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WWW.CHAMPIONNEWSPAPER.COM FRIDAY, JUNE 8, 2012 VOL. 15, NO. 11 FREE

FREEPRESS A PUBLICATION OF ACE III C OMMUNICATIONS

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

See LFL on Page 17A

by Robert [email protected]

Imagine buildinga dollhouse-likestructure, sittingit atop a post and

putt ing it in the ground in frontof a home or a park. Then fill it

with books and watch what hap-pens.

David Laufer did just thatin April in front of his DruidHills home. Since that timeLaufer has met people he wouldnot have met and gets recog-nized on the street.

Laufer put up the first LittleFree Library (LFL) in Georgiaand the grassroots concept iscatching on like wildfire. TheLFL movement began in Wis-consin two years ago and thereare an estimated 3,000 units inthe United States. The LFL has

its own website (www.little-freelibrary.org) where visitorscan learn more about the move-ment and view a map to deter-mine the closest library.

There are at least seven inDeKalb County, most of whichare in the Decatur, Druid Hillsand east Atlanta area.

The concept is simple. Take abook or leave a book and build com-munity involvement in the process.

Its really about building com-munity at the local level and sup-port ing literacy action, Laufer said.Since I put it up Ive had peoplestopping by and chatting. Its a wayto get to know your neighbors.

It is free to put up an LFL, butfor $75 an LFL steward gets his orher library on the map and is provid-ed a plaque to put on the structure.

Its so free of rules, its re-ally refreshing, Laufer said. Theoriginators are more interested in themovement than the money.

Laufer has dedicated his LFL tohis late fatherAnson.

My dad read to me when I wasa kid, Laufer said. He was a loverof adventure books so it seemed likethe logical thing to do, to dedicatethe LFL to him.

Decatur Book Festival executive

directorDaren Wang heard aboutLaufers library and came up witha way to get the festival involved.Wang had local craftsman MichaelMontgomery build 13 libraries.Wang has commissioned 12 to bedecorated by local illustrators andartists and auctioned at the festivallater this summer. Montgomery alsowill decorate one.

This seems like such a perfectfit for Decatur in general, Wangsaid. I thought we should be takingadvantage of this one way or anoth-er. The whole [LFL] project has justgone through the roof. This will bean exciting part of the festival.

Those doing the decorating in-clude local childrens book author/illustrators James Dean and Eliza-beth Dulemba, and artist RuthFranklin. Deans latest bookPetethe Catrecently topped theNewYork Times best sellers list, Wangsaid.

I suspect some of those will notbe public. A James Dean [LFL] maygo for a couple thousand dollars sopeople may not want to put themup, Wang said.

The idea also is catching on inthe East Lake area where four LFLs

Book nooksLittle Free Libraries catching on

From left, Muffie Michaelson, Dr. Robin Dretler, Alexandra Dretler, GeraldineAdamich Laufer and Vincent Laufer gather around David Laufers Little FreeLibrary on High Haven Court. Photo by David Laufer

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Page 2A The Champion Free Press, Friday, June 8, 2012

Dunwoody attorney agrees to severance rather than being firedby Daniel [email protected]

The Dunwoody CityCouncil voted May 29 toapprove a settlement agree-

ment rather than re CityAttorney Brian Andersonfor allegedly leaking detailsfrom an executive session tothe media.

Anderson, who was onpaid suspension pending theoutcome of the city coun-cil decision, will receive aseverance package of two

months salary and benets,which total approximately$29,000.

The council voted 6-1 infavor of the agreement withAnderson. Councilman De-

nis Denny Shortal votedagainst the agreement be-cause he thought Andersonsseverance package was toomuch. The agreement statesAnderson cannot seek fur-ther damages from the city.

The city council tableda vote to re Anderson inMay because several mem-

bers said they wanted to seethe results of an investiga-tion performed by law rmWilson, Morton and Downs.Earlier in the year, the cityhired the law rm to inves-

tigate the alleged leaks andthe rm released a 40-pagereport May 21 detailing itsndings.

The investigative reportfound that Anderson andcouncilwoman AdrianBonser leaked condentialinformation. However, bothdeny any wrongdoing and

Bonser said, The integrityof the investigation itself ishighly questionable.

[Bob] Wilson and hisassociate had a specicagenda and set of targets,

Bonser said.The city spent $25,000on the investigation andDunwoody spokesmanBob Mullen said it expectsanother invoice from Wil-sons rm in the future butcouldnt speculate on theamount of the bill. Bonsersaid the investigation was

also a waste of taxpayermoney and described it assloppy at best and politi-cally motivated at worst.

Anderson could not bereached for comment on this

story but claims he did noth-ing wrong, reports state.The city is just doing

what it needs to do nowto move forward, Mullensaid. He said the next stepfor the city is to hire a newattorney.

To learn more, v isi t www.dekalbmedicalhillandale.org

Our specialty is treating people sufering rom the status quo.

How it is in healthcare, is not how it has to be. Thats why we challenged what a state-o-the-art healthcare acility should look like,

how it should operate and even where it should be. DeKalb Medical at Hillandale became the rst all-digital master planned hospital

in Georgia and brought advanced medicine outside o the perimeter, where people actually live. We recruited nationally-acclaimed

physicians and a dedicated support staf who are passionate about providing world-class service. We made sure that the hospital didnt

look or smell like one and that the ood was actually delicious, all o which make close to home, eel more like home. We even make a

point to care or the community outside o our doors. Every day, we continue to ask ourselves, What can we do diferently? What can

we do better than them? because the last thing we want to be is like everybody else.

TOGETHERWERE

Hunger is closer than you think. Reach out toyour local food bank for ways to do your part.

Visit FeedingAerica.org today.

HGEREE OcuRREnT

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TRGGE WTH HGER.

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Guest Editorial

A lesson from the bee

Page 4A The Champion Free Press, Friday, June 8, 2012Opinion

In the midst of all the con-roversy swirling about DeKalb

County schools, including budgethortfalls, recommended closing

of Fernbank Science Center, staffutbacks, grand jury investigations

and the potential for increasedaxes, there is some good news.

Simola Nayakof Henderson MillMiddle School won the GeorgiaState Spelling Bee and competed inhe national Scripps Spelling Been the nations capital.

Unfortunately Simola didntake home the grand prize, tripping

up on the word rapparee, whichis a word of Gaelic origin mean-ing a 17th century soldier. Simolais a winner nonetheless in so manymore important ways and this com-munity is proud of her.

The rising ninth grader wonthe district spelling bee in Febru-ary and the state spelling bee inMarch. To win the state competi-tion Simola correctly spelled theword tautologous which means,according to Websters, using dif-ferent words in the same sentenceto say the same thing, such as fin-ished and done. With the correctspelling of the word tautologous,Simola earned an expenses paidtrip to Washington, D.C., from theGeorgia Association of Educatorsto compete in the nationals and$1,000 in prize money.

Hold on. Theres more to thestory. Guess what? This remark-

able 13-year-old donated her$1,000 prize money to a needystudent at her school! How many13-year olds would show such careand concern for a classmate? Howmany parents would encouragesuch an unselfish act? Not only isSimola smart, but she is obviouslycompassionate, a character traitthat will hold her in good stead inthis journey called life.

School officials say Simolaprepared for her competitions bystudying words from previous spell-ing bees and reading books like TheHunger Games by Suzanne Collinsand the Harry Potterseries by J.K.Rowling. Her family also helpedout, quizzing her daily on differ-ent words. Its clear that Simolasfamily not only help her to excelacademically, but there are other

valuable life lessons being instilledin that homecaring for the less

fortunate and sharing ones goodfortune with others in need.

So often we are elevated to alevel our character cant reach.What if the leadership of ourDeKalb County schools took a cuefrom Simola and led by example?One school board member said thebudget cuts would require sacrific-es by everyone. Has anyone heardanything about the system admin-istrators sharing in the 6 percentsalary cuts proposed for teachersand other essential staff members?How is the top brass sacrificing,financially? Spell silence. S-I-L-E-N-C-E. Congratulations again,Simola. You could teach us all alesson or two.

Steen Miles, The Newslady, is aretired journalist and former Geor-

gia state senator. Contact Steen Mi-lies at [email protected].

The Newslady

Investing in education is not an optionby Dr. Eugene Walker

On June 11, the DeKalb CountyBoard of Education will vote on$73 million in cuts to our childrenseducation. The proposed cuts includeeachers, librarians, teachers aides

and other essential school staff. Our

board is also looking at cutting pre-kindergarten classes, special busoutes and other necessary programs.

Essential programs like thesewill continue to be on the choppingblock across the state if Georgia doesnot make a strong decision to con-ribute more money to educating our

children.Residents in DeKalb and

across Georgia need to realize thateducation is not free. Our state willnever advance, unless we make aconcerted decision to invest in ourfuture and contribute more financial-y to improve our education system.

In DeKalb, we may ask our resi-dents to pay another 1 mill in taxeso help educate the districts nearly

100,000 students.

There also is an easy solutionto help educate children throughoutGeorgia without taxing residents:expand the Georgia Lottery. Thiswould be a way to raise more rev-enue to fund pre-kindergarten classesand the prestigious HOPE scholar-ship something that has helped

send thousands of my countys andthe states children to college.

The Georgia Lottery Board hasthe authority to expand the lotterywith Video Lottery Terminals in asecure facility. The proposal to builda mixed-use entertainment complexin Gwinnett County will generatemore than $350 million a year for theHOPE Scholarship, pre-kindergartenclasses and other important educa-tional programs. This is money thatis currently going to other states.Georgians already spend an estimat-ed $200 million a year gambling atvenues in Mississippi, Florida, North

Carolina and other nearby states thatallow gaming. This is money thatshould be staying in Georgia to helpour students.

In three years, the HOPE Schol-arship will pay for less than 50percent of eligible students tuitioncosts. That number will continue todecrease, only hurting our students.

Decreased lottery revenue hasalso led to drastic cuts to pre-kinder-garten. DeKalb and other districts

rely on lottery dollars to fund mostof the program. Last year, the stateincreased pre-kindergarten class siz-es, cut 20 days and slashed teacherpay. This cut forced our district tohave to use local tax dollars to sup-plement the program to minimize theimpact on our students.

Research has shown that stu-dents who attend pre-kindergartenare more likely to succeed in school.A study by the National Center forPublic Education found that chil-dren who attended pre-kindergartenscored higher on reading and mathtests than children who did not at-

tend pre-kindergarten. The studyfound that third graders who at-tended pre-kindergarten had betterreading skills.

Just last month, for the firsttime ever, Georgias lottery-fundedpre-kindergarten program receiveda 10 out of 10 ranking from the Na-tional Institute of Early EducationResearch, which assesses teachingquality in early childhood education.Georgia was one of only five states

to meet this exceptional standard.This is something we should be

proud of and continue. It is essen-tial that we maximize the dollars toearly childhood education by fullyfunding pre-kindergarten in DeKalband throughout Georgia. One simpleway to accomplish this is to bringmore revenue to the Georgia Lotterywith a gaming facility in GwinnettCounty.

Please help our children get thebest education available by encour-aging the state to expand the GeorgiaLottery.

Dr. Walker, a former educator,serves as Chairman of the DeKalbCounty Board of Education.

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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 MitchellNews Editor: Robert Naddra

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

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FREEPRESS

New York, New York - a helluvaown; The Bronx is up, but the Bat-erys down, And people ride in a

hole in the ground; New York, NewYork - its a helluva town.fromhe song, New York, New York by

Betty Comden and Adolph Green1945).

I will never forget my firstrip to New York City in the late80sTimes Square, the skyscrap-

ers, SoHo and no free refills. Duringunch with friends at the original

Hard Rock Cafe in midtown, I or-dered a burger with fries and icedea. First, the waitress felt obligatedo explain to me that they did not

serve sweet tea. As I had bothshoes and a college degree at thatpoint, I assured her that I could fig-ure out how to operate a packet ofSweetn Low without reading thedirections. I also added a fresh help-ng of southern maam to the be-

ginning and end of each request.

Our waitress left in a huff, buthad the last laugh. My burger, friesand several glasses of iced tea cameto somewhere near $25. When Iexplained to the waitress that there

must have been some mistake, shesmiled broadly and said, Well, Idont know about where yourefrom, honey, but up here in the citywe dont give no free refills.

So, in truth, New York MayorMichael Bloomberg is not alone,or the first in trying to keep custom-ers away from sweet things in theBig Apple. But the latest attemptnot only takes the cake, it demandssmaller servings. The fat police,or the nanny state, take your pick,are focusing their liposuction laserbeams on large size sugary bever-ages served at any New York restau-

rant, bar or movie theater more than16 ounces at a time. Thats right,freeze, and drop that venti Star-bucks frappacino,grandpa!

Atlantas Coca-Cola Company,the worlds largest soft drink com-pany, will join others in the industryin waging this whole new chapter ofThe Cola Wars. Coke points out thatits second-highest selling product,Diet Coke (0 calories), now outsellsregular Pepsi and that its other drinkoptionsjuice, sports and energydrinks and bottled waternow ac-count for 41 percent of their sales.Pepsico, which also owns the pow-

erful Gatorade brand, says non-sodabeverages are 49 percent of theirportfolio.

But this Big Soda Jerk likelywont cause much more than a

slight burp or bump for the soda gi-ants. The primary impact will be feltby small businesses, food carts andthe franchisees of the fast food andquick service restaurant sectors. Forthe sit down restaurant, a lot of theirlarger glassware just became obso-lete. For the fast food franchisee,a few thousand cups already paidfor and in inventory are now justwasting space. Bars make consid-erably more money on their drinksales than they do on food. Fastfood restaurants similarly have amuch higher profit margin on drinksthan they do on their entrees, sides

and appetizers. The cost differencein filling a 16 ounce cup and a 32ounce cup for most beverages isprobably between five and 10 cents,including the ice. But other thanchildren consuming a kids meal,when was the last time you saw anadult order a small size beverage?The up-sizing of drinks, from cof-fee to tea and sodas adds millions tothe industrys bottom line.

Mayor Bloomberg is aiming atNew Yorks collective waistline,but hitting the bottom line of manyrestaurants with lean operatingprofit margins. He is more likely

to make an impact (and not the onehe wants) on unemployment linesin the city. When restaurants expe-rience a surge in operating costs,they can usually make cuts in their

largest cost center to quickly restoreprofit marginsand that means cut-ting employee head-count or workhours.

Perhaps an indication of whohas the more effective lobbyists,or perhaps what type of compa-nies remain in Mayor Bloombergsblind trust other than the grow-ing Bloomberg News empire is thatthe new drink ban will not applyto supermarkets, or grocery andconvenience stores, which meansmore specifically that the Big Gulpis at least safe. Oh thank Heaven for7-11. And even McDonalds now

sells sweet tea in Manhattan.

Bill Crane also serves as a po-litical analyst and commentator forChannel 2s Action News, WSB-AMNews/Talk 750 and now 95.5 FM, aswell as a columnist forThe Cham-pion, Champion Free Press andGeorgia Trend. Crane is a DeKalbnative and business owner, livingin Scottdale. You can reach him orcomment on a column at [email protected].

One Mans Opinion

The real soda jerk

STATEMENT FROM THE PUBLISHER

We sincerely appreciate the discussion surroundingthis and any issue of interest to DeKalb County.TheChampionwas founded in 1991 expressly to providea forum for discourse forallcommunity residentson all sides of an issue. We have no desire to make

the news only to report news and opinions to effect amore educated citizenry that will ultimately move ourcommunity forward. We are happy to present ideas fordiscussion; however, we make every effort to avoidprinting information submitted to us that is known tobe false and/or assumptions penned as fact.

The Champion Free Press, Friday, June 8, 2012 Page 5AOpinion

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The Champion Free Press, Friday, June 8, 2012 Page 6AOpinion

A few weeks ago, I wrote a columnabout my attempt to become a vegan that is to say, one who partakes nei-her of meat nor fish nor dairy.

Its not an easy life, I said. Itseemed like a fairly non-controversialhing to say, although I was sure that

meat-eaters would respond with scornand vitriol.As it turned out, I was wrong. Ev-

erybody responded with scorn andvitriol meat-eaters, vegetarians,vegans and organic farmers, as wellas people who think of Big Macs ashealth food.

Where did I go wrong? Probablymy worst mistake was admitting Icheated on my diet once in a while.Who doesnt cheat on a diet, I askedmyself. Vegans, apparently.

Its not OK to cheat from theviewpoint of the dead abused animalyou ate, one woman wrote. Thisncludes fish that were suffocated to

death.Youre going to have to take myword on this, lady, but I never suffo-cated a fish in my life. Anyway, if youdid it, wouldnt the pillow get wet?

But the shots kept coming from alldirections:

The vegetarian: Sorry but yourarticle is filled with half-truths anddistortions, the biggest one being thata vegan diet is healthier than a veg-etarian diet.

The faith-based: I know you arenot only a weak, weak, weak personbut you dont know what it is you arereally trying to doYou should startby reading your BIBLE to find out.

The secular: It really doesnt helphat the author put this in terms of sin

and cheating.The environmentalist: Did you

know that 98 percent of pollution anddestruction of habitat is caused by cor-porations and the rich?

The racial: Strange how so manymilitant vegans always seem to beWhite.

The anthropological: Humans are

designed by evolution to eat meat.Your diet will lead to neurological de-cline and an early death.

The counter-anthropological:Wrong, wrong, wrong. Not designed

by evolution but by Madison Avenue,McDonalds and the meat industry.

The people who were comment-ing on my column at AlterNet.org juststarted arguing with each other abouteverything, pretty much without refer-ence to anything Id written. For ex-ample, the person who chimed in withAdolf Hitler was a vegetarian wasimmediately checkmated by someonewho wrote:

Hitler was not a vegan and thatswhat were talking about.

I felt as though I could steal out ofthe room at that point without anyonenoticing, so I did. No one noticed.They may still be arguing for all Iknow.

I found the experience dispirit-ing. There were nearly 300 comments

posted in response to the column. Asfar as I could tell, not one betrayed somuch as a hint of a sense of humor.

Well, if thats what it takes to be avegan or a vegetarian, count me out.Life without funny is too great a priceto pay for good health.

I mean, whats the sense of goingon a diet if you cant cheat on it oncein a while? A life without guilty plea-sures is hardly worth living.

Let me make myself clear, or atleast try to. Im not a committed veg-an, even less one who seeks to changethe way you eat. I am an experimentalvegan who admittedly falls off thewagon from time to time. Im tryingto see if it works for me because Iveseen the health improvements it can

produce in others and I have severalareas that need improvement.

If youre interested at all in thetopic, I suggest you get the film ForksOver Knives, which is available on

Netflix, or read The China Study. Ifyou dont find these arguments per-suasive, no harm done.

As for me, Im going back to writ-ing about something non-controver-sial, like politics.

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

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

Bitter broccoliLife without funny is too greata price to pay for good health.

Printed on 100% post-consumer recycled paper

Organizing donated items a labor of lovefor 80-year-old volunteer

Bobbie - you are an amazing senior and a true motivation for eachof us to be involved with a purpose. Thank you for giving back toour local community in so many ways and improving the lives ofchildren and adults including those you never meet. You are trulya hero in every respect! May God continue to bless you with eachpassing day. Were all so glad that you are so reliable and patient.

Irene Hardin posted this on 6/2/12 at 11:51 a.m

Commissioner candidates presentplatforms

Kathy Gannon needs to read the law (HB277), page 13 subsectionc, start at line 414. The Transportation Investment Act (T-SPLOST)restricts any money from being spent on MARTAs operation andmaintenance and MARTA is the only transit with this restriction.If law makers take this to court, I am afraid that money allocatedfor MARTA through the back door call State of Good Repair willbe found to violate the rule of the law. Remember, DeKalb Countydoes not win many cases in court win it comes to governmentfunding.

DeKalb and Fulton are unable to stop funding MARTA because ourBoard of Commissioners and the City of Atlanta came togetherand extended our obligation to this debt for an additional 30+ yearssometime in 2007. Why did you refuse to allow the taxpayers andvoters to vote on the extension?

Viola Davis posted this on 5/28/12 at 11:45 a.m.

Lee May has eaten Free Meals on the Tax Payers dime for yearswhile the Seniors Programs of DeKalb County suffer for lack offunds.

Lee May has expensive meals catered in at tax payer expensewhile the animals in DeKalbs Shelters suffer and are put to deathwhile he and the rest of The Board of Crooks feed their FatBehinds.

His District is ruined with gambling, gas stations and dollar storesat every corner along with corner stores selling all kinds of crap toour youth.

Yeh ! Great job Lee May = May Must Go, for a better DeKalb.

May Must Go posted this on 5/23/12 at 6:46 p.m.

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The Champion Free Press, Friday, June 8, 2012 Page 7ALocal News

y Daniel [email protected]

The DeKalb CountySchool Board has agreed on

list of tentative budget cutso make up for a nearly $73

million decit expected nextear.

The decit is due todeclining property values

esulting in lower taxes col-ected and increased healthare, fuel and utility costs,

DeKalb County School

District (DCSD) nance of-cials said. The projectedhortfall has caused board

members to consider mea-ures it hasnt enacted since003, such as raising taxesy one mil to save approxi-

mately $15 million.This is really the rst

tep in giving us a balancedudget, school districtpokesman Walter Woodsaid.

The district released a listMay 29 of approximately75 million in cuts that in-lude 70 central ofce lay-

ffs totaling a savings of $5million.

Last month Superin-endent Cheryl Atkinsoneleased a restructuring planhat cut approximately 70entral ofce jobs as well,ringing the total numberf central ofce layoffs inecent weeks to 143 employ-es.

In addition to the cen-ral ofce cuts and tax in-reasewhich Woods saids the equivalent of anxtra $80 on a $200,000

piece of property,mediaspecialists, resource ofcers

and employee health anddental insurance are also onthe chopping block.

At a recent public budgethearing, teachers and com-munity members voicedtheir concerns to the board.Suzanne McKenna spokein support of the Fernbank

Science Center, which wasoriginally slated to close butlater taken of the list of cuts.

I wanted to underscore

the importance that thisspecic facility has in theeducation of all children inDeKalb. Its one of the fewplaces that can boast havingproduced a NASA astronaut,senior partners at law rms,teachers, scientistsyouname it, McKenna said.

The list of budget cutsalso includes two furloughdays for all employees,which will be added on tothe four already in the bud-get, and increasing class sizeby one student.

Speaking on behalf of

the Organization of DeKalbEducators (ODE), both LisaMorgan and ODE PresidentDavid Schutten said theboard has been balancing thebudget on the backs of itsemployees for the past sev-eral years.

I know it was suggestedto do an across-the-boardsalary cut, but for someof us, you legally cannotdo that because there areteachers in DeKalb Countywho are only making theminimum state salary

they could go anywhere inthe state and make more,

Morgan said. Morale is ata low point in DeKalb andit has sunk lower than I everthought it would.

Employee health anddental insurance cuts areslated to save approximately$7 million and, Schuttensaid, with the two added fur-

lough days, em-ployees are stillreceiving whatamounts to a 1percent salarydecrease.

The lowestpaid employees

are getting hitthe hardest withthe lack of sub-sidy. Theres gotto be some wayto phase that inover two yearsto give peoplethe time to goout and ndpart-time jobs,and as they get

part-time jobs thats less en-ergy they have to commit towhat their job is during theday, which is working with

the children, Schutten said.Resident Sanford Scottcalled for cuts across theboard rather than eliminat-ing certain programs. Scottsaid everyone in the districtneeds to carry the burden.

If we spread this painthroughout every line itemin our budgetif you gosystem wide and cut everybudget, in every departmentinside the school systemthen nobody totally dies,Scott said.

Woods said there are nobudget hearings scheduled

until the nal June 11 vote.However, he said at thatmeeting, much like duringinterim Superintendent Ra-mona Tysons redistrictingplan last year that closedeight schools, board mem-bers could make any lastminute changes before anal vote.

The proposed cuts totalapproximately $75 million,which leaves $2.3 million inreserves for the district.

Champions ofthe Week

School board proposes morethan $75 million in budget cuts

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.

Timothy and Reshea Little

Other revised budget cut options Savings

Eliminate bus monitors $4.7 million

Paraprofessional layoffs (200 positions) $7 millionMedia specialist layoffs (25) $1.75 million

Eliminate overtime (extra activity pay) $5 million

Eliminate additional magnet allotments $3.64 million

Pastors Timothy andReshea Little dedicatedtheir first church build-ing, a modest one-roomfacility on Thomas Terracein Decatur, in November2010. Slightly more thana year later on New YearsDay 2012 The Grace ofGod Prophetic DeliveranceMinistries Inc. moved intoa much larger facility onnearby Glenwood Road.

Those who work withthe Littles say, however,that their real work is notin the building. He goeswhere the people are,church member LucyMoore said of TimothyLittle. He goes to thestreets, to the hospitals, tothe nursing homes, to un-der bridges where home-less people arewhereverhes needed.

Timothy Little, whogrew up on McAfee Road,said the south DeKalbneighborhood is popu-lated with people who areespecially in need of help.We have lots of people

here who are on drugs,who engage in prostitu-tion, who are homeless.I grew up around peoplelike this and even havepeople in my family whohave been on drugs. Iknow how to approachthem, how to talk withthem.

He said that he made

a good many mistakes be-fore he decided to give hislife to God. I had a lot ofanger in me. I used to beabusive toward women.Now I am able to helpmen who abuse womenand help them restoretheir marriages, said Tim-othy Little, who acknowl-edged that he and his wifedivorced years ago andremarried after he turnedhis life around.

Both Littles work otherjobs and accept no salaryfor their ministries. Theyoften reach into their ownpockets to buy food, cloth-ing and toys for familiesin need. When ResheaLittle is spotted shoppingfor clothes, its usually fora person she has encoun-tered who doesnt haveadequate clothing.

The Littles have attimes taken strangers inneed into their home.Timothy recalls a Sundaywhen he came to the

church at about 6 a.m.to prepare for morn-ing service and found ayoung man sleeping onthe church doorstep. Hehad been kicked out of theplace where he was living,and it was winter. It wasfreezing cold outside. Theyoung man is one of manypeople the Littles haveopened their home to.

The church recentlyheld a community day dur-ing which the Littles andother members gave away

clothing, food and otheritems. People dont havemoney like they used to,Timothy Little said, Butthe needs are still there.People arent able to givethe way they could whentimes were better, butGod finds a way for us tokeep doing what we do.

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Huckaby offers critical lookat higher education in Georgia

CITY OF DORAVILLENOTICE OF FIVE YEAR HISTORY

The City of Doraville does hereby announce that the millage rate will be set at a meeting to be held at City Hall, 3725

Park Avenue, Doraville; on the 25th

day of June, 2012 at 6:30 p.m. and pursuant to the requirements of O.C.G.A. Section

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

the tax digest and levy for the past five years. All citizens of Doraville are invited to attend.

CURRENT 2012 TAX DIGEST AND FIVE YEAR LEVY

2008 2009 2010 2011 2012

Real & Personal 475,100,955 420,025,185 384,994,288 379,732,939 361,679,814Motor Vehicle 15,429,990 16,436,920 15,899,150 15,898,760 15,848,630

Mobile Homes 474 200 200 200 0

Timber 100% 0 0 0 0 0

Heavy Duty Equipment 10,313 6,506 0 2,494 4,530

Gross Tax Digest 490,541,732 436,468,811 400,893,638 395,634,393 377,532,974

Exemptions 37,365,433 18,635,503 70,854,876 69,611,752 35,478,708

Net Tax Digest 453,176,299 417,833,308 330,038,762 326,022,641 342,054,266

Net Millage 12.55 12.67 8.00 9.00 9.00

Net Tax Levy 100% 5,687,363 5,293,948 2,640,310 2,934,204 3,078,488

Net Increase/(Decrease) 508,913 -393,415 -2,653,638 293,894 144,285

Net Levy % Increase/(Decrease) 9.83% -6.92% -50.13% 3.28% 4.92%

The City of Doraville will hold a public hearing before the Mayor and Council of the City of Doraville on the 25th

day of

June, 2012 at 6:30 p.m. at City Hall, 3725 Park Avenue, Doraville GA.

by Daniel [email protected]

University System ofGeorgia ChancellorHankHuckaby said the good-old-days of funding highereducation are over and thesystem needs to undergosignicant changes over thenext decade.

Huckaby, who spoke at aDeKalb Chamber of Com-merce luncheon June 4, saidpost-secondary educatorsare facing the conictingchallenges of producingmore graduates, while hav-ng to defend the merits of

post-secondary education.The business commu-

nity is telling us that thegraduates were producingare not necessarily preparedo take advantage of theob opportunities they have

available, Huckaby said.If were going to be com-petitive then we must makea signicant improvementn not only the quality of

what we do at our variousnstitutions, but the quantity

of people we produce.A recent Georgetown

University study, Huckabysaid, indicated that over thenext 10 to 12 years 60 per-cent of jobs in Georgia willrequire at least some post-secondary education. Cur-rently, he said Georgia is athe 42 percent level and to

meet the demand within thenext 10 years the university

system will have to produce250,000 more graduates peryear than it does now.

The question reallybecomes then, how do wedo it? Huckaby said. Itsgoing to require us to do anumber of things differentlythan weve done beforeand while were taking onthis challenge, we have totake it on in an economicenvironment thats very dif-cult.

Huckaby outlined someof the changes the univer-sity system will undergo

over the next several yearsto improve post-secondarygraduation rates, increaseefciency and better fundthe University System ofGeorgia. Currently, the sys-tems funding mechanism isbased solely on graduationrates, which Huckaby saidneeds to change.

Weve got to do a betterjob of getting them acrossthat stage and getting themto complete their degreeprograms, Huckaby said.Increasingly, states across

the countryGeorgia is oneof themwill be revisingtheir funding formula to in-clude indicators of successand performance.

Additionally, Huckabysaid the system will evalu-ate the facilities it has and

referenced a space-utiliza-tion study currently under

way. Last year, the systemsboard voted to consolidateeight schools into four andHuckaby said both are mea-sures to increase efciency.

Its not easy work andpeople can tell you thatmany states talk about con-solidation and the failuresfar outnumber the suc-cesses, Huckaby said. Butwere very hopeful that thiswill prove successful andwere condent that it willbe.

Interim Georgia Perim-eter College President Rob

Watts, who introducedHuckaby, said consolidatinginstitutions has been talkedabout since the 1980s butHuckaby was the rst inGeorgia to attempt it.

He did this not for costsaving reasons but for aca-demic reasons, to spreadaccess to bachelor degreesand other programs to moreareas of the state, Wattssaid.

There are 35 collegesor universities currently inthe University System of

Georgia and Huckaby saidincreasing partnerships withthe Technical College Sys-tem of Georgia will be vitalin the coming decade. Ad-ditionally, Huckaby said thesystem is working closelywith K-12 schools through-

out the state.Quite frankly, so much

of what we can do both inthe technical college systemor any post-secondary insti-tution is going to depend inthe future on the quality ofthe graduate we get out of

the high schools, Huckabysaid.Huckaby said he believes

higher education preparesstudents for a career, butmore importantly, preparesthem for life and teacheshow to be good citizens.

He underlined the seri-ousness of the economicsituation and the burden itcreates on some new gradu-ates. He said Georgia mustnd a way to offer moreneeds-based nancial aid.

Many of our young

people are coming out ofcollege today owing toomuch money and we havegot to rectify that in someway, Huckaby said. Geor-gia is one of the states thatoffers very little nancialaid based on need.

University System of Georgia Chancellor Hank Huckaby spoke ata DeKalb Chamber of Commerce luncheon June 4. He told thosepresent the system will be taking measures to improve gradua-tion rates, increase student enrollment and better fund Georgiascolleges and universities over the next decade. Photo by DanielBeauregard

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Page 9ALocal News

Lithonia residents still raising stink aboutproposed Green Energy biomass facility

Avondale sets zoningfor annexed propertyby Andrew [email protected]

For more than a decadeJoe Gargiulo has been ght-ng against having his busi-

ness annexed into the cityimits of Avondale Estates.

Ive got nothing againsthe city of Avondale Estates,

said Gargiulo, president ofCandler Investment Group.I just choose not to be in it.

That choice was made forGargiulo and other propertyand business owners earlierhis year when the Georgia

General Assembly approvedhe annexation of approxi-

mately 14 acres of property

n unincorporated DeKalbCounty.

Ive lived in DeKalbCounty since 1962, saidGargiulo, owner of eightacres in the annexed area. IfI wanted to be in AvondaleEstates I would have boughtn Avondale Estates.

Theres no reason for meo be in Avondale Estates.

I am not getting one iotafor being in Avondale Es-ates. Im just getting higheraxes.

Gargiulo said he is

pleased with the water,sanitation, re and police hereceives from DeKalb Coun-y. He said the many vacant

buildings prove that peopledont want to be in AvondaleEstates.

It all boils down to onehing: money, Gargiulo

said. Were all in businesso make money. Now I haveess money to feed my family

because Im paying higheraxes.

On May 29, the AvondaleCity Council voted to set thezoning for its new 23 parcels

as central business district.Avondale Estates Mayor

Ed Rieker said the annexedproperty is kind of a middlearea between Decatur andAvondale Estates.

We look at the corridoras a gateway to the city,Rieker said.

Now that zoning has beenset, city ofcials will beginhe second phase of the zon-

ing process, which will beto develop ideas about thebest uses for the area. That

process takes about a year,Rieker said.Citizens are grateful to

the folks at the [state] Capi-tol for getting this processdone, Rieker said. And weabsolutely welcome the busi-nesses into the city, Riekersaid.

The city has two lun-cheons planned in June forbusiness owners and propertyowners to introduce them tothe city and the services itoffers, Rieker said.

Bonnie Kallenberg,owner of Finders Keepers

Consignments and vice presi-dent of the Avondale EstatesBusiness Association, saidshe couldnt be happierabout the new zoning and an-nexation, which is expectedto be ofcial July 1.

Its been a long ghtover many years, Kallen-berg said.

We need to clean up thatcorridor, she said. If wewant Avondale Estates tomove forward, weve got toclean up that area.

Now that the area is in

Avondale Estates, there willbe better police protection,streetscaping and trafccontrol, said Kallenberg, whohas had two cars run throughher two of her buildings.

City of Decatur Georgia Ad Valorem Tax Digest History

Decatur - Digest

2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012

Assessment Ratio 50% 50% 50% 50% 50% 50%

Real Property $1,088,563,600 1,124,007,000$ 1,162,026,500$ 1,157,883,900$ 1,149,844,600$ 1,174,037,800$

Personal Property $17,577,800 18,342,500$ 20,387,500$ 20,069,600$ 21,146,700$ 19,962,600$

Public Utilities $18,632,600 16,893,389$ 16,473,600 11,673,700$ 18,933,750$ 14,299,300$

Motor Vehicle $47,267,600 49,014,800$ 50,081,000$ 46,119,000$ 46,119,000$ 49,311,000$

Total Digest $1,172,041,600 $1,208,257,689 $1,248,968,600 $1,235,746,200 $1,236,044,050 $1,257,610,700

City Operations

General Fund Exemptions $157,384,000 157,384,000$ 118,900,000$ $122,579,000 125,075,000$ 126,914,000$

Net Ci ty Operat ions Digest $1,014,657,600 $1,050,873,689 $1,130,068,600 $1,113,167,200 $1,110,969,050 $1,130,696,700

City Operations Millage 13.035 13.035 13.035 13.035 13.000 13.000

City Operations Levy $13,226,062 $13,698,139 $14,730,444 $14,510,134 $14,442,598 $14,699,057

Percent Change 5.93 3.57 7.54 -1.50 -0.47 1.78

Dollar Amount Change $740,585 $472,077 $1,032,306 ($220,310) ($67,537) $256,459

The Decatur City Commission announces that the 2012 tentative millage rate was adopted at their meeting on Monday, May 21, 2012.Hearings on the budget and millage rate will be held on:

Monday, June 4, 2012 at 7:30 pmMonday, June 18, 2012 at 7:30 pmThe hearings will be held at Decatur City Hall, 509 N. McDonough Street, Decatur, GA. Final adoption of the 2012 millage rate and fiscalyear 2012-2013 budget is scheduled for consideration at the Decatur City Commission meeting on Monday, June 18, 2012. The abovetable is presented pursuant to O.C.G.A. 48-5-32 showing the estimated current year's digest and proposed millage rates along with a five-year history of the tax digest and millage rates.

by Andrew [email protected]

Lithonia residents arecontinuing to ght againsta proposed biomass facilityin their backyard.

We vigorously opposethe sitting of the biomassplant at this location fora number of reasons, butmost importantly becausethis facilitys owner hasfailed to adequately docu-ment the amounts and typesof emissions that will begenerated by this plant,said DeborahJackson,Lithonias mayor and amember of Citizens for aHealthy and Safe Environ-

ment (CHASE).On June 1, GreenLaw,which provides free legaland technical assistance toenvironmental organiza-tions, submitted commentsto the Georgia Environ-mental Protection Divisionon behalf of CHASE.

GreenLaw and CHASEbelieve facility plannershave underestimated theamount of pollution thatwill be emitted by thecomplex. The groups alsomaintain that the facilitywill emit a large amount ofair pollutants and toxins,including ne particulatematter, which can causeasthma and other health is-sues.

Jackson has asked the

EPD to hold a public hear-ing on the proposed facil-ity, saying that it wouldappear that GEP has onceagain submitted a seriouslyawed application.

Given Green EnergyPartners absence of anyexperience in working withbiomass projects; the glar-ing deciencies in the ap-plication; the cumulativeeffect of existing industrialplants in the area; and theknown harmful effects ofparticulate matter and tox-ins from biomass gasica-tion, I strongly urge thatGeorgia EPD deny GreenEnergy Partners requestfor [an] air permit, Jack-

son stated in a letter to theEPD.The [company] facility

should be required to goback to the drawing boardand submit another applica-tion using the correct calcu-lations, said DavidDega-nian, attorney at GreenLawin Atlanta.

In April, Green EnergyPartners led a permit ap-plication with the EPD toconstruct a 10-12 megawattbiomass fuel electric gen-erating facility on 21 acresat 1770 Rogers Lake Roadin unincorporated Lithonia.

Construction would be-gin in August on the facil-ity, which would be calledthe Green Energy ResourceCenter.

The plant will processapproximately 165,000tons per year of untreatedwood and yard waste calledbiomass.

Approximately 96percent of the emissionsfrom the process will beremoved by a ceramic ltersystem, according to thepermit application.

This was the secondtime Green Energy Partnershas led a permit applica-tion with the EPD. Therst one was pulled by thecompany in July 2011 afterdevelopers failed to com-plete the environmentalpermit application in time.The withdrawal was in re-

sponse to an EPD requestfor additional informationon the planned gasicationprocess to be used in theplant.

Opponents of the facilityare concerned that the com-pany is skirting regulationsintended to protect arearesidents from air pollution.

We believe that thisfacility has not providedthe information necessaryto show that it should bepermitted as a minor sourceof air pollution, Deganiansaid. If they cant makethat showing, EPD mustpermit it as a major sourceand regulate it as requiredby law.

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TeamUSA

Members of the U.S. OlympicCommittees Team USA Road toLondon Tour joined the public

nd city ofcials on the Decatur

quare May 30, to promote the012 Olympic Games. Stations

were set up that challengedttendees to use the same skillss Olympic athletes. Activities

ncluded a Paralympic bas-ketball station and a virtualbicycle station, which allowsusers to experience part of the

ycling route that will be usedn London this summer. Repre-entatives from Devry Univer-ity were present to promote

ts partnership with the U.S.Olympic Committee. The uni-versity has nearly 50 Olympic

thletes who are also taking on-ne courses with Devry as theyrain for the Olympic Games at

various locations throughouthe country. Photos by Daniel

Beauregard

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALFor the DeKalb County Sheriffs Office

Inmate Mental Health Services at the DeKalb County JailRFP No. 12-01

Request for Proposals: The DeKalb County Sheriffs Office requests qualified individuals andfirms with experience and certified expertise in mental health services to submit proposals forRequest for Proposal No. 12-01 to provide mental health services for the DeKalb County Jaillocated at 4415 Memorial Drive; Decatur, GA 30032.

For a copy of the Request for Proposals: Hard copies of the proposal will be available at theDeKalb County Sheriffs Office, Administrative Lobby, 4415 Memorial Drive, Decatur, GA 30032from June 7-15, 2012 until 4:00 P.M. EST. An on-line version of the proposal will be availableat www.dekalbsheriff.orgfrom June 7-28, 2012.

Deadline to Submit Response: Responses should be forwarded to the DeKalb CountySheriffs Office, Sheriffs Administration, Attn: Xernia L. Fortson, 4415 Memorial Drive,Decatur, GA 30032 until 4:00 P.M. EST, Friday, June 29, 2012. Responses received afterthis date and time will not be accepted.

Pre-Proposal Conference and Site Visit: A pre-proposal conference and site visit will be heldat the DeKalb County Sheriffs Office, Sheriffs Administration Lobby, 4415 Memorial Drive at10:00 A.M. EST on Monday, June 18, 2012. It is strongly recommended that all interestedresponders attend and participate in the pre-proposal conference and site visit. For informationregarding the pre-proposal conference and site visit, please contact Ms. LaTyris Pugh at (404)298-8531.

Questions: All questions concerning the project shall be addressed to Xernia Fortson inwriting no later than 4:00 P.M. EST on Tuesday, June 26, 2012 to the following email addressor facsimile number: [email protected] or (404) 298-8596 only. Questionsreceived after this date and time will not receive a response.

Addenda: Request for Proposals and all addenda issued for this project may be found on theDeKalb County Sheriffs Office website: www.dekalbsheriff.org.

Interviews: Responders may be granted an interview on Monday or Tuesday, July 9-10,2012.

LOCAL SMALL BUSINESS ENTERPRISE ORDINANCE

It is the objective of the Chief Executive Officer and Board of Commissioners of DeKalb Countyto provide maximum practicable opportunity for all businesses to participate in the performanceof government contracts, including Local Small Business Enterprises (LSBE), Minority BusinessEnterprises (MBE) and Women Business Enterprises (WBE). The Countys Schedule of LocalSmall Business Enterprise Participation, Minority Business Enterprise and Women BusinessEnterprise Opportunity Tracking Form and Letter of Intent to Perform as a Subcontractor orProvide Materials or Services are included in the Request for Proposal, along with sample reportforms. The current DeKalb County List of Certified Vendors is included in the Request forProposal. For details relative to DeKalb Countys Local Small Business Enterprise Ordinance,contact the Contract Compliance Division at [email protected] or (404) 371-4795.

The DeKalb County Sheriffs Office reserves the right to reject any and all proposals, to waive

informalities, and to re-advertise.

DeKalb County Sheriffs OfficeBy: Xernia L. Fortson, Director

Administration & Legal Affairs

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393 police ofcers

youYou may not see us, but were nearby.

Maybe just a few seats away. To make

sure you have a pleasant, uneventful

ride. We could use your eyes, too. If

you see something thats not right,

call us. Well take it from there.

Call (404) 848-4911 if you see something out of the ordinary.

ChieWanda Dunham

SeeSay

something

something

If you

County looking for new animal shelter leaderby Andrew [email protected]

DeKalb County is look-ng for someone who has an

affinity for animals and thepeople who love them.

A new deputy director ofanimal control is needed be-cause the current head of thedivision, KathyMooney-ham, is retiring at the end ofJuly.

The position, which hasa salary range of $52,000-$85,000, is for an energetic,self-motivated and experi-enced leader with provensuccess in providing protec-ion and care for animals,

according to the job descrip-ion on the countys website.

The new director should

have the general objective ofconverting the animal shel-er to a no-kill shelter, said

WardellCastles, a memberof DeKalb Initiative, a groupof concerned residents ofDeKalb County who are ad-vocating for improvementsat the countys animal shel-er.

The person should careabout animals and should be

an advocate, Castles said.We need animal people inthere.

The deputy director isresponsible for directing allaspects of animal control ser-vices, which is a division ofDeKalb County Public Safe-ty. Duties include respond-ing to resident complaints;ensuring proper impounding,feeding and euthanizing ofanimals, and ensuring fieldand kennel operations are

effectively, efficiently andappropriately enforced ac-cording to state and localanimal control ordinancesand regulations, accordingto the job description.

Minimum requirementsfor candidates include a

bachelors degree in businessadministration, veterinarytechnology, criminal justiceor a related eld; six years ofmanagement experience in

public safety, animal control,

or a related eld, includingtwo years supervisory expe-rience.

Mooneyham, who hasmore than 23 years of lawenforcement experience inDeKalb County, has been thedirector of the division sinceAugust 2007.

A task force that studiedthe countys animal servicesdivision for several monthsaddressed the shelters top

position in its nal report in

February.Candidates must be rm-

ly committed to saving thelives of animals that comeunder the care of DeKalbCounty, the report stated.Although prior shelteringexperience is not required,candidates who do have suchexperience should have ademonstrated record of life-saving success.

The new director willtake over a shelter that has

been the focus of years ofcomplaints by animal advo-cates.

In March, DeKalb CEOBurrellEllis announced a

plan to improve the animalservices division by replac-ing the current facility with a31,000-square-foot complex

on at least four acres of landwith an improved kennelarea, space for educationalopportunities, an outdoor ex-ercise area and a pet mall.

The county is also in theprocess of hiring 10 animalservices ofcers, upgradingthe facilitys air conditioningsystem and considering out-sourcing some of the shel-ters operations.

File Photo

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Election 2012-Guide to the Candidates questionnaires

will be sent out to all qualifying candidates. Candidates must complete and return questionnaires in

order to be included in the election guide.

Questionnaires will also be available online www.championnewspaper.com

Election 2012 - Guide to the Candidates will be publishedin the July 12th issue ofThe Champion Newsaper.

Election 2012Guide to the Candidates

To reserve your advertsing space in the election guide,

contact Louise Dyrenforth Acker [email protected]


DeKalb residents com-

menting on a plan to revital-ze the Kensington Road and

Memorial Drive corridorsaid the plan does not go farenough.

Memorial Drive is lim-ted in what it offers right

now, said CandiceCampen.What [would] entice a busi-ness, the good anchor stores,o come in and support this

area?The plan, called the Kens-

ngton Livable Centers Initia-ive (LCI) Transit Oriented

Development (TOD) plan,s a portion of a larger Kens-

ngton Station LCI plan com-pleted in 2002.

Sponsored by DeKalbCounty Planning and Sustain-ability Department and theAtlanta Regional Commis-sion, the new plan will pro-vide a guideline for develop-ng the area consisting of the

Kensington MARTA station,a large DeKalb County gov-ernmental core, the I-285/Me-morial Drive interchange andseveral apartment complexes.

One of the biggest as-sets that this site has is thatDeKalb County controls amajority of this land, saidAdamWilliamson, a projectmanager with Tunnell-Span-gler-Walsh & Associates, arm tasked with developinghe plans for the area. Thiss one of the few sites in the

Atlanta area that one [group]holds.

Concepts for the area,which is between the Kens-ngton and Indian Creek

MARTA stations, includemixed-use developments,ownhouses, single-family

homes, more apartments and

ofce space. Planners alsowant to weave a bike and pe-destrian trail throughout thecommunity.

Right now theres no rea-son to come here beside the

MARTA stations, William-son said. Theres a lot of lit-tle things we can do to makethis area more attractive. We

have to come up with somethings that will attract devel-opers. This is a rst step.

The community wouldhave lots of parks and green-space, and there would beincreased density around theMARTA station.

One of the challenges is the scale of the county jail,said Williamson.

We want to try to solvethat by adding some taller

buildings around it.HaroldBuckley, a

DeKalb resident who wasinvolved with the 2002 Kens-

ington Station LCI, said theKensington area is one ofthe best locations in DeKalbCounty to attract business.

I see this as the gatewayto economic development forsouth DeKalb, Buckley said.

One of the major prob-lems that DeKalb Countyhas is being able to attract

business, Buckley said. Weneed an economic center. Iwould like to see more ofcedevelopment or an employ-ment center to bring more

people in to the county. Thecounty needs an economicgenerator.

Single-family housesare nice but we need moreeconomic generation at thistime, Buckley said.

The 2002 Kensington Sta-tion LCI has resulted in sev-eral improvements to the cor-ridor, including the construc-tion of a juvenile court, relo-cation of tax commissionersofce to Memorial Drive, a

parking deck for governmentfacilities, increased surface

parking for the jail, relocationof infrastructure-oriented ser-vices away from the corridorand a bus rapid transit stop.

Planners will hold anothermeeting June 26 to presentthe nal plans for the studyarea.

Residents want more inKensington redevelopment plans

Community leaders and residents are looking for ways to revitalize the area surrounding the Kensing-ton MARTA station. Plans, which are still being developed, call for adding ofce space and residentialareas. The plan also has buildings taller the DeKalb County Jail to keep it from being the dominantfeature of the corridor. Photo by Andrew Cauthen

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The Champion Free Press, Friday, June 8, 2012 Page 13A

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

Underage alcoholsting nets 47 arrests

A four-day underage al-

ohol sting by the DeKalbCounty Police Departmentalled Operation Schools Out

produced 47 arrests, accord-ng to police spokeswoman

Mekka Parish. Those arrest-d were charged with furnish-ng alcohol to people youngerhan 21 years old.

During the four-day op-ration that took place May9-26, more than 150 liquortores and convenience stories

were checked for compliance,police said. DeKalb Policeworked with the Georgia De-partment of Revenue on the

ting. In addition, eight peoplewere arrested during the stingor selling tobacco products to

people younger than 18 yearsold.

Driver faces chargesafter daughter diesn crash

A driver on Highway 78has been charged with DUI,vehicular homicide in the rstdegree and failure to maintaina lane following an accidentn which his 15-year-old

daughter was killed.Anthony Johnson was

driving a Chrysler Pacificaastbound on Hwy. 78 west

of the Stone Mountain Parkntrance June 3 when he lostontrol of the vehicle andrashed, according to DeKalb

County Police, who reporthat in addition to 15-year-old

Corliss Johnson, who wasound dead, an 11-year-old

girl, an 8-year-old boy and a9-year-old boy were insidehe vehicle when police ar-ived. The 11-year-old was

ransported to the hospital inritical condition. The boysalso were transported to thehospital, where one was heldor observation and the othereleased. Police have deter-

mined that Anthony Johnsons the father of all four chil-

dren.Police said that after

he accident the driver hadbeen unable to locate his cellphone. He took the two youngboys and walked to a res-aurant in Gwinnett County.

Gwinnett authorities notifiedDeKalb County Police about

he accident. Investigatorshave not determined whatime the accident occurred,

but DeKalb County Policewere notified by Gwinnett

authorities at approximately10:45 p.m.

Ofcials seek

suspected killer

The DeKalb Sheriffs Of-ce Fugitive Squad and theU.S. Marshals Special TaskForce are seeking informationthat will lead to the capture ofMarcus D. Ventress.

Ventress is being sought inconnection with the May 26death ofRyan Guider, whomhe allegedly shot several timesin the chest with a small cali-

ber handgun. Ventress is de-scribed as a 28-year-old Blackmale who is 5 feet, 10 inchestall and weighs 145 pounds.The killing was said to be an

act of vengeance as sourcessay that Guider burglarizedthe home of Ventress stealing

jewelry, cash and drugs andpunching Ventress mother.

Ventress is also wanted foraggravated assault in connec-tion with an act in which heallegedly red a .22 caliberhandgun into an apartmentat 5810 Treecrest Parkway.Sources state that he shot intothe apartment because it wasthought to be the residence ofGuider.

Ventress has had other le-gal encounters and should beconsidered armed and danger-ous, according to the SheriffsOfce. He served a six-yearsentence in federal prison on

a drug trafcking charge andhas been imprisoned in Indi-

ana on a cocaine possessioncharge. He is currently on

parole and probation for thesecharges.

Anyone with informationon Ventress should contactthe DeKalb County SheriffsOfce at (404) 298-8200 orCrime Stoppers at (404) 577-TIPS (8477).

Woman killed inapartment re

A woman was killedearly June 4 as the result of anapartment re at 2365 Peach-wood Circle, between Clair-mont and Shallowford roads,said DeKalb County FireRescue spokesman NormanAugustin.

Fire crews were called atapproximately 5:40 a.m. andextinguished the blaze in thetownhome where no one washome, Augustin said. Fire-ghters rescued the womanfrom an adjacent apartment inthe same building. The wom-an was found unconscious andwas taken to St. Josephs Hos-

pital where she later died fromsmoke inhalation.

The incident is still underinvestigation. Bystanders toldinvestigators that the apart-ment where the re startedwas vacant, but it was fullyfurnished, Augustin said. Thecause of the re has not beendetermined and the name ofthe woman killed has not yet

been released, he said.

NEWS BRIEFS

Last

6/11

First

6/26

The Northeast will see scattered showers and thunderstorms today, mostly clear to partly

cloudy skies with a few showers Friday and Saturday, with the highest temperature of 82

in East St. Louis, Ill. The Southeast will see scattered thunderstorms today through

Saturday, with the highest temperature of 93 in Crestview, Fla. The Northwest will see mostly clear to

partly cloudy skies with a few showers today through Saturday, with the highest temperature of 85 in

Torrington, Wyo. The Southwest will see mostly clear skies today through Saturday, with the highest

temperature of 103 in Chandler, Ariz.

THURSDAY

Mostly SunnyHigh: 85 Low:64

New

6/19

The Champion Weather June 7, 2012Seven Day Forecast

Local UV Index

WEDNESDAY

Mostly Sunny

High: 85 Low: 61

TUESDAY

Sunny

High: 88 Low:64

MONDAY

Mostly Sunny

High: 89 Low:68

SUNDAY

Mostly Sunny

High: 88 Low:67

SATURDAY

Mostly Sunny

High: 87 Low:67

FRIDAY

Mostly Sunny

High: 85 Low:66

In-Depth Local Forecast Today's Regional Map

Sunrise

6:26 a.m.

6:26 a.m.6:26 a.m.

6:26 a.m.

6:26 a.m.

6:26 a.m.

6:26 a.m.

Sunset

8:47 p.m.

8:47 p.m.8:48 p.m.

8:48 p.m.

8:48 p.m.

8:49 p.m.

8:49 p.m.

Moonset

9:51 a.m.

10:56 a.m.11:58 a.m.

12:57 p.m.

1:54 p.m.

2:50 p.m.

3:45 p.m.

Moonrise

11:43 p.m.

No Rise12:21 a.m.

12:55 a.m.

1:26 a.m.

1:56 a.m.

2:27 a.m.

Full

7/3

www.WhatsOurWeather.com

Weather History

June 7, 1972 Richmond, Va.

experienced its worst flood of

record as rains from

Hurricane Agnes pushed the

water level at the city locks to

a height of 36.5 feet, easily

topping the previous record of

30 feet set in 1771.

Weather Trivia

Tonight's Planets

Who may issue severe weather

watches and warnings in the

United States?

Answer: Only the National Weather

Service.

?

Day

Thursday

FridaySaturday

Sunday

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

National Weather Summary This Week

Local Sun/Moon Chart This Week

StarWatch By Gary Becker - Clear Sky Eclipsed

Today we will see mostly sunny skies with a high

temperature of 85, humidity of 45%. North wind

5 mph. The record high temperature for today is

97 set in 1933. Expect partly cloudy skies tonight

with an overnight low of 64. The record low for

tonight is 50 set in 1998.

June 8, 1966 - A tornado

ripped right through the heart

of the capital city of Topeka,

Kan., killing 16 people and

causing 100 million dollars in

damage. The tornado, which

struck during the evening, cut

a path of near total destruction

eight miles long and four

blocks wide.

I never look at a weather forecast, says my friend, Jesse Leayman. What will be will be. I, on the other hand, ponder through the data trying to get a perspective on the

upcoming atmospheric events as if I have some magical power to will the movements of highs and lows into their most favorable positions. When Jesse and I arrived at

Chaco Culture near Nageezi, NM for eight nights of camping and to view the May 20 solar eclipse, the long and short range forecasts look very favorable. No sooner had

we set up our campsite, then the sky grayed and sheets of rain came cascading over North Mesa, a befitting welcome to a desert park that has had more than its fair share

of cloudy nights when I am in residence. But after a sumptuous dinner of cheese dogs, the sky cleared over Gallo Campground revealing a bewildering plethora of stars in the dimming

light, and that is the way it stayed for the next eight days and nights. We did have one cloudy afternoon with a raindrop here and there, two dust storms that put a fine layer of grit over

everything, but each evening cleared. So you can imagine my trepidations as eclipse day approached with one sunny day after another. It would just have to be cloudy on May 20, but it

wasnt. In fact, e-day had the best weather of our entire stay. Stationed near Casa Rinconada, the largest Ancestral Puebloan kiva at Chaco, Jesse and I watched the slow inexorable move-

ment of the moon courting the sun, the decreasing shadow intensities over a purpling landscape, the cooling of the air as centrality drew near, and the ring of fire surrounding Luna that

was created by a smaller moon too far away to hide the sun completely. When Sol finally set behind West Mesa still partially eclipsed, and the landscape began to purple for the second

time that day, I realized that this was the first solar eclipse I didnt have to chase down for a clear sky. On that day, the eclipse came to me. www.astronomy.org

Rise Set

Mercury 7:15 a.m. 9:52 p.m.Venus 6:20 a.m. 8:29 p.m.

Mars 1:29 p.m. 2:06 a.m.

Jupiter 5:24 a.m. 7:15 p.m.

Saturn 4:14 p.m. 3:47 a.m.

Uranus 2:54 a.m. 3:11 p.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

85/64

Decatur

85/64

Doraville

84/64

Dunwoody

83/63 Lilburn

84/64

Snellville

85/64

Lithonia

86/64

Morrow

86/64

Smyrna

84/64

Hampton

87/65

Union City

86/64

College Park

86/64

*Last Weeks Almanac

Date Hi Lo Normals Precip

Tuesday 82 70 83/63 0.16"

Wednesday 91 65 83/64 0.01"

Thursday 91 63 83/64 0.00"

Friday 82 63 84/64 0.38"

Saturday 77 54 84/64 0.00"

Sunday 84 57 84/65 0.00"

Monday 80 67 84/65 0.14"Rainfall . . . . . . .0.69" Average temp . .73.3

Normal rainfall . .0.84" Average normal 73.9

Departure . . . . .-0.15" Departure . . . . .-0.6*Data as reported from De Kalb-Peachtree Airport

7/31/2019 Free Press 6-8-12

14/24


Help us create a smoke-free, healthy DeKalb. Join the Live Healthy DeKalb Coalition at www.dekalbhealth.net/DPPW.

picture

DekalbHealthy

Be Smoke-Free.

Follow us on

Made possible with funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Brd of Health

The Soap Box Derby on June 2 at First Baptist Church inDunwoody served as a national qualier for the All-Amer-can Soap Box Derby to be held in July in Akron, Ohio.Ansley Christensen, 16, above left, will be making hersecond trip to Akron in the masters division. Seven-year-old stock winner Malena Shipley, 7, top right, with fatherJohn, will be making her rst trip. The event drew morehan 30 participants from around metro Atlanta. Photos by

Robert Naddra

Derby day

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The Champion Free Press, Friday, June 8, 2012 Page 15A

Commissioners question work at unapproved derby park

CITY 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012

Real & Personal 152,603,991 156,800,494 157,621,535 157,295,925 158,471,976 143,982,438Motor Vehicles 9,198,840 8,928,990 9,411,170 7,917,420 7,854,350 8,014,980

Mobile Homes

Timber - 100%

Heavy Duty Equipment

Gross Digest 161,802,831 165,729,484 167,032,705 165,213,345 166,326,326 151,997,418

Less M& O Exemptions 181,873 204,451 168,873 119,131 102,456 216,067

Net M & O Digest 161,620,958 165,525,033 166,863,832 165,094,214 166,223,870 151,781,351tate orest an

Assistance Grant Value 0 0 0 0 0 0

Adjusted Net M&O Digest 161,620,958 165,525,033 166,863,832 165,094,214 166,223,870 151,781,351

Gross M&O Millage 10.500 11.000 11.000 11.000 10.957 12.165

Less Rollbacks

Net M&O Millage 10.500 11.000 11.000 11.000 10.957 12.165

Total City Taxes Levied $1,697,020 $1,820,775 $1,835,502 $1,816,036 $1,821,315 $1,846,420

Net Taxes $ Increase $0 $123,755 $14,727 -$19,466 $5,279 $25,105

Net Taxes % Increase 0.00% 7.29% 0.81% -1.06% 0.29% 1.38%

NOTICE

will be set at Avondale Estates City Hall, 21 N. Avondale Plaza, on June 20, 2012 at 5:30 p.m. and June 25, 2012

presentation of the current year's tax digest and levy, along with the history of the tax digest and levy for the past five years.

CURRENT 2012 TAX DIGEST AND 5 YEAR HISTORY OF LEV

The City of Avondale Estates Board of Mayor and Commissioners does hereby announce the 2012 Millage Rate of 12.165

at 10:00 a.m. and 7:30 p.m. and pursuant to requirements of O.C.G.A. Section 48-5-32 does hereby publish the following


Acres of land in unincor-porated Lithonia are beingcleared for a project thatDeKalb County commis-sioners have yet to vote on.

The Board of Com-missioners wants to knowwhats going on at the site ofa proposed $1 million soapbox derby facility.

In a memo dated May 30,he commissioners chief of

staffMorris Williams asked

DeKalb CEO Burrell Ellisexecutive assistant RichardStogner to provide commis-sioners with the details ofhe countys cost on the soap

box derby site preparation.In addition to that per-

formed by county employ-ees, work at the site is beingdone by Atkins, an engineer-ng and design company,

and Cooper and Carter TreeServices.

Burke Brennan, thecountys chief communica-ions ofcer said that whilehe Board of Commission-

ers is continuing the reviewof the project bids, we havebegun some construction uti-izing existing and in-house

resources in order to keephe ball rolling.

At such time the BOCawards the current bid orasks for a re-bid we will beable to deduct these expensefrom the remaining cost ofhe work to be completed,

Brennan said.Williams asked for the

cost of county staff time,supplies, materials and thirdparty vendors working onhe property. Also requested

were copies of work orders,

invoices, purchase orders andother proof of procurementof third party services in

preparation of this property.DeKalb County commis-

sioners want to know thespecics of all costs in-curred in preparation of thisland since the initial proposalof it becoming a soap boxderby track, according tothe memo.

The memo stated that thiswas an informal request forinformation to clarify a May24 story in The Championthat indicated that countyworkers have begun work on

preparing the proposed soapbox derby track in advanceof approval by the board.

This is not a witchhunt, Williams told TheChampion May 31. This is afact-nding mission.

In addition to the storyin The Champion, Williamssaid, the memo was writ-ten after commissioners hadquestions about the project intwo recent committee meet-ings.

A letter to commissionsfrom a DeKalb Countyemployee also contributedto commissioners questions.

In the letter, the employeecomplained of work condi-tions and relations with thecontractors at the soap boxderby site.

The Board of Commis-sioners has been deferringvote on the proposed 890-foot, two-lane derby trackafter voicing concerns abouthow much use the trackwould get.

During a May 15 meet-ing, Ted Rhinehart, thecountys deputy chief operat-ing ofcer for infrastructure,said county workers areclearing and prepping the

site so that if this bid goesforward, [contractors are]ready to go ahead and jumpin.

The proposal calls for thesoap box track to be con-structed at 1253 Rock ChapelRoad adjacent to the BransbyYMCA on 10.9 acres pur-chased last year with fundsfrom a 2001 parks bond.

The derby facility wouldhave a multi-use build-ing for supplies and cars, aclassroom, concession stand,nish-line pavilion andgrandstand.

File Photo

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The Champion Free Press, Friday, June 8, 2012 Page 16AHealth

CDC:Half of overweight teens have heart riskby Mike Stobbe

ATLANTA (AP) Half thenations overweight teenshave unhealthy blood pres-sure, cholesterol or bloodsugar levels that put them atrisk for future heart attacksand other cardiac problems,new federal research says.

And an even larger pro-portion of obese adolescentshave such a risk, accordingo the new numbers.

What this is saying,unfortunately, is that wereosing the battle early with

many kids, said Dr. Ste-phen Daniels, a University

of Colorado School of Med-cine expert who was notnvolved in the study.

People can keep their riskof heart disease very low ifhey reach age 45 or 50 at

normal weight and with nor-mal blood pressure, normalcholesterol and no diabe-es. So these results are not

good, he said.The study was released

May 21 in the journalPedi-atrics.

The Centers for DiseaseControl and Prevention

(CDC) research focused on3,383 adolescents ages 12hrough 19. The youths were

part of an intensive nationalstudy that involves inter-viewing, weighing, measur-ing and performing medical

tests on people across thecountry.The ongoing CDC study

is considered a gold stan-dard for looking at nationalhealth trends, said Dr. Wil-liam Mahle, an Emory

University pediatric cardi-ologist.There was some good

news, Mahle said,that the study found

no increase in levelsof obesity, high bloodpressure or bad choles-terol during the years itcovered1999 through2008.

All of us are look-ing for some sign or sig-nal that were makingheadway, said Mahle,who was not involvedwith the study. So thatwas reassuring.

But one measure didget worse: The percent-age of adolescents whowere diagnosed with

diabetes or pre-diabetesrose dramatically, from9 percent to 21 percent.Pre-diabetics have high-er than normal bloodsugar levels, but nothigh enough to count asdiabetes.

Its not clear why theproportion of kids withhigh blood sugar wouldincrease while the mea-sures for the other heart

disease risk factors heldsteady. It may have some-thing to do with the kind of

test used to measure bloodsugar, Daniels said.Adolescents in the study

were given a blood test thatcan give varying results

depending on the day ortime of day the test is given.Other tests, though more in-volved and more expensive,are considered more precise.

Daniels said its pos-sible another testing methodmight not have produced aswing so large.

That is possible, saidAshleigh May, the CDCepidemiologist who was thestudys lead author.

This study is just a rststep to identify problems inyouth. More work needs tobe done to identify why this

is happening and the advan-tages of using various testmethods in this population,she said.

Overall the study foundthat 50 percent of over-weight youths and 60 per-cent of obese youths hadat least one risk factor forfuture heart disease.

But normal-weight kidsarent off the hook37percent had at least onerisk factor and could faceincreased chances for hearttrouble as adults, the study

suggests.

DeKalb Medical at Hillandale expandswomens health facility

DeKalb Medical recently announced the expansion ofhe Hillandale Breast Center. During the past three years,he Hillandale Breast Center has experienced a 20 percentncrease in patient visits, and this expansion will providehe capacity to meet the high demand for womens health

services in our community, said Susan Harris, RN, MBA,vice president and administrator of DeKalb Medical at Hill-andale.

Funded by the support of the DeKalb Medical Founda-ion, the newly renovated Breast Center will offer addition-

al amenities for the comfort and convenience of patientsand families.

Among the highlights are access to onsite nurse navi-gators ve days a week as well as quicker scheduling formammograms and biopsies. The new facility will be 4,170square feet, compared with the original space of 1,600square feet. A grand opening for the public is slated for thissummer.

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The Champion Free Press, Friday, June 8 , 2012 Page 17ALocal News

LFL Continued From Page 1A

are in the ground. Jennifer Curtis,a biophysicist at Georgia Tech, putup a library in front of her home onEast Lake Drive. TrisSicignanoheard about her friends LFL andpromptly buil t and erected threeone for her home on Pharr Road, onefor a neighbor and one in front of thecommunity garden across from theEast Lake Farmers Market.

A website, www.eastlakelit-lelibrary.weebly.com, was createdo residents in the community canearn more about the LFLs in East

Lake. The site tells where to find theibraries and Curtis provides a list

of the books in her library. She alsokeeps a log of which books werechecked out and returned, and whichwere donated. Curtis also has a smallwhite board in her library wherepeople can write comments.

Its a really organic process and

t resonates with a lot of people,Curtis said. Its a lot more than giv-ng each other books. Its an excuseo get to know people you wouldnt

normally meet.The two came up with the idea to

create a walking path with LFLs.Said Sicignano: Im in love with

he idea of sharing. People love thedea of stopping and talking. You

wouldnt normally stop and talk toomeone randomly. But this gives

you an excuse to get to know yourneighbors. I hope the movementpreads. It creates a sense of commu-

nity thats just contagious.Curtis saw how the movement

has spread in extraordinary ways.She received a book in the mail froma woman in Anchorage, Alaska andbegan a correspondence with her.

The woman, Phyllis Searles,explained that she is originally frommetro Atlanta (Canton) and thathere are no LFLs near her home in

Alaska. She wanted to get involved

and send a book to someone inAtlanta and chose Curtis afterseeing her library on the LFLwebsite.

The concept of a free libraryon the honor system is so out ofthe ordinary that stewards suchas Curtis and Laufer witnessedhow people had to get used tothe idea.

People are afraid of it atfirst, Curtis said. Then theyfinally stop and take a look. Imgoing to take a day and sit outand talk to people.

Laufer built his low enoughthat people who drive by in a carcan easily access it through a carwindow.

Some people drive by and

get at it from the car windowand others will walk up to it,Laufer said. Its interesting,some people try it once and oth-ers come back and bring a halfdozen books back. I see peopleand get recognized; they say,oh, youre the one with the littlefree library.

Michael Montgomery built 13 Little Free Libraries to be auctioned at the upcoming Decatur Book Festival. Photo by David Laufer

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The Champion Free Press, Friday, June 8, 2012 Page 18AEducation

DeKalb Schools to appointCitizens SPLOST OversightCommittee

The DeKalb County School District(DCSD) is soliciting residents to volun-teer for a 12-member Citizens SPLOSTOversight Committee. The advisorycommittee is expected to begin meeting

in August.DeKalb County residents who want

to be considered for the committee canprovide their information at http://goo.gl/ZfoSV no later than June 17 at 11:59p.m. Only online applications will be ac-cepted.

Qualied candidates must be resi-dents who live within the boundaries ofthe school district, may not be membersof the board of education or district em-ployees and may not have any economicinterest in any of DCSDs projects.

Experience in accounting, architec-ture, auditing, construction, engineering,nance, K-12 education, legal, planning,project management and/or real estate isdesired, according to a press release.

Members must be volunteers who candedicate at least two hours each quarterto meeting, generally in the evenings,and pass a background check and sign anon-disclosure agreement.

Free flm screening anddiscussion of school choiceoptions to be held

The Georgia Charter Schools Asso-ciation will be hosting a free screeningof the documentary lmMaking the

Grade in Georgia: Educational Freedom& Justice June 11, 7 - 9 p.m.

The screening, followed by a Q&Asession, will be held at Deeper LifeWorld Outreach Ministries, located at5684 Redan Road in Stone Mountain.

The lm is about the importance ofproviding school choice options in Geor-gia and documents several schoolingoptions such as public charter schools,homeschooling and virtual online educa-tion, according to a news release.

DeKalb student in Scripps

National Spelling BeeSimola Nayak,

an eighth-graderfrom HendersonMiddle School,made it to the sixthround of the ScippsNational SpellingBee.

Nayak spelledwords like cassid-eous and cryo-philic until mis-

spelling the word rapparee, which isan Irish guerilla solider from the 1600s.

Earlier this year, Nayak beat Renfroe

Middle School student Andalib MalitSamandari after spelling more than 200words and going 21 rounds to win theGeorgia Association of Educators StateSpelling Bee.

DeKalb kicks off summer

reading programby Daniel [email protected]

The DeKalb County PublicLibrary and Center for PuppetryArts have teamed up to getchildren interested in readingduring summer vacation.

Recently, the center produceda public service announcement(PSA) encouraging children tosign up for the librarys vacation

reading program, which runshrough July 31.Library Youth Services

CoordinatorSharon Deeds saidhe PSA is a great way to get

parents and children interested inhe program.

Its funny and its fun towatch, Deeds said. Thank youo Jon Ludwig, artistic director

at the Center for Puppetry Arts,and his staff, for taking the timeo do it for us.

Deeds said its important thatparents motivate their childreno read throughout the summer

and pointed out that reading toa baby can help with cognitivedevelopment.

Reading just a few booksover the summer months can helpyour school age children maintain

their reading levels so that theydont fall behind in reading skillswhen school resumes, Deedssaid.

The PSA uses comedy toconvey that message. The videodepicts superhero CaptainHealthy and his sidekick SafetyDog, along with Silly Puppy,whose eyes are glued to thetelevision.

It is fun to hang out with your

friends and play video games orwatch TV but its also real funto go to the library and join theVacation Reading Program,Captain Healthy says. You cancheck out books or magazines,listen to audio books, use thecomputer or attend programs.

The three characters get readyto go to their local library tosign up for the Vacation ReadingProgram but nd that, for somereason, Silly Puppy is unable toescape the hypnotic rays of theTV.

Oh no, hes been turned intoa TV zombie, Captain Healthysays.

The only way Captain Healthyand his sidekick can break thespell is by reading for fun, whichthey do from the beginning of

the Charles Dickens classicATale of Two Cities. Once the spellis broken all three go to theirlocal library to sign up for theprogram.

This years theme is DreamBig READ, for ages 3 to 12.Each student can register onlineor at their local library andreceive a reading log, bookmarkand sticker. The more a childreads, the more rafe tickets he

or she can get to win prizes fromlocal sponsors such as the Centerfor Puppetry Arts or Zoo Atlanta.

Our biggest concern is notthat kids can win prizes butthat they can continue readingover the summer, said JanetFlorence, a spokeswoman forthe DeKalb Public Library. Inaddition to the reading programfor children, the library also hasone for teens ages 13-17 calledOwn the Night, and one foradults called Between the Covers.

Florence said the numberof children who participatein the program each year hasbeen growing steadily. Florencesaid the number of participantsregistering in 2011 was 10,118,up from 618 in 2010.

he DeKalb Public Library has teamed up with the Center for Puppetry Arts to get children interested in reading andeach them how to avoid becoming a TV zombie. Photo provided

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The Champion Free Press, Friday, June 8, 2012 Page 19ABusiness

A petit bit of France comes to Kirkwood

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 Marchet Sparks visitedFrance in 2004, traveling extensivelyhroughout the southern Provenal

region then up to Paris and Norman-dy, she was charmed by little marketswith freshly prepared foods and localgoods that dotted throughout the coun-ryside.A busy real estate executive

working out of her native Los Angelesat the time, she decided that o

free press 6-8-12

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