CrossRoadsNews, June 23, 2012

COMMUNITY

SCENE

More than 500 people gathered at Victory for the World Church for a summit and candlelight vigil on youth violence. 3

Now playing: The 2011 sci-fi action adventure flick “Captain America: The First Avenger” will be screened at Salem-Panola Library. 8

Youth violence targeted

Comic Book Theater

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

Copyright © 2012 CrossRoadsNews, Inc.

June 23, 2012

Volume 18, Number 8

www.crossroadsnews.com

School Board hikes taxes, increases class size, cuts teacher pay

By Carla Parker

increasing health care costs, and increasing expenditures for fuel and utilities.

Teachers will be greatly affected by the budget cuts, and students will be jammed into larger classes.

Class sizes will increase by two students, including special education classes, for a savings of $10.2 million.

Teachers also will have two extra furlough days, which would save $6 million, bringing the total to six furlough days for the 20122013 school year.

The board eliminated the $35.57 monthly health insurance subsidy and the $16.02 monthly dental insurance subsidy for employees at a savings of more than $6.8 million.

Facing one of its worst budget deficits, the DeKalb School Board voted Thursday to raise taxes for the first time in 10 years.

The board voted 5-4 to pass a $760 million general operating budget, which included more than $77 million in cuts.

Board members Tom Bowen, Sarah Copelin-Wood, Jay Cunningham, Donna Edler and Eugene Walker voted “yes” on the budget and for a 1 mill increase that would raise taxes another $14.8 million.

Nancy Jester, Don McChesney, Pam Speaks and Paul Womack voted against it.

The board had to make tough cuts to cover a projected $85 million shortfall.

School officials blamed the projected shortfall on a 9 percent drop in property values, Please see BUDGET, page 5

Carla Parker / CrossRoadsNews

The School Board voted 5-4 to pass a $760 million budget at a packed meeting on June 21.

Curb Cleanup a Daunting Task The curb along Wesley Chapel Road shows a marked improvement after workers removed grass clippings, dirt and debris on Saturday.

Photos by Curtis Parker / CrossRoadsNews

Curtis Winston (left) and other DeKalb Sanitation workers remove grass, dirt and debris from the curbs along Wesley Chapel Road from Snapfinger Road to Kelley Chapel Road.

One-time project removes 1,500 pounds of debris on stretch of Wesley Chapel

By Jennifer Ffrench Parker

On a quarter-mile strip of Wesley Chapel Road before the William C. Brown Library, 11 DeKalb Sanitation workers dislocated and removed 1,500 pounds of gook from the curbs and median on June 16.

It took them eight hours to do it.

Curtis Dozier, DeKalb Sanitation’s general foreman, said the stuff they removed included everything.

“It was dirt that had been embedded,” he said. “There were glass, bottles, rocks

– everything. It was slow work. It’s timeconsuming.”

Mia Buggs, youth services librarian at the Wesley Chapel-William C. Brown Library, was so tired of seeing the dirty road in front of the library that she stopped looking at it and didn’t notice the clean street until four days later, when someone called her attention to it.

After taking a look, Buggs was pleased.

“It looks good,” she said. “They did a nice job. I am proud to come to work now.”

Buggs said some library patrons no-

ticed.

“One man asked me if they will be coming back in the future,” she said.

That is not likely to happen.

Anthony McBride, the county’s deputy director of Collections Services, said the cleanup in front of the Wesley Chapel library was a one-time event and that county workers will not be returning to clean the curbs and won’t be doing the remainder of the median to Boring Road.

“We only did this as a special project,” McBride said Thursday. “We did it because

it’s in front of the library.”

McBride said curb cleanup is not part of Sanitation’s scope of work.

The cleanup of the Wesley Chapel median and both sides of the road – between the intersections of Rainbow Drive and Snapfinger Road and Kelley Chapel Road and Chapel Lake Drive – came three days after CEO Burrell Ellis launched his Operation Clean to the Curb on June 13.

McBride said curb cleaning is not part of Please see CLEANUP, page 2

2

Community

CrossRoadsNews

June 23, 2012

“When we send our men and women into critical incidents, it is too late to worry about whether we have trained them properly.”

DeKalb police chief, 15 others receive counterterrorism training Doraville Police DepartDeKalb Police Chief ment, and Stone MounWilliam O’Brien got tain resident Vernal A. counterterrorism training Sutherland III, who is a in Israel in early June. captain in the Fairburn He was among 16 Police Department, also public safety officials attended the intensive from Georgia and Tentwo-week public safety nessee who made the trip training conducted by through the Georgia InVernal Sutherland Israeli police. ternational Law Enforce- William O’Brien They studied best practices in counterterment Exchange.

Charles Atkinson, assistant chief of the rorism, emergency management, and public

safety and homeland security strategies.

Vernon Keenan, director of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation and a 1993 graduate of the law enforcement exchange program, said the training is invaluable.

“When we send our men and women into critical incidents, it is too late to worry about whether we have trained them properly,” he said. “GILEE delegations gain valuable, peerto-peer training with international partners, where they are exposed to new techniques, new skills and new ideas – many that validate

the public safety practices we use here.”

The 20-year-old exchange was founded prior to Atlanta’s Centennial Games as a joint program between Georgia State University and Georgia’s law enforcement community.

It has provided more than 800 senior law enforcement officials worldwide, more than half from Georgia, with critical knowledge in current public safety practices through more than 200 peer-to-peer training exchanges.

For more information, visit www.cjgsu .net/initiatives/gilee.htm.

Clean to the Curb urges residents to clear neighborhood streets of trash CLEANUP,

from page

1

Ellis’ initiative and that the scope of what the Sanitation Department does has not changed fundamentally.

“In no way should it have been interpreted that we are going to clean curbs,” he said.

“We don’t have the resources to do that.”

McBride said the Ellis announcement was to encourage county residents to clean to the curb in front of their properties, publicize the Sanitation Department’s regular mowing schedule, and describe the roles of code compliance and Keep DeKalb Beautiful in cleaning up the county.

McBride said his department mows and picks up trash from more than 3,000 miles of county roads in unincorporated DeKalb annually. It does it with six three-member crews and 13 mowers.

Because of illegal dumping and littering, especially along deserted stretches of roads like Old McDonough Road and Henrico Road in Conley, Dozier said county workers fight a losing battle with trash.

“You clean up the road one day, and the next week, there is trash everywhere,” he said.

“That’s frustrating for us to see that people just don’t care about our county.”

Among the other problem areas for dumping are Cottonwood Drive in Atlanta

Cleaning Up DeKalb To report illegal dumping, call 311.

To volunteer, call ONE DeKalb at 404-371-2881.

To adopt a road, call Keep DeKalb Beautiful at 404-371-2654.

To clean up state roads, call Phil Taylor at 404-299-4382.

“We have a landfill,” he said. “We pick up from homes so DeKalb residents have no reason to dump on the street.”

Dozier suggests that if residents see someone dumping along the road that they write down the tag number of the vehicle and call police or the Sanitation Department to report it.

Litter along roadways also is a big problem. Dozier said people toss paper, fast-food containers and soda cans along the roads.

Curtis Parker / CrossRoadsNews “They just open their car windows and DeKalb Sanitation employee Andre Hardy blows dirt and debris up to the curb so that it can be throw out stuff,” he said. swept up.

When residents call to complain, Dozier said they always suggest that groups adopt the streets in their neighborhood and pick trating.” and Scales Road in Lithonia.

Dozier suspects that some of the dump- up trash.

“You name it, they dump it,” Dozier said.

“They listen well, but we haven’t had “Old tires, mattresses, washing machines, ing is being done by people from other many to respond,” he said. microwaves, old furniture. It is very frus- counties.

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Community

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June 23, 2012

“You don’t have to … think you’re a coward to walk away from a violent confrontation. It takes more courage to walk away.”

500 attend vigil on youth violence at church where 2 died

By Carla Parker

Tracey Henderson, whose son Carlos Henderson died violently in the parking of Victory for the World Church on June 7, said she never imagined she would be in this “predicament.”

“I pray for my kids every day as I walk out that door and when they walk out that door,” she told more than 500 people gathered for a summit and candlelight vigil on youth violence at the same church where police said her son and another man shot each other to death. “I never knew that that phone call I got on June 7 would be the last time speaking with my son.”

Carlos Henderson, 19, was among mourners at a funeral for slaying victim Ryan Devon Guider, who was shot to death on May 26, when violence erupted in the parking lot of the Stone Mountain church. Guider, also 19 years old, was his childhood friend.

The June 20 event was attended by more than 500 people – church members; Henderson’s family and friends; DeKalb public officials including CEO Burrell Ellis, who is in the final months of his first four-year term and faces two opponents in his re-election bid; interfaith leaders; and young people and their parents.

DeKalb Public Safety Director William Miller said Henderson and 28-year-old Delmetrius Heard shot and killed each other. A 12-year-old girl and another man also were injured in the shooting, but their injuries are not life-threatening.

The three men were from Decatur.

Police say Marcus D. Ventress, who is the only suspect in Guider’s death, is still on the run.

Witnesses at the funeral shootings told investigators that friends of Guider were

Tracey Henderson and sons Harrison Benton (far left) and Robert Henderson hold candles at the June 20 vigil at Victory for the World Church in Stone Mountain.

Carla Parker / CrossRoadsNews

upset that Ventress’ friends attended the funeral.

Miller said investigators are looking for gang ties after Victory’s pastor, the Rev. Kenneth Samuel, said he saw colorful bandanas among the crowd at the funeral.

Tracey Henderson said Wednesday that her son was not a gang member. “This was not an act of gang activity,” she said.

Ellis, who co-hosted the summit, told the audience that it’s time to begin to find solutions to address the causes of violence and not simply “treat the symptoms.”

“We must address the sense of hopelessness and feelings of helplessness to convince our young people that this destructive way isn’t the only way to solve problems,” he said.

Other speakers at the summit included DeKalb District Attorney Robert James; Trenny Stovall, director of DeKalb Child Advocacy; the Rev. Dr. Robert Franklin, Morehouse College president; and the Rev. Dr. Raphael Warnock, pastor of Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta.

Miller told the young people that it takes

more courage to end disputes nonviolently.

“You don’t have to be afraid or think you’re a coward to walk away from a violent confrontation,” he said. “It takes more courage to walk away.”

Henderson, who has two other sons – Harrison Benton, 22, and Robert Henderson, 16 – pleaded with youth who carry guns to give them to police. She also told parents to know their child’s whereabouts.

“Be accountable of their friends,” she said.

“Know who they are talking to and know who they are chatting with on Facebook.”

Lodge to honor late sheriff-elect The late Sheriff-elect Derwin Brown will be remembered June 22 at his grave site in Decatur.

The Derwin Brown Masonic Lodge 599 will lay a wreath on Brown’s grave at Dawn Memorial Gardens at 9 p.m.

Brown was shot 12 times on Dec. 12, 2000, in the driveway of his Decatur home, three days before he was to be sworn in as DeKalb County sheriff.

Former DeKalb Sheriff Sidney Dorsey, who was his opponent in the race, was sentenced to life in prison on Aug. 15, 2002, for ordering alleged Derwin Brown shooter Patrick Cuffy and other jail employees to kill Brown.

Dawn Memorial Gardens is at 4685 Glenwood Road. For more information, contact Jason Surry at jsnsurry@yahoo.com.

Community. Fairness. Justice.

Church rape suspect to plead guilty John Russell Carver, who is accused of the brutal rape of a Stone Mountain church leader, reportedly will plead guilty on June 26 in Judge Asha Jackson’s courtroom.

Carver, who has been in and out of prison since John R. Carver 1987, was indicted on 12 counts including rape, armed robbery, aggravated battery, aggravated assault, false imprisonment, burglary and possession of a knife during commission of a felony in the attack on the 53-year-old woman at St. Tim-

othy United Methodist on Feb. 26, 2011.

He was identified as the suspect after a positive DNA hit by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. Carver was arrested on March 7 on parole violations.

The woman, who was working alone at church, was attacked after she opened the door to a knock.

DeKalb District Attorney Robert James called the attack “an extremely violent and vicious act.”

“Hopefully this guilty plea will bring resolve for both the victim of this crime and the community affected by this monstrous act,” James said Thursday.

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Community

June 23, 2012

“I had a famous auntie. She was a philanthropist. I am just so proud of her.”

Jacqueline Steele-Yarbrough (far left) wants to keep the memory of her greatgreat-great-aunt Tobie Grant alive.

Grant donated the land for the Scottdale library that was named for her 50 years ago.

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

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Curtis Parker / CrossRoadsNews

Library named for Tobie Grant marks 50th year

By Jennifer Ffrench Parker

In 1962, when Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and other civil rights warriors were fighting for equality and voting rights across Georgia and the South, a library and recreation center in Scottdale were being named for a black woman whose mother had been a slave.

The woman – Tobie Grant – had donated 40 acres to the county to be used for the betterment of the segregated community.

On June 24, 1962, the library built on the donated land was named for her. Grant, a famous psychic who counseled long lines of residents and helped police locate missing persons, attended the naming ceremony in a wheelchair.

She died at age 96, almost six years later, on March 16, 1968.

Alison Weissinger, DeKalb

County Library director, said that no ceremony is planned to mark the 50th anniversary of the naming of the library for Grant.

“I didn’t know,” she said. “It caught us by surprise.”

Weissinger said a story and a copy of the photo of Grant that hangs in the Tobie Grant Homework Center will be posted on the library’s Web site.

Jacqueline Steele-Yarbrough, a great-great-great-grandniece of Grant, called the library last week to remind it of the important anniversary coming up.

She said she doesn’t want her father’s great-great-aunt to be forgotten.

“I had a famous auntie,” said Steele-Yarbrough, who grew up in Scottdale and now lives in Decatur.

“She was a philanthropist. I am just so proud of her.”

Quick Read

Steele-Yarbrough grew up hearing stories about Grant, who had her first vision when she was 8 years old. She was said to have predicted the detonation of the atomic bomb years before it was dropped on Hiroshima.

During her heyday, 40 to 50 black and white clients a day waited for hours for the opportunity to get advice from her on love and marriage and on locating missing jewelry, among other things.

An astute businesswoman, Grant amassed a small fortune in real estate and insurance stocks.

She also owned cemeteries and a drugstore and was a benefactor of Morehouse College.

A September 1964 article in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution said that in the 1920s, many businessmen refused to make an investment without first consulting Grant, who

was part American Indian.

In addition to the library and recreation center, the Tobie Grant Manor apartments in Scottdale also bear Grant’s name.

Her great-great-great-grandniece was 8 years old when the library was named for Grant. She still remembers the day.

“It was an exciting day,” she said. “The Hamilton High School Marching Hornets performed.”

It would be decades more before another DeKalb library would be named for an African-American.

That happened in 1992 when the Wesley Chapel Library was named for William C. Brown, a former DeKalb commissioner and a longtime chairman of the library’s board of trustees.

But 50 years later, Grant is still the only black woman for whom a DeKalb library is named.

DeKalb chief, others receive counterterrorism training 2

Library named for Tobie Grant marks 50th year 4

DeKalb Police Chief William O’Brien got counterterrorism training in Israel in early June.

In 1962, a library and recreation center Reps. Hank Johnson and Barbara Lee in Scottdale was named for a black woman are urging the White House to step up the whose mother had been a slave.

AIDS fight as HIV rates rise in the South and among women.

500 attend vigil at church where 2 died 3

Stone Mountain CID awarded $500,000 grant 5

Tracey Henderson, whose son Carlos Henderson died violently in the parking of Victory for the World Church on June 7, said she never imagined she would be in this “predicament.”

The Stone Mountain Community ImprovePulitzer Prize-winning writer Leonard Pitts ment District has been awarded $500,000 Jr. will sign and read from his new novel, for road-related enhancement projects.

“Freeman.”

Church rape suspect to plead guilty

3

John Russell Carver, who is accused of the brutal rape of a Stone Mountain church leader, reportedly will plead guilty on June 26 in Judge Asha Jackson’s courtroom.

Circulation Audited By

Online chat explores temp jobs

6

New strategy urged as HIV rates rise 7

Acclaimed columnist to read, sign new novel 8

Stephenson students, parents upset over reassignment 9

The unemployed can learn how to enter Dr. Brian Bolden, who has been Stephenor re-enter the work force through seasonal or temporary jobs during an online chat on son High School’s principal for three years, June 27 hosted by the Georgia Department has been reassigned to another school, and students and parents are very unhappy of Labor. about it. index to advertisers

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Community 2012-2013 maximum class sizes Class sizes will grow by two students.

Kindergarten....................................... 24 Kindergarten....................................... 26* Grades 1-3........................................... 27 Grades 4-5.......................................... 34 Grades 6-8......................................... 34 Grades 9-12........................................ 36 * with a paraprofessional Source: DeKalb Schools 2012-2013 budget

Transportation remains for special programs BUDGET,

from page

1

“We are focused on making improvements that will lead to 2,000 new jobs coming here by the end of 2013.”

Stone Mountain CID awarded $500,000 grant ing improvements that will lead to 2,000 new jobs coming here by the end of 2013.”

The award comes on the heels of a $20,000 grant last month from the DeKalb Development Authority. That grant matched an $80,000 Livable Centers Initiative grant from the Atlanta Regional Commission. The ARC grant was announced in February.

The Stone Mountain CID was created in April 2011. The $500,000 grant will help the CID with the following initiatives: n Improve turning distances and the width and length of turning lanes at the Mountain Industrial Boulevard/East Ponce de Leon Avenue intersection. Existing conditions result in trucks with long wheelbases hitting curbs, which damages freight. n Improve traffic safety by replacing the damaged guardrail on Mountain Industrial Boulevard’s crossing of the CSX rail line. n Add street signs illuminated by lightemitting diodes to the new intersection

The Stone Mountain Community Improvement District has been awarded $500,000 for road-related enhancement projects.

Georgia’s State Road and Tollway Authority announced the grant on June 20.

The SRTA contribution enables the CID to plan and execute road-related enhancement projects within the Mountain Industrial Boulevard corridor.

Emory Morsberger, CID president, said the Stone Mountain CID Emory Morsberger appreciates the significant investment to help its standing as an economic development powerhouse.

“Our great state leaders recognize the importance of what we are undertaking,” Morsberger said. “We are focused on mak-

mast arms. n Remove the abandoned CSX rail crossings, which are rough areas on roadways. n Add streetlights to improve safety and travel at the Mountain Industrial Boulevard/ U.S. 78 interchange. This is one of the CID’s gateway intersections.

CID board member Rusty McKellar said the planned improvements are greatly needed in the Mountain Industrial area.

“It is very encouraging to see our state leaders working with the CIDs to make these efforts possible,” McKellar said.

“Our CID is grateful for the funding and will use Rusty McKellar it to further enhance our community.”

For more information, visit http://stone mountaincid.com.

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The board also eliminated 25 media specialists, 29 media clerks, 200 paraprofessionals, and 10 assistant principals and 10 counselors through attrition.

The board was deciding on whether to cut 300 paraprofessionals and adding a third furlough day.

Organization of DeKalb Educators President David Schutten said he was satisfied with the results.

“It could have been worse,” he said. “The 10-month employees will get two more days, so that’s a good thing. I’m just glad this is over with.”

The board also cut $1.9 million from the Fernbank Science Center’s $4.7 million budget. Superintendent Cheryl Atkinson had recommended a $3.2 million cut.

Transportation for all magnet and choice programs – including DeKalb Early College, theme school students and Montessori programs – was previously on the chopping block. But Atkinson and her staff substituted it with a Transportation Efficiency Plan that will save the district $700,000.

More than 3,000 students would have lost their transportation to school if it had been cut. Arabia Mountain High School would have had the biggest impact with 891 students possibly losing their transportation.

Tanya Graham, president of the ParentTeacher-Student Association at Arabia Mountain High, was happy to see that transportation will be there for students.

“Had the bus transportation been eliminated, we may have had a mass exodus of students leaving our school because parents simply can’t get them all the way to Arabia Mountain,” she said. “Our students come from all over the county.”

During the June 20 meeting, board members argued over whether transportation should be cut. McChesney wanted transportation to be cut and leave the Fernbank Science Center’s budget as is. DeKalb is the only school system that provides transportation for students in special programs.

“This transportation that we are providing is above and beyond the mandates of the state,” he said. “We’re going to be letting people go that teach real children in real classrooms for diesel fuel.”

Edler fought back, saying the School Board should support all programs in every school.

“I am not one to suggest that … cutting from ‘real’ children at Fernbank Science Center versus ‘non-real children’ who may be utilizing transportation,” she said. “If we are going to have those programs, and transportation is a part of those programs, then we should provide that support to those real children who are receiving the benefits of those programs.”

The new general fund budget for fiscal year 2013, which starts July 1, is $760 million, but officials plan to spend only $752 million of that. DeKalb Schools spokesman Walter Woods said they expect to have over $8.3 million in reserve funds at the end of the fiscal year.

5

CrossRoadsNews

June 23, 2012

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Finance

June 23, 2012

People may ask questions during the chat, “Seasonal and Temporary Employment,” or e-mail questions in advance.

DeKalb awarded $1.7 million grant to help long-term jobless with training and job searching, A $1.7 million labor grant to applied for the grant in partnerDeKalb will provide employment ship with the Atlanta Regional services to the long-term unemCommission, the city of Atlanta, ployed in the county and surroundCobb County, Fulton County, and ing areas.

Manpower Inc. As the lead appliDeKalb was the only work cant, it will be responsible for adforce area in Georgia to receive the ministering the grant throughout grant from the U.S. Department of its three-year life cycle.

Labor.

Sheryl Chapman, DeKalb DeKalb Workforce Develop- Sheryl Chapman ment, a nonprofit government agency that Workforce Development director, said the helps adults, dislocated workers and youth grant offers the opportunity to close the gap

between no work experience and recent work experience.

“With this grant, the long-term unemployed will be put in a work experience environment which will make them more marketable and highlight their current skills,” she said.

DeKalb’s award was one of only 26 competitive grants made nationwide under the U.S. Department of Labor’s Workforce Innovation Fund.

The fund was created to cultivate and

test innovative approaches in the work force development field.

U.S. Labor Secretary Hilda Solis announced the awards this month. She said the funds will be used to develop new and creative strategies and expand existing programs that work to help make the work force system more effective to unemployed Americans and employers looking for qualified employees.

For more information, visit www .co.dekalb.ga.us.

A youth worker checks the oil of a DeKalb County Police vehicle while acquiring skills as a parts technician at DeKalb County Fleet Maintenance.

DeKalb jobless rate at 9 percent DeKalb County’s jobless rate rose to 9 percent in May, exceeding metro Atlanta’s unemployment rate for the fifth straight month this year.

DeKalb’s rate was 8.9 percent in April.

The Georgia Department of Labor announced on June 21 that the preliminary metro Atlanta jobless rate increased to 8.6 percent in May, up one-tenth of a percentage point from 8.5 percent in April. The rate was 9.5 percent in May 2011.

The rate rose because the labor force grew by 16,578 job seekers, and while most found jobs within the month, 6,008 did not. Also, there were 269 new layoffs in professional and technical services, educational services, health care and social assistance, and accommodations and food services.

Metro Athens had the lowest area jobless

rate at 6.5 percent, while metro Dalton had the highest at 11.4 percent. Athens has had the lowest area rate, or tied for the lowest, each month since December 2009.

Dalton has had the highest area rate since August 2011.

Meanwhile, Georgia’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was unchanged at 8.9 percent from April to May. The jobless rate was 9.8 percent in May a year ago.

The number of jobs in the state grew to 3,944,900 in May, up by 16,400 from April and by 34,000 from May a year ago.

In metro Atlanta, jobs increased to 2,345,800, up by 11,500 over the month and 27,900 over the year.

Local area jobless rates are not seasonally adjusted. For more information, visit www.dol.state.ga.us.

Online chat explores temp jobs The unemployed can learn how to enter or re-enter the work force through seasonal or temporary jobs during an online chat on June 27 hosted by the Georgia Department of Labor.

The “Ask Ted” – Type, Explore, Discover – online chat will be held from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. on www.dol.state.ga.us.

The chat will help job seekers discover the advantages of these types of jobs and learn where and when to look for them as well as dispel myths about the jobs. A panel of experts will provide job-search tips and discuss how to parlay the jobs into permanent positions.

People may ask questions during the live 90-minute chat, “Seasonal and Temporary Employment,” or e-mail questions in advance to askted@gdol.ga.gov. They also

may do so on Facebook at www.facebook .com/GeorgiaDOL or Twitter at @Georgia DOL. To sign up for a reminder or join the chat, go to www.dol.state.ga.us, click on the Spotlight section, then click on “more” to view “Chat With an Expert” under the Job Seeker Spotlights heading.

Previous chats also can be replayed by clicking on the “Chat With an Expert: Replay” link.

Topics previously covered include “Building a Bridge to a New Career: Strategies for Teens and 20s”; “Surviving a Layoff ”; “Starting Your Own Business”; “Services for Veterans”; “Profit by Investing in Workers With Disabilities”; “Workforce Development”; and “Making the Most of GDOL’s Online Services.”

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AGA is a participating provider for Medicare, Medicaid and most healthcare plans offered in Georgia.

200 youth gain work experience About 200 young people are working at seasonal jobs through the Youth Summer Employment Training Program hosted annually by DeKalb Workforce Development.

The program seeks to increase opportunities for youth to develop a strong work ethic and acquire the skills needed to become competitive job seekers in a global economy.

The eight-week program builds upon career goals identified by each youth and gives them the opportunity to explore careers in various fields in the nonprofit, public and private business sectors of the county, such as DeKalb Recreation, Parks & Cultural Affairs; Sunrise Assisted Living Center; and Greater Piney Grove Baptist Church.

Teens and young adults are able to use this work experience to strengthen their resume and network with professionals in their desired field as they prepare to enter the work force.

DWD has budgeted $400,000 from federal Workforce Investment Act funds for the annual initiative that pays participants $8 an

hour, which is above the state’s minimum wage of $7.25 an hour, for a maximum of 25 hours per week.

The youth participants are getting this extra boost due to the current economic conditions that have, in certain cases, impacted their households and left them as the only source of income.

Denise Funk, library supervisor at the Flat Shoals branch, said the program provides a great opportunity for young people to get prepared for the workplace.

“These youth will not be as nervous as others who are entering the workplace for the first time because they receive so much structure and preparation through this program,” Funk said in a June 19 statement. “I think it is a wonderful program and terrific opportunity.”

The program began June 4 and will conclude on July 27 with a celebratory event at the Porter Sanford III Performing Arts and Community Center. For more information on the youth year-round program, visit www .dekalbworkforce.org or call 404-687-3822.

Wade Walker Y holding job fair Job seekers including office workers and fitness instructors can attend a “job interview fair” on June 30 at the YMCA Academies of South DeKalb in Decatur.

The Wade Walker Park Family YMCA, which opens in August, is host for the noonto-7 p.m. event.

To take part, applicants are asked to submit resumes from now through 7 p.m. on June 28. Resumes should be taken to the Wade Walker Y membership office in the Food Depot shopping center adjacent to the park at 5723-D Rockbridge Road.

Submitting the resume beforehand is not required. Resumes also can be taken to the job fair, where YMCA staff will hold brief interviews with attendees.

For current job postings, visit www .ymcaatlanta.org and click Employment.

The Wade Walker Park Family YMCA is a “healthy living collaboration” of the YMCA of Metropolitan Atlanta and DeKalb County.

Located at 5605 Rockbridge Road, the new Y will offer health and wellness classes for all ages; the Coach Approach, an exercise support process for new or returning exercisers; physical activity programs to help prevent childhood obesity; and the YMCA’s Diabetes Prevention Program.

Youth development programs such as summer day camp, after-school child care, swim lessons, and Teen Leaders Club will be offered along with opportunities for community engagement and volunteerism.

The YMCA Academies of South De­ Kalb is at 2575-A Snapfinger Road. For more information, visit www.ymcaatlanta.org or call 678-781-9622.

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June 23, 2012

Wellness

7

CrossRoadsNews

“Black women are getting sick and dying at an outrageous rate, while resources for treatment and prevention are totally inadequate.”

New strategy urged as HIV rates rise for black women, South U.S. Reps. Hank Johnson and Barbara Lee are urging the White House to step up the AIDS fight as HIV rates rise in the South and among women, particularly AfricanAmerican women.

Black women make Hank Johnson up 66 percent of all new HIV infections among women in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Johnson and Lee’s letter, co-signed by 50 colleagues, urged the administration to develop and support specific approaches to reduce new HIV cases, increase access to care, and reduce health disparities in Southern states, including addressing underlying structural and social factors contributing to the spread of HIV. “Black women are getting sick and dying at an outrageous rate, while resources for

treatment and prevention are totally inadequate – especially in the South,” Johnson said in a June 5 statement. “This epidemic needs urgent attention at the highest levels.”

Johnson represents Georgia’s 4th CongresBarbara Lee sional District, which includes portions of DeKalb County.

Lee, co-chair of the Congressional HIV/ AIDS Caucus, said new approaches are needed to curb the infection rate.

“While we have made tremendous progress, make no mistake – HIV/AIDS is devastating communities of color, women, and young gay and bisexual men in the U.S. If we are going to truly end the AIDS epidemic in this country, we must address the underlying issues of race, education, sex, poverty and stigma, which continue to fuel the spread of HIV in certain communities,” said Lee, who

Free HIV tests in Decatur, Atlanta Free HIV tests will be available June 27 in honor of National HIV Testing Day in Decatur and Atlanta.

Georgia has the eighth-highest number of cumulative AIDS cases in the country.

The Decatur nonprofit STAND Inc. is offering the OraQuick Advance rapid oral testing, counseling and referral services from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 4319 Covington Highway, Suite 117-A, in Decatur in the Omni Tech building in the back parking lot.

It also will offer free testing 3 to 7 p.m. on June 27-29 at the Walgreen store at 2320 North Druid Hills Road N.E., at North Druid

Hills and Briarcliff (404-248-1793).

For more information, visit http:// standinc.com or call 404-284-9878.

In Atlanta, the nonprofit Empowerment Resource Center will host its 5th Annual Take Charge. Get Tested event in Hurt Park, between Edgewood Avenue and Courtland Street, from noon to 6 p.m.

The Empowerment Resource Center health fair also will offer free food, fun, festivities, and HIV rapid testing. With rapid tests, participants get test results in 20 minutes. For more information, visit http://empoweryoungwomen.org.

represents California’s 9th District.

“Nowhere is this more critical than in the South, where HIV transmission is alarmingly high. Unless we stand up and fight for our right to live, our friends and family members, and our brothers and sisters, will continue to suffer and die because of this preventable and treatable disease.”

The May 30 letter was addressed to Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and Cecilia Munoz, director of the Domestic Policy Council. It commended the appointment of Dr. Grant Colfax as director of the Office of National AIDS Policy.

Reps. John Lewis, David Scott and Sanford Bishop of Georgia were among signatories.

A recent report on the epidemic in the South found that among people living with HIV, nine of the 10 states with the highest HIV case fatality rates were in the South and women of color have been found to be less likely than men and white women to start

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antiretroviral therapy. Nine of the top 10 metro areas with the highest HIV prevalence in 2009 were in the South with black women representing 71 percent of new diagnoses, according to the letter. It said that 92 percent of people on the AIDS Drug Assistance Program waiting lists live in the South.

To view the complete letter, visit http:// hankjohnson.house.gov/issues/LeeJohnson SouthWomenAIDSLetter.pdf.

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8

CrossRoadsNews

Scene Acclaimed columnist to read, sign new novel Pulitzer Prize-winning writer Leonard Pitts Jr. will be at the Carter Library in Atlanta on June 25 for a book signing and reading of his new novel, “Freeman.”

The 6:30 p.m. event in the Carter Museum Theater is free to attend.

Pitts won the 2004 Pulitzer for commentary for his twice-weekly syndicated column that appears in more Leonard Pitts Jr. than 200 newspapers.

He also has won numerous other journalism awards.

“Freedom” takes place in the first few months following the Confederate surrender and the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. Upon learning of Gen. Robert E. Lee’s surrender, Sam – a runaway slave who once worked for the Union Army – decides to leave his safe haven in Philadelphia and set out on foot to return to the war-torn South. What compels him on this almostsuicidal course is the desire to find his wife, the mother of his only child, whom he and their son left behind 15 years earlier on the Mississippi farm to which they all “belonged.”

PBS journalist Gwen Ifill praised “Freedom.”

“Leonard Pitts has a passion for history and a gift for storytelling,” she said in a June 19 statement. “Both shine in this story of love and redemption, which challenges everything we thought we knew about how our nation dealt with its most stubborn stain.”

Patrik Henry Bass of Essence magazine says that Pitts “richly illuminates the interior lives of free and enslaved black folks.

He also delivers a sweeping romance that reaffirms the power of love even against the most horrific circumstances.”

The library is at 441 Freedom Parkway.

For more information, visit www.jimmy carterlibrary.gov or call 404-865-7109.

June 23, 2012

“Freedom” takes place in the first few months following the Confederate surrender and the assassination of Abraham Lincoln.”

K.D. Bowe

Donald Cochran

Rodney Evans

Reggie Gay

Bobby Hurd

Rhodell Lewis

Larry Tinsley

Deacons, gospel DJs to be honored for ministry Deacons in the African-American church will be celebrated on June 24 at the Porter Sanford III Performing Arts and Community Center in Decatur.

The second annual Deacons in Devotion will honor gospel DJs K.D. Bowe, Donald Cochran, Rodney Evans, Reggie Gay, Bob Grissom, Bobby Hurd, Rhodell Lewis, Eli Smith, Ace Alexander and Larry Tinsley. It is hosted by DeKalb Commissioner Stan Watson.

Gerard Henry, former co-host of BET’s “Lift Every Voice,” will emcee the tribute, which will highlight the tradition and impact of the deacon ministry in black churches.

The free event will be filmed by Comcast Television/Zeel TV and archived for Georgia Public Television.

Participating churches include AntiochLithonia Missionary Baptist, Clarkston First Baptist, Covenant Ministries Cathedral, Fairfield Baptist, Greater Piney Grove Baptist,

Chris Evans defends the USA’s ideals as a comic book superhero in “Captain America: The First Avenger” on June 25 at Salem-Panola Library.

Library to screen ‘Captain America’ Comic book fans can see a superhero in action on June 25 at the Salem-Panola Library in Lithonia.

Chris Evans takes on a dual role in “Captain America: The First Avenger” at 6 p.m. as part of Comic Book Theater.

It’s 1942, America has entered World War II, and sickly but determined Steve Rogers is frustrated at being rejected yet again for military service. He volunteers for a top-

secret research project, Project Rebirth, that turns him into Captain America, a superhero dedicated to defending the USA’s ideals.

The 2011 sci-fi action adventure flick co-stars Tommy Lee Jones and Samuel L. Jackson. It is directed by Joe Johnston is rated PG-13 and is 124 minutes long.

Salem-Panola Library is at 5137 Salem Road. For more information, call 770-9876900.

Greater Travelers Rest Missionary Baptist, Greenforest Community Baptist, Israel Missionary Baptist, New Piney Grove Missionary Baptist, Poplar Springs Baptist, and Salem Bible Church.

A dessert reception begins at 3:30 p.m. and the program follows at 5.

The Porter Sanford Center is at 3181 Rainbow Drive. For more information, e-mail klajoie@dekalbcountyga.gov or call 404-371-3681.

Businessman to discuss life transformation The author of an inspirational memoir will be featured on June 25 at the June Festival of Writers at the Decatur Library.

Businessman Sam Bracken will discuss “My Orange Duffel Bag: A Journey to Radical Change.”

Bracken, who was abandoned at age 15, battled homelessness, poverty and abuse to Sam Bracken earn a full-time football scholarship to Georgia Tech. When he left for college, everything he owned fit into an orange duffel bag.

He charts his personal life transformation in the award-winning, illustrated memoir. Bracken is the general manager of Franklin Covey Media Publishing Co. The talk begins at 7:15 p.m. Decatur Library is at 215 Sycamore St. in downtown Decatur. For more information, visit georgia centerforthebook.org or dekalblibrary.org or call 404-370-8450, Ext. 2225.

June 23, 2012

Youth

9

CrossRoadsNews

“We still don’t know who is going to take his position.

We’re getting the runaround.”

Stephenson students, parents upset over Bolden reassignment

By Carla Parker

Dr. Brian Bolden, who has been Stephenson High School’s principal for three years, has been reassigned to another school, and students and parents are very unhappy about it.

They are fighting to bring him back to Stephenson, claiming that he was reassigned to an elementary school because of personality clashes with the district’s regional asBrian Bolden sistant superintendent.

Schools officials would not say this week where Bolden has been moved and would not say who would replace him.

District spokesman Walter Woods said he could not comment on “personnel matters or any specific employee.”

“Every year there are changes to schoolbased positions,” he said. “And, as part of our strategic plan, one of the school district’s

goals is to ensure that in order to improve student success, there are leaders in every classroom, in every school building and in every Central Office position.”

Parents say Bolden, who pushes for academic excellence, was good for the school.

They say it was one of the few high schools that made AYP and that in the spring, he helped stage the school’s first Academic Signing Day event for students who got college scholarships.

Academic Signing Day, held on April 18, was modeled after the traditional signing days for athletes held annually at schools around the nation. About 45 students who received academic scholarships participated in the ceremony in the school’s theater.

In an interview with CrossRoadsNews last month, Bolden said he would like to see Academic Signing Day duplicated nationwide.

“I really wanted to change the focus of this school to academics,” Bolden said.

“Academic Signing Day should allow these

students who are highlighting their academics to note them in the same manner as our athletes.”

Karon Edge-Fitzpatrick, whose daughter, Danielle, is a rising Stephenson sophomore, said her daughter came home in tears after finding out Bolden was being moved. Word of his reassignment got around during the last week of school.

Edge-Fitzpatrick said Danielle started a petition, which has more than 500 names, to keep Bolden at Stephenson.

“Dr. Bolden had a great impact on the entire student body,” Edge-Fitzpatrick said.

“It’s so disheartening to me that we have a superintendent that talks about parent involvement, yet makes decisions that affect the students.”

Sandra Weaks, whose daughter is a rising senior, was upset that the school system didn’t notify parents about the move before it happened.

“We still don’t know who is going to take his position,” she said. “We’re getting the

Arabia Mountain High principal LaShawn McMillan and assistant principal Tim Wells flank U.S. Rep. Hank Johnson at a reception at the Newseum in Washington.

Tennis lessons to help fight child obesity Kids ages 5 to 15 are learning to play tennis this summer at Exchange Park in Decatur.

Team B.L.U.E. – Born Leaders United for Education – Tennis is hosting the lessons to help fight childhood obesity.

Lessons are held every Monday and Thursday morning, by reservation, for $5.

runaround.”

Edge-Fitzpatrick said it was “unacceptable” that parents were not informed of the move and no effort was made “to foster collaborative parent and stakeholder involvement.”

Weaks said Bolden is a great leader who cares about the students. “[Seniors] got over $15 million in scholarships … so, why are you going to move a leader that shows outstanding leadership?” she said.

Edge-Fitzpatrick sent a letter to Superintendent Cheryl Atkinson and School Board members asking that parents and stakeholders be involved in the decision-making process.

“The school administration must promote a new culture that is driven by transparent parent-and-stakeholder involvement whereas we have a voice at the table and are offered meaningful roles in our school community decision-making process,” she wrote.

Team B.L.U.E. is a DeKalb County-based mentoring and leadership nonprofit that assists youth with academics, character education, and athletics.

Exchange Park is at 2771 Columbia Drive.

For reservations, call 770-597-1066 or e-mail teamblue4@yahoo.com.

Green ribbon for Lithonia school Arabia Mountain High School is a “Green-Ribbon School.”

The Lithonia theme school was among 78 schools nationwide awarded green ribbons by the federal Department of Education and the Environmental Protection Agency.

Green-ribbon schools are recognized for reducing their environmental footprint, promoting health, and ensuring high-quality environmental and outdoor education that prepares students for a clean-energy global economy.

The federal government began awarding green ribbons to leading schools around the country in September 2011.

U.S. Rep. Hank Johnson presents an American flag that flew over the Capitol to Anthony Gordon Jr. of New Bethel AME’s Boy Scout Troop 1891, who attained the rank of Eagle Scout.

Beautiful Smiles for Children, Teens & Adults

Eagle Scout honored for accomplishments

By Carla Parker

Anthony Gordon Jr. joined the ranks of a select few on June 16.

The 2012 Lithonia High School graduate and member of New Bethel AME’s Boy Scout Troop 1891 made the rank of Eagle Scout and was honored at a ceremony attended by U.S. Rep. Hank Johnson, state Rep. Billy Mitchell, Commissioner Stan Watson, and DeKalb Superior Court Judge Greg Adams.

He is the second Troop 1891 member to become an Eagle Scout.

Since its inception in 1911, just over 2 million Scouts have made the rank of Eagle.

Eagle Scouts must earn at least 21 merit badges and demonstrate Scout spirit, service and leadership. They also have to plan, organize, lead and manage a community service project.

Anthony, 18, who has been a Scout for 12 years, spent two weeks making benches for

the students to use at Lithonia.

He made Eagle Scout in March and graduated in May with a 3.83 GPA. Winston Holmes, the troop’s scoutmaster, said he is very proud of Anthony.

“He is the kind of student who checks his status on DeKalb Parent Portal regularly,” Holmes said. “If his grade has dropped, he puts together a plan to bring it back up.”

Anthony will be attending the University of Georgia in the fall. He plans to major in biotechnology, dentistry and oral surgery.

Johnson presented Anthony with a certificate and an American flag that flew over the Capitol in Washington on June 1 in honor of his Eagle Scout achievement.

He also received proclamations and letters from President Barack Obama, former President Jimmy Carter, U.S. Rep. Saxby Chambliss and Pope Benedict XVI and a special award from the Sons of Allen at New Bethel AME.

U.S. Rep. Hank Johnson recognized the Lithonia school on June 4 at a reception at the Newseum in Washington, D.C. The ceremony was attended by Arabia Mountain principal LaShawn McMillan and assistant principal Tim Wells.

Johnson called the school a model in the 4th Congressional District, which he represents.

“This is an enormous achievement that shows the value of conservation and green design and highlights a successful collaboration between government and schools,” he said. “This award will inspire Arabia Mountain students and help improve the next generation of schools.”

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CrossRoadsNews

June 23, 2012

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12

CrossRoadsNews

June 23, 2012

STOREWIDE ITEMS • VALID 6/20-6/24/2012

WOW! PASS

EXTRA SAVINGS ON ALL SALE & CLEARANCE APPAREL! (EXCEPT SPECIALS & SUPER BUYS)

EXTRA 2O% OFF

SELECT SALE & CLEARANCE APPAREL FOR HIM, HER & KIDS; PLUS FINE & FASHION JEWELRY EXTRA 15% OFF ALL SALE & CLEARANCE SHOES, HANDBAGS, COATS, SUITS, DRESSES, INTIMATES; SUIT SEPARATES & SPORTCOATS FOR HIM AND SELECT HOME ITEMS EXTRA 10% OFF ALL SALE & CLEARANCE WATCHES AND ELECTRICS/ELECTRONICS Excludes: Everyday Values (EDV), specials, super buys, furniture, mattresses, floor coverings, rugs, men’s store electronics, cosmetics/fragrances, gift cards, jewelry trunk shows, previous purchases, special orders, selected licensed depts., special purchases, services, macys.com. Cannot be combined with any savings pass/coupon, extra discount or credit offer except opening a new Macy’s account.

EXTRA % APPLIED TO REDUCED PRICES. OR TEXT “CPN” TO MACYS (62297)

WATCHES & ELECTRICS VALID 6/20-6/24/2012

THE

HOTONE

SALE 5O%-8O% OFF STOREWIDE TAKE AN EXTRA 1O%-2O% OFF†

WITH YOUR MACY’S CARD OR PASS †Exclusions apply; see pass

FREE ONLINE SHIPPING EVERY DAY + EXTRA 1O%-2O% OFF! Free shipping with any $99 purchase. Use promo code: SAVE for extra savings; offer valid 6/20-6/24/2012.

Exclusions apply; see macys.com for details.

HOT ONE SALE PRICES IN EFFECT 6/20-6/24/2012.

OPEN A MACY’S ACCOUNT FOR EXTRA 15% SAVINGS THE FIRST 2 DAYS, UP TO $100, WITH MORE REWARDS TO COME. Macy’s credit card is available subject to credit approval; new account savings valid the day your account is opened and the next day; excludes services, selected licensed departments, gift cards, restaurants, gourmet food & wine. The new account savings are limited to a total of $100; application must qualify for immediate approval to receive extra savings; employees not eligible.

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