FreePress 5-29-15

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by Ashley Oglesby [email protected]

here was a sunnyblue sky at RowlandElementary School,

and a warm shower of

affection as hundreds ofstudents, parents and staffgathered to greet PrincipalRoberta Walker, whowas retiring after 18 years

championnewspaper championnewspaper champnewschampionnews

thechampionnewspaper.com

FRIDAY, MAY 29, 2015 • VOL. 18, NO. 9 • FREE

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

F REE P RESS

See Principal on page 15A

Rowland Elementaryprincipal gets lovingsend off

For some May 23—in addition to being the startof the Memorial Day holiday weekend –will becarnival time. Tousands of people are expected

to celebrate Caribbean culture with festivals that in-clude parades, costumes, island food and traditionalCaribbean music.

Although there have been carnivals in DeKalbCounty for more than a quarter of a century, this yearDecatur held a Caribbean carnival for the first time in

several years around the Kensington MARA Station.See more pictures on page 15A

Students and teachers gather as Principal Roberta Walker poses before cutting theibbon for Walker Way. Photos by Ashley Oglesby

Principal Walker hands off a mock sign for the road that will be renamed in her honor.

Local residents hop in the streets with Caribbean dancers. Photos byAshley Oglesby

aribbean festival dancers parade along Covington highway jamming to reggae tunes.

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Education .............. 18-19A

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Opinion ...........................5A

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DORAVILLE CARE SHOWSUPPORTS CHILDREN’SHEALTHCARE

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Page 2A The Champion Free Press, Friday, May 29, 2015

LOCAL

Picture this:

Exhibit features children’s book illustrationsby Kathy Mitchell

“The old saying ‘you can’t judgea book by its cover’ is not entirelyrue,” observed Joe Davich, execu-ive director of the Georgia Center

for the Book. “We often are initiallyattracted to books by their cover il-ustrations. This is especially true

for children.”Highlighting and recogniz-

ng those who illustrate children’sbooks—as well as allowing visitorso experience the variety of such il-ustrations currently in print—is thedea behind the exhibit that opened

May 22 at the Decatur Library. TheSouthern Breeze Chapter of the So-

ciety of Children’s Book Writers andllustrators, a nonprofit organizationhat represents Georgia, Alabama

and the Florida panhandle, alongwith the Georgia Center for theBook, is hosting the annual galleryhow.

The focus of the show, accord-ng to Georgia Center for the Book

officials, is children’s book illustra-ions and the power of visual art

accompanying the written word intorytelling. The exhibit, which will

display illustrations with the bookor publication in which they appear,

will feature contemporary, originalart, according to Davich. “We have wonderful, award-

winning illustrators living andworking here in Georgia just as theyhave in New York,” he said. “Wewant people to see and appreciatethat. There are fabulous pieces of artin this exhibit.”

The display is on eye level forchildren, but should attract the in-terest of visitors of all ages, Davichsaid. “There are illustrations in awide variety of art techniques—wa-tercolor, pen and ink, oils. There areinnovative approaches such as papercutouts layered and photographed.Some are old-style paint brush illus-trations; some are computer gener-ated and some are created on paper,photographed and enhanced on thecomputer.”

The process of becoming the il-lustrator of a book varies, Davichexplained. “Often the publisherchooses the il lustrator and there isno real collaboration between thewriter and the illustrator. Someauthors have illustrators they espe-cially like to work with and some

authors are also illustrators.“At times the writing is adapted

to become part of the visual image.When words and illustrations com-plement each other the result can bespectacular,” he continued.

The exhibit, he said, was sug-gested by Georgia Center for theBook board member ElizabethDulemba, who is a children’s authorand illustrator. It is part of the Deca-tur Arts Festival and will be in placethrough June 15.

“Originally, we held our chil-dren’s gallery show at Little Shopof Stories bookstore, but there’sso much going on in the heart ofdowntown Decatur during thearts festival that we decided the li-brary would be a better place for it.It’s worked out perfectly,” Davichsaid.

The Georgia Center for theBook, chartered in 1998 with theDeKalb County Public Library serv-ing as its host and sponsor, is thestate’s affiliate of the Center for theBook at the Library of Congressin Washington, D.C. In 2007, theGeorgia center received the nationalorganization’s Boorstein Award inrecognition of its innovative literary

programming and literacy efforts.“We have a three-part mission:

to promote literacy programs andliterature, to support libraries and topreserve Georgia’s rich literary heri-tage. We feel this exhibit supports allthree parts,” Davich said. “With chil-dren’s books, illustrations are suchan important part of the storytellingprocess. Even though many childrentoday, like adults, are reading e-books in addition to traditional pa-per books, the illustrations are still abig part of it. When we recognize achildren’s book we don’t just honorthe writer, we honor the illustratorwhen he or she is from Georgia.”

Children’s literature has longbeen a special area of interest for theGeorgia Center for the Book, ac-cording to Davich. “We have alwaysincluded children’s selections on ourlist of Books Every Georgian ShouldRead, but we were the first Centerfor the Book in the United States tocreate a separate list of Books AllYoung Georgians Should Read,” hesaid.

The Decatur Library is located at215 Sycamore Street Decatur.

Expand your mind,not your tuition.

visit gpc.edu

GPC provides a great education and multiple majors

online and on campus. Clubs and student activities

complete a rich college experience at the lowest

tuition within the University System of Georgia.

. :

At an opening reception for the exhibit, Laura Free-man shows books she illustrated.

Joe Davich, executive director of the Georgia Center for the Book, andillustrator Prescott Hill are part of the team that put together the exhibitnow at the Decatur Library.

Illustrator Sara Lynn Cramb has collaborated with sev-eral authors in creating the Brainfood Doodle Mat series.

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The Champion Free Press, Friday, May 29, 2015 Page 3ALOCAL

Preliminary report on I-285

plane crash releasedby Carla [email protected]

The pilot of a small air-raft that crashed on I-285

May 8 told a tower control-er that he was “having some

problems climbing” beforehe plane went down, ac-ording to a report.

The National Trans-portation Safety Board re-eased a preliminary report

detailing the moments justbefore the crash, but does

not give the official cause ofhe crash. According to theeport, the pilot, Greg Byrd,

was given the clearance toake off.

“Ground control in-tructed the pilot to taxi forunway 3R and the pilotead back the instructionsorrectly. The pilot then

contacted the tower control-ler informing them that hewas holding...and ready. Thetower controller instructedthe pilot to ‘fly heading 360and cleared for takeoff.’ Thepilot then questioned thecontroller regarding whichrunway to take off from andthe controller cleared thepilot for takeoff from run-way 3L.

“Approximately twominutes after departurethe tower controller called

the pilot to verify heading.The pilot responded ‘zero-two-victor, I’m having someproblem climbing here.’ Fol-lowed by ‘zero-two-victor;we’re going down here at theintersection.’ This was thelast transmission made bythe pilot,” the report read.

Byrd and his sons Chris-

topher and Phillip died inthe crash. Jackie Kulzer,the fiancée of Christopher,was also killed in the crash,along with a pet.

According to the report,a witness stated that hewas about 2,300 feet fromthe end of the runway. Thewitness stopped to look atthe airplane because it was“moving extremely slow”and 75 to 100 feet aboveground level when it wentover his head.

“He went on to say thatthe engine sounded normaland despite the slow speedthe airplane was not ‘wob-bling’ left to right,” the re-port read. “He continued towatch the airplane as it flewout of his view.”

by Carla [email protected]

A 38-year-old manwanted in an alleged rapeon Buford Highway was ar-

rested in Alabama.Brookhaven Police saidRoberto Gaona-Piña wasarrested May 21 by theOpelika Police Departmentin Alabama. Accordingto Brookhaven Public In-formation Officer CarlosNino, Opelika police of-ficers responded to a suspi-cious person call matchingthe description of Gaona-Piña.

Gaona-Piña was still inthe area when police spottedand arrested him at a nearbyconvenience store, accord-ing to Nino.

The alleged rape oc-curred April 24 between 9and 10 p.m. near BufordHighway and North CliffValley Way. The victim, aHispanic female, receivedinjuries and was treated at alocal hospital, according topolice.

Police said the victimwas walking along BufordHighway when Ganon-Piña

allegedly approached her.When the victim allegedlyignored his advances, thesuspect grabbed her armand pulled her into a wood-ed area near North CliffValley Way. Ganon-Piña al-legedly hit the victim in theface several times and rapedher, according to police.

Police said the victimfought back and may havecaused scratches and bitemarks to the suspect’s armsor face. Police said Ganon-Piña ran away when twoother males approached tohelp the victim.

Gaona-Piña is beingheld at the Lee County Sher-iff Office awaiting extradi-tion to Georgia.

Brookhaven rape suspectarrested in Alabama

championnewspaper

Gaona-Piña

ireghters observe the scene of a plane crash on I-285 May 8. Photo by Carla Parker

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The Champion Free Press, Friday, May 29, 2015 Page 4AOPINION

Gale Horton Gay

[email protected]

Lifestyle Editor

R-E-S-P-E-C-T. Are we losing it?May is getting an awfully

ad reputation.While it’s the time of

ear when many folks arelled with pride and joy, it’slso when bad manners areeing exercised and are onublic display.

At high school and col-ege graduations exuberantarents, relatives and friendscream, applaud and soundoisemakers when theirraduates’ names are calleduring ceremonies to markhe occasion. Some purpose-y arrive late to avoid thepeeches, and others leavehe event immediately afterheir child’s recognition.

School ofcials oftenrge audiences to remain

ilent until all students areecognized and to wait until

the program concludes be-fore exiting, however, thesecautions usually fall on deafears.

A colleague of mineshared that at a recent con-

vocation for Georgia StateUniversity students, whatshould have been an enjoy-

able event devolved into a barely tolerable one as fami-lies rose and left the roomafter their child’s name wascalled and people began cel-ebrating loudly in an adja-cent hallway while the cer-emony was still under way.

Such unbridled joy issomewhat understandable— some students are the rstin their families to graduateand for others it’s been ahard-fought achievement.However it’s disrespectfulfor one family’s moment of joy to come at the expenseof everyone else. That loudand prolonged applause andthose shout-outs often meanthat the next student’s fam-ily misses hearing his or her

name announced. Walkingout of a program before it’s

over shows a lack of respectfor the speakers, the othergraduates and their familiesand the institution. It’s alsodisruptive as people areshufing about as individu-als are getting up and leav-ing. And consider the mes-sage it’s sending to youngerfamily members.

Unfortunately, what hap- pens at graduations is justone example of the broaderlack of respect that we havefor each other. Sometimesit seems that we have all become so self-centeredthat we have little regard forthe implications of our ownactions on others. We’ve become too focused on our priorities, our convenience

and our interests.Walking out of events be-

fore they are over, convers-ing during formal programs,scanning cell phones whilesomeone is speaking are justa few examples of behaviorthat’s increasingly becomingcommonplace.

We’re better than that.We should remember thatwe are a community—partof a collective whole. If wewould think about how ouractions might negativelyothers, we might make otherchoices. Choosing to bemore considerate of othersand choosing to be more patient and tolerant couldlead us to becoming a morerespectful society. Wouldn’tthat be nice?

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OPINIONThe Champion Free Press, Friday, May 29, 2015 Page 5A

Le Us Know Wha You think!

THE CHAMPION FREE PRESS encour-ages opinions from its readers. Pleasewrite to us and express your views. Lettersshould be brief, typewritten and containthe writer’s name, address and telephonenumber for verification. All letters will beconsidered for publication.

Send Letters To Editor, The Champion Free Press, P.

O. Box 1347, Decatur, GA 30031-1347; Send emailto [email protected] • FAX To: (404)370-3903 Phone: (404) 373-7779 . Deadline for newsreleases and advertising: Thursday, one week priorto publication date.

EDITOR’S NOTE: The opinions written by colum-nists and contributing editors do not necessarilyreect the opinions of the editor or publishers. ThePublisher reserves the right to reject or cancel anyadvertisement at any time. The Publisher is notresponsible for unsolicited manuscripts.

Publisher: John Hewi Chief Financial Ocer:Dr. Earl D. GlennManaging Editor:Andrew cauhenProduction Manager:Kemesha Hun Photographer:travis HudgonsSta Reporters:carla parker, Ashley Oglesby

The Champion Free Press is publishedeach Friday by ACE III Communications,Inc., • 114 New Street, Suite E, Decatur,

GA. 30030 • Phone (404) 373-7779.

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F REE P RESS

STATEMENT FROM THE

PUBLISHERWe sinerely areiae hedisussion surrounding his and anyissue of ineres o DeKalb couny.The Champion was founded in 1991exressly o rovide a forum fordisourse for all ommuniy residenson all sides of an issue. We have nodesire o make he news only oreor news and oinions o effe

a more eduaed iizenry ha willulimaely move our ommuniyforward. We are hay o resenideas for disussion; however,we make every effor o avoidrining informaion submied ous ha is known o be false and/orassumions enned as fa.

ONE MAN’S OPINION

“You are my sunshine, myonly sunshine, you make mehappy when skies are grey...”rom the song, “You Are My

Sunshine,” (1940) by late

Louisiana Governor JimmieDavis.

It was an old chestnutand standard long before shewas born but served many anight as the lullaby of choiceor my first born daughter,

Barclay . Alternating with achildren’s song about “DonGato,” a lovelorn Don Juan-cat from Spain, both sets ofyrics are forever embeddedn my brain and have served

well as hand-me-downegacy songs for the same

purpose for her younger sis-

er Olivia.Our Barclay is now a full-grown woman and a proudgraduate of Auburn Univer-ity. She walked across the

Auburn Arena stage just aew weeks ago, accepting her

diploma with honors and amagna cum laude GPA. Shecomes from a family ofcholars, but I believe that

may be a first.Though I will not miss

he costs of higher educa-ion, I have choked up morehan a few times this past

month, as the realization

hits home that she is step-ping out on her own. Al-eady employed, this weekhe begins her career, se-

lected from among 60,000applicants for roughly 4,000positions in Teach for Amer-ica, the education-focuseddivision of AmeriCorps.

AmeriCorps annually placesroughly 75,000 post-collegegraduates in a wide arrayof community service jobs,ranging from kindergartenclassrooms to rural hospi-tals.

Barclay will take herfreshly minted teachingcertificate to East Point andspecifically Brookview El-ementary to begin her careeras a teacher. She is followingthe footsteps of her mother,Nancy Lowery Powell, longa beloved and esteemed edu-cator in Gwinnett County

public schools.Both my daughters have

spent mostly weekends,mid-week suppers and a few

weeks per year inhabitingmy world, and with me intheirs as I have a single par-ent since the mid’-90s. Dailyphone calls supplanted this

during earlier years, but Iwasn’t quite ready for whatI now know must be “emptynest” syndrome as I lookinto Barclay’s bedroom,knowing that it will soon beconverted into ‘guest bed-room’ as she moves its pre-ferred contents to her newapartment.

Her years away at Au-burn expanded her worldin many ways, along withseveral years of waitressingfor spending money at RedLobster and other fine fam-

ily establishments, she ex-tended her family to includean exuberant puppy, namedOreo, and even more impor-tantly, found the love of herlife, Cody Carson, during anatypical ride back to her col-lege condo on Tiger Transit.

I was far from the perfectparent, but she was close tobeing a perfect child. Sleptthrough the night, pottytrained by 2, as a solo childuntil her 15th year, she didwant one’s undivided atten-tion, but that was probablyher only consistent de-

mand. Her mother is an ac-tress, her father a ham, andso she also has talent and astrong and able performing

strength. From elementarythrough high school gradu-ation, she traveled the coun-try with a competition danceteam. It taught her lessons of

discipline, self-confidence,teamwork, compromise andcompetition.

I can’t quite overcomea wistful desire to pauseand roll back the clock. Justyesterday I could hold heracross my forearm, whileSaturday night, in heels, Inoted on the dance floor, hereyes now meet mine evenly,and she may even be slightlytaller as I am on the frontend of the aging shrink ray.

Words and this columncannot quite express our

rib-cage bursting pride orhappiness for her, and as Iknow that for her the bestis yet to come, there is abit of sadness as I wonderwhere all the years went soquickly, and more than a bitof regret as I know that anytime squandered was on myend. Just returning from afather/daughter celebrationweekend in Nashville, I wasmore than a bit happy to seethat she is still well connect-ed to her inner-child. Withme, as well as her fiance,who also has a silly side, she

spent hours of self-amuse-ment with a phone appcalled ‘Dub Smash’ in effectlip synching (quite well actu-

Bill Crane

[email protected]

Columnist

One happy/sad grad dadally) a wide array of Disneyclips and humorous scenes. Ihave a strange feeling thatI’m going to blink again andthen some doe-eyed blonde

tot is going to be calling me“Papa.” ConGRADulationsto many, cherish these daysas well as the years whileyou have them.

Bill Crane also serves as a political analyst and commen-tator for Channel 2’s ActionNews, WSB-AM News/Talk750 and now 95.5 FM, as wellas a columnist for The Cham-pion, Champion Free Pressand Georgia Trend. Crane isa DeKalb native and businessowner, living in Scottdale. Youcan reach him or comment

on a column at bill.csicrane@ gmail.com.

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LOCAL

For Deanie Augustine aking care of pets is a pas-ion.

Augustine started volun-eering with Paws Atlanta no-

kill shelter in 2009.She helps clean the ken-

nels, take dogs for walks andassist the staff with any otherneeds.

Augustine said she’sworked with other rescuegroups before but lovesworking with Paws Atlantabecause “they do everythingight.”

Augustine said she alsonjoys working with the di-

verse Paws Atlanta staff.She added, “I’m dedicat-

d to Paws Atlanta becausehey’re the oldest no-kill

shelter in Atlanta and the waythey operate, taking cats anddogs in, getting them vet-ted…it’s makes for a greater volunteer experience.”

Augustine has workedin the printing industry formore than 20 years but hasmade an effort to go out and

walk dogs at the shelter atleast twice a month. She saidwalking the dogs is essentialto “ensure that when a poten-tial adopter comes to adoptthey’re not overwhelmed by acrazy, happy dog.”

Augustine adopted a box-er named Jezebel from PawsAtlanta two years ago. Shehas since renamed the dogSchatzi, which is German forsweetheart.

“She came in as a strayand had heartworm diseaseand they were treating her forthat but she was just a lovebug that kept getting over-looked,” Augustine said.

Augustine already owneda Boston terrier and was notsure if the love bug at Paws

Atlanta and her current dogwould get along but she saidthe staff at Paws Atlantaworked with her through thetransition every step of theway.

Augustine said, “Theyhelped me introduce thedogs, allowed me to foster incase it didn’t work out and,the shelter manager, broughtSchatzi out to my home. Wewalked around with bothdogs to make sure that myBoston terrier was not ter-ritorial and to make sure thateveryone got along in theapartment and also to makesure it was something that Icould do.”

She added, “That’s aboveand beyond. They aren’t just

employees, everyone thatworks at Paws truly loves theanimals. Their hearts are in itcompletely.”

Augustine said her ex-perience at Paws Atlanta hashelped her better advocatefor rescuing pets, promot-ing adoption and educatingpeople to know how good itis to adopt.

“Some people have theperception that if the dogsare in a shelter that some-thing is wrong with them,which is not true,” said Au-gustine.

She added, “There are alot of great dogs in the shelterthat are not damaged, notbad and need a home.”

If you would like to nominate someone to be considered as a future Champion of the Week, please contact Andrew Cauthenat [email protected] or at (404) 373-7779, ext. 117.

DEANIE AUGUSTINE

Ex-watershed employeesplead guilty to $20,000 theftby Andrew [email protected]

Three former DeKalbCounty watershed depart-ment employees pleaded

guilty May 20 to bilking thedepartment of $20,000 inraudulent overtime pay.

Cynthia F. Hall, JarvisDion Foster and AnthonyQuinn Lee were accused ofheft by taking for an alleged

overtime scheme.Although the defendants

were arrested in early 2012nd released on bond, thease was under investigation

until May 19, when the par-ies were officially accused.

The three defendantswere sentenced to 15 yearsn prison, with two to serve.

They were ordered to pay20,000 restitution as a

group. Hall paid $15,000 ofhe restitution May 20.

According to Deputy

Chief Assistant District At-torney Lawanda Hodges,Hall was a personnel payrolltechnician in the construc-tion and maintenance sec-tion of the county’s water-

shed department. Foster andLee were crew members inthe department.

Hall had access to thetimekeeping system used bythe department. “She wasresponsible for submittingthe hours that crewmembersworked to payroll,” Hodgessaid.

Hall “manipulated thedata that was put into…the system such that certaincrewmembers…would re-ceive pay for overtime workthey had not done,” Hodgessaid.

Lee, Foster and Hall“agreed to the scheme ofmanipulation”; Lee and Fos-ter gave Hall “a kickback”—“a percentage of the mon-

ey…in cash.”Hall received from $700

to $3,000 biweekly from Leeand Foster, Hodges said.

According to Hodges,the District Attorney’s Of-

fice is investigating three orfour other crewmemberswho may have been involvedin the scheme.

District Attorney Rob-ert James said he is “disap-pointed” and “bothered bythe offense.”

“I am encouraged thatwe’re bringing this to reso-lution, and the court hasaccepted a negotiated plea,”James said. “Our investiga-tion is not over, and there ismore to do. Our investiga-tion into these acts is ongo-ing.

“We’re looking intoother activity that took placearound these incidents, andwe’re going to try to bring a

just resolution to those cases

as well,” James said.“We’re working very

hard here trying to restoreconfidence in government,”James said. “Hopefullythe crime is not taken in a

vacuum, but [residents] lookat the resolution of it and…know that their DA’s Of-fice [and] their courts are atwork trying to bring justiceand trying to bring stabilityback to our government.”

James said he is con-cerned about what the crimesays about “the integrity ofour public employees. Ingeneral our public employ-

ees [have integrity]. Theydo a great job, but we do,apparently, have bad apples.Where those bad apples areexposed and where we findout about them…we’re go-ing to be aggressive and doeverything we can to bringthem to justice.

“If you breach the publictrust, if you misuse pub-lic funds, if you engage inmalfeasance, if you violatethe law during the course ofyour duties and responsibil-ity as a public official, wewill hold you accountable,”James said.

HallLee

Foster

District Attorney Robert James said his ofce will bring “bad apples” ingovernment to justice. Photo by Andrew Cauthen

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ClarkstonStreetscape project input solicited

A public information open house is sched-uled for Wednesday, June 3, to discuss theGeorgia Department of Transportation (DOT)treetscape project for Clarkston. The meeting

will be held at the Clarkston Community Cen-er, 3701 College Ave., Clarkston. The public isnvited to attend any time between 4 and 7 p.m.

No formal presentation will be given.The purpose of this informal open house

s to provide residents an opportunity to askquestions and comment on the conceptual de-ign drawings for the streetscape enhancements

along portions of East Ponce de Leon Avenue,

Market Street, Rowland Avenue and NormanRoad. Proposed project improvements includeroadway resurfacing, sidewalks, street lightingand furnishings, landscape planting, banners,gateway monuments, railroad crossing improve-ments and related improvements for the down-own and surrounding areas.

Clarkston residents, business owners andproperty owners interested in learning moreare encouraged to attend, view displays, expresshoughts and concerns with Clarkston staff, con-ultants and Georgia DOT representatives, and

provide written comments.Interpreters and a court reporter will be

on hand to record comments. After the event,meeting information will be available onlinealong with comment forms. To access, visit the

Clarkston Streetscape and Pedestrian Enhance-ment Web site at www.VisualizeClarkston.com.The project plans and other documents fromhe public information open house also may be

viewed until July 19 at the City of Clarkston An-nex, 1055 Rowland St., Clarkston.Contact:Keith Barker, City Manager City of Clarkston404) 296-6489

[email protected]

Contente Terry , Clarkston streetscape publicRelations manager:404) 808-9916

[email protected]

DecaturKeep DeKalb Beautiful relocates electronicsrecycling drop-off site

Keep DeKalb Beautiful (KDB), a unit of theDeKalb County Sanitation Division, has an-nounced the relocation of one of its electronicsrecycling drop-off sites. The new location will benext to the DeKalb County Tax Commissioner’sOffice located at 4380 Memorial Drive, Decatur.

The hours of operation for the new drop-offite are 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday.

The drop-off site at 3643 Camp Circle, Deca-

ur, is permanently closed. For more information on this relocation or

how to plan a beautification project with KDB,contact KDB at (404) 371-2654 or kdb@dekalb-

countyga.gov, or visit www.keepdekalbbeautiful.org.

Concert to benefit malaria eradicationefforts

On Sunday, May 31, at 5 p.m., Cause4 Enter-tainment and Rev. Dr. Theophilus J. Stanford,pastor of Glen Haven United Methodist Churchin Decatur, will present “Not Your Battle,” a CDrelease concert and fundraising event for “Imag-ine No Malaria.”

Stanford and Word of Life will be intro-ducing their debut CD with the same name,“Not Your Battle,” which will become availablethrough most major online distribution outletson that day.

Stanford, who wrote all songs featured on

the CD, has been ministering in song with Wordof Life in the greater Atlanta area, nationally, andinternationally, for more than 20 years.

The concert also will be streamed live overthe Internet.

The concert lineup includes Emil Bridges,who will lead the time of praise and wor-ship, and the gospel choir from Body of ChristChurch International from Phenix City, Ala. Theemcee for the event will be gospel radio hostReggie Gay.

Glen Haven UMC is located at 4862 Glen-wood Road, Decatur.

DeKalb County Board of Health meets May 28

The next meeting of the DeKalb CountyBoard of Health is scheduled for Thursday, May28, in the Bohan Auditorium, Richardson HealthCenter, 445 Winn Way, Decatur. The meetingwill begin at 3 p.m. The public is invited to at-tend.

Agenda items for the meeting are the intro-duction of a new board member, nominationsfor interim board parliamentarian, approval ofcontracts with University of Georgia and Geor-gia State University, approval of proposed fiscalyear 2016 annual budget, approval of the annualreport for fiscal year 2013-2014, a director’s re-port, a financial status report and service plaquepresentations.

Anyone wishing to address the board can

be placed on the agenda by contacting SandraPiñeyro at (404) 294-3787. Written commentsto the board will be accepted at Office of the Di-rector, DeKalb County Board of Health, P.O. Box987, Decatur, GA 30031.

Stone Mountain

BOOST Stone Mountain gives smallbusinesses a lift

Stone Mountain Downtown DevelopmentAuthority created a new grant program for localsmall businesses called BOOST Stone Moun-

tain. The grants are funded by local investors,who want to see small businesses thrive in StoneMountain Village. The first round of grant ap-plications will be accepted through July 1 and

awarded on July 31.Investors contribute a minimum of $200 a

year with a commitment to remain part of theBOOST Stone Mountain group for two years.Business owners are able to apply for grantsquarterly. Grants are available for things suchas signage, equipment, marketing or advertis-ing needs, and interior or exterior renovations.Funds are not to be used for day-to-day operat-ing expenses. Grants will be made for amountsbetween $100 and $1,000.

The BOOST Stone Mountain forms areposted on www.stonemountaincity.org. Inter-ested investors can contact Mechel McKinley [email protected].

Nonprofit raises $30,000 to benefit disabledcommunity

Friends of Disabled Adults and Children(FODAC) raised over $30,000 in May at its an-nual Run Walk ‘n Roll event at Stone MountainPark.

The funds will support its home medicalequipment program that supplies wheelchairs,shower benches and other equipment to thedisabled community, often at little or no costto the recipients. About 250 runners, walkersand rollers turned out for the event on May 2.Top individual fundraisers were Mike and Tish Kuban, Lilburn; top team fundraiser was St.

Matthews Episcopal Church, Snellville, whichraised $3,300.Coming in first in the 5.2-mile race part of

the event was Amelia Shea of Orlando, Fla.,who ran the course in 35:20. Second place wasSean Herring of Greensboro, N. C., with a timeof 35:21, and third place was Spencer Skaggs ofStone Mountain, with 40:00.

Pictured in the photo, courtesy of L.A. Di-son, are, from left, WSB traffic reporter Doug Turnbull, Amelia Shea, Sean Herring , Spen-cer Skaggs, FODAC president and CEO Chris Brand, and FODAC board member Aimee Co-peland.

AROUNDDEKALB

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LOCAL

Ten qualify for District 5 commission race

DEKALB COUNTY SCHOOL 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015

Real & Personal 22,184,019,392 19,310,211,337 17,578,034,324 17,512,942,085 18,945,661,424 21,084,298,895

Motor Vehicles 1,254,986,790 1,225,978,410 1,265,293,750 1,359,311,440 1,135,212,830 781,124,040

Mobile Homes 656,584 510,171 440,056 396,572 355,333 358,733

Timber - 100% 0 0 0 0 0 0

Heavy Duty Equipment 65,347 82,712 77,829 34,308 57,864 2,208

Gross Digest 23,439,728,113 20,536,782,630 18,843,845,959 18,872,684,405 20,081,287,451 21,865,783,876

Less M& O Exemptions 3,039,974,697 2,913,503,127 2,847,239,428 2,826,254,552 2,923,178,437 3,089,898,865

Net M & O Digest 20,399,753,416 17,623,279,503 15,996,606,531 16,046,429,853 17,158,109,014 18,775,885,011State Forest Land Assistance

Grant Value 0 0 0 0 0 0

Adjusted Net M&O Digest 20,399,753,416 17,623,279,503 15,996,606,531 16,046,429,853 17,158,109,014 18,775,885,011

Gross M&O Millage 22.98 22.98 23.98 23.98 23.98 23.98

Less Rollbacks 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00

Net M&O Millage 22.98 22.98 23.98 23.98 23.98 23.98

Total School Taxes Levied $468,786,333 $404,982,963 $383,598,625 $384,793,388 $411,451,454 $450,245,723

Net Taxes $ Increase ($18,084,407) ($63,803,371) ($21,384,338) $1,194,763 $26,658,066 $38,794,268

Net Taxes % Increase -3.71% -13.61% -5.28% 0.31% 6.93% 9.43%

NOTES:

1. THE NET LEVY DOES NOT REFLECT ACTUAL REVENUE RECEIVED OR AVAILABLE DUE TO VALUE ADJUSTMENTS RESULTING FROM APPEALS, DELINQUENT TAXES,

COLLECTIONS FROM PRIOR YEARS, AND A FEE OF 1.25% PAID TO THE COUNTY FOR BILLING AND COLLECTIONS.

2. THE 2015 MILLAGE RATE IS THE PROPOSED RATE. THE PROPOSED SCHOOL OPERATIONS MILLAGE IS 23.98 MILLS.

3. 2015 DIGEST FIGURES ARE AN ESTIMATE.

CURRENT 2015 TAX DIGEST AND 5 YEAR HISTORY OF LEVY

The DeKalb County Board of Education does hereby announce that the millage rate will be set at a meeting to be held at the

DeKalb County School District Administrative & Instructional Complex, 1701 Mountain Industrial Boulevard, Stone Mountain, Georgia

on Wednesday, June 17, 2015 at 7:00 p.m., and pursuant to the requirements of O.C.G.A. 48-5-32, does hereby publish

the following presentation of the current year's tax digest and levy, along with the history of the tax digest and levy

for the past five years.

After paying a qualifying fee of$1,151.24 each, 10 candidates en-tered the race for the District 5 seaton the DeKalb County Board ofCommissioners.

According to the DeKalb Boardof Registration and Elections, thespecial election to fill the District5 vacancy will be held on Tuesday,June 16.

The seat officially became va-cant May 8 upon the resignation of

Lee May after nearly two years ofbeing the interim DeKalb CountyCEO.

May stopped representing Dis-trict 5 constituents as a commis-sioner in July 2013 when he wasappointed interim DeKalb CountyCEO by Gov. Nathan Deal, follow-ing the indictment and suspensionof DeKalb County CEO Burrell El-lis.

District 5 candidates include:

Gregory Adams, a pastor and for-mer police officer; Harmel DeanneCodi, child advocate, educationalconsultant and owner of Codi &Associated Business Solutions; Mel-

vin Jerome Edmondson, businessconsultant and senior partner ofEdmondson Associates; GwendolynR. “Gwen” Green, writer and schoolmedia specialist; Vaughn Irons,DeKalb County Development Au-thority chairman and CEO of APD

Solutions; Mereda Davis Johnson,attorney and wife of CongressmanHank Johnson; Gina Mangham, at-torney and local activist; Kathryn T.Rice, founder of the South DeKalbImprovement Association and theBuilding Quality Communities con-sulting firm; Kenneth Saunders III,a technology consultant and formerDeKalb Community Council mem-ber; and George Turner, District 5Community Council president and

Adams

Johnson

Edmondson Green Irons

RiceMangham Saunders

Codi

Turner

See District 5 on page 9A

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DeKalb County Department of Watershed Management

Public Advisory

SNAPFINGER WOODS SANITARY SEWER ACCESS ROADS

May 1, 2015 June 1, 2015

Advisory Issue Date Advisory Close Date

This advisory is issued to inform the public of a receipt of an application for a variance

submitted pursuant to a State Environmental Law. The Public is invited to comment during a 30

day period on the proposed activity. Since the Georgia Environmental Protection Division (EPD)

has no authority to zone property or determine land use, only those comments addressing

environmental issues

related

to

air,

water

and

land

protection

will

be

considered

in

the

application review process. Written comments should be submitted to: Program Manager, Non‐

Point Source Program, Erosion and Sedimentation Control, 4220 International Parkway, Suite

101, Atlanta, Georgia 30354.

Type of Permit Application: Variance to encroach within the 25‐foot State Waters Buffer.

Applicable Law: Georgia Erosion and Sedimentation Act O.C.G.A. 12‐7‐6 ET seq.

Applicable Rules: Erosion and Sedimentation Control Chapter 391‐3‐7.

Basis under which variance shall be considered {391‐3‐7.05(2) (A‐J)}: E

Project Location: This project is located on the section of Snapfinger Woods Drive that is

bounded by Rayburn Road to the west and Shell Bark Rd to the east near the city of Lithonia,

GA. Specifically, the site is located in land lots 8 & 9 of the 16th district & land lots 128 & 129 of

the 15th district, in DeKalb, Georgia. The site is approximately 800 linear feet north of

Snapfinger Creek’s intersection with Snapfinger Woods Drive. The proposed construction will

include the installation of 132 linear feet of 15 inch sanitary sewer across Snapfinger Creek.

Project Description: The proposed site conditions will include the installation of 132

linear

feet

of

15

inch

sanitary

sewer

aerial

stream

crossing

to

replace

and

existing

inverted

siphon sanitary sewer under Snapfinger Creek which in a constant maintenance problem. This

work is a repair the existing system that runs along Snapfinger Creek.

Lithonia discusses proposed housing developmentby Carla Parker [email protected]

Lithonia has its sights ondemolishing the city-ownedportion of Lithonia Plazaand replacing it with an

apartment development.Bryan Hartnett from

Wendover Housing Part-ners, the developers of theproject, met with Lithoniaesidents May 18 to discusshe proposed $12 million

development. The complexwill include 75 units con-isting of 24 one-bedroom,

45 two-bedroom and sixhree-bedroom apartments.

The proposed develop-ment also would includea pool, gazebo, computeroom, community room and

other amenities. Those withan income of up to $40,000a year can apply for a unit.f all goes as planned, the

project is expected to becompleted in fall 2017.

“We’re making our ap-plication in early June to theDepartment of CommunityAffairs,” Hartnett said. “Theawards for that will be an-nounced in the fall, some-ime between September

and October. Once we’renotied of the award, we’llbegin working on our plansand probably look to breakground spring 2016.”

Hartnett said his com-pany’s general constructioncontractor hires local labor-ers for employment oppor-unities and will do the samen Lithonia.

The city has tried unsuc-cessfully to redevelop theplaza since it did a Livable

Centers Initiative (LCI)study in 2003.

In 2012, the city workedwith the Georgia Conser-vancy to create the LithoniaBlueprints, which focusedon providing recommenda-tions for the redesign of theLithonia Plaza.

The plaza was once avibrant part of the city thatwas developed into a stripmall, but retail prospectshave diminished in the pastdecade.

“It’s an empty build-ing sitting there that’s justslowly deteriorating andan eye sore in the center ofdowntown,” Hartnett said.“Putting a new developmentin there for 75 families isonly going to improve theimmediate area, as far as theretail businesses and ser-vices within the area.”

The space where the public works building iscurrently located on SwiftStreet could be replacedwith shops and retail. How-ever, Lithonia Mayor Debo-rah Jackson said the city isfocused on sprucing up thecurrent retail lots.

“We have a lot of vacantspace that’s in the plazaalready as well as on MainStreet,” she said. “The goalis to get those spaces lledin rst. We want to createmore of a demand for theexisting space that we have

and get that leased up so wewon’t have all those vacan-cies.”

Jackson said this devel-opment would replace onlythe portion of the plaza thatthe city owns.

“We’re not going to tearWayeld [Food] down be-cause the city doesn’t ownthat part,” she said. “This isthe city-owned portion ofthe project. We will workwith [the owner of WayeldFoods] as far as makingimprovements on his side but we want to get the city’s

side straight rst.”Some residents expressed

concerns about whether thecity should focus more onhomeownership than rent-ing. Jackson said the citywants to provide housing

opportunities that will bringattention to the city.

“We want to have some-thing that will grab people’sattention and say, ‘Hey,what is happening in down-town Lithonia?’ We knowthat we’re different than De-catur and we’re not trying to be a Decatur,” Jackson said.“We want to have a very ac-tive community that has the best of the Lithonia brand.It’s going to take havingmore people coming in tomake that happen.”

Sonya Young said shelikes the idea of the poten-tial development.

“I think it will bring add-ed value to the community,”Young said. “I think it willattract young professionalswho are looking for a smalltown feel [who want] to be a part of a big county. Ithink this will be an excel-lent housing opportunity forthem. Also, it would attractmore small businesses in thearea when you have some-thing like that as the focal point in a downtown devel-opment area.”

a retired MARTA manager.In-person early vot-

ng began May 26 and willontinue weekdays through

Friday, June 12. Early votingwill be held at the Registra-ion & Elections office at

4380 Memorial Drive, from8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Therewill be no weekend voting oratellite locations.

If needed, a runoff willbe held on Tuesday, July 14,with early voting beginningon June 29 at the Registra-ion & Elections office. The

arly voting poll will belosed July 3.

For more information,visit www.dekalbvotes.com,or call (404) 298-4020.

Upcoming candidatesforums include May 28, LouWalker Senior Center, 2538Panola Road, Lithonia, 7 to8:30 p.m.; June 8, Commu-nity Achievement Center,4522 Flat Shaols Parkway,Decatur, 7 to 8:30 p.m.; June9, Stonecrest Library, 3123Klondike Road, Lithonia,6:30 p.m., sponsored bythe National Coalition ofthe 100 Black Women Inc.,Stone-Mountain-Lithoniachapter; and June 10, Fair-field Inn Suite-Stonecrest

Mall, 7850 StonecrestSquare, Lithonia, 8:30 a.m.,sponsored by StonecrestBusiness Alliance.

District 5Continued From Page 8A

Wendover Housing Partners revealed a design of a proposed apartment development May 18. Photo by CarlaParker

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LOCAL

City of Decatur Georgia Ad Valorem Tax Digest History

Decatur - Digest2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015

Assessment Ratio 50% 50% 50% 50% 50% 50%

Real Property 1,157,883,900$ 1,149,844,600$ 1,137,427,809$ 1,168,516,500$ 1,326,596,200$ 1,594,612,800$Personal Property 20,069,600$ 21,146,700$ 22,174,136$ 23,211,680$ 22,248,300$ 22,322,600$Public Utilities 11,673,700$ 18,933,750$ 14,297,200$ 14,639,953$ 15,152,700$ 17,209,600$

Motor Vehicle 46,119,000$ 46,119,000$ 49,311,000$ 52,979,900$ 47,331,600$ 35,521,587$

Total Digest $1,235,746,200 $1,236,044,050 $1,223,210,145 $1,259,348,033 $1,411,328,800 $1,669,666,587

City Operations

General Fund Exemptions $122,579,000 125,075,000$ 126,914,000$ 126,332,000$ 125,393,000$ 130,639,000$

Net City Operat ions Digest $1,113,167,200 $1,110,969,050 $1,096,296,145 $1,133,016,033 $1,285,935,800 $1,539,027,587

City Operations Millage 13.035 13.000 13.000 13.000 13.000 12.000

City Operations Levy $14,510,134 $14,442,598 $14,251,850 $14,729,208 $16,717,165 $18,468,331

Percent Change -1.50 -0.47 -1.32 3.35 13.50 10.48Dollar Amount Change ($220,310) ($67,537) ($190,748) $477,359 $1,987,957 $1,751,166

The Decatur City Commission announces that the 2015 tentative millage rate was adopted at their meeting on Monday, May 18, 2015.Hearings on the budget and millage rate will be held on:Monday, June 1, 2015 at 7:30 p.m.Monday, June 8, 2015 at 6:00 p.m.Monday, June 15, 2015 at 7:30 p.m.The hearings will be held at Decatur City Hall, 509 N. McDonough Street, Decatur, GA. Final adoption of the 2015 millage rate andfiscal year 2015-2016 budget is scheduled for consideration at the Decatur City Commission meeting on Monday, June 15, 2015. Theabove table is presented pursuant to O.C.G.A. 48-5-32 showing the estimated current year's digest and proposed millage rates along


Sanitation division em-ployee Veronica Danielswon the “Rolling Forwardo One” hip-hop competi-ion.

In an effort to pro-mote recycling and spreadhe word for the county’smplementation of one-day-

a week collection servicesof garbage, recycling andyard trimmings, the DeKalbCounty Sanitation Divisionhosted an employee hip-hop audition on May 8 ints administration building.

On May 15 finalistswere again invited to thedepartment to compete forhe opportunity to record arack with American rapper

Bone Crusher.Daniels said her hope

for the initiative is that itreaches more than intend-ed so that everyone can geton one accord in makinghis effort positive. It’s im-

portant for renewal of en-ergy, cleaner space, cleanerair and everything that’s go-ng to make it a better living

environment for everyone.”The final track will be

produced by music pro-ducer Michael Johnson, also known as Mixzo, to beused for the county’s “Roll-ng Forward to One” publicervice announcement.

CBS Radio’s V-103 Ra-dio DJ Greg Street servedas the master of ceremoniesfor the event.

County selectship-hop finalist

He said, “There are a lotof innovative and creativethings going on in DeKalbCounty to get differentpeople from the workforceinvolved in doing positivethings. I think it’s a greatinitiative to get people fromthe different departments of

DeKalb to be a part of thecampaign.”On May 28 at 9 a.m. the

department will launch the“Rolling Forward to One”program.

American rapper Bone Crusher, V-103 radio DJ Greg Street and DeKalb County employees pose for a group photo after theompetition. Photos by Ashley Oglesby

DJ Gregg Street and public information ofcer for theDeKalb County Sanitation Department Pauline Andreawelcome judges to the nal of the hip-hop competition.

“Rolling Forward to One” hip-hop contestwinner Veronica Daniels performs her piecethat will be added to the nal track.

DeKalb County Sanitation Department Director Billy Malone judges the contestants’ performances.

Rapper Bone Crusher waves at the competi-tors before the competition begins.

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by Carla Parker

[email protected]

Since 2010, the Deca-ur Police Department has

handled 495 identity fraudcases, including 48 this yearas of May 15.

To address this issue, theDecatur Police Departmentgave a presentation May 13o residents on how they can

protect themselves from be-coming victims of financialraud. According to a 2015dentity fraud study released

by Javelin Strategy and Re-earch, fraudsters stole $16

billion from 12.7 millionU.S. consumers last year.

“Financial fraud is theastest growing crime in

America,” Lt. Jennifer Rossof the Decatur Police De-partment told residents.Why? We do our banking

online. Everything is virtualand it does make thingseasier.”

There are several typesof financial fraud, includ-ng debit/credit card fraud,dentity fraud, internetraud, mortgage fraud and

more. Retirees and seniorcitizens are often targets ofinancial fraud. According tohe FBI, one of the reasonseniors are targeted becausehey are most likely to have

a “nest egg,” to own theirhome, and/or to have excel-ent credit.

“[Seniors] typically havencome,” Ross said. “They

have income, they have ben-efits.

“Unfortunately, mostoften where the break is, isamily or acquaintances—omebody that you know

who has been able to ac-cess or get ahold of a pieceof your information,” Rossadded. “So there is the trustactor there.”

According to the FBI,

those who grew up in the1930s, 1940s and 1950s wereraised to be polite and trust-ing.

“Con artists exploit thesetraits, knowing that it is dif-ficult or impossible for theseindividuals to say ‘no’ or justhang up the telephone,” theFBI stated.

The FBI also said seniorsare less likely to report afraud because they do notknow who to report it to, aretoo ashamed at having beenscammed or do not knowthey have been scammed.

“Elderly victims may notreport crimes, for example,because they are concernedthat relatives may think the

victims no longer have themental capacity to take careof their own financial af-fairs,” according to the FBI.“When an elderly victimdoes report the crime, theyoften make poor witnesses.Con artists know the effectsof age on memory, and theyare counting on elderly vic-tims not being able to supplyenough detailed information

to investigators. In addition,the victims’ realization thatthey have been swindledmay take weeks—or morelikely, months—after con-tact with the fraudster. Thisextended time frame makesit even more difficult toremember details from theevents.”

Ross gave several tips onhow to avoid being a victimof financial fraud.

“Immediately report anysuspicious transactions oractivity on your accounts,”she said.“Don’t talk your-self off of it and think, ‘wellmaybe I forgot something,’”Ross said. “There is no harmin you calling and question-ing something that turned

out to be legitimate. But if

you sit and wait and it getsaway from you because youwere trying to look into it orquestioning yourself, thenthat time may pass and you

won’t get your money back.”

Sintre Lundberg of De-catur thought the presenta-tion was interesting.

“I showed up because Iwork in the computer secu-

rity industry and I wanted

to see what the police had tosay,” he said.

Decatur police warn residents of financial fraud

REPORT OF STONE MOUNTAIN COMMUNITY IMPROVEMENTDISTRICT OF PROPOSED MILLAGE RATE

In compliance with O.C.G.A. §48-5, the Stone Mountain Community Improvement

District (“CID”) reports that at its meeting on June 26, 2015, beginning at 7:30 A.M. at the

Pierre Construction Group, 1677 Lewis Way, Stone Mountain, DeKalb County, Georgia

30083, the Stone Mountain CID Board of Directors will vote upon a proposal to levy an ad

valorem taxation rate of 5 mills, and will set its millage rate for the lawful purposes of the

District for the current calendar year. Set forth below are the assessed taxable values of the

properties subject to taxes for the current year and the immediately preceding four calendar

years, the total dollar amount of ad valorem taxes proposed to be levied for the current year

and levied in the immediately preceding four calendar years, as well as the percentage and

dollar increases or decreases with respect to each immediately preceding calendar year. All

property levied upon is real property. Because this CID was created in 2011, there are only

four preceding years of assessed taxable values, taxes, and changes to report.

Assessed Value Taxes Levied % Change $ Change

2011 $99,233,165 $496,165 100% $ 496,165

2012 $95,086,670 $475,433 - 4% - $ 20,732

2013 $125,777,273 $628,886 32% $ 153,453

2014 $136,005,547 $680,028 8% $ 51,142

2015proposed $142,246,645 $711,233 5% $ 31,205

J. Lynn Rainey, PC, 358 Roswell Street, Suite 1130, Marietta, Georgia 30060; (770) 421-6040. Attorney for CID - State Bar No. 592350

t. Jennifer Ross of the Decatur Police Department gives tips on how to avoid being a victim of nancial fraud while residents listen and watch. Photos by Carla Parker

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LOCAL

Doraville car show supportsChildren’s Healthcare

Dr. Jabari Simama, President

and The Board of Directors of Georgia Piedmont Technical College

with

The Board of Trustees of the

Georgia Piedmont Technical College Foundation

Invite you to attend our

2015 Spring Commencement Saturday, the Thirtieth Day of May,

Two Thousand Fifteenat

Ten o’clock in the morning

Teddy Riley, Speaker

Grammy Award Winning Singer, Songwriter & Musician

at the

Georgia World Congress Center 285 Andrew Young International Boulevard, N.W.

Atlanta, Georgia 30303

Georgia Piedmont Technical College

2015 Spring Commencement Announcement

PresidentialSankofa Award Recipients:

Teddy Riley J. Neil ShorthousePatricia A. Pflum

Georgia Piedmont Technical College495 N. Indian Creek Dr., Clarkston, GA 30021 • 404-297-9522

Equal Opportunity Institution


As a kickoff to the sum-

mer and fundraising eventfor Children’s Healthcare ofAtlanta, classic car ownersand enthusiasts gathered toadmire vintage vehicles atThe Georgia Cool CruisersCar Show on May 16 at theDoraville Tilly Mill Good-year Auto Center.

The family-friendlyevent was sponsored byGoodyear and National Au-omotive Parts Associates

and offered free hamburgersand hot dogs, fun and musi-cal entertainment.

The wide range of vin-age automobiles ran from a19-foot-long Cadillac Coupede Ville convertible to manymodel years of Corvettes toan Ectomobile straight from

the Ghostbusters movies.Venki Rao, owner of a

1965 Chevy C-10 truck, saidhe enjoyed every moment.

“This event is very en-ergizing and it’s for a greatcause so I’m happy to be apart of it,” he said.

Although he has workedon cars for more than 15years, this event was the firsttime that Rao has placed hiscar in a show.

“It’s self-fulfilling. Youwork on something, yousee the result and you get toenjoy it, experience it andimprove on it,” Rao said.

The best thing about histruck now is that everything

works, he added. “It’s mod-ernized even though it’s 50years old. It has Bluetooth,it’s iPod ready, has powersteering, power brakes,[and] brakes. It looks old

but it feels new,” he said.Participants of the char-

ity event purchased donatedgift cards, put money in a

donation jar and played a50/50 lottery to assist withhealthcare needs.

Vice president ofFriends Junior CommitteeLaura Neely said every dol-lar counts.

“At the hospital you havemachines that are speciallycreated for the best treat-ments and a lot of hospitalsaren’t able to afford that.With the help of everybodyhere and everybody who do-nates to Children’s Health-care across the greater

Atlanta area, every dollar istoward a piece of equipmentthat we otherwise may notbe able to afford.”

Venki and Anitha Rao browse the collection of classic vehicles at the car show. Youngster Skylar stands next to a renovated vehicle in the Doraville car show.

Skylar and his uncle Justin White stand next to their favorite car. Photos by Ashley Oglesby

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WEEKPICTURESIn

Photos brought to you by DCTV

232323DeKalb Gounty Gov DCTV Channel 23 @DCtvchannel23 ustream.tv/channel/dctv-channel-23

Effective July 2015, the DeKalb County Sanitation Division will be implementing one-day-a-weeksanitation collection service for residential customers.

Garbage, yard trimmings and recyclable materials will all be collected on the same day.

For more information: (404) 294.2900, [email protected] or www.dekalbsanitation.com

Approximately 300 seventh-graders from Renfroe Middle School createdsidewalk chalk art based on recent newsworthy events on the DecaturSquare. Each student researched current events, chose one that appealedto them, wrote a paragraph about why it was newsworthy and then drew apicture of the event. Angie Macon, director of Decatur Arts Alliance, connect-ed the students with chalk artist Patrick Nguyen, who is one of Decatur’s

Sidewalk Saturday performers. Nguyen drew the outline of The Very Hungryfor News Caterpillar and the students lled in sections of the caterpillar withtheir individual drawings. Photos by Travis Hudgons

A new juice bar is open in Toco Hills. Nashville, Tennessee-based Juice Baropened its rst location in metro Atlanta, located in a 1,500-square-footspace within the Publix-anchored Toco Hills Promenade. Cara Weaver is thefranchisee of the concept locally and plans to develop at least ve intownlocations. Photos by Travis Hudgons

More than 1,000 people participated in the Relay For Life of DeKalb County and raised more than$300,000. The American Cancer Society Relay For Life is the world’s largest fundraising event to endancer. Many Relay For Life participants and donors remember loved ones lost to cancer and honoredhose battling the disease by dedicating luminaria. Each luminaria is personalized with a name, photo,

message or drawing in memory or honor of a friend or loved one who has been affected by cancer.Photos by Travis Hudgons

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LOCAL

Words HURTStop the Bullying

NOTICE OF

PROPERY TAX INCREASE

The DeKalb County School District has tentatively adopted a millage rate which will

require an increase in property taxes by 10.47 percent.

All concerned

citizens

are

invited

to

the

public

hearing

on

this

tax

increase

to

be

held

at

6:15 p.m. June 1, 2015, DeKalb County School District J. David Williamson Board Room,

1701 Mountain Industrial Blvd., Stone Mountain, Georgia

Times and places of additional public hearings on this tax increase are at:

11:30 a.m. June 17, 2015, DeKalb County School District J. David Williamson

Board Room, 1701 Mountain Industrial Blvd., Stone Mountain, Georgia

6:15 p.m. June 17, 2015, DeKalb County School District J. David Williamson

Board Room, 1701 Mountain Industrial Blvd., Stone Mountain, Georgia

This tentative increase will result in a millage rate of 23.98 mills, an increase of 2.272

mills. Without this tentative tax increase, the millage rate will be no more than 21.708

mills. The proposed tax increase for a home with a fair market value of $175,000 is

approximately $130.64 and the proposed tax increase for non‐homestead property with

a fair market value of $275,000 is approximately $249.92.

by Carla [email protected]

In a January interviewwith The Champion, Litho-nia Mayor Deborah Jackson aid city officials have been

approached by a couple ofproperty owners who haveexpressed interest in beingannexed into the city.

“We are working on ac-complishing that,” Jacksonaid. “There has been a lot

of talk about these mass an-nexations, and the city isconcerned about makingure that the city does have

an opportunity to grow overa period of time. There areome concerns about these

very aggressive new citieshat don’t provide room for

existing cities to be able toexpand in the future if theywant to be successful.”

The city has not had anofficial meeting on annexa-ion, however the item was

brought up during a May 18city council work session.

Jackson and city councilmembers Al Franklin andTracy-Ann Williams held amap that highlighted poten-ial areas that the city could

consider for annexation.“As a city we haven’t

dentified a specific area, sohis initial map is based on

using the census track forhe area that we were kind

of considering,” Jackson toldhe council.

Other council membersRic Dodd, Darold Honore’ and Mayor Pro Tem Shame-ka Reynolds were not in at-endance.

In the meeting, Jack-on said there have been “a

couple of discussions thathave been facilitated by Pas-or [Michael] Benton of

Fairfield Baptist Church” inwhich he asked, ‘why wasn’t

here any considerationgiven to annexing into anexisting city as opposed tocreating a new city?”

Calls were made to Ben-on to confirm this state-

ment, however they werenot returned by press time.

Greenhaven and Stone-crest cityhood groups estab-lished proposed maps lastyear, which included all ofthe unincorporated areas of

south DeKalb. Both bills forthe proposed cities failed topass the General Assemblyin the last session.

Jackson said, “Therecould be some meeting ofthe minds around someboundaries. A meeting willtake place with [Benton andproponents of Greenhavenand Stonecrest].”

Jackson did not give adefinitive date for this meet-ing.

Jackson said to Franklinand Williams, “I wanted

to see if we can get someconsensus about what areamakes sense for the city interms of looking at scalenumbers….”

Jackson said one cityboundary line would goeast to the Rockdale Countyborder. One would go southtoward I-20, west towardLithonia Industrial Boule-

vard, north to Marbut Road,“then cut across to MaddoxRoad,” Jackson said.

“In terms of populationsize, we’re looking at some-where between 8,000 to

10,000 total,” Jackson said.“So the idea is, at the nextmeeting everyone is goingto bring a map. On this pro-posed configuration therewould need to be somechanges to both Stonecrestand Greenhaven.

“I think this will be amanageable size in termsof what the tax base wouldactually look like,” Jacksonadded. “This is a startingpoint to get a visual.”

Franklin told Jackson,“From the outset of looking

at this, this looks a lot morefavorable.”“I think it’s really maybe

possible with this particulararea,” Franklin said. “It’s notan over burden of expenses,

Lithonia considers annexation

CITY OF DORAVILLEPUBLIC NOTICE

Fiscal Year 2016 BudgetNotice is hereby given that the proposed budget for the City of Doraville shall be available forpublic inspection beginning May 22, 2015, in the City Clerk’s office from 8:30 to 4:30 p.m.Monday through Friday at City Hall, 3725 Park Avenue, Doraville, GA.

A Public Hearing shall be held on the 1st day of June at 6:30 p.m. at City Hall, 3725 Park Avenue, Doraville, GA before the Mayor and Council of the City of Doraville at which time publiccomment pertaining to the Fiscal Year 2016 (July 1, 2015 through June 30, 2016) budget shall besounded. All citizens of Doraville are invited to attend.

A Public Hearing shall be held on the 8th day of June at 6:30 p.m. at City Hall, 3725 Park Avenue, Doraville, GA before the Mayor and Council of the City of Doraville at which time publiccomment pertaining to the Fiscal Year 2016 (July 1, 2015 through June 30, 2016) budget shall be

sounded. All citizens of Doraville are invited to attend.

A Regular Meeting shall be held on the 15th day of June at 6:30 p.m. at City Hall, 3725 Park Avenue, Doraville, GA before the Mayor and Council of the City of Doraville at which time theFiscal Year 2016 (July 1, 2015 through June 30, 2016) budget shall be approved and the budgetordinance adopted in accordance with O.C.G.A. 36-81-5. All citizens of Doraville are invited toattend.

coming from the policingside, which would probablybe where the bulk of theexpenses—I assume—wouldcome from. I think it wouldbe interesting to see, whenblocking out a particular

area, how the other individual proposed cities viewit. But as far as I see, initiallylooking at it without know-ing what all of the individualarea are, I think this is prettydoable.

“We have to grow,”Franklin added.

“It’s not too big but thenit kind of makes sense,” Wil-liams said, agreeing withFranklin.

“We wanted to go onwith something so we canlook at it and talk to our

other colleagues,” Jacksonsaid.

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Principal Continued From Page 1A

Festival Continued From Page 1A


as principal and 39 years as aneducator.

As a special treat, school staffformed a Walker committee to plana week of activities to celebrate herretirement. Those events includeda ribbon cutting ceremony for therenaming of the circular road in thefront of the school to Waker Way.

Walker arrived at RowlandElementary to hundreds ofcreaming and excited students whoreated their beloved principal like a

rock star arriving for a performance.Computer literacy instructor

Mashika Jackson said Walker hasbeen a phenomenal teacher andeader for the teachers and students

at Rowland.“She’s a very caring person and ithows through everything that she

does. Mrs. Walker is very passionateand sensitive to teachers’ personalneeds, as well as your professional

needs. She cares about professionalgrowth and she extends lots of

opportunities for us to grow and forus to have a voice in our school,”Jackson said.

The Walker committee plannedevents from May 18 through May22.

During morning announcementseach day, one student from gradesone through five shared a factabout Walker. There were posterslocated on the front bulletin boardthat teachers and parents signedthroughout the week.

On May 18, they held a privatebreakfast for Walker and her familyand each class wrote notes of their

memories to be placed on the wallclosest to the entrance of the school.On May 19 students and staff

wore field day t-shirts that read“The Walker Games”

On May 20 students held a

step show, took part in a gameshow titled “Tell the Truth”, and

performed a flash mob to thesong “Happy” by Pharrell which isavailable for viewing on YoutubeFlash Mob at Rowland.

May 21 was the ribbon cuttingand May 22 at dismissal, each classlined up to give Walker a farewellhug.

Walker said she was completelysurprised by everything that wasplanned during the week.

“Words really cannot expresshow grateful I am and how humbledI am by this whole experience. Canyou imagine 600 students and 75faculty members showing that they

love you and care about you? It’s ablessing from God to have had thisopportunity to work with themevery day.”

Walker said the biggest reward ofbeing an educator has been “seeing

the children learn and grow.”“It shows me what an impact I’ve

had when those children grow upand bring their children to me. Alot of parents have said to me thatthey’ve brought their children toRowland because I am here and thatmakes me feel great,” Walker said.

She said her primary goal duringher career has been to “make surethe children and their educationcome first.”

She added, “Their academicgoals have to always be set highbecause we have to take them to ahigher place than where they are.We have children from all differentwalks of life at Rowland. We have to

make sure that those who are not asfortunate have the same outcome asthose that are more fortunate.”

rincipal Roberta Walker poses with her husband, daughter and grandson. Photos by Ashley Oglesby Rowland Elementary School’s Walker Committee surprises principal Roberta Walker.

eKalb County welcomes Atlanta Carnival bandleaders council parade. Photos by Ashley Oglesby

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LOCAL

DEKALB COUNTYBOARD OF EDUCATION

1st PUBLIC

MILLAGE RATE HEARING

Monday, June 1, 2015

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

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

Citizens interested in reviewing a detailed copy of the program based budgetmay do so by visiting the DeKalb County School District website at

www.dekalb.k12.ga.us.FOR INFORMATION, CALL THE OFFICE OF THE

CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER AT 678-676-0133.

by Ashley Oglesby

[email protected] of people

turned out for Dunwoody’s11th annual Memorial Daycelebration on May 25 inBrook Run Park.

Dunwoody Mayor MikeDavis said, “This is just areminder of how importantit is to the citizens here inDunwoody, that we honorthe dead and the people whoserve.”

The event featured aperformance of the nationalanthem by Dunwoody High

School chorus, presentationof colors by Boy Scout troop764, a prayer led by Dr.Steve Vance of Saint Luke’sPresbyterian Church and aninspirational message fromguest speaker Colonel RickWhite, US Army retired.

After graduating fromhigh school, White enlistedin the United States Army asa private and volunteered forthe airborne infantry.

At the age of 19, he wascommissioned as a secondlieutenant through Infantry

Officer Candidate Schooland served 24 months incombat in Vietnam.

Immediately followinghis second Vietnam tour

White attended and gradu-

ated from Army HelicopterFlight School. Additionally,he took assignments in Ger-many, Panama, Hondurasand El Salvador. He servedat 14 separate stateside loca-tions, including Fort Bragg,N.C., with the seventh Spe-cial Forces group and the82nd airborne division.

Dunwoody veteranTom Bryant said, “It’s veryimportant that people re-member and celebrate. Theyshould do this all over thecountry.”

The city of Dunwoody

was also presented with aflag from U.S. Air Forcecaptain Andrew Radloff,which was flown on the lastcombat mission of EnduringFreedom, which took off onNew Year’s Eve and lastedapproximately 13 hours, ac-cording to Brigadier GeneralDenis Shortal.

“All of those that wehonor today, they stay alivein our memories and inour minds. Their deeds willnever be forgotten and theirspirits will never die. They

gave up all of their tomor-rows so that we can have ourtoday,” Shortal said.

Fallen soldiershonored at MemorialDay ceremony

esidents crowd Brook Run Park to attend the city’s 11th Memorial Day celebration.

Guest speaker Colonel Rick White encourages peopleo join the Georgia Military Veterans hall of fame.

Dunwoody veteran Tom Bryant poses with his family atthe Memorial Day ceremony.

Boy Scout Troop 764 presentshe colors.

Dunwoody High School chorus sings the national anthem. Photos by AshleyOglesby

Brigadier General Denis Shortal welcomes a guest to the ceremony.

Command Sergeant Major Simon Jones chats with Dunwoody MayorMike Davis at the Memorial Day ceremony.

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The Champion Free Press, Friday, May 29, 2015 Page 17ABUSINESS

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARINGS ON THE2015-2016 PROPOSED BUDGET

FOR THE CITY OF DECATUR, GEORGIA

There will be public hearings on the proposed 2015-2016 budget for the City of Decaturat 7:30 p.m. on June 1, 2015, at 6:00 p.m. on June 8, 2015, and at 7:30 p.m. on June 15,2015 in the City Commission Meeting Room at City Hall, 509 N. McDonough Street,Decatur. The proposed budget is summarized below and is available in its entirety forpublic inspection at Decatur City Hall and at the Decatur Library on Sycamore Street.After May 20th, the budget will be available on the City’s website atwww.decaturga.com/budget. All citizens are invited to attend the public hearings, toprovide written and oral comments, and ask questions concerning the entire budget.

FY 2015-2016PROPOSED GENERAL FUND REVENUES AND EXPENDITURES

REVENUESTaxes 19,171,750Licenses, Permits & Inspections 1,207,310Penalties, Fines & Forfeitures 1,318,500

Interest 500Charges for Current Services 1,535,350Intergovernmental Revenues 490,120Miscellaneous Revenue 137,820Sale of Fixed Assets 10,000Operating Transfers (382,310)Appropriation From (To) Fund Balance (271,800)TOTAL REVENUES $23,217,240

EXPENDITURESGovernmental Control Department 187,100General Government Department 1,808,540Community & Economic Development Department 1,913,610Administrative Services Department 3,356,330Police Department 5,541,350Fire & Rescue Department 3,567,570Public Works Department 2,964,840Design, Environment & Construction Division 2,028,990Active Living Division 1,848,910

TOTAL EXPENDITURES $23,217,240

Herman Russell’s sons pass alonghis wisdom at annual luncheon

COLLABORATIONDeKalb Chamber of Commerce • Two Decatur Town Center, 125 Clairemont Ave., Suite, Decatur, GA 30030 • 404.378.8000 • www.dekalbchamber.org

y Kathy Mitchell

When the DeKalbChamber of Commerceheld its 2015 Apex Busi-ness Awards and LuncheonCeremony on May 21 at theThalia N. Carlos HellenicCenter the emphasis was onmall business, but attend-es heard from a family thatuilt a nationally knownusiness empire.

Angela Graham, presi-dent of Graham & Associ-tes Inc. and chairwoman ofhe chamber’s small businessommittee, said she wantedhe business owners at the

uncheon to receive valuablenformation in addition toecognition. In place of the

usual keynote speaker, theommittee arranged what

was billed as a “fireside chat”with Michael Russell and H.erome Russell, CEO andresident, respectively, of

H.J. Russell & Co., the com-any founded in 1952 byheir father Herman J. Rus-ell, who died in November014. T. Dallas Smith, pres-

dent and CEO of T. Dallasmith & Co. moderated the

discussion.

The late Herman Rus-sell started a single-projectconstruction company whenhe was still in high schooland grew it to one of the400 largest constructioncompanies in the UnitedStates. Smith called him abusiness legend and a pow-erful example of what canbe accomplished by a per-son starting from humblebeginnings. He asked howthe construction companyfounder passed his valuesand work ethic to his chil-dren.

“For one thing,” JeromeRussell answered, “we al-

ways had a job whetherwe wanted one or not. Heinsisted that we work evenwhen we were in school andwe got no special consider-ation for being the owner’schildren. I was in highschool before I realized howsuccessful and importantour father was. To us, he was

just our father.”Passing along advice

from their father, MichaelRussell recalled frequentlybeing told, “Do what yousay you’re going to do.” And

he remembered his father

reminding them of the needfor each person to do hisshare with the saying, “Bringsomething to the table otheryour appetite.”

Jerome Russell told ofhow his father often said,“Always stay focused.”

“I think he wrote that ina lot of the books he auto-graphed, too,” the companypresident said. Soon beforehis death Herman Russellreleased his business auto-biography Building Atlanta: How I Broke Through Seg-regation to Launch a Busi-ness Empire.

There are challenges in

heading a family business,Michael Russell acknowl-edged. “Family and businessaren’t a natural mix but weremember to think not justin terms of what we want,but what’s good for all threeof us [the Russell broth-ers have a sister who’s alsoa partner in the business]and what’s good for thebusiness—and we’re familyfirst,” he said.

Smith underscored thatpoint by telling the audiencethat Jerome once donated a

kidney to his ailing brother.

Another lesson the Rus-sell brothers learned fromtheir father concerned diver-sification. “As he got olderhe became more conserva-tive,” Jerome Russell said,“but in the 1970s, he madewhat were some bold moves.He invested in the AtlantaHawks, in a beverage distri-bution business, insuranceand banking. It was phe-nomenal what he did. Herecognized that constructioncan be a cyclical businessand diversifying can helpyou ride out those cycles.I’m not sure we would havebeen around for more than

60 years otherwise.”The Russell brothers said

they are still not completelycertain how they will directH.J. Russell Construction inthe future, but assured theaudience that their father’s

values would remain. “Hebelieved in growing peoplewhile you make a good re-turn for yourself and yourcompany,” Michael Russellsaid. “And he believed ingiving back to the commu-nity.”

A total of six Apex

Awards were presented in

five categories. The Emerg-ing Business Award wentto VLW Group, a minorityowned project controls firmbased in Tucker.

The award in the $1 mil-lion to $5 million annualrevenues category went toGrice Consulting Group.DB Spratte Enterprises DBAChick-fil-A was the win-ner of the award in the $5million to $10 million an-nual revenues category. Theaward in the $10 million to$20 million annual revenuescategory went to AdvancedSystems Designs.

There were two win-

ners in the CommunityWorkforce Awards, whichrecognizes businesses thathire under-employed andunemployed members of theworkforce, have increasedtraining for under-employedindividuals and offers suchcandidates a salary rangeabove minimum wage. TheCommunity WorkforceAwards went to DeKalbMedical Center and CreativeResearch Solutions.

DEKALB COUNTY

GRADUATES

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The Champion Free Press, Friday, May 29, 2015 PAGE 18AEDUCATION

Students learn aboutemployment opportunitiesby Ashley Oglesby [email protected]

In an effort to help stu-dents “connect the dots”between school and career,Clarkston High SchoolCommunity in Schoolscoordinator (CIS) CallebObumba organized a careerexploration event on May19 for ninth through 11thgraders.

“We have a big empha-sis on career and college

readiness. This event helpsprepare kids and give theman idea of what they need todo in order to get into col-lege and it’s also critical forthem to find out about all

the various careers that areoffered,” Obumba said.

Obumba said he decidedto schedule the event closeto the summer break so thatstudents goals can “remainfresh in their minds.”

He added, “Now is thetime for them to find men-tors and internships and seeif what they’re interested inis actually something thatthey want to pursue.

The event brought outmore than 35 profession-

als from industries rangingfrom banking to fitnesstraining.

Freshman ChristianCarter said getting advicefrom professionals is impor-

tant.“Everybody needs a

little push to help them andsome people may not havesomeone in their householdto push them harder. Whenyou hear other people’s sto-ries about how they had topush themselves harder toget where they are and ac-complish their goals, that’smotivation,” Carter said.

Cox Enterprises vicepresident of financial plan-ning Neil Campbell and

CIS executive directorFrank Brown attended theexposition to show supportfor CIS caseload students, aswell as provide support forObumba’s effort.

NOTICE OF

PROPERTY TAX INCREASE

The Decatur City Commission has tentatively adopted a combined millagerate of 12.00 mills which will require an increase in property taxes of 5.08%

for fiscal year 2015-2016. This is a reduction from the millage rate of 13mills adopted for the current fiscal year 2014-2015 which generates revenuenecessary to fund the City of Decatur’s general operations, bondedindebtedness, downtown development authority and capital improvements.

All concerned citizens are invited to the public hearing on this tax increaseto be held at the City Commission Meeting Room, Decatur City Hall, 509 N.McDonough Street, Decatur, on Monday, June 1, 2015 at 7:30 p.m. Timeand place of additional public hearings on this tax increase is at Decatur CityHall on Monday, June 8, 2015 at 6:00 p.m. and Monday, June 15, 2015 at7:30 p.m. This tentative increase will result in a millage rate of 12.00 mills,an increase of 0.58 mills over the rollback millage rate. Without this

tentative tax increase, the millage rate will be no more than 11.42 mills. Theproposed tax increase for a home with a fair market value of $400,000 isapproximately $104.40 and the proposed tax increase for a nonhomesteadproperty with a fair market value of $425,000 is approximately $111.65.

DEKALB COUNTY BOARD OF

EDUCATION

PUBLIC BUDGET HEARING

FISCAL YEAR ENDING JUNE 30, 2016

Monday, June 1, 2015

TIME LOCATION5:45 p.m. J. David Williamson Board Room

Administrative & Instructional Complex

1701 Mountain Industrial Blvd.

Stone Mountain, GA 30083

The DeKalb County Board of Education will hold a public

budget hearing to solicit feedback from the public

regarding the 2015-2016 school system’s budget.

FOR INFORMATION, CALL THE OFFICE OF THE

CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER AT 678-676-0133.

Clarkston High School welcomes professionals in various industries to motivate students to apply for intern-ships during the summer and explore new job avenues. Photos by Ashley Oglesby

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The Champion Free Press, Friday, May 29, 2015 PAGE 19AEDUCATION

by Ashley [email protected]

The DeKalb CountySchool superintendentbaton will be passed from

Michael Thurmond to solenalist in the superintendentsearch, Stephen Green, onJuly 1.

Green said he’s “readyto bring it home for theDeKalb County SchoolDistrict and cross the nishline.”

The formerKansas City schoolsuperintendentvisited DeKalbMay 19 throughMay 21 to speakwith parents,teachers, principals,

stakeholders andelected ofcialsabout his goals forthe position.

At a pressconference held atDeKalb school’sadministrativeand instructionalcomplex he said hisprimary focus is“providing qualityeducation for ourchildren. We’re onthe right course,we have a great

foundation, we’removing in the rightdirection and mygoal is to continuethat momentum.”

Green saidhe’s still in theprocess of gatheringinformation andimmersing himselfin the community but hispriority is to “identifywhere the need is greatest.”

In the Kansas City PublicSchools (KCPS) districtGreen is credited withleading the district back to

provisional accreditationwithin two years of beingnamed superintendent in2012. He had previouslyserved as KCPS interimsuperintendent for severalmonths. Under Green’sleadership, KCPS earned92.5 points toward thestate of Missouri’s schoolachievement standards in2014. That was 8.5 pointsmore than the school districtearned in 2013, and a54.5-point increase from the2012 results.

Green said in DeKalbCounty, he wants to start hiswork “in those schools thatare struggling.”

He added, “I want to

target resources and makesure that we provide asmany services to get thoseschools up to speed.”

Green said he plans tocollaborate with community

partners to help upliftstruggling schools.“We will begin to

identify where the resourcesare that we may need toreallocate to support thoseefforts. We can bringnew resources through

collaborative efforts tomake sure that studentshave what they need tosucceed,” Green said.

In Kansas Green said heheld a series of meetingsfour to ve times a year

called “On the Scene withDr. Green,” in which hemade himself availableto the community to eldquestions and addressconcerns.

Green said he plans toestablish a similar series forDeKalb.

“Those are the kindsof things that I see to beimportant; to be out andabout in the community– visible and available sothat we can have opendialogue,” said Green.

Thurmond is scheduledto step down in June butwill be a consultant for thenew superintendent to assistin a “smooth transition.”

Incoming county school superintendent visits district

‘Those are the kinds

of things that I see

to be important; to

be out and about

in the community–

visible and available

so that we can have

open dialogue.’–Stephen Green

NOTICE OF PROPERTY TAX INCREASEThe City of Doraville has tentatively adopted a millage rate of 8.5 which will require an increase in propertytaxes by 24.89 percent. The proposed millage rate is .25 mills less than the prior year millage of 8.75 mills.

All concerned citizens are invited to the public hearing on this tax increase to be held at the Doraville CityHall located at 3725 Park Avenue, Doraville, GA 30340 on June 8, 2015 at 6:30pm.

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