CrossRoadsNews, March 21, 2015 by CrossRoadsNews, Inc.

WELLNESS

SCENE

New lineup for prom

Adult education returns

DeKalb Medical has completed renovations at its North Decatur campus offering state-of-the-art equipment, new furnishings and lighting. 5

The Macy’s in the Gallery at South DeKalb mall has responded customer requests by offering a line of prom dresses this spring. 6

Georgia Piedmont Technical College’s Adult Education has returned to the Decatur after moving to Buford Highway in 2010. 7

New breast center

FINANCE

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

March 21, 2015

Volume 20, Number 47

www.crossroadsnews.com

May appoints special investigator ‘to root out corruption’ By Ken Watts

Former Georgia Attorney General Mike Bowers has been hired by DeKalb interim CEO Lee May to investigate county government. The probe is likely to last 120 days or as long as Bowers needs.

cated for the probe. “We are willing to spend what is necessary to root out corruption,” he said. “I think Mike could throw me in jail if I’m doing something wrong. This administration is willing to take on an endeavor that could possibly go even to my office, and I’m fine with that.” DeKalb County has been battered by corruption scandals since 2013 when suspended CEO Burrell Ellis was indicted on charges of shaking down county vendors for campaign donations. Former 22-year District 1 Commissioner Elaine Boyer and her husband, John,

DeKalb interim CEO Lee May has hired former Georgia Attorney General Mike Bowers to conduct a sweeping investigation of county government and “remove the stench of corruption.” May announced the probe and signed an executive order on March 18 authorizing Bowers’ appointment at the Atlanta offices of Balch and Bingham where Bowers practices law. His appointment is effective immediately and the probe is likely to last 120 days or as long as Bowers needs. May did not say how much he has allo- Please see PROBE, page 4

Ken Watts / CrossRoadsNews

Opening date for senior center still unknown The stalled South DeKalb Senior Center on Candler Road remains behind a chain-linked fence while seniors are being bussed across town.

No completion date offered for stalled project By Jennifer Ffrench Parker

Seniors who have been itching to get into the new South DeKalb Senior Center on Candler Road will have to wait awhile longer. Both DeKalb Chief Operating Officer Zac Williams and Deputy Chief Operating Officer for Infrastructure Morris Williams refused this week to give the seniors a date when the center will open for business. They told a roomful of seniors at a March 17 meeting that they don’t yet have a completion time line from Conyers-based Asurety Construction Services, the new contractor brought in by the bonding company to complete the stalled project. “Right now we don’t have a piece of paper that says it will be done on this day,” Zac Williams said. “We don’t have that.” He told the seniors that he understands their frustration. “We owe you this facility,” Zac Williams said. “We understand that. Dates were given and promises made and we have not delivered, but it’s not my words to believe. I am going to show you that it will done.” Both men, who are not related, said they are working diligently to have the center – which is nearly three years behind schedule – completed as soon as possible. Zac Williams promised to provide the seniors with a list of what will be done on a week-by-week basis. But the seniors were insistent about getting a completion date. “When will it be finished?” they took turns asking. “How long’s it going to take?” “When will it open?” They asked the question in several ways, over and over. “Can you tell us when we are going to move in?” asked Vivienne Holt, who started

Jennifer Ffrench Parker / CrossRoadsNews

going to the Candler Road center in 2012 shortly before it was demolished. Algie McCrary, another displaced senior, said they are tired of the runaround and the waiting. “Why can’t we have a time limit on when the building will be ready?” he asked. “You started off with 12 months, and nearly three years later we are like homeless people.” County officials met with the seniors on Nov. 12, 2014; presented them with a “new team” to complete the project; and promised them that the center would be opened by spring. McCrary said that county officials are meeting with them every few months to appease them. “You all come down every two, three months to keep us quiet,” he said. “I can’t understand why you allow this to happen. When are we going to go in the building, you don’t know. It might be six months. It

might be next year. I don’t believe one thing that you have said here today.” The old Candler Road center was demolished in 2012 to make way for a new $5 million center with a large multipurpose room; computer labs; and classrooms for sewing, pottery, games and exercise. The county broke ground on it on Nov. 12, 2012, and said it would open by November 2013. In the meantime, the county has been busing the center’s 150 members to Hamilton Senior Center in Scottdale. Since 2012, the Candler Road center’s waiting list has nearly tripled to 402. The new larger facility will house 474 people. In August 2014, contractor PCI defaulted on the project, and its surety bonding company stepped in to complete it. On the November 2014 tour, the seniors saw cracks in the center’s concrete floor, found toilets that are too low to the ground

for seniors, an uncovered walkway, and no doors at the building’s front for them to access the garden that will go in. Bob Sims, the county’s deputy director of architecture and engineering, reassured them that the proper repairs will be made. “It’s going to be done correctly,” he said. “It’s going to hold up. It’s structurally safe.” The Candler Road facility was one of three senior centers that the county was building simultaneously in South, Central and North DeKalb. Only one of the three, the Mason Mill Park Senior Center at 1340 McConnell Drive in Decatur, has opened. County officials staged a ribbon-cutting on Feb. 2. Like the Candler Road center, the Malone Drive Senior Center at 3393 Malone Drive in Chamblee is still not complete. PCI was also the contractor on that project. Please see CENTER, page 4

CrossRoadsNews

Community

March 21, 2015

“Did the officer consider his Taser? Did he consider his billy club before he decided to use his gun?”

GBI investigating police shooting of naked unarmed man By Ken Watts

The GBI is investigating the death of Anthony Hill, an unarmed naked AfricanAmerican man who was killed by a white DeKalb County police officer on March 9. Hill, 27, was acting erratically when he charged Officer Robert Olsen who answered a call about a naked man in the Heights of Chamblee Apartments at 3028 Chamblee Tucker Road. Olsen fired two Anthony Hill shots at Hill, who was unarmed. The incident prompted mourning, protests and anger in the complex in northcentral DeKalb where Hill, an Air Force veteran, lived. Public Safety Director Cedric Alexander said he understands why the public has ques-

tions about the shooting. “I don’t have answers for them because as soon as we arrived at the scene, we made a determination that we’re going to move this case to the GBI,” he said. The GBI investigation is expected to take several weeks to complete. On March 17, DeKalb Police said it will increase mandatory mental health training for all police officers to 40 hours, up from the current four hours. Robert Olsen Capt. Sonja Porter told WSB-TV that the new training will be effective with the department’s April Police Academy, that it will be in-depth and handson, and it will include working with mental health professionals at their facilities to see how they handle patients in crisis. Hill’s shooting is the second involving

DeKalb Police since December. On Dec. 29, 2014, Officer Joseph Pitts shot Kevin Davis, a 44-year-old man who had called 911 for help when his girlfriend, April Edwards, was stabbed by her roommate. Davis later died at Grady Memorial Hospital. It is also the third police killing of an unarmed, or apparently unarmed, black man in the past three weeks. On March 11, 37-year-old Naeschylus Vinzant was shot and killed by police in Aurora, Colo., and Tony Robinson, 19, was shot by police in Madison, Wis., on March 6. The shootings have occurred as the nation discusses race, policing and the use of lethal force in the wake of the earlier killings of unarmed black men Eric Garner in New York and Michael Brown in Ferguson, Mo., in July and August 2014. In Hill’s death, police reports show that an apartment leasing office worker called 911

to report that the naked Hill was crawling on the ground and attempting to get into the office. Hill’s family said he served in Afghanistan and has had medical issues ever since he returned from the war in 2010 and that he was being treated by the Department of Veterans Affairs for bipolar disorder but was having difficulties with the medication he was on. Olsen, who has been on the force for seven years, has been placed on administrative leave pending the result of the investigation. Department records show that he had training in handling the mentally ill. DeKalb NAACP President John Evans wants to know what other options the officer had besides shooting to kill. “Did the officer consider his Taser,” Evans said after calling DeKalb commissioners to find out what happened. “Did he consider his billy club before he decided to use his gun?”

New Web site keeps residents up-to-date on county’s $1.3 billion program Residents can get updates on the Department of Watershed Management’s $1.3 billion Capital Improvement Projects with the click of a mouse. Watershed Management launched www. dekalbconsentdecree.com on March 11. The Web site is dedicated to the county’s 2010 Consent Decree agreement with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Georgia Environmental Protection Division for violations of the federal Clean Water Act and the Georgia Water Quality Control Act. The site features general information about the CIP, its infrastructure improvement projects, and a user-friendly, interactive Project Finder feature that allows residents

to search for active CIP water and sewer construction projects. The Project Finder allows users to search for projects within a half-mile, one-mile or two-mile radius of their address as well as by DeKalb County commission district or keyword. Information on each project includes location, budget, schedule, description and current construction phase. Kenneth Saunders, the CIP’s program director, said the new Web site is one of many communication tools they are using to ensure people are educated and well-informed about the projects included in the Consent Decree.

“Continuous communication with the residents and business owners affected by the improvement activities is vital to the overall success of this program,” Saunders said. The Consent Decree came in the wake of complaints that DeKalb County’s sanitary sewer system was in disrepair and failed to prevent sewage spills that fouled creeks and rivers and threatened public health. Under the court’s Consent Decree, DeKalb agreed to make $1.3 billion repairs to its aging sanitation infrastructure over five years. The county also launched an electronic Consent Decree Connection quarterly newsletter and a social media campaign at https:// www.facebook.com/pages/DeKalb-County-

Consent-Decree/611484352307733. It features articles on current and recent projects, FOG (fats, oils and grease), safety tips and interesting facts and figures about the county’s sanitary sewer collection system. Social media will be used as a real-time communication tool to provide advance notice of construction activity, traffic advisories, community meeting details and update the public on the program’s progress on an ongoing basis. The Web site, newsletter and social media are linked together online for added convenience. For more information, visit www. dekalbconsentdecree.com.

CLAUDIA G. LAWSON Tax Commissioner DeKalb County, GA

ATTENTION ALL DEKALB COUNTY HOMEOWNERS

Children in Georgia are waiting to be adopted. If you are interested in learning more about adopting an older child or a sibling group, please plan to attend the “Partnering for Permanency” Adoption Match Meeting Thursday, March 26, 2015 6:00 p.m.-8:00 p.m. Hilton Atlanta Airport 1031 Virginia Avenue, Atlanta, 30354 Case Managers from across the state will be presenting children, through displays and videos, who are waiting to be adopted. For more information: visit itsmyturnnow.dhs.ga.gov or call toll-free at (855) 289-0349

Sponsored by the Division of Family and Children Services

The 2015 Property Tax Exemption Deadline is Fast Approaching! If you owned and resided in a home in DeKalb County on January 1st, you may apply for a Basic Homestead Exemption and Property Assessment Freeze with the County by April 1st of this year. The home must be your primary domicile and legal residence for all purposes, including the registration of your vehicles and the filing of your Federal and State income taxes. Applications received after April 1st will be processed for 2016. In addition to the basic homestead exemption available to all homeowners, there are special exemptions available for residents 62 and older, disabled veterans or their un-remarried spouses, and other disabled residents. Eligibility for special exemptions is based upon age or disability, total household income, and must be applied for in person. When applying, please bring your State and Federal income tax forms, Social Security 1099, and any other forms of income you may receive, to one of our three offices across the County.

North Office

1358 Dresden Dr., NE Atlanta, GA 30319

Main Office

4380 Memorial Dr. Suite 100 Decatur, GA 30032

South Office

2801 Candler Rd. #66 South DeKalb Mall Decatur, GA 30034

Remember, the deadline for applying for all homesteads is April 1st! Apply for the Basic Homestead Exemption, the Property Assessment Freeze, or renew your tag registration online at: www.dekalbcountyga.gov/taxcommissioner Questions? Call (404) 298-4000 or email us proptax@dekalbcountyga.gov

4380 Memorial Drive, Suite 100, Decatur, Georgia 30032 (404

-298-4000)

Community

CrossRoadsNews

March 21, 2015

“The fact that Ephren Taylor took advantage of people during a time of reverence and trust is particularly heinous.”

Lithonia woman Two get prison for fleecing New Birth members City Capital falsely claimed the average exactly the opposite, leaving many investors Taylor II and Wendy Connor, indicted for theft whoEphren defrauded members of New Birth Mis- sweepstakes machine would generate 300 financially ruined.” Daynna Gregory of Lithonia is one of three people indicted by a federal grand jury in Atlanta on charges of theft of more than $232,000 in public funds and conspiracy. The March 3 indictment accuses Gregory, 41; Tammi Stephens, 37, of Forsyth; and Richard Cantrell, 54, of Marietta in an alleged check fraud scheme to steal from a victims restitution fund controlled by the Georgia Department of Corrections, where Gregory and Stephens worked until recently. It said the defendants spent the stolen funds at big-box stores and department stores. Gregory, Stephens and Cantrell were arraigned on March 5 in Magistrate Judge E. Clayton Scofield’s court. The indictment says that between September 2013 and June 2014, Gregory and Stephens allegedly used their positions as clerks in the Georgia Department of Corrections’ banking unit to issue fraudulent checks drawn on a fund established to provide restitution to victims of crimes. It said Gregory and Stephens made the checks payable to a flower shop owned by Cantrell, who was not an employee of the department, and the defendants purposely issued fraudulent checks to the shop to create the appearance that the restitution checks were being paid to real crime victims. After printing the fraudulent checks, Gregory and Stephens allegedly altered the department’s financial records to hide the theft. The checks were delivered to Cantrell, who allegedly cashed them and split the proceeds with Stephens and Gregory.

sionary Baptist and other church members of millions of dollars, are headed to federal prison. The two were sentenced on March 17 by U.S. District Judge William S. Duffey Jr. to prison and probation and have been ordered to pay restitution totaling over $21.3 million in connection with the fraud scheme that victimized more than 400 people who invested over $16 million through Taylor’s “Building Wealth Tour.” More than 80 people in Georgia lost more than $2 million. Taylor was CEO of City Capital Corp., and Connor was the company’s chief operating officer. Prosecutors said the Ephren Taylor II pair directed a nationwide Ponzi scheme that defrauded more than 400 victims between April 2009 and October 2010. As part of the scheme, Taylor traveled around the country on a Building Wealth Tour that targeted African-American and Christian communities with wealth management seminars directed at church congregations. During the tour, he claimed to be a socially conscious investor and falsely claimed that 20 percent of profits were donated to charity. At New Birth in Lithonia, Taylor and Connor met potential investors to discuss possible investments in promissory notes, where the funds invested would be used to support small businesses such as laundries, juice bars and gas stations, and in sweepstakes machines, computers loaded with games that allow players to win cash prizes.

percent investor returns and the investments were 100 percent risk-free. The two encouraged investors to use selfdirected IRAs to make investments and many victims transferred their retirement savings to fund the investments pushed by Taylor. Prosecutors said Taylor and Connor falsely represented the revenues and returns for the businesses knowing they were not profitable. The two were convicted on Oct. 8, 2014. Taylor, 32, of Overland Park, Kan., pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Connor, 46, of Raleigh, N.C., pleaded guilty to the interstate transportation of money taken by fraud. On March 17, Duffey sentenced Taylor to 19 years, seven months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release and ordered to pay restitution of $15.5 million. Connor was sentenced to five years in prison, followed by three years of supervised release. The first 18 months of her sentence is home confinement. She has been ordered to pay restitution of $5.8 million. Acting U.S. Attorney John Horn said the “‘Building Wealth Tour’ accomplished

“At churches across the country, he touted himself as a socially conscious investor, but his investment opportunities were nothing but a Ponzi scheme designed to build his own personal wealth,” Horn said. “This sentencing brings a measure of justice to those who remain devastated by his actions.” Special Agent in Charge Veronica Hyman-Pillot of the IRS Criminal Investigation called the pair “habitual fraudsters and world-class manipulators.” “Taylor and Connor knew that the investments they were touting were based entirely on deception and lies, which were driven by their insatiable greed,” she said. Reginald G. Moore, special agent in charge of the Secret Service Atlanta Field Office, said the case shows the wide-reaching effects of fraudulent investment schemes and their impact on innocent victims. “The fact that Ephren Taylor took advantage of people during a time of reverence and trust is particularly heinous,” Moore said. “Today’s sentence should serve as a reminder that criminals will not get away with taking advantage of unsuspecting victims without bearing the consequences.”

LR Robinson, LLC • Business Tax Preparation • Individual Tax Preparation • Tax Problems • Small Business Accounting

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Because you get what you pay for.

That’s why I invested in ENERGY STAR® appliances and received rebates in return. Thanks to the money saving tips on the Georgia Power website, I learned exactly how to turn my renovation into a reward. First, I got $50 for taking advantage of the Georgia Power Refrigerator Recycling Program. Then, I got a rebate for purchasing ENERGY STAR® certified appliances, and since these appliances use 10 to 50 percent less energy than standard models, I get the benefit of a lower monthly bill. For more information on tips and rebates, visit georgiapower.com/save. Certain restrictions apply. Must be a Georgia Power customer. Rebate available through November 30, 2014. Customer must submit receipt/invoice for the ENERGY STAR® appliance with the rebate form.

Lisa Robinson, CPA

CrossRoadsNews

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

Editor / Publisher Jennifer Parker Staff Writers Jennifer Ffrench Parker Ken Watts Graphic Design Curtis Parker Assistant Editor Brenda Yarbrough Advertising Sales Kathy E. Warner Front Office Manager Catherine Guy Circulation Manager Jami Ffrench-Parker CrossRoadsNews is published every Saturday by CrossRoadsNews, Inc. We welcome articles on neighborhood issues and news of local happenings. The opinions expressed by writers and contributors are not necessarily those of the publisher, nor those of any advertisers. The concept, design and content of CrossRoadsN ews are copyrighted and may not be copied or reproduced in whole or in part in any manner without the written permission of the publisher. Advertisements are published upon the representation that the advertiser is authorized to publish the submitted material. The advertiser agrees to indemnify and hold harmless from and against any loss or expenses resulting from any disputes or legal claims based upon the contents or subject matter of such advertisments, including claims of suits for libel, violation of privacy, plagiarism and copyright infringement. We reserve the right to refuse any advertisement.

March 21, 2015

“If you come outside, I’ll call you whatever you want me to call you. If that’s where you want it to go.”

Spat on ethics board leads to two resignations By Ken Watts

DeKalb Ethics Board member Robert Blackman has resigned in the wake of inviting a county employee to “come outside” to settle their differences. Blackman, who was appointed by interim CEO Lee May in 2014, resigned on March 5 after a March 3 argument with Robert Blackman Bob Lundsten, an aide to District 1 Commissioner Nancy Jester. The argument began in the Board of Ethics’ March 3 meeting and quickly escalated into an angry confrontation. Lundsten was at the meeting because an Oct. 30, 2014, complaint he filed against board Chairman John Ernst was on the agenda. In that complaint, he said

that Ernst made comments in a WSB interview that undermines his ability to be impartial when considering a pending ethics case against him Bob Lundsten that alleges misuse of his county-issued purchasing card. Blackman told Lundsten that he reviewed the WSB interview and didn’t hear Lundsten’s name mentioned. “Your name never came up in his interview,” said Blackman. “So how did it become you? I don’t get that.” Lundsten, who was chief of staff to former Commissioner Elaine Boyer, said the interview did in fact call him out by name. “My name does come up in the interview as stated by the reporter who had the conversation with Mr.

Ernst,” Lundsten said. Lundsten told Blackman that he has demonstrated an opinion on the matter before the case has even started and accused him of being biased against him. He said the Ethics Board member called him “slick” at a December meeting. Blackman denied calling Lundsten any names. Lundsten called Blackman “a lying [expletive deleted].” Blackman then invited him to meet him outside. “If you come outside, I’ll call you whatever you want me to call you,” Blackman said. “If that’s where you want it to go. But we’ll do it outside.” Other Ethics Board members urged them to calm down, and the meeting moved on. Two days later, Blackman faxed a brief resignation note to Ernst and May. “I am writing to provide my formal resignation as a member

of the DeKalb County Board of Ethics,” Blackman wrote. “I agreed to serve as a member of the Board of Ethics because of my commitment to improve the quality of life in DeKalb County and it’s reputation. I appreciate the opportunity to serve a county I have called home since 1984. I wish the board the very best.” The board has ethics complaints against five commissioners on its calendar, and Ernst said he hopes May quickly appoints a replacement. “I look forward to our newest board member being appointed in quick order,” he said. DeKalb Press Secretary Burke Brennan said May plans to fill the vacancy as soon as possible. Jester placed Lundsten on administrative leave on March 5 after an internal review. He submitted his resignation the same day. The ethics complaint pending alleges he misused his county purchasing card for personal expenses.

DA seeking the death penalty for two accused killers DeKalb District Attorney Robert James is seeking the death penalty for Aeman Presley and Christopher Merritt, who are charged in three separate murder cases. Presley, 34, is facing multiple felony counts in the slaying of Calvin Gholston, a homeless man, on Sept. 27, 2014, and Smyrna hairdresser Karen Pearce in Decatur on Dec. 6, 2014. Merritt, 19, is charged in the slaying of Marcaysia Dawkins on

Nov. 23, 2014, at a Fairington Road bus stop in Lithonia. James said the senseless acts of violence ended in the tragic loss of lives. “In rare occasions do the egregious actions of an individual and nature of the alleged criminal act rise to the height when I deem it is appropriate and fitting to seek the death penalty,” he said. Presley faces multiple felony counts including malice murder,

felony murder, armed robbery and aggravated assault in Pearce’s death. He also faces malice murder, felony murder and aggravated assault charges in the death of Gholston, who was killed on Memorial Drive. The indictment says Presley shot Pearce and took her wallet as she left a restaurant on East Ponce de Leon Avenue in downtown Decatur. He is accused of shooting Gholston in the head and torso.

Atlanta Police also charged Presley in the Nov. 23 death of Dorian Jenkins, 42, and the Nov. 26 killing of Tommy Mims, 68. No arraignment dates have been scheduled in those two shootings. Merritt is accused of killing 19-year-old Dawkins during an attempted robbery at a MARTA bus stop. The crime was caught on the surveillance camera of a nearby convenience store.

Bowers probe to focus on Watershed Management PROBE,

from page

pleaded guilty to fleecing taxpayers of $90,000, which she used for her family’s ski trips, airline tickets and other personal expense. Super 7 District Commissioner Stan Watson also has been accused of voting on projects for APD Solutions while he was on the company’s payroll as a consultant, and District 4 Commissioner Sharon Barnes Sutton has been unable to produce receipts for $45,000 in purchases made with her county-issued Visa purchasing card. Zoning Board of Appeals member Jerry Clark also pleaded guilty to taking a bribe from a businessman in return for his vote on a project before the board. May said he is on a mission to “restore public trust in govern-

ment.” He said Bowers and his team will have unrestricted access to all departments, including more than 6,000 employees under the CEO’s authority. They will interview employees and comb through documents in search of misbehavior. May has no jurisdiction over the Board of Commissioners, but he said he is encouraging the commissioners to cooperate with the probe. May’s move is the latest in a series of steps he has taken to improve county operations and restore the county’s image since he was appointed by Gov. Nathan Deal in July 2013. Other changes include: nRecommending a 90 percent increase in Ethics Board funding to $215,000 and installing a new

ethics policy for administration employees. nCreating a Government Operations Task Force. nHiring an outside consultant to streamline Watershed operations. nHiring new Purchasing Director Scott Callen, reorganizing the department and overhauling its policies. nOverhauling the county’s Pcard policy and procedures. nHiring an outside consultant to perform an efficiency study on county operations. Bowers was a state investigator during the Atlanta Public Schools cheating scandal, which resulted in racketeering and conspiracy charges against 35 former educators and the late superintendent, Dr. Beverly Hall.

Bowers, a 1959 Southwest DeKalb High graduate, said he will conduct an aggressive inquiry. “We’re going to root out conflicts of interest, corruption, malfeasance,” he said. Bowers and his team will make $150 to $400 an hour. Bowers called his appointment unprecedented. “I have never seen anything like it,” he told reporters. “For a governmental officer to say, Let’s look at my operation with unfettered access, call it as you see it, publish a report that I don’t get to look at until after it’s published. That’s high-risk poker no matter how you call it .” Bowers will focus on the Department of Watershed Management and its $1.3 billion Capital Improvement Projects.

Seniors to get another tour of Candler Road facility in April CENTER,

Circulation Audited By

from page

All three centers, for $5 million each, are funded by federal community block grants. After the November 2014 meeting with the seniors, Morris Williams said the parties “lawyered up.”

“We have spent more times with lawyers than in the building,” he told the seniors Tuesday. Some seniors at the meeting had difficulties understanding why the county officials did not have a completion date. Holt, who lives in Decatur and became a member of the old Can-

dler Road senior center in 2012 shortly before it was demolished, asked: “The building has to reach a certain point before you get a schedule?” Zac Williams said they have not yet received the schedule “of all the different components that have to happen” from the contractors.

Aaron L. Worthy Sr., the project’s manager, said they had to give the new contractors the opportunity to do their own investigations. “They are revising that schedule,” he said. “They are meeting right now while we are meeting. We will have a revised schedule soon.”

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Wellness

CrossRoadsNews

March 21, 2015

“The places hardest hit by Ebola are the places that often have the least infrastructure for safely disposing of sewage.”

More Ga. schools HHS: Largest drop in uninsured in 4 decades More than 541,000 Georgians selected are available to millions of Americans in all provision allowing young adults to remain are tobacco-free or were automatically re-enrolled in the 50 states, making health care coverage more on a parent’s plan until age 26. More than half of Georgia’s school districts – 101 out of 181 – are now tobacco-free, protecting 1.3 million students from tobacco use and secondhand smoke. Emanuel, Lowndes and Jenkins county schools all recently implemented the state’s 100 Percent Tobacco-Free School policy, leading to a milestone in the Georgia Department of Public Health’s work to protect the state’s children from the harmful effects of tobacco use and secondhand smoke. Under the policy, no student, staff member or school visitor is permitted to use any tobacco product or e-cigarette at any time on school property. Eighty school districts have not signed the policy. Jean O’Connor, director of Chronic Disease Prevention for DPH, said the policy saves lives. “Ninety percent of Georgia’s smokers started Jean O’Connor using tobacco before the age of 18, and by eliminating tobacco use – including e-cigarettes – in schools, we can reduce the likelihood children in Georgia will start to use tobacco as well as protect children and adults from the effects of secondhand smoke,” O’Connor said on March 17. Tobacco use causes heart disease, cancer, diabetes and premature death. In a young person, smoking can damage the heart and lungs right away and, in some cases, the damage never goes away. Studies show that eliminating tobacco smoke in an environment can reduce the incidence of heart attack-related hospital admissions by 10 percent to 40 percent. Public Health Commissioner Brenda Fitzgerald said prevention is critical. “Young people are extremely sensitive to nicotine, and the younger they are when they start using tobacco, the more likely they are to develop addiction to nicotine and begin a lifetime of chronic disease,” she said. For more information, visit www.dph. georgia.gov.

health care Marketplace through Feb. 22. They are among 16.4 million uninsured people who gained coverage since the Affordable Care Act went into effect almost five years ago. The Department of Health and Human Services calls it the largest change in the uninsured in four decades. HHS Secretary Sylvia M. Burwell said the Sylvia Burwell law benefits young adults, families, businesses and others. “Because of the Affordable Care Act, young adults are able to stay on their parents’ plans until age 26, states can expand their Medicaid programs, and tax credits

affordable and accessible,” Burwell said on March 16. “When it comes to the key metrics of affordability, access and quality, the evidence shows that the Affordable Care Act is working, and families, businesses and taxpayers are better off as a result.” Among the 16.4 million newly covered: n 14.1 million adults who gained health insurance coverage since the beginning of open enrollment in October 2013, including 3.4 million young adults ages 19-25, through March 4, 2015. Over that period, the uninsured rate dropped from 20.3 percent to 13.2 percent – a 35 percent, or 7.1 percentage point, reduction in the uninsured rate. n 2.3 million young adults who gained coverage between 2010 and the start of open enrollment in October 2013 due to the ACA

DeKalb Medical’s Breast Center facelift completed DeKalb Medical has completed an 8,500-square-foot renovation at its Comprehensive Breast Center at the North Decatur campus, offering more privacy at registration, state-of-the-art upgrades and equipment, and new furnishings and lighting. In addition to cosmetic upgrades, the renovation boasts six individual patient registration areas for more privacy; a new reception desk with wheelchair accessibility; acoustic ceiling tiles and LED, energy-saving lighting in the Maureen and Roy Vandiver, M.D., Reception Area; all new flooring, furniture, artwork, wall finishes and light fixtures throughout the dressing rooms, restrooms and procedure rooms; and new cabinetry in the patient work area, staff lounge and physician reading room. Cathy Landerman, manager of the Comprehensive Breast Center, said the facility welcomes feedback from patients and visitors on the $350,000 renovation.

The Breast Center at DeKalb Medical’s North Decatur campus boasts more private registration areas and new furnishings and lighting.

“As one of the busiest breast centers in the Atlanta area, our staff is excited to provide this new healing environment to all of our patients,” Landerman said. “We have a large population who return to us year after year and we look forward to hearing their feedback regarding the improvements we have made.”

GSU issues ruling on Ebola sewage Ebola-infected sewage may require a longer holding period for safe disposal, a Georgia State study finds. Storing Ebola-infected sewage for a week at 86 degrees Fahrenheit or higher should allow enough time for more than 99.99 percent of the virus to die, though lower ambient temperatures may require a longer holding period, according to a new study by researchers at GSU’s School of Public Health. The study used bacteriophage phi 6, a type of virus, as a stand-in to study how long Ebola and similar viruses can survive in latrines and other systems for collecting and disposing of sewage. Bacteriophage phi 6 has a lipid envelope, structural similarities to Ebola and several other types of virus, allowing for a safe study that did not require use of Ebola itself. Lisa M. Casanova, assistant professor of environmental health, and Scott R. Weaver, research assistant professor in epidemiology and biostatistics, are co-authors. “The places hardest hit by Ebola are the places Lisa M. Casanova that often have the least infrastructure for safely disposing of sewage and are using things like pit latrines,” Casanova said. “They need the answers to questions like this.” Their study, “Inactivation of an Enveloped Surrogate Virus in Human Sewage,” was published recently in Environmental Science & Technology Letters. The World Health Organization recommends latrine waste contaminated with

The uninsured rate declined across all race/ethnicity categories since the baseline period with a greater decline among AfricanAmericans and Latinos than among whites. n Among whites, the uninsured rate declined by 5.3 percentage points against a baseline uninsured rate of 14.3 percent, resulting in 6.6 million adults gaining coverage. n Among African-Americans, the uninsured rate declined by 9.2 percentage points against a baseline rate of 22.4 percent, resulting in 2.3 million adults gaining coverage. n Among Latinos, the uninsured rate dropped by 12.3 percentage points against a baseline rate of 41.8 percent, resulting in 4.2 million adults gaining coverage. The report is available at http://aspe.hhs. gov/health/reports/2015/uninsured_change/ ib_uninsured_change.pdf.

Ebola be held for a week or longer before any efforts are made to transport it. Casanova and Weaver conducted experiments on sewage samples taken from an urban wastewater reclamation facility, spiking samples with phi 6 as a stand-in for Ebola. Their analysis found that at 86 degrees F, the virus was essentially inactivated after three to seven days. Samples tested at 72.6 degrees F took several days longer to decay. Read the full study at http://pubs.acs.org/ doi/abs/10.1021/acs.estlett.5b00029.

“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.

5197 Salem Road Lithonia, GA 30038

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

If you’re 50 or older or have a family history of colon cancer, a preventive screening is just what the doctor ordered. In fact, when detected in its early stages, colon cancer is one of the most highly treatable and preventable cancers. Drinking the colon prep isn’t as bad as you’ve heard, and the procedure itself can take less than 30 minutes.

Raise a glass to screening! It could save your life. Let our experienced physicians help you stay healthy.

March is Colon Cancer Awareness Month Conyers 678.745.3033

Decatur 678.553.0226

The newly refurbished area was completed and open to the public in February. In October 2014, the DeKalb Medical Auxiliary presented a $44,670 check to help DeKalb Medical transform the Comprehensive Breast Center. For more information, visit www.dekalbmedical.org.

Lithonia 770.817.0224

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

Rev. Dr. Mark A. Lomax

CrossRoadsNews

Scene

March 21, 2015

“To be acknowledged by my peers in the broadcast industry for years of dedication and service to gospel music is validating.”

Prom dresses at Macy’s South DeKalb Reggie Gay nominated for Stellar Award Models from Redan, Miller Grove and Arabia Mountain high schools helped showcase a new line of prom dresses now available at Macy’s at the Gallery at South DeKalb at a March 14 Prom Fashion Show. The beautiful gowns in the season’s vivid colors and pastel shades evoked lots of cheers from the audience. Some boasted sequinned accents on the bodices and straps and flowing skirts. The models also showcased sparkling pumps from the shoe department. Terry Young, the store’s general manager, said customers had been asking about prom dresses at the store, so they requested the line for this prom season. “We are a small store, but our customers want everything they see at Lenox,” she told spectators who attended the fashion show inside the store. Young said that customers who buy their prom dresses at the store will ensure that they have them again next year. “Now that we have them, we have to prove that we can sell them,” she said. Macy’s is at I-20 and Candler Road in Jennifer Ffrench Parker / CrossRoadsNews Decatur. For more information, call 404- Models showcase new line of prom dresses 243-2611. at Macy’s at the Gallery at South DeKalb.

Wine a while with 100 Black Women Wine connoisseurs have until March 30 to purchase tickets for the Decatur-DeKalb Chapter of 100 Black Women’s Wine Sip spring fundraiser for its scholarship program and the American Heart Association. For tickets, visit https://www.eventbrite. com/e/ncbw-decaturdekalb-chapter-annualwine-sip-fundraiser-tickets-15808906866. No tickets will be sold at the door.

The April 11 event begins at 7 p.m. at the Georgia Piedmont Technical College Conference Center in Clarkston. It features food catered by Tastee Pleasures, live entertainment with jazz and R&B keyboardist Graham Jackson Jr. and DJ Daddy Dre, and vendors as well as door prizes. The conference center is at 495 N. Indian Creek Road.

Gospel DJ Reggie Gay of Decatur has been nominated for the Stellar Gospel Music Awards Gospel Announcer of the Year, his first nomination. The awards program takes place March 26-28 in Las Vegas. Gay, whose career spans 33 years, said it’s an honor to be nominated. “To be acknowledged by my peers in the broadReggie Gay cast industry for years of dedication and service to gospel music is validating,” he said on March 12. “It feels incredible.” Also nominated for the gospel announcer award are Rick Joyner of Sheridan Gospel Network in Atlanta, Angela Martin of WGRB in Chicago, and Melanie Pratt of WPZS in Charlotte, N.C. Gay, who is originally from Kentucky, earned a degree in mass communications from Eastern Kentucky University.

“I earned my name in Atlanta via KISS 104 FM & Glory 1340 radio stations,” he said. During his early days in Atlanta, he worked “on the air” at 1480 WYZE-AM, 1380 WAOK-AM, 860 WAEC-AM, 1260 WTJH-AM, 1230 WFOM-AM and 91.9 WCLK-FM. “The Reggie Gay Gospel Show” can be heard weekdays at 10 a.m. on 1570 WIGOAM, and his telecast can be seen Sundays at 8 p.m. on WATC-TV Channel 57. His current affiliates include WYZE and AIB-TV in Atlanta. Gay created ReggieGay. com in 2005 that streams an audio of gospel music all day, every day. Media personalities David and Tamela Mann and Rickey Smiley are co-hosts for the 30th annual Stellar Gospel Music Awards. The show will air in broadcast syndication on 150 stations in more than 125 markets around the country from April 12 through May 3 and on the TV One network on Easter Sunday, April 5. Visit www.TheStellarAwards.com.

Mosby to headline NAACP breakfast Advancing Freedom Forward.” It State Rep. Howard A. Mosby starts at 8:30 a.m. The event is a will deliver the keynote address major fundraiser to help sustain at the DeKalb NAACP’s annual the branch’s range of communitymembership breakfast on March based programs. 28 at Greater Travelers Rest Baptist The church is at 4650 Flat Church in Decatur. Shoals Parkway. Mosby (D-Atlanta) represents Tickets are $30 each. For sponHouse District 83. He is chairman sorships or to purchase advertisof the DeKalb Delegation to the Howard Mosby ing in the souvenir program, visit Georgia General Assembly. The theme of the meeting is “NAACP: www.dekalbganaacp.org, email naacpdek@ Pursuing Liberty in the Face of Injustice – comcast.net or call 404-241-8006.

(60) days of Mar. 02, 2015. Witness the Honorable Asha F. Jackson, Judge of the DeKalb Superior Court. This the 4th day of March, 2015 03/07, 03/14, 03/21, 03/28

Legal Notices 02/28, 03/07, 03/14, 03/21

Notice OF PUBLICATION in the Superior Court of DeKalb County State of Georgia

Civil Action Case Number: ++ 15CV1592-08++ Sandra M. Howard Plaintiff Vs. Charles A. Howard Defendant To: Charles A. Howard By Order of the Court for service by publication dated Feb. 12, 2015 you are hereby notified that on Jan. 22, 2015, the above-named Plaintiff filed suit against you for Divorce. You are required to file with the Clerk of the Superior Court, and to serve upon the Plaintiff’s attorney whose name and address is: Lindsey Siegel, 246 Sycamore St., #120, Decatur, GA 30030. Answer in writing within sixty (60) days of Jan. 12, 2015. Witness the Honorable Linda W. Hunter, Judge of the DeKalb Superior Court. This the 19th day of February, 2015 02/28, 03/07, 03/14, 03/21

Notice OF PUBLICATION in the Superior Court of DeKalb County State of Georgia

Civil Action Case Number: ++ 15CV1825-2++ Marcella Salter Plaintiff Vs. Larry Salter, Jr. Defendant To: Larry Salter, Jr. 2810 Lawrenceville Hwy., Rm. 134 Tucker, GA 30043 By Order of the Court for service by publication dated Feb. 17, 2015 you are hereby notified that on Feb. 13, 2015, the above-named Plaintiff filed suit against

you for Divorce. You are required to file with the Clerk of the Superior Court, and to serve upon the Plaintiff’s attorney whose name and address is: Marcella Salter, 3046 Highland Park Lane, Lithonia, GA 30038. Answer in writing within sixty (60) days of Feb. 17, 2015. Witness the Honorable Asha F. Jackson, Judge of the DeKalb Superior Court. This the 18th day of February, 2015 03/07, 03/14, 03/21, 03/28

Notice OF PUBLICATION in the Superior Court of DeKalb County State of Georgia

Civil Action Case Number: ++ 15CV1894-3++ Lucelyn JaMette Fennell Plaintiff Vs. Saheed Reginald Mustapha Defendant To: Saheed Reginald Mustapha 224 N. Third Ave. Saginaw, MI 98607 By Order of the Court for service by publication dated Jan. 06, 2015 you are hereby notified that on Jan. 22, 2015, the above-named Plaintiff filed suit against you for Divorce. You are required to file with the Clerk of the Superior Court, and to serve upon the Plaintiff’s attorney whose name and address is: Lucelyn JaMette Fennell, 3004 Del Monico Dr., GA 30032. Answer in writing within sixty (60) days of Jan. 06, 2015. Witness the Honorable Clarence F. Seeliger, Judge of the DeKalb Superior Court. This the 9th day of February, 2015 03/07, 03/14, 03/21, 03/28

Notice of Petition to Change Name of Adult in the Superior Court of DeKalb County State of Georgia

Civil Action Case Number: ++ 14CV5160-10++ Ayo Alvin Ayerni, Jr. filed a petition in the DeKalb County Superior Court on May 15, 2014 to change the name from: Ayo Alvin Ayerni, Jr. to Alvin John Ayerni. Any interested party has the right to appear In this case and file objections within 30 days after the Petition was filed. Dated: Feb. 6, 2015 Ayo Alvin Ayerni, Jr. Petitioner, Pro se 6775 Winterberry Ridge Dr. Stone Mountain, GA 30087 678-938-9472 03/07, 03/14, 03/21, 03/28

Notice OF PUBLICATION in the Superior Court of DeKalb County State of Georgia

Civil Action Case Number: ++ 15CV2547-4++ April Mitchell Plaintiff Vs. Carlos Mitchell Defendant To: Carlos Mitchell By Order of the Court for service by publication dated Jan. 27, 2015 you are hereby notified that on Jan. 19, 2015, the above-named Plaintiff filed suit against you for Divorce. You are required to file with the Clerk of the Superior Court, and to serve upon the Plaintiff’s attorney whose name and address is: 743 Tarkingon Rd., S., Stone Mountain, GA 30088. Answer in writing within sixty (60) days of Jan. 27, 2015. Witness the Honorable Gail C. Flake, Judge of the DeKalb Superior Court. This the 2nd day of March, 2015 03/07, 03/14, 03/21, 03/28

Notice OF PUBLICATION in the Superior Court of DeKalb County

Notice OF PUBLICATION in the Superior Court of DeKalb County State of Georgia

State of Georgia

Civil Action Case Number: ++ 14CV10170-10++ Mario Perkins Plaintiff Vs. Rukaiyah Culbreath Defendant To: By Order of the Court for service by publication dated Jan. 24, 2015 you are hereby notified that on Oct. 27, 2014 the above-named Plaintiff filed suit against you. You are required to file with the Clerk of the Superior Court, and to serve upon the Plaintiff whose name and address is: Mario Perkins #1108958, P.O. Box 466, Alamo GA 30411. Answer in writing within sixty (60) days of Jan. 24, 2015. Witness the Honorable Tangela M. Barrie, Judge of the DeKalb Superior Court. This the 26th day of February, 2015 03/07, 03/14, 03/21, 03/28

Notice OF PUBLICATION in the Superior Court of DeKalb County State of Georgia

Civil Action Case Number: ++ 15CV2190-2++ Jeanetta Moffett Plaintiff Vs. Jesse Moffett Defendant To: Jesse Edward Moffett By Order of the Court for service by publication dated Mar. 02, 2015 you are hereby notified that on Feb. 24, 2015, the above-named Plaintiff filed suit against you for Divorce. You are required to file with the Clerk of the Superior Court, and to serve upon the Plaintiff’s attorney whose name and address is: Jeanetta Moffett, 4715 Fellsridge Drive, Stone Mountain, GA 30085. Answer in writing within sixty

Civil Action Case Number: ++ 15CV2204-3++ Barbara Annette Milon Plaintiff Vs. Johnny Bernard Dorsey Defendant To: Johnny Bernard Dorsey 657 Magnolia St., NW Atlanat, GA 30314 By Order of the Court for service by publication dated Feb. 27, 2015 you are hereby notified that on Jan. 12, 2015, the above-named Plaintiff filed suit against you for Divorce. You are required to file with the Clerk of the Superior Court, and to serve upon the Plaintiff’s attorney whose name and address is: Barbara A. Milon, 3100 Lumby Dr., #628, Decatur, GA 30034. Answer in writing within sixty (60) days of February, 27, 2015. Witness the Honorable Clarence F. Seeliger, Judge of the DeKalb Superior Court. This the 4th day of March, 2015

Court. This the 4th day of March, 2015 03/07, 03/14, 03/21, 03/28

Notice of Petition to Change Name of Adult in the Superior Court of DeKalb County State of Georgia

Civil Action Case Number: ++ 15CV2670-10++ Female Drakeford filed a petition in the DeKalb County Superior Court on Feb. 27, 2015 to change the name from: Female Drakeford to Keysha Drakeford. Any interested party has the right to appear In this case and file objections within 30 days after the Petition was filed. Dated: Nov. 06, 2014 Keysha Drakeford. Petitioner, Pro se 1823 Broadway Street Decatur, GA 30035 770-557-6717

DeKalb County Sheriff Office

Jeffrey L. Mann, Sheriff 4415 Memorial Drive Decatur, GA 30032

03/07, 03/14, 03/21, 03/28

Notice OF PUBLICATION in the Superior Court of DeKalb County State of Georgia

Civil Action Case Number: ++ 15CV2544-3++ Princess Gibson Plaintiff Vs. Kermit Gibson Defendant To: Kermit Gibson By Order of the Court for service by publication dated Feb. 26, 2015 you are hereby notified that on Feb. 19, 2015, the above-named Plaintiff filed suit against you for Divorce. You are required to file with the Clerk of the Superior Court, and to serve upon the Plaintiff’s attorney whose name and address is: Princess Gibson, 1586 Line Street, Decatur, GA 30032. Answer in writing within sixty (60) days of Feb. 26, 2015. Witness the Honorable Clarence F. Seeliger, Judge of the DeKalb Superior

Sex Offender

The information about Tony Howard was incorrect in the Jan. 18, 2014 issue of CrossRoadsNews. Below is the correct information. Tony Howard Charge of Rape 1st Degree Convicted on 9/24/1981 We regret the error. The DeKalb Sex Offenders List is published by the DeKalb County Sheriff Office. For more information call the Sex Offender Unit at 404-298-8130.

CrossRoadsNews

March 21, 2015

Finance

“The relocation of the Adult Ed team is a strategic move that will increase the visibility of the program.”

Money Smart partners sought

Georgia Piedmont Technical College welcomes its Adult Education program back to its DeKalb campus.

Adult Ed back on GPTC DeKalb campus Georgia Piedmont Technical College’s Adult Education program returns to its DeKalb campus after being housed at the Community Education Center on Buford Highway since 2010. GPTC President Jabari Simama welcomed the program back in a March 17 letter to faculty, staff and students. “The relocation of the Adult Ed team is a strategic move that will increase the visibility of the program and lead to more students enrolling

in credit classes upon completion of their GEDs,” Simama said. He said English as a second language instructors still will be housed at the Community Education Center and the Starnes Center. Simama said 273 students are currently enrolled in Adult Basic Education at the DeKalb campus. The staff is led by Dr. Jackie Echols, dean of Adult Education. For more information, visit www.gptc.edu.

HUD officials to discuss fair housing South DeKalb residents with questions about low appraisals on their property or problems selling or refinancing can attend a HUD Fair Housing presentation on March 28 at Greater Piney Grove Baptist Church. The two-hour program begins at noon in the Frank Jones Memorial Chapel. The Social Action Commission and the South DeKalb Improvement Association-Housing Committee are hosts for the community education seminar. Featured speakers include officials of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Develop-

ment, Atlanta Office, who will explain laws prohibiting discrimination in housing and mortgage lending. They also will advise participants on how HUD can help and discuss some options for correcting depressed property values in South DeKalb and beyond. The seminar also will address underwater properties, foreclosures and rental properties in neighborhoods. The church is at 1879 Glenwood Road S.E. in Atlanta. For more information, contact Wayne Early, chair of the SDIA Housing Committee, at wayne@early-economics.com or 404-939-8521.

Money Smart Week 2015 in Greater Atlanta is seeking partners for the financial education campaign that offers programs, classes and activities for consumers of all ages. Partnering individuals or organizations will host events on April 18-25. The week showcases the partners’ educational resources, strengthens private-public partnerships, engages the media, and connects people with those who can help them learn how to better manage their money, organizers say. The effort was created by the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago in 2002, and the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta is a supporting partner of the Georgia campaign. In the National Foundation for Credit Counseling’s 2013 Financial Literacy Survey of U.S. adults, 40 percent gave themselves a grade of C, D or F on their knowledge of personal finance. Heidi Moore, U.S. finance and economics editor for The Guardian, said

“the lack of education is costing the U.S. billions, if not more.” Money Smart Week is seeking to help Georgians move toward financial capability and security by offering a strong financial education platform to start. A partner is an individual or organization that actively participates during Money Smart Week with the approval of the Federal Reserve Bank. Local partners include Country Financial, FPA of Georgia, AARP and Operation Hope. Partners provide educational materials, instructors or a seminar for consumers; provide facilities to host events, sponsor events or promotional materials; and leverage resources to publicly support or endorse Money Smart Week. For more information or to sign up as a partner, visit http://www.MoneySmartGeorgia.com or contact Venus R. Lockett at VRLockett@MoneySmartGeorgia.com or 678-653-5345.

Help filing ACA-compliant taxes Consumers who need help in understanding how to file their taxes in compliance with the Affordable Care Act can attend a workshop on March 21 at Clarkston Library. The two-hour session starts at 10 a.m. and also will be held on March 28.

The consumer advocacy agency Georgia Watch has worked with AARP, the IRS, and Seedco to put together the workshop. Participants should bring tax filing documents and a 1095-A form if they have received it. The library is at 951 N. Indian Creek Drive. Call 404-508-7175.

Attorneys hosting free clinic on debt Local attorneys will discuss coping with debt and facilitate one-on-one consultations at a Consumer Education Clinic on March 24 at the Decatur Library. The DeKalb Volunteer Lawyers Foundation is hosting the free 90-minute session at 5:30 p.m.

Residents struggling with debt or who have been sued for a debt can get information. Participants should bring all documents related to their cases. The library is at 215 Sycamore St. in downtown Decatur. For more information, call 404-370-3070.

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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.

CrossRoadsNews

Youth

March 21, 2015

“Becoming an Eagle Scout to me means that I’ve accomplished something without quitting. Scouting helps my leadership skills.”

Lithonia teen makes Eagle Scout Toney needs Career Day volunteers to push through to become an Lithonia High senior TJ NesEagle Scout,” Brown said. bitt III, a Life Scout in Boy Scout TJ’s mother, Felicia Nesbitt Troop 106 at Greenforest Comof Lithonia, said her son has munity Baptist, saw a need at the been active in the NJROTC Turning Point Group Home in and plans to enlist in the U.S. Decatur and built four vegetable Army after graduation. bins for his Eagle Scout project “We are so proud of him,” so that residents could learn to she said. grow their own vegetables. He has been involved in The bins can be used again Scouting since sixth grade and again at the group home at TJ Nesbitt III completed at Bethune Middle School. 3392 Wesley Chapel Road manproject for group home. TJ joins the 7 percent of Boy aged by Naomi Aguey. TJ, 18, will be presented with his Eagle Scouts who attain the Eagle Scout rank Scout rank at a special ceremony on March and have earned at least 21 merit badges. “Becoming an Eagle Scout to me 28 at Greenforest. The program takes place means that I’ve accomplished something at 2 p.m. in the Cornerstone Room. Scoutmaster Tab Brown called TJ “a without quitting,” he said. “Scouting helps remarkable young man” and cited his hard better my leadership skills, which would work and leadership skills in earning the Boy further my military career.” Greenforest is at 3250 Rainbow Drive Scouts’ highest rank award. “He has overcome some major obstacles in Decatur.

Toney Elementary School is seeking participants for its annual Career Day, March 27 from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. The event, which helps students make the important connection between the classroom and the workplace, is part of the College and Career Ready Performance Index. The goal is to expose students to a variety of

career options so they can make informed decisions when it comes to their education and career choices. The school is at 2701 Oakland Terrace in Decatur. For more information, visit http:// www.toneyes.dekalb.k12.ga.us or contact Marlon C. Williams at marlon_c_williams@ dekalbschoolsga.org or 678-874-2102.

Golf tournament seeks sponsors Sponsorship packages are available for the 21st annual Women’s Collegiate Golf Classic/Championship on April 24-26 at Stone Mountain Golf Course. The event, presented by the Women in Golf Foundation, helps support women’s golf programs at historically black colleges and universities. Participants can play a round of golf beginning at noon on April 24 with players from invited women’s collegiate teams.

Alabama State is the defending champion. The women’s teams will compete on April 25-26 beginning at 8 a.m. to win the Renee Powell Cup, named in honor of an AfricanAmerican LPGA pioneer. The golf course is at 1145 Stonewall Jackson Drive. For more information, email info@womeningolffoundation.org, visit www.womeningolffoundation.org or call LaJean Gould at 770-335-2364.

financial

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COMMUNITY SALE East Lake Terrace Community Yard Sale. 1964 Hooper St., Decatur, 30032; Saturday, March 21, 2015; 8 am-1 pm

HELP WANTED Residential Instructors/Houseparent Needed: Direct Care FT, PT, hourly positions available: Decatur and Lithonia. Contact Arti Hardy - HR/Director at 404-8629614.

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PUBLIC NOTICE

Start. Center enrollees receive: meals; school readiness curriculum; Non-Discrimination policy. Ages:1-4 yrs; Puddin’s Little World, 3021 Memorial Dr., SE, Atlanta, GA 30317; 404-373-6011, announces its application to participate in the Dept. of Agriculture funded Child and Adult Food Program administered by Bright From the Start. Center enrollees receive: meals; and school readiness curriculum; Non-Discrimination policy. Ages:1-4 yrs; Hrs:6am-

MARKETPLACE RATES Place your MarketPlace line ad here – up to 20 words for $25. Additional words are $3 per block of five words (maximum 45 words). Boxed Ads (with up to 3 lines bold headline): $35 plus cost of the classified ad. Send ad copy with check or credit card information and contact phone number (if different from ad) to MarketPlace, CrossRoadsNews, 2346 Candler Road, Decatur, GA 30032, or e-mail to marketplace@crossroadsnews. com. Our deadlines are at noon on the Friday one week prior to publication, unless otherwise noted.

All My Children Daycare Center, 364 Candler Rd. Atlanta, GA 30317; 404-286-8936, announces its application to participate in the Dept. of Agriculture funded Child and Adult Food Program administered by Bright From the

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financial

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