1

By Jennifer Ffrench Parker

Tough times are ahead for South De­Kalb commuters who rely on MARTA buses to get to work, school, the doctor and the grocery store if a proposal to cut 10 of the 23 routes serving Decatur, Lithonia and Stone Mountain is approved.

The transit system, which is supported by DeKalb taxpayers, is facing a $120 mil­lion revenue shortfall for its 2011 financial year that starts July 1 and must reduce its size by 25 percent to 30 percent.

Harold Buckley, who represents south DeKalb County on the MARTA board, said this week that the transit system has to downsize to meet revenues.

“The people don’t realize the magnitude of the situation that is facing us,” he said. “This is a major, major issue.”

To help balance its budget, MARTA is considering significant transit service cuts and employee layoffs, and the proposed service cuts in South DeKalb are very extensive.

A staff proposal presented to the MARTA board on Feb. 16 calls for the elimination of bus routes 7, 9, 18, 22, 24, 28, 96, 118, 119 and 216 that serve South DeKalb. Service will be discontinued to

MARTA could slash 10 of South DeKalb’s 23 routes

Photos by Jennifer Ffrench Parker / CrossRoadsNewsMARTA must reduce its size by 25 percent to 30 percent and is considering significant transit service cuts and employee layoffs. Route 96 is among 10 bus routes in South DeKalb proposed for elimination. The transit system is holding community meetings on the proposed cuts.

Sharon Scott of Decatur, who rides on the 96 Snapfinger Woods Drive bus, called the proposed cuts “ridiculous.” Scott takes the bus to work, shop and pay her bills.

Harold Buckley

www.crossroadsnews.comFebruary 20, 2010Copyright © 2010 CrossRoadsNews, Inc.

Nowhere to runFINANCE

Members of the Gold’s Gym in Ellenwood were taken by surprise this week when gym management announced that the exercise facil-ity would close on Wednesday. 6

Miller Grove High senior Shamaal Blair wanted to share her love of read-ing, so she held a book drive for a homeless shel-ter for women and children. 7

Share the joyYOUTH

Fans of the late Princess Diana can see her wedding gown and other items during an exhibit through June 13 at the Atlanta Civic Center. 8

All things DianaSCENE

Major cuts in bus service proposedVolume 15, Number 42

Six schools probed for possible test tamperingBy Lee Williams

Six DeKalb County elementary and middle schools were flagged by the state last week for having an unusually high number of changed answers on the Spring 2009 Criterion Referenced Com­petency Test.

The elementary schools are Glen Haven in Decatur and Shadow Rock and Stoneview in Lithonia. The middle schools are DeKalb Path Academy Char­ter in Atlanta, Cedar Grove in Ellenwood and DeKalb Truancy in Clarkston.

State officials say the high incidents of erasures could indicate cheating by students, teachers or administrators and have asked the district to investigate.

Dale Davis, the school district’s spokesman, said Thursday that the school system would obey.

“We’re going to comply,” Davis said. “We’re going to conduct a thorough investigation and we’ll be able to speak more definitively once the investigation has been conducted and concluded.”

The DeKalb schools are among hundreds of Georgia schools identified in a statewide analysis of erasure marks on student answer sheets on the 2009 spring test by testing contractor CTB/McGraw­Hill.

The Governor’s Office of Student Achievement and CTB/McGraw­Hill said the unusually high numbers of erasures could indicate tampering.

DeKalb Schools had the second­high­est number of flagged schools, behind Atlanta Public Schools, which has 58 of the 191 schools under investigation.

The state Board of Education heard a presentation of the findings on Feb. 10.

The news of possible test cheating in DeKalb County Schools comes near­ly two months af­ter former Atherton Elementary School Principal James Berry was sentenced to pro­bation and ordered to pay a $1,000 fine for his role in changing

more than 32 fifth­graders’ test answers on the CRCT retest in June 2008. His former assistant principal, Doretha Alexander, who also was charged in the case, was sentenced to 40 hours of com­munity service at a local food bank. Both administrators were accused of changing the fifth­graders’ answers on the CRCT mathematics retake test.

Please see TESTS, page 4Please see MARTA, page 2

James Berry

many neighborhoods and some of the re­maining 13 routes will be modified to serve segments of some of the routes.

Sharon Scott, who lives on Peachcrest Road in the part of Decatur that is cur­rently served by the 96­Snapfinger Woods Drive bus, called the cuts “ridiculous.”

“That’s crazy,” she said while waiting for the 96 bus at the Kensington station on Wednesday afternoon. “People rely on that 96 bus. I don’t think that is right.”

Scott, who has taken the bus for 18 years and started walking with a cane three years ago because of a back problem, says she takes the bus three days a week to her job on Lawrenceville Highway and on her days off to shop and pay her bills.

“I just took it yesterday to Georgia Power to pay my utility bill,” she said. “How am I going to get around? My legs ain’t that good anymore.”

Scott said it already takes her two hours to travel from her home to downtown De­catur and that cutting routes is only going to add to commuters’ travel time.

MARTA is considering a proposal to eliminate 10 bus routes serving south DeKalb County at a savings of $7.1 million.

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Community “We need to hear from the community how this proposal will impact them.”

Revenue shortfalls leave MARTA few options to cutting services

Middle school teacher charged with molestation

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“I am so sick of MARTA,” she said, “They don’t run the buses so that you can connect. You spend a lot of time wait­ing around. This is only going to make it worse.”

She next wanted to know why she will lose her bus service.

“Where is the stimulus money the president gave them?” she asked. “If the president gave them money, why are they cutting service. They haven’t fixed any­thing. The elevators don’t work. I want to know what they did with that money.”

Last year, MARTA used $45 million of the $100 million in federal stimulus funds it received to balance its budget.

On weekdays, MARTA’s 23 routes serv­ing south DeKalb County carry 45,141 pas­sengers. On Saturdays, it transports 26,711 and on Sundays, 19,220.

MARTA spokesman Lyle Harris said Tuesday that eliminating the 10 South DeKalb routes will save MARTA $7.1 mil­lion.

Octavia Payne of Lithonia, who fre­quently rides routes 186 and 86, was disap­pointed to hear of the proposed cuts. She was waiting on the 118 at a Memorial Drive stop across from the DeKalb County Jail on Wednesday.

“Why do they always cut service in our community,” Payne asked. “I bet they aren’t cutting in Buckhead.”

Buckley said that MARTA has to cut service proportionately in DeKalb and Ful­ton counties and in Atlanta. On March 31, the Clayton County transit system that was operated by MARTA will cease operation.

“By law all areas have to be cut by pro­portion,” Buckley said. “The magnitude of the reductions is going to affect so many people.”

Community meeting setMARTA is gathering public comments

about the proposed changes through the end of March. Its service plan for the 2011 capital and operating budget has be final­ized by April 19.

It is hosting two more community meetings on Feb. 20 at 10 a.m. to noon and 3 to 5 p.m. at its headquarters at 2424 Piedmont Road in Atlanta.

On March 1, MARTA officials will be at the DeKalb County Maloof Auditorium, 1300 Commerce Drive in downtown Deca­tur, for a 6­ to­8 p.m. meeting. Buckley said it is important that MARTA bus riders and civic and community groups attend those meetings and offer input.

“We need to hear from the community how this proposal will impact them,” he said. “They may have ideas that we haven’t considered. We want to hear from them.”

Buckley said MARTA officials are also available to make presentations to com­munity groups.

MARTA gets 52 percent of its revenues

MARTA is proposing to eliminate 10 of its 23 bus routes serving south DeKalb County.

Route What will happen?7 McAfee Road Service will no longer be provided on Terry Mill Road,

Maynard Terrace and McPherson Avenue. Routes 86, 186 and 107 will pick up segments of the rest of the route.

9 Toney Valley Service will be eliminated on Lynda Pl., Sharon Way, Holly Hill Dr. Miriam Lane between Golly Hill Dr. and Toney Dr. between Candler Road and Miriam Lane, Pasley Ave., Braeburn Dr., and Clifton Road; between Memorial Dr. and Hill St. to Glenwood Ave. and Moreland Ave. Routes 186, 74, 21, 32 and 55 will serve the rest of the route.

18 South Decatur Route 86 will serve Hosea Williams segment, and Routes 21 and 99 will serve Grady Hospital.

22 Second Avenue Service will be eliminated between East Lake Station and Second Avenue, at Memorial Drive, and between McAfee, Flat Shoals and Brannen roads. Routes 21, 86, 107 and 34 will cover the rest.

24 Belvedere Routes 86, 15, 21 and 114 will provide service.

28 Village of East Lake Routes 86, 21 and 107 will provide service.

96 Snapfinger Woods Dr. Route 186 will pick up Peachcrest Road/Columbia Drive segment. Routes 86 and 111 will serve Snapfinger Road, and Route 117 will serve the apartments on Fairington Parkway.

118 Rockbridge Rd/ Route 117 will serve Rockbridge Road. Stone Mtn Village

119 Avondale Estates/ South Hairston segment not have direct service. Routes North Hairston Rd 21, 115, 116 and 177 will pick up segments of the route.

216 Lithonia Express GRTA Express Service along I-20 between Five Points Station and Panola Road. Routes 111 and 116 to cover local service to the Stonecrest area.

Proposal would eliminate, blend routes

from sales taxes from Fulton and DeKalb. Buckley says the forecast for sales tax rev­enues has been revised downward twice.

“People are not spending,” he said. “People have lost their jobs. It’s the econo­my. People don’t have money to spend.”

Buckley, who has been on the MARTA board for 25 years, says he has never seen

a situation as dire as the one the system is facing this year. “We have to act,” he said. “The shortfall is very deep and we don’t feel that there is going to be financial relief from the state. We have to resize our system based on our abilities to pay.”

For more information, visit www.its marta.com or call 404­848­5026.

MARTA, fRoM pAge 1

By Lee Williams

Stephenson Middle School Spanish teacher Rafer Lamar Grier is in the DeKalb County Jail charged with four counts of aggravated child molestation and one count of statutory rape of a 16­year­old female student.

Grier, 35, who was indicted by a DeKalb grand jury on Jan. 14, was arrested Feb. 5 dur­ing a minor traffic stop.

D e K a l b P o l i c e spokesman Jason Gagnon said Wednes­day that the warrant for Grier’s arrest for failure to appear in court was found during the traffic stop.

Grier, who was still in jail Thursday, was indicted for incidents that allegedly took place on Jan. 9, 2008, and April 7, 2008.

DeKalb district attorney’s spokesman Orzy Theus said Wednesday that he could not divulge specific details regarding an ongoing case.

School system spokesman Dale Davis said the girl was a student at Stephenson Middle School. He said the school system did an internal investigation in April 2008 and turned its findings over to the district attorney’s office. The bench warrant for Grier was issued on Jan. 22.

Grier joined the school district in 2000. Davis said that he remains an employee but that further investigations are under way.

Rafer L. Grier

CrossRoadsNews February 20, 20102

3

the merger of the fire and emergency medical services departments, which cut the county’s average emergency response time from 10 to five minutes and reduced staff overtime from $250,000 a month to $2,000 monthly.

His abrupt departure came as the coun­ty cleaned house after the tragic fire. Public Safety Director William Miller terminated five firefighters – Officer William J. Greene, Capt. Tony L. Motes, Battalion Chiefs Les­ley Clark and Bennie J. Paige, and Capt. Sell Caldwell – for alleged inappropriate

response to the fire. The fired firefighters

were among the crew that responded to the early morning 911 call from Bartlett about a fire at her home in the 1600 block of Houghton Court. They left saying

they couldn’t see a blaze. When the fire de­partment was called to the home a second time, it was engulfed in flames. Bartlett’s body was found in the garage. Her dog and

By Lee Williams

Former DeKalb County Fire Chief Da­vid Foster did not voluntarily quit his job.

DeKalb County CEO Burrell Ellis Jr. admitted Monday that he asked Foster to turn in his resignation on Feb. 1 in the wake of the Jan. 24 fire that killed 74­year­old Ann Bartlett in Dunwoody.

“I believed it was in the best interest at this time for DeKalb County

fire services that there be a parting of the ways,” Ellis said on WSB television on Monday. “There were other concerns that were raised by employees within the department and we’ve talked these out. However, there came a point when, yeah, I made the decision where I thought it was in our mutual best interests.”

Foster, who had been the fire chief for seven years, spent a total of 15 years with DeKalb County in two separate stints. He is a 31­year firefighter who in 2006 was picked as “Fire Official of the Year” out of 649 fire chiefs statewide by the Georgia In­surance and Safety Fire Commission. That same year, DeKalb County Fire Rescue won the Georgia Emergency Medical Services’ Service of the Year award for its community education and fire protective services.

In 2007, Foster was awarded a Medal of Honor, the highest award for “brave and heroic” actions taken on Aug. 11, 2005, when a man killed Pine Lake Officer Francis Ortega.

The former fire chief was also well­known for his award­winning firehouse chili.

During his tenure as chief, Foster led

Community “I believed it was in the best interest at this time for DeKalb County fire services that there be a parting of the ways.”

CEO says he asked Fire Rescue chief to step down Crime tour heads to Tucker Middle

Disabled to rally at state Capitol

In happier times in 2006, former DeKalb fire chief David Foster (right) shared his award-winning firehouse chili with Commissioner Lee May.

Burrell Ellis

Ann Bartlett

cat also died in the fire.The CEO’s office initially said that

Foster’s abrupt departure was unrelated to the fire. On Feb. 4, Ellis spokeswoman Shelia Trappier Edwards said Foster was not forced out.

“It was his choice to resign,” Edwards said. “The CEO met with the fire chief on Monday and talked to him about some things. As a result of the conversation, he chose to resign.”

On Tuesday, Foster’s attorney, A. Lee Parks Jr., said that Foster was forced to leave his position.

“He was told he had to resign to obtain severance [pay],” he said in an e­mail.

Parks added that Foster has since re­voked his resignation on the advice of legal counsel. He declined to say if Foster would be filing legal action against the county.

“We are hopeful this matter can be amicably resolved through our ongoing discussions with the county,” Parks said.

Ellis named Deputy Chief Eddie O’Brien as acting chief the same day that Foster left.

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More than 2,000 people with disabili­ties, their families and advocates from across Georgia will rally Feb. 25 on the steps of the state Capitol.

The 12th annual Disability Day at the Capitol is sponsored by the Georgia Council on Developmental Disabilities to underscore the needs of the one in every five Georgians who are disabled.

This year’s theme is “Count Me In! Count My Vote! Count My Community.” Kathy Martinez, head of the federal Of­fice of Disability Employment Policy, will be the keynote speaker.

For more information, call Valerie Meadows Suber at 404­657­2122.

DeKalb law enforcement officials will host the Crime Prevention Tour on Feb. 27 at Tucker Middle School to help educate and empower residents about crime prevention, community resources and public safety initiatives.

District Attorney Gwen Keyes Flem­ing, Solicitor­General Robert James and Sheriff Thomas Brown, sponsors of the 8:30 a.m.­to­noon event, will attend.

Participants will have their pick of workshops on gang activity, the juvenile justice system, domestic violence, elderly and disabled abuse, community prosecu­tion program, child abandonment, and DeKalb Police Department’s Interactive Community Policing Program.

For more information, call Dana Lawrence at 404­371­6342 or Ebony Phillips 404­371­3685.

CrossRoadsNewsFebruary 20, 2010 3

4partments. It is a secretive way to expand his office without paying for it out of his own CEO’s Office Budget.”

Ellis, whose proposed 2010 budget of $582.7 million is be­fore the DeKalb Board of Com­missioners, says the real issue is balancing the county’s budget in the face of an $83 million revenue shortfall. The commissioners must approve a balance budget by March 1.

“Let’s stop playing games,” he said. “That is not true. They put people on that list that is not funded out of my department.”

The emailed list included Ted Rhinehart, director of Public Works, Public Safety Director William Miller, and Bettye Davis, director of Ellis’s new One DeKalb

CEO Ellis denies padding office and hiding salaries

Community

index to advertisers

Middle school teacher charged with molestation 2

Stephenson Middle School teacher Rafer Lamar Grier is in the DeKalb County Jail charged with four counts of aggravated child molestation and one count of statuto-ry rape of a 16-year-old female student.

CEO says he asked Fire Rescue chief to step down 3

Former DeKalb County Fire Chief David Foster did not voluntarily quit his job.

Crime tour heads to Tucker Middle 3

DeKalb law enforcement officials will host the Crime Prevention Tour at Tucker Middle School to help educate residents about crime prevention, community re-sources and public safety initiatives.

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Ella’s Caring Hands Adult Day Care .............. 11Felicia V. Anderson, CPA LLC .........................6First African Presbyterian Church ...................9Future Movement Radio ................................8Greenforest McCalep Academy ..................... 7Henry Mitchell, CPA, PC ................................ 11Holmes Real Estate Investing ........................ 11

Kingdom Kare and Academy .........................9N’Timate Salon & Day Spa ............................ 11Outback Insurance ........................................ 11Saint Philip AME Church ................................9Steps to a Healthier DeKalb ........................... 3The Law Office of B.A. Thomas .................... 11

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QuiCk Read

“They report directly to me but they are paid by the departments in which they work. I am not sneaking people.”

CrossRoadsNews is pub-lished every Thursday by CrossRoads News, Inc.

We welcome articles on neighborhood issues and news of local happenings. The opinions expressed by writers and contributors are not necessarily those of the publisher, nor those of any advertisers.

The concep t , de -sign and content of CrossRoads News are copyrighted and may not be copied or reproduced in whole or in part in any manner without the writ-ten permission of the publisher.

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Submissions may be edited for clarity or space. We do not publish anonymous letters.

You can also voice your opinion about stories and Forum pieces on our website, www.crossroadsnews.com.

Sudden demise of Gold’s Gym takes members by surprise 6

Gold’s Gym, which had been in El-lenwood for nine years, closed its doors on Wednesday amid widespread financial problems and a dispute with its landlord.

Workshop offers math tips 7Parents can get tips on the state-man-

dated math curriculum at the “Let’s Talk About K-12 Mathematics, A Morning With Parents” workshop on Feb. 27 at Miller Grove High School in Lithonia.

Youngsters to vie in black history competition 8

Members of DeKalb 100 Black Men Leadership Academy finally get to show off their knowledge of black history at Macy’s at Stonecrest on Feb. 20.

Jackson cited for activism 8Event planner Brenda Jackson can add

the Hosea Williams Award for Community Activism to her resume.

Malcolm X awards to honor Decatur lawyers 8

Attorneys Mawuli Davis and Akil K. Se-cret will pick up Malcolm X Self-Determina-tion awards at the 19th Annual Malcolm X Commemorative Banquet on Feb. 27.

Haiti native to discuss efforts to rebuild after quake 9

Human rights worker Pierre LaBossiere will speak at First Afrikan Presby terian Church on Feb. 23 on the efforts of grass-roots organizations to rebuild Haiti after the devastating earthquake and how people can continue to help.

Extra precautions required for spring CRCT in April

Berry admitted to cheating and resigned. Alexander was reas­signed but has since left the school system, Davis said Tuesday.

The changed answers helped the school meet No Child Left Behind standards.

The state’s CRCT screens stu­dents in grades one to eight for proficiency in reading, English­language arts and mathematics. The test also is used to determine whether schools have made Ad­equate Yearly Progress as required by the federally mandated No Child Left Behind Act.

The analysis examined 125,000 test sheets in every subject and grade level.

Kathleen Mathers, director of the Governor’s Office of Student Achievement, said their recom­mendations are intended to elimi­nate future problems and help students who have been adversely affected by test tampering.

During the analysis, the com­pany looked for high numbers of wrong answers that were erased

and changed to right answers and highlighted classrooms where the number of changed answers per student diverged greatly from the state average.

While 80 percent of the state’s elementary and middle schools raised no concerns, 18 percent of the tests raised “minimal” to “moderate” concern, and 4 per­cent, including the six DeKalb schools, fell into the “severe con­cern” category because up to 25 percent or more of their classes had high incidents of erasures.

At Shadow Rock, 40 percent of classes were flagged; at Glen Haven, 44.9 percent. At Stone­view, 48.1 percent were flagged; at DeKalb Path Academy Charter, 25 percent. At Cedar Grove Middle, 35 percent were flagged, and at DeKalb Truancy, 66.7 percent.

State officials said they would need more information to pin­point what caused the high num­ber of erasures but offered several scenarios.

“Various activities may take place, such as a student copying from another student’s paper,

TeSTS, fRoM pAge 1 students receiving inappropriate assistance before or during test­ing, or students’ responses altered after testing,” CTB/McGraw­Hill officials said.

Mathers said test tampering could play a factor in the high number of erasures on students’ answer sheets. “If it is determined that someone tampered with stu­dent test documents and students were adversely affected by that, then we’re certainly going to take appropriate steps to make sure that those students are helped,” Mathers told Atlanta media.

In a unanimous vote on Feb. 12, the Georgia School Board ordered investigations of the 191 Georgia schools facing questions of tampering on the tests.

Results of those investigations are due back to the state between April 1 and the end of the school year. Officials could accept those results or investigate further.

The board also required extra precaution to be taken during the spring CRCT test in April.

State testing monitors will be sent to each of the 74 “severe”

schools, including all six DeKalb schools. The schools will have to randomly rotate teachers to differ­ent classrooms during testing, and teachers won’t be allowed to be proctors for their own students.

While there are no laws in Georgia making it unlawful to tamper with state tests or help others cheat on them, DeKalb District Attorney Gwen Keyes Fleming successfully charged Berry and Alexander with tam­pering with a state document in connection with the Atherton cheating scandal.

Lawmakers are now consider­ing a bill to make it unlawful for administrators and school em­ployees to tamper with tests.

The Governor’s Office of Student Achievement, the state’s reporting and accountability agency for education, will con­tinue to analyze other state tests including the End of Course and Georgia High School Graduation tests. The agency also will exam­ine graduation and dropout rates and other factors that determine student achievement.

By Jennfier Ffrench Parker

An anonymous email alleging that CEO Burrell Ellis is padding his office with employees and hid­ing their salaries in other depart­ments is erroneous and mislead­ing, Ellis said Thursday.

The unsigned email chart­ing positions and salaries was sent to the media on Feb. 13 by ceoshame@yahoo.com. It alleged that Ellis is hiding the true growth in his office by paying staff from other departments.

“The last 10 employees re­flected on the chart report directly to the CEO’s office,” the anony­mous sender said. “Their duties, assignments, and responsibilities are to the CEO. However, their salaries are paid out of other de­

office of neighborhood services, who is assigned to Community Development.

“They report directly to me but they are paid by the depart­ments in which they work,” Ellis aid. “That’s an acceptable practice in government. These people are not being hidden. I am not sneak­ing people.”

Of the six people in his cabi­net, Ellis said only two – executive assistant Keith Barker and com­munications officer Shelia Trap­pier Edwards – are paid out of his office.

Ellis said someone is trying to create an issue instead of dealing with the real issue of balancing the budget.”

County budget records show that in his first year in office, Ellis

reduced the CEO office’s budget from $2.4 in 2008 to $2.3 million in 2009, a 3.98 percent decrease. In his proposed 2010 budget given to the BOC on Dec. 15, Ellis recommended a budget of $2.6 million for his office, an increase of 13.86 over 2009. He said the increase is necessary to take on an addition function related to constituent services.

In contrast, the budget of Board of Commissioners Office grew 17 percent or $439,851 to $2.9 million in 2009, up from $2.5 million in 2008. Some of that growth was to accommodate the new functions of the board, which now sets its own agenda and presides over its meetings. The change was approved by vot­ers in 2008.

CrossRoadsNews February 20, 20104

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CrossRoadsNewsFebruary 20, 2010 5

6Sudden demise of Gold’s Gym takes members by surprise

FinanCe “I helped set this place up and tearing it down made tears come to my eyes. It’s like shooting your own dog.”

Little Giant set to open May 1 McDonald’s on Candler opens

Stonecrest Ashley’s cuts ribbonAshley Furniture HomeStores cut the

ribbons on its new store at Stonecrest on Feb. 17.

Store manager Lloyd Pilmon said the 55,000­square­foot showroom at 2900 Stonecrest Circle in Lithonia had its “soft opening” on Nov. 13 last year, ahead of the holiday shopping season.

On Wednesday, Lithonia Mayor Tonya Peterson helped them cut the ribbon.

As part of the grand opening festivities, the store is offering a 10 percent discount to customers who bring in three nonper­ishable food items for the Atlanta Com­munity Food Bank this weekend and Feb. 27 and 28.

On Feb. 20, there will be free blood pressure screenings, refreshments and a tour of a fire truck from noon to 2 p.m. For more information, call 770­484­2910.

The new McDonald’s restaurant at the corner of Candler and McAfee roads opened for business Feb. 15.

Owner/operators Yves and Cheryl Do­minique hosted a reception on Feb. 13 and opened the store for business on Monday.

The couple, who also operate another restaurant, broke ground Nov. 5 last year

on the 3,838­square­foot restaurant that brought 45 full­ and part­time jobs to the area. The store is open 24 hours a day and seats 70. It has a double drive­through, flat­screen TVs, and a full McCafe for espresso­based drinks, smoothies and frappes.

The Candler Road restaurant is the second location for the couple.

The Little Giant Farmers Market that is under construction on Wesley Chapel Road is expected to open May 1.

Mickey Dixon, general manager of the family­owned business based in Jonesboro, said it will be the company’s third store.

The first, on Ga. Highway 138 in Riv­erdale, opened in 1984; the second opened seven years ago on Upper Riverdale Road in Jonesboro.

“We are a hybrid between a grocery store and a farmers market,” Dixon said. “We are a full­line grocery store but we are heavy on produce, seafood and meats. We also have a deli with sandwiches, ribs and

fried chicken.” The store cuts and grinds its meats on­site and packages it in small and family­size packages, including its “giant 10­pound package.”

Dixon said the store will hire 50 to 60 full­ and part­time employees, and hiring will start 30 days prior to opening.

Dixon would not say how much his company is investing in opening the store, but the county building permit is­sued on Feb. 3 declared the value of the renovations of the 32,000­square­foot building at $770,000.

For more information, visit http://littlegiantfarmersmarket.com.

By Lee Williams

Gold’s Gym, which had been in El­lenwood for nine years, closed its doors on Wednesday amid widespread financial problems and a dispute with its landlord.

The 24­hour gym’s departure stranded hundreds of longtime members and several employees with no place to exercise and no jobs.

George Sykes, who along with his wife, Grace, had been members of the gym at Panola and Flakes Mill roads for nine years, bemoaned the closing Wednesday.

“They have transferred our member­ship to Eagles Landing, but it’s pretty far out,” he said. “We are elderly people. We don’t want to drive long distances.”

Some members found out about the gym’s closure Monday when they were handed a one­page letter from gym op­erator Louis Governo informing them that they have to vacate the property on Friday.

Sykes said the closure of the gym will be a huge loss to the community.

In the letter to members, Governo said the gym, which he opened in November 2000 with James Viar, owed $83,181 in back rent. In 2007, they intended to sell it to Jonathan Rowe. He said that he had been trying to pay down the arrears since October 2009 and had been working with the landlord’s attorney, Will Joiner.

The two rented the 32,000­square­foot building from Ingles, which operated a supermarket there before it built its own building across the street and took them on as tenants. Ingles has eight months re­maining on its lease of the building from the Pelican Group in Mobile, Ala.

Neither Governo nor Ricky Mitchell,

the gym’s manager, was available for further comment. In his letter to gym members, Governo said he made payments totaling $83,332 between October and January and had begun weekly payments of $1,300 this month, but got an eviction notice from the sheriff to vacate the property by Feb. 19.

“Gold’s Gym received no notice of any issues or complaints about the current rent payments being made,” Governo said in the letter. “I called Mr. Joiner who said Ingles wanted their money not paid by James Viar and J. Rowe. I called Ingles and they said that James Viar and J. Rowe had both promised things in the past and none were kept.”

Governo said Ingles did not want to take a chance on getting $192,664 from him over the next eight months.

“Ingles would rather evict us and pay eight months rent itself than let us stay in business,” he wrote to members. “We have no option but to remove our equipment and close our doors until Ingles is no lon­

ger in control of the building or we can acquire another location.”

Reached Wednesday, Joiner, Ingles’ at­torney, said he was surprised to hear that the gym was vacating the property.

“That’s certainly news to me,” he said. “They did get an eviction notice. I’ve been working with their attorney and that wasn’t my understanding [that they are leaving].”

The gym closure caught Eurice Hutchins of Decatur by surprise.

“I was shocked when I found out be­cause I was here on Monday and nobody said anything about it,” said Hutchins, a member of an elderly exercise program called Silver Sneakers.

Hutchins returned on Wednesday and found about 25 percent of the building had been evacuated. Weight sets, Gold’s Gym exercise apparel and the smoothie shop had been packed up and taken away.

“I’m totally disappointed,” Hutchins said. “I have poor circulation in my legs

and I need to exercise so that my legs will get better.”

Governo said all memberships will be transferred to Gold’s Gym Eagles Landing in Stockbridge, 10 miles away at 250 Busi­ness Center Drive, and will be discounted to $25 a month. Members who don’t want to go to Eagles Landing were offered the option to cancel their membership by tele­phone or by e­mail at terminatemyaccount @yahoo.com.

Jeffery Grace, who joined the gym in 2000, said he would likely end his nine­year relationship with Gold’s Gym.

The Ellenwood resident said news of the closure has deeply affected him.

“It almost felt like your girlfriend called you up and said we need to go our differ­ent directions,” said Grace, a postal worker. “The sad thing about this is, we pay our dues, but you don’t pay the bills.”

The gym employed about a dozen em­ployees and it was unclear if all employees will get jobs at the Eagles Landing facility.

Clinton Walker, a maintenance worker and nine­year employee of the gym, and his fiancee, Sarah Johnson, both lost their jobs.

Walker, who lost 110 pounds working out at the gym, said he was hopeful that he would get a position at Eagles Landing, but on Wednesday he still didn’t know for sure.

“There’s nothing I can do but move on,” said Walker, who went from 265 pounds to 160 pounds in a single year. “I helped set this place up and tearing it down made tears come to my eyes. It’s like shooting your own dog.”

For more information, visit goldsgym .com or call Gold’s Gym Eagles Landing at 678­565­8682.

Grace and George Sykes of Ellenwood work out for the last time at Gold’s Gym at 1709 Panola Road in Ellenwood on Wednesday.

CrossRoadsNews February 20, 20106

7youth “Some people don’t get the opportunities that I get, so I wanted to help people with something that I like to do.”

Love of reading spurs donation of books to shelter

Free workshop offers math tips

The workshop will provide information on the state-mandated math curriculum.

Shamaal Blair (center) reads to Elijah Colbert, 7, a first-grader at Dutchtown Elementary School in Hampton; Tyler Robinson, 7, a first-grader at University Community Academy in Atlanta; and Sumayah Robinson, 3, at Perfect Heart in Atlanta.

By Lee Williams

Seventeen­year­old Shamaal Blair of Lithonia loves to read so much, she wants everyone else to have the pleasure.

In November, the Miller Grove High School senior founded Book Buddies, a group that donates children’s books to local homeless shelters. Her first stop was Perfect Heart, a women and children’s homeless shelter in Atlanta.

“Some people don’t get the opportuni­ties that I get, so I wanted to help people with something that I like to do,” Shamaal said Feb. 10.

In DeKalb County, more than 20 percent of the population cannot read or write, says the National Assessment of Adult Literacy, a Washington­based agency that tracks English literacy across the country. Only Clayton County, with 21 percent, had a higher rate of illiteracy in metro Atlanta.

Shamaal held a children’s book drive in November and in about two months collected 164 books from students and teachers.

Some donated classics by Charles Dick­ens and Dr. Seuss and mysteries with Nancy Drew, the fictional amateur sleuth.

Shamaal, an honor student who loves adventure books, said she was thrilled by the outpouring of support.

The project soon became a family affair. With the help of her dad, Floyd, Shamaal made two wooden bookcases to hold the books. Her mother, Sandra, and older sister Roshondra Sipp also helped with the project.

Shamaal said she picked Perfect Heart to house the new library because she saw a need.

“I called four shelters,” Shamaal said.

“I chose Perfect Heart because I wanted to give it to someone who didn’t have a library.”

Devora Jerkins, who owns and operates Perfect Heart, said the shelter that provides temporary housing for more than 150 women and children each year survives through donations and does not receive state funding.

“I do all this with faith and God’s strength,” said Jerkins, who opened the 12­bedroom shelter in 2007. “I’m not a social worker. I’m just a child of God, and God has renewed me.”

With so many to help and so little com­ing in, there’s hardly any room for extras. Jerkins said she was thrilled to accept the library that will encourage children to read and help break the cycle of poverty.

“It was a help,” Jerkins said. “It was re­ally what we needed. We didn’t have any books for the children.”

Shamaal presented the books and the

two bookcases to Perfect Heart on Jan. 16, the day after Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday.

Shamaal said the smile on Jerkins’ face made all her efforts worth it.

“I was happy that I was able to help her,” she said.

Now she is looking forward to spending more time at the shelter.

Shamaal said she and other Book Bud­dies volunteers will travel to the shelter each month to help bring stories such as “Pocahontas,” “Tarzan” and “SpongeBob” to life.

“I’m going to try to make it exciting,” Shamaal said. “We’re going to bring pup­pets and everything.”

Want to Help?Book Buddies is collecting children’s

books and is searching for groups that could benefit from having a children’s library. For more information, e-mail Shamaal Blair at shaab2@bellsouth.net.

Lee Williams / CrossRoadsNews

Parents can get tips on the state­mandated math curriculum at the “Let’s Talk About K­12 Mathematics, A Morn­ing With Parents” workshop on Feb. 27 at Miller Grove High School in Lithonia.

The free workshop is one of three that the DeKalb School System has held since Jan. 30. The 8:30 a.m.­to­noon event in­cludes concurrent sessions that will pro­vide parents with the information they need to help prepare their children for the math portion of the spring Criterion Referenced Competency Test in April.

The meeting is tailored to help par­ents of elementary, middle and high school students. It is also open to resi­dents and concerned citizens who want to learn more about Georgia Performance Standards in math.

Participants will have the opportunity to view math textbooks and access parent resource Web sites and demonstrate math assessments.

Participants are encouraged to register at www.surveymonkey.com/s/LDGRYYF. For more information, visit www.dekalb.k12.ga.us/instruction or www.georgiastandards.org or call 678­676­1200.

GREENFOREST-McCALEP CHRISTIAN ACADEMIC CENTER

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Celebrating 20 Years In Christian Education

The Premier DeKalb County School SystemOffice of School Improvement

Presents

The Year of the ParentRAISING THE BAR

The Year of the ParentRAISING THE BAR

Together We Can Make a DifferenceA free half-day parent conference

Saturday, March 13, 2010 from 7:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.Avondale Middle School, 3131 Old Rockbridge Road, Avondale Estates, GA 30002

A complimentary breakfast will be served at 7:30 a.m.

Dr. Alduan Tartt, a practicing psychologist and accomplished author, community servant and humanitarian, is the keynote speaker. He will speak on the topic “Effective Parenting in Today’s Society”. Dr. Tartt will also present two workshops on parenting. In addition, a variety of workshops focusing on test-taking strategies will be offered to assist parents in the facilitation of student achievement.

The workshops include: Mathematics and Reading for all grade levels, Special Education, Early Childhood Workshops, and Transition from Elementary to Middle and Middle to High.

Middle and High School students will have an opportunity to participate in a panel discussion with various community members. Poet Hank Stewart will be guest moderator for the panel.

Language translators will be available for some workshops and child care for school age children will be provided. We will also have exhibits featuring the DeKalb County School System, various community agencies, and educational companies.

Door prizes will be awarded at the conclusion of the conference!

For more information, call Jackie Marshall at 678-676-0376

CrossRoadsNewsFebruary 20, 2010 7

8Attorneys Mawuli Davis and Akil K. Se-

cret will pick up Malcolm X Self-Determi-nation awards at the 19th Annual Malcolm X Commemorative Banquet on Feb. 27 at

the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Marietta.

Davis, who is known as “the Liberation Law-yer” for his activism, is a founding partner of the Davis Bozeman Law Firm P.C. in Decatur. He leads the firm’s criminal

defense and trial sections. Secret is the founder of the Secret Firm

P.C., a firm of personal injury and wrongful death attorneys in Decatur. He was born in Omaha, Neb., birthplace of Malcolm X, and began his commu-nity work as a founding member of Black United Students, the first black high school student union in Omaha.

The two are among three people being hon-ored by the Malcolm X Grassroots Movement and Community Aid and Development. Community activist Baba Hannibal Afrik will get the Malcolm X Ujima Award.

The banquet’s theme is “2010 A New Decade - A New Commitment to Self-Determination.”

Former Atlanta City Councilman and WAOK Radio host Derrick Boazman will be guest speaker and Fox 5 News reporter Portia Bruner will be the evening’s mistress of ceremonies.

Mausiki Scales and the Common Ground Collective will perform.

Doors open at 6:30 p.m.; the event starts at 7 p.m. The Crowne Plaza Hotel is at 1775 Parkway Place S.E. in Marietta.

Tickets are $50 each. Visit www.malcol-mxbanquet.com or call Watani Tyehimba at 770-987-9390.

Zora Neale Hurston’s classic novel “Their Eyes Were Watching God” will be discussed Feb. 24 at Books Again in Mc-Donough.

The discussion is part of The Big Read, a national grant program sponsored by the Na-tional Endowment for the Arts, and is being held in partnership with Literacy Volunteers of Atlanta.

Hurston, a writer, cultural anthropolo-gist and chronicler of folk roots and ethnic traditions, was the daughter of a former slave.

She was one of the most celebrated – and most controversial – figures of the Harlem Renaissance, the expansive era of creativity in the 1920s when “the Negro was in vogue.”

She collaborated with Langston Hughes, was criticized by Richard Wright, and died a pauper’s death in total obscurity.

Hurston is now regarded as a lioness of African-American literature. Her iconic book, published in 1937, is now considered essential reading.

The Big Read is promoting “Their Eyes Were Watching God” through March 15 with events throughout metro Atlanta.

At the Books Again discussion, refresh-ments will be served.

For more information, call 404-377-1444.

Scene Hurston was one of the most celebrated – and most controversial – figures of the Harlem Renaissance.

Jackson lauded for activism

Sen. Adelman gets recognized

Youngsters to vie in black history competition

The Big Read promotes ‘Eyes’

Lawyers to get Malcolm X Awards Feb. 27

Wedding gown, train of Diana on display

Princess Diana, who wed Prince Charles in 1981, was killed in a car crash in 1997.

Zora N. Hurston

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Fans of the late Princess Diana can see the wedding gown and 25-foot train she wore to wed Charles, Prince of Wales, on July 29, 1981, at the Atlanta Civic Center through June 13.

“Diana: A Celebration” is showcas-ing the late princess’s tiaras, photos and other memorabila in the exhibit that chronicles her life from a kindergarten teacher to wife and mother of Prince William and Prince Harry.

Princess Diana died in a car accident on Aug. 31, 1997.

Atlanta is the final U.S. stop before the traveling exhibit returns to Althorp Estate in England, Princess Diana’s family’s 500-year-old ancestral home. For showtimes and ticket prices, visit www.atlantaciviccenter.com or call 404-523-6275.

Mawuli Davis

Akil Secret

Sen. David Adelman will be honored for his work on behalf of battered women at the March 4 Women’s Resource Center to End Domestic Violence’s seventh annual Champions for Change Luncheon at the Georgia Aquarium.

Adelman, who will become the U.S. ambassador to Singapore, will get the WRC’s 2010 Cham-pion for Change award.

Amber Harris, director of the Women’s Resource Center, said they are recognizing Adelman for working to improve the lives of Georgia’s women and families, especially those who have been impacted by domestic violence.

“David authored and passed the Fam-ily Violence Shelter Confidentiality Act of 2004, which protects domestic violence shelters from having their addresses pub-

lished in phone books and public direc-tories,” Harris said.

During the event, the women’s co-operative, Circle of Sisters, will get the

Clarence Seeliger Local Justice Award. The cooperative lends emotional and financial sup-port to survivors of domestic violence.

Tickets are $100 each. Proceeds benefit the Deca-

tur-based Women’s Resource Center’s safehouse, 24-hour hotline and its programs pro-

viding emergency financial assistance and other services to more than 13,000 women annually.

For more information or to purchase tickets or make a donation, visit www.wrcdv.org, or call the Women’s Resource Center at 404-370-7670.

David Adelman

Members of DeKalb 100 Black Men Leadership Academy finally get to show off their knowledge of black history in the African-American History scholastic contest at Macy’s at Stonecrest on Feb. 20.

The event was rescheduled from Feb. 13 because of the winter storm that blanketed metro Atlanta under 3.7 inches of snow.

The middle and high school students will compete for a $200 Macy’s gift card in the American Legacy Magazine’s trivia challenge.

The competition, which is modeled after the American Legacy Know Your History Knowledge Game, is part of Ma-cy’s celebration of Black History Month. It begins at 2 p.m. in the store’s hosiery department on the main level.

The Martin Luther King Jr. High School Band will perform, and custom-ers who view the competition will get refreshments courtesy of Lady Cakes.

Macy’s at Stonecrest is at I-20 and Turner Hill Road in Lithonia.

Event planner Brenda Jack-son can add the Hosea Williams Award for Community Activism to her resume.

Jackson, owner of Bren-da Jackson & Asociates, was awarded the 2010 Hosea Wil-liams Award by Georgia State University during its 27th annual Martin Luther King Jr. Convoca-tion on Jan. 19.

The award recognizes Jack-son for the numerous roles she plays in the community. She is a co-founder and secretary of the South DeKalb Neighborhood Coalition that fought for the closure of the Live Oak Landfill and co-founder and CEO of the Howey Hudson Lowe Founda-tion Inc., which champions the cause of children and homeless families.

The Hosea Williams Com-munity Activism Award joins more than 30 other recognitions that Jackson has received for ser-vice to children, the community and civic involvement.

CrossRoadsNews February 20, 20108

9By Brenda Camp Yarbrough

Human rights worker Pierre LaBos-siere will speak at First Afrikan Presby-terian Church on Feb. 23 on the efforts of grassroots organizations to rebuild Haiti after the devastating earthquake and how people can continue to help.

LaBossiere, a native of Haiti, is the co-founder and leader of the San Francisco Bay area-based Haiti Action Committee, a network of activists in the United States that advocates for democracy and self-determination for Haiti.

The 6:30 p.m. event is co-sponsored by First Afrikan’s Haiti Initiative Study Group. Other sponsors include the Mal-colm X Grassroots Movement, the Center for African Biblical Studies, Community Aid and Development Inc., the U.S. Hu-man Rights Network, the Department of African-American Studies at Georgia State University and the Kilombo Cul-

tural and Educational Institute, and the Na-tional Council of Black Studies/National Black United Federation of Charities.

LaBossiere’s ap-pearance was made possible through a community engage-ment grant secured by

Dr. Akinyele Umoja, a GSU professor, in collaboration with the National Council of Black Studies.

Umoja said the focus of LaBossiere’s message will be what Haitian organizations are doing to help rebuild their country and how we can help support them.

“The groups are working from the bot-tom up and are trying to chart their own destiny,” he said. “They are not in disarray – there is a strong sense of community

MiniStry “In a variety of neighborhoods, people who were activists before the quake formed networks to help others.”

Haiti native to discuss grassroots efforts to rebuild after quake

Vision screenings at Ray of HopeAkinyele Umoja

Praise & DevotionWorship Service

Sundays at 10 a.m.

Join us for Bible StudyWednesdays at 7 p.m.

“Come on and be a part of the vision”First Afrikan Church is an Afrocentric Christian Ministry that empowers women, men, youth and children to move from membership to leadership in the church, community and the world.

5197 Salem RoadLithonia, GA 30038

Rev. Dr. Mark A. Lomax

“We are building far beyond our years.”

770-981-2601

Worship Services: ...........Sundays – 7:45 a.m. & 11:00 a.m.

Church School: ...............Sundays – 9:30 a.m.

Victory Chapel: ...............Sundays – 11:00 a.m. (Ages 5-16)

Prayer Service: ...............Wednesdays – 6:30 p.m. Chapel

Bible Study: ....................Wednesdays – 7:00 p.m.

Mid-Wk Communion.......Wednesdays B4 First Sunday - 11:30 a.m.

Unemployed or uninsured adults can get free vision screenings at Ray of Hope Christian Church on Feb. 21.

The Decatur church’s Hope Through Health Clinic Ministry is providing a free optometry clinic from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The clinic, which normally operates once a year in August, is seeking to provide

quality health care services on a more regu-lar basis to people who are unemployed and/or uninsured.

The outreach ministry’s service is of-fered by appointment only in the church’s Family Life Center. Call 770-696-5100, Ext. 214, to schedule an appointment. Ray of Hope is at 2778 Snapfinger Road.

organization.”Umoja said that initially, international

organizations were concerned with security matters after the quake.

“In a variety of neighborhoods, people who were activists before the quake formed networks to help others – a teacher turned a school into a shelter and clinic, and she cared for people in her home,” he said,

Umoja, who visited Haiti in 2007 on a human rights mission, said grassroots organizations haven’t been provided with aid from many of the relief efforts.

He said many agencies are making relief

drops rather than cooperating with the lo-cal organizations.

In his talk, LaBossiere, who is constantly in touch with activists in Haiti, will include an overview of Haitian history, politics and the current situation.

Haiti Action Committee has worked for almost 20 years to bring dignity to and improve the lives of the vast majority of Haitians.

Members have developed extensive contacts with grassroots movements – including labor unions, women’s groups, educators, human rights activists, support committees for political prisoners, and agricultural cooperatives – in Haiti.

The group’s Haiti Emergency Relief Fund supports organizations giving hu-manitarian aid in the aftermath of the quake. It provides financial assistance to schools and literacy for the poor, victims’ assistance, women’s organizations, trade union organizing, and anti-repression programs.

For more information, visit www.Hai-tiAction.net or www.HaitiSolidarity.net or e-mail info@haitiaction.org. First Afrikan Presbyterian Church is at 5197 Salem Road in Lithonia. For more information, call 770-981-2601 or 678-528-1627.

Pierre LaBossiere will talk about what Haitian organizations are doing to help rebuild their country and how supporters in the United States can help them.

CrossRoadsNewsFebruary 20, 2010 9

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WWW.JONATECH.NET. Laptops $199 & up. Parts, Adapters, Screen Replace, Spyware & Virus removal. Diag fee $40 Jonatech 678-918-4445

FOr rent/leaseEast Atlanta at Flat Shoals. 2 Retail Spaces available. Take out cafe; Beauty Salon, Meeting Place, etc. $800 & $1200 monthly. 770-873-4579

DeKalb/Kirkwood - 2 & 4bd duplex with appls., CHA, hardwood floors, W/D conn., off-street parking, water paid, lg back yard. Contact: CBG Real Estate 404.523.6136

marKetplace ratesPlace your MarketPlace line ad here – up to 20 words for $25. Additional words are $3 per block of five words (maximum 45 words). Boxed Ads (with up to 3 lines bold headline): $35 plus cost of the classified ad. Send ad copy with check or credit card information and contact phone number (if different from ad) to MarketPlace, CrossRoadsNews, 2346 Candler Road, Decatur, GA 30032, or e-mail to marketplace@crossroadsnews.com. Our deadlines are at noon on the Friday one week prior to publication, unless otherwise noted.

www.eastmetromarket.comFind Local Goods & Services

Cornerstone Christian Resource CenterAn Online Christian Store

Catering to your Faith-Based needs

Visit us www.cornerstonechristianrc.comto see our vast selection and

receive a 15% discount on all items

Aletha Roberson, Co-Foundercornerstonechristianrc@gmail.com

NEED TO GET RID OF YOUR

HOUSE TODAY?

You can also email or call directly at

HREILLC@gmail.com, or 770-712-5167

If you're behind on your payments, relocating, vacant

house, death of a relative, etc., then we're your easy solution. Receive a quick,

cash offer on your property "as is". Visit my website:

& submit your info.

www.holmesrealestateinvesting.com

404-432-2772

$10 $28

RABIES CLINIC

“Keep your pet protected and LEGAL! Update their Rabies vaccine today!”

• We offer half price every Saturday.

• We prepare and E-file tax returns for all 50 states.

• We charge no additional fee for E-filing.

• We prepare tax returns for individuals, partnerships, corporations, non-profit entities, estates and trust.

• We insure you receive every tax benefit.

• We serve our clients with due diligence and with utmost respect for their financial interest.

Henry K. MitchellCertified Public Accountant

Adjunct Instructor of Accounting, Atlanta Metropolitan College

Last Chance Tax Preparation

Call us at(678) 663-6229

Ayanna Nubienne2964 s. rainbow ste 312

decatur, ga 30032

trunaturalsshop.com

loctitian

N’Timate Hair Studio & Day SpaA Full Service Salon

Stylist for all your hair care needs * Customized Facials

* Spa Manicure & Pedicure * Rejuvenating Massages

Inquire about Senior Citizen Wednesday

February Special: ONLY $115• Customized Facial• Shampoo & Set• Mani/Pedi Combo• Massage ($150 value)

Call for your reservation or additional information770-679-0700

1046 Iris Drive Ste EConyers, GA 30094

Conyers’ Best Kept Secret!

Send a congratulatory message with photo to your graduate in our

May 22 Graduation Special Section.

inCongratulate Your Grad With An Ad!

For details, call 404-284-1888 or email graduates@crossroadsnews.com

CrossRoadsNewsFebruary 20, 2010 11

12 CrossRoadsNews February 20, 201012