CrossRoadsNews, March 30, 2013 by CrossRoadsNews, Inc.

COMMUNITY

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Hundreds of Tucker residents posed questions about a proposed city of Lakeside at a packed information meeting. 2

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March 30, 2013

Volume 18, Number 48

www.crossroadsnews.com

Banks owe DeKalb $48,500 in unpaid liens By Jessica Smith

Members of the DeKalb County Code Enforcement Task Force demand that 19 banks pay fines owed to Recorders Court for unkempt foreclosed properties.

“It’s just destroying our neighborhoods,” said Turman, who is also president of the South DeKalb Neighborhoods Coalition. Chanting “Clean up and pay up! Clean up and pay up!” the citizen task force demanded action against banks and mortgage companies for unpaid liens. They said that banks are not maintaining the foreclosed properties and have not paid the court fines levied against them for noncompliance with county codes. “We are talking about major banks,” Turman said. “Bank of America, Chase Manhattan, SunTrust, Wells Fargo. They are a part of these institutions that have not paid the liens on these properties. And it’s absolutely

Nineteen banks that own dozens of foreclosed properties in DeKalb owe the county nearly $50,000 in unpaid liens. Residents want them to pay up. Armed with signs reading, “We Pay Liens, You Pay Liens,” “Banks Are Not Exempt From Paying Liens,” and “Banks Disobey Court Mandate to Pay Liens!” seven members of the DeKalb County Code Enforcement Task Force staged a demonstration outside the DeKalb Recorders Court calling on the banks to clean up their properties and pay the fines owed to the court. Task force Chair Gil Turman said rundown foreclosed properties are hurting the Please see LIENS, page 6 county.

Jessica Smith / CrossRoadsNews

Police raids unlicensed personal care homes Three unsupervised patients with mental disabilities were found at a house at 2849 Snapfinger Road. Owner-operator Sonja Wyatt was being sought.

Decatur, Lithonia facilities closed for violations By Ken Watts

Two unlicensed personal care homes owned by the same person in South DeKalb were raided Thursday by DeKalb Police and both were shuttered on the spot for violations. In a coordinated operation, the officers and a five-car convoy of officials from state agencies with oversight of personal care homes converged on a house at 2849 Snapfinger Road in Decatur and found three unsupervised patients with mental disabilities. DeKalb Police spokeswoman Mekka Parish said the home was shut down immediately. “Now the state steps in to evaluate the patients and they will ultimately decide where to place them for proper care,” she said. Workers from the Georgia Department of Human Services brought the patients outside and carefully interviewed them about their health. Parish said there were concerns about the residents’ living conditions and cleanliness of the facility. “A pantry was locked, indicating they had limited access to food and may have suffered neglect,” Parish said. Police were responding to complaints about the home and looking for owneroperator Sonja Wyatt. They didn’t find her at the Snapfinger house or in a second raid at her facility at 6250 Marbut Road in Lithonia. Parish says she faces misdemeanor charges of operating unlicensed personal care homes. “We found two patients at the Marbut address living in deplorable conditions,” she said. “The patients didn’t appear to need

Ken Watts / CrossRoadsNews

medical treatment, but the general state of the house was filthy and the refrigerator was padlocked.” At press time late Thursday, police were still searching for Wyatt. The March 28 personal care home raids were the second sweeps in DeKalb in less than a month. Officers arrested Terentia McIntosh on March 7 and charged her with operating an unlicensed facility at 1942 Columbia Drive. Investigators removed two mentally disabled residents from the house. That same day, authorities found three bedridden patients at 5953 Duren Meadows Drive in Lithonia. The owner, Dorrett Goulbourne, was not at the house and is believed to be out of the country. Police arrested worker Evette Britton at the facility on charges of being an unlicensed caregiver.

Throughout the state, about 2,000 facilities have been licensed as personal care homes, which provide residents with substantial assistance in their daily lives, according to the Pate Law Firm, which monitors the industry. DeKalb County has 365 licensed personal care homes; 186, or 51 percent, of them are in South DeKalb. Margaret Britton, chief of staff for DeKalb Commissioner Larry Johnson, said no one knows for sure how many unlicensed facilities are operating in the county. She said personal care home operators are supposed to be certified by the state, which inspects and approves the facility. “Then they have to get a business license from the county,” she said. “Problem is many of them don’t get the county license.” Britton said the business license record

allows the county to track the applicants and make sure they’re complying with zoning restrictions on personal care homes, which can have up to six people. It’s a violation of zoning regulations for homes with more than three unrelated people to be located in residential areas. That rule is often ignored. “Some streets have several care homes,” Britton said. “Waldrop Road off Flat Shoals Parkway has five.” Bernice Reid was passing by the police raid on Snapfinger and stopped to find out what was going on. She said the sight of the raid brought back disturbing memories of an unfit personal care home on her street – Shady Leaf Lane off Flat Shoals about five years ago. The owner of the property rented the Please see RAIDS, page 2

CrossRoadsNews

Community

March 30, 2013

“I don’t want Tucker to be broken up. I want Tucker to remain a community.”

Tucker residents skeptical about proposed Lakeside City By Ken Watts

Hundreds of Tucker residents posed pointed questions about a proposed city of Lakeside to city organizers at a packed March 25 information meeting at Tucker Middle School. So many people showed up that DeKalb fire officials had to turn away hundreds at the door when the school auditorium reached capacity of 377. DeKalb District 1 Commissioner Elaine Boyer hosted the session to give the Lakeside City Alliance chair Mary Kay Woodworth a chance to brief residents on details of the incorporation movement and how it might affect the Tucker neighborhood. Woodworth told the packed room that there has been quite a bit of misinformation disseminated about the Lakeside City Alliance and its exploration of cityhood. “We hope that this evening will be the beginning to clear up these misunderstandings,” she said. Woodworth announced that state Sen. Fran Millar (R-Dunwoody), who was in attendance, filed a last-minute “placeholder” bill in the General Assembly for the proposed city of Lakeside. March 28 was the last day to file this session and the placeholder bill allows the twoyear process of incorporation to go forward and a fully developed bill to be introduced in the 2014 session. Other elected officials in attendance included DeKalb District 5 Commissioner Lee May, state Rep. Michele Henson, state Rep. Scott Holcolm, and District 3 Commissioner Larry Johnson. Questions from the audience were submitted to the Lakeside group in writing. “What would we gain in Tucker from the additional taxes we would pay in Lakeside City?” one person wanted to know. “Well, ideally there would be no additional taxes,” Woodworth said, prompting laughter. Alliance member Bob Dallas quickly stepped in. “Brookhaven’s was flat. Dunwoody, they paid less,” he said, referring to DeKalb’s two newest cities. “In fact Dunwoody paid less than any other place in DeKalb County.” “Can you explain the rationale for cutting out your feeder schools from the proposed Lakeside map and taking two Tucker feeder schools Livsey and Midvale?” was another query. Woodworth said school boundaries are drawn at the whim of the school district. “We would not be taking them out of the Tucker feeder system,” she said. “They would remain.” The unincorporated neighborhood of Tucker has a population of 27,581 and a strong community identity based on its high school, churches and locally owned businesses. Many in the audience were hostile to the idea of a Lakeside city annexing a portion of Tucker. Woodworth said the alliance was forced to modify its proposed boundaries. “Because your elected officials and civil leaders in your community brought pressure to bear upon us, the map that has been filed with the bill has been revised,” she said.

safety, zoning, and parks and recreation. “So if portions of your county property taxes now go to fund those services, they would shift to a city tax,” she said. “You would not be paying an additional fee.” Someone asked: “How much revenue has been lost to the county from incorporation of Dunwoody and Brookhaven?” May, the DeKalb Board of Commissioners’ presiding officer, took that one. “The loss of revenue because of the Brookhaven and Dunwoody incorporation amounts to about $41 million that is no longer coming into the county budget,” he said.

Ken Watts / CrossRoadsNews

A capacity crowd for the March 25 Lakeside City meeting filled the 400-seat Tucker Middle School auditorium and spilled into the hallway. Hundreds more were turned away.

New bills hold space for new cities By Ken Watts

ance’s map several weeks ago. That early plan included a wide expanse of western Tucker Three members of the DeKasouth to Lawrenceville Highlb legislative delegation have way. filed “placeholder” bills to give The new map still includes residents in three central DeKalb the Embry Hills area and the areas seeking cityhood a chance neighborhoods around Pleasto pursue cityhood next year. antdale, Evansdale and Livsey State Sen. Fran Millar (Relementary schools in the LakeDunwoody) filed SB 270 on Mary Oliver March 25 on behalf of the Lakeside City side High attendance zone. Since the bills were filed two days Alliance, which has been exploring citybefore the end of the General Assembly hood for several months. State Rep. Mary Margaret Oliver (D- session on March 28, they won’t be considDecatur) dropped HB 665 for people ered until 2014, but they make it possible exploring cityhood in the Druid Hills for backers to build their organizations and Briarcliff areas. And Rep. Michele and gather support before more detailed Henson (D-Stone Mountain) filed HB legislation is introduced next session. Oliver said she is not driving the effort 677, a placeholder for a municipality in her district, which everyone suspects is for for Druid Hills/Briarcliff cityhood but feels new DeKalb cities are inevitable and a city of Tucker. The Millar bill slices a large portion of she wants the process to be well-thought Tucker – including the Main Street Tucker out. She said there are strong voices for and area that was part of LCA’s first proposal – against the city. from the Lakeside alliance’s new map. “Community representatives will orIt was changed under pressure from DeKalb Commissioner Elaine Boyer and ganize and decide what they want to do,” Honey Van der Kreke, a founder of the Oliver said. “This [placeholder bill] will Main Street Tucker Alliance who asked give them a chance to move ahead. We that most of Tucker be struck from the alli- don’t know how this will turn out.”

The latest version of the city of Lakeside map includes residential sections of Tucker between I-85, North Druid Hills Road and Chamblee-Tucker Road but fewer commercial areas. “It is unfortunate that the map reflects very limited input from the residents of the neighborhoods that were included in earlier versions of the Lakeside City Alliance map,” Woodworth said.

on possible incorporation. The researchers outlined the steps that would be necessary, but the idea fizzled. The association decided not pursue it because no one wanted to pay the $20,000 that would be needed for a feasibility study required by state law. A year later, another group studied the idea for 18 months, but no money was raised, the committee disbanded, and nothing else was done toward cityhood in Tucker. O t h er qu est i on s f rom the a u Taxes and essential services dience covered nuts-and-bolts issues Cityhood is not a new issue in Tucker. like cost of essential services and how In 2006, the Tucker Civic Association Lakeside city would pay for them. commissioned its own Georgia Tech study Woodworth said they have looked at public

‘Maybe this is the catalyst’ After the meeting, May said he heard that there are a lot of Tucker residents who do not want to be part of the Lakeside city. “I think their voices deserve to be heard,” he said, querying the origin of the Lakeside city movement. “Is that an organic movement,” he said. “Meaning, are there a lot of residents who came together and said, ‘We have a lot of common bonds in our community, let’s form this city.’ That’s a legitimate question to raise and I don’t think that it has been.” May said he thinks that a small group is trying to get others on board. “I don’t think that is the appropriate way to incorporate a city,” he said. Carolyn Kurtz, who lives in Tucker and has children at Tucker Middle and Tucker High, said she isn’t necessarily opposed to the idea of joining a city if it’s done right. “Tucker has been a community for 121 years,” she said. “So why are they wanting to shift part of Tucker into a city and not all of Tucker? I don’t want Tucker to be broken up. I want Tucker to remain a community.” Ben Szubski, another resident, said that the neighbors he has spoken with would like all of Tucker or none of Tucker included. “But not cut in pieces where the parks are taken by the Lakeside City Alliance and then in the future there’s no opportunity to incorporate,” Szubski said. Resident Trey Scott thinks the Lakeside city movement may be giving Tucker an inadvertent nudge toward its future. “Even though we’ve done feasibility studies on cityhood in the past and it never got off the ground, maybe this is the catalyst that we needed,” he said. Joel Edwards, who lives in South DeKalb, attended the meeting because of the tax implication and other impact that the formation of another city would have on the unincorporated areas. Edwards, a vice president of the Kings Ridge Homeowners Association off South Hairston Road, said he wasn’t surprised by the turnout. He said people in South DeKalb could learn a lot from the turnout. “African-Americans and other people in the southeast side of DeKalb County need to take note to the fact that those folks on the north side – the Tucker and Lakeside area – when there is an issue that comes up, they gather in numbers to confront it,” he said. “On the southeast side, we sit back and wait for politicians to do good deeds for us. But it’s not being done.”

Police respond to growing number of complaints about care facilities RAIDS,

from page

house to someone else who started a home for elderly and mentally disabled adults. She said conditions quickly deteriorated. “What they were doing was walking the street, literally begging other homeowners for food, money, whatever,” said the 74-yearold retired postal supervisor. “So we finally as a neighborhood had it shut down and the owner moved back in.” Police say the March 28 raids are a re-

sponse to a rising tide of complaints about mistreatment and unhealthy conditions at personal care homes in DeKalb. A new Georgia law that went into effect in July 2012 makes it a misdemeanor to operate an unlicensed home and gives police the authority to act. Sgt. Marne Mercer of the DeKalb Police Special Victims Unit said with the passage of the law, they have been investigating various care homes to see if they’re unlicensed. “If they are unlicensed, we go in with the

cooperation of a number of state agencies, Adult Protective Services, Department of Human Services and others,” Mercer said. “We all work jointly to make sure the patients are relocated to where they won’t be exploited and where the care will be licensed.” Mercer said personal care home owners shouldn’t take lightly the misdemeanor charge with its penalty of one year in jail and a fine. “If they do it multiple times, we can then arrest them for a felony,” Mercer said.

Reid and other longtime residents feel compassion for the patients and are encouraged by the more aggressive police stance on the homes. Reid says it’s all part of the continuing battle over quality of life issues in South DeKalb. “I’m concerned about my neighborhood,” she said. “I’m concerned about code enforcement, crime, and people buying up empty houses and renting them out to anybody. This is not the neighborhood I moved into 25 years ago.”

CrossRoadsNews

March 30, 2013

Community

“She had just gotten her license and was excited about driving. To have this happen has just taken the wind out of my sails.”

MLK students raise funds for injured classmate, and family By Jessica Smith

When news of the March 20 traffic accident that injured Amola Moxley reached students at Martin Luther King Jr. High School, they converged on Grady Hospital to offer support to their classmate and friend whose mother and niece died in the crash. Amola, 17, an 11thgrader at MLK, broke both arms and damaged her spleen and liver, and she has internal bleeding in Amola Moxley her stomach, among other injuries. She was driving her Pontiac Grand Am sedan with five family members – her mother, Alicia Moxley; stepfather Thaddeus Moxley; 3-year-old niece Jordan Haynes; and two nephews, 5-year-old Amarie Rogers and 7-year-old Zaire Rogers. They were stopped at a traffic light on Snapfinger Woods Drive, near Wesley Chapel Road, when police say an SUV driven by Jeremiah Warthen, who was fleeing a police stop, plowed into them around Jeremiah Warthen 7 p.m. The family had just left the grocery store after picking up the smaller children at a day care center. Alicia Moxley, 57, and Jordan died. Everyone else in the car sustained injuries and they were taken to various area hospitals. Warthen, a convicted felon, is facing 12 charges, including two counts of vehicular homicide, driving on the wrong side of the road, operating a vehicle while declared a habitual offender, and cocaine trafficking.

Alicia Moxley

Jordan Haynes

Jessica Smith / CrossRoadsNews

Amola, a Navy Junior ROTC cadet, does have enough health insurance. On March 27, her classmates launched a fund-raiser to help her family cover funeral expenses and pay their medical bills. Students in the Family, Career and Community Leaders of America club will spend their lunch periods for the remaining eight weeks of the school year collecting monetary donations for Amola. ROTC Cmdr. Edward Johnson, who has been Amola’s instructor since the ninth grade, said the news was devastating.

Recycle event for hazardous residential waste DeKalb residents can dispose of hazardous household waste on April 6 at the Sanitation Division’s Central Transfer Station at 3720 Leroy Scott Drive in Decatur. The free event, from 8 a.m. to noon, is sponsored by Keep DeKalb Beautiful and the Sanitation Division in partnership with Clean Harbors Environmental Services Inc. Household hazardous waste are products with potentially dangerous chemicals that should not be mixed with regular trash and are harmful to the environment if not disposed of properly. They include aerosols, mercury, batteries, adhesives, flammables,

lawn-care products, automotive products, fluorescent bulbs, photochemicals, hobby and artists supplies, paints and paint-related products, and cleaners and swimming pool chemicals. Excluded items are biohazardous/biomedical waste, agricultural waste, ammunition, explosives, pharmaceuticals, radioactive materials, and non-hazardous waste. IDs are required. Residents are limited to 10 gallons of paint per vehicle. No commercial vehicles will be allowed. For more information, e-mail kdb@dekalb countyga.gov or call 404-371-2654.

GET ON BOARD!

the South DeKalb Business Association

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT BUS TOUR

Thursday, April 11, 2013

Join DeKalb County Commissioners Larry Johnson, Lee May, Stan Watson, and other Corporate and Business Partners, Realtors, Developers, Business Communities, and Friends.

To Visit: Pattillo Industrial Real Estate u Mall at Stonecrest Sites Breakfast Break at McBride Research Laboratories TGI Friday Lift Atlanta, Inc. u Selig Enterprises, Inc. 1 Land Visit Jackmont Hospitality, Inc. Panthersville Industrial Park u Wheeler/Brand Management Co. 1 Land Visit u Park Central Area Development

This will be the Bus Tour of the Year! Bus Loading: 8:30 a.m. Porter Sanford III Performing Arts & Community Center Luncheon: 1 p.m. Porter Sanford III Performing Arts & Community Center Partial Sponsorships: CrossRoadsNews • Commissioners Lee May, Larry Johnson & Stan Watson Georgia Power • MARTA • Jackmont Hospitality, Inc. • McBride Research Laboratories Georgia Piedmont Technical College • South DeKalb YMCA

“She had just gotten her license and was excited about driving,” he said. “To have this happen has just taken the wind out of my sails.” Johnson said Amola is an exceptional student who is actively involved in the color guard and drill team and assisted with fundraisers and activities. She is also a leader with the school’s mentoring group, Peer Essence, that works to boost teen girls’ self-esteem. “She was intricately involved in the ROTC program,” Johnson said. “She was upbeat,

positive and always engaged.” He said the school is committed to helping Amola get through this difficult time. “With her mother being deceased and her niece that was killed in the automobile accident, the family has just gotten a financial burden put upon them that nobody anticipated,” he said. “So we wanted to do all that we could to assist her and the family.” A Moxley-Haynes Family Memorial Fund has been set up at Wells Fargo. Donations can be made at any bank branch.

CrossRoadsNews

Community

March 30, 2013

“One of my top priorities is better customer service delivery for DeKalb County.”

Police chief takes oath as County Government Month kicks off 2346 Candler Rd. Decatur, GA 30032 404-284-1888 Fax: 404-284-5007 www.crossroadsnews.com editor@crossroadsnews.com

Editor / Publisher Jennifer Parker Graphic Design Curtis Parker Staff Writers Jennifer Ffrench Parker Jessica Smith Ken Watts Copy Editor Brenda Yarbrough Advertising Sales Kathy E. Warner 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 CrossRoadsNews are copyrighted and may not be copied or reproduced in whole or in part in any manner without the written permission of the publisher.

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DeKalb’s new police he will introduce Alexanchief, Cedric Alexander, der to students at Cedar will take the oath of office Grove Middle School in on April 1 in a ceremony at Decatur. the DeKalb History Center Alexander was the in downtown Decatur. TSA security director at After the 8:30 a.m. cerDallas-Fort Worth Interemony, CEO Burrell Ellis national Airport before will kick off the celebra- Cedric Alexander taking the job as DeKalb’s tion of National County police chief. Government Month. At 10 a.m., The theme of this year’s County

government Month is “Smart Justice: Creating Safer Communities.” The observances will help to raise public awareness and understanding about the roles and responsibilities of local government. County Government Month activities will continue with a luncheon at the Lou Walker Senior Center in Lithonia. The officials will share a meal and conversation

with seniors at 11:30 a.m. at the community center located at 2538 Panola Road. Alexander and Ellis will wrap up the day with a visit to the Oak Grove Market, 2757 LaVista Road in Decatur, at 1 p.m. For a list of National County Government Month activities throughout April, visit www.de kalbcountyga.gov/ncgm.html.

Veteran journalist to oversee county communications Former broadcast journalist Jill Strickland Luse has been named chief of public affairs for DeKalb County and will overhaul its communications office to improve communications to community residents, county employees and Jill Strickland Luse departments. She will direct the external and internal communications for the county, including oversight of DeKalb County Television – DCTV. Strickland Luse also is responsible for a communications team that will expand its role to provide creative and professional public

relations assistance to the Board of Commissioners and more than a dozen departments that communicate with county businesses, employees and residents. CEO Burrell Ellis, who announced the appointment on March 15, said he was pleased to have Strickland Luse on his leadership team. “One of my top priorities is better customer service delivery for DeKalb County,” Ellis said. “Jill will support this priority by improving the way the county communicates with more than 700,000 DeKalb County residents,” he added. The county has drawn criticism for the creation and funding of the new position. Strickland Luse’s $125,000 pay

comes from the county’s parks budget, while existing county spokesman Burke Brennan’s $121,500 annual salary is included in the CEO’s budget. Brennan now reports to Strickland Luse. The county parks budget has been slashed by more than 50 percent to $10.2 million in 2012 from $22.5 million in 2008. Some critics cite service reductions in parks and recreation as a top reason why they created the new city of Brookhaven. Over the past six months, Ellis has made several new leadership appointments to support the priorities of his second term as DeKalb CEO. Among Ellis’ appointments are new Police Chief Cedric Alexander, who starts April 1; Deputy Chief

Operating Officer Luz Borrero; Chief of Staff Hakim Hilliard; Chief Information Officer John Matalski; and Chief Operating Officer Zachery Williams. Strickland Luse is a former chief of staff for an Atlanta City Council member; state press secretary for the Al Gore/Joe Lieberman presidential campaign in Pennsylvania; and deputy communications director/press secretary for the city of Atlanta. Strickland Luse began her career as a broadcast journalist, working as a television news assignment editor and radio news reporter in Atlanta and a news anchor/reporter in Huntsville, Ala., where she earned industry awards for features, investigative and spot news reporting.

Commissioner hosts town hall

Small business webinars for boomers

Annexation, taxes, public safety and other quality of life issues are on the agenda for the April 4 town hall co-hosted by District 3 Commissioner Larry Johnson and Bishop Stephen B. Hall at Rhema Christian Fellowship Church in Decatur. Representatives from the Police Department, Recorders Court, Code Enforcement and Sanitation departments, and the SCLC will attend the meeting, which starts at 6:30 p.m. The church is at 2649 McAfee Road. For more information, call 404-371-2988.

Aspiring entrepreneurs who are 50 years and older can participate in two free webinars on starting a small business in April. “Is Starting a Small Business Right for You?” takes place April 2 at 2 p.m. “Expand Your Small Business in 10 Steps” is offered on April 9 at 7 p.m. Both are co-sponsored by AARP

Quick Read

and the U.S. Small Business Administration. Michael Chodos, the SBA’s Office of Entrepreneurial Development associate administrator, and other SBA and AARP representatives will serve as issue experts for both seminars. To register, visit www.aarp.org/ about-aarp/events/webinars.

Banks owe DeKalb $48,500 in unpaid liens 1

BOC denies permit for teen group home 5

Communities asked to help stop child abuse 7

Nineteen banks that own dozens of foreclosed properties in DeKalb owe the county nearly $50,000 in unpaid liens.

Plans to operate a group home for pregnant teen girls in a Decatur subdivision came to a screeching halt March 26 after sharp opposition from neighboring residents.

Every 15 minutes, the Georgia Department of Human Services receives a report of child abuse in the state.

MLK students raise funds for injured classmate, family 3 When news of a March 20 traffic accident reached students at Martin Luther King Jr. High School, they converged on Grady Hospital to offer support to their classmate and friend.

Atlanta business owners win $50,000 MillerCoors grant 6 The co-founders of a Web-based platform for standardized testing in k-12 classrooms, won first place in an Urban Entrepreneurs Series business plan competition.

Veteran journalist to oversee county communications 4

Partnership works to double lung cancer survival rate 7

Former broadcast journalist Jill Strickland Luse has been named chief of public affairs for DeKalb County.

The National Lung Cancer Partnership has unveiled a bold vision to double the survival rate of lung cancer patients by 2022.

Vietnam vet gets Purple Heart 42 years after discharge 8 Retired Staff Sgt. Clarence Bostwick, who was wounded in the Vietnam War in 1968, finally got his Purple Heart on Thursday.

Thurmond: District comeback won’t happen overnight 9 The DeKalb School System is making progress addressing its accreditation probation. That’s the word from interim School Superintendent Michael Thurmond while speaking to 200 business leaders.

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March 30, 2013

Community

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“If you want to continue to put those group homes in our area, let me know so I can relocate to another county.”

BOC denies permit for teen group home By Jessica Smith

Serial rapist faces life in prison, plus

Plans to operate a group home for pregnant teen girls in a Decatur subdivision came to a screeching halt March 26 after sharp opposition from neighboring residents. The DeKalb Board of Commissioners voted unanimously to deny the Special Land Use Permit application from Little Debbie’s Second Chance Home Inc. The vote came after nine of about 30 residents living near the proposed site packed into Maloof Auditorium at the board’s March 26 hearing to oppose it. Residents said the proliferation of group and personal care homes in the area was changing the character of their residential neighborhood and chipping away at the value of their homes. Eleanor Gilchrist, who lives in the Sherwood Oaks subdivision, said seven group homes currently operate in the vicinity of the applicant’s property, including Turning Point Homes Inc., which is a half-mile away from it. “We are saturated with group homes in our area,” she said. “We have enough. If you want to continue to put those group homes in our area, let me know so I can relocate to another county.” Gilchrist said that an existing group home directly across from the entrance to her subdivision on Kelley Chapel Road is a constant eyesore and diminishes property values. “It is always filled with debris,” she said. “We’re always going out there cleaning it up because it’s a mess.” Charles Peagler, who lives in King’s Ridge, said there are too many group and personal care homes in the neighborhood. “It creates a quality of life issue for that Wesley Chapel corridor and would really be a disservice to the residents of that area,”

Convicted serial rapist Gary Mincey, who faces up to eight consecutive life prison terms plus an additional 135 years behind bars, will be sentenced on April 9 by DeKalb Superior Court Judge Gail Flake. His sentencing is set for 9 a.m. Mincey, 37, of Decatur was found guilty on March 22 of robbing Gary Mincey and attempting to rape five DeKalb County women. During a six-week span in 2011, Mincey assaulted, robbed and raped various women. He used a gun, taser or knife to force victims to comply with his demands. He also robbed them of electronics, money and jewelry. Chief Assistant Nicole Marchand Golden, who served as lead prosecutor, called Mincey “a real-life bogyman.” “There was no rhyme or reason to his approach,” she said. “The horrors that these women suffered at the hands of [Mincey] were real. They were terrified; they were frightened.” During the five-day trial, victims recounted the attacks. Prosecutors outlined how he followed them from the Publix grocery on Flakes Mill Road, the Echelon Bar and Bistro, and Tanqueray Lounge in Decatur and pounced on them. “These women’s lives have forever been changed by the heinous acts of a serial rapist,” Golden said. “We hope this guilty verdict and pending sentence will bring some form of relief to each one of our victims and their loved ones.” He was convicted of 17 felony counts, including aggravated assault, armed robbery, burglary, false imprisonment, aggravated sexual battery and rape.

Little Debbie’s Second Chance Home Inc. sought a permit to operate a group home for pregnant girls in the foster care system at the corner of Wesley Chapel Road and Crabapple Lane.

he said. Little Debbie’s executive director, Lakisha Stiggers, had been seeking a SLUP to operate the home for pregnant teens in the foster care system at a multi-level house at the corner of Wesley Chapel Road and Crabapple Lane. She did not attend the meeting, but her representative told commissioners that they wanted to withdraw without prejudice. But residents pressed Commissioners Larry Johnson, who represents the area, and Lee May, Jeff Rader and Kathie Gannon, who were present, to deny the application and send a message to the people who are establishing the home-run businesses that they are not welcome. Super District 7 Commissioner Stan Watson, who also represents the neighborhood, was absent. In her application filed Jan. 15, Stiggers said she wanted to relocate her group home that serves girls and women 13 to 21 years old

Pimp gets 40 years for human trafficking Self-avowed “finesse pimp” Darryl Curry of Decatur, who was found guilty of human trafficking, pimping minors and sexual exploitation of children, has been sentenced to 40 years in prison plus 20 years on probation. Curry, 48, was convicted of 13 felony counts, including trafficking of persons for sexual servitude, pimping for person Darryl Curry under 18, sexual exploitation of children, false imprisonment, cruelty to children in the first degree, simple battery, contributing to the delinquency of a minor, and obstruction of an officer. District Attorney Robert James said the sentence, which was handed down by Superior Court Judge Gail Flake, sends a strong message to others who sexually exploit people in DeKalb. “[Curry] has changed the lives of our

victims forever,” James said. “I hope that this sentence is a step toward their personal healing and recovery.” On Oct. 8, 2011, one of two young female victims alerted local authorities to Curry’s criminal enterprise. Upon obtaining a search warrant, another victim was identified and various pimping and human trafficking paraphernalia were uncovered, including videos of Curry instructing individuals on how to become a pimp and obtain wealth from exploiting women. Co-defendant John William Anderson pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing. Assistant District Attorney Dalia Racine, the lead prosecutor, said Curry described himself as a “finesse pimp,” a person who cares for the women who work for him. “But in actuality, he was extremely violent and physically abusive to our two victims,” Racine said. “He mentally manipulated his victims and forced them to recruit other young women into the ‘life.’ ”

from Stable Wood Cove in Lithonia “due to the high level of crime, gang-related activities, and blatant drug use and selling.” Jennifer Parker, who lives in the nearby Chapel Lake subdivision, said that residents are not against serving pregnant teens, but that they fear that putting another group home in the vicinity would erode the values of the homes. She said the the area is already feeling pressure from foreclosures and the economic recession. “Maybe group homes need to be done in some other zoning code, not an R-100 zoning,” she said. Stiggers’ application also was denied unanimously by the District 3 Community Council on Feb. 13 and DeKalb Planning Commission on March 7. The DeKalb Planning Department staff recommended approval before the Board of Commissioners unanimously denied the application.

CrossRoadsNews

Finance

March 30, 2013

“If we had liens and we had financial obligations, they would haul us in court and they would sue us.”

Atlanta business owners win $50,000 MillerCoors grant The co-founders of Excelegrade, a Web-based platform for standardized testing in k-12 classrooms, won first place and $50,000 in the MillerCoors Urban Entrepreneurs Series business plan competition. Harvard Business School classmates Lauren Miller and Jason Brein said they will use the money to grow their Atlanta-based business and serve more schools. Miller, Excelegrade’s CEO and a former Atlanta Schools second-grade teacher, created the technology to be used on tablets, smartphones and laptops to streamline the grading process so teachers could focus more on the art of teaching and less on administrative tasks. “We are extremely thankful to MillerCoors for caring about urban entrepreneurs enough to provide these meaningful grants,” Miller said in a March 19 statement. “We hope to build a successful business with the $50,000 grant that not only helps teachers and students, but ultimately is able to pay it forward to other entrepreneurs in a similar way.” Their company is one of five U.S. small businesses awarded a total of $160,000 by MillerCoors as part of its entrepreneurship program. Since its inception in 1999, MillerCoors has granted more than $1.9 million to small businesses.

Former school teacher Lauren Miller and her business partner Jason Brein will get their award in Chicago on April 25.

Winners will receive their grants at an April 25 reception at MillerCoors corporate headquarters in Chicago. Miller, a former Teach for America corps member, also was a teacher trainer and a program director at a school in Ghana. She holds an MBA from Harvard and a B.S. from Georgia Tech. Brein previously worked for a consumer technology investment fund in Silicon Valley, where he developed a pas-

sion for beautifully designed, easy-to-use technology. He holds an MBA from Harvard and an A.B. from Princeton, where he focused on education policy. The MUES business plan competition was established as a resource for entrepreneurs to grow their businesses, create jobs and make a powerful impact in their communities. This year’s grant is Jason Brein evolving into “Tap the Future,” a Miller Lite-branded program that will bring friends and business partners together to compete for a prize pool of $500,000. Tap the Future is slated to launch this summer. Larry Waters, senior director of community commerce and partnerships for MillerCoors, said the MUES program has empowered small businesses to create more jobs and boost the economy in their communities for more than a decade. “We simply can’t wait to see the larger impact this program will have as it evolves into its next stage as Tap the Future,” he said. For more information, visit www.excelegrade.com and MillerCoors.com.

Banks assailed for skirting fines for code violations LIENS,

from page

unfair.” Task force member Steen Miles said the banks have thumbed their noses at Recorders Court and the people of DeKalb. “If we had liens and we had financial obligations, they would haul us in court and they would sue us,” said Miles, a former state senator. “They would garnish our checks. We’re simply saying to the banks – these major institutions that have been named – that you need to clean up these dilapidated properties and pay your fines like we do.” Court documents show that as of March 2013, a total of 97 civil citations have been issued at $500 an occurrence, totaling $48,500 in liens that have not been paid. Members of the task force said they are appalled at the flagrant disregard for the law shown by the financial institutions. Joe Arrington said the disregard for county laws makes them angry. “We have to obey the laws and regulations, and yet banks seem to think they are exempt,” he said. “It affects everybody in DeKalb County.” Arrington said some bank-owned properties are in such run-down conditions that not only are they an eyesore, they are magnets for crime and diminish neighborhood property values. “You live next door to one of these prop-

Broken windows line the front of 2125 Tudor Castle Way in Decatur’s Kings Ridge subdivision. The foreclosed home is owned by Bank of America, which owes the county $2,500 in unpaid liens.

Jessica Smith / CrossRoadsNews

Bank-owned properties treated worst in black communities The National Fair Housing Alliance 2012 investigation examined how more than 1,000 bank-owned properties were treated for maintenance and marketing in Atlanta, Baltimore, Dallas, Dayton, Miami/ Fort Lauderdale, Oakland, Philadelphia, Phoenix, and D.C. Foreclosed properties in each of these areas were graded on a 100-point scale. Undercover researchers subtracted points for broken windows and doors, water damage, overgrown lawns, lack of “for sale” sign, trash on the property, and other deficits. Some of its findings: n Foreclosed homes in non-white com-

erties and you think your property’s worth $200,000. It’s automatically knocked down to about $150,000 or less,” he said. “It lowers property values for us all.” In an April 4, 2012, report, the National Fair Housing Alliance released the results of an undercover investigation into how bankowned properties were treated in metro Atlanta and eight other major metro areas. It found that foreclosed homes were treated better in mostly white neighborhoods. “We want these financial institutions to

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munities were 42 percent more likely to have more than 15 maintenance problems. n Bank-owned properties in non-white communities were 82 percent more likely to have broken or boarded-up windows than foreclosed homes in predominantly white areas. n A foreclosed home in a predominantly white neighborhood is 32 percent more likely to be marketed with the proper signage than bank-owned buildings in mostly African-American neighborhoods, and 38 percent more likely than in Latino neighborhoods. – Source: www.nationalfairhousing.org

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Banks liens pile up for lack of payments

Nineteen banks owe DeKalb Recorders Court nearly $50,000 in liens for code violations ranging from broken windows to unkempt yards. Here are the violators and what they owe: Bank Amount Owed Decatur Land $18,000 American Home $4,000 BAC Home Loan $4,000 BAC Field Services $3,500 Brand Bank $3,000 HSBC $3,000 Bank of America $2,500 Highland Financial $2,500 Wells Fargo $2,000 Chase Manhattan $1,000 National Star $1,000 Citi $500 Federal Home Loan $500 Financial Free $500 IndyMac $500 LaSalle Bank $500 North Atlanta $500 Quantum $500 SunTrust $500 Total Liens Filed/Unpaid $48,500 Source: DeKalb Recorders Court

come forward and pay,” Turman said. He said the public and Recorders Court, which issued the fines, must take action. “We want the public to know, too, that many of the banks and other financial institutions that they are dealing with are not taking care of their responsibilities,” he said. Miles said the banks are not being good corporate citizens in this community. “These are people that have received financial bailouts from taxpaying citizens like us, and doggone it, they ought to be able to clean up these properties that are foreclosed on – by them – and pay up their fines and liens,” she said. “That is it, pure and simple. Clean up and pay up.”

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March 30, 2013

Wellness Partnership works

to double lung cancer survival The National Lung Cancer Partnership has unveiled a bold vision to double the survival rate of lung cancer patients by 2022. The partnership, which supports Free to Breathe events across the country, including metro Atlanta, says the strategy is built upon the four goals of research, treatment, tumor testing, and clinical trial participation. Dr. Joan Schiller, the partnership’s president and chief of hematology/ oncology at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, says a dedicated effort is needed to boost the survival rate of lung cancer patients. Joan Schiller “At the heart of this new vision is a promise that everyone diagnosed with lung cancer will have a greater chance of survival than ever before. We’re committed to the dedication, collaboration and inspiration it will take to achieve this ambitious vision because we are committed to every single person across the country whose life has been touched by lung cancer.” Nationally, only 16 percent of people diagnosed with lung cancer survive five years. The partnership aims to double the survival rate to 32 percent in the next nine years. Across the country, lung cancer claims more than 160,000 lives annually, more than any other cancer and more than breast, colon and prostate cancers combined. The five-year survival rate has barely budged in the past decade, inching up from 15 percent to 16 percent, because most people aren’t diagnosed until the disease is advanced and treatment options are limited. Research funding is vital to making a turnaround and to develop new, more effective therapies for treating lung cancer but lags far behind that of other cancers. Metro residents have participated in Free to Breathe walk/run fund-raisers for the past three years. Lung cancer remains a top cancer killer in Georgia. In DeKalb County, it caused 11,849 premature deaths between 2002 and 2007, according to the 2010 Status of Health in DeKalb Report. Decatur resident Amy Waggoner, a family law attorney who lost a friend to lung cancer, organized Atlanta’s first Free to Breathe run/ walk and was shocked to learn that lung cancer receives less research funding than other major cancers. The partnership’s goals include: n Funding research with the greatest potential to save lives. To ensure a growing research investment, the partnership will collaborate with organizations and communities to raise funds. It plans to more than quadruple from 41,000 to 200,000 the number of people reached through Free to Breathe walks, runs, yogathons and other events by 2022. n Helping all patients fully understand their treatment options. Getting the right information to patients at the right time will translate to more receiving the most effective care as early as possible. The partnership now reaches about 16,000 annually with handbooks and videos. By 2022, it vows to reach 200,000 patients. n Ensuring molecular tumor testing is the standard of care. The partnership will help patients understand the importance of testing. While only two genetic targets are treated with approved therapies today, it aims for at least 10 to be treatable by 2022. n Doubling the number of patients participating in clinical trials, which can lead to new cutting-edge therapies and treatments. It plans to more than double the number of participants annually to 5 percent from less than 2 percent. For more information, visit www.nation allungcancerpartnership.org/vision.

CrossRoadsNews

“Understanding the prevalence of child abuse and how to prevent it is an important step communities can take.”

Communities asked to help stop child abuse Every 15 minutes, the Georgia Department of Human Services receives a report of child abuse in the state. To focus attention on the issue, Gov. Nathan Deal has declared April as Child Abuse Prevention Awareness Month. Deal, first lady Sandra Deal, DHS Commissioner Clyde L. Reese III, the Governor’s Office of Children and Families, and the First Lady’s Children Cabinet are joining forces to spotlight the issue and underscore the part that everyone in the community can play in promoting the social and emotional well-being of children and families. Reese said we must all do our part. “Whether it is through arranging an educational event in your community or encouraging conversations with neighbors on how to report or recognize abuse, understanding the Clyde Reese prevalence of child abuse and how to prevent it is an important step communities can take,” Reese said. In 2012, the state Department of Human Services began providing support to at-risk families to decrease the chance of abuse occurring because of social and economic stresses. Families get assistance in identifying strengths and/or needs in order to define a plan of action. Other initiatives include: n Promoting Safe and Stable Families program, which distributes $8.2 million in community-based awards to support targeted areas of need from mental health supports, parent education, and crisis intervention services. Current funding supports 135 various community programs statewide. n Partnering with the grass-roots Family Connection for the Community Partnership for the Protection of Children program that encourages lay people to work within high-risk communities to identify reasons for child well-being gaps and create a community 404-370-5000. To make a report of child abuse after hours (5 p.m. plan for change. to 8:30 a.m.), weekends, and holidays, call 1-855-GACHILD. To report child abuse and/or neglect during the day, contact the If you believe a child is in immediate danger, call police at Division of Family and Children Services office in DeKalb County at 911.

One of the keys to beating breast cancer, is knowing where you stand. The other is knowing where to go. The newly expanded Comprehensive Breast Care Center at DeKalb Medical at Hillandale is proud to offer state-of-the-art technology for early detection, including digital mammography. And behind all of our technology and equipment, are equally phenomenal people, like our compassionate Nurse Navigators and nationally-acclaimed breast surgeons. From individualized treatment plans to even seemingly small acts – down to providing stylish patient robes and calming music during screenings – our attention to detail continues to set us apart from other hospitals. Because we believe in caring about people, not just for them. For a comprehensive virtual tour of our Breast Care Center, please visit dekalbmedicalhillandale.org, then call 404-501-2660, to schedule your annual mammogram, today.

CrossRoadsNews

Scene

March 30, 2013

“I cannot think of a more deserving veteran for this honorable award.”

Vietnam vet gets Purple Heart 42 years after Army discharge Retired Staff Sgt. Clarence Bostwick, who was wounded in the Vietnam War in 1968, finally got his Purple Heart on Thursday – 42 years after he was discharged from the Army. Bostwick, who lives in Decatur, said it was a long time coming. “It’s been a long journey but worth the wait,” said Bostwick, 65. “Although it’s been more than 45 years since my battle injuries, it is an honor to now be recognized.” Because of confusion with his records, Bostwick was not properly recognized by the Army until his records were corrected in 2012. The long-overdue recognition was given to him in a March 28 ceremony hosted by 4th District U.S. Rep. Hank Johnson at the Lou Walker Center on Panola Road in Lithonia. Johnson called Bostwick, who re-

U.S. Rep. Hank Johnson pins a Purple Heart medal on retired Staff Sgt. Clarence Bostwick, who suffered shrapnel wounds in 1968 in Vietnam.

tired from the Reserve in 1994, “the very epitome of a hero and a patriot.” “I am proud to present him with the Purple Heart medal,” said Johnson, who is a member of the House Armed Services Committee. “I cannot think of a more deserving veteran for this honorable award.” Bostwick was wounded while serving with the 39th Engineer Battalion in Vietnam. While on guard duty in 1968, his unit came under attack and he suffered shrapnel wounds from an enemy grenade. He was hospitalized briefly and returned to duty. In addition to the Purple Heart, established by Gen. George Washington in 1782 to honor soldiers wounded or killed in the line of duty, he was awarded the Good Conduct Medal, the Meritorious Unit Commendation, and the Vietnam Service Medal.

Jazz and other music for Spelman festival

Book recalls crematory horror lies fake cremains, comBrent Hendricks, author posed primarily of concrete of “A Long Day at the End dust, and he’d left the rotof the World,” will be at the ting corpses strewn all over Carter Center on April 2. the crematory grounds. The book is a personal Most of the bodies he’d narrative about the Tri-State dumped into eight mass Crematory debacle uncovered burial pits, which were in February 2002. Hundreds of abandoned and decayed Brent Hendricks then covered with trash and even an old pool table. bodies were discovered at the rural Georgia crematory, making it the Hendricks’ father’s body was one of largest mass desecration in modern the first bodies abandoned at the site in 1997. He called the incident “a very American history. The perpetrator – a well-respected gothic Southern story.” Hendricks will speak at 7 p.m. family man and a former hometown The Carter Center is at 441 Freefootball star – had failed to cremate the dom Parkway in Atlanta. For more bodies over a five-year period. To cover his crime, he sent the fami- information, call 404- 865-7109.

OnE WEEk OnLy!

Jazz singer-songwriter Cassandra Wilson performs on April 5 at Spelman College.

Easter egg hunt over here, Easter egg hunt over there By Jessica Smith

“

IT!”

RH A SUPE

– NY Po

Grammy Award-winning jazz vocalist Cassandra Wilson will perform at the 4th Kenyetta Festival of Women in Jazz on April 5 at Spelman College. The free concert with Wilson, a songwriter known for indelible opuses such as “Blue Light Til Dawn,” “Traveling Miles,” “New Moon Daughter” and “Loverly,” takes place at 8 p.m. at Sisters Chapel. The three-day conference opens at 7 p.m. April 4 with performances by Giwayen Mata Drum Ensemble and Jennifer Bliss in Cosby Academic Center Auditorium. It culminates on April 6 at 7:30 p.m. with the Spelman Jazz Ensemble Reunion Concert under direction of Joseph Jennings. On April 5, a plenary session and research will be presented by Farah Griffin, Lauren Eldridge and Alexandra Simmons. A percussion discussion, “The Drummer Is a Woman,” will be led by Gayelynn McKinney and Omelika Kuumba. For more information visit, www.spelman.edu.

Kids can hunt Easter eggs on March 30 at the Community Achievement Center in Decatur and on March 31 at Wade Walker Park in Stone Mountain. The Community Achievement Center’s annual “Easter Egg Hunt Eggstravaganza” takes place from 1 to 3 p.m. at Flat Shoals Park, behind the center. There will be prized eggs, face painting, food, games and a train ride. The Easter Bunny also will hop in for photos with kids. The park is at 4522 Flat Shoals Parkway in Decatur. For more information, call 404-214-7400.

hosted by DeKalb Commissioner Stan Watson and state Rep. Billy Mitchell. The 2-to-5 p.m. event is for kids 10 years and younger. Kids 3 years and younger will hunt for treat-filled eggs at 2:30 p.m. Those 5 to 7 years old will start searching at 3:15 p.m., and 8- to 10-year-olds will have their turn at 4 p.m. The event is free, but children must bring their own baskets. In case of rain, the event will be moved inside to the

Wade Walker YMCA. The park is at 5585 Rockbridge Road in Stone Moun‘Egg-stravaganza’ at Wade Walker Park tain. Hundreds of Easter eggs will be scattered across Wade For more information, call Kellie LaJoie at 404-371-3681 Walker Park for the March 31 “Easter Egg-stravaganza” co- or Nichole Simms at 404-371-7031.

APRIL 2-7 FOX THEATRE Groups Call (404) 881-2000

The number 16 is sweet, indeed! Join us for our th 16 church anniversary on Sunday, April 7 at 10 a.m. Rev. Grace C. Washington is the Senior pastor and organizer

Rev. Dr. Sherry Austin, Senior Pastor, Warren Temple United Methodist Church, LaGrange, Ga., will be our keynote speaker.

Love Life Christian Fellowship Church

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MARTA’s Braves Shuttle takes off for home game MARTA’s Braves Shuttle starts April 1 to help Atlanta Braves fans bypass bumper-to-bumper traffic and expensive parking for the home opener against the Philadelphia Phillies. It starts an hour and a half before the first pitch and takes fans from Underground Atlanta to Turner Field. The shuttle operates an hour after the game end. Rides are $2.50 each way (plus a $1 charge for a permanent Breeze card). Parking is free at all MARTA daily parking facilities. For the free daily parking pass, customers park in MARTA-designated areas in the decks at Lindbergh Center station and validate their parking ticket at machines inside Lindbergh station. For more information, visit www.itsmarta.com or call the Customer Service Center at 404-848-5000.

CrossRoadsNews

March 30, 2013

Youth

“Governance begins at the top and encompasses the whole organization. In order to govern anybody you have to be willing to listen.”

Thurmond: School district comeback won’t happen overnight By Ken Watts

The DeKalb School System is making progress addressing its accreditation probation. That’s the word from interim School Superintendent Michael Thurmond this week to 200 business leaders at a March 27 Eggs & Issues discussion at the Callanwolde Fine Arts Center in Atlanta. During the event marking his first 45 days on the job, Thurmond said that he has a team of 26 people addressing the issues raised by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools in its Dec. 17 report that placed the school district on accreditation probation. He said that he met with two SACS representatives on March 26 and was scheduled to meet with AdvancED CEO Mark Elgart on March 29 about the county’s progress. Thurmond was in the hot seat at the event co-hosted by Leadership DeKalb and the DeKalb Chamber of Commerce. “We’re opening up the lines of communication and hopefully informing people that we’re moving in the right direction,” he said. “We’re going to meet the challenges and we’re looking forward to the future.” When Thurmond was hired on Feb. 8, the School Board gave him 90 days to create a plan that addresses key issues in the district and lay out a path to solutions. During the Q&A session moderated by WABE reporter Denis O’Hayer, the interim superintendent repeated his now-familiar theme of optimism that the school district will overcome its many challenges and regain full accreditation. But he said it won’t happen overnight. “First, we have to get our fiscal house in order.” Thurmond said. “We’ve been granted public trust and that requires us to manage the resources we have in such a way as to support academic achievement in our classrooms.” Thurmond avoided specifics when answering questions like whether he had to fire any of the central office holdover staff from previous administrations. He said new leaders make a mistake when they fire everyone on the first day. “Then they spend the next six months trying to cope with the fallout,” he said. Instead, Thurmond said he intends to find out who he needs and doesn’t need and will take his time and make the right decisions. DeKalb teachers haven’t had a pay raise in five years, and Thurmond said he is committed to improving teacher morale and stopping the exodus of unhappy teachers from the district. “I can’t offer more pay,” he said, but he promised that he will show teachers greater appreciation and eliminate unnecessary tasks. “I have directed the people at the senior level to inventory what we are doing,” he said. “What things we can eliminate, we will eliminate.” O’Hayer asked Thurmond about how he will solve governance problems that led to the district being placed on accreditation probation. Probation is one step away from losing

that existed three decades ago is not the system that exists now. “The population today has 71 percent of its students qualifying for free and reduced lunches,” he said. “Not that those children can’t learn and can’t be successful because I qualified for free and reduced lunches. I am the son, grandson and great-grandson of sharecroppers who could not read and write.” School Board members who attended the breakfast talked about a more optimistic work atmosphere at the district. Marshall Orson, the District 2 board member, said Thurmond has been a big part of that optimism around the district. He said Thurmond is being very deliberate but also being very thoughtful about what he’s doing. “He’s not doing anything rash when there’s a lot of people calling for rash actions,” Orson said. “He understands there’s a lot of reform we have to do but it has to be done in a way Ken Watts / CrossRoadsNews that enhances the school system and what we WABE reporter Denis O’Hayer (left) moderated a Q&A session with DeKalb interim School do for children long term.” Superintendent Michael Thurmond on March 27 as he marked his first 45 days on the job. District 4 board member Jim McMahan, who is the School Board’s vice chairman, said the improved atmosphere is making it “We’re opening up the lines of possible to get things done. communication and hopefully informing “And in going forward with our budget process for fiscal year 2014, you’re going to people that we’re moving in the right start to see some tangible results coming out direction. We’re going to meet the challenges of the pipeline,” McMahan said. and we’re looking forward to the future.” “We’re working right now filling the Michael Thurmond, interim school superintendent pipeline and you’ll see it in the next 60 days,” he added. Arnie Silverman, a Leadership DeKalb resources it has now. accreditation. board member, credits Thurmond with When he hears people talk about the building bridges between factions in his “Governance begins at the top and encompasses the whole organization,” said greatness of DeKalb schools 30 years ago, first 45 days and creating a vision for the Thurmond, a former state labor commis- Thurmond said he responds that the system district. sioner and candidate for the U.S. Senate. “In order to govern anybody you have to be willing to listen,” he said. When pressed about how he’ll improve academic performance, another SACS issue, Thurmond said the issue is not just a conversation about SACS. “This is about recognizing that No. 1, we have an extremely diverse student population, including refugees from around the world, but every child can learn,” Thurmond said. O’Hayer asked him how the system will get the resources to accomplish academic improvement. Thurmond said the DeKalb School System is suffering like every other school district because of a lack of resources. “But that doesn’t excuse us from taking advantage of the resources we do have,” he said. Thurmond said DeKalb’s property tax digest has fallen from $27 billion to $18 billion, and the state cuts continue. But while the county needs money, he said that’s not the greatest challenge. “Money is tight, but money is never really the primary challenge,” he said. “It’s the lack of will, lack of ideas, lack of innovation.” Thurmond said he will not ask for a property tax increase until the district demonstrates that it is properly using the

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Youth

CrossRoadsNews

March 30, 2013

Song and dance, music and information, along with a generous serving of just plain fun, marked the annual Summer Camp Expo at the Mall at Stonecrest.

Scenes from the 2013 CrossRoadsNews Summer Camp Expo

CrossRoadsNews Photos By Jennifer Ffrench Parker, Curtis Parker & Ken Watts

CrossRoadsNews

March 30, 2013

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Reader Notice As a service to you – our valued readers – we offer the following information: This newspaper will never knowingly accept any advertisement that is illegal or considered fraudulent. If you have questions or doubts about any ads on these pages, we advise that before responding or sending money ahead of time, you check with the Attorney General’s Consumer Fraud Line and/or the Better Business Bureau. They may have records or documented complaints that will serve to caution you about doing business with those advertisers. Also be advised that some phone numbers published in these ads may require an extra charge. In all cases of questionable value, such as promises or guaranteed income from work-at-home programs, money to loan, etc., if it sounds too good to be true – it may in fact be exactly that. This newspaper cannot be held responsible for any negative consequences that occur as a result of you doing business with any advertisers. Thank you.

CrossRoadsNews

Business Opportunities

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Marketplace

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PLUMBING

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

DeKalb Family Medicine SHOE REPAIR

FINANCIAL

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Some of the products we carry include: • • • • • •

EDUCATION / TRAINING

ATTEND COLLEGE ONLINE FROM HOME

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