COMMUNITY
YOUTH
May 11 is the final day that black farmers can file claims in the landmark class action lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Agriculture. 3
History was in the making on March 9 when the girls and boys basketball teams from Miller Grove and Southwest DeKalb high schools met in AAAA championship games. 8
Farmers face deadline
All-DeKalb title games
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EAST ATLANTA • DECATUR • STONE MOUNTAIN • LITHONIA • AVONDALE ESTATES • CLARKSTON • ELLENWOOD • PINE LAKE • REDAN • SCOTTDALE • TUCKER
Copyright © 2012 CrossRoadsNews, Inc.
March 10, 2012
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Volume 17, Number 45
Sunday alcohol sales pass with a landslide vote By Donna Williams Lewis
Alvin Holmes of Decatur shops Thursday at Gene’s Package store on Candler Road. He voted for Sunday alcohol sales and is happy it passed.
Just 7,057 people voted early in this presidential primary, with Barack Obama the only candidate on the Democratic ballot. DeKalb was one of 13 metro Atlanta jurisdictions that held Sunday alcohol sales referendums in the March 6 election. Alvin Holmes of Decatur voted Tuesday for Sunday alcohol sales and was happy it passed. He was not pleased to learn about the two-month wait for it to go into effect. “Aw man,” he said. “I have to go all the way to Atlanta to shop on Sundays.” Helen Yi, owner of Gene Package store on Candler Road, said she was “kind of relieved” about Sunday alcohol sales.
Starting May 6, alcohol will be sold on Sundays across all of DeKalb County. Voters overwhelmingly approved a Sunday alcohol sales referendum on the ballot in Tuesday’s presidential primary election, with 73 percent, or 44,563 votes, in favor. The measure goes into effect on May 1. About 16 percent of DeKalb’s 389,295 registered voters cast ballots in Tuesday’s election. Mitt Romney narrowly won DeKalb’s Republican vote with 39 percent of the total. Newt Gingrich followed with 36 percent, and Rick Santorum came in third with 12 percent. Please see ALCOHOL, page 5
Carla Parker / CrossRoadsNews
Cell tower referendum sought Zoe Reichmann (left), Gayle Esposito and other DeKalb County residents at the March 6 hearing on a bill to curb cell phone towers on school properties. The meeting was hosted by the Georgia House Intragovernmental Coordination Committee.
Strategy shifts after legislation fails to advance By Jennifer Ffrench Parker
The fight to protect DeKalb County School System properties from more cell towers has now shifted to requiring the DeKalb Board of Education to hold a referendum before it can approve any more schools for towers. S t a te Re p. Ka r l a Drenner (D-Avondale Estates) is running a required ad in the legal organ next week announcing her intention to introduce a bill to provide for a nonbinding referendum Karla Drenner by the county’s voters on whether local, independent or charter schools in the county should place or operate a telecommunications tower on any elementary, middle or high school property. The bill also would provide for procedures, requirements and an effective date. Drenner said Tuesday that she is pushing to have the bill passed and possibly making it on the July 31 ballot or the November ballot. The shift in strategy came March 6, when House Bill 1197, which Drenner sponsored with the support of 16 of the DeKalb delegation’s 18 members, failed to make it out of the House Intragovernmental Coordination Committee. Only State Reps. Howard Mosby (D-Atlanta) and Stacey Abrams (D-Atlanta) did not support the legislation. State legislators have been seeking ways to prevent the location of more cell towers on DeKalb Schools property after a July 12, 2011, vote by the DeKalb School Board to allow T-Mobile to locate 150-foot high
Jennifer Ffrench Parker / CrossRoadsNews
towers on nine school properties for up to 30 years. Most of those schools are in South DeKalb county. The towers will be placed at six elementary schools, two high schools and a comprehensive school. The schools are Flat Rock and Princeton elementary and MLK Jr. High in Lithonia; Briarlake and Narvie J. Harris elementary in Decatur; Smoke Rise Elementary in Stone Mountain; Jolly Elementary in Clarkston; and Lakeside High and Margaret Harris Comprehensive School in Atlanta. The legislative attempt will not prevent the towers at the nine schools but could prevent more schools from being added to the list.
Rep. Chuck Sims (RAmbrose), who chairs the committee, said the bill – which sought to prohibit the placement of cell towers on school properties in DeKalb County – was unconstitutional. “It would have to be Chuck Sims all the counties and we would probably have a fight on that end on the federal level,” he said. “We as a body cannot do that.” Sims said he has “a bit of a problem” putting cell towers on school grounds. “But for various and sundry reasons, there is nothing in the Constitution that
would allow us as a legislative body to make a local bill, a local ordinance, that would prohibit or allow it,” he said. “We couldn’t do either one.” At the end of the meeting, Drenner said it was “a long fought effort.” She told the committee members that research associated with cell phones placement is of concern. “I would say to every single one of you sitting up here today, if you care for your children, you will not allow cell phone towers on your school property because what you are doing is that you are creating exposures to your children from pre-k all the way up to the 12th grade, from six hours a day, five Please see TOWERS, page 2
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March 10, 2012
“If you put something on the school ground, even with barbed wire, it’s going to be investigated by children.”
School Board called ‘bad guys’ in fight over wireless facilities TOWERS,
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days a week, 150 days a year, for 12 years,” she said. Drenner said that research has not been done yet and that the health effects associated with radio frequency radiation and magnetic field are not known. “I would encourage each of you as a precautionary measure to avoid, if possible, placing cell phone towers on school property,” said Drenner, a six-term representative and a radiation physicist. Sims suggested that the DeKalb delegation pursue Senate Bill 498, sponsored by Sen. Jason Carter (D-Decatur), which would require the state and local government to hold public hearings before leasing public property to private organizations for nongovernmental and commercial reasons. “That’s the bill that needs to be addressed and not a local bill that subjects these towers from going where they need to go,” he said. Sims offered to help the DeKalb delegation push through a joint non-binding referendum in this legislative session so that the School Board can know how the people in the county feel about cell phone towers at their schools. He also suggested that the delegation look at making the Board of Education’s policy book into local law. “The School Board can make or break policy all they want to,” he said, “but if you take that policy book and make it local law, they can’t do it, and they can be subject to malfeasance in office if they break it.”
Lack of notification Speaker after speaker told the committee that the DeKalb School Board did not give proper notification to the community and stonewalled and would not entertain discussions about the cell towers. They also said they want the School Board and T-Mobile to be subject to the county zoning ordinances that regulate the placement of cell towers. Viola Davis, a co-founder of the Stone Mountain-based Unhappy Taxpayer and Voter organization, said that the board made it clear that it was not giving them enough time to inform the parents and homeowners. “Now, did they listen to us as voters? No they didn’t,” she said. “Did they listen to us as taxpayers? No they didn’t. Now we are right here and they are using our tax dollars to pay for a lobbyist.” Richard Marion, who lives within walking distance of Briarlake Elementary School, said there was no real notification to the community or to the parents. “Regardless of what the Board of Education tells you, there are hundreds, if not thousands of people, that did not know that any cell towers were going to be built at any school,” he said. Marion said that the community is not anti-cell towers but is against them being placed at public elementary and other schools. “We realize that cell towers have an appropriate place on commercially zoned property,” he said. “The Briarlake Elementary School and the eight other schools are not commercially zoned properties.”
ing, ‘Look I am new at this job, I haven’t had time to consider this, the Board of Education voted back in July. I don’t know anything about this issue.’ On that very day, she signed the contract, signed and executed the contract for Briarlake Elementary, that we were told in September was a done deal.”
Jennifer Ffrench Parker / CrossRoadsNews
Unhappy Taxpayer and Voter co-founder Viola Davis said the School Board did not listen to constituents. “Now we are right here and they are using our tax dollars to pay for a lobbyist.”
Marion said that local zoning ordinances would prevent the construction of cell towers on school property because there is not enough room for local zoning setbacks of 150 to 200 feet at several of the schools. “The DeKalb Board of Education wants to overrule the DeKalb County Board of Commissioners and put the cell towers perhaps within 50 feet of not only the school building, but within 50 feet of residences and houses that surround these public schools.” Answering a question from the committee, Marion said that the county attorney had refused to give feedback as to why the towers on school property are exempt from county setbacks. “We know that two-thirds of our taxes go to the School Board while a third goes to DeKalb County,” he said. “What we believe is happening is that the School Board is controlling what the DeKalb Board of Commissioners is attempting to do regarding cell towers … monetarily they end up knowing that they may have the power over the DeKalb Board of Commissioners and, therefore, our voices are not represented.”
Impact on children, homes Joe Staley, who lives near Margaret Harris Comprehensive, told the committee that the community has a tremendous case that shows that cell towers should not go on school property without going through proper zoning regulations because school property in DeKalb County is almost always located in the middle of residential areas. “The DeKalb Board of Education has no interest in listening,” he said. “I brought all those arguments to them long before the contracts were signed and there was literally no response.”
Staley pointed out that DeKalb County zoning regulations for cell phone towers call for minimum setbacks, public hearings, certain fencing requirements and aesthetic values but that the School Board and TMobile are attempting to circumvent these regulations by locating on school property. “Because of that, you have towers that are literally on top of schools and literally on top of residential neighbors,” he said. “If a tower fell at some of these locations, they would fall directly on top of people’s homes. That is crazy.” Stephanie Byrne, who lives near the 11.4-acre Briarlake Elementary School and has three children attending it, said that it is surrounded by residences and every inch of the school is used for programs. “You cannot place a Stephanie Byrne piece of industrial equipment on a school campus and ask the children not to be impacted by it,” she said. “If you put something on the school ground, even with barbed wire, it’s going to be investigated by children.” Byrne said that at a meeting last September in the school’s cafeteria, District 4 School Board member Paul Womack told them the cell towers were a done deal. “He stood up in front of all of us in the school cafeteria and shook his finger at us, and he said, ‘You people need to stop whining. This is a done deal,’” she said. Byrne said that she pursued the issue with state Rep. Scott Holcomb (D-Atlanta), who reached out to School Superintendent Cheryl Atkinson. “On Dec. 8, when she wrote to him say-
Bill assailed by industry Two lobbyists for the wireless industry told committee members that Drenner’s bill violated federal law and the state constitution. Jacqueline McCarthy, director of state regulatory affairs for the Washington, D.C.based CTIA–The Wireless Association, which represents wireless carriers, device manufacturers and Internet service providers, told committee members that House Bill 1197 violated federal law and was “an outright prohibition on the placement of wireless towers on an entire class of property in DeKalb County” and would have the effect of prohibiting any entity from providing wireless service. She also said that local laws could not be made on the basis of concerns over the health effects of radio frequency emission. “Given federal pre-emption over health effects of radio frequency emissions, House Bill 1197 lacks a compelling public purpose,” she said. Helen Smith, who co-chairs the Georgia Wireless Association’s regulatory committee, said the adoption of this bill would result in multiple violations of the Georgia Constitution. “You can’t allow this law to go forward because it would violate the state constitution,” she said, adding that T-Mobile followed the process and held meetings, which she attended. Smith said T-Mobile has turned to the School Board because more than 80 percent of DeKalb County is zoned residential and that the DeKalb County zoning ordinance as drafted, right now, prohibits a wireless facility entirely on a residentially zoned property. “The reason that the School Board does not have to comply with zoning procedures and zoning ordinances in DeKalb County is because the School Board is a state entity under the state school board,” she said. “So that is why a wireless facility does not have to go through zoning in DeKalb County.” Smith said that the School Board still has to get a building permit and comply with structural and other requirements. “Those are not exempt, just like a school building is not exempt from getting a building permit, that are state code driven,” she said. Ruby Davis of Stone Mountain asked about the impact on homeowners. “Those people that live in the Jolly [Elementary] area, most of them own their own homes,” she said. “If they want to sell it, how are they going to sell. Would you buy a home under a cell tower?” Sims, who is a state legislator from Coffee County, said that he didn’t think the cell tower folks are the bad guys. “The bad guys are your local School Board for not listening to you to start with.”
March 10, 2012
Community
The man grabbed the victim and tried to cover her mouth. He fled after she and her friends screamed and fought him off. Black farmers who were denied loans by the USDA between 1981 and 1996 are eligible for cash awards from the “Pigford II” settlement. May 11 is the last day to apply.
Deadline looms for black farmers The door is closing soon on black farmers’ opportunity to file claims in the $1.25 billion “Pigford II” settlement. May 11 is the absolute, final deadline to file a claim in the landmark class-action settlement. Eligible African-Americans farmers who farmed or attempted to farm must have experienced loan discrimination by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. They or their heirs may be eligible for a sizable cash payment or loan forgiveness. Eligible class members are African-Americans who farmed (or attempted to farm) between Jan. 1, 1981, and Dec. 31, 1996; were prevented from applying for, or were denied a USDA farm loan during that period or were given a loan with unfair terms; and who filed or attempted to file a late claim between Oct. 13, 1999, and June 18, 2008, in the original Pigford case that was never considered because they tried to submit it after the late claim deadline. Heirs or kin of people who fit this description but have since passed away also
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may be class members. This is the final phase of the Black Farmers Discrimination Settlement, sometimes called Pigford II. It is only for people who tried to file a late claim in the original Pigford case. The Pigford II settlement was approved Oct. 27, 2011. It will resolve thousands of discrimination claims related to USDA farm loans and other benefits. As many as 80,000 people nationwide could receive payments from the settlement. Completing a claim may take some time, so those who think they are included should get more information now. The lawsuits, filed in 1997 and 1998, accused the USDA of systematically discriminating against black farmers on the basis of race, in violation of the Fifth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, the Equal Credit Opportunity Act, Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, and the Administrative Procedure Act. For more information, visit www.BlackFarmerCase.com or call 1-877-810-8110.
Abductions have families on edge Stone Mountain families and their children along the North Hairston Road corridor are asked to remain alert as DeKalb police search for a suspect in two attempted child abductions in the area. The latest abduction was March 4, at about 8:30 p.m. In both instances, DeKalb Police said that the elementary school-aged girls were able to fight off their attacker after being grabbed while walking near the Stone bridge apartment complex. The first incident on Feb. 21 took place at about 7:30 a.m. An 11-year-old girl was walking to school from Stonebridge with friends when they observed the suspect following from behind.
The man grabbed the victim and tried to cover her mouth. He fled after she and her friends screamed and fought him off. The incident was initially reported to school authorities and later to DeKalb police. The suspect, described as a black male, 30 to 40 years old and 5 feet 5 to 5 feet 10 was wearing a green camouflage Army-styled jacket with a fur hood. He also had on blue jeans, black shoes and a dreadlock hairstyle. The girl alerted family members who notified DeKalb police. Police said they don’t yet know whether it’s one or two suspects. Anyone with information about these incidents is asked to call the DeKalb Police Major Felony Unit at 770-724-7850.
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Lots of homes, especially on the Southside, have lost value and are paying less in taxes. Values may decline further.
Municipal incorporation genie out of the bottle Will the last unincorporated square mile of DeKalb County please turn off the lights? Once again the residents of South DeKalb are up in arms over the proposed new city of Brookhaven or Ashford, whose enabling legislation has cleared the Georgia House as HB 636 and has crossed over into the Senate. A vote and a prospective July 31 referendum on the new municipality are rapidly approaching [“Opposition mounting to new city of Ashford-Brookhaven,” CrossRoadsNews, March 3, 2012]. This is political plastic explosive, and there is no ordnance disposal team in DeKalb government looking competent to defuse it. This phenomenon of a primarily white, affluent and politically vigorous community choosing to separate from the governance and taxation apparatus of a predominantly black county government has picked up steam again. We have seen Sandy Springs, Milton, John’s Creek, Chattahoochee Hills, and Dunwoody break off from Fulton and DeKalb counties, respectively, taking their property taxes, HOST, franchise fees, alcohol excise tax, fines and forfeiture, occupation, business tax, and voting authority with them.
New cities spring up This political hurricane picked up tropical moisture on June 12, 2006, when the Georgia Supreme Court upheld Fulton County v. Perdue and ruled the General Assembly was in good standing when it enacted the Shafer Amendment, which said special services districts’ assessments, fees and taxes for green space, roads, police, fire, etc., collected in one part of the county must be spent in that part of the county. That municipal incorporation genie got out and has never gone back into the bottle. Sen. Emanuel Jones (D-Decatur), Dr. Hasan Crockett of the grass-roots Action for Justice Georgia, a group of Brookhaven Protestant cler-
“South DeKalb is dying a slow and painful death. Anyone who would argue this fact is high on bush weed.” Elrado Ramsay
gymen, and our hapless CEO, Burrell Ellis, are all in reaction mode, sicking the Voting Rights Act, 14th Amendment and 15th Amendment pit bulls on anything that smells like it would support secession from DeKalb County.
Growth industry is murder Let us be rational and truthful about this. South DeKalb is dying a slow and painful death. Anyone who would argue this fact is high on bush weed. Our only growth industry is murder. The merchants of death have become very innovative and prolific. They are now up to two and three victims per incident three or four times per week. Economic growth is a scandal, since we are only able to attract dysfunctional gas stations, dollar stores, used car huckstering corrals, bath tubs for cars, clubs, and beauty palaces. On a broader note, the School System was just forced to cancel $2.2 million in new construction and rehabilitation because some “whiz kid” forgot that $61 million should be in the budget to service a $300 million SPLOST III loan. So, school kitchens, ceiling tiles, HVAC system, Americans With Disabilities Act compliance and other projects must now be dumped. Foreclosure has turned many neighborhoods into ghost encampments. South DeKalb has no baseline industries to help shore up from the economic mudslide, and the few that are left must remain behind fortresses of guards, gates, alarmed doors and prison wire to keep their property and employees safe. Sidewalk projects have stopped. Road main-
tenance has stopped even as the County Commission and CEO bicker about the redemptive merits of the city manager model vs. the CEO model of government, a debate that is generating enough bitterness to have driven a wedge between the CEO and the commission. The schools continue to bleed morale from layoffs, furloughs, closures, a contemptible and arguably criminal School Board, a debilitating cheating scandal, perpetual bullying and intimidation in schools that are not able to attract high income families to drive economic growth. The county’s management culture continues to be one of nepotism, cronyism, poor accountability, internecine squabbles between the commissioners and the CEO, the School Board and the electorate, the north and the south. Criminal police officers roam around unchecked. Why would we expect the people of the northern edges of the county, generally white, educated, politically active, and increasingly conservative, to remain under the present government model of DeKalb County? Even some of us in the south would like to get out, be we are stuck with underwater mortgages or waiting for foreclosure bombs to go off or with jobs, businesses and community environs we hate but from which we cannot afford to decouple. We know that North DeKalb responds to words like accountability, strategy, performance, autonomy, reliability, security, durability and consistency. It not only responds, but it actively engineers and perpetrates budgetary, political, legislative, commercial and diversity violence on any system that threatens to deprive its enclaves of the benefits in the reality of these words. Why did we go to bed drunk on the delusion that Dunwoody, Sandy Springs, John’s Creek and Milton would not happen again? Our activists and pastors can always build a Tower of Babel to stop it. Elrado Ramsay lives in Decatur.
Four of seven commissioners voted for proposed budget When DeKalb County’s Southside commissioners voted “yes” for the 2012 budget proposed by CEO Burrell Ellis, did they do the right thing? I don’t think so. I was baffled when some people stated that they felt that the commissioners needed to get along with the CEO. Since when is it deemed as not getting along when you have a difference in theory or thought, or just disagree? That is their right. It is assumed that the commis-
sioners are protecting the interests of their constituents. No matter how many times they disagree, that is what they were elected to do. The commissioners are going into the CEO’s fourth year and have not received the requested Reorganization Plan. An MBO (Management by Objectives) plan from department heads would be helpful as well. Yet four of the seven commissioners voted for the proposed 2012 budget.
Quick Read
Lots of homes, especially on the Southside, have lost value and are paying less in taxes, for example, $1,763 in 2010 dropping to $424.37. And values may decline further. Commissioner Stan Watson offered some good suggestions, such as outsourcing Keep DeKalb Beautiful and an amnesty day for fines in the courts. Amnesty will help the courts and help individuals who have had to reset priorities daily. A Blue Ribbon Commission
Cell strategy shifts after legislation fails to advance 1
Nominations open for community heroes
The fight to protect school properties from more cell towers has shifted to requiring a referendum before the school system can approve any more schools for towers.
Community volunteers and activists can be nominated for the 2012 CEO’s Community Hero Awards through March 30.
Deadline looms for black farmers
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The door is closing soon on black farmers opportunity to file claims in the $1.25 billion “Pigford II” settlement.
SPLOST shortfall reduced, impact unchanged 5 Circulation Audited By
March 10, 2012
School Board members will vote on a proposal to eliminate a $36.52 million projected shortfall in SPLOST funds.
‘Jobs bus’ at libraries, town halls
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The “jobs bus” will make stops throughout DeKalb County this month.
Session to focus on grant writing
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Nonprofits and community activists can learn the fundamentals of grant writing at the March 15 session of District 3 Commissioner Larry Johnson’s Leadership Institute at the Porter Sanford Center in Decatur.
comprising a broad cross section of talented and energetic community leaders and academia to identify the best business model to create and keep more jobs in DeKalb might help. The board didn’t vote on any of these. But I would think the “handpicked” Cory Cornell, interim director of planning, would have started that. A. Jean Richardson lives in Decatur.
Teams to build playhouses forming now 7 Teens and adults can access their creative side in the second annual “Playhouse Build and Auction” to raise money for DeKalb Habitat for Humanity.
Students mark Pi Day with pie
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Freedom Middle School students throww pies and learn the circumference of a circle during Pi Day on March 14.
Free screenings at ‘Get Body Beautiful’ event 9 Body Beautiful founder Andrea Riggs wil be bringing her “Get Body Beautiful” campaign to Exchange Park in Decatur.
index to advertisers Beautiful Babes Hair Care for Children......... 10 BJH Attorneys & Counselors at Law.............. 10 CDC Federal Credit Union............................... 3 Chimain Douglas Ministries............................ 7 DeKalb County School System........................ 8 Dish Network................................................. 11
Dr. Craig B. Williams, DDS..............................9 First African Presbyterian Church.................... 7 Georgia Power................................................ 3 Gwinnett Federal Credit Union.......................6 Holistic Health Management Inc.............Inserts LaHair Café................................................... 10
Marlin & Rays Seafood Grill............................ 7 Narvie J Harris Theme School PTA................ 11 Pulse Research.............................................. 11 Seafood On The Crest.................................... 11 South DeKalb YMCA...................................... 11 Star Tax Services........................................... 10
Sunset Ranches.............................................. 11 Teen Reach Inc.............................................. 11 The Affordable Hair Salon............................ 10 Walgreens...............................................Inserts Wells Fargo..................................................... 5
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March 10, 2012
Community
“I want to make it clear that to take an action now allows us not to have a shortfall.”
SPLOST shortfall reduced, impact on South DeKalb schools unchanged By Carla Parker
DeKalb School Board members will vote March 12 on a proposal to eliminate a $36.52 million projected shortfall in the Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax funds. Board members were supposed to vote Thursday on School Superintendent Cheryl Atkinson’s plan to halt 35 building projects, including 23 in South DeKalb, but delayed the action. They learned at the special called meeting that the shortfall that was estimated at $41 million last week was actually $4.48 million
less because nearly $5 million of the SPLOST III debit was paid in the last year. Instead of stopping projects that are already under way, Atkinson now proposes to halt 36 projects that are in the design Cheryl Atkinson phase. All 23 projects at eight elementary, three middle and three high schools in South DeKalb are included. Atkinson told board members that quick action is needed.
“I want to make it clear that to take an action now allows us not to have a shortfall,” she said. Board members said they needed more time to review the new proposal and will vote on the plan at Monday’s monthly School Board meeting. They heard about the shortfall at Feb. 29 special called meeting, when Atkinson said staff stumbled on the shortfalls in SPLOST II and III accounts after the Chamblee High School rebuilding project came up short by $9.9 million. The staff originally thought there was a
$26.15 million shortfall in the SPLOST III account, but Atkinson said it was reduced to $21.32 million and the district no longer need to transfer $3.74 million from the emergency facilities capital account. Board members said they would like to see some adjustments done to the recommended stoppages before they vote. District 7 board member Donna Edler said she would like to see verification from the Chamblee High shortfall. “They told us what it is but didn’t provide the support for it,” she said. “And that’s one thing I want to see before I make my vote.”
Input needed on waterways Community heroes nomination County joins cities DeKalb residents can comment on a cleanup project along local waterways at a series of meetings this month. The county is seeking public input on preliminary aspects and activities of a Supplemental Environmental Project. The purpose is to provide one-time trash and debris removal from the banks and streambeds of the South River, South Fork Peachtree Creek and Snapfinger Creek to improve the overall quality and sustainability of the designated streams. The meetings take place from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at the following library branches in Decatur: n Toco Hill-Avis G. Williams Library, 1282 McConnell Drive, on March 12. Topic of discussion: South Fork Peachtree Creek Basin. n Wesley Chapel-William C. Brown Library, 2861 Wesley Chapel Road, on March 19. Topic of discussion: Snapfinger Creek Basin. n Flat Shoals Library, 4022 Flat Shoals Parkway, on March 20. Topic of discussion: South River Basin. The Department of Watershed Management staff will host the meetings. A brief overview of the SEP will be presented. The project was undertaken in connection with the settlement of United States et al. v. DeKalb County, Georgia, taken on behalf of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Georgia Environmental Protection Division under the Clean Water Act and the Georgia Water Quality Control Act. For more information, contact Willie Greene at 404-687-3542 or David Chastant at 404-371-4066.
Community volunteers and activists can be nominated for the 2012 CEO’s Community Hero Awards through March 30. Nominees must have direct impact on DeKalb. Categories: n Community Champion – recognizes an individual and nonprofit whose work has had a positive impact in strengthening communities and improving the lives of others in DeKalb. n Environmental Change – recognizes an individual and/or organization that works to preserve, protect and raise awareness about the environment. n Youth Volunteer – recognizes efforts of a DeKalb child or youth who exemplifies volunteerism and community service. n Neighborhood Empowerment – recognizes an individual and organization that fosters civic engagement and promotes community involvement. n Vanguard – recognizes an individual or organization whose contributions most exemplify the National County Government Month theme. DeKalb’s theme: “Healthy Counties, Healthy Families; ONE Healthy DeKalb.” Nomination forms are available at www.dekalbcountyga. gov. The awards are presented by the Champion Newspaper and DeKalb CEO Burrell Ellis. Winners will be honored at the CEO’s April 29 Community Hero Awards Gala at Callanwolde Fine Arts Center. For more information, contact Erica M. Brooks at 404371-3695 or John Hewitt at 404-373-7779, Ext. 110.
with Sunday sales ALCOHOL,
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“Other counties are opening on Sundays, and now we get to open too,” she said. Unincorporated DeKalb followed the county’s 10 cities, each of which passed the Sunday alcohol sales referendum in November. The effective dates differed from city to city, but all DeKalb cities are now on board with Sunday sales. Sunday alcohol sales became effective in Doraville on Nov. 8, followed by Avondale Estates on Nov. 17, Decatur on Nov. 27, Dunwoody on Dec. 4, Clarkston and Stone Mountain on Dec. 11, Chamblee on Dec. 25, Atlanta on Jan. 1, and Lithonia on Feb. 6. Pine Lake Sunday alcohol sales began in December.
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March 10, 2012
Finance
‘Jobs bus’ at libraries, town halls The “jobs bus” will make stops throughout DeKalb County this month to help the unemployed and other job seekers look for work and to hone their skills. DeKalb’s Mobile Career Center supports the ONE DeKalb Works initiative by providing work readiness services. The mobile unit also provides residents with essential services, including job search assistance, adult workshops and training, resume writing, and interviewing tips. Businesses are also able to use the mobile unit for recruiting, pre-employment screenings, interviewing, and training. Upcoming stops include: n Covington Library – 10 a.m.-4 p.m. March 12 and March 22, 3500 Covington Highway in Decatur. n Wesley Chapel Library – 10 a.m.-4 p.m. March 13, March 20 and March 26, 2861 Wesley Chapel Road in Decatur. n CEO Town Hall Meeting – Eastlake Family YMCA – 6-7:30 p.m. March 13, 275 East Lake Blvd. S.E. in Atlanta. n Stonecrest Library – 10 a.m.-4 p.m. March
Our Panola Industrial branch is available for your convenience. 5381 Panola Industrial Boulevard Decatur, Georgia 30035 Branch & Drive-Thru Hours of Operation: Monday-Friday 9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. Saturday 9:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.
14 and March 19, 3123 Klondike Road in Lithonia. n Tucker-Reid H. Cofer Library, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. March 15 and March 28, 5234 LaVista Road in Tucker. n CEO Town Hall Meeting – Center for Pan Asian Community Services – 6-7:30 p.m. March 15, 3510 Shallowford Road N.E. in Atlanta. n CEO Town Hall Meeting – Lou Walker Senior Center – 6-7:30 p.m. March 20, 2538 Panola Road in Lithonia. n Department of Family and Children Services – 9 a.m.-4 p.m. March 21, 178 Sams St. in Decatur. n Redan-Trotti Library – 10 a.m.-4 p.m. March 27, 1569 Wellborn Road in Lithonia. n CEO Town Hall Meeting – Tucker High School – 6-7:30 p.m. March 27, 5036 LaVista Road in Tucker. n Scott Candler Library – 10 a.m.-4 p.m. March 29, 2644 McAfee Road in Decatur. For more information and to access a calendar with scheduled locations, visit www .dekalbworkforce.org.
Session to focus on grant writing Nonprofits and community activists can learn the fundamentals of grant writing at the March 15 session of District 3 Commissioner Larry Johnson’s Leadership Institute at the Porter Sanford Center in Decatur. The Leadership Institute provides the community with guest speakers on subject matters pertaining to leadership, policy and
678.889.GFCU (4328) | www.gwinnettfcu.org
entrepreneurship. Johnson said the mission “is to arm every community member with tools and resources that enable them to be active participants in the community.” The Porter Sanford III Performing Arts and Community Center is at 3181 Rainbow Drive. For time and more information, call 404-371-2425.
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at the Mall at Stonecrest Best of East Metro/Small Business Expo April 28, 2012 Businesses and entrepreneurs – from landscapers to lawyers, Realtors, florists, insurance and travel agents, and HVAC operators – showcase their goods and services at this expo, which also celebrates the winners of CrossRoadsNews’ “Best of East Metro” Readers Choice Awards.
Family & Back to School Expo August 4, 2012
Businesses and organizations serving families will showcase goods and services to help students have a successful school year. The expo highlights services from afterschool to private schools and options for adults looking to retool and sharpen their skills for new careers.
Limited Signature Sponsorship Opportunities. Only 50 exhibitor spaces available; book yours today. Call 404-284-1888 for more information.
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CrossRoadsNews
March 10, 2012
Scene
“The best reward was to see the final creations and watch children enjoy playing in and around the playhouses while they were on display.”
St. Patrick’s Day fun for seniors on March 17 at 12:30 p.m., and a Luck of the Irish party with refreshments and armchair travel on March 18 at 7 p.m. The annual St. Patrick’s Day is March 17. The festivities are free and open to seniors in the community. R.S.V.P. to 404-296-1152. The Regency House is located at 341 Winn Way in Decatur. For more informatioin, visit www.theregency house.net.
Seniors can deck themselves out in green and don a shamrock for an Irish stew supper, Irish lunch, and a Luck of the Irish party this weekend at the Regency House in Decatur. The Holiday Retirement community is hosting the supper on March 16 at 5:30 p.m., an Irish lunch with traditional favorites of corned beef and cabbage
Kids can hunt eggs at governor’s home Carla Parker / CrossRoadsNews
Teams will compete in the second annual “Playhouse Build and Auction” for DeKalb Habitat. Finished playhouses will go on display on the Decatur Square beginning April 20.
Playhouse teams forming now Teens and adults can access their creative side in the second annual “Playhouse Build and Auction” that is now registering participants who will frame, side and decorate a playhouse in the DeKalb Habitat for Humanity fund-raiser. Groups, businesses, professional builders and sponsors can form teams to compete in the event. The playhouse building takes place March 10, 24 and 31 at Papa John’s, 4400 Hugh Howell Road in Tucker. Finished playhouses will be displayed on the Decatur Square beginning April 20 for the Earth Day celebration and will be auctioned at the end of April to the highest
bidders. Proceeds support DeKalb Habitat’s mission to build, renovate and revitalize affordable housing. The Playhouse Build and Auction concept expands opportunities for people to get involved in the work of the DeKalb Habitat affiliate. Executive Director Jayne Watson said the event is fun for the build groups as well as the community. “The best reward was to see the final creations and watch children enjoy playing in and around the playhouses while they were on display,” she said. To register, visit www.dekalbhabitat .org/2012_Playhouse_Build.html.
Georgia first lady Sandra Deal’s annual Easter Egg Hunt at the Governor’s Mansion is coming up March 31, but if you want to be a part of it, you have to reserve your space starting March 12. E-mail reservations to mansion@georgia.gov open at 7 a.m. on Monday and will be available on a first-come, first-served basis until capacThe March 31 Easter Egg Hunt will attract many families. ity is reached. E-mail reservations open on March 12. The 10 a.m.-to-noon event includes photos with the Easter Bunny, cated, healthy and safe. Reservations – one family per request – cupcake and egg decorating stations, face painting, a storybook station featuring must include the names, number and ages of Clifford the Big Red Dog, the Easter egg children who will participate in egg hunt; the names and number of adults accompanying roll, a moonwalk, and Easter egg hunt. Guests are asked to donate a book or them; and a contact telephone number. The Governor’s Mansion is at 391 W. Pacstuffed animal to benefit the Governor’s Office for Children and Families, which es Ferry Road N.W. For more information, works with communities statewide to visit www.mansion.georgia.gov or e-mail ensure that children and families are edu- Jessica Sullivan at jsullivan@georgia.gov.
St. Paddy’s Day pet adoption special Pet lovers may find a new best friend during the St. Patrick’s Day Adoption Special this month at DeKalb County Animal Services in Decatur. Adoption specials take place on March 13-16 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and on March 17 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Adoptions are $60 and include spay/
neuter, vaccinations, de-wormer, and HW or FIV/FeLV testing. To view animals available for adoption, visit www.dekalbcountyani malservices.com. The DeKalb Animal Services and Enforcement Center is at 845 Camp Road. For more information, call 404-2942996.
“Come on and be a part of the vision” First Afrikan Church is an Afrocentric Christian Ministry that empowers women, men, youth and children to move from membership to leadership in the church, community and the world. Praise & Devotion Worship Service Sundays at 10 a.m. Join us for Bible Study Wednesdays at 7 p.m.
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CrossRoadsNews
Youth
March 10, 2012
“We will also have a contest with the students to see how many numbers they can remember in the pi equation.”
SWD, Miller Grove in all-DeKalb championship By Carla Parker
The historic March 9 championship games were set for the Arena at Gwinnett Center.
Southwest DeKalb and Miller Grove high school girls and boys basketball teams swept four games in the Final Four on Wednesday to secure an all-DeKalb championship in historic March 9 title games at the Arena at Gwinnett Center. It was the first time that DeKalb County schools were playing each other for the Class AAAA championship. Sharman White, Miller Grove boys head basketball coach, said the all-DeKalb championship games are great for the county. “It’s a testament to the talent that DeKalb has produced,” White said. The Southwest DeKalb Lady Panthers were the first to punch their ticket to the finals with a 51-35 win over the No. 7-ranked Jonesboro Lady Cardinals. They opened up a 10-point lead in the third quarter, then pulled away. Senior Jasmine Coleman hit for seven points and grabbed eight rebounds in leading the Lady Panthers to a 15-13 halftime lead. A 6-0 run midway in the fourth quar-
Reality Check for grades 7-12 Students in grades 7-12 can explore college campus life and financial realities of life after high school at the March 10 Reality Check and Campus Reality Simulation event at the Porter Sanford III Performing Arts Center in Decatur. The 9 a.m.-to-2 p.m. event is a 15-station financial literacy simulation, which runs for two hours demonstrating the financial realities of life after high school. Reality Check also offers ninth- to 12th-
graders a behind-the-scenes look into college campus life through the one-hour Campus Reality simulation. Both simulators will motivate students to begin making the right choices now in order to reap the benefits in the future. The Porter Sanford III Performing Arts and Community Center is at 3181 Rainbow Drive in Decatur. To register for this event, visit www .caes.uga.edu/extension/DeKalb/.
SETTING THE STANDARD OF EXCELLENCE IN PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT Educating, Engaging, and Empowering Parents Title I Annual Meeting: Parental Involvement Conference Saturday, March 17, 2012 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Stone Mountain Middle School 4301 Sarr Parkway, Stone Mountain, GA 30083 » » » » » » » » » » »
Conference Highlights Keynote Speaker: Dr. Joe Martin – Parental Involvement and How It Affects Your Children’s Educational Success Test-Taking Strategy Workshops: Math, Reading and Language Arts on all Grade Levels Special Education Workshops Early Childhood Workshops for Pre-K and K Language Translators/Interpreters Title I Parental Involvement Policy and Budget Child Care for School-Aged Children Special Workshops for Middle and High School Students Exhibitors from: DeKalb County Schools, Community Agencies and Educational Companies Light refreshments will be served Door Prizes (Donated by Exhibitors)
For additional information, contact Jackie Marshall, Chairperson at 678-676-0376 or by email: Jackie_Marshall@fc.dekalb.k12.ga.us
ter led by senior Shayla River’s four points gave the Lady Panthers a 13-point lead over Jonesboro. Coleman finished with 12 points and 14 rebounds to go with 12 points and 13 rebounds by freshman Nicole Martin and 10 points from Rivers. Southwest DeKalb was set to play No. 4 Miller Grove Lady Wolverines in the state title game at the Arena at Gwinnett Center at 3 p.m. on Friday. The Lady Wolverines advanced to the Class AAAA state finals with a 42-34 win over No. 8-ranked Alcovy High School. Miller Grove junior Katie Hunt led the team with 18 points while senior Tabitha Fudge picked up 12 points and 13 rebounds. The ladies led 16-14 at the half and never looked back, going on a 9-2 run to end the third quarter to take a 27-20 lead. This will be the third time this season that the Lady Panthers will face the Lady Wolverines. On the boys side, the three-time champion Wolverines were to face Southwest DeKalb for the fourth time this season in
Friday’s championship game. Senior Jordan Price hit for 29 points to help the No. 4-ranked Panthers reach its first ever state final with a 74-67 victory over the No. 10-ranked North Clayton High Eagles in the Class AAAA boys semifinals. Senior William Goodwin had 17 points and 19 rebounds to join Price in double figures along with senior Kadarius Turner hitting for 17. The Wolverines was set to try to stop the surging Panthers to become just the third school in the state to win four consecutive state titles. Forward Tony Parker hit for a game high 30 points and grabbed 11 rebounds to lead the Wolverines to a 70-49 victory over the No. 5-ranked Jonesboro High School Cardinals. Senior Brandon Morris added 13 points and 10 rebounds for the Wolverines while senior Justin Colvin added 11 points. White, the coach, said he and his team are extremely excited to be playing for their fourth consecutive title. “We’re honored and extremely blessed. It’s a credit to the kids and the hard work they have put in this season.”
Students mark Pi Day with pie Freedom Middle School students will be throwing pies and learning the circumference of a circle to its diameter during Pi Day on March 14. Pi Day, which commemorates the mathematical constant π (pi), is celebrated by math enthusiasts worldwide on March 14 because of its representation as 3/14 in month/day date format. It was created in 1988 by Larry Shaw, who was a physicist at the San Francisco Exploratorium. The U.S. House of Representatives passed a resolution on March 12, 2009, recognizing March 14 as National Pi Day. Pi, which equals 3.1415926535…., is the symbol Math enthusiasts worldwide celebrate Pi Day on March for the ratio of the circumference 14, including Freedom Middle School students and staff. of a circle to its diameter. Wadsworth Magnet School will celTo celebrate the day, seventh-grade math teacher Bryan Shelton said students will par- ebrate Pi Day on March 16. The school will ticipate in a number of contests, including a become a math community in which all teachers teach math and the students will pie-throwing contest. “We will also have a contest with the move throughout grade levels experiencing students to see how many numbers they can mathematics. Students will participate in contests, inremember in the pi equation,” Shelton said. The celebration also will include Willie cluding personally designed math, pi digit Livsey, a Clarkston High 10th-grader, who recitations, and hula-hoop. Contest winners will speak to the students about the math- will receive prizes. During lunch, students will enjoy a pie ematic symbol. There are many ways to celebrate Pi Day, buffet, Pi Day trivia, conduct a search for including eating pie and discussing the rel- birthdays within the pi digits, and Pi Day sing-alongs. evance of pi.
Models Needed! Want to model spring & summer fashions at CrossRoadsNews’ 2012 Summer Camp Expo at the Mall at Stonecrest? If you: • Live within our coverage area • Are between the ages 4 and 12 Have your parents email us at expos@crossroadsnews.com. Include your name and preferred contact method (phone or email), a photo, the school you attend, and previous modeling experience (if any).
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March 10, 2012
Wellness
9
CrossRoadsNews
“If you don’t eat the proper amount of carbohydrates at your meal, expect your blood glucose to shoot too high.”
Portion control important for healthy weight Reading food labels gives information on calories and sugar, salt, fat and other ingredients.
In the battle to control blood glucose, diabetics know that portion control and controlling carbs is king. Dietlinde Wolter-Nitta, a nutritionist and certified diabetes educator at Montefiore Medical Center in New York, says monitoring food portions will make it easier to keep blood glucose levels and weight in check. For someone with type 2 diabetes who is also overweight, Wolter-Nitta, who writes for everydayhealth.com, says that simply losing some pounds can lead to an easier time controlling blood sugars and sometimes less need for medication. Follow these guidelines:
Andrea Riggs, a personal trainer for 15 years, is bringing her fitness campaign to Exchange Park on March 17.
Free screenings at ‘Get Body Beautiful’ event Body Beautiful founder Andrea Riggs will bring her “Get Body Beautiful” campaign to Exchange Park in Decatur on March 17. The free event for people of all ages takes place from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and is co-sponsored by District 3 DeKalb Commissioner Larry Johnson. The campaign offers a life-changing approach to transform mind and body and community workshops for illness prevention and total wellness. Its mission is to help individuals and the community to achieve better health through lifestyle, nutrition and fitness. Health screenings for blood pressure, glucose and BMI – body mass index – also will be available. Riggs, a personal trainer for 15 years, launched the Get Body Beautiful campaign, the state’s largest African-American women’s fitness program with more than 15,000 participants, in 2009. Exchange Park is at 2771 Columbia Drive in Decatur. For more information, call 404-3712425.
New date to ‘Love Yourself ’ The second annual “Love Yourself, Inside & Out” health seminar for women has been rescheduled to March 24. The event, which benefits Decaturbased Women’s Resource Center to End Domestic Violence, was planned for March 10 but was postponed because of a fire in the gym at Zoar United Methodist Church in Snellville, where it was to take place. Organizer Dee Davis, a nutrition consultant, said the event will stay at the same location and will begin at 7 p.m. “Love Yourself, Inside & Out” offers pampering, healthy foods, fresh pressed juice, surprise guests and dancing. The cost is $30, and proceeds benefit the nonprofit Women’s Resource Center, which advocates for women and children and supports victims of domestic violence with support groups, safe houses, community education and other services. Tickets must be purchased in advance. R.S.V.P. to threedaycleanse@gmail.com. Zoar United Methodist Church is at 3895 Zoar Church Road in Snellville. For more information, call DeAnne “Dee” Davis at 404-667-7681.
Weigh and measure your food Many people – with or without diabetes – have trouble estimating portion sizes. Weighing and measuring food can help. “We can’t be healthy if we eat everything put in front of us, and weighing and measuring teaches us appropriate portion sizes,” says Jill Weisenberger, a certified diabetes educator and writer in Yorktown, Va. “If you don’t eat the proper amount of carbohydrates at your meal, Jill Weisenberger expect your blood glucose to shoot too high or, if on certain medications, to drop danger- Weighing foods helps eliminate problems with ously low.” estimating portion sizes. Use visual aids How much is a portion anyway? It’s hard to tell in this era of supersized foods. Twenty years ago, the average blueberry muffin was 1.5 ounces and 210 calories. Today, most muffins are 5 ounces and 500 calories. A bagel used to be 3 inches and 140 calories but now is 6 inches and 350 calories or more.
more because the plate will look fuller.
Get a doggie bag Asking for a doggie bag when eating out is an easy way to practice portion control. With so many restaurants taking a bigger-isbetter approach to portion sizes, you’re left to rely on nothing more than willpower. Taking leftovers home is a good idea, but don’t wait until the end of the meal – ask your server to package half your entree before it makes it to the table or cut it in half yourself before starting to eat to remove temptation. Sharing a meal with a friend and ordering an appetizer instead of an entree are other possible ways to avoid overeating.
and two hours later,” she explained. “If you do this often enough, you will know the best foods and portion sizes for you.”
Avoid supersizing Supersizing is a supersized danger when it comes to portion control. Avoid it at all costs. The average soda today is 20 ounces and 250 calories – compare that to 20 years ago when it was 6.5 ounces and 82 calories. Don’t get carried away with bigger portions because it’s a good deal for your wallet. Your waist and health will pay for it. Watch the beverages Another reason to say no to sodas is their notable lack of nutrition. Many beverages deliver empty calories, an enemy of diabetics. “Avoid regular sodas and juices as it’s better to eat your carbs than drink them,” Wolter-Nitta said. “Beverages don’t satisfy hunger and they raise blood glucose very rapidly. Choose water or diet beverages instead.” If you occasionally indulge in soda or juice, read the label for portion size.
Use food scale whenever possible Don’t be afraid to snack When eating out, you can estimate servPeople with diabetes may eliminate ing sizes by comparing them to familiar snacking to practice portion control. This objects – for example, one cup is about the isn’t always necessary. size of a tennis ball, and one serving of meat, “Snacking can be a critical part of a which is about 3 ounces, should be the size of diabetic’s diet,” says Dr. Timothy S. Harlan, a deck of playing cards. A serving of cooked medical director of Tulane University Medirice, pasta or cereal should equal the size of cal Group in New Orleans and author of” Just a small computer mouse. Write down what you’re eating Tell Me What to Eat: The Delicious 6-Week Besides helping monitor portion control, Weight-Loss Plan for the Real World.” Read food labels keeping a food log has another benefit for “It can help control total calorie intake, It’s easy to grab a big bottle of juice and someone with diabetes. control cravings and overeating, and help chug it down without thinking – and with“By recording your intake and your blood keep blood sugars stable. However, it’s imout reading the nutrition label first. But glucose, you will learn how foods affect your portant to check with your diabetes nurse it’s important to read food labels carefully blood glucose,” Weisenberger said. You’ll educator or dietitian.” when monitoring portion sizes. Start with need to measure your blood glucose in pairs For more information, visit www.everyday the calorie count, then look beyond that. for this to work. “Measure just before eating health.com. Many beverage and food packages contain more than you might think. What seems like a single serving might actually be two. And if it contains two servings, the number of calories in the container must be doubled as well. Food labels also can be useful for sugar Beautiful Smiles for Children, Teens & Adults and carbohydrate counts.
Cel 20 Ye ebrating ar Comm s in the unity
Avoid all-you-can-eat buffets Common sense should tell you that all-you-can-eat buffets are a bad idea for everyone, but especially if you have type 1 or type 2 diabetes. With big plates and the ability to endlessly refill them, portion control becomes a losing battle. If confronted with this type of dining experience, vow to use only two plates. For better portion control, choose low-calorie, low-carb foods like shrimp and raw veggies for the first plate, says Weisenberger, and follow your usual meal plan for the second. Use smaller plates Buying smaller plates or using a salad plate instead of a dinner plate is a good option for people with diabetes because this is a tangible portion control method that’s hard to circumvent. Be sure to fill half your reduced-size plate with vegetables or salad, one-quarter with a starch food, and onequarter with protein. This is a great way to trick your eye into thinking you’re eating
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CrossRoadsNews
March 10, 2012
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Reader Notice As a service to you – our valued readers – we offer the following information: This newspaper will never knowingly accept any advertisement that is illegal or considered fraudulent. If you have questions or doubts about any ads on these pages, we advise that before responding or sending money ahead of time, you check with the Attorney General’s Consumer Fraud Line and/or the Better Business Bureau. They may have records or documented complaints that will serve to caution you about doing business with those advertisers. Also be advised that some phone numbers published in these ads may require an extra charge. In all cases of questionable value, such as promises or guaranteed income from work-at-home programs, money to loan, etc., if it sounds too good to be true – it may in fact be exactly that. This newspaper cannot be held responsible for any negative consequences that occur as a result of you doing business with any advertisers. Thank you.
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Marketplace BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES Neff Rental is currently soliciting Certified LSBEs interested in participating as a sub-contractor to provide Heavy Equipment Rental to DeKalb County, Ga. Please contact Robert Veazey at government@neffcorp.com for more information.
EMPLOYMENT Styling with Passion Salon in Decatur is Now hiring Licensed Stylists! For more information, please call Martice at 404-8491975.
FOR RENT/LEASE DeKalb/Kirkwood 2bd/1ba duplex, appls, w/d, CHA, hardwood
floors, off- street parking. $750/ mo. 404.661-2706.
Conyers - Three bedrooms, two baths, living/dining room combination apartment for rent, kitchen w/dishwasher, gas range, and refrigerator, security system, Lithonia Area: 4Bdrm 31/2Bath Condo Stainless steal appliances Fireplace 1125.00 mo. 832-8166027. $700.00 monthly rent, $700.00 security deposit and $35.00 credit application fee. Call Nathan 404-286-4802 or 404-735-6176 LBJ Realty. 2 single rooms for rent in base-
ment of Decatur home. $100 weekly, $100 deposit. Utilities, Cable, Washer & Dryer included. 404-408-9125.
Stone mtn foreclosure, 4br,2.5 BA, LR DR, bsmt, Southland, $130k, $1500 dwn, $1030 @ mon. 1 888 269 6795 x190 1st U Rlty
REAL ESTATE When you are ready to buy or sell your home, call a realtor/realtist who gets the job done; call a graduate of Tuskegee & Georgia State; call an officer and a gentleman; call Nathan for all your real estate needs. 404-286-4802, 404-735-6176 LBJ Talking House Realty.
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Please mail to CrossRoadsNews, 2346 Candler Road, Decatur, GA 30032. (PHOTOCOPIES OK )
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Youth services
WHERE EVERY KID PLAYS
Parents, are you looking for a FREE, structured program for your child age 13-17? Look no further – Teen Reach is for you. NOW Our program is designed to develop your REGISTERING child’s skills in a variety of life-changing areas – spiritual, social, cultural, personal, professional, SOUTH DEKALB FAMILY YMCAand health. Space is limited. Please call Mayfred Nall at 770-482-5333, or email triteens13@yahoo.com. Ages 3-17 • www.ymcaregistration.com Meets bi-monthly on Saturdays 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Call 770-987-3500 for details in a friendly and caring atmosphere, and workshops are conducted by professional volunteers. restaurants Recommended for teens who don’t already have a heavy schedule of extracurricular activities.
YOUTH SPORTS Basketball “Mount up with wings as eagles!” Schools / Youth
Narvie J. Harris
Traditional Theme School PTA 3981 McGill Dr • Decatur, GA 30034
“It Takes A Village” Annual Spring Carnival Saturday, March 24, 2012 11:30 a.m. – 5 p.m. Featuring: • Live DJ • Pony Rides • Moonwalks • Fun Games • Candy & Caramel Apples • Good Food • Other Exciting Entertainment
Tickets Individual • 50¢ 10 tickets • $5 20 tickets • $10
Vend
ing
$35 & Spaces $50
www.narviepta.org
Call Dannette 404-838-8047
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CrossRoadsNews
March 10, 2012
Exhibitors: A Kids Affair AAA Auto Club Achievers Learning Academy After School Sports Academy Big Thinkers Science Exploration Callanwolde Fine Arts Center City of Decatur Active Living
Conservatory of Dance Cornerstone Leadership Academy East Lake Family YMCA Hope Ministries Incorporated La Petite Academy Tupac Amaru Shakur Center YMCA Academies of South DeKalb