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WWW.CHAMPIONNEWSPAPER.COM FRIDAY, DECEMBER 23, 2011 VOL. 14, NO. 38 FREE

FREEPRESS A PUBLICATION OF ACE III C OMMUNICATIONS

DeKalb residents help to bring cleanwater to remote Haitian villagesby Nigel Roberts

Although water coversnearly three-quarters ofour planet, fresh waterrepresents just 2.5 percent

of it. And according to the NationalGeographic Society, only 1 percent ofthat fresh water is easily accessible.Water scarcity is becoming such a

serious problemespecially in un-derdeveloped countries with growingpopulations, that the World EconomicForum predicts a 40 percent globalshortfall by 2030.

Access to fresh water is alreadyat crisis level in Haiti. For severalyears, Food For the Poor, an interde-nominational Christian relief agency,has organized missions to address theproblem in the impoverished Carib-bean nation.

Two DeKalb residents, EdwardBuckley and Sheryl McCalla, trav-

eled with the organization Dec. 6 9to facilitate projects in remote com-munities in desperate need of clean,safe drinking water.

Buckley, who lives in Decatur, isa veteran of these missions. He wentto Jamaica eight years ago on hisfirst Food For the Poor mission. Hissecond trip was to Haiti, a countrythat he developed a keen interest in

because the need is great. Sincethen, he has made regular trips toHaiti every year.

For almost a decade, Buckley, acivil rights and employment attorney,has spearheaded fund-raising cam-paigns to drill and install wells withthe assistance of Food For the Poor.His efforts led to the construction ofmore than 100 artesian wells through-out Haiti, with each well providingaccess to fresh water for about 5,000people.

The December mission was Mc-

Callas second trip to Haiti. McCalla,an attorney residing in Avondale Es-tates, said she felt an urgency to helpthe Haitian people.

Ive traveled in Europe, Africa,South America and North America,but Ive never seen anything likethe poverty Ive seen in Haiti, sheemphasized.

The people of Haiti, the poor-

est in the Western hemisphere, havemyriad needs that range from foodand shelter to medical care. Why thefocus on water? Water is importantto life, McCalla stressed. Try goinga day without clean waterjust one.

We all have a human right toclean water, Buckley insisted. It isthe most fundamental human right;without it, we cannot enjoy our otherhuman rights.

Buckley said Haitians (mainlywomen and children) often have towalk long distances to obtain clean

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Serving East Atlanta, Avondale Estates, Chamblee, Clarkston, Decatur, Doraville, Dunwoody, Lithonia, Pine Lake, Tucker and Stone Mountain.

States Black

Democratsfght againstredrawndistricts

by Andrew [email protected]

Cracked, stacked andpacked.

Those are terms used todescribe the redrawing oflegislative districts to mini-mize minority voting power.And thats what minoritylawmakers in Georgia sayhas happened with recentlydrawn state Senate, stateHouse and Congressionalmaps.

Thats the ultimatepower grab in the Gen-eral Assembly, said Sen.Emanuel Jones (D-10),chairman of the GeorgiaLegislative Black Caucus.The Voting Rights Act isdesigned to prevent thisfrom happening.

Cracking is when a

voter group is split betweenseveral districts to restrict itfrom having a majority votein any one district. Packingrefers to grouping like-minded voters in a district tolimit their effect on multipledistricts. In stacking, a largegroup of minorities is placedin a district with a largermajority group.

Districts are redrawn ev-ery 10 years based on popu-lation changes detailed bythe U.S. Census. In August,the Republican-controlledGeneral Assembly passedmaps with redrawn districtsthat Democrats said wereracially gerrymandered toreduce the minority vote.

Passed in 1965, the Vot-ing Rights Act requires theU.S. Department of Justiceto preapprove changes madeto election procedures,including the altering ofdistricts, in states with a his-tory of racial discrimination.Georgia is one of nine statesthat are required to havepreclearance.

See Caucus on Page 15ASee Water on Page 15A

Amanda Farahany, left to right, Sheryl McCalla, and Edward Buckly at a water pump in Leogane, Haiti. Photo provided

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Page 2A The Champion Free Press, Friday December 23, 2011

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Suburban Plaza Walmart parking plan approved

File Photo.


It was neighbor against neighborand residents against developersduring a Dec. 14 public hearingbefore a decision was made to giveWalmart the parking variance itneeded for its proposed SuburbanPlaza location.

DeKalb Countys Zoning Boardof Appeals approved Selig Enter-prises request for a parking vari-

ance allowing the developer tohave 3.91 parking spaces per 1,000square feet of oor space, insteadof the required 5.5 spaces per 1,000square feet.

Selig Enterprises developedthe 290,000-square-foot SuburbanPlaza, located at the junction ofNorth Decatur Road, Church Streetand Scott Boulevard, in 1959. Newplans would increase the shoppingcenter to 324,614 square feet.

That variance reduced the re-quired spaces for the developmentby 517 spaces, from 1,786 spaces to1,269 spaces.

A report by a trafc engineerhired by Selig Enterprises, conduct-ed an occupied parking space analy-sis on Dec. 3 between 2 and 3:30p.m., showed that the additional

spaces are not needed, according toSteve Rothman, an attorney repre-senting Selig Enterprises.

The 235,000-square-foot Cham-blee Village shopping center used2.23 spaces per 1,000 square feet.The District at Howell Mill requireda 2.8 ratio. Both shopping centershave a Walmart Supercenter.

Were above what is actuallyneeded, Rothman said. Nobodyneeds 5.5 parking spaces for a shop-ping center. There really is no need

to have a huge sea of concrete ormore parking out there.

Melanie White, who had a peti-tion with 378 signatures, asked fora 90-day extension so a study on theimpact of the development on thecommunity could be performed.

In our view, you cannot decideon parking until you know enough[about] how limited parking will af-fect the trafc, Parker said.

Studies should be conducted onthe impact of trafc on the six-wayintersection at North Decatur Road,Medlock Road and Scott Boulevardand the effect of emergency vehicu-

lar trafc between DeKalb MedicalCenter, Emory Hospital and Eg-leston Childrens Hospital.

We are not against develop-ment, but we are against [inconve-

nience to] our neighbors that canresult in danger both to individualstransferred in emergency vehiclesas well as those who will potentiallybe parking and driving in the area,Parker said.

Resident Jan Hubbard askedthe zoning board not to change therules for Selig.

Im not here to debate the mer-its or the demerits of Walmart,Hubbard said. Im here because Ibelieve that this Walmart is the

wrong land use for this location.Other residents said they wel-

comed a Walmart to the strugglingshopping center.

Sharon Johnson, president ofthe Medlock Area NeighborhoodAssociation (MANA), said thegroups board was very excitedabout the parking variance.

We like less parking, saidJohnson, adding that the MANAboard is pleased that there will beunderground parking and no park-ing deck in the shopping center.

Charles Pursley, vice chairmanof the church council for North De-

catur United Methodist Church, saidhis church welcomes the proposeddevelopment.

We believe that his develop-ment and parking required for it

is benecial to our church and thepeople we serve, Pursley said.

Pursley, who lives near Subur-ban Plaza, said the additional trafcwould be benecial to the commu-nity.

I drive this all the time, Purs-ley said. I am aware of the trafcand I think the development andwhat it brings to the neighborhoodis worth the extra trafc that it maybring.

Before the vote, zoning board

memberBonnie Jackson urged herfellow board members to set asidepersonal feelings about Walmartand concerns about trafc.

We are not here to say whethera Walmart can be here, Jacksonsaid. Trafc is going to be trafcregardless of what goes in on thatcorner. What were here for only isfor the parking.

Scott Selig, of Selig Enterprises,said the decision by the zoningboard upheld the property rights ofcommercial developers.

I am in favor of individualsexpressing themselves, Selig said.

But there comes a point where wehave a constitutional right to oper-ate a company.

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DeKalb School officials areway off tune when it comes to sus-pending all band activities in thecounty pending an investigation ofhazing among band students in thesystem. This all comes on the heelsof the tragic hazing death of formerSouthwest DeKalb student RobertChampion at Florida A&M Univer-sity.

Officials say Champion, a drummajor for FAMUs famed March-ng 100, died as a result of a beat-ng during a hazing incident. His

parents have filed a lawsuit againsthe school. Florida State authori-

ties and FAMU officials are doingtheir due diligence and appropriateaction is expected. Meanwhile theband instructor and school president

are currently suspended pendingconclusion of the various investiga-tions.

This is an absolute necessarycourse of action. Too many studentshave died on college campusesaround the country as a result of thissenseless tradition called hazing,which should be called what it isaviolent assault. While often thepractice is underground, it must stopcompletely before more lives arelost and serious injuries inflicted.That said, why are DeKalb schoolofficials suspending all band activ-ity at 21 high schools pending aninvestigation of hazing here? Talkabout overkill. Thats like blastingthe entire tuba section when the mu-sic score calls for a piccolo.

Apparently there have beenreports of inappropriate activity

at two high schools. Why penalizean entire program system-wide formonths? Is this a pre-emptive an-ticipating a possible lawsuit? Why

when parents ask the probing ques-tions and need answers from schoolofficials they are ignored? Thispaints the new administration in avery poor light and absolutely sendsthe wrong message about opennessand cooperation.

Before going public with theiraction, it might have been moreprudent to discuss the matter withindividual school officials alongwith parents and students impacted.If there is merit to shutting downthe programs, parents and studentsmight be more accepting if theyknew the magnitude of the prob-lem and the real reasons behindit. School officials say they aredeliberately being tight-lipped toget more information. While eachcomplaint should be thoroughly in-vestigated and carefully probed, it

does not appear that the action takenby the system should have risen tothe level of shutting down the entireband program system-wide.

Because Robert Champion andanother FAMU hazing victim, BriaHunter, were products of DeKalbsSouthwest DeKalb High School andbecause many Southwest DeKalbstudents attend FAMU and play inits famed band is not a justificationto shut down programs here. Thatsthrowing the baby out with the bathwater and a kneejerk reaction rival-ing the highest steppers in some ofthe best HBCU (historically Blackcolleges and universities) marchingbands in the country.

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

The Newslady

DeKalb school officials: Overkill

The Champion Free Press, Friday December 23, 2011 Page 4AOpinion

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No one day can be so sacred buthat the laugh of a child will maket holier still, Robert Ingersoll1856-1899), American political

figure, orator and Union Civil Warveteran, nicknamed theGreat Ag-nosticinLiberty of Man Womanand Child(published 1898).

Thanks to God, and their re-pective mothers, I am the proud

father of two daughters, Barclayand Olivia. Due to earlier failing inudgment, and desire to end a bro-

ken marriage as simply as possible,agreed that my older daughter

could spend every Christmas withher mother and extended relationsn Virginia. I thought at the timehat we could substitute most any

other day and make it our Christ-mas. Though we have establishedour own holiday traditions, and docelebrate the holy day on a floatingcalendar, I didnt realize until it was

oo late that this would not really behe same.I still have the most vivid rec-

ollection of young Barclay, bornon 12/18, on the eve of her third

Christmas in 1995 awakening in thepre-dawn hours at her grandparentshome in the Shenandoah Valley ofVirginia. Despite a heavy coating ofsnow, Santa had found her, and lefta bevy of gifts as well as a beautifuland freshly decorated Fraser fir inthe den, lit only by the warm incan-descent glow of Christmas lights.

Toddler Barclay stood with herjaw wide open and her eyes expand-ing to the size of quarters just takingin the tree as its lights reflected inher eyes. It is a moment frozen intime and memory, she stood trans-fixed for nearly a full minute beforebolting toward the pile of toys andsurprises Santa had left for her.That was the last Christmas Eve ormorning I have been able to spend

with her.I tried to distract myself in theensuing years with an annual pil-grimage to Las Vegas and/or the skislopes of Colorado and Utah. Mythinking was it might be easier toescape visions of sugar plums andthe Christmas morning I was notexperiencing, if I was at the tablesor on the slopes. Though those yearshad some fun and occasionallyblurry memories, they were also notquite the same thing.

I developed another tradition ofholding a large party, surrounded byclients, friends and family to moveme early into the Christmas spirit,not long after Thanksgiving. Thishelped, and I finally started to putup a tree again at home. Lest youthink I spent the 90s or past decade

home alone on Christmas Eve orChristmas, I did not, but I did sorelymiss the treasure and pleasure ofChristmas through the eyes of achild.

Though I did not ask Santa tobring another child to fill this holein my heart, which I did not even re-ally know was there, he did just thatwith a Christmas in July of 2007.Olivia arrived on July 1, and eachyear since her love and awarenessof Christmas has grown exponen-tially. She has visited each yearwith Santa, and this year she washappy and well able to do so alone,as well as to share her brief list ofrequests. Her mother has lovinglydecorated their home for the season,as I have mineand Olivia often

runs from room to room and treeto tree, just to take in the twinklinglights, as her half-sister did so manyyears ago.

As the holidays often bring oc-casional stress, some from family,some from finances and even somefrom the incessant tugs of the cal-endar during this extended season, Ihave found very few stress relieversor mood elevators that work bet-ter than watching any of the manytouchstones of the season, again,through the eyes of a child. Take atrip to the mall and witness a fewvisits with Santa, head to Lennoxand re-visit the Pink Pig, or spend amorning/evening at Stone MountainPark at Snow Mountain.

If the Christmas spirit has notalready enveloped you, I can almost

assure you that if you can create orre-create these moments, and getback in touch with your own innerchild. Santa should bring him orher right back to you in the twinkleof your minds eye. Either way, orif you instead celebrate Hanukah,Kwanzaa or even Festivus, I wishyou and yours all the best this holi-day season and New Year. MerryChristmas.

Bill Crane is a DeKalb Countynative and business owner, living inScottdale. He also serves as chiefpolitical analyst and commentatorfor 11Alive News and WSB Radio,News/Talk 750. Contact Bill Craneat [email protected].

One Mans Opinion

Through the eyes of a child

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

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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.

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The Champion Free Press, Friday, December 23, 2011 Page 5AOpinion

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The Champion Free Press, Friday December 23, 2011 Page 6AOpinion

At peace with ChristmasWhat you call credit card debt is whatsome other person calls a job.

Residents ghting placement of approved celltowers at schools

Six on Zoning Board need to go !Three on Board of Ed need to go !Seven on DeKalb BOC need to go !

Last but not least our King, Little Lord Faunteroy Ellis sure needs to goalong with the Cell Towers !

- JerryMyer Jackson Jr posted this on 12/16/11 at 12:11 p.m.

Suburban Plaza Walmart parking planapproved

You just dont understand. WalMart is like coyotes--its ok for. you know,some people, but it doesnt belong in a place where we pay high propertytaxes to sip out lattes without having to mingle with, you know, somepeople.

NIMBY posted this on 12/16/11 at 11:43 a.m.

I cant believe anybody would be against the redevelopment of theeyesore that Suburban Plaza has become. Not only will it add a signicantcommercial tax base but it will also add badly needed jobs. If you dontlike Walmart exercise your right and dont shop there!

decnole posted this on 12/16/11 at 10:00 a.m.

People need jobs, in all sectors, construction, managers and most of allthe sale associates. We know about all the trafc but we also need mostto feed our families and have some kind of healthcare. Any job market is

welcome in this economy. Georgia have the highest unemployment rate inthe nation.

ddona stwert posted this on 12/16/11 at 12:55 a.m.

DeKalb halts marching band activities,launches full-scale investigation

Realize the inappropriate behavior could be hazing based on the actualbehavior.

Marching Band participation has provided scholarship opportunities tomany students that might not have the opportunity to go to school. Theyhave been positive for DeKalb County. If there is evidence of hazing withour high school bands, lets hope the investigation uncovers it and thesituation is promptly addressed.

- ErnestB posted this on 12/15/11 at 3:35 p.m.

The following comments are pulled straight from our website and are notedited for content or grammar.

Its now officially too late to doyour Christmas shopping early.

Thats OK. Doing your Christmasshopping late counts too. Remember,ts not the thought behind the gifthat counts; its what you spend on it.

Oh, I imagine you Xmasologistsout there are offended by such crassmaterialism. You say that Christmasshould be all about the birth of Christand we should walk around looking

pious.I say thats nonsense.Historically, you could even argue

hat the ultra-religious Christmas isun-American. The Pilgrims certainlyhought so.

Like the English Parliament ofhat time, they considered the holiday

a popish festival that lacked anyBiblical justification. As a matter offact, Christmas was banned in Bostonfor a time in the 1600s, as though itwere a dirty book.

I happen to be an expert on secularChristmas. I was born on ChristmasDay into a family of non-believersand grew up thinking that they deco-

rated the lampposts in downtown De-roit in my honor. Imagine my shock

when I discovered that somebody hadgotten there before me.

I never held it against Him, how-ever, which is why Ive never partici-pated in the Christmas wars that swirlaround the holiday every year. Non-Christians, many of them claiming tobe liberals, rail against the placing ofNativity scenes in public places or thesinging of carols in schools. They goo court to block such activities, argu-ng that they violate the separation of

church and state guaranteed by theFirst Amendment.

Picky, picky, picky.I tend to side with the religionistsn these matters. I doubt whether the

founding fathers had Christmas deco-rations in mind when they created thechurch-state separation. Christmassimply wasnt that big a deal in thosedays.

As a matter of fact, one ofGeorgeWashingtons great military victo-ries his 1777 defeat of a Hessianmercenary force in what became

known as the Battle of Trenton came the day after Christmas. Taking

advantage of the fact that the Germantroops took Christmas more seri-ously than Americans and would becelebrating, he seized the opportunityto rout them as they recovered fromtheir feast.

I wonder ifRichard Nixon knewhe was following in the footsteps ofthat George W. when he ordered theChristmas bombing of North Vietnamin 1972?

The dating of Christs birth is ar-bitrary, in any case. Theres virtuallyno evidence that December 25 is theactual birth date of Jesus of Nazareth.(The New Testament, for example,

makes no mention of a date.) Itsmore likely that the 25th was chosenbecause it coincides with the Romanwinter solstice, the day when winterbegins to recede and the full light ofday begins its return journey.

In other words, its a festival oflights, and thats the way I choose tocelebrate it. If some choose to cel-ebrate something else, so be it.

My Christmas is essentially theChristmas ofCharles Dickens. Itsa Christmas of family, goodwill,compassion and presents lots ofpresents. DickensA Christmas Car-ol, written in 1843, is credited withreviving the holiday in the English-

speaking world. It co-exists happilywith the Christmas of Christians, whoare free to buy each other presents ornot.

Some of those Christians complainabout the presents. The holiday hasbecome too commercial, they say.

Perhaps. But a Dickens Christmas,marked by wretched excess though itsometimes can be, is also about giv-ing and sharing qualities that areoften in short supply the rest of theyear. Besides, the economy wouldcollapse if people stopped buyingthings for Christmas.

The only thing I really dont

like about the holiday is The LittleDrummer Boy. Its the musicalequivalent of waterboarding.

Anyway, have a happy holiday,whatever you choose to call it, andgo out and buy something. What youcall credit card debt is what someother person calls a job.

OtherWords columnist DonaldKaul lives in Ann Arbor, Michigan.http://otherwords.org

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The Champion Free Press, Friday December 23, 2011 Page 7ALocal News

Man indicted in triple homicide

A man who is accused of stabbing to deathhree family members was indicted recently on

murder charges.Eugene Quatron McCoy, 21, was indicted

n the deaths of his mother, Sheila Irons, his1-year-old half-brotherZion McPherson and-year-old half-sisterChasity McPherson. Mc-

Coy also is charged with aggravated assault inhe stabbing of his 17-year-old sister, CandiceMcCoy.

The killings happened April 3 at the familysome on Rockland Road near Lithonia. McCoyemains in the DeKalb County Jail without bond.

Dunwoody Police stop burglaryn progress

Dunwoody Police stoppeda burglary on Dec. 13 in theDunwoody North subdivi-sion after receiving a call on asuspicious vehicle in the area,according to police spokes-woman Kelly Boyer. A wit-ness gave police a tag numberand ofcers spotted the silver2006 Audi A4 shortly after ar-riving in the area. The driver,17-year-old Corey Freemanof Decatur, was detained andfurther investigation revealedhe had been waiting on twomen who were burglarizinga residence nearby. Ofcerssearched the area and locatedthe two males, Dondre Mc-Dade of Conley and Em-manuel Lett of Lithonia, both17. All three suspects weretransported to Dunwoody Po-lice headquarters.

Festival donates $10,000 to PoliceAlliance

The DeKalb Police Alliance on Dec. 13 waspresented with a $10,000 check as proceeds fromthe inaugural DeKalb International Food andMusic Festival. The event, held Nov. 12 at theGeneral Motors property in Doraville, celebratedthe countys diverse culture with an international

mix of music, entertainment and food. OrganizerStan Watson, a DeKalb County commissioner,is hopeful the event will become an annual affairthat sparks economic development and tourism.All proceeds from the event benet the DPA andthe Police Athletic League.

Dunwoody Police arrest armedrobbery suspect

An armed robbery suspectturned himself in to policeDec. 13 after eluding Dun-woody Police ofcers on achase through Atlanta morethan 12 hours earlier, accord-ing to police spokeswoman

OfcerKelly Boyer. PhillipRedmond III, 21, of Doug-lasville, led police on a chase

beginning at 3:45 a.m. fromI-285 at Ashford Dunwoody Road to southwestAtlanta. He crashed his 1997 Cadillac Devilleinto a pole in an apartment complex, then he anda passenger got out of the car and ran into thewoods. Redmond was later contacted and turnedhimself in.

According to police, Redmond and an accom-plice, both armed with handguns, approached awoman in her car at the Walton Apartments onAshwood Parkway and demanded her purse. Thetwo took every bag in the womans car and ranaway. Police still are searching for the secondsuspect.

Anyone with information on the incident or

the identity of the second suspect is asked to con-tact Dunwoody Police Det. Robert Bentivegnaat (678) 382-6911 or [email protected]. You may also submit an anony-mous tip by accessing www.dunwoodypolice.com and clicking on submit a tip.

If you would like to nominate someone to

be considered as a future Champion of the

Week, please contactKathy Mitchellat

[email protected] or at

404-373-7779, ext. 104.

Champion ofthe Week

Rashaad King

NEWS BRIEFS

Lithonia residentRashaad King said hisinvolvement in commu-nity service goes backto his childhood.

My mother wasalways working in thecommunity and I re-member helping hereven at the age of 6,King said. Its been apart of me for as longas I can remember.

King said his mother

founded a communityservice organizationcalled Dream Nationthat focused on provid-ing at-risk youngsterswith experiences theymight not otherwisehave. Shed take themto places like World ofCoke that their parentswerent able to takethem to, he said.

King added that hismother stayed involvedin everything from fooddrives to voter regis-tration efforts and heoften was right besideher helping however hecould. In high school,he joined the Key Club,a junior auxillary of theKiwanis Club, so he

could have more oppor-tunities for communityservice.

Now 22, King hasstarted his own non-profit called The DreamCommunity OutreachFoundation to providefor hungry and home-less people in Lithoniaand nearby areas aswell as downtown At-lanta, where he saidmany homeless people

sleep outdoors nearthe Capitol. He said hewas inspired by Luke3:11, which urges thosewho have to share withothers, and Matthew25:35-36, which saysthat those who providefor others in need areserving Jesus.

His most recent ef-fort was a coat andfood drive called WinterB.L.A.S.T. BuildingLove And StrengthTogether. Through alocal radio station andother media he soliciteddonations of food, blan-kets and coats. Fourdays before the Dec.16 event, he alreadyhad more than 100coats donated towardhis goal of 1,000.

The owner of anentertainment produc-tion company, King saidthat lately he hasnt hadas much time for vol-unteering as he wouldlike. If I could I wouldserve the community

100 percent of the time.Right now, I can onlydo it about 40 percent,but I plan to do more in2012, he said.

Police arrest suspectcharged with alleged killingof Avondale football playerby Daniel [email protected]

Florida police have ar-rested a man accused of kill-ng former Avon-

dale High Schoolfootball playerMatthew Harde-man.

VerlaineLaGuerre, 20,was arrested onDec. 13 in Hal-andale, Fla., north

of Miami, andbrought back toAtlanta. LaGuerres being held in the Fulton

County Jail for allegedlyshooting Hardeman with an

llegal sawed-off shotgun.According Atlanta Po-

lice, at approximately 6:40p.m. on Oct. 15 police werecalled to a home off of the1800 block of LakewoodTerrace in southwest Atlanta

and found Hardeman,19, with multiple gun-shot wounds, lying inthe yard.

Police spokes-man Carlos Campossaid witnesses toldofcers that severalBlack men got outof a vehicle and ex-changed words withHardeman. They then

began shooting him.All shooters then re-enteredtheir vehicle and ed in anunknown direction.

LaGuerre is chargedwith murder, possession of

LaGuerre

a sawed-off shotgun, possessionof a rearm during the commis-

sion of a felony and aggravatedassault.

Redmond

Lett

McDade

Freeman

Hardeman

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Childs remains stillunidentified after 12 yearsby Andrew [email protected]

They call him Dennis.Thats not really his name, but

nvestigators with DeKalb CountysMedical Examiners ofce say everychild deserves a name.

[We] couldnt stand to call himthe kid or Johnny Doe, said

forensic investigatorLinda Goche-nouer. Every child deserves thatmuch. They deserve a name.

Dennis is the name given to theemains of a child found on Feb. 26,

1999, in a wooded area near a cem-etery across the street from CliftonSprings United Methodist Church.

Its not really some place yound by accident, Gochenouer said.I think somebody had to be familiarwith the area.

The boy is described as a Blackmale, four feet tall and approximately

5-7 years old. He was wearing a darkblue, hooded sweatshirt with plaidsleeves, size 8 red denim jeans and

boys sized 11 Timberland brownsuede boots, which were nearly new.The actual skin tone and eye color arenot known.

Toxicology reports found acet-aminophen and anti-nausea medicinein Dennis system.

This child appeared to be wellcared for, said forensic investigatorGreg Johns said. And for him to

just be dumped out like that and allthese years with nobody coming by,it just makes it that much more un-

usual.The medical examiners analysisin 1999 found no signs of traumaand no cause of death could be de-

termined. Investigators believe theremains were in the woods for three

to six months before they were found,putting the possible date of the deathlate in 1998.

Its awfully difcult to timedeaths from skeletonized remains,said Chief Medical ExaminerGeraldGowitt, who originally examinedthe remains in 1999. You can be offmonths.

Dennis has gone through fourdifferent renderings. In 2000, a clayreconstruction was done by using theskull. A few years later, the Geor-gia Bureau of Investigation made asketch of Dennis based on measure-ments and data analysis. In the early

2000s another clay rendering wasdone by Sam Buice, a former fo-rensic investigator with the DeKalbMedical Examiners Ofce.

In the current rendering, just com-pleted in December, an artist and an-

thropologist with the Federal Bureauof Investigation used advances inscience and technology to make a 3-D

plastic model of the skull.We feel its very realistic, Go-

chenouer said. If somebody knowsthis child, they can identify him fromthis picture.

The case, which was featured inAtlanta Magazine in 2000 and onAmericas Most Wanted show in2004, is listed in the National Miss-ing and Unidentied Persons System,a clearinghouse for missing personsand unidentied decedent records.

DeKalb County currently has six

other unidentied remains, but Den-nis is the only one the investigatorshave named.

Weve got hip replacement girl

See Cold case on Page 9A

Clothing and skeletal remains are all that exist f rom Dennis, a boy who has been unidentified since being found near a cemeteryn 1999. Investigators say it is highly unusual for a child to remain unidentified for so long and hope a recently released FBI ren-

dering will lead to his identification. Photo by Andrew Cauthen

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Suspects fractured jaw leads to county lawsuit

AMOUNT AMOUNT

ORIGINAL CURRENT EXPENDED EXPENDED

ESTIMATED ESTIMATED IN CURRENT IN PRIOR PROJECT

PROJECT COST (1) COSTS (2) YEAR (3) YEAR (3) STATUS

Property acquisition, construction and equiping a minimum of eight (8)

new schools and two (2) new centers; renovations, modifications,

additions and equipment for existing schools; acquisition and

installation of information systems harware and infrastructure at all

schools and selected other facilities; purchase of both new school

buses and school buses currently under lease. $ 524,404,330.00 $ 524,080,408.01 $ 2,412,908.39 $ 504,366,150.91 Ongoing

Property acquisition, renovations and expansion, construction and

equipping, roofing, site improvements of new and existing schools;

acquisition of buses, technology -media center upgrades, HVAC

systems, roofing, school improvement projects throughout the district,

technology additions, renovations and upgrades, transportation

improvements and site acquisitions; paying capitalized interest on

General Obligation Bonds. 609,460,500.00 584,461,307.67 117,948,252.59 264,969,284.33 Ongoing

$ 1,133,864,830.00 1,108,541,715.68 120,361,160.98 769,335,435.24

(1) The School District's original cost estimate as specified in the resolution calling for the imposition of the Local Option

Sales Tax.

(2) The School District's current estimate of total cost for the project. Includes all cost from project inception to completion.

(3) The voters of Dekalb County approved the imposition of a 1% sales tax to fund the above projects and retire associated

debt. Amounts expended for these projects may include sales tax proceeds, state, local property

taxes and/or other funds over the life of the projects.

DEKALB COUNTY BOARD OF EDUCATION

SCHEDULE OF APPROVED LOCAL OPTION SALES TAX PROJECTS

YEAR ENDED JUNE 30, 2011

ursuant to . . . . - - an t e ransparency n overnment ct, t e e a ounty o ar o ucat on s pu s ng

its approved Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax schedule.


A Lithonia man, arrestedast year on a drug posses-ion charge, is suing DeKalb

County after receiving afractured jaw in a police caraccident. But a judges rulingast week would keep key

evidence from a jury.On May 15, 2010,

DeKalb County Police of-cerJunior Lamont Ste-phens arrested EarnestCorbett, of Lithonia, on anoutstanding Newton Countywarrant for possession ofmarijuana. According to theawsuit and police depart-

ment documents, Corbettwas handcuffed and placednto the police vehicle with-

out being fastened into aeatbelt.

In statements for an in-ernal investigation of thencident, the ofcer said that

while transporting Corbett,he swerved and slowed hisolice vehicle abruptly to

avoid a car that turned infront of him. During the pro-cess, the suspect, who hadbeen leaning forward, hit hisface on the Plexiglas divider.

Mr. Corbett advisedhat his lling in his tooth

had knocked out due to hisface impacting the prisonerglass window, according toStephens statement. Mr.Corbett also [spat] out a littlebit of blood while getting out

of] the patrol unit.The ofcer said he noti-ed corrections ofcers athe Newton County jail.

The deputy looked atMr. Corbetts mouth and said

and mohawk man, but hesDennis, Gochenouer said.This is a child and this is ourpriority. This little boy needso go home. He needs to be

with his family and we all arevery committed to seeing thathat happens.

Investigators say Denniss their top priority unidenti-

ed remains case.Wed like to see all of

our unidentied [persons] getdentied, but when youre

dealing with a child as op-posed to adults, the childnothat hes more importanteems to take precedent,ohns said.

We dont know whathe circumstances were and

were not here to demonize

the parents, Gochenouersaid. This little boy needs togo home.

Gowitt called the casevery puzzling.

Ive been doing this nowfor almost 28 years, Gowittsaid. Ive seen thousandsand thousands of deaths. Ivenever seen an unidentiedchild that went unidentiedfor this length of time.

Ive spoken to manymedical examiners in many

jurisdictions and they justdont have unidentied kid,Gowitt said. Unidentiedadults are not all that uncom-mon, but unidentied kidsthis age are very, very un-common.

that it was a dental injuryproblem, not a major injury,according to the ofcersstatement. An additionalco-worker inside of intakedocumented this incident.Mr. Corbett did not complainabout any other injuries ex-cept his tooth.

Stephens stated that thejail nurse gave Corbett someMotrin and accepted himinto the jail.

After being released fromjail two days after his arrest,Corbett went to RockdaleMedical Center and then toGrady Hospital where he re-ceived medical treatment for

a fractured jaw, according tothe lawsuit. He was hospital-ized for two days and hisjaw was wired shut with 10wires.

The lawsuit, led Jan. 18,accuses Stephens of negli-gence and failure to exerciseordinary care, and disregardfor the safety of others. Be-cause of his injuries, whichhave some permanent ef-fects, Corbett lost signicantincome, and continues tohave signicant pain andsuffering, according to thelawsuit.

An Aug. 12, 2010, dis-ciplinary report signed by

DeKalb Police ChiefWil-liam OBrien shows thatStephens was suspended forone day without pay for vio-lation of departmental rulesand failing to report the inci-dent to his supervisor.

In September, attorneysfor the county led a motionto exclude any evidence ortestimony concerning thefailure to use a seatbelt, in-cluding use of the police de-partments employee policiesregarding fastening seatbeltsfor passengers.

State Court Judge Elea-nor Ross granted the motionon Dec. 15 along with a mo-

tion removing Stephens as adefendant.

Corbetts attorney, AaronMarks, who learned of thejudges ruling when contact-ed by The Champion, saidhe was disappointed in thedecision.

Its a very bad ruling inmy opinion, Marks said.Im quite surprised.

DeKalb County Policespokeswoman Mekka Par-rish would not discuss thecase. As a matter of policy,we do not comment on pend-ing litigation, Parrish said.

A trial has not beenscheduled.

Cold case Continued From Page 8A

Forensic investigators Greg Johns and Linda Gochenouer (left and right) and Pat Bailey (center), di-rector of DeKalbs Medical Examiners Office, visit the site where the remains of boys were found 12years ago. Investigators say this cold case is their top priority. Photo by Andrew Cauthen

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DeKalb halts marching band activities,launches full-scale investigationby Daniel [email protected]

The DeKalb CountySchool System has sus-pended all marching bandactivities after hazing alle-gations at a Florida univer-sity have led the system toaunch a full-scale investi-

gation of its own.School spokesman Wal-

ter Woods said on Dec. 14hat Superintendent Cheryl

Atkinson advised all prin-cipals and personnel tosuspend marching band ac-ivities at DeKalbs 21 high

schools until further notice.It could take just 30

or 60 days, or longer, untilwe get to the bottom of it,Woods said.

Woods said the recentdeath ofRobert Cham-pion, a Southwest DeKalbHigh School graduate at-

ending Florida A&M Uni-versity (FAMU) who diedduring an alleged hazingncident in November, ledhe system to send a note to

principals and band direc-tors to be vigilant. Theletter also reminded of-cials of the systems zerotolerance policy toward allharassment of any kind.

The situation at FAMUsnowballed as allegationsof another incident werebrought to light. BriaShante Hunter, a South-west DeKalb graduate, saidin a recent lawsuit that shesuffered a beating whichcaused a cracked thighbone a few weeks beforeChampion died. Hunterwas allegedly beaten bythree members of FAMUsMarching 100; two of theaccused are also graduatesof DeKalb schools, accord-ing to reports. All three ofthe accused bandmembershave been arrested in Tal-lahassee and charged withassault.

According to reports,Sean Hobson, 23, AaronGolson, 19 and JamesHarris, 22, were chargedwith allegedly assaulting

Hunter. Hobson is a gradu-ate of Southwest DeKalbHigh School and Harrisattended Druid Hills HighSchool.

James O. Seda, the cur-rent band director at South-west DeKalb, and assistantband director at the schoolSteven Cooper, are bothgraduates of FAMUs bandprogram. Seda has beenthe band director at South-west DeKalb since 2001.While at FAMU, both Sedaand Cooper were membersof the Marching 100 andstudied with Dr. Julian E.White, who was red afterChampions death.

We started talking topeople in the district andreceived some complaintsfrom parents and theresat least one documentedincident related to band atone of the high schools that

happened over the sum-mer, Woods said.Woods said those factors

played a role in the superin-tendents decision. He em-

phasized the incident thatoccurred over the summerwas inappropriate behav-ior and not hazing.

The only band event thatisnt being cancelled is theMartin Luther King Jr. Pa-rade in Stone Mountain, inwhich four DeKalb march-ing bands are participating.Although football seasonrecently ended, Woods saidit was just a coincidencethe system has waited untilnow to suspend all bandactivities.

Woods said what wasoccurring at the collegelevel regarding hazing is

troubling to the system buthe didnt want the publicto assume that the systemhas made conclusions aboutthe existence of a cultureof hazing within DeKalbSchools.

We dont know whatshappened there, he said ofthe allegations at FAMU.We dont know if anythinginappropriate has happenedin [DeKalb Schools], butwe need to ensure that ourstudents are safe and thatband is a safe and produc-tive environment and expe-rience for our students.

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Publix will close at

7 p.m.Christmas Eve.

Be closed Christmas Day.

And open regular hours

December 26.

Merry Christmas

by Daniel [email protected]

Nearly a dozen DeKalbCounty Schools police carsesponded to an incidentt Arabia Mountain High

School on Dec. 15, whichtarted in the school cafete-ia.

Walter Woods, a spokes-man for DeKalb Schools,aid the alleged incident

began in the cafeteria thenescalated to the bathroom,

where a student set off a realarm.

I think it was a schoolprank that got out of hand,Woods said.

Woods said an investiga-tion regarding the incident isunder way and the system islooking into who the instiga-tors were and what actionneeded to be taken to address

those involved.Woods said the system

was hoping to make an arresttoday of at least one studentregarding the incident in thecafeteria.

The event was discussedon Twitter throughout theday and over the weekend,referencing something called#TurnUpThursday. However,Woods said some of the in-formation mentioned in the

tweets and on other websiteswas unreliable.

Its unfortunate andwere still investigatinghow many students wereinvolved, Woods said. Iknow there was an alterca-tion in the cafeteria and onestudent set off the re alarmbut some of the facts beingdiscussed on [social media]sites arent accurate.

A search on Twitter re-

vealed tweets posted onDec. 15 and throughout

the weekend by studentswho were involved in theincident. They ranged fromcomments such as, So howmany strapped up cops wegot here? Lol yall too much!#TurnupThursday, to onesthat simply said, I survived#TurnUpThursday at ArabiaMountain High School.

ncident in Arabia Mountain High School leads to investigation

Students tweeted about an incidentthat happened at Arabia MountainHigh School on Dec. 15. Accordingto school officials it was a prank thatgot out of hand and DeKalb CountySchools Police had to respond.

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Decatur announces 2011 Hometown Heroes

OFFICIALENERGY

PARTNER OFYOUR 9-5 AND

YOUR5-9 JOBS.Time spent with your children is an investment in their futures. The

resources Georgia Power spends on new plants, more power lines

and cleaner energy sources is an investment in Georgias future. We

are on the job to make sure you have the power to be also, even on

those nights when your energy is running just a little low.

We know that a parents toughest job doesnt s tart

until after theyre home from their regular job.

georgiapower.com

Decatur recently honored14 Hometown Heroes in2011 for contributions madeto the Decatur community.The recognition came Dec.6 at the December DecaturBusiness Association meet-ing at Agnes Scott College.Those honored were AlanAshe, Marc Brennan, RogerBryant, Jodi Dick, DanielFlores, Walter Kellar, LoriLeland Kirk, Louis Rice,Sandra Rice, Susan Riley,Mark Sanders, MelissaStratton, Seegar Swansonand Kyle Williams.

Hometown Heroes arevolunteers who work, oftenbehind the scenes, to makethe city a better place to live,work and play. They are

nominated by people in thecommunity and are judged byprofessionals who work withvolunteers on a regular basisand do not know the nomi-

nees.Decaturs Hometown

Hero program began in 1996at the close of the Hometownto the World Festival heldduring the Olympics. At theclose of that festival, the CityCommission honored thevolunteers, and since then haspresented Hero awards annu-ally. With the 2011 presenta-tions, Decatur has designated245 Hometown Heroes.

There is a HometownHero Wall in City Hall witha photo and the names of allof the Hometown Heroes byyear. It is located on the rstoor stairs going down to theCity Commission MeetingRoom. The 2011 heroes willjoin the photo display in Jan-

uary. All of the HometownHeroes are also featured onthe City of Decatur website atwww.decaturga.com.

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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

Jerome Dunn, 6, (above) puts on a new helmet he received along with a new bikeduring the Chauncey Davis Foundations Bike 4 Life giveaway. This was the thirdyear Chicago Bears football player Chauncey Davis (top left), a former AtlantaFalcons player, has donated bikes to DeKalb children. Seventy-ve children re-ceived bikes as part of the program that focuses on educating youth about healthand wellness issues. We hope yall use this opportunity and get outside moreand ride your bikes, Davis said. Photos by Andrew Cauthen

ChaunceyDavisFoundationsBike 4 Lifegiveaway

New

12/24

Full

1/9

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

snow Friday and Saturday, with the highest temperature of 60 in Stockton, Md. The

Southeast will see partly cloudy to cloudy skies with a few showers today through

Saturday, with the highest temperature of 82 in Ft. Myers, Fla. The Northwest will see mostly clear

to partly cloudy skies with a few showers today through Saturday, with the highest temperature of

62 in Colville, Wash. The Southwest will see mostly clear skies today through Saturday, with the

highest temperature of 69 in North Island, Calif.

THURSDAY

Showers Likely

High: 69 Low: 52

First

1/1

The Champion Weather Dec. 22, 2011Seven Day Forecast

Local UV Index

WEDNESDAYPartly Cloudy

High: 52 Low: 34

TUESDAY

Mostly Sunny

High: 54 Low: 30

MONDAY

Mostly Sunny

High: 51 Low: 29

SUNDAY

Mostly Sunny

High: 56 Low: 33

SATURDAY

Few Showers

High: 57 Low: 40

FRIDAY

Few ShowersHigh: 65 Low: 50

In-Depth Local Forecast Today's Regional Map

Sunrise

7:38 a.m.

7:39 a.m.

7:39 a.m.

7:39 a.m.7:40 a.m.

7:40 a.m.

7:41 a.m.

Sunset

5:33 p.m.

5:34 p.m.

5:34 p.m.

5:35 p.m.5:36 p.m.

5:36 p.m.

5:37 p.m.

Moonset

3:42 p.m.

4:42 p.m.

5:46 p.m.

6:52 p.m.7:57 p.m.

8:59 p.m.

9:59 p.m.

Moonrise

5:21 a.m.

6:27 a.m.

7:27 a.m.

8:19 a.m.9:04 a.m.

9:43 a.m.

10:17 a.m.

Last

1/16

www.WhatsOurWeather.com

Weather History

Dec. 22, 1983 - On the first day

of winter, 75 cities reported

record low temperatures for the

date. Twelve of these reported

record lows for the month. The

mercury plunged to 51 degrees

below zero at Wisdom, Mont.

Waco, Texas set an all-time low

at 12 above zero.

Weather Trivia

Tonight's Planets

What type of lightning

occurs most frequently?

Answer: Cloud to cloud lightning.

?

Day

Thursday

Friday

Saturday

SundayMonday

Tuesday

Wednesday

National Weather Summary This Week

Local Sun/Moon Chart This Week

StarWatch By Gary Becker - Low Sun, High Hopes

Today we will see mostly cloudy skies with a

70% chance of showers, possibly a record-tying

high temperature of 69, humidity of 88%. South

wind 5 to 10 mph. The record high temperature

for today is 69 set in 1948. Expect cloudy skies

tonight with a 60% chance of showers.

Dec. 23, 1989 - A historic arctic

outbreak spread to the Gulf

Coast region and a total of 122

cities across the central and

eastern United States reported

record low temperatures for the

date. Forty-one of those cities

reported record lows for the

month of Dec.

This has been a strange autumn, at least for those living along the Eastern Seaboard. After coasting along under mild conditions during most of October, we were lashed by

a crippling noreaster on the 29th, the earliest major snowfall in recorded history. Within a week the ice was gone and so was the cold snap. Through November, most out-

door activities happening during the afternoon hours could still be conducted with just a light jacket. Now that we are approaching the Holidays, more seasonal conditions

have become apparent, but the air still does not have the bitter bite of December. The National Weather Services long range forecast through mid-January predicted a much

colder than normal autumn with higher amounts of precipitation and multiple major winter events before the New Year. Autumn seems to have pounced early, and then rolled over to play

dead. Even if the meteorological chronometers are having trouble ticking to the calendrical dates, the clockwork universe tocks to a precision that cannot be denied. The suns southwardmotion has slowed to an almost imperceptible rate and will halt completely on the morning of December 22 at 12:30 a.m. EST, to be precise. Old Sol will be at its winter standstill posi-

tion, or as astronomers call it, the winter solstice. Fall will be gone, and winter will be upon us. At that moment I plan to be outside listening very intently to the first telltale sounds of

creaking as the sun reverses itself and begins that barely noticeable rise against the celestial vault. It will take a month before people start to perceive the slight increase in the length of

daylight, and another month before cars parked in the afternoon sun begin to feel cozy upon entering; but gradually the changes will occur as the sun continues to climb ever higher into

the sky, melting winter into a budding spring. I guess you could simply call it high expectations for a low sun. www.astronomy.org

Rise Set

Mercury 5:55 a.m. 4:11 p.m.

Venus 9:52 a .m. 7:57 p.m.

Mars 11:28 p.m.12:15 p.m.

Jupiter 1:57 p.m. 3:01 a.m.

Saturn 2:41 a .m. 1:59 p.m.

Uranus 12:36 p.m.12:41 a.m.

3 50 - 2 4 6 8 107 9 11+

UVIndex

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

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

11+: Extreme Exposure

Atlanta

69/52

Decatur

69/52

Doraville

68/52

Dunwoody

67/51 Lilburn

68/52

Snellville69/52

Lithonia

70/52

Morrow

70/52

Smyrna

68/52

Hampton

71/53

Union City

70/52

College Park

70/52

*Last Weeks Almanac

Date Hi Lo Normals Precip

Tuesday 66 41 55/37 0.00"

Wednesday 69 41 55/36 0.00"

Thursday 71 44 55/36 0.00"

Friday 72 49 54/36 0.01"

Saturday 52 38 54/36 0.00"

Sunday 53 32 54/36 0.00"

Monday 60 29 54/35 0.00"Rainfall . . . . . . .0.01" Average temp . .51.2

Normal rainfall . .0.84" Average normal 45.2

Departure . . . . .-0.83" Departure . . . . .+6.0*Data as reported from De Kalb-Peachtree Airport

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The Champion Free Press, Friday December 23, 2011 Page 14AHealth

CDC issues recommendations on use of new TB treatment option

Printed on100%

post-consumer

recycled paper

TM

DeKalb CountyCEO Burrell Ellisreminds you to disposeof FOG properly!

FOG (Fats, Oils, and Grease)

FOG enters plumbing through garbage disposals, sinks and toilets. It coats theinside of plumbing pipes and also empties into DeKalb County's sewer system.Here are three simple guidelines to help keep FOG out of our pipes andsewers:

Do not pour fats, oils, or grease down the drain or the toilet. Pour it into a

sealable container, allow it to cool and throw it in the trash.

Scrape plates and cookware before washing. Do not throw food scraps of anykind down the drain. Instead, place them in waste containers or garbage bags.

Wipe excess FOG from all plates, pots, pans, utensils, and surfaces beforewashing. row greasy paper towels away.

Plumbing and sanitary sewer systems are simply not designed to handle theFOG that accumulates in pipes. When it gets into the pips and hardens,blockages occur and cause sewage to backup and overow out of manholes orinto homes. is is expensive for you, and for the County.

e damages caused by fats, oils, and grease in the sewer system are costly torepair. Over time, they increase the costs of our water and sewer services.

Health care providersn the United States have

a new way to treat latentuberculosis infection, ac-

cording to recommendationseleased Dec. 8 by the Cen-ers for Disease Control and

Prevention (CDC). The newecommendations, publishedn CDCs Morbidity and

Mortality Weekly Report,provide guidance on how toadminister a new 12-doseegimen for TB preventiveherapy that will signi-

cantly shorten and simplifyhe course of treatment from

about nine months to 12weeks. The recommenda-ions are based on the results

of three clinical trials, aswell as expert opinion.

The new regimen has a

ignicant benet over theprevious standard of treat-ment by cutting the dosesequired from 270 daily dos-

es to 12 once-weekly doses.This regimen has the

potential to be a game-changer in the United Stateswhen it comes to ghtingTB, said CDC DirectorThomas R. Frieden. Itgives us a new, effective op-ion that will reduce by two-hirdsfrom nine months tohree monthsthe length ofime someone needs to take

medicine to prevent latentTB infection from progress-ng to active TB disease.

Latent TB infection oc-curs when a person has TBbacteria but does not haveymptoms and cannot trans-

mit the bacteria to others. Ifhe bacteria become active,he person will develop TB

disease, become sick andmay spread the disease toothers. Although not every-one with latent TB infectionwill develop TB disease,ome people, such as those

with weakened immune

ystems, are at higher risk ofprogression to TB disease.Many of those at high riskof developing TB disease

never even begin the cum-bersome nine-month courseof standard treatment, andamong those who do, manydo not complete it.

In the United States, thenumber of persons with TBdisease is at an all-time low(11,182 total cases werereported in 2010); however,approximately 4 percent ofthe U.S. population, or 11million people, are infectedwith the TB bacterium. TBcontinues to disproportion-ately affect people of colorand foreign-born persons inthis country.

If we are going toachieve our goal of TBelimination in the UnitedStates, we must ensure thatthose with latent TB infec-

tion receive appropriateevaluation and treatment toprevent their infection fromprogressing to TB diseaseand possibly spreading toothers, said Kevin Fenton,M.D., director of CDCsNational Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD,and TB Prevention. It iscritical that we accelerateprogress against TB in theUnited States in order toavoid a resurgence of thedisease.

The new 12-dose regi-men adds another effectivetreatment option to the pre-vention toolkit for TB, andis not meant to replace otherpreventative treatment regi-mens for all patients wherethe new regimen is not thebest option, according to theCDC.

CDC ofcials note thatthese recommendations areonly for the United States.Countries with a high in-cidence of TB, especiallythose with high HIV preva-lence and where the risk ofTB re-infection is greater,

will likely require additionalstudies before consideringwhether to recommend thisregimen.

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water, which is usually in short supply. Theyypically walk more than a mile to a potable

water source to ll a 5-pound bucket that theycarry on their headcausing numerous cases ofcompression fractures, he pointed out. Buckley,55, said he tried carrying a 5-pound bucket of

water on his head uphill for one mile. Its noteasy! he exclaimed.

Buckley explained that the mission that heand McCalla were involved in did not involvedigging wells but facilitating projects. Facilita-ion includes meeting with engineers and proj-

ect managers to begin developing new projects.t also involves evaluating ongoing and com-

pleted projects so that they could report back todonors.

One project on their agenda during themission was in a village called Grand Boulage.The plan is to pump water from a low-lyinggulley, too dangerous to access by foot, uphillo a mountain reservoir and then redirect it

back down the mountain to kiosks strategicallyplaced where people in surrounding villagescould access the clean water. The project willake about 12 to 18 months, serve about 7,500

families and cost $130,000 to $150,000.

Following the devastating hurricane thatstruck Haiti in 2010, McCalla said there is stillmuch suffering. She observed that many peopleare still living in tent cities and dilapidatedshantytowns. But I came away with hope,said. People are working and doing for them-

selves and using available resources to makelife better in Haiti.

As an example, she pointed to a micro-nanced project in the village of Vialet. Entrepre-neurs there are breeding tilapia in a nearby lake.They reinvest the prots into their village. Andin the farming community of Olivier, a femaleleader in the town spearheaded a tree-plantingproject with the help of Food For the Poor.These trees provide fruit for local consumption,income and an anchor to prevent soil erosion.

McCalla and Buckley emphasized that theseprojects are not handouts. Indeed, many of thevillagers dig the wells, as well as learn how tomaintain and repair the systems.

In a moment of reection, McCalla said:We are privileged in the United States. Wehave an obligation to help our neighbors inHaiti. I feel more committed.

Edward Buckley and villagers near a Food For The Poor water well that he raised funds to install in 2010.Photo provided.

The Champion Free Press, Friday, December 23, 2011 Page 15ALocal News

WaterContinued From Page 1A

CaucusContinued From Page 1A

Georgia Republicans sent the new maps to theJustice Department for preclearance while linga lawsuit against the Justice Department ask-ing the courts to approve the states maps on thegrounds that they comply with the Voting RightsAct.

To counter the states legal action, the BlackCaucus led a motion to intervene in a lawsuiton behalf of minorities to ensure that our voicesare heard, Jones said.

Thats our duty, Jones said. Thats ourresponsibility. These are our constituents.

Jones said the redrawn districts dilute minor-ity votes such that minorities can no longer electcandidates of their choice.

Were not just talking about Blacks electingBlacks, Jones said. Were talking about minor-ities electing candidates of their choice whoeverthey may be. Thats what America is all about.

Sen. Fran Millar (R-40) said in redrawing themaps, which have fewer deviations than the cur-rent Justice Department maps, his fellow Repub-

lican lawmakers adhered to every guideline putforth by the Justice Departmentthe DemocraticJustice Department.

I expect these maps to be approved, Millarsaid. I would be very, very surprised if they arenot.In DeKalb, the newly drawn District 81 wouldencompass parts of DeKalb CountyincludingChamblee, Doraville, and Mercer Universityand a section of Gwinnett County surroundingBest Friends Park. The district would pit Rep.Scott Holcombe (D-82) against Rep. Elena Par-ent, who currently represents District 81.

Rep. Howard Mosby (D-90) would face Rep.Stephanie Stuckey Benfeld (D-85) in a raceto represent District 83, a slice of the countystretching from North Druid Hills to parts of

South DeKalb. A large section of south DeKalbwould be included in Senate District 44, whichis currently based in Clayton County and repre-sented by Sen. Gail Davenport, a Democrat.

This is not a Democratic issue, Jones said.This is not a Republican issue. Its a votingrights issue. Its about protecting the voter rightsand voting strengths of minorities.

Georgia is not the only state with redistrict-ing problems. The Justice Department is ghtingTexass redistricting plan and the U.S. SupremeCourt announced on Dec. 9 that it will hear oralarguments next month in the case.

Jones said he hopes the Justice Department,which has drawn Georgias maps for the past 40years, will once again deny preclearance for the

states maps.In the event that the maps are approved, theBlack Caucus plans to challenge the maps underSection 2 of the Voting Rights Act which prohib-its minority dilution.

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The Champion Free Press, Friday December 23, 2011 Page 16AEducation

I told him if he got his license Iwould be the first one in the family

to go up in the plane with him. I

thought it was just a fad.-Mary Pat Martin

See Story on Page 17A

Colin Martin sits in the cockpit of one of hisinstructors small planes. So far, the St. PiusHigh School senior has logged 60 hours ofairtime. Photo by Daniel Beauregard

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The Champion Free Press, Friday December 23 2011 Page 17A

EDUCATION BRIEFS

St. Pius student keepshead in the clouds

NoticeofFundingAvailability(NOFA)TheCityofAvondaleEstatesannouncestheavailabilityoffundingunderthe2012Community

PromotionProgram(CPP). TheCitywillmake$15,000availabletoanonprofitorindividualfor

activitieswhichpromotetheCityandoccurwithintheCityboundaries. Eligibleactivities

includespecialevents,festivals,projectsorotherpromotionalactivities. Afullexplanationof

theCPP,theapplicationformandapplicationinstructionscanbefoundonlineat

www.avondaleestates.orgorpickedupatCityHall,21NorthAvondalePlaza,AvondaleEstates,

Georgia 30002. TheCityofAvondaleEstateswillbeacceptingapplicationsuntilJanuary31,2012nolater

than5:00p.m.atCityHall.

PleasecontactKeriStevens,CityPlannerandCommunityDevelopmentOfficer,withany

questionsorconcernsat4042945400orbyemailatkstevens@avondaleestates.org.

U.S. Baseball Academy

Register Now, Pay Later.

www.USBaseballAcademy.com

Hosted in Decatur

Space is limited. Phone (866) 622-4487 or visit

Sessions for Grades 1-12

Get a jump of the competition with six weeks of hitting, pitching, catcher,

and elding/baserunning lessons as low as $99. Sessions start soon.

Nations Largest Training Program, Presented by Wilson/DeMarini

y Daniel [email protected]

When he was a child, Co-n Martins motherMary

Pat took him to play onhe playground at DeKalb-eachtree Airport (PDK).

Now, she gives a friendlywarning to the parents there.

You better watch out,Mary Pat said. I used to bringim here to play too when he

was a child, now ying is hisobby.

Four years ago, at the agef 13, Colin and a friend ofis participated in a Young

Eagles Association event atBriscoe Field in Gwinnett.

The event was designed toet young people interestedn aviation. Apparently it

worked. Colin said after hewent up in a plane the rst

me he was hooked.Its probably just in my

lood. My grandfather was arivate pilot, Colin said.

After his experience atBriscoe Field, Colin beganooking for ight schools andound one at PDK. To pay foris lessons he mowed lawnsnd did other odd jobs.

I thought the moneywould get to him because, as

much as we would have lovedo pay for it for him, that wasust not something we couldo, but he found a way, Maryat said.

Colin, 17, is a senior at St.ius High School and recentlyot his private pilots license.

Mary Pat is afraid of ying,ut after Colin got his licensehe had to make good on aromise she made four yearsgo.

I told him if he got hiscense I would be the rstne in the family to go up inhe plane with him, Mary Pataid. I thought it was just aad.

As Colin stood by themall Cessna he did his rstolo ight in, he said the ex-erience of being alone in the

plane for the rst time wassurreal. When he took his rstsolo ight, Colins entire fam-

ily came out to PDK and saton the bleachers next to the

playground to watch.The instructor said, Well

go up a couple of times anddo some touch and gos andwhen hes ready Ill get outon the runway and hell dohis rst [solo], Mary Pat ex-

plained. So, the family sat andwatched patiently as Colins

plane took off the runway,circled around, and touched

back down. After an hour,Mary Pat began to wonder ifColin would be able to takethe solo ight.

We watched him do itseven times and we thought,Hes not going to do it, hestoo nervous. But sure enough,all of a sudden we saw thedoor open and the instructorgot out, Mary Pat said.

Colin said when his in-structor stepped out he pre-tended he was still there. Inthe air, the plane felt a littlemore left heavy, and at timeswas so silent it seemed as ifthe engine wasnt on, Colinsaid.

There is a ritual amongpilots, Colin said, where after

his or her rst solo ight theinstructor and their friends cutthe back of the pilots shirt.

That goes back to whenpeople trained on biplanesand they did that to remindyou theres no one behindyou. Usually, they write onit but they couldnt writeon mine because it was sosweaty, Colin said. Now hisshirt hangs in a hallway in theight school at PDK, with allof the other students who havecompleted their training.

Mary Pat and Colins fa-therJim said they trust theirson completely in the air

by himself. Mary Pat ndscomfort in the fact Colinsinstructor trusts him enough tolet him y such an expensive

plane alone, and Jim, whose

Schools honored forexcellence in studentachievement

State SuperintendentJohn Barge recentlynamed

the 2011 Georgia Schoolsof Excellence in StudentAchievement honoring 26schools that have shown thegreatest improvement orhighest achievement acrossthe state.

Several of the 26 schoolsare in DeKalb Countyincluding ClairemontElementary from CitySchools of Decatur, noted fordemonstrating some of thegreatest continuous gains instudent achievement for the

past three years as measuredby assessments in reading and

mathematics.Oak Grove and Vanderlynelementary schools, of theDeKalb County SchoolSystem, were noted for

being in the top 10 percentin Georgia as measured byassessments in reading andmathematics.

Each school will receivea $1,000 check from Georgia

Natural Gas to be usedhowever it wishes.

IHM student awardedfor accelerated

reading progressJason Anandappa, an

Immaculate Heart of MaryCatholic School student, wasrecently honored at a schoolassembly for earning 1,272.1Accelerated Reading Pointsduring the 2010-11 academicyear.

According to a pressrelease, this is especiallyimpressive for a fourth gradestudent. Since Jason began

participating in this programhe has averaged 210.4 points

per quarter. The average

number of points of his peersper quarter is 40.Schools throughout

the country use theAccelerated ReadingProgram to encouragereading and to strengthenreading comprehension. To

participate, students read action or non-ction bookand take a quiz. Varying

points are given for eachtest taken. In many schools

participation is mandatory,but at IHM it is voluntary.

Emory joins

international scholarsat risk program foracademic freedom

In support of academicswhose work, convictions orlives are under threat, EmoryUniversity has joined theScholars at Risk Network.The United States-basedinternational programmatches at-risk professorswith member universitieswilling to provide temporaryteaching positions as

sanctuary when the scholarshome country becomes toodangerous for them.

The organization is aninternational network ofuniversities, colleges andindividuals that pledge to

protect threatened colleaguesand promote academicfreedom.

father was a pilot, said attimes it was a little unnerv-ing.

Hes so responsible andso mature about the methodshe follows, I know hes doingstuff the way hes told so Itrust him, Jim said.

Colin saved nearly $7,500to pay for his pilots licenseand plans on going to collegeto make a career of ying. Hesaid he plans to attend eitherMiddle Georgia College orAuburn to obtain his commer-cial pilots license. He wantsto work for Delta or anothermajor airline.

To date, Colin has spentnearly 60 hours in the air (the

FAA minimum to obtain alicense is 40). He said his fa-vorite thing about ying is thefreedom it offers him.

Ive come here and takenfriends from St. Pius up justfor fun ights around andsightseeing, Colin said. Itsneat just to be able to justcome out here and go y.

Mary Pat said it wouldprobably be a while beforeshe stepped on another small

plane with her son, but it wasstill nice to have a pilot oncall in the family.

He said, Mom, I could

rent a six person plane and wecould y to Florida, an op-tion Mary Pat said she was alltoo happy to think over.

St. Pius High School senior Colin Martin

stands beside the plane he did his firstsolo flight in. Martin began flying whenhe was 13 and paid his entire way throughflight school by working odd jobs.

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The Champion Free Press, Friday December 23, 2011 Page 18ABusiness

Chamblee loft community reports third quarter sales success

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

Ofcials at the sales and marketingrm The Marketing Directors, LLC,announced recently that 5300 Lofts, a242-loft-condominium community inChamblee reported a successful fallsales effort with 21 homes sold sinceSeptember.

According to The MarketingDirectors, 5300 Lofts is now one ofAtlantas top-selling condominiumcommunities. In its third quarter report,5300 Lofts was ranked eighth of the top10 selling condominium communitiesin Atlanta, with 12 homes closed in thethird quarter of 2011.

The Marketing Directors PresidentDavid Tufts attributed the sales successto a combination of factors.

With its phenomenal value pricing,incredible location and its homeinteriors and community amenities,5300 Lofts offers buyers an unbeatablebuying opportunity, Tufts said.

In fact, special fall pricing was socompetitive that we sold all of ourfeatured homes, with two-bedroomhomes priced from $95,900. Buyers aredenitely feeling a sense of urgency topurchase now so that they dont missthe opportunity to own a new 5300Lofts home.

Tufts noted that the PeachtreeRoad location in the heart of historicChamblee, across from MARTA andwithin close proximity to a varietyof restaurants and shops, was a plusfor many buyers. Neighboringcommunities of Brookhaven, Buckhead

and Decatur also offer some of Atlantasbest dining, shopping and recreation,he said.

Amenities at 5300 Lofts includea rooftop deck with a grill andentertaining areas, and a lighted tenniscourt, a heated lounge pool, tnesscenter and club room with at-screenTVs and a pool table, a businesscenter, garden courtyards, controlledaccess entry, covered parking, storagespaces and on-site property and facilitymanagement.

The lofts range from 624 to 1,230square feet, and all homes feature 10-foot ceilings, hardwood or concrete

oors, exposed ductwork, stainlesssteel appliances, granite countertops,spacious walk-in closets and more.

Domus Group LLC, which acquired5300 Lofts earlier this year is a single-purpose investment group headed byAngus Rogers and Alan Rainey.

In The Marketing Directors third quarter report, 5300 Lofts is ranked eighth among the top 10selling condominium communities in Atlanta. Photo by John Hewitt

MARTA board ofdirectors elects 2012ofcers

The MARTA Board of Di-ectors elected ofcers for the

2012 calendar year during itsDec. 12 board meeting. Theynclude Chairman Frederick L.

Daniels Jr. (DeKalb), executivevice president of Citizens TrustBank; Vice Chairman Barba-a BabbitKaufman (Fulton),ntrepreneur; Secretary Juanita

Jones Abernathy (Atlanta),ormer educator, retired sales

director; and TreasurerHaroldBuckley Sr. (DeKalb), owner/broker, Precision Realty.

Board bylaws require thatofcers be elected by Dec. 31 ofach year. Ofcers are electedor one-year terms.

The MARTA Board is re-ponsible for setting policy

and making decisions for theauthority ranging from nanceo customer service. The boards composed of three represen-atives each from the city of

Atlanta and Fulton County, fourepresentatives from DeKalb

County as well as the commis-

sioner of the Georgia Depart-ment of Transportation. Theexecutive director of the GeorgiaRegional Transportation Author-ity serves as the boards solenon-voting member.

DCVB executivecommittee to remainfor 2012

The DeKalb Convention& Visitors Bureaus (DCVB)Board of Directors voted for the2011 executive committee mem-

bers to remain for 2012. Theyare Brian Mock, general man-ager, Hampton Inn Northlake- chairman; Sonny Horton, vice

president of sales and market-ing, Stone Mountain Park - vicechairman, Steve Spiegel, devel-opment partner, Hendon Prop-erties - secretary; Neel Patel,general manager, Hilton GardenInn Atlanta East Stonecrest -treasurer; Tom Thibadeau,owner, The University Inn atEmory - immediate past chair;and Kathryn Johnson, generalmanager, Emory ConferenceCenter Hotel - at large.

Ofcials at DCVB say they

are honored that these individu-als will be serving for anotherterm. The group has manychanges envisioned for 2012 asthey continue the momentumcreated in 2011. Their experi-ence and leadership in the hospi-tality industry and local commu-nity will be a valuable asset tothe organization as we work to

promote DeKalb County as thepreferred destination for meet-ings, group travel, sports andleisure tourism, the announce-ment states.

DCVB was established in1984 as a non-membership or-ganization to promote DeKalb

County as a destination formeetings and tourism. Themarketing organization has es-tablished itself as one of the topconvention & visitors bureausthrough a number of innovative

programs and marketing tech-niques.

Bank opens inDunwoody

The Dunwoody Chamberof Commerce helped welcomeCommunity and Southern Bank

to Dunwoody on Nov. 18 asbank ofcials opened their rstbranch in Dunwoody and saidthey look forward to growingtheir network, providing servicesand being a strong community

partner. C&S Bank on AshfordDunwoody Road is a memberof the Dunwoody Chamber ofCommerce.

DBA announces earlymembership renewalcutoff

The Decatur Business As-

sociation has announced anearly cut-off date for member-ship renewals. The date for2012 is Jan. 15. The organi-zation states that more than98 percent of its membersrenewed online in 2011 sothe DBA is ofcially goinggreen for 2012 by encourag-ing their membership to renewonline at www.DecaturDBA.com.

One of the most attractivebenets of DBA membershipis your inclusion in the DBADirectory, states the an-

nouncement from DBA. Oneof the most frequently heardcomments about our organiza-tion are words of praise for thehigh quality of our member-ship directory.

Monthly membership meet-ings are usually on the fourthTuesday of each month exceptfor November and December,which is held on the rst Tues-day of December.

Credit union ribboncutting held

In partnership with theDeKalb Chamber of Com-merce, Gwinnett Federal Cred-it Union in Decatur held its of-cial grand opening and ribboncutting ceremony Dec 7. Thenew Gwinnett Federal CreditUnion ofce is at 5381 PanolaIndustrial Boulevard, Decatur,and is a member of the DeKalbChamber of Commerce.

BUSINESS BRIEFS

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The Champion Free Press, Friday December 23 2011 Page 19A

RATES: $30.00 for up to 40 words, each additional word $0.60. All ads are prepaid!All Major credit cards accepted!

ClassifiedsThChampionFor Prices, Deadlines and Information

Visit www.championclassieds.com

We do not knowingly accept advertisements that discriminate, or intend to discriminate, on any illegal basis. Nor do we knowingly accept employment advertisements that are not bona-fide job

offers. All real estate advertisements are subject to the fair housing act and we do not accept advertising that is in violation of the law. The law prohibits discrimination based on color, religion, sex,

national origin, handicap or familial status.

DISCLAIMER

Ads Due By Friday - Noonfor next publication date.

The Championis not responsible

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Around deKAlb

ATLANTAFinal Dine and Dancecomes to Northlake

Northlake Mall recentlyannounced that its final Dineand Dance for the year willbe on Tuesday, Dec. 27.Visitors to the mall will have

a chance to reminisce to thetunes of the Atlanta-New YorkConnection. The monthlyBig Band event is held inNorthlake Malls Food Garden.Held the last Tuesday nightof every month, 6-8 p.m., thissocial affair is free and opento the public. Those attendingmay choose to come early tohave dinner before dancingthe night away. Northlake Malls located at 4800 BriarcliffRoad, N.E., Atlanta. For morenformation, call (770) 938-3564.

DECATUR

Jackman to leadVisitors Center

The DecaturTourism Bu-reau recentlyhired SherryJackman asthe VisitorsCenter man-ager. Jackmanis a Decatur

resident who has been in thetravel and tourism business forthe past 20 years.

In 1995, Jackman co-found-ed Conyers Travel and grewthe business from a start-up tomore than $1.5 million in saleswithin three years.

While in Conyers, Jackmanwas active in the community,serving on the board for twonon-profits. She served as vice

president of Project Renewal, adomestic violence shelter andntervention facility and Rock-

dale Emergency Relief, whichsupported families with unex-pected emergencies.

Jackman was also an activemember of the Conyers Kiwan-is Club and served on its boardof directors, the RockdaleChamber of Commerce servingon several fundraising commit-tees, and was nominated asSmall Business Person of theYear in 2002.

Jackman and her husbandmoved back to Decatur in 2006.As Visitors Center manager,Jackman is busy establishingthe Visitors Center and buildinga team of volunteers.

The Visitors Center will openin early 2012.

Movie to be shown atlibrary

Toco Hill-Avis G. WilliamsLibrary has announced thatthe Dec. 30 movie in itsFriday Movies series will beBridget Joness Diary, starringRenee Zellweger, ColinFirth and Hugh Grant. The2001 R-rated movie startsat 1:30 p.m. and runsapproximately 97 minutes.When available, movies inthe series are presented withclosed captioning to assistthe hearing impaired. TocoHill-Avis G. Williams Libraryis located at 1282 McConnellDrive, Decatur. For moreinformation, call (404) 679-4404.

DUNWOODY

City announces newdevelopment director

The City of Dunwoodyannounces Steve Dush asthe new community develop-ment director, effective Jan.23, 2012. Dush is currentlythe community developmentand neighborhood services

Director for Fort Collins, Colo.,named twice as a MoneyMagazinestop place to live.

We are thrilled to welcomeSteve to Dunwoody, said CityManager Warren Hutmacher.His wide experience, continu-ous track record of successand his passion for communitybuilding provides the city witha great leader for this depart-ment. There are consider-

able challenges ahead forDunwoody as we move thisdepartment forward. Steve isthe right person to lead thisdepartment.

Dush has experiencemanaging short and long-termplanning, development serv-ices, zoning analysis, codecompliance, historic preserva-tion and redevelopment ac-tivities. He has more than 19years of experience workingfor different municipalities andcounties around the country.

Dush earned his bachelorsdegree in political science andmasters degree in communityand regional planning from theUniversity of Nebraska. Heis certified by the AmericanInstitute of Certified Planners(AICP).

I am honored to be Dun-woodys community develop-ment director, Dush said.The ability to be part ofmaintaining and enhancingDunwoody through thoughtfuland collaborative planning is agreat opportunity.

The City of DunwoodysCommunity DevelopmentDepartment is responsiblefor managing the planningand zoning functions of thecity as well as developmentregulation, code complianceand sustainability programs.The community developmentdirector will play a key rolein managing developmentand land use matters, andwill work with the city coun-cil, planning commission andhomeowners and businessesinvolved in the developmentprocess.

City recognized forgreen initiatives

The City of Dunwoody

free press 12-23-11

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