CrossRoadsNews, January 10, 2009 by CrossRoadsNews, Inc.

COMMUNITY

KING DAY

SPORTS

DeKalb’s County’s Community Development Department has its plan in place to use $18.5 million in HUD funds to address deterioration in areas hit hard by foreclosures. 6

The NAACP’s annual parade and rally is among several metro Atlanta events that will commemorate the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. 8,9

Tucker used a heavy dose of overall excellence – second or better in eight of 14 classes – to win its second consecutive county wrestling title. 12

Taking on blight

Remembering the giant

January 10, 2009

Repeat champions

Volume 14, Number 37

www.crossroadsnews.com

New CEO promises unity and focus on citizens - not officials By McKenzie Jackson

Burrell Ellis took the reins of DeKalb government Monday with talk of unity and promises of a gentler, kinder administration focused on the people and not elected officials. “We do not own the offices we hold,” he said after taking the oath of office from Chief Justice Carol Hunstein. “Instead, we are entrusted with them for what is always revealed to be a brief amount of time.” He said the challenges before the county are immense but that he is confident that a brighter future is on the horizon for DeKalb. “We are going to improve the lives of our citizens and we are going to move DeKalb forward,” Ellis said to applause. With a looming $40 million budget shortfall, and a laundry list of issues including rising home foreclosures, job losses and declining revenues, Ellis said public safety will be his top priority. “We are committed to a multijurisdictional approach that seeks to combine the efforts of other agencies including the police departments of DeKalb municipalities, to coordinate our fight against crime,” he said. Ellis became the county’s fourth chief executive officer in a Jan.5 unity swearing-in ceremony in which 41 judges, constitutional officers, commissioners and school board members took the oath of office from Hunstein at Saint Philip AME Church. Hundreds of officials, business leaders, neighborhood leaders and ordinary citizens witnessed the unprecedented event. Ellis said

Jennifer Ffrench Parker / CrossRoadsNews

he hopes it will become a county tradition. “Our joint swearing in today invokes the concept of unity on a ceremonial and symbolic level,” he said. “But unity is more than a symbol. It is the challenge that flows to each elected official that has taken an oath today.” Ellis said that elected officials who are united in service to the county’s 740,000 residents should always serve with a spirit of humility. “Too often, we elected officials lose sight of our role as public servants,” he said. “A mindset can quickly take hold that our public service is about us as individuals. It is not. Public service and public trust are not about elected officials as individuals. It is about the people

CEO Burrell Ellis Jr. (top) gets a congratulatory hug from his son, Burrell III, after taking the oath of office. At left, county commissioners take the oath of office while State Court judges await their turn. McKenzie Jackson / CrossRoadsNews

that we jointly serve and about addressing their needs.” Ellis pledged that as CEO he would always respect different opinions and search for areas of common ground. “In seeking to forge this new

consensus, I recognize that it is inherent among different branches of government and among different officials for strong and spirited disagreements to arise,” he said. “However these disagreements should never preclude unity. Unity

is the presence of a common resolve to address the problems that face our county.” Ellis, who has lived in the county for 21 years, was most recently county commissioner for District 4. He took the oath with his wife, Philippa, their children, Victoria and Burrell III, and his mother, Roberta, at his side. In his administration, Ellis said, neighborhoods will have a greater voice in county government, senior citizens will be invested in, the government will work closely with all of its municipalities, and the county’s budget gap will be closed with an eye toward longterm stability. “We will always be guided by the principle that government must tighten its belt before asking more from its citizens,” he said. The new CEO acknowledged the contributions of his predecessor, Vernon Jones, who did not attend the ceremony. He also spoke of the service of former state Rep. Stan Watson, who lost the Aug. 5 runoff to him. Watson, former state Sen. Steen Miles, and businessman Joe Bembry, who also ran for CEO, were in attendance. Like her former boss, Ann Kimbrough, the fourth candidate for the office and Jones’ chief of staff, did not attend. Liane Levetan, who was CEO in the 1990s, called the day “remarkable” and said the future belongs to those who are prepared. “CEO Ellis, you are prepared,” she said. Later that day, hundreds of county residents jammed the Holiday Inn in downtown Decatur for the inaugural reception and line danced the evening away, led by Ellis and his wife.

Habitat for Humanity accepting applications for April orientation Aspiring first-time homeowners can apply to attend DeKalb Habitat for Humanity’s new home orientation meeting on April 4. Habitat is accepting pre-qualification forms between Jan. 15 and March 13. The nonprofit home-building group offers low-income adults who would not otherwise be able to own their own homes the ability to participate in building their homes. The New Home Orientation meeting is held once year to pick candidates for Habitat homes. This year, the group plans six homes and is seeking sponsors to help build them. To determine eligibility to at-

DeKalb Habitat has built 34 houses in partnership with 40 churches and 16 businesses, schools, civic organizations and foundations.

tend the 2009 New Home Orientation, applicants must complete the pre-qualification form and return it to the DeKalb Habitat office by March 13. The form is available at www. dekalbhabitat.org and can be faxed

to 404-534-9922 or mailed to P.O. Box 1681, Decatur, GA 30030. Qualified applicants must be U.S. citizens or have permanent U.S. resident status and DeKalb residents for at least 12 months prior to applying.

Habitat does not discriminate because of age, race, religion, sex, handicap status, veteran status, marital status, or national origin, but candidates must have had a steady source of income for two years prior to applying and their total household income must not exceed 50 percent of the median income for their household size. Any bankruptcy filings must have been discharged at least two years prior to applying. Candidates must be willing to partner with Habitat by working a total of 250 “sweat equity” hours helping to build their home and other Habitat homes. They must also attend approved educational classes and workshops, and work

on approved Habitat projects. Qualified candidates will be notified of the time and place of the meeting and must be present to participate in the new-home application process. The 18-year-old DeKalb Habitat, a local affiliate of the nonprofit Habitat for Humanity International, has built 34 houses in partnership with 40 churches and 16 businesses, schools, civic organizations and foundations. Habitat International has built more that 300,000 houses worldwide and more than a million people live in Habitat for Humanity homes around the world. For more information, visit www.dekalbhabitat.org or call 404534-1611.

CrossRoadsNews

January 10, 2009

CrossRoadsNews

January 10, 2009

Community

“I am ready to roll up my sleeves to work to make our county government more efficient and effective during these times.”

Johnson elected new presiding officer of Board of Commissioners DeKalb Commissioner Larry Johnson is the new presiding officer of the DeKalb Board of Commissioners. He was elected by his colleagues during the Jan. 6 work session. Lee May, the District 5 Commissioner was picked as his deputy. The presiding officer role is a first for Johnson, who refused a nomination last year to be deputy to outgoing presiding officer Kathie Gannon in protest for not being picked for the top position. Johnson, who represents District 3 and has been on the Commission since 2002, said at the time that he had more seniority on the commission than Gannon and should have been elected for the top position. As presiding officer, Johnson

“It is my hope and prayer that the commission can continue to come together, as it did with this vote, to address the difficult issues DeKalb County faces in 2009.” Larry Johnson

will set the agenda for commission meetings, appoint committee chair and run the commission’s regular meetings. After his unanimous election, he promised to build on the bipartisan support as the commission tackles a difficult budget under a new governing structure. Johnson said he was honored and humbled to be picked for the post that has grown even more important in light of the recent change

in the county government. “It is my hope and prayer that the commission can continue to come together, as it did with this vote, to address the difficult issues DeKalb County faces in 2009,” he said. The state legislature approved Senate Bill 52 last year which allows the Board of Commissioner to set their own agenda. In the past, that responsibility fell to the county’s CEO.

Johnson said that the new governing structure requires that the board and CEO’s office establish and maintain new lines of communication and coordination. “Working together, we’ll do a better job of establishing the county’s priorities,” he said. Among his first decisions, Johnson named Super District 7 Commissioner Connie Stokes to the new Budget, Finance and Audit Committee. Commissioner Elaine Boyer was tapped to head the commission’s new Community Services Committee. May will chair Planning, Public Works and Economic Development and incoming Commissioner Sharon Sutton will preside over the Public Safety and General Government Committee.

Johnson said the new committee structure is the result of considerable study and analysis by the board of commissioners and its staff. “The new committees and new leadership will help increase transparency and efficiency in DeKalb County government,” he said. Johnson said the county faces tough budget and tough year but that even in the midst of tough economic challenges, they must continue to make the necessary investments in the county’s human capital and physical infrastructure. “We must ensure that once the recession is behind us, DeKalb County is poised to attract new residents, new employers and new jobs,” he said.

Commission’s former chief of staff is new CEO’s executive assistant Keith Barker will handle DeKalb County’s day-to-day operations as CEO Burrell Ellis’ executive assistant. The DeKalb Board of Commissioners unanimously confirmed Barkers appointment at its Jan. 6 work session. Barker was most recently chief of staff for the Board of Commissioners, working closely with Ellis, who was the District 4 county commissioner for eight years and presiding officer for five consecutive terms. Ellis said Barker, who came to

Keith Barker

Morris Williams

the county in 2006 to be the Board of Commissioners’ first chief of staff, will be an excellent executive assistant. “Keith has a substantial understanding of DeKalb County

government,” he said. “He has strong management skills, and he possesses very sound judgment.” Barker, 52, has a 30-year career in public administration. He began his career as a labor relations specialist with the City of Atlanta and moved on to the state of Georgia as an employee/management relations representative. He did stints in county adminstration in Dougherty County and was assistant city manager in Decatur before directing a management development program for the Carl Vinson Institute of Government at

the University of Georgia. Barker said that Ellis is going to establish high standards for county government. “I am ready to roll up my sleeves to work to make our county government more efficient and effective during these times when governments are being called upon to do more with fewer resources,” he said. As executive assistant, Barker will function like a county manager or chief operating officer, and will handle the daily details of Ellis’ administration.

He succeeds Richard Stogner, who worked in that position for the eight years of former CEO Vernon Jones. Stogner retired last year. Barker’s old commission chief of staff job was taken by Morris Williams, who was the assistant county administrator in the Jones administration. Williams, who came to the county in 1997, also worked in the Liane Levetan’s administration. He was appointed on a 5-2 vote with Commissioners Jeff Rader and Kathie Gannon voting against him.

CrossRoadsNews

Forum

January 10, 2009

Strict enforcement of U.S. law would require the cessation of all weapons transfers to Israel. Adherence to international law would require the same.

Little did I know I would be mentally preparing to die 2346 Candler Rd. Decatur, GA 30032 404-284-1888 Fax: 404-284-5007 www.crossroadsnews.com editor@crossroadsnews.com

Editor / Publisher Jennifer Parker General Manager Curtis Parker Staff Writers Corey M. Edwards McKenzie Jackson Advertising Sales Cynthia Blackshear Graphic Designer Sharif Ffrench CrossRoadsNews is published every Thursday by CrossRoadsNews, Inc. We welcome articles on neighborhood issues and news of local happenings. The opinions expressed by writers and contributors are not necessarily those of the publisher, nor those of any advertisers. The concept, design and content of CrossRoadsN ews are copyrighted and may not be copied or reproduced in whole or in part in any manner without the written permission of the publisher.

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December 30, 2008: Oh What a Day! I’m so glad that my father told me to buy a special notebook and to write everything down because that’s exactly what I did. When we left from Cyprus, one reporter asked me “are you afraid?” And I had to respond that Malcolm X wasn’t afraid; Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. wasn’t afraid. But little did I know that just a few hours later, I would be recollecting my life and mentally preparing myself for death. When we left Cyprus, the Mediterranean was beautiful. I remember the time when it might have been beautiful to look at, but it was also filthy. The Europeans have taken great strides to clean it up and yesterday, it was beautiful. And the way the sunlight hit the sea, I remember thinking to myself that’s why they call it azure. It was the most beautiful blue. But sometimes it was rough, and we got behind on our schedule. We stayed on course, however, despite the roughness of the water and due to our exquisite captain. There were no other ships or boats around us and night descended upon us all rather quickly. It was the darkest black and suddenly, out of nowhere, came searchlights disturbing our peace. The searchlights stayed with us for about half an hour or so. We knew they were Israeli ships. Who else would they be? They were fast, and they would come close and then drop back. And then, they’d come close again.

One of my mates told me to prepare to die. And I reflected that I have lived a good and full life. I have tasted freedom and know what it is. I was right with myself and my decision to join the Free Gaza movement. Cynthia McKinney

And then, all of a sudden there was complete blackness once again and all seemed right. The cat and mouse game went on for at least one half hour. What were they doing? And why? Calm again. Black sky, black sea. Peace. And then, at that very moment, when all seemed right, out of nowhere we were rammed and rammed again and rammed again, the last one throwing me off the couch, sending all our food up in the air; and all the plastic bags and tubs – evidence of sea sicknesses among the crew and passengers – flew all over the cabin and all over us. We’d been rammed by the Israelis. How did we know? Because they called us on the phone afterwards to tell us that we were engaging in subversive, terroristic activity. And if that if we didn’t turn around right then and return to Larnaca, Cyprus, we would be fired upon. We quickly grabbed our life vests and put them on. Then the captain announced that the boat was taking on water. We might have to evacuate. One of my mates told me to prepare to die. And I reflected that I have lived a good and full life. I have tasted freedom and know

Quick Read Johnson to be presiding officer Attention turns to cervical on Board of Commissioners 3 cancer, its prevention DeKalb Commissioner Larry Johnson is the new presiding officer of the DeKalb Board of Commissioners.

First African American woman 7 astronaut coming to GPC 9

A light scar below her belly button marks the spot where doctors used 57 staples to close an incision that gave Kelli Pollack a second chance.

Astronaut and linguist Dr. Mae Jemison will be the keynote speaker at the annual Martin Luther King Jr. Birthday Celebration.

Slain police fficers to be remembered

Collector captivates students Grant to help students focus 5 with memorabilia 11 on healthy diets 7 With the first anniversary of their murder When James Horton showed up at Ronald

coming up on Jan. 15, DeKalb County Police officers Eric Barker and Ricky Bryant Jr. still weigh heavily on the minds of many in the community.

High school students will be learning how to eat better and exercise more in the afterschool program at Green Pastures Christian School.

DeKalb ready for funds to Thousands will march in address foreclosure blight 6 celebration of King DeKalb’s highly anticipated $18.5 million HUD grant to help fight foreclosure blight is expected to arrive by mid-January and the county’s Community Development Department is ready with its action plan to stretch the funds.

Business survival among breakfast topics

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what it is. I was right with myself and my decision to join the Free Gaza movement. I remembered my father’s parting words: “You all will be sitting ducks.” Just like the U.S.S. Liberty. We were engaged in peaceful activity, a harmless pleasure boat, carrying a load of hospital supplies for the people of Gaza, who, too, are sitting ducks, currently being bombarded in aerial assault by the Israeli military. It’s been a long day for us. The captain was outstanding. Throughout it all, he remained stoic and calm, effective in every way. I didn’t know how to put my life jacket on. One of the passengers kindly assisted me. Another of the passengers pointed out that the Israeli motors for those huge, fast boats were U.S. made – a gift to them from the U.S. And now they were using those motors to damage a pleasure boat outfitted with three tons of hospital supplies, one pediatrician, and two surgeons. I have called for President-elect Obama to say something. The Palestinian people in the Gaza strip are seeing the worst violence in 60 years, it is being reported. To date, President-elect Obama has

remained silent. The Israelis are using weapons supplied to them by the U.S. government. Strict enforcement of U.S. law would require the cessation of all weapons transfers to Israel. Adherence to international law would require the same. As we are about to celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday, let us remember that he said: n The United States is the greatest purveyor of violence in the world, and n Our lives begin to end the day we remain silent about things that matter. I implore the President-elect to not send Congress a budget that contains more weapons for Israel. We have so much more to offer. And I implore the Congress to vote “no” on any budget and appropriation bills that provide more weapons transfers, period. Israel is able to carry out these intense military maneuvers because taxpayers in the U.S. give their hard-earned money to our representatives in Congress and our Congress chooses to spend that money in this way. Let’s stop it and stop it now. There’s been too much blood shed. And while we still walk among the living, let us not remain silent about the things that matter. We really can promote peace and have it if we demand it of our leaders. Cynthia McKinney is a former Congresswoman representing the 4th Congressional District, which includes parts of DeKalb and Rockdale counties.

Famous author to address 6 GSU King Day

E. McNair Discovery Learning Academy in December, the kids got excited.

State champion wrestlers focus on defending titles 12 There can only be one king. Clarkston wrestler Terrance Gaddy knows that fact very well, so he flaunts it.

Mentors sought at church 13 January is National Mentoring Month and Atlanta CARES is appealing to area churches to help inspire youth through mentoring.

8 New Year fires send troubles 13 Dr. up in smoke

Best-selling author and scholar Michael Eric Dyson will speak at the 26th annual Martin Luther King Jr. Convocation on Jan. 15 of Georgia State University in Atlanta.

index to advertisers 2009 Health & Wellness Expo..........................2 atlantajobs.com..........................................10,14 CDC Federal Credit Union.................................3 Chick-fil-A /Turner Hill Road............................ 6 CRAM Academy.............................................. 15

DeKalb County Tax Commissioner’s Office.......5 Ella’s Caring Hands Adult Day Care................ 15 Fidel’s Kiddie Salon......................................... 15 First Afrikan Presbyterian Church................... 13

Georgia Power................................................. 9 H & M Insurance............................................. 15 Holy Innocents Episcopal School.....................11 Leadership Dekalb............................................5

Malcolm Cunningham Ford............................ 16 Rainbow Park Baptist Church.......................... 13 Steps to a Healthier DeKalb..............................7 Wright Vision Care............................................7

CrossRoadsNews

January 10, 2009

Community

“It’s really tough this year. The donors and donations, everything has just dropped. It has been much more difficult.”

Lull in donations threatens Hosea Feed the Hungry meal for MLK Day Donations are needed for Hosea Feed the Hungry’s Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday Dinner on Jan. 20 at Turner Field in Atlanta. Sponsors of the dinner are in dire need of donations and it could be canceled this year if there isn’t enough food or money to purchase food. Elisabeth Omilami, the non-

profit’s executive director, said that donations from the organization’s Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners usually carry them over to the MLK dinner, but not this year. “Most of our key volunteers and department heads are headed to Washington for the inauguration and our fear is that we will not bring the spirit of MLK to our

McKenzie Jackson / CrossRoadsNews

Police Chief Terrell Bolton greets the families of slain officers Eric Barker and Ricky Bryant Jr. at the renaming ceremony for Barker Bryant Memorial Park.

Candlelight vigil for officers By McKenzie Jackson

With the first anniversary of their murder coming up on Jan. 15, DeKalb County Police officers Eric Barker and Ricky Bryant Jr. still weigh heavily on the minds of many in the community. D e Ka l b Commissioner Larry Johnson said the murders of the two officers and the Eric Barker well-being of their widows Yolanda Barker and LaToya Bryant and four children are still top of mind in the community. “They were a part of our family,” he said. “We love our officers.” The two officers who worked out of the South Precinct on Candler Road were on an offduty security job at the Glenwood Garden Apartments in Decatur on Jan. 15, 2008, when they were shot and killed. William Woodward, who was arrested for their murder, is scheduled to go to trial in September. At 6 p.m. on Jan. 15, officers, family and friends will light candles in the memory of the slain officers at the Barker Bryant Memorial Park at Buena Vista Lake. DeKalb Police Chief Terrell Bolton said its never easy losing a member of the police family. “To lose two at one time, that’s tough,” he said Tuesday. Barker, 33, and Bryant, 26, were the first two DeKalb police officers to lose their lives in the line of duty at the same time. Their deaths shocked the metro Atlanta community and made national headlines. Eight days after their murders, more than 5,000 mourners attended a public memorial service for the two at New Birth Missionary

Baptist Church in Lithonia. During the ceremony, their widows were given badges of honor. In the year since their untimely deaths, the community has raised funds for their families with motorcycle rides, boxing events, fashion shows, musical concerts and community walks. Among the numerous events, residents of East Lake TerRicky Bryant Jr. races and other South Precinct neighborhoods raised $4,000 for the officers’ families. On Nov. 15, the police and the community paid tribute to the officers by renaming the nine-acre Buena Vista Park in Decatur for them. Johnson, who represents District 3 where the officers lived and died, said the park is another legacy of the officers. “Barker and Bryant served this community proud,” he said. “This park is a small tribute to their honor and what it really is about to be an officer in DeKalb County.” Over the recent Christmas holidays, Johnson also ensured that Barker and Bryant’s children received gifts from his annual Tree of Love event. “From the park dedication to the Tree of Love, the neighborhoods reached out to the police,” he said. “I think this brought them closer together.” Bolton said that the families of the officers and the police department are healing together. “These are two of our young officers, who had nothing but promise, and to see this park renamed in their honor is a wonderful, wonderful thing,” he said at the park dedication ceremony. “I just want to say to the families we will never leave you or forsake you.”

guests if we don’t have much to serve them,” she said. In the past, the group has served 10,000 people at Turner Field and delivered home meals to 6,000 more. Omilami said this year’s MLK Day is especially significant because of the election of President Barack Obama. “The march that Rev. Hosea

Williams led across the Edmund Pettus Bridge that resulted in the Voting Rights Act of 1965 led the way for Obama’s election,” she said. “We are so proud to have been a direct line to that incredible fact.” Dee Dee Cocheta-Williams, who is helping coordinate the MLK Dinner, said donations have been low all year.

“It’s really tough this year,” she said. “The donors and donations, everything has just dropped. It has been much more difficult.” Donations can be mailed to P.O. Box 4672, Atlanta, GA 30302. Credit card donations can be made at www.hoseafeedthehungry.com. For more information, call 404755-3353.

Finance

CrossRoadsNews

January 10, 2009

“The reason why the state even received $77 million is largely due to DeKalb County’s foreclosure numbers. That’s wrong for them not to distribute to us.”

DeKalb ready for funds to address blight brought on by foreclosures By McKenzie Jackson

DeKalb’s highly anticipated $18.5 million HUD grant to help fight foreclosure blight is expected to arrive by mid-January and the county’s Community Development Department is ready with its action plan to stretch the funds. The department’s Neighborhood Stabilization Program, which was approved on Nov. 26, calls for the funds to be spent on buying and rehabilitating vacant foreclosed homes that are contributing to blight across the county. The grant is part of $3.92 billion that HUD is distributing nationwide to fight blight in areas hit hard by foreclosures. DeKalb is one of nine counties and cities across Georgia to get $75.9 million from the program. Nationwide, Georgia posted the eighth highest foreclosure rate in the second quarter of 2008, with one in every 140 homes receiving a foreclosure filing. DeKalb, which had 10,083 advertised foreclosures during the first nine months of 2008, is one of the state’s top three foreclosure leaders and it got the largest amount of HUD funds. The others, the city of Atlanta and Fulton County, got $12.3 million and $10.5 million respectively. Georgia’s Department of Community Affairs (DCA) also received $77 million

DeKalb Community Development will use the county’s HUD grant to rehabilitate or demolish boarded-up houses like this that contribute to neighborhood blight.

even received $77 milto divide amoung local lion is largely due to governments. DeKalb County’s forecloCommissioner Lee sure numbers,” May said. May’s District 5 includes “That’s wrong for them ZIP code 30058, which to receive the money behas some of the county’s cause of DeKalb County, highest foreclosures. He but for them not to dissaid he is disappointed tribute to us. I realize we that the state does not got the largest share, but plan to make distributions Lee May from its share to DeKalb County. the state didn’t have anything to “The reason why the state do with that.”

According to DCA’s action plan, the state is distributing funds based on a formula that uses the number of bank-owned properties in each jurisdiction as the main factor. Based on that formula cities and counties such as Cobb, Fulton, Gwinnett and Richmond will receive funding from the state. Chris Morris, director of DeKalb Community Development, said she is hoping the state will change its for-

mula so DeKalb to receive additional funding. “DeKalb County unfortunately is one of the areas of greatest need in the entire state,” Chris Morris she said. “When you look at the entire numbers from the state DeKalb, Gwinnett, Clayton, Fulton, Atlanta we are all up there in areas of greatest need.” Morris added that the state’s formula showed that DeKalb is hit hard by foreclosures, but DCA subtracted out what HUD had allocated to local governments. “We are hoping that they will reconsider that and provide a direct allocation to DeKalb, Clayton and others,” she said. May said DeKalb’s high foreclosure numbers indicate the county should get $20 million from the state’s NSP funds. “We have to have money to administer the program, we have to have money to rehab homes and we have to have money to demolish homes,” he said. “I’m just estimating, but with the $18.5 million, we may end up getting 100 homes or so.” To see the county’s action plan visit http://www.co.dekalb.ga.us/ commdev/pdf/NeighborhoodStablizationProgramOverviewandUpdates.pdf.

Business survival among breakfast topics

Credit union offers ‘safe haven’

State Labor Commissioner Michael Thurmond and Congressman Hank Johnson will speak at the Georgia Black Chamber of Commerce 11th annual Legislative Prayer Breakfast on Jan. 10 at the Holiday Inn Decatur. Thurmond will deliver the keynote address and Johnson will Michael Thurmond deliver the annual Congressional Hank Johnson Report. a.m. and is held the Saturday beThe event, which starts at 8:30 fore the start of the state legislative

Members of the CDC Federal Credit Union got more than $41 million in loans in 2008. More than 2,000 members borrowed $21 million in mortgage loans and $20 million in consumer loans. They also deposited $22 million. Betsy Mercier, the credit union’s president and CEO, said that at a time when market volatility is common among Betsy Mercier financial institutions, they are pleased to offer their members a safe haven for their financial needs. “We are well prepared to work with our members through troubled economic times, and we look forward to being a viable option for non-credit union members,” she said.

session every year, attracts business people and legislators from across the state. It offers prayers and encouragement to address the issues that impact Georgia. This year, it is offering information on business survival during the economic downturn. For tickets and more information, visit www.gablackchamberofcommerce.org or call 404-329-4504.

The CDC FCU, which was chartered by a small group of employees from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on March 1, 1949, is now a full-service financial institution serving more than 16,000 members. It has four locations, in Northlake, Clifton, Executive Park and Chamblee. Adults who live, work, worship, attend school or church, or volunteer in the cities of Lithonia, Clarkston and Stone Mountain and in Scottdale are among those who are now eligible to join CDC FCU select employee groups. In 2008, CDC FCU members got auto loans at 4.4 percent and 6-month certificates of deposit at 7.5 percent. More than 2,000 members’ lives have been financially affected by the program. For more information, visit www.cdcfcu.com.

CrossRoadsNews

January 10, 2009

Wellness

“This vaccine offers the opportunity to prevent the precancer and the cancer that develops.”

Attention turns to cervical cancer, its prevention Grant to help students By Corey M. Edwards

focus on healthy diets

A light scar below her belly utton marks the spot where docb tors used 57 staples to close an incision that gave Kelli Pollack a second chance. The 48-year-old Snellville resident is just one year removed from a life-threatening bout with cervical cancer. It was Dec. 6, 200,7 when she got the call from Dr. Michael Mojicik, her gynecologist of 15 years. “He said, ‘I want to do another test on your Pap smear results because I can’t understand how it could be at this level so quickly,’ ” she said on Tuesday. That same day, he called her back and told me she had cervical cancer, which is the uncontrolled growth of abnormal cells on the cervix of women who are usually 40 years and older. The news turned her life upside down and started her and Norman, her husband of 32 years, on rounds of doctor visits. F i r s t s top was to see Dr. Allen Lawhead, a DeKalb Medical oncologist a n d ce r v i c a l cancer specialist. With her cancer at stage 2B, sur- Allen Lawhead gery was her only option. At the time, her family was also supporting their son, David Pollack, a former Georgia All-American and Cincinnati Bengals football player, who was recovering from surgery to repair a fractured C6 vertebra in his neck caused by a tackle against the Cleveland Browns in 2006. On Jan. 3 last year, Kelli Pollack had radical hysterectomy surgery. After a series of post-surgical checkups and a few typical setbacks, her cancer is still in remission. This week, she said that the only reason she’s here to play with her five-month-old grandson, Nicholas, is because she never missed her annual Pap smear. “I can’t stress enough now important those yearly check-ups are,” she said. “With everything I had going on last year, if I had missed that one Pap smear it could’ve cost me my life.” Since the operation, Pollack has returned to her paralegal career in a Norcross law firm and is preparing for the birth of her second grandchild. Pollack takes every opportunity she can to encourage the women she knows to keep that appointment. In January, which is observed nationally as Cervical Health Awareness Month, she is joined by Atlanta-based U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which sponsors the month and health care professionals in pushing that message. Each year, more than 10,000 US

High school students will be learning how to eat better and exercise more in the afterschool program at Green Pastures Christian School. The Decatur private school secured a $5,000 grant from the DeKalb County Board of Health to help fund the program that will target its high school students who are at high risk of obesity. Students will learn how to make healthy snacks and fun ways to exercise. The program, which will begin Jan. 20, will operate for two days per week, but Cynthia Lofton, the school’s spokesperson, said it hopes to expand a four-days-per-week program in the future. Students will pay $5 per day to participate in the program. DeKalb public school students are also eligible to attend the afterschool program if there school close by to the school at 5455 Flat Shoals Parkway. Green Pastures is also working to partner with Youth V.I.B.E. Inc., an academic enrichment and business mentoring program that already serves DeKalb High School afterschool programs. For more information, call the school at 770987-8121, ext. 100.

Kelli Pollack says she’s only around to play with her grandson Nicholas because she never missed her annual Pap smear exam.

women are diagnosed with cervical cancer and 3,700 die. In 2007, the CDC screened 318,220 women nationwide for cervical cancer. Of those, 409 were provided to DeKalb County residents. Through the screenings, doctors found 4,996 cervical cancers and high-grade precancerous lesions. During this month, health professionals are highlighting issues related to cervical cancer, HPV (human papilloma virus) disease and the importance of early detection. They are also highlighting the personal stories of women like Pollack who have and are battling HPV/pre-cancer and/or cervical cancer and recent advances and research in the prevention, detection and treatment of cervical cancer or HPV, including the vaccine Gardasil, which prevents infection against the two types of HPV responsible for the majority of cervical cancer cases. HPV is highly communicable via sexual contact and all sexually active females are encouraged to have annual PAP tests. In October, the CDC’s Immunization Safety Office reported that a study of girls and young women who were given doses of the vaccine approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration over the past two years showed no evidence that the vaccine causes any serious complications. Lawhead, who treated Pollack, said the HPV vaccine is a pivotal step in the fight against cervical cancer. “This vaccine offers the opportunity to prevent the pre-cancer and the cancer that develops,” he said. “It’s part of the first battle in a serious war in curing cancer.” For more information on cervical cancer and the Gardasil vaccine, visit www.nccc-online.org or www. healthline.com.

www.crossroadsnews.com

King Day

CrossRoadsNews

January 10, 2009

“The theme of the annual black-tie event is ‘A Call to Action.’ It raises money for the Schoo’s PTSA Scholarship Fund.”

Thousands will march in celebration of M.L. King’s 80th birthday

Curtis Parker / CrossRoadsNews

The Marching Lions from Martin Luther King High School in Lithonia will be one of five high school bands at the King Day parade.

High school marching bands, community, civic and business groups and elected officials and administrators will be marching through the Village of Stone Mountain on Jan. 19 in the DeKalb NAACP’s annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Parade and Rally. The event which is in its seventh year, honors the late civil rights activist who fought to end racial segregation and discrimination during his lifetime. King was born Jan. 15, 1929 and assassinated on His birthday is a national holiday celebrated on the third Monday in January annually.

The parade starts at 12:30 p.m. in MARTA Parking Lot on Fourth Street. The route will take marchers down Third and Fourth Streets and will terminate on Main street, near City Hall. King’s 1963 “I Have A Dream” speech brought fame to Stone Mountain when he said: “Let freedom ring from the curvaceous peaks of California! But not only that; let freedom ring from Stone Mountain of Georgia!” Stone Mountain Mayor Gary Peet, who hosts the event, will be joined by the DeKalb NAACP new president Yvonne Hawks, and a host of elected local, state and

congressional representatives, and school board officials and administrators. High School bands that have already signed on include the M.L. King Marching Lions, Stone Mountain Marching Pirates, Cedar Grove Marching Saints and Tucker Marching Tigers. WSB-TV channel 2 news reporter Tom Jones will be the grand marshal. Groups and individuals can still register to march in the parade. For more information contact Sarah Copelin-Wood at copelin65@hotmail.com. Or call 404371-1490.

Famous author to address GSU King Day Best-selling author and scholar Dr. Michael Eric Dyson will speak at the 26th annual Martin Luther King Jr. Convocation on Jan. 15 of Georgia State University in Atlanta. Dyson, a professor at Georgetown University, is a leading scholar on African M. Eric Dyson American and African cultures and influence on American popular culture. He is

also the author of 11 books including “April 4, 1968: Martin Luther King’s Death and How it Changed America.” The convocation, themed “Change, Transform, and Inspire: Preparing the Next Generation of Leaders,” pays tribute to late civil rights leader Rev. Martin Luther King’s work in the areas of social justice and human rights. It will be 4 p.m. in the main ballroom. Dyson will autograph copies of his book after the program, which will include the presentation of the Torch of Peace award to a

member of Georgia State’s faculty, staff, student body, alumni and student organization demonstrating outstanding ability to promote positive intercultural relations at the school. An unsung person and community organization will receive the Hosea Williams Award for Community Activism for their efforts at promoting human rights. Admission is free. Georgia State’s Student Center is at 44 Courtland Street in downtown Atlanta. For more information, call 404-413-1580.

King paraders for the DeKalb NAACP event include horsemen, bikers, students and ordinary citizens.

Congressman Hank Johnson and his wife Mereda Davis Johnson greeted viewers at the 2008 King Day March. They are expected back for the Jan. 19 parade.

Jennifer Ffrench Parker / CrossRoadsNews

Black-tie gala celebrates King Dr. Norman Thomas, the first African American president of the Georgia PTA, will be the featured speaker at the Jan. 17 King Gala at Martin Luther King Jr. High School in Lithonia. The theme of the annual black-tie event, which is in its seventh year, is “A Call to Action.” It raises money for the school’s PTSA Scholarship Fund that benefits deserving college-bound M.L. King seniors. Last year, 11 seniors got money for college tuition. Donna Dees, the PTSA presi-

dent, said they are also looking to fund a new scholarship this year to honor the late Charlton Forbes, an M.L. King assistant principal who died last year. Sir Markadoo of the “Let’s Talk Business” radio show will emcee the program that includes a VIP reception, silent auction and dinner. Sponsorship packages and tickets for $50, are astill available. M.L. King High School is at 3991 Snapfinger Road in Lithonia. For more information, contact Norma Chappell at nchappitts26@ aol.com or call 678-438-2478.

NAACP’s national chairman to deliver keynote lecture on Civil Rights at Emory He has been at the Julian Bond, chairforefront of sit-ins, demman of the NAACP, will onstrations and other dideliver a keynote lecture rect action in the pursuit on Jan. 23 at Emory of social justice for more University. than 50 years. His speech “Civil He has also been a part Rights: Then and Now,” of the founding of imporis part of the college’s tant organizations such as annual King Week cel- Julian Bond the Student Nonviolent ebrations taking place Jan. 19-27. It takes place at 4 p.m. at Coordinating Committee, the the Cannon Chapel on the Emory Georgia Legislative Black Caucus and the Southern Poverty Law campus. Though he was born in Nash- Center. The nine-day celebration, held ville, Tenn., Bond, is closely connected to Atlanta, where he enrolled annually, recognizes the life and at Morehouse College in 1957 and work of the late civil rights leader became involved early in the civil and activist Martin Luther King Jr. rights movement.

It includes a range of speeches, musical performances, two forums, a movie screening, tree planting, service award program and other events around Emory’s campus, Atlanta and Oxford, Ga. It kicks-off on Jan. 19 with the “Remembering Martin Luther King Through Service” tree planting with Trees Atlanta, 8:45 a.m. to 1 p.m., in the MLK historic district in Atlanta.. Emory’s Candler singers will perform on Jan. 20 during a special service at Emory’s Cannon Chapel Service at 11 a.m. The chapel is at 515 Kilgo Circle, Atlanta. On Jan. 21, a number of events will take place on the Emory’s cam-

pus, beginning with the “Words That Changed the World” ceremony, at noon in the Dobbs University Center’s Coca Cola Commons, 605 Ashbury Circle. Other discussions include “Women Talking with Women: Reflecting on Race, Ethnicity and Culture” at 4 p.m. at the Center for Women, Cox Hall, 569 Ashbury Circle, Atlanta. And “Boys to Men: Dialogue for Change,” at 2 p.m. at the Winship Ballroom, Dobbs University Center, 605 Ashbury Circle. On Jan. 22, Trumpet Awards founder Xerona Clayton will speak during the “Community Service Awards” at 4 p.m. at the Rollins

Auditorium, Goizuenta Business School, 1300 Clifton Road, Atlanta. On Jan. 23, the award-winning film, “Soul of Justice: Thelton Henderson’s American Journey” will be screened at 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. at the Harland Cinema in Dobbs University Center. The celebration culminates on Jan. 27 with the Ecumenical Celebration at Emory’s Oxford College featuring The Voices of Praise choir. It starts at 7 p.m. Oxford College is at 100 Hamill St. in Oxford, GA, All events are free. For the full program, visit www. emory.edu or call 404-727-6268.

King Day

CrossRoadsNews

January 10, 2009

“An individual, student and corporation will get the Dr. Martin Luther King Humanitarian Award.”

First African American woman astronaut coming to GPC Astronaut, doctor and linguist Dr. Mae Jemison will be the keynote speaker at Georgia Perimeter College’s 13th annual Martin Luther King Jr. Birthday Celebration. The event at Beulah Baptist Church in Decatur is always held on Jan. 15, King’s birthday. Jamison, who is the first African-American woman to travel in space, logged 190 hours, 30 minutes and 23 seconds when she blasted into orbit aboard the space shuttle Endeavor on Sept. 12, 1992. Born in Decatur, Ala. and raised in Chicago, Jemison had careers as both a medical doctor and engineer. She entered Stanford University at the age of 16 on a scholarship and graduated with a B.S. in Chemical Engineering and an A.B. in African and Afro-American studies. She went on to earn her doctor in medicine at Cornell University Medical College. She speaks fluent Russian, Japanese, and Swahili as well as English. A former professor of environmental studies at Dartmouth College in Hanover, NH, Jemison runs the Jemison Group, Inc., a company that researches, develops and implements advanced technologies to bring healthcare to African countries. She is also the founder of the nonprofit Dorothy Jemison Foundation for Excellence which brings students, ages 12 to 16, from around the world work together to solve current global dilemmas like “How Many People Can the Earth

The DeKalb Symphony Orchestra will perform at Georgia Perimeter College’s annual King Day Celebration.

Mae Jemison is the first AfricanAmerican woman to fly into space.

Hold” at its annual international science camp, the Earth We Share. The four-week residential program builds critical thinking and problem solving skills through an experiential curriculum developed

by Jemison. As a GPC King Birthday Celebration speaker, Jemison joins a long list of distinguished speakers that include brain neurosurgeon Dr. Ben Carson, actor and performer Ben Vereen, and Essence editor-in-chief Susan Taylor. The celebration of Dr. King’s 80th birthday will also include performances by the DeKalb Symphony Orchestra and the GPC Jazz Ensemble. Its theme is “Historic Firsts,” in honor of those who paved the way for others by being the first in their specific endeavor. It starts at 7 p.m. The door opens at 6 p.m. An individual, student and corporation will get the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Humanitarian Award given by the college for outstanding humanitarian service that fulfills Dr. King’s dream and symbolizes the act of service and dedication to community building and commitment to the empowerment of others. V103-FM morning personality

It’s one thing to supply Georgia with power. It’s

Frank Ski and Fox 5 News sports anchor Karen Graham will emcee the event. Leading up to the Jan. 15 event, GPC is hosting a week of mentoring rallies and workshops to encourage its students to mentor others. The Dunwoody and Newton campuses will hold their rallies on Jan. 13. The Decatur and Clarkston campuses will hold their events on Jan. 14. The GPC Center for Corporate and Continuing Education is also hosting a workshop on mentoring at 10 a.m on Jan. 15 at the Clarkston Campus. Following the workshop, DeKalb Sheriff Thomas Brown, a GPC alumnus, will speak at a 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. brunch on the Clarkston Campus, to encourage mentoring and networking. Beulah Missionary Baptist Church is at 2340 Clifton Springs Road in Decatur. For more information, visit www.gpc.edu/mlk or call Barbara Obrentz at 678-891-2685.

For the 23rd consecutive year, South DeKalb residents will join the nation as it celebrates Martin Luther King Jr. Day with a national holiday. T h i s year, the national holiday is being observed on Jan. 19. King’s birthday is celebrated in some form in more than 100 countries worldwide. Had he lived, King would be 80 years old. He was born on Jan. 15, 1929. King was assassinated on April 4, 1968, on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tenn. He was 39 years old. Four years earlier, in 1964, he became the youngest person and the first African American to win the Nobel Peace Prize.

quite another to supply the world

with hope.

Georgia Power celebrates the legacy of a man whose belief in our inherent goodness and vision of a better tomorrow gave us all something to hope for. May the power of his words and ideas continue to inspire future generations. We’re on so you can be.SM georgiapower.com

Festivities pay tribute to Martin L. King, Jr.

Youth

CrossRoadsNews

“It’s time to take our destiny and our definition back into our own hands.”

NAACP taps 5 scholars

Books help in making cultural transition

Five college students picked up scholarship checks totaling $10,000 in December from the DeKalb NAACP. The education majors – Jason Hood of Miles College; Candis Hood of Florida A&M; Kellie Dixon of Southern University; Douglas Alston of Guilford College; and Dawnechia Spurly of Fort Valley State – each got a $2,000 check for tuition from the 2008 Southern Freeman Fund Scholarship. It was their second year of the award that is funding them through their scholarship if they maintain the required grade point average. The Freeman Fund Scholarship helps future AfricanAmerican teachers earn education degrees to teach decendants of slaves. Scholarship recipients had commit to returning to the South to teach African-American students. The scholarships were made possible through a twoyear partnership between the local NAACP branch and the Southern Freeman Fund Scholarship Committee. For more information, contact the DeKalb NAACP at naacpdek@bellsouth.net or call at 404-241-8006.

Scouts link up thru website Metro Atlanta Boy Scouts and volunteers can now connect with fellow Scouts and volunteers locally and worldwide at community.scouting.org. The Boy Scouts of America began testing the new social networking web site last month. It allows Scouts and volunteers to share their stories, experiences, and suggestions about giving children the best scouting program possible. The site is available to registered Scout leaders and volunteers who have a MyScouting account on www.scouting. org. Users can log in and create their own unique profile page similar to Facebook or Myspace. Scouts will be able to upload pictures, blog and post their own announcements for scouting friends. Bob Mazzuca, chief scout executive, says the website offers the organization the opportunity to step to the forefront of youth education and technology. “It’s time to take our destiny and our definition back into our own hands,” he said. For more information, visit www.atlantabsa.org.

January 10, 2009

Students at the International Community School in Decatur are excited to get copies of books donated by United Way, Reading Tree and Kroger as part of their early literacy initiative.

Students at the International Community School in Decatur now have 1,000 new books to read. The gift of books came from United Way in DeKalb County, Reading Tree and Kroger as part of their early literacy initiative. Many of the school’s students are newly arrived refugees facing challenges including learning a new culture and language. Leslie Etienne, afterschool program director, said the books will be an important factor in the students’ transition because they will help them adjust faster. “We believe that books play a pivotal part in children’s ability to grasp concepts quickly, ultimately aiding in their adjustment to a new culture and language,” Etienne said. For more information, e-mail Arlene Parker Goldson at agoldson@ unitedwayatlanta.org or visit www.unitedwayatlanta.org/dekalb.

CrossRoadsNews

January 10, 2009

Youth

“It’s important to show the other side. If all that hadn’t happened to us, we wouldn’t be who we are today.”

Collector captures students’ attention with black history memorabilia James Horton (left) shows McNair Discovery Learning Academy students Zephoria Mills and Isaiah Lucas an antique meat grinder from his black history collection during a visit to the school.

When historian and collector James Horton showed up at Ronald E. McNair Discovery Learning Academy in December, the kids got excited. And with good reason. Horton brought more than 2000 peices from his 8,000-peice collection of artifacts and memorabilia in his black history collection. The students were enthralled at his “Black Cultural Sight and Sound” exhibit that took over the media center for the day. It included vinyl records of Motown singers, photographs of Negro Leagues baseball players, books and African-American art. Horton, who hails from Tuscaloosa, Ala., but now calls Atlanta home, travels to schools, churches and the occasional family reunion to share some of his collection of black history memorabilia. His visit is part of the school system’s “subject area experts” program that invites people into the school to talk to the students, who study what they’ve seen and write about it. Students filed through the exhibit all day and Horton welcomed each group with a display of slave shackles. Horton, who was injured on the Edmund Pettis Bridge in Selma during Civil Rights protests in 1965, is himself a piece of walking history. “It’s important to show the other side,” he says. “If all that hadn’t happened to us, we wouldn’t be who we are today.”

Proficiency measurements take center stage in second half of school year By Corey M. Edwards

The season of standardized testing has begun for students in DeKalb County. When the doors of the county’s 123 schools re-opened Tuesday for the second semester, teachers and administrators hit the ground running to prepare students for a series of spring tests that begin Jan. 21. Between then and May 15, thousands of students will take everything from writing assessment to high school graduation tests. Gloria Talley, DeKalb School System’s deputy superintendent of curriculum and instruction, says now is the time for parents to help their children succeed. “Engage them in conversations at meal time,” she said. “Talk to them about issues, current events, and big ideas to keep them interested in what’s going on in the world.” For students in grades one through eight, all roads in the second semester lead to the Criterion Referenced Competency Tests (CRCT) on April 21. The annual state assessment is designed to measure student acquisition of the knowledge, concepts and skills outlined in the state curriculum. The CRCT includes reading, English/language arts and mathematics tests. Students in third through eighth grades will also be tested in science and social studies. CRCT scores are used to assess each school’s Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) status. The AYP is a statewide accountability system mandated by the federal No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, which requires each state to ensure that all schools and districts meet and maintain an adequate level of performance for students. Before the April 21 start date, the district has scheduled preassessments to help students become accustomed to standardized testing. The first of these tests is the Eighth Grade Writing Assessment which takes place Jan. 21-22. Its aim is to give eighth graders an indication of what they might need to

Starting Jan. 21, students in DeKalb County Schools will be tested on their proficiency in key content areas such as math, science and language arts.

Time to choose

It’s test-taking season for DeKalb students

Magnet & Theme School Lottery application season is Jan. 26-Feb. 12. Parents can apply for magnet and theme schools online at www.doe.k12. ga.us. To help parents become more familiar with the choice system, DeKalb County Schools will also host the 2009 School Choice Expo on Jan. 24 at the Mall at Stonecrest.

Elementary schools Date n Fifth Grade Writing Assessment March 4 n Criterion Referenced Competency Tests (CRCT) April 21

work on to pass the writing section of the Georgia High School Graduation Test in the 11th grade. Fifth-graders will take their shot at the writing assessment test on March 4. For high school students, the beginning of the second semester marks a time of memorable student activities and momentous decisionmaking. With a number of placement and graduation tests looming, second semester is packed with important dates and milestones for ninth- through tenth-graders. The first – and arguably the most important – of those is the Georgia High School Graduation Test (GHSGT). All students seeking a Georgia high school diploma must take the test, scheduled for March 23-27. It is typically given to 11th-graders, but students have an opportunity to re-take the test before their

Middle schools n Eighth Grade Writing Assessment High schools n Georgia High School Graduation Test* n End of Course Tests (EOCT) n Advanced Placement (AP) Exams n SAT, PSAT and ACT * for all 11th graders www.collegeboard.com. CRCT Study Guide – www.doe.k12.ga.us/ci_testing.aspx Source: DeKalb County Schools

Jan. 21-22 March 23-27 May 4-12 May 4-15 Dates vary

graduation date. Each student must pass the test in four content areas: English/ language arts, mathematics, science and social studies. Once the GHSGT is over, high school students have little more than a month to prepare for their End of Course Tests in math, social studies, science and English/language arts, scheduled for May 4-12. Those tests account for 15 percent of students’ grades, and are also used as AYP indicators. Advanced Placement exams also begin May 4 but continue until May 15. School officials recommend that each student get a good night’s rest during testing season and eat a hearty breakfast before school. Dr. Frankie Callaway, DeKalb deputy superintendent, says it’s going to take all of us to help students maintain the high averages they earned in the first semester. “Every child starts off with the same average – and that is an A average,” said Callaway. “We must ask ourselves, ‘What can we do as parents, as teachers and as administrators to encourage the positive things our children do?’” Study guides for the CRCT can be found at www.doe.k12.ga.us/ci_ testing.aspx. For more information on DeKalb County School System’s testing schedule, visit www.dekalb. k12.ga.us.

CrossRoadsNews

Sports scoreboard BOYS BASKETBALL Dec. 30 Games Columbia 78, Wilinston (Fla.) 35 Stone Mtn. 66, Cass 50 Miller Grove 70, Bearden (Tenn.) 62 Dec. 31 Games SWD 78, Rockdale Co. 74 Boyd H. Anderson (Fla.) 70, Miller Grove 61 Jan. 3 Games Greenforest 74, Landmark Christian 48 Jan. 6 Games Greenforest 67, St. Francis 55

GIRLS BASKETBALL Dec. 30 Games SWD 79, Newton 30 Stephenson 63, Sevier Co. (Tenn.) 45 Dec. 31 Games SWD 70, Riverdale 33 Morgan Co. 68, Decatur 56 Jan. 6 Games Lovett 58, Decatur 45

January 10, 2009

“When I won my first state title I was a little bit wilder and more intense. Now I’ve calmed down.”

State champion wrestlers focus on defending titles By McKenzie Jackson

There can only be one king. Clarkston wrestler Terrance Gaddy knows that fact very well, so he flaunts it. Before he takes the mat for a match, the defending AAA state champion in the 171-pound division wears a black warm-up T-shirt with “171” written in bold white letters on each sleeve, and “KINGGADDY” inscribed in white on the back. As one of DeKalb County’s two defending state champions, the senior is on top of the wrestling world. It must be good to be king. “It feels good,” said Gaddy, about winning the state title 11 months ago, “but I’ve got a lot of things to watch out for now, being that I’m the man on top. I have to be more aware of my wrestling technique and stay on top of my game.”

PLAYER OF THE WEEK

Terrance Gaddy

Dequan Warner

Gaddy, 17, who won his class in the DeKalb County Wrestling Tournament at Stone Mountain High on Jan. 2-3, grabbed his first state title last season, along with Tucker senior Pawlloes Belete, the state’s 103-pound AAAA state winner. Along with Southwest DeKalb’s Dequan Warner, a two-time state champion, they might be three of the most talented wrestlers around. All have gotten off to hot starts this season. Heading into 2009, Gaddy was sporting a 20-0 record, Warner, who finished third in the state’s 119-class last spring, has rumbled

off to a 14-0 start and Belete is undefeated. Gaddy said he is a better wrestler than last year. “I don’t necessarily feel that I’m the top, but I feel that I am one of the best,” he said. “I’m trying to repeat state and get to a good school. It doesn’t matter where, as long as I can get a free education.” Clarkston coach Terrell Bennett said Gaddy is a little bit more methodical with his feet while on the mat. “He is a little bit more technically sound, which is what we always want,” he said. “He also has the experience now, which comes into play.” Warner won state titles as a freshman and sophomore, but in his junior year suffered his first loss ever during the state semifinals to Eastside High School’s Joel Stafford. The loss last February really hurt the soft-spoken 17-year-old.

“After the loss it was hard for me to wrestle again, because I don’t like to lose,” he said. Coming into the season, SWD head coach Keith Johnson told his star wrestler, who now wrestles in the 125-class, to take his anger out on the mat, and so far he has done that. The first opponent Warner beat this year was Stafford, during a meet at Eastside on Nov. 22. Johnson said Warner was happy about that win. “He got a chance to avenge that loss,” he said. Warner said he plans to go undefeated this year and that his wrestling skills have improved. “When I won my first state title I was a little bit wilder and more intense,” he said. “Now I’ve calmed down.” Both Warner and Gaddy are seniors on teams that are rebuilding, while Belete’s team is flush with talent that includes five seniors.

Tucker retains county title with consistency at the top

Jamel Jones, forward Greenforest Christian Eagles In the Eagles’ last two games the high-flying junior has scored 44 points, grabbed 20 rebounds and blocked three shots.

BOYS BASKETBALL Jan. 13 Games Greenforest at Paideia, 7:30 p.m. Decatur at Cross Keys, 7 p.m. Blessed Trinity at Avondale, 7 p.m. Jan. 16 Games SWD at Stone Mtn., 7 p.m. Cedar Grove at McNair, 7 p.m. Columbia at Towers, 5:30 p.m.

GIRLS BASKETBALL Jan. 13 Games Redan at Newton, 5:30 p.m. Luella at M.L. King, 5:30 p.m. Stephenson at Union Grove, 5:30 p.m. Jan.16 Games Stephenson at Redan, 5:30 p.m. Dunwoody at Clarkston, 5:30 p.m. Tucker at Chamblee, 5:30 p.m.

GAME OF THE WEEK Stephenson at Redan (Girls) It’s a rematch of last year’s AAAAA state finals, won by Stephenson. Both teams are in the state title hunt again this season.

WORTH NOTING The top boys basketball scorers are Tucker’s Manny Atkins, Miller Grove’s Mfon Udofia and Towers’ Alex Randell.

The Tucker Tigers grabbed their second consecutive DeKalb County Wrestling Championship on Jan. 2-3 at Stone Mountain High School. The Tigers, who tallied 232.5 points, had wrestlers finish in the top two in eight of the 14 weight classes. The team finished 26.5 points ahead of second-place Stone Mountain for their fourth county championship since 1996. The Tigers, coached by MarK Adams, were led by 103-pound Semire Tesfamariam, 112-pound Pawlloes Belete, 140-pound Stephan Starks, 145-pound Carey Cloud, 215-pound Kyle Stroud, and 285-pound Terrance Monroe, all of whom won their divisions. Tucker’s Melchisedac Levergne finished second in the 135-pound division and Gabriel Miller placed second in the 119-pound class. John Ortega placed sixth at 189 pounds. Placing behind Stone Mountain’s 206 points were McKenzie Jackson / CrossRoadsNews Marist, Redan and Southwest DeKalb, which finished Bolstered by the performance of six first-place finishers, the Tucker Tigers won the DeKalb County wrestling title. fifth.

Jaguars look for turnaround reminiscent of last season By McKenzie Jackson

Georgia Perimeter College’s Jaguars are hoping to find the same winning formula that spurred the team once they began region play last January. With a 69-62 win over Gordon College on Jan. 7, the Jaguars are off to a 7-9 start. GPC kicked off a twogame homestand at their Decatur campus on a positive note. The Jaguars next take on Albany Tech on Jan. 10 at 7:30 p.m. Last season, GPC entered region play in a funk and at 7-9, before they won over 10 straight games to win the region and qualify for the NJCAA postseason tournament. After losing two straight before the Gordon game, the Jaguars are hoping for similar success. Sophomore wing player Jamail Turner, who scored 14 points in the Gordon win, said the team must continue to work hard. “As long as we do that we’ll be straight,” he said. “We are focused and this team works hard. The team last year was a good team, but I feel like we are more focused this year.” Associate coach David Dennis said that like any team, the Jaguars know the opportunity is there. “We got a chance as long as we continue to get better and continue to improve and work hard and be

Georgia Perimeter College freshman Norris Rumph goes to the basket against two Gordon College defenders on Wednesday.

McKenzie Jackson / CrossRoadsNews

unselfish,” he said. In the game against Gordon, the Jaguars jumped out to an early 2216 lead that expanded to 33-24 at halftime. After trailing by as much as 43-27 in the second half, Gordon College snuck back in the game, but ultimately lost. Over the holiday break, GPC lost games to Okaloosa-Walton

College and Gulf Coast Community College in the Dec. 28-29 Gulf Coast Christmas Classic in Panama City, Fla. The losses came after the Jaguars, who opened the season with a 2-7 record, had just reeled off four straight wins. The Jaguars closed the win streak with a 90-62 win over Aiken

Tech on Dec. 13 and then did not play for 14 days prior to playing in Florida. Dennis said the break might have come at a bad time. “The break hit us when we started to play well,” he said. “I think if we played those guys before we had that two-week layoff we would have played a little bit better.” During the win streak GPC’s two stars, sophomore wing players Turner and Anthony “B.J.” Miller got in a scoring groove and carried the Jaguars with their shooting touch. Turner had games of 11, 17, 19 and 17 points, and Miller scored 15, 22, and 12 points during the streak. Dennis said the two can stretch the defense and knock down three-pointers. “When they are shooting the ball well that gives us a chance to be in the game,” he said. Miller lead the team with 15 points against Gordon. The Jaguars are also getting offensive production from freshmen Norris Rumph and Travis Rasco, which Dennis and head coach Alfred Barney hopes will continue. Dennis said the Jaguars’ freshmen are beginning to understand how to play at the college level. “They see how teams react when they beat us,” he said. “They feel like they’ve won the championship and it gives you a bad taste in your mouth.”

CrossRoadsNews

January 10, 2009

Ministry

“Passing the test is moving on into the New Year without carrying those old things over into 2009.”

Pastor’s first year celebrated New Year fires send troubles up in smoke Members and friends of Greenforest Community Baptist Church will be celebrating senior pastor Rev. Dennis Mitchell’s first anniversary with the Greenforest Grande Gala Celebration on Jan. 17. Mitchell was installed at the church on Jan. 13, 2008 after a Dennis Mitchell five-month nationwide search for a pastor to replace George O. McCalep who died from cancer. At the time had been a Greenforest member for 13 years and had

served as executive pastor under McCalep. The Grande Gala will also commemorate the election of President-elect Barack Obama with an inaugural tribute of music and dance. The church will also recognize several long-serving staff and ministries. Tickets to the gala are $20 and $12.50 for children under 12 years old. Greenforest McCalep Early Learning Center is located at 3250 Rainbow Drive in Decatur. For information, call Betty Glover Palmer at 404-299-0041 or the church office at 404-486-1120.

Mentor group targets churches January is National Mentoring Month and Atlanta CARES is appealing to area churches to help inspire youth through mentoring. On Jan. 11, 18 and 25, it is asking churches to invite a local mentoring group to church and give them three to five minutes to share information about the organization for three to five minutes during or after service. Atlanta CARES is the local affiliate of the National CARES Mentoring Movement, founded by Susan L. Taylor, the former editor in chief of Essence magazine. It is trying to recruit 1,000 new mentors for its 75 partner organizations this month. Brenda Coleman, Atlanta CARES chairperson, says mentoring just one day a week can have a

tremendous impact on the life of a child. “Mentors save lives,” Coleman said. “Studies show that having a mentor can help reduce the chance that a child will be involved in crime and it also helps boosts their performance in school.” Coleman, who also teaches fourth grade at Marbut Elementary Theme School in Lithonia, said she hopes to make Mentor Sundays an annual event. To invite a mentor recruiter to your church, contact Ajani Hicks at ahicks@habitat.org or call Brenda Coleman at brendacoleman_atlantacares@yahoo.com or call 770316-3487. For mentoring opportunities, visit http://caresmentoring.com.

Christian youth league grows As many as 210 young athletes will be hitting the hardwood today in the Kingdom Basketball Association’s 2009 season at the Samson Fitness Center at New Birth Missionary Baptist Church. It’s the biggest contingent in the church league’s three-year history. Games begin at 9 a.m. today and every Saturday through March. Morris Gordon, who created the league in 2006 with David Rogers, credited its growth Wednesday to its strong corps of 25 volunteer coaches who work with the kids, ages 5 to 18 years old.

“We focus a lot on character and teaching these kids the right way to play the game,” he said. In a mere three years, the league which includes teams from church’s across the county, has become the largest recreation basketball league in the DeKalb. Registration for the winter season is over but Gordon says he’s discussing plans for a spring league. The Samson Fitness Center is at 6400 Woodrow Road in Lithonia. For more information, call 770696-9631.

In a heady celebration reminiscent of a homecoming pep rally, Rainbow Park Baptist Church pastor Steven Dial cast away the troubles of more than 250 people in a towering inferno of praise and worship. Members of the Decatur Steven Dial church rang in the New Year with two huge bonfires during their annual Watch Night Service on Dec. 31. The members and their guests were given slips of paper to write down all the things that happened in 2008 that they wanted get rid of or forget. When all the writing was done, they cast the lists into the fire as a symbolic end to a very tumultuous year. Dial said he got the idea for the

“Everyone was having such a great time that the elements were an afterthought,” she said. “The experience and the fellowship really took your mind off the cold.” Sandy Ferguson, Rainbow Park administrative assistant

bonfire to burn away people’s troubles as stories of economic hardship and failed home loans poured into his office all of last year. He also remembered building bonfires as a Boy Scout. “I’m 44 years old and I still remember those bonfires,” he said. Leading up to the end of the year, Dial preached a series of sermons on growth, pressing on and enduring through struggling times. The series culminated with his New Year’s Eve sermon, titled “Tested.”

Dial said 2008 was a test. “Passing the test is moving on into the New Year without carrying those old things over into 2009,” he said. Sandy Ferguson, a Rainbow Park member and the church’s administrative assistant, said the atmosphere was so electric because of the bonfires that no one even complained about the chilly temperatures that swept into the metro Atlanta area earlier that day. “Everyone was having such a great time that the elements were an afterthought,” she said. “The experience and the fellowship really took your mind off the cold.” After the list-burning service was complete, church members roasted marshmallows and cooked hotdogs on the bonfires before heading back into the sanctuary to welcome in 2009.

Conference to slake spiritual thirsts The Christian women’s group Women of the Word (WOW) Ministries is hosting its first conference, “Journey to the Well, Thirst No More,” on Jan. 24 at New Life Community Center.

Dr. Sylvia Carter from Siloam International Church in College Park will be the featured speaker at the 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m event. Women are invited to bring their spiritual “water pots,” to symbolize

their desire to drink from the Holy Living Waters. Registration is $10 in advance, $15 at the door. For more information, e-mail womenoftheword7@comcast.net or call 678-471-1013.

CrossRoadsNews

January 10, 2009

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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, e t c . , i f i t s o u n d s t o o g o o d t o b e t r u e – i t m a y i n f a c t 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.

CrossRoadsNews

January 10, 2009

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 Thursday one week prior to publication, unless otherwise noted.

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Stone Mountain 1bedroom apt.full kitchen & bath. utilities included. References & employed.Mature Male or Female. $675 monthly. 678-485-9471.

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HAIR CARE/SALON

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CrossRoadsNews

January 10, 2009