Kudos ...
Come on now ...
Send us your nominees
... to the National Association of Let ter Carriers union on Candler Road, former “Come On Now” recipients, for cleaning up its streetside shrubs.
... not sure who de serves it more, the person(s) who dis carded three tires along Rockland Road in Lithonia or the person(s) who cleared the area and left the tires.
Welcome to “Kudos & Come On Now,” the CrossRoads News initiative that highlights the people, businesses or groups who are going the extra mile to make our communities look better, as well as those who aren’t doing nearly enough. When you see examples at either extreme, tweet a photo and the location to us @CRNews_DeKalb or post it to facebook.com/crossroadsnews with #KudosDeKalb or #ComeOnDeKalb. For more examples of Kudos & Come On Now, visit crossroadsnews.com/kudos.
EAST ATLANTA • DECATUR • STONE MOUNTAIN • LITHONIA • AVONDALE ESTATES • CLARKSTON • ELLENWOOD • PINE LAKE • REDAN • SCOTTDALE • TUCKER
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August 1, 2015
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Volume 21, Number 14
Ellis seeking to overturn his sentence, jail time By Jennifer Ffrench Parker
Convicted DeKalb CEO Burrell Ellis is appealing his five-year sentence for attempted theft by extortion and perjury. Lawyers for Ellis, who is serving 18 months at Coastal State Prison in Savannah, filed a notice of appeal on July 21 in DeKalb Superior Court. The notice of appeal lists 18 areas that Ellis, a former DeKalb County commissioner and the suspended CEO, plans to challenge. Ellis was convicted July 1 for attempting to extort a $2,500 campaign contribution
from county vendor Power and Energy Services and for lying to a special grand jury investigating corruption in county government. Most of his legal challenges pertain to limits that DeKalb Superior Burrell Ellis Court Judge Courtney Johnson placed on defense witnesses’ testimony and evidence. Among them, limitations she placed on Ellis’ “good character” witness testimony
on May 12, 2015, denying state’s motion to exclude the testimony of Rick Thompson because of discovery violation; limiting testimony that Ellis was “set up” on Sept. 15, 2014; and the May 16, 2014, motion to suppress the search of Ellis’ residence and office and seizure of evidence. The notice of appeal, filed by Ellis’ legal team – attorneys Anthony Lake, Dwight Thomas and Kemay Jackson – requests that the clerk of Superior Court transmit the transcripts of evidence and proceedings to the state Court of Appeals. Ellis was starting his second four-year
term as DeKalb’s CEO when he was indicted on 14 counts in 2013. He was tried twice by DeKalb District Attorney Robert James. Ellis’ first trial in 2014 ended in a hung jury. The charges were reduced to nine counts for the second trial. A DeKalb jury found him guilty on one count of attempt to commit theft by extortion and three counts of perjury. Ellis, who was suspended from office by Gov. Nathan Deal, lost his $153,000 paycheck when he was convicted. Johnson also sentenced Ellis to pay a fine of $1,000 and serve three-and-a-half years on probation when he gets out of prison.
Blank’s Major League Soccer team picks DeKalb Forty-one acres owned by DeKalb County behind the county jail and the former Recorders Court building on Camp Road in Decatur would be transformed into headquarters and practice fields for Arthur Blank’s new Atlanta United FC Major League Soccer team. The Atlanta Falcons owner is to invest $30 million, and the county put in $12 million to $15 million in land, fees and demolition services.
BOC set to vote on $45 million project on Aug. 4 By Jennifer Ffrench Parker
Decatur could become home to the headquarters and practice fields for the new Atlanta United FC Major League Soccer team. The DeKalb Board of Commissioners is set to vote on the project, which will cost $45 million to $47 million, at an Aug. 4 special called meeting. If approved, it would transform 41 acres of county-owned land on Camp Road behind the DeKalb County Jail, the Bobby Burgess Building and former DeKalb Recorders Court buildings near Memorial Drive and I-285. The proposal, negotiated by the DeKalb Development Authority, which now operates as Decide DeKalb, calls for billionaire team owner Arthur Blank to invest $30 million and DeKalb County to provide the 41 acres, valued at $3 million to $5 million; pay $5 million to clear the sprawling site and prepare it for construction; and give Blank’s group $7 million in Facility Use Payments over the 30-year ground lease agreement. In addition, the county would waive all taxes, including property tax, Arthur Blank for the life of the lease; waive all building, mechanical, electrical and plumbing permits and impact fees; and bear the cost of relocating several DeKalb Roads & Drainage offices and parking lots now on the site. The deal was added last minute to the Board of Commissioners’ July 28 meeting agenda but was deferred to the Aug. 4 meeting. In a July 29 statement, interim CEO Lee May said the discussions with the BOC, which must approve the deal, have been positive and cooperative. “We are encouraged and excited by their interest to potentially become part of the future of ‘Downtown DeKalb’ and the revitalization of Memorial Drive,” he said. “We look
Jennifer Ffrench Parker / CrossRoadsNews
forward to continuing these discussions.” Decide DeKalb Chairman Vaughn Irons said that his team worked very hard to land the Atlanta United FC team. “This is an exciting project for DeKalb County,” Irons said, noting that DeKalb competed with Marietta and Kennesaw for the opportunity. If it flies, the soccer headquarters/stadium would be the largest deal to come to south DeKalb County in the past seven years. Last October, light- Vaughn Irons ing manufacturer Acuity Brands Inc. announced that it is investing $11 million to retrofit its old Lithonia Lighting building in the Snapfinger Industrial Park for a new Engineering and Technology Center. Irons said that DeKalb was able to beat the competition for the project because of the site’s proximity to the Kensington MARTA station and to Clarkston, home to
many soccer-loving nationalities. “We definitely sold the fact that DeKalb has an unmatched international population and focused on what the team could do to electrify such a fan base,” he said. Under the proposed agreement, the county’s $7 million Facility Use Payments will be made in three annual $2.33 million payments, followed by $10 a year for the remaining 27 years. The payment would be for DeKalb Parks and Recreation use of up to 6,000 square feet of office space that Blank will build at the site and for the county’s use of the soccer fields and the stadium when the team is not using them. DeKalb also would have to persuade MARTA to build a pedestrian bridge from its Kensington station to the project’s site and help find funding for the bridge and apply for Opportunity Zone designation for the area from the Georgia Department of Community Affairs. It also is requiring the BOC to float a March 2016 Special Options Sales Tax Refer-
endum Ballot for Capital Improvements and obtain the buy-in from the DeKalb School Board for a proposed Kensington Tax Allocation District. The county also would have to fund its share of maintenance and capital repairs for the Parks Department offices and allow the Atlanta United FC and the public to use the DeKalb Juvenile Justice Center parking lot on a first-come, first-served basis.
Expansion franchise in Atlanta The Atlanta United FC soccer team, a Major League Soccer expansion franchise in Atlanta, was announced by the league in April 2014. Blank, a co-founder of Home Depot and owner of the Atlanta Falcons, is the team’s owner and operator. The team will play games in the new Atlanta stadium currently under construction but is agreeing to construct and operate its corporate headquarters on the Decatur site and build the 3,500-seat outdoor stadium, Please see SOCCER, page 3
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Scene
CrossRoadsNews
August 1, 2015
“Every year, the Family & Back-to-School Expo helps to get parents and kids in the mood for heading back to school.”
Scenes from the 2015 Family & Back-to-School Expo
Oakhurst Medical Centers provided hearing and vision screenings (above) for back to school and blood pressure and diabetes screenings (left) for adults at the expo.
Photos By Curtis Parker / CrossRoadsNews
Students from Georgia Stars Academy of Dance were among several who entertained the audience with acrobatic dance routines.
A SWAT team member from the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office “deputizes” students to stay in school and get good grades.
During a break in the entertainment, kids took to the stage to dance to Silentó’s pop hit, “Watch Me (Whip/NaeNae).” Far left, a parent signs up at the Girl Scouts of Greater Atlanta’s table. At left, hundreds of students signed DeKalb Solicitor General Sherry Boston’s pledge to strive for perfect attendance.
Perennial expo favorites the Beulah Boys did not disappoint with their unique brand of sassy line dance moves.
New DeKalb Schools Superintendent Dr. R. Stephen Green took to the stage to greet expo visitors.
Grand prize winner Barbara Grendraw-Patten and her grandchildren are flanked by CrossRoadsNews Publisher Jennifer Parker (left) and Lithonia Mayor Deborah Jackson.
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CrossRoadsNews
August 1, 2015
Community
“Their records are distinguished and impressive and I am confident that they will serve the American people well from the United States District Court bench.”
State Court Judge Dax Lopez nominated to federal bench By Jennifer Ffrench Parker
DeKalb State Court Judge Dax López has been nominated for a federal judgeship on the U.S. District Court in Atlanta. López was one of seven judges nominated July 30 by President Barack Obama to serve on the U.S. District Courts. He will fill the last vacancy on Georgia’s Northern Dax Lopez District bench. The others are Judge Susan Paradise Baxter and Judge Robert John Colville to the Western District of Pennsylvania; Inga
S. Bernstein to the District of Massachusetts; Judge Gary Richard Brown to the Eastern District of New York; Judge Marilyn Jean Horan to the Western District of Pennsylvania; and Judge John Milton Younge to the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. The White House said that López would be the first Hispanic person in Georgia to get a lifetime-appointed federal judgeship. The president said that nominees have displayed unwavering commitment to justice and integrity throughout their careers. “Their records are distinguished and impressive,” he said, “and I am confident that they will serve the American people well from the United States District Court bench.”
López, who was born in Puerto Rico and grew up in Georgia, was appointed to the DeKalb bench in 2010 by Gov. Sonny Perdue to succeed Judge Edward E. Carriere, who took early retirement. When he took the oath of office on Sept. 23, 2010, he was only the second Latino in Georgia’s history appointed to serve on a Georgia trial court. He is currently the only Latino trial court judge in the state. López, 39, won election to the seat in a hotly contested race in 2012. Before joining the DeKalb bench where he presides over both civil and criminal matters, López was an attorney at Foltz Martin LLC (now dissolved) in Atlanta; the law firm of Ashe, Rafuse & Hill LLP (now Polsinelli
PC); and at Holland & Knight. López, a graduate of Vanderbilt Law School, began his legal career as a law clerk to the Honorable Héctor Laffitte, chief judge of the U.S. District Court for the District of Puerto Rico. His White House nomination must be approved by Congress. If approved, López will be the second DeKalb State Court judge appointed to Georgia’s Northern District by Obama. Judge Eleanor Ross took her seat on the bench in February. She is the first AfricanAmerican female to sit on the Northern District bench. It was unclear at press time Thursday when the congressional hearing into López’s appointment will take place.
May appoints two to DeKalb Board of Ethics Man dies in shooting Attorney Christopher E. Bruce and Nikki Forman, a public relations/communications professional, have been appointed to the DeKalb Board of Ethics. Interim CEO Lee May, who announced their selection on July 28, said they bring a wealth of experience and perspective to the DeKalb Board of Ethics and will restore the board to its full Christopher Bruce membership of seven. Board members serve seven-year terms. “The Ethics Board can proceed with the myriad of important issues before it,” May said. Bruce, a workers compensation associate with Speed, Seta, Martin and Trivett in Lawrenceville, previously worked
Nikki Forman
in the office of the DeKalb solicitor general. He earned his Juris Doctorate from the University of Georgia School of Law. Forman is a marketing communications coordinator for DeKalb Regional Health System in Decatur. She was previously a communications specialist with the South Georgia Medical Center in Valdosta and earned her Master of Business Administration from the University
of Phoenix. Bruce and Forman replace CEO appointees Robert Blackman and Bobbie Kennedy Sanford, who resigned their positions. For more information, visit www.onedekalb.com.
at Decatur gas station A man was found shot in the chest in a red pickup on July 30 at a Candler Road gas station, but his name had not been released at press time Thursday night. DeKalb Police said the man in his 20s was found about 6:30 a.m. at the Valero gas station near the Candler Road/I-20 West entrance ramp. He died later at an area hospital. Police said people near the scene reported hearing two shots. Police towed away a U-Haul truck that was parked next to where the victim was found. It will be processed for evidence. Investigators also will examine video from the gas station’s surveillance cameras for clues.
County to foot demolition costs SOCCER,
from page
1
the Parks Department offices, and three soccer fields with design input from the county and Decide DeKalb. The team also is agreeing not to relocate during the terms of the 30-year ground lease as long as the county and Decide DeKalb are not at fault; pay for its share of capital repairs and improvements to the complex; pay the county 15 percent of net revenues from any naming rights to the complex that are sold; and allow the county to use the fields and the stadium at no charge other than Facility Use Payments. The agreement is silent on the number of jobs that the project will create, but the team also is agreeing to hire DeKalb residents for at least 10 percent of construction, maintenance and operations jobs. To offset its state income tax liability, the team says it will take job tax credits of $3,500 for every job created. In a July 29 email to his constituents, District 2 Commissioner Jeff Rader said that “other than 83 jobs of the headquarters operation with a payroll of $17 million per year, there is no projection of economic impact of the Jeff Rader proposal.” The headquarters/soccer stadium project is on a fast track to be completed for the Major League Soccer season that kicks off in March 2017. The team wants to begin construction by January 2016, and it is requiring the parties to negotiate and execute the Memorandum of Understanding within 60 days of agreeing to it. The Memorandum of Understanding calls for Blank to build the project in two phases. The first phase, on 30 acres, would consist of a two-story, 15,000- to 20,000-square-foot
building for Atlanta United team offices; three grass soccer fields; a 3,500-seat multipurpose outdoor stadium with up to 6,000 square feet of office space for the exclusive use of DeKalb Parks and Recreation Department; and parking spaces and greenspace. Phase 2 would consist of the development, construction and installation of all or some combination of an indoor training facility and four additional soccer fields on an additional 11 acres, “as the parties recognize that the needs of the team and the operator, with respect to the project, may change from time to time.” The proposed agreement also calls for the county to pay for demolition, clearing, grading, irrigation, drainage, and sod installation to ready the land for the team’s headquarters and soccer complex. In its midyear budget adjustment, approved July 21, the BOC allocated $3 million for the Camp Road demolition, which means it will have to find another $2 million to complete the project. The deal’s structure calls for the county to enter into a long-term ground lease for the 41 acres with Decide DeKalb, which in turn will enter into a Management and Operating Agreement with Blank for 20 years with two five-year automatic renewals. At the end of the 30 years, the land, buildings, fields and stadium and any other improvement revert to the county at no cost. The agreement also requires the county and Decide DeKalb to secure all permits, approval and consents “as expeditiously and efficiently as possible,” “to waive all permitting fees,” and to allow the placement of “appropriately sized signage” to ensure the success of the project. The proposed agreement also is requiring that the county demolish and relocate the DeKalb Animal Center by December 2016 and to ensure that any redevelopment of the site “shall be compatible with headquarters and soccer complex.”
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Community 2346 Candler Rd. Decatur, GA 30032 404-284-1888 Fax: 404-284-5007 www.crossroadsnews.com editor@crossroadsnews.com
Editor / Publisher Jennifer Parker Assistant Editor Brenda Yarbrough Staff Writers Jennifer Ffrench Parker Ken Watts Front Office Manager Catherine Guy Circulation Manager Alexandria LeKae Ford Graphic Design Curtis Parker
CrossRoadsNews is published every Saturday by CrossRoadsNews, Inc. We welcome articles on neighborhood issues and news of local happenings. The opinions expressed by writers and contributors are not necessarily those of the publisher, nor those of any advertisers. The concept, design and content of CrossRoadsNews are copyrighted and may not be copied or reproduced in whole or in part in any manner without the written permission of the publisher. Advertisements are published upon the representation that the advertiser is authorized to publish the submitted material. The advertiser agrees to indemnify and hold harmless from and against any loss or expenses resulting from any disputes or legal claims based upon the contents or subject matter of such advertisments, including claims of suits for libel, violation of privacy, plagiarism and copyright infringement. We reserve the right to refuse any advertisement.
August 1, 2015
“We have great plans for the future. The campus puts us in a position to serve more students from the southern part of the county.”
GPTC’s South DeKalb campus opens Aug. 19 By Jennifer Ffrench Parker
Georgia Piedmont Technical College’s new South DeKalb campus will open its doors to students on Aug. 19. A ribbon-cutting ceremony is set for Aug. 20 at 10 a.m. The 50,000-square-foot campus at 2460 Wesley Chapel Road is now enrolling students online at www. gptc.edu for its Adult Education, GED and credit courses. GPTC President Jabari Simama said it is expecting 500 to 800 students this semester. He said that most of them will likely be new to GPTC and will enroll because the location is convenient and accessible. “The campus can become a game changer in higher education and a model for this underserved community,” he said on July 27. “It will make education opportunity visible and accessible for this community.” At full capacity, the South DeKalb campus, located in the Wesley Chapel Crossing shopping center, will serve 3,000 students age 16 to 65. It is opening in the old Everest Institute building that has been vacant for three years. The college says it will target more than 200,000 residents in four South DeKalb ZIP codes – 30034, 30035, 30038 and 30058 – where more than 65,000 residents lack high school diplomas. Simama, who became GPTC president in September 2012, said the campus fulfills a mission for him. “I lived in South DeKalb and got married there in the 1970s,” he said. “The people and the area stayed with me. I really believe in the area and from the first day I started here, it was a vision of mine to better serve the South DeKalb community.” The campus, which was announced in February, will offer a menu of academic courses, including business management, accounting, industrial technology, English, math, psychology, electronic technology, and industrial safety. Simama said a barbering program also is planned for next spring in response to a long demand. “For as long as I have been here, our cosmetology students have been asking for barbering,” he said. “They have to pay $18,000 a year to go to barber school. Here they will pay $2,000 a semester for a two-semester program.” The campus cost $500,000 to open and Simama said it will have an economic impact of $1 million a year on the area surrounding it. “The businesses that will benefit will include restaurants, the fitness center, grocery stores, the doughnut shops, gas stations and MARTA,” he said. “The campus will also influence nearby businesses to fix up their properties and they will have access to our students for employees.”
Circulation Audited By
Curtis Parker / CrossRoadsNews
Georgia Piedmont Technical College plans a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Aug. 20 for its new South DeKalb campus.
“We know where the skill shortages and gaps are. But ultimately the way to be successful will be to meet the expressed needs of the community. We can be flexible and nimble and have been.” Dr. Jabari Simama, GPTC president
Simama said the South DeKalb campus will likely become a niche for small-business development and entrepreneurship. In preparation for it, Cynthia Dorsey Edwards, GPTC’s vice president of Economic Development & Community Engagement, said the college has developed a partnership with a number of business organizations, and in October it will offer a series of stand-alone lectures on starting, marketing and operating a business. In February, it will begin offering an eight-week small-business development program each semester from 6 to 8 p.m. Edwards said South DeKalb campus community partners include Decide DeKalb, the DeKalb Chamber of Commerce, the South DeKalb Business Association, the Greater Lithonia Chamber of Commerce and the Atlanta Urban League. If the community wants it and demand is there, Simama said it also can offer classes on weekends. “We have great plans for the future,” he said. “The campus puts us in a position to serve more students from the southern part of the county.” High schools based in South DeKalb continue to have a high number of students who leave the district without a high school diploma. In May, 964 students – that’s 15.5 percent of 2015 seniors, down from 1,456 or 24 percent in 2014 – left the district without a high school diploma. Simama said GPTC wants to
impact that situation in a positive way by working with the DeKalb School District to target students in middle school. “We are already working with DeKalb Schools in the dual enrollment program that allows students to take college courses,” he said. “If we expose kids in the feeder schools to the high schools interested in high-paying technical careers in welding, technology and the like, they will be excited about finishing school.” As the South DeKalb campus opens for business, Simama said GPTC would like the community to take ownership of the campus. He said it will listen to the community and incorporate its wishes in plans for the campus. He said the college has the ability and flexibility to customize and tailor courses for the community and businesses. “We know where the skill shortages and gaps are,” he said. “But ultimately the way to be successful will be to meet the expressed needs of the community. We can be flexible and nimble and have been.” Jackie Echols, Adult Education dean, said the South DeKalb campus will help area residents improve their earning potential. She said the 2012 U.S. Census shows that the average high school dropout will earn $20,241, while the typical high school graduate makes $36,627. The Adult Education program, which starts Aug. 19 at the South DeKalb campus, will offer day and evening programs in basic literacy and GED courses.
Echols said it will be a great opportunity to serve the area that has the largest census of need – 65,000 residents without high school diplomas – and is in need of an Adult Education program. “The campus will put us front and center in the county to increase the number of individuals who high school diplomas,” she said. When enrollment for the programs went live on the college’s Web site, Echols said that 40 people immediately signed up. “That underscores the need,” she said, adding that she is expecting about 300 students to enroll this semester. Leading up to the ribbon-cutting, the college has been hosting community and faith-based group tours of the campus. Two weeks ago, more than 30 business owners toured the facility, and on July 28, about eight church members visited. The Rev. Deanne Lynch, pastor of Rockland United Methodist Church in Lithonia, said she was very impressed with the size of the facility and the opportunities that it will offer to South DeKalb residents. She said the college’s Adult Education program will be a boon for people without high school diplomas. “It would definitely help the economy overall because then they would be able to get employment that they may not be able to get now without their high school diploma,” she said. GPTC also will offer an accelerated opportunity program at the campus, where students can get skill training at the same time that they are completing their GED. Continuing Education courses that will be offered include computer literacy, typing, Spanish, and health and nutrition as well as a 3-D fabrication lab.
index to advertisers Art Awakening............................................... 11 Avon.............................................................. 11 Braids By Theresa.......................................... 11 Chapel Hill Orthodontics.................................6 DeKalb Clerk of Superior Court......................9 DeKalb County Watershed Mgmt.................... 3
DeKalb County Watershed Mgmt.................... 5 Georgia Military College.................................6 Henry Mitchell, CPA, PC................................. 11 JenCare Medical Centers................................. 5 LawnMax, Inc................................................. 11 Macy’s............................................................12
Mini Mall........................................................ 11 Porter Sanford Performing Arts Center.......... 8 Soul Discount Fabrics..................................... 11 The Mall at Stonecrest.................................... 7 The Samuel Group......................................... 11 Best Buy..................................................Inserts
Walgreen’s..............................................Inserts Walmart..................................................Inserts Allstate - Rochelle Bridges Johnson....... Online Decatur Business Association................. Online Georgia Military College........................ Online
August 1, 2015
Community
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CrossRoadsNews
“It is important that members of the community feel like they know our officers. This is a great opportunity.”
National Night Out activities abound across the county The cities of Clarkston, Decatur, Lithonia and Stone Mountain are joining thousands of communities nationwide celebrating National Night Out on Aug. 4. The annual crime prevention observance, which began in 1984, promotes police-community partnerships. The Clarkston Police Department’s celebration takes place from 6 to 8 p.m. at Milam Park, 3867 Norman Road. It features kids activities, free food, Public Safety vehicle displays, plus Batman, Captain America and
Minions. Email cityhall@cityofclarkston.com. The Decatur Police Department and Decatur Housing Authority will co-host a personal safety presentation for seniors at the Oliver House in the morning. At 4 p.m., festivities begin at the main DHA properties and at 5:30 p.m. at Spring Pointe Apartments in Oakhurst. There will be vendors, music and food. Police and Fire departments will hand out
school supplies and safety information. Email dsf@decaturha.org. In Lithonia, crime prevention activities take place from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the Municipal Complex, 6920 Main St. There will be safety tips and demonstrations, giveaways, a hoop challenge, and fun for all ages. For more information, contact Sgt. Lloyd Owens at 770-482-8947. In the city of Stone Mountain, the Police Department will have gifts for the first 100
children attending the 4-to-7 p.m. celebration at the Farmers Market in the Municipal Parking Lot on Main Street. Officers will answer questions, and a new patrol car will be on display. Chief Chauncey Troutman said the department is excited. “It is important that members of the community feel like they know our officers,” he said. “This is a great opportunity to build our relationships in a positive manner.” Call 770-498-8984, Ext. 137.
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Wellness
August 1, 2015
“These findings give us a better understanding of the importance of coronary calcium scans to predict mortality.”
Safe handling of produce, juice prevents food poisoning Prepare safely Cut away any damaged or bruised areas on fruits and vegetables before preparing and/or eating. If it looks rotten, discard it.
Safe handling of produce and fresh-squeezed juice is especially important during the summer months because foodborne bacteria multiply faster in warm weather and fresh fruits and vegetables are often consumed raw. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration offers these tips for safely handling produce from farmers markets and stands, grocery stores, and even backyard gardens to prevent food poisoning, also called foodborne illness:
Buy right Purchase produce that is not bruised or damaged. When selecting pre-cut produce such as a half a watermelon or bagged salad greens, choose items that are refrigerated or on ice. Bag fresh fruits and vegetables and keep them separate from raw meat, poultry and seafood in your cart and shopping bags. Wash thoroughly Wash all produce under plain running water before eating, peeling, cutting or cooking and dry with a clean cloth towel or paper towel. Scrub firm produce, such as melons and cucumbers, with a clean produce brush. For pre-packaged produce, read the label – if it says prewashed and ready-to-eat, you can use it without further washing.
Store properly Keep perishable fruits and vegetables in a clean refrigerator at 40 degrees Fahrenheit or below and separated from raw meat, poultry and seafood. Always refrigerate produce that is purchased pre-cut or peeled. Check your juice Children, older adults, pregnant women and people with weakened immune systems – such as transplant patients and individuals with HIV/AIDS, cancer and diabetes – risk serious illness or even death from drinking juices that have Fresh fruits and vegetables are often consumed raw – keep not been pasteurized or otherwise treated to control harmseparate from raw meat, poultry and seafood in carts and bags. ful bacteria. Untreated juices sold in refrigerated cases of grocery or Prevent cross contamination health food stores, cider mills, and farmers’ markets must Wash cutting boards, dishes, utensils and countertops contain a warning label indicating that the product has not with soap and hot water between preparation of raw meat, been pasteurized. Warning labels are not required for juice poultry and seafood and preparation of produce that will or cider that is fresh-squeezed and sold by the glass. not be cooked. For more information, visit www.fda.gov or call Always wash hands before and after preparing food. 1-888-SAFEFOOD.
Scan may show early death risk Bowling tourney to fight senior hunger A simple heart scan may help identify patients at risk for premature death, a new study by Emory University researchers suggests. The study, which appears in the online edition of Annals of Internal Medicine, suggests that coronary artery calcification scans, an X-ray test that looks for specks of calcium in Leslee Shaw the walls of the coronary arteries, could help physicians identify patients at particular risk for early death. The specks of calcium, called calcifications, are an early sign of coronary artery disease. Researchers from the Emory School of Medicine, led by Leslee Shaw, a professor of cardiology, collected and assessed CAC scores and risk factor data taken from 9,715 study participants between 1996 and 1999. “These findings give us a better
understanding of the importance of coronary calcium scans to predict mortality,” Shaw said on July 12. “Patients with high calcium scores might be advised by their physicians to adopt healthier lifestyles, which could lead to better outcomes and potentially help lengthen their lives.” The patients, who were scanned as part a community-outreach screening program at an outpatient clinic in Nashville, showed no symptoms of coronary artery disease at the time of the scans. About 86 percent of the participants were white, 8 percent were African-American, 4 percent were Hispanic, and 2 percent were Asian. Researchers found that the score accurately predicted all-cause mortality up to 15 years in the asymptomatic patients. The authors suggest that CAC scanning could help identify patients at risk for early death. Visit www.emory.edu for more information.
The Bowl for Seniors tournament at Midtown Bowl on Aug. 8 aids Senior Connections, which manages four of DeKalb’s neighborhood senior centers. The two-hour Giving League Summer bowling tournament begins at 10 a.m. All fees will be donated to Senior Connections to help provide essential home and community-based services for seniors in need. Register at http://givingleagues.org/ tournaments/50959-summer-bowling-tournament.
Prizes include team and individual winner trophies and Rheos interchangeable sunglasses. Senior Connections helps seniors “age in place” and directly impacts senior residents in DeKalb, Cobb, Fulton, Gwinnett, Pike, Rockdale, Spalding and Bibb counties. It prepares and delivers 2,500 meals daily and provides almost 60,000 hours annually of in-home care, home repairs for more than 200 homes, and health and wellness classes and seminars. Midtown Bowl is at 1936 Piedmont Circle N.E. in Atlanta.
5K Arabia run/walk to benefit students Students at Murphey Candler Elementary in Lithonia will benefit from the Arabia Mountain Run on Aug. 16. The 5K run/walk, which begins at 8 a.m. at the Davidson-Arabia Nature Preserve, takes place on the Arabia Mountain Path and ends at Stonecrest Square. Race-day registration/packet pickup starts at 6:30 a.m. Participants will receive a T-shirt
and finishers medal, and there will be awards for overall top male and female runners. No strollers or pets will be allowed on the race course. A portion of the proceeds will help buy school supplies for students at Murphey Candler. The nature preserve is at 3787 Klondike Road in Lithonia. To register and for more information, visit www.runarabia.com.
Join us for ...
The 2015 E
X &Baby Boomer P O SENIORS
October 17, 2015 • Noon - 5 p.m. at the Mall at Stonecrest
Limited number of sponsorships available. Call 404-284-1888 to confirm your participation.
Join us for Health Screenings, Food & Fitness Demos, and Performances.
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CrossRoadsNews
August 1, 2015
Finance
Financial experts will offer practical strategies for getting out of debt and managing personal finances.
Library to host debt management workshop Experts to talk Internet security Residents can pick up pointers on personal finances at Get Out of Debt on Aug. 3 and Aug. 8 at the Salem-Panola Library in Lithonia. Financial experts will offer practical strategies for getting out of debt and managing personal finances at the series of workshops. DeKalb Public Library is presenting the classes in partnership with Community Outreach for Financial Education. Call or visit the branch to
register. The Aug. 3 class takes place from 6 to 8 p.m., and the Aug. 8 class is 10 a.m. to noon. The library is at 5137 Salem Road. For more information, call 770-987-6900. Workshops also will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. on Aug. 11 and 10 a.m. to noon on Aug. 15 at Hairston Crossing Library, 4911 Redan Road in Stone Mountain. Call 404-508-7170 for more information.
Computer security expert Steve Norfolk will present Internet Security on Aug. 8 at Redan-Trotti Library in Lithonia. The program begins at 11 a.m. Norfolk will teach participants about good computing practices, email risks, creating strong passwords, protecting personal identity information, and other risks of using the Internet. The program is designed for beginners and experienced computer users. The library is at 1569 Wellborn Road. For more information, call 770482-3821.
(60) days of July 10, 2015. Witness the Honorable Asha F. Jackson, Judge of the DeKalb Superior Court. This the 10th day of July, 2015 07/18, 07/25, 08/01, 08/08
Notice OF PUBLICATION
Legal Notices 07/11, 07/18, 07/25, 08/01
Notice of Petition to Change Name of ADULT in the Superior Court of DeKalb County State of Georgia
Civil Action Case Number: ++ 15CV6986-3++ LaKayla Beard filed a petition in the DeKalb County Superior Court on June 29, 2015 to change name from: Baby Girl Clay to LaKayla Caprese’ Beard. Any interested party has the right to appear In this case and file objections within 30 days after the Petition was filed. Dated: Jun.29, 2015 Name: LaKayla Beard 619 Winchester Ave. Lincoln Park, MI 48146 757-478-8095 07/11, 07/18, 07/25, 08/01
Notice of Petition to Change Name of ADULT in the Superior Court of DeKalb County State of Georgia
Civil Action Case Number: ++ 15CV6876-7++ Barbie Jean Manning filed a petition in the DeKalb County Superior Court
on June 26, 2015 to change name from: Barbie Jean Manning to Barbara Barbie Jean Manning AKA Barbara Jean Manning. Any interested party has the right to appear In this case and file objections within 30 days after the Petition was filed. Dated: May 03, 2015 Name: Barbara Wright Roberts AKA Barbie Jean Manning 2766 Joyce Ave. Decatur, GA 30032 678-536-6904 07/11, 07/18, 07/25, 08/01
Notice OF PUBLICATION in the Superior Court of DeKalb County State of Georgia
Civil Action Case Number: ++ 15CV6989-3++ Trenton Howard Plaintiff Vs. Monique Mayrant Howard Defendant To: Monique Mayrant Howard 3073 Washington Rd. East Point, GA 30344 By Order of the Court for service by publication dated July 06, 2015 you are hereby notified that on Jul. 02, 2015, the
above-named Plaintiff filed suit against you for Divorce. You are required to file with the Clerk of the Superior Court, and to serve upon the Plaintiff’s attorney whose name and address is: Trenton Howard, 2211 Holly Hill Drive, Decatur, GA 30032. Answer in writing within sixty (60) days of Jul. 06, 2015. Witness the Honorable Clarence F. Seeliger, Judge of the DeKalb Superior Court. This the 7th day of Jul., 2015 07/18, 07/25, 08/01, 08/08
Notice OF PUBLICATION in the Superior Court of DeKalb County State of Georgia
Civil Action Case Number: ++15CV7091-4++ Pendall Carroll Plaintiff Vs. Charise Carroll Defendant To: Charise Carroll By Order of the Court for service by publication dated July 07, 2015 you are hereby notified that on July 02, 2015, the above-named Plaintiff filed suit against you for Divorce. You are required to file with the Clerk of the Superior Court, and
in the Superior Court of DeKalb County State of Georgia
to serve upon the Plaintiff’s attorney whose name and address is: Pendall L. Carroll, 4165 Emerald North Drive, Decatur, GA 30035. Answer in writing within sixty (60) days of July 07, 2015. Witness the Honorable Gail C. Flake, Judge of the DeKalb Superior Court. This the 8th day of July, 2015 07/18, 07/25, 08/01, 08/08
Notice OF PUBLICATION in the Superior Court of DeKalb County State of Georgia
Civil Action Case Number: ++15CV6991-2++ LeTricia C. Williams Plaintiff Vs. Allante A. Anderson Defendant To: By Order of the Court for service by publication dated July 10, 2015 you are hereby notified that on July 02, 2015, the above-named Plaintiff filed suit against you for Divorce. You are required to file with the Clerk of the Superior Court, and to serve upon the Plaintiff’s attorney whose name and address is: 3771 Leyanne Ct, Decatur, GA 30034. Answer in writing within sixty
Civil Action Case Number: ++15CV6994-1++ Chanelle Jones Plaintiff Vs. Jonathan Jones Defendant To: By Order of the Court for service by publication dated July 10, 2015 you are hereby notified that on June 30, 2015, the above-named Plaintiff filed suit against you for Divorce. You are required to file with the Clerk of the Superior Court, and to serve upon the Plaintiff’s attorney whose name and address is: 1414 D Post Oak Drive, Clarkston, GA 30021; (570) 974-5211. Answer in writing within sixty (60) days of July 10, 2015. Witness the Honorable Courtney L. Johnson, Judge of the DeKalb Supe rior Court. This the 13th day of July, 2015 08/01, 08/08, 08/15, 08/22
Notice OF PUBLICATION in the Superior Court of DeKalb County State of Georgia
Civil Action Case Number: ++15CV7163-2++ Kizuwanda Boyd Plaintiff Vs. Dwayne A. Hawkins
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Defendant To: By Order of the Court for service by publication dated July 15, 2015 you are hereby notified that on Jul. 09, 2015, the above-named Plaintiff filed suit against you for Divorce. You are required to file with the Clerk of the Superior Court, and to serve upon the Plaintiff’s attorney whose name and address is: Kizuwanda Boyd, 2844 Valley Ridge Drive, Decatur, GA 30032. Answer in writing within sixty (60) days of July 15, 2015. Witness the Honorable Asha F. Jackson, Judge of the DeKalb Superior Court. This the 16th day of July, 2015 08/01, 08/08, 08/15, 08/22
Notice OF PUBLICATION in the Superior Court of DeKalb County State of Georgia
Civil Action Case Number: ++15CV7162-2++ Shandar L. Smith Plaintiff Vs. Jason D. Smith Defendant To: Jason D. Smith 3560 Emerald Pointe Circle College Park, GA 30037 By Order of the Court for service by publication dated July 15, 2015 you are hereby notified that on Jul. 09, 2015, the above-named Plaintiff filed suit against you for Divorce. You are required to file with the Clerk of the Superior Court, and to serve upon the Plaintiff’s attorney whose name and address is: Shandar L. Smith, 3841 Kensington Rd., Apt. E44, Decatur, GA 30032. Answer in writing within sixty (60) days of July 15, 2015. Witness the Honorable Asha F. Jackson, Judge of the DeKalb Superior Court. This the 16th day of July, 2015
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Reader Notice As a service to you – our valued readers – we offer the following information: This newspaper will never knowingly ac cept any advertisement that is illegal or considered fraudulent. If you have questions or doubts about any ads on these pages, we advise that before responding or sending money ahead of time, you check with the Attorney General’s Consumer Fraud Line and/or the Better Business Bureau. They may have records or documented complaints that will serve to caution you about doing business with those advertisers. Also be advised that some phone numbers published in these ads may require an extra charge. In all cases of questionable value, such as promises or guaranteed income from work-at-home programs, money to loan, etc., if it sounds too good to be true – it may in fact be exactly that. This newspaper cannot be held responsible for any negative consequences that occur as a result of you doing business with any advertisers. Thank you.
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legal notices
DeKalb County Sheriff Office
Jeffrey L. Mann, Sheriff • 4415 Memorial Drive • Decatur, GA 30032
Sex Offender
Sex Offender
Sex Offender
James Addison 4599 Poplar Road Pine Lake, GA 30072 Charge of Lewd Act Upon A Child Convicted on 3/27/1998
Corey Corley 1705 Kenridge Pkwy Decatur, GA 30032 Charge of Criminal Sexual Conduct Convicted on 8/24/2000
Najja Hines 3121 Chaparral Place Lithonia, GA 30038 Charge of Statutory Rape Convicted on 9/10/2001
Sex Offender
Sex Offender
Sex Offender
Wallace Burse 4815 Buford Hwy Chamblee, GA 30341 Charge of Child Molestation Convicted on 5/5/2008
Carlos Dollar 4219 Colony East Drive Stn. Mtn, GA 30083 Charge of Criminal At tempt to Commit Promo tion of Prostitution Convicted on 4/21/2011
Octavious Hunter 1909 Cannon Street Decatur, GA 30032 Charge of Incest Convicted on 1/9/2007
Sex Offender
Charlie Jones, Jr. 4815 Buford Hwy Chamblee, GA 30341 Charge of Child Molestation Convicted on 11/28/2011
Sex Offender
Daniel King 1944 Montreal Rd Tucker, GA 30084 Charge of Computer to Solicit or Lure A Child to Engage in Sexual Conduct Convicted on 10/7/2010
Sex Offender
Sex Offender
Derrick Rhodes 3015 Fields Drive Lithonia, GA 30038 Charge of Oral Sexual Battery Convicted on 9/13/2001
John Webb 1704 Belle Isle Circle, NE Atlanta, GA 30329 Charge of Criminal Sexual Assault Convicted on 1/4/2002
Sex Offender
Sex Offender
Isaiah Spencer 6692 Stonehedge Way Stone Mountain, GA 30087 Charge of Statutory Rape Convicted on 4/2/2015
Keith Woods 1419 Cerro Vista Decatur, GA 30032 Charge of Child Molestation Convicted on 10/24/2005
The DeKalb Sex Offenders List is published by the DeKalb County Sheriff Office. For more information call the Sex Offender Unit at 404-298-8130.
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