Champion FreePress 4-15-16

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C HA MP IO NN EW SPA PE R C HA MP IO NN EW S CHAMPIONNEWSPAPER CHAMPIONNEWS

thechampionnewspaper.com F REE P RESS FRiDaY, apRil 15, 2016 • Vol. 18, no. 52 • FREE

• A PUBLICATION OF ACE III COMMUNICATIONS • Serving East Atlanta, Avondale Estates, Brookhaven, Chamblee, Clarkston, Decatur, Doraville, Dunwoody, Lithonia, Pine Lake, Tucker and Stone Mountain.

CHAMPION The

See Greenhaven on Page 5A See Fire on Page 5A

Greenhavenproponents pondernext steps

Apartment fire safetyis concern for officialsby Andrew [email protected]

When a re brokeout at Brannon HillCondominiums, it

was a normal occurrence inDeKalb County where a reoccurs every 2.5 days in anapartment or condominiumcomplex.

Apartment re safety isthe concern of residents andapartment managers alike,according to re ofcials.

There have been 41apartment res So far in2016, such as the one atHidden Villas Apartment inPanthersville on Jan. 27when DeKalb County FireRescue received a call at4:05 a.m.

“We got there andthere was smoke and reshowing,” said Capt. EricJackson, DeKalb CountyFire Rescue’s publicinformation ofcer.

Several people had to jump from the building toescape the re, which wascoming out of the front partof the apartment and hadtaken over the hallways onthe rst and second oors,

Jackson said.“Four residents weretransported to the hospitalfor treatment and...as aresult of this re, there wereat least eight apartmentsthat were affected,” Jacksonsaid.

A townhome re on Feb.22 in Lithonia ended intragedy with the death of anoccupant.

When reghtersresponded to the 4:46 a.m.re, a “person was in the

front room...on the oor,”Jackson said. “We made

entry to extinguish the re,noticed he was there, [and]brought him out.”

The man was transportedby ambulance to nearbyDeKalb Medical Hillandale“where he was subsequentlyand unfortunatelypronounced deceased,”Jackson said.

Although no cause of there has been determined,“we were looking at thekitchen very heavily,”Jackson said.

Two days earlier on Feb.19 there was a large re at

the Marq at Brookhaven,located at 50 Lincolncourt in Brookhaven thatdamaged 36 units.

“We went to that reinitially we were respondingto a possible stove on re,”Jackson said about the11:35 a.m. “We actuallycould see a column ofsmoke prior to our arrivalcoming from that building.”

“One part of the buildingwas fully involved [while] theother end was untouched,”

by Andrew [email protected]

Some south DeKalb residents still wanto form the state’s second largest city evenhough they won’t get a chance to vote on

cityhood this year.Proponents of the proposed south DeKalbcity of Greenhaven want to be in the sameposition as supporters of the proposed city ofStonecrest.

“Stonecrest is doing something that wewant to do,” said Tom Walton, a boardmember of Concerned Citizens for Cityhoodof South DeKalb (CCCSD). “They’re going tohave a vote. The citizens are going to voteo decide if they want to have a city calledStonecrest. And that’s what we were askinghe legislators for.”

Walton’s comments were during an April 5meeting hosted by CCCSD about the futureof Greenhaven, after a bill that would havegiven resident the opportunity to vote on

cityhood got stuck in the Georgia GeneralAssembly. After meeting on April 2, CCCSDboard members “will be forming a team toook at where we go from here,” said boardmember Sandy Johnson. “We will becontinuing to look at what our options are.There are some things that we may want todo differently going forward.”

The proposed city of Greenhaven wouldhave approximately 295,000 residents,making it the state’s second largest city. Itwould surround Clarkston, Pine Lake andStone Mountain, and its borders would touchLithonia and the proposed city of Stonecrest.

Greenhaven would have a mayor andseven councilmembers and would be

Kathryn Rice, chairwoman of Concerned Citizens for City-ood of South DeKalb, said residents want a chance to voten cityhood. Photo by Andrew Cauthen

For the past five years, apartment fires have occurred at a rate of one every 2.5days in DeKalb County. Photo by Travis Hudgons

Business .................................21A

Classified ..............................20A

Education.........................18-19A

Opinion ......................................7A Sports ...............................22-23A

QUICK FINDER

SPORTS 23A

FRESHMAN BRIAN HERRONTURNS LAKESIDE TRACKINTO TITLE CONTENDERS

LOCAL, 17A

PALOOZA ATTACKSPOTHOLE PROBLEM

LOCAL, 8A

LITHONIA CITY ADMINISTRATORTO RESIGN


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LOCAL The Champion FREE PRESS, Friday, April 15, 2016 • Page 2A

35-gallonroll cart

18-gallon bin 65-gallon roll cart 40-gallon bag45-gallonroll cart

65-gallonroll cart

95-gallonroll cart

The DeKalb County Sanitation Division advances through Phase II of the

Rolling Forward to One sanitation service change program. Please see

below for county-provided recycling and garbage container options,

and information on soon-to-be-implemented changes to garbage and

recycling container requirements and collection procedures.

For more information, please call or visit: (404) 294-2900 • www.rollingforwardtoone.com • Follow @ItsInDeKalb on Twitter

Recycling ◊ Garbage roll cart rightsizing ◊ Additional garbage roll carts

Changes to garbage and recycling container requirements and collection procedures

Phase II

“We are rolling forward

together as one”

-Interim CEO Lee May

County-provided single-stream recycling options

Changes to garbage and recycling container requirements and collection procedures

Only county-provided garbage and recycling containers are approved for use

County-provided

garbage roll cart

Secure, durable

plastic bags for

excess garbage

County-provided

recycling bin,

bag and roll cart

Customer-provided

recycling container

or bag

Coming April 18, 2016

County-provided garbage roll cart options

Approved Not Approved

Customer-provided

garbage container


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AROUNDDEKALBATLANTAChurch to hold ‘Growing through Grief’ series

The public is invited to participate in a free six-week series of

small group meetings to take steps toward wholeness and healingafter suffering a loss. Led by experienced counselors who maintaincondentiality, the group is designated for listening, sharing andsupporting each other.

“In this group, participants seek to grow through the grief processas they share their experiences with others who are also experiencingsome type of loss,” said Mary Ellen Pendergrast, one of theorganizers. “This sharing occurs in a safe and condential space.”

The series runs on Wednesdays through May 18, from 6:45 to 8p.m. at Shallowford Presbyterian Church, 2375 Shallowford Road,

Atlanta.For more information, visit www.shallowford.org.

BROOKHAVENPolice to host active shooter response training

The Brookhaven Police Department will hold a free CivilianResponse to an Active Shooter Event, designed to provide the publicwith a basic understanding of how to survive an active shooter incident.The event takes place April 18 from 6:15 to 9 p.m. at BrookhavenChristian Church, 4500 Peachtree Road. Seating is limited to 170registrants through Eventbrite. Doors open at 6:15 p.m. for check in.The program begins at 7 p.m., followed by Q&A from 8:30 to 9 p.m. Formore information, visit www.brookhavenga.gov.

CHAMBLEECity to participate in Georgia Cities Week

The city of Chamblee is set to join other Georgia cities in celebratingthe theme of “Go to Town.”

As part of 2016 Georgia Cities Week, celebrated April 17-23throughout the state, Chamblee will be hosting events throughout theweek, including a book drive, family eld day, community cleanup andgeo-caching contest.

This year’s theme is “Go to Town” highlights the importance ofdowntown Chamblee as a hub for community involvement, servicesand enjoyment. This week will include beautication events, virtualtours of Chamblee City departments, trivia nights, a book drop-off, yardimprovement contest, a geocaching scavenger hunt, a chicken-coopclass and a eld day.

For more information on the event, including event specics, visitwww.chambleega.com/gacitiesweek.

County commissioner urges residents to supportfirefighters

DeKalb County Commissioner Nancy Jester is asking residents tosupport the re stations in District One.Jester is “asking community residents and businesses to show

our appreciation for these hard working heroes by helping to stock thepantry at our stations,” states an announcement about the events.

Staple food items such as sugar, salad dressing, seasonings,cereal, snacks, coffee, tea, sodas, and sports drinks will be collected forFire Station 19, 3253 Mercer University Drive, Chamblee, on Saturday,

April 23, from 9 to 11 a.m. Children are invited to come see the trucks and equipment.

DORAVILLECity to temporarily waive project fees

Doraville residents wishing to begin, follow through on or nishoutdoor projects can expect to do so fee-free during an upcoming twomonth period.

From April 1 to June 1, Doraville residents will not have to pay apermit fee on residential rehabilitation projects. These include permitson fencing; patio covers; balcony or concrete patios; retaining walls;

sheds or storage buildings; swimming pools; electronic, plumbingor mechanical trades; tree service; driveway or parking; garage andcarports; decks; and structural roof repair at residences.

Follow-up inspection fees will also be waived for the rst re-inspection. Any subsequent inspections will be completed at the normalcharge.

For more information, visit www.doravillega.us.

DUNWOODYBrook Run Park hosts Lemonade Days 2016

Dunwoody’s Lemonade Days festival at Brook Run Park will betaking place Wednesday, April 13, until Sunday, April 17. Activities for allages will include carnival rides, a petting zoo, an antique car show aswell as locally produced food, products and music.

In addition to local music talent, Lemonade Days will also host a“Dunwoody Idol” competition open to vocalists ages 25 and younger.

Acts will perform between headline acts on Saturday, April 16. According to the event’s website, Lemonade Days will be open to

the public beginning at 4 p.m. in Thursday and Friday and 10 a.m. onSaturday. Events will run until 11 p.m. Sunday will conclude with a noon

to 7 p.m. schedule.Brook Run Park is located at 4770 North Peachtree Road in

Dunwoody. For more information, including a more specic schedule,visit www.dunwoodylemonadedays.org.

LITHONIADemocrats to elect district level delegates fornational convention

A caucus election to vote for the 4th Congressional Districtdelegates to represent the Democratic Party of Georgia at the 2016Democratic National Convention will be held April 16.

Only candidates who led an Intent of Candidacy with the DPG areeligible to run as delegates.

All Democrats who are registered to vote in the 4th CongressionalDistrict are encouraged to attend and vote in this election.

The election will be Saturday, April 16, at Stronghold ChristianChurch, 724 Rock Chapel Road, Lithonia. Doors open at 9 a.m. andregistration is from 10 a.m. to noon. Voters must be in line before noonto vote for the presidential delegate candidate of their choice.

To learn more about the Georgia delegation and the process, visitthe Democratic Party of Georgia’s website at georgiademocrat.org.For more information, contact Melva Hicks, 4th Congressional Districtchairperson, at [email protected].

STONE MOUNTAINCitywide yard sale announced

Stone Mountain Village’s Citywide Yard Sale will be held Saturday, April 23, from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. on the First Baptist Church lawn in thecenter of town.

Set up begins at 7:30 a.m. on the day of the sale—tables will not beprovided. A limited number of spaces under the pavilion are available at$20 each on a rst come, rst served basis or 10-foot-by-10-foot lawnspaces can be rented for $10 each.

For a fee of $5 city residents, can have personal yard sales and belisted on the Yard Sale Trail map. A list of trail participants will be givento shoppers who visit the pavilion and lawn on the day of the sale. Formore information, contact Susan Coletti at (404) 444-5607 or City Hallat (770) 498-8984. There will be no food vendors, no refunds and norain date.

City to host farmer’s market

The Stone Mountain Farmer’s Market is back beginning April 19from 4 to 7 p.m. The market be in the municipal parking lot next to thegazebo every Tuesday until Nov. 22. For more information, call (770)498-8984.


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Shene’ Heard

Shene’ Heard

Houston-StewartBrown Malathip

Shene’ Heard, a 23-year-old recent college graduate wasbeaming with excitement to mentorand tutor caseload studentsparticipating in Communities in

Schools (CIS), an organizationpartnered with DeKalb and FultonCounty public schools to removebarriers that hinder students fromsucceeding.

Heard said she was drawn tohe organization because she’s

always wanted to give back to theneighborhood in which she grewup.

Heard spent much of heradolescent years in the Edgewoodarea.

Through CIS, Heard assistsMaynard Jackson High Schoolstudents with literature and othersubjects.

“The most challenging partof the work is connecting with

students. With the demographicsthat I work with, there are studentswho come from different typesof backgrounds. The averagestudent deals with stress or [he or

she comes] from a difcult livingenvironment,” Heard said.

She added, “My job is toidentify their needs, make themfeel comfortable and help the bestI can.”

Heard was zoned to attendMaynard Jackson High School butdecided to attend North AtlantaHigh School after being acceptedinto its magnet program.

She said, “I can relate to the[students] because I grew up in thatsame neighborhood. I’m familiarwith the demographics in the area.I can actually remember myselfbeing in high school, trying to gureeverything out, dealing with thingsat home and constantly thinking

what my next move was.“Through CIS I want to at least

have an impact on one child andensure them that it is possible tomake it out of their neighborhood

and be whatever they want to be.I want them to know that they dohave options,” she added.

Heard graduated from ClainUniversity in 2014 with a major inmass communications.

She loves reading, listeningto music and attending theaters,ballets and museums.

She said she would advisepeople interested in volunteering tostart with things they’re passionateabout.

“It’s important to play a partin your community because it’s agreat way to network–meet differentpeople and, of course, if you’re ableto impact somebody’s life along theway, that’s always a plus.”

by R. Scott Belzer [email protected]

Three new executives haveoined DeKalb County SchoolDistrict superintendent StephenGreen in the task of bettering localschools.

According to a release datedMarch 31, Green appointed threenew senior executives followingnterim terms. Leo Brown willserve as chief human capitalmanagement ofcer, EileenHouston-Stewart will serveas chief communications andcommunity relations ofcer andManomay Malathip will serveas executive director for studentadvancement.

All three worked with Greenduring his tenure at Kansas CityPublic Schools in Missouri. The triowas appointed to interim positions

n DeKalb earlier this year beforeapplying for permanent positions.

The interim positions totaled$446,316 in combined salaries.While Houston-Stewart’s positions newly created, Brown’s wasenamed (previously known as

director of human resources) andMalathip’s was created to combineseveral others.

Former Human ResourcesDirector Tekisha Ward-Smith was reassigned to DeKalb Countyathletics.

Brown, Houston-Setwartand Malathip applied throughan executive search rm andcompeted with others at thenational level before being selected.

“The only promise made washat they would be given every

consideration if they applied for thepermanent position[s],” Green said.

The search and selectionstands as a culmination to Greenfullling his long-term goal of“attening the layers of bureaucracyto improve the teaching and student

learning.”“Solidifying the executive

staff with experienced, trusted,educators with strong track recordswho tell me what I need to hear,not what I want to hear, has beenamong my goals since the day I rstmet with the DeKalb school board,”Green said.

Green said any organizationbenets from the qualities ofteamwork and team members whoare comfortable working with oneanother. The superintendent saidthis new team, what will facilitate acultural shift from the top down, isno exception.

“I did my due diligence todetermine how best to improvethe functions of the central ofce,”Green said. “It included personal

observations, conversations,evaluations and examining previousreviews. DeKalb is fortunate that wehave recruited these highly respectededucators to join our team.”

Green admitted he knew thethree candidates more than others

who also applied for the positionsbut said Brown, Houston-Stewartand Malathip met all the requiredcriteria when considering an idealsenior staff.

“For those who question theapproach, I ask that they give ittime and observe the three do their

jobs as I have for years,” Greensaid. “We now have an executiveteam in place that will help thedistrict improve student learning inall grades.”

Brown’s most recent experiencein a related eld was seniormanager of operations at EmoryHealthcare. He also has served assenior director of human resourcesand administration at the Universityof Louisville. Brown worked atKansas City Public Schools with

Green as chief human capitalofcer from May 2011 to June 2012.

Houston-Stewart worked withGreen for four of her six years atKansas City Public Schools as chiefcommunications and communityengagement ofcer. According to

the release, she has 20 years ofexperience in public educationsystems in Ohio, Texas and otherareas of Missouri.

Malathip spent three-and-a-half years working with Greenas director of graduation andpostsecondary outreach at KansasCity Public Schools. She also hasexperience as a vice president atthe Ewing Kauffman Foundation inMissouri.

Green said the team can helpgive parents, students and teacherswithin the DeKalb County SchoolDistrict a deserved transparency,promising “quicker, morecomplete responses to inquiries,more accessibility, and bettercommunication.”

DeKalb Schools offers interim execs permanent positions


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The Champion FREE PRESS, Friday, April 15, 2016 local Page 5A

GREENHAVEN Continued From Page 1A

FIRE Continued From Page 1A

subdivided into six community areaplanning units, modeled after similarunits in the city of Atlanta.

The city’s feasibility study estimateshat it initially would have excessevenue of $27 million. Plans call forhe city to initially take on the municipal

services of code enforcement, parksand recreation, and zoning planning.

Greenhaven supporters, who havebeen working since 2014 to get enoughsupport to get the proposed city on aballot, say the impetus for the city iseconomic development.

“We’re not against the county,”

Walton told a crowd of approximately60 people at the forum. “To [promote]…economic development or to increase...businesses in our area, we need tohave a concentrated effort by ouradministration [that] will run the city.And that’s not part of our current countyadministrator’s job.”

Walton said south DeKalb isbeing left behind in the economicdevelopment race while nearbymunicipalities are growing signicantly.

“There has not been one majordevelopment in our area in the last 30years that I’ve been here. Nothing’sbeen built,” Walton said. “In the city of

Atlanta, if you watch [Mayor] KasimReed, he solicits businesses all overhe world to try to come to Atlanta.”

In “the next two years there willbe 55 major developments in themetropolitan Atlanta area,” Walton said.Not one of those 55 developments

will be in south DeKalb. That’s why wewant a city.”

Kathryn Rice, CCCSD’schairwoman, said Greenhaven can bea tool for us to get what we would likeo see our neighborhoods look like.

“The bottom line is we’re trying toake control of our neighborhood, of

our communities, of our children, oureducation,” Rice said. “We’re trying

o do something different with southDeKalb.

“The primary purpose for formingGreenhaven is to focus on economicdevelopment,” she said. “It’s about

attracting wealth to your area. Webelieve that cityhood is one of the waysthat we can get there.”

Rice addressed concerns aboutwhether the proposed city is too large.

“If you live in south DeKalb, for themost part, you are [in an area that is]less developed than the rest of thecounty,” Rice said. “We want to havemore restaurants. We want to have ahigher quality of life. How do we getthere? One of the ways we get there isby pooling our resources. That’s one ofthe reasons we created a [proposed]large city.”

Noelle Baldwin, a resident of theGresham community, which would beincorporated into Greenhaven, said shehad a petition of 500 people opposed tothe new city.

“We are opposed to Greenhaven.We do not want to be included inGreenhaven,” said Baldwin, whoasked if there was an option of leavingthe Gresham community out of theproposed city’s boundaries.

Rice said if the boundaries changesignicantly, the group would have tocommission another feasibility study ata cost of $30,000.

“We are not prepared to do another

feasibility study,” Rice said.Gresham resident Chris Grifnsupports Greenhaven.

“If you don’t want to be a part ofGreenhaven, that’s your right,” he saidto his neighbors who oppose the city.“I think you should petition the city of Atlanta, get them to agree to annexyou.”

To get Greenhaven on a ballot,residents must get involved, Rice said.

“That’s what’s going to help us getthe vote,” she said.

“Voice your opinion,” Rice said. “Youhave every right to be for Greenhavenor against Greenhaven. Everyone elsethat met the requirements got the right

to vote on [cityhood], got the right todetermine what they wanted to do withtheir piece of land. That’s what we wantto have. If you get involved, we’ll getthat right to vote.”

he said.Everyone was safely evacuated from the building

and there were no injuries.Jackson said, “Brookhaven Police Department

was pretty instrumental in that because they...knocked [on] and kicked in a couple of doors just to

make sure that the units were clear and no one wasinside.”

DeKalb reghters also “were forcing somedoors ourselves just to make sure no one wasinside.” They also located some dogs in the buildingand returned them to their owners.

Jackson said the re spread in the three-storyapartment building because the sprinkler systemwas overwhelmed by the size of the re. “It was just a massive amount of re,” he said.

Although the causes of all three res are stillunder investigation, Jackson said there are fewmain causes of structure res.

“Food on the stove tends to be a biggie,” Jacksonsaid.

To prevent kitchen res, Jackson recommends“keeping your mind on what you’re doing.”

“If you’re in the kitchen cooking, stay in there andsee it through all the way to completion,” he said.“We don’t want folks…walking away from the foodor becoming distracted by getting on the phone orsmartphones or television or things that could pullyour attention away.

“You want to stay in there the whole time,”Jackson said. “That way it doesn’t have theopportunity to get [out of control].”

Another cause of res in residences is “carelesssmoking,” Jackson said.

“We still see that,” he said. “Make sure that ifyou’re smoking you have the proper receptacle toextinguish that. And make sure you’re not sleepingon the sofa or...bed.”

Other re causes include electrical res or “acts

of God–lightning strikes,” he said. Jackson said renters play a major role in their

own safety.“A lot of the safety certainly rests with the

residents—the apartment renter—to make sure thateven though their space could typically be muchsmaller than a house, [they] still have a way…toescape …when a re happens,” Jackson said.

Jackson said that although it is the apartmentcomplex’s responsibility to smoke detectors andre extinguishers, residents should follow up toensure that they are properly working and inspectedregularly.

“Residents just have to be diligent in making surethat those [smoke detector] batteries are changedout by maintenance,” Jackson said.

At many apartments the re extinguisher islocated in the hallways outside the apartment unit.“The resident may have a concern or inclination

to want to know whether the extinguishersare working in the hallway, but managementshould certainly ensure that every year thoseextinguishers…are maintained and checked andtested,” Jackson said.

Although re extinguishers are provided in thehalls by apartment complexes, renters can purchasethem to keep inside their apartments.

“I even encourage it,” Jackson said. Renters can even add smoke detectors to an

apartment as long as the follow their landlords rulesabout attaching items to walls, he said.

Other re safety tips include making sure thewindows are functioning properly and “make sure

you have an evacuation plan, even if it’s that oneway to get out,” Jackson said.

A forum attendee studies a map of the proposed city of Greenhaven.


6/24

North Carolina hasecently passed legislationhat will require transgenderpeople to use restrooms

assigned to the sex onheir birth certicate. Thisegislation is discriminationat its core. It is also anextremely odd use ofawmakers’ time andenergies.

Transgenderedndividuals have madea conscious decisiono physically alter theirgenetalia in most casesbecause of identity issues.Once the process hasbegun or is completed,based on what most would

consider to be outwardlyobvious indications of one’ssexual identity, the person isclassied as the gender thathey chose.

I don’t particularly careo share the bathroomspace with anyone but weare forced to do this on adaily basis if we use publicbathroom facilities. I recall

as a young child attendinga college football game in acrowded stadium and usingthe men’s room. The urinaltrough was a huge circular

steel contraption that themen just gathered aroundto do their business. I thinkI may have actually beenpermanently traumatizedby this. It was a disgustingsituation that I hope tonever experience again.

To this day, if I am usinga public bathroom facilityand the only option is to

stand beside another manat a urinal, I will hold off untila stall becomes available.It doesn’t matter if there is

a partition separating theurinals; I don’t want to bethat close to anyone whiledoing my business.

Bathrooms to merepresent a private place,a place where I do mybusiness and others do theirbusiness. I’m not in thereto examine anyone else’s junk nor do I want anyoneexamining mine.

I’m about as liberal asone can possibly be, but Iwould not be comfortableif I were using the men’s

room and Caitlyn (formerlyBruce) Jenner came in tohike her dress and belly-upto the urinal. I’m sorry, butthat would be too much forme.

It’s probably a safeassumption that mostwomen also would notlike to see Chaz (formerlyChastity) Bono swagger

into the ladies room to dohis business. It would be abit uncomfortable for all.

For a state to enact

laws governing the use ofpublic restrooms is beyondbizarre. As I ponder thesanity of this legislativeaction, I have to alsoquestion the enforcement ofsuch legislation.

Will North Carolinanow hire governmentworkers to police publicbathroom facilities? Willsaid government employeesstop each person entering apublic facility and proclaim“Show me your junk beforeusing the trunk?” That

may actually become oneof the most sought-aftergovernment jobs in history;though the employeeshould also be requiredto show their junk duringthe interview process in aneffort to curtail perverts whoenjoy seeing other’s privateparts on display in public.

Georgia has the so-

called religious freedomlegislation and open carrylaws that would allow gunson college campuses that

have been the subject ofmany contentious debates.

If Georgia lawmakersand North Carolinalawmakers got together,they could perhaps draftlegislation that wouldaddress all three of thesepressing social issues.Possible wording of thelegislation could be alongthe lines of “Transgenderedindividuals on collegecampuses will be allowedto carry a weapon (1) if itis concealed among one’s

junk, (2) it does not causesaid individual to appearto be of a different gender,and (3) does not infringeupon another’s religiousfreedoms while doing so.”

It seems that there aremuch greater problems thatshould be addressed byelected ofcials.

The Champion FREE PRESS, Friday, April 15, 2016 opinion Page 6A

Junk in the trunk

John [email protected]

Chief Operating Officer


7/24

Toddlers kill more people in theU.S. than terrorists do

The Champion FREE PRESS, Friday, April 15, 2016 opinion Page 7A

THE CHAMPION FREE PRESS encourages opinionsfrom its readers. Please write to us and express yourviews. Letters should be brief, typewritten and containthe writer’s name, address and telephone number for

verication. All letters will be considered for publica-tion.

STATEMENT FROM THE

PUBLISHERWe sincerely appreciate thediscussion surrounding this and anyissue of interest to DeKalb County.The Champion was founded in 1991expressly to provide a forum fordiscourse for all community residentson all sides of an issue. We have nodesire to make the news only toreport news and opinions to effect

a more educated citizenry that willultimately move our communityforward. We are happy to presentideas for discussion; however,we make every effort to avoidprinting information submitted tous that is known to be false and/orassumptions penned as fact.

F REE P RESS CHAMPION The

Publisher: John Hewitt

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Managing Editor:adrew cuthe

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Photographer: Trvs Hudgs

Staff Reporters:cr prkerR. Stt Bezer

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EDiToR’S noTE: The opinions written by columnists and contributing editors do not necessarily reect the opinionsof the editor or publishers. The Publisher reserves the right to reject or cancel any advertisement at any time. ThePublisher is not responsible for unsolicited manuscripts.

let Us Kw Wht Yu Thk!SEnD lETTERS To EDiToR,The Champion Free Press,P. O. Box 1347, Decatur, GA 30031-1347;Send email to [email protected] To: (404) 370-3903; Phone: (404) 373-7779.Deadline for news releases and advertising:

Thursday, one week prior to publication date.

This week, in my country,considered by some of its moreembarrassing denizens to be thegreatest country in the world,,

an outspoken Florida “gunights” advocate left a loaded .45

caliber handgun in the back seatof her car and was promptly shotand wounded by her 4-year-oldchild. Truly a pinnacle of humanpotential, much like the inventionof paper in second-century BCChina, or Aristotle holding forthn the Lyceum, or whoever rstpointed out that Florida looks likeAmerica’s penis.

What do you say about theoutspoken Florida “gun rights”advocate who left a loaded .45caliber handgun in the back seatof her car and was promptly shotand wounded by her 4-year-oldchild?

I take no pleasure in violenceand pain. I’m not happy thatJamie Gilt, 31—who has builta thriving web presence on theargument that guns are not onlyperfectly safe around kids, but

necessary for their protection—eft a loaded handgun in reachof her 4-year-old son, who thenpicked it up, aimed it at hismother, and pulled the trigger.

I nd zero delight in thehought of Gilt’s toddler’s almostcertain panic and horror in thatmoment, nor the guilt he maywell carry for the rest of hisfe (guilt that only his mother

deserves). I’m sure being shotn the back really hurts—evenmore so when it comes with

a side of nationwide liberalschadenfreude.

But I have no interest inletting Gilt off the hook. Herchild could just as easily haveshot himself, or a passerby, orsomeone else’s child. With justa few tweaks of location andcircumstance, he could haveshot my child. Someone elsestill could, accidentally or withintention—it’s a possibility youhave to consider in a countrywith so many guns and so fewlaws regulating them. That’s themacabre truth of parenting in21st-century America.

I grew up with the samepersistent, low-grade fear of gunviolence as any American—mymiddle school was once lockeddown because of a shooting atthe high school up the street,and I was a junior at that samehigh school when we watchedthe Columbine massacre unfoldon TV—but my family didn’thave guns, and we lived in aliberal city so most of my friends’

parents didn’t either. Guns werescary, but for the most part theyfelt far away.

Growing up here myselfdidn’t prepare me for howdistinctly, viscerally frighteningit would be to raise childrenin a gun-obsessed nation. Mystepdaughters go to school in aborderline-rural suburb, whereasI was educated in centralSeattle. They already know of atleast one friend-of-a-friend whowas killed in a school shooting.

Many of their friends’ parentsare gun owners. Not only that,but, over the past few decades,the National Rie Associationhas been aggressively andsuccessfully rolling backrearm restrictions, making gunownership as quick and easy foranyone’s irresponsible, drunkcousin as their meticulous, gun-safety-trained dad. When wesend our kids to friends’ housesfor sleepovers, it sometimesfeels like a leap of faith.

In the United States in2015, more people were shotand killed by toddlers than byterrorist. In 2013, the New YorkTimes reported on children shotby other children: “Childrenshot accidentally –usually byother children—are collateralcasualties of the accessibility ofguns in America, their deaths allthe more devastating for beingeminently preventable.”

And I’m supposed tobelieve that frightened Syrianrefugees—or whomever

becomes the next rightwingscapegoat du jour—are thereal threat to my children? I’msupposed to be afraid of sharks?Heavy metal music? Violentvideo games? Horse meat in myhamburger patties? Teenagerspouring vodka up their butts

States with more guns havemore gun deaths. Keeping a gunin your house increases yourchances of accidental death byshooting, but does not makeyou safer. A woman’s chance of

being murdered by an abusivepartner increases vefold if thepartner has access to a gun.“Good guys with guns” are afantasy. How much longer willwe keep participating in thisgreat collective lie that deadlyweapons keep us safe?

The accidental shooting ofJamie Gilt is the object lessonthat my absurd nation deserves.When even supposed gunsafety experts cannot keepthemselves safe from their owntoddlers, we should take that asan unequivocal reminder thatguns are inherently dangerous.They are exploding projectilemachines designed specicallyfor killing. And that’s notbleeding-heart hyperbole—it’sthe explicit reason why manypeople are drawn to them.Cowboy games. Vigilante justice.Power.

America does not get toclaim some hypercivilised globalhigh ground when we foster—legislatively and culturally—a

system in which incidents suchas Gilt’s are not just possible,but inevitable.

Lindy West is a Seattle-basedwriter, editor and performerwhose work focuses on popculture, social justice, humourand body image. She’s currentlya culture writer for GQ Magazineand GQ.com, as well as thefounder and editor of I BelieveYou—It’s Not Your Fault, anadvice blog for teens.


8/24


Lithonia city administrator to resign

Moody

Clarkston Police brief council, public on burglaries

Clarkston Police Chief Christine Hudson briefed Clarkston’s city council on recent burglary activity in the area as well as preventativemeasures being taken. Photo by R. Scott Belzer


Clarkston’s city counciland mayor received a crash

course on crime April 5 dur-ng a regularly scheduledmonthly meeting.

Clarkston Police ChiefChristine Hudson andDetective Sgt. AmandaPritchett presented facts,gures and solutions regard-ng local burglaries to thecouncil during its monthlywork session. The pair de-ailed the amount of recentburglaries, where they haveaken place, and what’s tobe done in stopping suchbehavior.

According to Hudson,Clarkston has experienced46 burglaries from Jan. 1 toMarch 31. The majority ofhese burglaries (37) haveaken place at apartmentcomplexes located withincity limits. Six burglarieshave taken place at homeswhile three have taken placeat commercial locations.

“We had 14 of the 37apartment complex burglar-es] were committed by twouveniles who have been ar-ested in January,” Hudson

said.

The chief said the ma-ority of the burglaries haveaken place along BrockettRoad as well as MarquisPark Apartments along Mon-real Road.

Hudson also said themajority of burglaries takingplace inside such apartmentcomplexes have been com-mitted by juveniles. Pritchettkened their activity to asystematic business opera-ion” in which other juvenilesare recruited, trained in the

art of thievery and put towork in criminal activity.

“It’s a business opera-tion for these kids,” Pritch-ett said. “They will recruitother children who ‘learn thegame,’ bring them in, andfence the items.”

Hudson said Clarkston’sCriminal Investigation Di-vision has “a lot of goodleads” on the juveniles com-mitting such burglaries buthas yet to get substantialevidence.

“We’re working closelywith DeKalb County’s gangtask force unit to includetheir burglary detectives,”

Hudson said.Pritchett said an issue

arises in juvenile court rarelyholding burglary offend-ers for an extended periodof time. The sergeant saidmany offenders become fa-miliar to police due to repeatcrimes.

“It’s a cycle,” Pritch-ett said. “It’s much biggerthan us. These are kidswho don’t really have goodhomes where poverty maybe an issue, so they’re

stealing to sell quickly.”To combat such activity,

Hudson said the police de-partment participates in andplans on hosting activitiessuch as “park-and-walks,”where police conduct walk-throughs in neighborhoodsand the downtown area;crime prevention seminarsto discuss the issues withresidents; and concentratepatrols in problem areas.

“We’re committed tokeeping the residents ofClarkston safe,” Hudsonsaid. “One nal option wouldbe to consider unfreezingthe three patrol positions

that have been frozen.”Hudson said the council

and police department willbe holding a meeting withapartment managers andowners on April 20.

“We’re going to addressconcerns regarding commu-nity safety there and waysto make their complexessafer,” Hudson said. “Wewant to be able to have bet-ter relationships betweenthe police department andapartment complexes.”

City manager KeithBarker said the council andpolice department have metwith various apartment of-cials for the past 8 monthsto help address the issue.So far, ve meetings havetaken place.

Councilman DeanMoore said the city councilhas met with the Atlanta

Apartment Association,whose ofcials suggestedbringing together apartmentcomplex owners to take aunied stance against re-peat offenders.

“Some of the peoplecommitting crimes may get

kicked out of one set ofapartments may just moveto another set of apart-ments,” Moore said. “The re-lationship between differentmanagement groups couldgo a long ways in preventingthat tactic.”

Barker suggested com-piling a “master list” of themajor offenders in the areaand circulating it throughoutlocal complexes.

“The problem comesin the fact that most of

the time, it’s not the leaseholders committing thesecrimes,” Pritchett said. “Mostof the time, it’s who they’rebringing into their home.”

Hudson concluded herpresentation by outlininghow much it would cost fortwo four-hour shifts concen-trating solely on burglariesin the area during peakburglary season. From May7 until Aug. 7, the 70 dayswhen students and teensare typically out of school,two ofcers would cost thecity $9,024.

Barker recommendedabsorbing the amount into

the council’s current budgetto make a valiant effort.

“We’re certainly willing toprovide additional resourcesto suppress some of theburglaries,” Barker said. “Ithink $9,000 is an expensewe can absorb.”

According to Clarkston’sofcial website, theClarkston Police Depart-ment currently has 18 full-time ofcers, 35 reserveofcers and four civilian em-ployees.

by Carla Parker [email protected]

Lithonia city administra-tor Eddie Moody will re-sign effective June 3.

Mayor Deborah Jack-son announced Moody’sdecision to resign duringthe April 4 city councilmeeting.

“We brought him out ofretirement in 2012 and he

has really stepped up toreally be diligent and goingabove and beyond the callof duty,” Jackson said.

Moody said after the

meeting that it was time forhim to go back into retire-ment.

“You know when it’stime,” he said. “I told themayor before the year[2015] was over that it was

just time for me to go. Ithink I’m actually facingburnout, and I’m gettingolder, and the kids aremoving to different partsof the country. I’ve always

wanted to do a little travel-ing and I don’t want to seemy grandkids grow up and[I] at least not have the op-portunity to see them at

some point.”Moody said he had

planned to leave on hisbirthday on March 28.“But there are some

things that I need to try tosee if I can’t get completed

and then be able to transi-tion and turn them over,” hesaid. “I don’t want to put awhole plate of something onsomebody else’s back. I’mtrying to tie those things up.”

Moody said he will con-tinue to stay engaged inthe city.

“I’m going to come anddo stuff,” he said. “I’m notleaving.”

Moody was hired as

the city’s police chief in De-cember 2012. He was theDeKalb County police chieffrom 2001-04 and the rstBlack to head the county

police department.He moved to city ad-

ministration in November2014 after the seat was leftvacant by Phil Howland,who accepted the permit-ting concierge coordinatorposition in Avondale Es-tates.

Jackson said the citywill use the services ofTom Berry, former citymanager of Thomasville,

to assist in searching fora new city administrator.Berry helped the city withthe last search for a cityadministrator.


9/24


Emory University buys Executive Park

Lithonia moving forward with sidewalk project


Emory University announcedApril 5 the purchase of theExecutive Park property.

The 60-acre property is locatednear the North Druid Hills Roadand I-85 interchange. Emorypurchased the property from EquityCommonwealth, according to astatement from the university.

Emory President James W.Wagner said in a news release

hat the university “takes a long-erm, mission-oriented view” whenevaluating its real estate holdings.

“This signicant parcel, which

is in a location accessible to allof metro Atlanta, coupled withthe fact that we have successfulprograms in orthopedics, brainhealth, medical science education,continuing education and healthinformation technology alreadylocated in the park, presented anextraordinary, once in a generationopportunity for Emory and theregion,” Wagner said.

The property includesapproximately 400,000 square feetof ofce space. Nine ofce buildings

were included in the purchase.Brookhaven Mayor John Ernst said the city is pleased that Emorypurchased the park.

“We expect Emory’s presenceto be a catalyst for revitalizationof this great area, which the citywelcomed into Brookhaven lessthan a year and a half ago,” Ernstsaid.

The city approved to annex theproperty in December 2014.

Emory, along with the AtlantaHawks Basketball Club, alsoannounced that the two entitieshave partnered to build a trainingand sports medicine center on thepark’s property, which will serve as

the team’s ofcial practice site. According to the Hawks, theteam expects to break ground thissummer on the 90,000-square-foot

facility, and the Hawks BasketballOperations Department will behoused in the facility upon itscompletion.

Hawks principal owner Tony Ressler said in a statement that heis pleased with the new partnership.

“It is a privilege to be partneringwith a local institution that is aworld leader in the medical eldand that also shares our vision andpassion for excellence,” Resslersaid. “In addition, we are proudthat this facility will go beyond

benetting just our players, but willalso be a valuable sports medicineresource available to the entirecommunity.”


The Lithonia City Council voted4-0 at its April 4 council meetingto begin requesting proposals for

construction of the Bruce StreetSidewalk Project.The city will send requests

for proposal (RFP) to contractorsto construct a 647-foot-by-4-footsidewalk from Kelley Street toBruce Court on the southern sideof Bruce Street.

“This helps moves along theportion of Bruce Street in termsof the sidewalk project in 2016,”City Administrator Eddie Moody said. “Hopefully we’ll complete theremainder of the project in 2017.”

Moody said the cost of theproject will not be determineduntil a vendor is selected fromsubmissions received duringthe bid process. The project ispartially funded with the GeorgiaDepartment of Transportation

Local Maintenance andImprovement Grant.

The city held a pre-bid meeting April 11 for potential contractors

for the project.The city wants the selected

contractor to remove the existingasphalt sidewalk as part of the

construction, according to the RFP.The contractor also must installnecessary topsoil and grassingto restore any disturbed area toits original condition, as well asremove and replace any disturbed

shrubbery.The project also will include two ADA ramps at the southeast cornerand northwest corner of BruceStreet and Kelley Street; and an

ADA ramp at the southeast cornerof Bruce Street at Bruce Court.

According to the RFP, thecity wants to repair a section ofsidewalk near Bruce Street Park,and install a four-foot section ofsidewalk around two utility polesbetween the park and Bruce Court.

The city expects the projectto be completed within 30 daysafter a notice to proceed has beenissued.

“This is just the beginning,”Jackson said. “We are going aftersome other funding to do someother sidewalk work.”

Emory acquired nine ofce buildings and approximately 400,000 square feet of ofce space in the purchase of Executive Park.

Lithonia sent requests for proposals to contractors to construct a 647-foot-by-4-foot sidewalk from Kelley Street to Bruce Court on Bruce Street. The city wants thepotential contractor to remove the existing asphalt sidewalk as part of the project.Photo by Carla Parker


10/24


Two coworkers seek to bethe next solicitor-general

Name: Nicole Marchand Golden

Education: Xavier University of Louisiana, EmoryUniversity School of Law

Occupation:Chief assistant district attorney

What political ofces have you held inthe past?None

Why are you seeking this ofce?As a mother and wife, I have a vestednterest in the safety of our familiesand the future of our young people. Assolicitor-general, I will continue my workto protect families from predators whilecreating programs to educate our youthand prevent misdemeanor offenders fromprogressing to felons.

What expertise do you have that willhelp you fulll the duties of this ofce?’m the only candidate who has served

as acting solicitor-general, chief assistantsolicitor-general, and chief assistantdistrict attorney. I’ve managed hundredsof staff and million-dollar budgets while

prosecuting misdemeanor and felonycrimes. With 10 years of administrative andpolicy-making leadership, I’m prepared tobe solicitor-general my rst day in ofce!

Why should you be elected (or re-elected) to this ofce? will work to eradicate domestic violence

and crimes against women and childrenthrough education, counseling, andprosecution. I’ll create second-chanceopportunities for low-level offendersthrough diversion programs aimedat reducing recidivism. And I’ll fosterpartnerships with nonprots and schoolsto educate and motivate DeKalb youth toavoid criminal behavior.

What is your campaign websiteaddress?NicoleforSolicitor.com

Name: Donna Coleman-Stribling

Education:Southwest DeKalb High School, 1992;Xavier University of Louisiana, B.A. inpolitical science, magna cum laude, 1996;Emory University School of Law, J.D, 1999

Occupation:Deputy Chief assistant district attorney,Crimes Against Children Unit

What political ofces have you held inthe past?None

Why are you seeking this ofce?I am seeking the position of DeKalbCounty solicitor-general because I wantto improve the quality of life for thecitizens of DeKalb by prosecuting anddeterring crimes that affect the educationof our children, the sustainability of ourbusinesses, the value of our homes, andsafety of our neighborhoods.

What expertise do you have that willhelp you fulll the duties of this ofce?My 16 years as a trial attorney, dailycourtroom supervision and balanced

perspective of handling cases as aprosecutor and defense attorney makesme uniquely qualied for this position.My experience has prepared me tolead this ofce by holding offendersaccountable while offering opportunities forrehabilitation and alternative resolutions.

Why should you be elected (or re-elected) to this ofce?The preservation of DeKalb County is ofutmost importance. I have resided andworshipped in DeKalb for 36 years. Myresponsibility to the people of our county isnot simply professional, it is personal, andI am dedicated to the safety and livelihoodof our citizens.

What is your campaign websiteaddress?www.DonnaforDeKalb.com

compiled by Andrew Cauthen

[email protected]

Two coworkers in the DeKalb County District Attorney’s Ofce are campaigning forthe solicitor-general’s position.

Nicole Marchand Golden, chief assistant district attorney, and Donna Coleman-Stribling, a deputy chief assistant district attorney, will face each other in the May 24Democratic primary in the race to ll the solicitor-general’s seat.

Each candidate was given a questionnaire by The Champion with instructions toimit answers to 50 words. Answers that were more than the limit were truncated.

Qualifying begins April 18 for countycommission District 7 seat

The DeKalb County Board of Registration andElections has called for a special election to be held onTuesday, Nov. 8, to ll the Super District 7 seat on theDeKalb County Board of Commissioners.

The special election will be held to ll the unexpiredterm of Stan Watson, who resigned to run for tax

commissioner. The election will be held in conjunctionwith the general election in all regular polling locationswithin Commission District 7.

If a runoff is required, it will be held on Dec. 6.Qualifying begins on Monday, April 18, at 9 a.m. and

ends at noon on Wednesday, April 20. The qualifying feeis $1,151.24. Qualifying will be held in the ofce of theDeKalb County Board of Registrations and Elections,4380 Memorial Drive, Decatur.

Retired officer convicted of childmolestation

A DeKalb County jury on April 7convicted a retired police ofcer of twocounts of aggravated child molestation

and two counts of child molestation,according to news release by theDeKalb County District Attorney’sOfce.

Kelless Twohearts Lory, 58, ofStone Mountain, was sentenced to lifein prison.

The jury found Lory molested thegirl, a family member, between July 2011 and July 2012.The victim, who testied at trial, was 9 years old whenthe abuse rst began, according to the news release.

Lory, who was arrested in December 2014, retiredfrom the Chamblee Police Department and previouslyworked for MARTA Police. He was retired when theabuse occurred, according to news release.

When the verdict was announced, Lory drank apoisonous substance from an over-the-counter vitamin

bottle he had with him in court. He was taken to GradyMemorial Hospital when the substance took effect. Lorywas released April 9 and taken to jail.

Child struck, killed by vehicle inChamblee

A 3-year-old child was struck and killed by a vehiclein a Chamblee apartment complex on April 6, accordingto a recent police report.

The Chamblee Police Department released a publicstatement following the incident on April 7.

“On Wednesday, April 6, 2016, at 6:18 p.m. at theHuntington Terraces Apartments, located at 4727 BufordHighway, a 3-year-old girl was tragically struck by anSUV,” the statement read.

Although Chamblee police ofcers and emergencymanagement services arrived at the scene within veminutes of the 911 call, the child was pronounced deadat the scene.

“All parties involved are in our thoughts and prayersduring this time of horric loss,” the statement read.

The incident occurred inside the apartment complexin a parking lot and was captured on Hunting Terrace’ssecurity cameras, according to the news release.Footage of the incident is now part of the investigation.

The report states reckless driving and excessivespeed were not factors in the incident and that the driverremained on the scene and cooperated with Chambleepolice ofcers.

According to the news release, the overall layoutand geography of the apartment complex may have had

something to do with the incident.“We know that the SUV was cresting up a steep hillanked by large bushes which may have prevented thedriver from seeing the child come out into the driveway,”the report stated.

Lory


11/24


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Where doctor meets neighbor


Clarkston took the rststep toward stricter tobaccoordinances on April 5 duringa regularly scheduledmonthly city councilmeeting.

Following unanimousapproval, a resolution madeup by Councilman AwetEyasu concerning tobaccosales and usage will beorwarded to Clarkston’s

community safety and legalcommittee.

The resolution callsor less second-hand

smoke within city limitsas well as less accesso tobacco products for

youth. The committee willhear more ideas involvingstricter tobacco ordinancesollowing the resolution’s

passage.Mayor Ted Terry said

groups from ClarkstonHigh School and FreedomMiddle School havecontacted CouncilwomanBeverly Burks, Eyasu andhe mayor to nd ways to

prevent underage tobaccouse and access.

“The city council hasnow determined that thecity of Clarkston desireso update its tobacco andndoor smoking regulationsbased on current evidenceand evidence based publichealth studies,” reads theesolution.

Specically, theresolution states, “the cityof Clarkston is concernedabout youth access totobacco products;” and“Clarkston has an interest

in exposure to second-handsmoke for its residents andworkers.” A proposal willbe given to the city councilwithin 90 days.

Burks said an issueraised by concernedstudents included items notrecognizable because theyare from overseas.

“It would help for us tomake sure we identify thoseproducts so stores andother places that sell themknow them as a form oftobacco,” Burks said.

Terry said the resolutionmay help clarify licensureissues surrounding the saleof tobacco in Clarkston,specically when dealingwith alternative means ofuse.

Another issue Terrypresented in support of theresolution was the inux ofhookah lounges within citylimits. A hookah is a “waterpipe that is used to smoke

specially made tobaccothat comes in differentavors, such as apple, mint,cherry, chocolate, coconut,licorice, cappuccino, andwatermelon,” according tothe Centers for DiseaseControl and Prevention(CDC).

Smoking hookah isprimarily done indoorsand several metro Atlantarestaurants specialize inoffering various avors tocustomers.

Councilman AhmedHassan said young peoplethroughout Clarkston andsurrounding areas havetaken to the hookah methodover traditional forms oftobacco use.

“What they’re smoking,

nobody knows,” Hassansaid. “It comes from all overthe world; it has differentscents; it has differentavors. A large number ofpeople in the United Stateshave quit cigarettes, butthis is the new breed. Weneed to study it because it’spopping up everywhere.”

Clarkston’s concern withhookah prevalence is notunfounded, according tohealth experts.

“Although many usersthink it’s less harmful,hookah smoking has manyof the same health risks ascigarette smoking,” the CDCstates on its website.

The CDC also citesa 2010 Monitoring theFuture survey in whichapproximately one of vehigh school senior boys(17 percent) and one ofsix high school senior girls(15 percent) had usedhookah in the past year.Similar studies surveyingcollege students saw thesenumbers range from 22 to40 percent.

Council members saidit would be important toeducate business ownerswithin city limits about thevarious forms of tobacco asordinances are amendedand changed.

Clarkston tightens grip on tobacco

Saturday, April 23, 201611am - 5pm

Join the Junior League of DeKalb County, Inc. forthe 4th Annual Tour of Kitchens. Tour of Kitchensshowcases some of the area’s best residential

kitchens with eye-catching yet functional designson a self-guided tour.

This year’s tour will feature newly renovatedkitchens by Splice Design,CSI Kitchen and Bath

Studios, Home Rebuilders as well as JLD’s historicheadquarters, the Mary Gay House, with a patio

remodel by Steve Brewer Landscaping.

There will also be chef demonstrations scheduledthroughout the event at each of the kitchens

by local chefs from:Farm Burger, Parker’s on Ponce, Revival, M572,Growler Time, The Marlay House, Strippaggio

Bamboo Juices

If you are looking for inspiration for yourkitchen renovation, need new ideas for

cooking meals at home or just want a funday out, don’t miss this wonderful event!

General Admission $15VIP Admission $25

For more information on this year’sTour of Kitchensand to purchase tickets,visit www.jldekalb.org.

Hookah lounges such as Kabu Lounge, located along East Poncede Leon Avenue in Clarkston, face stricter policies following aresolution passed by Clarkston City Council. Photo R. Scott Belzer


12/24


Autistic artist lives to createby Andrew [email protected]

Twenty-three-year-old Julius Brown loves to draw.

“Because I just do,” the Conleyesident said. “I’m a visual artist, I’m

an animator and I’m a cartoonist athe same time.

“This is all self-taught,” he saidwhile displaying a dozen of hiscolorful crayon-on-cardboard piecesn Brookhaven Park on a sunny dayn March.

Brown, who is autistic, has beendrawing since he was 2 years old.That’s when the family “discoveredhat Julius had a gift of being anartist,” said Brown’s mother, LoreenBooker-Brown.

“He’s a twin and he and his twinwere sitting at my mom’s dining

oom table and she had given him acoloring book,” Booker-Brown said.The twin was doing the normalhing of scribbling across the paper,but Julius was doing the completeopposite.

“Julius had a giraffe and hewas meticulously coloring withinhe circles on the giraffe,” she said.That was the [beginning] of knowing

he had a special gift. Kids aren’t able

to that until they are 5 years old, andhe was 2.

“He’s really been creating artsince then,” Booker-Brown said.

“It’s my only activity,” Brown saidin the park. “It’s my one true love. Ilive for art and I worship art.”

Brown said he has hundreds ofthe drawings that “are the greatest inthe world because [he] used up a lot

of colors.”Brown has sold some of his art

at autism conferences and camps.“I like lions and I also like deer,”

Brown. “Those are my two favoriteanimals. Do you like the lion?”

He held up another drawing.“Don’t you really like this lamp withtwo spouts?” he asked. “Don’t youlike the enchanted pine trees?

“These are going to be part of ananimated feature when I become ananimator at Disney or Pixar,” Brownadded.

April is National Autism Awareness Month. The U.S. Centersfor Disease Control and Preventionreported in 2014 that autism affects1 in 68 children, and nearly 1 in 54boys.

“That rate has not been seen inother countries,” Booker-Brown said.“We’re not sure why it is such herein the United States.”

Booker-Brown, who has workedin the eld of developmentaldisabilities for more than 30 years,said, “Autism is diagnosed betweenthe ages of 2 and 3.

“What happens in the brain isthe brain grows larger in the earlyyears...than the average brain,”

Booker-Brown said. “Then it slowsdown and it winds up being smaller...that the ‘normal’ brain size.”

Booker-Brown said “folks withautism ...often have a unique gift,”as in the case of her son.

“He can pretty much…drawanything,” she said. “You can put theMona Lisa in front of him and he willcreate the Mona Lisa.”

Art is the “one true love” for Julius Brown, who has autism. Photos by Andrew Cauthen


13/24


PHOTOS BROUGHT TO YOU BY DCTV

WEEK inPICTURES

DeKalb County implements changes to garbage and recycling container requirements and collection

procedures April 18, 2016.

Only county-provided garbage and recycling containers are approved for sanitation collection service.

For more info, call or visit:

(404) 294-2900

www.rollingforwardtoone.com

#Hashtag, the Fernbank LINKS robotic team’s robot, picks up a ball during a during a districtcompetition in Kennesaw April 8-10. Photos by Andrew Cauthen

The Fernbank LINKS robotic team is fourth in the state and will participatein the state competition at the University of Georgia April 15-17.

An emergency repair is made to the robot between matches.

Debris is all that remains after a re destroyed eight units at the Brannon Hill Condominium complex April 9. Seventeen people were displaced by the re. Photos by AndrewCauthen


14/24


Mayor Ted Terry explains to Clarkston City Council a resolution opposing the Trans-PacicPartnership trade agreement. Photo by R. Scott Belzer

Clarkston takes trade policy stance

DeKalb’s most trusted news source and Georgia PressAssociation General Excellence winner for sevenconsecutive years.

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The mayor and city council ofClarkston took a stance at the fed-eral level at a regularly scheduledmeeting held April 5.

On that date, Clarkston adopted a resolu-on opposing new international trade deals,

specically naming the Trans-Pacic Partner-ship (TPP) as one “negotiated in secret, ef-ectively shutting state and local governmentsout of the process, limiting [their] ability to in-uence its rules to ensure the people of Geor-

gia can participate in the benets of trade.”Mayor Ted Terry introduced the resolu-

on to city council during its April 5 work ses-sion. He began by explaining how the NorthAmerican Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA),passed in the early ‘90s, has been detrimen-al to manufacturing and industrial jobs in themmediate area.

“The NAFTA reduced trade barriers toMexico, Canada and America,” Terry said.Just for Georgia alone, and we’ve seen over

a million [United States] manufacturing jobs toMexico since the passage of NAFTA almost20 years ago, Georgia has lost over 161,000obs.”

Terry referenced citizen.org’s Trade Ad-

ustment Assistance (TAA) database in back-ng up his statements. The TAA databaseracks applications for temporary incomeassistance and training for workers who havebeen laid off because of rising imports or off-shoring, according to the website.

“If you look at DeKalb County, 25 com-panies come up, not all of them from tradeelated issues or outsourcing, but there is aair amount of them over the past 15 years,”Terry said. These included local producers ofhandbags, emergency lighting and cathetershat amounted to 2,568 jobs.

However, just two of the 25 companies,Lithonia Lighting and General Motors Com-pany, list imports as the primary reason forayoffs.

Terry said the TPP would be more det-imental than NAFTA in hurting local manu-acturing and industrial workers. Accordingo a summary provided by the Ofce of theUnited States Trade Representative, avail-

able at ustr.gov, the TPP is a trade agreementbetween 12 countries along the Pacic Rimthat includes the United States. The summarystates the result of such an agreement is “[thepromotion] of economic growth; creation andretention of jobs; enhanced innovation, pro-ductivity and competitiveness; raising of livingstandards; reduction of poverty in countries;promotion of transparency, good governance,and enhanced labor and environmental pro-tections.”

According to Terry, however, the TPPcomes with local consequences.

“The biggest issue with this trade deal is

that it was negotiated for many, many yearsin secret, behind closed doors,” Terry said.“Once the text was released, Congress hadan option to review it for 60 days. Since thetext has been released over 60 days ago,various labor groups, environmental groups,human rights groups and [all four presidentialcandidate groups] have come out against it.”

Terry said Clarkston’s stance on manufac-turing, which includes incentives for housingmanufactured goods within city limits, alongwith growing business parks, would be direct-ly affected by such an agreement. Broaderimplications involving job loss, underminingpublic authority and access to medicine werealso listed in the resolution.

Terry said ofcials such as Rep. HankJohnson as well as Senators John Isaksonand David Perdue will have the chance tospeak on the agreement before it goes intoeffect.

“This resolution will be urging out con-gressman to vote no on the current trade dealand renegotiate it,” Terry said.

Councilmen Mario Williams and AhmedHassan said the resolution was more sym-bolic than political. Terry conrmed that noparty lines were being drawn and the issuesraised by the TPP were “cut and dry” in termsof right and wrong.

“In a way, it’s a small, symbolic and morepolitical position,” said Councilman AwetEyasu. “But it’s good to be proactive. We

have an industrial zone in Clarkston and I’mdenitely in support of [the resolution].”

The resolution was unanimously passedby Clarkston’s city council at their publicmeeting held later in the evening on April 5.

MARTA changing signs, routesMARTA bus route signs are being changed at various

locations in metro Atlanta, indicating changes in the transitsystem’s bus routes.

The modications are being made to improve overallservice and on-time performance, according to MARTA’swebsite.

In DeKalb County, Routes 8, 9, 24, 32, 34, 36, 74, 75,86, 114, 117, 125 and 186 are being modied.

For details about the changes, which are effective April 16, go to www.itsmarta.com.

Photo by Donna Seay


15/24


Chamblee invests in pocket parkby R. Scott Belzer [email protected]

Chamblee residents can expect a newpatch of green space following a specialcalled city council meeting held April 4.

The council met briey to discussmoving forward with the purchase ofhree lots of private property located at

3090 Caneld Drive in Chamblee. Thearea is known in the city as Ashford Parkand amounts to one acre of greenspace.

The idea was presented to the councilby member Darron Kusman.“It’s a beautiful site,” Kusman said.

There’s one home on it and a fairly largegrassy area and lot of owers.”

Kusman said the property would serveas an ideal location for a “pocket park,” ora smaller park that serves potentially toncrease surrounding property value andpreserve local greenspace.

The councilman said negotiations withhe property owner have been ongoingor about a year. Kusman said the two

parties have agreed on the price of$290,000 with a tentative closing date ofMay 2.

“It’s three lots, so it’s actually under

$100,000 per lot,” Kusman said. “That’sn line with single lot prices for the area.”

Council member Leslie Robson commented how the property – part of the

Ann Taylor estate–was well maintainedbecause of her avid gardening habits andcivic involvement.

“She was part of our garden tour,”Robson said.

Kusman also remarked how thecurrent estate holders have done a ne

job maintaining the property and keepingits aesthetic value intact.

“Ms. Taylor was very much a gardenperson,” Kusman said. “It’s a great andbeautiful property. There’s a stream on

one side and a beautiful walkway.”Robson pointed out that a house iscurrently on the property and questionedKusman about its usefulness.

“Once we’re able to get inside we’lleventually be able to gather somethoughts,” Kusman said.

The council unanimously agreedto move forward with the property andallocate funds from its Homestead OptionSales Tax (HOST) funds.

A timeline on establishing the park,what amenities it will offer and how muchit will cost Chamblee to fully build haveyet to be determined.

“This was something we’ve beenworking on for close to a year and the

whole process just happened kind ofrapidly,” Kusman said. “We don’t reallyknow the answers to those questionsquite yet.”

The Chamblee City Council held a special called meeting April 4 to consider the purchase of three lotsor the development of a small park. Photo by R. Scott Belzer

DeKalb Strong to hold candidateforum April 30

DeKalb Strong, an organization that promotes citizen engagement, will hold acandidate forum to allow voters to meet candidates in the DeKalb County contested localraces.

DeKalb Strong has invited all candidates in contested races who have providedemails in their qualication materials. As of April 7, 22 of the 29 candidates in contested

races had conrmed their attendance at the event which is an opportunity for thecommunity to meet multiple candidates in person, ask questions, obtain campaignmaterials and share ideas.

The event will be held on April 30, from 2 to 4 p.m., at Rehoboth Baptist Church,2997 Lawrenceville Highway, Tucker.

Ex-DeKalb sergeant deniedbond to appeal conviction

A judge March 31 ruled against a former DeKalbCounty Police sergeant’s request to be released fromprison on bond, according to a news release from theDeKalb District Attorney’s Ofce.

In February, a jury found Anthony Remone

Robinson guilty of two counts of felony violation of oathby a public ofcer, as well as misdemeanor counts ofbattery and simple assault.

Robinson, who was sentenced to serve two yearsin prison and eight years on probation, is appealing theconviction, and asked to be released on bond until theappeal process was complete, according to the newsrelease.

DeKalb County DA Robert James’ ofce opposedthe request.

“Our law enforcement ofcers are held to a higherstandard,” James stated. “When they commit crimes,they should not be able to escape punishment.”

During the trial, prosecutors showed that Robinsonordered subordinates—Arthur Parker and BlakeNorwood—to beat up several teens who had been

arrested in 2010 and 2011.On March 31, DeKalb County Superior Court JudgeClarence Seeliger said he did not believe the formerpoliceman should have bond.

Robinson, who was sentenced in March and hasbeen held in the DeKalb County Jail, will now be turnedover to the Georgia Department of Corrections to serveout his sentence, according to the news release.


16/24


County changes garbage,recycling container requirements

The DeKalbCounty SanitationDivision has madechanges to thegarbage and re-

cycling containerrequirements andcollection proce-dures for residen-tial customers.

Effective April 18, only county-provided green gar-bage roll carts, blue 65-gallon recycling roll carts, blue18-gallon recycling bins and blue 40-gallon recyclingbags are approved for garbage and recycling collectionservice, according to a news release from the sanitationdivision.

Secure, durable plastic bags are approved for usefor excess garbage disposal and can be placed next tocustomers’ garbage roll carts on their scheduled collec-tion day. Customer-provided yard trimmings containerswith a 20- to 40-gallon capacity are currently approved

for use for yard trimmings collection service and will re-main in effect after April 18.The use of customer-provided garbage or recycling

containers will result in a delay in sanitation collectionservice, and customers will be issued a notice advisingof the use of unapproved garbage or recycling contain-ers, the news release stated.

For more information on these requirements andprocedures, any sanitation-related services, how toobtain a county-provided garbage roll cart or recyclingcontainer, or how to subscribe to the residentialcurbside single-stream recycling program, contact theSanitation Division’s customer service team at (404)294-2900 or [email protected], or visitwww.dekalbcountyga.gov, www.dekalbsanitation.com, www.rollingforwardtoone.com or www.keepdekalbbeautiful.org.

$5,000 reward offered for helpnabbing woman who punched dog

A $5,000 reward is being offered for informationleading to the arrest and conviction of a woman lmedpunching a dog in unincorporated Decatur.

On March 11, eyewitnesses lmed a womanwalking along Willa Way as she punched a small blackdog, which she was carrying by the neck, according toa news release by People for the Ethical Treatment of

Animals (PETA), which is offering the reward.Witnesses reported that the woman, believed to be

20 to 25 years old, hit the dog with a stick before she

began to punch the animal repeatedly, according tothe news release.

PETA stated that it is offering the reward becausethe DeKalb County Police Department has yet toidentify the woman in the video or locate the dog.

“If this woman was disturbed and violent enoughto punch a helpless dog in front of eyewitnesses,it’s frightening to imagine what she might do behindclosed doors,” stated PETA director Stephanie Bell,in the news release. “PETA is urging anyone withinformation about this woman to come forward nowso that she can be prevented from hurting this dogagain.”

“According to law enforcement agencies andleading mental-health professionals, perpetrators ofviolent acts against animals are often repeat offenders

who pose a serious threat to all animals—includinghumans,” the news release stated. Anyone with information about this case should

call the DeKalb County Police Department at (678)406-7929.

Solicitor-generalchallenges district attorney

Name: Sherry Boston

Education:Bachelor of Arts, Villanova University; jurisdoctorate, Emory University School of Law

Occupation:DeKalb County solicitor-general

What political ofces have you held inhe past?am currently the DeKalb County solicitor-

general. In the past, I have served asDunwoody municipal court judge, associatemagistrate judge for DeKalb County and

udge pro hac vice in DeKalb RecordersCourt.

Why are you seeking this ofce?am running because DeKalb needs a

district attorney who is committed to seekingustice for victims while working hand inhand with the community to prevent crimesn the future. We need a DA who will operateat the highest level of integrity, transparency,accountability and professionalism.

What expertise do you have that will helpyou fulll the duties of this ofce?As a former judge, defense attorney andcurrent solicitor-general, I have worked inevery facet of the criminal justice systemor 17 years. I have handled thousandsof criminal cases, from minor trafc tomajor felonies. I have created diversionprograms to help youthful offenders all whileprosecuting violent offenders.

Why should you be elected (or re-elected) to this ofce?This election is about integrity andransparency. I have an impeccableecord of service, commitment to the

community, and remain a constant voiceor victims. I have responsibly manageda large prosecution ofce where we workcollaboratively with community partners toprevent crime, all with the highest level of

honesty…(answer truncated)

What is your campaign websiteaddress?www.sherryboston.com

Name: Robert D. James

Education:B.A. history, juris doctorate

Occupation:District attorney of DeKalb County

What political ofces have you held inthe past?Solicitor-General, district attorney

Why are you seeking this ofce?I am seeking ofce so that I can continueto ght against gangs, human trafckers,

public corruption crimes, and massincarceration of youthful nonviolentoffenders. I have worked tirelessly toaddress these four issues and will continueto do so if I am re-elected.

What expertise do you have that willhelp you fulll the duties of this ofce?I have tried several cases, includingmurder, rape, serial rape, child abuse,and public corruption cases. I effectivelymanage a staff of more than 155 peopleand a budget of more than $12 million.

Why should you be elected (or re-elected) to this ofce?

As DA, I’m undefeated in the courtroom. Icreated the county’s rst human trafcking,elder abuse, and public integrity units. Idoubled the size of our gang and domesticviolence/sexual assault units. I foundedthe DeKalb Family Protection Center thatserves victims of family violence, childabuse, and sexual assault.

What is your campaign websiteaddress?www.voterobertjames.com

compiled by Andrew [email protected]

The county’s two top prosecutors are facing each other in the political court as theyvie for the DeKalb County district attorney’s seat.

Sherry Boston, the current solicitor-general, is seeking to unseat Robert James inhe race for the county district attorney position. The pair will face each other in the May

24 Democratic primary.Each candidate was given a questionnaire by The Champion with instructions to limit

answers to 50 words. Answers that were more than the limit were truncated.


17/24


by Andrew [email protected]

DeKalb County’s PotholePalooza, a concentratedattack on pothole problems,is under way.

Interim DeKalb County CEO LeeMay kicked off Pothole Palooza April11 by helping county workers ll apothole on Kensington Road.

“Today is our launch of PotholePalooza,” May said, standing in themiddle of Kensington Road, afterlling a pothole. “We want everybodyn DeKalb County, if you’ve got apothole, …to [contact] to the county,et us know about that pothole andwe’ll have a quick turnaround to llhose potholes.”

Pothole Palooza is a part ofDeKalb County’s National CountyGovernment Month calendarof events. Last year during thecampaign, the county lled 1,500potholes for a total of 4,500 for theyear.

“We’re highlighting the work thatour county does each and everyday that really doesn’t get a lot of

exposure,” May said. “That’s what ourmen and women have been doingannually—just lling the potholes ashey are coming about, making surehat we are [lling] them in a very

quick manner.”May, calling the problem of

potholes in the county “a growingssue,” said the county is 417 milesbehind in repaving roads.

“[In] every road that needs tobe repaved, [you]…see potholesdeveloping. and they’re growing intomore than just potholes but evencraters, to some degree,” May said.

“Historically, we have not had thefunding mechanism to really addressour roads,” May said.

May is urging voters to vote“yes” on a Nov. 8 referendum for a 1percent special purpose local option

sales tax (SPLOST) that will be usedto nance capital projects.

“Get out to vote,” May said. “Weneed you to vote for that questionon the ballot: Do you want to haveadditional funding for our capital andinfrastructure needs? If the answer is‘yes,’ I think you ought to vote ‘yes.’”

County ofcials say the proposed1 percent SPLOST would generatemore than $540 million over veyears countywide. Those funds wouldbe divided between DeKalb Countyand its cities, according to population.

“We can actually repave all of ourroads that we are behind in,” Maysaid. “That will be the goal. The salestax will help to fund that.

“In the meantime we have to dothe Band-Aid work, the lling of thepotholes to make sure that our roadsare safe and secure for all of ourconstituents and stakeholders,” Maysaid.

Although the condition of roadshas been a priority for the county,the funding has not been available torepave the roads, May said.

“In DeKalb County, we pay forMARTA; we expend about $100

million to help fund MARTA,” he said.“We pay for Grady; DeKalb Countyspends about $100 million annuallyon Grady. We also provide a propertytax credit; we basically give back$100 million to all of our homesteadproperties.

“That’s almost a quarter of abillion dollars that we cannot use forour county infrastructure,” he said.

The SPLOST will eliminate thepaving backlog, May said.

“The preventive maintenance thatwe need to have done will be donethrough the funding of this SPLOST,”he said. “And you will begin to see thenumber of potholes that we need to lldiminish because we will be dealingwith our roads very proactively.”

Residents can report potholes bycalling (404) 297-3813.

Palooza attacks pothole problem

nterim DeKalb County CEO Lee May helps county workers ll a pothole on Kensington Road as part of a month-long concentrated campaign to address the potholeproblem in the county. Photos by Andrew Cauthen


18/24

EDUCATION The Champion FREE PRESS, Friday, April 15, 2016 • Page 18A

Author and speaker John Dennis met with students, faculty and staff at Stephenson Middle School to describe his ManMadeMentoring program, which prompted 22 students to clean four bathrooms at the DeKalb school.

ManMade Mentoring impacts Stephenson Middle Schoolby R. Scott Belzer [email protected]

For ve hours on March 19, agroup of 22 Stephenson Middle

School boys received a lesson inmanhood.

As part of author John Dennis’pilot ManMade Mentoring Program,the group scrubbed, scraped,washed, mopped and sweptfour Stephenson Middle Schoolbathrooms. The 22 middle schoolstudents were joined by Dennis andsix mentors in the cleanup effort.

“This is the rst of many effortsby these young men to improvethemselves and the area aroundthem,” said Dennis. “All of the boysstayed from start to nish. Spacewas tight, but some guys evenasked for more work to do.”

Dennis said the 22 studentscleaned, stripped and scrapedaway paint chips before paintingover vulgar drawings and languageining the bathroom walls. Thestudents then took a pledge toserve as bathroom monitors toensure such grafti is never onwalls of the school latrines again.

“These young men areentertaining the idea they are theones responsible for change,”Dennis said. “[Principal CarolynWilliams] came back with rewardsfor the boys, but I know the internalrewards were far better for them.”

Such initiati

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