FreePress 7-3-15

8/20/2019 FreePress 7-3-15

1/20

Happy

championnewspaper championnewspaper champnewschampionnews

thechampionnewspaper.com

FRIDAY, julY 3, 2015 • VOl. 18, NO. 13 • 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 Marriage on page 13A

See Ellis on page 13A

Burrell Ellis trial in hands of jury

by Andrew [email protected]

“We were prepared orthis,” said Probate Court Judge

Jeryl Debra Rosh, as coupleslined up in the DeKalb CountyCourthouse shortly ater the U.S.Supreme Court made same-sexmarriages legal in all states June26.

“he highest court in the landhas ruled on the issue, and it is upto rest o the judiciary to ollowthe law and accommodate thecitizens o each jurisdiction,” Roshsaid.

he Carnes-Millers were acouple that wedded at the DeKalbCounty Courthouse hours ater

the ruling was announced.“I’m a history major in college

and I don’t think there’s been ahistorical moment in the LGBQ[lesbian, gay, bisexual and

transgender, queer] movementthat hasn’t been documented bythousands o wonderul LGBQand I wanted to be a part o thattoday,” said Cat Breanna Carnes-Miller, o Decatur.

“he supreme Court rulingmeans that we’re one baby stepcloser to true equality to allLGBQ individuals, includingtrans people, including the[transgender] women o color thatare murdered at exponentiallyhigher rates than anyone else,”Cat Breanna Carnes-Miller

Jordan and Cat Carnes-Miller got married at the DeKalb County Courthouse soon af-

ter the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that same-sex marriage is legal in all states. Photoby Andrew Cauthen

Same-sex marriage:


Burrell Ellis’ attorney or hisretrial said prosecutors have notproven their case.

“Afer weeks o tes-timony, afer countless

tape recordings…[and]diagrams…the simpletruth has not changed,”said Ellis’ deense attor-ney Craig Gillen. “Teevidence has not shownone single dime inBurrell Ellis’ pocket…that shouldn’t be there.”

Closing argumentswere heard June 24,a day afer testimonyended in the retrial othe DeKalb County CEO accusedo strong-arming vendors to do-nate to his reelection campaignin 2012.

“We have listened to thesetapes on and on and on,” Gillensaid. “Te tapes are very impor-tant.

“Tank goodness or the tapesbecause the tapes show you what

he really said, not what Mr. [Kel- vin] Walton said [Ellis] meant,”Gillen said.

Walton, a ormer county

procurement director under El-lis, was prosecutor’s key witnesswho recorded hours and hours oconversations or the state.

“Debt, desperation and de-ceit—that was their theme. Te

problem is the evidence didn’t fittheir theme,” Gillen said.

Gillen said Walton was “theputty man” whom prosecutors

-Craig Gillen

‘Thank goodness for the tapes because thetapes show you what he really said, not

what Mr. [Kelvin] Walton said [Ellis] meant.’

Suspended DeKalb CEO Burrell Ellis awaits averdict in his mistrial. Photo by Andrew Cauthen

Business ........................16A

Education .....................14A

Sports......................18-19A

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

Classified .......................15A

QUICK FINDER

8/20/2019 FreePress 7-3-15

2/20

Page 2A The Champion Free Press, Friday, July 3, 2015

LOCAL

35-gallon

roll cart

18-gallon

bin

65-gallon

roll cart

40-gallon

bags

45-gallon

roll cart

65-gallon

roll cart

95-gallon

roll cart

Garbage Roll Cart Options

Trade in the standard 65-gallon roll cart for a 35- or 45-gallon roll cart free of charge; *trade in a65-gallon for a 95-gallon roll cart for a one-time $15 fee.

Upgrade from an 18-gallon bin to a 65-gallon roll cart for a one-time $15 fee.

Recycling Options

The DeKalb County Sanitation Division is Rolling Forward to

One-day-a-week sanitation collection service for garbage, recyclable

materials and yard trimmings. Please see below for garbage and

recycling options for your household.

For more information, please call or visit: (404) 294-2900 • www.rollingforwardtoone.com

Ask questions about the program via @ItsInDeKalb on Twitter

One-day-a-week sanitation collection service begins the

week of July 6th

*Subscribing to the Sanitation Division’s recycling program is required.

“We are rolling

forward together

as one” -Interim

CEO Lee May

8/20/2019 FreePress 7-3-15

3/20

The Champion Free Press, Friday, July 3, 2015 Page 3ALOCAL

Pet Buddiesexpands intoDeKalb

championnewspaper

by Ashley Oglesby [email protected]

Pet Buddies cofoundernd executive director

Heather Koehler and co-ounder Dee McGowan

were both volunteers forounty shelters where they

witnessed animals beingurned in because their

owners could no longer af-ord to take care of them.

That’s when the two decidedo open Pet Buddies Food

Pantry.

Since 2010, the orga-nization has spayed andneutered more than 1,000nimals around Atlanta. In

August 2015 Pet Buddieswill begin donating pet foodn East Atlanta and Decatur.

The nonprofit, volun-eer-based organization

works with low-incomeamilies, seniors, disablednd homeless individuals tossist with food and medical

needs for their pets.Koehler said, “We ini-

ially started Pet Buddies to

get pet food to families thatould not afford it. We alsoncorporated spaying and

neutering because at thend of the day if we are notpaying and neutering a lot

of these animals begin pro-reating. What happens with lot of communities that we

work in, when the animaltarts to have kittens or pup-

pies they’re going to end upn an animal shelter.”

She added, “Some ofhe animal shelters here in

Georgia, if the animals areunder two pounds they’re

mmediately euthanizedo they don’t even get ahance.”

Koehler said Pet Bud-dies’ mission is to decreasehe number of cats and dogs

on the streets and enteringnimal control due to finan-ial hardships.

“We reach out to under-erved communities to edu-ate, donate pet food, offer

free spay and neuter, fleamedicine and anything elsethe family needs.”

She added, “When wehave additional funding, wetrap, neuter and return cats,build fencing for chaineddogs, provide dog housingand winter help for animalsthat live outdoors.”

Pet Buddies assists anaverage of 100 families amonth. Every animal thatgoes through the Pet Bud-dies program is requiredto be spayed or neutered, if

they aren’t the organizationpays for it.

“Pet Buddies has nooverhead. Our storage is atour homes. We all have full-time careers, so our effortsare 100 percent volunteer.Due to this, the money goesdirectly to the animals thatdesperately need it in ourcommunity,” Koehler said.

She added, “All of our volunteers help pick up foodfrom people that have donedonation drives or donatedspecifically to our program.

We have bins around townwhere people donate, our volunteers pick up thefood and we store it at ourhouses. We donate the foodquickly, so we don’t need astorage area because we’reconstantly donating food.”

Pet Buddies deliversdonations once a month.However, Koehler said, “Wealways have people whosend in their applicationswho say they’re feeding theiranimal bread or their petshaven’t eaten in a couple ofdays. We’re constantly filling

in these emergency situa-tions every day, bringingfood to people that need itright there and then.”

Koehler said Pet Bud-dies’ food pantry is alwaysin the need of donations and

volunteers.For additional informa-

tion about Pet Buddies FoodPantry visit petbuddiesfood-pantry.org.

Joseph and his dog JoJo are a part of the PetBuddies program. Joseph also assists the foodpantry with distributing food.

Donation stations for Pet Buddies’ food pantry.

Pet Buddies recently hosted a trailer park program whichhelped more than 100 animals get spayed and neutered.

NOTICE

OF

PROPERTY

TAX

INCREASE

The DeKalb County Board of Commissioners has tentatively adopted a millage rate

which will require an increase in property taxes by 40.00 percent.

All concerned citizens are invited to the public hearings on this tax increase to be held at

the Manuel Maloof Auditorium, 1300 Commerce Drive, Decatur, GA 30030 on July 14,

2015

at

10:00

am.

This tentative increase will result in a millage rate of 11.683 mills, an increase of 3.338

mills. Without this tentative tax increase, the millage rate will be no more than 8.345

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

approximately $111.36 and the proposed tax increase for non‐homestead property with

a fair market value of $250,000 is approximately $273.72.

This increase is due to a temporary shift in millages done in FY 2014 to keep the total tax

rate constant or smaller. DeKalb County has seven basic tax levies. Only two are used

in this required calculation. In 2014, these two rates combined went down from 11.51

to 9.02 while other rates were increased temporarily. In 2015, the two rates combined

went back

up

to

11.28

which

still

are

below

the

2014

rate.

This

upward

shift

requires

an

advertisement of an increase. When all seven levies are added together the typical

resident will see a decrease from 21.21 to 20.81 mills in 2015.

8/20/2019 FreePress 7-3-15

4/20

The Champion Free Press, Friday, July 3, 2015 Page 4AOPINION

District 5 residents finallygot what they have beggedor: a special election. Andwhen they went to the pollsune 16 to select a new com-

missioner, they had plenty

o choices.Tere were five emaleand five males running orhe position. Among them

were a police officer andpastor, an educational con-ultant and entrepreneur, a

company CEO, a library me-dia specialist/writer, a man-agement executive, a tech-nology consultant, a retiredMARA superintendent, acommunity and economicdevelopment consultant andwo attorneys.

However despite such a

rich field o choices and somuch controversy about thelack o representation orthe district or so long, voterturnout was pathetic. Ap-proximately 5.1 percent, or4,557, o the district’s 82,742

registered voters participat-ed in the special election tofill the seat, which officiallybecame vacant May 8 whenLee May resigned afer near-ly two years o being the in-

terim DeKalb County CEO.In the special election Mereda Davis Johnson, anattorney and wie o Con-gressman Hank Johnson,received 27.21 percent o the

votes while George Turner,a District 5 CommunityCouncil president and aretired MARA manager,received 15.94 percent.

What is common be-tween Johnson and urneris that both have put them-selves beore the communityas possible uture elected

leaders.District 5 needs an in-

dependent thinker—some-one who will represent thepeople, not someone whosimply will join a voting bloc

on the board o commis-sioners. District 5 needs anadvocate who will seek thewelare o his or her com-munity and not seek sel-aggrandizement. District 5needs a representative whoremembers that he or shewas elected to represent theconstituents and not himselor hersel.

Tere is still time to getit right, District 5 residents.Whether you voted on June16 or not, make it a priorityto be part o choosing your

next representative duringthe runoff that will be heldon uesday, July 14, withearly voting beginning onJune 29 at the DeKalb Coun-ty Voter Registration & Elec-

tions office. Te early votingpoll will be closed July 3.Don’t squander the op-

portunity to be part o theprocess o deciding who willgive voice to your concernsand fight or what is in thebest interest o your com-munity. Tose who don’t

vote are turning their backson their district.

District 5 matters.DeKalb County matters.And the choice that District5 makes matters.

District 5’s decision matters

Open letter from DeKalb County leaders

@AndrewChampNews

Andrew [email protected]

Managing Editor

June 29, 2015

Dear Metro-Atlanta Community,

he leaders o DeKalb Countywould like you to join us inwelcoming Dr. R. Stephen Green to Atlanta. On July 1, Dr. Greenwill be joining his children andgrandchildren in the Atlanta area ashe begins his job as superintendento DeKalb County School District.he DeKalb Board o Educationielded over 120 applications orthe superintendent position. Withthe help o its Community LiaisonGroup, comprised o DeKalbcitizens, the Board sited throughresumes, interviewed semi-inalists,and ultimately chose Dr. Green tolead DeKalb into a bright uture.

We would like to oer Dr.Green our support as he begins his

work in DeKalb. Many o us havehad the chance to meet him andothers are eagerly awaiting thatopportunity. From what we haveseen, heard, and read, Dr. Greenwill bring a wealth o knowledgeand experience. Because DeKalbhas 100,000 students, we are gladhe has experience in huge, urbansystems, such as New York City.Because DeKalb has 24 schoolson our Governor’s target list, weare thankul that he has a trackrecord o transorming chronicallyunderperorming schools, suchas those in Kansas City. BecauseDeKalb has many vocal, engagedstakeholders, we are happy that heplans to seek counsel rom teachers,parents, business leaders, andcommunity groups. We have heardhim speak o student achievement,earned autonomy, budget

transparency, and customer service.We oer our assistance to him inaddressing these issues and othersas he begins his new job.

he wellbeing o metro-Atlantais directly tied to the health oDeKalb County. Our County hasundergone numerous setbacks inrecent years. However, as leadersrom every corner o DeKalb, wepledge to ace our uture witha renewed sense o integrityand ethics, working together toalign our resources, talents, anddiversity in service to this greatcommunity. We will partner witheach other, and with Dr. Green,to meet the needs o our utureleaders, our children. When ourschool system is successul, ourworkorce blossoms, our businessesthrive, our economy improves, andour criminal system shrinks. his

impacts all o us. Please work withus, as we bring Dr. Green onboardand bring our County to newheights. Sincerely,

DeKalb County Chamber oCommerceDeKalb County Interim CEO’sOiceDeKalb County LegislativeDelegationDeKalb Municipal AssociationJunior League o DeKalb CountyLeadership DeKalbParent Councils United o DeKalbSouth DeKalb ImprovementAssociation

8/20/2019 FreePress 7-3-15

5/20

OPINIONThe Champion Free Press, Friday, July 3, 2015 Page 5A

Let Us Know What 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 Hewitt Chief Financial Ocer:Dr. Earl D. GlennManaging Editor:Andrew CauthenProduction Manager:Kemesha Hunt 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.

www.championnewspaper.com

DISPLAY ADVERTISING (404) 373-7779 x 110

F REE P RESS

STATEMENT FROM THEPUBLISHER

We sincerely appreciate thediscussion surrounding this and anyissue of interest to DeKalb County.The Champion was founded in 1991expressly to provide a forum fordiscourse for all community residentson all sides of an issue. We have nodesire to make the news only toreport news and opinions to effect

a more educated citizenry that willultimately move our communityforward. We are happy to presentideas for discussion; however,we make every effort to avoidprinting information submitted tous that is known to be false and/orassumptions penned as fact.

ONE MAN’S OPINION

“Because I don’t need any-body’s money, It’s nice. I’musing my own money. I’m notusing lobbyists, I’m not usingdonors. I don’t care. I’m re-ally rich,” shared the ever sohumble Donald Trump ata press conerence oiciallyannouncing his candidacyor president in 2016.

No, I do not think thatel-proclaimed billionaire,

developer and brand-sel-promoter Donald rumpwill emerge rom the pack asa presidential ront-runner,nor eventually claim theGOP nomination, but I suream looking orward to hav-ng him in the race.

It was a no-holds-barred,

no-handlers-apparent wide-anging sort o announce-ment speech/harangue, withrump boasting (imaginehat) that he will become the

best “jobs president” (what-ever that actually means)ever created by God. At leastwe can now assume he isChristian. I had begun tobelieve over the years that heeally only worshiped mir-ors. It is perhaps less than

coincidental that his tiredeality show, Celebrity Ap-

prentice,

was on the verge ocancellation by NBC. Dueo regulations regarding

candidate airtime, this gaverump the opportunity topull that plug himsel, whiletill garnering millionsn resh, ree airtime. For

rump Enterprises, on thewhole, this isn’t a bad busi-ness decision.

rump can make boldpromises and assertions,

such as Mexico unding andbuilding a wall to deine itsborder with America, as ex-pectations are so low regard-ing his actual understandingo oreign policy.

rump can shrug, andmake promises that even heknows he can never ulill,comortable in the knowl-edge that insiders will writehim o while many in thegeneral public will eat up his“shoot irst, ask questionslater” approach like cottoncandy.

Some believe rump has virtually no record on theissues. I beg to dier. He wasa birther or years ater eventhe most intense skeptics othe Obama administrationacknowledged this had long

since become a moot point.He is a ree trader who

proposes huge import taxeson the Chinese, Mexico andmost any country undercut-ting America on price dueto cheaper labor. hose arecalled taris, and besides

violating numerous exist-ing international treaties,they could easily cause atrade war. America caneed itsel, but most o ourmanuactured goods, otherthan cars, now come hererom overseas. And mosto the nations who we havestrong trade relations withare now buying both our oil,as racking has the UnitedStates out-producing Saudi

Arabia, and our agriculturalproducts. I we start slam-ming those buyers withheavy taris, that can quick-ly become a two-way street,and our armers are struckwith billions in grain, pro-duce and meat and poultrywith no markets to ship to.

And though rump maybe worth billions, thoughthat actual number is de-bated almost as requently aswhat combination o grav-ity, white roots and sprayholds that poly-doo in place,he has also lost or createdbankruptcies in the billions,closing casinos in AtlanticCity, leveraged with massivedebt and almost as manyrump-branded condotowers are still holes in the

ground on projects gonesouth, where rump simplylicensed his name and brand

versus serving as the actualdeveloper. here are ailedrump towers in ampa,Atlanta and up and downboth Florida coasts. And yet,he has also demonstratedlare and pulled o severalimpressive successes, thoughnot all o them and not witheach bigger than the projectbeore.

rump’s boasts that eacho his wives is more beauti-ul or that every project hav-ing the “inest inishes” ringsparticularly hollow in theBig Apple where his voice isregularly heard, but the echo

now brings more derisivesmiles than even eigned ap-plause.

It was no huge surpriseto ind out a day or so a-ter his announcement thatmany o the adoring throngat his press announcementswere paid extras, or that thebulk o his Facebook andwitter ollowers resided ino-shore locations. Remem-ber rump said he can get awebsite built or $3. I assureyou that isn’t being donewith American tech exper-tise.

For one, I’m glad theDonald is in. His eventualdeeat should eectively end20 years o teasing and dal-liance, i in act he actuallygets in. hough rump says

Bill Crane

[email protected]

Columnist

Trumped!he is oicially in, he has notyet iled any oicial paper-work or declared his candi-dacy or established a PACwith the Federal ElectionsCommission. He has 15 daysto do so ater becoming acandidate, but hey, paper-work is really only or thelittle people.

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. You

can reach him or commenton a column at bill.csicrane@ gmail.com.

8/20/2019 FreePress 7-3-15

6/20


LOCAL

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.

ALEX BENSON

East Decatur Greenway solicitsdesign ideas for greenspace

East Decatur Greenway isaunching a competition to solicit

designs ideas for the future com-munity greenspace and trailheadbeing developed at 890 ColumbiaDrive, Decatur.

The competition is limited toandscape architecture students

and emerging professionals whoive in Georgia and are members of

the American Society of LandscapeArchitects. Applications are dueSept. 1. East Decatur Greenwaywill award $1,500 to the winner ofthe competition.

The 890 Columbia Drive prop-

erty is located near the MidwayWoods and Forrest Hills neigh-borhoods, approximately halfwaybetween Decatur and AvondaleEstates. Originally developed as agasoline station in the 1940s, theproperty operated as such until itwas abandoned in 1999 and left todeteriorate.

Residents formed East DecaturGreenway in 2011, and have beenworking with city, county, stateand federal agencies, as well as thePATH Foundation and communitymembers to acquire the propertyand obtain funding for its eventual

redevelopment as a greenspace.The Environmental ProtectionAgency’s Brownfields AssistanceProgram has provided support tothis project, including a $200,000Brownfields Cleanup Grant.

Working with neighborhoodassociations and others interestedin promoting alternate forms oftransportation, East Decatur Gre-enway has developed a collective

vision for this parcel. The primary vision is a community greenspacethat can be shared by schools asan outdoor classroom. Anotherpriority is the construction of a

trailhead for a multi-use bicyclingand pedestrian path that will con-nect the property to the AvondaleEstates MARTA Station parking loton East College Avenue.

Through this design competi-tion, East Decatur Greenway issoliciting drawings and supportingplan documentation that will beused to finalize the transformationof the property into a communitygreenspace once the property hasbeen remediated. Applications aredue Sept. 1. Competition detailsare available at tinyurl.com/Deca-turGreenway . A local nonprot is looking for ideas for an old gas station’s property that is now green-

space. Photo by Andrew Cauthen

Youth sports are not broadcastas much as high school, college orprofessional sports.

However, BornToCompete.comhas provided an outlet to broadcast

youth sports from DeKalb Countyand throughout the East Coast,Midwest and Southwest regions.Alex Benson, managing partner, co-ounded BornToCompete in 2008.

“We wanted to highlight youthports in a positive light,” he said.

BornToCompete offers coaches,parents and young athletes ages 6-14an outlet to celebrate and supportheir athletic accomplishments. The

media outlet showcases athletes’abilities in football, basketball, base-ball and track and field.

The 34-year-old, who lives inTucker, said his passion for youthame from the young athletes, theoaches, the parents and the com-

munity.“The kids put so much effort in

their sports, and the parents give ev-erything to support them,” he said.“So, it was easy for me to let their

passion fuel me in the right direc-tion to highlight their youth sportsachievements in a positive way.”

Benson and his team cover nu-

merous games and tournaments of various sports. They also host sever-al events, including the Autism Bowland the B2C Championship Series.

“Every year with the autism

Bowl we help raise awareness andmoney for Children’s Healthcare ofAtlanta in their fight against Au-tism,” Benson said. “We have theB2C Championship Series at the endof the year which brings championsfrom various leagues to compete in astate tournament.”

BornToCompete also takes ath-letes that they cover to various col-lege campuses through its B2C Col-lege Trip. They have traveled to theUniversity of Texas, the Universityof North Carolina, the University ofFlorida, Florida State and the Uni-

versity of Tennessee.Benson and his staff focus on

working with youth teams all overthe country.

“When we started this company

it was never about making money,”he said. “It is always about showcas-ing the youth athletes’ talents. Forus, that will always be at our core.”

Benson said volunteering is a

way to find your passion.“Whatever you are passionateabout you will do it without any fan-fare, without any money and withno promises to yourself only thatthe fact that you are contributing inan area you feel strongly about,” hesaid. “Some people are lucky enoughto find a passion and turn it into acareer and that is great. Then thereare those like the youth coaches Isee every day that spend countlesshours giving everything they haveto those kids and that is priceless.These coaches will be making animpact on these kids for the rest oftheir lives so their role in shapingour society is vital and should berecognized and appreciated.”

8/20/2019 FreePress 7-3-15

7/20


Avondale Estates

uly 4th parade details announced

Avondale Estates will hold its annual Inde-pendence Day parade July 4. The parade lineuptarts at 9:15 a.m. at Avondale High School, 1192

Clarendon Ave. It begins at 10 a.m. and ends atClarendon Avenue and South Avondale Road.To participate in the parade, email Kelly Brooks at [email protected]. The day endswith a 7:30 p.m. concert at Lake Avondale withhe Atlanta Blue Notes, and fireworks over theake at dusk.

BrookhavenNew playground equipment coming toLynwood Park

Children visiting Brookhaven’s Lynwood

Park will soon get to enjoy new playgroundequipment that includes multiple tube and wavelides. The equipment is on the way, and installa-ion is set to begin the first week of July, the city

announced June 24. The playground is providedby the Shinnick family in honor of Liam Shinn-ck and was designed by Landscape Structures.

The new equipment will be installed acrosshe path from the current playground structures

and will be under construction for four to six

weeks. The area will be taped off for the safety ofpark patrons, who are asked to stay clear of thearea. For more information, contact the Parksand Recreation Department at (404) 637-0542.Lynwood Park is located at 3360 Osborne RoadNE.

Brookhaven to hold public hearing onmillage rate

Brookhaven residents will have another

chance to voice their opinions on the city’s mill-age rate for 2015. Following the public hearings,Brookhaven will adopt the rate on July 7. In ac-cordance with state law, the city has tentativelyadvertised a millage rate for 2015. The adver-ised rate is 2.795 mills, the same as last year’s

rate, but the final number will be adopted afterhe final public hearing July 7.

A tentative tax increase is a result of a no-ice from DeKalb County of an increase in the

valuation of real property tax assessments, nothe millage rate. Brookhaven property owners

may see an increase or a decrease in their resi-dential property taxes, depending on whetherndividual property was assessed higher or lower

by the county. The public hearing will be held atBrookhaven City Hall, 4362 Peachtree Road.

Decatur

Workshop to foster women in public serviceannounced

NewPower PAC Georgia, a nonpartisan or-ganization dedicated to elect women to public

office throughout the state, invites women inter-ested in community activism and political em-

powerment to attend Project ‘Get Involved’, aninteractive workshop on Saturday, July 25 from8:45 a.m. - 4 p.m. at the Maloof Auditorium at1300 Commerce Drive in downtown Decatur.

This event is the first in a series of work-shops directed at women of all ages who wishto become involved either by affecting publicchange through community activism, workingin political campaigns, or running for publicoffice. Future workshops will be held in citiesaround the state to encourage and support wom-en to hold public office and to foster women inpublic service.

For additional information, visit the organi-zation’s website at www.newpowerpacga.org

Paid registration deadline is July 17. Cost for

the workshop is $35 (lunch is included), and ispayable on the website.

Stone Mountain

The Dixie Swim Club at ART Station

The Dixie Swim Club by Jessie Jones, Nico-las Hope and Jamie Wooten will be on stageJuly 9-26 at ARTStation in Stone Mountain. Theshow is about five women who set aside a longweekend every August to recharge their friend-ships. The show features Aretta Baumgartner,Kara Cantrell, Suzanne Roush, Dina Shadwell and Karen Whitaker. Shows will be held Thurs-days through Saturdays at 8 p.m., and Sundays at3 p.m. Tickets can be purchased online at www.artstation.org or over the phone at (770) 469-1105.

Countywide

Photo contest kicks off National Parks andRecreation Month

DeKalb County Department of Recreation, Parks

and Cultural Affairs, The Champion Newspaper ,Discover DeKalb Convention & Visitors Bureau andSouthern Airways Express are sponsoring a photog-raphy contest focused on increasing awareness of thecounty’s parks and recreational facilities.

Open to amateur and professional photogra-phers, the contest runs July 2 until July 31. A list of

subjects will be provided to all participants by theDeKalb County Department of Recreation, Parks

and Cultural Affairs; and photos must have beentaken between January 1, 2014, and July 31, 2015.In conjunction with the photography contest, a

free photography workshop led by professional pho-tographer John Glenn will be held July 9, 6:30 to 8:30p.m. at Callanwolde Fine Arts Center’s Sam Gold-man Retreat, 980 Briarcliff Road in Atlanta.

Winning photographs will be selected by apanel of judges. Winning photographers and theirwork will be recognized at an event in September atCallanwolde Fine Arts Center and featured in TheChampion Newspaper and in Discover DeKalb’s tour-ism publications. Prizes will be awarded to first-, sec-ond- and third-place winners and will include suchpremiums as flights on Southern Airways Expressand a weekend hotel stay in DeKalb County.

All photographs submitted must be taken inparks owned, managed and listed by DeKalb County

Department of Recreation, Parks and Cultural Af-fairs.The Department of Recreation, Parks and Cul-

tural Affairs’ mission is to provide safe parks andfacilities, enhance the quality of life as a providerof recreation and cultural experiences and ensure acustomer-focused parks system.

To participate in the contest or to register forthe photography class, visit www.dekalbcountyga.gov/dekalbparkspics. For additional information call(404) 371-3695.

South DeKalb FunFest

The South DeKalb FunFest at the ChapelSquare Shopping Center is a free event celebrat-ing the south DeKalb Community. The event’s

mission is to spread unity, entertainment andeducation among the South DeKalb Residents.A portion of the proceeds from the event is do-nated to a DeKalb Kids Project Inc.The South DeKalb FunFest will feature:• Entertainment from local artists• Activities for children• Fitness presentations• Food and other vendors• Blood pressure screenings• Blood drive

The event takes place July 18, noon – 6p.m. at Tabitha’s House parking lot in be-tween the House of Hope and the GreaterTraveler’s Rest Baptist Church, 4650 FlatShoals Parkway, Decatur.

DeKalb Juvenile Court to host resource fair

DeKalb County Juvenile Court will host aCommunity Resource Fair in conjunction withthe DeKalb County Board of Health on July 15,from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. All families with youthages 14-24 are invited to come and receive infor-mation on health and wellness, family strength-ening, mentoring and educational services.Health and wellness topics will include AIDSprevention and awareness, and HIV testing willbe available. There will be information providedon programs and educational services that areoffered at no cost to participants, such as YouthCreating Change and the Youth AchievementProgram along with many more.

Juvenile Court is located at the Gregory A.Adams Juvenile Justice Center, 4309 MemorialDrive in Decatur. For more information, contactQuiana Scott at [email protected] E. Diane Hill at [email protected].

AROUNDDEKALB

8/20/2019 FreePress 7-3-15

8/20


LOCAL

y Ashley [email protected]

While the Centers for DiseaseControl and Prevention advises allAmericans be screened for HIV as aoutine part of medical care, many

Americans have never been testedr are not being tested as often asecommended, according to na-ional surveys by the Kaiser Familyoundation. Of the more than 1.2

million people living with HIV inhe United States an estimated onen seven does not know they arenfected and only three in 10 are in

ngoing care and treatment.Prior to National HIV Test-ng Day on June 27, Walgreens and

Greater Than AIDS teamed withealth departments and local AIDService organizations to provideree HIV testing at select Walgreenstores in more than 150 cities acrosshe nation.

“Despite overwhelming evi-ence that early diagnosis and treat-

ment play an important role both in

the health of those who are positiveand in reducing the spread of HIV,many Americans at highest risk forinfection still have not been tested,”said Adam Schnepp, pharmacymanager at the DeKalb MedicalCenter Walgreens. “This campaignis about helping to reduce thestigma surrounding HIV testing, toencourage patients to ask their pro-

viders to get tested, and to connectpeople with services in Atlanta.”

Testing events were held June25, 26 and 27.

Evelyn Burton, a memberof the National Coalition of 100

Black Women DeKalb chapter, volunteered at the Candler RoadWalgreens location holding a signthat read “Free HIV Testing” to en-courage more people to stop and gettested.

She said, “This is very impor-tant. There are incidences of AIDSamong people who don’t know thatthey are infected. With the inci-dence of HIV/AIDS among Blackpeople I think it’s very important to

know your status.”Rapid HIV tests were adminis-

tered onsite by trained counselorsand provided results in less than 20minutes.

Recovery Consultants of Atlanta(RCA) Program Director StephanieLee also volunteered at the CandlerRoad location.

RCA partnered with KaiserFamily Foundation, Greater ThanAIDS and Test Atlanta to providetest kits to support the 2015 Wal-greens/Greater Than AIDS promo-tion.

Lee said, “There are about

250,000 people living with HIV thatare not aware of their status.”She said, “African Americans

are disproportionately impacted byHIV and this community consists ofprimarily African American so it’sabsolutely critical for the commu-nity to come out and get tested andknow their status.”

Lee added, “There is a stigmathat comes with AIDS, people as-sociate being HIV positive as being

gay, that has definitely changed nowthat we know the various modesof transmission, which are: unpro-tected vaginal, oral or anal sex witha person that’s HIV positive. It’s alsotransmitted through injected druguse and can be transferred frommother to child from breast milk.”

Lee said, “It’s the behaviors thatpeople are participating in that putthem at risk. It’s not who they are,but a lot of people don’t want to talkabout their behaviors and admit thatthey are having unprotected sex…There are a lot of different stigmasand stereotypes that go along with

HIV.”Greater Than AIDS has releaseda mobile app called “I Got Tested:What’s Next,” designed to provideinformation about HIV testing andstaying healthy, regardless of HIVstatus.

Walgreens is distributing150,000 copies of an eight-pageprinted version of the app’s informa-tion through store events.

Walgreens to provide free HIV testing

by Ashley [email protected]

A DeKalb County police officerwas injured in a car crash on Glen-wood Road near Columbia Driveon June 25.

According to the police re-port, a passenger vehicle pulled infront of a police car and the officerwerved in an attempt to avoid the

vehicle. The officer struck the ve-hicle and then veered off the roadand hit a utility pole.

In the report the driver said shewas looking for Columbia UsedAuto Parts when she pulled into4161 Glenwood Road. When thedriver noticed the auto store was

across the street she drove acrossall four lanes of traffic to enter thestore’s parking lot. She stated shedid not see the police officer in-

volved in the crash because he wascoming up a hill.

The officer received severallacerations to his arms and legs andhad to be cut out of his vehicle tobe transported to Grady MemorialHospital.

No other injuries were report-ed.

The driver of other vehicle was

arrested and charged with failure toyield and driving without a license

All lanes of Glenwood re-opened around 5:30 p.m. after be-ing closed because of the wreck.

DeKalb police officer

injured in accident

Cars sit still at the intersection of Columbia Drive and Glenwood Road after a SUV and cop carcollided.

Stephanie Lee, Bonita Terrell, Carol Garrett and Dorothy Graves volunteered at the Candler RoadWalgreens encouraging residents to get tested.

Volunteer Evelyn Burton holds a sign advertising free HIV testing to get morepeople to stop at Walgreens and get tested.

8/20/2019 FreePress 7-3-15

9/20


Photo contest:

Share your best shots of DeKalb

County Parks.For informaon and to register visitdekalbcountyga.gov/dekalbparkspics

Sponsored by:

Win roundtrip airfareon Southern Airways

Express

Win roundtrip airfareon Southern Airways

Express

#DeKalbParksPics

iFlySouthern.com visitatlantasdekalb.com dekalbcountyga.gov/parks TheChampionNewspaper.com


Building permits are onhe rise in DeKalb County—

and with them, county in-

pections.Through the end of May,

he county had issued 2,579building permits—including1,378 commercial and 1,125esidential, according to

Andrew Baker, the county’sdirector of planning andustainability.

In 2012, there were1,657 building permits is-ued; there were 1,375 in

2013 and 1,602 in 2014.The county performs

approximately 800 buildingnspections per month.

“For our staff to be ableo get out there and do thatarge volume of inspectionss a compliment to the staff,”

Baker said.The county has consoli-

dated all of its inspections—building, fire and trade—nto one department “to

make it easier for us to havean] overall smooth permit-ing process,” Baker said.

And the streamlinedprocess is working, he said.Median review days andcustomer wait times are de-creasing.

Approximately 90 per-cent of trade inspections—plumbing, electrical andHVAC—are completed onhe scheduled day. Through

May 2015, inspectors hadperformed 14,638 trade in-pections.

The totals for all of 2013and 2014 were 13,398 and12,877, respectively.

For building inspec-ions, 95 percent are com-

pleted on the scheduled day.nspectors performed ap-

proximately 4,500 in 2013.

They have performed theame through May 2015.Ninety-nine percent of

fire inspections are complet-ed on the scheduled day.

Baker said the countyalso has developed an ex-pedited commercial planeview process using peereviewers.

“We have a databaseof peer reviewers whoare qualified,” Baker said.If you need your project

within a certain amount ofime, you can select one ofhose certified firms and

hen they can actually sub-mit those projects to us andwe will guarantee that thoseprojects are returned within10 days.

Building permits, inspections rising in county “If you’re in a crunch

and really need to get thoseplans out—you want tohave a grand opening orsomething—we have a list ofcertified reviewers that are

familiar with our process,and you can pay them tocomplete your plans, sub-

mit them to us and we willdefinitely turn those aroundin an expedited [time],” hesaid.

“Though we’ve madea lot of strides and we’ve

made improvements andwe’ve done consolidationsand we’re trying different

approaches to our plan reviews, we’re not there yet,”Baker said.

“Any time that you havethe number of inspectionsand reviews that we’re actu-

ally doing, there [are] alwaysgoing to be some hiccups,”he added.

The changes have goneover well with customers,Baker said. More customersreport a positive experiencein April 2015 compared witha year ago.

8/20/2019 FreePress 7-3-15

10/20


LOCAL

New fireworks laws spark extra caution

Meet Aliza -

ID# 27731601 she is a socialbutterfly that lovesto dance, roll overfor treats, andmake funny faces.This happy 1 yearold has never meta stranger. Alizais a very people-oriented girl thatcan’t wait to getchummy with you.She gets alonggreat with otherdogs and sleeps peacefully with her kennel matesin a flawless cuddle puddle. Aliza seems to havea moderate energy level and tires out quickly aftersome playing or practicing commands. Do yousee Aliza in your future; she would love to seeyou in hers!! Come meet Aliza today. Come meetthis sweetie at the DeKalb shelter and rememberto ask about our monthly pet promotion. If youwould like more information about Aliza please

email [email protected] orcall (404) 294-2165. All potential adopters will bescreened to ensure Aliza goes to a good home..

Pet of the Week

by Kathy Mitchell

This Independence DayGeorgians may legally cel-ebrate with fireworks thathad been outlawed before aegislative change that wentnto effect July 1.

Medical profession-als caution, however, thatust because fireworks areegal doesn’t mean they are

without risks. Physician So-fia Khan, systems medicaldirector at DeKalb Medi-cal, warned that like manyeveryday items, fireworkscan lead to injury or deathf improperly used. The

more powerful fireworkshat are now legally avail-

able in Georgia may shootnto the air and move along

a trajectory that takes itar—sometimes thousands

of feet—from where it iset off, Khan noted. “Thesehould be used with extreme

caution because they can beunpredictable,” she said.

“Not every firework op-

erates the way it’s supposedo. Just as some are duds thatdon’t go off at all, others maygo off more powerfully thanhe manufacturer intended,”aid Khan, who has prac-iced emergency medicineor 10 years.

Fireworks injuries arenot common, but can beerious, according to Khan

and the Consumer ProductSafety Commission (CPSC),a federal government agen-cy, which reports that on theFourth of July and on sur-ounding days nationally an

average of 240 people a daygo to the emergency roomwith fireworks-related inju-ies.

Khan said she sees fiveor six fireworks-relatedinjuries each year—usu-ally around the Fourth ofJuly. Most of the injuries areburns. “People burn theirhands holding fireworksor burn their skin or hairwhen sparks fly up,” shesaid. Damage to the eyes,she added, can be especiallyserious. According to CPSC,36 percent of fireworks in-

juries are to the hands andfingers; 22 percent are to

the head, face and ears; 16percent are to the eyes; 5percent are to the arms and7 percent are to the trunk orother body parts.

CPSC noted that evensparklers, which manypeople think of as relativelyharmless, can reach 2,000degrees Fahrenheit, aboutthe same temperature as ablowtorch. No fireworks arecompletely harmless, Khanemphasized.

Khan said she has seenfireworks injuries among

all age groups, but theyare more common amongteens and college-age youth.Adults, she added, shouldalways supervise young peo-ple who may not understandthe dangers.

Young children shouldnever be allowed to playwith or ignite fireworks,according to CPSC. Khannoted that adults should ex-ercise special caution whensmall children are present.“Little children run arounda lot. A child may be in oneplace one minute and before

the parents realize it thechild may be too close towhere the fireworks are be-ing used,” she said.

Directions on fireworkspackages usually indicatehow far people or objectsshould be from the devicebefore it burns or explodes,but not everyone heeds orunderstands the directions.“People can create a danger-ous situation when they de-cide to get creative with fire-works, doing such things astying a group of explosivestogether or placing a toy ontop of the device before set-ting it off. A plastic toy can

burst apart and pieces of itcan strike and injure some-one,” Khan said.

She also advised thosecelebrating with fireworks touse them only when sober.“Alcohol and fireworks arenot a good mix,” she said. “Aperson may do foolish andirresponsible things whenhe’s been drinking. Thisis not the time to use fire-works.”

There is a reason thatfireworks are regulated bylaw, Khan said. “The dan-

gers are real. Those whoaren’t certain they can han-dle fireworks safely mightdo well to enjoy them at apublic display where thefireworks are operated byprofessionals.”

CPSC offer these addi-tional tips:• Avoid buying fireworks

that are packaged in brownpaper because this is oftena sign that the fireworkswere made for professionaldisplays and that theycould pose a danger toconsumers.

• Never place any part ofyour body directly overa fireworks device whenlighting the fuse. Back up

to a safe distance imme-diately after lighting fire-works.

• Never try to relight or pickup fireworks that have notignited fully.

• Never point or throw fire-works at another person.

• Keep a bucket of water or agarden hose handy in caseof fire or other mishap.

• Light fireworks one at

a time, then move backquickly.

• Never carry fireworks in apocket or shoot them offin metal or glass contain-ers.

• After fireworks completetheir burning, douse thespent device with plentyof water from a bucket orhose before discarding it toprevent a trash fire.

8/20/2019 FreePress 7-3-15

11/20


WEEKPICTURESIn

Photo brought t you by DCTV

DeKalb County begins one-day-a-week sanitation collection service July 6, 2015

Residential customers will have same-day garbage, recyclable materials and yard trimmings collection

For more info, call or visit:

(404) 294-2900

www.rollingforwardtoone.com

The steeple is the last remnant of the Scott Boulevard Baptist Church. The church and surrounding residen-tial properties are being demolished to make way for the Decatur Crossing development. Photo by TravisHudgons

t was a bright, sunny day June 25 when a tree fell across PeachcrestRoad. DeKalb County reghters taped off the area until the tree wasemoved. Photo by Andrew Cauthen

Marriage ofciates and couple Samantha Clark and Christi Snellgrovestand outside the DeKalb County Courthouse.

8/20/2019 FreePress 7-3-15

12/20


LOCAL

by Carla [email protected]

Ernest Walker and hiswife were sitting in their ga-rage having coffee when theyheard a “big boom.”

“It knocked us backwardsout of the chair, and we sawthe tree falling,” Walker said.

Lightning hit a largetree in front of the Walkers’home, located in the 3900block of Knights Cross insouth DeKalb. A storm wasin the area on June 27 whenlightning struck around 7:30p.m.

The lightning strike split

the tree in half, causing it toexplode, and send debris fly-ing.

“It was quite a large tree,”Walker said.

Neighbors also saw a“fireball” shoot up in the

air. Fire spread to the side ofWalker’s home. Walker saidhe did not see the explosion.

“We just kept rolling to-wards the back to get out ofthe way,” he said. “We neversaw the lightning ball, but allmy neighbors saw it. Theysaid it lit up like a big flash atnight, but we didn’t see that.”

Debris from the explo-sion damaged nine cars, in-cluding the cars of Walker’sgranddaughter, son, wife andneighbors. Other than a “lit-tle scratch” on Walker’s wife’sankle, no one was injured.

“Me and my wife bothfeel blessed,” he said. “Whenyou see things like that, youknow you’re blessed.”

Tree hit by lightningdamages home insouth DeKalb

ightning struck a tree in south DeKalb,ausing the tree to explode.

Debris from the tree damaged nine cars in the 3900 block ofKnights Cross.

Fire from the explosion spread to Ernest Walker’s home.Photos by Carla Parker

by Ashley [email protected]

On June 26 Decatur Rotary in-

talled new leaders and recognizedmany current members.Scott Thompson was announced

as the 2015 - 2016 president, replac-ng the Peter Michelson.

Thompson said, “We have beenoaned 21 new members. We are

net 13 or 15 depending on the math,which is quibbling…. We haven‘tbeen net one in over a decade, andhis club is almost back to its size

when I joined. I can think of no bet-er way to repay that debt and honor

Peter and Rick Garnitz’s mitzvahhan to focus on the core, which to

me is Friday lunch at Rotary, fel-owship, great food, great speakers,ome education, fellowship throughervice and taking care of club busi-

ness.”Thompson said, “When I say

aking care of this club, I mean pri-

marily actually doing what everyoneknows we should do using the best practices of Rotary in Action tomentor and retain new members...

Getting more people to participate inour fundraiser, which is lots of ser-vice time with lots of opportunitiesto work with each other, get to knoweach other.”

Dozens of Rotary Club membersattended the event at DeKalb’s His-tory Center.

Michelson said the most reward-ing aspect of leading the organiza-tion has been “bringing a sense ofexcitement and enthusiasm backinto the club. I think one of thereasons we have attracted so manynew members is because our members are engaged and excited aboutwhat’s going on, and they’re tellingtheir friends, colleagues and associ-ates.”

There are approximately 130members of the Decatur-based club.

Since Michelson took charge 28

new members have joined.Michelson said one of the chal-

lenges with Rotary is that they meetevery week. “We have an attendance

requirement so it’s often people whoare later in their life who have thatexibility in their schedule. One ofthe challenges in our Rotary club isthe age gap. One of the things thatwe have worked on really hard ismaking sure that we have a reallygood cross section of people of dif-ferent ages, working on diversityissues, diversifying both gender andrace across all lines.”

The Rotary Club of Decatur isone of Georgia’s rst Rotary Clubs.It became the rst Rotary Clubfounded in the suburbs of America.The club assists with Decatur’s Mar-tin Luther King Jr. service project,delivers hygiene kits to homelessshelters, promotes early literacy andleads other community initiatives.

Former board member SaraFountain said, “One of the things

about Rotary is when you are askedto do something you’re not expectedto ever say ‘no,’ you’re expectedto say ‘yes.’ You’ll nd people do-

ing something they’ve never done before. You have to step outside ofyour comfort zone to get involved inactivities that are helpful to the com-munity and the club.”

The motto of the Rotary Club is“service above self.”

Fountain said, “When people join Rotary we explain this to themthat there is a certain service-basedrequirement that we want them to participate in, in order to support theactivities of the club.”

She added, “If you can’t physi-cally do something, you can donatenancially. You give your time, yourresources or both to support the mis-sion.”

For additional information on theDecatur Rotary Club visit decatur-rotary.org.

Decatur Rotary installs new officers

rom left, Decatur Rotary Club new members Peter Michelson, Renewal Design Build; Luz Borrero, DeKalb County government; Doug Park, Douglas Park Law; Ash Gupta, Cartridge World;Brandon Baines, Atlanta Area Council – Boy Scouts; Neil Dobbs, Allstate Insurance; Preston Etheridge, BB&T Bank; Brett Price, Berkshire Hathaway Home Services, Georgia Properties;nd Keri Powell, U.S. EPA.

8/20/2019 FreePress 7-3-15

13/20

Marriage Continued From Page 1A

Ellis Continued From Page 1A


aid. “I think this brings aboutacceptance, brings about love, and Ihink we are step closer to where we

need to be.”he couple had been engaged

or a while, a ceremony previouslyplanned or next year “is just goingo be a renewal o vows now,” Cat

Breanna Carnes-Miller said.“I think it’s a really big deal

especially that the South hasegalized marriage regardless

o gender,” said Jordan ForrestCarnes-Miller. “here’s a lot moreo be done, especially in regards totransgender] issues but…we’re onetep closer to acceptance o dierentiestyles.”

“Its’ just an awesome day tocelebrate,” Jordan Forrest Carnes-Miller said.

he U. S. Supreme Courtannounced its 5-4 decision June 26hat same-sex couples have a righto marry anywhere in the United

States. As a result o the ruling,Georgia and 13 other states in theSouth and Midwest will have to stop

enorcing their bans on same-sexmarriage.

“It is now clear that thechallenged laws burden the libertyo same-sex couples, and it mustbe urther acknowledged thatthey abridge central precepts oequality,” said Supreme CourtJustice Anthony Kennedy .

Gov. Nathan Deal said Georgiawill ollow ederal law.

“While I believe that this issue

should be decided by the statesand by legislatures, not the ederal judiciary, I also believe in the rule olaw. he state o Georgia is subjectto the laws o the United States, andwe will ollow them,” he said.

Congressman Hank Johnson (GA-04) said the “historic SupremeCourt ruling means all Americans–regardless o their gender or genderidentity–have the right to marry theperson they love.

“It also reairms equal protectionunder the law in accordance withthe Fourteenth Amendment,” hesaid. “We are all more ree when all

Americans are treated as equal, nomatter who they are or whom theylove.”

Rep. Karla Drenner o AvondaleEstate said she is “gratiied bythe Court’s recent ruling and thewillingness to place principle overpolitics.

“he Supreme Court’s acceptanceis the step in the right direction orGeorgia, but I believe that we stillhave a lot o work to do in order or

the LGB community to overcomediscrimination,” Drenner said.House Minority Leader Stacey

Abrams, who represents part oDeKalb County called the ruling a“groundbreaking victory.”

“I am thrilled that allAmericans—regardless o wherethey live—will no longer bedenied the right to marry whothey love,” Abrams said. “LGBindividuals will not have to ightor the right to sit next to theirpartners’ bedside in a hospital, toget amily healthcare coverage, or tohave their relationships recognized

by immigration laws.“his is progress worth

celebrating, and I’m hopeul thatwe will continue to chip away atbarriers or LGB equality untilall discrimination is a thing o thepast,” she said.

Rep. Scott Holcomb tweeted,“Love is love,” adding that there are“no reports o same-sex marriageshaving any impact on existingmarriages in Georgia.”

Rosh said the county’s updatedmarriage license applications arenow gender neutral.

Rosh said workers are tryingto make more room or marriagelicense applicants, adding that thecourt has received a lood o phonecalls rom people inquiring aboutsame-sex marriage licenses.

DeKalb County Probate Courtwas open Saturday, June 27, rom 8a.m. to 12 noon, to accommodatean expected increase in marriagelicense requests.

Cat and Jordan Forrest Carnes-Miller show off their rings after getting married June 26. Photos by Andrew Cauthen

called in “every time there was a hole in the state’scase.” Walton was brought in to testiy sevenimes in Ellis retrial, Gillen said.

“I agree with [prosecutors] when they saydon’t believe a single thing out o his mouth,” Gil-en said.

Gillen told the jury to believe what they heardon the tapes, when Ellis “doesn’t know anybodyelse but Mr. Walton is listening… Do not let Wal-on come in and transorm the tapes.”

“Don’t get distracted,” DeKalb County District

Attorney Robert James told the jury. “KelvinWalton is a distraction.

“You may not like Kelvin Walton,” James said.I get it; he’s a liar. Tat’s what liars do.”

James said Walton was “a microphone stand”

or investigators in the DA’s Office.“I you get caught saying something wrong

in the microphone…you don’t blame the mikestand,” James said.

Reminding the jury that Walton is not on trial,James asked when Ellis is “going to take some re-sponsibility.”

Instead, Ellis is saying “don’t look at me, lookat the putty man,” James said.

Ellis’ administration “is a virtual sewer o cor-ruption. He wants you to believe…he’s an angel.”

James named ormer county employees hedescribed as corrupt, looked at Ellis and said, “Soare you.”

In October 2014, Ellis’ first trial o ended in ahung jury afer six weeks; the jury deliberated or

11 days.In the first trial, Ellis aced our counts o

criminal attempt to commit thef by extortion;three counts o thef by taking; two counts ocriminal attempt to commit alse statements andwritings; three counts o coercion o other em-ployees to give anything o value or political pur-poses; and a count each o conspiracy in restrainto ree and open competition, and o conspiracyto deraud a political subdivision.

Beore his retrial began this month, our

charges were dropped: two counts o thefs andtwo o coercion.

Te jury began deliberating June 24 and hadreached a verdict by Te Champion’s press timeon June 30.

8/20/2019 FreePress 7-3-15

14/20

EDUCATIONThe Champion Free Press, Friday, July 3, 2015 Page 14A

Outgoing schools superintendent celebratedby Ashley Oglesby [email protected]

An evening of food,ellowship and music en-embles from Redan High

School drum line, ColumbiaMiddle School PrincipalKeith Jones, transportationdirector David Guillory andeacher Victoria Guilloryed a celebration for outgoing

DeKalb school Superinten-dent Michael Thurmond onune 25.

The event took placerom 6 to 8 p.m. at the dis-rict’s Stone Mountain head-

quarters.Mistress of Ceremonies

Susan McCauley , principalof DeKalb School of the Artsaid under Thurmond’s lead-

ership the district has “great-y improved its financialoundation, increased trust

and cooperation from thecommunity and increasedopportunities for students tobe successful in every schoolhouse and in every class-oom.”

She said choosing a law-yer to run a school districtdoesn’t seem like the bestdea but it was.

Thurmond took over thedistrict in February 2013 ands credited with stabilizing

he School District in themidst of budget deficits, agovernance crisis that result-ed in the removal of severalboard members and a threat

to the district’s accreditation.Board chairman Mel-

vin Johnson said, “The bestquality that I have recog-nized [Thurmond] havingthat I want to distinguish

is his understanding. Heunderstands the differencesand the roles of the board ofeducation and the role of thesuperintendent. He under-stands the importance of cre-ating a culture in the com-munity and in our schoolsystem that is conducive tolearning. He realizes andunderstands the importanceof getting the best salariesfor teachers who deliversinstruction to our studentseach and every day. He un-derstands the importance ofparent engagement and onlythe board knows how hardhe has worked in collabora-tion with the board to makethese things happen.”

He added, “We have im-proved student achievement.We improved the graduationrate. We eliminated the defi-cit and certainly we broughthope back to this county.”

Under Thurmond’s lead-ership, the district’s accredi-tation was restored, budgetdeficits was transformed intosurpluses and the board andadministration have shifted

from crisis mode to a focuson improving educationaloutcomes for the district’s100,000 students.

Thurmond was pre-

NOTICE OF PROPERTY TAX INCREASE

The City of Chamblee has tentatively adopted a new millage rate of 6.40mills for the General Fund which will require an increase in property taxesby 8.60% over the rollback millage rate.

All concerned citizens are invited to the public hearings on this tax increaseto be held at the Chamblee Civic Center located at 3540 Broad St,Chamblee Georgia on July 1, 2015 at 6:00 PM.

Two additional public hearings on this tax increase will be held at theChamblee Civic Center on July 9, 2015. There will be one hearing at 11:30AM and a final hearing at 6:00 PM. After the final public hearing, themillage rate will be formally adopted.

This tentative new millage rate of 6.40 mills for the newly annexedproperties will result in an increase of .507 mills. Without this tentative tax

increase, the millage rate will be 5.893 mills. The proposed tax increase fora home with a fair market value of $125,000 is approximately $11.40 andthe proposed tax increase for non-homestead property with a fair marketvalue of $450,000 is approximately $102.06.

sented with a plaque ofhonor from 100 Black Menof DeKalb and a certificate ofhonor from city of LithoniaMayor Deborah Jackson.

Student Donte Watkins,

parent Samia Abdullah,DeKalb chamber man ArnieSilverman, Citizen MaryLindsey Lewis and busdriver Linda Carthan servedas featured speakers at theevent.

Thurmond gave the clos-ing remarks for the event.

“My life has been trans-formed. I have literallybeen born again because ofmy service here in DeKalb

County,” Thurmond said.He added, “Honor meby when you do your budgetfor [fiscal year 2017] thinkabout the bus drivers andthe janitors and the food andnutrition people first. Think

first about the children whoare seeking to be educated.Think about the parents thatcannot speak English. Thinkabout the children who grewup in refugee camps. Think

about those that need usmost.”Incoming DeKalb

County Schools Superinten-dent Dr. Stephen Green wassworn in on July 1.

Columbia Middle School principal Keith Jones s ings I Did it My Way to

Michael Thurmond. Thurmond’s wife gets teary-eyed.

ormer school superintendent Michael Thurmond and his wife dance to Un- orgettable which was performed by David Guillory and his daughter Victoria.

Parent Samia Abdullah thanks the former superintendent for his recognition of refugees and non-Englishspeaking parents.

Transportation Director David Guillory and

teacher Victoria Guillory perform Unforgettable.

8/20/2019 FreePress 7-3-15

15/20

The Champion Free Press, Friday, July 3, 2015 Page 15ACLASSIFIEDS

DISCLAIMER: We do not knowingly accept advertisements that discriminate, or intend to discriminate, on any illegal basis. Nor do we knowingly accept employment advertisements that are notbona-de job offers. All real estate advertisements are subject to the fair housing act and we do not accept advertising that is in violation of the law. The law prohibits discrimination based on color,religion, sex, national origin, handicap or familial status.

Te Champion is not responsible for any damages resulting from advertisements. All sales final.

RATES: $30.00 for up to 40 words, each additional word $0.60.All ads are prepaid! All Major credit cards accepted!

Fo Price, Deadline and Information Visit www.championclassifeds.com

ClassifedsTheChampion

Ads Due By Friday - Noonfor next publication date.

AUCTIONSAUTO AUCTION Court Ordered 150+ots Live Auction Friday, July 10th 2ocations Clayton County Sheri Oce10AM 9157 Tara Blvd, Jonesboro, GA

9 Vehicles JD’s Auto Sales – 12PM040 Jonesboro Rd, Forest Park, GA20+ Vehicles Online Bidding Available!.W. Benton Company, Inc.07 Oak Valley Drive, Macon, GA 478-44-0027 www.bidderone.com #3215

AUCTION SCHOOL – Start your NewCareer Today. July 30th, August 8th,

Greenville, SC. Contact us early discount.64-444-1325. www.SSAuctioneering.nfo or email: [email protected]

ADVERTISE YOUR AUCTION in over 100ewspapers for only $350. Your 25-wordlassied ad will reach more than1 millioneaders. Call Jennifer Labon at the Geor-ia Newspaper Service, 770-454-6776.

DRIVERS ATTN: DRIVERS - $2K SIGN-ON Bonus. We Put Drivers First! Earn $55/yr + Bo-nuses. Family Company. Beautiful Trucks.CDL-A Req. (877) 258-8782. www.drive4melton.com

ATTN: Truck Drivers! Covenant Transportis HIRING! Team & Solo Drivers Needed.No CDL? We can help! 3wk training avail.Call Career Trucker today! N. GA 866-494-7434; S. GA 866-557-9244.

DRIVER TRAINEES – PAID CDL TRAINING

Stevens Transport will cover all cost! NOEXPERIENCE NEEDED! Earn $800 per

week! Local CDL Training! 1-888-749-2303. Drive4stevens.com

Are you ready to kick-start your new ca-reer? Now Interviewing Accredited TruckDriving School Graduates (With CDL-A) forour Entry Level Apprentice Program. Musthave good MVR, Work history and Crimi-nal background history. Call Chris Black-

well at 843-266-3731 to discuss pay and

benets. www.bulldoghiway.com EOE

Experienced OTR Flatbed Drivers earn50 up to 55cpm loaded. $1000 sign onqualied drivers. Home most weekends.Call: 843-266-3731 / www.bulldoghiway.com EOE

EDUCATIONALTRAINING

AVIATION Grads work with JetBlue,

Boeing, NASA and others – start here with hands on training for FAA certica-tion. Financial aid if qualied. Call AviationInstitute of Maintenance (866) 564-9634.

www.FixJets.com

MEDICAL BILLING TRAINEES NEEDED!Become a Medical Oce Assistant! NoExperience Needed! Online training canget you job ready! HS Diploma/GED &PC/Internet needed! 1-888-407-7162.

WELDING CAREERS – Hands on train-ing for career opportunities in aviation,automotive, manufacturing and more.Financial aid for qualied students – Joband Housing assistance available. CALL

AIM (877) 205-2968.

HELP WANTEDMETRO RYDC Must ll open positions:Juvenile Correctional Lieutenant, JuvenileCorrectional Ocer 2, Juvenile Correc-tional Ocer 1, Registered Nurse, NursePractitioner. Please visit www.djj.state.

ga.us. http://www.djj.state.ga.us. Ap-plicants subject to ngerprinting, back -ground check, and pre-employment drugtest. METRO RYDC is an Equal Opportu-

nity Employer. Can You Dig It? Heavy Equipment OperatorCareer! We offer training and certificationsrunning bulldozers, backhoes and excava-tors. Lifetime Job placement. VA BenefitsEligible! 1-866-362-6497.

GUARANTEED WORK!!!

CDL "P" endorsement drivers with a good MVR guaranteed work! .Enjoy discovering America by delivering School Buses and S emis. Since we have

a variety of runs and don’t force dispatch, our drivers enjoy the freedom of aflexible schedule and seemingly endless possible destinations.

Begin your journey today with a call to 1-866-764-1601or a visit to www.QualityDriveAway.com

Celebrating our 28th year of excellence!

Full Time Company Drivers& Owner Operators

Family owned trucking companyhiring FT Company Drivers

and Owner Operators to haulrefrigerated freight out of facility inMcDonough, Ga. delivering toEast coast. No New York City.

Sign On Bonus! $500after 6 months employment.

Call 870-887-0800, 870-703-3734

or [email protected]

Donate A Boat

s pon s ore d b y b oat an g el ou tre a ch ce nters S TOP CR I MES A GA I NS T C H ILD REN

www.boatangel.com

“2-Night Free Vacation!”

or Car Today!

8001- CAR L ANGE--

WELDING

CAREERS

HANDS ON TRAINING

FOR CAREER

OPPORTUNITIES IN

AVIATION, AUTOMOTIVE,

MANUFACTURING AND

MORE. FINANCIAL

AID FOR QUALIFIED

STUDENTS-JOBPLACEMENT ASSISTANCE.

CALL AIM

(877) 205-2968

8/20/2019 FreePress 7-3-15

16/20

The Champion Free Press, Friday, July 3, 2015 Page 16ABUSINESS

Small construction company has large community impact

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

INFLUENTIAL

by Kathy Mitchell

“People think my company is

a lot bigger than it is,” commentedArnie Silverman, president of Sil-verman Construction. “We onlyhave 12 employees and generateess than $3 million a year in rev-

enue. We’re really quite small.” If thecompany is perceived to be huget’s probably because its imprint is

on many landmarks throughoutDeKalb County and Atlanta.

Although the company is a rela-tive newcomer among Atlanta-areaconstruction companies, duringts 20 years of existence, Silverman

Construction has been involvedwith such high-profile projects asthe Porter Sanford III Perform-ng Arts and Community Centern Decatur, the Lou Walker Senior

Center in Lithonia, Wade WalkerPark YMCA, East Lake Village andnumerous churches, synagogues andtemples.

“I was always really good atmath,” Silverman said, explaininghis decision to pursue a career inengineering. He has an electricalengineering degree from Stevens In-stitute of Technology, which he de-scribes as “an excellent little schoolthat not many people have heard

of,” and a master’s degree in busi-ness administration from ColumbiaUniversity.

A native of New York, Silvermancame to Georgia in 1979 to workwith his brother at Winter Con-struction Co., where he was presi-dent and chief operating officer.Although in 16 years he increasedWinter Construction’s revenue from$2.5 million to more than $88 mil-lion, Silverman quit because he“wasn’t having any fun.”

The 1995 death of a familymember who had suffered a braininjury, led Silverman to take stock ofhis life and his priorities. That sameyear he started Silverman Construc-tion.

“At first, I operated the business

from my house,” he recalled. “Thenone morning my wife came down-stairs in her bathrobe and found sixstrangers waiting in the foyer. Shesaid, ‘Either they go or I do.’” Soonafter, the company moved to Zono-lite Road near Emory University.

Silverman said he believes thateach person has an obligation togive back to the community inwhich he earns a living. His longlist of community board serviceincludes chairing the boards of theDeKalb County Chamber of Com-merce and Leadership DeKalb. He

also has served on the boards ofPaideia School, Olmsted LinearPark Alliance, and Genesis Shelter

Inc. The Metro Atlanta Chamberof Commerce recently awarded Sil- verman its Lifetime AchievementAward.

Among the accomplishmentsthe Metro Atlanta Chamber cited inchoosing Silverman for the awardwas his successful navigation of theeconomic downturn that hit bot-tom in 2008 and was especially hardon the construction industry. The

Atlanta Business Chronicle quotedMary Moore, founder and CEO ofCook’s Warehouse, who was amongthe judges for the award. “That’sthe sign of a great leader,” she said.“There are a lot of people who

weathered the storm, but there arealso a lot that didn’t.”

Sometimes his business andcommunity service intersect. Silver-man recalled serving on the boardof a private school that wanted hishelp with a construction project.“I told them I couldn’t afford todo it as a volunteer and to take theproject while serving on the boardwould be a conflict of interest.[Their representative] said, ‘Fine,I’m firing you as a board memberand hiring you as a contractor.’”

Silverman Construction special-

izes in not-for-profit and govern-ment projects. “It’s not all we do, butI really like taking on those projects.

Often they need someone to helpthem make good decisions—tonavigate the minefield.”

For example, he said, an orga-nization may have $3 million tospend on a project and learn thatconstruction will cost $3 million.“They think everything’s fine, butthey don’t realize the $3 million forconstruction doesn’t include per-mits, the cost of an architect andother expenses they might not havethought of,” he said. “We alwaysmake sure projects are budgeted andscheduled correctly. It starts witha good contract, one that’s fair, butowner biased.”

Silverman recalled a large southDeKalb church that hired him afterits relocation project ran into majorproblems. “The church, the contrac-tor and the architect were all readyto sue each other. They were allAfrican Americans. This wouldn’thave created a good image in thecommunity. I was able to work withthem, and we ended up with no-body suing and the project beingcompleted to everybody’s satisfac-tion.”

rnie Silverman says his favorite projects involve not-for-prot or government organizations.

8/20/2019 FreePress 7-3-15

17/20

DEKALB CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

Two Decatur Town Center, 125 Clairemont Ave. Suite 235, Decatur, GA, 30030 • 404.378.8000• www.DeKalbchamberofcommerce.org

Brought to you in partnership with: The Champion Newspaper

July 2015

News and events of the

President’s Message

Monday, August 31, 2015

For over a decade, the DeKalbChamber of Commerce has beenorganizing golf outings as our secondargest annual event and we are excitedo be able to do so again this year!

On August 31, 2015, the Chamberwill host in a captain’s choice format,s 11th Annual Golf Tournament athe prestigious Druid Hills Golf Club, ahampionship golf course and premier

acility, located at 740 Clifton Road, NEAtlanta, GA.

Since its inception, the Chamber’solf tournaments have always enjoyedtrong participation and support from

he business community with an average

of 115 participants. Approximately 144participants will come together this yearas 4-man player teams for a best ballscramble tournament. Avid golfers will beteeing it up and hitting long across theDruid Hills Golf Club fair greens to makeup the rich tapestry of DeKalb and metroAtlanta’s business leaders and their keyclients, friends, business colleagues, andsponsors.

Starting with an 8:30 a.m. registration,participants will tee off at 10:00a.m. competing for Hole-In-One, Closestto the Pin, Longest Drive and PuttingGreen contests. Back by populardemand is our W|E|L|D Women’s GolfClinic from 1:30 to 3 p.m. which offers a

personal assessment by a pro golfer, a

one-hour lesson in golf fundamentals,networking reception and complimentarygift bag. Immediately at 3:30 p.m. is our19th Hole Reception where players willcompete for rafe prizes and awards.

Each year many of Atlanta’s topcompanies use this tournament as a wayto invite their key clients and encouragebusiness colleagues to join them onthe green for a day of relaxed fun,networking, good food, and golf awards. Sponsorship Opportunities Available:Contact Rick Young [email protected] or RacheaBrooks [email protected] at(404)-378-8000.

For nearly 80 years the DeKalbChamber of Commerce has facedgrowth, change, and transition that,at times, were extremely challenging.Over the past year, the Chamberhas risen to meet every challenge,every change through employinga highly skilled and diverse staff ofprofessionals with a wide range of

experience who are committed toputting the interest of our membersand the business community rst.

The Chamber has redened

its programs and events to deliverwhat the business community hassaid is more valuable than what theyhave experienced in the last severalyears— a more elevated Chamberbrand that is inclusive of all industriesand businesses.

What an opportunity I have beengiven, not in being the rst woman

to lead this Chamber, but becauseI have had the opportunity to hire

a truly dynamic team. So meet yourChamber team and know that welook forward to serving you.

Vice President of Operations,

Kim Childs, who holds a bachelor’sdegree in public relations and is aformer banker, comes to us with morethan 20 plus years in corporateAmerica in retail and commercialbanking. Focusing on streamliningprocesses and procedures, Kim is agreat addition to the team.

Rachea Brooks, Marketing

Specialist and Assistant to thePresident, holds an associatedegree in business administration,is a certied web designer and a

proud veteran of the United StatesArmy. Rachea’s experience includesmarketing, web development, graphicdesign, human resources andbusiness administration. She creativelymanages our website and marketingdesign work.

Director of MembershipDevelopment, Rick Young, witha BA in nance comes to us as a

former retail and commercial banker

in the DeKalb market. Having beena successful banker for the last16 years Rick has been with theChamber for just more than one

month, and has already settled intohis new role perfectly.

Emily Yang, our newCommunications and ExperientialMarketing Manager, joins theChamber team with a wide rangeof technical skills in public relations,marketing, social media networkingand branding. Emily knows the

DeKalb business market and bringsa wealth of energy to the Chamber.She holds a bachelor’s degree inpublic relations and marketing, andis a member of the Public RelationsSociety of America (PRSA) as well asthe PRSA Georgia Chapter.

I am proud to lead this Chamberand this awesome team, as we havehad a tremendous amount of successin the rst half of 2015, and look

forward to your support as we moveinto the second half of our year.

Katerina Taylor

President and CEOBBA-Marketing, MBA-Finance

Fun! Networking! A Day of Golf!

Upcoming Events

July 21: 11:30–1:30 p.m. Membership Orientation Luncheon,Cornerstone Bank Community Room, 125 Clairemont Ave,Decatur. Join us for lunch and hear how to leverage the variousengagement opportunities, afnity programs and events to maximizeyour membership investment, make new contacts and grow yourbusiness.

July 30: 5:30–7:30 p.m. Business After Hours Networking:SOUTHBOUND, 5934 Peachtree Road, Chamblee. Enjoya casual evening of networking and hear updates ofthe Chamber’s programs. Appetizers will be provided bySOUTHBOUND. Drink Specials. Cash bar.

August 31–11th Annual DeKalb Chamber Golf Tournament , DruidHills Golf Club September 23: 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. The Atlanta Journal- Constitution presents the DeKalb Chamber of CommerceTechnology Symposium and luncheon

November 19: 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Save-The-Date GeneralMembership Meeting – Economic Outlook and Financial Impact2016 with Keynote Speaker: Dennis Lockhart, President and CEO ofthe Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta

Additional information available on our events page: www.dekalbchamber.org

Young

YangBrooks

ChildsTaylor

8/20/2019 FreePress 7-3-15

18/20

The Champion Free Press, Friday, July 3, 2015 Page 18ASPORTS

Former SWD lacrosseplayer finishesranked in NCAA stats

DSA grad finishes track career at Florida State

STOP CYBERBULLYINGStand up •Speak out

by Mark Brock

Jande Pierce came out of the DeKalbSchool of the Arts (DSA) in 2011 with a trackcholarship to Florida State University evenhough the school had no track team.

The redshirt junior wrapped up her col-ege career this past spring with an All-Amer-can honor and two NCAA Track and Field

Championships appearances to her credit aswell as an Academic All-ACC selection.

Her senior year included helping the4x400 meter relay squad to a win in the AlexWilson Invitational with the school’s second-astest time in the event at 3:35.26.

She spent much of the season developingher speed by running in the 60- and 200-me-er sprints as well as the 4x400 until a ham-tring injury forced her to sit out much of theeason, including the ACC Championships

and NCAA’s, despite being an alternate on the4x400.

The 2014 season was the highlight of herour years at Florida State after coming off

a redshirt season in 2013. Pierce became aegular member of the Seminoles’ 4x100 relayeam. She ran the third leg on FSU’s seventh

place and All-American 4x100 relay team athe 2014 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field

Championships.Pierce’s team ran a 44.17 in the preliminar-

ies to qualify for the finals where they earnedthe All-American honors. She was also part ofthe eighth place 4x400 relay that earned a fi-nal point to help secure Florida State the 2014ACC Outdoor Championships title.

During the 2014 season Pierce, a politicalscience major, was one of 12 Seminole trackteam members to be named to the ACC All-Academic Track team for 2014.

Her freshman season at Florida Statedemonstrated the promise Pierce had shownduring club track (New Horizons) to earn thescholarship. Pierce ran the 400 leg (56.35) of

the distance medley relay at the 2012 ACCChampionships as the squad set a ACC recordon the way to the conference title. She also ranthe fastest leg (55.77) of the 4x400 relay team(3:46.29) that finished fifth at the champion-ships that year and ran the 200 (24.10) to fin-ish fifth to help solidify Florida State’s runner-up finish.

Do not look for Pierce to use her politicalscience degree anytime soon as she is return-ing to her first love, the arts. Pierce has puttogether a self-produced music CD.

by Mark Brock

Tusculum Collegewomen’s lacrosse sophomoremidfielder Calyn Kelly wasone of two Pioneers rankedn the Top 10 in the 2015

NCAA Division I groundball category.

Kelly, a former South-west DeKalb lacrosse andbasketball star, had a 3.80ground balls per game aver-age to rank seventh in thenation and second in theSouth Atlanta ConferenceSAC) along with freshman

midfielder Madison Malone

who was 10th with a 3.67average led Tusculum to aeventh national ranking ineam ground balls average at

24.80.A transfer from Rein-

hardt University (NAIA) inWaleska. Kelly was the firstSouthwest DeKalb LadyPanther to receive a scholar-hip for lacrosse.

She also earned the

Astroturf SAC women’s la-

crosse Defensive Player ofthe Week for March 18-21for her play in Tusculum

victories over Catawba andLincoln Memorial (LMU).

Kelly recorded a seasonhigh nine ground balls inthe Pioneers’ 17-16 come-back victory over Catawba.Her season high five causedturnovers against Catawbaincluding a timely defensiveplay that allowed Tusculumto run out the clock follow-ing the game-winning goal.

The Pioneers rolled toa 16-2 victory over Lincoln

Memorial earlier that weekand had Kelly collectingfour ground ball and threecaused turnovers.

The two-game span alsoincluded Kelly picking upfive draw controls to aid herpick as the SAC DefensivePlayer of the Week.

Kelly collected 16 goalsand nine assists to total25 points as the defender

finished sixth on the teamin points scored. She had ateam-leading season total of

57 ground balls to go with33 draw controls (rankedsecond on team) and 20

turnovers caused (tied forfourth on team).

Calyn Kelly ranked 7th in the nation in ground balls per game average.

DSA alum Jande Pierce nished her college career with an All-Americanhonor and two NCAA Track and Field Championships appearances.

8/20/2019 FreePress 7-3-15

19/20

The Champion Free Press, Friday, July 3, 2015 Page 19ASPORTS

Mike Glenn hosts basketball campfor deaf studentsby Carla [email protected]

Young basketball players who are hearing im-paired from across the country traveled to Decaturfor the Mike Glenn’s All-Star Basketball Camp forhe Deaf and Hard of Hearing.

In its 36th year the camp, was held June 22-26at Clairemont Presbyterian Church and DecaturRecreation Center. Hosted by former NBA playerMike Glenn, it is the nation’s first basketball campfor deaf and hard of hearing athletes ages 14 to 18.During the week, the students went through basket-ball drills to enhance their skills.

They also learned about communication, lead-ership, nutrition and life lessons. The camp co

Date post:	07-Aug-2018
Category:	Documents
Upload:	champion-newspaper
View:	220 times
Download:	0 times

FreePress 7-3-15

Documents