Free Press 2-18-11

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AVAILABLE ONLINE AT WWW.CHAMPIONNEWSPAPER.COM FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2011 VOL. 13, NO. 47 FREE

F REE P RESS A PUBLICATION OF ACE III C OMMUNICATIONS

by Gale Horton Gay

C

arolyn Hart-eld didnt growup loving nature.

In fact, it

took her more than half acentury to realize that sheenjoyed few things morethan being outdoorswalk-ing through, smelling, see-ing and touching nature.

Now Harteld, former-ly from Detroit who nowresides in DeKalb County,is sharing her love of thenatural environment withas many people as she can.

The self-proclaimedHiking Lady along withher good friend PauletteScott leads hikes at vari-ous locations throughoutthe state, usually held onthe rst Saturday of themonth. A week ago, theyheld their fourth AnnualSuper Bowl Hike on theSaturday before the biggame at Arabia Mountain.This one was a 20-milehike.

I hope that they arereally connected with theenvironment, said Hart-eld of those she leads.I do believe its a specialkind of spiritual connec-tion you can get.

Harteld, who is 62and went on her rst hikewhen she was 56, found

that rst experience soenthralling that she kept

joining regular hikes witha newcomers group andeventually took classes to

be a group leader. Whenher hiking mentor was un-

able to continue leadinghikes due to employmentchanges, Harteld was

tapped to take over. Now she seeks to share

outdoor experiences withothers, particularly AfricanAmericans, who she saidsimply dont spend enoughtime experiencing nature.

She launched Hart-elds Hikers in June 2009,taking 30 people on a hikeof Providence Canyon inLumpkin. Shes not only

pleased that the hikesconsistently attract 20-25hikers but that several of the participants have em-

braced it to the extent thattheyve gone to the SierraClubs leadership training.

Participants are in-formed of each hikes

length, whether its easy/moderate/strenuous andwhat they should bring.

Harteld said hikers areencouraged to move attheir own pace, and Scottserves as the groupssweeper, taking up therear and ensuring that noone is left behind. And

before each hike Harteldor Scott scouts the route even if theyve hiked it

previouslyto note anychanges in the trail and thearea. After convening at alocal spot, the group formsa circle and members in-troduce themselves, thenHarteld and Scott discussweather conditions and goover details of the daysadventure. They then car-

pool to the hike site.

Every time we haverst timers, explainedHarteld. We tell them

Hiking lady spreading newfoundlove of great outdoors

Paulette Scott, left, and Carolyn Harteld lead hikes on the rst Saturday of each month.

Carolyn Harteld

See Hiking on Page 13A See Rec on Page 13A

by Andrew [email protected]

When she was 10, Mary JoyceRobinson won a beauty pageant atTobie Grant Park in the Scottdalecommunity.

Robinson, now 62, credits her experiences at the recreation center withmotivating her earn a masters degreefrom Jacksonville State and a doctorateof education degree from VanderbiltUniversity.

Now Tobie Grant is one of verecreation centers to be axed as partof the 2011 county budget proposed

by DeKalbs Chief Executive Ofcer Burrell Ellis . The other recreationcenters include Briarwood RecreationCenter in Brookhaven; Tobie Grant inScottdale; and the N.H. Scott in SouthDeKalb; Mason Mill in Decatur; andLucious Sanders in Lithonia.

If the DeKalb County Boardof Commissioners approves Ellis

proposed budget as written, therebyclosing Tobie Grant Recreation Center,residents say a lifeline for the Scottdalecommunity will be cut.

The library, the recreation center,the park and the pool have been an oa-sis of hope and guidance for all ages,Robinson said.

Ellis hopes to save the county near-ly $1 million by closing the recreationcenters along with cutting funding tothe University of Georgias extension

program for DeKalb. Other major cutsinclude $1.4 million for the GradyMemorial Hospital fund; $872,000 for a satellite tax commission ofce; and a$500,000 county golf course subsidy.

The proposed $563 million budgetcontains a property tax increase of 2.32-mill, or 12 percent.

Robinson told the board of com-missioners last week that closing TobieGrant would be a tragedy and a poor sign of civic responsibility.

Tobie Grant Recreation Center is a historical landmark that has madeDeKalb County dynamic, Robinsonsaid. It is the lifeline for all gen-erations in the Scottdale and DeKalbCounty.

Proposedcountybudgetcuts verecreationcenters

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THE CHAMPION FREE PRESS, FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2011 PAGE 2ANEWS

be a dad today.Take time to

Cal l 877 -4DAD411 o r v i s i t www. fa the rhood .gov

First lady takes Lets Move! campaign to DeKalb

Thanks , Georgia for helping uschieve a etter ourse for

ore than 1.1 million Georgia 4-year-olds have beneted from the Georgia Lottery-funded Pre-K Program, giving them the quality educational foundation they need tosucceed. With over $12.3 billion toward education and over 1.3 million HOPE scholars,were helping supply the essential building blocks needed for a brighter future forGeorgia. Thank you, Georgians, for playingbecause when you play, our students win.

ATLANTA (AP) Firstady Michelle Obama took

her one-year-old campaigngainst childhood obesity tohe South on Feb. 9, munch-ng on blueberries with

youngsters at an elementarychool and later taking her

pep talk on healthy eating toparents.

The first lady visited Bur-gess-Peterson Academy, anAtlanta public school withinDeKalb County, touting itsfforts to improve student

nutrition and fitness as shemarked the first anniversaryof her Lets Move! cam-paign. She snacked on someblueberries with a second-

grade class and checked outhe schools garden withirst-graders.

Were going to need youo be big and strong because

we need you to grow upnd do important things,

Obama told the excited pu-pils, reminding them to eatots of fruits and veggies.

She confided in thelass that President Barack

Obama likes to snack onigs.

Mrs. Obama is workingo combat what many healthxperts are calling a nationalpidemic of obesity, par-icularly in childrenone inhree children in the United

States are overweight or obese. Experts say obesityputs children at a greater isk for diabetes, high blood

pressure and other medicalonditions.

In the past year, Obamahas taken her campaignbefore school groups, foodmakers and others, urginghem to build more bike

paths and playgrounds, ando serve healthier school

unches. She has even heldn exercise class with chil-dren on the White Houseawn and toured school gar-

dens modeled after her fa-mous Pennsylvania Avenuepatch.

Later on Feb. 9, theirst lady declared that theampaign was making a

difference as she addressedparents and communitymembers at the North Point

Community Church in Al- pharetta.

So far, beverage and foodmakers and most recentlyWal-Mart Stores Inc., thecountrys largest retailer,have promised to reducesalt, fat and sugar in their

products. A new child nutri-tion law also puts Washing-ton in charge of decidingwhat kinds of foods are soldduring the school day.

For parents like us, thisisnt just a public healththreat, she said. This is

personal. This stuff is emo-tional. Its the kind of thingthat keeps us lying awake atnight, because all of us want

to keep our kids healthy.She pointed to alarm-ing data that 27 percent of 17- to 24-year-olds are toooverweight to serve in themilitary, a sign of a genera-tion that grew up with fewer gym classes in school andfast food on nearly everycorner.

She urged parents to pushchildren to eat better, exer-cise more and spend moretime outdoors. Were not

just doing this for our kidstodaywere doing thisfor their children and their grandchildren, Mrs. Obamasaid.

Earlier Wednesday, Mrs.Obama appeared on NBCsToday show and Live! With

Regis and Kelly , beforeheading to Atlanta. She alsohas unveiled a series of pub-lic service announcementsto further spread the wordabout Lets Move!

At Burgess-Peterson,where wellness and physi-cal education teacher BettyJackson created a gardenthree years ago, all 240

students start each morningwith a jammin minuteof exercise followed by ahealthy eating tip. Studentsvisit the garden at leastonce a week, learning howto plant, grow and harvestfood.

We want to teach themhow to eat healthier and un-derstand where food comesfrom, Jackson explained.

The school has a USDA

First lady Michelle Obama, right, greets first grade students Dilyn Penn and Sasha Morgan, secondfrom left, and master gardener Adam Waterson, left, while touring their garden at Burgess-PetersonAcademy during a visit marking the first anniversary of her Lets Move! campaign on Feb. 9 inDeKalb. Obama praised the school for its efforts in promoting healthy living among students. (APPhoto/John Amis, Pool)

grant that provides freshfruit and vegetables daily tostudents. Jackson also triesto order plums, pineapples,avocados and other foods

they might not get at home.Mrs. Obama told the stu-

dents to eat well, read andstudy hard if they want to

become president. Second-

grader Shania Teasley , 7,said she liked the advice,adding, I want to be the

president when I grow up.

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www.championnewspaper.com THE CHAMPION FREE PRESS, FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2011 Page 3A

Commission approves gas project at land lly Andrew [email protected]

After DeKalbs chief xecutive of cer had to bealled in to break an unprec-

dented tie vote, the countysboard of commissionerspproved a plan to harvestompressed natural gas fromts Seminole land ll.

The county will go for-ward with using a $7.83 mil-ion grant from the Depart-

ment of Energy to convertaw land ll gas to renewable

natural gas.This project is of con-

iderable signi cance, saidCommissioner Jeff Rader .This is our great opportu-

nity to participate in a greenevolution.

The commissioners voteolidi es plans to build itswn system to convert theand ll gas to renewable

natural gas with the ability toipe much of the gas into the

natural gas pipeline main-ained by Atlanta Gas Light.

Energy Systems Group,ased in Indiana and withf ces in Atlanta, will con-truct the facility.

The DeKalb grant is partf $14.9 million awarded tohe Clean Cities Atlanta Co-lition, made up of DeKalb

County, Atlanta, Coca-Cola,College Park, UPS, PS En-rgy Group, the Partnershipor Clean Transportation and

Sustainable Atlanta.

The goals are to increasethe supply of alternativefuelsand to reduce our reliance on petroleum fuels,said Steve Clermont , direc-tor of Evergreen Sustainabil-ity Solutions for Center for Transportation & the Envi-ronment.

It is unique that DeKalbhas this land ll natural re-source, said Rader, whovoted for the proposal alongwith Commissioners KathieGannon and Stan Watson .The state of Georgia hasno oil wells. We in DeKalbCounty have a land ll that isgenerating natural gas.

Gannon said the land ll

has been a source of com- plaints for years, but theland ll gas project is an op-

portunity to do something positive with that resource.

The long-term bene tsare clear for DeKalb Countyto own, to process, andto fuel our eets with thisgrant, Gannon said.

Commissioners ElaineBoyer , Lee May and Sha-ron Barnes Sutton votedagainst the project, whileCommissioner Larry John-son abstained from voting,causing a tie that was broken

by Burrell Ellis , the coun-tys chief executive of cer.

I think this is the worst

proposal I have seen in along time to come across mydesk, Boyer said.

I dont want to be in thefuel business, Boyer said. Idont think thats the govern-ments role.

The plan, which wasyears in the making, wasnearly derailed by an unso-licited proposal for using theland ll gas. Commissionerscomplained that the last-minute proposal was broughtto the table without goingthrough proper proceduresand, while it seemed attrac-tive, did not contain enoughdata for an informed decisionto be made.

The late bid came fromJacoby Energy Developmentof Atlanta, which intendedto construct a ve-mile pipe-line from Seminole land llto the Live Oak land ll in

Conley. Jacoby would then process the land ll gas and pump it to Live Oak where itwould be converted to RNG.Jacoby proposed to pay thecounty the current New York Mercantile Exchange pricesfor natural gas after deduct-ing operation and mainte-nance costs, and amortiza-tion of the capital costs. TheJacoby contract would have

been for 20 years.Both proposals are

green, Watson said.The Seminole land ll,

located in Ellenwood, wasopened in 1977 and has alife expectancy of nearly100 years. The land ll isexpected to produce land llgas until 2100, according toBilly Malone , the assistantdirector for DeKalbs sanita-tion department.

In 2006, the conversion of land ll gas to electricity be-gan. DeKalb County makesabout $100,000 per month

by selling that electricity toGeorgia Power.

Currently 60 percent of the land ll gas is unused

and is just being burned off.When the county begins con-verting the gas to renewablenatural gas, 76 percent will

be used.

DeKalb County will soon begin to construct a facility at the Seminole landfill to convert landfill gases into renewable natural gas. Currently, 40 percent of the gases pro-duced at the landfill is being converted into electricity. Photo by Andrew Cauthen

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F REE P RESS

The Newslady

DeKalb firstJohn Evans

Multiracial census by Judge Greg Mathis

A lot of people are eagerly awaitingresults of the 2010 Census informationthat details how Americans identifythemselves racially. The data will bereleased state by state this month and isexpected to show a signi-cant growth in the numbersof people who identify asmultiracial. When the datais made public, it is expect-ed the number of Americansidentifying as multiracialwill have grown by 35 per-cent in the last decade.

As interracial marriages become more common,so too has the number of mixed-raced people in our society. The2000 Census was the rst that allowedthese individuals to easily identify all

parts of their racial backgrounds if theyso chose. Those who support the clas-sication see it as an important step to

breaking down racial barriers and mov-ing toward an America that is free of

prejudice.However, some believe that the

designation will only serve to further undermine the political clout and socialsignicance of racial minorities, par-ticularly African Americans. This lineof thinking isnt too far-fetched. Oftentimes, many of our positive, Black pub-

lic gures with one non-Black parentare claimed by the White majority. Theaccomplishments of these individualsare so signicant that America often

likes to ignore the one drop rule it in-stituted and enforced to keep tabs onand marginalize anyone with ancestrythat was not purely White and toutthe White ancestry of those we in theAfrican American community are right-fully proud of. President Obama , who

many tried to hail as the rstmultiracial President, instead of the rst Black President, comesto mind.

Indeed, President Obamasmother is White. But he has

publicly identied as a Black man and even checked that box

and nothing else on his cen-sus form. And isnt that what thecensus designation is all about?Giving individuals the right to

identify with as many or as few eth-nic groups in their background as theychoose?

Unlocking the shackles of the onedrop rule and allowing individuals tocelebrate all of who they are is a posi-tive step toward racial harmony andacceptance in this country. However,the larger society must be careful itdoes not dilute the voice of groups, likeAfrican Americans, that have fought sohard to be heard, seen and recognizedfor their achievements.

Judge Greg Mathis currently pro-vides legal advice to more than three

million listeners on the Steve HarveyMorning Show and also on his website,www.askjudgemathis.com.

Mathis

PLEASE RECYCLE THISNEWSPAPER

Most people know JohnEvans the activist and currentresident of the DeKalb County

NAACP. Hes also known asounder and CEO of Operation

Lead (Leadership to End All Dis-rimination) At 70 years plus, hean often be found in his overalls

with a bullhorn on the front lineseading a protest to bring atten-ion to injustice anywhere it rearsts ugly head. Few people, how-ver, know that John Evans holdshe distinction of being the first

African-American member of theDeKalb County Board of Com-missioners.

Evans says making history isnot what one thinks about. It is all

in the doing. And John Evans isabout the doing. His activism wassparked during the Civil RightsMovement despite the fact that he

was not then on the front lines.Evans moved to Atlanta fromChicago in 1965 to work as the

business manager for the Interde-nominational Theological Center (ITC), one of the five schools inthe Atlanta University Center. Heheld that position for 13 yearsand also taught at Morris BrownCollege and DeKalb CommunityCollege before it became GeorgiaPerimeter. Evans was the onlynon-clergy member of the staff atITC.

Few people are aware of hisaccounting background. He alsowas one of the first African Amer-icans to work as an accountantfor Standard Oil, the granddaddyof Amoco. Evans received hisundergraduate degree in businessadministration from both Missis-sippi Valley and Tennessee Stateuniversities. He completed hismasters in business administra-

tion from Atlanta University. Few people know that Evans was a layspeaker in the United Method-ist Church and a member of the

Negro Baseball League. His bas-ketball prowess earned him a spotin the Basketball Hall of Fame atMississippi Valley State. He is amember of Omega Psi Phi frater-nity and the father of three grownchildren. He is a devoted grand-dad to his five grandchildren.

His love of community is thestuff of legends. Anytime thereis an issue with the potential tonegatively impact the poor, theelderly or children, one can findJohn Evans lending his voice andhis shoe leather to prick the con-science of the decision makerswhether it is corporate, govern-ment or the school system. Hisactivism and leadership have re-sulted in his being elected to headthe NAACP twice and his work has garnered more communityawards than there is room to printin this space.

There is a dark cloud in his

stellar achievements. Some peopleare aware that Evans left theDeKalb Commission in disgraceafter he was caught up in a sting

operation. It was a painful epi-sode in his life that Evans says helearned from and has moved past.He hasnt stopped moving. Hehasnt stopped championing theunderdog and the marginalized of our society.

Becoming a DeKalb Commis-sioner, according to Evans, was alogical extension of his work inthe community just at another level. If one had to assign a man-tra to the Nashville, Tenn., na-tive it would have to be Keep itMoving. John Evans, an activistspawned by the movement. A manon a mission. DeKalb Countysfirst African-American countycommissioner.

Steen Miles, The Newslady,is a retired journalist and former Georgia state senator. Contact Steen Milies at [email protected].

THE CHAMPION FREE PRESS, FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2011 PAGE 4AOPINION

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Its a gas!William C. Crane, 1974-1992 One Mans Opinion C. William Bill Crane, 2009 - ?

There is but one just use of pow-er, and it is to serve people.President George H. W. Bush ,naugural Address, January 1989

In the public, private and non-prot sectors, we should always beon the lookout for common sensepartnerships, as well as making in-vestments in infrastructure involvinga broad array of interested parties.

DeKalb County, in partnership withGeorgia Power, already captures,markets and re-sells methane (landllgas) from the Seminole landll inEllenwood, now burned as a greener alternative to coal-generated power and serving as Georgia Powers rstgreen energy offering.

This project was initiated by thenDeKalb CEO Liane Levetan , andcompleted during the administrationof CEO Vernon Jones . That meth-ane conversion/generation plant hasalready paid for itself, and now gener-ates an additional $1.2 million in rev-enue each year to county coffers.

Generating steady revenue from

your waste stream is pretty hard to beat. However another green dealwas only recently narrowly approvedand passed by the DeKalb Board of Commissioners, requiring a rare tie-

breaking vote by CEO Burrell Ellis , to accept a $7.8 million U.S. Depart-ment of Energy stimulus grant.

This time the county and feds willconvert methane into Compressed

Natural Gas (CNG), and additionallyconvert the countys eet of sanitationtrucks from running on diesel fuel torunning on CNG. A CNG fueling sta-tion will then be opened and operated

by the county off Kensington Roadnear Avondale Estates.

Today, a gallon of diesel fuel isselling for roughly $3.50. The costof a CNG gallon equivalent will beroughly $1.50. Here alone the county

is saving $2 per gallon, on a fuelsource that it will own in perpetuity. The available methane supply to bederived at just the Seminole landllfor the CNG initiative and GeorgiaPowers current consumption is ex-

pected to last another 50 to 100 years.CNG is also the cleanest burning fos-sil fuel on the planetand the meth-ane and natural gas are domestically

produced, further reducing our depen-dence on imported oil.

The federal grant is intended tocover 50 percent (up front) of the

plants costs of construction andoperations for the rst ve years.Additionally, the county has already

banked $6 million in sanitation fees tocover its half.

Noted developer Jim Jacoby oated an alternative CNG proposalto build and operate a plant at Semi-nole, leasing the land and later sharingthe CNG revenues with the county.This is an admirable private sector-

based proposal, and Jacoby is to becredited with both the redevelopmentof Atlantic Station (formerly AtlanticSteel), and the on-going re-develop-ment of the Ford Hapeville Plant siteadjacent to Hartseld Airport.

Jacoby energy developmentsoption was simply a bit late to thedance, and offered after the contracthad already been signed with the U.S.DOE . Fortunately, DeKalb Countyhas no shortage of trash or landlls.Some critics note that these landlls

are disproportionately located on thecountys south side, though one of DeKalbs largest landlls is just off Buford Highway in Doraville, not far from DeKalb Peachtree Airport andthe former GM Doraville plant.

Our county government andCounty Commission have many other existing challenges, to serve taxpay-ers, provide for public safety, improveinfrastructure and other governmentservicesall while very likely fac-ing a tax increase to get there in thecurrent economic climate. Acceptingmillions to serve as a catalyst for get-ting more cash from trash is simply ano-brainer and should not have been

this difcult a decision.At the end of the day, this grant

gave us the best opportunity to re-duce our carbon footprint and savethe most money for our taxpayers,DeKalb County CEO Ellis said.

Egypt, long one of the most stablecountries in the Middle East, is cur-rently a powder keg. Tensions arerising nearby in Jordan, Yemen, SaudiArabia and elsewhere in the region.Oil, gas and diesel prices are only

projected to rise in both the near andlong term. Developing an expanding

pallet of alternative energy sourcesonly makes good sense, as well as inthis case dollars and cents.

Perhaps we should give Mr.Jacobys team a crack at buildinga CNG plant on the north side inDoraville and bring some competi-

tion into this marketplace. Thatcould help keep CNG prices down, aswell as perhaps create more consumer demand for CNG-fueled vehicles or

possibly even an opportunity to con-vert or build CNG-fueled vehiclesat the old GM Doraville Plant. Thisshould denitely become a case of one mans trash becoming another mans treasure.

Bill Crane is a DeKalb Countynative and business owner, living inScottdale, Georgia. He also serves aschief political analyst and commenta-tor for 11Alive News and WSB Radio,

News/Talk 750. Contact Bill Crane at [email protected].

www.championnewspaper.com THE CHAMPION FREE PRESS, FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2011 A Section Page 5A

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Page 6A THE CHAMPION FREE PRESS, FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2011

American history requiresstudy, not plastic surgery

by Donald KaulColumnist

The Constitution, like Huckleberry Finn, is inmany ways a reflection of its time.

The following comments are pulled straight from our website and are not edited for content or grammar.

Old school becomes new movie set

It would have been nice to include in this story how much DCSS is being paid for the use of this school, and where those $ are going

cynicposted this on 2/13/11 at 9:52 a.m.

Sewage spill update, Feb. 10

DeKalb County was awarded $15 million of Stimulus Funds in 2008 for green projects, that they nearly lost all of on Tuesday Feb 8th, 2011 because they had done nothing with the money. They nally adopted a methane gas project to fuel 40 county vehiclse for $7.2 million. I know there is at least one company that has been trying to get them to nance a pilot project to collect residential grease that would only cost $25,000 to start and they say they have no money for this. We know that these Sanitary Sewer Overows are largely coming from residential grease now, because existing law requires restaurants and food establishments must have their grease picked up by commercial services. So,why do they have $7.2 million for methane and they dont have $25,000 to test projects to solve their $1.4 billion sewer problem? Whats wrong with this picture?

Richard Younge posted this on 2/13/11 at 9:53 a.m.

Stinky! Stinky! Bacteria infested community!

Lichele posted this on 2/9/11 at 2:18 p.m.

DeKalb Schools boss recommends eight closures

These Schools are closing because of the Mismanage- ment of the Elected Ofcials in DeKalb County fron our CEO Little Lord Faunteroy to the BOC Board of Crooks and surely the DeKalb BOE along with almost every other Elected Ofcial. Only one Elected Ofcial was doing his homework and realized that the DeKalb BOE had not taken advantage of and lost out on 25 MILLION DOLLARS that might have saved these Schools from closing. That Repre- sentative was Fran Millar. Remember that News just this last year. All other Elected Ofcials when it has comes to Educa- tion in DeKalb County = Not Worth Two Dead Flies !!! When you child is living with you and they are 30-40 years old and cant nd a job because of the Poor Education they got in DeKalb County just pat yourself on the back, for you voted for these IDIOTS !!!

-- JerryMyer Jackson Jr posted this on 2/9/11 at 7:32 p.m.

The N-word is perhapshe most powerful wordn the English language. It

carries 400 years of brutalAmerican history that canstrike with the force of aash.

Nice people dont sayt. F-bombs are soggy

firecrackers compared tohe explosive power of

well, you know.So its easy to see why

an educator and publisher n Alabama would chooseo delete the word from

a new edition of Huckle-berry Finn , substitutingslave in its stead.

Alan Gribben , a pro-fessor of English at Au-burn University, said hewas concerned Huck Finnhad all but disappearedfrom high school readingistslargely because of

objections to That Word and he was trying to putout an edition that wouldbe more acceptable toschool officials.

I am by no meanssanitizing Mark Twain ,said Gribben, as the pre-dictable waves of criti-cism began to roll over him. I just had the ideao get us away from ob-

sessing about this oneword, and just let the sto-ries stand alone.

With sympathy for Mr.Gribben, I happen to think hat Mark Twain is our

greatest writer and Huck-eberry Finn his greatest

book. But I would not rel-sh the thought of stand-ng before a high school

class of White, African-American, Latino andAsian kids and readingaloud passages that con-ained That Word.

And it would be hardo pick a passage that did

not contain it. It is sprin-kled throughout the book as copiously as commas,

more than 200 times. Youcan teach around that, Isuppose, but thats hardduty.

But isnt that why they pay high school teachersthe big bucks?

OK, so maybe theydont make big bucks.They do, however, get

paid. And if a teacher cant put the word in its

proper contextas an arti-fact of another timethenhe or she shouldnt teachit.

One of Twains greatcontributions to our lit-erature was that he wrotethe way people actuallytalked. The N-word isthe way they talked back then.

I suppose, judged bycurrent standards, Twainwas a racist. But by thestandards of the time, hewas not. He was what

passed for a liberal in theSouth, and the thrust of his book is that Whitesand Blacks share a com-mon humanity that ren-ders slavery an abomina-tion.

Substituting slavefor the N-word, as thenew edition does, robs the

book of much of its juice.Its the literary equivalent

of putting a bra on the Ve-nus de Milo.Its a great book. Teach

it by all means, but teachit well. And if you cant dont.

The new RepublicanCongress faced a some-what similar challenge asit began its work and, of course, failed it.

The Republican lead-

ership in the Housedecided it would be agood idea to begin thesession by reading theConstitution out loud,alternating Republi-cans and Democratsas readers. You would

think that would be a fair-ly straightforward thing,right?

Wrong. One Republi-can freshman, Rep. MikeFitzpatrick of Pennsyl-vania, failed to attend theswearing-in ceremonythat morning, preferringto attend a fund-raiser instead. So while he wasallowed to read a pieceof the Constitution, hewasnt really a member of the House.

House Speaker JohnBoehner , ironically, ison record revealing howweak a grasp hes got onthe Constitution. At a TeaParty rally in November 2009, he waved a copyof the Constitution and

pledged to stand herewith our founding fa-thers, who wrote in the

preamble We hold thesetruths to be self-evident,that all men are createdequal. A crowd-pleasingmoment, but that line hap-

pens to be in the Declara-tion of Independence.

Plus, during the Houserecital in January, GOPleaders deleted the partof the text that countedslaves as three-fifths of real (White) people. Howsensitive.Despite its role as aliving document, the Con-stitutionlike Huckleberry

Finn is in many ways areflection of its time.

OtherWords columnist Donald Kaul lives in Ann Arbor, Michigan. www.otherwords.org

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Jodi Gross Champion of the Week

If you would like to nominate someone tobe considered as a future Champion of the

Week, please contact Kathy Mitchell at

[email protected] or at 404-373-7779, ext. 104.

See Greenspace on Page 9A

Jodi Gross rstbecame aware of theSoccer in the Streetsprogram in Clarkstonmore than a year agowhen her sons middleschool soccer team atThe Galloway School inAtlanta did a communityservice project there.

Soccer in theStreets is a non-pro torganization thatteaches life skills tounderprivileged childrenthrough soccer.

Gross, who livesin Sandy Springs in

Fulton County, loadedher van with her sonsteam along with soccerequipment and cannedgoods they collected.She drove more than20 miles to Clarkston tomake the delivery andhas been coming backever since.

Soccer in the Streetsis a weekly year-roundprogram, weatherpermitting, and Grosstries to make the tripevery week.

Not only did that rstvisit impact Gross, butit also had an effect onher son Lee Michael ,now a ninth grader

at Galloway, and therest of his team. Onreturn trips Gross manytimes has brought LeeMichael or her oldestson Wesley with her.Wesley, now a studentat College of Charlestonin South Carolina, hascome on occasion whenGross was unable to.

It was reallyimportant that theysee the real purposeof the program andunderstand some of thedif culties that thesekids have, Gross said.Its important that theyunderstand about givingback.

Gross picks up manyof the children at nearbyapartment complexesand takes them tosoccer practice at theClarkston CommunityCenter.

I just love thosekids, Gross said. Itsalways well worth thedrive to be able tospend time with them.

My heart just soars.In addition to pickingup the children, Grossdoes whatever shecan to help out withthe program, includingworking with the kids onthe eld, bandaging ascraped knee, supplyingsnacks or bringing ducttape to repair a goal.

I try to make surethe kids are keepingup with their homeworkand things like that,she said. I really enjoybeing there for the kids.Lord knows they needsomeone to look afterthem.

Dunwoody can expectgreenspace referendumby Andrew [email protected]

The mayor of Georgiasyoungest city told residentshey could expect to vote on

a referendum in November hat would raise taxes to payor parks and greenspace.

The remark came Feb. 10during Dunwoody Mayor Ken Wright s state of thecity address for Dunwoody,which incorporated in 2008.

Wright said residents canexpect the city council toupport a referendum that

would ask for a 1.5-mill taxncrease. That would raise

$56 million to fund Dun-

woodys parks and greenspace master plan, which is being worked on. It wouldtake about $61 million toimplement the master plans,Wright said.

There is no way in our $16- or $18-million annual

budget that we would ever

be able to get anything doneas far as improving our parksor acquiring parcels, Wrightsaid. Its just not there and itwill never be there.

Wright said a recent studyof the citys parks showedthat Dunwoodys greenspaceis woefully inadequate whencompared to any nearby mu-nicipality.

We are way, way under the mark, Wright said.

Dunwoody has a pendinglawsuit, filed in December,against DeKalb Countyfor more than $7 million itclaims is left more than froma voter-approved bond refer-endum for developing Brook

Run Park. Dunwoody, whichtook over the park in August2010, claims that $4.5 mil-lion has been spent on the

park.In addition to the greens-

pace plan and one speci -cally for Brook Run Park,Dunwoody is working on atransportation plan.

These things are just im-

Dunwoody Mayor Ken Wright watches as his eight-year-old son Clayton speaks to Dunwoody resi-dents about desire for the mayor to have a limousine. Photo by Andrew Cauthen

8/7/2019 Free Press 2-18-11

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TWO CEMETARY PLOTSside by side in prime area of Kennedy

Memorial Gardens in Ellenwood.$1,374.00 each. For more information,

please call (770) 256-9527 or [email protected].

PUBLIC HEARING NOTICESchool Decommissioning

Public Hearings

DeKalb County School System proposes to decommission six education facilities: (1) Atherton ES, (2) Glen Haven ES, (3) Gresham Park ES, (4) Peachcrest ES,(5) Medlock ES, and (6) Sky Haven ES and to place two schools in inactive status: (1) Avondale MS and (2) Avondale HS. Students from these schools will berelocated to other existing nearby schools, as listed in Table 1 and Table 2, and this will take place by August 2011 for the 2011-2012 school year. Theproposed use for each affected building is listed below in Table 1.

All existing school sizes and grade configurations will remain the same and no new facilities or expansion of existing facilities are proposed as part of theserelocations and closures. Attendance lines will be redrawn for some of the receiving schools and their adjacent schools in order to accommodate the relocatedstudents within each existing schools capacity limits.

Thursday, March 3, 2011 6:30 P.M.Administrative and Instructional Complex Board Room

1701 Mountain Industrial BoulevardStone Mountain, GA 30083

Tuesday, March 1, 2011 6:30 P.M.Administrative and Instructional Complex Board Room

1701 Mountain Industrial BoulevardStone Mountain, GA 30083

Table 2. Receiving Schools, Size and Configuration

Receiving Schools Address

2010-11 Enrollment After School

Decommissioning

Configurati on

Avondale ES 10 Lakeshore Dr Avondale Estates, GA 30002 593 PK-5Bethune MS 5200 Covington Highway, Decatur, GA 30035 1,002 6-8Canby Lanes ES 4150 Green Hawk Trail, Decatur, GA 30035 650 PK-5Clarkston HS 618 N. Indian Creek Drive, Clarkston, GA 30021 1,399 9-12Clifton ES 3132 Clifton Church Rd. S.E. Atlanta, GA 30316 466 PK-5Druid Hills HS 1798 Haygood Drive, NE, Atlanta, GA 30317 1,334 9-12Flat Shoals ES 3226 Flat Shoals Road, Decatur, GA 30034 533 PK-5Freedom MS 505 South Hairston Road, Stone Mountain, GA 30088 1,119 6-8Laurel Ridge ES 1215 Balsam Drive, Decatur, GA 30033 342 PK-5McLendon ES 3169 Hollywood Drive, Decatur, GA 30033 512 PK-5McNair DLA ES 2162 Second Avenue, Decatur, GA 30032 984 PK-5Meadowview ES 1879 Wee Kirk Road, Atlanta, GA 30316 404 PK-5Midway ES 3318 Midway Rd, Decatur, GA 30032 734 PK-5Rowland ES 1317 S. Indian Creek Drive, Stone Mountain, GA 30083 479 PK-5Druid Hills MS 3100 Mount Olive Drive, Decatur, GA 30033 1,082 6-8Snapfinger ES 1365 Snapfinger Road, Decatur, GA 30032 926 PK-5Towers HS 3919 Brookcrest Circle, Decatur, GA 30032 1,109 9-12

Table 1. Decommissioned Schools

School Building Address 2010-11 Resident Students

Transferred and Where Proposed Use of Building Funding/Source

1. Atherton ES 1674 Atherton DriveDecatur, GA 30035Canby Lane ES (76), Rowland ES (143),

and Snapfinger ES (81) Decommission Facility $0

2. Glen Haven ES 1402 Austin DriveDecatur, GA 30032Midway ES (320), Rowland ES (80), and

Snapfinger ES (15) Decommission Facility $0

3. Gresham Park ES 1848 Vicki Ln, SE Atlanta, GA 30316

Clifton ES (27), Flat Shoals ES (49),McNair DLA ES (21), and

Meadowview ES (88)Decommission Facility $0

4. Peachcrest ES 1530 Joy LaneDecatur, GA 30032

Midway ES (85) and Knollwood ES (127) Decommission Facility $0

5. Medlock ES 2418 Wood Trail LaneDecatur, GA 30033 Avondale ES (71), Laurel Ridge ES (60),

and McLendon ES (104) Decommission Facility $0

6. Sky Haven ES 1372 Sky Haven Rd, SE Atlanta, GA 30316McNair DLA ES (159) and

Meadowview ES (51) Decommission Facility $0

7. Avondale MS 3131 Old Rockbridge Rd Avondale Estates, 30002

Bethune MS (293), Freedom MS (8),Shamrock MS (184)

Put in inactive status $0

8. Avondale HS 1192 Clarendon Road Avondale Estates, GA 30002Clarkston HS (4), Druid Hills HS (174),

Towers HS (374) Put in inactive status $0


When General WilliamSherman marched throughGeorgia during the Civil War,he stopped in Stone Moun-ain and burned the train

depot that now houses thecitys municipal court, police

station and city hall.If you go in the atticabove the police station,you can still see some char marks, City Manager BarryAmos said.

The historic train depot,built in 1856, is the oldest

structure still in use that was burned by Sherman. An addi-tion was built in 1914.

Last week, city of cialsceremoniously broke groundon a new 10,500-square-footcity hall to be located at 875Main Street, next to the exist-ing visitors center. Currently,there is a 102-year-old house

on the site. An interested par-ty is considering moving thehouse off the site to preserveit, Amos said.

Stone Mountain willspend $1.8 million to con-struct and furnish the build-ing. The council chambers/

court room will be able toseat up to 100 people.

We will have a littlemore room to better servethe citizens, Amos said. Thecurrent city hall building is6,000 square feet.

Now when you get morethan 30 people in there, youd

better be good friends,

Amos said of the current fa-cility.The old train depot will

be renovated with a $250,000grant from the Georgia De-

partment of Transportation.It will house a museum, visi-tors center and the of ces of

Mainstreet Stone Mountainand the Stone MountainDowntown Development Au-thority.

Amos said the buildingcould also house a commu-nity events rooms.

The construction, whichis expected to begin in Marchand conclude by the end of

the year, is part of a revi-talization effort for StoneMountain. The rst phaseof a 500-foot streetscape

project for Main Street is ap- proximately 98 percent complete, said Mayor PatriciaWheeler .

The second phase is a1,200-foot section of MainStreet from the current cityhall to the new one. It shouldget under way later this year,Amos said. The city is also

planning to improve the side-walks on Mountain Street,from Main Street to StoneMountain Park.

Stone Mountain offices to move out of train depot

y Gale Horton [email protected]

WASHINGTON, D.C.What do Congressmanohn Lewis , cellist Yo-Yo

Ma , President George H.W. Bush , and author andoet Maya Angelou have inommon? They are all 2010ecipients of the Medal of

Freedom, Americas highestivilian honor.

Lewis, who represents aortion of DeKalb County,

was among the 15 recipientshonored in a ceremony onFeb. 15 at the White House.

This is one of the thingsmost look forward to every

year, said President Barack Obama . Look at the mennd women who are here to-

day. It says something about

who we are as a people.The ceremony was at-

tended by more than 200 people, including media fromacross the country. In additionto president and MichelleObama , others in attendanceincluded Atlanta Falconsowner Arthur Blank , Atlantamayor Kaseem Reid , radio

personality Frank Ski , for-mer rst lady Barbara Bush and United States AttorneyGeneral Eric Holder .

Prior to bestowing theawards, Obama said some-thing personal about each of the recipients. Obama toldthose in the audience thatgenerations from now, when

parents teach their childrenabout courage, they will teachthem about John Lewis.

The Medal of Freedom isawarded to individuals whomake an especially meritori-

ous contribution to the secu-rity or national interests of the

United States, world peace,cultural or other signi cant

public or private endeavors. Itwas created in 1945 by Presi-dent Harry S. Truman .

Lewis, who has repre-sented Georgias 5th Con-gressional District since1987, served as chairman of the Student Nonviolent Co-ordinating Committee andhelped to organize the firstlunch-counter sit-in in 1959at the age of 19. He was theyoungest speaker at the 1963March on Washington. InMay 1961, he participatedin the initial Freedom Ride,during which he enduredviolent attacks in South Caro-lina and Alabama. In 1964,Lewis helped to coordinatethe Mississippi Freedom Proj-ect, and, in 1965, he led the

Selma-to-Montgomery marchto petition for voting rights

where marchers were brutallyconfronted in an incident that

became known as BloodySunday. Eight days later,President Lyndon Johnson addressed a joint session of Congress, condemned theviolence in Selma, and calledfor passage of the VotingRights Act, which was en-acted within months.

The other recipients of the 2010 Medal of Freedom,which were announced in No-vember, are: German Chan-cellor Angela Merkel , (whowas not at the ceremony) the

rst woman and rst EastGerman to serve as chancellor of a uni ed Germany; JohnH. Adams , co-founder of the

Natural Resources DefenseCouncil; investor, industrial-ist and philanthropist WarrenBuffett ; artist Jasper Johns ;Holocaust survivor and au-

thor Gerda WeissmannKlein ; Dr. Tom Little , anoptometrist who worked inAfghanistan for 30 years andwas murdered by the Talibanreturning from a humanitarianmission; Sylvia Mendez , acivil rights activist of Mexi-can and Puerto Rican de-scent; Stan Musial , a base-

ball legend and Hall of Famerst baseman for the St. Louis

Cardinals; Bill Russell , for-mer Boston Celtics captainand rst African Americanto coach in the NBA; JeanKennedy Smith , founder of VSA, a non-pro t orga-nization that promotes theartistic talents of those withdisabilities, and former U. S.Ambassador to Ireland; JohnJ. Sweeney , current presidentemeritus of the AFL-CIO.

John Lewis honored with nations highest civilian award

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Greenspace Continued From Page 7A

Former sheriffs of ceemployee on trial

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALSConstruction Services

In accordance with O.C.G.A. 36-91-21 the City of StoneMountain is soliciting sealed competitive proposals from firmsinterested in providing services for the construction of a projectknown as New City Hall/Police Station. This Request seeks toidentify potential providers of the above-mentioned services.The City of Stone Mountain reserves the right to reject any or a llstatements of qualifications or proposals, and to waivetechnicalities and informalities. The contract will be awarded tothe responsible and responsive offer or whose proposal isdetermined in writing to be the most advantageous to the City of Stone Mountain, taking into consideration the evaluation factorsset forth in this request for proposals. Copy of the Request for Proposals are available by contacting Barry Amos, CityManager, City of Stone Mountain, 922 Main Street, StoneMountain, GA. 30083, [email protected]

Judicial Nominating CommissionState Of Georgia

600 Peachtree Street, NESuite 5200Atlanta, Georgia 30308-2216Tel: 404-885-2696,Fax: 404-962-6919

PUBLIC NOTICETO ALL MEMBERS OF THE BAR AND ALL CITIZENS OF DEKALB COUNTY

This is to provide notice to members of the Bar and the public that the Judicial NominatingCommission for the State of Georgia, created by an Executive Order of Governor Nathan Deal, isnow engaged in the process of receiving names of persons to fill a vacancy on the State Court of Dekalb County created by the resignation of the Honorable Barbara J. Mobley.

You are invited to submit nominations for these positions. Members of the bar may submit their own name or the names of others. The public is also invited to submit nominations. Such namesshould be sent to the Commission by February 18, 2011. (By letter addressed to JudicialNominating Commission, c/o Dana McGuire, 600 Peachtree, N.E., Suite 5200, Atlanta, GA30308-2216, by fax to 404-962-6919 or by email c/o [email protected]).

To each person nominated, the Commission will send an application package to be returned for receipt on or before March 7, 2011.The commission is tentatively scheduled to interviewapplicants the week of March 21, 2011. Applicants will be notified of the time for their interview.All interviews will be held at The State Bar of Georgia, 104 Marietta Street, Atlanta, GA 30303.

The Commission will select and recommend to the Governor from among those persons found

to be qualified or well qualified a short list of up to five persons for this position.

FOR THE COMMISSIONJ. Randolph EvansPete Robinson

mensely importantnot themost exciting things to most

people, but they are criticalto the success of this city,Wright said.

The citys 2010 budgetwas $18 million for a citythat Wright expects to haveapproximately 50,000 resi-dents when the latest census

results come in.We do a ton with rela-tively little, Wright said.As a city, were very de-

liberate, very cautious, veryconservative, and I think youcan see that in the way weoperate day-to-day.

Nearby Sandy Springshas a budget of $90 mil-lion and is approximatelytwice the size of Dunwoody,Wright said.

With pictures being pro-

jected of Dunwoody and itsresidents at various 2010events, and with audience

participation, Wrights ad-

dress seemed more like atalk show than a mayoral

presentation.Near the beginning of

his address, Wright allowedhis children, Clayton , 8, andCassidy , 10, to speak to theaudience.

Clayton said he wanted toknow why the president and

governor both have limou-sines, but not the mayor of Dunwoody.

Chamblee city manager search continues by Andrew [email protected]

The city of Chamblee hasnarrowed the eld down to

ve candidates in its searchfor a new city manager.

The executive recruitingrm of Colin Baenziger and

Associates, which the cityhired to nd candidates for its manager position, pre-sented the council with 10candidates, Chamblee Mayor Eric Clarkson said. Cham-

blee is paying the rm up to$20,000 for its services.

We have a strong pool of candidates, Clarkson said.Were looking for someonethat understands the dynam-ics that are Chamblee.

In November, Jim Glea-

son , the citys former city

manager, left the positionafter two years to support hiswife who was hired as theEnglish department head of ahigh school in Orlando, Fla.

Chamblee Police Chief Marc Johnson , who has

been with the city for morethan 35 years, is the interimcity manager.

The council expectsto make is choice in earlyMarch, Clarkson said.

In addition to a new citymanager, the city is lookingfor a full-service marketing,

public relations and communi-cations rm that will be taskedwith providing a comprehen-sive, strategic and innovativecommunications plan.

This rm would help thecity with print ads, social

media and management of

a database of residents andother contacts, Clarkson said.The rm would coordinateand manage the communi-cations efforts of the citysvarious departments.

Clarkson said this is agood time for hiring a com-munications team since thecity just increased its size

by 50 percent after a recentannexation. Now, there areresidents and companies inChamblee who are not famil-iar with personnel and opera-tions of the city.

The rm would act as aconduit for sending and re-ceiving information through-out the city.

We want to do a better job communicating, Clark-son said.


The racketeering trialof two people, includinga former DeKalb CountySheriffs Of ce employee,is expected to end Feb. 18.

Dorcas Jernigan , aformer manager in thecivil processing divisionof the sheriffs of ce, andNathan Hoyte Jones , aco-defendant in the case,are on trial for 81 allegedacts of theft, forgery,

bribery and false swear-ing from November 2007through July 2008.

According the allega-tions, Jones and Shandar-rick Barnes , who wasalso charged in the casewere partners in a com-

pany called Refund Solu-tions, an asset recoverycompany which was usedto the fraudulently obtainmonies from the cash

bond account of the sher-iffs of ce.

They had to forgedocument after document,and they werent evengood forgers, said John

Melvin , an assistant dis-trict attorney for DeKalb,during his opening state-ments Tuesday beforeDeKalb County Supe-rior Court Judge DanielCoursey.

Nathan Jones stealsmoney and he steals it notfrom the rich, not from the

powerful, but from aver-age citizens, Melvin said.He steals from the poor;he steals from the elderly;and he steals from the

dead.During the scam, Jerni-

gan allowed Barnes andJones unfettered accessto sheriffs of ce records

behind closed doors andeven on weekends, Melvinsaid.

Jernigan is also accusedof writing fraudulent re-fund checks. The checksfrom the civil processingdivision are required tohave two signatures. Al-though it is standard pro-cedure to use a signaturestamp of Sheriff ThomasBrown for checks lessthan $5,000, Jernigan isaccused of using the sig-nature stamp for a check for $39,500.

In 2009, Jernigan,Jones and Barnes, wereindicted by a grand juryon two counts under theRacketeer In uenced andCorrupt Organizations-Acquiring Propertythrough a Pattern of Rack-eteering (RICO) Act.

Barnes pled guiltyin 2010 for his role infraudulently obtainingmore than $410,000 from

the DeKalb Sheriffs Of-ce and the Cobb CountySuperior Court ClerksOf ce. He was sentencedto 10 years in prison, 20years probation and wasordered to pay restitu-tion in the amounts of $350,168.72 and $61,550,respectively, to both theDeKalb County Sher-iffs Of ce and the CobbCounty Superior CourtClerks Of ce.

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College baseball coach donateskidney to player at Emory

See Transplant on Page 11A

Has DeKalbTech been a part of your life?

We want to reconnect with youthrough our newly launched

DTC Alumni Association website!

DEKALB TECH ALUMNI

(Degree, Diploma or TCC)

Please Register atdekalbtech.edu/alumni

404-297-9522 x1139

Save 20 %

on the cost of advertising spaceIts our 20th anniversary and

were celebrating by givingadvertisers a 20% discounton advertising space. Contact

us today to find out how.

Attract new customers!

Save20%

John Hewitt 404.373.7779 X [email protected]

Louise Acker 404.373.7779 X [email protected]

*Eight week or longer contract required. Offer does not apply to legal advertising, governmentalentities or other businesses or organizations that already receive a discount and cannot be usedin conjunction with another discounted ad promotion.

by Robert [email protected]

One of this years mostompelling national sportstories didnt take place onfootball eld or basketball

ourt.Emory University Hos-

pital was the backdrop for n event that transcendedports, and drew national

media attention by USAToday , the New York Times ,ESPN and other media out-ets.

Emory doctors performedkidney transplant on Wake

Forest University fresh-man baseball player Kevinohnson , who is a native of

Columbus. Johnsons collegeoach, Tom Walter , was thedonor. The transplant was

done Feb. 7 and both menwere discharged from thehospital by Feb. 12.

The transplant made it possible for [Johnson] to beable to compete at a reallyhigh level again, said Dr.Ken Newell , who performedthe surgery on Walter. Itsa remarkable thing triggered

by the generosity of one person. Transplants used to be strictly a family thing.But now youre seeing more

people connected throughchurch, sports and other ways.

Both Johnsons older brother Brian and his mother Charlene were tested butthey were not a match. Thats

when Walter stepped in.Obviously I knew thiswas the right thing to do

Wake Forest University baseball coach Tom Walter, left, and player Kevin Johnson chat before meet-ing the press last week at Emory University Hospital. Walter donated a kidney to Johnson and thetransplant was done last week at Emory.Photo by Robert Naddra

8/7/2019 Free Press 2-18-11

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Send your comments and/or concerns regarding Comcasts current performance under the current franchise agreement and/or the future cable-related needs and interests of your community to [email protected].

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

with Comcast Cable Communications

340-284780 2/17,2/24jhNOTICE OF PUBLIC SALE

The following motor vehicles,foreclosed pursuant to O.C.G.A.Code Section 40-11-5, will be soldat a public sale in accordance withO.C.G.A. Code Section 40-11-5.

Vin # 1LNHM86S94Y6167652004 Lincoln LSSale will be held at 1:00on 2-28-11Location: 2201 Brockett Rd, Bldg FTucker, GA 30084

Vin # WDBGA51G3XA4070431999 Mercedes S500Sale will be held at 2:30on 2-28-11Location: 3371 West HospitalChamblee, GA 30341

Vin #WVWMA63B7XE27654399 Volks Passat GLSSale will be held at 3:30 on 2-28-11Location: 6110 Buford HwyDoraville, GA 30340

rom day one, Walter said.As long as I had supportrom my family, it was a no-

brainer.Walter made the decision

o be a donor last August,after learning what Johnsonhad been through. Johnsonuffered an auto-immune

disorder that led to kidneyailure. He spent his rstemester at Wake Forest

hooked to a dialysis machineor nine hours a night.

I didnt really knowwhat Kevin had gonehrough, but when I rst

heard the story my mouthwas hanging open, Walter aid. I couldnt believe what

he endured from January toAugust. I come from a strongamily background and I

consider all 35 guys on theeam to be family.Emory doctors expect

both men to be able to makea full recovery and lead nor-mal lives. Dr. Allen Kirk ,who performed the surgeryon Johnson, said the trans-plant will add 10 years toohnsons life.

The rst kidney donationwas done in 1954, and thatdonor died in 2010, Newellaid.

Emory has been fantastico me, Walter said. The

whole thing couldnt havegone better since I steppedon hospital grounds on [Feb.7].

Jordan is not attendingchool at Wake Forest thisemester, but plans to be

back on the team next spring.Kirk projected that Johnsonwill be able to swing a bat ineight weeks.

Before I got sick Iworked out two to three

times a day, Johnson said.It was hard to learn limits.In my mind, I still tried togo as hard as I could, but my

body wouldnt let me.I didnt think about

shortening my life at all,he added. I didnt have adoomsday approach and Itry to stay as positive as pos-sible.

The experience has left both men with different out-looks on life.

Im thankful for coach.I dont have the words for it. Ill de nitely play harder for him and I cant see my

self saying no to him. I tryto complain a lot less. I see

people in a lot worse situ-ation than I am who donthave a donor. I was lucky; Ididnt have to ask anybody.

Said Walter: Baseballis not the No. 1 priority. Itsalways been about Kevinhaving the chance to havea normal life. To ask an18-year-old to be hooked upto a dialysis machine from11 p.m. to 8 a.m. just breaksyour heart. I do believe in di-vine intervention and I think I was meant to be here.

Transplant Continued From Page 10A

Full2/18

New3/4

The Northeast will see mostly clear to partly cloudy skies with scattered rain andsnow today through Saturday, with the highest temperature of 68 in East St. Louis,Ill. The Southeast will see mostly clear to partly cloudy skies today through Saturday,

with the highest temperature of 81 in Ft. Myers, Fla. The Northwest will see widespread rain andsnow today, isolated rain and snow Friday, mostly clear to partly cloudy skies Saturday, with thehighest temperature of 53 in Brookings, Ore. The Southwest will see scattered showers todaythrough Saturday, with the highest temperature of 83 in Carlsbad, N.M.

THURSDAYPartly Cloudy

High: 67 Low: 49

Last2/24

The Champion Weather Feb. 17, 2011Seven Day Forecast

Local UV Index

WEDNESDAYMostly Cloudy

High: 54 Low: 38

TUESDAYPartly Cloudy

High: 58 Low: 39

MONDAYPartly Cloudy

High: 58 Low: 42

SUNDAYMostly Sunny

High: 63 Low: 46

SATURDAYMostly SunnyHigh: 65 Low: 41

FRIDAYMostly Sunny

High: 65 Low: 47

In-Depth Local Forecast Today's Regional Map

Sunrise7:19 a.m.7:18 a.m.7:17 a.m.7:16 a.m.7:15 a.m.

7:14 a.m.7:13 a.m.

Sunset6:23 p.m.6:24 p.m.6:25 p.m.6:26 p.m.6:27 p.m.

6:28 p.m.6:29 p.m.

Moonset6:33 a.m.7:11 a.m.7:47 a.m.8:23 a.m.9:00 a.m.

9:40 a.m.10:23 a.m.

Moonrise5:58 p.m.7:09 p.m.8:21 p.m.9:32 p.m.10:42 p.m.

11:51 p.m. No Rise

First3/12

www.WhatsOurWeather.com

Weather HistoryFeb. 17, 1990 - The biggest winter storm of the season hit the PacificCoast Region. In northernCalifornia, snow fell along thecoast, and two day totals in themountains ranged up to 67 inchesat Echo Summit. Snowfall totals inthe mountains of southernCalifornia ranged up to 48 inchesat Green Valley, with 46 inchesreported at Big Bear.

Weather Trivia

Tonight's Planets

What is the blinding effect of a blizzard called?

Answer: White out.

?

DayThursdayFridaySaturdaySundayMonday

TuesdayWednesday

National Weather Summary This Week

Local Sun/Moon Chart This Week

StarWatch By Gary Becker - High Winter Sky Upon Us

Today we will see partly cloudy skies with ahigh temperature of 67, humidity of 63%.South wind 5 to 10 mph. The record hightemperature for today is 74 set in 1976.Expect partly cloudy skies tonight with anovernight low of 49.

Feb. 18, 1990 - An intense butslow-moving Pacific stormworked its way across Utah over a two day period. The storm

blanketed the valleys with four to 12 inches of snow and pro-duced up to 42 inches of snow inthe mountains. Heavy snow alsofell across northern Arizona.

Have you noticed the days lengthening and that extra bit of afternoon warmth trapped in your car by the time you leave work? The next 60 days are going to see some major changesnearly 2-1/2 hours more daylight, and the sun climbing over 20 degrees higher in the sky at noon. It is also that transition period when we can get some of our biggest snowfalls; so dont think that this is any prognostication for an early spring even though Punxsutawney Phil predicted the end of winter was near. I call this the timeof high winter because, if you venture out of doors right after dark, the winter group of constellations will be spread out before you like a splash of bright glitter high in the

south. Orion, the Hunter, is the centerpiece with its three tipped belt stars, Mintaka (top), Alnilam (middle), and Alnitak (bottom) pointing downward towards Sirius, the brightest luminaryof the night and upward to Aldebaran, the reddish eye of the Bull. Continue past the eye to the Pleiades nestled on Taurus shoulder like a tiny patch of frozen breath in the cold night air.Orions red shoulder star, Betelgeuse, and diamond blue, Rigel, sling you upward to mortal Caster and immortal Pollux, the two faithful Gemini Twin brothers. Amidst all of this bright-ness will also be the moon in the Winter Group during the first half of the week and to its left after Wednesday. Above Orion and nearly scraping the zenith is Capella of Auriga, theCharioteer. They wont be around for too much longer. Not only does the daily plodding of earths position around the sun cause these star patterns to set four minutes earlier each night, but the later sunsets also bring these same stars into visibility later each evening. The rapid changes that will herald the onset of spring will also be manifested in just as rapid an exiting of the old guard. See a map of winters finest in this weeks web edition of StarWatch at www.astronomy.org

Rise SetMercury 7:12 a.m. 5:50 p.m.Venus 4:50 a.m. 2:58 p.m.Mars 7:17 a.m. 6:06 p.m.Jupi ter 9:04 a .m. 9:13 p .m.Saturn 10:00 p.m. 9:46 a.m.Uranus 8:45 a.m. 8:43 p.m.

3 50 - 2 4 6 8 107 9 11+

UV Index0-2: Low, 3-5: Moderate,

6-7: High, 8-10: Very High11+: Extreme Exposure

Atlanta67/49

Decatur67/49

Doraville66/49

Dunwoody65/48 Lilburn

66/49

Snellville67/49

Lithonia68/49Morrow68/49

Smyrna66/49

Hampton69/50

Union City68/49

College Park 68/49

*Last Weeks AlmanacDate Hi Lo Normals PrecipTuesday 42 29 55/35 0.00"Wednesday 46 24 55/35 0.01"Thursday 45 29 56/35 0.03"Friday 47 27 56/36 0.00"Saturday 53 28 56/36 0.00"Sunday 64 28 56/36 0.00"Monday 66 36 57/36 0.00"Rainfall . . . . . . .0.04" Average temp . .40.3 Normal rainfall . .1.12" Average normal 45.7Departure . . . . .-1.08" Departure . . . . .-5.4*Data as reported from De Kalb-Peachtree Airport

Emory University Hospital doctors Allan Kirk and Ken Newell posefor photos with Tom Walter and Kevin Johnson two days after per-forming kidney transplant surgery. Photo by Robert Naddra

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THE CHAMPION FREE PRESS, FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2011 PAGE 12AhEalth

State pumps $73 million into mental health systemby Misty Williams

ATLANTA (AP) Depressedand in physical pain, ElijahReid sat in a state mental hos-pital for monthswaiting for away out.

Then one day last fall, the55-year-old native of Jamaica,a diagnosed paranoid schizo-

phrenic, received good news.Reid qualified for a Medicaidwaiver to transfer to a personalcare home in Stone Mountain not for his mental illness, butbecause he is a paraplegic.

While Reids physical dis-ability opened doors, other mentally ill Georgians haventbeen so fortunate. Many arestuck in institutions when theydont have to be, said Reidsattorney, Sue Jamieson .

That could soon change.The state is pumping nearly

$73 million into an aggressiveeffort to move mentally ill anddevelopmentally disabled indi-

viduals out of mental hospitalsand into the community.Slated to unfold over the

next five years, the effort stemsfrom a precedent-setting agree-ment reached last fall betweenhe state and the U.S. Justice

Department, which began in-vestigating Georgias psychi-atric hospitals after a series of articles in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution revealed the deathsof patients caused by abusehey suffered while under the

states care.Among the goals of the ef-

fort, the state will target 9,000ndividuals with severe mental

llness to help those in hospitalsransition into a communitysetting and support others whoare readmitted to institutionsfrequently, are chronicallyhomeless or are being released

from jail.More than 40 support teams

made up of psychiatrists, nurs-es, peer counselors and other

professionals will help indi-viduals make the transition. Thestate also plans to fund 35 bedsin community hospitals to al-low people to be treated closer to home and have easier access

to specialty care.We want to touch as manyof these individuals as pos-sible, said Frank Shelp , com-missioner of the Department of Behavioral Health & Develop-mental Disabilities.

The changes come at atime when the state is facinga significant budget shortfalland many agencies are facingsevere funding cuts. The de-

partments plan calls for $13.4million in the amended annual

budget and nearly $60 millionin the 2012 budget. The total

price tag is unclear, however, because other agencies will also

play key roles, Shelp said.These are the hardest of economic times, he said. Our

budgets are tight. ... If we canachieve this now at this point intime, it really points to hope for individuals in the future.

The changes have been slowin coming, advocates say.

This is a crucial step increating a 21st-century men-tal health system, said TalleyWells , an attorney with the At-lanta Legal Aid Society.

We basically have an 1800ssystem, where we lock peopleup and thats the only placethey can get treatment, Wells

said.For years, people were be-ing confined for long periodsof timesometimes decades without getting better and withno way to transition into the

community, he said.People were dying, said El-

lyn Jeager , director of public policy and advocacy at MentalHealth America of Georgia.

One young man on suicidewatch left a state mental hospi-tal, went to Piedmont Park andhanged himself, she said. Whowas watching? Who was pay-

ing attention?Then in 1999, the U.S. Su- preme Court ruled in a Georgiacase that it was unconstitutionalto institutionalize people withdevelopmental disabilitieswho were capable of livingin a community setting. TwoGeorgia women who had beenhospitalized sued Tommy Ol-mstead , then the commissioner of the state Department of Hu-man Resources.

Starting in 2007, in a seriesof articles called A HiddenShame , the AJC revealed thatdozens of mentally ill patientsin state hospitals died from

abuse and the state was slow to provide community-based care.The Justice Department beganan investigation, and the stateultimately created a new mentalhealth agency.

The state has made somestrides.

In the past year, the 30-dayhospital readmission rate hasdropped from 16 percent to

below 10 percent, and there has been a 20 percent drop in thenumber of people entering hos-

pitals, Shelp said.Changes may be under way,

but advocates remain skeptical.I think they have to prove

themselves, Jeager said.Starting in July, the statewill stop admitting people withdevelopmental disabilities who have lifelong mental or

physical impairments that pre-

vent them from living on their owninto institutions.

As part of the agreement,the state will also provide upto 750 new waivers to move

people with developmental dis-abilities such as cerebral palsyor autism out of institutions.

Nearly 1,800 people are in statemental hospitalsmore than

670 have developmental dis-abilities.An additional 400 waivers

will be made available to helpdevelopmentally disabled indi-viduals who already live in thecommunity but are in danger of being institutionalized for various reasons, such as an ag-ing parent who can no longer

provide care.One hundred waivers a year

arent enough, said Pat Nobbie ,deputy director of the GeorgiaCouncil on DevelopmentalDisabilities. There is alreadya waiting list of 5,700 peoplewaiting for services, who could

fall into risk at any time, Nob- bie said.Finding enough affordable

housing for those transitioningfrom hospitals will also be achallenge, she said.

Ultimately, getting peopleinto the community could bea savings for the state, Nobbieadded. Hospitalizing an indi-vidual can cost anywhere from$75,000 to $150,000 a year enough to fund three people ina community setting, she said.

Jamieson, with the AtlantaLegal Aid Society, said oneof her biggest concerns is theclosure of Northwest Georgia

Regional Hospital in Romeslated for June 30, a move thatis expected to save the state$5.5 million. Available housingneeds to be in place before itcloses, she said.

Shelp, the behavioral healthcommissioner, emphasized thatthough June 30 is the proposedclosure date for the Rome facil-ity, the hospital would not beshuttered until support teamsand other services were in

place. We are not on a timeline to close Rome to savemoney, he said.

Tom Wilson , a spokesmanfor the department, said thathousing supports wouldnt be

put in place until later, althoughmany patients are only there for three to six days and wont be

prevented from being released because of a lack of housing.

Advocates say they are cau-tiously optimistic but are wait-ing to see how plans unfold.

It could be a whole newworld for people like ElijahReid, Jamieson said.

Today, Reid is a transformedman.

He was wary and quietwhen he first came to the group

home, said administrator Mi-chael Brown with UnlimitedLoving Care, which runs theStone Mountain facility.

But he came to see his newsurroundings as home and hisroommates as a family.

The staff occasionally evencooks Jamaican food for him.Over the months, he just blos-somed, Brown said.

While Reid is happy in hisnew setting, he still hopes tohave a slice of the Americandream.

I would like to live ina home of my own at some

point, he said. I want to be

independent.

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Family rejoices at miracle recoveryby Matt Amato

The mother of a LakesideHigh School student whoshocked doctors after wakingfrom a coma Feb. 8 in stablecondition has described her sons re-covery as nothing short of a miracle.

No doubt in my mind, VirginiaSowell told The Champion . Truly amiracle.

Thomas Sowell had been inGrady Hospital for 10 days with acritical head injury following a Jan.30 snowboarding accident in NorthCarolina, where he traveled with hisBoy Scout troop.

During that time, the Sowell fam-ly had been braced for the worst ashe community rallied in support.

I just about fainted to the oor,said Virginia Sowell, describing themoment Thomas rst opened his eyesas she sat by his bedside. I wentfrom the lowest low to the highest

high. Our kid is still there.Sowell coherently respondedo doctors questions: his name, age,

where he went to school. But his rstwords were to ask for a chemistry text

book.Since then, hes been on Face-

book with friends, played computer games and even complained of bore-dom.

Everybody was telling us that itwould take two years [for a recovery]and that hed be different, said Vir-ginia Sowell. All that has come to

pass.Doctors, too, were shocked by

his rate of recovery, she said, which,given the extent of his injury, typi-cally causes far more serious side ef-fectsassuming a patient ever wakesfrom coma.

Shortly after the young man wastransported to Grady from a hospitalnear Asheville, N.C., Thomas con-dition had initially worsened with alung infection, which further worrieddoctors.

A prayer service at Oak GroveUnited Methodist Church, where theSowell family are active members,

was held within days of the accident.Many attendees were in tears,and at one point, the lled hall liftedcandles in a display of solidarity. A

blog, Pray For Thomas, was also es-

tablished, giving the community dailyupdates of Sowells condition.

It was an amazing event, saidVirginia Sowell, recollecting the

prayer service. It wasnt only thechurch community [that attended].A lot of kids from Lakeside werethereyou could feel the holy spiritcoming through, touching every-

body.While Sowells recovery has ex-

ceeded expectations, it is not yet clear when he will be able to go back toschool.

According to Virginia Sowell,doctors have been reluctant to put atimeline on a complete recovery, withThomas still feeling disorientated atnight and suffering mild visual com-

plaints.He faces several weeks of rehabil-

itation, in which time a clearer evalu-ation of any damage, such as short-term memory loss, will be made.

However, Virginia Sowell feels

those the initial signs are excellent.Our next goal is to nd out whenhe can come home, she said. Thenwe can determine when he can go toschool.

akeside High student Thomas Sowell woke from a coma last week after suffering a serious head injury from a snowboardingccident. Photo provided

we are as fast as the slowest person.Scott] stays in the back so they donteel pressure.

Harteld and Scott are certiedy the Sierra Club as outings leaders,nd Harteld has undergone addi-ional training through the Wilderness

Medical Institute in wilderness rst

id. They stay in touch with their egular hikers and those new to thectivity through an online newsletter nd a new website (www.harteldshi-

kers.com).This spring Harteld and Scott

plan to launch a midweek activity thatthey are tentatively calling a Wonder-ful Wilderness Walk, designed for those who are 46 and older. They arealso planning to scout a new loca-tion in North Carolina. Other plans

in 2011 include hikes and overnightstays at Len Foote Hike Inn at Amica-lola Falls State Park in Dawsonville.

Harteld has incorporated her passion for the environment into her

vacations and getaways. In February,she took part in a beach clean-up onCumberland Island that was spon-sored by the Georgia Conservancyand REI, which she called a combina-tion of fun, tness and friendship.

She helped clear trails and cutleaves from palm trees.

I had the most marvelous time,said Harteld describing camping in20- 30-degree weather with a brightmoon overhead. It was enjoyablework.

www.championnewspaper.com THE CHAMPION FREE PRESS, FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2011 A Section Page 13A

Hiking Continued From Page 1A

RecContinued From Page 1A

Robinson, 62, was a former MissTobie Grant beauty pageant winner atthe age of 10. She credits her experiencesat the recreation center with motivatingher to attend college. Robinson earned amasters degree from Jacksonville Stateand a doctorate of education degree fromVanderbilt University.

In this dismal economical time, themoney should be spent on things thatwould guarantee us all a safe and prosper-ous future, Robinson said.

Other than people supporting TobieGrant, only two people spoke out againstthe budget during a board of commission-ers meeting last week.

DeKalb resident Joe Arrington , axture at government meetings, said hewas concerned with the budgets antici-

pated revenue.I dont think youre going to receive

the revenue thats anticipated, Arringtonsaid. We havent received the anticipatedrevenue for the last two years.

Arrington urged the commissioners tohold back expenditures in order to makeends meet.

Jeff Wiggs, president of the DeKalbFraternal Order of Police, said he was con-cerned about the impact of the economyon crime.

Theres going to be more foreclo-sures, Wiggs said. We have more tocome. We havent seen the bottom of thisyet. The economy is not going to jump

back and relieve itself this year or next.Wiggins said vacant houses breed

crime and the police department is alreadyspread thin.

Wiggins also criticized a proposal byEllis to give a one-time $250 bonus for master police ofcers who have been at thetop of their pay range for a year or more.

Since the police department has ayoung force, there are not many ofcerswho would benet from that bonus, Wig-gins said, calling the proposal a shellgame.

According to Burke Brennan , thecountys chief communications ofcer, the

police department has 512 master policeofficers. The department has approxi-mately 1,100 sworn police ofcers and500 support staff employees, the countyswebsite states.

Ellis bonus for master police ofcerswould cost the county $128,000.

Commissioner Lee May , who is the

chairman of the boards nance, audit,& budget committee, said he was disap- pointed in the publics input at the rst of two budget hearing today before the full

board of commissioners. The second andnal hearing will be on Feb. 22, shortly

before the board votes on the budget.But by time of the second hearing, the

decisions about the budget will alreadyhave been made, May said.

In addition to the public hearings, resi-dents have had at least a dozen opportuni-ties to attend various budget workshopsand town hall meetings all over DeKalb.

Reviewing and approving the budgetis the commissioners top job, May said.

Whether its repaving a road, xing

potholes, or adding police presence, it allgoes back to the countys budget, Maysaid.

This really lays the foundation for thedirection of our government, May said.

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THE CHAMPION FREE PRESS, FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2011 PAGE 14AEDuCatiON

International recognitionHanging in The Russian

Museum is an inspiringpainting that Georgia Perim-ter College student Cedric

Brown said mirrors his life,hopes and accomplishments.

In November, Brownsainting, As The Twig

Bends, So The Tree In-

lines, became a permanentdisplay in the museum in St.Petersburg, Russia. A printof the work is also displayedt the United States Consul

General in St. Petersburg.The works title de-

cribes my life and how Im pursuing art as a career,

Brown said. In the paint-ng, I put a twig from a treen a neighborhood wherehave a lot of childhood

memories. I used differentolors to represent brushtrokes on the tree and twig.

As the tree inclines, one canee red, blue, yellow, green,nd purple all over the

branches of the tree. Each

color represents me continu-ing to seek opportunities,increase artistic skills, de-velop my con dence, growspiritually and gain wisdomand knowledge.

After graduating fromhigh school, Brown origi-nally planned to attend Sa-

vannah College of Art andDesign but found the tu-ition too costly. Instead, hechose Georgia Perimeter tocontinue his art education.Brown said he found thatGPC offered more towardhis artistic growth than hehad anticipated.

At Georgia Perimeter Ive learned new techniquesin drawing and painting,such as cross-hatching,Brown said. I was intro-duced to different mediums,such as oils. I also learnedhow to better accept criti-cism on my artwork fromthe numerous critiques.Most of all, I learned how to

represent my artwork better and explain it better as well.I understand what type of art sells, and what makes acomposition strong.

Lorraine Brennan ,foundation instructor for

ne arts at GPC, saidBrowns drive is a key to his

success.Hes really very opento learning and growing,Brennan said. He is a veryserious and self-motivatedstudent. He absorbs instruc-tion but is very independent.Hes has been a wonderfulstudent.

Browns talent was brought to the attention of The Russian Museum whenC. Linden Longino , inter-national program director atthe Youth Art Connection inAtlanta, showed the work to the director of the YouthArt Center of the RussianMuseum. Longino said thedirector liked the painting

and wanted to add it to themuseums permanent collec-tion.

International recognitionwas not the only good newsBrown got in 2010. In Sep-tember, Brown traveled toWashington D.C where hewas awarded the Congres-

sional Black Caucus VisualArts Scholarship. In Wash-ington, Brown shared thestage with other great artistsincluding Alice Walkerand Robert Townsend . Thescholarship gives Brown$3,000 to use toward hiscontinued art education.

Along with his GPCinstructors, Brown creditshis mentors with aiding hisgrowth.

I have ve mentors, whoshare wisdom and knowl-edge through personal sto-ries and sharing literature,Brown said. They helpedme make my communitycollege decision. Two of my

mentors are famous African-American artists. The Olym-

pic artist Steve Allen givesme great tips on business,con dence in my work andfundamental techniques of drawing and painting.

Another mentor, GilbertYoung , preaches against

complacency, saying alwaystry to create something bet-ter and be competitive in my

eld, Brown said.Brown also helps others.

He volunteers with Men-toring Atlanta which helpsmiddle school students stayon course.

I try to give them goodadvice and help them think about their future careers,Brown said. With all I havelearned over the years, thetwig has bent, and I, thetree, will continue to incline.I was destined to be an in-ternational artist, and I willcontinue to grow in my art-work and gain accolades.

Art imitates life for Georgia Perimeter College student

Georgia Perimeter College fine arts student CedricBrown earned international recognition after one of his paintings was chosen to be part of the permanentexhibit at The Russian Museum in St. Petersburg,Russia. Photo provided

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THE CHAMPION FREE PRESS, FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2011 PAGE 15AbuSiNESS

Olens talks about his new roleas Georgia attorney general

Theres no magic lamp, but this geniehelps make artistic wishes come trueby Kathy [email protected]

Elisha Fields said she hadlots of different jobs over theyears, but few of them reallysuited her. I like the ideaof being my own boss, shesaid.

Over the years Fieldsirted with art, but did not

pursue it seriously until shemoved to the Atlanta area13 years ago. I took a lotof classes; I wanted to learnas much as I could. I wentthrough a period when I justwanted to draw night andday. My husband would callme and remind me to eat,said Fields, whos now aresident of Tucker and hasconverted her basement to anart studio.

As she pursued her interest in art, an opportunityto combine her drawingwith her business skills

beyond selling the worksthemselvesemerged.Copying the work of

other artists, Fields said, isan excellent way to learn.A time honored techniquefor copying, especiallywhen producing a copylarger than the original, isthe grid method. The artistplaces a grid over the sourcematerial, reducing it to aseries of squares. Then agrid is drawn on the new artsurface allowing the artist to

reproduce the work square bysquare.

The problem, Fields pointed out, is that drawingthe grid lines, then erasingthem when the work had beensketched, is tedious and timeconsuming. We artists wantto get on with the creative

part, not spend our timeerasing lines, Fields said.

The solution that Fieldsfound through a lengthy trial-and-error process was whatshe has named the SketchGenie, a moveable grid thatcan simply be lifted once thesketch is done and can bereused an inde nite number of times. She recommendsusing it only with pencildrawings so that paintsdont get on the grid lines.Artists can nish the work with paints after the gridis removed. The lines, sheexplained, are made withan elastic material so that

a pencil slides easily under them.Fields now produces the

grids in a variety of sizesand offers them throughworkshops that she conductsaround the country. Althoughshe teaches people to usethe Sketch Genie at her workshops, she said thetechnique is easy enough for a person to order the materialon-line and work fromwritten instructions.

Fields has applied for a

patenta process she saidmay take yearsand shehas tried to nd a companythat can manufacture theSketch Genie. Because themanufacturing proposalsshe has received so far havenot been cost effective, shecontinues to manufacture the

product by hand.Its a system that can be

useful for beginners as wellas for experienced artists,Fields said, adding that evenchildren have no problemusing the system. At one of my workshops, I had a little

boy write on his commentcard, Thank you for doingthis, she recalled.

Although her SketchGenie business nowconsumes a good deal of her timeshes even hired

part-time help to assist with building the gridsFieldshas not left her rst love, art.

Fields said she still spends

much of her time paintingand selling her work, whichshe said involves more than

just putting a price and a for sale sign on the items.

I like to spend timet

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