Stone Mountain Master Blacksmith Wrests Art From Iron: Watson: I Don't Think I Have Any Questionable Charges'

championnewspaper championnewspaper champnewspaper championnews
thechampionnewspaper.com
Were Social
FRIDAY, JULY 4, 2014 VOL. 17, NO. 15 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.
FREEPRESS
See Blacksmith on page 13A
Stone Mountain master blacksmith wrests art from iron
See P-card on page 13A
Blacksmith Michael Labbe-Webb demonstrates making a hook out of a common nail, using pliers and a shop
torch. Photo by Travis Hudgons
by Lauren Ramsdell
lauren@dekalbchamp.com
I
ts hot when you walk into the studio at 951B
Main St. in Stone Mountain. Really hot. Te
door is lef open on nice days and box fans
whirr as you see why: theres a blacksmith
forging right in the gallery space.
Separated from the delicate glasswork he
also makes, Michael Labbe-Webb pounds on a
railroad spike. Its red-hot, but not so hot it emits
sparks. Tat would mean its overheated and the
sparks just make a good photograph, he said.
Its just fun to work, he said. It continues
to amaze me, 35 years later, that I can take
something as rigid as a piece of steel and
manipulate it the way that I do.
Labbe-Webb started blacksmithing in 1976 as
a way to get involved with the Society for Creative
Anachronism, or SCA. He wanted to participate
in full-contact sword fghting but found he had
to obtain period-appropriatethat is, medieval or
Renaissance-stylearmor.
And, I was broke, he said.
Te SAC believes in studying by doing, so,
Labbe-Webb bought materials and learned from
another SAC member. He eventually made a full
suit of armor that hangs in his workshop today.
I had so much fun doing that that I just kept
doing it, Labbe-Webb said. If you want to learn
how to do something [in the SCA], it doesnt cost
Editors note: Te Champion will
look at the purchasing card use of
the DeKalb County Board of Com-
missioners and those of other select
P-card holders.
by Andrew Cauthen
andrew@dekalbchamp.com
DeKalb County Commissioner
Stan Watson wants to make sure
he doesnt have the appearance of
any wrongdoing.
Tats why, he said June 30, he
is in the process of paying DeKalb
County back for approximately
$4,800 in cell phone charges on his
personal phone.
Watson used his county-issued
purchasing card (P-card) to pay
the phone bill of his personal cell
phone. Afer the county performed
an audit in 2011, Watson said, the
county agreed that they actually
would pay for [the cell phone bills]
and theyve been paying for it for
the last three years.
Watson, who has a county-
issued cell phone, uses that device
strictly for email, he said.
I cant even tell you my [coun-
ty] cell phone number, Watson
said. I use my personal phone
for more county-related business
and to handle constituent services.
Anybody in my community meet-
ings, anybody I meet in the street, I
give them my number. If they need
a pothole flled, they know they can
call me on this cell phone.
When the news media ques-
tioned his cell phone charges on his
P-card, Watson said he decided to
repay the county for the bills.
Since the charges have been
questioned, I have three payments
I want to make to pay back the cell
phone bills, and I have started pay-
Watson: I dont think I have any questionable charges
Stan Watson
Business ........................15A
Classifed .......................17A
Education .....................16A
Sports ...................... 18-19A
QUICK FINDER
PAGE 2A THE CHAMPION FREE PRESS, FRIDAY, JULY 4, 2014

by Carla Parker
carla@dekalbchamp.com
Seven people were indict-
ed June 27 for their alleged
roles in a MARTA breeze
card scheme.
A DeKalb County grand
jury indicted Jedadia Byrd,
Robert Clark, Christina
Carney, Michael Dallas,
Stephanie Finger, Pierre
Metteaux and Melvin Sum-
mers on felony racketeering
charges.
According to the indict-
ment, the suspects would
falsely place value on
MARTA Breeze cardsfor
unlimited weekly or month-
ly ridesafter purchasing
legitimate cards for $1. The
group would then distribute
the altered Breeze cards to
MARTA riders for a dis-
counted cash price.
The group used flyers to
advertise their organization,
which they called Under-
ground Railroad, according
to the indictment.
Essentially, this scheme
outlined in the indictment
spells out an elaborate plot
to bilk MARTA through a
theft of services, DeKalb
District Attorney Robert
James said. These co-con-
spirators allegedly infiltrated
the MARTA computer net-
work to illegally program
Breeze cards and offer free
rides for customers of the
Underground Railroad
scheme.
In December, MARTA
officials discovered the sham
cards. After an investigation,
police arrested Summers,
Metteaux and Byrd Dec. 9.
The other suspects were ar-
rested later that month.
This intricate scheme
took place across the entire
metro Atlanta area, James
said.
Distributors of the fake
cards were placed at various
MARTA station, including
H.E. Holmes, Five Points,
Chamblee and Doraville.
The codefendants ar-
raignment has not been set.
Seven indicted for MARTA breeze card scam
Funeral service for Flossie Hill, mother
of Carolyn Jernigan Glenn, will be held
Thursday, July 3, 2014 at 11 a.m.
Carter Hill Missionary Baptist Church
1810 Thompson Mill Road
Loganville, Ga 30052
(770) 466-1583
Dr. David F. Brown, pastor
Funeral arrangements provided by
Young's Levett Funeral Home
129 W. Washington St.,
Monroe, Ga 30655
(770) 267-2642
by Carla Parker
One of the recreational
activities that South River Wa-
tershed Alliance provides is
canoeing.
Twenty people canoed the
South River June 26 from Pa-
nola Shoals to Klondike Road
for approximately three hours.
Canoers traveled down the
shallow waters of the river dur-
ing the first part of the trip and
encountered a few sand bars,
trees and tireswhich made
paddling a little difficult.
However, once the group
passed the sewer treatment
plant, paddling was easier and
relaxing because the river was
deeper and straighter. The trip
included a history of the river
and the natural environment
surrounding the river.
Photos by Carla Parker
Canoeing on the South River
THE CHAMPION FREE PRESS, FRIDAY, JULY 4, 2014 PAGE 3A
Bingo used to deliver elder abuse message
by Lauren Ramsdell
Senior citizens in DeKalb should
really only worry about B-I-N-G-O,
not A-B-U-S-E. Thats the thinking
behind the recent events hosted by
DeKalb Solicitor General Sherry Bos-
ton. Gathering seniors from the com-
munity for bingo, Boston discussed
signs of elder abuse.
Unlike other types of crimes,
elder abuse is a crime that doesnt
always get reported because, in part,
either the victims may be unable to
report it themselves, or maybe they
dont want to report it, Boston said.
Sometimes youre embarrassed that
someone has taken advantage of you.
Other times, the person that has com-
mitted that wrong against you is a
family member or a friend, and you
dont want to get them in trouble.
And other times we see the concern
that if you turn that person in, who is
going to take care of you?
Boston gave a quick talk June 24
peppered with amens and thats
right from the crowd between bingo
rounds at the Atlanta-DeKalb senior
center. Everyone who attended re-
ceived literature on how to spot and
report abuse, a water bottle, hand
sanitizer and a medical records file
packet to put on the refrigerator.
90 percent of reported cases, the
perpetrators are family members,
Boston said.
Elders who experience abuse
have a 300 percent higher risk of
death, Boston said. We all know
every single one of us is going to die
one day. But it doesnt have to be any
earlier than the Lord wants to take us,
right?
Right, the assembled seniors
chorused.
Seniors are at risk for abuse and
exploitation for a number of reasons,
according to the U.S. Department of
Health and Human Services Admin-
istration on Aging. Their physical
and mental strength may not be as
robust as a younger persons, leading
to exploitation. Caregivers may find
themselves exasperated to the point of
neglecting the elders needsor lash-
ing out in violence. And some seniors
can even neglect themselves: while
not abuse, it is still a problem that af-
fects quality of life.
It is a very difcult situation to
come to a decision to prosecute or
tell someone [about] being abused,
said Sheryl Harris, a six-year veteran
victim advocate with the solicitor
generals ofce. Its kind of humiliat-
ing if its your own kids. Te majority
of our cases involve adult children
who abuse their parents.
Harris said the solicitor generals
ofce makes seniors feel less alone in
confronting what can be a traumatic
and ongoing issue.
It makes them know that they
have law enforcement behind them
in case they come to the decision to
prosecute, she said. It educates them
as to what is in the legal system and
gives them a sense of camaraderie. I
think knowledge is always powerful.
Abuse of the elderly, in addition
to causing physical ailments such
as bedsores or bruises and broken
bones, can also hasten cognitive and
psychological decline, according to
a 2005 report in Clinics in Geriatric
Medicine.
Meaning, youve got more anxi-
ety, more stress, Boston said. You
dont need that. Youre retired. As my
mom says, Im re-wired. This is my
time to enjoy, not to have extra stress.
Boston further said that elder
abuse occurs without regard to mon-
etary status, race or gender; it affects
people in all kinds of situations.
This is why we have to look out
for each other, Boston said.
Boston said that elder abuse in
DeKalb County is a prevalent, but
underreported problem. The cases
reported are just the tip of the iceberg.
Her office prosecutes the misdemean-
or cases.
There were 55 misdemeanor cas-
es [in 2013], and there were obviously
some cases that were felonies that
went right to the district attorneys
office, Boston said. We know that
there are way more than that.
Boston said that the previous
week a social worker at an event ap-
proached her and reported several
incidents.
It doesnt matter that youre com-
ing to the senior center, there is still a
possibility that someone is out there
that needs help, she said.
Annie Blakeley, 86, left shortly
before the bingo was over but said she
learned a few things she didnt know.
And although she is comfortable in
her home, she said she is vigilant
about being taken advantage of.
Every day it crosses my mind,
Blakeley said. I dont think my peo-
ple would abuse me. I dont think. But
I always worry about what might hap-
pen if I cant do for myself anymore.
Any sudden, unexplained physi-
cal ailments such as bruises, such
psychological changes as becoming
withdrawn or depression or poor
hygiene can be signs of elder abuse.
Concerned friends and family can
contact Adult Protective Services, a
division of the state government, for
advice and help. Call 911 if there is
immediate danger to the person.
Solicitor General Sherry Boston hosted a bingo event at several senior centers around DeKalb. She said getting the seniors together for bingo provides an opportunity to educate them
about the risks and signs of elder abuse. Photos by Lauren Ramsdell
ONE MANS OPINION
Righting the score on common core
Were very alarmed about choice
and local control over curriculum
being taken away from our parents
and our educators, Louisiana Gov.
Bobby Jindal (R) at a June 18 news
conference announcing that he plans
to reverse Louisianas adoption of the
Common Core Education Standards.
With all due respects, Gov. Jindal,
facts are facts.The Common Core
Standards do not establish or select
curriculum at the state or local level,
nor do the standards block choice,
charter schools or any of many other
public education reforms being pro-
posed.
The DeKalb Chamber of Com-
merce hosted a recent forum to help
dispel the growing list of rumors
and innuendo swirling around
Common Core, a set of education
benchmarks and standards previ-
ously adopted in 44 states and the
District of Columbia.Jindal, who
earlier supported Common Cores
adoption in his home state in 2010,
recently joined the governors of
South Carolina and Oklahoma in a
course reversal and movement away
from the Common Core standards.
We asked for this...I was there,
longtime public education advocate
and former senior IBM community
affairs executive and Anne Cramer
said, now a senior consultant with
Coxe, Curry & Associates during
the panel discussion at the DeKalb
Chamber leadership luncheon.
During the late 1990s, Americas
business community became in-
creasingly aware of the performance
gap between U.S. students and their
peers in Europe and Asia.U.S. test
scores, particularly in math and sci-
ence are flat or dropping, while on a
steady climb overseas.Given the in-
creasing global tilt of our economy,
the U.S. Chamber, Georgia Chamber
of Commerce and other organiza-
tions began calling for metrics to
measure public education reform
and its effectiveness.The initiative
moved forward, championed by the
Republican Governors Association,
and leading that charge was former
Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue, as
well as the Georgia Department of
Education.Florida Gov. Jeb Bush
and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie
and their states were also among the
early adopters.
As more than three dozen states
began moving forward with imple-
mentation of the standards, voices
of concern and opposition also be-
gan to gather and grow.Social con-
servatives decry a federal takeover
of public education, and Common
Core is being falsely labeled, Obam-
acore, while the president and his
administration have done little more
than embrace standards actually
created by others.And some educa-
tors and administrators, though also
willing to have their performances
measured, are bridling at the signifi-
cant connection between student
test scores and their annual perfor-
mance assessments, bonuses and
compensation.
The test scores are one major
component of teacher performance
assessment50 percent, and for
administrators, the percentage is
70 percent,said Steve Dolinger,
president of the Georgia Partner-
ship for Excellence in Education and
moderator for the DeKalb Chamber
program.
Like school and school system
accreditation, we need criteria and
common standards to allow stu-
dents to transfer between states,
school systems and schools at grade
level, given the increasingly tran-
sient nature of our population and
workforce. And a third-grader or
a ninth-grader needs to be able to
meet the same knowledge and per-
formance metrics in Decatur, Ga., as
in Decatur, Ill.
But Common Core does not
lock in our teachers, principals,
school boards or administrators
into taking the same path, using the
same textbooks or even teaching the
same curriculum to get there.
Educator and administrator
assessments should include peer
review, student and parental input,
and other academic measures in-
cluding student graduation rates and
GPA improvements, and not just
test scores. There is plenty of em-
pirical data which indicate that male
and minority student performance
on standardized testing is not always
the best indicator of student ability
or comprehension.And given the
need to select only a small handful
of testing vehicles to allow for apples
to apples comparison, other mea-
surement instruments become even
more important in allowing local
input as significant elements of as-
sessing performance.
In DeKalb County and elsewhere
in Georgia, our schools have a long
way to go in improving educational
outcomes.And as this debate con-
tinues, we will be asked and tasked
even sooner with selecting the lead-
ers of our local school boards.In
DeKalb there are three districts
with run-off elections on Tuesday,
July 22, and even sooner thanks to
absentee and early voting.These
elections are nonpartisan and will
appear on all runoff ballots.Ask
questions, pay attention, speak
your mind on the Common Core
and as well as making common
sense choices for our local school
boards.Our children and their fu-
tures may depend on it.
Bill Crane also serves as a political
analyst and commentator for Channel
2s Action News, WSB-AM News/Talk
750 and now 95.5 FM, as well as a
columnist for The Champion, Cham-
pion Free Press and Georgia Trend.
Crane is a DeKalb native and business
owner, living in Scottdale. You can
reach him or comment on a column at
billcrane@earthlink.net.
Bill Crane
Columnist
OPINION
OPINION

Let Us Know What You Think!
THE CHAMPION FREE PRESS encourages opinions
from its readers. Please write to us and express your
views. Letters should be brief, typewritten and contain
the writers name, address and telephone number for
verifcation. All letters will be considered for publica-
tion.
Send Letters To Editor, The Champion Free Press, P. O. Box 1347,
Decatur, GA 30031-1347; Send email to Andrew@dekalbchamp.com
FAX To: (404) 370-3903 Phone: (404) 373-7779
Deadline for news releases and advertising: Thursday, one week
prior to publication date.
EDITORS NOTE: The opinions written by columnists and contribut-
ing editors do not necessarily refect the opinions of the editor or
publishers. The Publisher reserves the right to reject or cancel any
advertisement at any time. The Publisher is not responsible for
unsolicited manuscripts.
Publisher: John Hewitt
Chief Financial Ofcer: Dr. Earl D. Glenn
Managing Editor: Andrew Cauthen
Production Manager: Kemesha Hunt
Photographer: Travis Hudgons
Staf Reporters: Daniel Beauregard
Carla Parker
Lauren Ramsdell
Advertising Sales: Louise Dyrenforth Acker
The Champion Free Press is published each
Friday by ACE III Communications, Inc.,
114 New Street, Suite E, Decatur, GA. 30030
Phone (404) 373-7779.
www.championnewspaper.com
DISPLAY ADVERTISING (404) 373-7779 x 110
FREEPRESS
STATEMENT FROM THE PUBLISHER
We sincerely appreciate the discussion
surrounding this and any issue of interest to
DeKalb County. The Champion was founded in
1991 expressly to provide a forum for discourse
for all community residents on all sides of an
issue. We have no desire to make the news
only to report news and opinions to effect a
more educated citizenry that will ultimately
move our community forward. We are happy
to present ideas for discussion; however, we
make every effort to avoid printing information
submitted to us that is known to be false and/or
assumptions penned as fact.
DeKalb Chamber should shop locally for leadership
The DeKalb Chamber of Com-
merce is looking for a new president
and CEO to head the organization
after the unexpected departure of
Leonardo McClarty who held the
position for more than 10 years.
McClarty was the voice of the
chamber; he was well-known and
respected in the county. We need
another well-known and respected
person to fill the vacancy.
A committee has been named to
assist in the selection process. This
committee is chaired by Diane Mc-
Clearen of Oglethorpe Power; other
committee members include Delo-
res Crowell of AT&T and Al Ed-
wards of Atlanta-based Corporate
Environmental Risk Management.
Coordination of the search is being
directed by a member of DeKalb
Medicals human resources depart-
ment.
The search committee members
all have strong and long-standing
ties to DeKalb and the greater Atlan-
ta metro area. Our chamber needs
someone with similar connections if
it is to further the DeKalb chambers
mission to advance the growth and
success of the DeKalb County busi-
ness community by serving as the
voice of business, providing infor-
mation and resources and facilitat-
ing connections.
We dont need a national search;
we need a home-grown professional
who is familiar with DeKalb Coun-
tyour good and our bad. We need a
professional with ties to the commu-
nity, one who knows our business
and political climates, and one who
knows who to go to form and main-
tain meaningful and productive
partnerships in the community. We
need a professional who has both
a personal and professional vested
interest in the long-term success of
DeKalbs businesses.
Over the past several years we
have seen the aftermath of those
recruited and placed in prominent
positions as results of national
searches, and those results were not
good.
Take for example, Cheryl
Atkinson the former superinten-
dent of DeKalb schools. She was
paid a relocation fee, given a com-
fortable salary and after less than
two years was paid an exit settle-
ment of $114,000 after reaching a
mutually acceptable agreement
to terminate her contract. After
her appointment, Atkinson rather
quickly began removing high-level
employees who knew and lived in
DeKalb and replaced them with her
hand-picked cronies from the dis-
trict she had previously worked in.
She took jobs from DeKalb residents
and left the school district in worse
condition than it was in prior to her
appointment.
And then there was former
DeKalb County police chief Terrell
Bolton, who was relocated from
Texas after an extensive national
search. He spent as much time trav-
eling back and forth to Texas as he
did tending the business of DeKalbs
police department. According to
public records, he used 80 days of
compensatory time in 2007 and
2008, most of which supposedly was
spent going to and from Dallas. He
had no ties to DeKalb. He was after
a paycheck. At the time Bolton was
fired as DeKalbs police chief, he was
still involved in a legal battle with
the city of Dallas seeking damages
from when he was fired in 2003.
These are but two examples of
negative outcomes of bringing out-
siders into important positions in
our community.
Another point worthy of con-
sideration is when an organization
chooses to look for leadership out-
side of the community, that action
implies that there is not a local per-
son whom it feels is either available
or capable of leading the organiza-
tion. This is not the case in DeKalb.
On the DeKalb chambers
website, under the Why DeKalb
tab appears the following: DeKalb
has a robust labor pool consisting
of various professionals and trades-
menA second to none labor pool
allows any company calling DeKalb
home to remain competitive in an
ever-changing world. And under
the Chamber Initiatives tab, the
first item listed is Locally driven.
We often hear chambers of com-
merce and business organizations
touting the importance of shopping
locally and supporting local econo-
mies. Its time for the DeKalb Cham-
ber to support our local economy
and to shop locally for a leader. It
just makes sense.
John Hewitt
johnh@dekalbchamp.com
Chief Operating Ofcer

COMMUNITY
If you would like to nominate someone
to be considered as a future Champion
of the Week, please contact Andrew
Cauthen at andrew@dekalbchamp.com
or at (404) 373-7779, ext. 117.
SHELBY SMITH
Champion
of
theWeek
Sanitation workers complain
of understafng, low pay
by Daniel Beauregard
daniel@dekalbchamp.com
DeKalb County sanita-
tion workers told commis-
sioners June 24 that third
their department is under-
staffed and they are under-
paid and overworked.
Tracy Brown, a sanita-
tion worker and member of
a newly formed union for
DeKalb County sanitation
workers, said the depart-
ment is severely under-
staffed.
We just dont understand
where the money is going,
Brown said.
Additionally, sanitation
employees said there is a
high turnover rate due to the
current working conditions.
Recently, the county
implemented a new pilot
program for certain areas of
the county that limits trash
pickup to once a week. Some
sanitation workers said this
has caused areas to be over-
flowing with trash, and there
arent enough staff members
to pick it up.
People are leaving all
the time now because of the
working conditions. One of
you commissioners, please
we need to know whats
going on [with] our depart-
ment, which is a so-called
revenue-generating depart-
ment and one of the most
important departments, one
worker said.
Interim DeKalb County
CEO Lee May said with any
pilot program there are pros
and cons.
Its a pilot program.
Weve taken it in a small sec-
tion of our countyto see
what our options [are] to
move forward, May said.
May said that at the end
of the program, residents
and county employees will
be surveyed and asked for
their input regarding the
program.
Ill be talking to our
employees to really listen to
them even more, and, at the
end of this, we will be taking
the surveys internally and
externally, May said. This
pilot program is meant to
look at some internal things
and some external things
as wellto look at what
the general public is saying
about the opportunity to
look at a different model of
service.
DeKalb County residents
have not received a rate in-
crease for sanitation services
since 2006, county officials
said.
After hearing about
acts of violence commit-
ted against women, Shelby
Smith decided to volunteer
with Day League, formerly
DeKalb Rape Crisis Center.
Id like to say that a par-
ticular incident sticks out in
my mind, but unfortunately,
Ive heard so many similar
stories that I cannot point
to a particular one that
spurred me to act, Smith
said. I just remember feel-
ing so frustrated each time
I heard one of these stories
and wondering what could I
do, how could I help?
The 37-year-old from
Pine Lake said that every
time she heard a story of a
women being sexually as-
saulted she wanted to get
involved but fear held her
back from volunteering.
I was afraid I would get
so overwhelmed with anger
and sadness that I would
be ineffectual, she said. I
finally took the leap and
learned about the process
through which women can
begin to heal from sexual
violence, training to become
a hotline advocate and serv-
ing on the crisis line.
Smith, who is the senior
program coordinator in the
Office of Admissions for
the MD program at Emory
University School of Medi-
cine, has been volunteering
with the Day League for five
years. It has made Smith
realize that she can play an
important role in assisting
survivors of sexual assault.
At the moment a call
is received, I am able to
respond appropriately to
someone in need and I can
do so from the training that
I have received through
Day League, she said. I
will likely never know what
will happen to the person
I speak with or the person
I meet at the hospital, after
my shift is over, but at that
moment, I can hear some-
ones story and I can provide
a link to the resources that
are available, both at Day
League and throughout the
area.
Along with her work as a
hotline advocate, Smith also
assists the Day League with
coordinating volunteers for
fundraising events. She also
worked with Day League to
organize training for stu-
dents in the MD program
who were interested in be-
ing advocates.
She also has volunteered
within her community as
the president of her former
neighborhood association,
on the board of directors at
her church and has recently
organized a neighborhood
cleanup at her current
residence. She volunteers
at Emory as a sustainability
representative, educating
those in the School of Medi-
cine about green efforts, and
in the School of Medicine
garden. She also has been
an actress in the Vagina
Monologues on Emorys
campus twice.
There is so much hap-
pening in the world, good
and bad, and volunteering
gives me a chance to be a
part of the good stuff, she
said.
County sanitation workers say bad work conditions are causing high turnover. File photo
The Juvenile Court of DeKalb County
is collecting school supplies to support stu-
dents and families through Friday, Aug. 1.
The senior probation officers at DeKalb
Juvenile Court are facilitating a project titled
Back 2 B.O.O.K.S. (Building On Our Kids
Success), an initiative that supports DeKalb
County elementary students.
Our goal is to encourage juveniles and
foster the importance of education through
various outreach efforts said DeKalb Coun-
ty Juvenile Court administrator Michael L.
Cuffee. By providing school supplies, we
hope to demonstrate our confidence in their
abilities to learn and become successful.
Businesses, nonprofit organizations and
the general public are encouraged to donate
to the initiative, which is projected to assist
more than 100 students this fall.
For more information about BACK 2
B.O.O.K.S, contact the Anika Clarkson,
public information officer, at (404) 294-
2060 or via email at piojuvenile@dekalb-
countyga.gov.
DeKalb County Juvenile Court collecting school supplies

COMMUNITY
AROUND
DEKALB
Brookhaven
Town Brookhaven to host movie screening
The childrens film Despicable Me 2 will be
screened July 10 for Movies on the Town! at
Town Brookhaven. The event is free and begins
at dusk on the green space. Music and announce-
ments begin two hours prior. Attendees can come
early, grab dinner and eat on the green space.
For more information, visit www.facebook.com/
townbrookhaven.
Commissioners approve park conveyance to
Brookhaven
On June 25, the DeKalb Board of Commis-
sioners approved the conveyance of 10 parks to
Brookhaven. After nearly a year of legal discus-
sions, property appraisals, and maintenance
transfers, Brookhaven has the licenses of Ashford,
Blackburn, Briarwood, Clacks Corner, Georgian
Hills, Lynwood, Murphey Candler, Parkside,
Perimeter Trail and Skyland Trail. By the end of
2014, Brookhaven will have acquired 14 parks
and green spaces from DeKalb County.

Decatur
Veronica Roths book tour stops at Agnes Scott
College
Veronica Roth, author of the Divergent series
of dystopian young-adult novels, will make a stop
on her upcoming book tour July 10. The tour is
in support of her newest work, Four: A Divergent
Collection, featuring short stories from the point
of view of the character Four from Divergent.
The Divergent trilogy takes place in a post-
apocalyptic Chicago where residents are divided
into factions based on their personalities. The se-
ries has sold more than 22 million copies and has
spawned a movie series of the same name.
The event starts at 7 p.m. at Presser Hall and
also features Marie Lu, author of the Legend
series. Tickets cost $30 and include admission,
a signed copy of Four and a signed copy of Lus
Legend. Tickets can be purchased at Little Shop of
Stories in Decatur, or by phone at (404) 373-6300.
Other signed books by the authors will also be
available.
Drivers needed for seniors
A Decatur-based nonprofit organization needs
volunteer drivers who use their own vehicles to
provide free transportation to DeKalb County to
seniors to their medical appointments.
The organization, I CARE Inc., currently
serves more than 260 DeKalb County seniors
on low or fixed incomes. The nonprofit provides
more than 1,200 roundtrip rides a year.
I CARE, located on the third floor of the De-
catur First United Methodist Church, provides
rides weekdays, between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.
For more information about becoming a vol-
unteer driver, Contact Lori Webster, volunteer
coordinator, (404) 377-2273 or (404) 376-6415;
or Tom Simon, I CAREs director at (404) 377-
2273 or (770) 378-8999.
Library hosts Book Buddies book club
Friends of the Decatur Library are hosting a
monthly book club July 15, 4-5 p.m., for early
chapter book readers at the Decatur Library, lo-
cated at 215 Sycamore Street in Decatur.
The event is geared toward children 7 and 8
years of age and features a book each month, fol-
lowed by activities, snacks and discussion.
Those interested in participating can sign up
at the front desk of the Decatur Library or call
(404) 370-8450.
The book club is open to the first 10 partici-
pants to sign up.
Wylde Center hosts medicine-making
workshop
The Wylde Center, located at 415 East Lake
Drive in Decatur, is hosting a medicine-making
workshop July 27 at 4 p.m.
Located in the Sugar Creek Garden, the work-
shop will be taught by garden manager Dara
Suchke. Materials to bring and details will be an-
nounced closer to the date of the workshop and
depends on what is harvestable at the time.
For more information, contact Suchke at
dara@wyldecenter.org or visit www.wyldecenter.
org.
Dunwoody
Details set for Fourth of July parade
The Dunwoody Fourth of July parade, pre-
sented by the Dunwoody Homeowners As-
sociation, returns for its 23rd consecutive year.
The parade begins at 9 a.m. at the intersection
of Mount Vernon Road and Jett Ferry Road and
concludes 2.2 miles away at Marlows Tavern in
Dunwoody Village shopping center.
After the parade, family activities continue at
the post office in Dunwoody Village. Boy Scout
Troop 266 will be selling barbecue while Dun-
woody Rotary will sell hot dogs. There will be a
childrens play area and horse petting corral.
Spectators should go to the parking lot at
Dunwoody Village, where volunteers will direct
drivers to parking spaces. Chairs should be set up
along Mount Vernon Road and Dunwoody Vil-
lage Parkway. The view from the east side of Jett
Ferry Road will be obstructed by parade staging.
The parade route along Mount Vernon Road will
be closed from approximately 8:40 to 11:40 a.m.
Traffic information can be obtained by con-
tacting Dunwoody Police at the non-emergency
number, (678) 382-6900. More information about
the parade can be found at www.dunwoodyga.
org.
Lithonia
First Afrikan Community Festival scheduled
Creation Care, an entity of First Afrikan
Community Development Corporation, has an-
nounced the 2014 First Afrikan Community
Festival, featuring the fourth Annual Farmers
Market & Taste of Caribbean.
The theme of the festival is Healthy Food,
Healthy Living, and a Healthy Community.
The event will be held on Saturday, July 12,
at 5197 Salem Road, Lithonia, from 10 a.m. to 6
p.m. This free event is open to the public.
Live performances at the festival will include
Mauseki Scales & The Common Ground Collec-
tive, featuring Akua Taylor; Tina H. Baze, and
the Calabash Alley Masqueraders.
There will be a childrens village featuring pup-
pet shows, storytelling, face painting and horse-
back riding. Health screenings, cooking dem-
onstrations and garden/walking trail tours will
also be available. Other activities include yoga,
Zumba, Afrikan dance, Africentric fashion show
and a live remote broadcast from AB+L Radio.
Produce, food, crafts and other items will be
available for purchase.
For information regarding cultural/food ven-
dors for this event, contact Claudette Tolson at
(773) 593-6673 or ayodeleshaihi@yahoo.com, or
Mawakana White at (770) 940-1830.
Stone Mountain
Art Station to host quilt exhibition
Ebony Stitchers Quilt Exhibition will pres-
ent Stir the Pot, an Exhibit of Socially Relevant
Issues, at the ART Station Contemporary Art
Center, 5384 Manor Drive in Stone Mountain.
The exhibits run through Aug. 31. The exhibit
will feature quilts made by national and local
quilt artists. The Stir the Pot quilt exhibition
explores social consciousness boundaries. It is an
exhibit about social issuesjustice, health care,
politics, and so much moreall depicted through
a quilters eye. For more information, contact
Belinda Pedroso at (404) 669-6742 or Bill E.
Leavell at (770) 469-1105.
Countywide
Cities to host Georgia State Games
Championship events
Chamblee and Doraville will host events dur-
ing the Georgia State Games Championships.
The outdoor volleyball championships will be
held at Honeysuckle Park in Doraville, July 12-13.
Dynamo Aquatic Center in Chamblee will host
the water polo championships. To register for
these events or other events across the state, visit
www.georgiagames.org.
LOCAL NEWS
Restaurant Inspections
Establishment Name: Wafe House
Address: 3451 Trinity Circle
Current Score/Grade: 87/B
Inspecton Date: 06/26/2014
Observatons and Correctve Actons
Employee handling raw meats changed gloves and donned a new pair
w/o washing hands. COS- Manager advised on the actvity who then
coached food handler.
Not all damp wiping cloths stored in sanitzing soluton. COS-Placed in
soluton.
Interior of the 4 door cooler is unclean with raw meat liquid and food
debris. COS-cleaned by employee. Prep top cooler area near lid and
wells unclean with food debris. COS-cleaned. Exterior of the right side
cooler door unclean. COS- cleaned/wiped down.
Establishment Name: Subway
Address: 2858 Lavista Road, Suite H
Observed employee medicaton stored with single service utensils
and salad dressing. COS-Employee medicaton was moved to em-
ployee storage area. Corrected On-Site. Repeat Violaton. Correct By:
07/06/2014
Upon arrival observed employee not wearing a hair restraint. COS-
employee added hair restraint. Corrected On-Site. Repeat Violaton.
Observed wiping cloth sanitzer soluton at unapproved levels. COS-
sanitzer was added. Corrected On-Site. Repeat Violaton.
Observed food equipment stored in vegetable sink. COS-items re-
moved. Advised vegetable sink is only for washing fruits and vegeta-
bles. Corrected On-Site. Repeat Violaton.
Observed employee cell phone stored on prep counter and also ob-
served employee jacket stored on shelf with food items. (soda botles)
COS-items moved. Corrected On-Site. Repeat Violaton.
Establishment Name: The Old Tucker Fountain
Address: 2329 Main Street

Double handwashing procedure not used when employees returned
into the kitchen. Corrected employee to wash hands. Instructed to use
material given. Corrected On-Site. Repeat Violaton.
PHF prepped within the past hour not cooled under approved meth-
ods. Instructed to undo tghtly wrapped saran wrap and to place on
ice bath. Corrected On-Site. New Violaton.
Cooler not maintaining ambient temperature of 41F and below. Repair
man will service unit. Fax invoice to 404-508-7979 New Violaton.

Establishment Name: Dugans Tavern
Address: 5922 Memorial Drive
Establishment Name: The Original Pancake House
Address: 5099 Memorial Drive
Observed coked ham, sausage and bacon stored directly next to
raw eggs in walk in cooler. Informed PIC ready to eat foods are to be
stored away from raw animal products to prevent contaminaton. Ad-
vised PIC to move cooked foods away from eggs. COS- PIC relocated
meats to shelf away from eggs. Corrected On-Site. New Violaton.
Observed cups stored wet on counter for front food service. Informed
PIC utensils are to completely air dry before being stored. Advised PIC
to allow utensils to completely air dry afer washing, rinsing and sani-
tzing. Repeat Violaton.
Establishment Name: Papa Johns Pizza
Address: 1065 Columbia Drive
Employees eatng and/or drinking in food prep and/or equipment or
utensil storage areas, serving areas.03(5)(j)1&2 Observed food em-
ployee walking around and chewing gum in the facility dueing prep.
Advised employee to discard gum immediately. COS- employee dis-
carded gum. Corrected On-Site. New Violaton.
No soap avaialble at the handsink in the kitchen. PIC was advised to
place soap at the handsink. COS- Soap was placed at the handsink.
Corrected On-Site. New Violaton.
New ethics complaints fled
against DeKalb commissioners
by Andrew Cauthen
DeKalb County commis-
sioners Larry Johnson and
Sharon Barnes Sutton are the
subjects of new investigations
by the countys ethics board.
The DeKalb County Board
of Ethics voted June 24 to
proceed with investigations
into the commissioners use of
their county-issued purchas-
ing cards (P-card).
The ethics complaints,
filed in May by Rhea Johnson
of Decatur, allege that Larry
Johnson and Sutton system-
atically and consistently used
their county credit cards, re-
ferred to as purchasing cards
(P-cards), for their own per-
sonal benefit and contrary to
the intended purpose.
Similar complaints were
filed by Viola Davis of the
Unhappy Taxpayer and Voter
against Sutton as well as Sut-
tons chief of staff, Judy T.
Brownlee. The ethics board
also voted to investigate
Brownlee.
In another complaint filed
by Robert Ballou against the
DeKalb County CEOs Of-
fice, Mr. Ballou complains
that the CEOs office did not
conduct, or questions why
the CEOs office did not con-
duct, an investigation into the
finance departments 2011
audit, which showed that
three county commissioners
had misused their county-
issued purchasing cards, said
GeneChapman, the ethics
boards attorney.
The complaint does not
provide sufficient information
establishing the jurisdiction of
the ethics board to investigate
the complaint, Chapman said.
There just doesnt seem to be
sufficient facts alleged for the
board to accept this.
The board dismissed the
allegation and suggested that
Ballou resubmit it with more
information.
In old business, the ethics
board heard status reports for
some other complaints.
In the complaint of Davis
against Kevin Walton, the
countys suspended chief pro-
curement officer, Ms. Davis
complains that Mr. Walton
was involved in a scheme of
corrupt activity pertaining
to purchasing and contracts
within the watershed depart-
ment, Chapman said.
The scheme allegedly in-
volves bid-rigging, kickbacks
and false documentation,
Chapman said.
Chapman said the inves-
tigator working for the ethics
board believes it may be bet-
ter to wait until the conclusion
of the trial against Mr. Ellis,
in which Mr. Walton will be a
witness.
The investigator said this
would be a more economi-
cally efficient way to handle
this investigation, Chapman
said.
The other issue that I
would want the board to
explore is whether the DA
would view the boards action
as detrimental to his case,
Chapman said.
This is a matter that is
before usand I believe us we
should continue unless some-
one comes and tells we have
to stop for a legal reason,
said John Ernst, ethics board
chairman.
Ethics board member
Robert Blackman made a
successful motion to table
the investigation of Walton
until the ethics board receives
a certified copy of the grand
jury testimony related to the
Ellis case.
Wouldnt it be best if we
got all the legal facts before
we start? Blackman said. We
have a grand jury going on
and we have [prosecution] go-
ing on. And now were getting
involved in two things that I
dont think either one of us
knows what the heck is go-
ing on. We dont have all the
facts.
The board also agreed to
table the investigation of the
complaint against Nina Hall,
a suspended project manager
for the watershed manage-
ment department.
Investigations are already
under way for the complaints
against Commissioner Elaine
Boyer and her chief of staff
Bob Lundsten. The pair is
accused of misuse of their
county P-cards. A report on
the investigation will be avail-
able at the next ethics board
meeting.
The board also received an
update about the ethics com-
plaint of Rhea Johnson against
suspended county CEO
Burrell Ellis. Rhea Johnson
contends that Ellis should be
removed from office because
the indictment and grand jury
report documentation justify
his permanent removal from
office.
Chapman said Ellis at-
torney has responded to the
allegation and stated that the
ethics board should dismiss
the case because of lack of
jurisdiction; the investigation
of the complaint would violate
Ellis Fifth Amendment rights;
and the violations alleged
were unconstitutionally vague.
I have concerns that some
of the constitutional issues are
valid, Chapman said. The
board is wading into some
murky waters if you proceed
while this trial is going on.
The board voted to wait
until after Ellis trial to con-
sider the allegations of ethics
violations.
On June 27, a DeKalb County jury found
Angel Johnson guilty of cruelty to children,
making false statements and two counts invol-
untary manslaughter. Judge Courtney John-
son sentenced Johnson to 35 years20 years
must be served behind bars, according to a
news release.
Angel Johnson left three of her four chil-
dren unsupervised in a Stone Mountain apart-
ment on Dec. 10, 2010. A space heater caught
fire to items in the bedroom where the young
children were barricaded.
Two of the three children died from as-
phyxiation and injuries caused by the fire. The
third survived but suffered injuries.
The negligence of Angel Johnson led to
the death of two of her young children, who
died a horrific death that was 100 percent pre-
ventable, said District Attorney Robert James.
Instead of caring for her children, she went
on a joyride with her boyfriend to buy burg-
ers and wine. Her careless acts that December
night claimed two innocent young lives.
Keith Pinkney, Johnsons codefendant, was
not tried with Angel Johnson. His trial has yet
to be scheduled.
Mother sentenced to 35 years after children die in fre
LOCAL NEWS
Ethics watchdog position, revamps county policy
by Andrew Cauthen
Interim DeKalb County
CEO Lee May signed an
executive order June 25 cre-
ating the position of chief
integrity officer to be the
countys fulltime ethics
watchdog.
Im beyond
tired of reading
about employ-
ees of DeKalb
County doing
things that the
public would
find[a] major
issue with, May
said during an
afternoon news
conference.
The chief
integrity officer,
who will report directly to
the volunteer county ethics
board, will have the author-
ity and responsibility to
bring ethics concerns to the
attention of the ethics board,
without having to wait for a
complaint to be filed.
The officer will also be
responsible for training
county employees about eth-
ics, fielding tips about un-
ethical behavior and moni-
toring an ethics hotline and
email account.
In addition to the chief
integrity officer, May also is
asking the DeKalb County
Board of Commissioners
to set aside funds to hire a
fulltime investigator and ad-
ministrative assistant for the
ethics board.
John Ernst, chairman of
the ethics board, asked the
board of commissioners to
immediately improve the
increase in funding for the
Board of Ethics. The mea-
sure has a $97,000 price tag
for the rest of the year.
The ethics board must
tackle a multitude of com-
plaints before us and many
more that have yet to hit
our desks, Ernst said. It
takes significant resources
to hire investigators, gather
necessary information, get
to the bottom of these com-
plaints, take action and even
potentially remove DeKalb
County employees.
Ernst said the chief integ-
rity officer will be patterned
after the position in the city
of Atlanta government.
The time for talk is over.
The time for action is now.
The status quo is no longer
sustainable, Ernst said. If
DeKalb government is to
have [the] citizens of this
county trust its leaders, we
must act.
If funded, the new posi-
tions would be hired by and
report to the ethics board,
May said.
May also announced a
new ethics policy for all em-
ployees under the supervi-
sion of the CEO. According
to the new guidelines:
Meals can only be pur-
chased with county funds
in connection with an of-
ficial government purpose
with maximum cost of
$40 per meal and $120 per
year.
Gifts are allowed up to $40
per source, with a cap of
$120 per year for an em-
ployee, except for awards,
certificates, and gifts from
family members, other
governments or that are
given to the county as a
whole.
Travel expenses can only
be claimed for official gov-
ernment business.
Tickets to sporting and
cultural events are not per-
mitted except for official
government business.
All honoraria are not per-
mitted.
This revamped policy
clearly defines what our
ethics policy is and what it
is not, May said. Specific
guidelines as [they] pertain
to gifts, meals, travel and
tickets are spelled out so that
there is no confusion, no
room for interpretation.
The bottom line here is
that violations of these eth-
ics rules will not be tolerated
by anyone, me included, he
said.
May said that when he
was appointed by Gov. Na-
than Deal last year, there
was a cloud of suspicion and
uncertainty and the percep-
tion of impropriety, if not
actual wrongdoing.
Deal chose May to fill the
vacancy created when the
governor suspended CEO
Burrell Ellis, who was in-
dicted on charges of strong-
arming vendors to contrib-
ute to his campaign chest.
DeKalb was in the news
repeatedly with allegations
and accusations, May said.
Certainly the suspended
CEO garnered most of the
spotlight in the news, but he
wasnt alone. There were sev-
eral employees
that were caught
taking or soliciting
kickbacks.
Over the past
year, the hitsthey
just keep on com-
ingmore allega-
tions of potentially
criminal wrongdo-
ing and the P-card
fiasco, May said.
The time is
now to for us to
take drastic steps
to ensure integrity and ethics
in DeKalb County govern-
ment, May said.
I am serious. These
changes will take place ef-
fectively and immediately,
he said, before signing the
executive order.
Lee May
Over the past year, the hits
they just keep on comingmore
allegations of potentially criminal
wrongdoing and the P-card
fiasco.
Interim DeKalb County CEO Lee May and members of the ethics board
announce a new ethics policy. Photos by Andrew Cauthen
LOCAL NEWS
by Carla Parker
The Supreme Court of Georgia
unanimously decided June 16 to al-
low a woman to proceed with a law-
suit against Agnes Scott College.
Amanda Hartley sued the col-
lege and three of its police officers,
claiming she was falsely arrested for
sexual assault and held in jail for
weeks.
The incident happened in April
2009, when an Agnes Scott student
reported that Hartley, then a gradu-
ate student at the University of Ten-
nessee, sexually assaulted her in her
dorm room.
Agnes Scott police officer Gaeta-
no Antinozzi took the alleged vic-
tim to DeKalb Medical Center for a
physical examination. On April 30,
2009, Antinozzi sought and received
from a DeKalb County magistrate
judge warrants for Hartleys arrest
on charges of aggravated sexual bat-
tery, sexual battery and simple bat-
tery.
Antinozzi called Knoxville po-
lice, who arrested Hartley.
Hartley, who maintained her in-
nocence, was extradited to Georgia
and held in the DeKalb County Jail
for three weeks. Her arrest caused
her to miss and fail her final exams;
as a result, she lost her scholarship
and grant funds, and was expelled
from her graduate program.
The alleged victim was examined
at DeKalb Medical Center where
doctors found no signs of sexual as-
sault.
Hartley presented evidence
showing she was not in Georgia at
the time of the alleged offenses, and
the district attorney refused to pres-
ent the case to the grand jury and
dropped all charges against Hartley.
Hartleys lawsuit states Antinozzi
and two of his colleagues breached
State Supreme Court allows woman to sue Agnes Scott College
See Court on page 12A
by Andrew Cauthen
Dunbar Elementary student Vanessa Wil-
liams said she wanted to learn about airplanes
and how the pilots control the airplanes.
Thats why she participated in the aviation
camp held at Fernbank Science Center and
sponsored by Lockheed Martin.
For 10 years, Lockheed Martin has part-
nered with Fernbank in the program that is
designed to help develop the next generation
of engineers and scientists, said Hamilton
Holmes, community relations manager for
Lockheed Martin, on June 27.
Campers learned about global positioning
systems, flight simulators and the latest ad-
vances in aircraft design.The camp culminated
with a junkyard war by challenging campers to
create and fly aircraft from normal everyday
items such as egg cartons, paper towel rolls,
cardboard, etc.
In addition to the Lockheed making a fi-
nancial contribution to Fernbank, its engineers
volunteered as advisors for students as they
made the airplanes. In the groups, the students
worked together to construct the airplane,
which was later judged on distance traveled,
time in air and how straight it flew.
Andrew Yoon, who was attending the camp
for his third year, wants to be an aerospace en-
gineer.
The camp is really fun and I get to learn
more stuff, said Andrew, who attends Taylor
Road Middle School in Fulton County. I get
to learn more about the everyday lives of other
people and how they build things.
Andrew said he did not decide to pursue
aerospace engineering until he started attend-
ing the aviation camp.
My first year I came here we met aerospace
engineers, and it looked really cool, Andrew
said.
Piloting a Triple 7the Boeing 777 com-
mercial airplaneis the career aspiration of
Jordan Green of Austin Road Elementary
School in Henry County.
Its fun, Jordan said about the camp, and
you learn things every day.
Every time I come it gets better and better,
said Jordan, in his third year in the program.
The field trips and activities expand how
much I know about aeronautical things, he
said. Its interesting to me.
Students explore
aviation at camp
From left, Vanessa Williams of Dunbar Elementary in Atlanta, Erica Birdsong of The Childrens School of Atlanta, and Victoria
Williams of Paul Lawrence Elementary in Cobb County, work on their airplane. Photos by Andrew Cauthen
From left, Justin Davis of Southwest Atlanta Christian
Academy and Ayinde Sutherland of Kittredge Magnet
School display their project.
From left, Jordan Green of Austin Road Elementary in Henry
County, Andrew Yoon of Taylor Road Middle School in Fulton
County and Avery Vogel of Tucker High School work on their
aircraft.
From left, Joel Duda and Skyler Marks of Clairmont
Elementary determine how much money they need for
supplies for their airplanes.
From left, Tobias Lewis of Sarah Smith Elementary in Buckhead
and Carter Twomey of Mary Lin Elementary in Candler Park
construct an airplane using water bottles and wood.
LOCAL NEWS
WEEK
PICTURES
In
Searching for Our Sons and Daughters:

For a programming guide, visit www.yourdekalb.com/dctv
Now showing on DCTV!
Finding DeKalb Countys Missing
Stories of our missing residents offer profound
insights and hope for a positive reunion.
DCTV Your Emmy Award-winning news source of DeKalb County news. Available on Comcast Cable Channel 23.
Photos brought to you by DCTV
The United States fag waves outside the old DeKalb County
courthouse, near the Confederate memorial in Decatur Square.
Above, furniture and debris are overfowing into Pinehill Drive after
an eviction. Below, lots of trash remain days after county sanitation
workers removed some it. The debris was eventually removed after
the county was contacted. Photos by Andrew Cauthen
A worms eye view of the Decatur Square. Photo by Travis Hudgons
A colorful variety of locally sourced vegetables are available at the Decatur farmers markets. Photo by Travis
Hudgons
LOCAL NEWS
Residents voice concerns over
gun law at town hall meeting
by Carla Parker
Georgias new gun law
that allows licensed gun car-
riers to carry their guns in
some public establishments
went into effect July 1.
To help ease some of the
fear prompted by the law,
state Rep. Billy Mitchell,
D-Stone Mountain, hosted
a town hall meeting June
19 on gun safety. Capt.
Frank Kliesrath, director of
the DeKalb County Police
Academy, explained the law
to those at the meeting and
answered questions.
Mitchell said he wanted
to empower the community
with the information to keep
everyone safe.
Statistics suggest that
you are more likely to in-
jure yourself or a loved one
than you will an intruder
and thats because we have
so many people who dont
know how to safely store,
use or protect themselves
with a weapon, Mitchell
said. In light of whats go-
ing to happen July 1, when
the law goes into effect, this
is important information to
get to the people.
On April 23, Gov. Na-
than Deal signed a new
law that allows licensed
gun carriers to take their
weapons into bars without
restrictions and into some
churches, schools and gov-
ernment buildings under
certain circumstances. Deal
signed House Bill 60, or the
Safe Carry Protection Act
of 2014, after it passed the
House Feb. 13 and the Sen-
ate March 10.
The bill allow guns to
be brought into some gov-
ernment buildings that do
not have certain security
measures, such as metal
detectors or security guards
screening visitors. Religious
leaders would have the final
say as to whether guns can
be carried into their place of
worship.
School districts, if they
choose to, would now be
able to allow some em-
ployees to carry a firearm
on school grounds under
certain conditions. Bars can
allow guns without restric-
tions, but bar owners can
post that firearms are not
allowed in their establish-
ments.
Deal has said that the bill
will protect law-abiding
citizens by expanding the
number of places that they
can carry their guns without
penalty, while at the same
time this bill respects the
rights of private property
owners who still set the
rules for their land and their
buildings.
Proponents of the bill
such as GeorgiaCarry, which
lobbied for the bill, call it
meaningful pro-gun leg-
islation, while Americans
for Responsible Solutions,
which opposed the bill, call
it extremism in action.
Some at the meeting
mentioned their fear of what
the new law will bring while
some spoke up for the law.
Mitchell said he understands
peoples fear and that is
why he wanted to let people
know what is actually hap-
pening.
If you saw someone at a
Little League baseball game
and you saw them carrying
a weapon this is now legal,
he said. Hopefully, they will
be law abiding and safety
conscious.
Mitchell, who voted
against the bill, said if the
law does more harm than
good then he will bring the
bill back on the table.
With any law we will
be looking at it to make
sure that it is operating as
it should, Mitchell said.
There will be amendments
that will be made if it does
imperil the community
rather than make it safer. I
will be one of the first out
there to do something about
it.
DeKalb school board passes
$1.35 billion budget
by Lauren Ramsdell
The DeKalb County
Board of Education unani-
mously approved the $1.35
billion total budget June 25.
The $801 million general
fund includes elimination
of teacher furlough days,
a $5 per day increase for
substitute teachers, and a
1 percent raise across the
board for all employees. The
1 percent raise represents
approximately $5.8 million.
Up to 100 more employees
will be hired in the areas of
teachers, media specialists
and other support staff.
We have about $12 mil-
lion dedicated in this pro-
posed budget to eliminate
all furlough days for teach-
ers, for specialists and for
principals secretaries, Mi-
chael Bell, the school sys-
tems chief financial officer,
said on June 25. There will
still be some furlough days
for 12-month staff.
There is also a $366,000
line item calling for the
hiring and training of six
elementary school resource
officers. This is in response
to the August 2013 school
shooting at McNair Discov-
ery Learning Academy.
Now were living in an
environment where guns are
everywhere, said Superin-
tendent Michael Thurmond
at a May 5 meeting. Dont
think that doesnt impact
how we protect our chil-
dren.
The budget begins with
an estimated general fund
remainder of $20 million.
Previously facing budget
shortfalls, the board is eager
to keep growing the rainy
day fund.
At the end of 2014 its
pretty clear that we have a
substantial overlap in our
revenue and if we spend
tightly, if we underspend the
expenses, that is how we will
increase the fund balance,
Bell said.
When reviewing the bud-
get, board member Thad-
deus Mayfield expressed an
interest in itemizing exactly
how the money would be
spent.
[What] would be helpful
for me and some of the con-
stituents that I speak with
is to help understand the
connection between expec-
tations and performances,
Mayfield said. Take the
budget item on employee
retention investmenthow
do we think that is going
to reduce turnover rate or
retain teachers or employees
longer? At the department
level, what are the goals for
those departments?
We are in the business
of teaching and learning,
Thurmond said. The ulti-
mate metrics are graduation
rates and achievement based
on established testing. In the
short time we have all been
here, we have begun to see
positive growth.
Board member Marshall
Orson said that although
they were voting on the
budget, it could be amended
at a later date through board
votes.
If we approve this to-
night, this will be a living,
dynamic document, Orson
said.
their legal duty when they
arrested her without trying
to corroborate the students
accusations. It asks for
punitive damages for the
emotional distress Hartley
suffered during and after
her arrest. Agnes Scott filed
a motion to dismiss the suit,
claiming campus police of-
ficers are law enforcement
members who are immune
from liability.
The states Supreme
Court ruled in Hartleys fa-
vor, saying that college offi-
cers are not state employees
and are not entitled to im-
munity under the Georgia
Tort Claims Act. Tort is a
legal term for a wrongful act
that injures someone who
then has the right to sue.
[W]e conclude that,
although campus police of-
ficers may be considered
in some contexts to be law
enforcement officers or per-
sons performing services
for the state, unless they are
acting for an identified state
government entity when
they commit an alleged tort,
they do not come within the
definition of state officer
or employee in the Georgia
Tort Claims Act and are not
entitled to seek immunity
under the Act, Justice Da-
vid Nahmias wrote.
Court Continued from page 10A
Capt. Frank Kliesrath, director of the DeKalb County Police Academy, explained the new state gun law June 19.
Photo by Carla Parker
ing for the cell phone bill myself in
April, said Watson, whose phone
bill totaled $2,286 from Jan. 1,
2013, to April 2014, according to
records Te Champion obtained af-
ter an Open Records Request.
Te media said this was a ques-
tionable [charge], butif there
were any ethical, criminal or some
wrongdoing, I dont think the
county would have approved those
charges over three years, said Wat-
son, adding that he has two repay-
ments remaining.
In retrospect, Wat-
son said, What we
should have done was
split, maybe try to
fgure out which ones
were personal calls
versus which ones
were ofcial county
calls. What I did was
I said I would pay the
whole thing back.
Watson said he
believes it is fair for
the P-card usage by
county ofcials to be
scrutinized.
I think its been
fair, Watson said. I
think anytime elected
ofcials and public
ofcials have taxpayers money
we have a fduciary responsibil-
ity to make sure that we utilize the
money correctly and in a way thats
transparent. People want to know
what actually is being spent with
taxpayers dollars.
P-cards are just like a corporate
card, Watson said. If you work for
a major corporation you should use
it with the fduciary responsibility
knowing that anything thats done
is company business. Te same
thing with our P-cardsit should
be our county business.
Although the scrutiny is fair,
Watson said, I think commission-
ers have been targeted unfairly
because were not the only persons
who have P-cards in DeKalb Coun-
ty. Tere are a number of people,
including constitutional ofcers,
that have P-cards.
As for himself, Watson said, I
dont think I have any questionable
charges.
Between Jan. 1, 2013, to April
2014, Watson took eight county-re-
lated trips and spent approximately
$9,525. He went to conferences
held by the American Society for
Public Administration, National
Organization of Black County Of-
fcials, National Association of
Counties, Southeastern Conference
for Public Administration and the
Association County Commission-
ers of Georgia.
Te trips, Watson said, are worth
the $1,000 or more spent on each.
A thousand dollars a tripI
think thats excellent. Tats a very
good way to utilize taxpayer mon-
ey, said Watson, adding that some
trips provide certifcations. Its like
continuing education. If youre a
real estate agent, youve got to go
back and sharpen your skills.
During the 15 months of P-card
charges reviewed by Te Champion,
Watson spent approximately $790
on mealsan average of $12 per
week. Compare that with Commis-
sioner Elaine Boyers ofce which
spent $5,959 in 2013 and $2,290 in
the frst three months of 2014.
I only use my P-card basically
when Im out of townwhen Im
on ofcial trips, Watson said. If
I have to meet with JYZ Company
that wants to put asphalt down in
DeKalb County, I might pay for
that [on the P-card] so it wont look
like this guy met me for dinner and
he paid for dinner and then I went
and voted for something for him
because of the dinner.
Watson said he has done a bet-
ter than adequate job managing
his P-card purchases.
I come from corporate Ameri-
ca, so I have always had an afnity
for making sure that for anything
that I spend in county-related or
corporate business, I keep receipts
forso I can prove to people
what Ive done, Watson said. I
also keep receipts so if someone
wants to come see it, then not only
can they see the receipt, they can
see that particular item.
Watson said the ethical concerns
facing DeKalb County are similar
to the ones faced in other metro
Atlanta counties but DeKalb has
been unfairly targeted.
In an efort to make sure we
continue to do a better job of at-
tracting industry, we have to get
out of the newspaper and we have
to get of of the TV [news] because
theres no one thats going to move
to DeKalb County if they think its
a corrupt county, Watson said.
Research assistance was provided
by Travis Hudgons and Donna
Turner.
Blacksmith Continued From Page 1A
P-card Continued From Page 1A
THE CHAMPION FREE PRESS, FRIDAY, JULY 4, 2014 PAGE 13A LOCAL NEWS
A thousand dollars
a tripI think thats
excellent. Thats
a very good way
to utilize taxpayer
money. Commissioner Stan Watson you to learn how to do it. You buy
the materials but someone else will
teach you. You dont want to spend a
lot of money on it and fnd out you
dont like it.
Labbe-Webb liked it enough
that he has been blacksmithing
sincemostly as a side hobby,
appearing at craf shows and doing
demonstrations. However in 2009,
he was hired as the last master
blacksmith at Stone Mountain Park
before the park transitioned away
from living history demonstrations.
He met the parks master glassblower
and added that skill to his repertoire.
In September 2012, with support
from the Smart Inc. Arts Incubator
program, Labbe-Webb opened
the gallery and started selling his
creations. He uses found materials
such as nails and railroad spikes, as
well as new steel purchased from
local suppliers to make everything
from knives to necklaces to pot
racks.
One of his popular items is a
business card holder made from
an old horseshoe. Its kind of a
refection on where he started as a
blacksmith, learning to shoe horses.
I could make the horseshoe,
but making the horseshoe and then
making a business card stand out of
it doesnt give it as near as much of a
story, Labbe-Webb said. People say,
Oh, this is a used horseshoe, and
theres a story that comes out of that.
In addition to selling his work,
Labbe-Webb also teaches classes to
adults, focusing on ways they can
take up blacksmithing at home. A
vice grip, a ball-peen hammer, some
pliers and a heat sourcefor small
things, a gas stovetop or for larger
ones, a shop torchare all Labbe-
Webb said one needs to get started
blacksmithing. Tose materials cant
make up a suit of armor, but its
enough to make a coat hook.
I dont make a lot of money
on classes, partially because it costs
so much to run the shop, he said.
Classes are $50 an hour and a
typical class is two hours, and its
$40 per hour to run the shop. Im
not making any money of of that
but what I am doing is passing on
the culture and bringing a new
generation of blacksmiths into the
world.
Part of what drew Labbe-Webb
to blacksmithing is the desire to
make something organic, natural
and homemade. He said he dislikes
the plastic culture and disposable
home goods.
Afer the space-age 1950s
and 60s, he said, people wanted
something more tangible and
unique than what was being mass-
produced in factories. Glassblowing,
woodcarving and blacksmithing,
among other old arts, had to be
reintroduced into the American
landscape because most artisans
were not producing them.
Tere are more blacksmiths
in America today than there were
before we had cars, Labbe-Webb
said. Its a great hobby. If you start
of the way that I teach people, it
doesnt cost you a lot to get into it,
and you can do little things like this
[coat hook] all day long without it
costing you much.
Labbe-Webb said he makes the
most money from custom designs.
He has made everything from
garden gates to mailbox stands.
Its only been about six years of
my life that Ive done art as a full-
time or mostly full-time profession,
he said. Tere are days where I
make things I had no idea in the
morning I was going to make them.
A collection of hammers Labbe-Webb uses for blacksmithing. Photos by Travis Hudgons
LOCAL NEWS
DeKalb Workforce
Development to host
forum for ex-ofenders
DeKalb Workforce
Development will host
a Bridging the Gap and
Breaking Barriers forum
on Wednesday, July 9, from
noon to 5 p.m. at 774 Jordan
Lane, Bldg. #4, Decatur.
The forum will equip ex-
offenderswith knowledge
and resources to assist indi-
viduals in breaking barriers
toemployment, education
and economic development.
Work readiness work-
shops will be held to provide
strategies for a successful job
search. The highlight of the
event will be an employer
panel discussion that will
facilitate open and candid
conversation between the
business community and
ex-offenders regarding the
hiring process. Other top-
ics include expungement
assistance, transition and
re-entry resources, employ-
ment evolution workshops,
community agencies and re-
sources, building a remark-
able resume, bridging the
gap through branding, and
interviewing techniques.
The event is free and
open to the public; registra-
tion is required because of
limited seating.
Those returning citizens
may register online at www.
conta.cc/1kHq2is; employ-
ers and community agencies
may register at www.conta.
cc/1yaizCx.
Two organizations
serving homeless children
announce merger
Two metro Atlanta orga-
nizations that serve home-
less children and families
Our House and Genesis
Sheltercombined opera-
tions on July 1, according to
a news release.
Our House, of Decatur,
opened its doors to children
in 1988 and is a full-day,
year-round, nationally ac-
credited early childhood
education center. It serves
up to 79 children daily and
offers comprehensive sup-
port services to parents ex-
periencing homelessness.
Genesis Shelter was
founded in 1994 by 16
faith-based organizations
in response to a growing
population of women leav-
ing hospitals homeless after
having babies. Located near
the Martin Luther King Jr.
Center in Atlanta, Genesis
houses 18 families with ba-
bies under 6 months old. It
also provides counseling,
childcare for up to 48 chil-
dren daily and comprehen-
sive support services.
Our House and Genesis
Shelter are creating an or-
ganization with increased
and enhanced capacity for
helping children experienc-
ing homelessness to have the
brightest start while we sup-
port their families as they
achieve stability, said Tyese
Lawyer, executive director
for Our House. Lawyer will
serve as the new organiza-
tions president and CEO.
The merger will allow the
new organization to increase
the number of children and
families served and expand
the impact of its program-
ming.
This streamlined and
efficient organization will
focus on serving the most
vulnerable in our commu-
nity, homeless babies and
children, said Nancy Fri-
auf, executive director for
Genesis Shelter. Friauf will
remain for several months to
assist in the transition. We
have a 45-year combined
history of serving families
and, through our merger,
will provide multisite pro-
grams for child care, shelter,
job training, counseling and
family support servicesall
designed to transform lives
for this generation and those
to come.
Dunwoody City Council
approves millage rate
The Dunwoody City
Council voted June 24 to ap-
prove the millage rate at 2.74
mills, the same rate the city
has had since its incorpora-
tion in 2008.
Despite the rate not
changing, according to
Georgia law it had to be
advertised as an increase
since some peoples taxes
might rise based on the val-
uation of their homes.
The rate passed with little
fanfare, even after a fourth
public hearing was held
moments before the vote.
No residents came to speak
about the rate and it passed
unanimously among those
present. Councilwoman
Lynn Deutsch was absent.
Anyone opposed say
anything? Dunwoody
Mayor Mike Davis asked.
Nothing? OK.
The council also voted
unanimously to approve
the contract with Treetop
Quest LLC, a group that
approached the city to put
a tree top obstacle course
in an unused area of Brook
Run Park.
The vote came after
several meetings with the
council, including a trip
to the companys existing
facilities at the Gwinnett
Environmental and Heritage
Center, and agreements that
the company would cover
any and all liability. Treetop
Quest also will build, staff
and maintain the structures
at no cost to the city.
The Brook Run dog park
was not discussed at the
meeting. Neighbors have
expressed concern about the
level of noise from the park,
as well as environmental
concerns.
Statements from the
Brook Run Dog Park Asso-
ciation indicate it is working
with parks manager Brent
Walker to design and imple-
ment a compromise solu-
tion.
Early and absentee voting
for runofs is under way
The DeKalb County

Board of Registration and
Elections has opened early
voting in DeKalb County for
the general primary, non-
partisan and special runoff
elections.
Residents can vote from
Mondays-Fridays, 8 a.m. to
5 p.m., at the voter registra-
tion and elections office at
4380 Memorial Drive, De-
catur. There will be no satel-
lite voting locations for this
election.
Early voting and absen-
tee mail voting will end on
Friday, July 18. There will be
no Saturday voting and the
office will be closed July 4 in
observance of Independence
Day.
Sample ballots are avail-
able on www.dekalbvotes.
com under Current Elec-
tion Information. The office
is currently accepting ab-
sentee by mail applications.
Application forms are also
available on the website.
The runoff elections will
be held Tuesday, July 22. To
find the correct polling place
and see the sample ballot, go
to My Voter Page at www.
sos.state.ga.us. Applications
and other information may
be obtained at the website
www.dekalbvotes.com or by
calling the Voter Registra-
tion & Elections office at
(404) 298-4020.
Decatur launches app
The city of Decatur
launched its first mobile
app June 26, available for
iPhones and Android smart-
phones. The city worked
with MyCommunity Mobile
to create the app, which is
intended for residents and
visitors.
The city of Decatur app
includes background in-
formation on Decatur, the
city hall address and a link
to the citys website; photos
of city commissioners, a list
of city services and depart-
ment phone numbers; a city
calendar of events; a list of
Decaturs shops and restau-
rants, with website links,
directions and an option to
place a telephone call; a list
of the citys recreation facili-
ties with photos, directions
and maps;
The app allows users
to report an issue by tak-
ing a photo, recording an
audio message or video. It
keeps users informed with
RSS feeds, Facebook posts,
Twitter updates and local
weather information. The
city also can send out push
notifications via the app
during emergencies.
The app can be down-
loaded for free by searching
for City of Decatur official
on the App Store or Google
Play.
News Briefs
NOTICE OF PROPERTY TAX INCREASE

The DeKalb County School District has tentatively adopted a millage rate which will
require an increase in property taxes by 6.54 percent.

All concerned citizens are invited to the public hearing on this tax increase to be held
at 6:00 p.m. June 25, 2014, DeKalb County School District J. David Williamson Board
Room, 1701 Mountain Industrial Blvd., Stone Mountain, Georgia

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

11:00 a.m. (NEW TIME) July 7, 2014, DeKalb County School District J. David
Williamson Board Room, 1701 Mountain Industrial Blvd.,
Stone Mountain, Georgia

6:30 p.m. July 7, 2014, DeKalb County School District J. David Williamson
Board Room, 1701 Mountain Industrial Blvd., Stone Mountain, Georgia

This tentative increase will result in a millage rate of 23.98 mills, an increase of 1.471
mills. Without this tentative tax increase, the millage rate will be no more than 22.509
mills. The proposed tax increase for a home with a fair market value of $150,000 is
approximately $69.87 and the proposed tax increase for nonhomestead property with
a fair market value of $250,000 is approximately $147.10.
BUSINESS
The Voice of Business in DeKalb County
DeKalb Chamber of Commerce
404.378.8000 www.DeKalbChamber.org
Two Decatur Town Center, 125 Clairemont Ave., Suite 235, Decatur, GA 30030
Recent report reveals new retirement realities
by Kathy Mitchell

What are most Ameri-
cans approaching retirement
planning to do in their post-
career years? According to
a recent study from wealth
management and invest-
ment services provider
Merrill Lynch 72 percent of
pre-retirees older than 50
say their ideal retirement
will include workingoften
in new, more flexible and
fulfilling ways.
Dunwoody financial
planner Howard Joe, who
is a senior vice president at
Merrill Lynch, said the study
results belie the commonly
held notion that retirement
is a permanent end of work
followed by continuous lei-
sure.
Based on the national
survey of more than 7,000
respondents, 47 percent of
current retirees work, have
worked or are planning to
work during their retire-
ment years.
The new reality is driven
by several factors, Joe said.
These include longer life
expectancy, better health
among older people, the
elimination of employee
pensions at many compa-
nies, financial need and the
reimagining of later life.
The new information,
he said, should cause every-
one from policymakers to
employers and the financial
industry to rethink the ways
they help people pursue
their goals.
It will become increas-
ingly common for people to
seek work during the retire-
ment stage of their lives, and
its not all about money, Joe
said. Money has a job to
do. Its a toolan important
tool in crafting the quality
of life a person wants, but its
not the whole story.
The study indicates that
today, 40 percent of people
older than 55 are working
a level not seen among this
age group since the 1960s.
Also, 80 percent of working
retirees say theyre doing so
because they want to, not
because they are forced to by
financial need.
Joe said that many retir-
ees decide that with money
no longer their main goal,
they can do work they find
personally satisfying.
After a career at a cor-
poration, a person may
decide to teach or pursue
something in the arts or
start their own business
work that might not have
met their financial goals ear-
lier in their lives, he said.
According to the survey,
58 percent of working retir-
ees transition to a different
line of work in retirement,
and are three times more
likely than younger work-
ers to be entrepreneurs. The
practice has inspired a new
termretire-preneurs,
Joe said. Most retirees51
percent, according to the
studywho moved into a
new line of work did so to
have a more flexible career
and 41 percent want to have
more fun and less stress.
People traditionally
think of retirement as a time
of decline, Joe said. This
is a carryover from the days
when people only lived a
few years after retirement
and often were in poor
health after their mid-60s. A
new generation of working
retirees is pioneering a more
engaged and active retire-
ment. In fact, the survey
indicates that 83 percent
of retirees find working
in retirement an antidote
to aging because it helps
people stay more youthful,
while 66 percent say that
when people dont work in
retirement, their physical
and mental abilities decline
more rapidly.
The study defines four
types of working retirees,
based on priorities, ambi-
tions and reasons they
choose to work during re-
tirement:
Driven achievers want to
work even in retirement;
they feel at the top of their
game so why slow down?
Caring contributors are
motivated primarily by
a desire to give back and
make a difference, either
through volunteering or
working for pay at a chari-
table organization.
Life balancers have discov-
ered a less stressful, more
flexible way of working
that allows them to keep
their valued social connec-
tions, while maintaining
needed income.
Earnest earners generally
need the income and have
far more frustrations and
regrets about working at
this time in their lives.
This study confirms
that as people live longer
and healthier lives, theyll
continue to find satisfaction
from work even after they
retire from their primary ca-
reer, said Ken Dychtwald,
founder and CEO of Age
Wave. For many, work is
an enriching experience
that may not end at the age
of 65 or even 70. Whether
its continuing to do what
they love, pursuing a long-
desired interest or simply
seeking to remain socially
engaged, theres a revolution
brewing. People have come
to realize that retirement
doesnt necessarily represent
the end of an active life, but
rather the beginning of new
and exciting chapters.
EDUCATION
Summer program reinforces reading skills
by Andrew Cauthen
Approximately 3,000 DeKalb
County students attended school for
12 extra days in June.
On Tuesdays, Wednesdays and
Thursdays June 3-26, the DeKalb
County School District held a Title
I K-5 Summer Reading Program
at eight sites: Midway, Fairington,
Smokerise, Cedar Grove, Dresden,
Toney, Stoneview and Dunaire el-
ementary schools.
The program was designed to
eliminate summer learning loss.
Fourth-grade teacher Candice
McCollum said the program rein-
forced skills that [students] learned
and minimized the amount of infor-
mation that they lose before going
back [to school] and [made] sure
they are prepared for fifth grade.
The program is so much more
hands-on and because the numbers
are smaller, you are able to interact
with each student more than you
would be able to in the school year,
McCollum said.
Eleven-year-old Cameron
Smith, a rising sixth-grader who
will attend Freedom Middle in the
fall, said he would usually be at a
pool all day, every day.
Although he missed the pool,
Cameron said it was his decision to
attend the reading program.
I had failed math the first time
and retook it, and then my mom felt
like I should get smarter, so I [came]
here, Cameron said.
Agnes Onoabhagbe, assistant
principal and site coordinator for
the reading program, said the pro-
gram, designed by Scholastic Cor-
poration, was great.
Children have lots of books,
Onoabhagbe said. There is great
interaction [with] texts, and the
whole point is for them to make
connections with the text that they
are reading.
Part of making connections
means making sure that the chil-
dren can see themselves in the text,
Onoabhagbe said.
Those connections, said Maxine
Jenkins, an assistant principal and
co-site coordinator, were with the
other core subjects in the program:
math, science and social studies.
Were integrating all of them,
Jenkins said. Basically a lot of our
teaching incorporates teaching the
other subject areas through reading.
If you cant read, you cant connect
with the other subject areas.
As part of the program, each stu-
dent received a set of books, which
Scholastic sorted into various read-
ing levels.
So children get to read at their
level, and above their level, Onoab-
hagbe said. The whole point is to
challenge them to expandto reach
higher [and]to expose children to
a lot of authors.
Students also were exposed to
various cultures. At Dunaire, stu-
dents from nine schools were rep-
resented, as well as teachers from
various schools.
We have a high number of stu-
dents here that are from other cul-
tures, which makes it very interest-
ing for the children because many
of our children do not attend school
with children from so manycul-
tures, Jenkins said.
Brenessa Swain, a seventh-grade
teacher at Miller Grove Middle
School, said the summer reading
program was refreshing.
Actually it brings me back home
because I started my teaching career
in elementary school, Swain said.
I love the reading program be-
cause I like the hands-on activities
that they have for the kids, she said.
Its like an extension to school12
additional days, but were having
more hands-on activities. [Students]
are able to be more creative using
their critical thinking skills and ap-
plying all of this to everyday life.
Hopefully this is something
we will continue to do for the next
summers to come because the kids
really enjoy it, and I think they are
able to get an enrichment from
reading, math as well as social stud-
ies, Swain said.
Another distinctive feature that
makes the summer program dif-
ferent from regular school is the
absence of assessment, so there is no
pressure from a standardized assess-
ment, Onoabhagbe said. So both
teachers and students are very re-
laxed. Learning is going on in great
measure.
The program also featured clas-
sical and instrumental music in the
background in each class, keeping
the children very calm, Onoabhag-
be said. Learning is actually is very
exciting, very engaging.
Jenkins said the feedback re-
ceived from parents has been phe-
nomenal.
Were hopeful that next year
they will continue the program and
maybe, possibly expand it to four
days [a week] instead of three, she
said.
Students at Dunaire Elementary School were some of the 3,000 that attended a reading enhancement program in June. Photos by Andrew Cauthen
LOCAL NEWS
AUCTIONS
Multi-Property Auc-
tion Online Only- SC, GA,
MS Commercial, Truck
Stop, Beachfront Tract GA
LIc#AUNR002334. View
more info online: www.Ste-
phenJax.com 888-237-4252.
AUCTION State of
Georgia DOT Surplus.
LIVE AUCTION with On-
line Bidding. Thursday, July
10th at 10AM. 2 Locations
see website for details.
Cars, Trucks, Buses, Load-
ers, Tractors, Equipment
and more. L.W. Benton Co.
Inc. (#3215) 478-744-0027.
www.bidderone.com
ADVERTISE YOUR
AUCTION in over 100
newspapers for only $350.
Your 25-word classified
ad will reach more than1
million readers. Call Jen-
nifer Labon at the Georgia
Newspaper Service, 770-
454-6776.
BIDS & PROPOSALS
Norsouth Development, in
cooperation with the Hous-
ing Development Corp. of
DeKalb, is currently accept-
ing bidders statements of
qualifcation for the follow-
ing professional services to
be provided for the Tobie
Grant Manor Demoli-
tion, Mills Creek Crossing,
Reserve at Mills Creek,
and Master Infrastructure
projects to be located in
Scottdale, DeKalb County:
Construction and Materi-
als Testing Contractor.
Contracts are expected to
be awarded within the next
30-90 days. Norsouth is
committed to subcontract-
ing with MBE, WBE and
Section 3 businesses. Tis
project is covered under
the requirements of Sec-
tion 3 of the HUD Act of
1968. Businesses operated
by Section 3 residents and
businesses from the DeKalb
County area are encouraged
to apply. To fnd out if you
are a section 3 resident or
business please visit: http://
tinyurl.com/nbsunev. Sec-
tion 3 qualifying businesses
and MBE/WBE will be
given a bid scoring prefer-
ence per federal, state and
local requirements. To apply
please complete a Bidders
Statement of Qualifcations
form at www.norsouth-
development.com Please
reference in your email the
project you are applying for.
Questions may be directed
to vendors@norsouth.com
BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY
BE THE 1st Medical
Alert Company in your
area! Owning your own
distributorship. We do 70%
of the work! Unlimited $
return. Investment required.
Free Call (844) 225-1200.
DRIVERS
AVERITT EXPRESS
New Pay Increase for re-
gional drivers! 40 to 46
CPM + Fuel Bonus! Also,
Post-Training Pay increase
for students! (Depending
on Domicile) Get Home
EVERY Week + Excellent
Benefits. CDL-A req. 888-
362-8608. Apply @ Averi-
ttCareers.com. Equal Op-
portunity Employer Fe-
males, Minorities, protected
veterans, and individuals
with disabilities are encour-
aged to apply.
Drivers START WITH
OUR TRAINING OR
CONTINUE YOUR SOLID
CAREER. You have op-
tions! Company Drivers,
Lease Purchase or Owner
Operators Needed. (877)
369-6712. www.centraldriv-
ingjobs.com
NEEDED: Entry-Level
Drivers! Covenant Trans-
port, Solo & Team driving
opportunities! Need your
CDL? 3 wk training avail!
Dont wait, call today to get
started! N. GA 866-494-
7434 or S. GA 866-557-
9244.
NEW Pay-For-Experi-
ence program payd up to
$.41/mile. Class A Profes-
sional Drivers. Call 877-
277-7298 for more details
or visit SuperServiceLLC.
com 4
Drivers: Run FB with
WTI. Be home through the
week and weekends. Start
up to 28% plus fuel bonus.
New equipment. BCBS.
Experiece needed. LP avail-
able. Call 877-693-1305.
EDUCATIONAL TRAINING
MEDICAL OFFICE
TRAINEES NEEDED!
Train to become a Medical
Office Assistant. No Experi-
ence Needed! Online train-
ing at SC gets you job ready!
HS Diploma/GED & PC/
Internet needed! 1-888-407-
7162.
MISCELLANEOUS
Looking for a reliable
High-Speed Connection?
Get High-Speed inter-
net installed for free with
monthly service only $39.99
for the 1st 3 months! Ask
about our new VOIP phone
service only $29.99 per mo.!
Call today! Professional
Broadband Solutions 800-
266-4409www.pbsinternet.
com
SERVICES
WELDING CAREERS
Hands on training for
career opportunities in avia-
tion, automotive, manufac-
turing and more. Financial
aid for quaified students
Job and Housing assistance
available. CALL AIM (877)
205-2968.
AIRLINES Careers begin
here Get FAA approved
Aviation Maintenance Tech-
nichan training. Financial
aid for qualified students
Housing available.Job
placement assistance. CALL
Aviation Institute of Main-
tenance (866)564-9634
www.FixJets.com
VACATION RENTALS
ADVERTISE YOUR
VACATION PROPERTY, to
more than 1 million Geor-
gia newspaper readers. Your
25-word classified ad will
appear in over 100 Georgia
newspapers for only $350.
Call Jennifer Labon at the
Georgia Newspaper Ser-
vice at 770-454-6776 or
online at www.gapress.
org/georgianewspaperser-
vice.html
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 not bona-fide 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.
The Champion is not responsible for any damages resulting from advertisements. All sales fnal.
RATES: $30.00 for up to 40 words, each additional word $0.60.
All ads are prepaid! All Major credit cards accepted!
For Prices, Deadlines and Information
Visit www.championclassifeds.com
Classifieds
TheChampion
Ads Due By Friday - Noon
for next publication date.
Get FAA approved Aviaton Maintenance Technician
training. Financial aid for qualifed students
Housing available. Job placement assistance.
CALL Aviaton Insttute of Maintenance
866-564-9634
www.FixJets.com
AIRLINE
CAREERS
BEGIN HERE
Hands on training for career opportunites in
aviaton, automotve, manufacturing and more.
Financial aid for qualifed students Job and
Housing assistance available.
CALL AIM
877-205-2968
WELDING
CAREERS
SPORTS
Two-time PLAYERS
Championship winner Hal
Sutton attended The First
Tee of East Lake Challenge,
a golf tournament benefiting
The First Tee of East Lake,
June 16.
The First Tee of East
Lake is a year-round golf
and life skills program that
serves nearly 700 commu-
nity youth, ages 517, by
providing golf instruction,
equipment, tournament op-
portunities and mentoring
activities.
Sutton, a past Payne
Stewart Award winner, had
breakfast with children
and sponsors of The First
Tee of East Lake and later
participated in the golf tour-
nament. Sutton has 14 vic-
tories, including two PLAY-
ERS Championships and the
1983 PGA Championship.
He also served as captain
for the 2004 U.S. Ryder Cup
team, which he has played
four times. Suttons PGA
Tour record combined with
charitable endeavors, led
him to win the 2007 Payne
Stewart Award, an award
given to a player who shows
respect for the traditions of
the game, commitment to
uphold the games heritage
of charitable support and
professional and meticulous
presentation of himself and
the sport through his dress
and conduct.
The First Tee of East Lake
is neighborhood basedpar-
ticipants must attend the
Charles R. Drew Charter
School and/or live in the
East Lake community to
participate. The program
provides youth with tools to
help them succeed on the
course and in life.
The First Tee of East
Lake will take part in several
events during the TOUR
Championship by Coca-
Cola, Sept. 11-14.
by Carla Parker
For the fifth time in eight years, Dun-
woody has won the DeKalb County All-
Sports Team championship.
Dunwoody beat out last years winner
Lakeside with 302.5 points. Lakeside fin-
ished with 298 points and Tucker rounded
out the top three with 272.5 points. The
points are accumulated through county
tournaments, regular season winning per-
centage, state playoff appearances, state
playoff wins and state championship wins.
Dunwoody girls varsity and junior var-
sity teams won cross country county titles
and both girls and boys golf teams won
county titles, with the boys tying with Ara-
bia Mountain.
All of Dunwoody sports teams, except
for football and basketball, had state playoff
appearances. Alex Camerons gold medal in
the 1600-meter at the GHSA Class AAAAA
state track and field meet led Dunwoody
girls to a ninth place finish.
Lakesides second place finish was led by
county championship wins in boys junior
varsity cross country, gymnastics and girls
swimming. Boys and girls cross country,
tennis and soccer teams appeared in the
state playoffs. Lakesides volleyball also
made the playoffs, the girls swimming team
finished in the top 10 at state, and six wres-
tlers qualified for state.
The Tucker Lady Tigers basketball teams
state championship win gave Tucker extra
points to finish third. The football team
also had a championship game appearance,
while the boys basketball, volleyball and
baseball teams appeared in the state play-
offs.
Tucker also had three wrestlers qualify
for state.
DeKalb County All-Sports 2013-14
(TOTAL POINTS)
SCHOOL TOTAL
1) Dunwoody 302.5
2) Lakeside 298.0
3) Tucker 272.5
4) Stephenson 261.0
5) Chamblee 256.0
6) Redan 246.5
7) Arabia Mountain 243.0
8) Southwest DeKalb 219.5
9) Druid Hills 216.5
10) Columbia 201.0
11) Miller Grove 181.5
12) Martin Luther King Jr. 170.0
13) Cedar Grove 155.5
14) Stone Mountain 150.0
15) Towers 141.5
16) Lithonia 121.5
17) Clarkston 116.5
18) McNair 97.5
19) Cross Keys 97.0
Dunwoody named county all-sports champions
Golf champion Hal Sutton
supports First Tee of East Lake
Two-time PLAYERS Championship winner Hal Sutton recently attended
The First Tee of East Lake Challenge, a golf tournament benefting The
First Tee of East Lake.
Dunwoody High School was awarded the DeKalb County All-Sports Team champions. Dunwoody girls cross
country (top) and girls golf won county title this past school year.
Emory University will
induct three new members
into its Sports Hall of Fame
with its Class of 2014 includ-
ing: Mary Ellen Gordon
(womens tennis), Annie
Schenck (womens soccer)
and Mike Phillips (head golf
coach/administrator).
The ceremony will take
place Sept. 20 at the Miller-
Ward Alumni House on the
Emory campus.
The Emory Sports Hall
of Fame was established
in 1989 by the Association
of Emory Alumni and the
Department of Athletics
and Recreation. A display
honoring each member is
maintained in the George
Woodruff Physical Educa-
tion Center on the Emory
campus.
Plaques honoring induct-
ees who were influential in
athletics on the Oxford cam-
pus are displayed in the Wil-
liams Gymnasium at Oxford
College. This years three ad-
ditions bring the total num-
ber of inductees to 161.
Emory Sports Hall of Fame to induct three new members
SPORTS
by Carla Parker
Rickey Gross has been a
part of Stone Mountain High
School athletics for more
than 20 years.
When his family moved
to DeKalb County from San
Antonio, Texas, in 1983, he
enrolled at Stone Mountain
High and got involved in
athletics. Gross played base-
ball, basketball and football
until it was discovered that
he had developed scoliosis.
At that time I had one
back injury-surgery, and they
told me I couldnt play any-
more, he said.
Although he could not
play anymore, Gross still
wanted to be around the
teams. After he graduated
in 1985, he stayed at Stone
Mountain to work with
the athletic department
and became the equipment
manager. During the sum-
mer months he worked with
travel baseball teams.
Gross, now 49, was more
than just the equipment
manager at Stone Mountain.
He built relationships with
all players and coaches in the
Stone Mountain cluster. He
also coached the players and
called college coaches to let
them know about the play-
ers. He did all of this without
pay.
He helps out at Hallford
Stadium and was custodian
for the school district for 20
years before his second back
surgery forced him leave his
job as a custodian.
Gross was with Stone
Mountain for 20 years before
he followed then-baseball
coach Brian Granger to
Druid Hills.
He returned to Stone
Mountain in 2010 to work
under Dante Ferguson, who
was named head coach of
the football team in 2009.
Ferguson met Gross when he
came to DeKalb County in
1997. They began to build a
relationship when Ferguson
became the football coach
at Stone Mountain Middle
School.
He would always come
to the middle school games,
and I would speak to him
briefly, Ferguson said.
When Ferguson became
the head coach at the high
school, Gross told him that
he was going to return to
Stone Mountain.
He is Stone Mountain,
Ferguson said. I called him
Mr. Stone Mountain. It was
in his blood.
However, Gross return to
Stone Mountain was more
than just him coming back to
his alma mater. He returned
to work with Ferguson.
The relationship goes
deep, Gross said. I was
brought up in a military fam-
ily and my dad taught me at
a young age that when youre
going to be committed to
peoplethere is loyalty in it.
Ive been loyal to coach Fer-
guson.
Gross loyalty came to a
test when Ferguson was let
go after the 2013 season as
head coach at Stone Moun-
tain and he accepted an as-
sistant coaching position
at Arabia Mountain High
School. Gross made the deci-
sion to leave his alma mater
again to go to Arabia Moun-
tain.
Gross was offered a job at
Arabia Mountain in Decem-
ber as the equipment man-
ager for the schools sports
teams, but he did not leave
right away.
I gave my boys basket-
ball coach [Tony Stroud] the
commitment that I would be
there until the end of the sea-
son, he said. Im all about
commitment.
After the basketball sea-
son ended, Gross began his
job at Arabia Mountain. Be-
fore he moved closer to the
school, Gross had to ride the
MARTA bus to Stonecrest
Mall and walk an hour to the
school because he does not
have a car.
When the parents saw
me doing that, they saw the
commitment that everyone
says I have, he said.
It really hurt me to leave
Stone Mountain but I needed
to, Gross said. I wasnt the
happy guy I was. I was down
a lot.
I know he was disap-
pointed with the staff chang-
es this past school year,
Ferguson said. But hes been
real loyal to me. He said,
wherever you coach Im
going with you, and it hap-
pened.
Schools from other dis-
tricts know about Gross
commitment as well. Gross
said he gets calls from other
schools, but he always let
them know that he is not
leaving DeKalb County.
I love DeKalb County,
he said. Ive lived here all
of my adult life. Im well-
respected throughout this
whole county.
Gross is at Arabia Moun-
tain at 8 a.m. and doesnt
leave until football practice
is over. Along with providing
equipment and other needs
to the players, he also con-
tributes his coaching abilities
to the offense and defense.
He said he is in charge of the
locker roommaking sure all
the players are doing what
they are supposed to do.
Im like the general man-
ager of high school athletics,
he said. I dont have to raise
my voice [to the players]. If
I do, they know they are in
trouble. Ill chew you out in a
heartbeat.
Arabia Mountain will
face Stone Mountain Oct. 3
at Avondale Stadium. Gross
said it will be nothing per-
sonal when he faces his for-
mer school.
Its the name of the
game, he said. My kids al-
ready told me theyre not go-
ing to let them beat us.
Rickey Gross: Im all about commitment
Rickey Gross has been a staple in DeKalb County School District athletics for more than 20 years. He has worked at three schools, mostly at Stone Mountain High School, as the
equipment manager.
Photo by Travis Hudgons
Photo provided
Gross
LOCAL NEWS
County does live demonstration of river cleanup
by Carla Parker
Tires, truck seats, tree branches
and other debris were removed
from the South River June 26 dur-
ing alive trash and debris removal
operation.
The operation, which occurred
under the Moreland Avenue bridge
at South River, was a part of a
stream cleanup initiative by the
DeKalb County Department of Wa-
tershed Managements Capital Im-
provement Projects (CIP) division
and Site Engineering, Inc.
Willie Greene, DeKalb County
Supplemental Environmental Proj-
ect senior project manager, said the
purpose of the live demonstration
was to show the public how the de-
partment of watershed management
is going about cleaning a number of
streams in the county.
Were showing the public what
were concerned about, Greene said.
Were concerned about tires that
have been illegally dumped. Were
concerned about shopping carts and
were concerned about wood debris
and trash that might be impeding
the natural flow of the river.
Ricky Lawrence Sr. from Site En-
gineering said the trash and debris
stops the water from flowing freely.
Whenever you have standing
water thats not good, Lawrence
said. It causes flooding.
Greene said when an area of a
river is cleaned his staff will go back
two weeks later to verify that every-
thing was removed.
But what we do find is that more
tires have been dumped in the river,
he said. This is not a large effort
on the part of the residents because
were finding commercial tires that
have been illegally dumped.
Greene said the and his staff hope
to show the community and visitors
the importance of clean water.
There are many areas of South
River that are beautiful, he said.
They would be ideal picnic areas.
Thats the impression we want to
give the public. The river is their re-
source and lets do our best to make
sure that we keep it clean.
The Supplemental Environmen-
tal Project is being undertaken in
connection with the settlement of an
enforcement action United States et
al. v. DeKalb County, Georgia, taken
on behalf of the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency and the Georgia
Environmental Protection Division,
under the Clean Water Act and the
Georgia Water Quality Control Act.
The DeKalb County Department of Watershed Managements capital improvement projects division and Site Engineering Inc. conducted a live trash and debris removal operation as part of
its stream cleanup initiative. Photos by Carla Parker

Stone Mountain Master Blacksmith Wrests Art From Iron: Watson: I Don't Think I Have Any Questionable Charges'

Caricato da

Informazioni sul documento

Titolo originale

Copyright

Formati disponibili

Condividi questo documento

Condividi o incorpora il documento

Opzioni di condivisione

Hai trovato utile questo documento?

Questo contenuto è inappropriato?

Copyright:

Formati disponibili

Stone Mountain Master Blacksmith Wrests Art From Iron: Watson: I Don't Think I Have Any Questionable Charges'

Caricato da

Copyright:

Formati disponibili

championnewspaper championnewspaper champnewspaper championnews

The DeKalb County

Potrebbero piacerti anche