FreePress: 10-18-2013

7/27/2019 FreePress: 10-18-2013

1/24

Trumpet player Scotty Barnhart, a DeKalb County native, recently became the director of the CountBasie Orchestra.

WWW.CHAMPIONNEWSPAPER.COM FRIDAY, OctOber 18, 2013 VOL. 16, NO. 30 FREE

A PUBLICATION OF ACE III COMM UNICATIONS

Serving East Atlanta, Avondale Estates, Brookhaven, Chamblee, Clarkston, Decatur, Doraville, Dunwoody, Lithonia, Pine Lake, Tucker and Stone Mountain.

S Ocsa o Pag 15A

S Scoos o Pag 15A

championnewspaper championnewspaper champnewspaperchampionnews

FreePress

DeKalb County nativefollows dreams to leadCount Basie Orchestra

DeKalb school board extends law firms contractby Andrew [email protected]

DeKalb County school board mem-bers said they are concerned about a le-gal bill that has jumped from $150,000to $750,000.

The concern surfaced during anOct. 7 work session when DeKalbCounty school Superintendent MikeThurmond requested an extension ofa contract with McKenna Long & Al-dridge LLP (MLA) for the installationof governance evaluation and account-ability systems.

Some school board members ex-

pressed concerns about the cost andscope of the services of MLA, whereformer state attorney general Thurb-

ert Baker works. But Thurmond saidhe was insulted by what he called theschool boards attempt to micromanagehim.

If Im going on mission impos-sible, I get to pick who goes with me,Thurmond said. Im not going onMission Impossible and you choosewho my people will be.

After a heated debate, the schoolboard approved the extension of MLAcontract for 12 months at a cost of$50,000 per month. The firm hadoriginally been hired on a three-monthcontract through May 2013. The boardalso agreed to pay MLA for services

provided through September.I was a supporter of the original

engagement of MLA because I saw the

by Daniel [email protected]

The first time Scotty Barn-hart saw the legendary CountBasie Band he was 15 but heknew then that one day hewould be onstage playing withome of those same musicians.

What Barnhart said he didntknow then was how much thatmoment would come to impacthis life moving forward and thatafter playing in the band formore than 20 years he wouldeventually be asked to lead it.

They were at Druid HillsHigh School and that wasaround 1979 or 1980, Barnhartaid.

Barnhart, who is also a pro-fessor of jazz trumpet at FloridaState University, said he beganplaying the trumpet at age 9,mostly by chance. He attendedTerry Mill Elementary School;when he entered fifth grade, heaid each student was asked ifhey wanted to join the school

band. Barnhart wanted to playviolin.

I asked for a violin and my

mom went over to Emile BaranInstruments in Decatur. It justso happened that all the otherkids parents were there gettingthem violins too and the linewas too long, Barnhart said.

Rather than wait in line,Barnharts mother went nextdoor and got her son a trumpet.

She came home with thatand when she opened the case,I was expecting a violin, Barn-hart said. But when she openedit there was a shiny silver trum-pet. It was a pretty Septemberday and I never looked back.

As a child, Barnhart attendedAtlantas Ebenezer BaptistChurch, where Martin LutherKing Jr. was once pastor. Hesaid there was a choir that per-formed and instead of using theregular church organ, they useda Hammond B3. When he heardthe Basie Band for the firsttime, he said it reminded him ofthe soul/gospel music he heardin church.

Every facet of it was great,felt good, made you happy andmade you want to move. Thatsreally what the Basie Orchestra

ormer state attorney general Thurbert Bakers law frm is being paid $50,000 permonth for the next year. Photo by Andrew Cauthen

7/27/2019 FreePress: 10-18-2013

2/24

The Champion Free Press, Friday, October 18 , 2013 Page 2Alocal news

DeKalb announces annual surplus auction

Motorists warned to be cautiousduring deer mating seasonby Carla [email protected]

Fall is here, which meansmating season for deer andGeorgia Wildlife ofcialsare warning motorists to beon the lookout.

According to GeorgiaWildlife, an estimated50,000 deer-car collisionshappen annually in Georgia.Deer mating season occursbetween October and earlyDecember. During this timemale deer go into rut andbegin actively searching formates, which contributeso the increased movement,

bringing them across road-

ways, according to GeorgiaWildlife.

Department of NaturalResources CommissionerMark Williams said in anews release that deer arealso on the move in subur-ban and urban areas.

While motorists in ru-al areas may expect to see

deer, Georgias suburbanand urban areas can beprime spots as well, Wil-iams said.

More than 300 peoplewere injured when vehicles

collided with deer in 2011,according to the GeorgiaGovernors Ofce of High-way Safety. According tohe Georgia Department of

Transportation, in DeKalbCounty there were 1,587auto accidents from 2000 to2006 that were caused bydeer venturing onto road-ways.

A total of 1,000 peopleacross the country died indeer-car collision accidentsbetween 2006 and 2010,

according to the NationalHighway Trafc SafetyAdministration. Harris

Blackwood, director of theGovernors Ofce of High-way Safety, said deer canbe unpredictable hazardsfor motorists on Georgiasroads, especially duringtheir fall mating season.

These hazards just un-derline the need for motor-ists to observe posted speedlimits and wear their seat-belts, he said.

The increased humanpopulation and rural devel-opment also are a factors inthe increase of deer sight-ings. According to Georgia

Wildlife, deer lose theirnatural food source andconsequently move into newareas in search of food andwater as the human popula-tion continues to grow andexpand into traditionallyrural areas.

Days become shorter andnights longer rush hour formost commuters falls dur-ing the same hours in whichwhite-tailed deer are mostactivedawn and dusk.

Below are a few tips andinformation from Georgia

Wildlife to help motoristsavoid potential collisions:

Unpredictable: Alwaysremember deer are wild,and therefore, can be un-predictable. A deer calmlystanding on the side ofa road may bolt into oracross the road rather thanaway from it when startledby a vehicle.

One deer usually meansmore: Take caution andslow down when a deer

crosses. Deer generallytravel in groups, so if onecrosses, be prepared that

others may follow. Time of day: As deer aremost active at dawn anddusk, they typically areseen roadside during theearly morning and lateeveningthe same timesmost people are commut-ing to and from work.

Time of year: While deer-car collisions can occurany time of year, the fallbreeding season is a peaktime for such accidents.Road shoulders generallyprovide green food dur-ing dry times of the year

and following a long, hardwinter.

Minimize damage: If itis too late to avoid a col-lision, drivers are advisedto slow down as muchas possible to minimizedamage - resist the urge toswerve to avoid the deer,this may cause furtherdamage, sending driversoff the road or causinga collision with anothervehicle. If an accident oc-curs, alert the police assoon as possible, public

safety ofcials advise.

DeKalb Countys annualurplus auction will be held

Saturday, Oct. 26, at 10 a.m.,at Adesa-Atlanta, 5055 Oak-ey Industrial Blvd., Fair-

burn. The public can inspecttems on Friday, Oct. 25,

from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.Items for sale include

police cars, re trucks, sani-ation vehicles, construction

equipment, ofce furnitureand equipment, and othermiscellaneous items. Buyers

may participate in person oronline.

DeKalb has held an auc-tion every year since 1976,and funds raised through this

process are used to purchasenew vehicles and replenishthe general fund. This year,110 vehicles will go to thehighest bidders, along withhundreds of other items.

For more information,call (770) 357-2277 or visitwww.adesarigs.com/atlanta.

7/27/2019 FreePress: 10-18-2013

3/24


Trial looms for former superintendent, school employees

pleAse recycle this pAper

DeKalb County ethics board continues to go unfundedby Daniel [email protected]

A DeKalb County grand jury re-eased a report recently that alleges

corruption spanning several ad-

ministrations and departments, andaccused suspended DeKalb CEOBurrell Ellis of being one of the topoffenders.

The report called for greaterransparency, including ethics re-

form and establishing an internalauditors ofce. However, commis-ioners have yet to approve funding

for the board of ethics or appoint annternal auditor.

To be honest with you, the s-cal year 2013 budget will be a mootpoint if this thing continues to getdeferred. You may as well just voteagainst it, said Isaac Blythers,chairman of the ethics board.

Blythers told commissioners Oct.8 that the deferrals have preventedhe ethics board from being reorga-

nized to do the work that we vol-unteered to do.

The budget proposed by the eth-cs board is two-part. It requests

funding through the end of scalyear 2013 and funding for scalyear 2014. For the rest of the year,he board has requested $57,750,

which will be transferred from theDeKalb County Board of Commis-ioners general fund.

The budget outlines $35,000 foroperating expenses such as hiring acourt reporter and performing inves-tigations, $12,000 for board legalcounsel services and $15,000 forethics board training. The rest of the

$57,750 will be spent on adminis-trative support fees.CommissionerJeff Rader said

the ethics board is a creation of theGeorgia legislature and has six mainresponsibilities, the rst being toestablish the rules, procedures andregulations of the board.

Additionally, the board of eth-ics is responsible for renderingadvisory opinions with respect tothe interpretation of the countysethics ordinance; hear complaintsof ethics violations and performinvestigations to determine whetherany person has violated parts of theethics ordinance; hold hearing and

inquiries into ethics issues; and toprescribe forms for disclosure.Blythers said the ethics board

plays a role in building public trustbut that isnt its sole purpose. Hesaid the ethics board, commission-ers, department heads and countyemployees all play a role in theoverall solution for the county tobuild public trust.

Unless all of those entities areworking together public trust goesout the window. We are a group ofvolunteers that obviously the board

of commissioners and the CEOthought competent enough to dothis. All were asking you to do isto give us an opportunity to do whatyou thought we could do when you[appointed us], Blythers told com-

missioners at a recent meeting.Rader said he took the budgetrequest the board made and pre-sented it during the meeting to havea public discussion of the matter. Hewouldnt comment on why it hasbeen deferred so many times.

I think its a pretty straightfor-ward decision for us to make, toprovide the ethics board the resourc-es they need in order to do their[job], Rader said.

Blythers said he began petition-ing Ellis and then chief presidingofcer CommissionerLarry John-son in 2012 for revenue and newappointments. Rader said the board

of ethics also had a list of qualiedcandidates for appointment.It was only when the board said

they were going to stop meetingbecause they didnt have the mem-bership or resources that somethingwas done about it, Rader said.

The ethics board and internalauditor dont have the power toprosecute but Rader said if theyhad been in place several years ago,the county may have caught somemistakes that have recently come tolight.

Rader referred to a recent scan-dal with Desmear Systems, a Tuck-er-based construction rm hired towork on the countys rst majorwater/sewer project.

The county terminated the $7.7

million contract with Desmear af-ter reports of on-site accidents andshoddy work. According to of-cials, the company also provided afraudulent performance bond for thework.

Desmear was also named in thegrand jury investigation as one ofthe rms Ellis allegedly succeededin strong-arming into donating$2,500 to his campaign.

An internal auditor would havebeen able to nd that because its allbasically in the paperwork, Radersaid.

As it relates to the ethics board,Rader said he isnt condent that it

has the tools to effectively investi-gate complaints that come before it.He said ethics complaints are oftenambiguous, and without propertraining, the ethics board is unableto come to a defensible conclu-sion about them.

As a consequence, complaintscan hang out there for months un-resolved, Rader said. I think thatthe ethics board is more to be ableto be respondent and an arbitrator ofcomplaints that may or may not bevalid.


The trial involving a for-mer DeKalb County SchoolDistrict superintendent ac-cused of leading a criminal

enterprise within the schoolystem is scheduled to begin

Oct. 28.Crawford Lewis, along

with former schools con-truction chiefPat Reid and

her ex-husband Tony Pope,are accused of conspiring todefraud the school district ofapproximately $2.4 millionhrough illegal construction

contracts.All three are charged

with violating the Racketeernuenced and Corrupt

Organizations Act (RICO)

and three counts of theft byaking by a government em-ployee.

Reid, formerly known

as Pat Pope, allegedly usedher role as the districts con-struction chief to award con-tracts to then husband TonyPope. According to ofcialsand court documents, Lewissigned off on contracts and

knowingly participated inthe conspiracy.Reid also red Heery/

Mitchell in 2006, which had

overseen construction con-tracts for the district, citingoverbilling and questionablework. Heery managed theschool districts SPLOSTaccount from 2002-06.

Heery has since sued

DeKalb County SchoolDistrict for $400,000, whichit said the district still owesfor work it had done. The

school district consequentlycountersued for $100 mil-lion, alleging fraud andclaiming that the companymismanaged projects. Heerydenies those claims andcontends the real reason

the company was red wasthat Reid wanted to awardthe contracts to people sheknew and had connections

with.Both Heery International

and the district have at-tempted to come to a settle-ment out of court.

Lewis recently led amotion in Superior Court

Judge Cynthia Beckerscourtroom requesting thathis case be severed fromco-defendants Reid andPope. Becker has yet to ruleon that motion but has is-sued an order preventingattorneys, witnesses and thedefendants involved in thecase from speaking to themedia.

In a recent court hearing,attorneys of the three defen-dants acknowledged theyhad been offered a plea dealby the District Attorneys

Ofce but would not go intofurther detail.

Pope Reid Lewis

7/27/2019 FreePress: 10-18-2013

4/24

One Mans Opinion

A house divided against itselfcannot stand.Then U.S. SenatecandidateAbraham Lincoln, quot-ing a verse from the Bible duringthe 1858 campaign.

Barely less than a century afterthe Civil War, enough Georgianswere willing to select a GOP bal-lot for Georgia Republicans tohold their first general primary in

1964. Then in 1966, CongressmanHoward Bo Callaway (R-Dis-trict 3) received the most votes forgovernor, though only a plurality,tossing the election into the GeorgiaHouse of Representatives, a practi-cal one-party chamber of Demo-crats, which then elected the secondplace finisher, Lester Maddox asgovernor.

It took another 36 years forGeorgia voters to elect their firstGOP governor since Reconstruc-tion, in the person of former StateSenatorSonny Perdue (R-Bo-naire). During that 2002 electionand since, a slow building red tidebegan sweeping the state, slowlyrecasting Georgias political land-scape from top to bottom. Sheriffs,county commissioners and even

longtime legislators switched par-ties, and the once safe label ofBlue Dog conservative Demo-crat, attached to the likes of U.S.

Senators Sam Nunn, Herman Tal-madge and Richard Russell alsosoon appearedgone with the wind.

But much the way a hurricaneor tropical storm can significantlyalter a landscape or shoreline,that change is not always perma-nent. For accreted shoreline to re-main, owners and developers oftenbuild extensive and expensive seawalls, or even look to the oceanfloor offshore for beach re-nourish-ment. And such is the way of poli-tics. The base must be broadenedand deepened or the structure be-comes top heavy and may collapseunder its own weight.

On paper, and ballots, GeorgiasGOP appears bullet proof. Led by awell-considered incumbent gover-nor, likely to face only token Demo-cratic opposition, and feints fromthe right of his own party, and evenpractically endorsed by the Demo-cratic mayor of the states capitalcity. Two Republican senators leada congressional delegation wherethe GOP enjoys a healthy majority,atop district maps all but designedto guarantee re-election. In the Gen-eral Assembly, near super majoritiesexist in both chambers, with theexpectation of a few more seats to

come in the 2014 elections. And yetall is not well in elephant country.There is unease within the GOP

activist community, which leans

well right of the political centeron a wide range of issues, fromconspiracy theories regarding thegenesis of the new common core

standards for public education, to agrowing divide over how best to ap-proach the thorny issue of immigra-tion beyond the typical sound-biteof secure the borders.

The GOP has been here be-fore. Business folks who help fundthe party tend to be more centrist,as their customers come from allpolitical stripes, races, cultures andcustoms. Fiscal conservatives andsocial conservatives share apprecia-tion for much of our Constitution,but part company when govern-ment begins to enter the privacyof family and personal lifestylechoices. Libertarians seek a much

reduced government footprint onall fronts, save infrastructure andnational securityand the grow-ing voice of the Tea Party can oftenbe heard shoutingdown its ownmembers. Oh the joys of being ringmaster and running the circus underthis Big Tent.

As with the Roman Empire,the Democratic Partys long reignof Georgia and formerly CapitolHill, all power parties eventuallycome to an endand usually itsnot pretty. Those who sustain andlast the test of time typically findways to build and bind larger con-

stituencies, while smoothing theoccasional rougher waters. Gov.Nathan Deals tendency to quietlyand inclusively solve problems be-

fore they eruptis an encouragingtrend.The states Medicaid hospitalbed fee and DeKalb County schoolboard suspension/appointments are

but two recent examples.But leading requires vision,as well as building coalitions andeven on occasion, compromis-ing. This has not been a typicallydemonstrated skill set during theGeorgia GOPs reign of nearing adozen years. More than a few politi-cal observers believe that the highred tide perhaps arrived during the2010 mid-term elections. And aswith any normal non-storm surgehigh tide, when the ebb tide begins,heading back toward the low, it cantake more than the casual observerto note the daily erosion and loss ofterritory. And when you are fighting

among yourselves with gusto, thosetiny losses at the edges and marginsmay even seem trifling.

Georgias current GOP leader-ship and activists would do well topay heed to Honest Abes words ofwarning of 155 years ago. He wasright then, and it still applies today.

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 DeKalb

native and business owner, livingin Scottdale. You can reach him orcomment on a column at [email protected].

Ebbing red tide?

Page 4A The Champion Free Press, Friday, October 18 , 2013OPINION

7/27/2019 FreePress: 10-18-2013

5/24

The tea-partying

factions influence

wouldnt be so outof proportion to its

numbers without the

cowardice of more

moderate Republi-

cans.

Barack Obamas shutting downof the government is the most self-destructive thing to happen sincePoland attacked Nazi Germany in939.

Oh wait! It was Germany thatattacked Poland, wasnt it?

Yes, but Adolf Hitler, the chan-cellor of Germany, said that Polandwas the one that did the attacking

and millions of Germans believedhim. World War II followed.

Well, Im sorry to be the oneto break the news to you FoxNews lovers out there, but Presi-dent Obama didnt shut down thegovernment. It was the Republi-can majority of the U.S. House ofRepresentatives, egged on by itstea-partying faction, that shut downthe government.

The tea partiers, you see, form asmall but resolute band of absolut-ists who view Obama as the anti-Christ and will go to any length up to and including destroyingthe economy to kill off his signalachievement, a national programthat will expand health insurancecoverage to millions of Americanswho need it.

There are a number of reasons

why they have inuence so outof proportion to their numbers,but foremost among them is thecowardice of their more moder-ate Republican colleagues. Thosepeople some of them reasonable,some even smart live in fear thattheyll cast a vote that offends thecrazy wing of their party. That couldmean facing a tea party opponent intheir next primary.

Were not talking proles incourage. Its tough to get a proleof someone whos in a fetal position

most of the time.None of this has stopped Repub-

licans from claiming black is white,up is down, and that the shutdownis Obamas fault. They have beenjoined in this ction by the RightWing claque that works forRupertMurdoch at Fox News.

Remember when maverick poli-ticians like George Wallace usedto tell us that there wasnt a dimesworth of difference between theRepublicans and Democrats? Boy,those were the good old days.

Even if we manage to squeezethrough this shutdown by cobblingtogether some sort of unpalatablecompromise, like passing a budgetthat will expire in six weeks, wellstill nd ourselves up against thedebt-ceiling limit by mid-October.

If you like the shutdown, youll

love the failure to raise the debtceiling, when not only the govern-ment but the worlds economy couldcome crashing down on our heads.

This prospect bothers the teaparty faithful not at all.

Rand Paul, the Kentucky sena-tor, says that all Obama would haveto do if the ceiling isnt raised andthe government runs out of moneyis to promise our creditors that ourdebts will be paid eventually andeverything would be all right.

And Rep. Steve King, Iowas an-

swer to Michele Bachmann, claimsthat a default on our debt wouldntbe a big problem because we haveplenty of money coming in.

So Im asking why any rational,reasonable voter, whether conserva-tive or not, should ever vote for aRepublican candidate for the House.No matter what your candidate says,when push comes to shove he orshe will follow the likes of Paul andKing to the letter, not to mention thezany gentleman from Texas, TedCruz.

Were experiencing The Attackof the Zombie Lawmakers.

There are two ways out of thismess. The short-term way is forRepublican legislators who retainsome sense of reality to assert theirindependence from tea party mili-tants. If that means taking on nutty

primary opponents, so be it. I dontexpect this to happen.

In the long term, we as a na-tion simply have to begin to votethe rascals out of ofce until therearent enough of them left to make acircle, let alone a st.

Theyre asking for it.

OtherWords columnist Donald Kaullives in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Oth-erWords.org

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 forverication. 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 prior topublication date.

EDITORS NOTE: The opinions written by columnists and contributing edi-tors do not necessarily reect the opinions of the editor or publishers.ThePublisher reserves the right to reject or cancel any advertisement at anytime. The Publisher is not responsible for unsolicited manuscripts.

Publisher: John HewittChief Financial Ofcer Dr. Earl D. Glenn

Managing Editor: Kathy Mitchell

News Editor: Andrew Cauthen

Production Manager: Kemesha HuntPhotographer: 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

DISPLAY ADVERTISING (404) 373-7779 x 110

FreePress

StAtement frOm the PubliSher

W scy appca dscsso sodg s ad ayss o s o DKa Coy. The Champion was odd 1991 xpssy o povd a o o dscos o a coysds o a sds o a ss. W av o ds o ak ws oy o po ws ad opos o c a o dcadczy a w ay ov o coy owad. W aappy o ps das o dscsso; owv, w ak vyo o avod pg oao sd o s a s kow o as ad/o asspos pd as ac.

Attack of the zombie lawmakers

Printed on 100%post-consumerrecycled paper

Donald Kaul

Guest Columnist

The Champion Free Press, Friday, October 18, 2013 Page 5AOPINION

7/27/2019 FreePress: 10-18-2013

6/24

The Champion Free Press, Friday, October 18 , 2013 Page 6Acommunity

by Carla [email protected]

Brookhaven City Councilvoted Oct. 8 to annex the

Century Center ofce com-plex into the city.

The 3-1 vote came a weekafter the Georgia SupremeCourt ruled that the city wasable to vote on the annexa-ion.

Welcome to Brookhav-

en, MayorJ. Max Davisaid following the councils

vote.Brookhaven and High-

wood Properties led an ap-peal Sept. 17 to the GeorgiaSupreme Court to overturnDeKalb Superior Courtudge Tangela Barries or-

der that granted Chambleean interlocutory injunctionhat stopped Brookhaven

from moving forward withannexing Century Center.

The two cities have beenat odds over which has theights to annex the property.

Chamblees acting city man-ager and Police ChiefMarcJohnson said he was not sur-prised by the ruling.

Its basically a techni-ality, he said about the

Supreme Courts decision.What I read was that theyaid it was incorrect to stop

Brookhaven from voting.On June 21, Highwoods

Properties led an applica-

tion with Brookhaven forCentury Center to be an-nexed into the newly cre-ated city. The city councilwas scheduled to vote on it

in July but DeKalb CountySuperior Court Judge Court-ney L. Johnson issued atemporary restraining orderagainst Brookhaven.

Century Center is boundby Clairmont Road, CenturyBoulevard, Century Park-

way and Interstate 85South. HighwoodsProperties applica-tion requests to annexabout 120 acres intoBrookhaven.

With Brookhavenannexing CenturyCenter into the new

city, Chamblee of-cials said the citywill be unable to

provide some services tomore than 11,000 residents.Chamblee also argued thatannexing Century Centerinto Brookhaven will impactthe election and the refer-endum. Chamblee residentsnear the Century Center areaare scheduled to vote on theannexation into Chamblee

Nov. 5.Marc Johnson said mo-

tions for some re-judgmentshave been led by bothChamblee and Brookhavenin DeKalb Superior Court.

Well wait and see ifthe judge rules on either ofthose, he said. If not, therewill be a hearing Oct. 24. Ifeel certain that whether the

judge rules in favor of us orBrookhaven, whichever sideloses will continue to appealin the Supreme Court.

The Supreme Court hasscheduled a hearing in Janu-ary 2014.

A nurse by trade, ArleneBayus of the Oakhurstcommunity spent Oct. 4volunteering at OakhurstElementary Schools Healthand Wellness Fall Festival.

Bayus manned a stationwhere she taught studentsabout proper hand-washingtechniques.

We are talking to themabout why it is important towash your hands, how todo it right and about all ofthe [germs] youre exposedto throughout the day athome or in school, Bayus said.

A stay-at-home mom, Bayus saidshe enjoys volunteering.

Its rewarding to me because Imnot working, said Bayus, 41, who hasworked at a childrens hospital. Imable to fll that void by being able tohelp others.

Bayus, who has a kindergartner andsecond-grader at Oakhurst Elementary,has a history of volunteerism.

Ive been involved in this school forthe past year in different roles, being aroom parent, helping out on the well-ness committee, helping out planningauctions, helping out with the PTAwherever theres a need, I help out andvolunteer where I can, she said.

Bayus is also a board member of theSolariumCommunity Center of SouthDecatur and a Girl Scouts treasurer.When her children attended a coopera-tive preschool, Bayus volunteered therealso.

Volunteering is a way to give pay-back to the community, payback to the

school that my childrenare a part ofnot just mychildren, but all the childrenin the community, Bayussaid.

She said there is noreason to be reluctantabout volunteering.

There are so manyways to volunteer, shesaid. You can be behindthe scenes. You can be outhere. Just for this event wehad people that couldntbe here because of workor for whatever reason, so

they were able to volunteer by bringingin some items that we needed. Thereare always things you can do behindthe scenes as well as to be a part of theevent.

Bayus said there are many beneftsof volunteerism.

You get to meet people, Bayussaid. You get to build up communitybecause youre meeting people whoare within your community that you maynot have known otherwise.

Volunteering is also a good examplefor children, she said.

My children have always knownthat I volunteer and they have alwaysbeen around, Bayus said. If we canvolunteer as a family we will volunteer

as a family. Its just a big part of who weare in our house.

Volunteering has a little somethingfor everybody, she said. You donthave to have a lot of time to be able tovolunteer. It can be as little or as big asyou want it to be. Its all up to you.

Champion of the Week

if you would lke to nomnate someone to be consdered as a

future Champon of the Week, please contact Kathy Mtchell at

[email protected] or at (404) 373-7779, ext. 104.

Arlene Bayus

J. Max Davis

Welcome toBrookhaven.

Brookhaven approvesCentury Center annexation

7/27/2019 FreePress: 10-18-2013

7/24

The Champion Free Press, Friday, October 18 , 2013 Page 7Acommunity

uBrOOKHAVEN

City names new interimcity attorney

The Brookhaven CityCouncil voted unani-mously Oct. 8 to appoint37-year veteran lawyerThompson Kurrie Jr. asts interim city attorney.

Kurrie replaces Bill Ri-ey, who resigned to focus

on other clients. Riley willemain as the Brookhaven

solicitor, which prosecutes

city ordinance violationsor the municipal court.Kurrie, a partner with

Coleman Talley, is a certi-ed public accountant.Kurrie will oversee ap-proximately six attorneysrom his rm who will work

on city business, as wellas oversee other special-zed rms that will assisthe city in other areas.

Kurrie received hisaw degree from EmoryUniversity. He previously

aught at Valdosta StateUniversity and served ashe former chairman of theValdosta-Lowndes CountyChamber of Commerce.

City to open policesubstation

The Brookhaven Po-ce Department will open

a substation in a BufordHighway apartment com-plex as part of its commu-nity policing efforts.

Police are now outt-ing their ofce at the Mar-quis Terrace Apartmentsat 3547 Buford Highway.They will begin working

out of the substation inseveral weeks.

The substation will notbe staffed around-the-clock, but will be more ofa drop-in location for of-cers to hold meetings,write reports and con-duct other operations asneeded, according to cityofcials.

The Brookhaven Po-lice Department, whichlaunched July 31, cur-rently operates out of thecitys municipal court inBrookhavens Corporate

Square and the temporarycity hall in Dunwoody. Thecity is in the process ofnding a permanent loca-tion for city hall and policeheadquarters.

uCHAMBLEE

Library to hold open knitnights

The Chamblee Librarywill hold Open Knit NightsSaturday, Oct. 19, 2-4

p.m., and Tuesday, Oct.29, 5-7 p.m.

Come join us for achance to finish some ofthose knitting projects youhave lying around. Every-one is welcome. Pleasebring your own materialsand supplies, states theannouncement from thelibrary. No registration isrequired and light refresh-ments will be provided.Funding for the event isprovided by the Friends of

the Chamblee Library.Chamblee Library is

located at 4115 ClairmontRoad, Chamblee. Formore information, call(770) 936-1380.

uDECATur

Police to participate indrug take-back day

The Decatur PoliceDepartment is partici-

pating in another DrugEnforcement Administra-tions (DEA) National DrugTake-Back Day Oct. 26from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. In

the past ve Take-Backevents, law enforcement

agencies across the Unit-ed States removed morethan 2.8 million pounds(1,409 tons) of prescrip-tion medications from cir-culation.

Unwanted, unusedor expired prescriptiondrugs, can be broughtto the Decatur PoliceDepartment, located at250 East Ponce De Leon

Avenue, Suite T-130. Thecollection site will be infront of the main entrance

to the building off EastPonce De Leon Avenue.For more information,contact Capt. Richards at(404) 373-6551.

Writers offer tips onwriting books that sell

Wesley Chapel-WilliamC. Brown Librarywill hostLocal Authors Seminar:The Power of Writing thatCauses Books to Sell,onSaturday, Oct. 26,1-4 p.m.

Local and aspir-ing authors will discuss

how to create, publishand sell books. KeynotespeakerTia McCollorswill share her experiencesabout how she got startedand became a publishedauthor. Sharon Phillipswill discuss Turning Inspi-rations into Printed Worksand media specialist/librarian Vanessa Forten-berry will talk about TheImportance of the ThreeRsRevision, Research,and Writing. C. JoyceFarrar-Rosemon will dis-cuss Publishing, Market-ing, and Sales (Traditionalversus Social Media).Funding for the event isprovided by the Friendsof the Wesley Chapel-William C. Brown Library.Wesley Chapel-William C.Brown Library is locatedat 2861 Wesley ChapelRoad, Decatur. For moreinformation, call (404)286-6980.

Commissioner to holdtown hall meeting

District 3 Commissioner

Larry Johnson and Bish-op Stephen B. Hall invite

residents of DeKalb toattend a community townhall meeting Oct. 22, 6:30p.m., at Rhema ChristianFellowship Church, 2649McAfee Road, Decatur.

Representatives fromthe police, district attor-ney, solicitor-general andcode enforcement depart-ments will be in atten-dance. Also, representa-tives from Enroll Americaand a representative fromBank of America will bepresent.

Topics of discussionwill include public safety,code enforcement, per-sonal nance and more.

For more information,contact the ofce of Com-missioner Larry Johnsonat (404) 371-2988.

Carnival to raise fundsfor youth group homes

Little Debbies SecondChance Homes, an orga-nization that operates sixgroup homes throughoutDeKalb County, provid-

ing shelter, guidanceand resources to at-riskyouth, is holding OurFamily Fun Day on Sat-urday, Oct. 26, at PeaceLutheran Church. Theevent is designed to pro-vide the community withmore information aboutthe organizations missionand services and to raisefunds for its programs toassist youth in transition-ing into stable, productivefutures.

This will be a carnival-type event with food,games, bounce houses,face painting and a silentauction with donated tick-ets from such local ven-ues as Six Flags, StoneMountain Park, etc., aswell as autographeditems from both the At-lanta Falcons and Braves.

Admission is free, withfood and games sold at anominal cost, states anannouncement from theorganization.

Director and founderLakisha Stiggers will

be on hand to talk aboutLittle Debbies SecondChance Homes. Theevent begins at 10 a.m.with coffee and Danish

with DeKalb County Com-missionerSharon Barnes

Sutton and lasts until3 p.m. Peace LutheranChurch is located at 1679Columbia Drive, Deca-tur. For more information,visit www.littledebbie-shome.org.

uDuNWOODy

Visitors bureau tohost family reunionworkshop

The Convention & Visi-

tors Bureau of Dunwoodyis hosting a free family re-union workshop, Oct. 26,Crowne Plaza at Ravinia,4355 Ashford DunwoodyRoad, Atlanta, 11:30a.m. - 2 p.m. Attendeeswill have the opportunityto meet with Dunwoodyhotels and vendors, aswell as attend a programin which they will be in-formed of the details offamily reunion planning.

A complimentary lunch

will be provided. Thoseinterested in attendingcan register by emailing

[email protected] or calling (678) 244-9804.

uTuCKEr

Expert to speak on bookcollecting

Bob Roartyof AtlantaVintage Books will give

a talk at the Northlake-Barbara Loar Library Sat-urday, Oct. 26, 11 a.m.-noon. His presentationwill cover book collecting,including what makes abook valuable, care ofbooks and more. Fundingfor the event, Book Col-lecting 101, is providedby the Friends of theNorthlake-Barbara LoarLibrary. Northlake-BarbaraLoar Library is located at3772 LaVista Road, Tuck-er. For more information,call (404) 679-4408.

ArOuNDDeKalb

Kurrie

7/27/2019 FreePress: 10-18-2013

8/24

Page 8A The Champion Free Press, Friday, October 18 , 2013

Public gets Free TV with no monthly billsFederal law makes TV network giants broadcast Free TV signals regionally in crystal clear digital picture in all 50 states

allowing U.S. households to pull in Free TV with a sleek $49 micro antenna device engineered to pull in nothing but FreeTV channels with no cable, satellite or internet connection and no monthly bills

Who Gets Free TV:Listed below are the Decatur area zip codes that can get Free over the airTV channels. If you find the first two digits of your zip code immediately call: 1-866-342-4768

SPECIAL ADVERTISING FEATURE 2013 UNIVERSAL COMMERCE 8000 FREEDOM AVE., N. CANTON OH 44720

GEORGIA - Todays announcementby CompTek has the Free TV Hotlinesringing off the hook.

Thats because Decatur area resi-dents who find their zip code listed intodays publication are getting Free TVchannels thanks to an amazing razor-thin invention called Clear-Cast.

Decatur area residents who call theToll Free Hotlines before the 48-hourorder deadline to get Clear-Cast canpull in Free TV channels with crys-tal clear digital picture and no monthly

bills .This announcement is being so widely

advertised because a U.S. Federal lawmakes TV broadcasters transmit theirsignals in digital format, which allowseveryone to receive these over-the-airdigital signals for free with no monthlybills.

Heres how it works. Clear-Cast,the sleek micro antenna device withadvanced technology links up directlyto pull in the Free TV signals beingbroadca st in your area wit h cryst alclear digital picture and no monthlybills.

Clear-Cast was invented by arenowned NASA Space TechnologyHall of Fame scientist who currently

holds 23 U.S. Govt issued patents. Forthe past 20 years, he has specialized indeveloping antenna systems for NASA,Motorola, XM Satellite Radio and com-panies around the world.

His latest patent-pending invention,Clear-Cast, is a sleek micro antennadevice engineered to pull in the FreeTV signals through advanced technol-ogy with no cable, satellite or internetconnection and no monthly bills.

Clear-Cast is being released to thegeneral public because we just dontthink people should keep paying forTV when they can get it for free, saidConrad Miller, Manager of Operationsat CompTek.

Theres never a monthly bill to pay

and all the channels you get with Clear-Cast are absolutely free. So you see,Clear-Cast is not like cable or satel-lite. It was engineered to access solelythe over-the-air signals that include allthe top rated national and regional net-works, like ABC, NBC, CBS, FOX, PBS,CW and about 90% of the most watchedTV shows like Americas Got Talent,NCIS, 60 Minutes, American Idol, TheBig Bang Theory, The Bachelorette,Person of Interest, CSI, The Mental-ist, Two and a Half Men, Sunday NightFootball plus news, weather and moreall for free with no monthly bills, Millersaid.

Thats why Clear-Cast is such a greatalternative for everyone who is sick and

tired of paying expensive cable and sat-ellite bills every month, he said.

People who get Clear-Cast will sayit feels like getting an extra paycheckevery month. You see, with Clear-Cast

youll receive free over-the-air broad-cast channels with crystal clear dig-ital picture, not the cable or satelliteonly channels. So being able to elimi-nate those channels puts all the money

you were spending back in your pocketevery month, Miller said.

And heres the best part. The sleekmicro antenna device called Clear-Cast is so technically advanced it pullsin even more of the channels being

broadcast in your area for Free with nomonthly bills.

That way you can channel surfthrough the favorite TV shows. Thenumber of shows and channels youll getdepends on where you live. People liv-ing in large metropolitan areas may getup to 53 static-free channels, while peo-ple in outlying areas will get less. Thatmeans even if youre in a rural area that

just pul ls in NBC, ABC, CBS, FOX andPBS broadcasts theres hundreds ofshows each year to watch for free.

Consumers report that the crystalclear picture quality with Clear-Castis the best theyve ever seen. Thats

becau se you get vi rt ua lly al l pureuncompressed signals direct from the

broadcasters for free.Clear-Cast was engineered to link up

directly like a huge outdoor directionalantenna but in a lightweight, slim-linepackage. Its sturdy copper alloy andpolymer construction will most likelyfar outlast your TV.

It just couldnt be any easier to get

NEVER PAY A BILL AGAIN: Georgians will be on the lookout for their postal carrier because thousandsof Clear-Casts will soon be delivered to lucky Decatur area residents who beat the 48-hour order deadline and live

in any of the zip code areas listed below. Everyone is getting Clear-Cast because it pulls in nothing but Free TV chan-nels with no cable, satellite or internet connection and no monthly bills.

How It Works:Just plug it in to your TVand pull in Free TV channels in crystalclear digital picture with no cable,

satellite or internet connection and nomonthly bills

SXS1310

P6500A OF17544R-1SXS1310

Free over-the-air digital TV shows withClear-Cast. Simply plug it into yourTV, place Clear-Cast on a window paneand run autoscan. It works on virtu-

ally any model TV and is easily hiddenout of sight behind a curtain or windowtreatment.

Thousands of Decatur area residentsare expected to call to get Clear-Cast

because it just doesnt make any sense

to keep paying for TV when you can gethundreds of shows absolutely free.

So, Decatur area residents luckyenough to find their zip code listed in

todays publication need to immediatelycall the Free TV Hotline before the48-hour deadline to get Clear-Cast thatpulls in Free TV with crystal clear dig-ital picture. If lines are busy keep try-ing, all calls will be answered.

How to get Free TV:Listed below are the Decatur area zip codes that can get Free TV channels with no monthly bills.If you find the first two digits of your zip code immediately call 1-866-342-4768 beginning at precisely 8:30am this morn-ing. Todays announcement photo above shows just a handful of the major over-the-air broadcast networks you can receivewith Clear-Cast for free. It saves a ton of money by not picking up expensive cable only channels like ESPN so theres nevera monthly bill. This is all possible because a U.S. Federal Law makes TV broadcasters transmit their signals in digital format,which allows everyone to use Clear-Cast to pull in Free TV channels with no monthly bills. CompTek is giving every U.S. house-hold a 50% off discount to help cover the cost of Clear-Cast. Clear-Cast, the sleek micro antenna device is a one-time purchasethat plugs in to your TV to pull in Free TV channels in crystal clear digital picture with no monthly bills. Each Clear-Cast nor-mally costs $98, but U.S. households who beat the 48-hour deadline are authorized to get a 50% off discount for each Clear-Castand cover just $49 and shipping as long as they call the Free TV Hotline at 1-866-342-4768 before the deadline ends or online

at www.clear-cast.com. Trademarks and programs are the property of their respective owners and are not affiliated with orendorsing Clear-Cast.

Alabama35, 36

Alaska99

Arizona85, 86

Arkansas71, 72

CaliforniaN/A

Colorado80, 81

Connecticut06

Delaware19

Florida32, 33, 34Georgia

30, 31, 39Hawaii

96

Idaho83

Illinois60, 61, 62

Indiana46, 47

Iowa50, 51, 52

Kansas66, 67

Kentucky40, 41, 42

Louisiana70, 71

Maine03, 04

Maryland20, 21

Massachusetts01, 02, 05

Michigan48, 49

Minnesota55, 56

Mississippi38, 39

Missouri63, 64, 65

Montana59

Nebraska68, 69

Nevada88, 89

New Hampshire03

New Jersey07, 08

New Mexico87, 88

New York00, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14

North Carolina27, 28

North Dakota58

Ohio41, 43, 44, 45

Oklahoma73, 74

Oregon97

Pennsylvania15, 16, 17, 18, 19

Rhode Island02

South Carolina29

South Dakota57

Tennessee37, 38

Texas75, 76, 7778, 79, 88

Utah84

Vermont05

Virginia20, 22, 23, 24

Washington98, 99

West Virginia24, 25, 26

Wisconsin53, 54

Wyoming82, 83

Washington DC20

7/27/2019 FreePress: 10-18-2013

9/24


Decatur police received more than 1,500 calls in six months

Dunwoody receives Georgia Planning Association award

by Carla [email protected]

The Decatur Police Departmentreceived 1,510 calls about suspiciouspersons, vehicles or activities in sixmonths, according to numbers re-

eased by the department Oct. 5.The highest number of calls (416)

came in July and the least (200) inMay. The department also releasedhe numbers of reported burglar-es and entering autos from the last

six months. There were 82 reportedburglaries and 97 reported autobreak-ins. Sgt. Jennifer Ross saidhe numbers include cases that have

been cleared, unfounded and are stillunder investigation.

Ross said some of the arrests of-cers have made in the past few weekswere due to concerned residents andhomeowners reporting suspicious ac-ivities in their communities.

Suspects looking to break into ahouse or car are not going to do sowhen they see the police, Ross said.They are going to wait until an of-cer passes by or they will simplygo to another location to commitheir crime. Having the eyes of the

20,000-plus residents of Decaturwatching out along with the ofcersmakes a difference.

Police have made eight arrestssince Sept. 10. On the afternoon ofSept. 19, Decatur Police respondedo the 800 block of West Ponce De

Leon Avenue about two suspicious

people in the area. Homeownerswere arriving home when they sawa male and a female walking uptheir driveway toward the rear of theresidence, according to police. Po-

lice said the homeowners exited thedriveway and drove away but keptwatching their residence.

The homeowners then drove backto their residence and walked backto West Ponce De Leon Avenue. Thehomeowners called 911 and followedthem. When police found the sus-

pects, the man at rst claimed to bewalking to the womans residence onthe 400 block of West Trinity Placethen stated they were walking fromthe residence to a gas station on the600 block of West Howard Avenue

but had gotten lost and were trying to

ask people for directions, accordingto police.

When police searched the mansbook bag they found a tool kit thatcontained screwdriver bits, a screw-

driver, hammer and other miscella-neous small tools. They also found aseparate larger screwdriver and a pairof black gloves hanging out of themans rear shorts pocket, accordingto police.

The man, identied as 21-year-old Patrick Davis of Conley, wasarrested and charged with loiteringand prowling and possession of toolsfor the commission of a crime. Thewoman, identied as 18-year-oldShakira Farmer of Decatur, was ar-rested and charged with loitering and

prowling.

Ross said the department has re-ceived many questions about whatconstitutes a suspicious person.

Suspicious indicates behavior,not what a person looks like, shesaid. What is the person doing thathas drawn your attention? Is some-

one simply walking down the streetor are they looking into vehicles,walking up into driveways or loi-tering/circling the area? Is there avehicle in your neighbors drivewaythat you do not recognize? Is therea vehicle that you do not recognizecircling your neighborhood? Is some-one knocking on your door and sur-

prised when you answer or are theytrying to solicit something from you?All of these are reasons to call the

police and let the ofcers check outthe situation, she continued.

Reports of burglaries usuallyincrease during the holiday season.Ross encourages residents to lookout for their neighbors and call policewhen they see something or someonesuspicious.

Practice basic safety habits likemaking sure doors and windows aresecure when you go to bed at nightor leave your residence and mak-ing sure your vehicle is secured andvaluable property is out of sight,she said. Also, if you have an alarmsystem please test it to make certaineverything is working and that yourmonitoring company is calling thecorrect police department in a timelymanner.

Dunwoody receivedhe Georgia Planning As-ociation 2013 Award for

Outstanding Plan Imple-mentation for efforts and ex-ecution of the citys ProjectRenaissance initiative.

The award recognizes thecitys proactive transforma-ion of 35 acres of vacantand by implementing a

community-based masterplan.Each year, the Geor-

gia Planning AssociationGPA) rewards local com-

munities and regional com-missions for their work tomake Georgia a better placeo live. The 2013 Chapter

Awards, delivered Oct. 11at the GPA Fall Conferenceheld at Jekyll Island, honorplans and projects whichdemonstrate innovation,ransferability, quality, ef-

fectiveness of implementa-ion, comprehensiveness,

public participation, tech-nology, equity, sustainabilityand collaboration.

The Project Renaissanceedevelopment initiative

stemmed from the commu-nity-developed Georgetown/North Shallowford MasterPlan created shortly afterthe citys incorporation.Project Renaissance hassince activated 35 acres ofland and upon completionwill include new city parks,a multi-use trail, an owneroccupied low-density resi-

dential development, a smallneighborhood commercialdevelopment and potentialcivic facilities.

The awards committeewas highly impressed withthe city of Dunwoodys ag-gressive steps to transform afallow, foreclosed propertyinto a community center-piece and catalyst, saidEric Bosman, President ofthe Georgia Chapter of theAmerican Planning Associa-tion. Project Renaissanceis an excellent example of acommunity effecting changethrough active resident in-volvement, proactive plan-ning and strong leadership.

The city broke groundon the rst two park areas

and multi-use trail sectionthis spring and is planning agrand opening of these rstfacilities in December. Thecitys private sector partner,John Wieland Homes andNeighborhoods, has begunsite and utility work in theprivate development andanticipates vertical construc-

tion in the near future.We are extremely

honored and pleased to berecognized by the GPA asthe sole Outstanding PlanImplementation categoryaward recipient for Dun-woodys Project Renais-sance initiative, DunwoodyMayorMike Davis said.

Project Renaissance is acommunity-driven effortborn from the desire to en-hance the citys southerngateway and create a trulycatalytic development forthe Georgetown area.

The Decatur police are working with residents to lower the recent spike in homeburglaries. The department received 1,510 calls in six months about suspicious personsand activities.

7/27/2019 FreePress: 10-18-2013

10/24


by Andrew [email protected]

The DeKalb CountyBoard of Education votedunanimously Oct. 8 to elim-inate one furlough day forschool personnel.

School SuperintendentMikeThurmondsaid board mem-bers directed himto do everythingI could to continueto try to reduce fur-lough days.

The plan was toprovide at leastsome relief forschool employeeswho have sufferedfrom furlough daysand lack of salaryincreases for sev-eral years, Thur-mond said.

This is evidence to ouremployees that we are com-mitted to eliminating thefurlough days and restoringa salary structure that fairlycompensates our employ-ees, Thurmond said

Under the plan, eightfurlough days remain for12-month employees mak-ing more than $80,000per year; seven days for12-month employees; fourdays for 10- and 11-monthemployees; and two days for

paraprofessionals.All work days have been

restored for bus drivers, busaides, food service assistantmanagers and food serviceassistants.

Thurmond said the re-stored work day was madepossible by a redeploymentof federal funds to further

improve academic achieve-

ment for our students.The work day will be

used to provide district-wideprofessional learning insupport of the Bridge Initia-tive, a highly integrated,cross-functional strategy de-signed to bridge the cultural,socioeconomic and histori-cal divides that underminestudent performance andachievement, according todistricts website.

One of the goals of theinitiative is to enhance the

effectiveness of district-level and school level lead-

ers and teachers to inspire,teach, and train, accordingto the website.

This is a very innova-tive creative approach,Thurmond said. This is onemore brick as we continueto build the bridgeto ex-

cellence.This will be

an additional workday just for staff,said Morcease J.Beasley, execu-tive director of thedistricts divisionof curriculum andinstruction, in re-sponse to a ques-tion by KalonjeeGallimore, aneighth-graderat Druid HillsMiddle Schooland student schoolboard member

for the day. You wont berequired to come to schoolthat day.

This is the second workday that has been restored toschool personnel this year.

This is great, saidschool board memberMar-shall Orson about the re-stored day. This certainlysends the right message tothe staff.

This is a major ac-complishment, said schoolboard memberJoyce Mor-

ley.

This is evidence to our employeesthat we are committed toeliminating the furlough days andrestoring a salary structure thatfairly compensates our employees.

Mike Thurmond

Police want more exibility to inspectadult entertainment establishments

School furlough days reduced by one

CITYOFBROOKHAVENFY2014PROPOSEDBUDGETTheproposedFY2014budgetfortheCityofBrookhavenisavailablefor

reviewonline(www.brookhavenga.gov)andatCityHall,200AshfordCenterNorth,Dunwoody,duringnormalbusinesshours. TheCitywillholdPublicHearingsonthebudgetonTuesday,November12andTuesday,November26,2013,bothat7:00p.m.,atwhichtimeanypersonswishingtobeheardonthebudgetmayappear.

TheCityofBrookhavenisscheduledtoadopttheFY2014budgetattheirregularlyscheduledCityCouncilmeetingonDecember10,2013. Themeetingwillbeginat7:00atBrookhavenMunicipalCourtlocatedat2CorporateBlvd.,Ste.125,Brookhaven,Georgia.


DeKalb County policeold commissioners Oct. 8hat they need to be allowedo inspect adult entertainment

stablishments during allhours the establishments areopen, not just between 8 a.m.and 5 p.m.

DeKalb County PoliceCaptain Ken Banks toldommissioners that much

of the illicit activity in adultntertainment establishments

occurs later in the evening.Banks said the current ordi-nance only allows ofcerso enter the establishment toonduct license and permithecks between 8 a.m.-5 p.m.

Police have proposedhanging the ordinance,

which is Chapter 15 in theDeKalb County Code, to

allow them to enter 30 min-utes before an establishmentopens, any time the establish-ment is are open to the publicand 30 minutes after and es-tablishment closes.

CommissionerKathie

Gannon said in addition toextending the hours of in-spections for adult entertain-ment establishments, countystaff should look into thehours allowed for inspectionof late-night establishmentsas well.

Were getting a lot ofcomplaints about those nowbecause theyre staying openso late, Gannon said.

The agenda item involvingthe ordinance was deferredduring the Oct. 8 board ofcommissioners meeting butis expected to be brought up

again in the following weeks.

DeKalb County will holdts fth annual Household

Hazardous Waste Event 8a.m. noon, Saturday, Oct.9, at the DeKalb County

Central Transfer Station,3720 Leroy Scott Drive,Decatur.

The event, sponsored by

Keep DeKalb Beautiful andhe DeKalb County Sanita-ion Division, in partnership

with Clean Harbors Envi-onmental Services Inc., of-

fers county residents an op-portunity to dispose of theirhousehold hazardous wastesproperly free of charge.

Household hazardouswaste is classied as prod-ucts that contain potentiallydangerous chemicals and areno longer used. These prod-ucts should not be mixedwith regular trash and canbe potentially harmful to the

environment if not disposedof properly.

The following are listsof items that will and will

not be accepted at the event.Please make sure to bringonly items on the items ac-cepted list or they will beturned away. Items acceptedinclude aerosols, mercury,batteries, adhesives, am-mables, lawn care prod-ucts, automotive products,

uorescent bulbs, photochemicals, hobby and artistssupplies.

Items not accepted in-clude agricultural waste,ammunition, biohazardous/biomedical waste, explo-sives, non-hazardous waste,pharmaceuticals and radio-active material.

The event is free forDeKalb residents; IDs arerequired and early arrivalis recommended. No com-mercial vehicles will be al-lowed.

For more information or

to volunteer, please contactKeep DeKalb Beautiful at(404) 371-2654 or [email protected].

DeKalbhosts household hazardous waste event

7/27/2019 FreePress: 10-18-2013

11/24


Developer makes more changes to proposed Decatur Crossing plansby Carla [email protected]

It might be a while be-ore plans for the Decatur

Crossing mixed-use projectome to fruition.

Fuqua Development, amixed-use and retail de-veloper, continues to makeevisions in the designs for

Decatur Crossing, a mixed-use retail center at the siteof Scott Boulevard BaptistChurch in Decatur.

The proposed projectt the intersection of Scott

Boulevard and North De-atur Road covers 7 acres.n addition to retail, the

project would include 200partment units housed in a

building which will be vetories high and feature a

natural foods store, thatwillerve as the anchor.

Decatur Crossing wouldit across from a rede-

veloped Suburban Plaza,which would include a newWalmart Supercenter that

has been criticized by somenearby residents. Becauseof the continued criticismnd concerns from resi-

dents, Fuqua Development

ownerJeff Fuqua has madechanges to the original plan.

They want a lowereddensity plan, he said. Andwere accommodating that.

On Sept. 24, the DeKalbCounty Board of Commis-sioners deferred its voteon Fuquas application torezone the property for 60days. The 60-day defermentwill give the rm time to puttogether a plan that will in-clude community input.

Fuqua said he will meetwith residents and commu-nity groups to discuss thenew plans during the 60-daydeferment.

Good Growth DeKalbco-chairLouise Runyonsaid the previous commu-nity meetings with Fuquawere small group meetingswith representatives fromvarious neighborhood orga-nizations, including GoodGrowth DeKalb.

Were calling to have alarge community meeting,Runyon said. He likes to

meet in small groups andwe feel these plans need togo before a large body ofpeople.

Fuqua said he and repre-

sentatives of his rm havemet with larger groups ofpeople to discuss the proj-ect.

Runyon said Fuqua hasmade numerous changesto its plans for DecaturCrossing but could not sharewhat changes were made.

I can say that werestudying his new ideas andconsidering them, shesaid. I certainly think hehas made steps in the rightdirection. However, on theother hand he has also pres-sured the community orga-nizations to sign on basical-ly to endorse the new plansand there remain multiplequestions.

Runyon added that Fuquais in a hurry to move for-ward with the project but thecommunity is not.

We just need to take ourtime and really look at [theplans] and consult with thepeople, she said.

Fuqua said there is norushing to get the construc-

tion started on the project.Thats ridiculous, he

said referring to Runyonscomments. Weve beenworking on this for over a

year going through this pro-cess.

The major feature in theDecatur Crossing projectis the historic Scott Boule-vard Baptist Church. Ru-nyon said neighbors haveexpressed concern aboutFuquas proposed demoli-tion of the church, a keypart of the skyline for thecommunities around thesix-way intersection. Theywant to save the church andre-purpose it, possibly as anarts center.

Ten local arts organiza-tions and leaders, includingCore Performance Com-pany, Beacon Dance andDecatur Civic Chorus, havepresented Fuqua with a pro-posal to save the sanctuaryand convert it to a perform-ing arts center, Runyonsaid. There is much prec-edent for the re-purposing ofchurches, which are ideallysuited to be turned into the-

aters due to high ceilings,good acoustics and uniqueatmosphere. Additionally,there is a strong need inDeKalb County for a theaterspace, especially with therecent loss of Beacon HillPerforming Arts Center indowntown Decatur.

Representatives fromthose organizations met withFuqua in late September todiscuss the proposal, butFuqua said the proposal isunreasonable.

[Runyons] proposalwas to give the church to herarts organization and [haveus] spend millions of dollarsrenovating it so they can useit and rent it out to people,Fuqua said. Basically thatsour entire development. Itsoutrageous, unreasonableand probably illegal.

Fuqua said he hopes tostart construction on theproject in March.

he proposed Decatur Crossing mixed-use retail center project, at the intersection of Scott Boulevard and North Decatur Road, covers seven acres. Fuqua Development, a mixed-usend retail developer, continues to make revisions in the designs for Decatur Crossing. File photos

DeKalb Police awarded Intoxilyzer 9000The DeKalb County Police Department has been awarded the Intoxilyzer 9000 valued

at $8,000 from the Georgia Governors Ofce of Highway Safety in Atlanta.The Intoxilyzer 9000 will assist in meeting goals of Highway Enforcement of

Aggressive Trafc, including the reduction of impaired driving crashes and excessivespeeding; increased safety belt usage rate; and education of the public about trafc safety.

The Intoxilyzer 9000 will replace the current Intoxilyzer 5000 which will becomeobsolete by 2015. In addition to the accuracy and analytical reliability of the Intoxilyzer5000, the new device has the added advantages of quality control, information retention,software update exibility, color touch screen user interface, test information display,customized report formats, less projected maintenance frequency, portability and remoteaccess when connected to a data line.

7/27/2019 FreePress: 10-18-2013

12/24


1987 Gibbs DriveBall Ground, GA 30107

770-893-1880www.gibbsgardens.com

G GI B B S A R D E N S

SEASONS OF COLOR

Gibbs

Gardenspresents

The JapaneseMaplesFestival

Autumn is a secondspring when everylea is a fower.

~ Albert Camus

Celebrate autumn at GibbsGardens Japanese MaplesFestival rom October 1through November 15.

More than 2,000 Japanese maplesin 100 varieties paint a gold, yellow,orange and ame red panoramaon every vista. Hundreds o brightred Burning Bush and thousandso vibrant yellow Sweetshrubblend with the remarkable redso Sourwood, Sassaras andDogwood trees to color the hills

with sweeping splashes o color.Our blossom-flled eight-acre

Wildower Meadow carpets thefelds in shades o yellow, gold,purple and red.

Jim Gibbs invites you toexperience the serene beauty oJapanese culture set against thesingular splendor o the largestJapanese Gardens in the nation onSaturday and Sunday, October26 & 27 and November 2 & 3.Learn about the Japanese arts oikebana, origami, kimono dressing,the Japanese green tea ceremony,bonsai, Japanese calligraphy . . .and so much more.

OktoberfestThousands of people visited Stone Mountain Village for its fth annual Oktoberfest

Beer & Arts Festival, Oct. 12-13.Authentic German food, beer, music and dancing were featured along with the works

of approximately 50 professional and self-taught artists. The event was sponsored byMain Street Stone Mountain Inc. in partnership with the Atlanta Foundation for PublicSpaces and the city of Stone Mountain. Photos by Travis Hudgons

7/27/2019 FreePress: 10-18-2013

13/24

The Champion Free Press, Friday, October 18 , 2013 Page 13AWeek in pictures

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.

This week in photos brought to you by DCTV

Ghoulish dcor is featured in this front yard converted to araveyard. Photo by John Hewitt

Newly-named DeKalb County school SuperintendentMike Thurmond was an honorary captain for the Tucker/Stephenson football game Oct. 11, Hallford Stadium. Photoby Travis Hudgons

Students from the Air Force Junior Reserve Ofcers Training Corps present the colorswhile the national anthem is played before the Stephenson and Tucker football gameOct. 11. Photo by Carla Parker

Brookhaven Councilman Joe Gebbia greets students from Woodward Elementary duringnternational Walk to School Day Oct. 9. Photo by Carla Parker

Ghosts and spider webs dominate the yard decorations of this Decatur home. Photo by JohnHewitt

Its beginning to look a lot like Halloween at retail storesacross the county, including the new Walmart store inLithonia. Photo by Kathy Mitchell

McGruff The Crime Dog waspresent at a DeKalb CountyBoard of Commissionersmeeting Oct. 8.

7/27/2019 FreePress: 10-18-2013

14/24

The Champion Free Press, Friday, October 18 , 2013 Page 14ABusiness

Modern-day David thrives among DeKalbs grocery Goliaths

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 Bob Kelley

In what started in the mid-1970s as a smallgrocery specializing in Korean and Asian foods,

he Buford Highway Farmers Market (BHFM)n Doraville has managed to be successful despiteodays inux of competitors and corporate-

owned grocery behemoths.The market has been owned by the Shinn fam-

ly for nearly 40 years and current managerHar-old Shinn acknowledges that extensive ethnicfood/produce offerings and customer service arehe primary ingredients for the 100,000-square-

foot markets success. Experience in the familybusiness and a business degree from GeorgiaState University have brought him to the helm ofhe BHFMs second generation of grocers. Since

his parents went into semi-retirement, Shinn isassisted in running the market by his two broth-ers, Edward and Richard.

Vital to the BHFMs success has been theteady stream of people from many cultures tohe area who over the past 30 years have turned

Doraville into a virtual international village.Boasting a large global contingency of residentsfrom Mexico, Central and South America, Viet-nam, Thailand, China, Japan, the Philippines,Eastern Europe, the Caribbean and West Africa,he BHFM stocks its shelves to accommodateheir grocery needs as well as the needs of otheresidents with an appetite for exotic fare.

I couldnt have this kind of business withouthe changing demographic in Doraville over the

years, Shinn said. We are more of an ethnicpecialty store than an actual farmers market al-

though with the large selection of meat, sh andproduce we still tend to fall into that category.

Shinn is quick to point out that the term farm-ers market has been watered down over the

years. Early on, a farmers market was an open-air location with booths where farmers cameevery weekend to sell their home-grown goods.Over the years, it has morphed into an enclosed

building, covering thousands of square feet withshelves packed with unusual or hard-to-nd ex-otic culinary specialties.

We didnt create what would become themodern model for todays farmers market,Shinn added. But we were among the rst tomake, and maintain, the current version. I tendto think of us as a David in a eld of corporate,multi-million-dollar grocery Goliaths like Krogerand Publix. Yes, they offer ethnic fare as well, butnot the variety that stores like ours or the DeKalbFarmers Market tend to offer.

The BHFM features one of the largest freshproduce departments in Atlanta plus a widevariety of beef products and seafood special-ties. Boasting a head-to-tail approach to meat

products, everything from tongue to oxtail can befound there.

Good prices and helpful employees plus awide variety of merchandise in a clean environ-mentthese qualities keeps me shopping weeklyat BHFM, Northwoods resident Betzi White-side said. A great side benet is fabulous peoplewatching. Going to the market is always a funexperience.

In a marketing concept that encourages cus-tomers to use the market as their tool kit, Shinn

offers cooking classes, taught by popular areachefs. The monthly classes are small, often 10-15

people, offered at a nominal fee. I have learnedto make global specialties ranging from Indian

farmers cheese and authentic Indian curry dishesto creative California cooking, said Susan Fray-see, who lives in the nearby Doraville neighbor-hood of Oakcliff. Each class has been a wonder-ful experience. We are free to interact with theinstructors and ask questions and the best part iswe get to try each of the dishes prepared for themenu from appetizers to desserts.

Like the rest of Americas business commu-nity, Shinn has had to be creative to survive thecountrys recent economic woes. Like the largerstores, we have had to offer what the public needsin an atmosphere that creates a pleasant shoppingexperience, he said. We are always trying totweak our recipe for that just like everybody else.I have to constantly gure out ways to get people

to drive past other grocery stores to shop at ourstore. With just one location, I may not be locatedthe closest to some shoppers where they can shopfor convenience, so I have to offer a shopping ex -

perience they will go out of their way to visit.Customer needs are always changing, Shinn

said. We are not the same store we were 20years ago and we will likely be different 20 yearsfrom now. Everybody shopping grocery storestoday is looking for the latest trend, fad or shop-

ping experience and we have to pay attention tothat. But for now, I want to be protable, I wantto be a good corporate citizen, I want to invest inand be a part of the Doraville community and thesurrounding area.

Buford Highway Farmers Market owner credits its success to business acumen and constantly meeting customer needs

he Buford Highway Farmers Market has a wide variety of international food items as well as domestic products ranging from fresh sh to decorative gourds and corn.

7/27/2019 FreePress: 10-18-2013

15/24

Scotty Barnhart takes a solo onstage with the Count Basie Orchestra. Photos provided

ounds like; its just a lot moreophisticated, Barnhart said.

Another experience that standsout in Barnharts mind as a bignfluence is when he saw trumpet

playerWynton Marsalisper-forming on television for the firstime.

When I saw him, it was thenhat I knew exactly what I wasupposed to be doing, Barnhartaid. Both of these two thingseally set the direction for whatve been doing.

Shortly after seeing Marsalisplay on television, Barnhart methim and they have been friendsfor nearly 30 years. They haveeven recorded several albums to-gether.

In addition to his solo careerand working with the Basie Band,Barnhart is also an educator andhas published a book about therumpet. In The World of Jazz

Trumpet: A Comprehensive His-ory and Practical Philosophy,

Barnhart examines the political,ocial and musical conditions thated to the creation of jazz as a

premier art form. The book traceshe history of jazz music and

contains entries on 800 trumpetplayers.

Although Barnhart doesntmake it back to Atlanta as muchas he said hed like to, he stillvisits approximately four times ayear. When hes on tour he stopshrough to visit friends and fam-ly. Barnhart said his job at FSU

allows him to keep up his busytour schedule and also teach stu-dents some of the things he learnswhile playing music.

I tell my students all the timeeverything that Im teaching youcomes straight from the road,Barnhart said.

The Champion Free Press, Friday, October 18, 2013 Page 15ALOCAL NEWS

OrchestraContinued From Page 1A

SchoolContinued From Page 1A

need for kind of a broad scope review tothe level you described of what was takingplace in the system, said board memberMarshall Orson.

Orson said he is concerned about the

mission creep without the authorization ofthe board.We authorized an engagement of

$150,000 over a period of time for a spe-cific set of actions and that has somehow,before we get to the extension, doubledin its amount, he said. I dont have anycomfort with the further engagement at alevel of what would be 600,000 additionaldollars, for a total of $750,000.withoutreally understanding the scope.

Orson said the relationship with MLA isone of these tricky areas because, whileMLA was engaged to provide governanceadvice, it is a law firm.

When it comes to the control of lawfirmsits a very murky area under thelaw in Georgia whether that belongs to theboard or to the administration, Orson said.

Thurmond said MLA is not providinglegal services.

They were advising me as to how Icould solve a problem that no one hadseemed to be able to solve, that had bedev-iled the district for years and that ultimatelysaved the district potentially $30 million,Thurmond said.

Thurmond credited MLA advice and theadministrations research with preventingmassive layoffs and budget cuts.

As a result we didnt lay off 300 peo-ple, he said. We didnt cut the $25 millionout of the budget and we were able to find

$27 million that had been overlooked.School board memberJoyce Morleysaid Thurmond had earned the support ofthe school board.

Have we not exceeded expectations?she asked her fellow board members.Weve got to look at whats effective,whats efficient and whats in the best inter-est of our children.

Weve been in the sewer for 10 yearsand everybody has sat back here andwatched this system just suck the blood outof our children, out of our families, Mor-ley said. We need to be able to ask the su-perintendent, What do you need? and if itis feasible, if it is appropriate and if its notagainst the law, if its not draining every-body, then what do we need to do to comealongside him and support him in his effortsto get this place where it needs to be?

REDUCE

REUSE

RECYCLE

In addition to leading the Count Basie Orchestra, Barnhart also teaches jazz studiesand trumpet at Florida State University.

7/27/2019 FreePress: 10-18-2013

16/24


Congressman holdingAffordable Care Act info event

Druid Hills Charter Cluster debatecontinues as vote nearsby Andrew [email protected]

The proposed Druid Hills

Charter Cluster (DHCC) wasa hot topic during the Oct. 7ommunity input meeting ofhe DeKalb County Board of

Education.Margaret Paynich, a

new Georgia resident, saidhe sees in DeKalb County

School District (DCSD) anunderperforming schooldistrict, at risk of losing ac-reditation, and a situationo severe that Gov. [Nathan]

Deal removed two-thirds ofhe DeKalb County school

board.The proposed Druid Hills

Charter Cluster is an in-novative way to provide adifferent education, sheaid. I live in the Avondale

Elementary feeder patternand would be in the DHCC.

would be excited and cannearly] promise you that I

will choose to stay in DeKalbCounty with this school op-ion for my future children.

The residents who skipDeKalb or move away forbetter schools are lookingfor educational opportunitiesike the DHCC, Paynich

aid.In November, the DeKalb

County Board of Educations expected to decide whethero approve the states rstharter school cluster.

The DHCC would includehe 5,000 students and 400

faculty members of Avon-dale, Briar Vista, Fernbank,Laurel Ridge and McLendonelementary schools as wellas Druid Hills Middle andDruid Hills High schools.

Proponents say studentachievement would increasebecause the charter clusterwould offer individualizedearning pathways and ex-bility for principals andeachers to address curricu-um and school operationshat are more responsive totudents needs.

The learning pathways,which begin at the elementa-y school level and continuehrough high school, includenternational BaccalaureateIB); a science, technology,

engineering, arts and mathSTEAM) program; Ad-

vanced Placement (AP); and

Montessori.What really encourages

me about the DHCC is thathis is a collection of localesidents, parents, teachers,

administrators and commu-nity members. Occasionally Iam concerned when a charterschool company just starts

a school in our community.This isnt a charter company.This is a group of engaged,caring, educated, informed,committed and brave indi-vidualssome of whom nolonger have children in thesystem and could simplyhave stayed home.

Carrie Staines, socialstudies department chair-woman and teacher at DruidHills High School, alsospoke in support of the clus-ter.

When I rst becameaware of the charter peti-tion I was in the midst of thelowest point of my teachingcareer, said Staines, a mem-

ber of the DHCC organizingcommittee. I was feelingoverwhelmed, underpaid,and easily replaceable. Isaw, and continue to see, thecharter cluster as an answerto so many of the concernsI, along with other teachers,have voiced in the last fewyears.

As teachers, we havebeen given one of the great-est responsibilities in our

society, she told the schoolboard. You have trusted uswith one of the most impor-tant jobs in our society. And

because of this, you can trustus to run this charter cluster.

Thomas Benefeld, aFernbank Elementary Schoolteacher and father of twoDCSD students, said thecreation of the charter clusterwill allow for more successto be had within the schoolsthat make up the cluster.

The charter clustermodel allows for targetingspecic educational strate-gies and practices easier thanexists for DeKalb Countyschools as a wholestrate-gies and practices that cansuccessfully reach all of thedemographics of the area,he said.

One size ts all does notwork, Beneeld said. I

believe that by being able totailor the instructional meth-ods and practices specicto a school population willresult in increases of studentsuccess.

There were several speak-

ers who opposed the propos-al, including David Runyonof Clarkston.

I have read the petitionand in it nd nothing new,

innovative or of educationaladvantage, Runyon said.

Runyon said the DHCCplan would not provide the

school district any exibil-ity that it does not alreadyenjoy.

The IB and AP programs,already in place in the DruidHills cluster, are all aboutexibility, Runyon said. TheMontessori track is either of-fered by the county or can beresurrected, he added.

The proposed exibilityin curriculum brings no ad-vantage not already afforded

by programs currently avail-able, Runyon said.

Runyon said the real rea-son for the DHCC proposalcould be the exibility toexclude those who do nottravel in the same social and

professional circles as theDHCC supporters.

Runyon added that DHCCsupporters have the meansand right to establish a truly

private school without syph-oning the countys funds todo so.

David Schutten, presi-dent of the Organization ofDeKalb Educators, said thereare too many unansweredquestions about the DHCC

proposal.First and foremost, how

does it affect the studentsin the rest of the county?he asked. The petitionersonly care about their sevenschools.

Debra Greenwood, aresident of Stone Moun-tain, said, Throughout thecountry charter schools areemerging and yet the efcacyof those schools is largelyunknown.

We are concerned aboutthe impact of syphoningfunds for a charter schoolaway from other studentsin the district, Greenwoodsaid. The DeKalb Countyschool board has a responsi-

bility to all the schools in thedistrict.

Greenwood said theschool board, which is onlynow emerging from an aw-ful period of dysfunctionand questionable decisions,should either vote this pro-

posal down or postpone [the]vote until a much later date.

Greenwood said DHCCsgoals and aspirations are

admirable. Our only issue isthat we want this for everystudent.

Congressman Hank Johnson (GA-04) will holda free information event on the Affordable Care Act(ACA) at Georgia Piedmont Technical College, 495

North Indian Creek Drive, Clarkston on Friday, Oct.18, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Small business owners and individuals can receivehelp applying for health insurance through the market-

place exchanges created under the ACA. Certied com-munity health centers and navigators will assist quali-ed applicants.

It is essential that we take advantage of the op-portunity to be in touch with our constituents about theACA, to explain and help implement the law so peoplewithout health insurance can get the coverage they andtheir family need, Johnson said. The Affordable CareAct is not only about securing affordable, quality andaccessible health care for every American, but well-ness and prevention, economic security and entrepre-neurship, the well-being of working families and thestrength of the middle class.

7/27/2019 FreePress: 10-18-2013

17/24


Early tax projections show increase insome areas, possible decline in others As trial looms, prosecutors

seek secret recordings of Ellisby Daniel [email protected] tax digest

projections in DeKalbCounty show a slight

ncrease in tax revenuecountywide, with growthn incorporated areas andhe possibility of a slight

decline in unincorporatedDeKalb.

Jay Vinicki, county poli-cy research director, said thepossible decline of tax reve-nue in unincorporated areass due to the fact that this

year Brookhavens vehicleaxes will not be included.

DeKalb County ofcialshave until December to -nalize their tax projectionsbut Vinicki said this is the

rst year that the county hasbegun the process so early.

The ne tuning willhappen and it probablywont change a lot, Vinickiaid. However, he did warnhat the projections are early

numbers.According to a presenta-

ion on the digest presentedduring a DeKalb CountyBoard of Commissioners

budget retreat this is the rsttime since 2008 that prop-erty values have increased.

Currently, ofcials esti-mate the county will haveapproximately $38 billion

worth of taxable property,slightly higher than the ap-proximately $37 billion ithad last year. Although thatrepresents a slight growthfor the county, its still sig-nicantly less than the ap-proximately $49.6 billionin taxable property DeKalbCounty had in 2008.

The cars in Brookhavenare going to take effect thisyear so the unincorporateddigest this year will still godown even though the coun-ty may go up, Vinicki said.

Vinicki said the countys

general fund may stay atbut the police fund and fundfor unincorporated areas ofthe county may take a slighthit due to the additional tax-es collected in Brookhaven.

The digest does not needto be nalized until July2014, but Vinicki said thecounty will present its nalprojections in December.


With a trial expectedto begin in the followingweeks, prosecutors haverequested hundreds of audiorecordings to be used asevidence in the corruptioncase against suspended CEOBurrell Ellis.

Ellis is accused of us-ing his position as CEO tostrong-arm county vendorsinto contributing to his po-litical campaign. His charg-es stem from a 14-countindictment including theft,conspiracy and extortion.

Earlier this year, Ellis

was suspended by Gov. Na-than Deal, who appointedDistrict 5 DeKalb CountyCommissionerLee May toserve as interim CEO.

Several county vendorshave spoken out againstEllis or admitted to donat-ing to his campaign how-ever, Ellis has repeatedlystated he has done nothingwrong.

The indictment againstEllis is reportedly based oninformation investigatorsfound while searching hishome in January. While hishome was being searched,Ellis testied before a spe-cial purpose grand juryimpaneled to investigateallegations of corruption in

the countys watershed de-partment.

The results of the specialpurpose grand jurys reportwere only recently releasedafter a drawn-out legal

battle involving prosecutors,the attorneys of Ellis and hisformer campaign manager

Kevin Ross and SuperiorCourt Judge Mark AnthonyScott. Scottimpaneled thespecial investigative grand

jury in 2012.After a year, the grand

jury presented the report andrequested to

Date post:	14-Apr-2018
Category:	Documents
Upload:	champion-newspaper
View:	222 times
Download:	0 times

FreePress: 10-18-2013

Documents