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Were SocialFRIDAY, JANUARY 10, 2014 VOL. 16, NO. 42 FREE

A PUBLICATION OF ACE III COMMUNICATIONS erving East Atlanta, Avondale Estates, Brookhaven, Chamblee, Clarkston, Decatur, Doraville, Dunwoody, Lithonia, Pine Lake, Tucker and Stone Mountain.

FREEPRESS

Emory celebrates Beardens Odyssey and his time in Atlanta

White-collar criminals prey on vulnerable and unsuspecting

See Criminals on page 15A

by Daniel [email protected]

Deputy Chief Assistant DistrictAttorney Jeanne Canavan saidwhite-collar criminals dont act outof passion or because they needo feed and addictionthey are

driven by greed.They are preying on the vul-

nerability of their targets. In thend, they dont only take the vic-ims money and their possessions.

They steal their self-respect, theirense of security; their trust in

other people, and very often, theirndependence, Canavan said.

By the time authorities figuredout Leonard Stewartwas the vic-im of a conman, he had alreadyurned over the deed to his house,ar title and most of his other assetso a man and his alleged niece.

Nicholas Marks was arrestedfter bank employees thoughtomething about him was strange,

Canavan said. Marks was at thebank to empty what remained inStewarts safe deposit box.

According to Canavan, bankemployees asked Marks who hewas. He told them he was a lawyerbut when the bank called the StateBar of Georgia, his name wasntregistered. Police arrived andcharged Marks with impersonating

an attorney, a misdemeanor.While police were searching

Marks car they found much ofwhat he had stolen from Stewart.He was later charged and convictedof multiple crimes including theft,exploitation of an elderly personand abuse.

Stewart died before Marks trialbut Canavan was able to use histestimony from one of Marks bondhearings to try the case. Routinely,Canavan said, prosecutors in elderabuse or white-collar crime casesuse depositions of witness testi-mony in case something happens

mory Universitys Carlos Museum is celebrating the life of artist Romare Bearden and the time he spent in Atlanta. The exhibit runs until March 9. Photos by Daniel Beauregard.See Story on page 15A

Assistant Chief District Attorney Jeanne Canavan said white-collar criminals take advantageof the most trusting and kind members of society.

BUSINESS, 17A

Business ........................17A

Classified .......................16A

Education .....................18A

Sports...................... 19-20A

QUICK FINDER STUDENTSLEARNCOMEDY

PILATESINSTRUCTOR USESGUIDING FORCE

REFUGEE IS PARTPASTOR, PARTSOCIAL WORKERLOCAL, 10ALOCAL, 9A

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THE CHAMPI ON FREE PRESS, FRIDAY, JANUARY 10, 2014 PAGE 2ALOCAL NEWS

y Carla [email protected]

he DeKalb County Housing Au-hority will assist residents o obie

Grant Manor apartments in relocatingo another home beore the apartmentomplex is demolished or a mixed-

use development.Approximately 600 residents will

e relocated by the end o March sodemolition can begin in late springor a new $34 million development,ccording to the DeKalb Housing

Authority. Construction o the newenior apartments and amily apart-

ments, approximately 300 units, is ex-ected to begin in late summer.

DeKalb Housing Authority spokes-woman Paula Grantsaid the resi-dents can relocate anywhere HousingChoice vouchers are accepted.

hey are being given Housing

Choice (Section 8) Vouchers in or-der to continue receiving housingssistance, Grant said. Right now,t obie Grant Manor, they receiveublic housing assistance. hey willontinue to receive housing assistance,ut under the Section 8 program and

not public housing.Grant said the Housing Authority

has been meeting with residents abouthis since October 2012. he residents

will begin receiving vouchers some-time in January or early February.

We are assisting the obie GrantManor residents in their search ornew housing, including inancial as-sistance or the actual move, lists opotential housing nearby and wher-ever their interested in, assistance withonline search o places they are inter-ested in and rides to prospective loca-tions, i they need it, Grant said.

Residents can receive unding tohelp with moving expenses through

HUDs Uniorm Relocation Assis-tance Act. he Act allows the DeKalbHousing Authority to give residentsanywhere between $100 and $2,325to move, depending on the units sizeand whether the residents choose touse the housing authority or a movingcompany to move their belonging newhome.

I they choose a moving company,[and] i they live in a one bedroomapartment, they will receive $1,300 tomove, Grant said.

For a two-bedroom apartment,residents will receive $1,600 to move.For a three-bedroom apartment, resi-dents will $1,875 to move, $2,125 or aour-bedroom home and $2,325 or aive-bedroom home.

Once a resident chooses a newhome, an inspection will take placeand i passed, the resident will be ableto move. An inspection is requiredthrough the Housing Choice VoucherProgram.

We are with [the residents] ev-ery step o this process, Grant said.hen, per HUD requirement, we willtrack and continue to work with ourobie Grant Manor amilies with sup-portive social services and HousingChoice Voucher compliance or thenext ive years.

All obie Grant Manor residentswill be eligible to return to the newobie Grant Manor site or any other

Rental Assistance Demonstration unitwithin DeKalb.I instead they choose to perma-

nently keep their Housing ChoiceVoucher and not return to the newcommunity where obie Grant Manorused to be that will be perectly ine,Grant said. he voucher is theirsorever as long as they ollow the pro-gram rules.

Tobie Grant Manor residents to be relocated for demolition

Nearly 600 Tobie Grant Manor residents will relocate to another home so demolition canbegin to make way for a new $34 million mixed-use development. Photo by Carla Parker

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THE CHAMPI ON FREE PRESS, FRIDAY, JANUARY 10, 2014 PAGE 3A

Teen sentenced in stabbing death of sisterby Daniel Beauregard

[email protected]

A 14-year-old girl received a 12-year sentence Dec. 30 or her role inhe stabbing death o her youngerister, 2-year-old Sasha Ray.

Tyaisa Jacksonwas originallycharged with two counts o elonymurder, malice murder, aggravatedassault, cruelty to children and mak-ng a alse statement. However, the

murder charges were reduced tovoluntary manslaughter as the con-dition o a plea agreement reachedduring the pre-trial hearing.

Tis was an extremely difficult

case or our office, District AttorneyRobert Jamessaid. Tere are nowinners in this case. We have a ami-ly that is broken emotionally beyondwhat many o us could comprehend.yaisa and Sashas amily will oreverbe changed by this terrible situation.

According to the terms o theplea agreement, Jackson will spendeight years o her sentence behindbars then the remaining years oher 12-year sentence on probation.Jackson will begin her sentence in ajuvenile acility and be transerred toan adult correctional acility when

she turns 17.

Te stabbing incident, police said,took place at the amilys home inDecatur Nov. 19, 2012, while Jacksonwas babysitting her siblings.

DeKalb County Police said theteen called her parents, saying her2-year-old sister was missing. Whenthe parents returned home they be-gan searching or the 2-year-old withthe teens help.

Sasha was ound by her ather,Shelton Ray, behind the home.

According to police spokes-woman Mekka Parish, emergencydispatchers received a call rom Ray

shortly beore 1 p.m. Nov. 19. Ray

then put the phone down and wastaking the child to the hospital him-sel when an emergency vehicle methim along the way.

Sasha was later pronounced dead.Te teen is being charged with

making alse statements or allegedlylying to detectives about knowledgeas to who killed [her sister] and bywhat means, Parish said at the time.

Afer the teen was taken to thepolice station or urther question,she called and conessed to her step-ather that she was Sashas killer, ac-cording to reports.

Atlanta Regional Commission tohold pop-up community meeting

he Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC) ishosting a new style o inormational gatheringon Saturday, Jan. 11, 3-5 p.m. that will transorman empty storeront in downtown Decatur into apop-up public meeting.

he meeting is the result o an idea the ARCeceived rom the public during a community en-

gagement survey last summer.In that survey, more than 2,000 participants

aid they wanted more local choices, dierentways to engage and online options.

he meeting is part o the latest update to the$61 billion Regional ransportation Plan, metroAtlantas ramework or mobility and prosperity.ARC invites residents to learn about transporta-ion choices, ask questions and give input about

how to make meetings more inormative andengaging.

he meeting will be held at 515 North Mc-

Donough Street, Suite A, Decatur.

County sets jobs bus schedule foranuary

he DeKalb County Mobile Career Center,

also known as the countys jobs bus, will be sta-

tioned at various locations throughout DeKalbCounty during January.

he mobile unit provides residents with vari-ous services, including job search assistance,adult workshops and training, resume writingpointers and interviewing tips. Businesses arealso able to use the mobile unit or recruiting,pre-employment screenings, interviewing andtraining.

Since its launch in February 2012, more than2,500 DeKalb residents have used the mobilecareer center which is unded through the Work-orce Investment Act grant.

he mobile career centers upcoming sched-uled stops will be: Jan. 9, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., Wesley Chapel-William

C. Brown Library, 2861 Wesley Chapel Road,Decatur.

Jan. 13, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., Clarkston Library, 951N. Indian Creek Drive, Clarkston.

Jan. 14, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., St. Vincent De Paul So-ciety, 4871 Memorial Drive, Stone Mountain.

Jan. 15, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., DeKalb Access and Re-source Center, 949 North Hairston Road, StoneMountain.

Jan. 21, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., North Lake-BarbaraLoar Library, 3772 Lavista Road, Decatur.

Jan. 22, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., Department of Family &Children Services, 178 Sams Street, Decatur.

Jan. 23, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., Clarkston Library, 951N. Indian Creek Drive, Clarkston.

Jan. 27, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., Covington Library, 3500Covington Highway, Decatur.

Jan. 28, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., Tucker-Reid H. CofferLibrary, 5234 LaVista Road, ucker.

Jan. 29, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., DeKalb Access and Re-source Center, 949 North Hairston Road StoneMountain.

Jan. 30, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., Stonecrest Library, 3123Klondike Road, Lithonia.

DeKalb County interim CEO to deliver2014 State of the County address

DeKalb County Interim CEO LeeMaywill present to residents, businesses and othercommunity stakeholders a review o 2013 and hisoutlook or 2014 during the State o the CountyAddress.

May will deliver his address the business com-munity during a noon luncheon hosted by theDeKalb Chamber o Commerce and the Council

or Quality Growth. Registration is required andcosts $40 per person. o register, visit www.coun-cilorqualitygrowth.org.

he event will be held at the Emory Coner-ence Center, 1615 Cliton Road, Atlanta.

Residents can hear Mays address at 7 p.m. atthe Porter Sanord III Perorming Arts and Com-munity Center, 3181 Rainbow Drive, Decatur.

News Briefs

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ONE MANS OPINION

Back in with the old?

Do something every day that youdont want to do; this is the goldenule for acquiring the habit of doing

your duty without pain.author,humorist and philosopher MarkTwain (1835-1910).

I am stil l old school enougho write down a small number o

New Years resolutions. I decided to

aim high this year, but with a shortist. But it requires reaching back-wards a bit in time to encourageomething that I dont see so much

o anymore. Its called civility.We are all largely composed o

alt (more like sea salt) and wa-er. We are 53 percent water by

mass. Almost 99 percent o ourbody mass is made up o only sixelementsoxygen, carbon, hydro-gen, nitrogen, calcium and phos-phorus. Less than 1 percent, 0.85percent is composed o another iveelements: potassium, sulur, sodium,chlorine, and magnesium. All arenecessary to lie. But given thatome o these elements in dierent

combinations are also combustible,t is somewhat easy to see how and

why, humansthough chemically,cientiically and medically all soimilarwill ight, bitch, moan and

daily ocus on our relatively minordierences.

hough Im clear that all peopleo this world are not Christian, Imeasonably certain that the vast

majority are quite amiliar with theNew estament maxim and lessono the Good Samaritan and doingunto others as you would preer bedone or and to you and those you

care about. And yet when we are allo universally aware o that simpleie lesson, why do so ew practice it?

Why is opening or holding open adoor or another or giving up a seatto someone more elderly, or betteryet, a lady (yes, Im ready or thehate mail), an act o such increasingrarity?

Chivalry may be wounded, but itisnt quite dead yet. I am convincedthat civility and treating virtuallyeveryone with kindness and respect,and not o the ake P.C. variety, butgenuinely treating olks the way youwould preer to be treated will cre-ate smiles, reduce stress and perhapslower the temperatures o not onlythose crowded rooms, but bringdown the heat on those less than en-lightened discourses which seem tobreak out almost daily on places likeFacebook and witter.

he internet has brought theworld to our ingertips, and yet ishas also increased the opportunityto take a momentary bad decisionor an instance o bad temper intoa near global village meltdown. Astupid statement, once heard onlyby the ew in earshotand perhapsheard by noneis now trumpetedby the megaphone o the net, repeat-ed, re-weeted and oten taken outo the original context until even thestupidity o the original comment

or content is dwared by the overlyreactive hate speech and verbal at-tacks o those commenting rom thecheap seats.

And when you disagree or startto become oended by somethingor someone, how about trying tocalmly explain why or how that o-ends youinstead o simply strikingor hittingright back?

I will type only the names Tray-von Martin, Paula Deen, Phil Rob-ertson(long bearded Duck Dynastypatriarch) and Nelson Mandela.O these, only Mandelas legacyand his passing truly was deservingo the time and attention receivedon the world stage, reviewing anddiscussing his import and legacy tothe world. And yet, I could make a

pretty strong case that much morehas been said, and is continuing tobe said, about the other three in thatquartet, with surprisingly ew mindsbeing changed and again only ur-ther heating up the discourse anddividing us.

And it seems on the issues orace, and now gender preerence,there is an almost monthly O.J.Simpson trial or Chick-il-A boy-cott to again drive the hate, with

very little civility or discourse in the

orm o calm and reasoned debateor better yet, bridge building.

As you consider your own NewYears resolution, ask yoursel whenwas the last time you oered a kindor unsolicited word o praise to aamily member, riend or neigh-bor? When did you last let someonewhose arms were ull in ront oyou in the grocery line, hold opena door or help seat an elderly pas-senger on mass transit or help themhandle a staircase? When was yourlast random act o kindness whenno one else was looking? And i youare having diiculty answering thesesimple questions, Id suggest thatyouve got some work to do. HappyNew Year.

Bill Crane also serves as a po-litical analyst and commentator forChannel 2s Action News, WSB-AM

News/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].

THE CHAMPION FREE PRESS, FRIDAY, JANUARY 10, 2014 PAGE 4AOPINION

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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] To: (404) 370-3903 Phone: (404) 373-7779Deadline for news releases and advertising: Thursday, one week priorto publication date.

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

Publisher: John Hewitt

Chief Financial Officer Dr. Earl D. Glenn

Managing Editor: Kathy Mitchell

News Editor: Andrew Cauthen

Production Manager: Kemesha Hunt

Photographer: 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 anyissue of interest to DeKalb County. The Championwas founded in1991 expressly to provide a forum for discourse for all communityresidents on all sides of an issue. We have no desire to make thenews only to report news and opinions to effect a more educatedcitizenry that will ultimately move our community forward. We arehappy to present ideas for discussion; however, we make everyeffort to avoid printing information submitted to us that is known tobe false and/or assumptions penned as fact.

Printed on 100%post-consumerrecycled paper

In the New Year help us make The Champion your community newspaperWeve got a New Years resolution or you:

Resolve to help Te Championtruly become yourcommunity newspaper. Heres how you can dohat:

Send us news of community events coming

up in your area. You dont have to worry aboutthe writing style; well take care o that. Just tellus who, what, when and where and the contactinormation. Well take it rom there. As longas its a not-or-profit event thats happening inDeKalb County, the chances are good we canuse it. ink of us early in the process. Were aweekly newspaper that goes to press everyuesday. Community event listings ofen fill upearly in the production cycle. Its best to sendinormation on community events at least twoweeks beore the event. Get our attention. When you send an email(the best way to reach us) put words in thesubject line that tell us what the event isand that its in our service area. Well noticeClothing drive in Lithonia much aster thanwe will notice News release.

Invite us to join you. We have a small staff, butwe love to come to community events whenwe know about them early. Its tough to coverevents that we learn about the day beore,but when we know in time to put it on ourcalendars, we make every effort to be there.

Tell us about the folks doing interestingthings in your community. We enjoy writingprofiles o people doing things their neighborswould want to read about. Each week we profilea community volunteer in our Champion othe Week eature, but thats just one way wehighlight DeKalb residents.

A picture is indeed worth a thousand words.I were unable to come to a community event,send us high quality photos o the event andwell try to use them.

Our interest in sports doesnt stop with schoolsports teams.Let us know whats going on inyour neighborhood recreations centers, too.

Get to know us.Introduce yoursel to theChampionstaff person you see at a communityevent. ake our business cards; give us yours.

People are interesting. Is there someone inyour community who has an unusual business,

hobby or community project? We would bedelighted to consider that person or a eaturestory.

Lets hear whats on your mind. We likegetting letters to the editor that involvethings that are going on locally. Be sure to

include your name and contact inormation.We cant print anonymous letters, but whentheres a compelling reason, we will considerwithholding your name rom print.

Keep the feedback coming. ell us what youlike and what you dont like. Over the yearsweve made many changes in Te Championbased on what readers tell us they want. Teonly way we have o knowing what you finduseul, interesting and enjoyable is i you tell us.

Send your story ideas to News Edit orAndrewCauthenvia phone at (404) 373-7779 or email [email protected]. You can also reachTe Championvia witter (@ChampionNews) orFacebook (www.facebook.com/championnewspa-

per).

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THE CHAMPIO N FREE PRESS, FRIDAY, JANUARY 10, 2014 PAGE 6A

COMMUNITY

When Susan Caglere-tired rom DeKalb Medi-cal in April 2013 aferworking there or 40 years,she wasnt quite ready togive it up completely. Soshe came back as a volun-teer.

I wasnt ready to giveit up altogether as ar ascontact with the hospitaland the people there, soIm so glad I had the vol-unteer area to back into,said Cagle, who is 67 andproud o it.

Cagle was a registerednurse who had alwaysworked with the babies,she said. She worked inthe nursery, the mother-baby unit and the neonatalintensive care unit.

During her last twoyears at DeKalb Medical,she worked in the laborand delivery unit.

We went to the bed-side and took care o thebabies at the bedside afer

delivery, Cagle said. Teconcept is no separationrom momma. So as longas the momma was OKand the baby was OK, thebabies were not separated,Cagle said.

Six months afer retir-ing, Cagle returned toDeKalb Medical as a vol-unteer.

I dont live real closeto my grandchildren andI cant see them everyday, she said. So one daya week, I go to DeKalb[Medical].

I eel like Im stillclose to them and I eellike theres still a volunteer

job that I can do to helpthem, Cagle said. Justknowing the area so well, I

just elt like I knew thingsI could do that would helpthem without somebodyhaving to tell me every-

thing I have to do all thetime.

As a volunteer, shechose to go back into thewomen and inants divi-sion.

I just know the areaand I know what can bedone to help the nursesthere, Cagle said. I doanything rom helpingeed babies to just rockingthe babies.

Cagle, who also helpswith stocking and secre-tarial duties, said she re-tired because it was hardor me to do my regularwork and thats when Istarted thinking about re-tiring in 2012.

But or 40 years thishas been my other amily,she said. Ive been closeto them. Tey go throughthe ups and downs withyou when you get so closeto the nurses and otherstaff that you work with.

I just wasnt ready togive up that part o myliethe contact with thepeople, said Cagle, who

volunteers at least ourhours a week at the hos-pital.

I hate to leave, shesaid. I know they needme.

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.

SUSAN CAGLE

ChampionoftheWeek

Cagle

Dunwoody continues to address stormwater needsby Carla [email protected]

Dunwoody Public WorksDepartment completed morehan 40 projects in 2013 that

address the citys stormwaterneeds and the city plans tocontinue its efforts at inra-tructure maintenance and

upgrades in 2014.An inventory o every

pipe, structure and drain inhe city revealed that the av-

erage age o the 131 miles opipe and more than 10,000tructures within the city is

40 to 50 years. Te majorityo this inrastructure is madeo corrugated metal pipe,which has exceeded its useulie in many cases, accordingo city offi cials.

Te city has made im-portant steps to not only be-ng a good steward o wateresources but also see to the

needs o our aging inra-tructure, said Bob Mullen,

Dunwoodys public relations

director. In the citys shortfive years o operation sincencorporation, the staff hasaken on the challenge o as-essing and maintaining our

citys stormwater system.In 2013, the city com-

pleted a number o largerprojects, including 26 re-placements, 12 cast in placerepairs, eight detention pondrenovations and 11 engineer-ing studies. Tis includedrepairing rusted portionso the system. Te city alsoresponded to more than 100resident service requests,resulting in 193 completedwork orders by maintenancecrews.

Te city is currently ad-dressing repairs and replace-ments to damaged stormwa-ter pipes and has three to fiveyears worth o projects linedup and prioritized.

As the city paves a road,it also uses a remote camerato survey damaged storm-water pipes in the area todetermine the need or re-pair or replacement, Mullensaid. Troughout 2014 thestormwater team will workthrough prioritized projects

which are in most need orepair and replacement andwith more than 130 miles opipe and 10,000 structuresthe crews are sure to be busy

or some time to come.Te city has also con-

nected with residents andvolunteers to help addresskey stormwater educationand improvements throughspecial events and programs,including a stream cleanupprogram as well as a recentstorm drain marking effort.o help address the needto educate and inorm thecommunity, volunteers romIHG Worldwide Sales placedNo Dumping Drains toStream medallions on stormdrains in several Dunwoodyneighborhoods.

Stormwater in Dun-woody is discharged directlyinto the creeks, rivers andstreams. Each time it rains,water washes over streets,driveways and yards pick-ing up pollutants along theway and flows into the stormdrains.

Tis educational efforthelps make people aware othe dangers o dumping oil,

leaves, grass clippings, petwaste or other garbage intoour storm drainage system,Mullen said.

Dunwoody Public Works Department spent the past yearepairing or replacing damaged stormwater pipes. Theity used a remote camera, above left, to survey damagedtormwater pipes in the area to determine the need for repairr replacement.

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THE CHAMPIO N FREE PRESS, FRIDAY, JANUARY 10, 2014 PAGE 7A

COMMUNITY

BROOKHAVEN

Expert to offer health tips

Te Brookhaven Library presents NewYear, New YouYour Healthiest Year onuesday, Jan. 14, 6:30-7:30 p.m. Jessica Hillo the DeKalb Cooperative Extension will o-er nutrition and exercise tips. Te program isor adults 18 years and older. Te BrookhavenLibrary is located at 1242 North Druid HillsRoad, NE, Atlanta. For more inormation, call404) 848-7140.

CHAMBLEE

Animal organizations to host kickboxingclasses to raise unds

Furkids and Small Dog Rescue will hostkickboxing classes at Elite Edge rainingCenter Jan. 11. Tree classes will be held at10 a.m., 11 a.m. and noon. Te cost or theclass is $15 per person and 100 percent ohe money benefits Furkids and Small Dog

Rescues animals. Attendees will also be ableo purchase Furkids merchandise and bid onilent auction items such as a one-month gym

membership. o register or a class, call (770)695-0663.

CLARKSTONCommunity center offers weekly Tai Chi

Every uesday in January, rom 6:30-7:30p.m., the Clarkston Community Center willoffer ai Chi or Health.

ai Chi is an ancient Chinese exercise ormdesigned to increase flexibility and balance tohelp cultivate and oster mental and physicaltrength.

Te first class is ree and each additionalmonth costs $20.

Attendees are required to wear comort-able, breathable attire and tennis shoes.

For more inormation email [email protected] or call the Clarkston CommunityCenter at (404) 508-1050.

COUNTYWIDE

Callanwolde to hold arts estival

Te Callanwolde Fine Arts Center, located980 Briarcliff Road NE in Atlanta, will host anarts estival Jan. 25-26 rom 10 a.m.-5 p.m.

Te indoor art estival will eature approxi-mately 150 painters, photographers, sculp-ors, metalwork artists, glass artists, jewelers

and more. Additionally, the estival will ea-ure artist demonstrations, live acoustic music

and ood trucks.According to a press release, the event

aims to become one o the premier partner-ships o art institutions in the Atlanta area.It is a estival or artists by artists, letting theartist have a voice in the creation and opera-

tions o the estival.For more inormation or to purchase tick-ets contact (404) 872-5338 or visit www.cal-lanwolde.org.

DECATUR

Historian to speak on small Americanhouses o 1920s-1950s

Te DeKalb History Centers Jan. 21 Lunch& Learn, will feature architectural historianRichard Cloues, who will present Aferthe Bungalow, Beore the Ranch: Te SmallAmerican House Phenomenon, 1920s-1950s.

Dr. Cloues has observed that whilemost people are amiliar with the early 20th-century crafsman-style bungalow and manyare gaining an appreciation or the mid-20th-century ranch house, ew people are asaware o the importance o the houses builtrom the 1920s to the 1950sparticularly themany small and seemingly simple one or one-and-a-hal story houses in modest colonial,English, or plain styles, according to an an-nouncement by the history center.

And yet, as Dr. Cloues will show, thesesecond-child-in-a-three-child-amily houseswere quite revolutionary in their timequi-etly revolutionary, he adds, but revolutionary

nonetheless. Tey represent proound chang-es in the way American houses were designedand built in the 20th century, in response toeconomic challenges, new technologies, andchanging amily circumstances, and in spiteo their differences in appearance, they allshare a common architectural heritage. Usingexamples primarily rom Decatur and DeKalbCounty, Dr. Cloues will show how these smalland seemingly simple houses orm an im-portant chapter in the history o Americanhouses, the announcement continues.

Cloues has a Ph.D. in architectural historyand historic preservation rom Cornell Uni-

versity. He worked at the Georgia State His-

toric Preservation Offi ce or 34 years, retiringin June 2012. During his career, he contribut-ed to studies o Georgias vernacular houses,Arican-American historic places, historiclandscapes, 20th-century suburbs, the ranchhouse, and the split-level house.

Te presentation is uesday, Jan. 21, noon-1 p.m. at the Historic DeKalb Courthouse,101 E. Court Square, Decatur, on the secondfloor in the old Superior Courtroom. Attend-ees are urged to bring lunch.

Cheerleading program announced

Judah All Stars is offering a ree inorma-tion session on its Christian all-star cheer-leading program or girls ages 8-16. Te eventwill be held on Friday, Jan. 10, at 6 p.m. at2941 Columbia Drive, Decatur. o register orthe event or or more inormation, visit www.

cheer1.net or call (678) 948-7051 or email [email protected].

DeKalb Symphony Orchestra to eature

Francine ReedAtlanta artist Francine Reedand the Jez

Graham rio will perorm with the DeKalbSymphony Orchestra at the Porter SanordIII Performing Arts & Community Center onJanuary 12 at 3 p.m. Admission is ree.

According to a release, Reed will bringto the stage an eclectic blend o jazz, blues,and R&B. She has performed as the openingact or headliners such as Miles Davis, EttaJamesand Smokey Robinson. Reed has beennominated or the prestigious W.C. HandyAward, Blues Song o the Year and Soul/BluesFemale Artist o the year in 1997.

he concert will last approximately onehour and will eature a variety o blues andpopular music including a jazz number byDuke Ellington,highlights rom Gersh-wins Porgy and Bess, and music inspired byDixieland in a tribute to Louis Armstrong.Reed will join the orchestra to perorm StevieWonders song, Loves In Need of Love odayand Surrender. She will also perorm a medleyo songs with the Jez Graham rio.

The Porter Sanford III Performing Arts &Community Center is located at 3181 Rain-bow Drive, Decatur. For more inormation,call (678) 891-3565 or visit www.DeKalb-Symphony.org.

DUNWOODY

Church to host concert

Musician Angelina Galashenkova-Reedand award-winning classical guitaristJohn Hustonwill perorm at the 9 StringTeory concert Jan. 12 at 4 p.m. Te duowill perorm at Dunwoody United Method-ist Church, 1548 Mt. Vernon Road in Dun-woody.

TUCKERChamber music to come to library

Symphony in Your Neighborhoodcomes to the ucker-Reid H. Coer LibrarySaturday, Jan. 11, 1-2 p.m. In a program orthe entire amily, the Atlanta SymphonyOrchestra (ASO) will bring ree chambermusic perormances by ASO musiciansto the library. Te casual concerts willprovide audience members the opportunityto learn about the music being perormedas well as interact with musicians, states anannouncement rom the library. ucker-Reid

H. Coer Library is located at 5234 LavistaRoad, ucker. For more inormation, call(770) 270-8234.

AROUNDDEKALB

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Diamond (A20971504)is a very sweet LabradorRetriever/pit bull mix puppy.She is about 7 months oldand loves to play. Diamondhas been growing up in theshelter and that is no place

for a puppy to become anadult. She needs love andsomeone who can help her

to be the best puppy she canbe. Diamond is friendly toeveryone and would makea fantastic family pet! Shedeserves a forever home. Inthis new year if you can findit in your heart to adopt a

pet; please give Diamond achance.

DiamondFemale

Pet Weekofthe

The adoptions number: (404) 294-2165For adoption inquiries: [email protected]

For rescue inquiries: [email protected] volunteer and foster inquiries: [email protected]

NoticeofPublicHearingAcopyoftheproposed2014OperatingBudgetfortheCityofChambleewillbeavailableforreviewatCityHallonThursday,January16,2014.ApublichearingontheproposedbudgetwillbeheldonTuesday,January21,2014at7:30p.m.attheCivicCenter,3540BroadStreet. Anypersonswishingtobeheardonthebudgetmayappearandbeheard.TheCityCouncilwilladoptthebudgetonThursday,January30,2013. Themeetingwillbeginat6:00p.m.andwillbeheldatCityHall,5468PeachtreeRoad.


A man and a teenagerhave been arrested and arebeing held without bond ortheir alleged roles in shoot-ing an unarmed Army re-servist in Kirkwood Dec. 26.

Xavier Arnold, 21,wasshot in the head during anattempted robbery by twomen as he and his girlriendwalked on a bike trial inKirkwood. Another riendnearby was shot in the leg,police said.

According to police,Qutravius Palmer, 22,turned himsel in to police

Jan. 1 and has been chargedwith elony murder andarmed robbery.

he 14-year-old teenager,whose name is being with-held because hes a juvenile,also aces armed robberyand murder charges.

Ebb Sanusi, the riendwalking with Arnold andhis girlriend, reportedlytold police that the 14-year-old pulled out a pistol anddemanded Sanusis wallet,while Palmer grabbed Ar-nold. he our began grap-pling and the teen shot Sa-nusi in the upper thigh.

According to police, asArnold and Palmer strug-

gled, Palmer began to yellat the teenager, Shoot him.Shoot him. he teenager al-

legedly ired and struck Ar-nold in the back o the head.Arnold was also a student

at the Savannah College oArt and Design. His uneralwas held Jan. 4 at New BirthMissionary Baptist Churchin Lithonia.

He is the ace o a newrevolution; a ight againstcrime. he entire Kirkwoodcommunity and the city oAtlanta [stand] behind themovement to take back thecommunity and demandjustice, Arnolds cousinJames Conleysaid.

Army reservist allegedlyshot by teen in Kirkwood


A U.S. District judgeruled that the managemento DeKalb County strip clubPin Ups must classiy itsdancers as employees, ratherhan general contractors, be-

cause o the essential serviceshey provide.

Judge Thomas Thrashaid in a 13-page opinion

released Dec. 31 that it wasclear under the Fair LaborStandards Act (FLSA) thathe strippers employed at Pin

Ups are entitled to minimumwage and overtime compen-ation.

According to court docu-ments, a manual o Pin Upsgeneral policies and pro-cedures was provided toeach stripper. he manual

outlined rules o conductand also detailed ee require-ments due when each dancerarrived or their shit. hisncluded a house ee, a DJ

ee, and a house mom ee.House moms supervise thegirls dancing to make surehey ollow the rules.

he suit was iled onbehal o dancers Marti-sha Stevenson and ElishaHunter against he GreatAmerican Dream Inc., thecompany that manages PinUps. Attorneys or he GreatAmerican Dream CEOames Lee contend that Lee

was erroneously included asa deendant in the lawsuitand that the dancers wereproperly classiied as inde-

pendent contractors.Stevenson and Hunter

have been employees o PinUps since 2005 and 2006, re-spectively.

It is clear that the plain-tis were employees underthe FLSA, Judge hrashsaid. he deendants re-quently reiterate that theacts must be reviewed in thelight most avorable to thedeendants. However, thereis little dispute regarding theunderlying acts o the plain-tis employment arrange-ment with the deendants.

hrash also said that PinUps exerted a signiicantamount o control over theplaintis; issued an em-ployee handbook to those ithired decided which songsthe women dance to.

he plaintis and Pin

Ups did not share equally inthe opportunities or proitand loss, hrash said. hePlaintis services were anintegral part o Pin Upsbusiness. Pin Ups is an adultentertainment club and soit needs adult entertainers.Kelly Campbell, the gen-eral manager o Pin Ups,acknowledged this, hrashwrote.

hrash released anopinion and partial sum-mary judgment in the case,which is a class-action suit.he opinion states that thedancers working at PinUps should be consideredemployees under the FSLArather than contractors. hecase is ongoing.

Judge rules strippersare employees

Photo by Travis Hudgons

U.S. District Court judge recently sided with dancers employed athe DeKalb County strip club Pin Ups and said they deserve the sameenets as all businesses employees. Photo by Daniel Beauregard

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Students learn comedy acting during holiday breakby Andrew [email protected]

Afer the Christmas gifs had been unwrappedand beore school restarted, a group o youngpeople worked on their acting skills.

Its really un, said Tyla Harris, 13, one oapproximately 20 students who attended theHoliday Intensive held by Blackop Circusmprov, a Black improvisational comedy troupe.

We get to do lots o stuff like acting andmprov and we meet celebrities. Its really cool.

And theyre helping me a lot, actually, saidyla, who wants to be an actress. You learnnot to be so araid. You learn not to alwaysbenside o the box. You can be creative sometimes.

You can let go o your eelings and you can usethem] in the arts.

Te best part is you have riends and you canrust everybody here, yla said.

Te weeklong workshop was more o a thinkank, said Anthony SwifRice, a co-ownerohe Black op Circus.

Te students, who have participated inprevious Blackop camps, worked to developwhat were going to do this summer, which isgoing to be our film estival where were going tohoot eight films, in various genres, including

drama, romance, musical documentary andomedy.Blackop Circus, which has an office at

he Porter Sanford III Performing Arts &Community Center, has an aferschool program

and holds a summer camp at the CommunityAchievement Center, 3255 Flat Shoals Parkway.Te camp attracts approximately 80 youth whoreceive training rom celebrity guests who haveincluded Tommy Fordand ReginaldBruh ManBallardoMartin, BradJameso Te Haves andHave Notsand RodneyPerry who served as acohost on BEs Te MoNique Show.

Blackop got its start in 1997 when eightstand-up comedians started the improv troup toperorm clean comedy,

We started doing shows and big events, Ricesaid. Ten a couple o years afer that, I wantedto break off and start off the kids.

Originally rom New York, Rice was exposedto theater and art regularly by his mother.

I saw that was lacking in this area, he said.With the building o the Porter Sanord Center,I thought it was a great idea to start off anaferschool program and summer camp teachingkids improv, acting, standup and writing.

Blackop co-ownerAndrene Ward-Hammondsaid the companys goal is to teachthe students how to perorm clean comedybecause it would help themin school withpublic speaking, and confidence.

During the holiday intensive and the summercamps, students play improv games, read scripts

and learn about the concept o the script.I its strictly acting, they learn script reading,projection, working with a camera, working witha live audience, Ward-Hammond said. With theimprov aspect, its literally thinking on your toes.

Te camps also help students learn conflictresolution, Rice said.

We have so many kids here and we put themall on one project together, Rice said. Four-year-old Janai Townesmay be the youngest but shesgoing to work with the kids who are 17 as wellbecause everybody is on the same level. She has

just as much talent as the 17-year-olds. She maynot necessarily have an extensive vocabulary, butas ar as the talent she has, she can match any othem.

One o the improv games the group playedis called A to Z. In this game, the participantsact out a scene by alternating their lines andbeginning each line with the next letter o thealphabet.

Tats one o those multilevel thinking gameswhere you have to create a scene and keep in timewith the alphabet, Rice said. Its a good learningtool. I see improv as a mind exercise, sort o likea creative luminosity.that helps them expandtheir thinking, expand their creativity andbroadens their horizons.

In another game, players had to improvisea rap song about, afer a suggestion by Jania,blueberries.

Calling their song the Blueberry Jam Rap,the players danced and rapped using lyrics such

as Blueberries, thats my jam. You get it?/I saidthats my jam. Blueberries. It goes with ham./Blueberries, thats my jam./You get it?

ydney Davis, 10, and Tyla Harris, 13

Messiah Coleman, 9, and Janai Townes, 4

Anthony Swift Rice performs an improvised rap song as students in the acting camp dance along.

Participants in the BlackTop Circus Improv holiday intensive work together in one of many improv exercises.Photos by Andrew Cauthen

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Burmese refugee is part pastor, part social workerby Andrew [email protected]

In 2006, the amily and church oAungMatu, asked him to never re-turn to his home country o Burma.

Now 56, Matu came to Americaor the first time in 1995 or threeyears. Te first time I was here to

study the word o God or educa-tion.

Back in Burma, he was the prin-cipal o Reormed Teological Semi-nary.

In order to upgrade my schoolto be a member o Asian Teologi-cal Association, it was required [orme to get] a doctorate degree, Matusaid. So he went to Reormed Teo-ogical Seminary in Jackson, Miss.

He wrote his dissertation on Mul-tiplying Churches in Burma: Reach-ng out to Burmese Teravada Bud-

dhist Communities through NewChurch Planting Strategies.

In the paper he said that Chris-tianity is not a western religion, asmany in Burma believed.

Christianity is or all the peopleo the world, Matu wrote. Jesus

Christ came to earth or all thepeople.

Te Burmese government heardabout the paper and was not happyabout it.

Tey went to my house, myhome, my amily and asked, Whenis he coming back, It was scary,Matu said. So my church members

and my amily members asked menot to return back to our country.

In 2006, Matu sought asylum,which was granted in one month.Later his immediate amily joinedhim.

He currently lives in StoneMountain with his wie Angul KhanCing, sons Glory, 23, and Emman-uel, 19, and daughter Christina, 14.

My ocus right now is helpingthe [Burmese] reugee community,said Matu, pastor o Atlanta Ma-tupi Community Church in StoneMountain. He is also chairmano the Atlanta Burmese Christian

Churches, a group o 20 churches.My main purpose is to dochurch planting ocusing on mypeople, he said. His church has ap-proximately 140 members.

Matu moved rom New York toAtlanta in January 2010 when helearned that the Matu community inAtlanta had no leaders.

Tey badly needed help, Matusaid. Tey needed a communityleader. When they first got here,they were like chicks without a hen.Tey were without their leaders.

Tey asked me to come down,so I decided to come down here, hesaid.

Te Burmese needed help withmedical appointments, job searches,transportation, car and health insur-ance applications and they neededan interpreter.

I stand by all the time, he said.When they call, I have to go. Sincenobody helps them, I have to go andhelp. I am not only a pastor, I am asocial worker. Sometimes they donthave a vehicle and they have to go toshopping or groceries, I take themor the groceries.

Te hardest part about being inAmerica is paying bills, said Matu,who grew up in a very remote areao Burma, where the residents live inbamboo houses with thatched roos.

Living in Burma we never hadthe bills, Matu said. Te hardest ispaying the bills. We use it, we spendit, we orget it. When the bill comes,[were surprised].

In America, you have to be alertall the time, he said. In Burma, wenever spend or water; water is ree.Teres not electricity; we dont have

to pay. No heater; we just cut thetree or firewood, [and] put [it in]the firethats it. Also, its not coldthat much.

Te joyul part about livingin America is the acilities, Matusaid. Whenever you need the heat,the heat is there. Whenever youneed the cold, cold is there. Water isthere, even though we pay or it.

Te toilet is thereyou donthave to run to the orest. Tere [are]many ollowers, too, when you runto the orestanimals: the pig andthe dog and the chicks.Its unny,he said.

I also enjoy the ood, Matu said.Anytime, anywhere, we can get [it]easily.

Aung Matu, pastor of the Atlanta Matupi Community Church, came to DeKalb County to help his fellow Burmese. Photo by Andrew Cauthen

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THE CHAMPIO N FREE PRESS, FRIDAY, JANUARY 10, 2014 PAGE 11AWEEK IN PICTURES

Searching for Our Sons and Daughters:

For a programming guide, visit www.yourdekalb.com/dctvNow showing on DCTV!

Finding DeKalb Countys Missing

Stories of our missing residents offer profoundinsights and hope for a positive reunion.

DCTV Your Emmy Award-winning news source of DeKalb County news. Available on Comcast Cable Channel 23.

This week in photos brought to you by DCTV

WEEKPICTURESIn

Georgia Supreme Court Justice David Nahmias swears inDunwoody City Council Member-Elect Jim Riticher, CouncilMember Denis Shortal, and Council Member Doug Thompson.Photo provided

Twas the week after Christmas and live trees, their homebrightening jobs done, wait in a pile on an Agnes Scott Collegeparking lot to be taken for recycling into mulch and othermaterials. Photo by Kathy Mitchell

eKalb County transportation crews prepared for an icy blast with snow plows and piles of salt. Photo by Danieleauregard

Elementary school children spent the day off from school at theDecatur Recreation Center for Polar Camp. Photo by Children andYouth Services staff

he Tucker Tigers boys celebrate their 74-59 victoryver Columbia to win the Chick-l-A Holiday Classichampionship.

Joe Dunmyer, left, was named Most Valuable Playerand Tyrell Thomas received the Defensive Player award.Photos by Travis Hudgons

Christmas wreaths are ready to be picked up in downtownDecatur. Photo by Carla Parker

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by Andrew [email protected]

Atlanta-based UPS,which has a major hub inDeKalb County, is the sub-ect o a class-action law-uit alleging the companyystematically overcharges

customers.Plaintis Steven Sivak,

o Ann Arbor, Mich., andnternational Samaritan, a

Michigan nonproit orga-nization that provides as-istance to poor people in

Central America, iled theawsuit Dec. 27 in a U. S.

District Court in Michigan

on behal o all personswho used UPS to ship apackage and purchased andpaid or additional cover-age or loss or damage romUPS.

he lawsuit accuses UPSo breach o contract, unjustenrichment and violation ohe Racketeer Influenced and

Corrupt OrganizationsActand the Consumer Protec-ion Act.

In the lawsuit, the plain-is, who regularly use

UPS, claim to have beenovercharged or additional

coverage protection by UPSin contravention o the ap-

plicable terms and shippingrates in eect in at the timeo shipment.

he lawsuit alleges thatthe international logisticscompany has or years beensystematically overchargingcustomers or the irst $100o declared value coverage,which UPS in its standard-ized published rates claimsto provide or ree or eachpackage sent.

Despite that claim, UPShas systematically chargedand caused its agent andsales network to chargecustomers an additionalamount or coverage or the

irst $100 when they pur-chase additional declaredvalue coverage, accordingto the lawsuit.

he practice, accordingto the lawsuit, was discov-ered at least 18 months agoand has been repeatedlybrought to UPS attention.

When the matter isbrought to UPS attention,UPS always acknowledgesthe mistake and credits theaccount, but it does not ixthe problem, the lawsuitstates. Smaller companiesand individuals who lack the

means or sophistication tohire proessional shipping

consultants continue to getovercharged by UPS.

he overcharge collectedby UPS or each aectedpackage amounts to lessthan $1 per package, but re-lects a deliberate breach ocontract with an intentionaleort to deraud its custom-ers, the lawsuit states.

As part o this scheme,UPS has implemented apractice o crediting withreunds those ew customerswho complain o the over-charge, knowing that thenumber o customers whodo not catch UPS breach o

contract and raud will aroutnumber those that do,the lawsuit states.

Susan Rosenberg, UPSspublic relations director,

said, he same law irmiled two separate lawsuitsagainst UPS about declared

value charges or loss ordamage protection--onein the U. S. District Courtscentral district o Caliorniaand the other in eastern dis-trict o Michigan.

he complaints do notspeciy what time period isat issue, said Rosenberg inan email to he Champion.he basic allegation is thatUPS is not permitted to as-sess a declared value charge

or the irst $100 o protec-tion when a shipper declaresa value in excess o $100.

Our UPS Rate and Ser-vice Guide clearly states that

the declared value chargeis assessed or each $100(or portion o $100) o thetotal value declared, Rosen-berg said. he total valuedeclared includes the irst$100. UPS assesses declared

value charges exactly as theyare disclosed in the Rateand Service Guide. When ashipper declares a value andpays the applicable charge,it simply adjust UPSs limito liability to the DeclaredValue.

hese complaints have

no merit, she said.

Notice of Public Hearing

The Board of Mayor and Commissioners for the City of Avondale Estates will hold a PublicHearing on January 27, 2014 at 7:30 p.m. to receive public comment regarding the proposedtext amendment to Appendix A of the Code to permit Craft Distilleries and Artisanal FoodProduction in certain zones of the City and for other purposes.

This hearing will be held at City Hall, 21 North Avondale Plaza, Avondale Estates, Georgia30002.

Juliette Sims-OwensCity ClerkCity of Avondale Estates

UPS being sued forovercharges

y Carla [email protected]

Century Center wascheduled to be annexednto Chamblee Dec. 30long with 11,000 residents.

However, Highwoods

roperties, owners o Cen-ury Center, iled an emer-ency motion or expeditedeview, supersedeas andnjunction pending appeal

Dec. 17 to stop the an-exation. On Dec. 19, the

Court o Appeals granted inart and denied in part themergency motion.

According to the order,he court granted High-

woods request or a stayo prevent Chamblee romroceeding with the an-exation. However, the

Court o Appeals deniedHighwoods request to ex-

edite the brieing schedulend consideration o theppeal beore Chambleesnnexation took eect Dec.

30. he appeal will be heardApril 2014 and a decisionis expected to come in thesummer or all.

he Court o Appealsalso denied the requestby Highwoods to stay theOct. 28 Superior Court

order that ruled againstBrookhaven rom movingorward with its annexationo Century Center unlessChamblees Nov. 5 annexa-tion reerendum ailed.

Highwoods Propertiescontinues to ight to be apart o Brookhaven despiteresidents o neighbor-hoods in the Dresden Eastand Clairmont Road area,which includes the CenturyCenter property, voting tobe annexed into Chamblee.Brookhaven also passed aresolution Nov. 12 to with-draw support o the appealo a DeKalb County Supe-rior Court judges ruling onthe annexation o CenturyCenter.

Century Center still fighting to be annexed into BrookhavenOn Oct. 28, DeKalb

Superior Court JudgeTangela Barrieruled tostop Brookhaven rom an-nexing Century Center andBrookhaven iled an appealthe next day. BrookhavenCity Council approved a

resolution to stop any ur-ther unding o the appeal oChamblees litigation.

Highwoods originally ap-pealed the Oct. 28 order tothe Georgia Supreme Court,where it iled an emergencymotion to block Chambleesannexation. However, theSupreme Court ruled Dec.16 that it did not have juris-

diction and transerred thecase to the Court o Appeals.Highwoods Properties

iled an application June 21with Brookhaven or Cen-tury Center to be annexedinto the newly created city.Barrie issued an injunctionin August to prevent theBrookhaven City Councilrom voting on the annexa-

tion.

A lawsuit against Atlanta-based UPS alleges the company routinely overcharges customers. Photo by TravisHudgons

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A group o residentsasked the DeKalb Countychool board Jan. 6 to con-ider changing the name o

Panthersville Stadium andanother acility to honor theegacy o two ormer DeKalb

County coachesWilliamBuck Godfreyand Napo-eon Cobb.

Godrey, who recentlyetired, was a Southwest

DeKalb High School ootballoach or more than 30 years.

Cobb is a track and ieldoach who has won our state

AAAA championships andhad two o his ormer athletesompete in the 2000 Olym-

picshe will soon retire.

In a Jan. 3 letter addressedto school board ChairmanMelvin Johnson, PastorDexter Rowlandand severalothers said both men broughtstatewide and internationalacclaim to the districts ath-

letics program during theirtime as coaches. he letterrequested the board considerrenaming Panthersville Stadi-um in Decatur ater Godreyand another athletic acilityater Cobb.

In their proession, bothcoaches excelled in theircoaching and the academicaccomplishments o studentsin their care, the letter states.

Godrey coached baseball

at Gordon High School rom1974-1976. His team won25 games playing againstall-White schools and wentdeep into the playos. Whenschools began integrating,Godrey was moved to ow-

ers High School to be theootball teams oensive co-ordinator and the schoolsirst Black male teacher. Hemoved to Southwest DeKalbin 1983 where he was the irstBlack head ootball coach.

Godrey, who has 273wins under his belt as headcoach, won the 1995 ClassAAAA Georgia High SchoolAssociation state champion-ship and 13 region titles. He

is in 16th place all-time inwins, according to the Geor-gia High School Football His-torians Association.

Godrey was inducted intothe Atlanta Sports Hall oFame in June 2010.

Several players were talk-ing about what we could doto really memorialize what hehas done in the county andwe thought about the ootballstadium, said David Bur-gess, who asked the schoolboard to rename the stadium.Coach Godrey spent 30years coaching at SouthwestDeKalb High School. He wona lot o games over at thatplace.

Sen. Emmanuel Jonesrecently iled a resolution rec-ognizing and commendingCobbs accomplishments.

Cobb, who coached trackand ield at Gordon HighSchool, led the team to three

winning state championshipgames in 1975, 1976 and1978. He coached or DeKalbCounty or more than 20years.

In 2002, Cobb was votedinto the track and ield hall oame. He has won one nation-al championship, 13 countychampionships and 10 statechampionships.

Residents call for stadium, facility name changes to remember coaches

he job o the Centers or DiseaseControl and Prevention (CDC) is todetect health threats, stop outbreaks,and prevent illness and injury. Amer-cas health protection agency looked

back at top ive health concerns in2013 and previewed the ive healthhreats that loom or 2014.

CDC oicials say the most im-portant achievements in 2013 werehe outbreaks that didnt happen, the

diseases that were stopped beorehey crossed U.S. borders, and the

countless lives saved rom preventablechronic diseases and injuries.

While our biggest successes maybe the bad things that did not happen,careul assessment o what we didwelland what we might do betters essential or continued success,aid CDC Director Tom Frieden.

CDCs top accomplishments in-cluded the ips tobacco educationcampaign; a pilot study supportinghe technologies and methods o the

proposed Advanced Molecular Detec-ion (AMD) initiatives; the Million

Hearts Initiative to prevent a millionheart attacks; progress in curbinghealthcare-associated inections; andcontributions to the U.S. PresidentsPlan or Emergency AIDS Relie,

which prevented the one millionthbabyrom being inected with HIV.However, CDC oicials say, much

more needs to be done. CDC soundedhe alarm about the potential loss

o antibiotic protection rom bacte-ial inections, the slow uptake o the

anti-cancer human papillomavirusHPV) vaccine, the growing epidemic

o prescription opiate addiction, theperect storm o emerging inectiousdisease threats, and the inal push orglobal polio eradication.

CDCs 2013 accomplishments in-clude: Demonstrations that new AMDtechnologies and methods can de-tect outbreaks sooner, stop themaster, and prevent them better.hrough piloting AMD technolo-gies and methods, the use o whole-genome sequencing allowed CDC

to quickly track and trace a listeriaoutbreak rom contaminated cheese.

Progress in efforts to prevent a mil-lion heart attacks and strokes.

Tips from Former Smokers ads in-creased calls to quit lines ar beyond

CDCs ambitious goals.With CDC support, the FDA pub-lished its tentative determination thatpartially hydrogenated oilsthe pri-mary source o dietary trans-atisnot generally recognized as sae. Itsremoval rom the ood supply couldsave up to 7,000 lives and prevent upto 20,000 heart attacks a year, accord-ing to the report.

More than 12,000 acilities nowtrack healthcare-associated inectionsusing CDCs National HealthcareSaety Network. CDC has ound thatbloodstream inections in patientswith central lines have decreased by44 percent and surgical-site inectionshave decreased by 20 percent since2008. Following CDC protocols couldcut some dialysis-related bloodstreaminections in hal.

Last year marked the 10th anni-

versary o the U.S. Presidents Plan orEmergency AIDS Relie (PEPFAR). In2013, PEPFAR prevented the one mil-lionth babyrom being inected withHIV and has 6.7 million people ontreatment, with HIV incidence alling

in nearly all PEPFAR countries.CDC published its irst estimateso which oods were causing ood-borne illnesses in the United States,reerred to as attribution estimates.hese estimates help regulators, in-dustry and consumers more preciselytarget and implement eective mea-sures to prevent ood contamination,and allow people to use it to helpguide their own ood saety practices.

CDC scientists traced the newlydiscovered Heartland virus that in-ected two men rom northwesternMissouri to populations o lone starticks in the region. his discoveryhelps CDC stay one step ahead owhat could become another publichealth threat carried by ticks.

In conjunction with public healthoicials in Eurasias Republic o Geor-gia, CDC helped identiy a new pox-

virus (related to smallpox) that sick-ened shepherds in Akhmeta, Georgia.he successul investigation showsthat rapid detection saves precioustime during response to emerginghealth threats.

CDC researchers ound that twonew antibiotic regimens using exist-ing drugs successully treat gonor-rhea inections. his is especiallyimportant given growing antibioticresistance and dwindling treatmentoptions or gonorrhea.

A major CDC priority in the yearahead is to improve Americas abilityto detect diseases, both at home andabroad, beore they become wide-spread outbreaks. AMDthe use osupercomputers and orensic DNAidentiication o inectious agentsisa key part o this eort. ImprovedAMD will enable aster and more e-ective inectious disease preventionand control.

Investment in world-class tech-nology is a wise investment in U.S.health security, Frieden said. Ameri-can lives, and Americas economicstability depend on CDC quickly de-tecting and ighting superbugs.

echnology is only one o the toolsneeded or global health security.

CDC and its partners are building aglobal health security inrastructurethat can be scaled up to deal withmultiple emerging health threats.

Currently, only one in ive coun-tries can rapidly detect, respond to, orprevent global health threats causedby emerging inections. Improve-ments overseas, such as strengtheningsurveillance and lab systems, trainingdisease detectives, and building acili-ties to investigate disease outbreakscan make the worldand the UnitedStatesmore secure.

here may be a misconceptionthat inectious diseases are over in theindustrialized world. But in act, in-ectious diseases continue to be, andwill always be, with us. Global healthand protecting our country go handin hand, Frieden said.

CDC looks back at 2013 health challenges, ahead to 2014 health worries

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DeKalb County Interim CEO Lee May,

DeKalb County Board of Commissioners and

DeKalb County Recreation, Parks and Cultural Affairspresent

Francine Reedand the Jez Graham Trio

with the

DeKalb Symphony OrchestraFyodor Cherniavsky, Music Director & Conductor

Sunday, January 12, 2014 at 3:00pm

Porter Sanford III Performing Arts & Community Center

3181 Rainbow Drive, Decatur, GA 30034

Free Admission

For more information call 678-891-3565

Sponsored by DeKalb Convention and Visitors Bureau

by Christina A. Cassidy

ALANA (AP) Demo-crat Jason Carterwill report$1.3 million in contribu-ions to his campaign or

Georgias governor, a size-able haul in just more thaneven weeks and in a state

where Republicans controlevery statewide elected o-ice.

Carter, a state senatorand grandson o ormerPresident Jimmy Carter,announced in Novemberhat he would be challeng-ng Republican Gov. Nathan

Deal, who is seeking a sec-ond term. State and nationalDemocrats have ralliedaround Carter and he is not

expected to draw a majorprimary challenger.Carter campaign chair

Michael J. Colestold heAssociated Press on Jan. 3hat Carter will report the

money by the Jan. 8 dead-ine. Coles said the cam-

paign had more than 1,800donors, with more than1,500 o them rom Georgia.

Carter said he was heart-ened by the level o enthu-iasm and support he has

received, noting the vastmajority o Georgia donorso his campaign.

We thought that Geor-gia was ready or somethingnew and now we know it orure, Carter said. here is

pent-up energy both amongDemocrats and a lot o Re-publicans or a new and bet-er discussion about where

our state needs to be, andhat outpouring is evident.

Deal has yet to report hisrecent campaign contribu-ions, although hes expectedo signiicantly increase the

$1.1 million in cash he hadon hand as o June 30. Dur-

ng his 2010 campaign, Dealraised nearly $8.4 millionover the course o a crowdedGOP primary and thengeneral election match-upagainst ormer DemocraticGov. Roy Barnes. In thatrace, Barnes raised just shyo $9 million.

Jason Carter will cer-ainly need a substantial

war chest i hes going tobase his campaign on ool-ng Georgians into believinghat he is the one moderate,

post-partisan Democrat in

he Carter amily, Dealscampaign manager, TomWillis, said in a statement.his would be a great haulor another Democrat inGeorgia, but doesnt seem

overwhelming or someonewho prides himsel on hisnational, name-brand am-ily.

Carters undraising isnotable. In comparison, or-mer U.S. Rep. Mike Ross, aDemocrat running or gov-ernor in Arkansas, reportedmore than $1.1 million overa three-month period thatended Sept. 30.

his level o early sup-port is among the mostimpressive weve seen in theentire country, said DannyKanner, communicationsdirector or the DemocraticGovernors Association.

heres no question thatCarters campaign, alongwith Democrat Michelle

Nunns bid or Georgiasopen U.S. Senate seat, hasenergized Georgia Demo-crats who have struggled inrecent years. he state partyhas been dealing with weakundraising since Repub-licans surged to power. Inaddition to controlling everystatewide oice, Republi-cans hold sizeable majoritiesin the General Assemblyand voters have backed ev-ery GOP presidential candi-date since 2000.

Yet Democrats say theysee a path, bolstered in partby changing demograph-icsan increase in minori-ties and residents moving inrom other states. Most stateDemocrats had been look-ing to 2018, but Carter andNunn think they can movethe electorate now and seehope with their early und-raising.

In her irst 10 weeks,Nunn raised $1.7 million orher Senate campaign. Nunnis the daughter o ormerDemocratic U.S. Sen. SamNunn, a moderate who

represented Georgia or 24years, and she is campaign-ing on her experience lead-ing Points o Light, the vol-unteer organization oundedby ormer President GeorgeH.W. Bush.

Carter said he was coni-dent he and Nunn will havethe inancial resources towage successul campaigns,although he acknowledgedDeal will raise a giganticamount o money.

Were not running thisrace to spend the most

money, Carter said. Weretrying to raise enough mon-ey to get our ideas out andwe think that is how we willwin, because olks are readyor a new discussion.

Democrat Carter to report$1.3M in Georgia governor bid

Stone Mountain HighSchool sophomore DeMarcoPoolewants to be the presi-dent o the United States oneday.

For now, he is a StudentCouncil president and amember o several organi-zations, including StudentAdvisory Committee, Men o

Distinction, and two groupshe startedSankoa and Kidsin Common.

DeMarco also plays ourpositions on the schools oot-ball team and is a baseball

player.Hes well respected by his

peers and the entire StoneMountain High School ami-ly, said DeKalb school Super-intendent Mike ThurmondJan 6 when DeMarco servedas a student representative onthe school board. I was soimpressed with him and his

intelligence, his insight andhis maturity. Hes just a joyand a source o inspiration tome.

he irst time I met him Iknew he had a little politician

in him, hurmond said.DeMarco said he plans to

major in criminal justice incollege, play proessional oot-ball, become a state senator orrepresentative and eventuallythe president.

DeMarco said the schoolboard meeting was a learningexperience or him.

My challenge was cominghere and learning [about] theprocess by which change hap-pens in DeKalb County andhow do I go about the pro-cess, he said.

Champion Student: DeMarco Poole

Photo by Travis Hudgons

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Criminals Continued From Page 1A

THE CHAMPION FREE PRESS, FRIDAY, JANUARY 10, 2014 PAGE 15ALOCAL NEWS

o the victim and they are unable toestify at trial.

We dont usually do that but Iealized that the hearing was an op-

portunity to record Mr. Stewartsestimony. The transcript of the

bond hearing served the same pur-pose as a deposition, Canavan said.

Canavan called Marks a traveler:a con man that travels the countryipping off the elderly and vulner-

able. She said Marks had been ar-ested many times before relocatingo Georgia.

That man had gone state-to-tate and gotten away with it and I

didnt want the fact that our victimhad passed away to be able to goout and [allow him] to do it again,Canavan said.

In March 2004, court documentstate Stewart was dining alone at a

DeKalb County restaurant and wasapproached by an attractive womann her early 50s, late 40s who asked

Stewart to join her and Marks at anearby table. Marks claimed to behe womans uncle.

Marks used the alias Ron Russo,and over the next several weeks pos-ng as Russo, he offered to do legal

work for Stewart in exchange forStewarts 1990 automobile. Stewartigned over the title to Marks, whohen convinced Stewart to let him

manage his financial assets as well.According to prosecutors, Marks

emoved jewelry from Stewartsafety deposit box, closed certainoint accounts in Stewarts name

and made approximately $27,000 inunauthorized charges on Stewartscredit card.

Canavan said at one point, Marks

convinced Stewart to take out a re-

straining order on his best friend,who previously managed his assets.Stewarts friend Beth Barnett hadbeen a cosignatory on his bank ac-counts and stock holdings. Barnettalso held his power of attorney andwas named executor of his estate.

Marks also persuaded Mr. Stew-art to make a new will, temporarilynaming Marks daughter, RachelMarks, as executrix and sole ben-

eficiary. Marks retained an attorneyand he took Mr. Stewart to that at-torneys office for the purpose ofdrafting the new will, court docu-ments state. However, before thenew will could be executed, Markswas arrested.

When Marks was arrested hehad a briefcase containing a forgeddeed, which he had filed in DeKalbCounty Superior Court, 40 blankchecks from Stewarts bank accountat Suntrust, the title to Stewarts carand other documents.

Another notable white-collarcase Canavan tried involved afamily-owned company RobinsonsTrucking, which she said stole mil-lions of merchandise from unsus-pecting truck drivers.

They were stealing tractor trail-ersAtlanta is a hub for tractortrailersthey were coming throughAtlanta and unloading them in 30minutes, then dumping the trailers

just outside the county line, Cana-van said.

They would have truck driv-ers standing by at night to take thetrailers while the legitimate truckdriver was sleeping or eating at thetruck stop. This was a major groupof people and the amount of money

represented by the amount of stolen

merchandise in those warehouseswas almost impossible to fathom.

Canavan said the crooks thenstored the stolen merchandise intwo warehouses they owned andsold the stolen goods out of a retailstore named Vibes, located onRockbridge Road.

You would walk into this store,which was classified as a mensclothing store, and you would seecookies, microwaves, truck tires andwashing machines, Canavan said.

Canavan said there are severalways to avoid being victim of theft

or identity fraud. The first is to nev-

er giving your personal informationover the phone: this includes SocialSecurity numbers, birthdays andyour mothers maiden name.

Additionally, Canavan said not tohire anybody who knocks on a doorasking for work. She also said itsimportant to pay attention to bankaccounts each month and reviewcharges.

Heres the important thing, thebank will reimburse fraud but onlyif its discovered [within] 30-60days, Canavan said.

Emory celebrates Beardens Odyssey and his time in Atlantaby Daniel [email protected]

The Michael C. Carlos Museumof Emory University is presentingRomare Bearden: A Black Odysseyuntil March 9. The exhibit exploresBeardens recreations of HomersOdysseyas well as his time spent inAtlanta.

In 1977 Bearden created a seriesof collages and watercolors based onHomers epic poem The Odyssey inan effort to create an artistic bridgebetween classical mythology andBlack culture.

Travel is a theme extensively ex-plored throughout the series, whichs part of the Smithsonian Institu-ion Traveling Exhibition service.

According to a press release,

Bearden, originally from NorthCarolina, moved with his family toHarlem as a young child. Through-out his career Bearden focusedmuch of his work on exploring thelives of travelers on their way to andfrom home.

As a meditation on the westernepic tradition and African-Amer-ican mobility, Beardens Odysseyseries invites a broader examinationof African-American culture andwithin the context of migration,escape, and notions of home and be-longing, said Mark Sanders, chairof Emory Universitys Departmentof African American Studies.

Romare Bearden: A Black Odys-sey features 55 works, including col-lages, watercolors and line drawingsas well as additional compositions

relating to Beardens interest inclassical themes. The exhibition iscurated by English and jazz scholarRobert G. OMeally, the Zora NealeHurston Professor of English andComparative Literature and founderand former director of the Centerfor Jazz Studies at Columbia Univer-sity.

Also on display is a series ofsketches Bearden did based onHomers other epic poem the Iliadand a collection of works influencedby the city of Atlanta and the timeBearden spent in the southeast titledSouthern Connections: Bearden inAtlanta.

The Southern Connections ex-hibit combines original artwork byBearden as well as items from Emo-rys Manuscript, Archives and Rare

Book Library. Many of the photosincluded in the exhibit have neverbeen shown in public.

Southern Connections surveysBeardens literary, scholarly, andartistic relationships in Atlanta,which shaped his influential careeras an African-American artist whodealt with a range of subjects fromhis upbringing in the south, to jazzand the Caribbean island of St. Mar-tin, to Homers The Odyssey, saidAmanda Hellman, Carlos MuseumCurator of African Art and co-cura-tor of Southern Connections.

There are a number of events foradults and children centered on theBearden exhibition.

For more information visit www.carlos.emory.edu or call (404) 727-4282.

A mugshot photo of white-collar criminal Nicholas Marks when he was arrested in Illinoisin 2004. Marks was convicted on multiple charges of theft and exploitation for conning aDeKalb County resident. Photo provided

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THE CHAMPION FREE PRESS, FRIDAY, JANUARY 10, 2014 PAGE 17ABUSINESS

Fitness instructor uses system that helped himWith help from his wife, Joanna, Alan Reed demonstrates Pilates techniques that require only simple equipment.

by Kathy [email protected]

Alan Reedsaid hes been physi-cally active all his lieand in manyways his interest in physical activityhas been a guiding orce.

When he decided to study to be-come a massage therapist, he oundmore than a new careerhe ounda wie. He married his teacher andhe couple started a massage thera-

py business in downtown Decatur.All was well or more than 20 yearswhen an accidenta all rom areelef Reed too severely injuredo continue his chosen proession.

I had been an athlete all my lie,o having serious physical limita-ions was really hard on me, Reedecalled. I lost my way or a ew

years.

Ten his wie, Joanna Reed, sug-gested that he try Pilates, a physicalconditioning system developed inthe early 20th century by Joseph Pi-lates. German-born Pilates was liv-ing in England at the start o WorldWar I. Because England and Ger-many were at war, Pilates along withmany other German nationals, wasplaced in an internment camp. Aormer boxer and circus acrobat, heworked to keep up his own strengthand assist others who were weak orinjured. With limited resources, Pi-lates developed a system using suchsimple materials as bed springs andkeg hoops.

Te system, Reed said, turnedout to be perect or him, helpinghim not only recover rom his in-

juries and regain strength, but re-building his confidence. In act, he

was so enthusiastic about it that hebecame a certified Pilates instruc-tor. Te Reeds now have a acilityin Decaturs East Decatur Station,where she continues massage thera-py while he takes Pilates clients.

Most places that offer Pilatesoffer classes. I dont teach classes,Reed explained. I work with clientsone-on-one in private sessions. Mygoal is to provide customized helpto one person at a time. Some,he said, are recovering rom an in-

jury; some want to regain lost vigorand some are athletes who want totake it to the next level. Pilates,he said, emphasizes building thebodys coreincluding muscles othe back, abdomen, buttocks andchestand using that strength todevelop other parts o the body.

He recalled a client whose goal

was to be able to board the bus. Shewasnt able to step up and get on thebus; she didnt have the strength inher legs, so, using springs, she builtleg strength until she was able tostep up.

While a number o variationson Pilates have been developedand taught over the years, Reed ex-plained that he teaches classical Pi-lates, employing the system just as itwas originally developed by JosephPilates. Among the eatures he likesabout Pilates, Reed said, is it can beadapted or persons o almost anyage.

Basically, its suitable or anyoneolder than 12its probably not agood system or young children.Beyond that, as long as a person isin basic good health, age isnt a limi-tation. I have clients in their 80s.

oanna Reed, left, demonstrates the Teaser, which is a very challenging original pilates exercise that involves abdominal strength,ore strength, balance and coordination. Photos by Travis Hudgons

Alan Reed demonstrates going up front on theWunda Chair.

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THE CHAMPI ON FREE PRESS, FRIDAY, JANUARY 10, 2014 PAGE 18AEDUCATION

The Voice of Business in DeKalb CountyDeKalb Chamber of Commerce

404.378.8000 www.DeKalbChamber.org

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

by Andrew [email protected]

When marriage brought PriscillaRincon Jimenez, now 44, rom Co-ombia to the United States, she knew

very little English.I studied English in my country,

but only when I [was in] high school,imenez said, her English conversa-ional but still broken. She also stud-ed English or a year in college in

Latin America.In February 2013, Jimenez began

tudying English as a second lan-guage (ESL) at Georgia Piedmontechnical College (GPC).

Georgia Piedmont has goodeachers, quality teachers, Jimenezaid.

Although she studied English at a

Latin America institution, she preershe education she received at GPC,he said.

I recommended Georgia Pied-mont to another classmate, saidimenez, who lives in Decatur. I haveecommended [it to] three people

now.Each year, GPC typically serves

approximately 4,000 ESL students,aid Diane Hunter, the colleges ESL

Coordinator. his year so ar, sinceuly [2013], we have already served

2,200, so were on track to meet ourgoal.

he school has seven ESL pro-grams in three counties with day,night and Saturday classes, opencomputer labs and distance learning,Hunter said. In the ESL program, stu-dent contact hours vary rom six to10 hours a week o in-class, ace-to-ace with an instructor.

Our students progress at theirown pace through the program,Hunter said. Some are here a brietime, even a semester, and some canbe with us or years as they progressthrough speaking, listening, readingand writing.

he program has students rommore than 100 countries and 46 per-cent o the students have reugee orasylee status, Hunter said.

Our major reugee site is inClarkston where the day and night

programs together are 77 percentreugees, she said.We have a special group o stu-

dentsreugee and non-reugeethat are pre- and nonliterate, whonever learned to read in their owncountry or are preliterate in English,Hunter said. hat group is 92 per-cent reugees.

Some ESL students have degreesrom their countries, but dont knowEnglish.

We have students that have de-grees rom their countries that dontknow our alphabet, Hunter said.

hen we have those students whowere uneducated in their own coun-tries.

Were a very unique site, shesaid. In 2012, 87 percent o the reu-gees that came into the state o Geor-gia came to DeKalb County and weserve them. hey come to us or Eng-lish. We have the largest ESL programin the state, by ar.

With program locations inDoraville and Clarkston, the programis manned by a mostly part-timesta.

Enrollment in the ESL programis steady overall, Hunter said, butwe have lost a lot o students inDoraville because o the state law orveriication o eligibility or publicbeneits. hey must prove that theyhave legal status in order to attend

our programs. So we have lost a loto undocumented students who havenot been able to comp

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