CrossRoadsNews, September 24, 2011

The buying power of African-Americans is expected to reach $1.1 trillion by 2015, a new report says.

The Nielsen State of the African-Amer-ican Consumer Report, released Sept. 22, showcases the buying and media habits and consumer trends of a diverse black demo-graphic.

It showed that with their buying power, if blacks were a country, they would be the 16th largest in the world, between Indonesia and Turkey.

Cloves Campbell, chairman of the Na-tional Newspaper Publishers Association, which partnered with Nielsen on the report, said it provides considerable insight into a significant market segment.

10-year anniversarySECTION B

The Mall at Stonecrest is celebrating its first decade with events through-out October. We help with a Special Section. INSIDE

Clarkston will celebrate its cultural diversity at the second annual Interna-tional Festival on Oct. 1 in the Plaza down-town. A7

Cultural smorgasbordSCENE

Avoiding ge-netically modified corn can be dif-ficult as it shows up in everything from grits to salad dressing to chicken nug-gets. A9

What happened to corn?WELLNESS

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

www.crossroadsnews.comSeptember 24, 2011

COVER PAGE

Volume 17, Number 21

Vigils Were Not eNough Troy Davis executed after last-ditch efforts

Janice Ivery of Stone Mountain, Mercedes Binnis of Marietta and Britt Schulte of Chicago were among those at a candlelight vigil for Troy Davis outside the state Board of Pardons and Paroles on Sunday.

Black buying power headed to $1.1 trillion in four years

Jennifer ffrench Parker / crossroadsnews

Please see CONSUMER, page A3

Copyright © 2011 CrossroadsNews, iNC.

on Sept. 21-24.Among its findings:

n The number of African-American house-holds earning $75,000 or higher grew by almost 64 percent, a rate close to 12 percent greater than the change in the overall popula-tion’s earning between 2000 and 2009.

This continued growth in affluence, social influence and household income will continue to impact the community’s eco-nomic power.n African-Americans make more shopping trips than all other groups but spend less money per trip. Blacks in higher income brackets also spend 300 percent more in

“Too often companies don’t realize the inherent differences of our com-munity, are not aware of the market size impact, and have not optimized efforts to develop mes-sages beyond those that coincide with Black His-tory Month,” Campbell

said.The report is the first installment in

a three-year alliance between NNPA and Nielsen, a leading provider of analytics into what consumers watch and buy.

NNPA, or the Black Press of America, has more than 200 black community newspapers

across the country.Campbell said he hoped the collabora-

tion with Nielsen would help tell the story of the black consumer in a manner that businesses can understand.

African-Americans make up the largest racial minority group in America with a population of close to 43 million, the report said.

Susan Whiting, Nielsen vice chair, called the alliance with NNPA “an opportunity to share valuable insights, unique consumer be-havior patterns and purchasing trends with the African-American community.”

The report was released during the 41st Annual Legislative Congressional Black Cau-cus Foundation Conference in Washington

Cloves Campbell

By Jennifer Ffrench Parker

After 20 years on death row, convicted cop killer Troy Davis was executed at 11:08 p.m. on Sept. 21.

Davis’ death by lethal injection came four hours later than his scheduled 7 p.m. execu-tion as his lawyers and supporters made a last-ditch appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court. It declined to stay his execution.

He was 42 years old.Witnesses said he died declaring his in-

nocence and urging supporters to continue the fight against the death penalty after his death.

Davis was convicted Sept. 3, 1991, for the 1989 death of Mark MacPhail, a white off-duty Savannah police officer, when he was 20 years old.

MacPhail, 27, was working as a security guard when he intervened in a brawl in a Burger King parking lot in Savannah and was shot at point-blank range.

There was no physical evidence linking Davis to the crime, and after several witnesses recanted their testimonies, supporters say there was too much doubt to execute.

They and opponents of the death pen-alty called for clemency for Davis, but the Georgia Board of Pardons and Paroles and the state Supreme Court both upheld his sentence this week.

John Evans, president of the DeKalb NAACP, said the decision to execute was wrong.

“When in doubt, you don’t want to kill anyone because you can’t do anything after you have done it,” he said.

Evans, who joined the vigil for clemency on Tuesday, said the Davis case highlights the need for change.

“We need to take this situation and do

something about the death penalty. Period,” he said. “The disparity in sentencing between blacks and whites is disproportional. That’s why we can’t support the death penalty.”

AJC reporter Rhonda Cook, who was one of five reporters who witnessed the execution along with MacPhail’s son and namesake; his brother, William MacPhail; and the Davis family, told CNN Wednesday night that Da-vis looked at the McPhails and said he was sorry for their loss.

“I did not personally kill your son, father and brother,” Davis said. “I am innocent.”

Cook said Davis asked his family and friends to continue to search for the truth. To

the prison officials who would pull the switch to kill him, he said, “May God have mercy on your souls. May God bless your souls.”

She said he lowered his head and was dead within 14 minutes from a three-drug cocktail of pentobarbital, which induced coma; pancuronium bromide, which para-lyzed him; and potassium chloride, which stopped his heart.

The worldwide campaign to spare Davis’ life drew high-profile support from former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, Pope Benedict XVI and 4th District U.S. Rep. Hank John-son. Davis had escaped three previous dates with death before Wednesday.

Supporters began round-the-clock vigils last week and hundreds stood outside the Jackson state prison Wednesday praying for clemency.

In a letter written by Davis and released by Amnesty International, Davis said the struggle for justice doesn’t end with him.

By midday Thursday, the NAACP had begun organizing to work toward eliminat-ing the death penalty. Evans said that he had received a call from NAACP state President Edward DuBose.

“He said we need to get together in a few days to develop a plan of action to abolish the death penalty,” he said.

A2

Inside-Cvr Pg

Community

Dispose of hazardous waste for free

DeKalb weighs new EMS plan

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BUILDING BRIDGES, MAKING CONNECTIONS:

COORDINATING A COMMUNITY RESPONSE TO

DOMESTIC VIOLENCE�

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 14, 20118:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.

(free breakfast to begin at 8:00 a.m.)

Manuel Maloof Auditorium1300 Commerce Drive,

Decatur, Georgia

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Domestic Violence Awareness WorkshopSaturday, Oct. 1, 2011

2 p.m. – 4 p.m.3929 Heritage PointeLithonia, GA 30038

IF YOU DON’T STAND FOR SOMETHING, YOU’LL FALL FOR ANYTHINGTAKE A STAND AGAINST DOMESTIC VIOLENCE

SPEAKERS • MUSIC • TESTIMONIALS • RESOURCES • VENDORS & MUCH MOREFor More Information, Please Call

Rev. Leslie Taylor-Whitaker, 404-452-7619, or Barbara Dixon-Hamil, 770-875-2610e-mail: [email protected] • facebook: She Consulting & Ministries

There’s No Place Like HomeAnnouncing the launch of a new church in South DeKalb

Augustine ChapelHas been ordained by God as a

LIGHTHOUSE in the Center of Community to help you find your way HOME

Pastors Robert and Vickie TurnerPastors Robert and Vickie Turner

Services held on the first and third Sunday of each month at 8:00 a.m.

Located atThe Community Achievement Center

4522 Flat Shoals Parkway • Decatur, Georgia404-275-1096

DeKalb residents can dispose of toxic household waste free of charge at a House-hold Hazardous Waste Event on Oct. 1 in Decatur.

The 8 a.m.-to-noon event will take place at the DeKalb County Central Transfer Sta-tion at 3720 Leroy Scott Drive. It is sponsored by Keep DeKalb Beautiful and the DeKalb County Sanitation Division in partnership with Clean Harbors Environmental Services Inc.

Household hazardous waste is classified as products that contain potentially danger-ous chemicals and are no longer used. These products, which include aerosols, mercury,

batteries, adhesives, flammables, lawn care products, automotive products, fluorescent bulbs, photo chemicals, hobby and artists supplies, paints and paint-related products, and cleaners and swimming pool chemicals, should not be mixed with regular trash and can be potentially harmful to the environ-ment if not disposed of properly.

Items that will not be accepted include bio-hazardous/biomedical waste, agricul-tural waste, ammunition, explosives, phar-maceuticals, radioactive materials, and non-hazardous waste.

For more information, call 404-371–2654 or e-mail [email protected].

By Mary Swint

New emergency ambulance service should begin in DeKalb County on April 17, 2012, per a timeline presented to the Board of Commissioners’ Finance Committee this week.

Chief Procurement Officer Kelvin Walton said on Sept. 20 that the request for proposals will be advertised on Oct. 21 and proposals from private ambulance services will be due on Dec. 15.

The Board of Commissioners could vote on the recommended proposal on Feb. 14.

The Purchasing and Contracting Depart-ment sought information in July from am-bulance service providers on possible models for the new contract that will combine emergency (911) ambulance service with the billing and collections for ambulance service transports.

Three companies that offered the tradi-tional outsourcing model said the county will need to increase user fees or pay the EMS transport provider a subsidy because the current system operates at a loss.

DeKalb Chief of Fire Rescue Edward O’Brien said he is looking at another option under which a “finance” company would fund the equipment and this would eliminate the county’s capital expenses.

The company would contract with a private ambulance service and would pay a subsidy to the EMS transport provider.

The company would pay the county and the transport provider a percentage of the fee collections.

This model also would emphasize the need for the ambulance provider to meet certain performance standards. One estimate showed the county might retain $3.1 million from the $15.7 million in baseline revenue under this model.

Executive Assistant Richard Stogner said the national average for EMS ambulance services is to recoup 50 percent of the user fees since a large percentage of transports involve indigent patients or Medicare. He said the Fire Department would still operate ALS, or advanced life support.

In a comparison of EMS fees from 11 Georgia counties, DeKalb has lower-than-average fees for ALS, mileage and oxygen. DeKalb charges $500 for basic life support while the average is $356.50, but there was no fee for this service listed for six counties.

DeKalb is the only county to charge for EKG. It is one of four counties whose fire departments provide EMS services.

For an example involving cardiac arrest and a 12-mile transport, DeKalb would charge $734 compared to the average cost of $942.

In another example involving a motor vehicle crash, neck pain, oxygen and a 12-mile transport, DeKalb charges $629, which is slightly less than the average cost of $631.

The Finance Committee took no action.

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

CrossRoadsNews September 24, 2011A2

A3

Community PG

Community

Lithonia mayor’s forum set

Technology use rises among blacks

Not guilty plea in molestation case

CONSUMER, fROM pagE a1

WHILE LEARNING

HOW TO BUILD ROBOTS,

STUDENTS ALSO PICK UP THE

MECHANICS OF SUCCESS.

The 100 Black Men of Atlanta’s Project Success Robotics Program introduces middle and high school students to science and technology, using real world examples and hands-on training. In addition to being poised for professional achievement in expanding fields, participants improve their core academics and learn life lessons they will never forget. Georgia Power is proud to support Project Success, and the future contributions of these brilliant minds.

georgiapower.com

Lithonia tae kwon do instruc-tor and Olympic athlete Adrian Spellen pleaded not guilty to two counts of rape and one count of aggravated child molestation during a Thursday arraignment in DeKalb County Superior Court.

A DeKalb grand jury indicted Spellen on three counts of rape and aggravated child molestation on July 26.

Spellen is charged with raping a female student at his Powerkicks Martial Arts stu-

dio in Lithonia. The indictment accuses him of having “carnal knowledge of” a 9-year-old girl between May 23 and June 3.

Spellen, 27, was arrested June 25 and released on a $100,000 bond on July 7.

On July 26, Spellen told WSB-TV that he wouldn’t do anything to hurt his students.

“I teach against this thing,” he said. “This is the core of what I teach. This is damaging my life, my reputation every-thing that I stand for.”

Adrian Spellen

Lithonia voters can learn more about the candidates running for mayor at an Oct. 4 forum at the Lithonia-Davidson Library.

The forum, from 6 to 7:45 p.m., is sponsored by the DeKalb League of Women Voters, CrossRoadsNews and the Lithonia Chamber of Commerce.

All four mayoral candidates – incum-bent Tonya Peterson and challengers Do-reen Carter, Al T. Franklin and Deborah Jackson – have been invited. All three chal-

lengers have been City Council members.The candidates will discuss their platform

and take questions from journalists and the audience.

Peterson was elected mayor in November 2008. She served on the council for almost three years. Jackson, who is an attorney, and Franklin, an advertising consultant, were elected to the council in 2009. Carter, an accountant, has been on the council since 2007. For more information, visit http://lwvdk.org.

Al T. FranklinTonya Peterson Deborah JacksonDoreen Carter

higher-end retail grocers – more than any other high-income household.n There were 23.9 million active African-American Internet users in July 2011, 76 percent of whom visited a social networking/blog site.n Thirty-three percent of all African-Amer-icans own a smartphone.

n Blacks use more than double the amount of mobile phone voice minutes compared with whites – 1,298 minutes a month versus 606.n The percentage of African-Americans attending college or earning a degree has increased to 44 percent for men and 53 per-cent for women.

For more information, visit www.nielsen .com/africanamerican.

Rank Country

PurchasingPower Parity (Billion $)

The percentage of African-Americans attending college or earning a degree has increased to 44 percent for men and 53 percent for women.

nielsen: The sTaTe of The african-american consumer

CrossRoadsNewsSeptember 24, 2011 A3

A4

INDEX PAGE

Forum The GOD in me prevents me from glorying over the death of another human being or viewing the death of another.

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.

Advertisements are pub-lished upon the represen-tation that the advertiser is authorized to publish the submitted material. The advertiser agrees to indemnify and hold harm-less from and against any loss or expenses resulting from any disputes or legal claims based upon the contents or subject mat-ter of such advertisments, including claims of suits for libel, violation of privacy, plagiarism and copyright infringement.

We reserve the right to re-fuse any advertisement.

2346 Candler Rd.Decatur, GA 30032

404-284-1888 Fax: 404-284-5007www.crossroadsnews.com

[email protected]

Editor / Publisher Jennifer Parker

General Manager Curtis Parker

Staff WriterCarla Parker

Jennifer Ffrench Parker

Advertising Sales Alison White

Circulation Audited By

www.eastmetromarket.com

LOCAL

SERVICES!LOCAL

GOODS!

Troy Davis’ execution draws comments from web readers

Punishing property owners misguided in bad economyBy Joe Bembry

I realize that we are in a crisis, involving job loss, home foreclo-sure and the struggle to survive. However, I believe the DeKalb Board of Commissioners has lost its way and is about to burden us even more with fines and liens imposed on our properties by its Board of Code Compliance.

Allow me to explain. Our CEO created an Advisory Council on Code Compliance, that recom-mended the creation of a Board of Code Compliance, which would have the authority to hear cases and issue fines.

Some commissioners want a provision that allows the county to impose liens on a property if the fine is not paid. If approved, the board or county would come back recommending liens and fines on our home by merely leaving a no-tice at the door.

In a time when we are strug-gling to find work and keep our

homes, this is not the time for any added burden. Thousands of us will end up standing in line at Recorders Court for four or five hours being treated as less than citizens.

Here are some issues that need the attention of an Advisory Council.n What about initiatives to encour-age, support and bring jobs and businesses to DeKalb Countyn Initiatives to review regulations that have created an anti-business environmentn Initiatives to address black-on-black crime in our communitiesn Initiatives to address the record

number of burglaries in our area that are causing our area to be undesirable

What can we do about the level of vandalism and theft of catalytic converter, copper wiring and air condition units in our churches, homes and cemeteries?

What can we do about thousand of tons of trash illegally dumped in every dark spot including parks and cemeteries, and the thousand of liquor bottles thrown on lawns and streets?

What can we do about the ex-cessive number of inoperable fire hydrants in our communities?

How do we create pride in citi-zens that make them want to take pride in their property?

Could there be a relationship between low money flow and the appearance of one’s property?

Could liens and fines cause the loss of even more homes in our communities?

Could liens and fines end up with entire pockets or communi-ties being vacant because of issues like burglaries and thefts, which are beyond the owners control?

How do we take back the South-side of DeKalb County from nega-tive elements?

I believe what we need a “So-lution Tour” on which the Board of Commissioners seek answers from citizens on how to address all issues.

I am asking 20,000 citizens to attend the Sept. 27 Commission meeting to tell our Commissioners that this recession is not the time for an added burden of liens and fines without due process.

In a time when we are struggling to find work and keep our homes, this is not the time for any added burden. Thousands

of us will end up standing in line at Recorders Court for four or five hours

being treated as less than citizens. Joe Bembry

William Philips wrote on Thursday, Sep 22 at 10:25 a.m.The execution of Troy Davis should be a wake-call to those who

choose to sit out our elections. With a Democrat as governor, this event might have had a different outcome. When I voted in South DeKalb last November, the polls were nearly empty. Two years earlier, when a Black Man was running for President, the lines were awesome. ALL ELEC-TIONS MATTER.

Arnold Butler Sr wrote on Thursday, Sep 22 at 07:59 a.m.Georgia Commits Another Shameful ActGeorgia once again has brought shame to itself. Troy Davis’s execution Wednesday night did not bring closure. In-

stead, it has continued another shameful legacy of executing people of

color. To be incarcerated for 20 years of your life on Death Row is not

enough for some Georgians. I challenge any of you ghouls to live on Death Row for a month...no, for a week... then tell us about your experience being locked up 23 hours a day...with a hour of exercise, by yourself, in a small enclosed area.

If you think this is living, then you are a sick and heartless person. The GOD in me prevents me from glorying over the death of another human being or viewing the death of another. There is no justification for allowing HATE to consume your innermost being...if you allow this to happen, then you, yourself, become a murderer in your spirit. We all are going to die one day, and we will have to justify the deeds that were done while in our body before GOD.

index to advertisers

123 Discount Fabrics ...................................A113 Girls & A Needle, Inc...............................A10Abbott’s Hair Studio ....................................A11Access Advertising ......................................A11ALS Career Institute ....................................A11Augustine Chapel .........................................A3Augustine Preparatory Academy ...............A10Auto 285 .....................................................A11Cake Café Atlanta .........................................A6DeKalb County Board of Health ...................A8DeKalb Co. Dept. Watershed Mgmt. ...........A2

DeKalb County School System ............ A6, A10DeKalb County Solicitor-General’s Office .....A2DeKalb Health Pharmacy .............................A8DeKalb Medical ............................................A9DeKalb Technical College ..........................A10Element Funding ........................................A11Wells Fargo ..................................................A5Flat Shoals Foot & Ankle Center ..................A8Georgia Power .............................................A3Malcolm Cunningham Auto Gallery........... A12MARTA .................................................. A4, A6

Pigeon Forge Dept. of Tourism ....................A7Pretty Faces Spa ..........................................A11PrimeTime Pro Painters ..............................A11ProShot Concrete Inc. .................................A11S.H.E. Consulting & Ministries ......................A3The Law Office of B.A. Thomas ..................A11Wright Vision Care .......................................A8

SECTION BArabia Mountain Alliance ............................B5Atlanta Sweeping Co. ...................................B8

Committee to Elect Deborah Action Jackson B4Committee to Elect Lee May ........................B9Congressman Hank Johnson .......................B5DeKalb County Office of CEO .....................B11Development Authority of DeKalb County ...B3Great Wraps .................................................B4The Mall at Stonecrest ............................... B12The Mall at Stonecrest ........................... B6-B7Best Buy Co. Inc. .........................................INSWalgreens ..................................................INS


A5

Community PG

Community “We have a great opportunity to serve our wildlife patients and give visitors an awesome educational experience.”

Stogner gets new contract with salary Forum seeks input on transportation projects

Bucky Johnson

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DeKalb residents can share their opinions on a draft list of regional transportation projects at a Sept. 28 referendum forum at the Manuel Maloof Auditorium in Decatur.

The 6-to-8 p.m. forum is one of 12 hosted by the Atlanta Regional Transportation Roundtable to garner feedback from the public on the more than $6 billion in transportation invest-ments to be funded by a regional penny sales tax referendum on the ballot next summer.

Roundtable members are required by law to finalize the list by Oct. 15 and they want as much public input as possible.

Norcross Mayor Bucky Johnson, chairman of the Round-table, said members have heard from more than 200,000 metro Atlanta residents and worked hard to develop a list of transpor-tation investments to give residents more travel options and reduce congestion.

“Now we need to hear from our neighbors one more time and make sure we’re putting a list on the ballot that voters can support,” Johnson said. In June, the Roundtable hosted 10 telephone town hall meetings in which they reached out to 1.3 million registered voters and spent time on the phone with more than 130,000 of them. The forums are the next step in the process.

Forum attendees can view a presentation, speak with trans-portation experts, and complete a survey. The presentation and survey also are available online at www.atlantaregionalround table.com – take the survey by Oct. 5.

The project list has generated a lot of buzz in DeKalb County because it does not fund any rail option to the Stonecrest area.

MARTA says that the $225 million proposed for an I-20 Rail Project will only fund engineering and final design for rail and four park-and-transit centers for buses. It said transit centers could be turned into rail stops later.

The I-20 Rail Project is estimated to cost $500 million to build.

The Maloof Center is at 1300 Commerce Drive.For more information, visit www.atlantaregionalround

table.com or call 770-492-5206.

By Mary Swint

Richard Stogner’s free labor to the county is over.Stogner, who returned to his old office in the Maloof

Building as DeKalb County executive assistant in Septem-ber 2010 to work for a year for free, has a new contract to work through June 2012, but this time with a salary.

Under the new agreement, approved by the DeKalb Board of Commissioners on Sept. 13, Stogner will receive a gross salary of $16,039 per month from Sept. 15 to Dec. 31 this year.

In 2012, his gross monthly salary will not exceed $16,039 in any month and his total salary will not exceed $96,234.

He will be limited to working six months or less in 2012.

Stogner, who served as executive assistant during the Vernon Jones administration, left county employment in December 2008. His one-year volunteer contract expired Sept. 14.

Stogner said he opted to continue to work as executive

assistant under the provisions of a Home Rule amend-ment to the Pension Code adopted after the county’s early retirement program.

The commissioners adopted the amendment in Au-gust 2010 to facilitate the part-time, temporary rehiring of retired county employees with valuable institutional knowledge.

The amendment allows a retired DeKalb employee to work for the county part time while receiving pension benefits after Aug. 31, 2010.

However, the employee is limited to working 1,040 hours in a calendar year and his county salary or wages cannot exceed 50 percent of his last pre-retirement an-nual base salary.

If the retiree exceeds the hours worked or salary, his benefits would be discontinued for the remainder of the year. The amendment also limits the temporary work to three years, which do not have to be consecutive.

Stogner’s new contract says he will not be allowed to work more than 1,040 hours during the remainder of 2011 or in 2012, so he will qualify as a part-time employee under the Pension Code. He will not accrue or use annual leave or sick leave under the new contract.

Richard Stogner

Avian specialist heads wild animal rescueDr. Tarah Hadley, a board-certified avian specialist,

is the new executive director of the Atlanta Wild Animal Rescue Effort in DeKalb County.

Hadley is a nationally recognized speaker and author of several publications in the field of avian and exotic animal medicine. She is also the owner of the Atlanta Hospital for Birds and Exotics.

Alex Hoffman, AWARE’s board president, said Hadley is “uniquely positioned to lead the nonprofit’s continued growth and establish it as a premier wildlife center for the area.”

She will work closely with the public, veterinarians, wildlife rehabilitators and AWARE’s dedicated volunteers.

She plans to position the organization as a top resource in the South for those who want to help wildlife in need. Hadley also believes the natural setting of Arabia Moun-tain Nature Preserve and AWARE’s staff will provide the community with a great travel destination.

“I believe we have a great opportunity to serve our wildlife patients and give our visitors an awesome edu-cational experience as well,” she said.

AWARE is located 20 to 30 minutes outside Atlanta in the Arabia Mountain National Heritage Area. Since 2004, it has worked to preserve and restore wildlife and educate the public about living with wildlife. For more informa-tion, visit www.awareone.org or call 678-418-1111.


A6

Finance

FinanCe The new general issue license plate will have a “digital” design – it won’t have raised numbers and letters.

DeKalb Medical CEO resigns

Property taxes due by Sept. 30

MARTA fares will rise in October

New ‘flat’ tags will feature peaches

Eric P. Norwood

Eric P. Norwood, who led DeKalb Medical for nine years, has left the hospital system.

Norwood, who became presi-dent and CEO of DeKalb Regional Health System in 2003, resigned abruptly and left the system Sept. 16.

Board Chairman Oliver Lee said Norwood’s departure was unex-pected but that it was “Eric’s choice.”

“We parted on good terms,” he said.Lee said they were negotiating a new

three-year contract when it appeared that Norwood had some other opportunity.

“He did share his plans with us,” Lee said. “Maybe he was under a confidentiality agreement. But we understand that he is at the top of his marketability and has to look out for his family’s interest.

“I understand that at some point you have got to stop sacrificing your family,” he said, adding that they were lucky to have Norwood for nine years.

“With hospital CEOs, most don’t stay more than three to five years,” he said.

Norwood joined the nonprofit DeKalb Regional Health System, which includes DeKalb Medical at North Decatur, DeKalb

Medical at Downtown Decatur and DeKalb Medical at Hillandale, in 2002 as chief operating officer. He took the top job six months later when John Gerlach retired.

Lee said he could not confirm that Norwood is leaving with a pay-out of more than $1 million.

He said that Norwood is owed bonuses and pay for vacation, per-

sonal time off and sick time.“We don’t have those numbers yet,” he

said. “Our accountants are calculating those figures now.”

Norwood could not be reached at press time, but in a statement from the hospital, he said he was extremely proud of DeKalb Medical, its employees, medical staff, board of directors and devoted volunteers. “I’ve accomplished what I set out to do nine years ago and am now excited for the opportunity to take on new challenges,” he said.

The statement said that a search for a new president has been launched and that Diane Harden, the system’s chief financial officer, will serve as interim president and CEO.

Lee said it’s important to find a replace-ment quickly. “I don’t think it’s wise to be without a CEO.”

The new fares to ride MARTA go into effect Oct. 2.

Train and bus commuters will pay 50 cents more to use the public transit system for a one-way trip as the fare rises from $2. A weekly pass increases from $17 to $23.75, and a monthly pass rises from $68 to $95.

The MARTA board of directors approved the increases on June 22 as part of its fiscal year 2012 budgets. It adopted an operating budget of $413.76 million, a capital budget

totaling $185.5 million, and $143.7 million in debt service.

A one-way trip with free transfers will be $2.50, while a round trip with free transfers will be $5. An all-day Visitor Pass with unlimited rides will be $9. A two-day pass will be $14; three-days, $16; and four-day pass, $19. Fares do not include the one-time $1 fee for the Breeze fare card.

For more information, visit www.its marta.com or call 404-848-5000.

DeKalb property owners have until Sept. 30 to pay the first installment of their 2011 real estate and personal property taxes.

Tax Commissioner Claudia G. Lawson said the first installment must be received or postmarked by Sept. 30 to avoid a 5 per-cent late payment penalty. If the payment is mailed, the postmark or cancellation stamp from the U.S. Postal Service is the only ac-

cepted evidence of timely mailing.A drop box is available at the Tax Com-

missioner’s Central Office, 4380 Memo-rial Drive in Decatur. The taxes can be paid by electronic check or credit card at 404-298-4000 or www.yourdekalb.com/taxcommissioner. For more information, visit [email protected] or call 404-298-4000.

Georgia’s new license plate is just peachy.

The general is-sue license plate tag designed by Linda Sosebee of Forsyth goes into produc-tion this fall.

Sosebee’s de-sign, unveiled last month, features the moniker Peach State and bright, colorful peaches. It received the most online votes of 34,154 in the 2011 License Plate Design Contest administered by the Department of Revenue.

The new general issue license plate will incorporate a “digital” (flat) design, meaning it won’t have raised numbers and letters. This new production process will result in a cost savings to the state and allow customers the

option of having their license plate delivered to them instead of having to go to a county tag office. The “flat” plate technology offers easier identi-fication by Georgia law enforcement.

Taxpayers won’t incur any added expense for production of the new license plates and will have the option of selecting a plain tag. During the owner’s registration period, the department will begin replacing existing license plates once the plate has exceeded the minimum five-year life as set forth by the Georgia Code.

The Department of Revenue received more than 500 design submissions for the contest.


A7Dr. Marvin Cole, a former Georgia

Perimeter College president, will imper-sonate author Mark Twain at a benefit on

Oct. 2 in Clarkston. At 3 p.m., the audi-

ence will meander down the mighty Mississippi for “An Afternoon With Mark Twain.” For the past 35 years, Cole has portrayed the man who was known for his bit-ing wit.

Cole said that 100 years after his death, Twain is still telling the truth. “Twain’s main purpose was to satirize human cruelty to other humans in the hope of realizing the need to respect all people. He poked fun at pretensions and exposed sham, but he also knew the mental and healing benefits of humor to audiences.”

Tickets are $20; call 678-891-3572 or e-mail [email protected]. Proceeds benefit the Retiree Association scholarship fund.

Scene Cole said that 100 years after his death, Mark Twain, known for his biting wit, is still telling the truth.

International Festival showcases Clarkston’s diversity

Mark Twain’s wit at benefit

35 years of service celebrated

Call 678-442-7281 to make reservations for this event. for this event. for this event. for this event. for this event. for this event. for this event. for this event. for this event. for this event. for this event. for this event. for this event. for this event. for this event. for this event. for this event. for this event. for this event. for this event. for this event. for this event. for this event. for this event. for this event. for this event. for this event. for this event. for this event. for this event. for this event. for this event. for this event. for this event. for this event. for this event. for this event. for this event. for this event. for this event. for this event. for this event. for this event. for this event. for this event. for this event. for this event. for this event. for this event. for this event. for this event. for this event. for this event. for this event. for this event. for this event. for this event. for this event. for this event. for this event. for this event. for this event. for this event. for this event. for this event. for this event. for this event. for this event. for this event. for this event. for this event. for this event. for this event. for this event. for this event. for this event. for this event. for this event. for this event. for this event. for this event. for this event. for this event. for this event. for this event. for this event. for this event. for this event. for this event. for this event. for this event. for this event. for this event. for this event. for this event. for this event. for this event. for this event. for this event. for this event. for this event. for this event. for this event. for this event. for this event. for this event. for this event. for this event. for this event. for this event. for this event. for this event. for this event. for this event. for this event. for this event. for this event. for this event. for this event. for this event. for this event. for this event. for this event. for this event.

ARE YOU CHARGED WITH PLANNING YOUR NEXT FAMILY REUNION OR GROUP GATHERING?

and

We’re bringing Pigeon Forge to Atlanta on October 1. This one-of-a-kind event will feature:

October 1, 2011 8:30 a.m. - Registration9–11 a.m. - Reunions SeminarNoon–4 p.m. - Travel Expo

A free workshop with useful tips on hostinga successful family reunion

A trade show where group organizers can meet with more than 30 Pigeon Forge hotels, attractions, theaters, restaurants and event facilities

A chance to be one of 10 people selected to win a Pigeon Forge VIP card to area attractions and theaters

A drawing for more than 60 prizes from businesses, including Dollywood®,TitanicTM Museum and Attraction, Dolly Parton’s Dixie Stampede and others

EXIT

30, O

FF O

F I-285

PFT1185_L1rr_CrossroadsNews_Half.indd 1 9/13/11 4:22:42 PM

Attorney Dwight Thomas receives a plaque declaring Sept. 15 Dwight Thomas Day from DeKalb Commissioner Sharon Barnes Sutton.

The annual festival on Oct. 1 in the downtown Clarkston Plaza will feature food, music, live entertainment and dancing, plus games for adults and a kids corner.

Marvin Cole

Clarkston will celebrate its diversity at the second annual International Festival on Oct. 1 in the downtown Clarkston Plaza.

The 10 a.m.-to-6 p.m. family-friendly festival will fea-ture a variety of cultural food, music, live entertainment and dancing representing the city’s Asian, Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander, Hispanic, and African-American cultures.

There will be games for adults and a kids corner.The festival is free to attend.To be a vendor, sponsor or volunteer, visit www.Stepup

inGeorgia.org and click on “International Festival Icon” or call India Pullin at 404-343-1452.

A who’s who in DeKalb government, politics and the legal profession showed up at a Sept. 15 “surprise bash” honoring attorney Dwight Thomas for his 35 years of service to the profession and community.

During the event at the Porter Sanford Center in Decatur, Thomas, who has his law office in Atlanta and practices across the state, was recognized for a number of firsts and for his work as a trial lawyer and teacher and mentor to students and young lawyers.

Thomas, who lives in Stone Mountain, was the first African-American to integrate Avondale High School and to procure le-gal office space in the city of Decatur, his hometown. There he rented space from now Superior Court Judge Clarence Seeliger.

The county proclaimed Sept. 15 Dwight Thomas Day in DeKalb, and he received commendations from Gov. Nathan Deal, the Lieutenant Governor’s Office and the Georgia General Assembly..

Thomas was sworn into the State Bar of Georgia in 1976. He worked briefly for the Fulton County Solicitor’s Office before be-coming an attorney for the U.S. Department

of Health, Education and Welfare and later for the U.S. Department of Education as an attorney for the Office of Civil Rights.

In addition to being an active trial lawyer, Thomas lectures and mentors students and lawyers on the importance of the legal system and has adopted several schools to promote the importance of gaining an education.

Poet receives ‘Genius’ Award as 2011 fellow

Poet and translator A.E. Stallings, for-merly of Decatur, has received the “Genius” Award and $500,000 from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. Stallings is one of 22 new 2011 MacArthur Fellows announced Sept. 21.

A.E. (Alicia Elsbeth) Stallings, 43, is a gradu-ate of Briarcliff High School, which has since closed. She graduated in 1990 from the Uni-versity of Georgia and received a master’s in 1992 from the University of Oxford. Since 1999, she has lived in Athens, Greece, where she is director of the poetry pro-gram at the Athens Centre.

The foundation said that she mines the classical world and traditional poetic tech-niques to craft works that evoke startling insights about contemporary life.

“In both her original poetry and translations, she exhibits a mastery of highly structured forms (such as sonnets, couplets, quatrains, and sapphics) and consummate skill in creating new combi-nations of meter, rhyme, and syntax into distinctive, emotionally compelling verse,” the foundation said in a statement.

Stallings’ works include “Archaic Smile” (1999); “Hapax” (2006); a verse translation of Lucretius’ “De Rerum Natura (The Na-ture of Things)” in 2007; and poems and essays published in periodicals.

For more information, visit www .macfound.org.

A.E. Stallings


A8

Screenings available for seniors

Prolonged sitting carries risks

WellneSS “The more time you spend sitting, the less total energy expended and you can have consequences such as weight gain and increased obesity.”

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To RSVP, e-mail Alicia Cardwell-Brown at [email protected] or call 404.508.7847

Hosted by the Live Healthy DeKalb Coalition and the DeKalb County Board of Health

DeKalb County seniors over 50 now have greater access to preventive health services and screenings through a partnership be-tween Senior Connections and the Atlanta Regional Commission.

Screenings will be available on Oct. 5 at the South DeKalb Senior Center, 1931 Candler Road in Decatur and on Oct. 12 at

the Lou Walker Senior Center, 2538 Panola Road in Lithonia.

Both sessions take place10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Participants are urged to arrive 30 minutes before the scheduled start time.

For more information, visit www.agin-gatlanta.com or call Mary Groover at 404-488-7073.

Office workers, couch potatoes and others who sit for long periods of time risk shorten-ing their life spans, a new study suggests.

And desk-bound women are at greater risk of premature death.

The Cancer Prevention II study, pub-lished online July 22 in the American Jour-nal of Epidemiology, followed more than 120,000 American adults for 14 years from 1993 to 2006, and found that people who sit for extended period were more likely to die of heart disease than cancer.

After adjusting for a number of risk fac-tors, including body mass index and smok-ing, women who spent six hours a day sitting had a 37 percent increased risk of dying versus those who spent less than three hours a day seated. For men, the increased risk was 17 percent.

The effect remained even after the re-searchers factored out obesity or the level of daily physical activity that people were engaged in.

Although several studies have found a link between sitting time and obesity, Type 2 diabetes, heart disease risk, and unhealthy diets in children, few had examined sitting and “total mortality,” the researchers noted in the study.

Exercise, even a little per day, did tend to lower the mortality risk tied to sitting, the team noted. However, sitting’s influence on death risk remained significant even when activity was factored in.

On the other hand, people who sat a lot and did not exercise or stay active had an even higher mortality risk: 94 percent for women and 48 percent for men.

Dr. Alpa Patel, lead author of the study, said that the obvious reason for the connec-tion is that “the more time you spend sitting, the less total energy expended and you can have consequences such as weight gain and increased obesity.”

That affects your metabolism as well as risk factors for various diseases, said Patel, an epidemiologist with the American Cancer Society.

He said there could be other biological factors beyond simply getting fatter that explain the link.

Patel said there’s a burgeoning literature evolving around “inactivity physiology.”

When muscles, especially those in the legs, are “sitting,” they stimulate or suppress

various hormones, which then affect trig-lycerides, cholesterol and other markers for heart and other diseases, she explained.

Females who sat the longest and exercised the least had twice the risk of death compared with women who recorded more activity and less sitting. Under similar circumstances for men, there was only a 50 percent greater chance of death.

Patel could not explain why sitting may be more hazardous to women’s health. It’s unclear whether the varying results are caused by gender or if there are other influ-ences at work.

“We don’t understand the biological reason why it might be more detrimental to women than men,” she said.

The authors of the study analyzed re-sponses from questionnaires filled out by 123,216 people (53,440 men and 69,776 women) with no history of disease who were participating in the Cancer Prevention II study conducted by the American Cancer Society.

The study concluded:“We observed 11,307 deaths in men and

7,923 in women over the 1,610,728 person-years of follow-up. Men and women who spent the least leisure time sitting were leaner, more likely to have never smoked cigarettes, more likely to be employed, and had lower total energy intake. Leisure time spent sit-ting was not associated with physical activ-ity. Study participants generally engaged in light- to moderate-intensity activities, such as walking for exercise, gardening, shopping, and housework. Moderate- to vigorous-intensity activities were relatively uncommon in this older population; 83 percent of men and 87 percent of women reported walking for exercise, and 37 percent of men and 36 percent of women listed walking as their only form of recreational physical activity.”

Although several studies have found a link between

sitting time and obesity, Type 2 diabetes, heart disease

risk, and unhealthy diets in children, few had examined sitting and “total mortality,”

the researchers noted.


A9

In 2009, France and Germany banned planting of genetically modified corn, and much of Europe has placed strict planting restraints for fear of cross-pollination.

WellneSS As of 2009, genetically modified corn made up 85 percent of the maize planted in the United States.

Free seminar on breast cancer

Today’s sweet corn is not the wholesome ear of yesteryear

Sure a state-of-the-art facility close to home would be appreciated. But what was equally important was building a place

that would remind patients of the care that had disappeared from healthcare. So beyond simply launching the first all-

digital master planned hospital in Georgia, we set out to give patients everything from access to a talented pool of doctors

and dedicated support sta�, who would engage them in their treatment, to free parking and amazing food. See, before

DeKalb Medical at Hillandale was even established, we asked ourselves, “What can we do di�erently? What can we do

better than them?” And we still ask ourselves those two questions every day. Because as far as we’re concerned, good could

never be good enough.

The last thing the community needed was “just another hospital.”

To learn more, visit www.dekalbmedicalhillandale.org

Breast cancer survivors, health care pro-viders and others can attend a free educa-tional seminar on Oct. 1 at the City of Refuge in Atlanta.

Local and national breast cancer special-ists will speak at the 8 a.m.-to-2 p.m. seminar hosted by the nonprofit Sisters by Choice Inc. as part of its 21st Annual Breast Cancer Awareness Weekend.

October is National Cancer Awareness Month, and the seminar is focusing on increasing awareness about breast cancer screenings and diagnosis, treatment, and cutting-edge research.

Registration, a continental breakfast and lunch, and parking are free. To register and reserve a space, visit www.sistersbychoice.net. For more information, e-mail [email protected] or call 770-987-2951.

Real corn, warm from the fields, is sweet as candy in its juicy, crispy raw state. That’s the corn I remember eating during a pit stop on a road trip through Ohio with my grand-mother. The sweetness of that corn haunts me actually, along with the taste of REAL tomatoes, because it’s been nearly a decade since I’ve tasted anything like it.

The corn from my youth was present at so many meals and celebrations. Kids love it. Adults wax nostalgic thinking of it. Whether boiled, steamed, grilled, fried or popped, corn was always on the menu when I was growing up. But something happened. Corn stopped being the celebrity vegetable. It stopped being, well … good. Then it slowly faded into the background like the green beans, carrots and other vegetables that lost their luster.

What happened?Here are a couple of corn facts to give you

food for thought.n Known as maize in most of the world, corn has been a major staple food since as early as 1500 B.C. Corn is the largest crop grown in the United States with 332 million metric tons grown annually. About 40 percent of that corn is used to make corn ethanol. The United States produces about 40 percent of the world’s corn harvest.n Most of the corn grown and harvested is called “field corn” and is eaten as a grain for human consumption and fed to livestock. In 2008, 327 million bushels of field corn were used as grits, corn flour, corn meal, and bev-erage alcohol for human consumption.n The corn of your childhood memories is a genetic variant called “sweet corn” that stores more sugar than starch in its ear and is picked while still immature and is eaten as a vegetable.n As of 2009, genetically modified corn made up 85 percent of the maize planted in the United States. GM corn has incorporated a gene that codes for the Bacillus thuringiensis toxin to build a resistance to herbicides and insect pests. A 2009 study of rats revealed side effects from a diet of GM corn associated with the kidney and liver, and other effects were noted in the heart, adrenal glands, spleen and haematopoietic system (blood cell development).

Home growers don’t have access to GM sweet corn seeds, but commercial growers do. The Food and Drug Administration does not require consumer labeling of products pro-duced from GM sweet corn for sale here.

Wait, what was that last part? Yeah, all that stuff about genetically modified corn? We’re not simply talking about those ears of corn you threw on the grill over Labor Day Weekend. Or the side dish of corn souffle that will show up on the Thanksgiving table.

We’re talking about genetically modified corn that shows up in everything from grits to chicken nuggets, to salad dressing, to dog food. Consider this passage from Michael Pollan’s essay “We Are What We Eat,” where

he writes:“Take a typical fast-food meal. Corn is

the sweetener in the soda. It’s in the corn-fed beef Big Mac patty, and in the high-fructose

syrup in the bun, and in the secret sauce. Slim Jims are full of corn syrup, dextrose, corn-starch, and a great many additives. The ‘four different fuels’ in a Lunchables meal are all essentially corn-based. The chicken nugget – including feed for the chicken, fillers, binders, coating, and dipping sauce – is all corn. The french fries are made from potatoes, but odds are they’re fried in corn oil, the source of 50 percent of their calories. Even the salads at McDonald’s are full of high-fructose corn syrup and thickeners made from corn.”

So basically, corn is everywhere.

So how do you know if your corn is sim-ply good old-fashioned corn or if it contains a genetic mutation that might be harmful to you?n One way is to avoid processed food since corn syrup, dextrose, a host of fillers, starches and additives are corn-derived from com-mercially produced and potentially altered corn.n If you have a green thumb and a sunny yard, you could grow your own corn.n You also can purchase corn from small farmers and farmers markets where you can ask if the corn is GM or Bt corn (the seed is marketed as Attribute).n You can buy corn from the stores and co-ops that carry organically grown corn and vegetables because they steer away from genetically modified foods.

In 2009, France and Germany banned Bt corn planting and much of Europe has placed strict planting restraints for fear of cross-pollination. Recently Mother Nature has issued her own backlash against the onslaught of genetically modified organ-isms that have taken over commercially grown produce. The insects that many of the GMOs were supposed to repel have now become resistant to the genes introduced to the plants’ makeup.

Makes you wonder what the next step will be: more toxic scientifically engineered plants or a less toxic solution for both nature and the humans who consume the produce?

For food that fits your lifestyle, visit Chef Asata Reid at www.lifechef.net.

Life Chef Asata Reid

EatingHealthy


A10youth PG

College fair for juniors, seniors

A Sept. 20 Strategic Planning Community Engagement Session was part of Dr. Cheryl Atkinson’s 90-day plan, which calls for the new school superintendent to immerse herself in the district.

Busy first day for new superintendent

300 offer input on schools

Youth In the first phase of the plan, Atkinson will conduct a personnel audit of the central office over two weeks.

MON-THUR – 8am-8pmFRI – 6am-6pmSAT – 6am-4pm

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DeKalb County School SystemElementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA)

Supplemental Educational Services (SES)

FREE TUTORING for Eligible StudentsAs part of its requirements under the federal ESEA, DeKalb County School System is offering free tutoring in the areas of math and reading/language arts.

Free tutoring is available for your child if he or she• attends a Title I elementary, middle, or high school that has been

identified as a school in Need of Improvement

• receives free or reduced-price meals

Eligible Schools

Schools

Open EnrollmentMonday, September 12 – Monday, October 3, 2011

A brochure containing an application will be mailed to each eligible student or may be obtained from the local school.

Applications must be returned to the Office of School Improvement by Oct. 3, 2011.

For more information call DeKalb County School SystemOffice of School Improvement at 678-676-0309.

Elementary SchoolsChapel HillFairingtonFlat ShoalsIdlewoodIndian CreekJollyMcNair Discovery Learning MidwayOak ViewPanola WayStone MillStoneviewWoodward

Middle High SchoolsCedar GroveClarkstonColumbiaCross KeysElizabeth AndrewsInt’l Community Charter School International Student CenterLithoniaMartin Luther King, Jr. McNairRedanStephensonStone MountainTowers

BethuneFreedomLithoniaMcNairMiller GroveRedanSalemSequoyah

High school juniors and seniors can get information about colleges and financial aid at an Oct. 1 Financial Aid and College Recruitment Fair in Decatur.

The 9 a.m.-to-1 p.m. fair, which is free, takes place at the Community Achievement Center Inc. at 4522 Flat Shoals Parkway.

Representatives from local and state colleges and universities will provide in-formation on their schools, loans, scholar-ships and grant opportunities.

For more information, call Clarence Wells at 404-214-7400 or Danithea Ward at 404-234-5675.

By Carla Parker

Nearly 300 parents, students, teachers and residents offered suggestions on mak-ing the DeKalb School System better at a Sept. 20 Strategic Planning Community Engagement Session at the district’s Tucker headquarters.

The session, which was addressed by Superintendent Cheryl Atkinson, who was completing her first week on the job, was called to help develop a strategic plan for the district.

Atkinson told the group that it’s a new day in DeKalb and the focus should be on the students.

“Victory is in the classroom,” she said. “It will take the entire community to ensure success.”

The session was part of her 90-day plan, which calls for her to immerse herself in the district; meet teachers, principals and parents; and audit budgets and programs. She has promised to share her findings in four months.

After listening to Atkinson, the gathering

broke into smaller sessions of 10 to 20 people to discuss the biggest challenges facing stu-dents and the school district and what they want the district to provide for students.

In one classroom, mixed with parents, teachers and residents, discussions were intense and passionate but participants were mostly in unison on what needs to be done to make the school system better.

Suggestions included putting qual-ity teachers in the classroom, increasing resources for students in South DeKalb, garnering parental involvement, adding advance technology, and requiring better administration.

Joe Lindsey of Lithonia said the session was excellent and he is happy that the district is seeking input from the community.

“I think it’s very informative what the school system is trying to do,” said Lindsey, whose son Joe Lindsey Jr. is a senior at Ara-bia Mountain High School. “To reach out to make sure the school system is the best that it can be in the future.”

A survey is available at www.dekalb.k12 .ga.us for those who missed the session.

By Carla Parker

On her first day on the job, Dr. Cheryl At-kinson took the oath of office and embarked on a whirlwind tour of four schools.

After being sworn into office by Superior Court Judge Gregory Adams, DeKalb’s new school su-perintendent visited Clif-ton Elementary in Atlanta, Columbia Middle in De-catur, and Eldridge Miller Elementary and Redan High schools in Stone Mountain, where she chatted with principals, teachers and students.

She said she saw excitement from stu-dents and teachers.

“I think everyone understands that it’s a new day in DeKalb,” she said after her stop at Redan High School. “Everyone is excited and in forward-thinking mode.”

As promised, Atkinson has developed a 90-day entry plan, which lays out her three-phase strategy for putting children first in every action implemented within the district. Atkinson’s immediate focus: Gather infor-mation; assess the district’s strengths, weak-

nesses, opportunities, and threats; and create a working community network of parents, community leaders, contacts, and resources to engage stakeholders in transformation and accountability activities.

“Keys to success are leadership and ac-countability,” she said. “The overall objec-tive of the entry plan is to listen, learn and lead. Student achievement is our business and must be the central theme in all of our initiatives.”

In the first phase of the plan, Atkinson will conduct a personnel audit of the central office, which will occur over the next two weeks. Next, she will audit programs within divisions and departments. The final phase will be to present to the Board of Educa-tion and the community her “Excellence for Education Plan” to improve educational achievement, internal operations, reporting, and accountability.

She said that listening to and learning from internal and external stakeholders will be an integral part of the plan. At the end, Atkinson will provide her findings and em-ploy them for future direction.

“If we band together, keep our focus, and put students first, there is no limit to what we can accomplish,” she said.

Cheryl Atkinson


A11ministry PG

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B1

Stonecrest cvr

At left, an aerial shot of the mall taken in 2008 shows the development that has sprung up around the Mall at Stonecrest. Above, a crowd gathers for one of the many star-studded events and expos hosted by the mall.

The mall’s location off I-20 makes it convenient to shoppers from neighboring Rockdale, Newton, Clayton and Gwinnett counties as well as from Augusta and South Carolina.

Although bankruptcy has claimed Borders, which closed for good earlier this month, the mall boasts an 87 percent occupancy rate, which equals the current national occupancy rate for malls.

Lithonia shopping destination remains big draw in southeast DeKalb

The Mall at Stonecrest10th AnniversAry CelebrAtion

September 24, 2011 www.crossroadsnews.com B1

B2Disney Channel’s Bella Thorne will meet and greet fans starting at noon on Oct. 15 at the Mall at Stonecrest in Lithonia.

StonecreSt Bella, the 2008 recipient of the best supporting young actor award, has had roles in “Big Love” and “My Own Worst Enemy.”

‘Shake It Up’ star will greet fans at anniversary

Congratulations to the Mall at Stonecreston Your 10th Anniversary

Best Wishes for Continued Success!

2346 Candler Road • Decatur, GA 30032404-284-1888 • Fax: 404-284-5007 • www.crossroadsnews.com

Bella Thorne, star of Disney Channel’s “Shake It Up,” will appear at the Mall at Stonecrest on Oct. 15 to help celebrate the mall’s 10th anniversary.

Bella, who portrays CeCe Jones, will meet and greet fans on a first-come, first-served basis starting at noon.

There will be no posed photography, but she will give one autograph per person.

“Shake It Up,” which premiered to 6.2 mil-

© 2011 CrossRoadsNews, Inc.

All rights reserved. No portion of this publication may be reprinted without written

permission of the publisher.

“East Metro Atlanta’s Weekly Newspaper”

2346 Candler RoadDecatur, GA 30032

404-284-1888 Fax: 404-284-5007

[email protected]

This Mall at Stonecrest 10th Anniversary Special Section is a publication of CrossRoadsNews Inc., East Metro Atlanta’s award-

winning weekly newspaper.

Editor / Publisher Jennifer Parker

Graphics Editor Curtis Parker

Reporters Donna Williams Lewis

Jennifer Ffrench Parker Carla Parker

lion viewers, earning it the title of Disney Chan-nel’s second highest-rated series premiere, made Bella an undeniable rising young star.

Bella also has had roles in “Big Love,” “My Own Worst Enemy,” “Dirty Sexy Money,” and “In the Motherhood.”

She is a three-time nominee and 2008 recipi-ent of the best supporting young actor award for past starring roles in “Wizards of Waverly Place,” “Entourage,” “In the Motherhood,” “October

Road,” and the popular “Little Monk.” She was a spokeswoman for Texas Instru-

ments and loaned her face to major brands and designers like Ralph Lauren, H&M, Guess, Limited’s Justice, GAP and ALDO Kids.

She is the youngest of four in a family of talented actors.

The Mall at Stonecrest is off I-20 at Turner Hill Road in Lithonia. For more information, visit www.mallatstonecrest.com.

CrossRoadsNews September 24, 2011B2

B3By Jennifer Ffrench Parker

Human and animated stars of Disney Channel, Nick Jr. and Nickelodeon will de-scend on the Mall at Stonecrest in October for the monthlong celebration of its 10th anniversary.

The 1.3 million square-foot mall, which opened its doors on Oct. 22, 2001 – just six weeks after 9/11 – is celebrating its milestone with a parade of stars beginning Oct. 8.

“This is a big one for us,” said mall mar-keting manager Donald Bieler.

The Lithonia mall last celebrated its an-niversary in 2006, and Bieler said it has been awaiting the big one.

On tap are appearances by Nickelodeon’s Dora and Diego on Oct. 8; Disney Channel’s “Shake It Up” star Bella Thorne on Oct. 15; the cast of Yo Gabba Gabba from the hit Nick Jr. television show of the same name on Oct. 22; and the return of the hugely popular North American Midway Entertainment carnival, Oct. 27 to Nov. 6.

Bieler said the lineup is a fitting tribute for a major anniversary. It builds on a mall

tradition of hosting celeb-rities of music, television and publishing.

In 2001, the mall, which was first proposed in 1983, when Ronald Reagan was president, was on schedule to open when the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and

the Pentagon claimed nearly 3,000 lives and put the country on edge.

Still, over the next five years, the areas around the mall saw expansive growth, with big-box stores like Sam’s Club, Toys “R” Us, Best Buy, Staples, and a host of discount

Curtis Parker / CrossroadsNews

Mall at Stonecrest patrons often have the opportunity to interact with their favorite stars.

Donald Bieler

StonecreSt The mall quickly distinguished itself as a destination for celebrities and over the years has hosted many famous and infamous people.

Fall carnival, parade of stars to help Lithonia mall celebrate

THE DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY OF DEKALB COUNTY

Congratulates The Mall at Stonecrest on its10th Anniversary

The Development Authority of DeKalb County and the DeKalb County Office of Economic Development are all about the business

of recruitment, retention and redevelopment. Together, these groups work to create quality jobs and investments to expand the

tax base and support balanced growth.

address: 330 West Ponce de Leon Avenue 6th Floor Decatur, GA 30030

phone: 404.687.2370

web: www.decidedekalb.com

retailers, including Marshall’s, Ross, DSW, Rooms 2 Go, Pier 1 Imports, World Market, and fast-food restaurants flocking to the area.

“The amount of investment and develop-ment that have taken place around Stonecrest was above anyone’s expectations,” Bieler said this week. “Within a short time, the live-work community was realized.”

The mall quickly distinguished itself as a destination for celebrities, and over the years it has hosted many famous and infamous people, among them, stars of gospel, pop, hip-hop and country music and television and reality shows.

Many famous and aspiring authors and political luminaries also have visited the mall, among them, Kirk Franklin, Mary Mary, Hilary Duff, Dog the Bounty Hunter,

Corbin Bleu, Ann Nesby, Keke Palmer, Tavis Smiley and former U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.

Bieler said that they have been lucky to be able to offer customers the opportunity to meet and interact with their favorite stars with great success.

When Duff came to the mall in December 2003, so many young girls showed up, man-agement closed Stonecrest as a precaution.

And in August 2007, hundreds of fans swamped the mall for a book signing by real-ity television star Dog the Bounty Hunter.

“We believe there is a value in bringing family-friendly entertainment and celebri-ties to the mall,” Bieler said. “We stand head and shoulders above any other mall in doing this.”

But the mall has not stopped at enter-

“It’s difficult to believe it’s been 10 years, but oh, how well I remember the excitement.

“It was something we had waited 20 years for. It was just a jubilant time.

“It was a long time coming. We had reached a point when we thought it would never happen, and it finally came to fruition and we were happy it had happened.

“I don’t get out there much anymore, but I am still so thrilled it is there.”

– Barbara Lester, former Lithonia City Council member and lifelong resident of the city.

tainment. Bieler said it also has provided education for the community through its partnership with the CrossRoadsNews Com-munity Expos.

Since 2006, the newspaper has hosted four annual expos – Health & Wellness in January, Summer Camp in March, Personal Finance/Home Buyers/Best of Small Busi-ness, and Family & Adoption/Back-to-School Expos at the mall.

“These events help to educate our com-munity by providing information they can use,” he said.

For the next decade, Bieler said they envi-sion continuous growth. “We are remaining very optimistic as we continue to serve our community and welcome new tenants as the economy rebounds,” he said.

They said it ...

CrossRoadsNewsSeptember 24, 2011 B3

B4

Stride Rite manager Pixie Vaughn (above) and First Class Barber Shop manager Benjamin Gray have worked at Stonecrest for 10 years and have seen many of their clients grow up.

StonecreSt “It’s always good to have something new and fresh. It was the most upscale mall we had. That was nice.”

After 10 years, employees still love Stonecrest By Jennifer Ffrench Parker

In the decade that Pixie Vaughn and Benjamin Gray have worked at the Mall at Stonecrest, both have seen their customers grow up – literally – in the stores.

Vaughn is the manager of Stride Rite, and Gray is the manager of First Class Barber Shop, both on the lower level of the Lithonia mall.

They are among a handful of em-ployees who have worked continuously at the 1.3 million square-foot mall since its opening on Oct. 22, 2001.

Ten years later, they are still on the job.

Vaughn remembers how excited she was when she found out in 1998 that ground had been broken on a new mall in Lithonia.

She was then a six-year manager at Stride Rite, rotating between stores it had inside Macy’s at Lenox Square and at Southlake Mall, and had just bought a house off Panola Road, a mere 10 minutes from the new mall.

She immediately saw the possibili-ties.

“I made sure my company knew about the mall, and I told them if they were putting a store there I would be interested,” she said.

They did and she got the nod.Gray had joined First Class Barber

Shop’s location on Panola Road in July 2001 and volunteered to relocate to the company’s new store at Stonecrest.

He too loved the newness of the beautiful five-anchor mall.

“It’s always good to have something new and fresh,” he said. “It was the most upscale mall we had. That was nice.”

Stride Rite sells children’s shoes, and Vaughn said customers she fitted as infants are now grown.

Gray, too, has seen many of his shop’s clients through the transition from children to adults.

“The middle school kids I had are now grown,” he said. “Ten years is a long time. I have done many graduation cuts and wedding cuts. Some are even bring-ing in their kids now for haircuts.”

Vaughn remembers working on the build-out of the Stride Rite store even as the mall itself was being completed, and she can’t forget how shiny new everything was.

“It was like a new beginning,” she

said. Over the years, Vaughn said the store has de-

veloped a loyal customer base that is far-flung. “We have customers from Augusta, Macon

and from overseas. We get people from the Bahamas and a lot of travelers from England and Africa, just a lot of different countries. How about that.”

Gray also sees customers from Augusta and from South Carolina as well as Rockdale, Newton and Gwinnett counties.

He said some are regular customers and some

are just passing through.“Being on the interstate, people stop in to

get something to eat or to shop and they say, ‘A barbershop in the mall, let me get a haircut,’ ” he said. “We meet a lot of new people.”

Vaughn also loves the many events that the mall hosts.

“There is always something going on,” she said. “I love the health expos and the celebrities who come through. And once we had a band marching through the mall playing music. I like the excitement.”

“As we cele-brate our 10th an-niversary, we are reminded once again of the loy-alty of so many of our shoppers. We appreciate the pa-tronage through-out the years and

look forward to an even better and brighter future ahead.”

– Patricia Elmore Edge, general manager.

They said it ...

10

22

440,000

7 million

120

4,500

1,100

1,500

1.5 million

dollar amount, in millions, of tax concessions given to

get the mall built

the date in October 2001 that the mall opened

number of residents in Stonecrest trade area

in 1999

dollars spent on infrastructure

development for the mall

number of specialty stores at the mall

number of jobs created in mall’s

first year

acreage of the Master Plan Community of which

Stonecrest is a part

number of job applicants at the mall’s first

job fair on Sept. 1, 2001

dollars spent on Evanswood Shopping Center

improvements within a month of mall’s opening

Stonecrest by the Numbers


B5

Former DeKalb CEO Liane Levetan has photographic memoirs taken at the ground breaking and during construction on the Mall at Stonecrest.

Curtis Parker / CrossroadsNews

StonecreSt “It made good sense to give an incentive to an area that needed it. A couple of commissioners felt it was corporate welfare.”

Mall’s opening left its champion with wonderful feeling

10 Great Years of serving the community

Congratulations to the Mall at Stonecrest. You are a true asset

to the 4th District.

Office of Congressman Hank Johnson (GA-04) 5700 Hillandale Drive, Ste 120

Lithonia, GA., 30058 770-987-2291

WWW.HANKJOHNSON.HOUSE.GOV

U.S. Rep. Hank Johnson

Congratulations toThe Mall at Stonecrest

on your10th Anniversary!Lithonia looks forward to strengthening its

relationship to bring more economic development and benefits to the community in the coming years!

Deborah A. Jackson, J.D., Ph.D.Candidate for Mayor of Lithonia

PAID FOR BY THE COMMITTEE TO ELECT DEBORAH A. JACKSON MAYOR

When I took office in 1993, a lot of infrastructure had been put in out there. There were water lines

and roads, but it had just laid dormant for 18 years.

We got a lot of complaints from the people in the area about there being no good places to shop, no restaurants and so on.

It appeared to me this was something that just made sense to do.

I made up my mind that something was going to happen while I was there.

To do a development like this, you have to get your anchors. If we could just get the five anchors, the rest would fall into place. They started with five anchors – J.C. Penney, Dillard’s, Sears, Parisian and Macy’s – which was unheard of. It was the first Dillard’s in DeKalb County.

It made good sense to give an incentive to an area that needed it. A couple of com-missioners felt it was corporate welfare. Today, the Kia plant wouldn’t have opened without incentives, but back then it wasn’t

very common.When you have developable land that had

languished for 18 years, you have to give it something, a boost, a shot in the arm.

Business people always look at the bot-tom line. It has to make sense. The mall really and truly brought a lot of good stores there. Gosh, who knows when that would have happened without the incentives. Sometimes you have to give to receive.

We worked on it for a long time and I am grateful for the people who helped.

The mall has done a tremendous thing for the community. I look at it as a regional shopping center. It brings jobs, it brings property taxes, and it brings sales taxes.

It has pulled business from Rockdale County. It has attracted a great deal of big-box stores. It brought in a variety of different stores that made the area flourish.

‘It is still a viable area’I was there when it opened, and it was

such a wonderful feeling to see the look on people’s faces. It was a well-thought-out plan that was done very nicely.

I was so pleased that it was providing service to people who deserve it and who no longer had to drive miles for shopping and restaurants.

I believe the land would still be vacant if we hadn’t done what we did.

I know there is still a lot of land to de-velop, but it is still a viable area. There still is room for good commercial development. With the economy the way it is, it will take a few more years, but I am the proverbial optimist.

With the city of Dunwoody having possession of Perimeter Center, I shudder to think what the county’s tax base would be without Stonecrest and the businesses there.

We all have to be patient and we have to realize that it is the center for a vibrant area of southeast DeKalb County.

A few years ago, I talked to the county Economic Development Office and they told me prices for land had gone up in the area.

The initial investment was minuscule compared to what we have there now.

– Liane Levetan, DeKalb CEO, 1993-1998

Editor’s note:When Liane Levetan be-

came CEO of DeKalb County in 1993, the area now known as Stonecrest comprised acres

of vacant land w i t h Ma l l Parkway run-ning through it. The 1,100 acres on which the mall now sits was a pop-

ular playground for operators of all-terrain vehicles and dirt bikers. Levetan immediately became a champion of the area and fought for incentives to get the mall built.

Here she reminisces about helping to make the Mall at Stonecrest a reality.

SEE 400 MILLION

YEARS FROM HERE.

www.arabiaalliance.org

There have been a lot of changes around here over the

millenia and Arabia Mountain has witnessed every one them.

One of the biggest in recent memory is the construction of The Mall at Stonecrest just 10 years ago. Arabia Mountain National Heritage Area wishes Stonecrest a Happy 10th Anniversary and and invites all Stonecrest shoppers to visit the

other wonders of the heritage area. Challenge yourself on more than 20-miles of uninterrupted biking & walking PATHs—a trailhead leaves right from the mall.

Feed your soul at the Monastery of the Holy Spirit or visit historic Flat Rock Archive to learn about the lives of Arabia’s earlier settlers.


B6CrossRoadsNews September 24, 2011B6

B7CrossRoadsNewsSeptember 24, 2011 B7

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The Mall at Stonecrest brought new shopping opportunities to an area starved for retail and restaurants.

Astronaut Sally Ride, at mike, was among luminaries attending the opening of the Mall at Stonecrest in Lithonia in October 2001.

After roller-coaster decade, mall looks for more development

StonecreSt “We are hoping and praying we can stay there forever, but the economy has to change because of the monthly cost to be here.”

By Donna Williams Lewis

Ten years ago, something that seemed just short of a miracle happened in southeast DeKalb County.

The Mall at Stonecrest opened to huge fanfare in Lithonia on Oct. 22, 2001 – a full 18 years after the first announcement that a mall would go up on Turner Hill Road and I-20.

Many thought the huge swath of land cleared for a 1,100-acre planned community would never be developed.

But the $131 million mall today is sur-rounded by four hotels, a medical facility, office buildings, big-box retail, popular res-taurants, a car dealership, and thousands of residents in homes and apartments.

The mall will celebrate its 10th anniver-sary with events that “will delight children of all ages,” said Donald Bieler, the mall’s marketing director.

Stars from hit Disney and Nickelodeon television shows will appear on three con-secutive weekends starting Oct. 8, and a fall fair with rides and games is scheduled for Oct. 27 through Nov. 6.

Former Lithonia Mayor Marcia Glenn-Hunter vividly remembers the mall’s open-ing day.

“It’s just unbelievable that 10 years have passed,” she said. “I was convinced that the people would be there to support that de-velopment. It just took so long to convince other people of that possibility.”

Ground was broken for the Mall at Stonecrest in October 1999 by Toronto-based commercial real estate investor Ca-dillac Fairview and its partner on the mall, Cleveland-based real estate developer Forest City Enterprises.

County CEO Burrell Ellis said he was vice chair of the DeKalb Development Authority when the authority drew up the tax incentive that helped bring the mall to fruition.

Under the arrangement, the mall’s de-velopers paid taxes on only 5 percent of the value of the property the first year, increasing that by 5 percent each successive year up to 100 percent.

“I feel that we were very proactive to do this to spur economic development,” said Ellis, who calls Stonecrest “DeKalb’s next growth engine.”

By 2006, the value of the 1,100 acres had grown from $4 million to $425 million, ac-cording to the latest available property tax comparison performed by the county Tax Assessor’s Office. Ellis said that figure is now in excess of $470 million.

Population within a three-mile radius of the Mall at Stonecrest swelled by 54 percent from 16,915 in 2000 to an estimated 26,035 in 2010, according to a report prepared for Wheeler/Kolb, which sells land around the mall. The area is expected to grow to 28,183

by 2015.Despite the 2008 downturn market, the

Stonecrest community has proved to be resil-ient, said Alan Carlisle, senior vice president of the U.S. Portfolio at Cadillac Fairview.

“Immediately adjacent the Mall at Stonecrest, Strayer University recently ex-panded its footprint and class offerings in the office building on Stonecrest Parkway to provide continuing education opportunities for the community,” Carlisle said.

The Office Park at Stonecrest, a 55,000-square-foot building anchored by the college, is now 65 percent leased.

“Other recent additions to the Stonecrest community are Stonecrest Toyota [2009],” Carlisle said, “and Ruby Tuesday’s is reopen-ing this fall with a new seafood restaurant concept, Marlin and Ray’s.”

Within a mile of the mall, the DeKalb County Library opened its $7.7 million Stonecrest branch in June.

About five miles away, Arabia Mountain High School opened on Browns Mill Road in 2009. The school was recently connected to Panola Mountain State Park and the Mall at Stonecrest by a spur of the PATH Foun-dation’s 20-mile Arabia Mountain/South River Trail.

But Stonecrest has not escaped the economy’s dark cloud.

First Class Barber Shop was among a handful of locally owned businesses that was there when the mall opened 10 years ago.

Ronald McKenzie, who co-owns the

shop with Stanley Powell, said Stonecrest is a beautiful mall with a safe environment. But he said the mall is suffering because of the economy.

“People just don’t have the extra money to patronize businesses such as mine. They’re spending money on necessities,” he said.

McKenzie credited mall management with helping his business stay afloat.

“By the grace of God, we’re still there,” he said. “We are hoping and praying we can stay

there forever, but the economy has to change because of the monthly cost to be here.”

Glaring examples of failed business ven-tures dot Stonecrest’s landscape.n The former Malcolm Cunningham Mazda dealership on Mall Parkway has been vacant since the business shut down in 2010, after 14 months in operation.n A hotel that was to open in 2009 is still a concrete shell for lack of financing to com-plete the project.

Limited Signature Sponsorship Opportunities.Only 50 exhibitor spaces available. Book yours today. Call 404-284-1888 for more information.

at the Mall at Stonecrest

Educating and Empowering Our Community

CrossRoadsNews • 2346 Candler Road • Decatur, GA 30032 • 404-284-1888 • Fax: 404-284-5007 • [email protected]

March 31, 2012

Dance & karate schools, cheerleaders, churches, tutors, YMCAs, and other summer activity providers offer options for parents seeking innovative and interesting programs for their children. Organizations offering services and resources to families are also invited.

Health, Wellness & Beauty Expo

Healthcare providers, insurance companies, fitness instructors, spas, haircare & natural product providers, and others bring messages of good health and help empower residents to live more active lives. Exhibitors also offer health screenings, fitness & product demos.

Dance & Summer Camp ExpoJanuary 28, 2012

April 28, 2012Businesses and entrepreneurs – from landscapers to lawyers, Realtors, florists, insurance and travel agents – showcase their goods and services at this expo, which also celebrates the winners of CrossRoadsNews’ “Best of East Metro” Readers Choice Awards.

August 4, 2012Businesses and organizations serving families will showcase goods and services to help students have a successful school year. The expo highlights services from afterschool to private schools and options for adults looking to retool and sharpen their skills for new careers.

Best of East Metro/Small Business Expo Family & Back to School Expo

Community Expos


B9

Residential development around the mall grew at a fast clip in its first year but has slowed in recent years. These signs at McDaniel Mill Road and Rockland Road announce new subdivisions.

The economy has taken its toll with the bankruptcy of Borders, and stalled commercial development and some empty storefronts.

StonecreSt Lithonia residents had hoped to rise with Stonecrest’s star and turn the sleepy town into a sparkling gateway.

New alliance forming to seek grants for area improvements

BDW CorporationJimmy Wettlaufer, President

ATLANTASWEEPING SERVICES

Thanks for Bringing Us 10 Years of Shopping Excellence

P.O. Box 870892 • Morrow, GA 30287-0892770-960-1464 • Fax: 770-968-8663

[email protected]

merchandise that you would see at Macy’s at Lenox or Perimeter at the Macy’s at Stonecrest,” she said, expressing a common sentiment.

Chad Belinfanti who bought a home in nearby Parks of Stonecrest in 2005 says he feels “a bit bittersweet” about Stonecrest’s progress.

“I think the mall itself and mall manage-ment have done a pretty good job of main-taining the standards of the mall,” he said.

But he was disappointed to see the de-parture of some of the area’s restaurants and “nicer shops.” He also hopes to see more schools built closer into the area and that more businesses will come.

“I would really like to see more white-collar jobs to make this a true live-work com-munity,” Belinfanti said. “And we definitely need a grocery store. That has been one of the biggest complaints about this area.”

The push continues for a full-scale gro-cery store at Stonecrest.

In the meantime, Cadillac Fairview and co-sponsors including Wesley Apartments Homes, host the seasonal East Metro Farm-ers Market on Saturdays in the parking lot outside Borders.

Residents can watch chef demonstrations and buy fresh food from farmers who come from as close as seven miles away.

Less than two miles away from the mall is the one-square-mile city of Lithonia, which has a population of 2,100.

Residents there had hoped to rise with Stonecrest’s star and turn their sleepy down-town into a sparkling gateway to the develop-ment with attractive shops and eateries.

“It is a disappointment that we, being the city of Lithonia, were not in a position when the mall was built to really take advantage of some of that traffic,” said Glenn-Hunter, who now lives in Ellenwood.

Deborah Jackson, who chairs the city of Lithonia’s Redevelopment Committee and is a candidate for mayor, said the city and Stonecrest have had a “cordial” relationship since it opened.

She hopes to see it become more tangible over the next decade.

“The designation of a national heritage area at Arabia Mountain and the extension of PATH trails from Lithonia to the mall create a dynamic that did not exist before,” Jackson said. “As a cultural gateway to the Arabia Mountain National Heritage Area, Lithonia has a rich history to share.”

Stonecrest Growth InitiativeA group of residents, business owners

and county staff concerned with the area’s quality and continued growth has been meeting under the name of the Stonecrest Growth Initiative.

Jetha Wagner, vice president of Euramex Management Group, which has 1,700 hous-ing units in Stonecrest’s Wesley Apartments, said the area needs advocates who will make sure that it is clean, appealing and safe.

She said 90 percent of her company’s units at Stonecrest are occupied.

The Stonecrest Growth Initiative grew out of an effort by Wagner and Sarah Ken-dall, director of development for Cadillac Fairview, to work with community leaders to develop a Stonecrest brand, similar to Perimeter.

The group plans to form a Stonecrest Business Alliance and apply for grants for community improvements.

People who responded to a recent survey sent to about 400 property owners listed crime, litter and transportation as their top concerns.

Police recently reported to the group that crime is down at Stonecrest in all categories over the past year.

Meanwhile, Commissioner Lee May and other county leaders continue to advocate for rail service from Indian Creek to Stonecrest to be included in a list of projects for a 2012 statewide transportation referendum.

May said Stonecrest mall is critical for the future of DeKalb County.

“It really is an asset for the entire county and for the region as well,” he said. “The mall’s 10-year milestone really allows us to take a self-evaluation to think about what can be done to move forward, to grow it, to enhance it.”

n A 30-acre field originally marketed as an “entertainment village” and later remarketed as a retail/residential area awaits a new con-cept and a developer. n With 87 percent of its space occupied, Stonecrest equals the current national oc-cupancy rate for malls. Its shuttered spaces are on the plaza outside the AMC 16-screen movie theater and on the mall’s upper level near Kohl’s.

On the opposite near Dillard’s, a worker

removed the big black letters over the door of the Borders bookstore on Tuesday. The Ann Arbor, Mich.-based chain declared bankruptcy this year and is closing all of its retail outlets. At the Lithonia mall, it leaves an 18,000-square-foot vacancy, which is now being marketed to national tenants.

While she is grateful for the mall, Glenn-Hunter is unhappy with the shopping choices.

“I would like to see the same quality of

They said it ...“Ten years already. You got to be kidding.

It seems like it’s been open only a few years.“I remember standing over there with Li-

ane Levetan saying, ‘Is this going to happen?’ She assured me that it would and it did.

“People over here love it. They don’t have to go far to shop and to restaurants.

“I did a lot of talking back then. … It was well worth sitting in all those meetings.

“I admire the way it’s operated. It’s just an ideal situation and one that we wanted for so long.

“It has well-served this area. The elderly just enjoy walking there and shopping while they are there, or going back later to shop for things they saw while they were walking.

“It just kinda work up the community. “We had nothing here before; it’s just a divine place. We really

appreciate it.“We don’t want nothing to happen to it, but some people

say, ‘Why don’t they expand it more?’ and I say ‘How?’ They say maybe bring more restaurants.”

– Rosemarie Pickett, past president of the Klondike Civic Associa-tion.


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Dora, Diego return for big Block Party

StonecreSt Dora is the 7-year-old Latina heroine whose adventures take place in an imaginative tropical world.

Live-action show to entertain totsThe zany cast of “Yo Gabba Gabba!” is coming to

the Mall at Stonecrest on Oct. 22, and kid-toting fami-lies are encouraged to bring the camera to capture the moments.

The stars of the show are cartoonish costumed char-acters – Muno, the red cyclops; Foofa, the pink flower bubble; Brobee, a little green monster; Toodee, the blue cat-dragon; and Plex, the yellow robot.

Oct. 22 is the actual anniversary of the mall, which opened in 2001. It will celebrate throughout October, and “Yo Gabba Gabba!” stars will be in town to pump up the volume on the celebration.

Donald Bieler, the mall’s marketing manager, said

Animated television stars Dora the Explorer and Diego will be at the Mall at Stonecrest on Oct. 8 for the mall’s 10th Anniversary Block Party.

The popular Nickelodeon stars are no strangers to Stonecrest.

They have entertained at the mall numerous

times before and are expected

to draw huge crowds of k i d s a n d

their parents.Both characters

star in the preschool play-along, animat-ed adventure series “Go Diego! Go.”

D o r a i s t h e 7-year-old Latina hero-

ine whose adventures take place in an imaginative

tropical world filled with jungles, beaches and rain forests, and she can even make animal noises and talk to the wild animals. Diego, her cousin, helps his parents at the Animal Rescue Center in his hit show, “Go Diego! Go.”

Dora and Diego were a hit the other two times they visited the mall and are expected to draw large crowds again this year.

They will appear onstage on the mall’s lower level at noon, 2 p.m. and 4 p.m.

The Mall at Stonecrest is at Turner Hill Road and I-20.

For more information, visit www.mallatstonecrest.com.

The cartoonish costumed characters of “Yo Gabba Gabba!” – Muno, Foofa, Brobee, Toodee and Plex – will bring music and dancing to the Mall at Stonecrest on Oct. 22. DJ Lance Rock is host for the program for kids ages 1 and up.

families will get up close and personal with the colorful stars.DJ Lance Rock hosts the fun, live-action program for young

children ages 1 and up. He will introduce spectators to the friendly toy monsters who reside in a magical land full of music, dance and colorful cartoons and learn simple life lessons through short animated sketches. Of course, dancing is involved to the magic words “Yo Gabba Gabba!”

The popular children’s TV show, which premiered in 2007, airs on the Nick Jr. and Noggin cable networks. It gets its title from the chant “Gabba Gabba Hey,” first coined by punk rock band the Ramones.

The Mall at Stonecrest is at I-20 and Turner Hill Road in Li-thonia. For more information, visit www.mallatstonecrest.com.


Thrill-seekers and families will find more than 30 rides to give them adrenaline rushes at the Fall Fair coming to the Mall at Stonecrest on Oct. 27.

Rides include everything from YoYo, Matter-horn (Himalaya), Cliff Hanger, Fireball, Sizzler, Family Swing, Raiders, Tilt, Gravitron, Inverter, Power Surge, Mini-Indy, Ferris wheel, Kiddie Land, and Slide and Train to bumper cars and merry-go-round.

The fair by North American Midway Enter-tainment boasts a spectacular inventory of more than 200 state-of-the-art rides, custom-designed


Attractions include fun midway rides for the little ones.

Children and adults can enjoy a ride on the merry-go-round, a carnival staple.

Family-friendly Fall Fair offers fun, thrills, food and more

curtis Parker / crossroadsnews

The Ferris wheel is a perennial favorite at the fair along with carnival games and treats.

curtis Parker / crossroadsnews

The Fall Fair by North American Midway Entertainment will be at the Mall at Stonecrest from Oct. 27 through Nov. 6.

concessions and family-oriented games. More than 21 million fairgoers in 20 states and four Canadian provinces annually attend the fair since North American Midway’s launch in 2004.

The fun takes flight at 4 p.m. on Oct. 27 and continues daily through Nov. 6.

The Fall Fair is part of the mall’s celebration of its 10th anniversary. It opens 4 p.m. weekdays, 11 a.m. on Saturdays, and noon on Sundays.

The Mall at Stonecrest is at Turner Hill Road and I-20 in Lithonia. For more information, visit www.mallatstonecrest.com or its Facebook page at www.facebook.com/mallatstonecrest.


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Congratulations

10 years of success

Burrell EllisDeKalb County CEO

Congratulations

10 years of success

DeKalb County into a regional retail marketplace. On behalf of DeKalb County, we wish you continued prosperity and look forward to many more years of growth and success.


B12CrossRoadsNews September 24, 2011B12

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CrossRoadsNews, September 24, 2011