FreePress 06-27-14

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Were SocialFRIDAY, JUNE 27, 2014 VOL. 17, NO. 14 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.

FREEPRESS

Gannon:Commissioners should know right from wrong

Teens help police stop drunkdrivers during roadblock

See Roadblock on page 15A

See P-card on page 15A

Editors note: Te Championwill look at thepurchasing card use of the DeKalb County Boardof Commissioners and those of other select P-cardholders.

by Andrew [email protected]

he controversy surrounding commissionersuse of county purchasing cards (P-cards)

is really hurting the county, said DeKalbCounty Commissioner Kathie Gannonin a June23 interview with Te Champion.

She called the controversy embarrassing,sad, and disappointing.

Im out in the community trying to respondo constituents that are saying what can we do to

help fix DeKalb County because we dont neces-arily want to go into a city but we dont feel like

we can trust the commission, Gannon said.When a prospective company is Googling

DeKalb County, what are they going to find? Tis Kathie Gannon

Decatur Beach Festival

A child enjoys bubbles at the Decatur Beach Party. Photo by Travis Hudgons

by Carla [email protected]

Alcohol is the mostcommonly used and abuseddrug among youth in theUnited States and is responsiblefor more than 4,300 annualdeaths among underage youth,according to the Centers forDisease Control and Prevention(CDC).

People ages 12 to 20 years

drink 11 percent of all alcoholconsumed in the United Statesand more than 90 percent ofthis alcohol is consumed in theform of binge drinks, accordingto the CDC. Underage drinking,binge and heavy drinking among18- to 25-year-olds have beenidentified in DeKalb County asissues affecting the community.

To address the issue,Beyond The Bell along withthe Department of Behavioral

A suspected drunk driver is given a feld sobriety test during a June 18 road block.Photo by Carla Parker

Business ........................19A

Classified .......................21A

Education .....................18A

Sports...................... 22-23A

QUICK FINDER

LOcAL, 9A

COUNTY BREAKS

GROUND FOR

FIRE STATION

LOcAL, 16ALOcAL, 3A

KIRKWOOD

CONTINUES TO

GROW

COUNTY

WONT RAISE

TAXES

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PAGE 2A THE CHAMPION FREE PRESS, FRIDAY, JUNE 27, 2014

Thank you

Connecting Atlanta for 35 years...

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THE CHAMPION FREE PRESS, FRIDAY, JUNE 27, 2014 PAGE 3A

News BriefsCounty wont increase taxes,proposes raises for employeesby Daniel [email protected]

Interim DeKalb County CEO Lee

May told commissioners during a mid-year budget retreat June 19 that theountys tax rate will stay the same, andull-time employees will receive a 3 per-ent cost of living increase in August.

We are seeing the first signs of aiscal recovery. Our property values are

beginning to rebound and we are turn-ng a financial corner, May said.

he 3 percent increase will cost theounty approximately $4.3 million but

May said it is in a positive financial po-ition.

Additionally, May said DeKalbCountys tax rate will remain at 21.21mills and approximately 80 percent ofunincorporated county residents willee no change in taxes. he rest of theounty will see a one-year reduction

between 23.3 percent and 16.5 percent.County officials said the net county-

wide digest is expected to grow from$19 billion to $20 billion, or approxi-mately 5.9 percent.

In a standalone situation, thisgrowth would be considered robust;however, DeKalb must plan for theuture, including possible new annexa-ions and incorporations, May said.

he net digest of the incorporatedareas of the county is expected to in-rease from approximately $8 billion to

$9 billion or approximately 13.1 per-

ent.his growth is phenomenal andan indicator that when the newest cit-es were developed, the best properties

were included, May said.May said the projected end-of-the-

year reserves for the countys tax fundswill total approximately $37.9 million.

Chief Operating Officer Zach Wil-iams said the county is in a positiveinancial standing so far in 2014 ands line with its $553 million projected

budget priorities.

o date, the county has implementedcost-saving measures, Williams said, byeliminating unfunded positions, imple-menting a cost allocation plan, initiat-

ing countywide grants and renewing afocus on economic development.he county has had a history of

holding an excess of a couple of hun-dred positions that are unfunded. Whatthat does is give the misperception thatthe county workforce is in fact largerthan it is, Williams said. he reactionto that is cleaning that up and removinga number of those positionsapproxi-mately upwards of 200.

Williams also listed a number ofbudgeting priorities the county hasimplemented this year including en-hancing public safety, facilitating jobsand economic development, increasingefficient operations and investing inemployees.

Our target this year is to hire 100police and 100 firefighters and cur-rently we are on track with 92 police of-ficers hired thus far and more than 400firefighters certified, Williams said.

Additionally, the county has also im-plemented incentive programs to retainofficers such as a take-home car initia-tive and education reimbursements.Williams said historically the countyhas faced a 10 percent turnover rate butso far this year that rate has remained atapproximately 2.5 percent.

he county also has increased thebudgets of several offices including the

child advocacy, medical examiner andpublic defenders offices. An additional$195,000 will be added to the DeKalbCounty District Attorneys Office tofund a public integrity unit.

County officials also have set asideapproximately $943,000 for repairingcounty facilities and $244,000 for ananalysis of the impact of incorporationand annexation on the county.

Commissioners are required to ap-prove a finalized budget by July 8.

Inmate death being reviewedat DeKalb County Jail

he DeKalb County Sheri sOice is reviewing the appar-ent suicide o an inmate in theDeKalb County Jail June 18, ac-cording to a news release.

he inmate has been identi-ied as Stefanos Andreas Leon,33.

Leon was taken to GradyMemorial Hospital late June 18ater oicers ound him hang-ing and unresponsive in his cell,according to the news release.Emergency medical assistancewas administered, and he wastransported by DeKalb EMS toGrady Hospital, where he waspronounced dead just beoremidnight. Family members

have been notiied o his death.At the time o the incident,

Leon was in custody on variouscharges, including cocaine andmarijuana possession, obstruc-tion, abuse o the elderly, andintererence with governmentproperty, according to the newsrelease.

Two walking initiativesapproved for south DeKalbdistrict

he DeKalb County Boardo Commissioners approvedtwo projects June 10 designedto get District 3 residents andother DeKalb residents walkingin the community: the SouthRiver rail Phase 1B and theConstitution Lakes Nature railimprovements.

South River rail Phase 1Bisor use by the Department oPublic Works. his transporta-

tion division project consists othe installation o a 16,100-lin-ear-oot, 12-oot wide concretetrail along a linear corridorrom Gresham Park to GeorgiaPerimeter College.

he second project is theConstitution Lakes Nature Pre-serve rail Improvements andis or use by the Recreation,Parks and Cultural Aairs De-partment. his project consistso constructing an 8-oot wideboardwalk trail that will serveas a connection to the existingtrail system which is withinConstitution Lakes Nature Pre-serve Improvements.

Walking is such an inte-gral part o maintaining goodhealth, states District 3 Com-

missioner LarryJohnson,who spearheaded the DeKalbWalksFor the Health o Itinitiative and championed thesouth DeKalb projects. heseprojects will be wonderul as-sets to our community by pro-

viding our residents with twoadditional avenues or stayingit. We look orward to their de-

velopment.

Dunwoody Police issuespedestrian crosswalkcitations

he Dunwoody Police De-partment conducted a pedes-trian crosswalk detail June 18on Mount Vernon Road aterreceiving several complaintsabout vehicular traic ailing tostop at the designated crosswalkwhich has multiple saety ea-tures in place.

During the detail a plainclothes oicer utilized the

See Briefs on page 6A

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ONE MANS OPINION

Playing through and keeping score on our roads

The road to success is alwaysunder construction, golf legendArnold Palmer.

he Dwight D. EisenhowerNational System of Interstate andDefense Highways (commonlyknown as the U.S. Interstate/Highway System), are named for thepresident who championed theircreation. Congress authorized theirst interstate highway constructionunding with the Federal Aid

Highway Act of 1956. Originally

planned as a national defenseenhancement for troop mobilizationand transit during the Cold War,nterstate system development

continued for the next 35 years. Notcounting our separate but connectedtate highway systems, as of 2012,he U.S. interstate systems contains

47,714 miles of roadway, and as of2011, one out of every four vehiclesmiles is driven on our interstates.

And yet, due to congressionalgridlock and the ongoing inactionof Washington, D.C., our U.S.ransportation DepartmentsHighway rust Fund will run out

of money as early as August ofhis year. A pending $265 billionransportation bill is amonghe many awaiting passage by

Congress. According to an analysisby the Pew Charitable rust, our

bright red home state of Georgiareceives roughly 52.3 percentof the Georgia Department ofransportations budget fromCongress and the U.S. DOHighway rust Fund. And thatcupboard is about to run dry.

Since 1993, Congress has cappedour federal gas tax at 18.4 cents agallon (for 21 years). At the sametime significant increases have beenmade in vehicle fuel efficiency andthe performance of each of thosegallons of fuel, driving annualrevenues from that fuel excise taxdown to roughly $34 billion peryear. Current congressional fundinglevels for maintenance and newconstruction are nearly $50 billiononce appropriated. During 2012,

Georgia voters additionally declinedtransportation special purposelocal-option sales tax increases(-SPLOSs) by overwhelmingmargins in all but two multi-countytransit districts. Tough severalmetro counties do fund local roadand highway improvements in partwith their own SPLOS and salestax revenues, those dollars do notimprove, maintain or widen ourinterstates.

Excluding Florida, southernstates remain extremely averse totoll roads. Georgia 400s toll boothis now nearly disassembled andGeorgias only other toll road ofsignificance, formerly the St. SimonsIsland Causeway, was reopenedand again made toll-free well over adecade ago.

Te American Automobile

Association (AAA) isrecommending a 12.5 cent increasein the federal motor fuel tax,bringing the per gallon excise taxup to just under 31 cents per gallon,and bringing the projected resultingrevenues up to current federaltransportation spending levels.Sounds reasonable to me.

Yet just as Georgia declined amassive expansion of Medicaiddue to concerns over the laterevaporating federal funding,Georgians should be willing tostep up and step forward withoptions to fund more of our ownroadway construction. olls canbe introduced for certain types oftransit, such as rigs, large trucks,tractor trailers, etc., all of which also

have a disproportionate impact oninterstate and roadway wear andtear.

Florida has express tolls whichvary based on the amount of roadmiles driven, and the technologyexists to track your car via satellite,deducting tolls electronically via aPeach Pass or similar card, withouteven requiring slowing down for atoll booth.

As a Libertarian-leaningIndependent voter and fiscalconservative, I see little present day

justification for continuing massivefederal investment in expanding oreven maintaining the most basicmiles of our interstate system. Letthe feds have the bridges, tunnelsand any massive new projectsidentified and funded throughthe congressional appropriations

process, and hand the major day-to-day maintenance and newconstruction back to pit crews in thestates.

Tis could become a very basiccase of conservatives and the GOP-controlled U.S. House putting itsmoney down the way its mouthrolls, and who pays and how muchfor where our rubber meets theroad. Weve been bouncing thesechecks for too long. Tough thetransit needs are real, our statesneed to start stepping in to build aswell as to fund, paying as we go, orborrowing and funding. And thatalso, of course, means the stateswhich want and need the mostroads, lanes, off-ramps, etc., are alsogoing to have to find ways to pay for

them. If there is truly no free lunchor free healthcare as someone elsedefinitely pays for those, then weall need to collectively bite downhard and understand there are nofree highways or gallons of fuel toburn on them anymore either. Drivesafely.

Bill Crane also serves as a politicalanalyst and commentator for Channel2s Action News, WSB-AM News/Talk750 and now 95.5 FM, as well as acolumnist forThe Champion, Cham-pion Free Press andGeorgia Trend.Crane is a DeKalb native and businessowner, living in Scottdale. You canreach him or comment on a column [email protected].

Bill crane

Columnist

THE CHAMPION FREE PRESS, FRIDAY, JUNE 27, 2014 PAGE 4AOPINION

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LETTER TO EDITOR

All eyes on DeKalb

Race continues to be problematicor the nation. Americans gener-

ally look to the political process forpositive social change and piecemealemedies. From this vantage point,

politics is seen as a means to achievecompromise and cope with mean-ngful social change.

Minus a violent revolution, thepolitical process can work to redis-ribute resources, redress injustices,

and improve the atmosphere inwhich people live and work. At leasthis is what Americans hope for.

Professor Martin L. Kilsonin-orms us that the political class ofboth Black Americans and Whiteethnic groups has undergone threeather distinct stages of political

development: A protest stage, anelectoral empowerment stage and apower consolidation stage. Indeed,he patterns of the Black political

class have been both similar to anddifferent from those of the Irish,ewish, Italian, and other White

American ethnic groups. For exam-ple, among Irish-Americans, elec-oral political power and protest pol-tics occurred simultaneously, but

this is not the case at all for Blacks.Because of racism and discrimina-tion, Blacks were almost completelyexcluded from mainstream Ameri-can processes. he rigid exclusionfrom mainstream political, social

and economic processes meant thatBlacks had to employ the practiceof protest politics for a much longertime than White ethnic groups.

Indeed, from the 1920s to the1960s White ethnic groups werepursuing electoral empowermentpolicies and advancing to powerconsolidation politics, while nation-al Black organizations, Black pro-fessional association, and religiousand trade union organizations wereengaged in major pragmaticactivistpolitical protests. Simultaneously,the Nation of Islam and its leader-ship practiced an ethnocentric-militancy type political protestfocusing on Black cultural pride andon autonomous Black-group devel-opment.

hese political protests evolvedinto a civil rights movement thatattracted massive intervention ofthe federal government to break the

violence-riddled barriers the Whitesouth had in place against Blacks foralmost a century. hus the politicalprotests and the federal governmentintervention led to the passage ofthe Voting Rights Act in 1965 andsubsequent legislation, resultingin the climb from some 300 Blackelected officials in the 1960s to

around 8,000 in the 1990s.he combined protests and pres-

sure of the Civil Rights Movementsuccessfully appealed to majorityopinion to officially end many dis-criminatory practices and helped

move the Black middle class towardracial equity.According to professorAndrew

Hacker, for a period of about 30yearsroughly from 1945 to 1975White Americans found themselvesembarrassed by blatant cases of dis-crimination.

However, starting in the 1970s,the attitudes of some White voterswho had been willing to supportmeasures aimed at assisting Blacksbegan to change. here began to bea significant ideological and organi-zational transformation of the Re-publican Party with Richard Nixonsetting the stage for the triumph ofracial conservatism. he accelera-tion of the Republicans move tothe far right, especially on the issueof race, was boosted as supportersof George Wallace flocked to theparty.

he political transformationneeded must begin with some can-did and honest acknowledgmentsabout race. hough legal slaveryis in the past, White America hasmade being Black a hopelessly sadstate of affairs by allowing segrega-tion, subordination and racism tocontinue to persist. Equally impor-tant, despite the aforementioned

state of affairs, it is incumbent uponthe Black community to embracethe American tradition that every-one is expected to make it on hisown. hus, Blacks must accept theresponsibility and correct what Dr.

Cornell Westcalled, Nihilism inBlack Americawidespread sense ofworthlessness and self-loathing.

Against this backdrop, Blackleaders at all levels should revive andimplement the Rainbow CoalitionCampaign. hat is a multiracial,multi-class political movement withstrong participation and leader-ship from racial minorities, labor,womens organizations, and otherleft-of-center groups to effectivelyarticulate important interests andconcerns of the most marginalizedand oppressed, as well as the middleclass sectors of society.

by Allyson Gevertz

My fellow DeKalb voters andaxpayers, we are at a criticaluncture in the state of our county.

A few short weeks ago, theDeKalb Board of Education electiongarnered a meager 10 percent voterurnout. Of the seven board seats,

hree will be decided in the July22 runoff election. Six candidatesepresenting Districts 3, 4 and 5are

on the campaign trail right now,ngaging with parents on the future

of our school system and how besto ensure academic growth for all

DeKalb children.Not only will the new school

board select the next superintendent,but it will also lead the district toull accreditation and guide theransition to charter system status.

Transparency must be the ruleof law in order to unite parents,ommunity stakeholders, and

business leaders across the district.While full accreditation is still at

take, the silver lining is that peoplehave awakened to the realizationhat we must be laser-focused on

our schools. Our current board is

on the right track as evidenced bythe return to accreditation, withwarning, earlier this year by theSouthern Association of Collegesand Schools. In fact, during theaccreditation announcement,SACS head Mark Elgarturged thecommunity to pay close attentionto board candidates.

The superintendent search isin its nascent stage with currentboard members setting expectationsregarding search firms, timelineand community involvement.As the process continues, publicengagement will ensure the newboard hires an individual who willunderstand the challenges facingour students. Additionally, the newboard and superintendent must notmuddy the waters of responsibility.Rather, they must workcollaboratively while understandingeach partys responsibility to thedistrict.

To that end, the board shouldnot serve as a rubber stamp forthis or future administrations. In arecent work session, a significantamount of time was spent discussingparticular budget items. Some

board members objected, stating thegoverning body was micromanagingrather than assuming theadministrations funding requestneeded no further discussion. Asresidents of a county fraught withquestionable spending approved byelected leaders, we cannot afford toassume a recommended budget is

beyond refute.Funding transparency ought to bethe new standard for the incomingDeKalb school board. A cultureof transparency will rebuild trustin our district and strengthen ourcounty. Gwinnett leads the way forexemplary openness in its budgetingprocess. One way to ensure ourtax dollars meet the needs of thedistrict at the local school level is toimplement zero-based budgetingfund classrooms first.

All eyes are on DeKalb. Letsshow them we understand what is atstake.

Allyson Gevertz is a Lakesidearea resident, mother of two, and co-founder of DeKalb Parent CouncilsUnited.

OPINIONTHE CHAMPION FREE PRESS, FRIDAY, JUNE 27, 2014 PAGE 5A

Gene Walkerk

Columnist

Let Us Know What You Think!

THE CHAMPION FREE PRESSencourages opinionsfrom its readers. Please write to us and express yourviews. Letters should be brief, typewritten and contain

the writers name, address and telephone number forverification. All letters will be considered for publica-tion.

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) 373-7779Deadline for news releases and advertising: Thursday, one weekprior to publication date.

EDITORS NOTE: The opinions written by columnists and contribut-ing editors do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editor orpublishers. The Publisher reserves the right to reject or cancel anyadvertisement at any time. The Publisher is not responsible forunsolicited manuscripts.

Publisher:John Hewitt

Chief Financial Officer: Dr. Earl D. Glenn

Managing Editor: Andrew cauthen

Production Manager: Kemesha Hunt

Photographer: Travis Hudgons

Staff Reporters: Daniel Beauregardcarla Parker

Lauren Ramsdell

Advertising Sales: Louise Dyrenforth Aker

The Champion Free Press is published eachFriday by ACE III Communications, Inc.,

114 New Street, Suite E, Decatur, GA. 30030Phone (404) 373-7779.

www.hampionnewspaper.om

DISPLAY ADVERTISING (404) 373-7779 x 110

FREEPRESS

STATEMENT FROM THE PUBLISHERWe sinerely appreiate the disussionsurrounding this and any issue of interest toDeKalb county. The Championwas founded in1991 expressly to provide a forum for disoursefor allommunity residents on all sides of anissue. We have no desire to make the newsonly to report news and opinions to effet a

more eduated itizenry that will ultimatelymove our ommunity forward. We are happyto present ideas for disussion; however, wemake every effort to avoid printing informationsubmitted to us that is known to be false and/orassumptions penned as fat.

[email protected]

Revive rainbow politics

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COMMUNITY

If you would like to nominate someone

to be considered as a future Champion

of the Week, please contact AndrewCauthen at [email protected]

or at (404) 373-7779, ext. 117.

SUZI LAWRENCE

ChampionoftheWeek

Investment consultant arrested,charged with fraudby Carla [email protected]

A man accused o scam-

ming New Birth MissionaryBaptist Church membersout o nearly $1 million hasbeen arrested.

Ephren TaylorII was ar-ested June 17 on a ederalndictment charging him

and another deendant withderauding investors acrosshe country o more than

$5 million, the U.S. Attor-neys Oice in Atlanta an-nounced.

According to U.S. At-orneys Oice, rom April

2009 through October 2010,

aylor, then CEO o CityCapital Corporation, and hiscodeendant Wendy Con-nor, the ormer chie oper-ating oicer o City CapitalCorporation, participatedn a conspiracy to deraudnvestors. he scheme al-egedly derauded hundreds

o investors o more than $5million nationwide.

Mr. aylor came intoour community, promisinghard-working citizens a wayo make their retirement

money go arther, said U.S.Attorney Sally Quillian

Yates. he investments hepitched proved to be worth-ess, along with his prom-ses.

As part o the scheme,aylor, o Overland Park,Kan., traveled around thecountry on a BuildingWealth our, giving wealthmanagement seminars tochurch congregations, ac-cording to the U.S. Attor-neys Oice. During thisour, aylor claimed to be asocially conscious investor

and alsely claimed that 20

percent o proits were do-nated to charity.One o the churches on

he Building Wealth ourwas New Birth MissionaryBaptist Church in Lithonia.

In 2009, Bishop Eddie Longsponsored the investment

seminars at the church,which took place rom Oct.17-23, according a lawsuitiled against Long by 12 or-mer church members.

During the seminar,aylor, 31, and Connor metchurch members to discusspossible investments. Morethan 80 individuals romGeorgia lost more than $2million because o aylorsscheme, according to Yates.

he investments in-cluded investing in promis-sory notes, where the undsinvested would be used to

support small businesses,such as laundries, juice bars,and gas stations. aylor isalleged to have alsely rep-resented the revenues andreturns or these businessesknowing that they werenot proitable, according toYates.

aylor also pressed aninvestment in sweepstakesmachines. Sweepstakes ma-chines are computers withgames that allow players towin cash prizes. aylor pub-lished oering materials that

alsely claimed the averagesweepstakes machine wouldgenerate 300 percent inves-tor returns. He also statedthat the sweepstakes ma-chine investments were 100

percent risk ree, accordingto Yates.

aylor allegedly knewthat the investments he was

touting were not proitableand that investors were notreceiving actual returnsrom their investments, ac-cording to Yates.

In the church memberslawsuit, iled last year, Longallegedly was warned be-orehand about a raudulentinvestment scheme thatcaused them to lose nearly$1 million.

Jason Doss, the attor-ney who is representing theplaintis, said last year thathis clients would not have

lost their money i Long hadheeded the warning.When a church receives

a warning that is so speciicabout what was going tohappen.they should havestopped the seminar, notallowed the seminars to hap-pen, he said. Had that hap-pened we wouldnt be heretoday.

As part o the scheme,aylor encouraged investorsto use sel-directed IRAsto make their investments.Many victims transerredretirement savings to trust

companies that acted ascustodians or sel-directedIRAs, expecting these undsto be used to und the in-

vestments pushed by aylor,according to Yates.

Ater victims undedtheir sel-directed IRAs,aylor and others directedthe use o those unds. hemoney allegedly was notinvested as promised, butrather was used to pay on-going business expenses oCity Capital, pay personalexpenses or aylor, and in

some limited instances, topay supposed returns to ear-lier investors, according toYates.

Suzi Lawrences clientsat Our House rarely speakto her. hey cry and grab,and you dont want tohear about their hygieneskills.

hats because theyreinants. Our House is achildcare and resourcecenter or homelessamilies. Lawrence goesto the acility on Colum-bia Drive several times

per week to oer lovingsupport in the inant pre-school class.

My background is be-ing a mother, Lawrencesaid. I was not an educa-tor, but I have always beendrawn to babies. I havetwo sons o my own, andtheres something aboutbabies that brings me a loto joy.

Previously, Lawrencevolunteered at a similarorganization called MyHouse. She then tran-sitioned to Our House

where she has done every-thing rom kindergartento 3- and 4-year-olds, tonow inants. She estimatesshes been volunteering atOur House or eight years.

he two attendants inthe nursery are antasticladies, she said. What Ibasically do is help them.I eed and play with thebabies and rock them tosleep.

Lawrence said shesbeen volunteering mosto her lie, since she was

about 15. Now 75, shestarted volunteering moreoten ater her retirement

at 65. In addition to OurHouse, she also volunteerswith the elderly.

Its important to me togo out; it just makes myday, she said. How manypeople go to work and itmakes their day? Not a loto people. I eel like I havecontributed: I have re-ceived love and Ive givenloveit gives me goosepimples to think about it.

he backgrounds othe babies are unknownto Lawrence; she treatsthem all the same, likeshe would her own child.Many parents ride longbus routes to jobs, thencome back to Our Housebeore inding respite orthe night at a shelter.

he amazing part obabies is, they dont knowtheyre homeless, Law-rence said. Some o theolder children dont know.All they need is to be edchanged and loved. hey

just need a parent

Taylor

crosswalk 26 times, each time the oicer ac-ivated the lashing yellow lights, accordingo a news release. As a result o the detail,ix citations or violation o the states right

o way in crosswalk law were issued.One accident involving a car and a pe-

destrian or cyclist is too many and couldhave catastrophic results, said DunwoodyPolice Chie Billy Grogan. Undercover

details such as this one help bring muchneeded attention to this important saetyconcern. Our hope is the attention generat-ed as a result o this detail and the citations

issued will cause our motoring public to usemore caution when approaching crosswalksand pedestrians and yield to the pedestriansas required by law.

Briefs Continued From Page 3A

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COMMUNITY

AROUNDDEKALBAtlantaGroup offers free summer lunch at local high

chool

Family Choices Inc. is providing ree lunch toall children ages 18 or younger without charge atMcNair High School, located at 1804 Boulder-crest Road in Atlanta.

he group is oering meals at the high schoolrom through July 25 rom 2:30-4 p.m. as part ohe Summer Food Service Program.

Brookhaven

Brookhaven library to host Read to Rover

Children ages 58 can practice their new read-ng skills by reading aloud to Ellie, a therapy dog,

at the Read to Rover event. he event will beheld July 2 at Brookhaven Library rom 12 p.m.he event is open to the irst eight participants.Group o ive or more are asked to call the libraryat (404) 848-7140.

Citys District 2 to hold a community update

Brookhaven oicials and sta will a hold acommunity update or the residents o the citysDistrict 2 on uesday, July 1, rom 6:30 to 8:30p.m. at Ashord Park, rain or shine.

Residents are invited drop by, enjoy some lightereshments, learn about the comprehensive

plans or Brookhaven parks, transportation andzoning. Residents also can get inormation abouthe upcoming special election or District 2cheduled or Nov. 4.

DecaturHuffleriot Tour stops at Decatur Library

Fans o the Harry Potterbook series like toake the magic o the page and into the real

world. Friday, June 27, two wizard rock bands onks and the Aurors and Justin Finch-Fletchleyand the Sugar Quills bring their charming ris toDecatur Library.

he concert starts at 6 p.m. Dress up andbring wands, or come as you are and rock out.he bands music can be ound at tonksandthe-aurors.com and jismyb.com.

Church concert to fund scholarships

he Mt. Welcome Missionary Baptist Churcho Decatur will present Love in Any Language, abeneit concert.

he concert will eature soprano SherryDukes, and classical, spirituals and inspirational

elections by Jean Derricotte-Murphy, RuthRandalland Zipporah Taylorwith accompanistElla Lewis.

he event is a undraiser or the churchsMyrtice Bell Memorial Scholarship Fundto help

youth attend college or any other certiied pro-

gram.he beneit concert will be held at the church,located at 581 Parker Avenue in Decatur, on Sat-urday, June 28, at 6 p.m.

he admission is ree and donations will becollected. For more inormation, contact RosePorterat (770) 279-2999.

Library hosts Book Buddies book club

Friends o the Decatur Library are hosting amonthly book club July 15, rom 4-5 p.m., orearly chapter book readers at the Decatur Library,located at 215 Sycamore Street in Decatur.

he event is geared toward children between7-8 years o age and eatures a book each month,

ollowed by activities, snacks and discussion.hose interested in participating can sign upat the ront desk o the Decatur Library or call(404) 370-8450.

he book club is open to the irst 10 partici-pants to sign up.

DunwoodyMovie in the Park at Brook Run Park

Dunwoodys Brook Run Park is showing thebox-office smash Frozen on June 28. Te eventstarts at 6 p.m. and the movie begins at sunset.

Frozen is a re-imagining o he SnowQueen by Hans Christian Andersonand ea-turesKristen Bellas plucky Anna, Idina Menzelas snowy Elsa andJonathan Groffas ruggedKristo. he Oscar-winning movie, which irstopened in theatres in November 2013, was thehighest grossing movie o that year and is cur-rently the highest grossing animated movie o alltime.

he showing is ree and will take place at thelawn near the playground and the parks mainentrance.

Accreditation team seeks comments onChatComm 911

he Chattahoochee River 911 Authority(ChatComm) is seeking communications accred-itation rom the Commission on Accreditationor Law Enorcement Agencies Inc. (CALEA).

Members o the community and employees othe city o Dunwoody are invited to oer com-ments by phone at (404) 843-6615 on Monday,July 21, rom 1 to 3 p.m.

elephone comments are limited to 10 min-utes and must address ChatComms ability tocomply with CALEAs standards. A copy o thestandards is available at ChatComm. For moreinormation, call Michelle Allenat (404) 843-6600.

Written comments about ChatComms abil-ity to meet the standards or communicationsaccreditation should be sent to: Commission on

Accreditation or Law Enorcement Inc., 13575Heathcote Blvd. Suite 320, Gainesville, VA 20155;or be emailed to [email protected].

CALEAs accreditation program requirescommunications centers to comply with 218 ap-

plicable state-o-the art standards in three basic

areas: policy and procedures, administration andoperations.Established in 1979 by the International As-

sociation o Chies o Police, the National Orga-nization o Black Law Enorcement Executives,the National Sheris Association, and the PoliceExecutive Research Forum, CALEA is recognizedinternationally as the key credentialing authorityor law enorcement agencies.

For more inormation regarding CALEA, writethe commission at the above address or call (703)352-4225 or email at [email protected].

Oakhurst

Wylde Center hosts medicine-makingworkshop

he Wylde Center, located at 415 East LakeDrive in Decatur, is hosting a medicine-makingworkshop July 27 at 4 p.m.

Located in the Sugar Creek Garden, the work-shop will be taught by garden manager DaraSuchke. Materials to bring and details will be an-nounced closer to the date o the workshop anddepends on what is harvestable at the time.

For more inormation contact Suchke [email protected] or visit www.wyldecenter.org.

Stone MountainCity to host childrens festival

Stone Mountain will host the Second StreetChildrens Festival June 28 rom 5 to 7 p.m. heestival is a part o the citys 175th anniversarycelebration. he day will also include a com-munity concert on the Baptist Lawn rom 7to 8:30 p.m. For more inormation, visit www.stonemountainvillage.com.

Countywide

Superior Court offers free notary trainingDeKalb County Superior Court Clerk Debra

DeBerry and the Georgia Superior Court ClerksCooperative Authority are hosting two ree no-tary training sessions Aug. 1, rom 9-10:30 a.m.and 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m.

he workshop will take place at the MalooAuditorium, located at 1300 Commerce Drive inDecatur, and is open to the public.

For more inormation or to RSVP contactTwinette Jones at (404) 371-2250 or [email protected].

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THE CHAMPION FREE PRESS, FRIDAY, JUNE 27, 2014 PAGE 8ALOCAL NEWS

Anti-recidivism court givesoffenders a second chance

Restaurant InspectionsEstablishment Name: Third Eye Bar & LoungeAddress: 3939 Lawrenceville HighwayCurrent Score/Grade: 80/BInspecon Date: 06/11/2014

Observaons and Correcve AconsCold-held potenally hazardous foods not maintained below41F; no me controls/documentaon in place (see * at templog). PIC advised that proper cold hold temperature shall notexceed 41F. Corrected to lower ambient temperature of lowcooler and to relocate PHF items to working prep top cooler.Open RedBull can stored inside ice bin (ice used for drinks)at bar area; empty pinapple juice can stored inside ice bin atbar area. Corrected to discard drink cans and to discard allice inside bin. .Floors, walls, and/or ceilings not constructed and/orinstalled so that they are easily cleanable. Unapprovedmaterial on ceilings in kitchen. Replace with material that isnon-absorbant & easily cleanable.Holes or other gaps along oors, walls, and/or ceilingspresent risk for pest entry. Visible light present at numerousdoors in facility. Advised to install weather strip to prevententry of pests

Establishment Name: Yum Yum Thai RestaurantAddress: 3977 Lawrenceville HighwayCurrent Score/Grade: 85/BInspecon Date: 06/11/2014

Observaons and Correcve AconsFood employees not cleaning hands immediately beforeengaging in food prep. Observed employee return intokitchen and engage in food prep without washing hands.Employee corrected. Corrected On-Site. Repeat Violaon.Employee wearing jewelry other than a plain ring whilepreparing food. PIC advised that all jewelry must beremoved while preparing food, food employees may notwear jewelry including medical informaon jewelry on theirarms and hands, except for a plain wedding band.The most current inspecon report not posted. PICcorrected by posng most recent score.

Establishment Name:Jersey Mikes SubsAddress: 2458 Je Ferry Road, Suite 220Current Score/Grade: 96/AInspecon Date: 06/11/2014

Observaons and Correcve AconsWiping cloth soluon 0ppm Cl-. PIC advised to maintainwiping cloth soluon between 50 and 100ppm Cl-. COS-bleach added to soluon. Corrected On-Site. New Violaon.Scoops in sugar and corn meal stored with handle touchingproduct. PIC advised that if scoops are stored in producthandle must remain up out of product. COS- scoopsadjusted. Scoops without handles observed in spices. PICadvised that all scoops must have handles. COS- scoopsremoved. Corrected On-Site. New Violaon.Establishment Name: Krispy Kreme DoughnutsAddress: 5768 Buford Highway NECurrent Score/Grade: 96/AInspecon Date: 06/11/2014Observaons and Correcve AconsPIC unable to present employee health policy in verbal orwrien form. COS- PIC provided with health policy.

Establishment Name: Boston Market #0262Address: 4754 Redan RoadCurrent Score/Grade: 85/BInspecon Date: 06/19/2014

Observaons and Correcve AconsNo soap available at one of the kitchen handwashing sinks.PIC advised that soap must be available at all hand sinks atall mes. COS- soap provided. No paper towels availableat one of the kitchen handwashing sinks. PIC advised thatpaper towels must be available at all hand sinks at all mes.COS- paper towels provided. Buer on countertop and milkin display cooler not holding at 41F or below. PIC advised ofuse of me as a public health control for buer as an opon.COS- PIC placed buer on ice bath and discarded milk.Pans observed stacked wet. PIC advised to allow all dishesand equipment to air dry before stacking

by Daniel [email protected]

DeKalb County Supe-ior Court Diversion Pro-

gram Director KaleemaThomas said those whowant a chance to turn theirives around can have it, butheyll have to work hard ort.

homas runs the Anti-

Recidivism Court, whichwas created by DistrictAttorney Robert Jamesn 2011 as a way to give o-

enders ages 17-25 a secondchance. Since the programsnception, 22 participants

have successully completedhe program.

he participants haveo be committed to change

and willing to work onhemselves throughout the

process, homas said. heprogram is not a it or everyapplicant.

he yearlong program isntense, homas said, andhose who participate areequired to report to proba-ion, perorm communityervice, report to monthly

compliance hearings andundergo random monitor-ing. Additionally, partici-pants must pay any restitu-tion involved with their ar-rest, enroll in an academicprogram i they have notobtained a high school di-ploma/GED and attend be-havior modiication classes.

Currently, there are 20participants in the program.

homas said it has grownover the years as her oicehas started taking on morecomplicated caseloads.

he program is very vig-orousthese young peopleare charged with pretty seri-ous oensesso we want tomake sure that were break-ing the cycle o being rear-rested, homas said.

James said that its impor-tant the program isnt just aget out o jail ree card.

It allows them to learnrom their prior missteps,James said.

he Anti-RecidivismCourt is a collaborativepartnership among DeKalbCounty Public Deend-ers Oice, DeKalb County

Magistrate Court andDeKalb County DistrictAttorneys Oice. Accord-ing to national statistics,approximately two-thirdso individuals arrested willbe re-arrested within threeyears.

We not only providethem with lie skills train-ing but also a strict guide-line to ollow. Many do not

complete the course. Forthose participants who docomplete all o their require-ments, they will have theircases dismissed, James said.

Currently, homas saidthe program, is in the pro-cess o developing an alumninetwork or those who havealready been through theprogram.

When people inish theprogram they generally tellus how much theyve ben-eited rom the program. Wewant the people who actu-ally graduate remaining ar-rest ree or the rest o theirlives, homas said.

n 2011, DeKalb County District Attorney Robert James began a program to help troubled youth get a secondhance at life. Photos provided

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NOTICE OF PROPERTY TAX INCREASE

The City of Chamblee has tentatively adopted a new millage rate of 6.40 mills for the portion of the City annexed on December30, 2013.

All concerned citizens are invited to the public hearings on this tax increase to be held at the Chamblee Civic Center located at3540 Broad St, Chamblee Georgia on June 12, 2014. There will be one hearing at 11:30 AM and another at 6:00 PM.

An additional public hearing on this tax increase will be held at the Chamblee Civic Center on June 30, 2014 at 6:00 PM.

This tentative new millage rate of 6.40 mills for the newly annexed properties will result in an increase of 6.40 mills. Without thistentative tax increase, the millage rate will be 0 mills. The proposed tax increase for a home with a fair market value of $125,000 isapproximately $320.00 and the proposed tax increase for non-homestead property with a fair market value of $450,000 isapproximately $1,152.00.

State of Georgia statues do not specifically address the setting of the initial millage rate for a newly annexed area by a municipality but the City of Chamblee isadvertising a Notice of Property Tax Increase, with associated public hearing notification, in order to ensure full disclosure of its intent to levy property taxes in thearea annexed on December 30, 2013. The millage rate of 6.40 proposed for the annexed area is the same as that proposed for the rest of the City and is below therollback millage rate and therefore would no t constitute a tax increase for the rest of the City.

The CityofChambleeCityCouncil doesherebyannouncethatthemillageratewillbeset atameetingtobeheldattheChambleeCivic

Centerlocatedat3540BroadStreet,Chamblee,Georgia onJune30,2014at6:00PMandpursuanttotherequirements ofGa. Code

48532doesherbypublishthefollowing presentationofthecurrentyear's tax digestandlevy,along withthehistoryofthetax digest

and levyforthepastfiveyears.

2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014

Real&Pers ona l 575,089,705 533,197,959 797,623,949 729,978,100 723,574,965 996,371,051

MotorVehicles&HeavyE qui pment 16 ,11 8,77 0 1 4,546 ,77 0 1 4,1 31, 410 22, 076, 110 27 ,471 ,83 0 23, 809, 872

PublicUtilities 10,769,822 9,563,181 11,087,937 9,128,386 9,726,659 10,289,198

Gross Diges t 601,978,297 557,307,910 822,843,296 761,182,596 760,773,454 1,030,470,121

Less Exemptions 44,074,131 44,896,783 88,432,680 8 3,119,557 86,685,769 1 35,524,124

AdjustedNetDig es t 557,904,166 512,411,127 734,410,616 678,063,039 674,087,685 894,945,997

Gross MillageRage 6.31 7.95 7.4 7.4 6.4 6.4

NetTaxes

Levied 3,520,375 4,073,668 5,434,639 5,017,666 4,314,161 5,727,654

NetTaxes$Increase 762,814 553,293 1,360,970 (416,972) (703,505) 1,413,493

NetTaxes%increase 27.66% 15.72% 33.41% 7.67% 14.02% 32.76%

CURRENT 2014 TAX DIGEST AND FIVE YEAR HISTORY OF LEVY

NOTICE

by Daniel [email protected]

Interim DeKalb CountyCEO Lee May said beforebeing torn down to makeway for a new facility, Fire

Station No. 3 had gotten tohe point where it almosthould have been con-

demned.he mayor here was

alking about it, but werehankful that we were ableo accommodate this newacility, May said. I haveong stated that the quality

of life of any county rests onhe foundation of its publicafety apparatus and we haveo make sure that people areiving safe and secure lives.

May and other city and

ounty officials were presentune 19 to break ground onhe new fire station facility,ocated where the old onetood at 24 North Clarendon

Ave.Residents, city officials

and public safety personnelhave been calling for a newtation to be built for morehan a year. Before it wasorn down to make way forhe new station, Avondale

Estates Mayor Ed Reikeraid the old facility was in

disrepair for years.It [was a] rotted out

building with asbestos in itand the roof caving in, Riek-r said. he females didnt

have their own restroom andhe [firefighters] live and

work there.he previous fire station

was built in 1949. DeKalbCounty Fire Chief DarnellFullum said he hopes thenew one will last just as longand remain in good condi-ion.

Id like to thank the com-missioners and the interimCEO for their unwavering

upport for public safety andhis is a demonstration ofheir support, Fullum said.here are three things that

will make a fire chief smileany day and thats more fire-ighters, more equipment,

and a new fire station, so Immiling today.

As Fullum spoke, the fireruck belonging to station

No. 3 was parked behindhim. Fullum said the truckalso will be replaced withan upgraded vehicle withinhe next several weeks. he

new station will have three

bays for fire engines, a com-munity room and private ac-ommodations for male andemale firefighters.

his station, though itsits in Avondale, runs ap-proximately 80 percent out-side of Avondale so it sup-ports not only the city butthe community as a whole,Fullum said.

Avondale Mayor Pro-em Terry Giager said thenew station will bring a lotof support to firefightersand improve morale. Severalmonths ago Avondale resi-dent Tami Willadsen, 43,and her 10-year-old daugh-ter Jess died in a fire thatbroke out at their LakeshoreDrive home.

Weve recently had atragedy here, but we are justvery thankful of all the sup-port in making this come tofruition, Giager said.

May said the new stationwill be complete no laterthan spring 2015.

County breaks ground on new Avondale fire station

Interim DeKalb County CEO Lee May, DeKalb Fire Chief Darnell Fullum and other city and county ofcialscelebrated the ground breaking of a new rst station located in Avondale Estates. Photos by D. Beauregard

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DeKalb SWAT forces:Special ops in the countyby Lauren [email protected]

Up to 120 individual crimes oc-ur each day in DeKalb County, ac-

ording to CRIMERAC, the crimetatistics website used by county

police. With those numbers, its onlya matter of time before one situationbecomes too volatile to handle withegular patrol officers.

Luckily, it doesnt happen often.And when it does, they call in theSWA team.

DeKalb County actually has a fewSWA unitsthe acronym standsor Special Weapons and actics.

he DeKalb County Police Depart-ment has a full-time team of 20 of-icers, while Dunwoody, Brookhaven

and Sandy Springs have a joint unit

with officers from each team. AndDoraville has a force made up ofpatrol officers who undergo specificraining.

SWA is a term that is used a lothaphazardly, said Assistant ChiefB.C. Harris, commander of DeKalbCounty Special Operations. o bea true team you must be certified byhe NOA (National actical Of-icers Association). You have to have

negotiators, you have to have a fullntry team, you have to have snipers

and you have to have containment.A lot of agencies will say, We have aSWA team, when they are a tacticaleam, but under the national SWA

guidelines they are not a SWAeam.

Harris said that was not a criti-ism of smaller tactical departments

and that the joint training could be a

net benefit for the departments.hats how Officer Gene Callaway

of the Doraville Police Department(DPD) sees it. Doravilles SWA forceis made up of patrol officers who also

train for high-stakes operations andare certified through the NOA. heDPD has one unique vehicle in itsarsenal, tooa M113 armored per-sonnel carrier.

It is a tool, Callaway said. Justlike when we go out on a call, wemake sure we wear our vests. Wewant to make sure our officers gohome at the end of the day. he 113is a tool to move around like that.

Callaway said the vehicle isntused very frequently but has beenemployed with success during armedstandoffs and barricaded suspects.

he last time the 113 was used

was during the snowstorm whenwe were pulling 18-wheelers out ofditches, he said.

SWA units usually respond tothe highest-risk warrants issued, suchas those for drugs or known shooters.Recently, the DeKalb SWA unit wascalled for a hostage and robbery inci-dent at a Chamblee AutoZone.

Youre not supposed to use aSWA team for things that can bedone by a uniformed officer, Har-ris said, But that was an appropriateuse. He had already taken hostagesand he hadnt been cleared. You dontknow how many gunmen there are.Could a uniform officer do it? Abso-

lutely, but it wasnt a misuse at all.he DeKalb force also has several

armored vehicles, including a LencoBearCat. Armored vehicles, like theBearCat or M113, are usually either

purchased through grants or grantedby the government in exchange forupkeep.

You apply for it and you get it, soit comes to the department at zero

cost, Callaway said. We have tomaintain it what we had to do with[the M113] was find rubber tracks soit could run on the road. Its been agreat tool. Because its zero cost to thedepartment, we dont mind having it.

A recent article by the New YorkTimes states that as military opera-tions oversees wind down, surplusis directed to local law enforcement.here are about 25 military-gradesurplus items in Georgia, includingvehicles and ammunition, accordingto the article.

Calloway said the departmenthosts citizen police academies at least

once per year, so residents can learnabout what the officers do. He saidits important for the community tounderstand what the departmentdoes.

But, Calloway says, it seems likecrime in Doraville has tapered off atleast partially because of the SWAforce and its sturdy M113.

Were going up against a more so-phisticated criminal, he said. Whenyou have a criminal who has an auto-matic rifle, the police officers actionis we will take the level of force justabove to subdue the suspect. If youpull a knife on me, Im going to pulla gun theres an escalation there.

And when theyre pulling out auto-matic weapons we have to be able torespond in an appropriate manner tosubdue that situation rapidly.

Most cities and towns inDeKalb dont have SWAT teams,but many are interested in start-ing special operations divisions.

Stone Mountain Chief Chanc-ey Troutman: We do not havethat type of resource here in thecity of Stone Mountain. We useDeKalb County Police and Sher-

iffs Department for SWAT.Chamblee Chief Donny Wil-

liams: We have always optedinto the service of special re-sources like SWAT, helicoptersand bomb squad units fromDekalb County PD. The city resi-dents pay a little more taxes forthat service. So, when the needcomes for those services we canrely on highly trained units fromDeKalb.

Lithonia Chief Eddie Moody:We are working on putting aresponse team together. It will besome time before that is created.We are putting it together just inthe event that something hap-pens, and DeKalb is not able torespond to make sure we cancover ourselves.

Avondale Estates Chief GaryBroden: Were a small agency.We dont have a SWAT teamand we do have an agreementwith DeKalb county if the situa-tion arises. I have been in eightyears, and we havent had to usethem, and I hope we never haveto.

Brookhaven Chief Gary Yan-dura: We are part of North Met-ro SWAT, which involves Sandy

Springs, Dunwoody, Johns Creekand Brookhaven. Each of the

jurisdictions have officers try outfor it. We have one commandvehicle and an armored vehicleDunwoody was able to acquire. Ithink its best to share resourcesand its better for all the munici-palities.

Clarkston Chief ChristineHudson: If we grow and we endup doing some annexation, yes,we would probably have our ownSWAT team. We are working onannexation and hopefully withinthe next couple of years I see

us being able to do a lot more.Right now we have an 18-manpolice department so its kind ofhard to have guys dedicated tospecial operations.

Dunwoody Chief Billy Gro-gan: We are a member of theNorth Metro SWAT team. We av-erage about five to eight calloutsa year. We meet those [NTOA]standards. One of the thingsthats kind of unique but interest-ing about the North Metro SWATwhen you look at the popula-tions, we serve about 275,000peoplewe cover a pretty largearea.

Doraville Police Department has an independent SWAT division made up of patrol ofcers who undergo additional training. One of theehicles is this armored M113 personnel carrier used in ofcer down or other high-risk engagements.

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hour.VLS addresses a safety

issue, Hoenig said. hereare many more interchanges

on the north side so we haveweaving up on the upper por-tions, which can be danger-ous. Now we will try to moreclosely match what is actuallyhappening.

he increased speedswill not actually cause moreaccidents, said LieutenantWade Chaffinof the GeorgiaDepartment of Public Safety,and may, in fact, be safer thana speed limit lower than howdrivers typically behave any-way.

Speed in and of itself

is not the ultimate cause ofthese accidents, Chaffin said.NASCAR has speeds of upto 200 miles per hour, so if wewere all doing that and turn-ing left it would be fine. Butwe have external input: fromthe dawn of car creations, wehave had radios, getting fastfood and trying to eat a fourcourse dinner in your lap, puton makeup and do yoga.

He further said that slowdrivers, those going belowthe speed limit or below therate of flow of traffic, can bea bigger problem than those

travelling fast.During peak times and

when accidents occur, theransportation ManagementCenter will reduce the speedlimit. he overhead signs willalert drivers to the decreasedspeeds, which will drop inincrements of 10 miles perhour. Georgia also has a lawthat grants drivers 500 feetfrom the start of a new speedlimit to comply with thatlimit before a citation can beissued. he limit will neverdecrease below 35 miles per

hour, the memo states.For the top end that isnot a bad ability, Chaffinsaid. Our folks will have tobe mindful of what is actually

posted at the time, and en-force that adequately. We havealwaysI speak for myselfbut we always give benefit

to the violator, especially in achanging speed limit area.

Hoenig admits that therecent speed limit change onthe south end has actually notproduced a change in drivinghabits; he predicts the newsigns also will not have a dra-matic effect on top speeds.

When we raised thespeed limit on the bottomend, top speeds really did notincrease, he said. We rec-

ognize that people are goingabove 55. he average speedon a Sunday afternoon withlow traffic conditions is usu-ally well above that. But, weare not going above 65 milesper hour. hats what we areallowed to do under Georgialaw.

Instead, Hoenig said, thenew signs will make the topend safer by slowing driversdown well in advance of any

gridlock.A good example is a fun-

nel, he said, If you pour awhole bunch of rice in a fun-nel it will get stuck and gothrough slowly. But, if youslowly pour it in, it will all gothrough much faster.

Get your share.

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SPECIAL INTRODUCTORYOFFER TO NEWADVERTISERS!

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We want to help grow your business.Call

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404.373.7779 X 110 or 102

Top of I-285 to get variable speed limit signsby Lauren [email protected]

Te maximum speed limit

on I-285 north of I-20 willncrease to 65 beginning Sept., according to a memo fromhe Georgia Department of

ransportation (GDO).Sixty-five is only the maxi-

mum, though. he memotates GDO will be imple-

menting variable speed limitVSL) signs along the topnd of I-285. his is in an ef-ort to prevent traffic conges-ion and accidents, the releaseays.

Some benefits touted byhe release include breakups

of stop-and-go traffic inci-

dences, reduced rear-end andane-change collisions, and

decreased idling.he speed limit on the

outhern half of I-285 was in-reased to 65 miles per hourn November 2013. At theime, officials said due to theow volume of traffic, increas-ng the southern portion wassafer than increasing the

northern portion.We have actually done

ome follow-up studies andwe found that average speedon the [I-285, south of I-20]

orridor didnt change verymuch, said Andrew Hoenig,a spokesperson with GDO.Its much more congestedon I-285, north of I-20] so

you have speed that fluctuatesa lot more so its less safe.

Hoenig said that thetudies have shown, despite

a 10-mile-per-hour speedimit increase, the average toppeed of vehicles on the bot-om end of I-285 increased byust one mile per hour.

Now GDO officials areaying that, with the variablepeed limit, adjustments can

be made in real time, increas-ng safety. he memo points

out that Northside trafficduring peak hours alreadyravels under 65 miles per

The top end of I-285, between I-20, will get variable speed limit signs and the top speed will increase to 65 miles per hour, with system tests starting in August. Photos by Lauren Ramsdell

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15K-9 ofcers

youInnovative thinking about new ways toimprove security helped MARTA achieveFlagship Agency status, the highest ranking

any police department can earn*. We coulduse your eyes, too. If you see somethingthats not right, call us. Well take it from there.

SeeSay

something

something

If you

*Awarded by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA).Use MARTAsSee & SayApp.

Txt MPD: (404) 334-5355

orCall (404) 848-4911if you see something out of the ordinary.

by Lauren [email protected]

It was sometime in spring of 2013.Decatur-based acrylic artist Julie AnnMcKevittwas working at Glazed &

Fired, a paint-your-own pottery andart studio in Cumming.

A group of girls came in. heywere from Wellspring Living, a Du-uth-based home for girls who have

been victims of sex trafficking.McKevitt helped instruct the girls

n painting and saw how it helpedhem open up to their caregivers.

Having previous experience work-ng in the arts with at-risk youth, andea began to form in the back of her

mind.She now runs Paint Love, a non-

profit that seeks to connect artistswith at-risk youth. hough the artists

are not trained as therapists, therehave been studies that show creatingart can help those with stress, traumaand anxiety better connect with theireelings.

My great grandmother was aeacher, my grandmother was a teach-

er, my mom was a teacher, McKevittaid.

But I ended up studying market-ng and dance in college. he idea

of Paint Love came from teachingdance. At the University of Miami Itaught at-risk students dance. I knewI wanted to be involved in the arts,but I never knew it would be painting,painting was always a hobby.

McKevitt credits her grandmother,who had a room dedicated to her artin her home, with teaching her how

to paint and encouraging her love ofart.

o me that was so normal, ev-eryone has their art room, McKevittsaid.

From working at Glazed & Firedand working with the Wellspringgirls, McKevitt started looking forways to bring art to other organiza-tions in the area. She also realized

that her lifelong hobby could becomea business. She left her marketing joband started painting full-time in Au-gust 2013.

[Paint Love] really began as aside business and then in August Ilaunched my own business, she said.I connected with a girls home inCumming, Ga. and brought an artist

with me. From there, it started.Paint Love provides most of the

supplies, such as acrylic paint, can-vasses, pencils and pens. hat way, allthe artist has to do is show up to teachtheir lesson.

But, those lessons dont alwaysturn out how you might expect.

he second time I was at Well-spring, I had in my mind this set idea

of what I was going to do and whatI was going to teach, McKevitt said.I kind of went in with that idea andthe girls werent quite ready or theywanted to go on their own. It kind ofevolved into what each girl wanted todo. It really depends on the group ofstudents or how structured it is.

McKevitt said she has registered

Paint Love as a nonprofit with thestate of Georgia and is in the processof submitting tax-exempt paperworkto the Internal Revenue Service. Sofar Paint Love has worked with Well-spring, Jesses House and Kates Club.

Kates Club serves children thathave lost a sibling or parent, a mes-sage that resonates with McKevitt.

I lost my mother about five years

Paint Love draws nonprofits, artists together

See Paint on page 16A

Wellspring Living, a home for girls who have survived sex trafcking, was Paint Loves rst client. I love how much they opened up, howproud they were of their pieces when they were nished, said Julie Ann McKevitt of Paint Love. Photos provided by Julie Ann McKevitt

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WEEKPICTURESIn

Searching for Our Sons and Daughters:

For a programming guide, visit www.yourdekalb.com/dctvNow showing on DCTV!

Finding DeKalb Countys MissingStories of our missing residents offer profoundinsights and hope for a positive reunion.

DCTV Your Emmy Award-winning news source of DeKalb County news. Available on Comcast Cable Channel 23.

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ed by Marti Yura and Cheryl Burnette, approximately 30 people welcomed the summer solstice with yoga onhe Old Courthouse Square in downtown Decatur. Photo by Travis Hudgons

he Dunwoody Preservation Trust hosted a brief historical lecture June 22 about Ebenezer Primitive Baptisthurch, the oldest church established in Dunwoody.

Approximately 50 children attended a weeklong summer Bible campJune 16-20 at Grace Presbyterian Church in Stone Mountain. Photosby Andrew Cauthen

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Waffle House Museum serves up nostalgia,scattered, smothered and coveredby Lauren [email protected]

he sign says Good Food Fastbut you wont ind any cooks sling-ng hash behind the counter. No

-bones sizzle on the lat top, noyrupy smell inuses the air. In-tead, this Wale House has been

preserved as it was in 1955, thevery irst Wale House ever, as amuseum to the Souths ubiquitousbreakast restaurant.

I you blink, youll miss it. OnEast College Avenue, right on theborder o Decatur and AvondaleEstates, the museum sits shut-ered most o the time with just an

old-ashioned syrup-style signdirecting you in. he museum isopen quarterly or public tours,or, potential guests can call Wale

House communications and theyllchedule a tour. he next quarterlyopening is the irst weekend o Sep-ember.

his location was open until theearly 70s as a Wale House, then it

became a mom-and-pop diner, theneventually it was a Chinese restau-rant, said Kelly Thrasher, a com-pany spokesperson. hen, in themid-2000s, the Chinese restaurantdecided not to stay here, and Wale

House said, Well, maybe we shouldtake back this space and turn it intoa museum.

Back in 1955, ounders Tom For-knerand Joe Rogers Sr. were goodriends but not yet in the restaurantbusiness. Avondale Estates was still astop on the way to Atlanta but didnthave a 24-hour diner o its own.Rogers worked or oddle House,a breakast-all-the-time restaurantwith a concept similar to WaleHouse but couldnt convince corpo-rate that Avondale Estates was theplace to open.

Rogers approached Forkner withthe concept or what would becomeWale House: a round-the-clockdiner eaturing an open kitchen with

just a ew steps between customersand their ood. It should take an av-erage o seven minutes rom order

to irst bite. Forkner contacted hisbrother, John, who built the iconicshoebox building that still standstoday: a long, narrow rectangle withkitchen in the middle. Forkner andRogers illed the menu with made-

rom-scratch classics: $.30 hamburg-ers, $.20 resh-baked slices o pieand, o course, wales or $.40.

For Wale Houses 50th birth-day in 2005, the World o Coke puttogether a recreation o the highcounter where patrons used to or-der. Originally scheduled to be com-pleted that same year, the museumwas not quite inished and openedinstead in 2008.

At the museum, only the loor iscompletely original to the building,but most everything else is as closeas they could get. he oundersdidnt think in 1955 theyd estab-lish a chain with more than 17,000ranchises, so there arent actually alot o pictures o the original WaleHouse.

People back then werent aspicture crazy as we are now, so we

didnt have a ton o photos to go oo to recreate this, hrasher said.We basically just went o the mem-ories o our two ounders, and, ocourse, they had dierent views.

So why a museum? hrasher

estimates the museum draws two tothree groups by appointment in thesummer months, as well as schoolgroups throughout the year. Manyare startled that something as ubiq-uitous as Wale Housepass anyexit ramp in the South and yourelikely to spot that blaring yellow signstarted in a little suburb o Atlanta.

[he museum] is a way to pre-serve the history and to show youthat Wale House is not that muchdierent today than it was backthen, hrasher said. Obviouslythe prices are a little dierent, andwe have added booth seating, butrom day one it was really about thepeople and the interaction and theexperience you were going to have.

The Wafe House Museum, located in Avondale Estates, is a throwback to the chains

rst restaurant as it was in 1955. Photos by Lauren Ramsdell

Memorabilia includes period cashregisters, stoves and tabletops.However, only the oor is original tothe building.

The Wafe House Museum operated as a functioning Wafe House until the 70s, when it became mom-and-pop diner. Later, it became a Chinese restaurant and, when the restaurant decided to

move, was purchased by Wafe House for its museum.

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RoadblockContinued From Page 1A

P-card Continued From Page 1A


stuff, Gannon said. Its just got tostop.

On April 22, Gannon introduced aresolution calling or an independentaudit o all spending or the previousfive years by each county commis-sioner, beginning with District 1 and

proceeding consecutively.Te resolution directs the county

to hire a certified internal auditor orcertified government audit proes-sional. Te goal o the audit is todetermine whetherpublic unds have beenmisused, to providecomplete transparencyto citizens and to beginto restore public confi-dence.

CommissionerSharon Barnes Suttonmodified the resolu-tion to review 10 years

o commissionersfinances, starting withDistrict 6Gannonsdistrictand then go-ing back to District1. Although Suttonsmotion passed, shelater unsuccessullyattempted to call ora reconsideration oher own substitute motion that hadpassed.

Te audit has not materializedyet and Im trying to track that downsince we said it was o the upmost ur-gency, said Gannon, adding that bidsare expected to be in by June 27.

Afer obtaining Gannons P-cardrecords or January 1, 2013, to April1, 2014, Te Championlearned thatGannon spent and an average o $400per month during the time period.

I use it very sparingly, Gannonsaid. Te purpose o the p-card is tounction as a commissioner andprovide services or your constitu-ents. I try to use it as sparingly aspossible.

In April 2013, Gannon spent $250to hire a guitarist or the DeKalbCounty Green Expo, which she spon-sors and organizes.

He did give us a discount,

though, Gannon said about theguitarists ee. I couldnt get him to[play] or ree.

When asked i the hired guitaristwas the best use o taxpayer money,Gannon said, I dont know. Probablynot. We probably could have donewithout it and it would have beenboring.

Gannon said she saves countymoney by attending the National As-sociation o Counties annual conven-tion every other year, unlike someother commissioners.

I dont take staff with me, shesaid. I dont pay or everybody elseunder the sun to go. Im an intelligent

person. I can go to these meetings,take notes, make contacts and do itall by mysel. So that saves money inthe travel column.

Gannon said she also doesnt

spend money on lunches.When I go to lunch with a con-

stituent, we usually pay our own way,she said. I think thats the right thingto do.

Additionally, I dont borrow us-ing my P-card, Gannon said. My

[personal] credit cards are all work-ing just fine.

Gannon also said she uses herprivate cellphone or county businessand pays 100 percent o the bill.

She said that it is imperative that[commissioners] show some leader-ship in the way they handle theirfinances.

o simply say the [P-card] policyis vague or I didnt know I was doinganything wrong because theres no

policy or it, is just not going to cutit, Gannon said.

Commissioners should knowright rom wrongthey are adultsplus they have a special obligation todo better, Gannon said.

We have such a tremendousresponsibility or the money wespendwere spending all this; werelooking at the budget and countingevery pennyand we dont have theability to keep receipts in our officeor what were spending with taxpay-er money? Give me a break, Gannonsaid.

I think [some commissioners]

have gotten to the point where theyhave grown accustomed to somepower and some perks and they ra-tionalize, Gannon said.

Gannon said the P-card contro-versy has shocked her.

It has made me just so disap-pointed in my board that this kind obehavior has not just been exposed,but[been] so prevalent, she said.Its a shame that we are spending somuch time on [this].

Gannon added that residents havea role to play in addressing the con-troversy.

All o these people are elected,Gannon said. Constituents have got

to wake up and say, Is this what wewant, or not?

Research assistance was providedby ravis Hudgons and Donna urner.

I dont borrowusing my P-card. My[personal] credit

cards are all workingjust fne.Commissioner Kathie Gannon

Health and DevelopmentalDisabilities and the GovernorsOffice of Highway Safety provideprograms and strategies to addressthese issues based on communitysurveys, data collection andobservations.

Beyond The Bell was foundedby Sandra Deanin 2002 to provideaffordable after school and summerprograms to ensure childrenwere safe and nurtured duringnon-school hours. The programincludes academic and enrichmentprograms to enhance childrensschool day and to offer educationalfield trips, prevention programs,character education, mannersand etiquette classes, sports andrecreation.

The program focuses onreducing the impact of alcoholabuse and other drugs in byproviding prevention programs andsustainable outcomes.

Were prevention providersfor Georgia, Dean said. One ofthe strategies that were workingon this fiscal year with the state isto prevent underage drinking and

to help reduce heavy and bingedrinking among 18 to 25 year olds,and people drinking and driving orreckless driving.

There are 11 teens who aremembers of the programs youthcouncil, nine of which have beenwith the program since they werein kindergarten. The students aretaught about the consequences ofunderage drinking and drinkingand driving.

Angel Paul, 16, said before sheoined the program had she been

against underage drinking.I just knew I wasnt going to

drink because I really didnt havea reason to drink, Paul said. Butnow I know why I shouldnt drink.I have reasons why I shouldntdrink.

Seeing the consequences of un-

derage drinking led 15-year-oldTyrique Warrento join the pro-gram.

Ive seen what alcohol does toyouth, and I want to prevent it fromhappening, Warren said.

Along with taking classes ondrinking prevention, the studentsget an opportunity to see what hap-pens to those caught driving underthe influence of alcohol. StephanieKootsikas, an implementationspecialist, said they utilize environ-mental strategies as teaching tools.

Thats working with law en-forcement, doing compliancechecks in the community and mak-ing sure alcohol retailers arent sell-ing to underage buyers, she said.That also includes freeing the kidsand allowing them to be a part ofthe sobriety check points and thesaturation patrols so that they canbe a part of their own prevention.

Paul, Warren and 16-year-oldJailan Lowtongot an opportunityto work with DeKalb County PoliceJune 18 during a roadblock onLawrenceville Highway in Tucker.The students were there to collect

statistics of those caught drivingunder the influence.They did not see anyone driving

under the influence, but they didsee officers arrest people for otheroffenses, including driving underthe influence of narcotics, drivingwith an open container, drivingwith possession of marijuana anddriving with a suspended license.

The students also saw a manwho had a warrant for his arrest for

vehicular homicide.Kootsikas said it is important

for the students to see things likethis because prevention is not just aone-time program.

Its not just a one-time speakerat a high school or middle school,she said. Its not just a one-timeclassroom prevention effort.Prevention is an ongoing process.

Beyond The Bell students Jailan Lowton (left), Tyrique Warren and Angel Paul writeown the number of people who were pulled over. Photo by Carla Parker

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Paint Continued From Page 12A

Kirkwood continues to growby Daniel [email protected]

In the past ew years,businesses have kept sprout-ng up in Kirkwoodbars,

estaurants, coee shops,alonssome have even

grown and expanded likeLe Petit Marche, whichtarted out styled ater amall neighborhood French

bakery.Damon Sgrignoli,

president o the KirkwoodBusiness Association, attrib-uted a lot o the Kirkwoodgrowth to partnerships andevents aimed at beautiyinghe area.

Le Petit Marche, one ohe areas older businesses,

ecently moved into a larger,expanded building acrosshe street rom its old loca-ion. In a little more thanwo years, the business

had become so popular itoutgrew its acility. Whenhe opened the business,

Le Petit Marche ownerMarchet Sparkssaid open-ng in Kirkwood was a no

brainer.he complexion o the

community wasso diversehat the decision to invest

my livelihood came easy,Sparks said.

Sprignoli also said UrbanPie, the neighborhood pizzaplace, has begun opening orunch each day when previ-

ously it was only open ordinner.

We want to be the kindo community where people

walk and eel comortable,Sgrignoli said.

Sgrignoli also attributedthe growth in business to theact that people eel com-ortable on oot, and Kirk-

wood has become a sort ohub, with businesses such asaproom Coee or the At-lanta Sport and Social Clubbecoming social ports.

Were doing really goodthings behind the scenes,Sgrignoli said. Each year thebusiness association hostsa wine stroll in which 25percent o the proceeds goto local charities. he groupis also partnering with theAtlanta Bicycle Coalition toimprove bike saety in theneighborhood.

Businesses like aproomCoee and Savor WineBoutique, located in theKirkwood Station complexo Hosea L. Williams Drive,beneit rom heavy oot tra-ic. hroughout the day onecan see the picnic tables inront o the coee shop ullo customers.

Jonathan Pascual, ownero aproom Coee, raised$20,000 to und his business.Pascual, who can be oundat the coee shop mostmornings chatting with cus-tomers or behind the coun-

ter, said he chose to openaproom because there wasa lack o good coee in thearea. He also said that sincehe was a stay-at-home dadwith our children, it seemedlike the perect time to opena business.

Savor Wine Boutiqueowner Kyla Cox said therewere several things that ledto her opening up a businessin Kirkwood.

We wanted close prox-

imity to downtown and awalkable community. Amixed-use development wasa high priority and Kirk-wood Station it the bill,Cox said.

However, Cox said thething that made Kirkwoodstand out more than othermetro Atlanta neighbor-hoods was its residents.

We took our time anddid our due diligence gettingto know Kirkwood residentsand the business owners inthe area, Cox said. his

meant attending neighbor-hood meetings, networkingwith the Kirkwood Busi-ness Owners Associationand simply being presentwell beore we ever signed alease.

Cox said she and her hus-band spent many weekendspatronizing and enjoying therestaurants and businessesin the area, and getting toknow the neighborhood.

We ell in love withKirkwood and the commu-nity has really supported us.We know so many people by

name and have built a verydedicated, local ollowingor our weekly wine tast-ings and special events, Coxsaid.

The Kirkwood area has experienced a large amount of growth anddevelopment over the past few years. Photos by Daniel Beauregard

NOTICEOFPROPERTYTAXINCREASETheBoardofEducationoftheCityofDecaturhastentatively

adoptedamillagerateof20.50millswhichwillrequireanincreasein

propertytaxesby4.27%forfiscalyear20142015. Thistentatively

approvedmillagerateof20.50isadecreasefromthecurrentfiscal

yearadoptedmillagerateof20.90.

Allconcernedcitizensareinvitedtothepublichearingonthistax

increasetobeheldattheBoardRoomoftheCentralOffice,125

ElectricAvenue,Decatur,GeorgiaonTuesday,July8,2014at6:00

p.m.

Thistentativeincreasewillresultinamillagerateof20.50mills,an

increaseof1.240millsovertherollbackmillage. Withoutthis

tentativetax

increase,

the

millage

rate

will

be

no

more

than

19.660

mills. Theproposedtaxincreaseforahomewithafairmarketvalue

of$300,000isapproximately$126.

ago from breast cancer, sowhen I heard about them itwas a great opportunity, she

aid.Her most recent class atKates Club brought in a waxncaustic artist, who uses tex-ural, pigmented wax to makemages.

I like bringing thesehigh-level artists togetherhat make something unique

and completely new, McKev-tt said. I saw how thought-ul they were in choosing col-

ors and pieces, how open andree they talked about theiross and their lives. It was aeal opportunity.

Paint Love has only re-

ally taken off in the first fewmonths of 2014, so McKevittays she is still building a

database of organizations shean bring arts education to,

and gathering artists to helpteach the classes. She saidshed love to have artists bring

different stylescrochet, oilpaints, abstract artto thetable.

We are still really new,but the ones that we havehad from that first day atWellspring, it was kind ofjaw-dropping, McKevitt said.You bring out some paintand canvass and people justopen up. I definitely thinkit gives them a platform andgives them a safe environ-ment.

Were not counselors, andits not something so struc-tured but from that flows this

healing process. I have seen itin my own life where some-times in stressful situationsIm like, OK, got to go andpaint.

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by Carla [email protected]

Before he accepted the job as Li-honia police chief 18 months ago,

Eddie Moodyknew he would not

have the same resources he once hadas DeKalb County police chief.

When he realized that he had tobalance many things with little re-ources, it was an eye opener.

It has made the job really interest-ng trying to put things in place andook down the road trying to achieve

a lot of things when [you have] tolow down a little and work just aittle harder, he said. Although yourerying to work smarter, youre still

working hard and we worked so hardn the beginning to get to groundero.

While Moody and his staff worked

hard to turn the department aroundwith little resources, they were stillable to put a platform in place tomove the department forward.

hats when it got interesting aso how would we put things togetherwhile] not having the funding, not

having the equipment and otherhings to make it work, he said.

Moody decided to contact his fel-ow law enforcement officers from

other agencies for help, and they re-ponded handsomely to that call for

help.We were blessed because of past

elationships, he said. hat helpedo propel us forward and begin to doome productive things. From there

its been a daily grind, just constantlyworking on whats best for the city,the citizens and the employees.

Lithonia received donations ofpolice radios, three police cars fromDeKalb County, bulletproof vests,drug testing equipment and otheritems. he department also receivedmonetary donations from some agen-cies, which allowed them to purchasecomputers, training equipment, andequipment to keep the K-9 dog coolin the car.

he department received dona-tions, such as furniture, a refrigeratorand microwave from the private sec-tor and family members of deceasedrelatives who used to work for thecity.

he list just goes on and on of the

kindness of people reaching out tohelp, he said. With Gods grace and

their blessings, we have done, I think,very well.

Since the department received the

help it needed, Moody said his staffand the 30 officers, including reserveofficers, can focus on doing their jobto make the city safer.

o a large degree, the officers areable to go out and do their job witha little less concern about equipmentbecause we had some things added,he said. We believe the citizens areseeing a difference in the police de-partment, and they are noticing thecommitment and the hard work thatthe officers are making in the com-munity.

According to Moody, crime isdown in all areas in the city and heattributes that to the relationship with

the community and to the officerscommitment and hard work.

We want to continue to build onthat, he said. We want people tocome here and feel safe and know thatthey are safe. We are meeting somegood expectations, even a small staffand small group of officers.

With year one under his belt andhalfway through his second year,Moody said the department is stillworking on projects on the adminis-trative level to make it better, whichincludes a new policy manual. hedepartment also will work with thecommunity to start a neighborhoodwatch program.

With a new titlepublic safetydirectorMoody and the departmentare also looking at the vision of themayor, city council and the vision ofthe city.

Were looking at the vision interms of our contribution and putting

the pieces together so we can reallywork hard on increasing our effortswhen it comes to code enforcementbecause we got a number of vacantproperties, he said. And how toincorporate our public works depart-ment.

Moody said the main goal of thedepartment now is to become a certi-fied police agency.

hat certification announces thatwe have been scrutinized and thatwe are compliant [in] a certain setof standards that put us in the arenawith other agencies that have gonethrough the same kind of scrutiny, hesaid.

Chief Moody: Lithonia police are blessed

Lithonia Police Chief Eddie Moody stands in front of one of the three police cars that wasdonated to Lithonia from the DeKalb County Police Department. Photo by Carla Parker

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See Wrestling on page 19A

Petofthe

Week

Orlando (ID# 22847713) is a 3 year old terrier mix. He is the sweetest dog you would ever want to meet! Orlando is such a totalsweet heart; he views all strangers as friends he has not yet met. A great example of his disposition is he greets people by putting hisface in their lap and starting to cuddle. He loves to give hugs and to be hugged in return. Orlando also gets along well with otherdogs so whether you have a multi pet household or it will be just the two of you; Orlando is sure to please.

Throughout June all dogs and cats ages six months o r older are only $25! Adoption fee includes spay/neuter, vaccinationsand microchip and more!

The adoptions number: (404) 294-2165 For adoption inquiries: [email protected] rescue inquiries: [email protected]

For volunteer and fos

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