DeKalb FreePress: 6-10-16

7/26/2019 DeKalb FreePress: 6-10-16

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

FREEPRESSFRIDaY, JUNE 10, 2016 Vol. 19, No. 9 FREE

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

the DeKalb

SEE PAGE 6 FOR LOCATIONSNEW FORECLOSURE LISTINGS IN THE CHAMPION

Conjuring bayou ghosts with Barry SonsSee Story on Page 5

Barry Sons work captures the beauty and degradation of marshes, swamps and the Louisiana gulf delta. Photos by Travis Hudgons


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LOCAL Friday, June 10, 2016 Page 2

The DeKalb Services Center has been servingthe community since 1978. We empower adults

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If youre not reading The Champion, youre missing

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by R. Scott [email protected]

Graduation from Towers High School,acceptance to and graduationfrom the United States Air Force

Academy, acceptance to and graduationrom the United States Air Force Pilot

School these are a few of many

accomplishments made by JazmindJazzy Roberts, who embarked fromDeKalb County in 2006 to take to the skiesand beyond.

Now 27, Roberts has been describedby loved ones as diligent, methodical andaspirational attributes that have taken

her from the hallways of Bethune MiddleSchool and Towers High School to aireldsin Colorado and Oklahoma.

Today, Roberts spends her timelearning to y refueling planes. Hergraduation from the USAFs Pilot Schoolmakes her the rst Black female to do soin 10 years.

According to her father, Atlanta Police

Sgt. Kelton Hill, it all started with an urgeto go to space camp.

Jazmind, as a small child, was veryinterested in aerospace; she wanted to bean astronaut, Hill said. She started to go

Towers grad takes flight,makes history

azmind Roberts, a Towers High School graduate, is the first Black female to graduate from Pilotchool in the past 10 years. Photo provided

FLYING HIGH

See Grad on Page 8A

See PAC on Page 9A

by Horace Holloman [email protected]

DeKalb County willhave a new face, or faces,in the ght against politicaldishonesty and unethicalpolitical practices after agroup of DeKalb Countyresidents came together toform Honest GovernmentDeKalb Political ActionCommittee (HGD PAC).

The mission of HGDPAC, ofcially formedMay 17, is to promote atransparent and ethicalDeKalb County governmentthat will provide value andequitable treatment to all

of its citizens, according toa press release from HGDPAC.

Each founding

member of the group is amember of other politicalwatchdog organizations.The founding members ofHGD PAC include ViolaDavis(Unhappy Taxpayer& Voter), Joel Edwards(Restore DeKalb), JeffLong(Reform DeKalb)William Perry, (GeorgiaEthics Watchdogs), MarjorieHall Snook(DeKalb Strong)and Curtis Thrasher Jr.of New Life, New HopeCommunity DevelopmentCenter.

This was somethingI really wanted to puttogether, said Williams.All of these groups started

to hold candidate forumsand they were all interestedin joining. We wanted to

Political action coalitionearly success


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AROUNDDEKALBATLANTA

Bike rides to take over Atlanta

Saturday, June 11, may appear more like a bicycle holiday in themetro area as six separate rides are scheduled.

As early as 8:30 a.m., riders can begin enjoying the rst day ofthe 2016 Atlanta Cycling Festival through the rst-ever Phoenix Tour.The guided tour will bring riders through southwest, northwest andsoutheast Atlanta, complete with historical, cultural and potentialcontexts.

The 17-mile ride will include several hills, humps and intermediateaspects. Event organizers state the ride is not a beginner ride, andno easy journey. The ride, which begins at Adair Park, will includemini-sandwiches at Elliott Street Pub halfway through the ride as wellas suja juice and paqui at the rides conclusion.

At 9 a.m., the Metro Atlanta Cycling Club will host a casual ridearound the streets of Atlanta. Since the club will be riding on citystreets, participation requires some riding experience. Requirementsalso include helmets, hydration, snacks and bike repair kits.

According to event organizers, the average pace will be 15 milesper hour with short (18 miles) and long (28 miles) options. The ride willbegin at 300 Peters Street SW.

At 1:30 p.m., a group of bike-friendly parents will offer kids training

at Coan Park in Kirkwood. The event is aimed toward kids new to ridingand in need of encouragement. Riders are required to bring their ownbicycles as a short bike ride will follow.

At 2 p.m., The Intercontinental Cocktail Ride will take place. Thisself-described fancy ride encourages riders to dress formally forspecialty cocktails, light eats and pedaling throughout eastern Atlanta.The ride will roll through The Lawrence, Kimball House and Octanein Grant Park. It begins at The Spindle, located at 480 Jogn WesleyDobbs Ave NE.

An informative ride hosted by the Atlanta Regional Commissionas well as Alta Planning and Design will begin at 3 p.m. along theFreedom Park Trail. The ride will feature information on how the citycould potentially transform into an interconnected network of trailsalong the BeltLine and expand to udner-served areas in the city.

For more information, visit www.atlantacyclingfestival.com.

AVONDALE ESTATESCity to host farmers marketAvondale Estates will host its farmers market June 12, from

10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the parking lot of My Parents Basement. Themarket will have local produce and goods. My Parents Basement islocated at 22 North Avondale Road. For more information, visit www.avondaleestates.org.

BROOKHAVENCity to host drive-in movie night

Brookhaven will host a drive-in movie night June 17 at MurpheyCandler Pool at 8 p.m. The pool is located at 1551 West Nancy CreekDrive NE. For more information, visit www.brookhavenga.gov.

CHAMBLEERegistration open for Taste of Chamblee 2016

Registration is now open for the Taste of Chamblee, which inviteslocal chefs, vendors and craftsmen to line the streets of downtownChamblee for a day lled with music, fun and community involvement.The event will be held Oct. 1 from 3 - 9 p.m.

The Taste is a one-day community festival that celebratesChamblees unique history and diversity with local vendors offeringfood, art, and entertainment, reads the events ofcial description. Pastevents have also included an area for kids as well as an antique carshow.

The festival is held to benet the Georgia Lions LighthouseFoundation, which provides hearing and vision services to underservedGeorgia residents. Fifty percent of prots from food vendors go towardthe foundation.

In addition to food vendor registration, options also includesponsorship, art vendor, non-prot and community partnershipoptions. A 10-foot-by-10-foot tent space is $100 for sellers and free forregistered non-prots that provide their own tents. Sponsorship optionsrange from $250 to $10,000 and include a wide variety of benets.

DECATURVBS to feature deep sea theme

Deep Sea Discovery will be the theme for vacation Bible schoolat Gresham Park Christian Church, Monday, June 13, throughFriday, June 17, 6:30-8:30 p.m. each day. There will be music, crafts,refreshments and Bible-based classes for all ages, including adults.

The church is located at 2819 Flat Shoals Road in Decatur. Thepastor is Lamar Bud Cochran. For more information, call (404) 241-4511.

DUNWOODYLocal talent showcased at nature center

Visitors can take in the sights and sounds of nature as well asmusical talent at the Dunwoody Nature Center.

Since mid-May, the nature center has held a summer concert seriesshowcasing local singers, songwriters and bands every other Saturday.Talent has include modern country, Americana, blues, rock and soul.

The series, set to run until July 23, begins each event day at 7 p.m.Attendees are encouraged to bring a chair, blanket and picnic dinner.Local brewers Moondog Growlers offers concert goers a rotatingselection of craft beers during the evening entertainment.

On, June 11, rock band Stonerider is set to take the stage.On June 25, blues band Heather Luttrell and the Possumden will

present a blend of rock, country, soul and tinge of Gospel.On July 9, Americana band Rust will play old school roots-rock,

and modern country singer ThomasFountainwill conclude theDunwoody event on July 23.

Event ofcials state seating is rst come, rst served. The concertsare free to Dunwoody Nature Center members, $5 for non-members,$3 for students and free for children younger than 3 years old.

STONE MOUNTIANCity to host music event

AndrewBlackwill perform June 17 at Stone Mountains TunesBy The Tracks event in the Municipal Parking Lot, next to the Gazebo.

Attendees can bring their lawn chairs. The two-hour concert begins at7 p.m. Tunes By The Tracks will be held every Friday until June 24. Formore information, visit www.stonemountaincity.org.


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Brookhaven City 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

Real & Personal 2,261,071,691 2,691,060,034 3,163,935,872 3,494,756,627

Motor Vehicles 82,633,320 67,891,300 47,578,450

Mobile Homes

Timber - 100%

Heavy Duty EquipmentGross Digest 0 0 2,261,071,691 2,773,693,354 3,231,827,172 3,542,335,077

Less M& O Exemptions 254,997,596 437,879,638 646,602,506 668,938,974

Net M & O Digest 0 0 2,006,074,095 2,335,813,716 2,585,224,666 2,873,396,103

State Forest Land Assistance

Grant Value

Adjusted Net M&O Digest 0 0 2,006,074,095 2,335,813,716 2,585,224,666 2,873,396,103

Gross M&O Millage 2.850 2.850 2.795 2.740

Less Rollbacks 0.055 0.055 0.000

Net M&O Millage 0.000 0.000 2.850 2.795 2.740 2.740

Net Taxes Levied $0 $0 $5,717,311 $6,528,599 $7,083,516 $7,873,105

Net Taxes $ Increase #REF! #REF! $811,288.00 $554,916.00 $789,590.00

Net Taxes % Increase #REF! #REF! 14.19% 8.50% 11.15%

The City of Brookhaven City Council does hereby announce that the millage rate will be set at a meeting to be

held at the Brookhaven City Hall on on June 21, 2016 at 7:00 p.m. and pursuant to the requirements of O.C.G.A. Section 48-5-32 does hereby publish the following presentation of the current year's tax digest and levy, along with the history of the tax

digest and levy for the past five years.

CURRENT 2016 TAX DIGEST AND 5 YEAR HISTORY OF LEVY

NOTICE


It will house 275 luxuryapartments, it will feature 16oor plans, be ve stories,eature three courtyards,

house 20,000 square feetof retail space and provideaccess to a bike andpedestrian trail.

It could cost Chambleeax payers $11 million.

The ChambleeDowntown DevelopmentAuthority (CDDA) isconsidering an $11million tax abatement ona $64 million mixed-usedevelopment project knownas Chamblee Atlanta. Theproperty, located at 5211Peachtree Boulevard is

currently the site of NalleyNissan of Atlanta.Under the Georgia

Code, governing bodiesare exempt from payingproperty taxes. Entities suchas the CDDA use this asan incentive to developerso grant tax abatements, orransfer a property into theCDDAs name to lease it tax-

free.In the case of Chamblee

Atlanta, the developer wouldbe relieved of $11 million inproperty taxes.

Under the proposeddeal, Chamblee Atlanta

would lock in the currentproperty tax value of$140,000. The rate amountwill be split between thecity of Chamblee ($20,000),DeKalb County ($45,000)and the DeKalb CountySchool District ($74,000) for18 years.

By the end of theproposed abatement

(2035), CDDA projects thepropertys tax value willgrow to $1.1 million peryear. Chamblee will receive$167,040, DeKalb Countywill receive $380,277 andDeKalb Schools will receive

$619,353In addition, the CDDA

will receive an administrativefee of 20 percent ($233,595)of abated taxes per year ifthe project is approved.

According to the projectsapplication, Chamblee

Atlanta is expected to taketwo years to build. Shouldthe amount of abated taxesexceed $11 million beforethe end of the 18 year deal,the abatement will end.

The $11 millionabatement comes by

request of the Hickmanfamily and Del AmericanReal Estate Group, therespective owners andinvestors of Chamblee

Atlanta, in February 2016.The groups originally askedCDDA for $16 millionfor help [to] stave offthe repercussions of theadditional cost which will

be incurred while producingthe $64 million project,according to the projectsapplication.

While the process ofturning the existing cardealership, which has

existed for 40 years, into amixed use development ofthis magnitude is an excitingand promising project,it is also an endeavorrequiring substantial capitaland improvements to thesurrounding area, reads theprojects application.

The application listssuch expenses as a parkinggarage for 120 additionalretail spaces, tenantimprovements as well as thebuildings faade.

In addition to promising

275 apartments, ChambleeAtlanta developers say theproject will bring in 120-130 new jobs. Includingconstruction, the number of

jobs created increases to200-250.

The CDDA hasconsidered Chamblee

Atlanta at its lasttwo meetings and is

currently working on anal memorandum ofunderstanding to completethe deal.

The CDDA meetspublicly the fourthTuesday of every month

in Chamblees City HallConference Room buthandles the ultimateapproval of abatementsin executive session.Chamblee Atlanta hasbeen on the public meetingagenda outside of executivesession since April 26.

Chamblee Atlanta is thethird major developmentin Chamblee with taxabatement deals. A107,000-square-foot projectknown as PeachtreeCrossing will abate taxes

for 15 years or until thetotal reaches $7.5 million.Another 304,000-square-foot mixed-use projectknown as The Olmstedexempts developers fromproperty taxes for 20 years,representing an estimated$11 million value in taxsavings to the developers.

Chamblee considers $11 million tax abatement


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To limit local artist Barry

Sons to one label would be amistake.While its true Sons is a paint-

er, a writer, a poet and environ-mental activist, a more appropri-ate term exists in the abstract:Sons is a conjuror of ghosts.

The ghosts in Sons caseare not the spooky soothsay-ers found inA Christmas Carolor the vengeful spirits foundn modern Hollywood cinema.Through strokes of the paint-brush and words on paper, Sonss able to summon something we

all possess: memories.Sons body of work, withoutcontext, appears to be nothingmore than expressionist land-scapes specic to marshes,swamps, and the Louisiana gulfdelta that once served as Sonshome.

I was raised in the marshesof south Louisiana as a fur trap-per, Sons said. I started paint-ng 45 years ago, mostly formyself because I could draw wellas a kid.

Sons is the 13th of 14 childrenaised in the marshlands nearhe Atchafalaya River, whichows into the Gulf of Mexico insouthern Louisiana. The artistschildhood home, what he referso as his Eden, also serves ashis main subject matter.

Sons paintings are beautifuln the way distant memories arebeautiful. A brushstroke of red,orange or green perfectly cap-ures a sunset from childhood.A mixture of cobalt or baby bluemay remind the viewer of his orher rst view of the ocean. Theattention to detail regarding a

rees branches or a subjectspant fabric is comparable to howone might remember playingoutside or his or her rst encoun-er with a grandfather.

This specic type of beauty,given context, is also whatmakes Sons artwork so haunt-ng.

I read Bayou Farewell byMike Tidwell, Sons said. All ofa sudden, it kind of made senseo me why some little creativeperson could be born to a familyof butch rat killers.

Sons said after readingTidwells booka travelogueand expos highlighting the deg-adation of the Louisiana coast-nehe had a crazy dream

followed by a ash of inspiration.Sons immediately put pen to

paper and wrote a poem calledPoets Cry, which detailed Sonsfeelings about his homeland.

Communities in the bayousare washing out to sea, Sonswrote. Canals cut like openwounds, tell me, cant you see?How important Mississippi silt isto you and me?

Sons soon had the realizationthat his paintings must also cap-ture the degradation of the Loui-siana marshes. No matter howsmall, Sons said, any attentionwas better than no attention.

While Sons paintings arebeautiful, the artist said theyoften capture scenes of deg-radation. In some cases, thescenes captured no longer ex-

ist ghosts that only inhabit acanvas or Sons memory. Every

six months, Sons would revisitthe Atchafalaya and becomemore and more heartbroken byits demise. Soon, poems beganaccompanying the paintings toinform the viewer on an emo-tional level.

In this context, a harsh redstroke or deep brown chasmamong the blue takes newmeaning. The harshness to theeye becomes a harshness to thesoul.

These were places ances-tors would talk to me they weremagical, Sons said. The lasttime I went back with my neph-ew, we came around a bend andthere were dredges digging it up.For what?

Sons concluded the lack ofenvironmentalism in that re-gion of Louisiana is due to theamount of property owned by oilcompanies dedicated to nancialinterests rather than conserva-tion.

If you Google how many oilwells, it looks like a Christmastree, Sons said. I use oil-basedpaints, but there are ways tohave oil and be respectful of theland. Theres no reason to cut upa bayou. Where Im from, I cango places, put my foot on land,and Im the rst person to everstep foot there. And were justkilling it.

Sons, who has been workingout of Little Tree Arts Studio inAvondale Estates, said he re-turned Louisiana in April to deal

with matters both personal andenvironmental. This, too, showsin Sons work.

I go back because I have to,Sons said. Im number 13 of 14kids. My siblings are older thanme and theyre dying. My bestbrother died three years ago andI couldnt get there fast enough.

Sons brother is one the artistcites never turned his back onSons lifestyle and career choiceand fought until the day he diedfor Barrys sake. To honor hismemory, Sons did what he does

best paint a haunting, vagueand beautiful memory. Anotherghost, easily conjured whenneeded.

You heard my cry for allthese years, I must go home, Imust go home, Sons wrote inthe accompanying poem. Myriver, dear Atchafalaya, I thrivein your power, my basin love. Imust go home, I must go home.God gave in to the tears of myangel, oh Horace, you still cry forme, he must go home, he mustgo home.

For more information aboutBarry Sons, including informa-tion on purchasing artwork, visitwww.barrysonsart.com.

Friday, June 10, 2016 local Page 5

Conjuring bayou ghosts with Barry Sons

Photos by Travis Hudgons


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Friday, June 10, 2016 oPINIoN Page 6

Hope and encouragement

John [email protected]

Chief Operating Officer

With the primary elec-ions now behind us, the

voters of DeKalb have letheir voices be heard and

have begun the process

of choosing those who willead for the next severalyears.

Michael Thurmondwas overwhelmingly cho-sen as the Democraticnominee for the chiefexecutive ofcer position.Even though Thurmondwill face Republican JackLovelace in the Novem-ber general election, it isa safe assumption thatThurmond will be thecountys next CEO.

Thurmond has hadstellar career as a stateegislator,Georgia Laborcommissioner and mostecently as superinten-

dent of DeKalb CountySchools. To my knowl-edge there have never

been any negative ac-cusations against Thur-mond.

It is my hope andbelief that Thurmond willrestore condence in

our county governmentand become a stabilizingforce on our often-dividedboard of commissioners.

Another candidatewho to my knowledge hasnever been the subjectof negative accusations

or of ethical questions iscurrent Solicitor GeneralSherry Boston,who waschosen to be the nextdistrict attorney of DeKalb

County.Boston defeated cur-rent DA Robert Jamesbya more than 20 percentmargin of votes. As withThurmond, it is my hopeand belief that Bostonwill restore condence inthe district attorneys of-ce. James lost a greatdeal of public support inhis prosecution of formercounty CEO Burrell Ellisafter forcing a second trialwhen the rst ended in a

mistrial.James also created alot of chatter in the newswhen investigating elect-ed ofcials and countyemployees spending oncounty-issued purchasingcards and then later be-

ing faced with admittingthat he too had question-able expenditures on hiscounty purchasing card.James did eventually

pay the county for theamounts that were ques-tioned but those whom heinvestigated were not al-ways given that option.

In the race for thehighest paid county posi-tionthat of tax commis-sionerincumbent IrvinJohnson, who raisedlegitimate concerns thathis status of incumbentdid not appear on bal-lots, will face SusannahScottin a runoff July 26.Former county Commis-sioner StanWatsonalsoran for the tax commis-sioners seat but did notget enough votes to be acontender.

Current county com-missioner for District 4,

Sharon Barnes-Sutton,did not garner enoughsupport to be re-electedoutright and will face op-ponent Steve Bradshaw

in a runoff. This runoffmay again see a currentofcial ousted by a rela-tive political newcomer.

It seems that thepopulace has collectivelyshown their lack of con-dence in ofcials in sever-al key positions in countygovernment.

Perhaps with thesechanges in leadership,our county can begin toovercome the at-timeswell-deserved perceptionsof corruption and crony-ism.

We can hold on toour hope and should beencouraged that newleadership may be justwhat the doctor orderedfor DeKalb politics.


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This job might be toobig for one man...but noth-

ng is too big for all of us,DeKalb County CEO-said,Democratic Party nomineeMichael Thurmond, speak-ng to his supporters afterwinning the Democraticgeneral primary election onTuesday, May 26.

Though the job is not yetdone, the clouds appear tobe parting...and a new daymay well be ahead for ourDeKalb County. It was aght turnout of less than 20

percent in the Democraticgeneral primary on May

26, but DeKalb voters werediscerning and appearedess inclined to just acceptwhat has become viewedexternally as a corruptedand declining business asusual climate for our countygovernment.

At the top of the ticket,some exciting opportunitiesand recognition that leader-ship, track-record and priorperformance do matter.

Thurmond rode a com-manding wave of votersupport to win the CEODemocratic Party nomina-

on despite a strong andcredible challenge from for-mer state senatorandcoun-y commissionerConnieStokes. Thurmonds recentachievements as immedi-ate past superintendent ofhe DeKalb County SchoolDistrict stood out. Turninga major budget decit backnto a surplus, as well as re-storing the systems moraleand footing to allow a returno full accreditation undercurrent SuperintendentSte-phen Greenset the tone for

hat race.District AttorneyRobertJamesis to be commendedor his work against gangs,violent criminals and thesuccessful prosecution of

several for public corrup-tion across the judicial cir-

cuit, but his demeanor onthe trail and at numerouspublic events, was at timesdismissive of his opponent,and overly boastful of histrack record. There is a neline between bragging andchest thumping and not-ing your accomplishmentsand demonstrated track-record. Having moderated acandidate forum or two, andwitnessing several more,James crossed the line. Ournext DA and current Solici-torSherry Boston regularlyappealed to voters bestinterests and high-minded-ness, simply and repeatingstately, We can do bet-ter. We have to do better.DeKalb County deservesbetter.

And, fortunately for Bos-ton, her choices and actionsas a public servant backup those words. As solici-tor, she has reformed andreconstructed the countyslong-struggling and oftensuggested as corrupt, trafccourt. Her ofce has broad-ened efforts in victim sup-

port as well as alternativesentencing and accountabil-ity courts, while also beingresponsive and receptiveto residents and citizen in-put. The current DAs ofce

had developed a reputationfor being selective in who

was welcome and what in-put might be well received.

In the run-off race fortax commissioner and theDistrict 4 commission seat,which will in effect decidethe majority of votes on thebulk of issues facing a cur-rently divided commission,the choices and contrastsare rather signicant.

In the tax commis-sioners race, the de-factoincumbent, with 15 yearsof solid management ex-perience within the agency

faces a strong family nameand a candidate whose fa-ther was tax commissionerand whose mother was alongtime county commis-sioner. Voters would do wellto carefully study the re-spective accomplishmentsand background of bothcandidates be for makingsuch an important choice onJuly 26.

In the District 4 race, the

choice seems quite clear. Ifa voter wants status quo

and a largely unchangedcounty commission, thenvote to return the incum-bent. However, a healthyplurality in the primary se-lected a new candidate andpath, outlined by business-man Steve BradshawofClarkston. The two choicescould not be more different,and one notes that if Thur-mond is to be successfulas CEO in bringing us to-gether, he will need to startby building a less combativerelationship than his last

several predecessors havehad with the commission.So on Tuesday, July

26 in the runoff, as well asweeks prior during earlyvoting, expect an extremelylow, perhaps high single-digit turnout. The impactof each and every ballotcast will be tremendouslymagnied. And, as Georgiais an open primary state,without party registration, it

is as easy as selecting yourrunoff ballot and being part

of turning around DeKalbsebb tide. You cannot cross-over from one party to an-other if you did vote in theprimary, but as the bulk ofour residents did not vote,you only have to nudgea handful of like-mindedfriends and neighbors to thepolls with you to make a sig-nicant and rippling impact.

As a concerned citizenand voter, your job is not yetdone, lets nish it.

Bill Crane also serves as

a political analyst and com-mentator for Channel 2s Ac-tion News, WSB-AM News/Talk 750 and now 95.5 FM,as well as a columnist for TheChampion, Champion FreePress and Georgia Trend.Crane is a DeKalb nativeand business owner, living inScottdale. You can reach himor comment on a column [email protected].

Bill Crane

[email protected]

Columnist

ONE MANS OPINION

Friday, June 10, 2016 oPINIoN Page 7

A new Day in DeKalb

THE CHAMPION FREE PRESSencourages opinionsfrom its readers. Please write to us and express yourviews. Letters should be brief, typewritten and containthe writers name, address and telephone number for

verification. All letters will be considered for publication.

STATEMENT FROM THE

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

Publisher:John Hewitt

Chief Financial Officer:Dr. Er D. Genn

Production Manager:Kemesh Hunt

Photographer:Trvis Hudgns

Staff Reporters:cr PrkerR. Stt Bezer

The Champion Free Press is published each Friday

by ACE III Communications, Inc.,114 New Street, Suite E, Decatur, GA. 30030Phone (404) 373-7779.www.championnewspaper.com

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EDIToRS NoTE: The opinions written by columnists and contributing editors do not necessarily reflect 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 Knw Wht Yu Think!SEND lETTERS To EDIToR,The DeKalb Free Press,P. O. Box 1347, Decatur, GA 30031-1347;Send email to J [email protected] To: (404) 370-3903; Phone: (404) 373-7779.

Deadline for news releases and advertising:Thursday, one week prior to publication date.

FREEPRESSthe DeKalb


8/20


Elite eight

o camps. The interest toy has always been there.She still wants to get intohe space program and still

has a strong desire to be anastronaut.

Hill said her interestnever wavered. In additiono being an exceptional

student with a grade pointaverage above a 4.0,Roberts continued attendingengineering camps atGeorgia Tech in addition toextracurricular activities.

Before graduatingrom Towers High School,

Roberts considered manypotential destinationsbefore deciding on theUnited States Air ForceAcademy. Georgia Techand Embry Riddle seemedke ideal candidates for an

engineering degree, butshe applied to the USAFAcademy as well as the USNaval Academy.

She got accepted intoall of them, Hill said.

Roberts decided on theAir Force. The academys located just outside

of Colorado Springs,Co., offers picturesqueandscapes mountainssurrounded by expansivegreen elds as well as

a modern, technologicallyadvanced campus. She wasimmediately drawn in.

Of course, the thoughtof ying in the mostadvanced Air Force inthe world also played amajor role in earning herenlistment.

When she graduated, Idont know who was sadder,me or her, Hill said. I hadbecome so accustomedto visiting her out there,enjoying the Coloradoweather and the Air Force

Academys campus. Its

unbelievable.Hill said Roberts never

had any complaints otherthan the usual collegehomesickness whileattending the academy. Themilitary tradition of completeseparation for more thana month while completingbasic training also came asa shock. However, Hill saidhis daughters temperamentallowed for a smoothtransition.

Jazmind has the spiritwhere she doesnt know

a stranger, she can talkand relate to anybody, Hillsaid. The Air Force is alsoheavily dominated by men.Having your daughter go

into an environment like thatis concerning, but she neverhad any issues. She loved itand loves it now.

Roberts was oneof 10 accepted into the

Academys Pilot School.She was the only Blackperson in her classand isolation did hit onoccasion. Meeting otherpilot candidates from the

Peach State, in addition totraveling to different cities tolearn different planes, kepther focused.

Roberts married her

husband, Justin, a UnitedStates Naval Academygraduate, in Sept. 2015.The couple met in pilotschool while Justin waspursuing his own passions.Currently, he is also as apilot for the US Navy.

They certainly jokeand try to determine whohas the better pilots, Hillsaid. Her husband argues

the Navy has better pilotsbecause they have to landon a moving target. Jazmindargues Air Force pilotspatrol the skies, so they

have to know everythingabout it and know how tooperate every plane.

Roberts received theRobbie Risner award for herintelligence, leadership andperseverance. The award isnamed after an airman whowas a prisoner of war forseven years.

Now, Hill saysRoberts is considering the

commercial side of aviationbut is enjoying the act ofrefueling planes midair inthe KC-135.

Jazmind Roberts, formerlyJazmind Hill, with husband JustinRoberts. The pair graduated from

the US Air Force Academy andUS Naval Academy, respectively,before attending and graduatingfrom pilot school.

Sgt. Kelton Hill, father, with Rosalind Morris, mother, and US AirForce Pilot School graduate Jazmind Roberts.

GRAD Continued From Page 2A


Quality, rigor, availabilityand substance arenot words typicallyassociated with an

education program, but when

conversation involves the science,technology, engineering andmathematics (STEM) programconcentration, these words seemrelevantespecially in reference toDeKalb County.

The DeKalb County SchoolDistrcit (DCSD) recently

announced eight schools havereceived AdvancED STEMcertication. These schools are

Austin, Chapel Hill, ChesnutCharter, Huntley Hills, SagamoreHills and Vanderlyn elementaryschools as well as Stone MountainMiddle and McNair Discovery

Learning Academy.The eight schools join 50

other schools in 70 nations thathave qualied for the program.This certication also meansDCSD represents 16 percent of

The Hightower Highbots, made up of BryceMarshall, Brenda Sanchez, Nasir Sheikh,Katherine Portillo, Andy Quintanilla, OrlandoGama and Sebastian Ramirez, have greatlybenefited from STEM programs.

KMS Recycling Cougars members Sooriya Senthilkumar,Aaditya Saha, Alexander Jovanovic, Sanjeev Anand andAshvij Hosdurg have used STEM projects to increaseecycling efforts in their community.

McNair Discovery Learning Academy is one of eightDeKalb County School District schools that have receivedAdvancED STEM certification.

Eight DeKalb schools gainAdvancED STEM certification

See STEM on Page 12A


9/20


Notice of Property Tax Increase

The Governing Authority of the City of AvondaleEstates has tentatively adopted a millage rate whichwill require an increase in property taxes by 16.26percent. All concerned citizens are invited to the publichearings on this tax increase to be held at City Hall, 21North Avondale Plaza, Avondale Estates, GA 30002on Wednesday, June 15, 2016, at 5:30 P.M., Monday,June 20, 2016, at 7:30 P.M., and Wednesday, June 29,2016, at 6:00 P.M. This tentative increase will resultin a millage rate of 10.957 mills, an increase of 1.572mills. Without this tentative tax increase, the millagerate will be no more than 9.385 mills. This proposedtax increase for a home with a fair market value of

$275,000 is approximately $173. The proposed taxincrease for a non-homestead property with a fairmarket value of $225,000 is approximately $141.

CITY OF DORAVILLE

NOTICE OF PROPERTY TAX INCREASE

The City of Doraville has tentatively adopted a millage rate of 8.5 which will require an increase in propertytaxes by 3.14 percent. The proposed millage rate is the same as the prior year millage rate of 8.5 mills.

All concerned citizens are invited to the public hearing on this tax increase to be held at the Doraville CityHall located at 3725 Park Avenue, Doraville, GA 30340 on June 13, 2016 at 6:30pm.

Times and places of additional public hearings on this tax increase are at the Doraville City Hall on June 20,2016 at 6:30pm and on June 21, 2016 at 6:30pm.

This tentative increase will result in a millage rate of 8.50 mills, an increase of 3.14 percent over the rollbackrate. Without this tentative tax increase, the millage rate will be no more than 8.241 mills. The proposed taxincrease for a home with a fair market value of $150,000 is approximately $9.65 and the tax increase for anon-homestead property with a fair market value of $600,000 is approximately $62.16.

NOTICE OF FIVE YEAR HISTORY

Pursuant to the requirements of O.C.G.A. Section 48-5-32 does hereby publish the following presentation ofthe current years tax digest and levy, along with the history of the tax digest and levy for the past five years.

All citizens of Doraville are invited to attend.

CURRENT 2016 TAX DIGEST AND FIVE YEAR LEVY

2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

Real & Personal 361,679,814 395,990,311 416,515,498 582,014,025 586,820,583

Motor Vehicle 15,848,630 15,906,220 14,025,040 9,332,050 7,001,920

Mobile Homes 0 0 0 0 0

Timber 100% 0 0 0 0 0

Heavy Duty Equipment 4,530 4,530 0 0 2,222

Gross Tax Digest 377,532,974 411,901,061 430,540,538 591,346,075 593,824,725

Exemptions 35,478,708 35,478,708 37,551,588 64,281,530 62,253,978

Net Tax Digest 342,054,266 376,422,353 392,988,950 527,064,545 531,570,747

Net Millage 9.00 9.00 8.75 8.50 8.50

Net Tax Levy 100% 3,078,488 3,387,801 3,438,653 4,480,049 4,518,351

Net Increase/(Decrease) 144,285 309,313 50,852 1,041,395 38,303

Net Levy %

Increase/(Decrease) 4.92% 10.05% 1.50% 30.28% 0.85%

NOTICE OF PROPERTY TAX

INCREASE

The City of Brookhaven has tentativelyadopted a millage rate for the GeneralFund which will require an increase inproperty taxes by 13.64 percent overthe Rollback Millage rate. This increaseis due solely to the revaluation ofreal property tax assessments. Allconcerned citizens are invited to thepublic hearings on this tax increaseto be held at Brookhaven City Hall at4362 Peachtree Road, Brookhaven,GA 30319. The rst public hearing

will be held at 7:00 p.m. on June 7,2016. The second public hearing willbe at special called meeting on June21, 2016 at 10:30 a.m. and 6:01 p.m.After the nal public hearing, the

millage rate will be formally adopted.The tentative increase will result in amillage rate of 2.74 mills, a millagerate equivalent increase of .329 mills.Without this tentative tax increase,the millage rate will be no more than2.411 mills. The proposed tax increasefor a home with a fair market value of$410,915 is approximately $44.20 andthe proposed tax increase for non-

homestead property with a fair marketvalue of $1,097,088 is approximately$144.38.

PAC Continued From Page 2Ahave as many groups aspossible.

Williams, a lifelongDeKalb County resident,said the HGD PAC wants toensure honest politiciansare elected for the people.

In the race for DeKalb

County tax commissionern late May, Williamssaid former DeKalbCommissioner StanWatsons background gavehe group cause for concern.

In May of 2015, Watsonwas accused by theDeKalb County Board ofEthics of voting to awarda $1.5 million contract to acompany he worked for.

HGD PAC did not backWatson in the race.

We want to assist

in the election of honest,ethical candidates whileworking against thosewho are not. The fact that(Stan Watson) had ethicscomplaints led againsthim and questionablepractices was a reason to

not support him, Williamssaid. Thats the reasonwe wanted to get involved.The remaining candidates(Tax Commissioner IrvinJohnsonand attorneySusannah Scott) we endedup endorsing both. Were leftwith two candidates that youcant question their integrity.Now we want to leave it upto the people.

Watson nished third inthe tax commissioner racebehind Johnson and Scott.

With the amount ofclout HGD PAC has amongpotential voters in DeKalbCounty, Davis said, itsimportant to keep thechecks and balances amonggroup members.

We want to focus on

the content of the candidate.If all of (the candidates)are of good character andhave the experience to takeon the challenge, then we

acknowledge and supportthose people, Davis said.

Davis, who hasrepresented the UnhappyTaxpayer and Voterorganization for the last 20years, said this is one of therst times north and south

DeKalb County have cometogether for a commonpolitical goal.

In the short term, Davissaid HGD PAC was a

success, but she hopes tosee the coalition grow in thefuture.

Our shorttermgoal has already beenaccomplished, Davis said.We are able to set asideour differences to do whats

best for the citizens ofDeKalb County. We hopeour actions will expand andwe hope to continue to worktogether.


10/20


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D

eKalb History Center ExecutiveDirector MelissaForgeysaidshe wanted to bring new, creative

ideas to the exhibits on displayat DeKalb History Center. DecorativeArts from the Permanent Collection tsForgeys vision by offering a fresh look atantique art pieces.

Items belonging to DeKalb Countyesidents such as CarolineMcKinney

Clarke, Judge Charles Whitefoord Smithand Bishop Warren Akin Candlercan beound at the museums newest exhibit.

Im thrilled. I think it looks really great.We did a great job, Forgey said. Its adifferent way of looking at history andooking at the individual objects by singlinghem out just for their simple or really

ornate beauty.Forgey, who has been working with the

DeKalb History Center for the past eightyears, said the exhibit is a great way tohighlight objects that havent been seenbefore.

The decorative arts collection includesa foot stool from Smiths home, an oakchair that was owned and used by Candlerand an arrow-back rocker donated fromfelong Decatur resident Clarke.

However, the focal point that spurredhe exhibit is a walnut and yellow pine

bureau built by DeKalb resident AlexanderChestnut, circa 1830 to 1850. Forgey saidhe museum received the piece, donated

by BeverlyBoland, just a year ago.Its a handmade piece from about

830 and its absolutely gorgeous. We justwanted to make sure that we highlightedhat donation from Beverly Boland, Forgey

said. Im denitely drawn to the chestof drawers because its very typical of

Georgia furniture before the Civil War. Itscertainly my favorite.

Some of the items in the exhibit havenot been in view for years, accordingto DeKalb History Center ExhibitsCoordinator KarenChance. Most of the

exhibit pieces come from the museumsstorage.Finding which items would work best

in the exhibit wasnt exactly easy, Chancesaid.

I was a little bit worried when we rststarted out. Our collection has a greatvariety of objects, but not always a lot ofany one thing. I was worried we wouldnthave enough to do a survey of objects,Chance said. What we ended up doingwas a sampling of what we have and wepicked out items people havent seen insome time.

There was a lot of digging throughboxes and looking through what we had.

Some of the items on display in

the decorative arts exhibit come fromDecaturs historic Swanton House,commonly referred to as the oldest housein Decatur.

Taking a few items from the SwantonHouse gives the pieces an opportunityto shine in the Decorative Arts exhibit,Chance said.

Its funny because something likethis little childs bed I never noticed in theSwanton House, said Chance, pointing toa wooden bed with a childs portrait above,circa 1850. But here, it really does standout. Its a special piece. This is a chancefor us to show some of these items off andI dont know when we would get another

chance to do so.DeKalb History Center, located in thehistoric DeKalb County Courthouse inDecatur, is open Monday through Fridayfrom 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

A different look forDekalb History Center

Photos by Horace Holloman


11/20


PHOTOS BROUGHT TO YOU BY DCTV

WEEKinPICTURES

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

The annual Decatur Youth Baseball Opening Day Parade was held June 4. The annual event marks the beginning of its season with a neighborhood parade. Teams make their

way from McKoy Park to Oakhurst Park for the opening day ceremony. Photos by Cheryl Burnette and Gregory White.

From left, Ann Fowlkes, Gwen Fowlkes, Mike Glenn, Decatur Commissioner TonyPowers, Decatur Commissioner Brian Smith and Lee Williams.


12/20


held in the Courtroom/Council Chambers, 459 Pine Drive, Pine Lake GA 30072 on June 28, 2016 at 7:30 PM and pursuant

to O.C.G.A. Section 48-5-32 does hereby publish the following presentation of the current year's tax digest and levy along

with the history of the tax digest and levy for the past five years.

A public hearing will be held at 7:00 PM immediately prior to the 7:30 PM meeting on June 28, 2016 at the above location.

The public is invited to attend and be heard.

INCORPORATED 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

Real & Personal 19,484,475 15,898,584 12,792,852 14,339,521 20,069,921 21,363,181

Motor Vehicles 1,119,240 1,141,400 1,177,580 977,730 699,770 533,790

Mobile Homes

Timber - 100%

Heavy Duty Equipment

Gross Digest 20,603,715 17,039,994 13,970,412 15,317,251 20,769,691 21,896,971

Less M& O Exemptions 1,059,679 1,103,602 968,437 927,770 952,730 980,240

Net M & O Digest $19,544,036 $16,036,392 $13,001,975 $14,389,481 $19,816,961 20,916,731a e ores an ss s ance

Grant Value 0

Adjusted Net M&O Digest 19,544,036 16,036,392 13,001,975 14,389,481 19,816,961 20,916,731

Gross M&O Millage 20.604 24.190 29.824 28.110 21.402 20.381

Less Rollbacks

Net M&O Millage 20.604 24.190 29.824 28.110 21.402 20.381

Net Taxes Levied $402,685 $387,210 $387,771 $404,488 $424,122 $426,303

Net Taxes $ Increase/Decrease $3,836 $3,489 $1,014 $16,717 $19,634 $2,181

Net Taxes % Increase/Decrease 0.01% 0.79% 0.02% 4.14% 4.65% 0%


NOTICE

The Mayor and Council of the City of Pine Lake does hereby announce that the millage rate will be set at a meeting to be

AdvancED STEM programsavailable, the largest in theworld.

By being certied,

he schools will receive

research-based framework

and criteria for awareness,

continuous improvement

and assessment of the

quality, rigor and substance

of their STEM education

program, according to the

programs website.

AdvancED offers the rst

nternationally recognized

STEM certication. It

allows reviewers to

examine schools facilities

and teachers through

classroom observation,

student engagement and

collaboration.

DCSD received a lettergranting full AdvancED

STEM accreditation on

an. and has announced it

s currently preparing for a

ve-year renewal.

STEM programs within

he district steer students

oward the four subjects

o harvest problem-solving

skills, technical prowess,

communication skills

and competition. District

spokespersons say using

he curriculum prepares

students for an outside

world based on technology

and modernization.

A STEM education

prepares DeKalb students

for future educational and

career opportunities, and

gives them the necessary

skills to be productive

citizens in the 21st-century

economy, said DCSD

superintendent Stephen

Green.

Through the program,

such DCSD schools as

Hightower Elementary are

able to offer a Robotics

Club to third-, fourth- and

fth-graders to garner

creativity and teamwork.

This year, club members

Bryce Marshall, Brenda

Sanchez, Nasir Sheikh,

Katherine Portillo,AndyQuintanilla, Orlando Gama

and Sebastian Ramirez

won in such categories as

Strategy & Innovation

at state competitions at

Georgia Tech.

STEM clubs have

transformed from an

extracurricular activity to an

agent for change in some

instances. The Hightower

Robotics Club also earned

accolades for developing

a tumbler compost bin.

Kittredge Magnet Schools

Robotics Club, which also

placed well, went on to

become the KMS Recycling

Cougars.

Earlier this year,

the Recycling Cougars,

made up of Sooriya

Senthilkumar, Aaditya

Saha, Alexander

Jovanovic, Sanjeev Anand

andAshvij Hosdurg,

recycled 700 plastic bottles

and participated in the

Lexus Ecochallenge, where

more than 600 signatures

pledging to better the

environment were collected.Green said AdvancED

STEM certication willmove the district forward

in its established STEMsuccess.

For more informationon DCSDs involvementwith AdvancED STEMcertication, visit http://www.dekalb.k12.ga.us/advanced-sacs-accreditation-review.

STEM Continued From Page 8A


The Decatur City Commission has tentatively adopted acombined millage rate of 10.68 mills for maintenance andoperations which will require an increase in property taxesof 1.61%for scal year 2016-2017. This is a reductionfrom the millage rate of 11.08 mills that was adopted forthe current scal year 2015-2016 which generates revenuenecessary to fund the City of Decaturs general operations,downtown development authority and capital improvements.

All concerned citizens are invited to the public hearingon this tax increase to be held at the City CommissionMeeting Room, Decatur City Hall, 509 N. McDonoughStreet, Decatur, on Monday, June 20, 2016 at 7:30 p.m.This tentative increase will result in a millage rate of 10.68mills, an increase of 0.169 millsover the rollback millagerate. Without this tentative tax increase, the millage ratewill be no more than 10.511 mills. The proposed taxincrease for a home with a fair market value of $400,000is approximately $30.42and the proposed tax increase

for a nonhomestead property with a fair market value of$475,000is approximately $40.14.


13/20


City of Avondale Estates 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

Real & Personal 158,471,976 133,021,745 141,146,248 148,072,403 178,050,508 189,773,876

Motor Vehicles 7,854,350 8,014,980 8,451,460 7,456,190 5,564,760 4,306,900

Mobile Homes

Timber - 100%

Heavy Duty Equipment

Gross Digest 166,326,326 141,036,725 149,597,708 155,528,593 183,615,268 194,080,776

Less M&O Exemptions 102,456 231,089 138,061 268,311 371,490 488,920

Net M&O Digest 166,223,870 140,805,636 149,459,647 155,260,282 183,243,778 193,591,856

State Forest Land Assistance Grant Value

Adjusted Net M&O Digest 166,223,870 140,805,636 149,459,647 155,260,282 183,243,778 193,591,856

Gross M&O Millage 10.957 10.957 10.957 10.957 9.957 10.957

Less Rollbacks

Net M&O Millage 10.957 10.957 10.957 10.957 9.957 10.957

Total City Taxes Levied $1,821,315 $1,542,807 $1,637,629 $1,701,187 $1,824,558 $2,121,186

Net Taxes $ Increase -$278,508 $94,822 $63,535 $123,371 $296,628

Net Taxes % Increase -15.29% 6.15% 3.88% 7.25% 16.26%

Current 2016 Tax Digest and 5-Year History of LevyThe Governing Authority of the City of Avondale Estates does hereby announce that the milage rate will be set at a meeting to be held at City Hall, 21 North AvondalePlaza, Avondale Estates, GA 30002 on Wednesday, June 29, 2016, at 6:00 P.M. There will be public hearings on Wednesday, June 15, 2016, at 5:30 P.M., Monday, June20, 2016, at 7:30 P.M., and Wednesday, June 29, 2016, at 6:00 P.M.

PUBLIC NOTICE

Notice is hereby given, pursuant to O.C.G.A. 36-35-4(a)(3), that the Board of Mayor andCommissioners of the City of Avondale Estates isconsidering an ordinance to provide compensation tothe members of said municipal governing authority.The ordinance under consideration would provide astipend of $600 per month for the Mayor and $400per month for Commissioners. Such ordinance maybe adopted by the BOMC at its regular meeting to beheld Monday, June 20th, 2016 at 7:30 p.m. at CityHall, 21 N. Avondale Plaza, Avondale Estates, GA

30002.

The Champion again received thedesignation of rst-place in GeneralExcellence during Georgia PressAssociations annual convention and BetterNewspaper Contest held June 3 at Jekyllsland Club in Jekyll Island. The 2016ecognition is the eighth consecutive year the

newspaper has been recognized as the bestoverall newspaper in its weekly division.

In addition to the General Excellenceaward, The Championwas awarded theollowing:

First Place: Lifestyle coverage,featurephoto, newspaper website and special issue.Second-place: Business coverage, feature

photo, hard news writing, photo essay,

editorial writing and best web photo. Third-place: Editorial cartoonist, hard news writing,religion coverage, community service andlayout and design.

Attending the two-day conferencerepresenting The Championwere publisherCarolynGlenn, co-publisher Dr. EarlGlenn, chief operating ofcer JohnHewitt, sports editor and beat reporterCarlaParker, education editor and beatreporter ScottBelzer, photographer TravisHudgons, social media coordinator DonnaSeay, lifestyle editor Gale Horton Gayand business editor KathyMitchell. Alsoattending the convention was contributing

writer BillCrane.

The Champion again recognized for journalistic excellence

ront row from left: Carla Parker, Donna Seay, Carolyn Glenn, Bill Crane; second row from left: Galeorton Gay, John Hewitt, Travis Hudgons; third row from left: Kathy Mitchell, Scott Belzer and Dr.arl Glenn. Photo by Rick Hammell


14/20


DEKALB COUNTY BOARD OF EDUCATION

2ndand 3rdPUBLIC

MILLAGE RATE HEARINGS

Tuesday, June 21, 2016

TIME LOCATION11:30 a.m. J. David Williamson Board Room

Administrative & Instructional Complex1701 Mountain Industrial Blvd.Stone Mountain, GA 30083

Tuesday, June 21, 2016

TIME LOCATION6:15 p.m. J. David Williamson Board Room

Administrative & Instructional Complex1701 Mountain Industrial Blvd.Stone Mountain, GA 30083

Citizens interested in reviewing a detailed copy of the program

based budget may do so by visiting the DeKalb County School

District website at www.dekalb.k12.ga.us.

FOR INFORMATION, CALL THEOFFICE OF THE

CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER AT 678-676-0069.

Avondale Estates seeksto protect tree canopyby Carla [email protected]

A committee has drafted a residential tree ordinance

to protect and promote a healthy tree canopy in AvondaleEstates.

The Avondale Estates Ad-Hoc Committee forGreenspace was formed in 2015 with the task to developa draft tree ordinance for residential properties, accordingto the committee. Before drafting the ordinance, thecommittee looked at other municipal tree ordinances,issues relating to tree protection, removal andreplacement, and the ndings of the citys previous treeordinance committee.

According to the committee, the ordinance is intendedto minimize burdens of inconvenience or cost onresidents who want to remove certain trees from theirproperties as a matter of routine maintenance or personalpreference, not associated with any other constructionactivity.

The ordinance does not forbid all tree removals. Treesthat may be removed include: trees below a minimum size threshold, such as pines

with a trunk diameter less than 12 inches and anyother trees with a trunk diameter less than eightinches;

non-native, invasive species trees of any size; dead trees; diseased, severely damaged or declining trees of any

size with approval in writing by a certied arborist; and trees that are an immediate hazard or create a

threat to the safety of the property owners, providedthat a notice is given to the city at the time of removal.

The ordinance allows for routine removal of treesthat are not exempt for routine maintenance or personalpreference. Removal of non-exempt treesassociatedwith any sort of constructionrequires a permit. Theordinance also provides for tree removal within aconstruction zone, but encourages the retention of existingtrees, according to the committee.

City staff will review the drafted ordinance forcompliance and in reference to other city ordinances,according to the committee.

It is meant to be a stand-alone section within the cityscurrent tree ordinance for the other property designations,the committee stated. Once the city has reviewed thedocument, the [committee] anticipates that this draft will bepresented for public comment and further consideration bythe [board of mayor and commissioners].

by Carla [email protected]

Some Lithonia residents are not happyabout a proposed tax increase.The mayor and city council tentatively

adopted a millage rate which will representa 4.64 percent increase in property taxes.The proposed tax increase will allowthe city to improve the level of servicesprovided to residents, according to the city.

The tentative increase of 0.732 millsbrings the millage rate to 16.500. Withoutthe proposed tax increase, the millagerate will be no more than 15.768 mills,according to the city.

If approved, this will be the fthconsecutive year the city increasesproperty taxes.

The city held a public hearing June6 on the proposed tax increase whereresidents expressed their disapproval ofthe tax hike.

Im against it because my taxes wentup last year and this means it goes upagain, along with my insurance, LewisRaineysaid.

Reba Smith, who said she lives ona xed income, suggested the city makesome cuts instead of raising taxes.

Were hoping that the city, themayor and the council look at their ownndividual corporate budget to see wheretheres maybe some room for reductionsn salaries, miscellaneous expenses,

whatever you all can do to represent thecity without having to increase the millagerate, Smith said.

Mayor Deborah Jacksonsaid thecouncil understands that many residentslive on a xed income.

The overall goal is to look at a way tobe able to increase the services providedto the citizens and it usually takes moremoney and staff to do that, Jackson said.

The proposed tax increase for a homewith a fair market value of $44,202 isapproximately $13, according to the city.The proposed increase on non-homesteadproperty with a fair market value of $76,926is approximately $23.

Former Lithonia city council memberand state representative Doreen Carter(D-92) said there is no justication orbenet to pay taxes in the city due to thelack of services.

There is absolutely nothing as ahomeowner that I can say that I havebeneted with the continued increase ofthe property taxes, Carter said. Thereare some things the council should reallylook into as it comes to being duciarilyresponsible of peoples money and I wouldencourage you to not increase our propertytaxes again, and that you guys work reallyhard to gure out how you need to cut,eliminate or gure out another way.

The city will hold its nal public hearingon the proposed increase on June 20 at6:30 at city hall.

A property tax increase has been proposed by Lithonia mayor and city council to provide moreervices. Photo by Carla Parker

Lithonia residents speak outagainst proposed tax increase

CITY OF DORAVILLEPUBLIC NOTICE

Fiscal Year 2017 BudgetNoce is hereby given that the proposed budget for the City of Doraville shall be avail-able for public inspecon beginning June 3, 2016, in the City Clerks oce from 8:30 to4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday at City Hall, 3725 Park Avenue, Doraville, GA.

A Public Hearing shall be held on the 13th day of June at 6:30 p.m. at City Hall, 3725Park Avenue, Doraville, GA before the Mayor and Council of the City of Doraville atwhich me public comment pertaining to the Fiscal Year 2017 (July 1, 2016 throughJune 30, 2017) budget shall be sounded. All cizens of Doraville are invited to aend.

A Public Hearingshall be held on the 20th day of June at 6:30 p.m. at City Hall, 3725Park Avenue, Doraville, GA before the Mayor and Council of the City of Doraville atwhich me public comment pertaining to the Fiscal Year 2017 (July 1, 2016 throughJune 30, 2017) budget shall be sounded. All cizens of Doraville are invited to aend.

A Regular Meetngshall be held on the 20th day of June at 6:30 p.m. at City Hall, 3725Park Avenue, Doraville, GA before the Mayor and Council of the City of Doraville atwhich me the Fiscal Year 2017 (July 1, 2016 through June 30, 2017) budget shall beapproved and the budget ordinance adopted in accordance with O.C.G.A. 36-81-5. Allcizens of Doraville are invited to aend.


15/20

EDUCATION Friday, June 10, 2016 Page 15

DeKalb County School District board chairman Melvin Johnson and superintendent Stephen Greendiscussed teacher shortages with staff and the public. Photo by R. Scott Belzer


At their regular meeting on June 14, 2016, The Board of Educationof the City of Decatur will tentatively adopt a millage which willremain the same as the Fiscal Year 2016 millage rate of 18.66mills; however due to property reassessments, this will represent anaverage increase of 5.21% in property taxes. All concerned citizens are invited to the public hearing on this taxincrease to be held at the Board Room of the Central Ofce, 125Electric Avenue, Decatur, Georgia on Tuesday, June 21, 2016 at8:00 a.m.

Times and places of additional public hearings on this tax increaseare at the Board Room of the Central Ofce, 125 Electric Avenue,Decatur, Georgia on Tuesday, July 12, 2016 at 8:00 a.m. and 6:00p.m.

This tentative increase will result in a millage rate of 18.66 mills,an increase of 0.924 mills over the rollback millage. The rollbackmillage rate is calculated to produce the same total revenue onthe current years digest that last years millage rate would haveproduced had no reassessments occurred. Without this tentativetax increase, the rollback millage rate will be no more than 17.736

mills. The proposed tax increase for a home with a fair market valueof $400,000 is approximately $185 and the proposed tax increasefor nonhomestead property with a fair market value of $475,000 isapproximately $220.

Marijuana is addictive. Marijuana use gets in the way of sayingyes to other exciting opportunities in life. PARENTS, start early talking to your children since teenagerswho use marijuana often start by age 14. Start an on-going

conversation about drugs by 4th or 5th grade.Be clear and specic about your family expectations about marijuana use.

Help your child nd the right words to refuse drug offers. It helps to teach yourchild refusal skills. Let your child know that it is ne to walk away from someone, including afriend who is offering drugs and, if needed, to call you for aride home.Be Safe DeKalb!

For more informationCall (770) 285-6037 or

E-mail: [email protected]

Did you know?


According to DeKalbCounty School DistrictDCSD) parents, teachers,

administrators and publicofcials, there are notenough teachers comingo and staying in DeKalbCounty.

For two months in a row,DCSD has shown more than300 teacher-specic jobopenings in both regular andspecial education. As of May9, the district reported 334vacancies in the classroom,a number that increased to391 as of June 6.

In May, Leo McAuleyBrown, the countys chiefhuman capital managementofcer,said DCSD reportedmore than Clayton, Fultonand Henry counties aswell as the Atlanta PublicSchools district in teachervacancies. As of the Mayeport, Gwinnett County hadhe most vacancies with345. A similar report was notpublished for the public inune.

DCSDs problems seemo lie with not only bringingeachers into the district, butkeeping them there. Brownsaid the average stay for a

eacher in DeKalb Countywas three to ve years.

In May, Brown reportedhiring eight teachers and58 non-contract employeeshroughout April. Of these58 non-contract employees,1 were substitute teachers.n the same month, thedistrict lost three teacherso retirement and 10 toesignation.

Brown reported hiringsix teachers and 50non-contract employeeshroughout May on June 6.

Of those 50 non-contractemployees, 37 wereclassied as substituteeachers. The districteported 80 employeeseft the district in the samemonth, 30 of whom wereeachers.

Tucker resident KirkLundeaddressed theDCSD school board duringts public input sessionegarding the importance of

having teachers on hand.[There were]

approximately 25,000mes where there was no

substitute in the classroom,Lunde said. That cannot beallowed to continue.

Lunde said 24,522nstances occurred in the

2015-2016 school year inwhich no teachers and nosubstitutes were available inDCSD classrooms.

His concerns did not fallon deaf ears.

Quite frankly and verypointedly, if we as a schooldistrict are going to shift theparadigm for recruitment,we are going to have dothings differently, saidBrown during the board ofeducations work session.

Brown outlinedthree main strategiesin combating DCSDsteacher vacancy numbers:substitutes, a summer

job fair and developing aqualied applicant list.

In addition, Brownand the board approved a$1,000 to $3,000 signingbonus based on experienceand a $500 retention bonusfor all employees, not justteachers.

Brown said,[Substitutes] who workedalongside us tirelesslyand diligently warrantedopportunities for certicationand similar incentives. Hesaid hosting a certiedteacher job fair would assistin keeping employmentengagement going on asmaller scale.

We do a poor job ofengaging stakeholders inmy position, Brown said.What we do is engagethem on the day of the jobfair and drop them the exactsame day; thats a poorpractice and that is going tochange.

To implement thischange, Brown proposedmaintaining a list of qualiedteacher candidates. Aqualied applicant list,made up of teachers whohave completed a DCSD

application, were consideredbut not hired, will remain onhand for principals in thefuture.

If you have 200applicants for a job andyou happen to select yourchosen candidate in therst 20 you look at, you stillhave 180 people who arequalied and probably needa job somewhere, Brownsaid.

Brown went on to sayDCSDs exit interviewprocess was ineffectivein ascertaining specic

reasons for teachers notstaying in DeKalb County.

District board membersJoyce Morley and VickieTurner attributed some of

Teacher hiring, retention a problem in DeKalb schools

these problems to fear ofreprimand.

Is it a new day, or not?Turner said. We have some

historical [problems] thathave weighed us down,but either we acknowledgewere in a new day, under

new administration, with anew superintendent whohas a new way of doingthings or were perpetrating.


16/20

CLASSIFIED Friday, June 10, 2016 Page 16

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17/20

BUSINESS Friday, June 10, 2016 Page 17

by Kathy Mitchell

Todays young adults may notbe making their own clothing,but theyre still picking up

needle and thread for a varietyof craft projects, and thats good

news for the Jo-Ann Fabric andCraft Store that opened recently athe revitalized Suburban Plaza in

Decatur.While the store has products

and inspiration for people of allages, according to ShauntinaLilly, public relations associateplanner at Jo-Ann Fabric and CraftStores, young adults especiallyare taking an interest in crafting.Weve noticed an upswing in

millennials shopping at our stores,she said, noting that the typicalcustomer is female. The millennialgeneration, as dened by PewResearch, is made up of those nown young adulthood through mid-30s,

We have noticed that makings more popular than its beenn yearssignicantly amongmillennials who are inspired by self-expression. People are also sewingn nontraditional ways for craftingprojects. Pinterest is a platformhat many of our customers useor sewing inspiration, and Jo-Ann

keeps a mix of innovative project

ideas on our page to help spark thecreativity that lives in us all, Lillysaid.

Jo-Ann stores offer items forsewing, needlework, home andoral design, baking and other artsand crafts projects.

She noted that the store keepstrack of emerging craft trends.Right now, pom-poms are a

major trend across the country,and as Jo-Ann is a local sourcefor craft and fabric enthusiasts,they are able to shop ourexpanded selection of these furryembellishments, Lilly said. Whatcatapulted the craze was notabledesigners using pom-poms in manyof their designs during the 2015 fallfashion week.

Another big trend right now,

according to Lilly, is fairy gardens,which she describes as charming,miniature landscapes with gurinesand various themes, adding thatthey are very popular right nowwith our customers for the springand summer seasons. Jo-Ann has

all of the products to make a fairygarden from start to nish includingpottery, moss, gurines and more.

Lilly said while there is asteady ow of crafters year-round,Halloween and the holiday seasonare especially busy times for Jo-

Ann. She observed that increasingnumbers of customers show aninterest in make-it-yourself projectsaround the fall and winter holidays.That is in part due to exclusivity.Hand making items for yourselfor someone else is a gratifyingfeeling as they are personalizedand tailored to that persons taste,and this holds true for Halloweencostumes and Christmas gifts,as well as outtting the home forthese holidays. Also during theholiday season, many people lookto Jo-Ann to gather supplies andproducts for charitable giving tobrighten up the season for those inneed.

As a city whose averageresident age is 38.3 that is home tomany artists, Decatur may prove tobe a good location for the national

chain. The Decatur community hasbeen anticipating a Jo-Ann storefor quite some time now, Lilly said.Weve had great success thus far,and our neighboring businesseshave been very accommodating;some even participated with

our grand opening event. Ourcustomers consistently sharefeedback that theyre glad we arehere. Decatur is a great market forus and were happy to be here.

The store in Decatur will offerthe community a large assortmentof the crafting, sewing, seasonaland home-decor items, Lilly said.Plus, this brand new store has aclassroom to support our educationand party hosting programs. Wewant to provide our customers inevery community with all of theproducts and inspiration they needwhether they are beginners orexperts, and new stores like thisone in Decatur help us accomplishthat goal.

The Decatur Jo-Ann, she said,will host of education courses forchildren and adults, taught byexpert instructors. The hands-onclasses include those in sewing,cake decorating, quilting, knit andcrochet and kids crafts.

Founded in 1943, Jo-Ann hasmore than 800 locations in 49states.

New Decatur store to benet from crafting trends

Spec Tax Dist #1 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

Real & Personal 59,127,532 68,176,991

Motor Vehicles

Mobile Homes

Timber - 100%

Heavy Duty EquipmentGross Digest 0 0 0 0 59,127,532 68,176,991

Less M& O Exemptions

Net M & O Digest 0 0 0 0 59,127,532 68,176,991

State Forest Land Assistance

Grant Value

Adjusted Net M&O Digest 0 0 0 0 59,127,532 68,176,991

Gross M&O Millage 1.500 6.450

Less Rollbacks 0.000

Net M&O Millage 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 1.500 6.450

Total County Taxes Levied $0 $0 $0 $0 $88,691 $439,742

Net Taxes $ Increase $0 $0 $0 $88,691 $351,050

Net Taxes % Increase #DIV/0! #DIV/0! #DIV/0! #DIV/0! 395.81%

held at the Brookhaven City Hall on on June 21, 2016 at 7:00 p.m. and pursuant to the requirements of O.C.G.A. Section

48-5-32 does hereby publish the following presentation of the current year's tax digest and levy, along with the history of the tax

digest and levy for the past five years.


NOTICE

The City of Brookhaven City Council does hereby announce that the millage rate will be set at a meeting to be


18/20

SPORTS Friday, June 10, 2016 Page 18

by Mark Brock

St. Pius X outelder KennetSorensondrove in ve runs toead the West Junior All-Stars to a3-6 victory over the East Junior

All-Stars in the eighth AnnualDeKalb County School DistrictJunior All-Star Baseball Classicat the Georgia State BaseballComplex on May 31.

The win propelled the West toa 3-1 series lead since the formatchanged to an East-West matchupn 2013.

The East jumped in front 1-0n the bottom of the rst inningas Miller Grove shortstop DanielHarrissingled with two out toscore Stephensons Latrell Wyatt.West right elder Shota Barbeauof Dunwoody ended the inningwithout further damage as henailed Harris with a throw thirdon a single by Arabia MountainsAaron Douglas.

The score was still 1-0heading to the top of the thirdwhen the West took advantage ofhree walks and an East error to

plate four runs to take the lead forgood at 4-1.

Druid Hills Harrison Aiken

tied the game at 1-1 with aelders choice after the West hadloaded the bases with nobodyout. Decaturs Alex Glierdrewa bases-loaded walk to drive in

the go-ahead run and Druid Hills

Naftali Robbinsadded an RBIsingle. Sorenson picked up therst of his ve RBI, with a sacricey to make it 4-1.

The West pushed the lead

out to 6-1 on a fth-inning RBIdouble from Glier and sixth-inningRBI single by Columbias MarvinLloyd.

The East showed life in thebottom half of the sixth, picking upa RBI single by Stone MountainsMichael Williamsand a Westerror to cut the lead to 6-3.

A four-run inning in theseventh helped the West pretty

much seal the victory as Sorensonstroked a three-run triple withthe bases loaded and then camehome to score on a wild pitch asthe lead expanded to 10-3.

The East picked up singleruns in the seventh on a MorrisRBI double and in the eighth ona West error to make it a 10-5margin.

Sorenson picked up hisfth RBI of the game with asingle in the top of the ninth tostart a three-run rally for a 13-5advantage for the West. CedarGroves Jenard Morrishad aRBI triple and Barbeau singled inMorris to account for the nal tworuns of the inning.

by Mark Brock

Despite a lightningdelay and rain showers,he West Senior All-Starsumped out to a 7-0 lead onhe way to an 8-2 victory

over the East squad in the4th Annual DeKalb County

School District Senior All-Star Baseball Classic athe Georgia State Baseball

Complex on May 31.The win gave the West

a sweep of Junior andSenior All-Star games, andhe West Seniors evenedhe series with the East atwo games apiece sincehe format changed to the

East vs. West matchup in2013.

Back-to-back RBIsingles by ChambleesJustin Johnsonand CedarGroves Travon Hardnettn the second inning jumpstarted the West offense.

St. Pius GarrettGoodenmeanwhile struck

out ve and allowed two

hits and one walk in 2 2/3innings before the lightningdelayed the game for overan hour. Lakesides JaretBarrmade a pinpoint throwto the plate to cut downStephensons Corey Fordeat home as catcher DrewHintonof Lakeside madethe tag to keep the gametied at 0-0.

After the delay,Columbias CharlieJohnsonentered the game

to pitch and struck out therst batter to end the top ofthe third with the West stillholding a 2-0 lead.

Columbias JamariJohnsonstarted thebottom of the third witha walk and stole secondand third before DecatursJalen Sprulldoubled toincrease the lead West to3-0.

Sprull would stealthird and score on a wildpitch and Lakesides DrewHintonwould hit a two-out

single to plate Barr to make

West takes down

east in senior

all-star classic

West defeats east in county junior all-star baseball classic

it a 5-0 lead after threeinnings of play.

Johnsons ground outto the shortstop scored arun in the top of the fourthand pinch-hitter ShaquilleHicksonof McNair drovein Johnson as the leadballooned to 7-0.

The East got on thescoreboard in the top ofthe fth on a RBI single by

Redans Walter Jordan

and an error on the Westthat allowed ClarkstonsJayson Harrellto score ashe stole third.

Decaturs BoydBrimgave the West aninsurance run with a RBIsingle in the bottom of thefth to plate Druid HillsCurtis Jamersonto makethe nal of 8-2.

Gooden was named

the West MVP with his 2

2/3 innings of scorelesstime on the mound whileJordan took the EastMVP honors with his 2-2performance as the onlybatter to pick up more thanone hit in the game.

Jamari Johnson seta new record for steals inthe All-Star Classic withthree on the night to breakthe record of two held by

numerous participants.

Redans Walter Jordan was named the East MVP and St. Pius Garrett Gooden was named the WestMVP. Photo by Mark Brock

Stephensons Chrestian Adams was named the East MVP and St. Pius KennetSorenson was named the West MVP. Photo by Mark Brock

See Baseball on Page 19A


19/20

SPORTS Friday, June 10, 2016 Page 19

GHSA moves

basketball finalsto UGA, GA Techby Carla [email protected]

Basketball goals will be in theproper place in next years highschool basketball championshipgamesand in new locations.

The Georgia High SchoolAssociation, the Universityof Georgia and GeorgiaTech announced May 26 that

agreements have been reachedto hold the 2017 GHSA statebasketball tournament at thetwo colleges. The tournament isreturning to Georgia Tech for therst time since 2003 and will bethe rst ever for the University ofGeorgia.

The University of Georgiaand Georgia Tech have two ofthe premier basketball complexesin the state, GHSA ExecutiveDirector Gary Phillipssaid. Bothschools worked tirelessly withthe GHSA to devise a schedulethat eliminates any conictbetween the state championshipgames and the Bulldogs andYellow Jackets own use of thesemarvelous facilities. The primary

goal of the GHSA is to promotethe best interests of Georgiashigh school student-athletes, andwe are thrilled at the experiencethese venues will offer to theteams, their schools, and theirfans.

After the 2016 statebasketball tournament inMarch, GHSA conrmed thatthe basketball goals were notat the regulation length for allchampionship games at theCentreplex in Macon. Thestanchions that support thebaskets were placed roughlyone foot farther back from thebaseline than regulations require.The baskets are supposed tomeasure 15 feet from the foul

line; however, they were placed16 feet from the foul line.

Several coaches from DeKalbCounty said they believed theplacement of the backboardsaffected their team and thequality of play.

UGAs Stegeman Coliseumwill host eight championshipgames March 8-9, 2017. GeorgiaTechs McCamish Pavilionwill host the eight remainingchampionship games March 10-11, 2017. The tournament willtip-off at 2 p.m. on each day. Theorder and facility assignmentfor the 16 championship gameshave not yet been determined,according to GHSA.

The East scored one nal run in the bottomof the ninth on Chrestian AdamsRBI ground outto plate Redans Javeon Cody.

Aiken pitched the middle four innings to pickup the win for the West while Tuckers MakaiHollowaytook the loss for the East with a toughone inning outing in the third.

The West offense was led by West MVPSorenson (2-4, ve RBI) along with Glier (2-3,two RBI), Khalil Manuel(2-4) and Morris (2-5, 1

RBI).The East was led by MVP Adams (3-5, one

run scored, one RBI), Cody (3-5), Harris (2-5, twoRBI) and Douglas (2-5, one run scored).

BASEBALL Continued From Page 19A

No more

road to Macon

Photo by Travis Hudgons


20/20


by Carla [email protected]

There have been 17conrmed cases of the Zikavirus in Georgia and theCenters for Disease Controland Prevention has releasedps to the public on how to

keep yards mosquito-free.The Zika virus spreads

o people primarily throughhe bite of an infected Aedesspecies mosquito, accordingo the CDC. Symptoms ofZika virus include fever,ash, joint pain, and red

eyes. Symptoms can last forseveral days to a week after

being bitten by an infectedmosquito, according to theCDC.

Brookhaven gaveesidents tips for ghting

mosquitoes this summer,as well as steps the citysstormwater department isaking to help control themosquito population. The 10ps the city provided to keep

yards mosquito-free are:

Empty and throw away orrecycle old bottles, cansand plastic containers.

Clean gutters to allowproper drainage.

Turn buckets, baby pools,and boats upside downwhen not in use. Checkrims and indentationsweekly.

Change water in birdbaths,ornamental ponds andfountains at least once aweek. Aeration also helps.

Tightly cover rain barrelsand open ends of drainagepipes with ne meshedscreen.

Wash and take old tires toa tire drop off location forrecycling.

Fill tree holes or placeBacillus thuringiensis

israelensis (Bti) insidewhere water collects.

Empty water from outsidecontainers such as owerpots, vases and dishes.

Repair leaky waterfaucets, hoses and airconditioners to avoidstagnant puddles.

Clean excess vegetationfrom ponds and stockthem with sh.

The CDC alsorecommends that whileoutdoors, individuals shouldwear protective clothing anduse EPA-registered insectrepellants.

Brookhaven stormwatermanagement crews monitorpublic land for mosquitooutbreaks, according tothe city. They also sweepthe streets regularly andmaintain storm drains inpublic right-of-ways on aroutine basis to removedebris where mosquitoesma

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