FreePress 8-15-14

by John Hewitt
johnh@dekalchamp.com
Te Junior League of DeKalb (JLD)
is celebrating its 80 anniversary in 2014.
Founded in 1934, the volunteer organiza-
tion was originally known as the Junior
Service League of Decatur.
Te league is an organization of women
who collectively volunteer their time and
resources to improving the community
through educational and charitable activi-
ties and programs. Members represent a
wide variety of races, religions and national
origins. And, for the frst time in the his-
tory of the organization a Black woman is
at the helm.
Angela Turk was recently inducted as
the new president and has lofy goals for
the organization. One of her top priorities
is to increase training for JLD members
so they are able to better serve the com-
munity and become advocates of change
throughout DeKalb County. Professionally,
Turk is the director of communications for
the College of Education at Georgia State
University; she handles media relations,
publication management and college-level
special events. Turk has been employed at
Georgia State for 13 years.
A member since 2006, Turk said she had
been looking for an organization where she
could participate in structured volunteer
work, which was one of the things that in-
terested her most in becoming a member
of the Junior League. I took my member-
ship to JLD seriously, she said. Im proud
to be the recipient of both of our league
awardsthe 2005-2006 Spirit of the League
Angela Turk is the frst African American to lead the Junior
League of DeKalb.
From left, interim DeKalb County CEO Lee May said an updated purchas-
ing policy would help restore the publics trust in government. Scott
Callan, the countys interim purchasing director, said the old policy was
nearly at the IRS level of complexity. Photos by Andrew Cauthen
Junior League offcers seated from left: Cartrina Scipio (Nominating Chair), Angela Turk (President), Mindy Ka-
plan (President-Elect) and standing from left: Shara Sanders (Vice-President Finance), Michele NeSmith (Vice-
President Membership), Sidnee Young (Secretary), Stacey Keegan (Sustainer Advisor), and Renee Bazemore
(Vice-President Community)

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FRIDAY, AUGUST 15, 2014 VOL. 17, NO. 21 FREE
A PUBLICATION OF ACE III COMMUNICATIONS Serving East Atlanta, Avondale Estates, Brookhaven, Chamblee, Clarkston, Decatur, Doraville, Dunwoody, Lithonia, Pine Lake, Tucker and Stone Mountain.
FREEPRESS
See May on page 17A See JLD on page 17A
Countys convoluted
purchasing policy revised
Junior League of DeKalb celebrates
milestone anniversary with a frst
by Andrew Cauthen
andrew@dekalbchamp.com
DeKalb Countys convo-
luted, two-volume purchas-
ing policy was reduced to
just 38 pages with the stroke
of a pen Aug. 6 by interim
DeKalb County CEO Lee
May.
Mays executive order re-
vising the countys purchas-
ing policy is part of a holis-
tic approach and ultimately
an aggressive approach to
restore the publics trust in
DeKalb County govern-
ment, he said.
Te updated policy re-
quires that all things must
be competitively procured
unless exempted and estab-
lishes a purchasing advisory
committee and an ineligible
vendor list. It also states that
people with business inter-
ests may not attempt to in-
fuence the outcome of the
procurement process.
Scott Callan, called the
previous policy convo-
luted.
May said the policy is the
result of a DeKalb county
grand jurys recommenda-
tion that the DeKalb County
purchasing department be
evaluated and reorganized,
revise its procurement
policies, and apply uniform
purchasing process. An out-
side consultant was hired
to make recommendations
about improving the coun-
tys purchasing policy.
We must continue to
work and improve our
procedures and our people
to achieve the standard of
integrity and trust that the
people of DeKalb County
deserve, May said.
Te overwhelming vast
majority of the countys
6,500 employees are good
and honest public servants,
but its been made clear that
there are a few bad apples,
and there has been an atmo-
sphere, in years past, that
has not fostered the best
practices to be able to four-
ish, May said.
Scott Callan, the countys
interim purchasing and con-
tracting director, said, Te
policy defnes the method
of an emergency purchase
as appropriate when theres
an imminent threat to the
PAGE 2A THE CHAMPION FREE PRESS, FRIDAY, AUGUST 15, 2014

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not grow on trees.
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Georgia Power customers may be eligible to receive a rebate of 50% of the installed cost up to $100 for upgrading from a standard to a programmable thermostat. Certain preconditions
and requirements must be met in order to qualify for this rebate. Rebate available through December 2014. Application and receipt/invoice must be submitted within 60 days of purchase
or installation. 2014. Georgia Power Company. All rights reserved.
Thats why I installed a programmable thermostat
and got a $100 rebate.
by Andrew Cauthen
When DeKalb County Police Of-
ficerIvorie Klusmanndied a year
ago in the line of duty, his family did
not receive the full death benefit that
other families had received in the
past.
Thats because the DeKalb Police
Alliance, which once provided a
$100,000 benefit for officers fami-
lies, no longer had enough funds.
Klusmanns family received approxi-
mately $10,000 from the fund.
On Aug. 8, Gas South, a natural
gas provider, announced that it is
restoring the $100,000 life insurance
policy for full-time police officers
employed by DeKalb County, its cit-
ies and the school district.
Interim DeKalb County Police
Chief James Conroy said the fund
is one of those benefits we hope we
never have to use. Unfortunately, we
know one day were probably going
to have to use it again.
Theres no amount of money
that can replace a family member, a
loved one, but this is something that
hopefully will help the widow or the
children [with] future educational
expenses, help pay mortgage expens-
es, Conroy said. Its something that
will just help.
The DeKalb Police Alliance fund-
ing is in addition to any benefits
provided by the county, local munici-
palities, or state and federal govern-
ment, Conroy said.
Our officers know what theyre
getting into when they sign up for
this job, but our families dont, Con-
roy said. Our officers make sacrific-
es. We miss family events. They work
all hours of the day [and] usually
in the evenings. We miss birthdays,
holidays, weekends. This is some-
thing to comfort our officers. We
know that this is something that will
help our families in the event that the
worse happens.
Gas Souths alliance program
with DeKalb County enables DeKalb
Gas South funds $100,000 beneft for fallen ofcers
See Officers on page 20A
Interim DeKalb County CEO Lee May said a restored life insurance program for fallen
offcers will have a huge impact for police offcers and their families.
James Conroy, DeKalbs interim police chief, called the program one of those benefts we
hope we never have to use. Photos by Andrew Cauthen
THE CHAMPION FREE PRESS, FRIDAY, AUGUST 15, 2014 PAGE 3A
by Andrew Cauthen
Thousands of residents partici-
pated in more than a dozen Na-
tional Night Out events Aug. 6.
I hope that our residents get
the fact that they are a part of
the solution when youre talking
about addressing crime andthe
realities of DeKalb County com-
munities and streets, said interim
DeKalb County CEO Lee May
during an event at the Target store
on Lavista Road.
Residents are the eyes and ears
of our police department, May
said. They tell us whats out of
place, whats not right within their
communities and when they part-
ner with us, were able to address
crime in a more strategic manner.
National Night Out, dubbed
as Americas Night Out Against
Crime, began in 1984 to promote
involvement in crime preven-
tion activities, police-community
partnerships, neighborhood ca-
maraderie and send a message to
criminals letting them know that
neighborhoods are organized and
fighting back, according to the
organizations website.
We really want to get out to
the community and get them edu-
cated and build partnerships with
our whole public safety apparatus,
said May, who stopped at several
National Night Out events around
the county. We want people to
get engaged with their communi-
ties andunderstand that public
safety is a team effort. Its not just
county government, but its also
with the communities and the
leadership and representatives in
the community as well.
May said there have been sev-
eral improvements in public safety
in DeKalb County since his first
National Night Out as interim
CEO last year.
This time last year we prob-
ably had 100 or so less police of-
ficers on the streets, May said.
By the end of this we would have
brought in four different police
academies that would have gradu-
ated this year. We have put more
strategic efforts in the intelligence
led policing and we have a full-
time SWAT force nowthey were
part time.
May also touted the countys
new take-home car program for
police officers and the 3-percent
bonus and 3-percent cost of living
adjustment officers received since
last year.
So Im feeling good about our
efforts and our goal again is to
reduce the high attrition rate that
weve had in years past, May said.
We want to keep more of our of-
ficers here.
DeKalb County Fire Chief
Darnell Fullum said National
Night Out was started to encour-
age communities to take back
their streets by spending time in
the communities.
By being out they were show-
ing that they were not afraid, Ful-
lum said.
Representatives for the fire
rescue department were on hand
distributing information about
fire safety and car seat installation.
They used their mobile fire safety
house to demonstrate to children
how to exit a home safely during
a fire.
Any time we get an opportuni-
ty to interact with the community,
were going to talk about preven-
tion, Fullum said.
Residents hold night
out against crime
DeKalb Police offcers stand outside a SWAT vehicle during National Night Out. Photos by Andrew
Cauthen
One of the National Night Out events in DeKalb was sponsored by the Target store on Lavista
Road.
Various DeKalb County leaders took part in the event designed to promote police-community
partnerships.
ONE MANS OPINION
Earlier Ebola visit to the CDC?
Panic travels faster than fact.
columnist Bill Crane, today.
In 1990, crab-eating macaques
monkeys, imported from the Philip-
pines, were determined to be carry-
ing the filo-virus strain of Ebola.As
no history of the disease was previ-
ously documented in the Philip-
pines, the Center for Disease Con-
trol and Prevention (CDC) deter-
mined the infection likely occurred
in transit on a KLM jet flight, before
reaching its destination and securely
transporting these test monkeys to
labs near Reston, Va.
Subsequently, the CDC received
reports of the disease, via these
same infected monkeys, in Alice,
Texas, and the CDC Division of
Quarantine secured a temporary
ban of bringing monkeys into the
United States from anywhere in the
world.Lab workers in Reston were
exposed to the virus but did not de-
velop symptoms.
An investigation followed, trac-
ing the original monkey population
back to Indonesia, and experiments
were conducted in a Level 4 lab at
the CDC campus in DeKalb County,
similar to the Level 4 Emory Uni-
versity Hospital facility where two
human patients are now being treat-
ed, in terms of security and hygiene
protocols.These tests were conduct-
ed on 32 monkeys, half Green Mon-
keys and half crab-eating macaques,
half were infected with the Reston
virus strain, and the other half with
the Ebola virus.The Ebola infection
was lethal to nearly all monkeys.
However, most of the Reston virus
strain monkeys recovered in just
over a month.
The surviving monkeys were
kept for two years to detect any re-
curring traces of the virus, and none
was found, though the survivors did
continue to produce a high level of
antigen to the viruses.An antigen
is substance in the body which pro-
duces an immune system response.
Antigens are often critical elements
in the development of vaccines. Two
of the monkeys that survived the
Reston virus infection were later
infected with a large dose of the
Ebola virus, in effort to produce an
Ebola vaccine.One of the monkeys
remained resistant and the second
died.
The cloud of distrust that in-
creasingly shrouds our own gov-
ernment is largely of its own mak-
ing.Mistakes will, of course, be
made, but all too often our federal,
state and local government officials
simply make the paternal choice that
they know best.Being an educated
Libertarian, I believe that the public
should be presented with data and
the facts, perhaps given guidance,
and then allowed the judgment and
free will to choose our own path.
In the immediate aftermath of
9/11, government officials assured
the population of Manhattan, as
well as thousands of first responders
and public health workers, that they
were under no imminent health
threat from the dust clouds and
heavy particulate matter in the air
surrounding lower Manhattan, fol-
lowing the collapse of the majority
of the World Trade Center complex.
However, as we now know, many of
those surviving first responders and
heroic health care workers are now
experiencing major health after-
effects to the contrary.
During the early 1950s, while
civil defense officials were produc-
ing newsreels with a snappy jingle
to educate school children on the
potential dangers of nuclear warfare,
featuring a Disney-esque, Bert the
Turtle, at practically the same time,
federal and state authorities were
encouraging Atomic Tourism in
the Nevada desserts near Las Vegas
to witness the mushroom clouds of
nuclear weapons testing.
Las Vegas experienced seismic
after-effects from the testing, and
mushroom clouds were routinely
visible on the horizon from down-
town hotel towers.Winds carrying
the fallout of these tests routinely
blew into southern Utah, causing
marked increases in cancers, includ-
ing leukemia, lymphoma, thyroid
cancer, breast cancer, melanoma,
bone cancer, brain tumors and gas-
trointestinal tract cancers.Despite
the documented surge in deadly
illness, the United States did not
move these tests underground for
decades and did not cease full-scale
weapons testing in the Yucca flats
until 1992.An underground test
on the properties of plutonium was
conducted there as recently as Dec.
7, 2012.
My suggestion here is that while
we should extend more trust and
belief in our government and its
elected and appointed officials, that
trust must also be routinely and re-
peatedly earned over time, just as it
is with our other friends, neighbors
and even family neighbors.One of
my favorite Reagan quotes of the
Cold War era speaks to this quite
well: Trustbut verify.
Bill Crane also serves as a political
analyst and commentator for Channel
2s Action News, WSB-AM News/Talk
750 and now 95.5 FM, as well as a
columnist for The Champion, Cham-
pion Free Press and Georgia Trend.
Crane is a DeKalb native and business
owner, living in Scottdale. You can
reach him or comment on a column at
billcrane@earthlink.net.
Bill Crane
Columnist
OPINION
LETTER TO EDITOR
South DeKalb YMCA, county
partnership is a win-win
I attended the information meet-
ing of the proposed Public Private
Partnership (P3) between DeKalb
County and the South DeKalb Fam-
ily YMCA on Sunday, Aug. 3. In
short, the county is proposing using
about $5 million dollars of taxpayer
funds to purchase the YMCA along
with about 18 acres of property then
lease it back to the YMCA for $1
per year for 50 years. The YMCA
would assume all operating costs.
The YMCA has also committed to
reinvest the $5 million dollars for
building additions, renovations and
overall site improvements.
If one were to spread this invest-
ment over the life of the term, it
would average about $100,000 per
year. On labor costs alone, this rep-
resents a significant savings to resi-
dents. Factor in that at the conclu-
sion of the term, the property would
revert back to the county. One could
assume that the initial investment
would increase significantly. From
a financial standpoint, this appears
to provide solid value for citizens.
This is a more cost effective option
than purchasing land, building a
recreational center and budgeting
operating costs for 50 years. In this
case, most of the infrastructure is in
place.
As a longtime member of the
YMCA and DeKalb County citizen,
this looks like a win-win situation
for everyone. This potential P3 can
leverage the strengths of each en-
tity, the county in facilities and the
YMCA in day-to-day operations.
Outdoor areas can be used following
the same procedures as any DeKalb
County Park. If one wanted to use
the inside areas, it would require a
YMCA membership. Membership
fees can be calculated on a sliding
scale based on income.
I heard concerns about the mem-
bership fee; however, I believe it is
offset by the availability of resources
and activities not found at a typical
DeKalb parks and recreation facility.
A great example is the swimming
pool. The YMCA has an indoor
pool that is available about 50 weeks
of the year whereas the pools/water-
parks for the county are all outdoor
and available less than 20 weeks
during the year. Perhaps the YMCA
could offer some combination of a
membership discount in the form
of a flat rate or percentage off for
all DeKalb residents, in addition to
their sliding scale assessment. The
YMCA could recoup the discount
though increased memberships.
There are many benefits to this
P3 with the opportunity to impact
healthier lifestyles and the overall
quality of life along with easier ac-
cess to recreational facilities to more
DeKalb residents. I understand
neighboring Gwinnett and Rockdale
counties are engaged in P3s with
their respective YMCAs. Usage fees
are common in many state parks.
I believe this is a smart invest-
ment recommendation on behalf of
DeKalb citizens where the benefits
outweigh the risks. I look forward
to the next step in making this P3 a
reality.
Ernest Brown
OPINION

Let Us Know What You Think!
THE CHAMPION FREE PRESS encourages opinions
from its readers. Please write to us and express your
views. Letters should be brief, typewritten and contain
the writers name, address and telephone number for
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tion.
Send Letters To Editor, The Champion Free Press, P. O. Box 1347,
Decatur, GA 30031-1347; Send email to Andrew@dekalbchamp.com
FAX To: (404) 370-3903 Phone: (404) 373-7779
Deadline for news releases and advertising: Thursday, one week
prior to publication date.
EDITORS NOTE: The opinions written by columnists and contribut-
ing editors do not necessarily refect the opinions of the editor or
publishers. The Publisher reserves the right to reject or cancel any
advertisement at any time. The Publisher is not responsible for
unsolicited manuscripts.
Publisher: John Hewitt
Chief Financial Ofcer: Dr. Earl D. Glenn
Managing Editor: Andrew Cauthen
Production Manager: Kemesha Hunt
Photographer: Travis Hudgons
Staf Reporters: Carla Parker
Lauren Ramsdell
Advertising Sales: Louise Dyrenforth Acker
The Champion Free Press is published each
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Phone (404) 373-7779.
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FREEPRESS
STATEMENT FROM THE PUBLISHER
We sincerely appreciate the discussion
surrounding this and any issue of interest to
DeKalb County. The Champion was founded in
1991 expressly to provide a forum for discourse
for all community residents on all sides of an
issue. We have no desire to make the news
only to report news and opinions to effect a
more educated citizenry that will ultimately
move our community forward. We are happy
to present ideas for discussion; however, we
make every effort to avoid printing information
submitted to us that is known to be false and/or
assumptions penned as fact.
John Hewitt
johnh@dekalbchamp.com
Chief Operating Ofcer
The beauty within the beast
For all the negatives of DeKalb
County, there are just as many, if not
more, positives.
Many of us, including the media,
focus too ofen on emphasizing the
negatives and give little attention to
the many attributes of our county.
DeKalb is home to Arabia Moun-
tain, a National Heritage Site that
dates back 400 million years. Tis is
one of the most picturesque places
in the southeast in my opinion. We
also can lay claim to Stone Mountain,
the largest granite outcropping in
the southeast, and site of the largest
relief carving in the world. And, one
of the largest collections of ferns in
the world is showcased at Georgia Pe-
rimeter Colleges botanical garden on
Panthersville Road.
Lithonia has a small town appeal
with its historic homes and rural set-
ting; and is home to Arabia Mountain
as well as many picturesque old farm-
steads situated on rolling hills.
Stone Mountain Village is quickly
becoming a rather quirky, bohemian
area that builds on natural beauty
along with the historic buildings in
the central core of the city that date to
the 1800s. As many other small towns
are attempting, the village has added
streetscapes and actively encouraging
business owners to locate there.
Downtown Avondale Estates is
reminiscent of a quaint European
village with its historic Tudor-style
architecture; it is also listed on the
National Register of Historic Places.
Avondale Estates residential sections
showcase heavily tree-lined streets,
impressive and diverse design styles
and a beautiful lake for residents and
visitors to enjoy.
Decatur has the historic county
courthouse, now home to DeKalb
History Center, the historic city cem-
etery, sidewalk cafes, art galleries and
boutiques. Te downtown area ofen
tops best of lists for its variety of
dining and entertainment options.
Tuckers new streetscape improve-
ments combined with a spirit of coop-
eration by Main Street merchants and
a newly remodeled high school give
that community a fresh, urban appeal
that few other communities have ac-
complished. An ofen-repeated chant
of Tucker Pride is indicative of how
the community has rallied to improve
its surroundings and it shows in im-
pressive ways.
Drive along Buford Highway and
see a virtual quilt of international in-
fuences in everything from architec-
ture to food and fashions. Doraville
has become quite a cosmopolitan
little town where shopping districts
such as Asian Square, Plaza Fiesta,
Korea Town and the coming soon
Viet Village. For the foodies, there is
nothing anywhere in the world that I
know of that compares with the vari-
ety and quality of ethnic cuisine that
abounds along Buford Highway.
Chamblee too has undergone an
impressive transition over the last
several years. What were once manu-
facturing facilities are home to lof
apartments and hip hangouts that
pay homage to the historic nature of
the community while beautifying and
repurposing all that is old to become
new again.
DeKalb Peachtree Airport is also
a gem waiting to be discovered by
many. With its manicured green spac-
es, a park where children frolic and
adults watch planes take of and land
and many nicely renovated mid-cen-
tury industrial buildings; the airport
is worthy of consideration as a desti-
nation for those not familiar with it.
Dunwoody has its historic farm-
house, tree-lined neighborhoods,
upscale shopping and hotels, as well
as enough high-rise buildings to actu-
ally create an impressive skyline along
both sides of I-285.
Pine Lake, which was originally a
resort spot for Atlantans to escape the
city, is built around a pristine lake and
most of the homes were once smaller
vacation homes.
Our newest city, Brookhaven,
which was settled in the early 1800s
is also listed on the National Register
of Historic Places. It is the site of the
frst planned golf club community in
Georgia that was part of the Capital
City Country Club in the early 1900s.
Lets not get caught up with all
thats wrong with DeKalb.
Lets celebrate our beauty that
gives us all many reasons to be proud
to call DeKalb our home.
PAGE 6A THE CHAMPION FREE PRESS, FRIDAY, AUGUST 15, 2014

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.
DEGAS WRIGHT
Champion
of
theWeek
REDUCE REUSE RECYCLE
by Lauren Ramsdell
lauren@dekalbchamp.com
Following weeks of back-and-forth be-
tween council, the mayor and residents, the
Clarkston city council voted unanimously
not to publicly reprimand Mayor Ted Terry
for ethics violations.
Te last item on the Aug. 5 meeting
agenda called for the council to accept the
ethics committees recommendation. Coun-
cilman Robert Hogan made the motion not
to accept the recommendation and not to
issue the reprimand suggested by the city
ethics committee.
As you know some very important
changes have been taking place recently,
and this is a time for us to heal, Hogan said.
Mistakes and misunderstandings happened
on both sides. I believe that if Mayor Ted
Terry had the opportunity to do it again, he
would have done it diferently.
Te audience erupted into applause.
Te complaint was originally fled July
17. It included questions of impropriety for
Terrys inaugural celebration, a birthday
fundraiser email sent to supporters and resi-
dents, and accusations of his impeding the
bidding process for the citys Livable Cen-
ters Initiative.
On Aug. 1, the ethics committee released
its fndings and recommendation related to
the complaints. Te report stated the com-
mittee found no evidence in wrongdoing
with the bidding process or birthday fund-
raiser but found there was a confict of in-
terest during the inaugural celebration.
We conclude that [Terry] has violated
the intent and confict of interest provisions
of the code of ethics, Sec. 2-41 and Sec.
2-44, respectively, the report states. While
we have no doubt of the mayors good in-
tentions, and respect his enthusiasm to do
something to create a beneft to the public,
we think the code of ethics directs the may-
or [to] do more to separate himself from
involvement in the Inaugural Committee
activities.
Te report recommended a public rep-
rimand be issued and published in a local
newspaper.
Te issue arose because Terry founded
and codirected a nonproft fundraising
committee for Clarkstons inaugural event
on Jan. 7. Te ethics committee stated Terry
knowingly solicited donations from compa-
nies that had worked with or had contracts
with the city, creating the confict of interest.
During the meeting, and previously, resi-
dents said the complaints should never have
been fled and instead discussed internally.
Unfortunately the four council mem-
bers, without addressing the concerns they
had to me frst, jumped straight to an ethics
complaint, Terry said in a previous article
in Te Champion. Or at least it appeared
to jump out of nowhere. But the work of a
Clarkston resident who fled an Open Re-
cords request found something very disap-
pointing and saddening.
However, the council did not publicly
reprimand Terry based on the fndings.
Terry said councilmembers are working on
pushing the reset button.
I see a council that is here to work to-
gether, Terry said. In any government
there is a time for politics and there is a time
for governing. And now is the time for gov-
erning.
Also at the meeting, the council voted,
also unanimously, to direct city staf to re-
vise or rewrite the citys code of ethics. Dur-
ing ethics board meetings, reporters were
prohibited from using cameras; only two
of three seats on the board were flled; and
rules and regulations were adopted in closed
sessions at the last minute.
City manager Keith Barker said he will
work with city attorney Stephen Quinn to
draf new language for the code and present
it to the council within the next 60 days.
Clarkston drops ethics
case against mayor
DeKalb Workforce Development has an-
nounced its August 2014 schedule for work
readiness workshops, which are held at the
DWD building, 774 Jordan Lane, Building
#4, Decatur.
The free work readiness workshops are
designed to empower job seekers with es-
sential work readiness skills to secure em-
ployment. Since the programs inception,
more than 2,000 customers have attended
DWDs work readiness workshops.
The schedule for the work readiness work-
shops is as follows:
Resume WritingMondays and Thurs-
days, 10 a.m. to noon
Personal BrandingTuesdays, 10 a.m. to
noon
MarketingWednesdays, 10 a.m. to noon
NetworkingMondays, 10 a.m. to noon
and 1 to 3 p.m.; Tuesdays, 1 to 3 p.m.;
Tuesday, Aug. 12, 10 a.m. to noon only;
and Wednesdays, 1 to 3 p.m.
Interviewing TechniquesMondays, 1 to 3
p.m. and Wednesdays, 1 to 3 p.m.
Basic ComputerMondays, 10 a.m. to
noon, and Tuesdays, 10 a.m. to noon
Introduction to Microsoft Office Suite
Wednesdays, 10 a.m. to noon, and Thurs-
days, 1 to 3 p.m.
DeKalb Workforce Development ofers work readiness workshops
For more than a de-
cade, 51-year-old Degas
Wright has been involved
with the Boy Scouts of
America. He began serv-
ing as a scout volunteer
when his son Leland
joined the Boy Scouts in
1999. Since then, scouting
has become a bond that he
shares with his son.
Te impact of scout-
ing in Lelands life has
inspired [me] to spread
scouting to as many youth
as possible, the Lithonia
resident said.
Wright has served
as scoutmaster for the
Boy Scout Troop 106 at
Greenforest Community
Baptist Church and cur-
rently serves as committee
chair for Pack 394 and
Troop 394 at First Baptist
Church in Atlanta.
He also serves as exec-
utive board member of the
Atlanta Area Council of
the Boy Scouts of Ameri-
ca. He was recognized in
2010 by the Boy Scouts
of America as a National
Scoutmaster of the Year.
He has also received the
Whitney M. Young Jr.
Service Award and the
Silver Beaver Award, the
councils highest volun-
teer awards for his service
within the community.
Wright is the owner
of an asset management
frm, Decatur Capital
Management Inc.
Wright also has served
on the boards of sev-
eral church and nonproft
organizations. He has
served as chairman and
board member for Our
House, a non-proft child-
care center for homeless
families located in De-
catur. He also served on
the 2003 Business Leader
Advisory Board for the
Georgia Department of
Education.
He is a 1998 graduate
of Leadership DeKalb, and
a graduate of the Volun-
teer Incentive Program of
the United Way of Atlanta.
Wright said volunteer-
ing is important to him
because he believes life is a
blessing.
Shirley Chisholm
explained it best, Service
is the rent we pay for the
privilege of living on this
earth, Wright said.

COMMUNITY
AROUND
DEKALB
Avondale Estates
City to host yard sale
Avondale Estates will host its first citywide
yard sale Sept. 6 from 2 to 6 p.m. Households can
hold a yard sale on the day of the event. Partici-
pants have until Aug. 29 to bring a $15 registra-
tion fee to city hall. After the sale, several non-
profit organizations will come through the city to
pick-up any leftover items be to donated. Partici-
pating households should be ready for their first
shoppers by 7:45 a.m., and should begin clearing
off their property by 6 p.m. For more informa-
tion, visit www.avondaleestates.org/events.
City to host Labor Day race
Avondale Estates will host its 36th Annual
Labor Day 5K Race and 1 Mile Race Sept. 1. Reg-
istration begins at 7:30 a.m., the 1 mile race will
start at 8:30 a.m. and the 5K race will begin at 8
a.m. To register the day before the race, visit ac-
tive.com. For more information, contact Karen
Holmes at (404) 294-5400 or kholmes@avon-
daleestates.org.
Clarkston
Clarkston to rehold annexation vote Nov. 4
Clarkston attempted to annex two areas of un-
incorporated DeKalb during the May 20 primary.
One measure failed, while the other, attempting
to annex an area adjoining southwest of the city,
ended in a 35-35 tie.
DeKalb County ruled a tie meant the annexa-
tion failed. However, Clarkston city manager
Keith Barker and city attorney Stephen Quinn
successfully appealed, bringing the judgment be-
fore a Superior Court judge in Rockdale County.
The judge ruled that a tie meant the vote had
to be recast, as the measure neither passed nor
failed.
The annexation issue will be on the Nov. 4
ballot for residents of the proposed annexation
area. More information can be found at www.
clarkstonga.gov.
Decatur
Health providers sing to beneft mental
health, substance abuse clients
The Brighter Tomorrows Inspirational Choir
invites the community to a special concert cel-
ebrating its two-year anniversary.
Members of the choir are healthcare providers
in the DeKalb Community Service Board. The
concerts theme is Shine and will be held Friday,
Sept. 12, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Richardson
Health Centers Bohan Auditorium, 445 Winn
Way, Decatur.
The concert is free but donations will be ac-
cepted to help benefit clients receiving men-
tal health and substance abuse services at the
DeKalb Regional Crisis Center.
Attendees are also welcome to donate basic
need items such as mens and womens socks, un-
dergarments and plain T-shirts.
For more information about the concert or
DeKalb CSB, visit www.dekcsb.org, or email
lesah@dekcsb.org or Evanell@dekcsb.org.
Local unsung heroes to be recognized
Select local unsung heroes will receive recog-
nition during the annual Black Tie, Red Carpet
Event hostedby the Nonprofit Trinity Awards
Inc.
The awards ceremony will be held Aug. 17
at the Porter Sanford III Performing Arts Com-
munity Center located at 3181 Rainbow Circle,
Decatur.
The doors will open at 4 p.m. for the red
carpet walk, photos, hors doeuvres, vendors,
mix-and-mingle and networking. The awards
ceremony will begin at 6 p.m. with musical selec-
tions from local artists.
The mission of the Nonprofit Trinity Awards
Inc. is to support, acknowledge and honor small
nonprofit organizations and outstanding individ-
ual volunteers and for their work, commitment
and service within their respective communities.
Commissioner to host free health and job fair
DeKalb County Commissioner Stan Watson
is seeking companies with current job openings
and organizations that provide health related
screenings, referrals and information to partici-
pate in his fourth annual Community Check-
UpWellness, Health and Job Fair on Saturday,
Aug. 16, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
This event is cosponsored by the Alpha Kappa
Alpha Sorority Inc., Tau Pi Omega (Stone Moun-
tain-Lithonia) Chapter, Council for Community
Enrichment Inc. and DeKalb County Workforce
Development.
The event will be held at the House of Hope/
Greater Travelers Rest Baptist Church located at
4650 Flat Shoals Parkway, Decatur. Approximate-
ly 500-800 attendees are expected.
Call (404) 371-3681 for additional informa-
tion. This event is free and open to the public.
Dunwoody
Dunwoody Butterfy Fest returns Aug. 16
Celebrating all things Lepidoptera, the Dun-
woody Butterfly festival is back for its 21st year.
The festivals main attractions are its tents of live
butterflies. Timed entry is required to enter the
tents, and tickets can be pre-purchased online to
ensure convenient entry times. Once the entry
times are full, no further admission to the butter-
fly tents will be allowed.
In addition to the tents, there will be fun and
games, magic and music shows, and arts and
crafts. Kids will have the opportunity to go on
a scavenger hunt, learn about birds of prey and
make coffee filter butterflies to take home.
The festival takes place at the Dunwoody
Nature Center Aug. 16. Tickets purchased in ad-
vance are $8 and $4 for kids aged 4-12. Day-of
tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for children. The
festival starts at 10 a.m., rain or shine, and runs
until 5 p.m. More information can be found at
www.dunwoodynature.org/butterfly-festival
Lithonia
Nature preserve to host hikes
Davidson-Arabia Mountain Nature Preserve
will host the Ranger Ramble Guided Hikes Aug.
15 and Aug. 24 from 8 to 11 a.m. Ranger Robby
Astrove will visit some of his favorite spots in the
Davidson-Arabia Mountain Nature Preserve.
This is a on a moderately difficult hike and at-
tendees are asked to wear hiking shoes and bring
a bottle of water. For more information, call (770)
492-5220.
Stone Mountain
Nonproft receives $10,000 donation
As a part of Delta Community Credit Unions
Philanthropic fund, the organization presented
the Society of St. Vincent de Pauls Georgia Client
Services program a $10,000 check on Aug. 7.
The Georgia Client Services program pro-
vides direct financial assistance to individuals
and families facing economic crisis in the form
of food, clothing, rental and utility assistance and
prescription drugs. Trained staff screens clients
for eligibility, and identifies an individual service
plan that provides budgeting, financial manage-
ment and life skills training to ensure financial
stability in the future.
Pictured in the front row from left are Jai Rog-
ers, vice president of business and community
development, Delta Community; branch man-
ager Raj Subramanian; Jenn Maxwell, direc-
tor of Vincentian Services; Kevin Barbee, chief
operating officer, Society of St. Vincent de Paul;
and Matthew Shepherd, Delta Community chief
operating officer.
Pictured in the back row from left are Blake
Watts, a commercial insurance manager, Delta
Community; Louise Coniglio, director of volun-
teer and community engagement; Lorenzo Her-
man, development VISTA; and Melissa Winkler,
marketing and communications specialist.
LOCAL NEWS

Restaurant Inspections
Establishment Name: Best China Restaurant
Address: 5260 Memorial Drive Ste 1205-A
Current Score/Grade: 84/B
Inspecton Date: 07/31/2014

Observatons and Correctve Actons
Observed open Mountain Dew can and water botle on prep
table. Informed PIC drinking in food prep areas is permissible
but must be done from a single service cup with a lid and straw.
Advised PIC to consume beverage from single service cup. COS-
PIC discarded beverages.
Observed chicken cooling in walk-in cooler at a temperature
of 86-90F. PIC states chicken was cooked shortly afer 12:00
pm. Informed PIC potentally hazardous foods must cool from
135F to 70F within 2 hours and from 70F to 41F within 4 hours.
Advised PIC to place chicken in walk in freezer to rapidly cool to
70F. COS- PIC placed chicken in freezer for rapid chill.
Observed chicken thawing in stagnant water in 3 compartment
sink. Informed PIC potentally hazardous foods must thaw
under approved methods. Advised PIC to place chicken
completely submerged under running water. COS- PIC placed
chicken completely submerged under running water.
Establishment Name: La Botana Tex-Mex
Address: 2071 Savoy Drive
No measurable sanitzer in dish machine. Advised PIC to
replace sanitzer. COS - PIC replaced sanitzer measuring at
200ppm Cl-. Corrected On-Site. New Violaton.
Observed working containers of chemicals without labeling.
Advised PIC that working containers of chemicals must be
labeled with the common name of the chemical. COS - labels
added.
Observed food handler wearing a bracelet. Advised PIC that
no jewelry may be worn on the wrists by food handlers. COS -
employee removed bracelet.
Observed employee food and cell phones stored with food
intended for customers and food contact surfaces. Advised PIC
that employee belongings must be stored separately from food
intended for customers and food contact surfaces. COS - moved
employee belongings to approved surface. Repeat Violaton.
Observed daylight coming through the back door. Advised PIC
that all openings to the outside must be sealed and protected
in order to prevent pests from entering the facility. New
Violaton.
Establishment Name: Sweet Potato Cafe
Address: 5377 Manor Drive
Current Score/Grade: 96/A
Wiping cloth soluton exceeding 100ppm Cl-. PIC advised that
wiping cloth soluton must be maintained between 50 and
100ppm Cl-. COS- PIC remade soluton to 50ppm Cl-.
Establishment Name: Cafe 160
Address: 160 Clairmont Avenue
Consumer advisory not provided for consumpton of raw or
undercooked foods.
Observed cook making to orders for customers with medium
eggs. The yolk of egg is liquid on the inside.
Advised to provide consumer advisory on menu. Provided
CFSM with copy of consumer advisory.
Cold-held potentally hazardous foods (boiled egg-61F,
tomatoes-52F, cheese-47F & RSE-49F)not maintained below
41F; no tme controls/documentaton in place.
Advised to maintain potentally hazardous foods at 41F or
below. Advised to put tme controls in place for foods at prep
top.
CFSM put tme controls in place. Corrected On-Site. Repeat
Violaton.
CFSM said she did not want to post score. Advised to post
score. New Violaton. Equipment not maintained in good
repair.
Observed reach in cooler/prep top has not been repaired and is
stll in use. Ambient temperature 49F.
by Andrew Cauthen
Construction along
Candler Road and other
areas of the county should
begin again after the DeKalb
Board of Commissioners
approved Aug. 12 approxi-
mately $10 million in con-
tracts.
Work on several areas on
the countys billion-dollar
watershed capital improve-
ment projects (CIP) had
been stopped for up to two
months because of the way
the contracts were written.
The projects include:
Candler Road water line re-
placement, Scott Boulevard
water main replacement and
Kensington Road sanitary
sewer improvement.
We had contracts that
had been designed, bid and
we didnt have the engineer-
ing services to continue to
the end, said Morris Wil-
liams, the countys deputy
chief operating officer of the
infrastructure group.
Saunders added, We had
some projects that were in
construction; we stopped
them until we had all of the
associated services in place.
Saunders said the county
began addressing problems
with the contracts, which
are mostly for waterline re-
placements, approximately
two months ago.
Weve movedvery
quickly to get it to this
[vote] today, Saunders said.
We are pleased that the
board understood and ap-
proved it.
We just have changed
our approach, said Ken-
neth Saunders, an assistant
watershed director over the
CIP. Weve been relying on
our on-call contracts, but
those contracts expired, so
we were left with a lot of
work that was not complete
in terms of the services go-
ing all through construc-
tion.
James Chancellor, direc-
tor of watershed, said the
new contracts are really not
costing us more money.
We didnt arrange those
services to begin with,
he said. We have to have
those services. These costs
are costs we would have in-
curred anyway.
Commissioner Sharon
Barnes Sutton said she
didnt understand why
these contracts were written
in such a way that the engi-
neering services wouldnt be
included to the conclusion
of the contract, Sutton said.
I just dont understand how
something like this could
happen.
That decision, Williams
said, was made by the previ-
ous administration.
It was pay-as-you-go,
explained Commissioner
Kathie Gannon. We did
the design part of the proj-
ect and we paid for that.
Then we did another part
and paid for that. It was a
pay-as-you-go kind of way.
The change is that now were
going to try to estimate the
whole project from begin-
ning to end and set the
money aside up front.
Williams said the new
contracts do not translate
into additional costs in the
CIP.
You were going to en-
counter the costs one way
or the other. It was just the
interruption of costs that
caused a lot of confusion,
Williams said. All Im try-
ing to do is get the projects
done.
Commissioners approve $10M
to restart watershed projects
LOCAL NEWS
Dads Bucket List: Unique outings for dads and kids
by Lauren Ramsdell
At a Little League game
around two and a half years
ago, Matt Boettcher realized
that the friends he and his
oldest son had made over
the summer were likely to
go back to their respective
parts of north Atlanta, not
to see each other again until
the next summers games.
He wanted to find a way to
keep in touch while still hav-
ing fun.
Boettcher founded Dads
Bucket List, an LLC that
organizes activities for dads
and their children. Its a way
to make new connections
and to connect with their
children, Boettcher said.
We dont just show up
in a park and do the more
traditional playdates, like
a mothers morning out or
something like that, he said.
We try to do things that are
more off the beaten path.
That aligns with the whole
bucket list (things one would
like to do before dyingor
kicking the bucket) concept,
checking it off your list.
Some things the dads
and kids have done include
ziplining, treetop obstacle
courses and orienteering.
One weekend during the
summer they harvested
pears and passed them out at
a community food bank.
We had dads up in the
trees pushing the branches
and kids and dads below
with helmets on collecting
them on a tarp, Boettcher
said. We got about 600
pounds and our kids got to
distribute them to people
picking up their monthly
groceries.
After a few events,
Boettcher, who is the chief
experience officer of the
group, noticed that he had to
turn away prospective dads
and kids because of the large
number of people wanting
to participate. He then came
up with the Checklist Chal-
lenge, drawing inspiration
from television shows as
Survivor and The Amazing
Race to come up with chal-
lenges to complete within a
certain amount of time.
[Kids and dads] need
to work together as a team
to complete the challenges,
Boettcher said. Its more
like, see how much you can
doand not a race. The goal
is just to have a heckuvalot
of fun.
Dads Bucket List hosted
its first Checklist Challenge
in March, while the next
one is scheduled for Oct. 25.
Registration is ongoing for
that event at dadbucketlist.
com or on the Dads Bucket
List Facebook page. The
Challenge will support Burts
Big Adventure, a charity
that provides trips to Dis-
ney World for children with
chronic or terminal illnesses.
Boettcher said that, in ad-
dition to giving moms and
other childrens caregivers
some time off and giving
kids and dads some time
to bond, Dads Bucket List
events also connect parents
with each other, for friend-
ship and networking.
Networking isnt some-
thing that comes naturally to
a lot of folks, Boettcher said.
This is a real easy way for
men to make connections
personally and professionally
with low barriers, connect-
ing through an activity with
your kids and other peoples
kids. Its kind of a win-win
for families: mom gets some
time off that she wouldnt
normally ask for herself and
dads get a chance to connect
with other dads and their
kids.
Matt Boettcher rests with his son Blake after a long day of Dads Bucket List
activities. Boettcher founded the group to lead fun activities with fathers and
children.
Bucket List Checklist Challenges use obstacles like those on Survivor or The Amazing Race to get
kids and dads to work together.
Dads Bucket List participants recently collected more than 600 pounds of pears for donation to a
local food pantry.
DeKalb County Interim CEO Lee
May is traversing the county to hold
community meetings titled A Retro-
spective Look Back, A Progressive Move
Forward: A Candid Conversation with
Interim CEO Lee May.
The programs will focus on the ac-
complishments and issues over the past
12 months in DeKalb County, and dis-
cusses some of the issues in DeKalbs
future as it pertains to governance struc-
ture, cityhood and other issues.
The meetings will be held Thursday,
Aug. 14, 7-8:30 p.m., at St. Timothy
United Methodist Church 5365 Memo-
rial Drive, Stone Mountain; Tuesday,
Aug. 19, 7-8:30 p.m., at Tucker-Reid
H. Cofer Library, 5234 LaVista Road,
Tucker; Thursday, Aug. 21, 7-8:30 p.m.,
at Welcome Friend Baptist Church, 3198
Bouldercrest Road, Ellenwood; and
Tuesday, Aug. 26, 7-8:30 p.m., at Maloof
Auditorium, 1300 Commerce Drive,
Decatur.
An annual report of the same name
has been released, and is available online
for free at www.dekalbcountyga.gov.
DeKalb interim CEO holding community conversations DeKalb Animal Services announces adoption special
DeKalb County Animal Services (DCAS) and LifeLine Animal
Project are extending an adoption special until the end of Au-
gust.To encourage the community to adopt pets and save lives, the
shelter is offering a Tail End of Summer promotion.
All dogs and puppies may be adopted for $20, and cats and kit-
tens may be adopted for $10.Adoption counselors will be on hand
to ensure the animals are being placed in good homes.
Adopters will receive a dog or catthat has been spayed or neu-
tered, has had all vaccines and is microchippeda $200 value.To
view animalsavailable for adoption, or for the shelters address and
phone number, visit the shelter or visit www.dekalbanimalservices.
com/adopt.
LOCAL NEWS
Color
by Andrew Cauthen
MORGANTOWN, WVFor a
consecutive 26 hours and 14 minutes,
a group of metro Atlanta students
tweaked, repaired, tested and charged
their robot and competed in multiple
matches.
Team Reboot, based out of the My
Inventor Club machine shop which is
located in Atlanta and composed of
several DeKalb County homeschool
students, competed in the Aug. 1-2
event against 23 FIRST (For the Inspi-
ration and Recognition of Science and
Technology) teams from 13 states and
Canada.
Robotics competitions are really ex-
citing, said Joshua Turner, 17, a Geor-
gia Cyber Academy student who started
Team Reboot in 2012. I guess they can
be stressfulwhen youre leading the
team, butit is still a lot of fun. You get
to meet a ton of different people and
everyone is pretty much always really
helpful, as well, so that makes it really,
really good.
The West Virginia University com-
petition, called WVROX, was hosted by
the local Mountain Area Robotics team
No. 2614hence the basis for the 26-
hour, 14-minute event.
Although Team Reboot did not
come back to Georgia with any tro-
phies, the team has won two awards in
its two-year history. The team was the
2012 Peachtree Regional highest ranked
rookie seed and was the 2013 Peachtree
Regional winner.
Turner, the teams captain, was in-
spired to start the team after seeing the
2010 world robotics championships in
Atlanta.
In his fourth year of robotics, Turner
does design work and programming for
the team.
For me its about making the con-
nections with various people from the
robotics community but also the en-
gineering community in general, and
learning, Turner said.
Robotics is a great way to apply aca-
demics, he said. It helps general school
stuff like improving your writing skills
when writing grantsor writing things
for judges.
It improves your math skills tre-
mendously, Turner said. I learned all
my geometry through doing design
work for the robot and then I went to
take the test and I aced itit was easy.
Turner said robotics competitions
help to increase the participants prob-
lem-solving skills.
Each year, youre always having to
rethink your whole [design], Turner
said. You can never really go back and
say lets make some minor modifica-
tions and put it on the field. You always
have to start over so the longer you do
it, it definitely improves your problem-
solving skills.
Turner said anyone considering join-
ing a robotics team, cant go wrong.
Theres engineering type jobs you
can do on a team but theres also busi-
ness [and] theres art, Turner said. A
really, really successful team runs like
a company, and you have every type of
person there, and you have every type
of job.
Local robotics team
endures 26-hour event
Several DeKalb County youth are members of Team Reboot (#4080), a robotics team which recently traveled to West
Virginia for a 26-hour competition. The robot, which was designed, programmed and constructed by the team, competed
in alliances with other robots to score points in a game created for robots. Photos by Andrew Cauthen
SPORTS
by Carla Parker
carla@dekalbchamp.com
Some teams moved up, and
some moved down, but the 2014
season will still be flled with some
exciting matchups in DeKalb
County.
Te Georgia High School
Association released the new
classifcation list Nov. 18 and seven
schools from DeKalb County
were moved to a new classifcation
for the 2014-2016 school years.
Classifcations are based on the
schools population. According to
GHSA.net, Lakeside leads DeKalb
in student population with 1,979
students, and Tucker comes in
second with 1,832 students.
Lakeside and Tucker moved
from Region 6-AAAAA to Region
2-AAAAAA, one of the smaller
regions in AAAAAA. Te region
also includes Alcovy High School in
Newton County, Clayton Countys
Lovejoy High School, Newton
County High School and Rockdale
County High School.
Tucker head coach Bryan
Lamar said playing in a new
classifcation will be a diferent
challenge for his team.
Talent-wise, [Region
6-AAAAA] was one of the toughest
regions in the state, Lamar said.
Te teams played with tremendous
speed and physicality. Our region
from top to bottom [this year] is
probably not as strong as the region
that we were in, but you do have
good teams in Lovejoy, Rockdale
County, Newton County and
Lakeside.
So we got some new
challenges, Lamar added.
Moving up a classifcation
also means facing some of the top
programs in the state from Cobb,
Fulton and Gwinnett counties if
Lakeside and Tucker advance to
the playofs. Tucker will be tested
long before the playofs when it
faces two-time AAAAAA state
champions Norcross in the Corky
Kell Classic Aug. 23, which is
Tuckers frst game of the season.
Its a diferent challenge, Lamar
New season features region, classification changes
Another top recruiting class for DeKalb County
by Carla Parker
F
or the past fve years, DeKalb County has
had hundreds of senior football players
continue their athletic and academic
careers at some of the top universities and
colleges across the country.
In addition, every class had players who were
known as some of the top recruits in the country.
Tis year is no diferent as the 2015 class has
fve players ranked on ESPNs Top 300 prospect
list, and one in Rivals.com Top 100 prospect list.
National Signing Day is expected to be another
big day in DeKalb with possibly more than 100
recruits signing scholarships.
Tucker defensive tackle Jonathan Ledbetter
leads DeKalb as one of the top prospects in the
country. He is the only player from DeKalb
ranked on Rivals.com Top 100 list at No. 24,
and ranked No. 62 on ESPN 300. ESPN also has
Ledbetter ranked as the No. 9 overall prospect in
Georgia and the No. 9 overall defensive tackle in
the country.
Ledbetter committed to the University of
Alabama in January and described Alabama as a
great school with a great football program.
It was an honor to get an ofer from them,
Ledbetter said. I went down there, saw the
campus, saw the facilities, met the coaches and
I feel like it is the right ft for me. It felt like a
second home.
Ledbetter fnished last season with 50 tackles
(35 solo), fve sacks and 13 tackles for a loss.
He said he hopes to help Alabama win another
national championship soon.
Im just going to do my part, contribute to
the team and just be successful, he said.
Another defensive player who made a
name for himself is Stephenson defensive end
Chauncey Rivers. Rivers, who committed to the
University of Georgia in February, is ranked No.
123 on ESPN 300. He is ranked No. 17 overall
in the state and No. 15 in the country at the
defensive end position, according to ESPN.
Georgias defensive coaching staf was what
attracted Rivers to the school, which includes
newly hired defensive coordinator Jeremy
Pruitt.
Coach [Tracy] Rocker, the defensive line
coach, recruited my brother to Ole Miss and
we have a great relationship, Rivers said. I like
coach Pruitt. Hes bringing a new edge to the
Georgia defense, and I want to be a part of that.
Rivers fnished last season with 100 total
tackles (52 solo), 15 sacks, 28 tackles for a loss,
and two fumble recoveries. Rivers said Georgia is
getting a good edge rusher.
Im a person that can get of the line [of
scrimmage] fast, use his hands, quick and a
leader on defense. Im bringing a player that can
make plays.
Marist ofensive tackle Sage Hardin will
join Rivers at UGA afer committing on June 27.
Hardin is ranked No. 230 on ESPN 300, No. 27
overall in the state and No. 21 in the country at
ofensive tackle.
In recent years, Lakeside has not produced
as many top recruits as Stephenson, Tucker,
M.L. King or Southwest DeKalb. However,
ofensive lineman Mike Horton has changed that
perception. Horton is ranked 256th on ESPN
300, he is also ranked No. 30 overall in the state
and No. 20 in the country at the ofensive guard
position, according to ESPN.
Horton committed to the University of
Florida July 31. In a July 16 interview, Horton
said the school that he would eventually commit
to must feel like home to him.
Im looking at academics, early playing time
and a football program thats successful and
where I can be successful and grow.
Horton is listed and ranked as an ofensive
guard on recruiting websites, but he plays
ofensive tackle and defensive tackle for the
See Recruits on page 13A
See Classification on page 14A
From left, Chauncey Rivers and Jonathan Ledbetter
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Arabia Mountain Rams
Head coach: Stanley Pritchett
(2nd season) Region: 6-AAAA
2013 record: 7-3
Outlook: After making history with
their frst winning record, the Arabia
Mountain Rams look to build off last
years success under second-year
coach Stanley Pritchett. The Rams
will have to do that in a new region
and with a number of young players.
After losing more than 20 seniors
from last years team, the Rams will
look to returning quarterback Jakobi
Myers to lead the offense. Myers
threw for 1,147 yards, completed 54
percent of his passes and scored 13
touchdowns last season.
Cedar Grove Saints
Head coach: Jermaine Smith
(2nd season) Region: 4-AAA
2013 record: 6-4
Outlook: In his frst year as head
coach, Jermaine Smith led the
Saints to the second round of the
playoffs. With one of their best
college recruiting classes, the
Saints are poised to make another
run in Region 4-AAA and a possible
playoff appearance. Cedar Grove
is building on offense but has a
number of its top defensive players
returning, including defensive back
Chris Fredrick, who fnished third
on the team in tackles (92).
Chamblee Bulldogs
Head coach: Allen Johnson
(3rd season) Region: 6-AAAA
2013 record: 6-4
Outlook: The Bulldogs lost their 2013
leading rusher Xzavier Shugars, who
transferred to Tucker High School.
Shugars led Chamblee in yards
(1,071) and touchdowns (11). Young
players will have to step up to fll the
void of Shugars production. Some of
those players include junior quarter-
back Kendrew Wynn, who led the
team in passing yards (448); and the
Burgess twins Brent and Chris, who
had a combined 474 yards in receiv-
ing, rushing and passing.
Clarkston Angoras
Head coach: Terrence Hughey
(1st season) Region: 6-AAAAA
2013 record: 4-5-1
Outlook: The Clarkston Angoras
will try to have their frst winning
season since 1998 under new
head coach Terrence Hughey.
They will try to do that in a non-
region schedule that has them
playing Tucker Sept. 26. The
young team will have to compete
without Rooshambi Paquette, who
led the team in yards (957) and
touchdowns (13).
Columbia Eagles
Head coach: David Edwards
(3rd season) Region: 6-AAAA
2013 record: 6-4
Outlook: The Eagles are expected
to make some noise in their region
with their leading rusher and passer
Andre Brown, and leading receiver
Shadell Bell returning. Brown led
the team with 2,204 total yards and
20 total touchdowns. He also fn-
ished second on defense in tackles
with 48. Bell led the team in recep-
tions (37) and receiving yards (463).
Cross Keys Indians
Head coach: Kevin Saunders
(1st season) Region: 6-AAAA
2013 record: 1-9
Outlook: New head coach
Kevin Saunders won a state
championship in Virginia and hopes
to one day bring one to Cross
Keys. But frst, Saunders and his
young Indians team will work to get
Cross Keys its frst winning record
since 1994. The Indians will have
their leading receiver back. As a
junior, Samuel McDade led the
team in receptions (32), receiving
yards (548) and team touchdowns
(5). McDade also led the team in
interceptions (6).
Decatur Bulldogs
Head coach: Scott Jackson
2013 record: 7-3
Outlook: Despite a 7-3 record,
the Bulldogs missed out on the
playoffs because of a 3-3 region
record, which put them at ffth
place in region standings. With
its leading rusher Elijah Rachell,
leading tackler Andre Young and
starting quarterback Devontae
Carter all returning, Decatur will be
competitive in a new region to earn
a playoff spot.
Druid Hills Red Devils
Head coach: Mark Adams
(2nd season) Region: 6-AAAAA
2013 record: 4-6
Outlook: The Red Devils have
moved down a classifcation
but are probably in one of the
toughest regions with M.L. King,
Stephenson, Mays and defending
state champion Creekside.
However, Druid Hills should be able
to hold its own with most of its top
offensive and defensive players
returning, including its top three
rushers (Michael Scott, Hassan
Enis and Dax Tolson) who scored
a combined 16 touchdowns.
Dunwoody Wildcats
Head coach: Jim Showfety
(5th season) Region: 6-AAAAA
2013 record: 3-7
Outlook: Dunwoody will try to play
for its frst winning record since
2011. With a team of mostly four-
year starters, coach Jim Showfety
believes the team can get over the
hump this season. The Wildcats will
have to get over that hump without
Aaron Alexander, who had a total
of 895 yards and 10 touchdowns.
The Wildcats will have their second
lead rusher, Daniel Hinton,
returning, as well as quarterback
Matthew Nathan and wide receiver
Chase Hawkins.
Lakeside Vikings
Head coach: Heath Hinton
(2nd season) Region: 2-AAAAAA
2013 record: 2-8
Outlook: Lakesides offense ac-
cumulated 3,226 yards last season.
The team hopes to collect more
yards and wins in a new region be-
hind an offensive line that includes
Mike Horton, one of the top offen-
sive linemen in the state. The offen-
sive line will block and open holes
for its leading rusher, Kellyen Walk-
er. Walker rushed for 864 yards
and scored three touchdowns last
season. The Vikings will also have
linebacker Darrell Patterson, who
led the defense in tackles with 95.
Lithonia Bulldogs
Head coach: Marcus Jelks
(5th season) Region: 6-AAAA
2013 record: 4-6
Outlook: In his ffth season as head
coach, Marcus Jelks is looking to
get the Bulldogs at or above .500 for
the frst time since 2002. Lithonia will
have to replace its starting quarter-
back, leading rusher and two leading
tacklers from last season. The Bull-
dogs will have its third leading tackler,
Marquavious Latner, this season.
Lithonia will also have running back
Terence Minor back, who averaged
11.9 yards per rushing attempt.
Marist War Eagles
Head coach: Alan Chadwick
2013 record: 8-2
Outlook: After another disappoint-
ing end in the semifnals of the
state playoffs, the War Eagles will
regroup and try to make another
run for a state title as coach Alan
Chadwick enters his 30th season.
Quarterback Samuel Phelts will
lead the offense while one of the
states top offensive linemen Sage
Hardin blocks for him. The de-
fense will have Jack Kratzenberg
and Kenneth Brinson, who were
among the top fve tacklers from
last season.
TEAM PREVIEWS
SPORTS
Recruits Continued from page 11A
Lakeside Vikings. He was a late
bloomer to footballintroduced
to the game in middle school. He
credited his ofensive line coach
Will Hardy for developing him into
one of the top ofensive linemen in
the country.
Hes done a really good job
developing my technique, telling me
the right things to do, and telling
me how I can play on the next
level, Horton said. Hes done an
amazing job preparing me for the
next level.
Horton said he is proud to
represent Lakeside as a top recruit
but said his focus is on helping
Lakeside become a better football
team in his senior year.
Ive had to struggle with my
team, and Ive had to work to get to
where I am, and I know how hard my
whole team has worked, he said. Ive
been through bad times with them
and through good times. I know well
be much better this season.
As the Cedar Grove Saints
prepare for the upcoming season,
the team is also preparing for a
number of college prospects to
make their college choices soon.
Te 2015 class is one of the largest
recruiting classes at Cedar Grove.
Te Saints expect at least nine
players to commit to Division I
schools and at least four to play
for a Division I-AA or Division II
schools next year. Defensive tackle
Quentez Johnson has already
committed to North Carolina State
and safety Christopher Fredrick
committed to Syracuse University.
Head coach Jermaine Smith
said having a large number of
college prospects means a lot for the
program.
It says that weve been doing it
the right way, Smith said.
Fredrick said that he and the
rest of the senior class have worked
hard to get to this point in their
football careers.
Were close, weve been
together since middle school, and
I think this is going to be our best
season, Fredrick said.
Sage Hardin Mike Horton
Christopher Fredrick
Six new coaches take over football programs
by Carla Parker
T
urning a losing football
program into a winning
program can be a difficult
task for coaches, especially for new
head coaches.
Four of the six new head
football coaches in DeKalb
County are facing the challenges
of doing just that as the season
gets under way Aug. 22. The new
head coaches that will be on the
sidelines this year are Terrance
Hughey (Clarkston), Kevin
Saunders (Cross Keys), Nicolas
Kashama (M.L. King), Roderick
Moore (Redan), Chaka Mason
(Stone Mountain) and Brian
Montgomery (Towers).
Saunders is taking over a Cross
Keys program that has not had a
winning season since 1994. The
Virginia native has experience
with winning, going 49-15 in five
seasons at Gretna High School in
Gretna, Va. He also won a state
championship in 2011.
In a March interview, Saunders
said it is going to take hard work
and dedication to win.
Its going to take players, too,
he said. You have to have good
players to win. I think there is
some talent there and some kids
there that can play. They just have
to work at it.
Its going to be different than
what theyre used to, Saunders
added. Ive been fortunate enough
to be really successful where Ive
been, so I think its going to be a
lot different than what theyre used
to.
Clarkston does not have as
long a losing streak as Cross
Keys, but the program has had its
share of losing seasons. The last
time Clarkston won five games
was in 2012. Before then, its last
winning season was in 1998. New
head coach Hughey will have a
challenge on his hands as he tries
to turn the program around.
Stone Mountain is a program
that is starting over under Coach
Mason but will do so with young
and inexperienced players. Mason
takes over the program after
former coach Dante Ferguson was
let go. Mason was a head coach at
Stone Mountain and a defensive
coordinator at Stephenson Middle
School.
Stone Mountain lost a few
players due to the coaching
change, and Mason, who has never
coached on the high school level,
will have to work harder to get the
young team above .500.
Last season, former Towers
head coach James Holloway
transformed Towers from a
winless team to a .500 team.
Now new head coach Brian
Montgomery will try to turn the
program from a .500 team to a
playoff team.
Montgomery was hired July
25 to replace Holloway. It is still
unclear why Holloway was let go.
Holloway was not in attendance at
Football Media Day July 16, but he
was still head coach of the team.
Montgomery was the former
coach at Shiloh High School in
Gwinnett County, but resigned
in 2012 because of recruiting
violations, according to reports.
With the late hiring, Montgomery
has missed all of the offseason
practices and workouts with his
new players.
However, the team has worked
hard all offseason to get better
and to make a run to the playoffs,
according to assistant coach
Emanuel Lewis.
We had a strength and
conditioning coach by the name of
William Ward, who came in with
a plan of building speed, agility,
getting our players strong, bigger,
faster and quicker, Lewis said.
We implemented a study hall
for the players because were also
building academics. Our motto
is, to win today. If we go about
the season winning each day, itll
transfer to Friday nights.
Coach Moore of Redan has
had experience turning a program
around. In 1999, Moore was a part
of Johnny Gilberts coaching staff
when he took over the program.
McNair went from 3-7 in 1999 to
5-5 in 2000 and then to a winning
in 2011 with an 8-3 record.
Moore later took over as head
coach from 2005 to 2008 and had
winning records each year.
See Coaches on page 16A
Kevin Saunders Nicolas Kashama Roderick Moore Chaka Mason
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Doraville leaders explain taxes at GM plant site
Classification Continued from page 11A
Upcoming Seminars at DeKalb Medical
For a referral to a DeKalb Medical physician or to reserve
your space for these free seminars, please call 404.596.4772.
Light refreshments will be served. Parking is free.
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Tuesday, August 26, 2014
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High blood pressure, also
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afects millions, including
children and teens. Learn
about causes, symptoms,
diagnosis, treatment
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Complimentary blood
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or visit
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said. But weve established ourselves as
one of the top programswe feel likein the
state of Georgia and the country.
In Region 6-AAAAA, one DeKalb
team was added, while two teams were
removed. Druid Hills moved down from
Class 6A to 5A. Te Red Devils will join
Clarkston, Dunwoody, M.L. King, Miller
Grove, Southwest DeKalb and Stephenson
in Region 6-AAAAA.
Te two schools removed from
Region 6-AAAAA are Arabia Mountain
and Lithonia, which joined Chamblee,
Columbia, Marist, Redan and Stone
Mountain in Region 6-AAAA. Cross Keys
and St. Pius jumped up to Class AAAA,
Region 6, from Class AAA.
Arabia Mountain head coach Stanley
Pritchett said his team moved from one
tough region to another.
DeKalb County has a lot of talent
throughout the whole county, Pritchett
said. [Te players] get up to play each
other and theyre going to compete. A lot
of these [players] grew up together, so its
going to be a lot of friendly rivalries.
Were looking forward to a tough
schedule and competing, Pritchett said.
Cedar Grove, Decatur, McNair
and Towers remain in Class 3A, but
transitioned from Region 6 to Region
4, which includes mostly Atlanta Public
Schools teams.
Tis season will also include the
resurrection of a few county rivalries. Te
Southwest DeKalb Panthers will face old
nemeses in the Cedar Grove Saints and the
Columbia Eagles. Te Panthers lead both
series against the two teams.
Southwest DeKalb leads the series with
Cedar Grove 6-0. Te teams last played
in 2007, when the Panthers won 17-6.
Southwest DeKalb has also dominated
Columbia in the past with a 21-8 series lead.
Te two teams last game was also in 2007,
and the Panthers won that game 28-0.
Southwest DeKalb head coach Michael
Tanks said he appreciates the school
district athletic department for bringing
those rivalries back.
I think its great for the community,
Tanks said. Columbia is about [three
miles] right up the street, and going in
the other direction is Cedar Grove, which
is about [six miles] from us. A lot of the
[players] know each other, they played
together in rec [league] ball and middle
school. Its going to be a fun time.
Te Panthers open the season against
Columbia on Aug. 22 and play Cedar
Grove the following week on Aug. 29.
Both games will be played at Panthersville
Stadium.
Tere will also be a battle of the private
schools, when Marist hosts St. Pius Oct. 10.
Te rivalry dates back to 1962, according
to Georgia High School Football Historians
Association. Marist leads the series 30-15-
3, but St. Pius won the last matchup 28-3 in
2009.
The Tucker Tigers will face new rivals in Region 2-AAAAAA. Photo by Travis Hudgons
by Carla Parker
W
hen Marist begins the new
school year Aug. 27, one
of its students will be com-
peting in the 2014 Youth Olympic
Games in Nanjing, China.
Senior Kenneth Brinson was one
of 17 athletes named to the 2014 U.S.
Youth Olympic Team in Track and
feld this summer. Brinsona defen-
sive end on the football team, a state
wrestling champion and a state track
and feld championwill compete in
the hammer throw Aug. 24. Brinson
is the frst American male hammer
thrower to compete at the Youth
Olympics.
Brinson said he is excited about
the competition and is grateful to
go.
My throwing coach and I went
to the [U.S. Olympic] trial [competi-
tion], got lucky, got blessed and made
the team, Brinson said.
Brinson competed in the U.S.
Area Youth Olympic Selection Trials
in Miramar, Fla., in April. Brinson
and two other American athletes
made it a U.S. sweep on the mens
podium in the hammer throw com-
petition. Brinson won gold, throwing
a 63.52m/208-05.
More than 3,800 athletes rep-
resenting 204 nations are expected
to participate in the Youth Olympic
Games in China. Te 13-day compe-
tition for athletes ages 15-18 will fea-
ture all 28 sports on the program for
the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.
Brinson said he is looking for-
ward to traveling to China for the
frst time and being around some of
the best athletes in the world.
Knowing that youre there to
compete for your country is really a
great honor, he said.
Brinson will return to Atlanta
afer the games end Aug. 28, just in
time for Marists frst football game
of the season. Marist will face No. 12
Kenneth Brinson to compete in Youth Olympic Games in China
Knowing that
youre there to
compete for
your country
is really a
great honor.
Kenneth Brinson
See Brinson on page 15A
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DeKalb County Athletics Director Horace Dunson
Battle of the Borders
returns with four games
Georgia and Florida will clash for the second consecu-
tive year Aug. 30 at the Chick-fil-A Battle of the Borders.
This years classic will feature four games that will be
held at Hallford Stadium in Clarkston.
In last years battle, Martin Luther King Jr. defeated
Blanch Ely 42-15, and Stephenson knocked off Norland-
Miami 29-12 to give DeKalb County and Georgia a sweep
in the inaugural Battle of the Borders.
This years event was expanded to four games with
Marist hosting No. 12 nationally ranked Godby from Tal-
lahassee, Fla., in the opener at 11:45 a.m.
M.L. King returns to the event and will face returnee
Norland-Miami in the second game at 2:30 p.m. Norland-
Miami is ranked No. 8 in their state classification.
In the third game, the Stephenson Jaguars will take on
No. 8 nationally ranked Central High of Miami at 5:30 p.m.
The final game features the Tucker Tigers and the 2013
national champion and No. 1 ranked Booker T. Washing-
ton of Miami at 8:30 p.m.
Presale tickets are $10 and will be available at all four
Georgia schools. Tickets also can be purchased at DeKalb
County Chick-Fil-A locations, all metro DTLR locations
and online at www.totalgatesolutions.com.
Game day tickets are $12 for the day.
by Carla Parker
D
eKalb County has some of the best
rivalry matchups in the state. Al-
though there were changes made in
classifcation and region alignments, DeKalb
football fans will still be able to see some of
their favorite rivalry games, new matchups
and even some old rivalry matchups.
Preseason will kick it of with one of the
most anticipated battles between two of the
top programs in the county and state. Te
Stephenson Jaguars and Tucker Tigers will
face of Aug. 15 at Hallford Stadium at 7
p.m. Te two teams have only played each
other twice and each team has won a game.
Although Stephenson and Tucker are
one of the newer rivalries in the county, it
is still a game that the players, students and
football fans get excited for. Both teams
are in a rebuilding stage afer losing a large
number of seniors, but there are a few play-
ers who fans should watch for.
One of those players is Tucker defensive
tackle Jonathan Ledbetter. Ledbetter is one
of the top college prospects in the state and
country (No. 24 on Rivals100, No. 62 on
ESPN 300). He fnished last season with 50
tackles (35 solo), fve sacks and 13 tackles
for a loss.
Other players fans should watch for on
the Tucker Tigers are linebacker/running
back Elijah Sullivan and Yaquis Duke
Shelley. Sullivan had 48 total tackles, eight
sacks and nine tackles for a loss on defense,
and on ofense, he had 888 all-purpose
yards and 13 total touchdowns.
Shelly was a star on ofense, defense and
specials teams last season. He had 41 total
tackles, six interceptions and three touch-
downs on interception returns on defense.
On ofense, he had 296 all-purpose yards
and four touchdowns, and fve touchdowns
for 385 yards on special teams.
For Stephenson, the player who has
been getting the most attention duing the
ofseason is defensive end Chauncey Rivers.
Rivers, another top college prospect, fn-
ished last season with 100 total tackles (52
solo), 15 sacks, 28 tackles for a loss, and two
fumble recoveries.
Another returning starter for Stephen-
son is defensive back Dale Warren, who
fnished last season with 115 tackles, three
sacks and 18 tackles for a loss.
When the season starts, Stephenson
will have three rival games that fans will be
excited about. Te Jaguars open the season
against the Arabia Mountain Rams, another
new rivalry that is building in the county.
Some players on both teams played together
in Little League or middle school and are
hyped to play against each other.
Stephensons defense will have to slow
down Rams senior quarterback Jakobi Mey-
ers. Myers threw for 1,147 yards and had 13
touchdowns with a 54.0 percent completion
rate last season. He also had 120 rushing
yards and scored 3 touchdowns.
In October, Stephenson will face two
more rivals back to back in M.L. King and
Southwest DeKalb. Rivers and the rest of the
Jaguars defensive line will have to deal with
M.L. King ofensive guard Kwan Stallworth.
Te 6-foot-3, 310-pound lineman is one of
the top 51 guards in Georgia.
Te Southwest DeKalb Panthers has a
few top tacklers returning to its defense, in-
cluding linebacker Ashad Moore, who led
the team in tackles last season with 88.
Southwest DeKalb will be renewing old
rivalries with Columbia and Cedar Grove.
Te Panthers will have to contain Columbia
wide receiver Shadell Bell, who had 463
yards on 37 receptions. Te Panthers ofense
will have to deal with a Cedar Grove defense
that features defensive back Chris Frederick
and defensive lineman Quentez Johnson.
Frederick had 92 tackles and two
interceptions last season, and Johnson had
65 tackles with 12 tackles for a loss.
Big games preview
Elijah Sullivan Yaquis Duke
Shelley
Shadell Bell Jakobi Meyers Quentez Johnson
The Stephenson Jaguars will have to face a number of tough opponents. Not only will they face
rivals in M.L. King and Southwest DeKalb back to back, but they will compete against Tucker in a pre-
season opener and Floridas No. 8 nationally ranked Central High of Miami in the Chick-fl-A Battle of
the Borders. Photo by Travis Hudgons
Brinson Continued from page 14A
nationally ranked Godby
from Tallahassee, Fla., in
the Chick-fl-A Battle of the
Borders Aug. 30 at Hallford
Stadium.
At 6 feet, 3 inches and
220 pounds, Brinson is
ranked as a 3-star defen-
sive end college prospect
by Rivals.com. He has not
committed to a school yet
but has received ofers from
approximately 10 schools.
Im looking at Georgia
Tech, Wake Forest, Army
and a few other schools, he
said.
He has also received
ofers from the Air Force,
Boston College, Yale and
more. Last season, Brinson
fnished the season with 61
total tackles (32 solo), 12
sacks, 31 quarterback hur-
ries and one caused fumble,
according to MaxPreps.
com.
Brinson has been a ter-
ror on the defensive side
of the ball, but the Marist
coaching staf is also look-
ing at Brinson to help on
ofense at tight end, despite
Brinson having reservations
about the move.
Ill defnitely do what-
ever the team needs me to
do, but I guess I just like
defense more than ofense,
he said.
When the football sea-
son ends, he will try to de-
fend his state wrestling title.
Brinson is a two-time Class
AAAA state champion. He
won the state title in the
220-pound division last
year and won gold in the
195-pound division in 2013.
He is also a two-time
track and feld state champi-
on in the discus throw, win-
ning the Class AAAA title
in 2013 and 2014. Although
he is looking forward to de-
fending his individual state
titles, Brinson is focused on
winning his frst state title
in football and improving
his individual stats.
Im hoping to get 15-
20 sacks, 100 tackles, and
15-20 tackles for a loss, he
said. Tose are my goals.
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Coaches Continued from page 13A
M.L. King Lions
Head coach: Nicolas Kashama
(1st season) Region: 6-AAAAA
2013 record: 7-3
Outlook: The Lions will open
the 2014 season with their fourth
coach in four seasons. Nicolas
Kashama was the defensive
coordinator at M.L. King from 2010
to 2012. Kashama said he plans to
implement discipline. The Lions will
need discipline as they face tougher
opponents in the revamped Region
6-AAAAA and rebuild the team after
losing many starters.

McNair Mustangs
Head coach: Shelton Carleton
2013 record: 1-9
Outlook: Coach Shelton Car-
letons frst season with the Mus-
tangs is one he would probably like
to forget, but the Mustangs have
a lot to look forward to in a new
region. The Mustangs will have a
quarterback and wide receiver tan-
dem of Mickey Riddley and Anto-
nio Somerset this season. Riddley
threw for 1,019 yards on 88 pass
completions, and Somerset caught
48 of those 88 passes for 755
yards. Last seasons top two tack-
lers Justin Corley and Don Evans
also will be back this season.
Miller Grove Wolverines
Head coach: Damien Wimes
2013 record: 4-6
Outlook: After back-to-back
winning seasons, the Wolverines
faltered in 2013 and fell under .500.
Miller Grove will try to bounce back
but without its leading defender,
linebacker Ray Tillman, who
had 111 tackles, 11 sacks and 11
tackles for a loss last season. The
Wolverines will have a few returning
starters on offense, including
quarterback Jonathan Mitchell.
Redan Raiders
Head coach: Roderick Moore
2013 record: 1-9
Outlook: The Raiders may have
gotten a new coach, but coach
Roderick Moore is not new to this
job. Moore was the head coach at
McNair from 2005 to 2008. Moore
said the losing mentality that Redan
had when he took over was the
same mentality McNair had when
he began there as an assistant
in 1999. Moore is changing the
mindset of the program through
discipline, hard work and better
academics. He hopes the culture
change translates into wins on the
football feld.
St. Pius Golden Lions
Head coach: Paul Standard
2013 Record: 7-3
Outlook: St. Pius will face new
challenges this season as it moves
up from AAA to AAAA. The Golden
Lions will face their old nemesis
and new region opponent Marist.
St. Pius is still expected to be a
contender in the new region with
a couple of returning starters, led
by quarterback Joey Connors,
running back Dalton Wilson and
Nick Spear.
Southwest DeKalb
Panthers
Head coach: Michael Tanks
(2nd season) Region: 6-AAAAA
2013 record: 2-8
Outlook: Last year, the Panthers
had their frst losing season since
1979 under frst year head coach
Michael Tanks. But Tanks will
try to get the program back on
winning ground with an experienced
defense. The Panthers has fve
of its top defensive performers,
who had a combined 348 tackles,
returning this season.
Stephenson Jaguars
Head coach: Ron Gartrell
2013 record: 8-2
Outlook: The Jaguars are
basically starting over this season,
said head coach Ron Gartrell.
Stephenson lost 18 starters, mostly
on defense. The Jaguars, which
historically had good defensive
units, led all county teams in
defense last season. Stephenson
will look to defensive end
Chauncey Rivers and defensive
back Dale Warren to lead the
defense this year.
Stone Mountain Pirates
Head coach: Chaka Moore
2013 record: 4-6
Outlook: The Pirates are also
starting over under new head coach
Chaka Moore. Stone Mountain
lost a lot of players and will look to
young and inexperienced players to
step up this season.
Towers Titans
Head coach: Brian Montgomery
(1st season) Region: 4-AAA
2013 record: 5-5
Outlook: The offseason took
a surprising turn for Towers
recently when former head coach
James Holloway was let go and
replaced by Brian Montgomery.
Montgomery was the former coach
at Shiloh High School in Gwinnett
County but resigned in 2012 due
to recruiting violations. Despite the
coaching change, the Titans will try
to continue to improve after going
from a winless team to a .500 team
in one season.
Tucker Tigers
Head coach: Bryan Lamar
(3rd season) Region: 2-AAAAAA
2013 record: 10-0
Outlook: With the state
championship loss behind them,
the Tucker Tigers are focused on
competing in a new classifcation
and facing two of the top football
programs in the nation in back-
to-back weeks. Tucker also lost a
large number of starters but still has
some playmakers left in defensive
end Jonathan Ledbetter and
athletes Duke Shelley and Elijah
Sullivan.
When Moore was hired as head coach at Redan, he noticed many
similarities between Redan and the 1999 McNair team.
No disciplinethey have talent but have a losing mentality, he
said. Now its my job as a coach and the coaching staff to change
that mentality and [teach them] how to fight back mentally as well as
physically, no matter who you are facing.
If we change the culture and have a lot of discipline youll see a
drastic change in our football program, Moore added.
One of the ways Moore is changing the mindset of the program is
through academics. His staff includes academic coaches, and he has
implemented a mandatory tutorial before practices.
Theyll go to the core classes that theyre having trouble in and
they have to maintain a certain grade average, he said. If the first
progress report has a grade below a 74 that student will have to go
to Saturday school for three hours to work on that class that theyre
having problems with.
Moore said his goal is to have all of his players in the current
ninth grade class to have a 2.9 grade point average or higher by the
time they are seniors.
Ive already gave the challenge academically that were going to
have the best grade average out of all the sports in the school, he
said. Yes, we want to be successful on the football field but my main
objective and calling is to make sure our young African American
men go to [college].
Award (an award given to a
provisional) and our 2008-
2009 Presidents Award.
Turk expressed an in-
terest in the position of
president two years ago
and made a formal applica-
tion. I believe I knew afer
my provisional year that I
wanted to serve in leader-
ship in league. By serving
in leadership, there were so
many opportunities to not
only grow personally, but to
also grow and improve JLD.
And, I had the opportunity
to serve as a member under
some great presidents. I en-
joyed the diference I could
make and members were
encouraging. I think it was
the frst time that I actually
contemplated such a huge
responsibility, and thought
to myself I can do this, and
potentially make a difer-
ence, Turk said.
Afer an interview pro-
cess with other leaders of
the organization, she was
approved for advancement
into the position. Tey not
only assess your answers
to their questions, but they
also view your service to
the league and length of
time youve been a member.
I was very clear in my com-
munication with member-
ship, and I increased their
knowledge of the league
and of DeKalb County,
Turk commented. She was
approved as president-elect
in February 2013 and in
June 2013 began her term.
Turk said she devotes
15-20 hours each week to
league afairs and wants to
be more of an external pres-
ident who is visible in the
community in addition to
strengthening governance
of the organization. She also
expects fellow members to
be more active and visible
in the community and en-
courages members to serve
on JLD committees as well
as other community organi-
zations.
In addition to a full-time
career, Turk is active in
several professional devel-
opment groups at Georgia
State and is a graduate
of the GSU Leadership
Academy of Women and
has served on its subcom-
mittee for two years. She
is also active in the First
Congregational Church of
Atlantas hand bell choir.
Turk graduated from the
University of Georgia where
she was a member of Geor-
gia Redcoats marching
band and said she enjoys
returning to Athens each
year for homecoming and
to participate in the alumni
band. She holds a bachelor
of arts in journalism from
the University of Georgia
and a master of arts in com-
munications from Georgia
State University.
Tere are currently 57
active members and 290
sustaining members in JLD.
Turk hopes to make sure
that all members are knowl-
edgeable of the leagues mis-
sion as well as issues facing
DeKalb County as a whole
while contributing posi-
tively to the betterment of
the organization and com-
munity.
JLD members Kimberely Salter, Emily Simmons, Erica Flack, Faye Fields,
Kelli Kemp, Amy Durrence and Betsy Turner recently participated in a
community project at the North DeKalb Mall community garden. Taylor
Dozier, North DeKalb Mall property manager, is also featured.
JLD
Continued From Page 1A
May Continued From Page 1A
THE CHAMPION FREE PRESS, FRIDAY, AUGUST 15, 2014 PAGE 17A LOCAL NEWS
health, welfare or safety
of people and property or
when theres material loss
of government services,
Callan said. Even during
an emergency, however, this
policy does require some
form of competitive process
as time and resources allow.
Te new purchasing advi-
sory committee, to be com-
prised of county employees,
will be tasked with review-
ing purchasing procedures
and making recommenda-
tions for improvements,
Callan said.
Te committee members
will be folks for whom we
buy. Tese are the folks that
are internal customers. Tey
will be tasked with the
oversight for our activities,
Callan said. Tis commit-
tee will also be tasked with
the administrative process of
placing persons on an ineli-
gible source list.
Tose on this list will
not be eligible to provide
commodities or services to
the county while they re-
main on that list which will
be up to a maximum period
of three years, Callan said.
In the past the conse-
quences of consistent poor
performance or other areas
of general business concern
have been limited.
Te list will help provide
serious consequences to
those companies who oper-
ate unethically or who con-
sistently perform poorly,
Callan said.
Using the ineligible list,
we will be holding peoples
feet to the fre, May said.
A vendor can end up on
the ineligible list for submit-
ting a bid or proposal in bad
faith; willfully or repeatedly
breaching a contract; hav-
ing a pattern of unethical or
immoral business practices;
being convicted of a crime
involving moral turpitude;
having pending lawsuit
against the county or having
fled a lawsuit in the previ-
ous three years concerning
a dispute with the county;
or having been sued by the
county concerning goods
or services provided by that
vendor.
Te revised policy also
authorizes the purchasing
director to set up a supplier
rating system for evaluation
and award purposes, Callan
said.
We ofen tend to focus
on relationships that turn
sour for whatever reason,
Callan said. A rating system
will empower us to not just
identify the poor perform-
ers but also the many good
contractors that service the
county on any given project.
Callan called the previ-
ous purchasing policy con-
voluted.
It was very complex. We
werent quite at the IRS level
of complexity, but we were
close, Callan said. [It was]
very extensive, very detailed,
very procedural.
Te intent of this
policyis simply our hon-
est and public declaration
that we want to clean up the
contracting process in a fair
and equitable way for all
of DeKalb County, Callan
said.
May said, We want to
make sure we are being wise
stewards of the taxpayers
dollars, that were doing it in
a very open and transparent
way.
DeKalb County is open
for business still, but its a
new day, Callan said.
From left, interim DeKalb County CEO Lee May signs the new 38-page
policy as clerk Barbara Sanders prepares to stamp it. Photo by Andrew
Cauthen
BUSINESS
The Voice of Business in DeKalb County
DeKalb Chamber of Commerce
404.378.8000 www.DeKalbChamber.org
Two Decatur Town Center, 125 Clairemont Ave., Suite 235, Decatur, GA 30030
Group works to empower south DeKalb businesses
by Kathy Mitchell
LoyLene Jefferson-Shaw
said that during her term
as president of the South
DeKalb Business Associa-
tion (SDBA) she wanted to
be sure the organization did
not become a social club.
Some groups that are sup-
posed to be business orga-
nizations forget their mis-
sion and become a place for
social interaction. I want to
be sure that we are there to
empower and promote busi-
nesses in the south side of
the county, she said.
Despite the organizations
name, Jefferson-Shaw said,
its efforts are not directed
just toward south DeKalb.
What happens in one
part of DeKalb affects the
rest of the county. In fact,
what goes on in neighbor-
ing counties affects us, too.
Just as political districts
cross county lines, busi-
ness organizations should
work to build up the entire
areas, she said, noting that
her Lawrenceville Highway
promotional items busi-
ness opened in DeKalb, but
the county line was moved
slightly putting it in Gwin-
nett County.
Neither Jefferson-Shaw,
who recently completed her
term as president, nor newly
elected President Milton
Kirby were with the orga-
nization at the beginning,
but they know of and are
seeking to build on SDBAs
history.
The organization grew
out of the South DeKalb
Business Incubator, which
was established 35 years ago
to help businesses, especially
small and minority-owned
businesses on the countys
south side, they explained.
Since then, the incubator
has worked with the Uni-
versity of Georgia system,
primarily through Georgia
State University, to develop
programs through which
area businesses can grow
and prosper.
When the county shops
for providers of goods and
services, we want to make
sure these businesses arent
overlooked, Jefferson-Shaw
said. We also want to make
businesses aware of each
other. For example, if a res-
taurant opens, the owner
might want to know that
a supplier of commercial
cleaning products is located
nearby.
When we held our first
board meeting for the year.
I had each member tell us
about his or her business.
recalled Kirby, the owner of
a transportation, warehous-
ing and import/export busi-
ness. I want businesses in
south DeKalb to know each
other.
Jefferson-Shaw and Kirby
both said while the focus
has been on empowering
existing businesses, they
foresee the SDBA working
on a comprehensive plan to
develop the areaworking
to attract the businesses area
residents would like to see
more of and generally creat-
ing more robust business
communities.
In the 1980s, Memorial
Drive was a thriving area
with numerous restaurants
and other businesses do-
ing well there. Then what
we call A businesses, those
with lots of resources behind
them, started to close. If
they were replaced at all, it
was with B or C businesses
(those with fewer resourc-
es), Kirby recalled. We
would like to see that area
restored to its former level
of prosperity and other areas
such as Wesley Chapel Road
attract A businesses as well.
Were seeing it happen else-
where in the metro areaon
Camp Creek Parkway, for
exampleand we know
theres potential in parts of
DeKalb that right now arent
doing well.
Kirby said he doesnt
know why some businesses
have difficulty remaining
open in some areas even
though there is adequate
resident income to sup-
port the businesses. There
probably are many reasons
businesses close, he said.
I talked with some em-
ployees at [a major grocery
store] on Memorial Drive
that was closing and they
told me that shrinkage was
a particular problem at that
location.
Shrinkage is the retail
business term for inventory
reduction between manu-
facture and sales. Employee
theft is the biggest reason
for retail shrinkage, with
shoplifting a close second,
according the National Re-
tail Security Survey, which
indicated that businesses
also lose inventory through
sales and paperwork errors
and supplier fraud.
If customers arent re-
turning because they are dis-
satisfied with the products
or service they receive they
should talk to the manager
and then give the business a
second chance to get it right.
Thats a way to help our
communities keep the busi-
nesses we want, Kirby said.
He added that SDBA is
indirectly addressing such
problems by working with
schools to help future retail
employees to have the skills
and values to be reliable
workers. SDBA also pro-
vides scholarships to young
adults attending technical
schools to help with books
and other expenses not cov-
ered by the HOPE Scholar-
ship Program.
There also is a role for
local government, Kirby
and Jefferson-Shaw said,
noting that several of the
county commissioners have
been strong advocates for
business. Its going to take
a genuine effort from the
county to make sure it uses
local vendors whenever pos-
sible, Jefferson-Shaw said.
Also, the county tax struc-
ture should be business-
friendly, perhaps offering
tax rebates for businesses
that stay five or 10 years.
Kirby and Jefferson-
Shaw say that ultimately it
will take a concerted effort
of government, the educa-
tion system, businesses and
residents to develop south
DeKalbs business com-
munity, but the potential is
there and SDBA is dedicated
to pulling them together.
Outgoing and incoming presidents of the South DeKalb Business Association LoyLene Jefferson-Shaw, left,
and Milton Kirby say there is a good deal of business potential in south DeKalb.
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LOCAL NEWS
by Kathy Mitchell
Suzanne Cooper said
she lives all over the world,
but when shes in the United
States a good deal of her time
is spent in Decatur, where
she exercises five or six times
a week among other activi-
ties.
An international election
observer for the Organiza-
tion for Security & Coop-
eration in Europe/Office of
Democratic Institutions and
Human Rights (OSCE), she
recently returned from the
Ukraine, where she and oth-
ers set about to assure that
the law was being followed
and human rights were being
respected during elections.
Established in 1990, the
OSCE is made up of 57
member states, including the
United States, Canada, all the
European countries, Russia
and the former Soviet repub-
lics.
Earlier this year, spurred
by rampant corruption and
a stagnant economy, Cooper
said, there was an uprising
in the Ukraine that included
the killing of 100 protesters.
A new president was to be
elected May 25, and Cooper
was chosen for the interna-
tional team to oversee the
election.
I was one of 100 interna-
tional long-term observers
spread throughout the coun-
try in teams of two plus two
local assistants /interpreters
and a driver. Our mission
was twofold: first, making
logistical and deployment
preparations for the short-
term observers, who would
arrive shortly before the May
election, and second, observ-
ing all phases of the process,
including voter registration
and education, the formation
of polling stations, the cam-
paign, media, role of civil so-
ciety, etc. This meant devel-
oping working relationships
with all the players in the
political/electoral process,
so we could assess whether
the process met international
standards for free and fair
elections, she recalled.
While every day was dif-
ferent, a typical day started
with waking to the ringing of
church bells. Breakfast was
usually yogurt, bread, cheese
and coffee. In our home of-
fice, wed check in with secu-
rity, and read the latest news
brief from Kiev. When our
assistants arrived we would
review our plans for the day,
then wed hit the road. One
day we might stay in town
and meet with the nationalis-
tic right sector group, which
was supporting a candidate,
go talk to the Communist
Party candidates proxy, see
the leader of the Jewish mi-
nority community, and at-
tend the leading candidates
public rally.
The next day, we might
head to the far reaches of the
region, traveling through
rural villages to meet with
the mayor and the voter
registration office of [what
had been] a closed city in
USSR days. Lunch might
be borsch, a chicken cutlet,
and sparkling water. Next we
might drop in on a conten-
tious meeting of the regional
election commission as they
wrestled with staffing poll-
ing stations. A lot of people
were declining to serve for
such reasons as travel costs
or fear of possible trouble on
election day, she said. We
might wrap up the day with
report writing and interview-
ing potential interpreters for
our short-term observers.
For dinner, we might cook
or go to a nearby restaurant
for banosh (a sort of creamy
polenta) or deruny (grated
potatoes mixed with flour
and eggs). Before hitting our
beds, wed work on those
pesky reports.
Cooper, who describes
herself as semi-retired, has
both a bachelors degree and
a masters degree in political
science, and some domes-
tic election experience. She
said, however, that the most
valuable preparation for her
work as an international
elections monitor was her
time in the Peace Corps. Her
experience in the interna-
tional volunteer organiza-
tion in Thailand taught me
great flexibility, patience, and
cross-cultural communica-
tions skills.
Among her favorite
memories from her days as
an election observer, she
said, are seeing older women
vote by themselves, when in
the past men have marked
the ballots for them; seeing
young local election observ-
ers follow us in moving
close enough to really see
what is happening, rather
than sitting in the designated
observers seats, and going
to polling centers in villages
that had never before had
foreign visitors, and being
feted and fed as though we
were much more important
than we are.
Cooper said she enjoys
the adventure of living and
working in countries shed be
unlikely to see otherwise and
seeing things Id never see as
a tourist.
There is satisfaction in
working with local people,
seeing how they live and
work, and their struggles and
joys in their daily life. They
take time for simple things.
Guests are usually offered
coffee, tea, juice and sweets
before most meetings. The
important thing is to first get
acquainted and relax, then
we discuss our business. We
have a lot to learn from other
countries/cultures, she said.
International observer helps
keep elections legal and free
Orange jumpsuits are not considered
business attire!
A drinking and driving arrest can be a black mark on your permanent record and your re-
sume.
Happy Hour can turn into a 30 year sentence.
Research shows children are infuenced by alcohol ads as early as age 10. For some people,
alcohol seems to be a solution to problems they dont want to face.
Alcohol is a depressant which means that it messes with your ability to send messages to
other parts of your body.
People who abuse alcohol are also at a higher risk for a stroke and
for developing diseases like cancer.
It takes your liver about an hour to break down an ounce of alcohol;
therefore your liver can only handle about one drink every hour.
For more information- Call (770) 285-6037 or
E-mail: beyondthebell@comcast.net
Did you know?
Suzanne Cooper sits in a judges
chair under the fag of the Ukraine.
residents and businesses to
receive discounted natural
gas rates and waived service
establishment fees from Gas
South. The county receives
funding from Gas South
based on the number of
participants in the program.
All of the proceeds will be
donated to the DeKalb Police
Alliance to purchase the life
insurance policy.
Kevin Greiner, president
and CEO of Gas South and a
resident of DeKalb County,
said, I can think personally
of no better use of the fund-
ing from this program than
to go to the benefit of our
police officers and their fam-
iliesthe individuals who
put themselves in harms way
each and every day to keep
our communities safe.
What this program
means for families is peace
of mind, Greiner said. It
enables the officers to go out
and realize that should trag-
edy strike, their families are
going to be taken care of.
DeKalb County Commis-
sioner Sharon Barnes Sut-
ton said she knows firsthand
the trauma of losing some-
one in the line of duty. Her
husband Michael was a mili-
tary officer who died while
on active duty.
Its just important to
make sure the resources
are there for the families in
the time of tragedy, Sutton
said. The money is not just
to pay your everyday bills,
even though you need that.
But youre going to need to
support that family that has
been traumatized for years to
come. Having that support
gives you the opportunity to
continue to live, to regroup,
to take care of yourself and
your children.
It allows you to get to
some normalcy in life, Sut-
ton said.
Interim DeKalb County
CEO Lee May said the fund
will have a huge impact on
the lives and well-being of
our police officers and their
families.
Affected families will
have something financially
that will take care of them in
the worst-case scenario, May
said.
Officers Continued from page 2A
Decatur company to donate website to nonproft
Just two months after opening its Decatur officethe
fourth office the company has opened since 2008local
Internet marketing and website development company Full
Media is launching a new community service project aimed
at making a positive impact on local nonprofit organiza-
tions. Called Project IMPACT, the projects mission is to de-
liver a free, custom and fully responsive website to a worth-
while nonprofit, according to a news release by the company.
Nonprofits can become eligible for Project IMPACT
through nomination or application which can be submitted
online at www.fullmedia.com/project-impact.
Deadline for entry is Aug. 31. The selected nonprofit will
be notified and announced to the public mid-September.
The recipient, which will be chosen by the Project IM-
PACT committee, will receive a website that includes a cus-
tom website design; build out and integration on Full Me-
dias content management system; and responsive design for
mobile and tablet devices.
For more information, contact brains@fullmedia.com.
LOCAL NEWS
by Andrew Cauthen
The DeKalb County School
District has a new tool in the fight
against copper thefts.
These thefts have become a ma-
jor, major problem for the DeKalb
County School District, said Su-
perintendent Michael Thurmond,
during an Aug. 7 news conference
announcing a partnership between
DeKalb County, the school district
and police department.
The DeKalb County Police De-
partment has begun providing aerial
support using its helicopters to patrol
schools round-the-clock to stop cop-
per thefts.
Dr. Cedric Alexander, the
countys deputy chief of public safety,
said the police helicopters will help
provide 24-hour support while law
enforcement officials use statistical
analysis to help identify those in-
volved in these copper thefts.
DeKalb uses the Airbus AS350
B2, which is one of the most ad-
vanced helicopters out there, said
DeKalb Police Lt. Greg Ivanov, a
helicopter pilot. It enables us to fly
at a very high altitude, remain un-
detected and still see things at night
and daytime and record those things
for prosecution later.
Some of the equipment on the
helicopter includes an infrared light,
night vision equipment and a day/
night camera system that detects
heat, Ivanov said.
We must have the public in-
volved in this as well, Alexander
said. All of us in this community
have a responsibility to do what we
can to stop and deter these crimes.
In the past five weeks the copper
thefts have resulted in damages in
excess of $800,000 at16 schools
across DeKalb County, Thurmond
said.
The thefts have placed [schools]
in jeopardy and put at risk the qual-
ity of education for literally tens of
thousands of students, Thurmond
said.
Thurmond said the countys help
was enlisted when it became clear
that the DeKalb County School Dis-
trict was being victimized on a wide
scale by individuals seeking tode-
stroy and vandalize and to take cop-
per from our schools.
This is not a victimless crime be-
cause this puts at risk the education
of our children, Thurmond said.
We are going to do everything pos-
sible, leave no stone unturned, to en-
sure that those who are responsible
are apprehended, are tried and hope-
fully convicted for these horrendous
crimes.
The day before the school dis-
tricts announcement, three rooftop
units at Martin Luther King Jr. High
School were vandalized, according to
Joshua Williams, the school districts
chief operating officer.
For schools that have been hit by
copper thieves, the school district
has had to bring in temporary chiller
units, Williams said. Evacua-
tion plans are in place to move
students to other locations in the
event of more copper thefts, he
said.
Several arrests have been
made for some of the thefts and
most of the suspects have been
drug users, people who are out
of work and people needing the
money, said Don Smith, direc-
tor of public safety for the school
district. Most of the suspects
have experience doing handy-
man work because you have to
know what youre doing. Youre
going in to a chiller.
Smith said he believes sus-
pects are staking out potential
target locations before committing
the crimes. Most of the thefts have
occurred between midnight and 5
a.m. in the summer, Smith said.
Interim DeKalb County CEO Lee
May said the county wants to send
a strong message today to any perpe-
trators of these crimes that DeKalb
County will not tolerate any actions
of this sort.
Copper thefts will not be toler-
ated in our county, May said. We
will get you. We will arrest you. You
will be tried and convicted in DeKalb
County.
In addition to the school district,
copper thefts at libraries and other
county buildings have cost the coun-
ty hundreds of thousands of dollars,
May said.
One problem, Thurmond said, is
that because this is a metrowide is-
sue, many of the suppliers of air-con-
ditioners are inundated with requests
because thieves also are hitting li-
braries, churches and other facilities,
creating a backlog for replacement
units.
This is serious, said Thurmond,
adding that all schools were ready
for students on the first of school on
Aug. 11. We cannot suffer any more
of these incidents. It will put at risk
our ability to operate schools.
Chopper cops to combat copper crimes
DeKalb County School District
Planning Department
Map Date: August 7, 2014
DeKalb County School District
Recently Vandalized
HVAC Units at School
The DeKalb County Police Department will use helicopters to help curb copper thefts at
schools. Photos by Andrew Cauthen
A mobile air-conditioning unit was brought to Stephenson Middle School to temporarily
replace the permanent one damaged by thieves who recently stole copper from it.
DeKalb County school Superintendent Michael Thurmond said copper thefts put at risk
the education of our children.
LOCAL NEWS
Lithonia woman
accused of $355,000 in
Medicaid fraud
A Lithonia woman
is accused of obtain-
ing more than $355,000
through the fraudulent
billing of Georgia Medic-
aid, according to a news
release by the state attor-
ney generals office.
On July 29, a DeKalb
County grand jury
charged Shirley Dorsey
of Lithonia with one
count of Medicaid fraud,
one count of violating
the Georgia Racketeer
Influenced and Cor-
rupt Organizations Act
(RICO), one count of
theft by taking, two
counts of forgery, four
counts of identity theft
and two counts of false
writings, according to
the attorney generals of-
fice.
Dorsey owned and
operated Brighter Fu-
tures Learning Center in
Decatur. The center was
enrolled in the Georgia
Medicaid program to
provide mental health
services to children.
The indictment alleges
that from October 2010
to March 2014, Dorsey
submitted false claims to
Medicaid for $355,232,
and accepted payments
for services that were
never provided, accord-
ing to the attorney gen-
erals office.
Dorsey is charged
with using the Medicaid
numbers of four of her
employed contractors
without their knowledge
to submit false claims.
Additionally, Dorsey
made false documents
and forged the signatures
of two of her employed
contractors to conceal
her activity of submit-
ting fraudulent claims,
according to the attorney
generals office. She is
also accused of giving
investigators from the
Department of Commu-
nity Health and Medic-
aid Control Fraud Unit
fraudulent patient files
with forged documents
in attempts to conceal
her alleged fraudulent
activity.
COMBINED NOTICE
NOTICE TO THE PUBLIC OF FINDING OF NO SIGNIFICANT IMPACT ON THE ENVIRONMENT AND
NOTICE TO THE PUBLIC OF REQUEST FOR RELEASE OF FUND
August 14, 2014
DeKalb County Human and Community Development Department
150 E. Ponce de Leon Avenue, Suite 330
Decatur, Georgia 30030
Telephone (404) 286-3308
TO ALL INTERESTED AGENCIES, GROUPS AND PERSONS:
Te DeKalb County Human and Community Development Department gives notice that it will submit a request for release of
grant funds and an environmental certifcation pertaining to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) 15
days following this publication. Te request and certifcation relate to the following projects.
Project: Mountain View Senior Residences
Location: 901 4th Street, Stone Mountain, GA 30083
Purpose: Te Housing Authority of DeKalb has an increasing need for afordable senior housing. Mountain View Senior Resi-
dences is a proposed residential community of 80 apartment homes reserved and targeted for seniors. Residency will be restricted
to occupants aged 62 years and older who are capable of living in an independent community. Te newly constructed community
will be located within the city limits of Stone Mountain, GA, adjacent to historic Stone Mountain. Tis infll site will further enrich
the lives of residents with the pursuit of the Earthcraf Multifamily certifcation, which will have long-term fnancial benefts for
residents, owners and fnancial stakeholders. Te development team considered green design and building options such as site plan-
ning, moisture control, indoor air quality, high performance building envelope, energy efcient systems and operations, and innova-
tion.
Funding for the project includes 50 Units of Project Based Vouchers (PBV) and 25 Units of Rental Assistance Demonstration
(RAD) along with the $1,300,000 of HOME funds previously advertised, and up to $1,600,000 HADC Capital Housing Funds.
FINDING OF NO SIGNIFICANT IMPACT (FONSI)
It has been determined that such request for release of funds will not constitute an action signifcantly afecting the quality of the
human environment and, accordingly, DeKalb County has decided not to prepare Environmental Impact Statements under the Na-
tional Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (P.L. 91-190).
Te reasons for such decision not to prepare such Statements are as follows:
An Environmental Assessment has been made for the project which concludes that all adverse efects will be minor, short-term
impacts will be mitigated by either the requirements of the construction contract documents or by the requirements of applicable lo-
cal, state or federal permits and environmental ordinances. Te positive efects of eliminating public health hazards and improving
environmental conditions for low and moderate-income families outweigh any potential negative impacts. Tis project is consistent
with the goals and objectives of DeKalb County Government and the Community Development Department.
Te Environmental Review Record, respecting the proposed project, has been made by DeKalb County which documents the en-
vironmental review of the project and fully sets forth the reasons why such Environmental Impact Statements are not required.
Te Environmental Review Record is on fle at the DeKalb County Human and Community Development Department, 150 E.
Ponce de Leon Avenue, Suite 330, Decatur, Georgia 30030 and is available for public examination and copying upon request between
the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 5:00 p.m.
No further environmental reviews of the subject project are proposed to be conducted prior to the request for release of Federal
funds.
Public Comments on FONSI
All interested agencies, groups, and persons disagreeing with this decision are invited to submit written comments for consider-
ation by DeKalb County to the Human and Community Development Director. Written comments will be received at 150 E. Ponce
de Leon Avenue, Suite 330, Decatur, Georgia on or before August 29, 2014. All comments received will be considered and DeKalb
County will not request the release of Federal funds or take any administrative action on the proposed projects prior to the date
specifed in the preceding sentence.
NOTICE OF INTENT TO REQUEST RELEASE OF FUNDS (NOI/RROF)
At least one day afer the termination of the public comment period for the FONSI, but not before comments on the FONSI have
been considered and resolved, DeKalb County will submit a Request for Release of Funds (RROF) and certifcation to HUD. By so
doing DeKalb County will ask HUD to allow it to commit funds to this project, certifying that (1) it has performed the environmen-
tal reviews prescribed by HUD regulations (Environmental Review Procedures for Title I Community Development Block Grant
Program - 24 CFR part 58), and (2) the Certifying Ofcer, Chris Morris, Director, DeKalb County Human and Community Devel-
opment Department, consents to accept and enforce responsibilities in relation to the environmental reviews or resulting decision-
making and action. Te legal efect of the certifcation is that by approving it, HUD will have satisfed its responsibilities under the
National Environmental Act, thus allowing DeKalb County to commit CDBG funds to this project.

Objection to Release of Funds
HUD will accept objections to its approval of the release of funds and the certifcation only if it is on one of the following basis: (a)
that the certifcation was not in fact executed by the Certifying Ofcer; or (b) that the applicants Environmental Review Record for
the project indicated omission of a required decision, funding, or step applicable to the project in the environmental review process.
Objections must be prepared and submitted in accordance to HUD at the Regional Environmental Branch, U.S. Department of
Housing and Urban Development, 40 Marietta Street N.W., 15th foor, Atlanta, Georgia 30303-9812.
Objections to the release of funds on basis other than those stated above will not be considered by HUD. No objection received
afer September 16, 2014 will be considered by HUD.
Chris H. Morris, Director
DeKalb County Human and Community Development Department
150 E. Ponce de Leon Avenue Suite 330
Decatur, Georgia 30030
Date of Publication and
Dissemination of Notice
August 14, 2014
LOCAL NEWS
Decatur Bulldogs
Interactive College of Technology announced plans for the expansion of its Chamblee campus at a ribbon-cutting and groundbreaking ceremony July 25. Photo provided
WEEK
PICTURES
In
Searching for Our Sons and Daughters:

For a programming guide, visit www.yourdekalb.com/dctv
Now showing on DCTV!
Finding DeKalb Countys Missing
Stories of our missing residents offer profound
insights and hope for a positive reunion.
DCTV Your Emmy Award-winning news source of DeKalb County news. Available on Comcast Cable Channel 23.
Photos brought to you by DCTV

Computer Aid Inc. recently gave a $5,000 donation to Aventis Systems Inc., which supplied
21 computers for Senior Connections. From left, John Kucek, Computer Aid Inc. managing
director; Debra Furtado, Senior Connections CeO; Walt Carter, Generation Mortgage
Companys CIO; James Franklin, TechBridges CeO and Karl Pearl, vice president of Aventis
Systems Inc.
A boy plays on the historic cannon in downtown Decatur. Photo by Andrew Cauthen
EDUCATION
Dyslexia organizations educate educators
by Lauren Ramsdell
According to statistics from the
National Center for Education Sta-
tistics, two-thirds of Georgia fourth
graders do not read proficiently,
while 32 percent of those students
dont read at even a basic level.
As the name might suggest, Read-
ing is Essential for All People, or
REAP, a new 501c3 nonprofit based
in Decatur, has a mission to lower
those numbers and make sure chil-
dren of all backgrounds get a jump
on reading.
I started the organization to help
teachers know the foundations of
reading instruction, said Jen Rhett,
co-founder of REAP and a parent of
dyslexic children. Twenty percent
of people are dyslexic, and then you
add in children from English as a
second language [programs] or those
who come from a lower-income
background where there isnt a lot of
exposure to reading and language,
there are a lot of students struggling.
Rhett said that in most colleges
and universities the way teachers
are taught to teach literacy does not
focus on children with learning dif-
ferences in reading, so many teach-
ers are unprepared for struggling
students. REAP was cofounded with
Rhetts friend Carla Stanford, an
educator.
A lot of what [teachers] are be-
ing taught is whole-word language,
which does not include structured
schematic phonics, Rhett said.
Whole-word language means that
when a student reads the word cat
they are essentially memorizing
the shape of the word and then the
sound that it makes, as opposed to
cuh-ah-tuh, or individual pho-
nemes.
Dyslexic students are usually at
average or above-average intelligence
but have difficulty reading and com-
prehending written language. There
may be a variety of causes, including
visual processing disorders and at-
tention deficit disorders. The most
commonly known way dyslexia man-
ifests is through switching of letters,
such as b, p and d, but it can have
even earlier signs such as inability to
count syllables, trouble naming items
or poor spelling.
To reach the maximum number
of students possible, REAP offers
training for teachers in the metro At-
lanta area in the Orton-Gillingham
approach to reading, writing and
spelling. Readers who have previ-
ously struggled learn the founda-
tions of language and letters receive
multisensory and kinetic instruction,
rather than just memorizing vocabu-
lary words.
This tool is meant to be added to
their box of knowledge, not replace
their previous education, Rhett said.
REAP has recently partnered with
IDA-GA, the Georgia branch of the
International Dyslexia Association.
IDA-GA president Jennifer Kopp
said it is a natural fit.
We definitely decided that was in
our best interest to [support REAP],
Kopp said. We donated to them to
help train teachers, and the training
that they provide is the training we
support.
IDA-GA, another 501c3 nonprof-
it, is also in the business of training
teachers to help struggling readers,
but Kopp said the organization often
doesnt have the resources to train as
many teachers as there is demand for.
We are always sending people
elsewhere to find the same type of
training that we provide, Kopp said.
We are a composed of a board and
we do all that we can, but we all have
full time jobs and its something we
do on nights and weekends out of
love. Coordinating takes a lot of time
and a lot of manpower. We would
like to expand, yes, and this is a great
partnership because it will allow us
to expand.
As a year-and-a-half old group,
REAP looked to IDA-GA to help
with funding, as Rhett explained,
new nonprofits sometimes have a
hard time reaching donors. And,
since the missions aligned, it was
an easy sell. On the REAP website,
scores of teachers praise the train-
ing: This training has strengthened
my ability to diagnose what indi-
vidual students are struggling with
as readers and how I can help them
overcome that gap, says one. All
teachers deserve to know about this
approach, says another.
Rhett said with IDA-GA support
they have been able to offer more
training than they otherwise would
have, and are looking to expand
across the state. Eventually, she said,
shed like to see a nationwide expan-
sion of REAPs training programs.
At some point our education sys-
tem will recognize the need for that
kind of instruction and we will not
exist any longer, but I dont see that
happening, Rhett said. Even some
of the special ed teachers dont un-
derstand dyslexia, dyscalculia. But,
theyre not special ed issues, theyre
general ed issues. We want to work
with all students and make all stu-
dents stronger.

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