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WWW.CHAMPIONNEWSPAPER.CO M FRIDAY, MAY 18, 2012 VOL. 15, NO. 8 FREE

FREEPRESS A PUBLICATION OF ACE III C OMMUNICATIONS

Dr. Paula Murray, a veterinarian at Snapfinger Creek Animal Hospital in Decatur, is the advisor for a Veterinary Explorers program. The pro-gram allows students like Shawna Wilson and Micah Seals to get hands-on experience with veterinary science. Photos by Andrew Cauthen

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

See Vet on Page 15A

by Andrew [email protected]

Students in DeKalb Countyare learning that veteri-nary science is not aboutplaying with puppies and

kittens.It is sometimes, but most

of the timewe do a lot of pre-ventative medication, said Dr.Paula Murray, a veterinarian atSnapfinger Creek Animal Hos-pital on Flat Shoals Parkway inDecatur. There are times whenwe are dealing with animals thatare stressed or hurt or injured.

Sometimes we have to help

clients make difficult decisionsabout their pets, Murray said.Murray is an adviser who runs

an Explorers program for studentsages 14-20 who are consideringveterinary medicine as a career.

My job is to expose them toall the aspects of veterinary medi-cinethe nice, the not so nice,aid Murray, a 1984 graduate of

Tuskegee University. That wayhey can make a true assessment.

Explorers is a Boy Scout pro-gram in which participants canfollow career-based professionsuch as engineering or firefight-

Vetinvestsin future

vets

ing to learn more about those occu-pations.

Ive had people in the past say,Ive discovered this is not the path Iwant to take, Murray said. Thatswhat the program is for. They dis-cover whether its something theywant to do or not.

Murray, who started working atthe south DeKalb clinic in May 2011,began the Explorers program thereafter a client asked if his son couldshadow Murray.

Most people just come and ask,said Murray, who has not activelyrecruited for the program in DeKalb.And I say yes because I feel I needto give back. If somebody needs tobe mentored, Im happy to mentor.

In addition to hands-on time,the participants meet once a monthto discuss various cases and hearfrom guest speakers such as animaldermatologists, ophthalmologists,veterinarians of large animals andrepresentatives from the U.S. Depart-

ment of Agriculture.It looks good on your resume,

too, when applying to vet school,Murray said.

ShawnaWilson, a 17-year-oldSouthwest DeKalb High student, hashelped deliver a puppy at the animalhospital.

I revived it and made sure it wasbreathing and screaminghealthy,said Wilson, who participates in theprogram twice a week. At first I wasnervous, but it was exciting.

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Page 2A The Champion Free Press, Friday, May 18, 2012

HGEREE ORRET

EVET,TOO.1 6 AmERA

TRGGE WTH HGER.

TOGETHERWERE

Hunger is closer than you think. Reach out to

your local food bank for ways to do your part.

Visit FeedingAerica.org today.

Crime BrieFSDeKalb mencharged in SocialCircle killing

Two DeKalb County menwere arrested May 10 for thekilling of a man whose bodywas found in Social Circle.

Corey Thomas, 20, ofDecatur, and Antonio Jones,24, of Stone Mountain, werearrested and charged withhe murder ofAkili Jabari

Stewart, whose body wasdiscovered March 29 in awooded area near I-20 in So-cial Circle.

Stewarts body was foundwhen reghters were calledo put out a brush re near

he interstate.An autopsy by the Geor-gia Bureau of InvestigationMedical Examiners Ofcerevealed Stewart, 36, died ofgunshot wounds.

The crime is being inves-igated by the Social Circle

Police Department, GBI Ath-ens Regional Ofce and thestate Fire Marshals Ofce.

Perimetercommunity holdingtrafc simulation

A new type of trafcnterchange designed to in-

crease trafc ow is underconstruction in the Perimeterarea.

Drivers can learn how tonavigate Georgias rst di-verging diamond interchange(DDI) when the PerimeterCommunity ImprovementDistricts (PCIDs) hosts a testdrive Saturday, May 19, 10a.m. - 2 p.m. at PerimeterMall. The demonstration willbe in the event lot on the cor-

ner of Ashford DunwoodyRoad and Perimeter CenterWest.

Golf carts will be usedon a simulated track to al-ow drivers to experience the

new DDI interchange that isbeing created at I-285 andAshford Dunwoody Road.A valid drivers license isrequired to participate in theest drive.

Refreshments will beprovided and the rst 100participants who completehe DDI test drive will re-

ceive free Can You DDI?

T-shirts.The PCIDs initiated theAshford Dunwoody DDIproject, which is a partner-ship project with the Georgia

Department of Transporta-tion, DeKalb County andthe State Road and TollwayAuthority.

To view a simulation ofthe I-285 and Ashford Dun-woody Interchange DDI,visit www.perimetercid.org.

SWAT standoffends with twoarrests

Two burglary suspectswere arrested May 10, afterDeKalb County Police De-partments SWAT team wascalled to a Clarkston apart-

ment complex.DeKalb police officerswere following up on casefrom May 2 in which aStone Mountain Police offi-cers home was burglarizedand guns were among theitems stolen.

Officers were at the com-plex following up on tips ata unit of the Highland Vil-lage Apartments, accordingto MekkaParish, policespokeswoman. Police havenot released the names ofthe people arrested.

Two of the three people

inside the unit came out,Parish said. A third personescaped and was still atlarge as of early May 11 andpolice said he is a suspectin the burglary of the StoneMountain officers home.The person is also wantedby Clarkston Police forarmed robbery.

Doraville homeintruders identied

Khaleaf Silvera andAlfred Wilson are facingcharges of aggravated as-sault, armed robbery, falseimprisonment, kidnappingand felony murder after aDoraville home invasionthat left one person dead.

In the early-morninghours of May 8, three menbroke into a home on the3900 block of Doral Driveby climbing through a win-dow. They then tied thehands of three of the fourresidents inside the home.

Doraville Police Sgt.

Gene Callaway said one ofthe bound residents was ableto grab a gun and shoot oneof the intruders. The nameof the suspect who was

killed has not been releasedat this time.

Rob Watts namedinterim president ofGPC

University System ofGeorgia ChancellorHankHuckaby on May 9namedRob Watts as interim presi-dent of Georgia PerimeterCollege.

Anthony Tricoli re-signed as GPC presidentearlier that week and wasreassigned to the universitysystem central ofce.

Watts previously served

as interim president of GPCfrom 2005-06 and beginshis second stint on May 14.

Watts has had an exten-

sive career in the UniversitySystem. He was chief op-erating ofcer for the USGuntil earlier this year, aposition he held since 2006.From 2002-05, Watts servedas a senior policy adviser tothe chancellor and the in-terim director of the Gwin-nett University Center inLawrenceville, Ga.

He rst joined GPC (thenknown as DeKalb College)in 1986, and served for veyears as director of insti-tutional research and plan-ning.

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man accusd of kllng polc offcs appas n cout

Polc alad by fals calls

Dr. Melvin Johnson, retired DeKalb CountyDeputy Superintendent, announces that he isseeking election to the DeKalb County Board ofEducation, District 6. A regular election is sched-uled for July 31, 2012. Melvin Johnson has morethan thirty-seven years of experience in education(positions that include teacher, assistant princi-pal, principal, area superintendent, and deputysuperintendent). While serving in system-wide

leadership positions for eighteen years, he demonstrated excellent leadershipskills and a clear understanding of school governance. During his tenure atthe district-wide level, DeKalb County School System was recognized as oneof the top performing school districts in Georgia. Melvin is an independentthinker who makes data-driven and logical decisions to address essential is-sues and to solve critical problems.

Dr. Johnsons goal is to work collaboratively with the Board members andthe Superintendent to: (1) improve student achievement (providing continuedsupport for teacher and administrators), (2) increase scal and operational ef-ciencies, (3) re-establish community trust (by being an eective listener andadvocate for all stakeholdersfamilies, students and community members),and (4) promote a more harmonious, results-driven working relationshipwith the Superintendent.

Dr. Edward L. Bouie, an experienced educator in both PreK-12 and highereducation, is serving as Chair of Dr. Johnsons election committee. Dr. Bouiestated, Dr. Johnson is an outstanding educator who not only supports allchildren in their educational endeavors, but who also understands the politi-cal process that is necessary to develop and implement policies that will helpall children rise to their highest levels of achievement.

Since retiring from the DeKalb School District in 2004, Dr. Johnson hasserved on the Redan Parent Advisory Board, DeKalb Youth Leadership Acad-emy Development Committee and YMCA Academies Board of Directors. Dr.Johnson would like to continue his service to the community in the capacityof district 6 board member. Undergirding his commitment as an aspiringboard member is this core value:Restore Excellence to DeKalb Schools: e Time is Now!

Dr. Johnson, a native Georgian, earned his Bachelor of Science Degree fromFort Valley State College, Masters of Education, Educational Specialist, and

Educational Doctorate Degrees from Atlanta University. He is married andthe father of four children. Two are college graduates. Two are recent gradu-ates from Redan High School and attending Albany State University andHoward University.

For additional information visit FriendsofMelvinJohnson.org, [email protected] or call (404) 447-5414

Dr. Melvin Johnsonannounces Board ofEducation candidacy

Paid for by Friends of Melvin Johnson

CITY OF DORAVILLEPUBLIC NOTICE

Fiscal Year 2013 BudgetNotice is hereby given that the proposed budget for the City of Doraville shall be available for public inspection

beginning May 29, 2012, in the City Clerks office from 8:00 to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday at City Hall, 3725Park Avenue, Doraville, GA.

A public hearing shall be held on the 4th day of June at 6:30 p.m. at City Hall, 3725 Park Avenue, Doraville, GAbefore the Mayor and Council of the City of Doraville at which time public comment pertaining to the Fiscal Year 2013

(July 1, 2012 through June 30, 2013) budget shall be sounded. All citizens of Doraville are invited to attend.A regular meeting shall be held on the 18th day of June at 6:30 p.m. at City Hall, 3725 Park Avenue, Doraville, GAbefore the Mayor and Council of the City of Doraville at which time the Fiscal Year 2013 (July 1, 2012 through June30, 2013) budget shall be approved and the budget ordinance adopted in accordance with O.C.G.A. 36-81-5. Allcitizens of Doraville are invited to attend.


DeKalb County leadershope new nes will reducethe number of false alarms

the police department re-sponds to each year.

In 2009, 95 percent ofthe alarms responded to bythe police department werefalse alarms, according tocounty reports.

Many people in the pub-licmay be upset at rstthat we would charge a feefor alarms going off, saidCommissionerLee May.

If you do like I dosometimes, you walkthrough the door and forgetthe alarm is onand thealarm goes off, May said.Thats not where you getthe ne because each alarmcompany should call you...

so you can squash that call,meaning no ofcers, no re-ghters should come to yourresidence.

If that call by youralarm company is not

responded to [is] when ourreghters and police of-cers are dispatched, Maysaid. If that call is a falsealarm [is] when the newould occur.

This is meant to getpeople to be more respon-sible with their alarms,May said. If people have topay money, theyll be moreconscious.

For the rst false alarm,the ne is waived. Thesecond time police are dis-patched to a residence for afalse alarm, the ne is $50and $100 the third time.

The point of this is todeter people from allowing

false alarms, May said.Every time a police ofceror reghter is dispatchedto a false alarm that meansthey cannot be dispatched inother areas of the county.

CommissionerSharonBarnes Sutton said imple-menting the nes is some-thing good for the countyand it actually works.

Police ChiefWilliamOBrien said other locali-ties that have implementedfalse alarm nes have beenable to reduce their numberof false alarms by 40-50percent.

If we could reduce themby that number it would bea tremendous workload offthe ofcers, OBrien said.The department would beable to put them back intothe eld.

File Photo

by Daniel [email protected]

William Woodard, 34,who is accused of killingDeKalb County police of-

cers Eric Barker, 34,andRicky Bryant Jr., 26,whilethey were working as off-duty security at the Glen-wood Gardens Apartments,recently appeared in court.

During a motion to sup-press evidence found at thecrime scene, defense attor-neys argued that Woodardacted in self defense after hewas snatched from a car.However, prosecutors saidthat even if Barker and Bry-ant were in the wrong whenthey approached Woodard, itstill didnt give him the rightto allegedly open re.

No matter what the of-cers did, he stood over themand shot at them, DistrictAttorney Robert James

said.According to prosecu-

tors, in 2008 while the of-cers were working securitythey approached a vehicle in

the apart-

mentpark-ing lot.Woodardthen gotout of thecar andallegedlybeganshooting.Policesaid

Woodard shot Barker in thehead and Bryant in the torsoand drove away. However,a tow truck driver found themen and called authorities.One ofcer died at the sceneand the other in the hospital.Both left behind a wife andfour children.

It has been a little more

than four years since Barkerand Bryant were killed andprosecutors are seeking thedeath penalty against Wood-ard. Erik Burton, a spokes-

man

for theDeKalbDAs Of-ce, saiddeathpenaltycases usu-ally takelonger toprosecutebecause ofthe num-

ber of motions and appeals.He has changed attor-

neys multiple times; I knowthere has been some delaythere, Burton said of Wood-ard.

The counsel that he hasnow is recently appointedcounsel so he hasnt hadDwight Thomas that long

BarkerBryant

it delays the process if youseek the death penalty.

A ruling is expected onthe motion within the next

several weeks and Burtonsaid the trial is set to beginin late August.

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No country for rich menFrom Manhattan to Monaco, the worlds wealthiest people are disconnecting into a class of stateless transientsby Sam Pizzigati

Back in 1863, a short story tookhe American reading public bytorm. Edward Everett Hales The

Man without a Country told the taleof a poor treasonous soul sentencedo spend the rest of his life endlesslyailing the world in perpetual exile,

as a prisoner aboard Navy warships.Todays awesomely affluent are

ust as transient by choice.Take Facebook co-founder

EduardoSaverin. This billion-aire renounced his United Statescitizenship in 2011, a move per-fectly timed to potentially save himhundreds of millions in taxes whenFacebook goes public.

Saverin has plenty of company.The number of Americans who for-mally renounced their United Statescitizenship soared to 1,780 last yearfrom 235 in 2008.

The spark for this surge? Unit-ed States tax officials have beenclamping down on overseas tax eva-ion. This bit of unpleasantness hasome wealthy Americans, such ashe Brazilian-born Saverin, cutting

heir ties to dear old Uncle Sam.They simply pay a $450 paperworkfee and an exit tax on unrealizedcapital gains, if they hold assetsworth more than $2 million or have

paid more than $151,000 to the IRSin any recent year.

But the affluent whove for-mally renounced their citizenshipcomprise just a tiny share of whattheFinancial Times has labeled thestateless super rich. These uber-wealthy folks shy from the notorietyof citizenship spurned. They justlive their lives as if they have no na-tion to call their own.

The most famous member ofthis stateless-by-choice commu-

nity may be Nicolas Berggruen, a52-year-old homeless billionaireworth more than $2.3 billion whohas spent the last decade hoppingthe world from one five-star hotel toanother.

But few of the stateless superrich settle for hotel suites. Mostof the vagabonding wealthy ownpersonal residences. Lots of them.Typically, theFinancial Timesreported last month, a statelesssuper-rich household will have oneor two properties in their countryof principal residence, another inLondon, New York, or some otherglobal city, a holiday home in

a warm climate, and maybe anotherpad somewhere snowy.

Among the super rich, thisperpetual-motion existence hasbecome almost de rigueur, notes

JeremyDavidson, a London realtorwho handles properties that run atleast 10 million, the equivalent ofmore than $16 million.

The more money you have,explains Davidson, the more root-less you become because everythingis possible.

That rootlessness is keeping theprice of luxury real estate soaring.So far this year, in Manhattan alone,four luxury co-op apartments havesold for more than $30 million each,

notes Crains New York Business.Just how many potential state-less super rich are currently roam-ing the world? Late last year, theSingapore-based Wealth-X consult-ing firm put the overall global num-ber of people worth at least $500million at about 4,650. These superrich together hold an estimated$6.25 trillion in assets.

Thats more than enough, noteurban planners, to create havoc inthe hotspots where the statelesssuper rich most often gather. Theirgentrification on steroids supersizesprices for local products and servic-es and prices out local residents

in the process.The massive mansions and

apartments belonging to thesehomeless billionaires can also exac-erbate local housing shortages and

constitute an assault on any healthysense of urban community. Thesuper rich, as they flit about, leavetheir properties unoccupied most ofthe year. The resulting emptiness,notes Columbia University soci-ologist SaskiaSassen, sucks theneighborhood vitality out of greaturban centers.

The super rich dont notice. Orcare. They have no interest in put-ting down roots. During their briefseasonal sojourns, they live in isola-

tion from the greater communityaround them. They venture out intolocal public life only long enoughto corrupt it with trinkets for localpols who promise to keep tax ratestoothless.

The stateless protagonist in theclassic short story Edward EverettHale penned nearly 150 years agodesperately yearns to rejoin thesociety he so treasonously spurned.Todays stateless super rich dontfigure to display any similar yearn-ing. Theyre having too grand atime. At our expense.

Sam Pizzigati edits Too Much,

the online weekly on excess andinequality published by the Institutefor Policy Studies.

The Champion Free Press, Friday, May 18, 2012 Page 4AOpinion

In the wake of PresidentObamas public support for gay mar-iage, perhaps a reminder of this fa-

mous and profound quote by the lateGerman anti-Nazi theologian MartinNiemoller is relevant:

First they came for the Jewsand I did not speak out because I wasnot a Jew.

Then they came for the Commu-nists and I did not speak out because

was not a Communist.Then they came for the trade

unionists and I did not speak out be-cause I was not a trade unionist.

Then they came for me and therewas no one left to speak out for me.

Who will speak for you? One haso applaud the president for his bold,ourageous stand in keeping with the

guarantees of the Declaration of In-dependence that all men are createdqual and endowed by the Creator

with certain inalienable rights... lifeiberty and the pursuit of happiness.

While the shapers and framers of theDeclaration of Independence and theConstitution mostly had White menin mind in that lofty ideal, subsequentamendments have guaranteed thoserights to African Americans, womenand others regardless of their race,creed, religion or sexual orientation.

It is necessary to point out thatmany of the Founding Fathers wereDeists, believers in God, but notnecessarily Christian as many wouldhave you believe. This is a countryof many religions that speaks to re-ligious freedoms guaranteed by theConstitution that grew out of the ba-sic tenets of Deism. Thomas Jeffer-son, Ben Franklin, Thomas Paine,John Adams, James Madison andGeorgeWashington believed thatGod should be honored in a way thatthe individual believes is best andmost appropriate for them and that

essentially no human has more worththan another and that each human isequal in terms of the freedoms thatthey have and in the eyes of the law.

Methinks that is where thepresident is coming from. If oneis free to worship as one pleases,shouldnt it stand to reason that oneshould be able to enter into a civilrelationship with the person of theirchoice? There was a time in thisregion of the country in the not toodistant past that interracial marriages

were illegal and the Bible was usedas evidence to support that prohibi-tion. That thinking was born out ofthe same bigotry that would denygay, lesbian and transgendered in-dividuals the ability to enter into le-gally recognized civil unions.

My personal belief is the divinenature of marriage between a manand a woman to procreate bringforth new life. In the Bible, be fruit-ful and multiply was the first com-mandment given to Adam and Evein the Garden of Eden. But the scrip-tures also teach that God gave Adamand Eve something else in the garden freedom to choose and its been sodown through the ages. I cannot sitin judgment of another. That is Godsbusiness. Christians believe in theBible as the inerrant Word of God.But, with the religious freedoms weenjoy in this country, which scrip-

tures or holy writings are we goingto employ in resolving questions ofmorality? One thing I believe forsure. One cannot legislate morality.Another thing I know for sure is thatthe basic threads that run through allreligions are love, peace, toleranceand sharing.

The debate over the presidentspronouncement is raging. Someevangelicals and other conservativeChristian leaders, including many Af-rican-American clergy, are calling on

their followers to withdraw previoussupport for the president. Commentsrange from disappointment to blas-phemy. Some vow they wont votefor Mr. Obama or will stay at homeand not vote at all. That would be adisaster. It would be foolhardy to al-low this one issue to derail the prog-ress the president is making on othercritical fronts including the economy,health care, bringing our troops homeand making the wealthiest among uspay their fair share in taxes.

Barack Obama is the president ofthe United States. He is not the pas-tor, pope, rabbi, imam or swami. Buthe is modeling the kind of personalsacrificial leadership that includesall of the Creators children. Justimagine what this country would belike if we all genuinely held to thatnoble creed of the Founding Fathersthat all men are created equal and

endowed by the Creator with certaininalienable rights life, liberty andthe pursuit of happiness despite race,creed, color, religious belief or sexualorientation. When they come for you,who will speak for you?

Steen Miles, The Newslady, is aretired journalist and former Georgiastate senator. Contact Steen Milies [email protected].

The Newslady

Who will speak for you?

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Let Us Know What You Think!

THE CHAMPION FREE PRESSencourages opinionsfrom its readers. Please write to us and express yourviews. Letters should be brief, typewritten and containthe writers name, address and telephone number forverification. All letters will be considered for publication.

Send Letters To Editor, The Champion Free Press, P. O. Box 1347,Decatur, GA 30031-1347; Send E-Mail to [email protected]

FAX To: (404) 370-3903 Phone: (404) 373-7779Deadline for news releases and advertising: Thursday, one week prior

to publication date.

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

Publisher: Dr. Earl D. Glenn

Managing Editor: Kathy MitchellNews Editor: Robert Naddra

Production Manager: Kemesha Hunt

Graphic Designer: Travis Hudgons

The Champion Free Press is published each

Friday by ACE III Communications, Inc.,

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

Phone (404) 373-7779.

www.championnewspaper.com

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FREEPRESS

Sugar, sugarOh, honey, hon-ey...You are my candy girl, and ya gotme wantin you! Opening line of1970s era song Sugar, Sugar by TheArchies.

Sugar, real and fake, or thesweetener business is a multi-billiondollar industry. Coca-Cola still hearsfrom many customers requesting theold original, original formula, usingreal sugar cane as the primary sweet-ener, instead of high fructose cornsyrup. And as this diet nation knows,here are getting to be almost as many

color selections in the artificial sweet-ener category as there are primarycolors in the rainbowor sugar bowl:pinksaacharin Sweet n Low, Tab;blueaspartameNutrasweet, DietCoke; yellowsucraloseSplenda,Coke Zero, Pepsi Max, and now,greenstevia.

Anyone other than the rats re-member cyclamates? Sodium cy-clamates, though still banned in the

United States, are in use in 55 othercountries to sweeten your coffee ormany diet soft drinks of choice.

Stevia is a group of herbs andshrubs from within the sunflower fam-

ily. And stevia sweetener is naturallyderived from stevia plants. I grew sev-eral of these last year in my backyardorganic garden. I first encounteredthe little green packets of stevia in avegan-minded diner in Calhoun. I hadnever heard of the stuff before.

Being a regular morning cof-fee drinker, and a lover of iced tea,I have long been in search of the

perfect, low/no calorie, fake sugar.Though like many of you, I have alsoweighed, pun intended, the health

benefits and potential side effects ofregularly consuming several of these

products. For decades most all arti-

ficial sweeteners touted their lack ofcalories, as well as their comparativetaste to sugar. Every one of these al-ternatives is actually sweeter thansugar to the palate, and requires lessof the sweetener than a like amountof sugar, but each also has its ownafter-taste issues ranging from beingslightly bitter to metallic to licorice-like. I, of course, have my favorites,

but today I will just stick to somesweet news for Georgia.

The fastest growing sugar alterna-tive in the United States at present isalso judged by many to be the mostnatural and perhaps politically cor-

rect, as it grabbed the green color forits tiny packets. Stevia has primarily

been commercially grown in Cali-fornia and China for conversion intosweetener. However, last month,

Sweet Green Fields of Bellingham,Wash., announced a signed contract tocommercially grow 100 acres of Ste-via in Bacon County, Ga. This bumpercrop of sweetness will be convertedinto Stevia sweetener.

In California, stevia farmers areforced to expensively irrigate. How-ever in Georgia, and across much ofthe Southeast, the region typicallyreceives sufficient rainfall to keepthe soil moisture sufficient for the

plants shallow roots. The steviaplant typically thrives in a growingenvironment very similar to that ofanother major but waning Georgia

cash croptobacco. In addition, theharvesting of stevia plants requiresharvesting equipment and labor verysimilar to that needed for tobacco.Tobacco production in Georgia has

been in steady decline. As recently as2002, 822 Georgia farms cultivated25,000 acres of tobacco, producing 50million pounds of tobacco to be curedand sold. Five years later in 2007, theacreage was down by nearly a third,and the pounds of crop had droppedto fewer than 40 million, a decreaseof 20 percent. This crop demand de-cline potentially frees up thousands ofacres for the eventual production and

crop rotation of stevia. Stevia packetsare becoming so valued and rare that

premium coffee shops are starting tokeep stevia behind the counter andseparate from other sweeteners, as

well as customers attempting to hoardand stock up on a free supply. Ste-via sales are also beginning to outstriptheir peers on grocery shelves, despite

being priced at a premium roughlyone-third higher than pink, blue andyellow.

So Georgias other two most fa-mous sweet cropsGeorgia peach-es and sweet Vidalia onions may soonhave a run from their money acrossthousands of farms in south Georgiaall seeking the answer to the growingquestion of just how sweeeeetttt it is?The low-maintenance, hard to freezeand non-irrigated crop, being sold at a

premium price, may bring at least twonew types of green to hundreds ofGeorgia farmers. Please pass me thesugar bowl, Hon.

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 Champi-on, Champion Free Press andGeorgiaTrend. Crane is a DeKalb native andbusiness owner, living in Scottdale.You can reach him or comment on acolumn at [email protected].

One Mans Opinion

How sweeeeettt it isGeorgia stevia

STATEMENT FROM THE PUBLISHER

We sincerely appreciate the discussion surroundingthis and any issue of interest to DeKalb County.TheChampionwas founded in 1991 expressly to providea forum for discourse forallcommunity residentson all sides of an issue. We have no desire to makethe news only to report news and opinions to effect amore educated citizenry that will ultimately move ourcommunity forward. We are happy to present ideas fordiscussion; however, we make every effort to avoidprinting information submitted to us that is known tobe false and/or assumptions penned as fact.


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The apparent suicide of JuniorSeau, the former NFL superstar line-backer, has again raised the age-oldquestion:

Is playing football dangerous, asn potentially lethal?

Let me think about that. Lets see,youve got a sport where 240-poundpeople are paid to run into other

240-pound people while 320-poundpeople try to stop them. Occasionally,as weve recently learned, they getpaid to knock opposing players fromhe game by injuring them.

Gee, I dont know. What could bedangerous about that?

Come on, lets get real.Of course football is dangerous,

and its cumulative effects are oftenruinous.

Seaus death is merely anotherstone on the growing pile of evidencehat football is not only bad for the

knees and back; it also destroys thebrain.

His suicide follows close on the

heels of two similar suicides by for-mer pro football players Ray East-erling and Dave Duerson. Both ofhem, like Seau, had played with aban-

don, recklessly sacrificing their bodies(and heads) for the glory of victory.

And, like Seau, they had sufferedmultiple concussions during their longcareers. Easterling, the oldest of them,had been diagnosed with dementia notong before his death.

Amazingly enough, researchersonly recently began connecting themental deterioration of aging formerfootball players to the concussionshey suffered while playing the game.

This is partly due to the cavalierattitude taken toward concussions byhe football culture. Players who were

knocked semi-conscious during agame were said to have had their bellrung and were sent back into gamesat the earliest possible moment.

Thats no longer the case. A seriesof lawsuits filed by players seekingdamages for the head injuries theysuffered in the service of an uncaringmanagement has made the NFL take

the problem of concussions seriously.Not so the fans. Football fans, par-

ticularly fans of professional football,are a bloodthirsty breed. They takegreat delight in seeing bone-shatteringcollisions and hold in high regard

players who can best deliver them.They have a high tolerance for pain in others and show little sympathyfor the plight of the players who noware seeking redress for their injuries.

Lem Barney, one of the best play-ers in the 1960s, now says he wishedhed never played football.

Never. Never, the former defen-sive back told The Detroit Free Press

in March. Nor would he allow his sonsto play. It would be golf or tennis,he said.

The emails that came flooding intothe newspaper in response were stun-ning. They accused Barney of being awuss, a hypocrite, a lowlife.

He chose to play the game. Heknew what the risks were, seemed to

be the general theme.Actually, he didnt, not really. The

risks of football have been masked bya conspiracy of silence involving man-agement, players and fans.

Malcolm Gladwell, the authorof bestselling booksBlink, Outliers,and The Tipping Point, has studied

the research for several years. Hesconvinced that college football should

be banned. Failing that, the playersshould be paid.

Its a bit much both to maim andexploit college football players.

It is the cumulative effect ofthousands of little hits that linemenand defensive backsendure playafter play, he said in a interview withSlate.

But die-hard fans will argue thattheres no real proof that Seaus con-cussions caused his suicide, or Duer-sons or Easterlings either. And theyrail at the overreaction of the NFLcommissioner in penalizing the New

Orleans Saints for offering bountieson opposing players, awarding thou-sands to the player who could injure agiven opponent.

Its part of the game, they chantin unison.

As indeed it is.OtherWords columnist Donald

Kaul lives in Ann Arbor, Michigan.otherwords.org

Ou unous gaFootball fans have a high tolerance for pain in othersand show little sympathy for the plight of the playerswho now are seeking redress for their injuries.

Printed on 100% post-consumer recycled paper

Gand juy ugs DA to invstigat boad ofducation, again

What the article doesnt say is the reason Alexander & Associates was selcteddespite their price tag of $400,000 than the bid of an experienced education lawfirm. A BOE member stated to the grand jury they wanted to have a minority-owned firm representing the school and the board because they understand theculture of the kids....

Watching posted this on 5/11/12 at 9:30 a.m.

Plans to ov noth polic pcinct aychang

I wonder why in the world the County is even considering building a newprecinct. If Brookhaven incorporates and Chamblee annexes more land, therewill be almost no unincorporated land west of I-85. There will be no need forboth a North and Center precinct, as most of Norths territory will be lost to thecities. DeKalbs Center precinct is already located at police headquarters in theNorthlake area, and it is in a good location for a slightly larger coverage area withthe addition of the few remaining North beats. For a department that isnt ableto give raises or other perks to many of its officers, spending a bunch of moneyon a new building seems wasteful. I know local pols love shiny, new things theycan slap a plaque on with their names listed, but Ellis & Co. really need a realitycheck.

Also, Mr. Beauregard, have those same nebulous reports also stated thatvoters in Brookhaven should be aware that they will get their own policedepartment if they incorporate? Or are you just following in Richard Elliots leadby trying to scare people into voting against cityhood?

Jay posted this on 5/11/12 at 5:30 p.m.

DCSD cuts jobs, liinats pogas du toover staffing

I am a huge fan of the magnets, as well as any school choice option.

Remember, that both gifted students and EIP students have their own federaland state money. That money must be spent on the education of those specifickids. DeKalb cant just spend the money for each gifted child somewhere else.They would risk losing the money altogether.

Honestly, if we didnt school choice, I would probably move. It keeps me in thecounty paying my property taxes. DeKalb doesnt spend any more per studentfrom the DeKalb taxes on Kittredge students ( as well as any of the other magnetprograms.) The extra funds comes from the state and federal tax dollars thatgoes to fund gifted programs.

Gifted kids can become MAJOR behavior problems if they are bored silly in theclassroom in much the same way as a student who struggles in the classroom.

Fan of the Magnets posted this on 5/11/12 at 7:52 p.m

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

7/31/2019 Free Press 5-18-12

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The Champion Free Press, Friday, May 18, 2012 Page 7ALocal News

Champion ofthe Week

Clakston his nw dvlopnt anag

If you would like to nominate

someone to be considered as a

future Champion of the Week,

please contactKathy Mitchellat

[email protected] or at

404-373-7779, ext. 104.

DuMarkus Davis

DuMarkus Davis, 16,

said volunteering is in hisblood and those in his im-mediate family have alwaysbeen big givers.

It wasnt somethingI was taught but moresomething I was born into,Davis said.

Davis volunteers forthe DeKalb County YouthCommission and is thechairman of the Teen Un-employment Initiative.Throughout his work forthe initiative, Davis said hefound that many teens areunable to obtain the jobs

they want or need.Due to the economic

downturn a lot of teens aregoing out to find jobs tohelp their parents, Davissaid. We put together theReality Check program,which helps students fig-ure out what to do aftercollege and helps parentswith financial education.

Davis learned of theyouth commission frommembers of his church,where he also volunteerswith its youth ministry and

is the current leader ofits creative team. He saidhis favorite thing aboutvolunteering with theyouth commission is thefeeling of camaraderie hegets from working with hispeers on different initia-

tives.Its a group of students

who are all together andeverybody is there becausethey want to be. We havethe support of the commis-sioners and other adults inthe county so it makes ourjob easier and were ableto get a lot more accom-plished, Davis said.

Davis also volunteers forthe Magic Wand Founda-tion, a nonprofit organiza-

tion that empowers youngpeople to find happiness,live their dreams and de-velop a passion for makinga positive impact on theworld.

I was one of the young-est members of the firstgraduating class. Theyteach you entrepreneurskills, giving back to yourcommunity and stayingtrue to yourself, Davissaid.

Davis, who plays violin,recently started his ownprogram called The Millen-nium Music Project, wherehe teaches children atschools throughout metroAtlanta how to play vio-lin. Recently, he has beenworking with a group ofpreschoolers in downtownAtlanta.

Were going to haveour first performance nextmonth. Most are between4 and 6 years old and itsamazing to see their transi-tion in such a short amountof time, Davis said.

For those interested in

volunteering, Davis saida lot of the time its assimple as making a phonecall and finding out wherethe next event is and justshowing up ready to work.

by Daniel [email protected]

Jasone Gaines, 33, thenew planning and develop-ment manager of Clarkston

said his goal is to attract morequality development to thecity.

Gaines who worked forCobb County the last sevenyears, started in its com-munity development agencyhen transferred to its trans-

portation department. Hesaid working for Clarkstons light years different than

working for a much largercity.

When the Clarkston CityCouncil voted to become acity manager form of govern-ment, Gaines said, it made a

decision to move the city in adifferent direction, which isone of the things that attractedhim to the position.

The great thing aboutClarkston is that this is aclean slate. When City Man-agerKeith Barker came herehe had to put simple thingsn place such as an employee

handbook, policies and pro-cedures for human resourcesand employment, things likehat, Gaines said.

Since Gaines was hiredseven weeks ago, he said hesbeen busy establishing poli-

cies and procedures to helpstreamline the process of get-ing things done in the city,

whether its rezoning prop-erty, applying for variancesor administering the buildingpermit process.

One of Gaines rst goalsas planning and develop-ment manager is to rewriteportions of the citys zoningordinances to make it easierfor city staff, residents andpotential business owners tounderstand.

There are some thingsn the ordinance, from my

perspective that are a bitrestrictive, some things par-icularly in the sign ordinancehat could be a big hindranceo businesses in some situa-

tions, Gaines said.From a general standpoint

we want ordinances to err onthe side of being less restric-tive especially in a time likethis when the economy is still

trying to rebound. We want toattract business to the city andinvestment, development andconstruction.

Gaines said during the nextseveral years, the citys focuswill be improving or remov-ing some of the more blighted

properties, both commercialand residential, in the city. Hesaid he also sees a lot of roomfor growth as new walkingand bike trails are built in thecity.

Weve got the PATHfoundation trails that come

through the city and wevealready got some great bi-cycle trafc coming through

but with that expanded trailweve got some opportunityto establish some features

for those who use the facilitylike a bicycle depot or a bikeshop, rental bikes, restaurants,smoothie bars and snack

bars...Clarkston could be aperfect pit stop for someoneriding on the path, Gainessaid.

Although Gaines wouldntdiscuss any specic develop-ment projects currently underway, he said Barker had a vi-sion to grow the city, not justin terms of revenue genera-tion or tax base, but in termsof size as well.

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARINGS ON THE2012-2013 PROPOSED BUDGET

FOR THE CITY OF DECATUR, GEORGIA

There will be public hearings on the proposed 2012-2013 budget for

the City of Decatur at 7:30 p.m. on June 4, 2012 and on June 18, 2012

in the City Commission Meeting Room at City Hall, 509 N.

McDonough Street, Decatur. The proposed budget is summarized

below and is available in its entirety for public inspection at Decatur

City Hall. All citizens are invited to attend the public hearings, to

provide written and oral comments, and ask questions concerning the

entire budget.FY 2012-2013

PROPOSED GENERAL FUND REVENUES AND EXPENDITURES

REVENUESTaxes 14,829,600

Licenses, Permits & Inspections 771,800

Penalties, Fines & Forfeitures 1,575,000Interest 2,000Charges for Current Services 1,359,900Intergovernmental Revenues 382,320Miscellaneous Revenue 189,000Sale of Fixed Assets 10,000Operating Transfers 71,360Appropriation From (To) Fund Balance 886,980

TOTAL REVENUES $20,077,960

EXPENDITURES

Governmental Control Department 142,400General Government Department 1,567,220Community & Economic Development Department 1,219,600Planning, Zoning & Inspections Division 917,630Administrative Services Department 2,828,250Police Department 5,064,820Fire & Rescue Department 3,378,390Public Works-Sanitation & Facilities Maintenance 2,746,560Public Works-Engineering 787,010Active Living Division 1,426,080

TOTAL EXPENDITURES $20,077,960

The City of Clarkston recently hired Jason Gaines, 33, as its new planning and development manager.

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Own of dogs that attackdLithonia gil wants out of jail aly

County ovs pit bullfnc in odinanc


A Lithonia woman convictedafter her dogs attacked an8-year-old girl in 2010 wants toget out of jail after four months.

An attorney forTwyannVaughn said her client wants to

be released because of somehings that have come up in herife.

Vaughns son will be gradu-ating from high school thismonth without her there tosupport him, said public de-fenderJamila Montaque, dur-ng a hearing in state court May

9.Vaughn is also being sued

for $15 million by the victimsfamily, Montaque said.

She wouldnt be able to payhat even if she were working,

Montaque said. She wants to

do the right thing. She under-stands that she will probablyhave to pay [the victim] some-hing. She simply cant do that

while in custody.State CourtJudge Dax Lo-

pez is considering the request.Vaughn was sentenced to 16

months in jail, three years ofprobation, 240 hours of com-munity service and restitution.She has also been ordered tobecome an advocate for betteranimal control after release.

Vaughn was convicted onwo counts each of reckless

conduct, violation of the vi-cious dog act and violation ofthe rabies ordinance.

Witnesses during her trialsaid that Vaughns pit bulls at-tacked Erin Ingram, a RockChapel Elementary Schoolpupil, who was playing in herneighborhood March 2010. The

girl lost part of an arm as a re-sult of the attack.

According to a police report,several witnesses unsuccess-fully tried to pull the dogs awayfrom the girl before a DeKalbCounty Police ofcer arrived.The ofcer shot one of the dogsin the head when it jumpedtoward the ofcer. The otherdog, which ran away, was laterfound and euthanized.

This wasnt done on pur-pose, Montaque said. Thiswas a horrible accident. It wasnegligent. It wasnt on pur-

pose.During the four-day trial,DeKalb Solicitor General Sher-ry Bostonportrayed Vaughn asa negligent dog owner.

Vaughns neighbors testifiedthat the dogs were allowed torun freely through the neigh-borhood. Several witnessestestified that they would not gooutside without a shovel, hoe,baseball bat or a 9 mm gun.

Boston said Vaughns sen-tence was fair and lenient.

It was more than fair giventhe circumstances that [the vic-

tim] will have to face for therest of her life, Boston said.After serving four months, shecertainly should not be releasedfrom jail.

Boston highlighted the factthat Vaughns motion was ledless than 30 days into her sen-tence.

Ms. Vaughn was not feelingremorseful at this point, Bos-ton said. She still is concernedabout civil liabilitiesclaim-ing that she had done nothingwrong.

Boston said Vaughn hadample opportunity before thetrial to prepare for the pendinglawsuit.

To go to jail and then claimafter the fact that she needs toget out so she can raise moneyor have a lawyer to defend thecivil claim is preposterous,Boston said.

I am offended for the In-gram familybecause thisfamily has to deal with a greatamount of tragedy and ErinIngram, for the rest of her life,will be disabled, Boston said.

The victims father, TommieIngram, said Vaughn shouldserve her full sentence.

She got off real light fromthe beginning, Ingram said.I actually wanted her to havemore time than just 16 months,so I want her to serve more thanfour.


A change to DeKalb Countys ordinance

could help it better control dangerous animals.The countys Board of Commissioners voted

May 8 to remove the term pit bull from thecountys ordinance. No longer will pit bullsbe in a list ofhousehold petexclusions inDeKalb.

Thisamendment inno way affects[the countys]ability toenforce theanimal con-trol ordinance

for danger-ous animals,said MarianEisenberg,zoning admin-istrator. Whatthis amend-ment does iseliminates areference toa breed fromour denitionof domesticanimals.

Pit bull is a term that has been used todescribe American pit bull terriers, AmericanStaffordshire terriers, Staffordshire bull terri-

ers and mixes that include any of these breeds,according to the website of Shelter Angels PitBull Rescue, which has rescued more than 100pit bulls from the county shelter in the pastcouple of years.

Naturally, folks are very circumspect aboutchanging any restrictions on what can be adangerous animal, CommissionerJeff Radersaid.

County ofcials said the previous ordinancetext did not prohibit pit bull ownership; itjust stated that pit bulls were not considered ahousehold pet. This created confusion and re-sulted in the dismissal in court of any citationswritten by code compliance or animal servicesunder that section of the ordinance.

The way the ordinance was written was notan effective tool for being able to get rid ofdangerous animals, Rader said.

According to the countys dangerous ani-mal ordinance, an animal is deemed dangerousif it inicts severe injury on a human beingwithout provocation, aggressively bites,attacks, or endangers the safety of humans orany other animal without provocation, or hasbeen trained, owned, or harbored for animalghting.

We are better served by relying on thecriminal code both at the local and state levelto identify, and to remove and punish folks whokeep dangerous animals, Rader said.

Naturally,

folks are very

circumspect

about changing

any restrictions

on what can

be a dangerous

animal.

Jeff Rader

DeKalb County Commissioner

DeKalb Solicitor General Sherry Boston said the 16-month sentence of the owner of two pit bulls that attacked a girl in 2010 was more thanfair. The girls father, Tommie Ingram, said he wants the dogs owner to serve more than the judge ordered. Photo by Andrew Cauthen

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Its a new trafc inter-

change that comes with itsown slogan: Arrive. Cross-over. Drive.

Drivers will be driving oneft side of the road on Geor-

gias rst Diverging Diamondnterchange (DDI) that is be-ng constructed at I-285 and

Ashford Dunwoody Road.The DDI will eliminate

eft-hand turns, said DavidPurcell, chief operating of-cer for the Perimeter Com-munity Improvement DistrictsPCIDs).

Left turns are one of themost dangerous trafc opera-

ions, Purcell said.Construction began inJanuary on the project, whichwas initiated by PCIDs. Theproject is a partnership withhe Georgia Department

of Transportation, DeKalb

County and the State Roadand Tollway Authority.

The interchange is de-signed to be a low-cost solu-

tion to improve trafc owand safety. When trafc ismoving freely on surroundinghighways, particularly I-285,the DDI is projected to reducetrafc delays during eveningrush hours up to 20 percent.

The interchange is ex-pected to save a fraction of asecond per car at a bridge thathandles more than 53,000 carsa day, Purcell said.

However, the interchangeis not a silver bullet, hesaid. If I-285 is not moving,the DDI will not be an im-

provement.

Purcell said the inter-change will also help theenvironment by reducinggreenhouse gases from idlingvehicles.

Pedestrians will be able towalk across the center of the

bridge on a median protectedby 3-foot high walls.

The interchange is expect-ed to be open for trafc June

4, but it will not be complete.Drivers will have to contendwith detour signs and orangeroad construction barrels untilthe project is nished laterthis year.

The DDI will be the 12thsuch interchange in the coun-try. There are ve in Missouri,four in Utah and one eachin Kentucky and Tennessee.Several others are under con-struction around the countryand still others are being

proposed, including some inGwinnett County.

Donna Mahaffey, chief

of external affairs for PCIDs,said the interchange is atemporary, decade-long solu-tion. The bridge on AshfordDunwoody Road needs to bereplaced with a wider one.

A new bridge has been

on the books for years, Ma-haffey said.

The cost to completely teardown the existing bridge and

one a new bridge would beapproximately $175 million,Mahaffey said.

Compare that price tagto the $4.6 million contractawarded to E.R. Snell Con-tractors Inc. of Snellville, bythe Georgia Department ofTransportation for the DDI

project.We still do need that

complete reconguration,Mahaffey said.

As part of the ongoingpublic education campaign forthe interchange, the PerimeterCIDs is holding a simulation

of the interchange May 19,10 a.m. - 2 p.m. at PerimeterMall. The demonstration will

be in the event lot on the cor-

ner of Ashford DunwoodyRoad and Perimeter CenterWest.

Golf carts will be used on

a simulated track to allowdrivers to experience the newDDI interchange that is beingcreated at I-285 and AshfordDunwoody Road. A validdrivers license is required to

participate in the test drive.Its not high-tech, but

it will make it more real forpeople, Mahaffey said.

A simulation of the I-285and Ashford Dunwoody Inter-change DDI is available on-line at www.perimetercid.org.

Dunwoody interchange will offer challenge to drivers

Evening includes:

Cocktail hour beginning at 4:30

Gourmet buffet dinner at 6:00

Concert starts at 7:30

For reservations, call 555-1234.

An Evening Of Great MusicAn Evening Of Great Music

Join us for a stirring

rendition of Beethovens

glorious Ninth Symphony

on Saturday, Nov. 8!

Proudly presents a FreeCommunity Concert

June 19, 8PMFirst Baptist Church of Decatur

Nella Rigell is a brilliant harpist from Atlanta, Cherniavskysays. This evocative concerto written by Laura Zaerr for the Celtic harp suitsher well because she performs it with such stirring expression andimagination.Everyone is welcome to attend

Under the direction of DeKalbSymphony Orchestras Music Direc-

tor & Conductor Fyodor Cherniavsky,the concert will feature harpist

Nella Rigellperforming Laura Zaerrs

Celtic Concert.

this symphonic celebration!

DEKALB COUNTY BOARD OF EDUCATION

PUBLIC HEARING

PROPOSED CHANGES TO THE TEACHERS

LOCAL SALARY SUPPLEMENTS

Tuesday, May 22, 2012

TIME LOCATION

6:00 p.m. J. David Williamson Board RoomAdministrative & Instructional Complex

1701 Mountain Industrial Blvd.Stone Mountain, GA 30083

Wednesday, May 30, 2012

TIME LOCATION6:00 p.m. J. David Williamson Board Room

Administrative & Instructional Complex1701 Mountain Industrial Blvd.

Stone Mountain, GA 30083

The proposed fiscal year 2012-2013 budget includes a reduction in

work calendar days to the current teachers salary schedule. This

will result in a reduction to the local portion of the salary schedulefor all teachers. This hearing is being held as required by GA

Code 20-2-212 to allow for public input regarding this matter.

Work from HomeBusiness Opportunity

770-323-3993gayleabbott.myresidualincomeplan.com

Looking North To Perimeter Mall

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Nighbohood builds vandalizd poolby Daniel [email protected]

Vernell Kimbrough, a residentof the Hearthstone neighborhood inStone Mountain, said he thought hiscommunity was never going to beable to use its pool again after teen-

agers vandalized it and burned downhe pool house.

Several weeks ago, Kimbroughaid more than 20 students playing

hooky from the DeKalb AlternativeSchool, a high school on MemorialDrive, were seen around the poolarea.

I guess they came down herebecause this is a park area where tru-ants would hang out, Kimbroughaid. Theyve charged three with

vandalism but the arsonists haventbeen found yet.

Kimbrough stood by the poolon a recent sunny morning watch-ng workers squeegee the remaining

gunk from the shallow end of thepool. A week earlier, representativesfrom Tidy Cats cat litter identiedhe Hearthstone pool to be part of its

PU Patrol cleanup.

Were going to seven places inthe United StatesAtlanta is ourfourthand were listening to newscoverage and looking around thecommunity for things that stink andxing them, said Tidy Cats spokes-woman Lindsay Harrington.

Harrington said the company

hired local contractors to clean ev-erything from the pool and removeall of the debris in the area, includ-ing the charred remnants of the poolhouse. One of the workers standingnearby said it took several dumptrucks to remove all of the debris andthey had thrown almost everythingin the pool, including furniture.

Residents of Hearthstone arentthe only ones who use the pool;Kimbrough said since it is one of theonly private pools in the area, com-munity members, churches and localBoy Scout troops use it.

Most of the kids who camedown here after the vandalism hap-pened were devastated. They werecryingmy son was crying, and Iwas crying. This is where we spendour summers and it gives the kidsanother option instead of hanging

out in the street, Kimbrough said.In addition to the work Tidy Cats

is doing, a new pool house needed tobe built and electrical rewiring need-ed to be done, which Kimbroughsaid would be paid for by the neigh-borhood. The community is holdinga fundraiser May 19 at Chick-l-A

on Memorial Drive 4-8 p.m. to helpraise funds.

Ron Vaughn, who lives in theAbingdon neighborhood next toHearthstone, said the local BoyScout troop he leads uses the poolevery summer, in addition to hisfamily.

We had a pool over in my subdi-vision but it succumbed to the samefate that this one succumbed to. Itwas a year or so after I moved in andunfortunately the community wasnttight enough to rebound from it,Vaughn said. He said 14 years agovandals burned his neighborhoodpool house down.

Vaughn hopes the repairs beingmade on the Hearthstone pool willhave a positive effect on the commu-nity and also inuence his neighbor-hood to revitalize its pool area.

Resident Emily Grossman saidthe pool is important because it isa place where countless childrenlearned to swim, in some cases be-coming star athletes who swam inhigh school.

The creek has also offered thesame opportunitieslittle kids who

played in the creek have gone on toget graduate degrees in stream main-tenance and biology just because itstirred up a curiosity, Grossmansaid.

Each year, Kimbrough said, theneighborhood deals with vandalismin the pool area and last year theywere forced to repaint it. The pool issurrounded by a barbed wire fenceand Kimbrough said the neighbor-hood cant pay for any additionalsecurity.

Im not happy because the peo-ple who committed the arson haventbeen found yet. I guess the police aredoing the best they can on that, Imnot faulting them. The responsibil-ity lies on the parents and the schoolsystem, Kimbrough said.

Recently, the Hearthstone neighborhood pool in Stone Mountain was vandalized and Tidy Cat, a kitty litter company, paid to clean up the pool as part of i ts PU Patrol pro-gram. Photos by Daniel Beauregard

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Page 11ALocal News


Before 2003, the scheduleof DeKalb Countys cableelevision station, DCTV, was

lled with reader boardsscrolling text about variouscounty events, announce-ments and services.

It was a visual reposi-ory of written material, said

Burke Brennan, the countyschief communications ofcer.It was the lowest form ofelevision.

Then, the folks in DeKalbCounty administration startedpaying attention to DCTV,

Brennan said. We made itnto the award-winning insti-ution that it is today.

Just this year, the stationhas received two BronzeTelly awards, three Pegasusawards of honor and fourPegasus awards of distinc-ion. DCTV has won morehan 60 national awards since

2006, including 31 Pegasusawards, 14 National Associa-ion of Telecommunication

Ofcers and Advisors awards,nine National Association ofCounty Information Ofcersawards, two Atlanta Asso-

ciation of Black Journalistsawards and an Emmy award.DCTV is DeKalb Countys

government access sta-ion, which airs on Comcast

Channel 23 and has video ondemand at www.dekalbcoun-yga.gov/dctv. DCTV has

produced more than a dozendifferent county-related pro-grams and features, includingInside DeKalb,Lets TalkDeKalb,DeKalb Salutes You,Check It Out,Arts, Culture& Entertainment Livingandvarious public service an-nouncements.

It shows that there areactivities in DeKalb thatyou can come out and enjoy,said Diamond Miller Lewis,director of the countys Ofceof Cable Operations.

OnJobTV, the station haseamed with the Georgia De-

partment of Labor to informviewers about more than 150obs that are available. The

30-minute program is updateddaily and runs several timeshroughout the day.

The twice-a-month meet-ngs of the countys Board of

Commissioners are aired on

DCTV to allow residents tosee where the actual busi-ness of the county transpires,Brennan said.

The reopening of a re-

habilitated re station, theCEOs annual state of thecounty address, DeKalbsMartin Luther King Day cele-

bration and the opening of therenewable natural gas facilityare all examples of special

programming on DCTV.We produce program-

ming with a goal of informingour viewers, Brennan said.It is informative program-ming that is entertaining aswell.

The station, which is plan-

ning to add animal services

public service announcementsand coverage of commis-sioners Committee of Wholemeetings to its lineup, isnever short of ideas, Brennansaid.

The requests far outweighthe resources, Brennan said.We hear from all cornerscounty departments and statedepartments.

The round-the-clockprogramming on DCTV isproduced by a four-personstaff headed by Lewis.

The programming yousee is a labor of love, Lewis

said. Thats what we do eachand every day.

Brennan said that it iscommonplace for him toreceive calls on Saturdays orSundays from DCTVs mag-nanimous staff.

When theyre on dead-line, they work until the job isdone, Brennan said.

To aid its staff, DCTV getshelp from other county em-

ployees interested in learn-ing more about being behindthe camera and learning about

production, Lewis said.Because they work and

do the day-to-day opera-tions and services in each ofDeKalb Countys depart-ments, were working withthem to help us out in produc-

ing stories that are importantto whatever department theywork in, Lewis said.

We are using peoplewho work in DeKalb Countyto help us tell the stories ofDeKalb County, Lewis said.That furthers our missionand impact.

Producing quality pro-gramming for a 24-hour

station is a labor intensiveendeavor, Brennan said.You want to make it easy tounderstand and visually ap-

pealing. Were talking abouttelevision and a lot goes intotelevision.

For example, producingthe three- to four-hour Boardof Commissioners regularmeetingsa live broadcastwith no editsmay take 20man hours, Brennan said.

Very few people really

understand what it takes tomake television, Brennansaid. It is a subtlety of thisoperation that is very hard toeducate people on.

DCTV itself has been inthe news this year after theBoard of Commissionersvoted to take $75,000 from

the CEOs budget to form itsown communications ofce.After overriding Ellis veto ofthe measure, commissionerswant to use the money as anincentive to urge Ellis ad-ministration to discuss givingcommissioners more airtimeon DCTV.

We have severe scalobstacles to overcome andwe are going to work withthe Board of Commissionersto overcome the obstacles,

Brennan said. We areoptimistic that DCTV willcontinue its legacy of quality

programming that educates,informs and communicatesthe ofcial business ofDeKalb County, Brennansaid.

NOTICE OF STONE MOUNTAIN COMMUNITY IMPROVEMENTDISTRICT ADOPTION OF MILLAGE RATE

In compliance with O.C.G.A. 48-5, the Stone Mountain Community Improvement District herebyprovides notice that at its meeting on June 1, 2012, beginning at 7:30 AM at Pierre Construction Group,1677 Lewis Way, Stone Mountain, Georgia, 30083, the Stone Mountain CID Board of Directors will voteupon a proposal to levy an ad valorem taxation rate of 5 mills, and will set its millage rate for the lawfulpurposes of the District for the current calendar year. Set forth below are the assessed taxable values ofthe properties subject to taxes for the current year and the immediately preceding calendar year, the totaldollar amount of ad valorem taxes proposed to be levied for the current year and levied in the immediatelypreceding calendar year, as well as the percentage and total dollar increases with respect to theimmediately preceding calendar year. All property levied upon is real property. The millage rate for 2011was 5 mills.

Assessed Value Taxes Levied % Increase $ Increase

2011 $99,233,165.00 $463,693.00 N/A N/A

2012(proposed) $99,233,165.00 $463,693.00 0% $0.00

J. David GussioGeorgia Bar No. 332107Webb, Tanner, Powell,Mertz & Wilson, LLP10 Lumpkin StreetLawrenceville, GA 30046(770)236-9433Attorney for Stone Mountain CID

Station putDKalb on th ai

Diamond Miller Lewis, director of the countys Ofce of Cable Opera-tions which runs DCTV, coaches Sam Goldman, executive director of

Callonwolde Fine Arts Center, during a shooting of a public serviceannouncement. Photos by Andrew Cauthen

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National Bike to School Day

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

picture

DekalbHealthy

Be Smoke-Free.

Follow us on

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

On May 9, City Schools of Decatur stu-dents celebrated national Bike to SchoolDay, an event sponsored by the NationalCenter for Safe Routes to School to promotebicycle awareness and a healthy lifestyle.Bikes lined the entrance to GlennwoodElementary School in downtown Decatur,

and city officials, teachers and parent vol-unteers greeted students as they arrived. Itwas a cloudy, rainy morning but that didntstop one group of students riding fromGlennwood Elementary to Renfroe MiddleSchool, as they do every day, in a bike trainorganized by one of the students.

Photos By Daniel Beauregard

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The Champion Free Press, Friday, May 18, 2012 Page 13A

GoodneighborDay

Send your comments and/or concerns regarding Comcasts current performance underthe current franchise agreement and/or the future cable-related needs and interests ofyour community to www.dekalbcountyga.gov.

DeKalb County Wants to Hear From YouRegarding the Proposed Franchise Agreement Renewal

with Comcast Cable Communications

New

5/20

Full

6/4

The Northeast will see mostly clear to partly cloudy skies today through Saturday,

with the highest temperature of 83 in Carbondale, Ill. The Southeast will see mostly

clear to partly cloudy skies with a few thunderstorms today through Saturday, with

the highest temperature of 90 in Crestview, Fla. The Northwest will see mostly clear to partly cloudy

skies today, isolated showers and thunderstorms Friday and Saturday, with the highest temperature

of 88 in Wolf Point, Mont. The Southwest will see mostly clear skies today through Saturday, with

the highest temperature of 107 in Bullhead City, Ariz.

THURSDAY

Mostly Sunny

High: 84 Low:61

First

5/28

The Champion Weather May 17, 2012Seven Day Forecast

Local UV Index

WEDNESDAYPartly Cloudy

High: 84 Low: 65

TUESDAY

Mostly Sunny

High: 86 Low:62

MONDAY

Mostly Sunny

High: 83 Low:61

SUNDAY

Mostly Sunny

High: 82 Low:60

SATURDAY

Mostly Sunny

High: 81 Low:58

FRIDAY

Mostly Sunny

High: 81 Low:59

In-Depth Local Forecast Today's Regional Map

Sunrise

6:34 a.m.

6:34 a.m.

6:33 a.m.

6:32 a.m.6:32 a.m.

6:31 a.m.

6:31 a.m.

Sunset

8:33 p.m.

8:34 p.m.

8:35 p.m.

8:36 p.m.8:36 p.m.

8:37 p.m.

8:38 p.m.

Moonset

5:51 p.m.

6:45 p.m.

7:40 p.m.

8:33 p.m.9:25 p.m.

10:14 p.m.

10:59 p.m.

Moonrise

4:25 a.m.

4:58 a.m.

5:33 a.m.

6:12 a.m.6:55 a.m.

7:42 a.m.

8:34 a.m.

Last

6/11

www.WhatsOurWeather.com

Weather History

May 17, 1983 - A golfer, playing

the Fox Meadows Course in

Memphis, Tenn., was struck by a

bolt of lightning that went through

his neck and down his spine,

came out a pocket containinghis key, and went into a nearby

tree. Miraculously, he survived to

tell the tale.

Weather Trivia

Tonight's Planets

What is the difference

between a hurricane watch

and a hurricane warning?

Answer: In a watch, hurricane

conditions are possible; in a

warning, they are expected.

?

Day

Thursday

Friday

Saturday

SundayMonday

Tuesday

Wednesday

National Weather Summary This Week

Local Sun/Moon Chart This Week

StarWatch By Gary Becker - Rare Venus Transit, June 5

Today we will see mostly sunny skies with a high

temperature of 84, humidity of 42%. East wind

5 mph. The record high temperature for today is

90 set in 1944. Expect partly cloudy skies

tonight with an overnight low of 61. The record

low for tonight is 46 set in 1956.

May 18, 1989 - Low pressure

anchored over eastern Virginia

kept showers and thunder-

storms over the Middle Atlantic

Coast Region. Flash flooding

was reported in Pennsylvania.

Up to five inches of rain

drenched Franklin County,

Penn. in 24 hours.

On Tuesday, June 5, North America is posed for the rarest of astronomical events, a transit of Venus. Transits occur when a much smaller body passes in front of a much

larger body. In order for a transit to occur, Venus must be crossing the plane of the Earths orbit at the exact time it is between the Earth and the sun. Because Venus makes

almost exactly 13 circuits around the sun during the time that Earth makes eight revolutions, transits of Venus occur in pairs separated by eight years. The time interval

between two pairs of transits is what makes this such an extraordinary phenomenon. Those intervals are 121.5 years and 105.5 years. The last pair took place in Decembers

1874 and 1882, while the next pair debuts in December 2117 and December 2125. The 243 year interval between 1882 and 2125 also reflect a periodicity relationship between the orbital

intervals of the Earth and Venus equal to 243:395. With the proper filtration to dim the sun (See last weeks StarWatch article), Venus will appear as an easily seen black dot slowly mov-ing in front of old Sol. Venus makes first contact with the sun at 6:10 p.m., EDT, June 5. For the next 18 minutes, Venusdisk moves to a point of inner tangency with the sun (Contact II)

at 6:28 p.m. For the next six hours and four minutes, Venus sails slowly across the speckled solar disk passing closest to the suns center at 9:30 p.m. At 12:32 a.m. June 6, Venus reach-

es inner tangency for the second time (Contact III) and slides off the solar disk 18 minutes later at 12:50 a.m. (Contact IV). Most of North America, except for the eastern third of the coun-

try, sees the transit past the point where it is closest to the suns center. Only Alaska and Hawaii view the entire transit from start to f inish. Check Fred Espenaks great website about eclipses

and transits at http://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/ transit/venus0412.html for more material. www.astronomy.org

Rise Set

Mercury 6:03 a.m. 7:36 p.m.

Venus 8:04 a.m. 10:48 p.m.

Mars 2:13 p.m. 3:10 a.m.Jupiter 6:30 a.m. 8:14 p.m.

Saturn 5:41 p.m. 5:13 a.m.

Uranus 4:15 a.m. 4:30 p.m.

3 50 - 2 4 6 8 107 9 11+

UV Index

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

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

11+: Extreme Exposure

Atlanta

84/61

Decatur

84/61

Doraville

83/61

Dunwoody

82/60 Lilburn

83/61

Snellville

84/61

Lithonia

85/61

Morrow

85/61

Smyrna

83/61

Hampton

86/62

Union City

85/61

College Park

85/61

*Last Weeks Almanac

Date Hi Lo Normals Precip

Tuesday 81 66 78/57 0.13"

Wednesday 76 56 78/57 0.11"

Thursday 74 49 79/58 0.00"

Friday 77 48 79/58 0.00"

Saturday 77 63 79/58 0.02"

Sunday 72 58 79/59 1.44"

Monday 80 64 80/59 0.02"Rainfall . . . . . . .1.72" Average temp . .67.2

Normal rainfall . .0.91" Average normal 68.4

Departure . . . . .+0.81" Departure . . . . .-1.2*Data as reported from De Kalb-Peachtree Airport

A large crowd enjoyedmild temperatures May 12 athe annual Good Neighbor

Day open house at DeKalb-

Peachtree Airport. Some ofhe nations top acrobatic pi-ots participated in the event.

In addition to the air show,visitors got a chance to viewa large selection of restored,antique aircraft from WorldWar II. Photos by David Di-Cristina

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The Champion Free Press, Friday, May 18, 2012 Page 14AHealth

mArS liv suppotsyst offs nwoption fo acut liv

failu patints

eoy sidnt physician gts

bhind-th-scns dia xposu

When the managingeditor of medical coveragefor ABC News sent anemail asking for medicalschool residents to serveas volunteers at ABCsheadquarters in New YorkCity, Emory emergencymedicine resident Dr.Murtaza Akhter was notshy about coming forward.

When I found out abouthis opportunity, I thoughtt would be interesting to

see the inner workings of anews organization, said theChicago native.

Akhter is spending Mayn New York, researching

story ideas and recruitingcomments from expertsaround the country for

medical producers andwriters at ABC. He willeven pitch a few Emorystories, and may get a crackat writing an article or twofor ABC News.com.

He also said he is lookingforward to being in contactwith medical experts andresearchers from all over thecountry. Although it wouldbe great to be the personwho is well known andrespected, I think it is evenbetter to meet a variety ofpeople who are consideredto be at the top of theireld.

A second-year resident,Akhter studied economicsat the University of Chicagoand then transitioned

into medical school afterworking at the Law andEconomics ConsultingGroup. He said he enjoysdoing research and, whenhe is not treating patients,spends time in the labimplementing an Emorystudy that involves a noveltreatment for traumatic braininjury.

Competition for thisassignment with ABCwas strong. Hundreds ofresidents from all over thecountry applied and manyof them are scheduled into2013including anotherEmory Emergency Medicineresident, Amit Pandit.

For patients in acute liv-er failure, time is precious.In many cases, a patientsonly hope is a liver trans-plant, but the wait for a vi-ableand matchingorgancan be too long.

Emory UniversityHealthcare now offers Mo-lecular Adsorbents Recir-culating System (MARS),a liver dialysis system ap-proved by the U.S. Foodand Drug Administration(FDA) to treat select pa-

tients with acute liver fail-ure due to drugs or toxins.Acute liver failure often re-sults from drug overdose oridiosyncratic medication re-actions. The most commoncause of acute liver failureis acetaminophen overdose.

We have long had kid-ney dialysis to stabilizepatients in renal failure, butuntil now, we have not hada corresponding methodof treatment for patientsin acute liver failure, saidtransplant hepatologist and

intensivist Ram Subra-manian, M.D., assistantprofessor at Emory Univer-sity School of Medicine.MARS is a potential gamechanger for patients who ei-ther dont qualify for trans-plant or who dont have the

time that is critical to waitfor a transplant.

Patients in acute liverfailure are unable to clearcertain toxins from theirsystems, so the MARS sys-tem does the work for themby drawing blood frompatients and cleansing itwith a solution containingalbumin. Albumin is pro-duced by healthy livers andbinds to certain medicationsand other bodily substancesto transport them through-

out the body. It also bindstoxins, protecting the bodyfrom their toxic effects. Thecleansed blood is returnedto the patients circulatorysystem to attract more tox-ins.

While MARS currentlyis FDA approved only fortreatment of acute liver fail-ure, MARS has been usedsuccessfully in clinical tri-als to treat forms of chronicliver illness.

Several studies in Eu-rope have demonstrated that

MARS is effective in treat-ing chronic liver failure aswell, said Subramanian.My hope is that it becomesanother tool for us in offer-ing hope to patients whoare dealing with all kinds ofliver failure.

A

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3

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The Champion Free Press, Friday, May 18 , 2012 Page 15ALocal News

Vet Continued From Page 1A

Wilson, who wants to bea veterinarian someday, saidshe has clipped nails and takenblood tests of animals. She alsohas examined stool samples,checking for tapeworms andhookworms.

And we get to watch sur-geries, Wilson said. Its what Iwant to do.

The program, which costs$10 a year, is very interactiveand hands-on, said MicahSeals, 15, a student at South-west DeKalb High School.

We learn a lot, Seals said.Its a new experience everytime I come here.

Murray said she enjoysteaching and being able tomake a difference in a youngpersons life.

I like the fact that they getto see firsthand whats going

on, Murray said.When she was young andconsidering the veterinarianfield, Murrays mother insistedthat she learn more about theoccupation.

I grew up in the islands andhad no real contact with a vet,but she did find somebody whowould let me [follow] aroundafter them, Murray said. Itwas the most enlightening activ-ity Ive been through. I saw somuch that day.

Murray, who has workedas a relief veterinarian forthe past decade in Gwinnett,DeKalb and Cobb counties,currently has 16 registeredstudents in DeKalb and 20 inGwinnett where she workedpreviously.

They shadow me, Mur-ray said. They come in the[examination] room with justabout every patient that wesee. I wont have them comein the room with me if the

animal is scared of too manypeople being around or if theowner requests a private con-sultation.

The Explorers are notpresent in consul tations forclients who are consideringeuthanization for their pets.

If theres a surgery go-ing on, they get to see whatit looks like, Murray said.They see the good, the bad,the ugly because we have thegood, bad and ugly.

It looks good on your resume,too, when applying to vet school.

Dr. Paula Murray

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The Champion Free Press, Friday, May 18, 2012 Page 16AEducation

Newsandevents ofthe

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

Sav ths ipotant dats fo may and Jun:

May 21 APEX Small Business of the Year & Small Business Champion of the Year Presented by the AtlantaJournal Constuon Holiday Inn Perimer 11:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.

May 24 Business Afer-Hours

May 25 Capacity Building Series Branding Your Business in Todays Market 8:30 am 12:30 pmMay 28 Memorial Day Holiday Offi ce ClosedJune 1 Coffee & Conversaon 8:30 9:30 a.m.June 4 First Monday Lunch Hank Huckaby, Chancellor, The University System of Georgia Presented by

DeVry University 11:30 a.m. 1:30 p.m.

Bought to you n patnshp wth:

For the first me in de-cades, cizens throughout theMetro region will have an un-precedented opportunity todo something to help fix ourtransportaon challenges. Aeryears of inacon and no poli-cal consensus on funding solu-ons to pay for new transit ex-

pansion and road, bike and pe-destrian improvements, votersnow have an opon to make upfor lost me--Lost me si ngin traffi c congeson, missingimportant meengs and eventsand me with family. As wewere busy losing valuable me,we were also losing potenalbusiness opportunies to othercies across the country. Cieslike Charloe, Dallas, Houston,Denver, Seale, Phoenix andPortland that understand thevalue of transit to economicdevelopment and quality of lifeand found ways to fund it. Wehave a lot of catching up to doif we want to connue to be thethriving and dynamic Capitol

of the South. If our traffi c con-geson reputaon doesnt im-prove quickly, we will connueto lose those opportunies forcorporate headquarters, busi-ness expansion and retenonand aracng freshly mintedcollege graduates looking fora progressive city offering the

best quality of life, to thosecompetor cies that are seri-ous about moving their cizensaround seamlessly.

On July 31, Georgia voterswill go to the polls to selecttheir choice of candidates inthe General Primary. They willalso have an extraordinary op-portunity to vote on a regionaltransportaon referendum fora one penny sales tax to bededicated to specific transpor-taon projects and improve-ments approved last October byelected offi cials represenng 12regions throughout the State.In the 10-county Metro Atlantaregion, the tax would generate$7.22 billion over a ten year

period if approved. 85% of thefunding, or $6.1 billion, wouldgo toward specific projects onthe list with the remaining 15%allocated to local governmentsfor discreonary use on trans-portaon related projects.

For DeKalb County, an invest-ment of $800 million from the

sales tax would yield a healthyreturn of $1.3 billion, or a 160%ROI, for transit and infrastruc-ture projects, which would thengenerate thousands of jobs forour cizens, provide transitalternaves to employmentcenters and improve economicvitality and quality of life. Withstate and federal coffers in-creasingly shrinking, there areno other opons that are ableto provide the amount of fund-ing needed to invest in thesecrical transportaon projects.If the referendum is approvedby voters in July, 200,000 ad-dional jobs would be createdfrom 2013-2040 in the MetroAtlanta region. We would also

Just as the summer months

are heang up, so is the line-upof speakers set to keynote theDeKalb Chamber First Mon-day Lunch Speaker Series. Inthe months ahead, Chambermembers and interested pareswill receive informaon froma broad array of topics ranging

from statewide legislaon to

higher educaon. The Cham-bers June 4th luncheon willfeature University System ofGeorgia Chancellor, Hank Huck-aby who will share informaonon the changes affecng the 35instuons of higher learningwithin the state. Huckaby, who

assumed the helm of USG in

2011 has proposed significantchanges with the most con-troversial being to consolidatecolleges. Chamber membersand friends are encouraged toregister quickly. For details suchas locaon and cost, please visitwww.dekalbchamber.org.

Hank Huckaby to keynote the DeKalbChambers June 4 First Monday Lunch

Decision Time for our Region

see a travel me savings of$9.2 billion by 2040 and per-sonal income would increaseby $18 billion from reducedfuel cost and travel me sav-ings by 2040. The choice isup to you when you go to thepolls on July 31. YOU decidewhat is best for DeKalbs fu-ture!

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The Champion Free Press, Friday, May 18, 2012 Page 17ABusiness

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

404-378-8000 www.DeKalbChamber.org

The Voice of Business in DeKalb CountyDeKalb Chamber of Commerce

by Kathy [email protected]

Shoppers who dislikegoing to several stores athe mall and trying several

sizes before finding a goodfit may be pleased to knowsome malls now have a wayo make the process easier.

Me-AlityMeasured

Reality, a booth in whicha 10-second body scanakes a shoppers exact

measurements at 20,000data points, matches apersons size with itemsavailable in the mall. If, forexample, the shopper needsnew jeans, the scan willell the person the type and

size that will fit at specificstores. A Me-Ality boothopened at Perimeter Mall inDunwoody on May 10.

The biggest challengenitially for this fitting

room of the future may

be convincing people thatt really is quick and free.

For nearly an hour aroundunchtime the day the

station opened at PerimeterMall shoppers shook theirheads at invitations to tryhe scan, the cost of whichs born by clothing stores

shoppers arent charged.Finally, shoppers

Madilyn Holmes and ChrisWilliams decided to givet a try. They both were

squealing with delight at theresults. I was surprised;it got my sizeexactly,Holmes said. I wasskeptical at first, but thisreally works.

Williams added, Imimpressed; it got it rightand it was fun.

Its also safe since noradiation is used, explained

Tunisia Serrat who wasoperating the booth. Thescan is done with low-power radio waves. Theshopper doesnt have toremove anything except acoat or jacket. The processstart to finish takes about 10minutes.

Shoppers probably stillare likely to want to try on

the garment recommendedby the Me-Ality to gaugethe lookand, as Serratnoted, some people likea looser fit and some likea snugger fit. Me-Ality,however, eliminates tryingclothes that dont fit at all.

Once the shopper hasbeen scanned, he or she isgiven a personal bar code

that can be used indefinitelyas long as the person staysthe same size. I love that Ican take this to other malls,said Holmes, who lives inStockbridge. Im a simpleshopper. This makes lifeeasier.

If the system becomespopular, it may also meanstores have fewer fitting

room discards to return tothe racks and fewer clothesthat become wrinkled orstained during the try-onprocess.

We are so excitedto give shoppers theopportunity to previewthe fitting room of thefuture at some of the mostinnovative shopping mallsin Georgia, stated TanyaShaw, president and CEOof Me-Ality, in a newsrelease. Right now we arein the preview phase of ourlaunch, which means were

able to match people witha range of denim and pants

free press 5-18-12

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