By Jennifer Ffrench Parker

In the 39 years since DeKalb and Fulton residents voted themselves a penny sales tax to support MARTA, the two counties have contributed more than $7.5 billion to sup-port public transit in the region.

The amount of the total revenues gener-ated for MARTA between 1973, when the tax started, through its 2011 financial year was obtained by CrossRoadsNews last week in an open records request.

When he heard the total Thursday, DeKalb Commissioner Lee May said, “Wow!”

“They say we are not thinking regionally, but we have $7.5 billion al-ready invested,” he said. “I think we have been thinking regionally and acting regionally, and it is time for our investments to yield results directly.”

DeKalb NAACP President John Evans said the 39-year investment underscored why the historic civil rights organization cannot support the July 31 transportation referendum that is seeking a second penny sales tax from residents of DeKalb and Fulton counties.

“They have been making studies of the east line for 40 years and making promises and never keeping them,” he said. “We are taking it real personal.”

Evans said that over the years he has been involved in many of the studies of an I-20 rail line to Stonecrest and the community has been involved, and nothing happens.

He said that when he served on the MARTA board for six years in the 1980s, he went through all of it.

our taxes,” he said. “If it passes, we will pay 2 cents in DeKalb and Fulton while everyone else pays 1 cent and then they are going to take control of the board.”

If the new penny sales tax is approved on July 31, it will fund $8 billion in transportation projects. Of that amount, DeKalb will get $556.8 million to fund projects entirely within the county, but the long-anticipated I-20 rail line to the Mall at Stonecrest is not among the projects.

Fulton County and the city of Atlanta are getting $1.8 billion to fund projects directly within their areas.

On the list of 157 projects to be funded, DeKalb got $225 million for rail but needs an additional $350 million to get started.

Residents and groups who want the I-20 rail project are opposing the referendum and are encouraging DeKalb residents to vote against the tax.

DeKalb CEO Burrell Ellis said the refer-endum might not be perfect but that is not enough reason to throw the baby out with the bath water.

“Its is a way to protect the investments we have already made.,” he said. “We can expand on that investment and bring others in to help us with that expansion,.”

The 39-year-old sales tax that currently supports MARTA is collected in DeKalb and Fulton counties every time someone makes a taxable purchase. DeKalb residents currently pay a 7 percent sales tax. If the July 31 refer-endum passes, DeKalb residents will pay an 8 percent sales tax.

The existing penny sales tax for MARTA is collected by the Georgia Department of Revenue and remitted to the transit au-thority annually. Annual collections have ranged from $43.8 million in 1973, when the tax started, to a high of $351.6 million in 2008, just before the economy slid into a

COVER PAGE

John Evans

Lee May

Please see MARTA, page 2

Please see BUDGET, page 5

With this year’s early start to hur-ricane season, safety experts are encourag-ing residents to prepare for the worst. 6

Weathering the stormsWELLNESS

A $46,000 grant to buy instruments is helping make beautiful music for Clarkston High School’s marching band. 8

Hitting the high notesYOUTH

A $7.5 Billion TrAnsiT invesTmenTDeKalb, Fulton generate MARTA funds for 39 years

Curtis Parker / CrossroadsNews

The sales tax that supports MARTA is collected in DeKalb and Fulton every time someone makes a taxable purchase. The July 31 regional transportation referendum seeks a second penny tax.

At a May 30 public hearing, teachers, parents and taxpayers voiced their frustration at the school district’s financial woes and the cuts recommended to fix them.

School Board weighs tax hike, furloughs to span shortfall

Carla Parker / CrossroadsNews

EAST ATLANTA • DECATUR • STONE MOUNTAIN • LITHONIA • AVONDALE ESTATES • CLARKSTON • ELLENWOOD • PINE LAKE • REDAN • SCOTTDALE • TUCKER

www.crossroadsnews.comJune 2, 2012 Volume 18, Number 5Copyright © 2012 CrossroadsNews, iNC.

“They promise you one day and then they change their minds,” he said. “White politicians look out for their communities. We don’t have blacks with any gumption to stand up with us.”

Evans said that residents of Gwinnett, Cobb and other metro counties have never paid a dime but have benefited from having MARTA.

“We don’t ever get our fair share of

By Carla Parker

DeKalb property owners could see their taxes increase, and teachers could see larger class sizes, get two extra furlough days, and lose their health and dental insurance sub-sidy under a cost-cutting proposal being considered by the DeKalb School Board.

The proposed cuts are part of the board’s attempt to close a $73 million budget short-fall for 2013.

School Board members came up with their list of cuts at a May 29 meeting to discuss Superintendent Cheryl Atkinson’s proposed FY 2013 budget. Their proposal would save almost $75.4 million.

On May 14, Atkinson proposed a 2 mill

property tax increase to raise $29.6 million and cuts of $74 million that included reduc-ing central office positions by an additional 70 at savings of $5 million. She also proposed increasing class size by two students to save $14 million.

Instead, board members favor a 1 mill property tax increase, which would raise $14.8 million. They also favor increasing class size by one student at a savings of $7 million.

Adding two extra furlough days would save $6 million but would saddle teachers with a total of six furlough days for the 2012-2013 school year.

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2said the department is looking forward to seeing how well it improves the traffic flow through the busy interchange.

“Even though there is more work to be done on the project, I believe that motorists will begin to see an improvement in congestion once they get through the learning curve of navigating the new DDI,” Golden said.

When the crossover opens, traffic on Ashford Dunwoody Road will cross from the right side of the roadway to the left side

Inside-Cvr Pg

Community “You can’t take your ball and go home because you don’t get rail to Stonecrest. It would be a tragedy for DeKalb to pass it up.”

7 communities vie for initiative

Effort to defeat referendum ‘David and Goliath fight’

I-285/Ashford Dunwoody bridge closed for interchange work

Keith Golden

MARTA, fRoM pAge 1

recession.In 2009, the sales tax receipts plummeted 6.9 percent to $327.4

million. It dipped another 2.9 percent in 2010 to $317.8 million before starting to rebound last year to $319.2 million.

MARTA says the Department of Revenue does not break down the sales tax revenues by county, so it doesn’t know how much of it comes from DeKalb residents.

May estimates that DeKalb contributes about a third of the total, which would put its share at about $2.5 billion over the 39 years.

With DeKalb’s history of investment into transportation, May said it’s time for DeKalb to get what it has been promised.

“As it stands now, DeKalb is not winning,” May said. “Additional funding needs to be committed to rail for DeKalb County.”

Jeff Dickerson, spokesman for Citizens for Transportation Mo-bility, said that DeKalb and Fulton’s $7.5 billion into MARTA has built the basis for a regional system but that they can’t stop invest-ing now.

“You can’t take your ball and go home because you don’t get rail to Stonecrest,” he said.

Dickerson said the $225 million that DeKalb is getting to build transit centers is a “significant down payment” toward rail.

“It would be a tragedy for DeKalb to pass it up,” he said.May said his constituents are telling him they are not supporting

the referendum because of the lack of I-20 rail to Stonecrest.“They are going to go to the polls and vote no,” he said.Evans said the NAACP is asking right-thinking folks – black and

white – in all counties to defeat the referendum.“It’s a David and Goliath fight,” he said. “We know that. They have

$8 million to spend to get it passed. We have $500. We are going to get David working. We are going to get people worked up and out to the polls on July 31 to defeat it. It’s going to be tough, but we are going to hustle.”

In the past 39 years, residents of DeKalb and Fulton counties have contributed $7.5 billion to transit through a 1-cent sales tax.

Historical Annual Sales Tax Revenue ($ in Millions)Year 1973 1974 1975 1976 Amount 43.82 50.501 50.946 52.819

Year 1977 1978 1979 1980Amount 57.933 66.12 75.472 88.342

Year 1981 1982 1983 1984 Amount 99.84 104.69 112.01 123.41

Year 1985 1986 1987 1988 Amount 134.90 147.15 148.50 158.55

Year 1989 1990 1991 1992 Amount 162.54 165.72 168.09 167.02

Year 1993 1994 1995 1996 Amount 181.36 198.49 222.48 251.67

Year 1997 1998 1999 2000 Amount 256.17 242.92 272.79 295.80

Year 2001 2002 2003 2004 Amount 304.39 286.44 272.58 280.66

Year 2005 2006 2007 2008 Amount 296.351 331.213 349.215 351.596

Year 2009 2010 2011 Amount 327.425 317.775 319.229

NOTE: Sales Tax Collected Since Inception Thru FY 2011: $7,536.9M Source: MARTA

Funds generated for MARTA since 1973 Seven DeKalb communities are candi-

dates for the DeKalb Sustainable Neigh-borhoods Initiative launched May 29.

The areas based on high school clus-ters are Clarkston, Columbia, Cross Keys, Lithonia, McNair, Stone Mountain and Towers.

The Sustainable Neighborhoods Initia-tive pilot program is designed to foster a collaborative, cross-sector, community-based approach to improving the quality of life in DeKalb neighborhoods.

The clusters were picked based on their eligibility to utilize resources available through the county’s Housing and Ur-ban Development-funded programs and related federal, state and local initiatives. Six have already given presentations to the Selection Committee.

Jaime de Leon, program coordinator for the New Communities Program in Chicago, who spoke at DeKalb’s launch of its program, said Chicago’s 10-year Quality of Life Plan continues to impact communities.

The Emory University Office of University-Community Partnership is the DeKalb project’s partner.

For more information, visit www .co.dekalb.ga.us or contact Rodney Reese at rreese@dekalbcountyga.gov or 404-286-3352.

The I-285/Ashford Dunwoody Inter-change Bridge will be closed this weekend to allow work crews to complete construc-tion on the state’s first diverging diamond interchange.

The Georgia Department of Transpor-tation said the bridge, which serves nearly 55,000 vehicles a day, will close from 9 p.m. June 1 until 5 a.m. June 4, weather permit-ting. Work includes removal of asphalt, con-struction of a pedestrian walkway, paving, re-striping and installation of traffic signals.

Only the ramps that provide access to and from I-285 will be open during the weekend bridge closure, and Ashford Dunwoody

Road south- and northbound traffic will be detoured through the I-285 Perimeter Center Parkway bridge. Ashford Dunwoody Road southbound between Perimeter Center West and the bridge will be reduced to one lane during the bridge closure.

Pedestrians will not be allowed on the bridge during June while a pedestrian walk-way in the bridge median is completed. The walkway is being placed inside a concrete barrier-protected pedestrian-only zone.

When the bridge reopens June 4, it will feature a new DDI design.

GDOT is funding the $4.6 million con-struction cost. Commissioner Keith Golden

at a ramp intersection signal so vehicles may make free left turns onto the I-285 freeway on-ramp. Traffic will then cross back to the right side of the road at a second ramp in-tersection. A loop ramp used to access I-285 East from the interchange bridge that has been a major contributor to the congestion in the corridor will be removed.

Signage, lane striping and curbs will be in place to guide and separate opposing traffic as it moves through the interchange. Police officers will be on duty at the interchange after the bridge reopens to help motorists with the new configuration. For more infor-mation, visit www.CanYouDDI.org.

CrossRoadsNews June 2, 20122

3

Community PG

Community Early voting for the July 31 primary starts on July 9 and the last day to register to vote in the primary is July 2.

Your Source for Neighborhood News Call 404-284-1888 for Advertising Rates & Information

County Line to register voters

GOP candidates to meet at forum

Many incumbents facing challenges in 2012

Voters can get to know the 4th Congres-sional District GOP primary candidates at a forum on June 9 at DeKalb Republican Party headquarters in Tucker.

The forum with businessman Greg Pallen and J. Chris Vaughn, a minister, begins at 10 a.m. It is hosted by the North DeKalb Republican Women, which is also collecting diapers for the families of military personnel. To contribute, bring diapers to the DeKalb GOP headquarters on any meeting date.

The DeKalb Republican Party Head-quarters are at 3583-G Chamblee Tucker Road (Embry Hills Shopping Village).

For more information, contact Natalie Olmi at 770-396-4101.

DeKalb residents who are unregistered to vote, can get ready for the July 31 prima-ry and transportation referendum at June 9 community voter registration drive.

The drive, which starts at 9 a.m. is host-ed County Line United Methodist Church at 4031 Old River Road in Ellenwood.

July 2 is the final day to register to vote in the July 31 election.

The church is also seeking volunteers to canvass surrounding residential neigh-borhoods to register new voters, and update registration for voters tho need address and name changes.

For more information, contact Lena Render at 404-247-5837.

By Jennifer Ffrench Parker

A number of incumbents in county, state and congressional offices will be fending off challengers in the July 31 primary elections, and two open Georgia House seats and a open DeKalb School Board seat attracted a new crop of aspiring politicians.

When qualifying closed at noon on May 25, there were 29 candidates in contested county races for CEO, county commission districts 1, 4, 5 and 6; Clerk of Superior Court, Tax Commissioner, State Court Divi-sion 6 Bench and for DeKalb School Board’s District 4 and 6 , and the open District 6 seat, and 40 candidates in contested state and congressional offices.

DeKalb CEO Burrell Ellis will face Greg-ory Adams and Jerome Edmondson.

In Commission District 1 race, Repub-lican incumbent Elaine Boyer attracted op-position from Larry Danese.

In Commission District 4, incumbent Democrat Sharon Barnes Sutton will face Steve Bradshaw and Clyburn Halley.

In the Commission District 5 race, in-cumbent Lee May will face attorney Gina Mangham, pastor Kenneth Samuel, and newspaper publisher Andre White; and in the Commission Super District 6 race, in-cumbent Kathie Gannon will face Edmond Richardson.

Clerk of Superior Court Debra Deberry attracted four opponents, Oretha Brown-Johnson, John Q. Carter, Frank Swindle and Cheryl Vortice.

Tax Commissioner Claudia Lawson

attracted opposition from Melvin Allen Tukes.

In nonpartisan races, State Court Judge Dax E. Lopez is the only judge to attract op-position. He is being challenged by former DeKalb prosecutor Dionne McGee.

On the DeKalb School Board, District 4 board member Paul Womack will face op-ponents Tom Gilbert, Jim Kinney, and Jim McMahan; and in District 8 seat, incum-bent Pamela Speaks is being challenged by Michelle “Mimi” Clark.

The open District 6 race attracted four candidates – Melvin Johnson, Denise McGill, Terriyln Rivers-Cannon and Latashia Walker.

For the 4th Congressional District, there will be primaries for the Democrats and Re-publicans; and for Democrats only in the 5th and 6th Districts. Fourth District Congress-man Hank Johnson will face Courtney Dillard Sr. and Lincoln Nunally. In the GOP primary, Greg Pallen and J. Chris Vaugh will compete. In the 5th District race, Democrat John Lewis will face Michael Johnson in the primary, and in the 6th District, Democrats Jeff Kazanow and Robert Montigel will fight for the right to challenge GOP incumbent Tom Price in the fall.

In the Georgia Senate, District 55 incum-bent Gloria Butler attracted opposition from Mark Williams.

Because of redistricting a number of Georgia House Democratic incumbents find themselves in the same district and will be competing against one another. In House District 57, incumbents Pat Gardner and

Rashad Taylor will compete; and in House District 58, incumbents Simone Bell and Ralph Long will compete.

In House District 60, five Democrats will fight for the seat. Gary “Pee-Wee” Davis, William Fisher, Antonio Lewis and LaTrenka Riley will challenge incumbent Keisha Sean Waites.

In District 81, four Democrats, including two incumbents, Scott Holcomb and Mary Margaret Oliver, will battle for the seat. The other candidates for that race are Chris Boedeker and Carla Roberts.

In House District 90, incumbent Pam Stephenson will face Scott Hughes; and in District 93, incumbent Dar’shun Kendrick will face Christine “Tina” Hoffer. Dexter Dawston, and Glen Williams.

In the open District 92 and 94 races, five Democrats each qualified.

In the District 92 race, Tonya Anderson, Doreen Carter, Kathy Harvey, Sherri Wash-ington and Doreen William will compete; and in the 94th District, Karen Bennett, Pa-tricia Bourdeau, Tony Lentini and Jaye Lynn Peabody are competing. Former DeKalb CEO Vernon Jones qualified for the House 94th race on May 25, but said this week that he withdrew on May 29 to avoid a potential conflict of interest.

Jones, who is a consultant, said one of his clients does business with the state, and to avoid any conflict or appearance of conflict, he decided to withdraw.

Early voting for the July 31 primary starts on July 9 and the last day to register to vote in the primary is July 2.

CrossRoadsNewsJune 2, 2012 3

4There also

is an easy so-lution to help educate chil-dren throughout Georgia without taxing residents: E x p a n d t h e Georgia Lottery. This would be a way to raise more revenue to fund pre-k classes and the HOPE schol-arship – something that has helped send thousands of my county’s and the state’s children to college.

The Georgia Lottery Board has the authority to expand the lottery with Video Lottery Terminals in a secure facility. The proposal to build a mixed-use entertainment complex in Gwinnett County will generate more than $350 million a year for the HOPE scholarship, pre-k classes and other impor-tant educational programs. This is money that is currently going to other states. Georgians already spend an estimated $200 million a year gambling at venues in Mis-

Forum

index to advertisers

School Board weighs tax hike, furloughs to span shortfall 1

DeKalb property owners could see their taxes increase, and teachers could see larger class sizes and other changes under a cost-cutting proposal being considered.

I-285 bridge closed for interchange work 2

The I-285/Ashford Dunwoody Interchange Bridge will be closed this weekend to allow work crews to complete construction on the state’s first diverging diamond interchange.

DeKalb awarded EPA grants 5DeKalb County will receive $900,000 in

brownfields grants to clean up and revital-ize targeted corridors and communities with contaminated properties.

Tropical storms get a jump on hurricane season 6

Homeowners are encouraged to prepare for as many as eight named tropical storms during the 2012 hurricane season.

Hillandale breast center to enhance care for women 6

Women in South DeKalb, Rockdale and Newton counties now have a larger Com-prehensive Breast Center at DeKalb Medical Hillandale in Lithonia.

Residents urged to start preparing for storms 7

Tropical Storm Alberto, which hovered along the South Carolina and Georgia coast-lines last week, brought an early start to the June 1-Nov. 30 Atlantic hurricane season.

New salary structure to save schools over $2 million 8

A new aligned salary structure is expected to save the DeKalb School System more than $2 million over the next three years, the district announced on May 24.

Library extends personalized brick program 9

Rrhond Sanchez is a self-described “vora-cious reader” and libraries are some of her most favorite places.

Donation helps fund book purchase 9

Students who use the Scottdale-Tobie Grant Homework Center now have 88 new books compliments of DeKalb Commissioner Kathie Gannon.

2012 Family & Back-to-School Expo .............12Atlanta Premier SMO .................................... 11Burrell Ellis for DeKalb CEO ........................... 3Cash Rentals ...................................................1DeKalb Community Development Dept. ........ 5DeKalb Medical Center .................................. 7

Executive Cuts ............................................... 11LBJ Realty...................................................... 11North DeKalb Mall .........................................9Obama Academic Center .............................. 11Project Home Improvement ......................... 11Quenon Smith .............................................. 11

Salon Cleopatra ............................................ 11Savannah State University ..............................8Solution Heating and Air .............................. 11Soul Discount Fabrics .................................... 11Tees of Power ............................................... 11

The Exchange ............................................... 11Vision Marketing Systems ............................. 11Best Buy Co. Inc. .................................... InsertsHolistic Health Management Inc. ........... InsertsWalgreens .............................................. Inserts

QuiCk read

As of last month, there were more than 6,630 homes in foreclosure in DeKalb.That means that one in every 346 housing unit in DeKalb is under foreclosure.

CrossRoadsNews is pub-lished every Saturday 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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LOCAL

SERVICES!LOCAL

GOODS!

Diligence on assessments could lower your tax bill

Investing in our kids’ education is not an option

Eugene Walker

By Elaine Boyer

Your property may look the same as last year, but the value of your home may have changed significantly.

With the average DeKalb Coun-ty home value dropping 6 percent, it is essential that homeowners know how to appeal their new ap-praisal notices to ensure their tax bill is correct. In unincorporated parts of the county, the average drop was 8 percent.

On May 29, the Board of Tax Assessors mailed new appraisals, notifying owners if their residence or business has increased or lost value. Some property values will remain consistent, but many lost value. Some will see an inflated value that will require correction.

Why do these values matter if you are not planning to sell your home? The short answer is

they impact how much you will pay on your tax bill. The county computes your bill by multi-plying the mill-age rate by your property’s as-sessed value mi-

nus any exemptions. The assessed value is 40 percent of the appraised value.

While it may seem like a small move of the needle in terms of value, an appeal could mean extra money in your pocket. With un-employment still hovering at 9.7 percent in DeKalb, every dollar our families pay counts.

That’s why it is important that each property owner carefully in-spect their notices.

There are two opportunities when you can appeal a new ap-

praisal: n If your new value is greater than the fair market value, orn If your value is greater than comparable homes in your neigh-borhood.

It only takes a few minutes of research online to find the values of your neighbors’ property at http://web.co.dekalb.ga.us/proper-tyappraisal/. To determine if your property is fairly assessed, look at other homes of similar age, square footage, lot sizes and amenities.

If your property has dropped a great deal from last year’s value and is not consistent with similar homes in your area, you may want to ap-peal your assessment. Act quickly – appeals must be filed within 45 days from when the notice is mailed or before mid-July.

Complicating the values in many neighborhoods is a record number of foreclosures. As of last

month, there were more than 6,630 homes in foreclosure in DeKalb, according to RealtyTrac, which uses statewide data. That means that one in every 346 housing unit in DeKalb is under foreclosure.

These defaults not only effect appraisals and market prices in our neighborhoods, but impact the entire county’s net worth.

For example, last month Clark-ston was ranked among the 10 cities in Georgia that saw the largest sales price drop: 16.3 percent, accord-ing to RealtyTrac. The average sale price for a home was $64,730.

These drastic drops have im-pacted our entire county, leaving many with a property appraised much higher than we could ever make on a sale in today’s market. Do your homework. If you have a case, think about filing an appeal.

Elaine Boyer represents District 1 on the DeKalb Board of Commis-

By Dr. Eugene Walker

On June 11, the DeKalb County Board of Education will vote on $73 million in cuts to our children’s ed-ucation. The proposed cuts include teachers, librarians, teachers’ aides and other essential school staff. Our board is also looking at cutting pre-k classes, special bus routes and other necessary programs.

Essential programs like these will continue to be on the chopping block across the state if Georgia does not make a strong decision to contribute more money to educat-ing our children.

Residents in DeKalb – and across Georgia – need to realize that education is not free. Our state will never advance unless we make a concerted decision to invest in our future and contribute more financially to improve our educa-tion system.

In DeKalb, we may ask our resi-dents to pay another 1 mill in taxes to help educate the district’s nearly 100,000 students.

sissippi, Florida, North Carolina and other nearby states that allow gaming. This is money that should be staying in Georgia to help our students.

In three years, the HOPE schol-arship will pay for less than 50 percent of eligible students’ tuition costs. That number will continue to decrease, only hurting our stu-dents.

Decreased lottery revenue has also led to drastic cuts to pre-k. DeKalb and other districts rely on lottery dollars to fund most of the program. Last year, the state increased pre-k class sizes, cut 20 days and slashed teacher pay. This cut forced our district to have to use local tax dollars to supplement the program to minimize the impact on our students.

Research has shown that stu-dents who attend pre-k are more likely to succeed in school. A study by the National Center for Public Education found that children who attended pre-k scored higher on reading and math tests than

children who did not attend pre-k. The study found that third-graders who attended pre-k had better reading skills.

Just last month, for the first time ever, Georgia’s lottery-funded pre-k program received a 10 out of 10 ranking from the National Insti-tute of Early Education Research, which assesses teaching quality in early childhood education. Georgia was one of only five states to meet this exceptional standard.

This is something we should be proud of and continue. It is es-sential that we maximize the dollars to early childhood education by fully funding pre-k in DeKalb and throughout Georgia. One simple way to accomplish this is to bring more revenue to the lottery with a gaming facility in Gwinnett.

Please help our children get the best education available by en-couraging the state to expand the Georgia Lottery.

Dr. Eugene Walker, a former educator, is chairman of the DeKalb Board of Education.

Elaine Boyer

CrossRoadsNews June 2, 20124

5

Dr. Sharon Moran, a national expert in urban stream restora-tion and environmental equity, will lead a panel discussion on the South River on June 9 at Georgia Piedmont Technical College in Clarkston.

The workshop, “River of Op-portunity: Community-led Res-toration of South River and the Pursuit of Environmental Justice,” takes place from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

Moran, an associate professor, is coor-dinator of the Environmental and Natural Resources Policy Doctoral Program at Clark University, a part of the State University Sys-tem of New York. She focuses on the social and political implications that stream resto-rations hold for communities of color.

“Without a basic understanding of urban waterways and their immediate physical

environment, the likelihood of a community developing a founda-tion for environmental advocacy decreases,” she said.

The workshop sponsored by the South River Watershed Alliance is intended to generate dialogue about current and historical disregard of urban waterways, such as South River, and the lack of river restora-

tion efforts in African-American and other communities of color. It will offer strategies on how to engage affected communities.

The workshop is free to attend, but reg-istration is required at www.southriverwater shedalliance.eventbrite.com.

Light refreshments will be served.Georgia Piedmont Technical College

(formerly DeKalb Technical College) is at 495 N. Indian Creek Drive. For more informa-tion, call 404-285-3756.

Community “Wonderful teachers, teachers of the year, are saying, ‘I don’t know if I can do this anymore.’ ”

Workshop focuses on South River

DeKalb awarded EPA grants

Sharon Moran

BUDgeT, fRoM pAge 1

School district seeks public input

As the board grapples with balancing the budget, District 7 board member Don-na Edler said none of the options is ideal but they have to balance the budget.

“Adding the two furlough days isn’t an ideal situation, but I would rather see that than increased class sizes,” she said.

Edler said she does not support cut-ting employees’ health and dental insur-ance subsidies, but the majority of her colleagues – Tom Bowen, Nancy Jester, Don McChesney, Pamela Speaks and Paul Womack – voted to consider eliminating the $35.57 monthly health insurance sub-sidy and the $16.02 monthly dental insur-ance subsidy for employees at a savings of more than $6.8 million.

The board agreed to keep the rest of Atkinson’s proposed cuts, including termi-nating transportation for all magnet and choice programs – including DeKalb Early College, theme school students and Mon-tessori programs. Atkinson also proposed reducing the number of media clerks by 25; eliminating overtime extra activity pay and textbook replacement; and reducing 10 assistant principals and 10 counselors through attrition.

On Thursday, Edler said she doesn’t support cutting transportation for special programs and wants the public to continue to give their input on the budget.

“We’re still looking to see where we can find some savings,” she said.

After public outcry, board members pulled Fernbank Science Center off the closure list, which would have saved $4.7 million. They propose making up the dif-ference with the increased furlough days. They also are considering eliminating the

school district’s share of the pre-k program at a savings of $2.7 million.

The board’s recommended cuts and 1 mill rate increase would save $75,366,460.

The board will give a final vote on the budget on June 11. A public hearing will be held June 4 at 6 p.m. at the school district’s central offices for parents and residents to weigh in on the discussion of the budget.

At a May 30 public hearing, teachers, par-ents and taxpayers voiced their frustration at the school system’s financial woes and the cuts recommended to fix them.

Organization of DeKalb Educators 2nd Vice President Lisa Morgan said it’s time for the district to find a way to protect class-rooms and minimize the pain for teachers.

“I don’t know what the intangible things are that you can come up with, but morale is low in DeKalb,” she said. “Wonderful teach-ers, teachers of the year are saying, ‘I don’t know if I can do this anymore.’ ”

Sanford Scott of Stone Mountain, who has two kids at DeKalb Elementary School of the Arts and Chamblee High, said the pain of budget cuts should be felt in every department.

“You should spread this pain 9 percent or 5 percent amongst the whole system and ask everyone to give a little bit instead of asking some of the departments to give everything,” he said.

Darion Fagan, a parent of two, begged the board to not eliminate transportation for magnet, theme and DECA students, but instead make other cuts like closing Fernbank.

“We love Fernbank. It’s very essential, but if we can’t get our kids to school and if we can’t supply them with at least the textbook that they need, how can we send them to Fernbank?” she said.

DeKalb County voters will go to the polls on July 31, 2012, to vote on an additional one percent sales tax to help fund $8 billion in transportation improvement projects for the Atlanta metro region. If it passes, DeKalb residents will pay 2 percent Sales Tax for Transportation.

Join us for a candid discussion on “The Transportation Penny Tax Referendum:

What Does It Mean for DeKalb County?”Monday, June 11, 2012

6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m.Panelists

Jeff Dickerson Spokesman, Citizens

for Transportation Mobility

John Evans President,

DeKalb NAACP

Steen Miles Former State

Senator & MARTOC member

Cheryl King Assistant General

Manager of Planning, MARTA

Larry Johnson District 3

Commissioner & Rail 4 DeKalb coordinator

Dan Reuter Land Use

Division Chief, Atlanta Regional

Commission

Porter Sanford III Performing Arts & Community Center

3181 Rainbow Drive, Decatur, 30034For more information, call 404-284-1888

DeKalb County will receive $900,000 in brownfields grants to clean up and revitalize targeted corridors and communities with contaminated properties.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced May 24 that the Brown-fields Program grants will be used to clean and redevelop contaminated properties, boost local economies, and create jobs while protecting human health.

Brownfields include sites where ex-pansion, redevelopment or reuse may be complicated by the presence or potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant or contaminant.

DeKalb will receive a revolving loan fund grant in the amount of $650,000 for the cleanup of hazardous substances and $250,000 for the cleanup of petroleum.

Atlanta will receive $350,000.Gwen Keyes Fleming,

EPA Region 4 adminis-trator, said communities in the Southeast have an opportunity to realize sustainable environmen-tal results.

“Each of these com-munities will receive fund-ing to lay the groundwork for future investments in their community vitality and resiliency,” she said.

DeKalb applied for the funds in partner-ship with the Development Authority of DeKalb County.

CEO Burrell Ellis said brownfields sites adversely affect the economic vitality of the county and the quality of life.

“Encouraging the redevelopment of brownfield properties through planning, advocacy and economic incentives is critical to promoting smart and sustainable growth in DeKalb County,” Ellis said.

Judy Turner, who chairs the Development Authority, which will administer the revolv-ing loan fund, said brownfields properties often hinder redevelopment and the grants will spur economic revitalization within targeted corridors and communities.

The revolving loan fund will provide

cleanup financing for eligible projects. The loans will help to fund the remediation re-quired for site cleanup, which will then allow redevelopment projects to go forward.

Charles Whatley, the county’s director of Eco-nomic Development, said the cleanup funding will remove some impedi-ments to private invest-ment and job creation.

“It is our expectation that once we are success-ful with implementing the

revolving loan fund, we will be able to apply for additional EPA funding to help with as-sessments, remediation of additional sites and planning,” he said.

EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson said the restored properties can serve as cor-

nerstones for rebuilding struggling communities.

“These grants will be the first step in getting pollution out and putting jobs back into neighbor-hoods across the coun-try,” Jackson said. “Clean, healthy communities are places where people want

to live, work and start businesses. We’re providing targeted resources to help local partners transform blighted, contaminated areas into centers of economic growth.”

There are about 450,000 abandoned and contaminated waste sites in America. In 2011, EPA’s Brownfields Program leveraged 6,447 jobs and $2.14 billion in cleanup and redevelopment funds. Since its inception, brownfields investments have leveraged more than $18.3 billion in funding from a variety of public and private sources and have resulted in about 75,500 jobs.

More than 18,000 properties have been assessed, and over 700 have been cleaned up. The grants also target under-served and low-income neighborhoods where environmental cleanups and new jobs are most needed.

For more information, visit www.epa .gov/brownfields

G. Keyes Fleming

Charles Whatley

Lisa Jackson

IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENTDeKalb Regional Land Bank Authority

Board MeetingThursday, June7, 2012

at 11:00AM

Maloof Auditorium 1300 Commerce Drive, Decatur, GA

CrossRoadsNewsJune 2, 2012 5

6The 2012 hurricane season is making

itself known early, and homeowners are encouraged to prepare for as many as eight named tropical storms during the season.

The nonprofit Weather Research Center expects Tropical Storm Helene to be the eighth and final named storm of the season. Five of those named tropical storms – Al-berto, Beryl, Chris, Debby, Ernesto, Flor-ence, Gordon and Helene – are predicted to intensify into hurricanes.

Alberto and Beryl ar-rived ahead of the June 1 start of the hurricane season.

Jill Hasling, a certified consulting meteorolo-gist and president of the Weather Research Center in Houston, said there is a 46 percent chance of a Category 3 or stronger hurricane to form this year in the Atlantic. There’s also a high chance that three additional tropical storms or hurricanes will make landfall somewhere along the United States coast.

“We’re forecasting a 60 percent chance of a tropical storm or hurricane making landfall along the Gulf Coast from Louisi-ana to Key West, Fla., and along the Georgia to North Carolina coast during the 2012 hurricane season,” Hasling said in a May 22 statement.

“We believe there will be eight named storms with five of them intensifying into hurricanes.”

The Weather Research Center, founded in 1987, is also home to the national Weather Museum. It has an 89 percent forecast ac-curacy rate.

Wellness “We believe there will be eight named storms with five of them intensifying into hurricanes.”

Tropical storms Alberto, Beryl get a jump on hurricane season

Updated Hillandale breast center to enhance care for women

Susan Harris, vice president and administrator of DeKalb Medical Hillandale (from left); Dr. Dominique J. Smith, chief of staff; Dr. Gordon L. Hixson Jr., chief radiologist at DeKalb Medical; and Ellis Carter, Radiology Department manager, cut the ribbon at the renovated breast center.

The nonprofit Weather Research Center is forecasting a 60 percent chance of a tropical storm or hurricane making landfall along the Gulf Coast from Louisiana to Key West, Fla., and along the Georgia to North Carolina coast during the 2012 hurricane season, which began on June 1.

Jill Hasling

Women in South DeKalb, Rockdale and Newton counties now have a larger Comprehensive Breast Center at DeKalb Medical Hillandale in Lithonia.

Hospital employees and physicians cut the ribbon on the newly renovated facility last month.

The all-digital center, which supports women’s health and enhances the overall quality of patient care, nearly tripled in size to 4,170 square feet.

The original breast center, which opened in 1998, was 1,600-square feet.

The center, funded by the DeKalb Medical Foun-dation, features top-of-the-line equipment. It boasts extended nurse navigator hours, improved customer service, mammatome biopsy five days a week, more privacy and convenience for patients before proce-dures, new patient robes to replace gowns, and free parking and direct access to facility entrance.

The expansion allows the staff to double the nor-mal patient base in the coming fiscal year.

For 2012, the breast center was expected to see 13,000 patients. With the expansion, that number is expected to double.

The Comprehensive Breast Center is located at 2801 DeKalb Medical Parkway.

The guardrails in the parking lot have been painted pink, making it easier to locate the facility.

For more information or to schedule an appoint-ment, call 404-501-2660.

CrossRoadsNews June 2, 20126

7make landfall anywhere in the region.

Charley English, direc-tor of GEMA/Homeland Security, urges residents to take the time now to prepare, plan and stay informed about hurri-canes.

“These storms can bring strong winds, heavy rain and tornadoes as they progress inland, so it’s important that everyone be prepared,” English said in a May 21 statement.

“Take the time during Hurricane Pre-paredness Week to learn basic safety rules and preparation tips so you’re not caught by surprise if a storm makes landfall.”

Regardless of the seasonal predictions, it only takes one storm to devastate a commu-nity. Research conducted by Ready Georgia in 2011 reveals that many people have not performed crucial activities that will help them be prepared, such as compiling an emergency kit for the car or purchasing a NOAA Weather Radio to warn of advanc-ing threats. Another 67 percent have not arranged a family meeting place or recon-nection plan.

The Ready Georgia site, www.ready.ga.gov, allows users to create a personalized Ready kit checklist and communications plan, making it simple to take those first steps toward being prepared. There is also detailed information about hurricane-related haz-

Wellness “These storms can bring strong winds, heavy rain and tornadoes as they progress inland, so it’s important that everyone be prepared.”

Georgia residents urged to start preparing now for disastrous storms

Charley English

To learn more, visit www.dekalbmedicalhillandale.org

Our specialty is treating people suffering from the status quo.

How it is in healthcare, is not how it has to be. That’s why we challenged what a state-of-the-art healthcare facility should look like,

how it should operate and even where it should be. DeKalb Medical at Hillandale became the first all-digital master planned hospital

in Georgia and brought advanced medicine outside of the perimeter, where people actually live. We recruited nationally-acclaimed

physicians and a dedicated support staff who are passionate about providing world-class service. We made sure that the hospital didn’t

look or smell like one and that the food was actually delicious, all of which make close to home, feel more like home. We even make a

point to care for the community outside of our doors. Every day, we continue to ask ourselves, “What can we do differently? What can

we do better than them?” because the last thing we want to be is like everybody else.

To prepare for hurricane season:n Learn about your community’s emergency plans, warning signals, evacuation routes, and locations of emergency shelters.n Identify potential home hazards and know how to secure or protect them. Be prepared to turn off electrical power when there is standing water, fallen power lines. Secure structurally unstable building materials.n Buy a fire extinguisher and make sure your family knows where to find it and how to use it. Locate and secure your important papers, such as insurance policies, wills, licenses and stocks.

Emergency supplies you may need

Stock your home with:n A large enough container for a 3-5 day supply of water (about 5 gallons for each person). n A 3- to 5-day supply of nonperishable food, a first aid kit and manual, a battery-powered radio, flashlights, and extra batteries.n Prescription medicines and special medical needs, baby food and/or prepared formula, diapers, and other baby supplies.

After a hurricane:n Discard food from your refrigerator if it has reached room temperature. Foods that are still partially frozen or “refrigerator cold” are safe to eat. If in doubt, throw it out.n Do not drink tap water until authorities say it is safe. Instead, drink bottled water or boil water for at least one minute before drinking. You also can disinfect water with chlorine or iodine (follow package directions) or with ordinary household bleach – one-eighth teaspoon (about eight drops) per gallon of water.n Poisoning from carbon monoxide is an avoidable hazard during power outages. Never use generators, camp stoves or charcoal grills inside your home, garage or near open windows, doors or vents. If you feel dizzy, lightheaded or nauseated, get outdoors to a well-ventilated area and seek immediate medical attention.n Weather conditions following hurricanes are usually very hot and humid. You may not have air conditioning for a long period of time. Avoid heat-related illnesses by drinking plenty of fluids and taking care to not overexert yourself when cleaning up and repairing damage.n When cleaning up debris, look out for broken glass and exposed nails, a leading cause of tetanus. If you are punctured by a nail or sustain a deep wound, seek medical attention and get a tetanus shot.n After a hurricane, it is normal to experience emotional distress. For more information, visit http://www.ready .gov.

ards, as well as tips on how to protect your home and find local evacuation routes. For preparedness on the go, families also can download Ready Georgia’s free mobile app.

During hurricane season, Ready Georgia advises:

Prepare for hurricanesn Compile a portable Ready kit of emergency supplies in case you have to evacuate.n Familiarize yourself with the terms that are used to identify a hurricane. A hurricane watch means a hurricane is possible in your area. A hurricane warning means a hurricane is expected in your area. If local authorities advise you to evacuate, leave immediately.

Prepare to secure your propertyn Cover all of your home’s windows with pre-cut plywood or hurricane shutters to protect your windows from high winds and keep all trees and shrubs well-trimmed.

Plan to evacuaten Plan how you will leave and where you will go if you are advised to evacuate. Informa-tion on Georgia evacuation routes may be found at Georgia Navigator. Download the Georgia Department of Transportation’s Hurricane Season Safety Information bro-chure and print a copy for your evacuation Ready kit. Use it as a reference for traffic procedures and information in the event of an evacuation.n Identify several places you could go in an emergency: a friend’s home in another town or a motel. For more information about public shelters in your community,

contact your local emergency management agency. A list of open shelters can be found on GEMA’s Web site or on the Ready Georgia mobile app.

Be familiar with alternate routes and other means of transportation out of your area.

Stay informedn Local authorities may not immediately be able to provide information on what is hap-pening and what you should do. However, you should listen to NOAA Weather Radio, watch TV, listen to the radio or check the Internet often for official news and instruc-tions as they become available.n Be alert for tornadoes and flooding. If you see a funnel cloud or if local authorities issue a tornado warning, take shelter underground or in an interior room away from windows. If waters are rising quickly or local authori-ties issue a flood or flash flood warning, seek higher ground.n Stay away from downed power lines to avoid the risk of electric shock or electrocu-tion.n Do not return home until local authori-ties say it is safe. Even after the hurricane and after floodwaters recede, roads may be weakened and could collapse. Buildings may be unstable, and drinking water may be contaminated. Use common sense and exercise caution.

For more information, contact your lo-cal EMA or visit www.ready.ga.gov or www.gema.ga.gov.

Tropical Storm Alberto, which hovered along the South Carolina and Georgia coastlines last week, brought an early start to the June 1-Nov. 30 Atlantic hurricane season.

And Tropical Storm Beryl ruined Memorial Day for thousands of people along the northern Florida and Georgia coasts, dumping 4 to 8 inches of rain and leaving thousands without power.

The Georgia Emergency Management Agency is encouraging all residents to start preparing now for more potentially disastrous storms.

As a coastal state, storms that form in the At-lantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico have the potential to bring storm surge, high winds, tornadoes and inland flooding across Georgia.

GEMA’s Ready Georgia campaign supports National Hurricane Preparedness Week, which runs through June 2. Although Georgians have not taken a direct strike by a hurricane on the coast in recent years, residents statewide are still at risk of indirect severe impacts should a storm

Weathering the storm

CrossRoadsNewsJune 2, 2012 7

8

Clarkston High ninth-graders Andrienne Brown and Ariella Rattray show off the new instruments that they received from the Mr. Holland’s Opus Foundation grant.

Lithonia teen headed to London

Band camp to honor Champion

Football, cheerleading registration for kids

New salary structure to save school district over $2 million

Clarkston High band gets new instruments from Opus grant

Youth “When I got the news, I wanted to jump around but couldn’t because I wanted to stay professional.”

Kids ages 5-12 can register for football and cheerleading at Gresham Park.

Registration will be held on June 2, 9, 16 and 23 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Gresham Athletic Complex.

The complex is at 2466 Bouldercrest Road in Atlanta. For more information, visit www.greshamparkfootball.com.

Middle and high school band students have until June 29 to register for the first Band Camp of Champions, which honors the memory of the Florida A&M University drum major Robert Champion.

The weeklong overnight camp takes place July 9-14 at Paine College in Augusta. It includes workshops that will train, groom and strengthen musicians and dancers as a whole.

Experienced instructors and clinicians in-clude Jason Price, who played Nick Cannon’s stunt double in the movie “Drumline”; Kol-omo Bailey from Kentucky State University; Benjamin McKnight from South Carolina State University; and Emmanuel Roundtree from Fort Valley State University.

Champion, a Southwest DeKalb High School alumnus, died in an alleged hazing incident aboard a FAMU band bus in Or-lando, Fla., last November.

A camp workshop will focus on hazing. Champion’s parents, Robert and Pam, are expected to be guest speakers at the camp.

A national music scholarship fair will take

place during the camp for college-bound students.

The camp will conclude with an “Extrava-ganza” show, an all-star battle and mass band finale on July 14. Tickets for the Extravaganza are $5, $12 for the all-star battle, and $15 for both shows.

Cost for the camp, which includes room and board, is $300 per person. For applica-tions, contact Christina Proctor at 706-469-0149.

Lithonia resident Moriah Wilson will be on her way to London this summer to

participate in the 2012 Summer Olympics.

The 15-year-old Pace Academy student and three other students will be junior ambassadors at the McDonald’s Cham-pions of Play program in London on Aug. 9-12.

Moriah won the all-expense-paid trip through the Julie Foudy “Choose to Matter” contest, in which par-ticipants had to create and implement com-munity service leadership projects in 2011.

She said she was speechless when she

found out she won in March.“I was in shock,” she said.Moriah said she used her nonprofit,

Lil’ Hearts of Love, as her project. She co-founded Lil’ Hearts of Love seven years ago with older sister Victoria to hand make pil-lows for hospitalized children. The pouch includes a message of encouragement for the young patients.

Moriah made 175 pillows and donated them to Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta at Egleston and Scottish Rite, Grady, and St. Jude’s hospitals.

She doesn’t know exactly what she’ll do as an ambassador but says she is excited about traveling to England. “Visiting London was actually on my bucket list,” she said.

Moriah Wilson

It was both smiles and tears when Clark-ston High School band students opened boxes containing brand-new instruments on May 14.

The band program received 16 new in-struments – flutes, clarinets, a saxophone, a trumpet, a euphonium, a tuba and timpanis – valued at $46,150 from the Mr. Holland’s Opus Foundation grant.

Sequoyah Middle School in Doraville also received a donation of instruments, bringing the total to $100,000 for both schools.

The Abraham J. & Phyllis Katz Founda-tion partnered with MHOF to assist both schools in getting the instruments.

Clarkston band director Anthony Hunt applied for the grant last August. He found out in April that they had won the grant.

“When I got the news, I wanted to jump around but couldn’t because I wanted to stay professional,” he said with a chuckle.

Hunt said the instruments will help the 80-member band become better musicians.

Before receiving the new instruments, the students used decade-old instruments that are in poor condition. Sometimes they borrowed instruments from other DeKalb

schools.Clarkston principal Michelle Jones said

90 percent of the school’s students receive free or reduced lunch, making it difficult for families to buy or rent instruments.

“Families depend on the school to issue instruments and engage students in a strong program,” she said. “With the donation of

instruments, we will be able to get more in-struments in the hands of students, increase participation in the band program, and keep students actively engaged in school and in the arts.”

Sophomore Willie Lampkin, who plays trombone, said he was happy to see the new instruments.

“I’ve been in this program for four years and we didn’t have anything to make us better,” he said. “With these instruments, it makes us elite.”

Trombone player Amir Anderson said getting the new instruments feels like getting a new beginning.

“With new instruments, you get a new sound and that will bring more people to the band,” he said.

The Opus Foundation was inspired by the acclaimed movie “Mr. Holland’s Opus,” which portrayed the effect a dedicated music teacher had on generations of students.

The film’s composer, Michael Kamen, started the foundation in 1996 as his com-mitment to the future of music education.

The foundation donates new and refur-bished instruments to school music pro-grams that lack the resources to keep up with equipment loss, depreciation and wear over time and to accommodate students on wait-ing lists or who have to share instruments.

The 18-year-old Katz Foundation was launched by the founders of Kason Indus-tries of Newnan as an effort to give back to society.

A new aligned salary structure is expected to save the DeKalb School System more than $2 million over the next three years, the dis-trict announced on May 24.

The change, which is part of Superinten-dent Cheryl Atkinson’s reorganization of the central office and district staffing, follows the consolidation of more than 380 job titles into 17 job classifications in April.

The new salary structure, which adjusts

the compensation of 489 positions, includ-ing central office secretaries, counselors, psychologists and physical therapists, will realize savings of more than $800,000 in FY 2013. It is uniform across departments, is competitive with current market for salaries and positions, and will be implemented over a three-year period.

Atkinson said the new job classifications and salary structure will create more equi-

table compensation across departments and bring salaries in line with similar school sys-tems and produce significant cost savings.

The reorganization began in November 2011 with an independent audit of central office and school-based personnel.

So far, 73 central office positions were eliminated at a savings of $5.1 million. More than 3,197 positions, previously coded to the central office budget, were eliminated and/

or reassigned to schools. With the reorganization, which is sched-

uled for completion by mid-fall 2012, the central office has been streamlined from 4,098 positions to 814 positions, or 6 percent of the district’s total work force. The changes make the district comparable to districts with similar student enrollment.

For more information, visit www.dekalb.k12.ga.us.

CrossRoadsNews June 2, 20128

9

DeKalb Commissioner Kathie Gannon (back row, second from left) poses with students in the Scottdale-Tobie Grant Homework Center.

Tom Cruise reprises his role of IMF agent Ethan Hunt in “Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol.”

Proceeds from the sale of engraved bricks support programs, books and materials and literacy services at the DeKalb County Public Library. Rrhond Sanchez (at left) and her mother, Olegaria Sanchez, purchased bricks for each other.

Scene “Each one of us thought the other was deserving. The brick will always be there. We will go down in history.”

African-Americans photos home at Emory

Donation helps fund book purchase

Three libraries to screen Cruise film

Library bricks celebrate, honor loved ones

Who Let �e Dogs Out?A contest for Man’s Best Friend!

Benefitting Southeastern Guide Dogs

June 9, 201211:00am – 1:00pm

Entry fee $5.00 per contestWinner In Each Contest Will Receive $50

CONTESTSCostume Contest (Dress to Impress) 11:00am

Dog with the Best Legs 11:20am

Best Tail Wag 11:45pm

Best Pooch Smooch Noon

Master / Dog Look Alike Contest 12:30pm

Smartest Dog 12:45pm

Children will delight to see demonstrations by professionally trained dogs

Call 404-235-6444 or email mjburdge@northdekalbmall.com to register

2050 Lawrenceville Hwy. • Decatur, GA 30033 • 404-320-7960 • www.northdekalbmall.com

Tom Cruise fans can see the blockbuster “Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol” this month at three DeKalb Public Library branches as part of the library’s New Movie Series.

The PG-13 action spy film, which is the fourth installment in the “Mission: Impos-sible” series, also stars Jeremy Renner, Simon Pegg and Paula Patton. Cruise reprises his role of IMF agent Ethan Hunt who leads a rogue team to clear their organization’s name.

It will be screened June 9 at 2 p.m. at Tucker-Reid H. Cofer Library, 5234 LaVista Road in Tucker. For more information, call 770-270-8234.

On June 15 and 16, it will be screened at 2 p.m. at Stonecrest Library, 3123 Klondike Road in Lithonia. For more information, call 770-482-3828.

On June 23, it will be shown at 2 p.m. at Covington Library, 3500 Covington Highway in Decatur. For more information, call 404-508-7180.

Students who use the Scottdale-Tobie Grant Homework Cen-ter now have 88 new books compliments of DeKalb Commissioner Kathie Gannon.

The books were pur-chased with a $1,000 donation that Gannon made to the DeKalb Li-brary Foundation.

The books include fiction and non-fiction works from authors ranging from John Sci-eszka and Mo Willems to Suzanne Collins and Rick Riordon.

On a May 24 visit to the center, the chil-dren read to Gannon from some of the new books.

She said she was happy to help add to the center’s collection.

“Reading is a great way for children to experience the world and expand their

More than 10,000 photographs depict-ing African American life from the late 19th and early 20th centuries now have a home at Emory University’s Manuscript, Archives and Rare Book Library (MARBL).

The collection from photo collector Rob-ert Langmuir of Philadelphia was acquired recently the Emory. The images range from the 1840s – the beginning of photography – to the 1970s.

Most of the photos fall in the post-Civil War to pre-World War II era. They include nearly every format, from daguerreotypes to snapshots, and cover a wide range of subject matter. Some were taken by African Ameri-can photographers.

Kevin Young, curator of MARBL’s liter-ary collections and its Raymond Danowski Poetry Library, calls the collection one of the most remarkable he’s ever seen.

“The archive reveals the richness of Afri-can American daily life,” Young said. “From pictures taken by house photographers at nightclubs, to cabinet cards and calling cards of black disc jockeys, to photographs of preachers, blues singers, saints and sin-ners. No doubt this collection will change the field of African American and American studies.”

For more information, visit www.news.emory.edu/stories/2012/05/upress_african_american_photo_collection/index.html.

Rrhond Sanchez is a self-described “vora-cious reader” and libraries are some of her most favorite places.

When it comes to the Stonecrest Library in Lithonia, she is head over heels in love.

“I just can’t tell you how much pleasure I get when I go there,” she said. “I love the architecture. I love how it’s laid out for browsing. It makes me feel like I am in the Swiss Alps.”

So when she heard about the DeKalb Library Foundation’s engraved personalized brick program to benefit the library, Sanchez jumped at the opportunity to purchase a brick in honor of her mother, Olegaria Sanchez.

“It’s a wonderful way to honor her and to contribute to the preservation and perpetu-ation of the library and the promotion of reading,” she said.

Sanchez engraved the brick “in honor of Senora Oligare Sanchez.”

Once she got hers, her mother, who lives in Snellville, returned the favor by buying a brick for her daughter. She engraved it “In honor of my daughter Rrhonda Sanchez.”

“Each one of us thought the other was de-serving,” Sanchez said.“The brick will always be there. We will go down in history.”

Donna Brazzell, the library foundation’s executive director, said the engraved brick program has been extended to June 30.

For $100, library patrons, book lovers, community supporters and businesses can become a lasting part of the library with an engraved brick in the entryway of the newly expanded Hairston Crossing, Salem-Panola, Stonecrest and Tucker-Reid H. Cofer branch libraries. Proceeds supports programs, books and materials and literacy services at the DeKalb County Public Library.

The engraved personalized bricks, which

will be installed in the libraries’ entrance ways, can be inscribed with your name, the name of a family, friend or company, or in honor or memory of a loved one. They can also be used to commemorate special oc-

imagination,” Gannon said.Library Director Alison Weissinger said

the staff is “appreciative and pleased” with the donation.

“It means so much to the children and teens who regularly visit this homework center,” she said.

casions like the anniversaries, birthdays, graduations or the birth of new baby.

For more information call 404-370-8450 ext. 2238 or donate online at www.dekalblibrary.org/foundat ion.

CrossRoadsNewsJune 2, 2012 9

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doubts about any ads on these pages, we advise that before responding or sending money ahead of time, you check with the Attorney General’s

Consumer Fraud Line and/or the Better Business Bureau. They may have records or documented complaints that will serve to caution you

about doing business with those advertisers. Also be advised that some phone numbers published in these ads may require an extra charge. In

all cases of questionable value, such as promises or guaranteed income from work-at-home programs, money to loan, etc., if it sounds too good

to be true – it may in fact be exactly that. This newspaper cannot be held responsible for any negative conse-

quences that occur as a result of you doing business with any advertis-ers. Thank you.

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Museums open doors for military families

PeoPle “We hope active-duty military families will take advantage of this wonderful opportunity not only to see our museum, but other participating museums as well.”

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Librarians win grants for innovative programs

‘Must Love Dogs’ author to discuss newest novel

Ceremony to celebrate Caribbean-Americans

Caribbean entertainment, culture and cuisine will be on display at the Fulton County Atrium in Atlanta on June 3 for the opening ceremony for the seventh annual Caribbean American Heritage Month.

The 4-to-8 p.m. event is free to attend and includes a raffle drawing and prizes. This year’s observance features Jamaica and its people and is sponsored by the Georgia Caribbean American Heritage Coalition.

Jamaica is celebrating 50 years of independence.The Fulton County Atrium is at 141 Pryor St. S.W. For

more information, e-mail gcahcinfo@gmail.com or call 404-694-4760.

Claire Cook, popular author of “Must Love Dogs,” will talk about her new novel, “Wallflower in Bloom,” on June 11 at the Decatur Library.

The June Festival of Writers event begins at 7:15 p.m.

Cook’s new book is the witty, lively story of a woman who emerges from the shadow of her overbearing family and a misbehaving boyfriend to find herself “dancing with the stars.” She wrangles her way onto the television program and discovers that her 15 minutes of fame changed her life completely.

She is the author of nine books, including “Best Staged Plans,” “Summer Blowout” and “The Wildwater Walking Club.” “Must Love Dogs” was made into a 2005 movie star-ring Diane Lane and John Cusack.

Cook divides her time between Atlanta and Boston.The Decatur Library is at 215 Sycamore St. in downtown

Decatur. For more information, visit www.dekalb.public.lib.ga.us or call 404-370-3070.

Military families can get free admission to sev-eral Atlanta museums through Labor Day.

Participating museums include the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum, the Atlanta History Center, the David J. Sencer CDC Museum, the High Museum of Art, the Margaret Mitchell House, and the Museum of Contemporary Art of Georgia.

They are among more than 1,500 museums across America offering free admission to service men and their families through Sept. 3 in collaboration with the National Endowment for the Arts, Blue Star Families, and the Department of Defense.

Free admission is available to active-duty Army, Navy,

Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard, and active-duty National Guard and active-duty Reserve members and up to five family members with military ID.

Jay Hakes, director of the Carter Library, said the library is pleased to participate in the program again.

“We hope active-duty military families will take advantage of this wonderful opportunity not only to see our museum, but other partici-

pating museums as well,” he said.The Carter Library and Museum is at 441 Freedom

Parkway in Atlanta. For other participating museums, visit www.arts.gov/bluestarmuseums.

DeKalb Public Library staffers Mia Buggs, Veronica Winley and Candace Ushery have won $3,000 in prestigious national grants for special programs.

Buggs, a youth services librarian at the Wesley Chapel-William C. Brown branch, and Winley, branch manager at the Lithonia-Davidson branch landed the 2012 Virginia Hamilton and Arnold Adoff Creative Outreach Grant at Kent State University.

The grant is available for projects that raise awareness about respect and diversity through literature.

Buggs and Winley received $1,000 for their project, “When Tribes Meet: The History of Black Native Americans.” The project is a daylong program of book discussions, story-

telling, crafts and cultural activities for all ages to explore and illuminate the history of black Native Americans. It is tentatively scheduled for Oct. 6 at the Wesley Chapel-William C. Brown branch, 2861 Wesley Chapel Road in Decatur.

Ushery, a youth services librarian at the Salem-Panola branch, was one of 40 winners of a $1,000 Teen Summer Internship Program Grant sponsored by the Young Adult Library Services Association to allow teens to learn about and take part in the important work libraries do.

Ushery says the grant will provide two-month intern-ships for three to four students during June and July at the Salem-Panola branch, 5137 Salem Road in Lithonia.

Jay Hakes

Claire Cook

CrossRoadsNews June 2, 201210

11ministry PG

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 Market-Place, 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.

MarketplaceBusiness opportunities

Attention Licensed P&C Insur-ance Agents: We are searching for DeKalb County Certified LSBE firms to perform the following insurance brokerage services: Claims Consult-ing, Risk Control Consulting, Vendor Contract Review, OCIP, and RMIS. Please contact M. Butler (678) 298-5126 immedi-ately if you can provide any of the services listed.

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CrossRoadsNewsJune 2, 2012 11

12CrossRoadsNews June 2, 201212