CrossRoadsNews, December 5, 2009 by CrossRoadsNews, Inc.

FINANCE

SCENE

MINISTRY

The Mall at Stonecrest and other shopping meccas were abuzz with activity as shoppers looked for deals to kick off the holiday season. 4

Jonathan McCoy, whose speech about the “n-word” became a YouTube sensation, will deliver the keynote address at a local Toastmasters Club banquet. 6

The choirs of Saint Philip AME will raise their voices for a worthy cause when the church presents its annual “Joyful Noise for Toys” concert. 10

Ready, set, shop

Online phenom to speak

December 5, 2009

Will sing for toys

Volume 15, Number 31

www.crossroadsnews.com

Detour taking toll on roads in Mainstreet By Donna Williams Lewis

Roads in the Mainstreet subdivision are crumbling under the strain of the heavy traffic detoured through the community since September’s floods damaged a bridge on Redan Road. Residents say traffic has doubled or tripled on streets in the 1,164-home planned community, with MARTA buses and trucks part of the new entourage. Fresh patches of asphalt over a string of potholes on Martin Road are already breaking apart and there’s an ever-widening crater near the subdivision’s exit onto South Hairston Road. Representatives of area neighborhood associations will discuss detour-related concerns at their next regular meeting at Mainstreet’s clubhouse in late January, said Nadine Rivers-Johnson, a 15-year Mainstreet resident and its community association liaison. “We realize that Mainstreet is centrally N. Rivers-Johnson located among several subdivisions, but this has created an inordinate amount of traffic,” she said. “We’ve also seen an upswing in some types of petty crimes ... and additional loitering in the area.”

Residents in the Mainstreet subdivision in Stone Mountain say increased traffic that is being detoured off Redan Road is damaging neighborhood streets not designed for such heavy volume.

Curtis Parker / CrossRoadsNews

It all began with the Sept. 21-22 rainstorms that damaged homes, roads and bridges across North Georgia. One of those damaged bridges was on Redan Road over Barbashela Creek, between Redan High School and South Hairston Road.

Georgia Department of Transportation officials are overseeing the replacement of the bridge, which will cost a little more than $1 million in federal highway emergency funds. Massana Construction Inc. of Tyrone was awarded the contract and the work must be finished by March 30

to meet funding guidelines, said Crystal Paulk-Buchanan, assistant spokeswoman for the DOT. Rivers-Johnson said residents want to see the detour roads and some feeder roads Please see MAINSTREET, page 2

Board, not CEO, authorized to pick Recorder’s Court judges By Jennifer Ffrench Parker

DeKalb CEO Burrell Ellis may not get his wish for a quick replacement of the leadership at the Recorder’s Court. On Nov. 25, Ellis announced his nomination of Judge Nelly Fagalde Withers to replace Chief Judge Joy Walker, and Kathy C. Crumbley to replace Joyce Head as clerk. Both four-year appointments end on Dec. 31. Withers has been an associate judge at the Recorders Court since 2002, and Crumbley has served as the Deputy Clerk of Recorders Court since 2003. But this week, it appears all but certain that the DeKalb Board of Commissioners will have a different view of how new appointments at the embattled court should occur. The court, which handles traffic tickets and county ordinance violations, has been under fire for up to $20 million in uncollected fines and the indictments of former employees in a ticket-fixing scam. This summer, a DeKalb grand jury found a crisis of leadership, lack of accountability and pervasive staffing and physical problems at the court, which processes more than 230,000 traffic and misdemeanor citations a year. District 4 Commissioner Sharon Barnes Sutton, who chairs the board’s Public Safety and General Government Committee, said the Board of Commissioners, and not the

The DeKalb County Organizational Act lays out procedures for appointing Recorder’s Court Judges Sec. 658. Judge – Election; term, vacancies. (a) The judge of said recorder’s court shall be elected by the board of commissioners of DeKalb County. Commencing with the term which begins on January 1, 2005, each judge shall serve a term of four (4) years and until his or her successor is duly elected and qualified. All vacancies occurring in such office shall be filled in like manner for the remainder of the unexpired term. (b) Said board of commissioners shall select a chief judge of said court and such sufficient number of associate judges as may be necessary for the conduct of the business of said court. (Acts 1959, p. 3093, § 5; Acts 1964, p. 2545, § 1; Acts. 2004, p. 4396, § 1) Source: DeKalb County Organizational Act, Appendix B, Local Constitutional Amendments of the code for section 658.

CEO, has the authority to appoint replacements at the court. “In the past, the CEO has done it in error,” Barnes Sutton said Thursday. She said former CEO Vernon Jones also did S. Barnes Sutton not follow the county’s Organizational Act when he nominated Walker for the appointment in 2002. She said errors in making appointments to the Recorder’s Court were discovered during research her staff did in preparation to make changes at the court. CEO spokeswoman Shelia Trappier Edwards said Thursday that Ellis was en route

from a meeting in Washington, D.C., and could not be reached for a comment. The DeKalb County Organizational Act, which sets the term of the judges on the Recorder’s Court, states that “Said board of commissioners shall select a chief judge of said court and such sufficient number of associate judges as may be necessary for the conduct of the business of said court.” To get the process correct this time, Barnes Sutton this week offered three options for the BOC to pursue in making the next appointments – board nomination, State Court advisement, and open advertisement. She favors the open advertisement option that includes a panel of legal representatives recommending five nomi-

nees to the BOC for its selection. She says she will recommend that option at the Dec. 8 meeting of the Public Safety Committee. Dwight Thomas, a past president of the DeKalb Lawyers Association, supports the notion of getting input from the DeKalb legal community. Dwight Thomas “I believe that whenever a judgeship is filled, the local bar associations should have some input in the process,” he said Thursday. “We are not telling anybody who to choose. We just want some input in the process. Nobody knows a lawyer or a judge better than lawyers.” Even though Walker’s and Head’s fouryear appointment to the court ends on Dec. 31, Barnes Sutton said she is not pressured by any timeline. “I don’t feel that we are in a rush,” she said. “We have the authority to extend the term of the current people. I don’t see a problem with doing that.” She said doing so would give the county a chance to review the report from the National Center for State Courts due in mid-December, before appointing new leadership. “We want to review the recommendations and incorporate in anything changes that we make,” she said. “I think it’s irresponsible to move forward without considering the results of that report.”

Community Tygrett and Bell are victorious in runoffs Howard Tygrett will be the next mayor of Clarkston and Simone Bell will be taking the Georgia House District 58 seat. The two were victors in the Dec. 1 runoff elections. Turnout was low in Clarkston with only 427 voters going to the poll. Tygrett, an REI store manager, Howard Tygrett got 238 or 55.7 percent of the votes. Long-time councilwoman Pat DavisMorris got 189 or 44.3 percent of the votes. In the House District 58 race, 5,288 people returned to the polls, and Bell, a community educator, got 2,951 or 55.8 percent of the vote. Attorney Asha Jackson, got 2,337 or Simone Bell 44.2 percent of the votes. Bell will finish out the term of Robbin Shipp, who resigned in April.

New information officer chief hired Darrell T. Black, former manager of information technology for Benedict College in Columbia, S.C., has been hired as DeKalb County’s new chief information officer. He will manage all facets of information technology services including administration, applications and infrastructure services. Darrell Black Black holds a B.S. in mathematics and computer science from Delaware State College and a master of science and management technology degree from the Georgia Institute of Technology.

CrossRoadsNews

December 5, 2009

“We just want to kind of get people thinking about where we want to go.”

PRISM holds party for police and firefighters Police officers and firefighters in the Stone Mountain and Tucker areas are about to get their annual pat on the back from the community group PRISM, Pride Rings in Stone Mountain. The 11th annual PRISM Police Appreciation Luncheon is on Dec.

11 at Georgia Perimeter College’s Clarkston campus. Police officers from the Tucker and Center precincts; the cities of Clarkston, Pine Lake and Stone Mountain; and GPC’s security force are invited to the luncheon. Firefighters at six stations in the

area will receive large boxes of food and supermarket gift cards. The luncheon and gifts are provided through donations from area businesses, organizations and individuals. To donate, call Betty Efird at 404-292-0161 or email her at befird@ bellsouth.net.

Meeting about serial rapist set

Community input for city of Lithonia plan

A serial rapist has been victimizing women in Stone Mountain and Commissioner Sharon Barnes Sutton is hosting a Dec. 8 community meeting to update residents and provide safety tips. Law enforcement officers and the DeKalb Rape Crisis Center will provide information at the meeting which starts at 7 p.m. at Memorial Drive Presbyterian Church. Because of the subject matter, Barnes Sutton, who represents District 4, is asking parents not to bring children to the meeting. The church is at 5140 Memorial Drive, in Stone Mountain. For more information, call 404-3714907 or send an email to sbsutton@co.dekalb. ga.us.

City of Lithonia residents can help shape their town’s future at a meeting on Thursday, Dec. 10. The meeting kicks off work on a longrange comprehensive plan spearheaded by the Lithonia Redevelopment Committee, which is led by City Council member Deborah Jackson. “We just want to kind of get people Deborah Jackson thinking about where we want to go,” Jackson said. The state-mandated plan will help Lithonia qualify for state economic development funds, she said. The meeting is from 6-7:30 p.m. at Hearts in Motion in Lithonia Plaza, 2618 Max Cleland Blvd., Suite E. For more information, call City Hall at 770-482-8136.

Cash reward for capture of murder suspect A reward of up to $1,000 has been offered by a bonding company for information leading to the re-arrest of murder suspect Emma Hope Grant. Grant, of Riverdale, is charged in connection with the fatal shooting of Nekeshia Rawls, 31, in Stone Mountain in August 2008. She was arrested on April 17 and bonded out with an ankle monitor on May 5. She cut the ankle monitor on Nov. 17 at about 1 p.m.,

according to the pretrial release monitoring company. She is the second murder suspect in seven months to flee custody in DeKalb by tampering with their ankle monitor. Accused double-murder suspect a Derrick Yancey fled the county April 4 after cutting his ankle monitor. He was recaptured in Belize. Anyone with information about Grant’s whereabouts is asked to call the DeKalb Sheriff ’s OfEmma H. Grant fice Fugitive Squad at 404-298-8200. Highway crews are staying busy trying to patch cracks and potholes like this one on Martin Road near the intersection of Mainstreet Park Drive.

Curtis Parker / CrossRoadsNews

Businesses feel pain from detour MAINSTREET,

from page

in Mainstreet repaved or at least restored to their previous condition once the detour has ended. They’re also concerned that a small bridge over a creek within their subdivision on Mainstreet Park Drive is becoming unsafe. Carl Glover, DeKalb County’s director of roads and drainage, said the county is patching potholes in the subdivision and will evaluate the roads for further needs after the detour Carl Glover has ended. He said Mainstreet’s bridge, which is evaluated annually, is holding up structurally. “That bridge is in decent shape,” he said. “It’s kind of rough from the standpoint of the topping on it.” Glover said everything will be brought “back to normal” once the bridge is replaced. Some fear that businesses near the detour that were already struggling before September may never see “normal” again. Calvin Sims, president of the Chapman

Mill/Redan Park homeowners association and chair of the DeKalb branch NAACP economic development committee, has been talking to businesses along the Redan/ Hairston corridor. He said the detour is hitting them hard. “I’m concerned about the economic damage that this could do, that they might not be able to recover from, especially with the downturn that we’re experiencing anyway,” Sims said. The Redan Kroger has lost at least $60,000 a week in business since the detour started, according to store co-manager Horace Pullin. This translates into fluctuating cuts in hours for some of the store’s close to 100 employees, he said. Some people on the other side of the roadblock from Kroger don’t want to drive through Mainstreet to get there, especially during rush hour, he said. “They might do it once because they got stuck in it but they won’t do it again,” he said. “The Covington Highway store is picking up a lot of business.” The Redan Kroger is trying to hold onto those customers by trying to keep the store in good condition, Pullin said. “If they have to maneuver to get here, we want them to get what they were looking for,” he said.

December 5, 2009

CrossRoadsNews

Community

December 5, 2009

“I have less money to spend so I am clipping lots of coupons and looking for deals.”

Deal-seekers swarm as buying season hits high gear 2346 Candler Rd. Decatur, GA 30032 404-284-1888 Fax: 404-284-5007 www.crossroadsnews.com editor@crossroadsnews.com

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By Jennifer Ffrench Parker

East metro bargain hunters kicked off the 2009 holiday shopping by lining up early for Black Friday deals and packing area malls all weekend to stretch their recession-battered dollars. At area Wal-Marts and other big box retailers, customers lined up overnight for doorbuster deals that began as early as 4 a.m. at some stores. They packed Macy’s, J.C. Penney and Kohl’s stores at the malls and lined up overnight at some 24-hour Wal-Marts. Tene Harris, the Gallery of South DeKalb’s general manager, said traffic was up at the Decatur mall and a random survey of merchants Monday revealed that they met their projections. “Our customers tend to shop later in the season but traffic was up,” she said. “We got off to a brisk start for the holiday.” Donald Bieler, the Mall at Stonecrest’s marketing director, echoed the sentiment. “The Mall at Stonecrest is off to a great start this holiday season,” he said. “Numerous merchants exceeded expectation. We anticipate strong traffic and sales throughout December.” Retailers wooed shoppers with deep early morning discounts. To help pull shoppers in early, the Mall at Stonecrest gave away $50 gift cards to customers who bought $100 in Mall at Stonecrest gift cards that are good at all mall stores. Jerome Adkins, store manager at the Fairington Wal-Mart in Lithonia, and Henry Green at the Memorial Drive Wal-Mart in Decatur said they were cleaned out of hot items – 32inch and 42-inch LCD and plasma televisions for $248 and $448, $198 computer laptops and $59 TomTom navigation systems – within an hour of the sales starting at 5 a.m. “People began lining up at midnight,” Adkins said. “At 5 a.m., we had about 2,500 people in the store.” To control the crowd, Adkins had an area roped off in the store for shoppers to line up and plenty of uniformed DeKalb County police officers. Local consumers were among 195 million shoppers who visited stores and Web sites over Black Friday weekend, up from 172 million. The National Retail Federation said total spending reached an estimated $41.2 billion but that shoppers spent less, as predicted. The Washington-based trade association said its Black Friday survey, conducted by BIG-

Quick Read

Black Friday shoppers loaded up on earlymorning specials at the Wal-Mart on Fairington Road on the first day of the holiday shopping season.

Jennifer Ffrench Parker / CrossRoadsNews

research, found that the weekend’s average spending dropped to $343.31 per person from $372.57 a year ago. Tracy Mullin, NRF’s president and CEO, said shoppers proved that they were willing to open their wallets for a bargain. As a nod to the country’s poor economy, Mullin said they bought less expensive items like toys, small appliances and winter clothes. “While retailers are encouraged by the number of Americans who shopped over Black Friday weekend, they know they have their work cut out for them to keep people coming back through Christmas,” she said, adding that shoppers can continue to expect retailers to focus on low prices and bargains through the end of December. This year more shoppers, nearly one-third (31.2 percent), were at the stores by 5 a.m., up from 23.3 percent last year. Those who didn’t make it out early missed out on the doorbuster deals. Deborah Page and daughter Kesa Page of Lithonia were among those. They didn’t make it to the Fairington Wal-Mart until 6 a.m. on Black Friday. “All the good stuff was gone,” said Deborah Page. “We were hoping to get the Barbie Jeep for $88 and the 32-inch Emerson television for $248 and the laptop.” By 7 a.m., the crowds had dissipated at the store and Lorna and Milton Smith of Decatur said they found reasonable prices. “It was easy to find what we wanted,” Lorna Smith said. “No crowd. No rush.”

For retailers, Black Friday – the day after Thanksgiving – kicks off the holiday shopping season, when many retailers begin turning a profit – or head into the black – for the year. This year, the sales continued all weekend with Black Saturday and Black Sunday deals as well. Many early shoppers were armed with coupons and said they were looking for deals to stretch their dollars. Sisters Teci and Nicole Smith from Decatur said they were strictly shopping sales items. “I have less money to spend so I am clipping lots of coupons and looking for deals,” said Teci Smith. The sisters said they began shopping at 1 a.m. Friday and found crowds at J.C. Penney at Stonecrest and Target on Mall Parkway in Lithonia. By 8:15, the pair said they had been to six stores. Jackie Hines of Stone Mountain was shopping with her sisters, Cheryl Marion and Cynthia Miller. They got to Target at Stonecrest at 5 a.m. and found it “very busy.” After that it was J.C. Penney. Linda Harris of Snellville and her shopping buddies set out at 4 a.m. at the Centerville Wal-Mart on Highway 124 but left because it was chaotic. Next stop was Stonecrest in Lithonia, where they hit Best Buy, Bed Bath & Beyond, Target and J.C. Penney. This holiday season, she is on a budget and saved up for her shopping. “I am spending the same as last year,” she said. “About $1,000 this year. It’s cash and carry. No credit.”

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Big payday is fantasy come ‘N-word’ speaker to deliver Russell family donates $1M true 5 keynote 6 for pediatric facility 9

What’s on your mind?

Efia Miles, 32, was cooking ThanksgivEleven-year-old YouTube sensation The family of Herman J. Russell has ing dinner with her family when she learned Jonathan Coy will recite his famous “Elimi- given a $1 million gift toward the new that she suddenly had a whole lot more to nate the N-Word” speech during the Dawn- four-story pediatric facility at Children’s be thankful for. Breakers Toastmasters Awards Banquet. Healthcare of Atlanta at Hughes Spalding.

We welcome your comments on issues of importance to the community. E-mail us at editor@crossroadsnews.com. Please include a contact number where we can reach you if necessary. Your contact information will not be published. Submissions may be edited for clarity or space. We do not publish anonymous letters. You can also voice your opinion about stories and Forum pieces on our website, www.crossroadsnews.com.

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Consultant to help with resumes

Students wearing heart 5 monitors in P.E. classes

Traffic grant to improve 7 safety

The unemployed and underemployed Fifth-graders at Knollwood Elementary Traffic and pedestrian safety programs can get free help with writing their resumes are wearing heart monitors during P.E. class in DeKalb got a boost with a $68,200 Safe at a Dec. 6 workshop at the Church of as part of a test of the county’s physical Communities grant from the Governor’s OfChrist at Bouldercrest in Atlanta. education curriculum. fice of Highway Safety last month.

Nelly to greet fans, customers

Innovative programs go far in Church marks 10th year 10 6 serving clients’ needs 8 Members of First Saint Peter AME

Megastar rapper, actor, clothing deFor the fiscal year ended June 30, signer and philanthropist Cornell “Nelly” STAND Inc. in Decatur tested 4,013 Haynes Jr. will meet fans and customers DeKalb residents for HIV and broke the Dec. 12 at Macy’s at Lenox Square. news of infection to 120 of them.

Church will be staging a “Re-Entrance” ceremony into their sanctuary on Dec. 13 to culminate their 10th anniversary celebration.

index to advertisers Attorney Dwight Thomas............................... 5 Children’s Healthcare.....................................9 CRAM Academy........................................... 11 CrossRoadsNews 2010 Expos ......................12 DeKalb County Board of Health..................... 8 Doing It Just 4 U............................................ 11

Ella’s Caring Hands Adult Day Care............... 11 Ellenwood Express Oil Change...................... 11 Felecia’s Hair Care for Children..................... 11 First African Presbyterian Church.................. 10 For Educators Only......................................... 7 Gibbs Garage................................................. 11

Horizon Theatre Company.............................6 Macy’s............................................................. 3 Newburn Reynolds Photography................... 11 Salem Bible Church........................................ 5 Salt & Light Truth Center.............................. 10

Service 1st Auto Care...................................... 5 The Law Office of B.A. Thomas..................... 11 The Lovett School........................................... 7 Wireless Global Solutions.............................. 11 Zip2Save.................................................. 2 , 10

Finance

CrossRoadsNews

December 5, 2009

“Our teams will be here for as long as it takes to provide funding for cities and counties to rebuild the infrastructure Georgians rely on.”

Big payday is fantasy come true representative Efia Miles, 32, who has worked was cooking Thanksas a social worker giving dinner with helping people her family when she w ith HIV and learned that she sudAIDS. denly had a whole lot She boug ht more to be thankful her ticket at the for. Shell Food Mart The Stone on Candler Road Mountain woman in Decatur, which won $575,226 in pockets a $10,000 the Georgia Lotretailer incentive tery’s Nov. 25 Fanbonus. tasy 5 drawing. She Miles said she said she plans to pay Efia Miles used family birthdays to select her b e g a n p l ay i n g off bills, buy a new winning numbers in the Fantasy 5 game. home for her mother and a car for her Fantasy 5 a month ago and used a combination of family birthdays for her winning niece, and save the remainder. Miles is an online customer service ticket: 7-12-16-29-38.

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$5 million awarded in FEMA grants East metro flood victims got more than $5 million in federal grants to help them recover from the Sept. 20-21 floods that caused death and damage in North Georgia. As of the Nov. 23 deadline to apply for help, FEMA had received 4,817 applications from DeKalb and awarded residents nearly $4.9 million. Rockdale residents, who submitted 251 applications, were awarded a total of $511,000. The number of applications that received funding was unavailable, according to Jim Homstad, a public information of-

ficer on the GEMA/FEMA News Desk. “More disaster recovery dollars are on their way,” said Gracia Szczech, head of FEMA flood recovery in Georgia, in a press release. “Our teams will be here, working with GEMA, for as long as it takes to provide funding for cities and counties to rebuild the infrastructure Georgians rely on every day.” For application questions, status checks and address and phone number changes, call 1-800-621-3362. Phone lines are open daily from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Information is also available at www.disasterassistance .gov.

Consultant to help with resumes The unemployed and underemployed can get free help with writing their resumes at a Dec. 6 workshop at the Church of Christ at Bouldercrest in Atlanta. James Augustus, founder of the nonprofit Resume Lounge, will share his expertise on creating competitive resumes at the two-hour workshop that begins at 5 p.m. The free workshop immediately follows afternoon worship in the fellowship hall. Augustus and his team will offer one-onone resume critiques. Augustus has served as a consultant to

Fortune 500 employers including Crawford & Co., McKesson Corp., the Coca-Cola Co. and the Home Depot. He is a former executive recruiter with Spherion Corp. and has provided recruiting advertisement solutions to employers with Job News USA. He also co-founded the Atlanta-based resume intelligence company Right Resumes. The Church of Christ is at 2727 Bouldercrest Road. For more information, visit www.bouldercrestcoc.com or call 404-622-4212.

BBB: Do your homework before giving to charities ’Tis the season for giving, but the Better Business Bureau says you should use your head as well as your heart when choosing where your charity gifts go. Fred T. Elsberry Jr., president and CEO of the BBB Serving Metro Atlanta, Athens and Northeast Georgia, said potential donors should do their research on the organization soliciting their support. “When donating to a charity, give wisely by vetting the organization fully; this will ensure your dollar goes as far as it can to help those less fortunate,” Elsberry said in a press release. The BBB offers these steps to take before donating to a charity: n Check with government authorities to verify the charity is registered to solicit in your state. Also, log on to www.bbb.org/ charity to find out whether a national charity meets the 20 BBB charity accountability standards. n Ask for specifics on how and where your donation will be used. n Watch out for statements such as “all proceeds will go to the charity.” This can only mean that only the money left after expenses will go to the charity. These expenses can be high, so check carefully. n If you want to take a charitable deduction for federal income tax purposes, make sure the organization is tax-exempt as a charity under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. To check, log on to www.irs.gov. n If you want to donate items such as clothing, food and toys, make sure the charity can use what you’re donating. For example, a toy drive may want only new toys. For more information, visit www.bbb.org/charity.

STIMULUS WORKSHOP Thursday, December 10, 2009 7:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. Salem Bible Church - East 5460 Hillandale Drive Lithonia, Georgia 30058

Come Learn How To Access: • • • •

Assistance for child care expenses Job support, training and employment opportunities for non-custodial parents Grants for child care providers Subsidized employment programs

In addition you will have the opportunity to access and/or apply for: • Aging Services ( Ex. Meals on Wheels) • Child Support Services (Fatherhood Program) • Family and Children’s Services (Food Stamps)

For more information, please call 404-792-0303 or visit www.salembiblechurch.org. A partnership between the GA Department of Human Services & The Faith Based Community

Scene

CrossRoadsNews

December 5, 2009

The covenant is important because a father has influence over the choices his daughter makes throughout life. Jonathan McCoy will deliver his “Eliminate the N-Word” speech at the Decatur-based Dawn-Breakers Toastmasters Club’s banquet on Dec. 12.

Nelly to greet fans, customers the founder of two Megastar rapnonprofit organiper, actor, clothzations: Jes Us 4 ing designer and Jackie, in memory p h i l a n t h rop i s t of his sister Jackie, Cornell “Nelly” and 4 SHo 4 kids. Haynes Jr. will His foundation meet fans and educates Africancustomers Dec. 12 Americans about at Macy’s at Lenox bone marrow and Square. stem cell transplant Since his donations and smash debut alworks to improve bum, “Country the quality of life Grammar,” Nelly for children born has sold more with developmenthan 30 million tal disabilities and records. He is exthose born addicted pected to release a to drugs. new CD in spring Macy’s custom2010. Cornell “Nelly” Haynes Jr. will be at Macy’s in ers who make an H i s a c t i n g Lenox Square on Dec. 12. Apple Bottoms purcredits include chase of $75 in fragrance, apparel and other appearances on “CSI: N.Y.” The St. Louis native is the CEO of his merchandise will have an opportunity to own label, Derrty Ent., a venture with meet Nelly and receive an autographed Universal Records, and the owner of photograph. He will be in the store at 2 Apple Bottoms, an international fashion p.m. on the store’s lower level. Macy’s at Lenox Square is at 3393 lifestyle brand that offers apparel, jewelry and fragrances. He is owner of Pimp Peachtree Road N.E. in Atlanta. For more information, visit www.apple Juice energy drink and part owner of the Charlotte Bobcats basketball team. He is bottoms.com.

Gift items available at MLK bazaar Unique and handmade items and other gifts will be available for purchase at the Martin Luther King Jr. High School’s second annual Holiday Bazaar on Dec. 5. The Lithonia school’s PTSA is hosting the event at the school from 10 a.m. to 5

p.m. A children’s art contest will be held, and there will be vendors from across the metro area, homemade baked goods and entertainment throughout the day. Vending tables are $50. Proceeds benefit the PTSA. For more information, call 678-982-9805.

YouTube

‘N-word’ speaker to deliver keynote Eleven-year-old YouTube sensation Jonathan Coy will recite his famous “Eliminate the N-Word” speech during the Dawn-Breakers Toastmasters Club’s 15th annual Awards Banquet on Dec. 12. The fifth-grader became a media darling after delivering his impassioned speech calling for the discontinuation of that six-letter word and its slang usage at his Baltimore church. He will speak during the 11:30 a.m.-to-2 p.m. event at Mary Mac’s Tea Room in Atlanta. After the speech was posted on YouTube, Jonathan was interviewed by CBS’

Katie Couric, CNN, the Huffington Post and BlackAmericaWeb.com. Other featured speakers at the banquet include Chantell Christopher of the Tyler Perry stage play series and International Speech Contest winner; Dwayne Smith, 2002 World Champion of Public Speaking; and Al Wiseman, Toasters of Georgia Humorous Speech winner. CNN writer and producer Sharon Frame will be emcee. Tickets are $25 at www.dawnbreakers .info and must be purchased by Dec. 10. Mary Mac’s Tea Room is at 224 Ponce de Leon Ave. in Atlanta.

Vampire dad to be at Stonecrest benefit Alex’s Lemonade Stand “Twilight’s” vampire doc, CarFoundation. lisle Cullen, will be at the Mall at “Twilight,” released in NoStonecrest on Dec. 12. vember 2008, grossed more than Actor Peter Facinelli, who $350 million worldwide. “New portrays the patriarch of the CulMoon,” released on Nov. 20, is len clan, a coven of “vegetarian” currently in theaters. Facinelli is vampires in the “Twilight” and now filming “Eclipse,” the series’ “New Moon” movies, will be at third movie. the mall at noon. Peter Facinelli He also plays Dr. Cooper, a In author Stephenie Meyer’s New York Times best-selling series and golden boy afflicted with Tourette’s synmovies, he and his family call themselves drome, on Showtime’s hit series “Nurse vegetarian vampires because they drink Jackie.” The Mall at Stonecrest is at I-20 at animal and not human blood. Fans will pay $25 to get his autograph Turner Hill Road in Lithonia, For more while photos last. A VIP photo opportu- information, visit www.mallatstonecrest nity is $40. A portion of all proceeds will .com or call 678-526-9880.

Fathers, daughters to pledge support Former state Sen. Steen Songwriter and recording art“Newslady” Miles will be mistress ist Charity Zisengwe and flutist of ceremony. Keith Bailey will be performing at Admission is a tax-deductible the Dialysis and Transplantation donation of $30 per person. Support Services Center’s yearThe Dialysis and Transplanend Father-Daughter Covenant tation Support Services Center Dinner on Dec. 6. is a ministry of Greenforest The 3:30 p.m. fund-raising event will take place in the Gen- Charity Zisengwe Community Baptist Church. The nonprofit organization was esis Room at the Greenforest McCalep Christian Early Learning Center. It founded in 1986 by the late Rev. James E. will feature fathers and daughters pledging “Jay” Wilson, who was a dialysis patient for more than 23 years. It assists kidney their lifelong support for each other. Betty McCluster, who is helping orga- patients and offers preventive medical nize the event, said that about 25 fathers education seminars for the general public and daughters have already signed up and and encourages organ donation. The Greenforest McCalep Christian they are still accepting participants of all ages. She said the covenant is important Early Learning Center is at 3250 Rainbow because a father has influence over the Drive in Decatur. For more information, call 404-243choices his daughter makes throughout 1998. life.

Gala to support mentoring program Members of the Northwest Georgia Chapter of 100 Black Women will host their “Our Favorite Things” Christmas gala on Dec. 5 to benefit the organization’s High School to High Heels mentoring program. The 6-to-11 p.m. black-tie affair will showcase luxury products for sale and will

include cocktails, food, music, giveaways and an intimate tour of one of Atlanta’s most esteemed properties presented by The Wells Luxury Group. Tickets are $25. For more information, visit www.ourfavoritethings2009 .eventbrite.com or call Prinsetta Tillman at 954-662-5609.

CrossRoadsNews

December 5, 2009

Schools

“The goal is to get the students as active as possible during the short time they have physical education.”

Students wearing heart monitors to measure effectiveness of P.E. classes Fifth-graders at Knollwood Elementary School are wearing heart monitors during P.E. class to measure their heart rate as part of a DeKalb School System test of its physical education curriculum. Students at the Decatur school strapped on their monitors on Nov. 19. The school is one of 18 DeKalb schools that are performing tests to help assess the effectiveness of the current P.E. program. The monitor will offer minute-byminute readings to determine how much the workouts result in increased heart rates – from low to vigorous activity. Knollwood, which is located in the Belvedere community, is the target school of the Healthy Belvedere initiative sponsored

by the Kaiser Health Plan of Georgia and managed by the Community Foundation of Greater Atlanta. It provided the school with new P.E. equipment for the gymnasium and new heart rate monitors. The initiative is a neighborhood effort to reduce health disparities associated with chronic illnesses. The current P.E. curriculum used at Knollwood and throughout the county was developed as part of the Georgia Performance Standards and is scheduled to change next year. Shannon Williams, the school system’s assistant director of health and wellness, said a baseline heart rate was taken at the start of the program. Student heart rates

will be measured against the baseline rates again in February and in April while P.E. curricula from other school systems are tested. The school system is testing the current PE heart rate against the San Diego SPARK curriculum, founded in 1989, and the Michigan Fitness Foundation program, founded in 1994, to help determine which curriculum would be best to implement in the next school year. Kaiser Permanente and Healthy Bel-

vedere are working with Williams and her team at Knollwood to improve the quantity and quality of P.E. and recess. With change afoot, Williams says this is a great time to assess what is best for students and teachers. “The goal is to get the students as active as possible during the short time they have physical education,” she said. For more information, visit www. HealthyBelvedere.org.

SWD grad having stellar 1st year Southwest DeKalb graduate and Western Carolina University running back Michael Davaun Johnson has been raking in Freshman of the Week honors from the Southern Conference Sports Media Association as the top freshman rusher. Johnson, who graduated from the Decatur high school in May, nabbed the weekly rookie honor twice in November. He was also named to the Southern Conference’s 25-player all-freshman team and named the league’s Freshman of the Year. The Decatur native, who wears No. 5 at Western Carolina, was the top freshman rusher in the league in 2009, amassing 568 yards and four touchdowns. He also ran track and field and wrestled at Southwest DeKalb in addition to playing football. He is the son of Michael Johnson and Maranda Knox of Decatur.

Michael Johnson was named Freshman of the Week twice in November by the Southern Conference Sports Media Association.

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CrossRoadsNews

Wellness

December 5, 2009

“We were giving positive results to people and they went off somewhere and cried. They had no support.”

STAND’s innovative programs go far in serving clients’ needs By Jennifer Ffrench Parker

For the fiscal year that ended June 30, STAND Inc. in Decatur tested 4,013 DeKalb residents for HIV and broke the news of infection – for the first time – to 120, or 3 percent, of them. Some of those tested were ex-inmates in STAND’s programs, Others were people screened at community health fairs and churches and at the nonprofit’s testing site on Covington Drive in Decatur. For the fiscal year that kicked off July 1, Charles “Skip” Sperling, STAND’s founder and executive director, says the group expects to offer the noninvasive Ora Quik Test to even more people. The group, which is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, has been on the forefront of the fight against HIV/AIDS and sexually transmitted diseases and substance abuse in DeKalb County. But over the past six years, STAND has expanded its reach, adding domestic violence prevention and transitional housing to its list of services. Its clients include newly released inmates from jails and prisons, people infected and/or affected by chronic diseases, and those in the grasp of addiction. Now the group is inviting the community in to help it help ex-inmates become long-term law-abiding, taxpaying citizens. “It makes economic sense to do it,” said Sperling, who opened the group’s Decatur facility to the community for its first open house on Dec. 1 as part of World AIDS Day. He said that 95 percent of all inmates will eventually get out of prison and come back to the community. “In four months, we train that guy and he can get a job,” he said. “Our guys are getting jobs and becoming taxpaying citizens. We are relieving the tax burden. We make the community safer. Why not support a program like this?” Sperling points out that it costs the state $47 a day to keep an inmate in prison, while it costs a program like his only $26 a day to rehabilitate and train. “A 1 percent reduction in the prison population would save taxpayers a million a year,” he said. Sperling launched Standing to Achieve New Directions in October 1998 to work with men with STDs near the Kensington MARTA station in Decatur after working with the state as a community epidemiologist testing people for HIV in Fulton County.

three federally funded programs totaling $1.2 million. It has a full-time staff of 14 -- addiction counselors, prevention specialists, outreach specialists, administrative staff and a housing coordinator, and six consultants -- and other contract workers as needed. Its three-year Substance Abuse Treatment program kicked off October 2008 working with men exiting jail and prison. “The drug abuse we see are marijuana, cocaine, methamphetamine and alcohol,” Sperling said, adding that everybody who comes in any door of their programs gets HIV tested.

Charles Sperling (above), who started STAND Inc. to work with men with STDs, also offers free HIV tests at community health fairs (left) and its testing site on Covington Highway.

About the same time, his wife, the late Faith Brown Sperling, also an epidemiologist, launched Our Common Welfare to test people for HIV infection and support those with positive results. He said the nonprofits grew out of their screening work. In the early 1990s, people were finally realizing that HIV/AIDS was not just a disease afflicting gay men and drug abusers, and that there was little support for the newly diagnosed. “We were giving positive results to people and they went off somewhere and cried,” he said. “They had no support.” About three years into their marriage, Sperling said his wife had an epiphany. “One day Faith said, ‘Nobody cares about the people. We tell them and they got nowhere to go.’ ” From that day, she made it her life’s work to provide services to HIV-positive people as they embarked on the new jour-

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ney of managing their chronic illness. Faith Sperling died at age 52 from the effects of a massive stroke in April 2004. In the wake of her death, Our Common Welfare began disintegrating from internal problems. In May 2008, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which funded its HIV testing program, shuttered the organization and shifted its programs and staff to STAND Inc.

Program replicated Both Sperlings were in recovery when they met in 1994 and married a year later. Charles Sperling said his last day using drugs was Oct. 16, 1986. He said he got clean at the VA Hospital in DeKalb County after more than 20 years as a heroin addict and abuser of alcohol. “Nothing life-changing happened that day,” he said. “It was an accumulation of being sick and tired. I had tried treatment before and failed. My mind and my spirit were not balanced. I had not made the decision to stop.” Sperling credits his mother’s prayers for carrying him through. “I had a praying mother like a lot of black families,” he said. “One day she told me that she had been praying all these years that God take the drugs from me. Then she said she would pray that God would give me all the drugs I want so that I would get sick of it and wouldn’t want it anymore.” With their history, the Sperlings knew that substance abusers were at high risk for HIV and they focused their attention on that group. In 2001, Sperling won CDC funding for his MISTERS Project, an STD prevention project for men newly released from jail. Sperling said the program’s goal was to discourage criminal and sexual high-risk behavior among the former inmates. Before the three-year program ended in 2004, STAND recruited 256 men leaving DeKalb County Jail and tested them for gonorrhea, syphilis and HIV. It found that 2 percent of the men were HIV-positive. That program is now being replicated at the University of Central Florida in Orlando. Today, STAND, which has headquarters in the OMNI Tech building at 4319 Covington Highway in Decatur, operates

Community support needed The clients sent to STAND by the state departments of Corrections and Pardons and Paroles come from DeKalb, Fulton and Clayton county jails. Sperling said inmates are often paroled back to the county in which they committed the crimes that landed them in jail or prison. “Inmates are getting out of prison with $25 and a bus ticket after doing three to eight years,” he said. “That’s it. Many have no place to go.” After four months in STAND’s program, Sperling, who is also a certified addictions counselor and clinical supervisor, says 70 percent get employment, even with their criminal records. STAND’s programs have zero tolerance for drug use, and Sperling says they drug test randomly. “If they are using drugs, they are out of the program,” he said. “If they stay clean, we take care of their basic needs for three months and get their heads right. We teach them.” Its evidence-based training, education and interventions include anger management skills and techniques, toxic and healthy relationships, and managing anger in relationships. For clients who test positive for HIV, the group offers partner notification and connection to a primary care doctor or medical facility. Solomon Barge Jr., assistant chief parole officer for the State Board of Pardons and Paroles DeKalb office, said STAND is one of four agencies where they send newly released parolees. “We have an excellent relationship with them because of the treatment services they offer our men,” Barge said. “They make everything we do easier.” Barge’s office supervises 950 to 1,200 parolees in DeKalb County. He said STAND also provides services to their indigent parolees. STAND’s community partners include Greater Piney Grove Baptist Church in Atlanta and New Life Baptist Church in Lithonia and Decatur, which give their clients access to their clothing and food banks and other resources. Sperling says STAND is asking the community for support because all their funding is short-term grants that will end. “If we don’t get another grant, these programs will go away,” he said. “We want the community to support us with their time, talents and treasures.” Specifically, Sperling says they need people to donate money, volunteer with their programs and mentor their clients. Donations can be as little as paying $26 for one client for a single day of service. “Our work has value,” he said. “We are preserving families and addressing poverty.” Sperling tells the story of a woman who called them to say her brother was getting out of prison and asked if he could come to their program. “She still loves her brother and wants the best for him but she doesn’t want him at her house,” he said. “Why not help me to help them?” For more information, visit www .standinc.com or call 404-288-4668.

December 5, 2009

Wellness

CrossRoadsNews

“We believe every child deserves a nice facility and kid-friendly environment in which to receive health care.” A sickle-cell anemia patient receives treatment at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta at Hughes Spalding. Children’s is raising $43 million to expand its specialty clinics for sicklecell anemia, asthma and child protection and its emergency department.

McKenzie Jackson / CrossRoadsNews

Health site has easy-to-use info Consumers looking for easy-to-understand health and medical information can now find it at www.wellzone.org. The Web site, part of the Humana Foundation’s Wellness Information Zone Initiative, offers health information in audio and video. Zones are also located at the Wesley Chapel, Decatur and Chamblee libraries. Topics include diseases and medicines, being smart about health care, healthy living, and where to turn for service and care. Drug costs, PPOs, HMOs and Medicare are among issues addressed. Resources include a patient guide and budget concerns, and there are links for advanced information. Health and medical information is offered in more than 20 languages and is accessible for all ages.

Russell family donates $1M for pediatric facility Traffic grant to The family of Herman J. Russell has given a $1 million gift toward the new fourstory pediatric facility at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta at Hughes Spalding. The hospital says it is the largest gift ever from an African-American family to the hospital. Russell is chairman of H.J. Russell & Co., the nation’s largest African-American-owned real estate development and construction firm. The lobby of the $43 million building will be Herman J. Russell named for Russell and his late wife, Otelia, a former teacher and community advocate. Russell said his family is proud to support such an important resource. “We believe every child deserves a nice facility and kid-friendly environment in which to receive health care,” he said. “This

was our family’s chance to give a lasting gift that will ensure children now and in the future are cared for in a proper facility that has a pediatric focus.” The hospital opened in 1952 as the Hughes Spalding Pavilion, a private hospital for middle-class African-American patients served by black doctors. It opened at a time when Grady had segregated wards. It was shut down in 1989 but was reopened by Grady in 1991 as a children’s hospital. By 2006, Grady’s financial struggles prompted talk of closing it again, but a management agreement with Children’s Healthcare helped save the facility. It was renamed Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta at Hughes Spalding and Children’s launched a $43 million capital campaign to build a facility to serve Atlanta’s growing needs. The hospital continues to raise the $4.8 million needed by 2010 to complete the building, which houses child-friendly

beds, an expanded emergency department, and specialty clinics for sickle-cell anemia, asthma and child protection. Lovette Russell – who co-chairs the 16-member Children’s at Hughes Spalding committee that was created to support the campaign and who was born at the Hughes Spalding Pavilion – said the gift is a significant endorsement of the efforts taking place at the hospital. “It has been an exciting and fulfilling endeavor to raise funds for this special place that impacts so many children in our city,” she said. Donna Hyland, Children’s president and CEO, said the new facility allows them to deliver an even higher level of patient care suitable for a pediatric population. “We have laid a foundation that does more than keep the facility operational, but puts it on a path for future growth that will help to improve the lives of both the children of our city and Georgia,“ she said.

improve safety

Traffic and pedestrian safety programs in DeKalb got a boost with a $68,200 Safe Communities grant from the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety last month. The grant to the DeKalb Board of Health will fund traffic safety initiatives targeting students, teenagers and business owners in the coming year. Safe Communities programs seek to reduce the number of injuries and fatalities on DeKalb roadways and educate the community about distracted driving, driving under the influence of alcohol, teen driving and pedestrian safety. For more information on traffic and pedestrian safety activities in DeKalb, e-mail Astrid Wilkie-McKellar at aw mckellar@dhr.state.ga.us or call 404294-3758.

CrossRoadsNews

Ministry

December 5, 2009

“We want to do more for the kids. We hope to give each child three toys.”

Church marks 10th year

‘Joyful Noise’ concert collects toys for youth

Members of First Saint Peter AME Church will be staging a “Re-Entrance” ceremony into their sanctuary on Dec. 13 to culminate their 10th anniversary celebration. The 10 a.m. ceremony will be attended by the Rev. Dr. Earle H. Ifill, the presiding elder of the Atlanta East District. The church, launched by the Rev. Alexis Brookins and 127 charter members in 1999, held services at various locations, including a gym and the ITC Bishop Chapel at Morris Brown Alexis Brookins College, before moving into its permanent church home at 1074 S. Indian Creek Drive in Stone Mountain in December 2002. Today, the congregation has doubled in size and has many ministries and community outreach services. Brookins will deliver the celebration message. A meal will follow the worship service in the church fellowship hall. For more information, call 404-292-0500.

By Jennifer Ffrench Parker

For the 25th year, the choirs of Saint Philip AME Church will be singing of toys – not for themselves but for families who need help putting gifts under the Christmas tree. The annual “Joyful Noise for Toys by Candlelight” concert will take place Dec. 13 at the church. Admission to the 5 p.m. concert is a new unwrapped toy. Gregory Brown, the concert’s chairman, said this year they are looking to collect 1,800 to 2,000 toys and help about 600 children ages 3 to 13. “We want to do more for the kids,” he said. “We hope to give each child three toys.” The concert will feature more than

their 2,500-seat sanctuary. They are also inviting families who will get the toys to register at the church at 3 p.m. on Dec. 13 and to join them for the 5 p.m. concert. Since it began collecting toys for needy children in 1984, Saint Philip has served more than 20,000 children. The Joyful Noise for Toys Saint Philip AME hopes to distribute about by Candlelight concert, which 2,000 toys to children this year. began in 1991, culminates a 100 people in the church’s Choir No. monthlong toy drive at the church. 1 and its Sanctuary Choir. The Holy Donors who are unable to attend Dance Ministry and the Christian the concert can drop off their toy at Education Ministry will perform. the church, at the corner of Candler Brown said attendance at the and Memorial Drive at 240 Candler concert usually averages about 1,200 Road in Atlanta. For more informabut that this year they are trying to fill tion, call 404-371-0749.

Ministry seeks Kids celebrate Advent at Oakhurst Moravian feast on tap Kids can make craft items for accompanied by their parents or a A Moravian love feast will warm the season at the Uniclothing for holiday gifts at the Oakhurst Baptist chaperone. tarian Universalist Congregation of Atlanta on Dec. 10. Church’s Children’s Advent Festival On Dec. 13, the church will host The annual tradition with music, readings and felgiveaway on Dec. 5. its Moravian love feast at 6 p.m. lowship, food and drink starts at 7:30 p.m. The Peachtree New Breed Ministries is collecting new and gently used clothing for adults, teens and children at its first clothing giveaway on Dec. 12, to be held annually. Donations can be dropped off 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the ministry’s Outreach Center, 8024 Rockbridge Road in Lithonia. For more information, visit www.iamanewbreed.org or call 678-799-0907.

The Decatur church is hosting the event as part of its observation of Advent, the season of expectant waiting and preparation for the celebration of the Nativity of Jesus at Christmas. The 10 a.m.-to-noon festival will include stories and songs for preschoolers to fifth-graders. Suggested donation is $5 per family to cover materials. Children must be

Members will sing carols, share coffee and buns, and light candles. There will be a reception after the service with the choir and guests from Friendship Baptist Church. Child care is provided for infants and toddlers. Oakhurst Baptist Church is at 222 East Lake Drive in Decatur. For more information, visit www.oakhurstbap tist.org or call 404-378-3677.

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Brass Ensemble and the Phoenix Choir will perform. The love feast originated among early Christians who shared a ritual meal as a symbol of affection and brotherhood. Unitarian Universalist held its first love feast in the l960s when a member of Moravian descent introduced it to the congregation. Tickets are $10 for adults, $7 for seniors and $5 for children up to 18. Families pay a maximum of $20. The Unitarian Universalist Congregation is at 1911 Cliff Valley Way N.E. in Atlanta. For more information, visit www.uuca.org or call 404-634-5134.

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Join us for Bible Study Wednesdays at 7 p.m.

770-981-2601 “We are building far beyond our years.”

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CrossRoadsNews

December 5, 2009

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CrossRoadsNews

December 5, 2009