Free Press 5-11-12

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WWW.CHAMPIONNEWSPAPER.COM FRIDAY, MAY 11, 2012 VOL. 15, NO. 7 FREE

FREEPRESS A PUBLICATION OF ACE III C OMMUNICATIONS

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

by Robert [email protected]

It was difficult to tell which was more re-laxedNellie, a 7-year-old Great Pyreneestherapy dog that was sprawled on the floorof the Georgia Perimeter College library,or GPC sophomore Rebecca Miller.

Miller, taking a break from her final examschedule May 2, sat on the floor and spent morehan 30 minutes fawning over the dog.

Nellie was one of nine dogs that were a partof GPC Clarkstons Library Paws program thatallowed students, faculty and staff a chance torelieve stress by petting the animals. Miller alsospent time petting Freckles, a 6-year-old NovaScotia duck tolling retriever. The dogs wereavailable for a few hours April 30-May 2 duringexam week.

Studies have shown that stress can bereduced by petting animals, said Eva Laut-emann, GPC Clarkstons library director. I readan article [that stated] several major universitieswere doing it, and I figured we could do it atGPC.

The program was a hit with the participantsat GPC.

For Miller, who hadnt had a dog since her

previous pet died when she was 8 years old, theevent was cathartic.

Its been a while since I actually sat downand petted one, Miller said with a smile. Thishas been really relaxing. I dont even think aboutschool when Im here.

Several students visited the animals morethan once, including 17-year-old Kianna Littleand 18-year-old Afom Haile. Both spent timepetting Freckles and Nellie after exams on May2.

I just came from my last final and this helpsa lot, Haile said. Its a good way to let go ofsome stress.

Haile was in the library finishing an essaywhen he saw the dogs during the first day of theprogram.

It motivated me to finish my paper so Icould go see the dogs, Haile said. They had tothrow me out of here and Ive been back everyday.

Lautemann said she is hopeful that the pro-gram can become a twice-a-year-event and beintroduced at the schools other campuses.

Laura Tartak, the library director at GPCsNewton campus, got a firsthand glimpse at thepopularity of the program in Clarkston. Tartaksaid she rushed over after picking up her car

from a mechanics shop.I had to make the mechanics hurry up and

finish so I could get over here before Nellie left,Tartak said.

GPCs Library Paws program is modeledafter the national Reading Paws program, whichhas a chapter in Georgia. Reading Paws uses na-tionally registered animal/owner therapy teamsto go to schools, libraries and bookstores as read-ing companions for children. Using the dogs oncollege campuses is a trend that has taken off inrecent years.

An animal therapy program also was done atEmory University this year and over the past fewyears at campuses across the country, includingUniversity of California, University of Connecti-cut, Rutgers University, University of Texas andat small colleges in Illinois and Pennsylvania.

Our library staff was all excited when wedecided to do this, Lautemann said. It was agroup effort and the Reading Paws people havebeen great to work with.

The event is something many students arelooking forward to seeing again.

I was here every day and Ill come backnext time, Little said.

For Miller, it was an easy choice. Free foodand dogs will always bring in students, she said.

Dogs provide relaxing outlet for college students during final exams

Students and faculty at the Georgia Perimeter Col-lege Clarkston campus spent time petting dogsrecently during exam week to relieve stress as

part of the colleges Library Paws program. Nel-lie, a Great Pyrenees owned by GPC-Newton librarydirector Elaine Bryan, left, and Freckles, a NovaScotia duck tolling retriever, were big hits withthose who participated. Photos by Robert Naddra

Stress test

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Page 2A The Champion Free Press, Friday, May 11, 2012

DeKalb CEO vetoes $75,000 for commissionersproposed communications specialist

ElEction 2012Guide to the Candidates

Election 2012 Guide to the

Candidates questionaires will be sent

out to all qualifying candidates on

Monday, June 04, 2012.

Candidates must complete and

return questionaires by Friday, June

08, in order to be included in the

guide.

Candidates, reserve your advertising spaceNOW!

[email protected] 404.373.7779 x 102

See CEO on Page 3A

Ellis

by Andrew [email protected]

After overriding a veto byDeKalb CEO Burrell Ellis,he Board of Commission-

ers hasset in mo-tion plansto move$75,000from his

budgetto funda publicinforma-tion ofcer

position forthe board.

But commissioners are

eaving the door open forome internal communica-ions between commission-

ers and Ellis.We need to sit down

and work this out, saidCommissionerElaineBoy-er. I think theres opportu-nity to clear this up.

Commissioners proposedgetting their own publicnformation ofcer after El-is administration deniedequests to cover the boards

February budget process.The board voted to use

he funds for its own pub-

ic information ofcer whowould broadcast via the in-ernet all public meetings ofhe Board of Commissioners

and its various committees.Burke Brennan, the

countys chief communica-ions ofcer, said the ad-

ministration will continueo work with the Board of

Commissioners and try toaddress their needs and bal-ance them with the countysneeds.

As the legislationtands now we stand to lose

$75,000 out of the DCTV

budget, which is going to bevery detrimental to our op-erations, Brennan said.

The boards plan willgo into effect in July un-ess commissioners decideo leave DCTVs budget in

place.The question is whether

here will be four people onhe Board of Commissionershat will introduce, support

and pass a piece of legisla-ion supporting DCTV be-ween now and July, Bren-

nan said.CommissionerLeeMay

aid the board intent was noto be divisive.

It was meant to offermore transparency to thegeneral public about the real

work that this board doesduring the committee pro-cess. What the public gener-

ally sees is when we take ourofcial vote in our ofcialBoard of Commissionersmeetings. The real questions,

the real answers and the realdebateoccur during ourcommittee meetings.

Commissioners voted6-1 take the money fromthe CEOs budget to force aconversation between board

members and Ellis aboutwhat our real needs are,May said.

We took that step, whichI admit was a drastic step, inorder to get this done, Maysaid. Hopefully we can sit

down and come up with aconsensus that allows ourmeetings to be aired. That

was the ultimate point.At the rst of the year, thecommissioners nance, au-diting and budget committee,

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CEO Continued From Page 2A

Inquisitive employers increasinglydemand Facebook accessby Nigel Roberts

Picture someone on a jobnterview that is going extremely

well. After being unemployed formore than a year, she believed hernancial nightmare would nallycome to an end. But just beforehe employer reaches across the

desk to shake hands and welcomeher to the team, there is just onemore thing. The employer asks

he candidate to volunteer herFacebook password. What shouldshe do?

According to an AssociatedPress report, that scene has becomecommonplace. Employers arencreasingly reviewing Facebook

proles, Twitter accounts and othersocial networking sites beforehiring job candidates. To conductheir search, the news agency

reports, employers are requestingpasswords or asking candidateso log in to their Facebook

account on a company computerduring interviews. Moreover,some companies are also asking

heir employees to friend humanresources mangers to allow thecompany to monitor postings.

Can employers legally demandFacebook passwords and dismissemployees for their privateexchanges with Facebook friends?Yes, said DeKalb attorney CaryS. King. Georgia is an at-willemployment state, explained theabor and employment lawyer,

which means that an employercould terminate employment forany reason.

You are at the mercy of theemployer in Georgia, except inmatters of discrimination or when

here is an employment contract inplace, he stated. King added thatwhile one has a free speech rightonline, the boss could terminate anemployee for posting disparaging

statementswhether on Facebookor in person.

Emory Law School professorCharles A. Shanor said privacyrights in Georgia do not extendto social media content. Shanor,a labor and employment expert,said that in the absence of federalprivacy laws with regard to socialmedia, state lawmakers must passa statute that bars employers fromring employees who refuse to

share their passwords. And jobseekers who refuse to share theirpasswords just dont get hiredand have to nd employmentelsewhere, he said.

It is difcult to know theexact pervasiveness of employerFacebook monitoring, but Shanorsuspects that it is particularlywidespread in jobs involvingsecurity.

Three years ago, CareerBuilder.com conducted a wide survey ofhiring managers and reported that45 percent of employers admittedusing social networking sites toscreen potential employees. And

according to a survey released lastyear by Proskauer Rose, a law rmthat practices privacy law, oneout of four businesses admitted tomonitoring employee use of socialnetworking sites.

Following the Associated Pressreport, Facebooks chief privacyofcer, Erin Egan, posted astatement that blasted employersfor pressuring employees and jobseekers for their password.

He advised users: If you are aFacebook user, you should neverhave to share your password, letanyone access your account or doanything that might jeopardize the

security of your account or violatethe privacy of your friends.

Egan also warned employersabout possible liability lawsuits.King agreed. In my opinion, it

is risky for the employer becausethere is no legal basis to requiresomeone to turn over theirpassword, he said. It is likedemanding that you turn over yourwifes medical records or else bered.

Maryland recently becamethe rst state to bar employersfrom requiring workers and jobapplicants to turn over passwordsas a condition of employment.

Privacy rights advocates praisedthe legislation for setting limits onemployers reach into the privatelives of their workers, as well asthe lives of their workers familyand friends.

Shanor said no such protectionexists at the federal level.However, U.S. Senators CharlesE. Schumer (D-NY) and RichardBlumenthal (D-Conn.) haveasked the U.S. Department ofJustice and the Equal EmploymentOpportunity Commission to launchan investigation into the growingpractice of demanding Facebookpasswords.

Still, there is a question as tothe extent of such a federal ban.Should it be limited to Facebook,or should it include e-mail andonline banking passwords too?Shanor asked.

He underscored that manyemployers have a legitimateconcern about employees revealingcompany secrets online. In somecases, an employer who fails toconduct a thorough backgroundcheck could be held liable for thecriminal actions of their employees,Shanor explained.

In the end, most expertsagree: There is no real privacy on

Facebook, so people should becareful about what they post. ButKing added, You should be able toexpect not to have to turn over yourpassword.

chaired by May, requested that thecommittees meetings about the 2012

budget be televised on DCTV, whichis shown on Comcast channel 23.

DCTVs response was that cover-ing the additional meetings wouldadversely affect its onging opera-

tions, according to an internal memo.When commissioners could notget additional airtime on DCTV,Boyer spent less than $400 to setup Board of Commissioners TV, anonline site with streaming and on-demand video of commissionerscommittee meetings.

Ellis April 30 veto states thatmoving the funds would also takeaway a $75,000 reimbursement fromthe countys special tax district unin-corporated fund.

At a time when the county facesa number of potential adverse nan-cial impactsit would be irrespon-sible to burden the tax funds with

an additional $75,000 expenditure,Ellis stated in a memo to commis-sioners.

Ellis also said that the operationof broadcast, digital and cable televi-sion services by the Board of Com-missioners violates the countysorganizational act.

If there are some resources thatthe board needs in order to imple-ment a public information ofcerfunction we may be able to sup-

port [it], but weve got to be able tohave a discussion rst and foremostabout where the funds could poten-tially come from and how we do thatwithout impacting our tax funds and

our revenue picture, Ellis told TheChampion.

What I understand is that theboard has now passed this ordinance,made it effective July 1 so that theycan have an opportunity to sit withthe chief communications ofcer andhave some direction over how heoperates [DeKalb County TV] andcommunications, Ellis said.

This is against the countys orga-nizational act, he said.

Ellis said commissioners shouldhave approached him about theircommunications needs before votingto take the money.

They didnt talk to me about it,Ellis said. To my knowledge, Ivenever had a commissioner come tome and say, Wed like to put ourcommittee meetings on television.Ive never had a request for that.

May agreed that there was notmuch face-to-face talk between himand Ellis.

The CEO and I rarely talk, Maysaid. I feel like if Im talking to hisstaff, his department heads, his ex-ecutive assistants, then Im talking tothe CEO.

Ellis said DCTV has alreadyimplemented some of the program-ming requested by commissioners,

including Commissioners Corner,which highlights the work of com-missioners.

Probably, at the end of the day,were going to do a lot of what the

board has asked us to do, Ellis said.

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Theres a well-oiled machinecranking out a very slick campaigno get the Transportation Investment

Act passed when it comes for a voteJuly 31. There are TV ads, bumperstickers, lapel buttons, forumsyou name it pushing a yes vote.TIA is a statewide transportationmprovement measure that calls for

each county to tax itself one cent topay for transportation projects.

Proposed projects for DeKalb

nclude three major transit projectsand seven major road and pedestri-an projects. One of the transit proj-ects is an I-20 east bus rapid transit,outed as a down payment on railn the I-20 corridor at a later date.

Bus rapid transit is a bus. Yes, it hasa designated lane and mimics rail indesign, but it is still a bus. Peopleare not going to get out of their cars

for a bus. Mind you, we already paya one-cent tax to MARTA, which isthe ninth largest system in the na-tion and gets no help from the stateand doesnt go where we need it togo. Now were being asked to pay

another penny tax on top of the onewe already pay for a promise thatmay not be realized as plans nowstand.

Educating ourselves to thisimportant issue is key. Leader-ship DeKalb with support from theDeKalb League of Women Votersput on an excellent forum last weekon TIA. The breakfast was well-attended and informative. The panelincluded Todd Long from the Geor-gia Department of Transportation,Dr. Beverly Scott, CEO of MAR-TA, DeKalb CommissionerLeeMay and Ted Rhinehart, DeKalb

deputy chief operating officer. Chiefof StaffJabari Simama sat in forCEO Burrell Ellis, who was stuckin so much traffic he never showed.Talk about the need for transporta-tion and transit improvements.

The star of the show was Scott,who has 30-plus years transit expe-rience under her belt at some of thetop agencies in the country. No one

on the panel disagreed that the TIAis crucial to economic development,cleaner air and a better overallquality of life in the state and re-gion. But Scott with her refreshingstraight talk pointed out that while

the vision is there, and the fundingwill be in place, a key element ismissinggovernance. Worth re-peating is a quote from Scott, Wecan have individual accomplish-ments, but we can only have col-lective success. The billion-dollarquestion is who is going to managethe money? Who will provide over-sight or will jurisdictions simplycannibalize projects to suit theirneeds?

The issue of governance was aperfect segue for May, who last yearstood with his fellow commission-ers and CEO Ellis in opposition to

the TIA referendum. May tried tomake it clear he is in favor of theTIA conceptually, but could notsupport it if the I-20 rail project wasnot a priority for the metro region.Makes perfect sense. As it standsnow, we would not only competefor federal dollars with other areasof the country to build rail at somepoint in the future, we would also

be in competition with counties inour own 10-county region. Go fig-ure. Former CEO Liane Levetan,in a departure from the protocol ofthe forum, took to the podium withcharacteristic chutzpah and prom-

ised to make the necessary phonecalls to elicit a pledge for the I-20rail project. If anyone can make ithappen, its Levetan. She almostsingle-handedly made StonecrestMall a reality by some heavy lob-bying and arm-twisting with the de-velopers. A project that languishedfor nearly 20 years came to fruitionlargely through her efforts.

Heres where the rubber meetsthe road. We must decide on July31 whether our billions of dollarsinvestment in MARTA the past 35years has yielded the kind of resultsthat would have us trust a state and

a region that has largely ignoredthat gemexcept for special events,like games or big festivals. Anotherpenny for a promise from whom forwhat, when?

Steen Miles, The Newslady, is aretired journalist and former Geor-gia state senator. Contact Steen Mi-lies at [email protected].

The Newslady

Letter to the Editor

Another penny for a promise

DeKalb County Schools: A culture of fear and intimidation

The Champion Free Press, Friday, May 11, 2012 Page 4AOpinion

As a recent retiree of the DeKalbCounty School System with over 31years of classroom and administra-ive experience, I have watched in

dismay as a culture of fear and intim-dation has engulfed the system dur-ng the last several months. Almost

weekly, I am informed about anotherveteran employee who has beendemoted, forced to resign or termi-nated. Interestingly, most of theseemployees are minority. Further, Dr.Atkinson, the recently appointeduperintendent, has sent a message to

employees that communication withBoard of Education members will be

viewed negatively and may result indemotion and/or termination. Surely,employees, many of whom are alsoparents, have a right to communi-cate with the board. The board is anelected body which has an obligationo communicate with all employeesf they are to provide effective over-ight for what is arguably the mostmportant enterprise in the county.

The DeKalb School System hasbeen racked by scandal, impropri-eties and negative commentary byhe community and the media overhe last several years. Clearly, changes needed. Unfortunately, citizens

and the media often celebrate aheavy-handed approach to effectingchange and history demonstrates thata heavy-handed approach to neces-ary change is ineffective. One only

has to look at DeKalbs neighbor, theAtlanta Public School System, to seethe result of an organizational culturedominated by fear and intimidation.

Dr. Atkinson, as part of her vi-sion for DeKalb, has outlined whatshe calls a Theory of Action forChange. According to the descrip-tion posted on the systems website,this plan is reflective ofW. EdwardsDemings Total Quality Manage-ment theory, a Plan-Do-Check-Actprocess for ongoing operational ef-fectiveness and improvement. Eventhough this document effectivelyuses the organizational management

jargon that is presently in vogue topaint a picture of a plan that will leadto school district improvement, it isclear that Dr. Atkinson does not un-derstand Dr. Demings theories or hiswork.

Dr. Deming stated in one ofhis seminal works on Total Qual-ity Management that leaders shouldencourage effective two-way com-munication and other means to driveout fear throughout the organizationso that everybody may work effec-tively and more productively for thecompany. Further, Deming elabo-rated that in most cases, fear results

in people keeping their heads downand their mouths shut. That is nota good thing because managementisnt told about problems out of fearof sanctions, which causes a decrease

in productivity and leads to continu-ous failure and not organizationalchange.

As an experienced administratorand educational leader who receivednational recognition from both Presi-dent Bill Clinton and former Secre-tary of Education Richard Riley forimproving a low-performing elemen-tary school (accomplished withoutfear and intimidation) I recognizethe fact that employee behavior is, attimes, inappropriate and may needto be addressed. However, good hu-man resources practices recommendprogressive administrative sanctions

including formal reprimand, suspen-sion, and probation, not immediatetermination. This is certainly notthe case in DeKalb, where all in-fractions, no matter how miniscule,result in demotion, termination or ademand for resignation, even whenno law or school district policy isviolated.

If employees are making mis-takes so egregious [that] the onlysolution is demotion or termination,it seems the district has a major train-ing responsibility. Employees shouldbe trained to handle situations to beconsistent with state and federal law

as well as DeKalb Board of Educa-tion policy. Further, employees mustclearly understand the superinten-dents vision so that their decisionsand actions are consistent with her

vision. If there is no understanding ofthe superintendents vision as well asa lack of understanding about policyand procedure, it is the responsibil-ity of the school districts leadershipto correct these deficiencies. Toplace the blame fully on the backsof employees without implementingtraining protocols is an abdication ofresponsibility by the superintendentand her staff.

State law in Georgia requiresschool boards to approve all person-nel actions, including hiring, termi-nation and demotion. The DeKalbCounty School Board would serve

the system well by thoroughly re-viewing all the superintendents de-motion and termination recommen-dations to insure that employees aretreated fairly and equitably. Further,the board should conduct a survey todetermine employee perceptions ofthe culture and climate of the schoolsystem as well as support structuresin place to help all employees suc-ceed. The children being served bythe district should clearly be theboards first concern. Yet, employeeswho serve the children must also beof primary concern. It is not possiblefor employees to effectively do their

work when operating in a climate offear and intimidation.

Wendolyn BouieLiburn

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FREEPRESS

The force of many. The power ofone! Anonymous

One of my favorite politicaldebates is the oft repeated, Whybother, one person, one voter or aregular Georgian really cant makemuch difference anymore. I almostalways reply, with a smile, Well,what about Margie Lopp?

My first encounter with MargieLopp was a campaign headquartersanswering machine. On a Wednes-day fall evening, in mid-September,Margie had left a message and liltingingle on the answering machine,

after consuming a bit of liquid cour-age in the form of a couple of vodkaand orange juices. Ms. Lopp wasa retired grandmother and widow,age 72 at the time, living modestlyn Cuthbert, Ga., the county seat of

Randolph County, just south of Co-umbus.

Ms. Lopp had raised her childrenon her own, working part-time, most

recently proofreading the Cuth-bert Times. As a Randolph CountyGOP volunteer, she had met PaulCoverdell, a former state sena-tor, state party chairman and most

recently Peace Corps director dur-ing the first Bush administration.Margie was frustrated watching thepolls surge in favor of then U.S.Sen. Wyche Fowler (D-Atlanta), a16-year congressional incumbent,with 10 years in the U.S. House rep-resenting Atlanta, and then seeking asecond term in the U.S. Senate repre-senting Georgia.

Fowler had already raised andspent almost $2 million (a consider-able media buy in those times) blan-keting the state with a folksy song,Wyche Fowler...Hes Our GeorgiaMan. Fowler was tall, folksy and

Southern, articulate and of goodhumor. Coverdell was short, bespec-tacled, and resembled Dana Carveydoing a George Bush impressionwith a voice to match. Less than amonth prior to Election Day, Fowl-ers lead was 22 points. But then, afunny thing and Margie Lopps zippyjingle came along.

Lets put Paul Coverdell in theSenate and put Wyche Fowler out.Wyche has proved we dont need himin it.

And Georgia wants him out.But with Paul Coverdell well

have a leader

Of that there is no doubtSo vote Paul Coverdell in the Senateand put Wyche Fowler OUT!

The first media buy for Margies

jingle was roughly every dollar leftin the campaign following a brutalprimary run-off election victory justa few weeks prior. That $88,000 betwas placed on Braves baseball (thenin their worst to first season) as wellas Georgia and Georgia Tech foot-ball. A nominal TV buy was placedin metro Atlanta only, also featuringMargie and her jingle. Love for thead, and the jingle was far from uni-versal. Some found the spot insultingto senior citizens, others asked forrefunds of earlier campaign contribu-tions.

But then a funny thing hap-

penedthe jingle caught fire. Folkscould not get it out of their heads.Election night was just a few weekslater. Then President George Bushlost decisively to challenger Gov.Bill Clinton of Arkansas. Fowlercame in first with 49 percent of thevote, Coverdell second with 48 per-cent and Jim Hudson, the Libertar-ian Party nominee, was third with 3percent. Due to a quirk in Georgialaw, a majority was required to win astatewide election, not just a plural-ity. The first U.S. Senate run-off inGeorgia history would occur threeweeks later. Coverdell narrowly won

that run-off, by fewer than 25,000votes, roughly six to eight votes perprecinct. Margie led a large crowdin Atlanta singing the jingle on run-off election night as Coverdell was

declared the winner just in time forthe 11 p.m. newscast, and after theresults had been swinging back andforth all evening.

Margie recorded two later jinglesto assist the campaign efforts ofother candidates, including formerAttorney General Mike Bowers andformer U.S. SenatorMack Mat-tingly (who was seeking to replaceCoverdell in a special election fol-lowing his untimely death). Light-ning did not strike twice, thoughMargie was still in good spirit andvoice, until she succumbed after along and multi-pronged fight with

cancer. Its been more than 20 yearsnow, and I still never tire of hearingher sing that jingle.

Bill Crane also serves as a po-litical analyst and commentator forChannel 2s Action News, WSB-AMNews/Talk 750 and now 95.5 FM, aswell as a columnist forThe Cham-pion, Champion Free Press andGeorgia Trend. Crane is a DeKalbnative and business owner, livingin Scottdale. You can reach him orcomment on a column at [email protected].

One Mans Opinion

The Legend of Margie Lopp

STATEMENT FROM THE PUBLISHER

We sincerely appreciate the discussion surroundingthis and any issue of interest to DeKalb County.TheChampionwas founded in 1991 expressly to providea forum for discourse forallcommunity residentson all sides of an issue. We have no desire to makethe news only to report news and opinions to effect amore educated citizenry that will ultimately move ourcommunity forward. We are happy to present ideas fordiscussion; however, we make every effort to avoidprinting information submitted to us that is known tobe false and/or assumptions penned as fact.


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Vegan confessionsThe vegetable is a quick cure for much ifnot most of our health problems.

DCSD cuts jobs, eliminatesprograms due to over stafng

I agree with SunDee, great story!

Unfortunately most citizens are asking for stafng reductionsthroughout the district. The greatest number of reductions will bein the central ofce however it is hoped that due to annual attrition,many of those will nd other jobs albeit at lower salaries.

The reality is that expenses are continuing to rise while property taxincome continues to fall. I dont envy the BOE and superintendentin making the tough decisions that have to be made.

Ebrown posted this on 5/3/12 at 2:55 p.m.

Great reporting Daniel.

Its a shame that decisions like cutting teachers are based onnumbers and not on the human factor. Some great teachers whotruly improve the community are on the chopping block, includingteachers in our German program,...a program that has beenrecognized as one of the best language programs in the state. TheGerman program at Chamblee has recently been designated asa PASCH program, ...which designates our school as producinghigh-acheiving students that are practically uent in the Germanlanguage, ready to be hired by German companies in Georgia, orattend school in Germany (our German program also allows thestudents to pass the DSD2 exam, which awards a diploma to ourstudents allowing them to attend university in Germany).

SunDee posted this on 5/2/12 at 3:19 p.m.

Scottdale center serves communityin needCommissioners Larry Johnson and Kathie Gannon and the entireBoard of Crooks and their Staffs continue to feed their Gluttonousand Sorry selves while DeKalbs Senior Centers suffer for funding.

The Current FBI investigation of DeKalbs Contracts andProcurements will most likely spread out to other factions andbodies of DeKalb Government .

Take the DeKalb Director of Green Space and Park Bond Money toa Grand Jury TOMORROW.

The SnoopyDog posted this on 5/6/12 at 11:07 a.m.

The following comments are pulled straight from our website and arenot edited for content or grammar.

If you invented a pill that offersong life, good health and a body to

be proud of, youd make a fortune.Bottles would fly off the shelves.

Suggest a change in behavior thatachieved the same result, however, andwhat do you get? Catcalls, derisiveomments and rude e-mails.

Such was Michelle Obamas re-ward when she launched her Lets

Move campaign more than two yearsago. All she did was recommend feed-ng our kids better meals fewerweets, more vegetables, fewer calo-ies combined with more exercise.

You would have thought shedadvocated giving the little dears ratpoison for lunch. Sarah Palin washaracteristically obnoxious in heresponse, flaunting her passion formores (that chocolate bar-toasted

marshmallow-graham cracker horror)while she mocked the First Lady forattempting to substitute the judgmentof the Nanny State for that of par-nts. Even for her, it was dumb.

After all, Lets Move addresses

a real issue: the super-sizing of ourhildren. Studies have estimated thatnearly one in five of our young peopleare obese and more than a third ofhem are overweight. Apparently wereaising a generation of youngsters whohink the basic food groups are fat, salt

and sugar, and that changing the bat-ery in your Gameboy is exercise.

This isnt merely a recipe for beingfat; its an invitation to diabetes, heartdisease, osteoporosis, asthma and evenancer.

Actually, the main problem withMs. Obamas efforts is that theyre tooimid. If you really want to make the

nation healthier, you have to declare

war on American agriculture in gen-ral and meat in particular. There are

mountains of persuasive research thatndicate a plant-based diet is far, far

healthier than the meat-based model.

Studies have found that a little meat

is better for you than a lot, no meat isbetter than a little, and a vegan diet no meat, fish, eggs, or dairy products(in others words, 90 percent of thefarm economy) is best of all.

Good luck trying to sell that one.The Bad Food lobby is one of themost powerful in Washington, up therewith guns and oil. Any suggestion thatour toxic agricultural industry is lessthan noble will bring instant politicalextinction. (Can you imagine a politi-cian trying to win Iowa on a vegan

platform? A gay atheist would have abetter chance.)

I myself am a vegan of sorts andIm here to tell you that its not an easy

life. Youre OK when you can cookyour own food (really), but going outis hard. Most restaurants offer verylimited, unappetizing fare for peoplewho dont eat meat or dairy. Grocerystores, while better than they used to

be, still arent great.And you have to get used to that

sickening silence on the other end ofthe line when you tell the person whosinviting you to dinner that you donteat meat, cheese, fish, soup made from

beef stock, or anything else he or shewas planning to cook.

The way I handle that isI cheat.Ill order fish in a restaurant and eatwhat Im served in someone elseshome. And when I go to a ballgame,I declare hotdogs a vegetable for theday. Mostly, though, Im a vegan.

Why not? Catholics, for example,profess a high moral standard but stillsin from time to time. That doesntmean theyre not Catholics; it simplymeans theyre human. As a matter offact, Im thinking of starting a Churchof the Holy Vegetable and offering on-line confession booths to vegans whofall off the wagon from time to time.They could confess, be assigned asmall penance and receive absolution.

The life of a vegan is hard enoughwithout walking around feeling guilty

all of the time.OtherWords columnist Donald Kaul

lives in Ann Arbor, Michigan. other-words.org

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The Champion Free Press, Friday, May 11, 2012 Page 7ALocal News

Champion ofthe Week

13 charged in FAMU hazing incident

If you would like to nominate

someone to be considered as a

future Champion of the Week,

please contactKathy Mitchellat

[email protected] or at

404-373-7779, ext. 104.

Sunny Aasgaard

Sunny Aasgaards SeniorResources Directoryis not

officially a nonprofit, butshe laughs at the idea thatthe small amount of moneyits advertising generatescould be considered a prof-it. What I do might not beconsidered volunteer workin the traditional sense, butI volunteer just about all mytime. I think if you calcu-lated the number of hoursI work you would discoverI make about 23 cents anhour. Im sure I would qual-ify for nonprofit status, butI dont have the time or themoney to apply, she said.

Those who interactwith Aasgaard and her freedirectory know that its alabor of love. I have knownSunny for many years andshe works harder thananyone I know[includ-ing] nights and weekends.She works tirelessly to helpseniors and others by mak-ing this annual directorythe best it can be. She doesthe jobs of three people, soshe doesnt have time fora personal life, said NancyMangum, who nominated

Aasgaard as a CommunityHero.Besides doing every-

thing else, Sunny person-ally delivers boxes of booksto DeKalb County seniorcenters, hospitals, nursing

homes and many otherplaces that are so gratefulfor them. Many social work-ers refer to this directoryas their bible, Mangumcontinued.

Aasgaard said that theone recreational breakshe fits into her scheduleis playing softball once aweek.

The directory, whichAasgaard meticulously re-searches and verifies, hasgained a reputation forbeing thorough, accurateand easy to use that hasreached far beyond DeKalbCounty. I got a call froma woman in Dade County,Fla., who wanted to knowwhether I publish a direc-tory for her area, Aasgaardrecalled. In fact, the direc-tory started as a DeKalbCounty resource and is nowpublished in five editionsthat cover various sectionsof the metropolitan Atlantaarea. It is updated annuallyand approximately 25,000

copies are printed for eacharea. The publication isnow in its 10th years, andAasgaard recently devel-oped a website to make thesame information availableonline.

Knowing that her direc-tory is absolutely belovedto people is all that keepsme going, said Aasgaard,who added that her dreamis to have someone donatemoney or volunteer time soshe can have some help.

People tell me that mydirectory is more usefulthan anything the govern-ment puts out, she said,adding that it includesmany difficult to find con-tacts.

by Daniel [email protected]

The Florida State At-orneys Ofce has charged

13 individuals in the haz-ng death of DeKalb-native

Robert Champion.Champion, a student at

Florida A&M Universitywho was a member of thechools famous March-ng 100 band, was found

unresponsive on the bandsbus on Nov. 19, 2011. Of-cials termed his death ahomicide resulting from ahemorrhagic shock due to aoft tissue hemorrhage, in-

curred by blunt force traumaustained during a hazingncident.

Several days after Cham-

pions death, FAMU banddirectorJulian White wasred. In a press release,FAMU President JamesAmmons said White wasdismissed for alleged mis-conduct and incompetencenvolving conrmed reports

and allegations of hazing.Eleven people are

charged with felony hazingesulting in death, and the

other two are charged withhazing misdemeanors. All11 individuals charged withfelony hazing have turnedhemselves in to variousaw enforcement agencies

throughout Florida.According to Florida

Department of Law Enforce-ment (FDLE) ofcials, Aar-on Golson, Jessie Baskin,Harold Finley, BryanJones, Benjamin McNa-mee, Shawn Turner, Ca-leb Jackson,Rikki Wills,Lasherry Codner, RyanDean and Jonathan Boycehave turned themselves in.Golson, 19; Boyce, 24; andTurner, 26, are all from met-ro Atlanta. Turner attendedStephenson High School.

Golson also was arrestedin connection with anotherhazing incident involving amember of FAMUs march-ing band. Following Cham-pions death, band memberBria Shante Hunter allegedband members beat her sobadly that she suffered a

cracked thighbone and had

to be taken to the hospital.This incident allegedly oc-curred several weeks beforethe death of Champion.

According to reports,Golson and two others werearrested and charged withassaulting Hunter.

Both Hunter and Cham-pion are graduates of South-west DeKalb High Schooland members of a groupwithin the band called theRed Dawg Order, made upof members from Atlanta.

Danielle Tavernier,a spokeswoman for theFlorida State Attorneys Of-ce, said the identities ofdefendants who have notbeen arrested have not beenreleased because they arenot public record.

At a recent press confer-ence in Atlanta, Championsparents Robert Sr. and PamChampion called for thedisbanding of the Marching100.

FAMU cannot go onwith business as usualtheyneed to clean house, PamChampion said.

The familys lawyer,Christopher Chestnut, saidthere was a cover up sur-rounding Champions deathand FAMU ofcials coachedthose involved as to what totell investigators.

Champion

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Copies o the proposed budget will also be available at MARTAs Ofce o

External Aairs, 2424 Piedmont Road, N.E. Atlanta, Georgia 30324 during regular

business hours, Mon-Fri 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

For ormats (FREE o charge) in accordance with the ADA and Limited EnglishProfciency regulations contact (404) 848-4037. For those patrons requiring ur-

ther accommodations, inormation can be obtained by calling the Telephone Device

or the Dea (TDD) at 404 848-5665.

In addition, a sign language interpreter will be available at all hearings. I you

cannot attend the hearings and want to provide comments you may: (1) leave

a message at (404) 848-5299; (2) write to MARTAs Ofce o External Aairs,

2424 Piedmont Road, N.E. Atlanta, GA 30324-3330; (3) complete an online

Comment Card at www.itsmarta.com; (4) or ax your comments no later than May

25, 2012 to (404) 848-4179.

All citizens o the City o Atlanta and the counties o Fulton, DeKalb, Clayton

and Gwinnett whose interests are aected by the subjects to be considered at these

hearings are hereby notifed and invited to appear at said times and places and

present such evidence, comment or objection as their interests require.Beverly A. Scott, Ph.D. General Manager/CEO

METROPOLITAN ATLANTA RAPID TRANSIT AUTHORITY

Notice of Public HearingsMay 15 & 17, 2012

Notice is hereby given that the Board o Directors o the Metropolitan Atlanta RapidTransit Authority will hold public hearings or the purpose o considering

Proposed Fiscal Year 2013 Operating & CapitalFunds Budget, and

Proposed Fare Increases on Reduced (Half-Fare)and Mobility for October 7, 2012*

Tuesday, May 15 Thursday, May 17

7741 Roswell Road,Sandy Springs, 30350

NORTH FULTONSERVICE CENTER

Community Exchange: 6-7p.m.

HEARING: 7:00 p.m.Riding MARTA: Bus route 87 from either the

Dunwoody or North Springs rail stations.

also on Tuesday

1300 Commerce Drive,Decatur, 30030

DECATURMALOOF AUDITORIUM


HEARING: 7:00 p.m.Riding MARTA:

Walk one block west of Decatur Station.

55 Trinity Avenue,Atlanta, 30303

ATLANTA CITY HALLCOUNCIL CHAMBERS


HEARING: 7:00 p.m.Riding MARTA: Bus route 49 from Five Points

Station. Special bus shuttle also provided.

also on Thursday

3717 College Street,College Park, 30037

COLLEGE PARKPUBLIC SAFETY COMPLEXCommunity Exchange: 6-7p.m.

HEARING: 7:00 p.m.Riding MARTA:

Bus route 172 from College Park Station.

PROPOSED FARE CHANGES FOR OCTOBER 7, 2012*

FARE CATEGORIES CURRENT: PROPOSED: 10/7/12*

Reduced (Hal-Fare) $0.95. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $1.00*

Mobility Base (One-Way) $3.80. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $4.00*

Mobility Pass $122.00. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $128.00**This is the last step in the 3 year staggered process that began in FY10 for reduced and mobility fares.

Wade Walker YMCA on schedulefor September opening

Bailey

y Andrew [email protected]

DeKalb Countys newestYMCA recreation center isn schedule to open in early

September.The $17.1 million con-

truction project is set to beompleted in early July andurned over to the YMCA in

August, said Roy Wilson,director of the countysDepartment of Recreation,Parks and Cultural Affairs.

The facility, which is lo-ated in the countys Wade

Walker Park on RockbridgeRoad in Stone Mountain, ishe rst such facility con-tructed by the county to beurned over to another entity

or management, Wilsonaid.

For us, its an honor toartner with them, Wil-on said. The county is

successful because of thevarious partnerships it hasestablished.

The county is provid-ing $14.5 million for theproject, while the rest of themoney is coming from theYMCA, Wilson said.

The 60,000-square-footWade Walker YMCA willprovide health and wellness,child care, youth sports andindoor/outdoor aquatic ser-vices to more than 140,000households, half of whichhave children younger than18.

The facility will be onethe YMCAs larger build-ings and will have a doublegym, teen multipurposerooms, an aerobics studio,

a sauna, whirlpool and anindoor track. It will be thecountys sixth YMCA.

YMCA ofcials believethe Wade Walker YMCA

will become the most usedof its facilities. Initially, thecounty and the YMCA wereeach considering construct-ing smaller recreation cen-ters, but decided to combinefunding to build the facility.

While the YMCA willmanage the center, thecounty will retain owner-ship of the building, Wilsonsaid. DeKalb County willhave occasional use of thefacility for programs. Resi-dents in ve zip codes willbe eligible for membershipdiscounts to the YMCA.

When you have a repu-table organization like theYMCA, we have no qualmsabout success of that facilityand what it will bring to that

area of the county, Wilsonsaid. I cant think of anyother I would want to turnthe keys over to.

A $17.1 million YMCA at Wade Walker Park in Stone Mountain is expected to be open this fall. Pho-os by Andrew Cauthen

7/31/2019 Free Press 5-11-12

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County property appraisalsdrop 6 percent for 2012

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DeKalb County home appraisals dropped 6 percentlower than last years home values and county leaderssee that as positive.

The countys board of assessors voted May 3 ona tax digest that drops an average of 6 percent forproperties in DeKalb cities and 8 percent in unincor-porated areas.

That drop was 1 percent greater than projected inCEO Burrell Ellis 2012budget.

We were pretty close to the mark, said BurkeBrennan, the countys chief communications ofcer.We are somewhat heartened that it is not worse.

The tax digest shows improvement over last yearand is a sign of stabilization in the housing market,Brennan said.

That, combined with increased activity in thecountys permitting department, points to a possible

rebound in the local economy, Brennan said.County leaders must address the nancial impactof the additional 1 percent drop, which amounts to $2million over what was predicted in the budget.

The CEO is already ahead of this, Brennan said.In an April 19 memo, Ellis instructed county de-

partment heads to make contingency plans to cut up to10 percent of their budgets by 2013 to prepare for anumber of issues that can have substantial budgetaryimpact on both the 2012 and 2013 tax fund budgets.

Those issues include the possible incorporation ofBrookhaven, the proposed expansion of Chambleeand annexations by Avondale Estates, Decatur andDoraville, according to Ellis memo.

Some county commissioners, including Commis-sionerLee May,were expecting a bigger drop in thetax assessments.

It could have been much worse. Im very muchpleased, May said. We are all excited because thatmeans we have more revenue that we thought. Nowwe just have to deal with the annexations and incorpo-rations.

Although the appraisals are exciting compared towhat they could have been, May said, Unfortunately,its still down 6 percent.

And the 8 percent drop in property values in unin-corporated DeKalb is still a bit alarming, May said.

DeKalb policesergeant resignsamid investigation

A DeKalb County Policesergeant under investigationfor interfering in a rape casehas resigned from the depart-ment.

Sgt. EricAdkinson, whowas on restrictive duty pend-ng the outcome of the in-

vestigation, resigned May 4,according to Mekka Parish,police spokeswoman.

In its investigation of aDecember 2011 rape, po-ice are trying to determine

whether Adkinson influencedor obstructed justice in thecase, Parish said in March.

According to reports, thealleged victim was bartend-ng a private event at the

Front Runnerz MotorcycleClub, of which Adkinson ishe president.

The alleged victim claimsshe was drugged at the club,hen later woke up in a homen Lithonia after being raped,

according to reports. Thevictim said Adkinson and an-other club member wanted tohandle the situation in-houseand told her to keep quietabout the rape claim.

Decatur mansentenced for mailtheft

Decatur resident ShawnEdwards, 39, and two oth-ers were sentenced May 3on charges stemming from ascheme to steal shipments ofregistered mail.

Edwards was sentencedo three years probation

for stealing registered mailshipped to Atlanta by com-mercial airline carriers.

United States AttorneySally Quillian Yates said in2010, the Postal InspectionService received numerouscomplaints that registeredmail sent from Arizona wasnot received by the intendedrecipients throughout thesoutheastern U.S.

The inspection servicedetermined that on July 31,Aug. 14, and Aug. 21, 2010,registered mail shipmentsbound for Atlanta from Phoe-nix, Ariz., via commercialairliners were never receivedby the Postal Service inAtlanta. The three ship-ments contained more than$600,000 worth of gold, goldcoins and expensive jewelry.The shipments also contained

NEWS BRIEFSve packages containingcremated human remains, a

press release said.Ofcials identied the

suspects by placing a track-

ing device in a mail con-tainer bound from Phoenixto Atlanta.

Police investigatehotel shooting

DeKalb County Police areinvestigating a shooting thathappened May 3 at the Bud-get Inn at 2859 Panola Road.

Police spokeswomanMekka Parish said policereceived a call at approxi-mately 5:15 a.m. Ofcials

said a woman staying at thehotel invited a man to herroom.

According to the victim,once there the man attempt-ed to rob her. The suspectlater pulled out a gun andshot the victim in the thigh.Parish said the suspect hasnot yet been located.

Ofcers red uponduring domesticdispute

DeKalb County Policeofcers responded to a do-mestic call May 3 at 3535Lawrenceville Highway.

Police spokeswomanMekka Parish said as theofcers returned to their ve-hicles, shots were red froman adjacent building in theirdirection.

Parish said a helicop-ter, K-9 unit and backup

responded to the area butno suspects were located.However, Parish said two

juveniles, who were seenrunning from the area dur-

ing the time of the incident,were arrested but she is un-sure of the charges againstthem.

No ofcers were injuredduring the incident, which isstill under investigation.

Summer blockparty to promotesafety

CommissionerStanWatson and TextingOrganization AgainstDistracted Driving(TOADD) will hold a SafeSummer Block Party onMay 19.

The free block party willfeature live entertainment,

prizes, communityinformation and games.

The event will be held11:30 a.m.-3 p.m. at theMacys stage at the Galleryat South DeKalb, 2840Candler Road, Decatur.

The block party is insupport of National YouthTrafc Safety Month.TOADD is a nonprotorganization dedicated tocreating a safer mobileenvironment by addressingissues such as beingdistracted while driving,sexting and cyberbullying.

For more information,contact Marie Burrell at(480) 788-6233 or send ane-mail to [email protected].

7/31/2019 Free Press 5-11-12

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House Minority LeaderRep. Stacey Abrams (Dis-rict 84)told DeKalb busi-

ness leaders at the May 7DeKalb Chamber of Com-merce luncheon that severalkey bills passed during theecent legislative session that

are important to residents.Abrams was joined at the

uncheon by Sen. EmanuelJones (District 10). Shesaid among the legislationhat would be important to

DeKalb residents in the com-ng years is HB386, a taxeform bill passed earlier inhe year.

HB386 is the culmina-ion of a two-year process

on tax reform legislation,Abrams said. She said as-pects of the bill include anelimination of the ad valoremax on vehicles and strongeregulation of e-commercen Georgia.

The bottom line is,whether you have a street ad-dress or an Internet Protocoladdress, if youre selling

products in the state of Geor-gia youre supposed to payhe tax, Abrams said.

Abrams said stricteregulations of online retailers

such as Amazon would allowhe state to cash in on mil-ions of dollars collected

from Georgians, which couldbe used as revenue.

We have some of theargest Fortune 500 compa-

nies in the world in Georgiawho pay the tax, and theycompete with companieshat dont live here in Geor-

gia who are forfeiting the

ax, and thats just wrong,Abrams said.

Both Abrams and Jonesalked extensively about

criminal justice and educa-ion reform in DeKalb Coun-y and Georgia. Abrams said

Georgia faces issues withinhe criminal justice systemhat are bankrupting the

state. Abrams said HB1176,passed in March, is a smallstep in the right direction to-ward improving the criminalustice system.

Abrams said the bill willpave the way for the expan-

sion of accountabilitycourts such as DUI, mentalhealth and drug courts. Shesaid DeKalb County leadsa number of counties in the

state because it has alreadyimplemented several typesof courts that focus more onrehabilitation than incarcera-tion.

[DeKalb] also has oneof the highest population ofcriminals so we need a lotof help and this will allowdivergence into drug courts,DUI courts, mental healthcourts; treating people whoneed addiction treatment, notas criminals but as people inneed. They should certainlyhold people accountable fortheir crimes but that account-ability cant be linked to along-term obligation on the

part of the stateinstead ofspending $15,000 a year fortreatment we spend $80,000a year for incarceration,Abrams said. Jones echoedAbrams stance but said thestate also needs to put moreresources into its juvenile

justice system.Both legislators spoke

about signicant changesmade to education through-out the state and in DeKalbCounty. Abrams said sheopposes the recent charterschool bill and resolution

passed during this session.The resolution creates areferendum during the July

primary, which would allowthe state to decide whetherto approve the creation of lo-cal charter schools. The bill,HB797, pertains to the fund-ing of state special charter

schools.Last year the Georgia Su-

preme Court struck down thebill that created the GeorgiaCharter Schools Commis-

sion (GCSC), declaring itunconstitutional. The GCSCwas the state agency that ap-

proved charter schools thathad been denied petitions

by local school boards. Ad-ditionally, the bill that cre-ated GCSC allowed for thosecharter schools to receive

both state and local funding.The state charter school

issue is a very complicatedoneI oppose the bill, Idont like it, Abrams said.Proponents of the bill willtell you that its important

because it allowed the stateto create charter schools incommunities where charterschools were not being cre-ated.

Abrams said she thinkscharter schools are an impor-tant tool for education reform

but they serve only 2-4 per-cent of the entire population.She said even within the 4

percent that charter schoolsserve, their success rate is on

par with traditional publicschools.

I support charter schools.What I dont support is

changing the fundamentalnature of our government inorder to solve problems for4 percent of the population,Abrams said.

Jones spoke about the pro-

cess of redrawing the DeKalbCounty School Board andBoard of Commissioners. Hesaid the map of the commis-sion districts was relatively

painless and remained thesame except for a few minortweaks.

Two years ago, Gov. Na-than Deal signed SB79, a

bill to reduce school boardsto no more than seven mem-

bersthe DeKalb CountySchool Board currently hasnine. Jones said it was a deli-cate situation because legisla-tors dont want to do awaywith any district in whichthe board member has yet toserve their term limit.

The end result was thatwe got to where we wantedto be in a really roundaboutway of getting there andwe delayed the process foranother two years, Jonessaid. Were hoping thatwith these changes thatweve made were going tosee better governance withthe school board in DeKalbCounty.

Additionally, Jones saidsome of the changes made tothe board of education wereto ensure the school districtdid not lose it accredita-tion, which he referred to as

a cloud hanging over thecounty.Its still in jeopardy,

Jones said.

DeKalb legislators talk abouthighlights from recent session


For the past two years theEast Atlanta Village Commu-nity Associations Neighborin Need program has beenhelping elderly or low-incomeresidents with emergencyhome repairs at no cost to

them.Jeff Whitehouse, chair-man of the Neighbor in NeedCommittee, said the repairsinclude xing holes in aneighbors roof, replacing old

pipes and water heaters andrewiring old electrical sys-tems.

A lot of the people wevehelped, Id say the majority ofthem, have lived in the com-munity for over 30 years,Whitehouse said.

Whitehouse said usually aneighbor of someone in needcalls, or sends a letter or e-

mail about an elderly personliving in the neighborhoodwho needs home repair. Inmost cases, Whitehouse saidthey have little money and areliving alone or have others tosupport. In some cases thosein need may have been livingfor weeks without runningwater, air conditioning orworking plumbing.

A neighbor told usabout a house on Oak GroveRoad; the plumbing in herkitchen wasnt working andshe couldnt use her kitchensink, Whitehouse said. Re-

cently we did a job on Monu-ment Avenue. We took careof an 80-plus-year-old femaleliving by herself who didnthave hot waterwe replacedher water heater and gave hera new roof.

One of the reasons thesehouses have so many prob-lems, Whitehouse said, asidefrom being old is that oftenresidents cant afford to hire alicensed contractor.

With these particular peo-ple, due to their funds, theycant exactly peel open theYellow Pages and call some-

bodythey use a friend of afriend of a friend from down

Programhelps EastAtlantaresidents

in need ofemergencyhome repair

See East Atlanta on Page 11A

Sen. Emanuel Jones, left, and Rep. Stacey Abrams spoke about the recent legislative session a lunch-eon hosted by the DeKalb Chamber of Commerce. Photo by Daniel Beauregard

7/31/2019 Free Press 5-11-12

11/24


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he street who probably doesnt have aicense and they do shoddy work. Some-imes these older people give them halfheir money up front and [go] walking

off and they never get anything done,Whitehouse said.

The program is funded by grantshrough such organizations as the Na-ional Association of Realtors. Localhurches, residents and events such ashe East Atlanta Beer Fest also donate

money to the program. Last year, the pro-gram raised nearly $20,000. Additionally,members of the program host a pokerournament each year at the Midway Barn East Atlanta Village and raise money

by selling pumpkins at the East AtlantaFarmers Market each year.

We get a lot more awareness outhere by being at the farmers market be-ause its a big social thing, so its goodo get the word out that way, White-

house said. Were trying to help as many

people as possible. Sure there are a lot ofhouses that we could sink $40,000 intoust to get it back into a habitable condi-ion but were trying to help as many

people as possible.Each project the program undertakes

has to rst be approved by the East At-anta Community Association. White-

house said many of times when contrac-ors visit the house of a neighbor in need,hey say, Youd be better off just bring-ng this one down to the foundation.

However, he said that is not an option forthe program or the homeowner.

Thats why we call it emergencyhome repairs, because were trying to dowhat we can to keep them in the home.Were not like a home makeover. We

want to make sure they have hot water, aroof that doesnt leak, and safely repairedwindows and doors, Whitehouse said.

Currently, the Neighbor in Need pro-gram is working with several residents,including Gwen Jones, who recentlylost her husband and daughter, and suf-fered a stroke. Whitehouse said so far the

program has put approximately $7,500into Jones homeit replaced a waterheater and xed her roof. Recently Joneslearned her pipes have all corroded andshe currently has no running water.

We kind of try to set a limit as tohow much we can put into any singlehouse, Whitehouse said. He said as ofnow the limit has been reached, so he and

other committee members are trying toraise more money to repair Jones plumb-ing.

Weve got another project wherewere helping a guy who has actuallymoved out of his house because it was so

bad and is now looking to move back in.Were going to see what we can do butthat house needs so much work its goingto be difcult to get our arms around,Whitehouse said.

East Atlanta Continued From Page 10A

A local contractor hired by the East Atlanta Community Associations Neigh-bor in Need program works on a house in the neighborhood. The Neighborin Need program helps elderly or low-income residents with emergencyhome repair. Photo provided

7/31/2019 Free Press 5-11-12

12/24


Grand jury urges DA to investigateboard of education, again

SouthwestDeKalbtrack coach

suspendedby Robert [email protected]

The girls varsity trackcoach at Southwest DeKalbHigh School has been sus-pended with pay pendingan investigation into al-eged inappropriate contact

with a student, accordingo DeKalb County School

District spokesman WalterWoods.

Antoinette Tyrell, whohas been at Southwest since

2003 and teaches health andphysical education, was re-moved from the classroommmediately after a parent

complaint, Woods said in astatement. After the com-plaint, the district began anongoing investigation, ac-cording to the statement.

Any allegation of thisnature is of serious concerno the district, Woods said.

We are hoping to concludehe investigation as soon as

possible and take any nec-essary action.

Tyrell began her tenurewith the school district in1999 at Chapel Hill MiddleSchool.

I would love to com-ment but I cannot speakuntil everything is clear,Tyrell said in a phone in-erview. I will be willingo share my story but right

now I am not at liberty tospeak about anything per-sonal.

Southwest DeKalb wonhe Class AAAA girls staterack championship in 2011

and placed second in the

state meet May 3-5 in Al-bany.


A grand jury, in a recentpresentment, urged DeKalbCounty District AttorneyRobert James to convene aspecial grand jury to investi-

gate the actionsof the DeKalbCounty Board ofEducation.

This is thesecond timein the past sixmonths thatgrand jurors havecalled for a spe-cial investigationinto the actionsof the school

board.He has al-

ready said pub-licly he is going to ask the[state] Supreme Court for aspecial grand jury to investi-gate the school board, saidErik Burton, a spokesmanfor the DeKalb District At-torneys Ofce.

In the presentment, ju-rors listed several areasof concern regarding theschool board including scalresponsibility, legal repre-sentation, and policies and

procedures. Additionally,the presentment lists con-cerns regarding litigation thedistrict is currently in withconstruction rm Heery/Mitchell.

The grand jury askedeach member if they wouldagree to a forensic audit ofthe entire school system,

with the goal being to un-cover any potential nancialland mines, and to ensurethat the proper checks and

balances were in place,the presentment states. Allschool board members ques-tioned by the grand jury were

in favor of an out-side audit, exceptDeKalb SchoolBoard ChairmanEugene Walker,according to the

presentment.The audits

completed by thestate of Georgiadid not uncoveranything of con-cern, Walkertold jurors as thereason he votedagainst a forensic

audit. According to the pre-sentment, Walker told jurorsthe board had inherited a listof problems.

Another issue jurorsraised was why the DeKalbCounty School District(DCSD) retains two lawrms as legal counsel, oneof which was reportedly$400,000 more expensivethan a competing law rmthat represents districts suchas Fulton, Cobb and Clayton.

Currently, the DCSDretains law rms Alexanderand Associates as well asSutherland, Asbill and Bren-nan. The presentment allegedthat Budget, Finance andFacilities Chairman PaulWomackcouldnt recall thedifferences between the two

rms.The third rm, Brock

Clay, was not selected eventhoughthey submitted a

bid which was more than$400,000 lower than the bidsubmitted by Sutherland, As-

bill & Brennan. Brock Clay

specializes in education law,the presentment states. Thedecisions made to retain tworms while not selecting ahighly qualied and signi-cantly less expensive rmwhen the school system is innancial distress are highlyquestionable.

Board members were alsoasked about whether provid-ing funds for former Super-intendent Crawford Lewislegal defense in a criminalcase was against board

policy.Grand jurors also ques-

tioned the agreement withlegal rm King and Spald-ing, which is representingthe board of education inits suit against constructionrm Heery/Mitchell. Theconstruction rm managedthe school systems SpecialOption Local Sales Tax(SPLOST) account from2002-06. In 2006 the schooldistrict terminated the com-

pany, citing overbilling andquestionable work. Heerythen sued the DCSD for$400,000 it said the districtstill owes them. The schooldistrict then countersued for$100 million, alleging fraudand claiming that the com-

pany mismanaged projects.According to the board,

the suit does not requestHeery/Mitchell to pay the

boards attorneys fees aspart of the settlement, andat last count approximately$18 million had been paidto King and Spalding andan additional $19 million of

fees was currently accrued,the presentment states. Evena successful judgment in thiscase would appear to createa decit of approximately$107 million ($70 million inrepair and building projects[plus] $37 million in paid oraccrued legal expenses).

Late last year a grand jurycited similar concerns withthe school boards actionsand stated it was in tur-moil. It cited board interfer-ence and leaks to the mediaduring the process to hirea new superintendent, andwhether school funds wereused to promote the recentSPLOST.

James decided not tocall for a special grand juryinvestigation then, agreeingwith Walker that many is-sues had been inherited bythe school board. However,James did express concernsregarding several itemsmentioned by the grand jury,including the alleged leaksduring the superintendenthiring process.

School ofcials werecontacted for comment onthis story but did not returnrepeated calls or e-mails.

James

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The Champion Free Press, Friday, May 11 2012 Page 13A

GPC President Tricoli steps down

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

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

with Comcast Cable Communications

Plans tomove northpoliceprecinct

may changey Daniel [email protected]

DeKalb County of-cials said it still plans toelocate the north policerecinct from Dunwoodyo land next to the DeKalbeachtree Airport (PDK),ut that those plans mayhange if Brookhavenesidents vote yes to city-ood.

Currently, the precinct

s across from PerimeterMall on Ashford DunwoodyRoad. The county wants therecinct in an unincorporat-d area of DeKalb instead ofn a city such as Dunwoody

with its own police force.When Dunwoody incorpo-ated in 2008, the countyegan looking for otherocations and found a plotf land off Clairmont Roadext to PDK.

Recently, a bill wasassed to allow residentsn the Brookhaven area to

ote to become a city. IfBrookhaven does becomecity, county ofcials ex-ect the city of Chambleeo annex the area where theounty planned to relocatehe precinct.

DeKalb County spokes-man Burke Brennan saidlthough the county is look-ng at all its options, it istill planning to relocate therecinct next to PDK until itears otherwise.

In a statement to TheChampion, DeKalb CountyCEO Burrell Ellis said his

dministration is evaluatingts options regarding the lo-ation and construction of aew precinct.

If the referenda inBrookhaven or Chambleere approved, any site with-n those proposed city limits

would have to be reconsid-red, as it would be outsidef the DeKalb County Po-ce Departments jurisdic-on. Until the outcomes of

he referenda are known, nonal decision will be made,

Ellis said.

Reports have stated theelocation of the precinct isxpected to play a role inesidents vote on cityhood.

Last

5/12

First

5/28

The Northeast will see isolated showers today, mostly clear to partly cloudy skies

Friday and Saturday, with the highest temperature of 74 in East St. Louis, Ill. The

Southeast will see mostly clear to partly cloudy skies with a few thunderstorms today

through Saturday, with the highest temperature of 88 in Ft. Myers, Fla. The Northwest will see

isolated showers and thunderstorms today, mostly clear skies Friday and Saturday, with the highest

temperature of 80 in Torrington, Wyo. The Southwest will see mostly clear skies today through

Saturday, with the highest temperature of 99 in Bullhead City, Ariz.

THURSDAY

Sunny

High: 77 Low:54

New

5/20

The Champion Weather May 10, 2012Seven Day Forecast

Local UV Index

WEDNESDAYIsolated T-storms

High: 74 Low: 55

TUESDAY

Mostly Sunny

High: 78 Low:54

MONDAY

Partly Cloudy

High: 79 Low:58

SUNDAY

Partly Cloudy

High: 79 Low:57

SATURDAY

Sunny

High: 78 Low:57

FRIDAY

SunnyHigh: 80 Low:55

In-Depth Local Forecast Today's Regional Map

Sunrise

6:39 a.m.

6:39 a.m.

6:38 a.m.

6:37 a.m.6:36 a.m.

6:36 a.m.

6:35 a.m.

Sunset

8:28 p.m.

8:29 p.m.

8:30 p.m.

8:30 p.m.8:31 p.m.

8:32 p.m.

8:33 p.m.

Moonset

11:04 a.m.

12:08 p.m.

1:10 p.m.

2:09 p.m.3:06 p.m.

4:01 p.m.

4:56 p.m.

Moonrise

12:24 a.m.

1:09 a.m.

1:48 a.m.

2:22 a.m.2:54 a.m.

3:24 a.m.

3:54 a.m.

Full

6/4

www.WhatsOurWeather.com

Weather History

May 10, 1987 - Jamestown,

N.D. soared to a record high of

96 degrees. Thunderstorms

along the central Gulf Coast

deluged Lillian, Ala. with 14.5

inches of rain and nearby

Perdido Key, Fla. with 12.8

inches of rain.

Weather Trivia

Tonight's Planets

Can a rainbow appear

at night?

Answer: Yes. When the moon is

extremely bright, it can produce

a rainbow.

?

Day

Thursday

Friday

Saturday

SundayMonday

Tuesday

Wednesday

National Weather Summary This Week

Local Sun/Moon Chart This Week

StarWatch By Gary Becker - Safe Solar Observing

Today we will see sunny skies with a high

temperature of 77, humidity of 41%. North wind

5 to 10 mph. The record high temperature for

today is 96 set in 1936. Expect clear skies tonight

with an overnight low of 54. The record low for

tonight is 44 set in 1966.

May 11, 1987 - Early morning

thunderstorms produced up to

four inches of rain in southern

Texas, with flooding reported

from Maverick County to Eagle

Pass. Evening thunderstorms in

northern Illinois produced hail

the size of golf balls and wind

gusts to 70 mph.

Two events involving the sun are forthcoming within the next month. On May 20, a ringed solar eclipse tracks across the western US from Crescent City, CA to Sundown,

TX during the early evening hours to sunset. See last weeks StarWatch at http://www.astronomy.org/StarWatch/April/index-4-12.html#4-29-12 to get the full details. The

second event happens on June 5 and involves a transit of Venus across the solar disk, the last opportunity to see such an event until December 11, 2117. The Venus transit

will be the topic of next weeks StarWatch. The task at hand when observing the sun is to diminish to safe levels the ultraviolet light, and particularly, the infrared radiation

(heat) coming from the sun. To this effect, NEVER, NEVER, NEVER use sunglasses, multiple pairs of sunglasses, UV absorbing sunglasses, colored cellophane, colored filters, neutral

density filters from photo stores, polarizing filters, fully exposed color negatives or fully exposed black and white photographic negatives (not containing a silver base), or glass smokedby the soot of a candle flame to make filtered, direct observations of the sun. All of the above methods can cause retinal burns and vision loss. So what is a solar enthusiast suppose to use?

You can purchase a #14 welders glass or use any combination of welders glass that adds up to 14. To combat the green image that will result, purchase a gold-coated #14 welders glass

for a few dollars more. Check for welding supplies online. Another consideration would be to purchase eclipse/transit glasses from a company like Rainbow Symphony http://www.rain-

bowsymphonystore.com/gensolecshad.html. They are constructed from black Mylar, offer full protection for both eyes, a natural yellow view of the sun, and are under one dollar per unit.

If you order this week, youll have the glasses by e-day for sure. Safe solar observing! www.astronomy.org

Rise Set

Mercury 5:55 a.m. 6:58 p.m.

Venus 8:28 a.m. 11:16 p.m.

Mars 2:30 p.m. 3:33 a.m.

Jupiter 6:52 a.m. 8:34 p.m.

Saturn 6:11 p.m. 5:41 a.m.

Uranus 4:41 a.m. 4:56 p.m.

3 50 - 2 4 6 8 107 9 11+

UV Index

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

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

11+: Extreme Exposure

Atlanta

77/54

Decatur

77/54

Doraville

76/54

Dunwoody

75/53 Lilburn

76/54

Snellville77/54

Lithonia

78/54

Morrow

78/54

Smyrna

76/54

Hampton

79/55

Union City

78/54

College Park

78/54

*Last Weeks Almanac

Date Hi L o Normals Precip

Tuesday 88 69 77/55 0.00"

Wednesday 88 63 77/55 0.00"

Thursday 84 65 77/56 0.00"

Friday 85 65 77/56 0.38"

Saturday 88 65 77/56 0.00"

Sunday 89 65 78/56 0.15"

Monday 80 66 78/57 0.03"Rainfall . . . . . . .0.56" Average temp . .75.7

Normal rainfall . .0.87" Average normal 66.6

Departure . . . . .-0.31" Departure . . . . .+9.1*Data as reported from De Kalb-Peachtree Airport

Georgia Perimeter Collegepresident Dr. Anthony Tricolihas resigned in the wake ofnancial difculties at the col-lege, according to the Univer-sity System of Georgia.

Hank Huckaby, chancellorof the university system, an-nounced this week that Tricolihas resigned following thediscovery of an approximately$16 million budget shortfallfor scal year 2012 at GPC.Huckaby cited the need for afresh approach as the reasonTricoli has stepped down.

The chancellor stated thatGPC had already taken stepsto control spending for theremainder of scal year 2012,which ends June 30. These

steps were expanded when thesize of the shortfall was de-termined. These steps includecurtailing travel, cancelingvarious encumbrances and pur-chase orders, delaying hiring

and suspending contracts. Inaddition, the system will real-locate funds internally and willensure that GPC will nishFY12 with a balanced budget,he said in a prepared statement.

GPC and system staff arepreparing a plan to balanceFY13 since the underlyingshortfall will continue intonext scal year. Similar stepsas those outlined above will

be taken to reduce spending.We do not know at this time

precisely the impact in every

budget area, but it will be sig-nicant and will likely impact

personnel. These actions arenecessary to address a shortfallof this magnitude. To be clear,tuition and fees will not be in-

creased beyond what the Boardof Regents already approvedat its April board meeting, ac-cording to the statement.

Huckaby said Vice Presi-dent of Academic Affairs Dr.Alan Jackson will serve asacting president until he ap-

points an interim president,which he expects to do withina few days.

The sixth president of Geor-gia Perimeter College, Tricoliwas inaugurated as president in2007.

Tricoli

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The Champion Free Press, Friday, May 11, 2012 Page 14AHealth

CDC: 2011 was worst measlesyear in U.S. in 15 years

Help us create a smoke-free, healthy DeKalb. Join the Live Healthy DeKalb Coalition at www.dekalbhealth.net/DPPW.

picture

DekalbHealthy

Be Smoke-Free.

Follow us on

Made possible with funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

by Mike Stobbe

ATLANTA (AP) Last year washe worst year for measles in the

United States in 15 years, healthofcials said April 19.

There were 222 cases of mea-sles, a large jump from the 60 orso seen in a typical year. Most ofhe cases last year were import-

edeither by foreign visitors orby U.S. residents who picked uphe virus overseas.

U.S. children have been get-ing vaccinated against the mea-

sles for about 50 years. But lowvaccination rates in Europe andother places resulted in large out-breaks overseas last year.

So far this year, 27 U.S. caseshave been reported and its too

early to gauge whether 2012 willbe as bad as last year. But witharge international events like the

London Olympics coming up,health ofcials are urging every-oneparticularly internationalravelersto make sure theyre

fully vaccinated.For those of you traveling

abroad, bring back memoriesand not measles, said Dr. AnneSchuchat of the Centers for Dis-ease Control and Prevention.

Generally, the Americans whogot measles last year were notvaccinated. At least two-thirdsof the U.S. cases fell into that

category, including 50 childrenwhose parents got philosophical,religious or medical exemptionsto skip the school vaccinationsrequired by most states, CDC of-cials said.

The vaccine is considered veryeffective but a few vaccinatedpeople still get infected.

Measles is highly contagious.The virus spreads easily throughthe air, and in closed rooms, in-fected droplets can linger for upto two hours after the sick personleaves.

It causes a fever, runny nose,cough and a rash all over the

body. In rare cases, measles canbe deadly, and is particularlydangerous for children. Infectioncan also cause pregnant women tohave a miscarriage or prematurebirth.

No measles deaths were re-ported in the United States lastyear; the last one occurred in2003. But about a third of the2011 cases were hospitalized, andone child was touch-and-go forabout a week before nally recov-

ering, one CDC ofcial said.Ofcials traced 200 of last

years 222 cases to measles inanother country, said Schuchat,

director of the CDCs Ofce ofInfectious Diseases. The largestoutbreak was in the Minneapolisarea where 21 cases were tracedto a child who got sick after a tripto Kenya.

The last time the United Stateshad more measles was in 1996,when 508 cases were reported.

Before the vaccine was avail-able, nearly all children gotmeasles by their 15th birthdayand epidemics cycled through thenation every two to three yearsgenerally peaking in the late win-ter or spring. In those days, about450 to 500 Americans died from

measles each year.Two doses of a measles-mumps-rubella vaccine are recommendedfor all children, including a rstdose given around a childsrst birthday and a second dosearound the time of preschool.These vaccinations are believedto last for a lifetime. Children asyoung as 6 months can get a rstdose if theyre going to a countrywith measles outbreaks, healthofcials say.

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DCSD implements cost-saving measures, cuts jobs

The Champion Free Press, Friday, May 11 , 2012 Page 15ALocal News


The DeKalb County School Dis-rict (DCSD) recently implemented

cost-saving measures such as reduc-ng teachers salaries by 6.25 per-

cent, and cutting jobs.District spokesman Walter

Woods said the reduction has beenwritten into the teacher contracts inpast years but the board always re-tores the reductions.

Every year we send out theame contract and we put in the

6.25 salary decrease, Woods said.Nothing is new this year.

Woods said the board woulddecide whether to restore the sal-ary levels after the budget processs completed. The budget was

originally slated to come before theboard in April but has been delayed

because of an anticipated shortfalln revenue.

Additionally, the DeKalb Coun-y School Board voted April 27 to

cut 133 jobs, a move school offi-cials say will save the district $9.3million.

Tekshia Ward-Smith, chief hu-man resources officer for DCSD,aid in past years the district basedchool staffing on the number of

contracts given out rather than onhe actual allotment for each school.

However, Ward-Smith said that will

change for the 2012-13 school year.The superintendent has de-

veloped a needs-based budgetingapproach to determine the actualstudent-based needs of local schoolsand the school district as a whole.

The resulting data to date has shownfunds available to the classroomscan be maximized by addressingoverstaffing and program elimina-tion, Ward-Smith said.

The cuts are the result of a dis-trict-wide analysis SuperintendentCherylAtkinson tasked officialswith earlier this month and repre-sent less than 2 percent of DCSDsentire workforce, according toWard-Smith.

Officials said the cuts fall intotwo categories: school-based over-ages and program elimination.Ward-Smith said the district hasidentified 96 school employees,

with an average salary of $70,000,who will be cut due to overstaffing.This will save the district approxi-mately $6.7 million.

Any school-based employeeidentified in a position that is pro-posed for elimination will be eli-gible to seek a teacher contract inanother content area should such avacancy, due to teacher attrition, be-come available, Ward-Smith said.

Ward-Smith said the school-based cuts were determined byassessing each employees profes-

sional expertise and certifications,performance and seniority.

Under the program eliminationcategory, 37 graduation coachesand specialists, who receive an av-erage salary of $70,000, who will

be cut. Ward-Smith said the reasonfor eliminating these positions isbecause originally, the salaries werepaid by a state grant.

Five or six years ago the gov-ernor gave us money and a dropoutprevention grant whereby gradu-ation coaches were placed withinschools. That was a program thatwas funded by the governor up untilabout three years ago, Ward-Smithsaid. Through the restructuringwere going to be able to absorbsome of the tasks and responsibili-ties that those individuals currentlyperform.

Ward-Smith said the elimination

of graduation coaches and special-ists will save the district approxi-mately $2.6 million. As with school-based employees, those whosepositions were eliminated will beeligible to apply for another teach-ing job within the district as long asthey are certified.

Officials said the cuts are com-ing now because May 15 is thelatest the district can inform em-ployees if their contracts will notbe renewed due to state mandates.Ward-Smith said all those affected

by the cuts will receive notificationby May 11.

Were hoping to be able toabsorb a lot of these particular indi-viduals through natural attrition inthe district, Atkinson said.

Woods said each year approxi-mately 200 teachers retire or leavethe district for various reasons, andofficials hope the positions will beable to be filled by the 133 employ-ees.

We looked at this very clearlybased on student allotmentexactlywhat we do needand we made surethat these needs were covered byother individuals, Woods said.

Board memberDonMcChesney pointed out that evenif those 133 individuals did manageto obtain another contract from thedistrict due to attrition, it would stillbe an entirely different position

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