SCENE
COMMUNITY
Working hand in hand
Flew the coop
DeKalb Schools Superintendent Stephen Green is chairing a campaign to encourage people to sign up for a new DeKalb Public Library card. 2
The Gladys Knight Chicken & Waffles restaurant at Stonecrest has closed, but the chain’s two other locations remain open. 3
Put Litter in Its Place Let’s Do Our Part to Keep DeKalb Beautiful
EAST ATLANTA • DECATUR • STONE MOUNTAIN • LITHONIA • AVONDALE ESTATES • CLARKSTON • ELLENWOOD • PINE LAKE • REDAN • SCOTTDALE • TUCKER
Copyright © 2016 CrossRoadsNews, Inc.
August 27, 2016
Volume 22, Number 18
www.crossroadsnews.com
Sheriff seeks public’s help to recover stolen equipment DeKalb Sheriff Jeffrey Mann is seeking the public’s help “We are especially concerned that to recover more than $6,000 worth of equipment stolen someone might try to impersonate an from a sheriff ’s deputy’s unmarked car on Aug. 22 outside the deputy’s home in the Young Road-Panola Road area of officer or to use the stolen equipment Lithonia. to prevent our deputies from Mann said the deputy discovered the trunk of his takeapprehending suspects.” home car opened and several job-related items missing. Sheriff Jeffrey Mann “We are especially concerned that someone might try to impersonate an officer or to use the stolen equipment to preThe thieves took several concealment vests, a tactical vent our deputies from apprehending suspects,” Mann said on Aug. 23. “So we’re asking the public to let us know if they vest, a Taser, and a SWAT Ballistic Shield that Mann said in the wrong hands could pose a risk to law enforcement have information about who may have been involved.”
or the public. “This nearly 50-pound item is used by our specially trained officers to enter potentially dangerous situations where weapons are likely to be used,” he said. “We would not want these items to fall into the hands of criminals or to be used against law enforcement representatives.” The stolen items are clearly marked with Sheriff ’s Office logos and other identification. DeKalb Police have no suspects and the case remains under investigation. Sheriff ’s spokeswoman Cynthia Williams said anyone with information should call the Sheriff ’s Office Field Division at 404-298-8402.
Emory University wants Atlanta to annex it Says it’s already closely aligned with the city
Emory University relocated to DeKalb County in 1914 from Oxford, Ga. It is seeking to petition the Atlanta City Council for annexation before Dec. 31.
By Ken Watts
Emory University, one of the nation’s most prestigious institutions, wants to join the city of Atlanta. It said on Aug. 19 that it is petitioning Atlanta to annex all of its 630 acres, including its world famous hospital, its museums and its libraries along the Clifton Road corridor. The institution, which was chartered Dec. 10, 1836 in Oxford, Ga., and relocated to DeKalb County in 1914, has 30,000 employees and more than 15,000 students. DeKalb became Emory’s home after Asa Griggs Candler, Coca-Cola Co. founder and brother to former Emory President Warren Candler, persuaded the Methodist Episcopal Church to build the new university in DeKalb County. Candler sweetened the deal with a $1 million endowment and the gift of 75 acres in the newly emerging Druid Hills community, less than a mile from the Atlanta city limits. Emory’s potential annexation into Atlanta after 102 years in unincorporated DeKalb County would be a blow to DeKalb’s image, but county spokesman Burke Brennan said the financial impact on county government would be minimal because the university doesn’t pay taxes on its properties or its educational buildings. Still, the county will lose sales taxes generated at restaurants and at Emory Point, a mixed-use retail and residential development that would go to the city of Atlanta if the annexation flies. Emory hopes to petition the Atlanta City Council for annexation before Dec. 31. Title 36 of the Official Code of Georgia says since the annexation is being done by petition, Emory would not need the approval of the state Legislature. The annexation would not affect Druid Hills High School or any of the older es-
Ken Watts / CrossRoadsNews
tablished neighborhoods that surround the campus. In an Aug. 19 statement, the university said it is already heavily identified with Atlanta and “has been considering and evaluating annexation options for several years.” “Emory’s annexation into the city of Atlanta has always been viewed as one of the most viable, long-term options and one that provides consistency and alignment relative to the university’s marketing and branding initiatives,” the statement said. “Emory already promotes its location as Atlanta, is known internationally as being located in Atlanta, routinely recruits faculty and students to Atlanta, and has an Atlanta address and ZIP code.” The university gave no specific reason for wanting to make the move but says that its prestige as an international university and Atlanta’s as a global city are inextricably
linked. Emory spokesman Vince Dollard told CrossRoadsNews on Aug. 24 that the petition “is the first step of a very long process.” Asked about the timing of the petition, Dollard said he didn’t want to go into details right now. “This is all we have to say at this time,” he said. At an Aug. 22 community meeting in Decatur hosted by DeKalb District 2 Commissioner Jeff Rader, some Druid Hills residents thought the university’s departure might be the latest reaction to years of DeKalb political corruption. Others speculated that Emory’s annexation plan may be driven by hopes to become part of a MARTA expansion plan for the Clifton corridor that would connect the campus via light rail with the Avondale and Lindbergh MARTA stations. The project would ease Emory’s long-
standing traffic congestion and parking shortages. Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed welcomed Emory’s interest in joining his city. “The annexation of this vital corridor would present the rare opportunity to bring a world-class teaching and research institution, strong neighborhoods, hundreds of thriving commercial and industrial businesses, and the leading national public health institute of the United States into the city of Atlanta,” Reed said in a statement. Community watchdog group DeKalb Strong said the county shouldn’t panic over the potential loss of Emory. “Annexations by petition are difficult for anyone outside of the area to stop,” it said in an email. “The best way to preserve the unincorporated DeKalb community is to continue on DeKalb’s current path to more honest and ethical government.”