FreePress: 4-26-2013

Decatur: A great place to eat, walk
by Andrew Cauthen
andrew@dekalbchamp.com
D
ecatur continues to gather accolades,
recently being named the No.1 Foodie
City by Livability.com and one of eight
Dynamic Locales For Walkable Living by
Where To Retire magazine.
Both of these are well-deserved, said Hugh
Saxon, Decaturs deputy city manager. Its
certainly a terric honor to be selected.
The Foodie City designation was given by
Livability.com, a national website that ranks
quality of life and travel amenities of Americas
small and mid-sized cities.
A city doesnt become a great place to live
solely because it has quality, diverse restaurants,
but its hard to imagine a great city without a
wealth of options, said Matt Carmichael,
Livability.com editor and spokesman. These
cities excel on many measures. Having unique
places to eat adds to the overall culture and
personality of the place.
Decaturs restaurant scene separates this
town from all other Atlanta suburbs, according
to a media release by the website. Walk through
downtown Decatur and youd swear it was
designed by foodies. Each block brings a new set
of edible gifts, easily accessed by wide walkways
and pedestrian-friendly street crossings.
Decatur has one of the nations largest
clusters of highly rated, independent restaurants,
cafs and pubs, the media release stated. As
innovative restaurateurs like Billy Allin of
nationally acclaimed Cakes & Ale and Federico
Castellucci and Chad Crete of The Iberian Pig
bring attention to Decatur, local ofcials quickly
credit the citys growing collection of ne dining
as the catalyst for citywide reclamation.
For the list of Top 10 Foodie Cities,
Livability.com editors compared cities with a
high ratio of acclaimed restaurants, innovative
chefs and strong regional culinary styles to their
population size, focusing on smaller towns with
unexpected epicurean delights, according to the
release.
Editors also considered the citys overall
quality of life when compiling the list, having
found that the best foodie cities offer a high
quality of life, in which restaurants are just one
of the amenities that help residents thrive.
Decatur has been a destination for people
that are interested in a lot of dining choices,
Decaturs Saxon said.
The citys reputation as a restaurant
destination has been growing for the past 20
years, Saxon said.
It continues to grow with choices for all
types of cuisine and lots of budgets, Saxon said.
There is a good mix of types of restaurants that
people all over metro Atlanta would enjoy.
Following Decatur, other Top 10 Foodie
Cities include Hoboken, N. J.; Bloomington,
Ind.; Berkeley, Calif.; Madison, Wisc.; Lafayette,
La.; Chapel Hill, N. C.; Santa Fe, N. M.;
Alexandria, Va.; and Burlington, Vt.
In its May/June issue, which is now
available, Where to Retire magazine featured
Decatur as one of eight Dynamic Locales For
Walkable Living.
Where to Retire editor Mary Lu Abbott said
Decatur possesses qualities important to todays
retirees.
More people than ever are making
retirement relocation decisions based on how
often they can ditch the car and go places by
foot, Abott said. Many towns, including
Decatur, have neighborhoods where walking is
not only a health benet, but a way to connect
with neighbors and nature and lessen the strain
on your wallet and the environment.
Other walkable towns featured in the
magazine include Sarasota, Fla.; Charlottesville,
Va.; Providence, R. I.; Tucson, Ariz.; Boulder,
Colo.; Ashland, Ore.; and Bellingham, Wash.
The Decatur City Commission has spent a
lot of effort to improve and construct sidewalks
and trails in the city, Saxon said.
Its something that really does make our
downtown and community a place to live not just
for our retirees, but for everyone who lives and
works in Decatur, Saxon said.
Active living is an important goal for our
city, he said. We encourage our school children
to walk and bike to school and we encourage our
adults to walk and bike. Its a communitywide
focus.
Our city commission deserves a lot of the
credit, he said.
WHYIS SHE
SO
HAPPY ?
Because she gets her news updates online from the The Champion.
And you can too! Follow us.
www.facebook.com/championnewspaper
www.twitter.com/championnews
www. championnewspaper.com
WWW.CHAMPIONNEWSPAPER.COM FRIDAY, APRIL 26, 2013 VOL. 16, NO. 5 FREE
FREEPRESS
A PUBLICATION OF ACE III COMMUNICATIONS
Serving East Atlanta, Avondale Estates, Brookhaven, Chamblee, Clarkston, Decatur, Doraville, Dunwoody, Lithonia, Pine Lake, Tucker and Stone Mountain.
WHYIS SHE
SO
HAPPY ?
WHYIS SHE
SO
HAPPY ?
Like Us On Follow Us On
The Champion Free Press, Friday, April 26, 2013 Page 2A
LOCAL NEWS
local activists seek to change the world one chocolate bar at a time
by Kathy Mitchell
kathy@dekalbchamp.com
Typically, college students concern themselves
with slavery only as part of a history or sociol-
ogy class. Tirzah Brown, a junior at Oglethorpe
University in Brookhaven, has a more personal
interest. As a member of Fair Trade Atlanta she is
working to eliminate slavery, economic injustice
and poverty worldwide.
I became interested in fair trade because of
my desire to end slavery, Brown explained. I
wanted the way I live my life to correspond with
my values. Therefore, I started using only fair
trade coffee and chocolate so I would know that
these luxuries were not touched by slavery. This
evolved into a larger interest in the fair trade
movement.
Fair Trade Atlanta is a student- and business-
led initiative founded in January of this year with
a mission to end the use of slave-made goods in
Atlanta. We hope to end slavery in this genera-
tion. Our desire for this is rooted in the belief that
God has a heart for justice, states a Fair Trade
Atlanta news release.
A statement from Fair Trade Atlanta com-
mittee members says, The fair trade artisans
creativity, dignity, and strength is something we
desire for all people. That is why Atlanta needs
to become a fair trade town. Fair trade towns
are designated by the nonproft Fair Trade Towns
USA.
In doing this, we hope to bring widespread
awareness about fair trade and the issues it helps
alleviate such as poverty and slavery to our city.
Additionally, we want to increase the availabil-
ity and visibility of fair trade goods in Atlanta,
Brown said. She noted that some of the workers
shes concerned about are actual slavespeople
who under the threat of violence work only for
the economic beneft of others. Some work
voluntarily and receive a wage, but its not a fair
wage. They have to accept it because they have
no alternatives.
Brown said that fair trade goods cost only a
little moresometimes no morethan other
commercial goods. This bag, she said, indicat-
ing a handbag made by women who had been
abused in India, cost about what you would pay
for a similar one in a department store. The cost
is kept down with the use of recycled materials.
Thats another thing about fair trade goodsthey
often are also are produced in environmentally
sustainable conditions.
Some items such as chocolate, she said, might
be priced at the level of similar premium items. I
understand that Hersheys is planning to be 100
percent fair trade by 2020, and I doubt that its
prices will go up because of it.
Brown said her mother frst made her aware
of modern-day slavery. That issue was really
driven home for me when I went to Romania as a
child and met girls my age who were forced into
prostitution, she recalled. God really moved
my heart for these girls, and for all people who
have their dignity stolen through slavery. Fair
trade was brought to my attention by the Free the
Slaves International website as one of the many
things that can help end slavery.
The fair price of goods used for Fair Trade
International (FLO) practices is determined by
people much more intelligent than I am and I do
not know all of the criteria used, Brown said.
However, what I do know is that FLO organiza-
tions consider the cost of sustainable production
and living while setting the minimum priceand
it is just a minimum. Fair trade producers are al-
ways paid that as a baseline, and then can be paid
more as markets fuctuate.
There are various groups, such as Interna-
tional Justice Mission and Free the Slaves Inter-
national that identify and seek to help individuals
being forced to work without any pay. As far as
people being paid very little for voluntary work, I
do not know how they are identifed and assisted
by larger international organizations, she contin-
ued. However, as demand increases for fair trade
products, more fair trade producers will likely be
needed, so these families will have that as a more
viable option.
Brown said that her involvement with Fair
Trade Atlanta has taught her more than she is
likely to learn in a classroom. I think the main
thing I have learned is how globalized and inter-
connected our economy really is. Our collective
purchasing decisions here are almost immediately
affecting people both locally and half way around
the globe, she said. Recent years are the frst
time in history that economic patterns have had
such a widespread effect, which can be good or
bad, depending on the choices being made.
She urges all who are concerned about eco-
nomic justice to educate themselves. I think it is
really important to not just dive into action, but to
consider ramifcations to make sure you are using
time and resources effectively. After that, I would
say to buy fair trade and volunteer with organiza-
tions that are helping with social justice causes
you care about.
Brown said there are further opportunities to
learn about the fair trade movement at events
such as the lunch and learn Saturday, April 27,
11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. in Oglethorpes Lupton
Auditorium, where Courtney Lang, coordinator
of Fair Trade Towns USA, will speak on the mo-
mentum of fair trade in the United States and At-
lantas role. The other featured presenter will be
basket weaver Gloria Chonay of Mayan Hands,
a fair trade artisan from Guatemala, who will talk
about the impact fair trade has had on her life.
FAIR TRADE
Tirzah Brown, a junior at Oglethorpe University, where speakers
on the fair trade movement will make a lunchtime presentation
April 27, shows fair trade products such as a handbag and organic
chocolate. She said the abused women who make the handbags
were once ashamed to be identifed. Now they proudly sew their
names on each bag.
Page 3A The Champion Free Press, Friday, April 26, 2013
Indicted DeKalb County
teachers report to jail
pleAse recycle
this pAper
by Daniel Beauregard
daniel@dekalbchamp.com
Two of three former
DeKalb County school ad-
ministrators indicted April
16 for allegedly cheating
on the Criterion-Referenced
Competency Tests (CRCT)
have turned themselves in.
According to offcials
from District Attorney Rob-
ert James offce, the case
was originally indicted in
March 2011 but the most
recent indictment refects
new evidence and informa-
tion from witnesses.
The former administra-
tors are Agnes Flanagan,
former principal of Cedar
Grove Middle School; An-
gela Jennings, former prin-
cipal of Rock Chapel Ele-
mentary School; and Derek
Wooten, former principal
of Stoneview Elementary
School.
Erik Burton, a spokes-
man for the DAs offce,
said only Flanagan and
Jennings were required to
report to jail. Wooten, who
was named in the previous
indictment, was re-indicted
but already out on bail.
DeKalb County Supe-
rior Court Judge Cynthia
Becker set both bonds at
$50,000.
In a statement, James ap-
plauded the DeKalb County
School District (DCSD) for
bringing the case to his at-
tention.
These individuals not
only cheated the system,
they cheated each child and
parent at their schools,
James said. Hopefully this
indictment will put others
who consider cheating on
alert that we will not stand
for this.
Interim Superintendent
Michael Thurmond prom-
ised the school districts full
cooperation following the
indictment.
We will respect the
rights of the accused former
employees while pledging
our full cooperation to the
district attorneys offce in
getting this matter behind
us, Thurmond said. The
district attorney will have
access to all the data and
information the district has
at its disposal.
According to the indict-
ment, the fraud occurred
on several separate occa-
sions where the CRCT was
administered by the school
district.
In April or early May
2009, Flanagan allegedly
altered students CRCT test
score sheets and ordered
two teachers to do the same.
Ms. Flanagan ordered
the two subordinate teachers
into a room where already
complete CRCT test score
sheets were on a table, pro-
vided both with score sheet
transparencies that easily in-
dicated the correct answers
for the test and then ordered
both to start making chang-
es to test sheets, offcials
from the DAs offce said.
An investigation by Gov.
Nathan Deals offce, re-
leased in 2011, fagged Ce-
dar Grove Middle as a se-
vere school with regards to
its wrong-to-right erasure
analysis. James said the two
teachers Flanagan ordered
to change the answers are
cooperating witnesses and
corroborate each others
version of events.
Flanagan is charged with
three counts of making a
false statement, three counts
of forgery in the frst degree
and three counts of public
record fraud. She has since
retired from DCSD.
The allegations against
Jennings stem from a period
of eight days in April 2010.
She is accused of altering
the attendance records of
12 students to falsely refect
they had withdrawn from
Rock Chapel Elementary
and re-enrolled a short time
later.
According to prosecu-
tors, a witness has verifed
that several days before
the records were changed,
they taught Jennings how to
change students attendance
records in the schools com-
puterized student informa-
tion system.
The continuous enroll-
ment of a child at a school
for a full academic year
impacts the schools neces-
sity of having that childs
CRCT test scores refected
in the schools overall per-
formance.
Jennings reportedly re-
signed from DCSD in May
2010. She is charged with
eight counts of public re-
cord fraud and eight counts
of computer forgery for
every date she accessed the
student information system
to alter records.
Wooten, whose charges
include computer forgery
and two counts of making
false statements, was pro-
moted to assistant principal
at Stoneview Elementary in
2010.
Making Adequate Yearly
Progress (AYP), which was
tied to federal funding under
the No Child Left Behind
Act, had two components:
attendance and CRCT re-
sults. Wooten was worried
that Stoneview would not
pass AYP because of its
testing results, so he al-
legedly ordered teachers
to change the numbers of
students with excessive un-
excused absences.
An arraignment date for
the three former educators
has not yet been set.
Jennings
Flanagan Wooten
Local organizations partner to help
survivors of human trafficking
Mary Frances Bowley,
founder of the nonproft or-
ganization Wellspring Liv-
ing, said victims of human
traffcking have a strong
enough spirit to become
straight-A students they just
need to be given a chance.
Wellspring Living was
formed in 2011 to help sur-
vivors of childhood sexual
abuse and exploitation. It
currently operates two resi-
dential programs, a counsel-
ing center and two indepen-
dent living programs.
Our programs are a
refuge for women and girls
who need a second chance
at life, Bowley said.
Since theyve had to
survive on the streets for so
long, Bowley said, many of
the girls at Wellspring have
a strong entrepreneurial
spirit. When they use that
spirit to do something posi-
tive, Bowley said, they usu-
ally go beyond expectations.
Recently, Wellspring
began a partnership with
Provost Academy Georgia, a
public online charter school
that provides education to
underserved populations
throughout the state, includ-
ing a large number from
DeKalb.
Bowley said that by the
time a victim of human
traffcking enrolls in Well-
spring, they have usually
given up on school. In many
cases, Bowley said, the girls
expect to spend the rest of
their lives being exploited.
One of the things weve
found with girls that have
been exploited is that they
need to realize their lives
can be rebuilt, Bowley
said. Having the oppor-
tunity to fnish their high
school education is one way
they can work to rebuild
their lives.
Placing a human traffck-
ing victim in a public school
setting can be dangerous
for the survivors, Bowley
said. It can also make fnish-
ing high school a lot more
diffcult, especially while
working through so much
emotional trauma.
Each Wellspring loca-
tion, which isnt disclosed
for safety reasons, will be
equipped with a learning lab
that girls ages 12-17 can use
to work at their own pace.
Bowley said in addition to
two teachers on site, the
girls will also have online
access to the teachers at
Provost.
Its going to be such
a win-win, Bowley said.
The girls can take any class
they want and since the
school is a public charter
school, all the costs for cur-
riculum are covered.
Before its partnership
with Provost, Bowley said,
Wellspring used to contract
with a private school, which
was more expensive.
Bowley said allowing the
girls to work at their own
pace is important. When
survivors come into Well-
spring, theyre usually at
different levels than their
peers.
Dr. Monica Henson,
executive director of Pro-
vost, echoed Bowley and
said many of the students
the school serves are at
completely different levels
but all have one thing in
common: they dont do well
in a traditional public high
school setting.
Since Provost opened in
August 2012, Henson said,
enrollment has grown to
now serve more than 1,300
students ages 14-20 in 200
counties throughout the
state. In addition to a loca-
tion in Atlanta, Provost has
several campuses tin other
Georgia locations.
There is a substantial
population of students who
will beneft from having
online education, Henson
said. Some students want
to graduate early and we
have some students who
struggle with reading at a
fourth or ffth grade level.
In addition to everyday
problems the students might
face, Henson said, there
are quite a few enrolled at
Provost who are teenage
parents, work full-time or
travel extensively.
In a couple months, the U.S.
Supreme Court will render a
decision in a court challenge to
the most significant civil rights
legislation of our time, the 1965
Voting Rights Act. While outlawing
voting discrimination in all states,
the act specifically targeted nine
Southern states, including Georgia
for the most egregious acts of race
discrimination in voting.
Enacted in August 1965, the
law had an immediate impact.
By the end of 1965, a quarter of
a million new Black voters had
been registered. And by the end of
1966, only four of the 13 Southern
states had fewer than 50 percent
of Blacks registered to vote. The
Voting Rights Act of 1965 has been
re-adopted and strengthened over
the years most recently in 1982. It
ought to be strengthened again in
2013 not eliminated.
At last report, some Supreme
Court justices believed the law
ought to remain intact.
But there are others who
disagree, most notably conservative
Justice Antonin Scalia, who calls
the act another instance of racial
entitlement. Inherent in Justice
Scalias comment about racial
entitlement is his own bigotry.
Entitlement is something one
believes he or she deserves. Yes,
everyone deserves the right to vote
and to be treated fairly. This is the
same justice who raved and ranted
and threatened to quit the bench
and move to another country over
the gay marriage issue. I am sure
he would have no problem finding
volunteers to help him pack.
The current challenge to the
Voting Rights Act comes from
Shelby County, Ala., our neighbors
to the west. The argument mounted
is that since we have a Black
president, voting rights are no
longer needed. Are we serious
here? The Republican (White
male) controlled Georgia General
Assembly and its attempt to redraw
legislative districts along racial lines
is a prime example of a deliberate,
calculated racist agenda being
played out in the nation designed
to dilute Black voting strength and
otherwise disenfranchise Blacks and
others.
This practice used to be
called gerrymandering, an illegal
practice under the Voting Rights
Act. These activities are all part
of what could be called neo-
redemption, the new millennium
post Reconstruction era. There are
those who will view this as raising
the race card but it is merely an
attempt to enlighten my confused
friends especially those not quite
kissed by the sun. So please hold
the hoots, howls, cussing and name
calling and read on.
History is repeating itself. Black
gains since the Voting Rights Act
have been considerable or so it
would seem, particularly in public
accommodations. After the Civil
War, a period called Reconstruction
followed when the government
intervened in the South allowing
freed Africans to vote, hold
office and own businesses. But
government intervention ended
with the Compromise of 1877
and what followed was a period
White Southerners called The
Redemption Period.
White dominated legislatures
enacted Jim Crow laws that
instituted a system of White
supremacy disenfranchising Blacks
and relegating them to second-class
citizenship. Black life was worthless
again. Elected leaders were
drummed out of office. Poll taxes
and literacy tests ruled the day.
Blacks were murdered and maimed
for sport. Education was separate
or non-existent. Lynchings, false
imprisonment, rapes, businesses
burned or stolen, children killed
in church bombings and leaders
murdered were all part of the
picture. Sound familiar?
What I know for sure is racism
is alive and well and unfortunately,
many people dont even realize they
are a part of perpetuating it. What is
racism? It is when a group of people
align themselves legislatively,
economically, judicially and through
use of the media to prevent others
from exercising their God-given
rights to life liberty and the pursuit
of happiness based on the color of
their skin.
Now, just as in the Redemption
Period people are either intentional
or just go along with what is
politically correct and the rule
of law. Our tax-supported public
schools are being eroded and re-
segregated in favor of charter and
private schools in communities of
interest which are cities breaking
away from counties of dis-interest.
Right here in DeKalb County,
duly elected leaders have been
removed from office on a subjective
rationale of non-performance. But
there is an ill-advised and patently
unconstitutional law that allows the
governor to do so, stripping away
voters right to choose or remove
persons in elected office. The prison
industry is new slavery with schools
and the judiciary the feeder systems.
Popular media has made reality
TV the societal norm and news
media has a way to go for balanced
coverage.
The Voting Rights Act should
remain in force. The playing
field is not equal. It wasnt in my
grandparents lifetimes, it wasnt
in my parents, it hasnt been in
mine, it isnt in my childrens and
unfortunately I still see it happening
with my grandchildren.
The vestiges of slavery and
racism are a scourge on this
great nation. It started with the
entitlement attitude of many of
the early settlers who slaughtered,
maimed and took this land from
the Native Americans. It continued
through slavery, Jim Crow and is
evident in every facet of our lives in
this NeoRedemption period of 2013.
Until my confused White friends
do some serious soul searching
about the impact of their fears and
generational sins, we are doomed
to repeat history, never reach our
full potential as a nation and will
ultimately implode. I thank God
almighty for all of my right-thinking
brothers and sisters of yesteryear
not quite kissed by the sun. Without
them, I would not have the freedom
to express these thoughts for I might
still be in physical bondage.
Steen Miles, The Newslady, is a
retired journalist and former Geor-
gia state senator. Contact Steen
Miles at Steen@dekalbchamp.com.
1965 Voting Rights Act challenge
The Newslady
OPINION

Let Us Know What You Think!
THE CHAMPION FREE PRESS encourages opinions
from its readers. Please write to us and express your
views. Letters should be brief, typewritten and contain
the writers name, address and telephone number for
verication. All letters will be considered for publication.
Send Letters To Editor, The Champion Free Press, P. O. Box 1347,
Decatur, GA 30031-1347; Send E-Mail to Kathy@dekalbchamp.com
FAX To: (404) 370-3903 Phone: (404) 373-7779
Deadline for news releases and advertising: Thursday, one week prior
to publication date.
EDITORS NOTE: The opinions written by columnists and contributing
editors do not necessarily reect the opinions of the editor or publishers.
The Publisher reserves the right to reject or cancel any advertisement at
any time. The Publisher is not responsible for unsolicited manuscripts.
Publisher: Dr. Earl D. Glenn
Managing Editor: Kathy Mitchell
News Editor: Andrew Cauthen
Production Manager: Kemesha Hunt
Graphic Designer: Travis Hudgons
The Champion Free Press is published each
Friday by ACE III Communications, Inc.,
114 New Street, Suite E, Decatur, GA. 30030
Phone (404) 373-7779.
www.championnewspaper.com
DISPLAY ADVERTISING (404) 373-7779 x 110
FREEPRESS
STATEMENT FROM THE PUBLISHER
We sincerely appreciate the discussion surrounding this and any
issue of interest to DeKalb County. The Champion was founded in
1991 expressly to provide a forum for discourse for all community
residents on all sides of an issue. We have no desire to make the
news only to report news and opinions to effect a more educated
citizenry that will ultimately move our community forward. We are
happy to present ideas for discussion; however, we make every
effort to avoid printing information submitted to us that is known to
be false and/or assumptions penned as fact.

One Mans Opinion
We are here to proclaim a
victory. We are here not to wal-
low in tragedy, but to celebrate a
triumph, a triumph of the human
spirit. We are here to remember
the lives of Alice Hawthorne and
Melih Uzunyoltwo wonderful
citizens, one from America and
one from Turkey, who sought to
come here to celebrate with 197
nations of the world.Ambas-
sador Andrew Young, during the
re-opening ceremony of Centen-
nial Olympic Park, just days af-
ter the Centennial Olympic Park
bombing of July 27, 1996.
As I try to make any sense
of the terrorist bombing at the
Boston Marathon, I am struck by
the similarities and parallels with
another tragic bombing here in
Atlanta 17 years ago. I remember
the night of the bombing, and the
36 hours that followed in vivid
detail, almost like a movie that I
can replay in my head.
The cowards who bombed
Boston remind me of three deaths
resulting from the Centennial
Olympic Park bombingAlice
Hawthorne, a young mother from
Albany, Ga., Melih Uzunyol, a
Turkish journalist rushing to file
a report on the bombing who suf-
fered a massive heart attack in the
fracas and later, security officer
Richard Jewel.
Jewel was initially identied
as a person of interest, and all but
accused of being the bomber in
the rush to identify and arrest the
perpetrator. Jewel had lived for a
career in law enforcement. Jewel
did not die impoverished in 2007,
but he died a young age 44 of
heart problems, never really re-
covering from the bombing 11
years earlier. The real bomber,
Eric Robert Rudolph, was not
brought to justice until 2005,
nearly a decade after the bombing.
Jewel had noted the aban-
doned backpack that contained
Rudolphs bomb, and began
moving away civilians in its
path moments prior to the explo-
sion. He lifted the knapsack, and
noting its odd weight, became
alarmed and seated it back on
the ground. When he did so, the
backpack rolled onto its back, no
longer standing erect.
Jewel did this by accident,
but possibly saved the lives of
dozens, if not hundreds of in-
jured in the process. The crude
bomb design, primarily filled
with nails and sharp metal shards,
was armed with dynamite and
aimed to explode outward and
forward into the crowd at ground
level. Tipping the bag over
caused much of the shrapnel to
be propelled straight up into the
sky, and as far away as Northside
Drive on the far side of the Geor-
gia World Congress Center. In
2006, Gov. Sonny Perdue par-
tially righted the wrongs done to
Jewel with an official commenda-
tion recognizing his act of hero-
ism that hot summer night.
Eric Robert Rudolph was a
carpenter and sometimes handy-
man who admitted to a series of
bombings from 1996-1998, kill-
ing three and seriously injuring
more than 150 people. Rudolphs
motivation was made clear in a
written statement released at the
time of his sentencing and plea
bargain to four consecutive life
sentences (life without parole),
to avoid the possibility of capital
punishment. Rudolph stated that
the purpose of his bombings was
to fight against abortion and the
homosexual agenda. Rudolph
considers abortion to be murder,
and that its perpetrators deserve
death.
So to promote the path of the
straight and narrow, Rudolph
believes it justified to maim and
injure hundreds of innocent men
women and children, in protest
of illegal infanticide??? What a
frickin psychopath.
I believe in an era and modern
city (Boston), with hundreds of
security cameras along one of the
citys busiest boulevards, and ad-
jacent to some of its finest hotels,
we will have captured images of
the backpacks of this attack, dis-
guised as garbage or crock pots
in sacks as well as the terrorists
who placed them. I believe that in
time, we will find these cowards
and bring them to justice. And
sadly, even when we know who
they are, we will likely still never
be able to make any sense of why
they chose to murder and maim
hundreds of innocent victims.
As with Rudolph, nonsense,
hatred and insanity make no
sense. But as Ambassador An-
drew Young also reminded us
that cool summer morning, those
seeking to harm and bring us fear
only win if we let them win. So
thank you again, Mr. Rudolph,
for making among the strongest
arguments I have ever heard in
favor of maintaining the option of
capital punishment, though Im
thinking now that you spending
the rest of your life rotting behind
bars is a decent second choice.

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 Scottdale. You can
reach him or comment on a col-
umn at billcrane@earthlink.net.
Making sense where there is none
OPINION
COMMUNITY

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.
Alfred Yin
High-ranking county staff
retiring, taking jobs elsewhere
When Alfred Yin
heard President John
F. Kennedy say one of
his most well-known
quotes, Ask not what
your country can do for
you ask what you can
do for your country, in
his 1961 inaugural ad-
dress, it motivated Yin
to do something for his
country.
While attending Emo-
ry University, the China
native wanted to enlist
in the United States
Army, but because he
was a foreign student
he wasnt eligible. So
Yin decided that the best
way for him to serve
his country was through
community service.
I felt like it was a
way I could contribute
to the community so
thats why I volunteer,
he said.
Yin began volunteer-
ing at the Organization
of Chinese Americans
(OCA) Georgia Chap-
ter. OCA is a national
organization dedicated
to advancing the social,
political and economic
well-being of Asian
Pacifc Americans in
the United States. Yin
became president of the
OCA-Georgia Chapter
in 2007 and held the po-
sition for two years.
He is also a board
member of the Georgia
Asian Pacifc Islander
Community Coalition,
president of the Offce
of Minority Health Re-
gion IV Health Equity
Council and president of
the Board of Directors
for Pan Asian Commu-
nity Center (PACC) in
Chamblee.
Yin, who also owns
several businesses in
DeKalb County, moved
to the United States in
1968 after receiving a
scholarship to Ojai Val-
ley School in California.
He said it wasnt diff-
cult for him to adjust to
society because he knew
some English, and that is
why he began contribut-
ing to organizations such
as the Pan Asian Com-
munity Center, whose
mission is to help Asian
immigrants become
productive citizens in
America.
[PACC] helps them
learn the English lan-
guage, helps them get
job qualifcations, help
them get a drivers li-
cense and other things to
get a person to be able to
stand on their own two
feet and become produc-
tive rather than depend
on the government, he
said.
Several of the countys
high-ranking staff have re-
tired or resigned in the past
months but CEO Burrell
Ellis said those changes are
not uncommon, especially
during an administrations
second term.
Most recently, the coun-
tys deputy chief operating
offcer of infrastructure, Ted
Rhinehart, submitted his
resignation effective April
30.
Rhinehart, who oversees
the countys major depart-
ments such as public works,
watershed management,
parks and recreation and fa-
cilities management, is leav-
ing to take a job for an un-
identifed software company.
This can be seen from
the offce of the president
of the United States down
to local governments, Ellis
spokesman Burke Brennan
said. During this time, its
common to see public ser-
vants who have had long ca-
reers in government choose
to retire or take on second
careers.
Ellis said there is a lot of
work to do to get DeKalb
County on the path to operat-
ing a smarter and leaner
government and that will
remain the focus of the Ellis
administration during this
time of change.
Brennan said Rhinehart
will be replaced but no in-
terim has been named. Cur-
rently, Brennan said all of
the countys deputy assistant
directors are reporting to
new chief operating offcer
Zachary Williams.
Williams recently re-
placed longtime chief operat-
ing offcer Richard Stogner,
who retired earlier this year.
Cedric Alexander began
his tenure as the countys po-
lice chief April 1.
Alexander, formerly the
federal security director for
the Transportation Security
Administration branch of the
U. S. Department of Home-
land Security at Dallas/Fort
Worth International Airport,
replaces retiring Police Chief
William OBrien.
DeKalb County Commis-
sioners and CEO Burrell
Ellis also did away with the
position of public safety
director during this years
budgeting process, allowing
former Public Safety Direc-
tor William Miller to retire.
Although there is no lon-
ger a director of public safe-
ty, Brennan said, all public
safety department heads will
report to Williams.
In March, the county
hired interim attorney O.V.
Brantely, to serve as the
countys attorney after for-
mer county attorney Lisa
Chang resigned. Brennan
could not give any details on
Changs resignation but said
she is still employed by the
county as a contractor.
Brantley, who began in
March, served as chief legal
counsel for Fulton County
for eight years and as an as-
sociate attorney for the city
of Atlanta. Brennan said
there is currently a national
search to hire a permanent
replacement to Chang.
Former watershed depart-
ment director Joe Basista
also resigned this year cit-
ing personal reasons. Bren-
nan said there is currently
a search under way for this
position as well.

COMMUNITY
AROUND
DEKALB
uAVONDALE ESTATES
Police Department to host drug take
back initiative
The Avondale Estates Police
Department will host the National
Drug Take Back Initiative on Sat-
urday, April 27, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. The
event is sponsored by the U.S. Drug
Enforcement Agency. The purpose
of this event is to promote proper
disposal of surplus, outdated, and
unwanted household medications
in a discreet and safe manner, thus
keeping them out of the wrong
hands and out of the water supply.
Pharmacy students from Mercer
University will be on hand to an-
swer any questions. The event will
take place at City Hall and all forms
of medication will be accepted. For
more information, contact SSgt Ja-
son Browen at (404) 294-5400 ext.
212 or email jbrowen@avondalees-
tates.org.
City to host Tree Walk
The frst Avondale Tree Walk
will be held on Saturday, April 27,
10 a.m. - 2 p.m. The walk will begin
at the Community Clubhouse at 10
a.m. From there, small groups will
head out into the community with
expert tree guides who will point
out distinctive features of Avondale
trees.
The Community Clubhouse is at
59 Lakeshore Drive. For more infor-
mation, visit www.avondaleestates.
org/events.
uCLARKSTON
Community Center to host family
movie night
The family movie Hugo will be
screened May 3 for Clarkston Fam-
ily Movie Night.
Presented by K. D. Moore Com-
munity Development Center, the
Clarkston Family Movie Night will
be held on the frst Fridays of the
month until June at the Family Life
Center.
Popcorn and a drink are $2.50 at
the event. Doors will open at 6:30
p.m. and the movie starts at 7 p.m.
The Family Life Center is at 4007
Church Street. For more informa-
tion, call Christin Taylor at (404)
292-5686 ext. 248.
City, school to host annual 5K
walk/run
The Atlanta Area School for the
Deaf Parent Involvement Program
(AASD/PIP) and the Clarkston
Community Active Living Initiative
will host the second annual AASD/
PIP and Clarkston Community 5K
Walk/Run on April 27.
The goal of the 5K walk/run is to
raise $5,000 to support the AASD
home based tutoring program,
which will provide services for at
least 20 AASD students. Registra-
tion begins at 7:45 a.m. and the
walk starts at 9 a.m.
Registration fee is $25 per per-
son, and $30 for families. Groups
of six or more are $15 per person.
Backpacks are included in the fee.
For more information, visit www.
rally.org/signlanguagetutoring.
City to mark Earth Day with clean-
up event
Clarkston will hold a Keep America
Beautiful spring clean-up event Satur-
day, April 27, 9 a.m.-noon. The cleanup
initiative is part of DeKalb Countys
Earth Day activities. Volunteers will
meet at the Womans Club and may
choose to clean up the streets of
Clarkston or go to various creeks where
volunteers will enter the stream. Those
who elect to work at the creeks should
be prepared to get wet. The Clarkston
Womans Club is located at 3913
Church Street. For more information,
contact City Hall at (404) 296-6489.
uDECATUR
Library to host poetry event
In celebration of the release of
the Southern Anthology of Poetry:
Georgia, the Decatur Library and
Poetry Atlanta are hosting a poetry
reading April 30.
The free event will be 7:15-
9 p.m. and include poets David
Bottoms, Thomas Lux, Judson
Mitcham, Chelsea Rathburn,
Alice Friman, James May,
Christopher Martin, Gregory
Fraser, Chad Davidson, Michael
Diebert, Julie Bloemeke, Mike
James, M. Ayodele Heath, Hilary
Rogers King, Rupert Fike, Karen
Head and Mariana McDonald.
Poets will be signing copies
of the anthology available for
purchase.
For more information call (404)
370-8450, ext. 2225, or visit www.
georgiacenterforthebook.org.
Author to present novel writing
workshop
Author Cindy Woodsmall will
present a novel writing workshop
Saturday, April 27, 7:15-9 p.m., at
the Decatur Library. Ever thought
about writing a novel? Thats the
title of a special workshop being
presented by New York Times
bestselling author and former
Gwinnett County homeschool
mom Cindy Woodsmall, states
an announcement from the library.
Her workshop is an invitation for
you to come learn the tips and tricks
of writing commercial fiction.
The event is free and no advance
registration is necessary.
Decatur Library is located at 215
Sycamore Street, Decatur. For more
information, call (404) 370-3070.
Expert to offer tips on green deco-
rating
Decorating Green: Reuse. Redo. Re-
think, a session on decorating to reduce
energy consumption, will be offered
at the Decatur Library Saturday, April
27, 10-11:30 a.m. Participants will be
taught to identify furnishings that have
longevity, durability and fexibility
and about planned obsolescence, or
how and when to update with minimal
waste. Decorating veteran and color-
ist Rebecca Ewing will show lifestyle
choices to lighten the carbon footprint,
while making a home a beautiful and
meaningful space. This program is part
of the series Living the Green Life
to promote and educate the community
about a green, sustainable lifestyle.
Sponsors are the Wylde Center, the city
of Decatur and DeKalb County Public
Library. The Decatur Library is located
at 215 Sycamore Street, Decatur. For
more information, call (404) 370-3070.

Writer, activist to speak at womens
leadership forum
The League of Women Voters
DeKalb County recently announced
that Constance Curry will be its
keynote speaker for the Womens
Leadership Forum and Luncheon May
4, 8 a.m. 2:30 p.m., at Agnes Scott
College. A nationally known writer,
human rights activist and flm producer,
Curry has been instrumental in social
justice and human rights movements.
Tickets are available online at http://
lwvdk2013.eventbrite.com.
Habitat for HumanityDeKalb
dedicates its frst house in 2013
Habitat for HumanityDeKalb held
its frst house dedication for 2013 on
April 20. The Tosbia Martin family
received the keys to their renovated
Habitat house during the celebration
held on Cloud Lane in Decatur.
Over the past 25 years, HFHD has
provided homes for 70 families, more
than $5 million in contributions to the
DeKalb County economy, logged more
than 500,000 volunteer hours, and
launched a new program called A Brush
with Kindness, which provides repairs
for members of the community who are
unable to repair their own homes, as
well as improving weatherization and
energy effciency.
uDUNWOODY
MJCCA to hold Lag BaOmer
community celebration
The Marcus Jewish Community
Center Atlanta (MJCCA) will
hold a Lag BaOmer Community
Cookout and Celebration Sunday,
April 28, 4-8 p.m. The program will
take place outside on the grounds
at Camp Isidore Alterman at the
center.
Activities will include boating on
the lake, an obstacle course, archery,
live music by the Tevyeh Band,
infatables and a bounce house,
climbing wall, games for children
and more. Kosher food will be
available for purchase. The event is
free and open to the community.
MJCCA at Zaban Park is located
at 5342 Tilly Mill Road, Dunwoody.
For more information, contact Rabbi
Brian Glusman at brian.glusman@
atlantajcc.org or at (678) 812-4161.
uLITHONIA
Class offered for aspiring
entrepreneurs
DeKalb County Public Library,
in partnership with The Leadership
Academy, is offering a four-part
series of classes on starting and
running a successful and proftable
LLC or corporation. The classes
are designed to provide support to
individuals interested in starting
their own businesses as well as
current entrepreneurs seeking
ways to enhance their businesses.
The April session, Building Your
Business from the Inside OutFive
Important Steps, will be offered
Saturday, April 27, 2:30-3:30 p.m.
Stonecrest Library is located at 3123
Klondike Road, Lithonia. For more
information, call (770) 482-3828.
TnTGA to hold games night
Trinidad and Tobago Association
of GA. Inc. will hold Games Night
at the Tiburon Clubhouse on Friday,
April 26, starting at 8 p.m. Food
and drinks will be available for sale.
Tiburon Clubhouse is located at 215
Tiburon Drive, Lithonia. For more
information, visit www.tntga.org.
LOCAL NEWS
Play performance to beneft library
The Horizon Theatre is staging a special performance of
The Book Play to beneft the DeKalb Library Foundation and
the Atlanta-Fulton Public Library Foundation on May 15 at
8 p.m. This new comedy by Karen Zacarias is about books
and the people who love them. It is a delightful new play
about life, love, literature, and the side-splitting results when
friends start reading between
the lines, which sends a book
club into pandemonium, ac-
cording to an announcement
from the theater. Tickets can
be purchased for $30 online
at www.dekalblibrary.org or
www.afpls.org and picked
up at will call on May 15 at
Horizon Theatre, 1083 Austin
Ave., Atlanta. For more infor-
mation call the Horizon The-
atre at (404) 584-7450.
Decatur High sophomore
publishes book about 9/11
by Andrew Cauthen
It was a school project
that got published.
Gloria Clark, a sopho-
more at Decatur High
School, was recognized re-
cently as the Atlanta Young
Writers Institute (AYWI )
writer of the month for her
book Thru the Eyes of 9/11.
The book is a collec-
tion of poems from various
perspectives on the impact
of the 9/11 tragedy.
Gloria showed incredi-
ble talent... and was an inte-
gral part of what makes the
AYWI community so spe-
cial, said AYWI executive
director Leslie Quigless.
Her dedication and passion
for writing along with her
empathy for other people
make it no surprise that she
would produce such a great
work at such a young age.
Gloria got the idea for
the book when she was
trying to come up with her
required sophomore project.
She wanted to involve one
of her two passions.
I like writing and run-
ning, said Gloria, who was
a medalist in the Amateur
Athletic Union National
Track and Field competi-
tion. I cant really do a
personal project on running,
so I [decided] Ill do one on
writing.
She chose the topic of
9/11 when she realized the
memory of 9/11 is fading.
That was a very sig-
nifcant thing that changed
us, she said. People have
forgotten. People dont re-
ally care about it anymore.
Its just like a little mark in
history.
Gloria explored her writ-
ing skills during two sum-
mer sessions of the Atlanta
Young Writers Institute.
During the program,
participants took small
things and made them into
big things, Gloria said.
In one writing assign-
ment, they took a tree and
made it into a person, she
said.
In one assignment,
participants had to get a
story from a stranger. Gloria
wrote a poem about a wom-
an she met at a Target store.
Called Problem 14, its
about the woman and her 13
siblings who were raised by
a single mother, realizing
her children would never
believe in a father fgure,
Gloria said.
My frst impression
of the lady in Targetshe
wasnt dressed as nicely,
Gloria said. She had a few
stains on her shirt. She had
a weave. She didnt talk
nice. When I frst walked up
to her she kind of blew me
off.
But Gloria persisted.
I opened up frst. I said,
Im Gloria and I dont want
to cause any harm but this is
an assignment and I want to
get to know you. That was
really hard because I dont
like to talk to strangers.
The woman eventually
talked to Gloria and became
the subject of a poem.
In the AYWI program,
the participants bonded
with each other a lot, Glo-
ria said.
We got to know each
other. You have to open up
and be honest. For me thats
really hard. Im not that
ooey gooey person. But I
opened up to them and told
them I was dyslexic. That
was a really hard thing to
do, but they didnt judge
me for that like most people
do.
Gloria, who has been
writing poetry since sixth
grade, said she learned how
to choose better, stronger
words and learned how to
make my poems longer
not like a story, but telling a
story but not in a book story
form.
I used to have a prob-
lem with just making these
small, little phrases and
[the instructors] were like,
Thats not poetry, said
Gloria, who wants to major
in writing.
When I went into the
AYWI, I was just a writer.
But now that Ive gone
through it, Im a very strong
writer.
Glorias mother, Jenell
Clark, said the AYWI has
helped Gloria advance as a
writer.
Every student should
have an opportunity to be a
part of a program like this,
Clark said.
AYWI (www.aywi.
org) is currently accept-
ing applications for the
2013 programs. AYWI is a
not-for-profit organization
with a mission to nurture
and support adolescent
creative writers. Through
AYWIs Writing Intensive
(high school) and Writing
Workshop (middle school),
students in grades seven-12
are given an opportunity to
develop into thinkers and
writers.
TheMayorandCityCounciloftheCityofChamblee,Georgiawillholdapublichearingon
Thursday,May16,2013,attheChambleeCivicCenter,3540BroadStreet,Chamblee,GA
30341at6:00p.m.toreceivepubliccommentsregardingthefollowingmatters:
1) AppendixA,ZoningOrdinance,Section207,Plannedunitdevelopmentprocedure.The
subjectpropertyisCityFarmersMarket(fkaBufordHighwayFleaMarket),locatedat5000
BufordHighway.Theapplicantisrequestingtodevelopthepropertyasaplannedunit
development.
2) AppendixA,ZoningOrdinance,Section908,SitedesignandSection1402,Landscape
strips.Thesubjectpropertyislocatedat5000PeachtreeBoulevard.Theapplicantis
requestingavariancetoallowvehicularservicessuchasacarwashbetweenthebuildingand
street,andavarianceforrelieffromtherequired10landscapestrip.
3) AppendixA,ZoningOrdinance,Section1004,Spacedimensions.Thesubjectpropertyis
locatedat1888DyerCircle.Theapplicantisrequestingavariancetotheminimumlotsize
requirementsforNR1zoningdistrict.
4) Thesubjectpropertylocatedat3223ClairwoodTerraceisrequestingthefollowingvariances:
Section903,Streettypedimensionstovarythefrontyardsetback;Section512,Single
familyresidentialdetachedheightmeasurement,tovarythethresholdofunits;Section1004,
Spacedimensions,tovarytheminimumlotsizerequirements;andSection1004,Space
dimensions,tovarytheminimumlotwidthrequirements.
5) DiscusstheadoptionofanUrbanRedevelopmentPlan.AnUrbanRedevelopmentPlanisa
generalblueprintforredevelopmentandtargetingofpublicinvestmentsintheredevelopment
area.
CALL NOW! 404-220-8610

storageworldinc.com
5
$
MOVE
IN
F
O
R
GBI public affairs director retires

After more than 25 years as director of public affairs
with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, John Bankhead
announced his retirement last week.
The GBI is a great agency with very dedicated
employees who face diffcult jobs every day. I feel
extremely honored and fortunate to have held this unique
position since 1987, Bankhead said. Sherry Lang, a
30-year employee with the GBI, has been named to fll
the position. She has been an agent her entire career and
most recently served as one of four inspectors in the
investigative division. GBI headquarters is located on
Panthersville Road in Decatur.
Congressman Johnson hosts astronaut
Congressman Hank Johnson (D-GA) hosted NASA As-
tronaut Tracy Caldwell Dyson, Ph.D. and Elijah Williams
of NASAs Legislative and Intergovernmental Affairs Offce
of External Relations in Lithonia on April 19. Johnson met
with the NASA offcials to discuss the space station as a re-
search platform, NASAs human spacefight initiatives, and
aerospace research and development programs, including
NASAs Destination Station. Dyson presented Johnson with
a Georgia fag that few abroad the Space Shuttle Discovery
to the International Space Station from April 5 to April 20,
2010.
Flanked by Elijah Williams and NASA Astronaut Tracy Caldwell Dy-
son, Rep. Johnson holds a nighttime photo of Atlanta taken from
the Space Station on Jan. 31, 2012.
LOCAL NEWS
Brookhaven restaurant hosts fundraiser to supply
breakfast foods for soldiers in Afghanistan
by Carla Parker
carla@dekalbchamp.com
When William Hawkins of
the 10th Mountain Division in
Afghanistan informed his parents,
Barry and Brenda, that soldiers are
only fed two meals a day, lunch and
dinner, they wanted to do something
to make sure that William and the
other soldiers are eating three meals
a day.
The Hawkinses along with other
parents and support groups began
putting together care packages
with breakfast foods to send to
the soldiers. However, it became a
challenge.
It gets expensive and sometimes
just the logistics of getting it
together are kind of challenging,
Barry Hawkins said. So we
thought what if we have an event
and see if we can accomplish a lot
more.
The Hawkinses hosted a
fundraiser event April 20 at Mellow
Mushroom in Brookhaven, where
William worked for three years
before being deployed, to assist
in supplying soldiers serving in
Afghanistan with breakfast foods.
The event attracted hundreds of
people who brought food and cash
donations.
Donated items included muscle
milk, protein shakes, Carnation
breakfast shakes, protein and
cereal bars, individually packaged
blueberry muffns, cereal in a cup
and other non-perishable breakfast
foods. Barry Hawkins said he didnt
expect so many people to come out.
It has been really heartfelt
and we appreciate everyones
contribution today, he said.
The cash donations they received
will help pay for shipping the items
to Afghanistan, Hawkins added. The
large number of donations allowed
the Hawkinses to send more food
than they expected, which will
beneft more soldiers.
A lot of the troops there dont
have support groups that can send
them boxes, he said. So they all
share [food] whenever it comes.
Hawkins said the event was also
about raising awareness.
Weve had a lot of folks ask us
about what [the soldiers] are doing
over there because they dont hear
much about it anymore, he said.
So thats really a part of what
were trying to accomplish, which
is letting the troops know were still
thinking about them and theyre still
in our hearts.
Those who brought food items
received 15 percent off of their total
bill at Mellow Mushroom. Hawkins
said Mellow Mushroom has been a
fantastic resource for the fundraiser.
Theyve been so generous in
allowing us to do this, he said.
William knows all the folks
here and when he comes home in
October were going to have a big
party here and itll be a real happy
event.
Brenda Hawkins shows breakfast foods that will be sent to Afghanistan for American Soldiers.
Barry Hawkins, left, his wife, Brenda, and Meredith Burleigh, assistant
general manager for Mellow Mushroom in Brookhaven, hosted a fund-
raiser to assist soldiers serving in Afghanistan.
The fundraiser event attracted hundreds of people who brought food
and cash donations. Photos by Carla Parker
LOCAL NEWS
Green Day
When he arrived at the shelter he
had a severe case of mange, but with lots
of care he is cured and he is gorgeous!!
Now that he's cured and feeling fine he's
achieving great grades in Charm School.
Boats has learned to walk nicely on a
leash "what a gentleman". He knows the
sit command and the down command; he
can even perform touch (with his nose)
on command. While undergoing his
treatment for mange; he lived in a foster
home. There he was crate trained and
house trained. Boats is a full package; he
has it all!!!
Boats is happy going for a walk
and sniffing the grass or playing with a
squeaky toy in the back yard. He is such
a sweet, affectionate boy. Boats is an
American Pit Bull Terrier/Retriever. He
had a rough start in life, but now he's
ready and deserving of a real home; a
forever home. If you have it in your heart
to provide a home for a loving shelter pet;
please consider Boats. If you come to
see him; you'll love him and he already
loves you and he hasn't even met you.
PET WEEK
of
the
Dekalb County Animal Shelter
404-294-2165
Jamie Martinez
Jsmartinez@dekalbcountyga.gov
Christine Kaczynski
ckaczynski@dekalbcountyga.gov
Name: Boats
Young Adult
Vaccinated & heartworm negative
Neutered
If interested in adopting Boats, send an email to both
addresses below for a prompt reply
pets of the week.indd 1 4/22/13 9:14 AM
DeKalb County held its sixth annual Green Expo April 20 at Piedmont Technical College in Clarkston. The expo was
hosted by Super District 6 Commissioner Kathie Gannon and sponsored by DeKalb County Green Commission, the
Dunwoody Sustainability Commission and the Decatur Environmental Sustainability Board. It supports green busi-
nesses in the area and raises awareness of options to support a healthier DeKalb. Photos by Andrew Cauthen
Alcohol consumption by adolescents may result in possible
braindamage and impaired intellectual development.
PLANNING STRATEGIES THAT PREVENT TRAGEDIES
9 Parents must give children their undivided attention. In a family,
children are WKHnumber one priority.
9 Lead by example.
9 Listen to your children and communicate with them.
9 Observe your children. Knowtheir friends and their
friends parents.
9 Involve yourself in your childrens school and social
activities.
Funded by the Georgia Dept. of
Behavioral Health and
Developmental Disabilities Div. of
Addictive Diseases Office of
Prevention Services and
Programs
Prepared for you
by Be Smart!
Dont Start! Be
Smart! Quit!
(678-755-1033)
www.besmart
dontstartbesmart
quit.org
besmartbayyinah
307@att.net
LOCAL NEWS
Trinity Development Group to redevelop Chamblee Plaza

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
by Carla Parker
Chamblee Plaza on
Peachtree Boulevard will be
getting a new look.
Trinity Development
Group bought the nearly
vacant complex for about $4
million last year and plans
to renovate the 20-acre
plaza, which will cost an es-
timated $3 million.
Trinity Development is
a Chamblee-based devel-
oper that owns and manages
retail centers and student
housing communities in ma-
jor growth markets through-
out the Southeast and West.
Vince Riggio, the found-
ing partner of Trinity,
said Chamblee Plaza is a
wonderful example of the
companys philosophy to
explore and identify niches
inside existing markets, cre-
ating unrealized or unseen
opportunity.
Chamblee Plaza is lo-
cated on one of the hottest
developing corridors in
North Atlanta, Riggio said.
Im excited about redevel-
oping Chamblee Plaza into
a retail center that will draw
people not only from Cham-
blee, but also Brookhaven,
the Windsor Parkway cor-
ridor, Dunwoody, Sandy
Springs and Doraville with
high-quality local, regional,
and national retailers, mixed
with family entertainment
and dining.
Riggo added that Trinity
will do extensive landscap-
ing, and will work closely
with the city of Chamblee
to ensure the redevelopment
plans are in keeping with
their vision for Chamblee.
David Henzlik, Trinity
managing partner, met with
members of the Chamblee
Business Association on
March 21 to give them an
advance look at the pro-
posed plan for the plaza.
Henzlik said the compa-
ny has worked with a Blue
Ribbon Panel composed of
local residents to assist them
with a site plan that will
transition Chamblee Plaza
into a city center that will
connect people with local
businesses.
The Blue Ribbon Panel
was an outgrowth from a
town hall meeting we con-
vened last November that
was attended by upwards
of 100 local residents, he
said. Since then, weve
met regularly with seven
residents of neighborhoods
adjacent to Chamblee Plaza,
including Huntley Hills and
Sexton Woods. The input of
panel members has been in-
valuable to us in creating a
site plan that will accommo-
date retail stores, restaurants
and specialty shops that will
meet and exceed community
standards.
Henzlik said connectiv-
ity, accessibility, safety, and
conforming signage are the
foremost priorities in Trin-
itys proposed site plan.
Well defned drive
aisles, effcient parking,
and improved connectivity
to adjacent neighborhoods
with well-lit sidewalks,
walking and bike paths are
all represented in our pro-
posed plan, as are attractive
landscaping, and signage
that conforms with com-
munity standards, he said.
The Blue Ribbon Panel has
worked long and hard with
us to best ensure we meet
and exceed community stan-
dards.
A second town hall meet-
ing for the community will
be held April 25 at the 57th
Fighter Group Restaurant,
3829 Clairmont Road, 6 to
7:30 p.m.
The Northeast will see mostly clear to partly cloudy skies with a few showers
today through Saturday, with the highest temperature of 65 in Baltimore, Md.
The Southeast will experience mostly clear to partly cloudy skies with isolated
thunderstorms today through Saturday, with the highest temperature of 90 in Ft. Myers, Fla.
In the Northwest, there will be mostly clear to partly cloudy skies today through Saturday, with
the highest temperature of 79 in Medford, Ore. The Southwest will see mostly clear skies today
through Saturday, with the highest temperature of 90 in Bullhead City, Ariz.
Weather History
April 25, 1988 - Thunderstorms
racing at 65 mph produced
large hail in Alabama and
Georgia. Hail damage in
Alabama was estimated at 50
million dollars, making it their
worst weather disaster since
Hurricane Frederick in 1979.
April 26, 1987 - Twenty
two cities in the central and
western U.S. reported new
record high temperatures for
the date. The afternoon high
of 83 degrees at Astoria, Ore.
smashed their previous record
by 13 degrees.
Weather Trivia
Just how cold can
temperatures be on
Earth? ?
A n s w e r : I n t h e S o u t h P o l e ,
t e m p e r a t u r e s c a n f a l l t o - 1 3 0
d e g r e e s F a h r e n h e i t .
Detailed Local Forecast
Today we will see mostly sunny skies with a high
temperature of 70, humidity of 28%. Northwest
wind 5 to 15 mph. The record high temperature
for today is 88 set in 1989. Expect mostly clear
skies tonight with an overnight low of 47. The
record low for tonight is 38 set in 1974.
THURSDAY
Mostly Sunny
High: 70 Low: 47
FRIDAY
Sunny
High: 74 Low: 55
SATURDAY
Scat'd T-storms
High: 72 Low: 58
SUNDAY
Scat'd T-storms
High: 75 Low: 57
MONDAY
Isolated T-storms
High: 75 Low: 54
TUESDAY
Partly Cloudy
High: 74 Low: 51
WEDNESDAY
Partly Cloudy
High: 76 Low: 52
Local Sun/Moon Chart This Week
Day
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
Sunday
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Sunrise
6:53 a.m.
6:52 a.m.
6:51 a.m.
6:50 a.m.
6:49 a.m.
6:48 a.m.
6:47 a.m.
Sunset
8:16 p.m.
8:17 p.m.
8:18 p.m.
8:18 p.m.
8:19 p.m.
8:20 p.m.
8:21 p.m.
Moonrise
8:26 p.m.
9:34 p.m.
10:41 p.m.
11:43 p.m.
No Rise
12:39 a.m.
1:29 a.m.
Moonset
6:37 a.m.
7:23 a.m.
8:15 a.m.
9:13 a.m.
10:15 a.m.
11:20 a.m.
12:26 p.m.
Full
4/25
Last
5/2
New
5/9
First
5/17
Last Week's Local Almanac
Date Hi Lo Normals Precip
Tuesday 81 60 73/50 0.00"
Wednesday 83 62 73/51 0.00"
Thursday 78 61 74/51 0.00"
Friday 75 46 74/51 0.45"
Saturday 64 39 74/51 0.00"
Sunday 68 41 74/52 0.00"
Monday 69 49 74/52 0.00"
Rainfall. . . . . . . . 0.45" Average temp. . 62.6
Normal rainfall. . 0.77" Average normal 62.4
Departure . . . . . .-0.32" Departure . . . . . +0.2
Local UV Index
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
The Champion Weather April 25, 2013
Seven Day Forecast Todays Regional Map
Tonights Planets
Rise Set
Mercury 6:17 a.m. 6:53 p.m.
Venus 7:20 a.m. 8:49 p.m.
Mars 6:52 a.m. 8:06 p.m.
Jupiter 9:16 a.m. 11:29 p.m.
Saturn 8:17 p.m. 7:21 a.m.
Uranus 5:49 a.m. 6:10 p.m.
National Weather Summary This Week
StarWatch By Gary Becker - Jupiter, Saturn, and an Eclipse
On the full moon day of April 25, there is a partial lunar eclipse, where the moon ever so slightly brushes into the shadow of the Earth. This eclipse will not be visible from
anywhere in the United States, but most of Europe, Africa, Asia, Australia, and Antarctica will be able to see it. At maximum eclipse, which occurs at 4:07 p.m. EDT, the moon
will protrude into the Earths shadow by less than 1.5 percent of its diameter. The entire event lasts for only 27 minutes. This is a really bad year for lunar eclipses, and I will have
more to say about this situation when the most ephemeral of lunar eclipses bathes the eastern half of the United States around midnight on May 24. I am calling it the eclipse
that almost isnt. More importantly are two planets currently visible in the sky, one on the wane in the west, and the other emerging onto the scene in the southeast, both visible
after evening twilight. Almost due west by 9 p.m. is mighty Jupiter, about one fourth of the way up in the sky, still hanging tight in Taurus the Bull. Jupiter has been in Taurus since mid May
of 2012, and for a good part of that time near its alpha star, Aldebaran, the orangey eye of the Bull. Currently, Jupiter resides directly above Aldebaran. To the left and almost even with Jupiter
is red supergiant Betelgeuse of Orion the Hunter, and even farther left and just slightly lower than Jupiter is Sirius the Dog Star, the brightest luminary of the night. Not quite as fashy will be
Saturn, noticeable in the southeast by 10 p.m. Follow the arc of the Dippers handle, high in NE, to fnd Arcturus in Bootes the Bear Driver and then onward to blue white Spica of Virgo the
Virgin. Saturn is to the left and below Spica and about the same brightness as Spica. The moon provides help on April 24 when it is located just over a degree from Spica. The following evening,
the moon moves to a position just four degrees from the ringed world. www.astronomy.org
Dunwoody
68/46
Lilburn
69/47
Snellville
70/47
Decatur
70/47
Morrow
71/47
Hampton
72/48
Union City
71/47
College Park
71/47
Atlanta
70/47
Doraville
69/47
Smyrna
69/47
Lithonia
71/47
LOCAL NEWS
Brookhaven city council approves new apartment standards
Audit criticizes care at Atlanta VA Medical Center
Emory University Hospital earns advanced certifcation for comprehensive stroke centers
Emory University Hospital
(EUH) joins a group of only 20 na-
tional providers focused on complex
stroke care with its Comprehensive
Stroke Center Certifcation from
The Joint Commission and the
American Heart Association/Ameri-
can Stroke Association. EUH is the
only hospital in north Georgia to
earn this designation and one of two
in Georgia.
The Joint Commissions cer-
tifcation can only be earned by a
dedicated, multi-disciplinary team
that demonstrates the unique skills
necessary to care for patients with
the most severe and challenging
types of strokes and cerebrovascu-
lar disease, said Daniel Barrow,
M.D., director of the Emory MBNA
Stroke Center and chief of neurosur-
gery service at EUH. Our interna-
tionally recognized physicians and
nurses are dedicated to providing
the absolute highest level of care to
our patients, and this certifcation is
a clear validation of that focus.
Comprehensive Stroke Center
Certifcation recognizes hospitals
that have state-of-the-art infrastruc-
ture, staff and training to receive
and treat patients with the most
complex strokes. Emory University
Hospital, which sees more than
1,000 stroke patients each year,
underwent an onsite review by The
Joint Commission in February 2013.
Fadi Nahab, M.D., medical di-
rector of the Emory Stroke Center
said. Comprehensive designation
of our Stroke Center recognizes
Emorys role as a national leader
that provides the next generation of
stroke care and is responsible for
setting and advancing the agenda in
this highly-specialized area of care.
Stroke affects the arteries leading
to and within the brain. According
to the American Stroke Association,
it is the No. 4 cause of death and
a leading cause of disability in the
United States. Immediate treatment
is essential when someone is having
a stroke to reduce the effects and
potential for permanent disability.
Ischemic stroke is the most common
type of stroke and results when a
blood clot blocks fow to the brain.
Rapid administration of the FDA-
approved clot-busting drug tPA (tis-
sue plasminogen activator) can limit
the potentially devastating effects of
stroke.
EUH has state-of-the-art critical
care specifcally for stroke patients,
including a dedicated 27-bed neu-
rointensive care unit staffed around
the clock by neuro-critical physi-
cians whose expertise is stroke care.
Emory Healthcare also has a
nationally recognized transfer and
access service, which is designed to
help critical patients such as those
suffering a stroke reach the EUH.
In conjunction with Emory Flight,
Emory Healthcares air medical
transportation service, these ser-
vices help critical patients such as
those suffering a stroke make it to a
specialized center such as EUH.
More than 50 percent of EUHs
stroke patients are transported from
other hospitals, and most of those
arrive by air transportation because
stroke patients require immediate
and specialized attention to mini-
mize the effects of stroke and to
hopefully prevent disability. When
distance, location or impaired roads
could delay transport or endanger a
patients condition, air transporta-
tion to the Emory Stoke Center can
save lives. Emory Flight enables
us to serve a greater geographic area
with professional fight crews work-
ing in conjunction with Emergency
Medical Services and hospital
staff, Fox said.
by Carla Parker
In an effort to improve the ap-
pearance of Buford Highway in
Brookhaven, the city council ap-
proved a new ordinance and a
$500,000 grant that will help im-
prove living conditions for thou-
sands of residents of apartment
complexes in Brookhaven.
The Brookhaven City Council
voted unanimously April 10 on
the new ordinance that requires all
multi-family housing units to be
inspected to get a business license.
Under the ordinance, an indepen-
dent third-party will inspect the
interior of each occupied unit in the
citys 72 apartment complexes to
ensure compliance with minimum
life safety standards, which includes
operating smoke detectors, emer-
gency lighting, handrails and guard-
rails and more.
City staff will inspect the exte-
rior of the complexes. The inspec-
tions will occur over the next 18
months. Montego Apartments man-
ager Tamara Guarnieri thinks the
new ordinance is a wonderful idea.
Ive worked in Sandy Springs
in an apartment community when
Sandy Springs became a city, she
said. They had done the same and
a lot of the communities in the area
ended up doing upgrades and reno-
vations and it really made the area
much better.
The ordinance is the frst step of
the Buford Highway Improvement
Program, which Brookhaven plans
to launch in several weeks. The city
is currently fnalizing details on
an Intergovernmental Agreement
between Brookhaven and DeKalb
Countys Community Development
departments.
Under the program, the city
will partner with DeKalb and use
$500,000 from the countys Com-
munity Development Block Grant
(CDBG) program to assist apart-
ment complex owners with up-
grades. The $500,000 grant is only
a portion of the countys CDBG
program and will be designated for
repairs and upgrades to the exterior
of the complexes.
City offcials said additional ini-
tiatives are planned to enhance tour-
ism in the area as a component of
Brookhavens comprehensive plan,
which will start this summer.
City Manager Marie L. Garrett
said the citys goal is to provide safe
and affordable workforce housing
so residents can live close to where
they work and go to school.
We are excited about the oppor-
tunity to partner with DeKalb Coun-
ty and provide needed improve-
ments to a heavily populated area
that serves as the gateway to the city
of Brookhaven, Garrett said.
ATLANTA (AP) A new
federal audit fnds that three
deaths occurred in the past
two years under the watch
of the Atlanta VA Medical
Center after authorities say
it lost track of mental health
patients referred to a con-
tractor and failed to keep a
close watch on those under
its own care.
The audit by the Depart-
ment of Veterans Affairs
inspector general began last
year and found that many
of the 4,000 patients the
veterans hospital referred
to the DeKalb Community
Service Board fell through
the cracks.
The Atlanta Journal-
Constitution reported one
patient died of an apparent
drug overdose after waiting
nearly a year to be referred
to a psychiatrist. Another
was told to take public trans-
portation to an emergency
department because the
Health Care for Homeless
Veterans psychiatrist was
unavailable. He didnt go
and committed suicide the
next day. Another suicidal
patient who was supposed
to be closely monitored by
staff in the hospitals mental
health ward died of a drug
overdose after staff members
lost track of him for two
hours.
Atlanta VA offcials did
not dispute any of the audits
fndings and say they are im-
plementing its recommenda-
tions, from new policies on
contraband and drug screen-
ings to a new patient track-
ing system at the hospital.
We want to express our
heartfelt condolences to the
families and friends of the
three veterans cited in the
reports who died, Dr. Da-
vid Bower, the hospitals
chief of staff, said in a state-
ment. All suicides are trag-
ic events and VA, including
this VA, has placed a huge
emphasis on suicide preven-
tion. One suicide is one too
many. Providing the best
health care possible to our
nations heroes is our goal
and we are committed to it.
Michael Zacchea, a Vet-
erans for Common Sense
board member, wondered
why the facility was just
now starting to systemati-
cally track its patients.
Its inexcusable, he
said. I dont think its an
indication that they are f-
nally getting it. I think its
the opposite.
Atlantas VA is one of the
most overburdened systems
in America, according to
Thomas Bandzul, legisla-
tive counsel for Veterans
and Military Families for
Progress. It has eight outpa-
tient centers in metro Atlanta
serving 86,000 patients.
The wait list for mental
health treatment grew from
53 to 397 patients between
2011 and 2012, and there
were 66 vacant staff posi-
tions according to the audit.
Offcials found that a lack
of space and low wages for
psychiatrists were linked to
the vacancies.
LOCAL NEWS
In a family of off-center relatives only Mortimer believes theres a
problem.
Macabre comedy Arsenic and
Old Lace stands the test of time
by Kathy Mitchell
T
he Renaissance Project is now in
its 14th season and my complaint
remains the same. The community
isnt giving this wonderful little
theater the support it deserves. Founded
to promote the performing arts in south
DeKalb, The Renaissance Project should
be packing the house every performance
night in an area where live theater options
are sparse.
The production, which opened April
20again to a thin audienceis the
time-honored farce Arsenic and Old
Lace, which has been around as a stage
play for more than 70 years. Despite its
less than politically correct approach to
mental illness, the dark comedywith
bodies being shuffled about willy-nilly
holds up because of its cartoony nature.
Its no more a true exploration of mental
illness than Elmer Fudd shooting at Bugs
Bunny belongs in a serious discussion of
responsible firearms use.
Director Jeff Paige said in his playbill
notes, Throughout the play, there are
various games being played by the characters
and various scenarios being repeated. To
enjoy this you seek it, note it and recognize
it each time it happens.The best part about
this? When you come back to see the show
a second time, youll notice something that
you hadnt picked up before.
Mortimer Brewster, played charmingly
by Omer Mughal, is a theater critic
with warm affection for his two maiden
aunts Abby and Martha, played by Peg
Thon and Lori Cox, who live next door
to Elaine (Heather Hale), the ministers
daughter he plans to marry.
Visiting his aunts to share the happy
news, Mortimer discovers that one of their
charities is killing lonely old men who
have no family and no apparent reason to
continue living. Another nephew, Teddy
(Bon Lanoue) who lives with the old
ladies, believes hes Teddy Roosevelt and
continually digs up the cellar, believing it
to be the Panama Canal. There he buries
an ever-growing string of yellow fever
victims, actually men murdered by the aunts
with their arsenic-laced elderberry wine.
As if poor Mortimer didnt have
enough family secrets to hide from his
befuddled fiance, another nephew,
Jonathon (Harry Alexander), comes
home after years of eluding the lawhe,
too, has made a casual hobby of murder
by changing his face with the help of his
traveling companion and personal plastic
surgeon, the alcoholic Dr. Einstein (Eric
Westlake).
Again, The Renaissance Project has
been willing to make bold choices first in
selecting a comedy that audiences may
know from the 1944 Frank Capra movie
with Cary Grant in the lead role, giving
the actors a good deal to live up to. Also,
the play is physically demanding, requiring
that the actors moveand sometimes
leapcarefully and nimbly across a small
stage with an audience just steps away.
They pull it off beautifully.
There will be 8 p.m. performances
Fridays and Saturdays and 5 p.m.
performances on Sundays through May
12. There will be a 2 p.m. performance on
May 11. This could be a fun Mothers Day
gift for those whose moms have a wicked
sense of humor.
Renaissance Project plays are
performed on the campus of Travelers
Rest Baptist Church, 4650 Flat Shoals
Parkway, Decatur. Tickets are $17.12. For
more information, call (678) 250-4800 or
visit www.trp-atl.org.
Law enforcement catches up to Mortimers criminally insane brother Jonathan (Harry Alexander) whos
been on the run for years.
Mortimer (Omer Mughal, center) is surrounded by deranged
relativesmurdering aunts Abby and Martha (Peg Thon and
Lori Cox) and trumpet wielding brother Teddy, who believes hes
Teddy Roosevelt.
Mortimer and ance Elaine (Heather Hale) look on as the
poison-happy aunts entertain unsuspecting guests.
EDUCATION
Young adults get headstart with Year Up
by Andrew Cauthen
My friends have fast food restau-
rant jobs or retail jobs, said Malcolm
Peavy, 20, who graduated from Tucker
High School in 2011. I wanted to do
more than my friends were doing. I
wanted to do better than they did and
I wanted to get a better grasp on my
life.
Then, Peavy heard about the Year
Up program from some friends.
They said it helped them out over-
all, Peavy said. They said it helped
them with some soft skills they didnt
have from high school. Even though
theyve been to college, they said
theyve been better off after Year Up
than when they went to college.
Year Up is a yearlong educational
and internship program with a mission
to close the Opportunity Divide by
providing urban young adults with the
skills, experience, and support that will
empower them to reach their potential
through professional careers and high-
er education, according to its website
at www.yearup.org. Year Up program
provides low-income adults training
and education in technology and then
places them in corporate internships.
Year Up gives you more than an
actual job. It gets you prepared for
your future, Peavy said.
The 80 participants, ages 18-24, in
Year Up take just a plethora of class-
es on personal development, social and
emotional intelligence, corporate and
cultural persona, writing, information
technology, Microsoft Offce and typ-
ing, Peavy said.
During that time, its pretty in-
teresting because you get to fgure
out what its like in that environment
working with other people, Peavy
said.
Peavy said the best part of Year Up
has been the exposure to all the dif-
ferent environments and people.
Recently I spent two hours with
the vice president of BB&T Bank in
Lenox Square, Peavy said. Nor-
mally, I dont think, walking in off the
street, especially at my age I would
have been able to sit there and spend
time with him. I meet a lot of people
that I normally would not meet or even
know who they are. Ive made a whole
bunch more connections.
Peavy is currently halfway through
a six-month internship as a porting
specialist with Vocalocity, an Atlanta
company that provides voice over In-
ternet Protocol (VoIP) services to busi-
nesses. In this role, Peavy interfaces
with internal and external customers;
orders, tracks, and coordinates orders;
plans and coordinates tasks and sched-
ules; updates databases; and keeps cus-
tomers and team members updated on
general order status.
Ive gotten exposure to a whole
bunch of people in an environment I
probably never would have been in,
Peavy said. I get to experience and
talk to people that normally I dont talk
to.
I ask them for advice about what
they have experienced, he said.
Since Im going through college right
now and theyve already been to col-
lege, I get tips and advice on those
types of things.
Since this is my frst job experi-
ence, I get advice on that, too, Peavy
said.
The Year Up program addresses
many areas of life, including long-term
planning.
Ive never been one of those
people that actually sit there and plan
out anything that I was going to do,
Peavy said. So now I plan it out.
One of Peavys plans is to go to
college to study biology and informa-
tion technology.
Theres a lot of things that Ive
been able to work on, Peavy said.
My professional dress is a lot better.
It was a little bit different for me
because I had to work on my profes-
sional wardrobe, Peavy said. At frst
I only had one suit and my shoes were
in really bad condition.
Peavy said he was able to augment
his wardrobe with items from the pro-
grams clothing closet.
Ive actually beneftted in my
personal life because Ive been able to
work things out with family members
as well as get more stability in my liv-
ing situation, he said.
Peavy said he has already recom-
mended the program to others; two
friends will be starting the program
soon.
Year Up is funded in part by Mi-
crosofts YouthSpark, a companywide
initiative designed to create opportuni-
ties for hundreds of millions of youth
around the world, according to the
Microsoft website.
During a recent Atlanta YouthSpark
event, speakers described the oppor-
tunity divide in metro Atlanta. Speak-
ers said 9 percent of young adults in
Atlanta, ages 18-24, have a bachelors
degree; and 25 percent of 16-24-year-
olds are not in school and do not have
a high school diploma. Of that group,
halfapproximately 80,000 people
are unemployed.
Through partnerships with govern-
ments, nonprofits and businesses, we
aim to empower youth to imagine and
realize their full potential by connect-
ing them with greater education, em-
ployment, and entrepreneurship oppor-
tunities. We want to empower youth to
change their world, stated Microsofts
website.
Tucker High School graduate Malcolm Peavy says Year Up has helped him with personal development, writing, computer skills and even learning to dress appropriately.
EDUCATION
Art teacher helps students
recapture creativity
GPC Dunwoody dental
hygiene student overcomes
obstacles to graduate
When Maria Alejandra
Rodriguez fled guerilla
rebels who had kidnapped
her father and killed her
mother, she thought she
would spend a few months
in the United States and re-
turn to her native Colombia.
Instead, she was forced to
learn a new language, as-
similate into a different cul-
ture and craft a new future.
On May 3, Rodriguez
will be one of 23 dental hy-
giene students participating
in the Georgia Perimeter
College commencement
exercise. Named the de-
partments top student,
Rodriguez will accept her
diploma in front of her fa-
ther and other proud family
members.
Rodriguez, 28, who lives
in Dunwoody, was a young
girl growing up in the bus-
tling city of Bogota, Colom-
bia, where her father owned
a textile mill. But he loved
spending weekends four
hours away in the country-
side, tending to a rice farm
that gave him time to work
the land and think about life.
It was a hobby that would
cost the family dearly.
My father was kid-
napped from the rice farm
and held for ransom, Ro-
driguez said. When my
mother went to pay part
of the ransom during his
first year of captivity, the
guerillas took the money
and killed her. Her father
would be held for an addi-
tional two years.
Meanwhile, government
agents rushed Rodgriguez,
then 17, and her younger
brother out of the country
for their own safety. They
lived with relatives in
Woodstock, Ga., and began
assimilating into American
society.
Rodriguez took English
classes at Kennesaw State
University for a year and
began working in a pediatric
dental office. Still, she was
wracked with sadness and
guilt over leaving her father
behind.
I was in my comfort
zone in Colombia; I didnt
want to leave and I was just
heartbroken. But it wasnt
safe for us to stay there,
Rodriguez said. I thought
I would only be here for a
few months, but the govern-
ment told us that it would be
too dangerous to come back.
I realized that I would have
to stay in the United States,
and it took me several years
to get used to the culture
and learn the language.
Rodriguez stayed busy
and focused on taking core
classes at Kennesaw State to
become a dental hygienist.
She loved her job at the den-
tal office and realized that
she had a passion for help-
ing people.
During that time, the
guerillas released her father,
and the family was reunited
in the United States. That
was a turning point for Ro-
driguez, who had just been
accepted into the GPC den-
tal hygiene program.
Once he was released
my life came back. I real-
ized I could do anything and
move on with my life in my
new country and find suc-
cess, she said. I became
a citizen two years ago and
got married. I am so grateful
for all of the opportunities
that this country offers.
As for being the dental
hygiene departments top
student, Rodriguez said she
finds it hard to believe she
was chosen for the honor.
Ive always been very
disciplined and try to give
150 percent to work and
school. I have to work hard
to get the grades, because I
dont think I am necessarily
the smartest student, she
said. There are so many
really smart people in my
class that I never thought I
was at top of the class. I am
very blessed and very happy
and very proud of myself.
by Andrew Cauthen
The Teacher of the Year
at DeKalb Early College
Academy (DECA) said
she is just helping students
rediscover their early child-
hood.
You start out as an artist
before you do anything else
in this world, said Jean-
nie Goecke Nicol, a DECA
professor in her second year
teaching art at the academy.
Theres a big disconnect
with the teenagers, Nicol
said. Theyve forgotten
how to create.
Im just showing them
ways to do stuff, Nicol
said. Theres no cant in
here.
From drawing fgures
and hands to learning how
to mix paint to learning
about a different artist each
week, for some of them its
the frst time theyve had an
arts course, Nicol said.
Although, students cant
fail Nicols art class if they
do the work, she said, This
is the hardest class theyve
got, because everyone
knows what 2+2 isor how
to spell cat.
Students ask her, Is this
right? Like a stereotypical
psychologist, she responds,
What do you think?
Before working at
DECA, Nicol taught at
Laurel Ridge Elementary.
Before that, she was an art-
ist and actress.
Im kind of a theater
chick whos always trying
to make money, said Nicol,
who is working to fnishing
a masters degree.
To help students un-
derstand the context of art
in history, she works with
other teachers.
We try to do a good bit
of collaboration with each
other, Nicol said. They
need to understand the
context. They have to under-
stand the period.
Nicol has one big rule
for the students: I dont
let them use an eraser. You
dont make mistakes, its
just a new way to go.
Nicol said her students
are doing college level work
that recently impressed in-
terim school Superintendent
Mike Thurmond.
The superintendent
was so blown away by our
artwork that he wanted
some pieces framed for his
offce, Nicol said.
Im just proud of them,
she said about her students.
I push them. I mock them
with love.
Printed on 100% post-consumer
recycled paper
Rodriguez
Art teacher Jeannie Goecke Nicol, center, helps students reclaim the artistic spark they had as small
children. Photo provided
BUSINESS
Decatur High Schools robotics team, Global Dynamics, was the leader of the winning alliance at the FRC Georgia
Peachtree Regional robotics competition. The team will travel to St. Louis for the World Championship April 24-27.
Photo provided
Olive oil and vinegar boutique comes to venerable Toco Hills restaurant
The Voice of Business in DeKalb County
DeKalb Chamber of Commerce
404.378.8000 www.DeKalbChamber.org
Two Decatur Town Center, 125 Clairemont Ave., Suite 235, Decatur, GA 30030
by Kathy Mitchell

Michael Gropp invites
his guests to sip from taster
cups as he talks about food
pairings, favor intensity and
subtle notes that strike the
palate as the liquid moves
through the mouth and down
the throat. The event is not
a wine tasting. The visitors
are tasting olive oil that is
offered at Petite Auberges
new olive oil and vinegar
boutique that opened earlier
this month.
Petite Auberge has been
a fxture in Toco Hills Shop-
ping Center since the 1970s,
and has been owned by the
same family since its open-
ing. Despite the French
name, which means little
inn, the restaurant from the
beginning has offered not
only French cuisine, but fare
infuenced by other Euro-
pean countries, especially
Germany, refecting the fam-
ilys heritage.
Gropp, a second-gener-
ation owner, decided it was
time to try something new,
a tasting bar and retail store
located inside the restaurant
featuring approximately 30
varieties of favored and in-
fused olive oils. At the same
time, the chefs are crafting
a new health-conscience
menu around cooking pre-
dominantly with extra virgin
olive oilsor as folks in
the food business call them,
EVOOs.
The boutiques retail
collection is available to
be tasted, custom blended,
bottled and sold to patrons
to take home to cook with
or give as gifts. Oils include
such favors as garlic, cran-
berry walnut and blood or-
ange, while vinegar options
include chocolate, raspberry,
pecan and peach tastes.
Gropp, whos the restau-
rants general manager and
who personally selected the
stock, said he was careful
to include favors that are
popular in the South such
as sweet potato and pecan.
And this is Georgiawe
had to have peach, he
added. All of the olive oils
are ultra-fresh, he said, and
the sales staff can tell cus-
tomers when the olives were
pressed by date or season.
Patrons deciding among the
varieties may taste the oils
and vinegars straight or by
dipping sampling bread in
them. The products are sold
in three bottle sizes, the larg-
est of which is the size of
a 750 milliliter wine bottle
and sells for $28.95.
Customers who arent
quite sure what to do with
these possibly unfamiliar in-
gredients can ask for recipes.
Nothings a secret here,
Gropp said.
We have switched from
cooking with traditional oils
and fats to cooking with
EVOO. We will be blend-
ing many of the boutiques
products into the existing
menu, and we will create
new menu specials featur-
ing the product. In the near
future, we will have cooking
demonstrations and other
special events as well, incor-
porating the new retail line,
he said.
The chefs not only are
incorporating olive oil and
vinegar where diners might
expect in such dishes as
roasted red pepper bruschet-
ta, Tuscan chicken skewer
and the lemon balsamic
grilled salmon, but also in
such desserts as chocolate
crepe praline, strawberries
Romanoff and white peach
crme brule.
We served the white
peach crme brule at our
Easter Sunday brunch,
where it was such a hit that
well probably start offer-
ing it in place of the crme
brule we were offering be-
fore, Gropp said.
He said extra virgin olive
oils have long enjoyed a rep-
utation as a healthier choice
than other cooking oils, but
they have recently becom-
ing trendy, too. Sampling
bars such as the one at Petite
Auberge are sweeping the
nation, he said, noting that
the Atlanta area already has
several of them in such plac-
es as Buckhead, Roswell,
Alpharetta and Newnan.
The olive oil and vin-
egar boutique products are
stored in stainless steel
drums called fustis and sold
in dark green bottles to en-
sure that the delicate favors
and the polyphenolsthe
heart healthy antioxidants in
the olive oildo not break
down due to exposure to
light, explained Gropp,
who said all of Petite Au-
berges olive oils contain a
high concentration of antiox-
idants, increasing the health
benefts of the product.
Olive oil and vinegar are stored in stainless steel
drums called fustis.
For retail sale, the olive oil and vinegar are sold in
dark green bottles in three sizes.
Michael Gropp pours a bit of oil into a tiny cup for tasting.
Tuscan chicken skewers
White peach crme brule
Roasted red pepper brushetta
LOCAL NEWS
AUCTIONS
ADVERTISE YOUR AUC-
TION in over 100 newspa-
pers for only $350. Your
25-word classifed ad will
reach more than 1 million
readers. Call Jennifer La-
bon at the Georgia News-
paper Service, 770-454-
6776.
DRIVERS
5 New Driver Trainees
Needed! Learn to drive for
TMC Transportation! Earn
$750 per week! No experi-
ence needed! Local CDL
Training! Local 15 day train-
ing. 1-877-648-2755.
Drivers- Apply Now! 12
Drivers Needed Top 5%
Pay. Class A CDL required.
877-258-8782. www.ad-
drivers.com
AVERITT OFFERS CDL-
A DRIVERS A STRONG,
STABLE, PROFITABLE CA-
REER. Experienced Drivers
and Recent Grads Ex-
cellent Benefts. Weekly
Hometime. Paid Training.
888-362-8608. Averi-
ttCareers.com Equal Op-
portunity Employer
Company Driver: Team
Drivers Needed. $0.513
per mile + $15/Stop (split).
Long Haul. CDL-A with 1
year OTR and Hazmat End.
Sign-On Bonus: $5000
Teams. Call 888-705-3217
or apply online at www.
drivenctrans.com
DRIVERS Professional
class A drivers, OTR Trac-
tor Trailer. Good pay, great
home time, health insur-
ance, 401k, paid vacation,
bonus package and top
equipment all in a small
company atmosphere but
backed up with large com-
pany benefts@ Call Erin
266-249-6203. Ext. 212.
Driver Two raises in frst
year. Qualify for any portion
of$.03/mile quartely bonus:
$.01 Safety, $.01 Produc-
tion, $.01 MPG. 3 months
OTR experience. 800-414-
9569.www.driveknight.com
Home Weekends, $1,000
sign on bonus, OTR fat-
bved, guarantee pay, ex-
cellent pay, benefts, o/ops
welcome. Call today for
details, 800-554-5661, ext.
331, www.awltransport.
com
Gypsum Express. Regional
Hauls for Flatbed Company
Driver. Ask about Perfor-
mance Bonus that started
April 1st & more. Melissa
866-317-6556 x6 or www.
gypsumexpress.com
EDUCATION
Medical Billing Trainees
Needed! Train to Become
a Medical Offce Assistant!
No Experience Needed!
Job ready ASAP! HS Di-
ploma/GED & PC/Internet
needed! 1-888-407-7162.
HELP WANTED
WANTED: LIFE AGENTS,
Earn $500 a Day; Great
Agent Benefts; Commis-
sions Paid Daily: liberal Un-
derwriting; Leads, Leads,
Leads LIFE INSURANCE,
LICENSE REQIRED. Call
1-888-713-6020.
SCHOOL BUS DRIVERS
WANTED-Starting at
$15.40 per hour-DeKalb
County School District
Good driving record and
drug-test required. Call
678-676-1481. Hiring Now!
MISCELLANEOUS
SAWMILLS from only
$3997.00 Make money
with your own bandmill-Cut
lumber any dimesion. In
stock ready to ship. FREE
info/DVD: www.Norwood-
Sawmills.com. 1-800-578-
1363 Ext.300N.
DIVORCE WITH OR WITH-
OUT children $125.00.
Includes name change and
property settlement agree-
ment. SAVE HUNDREDS.
Fast and easy. Call 1-888-
733-7165, 24/7.
SERVICES
AIRLINES ARE HIRING
Train for high paying Avia-
tion Maintenance Career.
FAA Approved program.
Financial aid if qualifed
Job placement assistance.
CALL Aviation Institute of
Maintenance (866) 564-
9634.
VACATION RENTALS
ADVERTISE YOUR VACA-
TION PROPERTY, to more
than 1 million Georgia
newspaper readers. Your
25-word classifed ad will
appear in over 100 Georgia
newspapers for only $350.
Call Jennifer Labon at the
Georgia Newspaper Ser-
vice at 770-454-6776 or
online at
Www.gapress.org/geor-
gianewspaperservice.html
RATES: $30.00 for up to 40 words, each additional word $0.60.
All ads are prepaid! All Major credit cards accepted!
For Prices, Deadlines and Information
Visit www.championclassifeds.com
DISCLAIMER: We do not knowingly accept advertisements that discriminate, or intend to discriminate, on any illegal basis. Nor do we knowingly accept employment advertisements that are not bona-fide job offers. All real
estate advertisements are subject to the fair housing act and we do not accept advertising that is in violation of the law. The law prohibits discrimination based on color, religion, sex, national origin, handicap or familial status.
Classifieds
TheChampion
Ads Due By Friday - Noon
for next publication date.
The Champion is not responsible for any
damages resulting from advertisements.
All sales final.
Bosch geothermal heating and cooling systems can save you up to
70% on your home energy bills. With an additional 30% federal tax
credit, these systems are now more afordable than ever!
Visit our site to fnd out
how much you can save.
BoschGeo.com
Propane bills too high?
Stop feeding the pig and get Geo.
RowellAuctions.com
A MarkNet Alliance Member GAL AU-C002594 | TN 2133 | NC 8935 10% Buyers Premium
Rowell Auctions, Inc. | 800-323-8388
Auction Site: Union County Community Center
129 Union County Recreation Rd, Blairsville, GA
BANK ORDERED 94 Bank Foreclosed
Properties
GA, NC & TN
Many Selling Absolute! No Minimums! No Reserves!
Tuesday, May 14th @ 2:00 p.m.
Online Bidding Available
Train for high paying Aviaton Career.
FAA approved program.
Financial aid if qualifed - Job placement assistance.
CALL Aviaton Insttute of Maintenance
866-564-9634
AIRLINES ARE
HIRING
OLDEST WATERBED STORE IN GEORGIA!
Complete Waterbeds & All Accessories
Across from GA Square Mall in Athens
Mon-Sat 10-7 Closed Sun 706-543-4323
www.southernwaterbeds.com
SPORTS
uGYMNASTICS
Lakeside repeats as DeKalb County
Gymnastics champions
Redan Lady Raiders capture Region 6-AAAA track and field championship
by Mark Brock
J
unior Meg Stephens swept the gold
medals at the 2013 DeKalb County
Gymnastics Championships to repeat
as the All-Around champion and lead
the Lakeside Lady Vikings to their second
consecutive county title at Dunwoody on
April 16.
Stephens repeated as the gold medalist
in the beam and foor exercises while taking
top honors in the uneven parallel bars and
the vault. She scored an 8.70 on the bars,
9.00 on the beam, 8.95 on the foor and 8.50
in the vault for an All-Around gold medal
with a total of 35.25 points.
Dunwoodys Lizzie Marra, a junior,
put together two silvers (beam and foor)
and a bronze (vault) for a total of 32.50
points to take the All-Around silver
just ahead of Lakeside junior Linsey
Bergstrom, who fnished with a 32.15 total.
Marra fnished ffth in the All-Around in
2012.
Marra scored an 8.20 on the vault, 7.65
on the beam and 8.75 on the foor for her
two silver medals. She took the bronze in
the vault with an 8.20 score and was tied
for fourth with Bergstrom at 7.90 on the
bars.
Bergstrom fnished with silver in the
vault (8.25) and took bronze in the beam
(7.40) and the foor (8.60) on the way to
her second consecutive bronze medal in the
All-Around.
Junior Camille Cassar of Arabia
Mountain was fourth in the All-Around for
the second consecutive season with a 30.75
total, including a silver medal tie on the
bars with Jordyn Sak of Lakeside with a
score of 8.45.
Southwest DeKalbs Lauren Jones was
ffth in the All-Around at 27.35 and Arabia
Mountains Donetta Heslin was sixth at
25.20.
Lakeside fnished with a team total of
99.700 to capture the second consecutive
county title and 18th overall. Dunwoody,
which won three consecutive county
championships from 2009 to 2011, put up a
team score of 90.25 to fnish second for the
second year in a row.
Arabia Mountain fnished third overall
with a team score of 79.15.
The Class AAAA defending
state track and feld champions
Redan Lady Raiders qualifed in
12 events for the State Sectionals
on April 27 after winning the
Region 6-AAAA Track and Field
Championships title on April 10.
Senior sprinter Crystal Gray
won the 200-meter (25.24) and
400-meter (56.02) dashes and
the Redan relay teams qualifed
two teams in each the 4x100- and
4x400-meter relays for sectionals
while winning both events. Redan
won the 4x100 in a time of 48.24
and also took third in 48.55 while
sweeping the top two places in the
4x400 in 3:54.09 and 4:00.19.
The wins garnered 171 points
for the Lady Raiders team as they
pulled away from second place
Marist, 126 points, to take the title.
Freshman Shequilla McClain
(44.95) and junior Miyah Golden
(46.52) fnished frst and second,
respectively, in the 300-meter
hurdles.
Redan had 10 individuals fnish
in the region top four in their events
to move one step closer to the
GHSA State Championships set for
May in Albany, Ga.
Columbia captured fourth place
in the region behind freshman
sprinter Alexandria Andrewss
win in the 100-meter dash, and
Chamblee freshman Sidney Holmes
led Chamblee to a ffth place fnish
after winning the 100-meter hurdle.
Columbia had four individuals
qualify for the sectional along with
the 4x100-meter relay. Chamblee
will be represented by three
individuals and two relay teams in
the state sectionals.
The Redan Raiders qualifed
nine individuals and the 4x400 relay
team for state sectionals as they
fnished as the Region 6-AAAA
boys runners-up to Marist (137-
122).
Junior Ian Grandison won the
300-meter hurdles in a time of 39.90
and sophomore Chris McBride
won the triple jump with a leap of
44-09-00 and fnished second in the
long jump (22-04.00).
Lithonia senior Clark Jones Jr.
qualifed for state sectionals with a
pair of second place fnishes in the
100-meter (11:06) and 200-meter
(21.88) dashes to lead Lithonia to a
sixth place fnish.
Columbia fnished seventh in
the team standings while qualifying
two individuals and two relay teams
for the state sectionals.
Meg Stephens
2013 DeKalb County Gymnastics Championships Lakeside Lady Vikings.
Lizzie Marra
SPORTS
Southwest DeKalb hires former player as new head football coach
by Carla Parker
S
outhwest DeKalb High
School has hired Michael
Tanks as the head football
coach to succeed retiring
coach Buck Godfrey.
Tanks is a 1985 Southwest
DeKalb graduate who played under
Godfrey before going on to Florida
State University, where he played
center and was an Outland Award
fnalist, an award given to the best
college football interior lineman.
Godfrey retired in March after 30
years of coaching.
It feels real good to come back
home and become the head coach,
Tanks said. Its some big shoes to
fll.
After leaving Florida State,
Tanks played for one season with
the Birmingham Fire of the World
League of American Football
(WLAF) in 1991. The WLAF league
played during the spring months,
which allowed Tanks to come back
to Southwest DeKalb and volunteer
as a coach during the fall.
Thats when I realized this was
something I really wanted to do, he
said.
After volunteering at Southwest
DeKalb, Tanks went on to coach
at Tri-Cities High School in Fulton
County and in the City Schools
of Decatur before coming back to
Southwest DeKalb in 2007 as the
offensive line coach. Tanks said one
of the biggest things he learned from
Godfrey is character.
He helped young men develop
into men, he said. He has done a
great job getting a lot of these young
men into college and giving them a
great start on their future.
Tanks said he plans to keep the
teams defensive scheme the same
but will make some changes to the
offense.
Coach Godfrey ran the Wing-T
offense, but were going to run the
Spread offense, he said. This will
put our athletes in space a little bit
more and allow them to make plays
for us.
He added that his main goal for
the program is to get it back on a na-
tional level.
Were going to take it one game
at a time of course, he said. Our
goals for this team are to win the
region and advance in the playoffs.
[The players] set their goals for a
state championship so what were
doing now is working on how we
work to win a state championship.
Head coaching jobs are also open
at McNair, Towers, Cedar Grove,
Lakeside and Druid Hills, accord-
ing to the DeKalb County School
District Athletic Department. Former
Cedar Grove football coach Ray
Bonner is also retiring after 35 years
of coaching.
At Decatur High School, offen-
sive coordinator Scott Jackson was
named head coach. Jackson replaces
Brad Waggoner, who was head
coach for one season before resign-
ing to take the head coaching job
and athletic directorship at Lumpkin
County High School.
Next Level
Each week The Champion spotlights
former high school players from
the county who are succeeding in
athletics on the college level.
Brian Thomas, Morehouse
(baseball): The junior pitcher/
infelder had one home run, one hit,
one RBI and three runs scored in
the 14-3 win over Clark Atlanta on
April 21. Thomas has a .281 batting
average with 16 hits, 14 RBIs and
three home runs on the season.
Nic Wilson, Georgia State
(baseball): The junior infelder
from Decatur scored two runs and
had three RBIs in Georgia States
14-12 win over James Madison on
April 20. Wilson has a .262 batting
average with 24 runs, 27 hits and 21
RBIs on the season.
Nakia Linson, Florida A&M (track
and feld): The junior from Tucker
ran a leg of the 4x100m relay team
that took frst place in the FSU
Seminole Invitational on April 13.
Linson also recorded a MEAC-best
23.55 in the 200-meter dash shortly
following the relay and took second
place in the 100-meter dash in
11.66. She would add second place
in the long jump with a 5.91m (19-
04.75) leap.
uTENNIS
Lakeside boys and girls defeat Southwest DeKalb to take third place in region
by Carla Parker
On April 15, the Lakeside girls
beat Southwest DeKalb 3-0 and
the boys beat Southwest DeKalb
3-0 on April 16. Freshman Carson
Harne gave Lakeside its frst
singles match win after beating
senior Corey Carter 6-2, 6-0.
Senior Owen Smith defeated
sophomore Kimani Deveaux
6-1, 6-1 to give Lakeside a 2-0.
Lakesides double team of Paul
Choi and Riley Ellingson closed
out the regional matchup by
defeating Southwest DeKalbs
Stephen Lamar and Darrius
Winns 7-6, 6-4.
Lakeside coach Margaret
Hyman said she was happy with
both teams wins.
I think were pretty proud of
it, she said. Its a tough region so
Im happy with how we fnished.
Both Lakeside and Southwest
DeKalb will play in the state
AAAAA playoffs, which begin on
April 25.
Lakeside boys defeated Southwest DeKalb to take third place in Region
6-AAAAA.
Lakesides Sam Glaze faced off against Jabari Scott (below) in the third sin-
gles match.
.. " \ ` l 1 '1 ^ '!\/
' ' '
' ' ' ' ' '
" ./:
..| l /:
Promotion restricted to items shown. Limit one deal per pictured national brand item per customer. Offer good through May 1, 2013

!!

!l.
|
./.\|
!\|

FreePress: 4-26-2013

Transféré par

Informations du document

Copyright

Formats disponibles

Partager ce document

Partager ou intégrer le document

Options de partage

Avez-vous trouvé ce document utile ?

Ce contenu est-il inapproprié ?

Droits d'auteur :

Formats disponibles

FreePress: 4-26-2013

Transféré par

Droits d'auteur :

Formats disponibles

Decatur: A great place to eat, walk

CALL NOW! 404-220-8610

Vous aimerez peut-être aussi