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WWW.CHAMPIONNEWSPAPER.COM FRIDAY, DEC. 21, 2012 VOL. 15, NO. 39 FREE

FREEPRESS A PUBLICATION OF ACE III C OMMUNICATIONS

Georgias treefarms offertree-cuttingtradition

Usually my family gets a cut

Christmas tree from a local homeimprovement center or nursery.

But this year, I played the partof a lumberjack, traipsing through a forest(really a Christmas tree farm) with my wifeDeanna and our youngest daughter, Adri-anna, in tow.

Adrianna, whose Nov. 24 birthday al-ways competes with Thanksgiving, wantedan experience, which usually translates intomore money and work for me. Her specifi-cations were clear: Adrianna wanted to cut aive tree from a Christmas tree farm in view

of the Georgia mountains.So we Googled Christmas tree farms,

ruled out the ones south of I-20 and settled

on the Kinsey Family Farm, located approx-mately one hour away in Gainesville onJot-em Down Road. Thats really the name.

After driving past the farms pasturewith several cows mulling about, and pasthe petting barn with very friendly goats,

we parked in the gravel lot. We brought ourJack Russell terrier as the farm is pet friend-y, as long as the pets are on leashes.

There were Christmas trees everywhere:cut ones standing in row after row; one- towo-foot living trees in pots; other tall, liv-ng trees with roots wrapped in burlap; and

acres of treessome waiting to be cut andothers not quite ready for sale.

We looked around at the cut Fraser firsmported from North Carolina because the

Georgia weather makes it difficult to growhem. These trees were $50-$80 and more.

After buying trees at a home improvementstore for $20-$40 for years, I got a bit of asticker shock.

I tried to sell my wife on getting a liv-ng tree and planting it after the Christmas

season and digging it up every Christmas. Iold her it would save us money. She did not

go for that.So we stood in line, got on the tractor-

pulled wagon to go to the cutting fields. Theractors path winded around the farmpasthe barn, plant nursery, lake inhabited by

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Inside a barn at Kinsey Family Farm, customers walkthrough rows of pre-cut Fraser Firs imported fromNorth Carolina.

DeKalb family ventures north to find perfect tree

A tractor pulls a trailer carrying customers and their fresh-cut trees back to a barn at Kinsey Family Farm. Photos byAndrew Cauthen

It was 11-year-old Adrianna Cauthens idea for her family to geta tree at a Christmas tree farm. She said her experience wasbetter than going to the American Girl store.

Workers at Kinsey Family Farm put netting on a tree to prepare it forthe trip to a customers home.

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The Champion Free Press, Friday, Dec. 21, 2012 Page 2ALocal News

by Andrew [email protected]

A school shooting in Newtown, Conn.,

hat left 20 children and six adults deadhas turned the holiday season into one ofgrieving for many.

According to The Associated Press,0-year-old AdamLanza used a high-

power rie to kill his 26 victims, includ-ng the principal of Sandy Hook Elemen-ary School where the killing took place

Dec. 14.Law enforcement ofcials said Lanza,

whose mother was one of the victims,ommitted suicide when he heard rst re-ponders coming.

Many ags around the state and countyre at half-staff as local residents try tohare the grief of those directly touched

by the tragedy.

The following are some local reactionso the shooting:

Rep. John Lewis (D-5)I am incredibly grieved by this horrible trag-

dy. As one who has experienced violence andven terrorism in my life, I deeply regret that

young innocent children were killed and thatheir families and the people of Newtown, Conn.,

must face this violence in their communities. Myheart weeps at the senselessness of this atrocity.

This time of year is special for the childrenof this nation. They are looking forward to themagic and wonder of the holidays, but today theyare suffering through a very sad and dark hour inAmerican history. The psyche of many childrenin Connecticut and throughout this country willbe scarred for decades to come.

My thoughts and prayers are with the vic-

tims, their families, and the entire New-town community in this very difculthour. We as a nation and as a people musttake a stand against the tragic problem

of mass shooting in American schools.Theres not any room in American societyfor these unspeakable acts of violence.

DeKalb County School DistrictWe join the nation in grief and mourn

the loss of so many innocent lives. In lightof the tragedy in Connecticut, the DeKalbCounty School District has asked allschool administrators and staff to reviewtheir safe school and emergency plans.School resource ofcers and campus su-pervisors will continue to be highly vis-ible at their assigned schools to providemaximum security for staff and students.We will continue to communicate with thedifferent police departments in the districtto provide support as needed.

The safety of students, staff andvisitors is our top priority in the DeKalbCounty School District, and we are dedi-

cated to ensuring that our public schools remainthe safest places for our most precious resourc-esour children.

Rep. Hank Johnson (via Facebook)As Americans, our hearts and prayers go

out to the families and friends of all those killedin this horric event. The targeting of so many

There are no words:

DeKalb responds to Conn. school shooting

Publix X mas

Flags are at half-staff around the county as leaders and residents re-

member the Dec. 14 school shooting in Connecticut that left 26 dead.Photo by Andrew Cauthen

Publix will close at 7 p.m.

Christmas Eve.

Be closed

Christmas Day.

And open regular hours

December 26.

Merry Christmas

See No Words on Page 10A

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Page 3A The Champion Free Press, Friday, Dec. 21, 2012

Stone Mountain High Schoolhost Spirit Night for communityby Carla [email protected]

Stone Mountain High School is try-

ng to bring the community back into theschool.

The school hosted a community spiritnight on Dec. 11, featuring basketballgames against Atlantas Booker T. Wash-ngton High School. The event included

a pre-game East vs. West All-Star Game,giveaways and an award ceremony forbasketball playerDanielle Clark, whoreached a milestone on Nov. 23 whenshe exceeded 1,000 points in her career.

Students from Stone Mill and StoneMountain elementary schools were onhe East team and Hambrick and Rock-

bridge elementary schools were on theWest team. The four schools are feeder

schools to Stone Mountain High.Stone Mountain girls head basketballcoach Stanley Clarksaid the goal forhe event was to bring all the students

from the feeder schools under one roof.We had a good turn out, he said.

The kids enjoyed themselves and wereooking forward to big things happening

again in the community in the future.Before he began coaching at the

school seven years ago, Clark said, StoneMountain was a big community school.

[Stone Mountain] had big involve-ment [from the community], he said.So, what were trying to do is get theparents to see that Stone Mountain is agood school that you can send your kidto. And, were trying to bring everybodyhere so they can see that for themselves.

School assistant principal JeffreyTarver said it was important to have anevent like this for the younger studentsand for the community.

Its important to involve kids at anearly level because if we can reach themat an early level they will bring moreparticipation, Tarver said. You alwayswant to involve the community in what-

ever youre doing in the school becausethe community cannot live apart fromthe school.

The spirit night ended with both thePirates and Lady Pirates winning. TheLady Pirates defeated Washington 64-22and the Pirates won 86-67.

Stone Mountain High School hosted a community spirit night on Dec. 11 during the basket-ball game against Washington High School. The event included a pre-game East vs. WestAll-Star Game, give-a-ways and an award ceremony for basketball player Danielle Clark, whoreached a milestone on Nov. 23 when she went over 1,000 points in her career. Photos byCarla Parker

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Present evil killing our future

Into the world of fears andhatreds we need to pour a doubleportion of the spirit of confidence inhe power of love. Not peace at any

price, but love at all cost. All ourproblems today resolve themselvesnto the problem of learning to liveogether.Canon Peter Green

In a few days we will observeChristmas, the birth of our Sav-or who came to show us the wayhrough truth, light and love. It ishe holiest holiday in the Christian

faith tradition and will be celebratedaround the globe. At what should bea time of love, laughter and light,people around the globe are mourn-ng with us the unspeakable evil un-eashed on Newtown, Conn., where

20 elementary school children andeven adults, including the mother

of the killer were slaughtered.Police say Adam Lanza killed

himself and they will continue in-vestigating why this oft-describedgenius, committed such an insaneact. Acquaintances describe Lanza

as a Goth, a worldwide alterna-ive lifestyle whose members havea penchant for the dark sidemov-es about horror and massacres,ail thin, chalky white in appear-

ance with heavy black clothing andmakeup. In short, they are charac-terized by a love of the macabre.

In the wake of the heart wrench-

ing Newtown tragedy, our thoughtsnow turn to security and gun con-trol. School districts around thecountry, including our own here inDeKalb, are reviewing their securityprocedures to ensure our childrenssafety. There is a renewed call forgun control especially when oneconsiders that gun deaths in theUnited States number in the tens ofthousands annually, while in othercivilized countries with tighter re-strictions, gun deaths number in thedozens.

The Newtown tragedy is ourcountrys second worse mass killingand the second fatal gun rampage

in a week. Why, is the question weask as we try to comprehend theincomprehensible. We are standingon the precipice of aspiritual cliff,and thousands are being hurled intoa deep black abyss.

The spiritual contrast is stark.Little children killed during a sea-son celebrating the birth of a childwho brought love, joy and peace.The tumultuous signs of our spiri-tual demise are all around us. Thesigns could not be more telling andthey are relational. Until the horrifictragedy in Newtown, talk dominat-ing the news was of our nations

fiscal cliffthe agreements and thelack thereof. Our nations leadershipfails to think on the lofty level ofthe greater good of all of the people,falling into the abyss of petty par-

tisan politics. It is relational. AdamLanzas heinous killing spree inwhich innocent blood was shed isbut a painful reminder that we, each

other and especially our children,are what are really important.The president who was brought

to the brink of tears when express-ing his condolences to the victimsfamilies, reminded us to hug ourchildren, hold them close and tellthem we love them. Far too manyof us only talk to our children aboutmaking good grades, keeping theirrooms clean, taking out the trashand other chores. These are all veryimportant to guide them in behav-iors that ideally lead to good jobsand the obtaining of material trap-pings of success.

But to model the spirit of all

our faith traditions is priceless andhas nothing to do with worldly suc-cess. It is the root of our develop-ment. Love costs nothing. Holdinga childs hand or giving him or her ahug costs nothing. Do we put moreeffort into our jobs than we do ourrelationships? We perhaps are sobusy earning livings we neglect theimportance of living.

Discussing the whys and where-fores of the Newtown tragedy,several people from different gen-erations speculated that perhaps thechildren were a target because Lan-za felt his mother gave the school

children the love and attention hewasnt getting. The profile experts,psychologists and psychiatrists willoffer their clinical why theoriesfor weeks. But there is an axiom

that may be offered with a degreeof certainty. Love didnt live thereanymore.

Lovingrelationships cannot and

will not produce an Adam Lanza.It is a spiritual impossibility. Muchhas been reported about the af-fluence of the household and thecommunity. We have heard nothingabout the loving relationshipsbetween Lanza and his mother, be-tween him and his father or betweenhim and his brother who says hehadnt seen him in a couple years.Lanzas parents divorced when hewas 16. Love is not disposable. It isunconditional.

Assigning the catchall termmental illness to these tragediesis misleading. Lanza is said to havehad some unidentified personality

disorder. If base, evil, depravedbehavior is mental illness, then weare experiencing a pandemic. Weare at a spiritual cliff. If we allowour children to feed on a steady dietof violence sexual promiscuity andnegativity, how do we expect posi-tive outcomes? Healthy spiritualdevelopment begins with and issustained by love for each other andrespect for all human life. Put sim-ply, junk in equals junk out. Thispresent evil is killing our children,our future. Wishing you love, joyand peace this holiday season.

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

Page 4A The Champion Free Press, Friday, Dec. 21 , 2012Opinion

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

News Editor: Andrew Cauthen

Production Manager: Kemesha Hunt

Graphic Designer: Travis Hudgons

The Champion Free Press is published each

Friday by ACE III Communications, Inc.,

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

Phone (404) 373-7779.

www.championnewspaper.com

DISPLAY ADVERTISING (404) 373-7779 x 110

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

The words of the prophetsAre writ ten on the subway wallsAnd tenement hallsAnd whispered in the sounds ofilence.Paul Simon, The

Sounds of Silence, (1964)

According to the Mayans andhe Mayan calendar, the End of

Days is fast approaching, and

most of us can expect to clockout on that big time card in theky at some point on 12/21/12. Ifhey are right, then I guess this is

my last column.Mayan civilization existed

from A.D. 250 to 900 in the cur-ent geographical location ofouthern Mexico, Guatemala,

Belize, El Salvador and some ofHonduras. Archaeologists study-ng their culture long ago deci-

phered their longest period calen-darthe Long Count whichforecasts a specific date and timeof no more counting.

Bucket listsHaving a few friends and fam-

ly who died young while valiantly

fighting illness, I experiencedtime with those living, knowingtheir days ahead were finite. Theyshared a clarity of purpose, and

often a visible courage and goodcheer as they came to peace withsome of what historically troubledthem, while making certain to setaside more time for their family,friends and closest loved ones.

Success, careers and even thecommitments we often make withthe best of intentions, cause manyof us to spend a disproportionateshare of our days here doing whatwe have to do versus what wewant to do.

Priorities & promisesEven writing this column in

part with tongue parked in the sideof a cheek, I am reminded howmuch time and energy I daily ex-pend on projects and duties thatare not at all close to my priori-ties. My heart can easily remindme what is most important, andwhat should come first, and atleast for this month and the rest ofthis year, Im going to actually tryand do just that.

Many, many thanksFirst to my two daughters who

have blessed me since their birth,thanks for all that you are, allthat you will become and for let-

ting me stay a part of your lives. Idont always deserve that, butI will always keep trying to. To

their mothers, Nancy Powell andTiffany Krista, thank you for thegifts and lives ofBarclay and Ol-ivia, though you have both done

most of the heavy lifting, we allhave much to be proud and thank-ful for as parents.

To my parents and siblings, Iowe you all a collectively largedebt, which I will attempt to payforward by raising my own daugh-ters at least half as well as youraised me. Our longtime home onEl Dorado Drivemay not have ac-tually been on a street paved withgold, but at many times and inmany ways it certainly seemed so.

To the women in my life,though you generally always knewand fully understood that you are

the higher end of our species,you seldom let on, or rubbed it inmy face. For that and many otherkindnesses, hospitality, caring andgood grace I thank you.

To my many friends, col-leagues, competitors, teammates,fraternity brothers and businessassociatesit has been quite aride. Fellowship and the warmthof a shared laugh or good day to-gether are largely what make lifeworth living. There are not enoughwords other than to say, Thankyou.

Though I have never been ahuge animal person, I do get

the many pluses of sharing ourlives with Gods creatures greatand small, and have witnessed

love and even a miracle or twobetween dogs, cats, horses andtheir owners, and Ive seen a fewof both of my daughters respec-

tive animal menageries bringthem some of the greatest joys oftheir lives. Thanks for sharing thisplace with us, and to the biggerand hungrier ones of you, thanksfor not eating us.

On the bright side later thisweek, and back to aging, as anow card-carrying member of theAARP (on the plus side of 50), ifthe world does end shortly, thatmust explain why I have been somuch less concerned of late aboutproper retirement planning. Thereally great minds studying thissubject in detail also say we are

misreading the original Mayanforecast, by as many as another 60days or so. That gets us fully intothe New Year, Congress reconven-ing and more of the same ol sameolmaybe Armageddon isnt sobad after all.

Bill Crane also serves as a politi-cal analyst and commentator forChannel 2s Action News, WSB-

AM News/Talk 750 and now 95.5FM, as well as a columnist forTheChampion, Champion Free PressandGeorgia Trend. Crane is a

DeKalb native and business owner,

living in Scottdale. You can reachhim or comment on a column [email protected].

If this is my last column...

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The Champion Free Press, Friday, Dec. 21, 2012 Page 6ACommunity

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.

Diane Keltz

Proposed county budget to

include pay increase for someWhen asked for names

of conscienous volunteers,folks at MedSharedidnt hesitate to offerDiane Keltz, who hasvolunteered there since2007, when a friend andneighbor introduced herto the organizaon thatcollects surplus supplies

from medical faciliesin the United States andships them to facilies indeveloping countries.

From the first day Iwalked into MedShare andfound out what they wereall about, I knew I wascoming back. I have somemedical background andfell in love with the workand duty of sorng medicalsupplies, Keltz recalled. Itmade me feel good about

myself and for others inneed. Theres a quote fromHindu Prince GautamaSiddharta: Thousandsof candles can be lit froma single candle, and thelife of the candle will notbe shortened. Happiness

never decreases by beingshared. I truly believe thatMedShare operates thisway. This one place sharesand offers so much to many.And we, the volunteers, areexcited and happy to driveto MedShare to give anddo so with open hearts andsmiles.

Keltz said that she

and Peggy Healy, thefriend who introducedher to MedShare, alsovolunteer at United ServiceOrganizaons (USO), avolunteer organizaondevoted to raising moraleamong those serving in themilitary. She is turning80 this month and I amhelping her celebrate thismilestone and giving herthanks for introducing meto the volunteer world

of MedShare and USO,she said. Having militaryfamily members in my life,I felt this was another wayto show my thanks andsupport for what they do forour country.

In 2011, Keltz receiveda Spirit of True Caringaward. The award cameto me as a surprise, but Ioen think about it andwhat it means. I really dotry every day to do some

lile something specialfor someone. It makes mefeel good and I know I helpsomeone just a lile bit. Ido believe I feel so blessedbecause it circles back tome. I love and enjoy people.I love to give.


DeKalb County CEO BurrellEllishopes to hold the line on the countys2013 budget.

Ellis proposed 2013 county budgetis $562.7 million, up approximately 1percent over the 2012 budget of $556.7million.

The bottom line is a virtually revenueneutral budget, Ellis said during a Dec.14 budget presentation.

His budget proposal includes a 1.69millage increase. The average home-owner in DeKalb County has a home ap-praised at $134,000 and would see a taxincrease of $30.12 for the year. Taxes ona $200,000 home would increase $48.48.

For the overwhelming number ofDeKalb County citizens who have seen adecline in the value of their homes, evenwith this millage increase, theyre goingto be paying less in taxes this year thanthey were paying in 2008, Ellis said.

Ellis said the proposed 2013 bud-get includes $22.8 million in additionalspending reductions, $8.65 million innon-tax revenue enhancements, a budget-ary reserve that is maintained at $30 mil-lion and a 3 percent living wage increasefor our lowest paid employees.

Unfortunately were not able to giveall of our employees [an increase], El-lis said. We cant afford to do that forall of our employees but we have someemployees in this county that dont evenmake a living wage. And we should notbe proud of that. In fact we should beashamed of that.

People are making less than $38,000a year$37,700 or less to be precise,Ellis said. A number of these peopleare the people that ride on the backsof sanitation trucks, our public serviceemployees who pave the roads. They dohard work each and every day. This is arst step, we hope in helping those lowestpaid employees adapt to the rising cost ofliving.

The cost of living adjustment wouldaffect approximately 2,500 employees,Ellis said.

The proposed budget also includes the

realignment of police precincts and thehiring of an additional 25 police ofcers,according Ellis recommendation.

Ellis said putting together the pro-posed budget was quite challenging.

We started this budget with a $40-plus million gap, Ellis said. Theamount of our anticipated expenses ex-ceeded our anticipated revenue right offthe bat. We knew we had to get to work.

In the past years, we had alreadycut about $100-plus million in expensesand to go further could potentially havean impact on our service delivery, Ellissaid.

One of the countys challenges is theloss in revenue during the past ve years,Ellis said.

DeKalb County has lost 49 percentin property tax value in unincorporatedDeKalb County over the last ve years,Ellis said. That is signicant; its prob-ably unprecedented in the history of thiscounty. That is a monumental asset loss.Thats not only an impact to our countygovernmentobviously we receivethe bulk of our revenue from propertytaxesbut its also a signicant loss tothe homeowners and commercial prop-erty owners who live and do business inDeKalb.

The decline countywide in property

tax value is 25 percent, Ellis said.The greatest negative impact to the

countys budget has come from munici-palization, Ellis said.

The creation of Brookhaven this yearis going to cost the county somewhere inthe neighborhood of $23 [million] to $25million in lost revenue this year, Ellissaid. Dunwoodys incorporation costs thecounty $20 million to $25 million annu-ally.

CommissionerSharon Barnes Sut-ton, who along with CommissionerLeeMay attended Ellis budget presentation,said, The CEO has presented his recom-mendation for the budget and now webegin our work.

We have some work to do and weexpected that, Sutton said. Im lookingforward to the budget process becausethats what we do. Were going to do thebest that we can for DeKalb County.

DeKalb County CEO Burrell Ellis said putting together his proposed 2013 county budgetwas quite challenging. Photo by Andrew Cauthen

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The Champion Free Press, Friday, Dec. 21, 2012 Page 7ACommunity

ATLANTA

Grant to support seminarians financial literacy

Emory Universitys Candler School of Theologyhas received a $250,000 grant from Lilly Endow-ment Inc. to develop a model curriculum for improv-ng the financial literacy of its students.

Lilly Endowment awarded the grant as part ofts Theological School Initiative to Address Eco-nomic Challenges Facing Future Ministers, whichs designed to assist theology schools in examiningnancial literacy issues in order to improve the eco-

nomic well-being of future pastoral leaders. Candlers one of 16 schools to participate in the program.

AVONDALE ESTATES

American Legion Post 66 to hold bingo night

The American Legion Harold Byrd Post 66 willhost Bingo nights Sunday and Thursday in Decem-ber and January.

Bingo will be played on Dec. 23, 27 and 30 andJan. 3 and 6, 7 - 9 p.m. Tickets are $8.

American Legion Post 66 is at 30 CovingtonRoad in Avondale Estates. For more information,call (404) 292-2352.

DECATUR

Library to show The Way We Were

Toco Hill-Avis G. Williams Library as part of itsFriday Movie series is showing The Way We Were,

starring Robert Redford and Barbra Streisandon Friday, Dec. 28, 1:30 - 3:30 p.m. The 1973 mov-e is rated PG and runs 118 minutes. The FridayMovie series is a mix of new releases and old fa-vorites. When available, movies are presented withclosed captioning to assist the hearing impaired.Toco Hill-Avis G. Williams Library is located at 1282McConnell Drive, Decatur. For more information,call (404) 679-4404.

NAACP to celebrate Jubilee Day

On Jan. 1 of each year, the NAACP DeKalbcelebrates the signing of the Emancipation Procla-mation. This celebration is called Jubilee Day. TheDeKalb County branch will hold its annual JubileeDay Celebration Tuesday, Jan. 1, at 10:30 a.m.at Rainbow Park Baptist Church, where Steven

N. Dial Sr. is pastor. The speaker will be AttorneyDerrickAlexander Pope. Rainbow Park BaptistChurch is located at 2941 Columbia Drive, Decatur.

English as Second Language class set

The Decatur Library will hold an English as aSecond Language class on Wednesday, Dec. 26,2 3:30 p.m. The class is free and no registrations necessary. It is sponsored by Literacy Volunteerof AmericaMetro Atlanta and the DeKalb CountyPublic Library system. The Decatur Library is lo-cated at 215 Sycamore St., Decatur. For more in-ormation, call (404) 377-7323.

Church to hold Christmas Eve serviceColumbia Presbyterian Church is holding a

Christmas Eve Candlelight Communion Worshipon Dec. 24, at 6 in the sanctuary. Columbia Pres-byterian Church is located on 711 Columbia Drive,Decatur. For more information, call (404) 284-2441,or visit http://www.cpcdecatur.org. Columbia Pres-

byterian Church also holds Sunday school, at 9:45

a.m. each Sunday and a special music and prayerservice, TAIZE, every Tuesday at 7 p.m.

DeKalb House Delegation to hold legislativetown hall meeting

The DeKalb County House Delegation will holda legislative preview town hall meeting in Decaturto discuss issues and initiatives taking place in theGeorgia General Assembly during the 2013 legisla-tive session.

The delegation is soliciting comments fromDeKalb residents as legislators prepare to start an-other legislative session.

The meeting will be Jan. 3 at 6 p.m. in theMaloof Auditorium, located at 1300 Commerce Dr.,Decatur.

The town hall meeting will be an open forum

where residents can express concerns and ideas.The DeKalb House Delegation is made up ofmembers of the Georgia House of Representativesthat have any portion of their legislative district inDeKalb County. The Delegation meets every Mon-day (non-holiday) at noon in the Coverdell Legisla-tive Office Building across from the state capitol.

For more information about the town hall meet-ings, contact Rep. Darshun Kendrick (678) 323-7887 or email her at [email protected].

DUNWOODY

Community invited to MJCCAs Family Fun Day

The Marcus Jewish Community Center of At-lanta (MJCCA) has announced that it will welcomethe entire community to its annual Family Fun Dayon Dec. 25, 11 a.m. 4 p.m. The event will be heldat the MJCCA, 5342 Tilly Mill Road, Dunwoody. It isfree of charge and open to everyone. For informa-

tion, contact Rabbi Brian Glusman at (678) 812-4161 at [email protected] Fun Day highlights include a concert

featuring The Baal Shem Tones with Helene andMichael Kates at 11 a.m.; inflatables in the BlankGym, table tennis, basketball, activities in the So-phie Hirsh Srochi Discovery Center, and open swimin the indoor pool, 11 a.m. 3 p.m. There will be afamily-friendly movie in the Morris & Rae Frank The-atre, 2 4 p.m.

The MJCCA will be open from 8 a.m. - 4 p.m.Dec. 25 and Goodfriends Grill will be open forbreakfast and lunch, 9 a.m. - 2 p.m.

STONE MOUNTAIN

Tupac Shakur Foundation seeking year-end

donations

The Tupac Amaru Shakur Foundation is solicit-ing gifts to help the organizations efforts to assistyouth.

The foundation is a 501c3 public charity (tax ID

582512839), which for the past 15 years has pro-

vided a safe haven for youth from all backgroundsto freely express themselves through the arts in apositive environment.

Contributions will help fund a full year of after-school enrichment classes, leadership & arts sum-mer camps, youth mentoring, garden projects,youth scholarships, a food pantry and a communityart center and 6-acre garden that annually attractshundreds of visitors from around the world.

To make a year-end tax deductible donation tothe Tupac Amaru Shakur Foundation visit www.tasf.org/the-foundation/make-a-donation/.

Checks or money orders can be sent to: TupacAmaru Shakur Foundation, 5616 Memorial Drive,Stone Mountain, GA 30083.

Toys for Tots event announced

This past Saturday, DeKalb County CommissionerSharon Barnes Sutton in partnership with StoneMountain High School alumni and Wade WalkerPark family YMCA is hosting an inaugural Toys ForTots event at the YMCA branch, located at 5605Rockbridge Road, Stone Mountain. On Dec. 15Sutton, along with the DeKalb Youth LeadershipAcademy, dropped off toys for the event, whichwill be Saturday, Dec. 22, 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. Thoseattending are asked to bring a new unwrapped toyand a $10 cash donation. All proceeds go to ToysFor Tots. The mission of the U. S. Marine CorpsReserve Toys for Tots Program is to collect new,unwrapped toys during October, November andDecember each year, and distribute those toysas Christmas gifts to less fortunate children in thecommunity in which the campaign is conducted.

AROUND DEKALB

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A former DeKalb CountyPolice chief has left retire-ment to head the LithoniaPolice Department.

The Lithonia City Councilhas selected Eddie J. Moodyas its new police chief.Moody, 58, was the DeKalbCounty Police chief from2001-04.

Moody brings 30 years oflaw enforcement experienceto the city, working his wayup from a clerk typist in thecountys police departmentto become the police chief.After retiring from the countyin 2004, Moody workedwith Altegrity, a commercialprovider of background in-

vestigations for the federalgovernment, as an accountexecutive and special investi-gator for several years.

While with DeKalbCounty, Moody created theJunior Police Academy,which has been recognizedby the National Associationof Counties and the Commis-sion on Accreditation for LawEnforcement Agencies, estab-lished a crime analysis unit,

reduced overtime for trafccourt cases resulting in sav-ings of more than $1 million,and managed the murder caseinvestigation of Sheriff-ElectDerwinBrown.

The City of Lithonia

is very privileged to havesomeone like Chief Moody,who has a tremendous levelof experience and an impec-cable reputation, interested inthe position, said LithoniaMayorDeborah A. Jacksonsaid. The Council and I areexcited about Chief Moodysworking with the police de-partment to help raise thestandards and quality ofservice provided to the com-

munity.Moody, who started his

new position on Dec. 17,was one of 22 applicants forthe job. Other applicants in-cluded MelvinDouglas, aninvestigator for the DeKalbCounty District AttorneysOfce and XavierTodd, whowas the acting Lithonia po-lice chief before Moody wasselected.

Washington Varnum,the citys previous actingpolice chief wasrelieved ofhis duties after a 2010 policecertication revocation wasupheld leaving him with noarrest powers. Varnum, whoserved as acting police chiefsince January, replaced for-mer chiefKennis Harrellwho suddenly resigned last

December after just a year onthe job.

Moody, who was the rstBlack to head the DeKalbCounty Police Department,retired from his position in2004.

Chief Moody told us hewas ready to leave retire-ment, and we are glad that hewants to work in the commu-nity he grew up in, Jacksonsaid.

Moody

City of Lithonia has new top cop

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

Complete the subscripon form below to start your subscripon. One Year (52 issues) at just $39.00.

Return to:The Champion, P.O. Box 1347, Decatur, GA 30031-1347

Name:

Address:

Phone: E-Mail:

Method of Payment: Check enclosed Visa Master Card AMEX

Credit card No: Expiraon date:

For addional informaon, call 404.373.7779 or visit us online at championnewspaper.com

HEYFOOTBALL

FANS!

Newly elected Brookhaven City Council makes frst decisions

DeKalb chief prosecutorstake jobs elsewhereby Daniel [email protected]

Two of DeKalb Countys chief prosecutors will beleaving at the end of the year to pursue similar jobs inCobb County.

Chief Assistant District Attorney Don Geary andDeputy Chief Assistant District Attorney John Melvinhave taken posts with new Cobb County DistrictAttorney Vic Reynolds.

Geary is an integral part of the states murder caseagainst Andrea Sneiderman, who is accused ofconspiring with her former boss Hemy Neuman tomurder her husband Rusty Sneiderman.

Neuman, who confessed to killing RustySneiderman, was convicted and is now serving a termof life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Melvin is one of the lead prosecutors involved in acriminal corruption case against former DeKalb CountySuperintendent Crawford Lewis, accused of operatinga criminal enterprise within the school system.

Prosecutors allege that Lewis, along with former

schools construction chiefPat Reid and her ex-husband Tony Pope, conspired to defraud the schooldistrict of approximately $2.4 million through illegalconstruction contracts.

Although Geary and Melvin play a role in some ofDeKalb Countys biggest cases, ofcials from DeKalbCounty District Attorney Robert James ofce saidtheir absence will not hinder any of the cases frommoving forward.

We have replacements that will be named soon,said Erik Burton, a spokesman for the district attorney.We wish them well.

by Daniel [email protected]

The Brookhaven CityCouncil made its rst of-cial vote Dec. 10 only mo-ments after members wereworn in.

The four-member coun-cil appointed a temporarycity attorney, and city clerk,and authorized a temporaryease agreement for a city

hall building and city courtpace.

Bill Riley was namednterim city attorney. Riley,

who serves as city attorneyfor Johns Creek and SandySprings, also worked withGov. Nathan Deals Com-mission for the City ofBrookhaven. Lyn Rosserwas named as interim cityclerk.

Theyve done a greatob and I extend my sincere

gratitude to all the memberson the commission as wellas the citizen volunteers,Brookhaven MayorJ. Max

Davis said of the commis-ion.

Riley, who worked probono as the commissionslegal representative, ap-

pointed commission Chair-man Ben Vinson, who hasworked on every governorscommission since SandySprings was established in2005.

Jim Eyre, the only coun-cil member who didnt facea runoff after Novemberselection, said the councilneeds to begin working onthe citys rst-year budget.He also said, after the con-tentious elections and city-hood vote, his only concernnow is the best interest ofBrookhaven.

Weve got to get thecity on strong footing witha balanced budgetwevealso got to put away somereserves, Eyre said.

Additionally, Brookhav-en will be leasing a12,636-square-foot buildinglocated in an ofce complexon Ashford Dunwoody Roadfor $246,402 for one year.

According to ofcials, thebuilding is fully furnished.

For its temporary court,Brookhaven is leasing anofce building on Buford

Highway for $60,800 forone year. The 3,800-square-foot space, located in

Brookhaven, will need to berefurnished and rewired forcourt use.

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Agency says critical problems in DCSD, places it on probationby Daniel [email protected]

An accrediting agency said ifhe DeKalb County School District

(DCSD) doesnt comply with a list ofrequired actions within the

next year, loss of its accredi-ation is imminent.AdvancED President

Mark Elgart said duringa Dec. 17 news conferencehat DCSD has been placed

on accreditation probationuntil Dec. 31, 2013.

Today we found theschool system in chaos andconict, Elgart said.

Elgart said AdvancED,which sent a special revieweam to investigate the district in Oc-ober, has provided a list of actions

DCSD needs to complete to avoid los-ng accreditation.

I can honestly say weve givenhis system every opportunity to avoidhe current condition theyre in but

now time is critical, Elgart said.Elgart said AdvancED investiga-

ors found evidence that school staffspends an enormous amount of timeresponding to requests from individualboard members. Elgart also said thedistrict is divided along lines of race,socioeconomic levels and geography.

Such divisions are continuing toparalyze the systems ability to ad-dress the needs of all students no mat-er where they live, no matter wherehey go to school, Elgart said.

School ofcials released a state-ment Dec. 17 stating the district willwork collaboratively to review thendings and begin to address the re-quired actions.

The special review team also found

that DCSD borrowed $25 million sev-eral years ago to purchase textbooksbut said there is no evidence that text-books were ever purchased. In fact,Elgart stated that half of the loan wasused to pay for previously purchased

textbooks.This school year, students began

classes without textbooks, Elgartsaid. Students began classes with

textbooks that needed repair and wereasked to go home and use glue and putthem back together so they could usethem.

The district, which serves nearly100,000 students, has a yearly operat-ing budget totaling close to $1 billion.Elgart said there is no reason a districtwith such a large budget should haveissues buying books and that the prob-lem stems from 10 years of misman-agement.

Additionally, according to bothAdvancED and district ofcials, only35 percent of the districts classroomscontain up to date technology.

Connectivity that we normallynd in nearly 90 percent of Americanschoolshere is a system that hasnearly $1 billion a year and yet theyrewoefully behind, Elgart said. Thereis a culture that needs to change.

Elgart listed a host of ways boardmembers interfere with the staffsday-to-day operations, including ask-ing staff to take students out of spe-cically assigned schools because ofathletic preference; asking principalsto ignore the processes for studentsthat have been previously expelledand to allow them back into school;and asking students to be reassignedto different schools based on parentalpreference.

Additionally, according to Ad-vancEDs ndings, DCSD is nowcurrently running at a decit, which isdue in part to the district knowinglynot budgeting for its actual expenses,such as legal fees.

They budgeted a certain amountfor legal expenses that their contractu-

al obligations with their current legalrm exceeded, Elgart said. Duringrecent meetings board members havebeen debating instituting a bus routethat they cut to save money to meetthe budget; now theyre going to rein-stitute it without any inclination wherethe money is going to come from.

Since the district is running at adecit of at least $25 million, Elgartsaid if any unseen problems happenin the spring the district may not haveenough money to remain open untilthe end of the year.

We hope that does not happen toDeKalb County but theyre in a peril-ously close position where that mayhappen if anything unusual transpiresin the next few months, Elgart said.

AdvancED has issued four actions

See DCSD on Page 11A

Accrediting agency AdvancEDs President Mark Elgart discusses why the DeKalbCounty School District (DCSD) has been put on accreditation probation for thecoming school year. Elgart said if DCSD does not make signicant progress on a

list of required action items, the district will lose its accreditation. Photo by DanielBeauregard

Today we found theschool system in chaos

and conflict. Mark Elgart

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MARTA a hot button topicat town hall meeting

From top left) Rep. Mike Jacobs, Rep. Scott Holcomb, DeKalb resident Keith Watkins, Rep. MicheleHenson, Rep. Tom Taylor and Decatur resident David Duncan participated in a Dec. 13 Legislative Pre-view and Town Hall Meeting at Cross Keys High School. Photos by Carla Parker

DeKalb County CEO Burrell Ellis reminds you

of the Best Practices for Proper Disposal of

Plumbing and sanitary sewer systems are simply not designed to handle the F.O.G. that accumulatesin pipes. When it gets into the pipes and hardens, blockages occur and cause sewage to backup andoverow out of manholes or into homes. This is expensive for you, and for the County.The damages caused by fats, oils and grease in the sewer system are costly to repair. Over time,they increase the costs of our water and sewer services.

F.O.G. enters plumbing through garbage disposals, sinks and toilets. It coats the inside of plumbingpipes and also empties into DeKalb Countys sewer system. Here are three simple guidelines to help

keep F.O.G. out of our pipes and sewers:

1.

2.

3.

POURfats, oils or grease into a sealable container, allow it to cool and throw it

in the trash. Do not pour down the drain or toilet.

SCRAPEplates and cookware before washing. Do not throw scraps of any kind

down the drain. Instead, place them in waste containers or garbage bags.

WIPEexcess grease from all plates, pots, pans, utensils, and surfaces with a

paper towel before washing. Throw the greasy paper towel away.

young children makes this an especially difcult andpainful tragedy. We stand with the people of New-town, Conn., as they begin to heal their communityover the months and years to come.

Elizabeth Ford, DeKalb County Board of Healthdirector (via Twitter)

There are no words. My heart literally hurts.

Prayers for all affected by todays horror. God help usall.

Phyllis A. Edwards, City of Decatur Schools su-perintendent (in a letter to parents)

On Friday, a horrendous, unthinkable event oc-curred which shook our nation and each of us individ-ually. The shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary Schoolis unimaginable. We can only pray that the familieswho lost loved ones and the entire community mayrely on one another as they try to recover and heal.

This is a delicate situation for you, as parents, andcertainly for school system personnel. Please be as-sured that we make every effort to maintain a safe andsecure environment for your child.

RobertJames, DeKalb County District AttorneyLike everyone else in the country and around the

world, I was horried when I discovered that someonehad gone into an elementary school and murdered sev-eral children and some adults as well. My heart goesout to those families, the parents and loved ones andeveryone in that town. I think its a black on the faceof this nation when we have not just one incident likethis, but repeated incidents like this.

Its far past time for us to have a conversationabout common sense gun laws and what were goingto do to prevent this from happening in the future.

It could happen anywhere. Gun violence happensall over this country. Children are killed daily all overthis country. The president referenced a street cornerin Chicago, but I could reference south DeKalb. Wehave very high homicide rate here in this county.

Its past time to have this conversation. For peoplethat say gun control isnt the answer, the way I would

respond to them is having more guns on the streets isnot the answer. More guns on our streets dont makeour streets safe.

No Words Continued From Page 2A

by Carla [email protected]

Fixing MARTA and howo pay for it came close to a

heated discussion at a Dec.3 Legislative Preview and

Town Hall Meeting at CrossKeys High School.

The town hall meetingwas the rst of three legisla-ive town hall meetings that

will be held across DeKalbCounty before the 2013Legislative Session begins.The meetings give DeKalbCounty residents an oppor-unity to discuss importantssues and initiatives taking

place under the Gold Domen the next session.

At the meeting, StateRep. Mike Jacobs (R-60),who is chairman of the leg-slative MARTA Oversight

Committee (MARTOC),mentioned in his openingemarks that his major focus

for the upcoming session isMARTA. Jacobs said theres some signicant MAR-

TA related legislation thatwas brought forward in the2012 session that failed onhe nal night of the sessionhat he anticipates will come

back up in the upcomingession.

Two signicant compo-nents of [the legislations] in-luded a restructuring of the

MARTA board to allow theappointments to be made byhe mayors from Fulton and

DeKalb counties, he said.It also includes a three-year

relation of whats known asthe 50/50 split, which is therequirement for MARTA tospend up to half of all thesales tax revenue that comesin capital and the other halfon operating.

When the oor wasopen for residents to askquestions or discuss issuesDeKalb County residentKeith Watkins said he hada problem with Jacobs at-tacking MARTA as if MAR-TA were the problem.

I have a big problemwith your constant attack onMARTA because the prob-lem is racism, not MARTA,Watkins said. Im sureMARTA can be improved,but this constant drum beat-ing of MARTA when it hasbeen victimized by racismthroughout the years, I have

a problem with that. Youreattacking MARTA whenthe problem is funding allbacked by racism.

Watkins also brought upa long-time saying in At-lanta that MARTA stood forMoving Africans RapidlyThrough Atlanta. He saidthat MARTA was set up tofail from the beginning.

MARTA has been vic-timized by racism rst in itsformation with Gwinnett,Cobb and other counties re-fusing to join MARTA, hesaid.

Jacobs dismissed Wat-kins comments.

I dont believe what yousaid about MARTA, Jacobs

said.Jacobs went on to explain

how MARTA is a state au-thorized authority.

We sometimes lose sightof the fact that at the timeMARTA was enacted, theuse of a penny sales tax fora local purpose was unheardof, he said. The penny

See Meeting on Page 12A

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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 CommunicationsDCSD is required to addressover the coming year if the

district wishes to maintain itsaccreditation. The district isequired to devise and imple-

ment a written, comprehen-ive plan to unify the board;nsure all decisions made byhe school board are approvedollectively; establish andmplement procedures thatnsure the segregation of the

duties of the governing boardand that of the administratorsand implement; and adhere toscally responsible practices.

Elgart said the districtsoss of accreditation is im-

minent if it fails to make sig-nicant changes to these andeven other prior requested

action items.The other required action

tems include properly fol-owing the districts chain ofommand, performing an in-ernal audit on available tech-

nology and strengthening andbolstering its communicationhannels.

Next year, AdvancEDwill send a monitoring teamn the spring and fall to de-ermine whether DCSD has

made signicant progress on

he requested actions. Elgartaid DCSDs problems arequivalent to those that facedhe Clayton County School

District, which lost its accred-tation in 2008 after similaranctions by AdvancED.

Our hope is that theyearn from Clayton County,

who did not respond withinhe rst year, Elgart said.

Because the district hasbeen placed on probationfor governance issues it isequired by state law to go

before the Georgia Depart-ment of Education for a hear-ng. Elgart said the state boardould then determine whethero recommend the removal ofhe board members to Gov.

Nathan Deal.

DCSDContinued From Page 9A

DeKalb Police looking for suspect ineveral burglaries

The DeKalb County Police Depart-ment is seeking the publics assistancen identifying a burglary suspect.

On Dec. 5 between 7 and 9 p.m.,etectives believe the suspect burglar-

ized a home at 3263 Kings Bay Circle.When the homeowner returned,

she discovered thatitems were taken,including laptops,jewelry and bank-ing documents, ac-cording to a mediarelease. Detectivesreviewed the sur-veillance videoinside the home

and were able to obtain photos of thesuspect.

In the past three months there havebeen approximately eight break-ins inthe vicinity and detectives are work-ing to determine if this suspect is re-sponsible for those incidents as well,according to a media release.

Anyone with information about thecrime or the identity of the suspect isasked to contact the south precinct ofthe DeKalb County Police Departmentat (404) 286-7911.

DeKalb announces holidaysanitation collection schedule

DeKalb County government of-ces will be closed Tuesday, Dec. 25,and Tuesday, Jan. 1, in observance ofthe Christmas and New Years holi-days.

The residential collection schedulefor the Christmas holiday will be asfollows:

There will be no collection serviceon Tuesday, Dec. 25. Collection ser-vices normally scheduled for Tuesday,

Dec. 25, will be moved to Wednesday,Dec. 26, with the regular garbage col-lection schedule resuming on Thurs-day, Dec. 27. Yard waste and blue boxrecycling services will be delayed oneday through Friday, Dec. 28.

The residential collection schedulefor the New Years holiday will be asfollows:

There will be no collection serviceon Tuesday, Jan. 1. Collection servicesnormally scheduled for Tuesday, Jan.1 will be moved to Wednesday, Jan.2, with the regular garbage collectionschedule resuming on Thursday, Jan.3. Yard waste and blue box recyclingwill be delayed one day through Fri-day, Jan. 4.

First

12/20

Last

1/4

The Northeast will see scattered rain and snow today and Friday, mostly clear to partly

cloudy skies with isolated snow Saturday, with the highest temperature of 55 in

Germantown, Md. The Southeast will experience scattered showers and thunderstorms

today, mostly clear to partly cloudy skies Friday and Saturday, with the highest temperature of 82 in Ft.

Myers, Fla. In the Northwest, there will be mostly clear to partly cloudy skies with isolated rain and snow

today through Saturday, with the highest temperature of 52 in Colville, Wash. The Southwest will see

mostly clear skies today through Saturday, with the highest temperature of 67 in Chino, Calif.

THURSDAY

Showers Likely

High: 61 Low: 31

Full

12/28

The Champion Weather Dec. 20, 2012Seven Day Forecast

Local UV Index

WEDNESDAY

Partly Cloudy

High: 54 Low: 35

TUESDAY

Partly Cloudy

High: 58 Low: 39

MONDAY

Mostly Sunny

High: 57 Low: 38

SUNDAY

Sunny

High: 57 Low: 35

SATURDAY

SunnyHigh: 55 Low: 32

FRIDAY

Sunny

High: 48 Low: 28

In-Depth Local Forecast Today's Regional Map

Sunrise

7:37 a.m.

7:38 a.m.

7:38 a.m.

7:39 a.m.

7:39 a.m.

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

Sunset

5:33 p.m.

5:33 p.m.

5:34 p.m.

5:34 p.m.

5:35 p.m.

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

Moonset

12:39 a.m.

1:36 a.m.

2:31 a.m.

3:27 a.m.

4:21 a.m.

5:14 a.m.6:05 a.m.

Moonrise

12:36 p.m.

1:08 p.m.

1:42 p.m.

2:18 p.m.

2:57 p.m.

3:40 p.m.4:27 p.m.

New

1/11

www.WhatsOurWeather.com

Weather History

Dec. 20, 1836 - A famous cold

wave occurred in central Illinois.

A cold front with 70 mph winds

swept through at noon, dropping

the temperature from 40 degrees

to near zero in a matter of

minutes. Many settlers froze to

death. Folklore told of chickens

frozen in their tracks.

Weather Trivia

Tonight's Planets

Does weather affec t

appetite?

Answer: Yes. In cold weather,

your body requires more calories

to heat itself.

?

Day

Thursday

Friday

Saturday

Sunday

Monday

TuesdayWednesday

National Weather Summary This Week

Local Sun/Moon Chart This Week

StarWatch By Gary Becker - Low Sun, High Spirits

Today we will see mostly cloudy skies with an

80% chance of showers, high temperature of

61, humidity of 72%. Southeast wind 10 to 15

mph. The record high temperature for today is

72 set in 1967. Expect partly cloudy skies

tonight with an overnight low of 31.

Dec. 21, 1929 - A tremendousstorm produced snow from the

Rio Grande Valley of Texas to

southern Arkansas. The storm

produced 26 inches of snow at

Hillsboro, Texas, 18 inches at

El Dorado, Ark. and 14 inches

at Bossier, La.

As we head full speed towards the Holidays, the sun is putting on the brakes as it reaches its lowest point in the sky, the winter solstice on December 21 at 6:12 a.m., EST.

Its the tilt of the Earths axis, 23.5 degrees from the perpendicular to its orbital plane that creates this effect and all of the other consequences of the changing seasons that

we experience. During each quarter the suns noontime position either moves up or down by the same amount as Earths tilt. Why am I in such high spirits? I cant deny the

Holiday festivities, which are also related to the time of the solstice, play a part; but the downward trend of the sun is nearly over and Sols motions will soon be reversed

and headed in an upward direction. On the day of solstice, which literary means sun standstill, Sol will rise at its most southerly position from the east and set at its most southerly posi-

tion to the west. At noon when the sun is highest in the sky for the day, it will be at its lowest noontime position for the year. If the daily spin of the Earth could be stopped at local noon,

when the sun was due south, and if we could take a hike over land and sea, what would we witness? Traveling southward over the curvature of the Earth towards the sun would find Sol

getting one degree higher in the sky for each degree of latitude we traversed. We would have to stride some 4400 miles south or 64 degrees in latitude to move the sun into a position where

it would be directly overhead. Wed find ourselves on the Tropic of Capricorn, assuming that we lived where I live at 40.5 degrees north latitude and celebrating the first day of summer

in the Southern Hemisphere. Going northward would eventually cause the sun to dip below the horizon. So even though shadows are at their longest this week, the lowly sun starts com-

ing back, slowly at first, but with the promise of another spring and the warmth of summer on the horizon. Happy winter to all!www.astronomy.org

Rise Set

Mercury 6:26 a.m. 4:28 p.m.

Venus 5:47 a.m. 4:01 p.m.

Mars 9:31 a.m. 7:31 p.m.

Jupiter 4:05 p.m. 6:12 a.m.

Saturn 3:38 a.m. 2:36 p.m.

Uranus 12:51 p.m. 1:04 a.m.

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

Atlanta

61/31

Decatur

61/31

Doraville

60/31

Dunwoody

59/30 Lilburn

60/31

Snellville

61/31

Lithonia

62/31Morrow

62/31

Smyrna

60/31

Hampton

63/32

Union City

62/31

College Park62/31

*Last Weeks Almanac

Date Hi Lo Normals Precip

Tuesday 47 36 55/37 0.00"

Wednesday 51 36 55/37 0.00"Thursday 57 37 55/37 0.00"

Friday 60 30 55/36 0.00"

Saturday 59 41 55/36 0.00"

Sunday 56 52 54/36 0.18"

Monday 58 52 54/36 0.00"Rainfall . . . . . . .0.18" Average temp . .48.0

Normal rainfall . .0.84" Average normal 45.6

Departure . . . . .-0.66" Departure . . . . .+2.4

*Data as reported from De Kalb-Peachtree Airport

7/30/2019 Free Press 12-21-12

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DecorateDecaturDecatur residents and businesses were adorned in a wide variety of decorating styles in this years Decorate Decatur contest, includ-ng everything from classic white lights and greenery to vintage Santa cut-outs and inatable snowmen. There is even a huge, candlelitmenorah with the Toy Storydinosaur and pig. See more pictures at http://thedecaturminute.wordpress.com/.

sales tax at the time was astate funding mechanism.Over time weve adopteda transportation [SpecialPurpose Local Option SalesTax] SPLOST in the general

code, there is an educationalSPLOST in the general codeauthorizing local jurisdic-tions to levy penny saletaxes for localized purposeshas become more prevalentover time.

Jacobs added that hewould be willing to seedirect operating assistanceat some point appropriatedfrom the state budget.

But, I dont think weregoing to get there untilMARTA is operating as ef-ciently as possible, he said.

And thats where I comefrom as the chair of theMARTA Oversight Commit-tee.

Jacobs said there is someoperating assistance thatcomes from the state, butits not direct. Rep. MaryMargaret Oliver (D-83)disputed Jacobs claim.

Of the 50 states in theUnited States of America,Georgia is the only one thatdoes not spend one dime ofgenerally created revenueon public transit, she said.How and when could we

have xed the problem andthe error that was madewhen only two countiesvoted for it?

Jacobs said it is not truethat the state has never con-tributed money to MARTA.

There is no direct ap-propriation from the statebudget, that is true, he said.But there has been moneyprovided by the state toMARTA in recent years.

Lyle Harris, MARTAsmedia relations press of-cer, said that it is true that

MARTA has not receivedany direct operating assis-tance from the state, but ithas received some capitalmoney.

We have over the lastseveral years received asmall amount of what theycall capital money that hasallowed us to buy buses,Harris said. But, that isnot a direct year to yeardisbursement of money.MARTA is very grateful andthankful that they were ableto provide that.

Jacobs said his objective

is to deliver a MARTA thatis efcient as possible.

I hope this ultimatelyyields more participation inMARTA, he said.

MeetingContinued From Page 10A

7/30/2019 Free Press 12-21-12

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The Champion Free Press, Friday, Dec. 21, 2012 Page 13ABusiness

Business is popping at a new North DeKalb Mall store

Renting is Mayhem.

R E N T E R S

Cecil S. Moore

(404) 692-5632

7185 Rockbridge Rd., Suite C

Stone Mountain

[email protected]

If you dont have Allstate Renters Insurance, youre leaving

yourself vulnerable to mayhem like fire damage, theft,

vandalism and more. The quality protection you need is more

affordable than you might think - Add Renters insurance to astandard Auto Policy for around $4 more a month. So why

wait? Contact me today.

Subject to terms, conditions, availability and coverage selected. Cost represents the averageincremental amount per month to add $20,000 of Renters Insurance coverage to an Allstate StandardAutomobile Insurance Policy as of February 2012. Based on national average renters premium less themultiple policy discount savings received on the Allstate Standard Automobile Policy. Multiple policydiscounts vary by state and insured and are not available for $20,000 renters coverage in NE, SC or TX. 2012 Allstate Insurance Company

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]

When Barbara Car-rothers lived in Chicago,her favorite snack was a-vored popcorna popularoffering in the area. Whenher corporate job brought amove to Atlanta in 1998, shewas surprised to discoverhat shops selling the treat

were hard to nd.I started making my

own, experimenting withavors, she said. Thebatches she gave to friendsdrew rave reviews. In Sep-ember 2011, she decided to

make popcorn her fulltimebusiness. Then in Febru-ary she opened DevonsGourmet Popcorn in NorthDeKalb Mall.

I wanted to open earlier,but I learned that the end ofhe year is not a good timeo try to open a business.

The people you need to seeo get through the paper-

work just arent as avail-able, she said. Carrothersadded, however, that the lo-cal business community hasbeen supportive and helpful.People were always thereo point me in the right di-ection.

Carrothers said she chosethe Decatur location be-cause she believes that eventhough it has experienceda slump, North DeKalbMall is coming back. AndI want to be here when itdoes, she added. Becausethe mall had seen sometough times, space herewas a good value, and Imcondent that its on the up-swing.

Devons Gourmet Pop-corn doesnt depend juston mall trafc for business;many of Carrothers custom-ers are companies that orderavored popcorn as gifts toclients and employees or toserve at events. I recentlyhad an order for 3,000 bagsfrom a big company here inAtlanta, she said.

Although popcorn shopsarent ubiquitous in theAtlanta area as they arein Chicago, Carrothersacknowledges that thereis competition. She said,however, that her premiumingredients and signaturetouches result in a superiorproduct. I make all of mypopcorn fresh from scratch.I never use a mix, she said.And that makes a big dif-ference.

Devons Gourmet Pop-corn also offers avors thatcustomers wont nd atother stores. One such a-vor came from a mistake.I accidently put twice asmuch caramel as I was sup-posed to in a batch, sherecalled. I was going tothrow it out, but my hus-band said, No, its good.Sell it as double caramel. Idid and now double caramelis one of our most requestedavors. I have customerswho swear they dont like

caramel. They sample thisand always end up orderingsome.

Taste testing the prod-uct isnt the limit of familyinvolvement. Carrothersdescribes Devons Gour-met Popcorn as a familybusiness, explaining thather husband and childrenall work there. In fact, thebusiness is named for heryoungest son, who diedin childhood. Putting hisname in the name of thebusiness is a way of keeping

him with us, she said.The shop offers a core of

14 sweet and savory avors,including cheddar cheese,white cheddar, barbecuecheddar, bacon barbecuecheddar, spicy cheddarand an assortment of fruitavors. There also are twospecialty blendsthe Chi-cago mix and the Atlantamix, that Carrothers saidare very popular. Custom-ers also are invited to createtheir own blends.

Barbara Carrothers makes the avored popcorn that she sells at Devons Gourmet Popcorn from scratchnever from a mixand offers an assortment of sweet and savoryvarieties. Photos by Kathy Mitchell

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The Champion Free Press, Friday, Dec. 21, 2012 Page 14AEducation

Dogs a welcome relief to Emory students during finalsby Daniel [email protected]

Emory University students lined

he hallway, waiting outside of aclassroom in the Robert W. Wood-uff Library for a chance to relieve

some stress for a few minutes.From noon to 6 p.m. Dec. 12, stu-

dents had the chance to take a studybreak and play with several dogsfor up to 10 minutes each. LibrarianErin Mooney said since noon morehan 86 students had been to play

with the three dogs and it was only3 p.m.

Service dogs in training from Ca-

nine Assistants, a Milton organiza-tion that trains and provides servicedogs for people with disabilities,were set up in three petting stations.

Each dog had a two-hour shift toplay with the students before beingreplaced and allowed to rest.

We were supposed to have fourdogs every hour for six hours butwere down a dog until 4 p.m.,Mooney said. Thats cut back thenumber of people we could actuallyhave.

Mooney said last year, Emoryslaw library had dogs for the studentsand it was such a success that theWoodruff Library decided to be

copy cats for a day. Several otherschools such as Georgia Tech andGeorgia Perimeter College haveheld similar events to help students

deal with the stress that nals weekbrings.

They miss their dogs becausethey cant have dogs in the dormrooms, Mooney said.

Freshmen students Jordan New-nam and Brian Konig sat on theoor at one of the stations petting agolden retriever, which sat patientlyon the oor wagging its tail. Bothsaid the 10 minutes they spent play-ing and petting the dog was wellworth taking time away from their

studies.I think it helped me de-stress

and took my mind off nals for alittle while, Konig said.

Konig, who is from Dallas, saidhe and Newnam were talking before

petting the golden retriever abouthow much they both missed theirdogs.

I denitely think this is a newtrend and Ive talked to friends fromother schools who have done it,Konig said.

Although Newnam is from Atlan-ta, she isnt able to make it home toooften and she said petting the dogreminded her of home.

AAAS and Emoryannounce 2012 fellows

Three Emory Universityprofessors representing chemistry,biochemistry and biomedicalengineering have been selectedas 2012 fellows of the AmericanAssociation for the Advancement ofScience (AAAS).

AAAS is the worlds largest

general scientic society andpublisher of the journal Science.This year 702 members have

been awarded this honor by AAASbecause of their scientically orocially distinguished efforts to

advance science or its applications.The Emory faculty to receive

he 2012 AAAS Fellow distinctionncludes Xiaodong Cheng,

professor of biochemistry and aGeorgia Research Alliance EminentScholar; Huw M.L. Davies,Asa Griggs Candler Professor ofOrganic Chemistry and directorof Emorys Center for SelectiveC-H Functionalization, a National

Science Foundation Center ofExcellence; and Shuming Nie,Wallace H. Coulter DistinguishedFaculty Chair in biomedicalengineering.

School superintendentresponds to shooting

DeKalb County School DistrictSuperintendent Cheryl Atkinsonreleased a statement Dec. 14 inresponse to the recent schoolshooting in Connecticut.

The shooting, which occurred atan elementary school in the smalltown of Newtown, resulted inthe

deaths of 26 people including 20children.Atkinson sent this statement out

Dec. 17:We join the nation in grief and

mourn the loss of so many innocentlives. In light of the tragedy inConnecticut, the DeKalb CountySchool District has asked all schooladministrators and staff to reviewtheir safe school and emergencyplans. School resource ofcers andcampus supervisors will continue tobe highly visible at their assignedschools to provide maximumsecurity for staff and students. Wewill continue to communicate with

the different police departments inthe district to provide support asneeded. The safety of students, staffand visitors is our top priority inthe DeKalb County School District,

and we are dedicated to ensuringthat our public schools remain thesafest places for our most preciousresources - our children.

GPTCs longest-servingemployee retires

Georgia Piedmont TechnicalColleges (GPTC) longest-serving

employee Julian P. Wade, whomost recently served as the schoolsdean of operations, has retired aftera 43-year career with the school.

Wade began his career inhigher education working at theCollege (then named DeKalb AreaTechnical School) in 1969 as a part-time evening instructor, teachingaccounting. He later became a full-time instructor, teaching in the DataProcessing Technology program,now called Computer InformationSystems (CIS).

During the course of his careerat the GPTC, Wade taught for 15years, instructing nearly everycourse in the CIS curriculum.He served in several capacities,including chair of the CISdepartment.

Wade moved to the deans ofcein 1989, where he began as dean ofevening programs. He also servedas dean of other disciplines at theCollege; and ends his career in theposition of dean of operation.

Vader named IHMemployee of the year

Immaculate Heart of MaryCatholic School (IHM) teacherHaydee Vader received theschools 2012 Employee of the Yearaward.

Vader has taught physicaleducation at IHM for 20 years, aswell as fth grade, middle schoolscience, religion and math. She isalso the adviser to the yearbookstaff and the National Junior HonorSociety.

Currently Vader is the middleschool coordinator and has beeninstrumental in the success of thenew eighth grade iPad/NetTextprogram, which replaces textbookswith iPads.

Education Briefs

Emory University freshman Jordan Newnam and Brian Konig take a 10-minute break from studying to play with the service dogs at the Robert W. Woodruff Library. For oneday during nals week the university offered students a chance to sign up and pet the dogs to reduce stress. Photos by Daniel Beauregard

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Canada geese, and several fields ofrees.

The tractor driver dropped usoff by a hill covered with LeylandCypress, Carolina Sapphire Cypress,Blue Ice Cypress andNaylors Blue.

Each tree had tags stating its priceand approximate height.A worker gave me a hand saw

and we walked up and down andback and forth looking at trees. Somewere too tall. Some were too widefor our front window. Others lookeda bit pitiful. Some had a bad sidewith a large spot with no branches.Some were not worthy of a trip tonorth Georgia. At $75 or more, somewere more than I wanted to payes-pecially since I had to do the work ofcutting it down.

Then after approximately 30minutes of no, no, no, we allagreed on a $36, 6-foot, Leyland

Cypress that we believed would beperfect for the front window of ouranch-style home. In less than a min-

ute, I felled the treethe saw washarper than I realized.

I carried the tree down the hill tohe waiting tractor which drove us

back to the barn. Workers put the treen netting and tied it to our car.

After our tree-cutting experience,we hung around the Harvest Shopfor a while, looking at the variousofferings. The store sells several fla-vors of honey, including sourwood, atout honey with a strong aftertaste;

and tupelo, a Mississippi honey with

a cotton candy taste. There are alsoamssuch as T.O.E. jam, made ofangerine, orange, elderberryandellies, including Georgia Moonshineelly.

And for those who have chal-enges putting a Christmas tree ints stand, the farm sells its Marriage

Saver Tree Stand which is touted ashe most accurate and honestlyhe last tree stand you will ever

need.It takes all of 30 seconds for a

eal rookie to stand their tree up, ac-cording to the farms website. Defi-nitely buy one if your marriage is aittle shaky right now.

With our tree purchase, the Har-vest Shop gave us a pewter orna-ment. For the past eight years, theKinsey Farm has had an ornamentdesigned for the Christmas season.

According to its website, thefarm, established in 1981, was de-igned as a place to participate inhe Christmas tradition of search-ng for and cutting down the per-

fect Christmas tree. The farm hasexpanded to include a landscapenursery with azaleas, quince, spiraeabushes and other plants. In the fall,he farm offers daily educational

field trips for local schools, hayrides,

fish feeding and lots of pumpkins.Organized in 1961, the GeorgiaChristmas Tree Farm Associationists 79 Christmas tree farms on its

website.

Carroll CountyB & B Trees, 1487 Flat RockRoad, Villa RicaOak Mountain Christmas Trees,47 Amanda Ave, CarrolltonRed Land Christmas Trees, 86Red Land Road, TempleSpring Brook Farm LLC, 1520Mandeville Road, Carrollton

Cherokee CountyBarrett Acres, Fairmont Road,Waleska

Newton CountyBerrys Christmas Tree Farm,70 Mt Tabor Road, Covington

Forsyth CountyBottoms Christmas Tree Farm,5880 John Burruss Road,Cumming

Fayette CountyBrooks Christmas Tree Farm,352 Mask Road, BrooksMinters Tree Farm, 283 HillsBridge Road, Fayetteville

Henry CountyBrowns Christmas Tree Farm,86 Minter Drive, HamptonClark Family Farm, 2845Peeksville Rd, Locust GroveHomestead Christmas TreeFarm, 3850 Highway 81 W,Hampton

Sleepy Hollow Christmas TreeFarm, 628 Sleepy Hollow Road,Powder Springs

Sugarland Tree Farm, 3933Highway 155N, StockbridgeWorthington Tree Farm, 145Twin Oaks Drive, HamptonYule Forest HWY 155, 3565Highway 155 N, Stockbridge

Cobb CountyCoker Tree Farm, 2280Macland Road, Marietta

Hazelip Christmas Tree Farm,Mckay Road & Highway 278,Kennesaw

Clayton CountyFourakre Christmas Tree Farm,13887 Upper Woolsey Road,Hampton

Fulton CountyHunters Christmas Tree Farm,14680 Wood Road, MiltonSpirit of Christmas, 8070Campbellton-Redwine Road(Georgia Highway 70), Palmetto

Gwinnett CountyMikes Trees, 3847 LoganvilleHighway 20, LoganvilleThompsons Tree Farm, 1829Prospect Road, Lawrenceville

A sampling of those Georgia farms listed at www.gacta.com/Finders/memberlist include:


TreesContinued From Page 1A

Customers at Kinsey Family Farm enjoy hot cocoa and smores at a bonfire after purchasing their Christmas trees.

Established in 1981, Kinsey Family Farm in Gainesville is one of 79 Christmas tree farms in Georgia that allows patrons to select andcut their own trees.

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Page 16A The Champion Free Press, Friday, Dec. 21, 2012

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The Champion Free Press, Friday, Dec. 21, 2012 Page 17A

Newsandevents ofthe

DEKALB CHAMBER OF COMMERCETwo Decatur Town Center, 125 Clairemont Ave. Suite 235, Decatur, GA, 30030 404.378.8000 www.DeKalbchamberofcommerce.org

Brought to you in partnership with:

by Leonardo McClarty

As we close out 2012,it has been a world windof a year. The Chamberconnued to create in-formave and beneficialprogramming for itsmembers as it welcomedfamed restaurateurGeorge McKerrow at itsSmall Business Awardsluncheon. The Cham-ber sought to tackletough community issuesthrough involvement inthe transportaon ref-erendum. The Chamberalso connued to buildcollaborave relaon-ships with DeKalb County

Government, the Boardof Commissioners, andthe DeKalb County SchoolSystem. Moreover, theChamber began culvat-ing relaonships with itsmunicipalies.

Programs aside, wereflect upon the changesthe chamber has experi-enced. We restructuredthe organizaon and wel-comed new staff mem-

bers; Noelle Lloyd-Mar-keng & Public RelaonsManager, Katerina Taylor-Director of Membership& Programs and Bianca

Mallory-Administraonand Special Projects Man-

ager. The Board of Direc-tors added 10 new Boardmembers to the rosternow totaling 50 diversemembers represenngthe DeKalb business com-munity!

With new staff comenew ideas! We are proudto bring in 2013 with thismoo, New Year, NewChanges, New Chamber.The DeKalb Chamber will

soon unveil a new web-site, newsleers, socialmedia strategies, newprograms and most im-portant, we celebrate our75th Annual DiamondAnniversary!

To kick off the newyear, please join us at the2013 Annual Meeng &Recepon on February21 at the Courtyard Mar-riot in Decatur. CurrentChair Elect Kevin Greiner,CEO of Gas South willtransion power to thenew 2013 Chair ElectArnie Silverman, CEO ofSilverman ConstruconProgram Management.Throughout the year, we

will focus on these corestrategies: Enhancedmessaging, Enhancedmembership experience,Organizaonal Excel-lence, Full Board memberengagement and Com-munity involvement.

The new year is uponus and we are excited tobring forth new changesand a new chamber! Seeyou in 2013.

Presidents Message:

2013 Equals New Year, NewChanges, New Chamber!

January:

Execuve Speaker Series LuncheonJanuary 23, 2013 11:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.Villa Chrisna

Coffee & ConversaonJanuary 25, 2013 8:30 - 9:30 a.m.Cornerstone Bank, community Room

State of the County Address with CEO Burrell EllisJanuary 29, 2013Hellenic Center

It is our wishthat this

holiday seasonbrings good

tidings to alland that 2013

will bringmuch success.

Celebrating

75 Yearsof service

to DeKalbs

businesscommunity

New Year.New changes.New Chamber.

Upcoming Events:

McClarty

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The Champion Free Press, Friday, Dec. 21, 2012 Page 18ASports

by Carla [email protected]

The St. Pius X defenseplayed stoutly throughoutthe playoffs and it carriedover into the Class AAA

tate Championship game on Dec.4.

But in the fourth quarter withhe game tied at 3, Buford had a

fourth-and-1 at the St. Pius X 39-yard line with 9:10 remaining. Bu-ford quarterbackTaylor Mitchell

pitched the ball to running backDontravious Wilson, who followedhis blockers all the way to the endzone to give the Buford Wolves theonly touchdown of the game.

Unfortunately for St. Pius X,that touchdown was all Bufordneeded to win its fourth state cham-pionship in ve years. The No. 7Golden Lions lost 10-3 to the No. 3Buford Wolves and nished the sea-son with a 12-3 record.

Although disappointed with theloss, St. Pius X head coach Paul

Standard said he was proud of histeams performance and effort.

Im so proud of them, he said.They played St. Pius football andthey never gave up and they playedto the end.

The Golden Lions started offstrong on their rst possession withquarterbackJack Spear running theoption offense. They got down tothe Wolves 24 yard line in 13 plays,but the drive stalled after runningbackRyan Braswell was tackledat the line of scrimmage by Bu-ford linebackerKorie Rogers on afourth-and-1 play.

After that, neither offense didmuch. Most of the game consistedof three-and-outs, stalled drives andpenalties. St. Pius X had a costlypenalty in the rst quarter. Afterthe team forced a three-and-out forBuford, St. Pius X was agged forroughing the kicker on a punt at-tempt, giving the ball back to Bu-ford.

However, the defense heldstrong and forced another three-and-out. Buford got the rst pointsof the game in the second quarterwhen kickerMatthew Bonadiesmade a eld goal from 43 yards out.

The Golden Lions responded inthe third quarter with a 47-yard eldgoal by kickerThomas OLeary.The tie broke in the fourth quarterwith Wilsons touchdown run.

St. Pius X, which relies heavilyon its running game and averages300 yard a game, was held to only104 rushing yards. The Golden Li-ons had a total of 184 yards

free press 12-21-12

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