow the standard has been set,” hesaid. “A 7-3 record was good but wewant to be better than that next year.he young guys are working hard andthey’re thinking next year is their timeand they’re working to get better.”

o stay competitive in a region thatincludes other successul programssuch as M.L. King, Stephenson anducker, Pritchett said, his coachingsta has to reach out to middle schoolplayers and inorm them what ArabiaMountain is all about.

“Arabia Mountain is an academicschool. We want to be like the Stan-

ords and Vanderbilts that have goodacademics and good athletics,” he said.“We’re trying to build the programup.”

Southwest DeKalb repeatedas Area 6-AAAAA traditionalwrestling champions Feb. 1during the area tournament atNorth Atlanta. he Panthers de-eated past Area Duals champi-ons Lakeside 244.5 to 216.

he Panthers picked up winsn ive weight classes led by 2013

state champion Abdur-RahmanYasin, who won the 152 class toremain undeeated on the sea-son. Other wins were by JordanJohnson (126), Cameron Strick-and (138), Treylyn Meadors 170) and Justin Hussein (195).

Muadh As-Siddiq (120) and

Damion Barham (132) pickedsilver medals.

Lakeside captured threeweight classes led by AlexLaRotta (182), Imani Heslop 22) and Alec Conyers (285).

he Vikings advanced a totalo nine wrestlers to Sectionalsncluding silver medalists Spen-

cer Wilson (126), Josh Powell 145), Anthony Osley (170) and

Devon White (195).Dunwoody’s Sunny Sharma

won gold in the 120-weight classand Greg Wesolowski won sil-

ver in the 182-weight class.he Wildcats bronze medal-ists included Nester Foley (106),Diego Bautista (126), TyroneCarter (132), Korey Lowrey (138), Mike Greenstein (170)and Tyler Barrett (195).

Other weight class victorsin Region 6-AAAAA includedArabia Mountain’s Alema Fa-

vors (132), Stephenson’s MalikSterling (106) and Eric Baldwin (145) and ucker’s Jamil Single-ton (160).

In the Area 3-AAA tourna-ment, McNair’s Raheem Shelton captured gold in the 170-weight

class and James Wallace tooksilver in the 220 division. Ter-rance Perdue (126) and JamaalDeng (152) also medaled orMcNair with third place inishes.

owers’ Stevenson Derival won gold in the 195 class andMarquez Horton won silver inthe 145 class.

Druid Hills’ Jordan Page (120), Noah Floyd (132) andHakeem Enis (285) picked upsilver medals or the Red Devilsin the Area 2-AAAAAA tourna-ment.

St. Pius boys win first state swim title

he St. Pius X Golden Lions swim and dive team madehistory Feb. 8 when the team won its irst A-AAAAA statetitle at the at the Georgia ech Aquatic Center.

St. Pius edged past Marist 199-191.0 points to claim thestate title. St. Pius beat Marist in the inal event, the 400-yardreestyle relay, to clinch its state championship. Senior Gun-nar Bentz, who was the anchor o the relay team, touched thewall on the inal lap at 3.12.24 to give the Golden Lions theirstate championship.

Bentz swam a state record time o 1:45.55 in the 200-yardmedley. He inished irst and set a state record in the 100-yard

butterly with a 48.60 time.

The Arabia Mountain High School football program had nine players sign on National Signing Dayand expects 10 more player to sign, bringing the total to 19, the most in program history. Photoby Carla Parker

The Southwest DeKalb wrestling team won the region Area 6-AAAAA traditionalwrestling title Feb. 1 during the area tournament.




National Football Signing DayTaco Mac Sports Grill hosted the rst-ever National Signing Day Frenzy on Feb. 5 at ve different locations.

Taco Mac partnered with 92.9 The Game radio station and the National Guard to recognize and celebratethe players and their accomplishments. The 2013 DeKalb County signing class totalled 125 signatures andsurpassed the century mark for the fth consecutive year. The previous three years’ totals were 100 (2009),126 (2010), 127 (2011) and 152 (2012). These numbers include four-year and two-year colleges as well asprep schools to aid the athletes in furthering their educations and playing careers. Photos by Travis Hudgons

Cedar Grove Saints

ML King Lions

Tucker Tigers

Miller Grove Wolverines

Stephenson Jaguars

Arabia Mountain Rams

Druid Hills Devils

Decatur Bulldogs




Love To Shop Here. Love To Save Here.

For a list of current Buy One Get One Free

deals, weekly specials and coupons, visit

publix.com/save. To view deals on

Favorite meal, music, and flowers: Check. A little planning goes a long way when it comes to

preparing dinner for that special someone. The same can be said for enjoying great savings

at Publix. There are Buy One Get One Free deals and weekly specials on the items you

love throughout the store. Bring in your coupons and save even more. With all the ways

Publix helps you save, you can cross something else off your list. Leftover money: Check.

Nothing says romance

like leftover Savin

gs.

On Feb. 7, Pine Lake’s mayor, city oicials, police chie andcommunity members met at the uture site o a Family Dollaror a ceremonial groundbreaking. Construction has alreadybegun on the more than 8,000-square-oot Rockbridge Roadlocation. Mayor Kathie deNobriga said that this particularFamily Dollar will look a little dierent than others in the areaand will have special eatures such as bike racks and benchesout ront to give the location a community eel. McMichael’sConstruction Company and the Boos Development Group areoverseeing the building o the Family Dollar store, which isscheduled to open in April. Photos by ravis Hudgons

Pine Lake breaks groundon Family Dollar store

rom left, Pine Lake Mayor Pro Tem Megan Pulsts, Mayor Kathie deNobriga andouncil member George Chidi.

Documents

Champion Free Press - Feb. 14, 2014