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Volunteers representing DeKalb-based Unconditional Love forChildren Inc. worked with staff,students and parents of Chats-worth Primary School in MaroonTown, Jamaica. Photos by ChrisGlenn and John Hewitt

championnewspaper championnewspaper champnewspaperchampionnews

thechampionnewspaper.com

Were SocialFRIDAY, JANUARY 3, 2014 VOL. 16, NO. 41 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.

FREEPRESS

Locals pay it forward in Jamaicaby John [email protected]

A group of DeKalb residents recently returnedrom a four-day excursion to Montego Bay, Jamai-

ca, as part of an annual mission trip coordinatedby DeKalb-based nonprofit Unconditional Lovefor Children (ULC).

Te fourth annual event was spearheaded byChampion Newspaperpublisher Carolyn Glenn

and Dr. Earl Glenn.ULCs mission is to provide opportunities for

disadvantaged children through educational en-richment programs, life skills training, athleticsand health services.

rom left, front row: Delphyne Lomax, Blanche Nichols, Phyliss Cook, Carolyn Glenn, Jean Edwards, Barbara Boyd, Anna Ogletree, Catherine Turk, Betty Palmer, Mary Ann Thompson andMorris Hester. From left, back row: John Hewitt, Geraldine Sherard, William Cook, Patricia Walker, Burrell Ellis, Boykin Edwards, Don Roman, Barry Gray, Philippa Ellis, Earl Glenn and Mar-an Johnson. Photo by Christopher Brown.

See Jamaica on page 15A

See Ellis on page 15A

by Andrew [email protected]

Suspended DeKalb County CEO BurrellEllisis looking forward to full vindication.

I want to finish the jobthat God calledme to and that the people entrusted in me,Ellis said during an interview with formerCEO VernonJonesDec. 20 on radio stationWAOK. Jones was a guest host for what hecalled a historic meeting of one CEO tothe other.

I look forward to the day of returningto the office that they elected me to serve,said Ellis, who was suspended from office inJune 2013 by Gov. Nathan Dealafter beingindicted on corruption charges.

But theres a dark cloud that remainsover DeKalb County until that day when Ireturn to office, Ellis said during the live ra-

dio show. We need to go ahead and remove

Ellis:

Theres a dark cloudthat remains overDeKalb County

Business ........................17A

Classified .......................16A

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

Sports......................19-20A

QUICK FINDER STUDENT SHOWBECOMING AHIT

THEFTS AFFECTCLARKSTONYOUTH

LOCAL, 3A

ormer DeKalb County CEO Vernon Jones interv iewed suspended county CEO Burrell Ellis during a recent radio show on WAOK.ile Photo

LOCAL, 9A LOCAL, 14A

2013Year in Review

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THE CHAMPION FREE PRESS, FRIDAY, JANUARY 3, 2014 PAGE 2ALOCAL NEWS

by Daniel [email protected]

As curator o the Emory University read-ng series Whats New in Poetry? ounder

and editor o Coconut Poetry and EmoryBookstore and Campus Lie Director BruceCoveystays busy.

Born in Waterbury, Conn., Covey waseducated at Yale University, where he lateraught. For decades, through his work with

Emorys reading series and his publishingcompany he has promoted poetry and con-nected poets but he said it started out as a

imple idea.Covey started one o the first online mag-azines in 2003 that was specifically dedicatedo publishing poetry. Coconut Magazine

publishes up-and-coming, and most influen-ial and experimental poets. However, backn 2002, many such as Gina Myerssaw the

magazine as a jumping off point into a new,mostly unexplored area o publishing.

o start Coconut Magazine, Covey taughthimsel how to write HML code and solic-ted most o the work or the first issue.

I started the magazine first and at theime, there were very ew web-based journals

and it seemed to me that the way that theuture was moving was that consumers opoetry are poor and theres no reason to gohrough the exercise o printing or a jour-

nal, Covey said. At the time not only werehere very ew web-based magazines, there

were very ew magazines and they werent re-ally capturing the heart o poetry.

Myers, who now works as an editor orCoconut Magazine, has had two collectionspublished by the company. However, she saidwhen she began submitting her poetry tovarious publications back in 2003, Coconutwas one o the premier online poetry publi-cations.

It was one that I regularly looked orwardto reading when new issues came out, Myerssaid. I have been published in the magazinea couple o times, all beore I ever had a bookmanuscript ready.

In 2005, Covey started Coconut Books,again teaching himsel how to use computerprograms Pagemaker and InDesign to designthe layout o the books he wanted to publish.Covey said afer running the magazine orseveral years, he realized that there was alarge group o writers having difficulty pub-lishing books.

Myers completed her first book manu-script, and showed it to Covey or advice; shewas surprised when he asked to publish it.

At the time, another press had requestedto see a manuscript o mine. I didnt have onetogether, but I knew I had enough individualpoems to put together, so I quickly got some-thing together and sent it off. Te first presspassed on it, and I didnt really know whatto do with it. I wasnt sure i what I had puttogether was really a book or not, so I sharedit with Bruce to ask his advice. He surprised

Local author promotes poetry, female authors

See Author on page 6B

Bruce Covey, owner of Coconut Poetry, and poet Gina Myers discuss and read their work at a recent presentation at the Grady High School writing center. Photos by Daniel Beauregard

Bruce Covey

Gina Myers

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THE CHAMPION FREE PRESS, FRIDAY, JANUARY 3, 2014 PAGE 3A

by Kathy [email protected]

Keysha Leesaid her current job combines herwo passions, television broadcasts and helping

young people realize their dreams.In addition to teaching at DeKalb Alternative

High School, Lee produces and hosts LessonsWith Mrs. Lee, a program aired on the DeKalbCounty education television station. Te showormat is interviews with exceptional people whohare the lessons they have learned throughoutheir lives.

Its the students show and Im impressed withhow they take ownership o it, said Lee, whoholds a degree in journalism rom the Universityo Georgia and has worked at television stations

n Alabama and Georgia. Tey do everythingrom booking and pre-interviewing guests tooperating the cameras to editing. I hope one dayone o them will take over as on-air host and Ican just stay behind the camera.

Te show has included such notable guests asDr. Abdalla Rashad Tau, author o Delinquent toDoctor, and artist/musician Eshe. Judge GlendaHatchetto the Emmy-nominated showJudgeHatchett and IronE Singletonrom the WalkingDeadalso have been guests on Lessons With Mrs.Lee.

Te students are sometimes blown away byhe impressive guests we have, but they remain

ocused and proessional. Tey stay on task. Tey

always make me proud. Weve had guests say,Tese are high school students? I cant believehow proessional they are. Tats our reputa-tion, so we tell any new students who join us thattheyre expected to live up to that reputation.

Lee said she solicits guests though ormerclassmates and others she knows in the broadcastindustry. She said she works or a combination opeople the students know about and want to meetand people she thinks they should know. Tereare people here in Atlanta who have done impor-tant things, but they were things that happenedbeore the students time, so they may never haveheard the name, but I want to teach a little his-tory along with journalism.

People approached to be guests almost alwaysare excited about it, Lee said. No one turns us

down.Te studentscalled interns in the programcome rom all over the DeKalb County SchoolDistrict and some are even rom Atlanta schoolsoutside the county. Some teachers in FultonCounty have seen the program and said theydont have anything like it. Tey asked i theirstudents could work with us, Lee explained.

Lee said she started her DeKalb Countywork with student broadcasting in Dunwoody,where she worked with school volunteer ConnieSeacrest. Shes been involved with DunwoodyHigh School since her son Ryan Seacrestwas astudent there. Because hes been a big success inthe broadcast world she likes helping students

who are interested in television and radio. RyanSeacrest is the host o televisionsAmerican Idoland Dick Clarks New Years Rockin Eve as well asmorning radio show On Air with Ryan Seacrest.

She also worked at Chamblee High School andsaid that both Dunwoody and Chamblee havemany more resources than she has at DeKalb Al-ternative School. Teres no studio here and thatpresented a challenge, but its an exciting chal-lenge. It gave us an opportunity to get creative.We got an opportunity to take the show out o astudio and into the community, Lee said. Oneadvantage, she added, is that each show looksdifferent. Another is the real world experiencestudents get since they sometimes work outsidethe normal school schedule.

At first Lessons With Mrs. Lee, now in its third

season, could only be viewed at the schools, thenLee approached the DeKalb County educationnetwork about airing the show publicly. Teirusual programming is school board meetingsthat sort o thingit can be pretty dry. Teyloved what were doing. Teyd like us to producea show every week, but the students schedulesdont allow that, she said.

Lee said shes pleased with how popular theshow has become. I even hear rom people inFulton County, so they must air it there some-times too, she said, adding the some episodes areshown on Youube as well.

Student-driven show becoming a cable hit

After footage is shot, Keysha Lee and her students edit Lessons WithMrs. Leeon a computer.

Despite limited resources, Lee helps students gettelevision experience as they work on the program.

Camera operation is one of many skills Lee teaches.

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ONE MANS OPINION

Save our counties

DeKalb County currently has 11cities, the newest being Brookhaven,with another four being proposedor voter referendums authorized byhe General Assembly during 2014.

Georgia currently has 159 coun-ies, 187 public school districts and

536 cities (and counting).In adjacent Fulton County, as

of this writing, there remain only80,000 Fulton residents not alsoerved by a municipal government.

Since voters approved the cre-ation of Sandy Springs in northFulton County in 2005, a nearlood of new cities has been createdn DeKalb, Fulton and Gwinnett

counties. Sandy Springs was fleeingattempted annexation by the cityof Atlanta, as well as trying to bet-er control its own destiny, rein inurban sprawl and better brand its

community. Arguably, running aean business model, light on full-ime employees and large scale em-

pire building, under the leadershipof retiring Mayor Eva Galambos,Sandy Springs cut a template thatothers are attempting to follow, withvarying degrees of success.

Meanwhile, taxpayers in theemaining unincorporated areas

of these same counties, formerly anear majority, witness an erosion ofheir tax base, a debatable declinen services and the stark realizationhat the next target may well be theurther subdivision of county schoolystems. And major countywide oregional services, such as indigent

care funding for Grady Hospital,may also suffer significantly as a

esult.And yet, while we have to reach

no further than your closest phonedirectory to locate efforts to Save theWhales, Save the Hooch,preservehistoric buildings or virtually anynature preserve you might men-ionwhere is the call to Save Our

Counties?DeKalb, once a model of ef-

iciency in areas too numerous tomention, with a school system theenvy of the state, has clearly fallen

on troubled times. But surely ifNewark, N. J., and Detroit, Mich.,are worth fighting for, so are ourstruggling Georgia counties.

Not all new municipalities willfollow the city light model ofSandy Springs. A new police de-partment, planning and zoning de-partment or municipal court systemrequires real estate as well as man-power, and later employee healthcare and pension benefits.

Many northeastern states areswimming in municipal and statepension debt in part because oftheir respective municipal govern-ment models. New York state has 62counties, and 62 cities, but those arefurther divided into 932 townships,10 Indian reservations, and along

with several hundred villages andschool districts, New York has a to-tal of 4,200 local governments.

In nearby New Jersey, a townshipis one of five types of local govern-ment, operating under 11 differentforms of municipal government andproviding a broad cross-section ofservices ranging from water/sewer,roads and garbage collection, to op-erating the school system.

Back in New York, whether amunicipality is defined as a city,

town or village is not dependent onpopulation or land area, but insteadby local referendum, and then ap-proved by the state legislature. Each

jurisdictional level is then grantedvarying degrees of home rule powerand authority as provided by theNew York state Constitution.

Another model worthy of ad-ditional implementation here is theCommunity ImprovementDistrict(CID). These self-taxing districtsimpose additional mills of propertytax on commercial property ownersto fund a wide variety of improve-ments ranging from major roadwaysto parts of the new Braves stadiumcomplex in Cobb to reducing va-grancy, graffiti and street crime.

CID success stories, at a much

reduced cost compared to creatingnew cities, are in play every day inBuckhead, Cumberland, GwinnettVillage, Perimeter Center, StoneMountain and elsewhere. Thoughnot a panacea, the CID allows aregions business and communityleadership to identify problems andpotential solutions, move quickly,fund the programming and changea community for the better. Thatmay be the plan for further carvingup counties, but it is increasingly far

from always being the outcome.As the Georgia General As-

sembly is asked to consider duelingreports and projections of financial

viability for a string of future citiesin the cue, try and remember thatcommunities of interest, or ourcities and counties of generationspast, were far more than assemblinga large real estate deal to makethe numbers work. And while oldcounty boundaries might appeararbitrary, you will often find a river,major property holder or roadwaydrawing those old lines of divi-sion. So before creating a new city inyour home county, try first focusingon the areas many commonalitiesand not simply those growing linesof demographic, economic and class

division. Save our counties!

Bill Crane also serves as a po-litical analyst and commentator forChannel 2s Action News, WSB-AM

News/Talk 750 and now 95.5 FM, aswell as a columnist forThe Cham-

pion, Champion Free Press andGeorgia Trend. Crane is a DeKalbnative and business owner, livingin Scottdale. You can reach him orcomment on a column at [email protected].

THE CHAMPION FREE PRESS, FRIDAY, JANUARY 3, 2014 PAGE 4AOPINION

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Can you resolve to

reduce your fossil-

fuel consumption byeating fewer animal

products?

by Jill Richardson

2014. A new year. The time tomake resolutions. Its when we alloin gyms, sign up for dating sites,

and start new diets only to quithem a few weeks later.

If youre into resolutions, Ivegot one for you to consider: In2014, try a low-carb diet. Not aowcarb(ohydrate) diet, but a low-

carbon one. As in carbon dioxide,he main greenhouse gas causing the

climate crisis.If you think it sounds a bit

trange, hear me out.Humans produce greenhouse

gases several ways. The most obvi-

ous one is burning fossil fuels. Heat,air conditioning, transportation andelectricity all fall into this category.

And Ill be honest. Id love toreduce the amount of fossil fuels Iuse. But I have very little ability tomake my city improve its publictransportation, walkability and bikepaths. Some people can afford majorinvestments like solar panels or evenbetter insulation for their homes,but I cant. And neither can manyother Americans.

But an awful lot of greenhousegas emissions come from agri-culture. Including the impacts ofdeforestation due to agriculture,getting our food from farm to tableaccounts for more than 27 percentof global emissions.

The good news: Changing yourdiet is affordable even delicious.

We all eat three times a day, afterall. And a low-carbon diet is actu-ally healthier and often cheaper thanwhat most Americans eat already.

How do you do it? The shortanswer is eat less meat. But pleasekeep reading before you dismiss thisas a vegetarian rant.

It takes 40 calories of energy toproduce just one calorie of beef,

with a similarly lousy ratio for eggs,and an even worse one for lamb.It takes 14 calories to produce onecalorie of either milk or pork, andfour calories to produce one calorieof chicken.

Thats because we grow enoughgrain to feed 800 million people,and we feed it all to livestock. Thoseanimals do produce meat, milk andeggs, but they also burn a lot thosecalories off as they grow.

The number of calories fed tolivestock is far greater than the calo-ries humans obtain from their meat,milk and eggs. Its far more efficientfor humans to eat plant foods our-selves.

There are also other paths to alower carbon diet. Choosing lo-cally grown foods, buying organic,gardening and avoiding processed

foods all help. But the simplest, mostreliable, and most impactful way toshrink your footprint is by eatinglower on the food chain.

This isnt news. Scientific Ameri-canpublished information aboutit in 2011, and the United NationsFood and Agriculture reported onit in 2006. Anna Lappepublished abook on climate and diet called Diet

for a Hot Planetin 2010.If you arent ready to go veg,

dont worry. Baby steps are betterthan nothing. Thats the idea behindthe Meatless Monday campaign.Just avoid meat one day a week. Eatsome vegetarian chili or lasagna.Dip veggies in hummus for a snack.Have a bean burrito or munch onfresh fruit.

Personally, I think reducing youranimal product intake is easiest ifyou crowd out meat, milk, and eggswith plant-based food that you en-

joy. If youre busy stuffing your facewith crisp apples or roasted butter-nut squash, youll be too full to feeldeprived.

Best of all, youll help your healthas well as the planet. As it turns out,

vegetarians and near-vegetariansare 24 percent less likely to die of

heart disease than meat eaters. Thatmeans a resolution to reduce yourmeat consumption will help ensurethat youll be around to enjoy manymore New Years to come.

OtherWords columnist Jill Rich-ardson is the author of Recipe forAmerica: Why Our Food System IsBroken and What We Can Do to FixIt. OtherWords.org

This low-carb diet is good for you and the planet

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 containthe writers name, address and telephone number forverification. All letters will be considered for publication.

Send Letters To Editor, The Champion Free Press, P. O. Box 1347,Decatur, GA 30031-1347; Send E-Mail to [email protected] To: (404) 370-3903 Phone: (404) 373-7779Deadline for news releases and advertising: Thursday, one week priorto publication date.

EDITORS NOTE: The opinions written by columnists and contributingeditors do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editor or publishers.The Publisher reserves the right to reject or cancel any advertisement atany time. The Publisher is not responsible for unsolicited manuscripts.

Publisher: John Hewitt

Chief Financial Officer Dr. Earl D. Glenn

Managing Editor: Kathy Mitchell

News Editor: Andrew Cauthen

Production Manager: Kemesha Hunt

Photographer: Travis Hudgons

The Champion Free Press is published each

Friday by ACE III Communications, Inc.,

114 New Street, Suite E, Decatur, GA. 30030

Phone (404) 373-7779.

www.championnewspaper.com

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FREEPRESS

STATEMENT FROM THE PUBLISHER

We sincerely appreciate the discussion surrounding this and anyissue of interest to DeKalb County. The Championwas founded in1991 expressly to provide a forum for discourse for all communityresidents on all sides of an issue. We have no desire to make thenews only to report news and opinions to effect a more educatedcitizenry that will ultimately move our community forward. We arehappy to present ideas for discussion; however, we make everyeffort to avoid printing information submitted to us that is known tobe false and/or assumptions penned as fact.

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THE CHAMPION FREE PRESS, FRIDAY, JANUARY 3, 2014 PAGE 5AOPINION

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COMMUNITY

If you would like to nominate someone

to be considered as a future Champion

of the Week, please contact Kathy

Mitchell at [email protected] or

at (404) 373-7779, ext. 104.

STEPHANIE LEE

ChampionoftheWeek

me when he responded thathe wanted to publish it, My-ers said.

Poet Serena Chopra wasntroduced to Covey in aimilar way when he asked

her to read or the WhatsNew In Poetry? serieseveral years ago. She had

never met him but said sheenjoyed reading the maga-zine and books Coconutpublished.

I had never submit-ed work to Coconut be-ore; Bruce had read my

chapbook (a small book opoems) rom Flying Guil-otineand liked my reading

at Emory so he asked i hecould have a manuscripto publish. O course I was

flattered and said yes. Temanuscript I was currentlyworking on was too shortor a ull-length book, and I

had just started writing TisHuman, so I sort o com-pleted it or Bruce/Coconut,Chopra said.

o date, Coconuthaspublished more than 20books, most o them by e-male authors, and releasedeveral small books o po-

etry. Te magazine has alsopublished 16 issues.

Myers said there are aot o presses but she thinks

Coconutstands out or itsdiversity and its goal to

publish as much by emaleauthors as possible.

I know that was a big

goal when Bruce startedouttrying to do his part tobridge the gender gap, My-ers said. Its no secret in theliterary world that there is agender gap in what gets pub-lished, what gets reviewedand, in who does the pub-lishing and the reviewing.

Chopra said that the em-phasis Coconut places onemale authors is extremelyimportant. She also said herwork, and the work o someo her peers might have hadtrouble finding a home i it

werent or Coconut.My work and the worko other Coconut authorssuch as Amber Nelson,Hanna Andrews, andChristie Ann Reynolds,embodies a variety o hyper-eminine expressions thatmany other presses mightfind excessive or too-vulner-able. I appreciate Bruces de-sire to publish these works;to allow them the vulnerablespace they wish to inhabit,Chopra said.

Covey said he enjoyspublishing works that areextreme and daringbooksthat like to take risks.

I think thats what allthe books [Coconut haspublished] have in common.

I think all o them are veryrisky books but to me thatsexciting. I think poetry is at

its most exciting when itstaking risks, Covey said.

Several years ago, Coveysaid a study by VIDA, anorganization aimed at ex-ploring critical and culturalperception o writing bywomen, showed just howskewed the publishing worldactually is.

When the numbersended up 75-80 percent menbeing published in maga-zines, there were a numbero presses that quietly pro-claimed, We need to do

this on an individual level,Covey said.Covey said that it is a

quiet statement he hasmade in publishing workmainly by emale authors.

I havent talked aboutthis that much publicly be-cause I dont want it to takeanything away or influencepeople when they read thebooks, Covey said.

Covey is the author oseveral books o poetryincluding Glass Is Reallya Liquid(2010), ElapsingSpeedway Organism(2006),Reveal: All Shapes and Sizes(2012) and Change Machine,orthcoming rom NoemiPress in 2014.

AuthorContinued From Page 2B

Tucker holiday decorating contest winnersannounced

Te ucker Business Association, MainStreet ucker Alliance and the ucker Histori-al Society announced on Dec. 24 the winners

o the Downtown ucker holiday decorating

ontest.ucker Flower Shop on Idlewood Road wasawarded first prize in the retail category, whileFriends & Co. placed first in offi ce/service andLos Hermanos won in restaurants.

Tis was the second year or the contest,which was expanded this year to include threeategories or entrants.

Businesses within the downtown area,as defined by Brockett Road, LaVista Road,Lawrenceville Highway and ucker IndustrialRoad, were encouraged to celebrate the holi-days with estive and imaginative decorationsor their windows and buildings. A panel oudges with representatives rom the threeponsoring organizations viewed the area

businesses on Dec. 20 to choose the winningdisplays.

op prize winners in each o the three cat-gories were awarded $200, while second place

winners were each awarded $125.Second prize winners were Matthews Ca-

teria (restaurants); Te Custom Frame Shopretail); and ucker Main Street Barber Shopoffi ce/services). Honorable mentions were

Sweet Dees (restaurants); Te Garden Enthu-

siast (retail); and Main Street Cleaners (offi ce/services).

DeKalb Chamber of Commerce elects newboard members

Te DeKalb Chamber o Commerce has

elected six business leaders to join its board odirectors or a three-year term effective Jan. 1.Te incoming directors will fill slots vacated

by board members whose terms expired in2013 and represent a cross-section o industriesand companies.

Te DeKalb Chamber board has alwaysconsisted o men and women who are highlydistinguished in their respective fields,said DeKalb Chamber President LeonardoMcClarty. Te individuals selected this yearcontinue in that tradition as they representlocal small businesses along with majorcorporations.

Te incoming board members include TedCummings, president o Onyx Media Group;AngelaGraham, president o Graham andAssociates; Michael Reeves, vice president oReeves and Associates Consulting Inc.; BrendaReid, a director o Publix; Kelsi Robinson,CEO o EGM Services; and JaKathrynRoss, adirector at Georgia Pacific/YEG.

Te chamber will ormally introduce itsnew board members and recognize its outgoingmembers during its annual meeting and lunchon Tursday, Feb. 6.

NEWS BRIEFS

ForStephanie Lee,seeing a man advocatingagainst domestic violencewas an unusual sight.

Most o the timeyou see women fightingor that cause, said the28-year-old. But to seea man stepping up to theplate and holding othermen accountable was veryinspirational to me andsomething that I reallywanted to be a part o.

Six months ago, whenLee saw the work o Rod-erick Cunningham andthe Beverly CunninghamOutreach Program, shebegan volunteering withthe DeKalb-based non-profit program, named inhonor o Roderick Cun-ninghams mother, Bever-ly, the program providesindividual and groupcounseling, advocacy andrehabilitation servicesto survivors o domestic

violence.

Although Lee hasnever been in a domesticviolence situation, she hasseen people verbally andphysically abused, whichhas had some effect onher.

[Domestic violence]is something that needsto be spoken out against,she said. Domestic

violence is harming oursociety and there are a loto domestic violence situ-ations that are not beingaddressed.

Lee, who is an East

Point resident, said shehelps the nonprofit de-

velop outreach programsto help bring in morepartners.

Lee also volunteers

with other organizationsincluding the Hank Stew-art Foundation.

Ive gone with [theHank Stewart Founda-tion] to owers HighSchool to participate incareer day and variousother community ser-

vice activities in DeKalbCounty, Lee said.

In the six months thatshe has worked with theBeverly Cunningham

Outreach Program, Leehas worked to educateeveryone on how to dealwith a domestic violencesituation, even i someoneis not experiencing theissue.

Tere is a one degreeseparation in dealingwith domestic violence,she said. I think thatits important to educateourselves as in how to ad-dress it, how to help thosepeople and how to advisethem to get out o thatsituation, she said. o

have someone in a harm-ul situation or a long pe-riod o time is somethingI would never want to seesomeone in.

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COMMUNITY

AVONDALE ESTATES

City to hold tree recycle program

Avondale Estates residents can recycleChristmas trees by placing them on the curbhrough Jan. 4 as part o the Avondale Estates

Chipper Program. Ater Jan. 4, trees shouldbe brought to the old compost area near Wilt-hire Drive and Berkeley Road between 9

a.m. and 4 p.m. here will be signs posted athe lake drop-o location. For more inorma-ion, contact city hall at (404) 294-5400.

BROOKHAVEN

City launches new website

Brookhaven launched a website Dec. 20.According to city oicials, the new site is easyo navigate with an I want to menu that al-ows visitors to quickly ind inormation to

do tasks such as ile a police report, reserve apark acility, or get a building permit.

he site also includes detailed inorma-ion on the mayor, city council and each city

department, as well as inormation on hotelsand tourism or visitors.

CLARKSTON

City updates sign ordinance, seeks input

he city o Clarkston Dec. 17 announcedts plans to update its sign ordinance, part o

which includes a stakeholder committee thatCity Manager Keith Barker said will play aigniicant role in the process.

Barker introduced the plan at a recent citycouncil work session. It includes a seven-stepprocess designed to ensure all stakeholdershave input.

he process consists o establishing oa project management team; assessing andeviewing best practices; establishing a stake-

holder committee; soliciting public input;public meetings; development o a drat or-

dinance; and adoption o the ordinance aterwo public hearings.For more inormation contact Planning

and Development Manager Jason Gaines [email protected].

DECATUR

Dog run to support school athleticprograms

he Decatur Bulldog Boosters are holdingheir ninth annual Run With he Dogs 5K onan. 11, at 9 a.m. in ront o the Decatur High

gym. Participants are invited to bring theircanine companions along or a trek throughhe streets o Decatur. -shirts, awards andnacks will be available to event participants,ncluding a sporty race-kerchie or canine

participants.he Run With he Dogs 5K is an annual

undraiser or athletic programs at DecaturHigh School and Renroe Middle School. Be-

cause no school district money can be usedto purchase uniorms and equipment or topurchase recognition awards, the DecaturBulldog Boosters raise money annually tomeet these needs or their student athletes.hese unds are used to support the 25 teamsrepresenting 14 sports at Decatur High andRenroe Middle Schools.

he Run With he Dogs 5K will be theirst run/walk event o the City o Decaturs2014 Grand Slam Fitness Challenge. hischallenge, built around ive local 5K run/walkevents, encourages area residents to be physi-cally active year round. Awards or the 2013Grand Slam Fitness Challenge winners will bepresented by the city at the end o this event.

For more inormation, call Michael Har-binat (404) 405-3618 or email Michael [email protected].

Library to hold childrens events

Preschool children can participate in nurs-ery rhymes, songs, short books and ingerplays that target their developmental needsat the Decatur Library Jan. 7. he session orbabies up to 1 year is 10-10:30 a.m.; the ses-sion or children 3 to 5 years old is 11-11:30.Siblings are welcome to come along.

he Book Buddies Club or children 7 and8 years old will meet 4-5 p.m. Parents can

pick up a copy o this months book or ses-sions that will include discussion, activitiesand a snack.

Parents may register their children orthese events at the Childrens DepartmentDesk. he Decatur Library is located at 215Sycamore Street, Decatur. For more inorma-tion, call (404) 370-3070.

Arts and crafs events announced

Te Covington Library will host two artsand crafs sessions on Saturday, Jan. 11. Cre-ative Expressions Crocheting Group will meet10 a.m.-1 p.m. Tis group is or anyone age

18 or older who has an interest in crocheting.All experience levels are welcome. Partici-pants must bring their own supplies.

Making Decorative Flowers is the topic oa presentation rom Charleisa Jackson, whowill demonstrate ways to create carnation andother floral arrangements or parties, wed-dings and baby showers. Te session will be2-3 p.m. and is limited to the first 20 peopleto register.

Covington Library is located at 3500 Cov-ington Highway, Decatur. o register or ormore inormation, call (404) 508-7180.

Christmas tree recycling

Agnes Scott College will host a treerecycling center in its parking lot through Jan.5 or residents to recycle their old Christmastree.

Te entrance to the parking lot where therecycling center is located is between 184 and206 South Candler Street.

For more inormation call (404) 377-5571.

STONE MOUNTAIN

Young Africans to perform at local church

he Young Aricans, a group o singers,musicians and dancers who were all once apart o the world-renowned Arican Chil-drens Choir, will be at Grace PresbyterianChurch Friday, Jan. 24, at 7 p.m.

Concerts are ree and open to all. A ree-will oering is taken at the perormance tosupport programs such as education, care andrelie and development programs in the per-ormers communities in Arica.

Music or Lie, the parent organization orthe Arican Childrens Choir, works in sevenArican countriesUganda, Kenya, Rwanda,Sudan, Nigeria, Ghana and South Arica.

Music or Lie (MFL) has educated morethan 52,000 children and impacted the liveso more than 100,000 people through its relieand development programs during its history.MFLs purpose is to help create new leader-ship or tomorrows Arica, by ocusing oneducation.

Although the concert is ree, tickets are re-quired due to space limitations. o get a reeticket, go to www.grace-pca.org.

Grace Presbyterian Church is located at650 Rowland Road, Stone Mountain. Formore inormation, call Deannaat (404) 510-4634.

TUCKER

Memorial reception held at libraryexecutives namesake branch

A reception honoring the lie o ormerexecutive director o the DeKalb County Li-brary System Barbara Loarwas held Dec.30 at the Northlake-Barbara Loar Libraryin ucker. Loar died Dec. 22 in her EmbryHills home at age 87. Former library trusteeurbert Bakersaid, Barbara Loar was thedean o public libraries in Georgia. Trough

her vision, access to books and education wasnever a barrier, but an opportunity to learnand grow as a human being.

AROUNDDEKALB

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by Carla [email protected]

A DeKalb County judgehas dismissed a lawsuit filedby an adult entertainmentclub against Brookhaven.

Superior Court JudgeCourtney Johnson issuedan order Dec. 23 grantingBrookhavens motion todismiss the suit, ruling ithas no legal merit. Te Pink

Pony adult entertainmentclub off Buord Highwayfiled a lawsuit in May aferhe city adopted an ordi-

nance that would prohibitnudity and orce stricteralcohol pouring and salesimes or liquor license

holders in the city.According to the 33-

page order, Johnson grantedBrookhavens motion be-cause all o Pink Ponysclaims turn upon the appli-cation o legal principles andare properly resolved as amatter o law or [Brookhav-

en].Te city is very pleased

hat the DeKalb CountySuperior Court upheldBrookhavens sexually ori-ented business regulationsand resolved the numer-ous legal issues Pink Ponyasserted in this lawsuit,Brookhaven Mayor J. MaxDavissaid. Tis confirmshat the citys regulationsatisy constitutional stan-

dards.Attorney Aubrey Vil-

ines, who represents the

Pink Pony, said he plans toappeal the judges ruling.We disagree with the

granting o dismissal andhats why we will file an ap-

peal, he said. We stronglydisagree with it and wethink we still have a verygood legal position.

In June, Brookhaventemporarily halted enorc-ing the ordinance againstPink Pony until a ruling

was made in the lawsuit.Te citys ordinances mir-ror those in DeKalb County,Fulton County, Doraville,Sandy Springs, Johns Creekand other nearby jurisdic-tions.

Restaurant Health Inspections

Judge dismisses Pink Pony lawsuit

A lawyer for Pink Pony said he will appeal a judges decision that dismissed the company lawsuit againstBrookhaven. File photo

Smokey Bones Bar& Fire Grill2930 Stonecrest CircleCurrent Score/Grade 90/AInspection Date: 12/19/2013

Observations and Corrective

Actions: Upon inspector arrival, a

chemical in a spray bottle was storedon the shel with oods. Correctedto relocate the chemical. Make surechemicals are stored properly sothat they cannot contaminate oodsor equipment. Corrected On-Site.New Violation.

Te cook was wearing unap-proved jewelry while preparingoods. Corrected to remove jewelry.No watches, bracelets, rubber bands,or rings with stones are allowed.Corrected On-Site. New Violation.

Te sanitizer concentrationlevel was too low inside the wipingcloth bucket. Corrected to re-setupthe bucket to 200-400ppm Quat.Corrected On-Site. New Violation.

Te exterior suraces o thecan opener and the warmer cabi-net doors were not clean to sightor touch. Corrected to clean the

suraces. Corrected On-Site. NewViolation.

Te aucet at the mop sink hasa major leak. Repair the leak. NewViolation.

Cicis Pizza3912 North Druid Hills RoadCurrent Score/Grade: 84/BInspection Date: 12/19/2013

Observations and Corrective

Actions: Failure to post ood saetycertification in public view. PICadvised that CFSM certificate mustbe posted in public view. COS- Cer-tificate posted. Corrected On-Site.New Violation.

Mechanical dish machine finalrinse at 0ppm. PIC noted that the

well water in the dish machine istested every morning. PIC advisedthat the chemical concentrationon the dish should be tested. Dishmachine should not be used untilfinal sanitizing concentration readsbetween 50-100ppm, Chlorine.COS- Dish machine should berepaired immediately; wash, rinse,and sanitize dishes in three com-partment sink. Corrected On-Site.New Violation.

Observed employee preparingood with loose ponytails longerthan 1/2 inch. PIC advised thatemployee(s) must wear hair re-straints that restrain loose hair (i.e.cap, hair net or other hair restraintsapproved by the Health Authority).New Violation.

Observed employee washinghands in vegetable sink. PIC advised

that vegetable sink is ONLY used orwashing ruits and vegetables. COS-Vegetable sign given. CorrectedOn-Site. New Violation.

Food service permit not posted.PIC advised to post permit at alltimes. New Violation.

Observed employee wipinggloves with wet wiping cloth. PICadvised to have employees discardwet wiping cloths once soiled ortorn. New Violation.

Observed exterior plates (ondrink machine) that sit over nozzleo drink machine with black moldlike substance and sticky syrup. PICadvised to clean exterior o drinkmachine daily. New Violation.

Observed acet leak at ronthand sink. PIC advised to repair.New Violation.

Liz Roti House3901 Covington Highway,Suite BCurrent Score/Grade: 71/CInspection Date: 12/19/2013

Observations and CorrectiveActions:Rerigerated, ready-to-eat, potentially hazardous oodprepared and held in the establish-ment or more than 24 hours notclearly marked to indicate the dateby which the ood must be con-sumed, sold, or discarded. More

than 10 containers o ood are notdate marked and were in cooler orlonger than 24 hrs. COS- ood wasdiscarded. Corrected On-Site. Re-peat Violation.

Observed a cart o chemicalsand spray chemical bottles stored inkitchen beside the cleaned and sani-tized cooking equipment. AdvisedPIC to relocate chemcials. Observedtwo chemical spray bottles storedwith single service items and sodaunderneath the counter in the ront.Advised PIC to relocate chemcialsand place in a designated area awayrom cleaned utensils/equipment/single service items. COS-chemcialswere relocated. Corrected On-Site. New Violation. Correct By:12/29/2013

Bulk containers o salt, sugar,flour were not marked or labeled

with the name o the ood. AdvisedPIC to label. COS- containers werelabeled. Corrected On-Site. NewViolation.

Employee wearing jewelry otherthan a plain ring while preparingood. Observed male employeewearing a watch on the writst. Ad-

vised PIC to remove watch. COS-employee removed the watch. Cor-rected On-Site. New Violation.

Wet cloths in water at 0 ppmwhen tested with chlorine test strip.Advised PIC to place sanitizer inthe water. COS- sanitizer was placedin water at 100 ppm chlorine. Cor-rected On-Site. New Violation.

Food service permit was postedinside the acility in public view. Ad-

vised PIC to contact Health Author-ity get a new ood service permitmailed to acility. Repeat Violation.

Signs notiying staff to washhands not provided in a visiblelocation at all handwashing sinksused by employees. PIC was givena handwashing sign during the lastinspection to post in the restroom.COS- PIC posted handwashing signand placed in restroom. CorrectedOn-Site. Repeat Violation.

Inspection report posted ondoor and score was covered withdoor lettering. Advised PIC to relo-cate so inspection report and scorecan be visibly seen. New Violation.

Outside o ovens and stove arenot kept clean o grease and ooddebris. Advised PIC to clean outsideand inside o ovens. Repeat Viola-tion.

No cold water available at aucet#2 at the 4 compartment sink. Nohot water available at the meat sink.

Advised PIC hot/cold water mustbe present inside o the acility.Advised PIC to repair water lines.Repeat Violation.

Plumbing system not main-tained in good repair (plumbingleaks). Leaks observed at the pipeso the meat sink. Meat sink has amajor leak underneath. AdvisedPIC to have leaks repaired. RepeatViolation.

Floors are not cleaned un-derneath the equipment observedthroughout the kitchen and a flourdebris on floor. Advised PIC toclean floors. New Violation.

Lights not shielded or shat-terproo in areas where there isexposed ood, clean equipment,utensils, linens, or unwrappedsingle-service articles. Advised PICto have regular light bulbs shielded

to prevent physical contaminationto ood. New Violation.

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A Dunwoody widow was sentenced Aug. 21to five years in prison afer being convicted olying under oath in the trial o her husbandskiller.

Andrea Sneidermanwas accused o con-spiring with her boss, Hemy Neuman,to mur-der her husband, RustySneiderman.

Neuman conessed to killing Rusty, who wasshot multiple times outside o a Dunwoody daycare center in November 2010. Neuman laterpleaded not guilty by reason o insanity, butwas sentenced to lie in prison without the pos-

sibility o parole.Andrea Sneiderman was indicted in August

2012 on charges o malice murder, criminalattempt to commit murder, insurance raud,two counts o making a alse statement and twocounts o perjury and racketeering.

Several days beore Sneidermans trial be-gan, DeKalb County prosecutors dropped themost serious charges o murder and aggravatedassault.

During her trial, prosecutors alleged thatSneiderman and Neuman were having an affairat the time her husband was shot. Sneidermandenied that such a relationship existed.

2013Year in Review

Andrea Sneiderman sentencedto five years in prison

Brookhaven establishes municipalgovernment, names top offi cials

Many news-making events rom the suspension o the county CEO andmembers the school board to a shooting at an elementary school filled TeChampions pages during 2013. Here is a summary o some o the mostmemorable news stories o 2013.

Afer less than two years on the job,Superintendent Cheryl Atkinsonlef theDeKalb County School District.

In a statement, a DeKalb schoolsspokeswoman said Atkinson and theschool board mutually agreed to endtheir relationship. Te move came twomonths afer the school district wasplaced on accreditation probation andwas warned it was in danger o losing itsaccreditation.

Te DeKalb County school boardheld a meeting Feb. 8 and approved aseparation agreement with Atkinson andappointed ormer Georgia Labor Com-missioner Mike urmondas interimsuperintendent.

Turmond was later hired as the per-manent superintendent.

Atkinson out, Thurmond in

Brookhaven became a city near the end o2012, and elected a major and city council. During2013 city offi cials put in place other offi cials andinstitutions Brookhaven would need to operate asa municipality.

As the citys first city clerk, Brookhaven mayorJ. Max Davis appointed Susan D. Hiott, who has10 years experience in a similar position in CobbCounty. In February Marie Lewis Garrettwashired as Brookhavens first city manager and inMarchBonnie Kline, a CPA with more than 20years o experience in government, was hired asBrookhavens new finance director.

Te Brookhaven mayor and city council votedunanimously in March to adopt a $16.465 millionbudget or Fiscal Year 2013 and in July it adopteda 2.85 millage rate or fiscal year 2013. Te citycharter authorizes a property tax rate up to 3.35mills.

Gary Yanduratook offi ce April 1 as the citysfirst police chie and began building Brookhavensnew police department. By early July the city hadhired 54 law enorcement offi cers. Tis includes39 patrol offi cers and investigators, nine sergeants,three lieutenants and a deputy chie. Te new de-partment launched July 31.

Te Brookhaven City Council in May passedan ordinance allowing the city to take responsibil-ity or monitoring, inspecting and maintaining itsstormwater drainage system, and in Septemberthe city took over operation o its parks.

Atkinson

Thurmond

Championtakes top pressassociation award for fifthconsecutive year

For the fifh consecutive year TeChampionin its division won first placein General Excellence, the highest awardin Georgia Press Associations BetterNewspaper Contest.

Te Championalso garnered eightfirst-place awards in this years press as-sociation competition. Tey are: NewsEditor Andrew Cauthenor Hard NewsWriting and or Serious Column, ChieOperating Offi cer John Hewittor Fea-ture Writing, Sports Editor CarlaParkeror Sports Writing, Graphic DesignerTravis Hudgonsor Best Photo Galleryon a Newspaper Website and Photo Essayand Managing Editor Kathy MitchellorBusiness Coverage. Te Championalsowon first place or Liestyle Coverage;Gale Horton Gayis the liestyle editor.

Second Place in Sports Writing wentto ormer News Editor Robert Naddra,who died a ew days afer last years con-vention. Te presenter paused at the an-nouncement o his award to pay tribute toNaddras career as a journalist.

Other awards won by Te Championinclude seven other second-place awardsand seven third-place awards at the 2013Georgia Press Association convention,held June 6-8 at the Jekyll Island Club.

See Year in Review on Page 10A

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Year in ReviewContinued From Page 9A

Cityhood movement spreadsthroughout county

Following the creation o Brookhavenin 2012, the cityhood movement spreadthroughout the county in 2013.

DeKalb County legislators filed placehold-er bills to enable several areas throughout thecounty to explore cityhood.

While residents are considering incor-poration in Briarcliff, Lakeside, Stonecrest,ucker and south DeKalb, the DeKalbCounty government is considering asking thecounty legislative delegation or a morato-rium on new cities.

County makes changes in

public safety personnelDeKalb County on Feb. 20 announcedthe appointment o Cedric Alexanderasits new chie o police. Formerly the ed-eral security director or the ransporta-tion Security Administration branch o theU.S. Department o Homeland Security atDallas/Fort Worth Airport, Alexander suc-ceeded William OBrien, who retired inNovember 2012.LisaA. Gassner, assistantchie o the support services division o thepolice department, acted as interim policechie beore Alexanders appointment.

In December, Alexander was appointeddeputy chie operating offi cer or publicsaety. Deputy chie James Conroy, who hasbeen in DeKalb County or more than 20years, was named the acting police chie.

A nationwide search at the end o theyear was still under way to replace FireChie Edward OBrien, William OBriensbrother, who retired in June.

DeKalb sheriff announces plan to

run for CongressDeKalb Sheriff omas Brown announced

onOct. 22 that he will run or the Georgia 4thDistrict seat in Congress. Brown is runningagainst ellow Democrat our-term Congress-man Hank Johnson, a member o the HouseArmed Services and Judiciary committees.

Tere are a number o things that I think Ican do, Brown said during a July news coner-ence called to announce Brown was consider-ing putting his hat in the ring. I believe I canbring dynamic leadership and a strong voice inthe 4th District, something that I dont believewe have had to the level we have had beore.

Brown, who has been DeKalbs sheriff since2000, said he has been receiving calls andencouragement, quite rankly, or years to con-

sider this possibility.We have been tied down in partisan poli-tics, he said. Tere is a clear line between theDemocratic position and the Republican posi-tion and I think nobody is reaching across thatline to try to come to some type o commonground.

Clarkston gets a new mayorTed Terry, a nonprofit organization de-

velopment director and two-year resident oClarkston, in November municipal electionsdeeated Emanuel Ransom,who has servedas Clarkstons mayor since 2007.

A lot o the ideas that I spoke about dur-ing the campaign came directly rom thepeople themselves, erry said. o me thistruly was a grassroots campaign and my goalall along was to represent and be the voice othe people o Clarkston.

I knocked on over a thousand doors andwhat people told me, I took notes on and Imgoing to be asking or all o us to work to-gether now to implement a lot o those ideasand move Clarkston orward, he said.

A lot o residents about a year ago en-couraged me to run, erry said. Tey

werent happy with the way things were go-ing. Now we have an opportunity or a reshrestart.

Like a lot o Clarkstonians, I was notborn here, but I chose to live in Clarkston be-cause I believe this community represents thebest o [what] America has to offer, he said.

Charter cluster fails, autisticcharter school passes

Te Druid Hills Charter Cluster(DHCC), the first one o its type pro-

posed in Georgia, was rejected Nov.11 by the DeKalb County Board oEducation.

Te DHCC would have includedthe 5,000 students and 400 acultymembers o Avondale, Briar Vista,Fernbank, Laurel Ridge and McLen-don elementary schools as well asDruid Hills Middle and Druid HillsHigh schools.

DHCC supporters are still workingto get the cluster approved.

wo months beore the DHCCvote, the school board gave unani-mous approval or apestry PublicCharter School, which would cater tothe needs o autistic students.


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Searching for Our Sons and Daughters:

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

Finding DeKalb Countys Missing

Stories 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.


A special grand jury on June 18handed down a 15-count indictment,including 14 elonies, against DeKalbCEO Burrell Ellis. Te charges came sixmonths afer Ellis home and offi ce weresearched by investigators rom the DAsOffi ce as part o a special grand juryinvestigation into possible corruption atthe countys watershed department.

According to the indictment, Ellis

is accused o attempting to unlawullyobtain U. S. currency in the orm o acampaign contribution rom CIBERInc. by threatening to prevent CIBERInc. rom receiving business rom thecounty. Te indictment makes a similarallegation involving another company,Power and Energy Services Inc.

Ellis was suspended afer apanel named by Gov. Nathan Dealrecommended he be replacedbecause the indictment against himwould negatively affect the day-to-day operations o the county. DealappointedDistrict 5 Commissioner LeeMay to serve as interim CEO.

Ellis trial had been scheduled tobegin Aug. 19; however, a DeKalbCounty Superior Court judge granted amotion delaying the start o the trial toallow Ellis and his attorneys more timeto prepare. Te new date has not beenannounced. Ellis contends that he isinnocent o the charges.

DeKalb CEO suspended

For years, county residents and animal lov-ers complained about the DeKalb County ani-mal shelter. For months, advocates lobbied thecounty to replace the building, reduce or stopeuthanizations and improve conditions or theanimals.

Te county responded by outsourcing the

operations o the shelter to the Lieline AnimalProject Inc. o Avondale Estates, the only bidderor the five-year, $12 million contract.

Lieline, a nonprofit, no-kill shelter, also wasselected to run Fulton Countys animal servicesacility.

Lifeline awarded animal services contract

DeKalb County came out on top in highschool basketball as five teams rom the countyclaimed state titles.

Columbia girls, Greenorest boys, MillerGrove boys, Southwest DeKalb girls and St. PiusX girls won state titles in their respective classeson March 7-9.

Te Columbia Lady Eagles, who won theClass AAA title in 2010 and 2012, won the gameon a last second layup by senior power orwardShaundrika Mann.

Te Southwest DeKalb Lady Panthers claimedtheir ourth state title in school history on March8 afer deeating region rival Miller Grove LadyWolverines 56-52 in the Class AAAAA girlshigh school basketball state championship.

Te Miller Grove Wolverines made history onMarch 8 when they became the first team in statehistory to win five consecutive basketball statetitles.

Te Greenorest Christian Academy Eagles inthe Class A boys private school state champion-ship game won the first state title in the schoolshistory.

Te Columbia Eagles head win gave coachDavid Jones his fifh state championship. Hebecame the second coach in state history to winstate championships at three different schools.

St. Pius X Lady Golden Lions won theirourth state title in school history afer deeatingDawson County.

Five DeKalb basketball teams hoisted championship trophies


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THE CHAMPION, THURSDAY, JANUARY 2 8, 2014 PAGE 12AWEEK IN PICTURES

Former school board memberDonna Edler dies of cancer

Lithonia biomass plant approved

DonnaEdler, who represented District7 on the DeKalb County Board o Educationrom January 2011 through August 2013, lost abattle with breast cancer on Oct. 29.

Edler, who had a background in account-ing and described hersel as a homemaker,

community organizer and activist, took offi cein January 2011 afer deeating Zepora Rob-ertsin a runoff election. A Stone Mountainresident, Edler spent more than 15 years vol-unteering and holding board positions withDeKalb County civic associations.

She was one o six school board memberswho were suspended in 2013 by Gov. NathanDealand later replaced afer the DeKalbschool district was placed on accreditationprobation by Southern Association o Collegesand Schools (SACS), the agency that accreditsthe school district through its parent company,AdvancED.

Following her death, the school board is-sued a statement that said in part, In her shortterm o service on the board, she never wa-vered in her commitment to improving educa-

tion or DeKalbs students, or in her supporto the DeKalb County School District. As atireless champion or all children, her legacy ogreat care and concern will live on in her manyaccomplishments in education.

Residents vowed to continue their three-year fight to stop a planned biomass plant rombeing constructed in the Lithonia area.

Residents and community activists haveopposed a plan by the Green Energy ResourceCenter to operate a biomass uel generatingacility.

Green Energy was granted an air qualitypermit April 26 to operate the acility on 21acres at 1770 Rogers Lake Road. Accordingto developers, Green Energy would generateelectricity by processing approximately 165,000tons per year o wood biomassclean, untreat-ed wood and yard waste. Company leaders say650 jobs will be created during constructionand there will 25 permanent jobs.

Opponents, saying the potential jobs arenot worth the potential health risks, vowed to

continue to fight and await the outcome o liti-gation against the acility.

Governor removes, replaces schoolboard members

In a news conerence Feb. 25, Gov. NathanDealannounced that he had accepted the unani-mous recommendation o the Georgia Board oEducation (GBOE) to remove six members o theDeKalb school board.

Te DeKalb County Board o Education cameunder fire afer the school district was placed on

accreditation probation by Southern Associationo Colleges and Schools, the agency that accreditsthe school district through its parent company,AdvancED.

GBOE voted, afer a 14-hour hearing on Feb.21, to recommend to Deal to suspend DeKalbschool board members Sarah Copelin-Wood,Jesse Jay Cunningham, Donna Elder, NancyJester, Pamela A. Speaksand Eugene P. Walker.

Only the recently elected board members,chairman MelvinJohnson, vice chairman JimMcMahanand Marshall D. Orson, kept theirjobs.

A nominating committee ormed by Dealrecommended replacement board members. OnMarch 13, the six new board members were an-nounced: John Coleman, District 1;Michael Er-win, District 3;David Campbell, District 5;Joyce

Morley, District 7;Karen Carter, District 8; andaddeus Mayeld, District 9. Te suspended school board membersmi-

nus Jester, who resignedfiled a lawsuit in Feb-ruary challenging a 2011 state law that gives thegovernor the authority to remove school boardmembers when their school district aces a loss oaccreditation. In March the replacement schoolboard voted unanimously to terminate the schooldistricts status as a plaintiff in the lawsuit.

In December, the Georgia Supreme Court up-held the board members removal when it ruledthat the law is constitutional.

DeKalb Police offi cer diesresponding to call

DeKalb County Police offi cer Ivorie Ger-hard Klusmanndied Aug. 10 in a single-car

accident while respondingto a call.

According to police,Klusmannpulled over

Gregory Lee Harveyora routine traffi c stop nearSnapfinger Woods Drive.Beore Klusmann complet-ed the citation, Harvey fledthe scene.

Another offi cer spottedthe suspects vehicle andKlusmann was responded

to the call. His vehicle ran off the roadway andstruck a tree. Klusmann was pronounced deadat the scene.

Harvey was later arrested and charged withelony murder, reckless driving and thef by re-ceiving a stolen vehicle.

DeKalb County offi cers and law enorcementoffi cials rom around the state gathered at NewBirth Missionary Baptist Church in Lithonia

a ew days later or the uneral service or the31-year-old offi cer who had been employed bythe DeKalb County Police Department sinceOctober 2012, and was assigned to the uniormdivision at the departments east precinct.

Former schools constructionchief, husband imprisoned

A jury convicted ormer school con-struction chie Pat Reid and her ex-hus-

band Tony Pope onNov. 20o racketeer-ing in the DeKalb County School Districtcorruption trial.

Pope was also ound guilty o one thefcharge.

Tree weeks later a judge rejected aplea agreement or ormer SuperintendentCrawford Lewis, originally indicted onracketeering charges, sentencing him to 12months in prison. Several days beore thetrial, Lewis accepted a plea agreement inreturn or his testimony.

Reid was sentenced to 15 years inprison and $2,500 in restitution. Pope wassentenced to eight years in prison.

Reid was in charge o the school dis-tricts construction projects and was ac-cused o unneling approximately $1.4

million in construction contracts to thenhusband Pope, an architect.



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THE CHAMPION, THURSDAY, JANUARY 2 8, 2014 PAGE 13AWEEK IN PICTURES

A DeKalb County schoolmade national news in Au-gust afer an intruder armedwith an assault rifle enteredthe building and fired shots.No children or staff wereharmed.

Police said 20-year-oldMichael Brandon Hillslipped into McNair Discov-

ery Learning Academy inDecatur with an AK-47 andmore than 500 rounds oammo. Hill was arrested andcharged in the incident a-ter a shootout with DeKalbCounty Police, who said Hillbarricaded himsel insidethe schools ront offi ce and

held several employees hostage beore being taken intocustody.

One o the hostages, school employeeAntoinetteTuff, was commended by school and county offi cials andeven received a telephone call rom President BarackObamaor successully talking Hill into putting downhis weapon and surrendering to police.

Hill was indicted Nov. 14 and aces 13 charges, in-cluding aggravated assault on a police offi cer, terroristic

threats, alse imprisonment and possession o a firearmduring the commission o a elony. He is also chargedwith stealing the firearm used during the incident.

School shooter indicted forincident at McNair

Afer a brie visit to College Heights EarlyLearning Center, President Barack Obama spoketo Decatur residents about his plans to implementa universal pre-K program nationwide.

During his Feb. 12 State o the Union address,Obama said ewer than three in 10 4-year-oldshave access to a high-quality preschool program.

For the poor kids who need help the most, thislack o access to preschool education can shadowthem or the rest o their lives, Obama said.

Obama told residents that education needs tostart at the earliest possible age and City Schools oDecatur had done just that.

Te kids that I saw today, theyre some o thelucky ones, Obama said. I youre looking ora good bang or your educational buck this is it,right here.

College Heights, which serves pupils ages 6weeks to 4 years old, places a strong emphasis onearly learning. During his brie visit, Obama said

he learned about the curriculum, which consisto learning numbers, being taught how to ask andanswer critical questions and how to work wellwith others.

Obama said College Heights is unique becauseeach class combines children rom differentsocioeconomic backgrounds and children withdisabilities.

Obama unveils pre-K plan in Decatur

Suburban Plaza Walmart gets judges nod

A developers plan to revitalize the60-year-old Suburban Plaza with a150,000-square-oot Walmart store gotthe green light in November rom a judge.

Te Walmart will be part o an im-proved shopping center, which will

increase by 30,000 square eet, will add600-800 jobs to the community and spurredevelopment in the corridor, accordingto representatives o builder Selig Enter-

prises Inc.In March 2013, Good Growth DeKalb,

a group o residents concerned aboutsustainable growth in the area, filed suitabout the way the groups appeal o thecounty zoning boards approval was

handled.A spokeswoman or Good GrowthDeKalb said the group is consulting withits attorney about uture steps.


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by Daniel [email protected]

Former ClarkstonCity Councilwoman JoanSwaney pleaded guilty Dec.

16 to stealing thousandsrom the citys communitycenter, a crime which com-munity center directorMcKenzie Wren said hasaken its toll.

Swaney, 67, who workedor the center as its o-fice manager or six years,pleaded guilty to embezzlingmore than $60,000 romhe Clarkston Community

Center.According to U.S. At-

orney Sally Quillian Yates,Swaneys personal mottowas in sharp contrast to her

actions while employed athe center.

Swaneys personal mottowas Live with purpose, actwith integrity, Yates said.She ailed to live up tohose ideals when she stoleens o thousands o dollars.

Wren said she knewSwaney was guilty the mo-ment they discovered themoney was missing afer annternal audit.

I knew she was guilty;wed uncovered itwe didntmake it up, Wren said.

Te community center,

Wren said, serves children

through education, a oodsecurity initiative, recreationand cultural events. She saidthe center operates on ashoestring budget.

My roo is still leaking,programs have not grownand thrived in the way thatthey need to and basicallyour services have been com-promised as a result o thiskind o thef, Wren said.

Swaney resigned rom

the Clarkston City Councilin October afer she wasindicted by a ederal grand

jury.According to the indict-

ment, Swaney was officemanager o the communitycenter rom November 2003to December 2012. In 2012,Swaney reportedly beganwriting checks payable tohersel and orged Wrenssignature.

Prosecutors said Swaneyused the money to paycredit card bills, und amily

vacations, cover medical ex-penses and car repairs, andcharter a boat.

Te indictment statesthat in June 2010, Swaneyused $1,424 to pay or aamily vacation; $3,000 or

vehicle repairs in September2010; and $1,590 to charter aboat in June 2011.

Prosecutors also statedthat Swaney varied the checkamounts and made fictitiousentries in the memo lines othe checks to avoid detec-tion. She was also accused o

using the community cen-ters debit card to withdrawcash, on several occasionswithdrawing up to $600 at atime.

Clarkston Mayor Em-manuel Ransomsaid thecity will not press chargesagainst Swaney and wouldlet the case against herplay out in ederal court.Ransom said he is keepingSwaney and her amily in hisprayers.

Not speaking as themayor but as a riend, Imnot going to desert my

riends when theyre in atime o turmoil and troublelike this, Ransom said.

According to ederalprosecutors, the chargesagainst Swaney carry amaximum sentence o 30years in prison and a fineo up to $1 million. Swaneyreportedly accepted a pleaagreement rom prosecutors,although the details o thatagreement have not beenmade public.

Swaneys sentencing isscheduled or March 6 at 10a.m.

A former Clarkston councilwoman was recently found guilty of embezzling thousands from a local communitycenter. Photo by Travis Hudgons

Councilwomans embezzlement affects local youth

Decorate DecaturResidents turned on their holiday lights Dec. 15 or

the annual Decorate Decatur competition.David Dasilva, who resides at 122 Woodlawn Av-

enue, was awarded the Commissioners Cup or the deco-rations in ront o his home. he award was present byDecatur Mayor Jim Baskett.

Additionally, the Winona Park area was awarded theNeighborhood Spirit Award or its luminaries and the in-tersection o Kings Highway and West Davis received an

honorable mention.Other residences that were named as winners include608 Avery Street, 308 Kings Highway, 901 hird Avenue,335 Leyden Street, 139 Vidal Boulevard, 219 Harold ByrdDrive, 211 Second Ave., and the Little Shop o Stories onthe Decatur Square. Photos provided

122 Woodlawn Avenue

211 Second Avenue 308 Kings Highway. Photos provided

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In addition to the Glenns, other DeKalb resi-dents and ULC board members participating in-luded Patricia Walker, Mary Ann Tompson,

Anna Ogletree, Delphyne Lomax, Dr. BettyPalmer, Dr. Catherine urk, Jeanand BoykinEdwards, Barbaraand Bennie Boyd, Burrelland Philippa Ellis, Chris Brown, Don Roman,Phylissand William Cook, Barry Gray, BlancheNichols, John Hewittand Morris Hester. Partici-pating rom other areas were Marian JohnsonandGeraldine Sherard.

Each year volunteers begin working months inadvance collecting new and gently used clothingand toiletries to be sent to the island nation. Sort-ng and packing the donated items or shipment

ook dozens o volunteers an estimated nine hourso complete. Tis year more than 1,900 poundswere collected and shipped in 15, 100-gallon bar-els.

Te 2013 efforts ocused on the communityaround Chatsworth Primary School in Maroonown, St. James, Jamaica. It is located some 16miles rom the center o the bustling port town oMontego Bay, but is almost as i it is a different na-ion. Te area was originally settled in the 1600s

by slaves who had rebelled against Spanish planta-

tion owners and fled to the mountainous regionsollowing the rebellions. Many o the residents othe area are direct descendants o ormer slaves.

raveling to Maroon own is difficult at best.Te steep, narrow two-lane road eventually be-comes a single-lane dirt road traversing hairpincurves that border steep cliffs with no guardrails.Due to difficulty in accessing the community,many residents are not gainully employed andtheir children ofen are not exposed to lie outsideo their community.

Residential dwellings are typically shanties con-structed o salvaged building materials; walkwaysare dusty dirt pathways; some homes have elec-tricity and some do not. Access to clean drinking

water is limited and or some, a long trek along thetrails to a reshwater spring is required to gatherjugs o water. Day-to-day existence can be difficult.

However, some 22 volunteers made a huge di-erence in this community during the first week oDecember by giving their time, knowledge, sup-port, resources and love.

As they entered the somewhat primitive butunctional school building, there were smiling stu-dents dressed in neatly laundered and pressed yel-low and black uniorms. Students had assembled

along opposing walls o the long open space. Oldashioned wooden school desks and olding chairsserved as seating or students, staff and volunteers.

A ull day o workshops and classroom in-struction was scheduled or students, aculty andparents o the community that emphasized sel-es-teem, as well as math, reading and computer skills.Additionally, a mock flea market was held that al-lowed parents to select clothing or themselves andother amily members.

Following the workshops and flea market, eachstudent was presented with a gif bag o clothing,toys and school supplies. As the students nameswere called, they came up to receive their gif bags.Most had huge smilesmuch like the smile on a

childs ace on Christmas morning.In previous years ULC has worked with SOSChildrens Village and Mt. Zion Primary School,both located in the general vicinity o MontegoBay.

Paying it orward during this special time oyear has become an annual tradition or many othose who participate, donate and volunteer.

For additional inormation on the efforts oUnconditional Love or Children Inc. or to donate,visit www.ecglennoundation.org.

Jamaica Continued From Page 1A

Ellis Continued From Page 1Ahat cloud and Im looking forward

o that.Ellis said holding public office isa trust with constituents.

I would never violate theirrust, he said. Its a sacred trust.ts something I was taught by my

parents. Its something that my wifeand I believe in and are passing ono our children.

People who know me know thatwould never do anything wrong,

Ellis said. And I havent done any-hing wrong in this instance.

In addition to about Ellis legalwoes, Jones and Ellis discussed vari-ous county issues, including city-hood and the proposal to change thecountys form of government.

Ellis said he is not opposes to thecreation of new cities but is againstwhat amounts to a resegregationand a separation of a community

that was known for its diversity.

Were not against people hav-ing an extra layer of government ifthey want to have a layer of govern-ment and services brought closer tothem, Ellis said. But this is aboutthe syphoning of resources awayfrom county government.

Why is that important? heasked. Because county governmentstill has to run the court system.County government still has to runthe libraries. County governmentstill has to run the elections andmake sure that those are fair. Coun-ty government still has to [monitor]public health and the public hospi-tals and to run the sheriff s officeand deliver community services and,quite frankly, deliver the bulk of theinfrastructuresidewalks, and ourwater and sewer systemsthat wedepend on.

Jones said the cityhood move-

ment is becoming divisive.There are good people in thiscounty who are being separated bythose who are playing in their fearsand they are dividing us, Jones said.[With] the creation of these newcities, youre literally seeing govern-ment being bleached. Theyre liter-ally creating White cities, puttingWhite communities against southDeKalb.

Theyre syphoning off resourc-es, he said. Its now gotten to thepoint where you want to do inde-pendent school systems for each ofthese cities. Its like its resegregationall over again.

Ellis said he is concerned aboutsome of the talk about changing theform of government.

My vision for DeKalb Countywas that the peoples priority would

be the priority of their local govern-

ment, he said. The peoples priorityis not to change the government.DeKalb County has separation

of powers, Ellis said. One shouldask him or herself if separation ofpowers and checks and balances aregood enough for our federal gov-ernment, the greatest democracyknown to humankind, if its goodenough for our state government, ifits good enough for cities all acrossAmerica and one out of fourmostmetropolitan countiesin the Unit-ed States of America, why wouldseparation of powers not be goodfor DeKalb County?

Where would be checks andbalances be if we got rid of the ex-ecutive branch of government? heasked.


Volunteers representing DeKalb-based Unconditional Love for Children Inc. worked with staff, students and parents of Chatsworth Primary School in Maroon Town, Jamaica. Photos byChristopher Brown and John Hewitt

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THE CHAMPION FREE PRESS, FRIDAY, JANUARY 3, 2014 PAGE 17ABUSINESS

Rustic Italian cuisine in Toco Hills

The Voice of Business in DeKalb CountyDeKalb Chamber of Commerce

404.378.8000 www.DeKalbChamber.org

Two Decatur Town Center, 125 Clairemont Ave., Suite 235, Decatur, GA 30030

by Kathy [email protected]

A new casual neighborhood eat-ry has joined the dining optionsn west DeKalb Countys oco Hills

Shopping Center.We recognize that diners have a

ot o choices in oco Hills, but webelieve we have crafed a unique ex-perience that will weave us into theabric o the neighborhood, com-

mented Chris Hadermann, one o

he owners.Te best way to explain what kind

o restaurant Osteria Cibo Rusticos, the owners said, is to translatehe name. In Italy, an osteria (oh-ter-ee-ah) is a casual, neighborhoodatery and cibo rustico (chee-bow-sti-co) is Italian or rustic ood.

Co-owners Hadermann and JohnPiemonte, who own other restau-ants together, collaborated with

proprietor Quincy Evansto createwhat they describe as a comortablegathering place where riends and

amily can enjoy innovative cuisineand a thoughtul wine list.

Te menu, Piemonte said, is asstraightorward as its name, yet stillhas a gourmet Italian flair. Te at-mosphere, he said, is country Italianshabby chic.

Piemonte, who was born inLong Island New York and movedto Florida when he was 5, said botho his parents are o ull Italian de-scent. He said the ood at OsteriaCibo Rustico is greatly influenced by

the cuisine o Southern Italywherehis mother was bornbut with ahealthy approach. He worked closelywith Che Stefano Franciosito cre-ate the ull-flavored dishes with ahealthy approach.

Piemonte characterized the oodas like the home style ood my Non-na cooked or us growing up, butwith just a touch o panache added.Te dishes are truly a representationo how Ive been cooking or am-ily and riends throughout my adultlie.

Hadermann was operating an em-ployee benefits consulting firm whenhe was inspired to try the restaurantbusiness. He said when he went outin Atlanta to eat with riends he wasdiscouraged by the citys nightlieoptions and wanted to open a placethat was upscale but unpretentious,comortable and simple.

Tat led to his first restaurant inAtlanta. I eventually realized I wasmore passionate about creating unconcepts centered on ood, wine

and conversations than the bar andnightclub industry, Hadermann re-called.

Were excited to join the NorthDruid Hills community and bringa different dining experience to thearea, he added, explaining that heand his partner chose the area be-cause they saw an opportunity tofill a void in the oco Hills area byproviding a casual yet upscale Italianexperience. With a ocus on authen-ticity, artisan ingredients and a che stouch we hope to win people over

with our delicious yet healthy ap-proach to Italian cuisine.

Hadermann said the biggest chal-lenge in creating Osteria Cibo Rusti-co, which opened in early November,was converting rom one concept toanother in a very short timerame.He acknowledged that it has takena ew weeks or us to work out someo the typical kinks o a restaurantstartup.

We completely converted in16 days. In hindsight it would have

been preerable to have had moretime to perect each dish, whichended up taking a bit longer than wehad hoped. Without the use o a ul-ly stocked test kitchen, we couldnteven begin to ully test dishes withindays afer we began the conversion,he continued.

Hadermann said that so ar mostour customers have been very recep-tive and business has been reallygreat and each week is getting betterand better.

Chef Stefano Franciosi shows fusilli, made with fenel sausage, mushrooms, toasted garlic,nions and pisachios, one of more than eight pasta dishes available at Osteria Cibo Rustico.

Salsiccia is a sandwich made with Italiansausage, onion, red pepper pesto and servedwith a tomato-basil dipping sauce.

Pan seared whitesh is accompanied by

scampialla romana.

Owners describe the inside dcor ascountry Italian shabby chic. Photos by

Kathy Mitchell

Osteria Cibo Rustico joins numerous dining options in the Toco Hills area.

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THE CHAMPION FREE PRESS, FRIDAY, JANUARY 3, 2014 PAGE 19ASPORTS

PLEASE

RECYCLE THISPAPER

Te No. 10-ranked Emory womensbasketball team remained perect onhe season afer deeating Randolph

College 66-42 Dec. 21 in the St. Peters-burg Classic.

Emory senior Hannah Lillyscoreda game-high 17 points to lead the LadyEagles to a 9-0 record.

Lilly was 6-o-11 rom the field, in-cluding five o her eight attempts romhree-point range. It was Lillys eighth

game in double figures. Senior SelenaCastillorounded out the teams dou-ble-figure scorers with 11 points whileeading the Eagles in rebounds with a

career-high tying nine rebounds. Se-nior Savannah Morganaided in thewin by totaling seven rebounds anddishing out seven assists.

Emorys deense held Randolph toust 27.6 percent (16-o-58) rom the

field, an opponent low this year, while

orcing 33 turnovers that led to 27points or Emory. Castillo, along withophomores Ilene Tsaoand Khadijah

Sayyid, all recorded three steals asEmory totaled 12 steals.

With both teams struggling to scoreduring the opening 20 minutes, resh-man Shellie Kaniutscored all nine oher points, helping Emory to a 29-19advantage at halfime. Afer tradingbaskets within the opening 30 secondso the second hal, Lilly hit back-to-back three-pointers over a 27-secondpan, ueling a 12-0 run that saw Em-

ory hold Randolph scoreless or nearlyeven minutes as Emory extended the

core to 43-21.Emory led by 25 points, 62-37, with2:52 remaining ollowing a 7-2 run thatwas started by Lillys final three-pointero the game and capped by a bucket byCastillo.

Emorys 9-0 start is the second timen school history that an Emory team

has won its opening nine games, join-ng the 1994-95 team to achieve that

distinction. Te win over Randolphalso allowed the Eagles to tie the pro-grams second-longest winning streak.

by Carla [email protected]

Te Lithonia Bulldogs wres-

tling team is off to its best startunder head coach Patrick Ryaninhis our-year tenure.

Last season, the Bulldogs fin-ished ourth in the DeKalb Countywrestling meet, but they currentlysit at the top o the county witha 21-8 record, according to theDeKalb County wrestling stats.Ryan said the teams motto thisseason is Every day, we workharder and we get better. He saidthe team has been ollowing thatmotto all season long.

Im really pleased with thisteam because they are buying into

what Im preaching and we justkeep getting better every day, hesaid. Tats the goal, to get better

every day and to work hard everyday.

According to the county stats,Lithonia has wrestlers leading

in 10 weight divisions. SeniorChris Nelson, who wrestles inthe 160-pound division, is lead-ing Lithonia and the county witha 28-0 record. Ryan said Nelsonssuccess this season is due to theextra work he puts in practice toget better.

He wants it, Ryan said. Heworks his butt off. Hes doing whatit takes to get to the next level.

Ryan credits the preseasonconditioning with the Bulldogssuccess this season. Lithonia didnot have preseason last year andRyan said the wrestlers began lif-

ing weights and doing cardio con-ditioning three days a week romSept. 2 to the first day they began

practicing on the wrestling mat.When we first got on the mat

we were in tip top shape, he said.Weve been putting in a lot o

work in the weight room condi-tioning and getting in shape.

Te second hal o Lithoniasseason begins Jan. 4 with theeam Dual Area Championship atMarist. Marist has one o the topwrestling programs in the stateand is currently ranked No. 5 inClass AAAA. Ryan said this isthe time to start peaking and it isimportant or them to win the bigtournaments, including the tour-nament at Marist.

In order or us to do that theguys need to stay committed,come to practice, work hard and

stick to what we have been doingto get better every day, Ryan said.

Lithonia wrestling: working hard to get better

The Martin Luther King, Jr.High School baseball programand Browns Mill Civic and Ath-letic Association have teamed upto sponsor Quick Hitter clinicsand baseball awareness sessions atStonecrest Mall Jan. 4 and Jan. 11from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m.

The purpose of the clinic is to

increase African-American youthinterest and involvement in base-

ball. Players from ages 3 to 14can register for the camp and theupcoming baseball season. MelvinWalton, president of Browns MillCivic and Athletic Association,said it is important to keep baseballalive in the south DeKalb area.

We have developed a greatprogram and we need to keep ouryouth interested in the game of

baseball, Walton said.M. L. King baseball coach

Richard Gainessaid it made sensefor his program to partner withBrowns Mill Park.

They are one of the feeder sys-tems to our program, Gaines said.We need to make sure the playerslearn the fundamentals of the gameand have fun.

Browns Mill Civic and AthleticAssociation will hold registra-tion for its upcoming season at the

Browns Mill Recreation Center,located at 5101 Browns Mill Roadin Lithonia. The baseball season

begins in February.M. L. King will host its Base-

ball Spring First Pitch Camp Feb.9 from 2:30 p.m. until 4 p.m. atthe high school, located at 3991

Snapfnger Road in Lithonia.Athletes will receive a discount

on their registration package if theyregister at the Quick Hitter clinic.

M.L. King, Browns Mill to host youth baseball clinic for youth

Emory womens basketballremains undefeated afterwin in St. Petersburg Classic

The Lithonia High School wrestling team is having one of its best seasons with a 21-8 record and hopes its early success can leadto an area and state title.

The M. L. King baseball program will partner with Browns Mill Civic and AthleticAssociation for two baseball clinics to increase Black youth interest in baseball.

Emory guard Khadijah Sayyid had three steals inhe 66-42 win over Randolph College.

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THE CHAMPION FREE PRESS, FRIDAY, JANUARY 3, 2014 PAGE 20ASPORTS

Love To Shop Here. Love To Save Here.

For a list of current Buy One Get One Free

deals, weekly specials, and coupons, visit

publix.com/save.To view deals on

your smartphone, scan the code.

Whether shopping for the week or for the items you need to prepare your favorite

dish, with a little planning, you can take advantage of savings that are just as satisfying

as the meal itself. There are deals throughout the store. Bring in your coupons and

save even more. With all the ways Publix helps you stretch your grocery dollars, you

can plan on lef tovers of the green kind regularl y. And we dont mean lettuce.

Add a side of Savingsto every meal.

Dec. 26

Sandy Creek 61, Southwest DeKalb 58 in OM. L. King 65, Stone Mountain 57Butler 67, Mays 63enkins 70, Cedar Grove 59

Meridian, Miss. 53, Crisp County 37Columbia 65, Brainerd, enn. 45Greenorest 50, Glenn Hills 39

Dec. 27

Losers BracketBrainerd, enn. 63, Southwest DeKalb 60Gainesville, FL 66, Stone Mountain 49Glenn Hills 72, Crisp County 56Mays 55, Cedar Grove 39

Winners BracketColumbia 62, Sandy Creek 47enkins 69, Butler 50

ucker 67, M. L. King 63Meridian 68, Greenorest 62

Dec. 28

Losers BracketMays 71, Gainesville, Fla. 69 in double OGlenn Hills 65, Brainerd, enn. 57Greenorest 68, Sandy Creek 43M. L. King 76, Butler 57

Winners Bracket SemifinalsColumbia 57, Meridian 55 in Oucker 66, Jenkins 63

Basketball scores fromChick-fil-a Classic

Tucker guard Shembari Phillips goes up for alayup. Photos by Travis Hudgons

M. L. Kings Paul Jackson tries to score over Tucker

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