dekalb free press: 1-11-13

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by Daniel [email protected]

Thomas Stahl, the 31-year-oldowner of Blue Tarp Brewing Co. inDecatur, used to travel around thecountry on beer trips to find thebest breweries.

Before local microbreweries be-gan sprouting up all over the coun-ry, Stahl said they were mainlyocated in places such as California

and Colorado. Each year he and hisfriends would tour breweries outhere and bring back as much beer

as they could.Back when you could bring

bottles on planes, we would justake 100-pound carry-ons, Stahlaid.

Blue Tarp Brewing Co. is lo-cated in the East Decatur Stationcomplex off New Street, and is oneof several new breweries movingnto the area. Just down the road inhe same complex is Three Taverns

Brewery, which is expected to openn the next few weeks.

Stahl said now there are local

breweries all over the place that of-fer beer connoisseurs a little taste ofeverything. In Atlanta in particular,Stahl said local breweries and craftbeer stores such as Decaturs AleYeah and Avondale Estates TheBeer Growler, have been poppingup everywhere.

Its kind of exploding actuallyand the numbers of new brewer-ies are phenomenal; for a while itseemed like every week I would

meet someone who was startingtheir own brewery, Stahl said.There is still a lot of outside

competition in Atlanta, whichStahl said usually isnt a problemin other states that are establishedbrewing capitols. However, he saidhe wasnt worried too much aboutcompetition in the Atlanta-area.

Atlanta is such a big marketthat it shouldnt be a problem,Stahl said. In most places likeColorado, new brewers have toleave the market because there are

Thomas Stahl, owner of Blue Tarp Brewery in Decatur, checks the temperature of beer in the fermentation vats. The new brewery is located off East College Avenue in theEast Decatur Station complex. Photos by Daniel Beauregard

Stahl, 31, has always loved beer. When he was younger he and his friends would taketrips to visit breweries around the country.

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The Champion Free Press, Friday, Jan. 11, 2013 Page 2ALocal News

County leaders unite for ceremonyby Andrew [email protected]

County unity was theheme Jan. 3 as commis-ioners, judges, school

board members and theolicitor general joined

DeKalb County CEOBurrellEllis for the coun-ys second Unity Inaugura-ion.

The elected ofcialsgathered at Saint PhillipA. M. E. Church on CandlerRoad during a ceremony toake their oaths of ofce.

They were sworn in by Car-olHunstein, chief justice ofhe Georgia Supreme Court.

DeKalb County Com-

missionerLarryJohnson,he Board of Commission-

ers former presiding ofcer,aid the ceremony showedhat the elected ofcials

were ready to serve.Tonight we stand united

n purpose and duty as weprepare to serve the peopleof this great county, John-on said. We will serven partnership and we will

work together in unity andwe will preserve the publicrust. We pledge to govern

with the spirit of collabo-ation, engage in healthy

discourse and debate wherenecessary.

Johnson said the govern-ng of the county is not a

spectator sport.We all stand together as

stakeholders, he said.James Miller, chairman

of Fidelity Bank, continuedthe unity theme in his re-marks about the county and,in particular, about Ellisleadership.

I thank all of you foryour past service, your fu-ture service and for makingthis county an example ofgreat government, Millersaid. Isnt it amazing whatwe can accomplish whenwe come together and worktogether?

Ellis, taking his oath ofofce for his second termas CEO, said the rst cer-

emony four years ago was ashowing of unity.

Our reason for comingtogether was more than ashow, Ellis said. We dedi-cated ourselves in the pres-ence of our constituents andone another to work togeth-er to resolve our countysmost pressing issues.

At the time, the chal-lenges faced by the countywere immense and perhapsunlike any other we hadencounteredhome fore-closures, job losses, fallingrevenues and the greatestloss of wealth to the middleclass in the history of ournation, Ellis said.

Yet we stood united, un-

daunted, and took our oathsof ofce together, ready tobe used by the God whocalled us to serve knowingthat he would not call uswithout rst equipping usfor the task, Ellis said.

The work of the govern-ment has not always beeneasy in the past four years,said Ellis, recalling thecounty ooding in 2009,the loss of the countys

bond rating in 2011 and theshooting during a funerallast year at Victory for theWorld Church.

We remember thecelebrations as wellthegroundbreakings and rib-boncuttings we shared;

the libraries and recreationcenters opening; and seniorcenters and police precinctthat are now under construc-tion, Ellis said.

Whether it was celebra-tion or adversity, we stood,he said. And we stood to-gether as one DeKalb.

So again today, fouryears later, we have recon-vened to stand with oneanother and those we havebeen called to serve, Ellissaid. We have been calledby our Creator for this mo-ment, for this community,for this time. Our charge isto prove faithful with thetrust to which we have beengiven.

Commissioners, judges, school board members, the solicitor general and DeKalb CEO Burrell Ellis took their oaths of ofce Jan. 3 during the countys second Unity Inaugu-ation. We stand united in purpose and duty, said Commissioner Larry Johnson. Photos by Andrew Cauthen


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Page 3A The Champion Free Press, Friday, Jan. 11, 2013

Wife of CongressmanJohn Lewis dies

(AP) LillianMiles Lewis,wife of Demo-

cratic U.S. Rep.John Lewis,died Dec. 31 inAtlanta, accord-ing to BrendaJones, a spokes-woman for thecongressman.She was 73.

The funeral was held Jan. 7at Ebenezer Baptist Church inAtlanta. Information on hercause of death was not imme-diately available.

XernonaClayton, CEOof the Trumpet Awards Foun-

dation Inc.which recog-nizes the accomplishments ofBlacksconsidered LillianLewis her best friend and saidshe recently struggled with acold. Lewis was hospitalizedDec. 30 because of a persis-tent cough, she said.

Clayton recalled meetingLewisthen Lillian Milesshortly after the two movedto Atlanta from Los Angelesin 1963. The women shared apassion for the arts and civilrights, and bonded over thework of Dr. Martin LutherKing Jr.

She knew every word ofevery speech that he made,Clayton said, I was im-pressed with her intellect; she

was well traveled.She lived in Eu-rope and Africa

and was knowl-edgeable about theworld. She knewabout art, aboutliterature. She wasinvigorating to bearound.

Lewis movedto the city to take

a job at Atlanta Universitynow known as Clark AtlantaUniversityand was a mem-ber of the historic EbenezerBaptist Church, Clayton said.She introduced Lillian to JohnLewis at a New Years Eve

dinner party in 1967 and thetwo were married in 1968.They have a son, JohnMiles.

I just marvel in the factthat I had something at all todo with putting two peopletogether who had a genuinelove for each other, Claytonsaid. Somehow I just knewthat they would gel becauseshe was soft-spoken, she waskind, she was gentle, Clay-ton said, adding that Lewiswas also clever and quietlyassertive.

She just had such a soft-spoken way of getting back at

people, Clayton said with alaugh, You could see the eggon the persons face.

Dunwoody hopes to puta stop to false alarmsby Carla [email protected]

Dunwoody residentswho call in numerous falsealarms to the police depart-ment could face a ne upo $500.

The city of Dun-woody is one ofhree north metro

cities that are adopt-ng ordinances that

assess nes for falsealarms. Dunwoody,Johns Creek andSandy Springs,which share thesame dispatch ser-vice, hope to haveordinances in placehis month.

Sgt. MichaelCarlson, Dunwoody

Police Departmentspublic informationofcer, said the de-partment received3,922 false callsn 2012 through

November, which is up 7percent.

False alarms are abig problem since over98 percent of alarm callsare false, he said. Thesefalse calls pull our limitedpolice resources awayfrom other calls or activitywhere they are needed.

The proposed ordinance

ncludes a $25 registrationfee for commercial alarmholders. Residential alarmholders can register forfree.

There is no ne for therst two false alarms, but ane of $50 begins with thethird false alarm. The feecontinues to escalate afterthe third false alarm.

Violators will have topay a $500 fee after the

10th false alarm. Each oneafter that is $500.

The proposed ordinancedoes not include a do notrespond provision for re-

peat violators.The request for an alarm

ordinance was presented tothe Dunwoody City Coun-cil on several occasions inAugust 2012, according to

city ofcials. At a Dec. 10meeting, the city counciland mayorMike Davisasked for additional infor-mation prior to making a

decision about the structureof the ordinance before anal consideration would

be given.The questions centered

on the do not respondprovision, according to amemorandum. The city

council wanted to knowwhether the exclusionof the no response

paragraph, would nega-tively affect a third par-ty vendors interest incontracting with Dun-woody to manage thefalse alarm program.

Dunwoody PoliceChiefBilly Grogantold the council and themayor that he spokewith a third party ven-dor and Glen Mowrey,a retired deputy chief

with the Charlotte Po-lice Department and alaw enforcement liaisonwith the Security AlarmIndustry Coalition.

Both indicated thatthe absence of this para-graph should not impacta companys willingnessto manage our false alarm

program, Grogan said.The Dunwoody City

Council has the proposedordinance on the agendafor discussion at its Jan.14 meeting. City ofcialssaid a memo and proposed

ordinance will be availableon the city of Dunwoodywebsite when the meet-ings agenda is posted.

False alarms are a

big problem since

over 98 percent

of alarm calls are

false.

Sgt. Michael Carlson

Lillian Lewis

Commissioner Lee May nowhead of county board

See Board on Page 10A

by Andrew [email protected]

The DeKalb County Boardof Commissioners has a new

presiding ofcer.

CommissionerLee Maywas elected Jan. 8 by his peersto head the board for 2013.CommissionerSharon BarnesSutton is the new deputy pre-siding ofcer. Both were cho-sen by a vote of 5-2, with com-missioners Kathie Gannonand Jeff Rader voting againstthem.

Im ne with that, Maysaid about the votes againsthim.

More than ever we have tooperate more inclusively, moretogether than we ever have,May said. We have challengesfacing this county that aretremendous. It is my commit-mentthat Im here to work

with all the commissioners re-gardless of whether you votedfor me or not.

Im excited about the fu-ture, May said. Im excitedabout this board. I wouldnt

rather be in any other countythan DeKalb County.

Gannon said she hopes Maywill dig deep and pull outthose leadership skills neces-sary to lead the board.

Our presiding ofcer, eventhough they are elected to chairthese meetings, there is stilla perception by othersthatthey will provide leadership toguide this board around dif-cult issues, Gannon said

I believe CommissionerMay will do a good job chair-ing our commission meetings,Gannon said. But I also knowthat when tough decisions aremade, he sometimes comesdown on the side of political

A false re alarm in Dunwoody could result in a ne of up to $500. File Photo


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Jubilee 150th anniversary

Happy New Year! Althoughwere a few days into 2013, its im-portant to remember a very impor-ant milestone in our nations his-ory. Jan. 1 marked 150 years sinceubilee Day, a day of celebration

for enslaved Africans who learnedabout midnight on Dec. 31, 1862,hat President Abraham Lincoln

had signed the Emancipation Proc-amation, ending 244 years of slav-

ery in the Southern states.On Dec. 31, like so many timesn years past, many people gatheredn churches around the country for

what has become known as WatchNight Service. Unless reminded,few of us know the significance ofhat evening. The service grew in

part out of a tradition for enslavedAfricans gathering for what mighthave been the last time, they didnt

know. The last day of the year wasa time when plantation owners tookstock of their property and paid offdebts to have a fresh start in the new

year. Slaves were property, or chat-tel, and were often sold around theend of the year. So the ancestors ofAfrican Americans gathered togeth-er for what perhaps might be thelast time they would see husbands,wives, children and other kinfolk.

While the debate rages overwhether the Jamie Fox movieDjango trivializes slavery withits Hollywood liberties taken onthe subject, it is based on certaintruths. The selling, rape, murder andother violent inhumane acts againstAfrican people in this country is ascourge on our nations history and

it was real. The use of the N wordwas as much a part of the lexicon ashello and is still used today, not inpolite public, but in private behindclosed doors. But picture in yourminds eye late on the night of Dec.31, 1862. Enslaved African men andwomen gathered to hear the word.About midnight, that word came.Indeed President Lincoln with thestroke of a pen had set them free.

The next day, 150 years ago, Jan.1, 1863, became known as JubileeDay a time of celebration for to thenewly freed African men, women

and children.And so, also began the feast of

collard greens, yams, black-eyedpeas, meats pies and cakes. TheNAACP picked up the mantle andkept alive the tradition of JubileeDay. It is a time of remembrance,recounting and reshaping goals toface current and future issues ofequality and justice. The Africandefinition of life is the living, thedead and the unborn. It is importantto honor the history of the enslave-ment of a people with truth. Wemust honor those of all races whofought and died for the freedoms

we enjoy. We understand that thepsychological shackles too oftenremain on the slave masters de-scendants and the descendants ofthe enslaved.

As we embark on this journeycalled 2013, perhaps we should eachask ourselves. Am I really free? AmI really free from the bondage ofbigotry? What can I do? Can I workto change Georgias Stand Your

Ground laws? Can I work for qual-ity education of all children? Can Ihave the courage to do what is rightand not politically correct? Can I

work to end the impotent death pen-alty? Can I work for transit equity?Can I support organizations withmy finances that do the work? Can Imerely tell the story to my childrenand grandchildren about the historyand significance of Watch Night andJubilee Day?

Tell your children about theirAfrican and plantation owners kinand how we passed for White andblended in and how we became somany different hues and hair tex-tures. Perhaps 150 years hence ourchildrens, childrens children canall shout in the words immortal-

ized by Dr. Martin Luther King,Free at last, free at last. Thank Godalmighty, Im free at lastof theshackles of racism and bigotry. Ju-bilee!

Steen Miles, The Newslady,is a retired journalist and formerGeorgia state senator. ContactSteen Miles at [email protected].

Page 4A The Champion Free Press, Friday, Jan. 11 , 2013Opinion

The Newslady


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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) 373-7779Deadline for news releases and advertising: Thursday, one week prior

to 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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The Champion Free Press is published each

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FREEPRESS

STATEMENT FROM THE PUBLISHER

We sincerely appreciate the discussion surrounding this and any

issue of interest to DeKalb County. The Champion was founded in1991 expressly to provide a forum for discourse forallcommunityresidents on all sides of an issue. We have no desire to make the newsonly to report news and opinions to effect a more educated citizenrythat will ultimately move our community forward. We are happy topresent ideas for discussion; however, we make every effort to avoidprinting information submitted to us that is known to be false and/or assumptions penned as fact.

One Mans Opinion

In a bureaucratic system, use-ess work drives out useful work.

Milton Friedman (1912-2006),Nobel Prize winning American econ-omist, statistician and author, whoaught economics for more than three

decades at the University of Chicago.

Welcome to Atlanta to MARTAsnew general manager, Keith Parker,

most recently successful in a similarole as transit system head for SanAntonio, Texas. Parker, 46, also ledCharlottes bus system as its chiefoperating officer, while that citycompleted its own light rail system.So with more than a tiny bit of skep-icism, voiced by a regular user of

MARTA, I have to ask, Can MARTAbe run smarta? I think so, and cer-ainly hope so.

Attract choice ridersThe majority of MARTAs daily

500,000 passengers are transit de-pendent. This means that absent fur-her rate increases which can cause

he loss of additional lower incomeiders, most of MARTAs current

customers depend on the rail and bus

network for their transportation towork, child care, medical care, etc.

Simply put, MARTA must domore to attract the occasional rider,

weekday business commuter andother potential passengers who havemore choices for their transit options.These customers pay full fare, buya higher percentage of monthly andweekly Breeze cards (often employersubsidized or funded) and gener-ally make less frequent use (point topoint commutes) than current riders.Acquiring more choice riders willrequire some rapid, low-cost andin some cases revenue generatingchanges for the system.

Re-open the restroomsDuring prior system budget cuts

and the ongoing recession, MARTAclosed practically all of its publicrestrooms. Adding insult to this pas-senger injury, as the restrooms are stillphysically in place, they are now onlyaccessible to MARTA system em-ployees. I routinely witness MARTApolice, maintenance employees andtrain drivers sauntering right past pas-sengers, using a MARTA badge togain entry to these same restrooms,off-limits to the passengers fundingthose facilities. And every station stillhas a de facto public restroom, ex-cept they are called elevators, and dueto the restroom closures they all nowreek of urine.

STOP sign for the Green LineAs part of the political compro-

mise to garner sufficient votes in theearly 70s MARTA referendums,MARTA promised an express shortrun train, making more frequent stops

back and forth on the East/West RailLine, primarily between large publichousing projects then nearby.

The Green Line now runs prac-tically empty each day, and forcespassengers off the train at the MLKand Reynolds Town/Candler Parkstations, awaiting the next train. Thehousing projects once served nolonger exist and yet the short trainto nowhere takes up the tracks andMARTA staff with virtually no regu-lar users in site.

Vendors in stations and on prop-ertynew revenue

In New York, Washington, D.C.,Chicago and elsewhere, transit sta-tions are hubs of activity with heavyretail presence, newsstands, coffeecarts, etc. And yet, somehow thosecities still manage to keep food offof the trains. This brings revenue,people and yes, some additional trashcollection to MARTA. One easilyseems to justify the small cost of theother.

Crackdown on petty crimeAs a regular rider, I find that

almost no trip on the train goesunblemished by aggressive panhan-dling, illegal merchandise/knock-off

peddling or even the occasionalgame of three card monty. TheEast/West line is also starting to at-

tract graffiti on MARTA overheadrails and the property of its AvondaleRail Yard. These minor crimes, filthand accepted law-breaking add to a

perception of lawlessness and lackof safety for passengers. Though nosmall amount of prejudice and racialbias can be found rooted in some ofthose fears, in most cases the fear ofsome degree of criminal activity isjustified.

Pull the MARTA cops out of thesquad cars driving around, put themin the stations and like U.S. Air Mar-shalls occasionally traveling in plainclothes and start making arrests.

My welcome to Mr. Parker issincere. I hope that he is able to as-semble a team, and find support, ashe has already demonstrated in other

markets, in atypical places, includingstate legislatures. The Gold Domeand State Capitol are just acrossthe street from the Georgia StateMARTA station. Even heading tothe airport I think the last time Iveseen a legislator riding on MARTAwas around 1996. It shouldnt bethat way, and if MARTA were runsmarta, it wont be.

Bill Crane also serves as a politicalanalyst and commentator for Channel 2s

Action News, WSB-AM News/Talk 750and now 95.5 FM, as well as a columnist

forThe Champion, Champion Free PressandGeorgia Trend. Crane is a DeKalb

native and business owner, living in Scott-dale. You can reach him or comment on acolumn [email protected].

Can MARTA get smarta?

The Champion Free Press, Friday, Jan. 11, 2013 Page 5AOpinion


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The Champion Free Press, Friday, Jan. 11, 2013 Page 6ACommunity

More than 6,400 DeKalb County

residents have signed up for the freecurbside program since the subscrip-tion fee was dropped in late September.

Prior to September, there was a $30fee to enroll in the curbside recyclingprogram, and 34,800 single familyresidential homes were participating.

DeKalb County CEO BurrellEllisdirected the sanitation department toincrease enrollment and set a goal of40 percent participation within the nextfour years. As of Dec. 20, there were41,231 subscribers, which is morethan 25 percent of the 159,000 eligiblehouseholds.

Recycling households are averaging15.5 pounds of reusable materials eachweek.

The DeKalb County Board of Com-missioners unanimously approved themeasure to eliminate the $30 registra-tion fee for curbside recycling whichwent into effect Sept. 26.

There are no more reasons notto participate so everyone needs todo their part in recycling, said BillyMalone, director of DeKalb CountysSanitation Division. Throwing awayrecyclable materials is a waste. I hopemore DeKalb County residents will

add curbside recycling to their list of

New Years resolutions.The DeKalb Sanitation Division

has a comprehensive waste reductionplan and a goal to reduce landll dis-posal of solid waste, increase recyclingand divert tonnage from the SeminoleRoad Landll. Recycling bins, stockedwith bags and instructions, are nowavailable for order at www.DeKalbRe-cycles.com.

Residents can visit the website anduse the click and send process forrecycling subscription. Once the ap-plication has been received, a bin, bag,and recycling education sheet will bedelivered to the homeowner for free.

Current and new subscribers canrequest an additional bin or box of bluebags for $15. Additionally, residentscan stop by the Sanitation DivisionAdministration Ofce at 3720 LeroyScott Drive in Decatur to complete theapplication form and take home the re-cycling materials.

For more recycling information,contact the DeKalb County SanitationDivision at (404) 294-2900, visit www.DeKalbRecycles.com, or email [email protected].

Thousands take advantageof free recycling in DeKalb

Champion ofthe Week

If you would like to nominate someone to be

considered as a future Champion of the Week, please

contact Kathy Mitchell at [email protected] or at

(404) 373-7779, ext. 104.

Anne Burr

After spending 33 days inthe radiation oncology de-partment at DeKalb Medi-cal for breast cancer,AnneBurrdecided to become a

volunteer.I felt the need to give

back because I had been soblessed, said the 76-year-old Doraville resident. Ihave a lot to be thankful

for.Burr, who retired at 73years old from her admin-istrative job in the accountsreceivable department of asmall company, volunteersfor a daylong shift at thehospital once a week.

During Christmas, Burrdecorated a Christmas treein the oncology department

with ornaments with the dif-

ferent cancer colorspinkfor breast cancer, purple forpancreatic cancer, yellowfor bladder cancer, etc.

I thought, Why dontwe have a tree that repre-sents what we do here?Burr said. I thought it

would be a good conversa-tion piecefor the cancerpatient and their care-giv-ers.

She spends much of hertime at the hospital talkingto the patients.

Burr, who wasnt plan-ning on having breast can-cer, said cancer can be a

terrifying experience.I talk to the patients as

a survivor, said Burr, whohas been volunteering for a

years and a half. I am a sur-vivor. I am cancer free.

I sat in the same chair for33 days that they sit in.

I hope that I can give

some inspiration to folks[and] comfort them, Burradded. This has been a

very satisfying experiencefor me.

Burr also sews circleforms from which cancerpillows are made, passes outhandmade greeting cards

with words of encourage-ment, and does whatever

they want some me to do.

Its almost time for the biggest games of the season. Dont miss outon all of the game-day highlights in next weeks Sports section.

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The elimination of the $30 fee for recycling has resulted in increased participation in thecounty recycling program. File Photo


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The Champion Free Press, Friday, Jan. 11, 2013 Page 7ACommunity

ATLANTACallanwolde to hold WinterTango Night

Callanwolde Fine Arts Cen-er has announced Winter Tan-o Night on Friday, Jan. 11, atp.m. Warm up with Winter

Tango Night and learn abouthe rhythm and movement ofuthentic Argentine Tango,tates an announcement fromhe center. Focus on connect-ng with the music and yourartner and how two bodiesan move as one.

Dancers of all skill levelsre welcome and no partner isecessary. The evening begins

with an introductory lessonrom the expert instructors ofTango Rio. After the introduc-ory lesson, participants canry out their new moves withn open tango dance partyeginning at 9:15 p.m. Ticketsre sold at the door; the price

s $15 for the lesson and partynd $10 for the party only.

Soft drinks and light snackswill be provided. Callanwoldeine Arts Center is located at80 Briarcliff Road, Atlanta.or more information, call (404)72-5338.

Writers session announced

Charis Circle will offerWriting With Intent sessionsMonday, Jan. 14, and Monday,an. 28. Both sessions wille 6:30-8:30 p.m. This facili-ated group is open to writersf fiction, poetry and creativeonfiction who want a seriousroup to provide constructiveriticism, motivational exercis-s, and interpersonal account-bility to keep their writing onrack. Writers are encouragedo bring copies of their worko share for critique. Thosettending the group for therst time should bring a pennd paper and an open mind.or more information, contact

Elizabeth at [email protected] event is part of

Charis Circles From Margin toCenter Literary Program andhere is a suggested donationf $5. Charis Circle is locatedt 1189 Euclid Ave., NE, At-

anta.

BROOKHAVENChurch to host childrens

hoir concert

Our Lady of the Assump-on Catholic Church Childrens

Choir will celebrate its 15thnniversary with a concert onan. 12.

The 7 p.m. concert will fea-

ture classical, contemporaryand other musical genres. Thehand chime team will also per-

form. The concert is free andopen to all.Our Lady of the Assump-

tion Catholic Church is at 1350Hearst Drive NE, Atlanta.

For more information, call(404) 261-7181 or visit www.olachurch.org.

CLARKSTONLibrary to host socialnetworking class

The Clarkston library willhave a social networking basic

class on Jan. 19.Adults can learn the basicsof Facebook and Twitterwhatthey are, how they work andhow to get started using them.Participants must have an ac-tive email account prior to at-tending the class.

The 2-3:30 p.m. class isopen to the first 10 partici-pants.

The Clarkston library is atN. Indian Creek Drive. To regis-ter, call (404) 508-7175.

DECATURDBA announces renewaldeadline

The Decatur Business Asso-ciation (DBA) has announcedthat its membership renewaldeadline is approaching. Morethan 98 percent of DBA mem-bers renewed their member-ship online in 2012 so the DBAis officially going green for2013, requesting that mem-bers renew and purchase adsin the DBA directory at www.DecaturDBA.com. DBA mem-bership includes listing in theDBA directory. Renewal by

DBAs early cut-off date of Jan.15 ensures inclusion and earlydelivery to members.

DeKalb Cooperative offersLiving Debt Free workshop

Residents who overspenttheir holiday budgets or areworried about bills rolling inand living beyond their meanscan find help through a DeKalbCooperative Extension work-shop.

The class, titled LivingDebt Free, is designed tohelp participants get back ontrack. Brett A. Lewis, known

as The Income Protector, willconduct a workshop to helpparticipants meet their financialgoals and get back to the ba-

sics of managing finances.The workshop will be Tues-

day, Jan. 15, at 6 p.m. at the

DeKalb Cooperative ExtensionOffice training room, 4380 Me-morial Drive, Decatur.

For more information aboutCooperative Extension eventsand programs, call DeKalbCooperative Extension at (404)298-4080 or visit the webat www.ugaextension.com/dekalb.

Voting rights to be topic oflibrary presentation

Nancy Abudu of theAmerican Civil Liberties Unionwill discuss the voting rightsof people with criminal convic-

tions at the Scott Candler Li-brary on Tuesday, Jan. 15, 2-3p.m. A question-and-answersession will follow the discus-sion. Scott Candler Library islocated at 1917 Candler Road,Decatur. For more information,call (404) 286-6986.

STONE

MOUNTAINFun run/walk to honor10-year-old accident victim

On a rainy day in August2008, 10-year-old OliviaHayes school bus was hit byan armored truck. She diedfrom her injuries four days later.

To cope with their loss,Olivias parents, Norman andNikki Hayes founded LivvysLove, Inc. a nonprofit that sup-ports underprivileged youth. Todate, Livvys Love has donatedmore than $11,000 towardeducation, extra-curricular ac-tivities and community involve-ment for children in need.

On Jan. 19, Livvys LoveInc. will host its second annualLivvys Love Fun Run/Walk at

Stone Mountain Park. Fundsraised from the event will ben-efit youth development grantsand scholarships.

The run/walk will begin at 8a.m. Participant check-in andon-site registration will begin at7 a.m. Prizes including a newiPad will be raffled during theevent. There will be signs todirect participants to the eventsite upon entry into StoneMountain Park. Participantscan register online at www.livvyslovefunrunwalk.eventbrite.com.

For more information aboutthe organization, visit www.

livvysloveinc.org.

Library to host recyclingpresentation

The Hairston Crossing Li-brary will host the county pre-sentation Reduce, Reuse, Re-cycle, designed to provide res-idents with information aboutDeKalbs free curbside recy-cling pick-up. Laurene Ham-ilton, program coordinator forDeKalb County Public Works,will be on hand Tuesday, Jan.15, 10-11 a.m., to provideinformation about DeKalbCountys green initiatives andspecifics about the recyclingprogram. Patrons will havean opportunity to sign up forrecycling. This program is partof the series, Living the Green

Life, to promote and educatethe community about a green,sustainable lifestyle. Sponsorsare the Wylde Center, the Cityof Decatur and DeKalb CountyPublic Library. Hairston Cross-ing Library is located at 4911Redan Road, Stone Mountain.For more information, call (404)508-7170.

TUCKER

Handwriting expert to givepresentation

In a presentation titledHandwriting and Literacy,Monday, Jan. 14, 6:30-8 p.m.,at Northlake-Barbara LoarLibrary, certified graphologistJosh Batchelder will discusshow 15 minutes per day ofcursive handwriting practicecan accelerate childrens leftbrain development and length-en attention spans, which inturn can lead to superior math,science and literacy skills. Thispresentation is appropriate forall ages. Funding for the event

is provided by the Friends ofthe Northlake-Barbara LoarLibrary. Northlake-BarbaraLoar Library is located at 3772LaVista Road, Tucker. Formore information, call (404)679-4408.

AROUNDDEKALB


8/16


by Andrew [email protected]

Just two work days afterhe was sworn in to his seconderm in ofce, DeKalb Coun-y CEO BurrellEllis home

and ofce were searchedby investigators from theDeKalb County District At-orneys Ofce.

After more than two hoursn Ellis home Jan. 7, inves-igators walked out with a

desktop computer and severalboxes.

The search was going onas Ellis was appearing beforea special grand jury lookingnto watershed management

contracts.

Today, I was requested tocome before the grand jury,Ellis said, during a mediaconference while investiga-ors were still in his home.

I voluntarily did that. Whenwe nished the testimonyoday I was informed[and]was given a copy of theearch warrant. At that timelearned they were at my

home as well as at my ofce.m not sure why they chose

to do it this way, but they did.They have that right.

The search warrant wasextraordinarily broad inscope, so I dont know whattheyre looking for, Ellissaid.

Ellis said his grand juryappearance is part of an on-going investigation of thecontracting process in water-shed management.

As always weve beenfully cooperative, Ellis said.Ive directed my staff to befully cooperative. Ive testi-ed in the past and answeredall questions.

Ellis said he does notknow whether he is a targetin the investigation.

I do know that [investi-gators] want to look at somedocumentation, Ellis said.Its a pretty broad warrantthat theyve issued. I wouldhave provided it. If theresanything in the house theywant I would provide it.

Ive racked my brains,Ellis said. Other than my

personal effects I cant imag-ine anything in my home thatwould be of interest to the

Investigators searchCEOs home, ofce

See Ellis on Page 10A

Decatur Recreation Center to reopen in Februaryby Carla [email protected]

The newly renovated DecaturRecreation Center will be open forbusiness on Feb. 4.

The recreation center, whichopened in 1958, closed its doors inMay 2011 for renovation. The origi-nal 26,000-square-foot building waswidened to 34,400 square feet andwent from two levels to three.

The $6.2 million project includesnew climbing wall and elevated

rack in the gym, new multi-purposexercise and dance studio, institution-l kitchen, new meeting rooms andounge areas, additional staff ofcepace, new plumbing and electrical

ystems, and new interior nishes.The improvements are also Leader-hip in Energy and Environmental

Design (LEED) certied.The Decatur Active Living and

Children and Youth Services use therecreation center for services and

have been using the Beacon Hill Cen-ter for the past year and a half. De-catur Active Living assistant directorCheryl Burnette said they are veryexcited to be coming back to the newand improved Decatur RecreationCenter.

[The recreation center] was ap-proximately 60 years old and hadnot been renovated once, Burnettesaid. It was just basically in need ofa renovation to better serve the com-munity.

The biggest change to the recre-ation center is the gym.

The gym is basically all new,Burnette said. We added a walk-

ing track above the gym. I think thewalking track will be something re-ally attractive to people and its free.

The old bleachers were takenout of the gym to add more space.

The gym was once used for DecaturHigh School basketball games. Con-

struction workers renewed the oldbleachers and and repurposed themon the walls and ceiling in the mainentrance.

Some of the boards from the gymoor have been made into tables aswell, Burnette said.

An administration suite was alsoadded on the second oor to bring theDecatur Active Living and ChildrenServices back into the same building.Burnette said they use to be in thesame building years ago.

We really outgrew the [old build-ing], she said.

Another attraction in the center isthe renovated kitchen. The kitchen is

state of the art and has up-to-date ap-pliances.

Well be able to do some cookingclasses and cooking demonstrationsin there, Burnette said.

The new recreation center also in-cludes a multi-purpose studio that can

be divided into sections to hold mul-tiple exercise classes and activities.The studio has wooden oors.

Before, we had exercise classesthat either had to be held in the gymor on a oor thats concrete, whichis not good for your joints, Burnettesaid.

The center has more space andconference rooms for people to rentand host parties.

Although the recreation centerwill be open for business on Feb. 4,the front desk is now open for regis-tration for sports, classes and after-school programs, as well as paymentsand general information.

The Decatur Recreation Center islocated at 231 Sycamore Street. Formore information, visit www.deca-turga.com/activeliving.

Investigators carry a computer and several boxes from the Stone Mountain home of DeKalb CountyCEO Burrell Ellis Jan. 7. Other investigators searched Ellis ofce while he appeared before a specialgrand jury. Ellis said he was perplexed by the search and has nothing to hide. Photos by AndrewCauthen

The newly renovated Decatur Recreation Center, which will reopen Feb. 4, will include an elevated track in the gym, new multi-purpose exercise and dance studio, institu-ional kitchen, and new meeting rooms and lounge areas.


9/16


DCSD board to appear before state to answer AdvancED allegations

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 www.dekalbcountyga.gov.

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

with Comcast Cable Communications


The DeKalb Countychool board has been sum-

moned to appear before theGeorgia Board of Educationo explain why it faces los-ng its accreditation due to

governance issues.The hearing will take

place Jan. 17 at 1 p.m.Members of the DeKalbCounty school board areexpected to explain to thetate school board why ithouldnt recommend re-

place them Gov. NathanDeal.

Accrediting agency Ad-vancED recently placedhe DeKalb County School

District (DCSD) on accredi-

ation probation and statedhat if it didnt make sub-tantial progress on address-ng a list of issues, it wouldose its accreditation withinhe year.

It will be up to DeKalbo provide as to why theyhould not be recommended

for suspension, said JustinPauly, liaison to the StateBoard of Education. Keepn mind this is only a recom-

mendation to the governoron whether or not to sus-pend; he has the authorityfrom there.

Last year, Deal signedSB79, a bill authorizing thegovernor to remove mem-bers of local school boardsf the district has not re-ained full accreditation sta-us within a certain period

of time.Section 3 of the bill, re-

ated to the removal of localchool boards, states:

If a local school systemor school is placed on theevel of accreditation [pro-

bation] immediately preced-ng loss of accreditation for

chool board governanceelated reasons by one ormore accrediting agencieshe State Board of Educa-ion shall conduct a hearingn not less than [10] days

nor more than 30 days andecommend to the Gover-

nor whether to suspend alleligible members of the lo-cal board of education withpay.

Additionally, the lawtates that if the state board

chooses to make such a rec-ommendation, the governors able to suspend all board

members with pay and ap-point temporary replace-ment members.

Although individualDCSD board members can

appeal Deals decision, aspokeswoman for the Geor-gia Department of Educa-tion said Deal cannot chooseto suspend some boardmembers and keep others.

The law is all or none,said Dorie Nolt, GDOEassistant director of com-munications. The governormust either remove the en-tire board or keep the entireboard.

If Deal decides to sus-pend the DCSD Board ofEducation it would mark thesecond time since the lawhas been in effect that hehas chosen such a measure.The rst local board Dealsuspended was the MillerCounty school board.

Nolt said SB79 was de-veloped in part, because ofthe Clayton County SchoolSystem losing its accredita-

tion in 2008.Weve had a half dozen

hearings in front of theboard and all of the otherboards have worked out aconsent agreement with the

state board, Nolt said.Any school district af-fected by the law is requiredto come before the stateboard no later than 30 daysafter being placed on proba-tion, which Nolt said isnt

a very long time to addressthe issues AdvancED hasraised.

A lot of times the stateboard has felt it important togive the school boards that

they are talking to time towork on what was recom-mended, Nolt said. Theytypically can delay a recom-mendation to the governorfor a few months.

The Northeast will see mostly clear to partly cloudy skies today, partly cloudy to cloudy

skies with scattered rain Friday and Saturday, with the highest temperature of 55 in

Germantown, Md. The Southeast will experience mostly clear to partly cloudy skies with a

few showers and thunderstorms today through Saturday, with the highest temperature of 84 in Ft. Myers,

Fla. In the Northwest, there will be widespread snow today and Friday, isolated rain and snow Saturday,

with the highest temperature of 42 in Colville, Wash. The Southwest will see mostly clear to partly cloudy

skies with isolated showers today through Saturday, with the highest temperature of 72 in Yuma, Ariz.

Weather History

Jan. 10, 1949 - Snow was

reported at San Diego for the

rst and only time since 1882.

Snow was noted even on some

of the beaches in parts of the

Los Angeles metropolitan area.

Burbank reported 4.7 inches and

Long Beach and Laguna Beach

received one inch of snow.

Jan. 11, 1972 - Downslope

winds hit the eastern slopes ofthe Rockies in northern Colorado

and southeastern Wyoming.

Boulder, Colo. reported wind

gusts to 143 mph and 25 million

dollars in property damage.

Weather Trivia

Do tornadoes occur in

January? ?Answer:Yes,theaverageyearsees

47tornadoesinitsfrstmonth.

Detailed Local Forecast

Today we will see mostly cloudy skies with a

40% chance of showers, high temperature of

66, humidity of 83%. East wind 5 to 10 mph.

The record high temperature for today is 76

set in 1949. Expect cloudy skies tonight with

a 50% chance of showers and thunderstorms.

THURSDAYFew Showers

High: 66 Low: 56

FRIDAYScat'd T-storms

High: 68 Low: 54

SATURDAYPartly Cloudy

High: 72 Low: 54

SUNDAYFew Showers

High: 69 Low: 53

MONDAYFew Showers

High: 61 Low: 52

TUESDAYPartly Cloudy

High: 59 Low: 45

WEDNESDAYPartly Cloudy

High: 57 Low: 39

Local Sun/Moon Chart This Week

Day

Thursday

Friday

Saturday

Sunday

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Sunrise

7:42 a.m.

7:42 a.m.

7:42 a.m.

7:42 a.m.

7:42 a.m.

7:41 a.m.

7:41 a.m.

Sunset

5:48 p.m.

5:49 p.m.

5:49 p.m.

5:50 p.m.

5:51 p.m.

5:52 p.m.

5:53 p.m.

Moonrise

6:21 a.m.

7:16 a.m.

8:05 a.m.

8:48 a.m.

9:26 a.m.

10:01 a.m.

10:35 a.m.

Moonset

4:53 p.m.

6:03 p.m.

7:12 p.m.

8:19 p.m.

9:23 p.m.

10:25 p.m.

11:24 p.m.

New

1/11

First

1/18

Full

1/26

Last

2/3

Last Week's Local Almanac

Date Hi Lo Normals Precip

Tuesday 51 43 52/34 0.15"

Wednesday 50 39 52/34 0.00"

Thursday 45 36 52/34 0.00"

Friday 50 27 52/34 0.00"Saturday 49 26 52/34 0.00"

Sunday 49 39 52/34 0.00"

Monday 56 30 51/33 0.27"

Rainfall . . . . . . . . 0.42" Average temp. . 42.1

Normal rainfall. . 1.02" Average normal42.9

Departure . . . . . .-0.60" Departure . . . . . -0.8

Local UV Index

3 50 - 2 4 6 8 107 9 11+

UV Index

0-2: Low, 3-5: Moderate,

6-7: High, 8-10: Very High,

11+: Extreme Exposure

The Champion Weather Jan. 10, 2013Seven Day Forecast Todays Regional Map

Tonights Planets

Rise Set

Mercury 7:32 a.m. 5:20 p.m.

Venus 6:27 a.m. 4:21 p.m.

Mars 9:04 a.m. 7:28 p.m.

Jupiter 2:34 p.m. 4:40 a.m.

Saturn 2:23 a.m. 1:18 p.m.

Uranus 11:29 a.m. 11:39 p.m.

National Weather Summary This Week

StarWatch By Gary Becker - Surprises Could Make 2013 Interesting

After a dream year like 2012, where a major US solar eclipse, a transit of Venus, many great meteor showers with little or no intrusion from moonlight, and beautiful planetary

gatherings graced the calendar, can there be any improvement? The truthful answer is probably no, unless there are some surprises. One of them could possibly be related to

sunspot activity which is edging towards maximum during 2013. A bespectacled sun means it is more magnetically active and more likely to produce increased are activity

and coronal mass ejections. All of these can send charged particleselectrons, protons, and the nuclei of helium atoms screaming towards the Earth, some to be funneled

into Earths magnetosphere to create the colorful, whimsical curtains of light we call auroras. For unknown reasons the fall produces the best displays of northern lights. You

can sign up for space weather alerts at www.spaceweather.com. Another big surprise could come from comet C/2012 S1 (ISON), a sungrazer set to round Sol at a scant 1.1 million miles on

November 28. If the comet survives perihelion, it could produce a magnicently long tail perpendicular to the horizon as it ascends higher and higher into the dawn sky during the rst twoweeks of December. Its survival at that close range sun is the big if. In addition, Comet PANSTARRS, C/2011 L4 should become an easy binocular target low to the horizon in the west after

sunset during mid-March. Also the very predictable Perseid meteor shower, which rarely disappoints, reaches maximum activity on the morning of August 13. The moon sets around 11 p.m.

the previous night. During the winter months Jupiter dominates the evening sky, followed by Saturn in the spring, and Venus, low in the west after sunset during the summer and fall. The year

2013 may seem dull on the surface, but then watch out for those big surprises. www.astronomy.org

Dunwoody

64/55Lilburn

65/56

Snellville

66/56Decatur

66/56

Morrow

67/56

Hampton

68/57

Union City

67/56

College Park

67/56

Atlanta

66/56

Doraville

65/56

Smyrna

65/56

Lithonia

67/56


10/16


expediency.Rader said the election of

May is a continuation of thestatus quo.

We have had a very dif-cult time having inclusivedialogue and participation fromthe Board of Commissioners on

internal decisions, Rader said.Im hoping we can get trans-parency in the future.

Before voting against Suttonfor the deputy presiding ofcer

position, Gannon said, I try tobe very positive as a person andin my life, but I cannot acceptthe choice before us.

This is not the choice torepresent DeKalb County, saidGannon, who made an unsuc-cessful move to elect Rader asdeputy presiding ofcer. Weshould elect someone with a

proven track record of truth

and integrity, someone who haschaired many committeescom-mittees that meet, someone whohas extensive board experi-ence.

Gannon said the boardshould continue with its his-tory of making an effort to

maintain a racial balance in thecomposition of its ofcers totake into consideration all ofDeKalb County.

Gannon said the boarddoes not need leadership thatis broadcast in the media withnegative stories about nancialissues, brushes with the law[and] misuse of public ofce.

After being elected to theleadership role, Sutton said,Theres a big difference intruth and in real leadership thanstories that are fed to friends inthe media.

Ellis Continued From Page 8A

Board Continued From Page 3A

NEWS BRIEFSDeKalb County Police Departmentawarded $66,300 grant

The DeKalb County PoliceDepartment has been awarded a publicsafety partnership H.E.A.T. grant totaling

$66,300 from the Georgia GovernorsOfce of Highway Safety (GOHS) inAtlanta.

H.E.A.T, which stands for HighwayEnforcement of Aggressive Trafc,ncludes the primary goals of (1) reducingmpaired driving crashes; (2) reducing

excessive speeding; (3) increasing thesafety belt usage rate; and (4) educatinghe public about trafc safety.

The DeKalb County PoliceDepartment H.E.A.T. Unit will developand implement strategies to reducecrashes, injuries and fatalities fromdrugs and alcohol, speed and aggressivedriving, and non-use of safety belts withinheir jurisdiction. The grant went into

effect on Oct. 1 of 2012 and will continueuntil Sept. 30 of 2013.

The H.E.A.T. grant helps supporthe DeKalb County Police Departments

enforcement efforts and is a reminderof their dedication in supporting theGOHS mission to protect Georgiansfrom speeders and impaired drivers,said GOHS DirectorHarris Blackwood.Crashes involving impaired driverskilled 277 people across Georgia in 2011.The chance of a fatal crash involvingdrivers impaired by drugs or alcohol ismuch higher than the rate for fatal crashesnot related to impairment.

H.E.A.T. programs based on impaired

driving and speeding data include 22Georgia counties and have coveredmost of Metro Atlanta. The H.E.A.T.nitiative was designed to serve Georgiaurisdictions with the highest rates of

crashes, injuries and deaths.The H.E.A.T. initiative seeks to

ncrease the impaired driver arrests,educe dangerous speeders, educate the

public about the dangers of DUI andprovide a high visibility enforcementprole in the communities that need itmost, Blackwood said.

Georgias H.E.A.T. units consistentlyprovide the kind of high-prole trafcaw enforcement required to save lives on

our highways.

Physician indicted for acceptingMedicaid funds for abortions

Georgias Attorney General SamOlens announced Jan. 2 that a DeKalbCounty doctor has been accused of ac-cepting $205,000 in Medicaid funds forservices not rendered and for services as-sociated with the performance of electiveabortions.

On Dec. 20, a DeKalb County grandury issued an indictment against Andre

DamianWilliams on one count of Med-caid fraud for using Medicaid funds to

perform elective abortions, according to a

media release.The indictment alleges that from Janu-

ary 2009 to September 2011, Williamsowned two businesses, Legacy Obstetricsand DeKalb Gynecology Associates, both

located on Snapnger Woods Drive inDecatur. The primary business at DeKalbGynecology Associates was the perfor-mance of elective abortions.

According to the indictment, Williamsaccepted $205,003 in Medicaid funds for

services not rendered and for services as-sociated with the performance of electiveabortions.

Since 1976, the federal law known asthe Hyde Amendment has prohibited theuse of federal funds to pay for electiveabortions and services associated withelective abortions. In conformance withfederal law and regulations, elective abor-tions and services associated with electiveabortions are not covered by the GeorgiaMedicaid program.

Medicaid fraud is punishable by one to10 years in prison and a ne of $10,000.

District Attorney announces newappointments, hires

DeKalb County DA RobertJamesannounced Kellie Stevens Hill as his newchief trial assistant district attorney. Shereplaces former Chief Assistant DA DonGeary. Hill, who has practiced more than20 years, will oversee all aspects of theDAs public integrity unit and manage alltrial line attorneys.

Kellie brings a wealth of knowledgeand experience to the position, Jamessaid. She has an impeccable reputationand has worked on some of the metroareas highest prole cases including theBrian Nichols case.

Hill received her bachelors degree

from University of Pennsylvania and herjuris doctorate from Rutgers UniversitySchool of Law. Prior to working inDeKalb County, she served as chiefassistant DA for the Fulton County DAsOfce.

James also announced thatChristopher Timmons will serve as anassistant district attorney in the ofcespublic integrity unit. Timmons, who hasmore than 16 years of legal experience,was recently an assistant district attorneyfor the Cobb County DAs Ofce.

Anna Green Cross, a former chiefassistant district attorney over theappellate division and death penaltyunit in Cobb County, is a graduate ofUniversity of Notre Dame and receivedher juris doctorate from Emory UniversitySchool of Law. Cross will be a deputychief assistant DA handling capital/complex litigation.

Chris brings a depth of experience indealing with complicated white-collar,gang and racketeering cases, James said.Anna has an extensive legal background,has written over 40 appellate briefs to theSupreme Court of Georgia and the Courtof Appeals and handled numerous capitalcases.

Assistant DA Mirna Andrews waspromoted to the crimes against childrenunit. Assistant DA Carrie McCurdy was

promoted to the domestic violence andsexual assault unit. Wayne Pinkney washired as a gang unit and drug trafckinginvestigator.

grand jury, or in my ofce, buttheyre certainly available ifanyone wants to look at it.

Ellis said he did not knowwhether the grand jury waslooking for a particular water-shed management contract.

Although he said he couldnot discuss the specics ofan ongoing investigation, El-lis said the grand jury askedquestions about our procure-ment process in DeKalbCounty, questions primarily

about how we go about lettingcontracts.

Ellis denied knowledge ofany wrongdoing.

I havent done anythingthat Im aware of, nor has mystaff done anything that Imaware of that is inappropriate,Ellis said. I can certainly tellyou that theres nothing in therethat is in any way done wrong.

County spokesman BurkeBrennan said the special pur-

pose grand jury has been look-ing into a contracting thingsince March or April of last

year.We had a contract admin-istrator under contract who wasalso working for the guy whohad the contract, so he wason both sides of the fence and

the allegation was, he was ap-proving contracts that he wassupposed to deliver, Brennansaid. Thats where it started.

Brennan said Ellis hasnothing to hide so Im notexpecting any bombshells tocome out of this.

Weve provided any in-formation and documentationthat the District Attorneys Of-ce has requested, Ellis said.Well continue to provide anyinformation and documentation

that the district attorney shouldwant as they continue throughtheir investigation.

Im going to continue tobe honest, said Ellis, who hasappeared twice before specialgrand juries. Im going tocontinue to be transparent. Imgoing to continue to work withall of the ofcials involved inthis process and were going tocontinue to do our job.

Although he said he is per-plexed by the search warrant,Ellis said, Im not concernedgiven the fact that nothings

wrong that I have done, noth-ing improper that I have done,nothing that I have to hide. Wewill be as forthcoming as pos-sibly can.

Investigators from the countys District Attorneys Ofce load boxesand a computer into cars after searching county CEO Burrell Ellishome. Photo by Andrew Cauthen


11/16

oo many breweries but around here, theres noocal competition.

Stahl said he hopes as smaller breweriesbecome more popular, they will eventuallypush away some of the out-of-state competi-ionthe big guys.

Eight years ago, Stahl started brewingwith a small home brew kit, then increased tobrewing five gallons at a time. While work-ng as a research assistant in a plant geneticsab at the University of Georgia, he decidedt was time to pursue his dream jobbrewing

beer full time. Stahl said it has been a five-year process.

We had money lined up numerous timesand it kept getting smaller and smaller andeverything just fell outabout 15 months agowe just decided to cash in everything wevegot and just shoot for it, Stahl said.

For the past year, Stahl, his uncle, hisneighbor and several friends have been work-ng to get the brewing equipment up andunning. The company recently held a re-ease party Dec. 27 at the Brick Store Pub in

Decatur where it tapped its first keg of beer,which lasted only a day before running out.

Stahl said the company currently makeswo types of beer: Bantam Weight, a 4.5

percent light red ale; and Mother Hoppin, adouble IPA. In addition to Brick Store, BlueTarp Beer can be found at Leons Full ServiceBar, Mac McGees Irish Pub, The Square Puband the Marlay House in Decatur.

Within the next six months Stahl said hehopes to begin canning the beer and selling it

n local stores. The cans will take up a lot ofpace but Stahl said he prefers canning rather

than bottling for a multitude of reasons.When beer is bottled, there is light and

oxygen penetration that will affect the taste ofthe beer. Bottling beer in a darker bottle willminimize some of the light penetration but

Stahl said its still better to use cans.Theyre much lighter and cheaper and

easier to recycle, Stahl said.Stahl said his goal is to continue to brew

beer and keep on expanding the brewery toas big as it can get.

Well just see how far it goesas long

as we dont end up hating it, it wont be thatbad, Stahl joked.

Stahl and his partner Rick Castellucis (pictured below) are currently producing two beers, a red ale and a double IPA. Blue Tarp beer can be found at locations throughoutDecatur such as The Brick Store Pub and Mac McGees Irish Pub. Photos by Daniel Beauregard


Microbrew Continued From Page 1A

In addition to Christmas trees of various species, Gainesvilles Kinsey Family Farm grows acres of shrubs and other plants to besold in its nursery. Photos by Andrew Cauthen


12/16

The Champion Free Press, Friday, Jan. 11, 2013 Page 12ABusiness

Florist-event planner creates budding business in Dunwoody

Two Decatur Town Center, 125 Clairemont Ave., Suite 235, Decatur, GA 30030

404-378-8000 www.DeKalbChamber.org

The Voice of Business in DeKalb CountyDeKalb Chamber of Commerce

by Kathy [email protected]

Suzanne Conreaux saidhe has loved owers for asong as she canemember and

has studied owerarranging inapan, the District

of Columbia andAtlanta. When shewas working asan event plannerat a major Atlantaorporation, her

plan had been toetire at 55 and

open a owerhop.

Fate intervenedand Conreaux,whos nowhere near 55, is

now owner of Blooms ofDunwoody along with herhusband Patrick Conreaux.

I took an apprenticeship atDavids Flowers to learn fromhe very talented master oral

designerDavid Bouseman.Soon after, he decided to retireand close his shop after 26years,Suzanne Conreauxaid.

The closing of DavidsFlowers presented anunexpected opportunity. Myhusband and I have worked inhe event planning and designndustry for over 15 years

and we have long dreamedof opening a ower shop thatnspires customers with unique

ower arrangements andnnovative twists on traditional

events. We decided this wasour moment, she said.

Dunwoody did not loseBousemans talents, however.Although he no longer wantedo be a business owner,

Bouseman stayed on to leadhe oral design staff at theebranded business.

Patrick Conreauxcommented, We wantedorists with an innovative airfor design, and when David

became available to lead ouroral staff, we knewthe stars had aligned to

realize our vision.Bouseman takes

pride in designingworks of oral artwith the individualclient in mind. Itcomes down to ourvision for customizedservice, he said.We make reallyunique designs forour customers that aretruly special. We treatevery arrangement asart and every customer

as somebody special no matter

their budget.The staff will even create aoral arrangement especiallyfor a vase or container that theclient brings in.

Now the only retail oristshop in Dunwoody, accordingto Suzanne Conreaux,Blooms of Dunwoody isa full-service business,offering arrangements forfunerals, weddings and specialoccasions. It also offersevent planning services for awide variety of celebrations,including weddings,

bar mitzvahs, birthdays,

anniversaries and corporateevents.

Our belief is that every daythere is a reason to surprise,to touch, and to inspire otherswith uniquely sentimentalexperiences. Whether its byadding new owers to ouroral arrangements or by goingthe extra mile to unveil anunexpected article of design oractivity at an event, SuzanneConreaux said, our mission isto make people feel celebrated

in a distinctly memorableway.

She said Blooms ofDunwoody handles eventsfrom baby showers for 25guests to weddings withhundreds of guests. We

manage as much or as littleof the event as the clientwants. Some want us to doeverythingnd a site, hire acaterer, rent equipmentothershave already selected a site andneed someone to come in makesure everything goes smoothly.For weddings sometimesthe brides rst impulse it toask Aunt Sue to manage theevent, but she may not knowwhat to do and besides AuntSue doesnt get to enjoy thewedding.

Suzanne Conreaux said

although the business has onlybeen open a few months andhas only been in its currentlocation since November, shesees every indication it will

be a success. Even when theeconomy is in a slump as it isnow, people still get married,have babies, and celebrateanniversaries. They still wantto make the major events oftheir lives special. They may

budget a little more carefully,but they still want somethingmemorable.

She said the DunwoodyVillage Shopping Center

location on ChambleeDunwoody Road wasespecially important to her.I didnt want to be anyplace

but right here in the heartof Dunwoody. People hereknow Davids work and thequality of work they canexpect. If there hadnt beena space available within thisthree-block area, I wouldhave waited until one becameavailable.

loral designer David Bouseman, below, creates many of the arrangements at Blooms. Photos by Kathy Mitchell, except where indicated

Suzanne Conreauxsaid opening Bloomsfullls a longtimedream. Photo pro-vided

Conreaux said she considers the Dunwoody Village Shop-ping Center an ideal location. Photo provided


13/16

The Champion Free Press, Friday, Jan. 11, 2013 Page 13AEducation

DCSD swears in new board members,

discusses school organization plan

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After a brief ceremonyearlier in the day welcomingboard members JimMcMahan, MarshallOrson, Melvin Johnson andPamela Speaks, the DeKalbCounty school board held itsrst meeting of 2013.

The board postponed avote on a proposed school

organization plan untilan. 23. Superintendent

Cheryl Atkinson said noaction from the board wasneeded at the time. However,DeKalb County School Dis-rict (DCSD) Chief Operat-ng OfcerStephen Wilkins

discussed the details of theproposed plan.

The purpose of the pro-posed school organization iso simply report to the statehose schools that we expecto operate over the next ve

years, Wilkins said. Allhat we are doing is simplyeporting the information

from that process in order toparticipate in the state capitaloutlay program.

Georgia law requires allschool systems to developand maintain a long rangecomprehensive facilities planthat is updated every veyears to make the systemeligible for state funding.Wilkins said the purpose ofthe plan is to inform the stateof the schools the district ex-

pects to operate over the nextve years.Currently, DCSD is

eligible to receive up to $40million in additional funds

dependent upon state ap-proval of plan.

Wilkins said the onlysignicant changes proposedin the plan are to convertChapel Hill Middle Schoolinto a theme middle schooland discuss developing acomprehensive arts school atAvondale Middle School or

the districts Stone MountainAdministrative and Indus-trial Complex.

Any other changes withrespect to school boundar-

ies or school consolidationswill be done generally a yearfrom now, Wilkins said.Anything else will be dis-cussed as we go along overthe next four and ve years.

Originally, adding gradessix through eight to severalhigh schools was included inthe proposed plan but afteran outcry from residents, itwas removed.

Over the next several

weeks, the district is holdingpublic information sessionsto gather input from resi-dents. The remaining publicinformation meetings will beheld from 6:30-8 p.m., Jan.10 at Martin Luther KingJr. High School; Jan. 15 at

Tucker High School; Jan. 16at Dunwoody High School;and Jan. 17 at DCSDs Ad-ministrative and IndustrialComplex in Stone Mountain.

School Board ChairmanEugene Walker urged resi-dents to attend the meetingsand said their input will bevital to the planning process.

We encourage resi-dents and parents to see the

proposal and make your

comments known. Your par-ticipation and input to this

process is crucial, Walkersaid.

Details of the plan canbe found on the districtswebsite at www.dekalb.k12.ga.us.

DeKalb County school board member Marshall Orson was sworn in Jan. 7 before attending the rst board meeting of the year. Photos by Daniel Beauregard

Board members Melvin Johnson, Jim McMahan, Marshall Orsonand Pamela Speaks attended a brief swearing in ceremony beforethe boards Jan. 7 work session.


14/16

Page 14A The Champion Free Press, Friday, Jan. 11, 2013

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The Champion Free Press, Friday, Jan. 11, 2013 Page 15ASports

Tahj Shamsid-Deen: a great player becoming a great leader

RECYCLEplease

by Carla [email protected]

With eight seniors gone and a new coach taking thehelm for the 2012-13 Columbia High School boysbasketball team, former head coach Phil Mc-Crary knew he needed one of his returning play-

ers to be the team leader and help with the transition.So, he asked his point guard, Tahj Shamsid-Deen, to step

up.Thats something I had to work on, Shamsid-Deen said.

I think Coach McCrary knew he wasnt going to come back [thiseason], so he knew I had to be a better leader. During theummer league he actually had me coach the team.

The senior point guard said experience hashelped him become a better leader this season,and his new coach, Kerry Sandifer, agrees.

He has been a big help as far as assistingme, Sandifer said. When Im having prob-ems with [one of the players] Ill go to him

and say Tahj, I need you to talk to this kid orhat kid and they listen to him. He has been a

great leader.His leadership and basketball skills haveed the Columbia Eagles to a 12-1 record. The

ESPN 13-ranked player in the state is leadinghe team in scoring with 25.8 points per game,

which is up from 12.7 points per game lasteason.

The Auburn commit said one of thehings he worked on during the off season

was his jump shot.My jump shots have been falling more

consistently this year and my free throw per-centage is up from last year, he said.

Most of his skills come from hours ofpracticing in the gym and watching NBAgames. Shamsid-Deen said he studies someof the top point guards in the NBA such as

Chris Paul, Derrick Rose, Rajon Rondo, and former NBA playerAllenIverson.

I love those point guards, so I watch a lot of their highlights onYoutube and then I try to get in the gym and copy their moves andtry to put it in my game, he said.

Sandifer said Shamsid-Deen is probably the smartest pointguard he has ever coached and praised him for his competitiveness.

He doesnt like to lose, Sandifer said. Hes not a three-timedefending champion for nothing. Tahj is the rst one in the gym.Hes focused and once he gets here he is ready to go.

The Eagles are striving to win a fourth straight state title, thesixth in eight years. Columbia could become the second team in

DeKalb County history to win four consecutive state titles. MillerGrove boys basketball team became the rst program to

win four consecutive titles (2009-2012) last season.Shamsid-Deen said seeing Miller Grove win its

fourth consecutive title last year has motivated himto reach that goal this year.

After I got the rst championship in ninthgrade I told myself that I want to win four, hesaid. So, I got one more to go.

Although this team may not be as talented

as last years team, Shamsid-Deen believes thisteam has certain qualities that can help them go allthe way again.

Were not as big as we were in the pastyears, so we try to utilize our speed and quick-ness against other teams, he said. We liketo play team ball, team defense, box out andrebound. We try to get out and run and pushthe ball down the court.

Besides winning another championship,Shamsid-Deen said the team is also playinghard to keep its seven-year home winningstreak going and win another region title,which will be its seventh in eight seasons.

We denitely dont want to be theteam to lose that and mess that up, he said.

Dec. 26

Chamblee 62, Butler 58: TheChamblee Bulldogs defeated Au-gustas Butler High in the openinground of the tournament.

Columbia 83, Auburn (AL) 46:Columbia point guard Tahj Sham-sid-Deen led the team 20 points(9-11 from eld), ve assists, andfour steals in the win over Auburn.Forward Kyle Wallace scored 20points (4-5 from three-point line),

and forward Shadell Bell added13 points and ve steals.

Norland (FL) 55, Tucker 46:Tucker shooting guard DevonteFitzgerald led the team with 21points and 10 rebounds, but itwasnt enough to beat Norland.

Dec. 27

Columbia 74, Crisp County 55:Shamsid-Deen scored 15 points,forward Maurice Rivers added 11points and 11 rebounds, and Wal-lace scored 13 points in the winover Crisp County in the secondround.

Greenforest 66, Chamblee 44:The Greenforest Christian Acad-emy Eagles defeated Chambleein the second round. Greenforestguard Justin Ravenel was namedplayer of the game.

Tucker 81, Meridian (MS) 72:Fitzgerald led the Tucker Tigerswith 26 pointsand 10 reboundsover Mississippi Class 6A statechampions Meridian. Tigers shoot-ing guard Jon Dunmyeradded18points.

Dec. 28

Columbia 90, Wenonah (AL) 89:Guard Kiair Couch led Colum-bia with 24 points in the win overAlabama 5A state champion We-

nonah. Rivers added 19 points, 16rebounds and ve blocks. Wallace14 scored points, Shamsid-Deenadded 14 points, and centerJor-dan Anderson had 11 points and12 rebounds.

Jonesboro 63, Tucker 55: Dun-myer scored 15 points and Fitzger-ald scored 13 in the loss to ClaytonCountys Jonesboro High School.

Dec. 29

Columbia 71, Norcross 67 inovertime: The Columbia Eagleswon the tournament after beat-ing Gwinnett Countys Norcross.Shamsid-Deen led the team with22 points and seven assists. Kyle

Wallace also scored 22 points, 4-7from the three-point line and 6-6free throws; and Rivers added 12points.

The Champion chooses a male and femalehigh school Athlete of the Week each weekthroughout the school year. The choicesare based on performance and nominationsby coaches. Please e-mail nominations [email protected] by Monday at

noon.

MALE ATHLETE OF THE WEEKBakari Copeland, Arabia Mountain(basketball): The senior guard led theRams in scoring with 16 points in thewin over Lithonia on Jan. 4.

FEMALE ATHLETE OF THE WEEKJordan Dillard, Decatur (basketball):The senior forward scored 21 pointsand had four steals in the 41-38 winover Lovett on Jan. 5. Dillard isaveraging 19.9 points, 8.1 rebounds,and 4.2 steals a game.

Each weekThe Champion spotlights formerhigh school players from the county who are

succeeding in athletics on the college level.

Kenny Ladler, Vander-bilt (football): The juniorsafety from Stephensonhad 10 total tackles and an

interception in the 38-24win over North CarolinaState in the Franklin Amer-ican Mortgage Music CityBowl in Dec. 31.

Mfon Udoa, Georgia Tech(basketball): The seniorguard from Miller Grovescored 14 points in the 74-58 win over Chattanoogaon Jan.2. Udoa is averag-ing 9.7 points per game onthe season.

Conisha Hicks, Clark At-lanta (basketball): The ju-

nior point guard from Mill-er Grove scored 13 pointsand had ve assists and vesteals in the 90-39 win overLane College on Jan. 5.

Basketball scores from Nike Tournament atColumbia High School on Dec. 26-29, 2012:

uBASKETBALL


16/16


y Carla [email protected]

The city of Stone Mountain had a signicantole in the American Civil War, which led to theigning of the Emancipation Proclamation on

an. 1, 1863.Stone Mountain Village recognized its part in

istory by commemorating the 150th anniversaryf the signing on Jan. 5. The event included cer-monial cannon res, the singing of God Bless

America, and speakers. Stone Mountain mayorPat Wheeler also spoke and presented a proc-amation of Rev. Timothy Depp, pastor of theistoric Bethsaida Baptist Church.

Susan Ryles, executive director of StoneMountain Main Street and Downtown Develop-ment Authority, said it was important to recog-

nize the signing of the Emancipation Proclama-tion because of Stone Mountains part in theCivil War.

The city of Stone Mountains history and ourawareness of the history all around us here madeus really want to commemorate this occasion,

Ryles said. Were a signicant point in the his-tory of the Civil War here.

During the Civil War, Stone Mountain Vil-lage was destroyed by men under the commandof General James Birdseye McPherson on July19, 1864. On November 16, 1864, the right wingof Union General William Shermans troopsdestroyed the railroad track to the north of themountain during the March to the Sea.

They destroyed all the railroad tracks be-tween Stone Mountain and Madison [Ga.] tokeep them from running through the mill again,

said Stone Mountain historian Dr. George Co-letti.

The railroad track is the oldest structure thatwas burned by Sherman during the Civil Warthat is still in use today. The city of Stone Moun-tain recognized Shermans mark on the city by

creating a piece art called Shermans Neckties.Shermans neckties were railway rails de-

stroyed by heating them until they were soft andtwisting them into loops resembling neckties,often around trees.

Coletti said they also wanted to honor theresidents of Stone Mountain and DeKalb Countywho voted against secession.

They did not want to leave the Union, Co-letti said. So, we gured to recognize those citi-zens of our city who voted against secession.

Stone Mountain commemorates 150th anniversary ofsigning of Emancipation Proclamation

he Stone Mountain Village commemorated the 150th anniversary of the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation on Jan. 5. The event included ceremonial cannon res,he singing of God Bless America, and speakers. Photos by Carla Parker

dekalb free press: 1-11-13

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