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FRIDAY, JAn. 9, 2015 VOL. 17, nO. 39 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.

F REE P RESS

See Goodwill on page 13A See Cops on page 13A

Business ........................14ASports ...................... 15-16AOpinion ...........................5A

Classied .......................12A

QUICK FINDER

BUSINESS, 14A spORts, 16AOpInIOn, 4A

COUPLE EARNSDOUGH WITHSPECIALTY BREADS

STEPHENSONLINEBACKER HAS TOPDEFENSIVE STATS

SOUTH DEKALB

ISNT THE

GHETTO

Keep goodwill alive in 2015Volunteers pick up trash along N. Indian Creek Drive in Clarkston. Photos by Travis Hudgons

Abundance of volunteer opportunities abound by Gale Horton Gay

As 2015 begins, many of usare riding waves of goodfeelings from the holidayseason. Helping strangersin need and donating generously tocauses we believe in have many ofus wishing we could extend thosefeelings into the new year.

Why not?Tere are a plethora of orga-nizations right here at home thatcould benet by an infusion of help-ing hands and caring hearts.

We culled a list of local charita-ble organization websites on which volunteers are continuously beingsought and offer them for our read-ers consideration. Whether givingones time, ideas, goods or money, itwill surely be appreciated.

DeKalb Board of Health

Te DeKalb Board of Healthis seeking volunteers in a number

of capacities such as assisting in a

clinic or office, developing aware-ness campaigns, helping at a specialevent and more. New opportunitiespop up throughout the year. Volun-teers as young as 16 are welcome.o apply, call (404) 294-3700.

Youth Diversion Program

Te Youth Diversion Programis a DeKalb County communitybased program that functions withthe involvement of volunteer panels.Panel members interview rst-time,misdemeanor offenders and theirparents and determine consequenc-es for the offender, based on the of-fense and the information obtainedfrom the interview. Te panels meetmonthly. Once consequences havebeen assigned, a member from thepanel elects to mentor with thechild for up to 90 days. Volunteersare provided with training in work-ing with children and their families,and identifying appropriate conse-quences. raining classes takes place

A volunteer makes signs for the Clarkston CommunityCenter Garden.

by Andrew Cauthenandrew@dekalbchamp.com

he DeKalb County Po-lice Department got startedafter residents of the uckercommunity wanted policeprotection.

hey pressured theDeKalb County Board ofCommissioners to provide itand in 1915 the departmentwas founded.

In advance of a yearlongcelebration, On Dec. 29,2014, DeKalb police officersreceived centennial anniver-sary commemorative badg-es, while civilian employeesreceived a commemorativecoin with a replica of thebadge on it.

he badge of a DeKalbCounty Police officer isearned through hard work,honor and integrity, in-terim DeKalb County Police

Chief James Conroy , toldofficers before passing outbadges during a roll call. Itis a symbol of our honor,our authority to protect, therespect to our community,and to enforce the law setforth by the United Statesof America, the state ofGeorgia and the county ofDeKalb.

Sworn officers are nowauthorized and encouragedto wear this commemorativebadge in 2015 to honor ourpast and look toward our

County policedepartmentcommemoratecentennial

Of cer M. A. Vizcarrondo pins onhis new badge. Photo by AndrewCauthen

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Page 2A The Champion Free Press, Friday Jan. 9, 2015

LOCAL

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by Andrew Cauthenandrew@dekalbchamp.com

In the early 2000s, two local nonprofit organi-zations were independently looking for a place tohost community service events.

The Delta Life Development Center Inc.,stablished in 1998, works with at-risk students;

provides assistance and support to the federalTeenage Mothers Nutrition Program and Ex-panded Food and Nutrition Program; and part-ners with the Decatur Alumnae Chapter of DeltaSigma Theta Sorority Incs. Growing and Empow-ring Myself Successfully program.

The KAPsi Foundation of Decatur Inc. hasa mission of supporting the community servicefforts of the Decatur Alumni Chapter of Kappa

Alpha Psi Fraternity Inc. The organization spon-

sors a scholarship program, awards annual grantsto the Womens Resource Center of DeKalbCounty, supports disaster relief agencies, andsponsors dental health fairs and cancer screen-ings.

Representatives for the organizations ap-proached the county and the county suggestedthat these two organizations partner together be-

cause we could do more good together than sepa-rately, according to Clarence Wells , executivedirector of the Community Achievement CenterInc., the nonprofit partnership which was formedin 2007.

Our main focus when we moved into thebuilding was to become a resource for the com-munity, Wells said. For any types of concerns orquestions that they have, we [wanted] to be thatresource.

The center is located at 4522 Flat Shoals Park-way, Decatur, in a building once owned by theCathedral of the Holy Spirit. The building is nowowned by DeKalb County.

Since its inception, the Community Achieve-ment Center Inc. has partnered with other agen-cies to provide foreclosure counseling and home-buying seminars.

The organization also provides mentoringprograms.We have a group of young men and young

women who are mentored here on the secondSaturday of each month, Wells said. We dealwith them on life topics, definitely a heavy focuson financial literacy, college preparationtryingto show them ways ofgetting into college andnot having to take out large amounts of loans.

Approximately 800 to 1,000 people go to

See Community on page 13A

The Community Achievement Center in south DeKalb was formed by two Greek organizations. Photo by Andrew Cauthen

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The Champion Free Press, Friday Jan. 9, 2015 Page 3ALOCAL

Stone Mountain city councilman returns homeby Carla Parkerarla@dekalbchamp.com

Steven Wells is backerving as a Stone Mountainity councilman after serv-ng seven months deployedt Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar.

First Lt. Wells returnedhome Nov. 4, 2014, flying inon a 747 plane full of mili-ary men and women from

his base in Qatar. Wells washe Logistics Readiness Of-icer for the 557th Expedi-ionary Red Horse Squadronnd served as the Logistics

Flight Commander wherehe supported several highpriority U.S. Central Com-mand construction projectsocated throughout the

Middle East.Wells said he was in

harge of about 50 people,who were spread out acrosshe Middle East.

They did things like ve-hicle maintenance, supplies,ecurity forces, air trans-

portation, he said. My jobn total was to move peoplend equipment to certainocations to do constructionobs.

It was a wonderfulexperience working with agreat group of people to ac-complish our mission, but Iam thrilled to be home andready to work hard for thecity of Stone Mountain inmy role as city councilman,Wells said.

A native of California,Wells enlisted in the AirForce in 1997. Two monthsafter graduating from highschool, Wells went to techni-

cal school at Sheppard AirForce Base in Texas for sixmonths. Afterwards, he wasassigned to his first duty sta-tion in South Carolina.

Wells joined the AirForce because he thought itwas the best option for him.

I didnt have moneyfor college and my gradeswerent stellar, so it seemedlike a good option for train-ing and education, he said.

After serving four yearsactive duty he joined theAir Force Reserves and wasassigned to the 315th CivilEngineering Squadron atCharleston Air Force Base,S.C., while at the same timeattending the University ofSouth Carolina where heearned both his bachelorsand masters degrees.

In 2007, he was hired bythe City of Stone Mountainas the director of Down-town Development Au-thority (DDA) and servedfor three years. In 2011, hewas accepted to attend theAir Force Officer TrainingSchool at Maxwell Air ForceBase in Alabama, where hereceived his commission in

2011. He began applyingthe Air Force Officer Train-ing School after graduat-ing from South Carolina in2004.

Its a competitive pro-cess, he said. It takes a longtime, obviously, and finally Iwas accepted.

He returned to StoneMountain and continued toserve in the U.S. Air ForceReserves as the LogisticsFlight Commander with the560th Red Horse Squadronin Charleston, S.C. In 2013,Wells ran for a vacated StoneMountain City Council seatand serves as the chairmanof the public works commit-tee.

Ive been around thecity and government for allthose years working with

Main Street and DDA,Wells said. I knew a lot ofpeople in the city that talkedto me about issues that weregoing on. I know people thatwere concerned about thecommunity and they askedme to run and felt like Iwould be a good candidate.

Wells took office in No- vember 2013, and in March

2014, he found out he wasbeing deployed to Qatar.

It was a short-noticeddeployment, he said. It waspretty busy. The days werehotit was in the middleof the summer over there inthe desert, so it was 125 de-grees over there every day.

Wells said the one timewhen he was concerned forhis safety was when he wasin Afghanistan and therewas an attack on the base.

It was pretty common,but still its the first time yougo through it and its prettyunnerving, he said. You hitthe ground. I heard explo-sions; it was pretty crazy.

Wells said the Air Forcetaught him a number ofqualities that he applies tohis job as city councilman.

One of those qualities in-cludes teamwork.Teamwork is super im-

portant, and the city is nodifferent, he said. Youre just one vote, so you have toline yourself up with otherpeople or work togetherwith other people to get aproject done or whateveryou are trying to work on.

the center each month for various meetings of home-owners associations, so-rorities and fraternities, andcommunity forums. It alsoserves as an early voting sitefor general elections.

The center has receivedfunding from a governmentgrant, but now relies onproceeds from donations,facility rentals and member-ships. The cost for member-

ships is $120 annually perperson, which includes useof an exercise room withtwo recumbent bikes, twoellipticals, two treadmillsand a weight station. Mem-bers also receive 15 percentoff room rentals and freeaccess to select classes andseminars.

The importance of theCommunity AchievementCenter is to partner or to

serve as a referenceto as-sist the community in what-ever types of needs that theyhave, Wells said.

Community Achieve-ment Center officials wantto assess the needs of thecommunity to see how wecan better serve themtosee what other needs are outthere, Wells said.

For more information visit CACDekalb.org.

Community Continued From Page 2A

Stone Mountain City CouncilmanFirst Lieutenant Steven Wellsreturned home Nov. 4, 2014, afterserving seven months deployed inQatar. Photo provided

Clarence Wells is the executive director of the Community Achievement Center. Photo by Andrew Cauthen

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OPINIONThe Champion Free Press, Friday, Jan. 9, 2015 Page 5A

Le Us Know Wha You think!THE CHAMPION FREE PRESS encourages opinions from its readers.Please write to us and express your views. Letters should be brief, type-written and contain the writers name, address and telephone numberfor verication. All letters will be considered for publication.Send Letters To Editor, The Champion Free Press, P. O. Box 1347, Decatur, GA 30031-1347; Send email to Andrew@dekalbchamp.com FAX To: (404) 370-3903 Phone:(404) 373-7779 . Deadline for news releases and advertising: Thursday, one week priorto publication date.

EDITORS NOTE: The opinions written by columnists and contributing editors do notnecessarily re ect the opinions of the editor or publishers. The Publisher reserves theright to reject or cancel any advertisement at any time. The Publisher is not responsiblefor unsolicited manuscripts.

Publisher: John Hewi Chief Financial O cer: Dr. Earl D. GlennManaging Editor: Andrew Cau henProduction Manager: Kemesha Hun Photographer: travis HudgonsSta Reporters: Carla parker, Ashley Oglesby

The Champion Free Press is published each Friday by ACE IIICommunications, Inc., 114 New Street, Suite E, Decatur, GA.30030 Phone (404) 373-7779.

www.cham ionnews a er.comDISPLAY ADVERTISING (404) 373-7779 x 110

F REE P RESS

STATEMENT FROM THE PUBLISHER

We sincerely a recia e he discussion surrounding his andany issue of in eres o DeKalb Coun y. The Champion wasfounded in 1991 ex ressly o rovide a forum for discourse

for all communi y residen s on all sides of an issue. We haveno desire o make he news only o re or news and o inionso effec a more educa ed ci izenry ha will ul ima ely move

our communi y forward. We are ha y o resen ideas fordiscussion; however, we make every effor o avoid rin inginforma ion submi ed o us ha is known o be false and/orassum ions enned as fac .

ONE MANS OPINION

Santa, whazzup with the packaging? According to the Con-

umer Product Safety Com-mission, injuries from plasticpackaging resulted in 6,400visits to emergency rooms in2004. I wonder how manyhildren have to go to the

hospital after swallowing apart of needless packagingmaterial? from mother andhome-maker bloggerDagmarBleasdale, on May 1, 2009,on Pinterest.

Far be it from me toquestion an icon, living leg-nd and man of the hour,

who has been inspiringkindness, giving and joy forhe millennium, but Santa,

whats up with the Christ-mas toy packaging thesedays?

Thankfully, the most ap-preciated gift to our house-hold from Santa this Christ-mas was a delightful kittennamed Tinkerbell, whoame with no strings at-ached, but who can quicklyreate a disaster with a ball

of twine. Im clear that SaintNick is just another victimof globalization and largelyinked to the standards of

his manufacturers and sup-pliers, but as any parent withyoung children or helpfulgrandparents can attest,imply opening a childsoy these days feels akin to

cracking Fort Knox.We understand, in part,

that the manufacturers aretrying to help retailers keepthe merchandise in the boxand in the store until itspurchased and properly paidfor, but surely, given the sizeof most toy boxes these days,shoplifting and merchandise sampling cannot be sorampant to run the risk of1,000 paper and wire cutson all the good little boysand girls later attempting toopen these packages?

This holiday season, asan exercise in parenting andcurrent manufacturing stan-dards, I started to count howmany times I needed a pair

of scissors, pocket knife orsimilar implement to opena box, disconnect or remove

a toy, remove twist ties orplastic staples and basicallyprepare a toy for safe use byour daughter. The averagewas 15-20per package.From my own childhood,I well remember the twin joys of running down thehall towards our hearth andfamily tree, trying to spotSantas gift pile for me, fol-lowed by tearing into thewrapping paper to discoverthe prizes and presents in-side from our parents,siblings and other family. Imay be experiencing someeuphoric recall of memo-ries better than the actualexperience, and I certainlydo remember Dad occasion-ally breaking out his pocketknife or screwdriver whenthe dreaded words someassembly required appearedon the outside of a box, butnothing like today.

We have a large and ex-tended family, and we travelaround to other holidayparties. Ive lost track of thecount of Band-Aids, paper/wire cut fingertips and othereasily avoidable holiday col-lateral damage from all thisover-packaging. And giventhe sustainability kick oth-erwise found in retail, andparticularly increasinglyin food packaging, how do

we help get the word out toSantas vast network of sup-pliers, the bulk of whom arein China, to save themselvesbillions of miles of wire andplastic and cellophane tapeand to package these toys as if they were being given totheir own children.

A long held secret ofAmericas largest retailersabout those friendly greetersat the entrance: they werent just there to be helpful; theywere there to tell those whowere planning to load up butnot pay, I see you.

So Santa, were clear thatfirst-world security andprofit concerns are nowdriving packaging andmanufacturing standards inthe third world, but surelyall that excess tape, wiring,rubber bands and stringalso has to add to the weightof your sleigh. Surely eventhose PanaMax tanker shipsyou use for logistical sup-port are running lower inthe water due to the addi-tion of all that unnecessarywaste in virtually every toypackage.

Mr. Kringle, you are afterall the worlds most suc-cessful toy distributor, andfrom what I understand, stilla pretty substantial manu-facturer. How about cluing

in the boys in Shenzen andGanzhou and Mexico to getwith the program and savethemselves some time, a fewdimes and lots of painstak-ing hand twist tying. Imsure the big box retailersmay initially complain,but when they start get-ting thank you notes fromtheir customers about theirimproved experiences, anda few more Polly PocketDream Houses fly off theshelves once Dad and Momrealize the purchase is nota promise of a weekend ofassembly and paper cuts,perhaps then even the folksin Bentonville will be a bitmore infused with the truespirit of giving and Christ-mas. Cheers and HappyNew Year!

Bill Crane also serves as a political analyst and commen-tator for Channel 2s ActionNews, WSB-AM News/Talk750 and now 95.5 FM, as wellas a columnist for The Cham-pion, Champion Free Pressand Georgia Trend.Crane isa DeKalb native and businessowner, living in Scottdale. Youcan reach him or commenton a column at bill.csicrane@ gmail.com.

Bill Cranebill.csicrane@gmail.com

Columnist

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Page 6A The Champion Free Press, Friday Jan. 9, 2015

LOCAL

If you would like to nominate someone to be considered as a future Champion of the Week, please contact Andrew Cauthenat andrew@dekalbchamp.com or at (404) 373-7779, ext. 117.

BOB WEISS

DeKalb CSB: providing resources for mental illnesses

Bob Weiss of Atlanta hasa love for animals.

Weiss, 62, volunteeredwith several animal sheltersand rescue organizations in

the Atlanta are a for morethan 20 years. He currently volunteers with DeKalbCounty Animal Services(DCAS) and has been volun-teering since LifeLine Ani-mal Project began managingthe facility in 2013.

I had worked with thecurrent director of DCASwhen she was with FultonCounty Animal Services,both in the shelter and help-

ing with animal transportswithin Georgia and out ofstate, so I wanted to continuethat effort at DCAS, primar-ily helping with transports,

Weiss said.Weiss transports animalsfrom the DeKalb shelter torescue groups, both locallyand in other states. He hasdriven all over Georgia, toFlorida and to New Jersey.He has driven cats, dogs,sheep, chickens, cockatielsand more. One week, hetransported 16 dogs and onesheep from the DeKalb shel-ter to five different rescue

groups.He also does mainte-

nance work at the shelter.Karen Hirsch , public rela-tions director of LifeLine,

said Weiss often acts as ahandyman.If we have furniture

that needs putting together,a room or floor that needspainting, etc., then Bob glad-ly jumps in and gets the jobdone, Hirsch said.

He also assists with gen-eral operation of the orga-nization, sets up the weeklyadoption sites, helps get ani-mals out of shelters and into

the group, provides care forthe dogs, helps with on-lineadoptions, helps maintainthe kennel areas, providesa foster home for dogs, and

assists with other tasks.I have been very happyto see the great improve-ments at DCAS since Life-line Animal Project tookover, he said. To that end,I decided to do what I couldto get animals out of theshelter and to rescue andadoption.

by Carla Parkerarla@dekalbchamp.com

If a person has chestpains, diabetes, asthma ornfluenza, he or she will usu-lly get treatment for these

physical illnesses to preventurther harm or death.

However, too often theame action does not ap-ply to mental illnesses. Thetigma surrounding mentalllness prevents many peo-

ple, who suspect they have amental illness, from seeing

professional and gettingreatment. In most cases, its due to fear or not beingware of the resources avail-ble for those with mentalllness.

In DeKalb County, re-ources for mental illnessesre available through the

DeKalb Community ServiceBoard, established in 1993.Before that, services

were all imbedded in theBoard of Health, said Dr.oseph Bona , chief medical

officer of the CommunityService Board. In 1993, leg-slative changes authorizedreestanding community

mental health centers calledommunity service boards.

There are 26 of them aroundhe state.

DeKalb CommunityService Board has 505 em-ployees including psychia-rists, nurses, social workersnd residential workers. The

board has two developmen-al disability sites and nine

behavioral health sites, in-cluding the DeKalb RegionalCrisis Center, which has 36beds.

Were one of the largestin the state and probably oneof the largest in the south-east, Bona said.

The board is able to de-liver services to unfundedand underfunded residentsof the county through a con-tract with the Departmentof Behavioral Health andDevelopmental Disabilities,which pays the board to pro- vide services to unfundedindividuals. Bona said theboard sees between 10,000to 12,000 individuals in anaverage year.

Some people will justcome and they might get inone or two visits a year andthat will be the end of it, he

said. Other people will betaken care of every singleday for the entire year.

DeKalb County prob-ably has about 800,000 lives,Bona added. We probablyonly see 20 percent of whatwould be the needy popula-tion in the county, but thatsthe way it is all around thecountry. There is a stigmathat keeps individuals fromgetting care. If we had moremoney we could touch morepeople, but the truth of thematter is not everybody thatneeds service find their wayto it.

The board also has re-sources for youth who havemental illnesses.

We probably see about800 or so children and ado-lescent a year, which isnttouching probably all of the

kids that might need servic-es, but its right for an agencyour size, Bona said.

Like most physical ill-nesses such as diabetes,most mental illnesses aregenetic.

If you have familymembers with a history ofdiabetes youll be born withthe genetic predispositionfor diabetes, Bona said. Ifyou have a healthy lifestyle,you eat well, you take careof yourself, you do realwellmeaning you set theenvironment up to do wellyou may never suffer fromdiabetes, even though youcarry the genetic risk for it.But if you dont eat well, you

dont take care of yourselfand give in to some certainenvironmental factors thenyou will have pre-diabetesthen...full blown diabetes.

Most mental illnesseshave a genetic base, headded. But, that does notmean that everybody thathas that genetic predisposi-tion is going to have the ill-ness. You need to have theenvironmental stimulus tobring that out.

Trauma, abuse and ne-glect in childhood are usual-ly the type of environmentalfactors that will bring out anunderlying mental illness.

Bipolar disorder is agenetic illness, Bona said.Under the right sort of en- vironmental stressors, itsalmost certain that its goingto express itself as the full-

blown disease. So the treat-ment has to be biologic totreat the underlying illness,and it also has to be thera-peutic to help learn ways tocontrol and maintain theenvironment in the mosthealthy way. The best ap-proach is a dual approach.

Bona said many of thestaff members spend theirtime going into the commu-nity and doing communityservice to spread the wordabout mental illnesses andthe resources that are avail-able.

We have informationthat we try to get out to thecommunity, he said. Weconnect with relevant part-

ners in the community, wehave relationships with theschools, with the DeKalbCounty government, andlocal hospitals. So, we try toembed ourselves, in terms ofoutreach, in as many placesas possible so as to make aperson available.

Bona said one of theproblems with providingmore resources is the state just does not have enoughmoney to give organizationslike the Community ServiceBoard.

Im pretty sure if theygave us double the amountof money to double the ca-pacity we could stay busy very easily; thats not a prob-lem, he said. The prob-lem is there are just neverenough resources to spreadyourself to where you need

to be.Despite the lack of fund-ing, there are still many re-sources available for peoplewith mental illnesses. Justas with physical illnesses,a person cannot deal withmental illness without treat-ment and expect it to goaway.

If youre not function-ing at your possible highestlevel, if youre suffering fromsymptoms or something isnot right, it is always best tosee a professional, get an as-sessment, figure out whatsgoing on and and then lookat your options as far astreatment, rather than push-ing it aside, he said.

Dr. Joseph Bona, chief medicalof cer of the Community ServiceBoard. Photo provided

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Page 8A The Champion Free Press, Friday Jan. 9, 2015

LOCAL

by Ashley Oglesby ashley@dekalbchamp.com

Dunwoody City Coun-cil members on Dec. 8 ap-proved final design plan re- visions of Tilly Mill at NorthPeachtree.

According to a trafficanalysis conducted in 2011,the underdeveloped cornerlot needed to solve safetyand traffic issues along theNorth Peachtree, Tilly Milland Peeler roads intersec-tions due to an unaccept-able level of service, particu-larly during the peak of themorning commute.

Marketing and PR Direc-tor Bob Mullen said, Theproject itself is one wevebeen working on for a whileas part of our comprehensivetransportation plans safetyand operational improve-ments.

Mullen said after theanalysis was conducted, adesign that addressed ef-ficient automobile flow, pro- vided sidewalks for pedestri-ans and improved safety wasdrawn up.

Capital Projects ManagerMindy Sanders presenteddocuments to the councilthat showed the city has notreceived a favorable responseto previous acquisitions ofthe property from the owner,Gustavo Real .

The property owner,through their attorney, hasbeen provided a best andfinal offer of $25,000 for theproperty, however the cityhas not received a favorable

response and the last coun-teroffer was sent in Novem-ber for $38,000, she said.

The city attorney andpublic works staff advisedthe use of eminent domainaction to meet scheduledconstruction dates for the in-tersection improvements.

Mullen said the improve-ments will not only help easetraffic at the Tilly Mill atNorth Peachtree roads right-of-way, but will also providemore safety on Peeler Road.

We have a number ofstudents from Chestnut Ele-mentary and Peachtree Mid-dle who walk along PeelerRoad to and from school, sohelping to synchronize thetraffic signals and ease trafficalong that road by this inter-section project should reallyimprove safety, he said.

The project will includea traffic signal at Peeler Roadand turning lanes on NorthPeachtree and Tilly Millroads.

According to the trafficanalysis of crash history inthe city, the accident rate onTilly Mill Road is above thestate average.

About 65 percent of thetotal number of crashes atthe intersection were rear-end crashes, which are likelya result of congestion, andabout 42 percent of the totalnumber of crashes at Peelerand North Peachtree roadswere angle types, which like-ly were caused from vehiclesentering the intersectionfrom the lack of a signaledapproach on Peeler Road.

Congested intersectionto be redesigned

Doraville strip club appealsto state Supreme Court

The Oasis GoodtimeEmporium wants to con-inue mixing nude dancing

and alcohol.On Jan. 6, the club,

which has been operatingor more than 22 years, ap-

pealed a judges dismissalof its lawsuit challenginga Doraville ordinance thatbans nude dancing wherealcohol is served.

The appeal to the stateSupreme Court is similar tohe recent case involving the

Pink Pony strip club and thecity of Brookhaven. In thatcase, the Supreme Courtuled Oct. 6, 2014 that

Brookhaven had the righto ban adult entertainment

businesses that sell alcohol.In March 2012, theGeorgia Legislature adopted

a bill that expanded theboundaries of Doraville tonclude Oasis Seven monthsater, the Doraville City

Council adopted its SexuallyOriented Business Code,which allows semi-nudedancing, but prohibits fullnudity and on-premises al-cohol consumption.

The Doraville AlcoholCode also prohibits adultnude entertainment at estab-ishments that allow drink-ng. In 2013, Oasis appliedo DeKalb County for a li-

quor license and received itsenewal. In 2014, Doraville

denied it a liquor license.That denial is currently onappeal in DeKalb Countycourt.

Three months afterhe passing of Doravilles

Sexually Oriented BusinessCode, Oasisrepresentedby the same attorney whoepresented the Pink Ponyued the city of Doraville,ts mayor and city council,

claiming that the DeKalbCounty agreement bindshe city and that Oasisordinances are an uncon-titutional violation of free

speech.The city filed a motion

asking the court to dismissthe case or rule in its favorbased on the documentsfiled in the case. After ahearing, the trial court ruledin favor of the city and up-held the Sexually OrientedBusiness Code as constitu-tional and it upheld the Al-cohol Code.

Doraville officials saidits Sexually Oriented Busi-ness Code was based onevidence of the adversesecondary effects, whichthe council determined in-cluded personal and prop-erty crimes, prostitution,potential spread of disease,lewdness, public indecency,obscenity, illicit drug useand drug trafficking, nega-tive impacts on surroundingproperties, urban blight, lit-ter, and sexual assault andexploitation.

In their appeal, attorneysfor Oasis argued the trialcourts judgment wronglyassumes that the secondaryeffects identified in the re-cord are problems that needaddressing in Doraville,although no such evidencehas been offered by [thecity].

Nude dancing is pro-tected expressive conduct,the attorneys argue in briefs.Oasis has been in businesswith nude dance entertain-ment and alcohol servicefor over 22 years. NeitherDoraville nor DeKalbCounty has ever issued acitation to the business. Thecity has offered no evidenceof any adverse effects result-ing from Oasis operation.Yet, Doraville insists that theregulations it has imposedon Oasis, the sole adult clubin the city, are narrowly tai-lored to achieve its interests.Oasis attorneys alsocontend the trial court waswrong in dismissing its zon-

ing challenges because whenOasis was annexed intoDoraville, it was entitled tograndfathered status. Thezoning ordinance expresslyprovides for the continuanceof uses which were lawfulwhen commenced but pro-hibited under the currentcode, the attorney states.

Under the ordinance,Oasis is entitled to the issu-ance of the required licensesfrom Doraville for contin-ued operation of the adultentertainment use, the at-torneys argue. The combi-nation of alcohol consump-tion and adult nude dancingis crucial to profitability forOasis; the loss of either com-ponent would not be a mereinconvenience, but woulddestroy Oasis business.

Attorneys for the cityof Doraville state that thetrial court properly rejectedOasis zoning challenges.Oasis grandfathering claimrests on the oft-repudiatedargument that a city cannotenforce new licensing regu-lations against a sexuallyoriented business, the citysattorneys argue.

Nude conduct in sexu-ally oriented businesses isnot protected speech un-derthe Georgia Constitu-tion, the attorneys state.Nudity in public places wasillegal both before and afterthe Constitutions adoption;it was not considered pro-tected speech at the time ofthe Constitutions adoptionby the framers or the peopleof Georgia; and the plainlanguage of the GeorgiaConstitution does not sup-port a right to nude dancingin a public place. Should thestate Supreme Court inter-pret the states constitutionas protecting nude dancing,however, it should stil l af-firm the trial courts rulingbased on this Courts recentPink Pony decision.

NOTICE OF SPECIAL ELECTION, QUALIFYING REQUIREMENTS, AND REGISTRATION CITY OF AVONDALE ESTATES, GEORGIA

Notice is hereby given that a Special Election for the City of Avondale Estates will be held on Tuesday, March 17, 2015 to fill the vacancy and unexpired term of Mayor. The person elected to fill this unexpired term will serve through December 31, 2015. This seat will be up for re election on November 3, 2015 and the candidate elected in November will serve a four (4) year term beginning January 1, 2016.

Voting will take place at Avondale Estates City Hall, 21 North Avondale Plaza, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Any person who is a resident of the City of Avondale Estates and who is registered with DeKalb County Board of Registrations and Elections by February 17, 2015, as an elector within the City of Avondale Estates, shall be eligible to vote in this election.

Persons wishing to qualify for this election may file a notice of candidacy with City Clerk Juliette Sims Owens at City Hall, 21 North Avondale Plaza, from 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. beginning Monday, January 12, 2015 through Friday, January 16, 2015. The qualifying fee is $3.

Advance voting begins February 23, 2015 , at the DeKalb County Elections Division, 4380 Memorial Drive, Decatur, Georgia 30032, 404 298 4020.

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The Champion Free Press, Friday Jan. 9, 2015 Page 9ALOCAL

WEEKPICTURESIn

Searching for Our Sons and Daughters:

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

Finding DeKalb Countys MissingStories 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.

Photos brought to you by DCTV

Pallookaville Fine Foods in Avondale Estates rang in the New Year in its own special waywith a corn dog drop. Owner Jim Stacey said that most kids dont get to s tay up late enough toee the Peach Drop in downtown Atlanta, so he dropped the corn dog at 8 p.m. for the younger crowd and at midnight for the adults. Photos by Travis Hudgons

Construction is well underway on the replacement Peachcrest Elementary School in south DeKalb. The school is expected to be complete in time for the next school year. Photos byAndrew Cauthen

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The Champion Free Press, Friday Jan. 9, 2015 Page 11ALOCAL NEWS

y Ashley Oglesby shley@dekalbchamp.com

The Georgia Depart-ment of Education released

014 scores for the GeorgiaCollege and Career Ready

erformance Index (CCRPI)nd City Schools of DecaturCSD) ranks sixth in thetate. The citys K-3 schoolsll scored 90 or above withwo schools, Clairemontt second and Oakhurst atinth, ranking in the top tenf all schools in Georgia.

The CCRPI is the newccountability system that

replaces the No Child LeftBehind (NCLB) AdequateYearly Progress (AYP) mea-surement in Georgia andmeasures schools and schooldistricts on a 100-pointscale. The CCRPI is an-ticipated to help parents andthe public better understandhow schools are performingin a comprehensive man-ner other than the pass/failsystem previously in placeunder AYP.

Once again schools inCSD rise to the occasionand outpace the state inperformance. We feel that

this measure, as opposed toAYP, is a better reflection ofthe work happening in CitySchools of Decatur, saidDr. Phyllis Edwards , CSDsuperintendent. I continueto be encouraged that ourschools are being recognizedfor student achievement andprogress as well as receivingbonus points for innova-tions like our charter systemstatus, International Bacca-laureate and ExpeditionaryLearning.

Although CSD had aslight dip in the overallscores, the CCRPI highlight-

ed areas for improvement.The drop in CCRPI scoresis not unique to Decatur.Many districts throughoutthe state experienced a dipin scores in 2014 due tochanging performance indi-cators and benchmarks.

According to the Geor-gia Department of Educa-tion, Georgias elementaryschools saw a one-year de-crease in scores from 77.8 to72.6 (-5.2), middle schoolssaw a one-year decreasein scores from 74.6 to 73.2(-1.4) and high schools sawa one-year decrease in scores

from 71.8 to 68.4 (-3.4).While decreasing CCR-

PI scores are disappointing,they are not unexpected,State School SuperintendentJohn Barge said. This in-dex is still relatively new anddemands different areas offocus for our schools. Im-provements will not happenovernight, but the CCRPIis giving them a roadmapto tailor an education thatis student-centered and onethat will ensure they are col-lege and career ready, saidBarge.

The Earl & CarolynGlenn Foundation, a non-profit corporation, openedts new business offices in

December 2014 at 4178Snapfinger Woods Drive inDecatur.

The organization openedo the public Jan. 2 at the lo-

cation with a training centeror the CheckMate Chess

Academy and space forchess classes, board meet-ngs and other programs of-ered by the foundation.

College students andother qualified persons will

be trained to teach chess inafterschool programs. Chessclasses also will begin inanuary.

Two CSD schools rank in Top 10 of all Georgia Schools

CheckMateChessAcademyopens

Chess instructor Beauregard A. Hardeman Jr., right, provides instruction to two Georgia Perimeter College students. Photo provided

Transportation funding to dominate 2015 legislative sessionby Associated Press

Georgias transportation needs and how to payor them emerged this week as the issues that will

dominate the 2015 legislation session. Lawmakersonvene Jan. 12 at the state Capitol.

The search for an estimated $1.5 billion newevenueannuallyis bound to create some heart-

burn, said state Rep. Jay Roberts , a Republicanelected to lead a study committee on transporta-ion this summer.

Were not looking for a two-year, three-yearplan, Roberts said. Were trying to come up witha solution for 20 years down the road so were notback facing this same situation.

Georgia is not the only state trying to figureout how to upgrade and maintain critical roads,bridges, railways and mass transit systems. TheAmerican Society of Civil Engineers is among theorganizations warning of a dramatic gap betweenhe countrys infrastructure needs and the money

available. The organizations latest estimate says itwould take $3.6 trillion by 2020 to make needed

upgrades.Georgia lawmakers are feeling the pressurefrom the states business community, including

some of the states biggest players in Delta Airlinesand UPS.

UPS pointed to its own debacle in 2013, whenmore than one million express packages handledby the company failed to be delivered on time lastChristmas Eve, according to tracking firm Ship-Matrix.

The company has since made some improve-ments, including hiring more people.

UPS Inc. took care of the issues we had,Frank Morris , company vice president of corpo-rate public affairs, said at a legislative conferencethis week. Were hoping that you, as Georgia Inc.,will do the same next month.

An increase to the gas tax or sales tax, a newtax based on miles traveled, shifting existing fundsto transportation and tolls all have been men-tioned before the study committee. The committeeplans to issue a report by the end of the monthlaying out the states options.

Gov. Nathan Deal told more than 700 trans-portation leaders gathered at a summit Tuesdaythat hes waiting for the committees report.

Georgia Republicans have a healthy major-ity in both chambers, but Democrats expect to beneeded if some Republicans balk at any new fund-ing. State Rep. Calvin Smyre , a Democrat on thestudy committee, said lawmakers have to look atall modes of travel, including mass transit and rail.

I think the only way for us to get there is tolook across the aisle in a bipartisan way, Smyresaid.

Deal told reporters this week that he wouldntget out in front of the committee and said newfunding is the most difficult part of the trans-portation issue. Deal, who did not campaign onthe issue during his bid for a second term, did saytaxes for miles traveled by electric cars and otheroptions should be part of the conversation.

It is time we looked at (transportation), andI look forward to talking with the committee andseeing what their report recommends, he said.

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The Champion Free Press, Friday Jan. 9, 2015 Page 12ALOCAL NEWS

DISCLAIMER: We do not knowingly accept advertisements that discriminate, or

intend to discriminate, on any illegal basis. Nor do we knowingly accept employmentadvertisements that are not bona-fide job offers. All real estate advertisements aresubject to the fair housing act and we do not accept advertising that is in violation ofthe law. The law prohibits discrimination based on color, religion, sex, national origin,handicap or familial status.

The Champion is not responsible for any damages resulting from advertisements. All sales nal.

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Goodwill Continued From Page 1A

Cops Continued From Page 1A

The Champion Free Press, Friday, Jan. 9, 2015 Page 13ALOCAL NEWS

approximately three times a year. For morein ormation, contact Connie Hawkins at(404) 294-2633 or Daryl W. Edwards at(404) 294-2477.

Clarkston Community CenterOur volunteer opportunities connectpeople with meaning ul experiences thatinvolve everything rom growing ood toserving it to those in need to helping us tobuild community at the Clarkston Farm-ers Market and around town, states theClarkston Community Centers (CCC)website. Some o our volunteers come outonly once. Other volunteers want to bemore involved and, in the process, learnnew skills and meet new people while doingsomething good. All o you have the poten-tial to make a big difference through your volunteer service.Here are three volunteer opportunities atthe Clarkston Community Center:1. Caring for Clarkston Food Pantry (C4C)

C4C is a once a month service throughwhich emergency ood assistance is pro- vided to those in need. Hours or volun-teers are 8:30 a.m. noon. On the day othe pantry, volunteers ll the ollowing keyroles: intake assistant, interviewers andshopping partners. I you can make a oncea month commitment to one o these roles,then this team is a great choice or you,states the website.2. Te Clarkston Farmers Market Volunteers help set up the market by put-ting out signs, setting up the booths andinteracting with visitors. Volunteers can join or the whole day or sign up or a shif.Shifs are 7:30 a.m. noon, 11:30 a.m. 4p.m.3. Clarkston Community GardenIn the garden ood, is grown or the oodpantry, ood co-op and community engage-ment events. Tose who love working inthe garden watering, weeding, plantingand harvesting, should consider joiningthis team. Tis is also a great way to learnhow to garden i you have always wanted tolearn. As a member o this team, you maycommit to watering or weeding on set days,harvesting on designated days, or simplycommitting to volunteer during our oncemonthly volunteer days, states the website.o volunteer with CCC, ll out their volun-

teer application. You can also email myri-am@clarkstoncommunitycenter.org with

questions about volunteering.Meals on WheelsAs a weekday delivery driver, deliver noon-time meals on assigned meal route to per-sons who need assistance. Be a liaison be-tween the staff and meal recipients and/ortheir representatives. Own vehicle required.(Monday through Friday; report to mealpick up site at 11 a.m.; two hours per as-signed day.) Visit www.srconn.org or morein ormation or call Senior Connections at(770) 455-7602, ext. 151. American Red CrossHelp with registration and re reshments orcommunity mobile blood drives. Volunteerresponsibilities include greeting donors,acilitating check-in process, serving re-

reshments post-donation and monitoring

or adverse reactions. Tis is a seven-dayoperation, with the majority o drives run-ning Monday through Friday during busi-ness hours. Visit www.redcrossblood.org

or more in ormation or contact: CatherineAndrews , American Red Cross, (770) 852-4141 or Catherine.Andrews@redcross.org. Hagar HouseAs an overnight host, welcome the guests atHagars House, a shelter or homeless wom-en and children. Help them access supplies,oversee cleanup, wake up guests in themorning and set out break ast be ore clos-ing the shelter. Volunteers are most neededon weekends rom 6 p.m. to 8:30 a.m. Formore in ormation, visit www.decaturco-operativeministry.org or contact MachelleScandrett , Decatur Cooperative Ministry,(404) 377-5365 option 5 or machelle@deca-turcooperativeministry.org.

DeKalb Rape Crisis Center

Volunteers working as crisis line coun-selors carry a pager or a 12-hour shifand respond to crisis line calls by offeringsupport, in ormation and re errals overthe phone. Tey also accompany survivorsarriving at DeKalb Medical Center aferan incidence o sexual assault or offense.Requires a one-year commitment involv-ing two 12-hour shifs per month. Shifsare 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. or 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. Visitwww.dekalbrapecrisiscenter.org. For moredetails, contact DeKalb Rape Crisis Center,(404) 377-1429 or in o@dekalbrapecrisis-center.org.

Keep DeKalb Beautiful

Assist with litter pick-up, waterwaycleanup, education, and various specialevents to improve and enhance the com-munity through beautication, education,waste reduction, recycling, and pollutionprevention efforts. Hours vary. Contact Amber Greer Weaver , Keep DeKalb Beau-ti ul at (404) 371-2654 or angreer@dekalb-countyga.gov.

Dunwoody Nature CenterVolunteers are needed throughout the

year to support outdoor education andconservation in our community, and helppreserve Dunwoody Park. Also on Jan. 19,the Martin Luther King Jr. Day o Service

volunteers are needed to help with trailmaintenance, sprucing up the ront entrygardens and north side trail system. o getinvolved in special events email the centerat Volunteer@dunwoodynature.org.

Decatur Cooperative Ministry

echnology center assistants work one-on-one h elping children in an emergencyshelter with educational sofware and games.Commitment is one day per week; one hourper week; Monday through Wednesday rom7 to 9 p.m. and Saturday rom 9:30 a.m. to11:30 a.m. Also tutors are needed to workwith one child or one or two evenings a week

or a month. Contact Machelle Scandrett ,Decatur Cooperative Ministry, (404) 377-5365 option 5 or machelle@decaturcoopera-tiveministry.org.

uture, Conroy said. At thend o this year, this badge

will remain yours in honoro our place in the history oour department.

Conroy said when the de-partment was ounded, therewere some cities at the timeand they had their own po-ice departments.

At that time the sheriwas the only countywide lawn orcement authority and

particularly citizens romhe ucker community,

which was not an incorpo-ated city, elt the need and

pushed the commissioners tostablish a county police de-

partment, he said.It started with one o -

icer, Conroy said. He washe only police o icer or a

while.

hat o icer wasMillardD. Nash , the only o icerwhen the department startedon Dec. 21, 1915.

he salary or being apolice o icer then was $50per month, Conroy said. In1919 they got a 50 percentaise to $75 per month.

he irst DeKalb Police o -icer killed in the line o duty

was O icer John WesleyWebb , on March 16, 1919,Conroy said.

He was shot and killedwhile searching a suspectsvehicle or stolen goods,Conroy said.

His partner, O icer Rob-rt House , was also shot, buturvived. he suspect was

arrested and sentenced to li en prison.

Its just eery, Conroyaid. [Webb] had stopped

a suspected burglar and wasearching his vehicle or sto-en merchandise. he burglarpun around and shot and

killed O icer Webb, Conroyaid. hats very reminiscent

o todays times.A ew weeks be ore Con-

oy passed out the commem-orative badges, on Dec. 12,wo DeKalb County Police

o icers were shot when theyesponded to a report o an

early morning home invasionand armed robbery at theColony Ridge Apartmentson Glenwood Road. Whenthey arrived at the scene, theywere ired upon by two sus-pects with automatic assaultri les.

DeKalb Police O icerTony Luong , 26, was shotin the thigh, while O icerDevon Perry , 29, received agunshot wound to the cal .

he injuries were not li e-threatening.

he dangers to law en-orcement have always been

there and always will bethere, Conroy said.

Since the ounding oour department, 29 DeKalbCounty Police o icers havemade the ultimate sacri icein the line o duty serving the

citizens o DeKalb County,Conroy said.During the police memo-

rial in May 2015, commemo-rative badges will be issuedto the surviving amily mem-bers o each o icer killed inthe line o duty.

he departments centen-nial is a great accomplish-ment, Conroy said. Ourcountrys only been here alittle over 200 years, so thispolice departments beenaround a long time. Its im-portant to remember ourplace in that history. It is im-portant that we honor theirmemory and service andremember the storied historyand tradition o our great po-lice department.

In 2015 we will celebratethe accomplishments o thegreat men and women o theDeKalb County Police De-partment, Conroy said. Wewill re lect on what wevesacri iced, what weve learnedand what weve experienced.We will continue to improveon the uture o our organiza-tion. his centennial badgewas commissioned to com-memorate the 100 anniver-sary o the ounding o ourpolice department.

rom left, the old DeKalb County Police badge has been replaced with aentennial commemorative one. Photo by Andrew Cauthen

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The Champion Free Press, Friday Jan. 9, 2015 Page 14ABUSINESS

by Kathy Mitchell

As Three Kings Day (Jan. 6) approached, La Calavera Bakeryn Decatur was ready with loaves of rosca de reyes (kings ring).

Commemorating the day on which the wise men visited the babyesus in Bethlehem, Three Kings Day is traditionally celebrated in

Mexico and other countries with sweet circular bread loaves witha figurine of a baby inside.

The East College Avenue bakery, owned by Eric Arillo and hiswife Dale Ralston , features treats inspired by those eaten in hisnative Mexico all year, but makes sure to have on hand those tra-ditionally served on Mexican holidays. In fact, the shops name, LaCalavera, means the skull, the symbol of Dia de Los Muertos (theDay of the Dead), a popular holiday in Mexico.

We lived in Mexico for four years and Dia de Los Muertoswas one of our favorite holidays, Atlanta native Ralston ex-plained. The sugar skull is the symbol of the holiday, and wevemade it our logo. It may seem odd to those who arent familiarwith the tradition, but its not at all sinister in this context.

Although Arillo was born in Mexico, his family moved to theUnited States when he was a toddler. Still, many of the offeringsas well as the dcor at La Calavera are inspired by the country toAmericas south. We have Mexican sweet breads that I haventeen anywhere else in the Atlanta area. People come in just forhose, Ralston said.

Arillo, a culinary school graduate who specializes in baking, isover the kitchen, while Ralston, who has managed several Atlanta-area restaurants, runs most other aspects of the business. Breadecipes come from a variety of places, Ralston said, but Arilloweaks each one and makes it his own.

In addition to such Mexican treats as marranitos (molassesgingerbread piggies) and orejas (ears), La Calavera has other spe-ialties, including its super sourdough, a bread that rests six daysather than the usual few hours before its baked. This breaks

down a lot of the gluten, Ralston said. Its not gluten-free, but a

ot of people who have trouble digesting regular bread find theyare able to eat it.The bakery offers a line of foods for the health conscious and

hose interested in sustainability. We use only organic flour anduse local ingredients whenever possible, she said. We were ex-ited to learn that there is a farm near here that grows wheat. We

buy wheat from them and grind our own flour for sprouted wheatbreadanother item popular with many customers.

Before the small shop opened, many customers became fa-miliar with Arillos breads at local farmers markets that continueo feature them. Our relationships with the farmers markets not

only gives people the opportunity to come sample our breads, buthey are places where we can meet other local food producers,aid Ralston, adding that the bakery features such products asams and spreads made by other small local businesses.

Ralston said she and her husband chose the locationacrossrom the Avondale MARTA stationbecause its near severalarmers markets. People in this area care about food thats fresh,wholesome and locally produced. We used to do our baking at aommercial kitchen on New Street near here. When this location

became available about 10 months ago it was just perfect for us,he noted.

While most of the business is carry out, La Calavera has threemall tables where customers can sit and have organic fair tradeea or coffee with a sweet roll. Were exploring the idea of offer-ng traditional Mexican breakfast at some point in the future, butight now were still tiny, Ralston said of the shop that turns out

10 to 12 dozen loaves on its busy weekend days. Earlier in theweek when were not as busy, we bake fewer products, but on Sat-urdays and Sundays, sometimes the line is out the door.

Couple earnsdough withspecialty breads

The Voice of Business in DeKalb CountyDeKalb Chamber of Commerce404.378.8000 www.DeKalbChamber.org

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

Dale Ralston shows a rosca de reyes (kings ring) traditionally served in celebration of Three Kings Dayon Jan. 6.

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The Champion Free Press, Friday Jan. 9, 2015 Page 15ASPORTS

by Carla Parkercarla@dekalbchamp.com

Last season, Miller

Grove point guard Alte-ique Gilbert played a ma-or role in the Wolverinesun to a sixth consecutivetate title.

As a sophomore, Gilbertaveraged 18.0 points and5.6 assists per game, and ledall scorers with 25 pointsn the 2014 championship

game. Now in his junioreason, Gilbert is continuingo grow as a player and as aeader as he tries to help lead

his team to a consecutivetate title.

Im mainly focused onbeing a better player overalland a better teammate, heaid,0 learning everythingelated to basketball while

being at Miller Grove HighSchool.

Gilbert is off to a hottart this season, averag-ng 18.3 points, 6.5 assists

and 5.0 steals per game. Heeached a milestone Dec. 11

by joining the 1,000-careerpoints club in the Wolver-nes 63-44 region win over

Martin Luther King Jr.

Gilbert needed fourpoints to reach 1,000 pointsthat night and finished thegame with 22 points. He

reached the mark in just 72games.It was a great feeling,

Gilbert said about the mile-stone. I didnt even know Idid it until a couple of dayslater. I couldnt have done itwithout my teammates andthe coaching staff. I reallyappreciate them.

Gilbert has been play-ing basketball since he was 6years old. He was not a natu-ral shooter and had to workhard to become the playerthat he is today.

When I was youngerI use to shoot a lot of airballs, he said. I changedmy form millions of times,and it just came from meworking on my form andbeing consistent with it.

Gilbert said his formand skills got better oncehe began playing for MillerGrove.

I matured a lot as aplayer also as a person,he said. I learned a lot ofthings that are going to helpme in the future. Playing

under Coach [ Sharman ]White is a great experiencebecause he does a lot ofthings that most high school

coaches dont do. He pre-pares you for the future, notonly for basketball but alsofor life.

The 6-foot guard is list-ed as one of the top guardsin the country. He is rankedNo. 3 in the state and No. 48overall in the country, ac-cording to ESPN.com. Hehas received college offersfrom Georgia, Georgia Tech,Auburn, Florida State, Mi-ami, Memphis and more.

He has not made a deci-sion on which school to signwith yet.

Maybe sometime nextyear, Im not sure yet, hesaid about making a deci-sion. Im going to sit down,look at my options with mymom.

As of right now, Gilbertsaid his focus is on winninganother state title and be-coming a better leader.

I feel like I have toprogress more and maturemore as a player and as ateam, he said.

Alterique Gilbert:Focused on becoming a better leader

Next Level

Davis Golightly

Each weekThe Champion spotlights former highschool players from the county who are succeeding in ath-letics on the college level.

Sharrod Golightly , South Carolina (football): Thesenior defensive player from Southwest DeKalb had eighttotal tackles, six solo, in the 24-21 win over Miami in theDuck Commander Independence Bowl Dec. 27. Golight-ly finished the season with 57 tackles.

Mike Davis , South Carolina (football): The juniorrunning back from Stephenson rushed for 55 yards and

had two receptions for 19 yards and a touchdown in the24-21 win over Miami in the Duck Commander Inde-pendence Bowl Dec. 27. Davis finished the season with982 rushing yards and nine touchdowns. He also had 32receptions for 368 yards and two touchdowns.

Miller Grove junior guard Alterique Gilbert hit his 1,000th point Dec. 9.

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The Champion Free Press, Friday Jan. 9, 2015 PAGE 16AEDUCATION

by Carla Parkercarla@dekalbchamp.com

Before the 2014 footballeason began, there was a lot

of hype surrounding a num-ber of Stephenson senior de-ensive players, specifically

defensive end ChaunceyRivers .

Rivers and the otherenior leaders lived up to

hype, leading Stephensonsdefense to rate as one ofhe top defenses in DeKalb

County football. However,here was another player

who played a big role inStephensons success ondefense, and he was not aenior.That player was sopho-

more linebacker MichaelMakins . Makins, 15, led theeam in total tackles this

past season with 105 (45olos, 60 assists). He has oneack, two tackles for a loss,wo fumble recoveries andour pass breakups.

It was my trust in Godhat helped me through a

good season, he said. Thehard work from my coacheswith helping me get on thefield, and my teammatesmost of alltrusting in meand pushing me to strivebetter.

Makins finished thirdoverall in the county in as-

sist tackles and eighth in to-tal tackles. He averaged 5.0assist tackles per game and8.8 total tackles per game.Makins said it was a bless-ing to finish the season asone of the top tacklers in thecounty.

I feel like I completed

my goals for this year, hesaid. I hope to get strongerand even faster next yearand lead the county in tack-les.

Makins began play-ing football at 4 years oldat Wade Walker Park. Heplayed for the park untilhe got to Stephenson HighSchool, where he played forthe junior varsity team as afreshman. During workoutsessions at the school, theStephenson coaches noticedMakins and a friend whilethey were doing drills.

The coaches realizedthat we were doing realgood to be freshmen, hesaid. Coach talked to us,asked for our names andwhat positions we play. Ithink that was the first timethe coach actually recog-nized that we were workinghard and seemed differentfrom everybody else.

Makins said he learned alot playing alongside Riversand the other veterans onthe defense.

[Rivers] taught me a lotabout leadership and how toplay up to the varsity level,he said. The other playersdid the same thing as well.

Along with playing wellon the field, Makins alsodoes well in the classroom.He currently has a 3.4 GPA.Makins said it takes dedica-tion to do well in academicsand athletics.

You have to be dedi-cated to the sport, he said.If you want to be dedicatedto the sport, you have to begood in the classroom andget your work done.

With Stephensonsseason over, Makins is pre-paring to become a betterplayer and leader for nextseason.

I feel like I have to stepup and become a leader andcontrol the team and makemore leaders out of thewhole team so we can all begreat, get to the state cham-pionship and win, he said.

Stephenson sophomore linebackerfinishes in top defensive stats

I hope to get stronger and even faster next year and lead the county intackles, said Stephensons Chancey Rivers.