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CHAMPIONNEWSPAPER CHAMPIONNEWS CHAMPIONNEWSPAPER CHAMPIONNEWS

y Carla Parker [email protected]

Lithonia Police Chief RooseveltSmith and another officer are ac-used of using excessive force on auspect while in custody.

Smith and Lithonia Police CaptainLloyd Owens are both under inves-igation for an incident that occurredn Feb. 5 involving a 17-year-old boy

who was in custody for burglary.On Feb. 10, Lithonia mayor and

ity council held a special called ex-cutive session to discuss a person-

nel matter. The city would not elabo-ate on the specifics of the personnel

matter, other than to confirm that annternal complaint was filed againstpolice officer, according to City Ad-

ministrator Eddie Moody .On Feb. 19, The Champion re-

eived documents from an anony-mous source that explain the basisf the internal complaint. The docu-

ments include the police report of aFeb. 5 incident involving Smith andOwens.

The documents also include asummary of the events” from theuspect, a 17-year-old male. The

summary was in an “ante litem noticeof demand” from the teen’s lawyer–Frank T . Smith –which was deliveredto the city.

According to the police report andstatements given by the teen’s lawyerand the responding officer–Sgt. A.

Hatchett –Hatchett responded to aburglary call at a home on the eve-ning of Feb. 5.

Two suspects were arrested,including the 17-year-old boy, ac-cording to the report. After the sus-pects were taken into custody, Smithand Owens arrived on the scene.

The teen, who was handcuffed, wasplaced in Smith’s patrol car and theother suspect was placed in Hatch-ett’s patrol car.

The teen had scratches on hisface and arms from running through“thick brushes” from the crime scene,

according to Hatchett’s statement.From that point, the teen’s and

Hatchett’s statements differ fromSmith’s and Owens’ statements.

When Smith—who was sittingin front of his patrol car—was madeaware of the scratches on the teen’sface, Smith turned around and asked

y Andrew [email protected]

A DeKalb County judgend two attorneys were

honored Feb. 23 for theirommunity service.

DeKalb State Court

udge Dax E. Lopez andttorneys Juanita Pow-ll Baranco and Michael

Thurmond received the7th Annual Justice Robert

Benham Lifetime Achieve-ment Award for CommunityService.

Presented by the StateBar of Georgia and theChief Justice’s Commissionn Professionalism, the

awards recognize outstand-ing contributions in com-munity service of Georgia

judges and lawyers.“It’s absolutely humbling

to receive an award named

after one of the giants ofGeorgia jurisprudence, Jus-tice Robert Benham ,” Lo-

pez said. “It’s humbling justto be mentioned as a poten-tial candidate for that award.To receive it is somethingcompletely different.

“I was really excited toreceive it,” Lopez said.

Lopez has been aDeKalb County State Court

judge since 2010, presidingover approximately 1,800criminal misdemeanor mat-ters and 1,000 civil casesper year. He also presidesover Georgia’s only Span-ish-speaking DUI court.

“I think I received [theaward], ironically enough,for my work…in the Hispan-

hechampionnewspaper.com F REE P RESS FRiDaY, FEBRUaRY 26, 2016 • Vol. 18, no. 47 • FREE

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

CHAMPION The

Local judge, two attorneys receive community service award

See award on Page 5A

See Lithonia on Page 5A

Lithonia police chief under internal investigation

Baranco Lopez Thurmond

‘There was no reason at all for them to putheir hands on [the teen] in that matter. Thactions were unjustifiable and unethical.’

Smith

Owens

- Sgt. A. Hatchett

Business ................................16A Classied ...............................17A Education .........................14-15A Opinion ......................................7A Sports ...............................18-20A

QUICK FINDER

EDUCATION, 15A

AGNES SCOTT CELEBRATESPAST, PRESENT ANDFUTURE

SPORTS, 19A

CROSS KEYS MORECONFIDENT AFTERCHAMPIONSHIP LOSS

LOCAL, 10A

RIVERDALE POLICEOFFICER’S FUNERALHELD IN DEKALB

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LOCAL The Champion FREE PRESS, Friday, Feb. 26, 2016 A

Chamblee residents reject LaVista annexationby R. Scott Belzer [email protected]

Roughly 100 concernedresidents were present at aChamblee town hall meeting

held Feb. 16 to discuss the issue ofnnexation with elected of cials.

After its failed attempt atncorporation in November 2015,he area of DeKalb County knowns LaVista Hills is considering

being annexed into surroundingities. Chamblee was approacheds an option, which would addpproximately 35,000 residents into metro neighborhood of roughly

28,000. An initial question-and-answer

ession was held at the ChambleeCivic Center on Feb. 9 between

esidents, potential residents andocal government. There, ChambleeMayor Eric Clarkson , along withouncilmembers John Mesa, Brian

Mock, Darron Kusman, ThomasHogan and Leslie Robson divulged they would have tomake a decision by the end of theegislative session in early March.

On the evening of Feb.6, the second question-and-nswer session before a regularlycheduled city council meeting,

Chamblee residents seemed tomake their message clear: support

will not be given until of cialsprovide a complete picture.For more than 90 minutes,

more than 20 residents voiced theironcerns to the mayor and councilegarding economic feasibility,tructure of government and even new school system. A minority ofttendees also voiced their supportor such a merger.

Chamblee resident Ed Ewing old council members it is “ironic”

how the same “LaVista Hills gang”who spoke out against annexationn 2015 is now desperate to join aity capable of the act.

“There’s certain logic heret work: when LaVista Hillssupporters] couldn’t quite musterhe votes to create their own littleity, maybe they could come take

over yours instead,” Ewing said.Does anyone have any idea

whether or not annexation wouldbene t the citizens of Chamblee?”

Dan Schafstall , a resident inhe potentially annexed LaVista

Hills neighborhood, told attendeeshe and his neighbors wanted whatesidents of Chamblee have: properepresentation and better cityervices.

“It looks like and feelsometimes like we’re the enemy,”

Schafstall said. “That’s not true.

We don’t want to make Chambleeworse. No one who lives in thatarea wants to make Chambleeworse. We’d try to make it better.”

Robson assured Ewing afeasibility study was in the worksand would be shared with the publicin approximately 10 to 14 days.Councilman Kusman also pointedout the study, considered step oneof the process, would “really openthe door to conversation.”

“Then you will get into some ofthe more qualitative aspects of theannexation: what do our residentswant? What does the area bring tothe table that bene ts Chamblee?”Kusman said.

Randall Reusche , anotherChamblee resident, pointed outthat this move was “all about thenumbers,” and questioned why thetown hall meeting was even takingplace without them.

“We’re having the [annexation]conversation without the numbers,”Reusche said. “Who all here isgoing ahead without the numbers?

We’ve been waiting on the numbersfor well over a week now.”Clarkson responded by stating

the city chose to make the issuepublic and admitted the timingcould not be worse, especiallyconsidering how late it was in thelegislative session, which hadapproximately 30 days remainingas of Feb. 16.

Chamblee resident Tom Heaps criticized the lack of informationprovided by city government. Hereminded attendees how once thedecision was made, it would beharder to reverse it. Heaps alsobrought up two former annexationsin Chamblee’s history, whichincreased the population from 9,000to 15,000. The second annexation

raised that number to 28,000.“How many weeks did you

have to do a rst annexation? Howmany months did you have to do asecond annexation?” Heaps asked.“I have a great deal of con dencein this council, but what I don’tunderstand is pushing this throughwithout making informed decisions.”

Hogan said three factors makethe idea of annexation attractiveto him personally: reduction in city

xed costs and taxes, growth inpolitical strength, and the prospectof starting a Chamblee schoolsystem.

“However, I will not even

consider it if it’s not nanciallyviable, if it is not bene cial to thegrowth of Chamblee, and if I don’thave your support,” Hogan said.

Clarkson echoed Hogan’sstatement.

“I don’t believe that I, or any ofyour elected of cials here, wouldever do anything to negativelyimpact those in our community,”Clarkson said. “These are ourneighbors, our friends and ourloved ones.”

Chamblee is expected to holda special-called meeting if cityof cials decide to move forwardwith the annexation, as only onemore regularly scheduled meetingremains before the end of thelegislative session.

Georgia State Rep. Scott Holcomb addresses a packed house at Chamblee Civic Center during a public meeting. Photo by R. Scott Belzer

‘Does anyone have any ideawhether or not annexation wouldbenefit the citizens of Chamblee?’

– Chamblee resident Ed Ewing

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LOCAL The Champion FREE PRESS, Friday, Feb. 26, 2016 • A

AROUND DEKALBCOUNTYWIDEGroup to discuss proposed Greenhaven cityhood

The Concerned Citizens for Cityhood of South DeKalb will host a

meeting on cityhood to address questions from the community regardingGreenhaven, a proposed new city in southern DeKalb County.In the meeting, titled “Cityhood: Don’t Deny Us the Right to Vote,” the

discussion will cover: why Greenhaven is being proposed, the impact itan have on residents, the status of the bills in the Georgia legislature and

why county residents should have the right to vote on Greenhaven.The meeting will take place Thursday, Feb. 25, at 6:30 p.m. at St.

Philip AME Church, 240 Candler Road, SE, Atlanta.

BROOKHAVENCity hiring lifeguards and pool managers

Brookhaven is hiring lifeguards and pool managers for the pool seasonMemorial Day through Labor Day). Positions are exible part time and

pay $8 to $12 an hour. Uniforms and training will be provided. To apply,visit www.brookhavenga.gov and click “careers” on the left side of thepage.

City to offer ag football leagueFusion Sport & Social and Brookhaven Parks & Recreation this spring

will offer ag football at Lynwood Park. The league is open to men andwomen ages 21 and older. The season consists of seven regular gamesplus playoffs for all teams. League play will be held on Sunday afternoonst Lynwood Park from March 6 through May 15. Registration closes March. For more information or to register, visit www.FusionSportsLeagues.om. Email Fusion at [email protected].

CLARKSTONEatery hosts ‘Coffee with a Cop’

Clarkston residents curious about local law enforcement will have thehance to share a cup of Joe with the boys in blue on Saturday, Feb. 27,rom 10 a.m. to noon at Refuge Coffee Company.

As part of Clarkston’s participation in the annual “Coffee with a Cop”vent, Refuge will serve as an ideal setting to engage with, voice concernso, and get to know the Clarkston Police Department according to andnnouncement.

“We hope that community members will feel comfortable to askquestions, bring concerns, or simply get to know our of cers,” saidClarkston Police Chief Christine Hudson . “These interactions are theoundation of community partnerships.”

For more information, contact Sharee Ashford at (404) 296-6489 ext.234 or [email protected]. Refuge Coffee Company is locatedt 4170 E. Ponce de Leon Ave.

DECATURCounty recreation department to host Neon 5K Fun Run

DeKalb County Recreation, Parks and Cultural Affairs will host a Neon5K Fun Run on Saturday, March 12, at 6:30 p.m. at Mason Mill Park, 1346McConnell Drive, Decatur.

Registration will continue until March 4.“This event is for all ages and is less about speed and more about

njoying an illuminating night of lights with family and friends,” states annnouncement about the event.

Runners and walkers may register as a corporate team of 10 for $100, team of ve for $40 or as individuals for $15. Children ages 10 and

younger are free and should be accompanied by an adult.In addition to the race, the event will include free refreshments, music

nd shirts for each registered participant.To access online registration, visit www.dekalbcountyga.gov/parks and

lick the “Register Now” button on the department’s homepage or registern person at a recreation center.

For more information, contact the Athletics Of ce at (770) 414-2111.

“Love Run 5K to End Domestic Violence” scheduledDeKalb County Solicitor General Sherry Boston is hosting its

inaugural “Love Run 5k” to raise money and awareness about domesticviolence issues.

The event also coincides with Teen Dating Violence Awareness monthwhich is observed during February.“We are excited about partnering with the public in a fun and healthy

way to focus attention on a very serious issue impacting our community,”Boston said. Each year, the Solicitor General’s Of ce prosecutesapproximately 3,500 misdemeanor domestic violence cases, many ofwhich are handled by the Special Victims Unit created by Boston.

The run will start at the Decatur Square, located at 101 E. CourtStreet, Decatur, at 8:30 a.m. Runners will follow a fast, certi ed-coursethrough historic downtown and the surrounding scenic neighborhoods.

All proceeds will be donated to The Women’s Resource Center to EndDomestic Violence to bene t its children’s programs.

For more information about participating in the event or providing anancial contribution, visit www.dekalbsolicitorgeneral.org/love-run.

DUNWOODY Rotary Club to host State of the City

For the seventh consecutive year, the city of Dunwoody and Rotary Clubof Dunwoody will host the 2016 State of the City, an annual event discussingthe year in review as well as plans for the future.

The event will take place on Thursday, Feb. 25, from 6 to 9 p.m. atCrowne Plaza Ravinia hotel. Topics will include the local, social and economicclimate of Dunwoody courtesy of Mayor Denis Shortal . Shortal will also sharehis vision for the future of the city.

Representatives and leaders from community service organizations,local businesses and government will be present at the event. The public isencouraged to attend and participate in the discussion.

For more information, visit www.dunwoodyga.gov or call (678) 382-6700.

LITHONIAMonadnock Madness events planned for March

According to a release by Arabia Alliance, a monadnock is a “specialtype of mountain formed when hard blobs of lava are compressed under theEarth’s crust.”

There are three monadnocks nearby– Stone Mountain, PanolaMountain and Arabia Mountain—and Monadnock Madness will becelebrated at all three.

Throughout March, Monadnock Madness will bring a variety ofactivities to the public, including photography lessons, advanced archeryclasses, Reptile Day, and behind the scenes hikes all made possiblethrough the Arabia Mountain Heritage Area Alliance in partnership withthe Davidson-Arabia Mountain Nature Preserve, Panola Mountain StatePark and Stone Mountain Memorial Association.

The highlight of the month is the Monadnock Madness Triple HikeChallenge which brings adventurers together to summit all three of Metro

Atlanta’s monadnocks in one day. All hikers earn a unique souvenir they canwear as a badge of honor. Triple Hikes will take place on March 1, 5, 19, 20,and 31. RSVPs are required.

For more details on Monadnock Madness events and to purchase ticketsfor the triple hike or photography classes, visit MonadnockMadness.com. Arabia Mountain Heritage Area Alliance is located at 3787 Klondike

Road in Lithonia.

Arabia Mountain. Photo by Travis Hudgons

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Evelyn Johnson

Sheriff’s Office gets body camerasDeKalb County Sheriff’s Of ce deputies are now equipped with body cameras.The investment in state-of-the-art body cameras for uniformed eld deputies will

signi cantly impact the effectiveness of his of ce’s law enforcement responsibilities, DeKalbCounty Sheriff Jeffrey L. Mann stated in a news release.

“Body cameras are increasingly necessary tools of the trade,” Mann stated. “They collectevidence for the prosecution of those who violate the law, provide protection to deputies andcitizens, and provide a higher level of transparency and accountability to the public.”

The Sheriff’s Of ce paid $298,000 from its con scated funds account for 60 “point-of-view” body cameras from Taser International, according to the news release. The cameras aredesigned to be mounted in a way that the camera sees what the deputy sees. The equipmentpackage includes a ve-year contract for software, storage and redaction services and newcamera replacement in two-and-a-half years.

“Uniformed eld deputies will wear cameras during each entire tour of duty and activatethem during traf c stops, emergency equipment activation, when exiting vehicles on anylaw enforcement related activity, and when making contact with the public on a non-lawenforcement related action that may escalate or has the appearance of escalation,” the newsrelease stated.

According to Mann, “the cameras provide the advantage of accurate documentation ofpublic contacts–whether those are arrests or other critical incidents; enhance the ability toreview probable cause for arrest, of cer and suspect interaction; and, enhance the ability toreview evidence for investigative and prosecutorial purposes,” the news release stated. “Aswell, body cameras allow for additional information for of cer evaluation and training.”

“They will likely become standard equipment for all law enforcement agencies,” Mann said.

Community Service Board CEOnamed Psychiatrist of the Year

Joseph Bona , CEO of DeKalb CommunityService Board, was honored with the Psychiatrist ofthe Year Award at the Georgia Psychiatric Physicians

Association (GPPA) awards luncheon on Feb. 13, at TheRitz-Carlton Buckhead.

Bona also serves as an adjunct clinical professor inthe department of psychiatry and behavioral science atEmory University School of Medicine. Bona is currentlythe president-elect of GPPA and will assume the positionof president in May 2016.

The GPPA Psychiatrist of the Year Award recognizesa GPPA member who has demonstrated an exceptional commitment to psychiatry and hasused his or her skills as a psychiatrist in service to the community.

It is truly tting that Dr. Bona was selected for the GPPA Psychiatrist of the Year Award,”stated Stephen Preas , chairman of the GPPA awards committee. “He has demonstratedan exceptional commitment to psychiatry through his unagging dedication to providingpsychiatric services to the public sector.”

For the past 40 years,DeKalb County educatorEvelyn Johnson has mademolding young minds herighest priority.

“I’ve always toldtudents, ‘I will give you myest and I expect the samen return,’” Johnson said.Now I have former students

who come in and tell mehey want me to teach theirhildren.”

Since graduating fromFort Valley State Universityn 1970, Johnson has runhe gamut of education.

Attractive job opportunitiesn and around Atlanta is

what led to her becomingmath teacher at Decatur

High School, a job she would

old for 30 years. Thoughity life was much differenthan life in her native

Statesboro Johnson foundthe opportunity rewarding.

“Everyone was cominghere; people were payingmore. It was a very goodexperience,” Johnson said.“I was able to see the schoolchange from predominantlyWhite to what it is today.I also saw the studentpopulation uctuate fromabout 1,200 to less than600.”

Throughout her career,Johnson brought togetherparents and teacherswhile volunteering with theParent Teacher Association(PTA). The educator saidher interest started with aneed to be involved withher children’s education, a

need that has not yet left theDeKalb teacher.“I’ve worked with the PTA

from the time my childrenwere in kindergarten until thispast summer,” Johnson said.“I loved working with parents,getting them to engage andbecome involved.”

Johnson’s enthusiasticinvolvement earned herplacement as a councilchairwoman for, regionalPTA boards. There, shewas able to ensure boardmembers served theirrespective counties inDeKalb, Rockdale andNewton. She played a majorrole in training, guidingPTAs through the processof membership, and evenresolving conict.

“I like to think, if theywere doing their jobs, they

were always helpful inimpacting the community,”Johnson said.

Though Johnson retiredafter 30 years at DecaturHigh School, she has notbeen able to stay away fromteaching. She has sincegone on to stints at GeorgiaPiedmont Technical Collegeas well as in the towns ofDouglasville and Covington,where she remains. Thesetenures included teachingremedial adult educationclasses and GeneralEducation Diploma (GED)prep classes.

“Adult education wasvery ful lling – students onlywanted to come to me,”Johnson said. “One of my

rst GED people told mepassing the math test iswhat gave her con dence to

complete the exam.”Johnson left her post inadult education to return to

teaching younger minds atBethune Middle School inCovington, a process shecalls bittersweet. She hopesto pass on her philosophy.

“All children can learn,but not at the same pace and

in the same style,” Johnsonsaid. “That’s always been myphilosophy.”

From left, Joe Morgan and Joseph Bona

Evelyn Johnson

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The Champion FREE PRESS, Friday, Feb. 26, 2016 opinion A

“You shall love yourneighbor as yourself.”Matthew 22:39

In the past two weeks,wo of my longtime

neighbors have died.On Jan. 31, my wife

Deanna got a call thatLouise Harris had passedway.

I met Miss Louise, whodied in a nursing home,fter getting married and

moving into the house mywife already had. MissLouise, who lived acrosshe street, was a friendlyoul who loved to walk inhe neighborhood, tendo her yard and watch herports–especially University

of Georgia football. As she got on in

years, Miss Louise beganuccumbing to Alzheimer’s,o my wife and I would keepn eye on her for her family

who live in another part ofthe Atlanta area.

Because of her disease,Miss Louise became a targetfor those wanting to takeadvantage of her. She lostmoney a few times due tothis.

Once, she drove her carto Carrollton and wrecked itin a ditch. After that incident,

her family took the car away.From then on, because

of the Alzheimer’s, MissLouise believed her car wasin a repair shop. She would

walk a couple of miles to arepair shop that no longerexists looking for her car.I can’t count the times Iwould nd her walking to therepair shop, now a shoppingcenter, to retrieve hervehicle. I would convince herto get in my car and I’d driveher around to look for thevehicle, knowing it wasn’tthere. Then I’d take her toher home. Several times thismade me late for work.

I also did somehandyman work for herand tried to protect herfrom those trying totake advantage of her.

Additionally, my wife andI kept in touch with herdaughter and let her know

when Miss Louise could nolonger live on her on.

At Miss Louise’sgraveside ceremony, mywife and I were mentioned

as good neighbors.On Feb. 9, we foundout that another neighbor,Barbara Daws , had beenfound dead in her home.

Miss Barbara had arough life and for decadeslived alone in her homedown the road from us, withlittle contact from her twosons. In fact, for her lastChristmas, she didn’t evenhear from them.

But for years my wifeand I were friends withMiss Barbara. She watchedour house and dog whenwe were away and evenbabysat our daughterwhen we would go out ondates. My wife spent manyan hour talking with Miss

Barbara about life and thehappenings around theneighborhood.

Each Christmas wewould give her some small

gift and she would proudlypresent me with somehome-baked banana bread.

Last Christmas, afternding out that her TV wasbroken, we gave her an oldbut good at screen TV thatwe had just replaced. Thepolice who found her saidshe died in a chair watchingthat TV.

These are just tworecent reminders for my wifeand I that life is short andthat we should love thosearound while we have achance, because as my wifesays, “casket kisses” areuseless.

@AndrewChampNews

Andrew Cauthen

[email protected]

Managing Editor

Love your neighbor

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The very high costs of free

Bill Crane

[email protected]

Columnist

ONE MAN’S OPINION

“It was a scheme, andt went on for years,” Abra-

ham Ortiz, former lab di-ector, Puerto Rico Power

Authority (PREPA) duringU.S. Senate hearings onPuerto Rico’s impendingbankruptcy.

Puerto Rico once hada small number of privatenergy service providers,argely based in each of the

major population centers onhe island. The Puerto Rico

Power Authority (PREPA),was originally created ashe Puerto Rico Water Re-ources Authority in 1941,

as a government monopoly

o manage the island’s freshwater resources. Over timets mission was expandedo include electric power

generation and distribution,and later still to expand thesland’s economy through a

variety of economic devel-opment initiatives.

Privately owned utilities,generally monopolies inheir service territories, pay

billions collectively state-ide in local property andales taxes. As an example,

Georgia Power is by far thehighest property taxpayer inmost every Georgia countywhere it is the primary pro-vider of electricity. Salesaxes are paid on every

kilowatt generated andold, and property taxes are

paid on every light pole andtransmission grid elementas well as right of way.

To avoid this tax collec-

tion and redistribution, asthe provincial governmentof Puerto Rico made PRE-PA a publicly-owned utility,instead of collecting prop-erty and sales taxes andpaying these to the islandstate, PREPA provided freeelectricity to cities on the is-land. The thinking was thatthe free power was “cheap-er” than the collecting/redis-tribution of taxes. HoweverPREPA still had to operateprofitably, as it financedmost of its growth and ex-pansion via bonded debt.

More than $9 billion inPuerto Rico’s current mush-room cloud of $70-plus bil-lion in unserviceable debtis on PREPA’s books. Soas the island’s population

and tourism grew, PREPAwas goosing the economicengine with free juice. To-day in San Juan, you willfind no shortage of open airmarkets and malls, usuallyowned by the government,blowing free air condition-ing into century old build-ings without insulation,and via older lower SEERequipment, as there is littlemoney available for capitalexpenditures to upgradeequipment. On this balmyisland paradise, there iseven a covered, munici-pally owned ice-skating rink,which runs year round onmore free energy.

While most of the rest ofthe world used coal, naturalgas, nuclear or more re-cently developed renewablefuel sources such as solar,wind or even hydro andocean currents, PREPA’sprimary fuel source remainsfuel oil. Not only is fuel oilamong the most expensivesources, it also has amongthe worst emissions. PRE-PA was buying the dirtiestof the sludge, the literalbottom of the barrel from oiltankers and what is basi-cally left after most all otherdistillates are removed fromcrude oil. Sludge is horribleto burn, heavily polluting theair and ground nearby, butwas even worse in PuertoRico, as none of the power

plants there have any emis-sion controls or scrubberson their smokestacks.

While predominantlyU.S. tourists basked on thebeaches of San Juan, na-tives of Puerto Rico in plac-es like Catano, an industrialcommunity nearby, were be-ing blanketed in hundredsof millions of pounds of sul-phur dioxide ash, one of themost toxic emissions andremnants of burning sludgeoil. After area residentswaylaid the chief adminis-trator of the U.S. Environ-mental Protection Agency(EPA), attending a confer-ence on the island, insist-

ing on air emission qualitytesting and inspections, theE.P.A. determined, as earlyas 1999 that PREPA was byfar the biggest air polluterin the E.P.A eastern region,which includes New York,New Jersey and even thethen world’s biggest coal-burning plant in Cartersville,Ga. The EPA brought itsfindings to the U.S. JusticeDepartment and since 2004,operating under a consentdecree, PREPA agreed tolimiting its sulphur emis-sions as well as other haz-ardous substances.

However, PREPA foundit was much cheaper, in-stead of upgrading its fuelsupply or plant fleet tocleaner burning energy

sources, to simply falsifythe reports monitoring itsown emissions. This al-lowed PREPA to continuebuying and burning sludge,and throwing “free” energyout the window as fast asit could be generated. U.S.Senate hearing uncoveredseveral years ago that PRE-PA had borrowed hundredsof millions to construct newplants, but the plants werenever actually built, whilethose borrowed dollars arenow gone.

Meanwhile PREPA hasnearly half-a-billion in debtpayments due on July 1,with virtually no cash re-

serves to make such a pay-ment, and meanwhile, thefree electricity just keepson pumping. Ice skating onthe Caribbean, snow conesanyone? Hey, it’s free.

Bill Crane also servesas a political analyst andcommentator for Channel2’s Action News, WSB-AMNews/Talk 750 and now95.5 FM, as well as a col-umnist for The Champion,Champion Free Press andGeorgia Trend . Crane is aDeKalb native and businessowner, living in Scottdale.You can reach him or com-ment on a column at [email protected].

The Champion FREE PRESS, Friday, Feb. 26, 2016 opinion A

THE CHAMPION FREE PRESS encourages opinionsfrom its readers. Please write to us and express yourviews. Letters should be brief, typewritten and containthe writer’s name, address and telephone number forveri cation. All letters will be considered for publica-tion.

STATEMENT FROM THEPUBLISHER

We sincerely appreciate thediscussion surrounding this and anyissue of interest to DeKalb County.The Champion was founded in 1991expressly to provide a forum fordiscourse for all community residentson all sides of an issue. We have nodesire to make the news only toreport news and opinions to effect

a more educated citizenry that willultimately move our communityforward. We are happy to presentideas for discussion; however,we make every effort to avoidprinting information submitted tous that is known to be false and/orassumptions penned as fact.

F REE P RESS CHAMPION The Publisher:

John Hewitt

Chief Financial Of cer:Dr. E r D. G e

Managing Editor:a drew c uthe

Production Manager:Kemesh Hu t

Photographer: Tr v s Hudg s

Staff Reporters:c r p rkerR. S tt Be zer

The Champion Free Press is published each Fridayby ACE III Communications, Inc.,114 New Street, Suite E, Decatur, GA. 30030Phone (404) 373-7779.www.championnewspaper.com

DISPLAY ADVERTISING (404) 373-7779 x 110

EDiToR’S noTE: The opinions written by columnists and contributing editors do not necessarily re ect the opinionsof the editor or publishers. The Publisher reserves the right to reject or cancel any advertisement at any time. ThePublisher is not responsible for unsolicited manuscripts.

let Us K w Wh t Y u Th k! SEnD lETTERS To EDiToR,The Champion Free Press,P. O. Box 1347, Decatur, GA 30031-1347;Send email to [email protected] To: (404) 370-3903; Phone: (404) 373-7779.Deadline for news releases and advertising:Thursday, one week prior to publication date.

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Suspensions high in DeKalb County

PUBLIC NOTICE NOTICE OF SALES AND USE TAX ELECTION

TO THE QUALIFIED VOTERS OF THE CITY OF ATLANTA

YOU ARE HEREBY NOTIFIED that Tuesday, March 1, 2016, the date chosen by the Secretary of State of the State of Georgia for the presidential preference primary pursuant to Georgia law, a [special] election will be held in all of the precincts of the City of Atlanta (the “City”). At this election there will be submitted to the qualified voters of the City for their determination the question of whether a special one percent sales and use tax should be reimposed within the City, upon the termination of the special one percent sales and use tax presently in effect, for a maximum period of time of 16 calendar quarters, for the purposes of funding water and sewer projects and costs, at an aggregate maximum cost of Seven Hundred Fifty Million Dollars and Zero Cents ($750,000,000.00).

Voters desiring to vote for the reimposition of such sales and use tax shall do so by voting “YES” and voters desiring to vote against the reimposition of such sales and use tax shall do so by voting “NO,” as to the question propounded to ‐wit:

"Shall a special 1 percent sales and use tax be reimposed in the City of Atlanta for a period of time not to exceed 16 calendar quarters and for the raising of not more than ‐ Seven Hundred Fifty Million Dollars and Zero Cents ($750,000,000.00) for the purpose of funding water and sewer projects and costs?"

The several places for holding the election shall be in the regular and established precincts of the City, and the polls will be open from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. on the date fixed for the election. Those qualified to vote at the election shall be determined in all respects in accordance and in conformity with the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America and of the State of Georgia.

This notice is given pursuant to joint action of the City Council of the City of Atlanta and the Municipal Election Superintendent of the City.

Rhonda Dauphin Johnson Municipal Clerk/Election Superintendent

City of Atlanta

y R. Scott Belzer [email protected]

It’s a story familiaro many schools in theountry.

A student arrives onampus. He or she does not

want to be there because ofroblems at home, troublen the classroom or conict

with another student.By many routes, troubleecomes another routine.t becomes so routine, likeomework or getting onhe bus, that suspension isequired.

According to recentlyeleased data, suspensionsre common in DeKalb

County schools. A database released

y the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (AJC) and

sourced by the GeorgiaDepartment of Educationstates ve DeKalb highschools accounted for themajority of out-of-schoolsuspensions in the metro

Atlanta area during the2014-15 school year.

Columbia, Martin LutherKing Jr., McNair, MillerGrove and Towers made up

ve of the top 10 listed andfour of the top ve.

Other metro areasincluded in the databaseare Clayton County, CobbCounty, Fulton County,Gwinnett County, AtlantaPublic Schools, Buford City,City Schools of Decatur,and Marietta City Schools.

The report statesColumbia had 1,649suspensions last year,

while Martin Luther KingJr., McNair and MillerGrove ranged from 941 to1,161. While Towers Highwas lower on the top 10, itaccounted for 721 DeKalbsuspensions.

Only MeadowcreekHigh School in Gwinnetthad more suspensions thanColumbia, Martin LutherKing Jr., McNair and MillerGrove with 2,566 out-of-school suspensions.

Suspensions at 14 otherDeKalb high schools ranged

from 130 (Dunwoody HighSchool) to 642 (StephensonHigh School).

Decatur High School,part of City Schools ofDecatur, reported 90 out-of-school suspensions lastyear.

According to DeKalbSuperintendent StephenGreen , the issue caught hisattention before the datawas released. Green saida disproportionate numberof Black males appear inthe state-provided data onsuspension and expulsion.

“This has been on [thecounty’s] radar from thebeginning,” Green said.“This is consistent withnational data concerningurban and suburban schooldistricts.”

Green also said theremay have been clericalerrors in DeKalb’s recordingof suspensions.

“The numbersreported showed therewas duplication,” he said.“We’re not putting aside the

fact that it’s a signi cantissue, but we’re beingmore insistent about recordkeeping in the process.”

Green said diligencewould not end with recordkeeping.

In the DeKalb CountySchool District, accordingto its code of studentconduct, students onlyface suspensions after aconference, which doesnot necessarily includeparents, as well as a phasecalled an “intervention.”From there, students canface suspension for one tothree days, four to 10 days,10 or more days with aprobationary contract, anda “long term suspension”

before facing expulsion. According to the school

district’s student code ofconduct, offenses includingbus misbehavior, schooldisturbances, profanityand cell phone usage canpotentially force a studentout of the classroom.

Out of the seven levelsof consequence, four resultin suspension.

Ten out of 19 total busviolations have suspensionas the consequence fora rst offense. Theseviolations have to dowith physical violence,including ghting, assault,multiple assault (wheretwo students gang up onanother), inciting to riot, andpossession of a weapon.Vandalism and violating theschool’s drug and alcoholpolicy also bear the sameconsequence.

The decision forsuspension ultimately fallsupon school principals,of cials said.

When asked if DeKalb

County was too reliantupon suspensions, thesuperintendent did nothesitate to answer “yes.”Green said the state of thecounty school district hasimproved since the adoptionof the code of conduct yearsago.

“We have authorizeda task force to review thestudent code of conduct,”Green said. “It’s currentlyunder review, as we’vereceived feedback that itneeded to be reviewed.It’s been used in the pastas a mechanism to curb oraddress behavior, but weneed something consistentwith where we are now.”

DeKalb Superintendent Stephen Green. File photo/Travis Hudgons

‘This has been on [the county’s]radar from the beginning.’

– DeKalb Superintendent Stephen Green

8/20/2019 FreePress 2-26-16



Ethics board in holding pattern

DeKalb County Department of Watershed ManagementPublic Advisory

SNAPFINGER WOODS SANITARY SEWER CROSSINGS

January 29, 2016 February 29, 2016Advisory Issue Date Advisory Close Date

This advisory is issued to inform the public of a receipt of an applica on for a variancesubmi ed pursuant to a State Environmental Law. The Public is invited to comment during a 30day period on the proposed ac vity. Since the Georgia Environmental Protec on Division (EPD)

has no authority to zone property or determine land use, only those comments addressingenvironmental issues related to air, water and land protec on will be considered in theapplica on review process. Wri en comments should be submi ed to: Program Manager,Non-Point Source Program, Erosion and Sedimenta on Control, 4220 Interna onal Parkway,Suite 101, Atlanta, Georgia 30354.

Type of Permit Applica on: Variance to encroach within the 25-foot State Waters Bu er. Applicable Law: Georgia Erosion and Sedimenta on Act O.C.G.A. 12-7-6 ET seq. Applicable Rules: Erosion and Sedimenta on Control Chapter 391-3-7. Basis under which variance shall be considered: {391-3-7.05(2) (A-J)}: E

Project Loca on: This project is located on the sec on of Snap nger Woods Drive that isbounded by Rayburn Road to the west and Shell Bark Rd to the east near the city of Lithonia,GA. Speci cally, the site is located in land lots 8 & 9 of the 16th district & land lots 128 &129 of the 15th district, in DeKalb, Georgia. The site is approximately 800 linear feet north ofSnap nger Creek’s intersec on with Snap nger Woods Drive. The proposed construc on willinclude the installa on of 132 linear feet of 15 inch sanitary sewer across Snap nger Creek.

Project Descrip on: The proposed site condi ons will include the installa on of 132 linear feetof 15 inch sanitary sewer aerial stream crossing to replace an exis ng inverted siphon sanitarysewer under Snap nger Creek which in a constant maintenance problem. This work is a repairthe exis ng system that runs along Snap nger Creek.

MOVE IN/OUT CLEANNG

CleaningByMarines.com

(404) 975-9002

by Andrew [email protected]

The DeKalb CountyBoard of Ethics isstill in a holdingpattern because of

lawsuit led by DeKalbCounty CommissionerSharon Barnes Sutton andhe lack of an ethics of cer.

On Feb. 18, the ethicsboard decided not togive an advisory opiniononcerning an ethicsomplaint against Sutton.

Viola Davis , ofUnhappy Taxpayer& Voter and Restore

DeKalb, stating that “newvidence, documentationnd witnesses have comeorth to prove the code ofthics and state law were

violated,” asked the ethicsboard to issue an advisoryopinion that her ethicscomplaint against Suttonshould be forwarded toa special prosecutor withthe district attorney and/orsolicitor general’s of ce.

She also asked to ethicboard to opine about theneed for “an expansion ofthe public integrity unit toinclude a cross section oflaw enforcement such asthe local police departmentunder Dr. CedricAlexander with the FBI/GBIas oversight agents.”

The role of the public

integrity unit is to investigateallegations of wrongdoingby elected of cials andappointed of cials.

In her request for an

advisory opinion, Davissaid that the organizationsshe represents led a “welldocumented” complaint thatshowed that Sutton and heraide, Judy Brownlee , hadviolated the county’s ethicscode.

In September theethics board foundprobable cause to have

nal hearings for the ethicscomplaints against Suttonand Brownlee, who areboth accused of misusingcounty funds.

“Unfortunately, …Sutton led a lawsuitagainst the Board of Ethics

proclaiming the boardwas unconstitutional. Shequestioned the authority ofthe board to sit in judgmentof of cials’ behavior,

arguing that it underminesthe fundamental dueprocess rights,” Davis said.“Despite DeKalb votersapproving the new ethicslaw by 92 percent back inNovember 2015, SharonBarnes Sutton delayedthe ethics board hearingswhich ultimately denied thepublic justice.”

“Don’t get me wrong,I think the lawsuit’sfrivolous,” said ethicsboard member Scott Bender before the ethicsboard decided not to givean opinion at this time.“I don’t think there’s

anything we would opineon.”The ethics board also

discussed the hiring of anethics of cer, a position

now mandated by state law.The board nominated

Stacey Kalberman ,former Georgia ethicscommissioner director, tothe position. The nominationmust be approved by thecounty CEO and Board ofCommissioners.

Bender said the board,under state law, would haveto table all ethics complaintsuntil an ethics of cer ishired because complaintsnow must be investigatedby that of cer.

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING

The Mayor and City Council of the City of Chamblee, Georgia will hold a publichearing on Tuesday, March 15, 2016, at the Chamblee Civic Center, 3540 BroadStreet, Chamblee, GA 30341 at 7:30 p.m. to receive public comments regarding thefollowing: Andy Lasky, of Blue Top, LLC requests variances of the following provisions of

the City of Chamblee Ordinances, Appendix A, Unified Development Ordinance withrespect to a lot consisting of 0.273 acres zoned Village Commercial located at 5362

Peachtree Road, Chamblee, GA being DeKalb County tax parcel 18-299-16-006:1. Sec. 240-13(c)(1) that requires restaurants with outdoor seating to locate such

seating in the front or side yard and abutting a sidewalk.2. Sec. 350-2(c) that requires interconnection of adjacent commercial parking lots

with interparcel driveways and sidewalks.

Members of the DeKalb County ethics board are making plans to hire an ethics of cer to investigate ethics complaints. Photo by Andrew Cauthen

8/20/2019 FreePress 2-26-16



Riverdale police officer’s funeral held in DeKalbby Andrew [email protected]

Traf c came to a stop forpproximately 30 minutes

on Memorial Drive as theuneral procession for a fallenRiverdale Police major madets way to Saint Philips AME

Church in DeKalb County Feb.20.

Riverdale Police MajorGregory E. Barney washot and killed Feb. 11 whilessisting the Clayton County

SWAT and Clayton CountyPolice Department in serving no-knock search warrantn Riverdale, accordingo the Georgia Bureau ofnvestigation (GBI).

When of cers entered a

Riverdale apartment, 24-year-old suspect Jerand Ross ranout of the back door. Barneyhased the suspect and washot four times–allegedly by

Ross, in the abdomen, arm,eg and lower back, accordingo the GBI.

“Major Greg Barney wasnot part of the entry team forhe warrant nor the perimeterecurity team,” the GBI statedn a news release. “He wasn onsite supervisor who

witnessed Ross running frombehind the apartment whilehe SWAT team made entry.”

Barney was taken toSouthern Regional MedicalCenter in critical conditionwhere he later died, accordingo the GBI.

Ross has been chargedwith murder.

A Clayton County Sheriff’s deputy stands at attention duringthe procession.

A long line of law enforcement vehicles travels along Memorial Drivefor the funeral of a Riverdale police major. Photos by Andrew Cauthen

A couple watches and records the funeral procession.

A police of cer manages traf c as funeral attendees maketheir way to the church.

A trio watches the parade of police vehicles.

On Feb. 17 demolition began of the commonly referred to “erector set,” the metal frame of an Avondale Estates structure that has set un nished since 2008. Photos by JohnHewitt

It all falls down

8/20/2019 FreePress 2-26-16



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WEEK in PICTURES

Georgia State Rep. Hank Johnson hosted a j ob resource fair at Georgia Piedmont Technical College (GPTC) Feb. 18, offering job-readiness training as well as employmentpportunities. Photos by R. Scott Belzer

The GPTC job resource fair offered employment opportunities from such agencies as Bojangles, the armed forces, DeKalb County Sheriff’s Of ce, Home Depot and AT&T.

DeKalb County Sheriff’s Of ce was one of many government agencies offeringemployment opportunities at GPTC on Feb. 18.

treetz 94.5 personality Jazzy McBee, right, was present at the GPTC job resourceair interviewing such representatives as Staff Sgt. Myresha Allen of Buford, SC.

8/20/2019 FreePress 2-26-16


8/20/2019 FreePress 2-26-16



Students recognized for app creation

PET

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Goober qualifies for our February “Find the One”promotion, where all cats and all dogs over 25 lbs. are onl$14! Adoption includes neuter, vaccinations, microchipand more! If you would like more information aboutGoober please email [email protected] or call (404) 294-2165. All potential adopters will bescreened to ensure Goober goes to a good home.

by Carla Parker [email protected]

Three Stone MountainHigh Schoolstudents received

monetary awards forheir submissions to

Congressman Hankohnson ’s inaugural App

Challenge.The challenge is a

ompetition that encourageshigh school students toreate mobile applications.

Twenty students fromhigh schools in the 4thDistrict entered the contestnd Heru Samuel , Tariq

Booker and Nikedra

Dooley were the top threetudents, respectively, ofhe challenge.

Samuel, who wonrst place, received $300.

Samuel presented the ideaof creating an app thatwould allow cell phoneusers to easily transfer lesrom one phone to another.

He said he came up withhe idea soon after he heardbout the challenge.

“When they camento the lunch room I

was shocked, so I had toome up with somethingeally fast, in less than 10

minutes,” he said. “I like toend les a lot and it takes long time for them toransfer. So, I said ‘why nothis?’ That’s how the ideaame about.”

Joshua Smith ,ommunity outreach liaisonor Johnson, said he and

other staff members thoughtSamuel’s app would beonvenient for many cell

phone users.“A lot of times you mightwitch from T-Mobile to

Sprint and try to go in andwitch your numbers over,

but maybe only ve wouldgo over or they just say thathey can’t do it,” Smith said.That would take out goingo the store and doing that.

You could just take his chipnd put it from phone to

phone.“Samuel, 18, said he was

shocked after learning hewon rst prize.

“I actually thought I wasgoing to get third place, soit was a shocker but I’mhappy about it,” he said.

Samuel plans toattend Kennesaw Statenext school year to studyelectrical engineering. Hehopes to own a businessthat “will be bigger andbetter than Microsoft or

Apple.”Booker, a junior at

Stone Mountain, came insecond and won $200.Booker’s app, Challenger,is a social media app thatwould help users “enhance

each other.”“It’s basically based off

of challenging each otherto do well,” he said. “So, Iwould challenge you to runa mile every day with me. Iwould challenge you to gohug somebody every day.

“My next step is learninghow to make apps. I knowhow to make some appsbut I want to learn how toput them on Apple or anandroid, and then see if Ican get some sales off of it.”

Dooley, who camein third and received a$100 award, proposed theCollege App.

“An app where you canapply to any type of collegeyou want to,” she said. “Itwould be quick, fast andeasy. Instead going on todifferent [college websites]you would be able to applyto any college you want toin the state or other states.”

The submissions wereviewed by a panel of judges

which included SuperSoaker inventor L onnieJohnson , CISCO instructorTheresa Williams , HipHop recording artist/reality show personality

Yung Joc , Sciberus CEOLaron Walker and NBAanalyst Dennis Scott . Theyevaluated the apps oncreativity, convenience andmobility.

The App Challengehighlighted the value of

computer science andSTEM education (Science,Technology, Engineeringand Math), accordingto Smith. Of the 435members of the House ofRepresentatives, Johnsonranked in the top 10 for thenumber of app competitionsubmissions.

“Science andtechnology are transformingour world and we must doall we can to ensure ourkids are taking part in andhelping shape the changingeconomy,” Johnson said.“I’m proud of the studentswho participated in our

rst challenge. They haveshowcased some of the4th congressional district’sbrightest young minds asthey take on cutting-edgetechnology that is becomingan increasing part of all ourlives.”

Congressman Hank Johnson hosted the top three students of his inaugural App Challenge. Photos byCarla Parker

Stone Mountain senior NikedraDooley nished third in the AppChallenge.

Stone Mountain junior TariqBooker won second place in theApp Challenge.

Stone Mountain senior HeruSamuel was the rst-placewinner in Congressman HankJohnson’s inaugural App

Challenge.

8/20/2019 FreePress 2-26-16


EDUCATION The Champion FREE PRESS, Friday, Feb. 26, 2016 • A

Hightower Highbots showcase DeKalb’s engineering skillsby R. Scott Belzer [email protected]

While most DeKalbCounty residents are in thedaily grind, at least sevenlementary school studentsn Doraville are practicinghe arts of collaboration,nnovation, strategy andobotics.

What’s more, the sevenre earning trophies in the

process.

Hightower ElementarySchool’s “Highbots,” orRobotics Club, recentlycompeted in the GeorgiaFIRST LEGO League at thestate level against 32 otherteams. The competition,held Jan. 23 at GeorgiaTech, saw the Highbots win

rst place in the “Strategy &Innovation” category.

The team is made upof third graders BryceMarshall and Brenda

Sanchez ; fourth gradersNasir Sheikh andKatherine Portillo ; aswell as fth graders AndyQuintanilla , OrlandoGama and SebastianRamirez .

As part of Georgia’sSTEM (science, technology,engineering andmathematics) program,Hightower ElementarySchool’s Robotics Cluboffers third-, fourth-

and fth-graders anextracurricular outlet to becreative, practice teamworkand put their knowledge intopractice through technology.

“We challenge eachother, practice graciousprofessionalism andcooperation,” Portillo said.

The Hightower Highbotspractice their skills usinga small LEGO robot.The students are able toassign such tasks as safetransport, constructionand demolition through acomputer program.

The Highbots are judgedon how well these tasksplay out on a large griddedtable within a time limit.

At competitions, six tablesstand next to one anotherto raise a competitive spirit.Problems that may appearsmall at rst glance, such asdirty wheels, make a largedifference in success.

Judges also ask

teams why a robot wasprogrammed a certain way,how they came up with theirplans and how they worktogether as a team.

The Highbots explainedhow they experimentwith wheel rotations,timing and other aspectsof programming beforethe small robot moves.From the start, the teamis testing, reprogrammingand retesting. It’s fromthis process the Highbotsgained their award-winningstrategy: trial and error.

“It’s all trial and error,from the very beginning,”said Sondra Owens ,technology teacher at

Hightower Elementaryand Highbot coach.Owens, along with teacherKimberly Johnson andengineer Charles Vance ,advise the team twice aweek after school.

“I’m very proud,” Owenssaid. “When you get thesekids at the beginning of theyear, they’re not familiarwith each other; they don’twant to talk because theydon’t know how. But seeingthem grow just makesme proud to be a part ofRobotics Club.”

Hightower’s groupof young engineers wasgranted a place in the statetournament after winningcompetitions at TuckerHigh School and ClarkstonHigh School. While theteam did not win overall, atrophy was still taken homein “Strategy & Innovation.”The trophy was won by notonly demonstrating proper

robotics, but by developinga project dealing with foodwaste through a tumblercompost bin.

The school’s principal,Sheila George , said hardwork earned the Highbots a

rst-place ranking.“They’re awesome,”

George said. “They havedone a lot of hard workas proven in competition.They’ve gained a greatunderstanding of roboticsand programming throughtheir excellent coaches.We’re really proud of them.”

When asked what theyenjoy most about beinga Highbot, students didnot cite awards, prestige,

The Hightower Highbots team members are Andy Quintanilla, OrlandoGama, Sebastian Ramirez, Bryce Marshall, Brenda Sanchez andKatherine Portillo. Also pictured are Principal Sheila George, left, andechnology teacher Sondra Owens, right. Photos by R. Scott Belzer

Nasir Sheikj, Andy Quintanilla, Orlando Gama, Katherine Portillo and Sebastian Ramirezdemonstrate how a LEGO robot works.

8/20/2019 FreePress 2-26-16


EDUCATION The Champion FREE PRESS, Friday, Feb. 26, 2016 • A

Agnes Scott celebrates past, present and future

DEKALB COUNTY BOARD OF EDUCATION

PUBLIC BUDGET INPUT MEETINGFISCAL YEAR ENDING JUNE 30, 2017

Monday, March 7, 2016

TIME LOCATION5:45 p.m. J. David Williamson Board Room

Administrative & Instructional Complex1701 Mountain Industrial Blvd.Stone Mountain, GA 30083

The DeKalb County Board of Education will hold a public budgetinput meeting to solicit feedback from the public regarding the2016-2017 school system’s budget.

FOR INFORMATION, CALL THE OFFICE OF THECHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER AT 678-676-0069.

by R. Scott Belzer [email protected]

The Agnes ScottCollege communitycame together Feb.

9 to celebrate 127 yearsof education, inclusivenessnd excellence.

Students, faculty andtaff gathered in Agnes

Scott’s Rebekah Scott Hallo celebrate the college’snnual Founder’s Day

Convocation. The eventhighlighted how far theDecatur school has comen inclusiveness. The

hour-long program alsode ned the college’s plano progress diversity in theuture.

“Since 1918, AgnesScott has celebratedFounder’s Day as anopportunity to look backn gratitude on all those

who have made today’sAgnes Scott possible ando remove and reaf rm

our vision for the future,”aid Agnes Scott president

Elizabeth Kiss .Kiss pointed out that

he convocation celebrated50 years of integrationt the Decatur college.

The president said theelebration of such an issueould not come at a moreritical point in time givenhe social climate.

“It’s highly importants we gather here for

Founder’s Day that weeek to understand our

past, acknowledge bothhe achievements and

persistent challenges ofour present, and renew ourommitment to the ongoingourney of creating a justnd inclusive community forll,” Kiss said.

In acknowledging the

past, Kiss highlighted thatAgnes Scott was not alwayss culturally diverse as it isoday. The college president

mentioned that the founderswould have in all likelihoodound it inconceivable,

perhaps offensive, thatAgnes Scott would be as

thnically rich as it is today.“Among our students,

no single racial ethnic groups in the majority,” Kiss said.For many of our founders,his would have seemedlien, frightening, evenepulsive.”

The Agnes Scottpresident acknowledgedhat this fact is key to

maintaining a sense ofeformation, which stands

as one of the college’s corevalues. She mentioned howthe “Agnes Scott girls” wereonce just the Black youngwomen who came to thecampus to housekeep.

“It was not until 50 yearsago that Gay Johnson McDougall arrived on ourcampus to integrate ourschool. Just imagine whatthat felt like to her,” Kisssaid. “It was not until 1971that we had our rst Blackgraduate. It should give uspride to think about how farwe’ve come in the past 50years.”

Kiss nished heraddress by remindingattendees how great a roleracist history plays in thecountry and the school’scampus. The collegepresident mentionedboth broad and speci cinstances of race-basedshootings, systemic racismand xenophobia as prime

examples.“We have a long wayto go to create a safe,

inclusive and welcomingcampus for all,” Kisssaid. “It’s important toacknowledge how theseevents shape our students’lives. We are greatlyreformed and in need ofreforming.”

Kiss stated goalsto remedy this situationincluded having 30 percentof tenured faculty and 40percent of staff to comefrom underrepresentedethnic groups by 2020.

The convocationkept this theme byacknowledging past alumniand faculty that pavedthe way for Agnes Scott’sdiverse campus. Campusleaders such as Kristian Contreras , director ofdiversity programs; Mary Cain , associate historyprofessor, Nada Gill ,Muslim student associationpresident; Kayla Sloan ,chairwoman of Agnes

Scott’s coalition of studentmulticultural associations(COSMO); Madeline

Dekarske , honor courtpresident; and KijuaSanders-McMurtry ,interim vice president forstudent life and dean ofstudents, acknowledgedpast students who facedprejudice and exclusion sothat present Agnes Scottattendees do not have to doso.

The 127th Founder’sDay Convocation concludedwith Kiss’s announcementthat two facilities will benamed after the college’s

rst Black student, GayJohnson McDougall , as

well as notable alumnaGue Perdue Hudson .The event also saw theentire gathering pledgeto continue “diversity andinclusive excellence.”

Presbyterian ministerFrank Gaines founded

Agnes Scott College in1898 as Decatur SeminarySchool for Women. Theprivate liberal arts collegehas remained af liated withthe Presbyterian church andis considered one of the topliberal arts colleges in thecountry, according to U.S.News & World Report .

Agnes Scott College president Elizabeth Kissdelivered the university’s annual address, whichdealt with continuing and expanding inclusiveness.

The Agnes Scott College student choir opened and closed the hour-long Founder’sDay Convocation on Feb. 19 with hymns. Photos by R. Scott Belzer

8/20/2019 FreePress 2-26-16


8/20/2019 FreePress 2-26-16


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SPORTS The Champion FREE PRESS, Friday, Feb. 26, 2016 • A

Eleven teams advance to Elite Eightby Carla Parker [email protected]

The Elite Eight of ve of the seven classi cationsn the state basketball playoffs will feature 11 teamsrom DeKalb County.

In Class AAA, the Cedar Grove Saints will play inheir third consecutive Elite Eight on Feb. 26 against

Westside of Augusta at Augusta University. Gameime is set for 8:15 p.m.

Cedar Grove defeated Dodge County 66-48 inhe rst round and East Jackson 68-54 in the secondound. The Saints are on a 10-game winning streak.

In Class AAAAAA, Tucker’s Lady Tigers will takeon Woodstock Feb. 25 at West Georgia. Game times set for 3 p.m. Tucker defeated Campbell 81-63 inhe rst round, and beat Mountain View 72-54 in theecond round.

Class A Private

Greenforest boys and girls advanced to the Elite

Eight after winning their rst round matchups. Theboys defeated First Presbyterian 78-40 in the rstound, and will face Tattnall Square in the Elite Eight

on Feb. 25 at Kennesaw State University. Game times set for 4:45 p.m.

The Greenforest girls defeated Paideia 46-23n the rst round and will face No. 6-ranked Tattnall

Square in the Elite Eight on Feb. 26 at KennesawState University. Game time is set for 3 p.m.

Class AAAA

The Lithonia Bulldogs will face Sandy Creek onFeb. 25 at Fort Valley State University. Game time iset for 4:45 p.m. The Bulldogs defeated NW Whit eld

88-36 in the rst round, and beat New Hampstead 82-61 in the second round.

The St. Pius X Golden Lions will play Jonesboro inhe Elite Eight on Feb. 26 at Fort Valley State. Gameime is set for 8:15 p.m. St. Pius defeated Cartersville

63-46 in the rst round, and beat Thomson 55-56 inhe second round.

On the girls’ side, Arabia Mountain’s Lady Ramswill be making their rst trip to the Elite Eight in theirecond playoff appearance. They beat Heritage 46-44n the rst round, and defeated Burke County in theecond round.

The Lady Rams will face Buford on Feb. 26 at FortValley State. Game time is set for 6:30 p.m.

The Marist Lady War Eagles will take onAmericus-Sumter Feb. 26 at Fort Valley StateUniversity. Game time is set for 4:45 p.m. Maristdefeated Gilmer 41-34 in the rst round, and beat

Baldwin 49-40 in the second round.Class AAAAA

The Miller Grove Wolverines will take on SouthPaulding Feb. 26 in the Elite Eight at ColumbusState. Game time is set for 4:45 p.m. The Wolverinesdefeated Sprayberry 101-41 in the rst round, andbeat Richmond Academy 64-57 in the second round.

Southwest DeKalb boys’ and girls’ advanced tohe Elite Eight. The boys will take on Allatoona Feb.

25 at Columbus State. Game time is set for 4:45 p.m.Southwest DeKalb defeated Kell 66-42 in the rstound, and beat Warner Robins 65-60 in the secondound.

Southwest DeKalb’s Lady Panthers will take onColumbus Feb. 26 at Columbus State. Game time iset for 3 p.m. The Lady Panthers defeated Rome 65-

22 in the rst round, and beat Cross Creek 62-42 inhe second round.

Tucker guard Morgan Collins runs by a MountainView defender.

Cedar Grove point guard Jaquan Acie runs by aDodge County defender. Photos by Travis Hudgons

Cedar Grove guard Makale Carter scores on a layup.

Redan forward Taylor Tucker looks to pass as twoSoutheast Whit eld players defend. Tucker ralliedthe No. 9 Redan Lady Raiders to a 61-54 Class 4A

rst-round playoff victory over Southeast Whit eld,but had its season come to an end on Feb. 19 with a47-40 loss to Veterans.

Tucker guard Morgan Collins attempts to shoot abasket over a Mountain View defender.

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Cross Keys more confidentafter championship lossby Carla Parker [email protected]

The Cross Keys boys’soccer team madeprogram history

ast season with its rsthampionship gameppearance.

The team suffered a-0 loss to St. Pius X in the

game, but the loss did notkeep them down for long,ccording to their coach

Derrick Burgess , he saidhe hunger the players hadast season is still in them.

“They had the hungerast season, but what Iee now is hunger andon dence,” Burgess said.The con dence that they

go into games with now isust unbelievable.”

That new con dencehas led to a 2-0 record totart the season.

“We’ve done reallywell,” Burgess said. “Withhe success of last season,he boys and everyonet the school were reallyxcited for us on making

he state nals but alsodisappointed that we lost.After playing the gamehey felt that they had the

quality and experience todo even better this season.With the talent, the qualitynd experience from lasteason’s playoff run, we

have high expectations forourselves.”

A majority of playersrom last year’s teameturned, including teameading scorer and countyecond leading scorer

Gilberto Ramos (16) andRoberto Matinez , who ledhe team in assists andnished tied for rst in the

county (16). Although veseniors from last year’steam graduated, Burgesssaid the leadership is still

intact this season.“[The current seniors]

were the actual leaders

of the team last year,”Burgess said. “Nothing hasreally changed in terms ofthe leadership on and offthe eld.”

During the offseason,Burgess said the teamdid not focus much onsoccer. Instead, Cross Keysfocused on raising moneyfor the program.

“During the offseasonwe let [the players] kindof relax and put someplans in place in terms offundraising and budgeting,”he said. “A lot of schoolshave more resourcesthan us so we’ve tried tolevel out the playing eld

by spending some of theoffseason time increasingour budget.”

The team was ableto raise money throughdonations given fromlocal businesses in thecommunity. The team madesome signi cant changeswith the funds raised tohelp the team compete on ahigher level.

“When I rst took overthe program our boyswere always quick to gettired,” he said. “So we nowhave pregame meals, wehave trainers, we got newuniforms and things of thatnature. That all comes fromthem just working in theoffseason to raise funds tocompete against the private

schools.”The team is still

collecting donations and

has set up a Gofundmeaccount to help coverexpenses for this season.

Burgess said he wantshis team to be more than awinning soccer team.

“One of our goalsis to be a pillar in thecommunity,” he said. “We’rea heavily internationalschool in a heavilyinternational communityand soccer is the mostimportant sport in thatcommunity. We wantto represent our entirecommunity and hope thatthey can be proud of CrossKeys soccer.”

SOCCER

‘They had the hungerlast season, but whatI see now is hungerand confidence.’

– Derrick BurgessCross Keys boys’ soccer coach

Gilberto Ramos

Photos by Travis Hudgons

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H o w c a n

make your

Wrestlers bring home state medalsby Carla Parker [email protected]

Marist’s Andrew Pace was the lonewrestler from the DeKalb County area to win

gold medal at the GHSA state wrestlingournaments Feb. 13.Pace, a freshman, won gold in the Class

AAAA 113-weight class with a pin over SandyCreek senior Jake Lee . Marist had four otherwrestlers to place in the top six in their weightlass to lead Marist to a fth-place nish in

Class AAAA with 92.0 points.Junior Reed Bethune won a bronze

medal in the 126-weight class after pinningCartersville’s Robby Earick in the third placematch. Senior Robert Larmore also won abronze medal—in the 182-weight class—with pin over Chestatee’s Isaac Alarcon in thehird-place match.

Marist had two sixth place nishers inreshman Jake Boyd (106-weight class) andenior Chris Bradley (170-weight class).

St. Pius X nished 10th in team standings inClass AAAA with 63.0 points. St. Pius X had fourmedalists—led by silver medalists sophomoreMax Spearman and junior Jack Marsh .

Spearman lost to Buford’s Jack Barber by a 7-2 decision in the 145-weight classhampionship match. Marsh lost by a 5-3

decision to North Hall’s Nick Whitmire in the70-weight class championship match.

St. Pius also had two fth-place nishers in

senior Zack Ramirez (160-weight class) andsenior Eric Long (220-weight class). Ramirezwon by injury default over Buford’s TristanBozoian in the fth-place match, and Longwon by a 8-5 decision over Hampton’s MonexCharles .

Lithonia nished tied at 32nd in Class AAAA with 10.0 points led by senior BimysolaAttobra , who placed fth in the 132-weight

class. Attobra won by a 7-4 decision overWoodword’s Tucker Witmer .

DeKalb County wrestling championsDunwoody nished 17th in Class AAAAA with28.0 points. Senior Daniel Gothard nished

fourth in the 285-weight class after losing by a4-1 decision to Cass’ Seven Richards in thethird-place match.

Junior Chris Solo placed sixth in the126-weight class after losing by major decision(9-1) to Clarke Central’s Patrick Isip in the

fth-place match.Lakeside nished 15th in Class AAAAAA

with 40.0 points. Senior Spencer Wilson placed fourth in the 132-weight class afterlosing by a 5-2 decision to Rockdale’sStephen Hart in the third-place match.

Junior Kamal Feracho placed fth in the195-weight class after defeating Lovejoy’sQue Taylor by a 1-0 decision. Junior GordanLewis (285-weight class) also had a fth-place nish after beating Brookwood’s ShaneDeFreitas by a 10-4 decision.

McNair placed 16th in Class AAA with42.0 points led by senior Muadh As-Siddiq ,who placed second in the 132-weight class.

As-Siddiq was pinned by Jefferson’s TannerThurmond in the championship match.

Decatur placed 25th with 23.5 points ledby Deaundre Wilson , who placed third inthe 182-weight class. Wilson won by a majordecision (17-5) over Rockmart’s JamesCopeland .

Marist freshman Andrew Pace won gold in the ClassAAAA 113-weight class with a pin over Sandy Creeksenior Jake Lee. Photo by R. Findley Photography

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