Champion FreePress 2-12-16

8/20/2019 Champion FreePress 2-12-16

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The Champion FREE PRESS, Friday, Feb. 12, 2016 LOCAL Page 2A

Centenarian looks back over history

The thing about history is that it’s continually unfolding. So while we celebrate the many past

accomplishments of African-Americans, we also recognize the great achievements being

made today. And we salute the young history makers to come who will contribute to an even

better tomorrow.

georgiapower.com

GEORGIA POWER CELEBRATES BLACK HISTORY,BLACK PRESENT, BLACK FUTURE.

by Kathy Mitchell

In 1914, the year JohnOdell Howey was born,World War I started in Eu-ope, President Woodrow

Wilson proclaimed the irstnational Mother’s Day andhe irst regularly scheduledommercial air travel was o-ered.

At the south DeKalbhome o his daughter NormaWashington, Howey re-lected on the changes he

has seen over the more thana century he has lived. “Iived on a arm in Lancaster

County, South Carolina,until I was 5,” he recalled.hen I went to live withome relatives in Charlotte,

North Carolina. here wasno school or Blacks wherewe lived in South Carolina,but you could go to school inCharlotte.”

here was another rea-on or the move, Washing-on explained, as she urged

her dad to tell how he ranaoul o the racial customs inhis community.

“Some White boys werebeating my brothers, say-ng they were going to teachhem to respect White peo-

ple, so I took my slingshotand shot rocks at them. hey

brought their athers to ourhouse and demanded thatmy ather bring me out sohe White athers could whip

me. My dad said he didn’tee where I had done any-hing where I deserved to be

whipped. hey knew my dadand his brothers had gunso i they orced their way inomebody would get hurt.

hat’s why they let,” Howeyaid.

“My amily was araid theKu Klux Klan might comehere later, so they quickly

got my ather and two o hisisters out o town,” Wash-ngton said. Howey was ableo attend school in Charlotte

and later went to college atVirginia Union in Richmond,Va.

While living with rela-ives in Richmond in 1934,

Howey went to a dancewhere Cab Calloway andhis orchestra were perorm-ng, but the music wasn’t the

most exciting thing he oundhat evening. He saw a young

woman he wanted to getknow better, but discovered

here was an obstacle.“Her older sister came

with her to be sure she didn’talk to just anybody. I guesshe decided I was all right

since she let me dance withher sister,” Howey said. Fivemonths later, the two mar-ried and remained togetheruntil her death in 2000 onthe eve o what would havebeen their 65th wedding an-niversary.

“I’ve never seen anothercouple like them; they wereso devoted to each other,”said Washington, who isnamed or her mother, Nor-ma. “I never heard them talk

strie to each other. hey al-ways treated each other withlove and respect.”

From that union cameseven children, 18 grandchil-dren, 24 great-grandchildrenand ive great-great-grand-children. “And they all adoretheir granddad,” Washingtonsaid.

Many amily membersbear the name Howey, whichmay be unique to the amily,according to Howey’s young-

See Centenarian on Page 6A Rita Howey, left, and Norma Washington flank their 101-year old fatherat Washington’s south DeKalb home.


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AVONDALECity to host active shooterpreparedness training

In conjunction with the Avon-dale Estates Police Department’scontinuing Avondale Citizens SaetySeries, a presentation entitled “Ac-ive Shooter Preparedness” will be

given Feb. 25, rom 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.he event will be hosted at the FirstBaptist Church o Avondale Estates,47 Covington Road. he presenta-

ion will be given by Cpl. Conroy,raining Oicer o the AvondaleEstates Police Department. A ques-ion and answer period will ollowhe presentation.

BROOKHAVENCity to offer free LEGO workshop

Brookhaven will host a reeLEGO workshop Feb. 20 1-4 p.m.at Briarwood Park, 2235 BriarwoodWay NE. Children ages 6 to 11welcome to this ree activity. Learn

more and sign up at www.play-well.org. For more inormation, call404) 630-8608.

DECATUR

eFile CLE training to be offered

DeKalb County Superior CourtClerk Debra DeBerry and ylerechnologies will host a ree eFileCLE lunch and learn training ses-ion on Feb. 18, at noon in the

Maloo Auditorium located at 1300

Commerce Drive in downtown De-catur.

his training workshop is rec-ommended or any attorney or stamembers who ile documents inDeKalb County Clerk’s Oice.

“We are excited to begin themplementation o our new case

management system, Odyssey; thishas long been a goal or me that ourcounty utilize and beneit rom thebest,” said DeBerry in a release.

yler echnologies is a providero inormation management solu-ions and services or local govern-

ments.

Contact Annette Taylor to re-erve a seat at (404) 371-2251 [email protected].

South DeKalb community groupreceives $10,000 grant

South DeKalb ImprovementAssociation’s education committeeis the recipient o a $10,000 grant

rom United Way.he unds will be used to sup-port parent orums emphasizingparent’s rights and responsibilities,the impact o Opportunity SchoolDistricts and other community cen-tered needs.

In addition to the orums, undswill support Ronald E. McNair Dis-covery Learning Academy SummerBridge Program.

STONE

MOUNTAINState representative receivescommunity service award

State Rep. Karen Bennett (D-Stone Mountain) was recently hon-ored at New Bethel A.M.E. in Li-thonia during the church’s 15th An-nual Martin Luther King Jr. DrumMajor Award Celebration on Jan.18. During the service, Bennett waspresented with the Drum Major orJustice Community Service Awardor her work in the community.

“It is an honor to receive theDrum Major or Justice CommunityService Award,” Bennett said. “I amblessed to be able to serve in a com-munity where positive activism stillmakes a dierence.”

Richard Allen Washington Sr.,pastor o New Bethel, presided overthe celebration and ormer Georgiastate senator Gary Parker, an attor-ney, served as the keynote speaker.he theme or the event was “Stand-ing or Righteousness.” Otherawards presented were the DrumMajor Award, the Women o Cour-age Award and the Church Pillar o

Strength Award.Bennett represents District 94,which includes portions o DeKalband Gwinnett counties. She waselected into the House o Represen-

tatives in 2012, and currently serveson the code revision, economic development and tourism, and regu-lated industries committees.

ART Station presents lunchtimeseries

AR Station’s Feb. 22 lunchtimepresentation will eature artists Erin Bailey and Del Martin who willpresent a discussion o their recenttravels.

he artists were inspired byunique landscapes and animals theysaw during excursions to South A-

rica and Alaska in 2015. An exhibito their work will be presented inthe rolley Stop Gallery during thistime.

he event is part o AR Sta-tion’s “Lunchtime Series at AR Sta-tion,” held rom noon to 1 p.m.

“his series strives to createa resh and stimulating monthlylunchtime option or area residentsand business proessionals,” statesan announcement about the event.Each presentation showcases a per-ormance, lecture or art experienceand oers a boxed lunch.

ickets are $10 or the presenta-tion and boxed lunch and $5 or the

presentation only. here will be a veggie option. Water and ice tea willbe provided at no additional charge.Reservations or 10 or more are re-quired two days in advance.

For additional inormation, call(770) 469-1105 or visit www.artsta-tion.org.

AR Station, a nonproit con-temporary arts center that providescultural and educational opportu-nities to the entire community, islocated at 5384 Manor Drive, StoneMountain.

COUNTYWIDEStudent competes for MissTeen title

Genesia Williams, a studentat Destiny Achievers Academy oExcellence in Decatur, was re-cently selected to participate in the2016 Miss een pageant competi-tion that will take place on Sunday,Feb. 14.

Williams will be entered inthe Miss een division, one oour divisions in which girls ages 7through 19 will compete in model-ing routines, including casual andormal wear. Williams’ personalityand interviewing skills will be ondisplay during an interview with theevent’s judging panel.

I Williams wins the Miss een

title, she will represent the metroAtlanta area at the national compe-tition in Orlando, Fla. More than$30,000 in prizes and awards will bepresented at the competition.

Any business, organization,or private individual who may beinterested in becoming a sponsoror Williams may contact the Misseen pageant coordinator, at 1 (877)403-6678.

South River is Georgia’s newest water trail

Soon, the gentle bends andcanopied waters o the South Riverwill be accessible by kayak or canoe.Ater a year o dedicated planningwith the Georgia River Network,National Park Service and a host oregional partners, the South RiverWatershed Alliance (SRWA) hasunveiled the blueprint o the SouthRiver Water rail at www.southriv-erwatertrail.org.

he water trail will be 46 mileslong and include new put-in andtake-out points, directional signsand maps.

Jacqueline Echols, SRWA boardpresident, stated, “he water trail

is the uture o the South River andwill promote communitywide envi-ronmental education and steward-ship.”

he irst new access points arescheduled or construction in mid-to late 2016. he SRWA is lookingor volunteers to be a part o creat-ing the water trail.

For more inormation, contactSRWA at (404) 285-3756 or [email protected].

AROUNDDEKALB


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If you would like to nominate someone to be considered as a future Champion of the Week, please contact Andrew Cauthenat [email protected] or at (404) 373-7779, ext. 117.

India Ali

MOVE IN/OUT CLEANNG

CleaningByMarines.com

(404) 975-9002

India Ali o Lithoniaays, giving back to others

brings her a sense o peace.“I eel like I’ve been

blessed so much it’s my duty

o give back,” the 29-year-oldaid.

Ali spends her time giv-ng back to youth through

basketball, and she givesback to those in need. Ali isa lawyer by day and an as-istant basketball coach inhe evenings at Salem Middle

School. She also inds timeo volunteer through two

organizations that she workswith.

In June 2015, Ali helpedbring Pass he Love (PL)organization to Atlanta. he

organization was ounded inLas Vegas, Nev. by a riend o

hers, and Ali convinced herto extend it to Atlanta.

“he purpose is to passthe love,” Ali said. “I thinkwe are all capable o at leastthat, and I try to do thatwith everything I involvemysel in and everyone that

I encounter, no matter theirstatus.”

With PL AL, Ali andother volunteers have sat andchatted with the homeless

and, distributed ood and hy-giene kits to them.

Ali is also one o theounders o the ProjectL.I.F.E. (Learning Is ForEveryone) program, whichexposes students to be men-tored by young adults whowork in various proession.

Ali said she tries to liveby a quote by Martin LutherKing Jr., “Everybody can begreat because anybody canserve. You don’t have to havea college degree to serve. Youdon’t have to make your sub-

ject and verb agree to serve.You only need a heart ull o

grace. A soul generated bylove.”

“Giving your time in it-sel is a good thing to do orother people,” Ali said. “You

never know the inluenceyou can have on somebodyelse by just living your lie.Reaching back is the mostimportant thing you can do,”Ali said.

She said growing up itwas important or her tohave mentors and coaches to volunteer their time to her,which is why she volunteersher time to others.

“here were so manycoaches and teachers andpersonal mentors who havehelped me throughout the

years and without their as-sistance, I wouldn’t be who

I am,” she said. “I grew upwith a single mother and twobrothers and we all were suc-cessul academically and ath-letically. So it wasn’t the easi-

est or my mom to work ulltime, go to school part time,and make sure the three ous all went to practice andto our games, but she didit with assistance rom ourcoaches and mentors. hisis why I eel compelled to dothe same, to pay it orward,because I am living proothat it is meaningul—thatour time matters and whatwe do with it is powerul andworld shaping.”

PUBLIC

NOTICE

NOTICE OF SALES AND USE TAX ELECTION

TO THE QUALIFIED VOTERS OF THE CITY OF ATLANTA

YOU ARE HEREBY NOTIFIED that Tuesday, March 1, 2016, the date chosen by the Secretary of

State of the State of Georgia for the presidential preference primary pursuant to Georgia law, a

[special] election will be held in all of the precincts of the City of Atlanta (the “City”). At this

election there will be submitted to the qualified voters of the City for their determination the

question of whether a special one percent sales and use tax should be reimposed within the

City, upon the termination of the special one percent sales and use tax presently in effect, for a

maximum period of time of 16 calendar quarters, for the purposes of funding water and sewer

projects

and

costs,

at

an

aggregate

maximum

cost

of

Seven

Hundred

Fifty

Million

Dollars

and

Zero Cents ($750,000,000.00).

Voters desiring to vote for the reimposition of such sales and use tax shall do so by voting

“YES” and voters desiring to vote against the reimposition of such sales and use tax shall do so

by voting “NO,” as to the question propounded to‐wit:

"Shall a special 1 percent sales and use tax be reimposed in the City of

Atlanta for a period of time not to exceed 16 calendar quarters and for

the raising of not more than ‐ Seven Hundred Fifty Million Dollars and

Zero Cents ($750,000,000.00) for the purpose of funding water and sewer

projects and costs?"

The several places for holding the election shall be in the regular and established precincts of

the City, and the polls will be open from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. on the date fixed for the

election. Those qualified to vote at the election shall be determined in all respects in accordance

and in conformity with the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America and of the

State of Georgia.

This notice is given pursuant to joint action of the City Council of the City of Atlanta and the

Municipal Election Superintendent of the City.

Rhonda Dauphin Johnson

Municipal Clerk/Election Superintendent

City of Atlanta

est daughter, Rita Howey .People ask all the time abouthe spelling o our name.

Some o our older unclesexplained that the White

branch o our amily spellsheir name Howie, and that’s

how we spelled our name atone point, but it was causingoo much conusion. Our

mail oten would be deliv-ered to them and sometimest took days to get it back, sohey decided to change thepelling.”

John Howey had a longand successul career with aailroad where he started as a

porter, but was soon chosenas a “private steward,” servingonly the railroad’s top execu-

ives. “hey had a cook anda steward just to serve them.could cook—and I did once

n a while—but I wasn’t hiredas a cook. I worked as a stew-ard,” he said.

he daughters say thatwhen he retired in 1980,he railroad’s top executives

attended his retirement cel-ebration—the only time theyever came to such an event.

Both daughters vouchor their ather’s cookingkills. “He’s one o the best

cooks I’ve ever known,” RitaHowey said. “Our grand-

mother taught him to cookbecause she had asthma andoten wasn’t well enough to

cook. Whenever the amilygathered, everybody was ex-cited i dad was cooking.”

he amily dinner tablewas not only a place or good

ood, but a place where les-sons were taught and valueswere passed along, accordingto Washington. “We alwayssat down together at mealsand our parents asked whatwe were learning at school.Dad was a history bu anda geography bu. He askedus questions, but that didn’tmake us uncomortable. Weloved showing him what wehad learned,” she said.

Rita Howey, a retiredteacher, said her ather otencame to speak to her classes

about what he had experi-enced over the years. “Hemade history so interestingbecause he has lived it. Stu-dents who weren’t in the classasked i they could come lis-ten to him,” she said.

John Howey said he’spleased at the changes thathave occurred over the morethan a century he’s lived,especially in race relations.“I remember when Blackswho ate at a restaurant hadto come to the ront and givethe olks the money then goaround to the back to get

their ood. Now we can justgo in and sit down like ev-erybody else.”

CENTENARIAN Continued From Page 2A

he most exciting andunexpected event o his liecame in 2008, he said. “Inever thought I would getto vote or a Black man or

president o United States,”he said. “I never thought Iwould get to vote or some-one who looks like me.”


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by Carla [email protected]

Leading to the March 1Special Election, he Cham-pion will publish a Q&Awith each candidate in thecity o ucker elections. his

Q&A segment eatures thecandidates or City CouncilDistrict 2 Post 2: Tom Gil-bert, Corbett Jordan, EricLovvorn, Noelle Monfer-dini, Joe Scarpaci and SusanWood.

) Why did you decide torun for a city councilseat?

Gilbert: “I have thequalities and determinationo provide the knowledge to

help the city succeed.”

Jordan: “Personal con-nections with neighborsand people who run ourbusinesses make our cityunique. I want to maintainand enhance that eeling ocivic pride, while seeing thatour growth is inherent to thecharacter that we have al-eady established.”

Lovvorn: “I have lived inucker or 19 years and I lovehis community. I believe my

22 year proessional careerexperience working with cityand county governmentsmakes me very qualiied togive back to this communityby serving on the city coun-cil.”

Monferdini: “I want tobe the voice o my district, toisten and implement their

changes. ucker city will a-ect each o us dierently and

believe that we can build itbetter i we do it together.”

Scarpaci: “I have spenthe last thirty years volun-

eering and holding leader-hip positions in ucker, in-cluding serving as Presidento ucker Civic AssociationCA). Running or city

council is a logical next stepto continue my service to mycommunity.”

Wood: “Ater movinghere to open the ComebackBar & Grill, I ell in love withthe people o ucker and de-

cided to enter politics or theirst time to make sure wepreserve this wonderul com-munity in cityhood.”

2) What are your top threepriorities you will focuson if you’re elected thecity council?

Gilbert: “Budget cost;and talk with new and oldbusinesses, recreation com-munity to see what our pri-orities should be.”

Jordan: “Construct awebsite or the city o uckerwhere the community cancommunicate concerns andthe city council members canpost important notices andinormation; ensure that allcouncil decisions are trans-parent to the community;and learn as much as I canrom other elected oicialsas they went through thisprocess to ind out what theywould have done dierentand why—so as not to repeatthe same mistakes in ournew city.”

Lovvorn: “Hiring thebest qualiied sta and orm-ing the basic structure oour government; adoptinga city code and making keyamendments important orucker; and meeting with thecommunity to determine pri-orities or the uture.”

Monferdini: “Create acity website to post all citybusiness or the districts in-put. Implement money sav-ing strategies to reduce the

property tax within the bud-get. Ensure city ordinancesdo not inringe the rights oindividual and homeowners.”

Scarpaci: “1) Establish-ing avorable Intergovern-mental Agreements withDeKalb County while main-taining a positive workingrelationship; 2) Hiring highlyqualiied city employees; and3) establishing a budget that

sets a precedent o iscal re-sponsibility or our new city.”

Wood: “My priorities onthe council will be to irst,make sure new governmentdoes no harm to the uckercommunity we love; keep thenew city business riendly;and protect private propertyrights.”

3) What qualities do youhave that will help yoube a good city councilmember for Tucker?

Gilbert: “I retired romHome Depot ater 26 years oservice dealing with county,state and local businesses.”

Jordan: “I am passion-ate about maintaining theunique cohesive charactero the ucker Community. Ibelieve I possess the charac-teristics I try to instill in mychildren and my students ohonesty, integrity and con-cern or the rights and viewso others.”

Lovvorn: “I am level-headed, approachable, usecommon-sense, and I’measy to work with. Most im-portantly, I am a man o myword and ollow-through onwhat I say I will do.”

Monferdini: “Elevenyears o multi-million dol-lar, multi-regional projectswhere I led regulatory andinrastructure teams throughmassive iber optic buildsthroughout the United Statescombined with ive years as a

Six Sigma Black Belt improv-ing process eiciency, coach-ing and team development.”

Scarpaci: “hrough

my extensive work in thecommunity, I have not onlygained experience in parks,zoning and code enorce-ment, but I have also learnedhow to work with and lis-ten to others, skills that areparamount or our council

members.”

Wood: “I hope to bringmy rugality and superiorcustomer service that led tomy success in opening andthriving in a local [town] onwhere even aco Mac ailed,soon ater the housing bustto city government.”

Tucker City Council District 2, Post 2 candidatesJordan Lovvorn Scarpaci Monferdini Wood


8/24


Lawmaker pulls ‘racist’proposed billsby Andrew [email protected]

A state representative

rom the city o Jeerson inJackson County has pulledthree controversial bills, oneo which called or a consti-tutional amendment pro-tecting Stone Mountain as aConederate memorial.

“It was not my intentionto create a situation wherebymy comments would createa negative perception,” saidRep. Tommy Benton in abrie statement issued Feb. 8.“hereore, today I am with-drawing my sponsorship oHouse Bill 854, House Bill

855 and House Resolution1179 to allow the business othe House to move orwardin an orderly manner.”

he comments Bentonreerenced were made ininterviews with the AtlantaJournal-Constitution.

Benton told the AJC thathe opposed the movemento “cultural terrorism” to re-move Conederate symbolsrom around the state.

He reportedly said theKu Klux Klan “made a loto people straighten up. I’mnot saying what they did was

right. It’s just the way thingswere.”

Benton also said, theKlan “was not so much aracist thing but a vigilantething to keep law and order.”

In a statement, Rep.Dee Dawkins-Haigler (D-Lithonia), chairwoman othe Georgia Legislative BlackCaucus, said, “With his in-cendiary comments, Rep.

Benton has made light o themurderous and terroristicbehavior o the KKK, whichis not only degrading but is

inappropriate o a Georgialawmaker in 2016. AricanAmericans have been anintegral part o the abrico this nation. his type osentiment is unathomableand has the potential to setthe number one place to dobusiness backward.

“I strongly urge that aswe embark upon Black His-tory Month we rememberthat slavery was a dark blem-ish in American history thatdoesn’t need to be gloriiedby empty and demeaningrhetoric. Our goal should beto work together collectivelyto catapult our great stateorward,” Dawkins-Haiglerstated.

In House Resolution1179, Benton sought aconstitutional amendmentprotecting Stone MountainPark as “an appropriate andsuitable memorial or theConederacy.”

“In addition, the me-morial to the heroes othe Conederate States oAmerica graven upon theace o Stone Mountain shall

never be altered, removed,concealed, or obscured inany ashion and shall bepreserved and protected orall time as a tribute to thebravery and heroism o thecitizens o this state whosuered and died in theircause,” Benton’s resolutionstated.

In House Bill 854, anystreet named or veterans

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that were changed ater Jan.1, 1968, would revert to theoriginal name.

House Bill 855 wouldhave made Robert E. Lee’s birthday and ConederateMemorial Day legal holidaysin Georgia.

Several state legislatorscalled or Benton’s removalas chairman o the HouseCommittee on Human Rela-tions and Aging.

House Speaker DavidRalston allowed Benton tokeep his chairmanship but

condemned “commentarythat would seek to reversethe progress that we havemade in the last century anda hal. While we are mindulo our history, the businesso the General Assembly isn’tin rewriting or reinterpretingthe past, but rather to ocuson improving Georgia’s u-ture.”

A now-defunct proposed bill would have given the Confederate Memorial at Stone Mountainlegal protection. Photo Travis Hudgons


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DeKalb County Department of Watershed ManagementPublic Advisory

SNAPFINGER WOODS SANITARY SEWER CROSSINGS

January 29, 2016 February 29, 2016Advisory Issue Date Advisory Close Date

This advisory is issued to inform the public of a receipt of an applicaon for a variancesubmied pursuant to a State Environmental Law. The Public is invited to comment during a 30

day period on the proposed acvity. Since the Georgia Environmental Protecon Division (EPD)has no authority to zone property or determine land use, only those comments addressingenvironmental issues related to air, water and land protecon will be considered in theapplicaon review process. Wrien comments should be submied to: Program Manager,Non-Point Source Program, Erosion and Sedimentaon Control, 4220 Internaonal Parkway,Suite 101, Atlanta, Georgia 30354.

Type of Permit Applicaon: Variance to encroach within the 25-foot State Waters Buer.Applicable Law: Georgia Erosion and Sedimentaon Act O.C.G.A. 12-7-6 ET seq.Applicable Rules: Erosion and Sedimentaon Control Chapter 391-3-7.Basis under which variance shall be considered: {391-3-7.05(2) (A-J)}: E

Project Locaon: This project is located on the secon of Snapnger Woods Drive that isbounded by Rayburn Road to the west and Shell Bark Rd to the east near the city of Lithonia,GA. Specically, the site is located in land lots 8 & 9 of the 16th district & land lots 128 &129 of the 15th district, in DeKalb, Georgia. The site is approximately 800 linear feet north ofSnapnger Creek’s intersecon with Snapnger Woods Drive. The proposed construcon willinclude the installaon of 132 linear feet of 15 inch sanitary sewer across Snapnger Creek.

Project Descripon: The proposed site condions will include the installaon of 132 linear feetof 15 inch sanitary sewer aerial stream crossing to replace an exisng inverted siphon sanitarysewer under Snapnger Creek which in a constant maintenance problem. This work is a repairthe exisng system that runs along Snapnger Creek.

PET

WEEKOF THE

Irish ID# 30417899 -is a laid back four year old whoalready knows his sit command and would love to learn more.He greets everyone he meets with happiness and would loveto join you on your adventures around town. Irish gets alonggreat with other dogs and probably wouldn’t mind having acanine companion in his new home.

Irish qualifies for our February “Find the One” promotion,where all cats and all dogs over 25 lbs. are only $14! Adop-tion includes neuter, vaccinations, microchip and more! If youwould like more information about Irish please email adop-

[email protected] or call (404) 294-2165. Allpotential adopters will be screened to ensure Irish goes to agood home.

Sue Towhey ’s son,

Denny , 52, has been going tohe DeKalb Services Centern Brookhaven on Osborne

Road each week since theenter opened in 1978.

Denny is developmental-y disabled; both nonverbal

and autistic. According to hismother, the center “has beenDenny’s home away romhome or over 37 years.”

he DeKalb ServicesCenter serves as a trainingenter and day program or

adults living with develop-mental disabilities. It pro-vides daytime habilitation,upport and work activity or

nearly 160 developmentallydisabled adults each day.

he center has a rich his-

tory in DeKalb County. he

grounds surrounding thecenter were once home to theU.S. Veterans Hospital No.48. When the hospital movedand the old building wasdemolished, the U.S. gov-ernment inormed DeKalbCounty that it could use theproperty or “public good” or“public service.”

Largely as a result o theadvocacy and undraising e-orts o ormer state senatorand ormer DeKalb CountyCEO Liane Levetan and agroup o committed parentsand riends, the DeKalb Ser- vices Center opened its doorsin September 1978 to sup-port the residents o DeKalbCounty living with develop-

mental disabilities.

Since opening, the centerhas ocused on enabling par-ticipants to develop, main-tain and enhance the skillsthat they need to be moreindependent and maintain ahigher quality o lie accord-ing to a news release aboutthe center.

Denny has a special roleat the center. Each morn-ing he sets up the walkersand wheelchairs to assistphysically handicapped in-dividuals. “My husband hasto make sure that he’s able toget him there early enough toset things up,” owhey said.“here are many things thatDenny’s disability prohibitshim rom participating in;

but at the center he’s able to

get involved.”Denny also participatesin the center’s weekly Mealson Wheels program throughwhich he has an opportunityto lend a hand and connectwith the community.

Like Denny, many o theindividuals who attend thecenter are more than 50 yearsold and have come to viewthe center as an extendedamily, the news releasestated.

For amilies like the ow-heys, the center not only provides a sae and comortableenvironment or their loved

ones, but it also provides a

support network and accessto other amilies with similarsituations.

Because Denny requiresa ull-time care giver, ow-hey said that she doesn’tknow where she’d be withoutthe center. “I would have toquit my job. It would be dev-astating.

“Individuals like Dennyneed a place to eel sae,loved and valued,” she said.“he center creates that ex-perience in a personal way.”

he DeKalb ServicesCenter is located at 2660 Os-borne Road in Atlanta.

Brookhaven Center provides a safe haven for adults with disabilities

Fifty-two-year-old Denny Towhey has frequented the DeKalb Services Center in Brookhaven for 37 years. Photos provided


10/24


Attempt to remove audit committee member ruled not legal

Tucker candidate’s residential address questioned

by Andrew [email protected]

he Georgia attorneygeneral’s oice has opinedhat the removal o a

member o the DeKalbCounty Audit OversightCommittee was not legal.

Harmel Codi, an educational consultant/entrepreneur and a ormercounty employee whoepeatedly called or theesignation o interim

DeKalb CEO Lee May , wasappointed to the oversight

committee by the county’sSenate delegation.

In a Dec. 28, 2015,letter addressed to theDeKalb County governingauthority, Sen. Gloria Butler

stated that she rescindedthe appointment o Codi,and appointed accountantNatasha Smith o StoneMountain to the committee.

In a Feb. 5 unoicialopinion, Deputy AttorneyGeneral Dennis Dunn wrotethat “an appointment tothe DeKalb County AuditOversight Committee

may not be rescinded andthe appointee may not beremoved rom her positionwithout ollowing theprocedures outlined underthe law.”

“I’m relieved with theact that the attorney generalcan bring orth an opinionthat is legal rather than basedon politics,” Codi said Feb.8. “As a citizen o the countyand this country I believe Ihave a Second Amendmentright to speak my mindand be objective…withouthaving to support the status

quo. And I will not supportthe status quo as long as itis…operating outside theboundaries o the rule olaw.”

he opinion, requested

by Sens. Butler, Elena Parent and JaNiceVan Ness, statedthat “such an appointment,which is made to a positionor a term o years andwhere the incumbent maybe removed only or cause orthrough a speciic statutoryprocedure, may not berescinded.

“he incumbent may be

removed rom the positiononly through compliancewith the established legalprocedures, which mayinclude providing theincumbent with notice and

an opportunity or a hearingon the reasons or removal,”Dunn wrote.

According to the actsstated in the opinion, Codiwas notiied on Nov. 17,2015, o her appointment tothe DeKalb County AuditOversight Committee,which has the responsibility

by Carla [email protected]

Acouple in uckeris questioning the validity o one

candidate’s home address.Katherine Atteberry is

running or the city councilDistrict 2-Post 1 seat.Atteberry’s home addresson DeKalb County VoterRegistration and Elections’website is 3927 RomanCourt in ucker. However,ucker residents Paul andCheryl Miller said thatcannot be Atteberry’s live-n residence because it is a

vacant home.In an email sent to

Te Champion and VoterRegistration and ElectionsDirector Maxine Daniels,he Millers said Atteberry is

not being honest about herplace o ull-time residence.

“Ms. KatherineAtteberry qualifiedor this election bygiving an address in my

neighborhood, yet wehave documented withphotos that the home isnot lived in and remainsuntouched, vacant dayafer day,” the email stated.“She attended a meetingn our neighborhood

on a prior date in whichshe represented herselas someone who runs acommunity inormationsite, yet we have confirmedhat her claims are untrue.”

Te Millers also statedhat Atteberry does not

know neighbors who livewo houses rom the home

she claims as her resident.“[Te neighbors]

stated they have never

seen her or anyone enteror exit the home,” theMillers said. “Tere isno vehicle in the garageand the windows havesecurity bars over them,which is very unusual orthis area. Te drivewayis very old (obviously notused, in other words) andthe general upkeep o theoutside o the building ispoor and appears to beunlived in.

“Ms. Atteberry haspublicly stated her schoolaffiliation rom when shewas growing up in the areaand her church affiliationand they are both inanother district (District1),” the Millers added. “Shehas attended our meetingsalways arriving with peoplerom District 1 as well. Shehas lived in Loganville andLilburn, Ga., both outsideo our county o DeKalb.”

Te Millers requestedto bring a ormal challengeto Atteberry’s qualifications

to run or office and haveher name removed romthe ballot and any ballotscast in early elections in heravor to not be counted.

In an email to TeChampion, Atteberrystated, “My grandparentsbought the house onRoman Court in the1970s. Roman Court hasalways elt like hometo me, as I grew upcelebrating holidays andenjoying summers withmy grandparents there. Iwas thrilled to be able topurchase the home in 2011and keep it in the amilyafer they passed away.Roman Court, like ucker,

is my home and I will beproviding the necessarydocumentation to disprovethese allegations.”

Daniels said thechallenge does not haveany validity based onGeorgia law 21-2-6.

“Te law does notallow another elector tochallenge a person this latein the game,” Daniels said.“Te law requires that theydo that two weeks aferthey qualiy. So that has

passed. What happens nowis the Board o Registrationand Elections will haveto be the one to challengei they choose to do that.Tere is no challenge rightnow o Ms. Atteberrybecause the person whosent the email has nostanding.”

Daniels said she istalking to the board aboutputting the matter onthe agenda or the boardmeeting on Feb. 11.

See Audit on Page 12A

Atteberry


11/24


by Carla Parker

[email protected]

A group is proposing that an areao the ailed city o LaVista Hills bennexed into Chamblee.

A survey was posted on SurveyMonkey by Citizens or Cityhoodproposing the annexation o an areawith 35,000 residents into Chamblee.he survey was oered to those whohas been in avor o LaVista Hills.

“Because that eort was de-eated by a small minority in 2015,

we are let with very ew options orncreased local representation andicient, responsive public services,”he survey stated. “Annexation inton existing city in DeKalb County is

potentially a solution or local con-rol, better services, more responsive

government.”Citizens or Cityhood consid-

ered annexation into ucker or ar-

eas close to commercial properties.However, most residents want moreservices provided than parks andrecreation, planning and permitting,according to the website.

“Annexation into Brookhaven isunlikely because there is little geo-graphic overlap with the areas thatavored cityhood in the 2015 LaVistaHills election,” the survey stated.“Settling or the status quo and ‘ix-ing DeKalb’ seems an even less likelyoption. Restoring ethical, eectivegovernance appears to be a long wayo. In addition, staying unincorpo-rated will likely mean commercialareas will become absorbed into theadjoining cities o ucker, Chamblee,or Brookhaven, leaving the residen-tial areas behind.”

he group said it has had pre-liminary discussions with Chamblee

oicials, who they said are willing to

annex.State Representative Scott Hol-comb (D-Atlanta) said in a Face-book post that Chamblee MayorEric Clarkson contacted him [and]shared his support or the annexationproposal.

“He was the irst person to tellme about this idea and I replied thatthere would need to be clear anddemonstrated community supportor an annexation to occur,” Holcombsaid. “Mayor Clarkson said that theproposal made economic sense andhe had studied the easibility.”

Mary Kay Woodworth, who waschairman o the LaVista Hills Alli-ance, shared on social media her sup-port or a possible annexation.

“Many o us who have lived inthis ‘messed up county [government]this long’ do not want to ‘endure it

or several more years.’ I believe that

the only way DeKalb County can be‘ixed’ is by reducing the unincorpo-rated area, so that DeKalb’s oicialsare orced to be responsive in theiractions and the budget. In order orthis community to thrive and sus-tain itsel, as much distance [shouldbe] put between it and the county aspossible. he opportunity to createa new city has passed and the nextbest option is to explore annexationbeore the commercial areas that bor-der existing cities are annexed andthe remainder o the residential areais let in unincorporated DeKalb.”

Holcomb hosted a public inor-mation session Feb. 8 during whichChamblee oicials presented inor-mation on the possible annexation.

A proposed annexation map that would annex 35,000 residents from the proposed city of LaVista Hills to Chamblee.

Group proposes Chamblee annexation plan


12/24


Man arrested after stabbingfamily members

HELPING THOSE IN NEED

AUDIT Continued From Page 10A

Dr. Jabari Simama, President and

The Board of Directors ofGeorgia Piedmont Technical College

The Board of Trustees of theGeorgia Piedmont Technical College Foundation

T F 25, 2016, 4:00 p.m.

C C | N D CCovington, Georgia

Co-Hosted By

Newton County GovernmentCovington-Newton Chamber of Commerce

Morgan County Government

Madison-Morgan Chamber of Commerce

Rockdale County Government

Conyers-Rockdale Chamber of Commerce

DeKalb County Government

DeKalb Chamber of Commerce

Please RSVP

By email: [email protected] | By Eventbrite: http://bit.ly/2020yE

Please note that GPS directions can be inaccurate.

Tis location is off o City Pond Roa d.

Reception Immediately Following the State of the College address.

Cordially invite you to attend the

G P T C 2016

STATE COLLEGE ADDRESS

o hiring an internal auditor to conductinancial and perormance audits o countydepartments; overseeing the auditor’s work;and ensuring independence rom the CEO

and Board o Commissioners.Codi also was inormed that thecommittee’s irst meeting would be on Nov.20. Codi attended that meeting and the nextmeeting on Dec. 7.

In a Jan. 13 letter to the state attorneygeneral explaining the rescission o Codi,Butler stated that “Codi not possess [therequired] proessional qualiications andwould not be able to perorm her duties as amember o the Audit Oversight Committee.

“An Audit Oversight Committee membershould also conduct themselves in anobjective [and] nonpartisan manner,” Butlercontinued. “Soliciting signatures on a petitionin an open meeting asking or the CEO (LeeMay) to step down rom oice does not relectthe guidelines o an objective nonpartisanmember.”

he attorney general’s oice stated that

a committee member could be removed bytwo-thirds o the members o the DeKalbCounty legislative delegation “or deinite andspeciied causes” ater there has been oicial

and notice and ater the committee memberhas had an opportunity to address the chargeor charges against him or her in a hearing.

Codi said the attempt to remove her romthe committee was “politically motivated.”

“Sen. Butler had probably gotten a callater she appointed me rom a politicianasking her to remove me,” Codi said.

“I’m relieved this mess is behind back me,”she said.

Codi said she is waiting or a call aboutthe next meeting o the committee. hemeetings were suspended until the opinionwas received.

“I’m going back,” she said. “I’m going tobe there to make sure the residents o DeKalbCounty get…someone who is independentas the county auditor. I was chosen or thecommittee or a reason and that is to…bringa degree o logic and rationale to the matter.”

by Carla Parker [email protected]

A 26-year-old man is in custody afterfatally stabbing his mother and injuring hisfather and brother, police said.

DeKalb County Police responded to a

report of a stabbing at 2300 Cherokee ValleyDrive in Lithonia around 3:30 a.m. Feb. 9,according to Maj. Stephen Fore.

Police discovered that the suspect,Brandon Nash, got into an argument withhis 53-year-old mother and stabbed her todeath.

“She died at the scene,” Fore said. Nash later assaulted his 60-year-old

father who was sleeping in the bedroom.His 17-year-old brother heard a commotion,tried to intervene and was stabbed as well.

Nash fled the scene, but was foundseveral hours later after police were notified

that Nash was at a friend’s home onDellwood Place in Decatur. He was takeninto custody without incident, according toFore.

The 17-year-old brother was transportedto Grady in serious condition, and the fatherwas treated for minor injuries.

DeKalb County District 7 Commissioner Stan Watson organized a relief effort to support those affected by the water contamination in Flint, Mich. Volunteers helped collectwater donations at Southwest DeKalb High School Feb. 6. Photos by Travis Hudgons


13/24


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VISIT US AT WWW.DCTVChannel23.tv E-mail us at [email protected]

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WEEK inPICTURES

An open house was recently held for re:loom, an initiative of Affordable Housing, Inc., located at 3032 N.Decatur Road. Leila Wright, above, sits in front of the re:loom store demonstrating the weaving process.Wright has been working there for five years. Photos by Travis Hudgons

re:loom open house

From left, Ida Beth Barner, Dixie Schantz and Karin Zarin

watch Laurel Emery, far right, cut fabric into strips. Thosestrips will be rolled into balls.

Mug Rugs are made from upcycled Delta safety vests. Fredrick Brown is processing fabric.


14/24


NEWSBRIEFSWesley Chapel Road murdersuspect arrested

he DeKalb County Sheri ’s O-ice arrested Robert Marques Hunt,

37, in connection with the Jan. 15shooting death o Tremayne Evans on Wesley Chapel Road in Decatur.

A warrant was issued on Jan. 28,charging Hunt with elony murderand aggravated assault.

DeKalb Sheri ’s deputies ap-prehended and arrested Hunt onFeb. 3 without incident on MemorialDrive.

Coalition awarded grant toprevent youth substance use

A local nonproit is the recipiento one o 697 Drug-Free Communi-

ties (DFC) Support Program grants,totaling $86 million.

Beyond he Bell’s DeKalb Com-munity Promise Coalition willreceive $125,000 annually or iveyears in DFC grant unds to involveand engage its local communityto prevent substance abuse amongyouth.

“Our goal is to make DeKalbCounty a sae and healthy environ-ment or our youth,” said Sandra Dean o Beyond he Bell. “Preven-tion is a powerul tool to counteractdrug use in our community, and wewill use this unding to help youth

in DeKalb County make healthychoices about substance use.”Prescription drug abuse preven-

tion is one o the core measures oeectiveness or local DFC coali-tions, and coalitions nationwidehave led innovative opioid preven-tion initiatives, according to inor-mation provided by Dean. DeKalbCommunity Promise will speciical-ly work to address underage drink-ing and marijuana use.

he grants will provide localcommunity coalitions unding toprevent youth substance use, includ-ing prescription drugs, marijuana,tobacco and alcohol.

“We know that evidence-basedprevention eorts are the most eec-tive way to reduce youth substanceuse and to support the roughly 90percent o American youth who donot [abuse] drugs,” said Michael Botticelli, director o NationalDrug Control Policy. “By bringingtogether schools, businesses, lawenorcement, parent groups, andother members o the community,DFC-unded community coalitionsare helping to protect youth romthe devastating consequences onon-medical prescription drug use,heroin and other [illicit] substance

use.”he Substance Abuse and Men-tal Health Services Administration(SAMHSA) is responsible or theday-to-day management o the DFC

Program.“Community coalitions con-

tinue to drive winning strategies atthe local level to reduce the rate osubstance misuse,” said Kana Eno-

moto, SAMHSA’s acting adminis-trator. “SAMHSA is pleased to jointhe Oice o National Drug ControlPolicy in supporting communitiesthat are bringing citizens togetherto create healthy and drug ree envi-ronments or our youth.”

Red Cross to install smokealarms

o combat deaths and injuriesdue to home ires, the Red Cross haslaunched a nationwide campaignto reduce the number o deaths andinjuries due to home ires by 25 per-cent by the end o 2019.

Red Cross workers statewide areteaming up with local ire depart-ments and community groups to visit neighborhoods at high risk orires. hose visits include educat-ing people about ire saety throughdoor-to-door visits and installationo ree smoke alarms in homes thatneed them.

his month, the Red Cross willbe visiting the Battle Forest neigh-borhood in Decatur as part o its2016 Home Fire Campaign eort toinstall 6,500 new smoke alarms inGeorgia by July 1. Volunteers willalso help residents develop a home

ire escape plan.he event will be Saturday, Feb.

13, rom 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. at theNew Lie Church & CommunityCenter, 3592 Flat Shoals Road, De-catur.

Red Cross partners includeDeKalb County Fire Rescue Depart-ment, DeKalb Fire Education, oolBank, JROC, New Lie Church,Cliton United Methodist Church,and he Church o Jesus Christ oLatter-day Saints.

Nonprot launches 30thanniversary capital campaign

Friends o Disabled Adults andChildren (FODAC), a nonproit or-ganization providing more than $10million annually in home medicalequipment and supplies to those liv-ing with disabilities, has announcedthe launch o a year-long capitalcampaign.

“Keeping People with Disabili-ties Moving” seeks to raise $1.5 mil-lion by the end o 2016 to supportacility upgrades and strengthen theorganization’s inancial oundation,including paying o the mortgageon the corporate headquarters.

“FODAC celebrates our 30thanniversary this year,” said ChrisBrand, president and CEO o theorganization. “As we move orwardinto our ourth decade, our vision

is to increase access and eiciency,protect uture sustainability o pro-gramming, and act as responsiblestewards o our environment. heseunds will help us make an extensive

and lasting impact on our communi-ty, as we improve thousands o livesand make each day a little easier orthose with mobility challenges.”

FODAC provides medical equip-ment such as wheelchairs and hospi-tal beds at little or no cost to peoplewith disabilities and their amilies.Most o FODAC’s home medicalequipment is collected through do-nations o used equipment, whichthe organization cleans, repairs andreissues to those in need.

he organization’s capital pro-gram has three goals: warehouse andproduct low improvements, suchas upgrading repair shop tools and

technology, and adding new racks,bins and loading dock lits or asterdelivery; acility improvements, in-cluding HVAC units, metal litinghoists, and repairing the mortar onthe building exterior; and strength-ening the inancial oundation bypaying o the mortgage and increas-ing the capital reserve und.

“his campaign will help FO-DAC better leverage HME donationsacross the state or the beneit oour community,” said Brand. “HMEdonations and eicient processingare an essential oundation or FO-DAC’s model to operate eectively.

he more equipment donations thatFODAC receives, the more the At-lanta community beneits rom theseresources.”

Early voting for presidentialprimary under way

Early voting or the March 1presidential preerence primary be-gan Feb. 8 and will end Friday, Feb.26.

All locations will be closed Mon-day, Feb. 15, in observance o Presi-dents’ Day.

Voting will take place at the ol-lowing three locations:• Voter Registration & Election Of -

ice, 4380 Memorial Drive, Suite300, Decatur. his site has twoareas, including one exclusively orseniors and voters with disabilities.he site is open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.Monday to Friday, Feb. 11 and 12,and Feb. 16 to 26; and Saturday,Feb. 20, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

• The Galleria at South DeKalb Mall,2801 Candler Road, Decatur. hesite is open 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., Mon-day to Friday, Feb. 11 and 12, andFeb. 16 to 26; and Saturday, Feb.20, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

• Tucker Recreation Center, 4898

Lavista Road, ucker. he site isopen 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday toFriday, Feb. 11 and 12, and Feb. 16to 26; and Saturday, Feb. 20, 9 a.m.to 4 p.m.

All voting locations will be openrom Monday, Feb. 22 through Fri-day, Feb. 26 rom 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.Voters must go to their assignedprecincts to vote on Election Day

March 1.For more voter registrationinormation, please contact theDeKalb County Voter Registrationand Elections oice at (404) 298-4020.

Commissioners to county re-establish lm commission

In May 2011, the county’s Boardo Commissioners approved orma-tion o the DeKalb County FilmCommission to attract movies andtelevision productions to the county.

he ilm commission broughttogether representatives rom the

county’s economic development,communications, recreation, publicworks and public saety departmentsas well as representatives rom theDeKalb History Center, DeKalbConvention & Visitors Bureau,DeKalb’s colleges and universities,board o commissioners and the ilmindustry.

DeKalb County CommissionerStan Watson, who spearheaded theidea, said his goal has been to “indways to improve the economic situ-ation and create innovative oppor-tunities or long-term growth andsustainability.

“Although we have made stridestoward establishing a well-unction-ing commission, we need to take alook at how we can become moreeective and competitive,” Watsonstated in a news release.

Watson and CommissionerJeff Rader are holding a meetingo the ilm commission meeting onWednesday, Feb. 17, rom 3 to 4:30p.m. on the ith loor o the MalooBuilding, 1300 Commerce Drive,Decatur.

“DeKalb County has alreadybeen named by the Georgia Depart-ment o Economic Development as aCamera Ready Community and nowwe have the opportunity to embel-lish this designation,” Watson stated.“he DeKalb ilm commission willhave a sole mission o bringing ilmand production crews to our countyas a way to create jobs and revenueor our tax digest.

“he commission will be the o-cal point, a one stop shop, and pointo contact or any entity or personsinterested in ilm or television pro-ductions in DeKalb County,” hestated. “ Moving orward and as theneed unveils, we may also designatea special ilm district area or studioand ilm work produced.”

For more inormation contactKelly Cato, Watson’s program man-ager, at [email protected] (404) 371-3681.


15/24

The Champion FREE PRESS, Friday, Feb. 12, 2016 local Page 15A

CONROY Continued From Page 1A MAY Continued From Page 1A

ervices division. He has worked ashe E911 director and as assistanthief over the support services di-

vision.In 2003, the county police de-

partment created a crime analysisand research division and Conroy

was chosen to “start that up andbring all of our crime analysis andtatistics into one area,” he said.

That “began the new era of…ntelligence led policing,” said Con-oy, who attended the University of

Georgia and received a bachelor’sdegree in criminal justice admin-stration from Columbia South-rn University. “Before that, [we]

would do crime stats. They wouldome out six months later. [Now],we get daily, weekly and monthlyummaries of all the crimes.”

In December 2013, interimDeKalb County CEO Lee May named Conroy interim policehief.

“For an unspecified periodof time,” Conroy added, “I camen each day not knowing if it was

my last day, so I was going to doas much as I could while I had theposition.”

There have been many changesn law enforcement during hisenure, including the amount ofrime, he said.

“Contrary to popular belief,here’s less crime now than there

was back in the ‘90s and in the ear-y 2000s,” Conroy said. “You hear aot of ‘oh, crime is up,’ but it’s not.”

Conroy said his department isworking on a 30-year crime chartso people can understand…howrime has shifted.”

“When I say crime is down,people think it’s up because theyhear more about it,” Conroy said.They hear about every incidenthat occurs in their neighborhood.

Back in the day, if you didn’t seehe police car, you probably didn’t

hear about it.”Another change is because

of cell phones, the departmentesponds “to a lot more than justrimes now,” Conroy said.

“We responded to fewer callsbecause people called from theiresidence or business,” he said.Now, if there is an accident onhe interstate…everybody that

drives by it is going to call 911.And they’re going to call about ev-ry reckless driver. They’re calling

about more things [by cellphone]han they did before.”

When describing the state ofhe police department, Conroyaid, “I think now we’ve got sometability.

“We’ve gone through a lot ofeadership change,” he said. “I’mhe ninth chief since 2001.”

Although he was just namedhief, he was interim chief for twoyears.

“I think that helps in our sta-bility and consistency,” Conroy

said.“We try to create strategic

plans for the department,” he said.“I think I’ve helped write fivestrategic plans in the last 10 years,and as each chief comes in with adifferent idea, that strategic plan

changes.“We’ve got some consistencyand stability,” Conroy said.

Additionally, morale “seemsto have improved in the past fewyears,” Conroy said.

“Our attrition has improvedquite a bit [in] 2015 over 2014,” hesaid. “We still lost more officersthan we would like to. “

In 2015, the department lost 96officers due to all attrition includ-ing retirements. In 2014, the num-ber was 129 officers.

“That’s a considerable improve-ment,” Conroy said.

When he’s not policing, Con-roy said he is spending time withhis wife Ginger of 11 years, andtheir 8- and 10-year-old daughterswho are involved with karate andcheerleading.

Conroy also is on the boardsof the Police Athletic League, GoldShield Foundation and Metro At-lanta Police Emerald Society.

Additionally, he is working ona master’s degree in organizationalleadership.

When asked how long he plansto stay in his position, Conroy said,“I will be here hopefully at leastthree more years. The average ten-

ure of a police chief in the nation is just under five years. I would liketo hit that.”

Then he would be eligible forfull retirement benefits, Conroysaid.

Conroy said one of the funparts of his job is attending the po-lice academy graduations.

“You see these young officersand their families and you remem-ber 25 years ago…I [was] in thoseseats,” he said.

Additionally, “the kids are fun,”he said. “Just dealing with the kidsis a lot of fun. Just their excitement.They love to see police officers.You can make a positive impact onchildren.”

Conroy said police officersenjoy being “at the center of every-thing.”

“We’re out there when there’ssomething going on that’s big,” hesaid. “When that plane crashed[on I-285 in 2015], there was astream of cars coming out of heregoing up to help. When there wasthat McNair [school] shooting [in2013], there were hundreds of of-ficers going towards danger.

“That’s why we got into this job—to help people and to go do

what we can,” Conroy said. “Whenthings get serious, that’s when weexcel…and I’m impressed withwhat DeKalb County does.”

course, but we’re just extremely excitedabout the next opportunity to serve ourfamily and this community.

“This really has to do with wherewe see ourselves in the next four years,”May said about the decision to not seekthe elected position.

“Do we see ourselves—and I say‘our’ because when you’re in this role,your spouse and your family are herealong the ride with you—in four yearsdo we see ourselves in this role?” Maysaid.

“I’m very passionate about minis-try, and so in the next four years we arelooking actively to work in the role ofministry,” said May, the son of a pastorand a graduate of Emory University’sCandler School of Theology with amaster of divinity degree.

May said he and wife contemplatedwhether he could be the county’s CEOand a pastor and decided that “prior-ity No. 1…is ministry, whether that’s

launching a church or going to a cur-rent church.”

May said he could not do both jobs.“I don’t believe that any ministry

that we would be in or this countywould deserve to have conflicting in-terests,” May said.

May said there was nothing aboutthe CEO’s role that pushed him awayfrom seeking an elected term.

“I actually love operating in the roleof a CEO,” May said. “The work thatwe are able to do is special and it reallyadds value to the quality of life of ourresidents. We can really transform the

look, the feel, the safety of our countyand we have been doing a lot to advance.”

While working in county govern-ment excites him, May said, “I also getexcited about ministry and the workthat we can do in the lives of people

seeking God and looking to transformtheir lives.”Although May he did not officially

endorse a candidate for CEO, Maysaid, “I was excited to hear that [formerDeKalb school superintendent] Mi-chael Thurmond was interested in therole.

“He’s been a mentor and a friendand…a peer in his role as the superin-tendent of the school system. He didsome phenomenal work there…andyou see the results of it,” May said.

The school district having its fullaccreditation restored with no condi-tions was due in large part to Thur-mond’s work, May said.

“I’m glad to see that there’s a lot ofinterest in the seat. I think the countydeserves a healthy debate about thefuture of our county,” May said. ““I ab-solutely will get involved with that racebecause I have an interest in seeing thiscounty move forward.

May said he will serve out the re-mainder of his term, which expires atthe end of the year. The position will beon the ballot in November.

“I’m fully committed and investedin this position,” May said.


16/24


17/24

The Champion FREE PRESS, Friday, Feb. 12, 2016 BUSINESS Page 17A

by Kathy Mitchell

Ater years o represent-ng large insurance compa-

nies in court, attorneys SteveLitner and Arman Dega-nian decided to switch sides.At their new personal injuryaw irm, Litner + Deganian

P.C., the longtime riendsand colleagues represent cli-ents against large insurancecompanies.

“Over the years, I sawo many people who had

been badly injured one wayor another not get whathey really deserved,” Litneraid. “When a person hasust been severely injured in

an automobile accident orome other traumatic event,

he may be too devastated tohink things through clearly.

he person needs help at thatpoint. hat’s what we want to

do; we want to help people.”Litner + Deganian listsamong its specialties auto-mobile accidents, productiability, wrongul death,

nursing home abuse and ne-glect, deective drugs, slipsand alls and medical mal-practice.

“o be airly treated, aperson needs access to thecourt system and attorneyswho truly care can make thathappen,” Deganian said. “Icould never go back to work-

ing or big companies.”In choosing a location

or their law oices, Litnersaid, they wanted a placethat would be convenient toboth Litner, a Brookhavenresident, and Deganian, wholives in Oakhurst. Linter,who is Jewish, said he isespecially pleased that theysettled on a Briarcli Roadbuilding that was built by aJewish builder in the 1970s.“here’s still a Jewish starand eagle on display,” he said.

Litner added that the

partners wanted to remain inDeKalb County where bothare involved in communityactivities. Litner is a vol-unteer wrestling coach andpresident o his neighbor-hood civic association whileDeganian is involved in a variety o sports and outdooractivities, including base-ball, sotball, running andbackpacking. He also is vicepresident o the DeKalb BarAssociation.

Having earned his un-dergraduate degree and law

degree at the University oGeorgia, Deganian describeshimsel as a “double dawg.”Litner holds a bachelor’s de-gree rom the University oMaryland, a master’s degreerom the University o Flori-da and a law degree rom theUniversity o North Carolina.

Both attorneys said theywere experiencing success atlarge law irms, but wantedto build closer relationshipswith their clients. “We don’twant to make people gothrough layers o ormality todo business with us. We wantthe client to relax and talkwith us the way they wouldtalk with a riend or a amilymember. his is very per-sonal or the client; we neverorget that,” Litner said.

Litner and Deganian de-scribe their personal styles as“very dierent, yet comple-

mentary,” saying Litner hasa high-energy, aggressivestyle while Deganian has amore laid-back style. Still,both preer a non-traditionalatmosphere at their oice,according to Litner.

“Neither o us likes todress up or work and we eelour causal style helps the cli-ent be more at ease. We de-cided to create a irm wherewe could have the level oinormality that we both en- joy while maintaining a high

standard o client care andattention,” Litner said. Visi-tors to the oice are likely tobe greeted by his dog Zoey,the oice mascot.

Despite the unconven-tional oice atmosphere,Deganian said he and hispartner are devoted to care-ul research and detailedpreparation. “he best op-tion or our clients is rarelythe easiest one. We’re readyor conrontation and courtwhen it’s the right thing todo.”

“Our relationships withour clients are critical. We’reighting to ensure that ourclients are compensated air-ly, receive the care that theyneed, and are able to returnto their daily lives with aslittle disruption as possible,”Litner commented, adding,“his is never a stress-ree

process or the person who’sbeen injured, but we try tomake it as stress–ree as pos-sible.”

“We work directly withthe clients on every case—large or small—and we makesure there is a way or the cli-ent to get in touch with us ithey need to day and night,”Deganian said. “We want ev-ery client to eel like our onlyclient.”

COLLABORATIONDeKalb Chamber of Commerce • Two Decatur Town Center, 125 Clairemont Ave., Suite, Decatur, GA 30030 • 404.378.8000 • www.dekalbchamber.org

Longtime friends, colleagues open DeKalb law office

Arman Deganian, left, and partner Steve Litner say they want to makethe legal process as stress-free as possible for their clients. Photoprovided


18/24

The Champion FREE PRESS, Friday, Feb. 12, 2016 EDUCATION Page 18A

by Andrew [email protected]

A seventh-grade student at Marist School is theGeorgia inalist in a nationwide completion spon-sored by online search engine Google.

Ian Otten submitted an entry or the Dood-le4Google, an annual art contest or students inkindergarten to 12th grades in which they have theopportunity to create a Google doodle to be ea-tured on the Google homepage.

Google doodles “are the un, surprising, andsometimes spontaneous changes that are made tothe Google logo to celebrate holidays, anniversa-ries, and the lives o amous artists, pioneers, andscientists,” according to Google’s website.

Ian learned o his accomplishment during anaterschool assembly Feb. 5 when his schoolmates,many o them wearing Google -shirts, illed theauditorium or the announcement.

“We have some pretty amazing artists that nor-mally create doodles, but we know that the best

o creativity starts with you,” said Google’s StevenSingleton, during the assembly. “his competition,Doodle4Google, celebrates young and talented art-ists like all o you.”

he theme or the eight-year-old Google com-petition was “What makes me, me.”

Although the announcement was a surprise,Ian said he realized he was the winner quickly.

“[I knew] kinda right when I took my seat,because I couldn’t really think o anyone else whowould be doing this,” he said.

Ian’s doodle has a sports theme.“I thought it would be good to do sports be-

cause I like sports,” said Ian, who plays ootball,baseball and basketball. In addition to those sports,his doodle eatures tennis, gol and soccer.

“I just love being part o a team and going out

there and having un with all my teammates,” Iansaid.

In a description with his entry, he wrote, “Whatmakes me…me is my love or sports. Whether I’mon the ields, or in the stands, or just on my couchwatching. I’ve played sports ever since I can re-member and it’s always been a huge part o my lie.”

Ian said he designed his doodle with color pen-cils.

“I started by doing a sketch to see what I likedand what I didn’t like about it, and I reined it andI inished with that,” he said, pointing to a large re-production o his doodle the size o a dining roomtable.

“his is my third year o participating,” he said.“I started when I was 11. I wasn’t that good. I kept

trying and trying.”Ian said he “kept trying and trying” because heliked “the idea o how you could enter somethingand have all these great prizes.”

he national winner will have his or her doodleeatured on the U.S. Google.com homepage or oneday and will receive a $30,000 college scholarship,a $50,000 Google or Education grant or his or herschool, a trip to the Google headquarters with aavorite teacher, a Chromebook, an Android tabletand a -shirt with his or her doodle on it.

State winners who do not become national i-nalists will receive an Android tablet and a -shirtwith his or her doodle on it.

Google also will contribute art supplies to theMarist School.

“It eels amazing,” Ian said about being a state

winner. “I’m excited and thrilled.”Online voting in the competition is underway

until Feb. 22 at Doodle4Google.com.

Marist student wins state round of Google competition

Georgia’s winning entry in the Doodle4Google contest was unveiled during an assembly Feb. 5.Photos by Andrew Cauthen

an Otten of Marist School was chosen at the statewide Doodle4Google winner.

an Otten, center, was recognized by Google’s Steven Singleton, left, and Misha Tucker, right.


19/24

The Champion FREE PRESS, Friday, Feb. 12, 2016 EDUCATION Page 19A

Naonally, about 1 in 3 young people age 15-20 years have been a passenger ina car with a drinking driver at least once in the past year.

One in 4 youth are willing to ride with a driver who has been drinking.

Three percent of young people have ridden with a drinking driver 10 or more mes inthe past year.

Source: MADD

The Good News for DeKalb County’s young people age 18-25 that parcipated in a focus group on heavy and binge drinking stated that 55% of them did not have analcoholic beverage in the past 30 days, and that 1/3

of them avoid alcohol when they are around it, andstascs show that over 30% of young adults in majortowns in DeKalb County are not drinkers.Be safe DeKalb!

For more informaon- Call (770) 285-6037 orE-mail: [email protected]

Did you know?

Sagar Lonial, an inter-nationally renowned expertn the biology and treatment

o patients with multiplemyeloma, has been namedchairman o the hematology

and medical oncology de-partment at Emory Univer-ity School o Medicine and

Winship Cancer Institute,according to a news release.His appointment is eectivemmediately.

“he opportunity to leadhis terriic group o acultys a real honor and privilege,”

Lonial stated in the release.I am impressed with the

compassion, dedication andcreativity that the acultynvests in making a dier-

ence. My goal is to grow andnvest in their careers so that

hey can continue to perormhe groundbreaking and lie

changing work o cancercare.”

Lonial currently servesas Winship’s chie medicaloicer and as proessor ohematology and medical

oncology and previously wasthe department executive vice chairman.

Lonial assumes the role vacated by Fadlo R. Khuri,who became president o

American University o Bei-rut.“Dr. Lonial has had an

exceptional impact on Em-ory in the areas o researchand clinical care. We areexcited that he will be able touse his expertise to lead andurther build our outstand-ing department o hematol-ogy and medical oncology,”stated Christian P. Larsen,dean o the Emory Univer-sity School o Medicine andCEO o he Emory Clinic.

Lonial has worked in theield o immunotherapy and

oncology since joining Emo-ry in 1997 or his ellowship.

“We are very excited thatSagar Lonial will take thehelm o the largest oncology-related department at Em-ory,” stated Walter J. Cur-ran Jr., Winship’s executive

director. “By assuming thisleadership position, he willplay a key role in attractingand mentoring the best andbrightest aculty within thedepartment and Winship.”

Board certiied in he-matology, oncology andinternal medicine, Lonialhas published more than 200scientiic papers. He serveson the editorial board o the

Journal of Clinical Oncol-ogy, Leukemia, and is themyeloma editor or Clinical

Lymphoma, Myeloma, and Leukemia. He is the secretary

or the International Myelo-ma Society, on the scientiic

advisory board or the Inter-national Myeloma Founda-tion, and serves as steeringcommittee chairman or theMultiple Myeloma ResearchConsortium.

A native o Louisville,Ky., Lonial irst worked inoncology during his under-graduate days at Johns Hop-kins University in Baltimore,Md. He earned his medicaldegree rom the Univer-sity o Louisville School oMedicine. He completed hisinternship and residency atBaylor College o Medicinein Houston, exas, ollowedby a ellowship in hematol-ogy and oncology at Emory’sSchool o Medicine.

Emory, Winship announce new hematology and medical oncology chairman

Four seniors nominatedor Presidential Scholars

Program

DeKalb County SchoolDistrict recently announcedhat our seniors have beenelected as candidates or the

United States PresidentialScholars Program.

Chamblee Charter High

School seniors Aomeng Cui and Yalini Senthil Kumar and Lakeside High Schooleniors Sri S. Bhat and Aksel

D. Kretsinger-Walters havebeen nominated or this des-gnation.

“Heralded by the UnitedStates Department o Educa-ion as ‘one o the nation’s

highest honors or highchool students,’ this elite

program names no morehan 161 students annually

as U.S. Presidential Scholars,”tates a school district newselease.

Scholars are chosen

based on their academic andartistic success, leadership,and involvement in schooland community.

hey “represent excel-lence in education, andthe promise o greatness inAmerica’s youth,” the newsrelease stated.

he students will receivean all-expenses-paid trip toWashington, D.C., in June toparticipate in the NationalRecognition Program, whichculminates in the presen-tation o the PresidentialScholars Medallion duringa White House-sponsoredceremony.

“We are extremely proudo the accomplishmentso Ms. Cui, Ms. SenthilKumar, Mr. Bhat, and Mr.Kretsinger-Walters,” saidschool Superintendent Ste-phen Green, in a statement.“hese exceptional youngstudents embody our dis-

trict’s vision to inspire ourcommunity o learners to

achieve educational excel-lence. As evidenced by thisdistinguished nomination,they have achieved excel-lence indeed. And they haveonly just begun.”

Winners in the HelenRufn Reading Bowlannounced

he 17th annual DeKalbCounty School District’sGeorgia Helen Ruin Read-ing Bowl (HRRB) was heldon Jan. 30 at ucker HighSchool.

Elementary, middle andhigh school teams were es-corted to classrooms whereteams competed againststudents in their grade levelor at least six rounds. herewere additional playorounds or inalists who tied.

he Arabia Mountainand DECA teams went to aplayo round and tied or

irst place.

All teams had to readand answer questions aboutthe 20 Georgia Book AwardNominee Books (or elemen-tary and middle) or the 20Peach een Award Nomineebooks (or high school). Allirst- and second-place teamswill advance to the Metro Re-gional Georgia HRRB, whichwill be held Saturday, Feb. 13,at 9 a.m., at the Clayton StateUniversity campus in Mor-row.

DeKalb County winnersincluded:• Elementary: Ashford Park,

irst place; Fernbank, sec-

ond place; and Vanderlyn,third place.

• Middle school: Druid Hills,irst place; Henderson, sec-ond place; and KittredgeMagnet, third place.

• High school: Arabia Moun-tain and DeKalb EarlyCollege Academy, tied orirst place; and Chambleeand Lakeside, tied or thirdplace.

Lonial


20/24

The Champion FREE PRESS, Friday, Feb. 12, 2016 CLASSIFIED Page 20A

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21/24

The Champion FREE PRESS, Friday, Feb. 12, 2016 SPORTS Page 21A

BASKETBALL

y Carla [email protected]

It has been 30 years since the Salem Middlechool girls’ basketball team have won a DeKalb

County title.With an undeeated county record, the girls

nd coach Casey Williams believe this is the yearhey will win that title.

“We ell short last year [o winning the title],ut this year we’re going the distance because we

did the work in the o season and we’re well pre-ared,” Williams said.

Salem opened the 2016 DeKalb CountyMiddle School Basketball ournament Feb. 3 with

46-1 win over Druid Hills Middle School. heeam’s ull-court press deense kept Druid Hillsonused and without ield goals.

Willis said the press deense is something thathe team has worked on since the summer.

“We’ve been working on the press, getting in

he correct position and we know that that gen-rates our oense,” he said. “So we’re able to get

teams running up and down loor and that playsinto our avor, and that’s what we want to see. Wewant to get on deense, score quick baskets and getback on deense.”

his is Williams’ third year with the program.

He also coaches with the Georgia Metros, a eamJordan Elite youth girls basketball program.

Williams said when he irst took over the teamhis ocus was to establish a direction or the pro-gram.

“For me, basketball is bigger than a game,” hesaid. “It’s about teaching kids lie skills and beingdedicated to something, working hard at it andthen seeing how it maniests itsel in real time.hat was something that I’ve always wanted my la-dies to do. Over the next two years we worked onimplementing a culture o being disciplined, beingdedicated and doing the work.”

he players said it took a while or them to getused to his coaching style.

“We had to adjust to his style because he’s a

very aggressive [coach],” said Ashlynn Green. “A-ter a while we got it down.”

“When we irst started no one was as good aswe are now,” Torkeria Dash said.

“It was horrible the irst year, but now it’s like[wow],” said Kianna Bell.

“He knows a lot about basketball and he helps

us learn the game better,” Akumano Okafor said.Seeing his and the girls’ hard work coming to

ruition this season has made Williams proud as acoach.

“I couldn’t ask or anything better or my girls[than] to know that they deserve everything thatthey desire,” he said. “Last year I told them I en- visioned us having a championship. I thought lastyear was our opportunity. However, there weresome things that we needed to work on—me as acoach as well as them as players.”

For the Lady Lions to get to the title game onFeb. 13, Williams, said his team must stick to thebasics.

“Playing deense, cutting o their man, stayingin ront o them and just staying ocused on and

o the loor, making sure that they don’t get intoany trouble,” he said. “Just being great kids.”

Salem girls’ basketball team has visions of a county title

WEEKEND BASKETBALL SCORESFeb. 5

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