PEOPLE
SCENE
Civil, human rights exhibit
Stop-smoking assistance
The wife of Congressman John Lewis, who preferred to stay out of the public eye but played a key role in her husband’s political career, will be buried Jan. 7. 2
Officials have unveiled scale models of the $74 million National Center for Civil and Human Rights to be built in Centennial Olympic Park. 7
Public health officials are offering free 4-week supplies of nicotine replacement therapy to Georgia smokers trying to break the habit. 8
Lillian Lewis remembered
WELLNESS
EAST ATLANTA • DECATUR • STONE MOUNTAIN • LITHONIA • AVONDALE ESTATES • CLARKSTON • ELLENWOOD • PINE LAKE • REDAN • SCOTTDALE • TUCKER
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January 5, 2013
Volume 18, Number 36
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Decatur annexation plan targets two shopping centers By Mary Swint
The two areas on Decatur’s expansion list include Suburban Plaza (at left) and North Decatur Center. Suburban Plaza is to be home to a Walmart that some residents oppose.
intersection of North Decatur Road and Clairmont Road, an apartment complex on Clairemont Avenue that serves Emory University students, and one house. Of its 56 parcels, 54 are commercial. The other area designated as B3 in the resolution has 102 parcels, including Suburban Plaza at North Decatur Road and Church Street, with 42 parcels that include commercial or multifamily apartments, 31 houses in the Manor Walk development, and 29 houses adjacent to the Medlock Commons development. Decatur City Manager Peggy Merriss estimates that revenue from the targeted areas
Suburban Plaza and North Decatur Center shopping centers are on the city of Decatur’s expansion list. The city, which is seeking to grow, plans to annex the two commercial properties that are part of an area that is just over two-tenths of a mile. The Decatur city commissioners adopted two resolutions on Dec. 17 asking the DeKalb County delegation to the General Assembly to pass legislation to annex the areas, which have a combined population of 502, including 42 children under the age of 16. The area designated as A3 in the resolution includes North Decatur Center at the Please see DECATUR, page 5
Curtis Parker / CrossRoadsNews
Mallett Family Mourned Teen survives N.J. crash that killed parents, brother By Ken Watts
Stone Mountain residents Ainsworth and Jacqueline Mallett, their two children and the family dog were headed back to Georgia on Dec. 27 after a trip to Hartford, Conn., when tragedy struck on a stretch of the New Jersey Turnpike. A tractor-trailer rear-ended their silver Toyota Camry, leaving a tangle of crushed metal. Only their 18-year-old daughter Nicole, a freshman at Georgia Southern, survived the crash that was heard throughout neighborhoods along the highway. Mallett, 51; his wife, known as “Miss Jackie,” 49; 12-year-old Drew, a student at Stephenson Middle School; and the family dog all died. Nicole was treated for minor injuries at a New Jersey hospital and released. News of their deaths sent shock waves through Nicole Mallett their Carriage Trace subdivision in Stone Mountain and through Lithonia, where the family had operated a successful Golden Krust Bakery & Grill franchise since 2006. Jackie Mallett was also an administrative assistant at Stephenson Middle. On Wednesday, customers arriving to pick up lunch at the restaurant, which opened for two days after being closed on Dec. 28 on the news of the accident, were stunned to learn that they had lost beloved friends. The Malletts relocated to the United States from Jamaica when they were young. They settled in Stone Mountain 15 years ago and acquired the Golden Krust franchise in
Ken Watts / CrossRoadsNews
Family members, friends, acquaintances and restaurant customers remember the Stone Mountain couple and their son at a candlelight vigil. Ainsworth Mallett, 51; wife Jacqueline, 49; and son Drew, 12, were killed in a Dec. 27 crash on the New Jersey Turnpike. Daughter Nicole survived.
public of visitation, wake and funeral arrangements on Jan. 4 at Gregory B. Levett Funeral Home on Flat Shoals Parkway between 1 and 8 p.m. and the funeral service at 11 a.m. on Jan. 5 at Tabernacle Assembly of God Church, 1580 Agape Way, also in Decatur. At a Jan. 2 candlelight prayer vigil in front of the restaurant, more than 50 family members, friends and customers remembered the Malletts as generous, conscientious and hard-working business owners who built a 2006. It quickly became a popular hangout Fliers taped to the door and windows personal bond with customers. for many in the Caribbean-American com- of the restaurant in the Rockbridge Square munity. Shopping Plaza on Wednesday notified the Please see MALLETTS, page 5
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People
CrossRoadsNews
January 5, 2013
“She knew music. She knew art. She knew literature. She knew places and things. She was unimpressed with her knowledge.”
Friend recalls life of Lillian Lewis, congressman’s wife, adviser Funeral services for Lillian Miles Lewis, devoted wife of U.S. Rep. John Lewis, will be Jan. 7. Lewis, 73, was married to the 5th District congressman for 44 years. She died on Dec. 31 at Emory Hospital in Atlanta after a long illness. She was a librarian at Atlanta University when her friend Xernona Clayton, a television personality and civil rights activist, introduced her to John Lewis at a New Year’s Eve party at her home in 1967. Less than a year later, she and Lewis, an aide to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and already a civil rights legend, married and settled into a home in southwest Atlanta. They had a son, John Miles. Although she mostly stayed out of the public eye, Lewis supported and advised her husband for more than four decades and played a key behind-the-scenes role in his transition to a career in politics that went from winning a seat on the Atlanta City Council in 1981 to his upset victory over fellow civil rights leader Julian Bond in the 1986 congressional race. Even though her friend was not “a public person,” Clayton said Lillian Lewis’ commitment was to her husband, and not to what she did or did not want. “So she gave it her all,” Clayton told Atlanta’s Fox5 News this week. “She would always do the whispering kind of things: ‘Why don’t you do this, why don’t you call that person? Why don’t you secure the telephone from this person?’”
Lillian Miles Lewis met John Lewis at friend Xernona Clayton’s New Year’s Eve party in 1967.
Clayton, who was her best friend for nearly 50 years, said King introduced them. Both were Los Angeles natives and passionate about the civil rights movement in the South. Clayton said her friend was a close adviser in her husband’s political career and his historic election to Congress. Clayton described her friend as welltraveled and well-versed and that she could recite all of King’s speeches. “She knew music. She knew art. She knew literature. She knew places and things,” Clayton said this week. “She was unimpressed with her knowledge. A lot of people want to flaunt it. … Lillian never did that.” Lillian Lewis, whose father owned a small
contracting business, attended Los Angeles High with Johnny Cochran, the late lawyer. She received an undergraduate degree in English from California State College (now California State University) at Los Angeles and a master’s degree in library science at the University of Southern California. She developed a lifelong interest in Africa when she taught in a student program in Nigeria in 1960, returning later as a Peace Corps volunteer to teach for two years in Yaba, Nigeria. The funeral service will be at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, where Lewis was a longtime member. Clayton said that so many people are
born and occupy space but that “Lillian came into this world and she made a difference in her space.” “My good friend is gone but the memories will stay,” Clayton said. Because of his wife’s death, the congressman missed Tuesday’s vote that rescued the country from the fiscal cliff. His office said Wednesday that condolences may be expressed in any form an individual may desire. Through Jan. 6, flowers may be sent to Willie A. Watkins Funeral Home, 1003 Ralph David Abernathy Blvd. S.W, Atlanta, GA 30310. After Sunday, flowers should be sent directly to Ebenezer Baptist Church, 407 Auburn Ave. in Atlanta. In lieu of flowers, donations are being accepted by the American Kidney Fund on behalf of Lillian Lewis. Checks should be made payable to the American Kidney Fund and sent by mail to the American Kidney Fund Headquarters, 11921 Rockville Pike, Suite 300, Rockville, MD 20852, with a memo indicating that they are a memorial donation for Lillian Miles Lewis to benefit the AKF office in the state of Georgia. Online donations can be made at www .kidneyfund.org/give-now/gifts-in-memory. When prompted, online donors should note that the funds are made in memorial to Lillian Miles Lewis. Written condolences may be sent to Rep. John Lewis and his son, John Miles Lewis, at 2015 Wallace Road, Atlanta, GA 30331.
Rev. Cottonreader remembered for role in the civil rights movement Civil rights veteran R.B. Cottonreader, 81, has died. He died Dec. 31 at his Decatur home. His homegoing celebration will be Jan. 8 at the Historic Ebenezer Baptist ChurchHorizon Sanctuary in Atlanta. Cottonreader, who was a pastor at St. Paul AME Church in Decatur from 1997 until Alzheimer’s forced him into retirement, was an SCLC organizer in Alabama, Georgia and Mississippi between 1965 and 2001. He organized communities and voter registration drives and spent five months in jail in Decatur, Ala., for defending the rights of a mentally disabled black man. Cottonreader received the Rosa Parks Award in 1979 at the Southern Christian Leadership Conference’s
The Rev. R.B. Cottonreader was an SCLC organizer in Alabama, Georgia and Mississippi between 1965 and 2001. He was a former pastor at St. Paul AME in Decatur.
annual convention in Norfolk, Va. In a Jan. 1 press release announcing his death and funeral service, the Georgia Association of Black Elected Officials called Cottonreader a “late, great, legendary civil rights veteran.” “The Rev. Cottonreader was a longtime member of SCLC who helped to change the nation and the world,” said state Rep. Tyrone Brooks, GABEO president. Surviving Cottonreader are his wife, Margaret Cottonreader of Decatur; son Paul, who lives in California; and other family members. Cottonreader’s homegoing celebration will be at 10 a.m. Ebenezer Baptist Church is at 407 Auburn Ave. N.E. in Atlanta.
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January 5, 2013
Community
DeKalb CEO Burrell Ellis takes oath for second term in office.
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Justice Hunstein also administered the oath to Rockdale County’s slate of eight African-American Democrats on Dec. 30.
New DeKalb School Board members Melvin Johnson (second left), Jim McMahan (third right) and Marshall Orson at right.
County officials take oath of office in DeKalb and Rockdale DeKalb County officials who won election and re-election to new and extended terms of office took the oath of office in a joint ceremony on Jan. 3 at Saint Philip AME Church. The event, billed as a “unity inauguration,” included county, courts and School Board members. The oaths were administered by Supreme Court Chief Justice Carol Hunstein. Among those taking the oath were CEO Burrell Ellis, Commissioner Lee May and State Court Judge Dax Lopez, who won reelection in contested races. The other elected officials and judges were unopposed for their re-election. Three new School Board members – Dr. Melvin Johnson, Jim McMahan and Marshall Orson – and Pam Speaks, who won re-election in a contested race, also were among those taking the oath. Hunstein also administered the oath to Rockdale County’s slate of eight AfricanAmerican Democrats on Dec. 30. The Democrats swept the November 2012 Rockdale election, turning the county government black and blue for the first time in its history. Hundreds of family members, friends and well-wishers packed the Rockdale Auditorium for the historic ceremony. Those taking office are Chief Magistrate Judge Phinia Aten; Probate Judge Charles Mays; Tax Commissioner RJ Hadley; Coroner George Levett; and his nephew, Sheriff Eric Levett. They join CEO/Chairman Richard Oden, Commissioner Oz Nesbitt and Clerk of Courts Ruth Wilson, who won DeKalb State Court Judge Dax Lopez takes the second four-year terms. oath of office on Jan. 3.
Decatur ob-gyn faces fraud charge for alleged Medicaid funding misuse associated with elective abortions Longtime Decatur obstetriare not covered by the Georgia cian/gynecologist Andre Williams Medicaid program. has been indicted on one count of Medicaid fraud is punishable by Medicaid fraud for allegedly using one to 10 years in prison and a fine Medicaid funds to perform elective of $10,000. abortions. The case is being prosecuted by The Dec. 20 indictment, released Nancy Allstrom, senior assistant by the Georgia Attorney General’s attorney general from the Georgia Office, said that in January 2009 Andre Williams Medicaid Fraud Control Unit. and September 2011, Williams It was investigated by Investigator Shaowned two businesses, Legacy Obstetrics and DeKalb Gynecology Associates on Snapfinger kethia Morgan, Investigative Auditor Amy Snow, Nurse Investigator Beth Ann Teague Woods Drive in Decatur. It said that the primary business at and Criminal Analyst Tish Murray in coDeKalb Gynecology Associates was the per- operation with the Georgia Department of Community Health. formance of elective abortions. At press time Thursday, Williams did not The indictment alleges that Williams accepted a total of $205,003 in Medicaid funds return telephone calls and had not turned for services not rendered and for services himself in to the DeKalb Sheriff ’s Office. He is the second Decatur ob-gyn to be associated with the performance of elective indicted on Medicaid fraud charges. abortions. His former partner, Dr. Tyrone Malloy, Since 1976, the federal law known as the Hyde Amendment has prohibited the use of who runs the Metropolitan Atlanta Ob-Gyn federal funds to pay for elective abortions and Soapstone Center for Clinical Research and services associated with elective abor- on Rainbow Drive in Decatur and the Old National Gynecology in College Park, and his tions. In conformance with federal law and office manager CathyAnn Warner were inregulations, elective abortions and services dicted in February 2012 on similar charges.
Rockdale Sheriff Eric Levett at podium. From left Phinia Aten, RJ Hadley, George Levett, Ruth Wilson, Richard Oden, Oz Nesbitt, and Charles May. They were sworn into office on Dec. 30.
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Community
January 5, 2013
“There’s still work to be done. We can’t keep relying on the people and tactics of the past.”
Jubilee Day marked 150 years of emancipation 2346 Candler Rd. Decatur, GA 30032 404-284-1888 Fax: 404-284-5007 www.crossroadsnews.com editor@crossroadsnews.com
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The Rev. Jared Sawyer Jr. spoke in a strong, clear voice with a poise far beyond his years. He is 15 and already a minister at Center Hill Baptist Church in Atlanta. The young p r e a c h e r brought his oratorical gifts to the pulpit at Rainbow Park Baptist Church on New Year’s Day. He was there not to de- Jared Sawyer Jr. liver a sermon, but to recite words that changed America. It was Sawyer’s job to give voice to President Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation, which Lincoln wrote 150 years ago as the Civil War raged. The historic document that Sawyer read declared “that all persons held as slaves” within the rebellious states “are, and henceforward shall be free.” “It feels amazing restating the words that freed us and put us on the path to experiencing the things we have now,” Sawyer said later. The moment was part of Jubilee Day, the DeKalb NAACP’s annual celebration of the proclamation that became effective on Jan. 1, 1863, which many enslaved blacks did not find out about until June 19, 1865, two years after it was signed. Organizers said this year’s celebration was more significant than usual because it was the proclamation’s 150th anniversary. Although the document did not immediately free a single slave, it fundamentally transformed the character of the war. After Jan. 1, 1863, every advance of federal troops expanded the domain of freedom. In addition, the proclamation announced the acceptance of black men into the Union Army and Navy, enabling the liberated to become liberators. By the end of the war, almost 200,000 black
Al Chatman and Freda Hammonds of the DeKalb NAACP perform a candle lighting and exhortation ceremony.
soldiers and sailors had fought for the Union and freedom. The Jubilee Day celebration at Rainbow Park Baptist Church recaptured the spirit of those times in speeches, readings, symbolism and song. Al Chatman and Freda Hammonds of the DeKalb NAACP performed the candle lighting and exhortation ceremony representing deliverance from the dark centuries of slavery. Other NAACP branches around the country staged Jubilee Day observances, officials said. But “in addition to celebrating
what has happened, we need to prepare for the work we have to do and what’s coming around the corner,” said keynote speaker Derrick Alexander Pope of Decatur. Pope, a prominent attorney, activist and former law professor at Georgia State University, said opponents of the 1965 Voting Rights Act will challenge the landmark civil rights legislation before the U.S. Supreme Court this year with a ruling expected by June. The high court showdown looms after an election year filled with local attacks on voter access
to the polls. “There’s still work to be done,” he said. “We can’t keep relying on the people and tactics of the past. We’re here. There’s work for us.” But it was also a day to honor small acts of courage by ordinary citizens. The congregation cheered Doris Allen, 85, a visitor from Harrisonburg, Va., who recalled defying her white boss and riding a chartered bus to take part in the 1963 March on Washington. “He wasn’t even there the day I got back,” Allen said, laughing. “He was just a bully.”
Stone Mountain to mark Proclamation’s anniversary The Village of Stone Mountain is observing the 150th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation on Jan. 5 with a special celebration on Main Street that will include local, state and federal officials. The celebration begins at 10:30 a.m. at the “Sherman’s Neck Ties” public art sculpture in the municipal parking lot and the adjacent pavilion of First Baptist Church. Speakers include historian George Coletti, author of the novel “Stone Mountain: The Granite Sentinel,” and invited guest Hermina Glass-Avery, a consulting public historian/researcher at the National Center for Civil and Human Rights,
George Coletti
H. Glass-Avery
former associate director at the Center for the Study of the Civil War at Kennesaw State University, and CEO/principal researcher at Heritage Row Partners. Coletti also is chairman of the Civil War Sesquicentennial Committee, a co-sponsor of the special
Pat Wheeler
Timothy Depp
commemoration. Mayor Pat Wheeler will present a proclamation from the city of Stone Mountain to the Rev. Timothy Depp, pastor of Bethsaida Baptist Church, which dates back to 1868. Bethsaida was organized by the
Rev. H.H. Brown under an arbor and its first members were the children of slaves. A video history of the church is part of the Smithsonian Institution’s Anacostia Museum and Center for African American History and Culture. The present-day Bethsaida is at 853 Fourth St. in Stone Mountain. The event, co-sponsored by the nonprofit Main Street Stone Mountain, will feature ceremonial cannon fire as well as music. It concludes with a reception under the outdoor pavilion at First Baptist. For more information, visit www.stonemountainvillage.com or call Susan Ryles at 770-413-0607.
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January 5, 2013
Community
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CrossRoadsNews
“We do not feel we will receive any additional services from the city than we get from the county.”
Trial to start in elder abuse case Prison term in molestation case cords, other cables and curling irons. The trial of former Cedar Grove She also is accused of misusing elderly Middle School secretary Bobbie victims’ bank accounts and Social Neil Ward on 27 counts of elder and Security numbers and using deceased physical abuse begins on Jan. 7 in victims’ information to set up utility DeKalb Superior Court. services at 12 homes in DeKalb. She Ward was indicted by a DeKalb was arrested in March at the school County grand jury on June 28, 2012, on her 50th birthday. on a range of charges that include Investigators say Ward claimed aggravated assault, forgery, abuse of Bobbie Neil Ward to own a home health care service disabled adults, identity fraud, and but instead fraudulently used bank accounts, exploitation of an elderly person. The indictment alleges that between August pensions and Social Security numbers. Prosecutors and defense lawyers will begin 2006 and November 2011, Ward willfully neglected, starved and beat a number of mentally selecting jurors at 12:30 p.m. Monday in Judge and physically disabled adults with extension Tangela Barrie’s courtroom.
A former Fulton County police officer is going to prison for 25 years for having “immoral and indecent” acts with a child under the age of 16. Michael Wilson, 32, was found guilty on two counts of aggravated child molestation by a DeKalb jury on Dec. 28 and sentenced by DeKalb Superior Court Judge Gregory Adams. The original indictment had outlined three counts – one count of rape and two counts of aggravated child molestation. Both incidents occurred in DeKalb County between May and Michael Wilson October 2010. DeKalb County Assistant District Attorney Dalia Racine was lead prosecutor on the case. District Attorney Robert James welcomed the verdict. “This man took an oath to serve the people of Georgia, but instead he preyed on the very individuals he vowed to protect,” he said. “Justice was served today.”
Stone Mountain family owned Golden Krust restaurant in Lithonia MALLETTS,
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Jacqueline Hawthorne-Robinson, a family friend and owner of the Golden Krust franchise on South Hairston Road, said the Malletts’ sudden death is a great loss. “We really loved them,” she said. “We’re going to miss them. They were a super family.” The family was returning to Georgia after visiting Ainsworth Mallett’s ailing mother, Prudencia Mallett, 82. Hundreds of people also remembered the family at a Dec. 30 candlelight vigil at Stephenson Middle School. On Wednesday, a makeshift memorial of flowers, balloons and teddy bears crowded the entrance of the restaurant, which closed again after the vigil. Hawthorne-Robinson said it’s up to the family if it reopens.
A customer pauses to read comments left on the door and windows after leaving the Golden Krust restaurant on Rockbridge Road in Lithonia.
“We’re here to support them anyway we can,” she said. Golden Krust employee Yanique Hawkins was operating the restaurant on Wednesday. She said Nicole was doing “OK physically.” Susan Edwards, another employee, said she has been trading text messages with Nikki nearly every day since the accident. “She’s coping but has moments when she starts crying,” she said. Edwards said Nicole is expected back in Atlanta for her family’s funeral service. Alyson Gray, a regular customer, said she never had a bad experience at the restaurant. “They’re always kind, always accommodating,” said Gray, gazing at the flowers and funeral notice in the window. “Great people. I’m in shock. My deepest condolences to the daughter and the rest of the family.”
Curtis Parker / CrossRoadsNews
Annexation may take more than one legislative session to happen DECATUR,
from page
Residents crowded into an Oct. 22 public meeting on the city of Decatur’s annexation plans.
1
would be about $825,000, with real estate taxes accounting for $533,000 of the total. She said the city would incur more than $404,000 in additional costs for police, storm water and street lights. Suburban Plaza, which is to be the home of a Walmart, has been in the news lately. Residents opposed to the Walmart have been holding demonstrations at the center. Merriss said Walmart did not play into the decision to annex the center one way or the other. The annexation resolutions got the votes of Mayor Bill Floyd, Mayor Pro Tem Jim Baskett and Peggy Merriss Commissioners Kecia Cunningham and Patti Garrett. Commissioner Fred Boykin, who owns the Bicycle South store on North Decatur Road, recused himself from the vote on the North Decatur Center annexation and voted against the annexation of Suburban Plaza. Floyd said that success of the annexation legislation is a long shot at best, due to the strong opposition of business owners in the area and DeKalb County. Merriss said the city has not asked any legislators to sponsor the annexation. She said it might take more than one legislative session to get it done. The two targeted areas were among six areas of interest that Decatur explored for possible annexation last fall. In early October, it sent notification letters to property owners and residents in those areas. At an Oct. 22 public meeting, more than 50 people asked questions or made comments. Petitions for and against annexation also were accepted in early November. At the City Commission’s Dec. 3 work session, some residential areas were dropped because there was not significant support for annexation. Petitions from residents on McKinnon Drive and Conway Road showed
Curtis Parker / CrossRoadsNews
considerable opposition to annexation. In the Springdale Heights area, 64 people indicated support for annexation and represented 66 percent of the responses received, but only 48 percent of the entire neighborhood. At the same meeting, Merriss recommended that “based on the City Commission’s objectives, public comment and a cost/benefit analysis,” the City Commission seeks to annex the two areas to meet the city’s objectives of controlling development at its key gateways, expand and stabilize its property tax base, respond to interest from nearby residents and property owners, and consolidate partial parcels. Doug Robinson, co-owner of Eagle Eye Bookshop, opposes the annexation. On Dec. 11, he asked DeKalb County commissioners
for help in preventing the annexation of his store, which has been located on North Decatur Road for almost 10 years. “We do not feel we will receive any additional services from the city than we get from the county,” Robinson said last week. “The property tax portion of our rent would go up about 30 percent, which would be about $2,400 a year.” Robinson said it is unfair that the people affected by the annexation will not be given any opportunity to vote on it. In a Dec. 14 annexation recommendation memo to city commissioners, Merriss said 97 parcels, or 57 percent, of the combined two areas are commercial properties and a referendum is only required if the area to be annexed is more than 50 percent residential. “Because these two areas are less than 50
percent residential, it appears that a referendum would not be required if both areas are annexed,” Merriss said in the memo. However, the sponsor of annexation legislation could require a referendum, which would be held on Nov. 5, 2013. Merriss also recommended that the City Commission accept an annexation petition from five residents of Midway Woods, submitted before the annexation review process began, and work with the property owners on Derrydown Way to develop a petition to be considered in the future. She recommended that the city begin a conversation with the United Methodist Children’s Home about the future annexation for the property and that it develop standards for acceptance of new petitions from residential property owners.
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CrossRoadsNews
Finance
January 5, 2013
“Millions of families will continue to receive tax credits to help raise their kids and send them to college.”
11th-hour vote in Congress saved the country from fiscal cliff The House of Representatives voted 257 to 167 on Jan. 1 to pass the American Taxpayer Relief Act after House Republicans surrendered to President Barack Obama’s demand to let taxes rise on the nation’s richest households. The Senate overwhelmingly approved the legislation on Dec. 31. Obama said the agreement averts spending cuts and a middle-class tax hike that could have sent the economy back into recession. The “fiscal cliff ” describes a combination of tax increases and spending cuts that were due to come into effect at midnight on Dec. 31, 2012, when the terms of the Budget Control Act of 2011 were due to go into effect. The tax increases would kick in when Bush-era temporary tax cuts expired. The fiscal cliff agreement raises taxes on the wealthiest 2 percent of Americans. The House vote to send the measure to Obama for his signature came less than 24 hours after Senate approval. Republicans said the plan does not do enough to rein in federal spending. Obama said a central promise of his campaign for president “was to change the tax code that was too skewed toward the wealthy at the expense of working middleclass Americans.” He said that more than 98 percent of Americans and 97 percent of small businesses won’t see their income taxes rise. “Millions of families will continue to receive tax credits to help raise their kids and send them to college. Companies will continue to receive tax credits for the research that they do, the investments they make, and the clean energy jobs that they create. “And 2 million Americans who are out
Middle-class tax cuts extended Among provisions of the American Taxpayer Relief Act: n Permanent extension of the middle-class tax cuts: lower tax rates, an expanded Child Tax Credit, and marriage penalty relief – steps that together will prevent the typical family of four from seeing a $2,200 tax increase next year. In addition, it includes a permanent Alternative Minimum Tax fix. n Extension of Emergency Unemployment Insurance benefits for 2 million people for one year. n Extension of tax cuts for 25 million working families and students: The deal extends President Barack Obama’s expansions of the Child Tax Credit, Earned Income Tax Credit, and his new American Opportunity Tax Credit, which helps families pay for college. n Extension of renewable energy incentives, the Research & Experimentation tax credit and other business incentives. n Fixes the SGR (“doc fix”) with no cuts to the Affordable Care Act or to beneficiaries: It avoids a 27 percent cut to
of work but out there looking, pounding the pavement every day, are going to continue to receive unemployment benefits as long as they’re actively looking for a job,” he said. Fourth District U.S. Rep. Hank Johnson voted for the American Taxpayer Relief Act. He said Americans are “yearning” for an end to gridlock in Washington. “The bill protects the middle class – pro-
reimbursements for doctors seeing Medicare patients for 2013 by fixing the sustainable growth rate formula through the end of next year. n Postpones the sequester for two months, paid for with $1 of revenue for every $1 of spending, with the spending balanced between defense and domestic: The agreement saves $24 billion, half in revenue and half from spending cuts, which are divided equally between defense and nondefense, in order to delay the sequester for two months. This will give Congress time to work on a balanced plan to end the sequester permanently through a combination of additional revenue and spending cuts in a balanced manner. n Restores the 39.6 percent rate for highincome households, as in the 1990s: The top rate would return to 39.6 percent for singles with incomes above $400,000 and married couples with incomes above $450,000. n Capital gains rates for high-income households return to Clinton-era levels: The capital gains rate would return to what it was
under President Bill Clinton, 20 percent. Counting the 3.8 percent surcharge from the Affordable Care Act, dividends and capital gains would be taxed at a rate of 23.8 percent for high-income households. These tax rates would apply to singles above $400,000 and couples above $450,000. n Reduced tax benefits for households making over $250,000 (for singles) and $300,000 (for couples): The agreement reinstates the Clinton-era limits on highincome tax benefits, the phaseout of itemized deductions (“Pease”) and the Personal Exemption Phaseout (“PEP”), for couples with incomes over $300,000 and singles with incomes over $250,000. n Raises tax rates on the wealthiest estates – worth upward of $5 million per person – from 35 percent to 40 percent. n Extends the farm bill through the end of the fiscal year, averting a sharp rise in milk prices at the beginning of 2013. Source: White House Office of the Press Secretary
viding permanent tax relief, while restoring equity in the tax code by requiring that the wealthy pay their fair share,” he said. Rep. John Lewis, whose 5th District also includes portions of DeKalb, was not present for the vote. He was in Atlanta due to the death of his wife, Lillian Miles Lewis, on Dec. 31. Johnson said the bill extends unemploy-
ment benefits for 2 million Americans, including more than 60,000 Georgians. Johnson said the agreement also extends the Earned Income Tax Credit, the Child Tax Credit and the college tax credit for five years, while including a one-year patch on Medicare reimbursements to doctors along with a permanent fix for the Alternative Minimum Tax.
Funds still available to help low-income households with heating costs The nonprofit Partnership for Community Action Inc. still has funds to assist lowincome families with their energy bills. The group, which dispenses the federal funds, says that eligible residents in DeKalb, Gwinnett, Rockdale, Newton and Walton counties can still apply for Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program funding for the 2012-2013 energy season. Eligible residents who heat their homes with natural gas, electricity, propane, wood, kerosene or coal and meet the income guidelines of 60 percent of the median household income for Georgia can apply for a one-time heating assistance payment of either $310 or
$350 to help with the high cost of heating bills. Clients may only receive a one-time payment per program year. Income eligibility criteria range from $20,990 for a one-person household to $40,366 for four people to $55,705 for eight people in a household. The program ends when the funds are exhausted, Applicants must provide proof of income and Social Security cards for all household members 18 years of age and older, a recent home heating bill, and identification. PCA says bringing copies of the documents along with the originals will expedite
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Covington Highway in Decatur; 404-5374300. n Atlanta DeKalb Human Services, 30 Warren St., second floor, in Atlanta; 404-5374300. n Decatur Housing and Resource Center, 481 Electric Ave. in Decatur; 404-537-4300. The site for Rockdale and Newton residents is the PCA at 1261 Commercial Drive in Conyers (770-922-3431 or 770-292-8532). The Gwinnett site is Place of Enlightenment, 2720 Centerville Highway in Snellville (770982-8221). Walton Senior Services at 1400 S. Madison Ave. in Monroe (770-292-8211 or 770-292-8335) is the Walton site.
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wait time at application intake. Eligible clients may call 404-537-4300 to schedule an intake appointment; stop by their local Energy Assistance office to schedule an appointment; or visit www .pcaction.org, click on the “Contact” menu bar (top right-hand corner), and complete the online form requesting that someone in the LIHEAP department contact them to schedule an appointment. For safety and health reasons, clients are asked to not form a line outside PCA’s offices before opening hours. Service sites in DeKalb: n Partnership for Community Action, 3597
3636 Panola Road • Lithonia, GA 30038 (Across from the Salem Crossing Shopping Center)
Job seekers can conduct job searches, fill out online job applications, update resumes using Word 2007 or Optimal Resume, and improve work skills with online tutorials on Jan. 9 and Jan. 16 at four library branches. Library staff will be available to answer basic questions about the library’s resources for job seekers. Open labs are first-come, first-served, and space is limited. Upcoming open labs: n Jan. 9: 10 a.m.-noon at Stonecrest Library, 3123 Klondike Road in Lithonia (770-482-
3828). n Jan. 9: 2-4 p.m. at Scott Candler Library,
1917 Candler Road in Decatur (404-2866986). n Jan. 16: 10 a.m.-noon at Salem-Panola Library, 5137 Salem Road in Lithonia (770987-6900). n Jan. 16: 10 a.m.-noon at Hairston Crossing Library, 4911 Redan Road in Stone Mountain (404-508-7170). For more information, visit www.dekalb library.org or call 404-370-8450.
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January 5, 2013
“We don’t want to do too much that a visitor says, ‘I’ve already seen everything I need to see about that person; I don’t need to go over there.’”
Photos by Ken Watts / CrossRoadsNews
The interior displays for the National Center for Civil and Human Rights viewed by media and dignitaries are “working models” that can be tweaked and refined.
CEO Doug Shipman said the $74 million National Center for Civil and Human Rights, which will be built near Centennial Olympic Park, will complement, not compete with, the Carter Center or the King Center.
Atlanta’s National Center for Civil and Human Rights revealed By Ken Watts
Civil rights icon Andrew Young was among the first to get an early glimpse of what the inside of one of Atlanta’s newest tourist attractions – the National Center for Civil and Human Rights – will look like. “I think it’s very impressive,” said the former U.N. ambassador and Atlanta mayor. On Dec. 18, officials unveiled the first interior scale models of the $74 million center that will be built near Centennial Olympic Park in downtown Atlanta. The 42,000-square- Andrew Young foot facility will sit between the Georgia Aquarium and the World of Coca-Cola on land donated by Coke. Planners have been raising funds since 2007 and broke ground on June 27. Organizers say they raised all the funds needed to begin construction but are raising a little bit more money for the endowment, educational programs and special events. Construction begins this spring and the center is scheduled to open in May 2014. Center CEO Doug Shipman called the interior displays that were set up for viewing by the media and dignitaries “working models” that could be tweaked and refined. Designers are at the point where they
Some sections of the center will appeal to mediasavvy younger visitors by mixing video and movie techniques with historical images to draw viewers into the civil rights experience.
understand which stories they’re going to tell and where the museum will use video, audio, text and interactive technology. “We brought it to Atlanta so that key stakeholders, supporters and other interested folks can see it and give us feedback on things they really like and things we need to improve on,” Shipman said. Young did have one suggestion. “I want to make sure visitors get a clear understanding of how a coalition of civil rights activists and business leaders were able to bring about nonviolent social change in
Threads of history at Salem-Panola Needlework enthusiasts can blend handicrafts with history as they view episodes of “Roots” on Mondays in January at Salem-Panola Library in Lithonia. “Threading Your Roots” takes place from 6 to 8 p.m. for knitters, crocheters, quilters and embroiderers beginning Jan. 7. Textile artists can work on their latest piece while watching an episode of the epic miniseries, which first aired in 1977. “Roots” is based on Alex Haley’s award-winning novel, “Roots: The Saga of an American Family.” The library is at 5137 Salem Road. For more information, Episodes of “Roots” will air at needlework sessions on call 770-987-6900. Mondays in January at the Salem-Panola Library in Lithonia.
Atlanta,” he said. Young was one of Martin Luther King Jr.’s most visible lieutenants during the civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s. He saw peaceful change pay off big when many Fortune 500 companies, attracted by the peaceful climate, moved to the Atlanta region in the ’70s and ’80s, bringing jobs and prosperity. The center plans to “diffuse” the Atlanta story throughout the exhibits rather than concentrate it in one spot. Shipman said they’ll use the same approach in recognizing
President Jimmy Carter’s contributions to human rights. He said the civil rights center will complement, not compete with, the Carter Center or the King Center. “We don’t want to do too much that a visitor says, ‘I’ve already seen everything I need to see about that person; I don’t need to go over there,’” he said. “So we’re trying to strike a balance.” A quiet room showcasing the Martin Luther King Jr. papers will give visitors a sense of the leader’s gifts as a writer and thinker, Shipman said. Other sections will appeal to media-savvy younger generations by mixing video and movie techniques with familiar historical images to draw viewers into the civil rights experience. Shipman said the human rights section will show how the American civil rights movement influenced freedom struggles around the world. From human trafficking to violence against women and the revolutions in the Middle East, the exhibit will depend heavily on current events and will be updated frequently. The exhibit and gallery designs are taking shape under the guidance of famed theater and film director George C. Wolfe. Young thinks the National Center for Civil and Human Rights will surprise a lot of people. “It won’t be depressing,” he said. “People will go away feeling good. And knowledgeable.”
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CrossRoadsNews
Wellness
January 5, 2013
“We want to get as many communities as healthy as we can.”
Free help to help uninsured smokers quit Bereavement therapist A four-week supply of free nicotine replacement therapy is available to all uninsured Georgians trying to break their smoking habits. The Georgia Department of Public Health has grant money from the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to provide smokers 18 years and older with nicotine supplements in the form of gum and patches. Nicotine replacement therapy involves the use of products that provide low doses of nicotine but do not contain the toxins found in smoke. Medline Plus, the National Institutes of Health’s Web site, says that of all the nicotine supplement forms, the patch and the gum are most likely to be used correctly. Smokers who don’t cheat on their first day of use are 10 times more likely to permanently stop smoking. Qualified candidates can contact the 24/7 Georgia Tobacco Quit Line at 1-877-270-STOP (7867) for the free supplements. It provides free and confidential tobacco cessation telephone and Web-based counseling to all Georgia tobacco users ages 13 and older, including pregnant and postpartum women. Statewide, more than 1.5 million Georgians smoke cigarettes and another 315,000 use some form of smokeless tobacco. Since 2001, the Georgia Tobacco Quit Line has helped nearly 85,000 Georgians in their attempts to quit smoking. Dr. Kimberly Redding, who directs the state’s Health Promotion & Disease Prevention section, said tobacco use is the No. 1 preventable cause of death in the state. Each year,
to discuss memoir
Georgia public health officials say tobacco use is the No. 1 preventable cause of death in the state.
more than 10,000 die from smoke-related illnesses, For more information, visit www.livehealthygeorgia. org/peoplesmokefree.shtml or call Nancy Nydam at 404657-2462.
LA Fitness comes to Lithonia Free ID card, A new $9 million LA Fitness is group fitness studio, and executivechild safety tips nearing completion at the intersec- style locker rooms and saunas. Parents and legal guardians can get child safety information and tips plus a free identification card for their children on Jan. 12 at Stonecrest Library in Lithonia. The session is offered from 1 to 5 p.m. at the library, which is teaming up with New York Life Insurance Co. To receive an ID, children must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian. ID cards will include the child’s photo, digital fingerprints and other vital information. Parents and guardians can learn what they can do to help create a safer environment for their children. Stonecrest Library is at 3123 Klondike Road. For more information, call 770482-3828.
tion of Panola Road and Covington Highway in Lithonia and will open by early February. Frank Galloway, the gym’s general manager, said the 40,000-square-foot facility will have a soft opening between Jan. 25 and Feb. 7 with a grand opening about 30 days later. The fitness center will feature a range of exercise options, including Pilates, tai chai, belly dancing, indoor cycling, aqua aerobics, yoga, step and kickbox cardio, and state-of-the-art equipment, including free weights. There will be a kids club and baby-sitting services for children ages 3 months to 12 years. The center will have a full-size basketball court, a heated lap pool, a
Galloway said month-to-month and discounted prepaid memberships are available. He said LA Fitness picked Lithonia because it didn’t have a gym. “We want to get as many communities as healthy as we can,” said Galloway, who transferred from Arizona. The gym will have 30 to 35 employees and Galloway said he will hold a job fair in mid-January for trainers, sales personnel, janitorial and maintenance workers, and child care and clerical employees. Galloway’s office is at 6746 Covington Highway, Suite 103. For more information, visit LAFitness.com or call 770-308-0238.
Grief counselor Claire Bidwell Smith will discuss her debut book, “The Rules of Inheritance,” on Jan. 8 at the Decatur Library. The talk, which begins at 7:15 p.m., will kick off the January Festival of Writers. Critics call “The Rules of Inheritance” “a powerful and searingly honest Claire B. Smith memoir” about a young woman who loses her family but finds herself in the process. The coming-of-age story relates her parents’ cancer diagnoses when she was 14. It examines the tragedy she faced and also how she coped with grief and came to better understand her own role. Bidwell Smith, who has a master’s degree in clinical psychology, has written for many publications and most recently worked as a bereavement counselor for a hospice in Chicago. She is beginning a series of workshops around grief. The Decatur Library is at 215 Sycamore St. For more information, visit georgiacenterforthebook.org or dekalb library.org, or call 404-370-8450, Ext. 2225.
Healthy eating classes for families with kids Families with children can learn about healthy eating in a series of classes provided by the University of Georgia’s Cooperative Extension Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program. The one-hour classes will be held on Thursdays from Jan. 10 to Feb. 14 at Salem-Panola Library, 5137 Salem Road in Lithonia, and start at 11 a.m. The schedule: n Jan. 10: Your Food, Your Choice. Learn about general nutrition, food choices, and how to prepare quick and easy recipes. n Jan. 17: Stress-Free Meal Times. Learn how to de-stress meal times. n Jan. 24: Color Me Healthy. Add more fruits and vegetables to your meals. n Jan. 31: Winning Ways With Fast Food. Learn to make delicious fast foods for your family. n Feb. 7: Keep Yourself Well! Eat healthy and get moving. n Feb. 14: Keep Your Health Out of Jeopardy! Make the right food choices to help prevent and/or reduce your risk of chronic diseases. For more information, call 770-987-6900.
January 5, 2013
Youth
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CrossRoadsNews
“We want service members to know that they have a home at GPC. We will do our best to make the transition to college as smooth as possible.” Ayanna Habeel, 12, of Lithonia was one of 690 junior golfers from about 45 countries participating in the Doral Publix Junior Golf Classic on Dec. 18-19 in Miami.
Public meetings on school organization DeKalb residents can find out about state-mandated capital outlay planning at a series of school organization community meetings kicking off on Jan. 8. DeKalb Schools says that every five years, school districts across the state submit a list of schools to participate in the state capital outlay program. The district is completing an application for funding that requires a list of its schools. The Proposed School Organization lists the schools a school district expects to operate in the coming years. The document forms the basis for development of a detailed plan called the “Local Five-Year Facility Plan,” which provides the district’s justification to participate in the state capital outlay program. Currently, the district is eligible to receive up to $40 million in additional funds dependent upon state approval. The DeKalb School Board delayed its first vote on a working draft of the 2016-17 Proposed School Organization until Jan. 7. A second vote on the final draft will take place on Jan. 23. In January, the district planning staff will revise its briefing to focus the community’s understanding on DeKalb’s list of schools and minimize any discussion of boundary changes. This list of schools will incorporate the new schools added under the SPLOST IV capital program. District staff will update the current list of 2007-2012 schools to show SPLOST IV new school buildings and any decommissioned buildings through 2016-2017. The public information meetings take place 6:30 to 8 p.m. on the following dates: n Region 5: Jan. 8 at McNair High, 1804 Bouldercrest Road S.E. in Atlanta. n Region 3: Jan. 9 at Redan High, 5247 Redan Road in Stone Mountain. n Region 4: Jan. 10 at Martin Luther King Jr. High, 3991 Snapfinger Road in Lithonia. n Region 2: Jan. 15 at Tucker High, 5036 LaVista Road in Tucker. n Region 1: Jan. 16 at Dunwoody High, 5035 Vermack Road in Dunwoody. n Districtwide: Jan. 17 at the DeKalb County School District Administrative and Instructional Complex, 1701 Mountain Industrial Blvd. in Stone Mountain. The public also may e-mail ideas, comments and suggestions to proposed-org@ fc.dekalb.k12.ga.us. After the public information sessions, the working draft will be put into final form for the DeKalb Board of Education’s approval on Jan. 23. That document will be sent to the Georgia Department of Education for its initial review. For more information, visit www.dekalb.k12.ga.us.
Young golfer improves ranking at tournament Lithonia golfer Ayanna Habeel shot 86 and 87 at the two-day Doral Publix Junior Golf Classic tournament in December in Miami. Ayanna, who is 12 years, was one of 690 junior golfers from more than 45 countries who participated in the Dec. 18-19 tournament at Doral Resort and Spa. “Some of the people I played with were from Mexico, Venezuela, Argentina, England and Jamaica,” Ayanna said. “It’s fun. The girls are very nice and competitive.”
three times a week. It was there that she was chosen to play at the Doral Publix Junior Golf Tournament. “They pick you if you participate in other tournaments and do good,” Ayanna said. She also participated in 2011 but didn’t fare as well. “Last year I ranked in the 30s, but this year I ranked 25 out of 40,” she said. Ayanna says it feels good to improve. “My parents are proud of me ’cause I’ve been working hard at it for a year,” she said.
GPC, Air Force offering online associate program Airmen will be able to take core curriculum online classes through a joint venture between Georgia Perimeter College and the Community College of the Air Force. The classes will be available via the General Education Mobile program. GPC will offer online courses meeting the general education degree completion requirements in oral and written communication, mathematics, social science and humanities. Mark Eister, GPC’s director of military outreach, said the agreement announced Jan. 2 enables Community College of the Air Force students to complete the 15-hour general education course Mark Eister requirement for the Associate of Applied Science degree. “Airmen simply sign up for their general education requirements in a single block of courses from GPC, providing greater educational continuity and faster completion of an
Friends School open house, tours Families with children in pre-k to eighth grade can learn more about the Friends School of Atlanta and Quaker education at open house and information sessions. The Decatur private school is taking applications for its 2013-2014 school year admissions and financial aid through Feb. 8. The 10 a.m.-to-noon open house on Jan. 12 takes place at its campus at 862 Columbia Drive. Another open house will be held on Feb. 2. On Jan. 19, host families, students and Waman French, head of school, will talk about the the school’s program and answer questions at an informal in-home gathering at 492 Clifton Road in Candler Park/Lake Claire from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Competitors had to be top performers within their age group and A and B students. “I make all A’s and B’s,” said Ayanna, a sixth-grader at EastMinster School in Conyers. Ayanna has played the sport since she was 6 years of age. She said she became interested in golf by watching Tiger Woods. She used to play at Mystery Valley Golf Club in Lithonia and Sugar Creek Golf Course in Atlanta, but these days she plays at the North Fulton Golf Course in Atlanta
The Friends School of Atlanta also regularly conducts two-hour tours during school hours to provide an overview of Quaker education. During the tours, families get to meet with students and observe in classrooms. Separate tours are offered for pre-k to fourth-grade families and fifth-grade to eighth-grade families. The Friends School of Atlanta, founded in 1991, is the only Quaker school in Georgia. For more information, visit www.friends schoolatlanta.org or contact Waman French at waman.french@friendsschoolatlanta.org or 404-373-8746, Ext. 8136. Admissions coordinator Senator Scott can be reached at sscott@friendsschoolatlanta.org or 404-3738746, Ext. 8139.
associate degree,” he said. GPC has a Military Outreach Center staffed by military veterans. The center offers an extensive support network for distance learners, including academic advising, tutoring, and technical support and assistance, Eister said. “Our online instructors have successfully completed comprehensive training designed to teach them how to deliver quality instruction via the Internet while also providing one-on-one support and guidance.” GPC serves one of the largest military population of any institution in the University System of Georgia. The college, which
was named to the 2012 and 2013 G.I. Jobs Military Friendly Schools list, has more than 700 current military members, veterans, families and dependents. Eister said GPC’s goal with the Military Outreach Center is to be military-friendly, to offer the highest quality education at an affordable price to service members, veterans and their dependents. “We want service members to know that they have a home at GPC,” Eister said. “We will do our best to make the transition to college as smooth as possible.” For more information, visit http://depts .gpc.edu/militaryoutreach/ccaf.htm.
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January 5, 2013
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Reader Notice As a service to you – our valued readers – we offer the following information: This newspaper will never knowingly accept any advertisement that is illegal or considered fraudulent. If you have questions or doubts about any ads on these pages, we advise that before responding or sending money ahead of time, you check with the Attorney General’s Consumer Fraud Line and/or the Better Business Bureau. They may have records or documented complaints that will serve to caution you about doing business with those advertisers. Also be advised that some phone numbers published in these ads may require an extra charge. In all cases of questionable value, such as promises or guaranteed income from work-at-home programs, money to loan, etc., if it sounds too good to be true – it may in fact be exactly that. This newspaper cannot be held responsible for any negative consequences that occur as a result of you doing business with any advertisers. Thank you.
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January 5, 2013
salons / haircare
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MARKETPLACE RATES Place your MarketPlace line ad here – up to 20 words for $25. Additional words are $3 per block of five words (maximum 45 words). Boxed Ads (with up to 3 lines bold headline): $35 plus cost of the classified ad. Send ad copy with check or credit card information and contact phone number (if different from ad) to MarketPlace, CrossRoadsNews, 2346 Candler Road, Decatur, GA 30032, or e-mail to marketplace@crossroadsnews.com. Our deadlines are at noon on the Friday one week prior to publication, unless otherwise noted.
public notice
ARTHUR’S CONTRACTING
Invitation to Bid
• Handyman Services • Plumbing - Water Line Repair & Fixture Installation • Unclog & Repair Sewer and Drain • Concrete Driveways • Wood & Chainlink Fence
PCA, Inc is accepting sealed bids on three (3) vans. Detail information is listed below: 1978 Chevrolet Cargo Van. Starting bid $500 2001 Chevrolet Express Van. Starting bid $8,000 2004 Chevrolet Cargo Van with extra seat. Starting bid $2,000 All vans will be sold “As Is.” Bids will be received until 5:00pm, Friday, January 11, 2013. Offer will be awarded to the highest bidder. Contact Brian Johnson for detail information on vans at (678) 822-1089. Submit bids in a sealed envelope clearly marked: “WX Van Bid” to the following address: PCA, Inc, 815 Park North Blvd., Clarkston, GA 30021, Attn: Barbara Williams
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12
CrossRoadsNews
January 5, 2013