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DeKalbschool boardexits lawsuitagainst stateby Andrew [email protected]

DeKalb Countys new schoolboard members say they want no

part in a lawsuit against Gov. Na-thanDeal and the Georgia Boardof Education.

The board members, six ofwhich were recently appointedby Deal, voted 9-0 to remove theschool district from the lawsuitfiled by former board members.

But GeneWalker, who alongwith five other school board mem-bers, was suspended by Deal, saidhe will continue the lawsuit which,filed in February, challenges a 2011state law that gives the governor theauthority to remove school boardmembers when their school districtfaces a loss of accreditation.

Walker said he is going to tryto raise whatever money necessaryto keep this going forward.

Im calling on all my friendsand believers in one person, onevote to support me, Walker said.

Walker said he is not fightingto keep his school board seat. Imfighting to protect the rights of vot-ers.

The DeKalb school district wasplaced on accreditation probationby Southern Association of Col-leges and Schools (SACS), theagency that accredits the schooldistrict through its parent company,

AdvancED. That move triggered astate law granting the governor theauthority to remove school boardmembers.

Acting on the recommendationof the Georgia Board of Educa-tion, Deal suspended six of the ninemembers of the DeKalb schoolboard in February and later re-placed them.

School board memberMar-shallOrson, one of the three boardmembers who were not removed,ntroduced the measure, saying it

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by Carla [email protected]

Young gymnasts at the AtlantaGymnastics Center in Decatur gotthe opportunity of a lifetime whenOlympic gymnast GabbyDouglascame to speak to them on March 21.

Douglas held a book signingto promote her new book, Grace,Gold, and Glory: My Leap of Faith.In the book, Douglas tells her storyof faith, perseverance, and deter-mination, demonstrating you can

reach your dreams if you let your-self soar. She signed books for themore than 100 young gymnasts,who are members of the gym. Shealso posed for photos with them andanswered all of their questions.

Atlanta Gymnastics CenterownerChris Calvert said meet-ing Douglas is something that willchange the childrens lives.

To meet someone with hercourage, tenacity and air is awe-some, she said.

Douglas talked to young gym-nasts about her journey to the 2012London Summer Olympics, where

she won gold medals in both theteam and individual all-around com-petitions. She is the rst woman ofcolor of any nationality and the rstAfrican-American gymnast in Olym-pic history to become the IndividualAll-Around Champion. She is alsothe rst American gymnast to wingold in both the gymnastic individualall-around and team competitions at

the same Olympic games.She talked about the struggles

of moving away from her familyand home in Virginia Beach, Va.,

at the age of 14 to train under elitecoach Liang Chow in West DesMoines, IA. Douglas lived with ahost family while she trained.

She earned a Team Gold atthe 2011 World Championships,placed rst at the 2012 OlympicTrials (earning the only guaranteedspot on the Olympic Team), 2012Olympic Team Gold and the 2012

Womens Gymnastics Olympic All-Around Title.

Douglas also talked about howmuch fun she has with gymnas-

tics and how hard work will helpthe young gymnasts achieve theirgoals. That is the message Calvertsaid she hopes the children willtake with them.

The message I hope theylearned is to have fun and hardwork is worth it, she said. Youneed your family and gymnastics isa wonderful sport.

Olympic gymnast Gabby Douglas

speaks to young gymnasts in Decatur

by Kathy [email protected]

Neil Shulman comparedthe violence against women andgirls in the Democratic Repub-lic of Congo (DRC) to such hu-man rights issues as apartheidin South Africa, segregationand discrimination in the pre-Civil Rights Movement UnitedStates and the Holocaust per-petrated by Adolph Hitler. InDRC, rape is a weapon of war,he said.

Still, its hard to get peopleto stand up and say this is un-

Olympic gymnast Gabby Douglas spoke to more than 100 young gymnasts atAtlanta Gymnastics Center in Decatur on March 21. Photos by Carla Parker

Dr. Neil Shulman and his wife, Zoe Haugo, use hand-lettered signs to call attention tothe plight of women in Africa at demonstrations on the Emory campus.

Emory professor urges action for female victims in Africa

Happy Easter

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The Champion Free Press, Friday, March 29, 2013 Page 2ALOCAL NEWS

Commissioners discuss living wage increase

The newly expanded Comprehensive Breast Care Center at DeKalb Medical at Hillandale is proud to ofer st ate-o-the-art

technology or early detection, including digital mammography. And behind all o our technology and equipment,are equally phenomenal people, like our compassionate Nurse Navigators and nationally-acclaimed breast surgeons.From individualized treatment plans to even seemingly small acts down to providing stylish patient robes andcalming music during screenings our attention t o detail continues to set us apart rom other hospitals. Becausewe believe in caring about people, not just or them.

For a comprehensive virtual tour o our Breast Care Cent er, please visit dekalbmedica lhillandale.org, then call

404-501-2660, to schedule your annual mammogram, today.

The other is knowing where to go.

One of the keys to beating breast cancer,is knowing where you stand.

y Daniel [email protected]

Some DeKalb Countymployees may soon see aay increase that will bringhem one step closer to mak-ng what is referred to as aving wage.

Earlier in March, DeKalbCounty commissionersassed a 2013 budget thatncluded funding designatedor a 3 percent increase forhe approximately 2,600ounty employees being paidhe least.

At a recent employee re-ations and human servicesommittee (ERHS) meeting,everal commissioners dis-ussed how to increase the

ay of the countys lowestaid workers.According to Benita

Ransom, director of HumanResources, an MIT studyhat compared different mu-icipalities throughout theountry stated that the as-ociated living wage cost for

DeKalb County is approxi-mately $18 an hour.

Ransom said the mini-mum salary a county em-loyee needs to support aamily of 2.5, two adultsnd one dependent, is ap-roximately $37,731 if thosendividuals are the sole pro-iders of the household.

Our recommendationwas to do what we can toncrementally move employ-es to the living wage, Ran-om said.

The minimum increase anmployee will see, accordingo Ransom, will be $611 andhe maximum increase wille $1,132, with an averagencrease of approximately900.

CommissionerJeff Rad-r suggested that employees

t the lowest end of the paycale receive a higher per-entage increase than those

whose salary is closer to aving wage.

We should be takinghose that are further fromhe goal closer to it ratherhan taking those that arelosest, Rader said.

CommissionerKathyGannon suggested thatefore approving any payncrease, it would be prudentor the board to develop andote on a living wage policy

to set the standard for futureyears.

Gannon also suggestedthat the commission have atop-down salary structureanalysis performed. Ransomstated such an analysis willtake two years to completebut that commissionerscould do something in themeantime to bring thoseemployees closer to a livingwage.

Chairwoman of theERHS Committee Commis-

sionerSharon Barnes-Sut-ton proposed a short-termsolution to adjusting the liv-ing wage before salary anal-ysis was complete might beto provide employees with aone-time incentive or bonus.

However, Ransom saidthe only concern with of-fering employees a bonus isthat, spreading out the wageincrease over several yearswould allow each employeeto receive more long-termbenets.

3%

INCREASE

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Page 3A The Champion Free Press, Friday, March 29, 2013

Residents concerned about gas pipeline station

MARTA to develop land at four DeKalb stations

uCHAMBLEE


A proposed gas pipelinetation to be constructed

near a Chamblee neighbor-hood has residents concernedabout the possibility of anxplosion and other publicafety issues.

Atlanta Gas Light (AGL)plans to build a gas regulatortation near the intersection

of Clairmont Road and Tan-glewood Circle. The stationwill also be in the DeKalb-Peachtree Airports ightpath. The project includesnstalling new steel transmis-ion lines along a 28-miletretch of pipeline from

Riverdale in Clayton Countyo a connection point near thentersection of Buford High-

way and Clairmont Road.Duane Bourne, an Atlan-

a Gas Light spokesperson,aid the project is designedo maintain safe and reliable

natural gas service to its cus-omers and the communitiesn which they operate.

Our work in the area is

afety related, he said. Weare replacing a pipe that isnearing the end of its usefulife, and installing new, more

modern pipe.The Clairmont Commu-

nity Alliance held a meetingMarch 20 to discuss mem-bers fears about the pipelineand regulator station. Theurrent pipeline is a 300

pounds per square inch lineand residents are concernedabout a bigger pipeline beingnstalled near homes.

We are very concerned

about the increase in size ofhe pipeline because pipe-ines and transmission lineshat are pressure rated to 720

or 1080 pounds per square

inch are not really made togo through residential areas,said Lori Muskat, a residenton Clairmont Road. Its onething if [the pipe] was thereand the area grew up aroundit but thats not the casehere.

A residential gas line nearthe proposed regulator sta-tion was struck during rou-tine construction on March 8and caused a gas leak. Thatincident has residents in fearof something worse happen-ing if the gas line is hit again.

Muskat said they are moreconcerned about the gas reg-ulator station because of the

problems with the Supervi-sory Control and Data Acqui-sition (SCADA) system. ASCADA system monitors andcontrols the pipeline. Therehave been reports of hackersusing the system for attacks.

Its a potential target forattacks and the Departmentof Homeland Security is con-cerned about the security ofit, Muskat said. We wantit moved. It should be in anarea thats not so close to

peoples residence.At the meeting, Muskat

showed news clips of recentattacks on similar gas regula-tor stations in other parts ofthe country. Last summer,a man attempted to blowup a gas regulator station inPlano, Texas.

Muskat said the area resi-dents have spoken with anAGL representative abouttheir concerns with the gasregulator station and its prox-imity to residents and theDeKalb-Peachtree Airport;

the response they receivedwas its not a problem.They said weve got

them next to airports all overthe country and there is one

PUBLICNOTICETheArchitecturalReviewDesignBoardoftheCityofChamblee,GeorgiawillhearandreviewtheproposalforthePlannedUnitDevelopment(PUD)for5000BufordHighway,CityFarmersMarket,onTuesday,April2,2013,atCityHall,5468PeachtreeRoad,Chamblee,GA30341at7:00p.m.

PUBLICNOTICETheMayorandCityCounciloftheCityofChamblee,GeorgiawillholdapublichearingonThursday,April11,2013,attheChambleeCivicCenter,3540BroadStreet,Chamblee,GA

30341at6:00p.m.toreceivepubliccommentsregardingthefollowingzoningmatters:

1) AppendixA,ZoningOrdinance,Section512,Singlefamilyresidentialdetachedheightmeasurement. Thesubjectpropertyislocatedat3454HildonCircle. Theapplicantis

requestingavariancetothethresholdelevationofanewsinglefamilyresidence.


MARTA is consideringdeveloping land around 10 ofits stations, including four inDeKalb County.

The transit system is part-nering with the jurisdictions

where the stations are locatedto build housing, ofce spaceor any other services that citydesires.

The stations on the redevel-opment list include Avondale,Brookhaven, Edgewood-Candler Park, and Kensing-ton. MARTAs Director ofDevelopment and RegionalCoordination John Crockersaid MARTA went through aprocess that was used by theDallas, Texas, transit system,where they looked at all sta-tions to nd the signicantamount of property the transitauthority owns, how much ofthe parking lots are being used,and what developmental activ-ity is going on in those areas.

We took all of our 38 sta-tions and put them through thismethodology and these werethe 10 at this time that kind ofcame into the top where wedecided to focus our resourc-es, he said.

Cheryl King, MARTAsassistant general manager forplanning, said MARTA alsowants to make sure that it se-lects stations across the metro

area and not in just one sectionof metro Atlanta.We didnt want the tenants

to be all on the north side orthe east side, King said. Wewanted to make sure that wewere trying to develop com-munities in all the quadrantswhere our lines go into.

The development plan foreach station depends on whatthe market is asking for, ac-cording to King. However,housing is the popular choice.

The thing people aremost interested in is housing,

King said. But we like to seemixed-use [development]. Wewant to develop good com-munities and produce somerevenue, but we also want landuses there that will produceriders for our system.

MARTA is hoping to formpartnerships with the local

jurisdictions or developmentpartners to help them developthe land for better use thanempty parking spaces. Crockersaid they have begun meetingwith the jurisdictions of someof the sites about the develop-ment plans, but the city of De-catur has been the most activeabout developing land at theAvondale Station.

Decatur is basing it pri-marily on the adopted livablecenters initiative plan, whichlooks at providing workforcehousing and other housing sothat people who work in De-catur can still afford to live inDecatur.

King said Decatur ofcialsare concerned that the peoplewho work in the city wouldnot be able to afford to live inthe city.

They want to make surethat some of that housing wasavailable for the workers, shesaid.

That seems to be our un-derstanding of what the citysgoals are and that lines upnicely with our goals: promot-ing more housing around the

stations and meeting the MAR-TAs guidelines and policies ofhaving 20 percent affordablehousing development of ourstations, Crocker added.

The cost for the develop-ment projects will vary basedon what will be built at eachstation and the timetable forconstruction is also on a sta-tion by station bases.

Each one is unique andeach one will have its owntime frame, Crocker said.

near Hartseld-[Jackson At-lanta International Airport],Muskat said. It doesntmake it right. Actually, anairport like Hartseld is ata lesser risk of aircraft in-cidents because its a majorairport than these local coun-ty airports.

Bourne said the regulatorstation is a safety device andis a standard part of naturalgas systems in Georgia andthroughout the country.

Atlanta Gas Light selectssites for its facilities such asregulator stations based on anumber of factors, including

pipeline design, land avail-ability and cost effectiveness,which lends to the best costsolution for our customers,he said. The site in DeKalbCounty is safe and meetsall federal and state safetycriteria. When constructionis complete, the continuingimpact on the communitywill be negligible, as is thecase with our other stationsthroughout Georgia.

Construction workers works on the pipeline on Clairmont Road at Tandlewood Circle. Photo by CarlaParker

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Nineteen major banks andhome mortgage companies doingusiness in DeKalb County owe

nearly $50,000 in unpaid liens onoreclosed properties and havegnored efforts to get them to com-ly. Nationally a few years ago,axpayers footed the bill for manyf these same banks to get financialailouts to keep them from go-ng under. But there is no goldenarachute for financially strapped

DeKalb County and its citizens.Chief Recorders Court JudgeNellyWithers shared the startlingnews about these scofflaw financialnstitutions at a recent Code En-orcement Task Force meeting. Theask force is made up of dozens of

taxpayers and neighborhood asso-ciation representatives from diverseneighborhoods in DeKalb Countywho have worked for years to getthe county moving on cleaning up

blighted neighborhoods. A collec-tive gasp could be heard when theinformation was shared about theunpaid liens. Folks are appalled atthe flagrant disregard for the lawshown by these financial institu-tions. They ought to behave as thegood corporate citizens they holdthemselves out to be and clean upthe properties and pay their fines/liens.

DeKalb Countys Code En-forcement Department is respon-sible for issuing citations to theowners of blighted foreclosedproperties through the foreclosure

registry. Under the very capableleadership ofMarcusKellums, thedepartment with limited resources,has been doing a yeomans job try-ing to cleanup the country and rid-ding it of trashy signs, abandonedcars and other eyesores. Major

banks and mortgage companiesown scores of foreclosed propertiesthat are in such run-down deplor-able conditions that, not only doesthe blight devalue surrounding

properties, they are magnets forcrime. The liens were levied as aresult of the financial institutionsnon-compliance with civil codesrelated to foreclosed properties anddefault judgments ordered and en-tered by DeKalb County courts.

The liens total $48,500 andrepresent 97 civil citations at $500an occurrence. Not only have thesefinancial institutions ignored courtdates, but they have not made anyattempt to clean up the propertiesin question that led to the citationsand subsequent liens. These verysame financial institutions that en-

joyed our tax-dollar supported bail-outs would sue and seek garnish-ments against the average citizenswho did not meet their obligationsto them. Here are the financial in-stitutions that dont seem to under-stand a lien. The list provided by

Judge Withers is current as of thismonth.

American Home, $4,000; BacField Svcs, $3,500; Bac HomeLoan, $4,000; Bank Of America,

$2,500; Brand Bank, $3,000; ChaseManhattan, $1,000; Citi, $500;Decatur Land $18,000, FHL, $500;Financial Free., $500, HighlandFn.$2,500; HSBC, $3,000; Indy-mac, $500; Lasalle Bank, $500;National Star, $1,000; North Atl.,$500; Quantum, $500 Suntrust,$500; Wells Fargo, $2,000.

Do these financial institutionsthink the law does not apply tothem? How can DeKalb ever hopeto attract value added businessesand talk economic development?Presentation is everything. Mostpeople dont want to live near a

garbage dump, let alone in one.Steen Miles, The Newslady, is a

retired journalist and former Geor-gia state senator. Contact SteenMiles at [email protected].

Banks dont understand liensThe Newslady

Page 4A The Champion Free Press, Friday, March 29, 2013OPINION

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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]

FAX To: (404) 370-3903 Phone: (404) 373-7779Deadline for news releases and advertising: Thursday, one week prior

to publication date.

EDITORS NOTE: The opinions written by columnists and contributingeditors do not necessarily reect 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: Dr. Earl D. Glenn

Managing Editor: Kathy Mitchell

News Editor: Andrew Cauthen

Production Manager: Kemesha Hunt

Graphic Designer: 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

We sincerely appreciate the discussion surrounding this and any

issue of interest to DeKalb County. The Champion was founded in1991 expressly to provide a forum for discourse forallcommunityresidents 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.

One Mans Opinion

Our citizens do not want lesstransportation. They wantmore. They do not want us tospend more on the same old thing,or just move money around fromone idea to the next. They want usto invest in a disciplined and stra-tegic way. Massachusetts Gov.Deval Patrick,January 2013.

OK, OK, I feel you smirkingas you read the column title, butplease, hear me out. At the end of2012, MARTA placed a talentednew GM at its helm. Keith Park-er means business, and he has atrack record of success in otherplaces. Though the transit sys-tems he ran in Charlotte and SanAntonio were smaller, he facedsimilar demographic differencesin ridership, declining fare basesand large segments of the popula-tion in both cities, which did notinitially consider buses or trains atransportation option.

What will it take for you togive us a try, and get on a MAR-TA bus or train? Parker asksrhetorically of the several million

metro Atlantans who dont makedaily use of the system.

With a slight fare increase al-ready in the works, Parker is lay-ing out a direct three-pronged setof fundamentals to get MARTAback on track. His mission beginswith three key areas1. MAR-TA System employees: Parker in-tends to rebuild employee moraleand create roughly 4,500 ambas-sadors for the system, as well asto inculcate customer service, asdeeply as the eye roll appearsembedded in todays MARTA em-ployee. 2. Fiscal house in order:MARTAs current financial modelis unsustainable, and Parker un-derstands that some internal ser-vices privatization, new revenuesources and better management

of costs will likely all be requiredin the near term. 3.Turn aroundpublic perception of MARTA:This last charge is probably hisbiggest challenge, as decades oflax management, service gaps andrare but visible instances of vio-lent crime have turned away, orturned off, many to the system.

But Parker is a roll up hissleeves kind of guy, who actuallycommutes to work every day onMARTA himself. He is alreadyrolling out a series of low cost,high impact improvements thatriders and the broader public will

soon be able to touch and feel.An app is in Beta testingamong select riders now, where

you can type into your SmartPhone where you are, and whereyou want to go. This new MARTAservice platform will tell you,point by point , which bus or trainto take, when and how to trans-fer, and where your bus or traindestination point will be, closestto your desired location. Parker ismaking presentations now to theMARTA board to consider broad-ening its revenue pallet to includemore extensive use of advertising,as well as in-station concessions.

More proof that MARTA isnow open for business is a re-cent Developers Day with nearly200 bankers, builders and realtorsattending and touring MARTA-owned developments, as well asother potential sites for new resi-

dential and commercial develop-ment. The bulk of prior develop-ment efforts have been concen-trated along the north/south linesin such places as Lindbergh Sta-tion, Dunwoody and Buckhead,where the greatest potential maynow surround stations in Decatur,Avondale Estates, East Lake andKensington.

MARTAs chal lenges aremany, and Parker is but oneman, but from what I have heardand seen briefly for myself; Iwouldnt bet against him. Parkerhas an almost military bearing

and precision, but he also listenswell, takes notes and appearsgenuinely interested in corrective

feedback for the system.As he asked, What can I

do? I feel somewhat compelledto answer. Though I live ITP, Iroutinely plan trips and week-end excursions on MARTA withfriends and family, most involv-ing children, from outside theperimeter and even further out ofstate. Time and again and withoutfail this is what I hear: Re-openyour public restrooms, still in useby your MARTA systememploy-ees. Try planning a day trip fromLawrenceville, Marietta or eventhe West End to another pointon the system, including a busor train transfer and no restroomaccess for a few hours with a tod-dler or senior family member intow. Starting or ending your day

with another family member insevere discomfort does not makefor good memoriesor many re-turns trips. And Im hoping thatour highly regarded Mr. Parker issmarta than that.

Bill Crane also serves as apolit ical analyst and commenta-tor for Channel 2s Action News,WSB-AM News/Talk 750 and now95.5 FM, as well as a columnist

forThe Champion, Champion FreePress andGeorgia Trend. Craneis a DeKalb native and business

owner, living in Scottdale. You canreach him or comment on a col-umn [email protected].

MARTA is open for business

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The Champion Free Press, Friday, March 29, 2013 Page 6ACOMMUNITY

Champion of the Week

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.

John Jones

For more than 50years,John Jones hasused the one thing heloves doing the most tohelp someone; and that iscutting hair.

Jones, who recentlyretired as owner of JJsBarber Shop in Decatur,owned the business for21 years. He had a busi-ness in Memphis, Tenn.,while he was working forJohn Deere. The com-pany transferred him to

DeKalb County in 1985and he reopened his busi-ness in DeKalb.

Jones said it was hislate uncle and his love formeeting new people that

inspired him to become abarber. It is a hobby thathe loves and is passionateabout.

I always liked to meetpeople and help people,he said. I met a lot ofpeople in my time cuttinghair, quite a few promi-nent people.

One of those promi-nent people includes

DeKalb County SheriffThomas Brown. Jonesasked Brown if therewas something he coulddo to be a service to theDeKalb County jail andBrown offered him a con-tract to cut hair for theinmates in the jail.

He gave me the op-portunity to be of serviceto the jail and it has alsoallowed several barbersfrom this shop to workwith me up there aswell, he said. It hasbeen good. God hasblessed me with this tal-ent and I take advantageof what God gave me.

Jones has worked withthe jail since 2003. He

said the opportunity hasbeen a blessing for himfinancially and allowedhim to help others alongthe way.

I believe the Lordput us in a place wherethere is a need, he said.We try to speak positiveto the inmates as wellas provide a service tothem.

Jones is a deacon and amember of the male choirat The Greater Travel-ers Rest Baptist Churchin Decatur. He has beena member of the churchsince 1985. He spent 30years with John Deerebefore retiring 12 yearsago. He then workedfor the DeKalb CountySchool District in trans-portation for 10 yearsbefore retiring two yearsago.

Im just cutting hairand playing golf now, hesaid.

uBROOKHAVEN

City hiresfinance director

Printed on 100%

post-consumer recycled paper

Bonnie

Kline, a CPA,with more than20 years ofexperience inmunicipal, stateand federal gov-ernment nance,as well as in theprivate sectorhas been hiredas Brookhavensnew nancedirector. Shepreviously served as -nance director for the citiesof McDonough and Tybee

Island, as well as director ofaccounting for the GeorgiaDepartment of CommunityAffairs. She also workedfor the U.S. Department ofTreasury.

We are excited to havesomeone with such vastexperience join the city,Brookhaven MayorJ. MaxDavis said. Ms. Klineshistory of implement-ng sound scal policies

for governments of allsizes will greatly benetBrookhaven.

As nance director,

Kline will be tasked withmanaging the citys $25million annual budget,mplementing budget policy

and overseeing revenue an-icipation.

I was drawn to apply

for the position

because of theunique oppor-tunity it wouldafford me in con-tributing to theestablishment ofthe citys nancefunction from theground up. Klinesaid. Its excit-ing to be a part ofhistory.

While in Mc-Donough, Kline oversaw a$20 million annual budgetand instituted several opera-

tional changes that resultedin both nancial and timesavings for taxpayers. Thisincluded consolidating 20separate bank accounts toeliminate multiple monthlyservice charges. She alsoimplemented a purchasingcard program and oversawa $3 million sewer repairsloan.

Kline received her bach-elors degree in accountingfrom Georgia State Univer-sity and received her certi-cation as a local govern-ment nance ofcer from

the University of GeorgiasCarl Vinson Institute ofGovernment. She was alsorecently designated a certi-ed Public nance ofcerby the Government FinanceOfcers Associations.

Kline

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The Champion Free Press, Friday, March 29, 2013 Page 7ACOMMUNITY

AROUNDDEKALBATLANTA

Emory law professor namedamong top rabbis

Michael J. Broyde, a professor ofaw at Emory University and a seniorellow of the Center for the Study ofLaw and Religion, has been namedone of Americas top 50 rabbis byNewsweekmagazine.

Ordained as a rabbi by YeshivaUniversity in 1988 and 1991, Broydes a preeminent scholar of Jewish lawwho was a finalist in the recent searcho replace Jonathan Sacks as chief

abbi of the United Kingdom.This is the seventh year Newsweekhas issued the top 50 list.

AVONDALE ESTATES

City to host antique car parade

The annual Antique Car Parade willbe held Sunday, March 31.

The line-up begins at 1:30 p.m. athe Twin Oaks Shopping Plaza, 2853East College Avenue. The parade be-gins at 2:30 p.m. on South AvondaleRoad and ends at Willis Park wherehe cars remain for display. Refresh-ments will be served. To enter an

automobile, contact Lamar Hart [email protected].

CLARKSTON

Family movie night scheduled

The animated movie Madagascar3 will be screened April 5 for ClarkstonFamily Movie Night.

Presented by K. D. Moore Commu-nity Development Center, the ClarkstonFamily Movie Night will be held on theirst Fridays of the month until June athe Family Life Center.

Popcorn and a drink are $2.50at the event. The doors will open at6:30 p.m. and the movie starts at 7p.m. The Family Life Center is at 4007Church Street. For more information,call Christin Taylor at (404) 292-5686ext. 248.

DECATUR

Lakeside Alliance to holdcommunity meeting in Toco Hills

The Lakeside City Alliance (LCA)will hold a community meeting on theconcept of a new city in north-centralDeKalb on Monday, April 1, at Clair-mont Presbyterian Church.

Oliver Porter of Sandy Springs,a noted expert on the creation of new

cities, will be among those available toanswer questions.

Porter is the author ofCreating theNew City of Sandy Springs: The 21stCentury Paradigm: Private Industry.

Porter won the Innovator in Actionaward in 2009 for his concept of apublic, private partnership with the cre-ation of Sandy Springs.

We look forward to hearing fromthe community and ideas about theconcept of a city of Lakeside, saidMary KayWoodworth, chairwomanof the Lakeside City Alliance. Wealso look forward to Mr. Porters ideasabout how a new city can be differentfrom most common governance mod-els.

In March, the LCA released anupdated map of the proposed city ofLakeside. The LCA expects legislationto create a city to be introduced beforethe General Assembly adjourns thismonth.

The meeting will be held in MilliganHall, from 7 to 8:30 p.m. The church islocated at 1994 Clairmont Road.

To view the map, go to: http://lakesidecityalliance.org/district-map/.For more information, contact MaryKay Woodworth at [email protected].

Oscar-winning film to be shown atlibrary

For the final March screening in itsFriday Movies series Toco Hill-Avis G.Williams Library will on March 29 showthe Oscar-winning film Argo, starringBen Affleck,Alan Arkin, and BryanCranston. The R-rated 2012 moviestarts at 1:30 and runs 120 minutes.Argo won the 2013 Academy Awardin the Best Picture category. Movies inthe Friday Movies series are a mix ofnew releases and old favorites. Whenavailable, movies are presented withclosed captioning to assist the hearingimpaired. The Toco Hill-Avis G. Wil-liams Library is located at 1282 McCo-nnell Drive, Decatur. For more informa-tion, call (404) 679-4404.

DeKalb Medical to host PubertyRocks

DeKalb Medical will host Puberty

Rocks, a session for parents tryingto guide their daughters into ado-lescence Friday, April 5, 6-8 p.m. atDeKalb Medical Theater-North Decaturcampus. Learn how to navigate theturbulent tween and teen years withthe help of DeKalb Medical physicians.This fun night out for you and youryoungster will cover body changes,mood swings, peer pressure andmore, the announcement for DeKalbMedical states. This session of PubertyRocks is for girls only. It will be led byDr. Caryn Johnson. DeKalb MedicalsNorth Decatur campus is located at2701 North Decatur Road, Decatur.Light refreshments will be served.These programs are free, but requireregistration. To register, call (404) 501-WELL.

For more information, visit www.dekalbmedical.org.

Lil Scrappy to give talk at Ex-change Park Recreation Center

In association with CommissionerLarry Johnson and The PILOT (Pre-paring Innovative Leaders of Tomor-row), Program, the DeKalb LawyersAssociation will be hosting TeensTalk Back. One of the stars of thecable television show Love & Hip Hoprecording artist Lil Scrappyhasvolunteered to talk to teens about theconsequences of thug life with his at-torney Mawuli Mel Davis. This eventwill be on Saturday, March 30, 8:30a.m.-1 p.m. at Exchange Park Recre-ation Center.

I just want to get out in the com-munity I grew up in and talk to thekids to let them know what the conse-quences of their actions are. If they arenot prepared to deal with the conse-quences then dont do it. These are lifelessons Ive learned, Lil Scrappy said.

The Teens Talk Back programgives students from ages 14-18 theopportunity to become acquaintedwith the nuances of the criminal justicesystem, also to voice their questionsand concerns through forums andbreak-out sessions. The program isdesigned to give students resourcesto make an impact in their schools andcommunities. Exchange Park Recre-ation Center is located at 2771 Colum-bia Drive in Decatur.

LITHONIA

Dance troupe to perform at Stone-crest Library

A Native American Dance Troupewill perform at the Stonecrest LibrarySaturday, March 30, 1-2 p.m. Rhyth-mic, soul-enriching dance lives deeplywithin the heart of the Native-Americanculture. Many dances played a vitalrole in religious rituals and other cer-emonies; while others were held toguarantee the success of hunts, har-vests and various celebrations, states

an announcement from the library. Thedance troupe is from Acworth. Stone-crest Library is located at 3123 Klond-ike Road, Lithonia. For more informa-tion, call (770) 482-3828.

OAKHURST

Oakhurst hosts jazz nights in thepark

Every Thursday in April, and on May16, there will be live jazz on the lawn ofOakhursts Solarium at the Old Scot-tish Rite, from 7-9 p.m.

The concerts, hosted by theOakhurst Neighborhood Association,

are free and open to the public. Theconcerts will be held rain or shine,either on the lawn of The Solarium at321 W. Hill St. 30030 or inside the so-larium.

Attendees are reminded to bringblankets only, no lawn chairs, throwaway their trash and be mindful of thenew flower beds located on the so-larium grounds.

The schedule includes local jazzmusicians such as Joe Gransden,Kebbi Williams and more.

For more information visit www.oakhurstjazznights.com.

STONE MOUNTAIN

Leaders host annual Easter egghunt

DeKalb Commissioner Stan Wat-son and state Rep. Billy Mitchell (D-88) will host Super District 7s EasterEggs-travaganza at Wade Walker ParkSunday, March 31, from 2-5 p.m.

An estimated 400-500 attendeesare expected to participate in theevent. There is no cost to attend, how-ever children must bring their own bas-kets. Registration is at 2 p.m.

An Easter egg hunt for ages 3 andunder will begin at 2:30 p.m.; ages5-7, 3:15 p.m.; and ages 8-10, 4 p.m.There will also be face painting, jumperplay areas, snacks, games, Eastertreats and more.

Event organizers include DeKalbCounty Public Safety, Radio Ones

Praise 102.5 and the NFLPA.For additional information, contactNichole Simms at (404) 371-7031 orKelly LaJoie at (404) 371-3681.

TUCKER

Authors to discuss book on StoneMountain

Paul Hudson and Lora Mirzawill be at the Northlake-Barbara LoarLibrary Monday, April 1, at 6:30 p.m.to present a program about Georgiaslegendary landmark, Stone Mountain.Their bookStone Mountain: A Multi-cultural Historylooks at the past and

present of this remarkable edice inDeKalb County. The rocky mountainoutcropping has been the scene of avariety of activities over the decades,from Klan meetings to laser lightshows.

Hudson teaches history at GeorgiaPerimeter College, and Mirza is a re-search librarian and photographer atGeorgia Perimeter.

The book was recipient of the2012 Lilla M. Hawes Award of theGeorgia Historical Society for theBest Book on Local History in Geor-gia in 2011.

Northlake-Barbara Loar Library islocated at 3772 LaVista Road, Tucker.For more information, call (404) 679-

4408.

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Man found guilty of human trafcking,sexually exploiting minors

Without exaggeration; Mae Westis a real love bug!! This girl is sosweet with the most unusual eyes;they are truly amazing. Picturesdo not capture how very pretty sheis. Mae West came to the shelteras part of a neglect case, but nowshe is happy, healthy and readyfor adoption. She loves to playwith toys, but really loves to besnuggled. May West enjoys hugsand trying to sneak in some laptime. She's very alert and a littlebit silly. She is such a happy girlwho is patiently waiting for herforever home. Please come seeMay West; she would love to meetyou. She'll melt your heart. MaeWest is sponsored by the DecaturHomeless Pets Club.

PET WEEKofthe

Dekalb County Animal Shelter404-294-2165

Jamie Martinez

[email protected] Kaczynski

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Name: Mae West Adult Vaccinated & heartworm negative Spayed $250 unlimited training package

at Frogs to Dogs

Mae West - ID 17706953

If interested in adopting Brooklyn, send an email toboth addresses below for a prompt reply

NOTICEOFPUBLICHEARING

TheMayorandCityCounciloftheCityofChamblee,Georgiawillholdapublichearingon

Thursday,April11,2013,attheChambleeCivicCenter,3540BroadStreet,Chamblee,GA

30341at6:00p.m.toreceivepubliccommentsregardingthefollowingzoningmatters:

AppendixA,ZoningOrdinance,Section207,Plannedunitdevelopmentprocedure.

ThesubjectpropertyisCityFarmersMarket(fkaBufordHighwayFleaMarket),locatedat5000

BufordHighway. Theapplicantisrequestingtodevelopthepropertyasaplannedunit

development.

AppendixA,ZoningOrdinance,Section512,Singlefamilyresidentialdetached

heightmeasurement. Thesubjectpropertyislocatedat3703SpringStreet(Lots25and26).

Theapplicantisrequestingavariancetothefrontdoorthresholdofanewsinglefamily

residence.

AppendixA,

Zoning

Ordinance,

Section

908,

Site

design

and

Section

1402,

Landscapestrips. Thesubjectpropertyislocatedat5000PeachtreeBoulevard. The

applicantisrequestingavariancetoallowvehicularservicessuchasacarwashbetweenthe

buildingandstreet,andavarianceforrelieffromtherequired10landscapestrip.

by Daniel [email protected]

A DeKalb County manwas found guilty March 18 ofhuman trafcking, pimpingminors and sexual exploita-tion of children by a DeKalbCounty jury.

Darryl Curry was con-victed of 13 felony counts,which also included falseimprisonment, cruelty tochildren in the rst degree,simple battery and obstruc-tion of a police ofcer.

DeKalb County SuperiorCourt Judge Gail Flake sen-tenced Curry March 26, to 40years in prison plus an addi-tional 20 years on probation.

A co-defendant in the

case, John Anderson, plead-ed guilty at an earlier hear-ing. Anderson was chargedwith keeping a place of pros-titution and providing a falsename to police.

According to an indict-ment, Curry was chargedwith sexual exploitationof children for possessingsexually explicit photo-graphs and material depictinga minor engaged in touchinganother female while nakedin the shower.

[Curry] is a monsterwho preyed upon young andimpressionable girls for hisown personal and nancialgain, District Attorney Rob-ert James said. Most youngwomen begin prostituting be-tween the ages of 12 and 14.

According to a news re-lease, a 17-year-old girl Oct.8, 2011, escaped a home inDecatur where she was beingheld against her will and be-ing forced into prostitution.The girl told police another16-year-old girl was also

being held at 2113 MiriamLane.

After police enforced thehouse with a search warrant,the other victim was identi-ed and various pimpingand human trafcking para-

phernalia were uncovered,including videos of Curryinstructing individuals onhow to become a pimp andobtain wealth from exploitingwomen.

Assistant District At-

torney Dalia Racine, leadprosecutor for the case, saidCurry described himself as anesse pimp who cared forthe women who worked forhim.

In actuality, he was ex-tremely violent and physical-ly abusive to our two victims.He mentally manipulated hisvictims and forced them torecruit other young womeninto the life, Racine said.

Curry was also chargedwith two counts of aggra-vated assault for beating

both girls, once with a beltand once with a coat hanger,and two counts of contribut-ing to the delinquency of aminor for forcing both girlsto purchase the drug MDMA(ecstasy) for him.


A DeKalb County juryhas found accusederial rapist Gary

Mincey guilty of allhe charges against

him.Mincey, 36, of De-

catur, was accused ofaping three women

and assaulting twoothers in 2011.

Weve got aexual predator who

has been terrorizing ourcommunitywe got him,Assistant District AttorneyPatricia Jackson, lead

prosecutor, said.Mincey was charged

with three counts of rape,wo counts of aggravated

assault, four counts ofarmed robbery, ve countsof false imprisonment, twocounts of aggravated sexualbattery and one count eachof burglary, robbery and ag-gravated sodomy.

According to the indict-ment, Mincey assaulted or

raped ve women betweenOct. 16 and Nov. 29, 2011,robbing them of money,

jewelry, keys, cell phonesand other elec-tronics.

A sentencingdate has been setfor April 9, at 9a.m. in Judge GailFlakes court-room.

There is amonster who nolonger roamsthe streets of

DeKalb, said Chief As-sistant District AttorneyNicole Marchand Golden.These womens lives have

forever been changed by theheinous acts of a serial rap-ist. We hope this verdict andpending sentence will bringsome form of relief to eachone of our victims.

Prosecutors said Minceystalked his victims at aPublix grocery store anda nightclub on GlenwoodAvenue.

During the trial, pros-ecutors presented DNA

evidence they said linkedMincey to the crimes, andwitness testimony of vic-

tims describing their at-tacks. Mincey allegedlyused a knife, Taser or hand-gun in each of the crimes.

There was no rhyme orreason to his approach. Thehorrors that these womensuffered at the hands of[Mincey] were realhe wastheir real life Boogie Man,Golden said. DNA doesntlie.

On the stand, one vic-tim described how Minceyraped her in her garage aftershe returned home fromgrocery shopping.

Another victim describedhow Mincey attacked her asshe got into her car one eve-ning, pointed a gun at herand attempted to rape herbut ran off when her daugh-ter came outside.

He said, If she comeshere Im going to kill her,the victim testied.

Drivers can expect de-ays on Buford Highway ashe Georgia Department of

Transportation continueswith road work to help im-prove pedestrian safety.

Sidewalks are beingadded on both sides ofBuford Highway betweenLenox Road and Afton Lanen Brookhaven. A raised

median is also being added

between North Druid HillsRoad and the Highland

North Apartments.A new trafc signal will

be added near the HighlandNorth Apartments, as wellas upgrades to four othertrafc lights along BufordHighway in Brookhaven.Six pedestrian-activatedsignal lights are also beingadded.

There have been sevenpedestrian accidents on

Buford Highway at AftonLane.

All of the work is fundedby the state. The project isexpected to be complete onApril 1, 2015.

The Brookhaven PublicWorks Department contin-ues to be in contact with thestate DOT. For more infor-mation, contact Construc-tion Project ManagerMar-cel Cherry at (404) 299-4386 or Brookhaven Public

Works DirectorRichardMeehan at (404) 637-0500.

Road work being done on BufordHighway to improve pedestrian safety

Jurors return guilty verdictfor accused serial rapist

Mincey

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DeKalb County Com-missionerJeff Rader saidhe doesnt think any of the

countys constitutional of-cers are doing a bad jobmanaging their budgets,but the commission doesnthave the resources to deter-mine if they are.

This year our budgetofce did not conduct a sub-tantive review of the con-titutional ofcers, Raderaid at a recent meeting at

which the DeKalb CountyBoard of Commissioners

BOC) approved the coun-ys 2013 budget.County department heads

did not receive any salaryncreases this year but sev-

eral constitutional ofcerseceived a budget increase.

The ofce of solicitor gen-eral received a 6.2 percentbudget increase; superiorcourt received an increaseof approximately 4 percent;and the ofce of the districtattorney received a budgetof approximately $12 mil-ion, up from $11.7 millionn 2012. The DeKalb Coun-

y Sherriffs Ofce receivedan increase of $2 million.

According to countydocuments, during the pastve years, juvenile courtsbudget has increased 63 per-cent; clerk of superior court,4 percent; and solicitor

general, 16 percent.We need to look at

he constitutional ofcers,

because when the budgetpasses, they do what theywant to do anyway, Com-missionerStan Watsonsaid during budget retreat inOctober.

Rader said that nei-ther the board nor DeKalbCounty Burrell Ellis ofcehas the expertise required toconduct a thorough reviewto determine whether each

constitutional is functioningefciently.

Someone needs to inde-pendently review the bud-get proposals they make,Rader said.

Last year, Rader said the

budget for the constitutionalofcers, which also includesthe ofces of the tax com-missioner and juvenile andstate courts, increased ap-proximately $10 million.

We can evaluate it yearto year, but it begs the ques-tion whether we have thetools necessary to evaluatethe operational budget andwhether the constitutionalofcers are using the mostcost effective means ofachieving their constitution-al goals, Rader said.

Burke Brennan, a

spokesman for Ellis ofce,said during the budget pro-cess commissioners and theCEO hold several hearingsand committee meetingswith nancial staff to ensureeach department receivesproper review.

Every department al-ways requests the sun andthe moon but the reality is

that we dont have thosetypes of revenues, Brennansaid, referencing the coun-tys declining tax digest.

At the beginning of thebudget process, Brennan

said all constitutional of-cers and county departmentdirectors submit their bud-get requests with supportingdocumentation for everybudget cycle. Brennan said

each department isevaluated by nancespecialists in tandemwith the BOC.

The administrationenjoys a good workingrelationship with all ofour constitutional of-cers and has no reasonto expect anything lessas we prepare our next

budget recommenda-tions to the BOC,Brennan said.

Solicitor GeneralSherry Boston saidin the past two years,her department hascome in under budget.Boston said during the

budgeting process, her de-partment includes extensiveinformation but is alwaysready to give more detailsabout specic programs, asrequested.

Boston said before pre-

senting a budget each year,her department reviews eachprogram to make sure itscosts are reasonable.

While we do not takea specic position as to theuse of an independent re-viewer, we are always will-ing to respond to any ques-tions by the [BOC] or theCEO regarding our budget,in as much detail as needed.We are glad to explain ourspecic nancial require-ments and exactly how weplan to use our budget tocarry out our mission suc-

cessfully, Boston said.DeKalb County District

Attorney Robert Jamesdeclined to comment on thisarticle.

Debra DeBerry, clerkof DeKalb County SuperiorCourt, said the county hasexperts informed enough toreview the constitutional de-partments.

DeKalb County commissioners question oversight of constitutional ofcers

CITY OF DUNWOODY

PUBLIC NOTICE

Pursuant

to

the

Georgia

Open

Records

Act,

O.G.G.A.

50

18

71(b)

this

is

public

notice

that

the

CityofDunwoodyhasdesignatedtheCityClerkastheofficialrecordsofficerpursuanttothe

OpenRecordsAct. AllOpenRecordsRequestmustbesubmitted inwritingto theCityClerk

directly. Suchwrittenrequestmaybesubmittedinperson,viamailorbysendinganemailto

[email protected].

To my understandingthe county already has ex-perts; their nance depart-ment, DeBerry said. Wevoluntarily allow themfour audits per year. In that

process they ascertain theneeds [versus] dollars spent.I have always providedstatute to back up what I amasking for.

DeBerry said she is thesubject matter expert on theclerks ofce, and the BOCand CEOs ofce rely on herexpertise just like I rely ontheirs.

We have establishedindustry standards. Ourmethod is based on servicedelivery. My measurement

is based on the standards,and I set a higher goal ofimmediate delivery withinin my technological resourc-es, DeBerry said.

DeKalb County Sheriff

Thomas Brown said he wasunsure why Rader wouldwant an outside expert toreview the constitutional de-partments when he himselfhad never taken the time tovisit the DeKalb County Jailto better understand its op-erations.

In the entire time Ivebeen sheriff I dont thinkhes come down to visitthe jail or the courthouseonce.that would be astart, Brown said.

We need to look at the

constitutional officers,

because when the

budget passes, they dowhat they want to do

anyway. Stan Watson

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One deceased, two injured after Tucker nursing home re

Former school board chairman:The seat is the last thing on my mindEditors note: This is the rst of twoinstallments of an interview withformer DeKalb school board chair-man Gene Walker. The next install-ment will be in the next issue ofTheChampion.

by Andrew [email protected]

Suspended DeKalb school boardmember and former chairman GeneWalker said the state law that givesthe governor the authority to removeelected school board members is un-constitutional.

And Walker said his ght againstthat law is embedded in the history

of Blacks in America.Im not one of them color-blindpeople. I know race does matter,Walker said during an exclusive in-terview with The ChampionNewspa-per. Youve got to have your headso far in the sand its not discernibleto not know that race matters. Racedoes matter.

When this nation was foundedmy people were three-fths of aperson. It was in the Constitution,Walker said. So the struggle tomake us whole has been long andhard. Weve won some battles andweve lost a helluva lot more.

The DeKalb school district wasplaced on accreditation probation bySouthern Association of Collegesand Schools (SACS), the agency thataccredits the school district throughits parent company, AdvancED. Thatmove triggered a state law grantingthe governor the authority to removeschool board members.

Acting on the recommendationof the Georgia Board of Education,Gov. Nathan Deal suspended sixmembers of the DeKalb school boardin February: SarahCopelin-Wood,Jesse Jay Cunningham, DonnaElder, Nancy Jester, Pamela A.Speaks and Walker.

Walker said he is ghting thestate law that allows the governorto remove people that duly eligiblecitizens voted into ofcebecauseSACS said a system is on probationfor whatever reason. The state school

board can go through some faade of

a hearing and recommend to the gov-ernor they should be removed.

Thats a travesty of justice. Thatis totally unconstitutional. That dis-enfranchises thousands of people,Walker said. If anybody cant seethat, then theyre blind to politics.And if theyre African-American, tome, they done forgot the struggle wehave waged to become whole.

Walker said his lawsuit againstthe state is not about retaining hisschool board seat.

See my passion here, Walkersaid. Dont you ever refer to me assomebody trying to keep a seat. The

seat is the last thing on my mind. Imtrying to keep the right of one per-son, one vote, which is being takenaway from me for no real cause. If Icommit a crime, if I commit male-cence in ofce, if the people comeup with a recall, which they can do

by lawbut they have to have goodreason to do itthen I accept that.

But to say weve been dysfunc-tional, when weve passed every billor law were supposed to, we paidevery bill, every one of our schoolsis top ight, fully accredited withteachers certied and great adminis-trators and our students are making

progress, what do they mean by dys-

functional?Because we act like other politi-

cians do? We have disagreements?We fuss at each other? Because wehave White conservatives, Blackconservatives, White Tea Partiers,

Black Tea Partiers? Because weredifferent? Thats the nature of thedemocratic process. Because we ex-

hibited the democratic process?Walker said he is ghting to

protect that right to make a politi-cal choice and not let the governor,with some elitist group, pick someelitist people to represent them. The

peoples choice should prevail.When asked why he led the

lawsuit using taxpayer funds, Walkersaid, because its a taxpayers is-sue.

Its not Gene Walkers issue.This is a taxpayers issue, Walkersaid. A blind man ought to be ableto see that. The ones who dont seeitare the ones that have their heads

in the sand. Taxpayers are the oneswho elected people to ofce. Its notonly unconstitutional, its unjust.

Thats another thing taxpayersought to see, Walker said. Howyou going to create a situation withthe school board members that youdont have for county commissionersand state legislators? How [are] canthe governor remove a school boardmember who is elected by the same

people as county commissioners andlegislators and not be able to removethem? Its tax dollars because its ataxpayer issue.

I would fund it myself and alltaxpayersought to be able to fundor should be willing to fund it if youhave any sense of the value of theConstitution and the right the Consti-tution guarantees, Walker said.

When asked whether school dis-trict money should be used to chal-lenge state law about voting, Walkersaid it can be used to challengeanything that threatens the schoolsystem.

The use of school district funds inthe lawsuit is the best investmentyou can make in childrenghtingfor the viability of the Constitutionand the law, Walker said.

Ive never seen a group of young

people that were hurt by watchinganother group stand up for theirrights or stand up for what the Con-stitution says youre entitled to,Walker said. That, to me, is oneof the central parts of the educative

process.What are taxpayers dollars

supposed to be used for? Walker

asked. Its all right for me to payan attorney to defend a personnelmatter and its not all right for me to

pay an attorney to protect the rightsof a school system? Its all right tosue taxpayer money to defend themfrivolous lawsuits people bringagainst the school system or person-nel matters or [when] somebodyclaim they stumped their toe, but itsnot all right to spend taxpayer moneyto protect the integrity and the votingrights of the school system and thechoice of the people to select theirschool board members?

The bedrock of his ght is the

Constitution, Walker said.We have beliefs and then wehave our value systems to undergirdthat belief, Walker said. My beliefis that the Constitutionis the stan-dard that we go by. My value systemdictates I must take action to pre-serve and protect the Constitution.

For those who are saying, Stepdown, dont question this, in mymind, they dont believe in the Con-stitution and they dont value tryingto protect it, he said.

Since the 1990s, it has been Geor-gia law that school board memberscould only be elected, not appointed,Walker said.

Thats the Constitution, he said.And cant no General Assemblystatute override that. If they want tochange it, then they ought to makeanother constitutional law.

The law ought to mean some-thing or it shouldnt be on the

books, Walker said. And youvegot to challenge unconstitutionallaw. If you dont challenge unconsti-tutional lawsthen youre under thegovernance of a dictator. When peo-

ple take those political choices fromyou, like your choice to select yourrepresentative, then your system has

become tyrannical and dictatorial.

It may look nice and it may lookconvenient and it may look like itsin the best interests of whats goingon, but its never in the best interestsof a situation to take away peoplesrights. Never.

Walker


A 64-year-old womandied in a re early Tuesday

morning at a DeKalb Coun-ty nursing home.

DeKalb County FiredDepartment spokesman

Norman Augustin,said thedepartment received a call atapproximately 3 a.m. to re-spond to a re at 4608 Law-renceville Highway at the

Meadowbrook Health Care.The victim was later

identied by DeKalb Coun-ty medical examiners as

Laura Barrett. Investiga-tors said the re was startedbecause the victim had beensmoking while on oxygen,Augustin said.

By the time the redepartment arrived at thescene, DeKalb County po-lice ofcers had evacuated

the buildings residentsand the re had been ex-tinguished by the facilitysemergency sprinkler system.

When they got on scene

they found heavy smokeconditions on the secondoor, Augustin said. Thecause of the re appeared to

be accidental.Two others, including the

victims roommate, weretransported to the hospitaland are being treated for

smoke inhalation.

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Send your comments and/or concerns regarding Comcasts current performance underthe current franchise agreement and/or the future cable-related needs and interests ofyour community to www.dekalbcountyga.gov.

DeKalb County Wants to Hear From YouRegarding the Proposed Franchise Agreement Renewal

with Comcast Cable Communications

DeKalb County grand jury foreman sues judgeby Daniel [email protected]

The foreman of a spe-cial grand jury is suing a

DeKalb County judge forefusing to release the nd-ngs of a yearlong investiga-ion into the DeKalb County

Watershed Department.Albert Trujillo, fore-

man of the special grandury impaneled in 2012 tonvestigate corruption in the

countys watershed depart-ment, is suing Judge MarkAnthony Scott for refusingo allow the special purpose

grand jurys ndings to bemade public.

Soon after the specialpurpose grand jury conclud-

ed its investigation, Scottgranted a motion led Jan.28, by CEO Burrell Ellisattorneys to seal the ndingsof the investigation.

In court documents, El-is attorneys said the sec-

ond time he was called infront of the special grandury the questioning by the

DeKalb County DAs ofcewas more along the lines ofa criminal investigation.

The special grand jurys not authorized to return

a criminal indictment, and

herefore any portions of itspresentment containing anyallegations of wrongdoingmust be redacted, Ellisawyers stated in the motiono seal the grand jurys nd-ngs.

Investigators from theDAs Ofce searched El-is home and ofce while

he was testifying beforehe special grand jury Jan.

7. According to a searchwarrant, investigators wereooking for informationhat would prove a range of

crimes including racketeer-

ng, wire fraud, theft andbid-rigging.

Ellis former campaignmanagerKevin Rosshome and ofce were alsosearched at the time, al-hough he wasnt requiredo testify before the special

grand jury.Attorneys for Ellis and

Ross also led a motionstating that any informationn the special grand juryseport could not be used

against them in a criminalndictment.

Scott ruled Feb. 5 infavor of both motions andagreed to release the nd-ngs to Ellis and Ross at-orneys review before being

made public.Soon after Scotts ruling,

District Attorney RobertJames led an emergencymotion to prevent the re-

lease of the special grandjurys ndings to Ellis andRoss attorneys and ap-pealed Scotts decision.

James stated that thecourt has no legal precedent

to keep the special grandjurys ndings from beingmade public or to allowthem to be reviewed by any-one before being released.

Ellis has denied knowl-edge of any wrongdoingand questioned whether heis being dealt with in goodfaith by the district attor-neys ofce.

I havent done anythingthat Im aware of, nor hasmy staff done anything thatIm aware of that is inappro-priate, Ellis said.

Attorneys for Ellis andRoss led a motion March8 in the Georgia Court ofAppeals contesting Jamesappeal on the grounds thatthe DAs ofce didnt follow

proper procedure when l-ing the appeal.

Ofcials from the DAsofce said there has notbeen a ruling on James ap-

peal, nor the subsequentmotion led by defense at-torneys for Ellis and Ross.

The Northeast will see isolated rain and snow today, mostly clear to partly cloudy

skies Friday and Saturday, with the highest temperature of 55 in Cincinnati, Ohio. The

Southeast will experience mostly clear skies today and Friday, isolated thunderstorms

Saturday, with the highest temperature of 75 in Tamiami, Fla. In the Northwest, there will be mostly

clear to partly cloudy skies today through Saturday, with the highest temperature of 69 in Hermiston,

Ore. The Southwest will see mostly clear to partly cloudy skies today through Saturday, with the

highest temperature of 88 in Gila Bend, Ariz.

Weather History

March 28, 1988 - Severe

thunderstorms in central

Oklahoma produced hail up to

four inches in diameter, causing

35 million dollars in damage

to southern Oklahoma County.

Baseball sized hail and seven

inches of rain caused another

18 million dollars damage in

Stephens County.

March 29, 1987 - Thunderstorms

spawned tornadoes in

Mississippi, and produced

high winds and heavy rain in

Louisiana. Thunderstorm winds

gusted to 92 mph at Houma,

LA, and caused a million dollars

damage in Terrebonne Parish.

Weather Trivia

Which area is warmer,

the North Pole or the

South Pole? ?Answer:TheNorthPole.

Detailed Local Forecast

Today we will see mostly sunny skies with a

high temperature of 60, humidity of 33%.

Light winds. The record high temperature for

today is 84 set in 1945. Expect mostly clear

skies tonight with an overnight low of 36. The

record low for tonight is 29 set in 1937.

THURSDAYMostly Sunny

High: 60 Low: 36

FRIDAYMostly Sunny

High: 62 Low: 44

SATURDAYPartly Cloudy

High: 63 Low: 49

SUNDAY

Few Showers

High: 67 Low: 51

MONDAYMostly Sunny

High: 70 Low: 52

TUESDAYPartly Cloudy

High: 65 Low: 48

WEDNESDAYMostly Sunny

High: 68 Low: 46

Local Sun/Moon Chart This Week

Day

Thursday

Friday

Saturday

Sunday

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Sunrise

7:28 a.m.

7:27 a.m.

7:25 a.m.

7:24 a.m.

7:23 a.m.

7:21 a.m.

7:20 a.m.

Sunset

7:55 p.m.

7:56 p.m.

7:56 p.m.

7:57 p.m.

7:58 p.m.

7:59 p.m.

7:59 p.m.

Moonrise

9:38 p.m.

10:44 p.m.

11:50 p.m.

No Rise

12:53 a.m.

1:51 a.m.

2:44 a.m.

Moonset

8:03 a.m.

8:46 a.m.

9:33 a.m.

10:25 a.m.

11:23 a.m.

12:25 p.m.

1:29 p.m.

Last

4/2

New

4/10

First

4/18

Full

4/25

Last Week's Local Almanac

Date Hi Lo Normals Precip

Tuesday 63 45 66/44 0.00"

Wednesday 57 41 66/45 0.00"

Thursday 52 30 66/45 0.00"

Friday 51 37 67/45 0.00"Saturday 55 42 67/45 0.91"

Sunday 51 43 67/45 0.90"

Monday 51 35 68/46 0.00"

Rainfall.. . . . . . . 1.81" Average temp. . 46.6

Normal rainfall. . 1.21" Average normal 55.9

Departure . . . . . +0.60" Departure . . . . . -9.3

Local UV Index

3 50 - 2 4 6 8 107 9 11+

UV Index

0-2: Low, 3-5: Moderate,

6-7: High, 8-10: Very High,

11+: Extreme Exposure

The Champion Weather March 28, 2013Seven Day Forecast Todays Regional Map

Tonights Planets

Rise Set

Mercury 6:23 a.m. 5:42 p.m.

Venus 7:36 a.m. 7:53 p.m.

Mars 7:45 a.m. 8:14 p.m.

Jupiter 10:47 a.m. 12:58 a.m.

Saturn 10:17 p.m. 9:17 a.m.

Uranus 7:35 a.m. 7:53 p.m.

National Weather Summary This Week

StarWatch By Gary Becker - Full Moon Watch

March 29 is the day of the full moon, and although regular sky watching is usually at a minimum, the moon is there for the taking. Full moons, however, are not

good times to use a telescope. Lack of shadow detail will produce bland, disappointing scenery at high powers, but views of the moon through binoculars or with

the unaided eye will not disappoint. First noticed are humongous darker circular features on Luna. These are the maria or the seas of the moon. Seventeenth century

observers thought that they were basins lled with water. They got the basin part correct, but water has always been a sparse commodity on the lunar surface. They

were actually made by large meteorite impacts about 3.85 billion years ago at a time when something went amiss in the solar system. Perhaps it was the beginning of

the grinding down process which shaped the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. These craters, after about 300 million years, began to ll with lava which pushed its way from the

warmer interior through the fractures created by the impacts. The composition was slightly different, allowing for less reectivity in these areas, revealing them as darker features. Therest of the moons near side appears whitish, a condition caused by the ceaseless pulverization of its surface by meteorites that have stuck the moon during its 4.5 billion year history.

These areas called terra or the highlands are the original regions of the moon to turn solid after its genesis. Splash marks associated with brighter craters can also be seen dotting the

lunar landscape. These are fresh impact sites, probably less than a billion years old. As an airless astronomical body like the moon ages, it picks up bits and pieces of meteoric dirt,

causing its surface to darken. Larger meteorite impacts have gardened Luna, exposing fresher, brighter material which is best seen around the full moon. www.astronomy.org

Dunwoody

58/35Lilburn

59/36

Snellville

60/36Decatur

60/36

Morrow

61/36

Hampton

62/37

Union City

61/36

College Park

61/36

Atlanta

60/36

Doraville

59/36

Smyrna

59/36

Lithonia

61/36

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by Andrew [email protected]

A DeKalb County envi-onmental group says the

city of Atlanta is violating a

tate-issued permit that regu-ates the quality of wastewa-er discharged into the South

River.Issued by the Georgia

Environmental ProtectionDivision (GA EPD) in Janu-ary 2005, Atlantas NationalPollution Discharge Elimina-ion System (NPDES) permitets limits on the types and

amounts of pollution thatcan be released into the riverfrom the Intrenchment CreekCombined Sewer OverflowCSO) Water Quality Con-

rol Facility located at 1501Key Road in southeast At-anta.

Eight years later, At-anta still has not complied

with conditions that wouldmprove water quality inhe river, according to atatement by Jackie Echols,

president of the South RiverWatershed Alliance (SRWA).Neither has the GeorgiaEPD taken action to requirehat Atlanta comply.

The permit and requiredpollution removal amountsare intended to reduce harm

o the South River by ensur-ng that Atlanta operates

and maintains its combinedewer overflow system

properly in accordance withhe requirements of the law,

Echols stated. The 2005permit is the first issuedince major improvements to

Atlantas CSO system werecompleted as a result of the

999 Upper ChattahoocheeRiverkeeper Combined Sew-er Overflow Consent Decree.

Echols said the violationsare documented in water

quality monitoring reportsand written correspondencebetween the GA EPD andcity of Atlanta that were ob-ained by the SRWA under a

Georgia Open Records Actequest.

GA EPD has knownabout these violations foryears and has done noth-ng, Echols said. Atlantas

NPDES permit is directlyelated to the Riverkeeper

consent decree which istill in force. If the city is

not meeting permit require-ments, it is not meeting

consent decree requirementseither. If EPD wont hold At-anta accountable, the federal

court should.Permits are issued ev-

ery five years and Atlantascurrent permit expired inJanuary 2010, but has beenadministratively extended bythe EPD until a new one isissued.

Echols said the unnec-essary delay is resultingin unlawful discharges thataffect biological oxygendemand and total suspendedsolids released into SouthRiver to the detriment ofaquatic life and the riversoverall health.

A letter from Atlantaswatershed department datedSept. 30, 2011, shows thatthe city has asked the EPDto set lower limit compli-

ance thresholds for thosedischarges.

If this request is ap-proved, water quality inSouth River will suffer asAtlanta will be allowedto discharge more pollu-tion into the river, Echolsstated. If they remove the

parameters, its only going todegrade the quality of waterin the South River.

Echols said that because

of the technology that Atlan-ta implemented in 2005, thecity cannot meet the require-ments of the permit withoutchanging that technology.

Atlanta started out witha system in 2003 that wouldhave met the requirements,

but the EPD allowed themto change the system, Echolssaid.

They ended up with afiltering system that does notwork, Echols said. Thereis absolutely no excuse forAtlanta not to meet its NP-DES permit and no legiti-mate legal justification forasking that pollution removalrequirements be eliminated.

The SRWA is hoping theEPD will soon issue a newdraft permit for Atlantascombined sewer overflowsystem, triggering a 30-day

public comment period dur-ing which residents voicetheir opposition to Atlantasefforts to turn back the clockon South River, Echolssaid.

The draft permit is longoverdue, she said.

The organization wouldprefer to make a public com-ment on the draft permit, butif the permit is not forthcom-ing, Echols said the SRWA isconsidering filing a 60-daynotice to sue; an attorney hasalready been consulted.

Marzieh Shahbazaz, amanager of municipal com-

pliance for watershed fa-cilities at EPD, said the draft

permit will available very,very soon.

EPD officials are cur-rently reviewing the permit.After it is reviewed by thefederal Environmental Pro-tection Agency (EPA), it will

be released for public com-

ment, Shahbazaz said.Atlanta is required to re-

move 60 percent of the totalsuspended solids and 25 per-cent of the biological oxygendemand at its CSO facility,Shahbazaz said, but becauseof the sampling locationsand design of the facility, thecity cannot adequately mea-sure the levels,

I dont have the num-bers, she said. I dont think

even the city of Atlanta hasthe numbers.

The EPD recently in-spected Atlantas facilitiesand is currently reviewingthe data, but Shahbazaz saidno major problems have

been detected so far.Atlanta representatives

have concluded that theyare meeting the require-ments, Shahbazaz said.They just cant prove it.

Its up to the EPD to de-cide if this is good enough,she said.

Because the permit is partof a consent decree with theEPD and the EPA, the EPAusually takes the lead in en-

forcing compliance, Shahba-zaz said.

The EPA has sent Atlantaa letter requesting a meetingin which the city outlines itsefforts to ensure compliance.The city has until the end ofApril to schedule that meet-ing, Shahbazaz said.

The EPA and EPD arelooking to see if somethingneeds to be changed, Shah-

bazaz said.

City of Atlanta violations affecting DeKalbs South River

Printed on 100%post-consumer recycled paper

A DeKalb environmental group is concerned about pollutants entering South River from Atlanta. File photo

7/29/2019 FreePress: 3-29-13

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THE CHAMPION FREE PRESS, FRIDAY, MARCH 29, 2013 Page 13A

DeKalb sheriff investigators arrestone of their own

DeKalb County Sheriffs Ofcenvestigators charged Detention Of-

cerZel Mitchell with sexual assaulton a person incustody, publicindecency andviolation of oathof ofce March21.

Investigatorsfrom the Ofceof ProfessionalStandards statedthat Mitchellallegedly per-formed inap-

propriate sexualacts with a male inmate, according to amedia release from the Sheriffs Ofce.The acts were allegedly performed in

exchange for food and other contrabandtems Mitchell was to provide. Thenmate acknowledged that he was not

forced to participate .The incident was discovered by a

hird inmate who reported it to an of-cer, according to the media release.

Mitchell has been terminatedfrom the DeKalb Sheriffs Ofceand is in custody at the DeKalbCounty Jail.

DeKalbs Senior Olympic GamesScheduled for May

DeKalb County Department of Rec-eation, Parks & Cultural Affairs will

host the 24th annual DeKalb CountySenior Olympic Games, May 6 17, atvenues across DeKalb.

The Olympic-style sports festivalprovides adults ages 50 and older anopportunity to compete in their favoriteports and meet other residents from

across the county. Registration beginsMarch 25 April 19.

Participants will compete in a va-iety of sports, including a womens

basketball clinic, free-throw basketball,bowling, golf, horseshoes, track andeld, billiards, swimming, table tennisand water volleyball. Other activitiesnclude a line dancing competition, tal-

ent show, Wii bowling and health expo.

Participants can compete as a team orenter individual events for friendly com-petition. Gold, silver and bronze medalswill be awarded to the top three nishersn each event.

The events are open to the pub-ic. DeKalb residents and residents fromurrounding counties are encouraged to

participate. Applications are availableonline at www.dekalbcountyga.gov/parks or at all DeKalb County recreationcenters, libraries and senior centers.

For more information about theDeKalb Senior Olympic Games, callJackie Swain at (404) 687-2751.

Businesses on Buford Highway

argeted by scammersOver the last few months, several

businesses in the Buford Highway cor-idor have been targeted by imposters

who are identifying themselves as re

inspectors and requesting cash paymentfor an inspection, according to a mediarelease.

Some of the business owners havereported the fraudulent behavior. TheChamblee Police department is investi-gating.

According to DeKalb County FireRescue ChiefEdwardOBrien, Busi-ness owners can always be sure aDeKalb County Fire Rescue is ofcialin three ways: 1) inspectors will al-ways be in a marked county vehicle, 2)inspectors will wear a DeKalb Countyuniform and have proper county identi-cation, including a badge, and 3) at notime will an inspector request paymentfor any kind for an inspection.

DeKalb County encourages businessowners to call 911 if they believe thatthey are being targeted by these impos-ters.

NanoDays coming to FernbankScience Center

Fernbank Science Center is holdingits annual NanoDays event Saturday,March 30, starting at noon.

Fernbank Science Center, locatedat 156 Heaton Park Drive in Atlanta,will be full of hands-on activitystations, a nano magic show, and storytime featuringHorton Hears a Who,according to event coordinators MaryBreen and VashondaDavis.

New for this year will be theNanozone, an area with special activitiesfor children ages 3-7.

We heard from parents at pastevents that stations designed for theyoungest kids would be welcome,Breen said, so were looking forwardto offering some. Parents might hesitateto come with kids that young, evenif they know their older brothers andsisters would have a blast. Were nowcondent that we have things to showthe whole family about the latestdevelopments in nanoscale science andtechnology.

Admission to NanoDays is free, butthere is still a charge for planetariumshows.

NanoDays is a nationwide festivalof educational programs about

nanoscale science and engineering,organized by the Nanoscale InformalScience Education Network, and takes

place nationally from March 30-April7. This community-based event isthe largest public outreach effort innanoscale informal science educationand involves science museums, researchcenters, and universities from PuertoRico to Alaska.

NanoDays celebrations bringuniversity researchers together withscience educators to create learningexperiences for both children andadults to explore the miniscule world ofatoms, molecules and nanoscale forces.Most NanoDays events combine fun,

hands-on activities with presentationson current research. A range of excitingNanoDays programs demonstrate thespecial and unexpected properties foundat the nanoscale, examine tools used bynanoscientists, showcase nano materials

with spectacular promise, and invitediscussion of technology and society.

For additional information, go to theFernbank events webpage at http://fsc.fernbank.edu/nanodays.html, or contactVashonda Davis at [email protected] orMaryBreen at [email protected].

General Assembly passes Rep.Olivers veterans funding bill

A bill that modernizes funding forthe Georgia State War Veterans Home

passed the state Senate with a unani-mous vote and passed the state Housewith a vote of 147 to 13.

The bill (HB 535), introduced byRep. Mary MargaretOliver (D-83) al-lows the Veterans Service Board to es-tablish a fee for residency and a waiverof fees for those with economic need.

The measure will ensure the facil-ity obtains federal Aid and Attendance

benets, which have been refused by theGeorgia Veterans Administration sincethe facilities creation in 1950. Georgiais the only state that currently does notaccept these funds at veterans homes.

With a more modernized fundingsystem, we will not only be able to servemore veterans, but we will also saveGeorgia an estimated $3 to 6 million,Oliver said. While we still have morework ahead of us in ensuring veteransget the benets they deserve, HB 535 isa great step in the right direction.

The Georgia War Veterans Home, lo-cated in Milledgeville, and the Georgia

War Veterans Nursing Home, located inAugusta, provide longterm care to Geor-gians who have served in the armedforces during times of war.

DeKalb schools purchase servicevehicles

The DeKalb County Board of Edu-cation voted March 20 to approve the

purchase of 23 utility trucks, two re-frigerator trucks, two dry box trucks, 15service sedans, 19 public safety sedansand six security carts.

With the passage of the SpecialPurpose Local Options Sales Tax(SPLOST) IV referendum, DeKalb

County residents approved the purchaseof services for the school district.The vehicle will be purchased with

approximately $1.7 million in SPLOSTfunds under the Georgia state vehiclecontracts.

The 23 utility trucks will be used byDeKalb County School District (DCSD)facilities workers who make routine

plumbing, HVAC and electrical servicecalls to the districts 135 schools. Thetwo refrigerator trucks will transportfood goods to schools for students

breakfasts and lunches.The two box trucks will be used for

dry goods and supplies deliveries andpick-ups, including equipment deliver-

ies to schools.The use of the 15 service sedansincludes support for school inspections,site-visits, employee assistance andcounseling requirements, school im-

provement visits, emergency calls, staff

assistance visits, teacher recruiting, stu-dent testing assistance and bus accidentinvestigations.

The 19 public safety sedans are usedto provide law enforcement and securitythroughout the district. DCSD maintainsits own public safety department, which

patrols schools both day and night.The security carts are provided to easemovement and transport around largecampuses to include security supportand assisting students and adults whomay be physically impaired.

The vehicles will be purchased in2013 pending any changes in SPLOST

program requirements.

Cox executive director appointed toPerimeter CID board

Michael Grover, executive directorof government affairs for Cox Commu-nications Inc., has been appointed to the

board of the Central (DeKalb) Perim-eter CommunityImprovementDistrict.

Grover wasappointed by theDeKalb CountyCEO and Boardof Commis-sioners to serveon the board.DeKalb Countyis authorizedto appoint twomembers to the

nine-member board, which is a public-private partnership of commercial prop-

erty owners who voluntarily pay addi-tional property taxes for transportationand other infrastructure improvementswithin its boundaries in the Dunwoodyand Brookhaven potions of the Perim-eter market.

We are pleased that Michael hasjoined the DeKalb Perimeter CID torepresent Cox Communications, whichis a major stakeholder in the DeKalbCounty portion of the Perimeter Mar-ket, said YvonneWilliams, PCIDs

president and CEO.Michaels experience and exper-

tise in policy issues will be especiallyvaluable to the DeKalb Perimeter CIDBoard, said board chairman JohnHe-

agy, senior managing director SoutheastRegion of Hines international real estaterm.

In his position at Cox, Grover workson federal, state and local policy andlegislative matters, serves as an internalconsultant on franchise renewals andcompliance issues and monitors politicalcontributions. He started his career incable as an assistant corporation counselfor the City of Detroit and counsel to thecitys cable commission.

In 1996, Grover joined ContinentalCablevision as director of legal affairsfor the Midwest region. After Conti-nental Cablevision became MediaOne,Grover added government affairs du-

ties. He moved to Georgia in 1999 andwas associated with MediaOne/AT&TBroadband until joining Cox in 2001.

Grover is a graduate of the Universi-ty of Michigan and University of DetroitLaw School.

NEWSBriefs

Mitchell

Glover

7/29/2019 FreePress: 3-29-13

14/20


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