Records Indicate Tricoli Unaware of Defi Cit: Will The Song Circle Be Unbroken?

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At the September session, Terry Carpenter accom-
panied the group on guitar.
Participants usually choose their songs from either the blue book, Rise Up Singing, or the brown book, a collection
of songs group members compiled themselves. Photos by Kathy Mitchell
Bob Goodman, center, is one of the original fourth Friday Singers.
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Serving East Atlanta, Avondale Estates, Brookhaven, Chamblee, Clarkston, Decatur, Doraville, Dunwoody, Lithonia, Pine Lake, Tucker and Stone Mountain.
See Tricoli on Page 15A
See Songs on Page 15A
Will the song circle be unbroken?
by Kathy Mitchell
kathy@dekalbchamp.com
With a wide range of entertainment, in-
cluding concerts, plays, movies, television,
video games and more available, there are
people who prefer to entertain themselves
the way people in small communities that
had little access to amusement did decades
agowith a song circle.
At a subdivision community room
in East Lake, a group that calls itself the
Fourth Friday Singers gets togetheras
the name suggestson the fourth Friday
of every month to sing their hearts out. At
the Sept. 26 gathering approximately 18
peoplewith men and women equally rep-
resentedsat around a table singing what-
ever they felt in the mood for.
Some are core members who come to
every session. Some come occasionally
and often there are first timers, accord-
ing to Bob Goodman, one of the original
members of the East Lake group. Its one of
perhaps four such groups in the Atlanta area
and dozens nationwide.
The procedure is simple. Each partici-
pant gets a copy of the blue book and
the brown book. These are what are
called fake bookscollections of songs
with lyrics and minimal information such
as guitar chords. The blue book is Rise
Up Singing, a collection of songs popular
among Americans that was published in
1988 with an introduction by folk singer
Pete Seeger. The brown book is the groups
own collection of songs they like that arent
in Rise Up Singing. Going around the circle
clockwise members announce what theyd
like to sing next. If the selection isnt in
either book the participant provides sheets
with the lyrics.
At the September session, Terry Car-
This article is the nal of a series
looking into the rise and fall of former
Georgia Perimeter College president
Anthony Tricoli.
by Andrew Cauthen
andrew@dekalbchamp.com
F
ormer Georgia Perimeter College
(GPC) President Anthony Tricoli
was left out of discussions about
the institutions fnancial shortfalls that
grew to $16 million, according to email
records from GPC and the University
System of Georgia (USG). The emails
were obtained by The Champion News-
paper through the Georgia Open Re-
cords Act.
Various records, along with an af-
fdavit by GPCs former budget di-
rectoracquired by The Champion
Newspaper from Georgias secretary of
statealso reveal that fnancial reports
presented to Tricoli over a four-year
period did not refect budget defcits
or spending down of the colleges re-
serves.
The emails show the lackmaybe
intentional, maybe not, I dont know
of communication in terms of keeping
the president in the loop, said Tricoli,
who was dismissed from his job in
May by USG when the projected short-
fall came to light.
A USG audit released Sept. 17 not-
ed the existence of email discussions
among GPCs fnance team starting
in January 2012 that mention the use
of reserve funds for expenditures for
which they were not set aside.
The audit also states that there is
no evidence that these emails were
shared outside the Offce of Financial
and Administrative Affairs until several
months afterwards.
Tricoli said the emails show that
GPCs top fnancial staff members
Records indicate Tricoli unaware of decit
Tricoli
The Champion Free Press, Friday, Oct. 12 , 2012 Page 2A
Local News
City of Decatur considering several annexations
Former Chapel Hill,
N.C., mayor returning
to native Lithonia for
book signing
City of Lithonia native and
former mayor of Chapel Hill,
N.C., Howard Nathaniel Lee
returns to his hometown for a
welcome reception and book
signing at the Lithonia Womans
Club, 2564 Wiggins Street, Oct.
13, from 2-4 p.m.
His book, The Courage to
Lead: One Mans Journey in
Public Service, chronicles his life
experiences while growing up in
Lithonia. It tells about the hur-
dles, as well as the triumphs, and
the people who helped him dur-
ing his career in North Carolina.
Lee served as Chapel Hills
mayor from 1969-75 and was the
frst Black elected mayor of a pre-
dominantly White city.
His life story is very inspira-
tional and a model of what public
service really means, said Litho-
nia Mayor Deborah A. Jackson.
While Lee is in town, he will
be interviewed by Atlanta flm-
maker Eddy Anderson, who is
documenting Lithonias history.
Lees visit supports the efforts
of the city of Lithonia to pay
tribute to veterans on Nov. 10.
Lithonia City Council mem-
ber Tracy-Ann Williams, a
member of the citys Veterans
Day planning committee, said,
Its truly an honor to have Mr.
Lee come back to the city and
support our efforts to honor the
brave men and women who gave
so much for the freedoms we en-
joy today. Its truly an exciting
time.
The Veterans Day Salute &
Parade will pay tribute to veter-
ans such as former Senator Max
Cleland, a U.S. Army Vietnam
War veteran and recipient of
the Silver Star and the Bronze
Star for valorous action in com-
bat; and Lithonia military hero,
Lanier W. Phillips, U.S. Navy
and 1942 shipwreck survivor
of the USS Truxtun, who was
recently laid to rest in Lithonias
Bruce Street African American
Cemetery.
For more information about
the Lithonia Veterans Day event,
visit www.lithoniaveteransday.
com or contact organizers at
lithoniahistory@gmail.com or
(678) 459-8687.
by Andrew Cauthen
In the Midway Woods
neighborhood, west of
Columbia Drive and on
the outskirts of the city of
Decatur, an annexation pro-
posal at least four years in
the making is pitting neigh-
bor against neighbor.
At issue is a request by
some residents of the neigh-
borhood to be annexed into
the four-square-mile city
of Decatur.
Kevin Polite, a Mid-
way Woods resident for
eight years and chair-
man of the No 2 Decatur
annexation opposition
group, said the neighbor-
hood was a close-knit
community before the
thought of annexation
appeared and it has now
torn the community in
half.
Whether all of Mid-
way Woods is annexed or
not, there will need to be
much healing of the com-
munity after the decision
has been made, Polite
said.
Approximately 66 of
the more than 750 homes
in Midway Woods are
being considered for an-
nexation into Decatur.
The Midway Woods
Neighborhood Associa-
tion wants to be in Deca-
tur[and] is petitioning
for all of Midway Woods
to be part of Decatur,
Polite said.
Polite said the anti-
annexation group was
formed because we felt
our voice wasnt being
heard.
Were getting petitions
against being annexed, Po-
lite said. The majority of
people that have signed the
[anti-annexation] petition
are elderly or they dont
have kidsapproximately
65 percent.
The largest opposition is
because of the increase in
taxes, Polite said.
According to Decaturs
website, an estimated typi-
cal 2012 total tax bill for a
home in the city valued at
$250,000 is $4,844, while
in unincorporated DeKalb
County the bill would be
$3,514.
Midway Woods is one of
six major areas that Decatur
offcials are studying the
feasibility of annexing. In
addition to Midway Woods,
the areas include: Clairmont
and North Decatur Road;
the Suburban Plaza area;
the Sycamore Hill area; the
Derrydown subdivision;
and the United Methodist
Childrens Home.
If you included it all,
its a modest area, said
Decatur Mayor Bill Floyd
said.
City offcials say the
considered areas have an
estimated 4,000 residents,
800 properties and would
See Vote on Page 3A
Residents in the Midway Woods neighborhood, near Memorial Drive and Columbia Drive, are split over a possible annexation into the
city of Decatur. The neighborhood is one of several areas along Decaturs border being considered for annexation. Photo by Andrew
Cauthen
Page 3A The Champion Free Press, Friday, Oct. 12 , 2012
Oliver
Former M.L. King Coach Mike Carson
to open sports prep academy
by Carla Parker
carla@dekalbchamp.com
Michael Carson, the former
Martin Luther King High School
football coach who
lost his job amid al-
legations of sexting
a parent, plans to
open a prep school
that will help ath-
letes get scholar-
ships.
The school,
Georgia Prep
Sports Academy,
will be a one-year
post-high school
graduate program
designed to help
athletes who didnt
meet the require-
ments for college
get athletic scholar-
ships. He plans to
open the school in
January 2013.
Carson said this
is an opportunity for children to in-
crease their grades and test scores.
Some kids are not meeting the
minimum standards of a 2.0 GPA,
or scoring at least an 820 on the
SAT or 17 on the ACT, he said.
And some NCAA schools have
higher standards than that.
Carson said, the school will also
have sports starting out with two
football teams then phasing into
basketball and maybe baseball,
which will give the athletes more
exposure to college coaches. He
plans to coach the teams that will
play Georgia-area junior varsity or
freshmen college teams.
Carsons partner in the school is
former Columbia
High School foot-
ball coach Mario
Allen.
Carson said he
came up with the
idea of the school
because he wanted
to fnd a way to
continue to have an
impact in students
lives. In his two
seasons at MLK,
the Lions were
20-5 and 42 play-
ers earned athletic
scholarships to col-
lege. Carson had 16
of his players sign
scholarships in two
seasons at Avondale
High School, which
had not had a win-
ning season in more than 20 years
before he arrived in 2008.
Carson said he is trying to put
the past behind him and move
forward. In August, the sexting al-
legations surfaced after a parent of
two football players at the school
confronted Carson during a football
game Aug. 18.
The parent, identifed as Davida
Bishop, allegedly showed other
people at the football game the
photographs, which were allegedly
sent by the coach via text messages,
because she was upset about the
amount of playing time her son was
getting on the feld, according to
a DeKalb County Schools System
spokesman.
Carson was suspended and then
resigned.
I know that there were a lot of
people that were hurt from this situ-
ation and all I can do is really just
apologize to them for my actions
and really just hope and pray that
they fnd it in their hearts to forgive
me for that, Carson said.
Carson said this school will be
the only school of this type in the
Southeast once it opens. Junior col-
leges sometimes help athletes meet
the academic requirements, but
few in the Southeast have football
teams.
There are a few schools like
this up North and there are only two
junior colleges in the Southeast that
have sports, he said. So were
hoping to feel that void.
Carson said he is attracting play-
ers who have GPAs no lower than
1.8. Tuition will be $12,595, which
is lower than other programs that
cost a minimum of $30,000.
Carson is currently trying to fnd
a location for the school, but said
he is looking at Point University in
East Point and Morris Brown Col-
lege in Atlanta.
Were hoping to partner with
them and use their classroom
space, he said.
by Daniel Beauregard
daniel@dekalbchamp.com
To celebrate Georgias pre-K pro-
gram and its 20th anniversary, Rep.
Mary Margaret Oliver read to a group
of 4-year-olds
during her visit to
College Heights
Early Childhood
Learning Center in
Decatur as part of
the 2012 Georgia
Pre-K Week.
Oliver toured
College Heights
with Principal
Suzanne Ken-
nedy, City Schools
of Decatur Assistant Superintendent
Thomas Van Soelen and other staff
members. Georgia Pre-K Week is spon-
sored by Voices for Georgias Children,
an advocacy group. Oliver was one of
nearly 140 state offcials who visited
some of the approximately 3,800 pre-K
classrooms throughout Georgia.
Additionally, Oliver got an up close
look at the many ways College Heights,
which serves ages six weeks to 4-years-
old, is supporting early learning.
We know that early childhood edu-
cation is critical to future success, and
preparing for elementary school is an
important part of life for a child from
birth through age fve, Oliver said.
As Oliver toured the school, she and
Van Soelen talked about how many
students in the school receive free or
reduced lunches. Currently, Van Soelen
said approximately 25 percent of Col-
lege Heights 340 students receive free
or reduced lunches. However, approxi-
mately a decade ago that number was
closer to 70 percent.
Your challenge these next couple
of decades will be growth, Oliver
told Van Soelen, who agreed and said
thats nothing new. CSD offcials ex-
pect the growth of enrollment to nearly
double over the next fve years, and of-
fcials are looking for ways to deal with
that growth.
Pat Willis, executive director of
Voices for Georgias Children, said the
Georgia pre-K program serves 84,000
4-year-olds throughout Georgia.
Studies show that early educa-
tion programs for children age birth to
fvein all income groupswill have
long-term impact on a childs educa-
tion. We are proud that Georgias Pre-K
is making a difference in the lives of so
many of our youngest learners, prepar-
ing them for future success in school
and in life, Willis said.
At the end of the tour, Oliver sat
down to read from Pete the Cat: I Love
My White Shoes by Eric Litwin to a
group of excited 4-year-olds.
Local representative
tours Decatur school
for Pre-K week
add approximately 300 acres to the
city.
Andrea Arnold, Decaturs as-
sistant city manager, said offcials
are still working on our revenue
and expenditure estimates but the
rough, back-of-the-napkin esti-
mate is $1 million in revenue for
frst year.
Floyd said the citys school sys-
tem would take in an estimated $2
million.
He said the annexations are be-
ing considered because the city has
had a lot of [annexation] requests
from a lot of people around Deca-
tur.
I feel responsible to at least
take a look at it, Floyd said. It
makes sense to look at the areas
and see who can better serve these
areas.
With all the municipalizations,
theres been a lot of concern
about whats going to happen,
Floyd said.
Floyd said city offcials de-
cided to do a comprehensive look
at whether we want to annex.
If youre interested, let us
know. If youre not let us know
that too, Floyd said. If we dont
see substantial support from the
people, the city wont annex.
Floyd said city offcials will also
have to consider a pending impact
statement from the City of Decatur
School System.
Anytime we annex, it impacts
schools. We have to be careful as to
what we want to do. No other city
in DeKalb has to worry about that.
The possible annexations would
probably be the last annexations
Decatur does, Floyd said.
Were not looking to get much
bigger, Floyd said. We dont
want to be a massive city. Weve
got a culture were trying to hold
onto.
I cant imagine anybody an-
nexing any more than that. It would
change the school system dramati-
cally. It would change the city dra-
matically, Floyd said.
Floyd said the beneft of annexa-
tion to residents in the areas is ac-
cess to what we consider a higher
level of service for police and
schools.
Were trying to fgure out if
there are any benefts to the city,
Floyd said. There may not be any
benefts to the city. Thats what this
whole process is all about.
The Decatur City Commission
will hold a public meeting on an-
nexation from 6-8 p.m., Oct. 22, in
the commission meeting room at the
Decatur City Hall, 509 North Mc-
Donough Street.
On Dec. 17, city offcials plan
to make a recommendation to the
city commission on whether or not
to adopt an annexation resolution,
Arnold said. If an annexation reso-
lution is passed, it would go to the
Georgia General Assembly, which
would vote to authorize any neces-
sary referendum on the matter.
Carson
Vote Continued From Page 2A
Professional panhandlers
The common definition of a
professional is a person who is paid
to undertake a specialized set of
tasks and to complete them for a
fee. Newsflash! We have profes-
sional panhandlers on the streets
of DeKalb. They are individuals
who have undertaken a specialized
task of begging for a fee, the spare
change or dollars that we are often
guilted into doling out to them.
DeKalb commissioners should
take a cue from the Atlanta City
Council, which recently passed
tougher legislation to deal with
panhandlers who use profanity and
even physical aggression such as
touching and shoving their would-
be clients. Before we begin
yowling about being insensitive to
the plight of the homeless, please
understand there are numerous pro-
grams and shelters for the homeless.
They choose to be on the streets
begging for money. Most dont even
hold up Ill work for food signs
anymore. It is understood that their
expertise is in the art of begging and
not really wanting a job.
Atlantas tougher ordinance
passed with little debate on a 14-0
vote. Highlights of the measure in-
clude:
Outlaws begging for money
within 15 feet of ATM machines
and parking lot pay boxes.
Makes it illegal to monetarily
solicit someone who is within
15 feet of a building entrance
or exit. Also prohibits begging
someone standing in line to en-
ter a building or an event.
Panhandlers could not block
someones path while asking
them for money. Following or
walking alongside the solicited
person, using profane or abusive
language, or touching the solic-
ited person also are forbidden.
Panhandlers would be prohibit-
ed from making any statement,
gesture, or other communica-
tion which a reasonable person
would perceive to be a threat.
Prohibits panhandlers from con-
tinuing to ask for money after
theyve been told no.
First convictions could get vio-
lators sentenced up to 30 days
community service.
Second conviction for aggres-
sive panhandling would result in
a mandatory 30 days in jail.
Our friend Joe Arrington, a
longtime community activist and
Code Enforcement Task Force
member, offers a couple of other
ideas worth noting. He suggests that
we the public could help by not giv-
ing to the professional panhandlers
and that businesses might post no
soliciting signs on or near the en-
trances to their establishments. For
anyone who thinks that the Atlanta
ordinance or the suggestion of a
similar measure in DeKalb is heart-
less, please understand this would
not be an insensitive move against
people who really need our help.
This writer received an Associ-
ated Press award for the portrayal
of a homeless woman several years
ago. It was an attempt to demon-
strate by reporter involvement the
plight of the homeless in the wake
of a new panhandling law advanced
by the late Mayor Maynard Jack-
son. I dressed the part and begged
all day in and around Woodruff Park
in downtown Atlanta. For my ef-
forts I got $2.80 that I later gave to
a real homeless woman. In the pro-
cess I learned anew that there, but
by grace, go I. This is a matter of
public safety. The people being ad-
dressed here are the chronic, career
beggars who choose not to avail
themselves of the help available.
One Atlanta city councilwoman
reminds that there are many social
service programs for the homeless
and that judges would be able to
make assistance available for people
who need social services. Another
councilman added that most aggres-
sive panhandlers in Atlanta are not
in fact homeless, but often wolves
in sheeps clothing. This writer
could not agree more.
Stop at any major intersection
especially in south DeKalb. These
are professionals. The same faces
doing the same thing nearly ev-
ery day at the same time on their
turfthe exit ramps, on the
corner, at the gas station, outside
the bank, supermarket and the res-
taurant. A few of them behave in a
very threatening and nasty manner
when you do not pay up. For those
who need and want help, help is
available. For the other professional
panhandlers, they can really work
for food on the first offense and get
a free meal on us the second time
around.
Steen Miles, The Newslady, is a
retired journalist and former Geor-
gia state senator. Contact Steen
Miles at Steen@dekalbchamp.com.
Page 4A The Champion Free Press, Friday, Oct. 12 , 2012 Opinion
The Newslady
Eat more chicken, buy more gas
The decision before you

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We sincerely appreciate the discussion surrounding this and any
issue of interest to DeKalb County. The Champion was founded in
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One Mans Opinion
The worst error a president can
make is to assume the automatic
implementation of his own deci-
sions. Arthur M. Schlesinger
Jr. (1917-2007), Pulitzer Prize-win-
ning historian and societal critic and
commentator.
President Barack Obama and
former Mass. Gov. Mitt Romney
are both upstanding men of charac-
ter who care deeply about the Amer-
ican people as well as the unique
and globally important role which
they seek. Neither nominee is my
top choice for this gig, but realisti-
cally these are the options before us.
As I have shared my views and
thinking with my children, inter-
ested neighbors, friends and fami-
lies, I have noted that this election
is among the closest in modern
times. Only the Kennedy versus
Nixon election of 1960 was already
this close a month out. In most polls
the undecided vote is down to single
digits, with the president slightly
ahead, and holding strong leads
among women, Hispanic and Black
voters. That recaps the horse race,
but what is this election really all
about?
Are Americas best days behind
us? Are we so unwilling and un-
able to pull ourselves away from
the government feeding trough of
assistance, grants, entitlements, etc.
that we will blindly disregard the
troubles of Europe, Asia and Latin
America, all of which are getting
ahead of us in starting to put their
own financial houses back in or-
der? Have we become so selfish,
as opposed to selfless, that we will
now hoard for ourselves without
any concern for future generations?
Obama is an orator without
peer. With prepared text and a
teleprompter he can inspire mil-
lions. Off the cuff performance,
as required in the debates, is a bit
more challenging, but also not re-
ally a skill set needed for governing.
Obamas place in history is well
established.
Romney may be far from perfect,
however first in the private sector,
and later as a governor, he has got-
ten results. Yes, Bain & Company
bought, sold and sometimes closed
companies laying off hundreds,
but that same Bain Capital created
Staples, the Sports Authority and
turned around a bankrupt Toys R
Us just to name a few. As governor
of Massachusetts, and in the minor-
ity party, Romney reached across
the aisle to Democratic leaders in
the state house, and crafted a health
care plan, now called Romney
Care, which substantially reduced
the rolls of the uninsured there. It
is generally agreed, regardless of
political stripe, that Romney turned
around the 2002 Salt Lake Winter
Olympic Games, saving the orga-
nizing committee and potentially
the people of Salt Lake and his
Mormon home state of Utah from
financial ruin.
Do we want the nation that our
founders created, with an untouch-
able list of inalienable rights, strong
state governments and a modest
federal government to provide na-
tional defense, infrastructure and
other needs not met by the states, or
do we want a continually expanding
and massive, bloated federal bu-
reaucracy increasingly claiming do-
main or control over every decision,
budget dollar and obstacle in sight?
Neither Obama nor Romney
are bad men, but I do believe one
will take us in a direction where
Americas best days are behind us,
and the future looks a lot more like
the decline and fall of the Roman
Empire. The other direction may be
considered less proven, but the data
from Massachusetts on job creation,
industry relocation and economic
expansion is much better during the
Romney years than when compared
to our nations past four. This dis-
tinction matters to your children and
grandchildren, in a nation where
nearly half of current college gradu-
ates cannot find employment.
In neighboring battleground
states, a few thousand individual
votes may end up deciding this elec-
tion, among a nation of 300 million.
Dont assume that your decision
will automatically implement itself.
Talk to the people whose opin-
ions and thinking you admire and
respect. Watch the debates; dont
decide out of blind loyalty to party
or to demographics. Consider the
choices, the paths they will take us
down and decide wisely. Dont let
a single issue blind or cloud your
thinking.
I will vote for the direction of
smaller government, more individual
responsibility and a system which
rewards initiative, effort, hard work
and applying oneself today to our
problems of tomorrow. And whether
you agree with my opinion, or you
dont, I still hope that you will decide
to express yours at the ballot box.
Bill Crane also serves as a
political analyst and commenta-
tor for Channel 2s Action News,
WSB-AM News/Talk 750 and now
95.5 FM, as well as a columnist
for The Champion, Champion
Free Press and Georgia Trend.
Crane is a DeKalb native and
business owner, living in Scott-
dale. You can reach him or com-
ment on a column at billcrane@
earthlink.net.
The Champion Free Press, Friday, Oct. 12, 2012 Page 5A Opinion
Opinion
Lots of Americans today are watch-
ing how members of Congress go about
their business. Environmentalists and
electrical workers alike keep track of
key congressional votes. So do retailers
and farmers. Even poker players are fol-
lowing how members of Congress rate
on the issues that hit home.
All these groups have, of course,
their own specific priorities. Their rep-
resentatives are looking out for their
own supporters, not looking at the big
picture.
That big picture, meanwhile, hasnt
been particularly pretty for some time
now. The vast majority of Americans
the 99 percent have been racing
on a treadmill since the 1970s. Were
working harder, with little to show for
our effort. But for our top 1 percent, its
an entirely different story. Theyve been
doing just fabulously.
The growing gap between the rich
and the rest of us didnt just happen by
chance. Conscious political decisions
on taxes, on trade policy, on regulations
have all been driving the divide.
Who made these decisions and
changed the rules that determine how the
U.S. economy operates? Ultimately, that
responsibility rests with Congress. So
shouldnt we be rating our lawmakers on
their law making?
My colleagues and I at the Insti-
tute for Policy Studies think so. Weve
just assembled the first congressional
report card that grades lawmakers on
what theyve done to make sure that all
Americans, not just a privileged few, can
share in the wealth that we all create.
This new report card compares mem-
bers of Congress on 40 legislative ac-
tions taken over the last two years that
either improve opportunities for our 99
percent or feather the nest of Americas
most affluent 1 percent.
Up for review: everything from leg-
islation to establish a Buffett Rule
minimum tax that all wealthy Americans
must pay to a bill that would raise the
minimum wage and index it to inflation.
Lawmakers received a positive point
for taking an action that narrows Amer-
icas economic divide and a negative
point for attempts to widen it. The report
card, now available online from the
Institute for Policy Studies, totals these
points and then translates the numbers
into overall letter grades.
Some lawmakers, after all this tally-
ing, look really good. Five senators
Sherrod Brown of Ohio, Dick Durbin
of Illinois, Al Franken of Minnesota,
Bernie Sanders of Vermont, and Shel-
don Whitehouse of Rhode Island all
rate an A+, as do 14 members of the
House of Representatives.
But 48 members of the House end
up with an F, and 11 Senators simi-
larly flunk. All of these lawmakers a
list topped by Kevin Brady, the Texas
representative with the single most one
percent-friendly grade point average in
the entire Congress have failed 99
percent of their country.
These lawmakers, naturally, dont
see things that way. They consider their
votes to enrich the rich in everyones
best interest. The less the 1 percent
pays in taxes, their argument goes, the
more they will invest in and grow the
economy.
Americans hear this claim all the
time. Now the nonpartisan research arm
of Congress has put that claim to the
test.
A new Congressional Research Ser-
vice report examines whether any link
exists between economic growth and tax
rates on the rich. This report crunches
data since 1945, years that have seen the
top tax rate on Americas rich drop from
over 90 percent to 35 percent today.
What has this steep decline in tax
rates on high incomes generated? In
terms of savings, investment, and pro-
ductivity growth: nothing. The Con-
gressional Research Service has found
no correlation between lower taxes on
higher incomes and economic growth.
The top tax rates, concludes the
CRS, appear to have little or no relation
to the size of the economic pie.
But tax rates on the rich do signifi-
cantly impact how that pie gets sliced.
The slice that went to the nations top
0.1 percent back in 1945 amounted to
4.2 percent of Americas national in-
come. By 2007, that slice had tripled in
size to 12.3 percent.
Members of Congress are still slic-
ing away today. The difference? We now
have a report card that grades their slic-
ing.
OtherWords columnist Sam Pizzigati
edits Too Much, the Institute for Policy
Studies weekly newsletter on excess
and inequality. Hes a co-author of the
Congressional Report Card for the 99%.
OtherWords.org
A Congressional report
card for the 99 percent
The grades are in, and you can see how
lawmakers fare on the most important issue of
our time: the grand divide between America's
rich and everybody else.
The following comments are pulled straight from our website and are
not edited for content or grammar.
Decatur Housing Authority fnished
second phase of revitalizaton project
I dont think so Jake! I have been there have a relatve
that lives there. I think that it is a great avenue for our
seniors who have worked and have paid a big price
to have great and afordable to live in. a lots of these
seniors have worked all their lives and they deserve it
they use to and stll pay taxes. And furthermore I dont
see them complaining. you fail to realize that there tax
dollors helped out also.
charles turner posted this on 10/1/12 at 7:56 a.m.
Just more Decatur socialists taking money away from
the people who work for a living to redistribute their
wealth to lazies.
Jake posted this on 10/1/12 at 6:34 a.m.
Two Walmart Neighborhood Markets
under constructon in DeKalb
This artcle lef out the Walmart Neighborhood mar-
ket that will move into The Big lots store on Covington
Hwy and Panola. Dont forget the Big Walmarts that
going on Memorial South Hairston. I guess these are
the 2 they will announce later. Dekalb County is now
the Walmart Capitol. one within 16 miles...Produce is
cheaper at Kroger, Aldi and Farmers Market.
Southside Senior posted this on 10/5/12 at 4:52 p.m.
by Sam Pizzigati
Columnist
Local News

Champion of
the Week
If you would like to nominate someone
to be considered as a future Champion of
the Week, please contact Kathy Mitchell
at kathy@dekalbchamp.com or at
(404) 373-7779, ext. 104.
Veronica Kirn
Veronica Kirn has
never been a victim of
domestic violence or
sexual abuse but she
knows those issues are
a problem in todays so-
ciety and many women
and children are affect-
ed by it .
That is why over the
past two years Kirn has
donated her time and
money to Nias Place
Supervised Visitation
and Exchange Center in
Decatur. Nias Place pro-
vides supervised child
visitation and exchange
for families affected by
domestic violence in
the Atlanta area. The
program operates with
equal regard for the
safety of the children
and the adults whom
they serve.
Kirn said the pro-
grams focus on children
is something near to
her heart.
I just think that the
services they provide
are extremely impor-
tant, she said.
Kirn said she found
the program through
the Womens Resource
Center to End Domes-
tic Violence, where she
has been volunteering at
for the past three years.
Kirn said she is a moni-
tor at Nias Place.
I watch to ensure
that the exchanges are
done safely, she said,
or during an actual su-
pervised visit, we would
monitor that visit and
be in the room with the
children and the parents
that do not have custo-
dial rights for the child.
Kirn said the child
and parent would have
one or two hours with
each other.
We let them play in
the room that we have
thats geared toward
young kids up to high
school students, she
said.
Kirn said she believes
in the services that Nias
Place provides and its
importance to the com-
munity.
Whats most impor-
tant to me is that we
continue to end and be
transparent about the
amount of violence in
our society, she said.
I feel very passion-
ate about [domestic
violence] and this is my
way of ensuring that
there is a safe interac-
tion and a positive ex-
perience between chil-
dren and their parents.
Its almost time for the biggest games of the season. Dont miss out
on all of the game-day highlights in next weeks Sports section.
Complete the subscripton form below to start your subscripton. One Year (52 issues) at just $39.00.
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HEY
FOOTBALL
FANS!
Pub tour includes Decatur stop
by John Hewitt
johnh@dekalbchamp.com
The Square Pub in down-
town Decatur is one of three
metro area pubs included in
an ongoing series of tours
hosted by Decatur-based
Battle of Atlanta Tours. De-
catur businessman and tour
operator Matt Spaulding
said the tour provides par-
ticipants an opportunity to
learn about and discuss the
phases and background of
the Battle of Atlanta while
being physically located
near some of the more im-
portant battle sites. Much
of the Battle of Atlanta
occurred in what is now
DeKalb County.
The tour, which begins
in downtown Atlanta, is fo-
cused on the eventual fall of
Atlanta to General William
T. Shermans troops dur-
ing the Civil War. It begins
in Atlantas historic Glenn
Hotels rooftop bar, which
is within blocks of where
Atlanta was founded and
the scene of the frst civilian
casualty of the Battle of At-
lanta. Background informa-
tion on the battle and a gen-
eral overview of tour stops
is shared with participants at
the Glenn.
From the Glenn, the tour
comes to Decatur for the
second stop, The Square
Pub.
While gathered on the
upper level of The Square
Pub, with its wall-to-wall
windows that overlook the
downtown Decatur square,
Spaulding discussed stra-
tegic battle elements that
happened in and around De-
catur, including when Union
troops moved westward to-
ward Atlanta beginning the
actual Battle of Atlanta.
On a recent tour were
members of a Captains Ca-
reer course based at Fort
Rucker, Ala., Capt. Tom
Cai said the group decided
to book the tour because it
offers leadership lessons
and gets us out of the aca-
demic environment. We also
get to experience camarade-
rie.
After the Square Pub
lunch and lecture, the tour
route moves along Memo-
rial Drive visiting markers
that commemorate major
battle sites and memorials to
military heroes.
The third stop of the
tour is Oakland Cemetery,
where participants gather in
the Confederate section for
another discussion of Civil
War military action. We
then walk across the street
to The Republic Social
House for our last bever-
ages, Spalding explained.
From left, Battle of Atlanta tour map, pub tour operator Matt Spaulding with visual instruction and The
Square Pub in downtown Decatur. Photos by John Hewitt
Local News
News Briefs
Police looking for
Tucker bank robber
The Atlanta branch of the
Federal Bureau of Investiga-
tion and the DeKalb County
Police Department are
looking for a suspect in the
Sept. 28 robbery of a Tucker
bank.
According to a media
statement by the FBI, the
SunTrust Bank branch locat-
ed inside the Publix grocery
store at 2162 Henderson
Mill Road in Tucker was
robbed of an undisclosed
amount of money.
On Friday, Sept. 28, at
approximately 4:30 p.m., a
man entered the bank and
jumped over the teller coun-
ter. After obtaining the mon-
ey, the robber fled on foot,
according to the statement.
The robber is described
as being a Black male,
middle to late 30s, approxi-
mately 5-feet-7 to 5-feet-8,
medium build, wearing a
dark wig, dark clothes and a
dark blue baseball hat.
Anyone with information
on this robbery or this indi-
vidual should contact Crime
Stoppers Atlanta at (404)
577-8477.
DeKalb County
selected for $350,000
Justice Department
grant
DeKalb County has been
selected to receive a three-
year competitive grant from
the U.S. Department of
Justices Offce on Violence
Against Women (OVW) for
$350,000.
The grant represents a
supplemental allocation
from OVW, which is con-
tinuing its support of the
countys partnership with
Nias Place, the supervised
visitation center for custodi-
al and non-custodial parents,
operated by the Womens
Resource Center.
Nias Place serves as
a national model for how
partnerships between local
governments and non-proft
organizations can reduce
instances of domestic vio-
lence, said DeKalb County
CEO Burrell Ellis. By
marrying the federal fund-
ing from OVW with the
countys resources, we are
able to assist Nias Place
in providing custodial and
non-custodial parents with a
safe environment for unsu-
pervised visits right here in
our county.
In DeKalb, Nias Place
provides supervised child
visitation and exchange for
families affected by domes-
tic violence. The program
operates with equal regard
for the safety of the children
and the adults it serves,
while accommodating the
diverse cultural, socioeco-
nomic, racial, and circum-
stantial needs and perspec-
tives of its clients.
We are grateful for the
work we have been able to
do as a result of our collabo-
ration with DeKalb County
and the support of CEO
Burrell Ellis, said Womens
Resource Center Executive
Director Jean Douglass.
Since 2009, Nias Place
has served 150 families. We
are excited that the grant
has been continued and
look forward to continu-
ing to keep families safe in
DeKalb County.
County seeks
participants, donations
for Diabetes Walk
DeKalb County is look-
ing for residents to join its
fundraising efforts to sup-
port the Atlanta 2012 Walk
to Cure Diabetes hosted by
the Juvenile Diabetes Re-
search Foundation (JDRF).
The county is seeking walk-
ers to participate in the
event set for Saturday, Oct.
20 at Centennial Olympic
Park, 265 Park Avenue West
NW, Atlanta.
Registration starts at 8
a.m. and the walk begins at
9:30 a.m. Donations are also
being accepted.
Funds raised from the
walk help fulfll the founda-
tions important mission to
improve the lives of people
with Type 1 Diabetes.
More than 80 percent
of JDRFs expenditures di-
rectly support research and
research-related education.
For more information on
joining DeKalbs team or
making donations, contact
Code Enforcement
Offcer Sandra Hines
at (404) 371-2484 or visit
www.jdrf.org and click on
the About JDRF tab.
2013 county departmental
budget requests up $44 million
We need
to look at the
constitutional
officers,
because when
the budget
passes, they do
what they want
to do anyway.

Stan Watson
Georgia Perimeter Colleges Decatur campus, off Panthersville Road, is home to a botanical garden and fern garden, which consists of more than 300 ferns from around the
world. Photos by Daniel Beauregard
by Andrew Cauthen
The numbers are in:
DeKalb County department
heads want $44 million
more in 2013 than they re-
ceived this year.
The DeKalb County
Board of Commission-
ers got an early look at
the countys 2013 bud-
get requests Oct. 5. The
budget requests from
the countys various
departments total $601
million, up $44 million
from the current county
budget of $557 million.
The board also
learned that the
countys fnance team
has estimated that the
county will have ap-
proximately $17.6 mil-
lion left in its tax fund,
if current spending pro-
jections hold up until
the end of the year.
But commissioners
were concerned about a
fve-year trend of bud-
get increases, particu-
larly for some of the
countys constitutional
offcers.
We need to look at
the constitutional off-
cers, because when the
budget passes, they do
what they want to do any-
way, Commissioner Stan
Watson said.
According to county
documents, during the past
fve years, juvenile courts
budget has increased 63 per-
cent; clerk of superior court,
14 percent; and solicitor
general, 16 percent.
Constitutional offcers
need to be true partners
throughout the budget pro-
cess, Commissioner Lee
May said.
Commissioner Jeff Rad-
er suggested that the county
engage experts who could
review the service delivery
strategies of constitutional
offcers and make recom-
mendations to the county
administration and the board
of commissioners on how
we can squeeze economies
from their budgets.
If we dont have a docu-
mented argument against
their budget, were hard-
pressed to reduce them be-
yond what theyre willing
to accept. What I would like
to to see is that we develop
a capacity on the countys
side to be able to expertly
review their budget.
Rader said he does not
question the elected offcials
ability to perform their jobs.
The truth is that they
run for election based upon
expansion [of] excellent
service delivery, Rader
said. They say Were
going to improve customer
service. We on the other
hand have to pay for the ser-
vices.
I dont disagree that
they all think that they are
doing a good job, he
said. But if we need to
extract budget savings
from those constitu-
tional offcers, we cant
just cut them across the
board. We cant do in
an arbitrary fashion be-
cause they have consti-
tutional responsibilities
to maintain a specifc
level of service.
I think its really
important for us to be
able to say not heres
how you do your job
but instead you could,
using these assump-
tions, do your job in
a more cost effective
way andwere go-
ing to give you enough
money to do it in the
way that we consider to
be the minimum neces-
sary [way] suffcient to
discharge your constitu-
tional responsibilities,
Rader said.
We need to have a
defense if we cut their
budget, Rader said.
Otherwise, Any budget
cuts they make are strictly
voluntary.
Richard Stogner, the
countys chief operating
offcer, said that all county
departments and offces, in-
cluding those run by consti-
tutional offcers, have been
directed to cut their budgets.
The direction to the
departments in preparing
their budgets was that they
should expect to shoot for
3 to 5 percent below their
2012 budgets, Stogner said.
Local News
NEA grant means physical, artistic
moves for Decaturs PushPush Theater
Alleged serial rapist denied bond
Ofer valid at the Kirkwood Sherwin-Williams store ONLY. Valid 10/4/12 -10/10/12
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portion of your purchase, some of the discount may be lost.
Limit one coupon per transaction. Excludes Multi-Purpose primers
and gift cards. Other exclusions may apply, see store for details.
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of 1 Not valid on previous purchases. Void if copied, transferred,
purchased or sold. 2012 The Sherwin-Williams Company.
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Purchase of
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Mon-Fri 7am-7pm Sat 8am-6pm Sun 10am-6pm
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Atlanta, GA 30317
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FAX: 404-373-5234
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PushPush co-founder and artistic director Tim Habeger says the
changes the nonproft is undergoing will enable it to serve a larger
number of artists and audiences and showcase Atlanta talent na-
tionally and internationally. Photo by Kathy Mitchell

by Kathy Mitchell
kathy@dekalbchamp.com
After nine years in Push-
Push Theaters Decatur
space, co-founder and artis-
tic director Tim Habeger
took a hammer to the place.
As the organization pre-
pared to vacate the familiar
teal tin building on New
Street, Habeger and others
worked to make it as it was
when PushPush moved in in
2003.
That was part of our
agreement with the own-
ers and we couldnt afford
to hire workers, so were
doing the work ourselves,
Habeger said.
PushPush Theater started
22 years ago as a response
to Atlantas appetite for
risk-taking theater, its
website states. It developed
projects under 7 Stages,
then moved in 1997 into
its own space in Virginia
Highlands, where it stayed
before moving to Decatur in
2003.
The most recent move,
Habeger explained, marks
more than a change in
venue. Although its called
PushPush Theater, Habeger
said, We were never a the-
ater in the traditional sense.
Were a place where artists
and artistic projects can
grow and developwere
an art incubator, supporting
art projects with workshops
and affordable space.
A grant from the Na-
tional Endowment for the
Artsone of the few given
this yearis enabling Push-
Push to take the art incuba-
tor mission to a new level.
My dream, said Habeger,
one of the founders of the
artist-driven nonproft, is
for Atlanta to become a
place artists want to come
to and stay. Right now, tal-
ented people who get start-
ed here feel that for their
careers to fourish they have
to move on to New York or
LA and a lot the theater here
originated in New York,
Chicago or LA. The differ-
ence is like the difference
between a band that plays
its own original music and
one that just does covers of
other musicians music.
PushPush offcials de-
cided that they no longer
need a full-time perfor-
mance venue and moved its
offces across New Street
to a small studio space that,
like the teal building, is part
of East Decatur Station. It
now uses several perfor-
mance venues, including a
former East Decatur Station
coffee shop that PushPush
folks call the red room.
In less than two weeks,
we took 5,000 square feet of
stuff that we barely (never)
used, sold [what we could],
and then donated, trashed or
moved the rest, according
to PushPushs website.
The $75,000 grant
from the National Endow-
ment for the Arts is being
matched with an equal
amount from local sources
and used to support the de-
velopment of a new digital
arts network built around
an episodic series called
GRFX (pronounced graph-
ics). Habeger said the two-
year project is reinforced by
recent technical assistance
grants from The Metropoli-
tan Atlanta Arts Fund and
The Community Foundation
for Greater Atlanta.
This will give us an op-
portunity to serve a broader
number of artists and audi-
ences and showcase Atlanta
talent nationally and inter-
nationallynot just writers
and actors, but also musi-
cians and painters, said
Habeger, explaining that
during the episodes, a local
band might perform and the
camera might pan paintings
in a local gallery.
The website quotes an-
other PushPush co-founder,
Shelby Hofer: Were
ready to focus more directly
on our work. Our time at
East Decatur Station has
been great. Weve served
thousands of individuals
and hundreds of organiza-
tions with some outstanding
work and programs in this
space for nearly 10 years.
But for us, too much time,
money and other resources
have gone into maintaining
a traditional arts facility. We
want more of our energy
and income to bolster new
programming and people.
A Decatur man charged
with raping three women
and assaulting
two others in
2011 was denied
bond Oct. 2.
Gary Mincey,
35, of Decatur
was indicted by
a grand jury on
three counts of
rape, two counts
of aggravated as-
sault, four counts
of armed robbery,
fve counts of false impris-
onment, two counts of ag-
gravated sexual battery and
one count each of burglary,
robbery and aggravated sod-
omy.
If released, this defen-
dant poses a danger to this
community, a risk of com-
mitting a violent felony, a
risk of fight and a risk of
intimidating witnesses,
DeKalb County Superior
Court Judge Gail Flake
reportedly said at the
hearing.
Mincey allegedly
stalked his victims at
a grocery store and at
nightclubs, according
to the county district
attorneys offce.
According to the
indictment, Mincey
assaulted or raped
fve women between
Oct. 16 and Nov.
29, 2011, robbing them of
money, jewelry, keys, cell
phones and other electron-
ics.
Mincey allegedly used a
knife, Taser or handgun in
each of the crimes.
A Trial date for Mincey
has not been set.
Mincey
Local News

MARTA Board selects new
general manager/CEO
DeKalb to host second annual
International Food and Music Festival
The MARTA Board of
Directors voted Oct. 4 to
select Keith T. Parker as
the transit systemss next
general manager and chief
executive officer, according
to a media statement.
Parker, who has served
as the president/CEO of VIA
Metropolitan Transit in San
Antonio, Texas, since July
2009, oversees all aspects of
that regions primary transit
system, which provides bus,
streetcar and paratransit ser-
vice daily for nearly 150,000
riders.
Parker was selected
after a nationwide search
conducted by the executive
search firm of Heidrick &
Struggles. He was one of
two finalists considered by
the board who had the back-
ground, expertise and leader-
ship skills to run MARTA,
the nations ninth largest
transit system, according to a
media statement.
Dr. Beverly A. Scott,
who has run MARTA since
2007, informed the board
last year that she would not
seek to renew her five-year
contract.
We strongly believe
that Keith Parker is the best
choice for MARTA, said
Frederick L. Daniels, Jr.,
chairman of the MARTA
board after the vote. We are
extremely proud of the work
we have done to this point,
and we are very confident
that we have picked the right
man, for the right job at the
right time.
A formal letter advising
him of the boards decision
will be sent to Parker, and
the specific terms of his con-
tract will be negotiated.
Prior to San Antonio,
Parker was the CEO for the
Charlotte Area Transit Sys-
tem, where he was respon-
sible for bus and paratransit
operations and helped de-
velop light-rail plans for the
transit system.
Parker also served as the
assistant city manager for
Charlotte from 2004-2007
where his portfolio included
the police and fire depart-
ments and the Charlotte/
Douglas Airport.
Prior to his experience in
North Carolina, Parker was
the CEO for the Clark Coun-
ty Transit Authority in Van-
couver, Wash., and deputy
director of the transit agency
in Richmond, Va.
Parker has a bachelors
degree in political science,
a masters degree in urban
and regional planning, and
masters degree of business
administration. He is a certi-
fied urban planner with the
American Institute of Certi-
fied Planners (AICP).
A class action lawsuit has been fled on behalf
of current and former hourly employees at Northport
Healthservices nursing home facilities, including those in the State
of Alabama (Hamilton v. NHS Management, LLC: U.S. District
Court W.D.Mo., 12-cv-5044).
This lawsuit claims Northport Healthservices failed
to pay its hourly employees wages and overtime for all hours
worked by rounding away work time and requiring work during
unpaid lunch periods. Hourly employees may be eligible join.
For information visit www.rmlegalgroup.com or call:
(877) 783-4729 toll free
Attorney Rowdy B. Meeks
(816) 977-2742
Rowdy.Meeks@rmlegalgroup.com
Northport Health Services
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Health Services
Missouri
For information visit www.rmlegalgroup.com or call:
(877) 783-4729 toll free
Attorney Rowdy B. Meeks
(816) 977-2742
Rowdy.Meeks@rmlegalgroup.com
Golden LivingCenters
NURSING HOME EMPLOYEES
A class action lawsuit has been filed on behalf of current and former
hourly employees at Golden LivingCenters nursing home facilities,
including those in the State of Georgia (Jarrett v. GGNSC Holdings,
LLC.: U.S. District Court W.D.Mo., 12-CV-4105).
This lawsuit claims Golden LivingCenters failed to pay its hourly
employees wages and overtime for all hours worked by rounding
away work time and requiring work during unpaid lunch periods.
Hourly employees may be eligible join. For information visit www.
rmlegalgroup.com or contact:
STONE MOUNTAIN
VILLAGE
CITY-WIDE YARD SALE
922 Main St. behind Gazebo
Saturday, October 20
8:30 a.m. 3:00 p.m.
Setup begins 7:30 a.m.
On day of sale
For info call City Hall
770-498-8984
DeKalb County will hold
its second annual International
Food and Music Festival on
Saturday, Oct. 13, noon-6
p.m. at Northlake Mall, 4800
Briarcliff Road.
Coordinated by Commis-
sioner Stan Watson, the festi-
val will feature multi-cultural
cuisine and entertainment
from around the world and
represent cultural groups from
more than 32 countries.
We are excited to bring
back the DeKalb International
Food and Music Festival and
I am confdent this years fes-
tival will unite the dynamic
blend of cultures and traditions
that continue to exist in our
county, Watson said.
The festival will include
cultural, educational and
entertainment activities for
residents of all ages, including
a host of interactive vendor
displays, samples of cuisine
from across the world and re-
tail vendors highlighting their
respective countrys markets.
In addition, agencies with an
objective to serve the interests
of the international community
are also encouraged to attend.
Confrmed sponsors for this
years festival include The In-
tegral Group LLC, Gas South,
Synch-Solutions and Frontier
Management.
The festival is also present-
ed by DeKalb CEO Burrell
Ellis and former DeKalb CEO
Liane Levetan, in partnership
with the DeKalb Chamber of
Commerce, the DeKalb Con-
vention & Visitors Bureau and
representatives from the Asian,
West Indian, Middle Eastern,
Hispanic and African commu-
nities.
As Georgias most di-
verse county, we are proud
to embrace DeKalbs vibrant
population, traditions and cul-
tures, and we look forward to
showcasing the talents of the
international communities that
call DeKalb home, Ellis said.
Last year, through the
help of sponsors and event
proceeds, the DeKalb County
Police Alliance received a
$10,000 donation and the Po-
lice Athletic League received
$2,500.
Festival admission and
parking are free. Food vendors
will price their products and
taste samples.
For more information,
please call (404) 371-3681 or
email klajoie@dekalbcoun-
tyga.gov.
Local News
PUBLIC NOTICE :

The DeKalb Regional Land Bank Authority is seeking
Applicants for its Executive Director Position.

All information about the job and how to apply for it can be
found on the DeKalb County Website:

www.co.dekalb.ga.us/commdev/index.html

Applications will be accepted through November 2, 2012

.
DeKalb County CEO Burrell Ellis reminds you
of the Best Practices for Proper Disposal of
DeKalb County CEO Burrell Ellis reminds you
of the Best Practices for Proper Disposal of
Plumbing and sanitary sewer systems are simply not designed to handle the F.O.G. that accumulates
in pipes. When it gets into the pipes and hardens, blockages occur and cause sewage to backup and
overfow out of manholes or into homes. This is expensive for you, and for the County.
The damages caused by fats, oils and grease in the sewer system are costly to repair. Over time,
they increase the costs of our water and sewer services.
F.O.G. enters plumbing through garbage disposals, sinks and toilets. It coats the inside of plumbing
pipes and also empties into DeKalb Countys sewer system. Here are three simple guidelines to help
keep F.O.G. out of our pipes and sewers:
1.
2.
3.
POUR fats, oils or grease into a sealable container, allow it to cool and throw it
in the trash. Do not pour down the drain or toilet.
SCRAPE plates and cookware before washing. Do not throw scraps of any kind
down the drain. Instead, place them in waste containers or garbage bags.
WIPE excess grease from all plates, pots, pans, utensils, and surfaces with a
paper towel before washing. Throw the greasy paper towel away.
Andrea Sneiderman,
pleaded not guilty Oct. 8 to
charges that
said she con-
spired with her
former boss
to murder her
husband Rusty
Sneiderman in
2010.
Andrea Snei-
derman was
arrested Aug.
2 and charged
with criminal attempt to
commit murder, malice mur-
der, insurance fraud, two
counts of making a false
statement and of perjury, and
a violation of the Georgia
Racketeer Infuenced and
Corrupt Organizations Act.
Hemy Neuman, Andrea
Sneidermans former boss
at General Electric, was
charged with shooting Snei-
dermans husband in front of
a Dunwoody day care center.
He was later tried and con-
victed of the charges and is
serving a life sentence with-
out the possibility of parole.
According to the indict-
ment, prosecutors allege
Andrea Sneiderman
was having an af-
fair with Neuman
and conspired with
him to murder her
husband and collect
his approximately
$2.2 million in as-
sets. Sneiderman
denies the affair
took place.
Sneiderman was
released on $500,000 bond
and is currently living at her
parents house under house
arrest. If convicted, Snei-
derman could face life in
prison.
Offcials from the DeKalb
County District Attorneys
Offce said the trial is ex-
pected to last as long as
Neumans did, which was
approximately a month. The
trial is expected to start in
spring of 2013.
Andrea Sneiderman
pleads not guilty
Sneiderman
Printed on 100% post-consumer
recycled paper
Lakefest 2012
Pine Lake held its annual lakeside
festival Oct. 6-7 bringing together more
than 40 artists vendors, live music
and comedians, a pet show, childrens
activities, festival food, sand sculpture
contest and the Floatzilla lake parade.
Photos by Travis Hudgons

Send your comments and/or concerns regarding Comcasts current performance under
the current franchise agreement and/or the future cable-related needs and interests of
your community to www.dekalbcountyga.gov.
DeKalb County Wants to Hear From You
Regarding the Proposed Franchise Agreement Renewal
with Comcast Cable Communications
Quentric Williams, 32,
pleaded not guilty Oct. 8 to
charges that he
murdered a man
at the Starlight
Six Drive-In off
Moreland Avenue
earlier this year.
Williams
charges include
one count of
malice murder,
two counts of fel-
ony murder, one
count aggravated assault,
two counts of aggravated
assault of a police offcer
and possession of a frearm
during the commission of a
felony.
Williams allegedly shot
moviegoer Mitt Lenix, 28,
who was having car trouble
and asked Williams for help
May 15. It was later
reported that Lenix
interrupted Wil-
liams while he was
having sex with his
girlfriend and that is
why he was shot.
Williams then al-
legedly led police on
a high-speed chase
on I-285 into Gwin-
nett County
During the time that po-
lice chased him, Williams
also allegedly tried to steer
his truck into several of the
police cars chasing him,
which is why he faces two
counts of aggravated assault
of a police offcer.
The parents of Lenix,
who was known as a martial
arts expert, began a fund
in his honor to continue
his legacy. Both of Lenixs
parents are also martial arts
experts and own the Uni-
versal Martial Arts studio in
Stockbridge, where their son
also taught.
Originally, the fund was
set up to help Lenixs family
with the expenses associated
with their sons death but
has now been expanded into
a fund to offer scholarships
to those who are less fortu-
nate or affected by similar
circumstances.
Accused Starlight Six shooter pleads not guilty
Williams
The DeKalb County School
District (DCSD) will switch to
a balanced attendance calendar
this fall even though surveys
show a majority of parents are
against the change.
The DeKalb County School
Board voted Oct. 8 to move
to a balanced school calendar,
which contains the same 180
school days as its current cal-
endar. However, the school
year will begin on Aug. 5 and
end May 29 and each semester
includes an additional week of
vacation.
Currently, City Schools of
Decatur and Rockdale County
Public Schools have balanced
calendars. DCSD Deputy Su-
perintendent Kathleen Howe
said the spring break for the
balanced calendar begins the
week of April 8, which brings
it in line with other metro ar-
eas.
The district took public
comments on the two calen-
dars and a survey was made
available until Sept. 29. DCSD
spokeswoman Lillian Govus
said the results of the survey
and comments were reviewed
by the calendar committee,
which then made a calendar
recommendation to Atkinson.
The committee is made
up of a parent, a teacher and a
principal from all of the fve
districts in the school system,
Govus said. Its also made up
of human resources represen-
tatives.
Howe said, according to
survey results, 68 percent of
teachers voted in favor of a
balanced calendar and 32 per-
cent voted against it. Out of
several thousand parents who
were surveyed, 59.4 voted in
favor of the traditional calen-
dar and 40.6 percent voted for
the balanced calendar.
I absolutely understand
and support the concept of try-
ing to lessen time away from
school because you have that
learning loss timeI think it
may be more prevalent is some
schools than othersbut I just
dont think cutting the summer
by this particular amount re-
ally accomplishes that much,
board member said Nancy
Jester, who voted against the
calendar.
I think were losing a lot
of goodwill with the parent
community about it, so thats
the trade-off for me and I cant
justify it in my mind, Jester
said.
Board member Don
McChesney also voted against
the calendar, stating during the
meeting that he felt the board
hadnt been given adequate
information to determine in a
timely fashion which way we
ought to go.
I think at some point
were going to need to re-
consider year-round school,
McChesney told board mem-
bers.
The calendar vote did not
include early release days.
Howe said the early-release
days will be decided adminis-
tratively but that approximate-
ly 70 percent of teachers were
in favor of releasing students
an hour early one day a week
for professional development.
A copy of the new calendar
is available on the districts
website at www.dekalb.k12.
ga.us.
DCSD will implement
balanced calendar this fall
New
10/15
Full
10/29
The Northeast will see mostly clear to partly cloudy skies with a few showers today
through Saturday, with the highest temperature of 83 in Germantown, Md. The
Southeast will see mostly clear skies today, isolated showers Friday, mostly clear skies
Saturday, with the highest temperature of 90 in Ft. Myers, Fla. The Northwest will see mostly clear to
partly cloudy skies with isolated showers today through Saturday, with the highest temperature of 77 in
Walla Walla, Wash. The Southwest will see isolated showers and thunderstorms today and Friday,
mostly clear skies Saturday, with the highest temperature of 90 in Chandler, Ariz.
THURSDAY
Sunny
High: 70 Low: 49
First
10/21
The Champion Weather Oct. 11, 2012
Seven Day Forecast
Local UV Index
WEDNESDAY
Mostly Sunny
High: 75 Low: 52
TUESDAY
Partly Cloudy
High: 74 Low: 55
MONDAY
Partly Cloudy
High: 78 Low: 59
SUNDAY
Partly Cloudy
High: 77 Low: 59
SATURDAY
Mostly Sunny
High: 76 Low: 57
FRIDAY
Mostly Sunny
High: 78 Low: 56
In-Depth Local Forecast Today's Regional Map
Sunrise
7:39 a.m.
7:40 a.m.
7:41 a.m.
7:41 a.m.
7:42 a.m.
7:43 a.m.
7:44 a.m.
Sunset
7:08 p.m.
7:07 p.m.
7:05 p.m.
7:04 p.m.
7:03 p.m.
7:02 p.m.
7:01 p.m.
Moonset
4:34 p.m.
5:09 p.m.
5:46 p.m.
6:24 p.m.
7:06 p.m.
7:53 p.m.
8:46 p.m.
Moonrise
3:28 a.m.
4:30 a.m.
5:34 a.m.
6:41 a.m.
7:50 a.m.
9:00 a.m.
10:10 a.m.
Last
11/6
www.WhatsOurWeather.com
Weather History
Oct. 11, 1987 - More than 30 cities
in the Upper Midwest reported
record low temperatures for the
date, including Waterloo, Iowa and
Scottsbluff, Neb. where the
mercury dipped to 16 degrees.
Tropical Storm Floyd brought
heavy rain to southern Florida.
Weather Trivia
Tonight's Planets
What causes wind
shear?
Answer: A sudden change in
wind speed or direction.
?
Day
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
Sunday
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
National Weather Summary This Week
Local Sun/Moon Chart This Week
StarWatch By Gary Becker - Color Flashlight for Your Smart Phone
Today we will see sunny skies with a high
temperature of 70, humidity of 55%. East
wind 5 mph. The record high temperature for
today is 86 set in 1954. Expect mostly clear
skies tonight with an overnight low of 49. The
record low for tonight is 39 set in 1971.
Oct. 12, 1918- Forest fires ravaged
parts of Minnesota from the Duluth
area and northeast, claiming the
lives of 600 people. Smoke with a
smell of burnt wood spread to
Albany, N.Y. and Washington,
D.C. in 24 hours.
Returning from Philadelphia in the dark last week, I inadvertently managed to scoot through an E-ZPass lane. All types of expletives danced through my brain as I envi-
sioned my tariff at the exiting tollbooth. Having gotten a receipt going into Philly, I asked my wife, Sue, to find it so I could try to talk my way out of this dilemma, but there
was no flashlight. I said, Use my smart phone flashlight, and after some bumbling and three near sideswipes, we got the light working. She found the receipt and at the
toll booth, I thankfully paid for only the road miles traveled. The man at the exit did swipe my driver's license and request DNA samples from both of us, all while an
immensely long line of angry drivers queued up behind us. Why not simply use the cars cabin lights, youre thinking? Im an astronomer and they are disconnected. That got me to think-
ing about flashlight applications for my Android phone, and I found a really sophisticated and free one called Color Flashlight. If you leave CF on or off when exiting the app, it returns in
the same manner when you reboot it. In addition, it allows the user to illuminate his or her smart phone LCD panel in any color independent of the flashlight, providing the user with dif-
fuse lighting from nearly off (extremely dim) to as bright as the panel on the phone will permit. The use and flexibility of the flashlight is obvious, but the colors are very helpful for astron-
omy because the user can take advantage of red light and small amounts of green lighting, for seeing gear in the dark without losing any dark adaptation. CF also has a host of other help-
ful effects which are fun and safety oriented. There is a more sophisticated version, also for free, called Color Flashlight HD, but I'd rather "Keep it simple stupid." Thats the writer call-
ing himself stupid and not trying to incite my readers to riot. www.astronomy.org
Rise Set
Mercury 9:20 a.m. 7:57 p.m.
Venus 4:35 a.m. 5:27 p.m.
Mars 11:17 a.m. 9:19 p.m.
Jupiter 10:08 p.m.12:21 p.m.
Saturn 8:36 a.m. 7:48 p.m.
Uranus 6:30 p.m. 6:46 a.m.
3 5 0 - 2 4 6 8 10 7 9 11+
UV Index
0-2: Low, 3-5: Moderate,
6-7: High, 8-10: Very High
11+: Extreme Exposure
Atlanta
70/49
Decatur
70/49
Doraville
69/49
Dunwoody
68/48 Lilburn
69/49
Snellville
70/49
Lithonia
71/49
Morrow
71/49
Smyrna
69/49
Hampton
72/50
Union City
71/49
College Park
71/49
*Last Weeks Almanac
Date Hi Lo Normals Precip
Tuesday 72 62 78/58 0.05"
Wednesday 73 57 77/58 0.00"
Thursday 81 56 77/57 0.00"
Friday 82 54 76/57 0.00"
Saturday 82 56 76/57 0.01"
Sunday 69 52 76/56 0.00"
Monday 62 51 75/56 0.00"
Rainfall . . . . . . .0.06" Average temp . .64.9
Normal rainfall . .0.74" Average normal 66.7
Departure . . . . .-0.68" Departure . . . . .-1.8
Pl ace Your Ad Here!
*Data as reported from De Kalb-Peachtree Airport
The Champion Free Press, Friday, Oct. 12 , 2012 Page 14A Business
Two Decatur Town Center, 125 Clairemont Ave., Suite 235, Decatur, GA 30030
404-378-8000 www.DeKalbChamber.org
The Voice of Business in DeKalb County
DeKalb Chamber of Commerce
Fitness center offers exercise, nutrition, emotional wellness package
by Kathy Mitchell
kathy@dekalbchamp.con
Lady of America (LOA)
Fitness for Women an-
nounced the launch of
Weigh to Wellness, a six-
week fat loss and ftness
program for women. While
the initial program started
Oct. 8, participants can join
up to two weeks after the
start date or can join a later
six-week session.
Were hoping to be able
to offer these quarterly,
said Becky Brown, owner
and manager.
She said that people
who want to become more
ft often focus on one part
of itexercise or nutri-
tion. Weigh to Wellness
brings together the three
elements that women need
to be successful in meet-
ing weight loss and ftness
goals: ftness, nutrition and
the emotional piece, Brown
said. You need all three
components to have a suc-
cessful outcome. We have
woven the three components
together into a program that
will help women become
healthier, lose weight, make
better choices, and under-
stand the emotion involved
in the process.
What sets Weigh to
Wellness apart from other
weight loss programs is the
fact that it is geared toward
the health of the whole per-
son instead of the individual
piecesphysical, nutrition-
al, emotional, Brown said.
The ftness center in
Toco Hill Shopping Center
regularly offers a range of
classes, including yoga, Pi-
lates, Zumba and more. Al-
though she is certifed in
a number of ftness areas,
including nutrition, Brown
said she worked with a team
of experts to develop Weigh
to Wellness.
Three trained profes-
sionals provide accountabil-
ity, guidance and support
for participants in Weigh to
Wellness. A certifed person-
al trainer performs a ftness
assessment to develop a cus-
tomized workout program, a
registered dietitian provides
nutrition consultation and
an easy-to-use meal plan,
and a professional counselor
works with each participant
to provide emotional under-
standing and support, she
said. Weekly informational
group meetings include a
grocery store tour, meal
planning, dining out tips
and a ftness sampler. Par-
ticipants will also check in
weekly with each expert to
help them keep on track.
She said the program,
which is available to mem-
bers and non-member of
LOA at the same price, is a
good value since its avail-
able for less than half of
what it would cost if the
client paid for components
individually.
Brown said she frst be-
came involved with LOA,
formerly Ladies Workout
Express, as a part-time em-
ployee in 1996. I liked it
so much that I stayed even
after I no longer needed to
work part-time, she said.
Brown took ownership of
the business in 2003.
Formerly an employee of
a major corporation, Brown
holds a degree in interna-
tional business. Fitness
was always a passion of
mine; even before I came to
work here I taught exercise
classes and ran marathons.
Putting my business training
together with something Im
passionate about is great.
She said the North Druid
Hills Road location is ideal.
Its very accessiblenear
Emory, near Decatur, near
Tucker, Brown said, add-
ing that she enjoys the sense
of community at her busi-
ness. Clients, she said, feel
like neighbors. They are
all ageshigh school to
women in their 80sand all
ftness levels. Everyone can
feel comfortabletheres no
judgment. I enjoy helping
women become their best
selves.
Becky Brown says she wants clients to be comfortable no matter their age or ftness level. Photos by Kathy Mitchell
The Champion Free Press, Friday, Oct. 12, 2012 Page 15A
Local News
Songs Continued From Page 1A
Tricoli Continued From Page 1A
knew back in 2011 in July that they were using
auxiliary reserve funds to the tune of $1.5 mil-
lion to keep us in the black.
However, Tricoli said it was late April 2012
when he was informed that it appearedthat
the budget was in defcitup to $8 million. Tri-
coli said he immediately notifed the USG of the
problem.
GPCs fnance team knew that there were
fnancial problems, Tricoli said. They were
communicating for an entire year and never
informed me or the presidents executive team or
the presidents cabinet. In fact, the information
they presented to me was very misleading. The
information they presented to us never showed
us dipping into our reserves and never showed
us headed to the red or never showed us headed
toward a budget problem.
If I had knownthis issue this year wouldnt
have happened. Period, Tricoli said.
Tricoli: The president was not included
In fact, Tricoli said there was a pattern of
leaving him out of important communications.
For example, The Champion Newspapers re-
search revealed that a series of emails in January
2011 about the colleges fnancial closure letter
for 2010 did not include Tricoli.
The president was not copied on this docu-
ment, Tricoli said. And thats concerning,
because you would want the president to know
what the closure letters were. You would cer-
tainly want the president to know what was being
included in your communications between the
college and the university system.
A lot of people received this information but
the president was not included in the commu-
nication, Tricoli said. At no point in the com-
munication was the president included in that
communication.
The pattern from 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012
shows that there was no communication with the
college president when fnancial affairs or budget
staff were communicating between themselves,
the audit staff at the university system or the au-
dit staff at the state level, Tricoli said. The only
name excluded from these numerous threads is
the college president.
Lack of internal control
On Jan. 23, Brian Keith Chapman, GPCs
director of college services and chief auxiliary
offcer, wrote that he was concerned and frankly
angry about the steady decrease of the auxil-
iary fund balances.
As of now, bookstore reserves are down al-
most $4.5 million and overall auxiliary reserves
are down by $3.2 million, Chapman wrote. I
also understand that Ron [Carruth] has plans to
spend additional auxiliary reserves this year. As
chief auxiliary offcer, I should be consulted any
time these funds are accessed. It appears that any
funds [that] auxiliary services had to make a sig-
nifcant contribution to our institution are gone
with no explanation.
Carruth was the colleges executive vice pres-
ident for fnancial and administrative affairs.
On Feb. 3, Chapman asked budget director
Mark Gerspacher and accounting employees
Michael Cole and Nancy Harris about the state
of the auxiliary fund reserve balance.
Gerspachers response: Several thingscon-
tributed to the use of auxiliary reserve funds to
balance the year end budget.
Gerspacher, Cole and Harris no longer work
for the college.
In an undated affdavit acquired by The
Champion Newspaper from the offce of Geor-
gias secretary of state, Gerspacher stated, With
limited exceptions, none of the reports that I
prepared refected budget defcits because I did
not believe there were any budget defcits.
If it appeared that a particular budget item
within the general fund was going to exceed the
amount budgeted, I asked the accounting depart-
ment to charge that expense to an alternative
funding source, Gerspacher stated.
The budget reports did not refect defcits,
Gerspacher stated. I did not learn aboutpos-
sible budgets defcits at GPC until after my de-
parture.
On March 23, Sheletha Champion, GPCs
assistant vice president for fnancial affairs,
wrote an email about a report to the Southern As-
sociation of Colleges and Schools about the col-
leges fnances.
As we worked through this, our state of fscal
affairs and lack of internal control and spend-
ing became more and more painfully apparent,
Champion wrote.
We do not feel our fnancial information sup-
ports a claim of fnancial stability, Champion
wrote in an email that went out to Carruth and
chief accounting offcer Bethaney Willis, but not
to Tricoli.
Carruth and Champion both left the college
effective May 16, according to an announcement
by interim GPC President Rob Watts.
Tricoli told The Champion Newspaper he was
never informed during meetings of the executive
team, presidents cabinet or strategic planning
budget committee that we were spending down
our reserves or that our budget was going in the
red.

We got splaining to do

A March 24 email from Champion to Wil-
lis and GPC business manager Amy Jurgens
stated, In the words of Ricky Ricardo, we
got some splaining to do. Champion called
GPCs fnancial picture questionable.
Analyses clearly indicate a two-year
trend of overspending and little to no fund
balance, Champion wrote.
The next day, Jurgens wrote to Champion
about another overspending situation in which
GPC had had spent the entire fund balance for
tech fee.
We overspent revenue by $2,755,202, Ju-
rgens wrote.
Champions response: It appears this is
just another area where we overspent revenue
and impacted UNRA [unrestricted net assets].
A March 26 email to Champion shows that
the colleges fnancial woes were known at the
University System of Georgia.
Ben Riden, USGs associate vice chancel-
lor for fscal affairs, responding to a question
from Champion said, If you look at your June
30, 2011, fnancial statements on the Statement
of Net Assets, your unrestricted net assets are
minus $4,550,128.
I know this doesnt look good to have
a negative unrestricted position, but many
schools face this same problem, Riden wrote.
Commenting on that email, Tricoli told The
Champion Newspaper, The USG offce knew
that GPC was defcit-spending and they never
told the president of the college.
In a statement to The Champion Newspaper,
John Millsaps, the Board of Regents associ-
ate vice chancellor for media and publications,
stated that the USG offce learned of the pro-
jected shortfall from GPC offcials around
April 25.
Prior to this, the System Offce did raise
concerns with aspects of GPCs fnancial man-
agement to include concerns with GPCs fscal
year 2011 audit report, Millsaps stated.
Going forward, we still expect all USG
institutions to exercise their responsibility to
manage the resources entrusted to their care
and we recognize that those closest to the bud-
get are often in the best position to effectively
manage that budget, Millsaps stated. At the
same time, Chancellor Huckaby did direct all
USG institutions and the System Offce to en-
hance our fscal oversight practices as noted in
the USG audit report and in Chancellor [Hen-
ry] Huckabys letter of June 5, 2012.
penter accompanied the group on
guitar. A few percussion instru-
ments, including a tambourine, sat
idle on table. Sometimes we have
instruments; sometimes we just sing
a cappella, Goodman said.
Occasionally the person call-
ing for a song gives a reason for
the selection. At the late September
session, Moon River was chosen
to honor singer Andy Williams,
who died two days earlier, and It
Aint Necessarily So from Porgy
and Bess was chosen to honor song
writer George Gershwin, on whose
birthday the group was meeting.
Usually, its just whatever the per-
son is in the mood to sing.
The group doesnt take itself
seriously. While there are hymns
such as The Unclouded Day, there
also are parodies of hymns such as
a spoof version of Old Time Re-
ligion that sings about really old
timeas in pre-Christianreligion
with lyrics such as We will pray
with those old Druids/Theyd drink
fermented fluids/walking naked
through the woo-eds/And its good
enough for me.
A new twist on an old song adds
to the fun. To the Clovers 1959 hit
Love Potion No. 9, one woman
added the lyric, I had so much fun
that Im going back again/I wonder
what will happen with Love Potion
No. 10.
There are country songs, folk
music, hymns, show tunes, pop
music from decades ago, even
songs from the Civil War era. Its
unlikely one will hear much rap
or hip-hop at these sessions; they
tend to appeal to people middle-age
and older. Some are baby boomers
who remember hootenannies (so-
cial gatherings featuring folk song
singing) or the television show Sing
Along With Mitch that were popu-
lar in their youth. Some grew up in
churches that had strong singing tra-
ditions and others are simply music
lovers with no particular talent who
just love to sing anyway.
I think maybe children dont
sing as much in school as they did
when we were there, said Good-
man, commenting on why theyre
was little interest in song circles
among todays young adults. May-
be theyre busy raising their chil-
dren right now and this sort of thing
will appeal to them more when they
get older. It remains to be seen.
Education
Similar to question
No. 1, the reforms that are
needed start at the top, the
DeKalb County school
board. We require a unifed
school board and fscal re-
sponsibility.
Is the board of education
too big for members to
come to a consensus on
certain issues?
In my opinion, the issue
is not whether the school
board [being] too large. The
issue is, whether the school
board understand the chal-
lenges that our schools,
principals, teachers, volun-
teers, parents and communi-
ty members agree on a sin-
gular vision for our school
district for the improved
future for our children. My
goal is to effectively com-
municate to our county
where our school district is
heading and be accessible
and transparent.
What are your thoughts
of Superintendent Cheryl
Atkinson. Has she done a
good job up to this point?
Dr. Atkinson has done
a commendable job for the
short time she has been
here. She has had the un-
enviable task of cutting
staff, reducing expenses and
reorganizing the largest em-
ployer in DeKalb County.
She has heard the concerns
of the DeKalb County com-
munity and reduced the
central offce staff, reorga-
nized the school system ad-
ministration and is focused
on providing a system that
provides the best services to
our teachers and students.
What can you do to work
alongside board members
and develop better rela-
tionships?
Ill invite you to my next
barbecue cookout.
What do you think about
the charter school amend-
ment?
I am in favor of charter
schools with local control.
This is the third install-
ment in a series where The
Champion Newspaper edu-
cation reporter Daniel Be-
auregard interviewed new-
ly-elected DeKalb County
school board members
to discuss their thoughts
on the issues facing the
DeKalb County School
District (DCSD) in coming
years. Jim McMahan be-
gins his term Jan. 1 as the
District 4 board member.
The answers to these ques-
tions were submitted by Mc-
Mahan via email. Readers
are encouraged to submit
questions via email at dan-
iel@dekalbchamp.com.
What do you think are
some of the issues the
school district is facing in
the coming years?
The prioritized issues
that we are facing as a
school district in the 2013
school year are:
1. A unifed school board
frst and foremost. We
must focus our school
board to create a unifed
board with a singular
vision that focuses on
delivering all available
resources to our teach-
ers, students and schools.
The goal is to drive all
available funds to our
schools and classrooms
to increase the level of
instruction and education
in all of our schools.
2. Fiscal responsibility is
paramount to our survival
as a functioning school
system. We need to man-
age our existing budget-
ary shortfalls with creat-
ing effciencies within
our administration and a
proactive approach to in-
crease our revenue from
non-traditional sources.
I will work diligently to
fnd alternative funding
sources for our schools
through volunteer efforts
and aligning our schools
with private and public
partnerships that generate
revenue and benefts.
What are some of the
reforms needed in the
DeKalb County School
District?
needed start at the top, the
available funds to our
schools and classrooms
to increase the level of
instruction and education
Q
needed start at the top, the needed start at the top, the
DeKalb County school DeKalb County school
board. We require a unifed board. We require a unifed
school board and fscal re- school board and fscal re-
Q
board with a singular board with a singular
vision that focuses on vision that focuses on
delivering all available delivering all available
resources to our teach- resources to our teach-
ers, students and schools. ers, students and schools.
The goal is to drive all The goal is to drive all
available funds to our available funds to our
Q
sponsibility. sponsibility.
schools and classrooms schools and classrooms
to increase the level of to increase the level of
instruction and education instruction and education
in all of our schools. in all of our schools.
2. Fiscal responsibility is 2. Fiscal responsibility is
paramount to our survival paramount to our survival
Q
Q
as a functioning school as a functioning school
system. We need to man- system. We need to man-
Q
Q
Q
Q
Q
munity and reduced the
central offce staff, reorga-
nized the school system ad-
ministration and is focused
crease our revenue from
What do you think about district for the improved A
munity and reduced the munity and reduced the
central offce staff, reorga- central offce staff, reorga-
A
Is the board of education Is the board of education
too big for members to too big for members to
come to a consensus on come to a consensus on
nized the school system ad- nized the school system ad-
ministration and is focused ministration and is focused
on providing a system that on providing a system that
provides the best services to provides the best services to
our teachers and students. our teachers and students.
A
principals, teachers, volun- principals, teachers, volun-
What can you do to work What can you do to work
alongside board members alongside board members
and develop better rela- and develop better rela-
tionships? tionships?
Ill invite you to my next Ill invite you to my next
barbecue cookout. barbecue cookout.
What do you think about What do you think about A
board understand the chal- board understand the chal-
A
What do you think about What do you think about A
A
lenges that our schools, lenges that our schools,
teers, parents and communi- teers, parents and communi-
ty members agree on a sin- ty members agree on a sin-
gular vision for our school gular vision for our school
district for the improved district for the improved A
system. We need to man- system. We need to man-
age our existing budget- age our existing budget-
ary shortfalls with creat- ary shortfalls with creat-
our administration and a our administration and a
proactive approach to in- proactive approach to in-
crease our revenue from crease our revenue from A
district for the improved district for the improved What do you think about What do you think about A
What do you think about What do you think about A crease our revenue from crease our revenue from A
Is the board of education Is the board of education
A
QQ
Is the board of education Is the board of education Is the board of education Is the board of education
too big for members to too big for members to too big for members to too big for members to
come to a consensus on come to a consensus on come to a consensus on come to a consensus on
certain issues? certain issues? certain issues? certain issues?
In my opinion, the issue In my opinion, the issue In my opinion, the issue In my opinion, the issue
is not whether the school is not whether the school is not whether the school is not whether the school
board [being] too large. The board [being] too large. The board [being] too large. The board [being] too large. The
issue is, whether the school issue is, whether the school issue is, whether the school issue is, whether the school
board understand the chal- board understand the chal- board understand the chal- board understand the chal-
instruction and education instruction and education instruction and education instruction and education
paramount to our survival paramount to our survival paramount to our survival paramount to our survival
QQ
QQ
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paramount to our survival paramount to our survival paramount to our survival paramount to our survival paramount to our survival paramount to our survival paramount to our survival paramount to our survival
QQ
system. We need to man- system. We need to man- system. We need to man- system. We need to man-
QQ
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&&
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come to a consensus on come to a consensus on come to a consensus on come to a consensus on come to a consensus on come to a consensus on come to a consensus on
certain issues? certain issues? certain issues? certain issues? certain issues? certain issues? certain issues?
In my opinion, the issue In my opinion, the issue In my opinion, the issue In my opinion, the issue In my opinion, the issue In my opinion, the issue In my opinion, the issue
is not whether the school is not whether the school is not whether the school is not whether the school is not whether the school is not whether the school is not whether the school
board [being] too large. The board [being] too large. The board [being] too large. The board [being] too large. The board [being] too large. The board [being] too large. The board [being] too large. The
issue is, whether the school issue is, whether the school issue is, whether the school issue is, whether the school issue is, whether the school issue is, whether the school issue is, whether the school
board understand the chal- board understand the chal- board understand the chal- board understand the chal- board understand the chal- board understand the chal- board understand the chal-
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A
district for the improved district for the improved
What do you think about What do you think about
proactive approach to in- proactive approach to in-
crease our revenue from crease our revenue from
&&
&&
Q
&
A
Q&A with newly elected
DeKalb County school board
member Jim McMahan
McMahan
Local restaurants to donate proceeds to
Decatur Farm to School
The Decatur Farm to School (DFTS) Fall Dine Out
will be held Oct. 16, 7-11 a.m., for breakfast/coffee
spots and 5-9 p.m. for dinner/dessert restaurants.
Participating restaurants include: The Bakery at
Cakes & Ale, Community Q, Farm Burger, Kitschn
155, Mellow Mushroom Pizza, Oakhurst Market, Rag-
ing Burrito, Revolution Doughnuts, Rise-N-Dine, Sugar
Moon Bake Shop, and Yogurt Tap. Little Shop of Sto-
ries will also be donating a portion of its evening sales
to DFTS.
As a part of the Dine Out, there will be a raffe with
prizes from local restaurants and businesses, including
The Bakery at Cakes & Ale, Community Q, Farm Mo-
bile, Kavarna, Little Shop of Stories, Oakhurst Market,
Pastries A Go Go, Raging Burrito, Rise-N-Dine, the
Wylde Center, and more.
Funds raised will go toward supporting teacher
workshops, kitchen trainings for cafeteria staff, class-
room and garden projects and student taste tests.
For more information visit www.decaturfarmtos-
chool.org.
IMC student named Davidson Scholar
Josh Forbes, an eighth grade student at Immaculate
Heart of Mary Catholic School (IHM), was recently
named a Davidson Scholar.
To become a Davidson Scholar a student must
score in the 99 percentile on a qualifed talent and/
or IQ standardized test. Additionally, a portfolio of
work demonstrating the students performance two to
three grade levels above his or her peers may also be
required.
As a scholar, Forbes has been given a personal
consultant who will provide support services in the
areas of educational advocacy, talent and interest
development, as well as peer connections all over
the country and throughout the world. There is also
the possibility of fnancial assistance to help meet his
educational goals.
Forbes is a member of the IHM math team, writing
club, student council, Pride of the Eagles Band and the
basketball team. He also plays football for St. Pius X
Middle School and plays the alto and tenor saxophone
for the St. Pius Middle School honors band. He
participates in Boy Scouts, Duke TIP and the Mensa
Society. He also volunteers weekly at Holy Cross
Church for the childrens liturgy.
2012 National Red Ribbon contest
announced
The National Family Partnership announced the
national contest for its 27th annual Red Ribbon Week
to be held Oct. 23-31.
In 1985 after the murder of a U.S. Drug Enforcement
Administration agent, parents, youth and teachers in
communities across the country began wearing red
ribbons as a symbol of their commitment to raise
awareness of the destruction caused by drugs.
This year, families can get involved by entering a
contest to promote awareness in their neighborhoods
and win a $1,000 drug prevention grant for their
schools and a new iPad for their home.
To participate in the contest families and students
will decorate the front of their homes with this
years message: The Best Me Is Drug Free. Then
participants must upload their photo to www.redribbon.
org/contest by Nov. 2.
Winners will be announced in December.
eDUCATiON Briefs
Haley Pate, a fourth-
grader at 4/5 Academy at
Fifth Avenue in Decatur,
said when civil rights icon
Congressman John Lewis
spoke to her third grade
class last year it changed her
life.
His words were so
intriguing, Pate said. He
had been through so much
and you could imagine how
sad it was when Martin
Luther King Jr. was
assassinated.
Pate was so inspired
by Lewis story that she
decided to write a story of
her own told from Lewis
point of view. In her story,
Pate writes about Lewis
reactions upon hearing
Kings famous I have a
dream speech and several
other key points of his life.
The story is about
how [Lewis] was feeling
during one of the episodes
he described and she had
her classmates illustrate the
story, said Pates mother
Laurie Culp.
In September Pate
and her family took a
trip to Washington, D.C.,
and Lewis offce helped
organize some tours for
them to take while on their
trip. When they arrived in
the capitol, Culp said, the
family stopped by Lewis
offce to drop off the story
Pate wrote so he could read
it.
[Lewis] spent a lot of
time with us and he took us
into his offce and talked to
Haley about her story and
then he showed us all of
these pictures from the Civil
Rights Movement, Culp
said.
Additionally, Culp said
Lewis spoke to them about
his time with King and
meeting President John
F. Kennedy. Lewis also
showed them pictures of
him being beaten by police.
He was really engaging
with her, Culp said. He
really inspired her and she
really has taken this in a
very profound way.
Pate said visiting Lewis
at his offce in
Washington was an
amazing adventure.
Her favorite part
about the visit was
listening to Lewis tell
stories about the Civil
Rights Movement.
In 1965, Lewis
and fellow activist
Hosea Williams led
a civil rights march
through Selma, Ala.
They were crossing
a bridge and at the
end of the bridge they
were met by Alabama
State Troopers, who
ordered them to
disperse.
When the marchers
stopped to pray, the
police discharged
tear gas. Mounted
troopers then charged
the demonstrators and
beat them. Lewis skull
was fractured but he made
it across the bridge to a
church. Before being taken
to the hospital, Lewis
appeared before television
cameras calling on President
Lyndon B. Johnson to
intervene in Alabama.
The whole story
inspired me, especially him
talking about his experience
on the bridge at Selma and
talking about what was in
his backpack, Pate said.
Pate said Lewis told
her and her family that he
knew he would probably be
arrested, so he was carrying
everything he needed to
spend time in jail, including
a change of clothes in his
backpack.
I was inspired by him
talking about how scary it
was but how justifying it
was to fght for freedom,
Pate said.
Culp said since meeting
Lewis, her daughter has
fourished and developed a
passion for writing.
I think just the whole
Fourth-grader inspired by visit with civil rights icon
The whole
story inspired me,
especially him
talking about his
experience on the
bridge at Selma
and talking about
what was in his
backpack.

Haley Pate
idea of the Civil Rights

Movement is something that
she hasnt just thought about
very much up until this
point, Culp said. I think
meeting Lewis really put it
in perspective for her and
made it very personal and it
did for us too.
Family members Joey Pate, Laurie Culp, Maddy Pate and Haley Pate, met Congressman John Lewis
during a recent trip to Washington, DC. Haley Pate said hearing Lewis stories of his involvement with
the Civil Rights movement changed her life.
The Champion Free Press, Friday, Oct. 12, 2012 Page 18A Health

Newly available procedure helps save hearts at DeKalb Medical
CDC study shows 54 percent decrease in teen drinking and driving since 1991
The percentage of teens
in high school (ages 16 and
older) who drove when they
had been drinking alcohol
decreased by 54 percent
between 1991 and 2011,
according to a Vital Signs
study released Oct. 2 by the
Centers for Disease Con-
trol and Prevention (CDC).
Nine out of 10 high school
teens (ages 16 and older)
did not drink and drive dur-
ing 2011.
We are moving in the
right direction. Rates of
teen drinking and driving
have been cut in half in 20
years, said CDC Director
Thomas R. Frieden. But
we must keep up the mo-
mentumone in 10 high
school teens, 16 and older,
drinks and drives each
month, endangering them-
selves and others.
For the study, CDC ana-
lyzed data from the 1991-
2011 national Youth Risk
Behavior Surveys (YRBS).
These national surveys
asked high school students
if they had driven a vehicle
when they had been drink-
ing alcohol one or more
times during the 30 days
before the survey; CDC
researchers focused their
analysis on students aged 16
and older.
The study also found
that:
Teens were responsible for
approximately 2.4 million
episodes of drinking and
driving a month in 2011;
some engaged in the dan-
gerous behavior more than
once a month.
High school boys ages 18
and older were most likely
to drink and drive (18
percent), while 16-year-
old high school girls were
least likely (6 percent).
Eighty-fve percent of
teens in high school who
reported drinking and
driving in the past month
also reported binge drink-
ing. For YRBS, binge
drinking means fve or
more drinks during a short
period of time.
Teens learn from
adults, said Pamela S.
Hyde, administrator of the
Substance Abuse and Men-
tal Health Services Admin-
istration. That is why it is
critically important that par-
ents, teachers, coaches and
all caring adults in a young
persons life talk with them
early and often about the
dangers of underage alcohol
use as well as drinking and
driving.
Many efforts have been
helping to reduce teen
drinking and driving. Some
of the proven, effective
strategies include the laws
in place in every state that
make it illegal to sell alco-
hol to anyone under age 21
and for those under age 21
to drive after drinking any
alcohol, plus the graduated
driver licensing systems in
every state that allow teens
to gain privileges, such as
driving at night or driving
with passengers, over time.
Parents also have a cru-
cial role to play in keep-
ing their teens safe on the
road. They can model safe
driving behavior and can
consider using tools such as
parent-teen driving agree-
ments with their teens, ac-
cording to the CDC. Safe
driving habits for teens
include never drinking and
driving, following state
GDL laws, and wearing a
seat belt on every trip.
CDCs Injury Center
works to protect the safety
of everyone on the roads,
every day. For more infor-
mation, visit www.cdc.gov/
motorvehiclesafety. In addi-
tion, CDCs Parents Are the
Key campaign at www.cdc.
gov/parentsarethekey offers
parents of teen drivers in-
formation, tools and proven
tips to help protect their
teens from crashes.
Vital Signs is a CDC
report that appears on the
frst Tuesday of the month
as part of the CDC journal
Morbidity and Mortality
Weekly Report.
Nearly one million high school teens still drink and drive each year
In the 17 months since it has
upgraded its services, the DeKalb
Medical Heart and Vascular Institute
has successfully saved more than
500 hearts by providing percutane-
ous coronary interventions (PCI)
services, according to a statement
from the hospital.
PCI, commonly known as coro-
nary angioplasty and stenting, or
simply angioplasty, is a non-surgical
procedure used to treat narrowed
coronary arteries of the heart that
can cause heart attacks.
We saw a need in our com-
munity, so we implemented this
PCI program and are very proud of
how many lives have been saved
as a result, Executive Director of
Heart and Vascular Services Patrick
Green said.
Before establishing the service
in May 2011, patients who came
to DeKalb Medical in emergent or
acute distress were examined to
determine their heart problem, but
were subsequently transferred to
another facility for a PCI. Now, the
DeKalb Medical Heart and Vascu-
lar Institute provides diagnosis and
treatment, which has led to much-
improved outcomes and a steady
increase in patient volume.
When a patient comes to DeKalb
Medical with signs of a heart at-
tack, he or she is taken to the car-
diac catherization laboratory where
a diagnostic test is conducted to
determine whether there are block-
ages and their severity. If there are
blockages, the cardiologist perform-
ing the diagnostic study consults
with an intervening cardiologist,
such as DeKalb Medicals Medical
Director of Interventional Cardiol-
ogy Dr. Mirza Ahmed. He makes
the determination if a PCI is needed
immediately, can be scheduled in
the next few days, or if the blockage
can be treated medically instead of
intervening.
PCI is far less invasive than
open heart surgery, greatly reduc-
ing recovery time and risk. There
is no cutting, and the procedure is
done with wires, stents and balloons
through catheters placed in the pa-
tients arteries. Dr. Ahmed and other
interventional cardiologists on staff
at DeKalb Medical typically need
an hour for the PCI procedure. Af-
terward, the patient recovers and is
usually monitored for 24 to 48 hours
before going home.
Dr. Ahmed recommends all PCI
patients participate in DeKalb Medi-
cals Cardiac and Pulmonary Rehab
Program where they can improve
exercise ability, reduce cardiac
symptoms and gain positive psy-
chosocial well-being through a per-
sonalized plan working with trained
professionals.
Theres a great deal of comfort
for the patient knowing they are
rehabilitating while their heart is be-
ing monitored right here at the hos-
pital, Green said.
As part of growing its services,
the DeKalb Medical Heart and
Vascular Institute has also started a
cardio electrophysiology program,
which deals with the electrical
activities of the heart such as its
signals and rhythms. This program
is in the early stages of develop-
ment and is being overseen by Dr.
Zoobin Alikhani, a recent addition
to the DeKalb Medical Heart and
Vascular Institute team.
We expect the electrophysiol-
ogy program to be as benefcial to
cardiac rhythm patients in our com-
munity as the PCI program has been
for patients with heart blockages,
Green said.
ATLANTA
Callanwolde to present spooky
stories

Callanwolde Fine Arts Center
will present Spooky Stories as its
October Family Storytelling session
Friday, Oct. 19, at 7 p.m. Audi-
ences will experience a diverse
group of professional and student
storytellers as they entertain with
tales for all ages. The program
features Georgia Youth Storytell-
ers and Emerging Voices. Children
are welcome to wear costumes for
a parade and contest, and festive
snacks will be served. This event
will be held in the Retreat at Callan-
wolde. Tickets are sold at the door.
General admission tickets are $3;
tickets for children are $1.
CHAMBLee
Chamblee hosts Halloween
celebrations
The city of Chamblee is hosting
a Halloween celebration at Keswick
Park Oct. 27, from 2-6 p.m.
The event includes a costume
contest, a 5K race, hay rides, face
painting and much more. The cos-
tume contest features an individual
category and a group/family cat-
egory. Pre-registration for the con-
test ends Oct. 25.
The Hustle for Hope 5K and
fun run will benefit the Elaine Clark
Center in Chamblee. Winners and
top finishers in each gender/age
category will be recognized. Addi-
tionally, awards for best runner-up
Halloween costumes will be given.
For additional information on the
events or for registration forms visit
www.chambleega.com or contact
Loren Roberts at (770) 986-5016
or lroberts@chambleega.com.
CLArKsTON
Clarkston mayor to holds state
of city address
Clarkston Mayor Emmanuel
Ransom will hold a state of the
city address Oct. 16, from 6:30-
7:30 p.m. at the Clarkston Com-
munity Center, located at 3701
College Avenue.
There will be a small reception
beforehand and the speech will be-
gin at 7 p.m.
DeCATUr
Commissioner to host small
business healthcare summit
DeKalb County Commissioner
Larry Johnson is sponsoring a
small business session on the Af-
fordable Health Care Act and Small
Business.
The event will be held Wednes-
day, Oct. 17, at 10 a.m. at the
Community Achievement Center,
4522 Flat Shoals Parkway, Decatur.
Business owners and the gen-
eral public are invited to attend the
free event.
Speakers will be Dr. Pamela
Roshell, the region IV director of
the U.S. Department of Health and
Human Services, and Sol Ross,
the organizations director of busi-
ness outreach.
For more information or to RSVP
contact Commissioner Johnsons
office at (404) 371-2988.
DUNwOODY
DA, Dunwoody police to host
town hall meeting
DeKalb County District Attorney
Robert James and Dunwoody
Police Chief Billy Grogan will host
a town hall meeting and commu-
nity breakfast on Saturday, Oct.
20 at Kingsley Elementary School,
located at 2051 Brendon Drive in
Dunwoody.
Dunwoody residents, homeown-
er associations and business own-
ers are encouraged to attend the
free event, which begins promptly
at 8:30 a.m. with a complimentary
breakfast.
This is an interactive commu-
nity event that allows residents and
business owners an opportunity to
directly interface with various arms
of public safety here in DeKalb
County, James said. We will be
able to engage in active dialogue
concerning any public safety issues
and concerns.
The town hall meeting will edu-
cate residents about crime preven-
tion, community resources and
various public safety initiatives.
We will empower parents to
protect their children from online
predators, Grogan said. We are
encouraging PTAs, church groups
and neighborhood organizations to
join us for this important town hall
meeting.
For more information, contact
Dana Lawrence at delawrence@
dekalbcountyga.gov or Ebony
Phillips at eaphillips@dekalbcoun-
tyga.gov.
Dunwoody Police collecting
unused medicines year-round
To assist the public with the
disposal of expired, unused and
unwanted prescription drugs or
over-the-counter medications, the
Dunwoody Police Department has
acquired a drug collection unit
called MedReturn.
Beginning immediately, Dun-
woody residents can take their
unwanted medication to the front
lobby of the Dunwoody Police
Department on Tuesdays or Thurs-
days from 9 - 11 a.m. or 1-3 p.m.
at 41 Perimeter Center East, Suite
100.
The department cannot ac-
cept needles/sharps, syringes with
needles, thermometers, IV bags,
bloody or infectious waste, person-
al care products, empty containers,
inhalers, medical equipment and
hydrogen peroxide.
Every year, more than two mil-
lion poison exposures are reported
in the United States. In 2009, more
than 51 percent of reported poi-
sonings in Georgia involved chil-
dren ages 5 and under, according
to a statement by the Dunwoody
Police Department.
Unfortunately, there are many
unused dangerous prescription
drugs in homes throughout our
community. Citizens now have a
safe alternative to dispose of them
which will protect their children
and remove the potential for abuse
from others, said Dunwoody Po-
lice Chief Billy Grogan.
During the recent Operation
Pill Drop by the Dunwoody Police
Department, residents turned in
more than 200 pounds of unused
medications.
For more information about
MedReturn, contact Sgt. Mike
Carlson at (678) 382.6907, or
mike.carlson@dunwoodyga.gov.
LiTHONiA
PTSA to hold fundraiser
Arabia Mountain High School in
Lithonia will be hosting its second
annual Taste of Arabia and Silent
Auction on Saturday, Nov. 3, at
the high school located at 6610
Browns Mill Road, 3 - 7 p.m. This
event is being hosted by the PTSA.
Lithonia to hold music festival
The city of Lithonia presents
Lithonia Rocks, a night of entertain-
ment for the whole family.
The event will feature live R&B
and jazz music, food, video games
including Xbox, Wii and PS3 and
shopping at local stores.
Lithonia Rocks will be held Oct.
13, beginning at 7 p.m. on Main
Street near the Wayfield grocery
store. The event is sponsored by
the law firm of Burroughs, Keene,
Paulk & Von Schuch.
sTONe MOUNTAiN
Stone Mountain city-wide yard
sale announced
The Stone Mountain city-wide
yard sale will be held on Saturday,
Oct. 20, 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. on
the First Baptist Church lawn in the
center of town. Set up begins at
7:30 a.m. on the day of the sale;
tables will not be provided. A lim-
ited number of 10-foot-by-10-foot
spaces under the pavilion are avail-
able at $20 each on a first come,
first served basis or 10-foot-by-10-
foot lawn spaces can be rented for
$10 each. For more information,
contact Chakira Johnson at (404)
444-0157 or City Hall at (770)
498-8984. No food vendors. No
refunds and no rain date.
Golf Classic planned by Friends
of Disabled Adults and Children
The Friends of Disabled Adults
and Children (FODAC) will hold
its annual golf classic on Monday,
Oct. 15, at Stone Mountain Golf
Club, with a shotgun start 10 a.m.
Registration is underway for the
golf classic which is being held in
conjunction with Medtrade 2012.
Free shuttles will provide trans-
portation for players from down-
town Atlanta to the Stone Moun-
tain Golf Club. For details and
registration, go to www.fodac.org/
golf/ or call (866) 977-1204.
The Stone Mountain Golf Club
is located at Stone Mountain Park,
1145 Stonewall Jackson Drive,
Stone Mountain.
All proceeds from the golf tour-
nament benet FODAC, which
provides home medical equipment
to the disabled and their families
and caregivers. Last year, FODAC
donated more than $10 million in
equipment to the disabled com-
munity at little or no cost to the
recipient.
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Sports
by Carla Parker
T
wo of DeKalb
Countys top foot-
ball program will
face each other for
the frst time in a regular
season game Oct. 12.
The No. 4-ranked Ste-
phenson Jaguars (4-0) and
No. 2-ranked Tucker Ti-
gers (5-0) will face off in
a much-anticipated region
6-AAAAA battle at Hall-
ford Stadium at 7:30 p.m.
The two teams, both 4-0 in
the region, are coming off
a bye week and should be
ready and well-rested for
this matchup.
Coming off a 67-7 win
against Lakeside High
School on Sept. 28, the
Tigers will face a tougher
challenger in the Jaguars,
who defeated Southwest
DeKalb High School 32-0
in its last game. The de-
fending Class AAAA state
champions have played well
since moving up to Class
AAAAA, outscoring its op-
ponents 217-42 this season,
and are looking to make a
big statement by giving Ste-
phenson its frst loss of the
season.
The Tigers offense is
averaging 357 yards rushing
and 44 points per game and
has fve running backs with
more than 150 yards each on
the season. Running backs
Yusef Minor and Dallas
Rivers are both averaging
more than 100 yards per
game. The two have a com-
bined 12 touchdowns and
856 total rushing yards.
The Jaguars tough de-
fense is coming off a domi-
nating performance against
Southwest DeKalb and is
looking to have a repeat
performance against Tuck-
ers offense. Stephenson is
allowing only 8.3 points per
game.
Stephensons offense
also has a number of weap-
ons in quarterback Justin
Holman and running backs
Evan Jones, Tevin Austin
and Jahmal Daniels. The
Jaguars are averaging more
than 300 yards rushing per
game while scoring at more
than 43 points per game.
Both teams are fght-
ing, along with undefeated
Martin Luther King High
School, to claim the number
one spot in the region. The
winner of this game could
claim that spot and possibly
win the region.
Stephenson, Tucker to clash in frst regular season game
Stephenson running back Austin Tevin. Justin Holman prepares to snap the ball while being protected by
the Stephenson offensive line.
Tuckers Dallas Rivers looks to gain big yards against Stephenson during Oct. 12 game. Photos by Travis Hudgons
Sports
by Carla Parker
Cedar Grove High School
senior quarterback Johnathon
McCrary will make his national
television debut Jan. 5, 2013, in
the 13th annual U.S. Army All-
American Bowl in San Antonio,
Texas.
The U.S. Army All-American
Bowl is the nations premier high
school football game, featuring the
best 90 players in a classic East
vs. West match-up every Janu-
ary in San Antonios Alamodome
and broadcast live on NBC. The
game has helped launch the ca-
reers of current NFL players, such
as Indianapolis Colts quarterback
Andrew Luck, Detroit Lions de-
fensive lineman Ndamukong Suh,
New York Jets quarterback Tim
Tebow, and many more.
The U.S. Army All-American
Bowl selection tour stopped at
Cedar Grove on Oct. 1 to pres-
ent McCrary his game jersey. He
received the jersey in the schools
gym in front of family, teammates,
coaches, classmates and school
administration.
McCrary, who is committed to
play at Vanderbilt University next
year, said receiving the honor was
another door of opportunity that
has opened for him and for other
athletes at his school.
Now since Ive opened that
door other athletes at my school
wont get looked at as bad ath-
letes, he said.
McCrary will play for the East
team in the 1 p.m. game. So far,
he joins two other players from
Georgia who will play in the game
Walton High Schools Tyren
Jones and Brandon Kublanow.
Players are selected by the
U.S. Army All-American Bowl
selection committee to play in the
game. The selection committee is
composed of representatives from
Rivals.com and All American
Games and its regional coaching
network. Every high school foot-
ball senior is eligible for selection
and the selection process kicks
off at the U.S. Army National
Combine and proceeds across the
country during various combines,
camps and clinics.
From millions of high school
football players, the selection
committee evaluates thousands of
the nations top prospects on an
annual basis. Following the evalu-
ation period, the selection commit-
tee offcially nominates the nations
top 400 seniors to be considered
for selection to the U.S. Army
All-American Bowl. From the
nominees, players are selected and
invited to play in the U.S. Army
All-American Bowl.
Through fve games, Mc-
Crary has thrown for 1,206 yards
with nine touchdowns and seven
interceptions. Rivals.com ranks
McCrary No. 6 among duel-threat
quarterbacks in the nation.
The selection committee said
McCrary is a dual-threat quarter-
back with great size and is built for
the spread offense.
He has good speed, but also
a terrifc arm and is capable of
making tough throws while on the
move, a committee representative
said. The more time he spends
developing at the quarterback posi-
tion, the better his decision making
will become as he learns to trust
his arm as much as his legs.
The game will also include
the nations top 125 high school
marching musicians, who will per-
form during halftime.
For more information, visit
www.usarmyallamericanbowl.com.
Johnathon McCrary to play in U.S. Army All-American Bowl
by Carla Parker
The Chamblee Bulldogs got
their ffth win of the season to
remain undefeated after beating
the Redan Raiders 21-7.
The Bulldogs moved to
5-0 on the season for the frst
time since their Class AAA
playoff semifnal run in 2007.
Chamblee is now 1-0 in Region
6-AAAA play. Redan drops to
1-4.
The game was a tale of two
halves. The Bulldogs got off to
a fast start with a 21-0 run in
the frst half with three rushing
touchdowns by tight end Davin
Bellamy, wide receiver Quincy
Wafford and full back Dezmin
Reid who got his seventh
rushing touchdown of the sea-
son. Chamblee had a total of
206 rushing yards.
But in the second half,
the Bulldog offense could not
move down the feld and when-
ever Chamblee got a good drive
going penalties would kill the
drive. Chamblee head coach
Allen Johnson said his team
just came out fat in the second
half.
Some of the guys had
blown assignments, just making
mental mistakes and penalties,
which is what we call drive
killers, he said. Once we got
going we would have a mental
breakdown and it killed our
whole drive. [The win] wasnt
pretty but Ill take it.
In the second half, the Raid-
ers had plenty of opportunities
to score but failed to get in the
end zone. In its opening drive
in the third quarter, Redan
moved the ball down the feld
to the 1-yard line. But Cham-
blees defense held strong and
stopped the Raiders from scor-
ing a touchdown.
Redan tried to score a feld
goal but Reed got through the
Raiders offensive line and
blocked it.
Chamblee moved the ball
down the feld on its next
drive, but two penalties an
illegal motion and a false start
backed the Bulldogs offense
into a hole that it couldnt get
out of.
On the following drive Re-
dan moved the ball down the
feld again, with the help of two
face mask penalties by Cham-
blee. Redan got into red zone
again with a chance to score
but failed to do so, turning the
ball over on downs.
The Raiders only touch-
down came late in the second
quarter with a pass from quar-
terback Noah Thomas to wide
receiver Raymond Trapp.
Redan head coach Willie
Griffeth, who was named head
coach in July, knew the score
could have been tied 21-21 but
he was still proud of his teams
effort.
Its a young team and
weve only been together for
seven or eight weeks now,
he said. But for the time that
weve had so far, Im proud
of them. We moved the ball,
we had a couple of bad calls, a
couple of blown opportunities
where we didnt get in [the end
zone], and a couple of dropped
passes. But its coming together
and Im proud of them.
Redan will try to get it
together before its next game
against Stone Mountain High
School (1-4) on Oct. 13 at
Avondale Stadium at 7:30 p.m.
Chamblee will go for win num-
ber six on Oct. 12 against Co-
lumbia High School at Avon-
dale Stadium at 7:30 p.m.
Johnathon McCrary. Photo by Carla Parker
Chamblee still undefeated after victory over Redan
Sports
by Carla Parker
T
he Dunwoody
Lady Wildcats
softball team is
region champion
after beating Miller Grove
in two games in the Region
6 AAAAA softball tourna-
ment on Oct. 5.
Dunwoody, in its fourth
consecutive playoff appear-
ance, defeated the Miller
Grove Lady Wolverines
13-6 in the frst game and
9-6 in the second to win the
region title. It was Miller
Groves frst ever softball
playoff berth.
The Lady Wildcats got
revenge on Miller Grove,
who knocked Dunwoody
into the losers bracket with
a 4-3 victory. Dunwoody
shut out Lakeside 1-0 to set
up the fnals sweep over the
Lady Wolverines.
Miller Grove (16-6-1)
and Dunwoody (20-8) will
play home games in the
state tournament set for
Oct. 10. DeKalb County
will have a total of six
schools in the state play-
offs.
Dunwoody will host
Region 7-AAAAA No. 4
seed Forsyth Central High
School (15-16) in a double-
header set for Oct. 10 at
2:30 p.m. at Dunwoody.
The second game follows
the 2:30 p.m. game and a
third game, if necessary,
will be played Oct. 11 at 4
p.m.
Miller Grove earned the
No. 2 seed and will host
Region 7-AAAAA
No. 3 seed Kell High
School (15-8) at 2 p.m.
Oct. 10 in a doubleheader.
A third game, if necessary,
is set for Oct. 11 at 4 p.m.
Lakeside, Arabia
Mountain and Chamblee
also reached the state play-
offs, but must go on the
road in the opening round.
Redan will also host a play-
off series.
Lakeside (19-9) will
travel to Region 7-AAAAA
No. 2 seed Creekview
High School (19-11) for a
doubleheader beginning at
5 p.m. Oct. 10. The third
game, if necessary, is set
for 6:30 p.m. Oct. 11.
Softball: Dunwoody wins region, advances to
state playoffs with fve other DeKalb schools
Arabia Mountain (16-
6) goes on the road to face
No. 7 ranked and Region
7-AAAAA No. 1 seed Pope
High School (21-5) in a
doubleheader Oct. 10 at 5
p.m. The third game, if nec-
essary, is set for Oct. 11 at
5:30 p.m.
In Class AAAA, Cham-
blee (8-8-1) will play at
Heritage-Catoosa High
School (24-6-1), who is
ranked No. 3 in the Georgia
Prep Coaches Poll and No. 5
by the Atlanta Journal-Con-
stitution. The doubleheader
on Oct. 10 will begin at 5
p.m. with the third game, if
necessary, set for Oct. 11 at
5 p.m.
Redan (10-7-1) will host
Region 7-AAAA No. 4 seed
Dalton High School (13-17)
in a 2 p.m. doubleheader
on Oct. 10. A third game, if
necessary, is set for Thurs-
day, Oct. 11, at 4:30 p.m.
Redan earned the No. 2 seed
from Region 6-AAAA by
reaching the tournament f-
nals before losing to Marist.
Dunwoodys Stacey Ward hits a single during the first game of the regional finals against Miller Grove. Photos by Carla Parker
Miller Grove pitcher Lakaylin Lee throws a pitch during the first game of the regional finals against
Dunwoody.
A member of Decatur-
based Culture Connect Inc.
won the 2012 AmeriCorps
Video Contest, beating 64
other contestants.
AmeriCorps VISTA mem-
ber Deanna Warren won
the contest with her video
that featured her work with a
mentee in Culture Connects
Go-Betweener Mentoring Pro-
gram.
Current AmeriCorps mem-
bers and alumni were asked
to submit photos and videos
showing how AmeriCorps
works. Entries were judged on
key elements, including over-
all impact, creativity, memo-
rable content and delivery
and clear message about how
AmeriCorps works. Winners
were selected by popular vote
on the Challenge.gov website.
Warren submitted a one-
minute video featuring her
work with one mentee in the
program. Warren, who will
receive a $4,000 prize, has
decided to share half of her
award with the mentoring
program. The video can be
viewed at http://www.youtube.
com/watch?v=uhOSdTp--LA.
We are thrilled that Dean-
na won this prestigious award
for a video featuring her work
with one of our mentees, said
board chairwoman Wendy Ho
of SouthStar Energy Services.
Alexis Dalmat, executive
director of Culture Connect,
added, Our VISTA volunteers
bring so much to Culture Con-
nect and have truly changed
the magnitude with which we
have been able to impact the
community. It is always mean-
ingful when they are recog-
nized for the impact they have
through Culture Connect.
Founded in 2006, Culture
Connect Inc. is a 501(c) not-
for-proft organization with
a mission to foster cultural
fuency between immigrants
and the community at large
through language services,
mentoring and education.
Started in 2008, Culture
Connects Go-Betweener
Mentoring Program matches
school-aged mentees who are
frst- or second-generation
immigrants or refugees with
mentors who share the speak
the same home language, have
a similar culture and also are
frst- or second-generation im-
migrants.
Decatur volunteer video on
mentorship wins contest
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