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WWW.CHAMPIONNEWSPAPER.COM FRIDAY, JUNE 17, 2011 VOL. 14, NO. 12 FREE

FREEPRESS A PUBLICATION OF ACE III COMMUN ICATIONS

See Taxes on Page 13A

y Robert [email protected]

Jeff Durmer often heard the sounds ofairplanes whizzing overhead when he tookhis son to swimming practice at the Dy-namo Swim Club in Chamblee.

This year Durmer decided to takehis son, 11-year-old Jeffrey, to DeKalb

Peachtree Airports Good Neighbor Dayo see the planes up close. The pair were

among the thousands who attended thevent June 4, which featured an air show

and a display of vintage World War II air-raft.

Weve seen the planes go over theool all the time so we thought wed come

out and see them here, Jeff Durmer said.Its a lot of fun; were enjoying it.

Durmer said Jeffrey had an interest

in seeing the old war planes because hisgrandfather was in the Navy in World WarII and stationed in the south Pacic on anaircraft carrier.

In addition to the planes on display, theair show featured several pilots wowing thecrowd with stunts such as barrel rolls, loopsand ying upside down. One of the pilots,Skip Stewart, was known for being the

rst pilot to y under a jumping motorcycleat an air show.

Stewarts most popular trick at GoodNeighbor Day was ying his plane inan upright position about 10 feet off theground.

The air show denitely made an im-pression on the younger Durmer.

Hes starting to wonder if he wants tobe a pilot now, Jeff Durmer said of his son.

Just plane fun:

Thousands of visitors endured heat in the mid 90s at the annual Good Neighbor Day atDeKalb Peachtree Airport where an air show and vintage aircraft were the draw. Photos byRobert Naddra

Large crowd enjoys Good Neighbor Day

2011 Stone MountainPark laser showcombines old favoritesequences withstunning new effectsby Kathy Mitchell

Although the Atlanta Jour-nal-Constitution called StoneMountain Park one of 35 Nat-ural Wonders in Georgia YouMust See Before You Die, itsthe parks manmade wondersthat visitors often come to see.

This summer, there areseveral reasons for even fre-quent visitors to return and beamazed all over again. Headingthe list is the Lasershow Spec-tacularTM in Mountainvisionthat opened Memorial Dayweekend.

Crowds have been ockingto Stone Mountain Park formore than quarter of a centuryto see the laser show projectedagainst the carving of Confed-erate heroes on the face of themountain. Seen by more than25 million people since 1983,according to park ofcials, themulti-million-dollar spectacleis the worlds longest runninglaser show and Stone MountainParks signature event.

The new show is to the orig-inal as Wii is to Atari Games.According to park ofcials itsopening marks the rst time

such a combination of multi-dimensional digital projection,

laser systems, lighting systems,

special effects, sound systemsand pyrotechnics has appearedanywhere in the world. Thosewho were impressed to seelaser images that appeared tohave Robert E. Lee and theothers gallop off the mountainare likely be truly wowed asthe mountain appears at timesto open up, letting objects yin and out, and as the mountainat points appears to crumblebefore their very eyes.

What park ofcials callMountainvision technology isshowcased in a segment thattakes viewers through an imag-ined history of the mountain inwhich it appears to crack openand have lava pouring from theEarths crust. The lava fadesinto a tropical scene, then intoan ice cave. Finally, the moun-tain appears to open up to afuturistic city of Atlanta com-plete with ying spacecraft.

Gerald Rakestraw, StoneMountain Parks vice presidentand general manager, said,We are using all the tools inour arsenaldigital projec-tion, lasers, special effects andpyrotechnics in one of the most

spectacular settings and withan 825-foot granite backdrop.

See Stone Mountain on Page 14A

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The Champion Free Press, Friday, June 17, 2011 Page 2AnEWs

Drug Court helps addicts kick habit

Choosefromover100careerpaths

$75percredithour

ApplybyJuly19thforFallSemester

DeKalb Technical College404-297-9522

www.dekalbtech.edu

Enroll.

by Andrew [email protected]

After more than

30 incarcerations inDeKalb and Gwinnettcounties and two prisonentences, Jo Webb

was ready to kick her30-year dependency oncocaine, heroine andmethamphetamine.

I was pretty muchdisowned by my wholefamily, said Webb, whos 51. It was pretty cha-

otic.Unemployed for 20

years, Webb supported

her drug habit with theftand Social Securitychecks her children re-ceived after her husbandcommitted suicide. And

during that time, Webbwas in and out of drugrehabilitation programs,most of which were 30-day in-patient sessions.

The rehabilitationprograms were like nodope and then they putyou back on the streets,Webb said. Any timeI was released fromprison or rehab, I wentstraight back to drugs.

Now, Webb has beensober for 21 months and

has set a personal recordfor keeping a job14months and countingas a sales associate forUniform City.

Webbs recent andcontinuing success is aresult of Drug Court, atwo-year drug treatmentand alternative sentenc-ing program offered andsupervised by DeKalbSuperior Court.

DeKalbs DrugCourt, started in 2002by then-Judge Robert J.Castellani, has gradu-ated 100 participants.

The program is de-signed to serve true ad-

Group helps seniors with home repairsby Andrew [email protected]

The roof on the Ellen-wood house Sarah and BillWyatt have lived in since1993 was embarrassing.

It had three layers ofcrumbling shingles. Thewood was rotting. The Wy-atts even resorted to cover-ng parts of the posts in the

carport with duct tape.If you saw the roof,

t looked like the houseshould have been con-demned, Sarah Wyattsaid. It was terrible.

That was before theroof and posts were re-placed a contractor chosenby Senior Connections, anon-prot organization thatserves senior residents bypreparing and delivering2,500 meals daily; provid-ng 40,000 hours annually

of in-home care; and oper-ating ve DeKalb Countysenior centers.

Using funding fromseveral sources, SeniorConnections also provideshome repairs for more than200 homes.

When Sarah Wyattheard about Senior Con-nections from a friend lastyear, she called the organi-zation, but was told therewas no money available tohelp her. Then she receiveda call from Senior Connec-tions this year informingher that funds were avail-able to cover the approxi-mately $13,000 to x herhouse.

Now, Im not goingto be embarrassed to in-vite somebody from mychurch, Wyatt said. Ivebeen calling everybody.The workers did a wonder-ful job.

The home repair pro-grams are all about keep-ing seniors independent,said Sally Eggleston,Senior Connections chiefmarketing ofcer.

Eggleston said herorganization began theprogram when they discov-ered that seniors needing

handyman services or moreextensive home repair weregetting ripped off and didnot know who to call.

Senior Connections has

two home repair programs.In one program, the orga-nization provides the repairservices completed by li-censed and bonded skilledworkers. There is usuallya waiting list for this pro-gram as funds are limited.

In the other program,called Fix-It Connection,seniors who can afford topay for repairs can choosefrom contractors preselect-ed by Senior Connections,which guarantees the work.

We are able to workwith these people to nd anoutlet to take care of theiremergency, said BonnyRobichaud, chief nancialofcer.

Peter Schneider, man-ager of Fix-It Connection,said programs benet se-niors who are able to stayin their homes. And thecommunity benets whenhomes are not abandonedand property values are notlowered.

Its a huge benet tothe taxpayer, Schneidersaid. Sometimes we cantx everything. Be we cer-tainly can help.

dicts instead of someonewho is more criminal,said DeKalb SuperiorCourt Judge C. J. Becker.

All participants in theprogram are non-violent,

See Drug Court on Page 3A

Superior Court Judge C. J. Becker questions participants of the countys Drug Court, a two-year program aimed at providing non-violent, felony-level offenders rehabilita-ion and accountability. Photo by Andrew Cauthen

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www.championnewspaper.com The Champion Free Press, Friday, June 17, 2011 Page 3A

Serial bank robber arrested in DeKalb

by Daniel [email protected]

John David Nor-man, the son of formerDoraville MayorJesseNorman, was arrestedJune 1 on charges ofbestiality and possess-ng child pornography.

It was reportedhat police were calledo Normans home

because he was act-ng in a suspiciousmanner. When they

arrived and entered thehome police were saidto have found a video-tape containing foot-age of Norman havingsex with two GermanShepherds and imagesof naked children on acomputer disc.

According toDoraville Police Of-cerGene Callaway,56-year-old Norman

was arrested at hishome at 2690 BonnieAve. on ve counts

of sexual exploitationof a child, one countof bestiality and onecount of aggravatedcruelty to animals.

Norman was thentransported to jail. ADeKalb County Mag-istrate Court judge is-sued him an $110,000bond and a temporaryprotective order to stayaway from children

who are under the ageof 18 and all animalsand livestock.

felony-level offenders.Drug Court has two tracks that deal

with two kinds of drug users. Track 1 isfor the user who has a lengthy, nonviolentcriminal history. This person has very fewprotection factors such as family and jobs;and has a high risk of recidivism.

Track 2 works with the functioningdrug user who is able to keep a job andwhose family has been dealing the drugproblem.

They havent lost everything yet, buttheyre on their way to losing everything,said Andrew Cummings, executive direc-tor of Drug Court.

Both programs are very tough, Cum-mings said. This is tougher than proba-tionmany of the participants will tell youits tougher than prisonbecause theyrebeing held accountable.

Participants receive a customized treat-ment plan which may include job search

help, family counseling and the require-ment to obtain a GED.

We get to the root of the problem ofwhy they picked up the drug in the firstplace, Becker said.

If we just stop you from using drugswhile youre in the programyoure goingto go back to using drugs, Becker contin-ued. Drug addicts that are incarcerated areoff drugs in prison, but pick up the habitwithin 72 hours of their release. If we justkeep them sober and off drugs for a coupleof years, it doesnt work.

The Drug Court has been recognizedfor its results: fewer than 20 percent of itsgraduates have been rearrested; and 75 per-cent of participants complete the two-yearprogram.

The total cost of the program is $25 perday for each participant. Grants and com-munity resources cover 70 percent of thecost, while the county pays the remaining$8.50 per day cost.

During a recent session of Drug Court,Becker began by giving an encouragingtalk to the participants during which theywere encouraged to respond to her ques-tions.

What is the toughest thing youve gotto do sometimes with (friends who are do-ing drugs) when you cared about doingdrugs? Becker asked. Drop them fromyour life. Its tough stuff and its hard.

Its a very therapeutic courtroom,Cummings said.

The participants in Drug Court comefrom diverse backgrounds: doctors, law-yers, college students and graduates, mid-dle school dropouts, males and females.

What they all have in commonis theyre all addicts, Cummings said.Their primary focus prior to coming intothe Drug Court was feeding and supportingtheir addictions. That was a priority overtheir children. That was a priority over ca-reer.

Webb, who is expected to graduate fromDrug Court in January, is grateful for theprogram and her counselor.

I dont know what their secret is, butit works, Webb said. All my life, I neverowned up to anything. Now, I just want toset an example for once in my life.

Son of former Doraville mayor

arrested for bestiality, child porn

John David Norman

Drug CourtContinued From Page 9Aby Daniel Beauregard

[email protected]

A Hampton man was ar-rested on June 3 for robbinghree banks in DeKalb County

over the past several weeks

and stealing an ambulance as agetaway car.

Ceaser Merckson, 38,was booked into the DeKalbCounty Jail on June 3 onhree counts of felony rob-

bery charges. Bail was set at$25,000 for each count.

According to Mekka Par-sh, spokeswoman for DeKalb

County Police, Merckson was

arrested after a Crime Stoppersreport aired on television June2. Parish said that soon afterthe report aired police receivednumerous tips that led to thesuspects arrest late Fridaynight.

We believe he is respon-sible for robbing a Wells FargoBank on May 24, a Bank ofAmerica on May 27 and a Sun-Trust Bank on June 2, Parishsaid.

Parish said that in each ofthe instances he walked in andpresented a note to the tellerwho then presented him anundisclosed amount of money.

In each case, after robbing thebank Merckson left the prem-ises on foot with the bag ofmoney.

After Merckson robbedBank of America, he thenreportedly went to the North

Georgia Medical Transportbuilding at 1336 ColumbiaDrive and stole an ambulanceto use as a getaway car, whichwas found later by police.

The Wells Fargo Bank andthe Bank of America are locat-ed across the street from eachother on Columbia Drive. TheSunTrust Bank is on Rock-bridge Road.

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Trump and Palin similaritiesby Judge Greg Mathis

The political sideshows known as DonaldTrump and Sarah Palin recently met in one ofthe busiest spots on the planet New Yorks TimeSquare for a little conversation andpizza. No one is really sure what thetwo discussedperhaps they marveledat all they have in common.

On the surface, the two couldntseem more different. Trump is a busi-ness mogul, known for his real estateprowess. Palin is a small-town politi-cian who was thrust into the spotlightwhen she was picked as SenatorJohnMcCains running mate during the

2008 elections. But look closer andyoull see that the two seemed to be cut from thevery same attention-seeking cloth.

Palin, who is the middle of her mystery OneNation bus tour of America, and the tycoon rstmet at his upscale home then ventured out fortheir Pizza Summit. With the media watching,Palin said she and Trump both share a love forAmerica and a desire to see our economy putback on the right track.

Their similarities run much deeper. Trump andPalin have both become distractions in the justgetting started presidential race, making outra-geous claims and creating political controversiesthat are forcing their colleagues in the Republicanparty to keep their distance. From Palins cross-hairs slip up to Trumps continued challenge ofPresident Obamas credentials, the two havemanaged to keep themselves in the news. Manyof their comments have been so outrageous thatone can only assume they are making them for

the sole purpose of getting attention. Trump, afterall, and his show The Apprentice has been a real-ity star staple for the last several years; Palin is anewbie to the scene but seems to be capitalizingon her 15 minutes with television appearances

coming one after the other. When youhave two people who seem so addicted tothe media, its no surprise that theyll doanything to keep the cameras focused onthem.

Another similarity the two share:confusion around just how serious thetwo are about politics. Outside of his ra-bid supporters, very few people seriouslythought Trump was going to run for thenations highest ofce in 2012. Many feel

the same about Palin; they dont know ifher tour will end with her tossing her hat in thering or if shes setting herself up for her next real-ity show.

It is ironic that Trump and Palin both claimto love America so much when they, by their ac-tions and words, are guilty of distracting the coun-try from focusing on issues that matter. Insteadof covering Trumps rants or Palins incoherentsound bites, the media should be shedding lighton more serious concerns, like education or theeconomy. But how can they when you have two ofthe biggest media hogs feeding you with contentday after day?

We can only hope that media fascination withthe two will die down soon. Then, we can all be-

gin to talk about things that matter.Judge Greg Mathis currently provides legaladvice to more than three million listeners onthe Steve Harvey Morning Show and also on hiswebsite, www.askjudgemathis.com.

Mathis

The Newslady

Honoring fathers

On Saturday, June 18, from 9until noon, the men of Omega Psi PhiFraternity Inc. will be hosting a giantally at the capitol in honor of fathers.

One can get legal advice, consultwith child advocacy groups, talk withmployment recruiters and undergo

health screenings.The fraternity is hoping to attract at

east 5,000 people. We should support

his effort and make a strong statementhat many fathers are present and

accounted for in their childrens lives.Each year in this space I salute men

who exemplify the qualities of a goodfather. Some are familiar to you andome are not. Here is my 2011 list:

President Barack Obama,Congressman Hank Johnson,

Congressman John Lewis, SheriffThomas Brown, former Gov. RoyBarnes, former Attorney General

Thurbert Baker, former LaborCommissionerMichael Thurmond,DeKalbCEO Burrell Ellis,District Attorney Robert James,Rawn Hairston, Al Ashe, MonteRichardson, Kevin Rowson, PaulCrawley, CommissionerLarryJohnson, CommissionerLee May,Imam Plemin El Amin, Phil Levetan,Gregory Levett, Kenley Waller,David Chesnut, Rev. WilliamFlippin, Rev. Gerald Durley,Richard Davis, Wendell Middleton,Brad Davis, Lee Sanders, formerJudge Robert Castellani, Rep. BillyMitchell, Rep. Earnest Williams,Rev. Joseph Lowery, Sen. Emanuel

Jones, Brad Bryant, Porter andBrandon Sanford, Tom Cutts,Robert Brown, Matthew Ware,Jo Jo Johnson, Dale Cardwell,Bryan Johnson, Attorney XavierDicks, Rev. Stephen Dial, Sen.Ronald Ramsey, AmbassadorDavidAdleman, Rev. Raleigh Rucker,Lank Atkins, Bill Carter, Dr.

Thomas Coleman, Dr. Glenn Dowell,Byron Jones Sr., Dr. Earl Glenn,Joel Edwards, Joey Edwards, Bob

Miles, Attorney Timothy McCalep,Rev. Jessie Curney III, Rev. JerryBlack, Maj. David Haigler, Dr.Eugene Walker, Reggie Peagler,John Evans and Judge GregoryAdams.

I could name many more. Butthe aforementioned are just a fewstandouts who have been the symbolicpriests, rabbis, imams and pastorsof their families by living exemplaryGod-centered lives and modeling fortheir children from their various faithtraditions.

These men are providers for theirfamilies. They toil daily in theirrespective elds to give their families

the necessities of life. They work longhours under sometimes dangerous,thankless and undesirable conditions.

These men are protectors of theirfamilies. Women and children lookto them in times of crisis. There is adegree of comfort in knowing that Dadwill resolve issues at school, with arepairman or a quarrelsome neighbor.

There is a sense of security during astorm when the lights go out and Dadhas a ashlight or a candle in the dark.

Our dads are in the stands forthat championship game or in theaudience for honors day or a concertperformance. Perhaps he just joinsin a game of corner hoops or givesgolf lessons. He dances with you atthe debutante ball or a whirl aroundthe living room. He demonstrates aWindsor knot or how to change a tire.Let us not forget our warrior fatherswho protect the freedoms we too oftentake for granted.

So try to join the rally at the capitolon Saturday, June 18. Then Sunday,take Dad to dinner. Take him shing.Give cards or purchase cologne.Whatever or however we honor our

great Dads, the important thing is thatwe do or say something to let themknow how special they are in ourlives. Happy Fathers Day!

Steen Miles, The Newslady, is aretired journalist and former Georgiastate senator. Contact Steen Milies [email protected].

The Champion Free Press, Friday, June 17, 2011 Page 4AOPINION

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One Mans Opinion

Throw Grandma from the train?

Let Us Know What You Think!

THE CHAMPION FREE PRESSencourages opinionsfrom its readers. Please write to us and express yourviews. Letters should be brief, typewritten and containthe writers name, address and telephone number forverification. All letters will be considered for publication.

Send Letters To Editor, The Champion Free Press, P. O. Box 1347,Decatur, GA 30031-1347; Send E-Mail to [email protected]

FAX To: (404) 370-3903 Phone: (404) 373-7779

Deadline for news releases and advertising: Thursday, one week priorto publication date.

EDITORS NOTE: The opinions written by columnists and contributingeditors do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editor or publishers.The Publisher reserves the right to reject or cancel any advertisement atany time. The Publisher is not responsible for unsolicited manuscripts.

Publisher: Dr. Earl D. Glenn

Managing Editor: Kathy Mitchell

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Production Manager: Kemesha Hunt

Graphic Designer: Travis Hudgons

The Champion Free Press is published eachFriday by ACE III Communications, Inc.,

114 New Street, Suite E, Decatur, GA. 30030

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FREEPRESS

The most successfulpolitician is he who sayswhat everybody is thinkingmost often and in the loud-est voice, Theodore Roos-evelt, 26th president of theUnited States (1858-1919).

Teddy Roosevelt was aRepublican, his fth cousinF.D.R., a Democrat. BothRoosevelts on occasion hadhe ability to rise above par-

y, seeking compromise andupport from the other side

of the aisle, for the greatergood of our nation. Thoughbi-partisanship continues toeceive a great deal of lipervice, expect the swordso come out early for the

campaign of 2012.This White House and

Democrats will be posi-ioned as willfully spending

our country into oblivion.And the Democraticesponse-in-the-making fo-

cuses on Mediscare andhrowing grandma off therain. TV spots have already

aired in a New York con-gressional special electiono ll an open seat, featuring

a smiling Republicanthrowing grandma,in her wheelchair,off of a cliff. Seniorcitizens, though

not a monolithic orpartisan block, arethe most loyal andfrequent voters in thecountry.

But before looking for-ward, lets look briey back-ward at a major policy gapand the last White Houseled by a Democrat (thenPresident Bill Clinton) fac-ing a hostile RepublicanCongress. The issue of thatday was welfare reformand trying to turn that pro-gram back into temporaryassistance and training toget folks back on their feet.The buzz word of that day,in Georgia and other states,was converting welfare intoworkfare and requiringable-bodied recipients toperform some type of workor community service in ex-change for benets.

In 1996, President Clin-ton and the GOP Congresscompromised to transformthe Aid to Families with De-pendent Children (AFDC)program into block grantsback to the states. At the

time, mushrooming AFDCbudgets were threateningstate budget balancing inmuch the same way thatMedicaid is today. Critics

argued that this was simplyan attempt to mandate andcost-shift, and the feds werestarting a harmful race tothe bottom by gutting the

safety net.The resulting new pro-gram, Temporary Assistancefor Needy Families (TANF)has been a remarkable suc-cess. Even with this soureconomy, the numbers onformer welfare rolls havedecreased by two thirds.By 2006, real federal andstate combined spending onTANF was down 31 percentfrom 1995 levels. A decadeand another recession later,we have a larger populationrequiring one third less gov-ernment expenditure.

Much rancor is comingfrom the Democratic sideof the aisle about the GOPsproposal to end Medicareas we know itin partby shifting Medicare andMedicaid dollars to blockgrants, to the states. Sowhere might we look to nda working Medicaid fund-ing solution being proposed,similar to the welfare toworkfare conversion? Thegreat bluestate of Washing-ton.

Washington state is as

blue as Georgia is red, witha Democratic governor, bothU.S. senators and six of ninemembers in the U.S. House.Growing Medicaid program

costs are fast driving Wash-ington State toward scalinsolvency.

Last month, Washing-tons governor and its Gen-

eral Assembly completed aspecial session to deal withtheir budget crisis, the re-sult of which is Senate Bill5596, a Medicaid BlockGrant Bill. The new lawrequires the state to applyto the U.S. Department ofHealth and Human Servicesto replace its current Med-icaid program with a blockgrant. Washington Gov.Christine Gregoire, previ-ously an opponent of blockgrants signed the bill, whichunanimously passed theWashington legislature.

Currently 1.2 million res-idents of Washington are onMedicaid at an annual costto the state of $3.1 billion.The federal government cur-rently matches that expense,totaling a budget of $6.2billion. Under the currentstructure, to reduce spend-ing the state must make $2in program cuts to realize$1 in savings. This unfor-tunately creates a perverseincentive to keep spendingbeyond what the state canactually afford. The re-

quest for this block grantwaiver now sits with Healthand Human Services Sec-retary Kathleen Sebelius,herself a successful and in-

novative former Democraticgovernor of Kansas.Lets hope for the land of

Bill Gates, Seattles endlessrainfall and Redwoods thatcommon sense prevails andthat the other Washingtonlets compromise and thedesire to nd common sensesolutions that work for theAmerican people trumppolitics and preserving thecampaign themes I outlinedabove for 2012. It may beeasier to scare grandma thanto x Medicare, but absentanother proposal that hasbeen proven to work, thisone looks worthy of a walkaround the block.

Bill Crane is a DeKalbCounty native and businessowner, living in Scottdale,Georgia. He also serves aschief political analyst andcommentator for 11AliveNews and WSB Radio, News/Talk 750. Contact Bill Craneat [email protected].


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Page 6A The Champion Free Press, Friday, June 17, 2011 www.championnewspaper.com

Dont bet on Huntsman

by Donald Kaul

Columnist

Huntsman might be that magic Republican:one orthodox enough to win the GOPnomination but flexible enough to succeed in

the general election. I wouldnt bet on it

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

DeKalb School Board approves $475 millionconstruction list

Gloria, Classroom teachers have had no pay increase in fouryears as well. Bus drivers as well. Cafeteria workers are notthe only ones who are suffering. Talk to those in the Palacewho earn more than they would in the private sector. Thereal crime is not that you have furlough days, it is that thereis money for our children to get a better education, but muchmoney is wasted with the friends and family program thathappens through out the county.

Teacher Reader posted this on 6/9/11 at 11:15 a.m.

i have noticed that there will be furlough days for 10 monthemployees as a member of the cafeteria staff this furloughwould and can cause some real hardship for me.Why?because i work in food service and havent had a raisein a very long time, I have to buy my own uniform and istill have bills to pay like everyone else, was a raise forcafeteria employees taken into account during your budget

discussion? hope it doesnt take reelection for this to betaken into account

Gloria Edwards posted this on 6/8/11 at 10:19 p.m.

DeKalb Habitat for Humanity robbed three times

This is absolutely ridiculousI hate when people steal,especially when they are stealing from organizations thatspend their time, money, and effort helping others. This istruly unfortunate.

John Evan Miller posted this on 6/7/11 at 4:20 p.m.

Storage facility break-ins are common. The best way toprevent them is to find a really good, secure storage lock.However, even the best locks can be broken into.

SpareFoot posted this on 6/7/11 at 12:52 p.m.

$20 million to help first-time home buyers

Great job Courtney, you are a shining light to others youngand old and may you continue to do good in your futureendeavors.

Jackie posted this on 6/5/11 at 10:31 a.m.

Great. We help 200 people get a home. Thats a DROP in thebucket. Government always overcomplicates and overspends. Iproposed a $5,000 per buyer down payment assistance program.$20 million would help 4,000 deserving families with credit issuesto buy homes right here in Dekalb County. All this hoopla over

selling 200 houses. What a joke. They wont even return my callsand emails.

Lou Brown posted this on 6/13/11 at 9:06 a.m.

JonHuntsman is edging closer toannouncing his presidential bid, bring-ng shivers of joy to the hearts of Re-

publican moderates both of them.Huntsman, a former Utah gover-

nor, recently resigned his post as U.S.ambassador to China (as in BarackObamas ambassador to China) anddropped hints that he is consideringaking on his former boss in 2012.

The very fact that he was once ableo win the hearts of the redder-than-

red folks in Utah yet later serve Presi-dent Obama in an important post is of-fered as evidence that he might be thatmagic politician serious Republicanshave been looking for one orthodoxenough to win the GOP nominationbut flexible enough to succeed in thegeneral election.

I wouldnt bet on it. Many GOPprimary voters are unforgiving zeal-ots, and among the things they wontforget is Huntsmans support, tenta-ive though it was, for gay civil unions

and his acquiescence to aspects ofObamas stimulus plan.

Never mind that hes an obviouslyntelligent man of unimpeachablentegrity who has made himself an

expert on China, the most importantnation in our future.

Hes a former Obama appointee,and in the eyes of the primary loonieshe will never live that down. Theymuch prefer a politician like TexasGov. RickPerry, who refused to meetwith Obama when he delivered an im-

migration reform speech in El Paso.And even if Huntsman were some-

how to nab the nomination, he remainsa Republican moderate, which is awhole different kind of moderation.

As Utah governor, he was con-sidered one of the nations foremost

foes of a womans right to choose. Hesigned an anti-choice bill that made ita felony to obtain a late-term abortion,as well as another that requires doc-tors to describe to patients the pain anabortion would inflict on a fetus. Hehas played with the idea of banningabortion altogether. That kind of mod-eration.

Hes solid on business taxes hesagainst them and hes as pro-gun asyou can get.

All of which gets you votes in

Utah. But in California? Not so much.I suspect that if he decides to run forthe White House, he wont run far.

Never fear, Mr. and Mrs. Repub-lican. NewtGingrich, youll behappy to know, has already made hispresidential bid official. As have GaryJohnson, the former New Mexicogovernor, TimPawlenty, the formerMinnesota governor, and RonPaul,the libertarian lawmaker who believesthat Social Security, Medicare, andMedicaid are unconstitutional.

You know a political partys introuble when washed-up has-beenslike Newt Gingrich begin picturing

themselves on Air Force One. Gin-grich comes to the fight with morebaggage than the lost-and-found at La-Guardia airport.

Hes on his third marriage, this timewith the woman he was dating whilestill married to his second wife. He ledthe Republican takeover of Congressin 1994 and became Speaker of theHouse, but was forced from office byhis colleagues after a few short years.

Which is illustrative of Newtsproblem. Not only does he have en-emies, his friends hate him.

One thing about him, however:ideology will not be a problem. If youdont like one of his ideas, wait a bit.

Hell change it. He has been on moresides of the Libyan issue, for example,than there are sides. Still, its good tohave him around again. What wouldpolitics be without its washed-up has-beens?

The GOPs cup runneth over.

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Champion ofthe Week

LETTIE LOVE

As a teacherat DeKalb CountySchools Open Cam-pus for eight yearsbefore she retired in2007, Lettie Lovedeveloped a connec-tion with internationalstudents. She hascarried that connec-tion into her work asa volunteer with vari-ous organizations inthe county.

When I taughtschool it was blackand white, said Love,

who taught for 35years including 22in DeKalb County.When I moved toOpen Campus I sawthe rest of the world.There were a lot ofinternational studentsthere and I took aninterest to help them.

Love began teach-ing at Fulton HighSchool in Atlanta in1972 and has taughtat Gordon HighSchool, McNair JuniorHigh and McNair HighSchool in DeKalbCounty.

Currently Lovevolunteers with theUnited MethodistChildrens Home andRefugee Family Ser-vices, and helps withan adult reading pro-gram at the ClarkstonCommunity Center.She also indepen-dently helps refugeechildren and families

throughout the coun-ty.

She is teachingEnglish as a sec-ond language toan employee at thechildrens home andrecently worked witha Sudanese family tohelp get the childrenenrolled in school.

She isalwaysright there ready tovolunteer when youneed something,said Jane Howland,director of the UnitedMethodist ChildrensHome in Decatur.She comes in andinstantly knows whatto do.

Love also helpedthe Lost Boys of Su-dan, a group of refu-gees who came to theUnited States in 2001after seeking refugein Kenya. She waspart of a local effortto get the boys re-

settled in Clarkston.She keeps in con-tact with the studentsshe has taught andtutored over the yearsand still keeps upwith 10 to 15 who arenow in college. Sherecently was notifiedthat one of her formerstudents from Soma-lia graduated from theUniversity of Georgia.

Teaching is still inLoves blood as sheis a substitute teacherat the DeKalb Inter-national Student Cen-ter where she mentor-ing two students fromBurma.

From the time Iwas a little girl, I justwanted to be a teach-er. Its always beenmy passion, Lovesaid. It just makeslife worthwhile to beable to do these kindsof things and to seethe kids grow up.


Since 1975, more than 45movies and television pro-

ductions have been lmed inDeKalb, and county ofcialsare forming the DeKalb FilmCommission to attract evenmore.

In May, the countysboard of commissioners ap-proved formation of the lmcommission, which will bringogether representatives fromhe countys economic de-

velopment, communications,recreation, public works andpublic safety departments.Representatives from theDeKalb Historical Society,DeKalb Convention & Visi-ors Bureau, DeKalbs col-eges and universities, board

of commissioners and lmndustry will also serve on the

countys lm commission.We are just trying to spur

economic development, saidCommissionerStan Watson,who sponsored the resolutionforming the lm commission.

The lm industry, whichhad an economic impact of

more than $1 billion in Geor-gia last year, could providea new revenue stream forDeKalb County.

The group would be a

one-stop shop for produc-tion companies, which wouldhire our actors, eat in ourrestaurants and maybe evenmove here, Watson said.

We want to tell Hol-lywood this is our one-stopshop, Watson said. DeKalbis ready.

In proposing the lmcommission, Watson said heis following in the footstepsof former DeKalb commis-sionerLou Walker, who ap-peared as an actor in the mov-ies MississippiBurning, TheFirm, My Cousin Vinny andRemember the Titans, and thetelevision seriesIn the Heat ofthe Night.

DeKalb County was oneof the rst counties to receive aCamera Ready designation bythe Georgia Film, Music andDigital Entertainment Ofce.

The states Camera ReadyProgram certies munici-palities that have a liaison thatcan assist production compa-

nies with their shoots. It signi-es that the county is interest-ed in accommodating the lmand television industries.

It will make us more

business-friendly for the filmindustry, said Randi Mason,a senior project manager in thecountys office of economicdevelopment and DeKalbsCamera Ready liaison. It is away for the state to have localcommunity involvement inthe film industry.

Some of the movieslmed in DeKalb County in-cludeFried Green Tomatoes,Scream 2, Remember theTitans, The Preachers Kid,Halloween 2, I Can Do BadAll by Myself, and The BlindSide. Television productionsinclude The Real Housewivesof Atlanta, The Tyler PerryShow and Vampire Diaries.

Production companies aregreat for the economy, saidBurke Brennan, the countyschief communications ofcer.

They hire a lot of tal-ent, Brennan said. They getin; they do their job and theyget out. Its a huge thing forDeKalb County.

New commission to attract movieproduction to county

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Proposed county tax increase now at 4.35 mills

The City of Stone Mountain does hereby announce that the millage rate will be set at a

for the past five years.

CITY 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011

Real & Personal 123,585,164 117,173,512 116,141,917 102,732,611 97,052,662 67,919,249Motor Vehicles 6,760,050 6,814,590 6,510,110 6,667,830 5,667,510 5,558,380

Mobile Homes

Timber - 100%

Heavy Duty Equipment 2,545

Gross Digest 130,345,214 123,988,102 122,652,027 109,402,986 102,720,172 73,477,629

Less M& O Exemptions 1,355,000 1,285,467 1,444,754 1,859,151 2,060,566 1,546,458

Net M & O Digest 128,990,214 122,702,635 121,207,273 107,543,835 100,659,606 71,931,171

State Forest Land Assistance

Grant Value 0 0 0 0 0 0

Adjusted Net M&O Digest 128,990,214 122,702,635 121,207,273 107,543,835 100,659,606 71,931,171

Gross M&O Millage 10.000 10.000 10.000 10.000 10.000 14.350

Less Rollbacks

Net M&O Millage 10.000 10.000 10.000 10.000 10.000 14.350

Tota l County Taxes Levied $1 ,289 ,902 $1 ,227 ,026 $1 ,212 ,073 $1 ,075 ,438 $1,006 ,596 $1,032 ,212

Net Taxes $ Increase $309,321 -$62,876 -$14,954 -$136,634 -$68,842 $25,616

Net Taxes % Increase 31.54% -4.87% -1.20% -11.27% -6.40% 2.50%

NOTICE

7:30 p.m. and pursuant to the requirements of O.C.G.A. 48-5-32 does hereby publish the

CURRENT 2011 TAX DIGEST AND

5 YEAR HISTORY OF LEVY

meeting to be held at City Hall, 922 Main Street, Stone Mountain, GA, on July 5, 2011 at

following presentation of the current year's tax digest and levy along with the history and levy

The City of Stone Mountain has tentatively adopted a millage rate of 14.350 mils which isless than the rollback rate of 14.368 mils. All citizens are invited to a public hearing on thisproposed millage rate to be held at Stone Mountain City Hall, 922 Main Street, StoneMountain, GA on Tuesday, July 5, 2011 at 7:30 p.m.

NOTICE OF PROPERTY TAX DECREASE

The DeKalb County Board of Education has tentativelyadopted a millage rate which will result in a decrease inproperty taxes by 14.22 percent.

All concerned citizens are invited to the public hearingson this tax decrease to be held at:- 6:00 p.m. July 5, 2011-12:00 p.m. July 11, 2011- 6:00 p.m. July 11, 2011

All meetings will be held at the DeKalb County SchoolDistrict Administrative & Instructional Complex, 1701Mountain Industrial Boulevard, Stone Mountain, GA.


D

eKalb County tax-payers are facing apossible $93 prop-

erty tax increasef DeKalb CEO BurrellEllis recently proposed taxncrease is approved by the

Board of Commissioners.Based on a recommenda-

ion by Ellis, the board votedon June 14 to advertise amillage rate increase of upo 4.5 mills. Although El-is latest budget proposalequires a 4.35-mill increase,he 4.5 mills would give the

commissioners exibility ifhey decided the amount was

needed in the countys nalbudget. Based on a 4.5-millncrease, an average home

valued at $155,700 wouldpay $672 in county propertyaxes.

Ellis said the increase isneeded to offset the countysrst quarter budget overrunsand lower-than-expectedproperty values. Accordingo the countys tax digest,

property values in DeKalbdecreased 13.4 percent in2011. In unincorporatedareas the decline was 18percent.

Ellis said his goal was to

present a sustainable budgetfor public safety, the crimi-nal justice system and thefunding of infrastructure.He also wanted to take ac-ion to restore the countys

credit rating, which hasdeclined in the past fewmonths.

The proposal containeda recommendation to closeve recreation centers, closehe tax commissioners sat-

ellite ofces and eliminatefunding for the cooperativeextension service. All ofhese proposals, made in the

CEOs original 2011 budget,were rejected by the Board

of Commissioners earlierthis year. Now they are onthe table again.

These cuts would savethe county $469,000.

Ellis also recommended

eliminating three paid holi-days for county employees,which would save $1.8 mil-lion, and abolishing 250vacant positions at a savingsnext year of $12.5 million.

According to Ellis pro-posal, the countys admin-istration is already imple-menting several cost-savinginitiatives, including plansto outsource animal controlservices and emergencytransport services. Thecounty is also consideringoperating its tennis centersand golf course without cur-rent subsidies.

CommissionerLeeMay,chairman of the boards -nance committee, said hewas not expecting a propos-al for a 4.35 mill increase.In December 2010, Ellisoriginal budget proposal in-cluded a 2.32-mill increaseto cover a $33.6 millionbudget gap. The anticipateddecit is now $55.6 million.

Thats a huge increase,May said.

May said Ellis approachto closing the budgetary gap

awed.His approach has beenwere going to close thisgap by raising taxes, Maysaid. My personal approachto this is lets look atwhere we can become moreefcient, lets look at wherewe can reduce service levelsand reduce stafng levelsrst without shutting ourgovernment down. And thenlets see where that gap is.

Three public hearings onthe tax increase are planned:two on July 5 at 10 a.m. and6 p.m. and one on July 12,the countys deadline foradopting millage rates.

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Lithonia, CSX sued over 2008 train accident

INCORPORATED 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011

Real & Personal 27,300,068 23,795,246 24,593,428 23,763,315 23,212,367 19,484,475

Motor Vehicles 878,610 967,808 1,155,430 1,246,900 1,182,020 1,119,240

Mobile Homes

Timber - 100%

Heavy Duty Equipment

Gross Digest 23,178,678 24,763,054 25,748,858 25,010,215 24,394,387 20,603,715


Net M & O Digest $22,228,788 $23,774,148 $24,661,488 $23,946,398 $23,324,454 $19,544,036


Grant Value 0


Gross M&O Millage 14.300 14.300 14.300 14.300 17.100 20.604

Less Rollbacks

Net M&O Millage 14.300 14.300 14.300 14.300 17.100 20.604

Net Taxes Levied $317,872 $339,927 $352,659 $342,433 $398,849 $402,685Net Taxes $ Increase/Decrease $36,948 $22,055 $12,732 -$10,226 $56,416 $3,836 #

Net Taxes % Increase/Decrease 13.15% 1.07% 1.03% -2.90% 14.00% 0.01%

CURRENT 2010 TAX DIGEST AND 5 YEAR HISTORY OF LEVY

NOTICE

held at the Pine Lake Club House, 300 Clubhouse Dr., Pine Lake Georgia, 30072 on July 7, 2011 at 7:30 PM and pursuant to

O.C.G.A. Section 48-5-32 does hereby publish the following presentation of the current year's tax digest and levy, along with the

The Mayor and Council of the City of Pine Lake does hereby announce that the millage rate will be set at a meeting to be

history of the tax digest and levy for the past five years.


Its been more than twoand a half years since a car

driven by Traci Collins washit by a train in Lithonia andshe is still suffering from theeffects of it.

Collins, who at the timewas a 21-year-old collegestudent, has a cognitivebrain disability that affectsher concentration and rea-soning issues in addition tooesidual effects from having

a broken neck, back andpelvis, said defense attorneyCatherine Gibson McCau-ey.

According to the law-suit led in November, as

Collins drove over the trainracks at the intersection of

Main Street and Swift Streetn Lithonia on Nov. 20,

2008, a CSX train slammednto her vehicle. Because

of her injuries she had to beairlifted to Grady MemorialHospital.

Collins was unconsciousfor 36 hours and hospital-zed for two months.

At the time of the ac-cident, which occurred at11 p.m., a DeKalb Countypolice ofcer was directly

behind [the] plaintiff andsaw her slowly proceedingnto the intersection and did

nothing to warn [the] plain-iff of the oncoming train

or warn the train to proceedslowly, the lawsuit states.

The trafc light systemat the location was defec-ive in that the system did

not properly protect driversfrom the danger of passingrains sufciently, the law-

suit states.The lawsuit claims CSX

failed to use proper safetyprecautions and properly

warn drivers of oncomingrains. The city of Lithonia

failed to ensure that all traf-c signals and devices wereproperly working, and thatany and all impediments tothe] plaintiffs line of vi-

sion regarding the oncomingrain were properly main-ained.

DeKalb County wasnamed in the lawsuit, whichstates the county installedand maintains the trafc sys-em and directional signals

and shrubberies.

The state of Georgiawas named because it is incharge of designing and im-plementing train crossings inhe state.

According to the lawsuit,at the time of the accidentthe train crossing did nothave a crossing arm to warndrivers of an oncoming train.

The lawsuit claimsthat DeKalb County andthe states Department ofTransportation had priorknowledge of two deaths andseveral accidents at this in-tersection involving a train.

Each of the four defen-dants was sued for $2 mil-lion. CSX, DeKalb Countyand the state Georgia haveall led motions to dismiss.

Because Lithonia did notanswer the claims in a timelyfashion, a judge granted ajudgment against the plaintiffin March and ruled that a

hearing be held to allow Col-lins to prove her damages.

In court on June 8, Li-thonia city attorney WinstonDenmarkargued that Litho-nia did not answer the claimbecause the lawsuit was notproperly served to the cityof Lithonia. The lawsuitwas physically delivered bya DeKalb County Sheriffsdeputy to former city clerkMissye Varner, who wasred by the Lithonia CityCouncil in connection to thelawsuit.

The mayor herself wasnot served, Denmark ar-gued. Missye Varner wasnot authorized to accept ser-

vice.Since the lawsuit was not

properly served, the city wasnot required to answer thelawsuit, Denmark said.

I knew nothing aboutthis lawsuit until I got infor-mation about the default,Denmark said.

James Dearing, an at-torney for Collins, said themayor is a part-time ofcial;we dont know every mo-ment she is going to be there.

If the mayor is not there,who do you serve? Dearingsaid. If not Missye Varner,then whom?

Dearing said Varnershowed the lawsuit to Peter-son who instructed Varnerto place the complaint inthe box of the city attorney,Dearing said.

Something happenedand the answer was notled, Dearing said. Confu-sion in an ofce is not a rea-

son for the order of default tobe reversed, he added.

This is a city that con-ducts business on a dailybasis, Dearing said. This isnot a mom-and-pop situationwhere you cant nd people.

Judge Eleanor Ross,who said she has concernsabout whether the city of Li-thonia was properly served,is expected to rule on themotion to reverse the defaultjudgment within two weeks.

In 2008, a woman was critically injured in Lithonia when a CSX train hit her vehicle. More than twoyears later, the same intersection still does not have railroad crossing arms to block trafc when atrain crosses Main Street. Photo by Andrew Cauthen

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NOTICE OF PROPERTY TAX INCREASE

The City of Doraville has tentatively adopted a millage rate whichwill require an increase in property taxes by 3.28 %.

All concerned citizens are invited to the public hearing to be held at

the City of Doraville City Hall, 3725 Park Avenue, Doraville, Ga.

30340 on June 23, 2011 at 6: 30 pm.

Times and places of additional public hearings on this tax increase

are at the City of Doraville City Hall , 3725 Park Avenue, Doraville,

Ga. 30340 on June 28, 2011 at 6:30 pm and June 29, 2011 at 7:00

pm.

This tentative increase will result in a millage rate of 9 mills, an

increase of .286 mills. Without tentative tax increase, the millage ratewill be no more than 8.714 mills. The proposed tax increase for a

home with a fair market value of $120,000 is approximately $48.00

and the proposed tax increase for a nonhomestead property with a

fair market value of $281,000 is approximately $112.40.

2006 2007 2008 2009 2010

Real & Personal 525,595,748 560,182,455 563,992,269 575,089,705 533,197,959

Motor Vehicles & Heavy Equipment 15,002,208 15,649,510 15,601,332 16,118,770 14,546,770

Public Utilities 14,566,726 12,650,256 10,783,636 10,769,822 9,563,181

Gross Digest 555,164,682 588,482,221 590,377,237 601,978,297 557,307,910

Less Exemption 38,431,720 36,970,021 43,657,482 44,074,131 44,896,783

Adjusted Net Digest 516,732,962 551,512,200 546,719,755 557,904,166 512,411,127

Gross Millage Rate 5.00 5.00 5.00 6.31 7.95

Net Taxes Levied 2,583,665 2,757,561 2,733,599 3,520,375 4,073,668

Net Taxes $ Increase 462,625 173,896 (77,143) 944,684 553,293

Net Taxes % Increase 17.91% 6.73% -0.87% 28.78% 15.72%

806,547,004

CURRENT 2011 TAX DIGEST AND FIVE YEAR HISTORY OF LEVY

The City of Chamblee City Council does hereby announce that the millage rate will be set at a meeting to be held at the Chamblee CivicCenter located at 3540 Broad Street, Chamblee, Georgia on July 5, 2011 at 6:30 PM and pursuant to the requirements of Ga. Code 48-5-32does hereby publish the following presentation of the current year's tax digest and levy, along with the history of the tax digest and levy forthe past five years

NOTICE

2011

7.87

14,135,654

11,087,937

831,772,606

86,377,096

745,395,510

5,866,263

1,792,594

44.00%

DeKalb cities scrambling to adjust budgetsby Andrew [email protected]

Just as DeKalbCounty is consid-

ering a 4.35 milltax increase, thevarious cities in

he county are scramblingo make mid-year budget

adjustments in light of lowproperty values.

Its scary, StoneMountain city managerBarry Amos said abouthe citys $31 million dropn property values, which

will mean a $340,000 de-cline in its revenue. The34.09 percent decline inproperty values is theworst in the county, ac-

cording to digest numbersprovided by the county.

Stone Mountain citydepartment heads havebeen told they are going tohave to reduce their bud-gets and eliminate openpositions, Amos said.

The mayor and coun-cil are very concernedabout the impact on thecitizens, Amos said. Theposition of the mayor andcouncil is that there willnot be a tax increase.

After a news report

showed homes sales in the30083 zip code droppedonly 1.5 percent last year,Amos said city officialsare puzzled by the 34.09percent drop cited byDeKalb County.

We are asking them toexplain what methodolo-gies they used to reducethe digest by 34.09 per-cent, Amos said.

The tax digest for thecity of Chamblee is ananomaly in DeKalb Coun-ty. After its annexation of6,000 residents and 1.5square miles took effectthis year, Chamblee is theonly DeKalb city showinga property value increase;Chamblees real estate val-ues are up $222.9 million.

Weve always beenconservative, said Cham-blee Police ChiefMarcJohnson, who preparedthe citys budget.

Even if the final tax

numbers are 10 percentlower, the city will stillhave more than enoughroom in its budget to avoida tax increase.

We are certainly notraising our millage rates,Johnson said.

Facing a $23.7 milliondrop in real estate values,Doraville officials are stilltrying to determine whatthe citys deficit will be,said Shanta Wilson, fi-nance director.

Its a matter of cut-

ting, Wilson said. Wehavent finished cuttingyet.

Doraville is lookingat changing its employeemedical insurance plan an-deliminating its employer-

provided life insurance.The citys retirement planis also under review, Wil-son said.

Although Dunwoodys

tax digest has dropped$183 million, city officialssaid they anticipated thedecrease in their budgetpreparations.

We do not anticipateany budgetary changes asa result of the digests re-lease, nor do we anticipateany reduction in servicesor increase in proposed

taxes to support the ser-vices currently provided toour citizens, said financedirectorChris Pike.

I am comfortable with

our budget projectionsfor taxes, Pike said. Weexpect our overall tax rev-enues (all sources) to ex-ceed our current budget.

In Avondale Estates,the citys real propertyvalue declined by $29.3million, leaving the citywith an 18 percent or$280,000 budget shortfall.

Elsewhere in DeKalb, Li-thonias real estate valuesdropped by $14.8 million,while values in Decaturand Pine Lake dropped

$6.98 million and $3.8million, respectively.Clarkston experienced a$14.8 million decline inproperty values.

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Decatur plans to redraw voting districtsby Daniel [email protected]

The City of Decatur will re-draw voting districts within thecity to rebalance the population

distribution after new informa-tion from the 2010 census wasreleased.

Peggy Merriss, the citymanager of Decatur, said thatthe 2010 census found thatDistrict One (northern) contains10, 437 residents while DistrictTwo (southern) contains 8,896residents. This change inpopulation results is a deviationof approximately 7.97 percentbetween the districts.

According to the United StatesDepartment of Justice, election

districts should not exceed a 5percent deviation between dis-tricts.

The city commission adoptedthe rst reading of an ordinanceto amend the charterthe second

reading of the ordinance will beon June 20, Merriss said. Itsmainly just to rebalance the popu-lation distribution.

Merriss said that at a recentpublic hearing held on June 6,several people spoke in favor ofkeeping the city divided into twodistricts. Previously, the city com-mission was considering dividingDecatur into ve districts (equalto the numbers of commissioners)but after hearing the public inputit decided against it.

We had a map showing ve

districts rather than two districtsbut members of the public spokein favor of keeping it to twodistricts so the board decided toadopt that rst-reader ordinance,Merriss said.

Redrawing the lines will alsoaffect voting for local schoolboard members.

The city has proposed to re-draw the lines in a way that wouldmove 810 residents from DistrictOne to District Two. This wouldresult in a .4 percent deviationthat would be well below the 5percent required by the UnitedStates Department of Justice.

Another public hearing willbe held by the city commission onJune 20, where it will also con-sider charter amendments.

The two Decatur voting districts after the 2010 census. The areas that were part of District One that

will now become part of District Two are highlighted in blue.

A 16-year-old was arrested June 10 onaggravated assault, armed robbery and kid-napping charges stemming from a carjack-ng incident on June 9, police said.

A man was driving a female employeehome from work late June 9 when twoarmed suspects approached the car athe intersection of Canberra Drive and

Devon Way, according to DeKalb Policespokeswoman Mekka Parish. The manwas forced into the passenger seat and thewoman was told to get into the back seatof the car. The suspects drove the victimsaround in search of an ATM and at some

point during the night the male victim wasshot, Parish said.

After being shot, the male victim escapedthe car and ran to a business on CovingtonHighway, where police were called. The malevictim was in serious condition at an areahospital at press time, Parish said. Police laterfound the car with the female victim still in-side. The woman told police she was sexuallyassaulted during the incident.

Names of the teenager and the victimshave not been released and police still aresearching for the second suspect, Parishsaid.

Teenager arrested in carjacking incident

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Soldier far away keeps DeKalb close at heart

The Champion Newspaperis seeking nominations for our 20th Anniversary

Community Champion Awards. Nominees must be community servants,

community organizations or individuals in the DeKalb community who work

tirelessly to volunteer his or her service for the betterment of DeKalb County.

What is a Community Champion?

Visit our website atwww.championnewspaper.com and click on theNOMINATE A COMMUNITY CHAMPION link. Sumit your nominationby August 05, 2011. A panel of civic, corporate, and governmentvolunteers as well as members of The Champion Newspaperstaff willselect the winners. Winners will be honored at the Community Champi-ons Gala on September 10, 2011

This is YOUR opportunity to help honor theseamazing people and/or organizations!

How do I Nominate a Community Champion?

For Information on sponsorships and tickets:visit www.championnewspaper.com

or call 404.373.7779 x 110

Nominate A Community Champion Today!Nominate A Community Champion Today!

by Daniel [email protected]

The cell phone service is ter-rible where Adrian Rich-ardson lives. It is sometimes

130 degrees in the shade and the1980 Towers High School graduatesometimes would rather be sh-ng or at church listening to a good

sermon, but he made a promisehat he has to keep.

Richardson promised to protectand serve his country to the bestof his ability when he enlisted inhe Navy in 1982. He now livesn Taji, Iraq, and is a member ofhe Georgia National Guard on hishird tour since the war started.

My job here is aviation andmaking sure that all systems area go for the pilots to do their job.As for as the heat over here, itsno joke, Richardson said. He saidhat he has to make it a point to

constantly be drinking water.Originally from Macon, Rich-

ardson grew up in Stone Mountain

and after graduating from Tow-ers he found the work in DeKalbCounty slowing down and decidedto enlist. After being in the Navyfor several years he took a nine-year break and then returned to ac-

tive duty in 2002.Im still here until 2012.Thats when Im hanging up myboots. I made a promise to mymom and my brother stating thatthis will be it for me, Richardsonsaid.

Richardsons mother, brothers,sisters and godparents all live inDeKalb County and even thoughhe is thousands of miles away hemakes it a point to try to stay intouch with his community. He doesthis by spending a lot of time onthe computer perusing websitesthat focus on DeKalb.

He said that he has changed alot over the years, especially sincehe has been in Iraq, and that thereare a lot of young soldiers whohave never experienced a war likethe one he is in every day. He said

that prayer helps him get throughthe sweltering, uncertain days andthis is what he tells the youngersoldiers he interacts with.

My saying to them is to pray!God will get us through this and

always keep the good book handyat all times. We came over here to-gether and were going back hometogether, Richardson said.

He also said that it is importantfor new recruits or those who hadnever been in a combat situation todo what youre told to do, com-plete your mission, keep a low pro-le and stay out of trouble. Rich-ardson said that, no matter what,his door is always open for anyonewho has any issues or problems.

There are a few friends thatRichardson has where he is sta-tioned that are from his hometownof Macon and the Decatur, Litho-nia, Newnan, Atlanta and Snell-ville areas. This helps a little tokeep him from getting too home-sick.

Although he has lost a few

friends in both peace and wartime, Richardson said that he hadlearned a lot in his career and waslooking forward to coming backhome to DeKalb.

Theres nothing like com-

ing home to see what has changedsince I left. Its hard sometimes onsome of us when we get backjusta lot of adjusting and getting usedto civilian life again, Richardsonsaid.

The soldier celebrated his 50thbirthday this past April and hasspent nearly two decades awayfrom DeKalb but still holds it in aspecial place in his heart.

When he gets back stateside heplans to wind down, catch up onsleep and spend some time withfamily and friends. When read-justing to civilian life gets tough,he said he will go shing to seeksome peace of mind.

But, for now he said he has stillgot a job to do and that its after11:30 p.m. [in Taji] and 4 a.m. isright around the corner.

Public Notice:

The Lithonia City Council does hereby announce that the millage rate will be set at a

meeting to be held at the City Hall Chamber on June 30, 2010 at 7:30 p.m. and pursuant

to the requirements of O.C.G.A. Section 48-5-32 does hereby publish the following

presentation of the current year's tax digest and levy, along with the history of the taxdigest and levy for the past five years. Public Hearings will be held on June 30, 2011 at

6:00 p.m. in the City Hall Chambers.


INCORPORATED 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011

Real & Personal 28,919,717 30,651,118 28,842,932 26,674,180 20,806,543

Motor Vehicles 1,900,420 2,052,210 1,979,710 1,582,040 1,615,590

Mobile Homes 184,102 191,510 191,805 176,149 135,435

Timber - 100%

Heavy Duty Equipment

Gross Digest 31,004,239 32,894,838 31,014,447 28,432,369 22,557,568

Less M& O Exemptions 327,906 636,190 566,739 565,746 544,259

Net M & O Digest$30,676,33

3$32,258,64

8$30,447,70

8$27,866,62

3$22,013,30

9

State Forest Land Assistance Grant Value 0

Adjusted Net M&O Digest 30,676,333 32,258,648 30,447,708 27,866,623 22,013,309

Gross M&O Millage 11.699 11.699 12.321 13.178 16.682

Less Rollbacks

Net M&O Millage 11.699 11.699 12.321 13.178 16.682

Net Taxes Levied $358,882 $377,394 $375,146 $367,226 $367,226

Net Taxes $ Increase/Decrease $41,637 $18,512 -$2,248 -$7,920 $0

Net Taxes % Increase/Decrease 13.12% 5.16% -0.60% -2.11% 0%

PUBLIC NOTICENotice is hereby given that the official Budget for theCity of Doraville, Georgia, for the 2011-2012 FiscalYear beginning on July 1 and ending on June 30, hasbeen submitted to the Mayor and City Council forreview and is available to the general public in theoffice of the City Clerk, 3725 Park Avenue, Doraville,Georgia 30340. A Public Hearing will be held by theMayor and City Council for the proposed Budget,pursuant to Title 36, Chapter 81 of the O.C.G.A., onJune 29, 2011 at 6:30 p.m. during a Public Meeting ofthe City Council, at City Hall, 3725 Park Avenue,Doraville, Georgia 30340, at which time the public willbe given the opportunity to comment on the proposedBudget. The anticipated adoption date for the FiscalYear 2011-2012 Budget will be at the same PublicMeeting of the City Council as the Public Hearing onsaid Budget, on June 29, 2011.

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Titan Singers reunite to honor chorus director

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

DeKalb County Wants to Hear From You

Regarding the Proposed Franchise Agreement Renewalwith Comcast Cable Communications

y Nigel Roberts

It has been nearly 40 yearsince the Titan Singers enter-ained an audience. But onune 25, former members ofhe Towers High School choralgroup will hold a reunion anderform for family and friends.

However, the man who ledand nurtured them as youngingers will be missing. Dr.

Stephen J. Burton, who di-ected the Titans Singers from972 to 1977, battled pancre-

atic cancer as he helped hisformer students organize theeunion. Unfortunately, he lost

his life to the illness last De-ember.

It was his wish that thehow must go on, said Mari-

beth Kouts, 1976 Titan Sing-rs student president. So oureunion committee regroupedn early 2011 and, with heavyhearts, resumed the planning ofwhat will surely be a wonder-fully uplifting reunion event.

Burton was laid-back andfriendly, Kouts recalled. Hewas also extremely passionateabout music. One of his giftswas the ability to teach com-lex music dynamics in a wayhat was easy for his studentso grasp.

In his ve years as chorusdirector, Burton impacted theives of more than 150 stu-dents. They performed a mix

of classical (both religious andecular) and pop music at a

number of venues, includingTurner Field where they sanghe Star Spangled Banner.

He led the singers to sev-ral championships. One ofhe most memorable for Koutswas their superior rating at a974 music festival. They per-

formed a challenging piece thatmpressed the three judges andbecame a unifying momentfor Burton and his students.

We became very close-knit, she said. When the re-union committee met, it was as

hough we never left.Kouts credits Burton with

giving her the music founda-ion that has helped her succeedn her career. She graduatedfrom Agnes Scott Collegewitha music degree in voice. Iouldnt have gotten throughollege music theory without

what he taught me, she said.Kouts, who is now a chorusdirector, exclaimed, Theresnt a time that I pick up a ba-on that I dont think of Steve

Burton.The idea for the reunion

ame when Kouts and an-

other former Titan Singersmembers wondered out loudwhat became of Burton. Koutsearched on Facebook but rannto dead ends. Undaunted,

she Googled him and found aphotograph of her mentor on-line. He looked older but thesame, she said.

Kouts contacted Burton,who had relocated to Virginia.We both cried. It was a veryemotional rst reunion, sherecalled warmly. We laughedand shared stories. And heasked me about the other mem-

bers.Soon after, they began talk-

ing about organizing a reunionevent. When Burton became illin the spring of 2010, they de-cided to postpone the reunion.

None of the chorus membersknew that he was ghting an

aggressive form of cancer.Kouts said about 30 mem-

bers have committed to partici-pating in the memorial reunionconcertsome coming fromas far away as Minnesota andBoston. Were thrilled thatwe could get together after allthese years, said Kouts.

They have planned a day-long reunion. The group willhave a private gathering toreminisce and catch up witheach other. After a rehearsal,the Titan Singers will onceagain perform, after 38 years.The memorial concert begins at4 p.m. at The Lodge at Simp-sonwood in Norcross.

Former Titan Singers director Stephen J. Burton, at left in a recentphoto and at right from the Towers High School yearbook. Burtondied in December 2010 after a battle with pancreatic cancer. Photosprovided

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Stone MountainContinued From Page 1A


There is no other place on earth to see a showike this.

From Memorial Lawn, visitors may not real-ze that the Stone Mountain carvings of Lee, Jef-erson Davis and Thomas Stonewall Jack-on are actually larger than the carving of four

presidents on Mount Rushmore. Lee is the heightof a nine-story building and Davis thumb is theize of a sofa. The show for which the carving

s a backdrop is four to ve times the size of anMAX screen and taller than the Statue of Lib-erty. Park ofcials compare viewing their laserhow to watching a 5,500-inch high-denitionelevision.

While much of this years 45-minute show isnew, longtime park goers may be pleased to learnhat some favorite sequences, including the Elvis

PresleyAn American Trilogy, are still there. Thecarving, designed in 1915 in a project spearhead-ed by the United Daughters of the Confederacy,was not completed and dedicated until 1970,when strong feelings about honoring Confederateheroes had dissipated signicantly. An AmericanTrilogy, which features the popular Confederatemarching songDixie, Union anthem The BattleHymn of the Republic and African-American folk

ullabyAll My Trials, reects the more inclusivepirit that had taken hold by the mid 20th cen-ury.

Other popular favorites that remain are The

Devil Went Down to Georgia, a homage to theCharlie Daniels Band, and Ray Charles singingGeorgia On My Mind. The show retains its patri-otic avor with many tender moments bound totouch the hearts of Americans, especially Geor-gians.

The laser show, which is free to park goers,is shown nightly at 9:30 through Aug. 7, then onSaturday evenings through the end of October.

Shows in September may start earlier, dependingon when darkness falls, and October shows startat 8 p.m. On Labor Day weekend, the laser showis shown Saturday through Monday. The parkhas a $10-per-car parking fee.

Visitors who arrive at the park before nightfallwill nd plenty to do as they wait for the lasershow. They can, for example, learn more aboutthe history of Stone Mountain and its famouscarving at the Discovering Stone Mountain Mu-seum at Memorial Hall. In addition to areas forclimbing, hiking and picnicking, the park has nu-merous attractions, including these: At the Antebellum Plantation & Farmyard

visitors can step back in time with the soundsand scenes of life in the 1800s. The plantationfeatures 19 historically restored and decorated

buildings from around Georgia, built between1783 and 1875. Children can meet the animalsin the farmyard and learn about the role of live-stock in early Georgia life.

Crossroads is a make-believe 19th centuryGeorgia town located at the base of the moun-tain. It has shops and restaurants.

Scenic Railroad is a full size locomotive fromthe 1940s with open-air cars that takes guestson a ve-mile excursion around the mountain.

SkyHike is a quarter-of-a-mile family adven-ture course in the treetops designed to triggerthe sensation of trekking through the sky. A va-

riety of elements, including suspended woodenbridges, spaced out slats on swinging ropes,single strand ropes and vertical net bridges,make each hike a new experience.

Visitors cruise the tranquil waters of StoneMountain Lake on the Scarlett OHara, an au-thentic paddlewheel riverboat that carries 150passengers.

The top attraction is the Summit Skyride thattransports guests nearly half a mile roundtripfrom the bottom to the top of Stone Mountain.Visitors experience a stunning view of the me-morial carving as well as the Atlanta skylineand the Appalachian Mountains.

New for 2011, Georgias rst 4D theater intro-duces Yogi Bears 4-D Advenure, starring DanAykroyd as Yogi and Justin Timberlake as

Boo Boo.

For more information, visit www.stonemoun-tainpark.com.

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COUNTY WIDE 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011

Real & Personal 457,072,575 438,818,770 473,264,103 420,066,507 384,994,288 379,732,939

Motor Vehicles 14,663,010 15,470,200 15,429,990 16,436,920 15,899,150 15,898,760

Mobile Homes 560 474 474 200 200 200

Timber - 100%

Heavy Duty Equipment 50,245 148,861 10,313 6,506 0 2,494

Gross Digest 471,786,390 454,438,305 488,704,880 436,510,133 400,893,638 395,634,393


Net M & O Digest 401,465,550 390,440,831 416,805,732 363,393,544 330,038,762 326,022,641


Grant Value


Gross M&O Millage 7.507 15.031 15.007 15.137 15.924 17.714

Less Rollbacks 0.007 7.531 7.507 7.637 7.924 8.714

Net M&O Millage 7.500 7.500 7.500 7.500 8.000 9.000

Total County Taxes Levied $3,010,992 $2,928,423 $3,126,043 $2,725,452 $2,640,310 $2,934,204

Net Taxes $ Increase $269,012 -$82,568 $197,620 -$400,591 -$85,141 $293,894

Net Taxes % Increase 9.59% -2.74% 6.75% -12.81% -3.12% 11.13%

The City of Doraville City Council does hereby announce that the millage rate will be set at a meeting to be

48-5-32 does hereby publish the following presentation of the current year's tax digest and levy, along with the history of the tax

NOTICE

held at the Doraville City Hall on June 29, 2011 at 7:00 pm and pursuant to the requirements of O.C.G.A. Section


digest and levy for the past five years.

The DeKalb County Board of Education does hereby announce that the millage rate will be set at a meeting to be held at the

DeKalb County School District Administrative & Instructional Complex, 1701 Mountain Industrial Boulevard,

Stone Mountain, Georgia on Monday, July 11, 2011 at 6:00 p.m., and pursuant to the requirements of O.C.G.A. 48-5-32, does

hereby publish the following presentation of the current year's tax digest and levy, along with the history of the tax digest and levy

for the past five years.

PROPOSED

M & O DIGEST 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011

REAL & PERSONAL 22,043,418,123 22,733,547,716 23,682,799,490 22,743,672,353 22,184,019,392 19,183,990,438

MOTOR VEHICLES 1,263,116,150 1,318,080,060 1,357,307,770 1,385,428,820 1,254,986,790 1,225,978,410

MOBILE HOMES 1,236,493 749,797 779,464 740,987 656,584 510,171TIMBER - 100% 55,442 0 0 91,018 0 0

HEAVY DUTY EQUIPMENT 2,686,586 4,646,669 581,681 163,106 65,347 82,712

GROSS DIGEST 23,310,512,794 24,057,024,242 25,041,468,405 24,130,096,284 23,439,728,113 20,410,561,728

LESS M&O EXEMPTIONS 2,914,297,856 3,021,895,215 3,038,896,350 3,029,052,913 3,039,974,697 2,912,047,454

NET M&O DIGEST 20,396,214,938 21,035,129,027 22,002,572,055 21,101,043,371 20,399,753,416 17,498,514,274

GROSS M&O MILLAGE 22.98 22.98 22.98 22.98 22.98 22.98

LESS ROLLBACKS 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00

NET M&O MILLAGE 22.98 22.98 22.98 22.98 22.98 22.98

NET TAXES LEVIED $468,705,019 $483,387,265 $505,619,106 $484,901,977 $468,786,333 $402,115,858

NET TAXES $ INCREASE $37,890,460 $14,682,246 $22,231,841 ($20,717,129) ($16,115,643) ($66,670,475)

NET TAXES % INCREASE 8.80% 3.13% 4.60% -4.10% -3.32% -14.22%

NOTES:1. THE NET LEVY DOES NOT REFLECT ACTUAL REVENUE RECEIVED OR AVAILABLE DUE TO VALUE ADJUSTMENTS RESULTING FROM APPEALS, DELINQUENT TAXES,

COLLECTIONS FROM PRIOR YEARS, AND A FEE OF 1.25% PAID TO THE COUNTY FOR BILLING AND COLLECTIONS.

2. THE 2011 MILLAGE RATE IS THE PROPOSED RATE. THE PROPOSED SCHOOL OPERATIONS MILLAGE IS 22.98 MILLS.

3. 2011 DIGEST FIGURES ARE AN ESTIMATE.

CURRENT 2011 TAX DIGEST AND FIVE YEAR HISTORY OF LEVY

Police looking for murder suspectDeKalb Police are searching for the person who shot

and killed a 24-year-old June 12 at the Wynhollow Apart-ments in south DeKalb County. ZaydAbdulBasser was

shot and killed when he opened the door after hearing aknock, DeKalb Police spokeswoman MekkaParish said.The incident happened at approximately 10 p.m. at thecomplex at 3861 Austin Circle. Four children, the oldestof whom was 7, and the childrens uncle were in the apart-ment at the time of the shooting, Parish said. The suspectis not related to the children, police said.

Woman sentenced oncomputer fraud charge

A Lithonia woman was sentenced June 9 to ninemonths in federal prison followed by two years of super-vised release for computer fraud.

CatherineGrifn, 46, pleaded guilty to the charge onMarch 24 in U.S. District Court. As part of her sentenceshe also was ordered to pay restitution in the amount of$40,516. Grifn accessed condential information on gov-ernment computers for private nancial gain relating to ascheme to fraudulently obtain First-Time Home BuyerTax Credits for friends and relatives who were not eli-gible to receive the credits and had not purchased homesduring the eligible time period, according to U.S Attor-neys Ofce spokesman PatrickCrosby.

Grifn worked as a seasonal employee for the InternalRevenue Service in Chamblee from July 2009 to Septem-ber 2009, according to U.S. Attorney SallyQuillianYates.Her job was to process amended tax returns led by tax-payers. Grifn used the IRS computer system to alter tax-payer information for four people, and received payments

of $2,000, Yates said.

The DeKalb County Department of Rec-reation, Parks and Cultural Affairs kickedoff the Summer Food Service ProgramonJune 3 to ensure children have access to nu-tritious meals while school is out during thesummer months.

DRPCA DirectorRoy Wilson vis-ited Exchange Park Recreation Center,the countys newest recreation facility, toserve meals to the participants of the Sum-mer Food Program. The program is offeredcountywide and provides meals at no chargeto children up to 18 years old. The serviceis open to all children, regardless of income.People who are older than 18 and enrolled

in school programs for people with dis-abilities also can receive meals at no charge.Funding for the Summer Food Service Pro-gram is provided by the U.S. Department ofAgriculture.

More than 53 summer food meal sitesacross DeKalb operate in recreation cen-ters, schools, parks, churches, day camps,daycares and community centers. The sitesare located in areas where more than 50percent of the children are eligible for freeor reduced-price meals under the NationalSchool Lunch Program. For more informa-tion about the Summer Food Program, con-tact Rose Myrickat (678) 698-1114.

NEWS BRIEFS Summer food program kicks off

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The Champion Free Press, Friday, June 17, 2011 Page 16AhEalth

Book offers advice forsickle cell patients

Local non-profit brings first ladys initiative to DeKalb

Hope and destiny are notwords typically associated withsickle cell disease but thats theitle of a new book on the illness

by an expert from the EmoryUniversity School of Medicine.

Certified physician assistantAllan F. Platt Jr., sees firsthandhe agonizing grip the disease

can have on patients. For morehan 20 years he has provided

care for his patients at the Geor-gia Comprehensive Sickle CellCenter at Grady Memorial Hos-pital in Atlanta.

Platts work inspired himto write a book to give patientsand caregivers a comprehensiveguidebook to manage sickle celldisease through the lifespan.

Hope and Destiny: The Pa-tient and Parents Guide to Sick-le Cell Disease and Sickle CellTraitis an informative guideand fact book for patients andcaregivers to reduce symptoms,relieve pain and better under-stand the cause and growth ofthe disease.

After a successful expo in Ful-on County, The Center Helping

Obesity In Children End Success-fully (C.H.O.I.C.E.S.) announcedhat it will hold Lets Move!

DeKalb, a free event on Saturday,June 18, at the Porter Sanford III

Performing Arts and CommunityCenter, 3181 Rainbow Drive, De-catur, 10 a.m. 2 p.m.

Lets Move! DeKalb is a fam-ly event providing nutrition and

physical education supported by acommunity and faith-based coali-ion seeking to encourage familieso lead healthier lives. More than

1,000 parents and children are ex-pected to participate in this com-munity-wide annual event.

Opening remarks will be madeat 11 a.m. by District 3 CountyCommissionerLarry Johnsonand Dr. S. Elizabeth Ford, district

health director, DeKalb CountyBoard of Health.DeKalb County is fortunate

o have Wal-Mart and the AetnaFoundation as corporate partnersfor this event, said Burrell Ellis,DeKalb County chief executiveofcer. This is only a fraction ofheir overall commitment to end

childhood obesity and promotehealthy living in our youth, whichremains a top priority for all of us.

Lets Move! DeKalb will in-clude live stage performances,health screenings, tness activi-ies, nutrition exhibitions, arts and

crafts, program information from

ocal community organizations andspecial surprise guests.

We are pleased to bring ourNutrition Education and PhysicalActivity Expo to DeKalb County,which continues our mission toeducate children and families aboutmaking healthy choices, saidVanetta Keyes, founder and ex-ecutive director of C.H.O.I.C.E.S.Our goal is to showcase the part-nering programs in DeKalb so that

families will sign up and get mov-ing!

It is imperative that DeKalbCounty continues to embrace thenational Lets Move! initiativeby supporting events such as thisone, Johnson said. We are ex-cited about the positive impact thatthis event and programs plannedthereafter, will have upon thehealth of our children and fami-lies.

For the rst time in U.S. historythe current generation of childrenmay live sicker, shorter lives thantheir parents primarily due to obe-sity-related diseases. According

to the Georgia Department of Hu-man Resources, Division of PublicHealth, a high proportion of thestates young people are obese: 15percent of children aged 2-4 yearsin the Women, Infant and Children(WIC) program, 24 percent ofthird-grade children, 15 percent ofmiddle school students and 14 per-cent of high school students.

As the only community inGeorgia to receive federal CPPW(Communities Putting Preventionto Work) funds to ght obesity, weare determined to effect real policy,system and environmental changesthat will increase physical activity,

improve nutrition, and reduce obe-sity and the related illnesses plagu-ing our children, Ford said.

The special event partners forLets Move! DeKalb include theAtlanta Braves, the Atlanta Hawks,Commissioner Larry Johnson, theDeKalb County Board of Health,the DeKalb County School System,the Fulton-DeKalb Hospital Au-thority, the National Institutes ofHealth (We Can!), Inspiring KidsAcademy, Swagger Crew Fit Kidzand many more.

For more information, visitwww.ChoicesForKids.org or call(678) 819-3663.

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The Champion Free Press, Friday, June 17, 2011 Page 17AEducation

Organization of DeKalb Educators awards scholarships

There is a proposed class action Settlement

with the U.S. Department of Agriculture

(USDA) involving racial discrimination

against African American farmers between

1981 and 1996. This Settlement is only

or certain people who tried to fle a late

claim in the originalPigfordcase, or theirheirs (kin) and legal representatives.

The current Settlement (sometimes called

Pigford II) provides benets to some of

those late lers.

Am I included?

You may be included if you:

Between 1981 and 1996, were

discouraged or prevented from applying

for or were denied a USDA farm loan

or other benet, or you were given a

loan with unfair terms because of racial

discrimination,

WereeligibleforapaymentintheoriginalPigfordcase,and

Submitted a late-ling request that was

denied or never considered because it

was late.

If you are the heir or kin of someone who

diedwhotsthisdescription,youmayle

a claim for a payment that would become

part of the deceased persons estate. If

you are not sure if you (or someone for

whom you are the legal representative)

areincluded,pleasecall1-877-810-8110.

If You are African American andSuffered Farm Loan Discrimination

by the USDA between 1981 and 1996,You may be eligible for money from

a $1.25 billion class action Settlement Fund

(Heirs/Kin may be included)

For more information or to begin the claims ling process:

Call: 1-

FREE PRESS 6-17-11

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