CrossRoadsNews, August 12, 2017

YOUTH

SCENE

New year greeting

Ready for the eclipse?

DeKalb Schools Superintendent Dr. R. Stephen Green visited E.L. Bouie Elementary on the first day of school. 4

The SalemPanola Library on Aug. 14 will have sunglasses and projector kits to view the Aug. 21 solar eclipse, while they last. 6

Let’s Keep DeKalb Peachy Clean Please Don’t Litter Our Streets and Highways

EAST ATLANTA • DECATUR • STONE MOUNTAIN • LITHONIA • AVONDALE ESTATES • CLARKSTON • ELLENWOOD • PINE LAKE • REDAN • SCOTTDALE • TUCKER

August 12, 2017

Copyright © 2017 CrossRoadsNews, Inc.

Volume 23, Number 15

www.crossroadsnews.com

Dedicated left-turn signal to make intersection safer

By Jennifer Ffrench Parker

made the turn onto Thompson Mill Road.

DeKalb District 5 Commissioner Mereda Davis Johnson, who represents the area, said she heard concerns about the level of danger when turning left from Snapfinger onto Thompson Mill.

“Although a left turn signal already existed at the intersection, there have still been a number of accidents when vehicles Mereda Johnson were making a left turn in front of oncoming traffic,” she said. “I am pleased to report that the intersection has

The intersection of Snapfinger Road and Thompson Mill Road in Decatur now has dedicated left-turn arrows to help motorists navigate the wide roadway.

DeKalb County crews installed the new signals on Aug. 4, 23 days before the anniversary of a horrific Aug. 27, 2016, accident that claimed the lives of two members of the city of Lithonia’s prominent Woods family.

Brenda Drucilla Woods, 69, and Kiman Woods, 44, the sister and nephew of former Lithonia Mayor Marcia Glenn-Hunter and former City Council member Barbara Lester, died at the intersection when their Toyota was t-boned by a Mercedes-Benz as they Please see THOMPSON MILL, page 2

Protected leftturn signals were installed Aug. 4 at the intersection of Snapfinger Road and Thompson Mill Road, scene of three fatal accidents since 2012.

Jennifer Ffrench Parker / CrossRoadsNews

South DeKalb houses selling like hot cakes Buyers paying over list, but low inventory hampering market

Within two weeks of listing their five-bedroom, three-bath home in Ellenwood, Larry and Kameelah Chase had 16 offers, all of them above their asking price of $178,000.

By Jennifer Ffrench Parker

Within a day of listing their two-story Ellenwood home for sale in early July, Larry and Kameelah Chase had four offers.

Within two weeks, they had 16 offers, each of them above their listing price of $178,000.

By the end of July, they had a contract for $183,000 on the five-bedroom, three bathroom house.

Kameelah Chase said they were surprised and pleased.

“It makes me feel that finally our home values are coming back in South DeKalb,” she said.

The Chases are among a growing number of South DeKalb sellers who are seeing their homes sell above list prices, and quickly.

“We have quality homes that families want to move into,” said Chase, a DeKalb County Schools STEMS teacher, Her husband, who works for mortgage company, said they knew the market had changed when 55 people showed up for the open house their Realtor Lucretia Ramsey hosted.

Ramsey, owner of Ramsey Realty Service, reeled off other examples of recent sales she has made – all with multiple offers above list prices.

“We are rising from the ashes,” she says. “We have demand again for South DeKalb. The buyers are back.”

Ramsey says the turnaround in home Lucretia Ramsey values has been dramatic.

“We began noticing it in March,” she said.

Since then, Ramsey said it has become common to have five to seven offers above asking price on most listings.

For example, she recently sold a Stone Mountain house that was listed for $199,000 for $204,000 within a day. She also had a four-bedroom, three bath brick-front ranch, also in Stone Mountain, listed for $185,00, that closed for $189,000 within 30 days; and a Waters Edge home purchased for $88,000 in 2009, that sold for $204,000.

Ramsey and several other Realtors and agents active in the South DeKalb market now call it a sellers’ market.

“We have more buyers than sellers,” Ramsey said, “Buyers are ready to buy but it’s taking them months to find a house.

Jennifer Ffrench Parker / CrossRoadsNews

We need more sellers.”

Even with the current boom, property values have been slow to rebound in South DeKalb and lag behind North DeKalb and metro Atlanta. Still, this year’s reversal of fortune is noteworthy. Between 2009 and 2012, South DeKalb was ground zero for the foreclosure tsunami that hit DeKalb County and wiped out millions of dollars of real estate value.

At the height of the foreclosure crisis in the summer of 2010, Georgia ranked eighth in the nation for foreclosures, and DeKalb County, with 13,903 foreclosed homes, primarily in South DeKalb, ranked third statewide for the highest number of foreclosed properties behind Fulton and Gwinnett counties.

Since the 2007-2008 recession and the housing foreclosure crisis, Multiple Listing Service housing inventory has declined from 110,000 in 2008 to 33,000 currently.

Realtors say the current short supply is helping home values rebound in South DeKalb. Keith Palmer, a Realtor with Palmer House Properties, said the lack of inventory is now threatening the housing comeback.

“We need more inventory,” said Palmer, who has been selling real estate in South DeKalb for 18 years. “There is more demand than supply and if it continues, it will slow sales.”

Palmer thinks the current brisk market is the result of

pent-up demand and an increase in consumer confidence.

“More people are feeling more confident and they are ready to buy,” he said.

He says the 30032 ZIP Code is selling pretty well.

The Chases’ five-bedroom home, which has a partially finished basement, a nice deck built by Lowe’s, new flooring and a new roof, appraised higher than they expected. The couple, who has lived in the home for 10 years, are its second Keith Palmer owners. They bought it for $115,000 in 2007.

Kameelah Chase said their closing price will be good for nearby homeowners.

“It will catapult the values of other homes in my neighborhood,” she said.

While metro Atlanta’s housing market is up 13 percent in the last two years, the Realtors say the South DeKalb market, which saw seen values plummet 50 percent during the housing bust, has increased 24 percent in the same period.

They say the rebound is fueled by home buyers’ desire to be closer to the city of Atlanta and its interstates, and the values they are finding.

Please see REBOUND, page 3

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Forum

August 12, 2017

“People of color are learning that when Trump trumpets America First, he doesn’t include them in his America.

Seems Stonecrest leaders don’t believe we can govern ourselves

By John Evans

I was a strong advocate for the establishment of the city of Stonecrest, and worked hard with other proponents to get the new city approved by the voters. I thought a new city in South DeKalb would give black residents an opportunity to have local control of government, the same way white residents of North DeKalb had established a local government that reflected the population of their communities.

I thought that we would become a model to show other communities that we could handle our business just as effectively as they handle theirs.

I am concerned that the experiment in self-governance that is Stonecrest has gone off track.

So far it looks like the leaders we elected

“Our mayor and four of the five Council members believe that the ice on the north side is colder than south side ice. When you look at the pictures of those who have been appointed to key positions in Stonecrest government, about all that you see are the faces of those who don’t look like us.”

John Evans

have let us down. Apparently those leaders believe that we have to bring in people who don’t look like us to handle our government and our money for us.

Our mayor and four of the five council members believe that the ice on the north side is colder than south side ice.

When you look at the pictures of those who have been appointed to key positions in Stonecrest government, about all that

you see are the faces of those who don’t look like us.

Nine white men plus two black men with no females reminds me of the Trump administration.

The mayor and the council have voted to pay a private white firm $16.7 million of our money to run our city over the next five years.

That firm agreed to hire the mayor’s

friends and political cronies in return for the contract.

It is not right to hire political cronies into important and high paying jobs that they aren’t qualified to fill.

Some others whose appointments were approved by the City Council have conflicts of interest with the city or with the mayor.

This is alarming!

I will call out waste, fraud and abuse wherever I see it, and I won’t give up on Stonecrest.

We can and must do better. If these leaders won’t do right, we will elect some who will.

If things don’t change quickly we may need a quick recall election.

John Evans is the founder and CEO of the civil rights organization Operation LEAD, and former DeKalb NAACP president.

Trump’s agenda shows just how much African Americans have to lose By the Rev. Jesse L. Jackson Sr.

Campaigning for the presidency, Donald Trump argued that blacks and other people of color should vote for him. Given their current conditions, he argued, “What the hell do you have to lose?” Since winning the election, however, Trump seems intent on proving over and over again just how much African-Americans and other minorities have to lose.

Under Trump’s attorney general, former Alabama Sen. Jefferson Beauregard Sessions, the Justice Department has been turned into a Department of Injustice. Sessions, once rejected by a Republican-majority Senate for racially biased actions and statements when nominated to the federal bench by Ronald Reagan, has set about implanting Dixiecrat justice on the nation’s minorities.

He has directed federal prosecutors to seek the harshest sentences possible for nonviolent drug offenses, ensuring the continued incarceration of a disproportionate number of African Americans. The Justice Department has retreated from what was an emerging bipartisan consensus on sensible police reform. It has changed positions to support state laws that suppress minority

voting rights. It has extended the federal government’s power to seize the property of innocent Americans.

Now, as reported in the New York Times, the department is seeking political attorneys to investigate and sue universities “over affirmative action policies that are deemed to discriminate against white applicants.” The assault on affirmative action is classic dog whistle racial politics.

In fact, as former University of Michigan president Lee Bollinger has shown, affirmative action has helped to expand opportunity.

Campuses across the country have become more representative of the American people.

This has not only helped counter centuries of discrimination; it also allows students to learn with and from people of different backgrounds. This helps prepare the future leaders and citizens of the country.

The Supreme Court has ruled repeatedly that a diverse student body is an educational benefit and a boon to the country that justifies affirmative action.

Those who oppose it often assume that university admissions are based upon one objective scale: grade point and standardized test results. This is, in a word, nonsense.

University admissions offices labor intensely to create a diverse body of students capable of doing the work necessary to succeed. Grades and standardized tests count, as does the quality of prior educational experience. So does the luck of having an alum as a parent, or wealthy relations who can add to the university endowment, or special athletic or musical or dramatic skills, coming from underrepresented rural communities or from abroad, and more.

Some of these categories — say having parents who are alumni or are wealthy — discriminate disproportionately against people of color, since African-Americans were forbidden to build fortunes under slavery and were often excluded from college until the civil rights movement’s reforms. Affirmative action helps to level the playing field.

Another lie propagated by its opponents is that affirmative action policies make it

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significantly harder for white students to get into selective colleges. In fact, as Derek Bok, former Harvard president, and William Bowen, former president of Princeton, reported, if selective universities had a completely race-blind admissions policy, the probability of being admitted for a white student would rise from 25 percent to 26.2 percent.

A final myth is that race no longer matters. The right-wing gang of five justices in the Supreme Court argued this in gutting provisions of the Voting Rights Act. States across the country then proved them wrong by enacting new voting restrictions — a revival of Jim Crow voter suppression schemes — that were designed to make it harder for African-Americans and students to vote.

America is more segregated than it was at the time of the civil rights movement. Our public schools are too often separate and unequal.

Race still matters in this country, big-time.

What do we have to lose with Trump?

Equal opportunity, voting rights, police reform, sentencing reform, university admission. People of color are learning that when Trump trumpets America First, he doesn’t include them in his America.

The Rev. Jesse Jackson is founder of the Rainbow Push Coalition.

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been upgraded to have a protected left turn movement. This means that left turns must be made on the left turn arrow only and turning vehicles are protected from oncoming traffic.”

Glenn-Hunter said she is grateful for the change but can’t help thinking that had they been made a year ago, her sister and nephew might still be here.

“That intersection had been a problem for a long time and people had complained,” she said. “The tragedy is somebody had to die before the decision was made to improve it.”

Glenn-Hunter says she has avoided the intersection in the wake of her relatives’ deaths, and now cringes every time she has to make a left turn while driving.

“I am glad they saw fit to fix it,” she said Aug. 10. “I hope no other family will have to go through this because if you are not really strong, it will crush you.”

Johnson said the improvement came about after she contacted the county’s Roads and Drainage division to evaluate the intersection and see what could be done to reduce accidents.

The intersection became challenging in 2011, when the Georgia Department of Transportation completed a $10.1 million widening of Snapfinger Road.

DeKalb Police statistics show that between 2012 and Aug. 9, 2017, 120 collisions involving 238 vehicles have occurred at the intersection, resulting in three deaths and 33 injuries.

Johnson said the changes should help make the intersection safer.

“We are hopeful that this is a positive improvement for the surrounding communities,” she said.

August 12, 2017

Community

CrossRoadsNews

3

“We need more sellers. If you want to sell, this is the best time to do it.”

Stonecrest council looks outside the city for many top appointees

By Jennifer Ffrench Parker

The Stonecrest City Council has appointed Jonathan Weintraub as its Chief Judge and Michael Sheridan as Judge Pro Tempore for its Municipal Court, which is expected to begin operations in J. Weintraub October.

It also appointed attorney Bernard Knight, attorney of the Kelly Land Group, as its representative to the East Metro CID. When Lary first identified Weintraub and Michael Sheridan Sheridan for the positions at the council’s July 12 meeting, the positions were reversed. Sheridan was then being considered for Chief Judge and Weintraub

the University of Georgia. He is a partner in the Lithonia law firm Davis & Sheridan LLC, where he represented individuals in DeKalb’s former Bernard Knight Thompson Kurrie Winston Denmark Ed Wall Recorders Court and in Lithonia municipal court.

Weintraub has 38 years experience in government, local and municipal law, and land use and corporate law and formerly worked for DeKalb COunty as deputy chief operating officer of the development group.

The appointments, made on Jonathan Mantay Matt Houser Wayne Wright Aug. 7, and pushed by Mayor Jason tor Pro Tempore.

Lary continued the city’s trend of picking top Sheridan, who has practiced law for 11 talent and consultants from outside the new years, is a graduate of Howard University and city of 50,000.

Of top appointments so far, two – Michael Sheridan and Assistant Attorney Winston Denmark – are African Americans.

Here are the top officials running the city: n City Attorney, Thompson Kurrie, and his assistant, attorney Emily Preston of the Buckhead lawfirm, Coleman Talley LLC. n Assistant Attorney, Winston Denmark, a partner in the law firm Denmark Fincher LLC, n Chief Judge, Jonathan Weintraub n Judge Pro Tempore, Michael Sheridan n CH2M, which was awarded a $16.2 million five-year contract to manage the city, is led by principal project manager Wayne Wright, program manger Urban Environments and Sports Matt Houser and director of operations Jonathan Mantay. n For its Tax Anticipation Note (TAN) for $2 million in short-term funding, which cost it $15,000 to procure, the city picked investment consultant Ed Wall.

Low home prices, easy access fuel renewed interest in South DeKalb REBOUND,

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“People are looking to be closer to the highway and the city,” Palmer said.

Ramsey said buyers appreciate South DeKalb’s easy access to I-20 and I-285.

“They appreciate the convenience of being closer to the city, and the airport.” she said.

Al Lockhart, who is with Keller Williams Realty, said people who don’t want to or can’t afford the city of Decatur or city of Atlanta are finding great deals in South DeKalb.

Chase, the Ellenwood home seller,

agrees.

“This house anywhere else would be over $300,000,” she said.

While she was entertaining offers, Chase said they saw a lot of different buyers.

“We saw all nationalities, all races, and all age ranges,” she said. “We also had people from out of state.”

The contract holder, who is set to close on Aug. 18, is a couple in their 40s who Chase said is moving to DeKalb County.

“They are getting a lot of house for the money,” she said.

In conversations with the potential buy-

ers who looked at her home, Chase said many indicated they were looking at pre-owned houses because financing is easier than on new homes and more affordable.

“People don’t want to be mortgage-poor anymore,” she said. “They learned their lesson from the housing bust.”

Lockhart said that investors who brought houses during the housing decline are now renovating and upgrading them with new flooring and fixtures and cashing in.

“There is just not enough homes on the market,” said Lockhart, who has sold homes in South DeKalb for more than 38 years.

The Realtors think that supply is tight because homeowners who might want to sell may not yet realize that the comeback is underway.

“We need more sellers,” Ramsey said.

“If you want to sell, this is the best time to do it.”

Lockhart suggests that a homeowner who is sitting on the fence should invest the $500 to get a pre-listing appraisal of their home.

“Sellers who get the appraisal are getting $10,000 to $12,000 more for their homes,” he said, “When you do this, you are not leaving any money on the table.”

4

Youth

2346 Candler Rd. Decatur, GA 30032 404-284-1888 Fax: 404-284-5007 www.crossroadsnews.com editor@crossroadsnews.com

Editor / Publisher Jennifer Parker Staff Writers Jennifer Ffrench Parker Angelina T. Velasquez Editorial Intern Tekia Parks Front Office Manager Catherine Guy Multimedia Editor Sharif Williams

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August 12, 2017

“We’re expecting nothing short of excellence today and for this school year.”

Superintendent’s visit sets the tone for first day of school

By Angelina T. Velasquez

More than three dozen Bouie Elementary students rode the bus to the first day of class with DeKalb County School Superintendent Dr. R. Stephen Green on Aug. 7.

Green said he was excited to start the school year off with a bus full of eager learners and that the ride from Great Meadows Road to the school on Rock Springs Road in Lithonia “was fun and a reminder of what it was like” when he was a child on the first day of school.

“It also gave me an appreciation for the bus drivers and the way they navigate narrow roads and make sure our students make it to school,” he said.

The students on the bus with him were among more than 103,000 students who returned to school for DeKalb’s 2017-2018 school year.

Bouie principal Dr. Linda Priester and DeKalb School Board member Vickie Turner joined Green to greet children, parents and teachers.

Turner, who represents District 5, said she is optimistic about the school year and believes more academic progress will be made

DeKalb County Schools Superintendent Dr. R. Stephen Green chats with Bouie Elementary students on the first day of school on Aug. 7.

this year.

“We are very excited because we feel like we’ve put in the time and we’re prepared,” she said. “We’re expecting nothing short of excellence today and for this school year.”

Bouie, which opened in 1996, has nearly 800 students enrolled.

The traditional theme school emphasizes parent involvement in the child’s learning.

Magdalene Frank-Seals, whose 6-yearold daughter, Giselle, is in first grade at the school, was happy to see Green greet them.

M. Frank-Seals “The kids are going to be excited and feel impor-

tant because the superintendent came to see them,” she said.

Celeste Hawthorne, a 25-year DeKalb County teacher who has taught at Bouie for two years, said Green’s presence was a wonderful start to the school year.

“Everyone is on the same page and they know what the priorities are, so I’m excited and I’m glad we got the visit,” she said.

District-wide pep rally motivates teachers, administrators

By Jennifer Ffrench Parker

Stoneview Elementary kindergarten teacher Courtney Hunt was feeling a little isolated and apprehensive about the start of the new school year until she went to the DeKalb County School District’s convocation on Aug. 4.

There she joined 13,000 other district teachers, principals, administrators and staff for a rousing pep rally at the Infinite Energy Center.

There she heard the best student musicians from across the district perform, play the saxophone and the harp, and sing. Students also welcomed them in four different languages.

Hunt joined her colleagues in applauding Columbia Elementary School steppers “Boys II Bowties,” who performed fresh from their trip to Steve Harvey’s “Little Big Shots” television show in New York.

She also heard a rousing speech from Superintendent Dr. R. Stephen Green, and was encouraged by inspirational speaker Rick Rigsby’s advice to “keep standing, no matter what life throws at you.”

“Make an impact,” Rigsby told them. “Don’t show up with your B Game. If you are full of yourself, you can’t help anybody.”

At the end of the four-hour program, Hunt was fired up.

“It was good,” she said as she walked across the parking lot to one of the hundreds of school buses that brought DeKalb Schools employees to the Gwinnett County stadium.

She said the convocation really inspired her.

“It lifted morale,” she said. “I know mine was low when I got here. Now I am feeling good, like I am part of something big and we are all pulling together.”

The convocation, which cost the district $100,000 to stage, was controversial.

In the weeks before it took place, some employees complained in Atlanta media reports that the convocation was a waste of money

More than 13,000 teachers, principals, administrators and school system staff who attended the DeKalb County School District’s convocation heard rousing speeches from Superintendent R. Stephen Green, below, and others.

and would be taking teachers away from preparing their classrooms on the Friday before the Aug. 7 start of the new school year.

Attendance at the convocation was mandatory and teachers showed up for the event in coordinated T-shirts emblazoned with their schools’ names and mascots.

Inside the stadium, employees sat together in their district’s region and tried to out-cheer each other.

They applauded and sang and danced together, and cheered loudly when Green spoke of more raises coming in October.

In a fiery speech that was sometimes defiant, Green told the employees that the district is making significant strides as it goes forward.

“Every little step counts,” he said, quoting the song he danced to as he came to the stage.

Green, who is also the district’s CEO, told employees that the district could not have attained full accreditation through 2022 without them.

“That is a big step,” he said.

“When you got it, nobody wants to talk about it. When you don’t have it, everybody wants to beat you over the head about it. We are accredited. We can stand proud, and you all did it. We are accredited because of you all.”

To thunderous applause, he told them that sometimes “you have to step up, sometimes you got to step back, sometimes you have to sidestep, sometimes you got to make small steps, big steps and sometimes make a giant leap.”

“If you are on the team that helped write Stage 1 of our curriculum, if you are on the team that this is helping write Stage 2, stand up,” he said.

The teachers rose to their feet to cheers from their colleagues.

Green said the district is focusing on curriculum.

“We know who we are,” he said.

“And we know who we are not, and we will stay focused on what we need to do.”

Green said the district is outpacing the state on CCPRI and graduation rates, and that if it continues on this pace, it will outpace everyone, but added the progress is not without challenges.

But he said the district is taking care of business.

“What school district gave raises to teachers, raises to staff and rolled back the millage rate, all together?” he said. “We are going to keep investing in you, We are going

to keep giving you more raises and increase your salaries. In October, more raises coming to you.”

Green praised staff efforts at reducing suspensions and increasing the number of students getting into AP and IB courses.

“You are teachers and we are depending on you,” he said.

As the district moves forward, Green said, it is going to be intense.

“What we do is not for the faint of heart,” he said. “Yes we have a teacher shortage. Not everyone can do what we do.”

Rachel Turner, a Tony Elementary pre-k teacher, called the event “awesome and very inspiring.”

“I really liked the inspirational speaker [Rigsby],” she said at the end. “I liked what he told us to ‘just stand’ and to remember that we are all here for the kids and have one common goal.”

Veronica Howell, an E.L. Bouie kindergarten teacher, also loved the inspirational message and said that she was one of the teachers cheering loudly when Green spoke about the raise that is coming in October.

“He is a great leader doing some great things,” she said.

As for the start of the new school year, Howell said she was ready.

“I am excited about getting my hands on the students and helping to build a firm foundation for them,” she said.

August 12, 2017

Wellness

CrossRoadsNews

5

“Breast milk works like a baby’s first vaccine, protecting infants from potentially deadly diseases and giving them all the nourishment they need.”

Experts say breastfeeding improves health for babies and mothers More DeKalb County mothers are breastfeeding their babies, and health professionals want to encourage the trend as the country observes August as national breast feeding month.

Throughout August, which the United States Breastfeeding Committee (USBC) has observed nationally as breast feeding month since August 2011, mothers are encouraged to breast feed their babies because, among other things, “breast milk is the preferred and most appropriate source of nutrition for infants.”

Locally, the DeKalb Board of Health’s 2015 Status of Health Report shows that nearly 60,000 women breastfed their babies in 2012, up from 50,000 in 2008. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s 2014 Breastfeeding Report show that only 27 percent of mothers in Georgia exclusively breastfed their infant at three months.

Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director general of the World Health Organization (WHO), says breastfeeding babies gives them the best possible start in life.

“Breast milk works like a baby’s first vaccine,” he said, “protecting infants from potentially deadly diseases and giving them all the nourishment they need to survive and thrive.”

Research has shown breast milk provides

The Global Breastfeeding Collective is working to get 50 percent of mothers worldwide to breastfeed their baby for six months by 2025.

cognitive and health benefits for both mother and baby.

Babies who are breastfed for the first six months of their life are less likely to get diarrhea and pneumonia, which are two causes of

death in infants. Mothers benefit by having decreased chances of developing ovarian and breast cancers.

Proponents point out that breastfeeding is not just beneficial to mother and baby’s

health, but is also cost-effective.

Anthony Lake, UNICEF executive director, believes that by failing to invest in breastfeeding, we are failing mothers and their babies.

“And paying a double price: in lost lives and in lost opportunity,” he said.

WHO estimates the death of 520,000 children under the age of 5 worldwide can be prevented, if nations invest in educating and providing resources to mothers about breastfeeding.

The Global Breastfeeding Collective, created by WHO, is working to get 50 percent of mothers worldwide to breastfeed their baby for six months by 2025. It is hoping more mothers will be encouraged to breast feed this month.

Only 23 countries worldwide have exclusive breastfeeding rates above 60 percent, meaning mothers only breast feed their babies.

Annually, the United States spends about $250 million on breastfeeding promotion.

Donors provide an additional $85 million in resources to encourage breast feeding.

Experts believe the United States could save $300 billion in healthcare and other costs if more mothers breastfeed.

For more information, visit www.who. int.

Workshop to focus on breast health CDC grants fight infectious diseases Tips of how Women can learn about breast cancer to perform a and how to differentiate between normal and breast selfcancerous breast mass at an Aug. 17 breast exam will be health workshop at Clarkston Library. offered at During the 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. workshop, the two-hour they will also get tips on performing a breast workshop. self-exam.

Women without health insurance can sign up for a free or low-cost mammogram.

The library is at 951 N. Indian Creek The breast health workshop is sponsored by the Avon Community Education and Drive. For more information, call 404-5087175.

Outreach Initiative and Susan G. Komen.

Grant writing tips for faith leaders Kimberly Sellars Bates, author of “Get Grant Ready,” will walk faith leaders through the grant writing process for funds to increase their community engagement and outreach at an Aug. 22 luncheon hosted by the Fulton-DeKalb Hospital Authority.

Bates is the founder of Atlanta-based KSTB EnKimberly Bates terprises, a development consulting firm that works with nonprofits on 501(c)3 applications, incorporation, coaching, and accessing city, state and federal grants, among other things.

The “Utilizing Grants to Increase Community Engagement” event takes place 12:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. at The Gathering Spot in Atlanta. It seeks to encourage faith leaders to engage their congregations about healthcare

options, preventive health solutions and services available for their use.

The luncehon is part of the Fulton­D eKalb Hospital Authority’s quarterly interfaith gatherings that provide information and networking opportunities for faith leaders to discuss various topics.

The FDHA, which owns Grady Health System, also uses the luncheon to increase awareness of its work and the best practices to decrease preventable diseases and improve the quality of life for the communities served and supported by religious institutions.

The luncheon is complimentary, but registration is required at http://FDHAInterfaith.rsvpify.com.

The Gathering Spot is at 384 Northyards Boulevard N.W., Building 100.

For more information, email Kiplyn Primus at kprimus@thefdha.org, or call 404-334-3680.

Health departments in DeKalb and combat antibiotic-resistant bacteria, and across Georgia are sharing more than $4.4 keep people safe.

“More than 23,000 people in the United million to combat infectious diseases.

The grant from the U.S. Centers for Dis- States die each year from infections caused ease Control and Prevention’s Epidemiology by antibiotic resistance,” she said.

Georgia’s $4,450,892 grant includes and Laboratory Capacity for Infectious $649,950 to fight Zika, Disease (ELC) Cooperawhich causes serious tive Agreement is part of “More than 23,000 birth defects in preg$300 million awarded to people in the United nant women. In 2016, state health programs States die each t h e st ate re c e ive d nationwide, the largest $5,248,148. It was unsince the agreement year from infections caused by antibiotic clear at press time how started in 1995. resistance,” much DeKalb Board of Health departments Brenda Fitzgerald, CDC director Health will get. will use the funds to Nationwide, ELC fight antimicrobial-resistant bacteria, waterborne diseases, Zika funding builds and maintains an effective virus, influenza and healthcare-associated public health workforce for rapid response infections. Targeted infections include to infectious disease outbreaks, strengthens fungal diseases like Candida auris fungi, cross-cutting national surveillance systems, tuberculosis, gonorrhea and antibiotic re- boosts laboratory infrastructure with the latest diagnostic technologies, and improves sistant bacteria.

Dr. Brenda Fitzgerald, CDC director, health information systems to efficiently says the agency is committed to helping transmit, receive, and analyze infectious states and cities strengthen their ability to disease-related data electronically.

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Scene

CrossRoadsNews

August 12, 2017

Gold fever gripped the region as hundreds of thousands of dollars in gold were extracted from the North Georgia mines.

Free kits to view solar eclipse available at Salem Panola Library Families planning to view the Aug. 21 solar eclipse can pick up sunglasses and a free kit to create their own home-made projectors at Salem-Panola Library on Aug. 14.

The pinhole projector in a box provides for safe viewing of the eclipse, which can damage the eyes if viewed directly.

The solar eclipse, which occurs when the moon completely blocks out the sun, is the first total eclipse to cross the United States from coast to coast since 1918.

It is expected to occur at 2:35 p.m. and will last two minutes.

All materials are included in the kits, which are available on a first-come, firstserved basis.

The protective sunglasses are provided by the National Center for Interactive Learning and STAR Library Education Network.

The library is at 5137 Salem Road.

For more information, call 770-9876900.

The Aug. 21 solar eclipse is the first total eclipse to cross the United States from coast to coast since 1918.

‘Zookeeper’s Wife’ at Stonecrest Library Writers to expound at Author Expo Daniel Bruhl and Jessica Chastain star as Jan and Antonina Zabinski, who helped save 300 Jews and insurgents during World War II.

The 2017 blockbuster movie “The Zookeeper’s Wife,” which tells the story of Warsaw, Poland, zookeepers Jan and Antonina Zabinski, who helped save 300 Jews and insurgents during World War II, will be screened at Stonecrest Library on Aug. 18.

The two-hour, PG-13 movie starts at 2 p.m. for up to 155 people.

It stars Jessica Chastain and Daniel Bruhl as the Zabinskis.

At the height of Hitler’s reign, Jan Zabinski was director of the Warsaw Zoo and superintendent of the city parks. He was also secretly part of the Polish resistance and used his standing to smuggle food and Jews in and out of the Warsaw ghetto during the holocaust. He also smuggled weapons, built bombs, overthrew trains, and even poisoned meat that was fed to the Nazis.

Over a three-year period, his wife and their son allowed Jews to hide in empty animal cages, in their house, and in secret underground tunnels. Antonina used music to communicate to the escapees, playing a particular tune to signal when they needed to hide and a different tune when the coast was clear. She even dyed the hair of an entire Jewish family to help disguise their background. To conceal their Jewish names, she gave the families animal nicknames like the Squirrels, the Hamsters, the Pheasants.

The film, released in March, grossed more than $17.4 million domestically.

It is an adaptation of the 2007 book of the same name by Diane Ackerman.

The library is at 3123 Klondike Road.

For more information, call 770-4823828.

manner as she Kathy Manos can..., but not Penn, T.L. Curwithout taking tis and JD Jorsomeone down dan are among with her.”

40 local authors Jordan, who who will talk lives in Atlanta, about their work is the author of and autograph “Calamity: Betheir books at an K. Manos Penn T.L. Curtis JD Jordan ing an Account Aug. 19 Author of Calamity Jane and Her Gunslinging Green Expo at Tucker-Reid H. Cofer Library.

Penn, a former teacher, banker and Dun- Man,” and the Shadows series – Part One woody resident, is the author of “The Ink Bloodline and Part Two Blood Feud – for Penn: Celebrating the Magic in Everyday,” teens.

The expo will showcase genres includa collection of her weekly columns for the ing science fiction, self-help, and children’s Dunwoody Crier.

Curtis is the author of of “Feign: Volume books. It takes place 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The library is at 5234 LaVista Road in 1,” a collection of poetry, and “Show Her,” a novel in which Erika can sense a divorce Tucker.

For more information, call 770-270just over the horizon, but is determined “to walk that shameful road in as dignified a 8234.

Scorpions, owls, more at Night Hike Head into the night with state park rangers on Aug. 19 to hunt for scorpions, listen for owls amd watch the stars.

The 8:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Night Hike and Scorpion Hunt takes place at Hard Labor Creek State Park in Rutledge.

Wear sturdy shoes and bring ultraviolet lights and flashlight, and meet at the Trading Post (Visitor Center) for the easy/moderate one-mile walk on Brantley Nature Trail.

Admission is $3 plus $5 parking.

The park is at 5 Hard Labor Creek Road. Ultraviolet, or “black,” lights cause scorpions to glow in the dark.

For more information, call 706-557-3001.

Sew much to do at needle arts group The group meets 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

People who love to sew or want to learn Seating is available to the first 25 parcan share tips and socialize as they knit, crochet and sew at a needle arts group on ticipants.

The library is at 4022 Flat Shoals Pkwy.

Aug. 17 at Flat Shoals Library.

For more information, call 404-244All levels of experience ages 18 and older 4370. are encouraged to attend.

Merging of music and social justice Music lovers and social justice advocates can merge their interests on Aug. 16 at the music movement workshop at the Center for Civil and Human Rights in Atlanta.

Participants will dissect lyrics and uncover the calls to action that spark social change and community awareness at the

workshop, which takes place from 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Seating is limited to 250 people and RSVP is required.

The center is at 100 Ivan Allen Jr. Blvd.

To RSVP or for more information, visit www.civilandhumanrights.org or call 678999-8990.

Trace gold fever in north Georgia Gold mining is a fascinating part of the history of north Georgia and local historians will lead a guided hike to the Martin Mine Trail in Helen on Aug. 19.

The trail, which is less than a mile long, is part of Smithgall Woods State Park. It interprets the history of gold mining at the site.

A vertical shaft of the earlier gold mining era is a focal point and provides a unique habitat for bats.

The hike takes place 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.

The lure of gold has attracted people hoping to strike it rich to north Georgia dating back to 1540.

Some say the first gold strike took place in 1828, and different communities lay claim to being the location where gold was first pulled from a running mountain stream.

By 1830, gold fever gripped the region as hundreds of thousands of dollars in gold were extracted from the North Georgia mines, some of which were on land legally belonging to the Cherokee.

Registration is required for the $5 hike, and there is a $5 parking fee.

Smithgall Woods State Park is at 61 Tsalaki Trail, Helen. For more information, call 706-878-3087.

CrossRoadsNews

August 12, 2017

to file with the Clerk of Superior Court, and to serve upon the Plaintiff’s attorney whose name and address is: Cassandra Moore 2844 Norfair Loop; Lithonia, GA 30030. Answer in writing within sixty (60) days of Aug. 07, 2017.

Witness the Honorable Linda W. Hunter, Judge of the DeKalb Superior Court.

This the 8th day of Aug., 2017

Legal Notices 08/12, 08/19, 08/26, 09/02

Notice of PUBLICATION in the Superior Court of DeKalb County State of Georgia

Civil Action Case Number: 17FM8047 Enid Moore PLAINTIFF VS Hampton Moore DEFENDANT To: Hampton Moore 3302 Tree Terrace Pkwy Austell, GA

By ORDER of the Court service for service by publication dated July 31, 2017. You are hereby notified that on July 29, 2017, the above-named Plaintiff filed suit against you for Divorce. You are required to file with the Clerk of Superior Court, and to serve upon the Plaintiff’s attorney whose name and address is: Enid Moore, 3255 Wyndham Park Lane, Decatur, GA 30034. Answer in writing within sixty (60) days of July 31, 2017.

Witness the Honorable Asha F. Jackson., Judge of the DeKalb Superior

Court.

This the 1st day of Aug., 2017 08/12, 08/19, 08/26, 09/02

Notice of PUBLICATION in the Superior Court of DeKalb County State of Georgia

Civil Action Case Number: 17FM7986-9 Shwaye Kiflay PLAINTIFF VS Halemarim Kassa DEFENDANT To: Halemarim Kassa 204 Winter Creek Drive Doraville, GA 30360

By ORDER of the Court service for service by publication dated July 27, 2017. You are hereby notified that on July 25, 2017, the above-named Plaintiff filed suit against you for Correction of Birth Certificates of Minor Children.

You are required to file with the Clerk of Superior Court, and to serve upon the Plaintiff’s attorney whose name and address is: Donald M. Coleman, Attorney at Law, 246 Sycamore Street,

Suite 120, Decatur, GA 30030. Answer in writing within sixty (60) days of July 27, 2017.

Witness the Honorable Mark Anthony Scott, Judge of the DeKalb Superior Court.

This the 27th day of July, 2017 08/12, 08/19, 08/26, 09/02

Notice of PUBLICATION in the Superior Court of DeKalb County State of Georgia

08/12, 08/19, 08/26, 09/02

Notice of PUBLICATION

attorney whose name and address is: Elizabeth Ann Guervant, Esq.; 246 Sycamore St., Suite 120, Decatur, GA 30030. Answer in writing within sixty (60) days of June 22, 2017.

Witness the Honorable Gregory H. Adams, Judge of the DeKalb Superior Court.

This the 9th day of Aug., 2017 08/12, 08/19, 08/26, 09/02

Notice of PUBLICATION

Civil Action Case Number: 16FM11012-5 Curly B. Ware, IIII PLAINTIFF VS Rossine Lewis DEFENDANT To:

By ORDER of the Court service for service by publication dated May 10, 2017. You are hereby notified that on Oct. 17, 2016, the above-named Plaintiff filed suit against you for modification of custody and child support. You are required to file with the Clerk of Superior Court, and to serve upon the Plaintiff’s

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in the Superior Court of DeKalb County State of Georgia

Civil Action Case Number: 17FM7122-8 Cassandra C. Moore PLAINTIFF VS Terry L. Moore DEFENDANT To: 2100 87th St. Chicago, IL 60617

By ORDER of the Court service for service by publication dated Aug. 07, 2017.

You are hereby notified that on Apr. 7, 2017, the above-named Plaintiff filed suit against you for divorce. You are required

financial

in the Superior Court of DeKalb County State of Georgia

Civil Action Case Number: 17FM8301-6 Sharon Evans PLAINTIFF VS Lonnie Evans DEFENDANT To:

By ORDER of the Court service for service by publication dated Aug. 08, 2017. You are hereby notified that on Aug. 02, 2017, the above-named Plaintiff filed suit against you for divorce. You are required to file with the Clerk of Superior Court, and to serve upon the Plaintiff’s attorney whose name and address is: Sharon Evans, 223 Pleasantdale Crossing, Doraville, GA 30440. Answer in writing within sixty (60) days of Aug. 09, 2017.

Witness the Honorable J.P. Boulee, Judge of the DeKalb Superior Court.

This the 9th day of Aug., 2017

State of Georgia

Civil Action Case Number: 17FM8216 LaToya Smith PLAINTIFF VS Calvin Smith DEFENDANT To:

By ORDER of the Court service for service by publication dated Aug. 09, 2017. You are hereby notified that Jul. 31, 2017, the above-named Plaintiff filed suit against you for divorce. You are required to file with the Clerk of Superior Court, and to serve upon the Plaintiff’s attorney whose name and address is: LaToya Shanice Smith, 10101 Fairington Ridge Cir., Lithonia, GA 30038. Answer in writing within sixty (60) days of Aug. 09, 2017.

Witness the Honorable Gregory A. Adams, Judge of the DeKalb Superior Court.

This the 9th day of Aug., 2017 08/12, 08/19, 08/26, 09/02

Notice of Petition to CHANGE Name of ADULT in the Superior Court of DeKalb County State of Georgia

in the Superior Court of DeKalb County

Civil Action Case Number: 17FM8457-1 Leah Rae Joyce filed a petition on Aug. 7, 2017 in the DeKalb County Superior Court to change name from: Leah Rae Joyce to Leeroy Cameron Darling. Any interested party has the right to appear In this case and file objections within 30 days after the Petition was filed.

Dated: Aug. 04, 2017

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Ministry

08/12, 08/19, 08/26, 09/02

Notice of PUBLICATION

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