Champion FreePress 2-12-16

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FRiDaY, FEBRUaRY 12, 2016 Vol. 18, no. 45 FREE
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DeKalb CEO to trade

politics for pulpit
by Andrew Cauthen
Andrew@dekalbchamp.com
Interim DeKalb County
CEO Lee May will not run
for the countys top position.
May announced Feb. 5
that the decision not to seek
the CEOs position in the upcoming election came after
much prayer and consideration by May and his wife.
After a lot of time and
prayer and discussion about
our future, May said he has
decided to be a pastor, a career for which he attended
school.
May was appointed
to the interim position in
June 2013 after county CEO
Burrell Ellis was suspended
by the governor after being
indicted on multiple felony
charges including extortion.
May served as a county commissioner from July 2006 until he resigned from the position in May 2015 to allow
for a special election for the
District 5 commission seat.
Its been a wonderful,
wonderful time, May said. I
have had some challenges, of
Im fully committed and

invested in this position.
-Lee May
Interim county CEO Lee May has announced that he will not run for the countys top position.
See May on Page 15A Photo by Travis Hudgons
Policing is in chiefs blood

by Andrew Cauthen
andrew@dekalbchamp.com
Twenty-five year DeKalb Police veteran James Conroy was recently selected as the
police departments permanent chief. Photos by Andrew Cauthen
CHAMPIONNEWSPAPER
CHAMPIONNEWS
James Conroy has been with the DeKalb County Police Department for 25 yearstwo years as the interim chief. In December 2015 he
was named the departments permanent chief.
Conroy, who has worked in law enforcement since 1991, said of his
career, Its something I always wanted to do. It was in my blood.
A resident of DeKalb since he was 3 years old, Conroy only applied
at the DeKalb department.
At that time DeKalb was one of the best agencies in the country,
Conroy said. They had all of the technology, the best police academy.
They were well-respected.
And I grew up here, said Conroy, who attended Kingsley Elementary and graduated from Peachtree High School. I knew the streets. I
knew the people.
Conroy said he chose law enforcement because its different every
day.
I was doing mortgage banking on the side and there was pressure
from my dad, of course, to go work in mortgage banking. [He said],
Hey, look, you get this Corvette. Look how much money you make,
Conroy recalled.
I decided Im young. I can always be a mortgage banker, but you
cant always be a cop. Youve got to get through the academy and youve
got to be in shape to do that, he said.
I did it and I enjoy it. Its a lot of fun, he said. Its hardly ever the
same experience. Youre not trapped behind a deskwhen youre not
the chief youre not trapped behind a desk.
During his tenure with the police department, Conroy has worked
in the uniform division, homicide unit and sex crimes unit. Additionally, he has served as commander of the north precinct, youth and sex
crimes section, crime analysis and research section, and information
See Conroy on Page 15A
CHAMPIONNEWSPAPER
CHAMPIONNEWS
The Champion FREE PRESS, Friday, Feb. 12, 2016
local
Page 2A
Centenarian looks back over history

by Kathy Mitchell
In 1914, the year John
Odell Howey was born,
World War I started in Europe, President Woodrow
Wilson proclaimed the first
national Mothers Day and
the first regularly scheduled
commercial air travel was offered.
At the south DeKalb
home of his daughter Norma
Washington, Howey reflected on the changes he
has seen over the more than
a century he has lived. I
lived on a farm in Lancaster
County, South Carolina,
until I was 5, he recalled.
Then I went to live with
some relatives in Charlotte,
North Carolina. There was
no school for Blacks where
we lived in South Carolina,
but you could go to school in
Charlotte.
There was another reason for the move, Washington explained, as she urged
her dad to tell how he ran
afoul of the racial customs in
his community.
Some White boys were
beating my brothers, saying they were going to teach
them to respect White people, so I took my slingshot
and shot rocks at them. They
brought their fathers to our
house and demanded that
my father bring me out so
the White fathers could whip
me. My dad said he didnt
see where I had done anything where I deserved to be
whipped. They knew my dad
and his brothers had guns
so if they forced their way in
somebody would get hurt.
Thats why they left, Howey
said.
My family was afraid the
Ku Klux Klan might come
there later, so they quickly
got my father and two of his
sisters out of town, Washington said. Howey was able
to attend school in Charlotte
and later went to college at
Virginia Union in Richmond,
Va.
While living with relatives in Richmond in 1934,
Howey went to a dance
where Cab Calloway and
his orchestra were performing, but the music wasnt the
most exciting thing he found
that evening. He saw a young
woman he wanted to get
know better, but discovered
there was an obstacle.
Her older sister came
with her to be sure she didnt
talk to just anybody. I guess
she decided I was all right
since she let me dance with

her sister, Howey said. Five
months later, the two married and remained together
until her death in 2000 on
the eve of what would have
been their 65th wedding anniversary.
Ive never seen another
couple like them; they were
so devoted to each other,
said Washington, who is
named for her mother, Norma. I never heard them talk
strife to each other. They always treated each other with

love and respect.
From that union came
seven children, 18 grandchildren, 24 great-grandchildren
and five great-great-grandchildren. And they all adore
their granddad, Washington
said.
Many family members
bear the name Howey, which
may be unique to the family,
according to Howeys young-
See Centenarian on Page 6A
Rita Howey, left, and Norma Washington ank their 101-year old father
at Washingtons south DeKalb home.
GEORGIA POWER CELEBRATES BLACK HISTORY,

BLACK PRESENT, BLACK FUTURE.
The thing about history is that its continually unfolding. So while we celebrate the many past
accomplishments of African-Americans, we also recognize the great achievements being
made today. And we salute the young history makers to come who will contribute to an even
better tomorrow.
georgiapower.com
local
Page 3A
AroundDekalb
tatives in 2012, and currently serves
on the code revision, economic development and tourism, and regulated industries committees.
Avondale
City to host active shooter

preparedness training
In conjunction with the Avondale Estates Police Departments
continuing Avondale Citizens Safety
Series, a presentation entitled Active Shooter Preparedness will be
given Feb. 25, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.
The event will be hosted at the First
Baptist Church of Avondale Estates,
47 Covington Road. The presentation will be given by Cpl. Conroy,
Training Officer of the Avondale
Estates Police Department. A question and answer period will follow
the presentation.
Brookhaven
City to offer free LEGO workshop
Brookhaven will host a free
LEGO workshop Feb. 20 1-4 p.m.
at Briarwood Park, 2235 Briarwood
Way NE. Children ages 6 to 11
welcome to this free activity. Learn
more and sign up at www.play-well.
org. For more information, call
(404) 630-8608.
decatur
eFile CLE training to be offered
DeKalb County Superior Court
Clerk Debra DeBerry and Tyler
Technologies will host a free eFile
CLE lunch and learn training session on Feb. 18, at noon in the
Maloof Auditorium located at 1300
Commerce Drive in downtown Decatur.
This training workshop is recommended for any attorney or staff
members who file documents in
DeKalb County Clerks Office.
We are excited to begin the
implementation of our new case
management system, Odyssey; this
has long been a goal for me that our
county utilize and benefit from the
best, said DeBerry in a release.
Tyler Technologies is a provider
of information management solutions and services for local governments.
Contact Annette Taylor to reserve a seat at (404) 371-2251 or
ataylor@dekalbcountyga.gov.
ART Station presents lunchtime

series
South DeKalb community group
receives $10,000 grant
South DeKalb Improvement
Associations education committee
is the recipient of a $10,000 grant
from United Way.
The funds will be used to support parent forums emphasizing
parents rights and responsibilities,
the impact of Opportunity School
Districts and other community centered needs.
In addition to the forums, funds
will support Ronald E. McNair Discovery Learning Academy Summer
Bridge Program.
Stone
mountain
State representative receives
community service award
State Rep. Karen Bennett (DStone Mountain) was recently honored at New Bethel A.M.E. in Lithonia during the churchs 15th Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Drum
Major Award Celebration on Jan.
18. During the service, Bennett was
presented with the Drum Major for
Justice Community Service Award
for her work in the community.
It is an honor to receive the
Drum Major for Justice Community
Service Award, Bennett said. I am
blessed to be able to serve in a community where positive activism still
makes a difference.
Richard Allen Washington Sr.,
pastor of New Bethel, presided over
the celebration and former Georgia
state senator Gary Parker, an attorney, served as the keynote speaker.
The theme for the event was Standing for Righteousness.Other
awards presented were the Drum
Major Award, the Women of Courage Award and the Church Pillar of
Strength Award.
Bennett represents District 94,
which includes portions of DeKalb
and Gwinnett counties. She was
elected into the House of Represen-
ART Stations Feb. 22 lunchtime

presentation will feature artists Erin
Bailey and Del Martin who will
present a discussion of their recent
travels.
The artists were inspired by
unique landscapes and animals they
saw during excursions to South Africa and Alaska in 2015. An exhibit
of their work will be presented in
the Trolley Stop Gallery during this
time.
The event is part of ART Stations Lunchtime Series at ART Station, held from noon to 1 p.m.
This series strives to create
a fresh and stimulating monthly
lunchtime option for area residents
and business professionals, states
an announcement about the event.
Each presentation showcases a performance, lecture or art experience
and offers a boxed lunch.
Tickets are $10 for the presentation and boxed lunch and $5 for the
presentation only. There will be a
veggie option. Water and ice tea will
be provided at no additional charge.
Reservations for 10 or more are required two days in advance.
For additional information, call
(770) 469-1105 or visit www.artstation.org.
ART Station, a nonprofit contemporary arts center that provides
cultural and educational opportunities to the entire community, is
located at 5384 Manor Drive, Stone
Mountain.
Countywide
Student competes forMiss

Teentitle
Genesia Williams, a student
at Destiny Achievers Academyof
Excellence inDecatur, was recently selected to participate in the
2016Miss Teenpageant competition that will take place onSunday,
Feb. 14.
Williams will be entered in
theMiss Teendivision, one of
four divisions in which girls ages 7
through 19 will compete in modeling routines, including casual and
formal wear. Williams personality
and interviewing skills will be on
display during an interview with the
eventsjudging panel.
If Williams wins the Miss Teen
title, she will representthe metro

Atlantaarea at the national competition in Orlando, Fla. More than
$30,000 in prizes and awards will be
presented at the competition.
Any business, organization,
or private individual who may be
interested in becoming a sponsor
for Williams may contact theMiss
Teenpageant coordinator, at 1 (877)
403-6678.
South River is Georgias newest

water trail
Soon, the gentle bends and
canopied waters of the South River
will be accessible by kayak or canoe.
After a year of dedicated planning
with the Georgia River Network,
National Park Service and a host of
regional partners, the South River
Watershed Alliance (SRWA) has
unveiled the blueprint of the South
River Water Trail at www.southriverwatertrail.org.
The water trail will be 46 miles
long and include new put-in and
take-out points, directional signs
and maps.
Jacqueline Echols, SRWA board
president, stated, The water trail
is the future of the South River and
will promote communitywide environmental education and stewardship.
The first new access points are
scheduled for construction in midto late 2016. The SRWA is looking
for volunteers to be a part of creating the water trail.
For more information, contact
SRWA at (404) 285-3756 or southriverwatershedalliance@gmail.com.
opinion
Page 4A
No new investigations does not mean a clean slate

Most are aware that the
Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) recently announced that there will be no
new investigations into allegations of corruption within
the ranks of DeKalb County
government.
This decision was announced after a review of the
report submitted by former
state attorney general Michael Bowers. Bowers was
asked by interim DeKalb
CEO Lee May to weed out
any possible corruption in
the county.
At the time May requested the investigation, he stated that once the report was
completed, the public would
be able to read the findings at
the same time he would have
access to it. The report, in its
John Hewitt
johnh@dekalbchamp.com
Chief Operating Officer
entirety, was never released

to the public but was released
to the GBI.
After reviewing the findings in the report, GBI Director Vernon Keenan said,
It is our view the report
contained no new criminal
allegations that warranted

further investigation by the
GBI.
Keenan continued with
a number of the allegations
in the report related to violations of the DeKalb County
ethics rules, which could not
be prosecuted criminally.
In an interview with The
Champion, May said, If
there is any kind of criminal
wrongdoing we want to take
care of it proactively and we
want to hold all employees
accountable for his or her
actions. We are fully cooperating with anyone who is
investigating.
It appears to me that the
word new may be pivotal
in the ongoing process of
trying to reestablish confidence in county leadership.
During 2015, virtually

every county commissioner
was at some point named in
ethics complaints. However,
also during that time, members of the ethics board were
appointed by members of the
county commission and the
CEO, and most of the complaints were dismissed. That
arrangement was similar
to having the fox guard the
henhouse, in my opinion.
This has all changed now.
There are all new members
of the ethics board who have
been chosen by some of the
most respected groups and
organizations in the county,
who hopefully, will offer objective opinions of matters of
questionable behavior or actions by officials and county
employees.
With new members on

the board of ethics and the
GBI stating that ethics concerns reported in Bowers
report may be prosecuted
criminally, we may be experiencing a temporary calm
before the storm as even
more corruption is exposed.
It is my hope that investigators for the GBI will
prosecute any wrongdoings,
no matter who is involved.
It is also my hope that May
makes good on his promise
of full cooperation on investigations, no matter who is
involved. Only then will confidence and trust begin to the
reestablished.
opinion
Page 5A
ONE MANS OPINION
Silver linings, common sense and class acts

Ultimately, the decision Im making is one that
my wife and I have made,
and were not feeling pressure from anyone, interim
DeKalb CEO Lee May to The
Atlanta Journal & Constitution regarding his decision to
not seek the office of CEO at
move to a career in the ministry at the end of this year.
Following several years
of DeKalb County taxpayers
and citizens having very little
to smile about, came a week
with several silver linings,
and maybe a glimpse at that
elusive rainbow.
A cross section of community leaders demonstrating caution, common sense
and putting the needs of our
communities ahead of their
own. Three times can sometimes start a trendhere is
hoping so.
Dr. Stephen Greene,
superintendent of DeKalb
County School District, the
new kid on our block, hired
from the Kansas City School
System to help move our
DeKalb Schools forward, and
to improve the quality and
results of classroom instruction, was able to share with
our DeKalb school board
that full accreditation has
been restored to our system
by the Southern Association
of Colleges and Schools.
Losing accreditation did
not occur overnight, nor
Bill Crane
bill.csicrane@gmail.com
Columnist
did recovering the same.

Greene is at the helm, and
made this a priority, but he is
also completing work done
by former Superintendent
Michael Thurmond, our
DeKalb school board and
many others to get our 150
schools and centers and the
100,000-plus students whom
they serve back on track.
Greene also displayed a
more than healthy dose of
common sense and guts. He
pushed the pause button, and
indicated strongly that while
he wants to be a team player,
and supportive of community and economic development efforts, the Tax Allocation District (TAD) deal
being proposed to finance
infrastructure at The Assembly on the site of the former
GM plant in Doraville, is a
bit too generous with future
revenues that might otherwise benefit DeKalb schools.
First things first was heard

in his tone, and clearly the
long fought settlement and
loss of nearly 50 percent of
promised property tax revenues relinquished by the
Atlanta Public Schools to the
city of Atlanta in its Beltline
TAD agreement was not lost
on the studied administrator
and educator.
Georgias Commissioner
of Economic Development
Chris Carr is a resident of
Dunwoody, and a graduate of
those same DeKalb schools.
It is his job to woo employers
and projects to Georgia, and
DeKalb residents and leaders
have been sorely asking for
their share of the again growing metro Atlanta jobs pie.
While speaking to a
business audience in Dunwoody recently, Carr made
two strong and salient points
that cannot be said too often.
DeKalb and its municipal,
county and state government leaders should be doing
more each day, and in every
way, to combine resources
and work together.
Carr, a DeKalb native,
suggested its time that our
county clean up its act, literally and figuratively. Parts
of the county are regularly
strewn with trash and debris,
weeds sprouting from sidewalks, litter along the curb
line. If we dont care enough
to keep our communities
clean and presentable, why

should we expect others to
come here, invest and put
their capital at risk?
And, late in the week,
DeKalbs interim CEO Lee
May removed himself from
speculation and consideration as a future candidate
for the office of CEO. May
acknowledged what most
already knew: this had been
a challenging nearly twoyear period as interim CEO
for May and for the county.
Along with his wife and family, the young interim CEO
and former District 5 commissioner indicated that his
next steps may be on a path
toward the ministry. May understands as well that seeking
the office might have been
no easy task, and along with
this selfless act, he indicated
that his current intentions
are to support probable candidate Michael Thurmond,
DeKalbs most recent former
school superintendent, in his
perspective candidacy to become DeKalbs next CEO.
I want to say thank you
on behalf of many of my
friends, neighbors and fellow
residents of DeKalb County
to these three wise men for
listening, learning, leading
and serving. We could use
a few more self-less acts of
common sense like these.
Good to know that we still
can hire or vote in public ser-
vants willing to tell us what

we really need to hear, versus
what they might think we
simply want to here. Bravo!
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, Champion 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
bill.csicrane@gmail.com.
F REE P RESS
Let Us Know What You Think!
THE CHAMPION FREE PRESS encourages opinions from its readers. Please
write to us and express your views. Letters
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Send Letters To Editor, The Champion Free Press, P.
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EDITORS NOTE: The opinions written by columnists and contributing editors do not necessarily
reflect 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
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Publisher:
John Hewitt
Chief Financial Ocer:
Dr. Earl D. Glenn
Managing Editor:
Andrew Cauthen
Production Manager:
Kemesha Hunt
Photographer:
Travis Hudgons
Sta Reporter:
Carla Parker
The Champion Free Press is published
each Friday by ACE III Communications,
Inc., 114 New Street, Suite E, Decatur,
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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.
local
Page 6A
India Ali
India Ali of Lithonia
says, giving back to others
brings her a sense of peace.
I feel like Ive been
blessed so much its my duty
to give back, the 29-year-old
said.
Ali spends her time giving back to youth through
basketball, and she gives
back to those in need. Ali is
a lawyer by day and an assistant basketball coach in
the evenings at Salem Middle
School. She also finds time
to volunteer through two
organizations that she works
with.
In June 2015, Ali helped
bring Pass The Love (PTL)
organization to Atlanta. The
organization was founded in
Las Vegas, Nev. by a friend of
hers, and Ali convinced her

to extend it to Atlanta.
The purpose is to pass
the love, Ali said. I think
we are all capable of at least
that, and I try to do that
with everything I involve
myself in and everyone that
I encounter, no matter their

status.
With PTL ATL, Ali and
other volunteers have sat and
chatted with the homeless
and, distributed food and hygiene kits to them.
Ali is also one of the
founders of the Project
L.I.F.E. (Learning Is For
Everyone) program, which
exposes students to be mentored by young adults who
work in various profession.
Ali said she tries to live
by a quote by Martin Luther
King Jr., Everybody can be
great because anybody can
serve. You dont have to have
a college degree to serve. You
dont have to make your subject and verb agree to serve.
You only need a heart full of
grace. A soul generated by

love.
Giving your time in itself is a good thing to do for
other people, Ali said. You
never know the influence
you can have on somebody
else by just living your life.
Reaching back is the most
important thing you can do,
Ali said.
She said growing up it
was important for her to
have mentors and coaches to
volunteer their time to her,
which is why she volunteers
her time to others.
There were so many
coaches and teachers and
personal mentors who have
helped me throughout the
years and without their assistance, I wouldnt be who
I am, she said. I grew up

with a single mother and two
brothers and we all were successful academically and athletically. So it wasnt the easiest for my mom to work full
time, go to school part time,
and make sure the three of
us all went to practice and
to our games, but she did
it with assistance from our
coaches and mentors. This
is why I feel compelled to do
the same, to pay it forward,
because I am living proof
that it is meaningfulthat
our time matters and what
we do with it is powerful and
world shaping.
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.
Centenarian Continued From Page 2A

est daughter, Rita Howey.
People ask all the time about
the spelling of our name.
Some of our older uncles
explained that the White
branch of our family spells
their name Howie, and thats
how we spelled our name at
one point, but it was causing
too much confusion. Our
mail often would be delivered to them and sometimes
it took days to get it back, so
they decided to change the
spelling.
John Howey had a long
and successful career with a
railroad where he started as a
porter, but was soon chosen
as a private steward, serving
only the railroads top executives. They had a cook and
a steward just to serve them.
I could cookand I did once
in a whilebut I wasnt hired
as a cook. I worked as a steward, he said.
The daughters say that
when he retired in 1980,
the railroads top executives
attended his retirement celebrationthe only time they
ever came to such an event.
Both daughters vouch
for their fathers cooking
skills. Hes one of the best
cooks Ive ever known, Rita
Howey said. Our grandmother taught him to cook
because she had asthma and
often wasnt well enough to
cook. Whenever the family

gathered, everybody was excited if dad was cooking.
The family dinner table
was not only a place for good
food, but a place where lessons were taught and values
were passed along, according
to Washington. We always
sat down together at meals
and our parents asked what
we were learning at school.
Dad was a history buff and
a geography buff. He asked
us questions, but that didnt
make us uncomfortable. We
loved showing him what we
had learned, she said.
Rita Howey, a retired
teacher, said her father often
came to speak to her classes
about what he had experienced over the years. He
made history so interesting
because he has lived it. Students who werent in the class
asked if they could come listen to him, she said.
John Howey said hes
pleased at the changes that
have occurred over the more
than a century hes lived,
especially in race relations.
I remember when Blacks
who ate at a restaurant had
to come to the front and give
the folks the money then go
around to the back to get
their food. Now we can just
go in and sit down like everybody else.
The most exciting and

unexpected event of his life
came in 2008, he said. I
never thought I would get
to vote for a Black man for
president of United States,

he said. I never thought I
would get to vote for someone who looks like me.

MOVE IN/OUT CLEANNG

CleaningByMarines.com
(404) 975-9002
PUBLICNOTICE
NOTICEOFSALESANDUSETAXELECTION
TOTHEQUALIFIEDVOTERSOFTHECITYOFATLANTA
YOUAREHEREBYNOTIFIEDthatTuesday,March1,2016,thedatechosenbytheSecretaryof
StateoftheStateofGeorgiaforthepresidentialpreferenceprimarypursuanttoGeorgialaw,a
[special] election will be held in all of the precincts of the City of Atlanta (the City). At this
electiontherewillbesubmittedtothequalifiedvotersoftheCityfortheirdeterminationthe
question of whether a special one percent sales and use tax should be reimposed within the
City,upontheterminationofthespecialonepercentsalesandusetaxpresentlyineffect,fora
maximumperiodoftimeof16calendarquarters,forthepurposesoffundingwaterandsewer
projects and costs, at an aggregate maximum cost of Seven Hundred Fifty Million Dollars and
ZeroCents($750,000,000.00).
Voters desiring to vote for the reimposition of such sales and use tax shall do so by voting
YESandvotersdesiringtovoteagainstthereimpositionofsuchsalesandusetaxshalldoso
byvotingNO,astothequestionpropoundedtowit:
"Shall a special 1 percent sales and use tax be reimposed in the City of
Atlanta for a period of time not to exceed 16 calendar quarters and for
the raising of not more than Seven Hundred Fifty Million Dollars and
Zero Cents($750,000,000.00)for the purpose of funding water andsewer
projectsandcosts?"
Theseveralplacesforholdingtheelectionshallbeintheregularandestablishedprecinctsof
the City, and the polls will be open from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. on the date fixed for the
election.Thosequalifiedtovoteattheelectionshallbedeterminedinallrespectsinaccordance
andinconformitywiththeConstitutionandthelawsoftheUnitedStatesofAmericaandofthe
StateofGeorgia.
ThisnoticeisgivenpursuanttojointactionoftheCityCounciloftheCityofAtlantaandthe
MunicipalElectionSuperintendentoftheCity.
RhondaDauphinJohnson
MunicipalClerk/ElectionSuperintendent
CityofAtlanta
local
Jordan
Lovvorn
Scarpaci
Page 7A
Monferdini
Wood
Tucker City Council District 2, Post 2 candidates

by Carla Parker
carla@dekalbchamp.com
Leading to the March 1
Special Election, The Champion will publish a Q&A
with each candidate in the
city of Tucker elections. This
Q&A segment features the
candidates for City Council
District 2 Post 2: Tom Gilbert, Corbett Jordan, Eric
Lovvorn, Noelle Monferdini, Joe Scarpaci and Susan
Wood.
1) Why did you decide to

run for a city council
seat?
Gilbert: I have the
qualities and determination
to provide the knowledge to
help the city succeed.
Jordan: Personal connections with neighbors
and people who run our
businesses make our city
unique. I want to maintain
and enhance that feeling of
civic pride, while seeing that
our growth is inherent to the
character that we have already established.
Lovvorn: I have lived in
Tucker for 19 years and I love
this community. I believe my
22 year professional career
experience working with city
and county governments
makes me very qualified to
give back to this community
by serving on the city council.
Monferdini: I want to
be the voice of my district, to
listen and implement their
changes. Tucker city will affect each of us differently and
I believe that we can build it
better if we do it together.
Scarpaci: I have spent
the last thirty years volunteering and holding leadership positions in Tucker, including serving as President
of Tucker Civic Association
(TCA). Running for city
council is a logical next step

to continue my service to my
community.
Wood: After moving
here to open the Comeback
Bar & Grill, I fell in love with
the people of Tucker and decided to enter politics for the
first time to make sure we
preserve this wonderful community in cityhood.
2) What are your top three

priorities you will focus
on if youre elected the
city council?
Gilbert: Budget cost;
and talk with new and old
businesses, recreation community to see what our priorities should be.
Jordan: Construct a
website for the city of Tucker
where the community can
communicate concerns and
the city council members can
post important notices and
information; ensure that all
council decisions are transparent to the community;
and learn as much as I can
from other elected officials
as they went through this
process to find out what they
would have done different
and whyso as not to repeat
the same mistakes in our
new city.
Lovvorn: Hiring the
best qualified staff and forming the basic structure of
our government; adopting
a city code and making key
amendments important for
Tucker; and meeting with the
community to determine priorities for the future.
Monferdini: Create a
city website to post all city
business for the districts input. Implement money saving strategies to reduce the
property tax within the budget. Ensure city ordinances
do not infringe the rights of
individual and homeowners.
Scarpaci: 1) Establishing favorable Intergovernmental Agreements with

DeKalb County while maintaining a positive working
relationship; 2) Hiring highly
qualified city employees; and
3) establishing a budget that
sets a precedent of fiscal responsibility for our new city.
Wood: My priorities on
the council will be to first,
make sure new government
does no harm to the Tucker
community we love; keep the
new city business friendly;
and protect private property
rights.
3) What qualities do you

have that will help you
be a good city council
member for Tucker?
Gilbert: I retired from
Home Depot after 26 years of
service dealing with county,
state and local businesses.
Jordan: I am passionate about maintaining the
unique cohesive character
of the Tucker Community. I
believe I possess the characteristics I try to instill in my
children and my students of
honesty, integrity and concern for the rights and views
of others.
Lovvorn: I am levelheaded, approachable, use
common-sense, and Im
easy to work with. Most importantly, I am a man of my
word and follow-through on
what I say I will do.
Monferdini: Eleven
years of multi-million dollar, multi-regional projects
where I led regulatory and
infrastructure teams through
massive fiber optic builds
throughout the United States
combined with five years as a
Six Sigma Black Belt improving process efficiency, coaching and team development.
Scarpaci: Through
my extensive work in the

community, I have not only
gained experience in parks,
zoning and code enforcement, but I have also learned
how to work with and listen to others, skills that are
paramount for our council
members.
Wood: I hope to bring

my frugality and superior
customer service that led to
my success in opening and
thriving in a local [town] on
where even Taco Mac failed,
soon after the housing bust
to city government.
local
Page 8A
Lawmaker pulls racist

proposed bills
by Andrew Cauthen
A state representative
from the city of Jefferson in
Jackson County has pulled
three controversial bills, one
of which called for a constitutional amendment protecting Stone Mountain as a
Confederate memorial.
It was not my intention
to create a situation whereby
my comments would create
a negative perception, said
Rep. Tommy Benton in a
brief statement issued Feb. 8.
Therefore, today I am withdrawing my sponsorship of
House Bill 854, House Bill
855 and House Resolution
1179 to allow the business of
the House to move forward
in an orderly manner.
The comments Benton
referenced were made in
interviews with the Atlanta
Journal-Constitution.
Benton told the AJC that
he opposed the movement
of cultural terrorism to remove Confederate symbols
from around the state.
He reportedly said the
Ku Klux Klan made a lot
of people straighten up. Im
not saying what they did was
right. Its just the way things
were.
Benton also said, the
Klan was not so much a
racist thing but a vigilante
thing to keep law and order.
In a statement, Rep.
Dee Dawkins-Haigler (DLithonia), chairwoman of
the Georgia Legislative Black
Caucus, said, With his incendiary comments, Rep.
Benton has made light of the

murderous and terroristic
behavior of the KKK, which
is not only degrading but is
inappropriate of a Georgia
lawmaker in 2016. African
Americans have been an
integral part of the fabric
of this nation. This type of
sentiment is unfathomable
and has the potential to set
the number one place to do
business backward.
I strongly urge that as
we embark upon Black History Month we remember
that slavery was a dark blemish in American history that
doesnt need to be glorified
by empty and demeaning
rhetoric. Our goal should be
to work together collectively
to catapult our great state
forward, Dawkins-Haigler
stated.
In House Resolution
1179, Benton sought a
constitutional amendment
protecting Stone Mountain
Park as an appropriate and
suitable memorial for the
Confederacy.
In addition, the memorial to the heroes of
the Confederate States of
America graven upon the
face of Stone Mountain shall
never be altered, removed,
concealed, or obscured in
any fashion and shall be
preserved and protected for
all time as a tribute to the
bravery and heroism of the
citizens of this state who
suffered and died in their
cause, Bentons resolution
stated.
In House Bill 854, any
street named for veterans
A now-defunct proposed bill would have given the Confederate Memorial at Stone Mountain
legal protection. Photo Travis Hudgons
that were changed after Jan.
1, 1968, would revert to the
original name.
House Bill 855 would
have made Robert E. Lees
birthday and Confederate
Memorial Day legal holidays
in Georgia.
Several state legislators
called for Bentons removal
TO KNOW THAT WHEN YOU PLAY,
as chairman of the House
Committee on Human Relations and Aging.
House Speaker David
Ralston allowed Benton to
keep his chairmanship but
condemned commentary
that would seek to reverse
the progress that we have
made in the last century and
a half. While we are mindful
of our history, the business
of the General Assembly isnt
in rewriting or reinterpreting
the past, but rather to focus
on improving Georgias future.
IT DOESNT
TAKE A GENIUS
GEORGIAS KIDS WIN.
Its elementary, actually. See, every time you play the Lottery,
youre helping our kids get one step closer to their dreams.
For over 20 years the Georgia Lottery has contributed over
$17 billion to education. On top of that, more than 1.7 million
HOPE scholars have gone to college and more than 1.4
million four-year-olds have attended a Lottery-funded Pre-K
Program. Add those numbers up and, well, lets just say thats a
hair-raising number of happy kids.
local
Page 9A
Fifty-two-year-old Denny Towhey has frequented the DeKalb Services Center in Brookhaven for 37 years. Photos provided
Brookhaven Center provides a safe haven for adults with disabilities

Sue Towheys son,
Denny, 52, has been going to
the DeKalb Services Center
in Brookhaven on Osborne
Road each week since the
center opened in 1978.
Denny is developmentally disabled; both nonverbal
and autistic. According to his
mother, the center has been
Dennys home away from
home for over 37 years.
The DeKalb Services
Center serves as a training
center and day program for
adults living with developmental disabilities. It provides daytime habilitation,
support and work activity for
nearly 160 developmentally
disabled adults each day.
The center has a rich his-
tory in DeKalb County. The

grounds surrounding the
center were once home to the
U.S. Veterans Hospital No.
48. When the hospital moved
and the old building was
demolished, the U.S. government informed DeKalb
County that it could use the
property for public good or
public service.
Largely as a result of the
advocacy and fundraising efforts of former state senator
and former DeKalb County
CEO Liane Levetan and a
group of committed parents
and friends, the DeKalb Services Center opened its doors
in September 1978 to support the residents of DeKalb
County living with develop-
mental disabilities.
Since opening, the center
has focused on enabling participants to develop, maintain and enhance the skills
that they need to be more
independent and maintain a
higher quality of life according to a news release about
the center.
Denny has a special role
at the center. Each morning he sets up the walkers
and wheelchairs to assist
physically handicapped individuals. My husband has
to make sure that hes able to
get him there early enough to
set things up, Towhey said.
There are many things that
Dennys disability prohibits
him from participating in;
DeKalb County Department of Watershed Management

Public Advisory
SNAPFINGER WOODS SANITARY SEWER CROSSINGS
January 29, 2016
Advisory Issue Date
February 29, 2016

Advisory Close Date
This advisory is issued to inform the public of a receipt of an application for a variance
submitted pursuant to a State Environmental Law. The Public is invited to comment during a 30
day period on the proposed activity. Since the Georgia Environmental Protection Division (EPD)
has no authority to zone property or determine land use, only those comments addressing
environmental issues related to air, water and land protection will be considered in the
application review process. Written comments should be submitted to: Program Manager,
Non-Point Source Program, Erosion and Sedimentation Control, 4220 International Parkway,
Suite 101, Atlanta, Georgia 30354.
Type of Permit Application: Variance to encroach within the 25-foot State Waters Buffer.
Applicable Law: Georgia Erosion and Sedimentation Act O.C.G.A. 12-7-6 ET seq.
Applicable Rules: Erosion and Sedimentation Control Chapter 391-3-7.
Basis under which variance shall be considered: {391-3-7.05(2) (A-J)}: E
Project Location: This project is located on the section of Snapfinger Woods Drive that is
bounded by Rayburn Road to the west and Shell Bark Rd to the east near the city of Lithonia,
GA. Specifically, the site is located in land lots 8 & 9 of the 16th district & land lots 128 &
129 of the 15th district, in DeKalb, Georgia. The site is approximately 800 linear feet north of
Snapfinger Creeks intersection with Snapfinger Woods Drive. The proposed construction will
include the installation of 132 linear feet of 15 inch sanitary sewer across Snapfinger Creek.
Project Description: The proposed site conditions will include the installation of 132 linear feet
of 15 inch sanitary sewer aerial stream crossing to replace an existing inverted siphon sanitary
sewer under Snapfinger Creek which in a constant maintenance problem. This work is a repair
the existing system that runs along Snapfinger Creek.
but at the center hes able to

get involved.
Denny also participates
in the centers weekly Meals
on Wheels program through
which he has an opportunity
to lend a hand and connect
with the community.
Like Denny, many of the
individuals who attend the
center are more than 50 years
old and have come to view
the center as an extended
family, the news release
stated.
For families like the Towheys, the center not only provides a safe and comfortable
environment for their loved
ones, but it also provides a

support network and access
to other families with similar
situations.
Because Denny requires
a full-time care giver, Towhey said that she doesnt
know where shed be without
the center. I would have to
quit my job. It would be devastating.
Individuals like Denny
need a place to feel safe,
loved and valued, she said.
The center creates that experience in a personal way.
The DeKalb Services
Center is located at 2660 Osborne Road in Atlanta.
pet
OF THE
WeeK
irish id# 30417899 -is a laid back four year old who
already knows his sit command and would love to learn more.
He greets everyone he meets with happiness and would love
to join you on your adventures around town. Irish gets along
great with other dogs and probably wouldnt mind having a
canine companion in his new home.
Irish qualifies for our February Find the One promotion,
where all cats and all dogs over 25 lbs. are only $14! Adoption includes neuter, vaccinations, microchip and more! If you
would like more information about Irish please email adoption@dekalbanimalservices.com or call (404) 294-2165. All
potential adopters will be screened to ensure Irish goes to a
good home.
local
Page 10A
Attempt to remove audit committee member ruled not legal

by Andrew Cauthen
The Georgia attorney
generals office has opined
that the removal of a
member of the DeKalb
County Audit Oversight
Committee was not legal.
Harmel Codi, an
educational consultant/
entrepreneur and a former
county employee who
repeatedly called for the
resignation of interim
DeKalb CEO Lee May, was
appointed to the oversight
committee by the countys

Senate delegation.
In a Dec. 28, 2015,
letter addressed to the
DeKalb County governing
authority, Sen. Gloria Butler
stated that she rescinded
the appointment of Codi,
and appointed accountant
Natasha Smith of Stone
Mountain to the committee.
In a Feb. 5 unofficial
opinion, Deputy Attorney
General Dennis Dunn wrote
that an appointment to
the DeKalb County Audit
Oversight Committee
may not be rescinded and

the appointee may not be
removed from her position
without following the
procedures outlined under
the law.
Im relieved with the
fact that the attorney general
can bring forth an opinion
that is legal rather than based
on politics, Codi said Feb.
8. As a citizen of the county
and this country I believe I
have a Second Amendment
right to speak my mind
and be objectivewithout
having to support the status
quo. And I will not support

the status quo as long as it
isoperating outside the
boundaries of the rule of
law.
The opinion, requested
by Sens. Butler, Elena Parent
and JaNiceVan Ness, stated
that such an appointment,
which is made to a position
for a term of years and
where the incumbent may
be removed only for cause or
through a specific statutory
procedure, may not be
rescinded.
The incumbent may be
removed from the position

only through compliance
with the established legal
procedures, which may
include providing the
incumbent with notice and
an opportunity for a hearing
on the reasons for removal,
Dunn wrote.
According to the facts
stated in the opinion, Codi
was notified on Nov. 17,
2015, of her appointment to
the DeKalb County Audit
Oversight Committee,
which has the responsibility
See Audit on Page 12A
Tucker candidates residential address questioned

by Carla Parker
couple in Tucker
is questioning the
validity of one
candidates home address.
Katherine Atteberry is
running for the city council
District 2-Post 1 seat.
Atteberrys home address
on DeKalb County Voter
Registration and Elections
website is 3927 Roman
Court in Tucker. However,
Tucker residents Paul and
Cheryl Miller said that
cannot be Atteberrys livein residence because it is a
vacant home.
In an email sent to
The Champion and Voter
Registration and Elections
Director Maxine Daniels,
the Millers said Atteberry is
not being honest about her
place of full-time residence.
Ms. Katherine
Atteberry qualified
for this election by
giving an address in my
neighborhood, yet we
have documented with
photos that the home is
not lived in and remains
untouched, vacant day
after day, the email stated.
She attended a meeting
in our neighborhood
on a prior date in which
she represented herself
as someone who runs a
community information
site, yet we have confirmed
that her claims are untrue.
The Millers also stated
that Atteberry does not
know neighbors who live
two houses from the home
she claims as her resident.
[The neighbors]
stated they have never
seen her or anyone enter

or exit the home, the
Millers said. There is
no vehicle in the garage
and the windows have
security bars over them,
which is very unusual for
this area. The driveway
is very old (obviously not
used, in other words) and
the general upkeep of the
outside of the building is
poor and appears to be
unlived in.
Ms. Atteberry has
publicly stated her school
affiliation from when she
was growing up in the area
and her church affiliation
and they are both in
another district (District
1), the Millers added. She
has attended our meetings
always arriving with people
from District 1 as well. She
has lived in Loganville and
Lilburn, Ga., both outside
of our county of DeKalb.
The Millers requested
to bring a formal challenge
to Atteberrys qualifications
to run for office and have
her name removed from
the ballot and any ballots
cast in early elections in her
favor to not be counted.
In an email to The
Champion, Atteberry
stated, My grandparents
bought the house on
Roman Court in the
1970s. Roman Court has
always felt like home
to me, as I grew up
celebrating holidays and
enjoying summers with
my grandparents there. I
was thrilled to be able to
purchase the home in 2011
and keep it in the family
after they passed away.
Roman Court, like Tucker,
is my home and I will be

providing the necessary
documentation to disprove
these allegations.
Daniels said the
challenge does not have
any validity based on
Georgia law 21-2-6.
The law does not
allow another elector to
challenge a person this late
in the game, Daniels said.
The law requires that they
do that two weeks after
they qualify. So that has
passed. What happens now

is the Board of Registration
and Elections will have
to be the one to challenge
if they choose to do that.
There is no challenge right
now of Ms. Atteberry
because the person who
sent the email has no
standing.
Daniels said she is
talking to the board about
putting the matter on
the agenda for the board
meeting on Feb. 11.
Atteberry
local
Page 11A
A proposed annexation map that would annex 35,000 residents from the proposed city of LaVista Hills to Chamblee.
Group proposes Chamblee annexation plan

by Carla Parker
A group is proposing that an area
of the failed city of LaVista Hills be
annexed into Chamblee.
A survey was posted on Survey
Monkey by Citizens for Cityhood
proposing the annexation of an area
with 35,000 residents into Chamblee.
The survey was offered to those who
has been in favor of LaVista Hills.
Because that effort was defeated by a small minority in 2015,
we are left with very few options for
increased local representation and
efficient, responsive public services,
the survey stated. Annexation into
an existing city in DeKalb County is
potentially a solution for local control, better services, more responsive
government.
Citizens for Cityhood consid-
ered annexation into Tucker for areas close to commercial properties.

However, most residents want more
services provided than parks and
recreation, planning and permitting,
according to the website.
Annexation into Brookhaven is
unlikely because there is little geographic overlap with the areas that
favored cityhood in the 2015 LaVista
Hills election, the survey stated.
Settling for the status quo and fixing DeKalb seems an even less likely
option. Restoring ethical, effective
governance appears to be a long way
off. In addition, staying unincorporated will likely mean commercial
areas will become absorbed into the
adjoining cities of Tucker, Chamblee,
or Brookhaven, leaving the residential areas behind.
The group said it has had preliminary discussions with Chamblee
officials, who they said are willing to

annex.
State Representative Scott Holcomb (D-Atlanta) said in a Facebook post that Chamblee Mayor
Eric Clarkson contacted him [and]
shared his support for the annexation
proposal.
He was the first person to tell
me about this idea and I replied that
there would need to be clear and
demonstrated community support
for an annexation to occur, Holcomb
said. Mayor Clarkson said that the
proposal made economic sense and
he had studied the feasibility.
Mary Kay Woodworth, who was
chairman of the LaVista Hills Alliance, shared on social media her support for a possible annexation.
Many of us who have lived in
this messed up county [government]
this long do not want to endure it
for several more years. I believe that

the only way DeKalb County can be
fixed is by reducing the unincorporated area, so that DeKalbs officials
are forced to be responsive in their
actions and the budget. In order for
this community to thrive and sustain itself, as much distance [should
be] put between it and the county as
possible. The opportunity to create
a new city has passed and the next
best option is to explore annexation
before the commercial areas that border existing cities are annexed and
the remainder of the residential area
is left in unincorporated DeKalb.
Holcomb hosted a public information session Feb. 8 during which
Chamblee officials presented information on the possible annexation.
local
Page 12A
HelpinG tHose in need
DeKalb County District 7 Commissioner Stan Watson organized a relief effort to support those affected by the water contamination in Flint, Mich. Volunteers helped collect
water donations at Southwest DeKalb High School Feb. 6. Photos by Travis Hudgons
Man arrested after stabbing

family members
by Carla Parker
A 26-year-old man is in custody after
fatally stabbing his mother and injuring his
father and brother, police said.
DeKalb County Police responded to a
report of a stabbing at 2300 Cherokee Valley
Drive in Lithonia around 3:30 a.m. Feb. 9,
according to Maj. Stephen Fore.
Police discovered that the suspect,
Brandon Nash, got into an argument with
his 53-year-old mother and stabbed her to
death.
She died at the scene, Fore said.

Nash later assaulted his 60-year-old
father who was sleeping in the bedroom.
His 17-year-old brother heard a commotion,
tried to intervene and was stabbed as well.
Nash ed the scene, but was found
several hours later after police were notied
that Nash was at a friends home on
Dellwood Place in Decatur. He was taken
into custody without incident, according to
Fore.
The 17-year-old brother was transported
to Grady in serious condition, and the father
was treated for minor injuries.
auDit Continued From Page 10A

of hiring an internal auditor to conduct
financial and performance audits of county
departments; overseeing the auditors work;
and ensuring independence from the CEO
and Board of Commissioners.
Codi also was informed that the
committees first meeting would be on Nov.
20.Codi attended that meeting and the next
meeting on Dec. 7.
In a Jan. 13 letter to the state attorney
general explaining the rescission of Codi,
Butler stated that Codi not possess [the
required] professional qualifications and
would not be able to perform her duties as a
member of the Audit Oversight Committee.
An Audit Oversight Committee member
should also conduct themselves in an
objective [and] nonpartisan manner, Butler
continued. Soliciting signatures on a petition
in an open meeting asking for the CEO (Lee
May) to step down from office does not reflect
the guidelines of an objective nonpartisan
member.
The attorney generals office stated that
Dr. Jabari Simama, President

and
The Board of Directors of

Georgia Piedmont Technical College
The Board of Trustees of the
Georgia Piedmont Technical College Foundation
Cordially invite you to attend the
Georgia Piedmont Technical College
2016
STATE of the COLLEGE ADDRESS

Thursday
February 25, 2016, 4:00 p.m.
a committee member could be removed by

two-thirds of the members of the DeKalb
County legislative delegation for definite and
specified causes after there has been official
and notice and after the committee member
has had an opportunity to address the charge
or charges against him or her in a hearing.
Codi said the attempt to remove her from
the committee was politically motivated.
Sen. Butler had probably gotten a call
after she appointed me from a politician
asking her to remove me, Codi said.
Im relieved this mess is behind back me,
she said.
Codi said she is waiting for a call about
the next meeting of the committee. The
meetings were suspended until the opinion
was received.
Im going back, she said. Im going to
be there to make sure the residents of DeKalb
County getsomeone who is independent
as the county auditor. I was chosen for the
committee for a reason and that is tobring
a degree of logic and rationale to the matter.
Conference Center | Newton D Campus

Covington, Georgia
Co-Hosted By
Newton County Government

Covington-Newton Chamber of Commerce
Morgan County Government
Madison-Morgan Chamber of Commerce
Rockdale County Government
Conyers-Rockdale Chamber of Commerce
DeKalb County Government
DeKalb Chamber of Commerce
Please RSVP
By email: 2016stateofthecollege@gptc.edu | By Eventbrite: http://bit.ly/202T0yE
Please note that GPS directions can be inaccurate.
This location is off of City Pond Road.
Reception Immediately Following the State of the College address.
local
Page 13A
WEEKinPICTurES
From left, Ida Beth Barner, Dixie Schantz and Karin Zarin
watch Laurel Emery, far right, cut fabric into strips. Those
strips will be rolled into balls.
re:loom open house
An open house was recently held for re:loom, an initiative of Affordable Housing, Inc., located at 3032 N.
Decatur Road. Leila Wright, above, sits in front of the re:loom store demonstrating the weaving process.
Wright has been working there for ve years. Photos by Travis Hudgons
Mug Rugs are made from upcycled Delta safety vests.
23
Fredrick Brown is processing fabric.
PHOTOS BROUGHT TO YOU BY DCTV

DCTV Channel 23
@DCTVChannel23
Get your front row seat to all things DeKalb County

through your EMMY Award-winning station
DeKalb County Gov

Ustream.tv/channle/DCTV-Channel-23
VISIT US AT WWW.DCTVChannel23.tv
E-mail us at DCTV@DeKalbCountyGA.gov
local
Page 14A
NEWSBRIEFS
Wesley Chapel Road murder

suspect arrested
The DeKalb County Sheriff s Office arrested Robert Marques Hunt,

37, in connection with the Jan. 15
shooting death of Tremayne Evans
on Wesley Chapel Road in Decatur.
A warrant was issued on Jan. 28,
charging Hunt with felony murder
and aggravated assault.
DeKalb Sheriff s deputies apprehended and arrested Hunt on
Feb. 3 without incident on Memorial
Drive.
Coalition awarded grant to

prevent youth substance use
A local nonprofit is the recipient
of one of 697 Drug-Free Communities (DFC) Support Program grants,
totaling $86 million.
Beyond The Bells DeKalb Community Promise Coalition will
receive $125,000 annually for five
years in DFC grant funds to involve
and engage its local community
to prevent substance abuse among
youth.
Our goal is to make DeKalb
County a safe and healthy environment for our youth, said Sandra
Dean of Beyond The Bell. Prevention is a powerful tool to counteract
drug use in our community, and we
will use this funding to help youth
in DeKalb County make healthy
choices about substance use.
Prescription drug abuse prevention is one of the core measures of
effectiveness for local DFC coalitions, and coalitions nationwide
have led innovative opioid prevention initiatives, according to information provided by Dean. DeKalb
Community Promise will specifically work to address underage drinking and marijuana use.
The grants will provide local
community coalitions funding to
prevent youth substance use, including prescription drugs, marijuana,
tobacco and alcohol.
We know that evidence-based
prevention efforts are the most effective way to reduce youth substance
use and to support the roughly 90
percent of American youth who do
not [abuse] drugs, said Michael
Botticelli, director of National
Drug Control Policy. By bringing
together schools, businesses, law
enforcement, parent groups, and
other members of the community,
DFC-funded community coalitions
are helping to protect youth from
the devastating consequences of
non-medical prescription drug use,
heroin and other [illicit] substance
use.
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
(SAMHSA) is responsible for the
day-to-day management of the DFC
Program.
Community coalitions continue to drive winning strategies at
the local level to reduce the rate of
substance misuse, said Kana Enomoto, SAMHSAs acting administrator.SAMHSA is pleased to join
the Office of National Drug Control
Policy in supporting communities
that are bringing citizens together
to create healthy and drug free environments for our youth.
Red Cross to install smoke

alarms
To combat deaths and injuries
due to home fires, the Red Cross has
launched a nationwide campaign
to reduce the number of deaths and
injuries due to home fires by 25 percent by the end of 2019.
Red Cross workers statewide are
teaming up with local fire departments and community groups to
visit neighborhoods at high risk for
fires. Those visits include educating people about fire safety through
door-to-door visits and installation
of free smoke alarms in homes that
need them.
This month, the Red Cross will
be visiting the Battle Forest neighborhood in Decatur as part of its
2016 Home Fire Campaign effort to
install 6,500 new smoke alarms in
Georgia by July 1. Volunteers will
also help residents develop a home
fire escape plan.
The event will be Saturday, Feb.
13, from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the
New Life Church & Community
Center, 3592 Flat Shoals Road, Decatur.
Red Cross partners include
DeKalb County Fire Rescue Department, DeKalb Fire Education, Tool
Bank, JROTC, New Life Church,
Clifton United Methodist Church,
and The Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints.
Nonprofit launches 30th

anniversary capital campaign
Friends of Disabled Adults and
Children (FODAC), a nonprofit organization providing more than $10
million annually in home medical
equipment and supplies to those living with disabilities, has announced
the launch of a year-long capital
campaign.
Keeping People with Disabilities Moving seeks to raise $1.5 million by the end of 2016 to support
facility upgrades and strengthen the
organizations financial foundation,
including paying off the mortgage
on the corporate headquarters.
FODAC celebrates our 30th
anniversary this year, said Chris
Brand, president and CEO of the
organization. As we move forward
into our fourth decade, our vision
is to increase access and efficiency,

protect future sustainability of programming, and act as responsible
stewards of our environment. These
funds will help us make an extensive
and lasting impact on our community, as we improve thousands of lives
and make each day a little easier for
those with mobility challenges.
FODAC provides medical equipment such as wheelchairs and hospital beds at little or no cost to people
with disabilities and their families.
Most of FODACs home medical
equipment is collected through donations of used equipment, which
the organization cleans, repairs and
reissues to those in need.
The organizations capital program has three goals:warehouse and
product flow improvements, such
as upgrading repair shop tools and
technology, and adding new racks,
bins and loading dock lifts for faster
delivery; facility improvements, including HVAC units, metal lifting
hoists, and repairing the mortar on
the building exterior; and strengthening the financial foundation by
paying off the mortgage and increasing the capital reserve fund.
This campaign will help FODAC better leverage HME donations
across the state for the benefit of
our community, said Brand. HME
donations and efficient processing
are an essential foundation for FODACs model to operate effectively.
The more equipment donations that
FODAC receives, the more the Atlanta community benefits from these
resources.
Early voting for presidential

primary under way
Early voting for the March 1
presidential preference primary began Feb. 8 and will end Friday, Feb.
26.
All locations will be closed Monday, Feb. 15, in observance of Presidents Day.
Voting will take place at the following three locations:
Voter Registration & Election Office, 4380 Memorial Drive, Suite
300, Decatur. This site has two
areas, including one exclusively for
seniors and voters with disabilities.
The site is open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Monday to Friday, Feb. 11 and 12,
and Feb. 16 to 26; and Saturday,
Feb. 20, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The Galleria at South DeKalb Mall,
2801 Candler Road, Decatur. The
site is open 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., Monday to Friday, Feb. 11 and 12, and
Feb. 16 to 26; and Saturday, Feb.
20, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Tucker Recreation Center, 4898
Lavista Road, Tucker. The site is
open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday to
Friday, Feb. 11 and 12, and Feb. 16
to 26; and Saturday, Feb. 20, 9 a.m.
to 4 p.m.
All voting locations will be open

from Monday, Feb. 22 through Friday, Feb. 26 from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Voters must go to their assigned
precincts to vote on Election Day
March 1.
For more voter registration
information, please contact the
DeKalb County Voter Registration
and Elections office at (404) 2984020.
Commissioners to county reestablish film commission

In May 2011, the countys Board
of Commissioners approved formation of the DeKalb County Film
Commission to attract movies and
television productions to the county.
The film commission brought
together representatives from the
countys economic development,
communications, recreation, public
works and public safety departments
as well as representatives from the
DeKalb History Center, DeKalb
Convention & Visitors Bureau,
DeKalbs colleges and universities,
board of commissioners and the film
industry.
DeKalb County Commissioner
Stan Watson, who spearheaded the
idea, said his goal has been to find
ways to improve the economic situation and create innovative opportunities for long-term growth and
sustainability.
Although we have made strides
toward establishing a well-functioning commission, we need to take a
look at how we can become more
effective and competitive, Watson
stated in a news release.
Watson and Commissioner
Jeff Rader are holding a meeting
of the film commission meeting on
Wednesday, Feb. 17, from 3 to 4:30
p.m. on the fifth floor of the Maloof
Building, 1300 Commerce Drive,
Decatur.
DeKalb County has already
been named by the Georgia Department of Economic Development as a
Camera Ready Community and now
we have the opportunity to embellish this designation, Watson stated.
The DeKalb film commission will
have a sole mission of bringing film
and production crews to our county
as a way to create jobs and revenue
for our tax digest.
The commission will be the focal point, a one stop shop, and point
of contact for any entity or persons
interested in film or television productions in DeKalb County, he
stated. Moving forward and as the
need unveils, we may also designate
a special film district area for studio
and film work produced.
For more information contact
Kelly Cato, Watsons program manager, at kcato@dekalbcountyga.gov
or (404) 371-3681.
Conroy Continued From Page 1A

services division. He has worked as
the E911 director and as assistant
chief over the support services division.
In 2003, the county police department created a crime analysis
and research division and Conroy
was chosen to start that up and
bring all of our crime analysis and
statistics into one area, he said.
That began the new era of
intelligence led policing, said Conroy, who attended the University of
Georgia and received a bachelors
degree in criminal justice administration from Columbia Southern University. Before that, [we]
would do crime stats. They would
come out six months later. [Now],
we get daily, weekly and monthly
summaries of all the crimes.
In December 2013, interim
DeKalb County CEO Lee May
named Conroy interim police
chief.
For an unspecified period
of time, Conroy added, I came
in each day not knowing if it was
my last day, so I was going to do
as much as I could while I had the
position.
There have been many changes
in law enforcement during his
tenure, including the amount of
crime, he said.
Contrary to popular belief,
theres less crime now than there
was back in the 90s and in the early 2000s, Conroy said. You hear a
lot of oh, crime is up, but its not.
Conroy said his department is
working on a 30-year crime chart
so people can understandhow
crime has shifted.
When I say crime is down,
people think its up because they
hear more about it, Conroy said.
They hear about every incident
that occurs in their neighborhood.
Back in the day, if you didnt see
the police car, you probably didnt
hear about it.
Another change is because
of cell phones, the department
responds to a lot more than just
crimes now, Conroy said.
We responded to fewer calls
because people called from their
residence or business, he said.
Now, if there is an accident on
the interstateeverybody that
drives by it is going to call 911.
And theyre going to call about every reckless driver. Theyre calling
about more things [by cellphone]
than they did before.
When describing the state of
the police department, Conroy
said, I think now weve got some
stability.
Weve gone through a lot of
leadership change, he said. Im
the ninth chief since 2001.
Although he was just named
chief, he was interim chief for two
years.
I think that helps in our stability and consistency, Conroy
said.
We try to create strategic
plans for the department, he said.
I think Ive helped write five
strategic plans in the last 10 years,
and as each chief comes in with a
different idea, that strategic plan
changes.
Weve got some consistency
and stability, Conroy said.
Additionally, morale seems
to have improved in the past few
years, Conroy said.
Our attrition has improved
quite a bit [in] 2015 over 2014, he
said. We still lost more officers
than we would like to.
In 2015, the department lost 96
officers due to all attrition including retirements. In 2014, the number was 129 officers.
Thats a considerable improvement, Conroy said.
When hes not policing, Conroy said he is spending time with
his wife Ginger of 11 years, and
their 8- and 10-year-old daughters
who are involved with karate and
cheerleading.
Conroy also is on the boards
of the Police Athletic League, Gold
Shield Foundation and Metro Atlanta Police Emerald Society.
Additionally, he is working on
a masters degree in organizational
leadership.
When asked how long he plans
to stay in his position, Conroy said,
I will be here hopefully at least
three more years. The average tenure of a police chief in the nation is
just under five years. I would like
to hit that.
Then he would be eligible for
full retirement benefits, Conroy
said.
Conroy said one of the fun
parts of his job is attending the police academy graduations.
You see these young officers
and their families and you remember 25 years agoI [was] in those
seats, he said.
Additionally, the kids are fun,
he said. Just dealing with the kids
is a lot of fun. Just their excitement.
They love to see police officers.
You can make a positive impact on
children.
Conroy said police officers
enjoy being at the center of everything.
Were out there when theres
something going on thats big, he
said. When that plane crashed
[on I-285 in 2015], there was a
stream of cars coming out of here
going up to help. When there was
that McNair [school] shooting [in
2013], there were hundreds of officers going towards danger.
Thats why we got into this
jobto help people and to go do
what we can, Conroy said. When
things get serious, thats when we
exceland Im impressed with
what DeKalb County does.
local
Page 15A
May Continued From Page 1A

course, but were just extremely excited
about the next opportunity to serve our
family and this community.
This really has to do with where
we see ourselves in the next four years,
May said about the decision to not seek
the elected position.
Do we see ourselvesand I say
our because when youre in this role,
your spouse and your family are here
along the ride with youin four years
do we see ourselves in this role? May
said.
Im very passionate about ministry, and so in the next four years we are
looking actively to work in the role of
ministry, said May, the son of a pastor
and a graduate of Emory Universitys
Candler School of Theology with a
master of divinity degree.
May said he and wife contemplated
whether he could be the countys CEO
and a pastor and decided that priority No. 1is ministry, whether thats
launching a church or going to a current church.
May said he could not do both jobs.
I dont believe that any ministry
that we would be in or this county
would deserve to have conflicting interests, May said.
May said there was nothing about
the CEOs role that pushed him away
from seeking an elected term.
I actually love operating in the role
of a CEO, May said. The work that
we are able to do is special and it really
adds value to the quality of life of our
residents. We can really transform the
look, the feel, the safety of our county

and we have been doing a lot to advance.
While working in county government excites him, May said, I also get
excited about ministry and the work
that we can do in the lives of people
seeking God and looking to transform
their lives.
Although May he did not officially
endorse a candidate for CEO, May
said, I was excited to hear that [former
DeKalb school superintendent] Michael Thurmond was interested in the
role.
Hes been a mentor and a friend
anda peer in his role as the superintendent of the school system. He did
some phenomenal work thereand
you see the results of it, May said.
The school district having its full
accreditation restored with no conditions was due in large part to Thurmonds work, May said.
Im glad to see that theres a lot of
interest in the seat. I think the county
deserves a healthy debate about the
future of our county, May said. I absolutely will get involved with that race
because I have an interest in seeing this
county move forward.
May said he will serve out the remainder of his term, which expires at
the end of the year. The position will be
on the ballot in November.
Im fully committed and invested
in this position, May said.
local
Page 16A
Countys health improving,

but needs attention
by Andrew Cauthen
DeKalbs infant mortality and teen pregnancy rates have
decreased by 30 percent and 31 percent, respectively. And the
percentage of students trying cigarette smoking has dropped by
33 percent.
That was some of the good news in the 2015 DeKalb County Status of Health report by the countys board of health.
On the other hand, the countys diabetes mortality rate increased by 70 percent and diabetes morbidity rate increased by
23 percent.
This whole chronic disease piece is a big problem, said
S. Elizabeth Ford, the countys health director. Were losing
people that are not getting to live out the full potential of their
lifespan because they are dying from diseases that are preventable. Weve got a real problem in the Black community with hypertension and cardiovascular disease in men and women.
According to the report, women had higher rates of high
blood pressure and stroke deaths than men, but lower rates of
hypertensive and obstructive heart disease deaths than men.
Black males had 15 percent higher rates of cancer than White
males.
In the injuries category, homicides accounted for 27 percent
of all injury deaths, with the homicide death rate among males
is seven times the rate of females and highest among Black
males ages 20 to 29, according to the report.
Firearms were used in 38 percent of assault-related hospitalizations and 78 percent of homicides, the report stated.
Weve got to do something about this whole firearm situation because 78 percent of the homicides in the county are the
result of firearms, and over 50 percent of the suicides are related
to firearms, Ford said. I know its a sensitive subject but weve
got to address it.
The report stated that the highest rate of suicide was among
White males ages 60 to 74.
I wasnt surprised to see the homicides so high and so predominant in the southern part of the county, but I was pretty
surprised that suicides were highest in the northern part of the
county, Ford said. That was striking to me.
Ford said there are certain sections of the county that have
more health challenges.
The southern part of the county is No. 1 for chronic diseases that are problematic, Ford said. It is also No. 1 for violence.
We are very much aware of where the problem areas are,
she said. Most of our interventions are targeted. When we apply to these grants,we apply specifically to address those areas
of the county that have the burden for whatever we are working
on.
The report, in its seventh year, now looks at behavioral
health because we cant keep ignoring it, Ford said. Its a very
important factor because behavior is what drives disease.
Its not enough to say, Weve got all these smokers in the
county, we really need to be trying to figure out why, she said.
Why are people still smoking when we know all the dangers?
Why do we still have these ridiculously high HIV rates in our
county when we know how to prevent it and we know how it is
contracted? Why do we still have teen pregnancies rates that are
high?
We need to really start looking more at behaviors and why
people do what they do, Ford said.
Ford said there will be an official launch of the report with
the countys chamber of commerce in April to get the business
community involved in public health.
Public health should not be responsible for correcting
everything all by ourselves, she said. When we talk about violence, for example, we need some afterschool programs.[and]
intervention for these kidssomething else for them to do.
Weve been trying to engage the business community to try
to take ownership because if you have a business in a community thats not considered safe that impacts you, Ford said.
Everything that we do to make the community better
makes all of us better. No matter where we are, Ford said.
The report is a to-do list to me because it really lets you
know the types of things that need to be addressed, Ford said.
Decatur delays annexation efforts

by Carla Parker
Decatur has decided to not pursue annexation during the current state legislative session and will revisit the matter later
this year, according to a released statement.
The city has attempted to annex several surrounding commercial areas into
the city. State Rep. Karla Drenner (DAvondale) introduced House Bill 663 last
year, but it failed to pass the Georgia General Assembly.
Former Decatur Mayor Jim Baskett
said the bill failed due to strong opposition
from neighborhoods in the Atlanta annexation plan and concerns about potential
lost revenue to the DeKalb County School
District.
Medlock Park neighborhood was one
neighborhood that showed strong opposition to the annexation bill, and still
strongly opposes the bill. A petition was
posted on the Medlock Are Neighborhood
Association Feb. 1 opposing the bill.
Two days later, the city announced that
annexation is not a top priority this legislative session.
Property tax relief for longtime residents who have been a part of our com-
munity for many years is our top priority,

and we are focused on getting homestead
exemption legislation passed this session,
Mayor Patti Garrett said.
The City Schools of Decatur has also
shifted its focus.
Over the past decade there have been
significant austerity cuts to the states education budget, meaning that local residents
have had to pay more and more property
taxes in order to maintain the strength of
our school system, School Board Chairwoman Annie Caiola said. The increasing property taxes are forcing too many
seniors out of our community, and it needs
to stop. The City Schools of Decatur
School Board strongly supports legislation
that will exempt our seniors from ad valorem school taxes.
The city said proposed homestead
exemption legislation would authorize
referendums in November 2016 and, if approved by the voters, would be effective in
2017.
We have new city leadership, a new
school superintendent and new board of
education leadership, Garrett said. We
need to look at a variety of issues, including annexation, so we will not be pursuing
adoption of HB 663 by the Georgia Senate
during the 2016 session.
Business
Page 17A
Longtime friends, colleagues open DeKalb law office

by Kathy Mitchell
After years of representing large insurance companies in court, attorneys Steve
Litner and Arman Deganian decided to switch sides.
At their new personal injury
law firm, Litner + Deganian
P.C., the longtime friends
and colleagues represent clients against large insurance
companies.
Over the years, I saw
so many people who had
been badly injured one way
or another not get what
they really deserved, Litner
said. When a person has
just been severely injured in
an automobile accident or
some other traumatic event,
he may be too devastated to
Arman Deganian, left, and partner Steve Litner say they want to make
think things through clearly. the legal process as stress-free as possible for their clients. Photo
The person needs help at that provided
point. Thats what we want to ing for big companies.
partners wanted to remain in
do; we want to help people.
In choosing a location
DeKalb County where both
Litner + Deganian lists
for their law offices, Litner
are involved in community
among its specialties autosaid, they wanted a place
activities. Litner is a volmobile accidents, product
that would be convenient to
unteer wrestling coach and
liability, wrongful death,
both Litner, a Brookhaven
president of his neighbornursing home abuse and ne- resident, and Deganian, who hood civic association while
glect, defective drugs, slips
lives in Oakhurst. Linter,
Deganian is involved in a
and falls and medical malwho is Jewish, said he is
variety of sports and outdoor
practice.
especially pleased that they
activities, including baseTo be fairly treated, a
settled on a Briarcliff Road
ball, softball, running and
person needs access to the
building that was built by a
backpacking. He also is vice
court system and attorneys
Jewish builder in the 1970s.
president of the DeKalb Bar
who truly care can make that Theres still a Jewish star
Association.
happen, Deganian said. I
and eagle on display, he said.
Having earned his uncould never go back to workLitner added that the
dergraduate degree and law
degree at the University of

Georgia, Deganian describes
himself as a double dawg.
Litner holds a bachelors degree from the University of
Maryland, a masters degree
from the University of Florida and a law degree from the
University of North Carolina.
Both attorneys said they
were experiencing success at
large law firms, but wanted
to build closer relationships
with their clients. We dont
want to make people go
through layers of formality to
do business with us. We want
the client to relax and talk
with us the way they would
talk with a friend or a family
member. This is very personal for the client; we never
forget that, Litner said.
Litner and Deganian describe their personal styles as
very different, yet complementary, saying Litner has
a high-energy, aggressive
style while Deganian has a
more laid-back style. Still,
both prefer a non-traditional
atmosphere at their office,
according to Litner.
Neither of us likes to
dress up for work and we feel
our causal style helps the client be more at ease. We decided to create a firm where
we could have the level of
informality that we both enjoy while maintaining a high
Collaboration
standard of client care and

attention, Litner said. Visitors to the office are likely to
be greeted by his dog Zoey,
the office mascot.
Despite the unconventional office atmosphere,
Deganian said he and his
partner are devoted to careful research and detailed
preparation. The best option for our clients is rarely
the easiest one. Were ready
for confrontation and court
when its the right thing to
do.
Our relationships with
our clients are critical. Were
fighting to ensure that our
clients are compensated fairly, receive the care that they
need, and are able to return
to their daily lives with as
little disruption as possible,
Litner commented, adding,
This is never a stress-free
process for the person whos
been injured, but we try to
make it as stressfree as possible.
We work directly with
the clients on every case
large or smalland we make
sure there is a way for the client to get in touch with us if
they need to day and night,
Deganian said. We want every client to feel like our only
client.
DeKalb Chamber of Commerce Two Decatur Town Center, 125 Clairemont Ave., Suite, Decatur, GA 30030 404.378.8000 www.dekalbchamber.org
education
Page 18A
Marist student wins state round of Google competition

by Andrew Cauthen
Georgias winning entry in the Doodle4Google contest was unveiled during an assembly Feb. 5.
Photos by Andrew Cauthen
Ian Otten of Marist School was chosen at the statewide Doodle4Google winner.
Ian Otten, center, was recognized by Googles Steven Singleton, left, and Misha Tucker, right.
A seventh-grade student at Marist School is the

Georgia finalist in a nationwide completion sponsored by online search engine Google.
Ian Otten submitted an entry for the Doodle4Google, an annual art contest for students in
kindergarten to 12th grades in which they have the
opportunity to create a Google doodle to be featured on the Google homepage.
Google doodles are the fun, surprising, and
sometimes spontaneous changes that are made to
the Google logo to celebrate holidays, anniversaries, and the lives of famous artists, pioneers, and
scientists, according to Googles website.
Ian learned of his accomplishment during an
afterschool assembly Feb. 5 when his schoolmates,
many of them wearing Google T-shirts, filled the
auditorium for the announcement.
We have some pretty amazing artists that normally create doodles, but we know that the best
of creativity starts with you, said Googles Steven
Singleton, during the assembly. This competition,
Doodle4Google, celebrates young and talented artists like all of you.
The theme for the eight-year-old Google competition was What makes me, me.
Although the announcement was a surprise,
Ian said he realized he was the winner quickly.
[I knew] kinda right when I took my seat,
because I couldnt really think of anyone else who
would be doing this, he said.
Ians doodle has a sports theme.
I thought it would be good to do sports because I like sports, said Ian, who plays football,
baseball and basketball. In addition to those sports,
his doodle features tennis, golf and soccer.
I just love being part of a team and going out
there and having fun with all my teammates, Ian
said.
In a description with his entry, he wrote, What
makes meme is my love for sports. Whether Im
on the fields, or in the stands, or just on my couch
watching. Ive played sports ever since I can remember and its always been a huge part of my life.
Ian said he designed his doodle with color pencils.
I started by doing a sketch to see what I liked
and what I didnt like about it, and I refined it and
I finished with that, he said, pointing to a large reproduction of his doodle the size of a dining room
table.
This is my third year of participating, he said.
I started when I was 11. I wasnt that good. I kept
trying and trying.
Ian said he kept trying and trying because he
liked the idea of how you could enter something
and have all these great prizes.
The national winner will have his or her doodle
featured on the U.S. Google.com homepage for one
day and will receive a $30,000 college scholarship,
a $50,000 Google for Education grant for his or her
school, a trip to the Google headquarters with a
favorite teacher, a Chromebook, an Android tablet
and a T-shirt with his or her doodle on it.
State winners who do not become national finalists will receive an Android tablet and a T-shirt
with his or her doodle on it.
Google also will contribute art supplies to the
Marist School.
It feels amazing, Ian said about being a state
winner. Im excited and thrilled.
Online voting in the competition is underway
until Feb. 22 at Doodle4Google.com.
education
Page 19A
Emory, Winship announce new hematology and medical oncology chairman

Sagar Lonial, an internationally renowned expert
in the biology and treatment
of patients with multiple
myeloma, has been named
chairman of the hematology
and medical oncology department at Emory University School of Medicine and
Winship Cancer Institute,
according to a news release.
His appointment is effective
immediately.
The opportunity to lead
this terrific group of faculty
is a real honor and privilege,
Lonial stated in the release.
I am impressed with the
compassion, dedication and
creativity that the faculty
invests in making a difference. My goal is to grow and
invest in their careers so that
they can continue to perform
the groundbreaking and life
Four seniors nominated

for Presidential Scholars
Program
DeKalb County School
District recently announced
that four seniors have been
selected as candidates for the
United States Presidential
Scholars Program.
Chamblee Charter High
School seniors Aomeng Cui
and Yalini Senthil Kumar
and Lakeside High School
seniors Sri S. Bhat and Aksel
D. Kretsinger-Walters have
been nominated for this designation.
Heralded by the United
States Department of Education as one of the nations
highest honors for high
school students, this elite
program names no more
than 161 students annually
as U.S. Presidential Scholars,
states a school district news
release.
Scholars are chosen
Lonial
changing work of cancer

care.
Lonial currently serves
as Winships chief medical
officer and as professor of
hematology and medical
based on their academic and
artistic success, leadership,
and involvement in school
and community.
They represent excellence in education, and
the promise of greatness in
Americas youth, the news
release stated.
The students will receive
an all-expenses-paid trip to
Washington, D.C., in June to
participate in the National
Recognition Program, which
culminates in the presentation of the Presidential
Scholars Medallion during
a White House-sponsored
ceremony.
We are extremely proud
of the accomplishments
of Ms. Cui, Ms. Senthil
Kumar, Mr. Bhat, and Mr.
Kretsinger-Walters, said
school Superintendent Stephen Green, in a statement.
These exceptional young
students embody our districts vision to inspire our
community of learners to
oncology and previously was

the department executive
vice chairman.
Lonial assumes the role
vacated by Fadlo R. Khuri,
who became president of
American University of Beirut.
Dr. Lonial has had an
exceptional impact on Emory in the areas of research
and clinical care. We are
excited that he will be able to
use his expertise to lead and
further build our outstanding department of hematology and medical oncology,
stated Christian P. Larsen,
dean of the Emory University School of Medicine and
CEO of The Emory Clinic.
Lonial has worked in the
field of immunotherapy and
oncology since joining Emory in 1997 for his fellowship.
We are very excited that

Sagar Lonial will take the
helm of the largest oncologyrelated department at Emory, stated Walter J. Curran Jr., Winships executive
director. By assuming this
leadership position, he will
play a key role in attracting
and mentoring the best and
brightest faculty within the
department and Winship.
Board certified in hematology, oncology and
internal medicine, Lonial
has published more than 200
scientific papers. He serves
on the editorial board of the
Journal of Clinical Oncology, Leukemia, and is the
myeloma editor for Clinical
Lymphoma, Myeloma, and
Leukemia. He is the secretary
for the International Myeloma Society, on the scientific
advisory board for the International Myeloma Foundation, and serves as steering
committee chairman for the
Multiple Myeloma Research
Consortium.
A native of Louisville,
Ky., Lonial first worked in
oncology during his undergraduate days at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore,
Md. He earned his medical
degree from the University of Louisville School of
Medicine. He completed his
internship and residency at
Baylor College of Medicine
in Houston, Texas, followed
by a fellowship in hematology and oncology at Emorys
School of Medicine.
achieve educational excellence. As evidenced by this

distinguished nomination,
they have achieved excellence indeed. And they have
only just begun.
All teams had to read

and answer questions about
the 20 Georgia Book Award
Nominee Books (for elementary and middle) or the 20
Peach Teen Award Nominee
books (for high school). All
first- and second-place teams
will advance to the Metro Regional Georgia HRRB, which
will be held Saturday, Feb. 13,
at 9 a.m., at the Clayton State
University campus in Morrow.
DeKalb County winners
included:
Elementary: Ashford Park,
first place; Fernbank, sec-
ond place; and Vanderlyn,

third place.
Middle school: Druid Hills,
first place; Henderson, second place; and Kittredge
Magnet, third place.
High school: Arabia Mountain and DeKalb Early
College Academy, tied for
first place; and Chamblee
and Lakeside, tied for third
place.
Winners in the Helen

Ruffin Reading Bowl
announced
The 17th annual DeKalb
County School Districts
Georgia Helen Ruffin Reading Bowl (HRRB) was held
on Jan. 30 at Tucker High
School.
Elementary, middle and
high school teams were escorted to classrooms where
teams competed against
students in their grade level
for at least six rounds. There
were additional playoff
rounds for finalists who tied.
The Arabia Mountain
and DECA teams went to a
playoff round and tied for
first place.
Did you know?
Nationally, about 1 in 3 young people age 15-20 years have been a passenger in
a car with a drinking driver at least once in the past year.
One in 4 youth are willing to ride with a driver who has been drinking.
Three percent of young people have ridden with a drinking driver 10 or more times in
the past year.
Source: MADD
The Good News for DeKalb Countys young people age 18-25 that participated in a
focus group on heavy and binge drinking stated that 55% of them did not have an
alcoholic beverage in the past 30 days, and that 1/3
of them avoid alcohol when they are around it, and
statistics show that over 30% of young adults in major
towns in DeKalb County are not drinkers.
Be safe DeKalb!
For more information- Call (770) 285-6037 or

E-mail: beyondthebell@comcast.net
The
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Page 20A
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sports
Page 21A
Basketball
The Salem girls basketball team went undefeated in county play and is seeking its first county title in 30 years. Photo by Carla Parker
Salem girls basketball team has visions of a county title

by Carla Parker
It has been 30 years since the Salem Middle
School girls basketball team have won a DeKalb
County title.
With an undefeated county record, the girls
and coach Casey Williams believe this is the year
they will win that title.
We fell short last year [of winning the title],
but this year were going the distance because we
did the work in the off season and were well prepared, Williams said.
Salem opened the 2016 DeKalb County
Middle School Basketball Tournament Feb. 3 with
a 46-1 win over Druid Hills Middle School. The
teams full-court press defense kept Druid Hills
confused and without field goals.
Willis said the press defense is something that
the team has worked on since the summer.
Weve been working on the press, getting in
the correct position and we know that that generates our offense, he said. So were able to get
Feb. 5
teams running up and down floor and that plays

into our favor, and thats what we want to see. We
want to get on defense, score quick baskets and get
back on defense.
This is Williams third year with the program.
He also coaches with the Georgia Metros, a Team
Jordan Elite youth girls basketball program.
Williams said when he first took over the team
his focus was to establish a direction for the program.
For me, basketball is bigger than a game, he
said. Its about teaching kids life skills and being
dedicated to something, working hard at it and
then seeing how it manifests itself in real time.
That was something that Ive always wanted my ladies to do. Over the next two years we worked on
implementing a culture of being disciplined, being
dedicated and doing the work.
The players said it took a while for them to get
used to his coaching style.
We had to adjust to his style because hes a
very aggressive [coach], said Ashlynn Green. After a while we got it down.
When we first started no one was as good as

we are now, Torkeria Dash said.
It was horrible the first year, but now its like
[wow], said Kianna Bell.
He knows a lot about basketball and he helps
us learn the game better, Akumano Okafor said.
Seeing his and the girls hard work coming to
fruition this season has made Williams proud as a
coach.
I couldnt ask for anything better for my girls
[than] to know that they deserve everything that
they desire, he said. Last year I told them I envisioned us having a championship. I thought last
year was our opportunity. However, there were
some things that we needed to work onme as a
coach as well as them as players.
For the Lady Lions to get to the title game on
Feb. 13, Williams, said his team must stick to the
basics.
Playing defense, cutting off their man, staying
in front of them and just staying focused on and
off the floor, making sure that they dont get into
any trouble, he said. Just being great kids.
Weekend basketball scores
Boys
Columbia 53, Arabia Mountain 41
Lithonia 70, Stone Mountain 49
Redan 81, Cross Keys 26
St. Pius X 58, Marist 44
Grady 63, Chamblee 40
South Atlanta 75, McNair 28
Greenforest 92, Landmark Christian 56
Paideia 54, W.D. Mohammed 46
Girls
Columbia 50, Arabia Mountain 45
Chamblee 52, Grady 35
Marist 51, St. Pius X 26
Redan 70, Cross Keys 9
Stone Mountain 64, Lithonia 42
Cedar Grove 41, Towers 28
South Atlanta 60, McNair 20
Greenforest 63, Landmark Christian 35
Paideia 64, W.D. Mohammed 10
Feb. 6
Boys
Druid Hills 65, M.L. King 39
Carver 68, M.L. King 57
Dunwoody 56, Creekside 55
Carver 68, Clarkston 48
Girls
Creekside 57, Dunwoody 50
Carver 68, M.L. King 57
sports
Page 22A
2016 National Day Signees
Stephenson had 10 players to sign on National Signing Day. Photos by Carla Parker
Lithonia had its largest signing class under Coach Marcus Jelks with 10 signees.
PO NAME
SCHOOL
COLLEGE
WR Malick Mbodj
Arabia Mountain
Cincinnati
DB Jabari Meyers
Arabia Mountain
South Carolina State
DB Giovanni Rene
Arabia Mountain
Mississippi Valley State
DL Daekwon Moultrie
Arabia Mountain
WR Marcus Gay
Arabia Mountain
Savannah State
QB Emmanuel Moton
Arabia Mountain
St. Olaf
WR Jadon Salter
Arabia Mountain
Arkansas Baptist
DL Antwuan Jackson
Cedar Grove
Auburn
RB Labron Morris
Cedar Grove
WR Jesse Reverio
Cedar Grove
Georgia Military
LB Elysee Mbem-bosse
Cedar Grove
Michigan
WR Ervin Mills
Cedar Grove
Reinhardt
LB Adrian Fendell
Cedar Grove
Valdosta State
DB Zavier Williams
Cedar Grove
Elon
LB Elijah Bandy
Cedar Grove
DB Jahvez Mitchell
Cedar Grove
Johnson C. Smith
DB Quan Bristol
Cedar Grove
Alabama Prep
OL Larreon Jones
Cedar Grove
Arkansas Baptist
DB Sedrick Jefferson
Cedar Grove
West Georgia
LB Matthew Dubose
Cedar Grove
Arkansas Baptist
LB Michael Hector Columbia Presbyterian
LB Rasaan Johnson
Columbia
Albany State
DL Bobby Tillman
Columbia
Albany State
DB William Tomlin Columbia Carson-Newman
LB Terrence Snellings
Columbia
Kentucky Western
DB Riquez Cuffie
Columbia
Savannah State
DL Hakeem Enis
Druid Hills
Kent State
OL Daniel Gothard
Dunwoody
Penn University
DE Jordan Smith Lithonia Florida
LB Ty Patterson Lithonia Hampton
DB Tyheem Freeman Lithonia
Hampton
DE Photre Jones
Lithonia
WR Judeson Orvil
Lithonia
Nichols College
RB Kenneth Key
Lithonia
Columbus State
OL Derious Wimbley
Lithonia
Columbus State
OL Rodney Lewis
Lithonia
Columbus State
DB David Green
Lithonia
Columbus State
LB Michael Spraulding
Lithonia
Arkansas Baptist
LB Khaliq Byard
M.L. King Jr.
Wagner University
OL Connor Corbett
Marist
Washington and Lee
OL Chet Lagod

Marist
Georgia Tech (preferred walk on)
DB Christian Holmes McNair
Missouri
DL Quintrez McDuffie
McNair
Arkansas Baptist
OL Antonio Rhodes
McNair
Arkansas Baptist
DB Shaquille Hickson McNair
Reinhardt
WR Norman Thrasher
Miller Grove
Valdosta State
WR Raylon Richardson
Miller Grove
UAB
DB Darryl Moody
Redan
Hutchinson CC
RB Jordan Eastling
SW DeKalb
Texas State
OL Chad Nelson

St. Pius X
Elon
DE Chris Benjamin
St. Pius X
Brevard Colleg
DE Dennis Wonnum
Stephenson
South Carolina
DL Michael Pitts Stephenson Cincinnati
OL Tyler Johnson Stephenson Tulane
OL Kenneth Johnson
Stephenson
Benedict College
OL Kameron Smith
Stephenson
RB Dezric Cook Stephenson Reinhardt
OL Jerie Brown Stephenson Reinhardt
LB Amari Andrews
Stephenson
Johnson C. Smith
RB Matthew Ellis-White Stephenson
Wingate
WR Eric Elder
Stephenson
Georgia State
DB Kwasi Curry
Stone Mountain
Maryville College
DE William Calloway Towers
Presbyterian
DB Torrance Marable
Towers
Arkansas State
DE Dalvin Morris
Towers
ASA College
DB Armonte Dennis
Towers
Arkansas Baptist
OL Jaree Salter
Towers
Arkansas Baptist
DB DAngelo Evans
Towers
Arkansas Baptist
FB Mykle Jordan
Towers
Arkansas Baptist
OL Jeremiah Benefield
Towers
Arkansas Baptist
DB Demetrice Gilbert
Towers
Arkansas Baptist
DB Terry Beckham
Tucker
Austin Peay
OL Kalil Bradley
Tucker
Hutchinson CC
OL Rahsaan Crawford Tucker
Idaho
WR Akeam Peters
Tucker
Kent State
LB Tabarius Peterson Tucker
Louisville
QB Garrett Rigby Tucker
Harvard
DL Cecil Stallings Tucker
Louisville
DB Chase Tyson Tucker Wingate
sports
Page 23A
Cedar Grove had the largest signing class in DeKalb County with 13 signees. Photos by Travis Hudgons
Linebacker Adrian Fendell (center) with his family.
Running back LaBron Morris (far right) with his family.
Linebacker Elijah Bandy (center) with his family.
Signed, sealed, delivered
More than 70 players sign on National Signing Day

by Carla Parker
Many of DeKalb Countys senior
football players were the center of
attention Feb. 3 for the annual National Signing Day.
DeKalb, including signees from
Marist and St. Pius, had a 79 players
to sign.
Cedar Grove led all signing classes with 13 signees, featuring Army
All-American and 4-star recruit Antwuan Jackson, and 4-star recruit and
all-state linebacker Elysee MbemBosse. Jackson graduated from Cedar Grove in December and enrolled
early at Auburn University.
Mbem-Bosse signed with Michigan. Running back LeBron Morris,
who led the county in rushing yards
(1,738) and touchdowns (19), signed
with South Carolina State.
Lithonia and Stephenson came
in second for the largest class with 10
signees each.
This is the largest class for Lithonia under head coach Marcus Jelks.
Jelks said the large signing class
speaks of the growth and progression

of the program.
We get better every year and we
have more and more guys signing,
he said. This year we have 10 and
this is the most weve had since Ive
been here. Its a tremendous feeling.
The Lithonia signing class was
led by 4-star defensive end Jordan
Smith, who signed with Florida.
Smith also graduated early and enrolled at Florida in January.
Smith originally committed to
South Carolina in July, but flipped to
Florida after former South Carolina
coach Steve Spurrier retired suddenly in October.
I was very shocked [when Spurrier retired] because he personally
told me that he was staying another
five years and to see him leave two
months later was very shocking,
Smith said.
Smith said he reopened his recruiting immediately after the coach
left. He decision came down to
Florida and Tennessee ; he chose to
be a Gator.
I decided to go to Florida be-
cause of the defensive coordinator

[Geoff Collins] and the defensive line coach [Chris Rumph] at
Florida, Smith said. Its a great
atmosphere, a great environment at
Florida and I love it.
Smith said he has enjoyed his
first few weeks at school.
Ive been lifting weights, Ive
been running and Ive gained 15
pounds since Ive been down there,
he said. Ive gotten the play book
and Ive been learning, so its been
good. All the coaches there are exactly how they were when I was recruited. They havent changed and its
been good.
Stephenson also had players who
flipped from their original commitment to another school. Defensive
end Dennis Wonnum was committed to Iowa State but decided to sign
with South Carolina.
I didnt really feel comfortable
[with the coaching staff] and being
there, Wonnum said of Iowa State.
When I went on my official visit
to South Carolina I felt like I was at
home. Its closer to home and thats
where I wanted to be.

Wonnum said South Carolina
will be getting a competitive player.
Theyll be getting a hard worker,
a fighter and smart player, he said.
Ill do my best at all times and work
hard in the weight room.
Defensive end Michael Pitts,
who finished second on the team in
tackles (97) and sacks (17.5), flipped
his commitment from Penn State to
Cincinnati.
I just felt like Cincinnati would
be a better fit for me, Pitts said.
This was the 20th signing class
for Stephenson coach Ron Gartrell.
We have an opportunity to
watch these young men get an opportunity to go to the next level,
he said. Someone invested a lot of
money in the things that theyve
done and accomplished over the last
three or four years and some of them
have been working at this longer
than that. Were very proud of this
day.
local
Page 24A
Funding plan now in place for animal shelter

by Andrew Cauthen
Funding is now in place to build a new
animal shelter for the county.
The DeKalb County Board of Commissioners voted Feb. 9 to use certificates of
participation, or short-term loans, which will
fund the construction of the new animal shelter.
The funding mechanism was passed 4-3
with DeKalb County Commissioners Larry
Johnson, Mereda Johnson, Sharon Barnes
Sutton and Stan Watson voting in favor and
Commissioners Kathie Gannon, Nancy Jester and Jeff Rader voting against it.
In January, the commissioners approved
the construction of the new DeKalb County
Animal Shelter, a proposed 33,440-squarefoot structure near the DeKalb Peachtree
Airport. In addition to the building, the $8.66
million price tag includes parking lots, erosion and sediment control, grading, a bioretention area, sidewalks, paving on Reeves
Street and a stormwater pond.
Funding for the building, to be constructed by Reeves Young LLC of Suwanee, was not
determined during the January approval.
This pulls the trigger on putting the
contractor to work, interim DeKalb County
CEO Lee May said about the funding for the
animal shelter.
To get started with the construction this
year, the county will use funds from refinancing its 2013 Certificates of Participation.
After making the 2016 scheduled payment of the current Certificates of Participation (COPS series 2013), the funding capacity for Certificates of Participation will be
$12,490,000, the resolution states.
The county plans to sell of 2016 Certificates of Participation and have $12 million
available for the construction and outfitting
of the animal shelter, after the issuance costs.
Rader said he voted against the use of the
short-term loan because it incurs new debt
in order to provide for apparently an opportunity to increase our operating expenditure.
When the interim CEO has left office we
will be left with a cost...for these capital improvements. We will be left with a recurring
cost for debt service, Rader said. This is a
great example of buy now, pay later.
Gannon, who also voted against the funding source, said, Our commitment is to the
animal shelter. I do concur with our commitment to the animal shelter, but...it was in the
budget. Its available in the budget. There is
no need to extend this debt.
May said the interest rate on the new
debt will be 2.5 percent.
If you could get a loan for anything
your car or a housefor 2.5 percent youd be
[excited], May said.
Using this moneysomeone elses
money nowand getting what we need...
is also good, May told the commissioners
before their vote. We are not asking yall to
do something that will put the county in the
hole.
The Board of Commissioners has approved funding for the animal shel-
How can
make your
ter. File photos

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