Free Press 6-24-11

WWW. CHAMPI ONNEWSPAPER. COM FRI DAY, JUNE 24, 2011 VOL. 14, NO.
13 FREE
FREEPRESS
A PUBLICATION OF ACE III COMMUNICATIONS
The Champion staff members, from left, Kathy Mitchell, Dan-
iel Beauregard, Gale Horton Gay, Robert Naddra and Andrew
Cauthen. Photo by John Hewitt
The Champion Newspaper earned frst place in
general excellence for the third consecutive year at the
Georgia Press Association Better Newspaper Banquet
on June 10 on Jekyll Island. It was the fourth time in
fve years the newspaper has won the
general excellence award.
The paper won frst place in six
categories and took home a total of
22 awards, including 13 for second
place.
Travis Hudgons won frst place
for sports feature photograph, sports
photograph and photo illustration.
Robert Naddra earned frst place
for sports writing and headline writ-
ing.
The paper earned second place in the following
categories: photo gallery on a newspaper website; web
photo; business coverage; feature writing; hard news
writing; layout and design; news photograph; photo
essay; religion coverage; serious column; sports sec-
tion; editorial writing and editorial cartoonist.
Third-place awards for The Champion were for
lifestyle coverage, feature writing and photo essay.
Newspaper wins top award
for third straight year
Hudgons
by Elizabeth Wilson
B
ob Scoeld had thought
about this call for more than
50 years, and when it came, it
made him cry.
My name is Kathy Chris-
tensen, the voice said, I was born
Sept. 16, 1949, in Fresno, Calif.
And I believe Im your daughter.
She was. Ten years ago, Atlanta
and DeKlab County resident Kathy
Christensen set out to discover her
birth parents. What could have been
a very diffcult and unhappy situa-
tion turned into a very happy end-
ingor rather, a musical beginning.
Christensen had found her way
back to her birth father. Scofeld and
his wife Martye welcomed Chris-
tensen into their family, and Chris-
tensen, whose adoptive father died
when she was 4 years old, again
knew a fathers love. They also
found themselves sharing a love
of music. Throughout their adults
lives, each of them had been pursu-
ing music in their off hoursshe as a
singer, he on trumpet.
Now, 10 years after that frst
meeting, Christensen and Scofeld
have combined their talentsher
voice and his hornalong with
some exceptionally talented musi-
cians on keyboard and drums, to
produce a collection of jazz stan-
dards titled Past & Present. The
CD compilation of 10 classic jazz
vocals, ranging from When I Fall
in Love and The Very Thought of
You to Deed I Do and Ill String
Along with You, is available online
at http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/kathy-
bob.
The story
I always wondered where my
musical genes came from, Chris-
tensen said. It turns out they came
from my birth father, before him my
grandfather and uncles.
Born to teenage parents, Chris-
tensen was adopted within a few
Daughter and father celebrate reunion with music
DeKalb resident Kathy Christensen and her father Bob Scoeld. Photo provided
See Music on Page 14A
st Place
General Excellence
Award Winner
CO9CA |9SS ASSOCATON
ITT9 \SA9 \ONTST
200/. 2009. 2010 o 2011
Serving East Atlanta, Avondale Estates, Chamblee, Clarkston, Decatur, Doraville, Dunwoody, Lithonia, Pine Lake, Tucker and Stone Mountain.
The Champion Free Press, Friday, June 24, 2011 Page 2A
Local News
The DeKalb County Board of Education does hereby announce that the millage rate will be set at a meeting to be held at the
DeKalb County School District Administrative & Instructional Complex, 1701 Mountain Industrial Boulevard,
Stone Mountain, Georgia on Monday, July 11, 2011 at 6:00 p.m., and pursuant to the requirements of O.C.G.A. 48-5-32, does
hereby publish the following presentation of the current year's tax digest and levy, along with the history of the tax digest and levy
for the past five years.
PROPOSED
M & O DIGEST 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011
REAL & PERSONAL 22,043,418,123 22,733,547,716 23,682,799,490 22,743,672,353 22,184,019,392 19,183,990,438
MOTOR VEHICLES 1,263,116,150 1,318,080,060 1,357,307,770 1,385,428,820 1,254,986,790 1,225,978,410
MOBILE HOMES 1,236,493 749,797 779,464 740,987 656,584 510,171
TIMBER - 100% 55,442 0 0 91,018 0 0
HEAVY DUTY EQUIPMENT 2,686,586 4,646,669 581,681 163,106 65,347 82,712
GROSS DIGEST 23,310,512,794 24,057,024,242 25,041,468,405 24,130,096,284 23,439,728,113 20,410,561,728
LESS M&O EXEMPTIONS 2,914,297,856 3,021,895,215 3,038,896,350 3,029,052,913 3,039,974,697 2,912,047,454
NET M&O DIGEST 20,396,214,938 21,035,129,027 22,002,572,055 21,101,043,371 20,399,753,416 17,498,514,274
GROSS M&O MILLAGE 22.98 22.98 22.98 22.98 22.98 22.98
LESS ROLLBACKS 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
NET M&O MILLAGE 22.98 22.98 22.98 22.98 22.98 22.98
NET TAXES LEVIED $468,705,019 $483,387,265 $505,619,106 $484,901,977 $468,786,333 $402,115,858
NET TAXES $ INCREASE $37,890,460 $14,682,246 $22,231,841 ($20,717,129) ($16,115,643) ($66,670,475)
NET TAXES % INCREASE 8.80% 3.13% 4.60% -4.10% -3.32% -14.22%
NOTES:
1. THE NET LEVY DOES NOT REFLECT ACTUAL REVENUE RECEIVED OR AVAILABLE DUE TO VALUE ADJUSTMENTS RESULTING FROM APPEALS, DELINQUENT TAXES,
COLLECTIONS FROM PRIOR YEARS, AND A FEE OF 1.25% PAID TO THE COUNTY FOR BILLING AND COLLECTIONS.
2. THE 2011 MILLAGE RATE IS THE PROPOSED RATE. THE PROPOSED SCHOOL OPERATIONS MILLAGE IS 22.98 MILLS.
3. 2011 DIGEST FIGURES ARE AN ESTIMATE.
CURRENT 2011 TAX DIGEST AND FIVE YEAR HISTORY OF LEVY
Former clerk with dementia still seeking reinstatement
Recreation department worker accused of accepting bribe
by Andrew Cauthen
andrew@dekalbchamp.com
Former Superior Court Clerk Lin-
da Carter, who claims
she was tricked into re-
signing during a period of
dementia, is still fghting
to regain her old job.
In an affdavit fled
earlier this month, Carter
stated that she is under
medical treatment for
a condition that causes
temporary episodes of
dementia.
I am generally able
to comprehend my surroundings and
to understand the consequences of my
actions, Carter stated.
In March, Gov. Nathan Deals
offce received a letter of resignation
which purported to be from Carter.
Effective at fve oclock p.m. on
March 24, 2011, I resign the Offce
of Clerk of Superior Court of DeKalb
County, the fve-sentence letter
stated. It has been a great privilege
to serve in this capacity for over ten
years.
Debra DeBerry, Carters chief
deputy clerk, was named to the fll the
remainder of the positions term.
Lee Parks, Carters attorney, has
said the former clerk is being
treated for the early stages of
Alzheimers disease.
As clerk, Carter stated
that she was able to carry
out her job with reasonable
accommodations, which in-
cluded a mutual understand-
ing with my senior staff that,
during episodes of dementia,
my senior staff members
would serve as delegees for
my duties.
I believe that I could continue
to perform my elected duties as clerk
of Superior Court with or without
reasonable accommodations, Carter
stated.
In one court document, Parks stat-
ed that a letter of resignation is inval-
id to relinquish a public offce unless
said letter was executed with intention
to relinquish the public offce.
Furthermore, an invalid letter of
resignation does not create a vacancy
of offce; therefore, an order by the
governor appointing a non-elected
person into such offce is void upon
its face, Parks said.
Carter has fled a petition for quo
warranto, a legal maneuver in which
DeBerry would have to prove her
claim to be the rightful holder of the
offce of Superior Court clerk. In the
petition, Carter claims she was re-
moved from that offce in a fraudulent
and unlawful manner by being in-
duced to sign a document that she did
not know was a resignation letter.
Carter has also fled a petition for
writ of mandamus to compel the of-
fcial recognition of her status as the
rightful elected clerk.
In a response to that petition,
DeBerrys lawyers argue that Carter
should not be reinstated because her
dementia and her inability to under-
stand the consequences of her actions
would subject her to removal from
offce because of her mental incapac-
ity.
DeKalb Superior Court Judge
Daniel Coursey is expected to ad-
dress the motions during a hearing on
July 26.
Carter
by Andrew Cauthen
A worker with the DeKalb Coun-
ty Recreation, Parks and Cultural
Affairs Department was arrested on
June 15 and charged with accepting a
$40 bribe from an undercover agent.
In addition to a bribery charge,
Shirley Harland, 58, a part-time
worker who coordinated volunteer
and court-ordered community ser-
vice workers, was charged with falsi-
fying community service records and
conspiring to defraud the state of the
value of an individuals community
service obligation, according to court
records.
After Harland appeared before
a magistrate judge on June 15, bond
was set at $3,000.
Harland, of Conyers, allegedly
accepted money in exchange for
falsifying documents detailing the
community service work completed
by offenders.
Investigators with the district at-
torneys offce shut down the main
offce of the Parks, Recreation and
Cultural Affairs Department at 10
a.m. on June 15, said Burke Bren-
nan, the countys chief communica-
tions offcer. Investigators questioned
Harland and seized several boxes of
fles from the offce.
The CEO has ordered all staff
to cooperate fully, Brennan said.
Abuse of the public trust will not be
tolerated.
Harland, who has worked for the
county since August 2004, is a rela-
tive of Donald E. Frank, a former
DeKalb deputy police chief who was
indicted last year on federal charges
of soliciting and accepting bribes.
Frank had served as the head of for-
mer DeKalb County CEO Vernon
Jones personal security detail.
Local News
County approves gas plant in Lithonia
by Andrew Cauthen
After a highly charged
debate that has lasted for
several months, a company
ha s r e c e i ve d t he OK
by the countys board of
commissioners to construct a
proposed gasifcation plant in
Lithonia.
Yes were emotional, but
that doesnt change the facts,
said Dr. Darren Harper,
a professor at Morehouse
School of Medicine who lives
in Lithonia. And the facts are
that these toxins that will be
spewed into our environment
[and] into our community will
be killing people and making
them sick. Just say no to this
gasifcation plant.
Upholding a motion to
approve the plan by Commis-
sioner Lee May, the board
voted on June 14 to approve a
proposed 10-megawatt facili-
ty to be located on 21 acres on
Rogers Lake Road outside the
city limits of Lithonia. Green
Energy Partners is planning to
construct a $60 million plant
to convert yard waste into
renewable natural gas.
According to Green En-
ergy offcials, the plant will
use a method called pyroly-
sis in which yard trimmings
are placed in oxygen-free
chambers. The chambers are
then heated to 1,400 degrees
Fahrenheit with natural gas
burners to produce syngas,
which is turned into renew-
able natural gas (RNG).
During construction the
project would bring 500 tem-
porary construction jobs and
add $60 million to the coun-
tys tax base. Nearly 100 per-
manent jobs will be created to
run the facility.
May added 18 conditions
to the plants operations,
including the formation of a
community advisory com-
mittee that would monitor
the activities of Green Energy
Partners. The plant would be
restricted to using only wood
and yard waste; must maintain
an air quality permit and fre
safety plan; and would be re-
quired to publish all warnings
from the Georgia Environ-
mental Protection Division in
the countys legal organ, The
Champion.
Patrick Ejike, represent-
ing Green Energy Partners,
said the project is good for
the county on a number of
levels.
This is a $60 million in-
vestment in the county, Ejike
said. There has not been a
$16 million investment in the
county in past years.
Allegations that the proj-
ect is harmful to the environ-
ment are false, Ejike said.
I have kids. I couldnt
support something that I know
that is harmful to the county
or to my kids, Ejike said.
Courtney Miller, a resi-
dent supporting the Green En-
ergy project, said the project
is good for the environment
[and] good for our fnancial
health.
Miller said the project
also helps DeKalb County
answer the charge given by
President Barak Obama to
decrease the countrys depen-
dence on foreign oil.
May said the controversy
surrounding the project stems
from a difference of opinion
on the technology used.
The overwhelming evi-
dence is that converting wood
into energy is better for the
environment, May said. Its
better for our public health. It
reduces our dependence on
fossil fuels like coal.
That allows us to be bet-
ter stewards of the environ-
ment, said May, who lives
near the site of the proposed

DeKalb County Police Department Notice of Public Hearing

The DeKalb County JAG Committee will hold a Public Hearing on Thursday, June 30,
2011 at 10:00am. The meeting will be held at the DeKalb County Police Department
located at 1960 West Exchange Place, Tucker, Georgia 30084. This hearing will address
the use of the FY 2011 Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) Funds
allocated to DeKalb County. The JAG Program is the primary provider of federal
criminal justice funding to state and local jurisdictions. JAG funds support multiple
components of the criminal justice system to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of
criminal justice systems, processes, and procedures.

development.
I live closer to this de-
velopment than 99 percent
of everybody that was here
in opposition, May said. I
drive by it. I have a 2-year-old
and a 4-year-old. I would not
jeopardize their health.
As May voiced his support
for the proposal, there were
shouts and general rowdiness
in the packed auditorium. Two
people were escorted out of
meeting. One person yelled,
Its going to cost you.
Some opponents of the
project have vowed to con-
tinue fghting against it, ob-
jecting to the permitting of
the plant by the Georgia En-
vironmental Protection Divi-
sion and by recalling county
commissioners.
If we have to recall this
whole slate of commissioners,
we will start the recall pro-
cess starting with Lee May,
said Dr. Jewel Crawford, a
professor at the Morehouse
School of Medicine, who was
one of two opponents of the
project who were escorted
from the meeting by police.
Crawford said DeKalb
County will be adversely af-
fected by the plant, which will
spew out tons of pollution.
This wood is treated with
pesticides, Crawford said.
That wood has pesticides
and carcinogenic chemicals
in them. We have enough sick
people in this county.
Resident Tracy Ann Wil-
liams said the Lithonia area is
already oversaturated with
this industry and to add more
would be negligent.
The only green in this
project is the money that
Green Energy will receive
from stimulus dollars and the
taxpayers money, Williams
said. The only green in this
project is the money that
DeKalb County will hope to
collect in taxes.
Proponents stand in support of a proposed Lithonia plant that will convert wood chips a DeKalb landfll into renewable natural gas. Pho-
tos by Andrew Cauthen
After the Board of Commissioners approved the Lithonia gasifcation plant on June 14, residents rally against the decision and pray for
their continuing efforts to oppose the plant.
The Newslady
Clergy and criminal justice
Big coal buys access
to fourth graders
Schools shouldnt aid this kind of predatory marketing.
by Jim Hightower
Columnist
If some predator were
stalking fourth graders in
your community, thered be
a mighty uproar to make the
predator get away and stay
away from your schools.
But what if the stalker
were the coal industry,
dressed in an academic out-
ft in a gambit to brainwash
fourth graders? Unbeknownst
to most Americans, grade
school kids are being targeted
by the American Coal Foun-
dation with a propaganda
package stealthily titled The
United States of Energy.
Its not mentioned in the
materials, but Big Coal paid
big bucks to Scholastic Inc.
to develop this shamelessly
distorted promotion of the
dirtiest fuel on Earth. The
package flls little minds with
the joys of having coal-fueled
utilities generating electricity
24 hours a day. Not a peep is
made about the toxic waste,
air and water pollution, mine
explosions, black lung deaths,
destructive mountaintop
removal mining, greenhouse
gas emissions, political cor-
ruption, and other decidedly
unfriendly aspects of what
industry propagandists simply
tout as black gold.
Big Coal distributed this
educational package to
150,000 fourth grade teach-
ers, potentially putting its
perverted view into the heads
of more than a million chil-
dren. Of course, the coal
giants couldnt have entered
so many schools on their own,
so they bought access to our
kids through Scholastic, a
$2-billion-a-year corporation
that places its materials in 90
percent of U.S. classrooms.
Indeed Scholastics InSchool
Marketing division brags of
its ability to promote client
objectives by targeting teach-
ers and students with class-
room packages that make
a difference by inuencing
attitudes and behavior.
How sweet. To help stop
this kind of predatory market-
ing, contact the Campaign for
a Commercial-Free Child-
hood: www.commercial-
freechildhood.org.
Jim Hightower is a radio
commentator, writer, and pub-
lic speaker. Hes also editor
of the populist newsletter, The
Hightower Lowdown.
DeKalb County Sheriff
Thomas Brown and District
Attorney Robert James are to be
commended for doing their part to
help religious leaders understand the
criminal justice system. Our clergy
is very familiar with the stories of
John being imprisoned on the Isle of
Patmos and ultimately receiving the
death penalty, and Joseph and Paul
being thrown in jail.
Many churches today have
prison ministries that minister
to the incarcerated, but many of
our faith leaders do not have a
comprehensive understanding of the
process that put Jaquin, Justin and
JaQues behind bars. Sheriff Brown
and D A James want to bring about
a greater awareness of the criminal
justice system. To that end, they are
holding their third annual Faith
Leaders Day on July 21.
The event will be held at the
DeKalb County Courthouse and
will include a tour of the jail and
medical examiners offce. This
effort, it seems, is patterned after
Leadership DeKalbs Criminal
Justice Day. Select members of
the community who live and
work in DeKalb County are put
through a year-long process of
learning about the county through
sessions including history, business
and economical development,
transportation, school system,
criminal justice and government.
Both Sheriff Brown and D A James
are graduates of Leadership DeKalb
and by extension, apparently, are
employing a valuable teaching tool
to educate members of the faith
community.
The tour of the medical
examiners offce can be an eye-
opening experience when one
sees the cold, toe-tagged bodies of
those whose eyes will never open
again. Some are John and Jane
Does whose remains will never
be claimed. Others are victims of
drunken drivers, domestic violence
and other acts of uncontrolled rage.
It is a sobering experience. One in
which the stark reality is that Jesus
will not be calling forth these dead
from the clinical slabs as he did in
the Biblical story of Lazarus from
the grave.
The medical examiners offce
will give faith leaders a new
perspective on the cold, hard facts
of death. Victims survivors who
sit in their pews each week will be
seen in a totally different light. This
is not the dressed up, copper casket
version of death, but the cold,
clinical, toe-tagged version.
Today in corporate America,
managers are encouraged to
come out from behind the desk
and see and learn frsthand what
is happening in their divisions.
They are encouraged to acquaint
themselves with their employees
and how those employees are
carrying out policies, practices and
procedures. Our faith leaders should
be no different. They have a need
to know what is happening with
their ocks.
The real work of faith leaders
is a direct result of what is
happening in the real world that
their congregants have to maneuver
each day. The criminal justice
system plays a huge role in that
real world as thousands of families
are impacted by the system from
the point of the charge and arrest
to incarceration and probation or
parole. Faith leaders have a need
to know so as to provide counsel
to their ocks. Preachers, priests,
pulpiteers, rabbis and imams contact
the Sheriff or D As offce and sign
up for that July 21 Faith Leaders
Day. Your messages will take on a
whole new meaning.
For information, e-mail
Dana Lawrence, delawrence@
dekalbcountyga.gov, or
Ebony Phillips, eaphillips@
dekalbcountyga.gov.
Steen Miles, The Newslady,
is a retired journalist and former
Georgia state senator. Contact Steen
Milies at Steen@dekalbchamp.com.
The Champion Free Press, Friday, June 24, 2011 Page 4A Opinion
One Mans Opinion
Lasting medicine for our community

Let Us Know What You Think!
THE CHAMPION FREE PRESS encourages opinions
from its readers. Please write to us and express your
views. Letters should be brief, typewritten and contain
the writers name, address and telephone number for
verication. All letters will be considered for publication.
Send Letters To Editor, The Champion Free Press, P. O. Box 1347,
Decatur, GA 30031-1347; Send E-Mail to Kathy@dekalbchamp.com
FAX To: (404) 370-3903 Phone: (404) 373-7779
Deadline for news releases and advertising: Thursday, one week prior
to publication date.
EDITORS NOTE: The opinions written by columnists and contributing
editors do not necessarily reect the opinions of the editor or publishers.
The Publisher reserves the right to reject or cancel any advertisement at
any time. The Publisher is not responsible for unsolicited manuscripts.
Publisher: Dr. Earl D. Glenn
Managing Editor: Kathy Mitchell
News 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
Medicine, the only
profession which labors
incessantly to destroy the
reason for its existence.
James Bryce, British author
and Liberal Party ofce
holder and appointee (1838-
1922)
Coca-Cola turns 125
this year. Delta Airlines
is 87. But the milestone
of success for many an
enterprise, and certainly
a marriage, remains 50
years. Survive 50 years as
a successful operation and
you have arrived, reaching
the gold standard. That
honor belongs this year to
the medical staff and center
of our DeKalb community,
DeKalb Medical Center.
For then DeKalb General
Hospital, opening day was
May 1, 1961. Together with
the 66-member medical
staff, the hospitals 300
employees began their work
Dedicated to the Glory of
God and to the Improved
Health of Mankind, as
proclaimed by a plaque in
the lobby. My younger
brother Brian was born
there a short eight months
later. Both my sisters would
soon follow.
As DeKalb
County and its
population grew,
so did DeKalb
General and its
offerings. From
a modest county
hospital, DeKalb
General grew its
medical staff and service
offerings to include the
outpatient surgery center,
pain center, diagnostic and
treatment center, diagnostic
imaging center, diagnostic
breast center, pediatric
rehabilitation center,
cancer center and three
neighborhood family care
centers.
The wellness center at
DeKalb General opened in
1985, originally intended to
serve only female patients,
but has since expanded to
include men as well as many
other areas of specialty care
after moving to its new and
larger building in 1996.
In 1989, DeKalb
General was renamed
DeKalb Medical Center
by the hospitals board. By
1994, in recognition of the
signicant population and
economic growth on the
countys south side, DeKalb
Medical Center launched the
rst phase of its Hillandale
facility. The Hillendale
campus expanded with
the market and in 2005,
DeKalb Medical Center
at Hillandale opened its
new $65 million six-story,
191,000 square foot facility,
located on 40 acres in
Lithonia.
During the 1990s, while
younger suburban counties
such as Gwinnett, Cobb and
Forsyth grew in population
and medical sophistication,
the reputation and some
service levels at DeKalb
Medical Center began a
period of decline. Part of
what is worthy of so much
celebration during this
golden anniversary is the
return of the reputation of
high-quality medical care
and the many upgrades to
the DMC main campus,
Hillendale campus and
related medical facilities in
more recent years.
In 2003, the board of
DMC hired new CEO
Eric Norwood. Norwood
assembled a team of
professionals satised
with nothing less than
pushing beyond, the
hospitals current branding
and marketing campaign.
Patient satisfaction scores
and outcomes data have
both improved. The
hospitals paying patient
base and protability
are also on the rise. No
easy task in the current
economic climate or period
of sky-rocketing medical
costs. National health-
ranking entities such as
HealthGrades now rank
many service offerings
and outcomes at DeKalb
Medical Center among the
nations top 5 percent.
On Jan. 29, 2007, DMC
opened a new, $55-million
Womens & Surgery Center
on its main campus in
Decatur. The ve-story,
163,000 square-foot
facility offers innovative
technology, top clinical
staff, and a spa-like setting,
as well as the new look
which would soon re-skin
and adorn the main hospital
and adjoining medical ofce
buildings. My youngest
daughter, Olivia, was born
and well-cared for there on
July 1, 2007.
Our family, and
particularly my mother has
spent more than her fair
share of time at the main
campus of DeKalb Medical
Center in recent years,
including a few serious
scares in the well-staffed
intensive care and critical
care units. While she
convalesced and prepared to
return home after one longer
stay, my daughter Barclay
and I were paying her a
visit.
Not all halls of the main
hospital have the new
refreshed look, and some
are still more reminiscent
of the sterile, scrubbed tile
look of hospitals in the era
of Marcus Welby, M.D. As
we walked the long halls,
and took the elevator up
to see mother, I reminded
Barclay that her sister,
uncle and aunts all were
delivered here. She asked
why my mother had not
chosen to have me there as
well, and I had to admit,
being a Crawford Long
baby, that DMC wasnt open
yet when I came into this
world. She looked around
the building, wide-eyed and
with apparently a whole
new sense of respect for the
place saying, You mean
this place isnt older than
YOU? That twinge of also
being Golden Oldie and
older than 50 still stings a
bit.
Bill Crane is a DeKalb
County native and business
owner, living in Scottdale,
Georgia. He also serves as
chief political analyst and
commentator for 11Alive
News and WSB Radio, News/
Talk 750. Contact Bill Crane
at billcrane@earthlink.com.
The Champion Free Press, Friday, June 24, 2011 Page 5A Opinion
The Champion, Thursday, June 23 - 29, 2011 Page 6A
Opinion
Sideshow candidate
by Donald Kaul
Columnist
One well-rehearsed performance in a single
debate shouldnt wipe out the memory of
Michele Bachmanns long public career
filled with absurd misstatements of fact and
bizarre conspiracy theories

The following comments are pulled straight from our website and
are not edited for content or grammar.
DeKalb cities scrambling to adjust budgets
Its sad. Stone Mountain used to be such a wonderful
place to live and shop.
Falstaff posted this on 6/17/11 at 10:33 p.m.
Proposed county tax increase now at 4.35 mills
Both Mr. May and Mr. Ellis seem correct to me. As for Mr.
May, when I tour recreation centers, I do see some idle
county employees, and the bathrooms usually seem un-
cleaned for weeks, so perhaps the rec centers are over-
staffed or unsupervised. But, really, Mr. Ellis has the bet-
ter position. Lets have a nice county, and pay for it, too.
Make the millage rate t an adequate budget rather than
a cheapskate budget tting a low millage rate. Your kids
need rec centers (my kid are grown). The teachers need
to be paid, not furloughed. Transport services are already
$500-$1000 per short taxi trip, so maybe contractors can
do these trips for slightly more, providing them ample
funds that the county attorney can trace to kickbacks; a
twofor. And, yes, as a non-golfer, putting golf courses on a
pay-to-play basis seems very logical.
David posted this on 6/18/11 at 9:46 a.m.

Just to be fair, dont forget that the biggest waste of these
funds is outside the CEOs and the commissioners con-
trol: over half of your property taxes go to the friends &
family hiring ofce, i.e., the school board.
Ed posted this on 6/15/11 at 4:02 p.m.
Commission approves Lithonia gasifcation plant
How does this plant benet me living in Lithonia, (cheaper
natural prices, cheaper taxes etc?) and whats the down
side of having it here...... who benets, you know people
can be hired from all over the country, are current resi-
dents of Ga. being provided jobs or is this national?
George Garrison posted this on 6/19/11 at 1:41 p.m.
Newspaper wins top award for third straight year

Congratulations to the Champion and Staff !
JerryMyer Jackson posted this on 6/16/11 at 12:15 a.m.
I recently wrote a column sug-
gesting that my lamestream media
colleagues give Michele Bachmann
more love. As the most Republican
of the Republican candidates, she de-
served more attention, I said.
They took me seriously. In the
recent New Hampshire GOP debate,
she emerged as the star. Television
networks, newspapers and blogs all
agreed that she had handled herself
well and since then have given her
the respect accorded a serious candi-
date.
The thing is, I was just kidding.
It was a joke, an ironic statement on
how loopy the Republican Party has
become.
Its too late to apologize, I sup-
pose. The damage is done.
Shes now all the rage and is be-
ing listed near the top of the GOP
hopeful list.
However, in the spirit of tardily
locking the barn door, let me make
this clear once and for all:
Bachmann isnt a serious presi-
dential candidate. Despite winning
three elections for her seat in Con-
gress, she wouldnt be a serious can-
didate for homeroom teacher. She
could be a serious tarot card club
manager, maybe thats it.
Has our media gone completely
mad? Has it let one well-rehearsed
performance in a single debate wipe
out the memory of a long public ca-
reer filled with absurd misstatements
of fact and bizarre conspiracy theo-
ries that cross over into the Twilight
Zone?
Have we forgotten who Bach-
mann is? Already? Here are a few of
her choicer thoughts:
On doing away with the minimum
wage: We could potentially virtually
wipe out unemployment completely
because we could offer jobs at what-
ever level.
On global warming: Its all voo-
doo, nonsense, hokum, a hoax.
On an energy tax: I want people
in Minnesota armed and dangerous
on the issuebecause we need to
fight back.
On the budget deficit: I think if
we give Glenn Beck the numbers, he
can solve this.
On the consequences of legalizing
gay marriage: K-12 little children
will be forced to learn that homosex-
uality is normal, natural and perhaps
they should try it.
On carbon dioxide: There isnt
even one study thatshows that car-
bon dioxide is a harmful gas.
She has also said that President
Franklin D. Roosevelt started the
Depression by passing the Hoot-
Smalley Act (Herbert Hoover signed
the Republican-sponsored Smoot-
Hawley Tariff Act in 1930, two years
before FDR was elected), that the
American Revolution started in New
Hampshire (it was Massachusetts),
that Jimmy Carter was responsible
for the 1973 swine flu epidemic (dur-
ing Gerald Fords administration),
and that our Founding Fathers were
the generation that ended slavery
(that would be the Civil War genera-
tion). She also warned that middle
school field trips to Planned Parent-
hood facilities could result in quickie
abortions for 13-year-olds.
Thats not a serious presidential
candidate. Thats I Love Lucy.
A month or two ago I wasnt re-
ally worrying about her candidacy. I
figured she was just another mildly
entertaining GOP primary sideshow.
After seeing the rest of the Re-
publican heavy hitters in action,
however, Im starting to worry.
GOP primary voters are going to
be forced to choose among the cha-
meleons (Romney, Pawlenty) who
will agree with any opinion shouted
out from the audience; the Look Ma,
Im Running for President Bunch
(Bachmann, Cain, Santorum); and
the I Cant Believe a Smart Guy
Like Me is Trapped With These Los-
ers Caucus (Gingrich, Paul).
Maybe in that company Bach-
mann will look reasonable. And
maybe if the economy stays in the
toilet, anybody can beat Obama in
2012.
Jon Huntsman announced his
candidacy just after the debate. I
dont know much about him, but
right now he looks like George
Washington to me.
Run, Jon, run.
Local News
by Ricky Riley
Increasing Faith Ministries in Decatur
had been vandalized in the past, but nothing
like what happened June 16.
It looked like a war zone. My office
was broken into, all the furnishings are
turned over, the computers smashed to
pieces. Everything is smashed, said Pastor
Easton Brooks.
The wreckage was discovered by a
church offcial as she drove by. From the
outside she could see the windows broken
but could not discern the full extent of the
damage.
In the past 10 years the church has been
broken in to four to fve times, according to
Brooks.
We ask police to patrol the area but the
police have failed to do so and I have made
a compliant to the commissioner [previ-
ously]. This area is bad, Brooks said.
Vandals ransacked and destroyed the
pulpit, chairs, an electric piano, guitar, but
it seems nothing was stolen. The sanctu-
ary was completely unrecognizable, Brooks
said.
We are unaware of the cost of the dam-
ages or if anything was stolen, Brooks
said.
Due to previous break-ins, three con-
gregation members had volunteered to help
with security.
On the night of the break in, Randolph
Morgan volunteered to do security and was
missing the day after the incident. Police
found the security guards car, keys and cell
phone. In addition, they also found a letter
written on an offering envelope with the
words I thought you cared for me. Little
is known about the letter but it may be con-
nected to Morgan, Brooks said.
Over the Fathers Day weekend, Mor-
gan was arrested and booked into Fulton
County jail on trespassing charges, Brooks
said. No one knows if he is connected to
the church break in, Brooks said.
The congregation all pitched in to clean
up the damage and salvage any valuables.
The Increasing Faith International Min-
istries continued with Fathers Day services
in the sanctuary.

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Champion of
the Week
Carole Simon
Emigrating from
Haiti when she was 18,
Carole Simon could
relate to the plight of
other immigrants and
refugees coming to the
United States. So she
decided to do some-
thing about it.
I was inspired by
a multi-diversity class
I took some time ago.
While I watched a
video about refugees,
I saw their struggle to
nd apartments, jobs
and food. They want-
ed to become Ameri-
cans, Simon said.
As a way to help,
she began volunteering
with Refugee Resettle-
ment and Immigration
Services of Atlanta
(RRISA) in October
2010.
RRISA is a re-
settlement program
that helps victims of
human trafcking and
race politics as well as
refugees, said Amy
Crownover, RRISA
interim development
director.
The non prot is a
member of the NGOs
Church World Service.
Resettling 15,000
refugees from 28
countries, RRISA has
impacted the metro-
politan Atlanta area for
more than a decade.
The organization
allowed Simon to help
change peoples lives.
Her daily duties include
nding housing for
refugees, translating,
helping with school
work and education,
health care and adjust-
ing to life in the United
States.
Those duties are
part of RRISAs four
programs: resettle-
ment, employment,
education and youth
program, and immi-
gration. The goal of
these programs is to
nd housing, teach
computer and nancial
skills, job training and
more.
When a refugee or
refugee family comes
to the United States,
Simon many times is
the rst person they
will meet. She wel-
comes them at the air-
port and starts them on
a journey to a new life.
After the 2010 Haiti
earthquake, RRISA
was designated to
serve as a local reset-
tlement agency. Simon
aided Haitian refugees
once they came to
the United States She
was a translator and
gave medical aid when
needed. I plan on
going to Haiti to help
[those who need it the
most], she said.
Simon graduated
from Clayton State Uni-
versity this year with a
degree in public health.
For her work, Si-
mon will be given a
position in the near fu-
ture as an employment
contractor with RRISA.
Her sole responsibility
will be placing people
in jobs. However, she
will continue to vol-
unteer her time in the
other programs.
It is a blessing to
come here [to the Unit-
ed States] and help
others, she said.
Vandalized church leads to
missing man
Local News
See Anti-Crime on Page 13A
NOTICE OF PROPERTY TAX INCREASE
The Governing Authority of the City of Clarkston has tentatively adopted a millage rate which will require an increase in property taxes
by 2.31 percent.
All concerned citizens are invited to the public hearing on this tax increase to be held at City Hall on June 30, 2011 at 10:30am and
on June 30, 2011 at 7:00pm.
This tentative increase will result in a millage rate of 14.00 mills, an increase of .32 mills. Without this tentative tax increase, the millage
rate will be no more than 13.684 mills.
The proposed tax increase for a home with a fair market value of $100,000 is approximately $12.64. The proposed increase on a non-
homestead property with a fair market value of $250,000 is approximately $31.60
Note: Due to the decrease in property valuations on the Net Tax Digest, the rollback rate has increased to receive the same year.
tax revenue as the preceding year.
CURRENT PROPOSED 2011 TAX DIGEST AND 5 YEAR HISTORY OF LEVY
City Tax 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011
Real & Personal 90,128,989 95,303,703 93,427,911 91,445,833 87,540,369 72,710,992
Motor Vehicles 5,214,130 5,370,110 5,820,820 6,178,880 5,223,890 5,088,980
Mobile Homes 0 0 0 0 0 0
Timber - 100% 0 0 0 0 0 0
Heavy Duty Equipment 0 0 0 0 0 0
Gross Digest 95,343,119 100,673,813 99,248,731 97,624,713 92,764,259 77,799,972
Less M & O Exemptions 0 1,411,977 1,403,454 1,424,977 1,629,182 1,595,543
Net M & O Digest 95,343,119 99,261,836 97,845,277 96,199,736 91,135,077 76,204,429
Gross M & O Millage 11.000 11.000 11.00 11.000 11.313 11.313
Less Rollbacks 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 2.687
Net M & O Millage 11.000 11.000 11.00 11.000 11.313 14.000
Total County Taxes Levied $1,048,774 $1,091,880 $1,076,298 $1,058,197 $1,031,011 $1,066,862
Net Taxes $ Increase $2,665 $43,106 -$15,582 -$18,101 -$27,186 $35,851
Net Taxes % Increase 0.25% 4.11% -1.43% -1.68% -2.57% 3.48%
by Andrew Cauthen
R
esidents along Glen-
wood Road in south
DeKalb say they are
tired of the drugs, prostitution
and burglaries in that corridor
and they have a message for
criminals: Enough is enough.
That was the mantra during
a June 17 anti-crime caravan
and rally attended by approxi-
mately 200 people.
Its time for us to say
enough is enough, said San-
dra Weeks, whose Glenwood
area home has been burglarized
three times in the 18 years she
has lived there.
We need to take back our
community, said Weeks, who
is president of the Greater
Glenwood Downs Association.
We are tired of things happen-
ing in the community.
Pastor Victor Belton, of
Peace Lutheran Church on Co-
lumbia Drive, echoed Weeks
sentiments.
We intend to have this
community back from this
night forward, Belton said.
Organized by Commis-
sioner Larry Johnson, the
Enough is Enough campaign
was initiated last year to com-
bat the above-average crime in
Johnsons district.
Were going to make
a difference, Johnson said.
Were telling crime, youve
got to go,
By partnering neighbor-
hood associations and local
churches with DeKalb law en-
forcement agencies, Johnson
said, the initiatives goal is to
cut crime by 20 percent.
The DeKalb County Police
Department is shooting for
sustainable results in the initia-
tive, said Maj. Edward Jones,
of the departments south pre-
cinct.
We dont want to take
crime and push it from this
side of the street to the other
side, Jones said. Were see-
ing a lot of positive things hap-
pening, but this is just a start.
South DeKalb residents rally against crime
Dozens of police cars and vehicles of residents form a caravan to send a message to the criminal element on Glenwood Road: Enough is enough. Photos by Andrew Cauthen
Anti-crime rally participants gather before the event, left photo. Commissioner Larry Johnson, right photo, (from right) and Margaret
Britton, his chief of staff, join Solicitor General Sherry Boston and her public information offcer Emily Gest shortly before the cara-
van begins.
Local News
Sampson named DeKalb market president for Wells Fargo
There is a proposed class action Settlement
with the U.S. Department of Agriculture
(USDA) involving racial discrimination
against African American farmers between
1981 and 1996. This Settlement is only
for certain people who tried to fle a late
claim in the original Pigford case, or their
heirs (kin) and legal representatives.
The current Settlement (sometimes called
Pigford II) provides benefts to some of
those late flers.
Am I included?
You may be included if you:
Between 1981 and 1996, were
discouraged or prevented from applying
for or were denied a USDA farm loan
or other beneft, or you were given a
loan with unfair terms because of racial
discrimination,
Wereeligibleforapaymentintheoriginal
Pigfordcase,and
Submitted a late-fling request that was
denied or never considered because it
was late.
If you are the heir or kin of someone who
diedwhoftsthisdescription,youmayfle
a claim for a payment that would become
part of the deceased persons estate. If
you are not sure if you (or someone for
whom you are the legal representative)
are included, please call 1-877-810-8110.
If You are African American and
Suffered Farm Loan Discrimination
by the USDA between 1981 and 1996,
You may be eligible for money from
a $1.25 billion class action Settlement Fund
(Heirs/Kin may be included)
For more information or to begin the claims fling process:
Call: 1-877-810-8110 Visit: www.BlackFarmerCase.com
You are not included if you received a
payment in the original Pigford case.
What does the Settlement provide?
You may be eligible for a substantial cash
payment and USDA loan forgiveness from
the Settlement. You will need to fle a claim
to be eligible for these benefts. The claims
deadline may be as early as February 28,
2012. The Court has appointed lawyers to
help you fle a claim under the Settlement.
You do not have to pay them or anyone
else to help you with the claims process.
These attorneys will ask the Court for fees
and expenses of between 4.1% and 7.4%
oftheSettlementFund,andtheCourtwill
decide how much they are paid. You may
hireyourownlawyer,ifyouwish,atyour
ownexpense.Ifyouhavequestionsorneed
moreinformation,call1-877-810-8110.
What else should I know?
The Court will hold a hearing on
September 1, 2011 to consider whether to
approve the Settlement and a request for
attorneys fees and expenses. If you want
to object to or comment on the Settlement
orappearatthehearing,youneedtoflea
letter with the Court by August 12, 2011.
IftheCourtapprovestheSettlement,you
will not be able to sue the USDA about
your farm loan discrimination claims in
the future.
Legal Notice
See News Briefs on Page 10A

Notice of Public Hearing for Clarkston Millage Rate

Notice is hereby given that prior to setting the tax millage rate for 2011, the
Clarkston Mayor and Council will hold a Public Hearing at City Hall, 3921
Church Street, Clarkston Georgia, on Thursday, June 30, 2011 at 10:30am
on the proposed millage rate. The City Council is proposing to adopt a
millage rate for 2011 that does exceed the rollback rate. Immediately
following the Public Hearing at 7:00pm, the Council will vote to adopt the
2011 Millage rate. All concerned citizens are invited to attend.
Notice of Public Hearing for Clarkston Millage Rate

Notice is hereby given that prior to setting the tax millage rate for 2011, the
Clarkston Mayor and Council will hold a Public Hearing at City Hall, 3921
Church Street, Clarkston Georgia, on Thursday, June 30, 2011 at 7:00pm on
the proposed millage rate. The City Council is proposing to adopt a millage
rate for 2011 that does exceed the rollback rate. Immediately following the
Public Hearing at 7:00pm, the Council will vote to adopt the 2011 Millage
rate. All concerned citizens are invited to attend.

Murder suspect Chatman arrested
DeKalb County Sheriffs Offce Fugitive Squad mem-
bers on June 15 arrested a man in Atlanta for the killing of
DeKalb County resident Aaron Mitchell Bryant. Donyale
Chatman faces felony murder charges, according to Sher-
iffs Offce spokesman Sgt. Adrion Bell. Drug charges may
be added, Bell said. Bryant was killed during a botched
drug transaction at 2721 White Oak Drive in Decatur, Bell
said.
Marquels Pledge initiative
wins national award
The public awareness campaign Marquels Pledge has
won a 2011 Achievement Award from the National Associa-
tion of Counties (NACo). This award recognizes unique and
innovative county programs nationwide.
Launched in June 2010, Marquels Pledge strives to
raise awareness of the dangers of celebratory gunfre in
DeKalb County and throughout Georgia. The organiza-
tion was created as a response to the accidental shooting
of 4-year old Marquel Peters during a New Years Eve
church service.
The program aims at informing the residents of DeKalb
about the dangers of this activity. As a result, celebratory
gunfre calls declined 47 percent within a year.
DeKalb County will be recognized at the 15th Annual
Award Ceremony on July 17 held during NACos 2011 An-
nual Conference in Multnomah County, Ore.
Police offcer shoots burglary suspect
A DeKalb County Police offcer shot a burglary suspect
June 15 while investigating an incident at 3207 Kingswood
Place in Decatur, according to police. The offcer was chas-
ing three suspects, two juveniles and an adult, on foot. One
suspect resisted arrest and was shot, according to DeKalb
Police spokeswoman Mekka Parish. The offcer, who has
not been identifed, is on administrative leave, which is
standard while the investigation continues, Parish said.
NEWS BRIEFS
Payroll and
Bookkeeping
Services
for small business
includes quarterly and
annual tax filing.
770-322-3545.
Quincy Sampson was named Wells Fargos frst
DeKalb County market president earlier this month. Samp-
son has been part of the company for eight years and has
served as Clayton County vice president and district man-
ager in past. Sampson will be the lead representative of
Wells Fargo in DeKalb.
As market president, Quincy will be a huge asset to
our customers and communities in DeKalb County, said
Wells Fargo Atlanta regional president Jerome Byers.
We are fortunate to have him serve in this capacity to help
us serve the needs of this important area.
Local News
Decatur Book Fest more
than just funnel cake


The City of Chamblee has tentatively adopted a new millage rate of
7.87 for the portion of the City annexed on January 1, 2011.

All concerned citizens are invited to the public hearings on this tax
increase to be held at the Chamblee Civic Center located at 3540
Broad St, Chamblee Georgia on July 5, 2011 at 11:30 AM and 6:30
PM.

This tentative new millage rate of 7.87 mills for the newly annexed
properties will result in an increase of 7.87 mills. Without this tentative
tax increase, the millage rate will be 0 mills. The proposed tax
increase for a home with a fair market value of $225,000 is
approximately $472.00 and the proposed tax increase for
nonhomestead property with a fair market value of $700,000 is
approximately $2,204.00.

State of Georgia statues do not specifically address the setting of the initial
millage rate for a newly annexed area by a municipality but the City of Chamblee
is advertising a Notice of Property Tax Increase, with associated public hearing
notification, in order to ensure full disclosure of its intent to levy property taxes in
the area annexed on January 1, 2011. The millage rate of 7.87 proposed for the
annexed area is the same as that proposed for the rest of the City and is below
the rollback millage rate and therefore would not constitute a tax increase for the
rest of the City.

Advisory board members elected
Seven new Advisory Board members have been elected
to serve the residents of DeKalb County by flling seats va-
cated when Commissioner Stan Watson took offce. Those
chosen will serve on their respective seats until 2014. The
new appoints are as follows:
DeKalb County Airport Advisory Board: Lamont Stan-
ley
DeKalb County CATV Citizens Advisory Board: Lois
Keith
DeKalb County Initiative for a Green DeKalb Advisory
Council: James Freeman
DeKalb County Initiative for a Green DeKalb Advisory
Council: Freddie Towner
DeKalb County Planning Commission: Tommy Phillips
DeKalb County Recreation, Parks & Cultural Affairs
Board: Rochelle Callender
DeKalb County Zoning Board of Appeals: Tyrone Bagby

Watson named policy committee leader
DeKalb County Commissioner Stan Watson was re-
cently named as the 2011-12 second vice-chairman of the
Association of County Commissioners of Georgia (ACCG)
Economic Development Subcommittee. The appointment
was made by ACCG Economic Development and Transporta-
tion Committee Chairman and Rockdale County Chairman
Richard Oden.
Legislative advocacy and public policy development are
some of the primary services that ACCG provides to Geor-
gia counties. The association uses a consensus-based policy
committee process to bring together county commissioners
and county staff to discuss issues of concern to local govern-
ment that require change to state statute as well as legislation
under consideration by the Georgia General Assembly. Policy
committees de velop positions on key issues, which become
part of the county platform.
Policy committee leaders serve an essential function
by leading their peers in the discussion of critical issues fac-
ing Georgia counties, said ACCG Executive Director Ross
King. These committees provide a forum for learning more
about key policy issues, and our chairs and vice chairs are
responsible for helping to lead the discussion and develop
consensus.
The Economic Subcommittee of the Economic Develop-
ment and Transportation Committee handles issues ranging
from job creation and business incentives to state funding of
economic development initiatives and tourism.
NEWS BRIEFS
by Daniel Beauregard
daniel@dekalbchamp.com
Decatur Mayor Bill
Floyd said that he re-
cently visited a group of
students at a local school
and when it came time for
the Q-and-A session the
frst question out of their
mouths was, How did the
Decatur Book Festival get
so successful, so quickly?
Floyd, who related the
story at the AJC Decatur
Book Festival kick-off at
Eddies Attic on June 16,
said that he jokingly told
the students two words:
funnel cake. After the
laughs died down, Floyd
told the crowd that since
its inception the festival
was something that he
waited eagerly for each
year.
Right now until Labor
Day the anticipation builds
and people have begun
scheduling their vaca-
tions around Labor Day,
because people want to be
here for this, Floyd said.
Since its inception in
2006, the AJC Decatur
Book Festival has contin-
ued to grow each year. It
See Book on Page 11A
Decatur Book Festival founder Daren Wang, left, unveils the new poster for the festival designed by
Scott Sanders, right. Photo by Daniel Beauregard
Local News
THE DEKALB COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS, DOES HEREBY ANNOUNCE THAT THE MILLAGE RATE WILL BE SET AT A MEETING
TO BE HELD AT THE MANUEL J. MALOOF CENTER AUDITORIUM, 1300 COMMERCE DRIVE, DECATUR, GEORGIA 30030 ON JULY 12, 2011
10:00 A.M. AND PURSUANT TO THE REQUIREMENTS OF O.C.G.A. 48-5-32 DOES HEREBY PUBLISH THE FOLLOWING PRESENTATION
OF THE CURRENT YEAR'S TAX DIGEST AND PROPOSED MILLAGE RATES ALONG WITH THE HISTORY OF THE TAX DIGEST AND LEVY OF
THE PAST FIVE
YEARS.

CURRENT 2011 TAX DIGEST AND FIVE YEAR HISTORY OF LEVY

2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011
Real & Personal 24,167,632,216 24,989,994,507 25,939,843,388 25,085,229,475 24,175,241,772 21,218,411,593
Motor Vehicle 1,347,070,210 1,409,096,610 1,453,041,610 1,485,616,310 1,582,186,152 1,317,170,660
Mobile Homes 1,236,493 749,797 779,464 739,929 656,584 510,171
Timber - 100% 55,442 0 0 91,018 0 0
Heavy Duty Equipment 2,686,586 4,665,246 589,946 165,651 65,347 82,712
Gross Digest 25,518,680,947 26,404,506,160 27,394,254,408 26,571,842,383 25,758,149,855 22,536,175,136
Less M&O Exemptions 1,860,699,618 2,097,820,133 2,196,579,722 2,081,757,110 2,030,793,744 1,911,637,652
Net M&O Digest 23,657,981,329 24,306,686,027 25,197,674,686 24,490,085,273 23,727,356,111 20,624,537,484
Gross M&O Millage (1) 9.95 8.43 8.83 8.96 8.96 10.39
Net Tax Levy (2) 235,396,914 204,905,363 222,495,467 219,431,164 212,597,111 214,288,944
Net Tax Increase ($) 19,373,451 (30,491,551) 17,590,104 (3,064,303) (6,834,053) 1,691,834
Net Tax Increase (%) 8.23% -12.95% 8.58% -1.38% -3.11% 0.80%

(1) Countywide taxes only; no Special, Fire and Police Services in accordance with OCGA 48-5-32/32.1.
(2) Net tax levies for 2006-2011 are prior to the Homestead Option Sales Tax Exemption and the GA Homeowners Tax Relief Grant.

is the largest independent
book festival in the country
and the fourth largest over-
all.
The festival always
used a stone soup model.
We put a big pot in the
middle of town and ev-
eryone brought what they
could, founder and execu-
tive director Daren Wang
said.
Wang, who also runs
the literary magazine Verb
and the syndicated radio
show The Spoken Word,
said that on a drive back
from a Columbia, S. C.,
book festival in 2005 he
wondered why Atlanta
didnt have one.
After a lot of work,
Wang and his team put to-
gether a festival that brings
tens of thousands of people
to the city of Decatur every
Labor Day weekend.
The festival this year
will be held Sept. 2-4, and
there is a host of visiting au-
thors and a program packed
with events organized by
new Program Director
Terra Elan McVoy, author
of the popular young adult
novels Pure, After the Kiss
and The Summer of Firsts
and Lasts.
I really have been
dying to tell so many
peopleIve literally had
to stay off Facebook and
Twitter for weeks because
I was afraid I might leak
something, McVoy said of
this years line-up.
This years keynote
speakers are Colin Meloy
and Carson Ellis, authors
of the new book Wildwood.
However, some might be
more familiar with Meloy
as the front man for the
popular indie-rock group
The Decemberists and El-
lis as the illustrator of such
books as The Composer is
Dead by Lemony Snicket
and The Mysterious Bene-
dict Society by Trenton
Lee Stewart.
Innovation has always
been a big part of the AJC
Decatur Book Festival and
bringing in one of the coun-
trys best-known musicians
to launch his frst novel
will help us fulfll our mis-
sion of creating excitement
about books among all age
groups, Wang said.
Meloy and Ellis will kick
off the festival on Sept. 2,
with a keynote address at 8
p.m. in Presser Hall at Agnes
Scott College.
The festival will also
host special performances
by The Atlanta Opera, The
Theatrical Outft, one of At-
lantas oldest professional
theater companies, as well
as author signings, interac-
tive childrens activities,
writing workshops and
much more.
Im thrilled about the
line-up we have for this
years festival and think
we have something for any
reader, McVoy said.
Books Continued From Page 10A
This years AJC Decatur Book Festival authors include:
Karen Russell (Swamplandia)
George Pelecanos (The Cut and writer for the TV series The Wire and Treme)
Thomas Mullen (The Revisionists and The Last Town on Earth)
Robert Olen Butler (A Small Hotel and A Good Scent from a Strange Mountain)
Libba Bray (Rebel Angels and Going Bovine)
James Swanson (Bloody Crimes and Manhunt: The 12-Day Chase for Lincolns Killer)
Tananarive Due (My Soul to Take)
Hal Needham (Ten and Shine)
For more info visit www.decaturbookfestival.com
Decatur Mayor Bill Floyd speaks to the crowd
about how much he appreciates the book
festival and how much it has grown over the
past years. Photo by Daniel Beauregard
Local News
Southwest DeKalb residents seek to restore neighborhood
Choosefromover100careerpaths
$75percredithour
ApplybyJuly19thforFallSemester
DeKalb Technical College
404-297-9522
www.dekalbtech.edu
Enroll.
Andrew Cauthen
While some people see south-
west DeKalb as a trashy commu-
nity with insuffcient sidewalks,
copious truck stops and innumer-
able nail salons, others see it as a
gem waiting to be polished.
Theres archaeological and
historical remnants, said Paul
Morris, president of Greenleaf
Strategies, a North Carolina-
based community planning and
economic development consult-
ing frm. Theres established
things that you love about it.
Theres a certain kind of rural
and almost bucolic nature
about some of it. But its also had
a lot of pressure from change and
growth.
Morris was part of a team of
urban renewal consultants hired
by DeKalb County to meet with
residents last week to form a
comprehensive vision for south-
west DeKalb, described generally
as the communities surrounding
Moreland Avenue, Bouldercrest
Road and Cedar Grove Road.
Think of this as your
house, Morris said. Its kind of
an evolving house. What would
you want to do to make it bet-
ter?
Residents had many nega-
tives about southwest DeKalb:
excessive nail salons, terrible
roads, polluted rivers and streets
teeming with bored teenagers.
And we have to go all the
way to Henry County to get to a
decent grocery store, a resident
said.
Morris said when the consul-
tants visited the community they
found trucks on every road they
shouldnt be on.
During the meeting, residents
said they dreamed of more side-
walks, nature trails, bike routes
and community gardens in the
area.
With its parks and lakes that
attract rabbits, deer, wild turkeys
and ducks, southwest DeKalb is
a friendly nature preserve, said
one resident.
The Sugar Creek Golf Course
and Tennis Club on Bouldercrest
Road is an underutilized gem,
another resident said.
Andrew Baker, the countys
associate director of planning,
said the plan being developed for
southwest DeKalb is realistic.
We know we cant be Atlan-
tic Station because of the mar-
ket, Baker said. This particular
area is going to be a prototype of
what we can do in terms of sus-
tainability. This will hopefully set
the model for what were going
to do throughout the county.
Proponents stand in support of a proposed Lithonia plant that will convert wood chips a DeKalb landfll into renewable natural
gas. Photos by Andrew Cauthen
After the Board of Commissioners approved the Lithonia
gasifcation plant on June 14, residents rally against the
decision and pray for their continuing efforts to oppose
the plant.
Local News

Send your comments and/or concerns regarding Comcasts current performance under
the current franchise agreement and/or the future cable-related needs and interests of
your community to cable@co.dekalb.ga.us.
DeKalb County Wants to Hear From You
Regarding the Proposed Franchise Agreement Renewal
with Comcast Cable Communications
Anti-Crime
Continued From Page 8A
Were going to make this
work.
To aid in that effort,
the police department
opened a police substa-
tion on Glenwood Road
an hour before the anti-
crime caravan.
DeKalbs Solicitor
General Sherry Boston
said her concerns about
Glenwood Road are per-
sonal.
Im concerned about
this area because its
the district that I live
in, Boston said. On
a personal note, I feel
strongly about it, but I
feel strongly about all of
DeKalb.
Although the com-
munity has its share of
crime, there is a great
bond among residents
there, Boston said.
We have wonderful
neighborhoods with won-
derful families of people
with great values and we
want people to know that
you cant commit these
crimes where we live,
Boston said. Were not
going to stand for it.
We just want to
make these streets a
safer, better place for ev-
erybody to live, Boston
said. The citizens think
enough is enough, but
as the solicitor gen-
eral, Im here to say [to
criminals] were going to
prosecute you.
Another anti-crime
event is being planned
for Candler Road in July.
From left, DeKalb County Police vehicle escort the anti-crime caravan to Christian Jubilee Church on Glenwood Road where resi-
dents participate in a rally featuring praise dancers, singers, comments from community leaders and law enforcement offcials.
Photos by Andrew Cauthen
Music
Continued From Page 1A
days and grew up in a loving family
in Kingsburg, Calif. A small farm-
ing community in the San Joaquin
Valley, Kingsburg proved to be a
musical town for a little girl who
showed a talent for music. Chris-
tensen began singing in church and
at school, studied piano, was part
of a singing trio in high school, and
sang in the chorus during her frst
two years of college. Music took a
back seat to a career, however, and
eventually she moved to Atlanta
where she became vice president of
news archives and research at CNN
until 2007.
As her adoptive mother grew
older, she told Christensen how to
fnd her birth mother if she wanted
to do so. She did. Although her birth
mother was too ill to see Chris-
tensen, she was happy to hear from
her and shared many stories about
her life. She didnt offer, and Chris-
tensen didnt ask, the identity of her
boyfriend but through the stories,
Christensen was able to glean some
clues. Knowing only that his frst
name was Bob, that he came from
a musical family, was a horticulture
major at a coastal college, and the
name of his hometown, she discov-
ered him in the 1953 yearbook of
California Polytechnic State Univer-
sity. The fnal clincher, she said,
was discovering that he was part of
The Collegians big band while at
Cal Poly.
After earning his degree at Cal
Poly, Scofeld went into what he
calls turf work, becoming an
agronomist for a West Coast lawn
products company. But his frst love
was always music. Self-taught from
the age of 11 after pestering his
dad to get him a trumpet Scofeld
went on to play in dance bands
around Pasadena. Once he started a
family, however, music took a back
seat. Until, that is, his daughter was
in a high school production of Once
Upon a Mattress and they needed
a lead trumpet. While he declined
to be the lead, he did agree to play,
and from that point on, he has con-
tinued to perform. He and his wife
now live in Cathedral City, Calif.,
where he has played with some of
the most outstanding musicians Ive
ever known, musicians from sym-
phony orchestras, big bands, studio
orchestras. I play now more than I
ever have in my life, he said.
That experience gave him the
nerve, as he said, to agree to do the
CD with his birth daughter.

The future
Christensen lives in the part At-
lanta thats in DeKalb County and
Scofeld in Cathedral City, Calif.,
but the musical father and daugh-
ter partnership continues, even if
via long-distance. They agree that
the CD is the perfect Fathers Day
gift for both of them. As Chris-
tensen said, It seems as if we were
destined to make beautiful music
together!
Will Past & Present be just the
frst effort? The father-daughter
team advised music lovers to stay
tuned.
Local News
The Champion Free Press, Friday, June 24, 2011 Page 15A Health
The City of Doraville has tentatively adopted a millage rate which
will require an increase in property taxes by 3.28 %.
All concerned citizens are invited to the public hearing to be held at
the City of Doraville City Hall, 3725 Park Avenue, Doraville, Ga.
30340 on June 23, 2011 at 6: 30 pm.
Times and places of additional public hearings on this tax increase
are at the City of Doraville City Hall , 3725 Park Avenue, Doraville,
Ga. 30340 on June 28, 2011 at 6:30 pm and June 29, 2011 at 7:00
pm.
This tentative increase will result in a millage rate of 9 mills, an
increase of .286 mills. Without tentative tax increase, the millage rate
will be no more than 8.714 mills. The proposed tax increase for a
home with a fair market value of $120,000 is approximately $48.00
and the proposed tax increase for a nonhomestead property with a
fair market value of $281,000 is approximately $112.40.

This month marks 30
years since the frst report
of a mysterious and deadly
new syndrome that would
come to be known as AIDS
was published in Centers for
Disease Control and Preven-
tions Morbidity and Mortality
Weekly Report.
At the time, no one could
have predicted the enormous
toll the disease would take
claiming the lives of more
than 500,000 Americans and
many millions worldwide.
Today we remember those we
have lost, and honor them by
recommitting ourselves to the
fght against this deadly yet
preventable disease, Thomas
R. Frieden, M.D., director of
CDC, said in an offcial state-
ment marking the anniversary.
Over the last three de-
cades, prevention efforts have
helped reduce new infections
and treatment advances have
allowed people with HIV to
live longer, healthier lives.
But as these improvements
have taken place, our nations
collective sense of crisis has
waned. Far too many Ameri-
cans underestimate their risk
of infection or believe HIV
is no longer a serious health
threat, but they must under-
stand that HIV remains an
incurable infection. We must
increase our resolve to end
this epidemic, he said.
Frieden cited the most
recent CDC data, which in-
dicates that the number of
Americans living with HIV
continued to increase by more
than 71,000 people between
2006 and 2008, mainly due
to treatments that allow those
infected with HIV to live lon-
ger, healthier lives. Currently,
he said, more than 1.1 million
people in the United States
live with HIV, and as this
number increases, so does the
risk of HIV transmission.
Today, the most infec-
tions are among people under
30a new generation that has
never known a time without
effective HIV treatments and
who may not fully understand
the signifcant health threat
HIV poses, Frieden contin-
ued.
According to the CDC,
groups that have historically
borne a disproportionate bur-
den of HIV continue to see
more than their share of dev-
astation from this disease:
Gay men: Gay and bi-
sexual men of all races remain
the group most affected by
this epidemic. Men who have
sex with men account for just
2 percent of the U.S. popula-
tion but represent more than
half of all new infections in
the United States. A CDC
analysis found high levels of
HIV infection even among
those men who have sex with
men who get tested regularly.
Approximately 7 percent of
this population in the 21 cities
surveyed tested positive for
HIV in the study, even though
they reported having a nega-
tive HIV test result during the
past 12 months.
African-Americans and
Latinos: The rate of new HIV
infections for Black men is
about six times as high as
that of White men, and about
three times that of Hispanic
men. The HIV incidence rate
for Black women is nearly 15
times as high as that of White
women, and nearly four times
that of Hispanic women.
Among Hispanics, the rate of
new HIV infections among
men is more than double that
of White men, and the rate
among women is nearly four
times that of White women.
Reducing HIV rates in
the United States is not only
possibleit is imperative,
Frieden said. A recent analy-
sis of the epidemiological and
economic impacts of HIV
estimates that if infection
continues at its current rate,
it could cost more than $200
billion to treat those who be-
come newly infected over the
next decade.
Advances in HIV pre-
vention hold promise for
reducing new infections and
avoiding this high burden
on lives and medical costs.
More people know their HIV
status and protect others from
infection, said Frieden, who
noted that new prevention
interventions have been iden-
tifed, such as pre-exposure
prophylaxis for men who
have sex with men. New
data, he added, confrm that
early testing and treatment for
HIV-infected heterosexuals
in relationships in which one
person is HIV-positive and the
other is not could contribute to
declines in HIV in the United
States.
On this 30th commemo-
ration of AIDS, our resolve to
end the epidemic cannot falter.
It is possible to greatly reduce
new HIV infections. Work-
ing together, we can break
through complacency, save
lives, and end HIV as a threat
to the health and well-being of
all Americans, Frieden said.
CDC commemorates 30 years of HIV/AIDS
EXPLANATION OF PROPOSED PROPERTY TAX RATES

The DeKalb County Board of Commissioners has tentatively adopted millage rates
which will require an increase in property tax rates as listed below.

2011 Rollback Rate % Increase

Atlanta 10.39 8.938 16.25%
Avondale Estates 15.41 13.464 14.45%
Chamblee 13.71 12.223 12.17%
Clarkston 15.06 13.242 13.73%
Decatur 10.82 10.087 7.27%
Doraville 13.60 12.607 7.88%
Dunwoody 13.35 11.357 17.55%
Lithonia 15.33 13.280 15.44%
Pine Lake 15.61 13.541 15.28%
Stone Mountain 13.90 12.980 7.09%
Unincorporated 19.62 18.017 8.90%

Countywide Debt 1.08 0.647 66.92%
Unincorporated Debt 0.66 1.631 -59.53%

This tentative increase will result in a millage rate of 21.36 mills in the unincorporated
area, an increase of 4.50 mills.

All concerned citizens are invited to the public hearings on this tax increase to be held at
the Maloof Administration Building Auditorium, 1300 Commerce Drive, Decatur, GA
on:
Tuesday, July 5, 2011 at 10:00 AM
Tuesday, July 5, 2011 at 6:00 PM
Tuesday, July 12, 2011 at 10:00 AM

These millage rates are prior to the application of the Homestead Exemptions and credits
from the Homestead Option Sales Tax. In 2010, the Board of Commissioners granted a
56.6% HOST Credit for County operations and maintenance based upon the use of 97.3%
of last years HOST receipts. In 2011, the Board of Commissioners has voted to use 80%
for the HOST Credit.
Local News
A Gay Girl in Damascus or an Emory grad?
The City of Avondale Estates Board of Mayor and Commissioners due hereby announce the 2011
for the past five years.
CITY 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011
Real & Personal 150,537,192 152,603,991 156,800,494 157,621,535 157,295,925 131,144,681
Motor Vehicles 8,473,280 9,198,840 8,928,990 9,411,170 7,917,420 7,854,350
Mobile Homes
Timber - 100%
Heavy Duty Equipment
Gross Digest 159,010,472 161,802,831 165,729,484 167,032,705 165,213,345 138,999,031
Less M& O Exemptions 65,160 181,873 204,451 168,873 119,131 102,456
Net M & O Digest 158,945,312 161,620,958 165,525,033 166,863,832 165,094,214 138,896,575
State Forest Land
Assistance Grant Value 0 0 0 0 0 0
Adjusted Net M&O
Digest 158,945,312 161,620,958 165,525,033 166,863,832 165,094,214 138,896,575
Gross M&O Millage 10.100 10.500 11.000 11.000 11.000 13.375
Less Rollbacks
Net M&O Millage 10.100 10.500 11.000 11.000 11.000 13.375
Total City Taxes Levied $1,605,348 $1,697,020 $1,820,775 $1,835,502 $1,816,036 $1,857,742
Net Taxes $ Increase $0 $91,672 $123,755 $14,727 -$19,466 $41,705
Net Taxes % Increase 0.00% 5.71% 7.29% 0.81% -1.06% 2.30%
NOTICE
June 20, 2011 5:30 p.m., June 22, 2011 5:30 p.m., and June 27, 2011 7:30 p.m. Pursuant to the
following presentation of the current year's tax digest and levy, along with the history of the tax digest and levy
CURRENT 2011 TAX DIGEST AND 5 YEAR HISTORY OF LEVY
Millage Rate of 13.375 mils, will be set at Avondale Estates City Hall, 21 N. Avondale Plaza, on
requirement of O.C.G.A. 48-5-32, the Board of Mayor and Commissioners do hereby publish the
daniel@dekablchamp.com
E
mory graduate
Tom MacMas-
ter raised quite
a few eyebrows
this week when
he admitted to being the
fictional voice of Amina
Abdallah Araf al Omari,
the author of the Gay Girl
in Damascus blog.
Several weeks earlier
MacMaster had human
rights groups and jour-
nalists all over the world
looking for a 25-year-old
Syrian-American lesbian
who didnt exist when,
posing as a cousin of
Aminas named Rania, he
wrote a blog post that said
she had been taken into
custody by members of
one of the security ser-
vices of the Baath Party
militia.
Then, in a following
blog post he said that all
the family knew at the
moment was that Amina
was missing and her father
was trying desperately to
find her.
According to reports,
MacMaster, who owns a
home in Stone Mountain,
is currently living in Scot-
land and pursuing a gradu-
ate degree at the Univer-
sity of Edinburgh.
In an apology on the
blog written on June 12,
MacMaster said that he
originally was trying to
bring attention to the
struggles going on in the
Middle East and he never
expected it to get the level
of attention that it did.
While the narrative
voice may have been fic-
tional, the facts on this
blog are true and not mis-
leading as to the situation
on the ground. I do not
believe that I have harmed
anyoneI feel that I
have created an important
voice for issues that I feel
strongly about, MacMas-
ter said.
Then, in a subsequent
and more elaborate post
the next day, MacMaster
seemed to admit that he
may have hurt people in
the process and justified
what he did by saying he
did it as an exercise to
learn how to write fiction.
It started innocently
enough without any in-
tention whatsoever of
creating a massive hoax
or duping the world. Ever
since I was a child, Ive
wanted to write fiction but
my first attempts met with
universal rejection, Mac-
Master said.
MacMaster also said
at the end of the apology
that he wanted to turn the
focus back toward what
was really going on in the
Middle East and admitted
to being a distraction from
the problems the region
was facing.
NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING
For July 14, 2011

In accordance with Section 206, Chapter 94 of the Zoning
Ordinance of the City of Chamblee, Georgia, the Mayor
and City Council of the City of Chamblee, Georgia will hold
a public hearing regarding Chapter 94, Zoning, Section
512, requesting a variance to reduce the side yard setback
from 7 feet to 1 foot and a variance to reduce the front yard
setback from 30 feet to 15 feet for the property located at
1918 Connemara Drive. The public hearing will be held on
July 14, 2011 at 6:00 p.m. to receive citizen input on the
proposed variance. The public hearing will be held at the
Chamblee Civic Center, 3540 Broad Street, Chamblee, GA
30341

I want to turn the
focus away from me and
urge everyone to con-
centrate on the real is-
sues, the real heroes, the
real people struggling to
bring freedom to the Arab
world. I have only dis-
tracted from real people
and real problems. Those
continue; please focus on
them, he said.
Ann Mauney, a De-
catur resident who is an
organizer for the Atlanta
chapter of the Georgia
Peace and Justice Coali-
tion, said that what Mac-
Master did was wrong.
I didnt know this
guy, but I mean its really
bad that anybody would
do that because it misrep-
resents the terrible condi-
tions that are going on in
Syria, Mauney said.
Mauney said that even
if MacMaster used real
facts in his posts, he was
still misrepresenting him-
self, which allowed people
to turn away from the re-
ality of the violence going
on against human beings
in countries like Syria.
I believe that the most
powerful way to expose
the violence in the world
is to speak honestly about
[it]the most powerful
way to bring change is to
speak honestly about the
real violence going on,
Mauney said.
Tom MacMaster
Education
A Gay Girl in Damascus or an Emory grad?
Decatur kids stay cool with summer reading

NOTICE OF PROPERTY TAX DECREASE

The DeKalb County Board of Education has tentatively
adopted a millage rate which will result in a decrease in
property taxes by 14.22 percent.

All concerned citizens are invited to the public hearings
on this tax decrease to be held at:
- 6:00 p.m. July 5, 2011
-12:00 p.m. July 11, 2011
- 6:00 p.m. July 11, 2011

All meetings will be held at the DeKalb County School
District Administrative & Instructional Complex, 1701
Mountain Industrial Boulevard, Stone Mountain, GA.
daniel@dekalbchamp.com
A
hot summer
vacation of-
fers plenty
for a child to
do, they could
cool off in a pool or ride
their bikes down the street
to get an ice cream, but
thousands of kids through-
out the county have some-
thing else in mind.
On June 1, the DeKalb
County Library kicked off
its summer reading pro-
gram titled One World,
Many Stories, to encour-
age children through in-
centives to keep reading
over the summer.
Eric Mahoney, a
10-year-old who had just
finished signing up for
the first time, said he was
excited about the program
mainly because he loves
to read. When asked if
he thought it was really
important, Mahoney said,
No, I just think its fun.
I like to read most
anything. Lately Ive read
most of the Hardy Boys
books, my dad is read-
ing me Harry Potter, Ive
read all the Percy Jackson
books and I mainly like
mystery books and base-
ball books, Mahoney
said.
Each year the program
has a different theme and
Sharon Deeds, youth ser-
vices coordinator for the
DeKalb County Library,
said that it is chosen by
The Collaborative Sum-
mer Library Program and
used all over the country.
Its actually a na-
tional consortium of
public libraries that meet
each year. So, if you go to
Alabama or North Caro-
lina youre going to see
the same theme that you
would here, Deeds said.
The program is split
into three levels and the
first level is for ages up
to 2 years old. For the
first half of the program,
children fill out a reading
log of the books that their
parents read to them and
once they reach five they
receive a certificate and a
bag. Then, if they contin-
ue and read 10 more they
receive a free book and a
free pass to the Childrens
Museum of Atlanta for its
Exploring the World of
Fairy Tales exhibit.
The next level for ages
3 to 12 has a reading log
with stickers that repre-
sent 15 minutes of read-
ing. Once they have com-
pleted the first half they
get a certificate, a bag and
a raffle ticket and when
they complete the second
half they receive a ticket
to the childrens museum.
I think its great
because they dont have
to do homework and they
can develop their love of
reading because theyre
reading, but its not for
school, Mia Manekof-
sky, childrens director at
the Decatur Library said.
Manekofsky explained
that the raffle tickets were
for kids to have a chance
at winning money for col-
lege. The sweepstakes
is held each year by the
Georgia Public Library
Service in partnership
with the Path2College 529
Plan to help promote the
summer reading program
and get kids, and their
parents, interested in sav-
ing for college at an early
age.
The winner will re-
ceive a $5,529 prize and
will be chosen at random
from the participants. The
library where they regis-
tered will also be awarded
$1,529.
The third level is for
teens, and they could have
a chance to win a new
Playstation 3. Deeds said
that over the past three
years the number of stu-
dents in the program has
been steadily increasing
and she hoped that with
the incentive of the PS3,
more teens would be ex-
cited about signing up.
Weve had over 500
students so far, Manekof-
sky said of the Decatur
branch. It started June 1,
and it ends July 31, and
they can sign up all the
way through.
Sarah Bergomosco,
who was at the Decatur
Library signing up her
sons Aidan, 3, and Isaac,
5, said that she thought
of summer reading as a
bridge to help kids get
from one grade to the
next.
Its a really good way
to give incentive and to
show him to look at and
see his progress [so] he
can relate that to skills he
might be able to use in
school, she said of her
son Isaac, who will be at-
tending kindergarten at
Oakhurst Elementary in
the fall.
Bergomosco said that
she tries to get her chil-
dren books that relate to
the things they do on a
day-to-day basis. For in-
stance, this past Sunday
was Fathers Day so they
read books about the holi-
day and since it is summer
they also read books about
trips to the beach.
Its all about what you
expose your kids to and if
youre bringing the kids
to the library and giving
them incentives to read its
forming a good habit and
its a good way to spend
time with your kids, she
said.
Children sit and listen to a storyteller talk about different animals from around the world as
part of the One World, Many Stories vacation reading program. Photo by Daniel Beauregard
The Champion Free Press, Friday, June 24, 2011 Page 18A Business
Your competitor is likely a member!
DeKalb Chamber of Commerce
100 Crescent Center Pkwy., Suite 680. Tucker, GA 30084
404-378-8000 www.DeKalbChamber.org
Looking for new customers? We can help!
So many reasons to join!
100 Crescent Center Pkwy., Suite 680. Tucker, GA 30084 (404) 378-8000 www.DeKalbChamber.org
The Voice of Business in DeKalb County
Edible Arrangements opens in Dunwoody
The Dunwoody Chamber of Commerce
held a ribbon-cutting ceremony Monday,
June 13, for Edible Arrangements, 4780
Ashford Dunwoody Road, Dunwoody.
We are so pleased to be offcially
joining the Dunwoody community, with
this ribbon cutting, said Alka Sardar,
owner of the new Edible Arrangements.
During the event the store was flled with
Dunwoody Chamber of Commerce Board
members, community members, Sardar
family members and customers.
Our dream of launching this business
has come true and we are honored to have
this opportunity, said Sardar. We invite
the community to come visit us anytime.
The store hours are 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.,
Monday Friday; 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sat-
urdays; and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sundays.
Edible Arrangements creates fruit arrange-
ments and chocolate-dipped fruit concepts
using fresh, preservative-free fruit. Accord-
ing to a chamber announcement, fruit ex-
perts at Edible Arrangements understand
exactly what it takes to make your special
occasion wow-worthy.
Arrangements are on hand and can be
delivered same day if ordered at least two
hours prior to closing. Customers are in-
vited to stop in for a free sample.
DeKalb Medical credited
with pumping $860 million
into Georgia economy
DeKalb Medical Center generated more than $860 mil-
lion in revenue for the local economy in 2009, according
to a recent report by the Georgia Hospital Association, the
states largest hospital trade association. During the same
time period, DeKalb Medical provided approximately $27
million in uncompensated care while sustaining more than
5,600 full-time jobs throughout metro Atlanta and the rest
of the state.
According to the report, DeKalb Medical had direct ex-
penditures of more than $347 million in 2009. When com-
bined with an economic multiplier developed by the Unit-
ed States Department of Commerces Bureau of Economic
Analysis, the total economic impact of those expenditures
amounted to more than $860 million. This output multi-
plier considers the ripple effect of direct hospital expen-
ditures on other sectors of the economy, such as medical
supplies, durable medical equipment and pharmaceuticals.
Economic multipliers are used to calculate the resulting
impact of a change in one industry on the circular flow
of spending within an economy as a whole.
This new report shows that, even in diffcult economic
times, DeKalb Medical has an enormous positive impact
on our local economy, said Eric Norwood, president and
CEO of DeKalb Medical. We work hard to ensure that the
citizens of this community have access to healthcare ser-
vices that are second to none in quality and affordability.

The city of Dunwoody hosted its in-
augural accounting conference earlier
this month, welcoming more than 170 ac-
countants from all over the Southeast to
Dunwoody City Hall. Topics including best
practices, occupational tax law and capital
assets.
The conference is designed to promote
professional development and the growth
of analytical expertise in strategic plan-
ning, market analysis, compliance, change
management and the use of information
technology. In todays challenging econo-
my, these skills are required by companies,
institutions and governments, all sectors
where accountants are employed.
I set out to fnd a way to provide local
government accountants with the train-
ing we desperately need without incurring
the costs often associated with continuing
education, said Chris Pike, city of Dun-
woody fnance director.
Course in personal fnances
comes to Greenforest Church

A program that has helped more than one million fami-
lies have changed their fnancial situation is coming next
month to Greenforest Community Baptist Church in Decatur.
Financial Peace University (FPU), a 13-week course
taught by Dave Ramsey, teaches families and individuals
common-sense principles such as how to make a plan with
their money so they are able to free themselves of debt and
build lasting wealth.
Ramsey knows frsthand what it is like be broke and
hopeless. Because of his experiences, he decided to help
other people change the way they handle their money.
More than one million families have taken the course since
Ramsey began teaching FPU in 1994.
The course is made up of 13 lessons taught on DVD
FPU is a fun and easy to understand program. Whether
you are deeply in debt or fnancially secure, FPU will help
you gain a new perspective on how to handle your money,
Ramsey said. After each lesson there is a small group dis-
cussion that provides accountability and encouragement.
Topics include saving for emergencies, budgeting, relation-
ships and money and getting out debt.
Each participant purchases a kit that includes a lifetime
family membership to FPU, an FPU workbook, an FPU
envelope system, 13 audio lessons, bonus CD, budgeting
forms, debit card holders and Ramseys best-selling book
Financial Peace.
FPU will be held in Decatur at Greenforest Community
Baptist Church, 3250 Rainbow Drive, Decatur. The classes
will begin Saturday, July 9, at 10 a.m. Contact Michael Ed-
wards at Greenforest Community Baptist Church for more
information or to register. Visit www.daveramsey.com for
more information.

City of Dunwoody hosts inaugural
accounting conference

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DISCLAIMER
ANNOUNCEMENTS
NOTICE OF LOCATION AND DESIGN
APPROVAL Streetscape Design Ser-
vices: Lake Hearn Drive, Perimeter Sum-
mit Parkway, and Parkside Place DeKalb
County P. I. No. 0010164 Notice is hereby
given in compliance with Georgia Code
22-2-109 and 32-3-5 that the Georgia
Department of Transportation has ap-
proved the Location and Design of this
project. The date of location approval
is April 18,2011 Proposed streetscape
construction along Perimeter Sum-
mit Parkway (0.74 miles), Lake Hearn
Drive (0.61 miles), and Parkside Place
(0.27 miles) includes overall pedestrian
access improvements that include the
addition and/or renovation of sidewalks,
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
compliant facilities, street and pedestrian
lighting, street furniture, landscape im-
provements including new/larger medians
and islands, restriping and/or addition of
crosswalks. Lane widths will be narrowed
on Lake Hearn Drive, Perimeter Summit
Parkway (from Parkside Place to Ashford
Dunwoody Road), and Parkside Place for
traffic calming and to accommodate the
landscape and pedestrian improvements.
Furthermore, the driveway for the Hilton
Garden Inn hotel on the one way portion
of Lake Hearn Drive will be modified to
restrict exiting traffic to turning move-
ments in one direction only. Intersection
improvements will consist of traffic signal
upgrades to mast arm type installations
at the intersections of Perimeter Summit
Parkway and Parkside Place and Lake
Hearn Drive and Parkside Place. The
intersections of Lake Hearn Drive and
Parkside Place and Lake Hearn Drive at
the Cox Enterprises, Inc. driveway will be
raised to help mitigate excessive vehicle
speed along Lake Hearn Drive. An 8 foot
to 10 foot wide concrete multi-use trail
is proposed on the south side of Lake
Hearn Drive/Perimeter Summit Parkway
extending from Perimeter Center Park-
way to Ashford Dunwoody Road. This
project is located in DeKalb County in
Land Lots 329 and 330; and is in Land
District 18. Drawings or maps or plats of
the proposed project, as approved, are on
file and are available for public inspection
at the Georgia Department of Transporta-
tion: Thomas Parker Area Engineer 805
George Luther Drive Decatur, GA 30032
404-299-4386 tparker@dot. ga.gov Any
interested party may obtain a copy of the
drawings or maps or plats or portions
thereof by paying a nominal fee and re-
questing in writing to: Bobby Hilliard, P. E.
State Program Delivery Engineer Georgia
Department of Transportation 600 West
Peachtree Street Atlanta, GA 30308
404-631-1122 bhilliard@dot. ga.gov Any
written request or communication in ref-
erence to this project or notice SHOULD
include the Project and P. I. Numbers as
noted at the top of this notice.
Ads Due By Friday - Noon
for next publication date.
The Champion is not responsible
for any damages resulting from
advertisements. All sales nal.
Page 20A The Champion Free Press, Friday, June 24, 2011
AROUND DEKALB
ATLANTA
Blood donors needed
During the July 4th holiday
weekend, July 2-4, Northlake Mall
will open its doors to the community
as a host site for American Red
Cross blood drives.
The American Red Cross cites
these reasons to participate:
Shortages of blood often occur
during summer holidays, when
people are more apt to travel.
Someone needs blood every two
seconds in the United States
One pint of blood can help save
up to three lives.
Type O is the most requested by
hospitals.
Approximately 38 percent of the
U.S. population is eligible to donate
yet only 5 percent actually do.
Statistics show that 25 percent
or more of the population will require
blood at least once in a lifetime.
The schedule is: Saturday, July
2, noon-5 p.m.; Sunday, July 3,
noon-5 p.m., and Monday, July 4,
noon-5 p.m. Donations will be taken
at Northlake Mall Center Court low-
er level, in front of JCPenney, 4800
Briarcliff Road NE, Suite 1000, At-
lanta. The phone number is (770)
938-3564. For more information,
visit www.northlakemall.com
For more blood donation facts,
visit the American Red Cross online
at www.givelife.org.
Exhibition features African art
An exhibition now at the Mi-
chael C. Carlos Museum on the
Emory University campus features
more than 50 works from more
than 20 African cultures. It contin-
ues through late December. Titled
Divine Intervention, the exhibit il-
lustrates the active nature of African
art in which works of art are not just
representations of deities, ances-
tors or spirits, but rather bridges
that combine the spiritual and earth-
ly realms. Tickets range from $6 to
$8. The exhibit is open 10 a.m. to
4 p.m. The Michael C. Carlos mu-
seum is located at 571 South Kilgo
Circle, Atlanta.
CHAMBLEE
Farmers market open
on Saturdays
Every Saturday Chamblee
residents can buy locally produced
organic foods at a farmers mar-
ket. The market will be open July
2 for residents who want to shop
for foods for Independence Day
celebration dinners. The market,
located at 5435 Peachtree Road in
Chamblee, opens at 8:30 a.m.
DECATUR
Conflict resolution
workshop announced
One DeKalb has announced a
workshop on conflict resolution Sat-
urday, June 25, 9 a.m. noon in the
Clark Harrison Building, Conference
Room A, 330 W. Ponce de Leon
Ave., Decatur. The workshop will
explore such questions as:

Does your neighborhood have
factions that dont seem to be able
to get along?
Is your association board divided
on important issues within your
neighborhood?
Are you and your neighbors in
conict with decisions made by a
government agency?
How can we take seemingly irre-
solvable issues and nd common
ground so the neighborhood can
move forward?

Participants are invited to send
examples of issues in their neigh-
borhoods to the Office of Neighbor-
hood Empowerment or Dr. Kathryn
Rice at kr@buildingqualitycommu-
nities.com. The issue may be cho-
sen as an example (with all names
kept anonymous).

Clean comedy show coming
to Porter Sanford Center
Rock Steady Entertainment an-
nounced that it will be holding its
second Clean Comedy Show for
2011. A positive entertainment ex-
perience appropriate for the entire
family, the event will be Saturday
July 9, at 8 p.m. at the Porter San-
ford III Performing Arts & Commu-
nity Center 3181 Rainbow Drive
Decatur. Deno Posey will be the
host comedian; the show will fea-
ture Max Karrh, Joy The Queen
of Clean and Terrence G. Tickets
are $10 and can be purchased on-
line at www.rocsteadyent.com or at
Berean Christian Bookstore, (404)
767-7514, and Saint Philip Book-
store (678) 553-8433.

Senior Connections hosts
open house

Senior Connections will host
an open house at the Mack Love
Senior Center on Saturday, June
25, 11a.m. 3 p.m., to promote its
new Adventures in Learning sum-
mer classes. Therell be hot dogs
and door prizes. Seniors are invited
to meet instructors and learn about
the variety of classes offered.
This may also be a wonder-
ful opportunity to take a walk in
the newly redone Mason Mill Park
nearby, said Debra Furtado, CEO
of Senior Connections.
All Adventures in Learning
classes, except for deep-water aer-
obics and tennis, will be held at the
Mack Love Senior Center in Deca-
tur, 1340 McConnell Drive, and are
geared specically to active people
50 years and older.
Senior Connections mission is
to maximize independence for se-
niors through advocacy, information
and services. Adventures in Learn-
ing offers a wide selection of infor-
mative and educational programs
that are also designed to be fun.
Courses and workshops are taught
by professionals.
Summer classes range from
one-day seminars to 12-week
courses. Registration for all 2011
classes can be done on-line at
www.seniorconnectionsatl.org/
classes or by mail. Registrations
are processed on a rst-come, rst-
served basis.
Soil and water conservation
meeting scheduled
The DeKalb County Soil and
Water Conservation District monthly
meeting will be held on Friday, July
8, at 10 a.m. at the Clark Harrison
Building, 330 W. Ponce de Leon
Ave. in downtown Decatur. For ad-
ditional information call (770) 761-
3020.
Decatur to hold 4th of July
celebration
The city of Decatur is hosting
its annual Fourth of July celebra-
tion all day in downtown Decatur.
The event, Monday, July 4, will be
include the Pied Piper Parade at 5
p.m., followed by a concert on the
Square and fireworks after dark.
VBS has island theme
Island Odyssey is this years
Vacation Bible School theme at
Gresham Park Christian Church.
The program includes Bible-based
classes for all ages, as well as mu-
sic, refreshments, prizes and more.
Classes start Sunday, June 26, with
sessions 9:45-10:45 a.m. and 6-8
p.m. Subsequent classes are Mon-
day Thursday, 7-9 p.m. Gresham
Park Christian Church is located at
2819 Flat Shoals Road, Decatur.
For more information, call (404)
241-4511.
LITHONIA
Former NFL player to
present book

Former NFL player Rob Strick-
land will discuss and sign his book
Know the Basics of Protecting Your
Business on Friday, June 24, 6:30
to 9 p.m., at Borders Bookstore in
The Mall at Stonecrest, 2929 Turner
Hill Road, Lithonia. The former
member of the New York Jets will
discuss his book designed to edu-
cate business owners, employees
and consumers on loss prevention,
camera equipment, alarm systems,
building security, safety awareness,
inventory control and other security-
related topics. For more informa-
tion, call (404) 642-2209.

Sports
PROPOSED GHSA
RECLASSIFICATION
Where schools in DeKalb County may land
(DeKalb schools in bold)
Region 4-AAAAA: Arabia Mountain, Druid
Hills, Grady, Lakeside, Miller Grove, M.L.
King, Southwest DeKalb, Stephenson, Tri-
Cities, Tucker
Region 7-AAAAA: Chamblee, Chattahoochee,
Creekview, Dunwoody, Northview, North
Springs, Riverwood, South Forsyth
Region 5-AAAA: Carver-Atlanta, Columbia,
Douglass, Lithonia, Mays, North Atlanta,
Redan, Washington
Region 5-AAA:Blessed Trinity, Cedar Grove,
Clarkston, Cross Keys, McNair, St. Pius,
South Atlanta, Stone Mountain, Therrell,
Towers, Woodward Academy
Region 5-AA: Bowdon, Bremen, Decatur,
Greater Atlanta Christian, Jackson-Atlanta,
Lovett, Marist, Temple, Westminster
Region 4-A: Ben Franklin, Eagles Landing
Christian, Greenforest, Hapeville Charter,
Landmark Christian, Our Lady of Mercy,
Paideia, Southwest Atlanta Christian,
Strong Rock Christian, Tech Charter, W. D.
Mohammed, Whiteeld Academy, Yeshiva
Schools fght for proper place in reclassifcation
by Robert Naddra
robert@dekalbchamp.com
When Kip Hall took over as coach of
the Druid Hills football program in 2006, the
Red Devils had won a total of fve games in
the previous fve seasons.
After struggling with only one win in his
frst two seasons, Hall has led Druid Hills
to 10 wins in the past three seasons. Mak-
ing progress with a school that dropped its
football program in 1995 and has not had a
winning season since 1993 has been slow but
steady for Hall.
He doesnt want the program to backslide
as a result of proposed reclassifcation by
the Georgia High School Association. Many
DeKalb County schools will be affected
when the GHSAs reclassifcation goes into
effect for the 2012 school year.
Ive fought too hard to get this program
turned around and be competitive, Hall said.
We have a chance to have our frst win-
ning season since Ive been here this coming
year.
Once enrollment numbers are updated in
September, the changes may not be as drastic
as they now appear.
Under the proposed six-classifcation sys-
tem (up from fve classes currently), Druid
Hills and Arabia Mountain would move up
from Class AAA to Class AAAAA. They
would join Lakeside, Tucker, Stephenson,
Southwest DeKalb, Miller Grove and M.L.
King in Region 4 while Chamblee and Dun-
woody would be a part of Region 7 with sev-
eral north Fulton schools.
The [enrolment] numbers the GHSA is
using are not current, but overall its a good
plan in the larger picture for this county,
said DeKalb County Schools Athletic Di-
rector Ron Sebree. Once the [enrollment]
numbers are updated in the fall we think it
will be the best thing for the kids.
According to Sebree, new enrollment
numbers should show that Druid Hills and
Arabia Mountain will qualify to drop down to
a lower classifcation. Also, Sebree said that
M.L. King and Stephenson already have asked
to play in the Class AAAAAA division.
Im hoping that will happen, Hall said.
Not knowing makes you anxious.
The changes will apply to all sports. That
factor will weigh heavily in the decision
Marist Athletic Director Tommy Marshall
makes in the fall when he appeals to the
GHSA to move up in classifcation. Over the
past several years Marist has had AA enroll-
ment numbers but has been approved to play
in AAAA.
Marshall said once the new enrollment
numbers are released in the fall, he will meet
with his coaches to fnd the best place for the
entire athletic program.
The two main things we look at are ri-
valries and travel time, Marshall said. And
by travel time its really time out of class for
our students. We have 27 teams during the
spring and its important what time theyll be
getting home at night from games during the
week.
While the proposed Region 4-AAAAA
has rivals Southwest DeKalb and Tucker, Re-
gion 7 with Chamblee and Dunwoody would
make travel much easier.
Most of the schools in that region are
within 10 miles of our school, Marshall
said.
Basketball camp features free all-star game
The Mike Glenn Basketball Camp for the Hearing Impaired will hold a free
all star-game June 24 at Southwest DeKalb High School. More than 75 high
school athletes from across the country participated in the camp which began
June 19. Glenn will choose 12 boys and 12 girls to compete in the all-star game
against local high school basketball players. The game begins at 7 p.m.
Free football camp supports Marquels Pledge
Playbooks and Pledges is a free football camp for youth ages 6-14 on June
25 at Hallford Stadium. The camp, which runs from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., is open
to the frst 150 participants. The event supports Marquels Pledge, which is a
community initiative to raise awareness of the dangers of celebratory gunfre in
DeKalb County and throughout Georgia.
In addition to the camp, members of the DeKalb County Police Department
will take on members of the DeKalb County Sheriffs Offce in a fag football
game at 4 p.m.
To register online for the camp, visit www.jerryclarkfoundation.org.
Decatur resident among Dogwood Invitational Field
Philip Verlander of Decatur is among the feld for the Dogwood Invitational
amateur golf tournament to be held June 27-July 2 at Druid Hills Golf Club.
Verlander won the Georgia State Golf Association 4-Ball Championship in
2004. Some of the top amateur golfers from around the country will compete
in the event, including many current and former Georgia Tech and University
of Georgia golfers. Also in the feld are amateurs from Australia, South Africa,
Venezuela, New Zealand, Bermuda and Argentina.
Sports
Baseball Continued From Page 21A
by Robert Naddra
robert@dekalbchamp.com
Two players who were cho-
sen in the 2011 Major League
Baseball draft and a pitcher who
went undefeated this season
while leading his team to a state
title highlight The Champions
2011 All-DeKalb County high
school baseball team.
Deion Williams of Redan,
who was drafted in the 16th
round by the Washington Na-
tionals, batted .350 with 20 RBIs
to help lead the Raiders to their
10th state playoff appearance in
the past 12 seasons.
Decaturs Trumon Jef-
ferson was drafted as the Texas
Rangers chose him in the 39th
round. Jefferson, a three-sport
athlete, batted. 419 and led the
Bulldogs in batting and RBIs.
The Champions Player
of the Year is senior pitcher
Brandon Liebrandt of Marist,
who went 13-0 this season and
has signed a scholarship to
play at Florida State Univer-
sity. Liebrandt allowed only
eight earned runs in 79 innings
pitched and fnished the season
with a 0.71 earned run average.
He struck out 120 batters and
walked only nine.
Liebrandt clinched Marists
second straight Class AAAA
state championship with an 8-1
win over Whitewater. He scat-
tered six hits and struck out 10
batters.
Three other Marist players
join Liebrandt on the all-county
team. Senior Blake Stevens was
the other half of the War Eagles
untouchable pitching duo. Ste-
vens posted a 9-2 record with a
2.52 ERA. He had 82 strikeouts
with only 16 walks. Senior in-
felder Brett Dolan hit .432 with
30 RBIs for Marist. He also stole
12 bases on 12 attempts this past
season. Marists Daniel Spin-
gola also made the team. The
senior outfelder hit. .426 with a
team-leading 11 home runs and
38 RBIs.
Other state playoff teams
Dunwoody, Chamblee, St. Pius
and Arabia Mountain all were
represented on the all-county
team.
Dunwoody, which fnished
24-9, placed pitchers Wes Ban-
croft and James Cunningham,
and catcher Jared Martin on the
all-county team. Bancroft was
7-2 with a public school-leading
1.37 ERA before being sidelined
in the state tournament after
emergency surgery to remove his
spleen.
Chamblee also has three
players on the listpitcher Joe
Albertson, infelder/pitcher
Patrick Eastham and outfelder
David Coble.
Infelder Chad Mabini and
outfelder Alex Avant made the
team from St. Pius, as did Arabia
Mountain pitcher John Bryant
and outfelder Tevin Martin.
Lithonias DAngelo Smith
led the county in hitting with a
.560 batting average. The young-
est player to make the team was
Cedar Grove freshman Deion
Sellers who batted .486 and led
the county with 39 stolen bases.
NOTE: You can use photos of Marist No. 13, Redan No.
12. If you need more, From my all-star game photos, you
can use Chamblee No. 1 or Arabia Mountain No. 1 (both
pitchers).
THE CHAMPIONS
2011 ALL-COUNTY
BASEBALL TEAM
P Brandon Liebrandt,
Marist, Sr. (Player of the Year)
P Wes Bancroft, Dunwoody, Sr.
P John Bryant, Arabia Mountain, Sr.
P James Cunningham, Dunwoody, Jr.
P Blake Stevens, Marist, Sr.
P Joe Albertson, Chamblee, Sr.
C Quinneton Osby, Columbia, Sr.
C Jared Martin, Dunwoody, Jr.
INF Chad Mabini, St. Pius, Jr.
INF Deion Sellers, Cedar Grove, Fr.
INF DAngelo Smith, Lithonia, Sr.
INF Uwem Udoa, Miller Grove, Sr.
INF Jabari Gayle, Miller Grove, Jr.
INF Deion Williams, Redan, Sr.
INF Patrick Eastham, Chamblee, Sr.
INF Brett Dolan, Marist, Sr.
OF Alex Avant, St. Pius, Sr.
OF Sean Charleston, Miller Grove, Jr.
OF David Coble, Chamblee, Jr.
OF Trumon Jeerson, Decatur, Sr.
OF Tevin Martin, Arabia Mountain, Jr.
OF Daniel Spingola, Marist, Sr.
OF Jordan Tarver, Stephenson, Sr.
OF Bradley Dennis, Lakeside, Sr.
The Champions Player of the Year
Brandon Liebrandt
All-county baseball
High-profle players top The Champions list
Deion Williams
Photos by Travis Hudgons
Sports
by Mark Brock
P
orsha Phillips, a
2006 Redan High
School graduate,
was recently selected by
the San Antonio Silver
Stars with the 30th pick in
the WNBA Draft.
She has made the Sil-
ver Stars roster for the
2011 season to become
the first known DeKalb
County Schools graduate
to reach the WNBA as a
player. Through the first
four games of the WNBA
season (through June
17), Phillips has come
off the bench to average
four points per game. The
6-foot-2 forward is tied
for the team lead in blocks
with seven and has helped
the Silver Stars to a 4-0
start.
Phillips led Redan to
the 2005 Class AAAAA
championship game where
the Lady Raiders lost to
Maya Moore (All-Amer-
ican and WNBA No. 1
pick) and Collins Hill. The
Lady Raiders went 104-
27 during Phillips four
seasons including appear-
ances in the 2006 Class
AAAAA Final Four and
the 2003 and 2004 Class
AAAAA quarterfinals.
Her four-year high
school totals include 1,646
points, 923 rebounds and
444 blocked shots. She
averaged 18.8 points, 8.5
rebounds, 4.5 blocks and
2.8 steals during the 2005
run to the championship
game.
She was named third
team All-America as a se-
nior by Parade Magazine,
USA Today and Street &
Smith Magazine. She was
also selected to play in the
McDonalds All-America
and WBCA All-American
games.
The three-time DeKalb
County Player of the
Year (2004-06) signed
with Louisiana State in
2006 and finished with
143 points and helped the
Tigers reach the NCAA
Final Four in 2007 before
Trailblazer
Phillips becomes countys
first WNBA player
See Phillips on Page 24A
Porsha Phillips. Photo courtesy of UGA Sports Communications
Phillips Continued From Page 23A
Weve done the math for you.
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transferring to the University of
Georgia.
During her recently complet-
ed senior season at Georgia she
finished with a double-double
average of 10.8 points and 10.7
rebounds to lead the Southeast-
ern Conference. She also led the
SEC in free throw percentage
(.807).
Her play earned her consen-
sus All-SEC First Team honors
by the SEC Coaches and As-
sociated Press. She was the first
Lady Bulldog to do so since the
AP began voting in 1997.
Phillips also reached 1,000
career points in college during
the 2011 season to finish with
1,128 in her career (985 at Geor-
gia).
She was coached in high
school by former Georgia Lady
Bulldog star Rhonda Malone.
Phillips is the third member
of her family to sign a profes-
sional contract as she follows
in the footsteps of brothers
Brandon and P.J. Phillips who
are both playing professional
baseball. Brandon is the starting
second baseman for the Cincin-
nati Reds and P.J. is in the Los
Angeles Angels farm system.
Porsha Phillips, an all-SEC performer at the University of Georgia, was selected with the 30th pick in the WNBA Draft by the
San Antonio Silver Stars. Photos Courtesy of UGA Sports Communications

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WWW. CHAMPI ONNEWSPAPER. COM FRI DAY, JUNE 24, 2011 VOL. 14, NO.

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