CrossRoadsNews, May 14, 2016

WELLNESS

YOUTH

Boomers and hepatitis C

Ready for the world The 14U Salem Lions are raising money to finance a trip to Orlando for a May 26-30 tournament at ESPN Disney World of Sports. 10

Deaths from hepatitis C reached an all-time high in 2014, and the infectious disease’s greatest burden falls on the baby boomers. 9

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

May 14, 2016

Copyright Š 2016 CrossRoadsNews, Inc.

Volume 22, Number 3

www.crossroadsnews.com

Sacrifices of county’s fallen police officers remembered

By Ken Watts

fallen officers. “[It’s] still fresh in my mind.

That’s why this program is a comfort.�

Susan Wilson lost her Wilson, who has since remarried and husband, DeKalb Police moved to Brewton, Ala., near Mobile, was Officer Thomas Atkisson, among more than 50 family members of on Dec. 14, 1976, when DeKalb officers killed on the job who joined his patrol car struck a utilofficers from agencies throughout the county ity pole while in pursuit of for the annual tribute in Decatur Square. a motorcyclist.

The solemn ceremony in front of the Atkisson had served granite Law Enforcement Officers Memowith the department for rial outside the historic Old DeKalb County Susan Wilson eight years.

Courthouse honors the memory of 42 offiForty years later, Wilson still can’t shake cers killed in the line of duty dating back to the memory of that day.

1852, when DeKalb began keeping record. “The memory’s with me every day,� she said on May 11 after a ceremony honoring Please see TRIBUTE, page 2

Law enforcement officers, DeKalb County officials, and family members of fallen officers pay tribute on May 11 at the annual ceremony in front of the memorial in Decatur Square.

Ken Watts / CrossRoadsNews

DeKalb’s $6 million Beautification Unit kicks off Code officers visit Candler Road businesses

Crews work on a garden in front of the new Beautification Unit’s headquarters on Candler Road in Decatur.

The county is modelling the level of landscaping it would businesses along the corridor to do.

By Jennifer Ffrench Parker

Dozens of businesses and residences along Candler Road got surprise visits from DeKalb Code Enforcement officers on May 12 – not to cite them for violations of county codes, but to let them know that a new day has dawned in the county.

More than a dozen code enforcement officers went block by block between Glenwood Road and I-20 in Decatur to speak to owners and occupants of every building along the corridor and to hand them a memo from new Beautification Director Marcus Kellum and quick reference guides on property maintenance and zoning ordinances, business and alcohol licenses, Marcus Kellum sanitation, restrooms, and the I-20 Corridor Overlay District’s sign and architectural regulations.

The officers also left their business card with contact phone numbers and email addresses. The visits marked the launch of

Jennifer Ffrench Parker / CrossRoadsNews

the county’s new $6 million Beautification Unit with 190 employees whose purpose is to transform DeKalb County into a place of beauty and curb appeal.

In his memo to “all residents and business owners,� Kellum said it is his job to ensure

that all department staff provides complete, knowledgeable and accurate information regarding ordinances, codes and regulatory functions in the county. “Our vision, as we begin implementing a new beautification strategy, is to optimize

Join the movement for a new DAy. Vote

SHERRY BOSTON

Amb. Andrew Young

Rep. Stacey Abrams

Congressman Hank Johnson

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all obtainable resources in order to promote clean streets and county curb appeal,� Kellum wrote.

The Beautification Unit consolidated the Please see CODE ENFORCEMENT, page 2

www.sherryboston.com Vote in the May 24th Democratic Primary

CrossRoadsNews

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Community

May 14, 2016

“There are too many fast-food restaurants without trash cans and too many people tossing trash.”

Beautification director working on strategic plan for new unit CODE ENFORCEMENT,

from page

1

county’s Code Enforcement Department, Keep DeKalb Beautiful, and the county’s Litter Abatement Patrol launched last December in the Sanitation Department.

Zachary Williams, the county’s chief operating officer, said that in five months of operation, the litter patrols collected 12,326 bags of trash, 4,038 tires, and 189 illegally dumped bags of garbage.

The flood of code enforcement officers along the corridor followed the 10 a.m. kickoff of the Beautification Unit at its new headquarters at 1807 Candler Road.

Interim CEO Lee May, decked out in a “I Love DeKalb” T-shirt; districts 3 and 6 Commissioners Larry Johnson and Kathie Gannon; and a host of other county officials attended the kickoff that also was followed by countywide cleanups.

May said the county is trying to act smarter, faster and better to create a better county and raise the quality of life.

“We realize that we have to invest more,” he said, adding that when he joined the Board of Commissioners in July 2006, the county had eight code enforcement officers.

“Today we have nearly 52,” he said.

The rest of the employees in the 190member department are assigned to litter abatement and mowing and herbicide.

At the kickoff, Kellum said the beautification effort is necessary and consolidating code enforcement, which he headed for four years, with beautification is a “natural synergy.”

“We are going to prove to people that we

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Officers Barbara Lorena and Torrance Armstrong visited properties along Candler Road on May 12.

Jennifer Ffrench Parker / CrossRoadsNews

care about our county,” he said.

Along with the visit to every building in the targeted area Thursday, code enforcement officers did visual inspections of the properties. Officer Barbara Lorena, who stopped at 2346 Candler Road where CrossRoadsNews is located, said any violations they saw were brought to the attention of the business owners and occupants.

“We will return in 30 to 45 days to reinspect,” she said. “If the violations are not fixed, we will issue tickets.”

As part of the launch, crews were putting the finishing touches to a garden of flowering plants and perennials in front of its new home that once housed the county’s Community Development Department but had

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been vacant for several years. County crews also plan to landscape the median at the intersection of Candler and Glenwood roads.

In late July, code enforcement officers will continue their block-by-block visits down Candler Road from I-20 to the intersection of Flat Shoals and Panthersville roads.

Johnson, the District 3 commissioner who represents the corridor, said the Beautification Unit will not be a panacea.

“This is a village effort,” he said. “Government can’t do it all by itself.”

Johnson said Candler Road is the gateway to South DeKalb and beautifying the area will go a long way to signify that change is underway.

“We just have to start at Memorial Drive

On May 24, Vote To Keep Judge Clarence Seeliger

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VOTE MAY 24TH ReelectSeeligerAgain.Com Facebook: SeeligerForJudge2016

DeKalb’s Litter Abatement Patrol began work on Dec. 8, 2015.

Through April 2016: 12,326.....Bags of trash collected 3,572......Tires picked up 152......Dumping sites cleaned 4,032......Times that it cleaned bus stops Source: Keep DeKalb Beautiful

and Saint Philip AME Church and continue down the corridor,” he said. “If everybody takes care of their own business, it will make a difference.”

Gannon noted that a large portion of the community cannot understand how the county continues to be challenged by litter.

“There are too many fast-food restaurants without trash cans and too many people tossing trash,” she said.

She said we have a lot to do but it can be done.

“We are a great county. We are a beautiful county. We just have to get this layer off.”

May said he is working on legislation to get rid of yard signs that plaster the county.

After the kickoff, Kellum said 180 of the 190 employees are already on board and they are in the process of hiring 10 more. He said they are interviewing and hirings will be completed in the next two weeks.

Kellum said he is working on a strategic plan that will outline key responsibilities, who is accountable, and to manage expectations. The plan will be ready by July 1, he said.

Toatley is newest name inscribed TRIBUTE,

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Countywide cleanup effort

from page

1

Master Police Officer Kieffer DeForest called the roll of the 42 colleagues – from DeKalb County; the cities of Clarkston, Decatur and Doraville; and MARTA police departments – whose names are inscribed on the monument.

The newest name is that of Master Police Officer Kevin Toatley, who was killed on Sept. 19, 2015, on South Fulton Parkway. He was hit head-on by a wrong-way driver in

Ken Watts / CrossRoadsNews

The bell was tolled after the name of each fallen officer was read at the May 11 ceremony at the monument in Decatur Square.

early morning on his way home from work.

A bell tolled after each name was read.

There was also a 21-gun salute, taps and a bagpipe rendition of “Amazing Grace,” and a flyover by police helicopters in missing-man formation closed out the event.

Interim CEO Lee May, who was joined

by Public Safety Director Cedric Alexander and Police Chief James Conroy, thanked the families for their sacrifice and that of their loved ones.

“You supported them while they protected our community,” he told them.

May recognized Toatley’s family in his remarks, and after the ceremony Toatley’s widow, Charkeshia Toatley, said her family appreciates the county’s effort to preserve the memory of her husband and all other officers who made the ultimate sacrifice.

“It does help to see that the work that Kevin and all the other officers did for the community hasn’t gone unnoticed,” she said.

CrossRoadsNews

May 14, 2016

Community Boston lands endorsement from Young

DeKalb Solicitor General Sherry Boston, who is challenging DeKalb District Attorney Robert James, picked up another endorsement this week – this time from civil rights icon and former Sherry Boston U.S. Ambassador Andrew Young.

Yo u n g s a i d h e learned a long time ago that justice is not a standalone ideal.

“It is comprised of discretion, wisdom, mercy, respect and fairness,” he said. “I believe Andrew Young Sherry Boston will lead with the total interest of the total county at heart. “ Young said that Boston will work tirelessly towards the pursuit of equal justice for all, without a personal agenda.

“This is why I am endorsing Sherry Boston for district attorney and I ask all of DeKalb to do the same,” he said.

Boston said she is honored and humbled to get Young’s support.

Young is the latest high-profile leader to support Boston.

The others are Georgia House Minority Leader Stacey Abrams, Fourth District US Rep. Hank Johnson, former Sheriff Thomas Brown, and former District Attorneys Bob Wilson and J. Tom Morgan.

“The situation in the Cross Keys Cluster where we have more than 110 portable classrooms is intolerable and will not … continue.”

New Brookhaven school a step closer to reality

By Ken Watts

Plans are shaping up for a new DeKalb elementary school in the Brookhaven area with the district’s impending purchase of an 11.2-acre site in the Skyland Park neighborhood.

The DeKalb School Board voted May 9 to buy the land for $7.5 million and announced agreements with the city of Brookhaven and the Georgia State Properties Commission.

Superintendent R. Stephen Green said the agreements are a major step in the district’s “long-term plan to relieve serious overcrowding” in Brookhaven.

“The situation in the Cross Keys Cluster where we have more than 110 portable class-

The May 24 primary is 10 days away and campaign shenanigans are picking up steam.

Charles Hill II, a candidate in the four-person Democratic primary for Georgia House District 91, said his signs have been stolen or vandalized across the district, which covers parts of DeKalb Charles Hill II and Rockdale counties.

Hill, a small-business owner and 2008 Morehouse and 2012 Harvard graduate; former DeKalb CEO Vernon Jones, both of Lithonia; and community activist Rhonda Taylor; and retired educator David Neville, both of Conyers are seeking the seat being vacated by Rep. Dee Dawkins-Haigler, who is seeking the Senate District 43 seat.

Hill said a large number of his campaign

Notice of Public Hearings May 16 & 19, 2016 Notice is hereby given that the Board of Directors of the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority will hold public hearings for the purpose of considering the

Proposed Fiscal Year 2017 Operating and Capital Budgets INCLUDING Elimination of the Holiday Group Fare One-Day Tickets and

Proposed Bus Service Modifications for August 6, 2016 for the following routes:

Route 3: Martin Luther King Jr. Drive / Auburn Avenue; Route 4: Thomasville / Moreland Avenue / MTC; Route 13: Fair Street / Mozley Park; Route 15: Candler Road / South DeKalb; Route 51: Joseph E. Boone; Route 117: Rockbridge Road / Panola Road; Route 125: Clarkston / Northlake; Route 181: Buffington Road / South Fulton P/R; and Route 191: Justice Center / Hartsfield International.

All route information, a video with Hearing information and comment forms are available at www.itsmarta.com

Fulton County Government Center Conference Room 141 Pryor Street Atlanta, GA 30303

Community Exchange: 6-7 P.M.

HEARING: 7 P.M.

Riding MARTA: Routes 32, 49, 55, 74 & 186.

rooms is intolerable and will not be allowed to continue.”

The 900-seat school, to be built at a cost of $22 million, will help relieve overcrowding in the Cross Keys Cluster where students are crammed into 110 portable classrooms.

To make the deal work, the district is purchasing the 10.6-acre Skyland Park for $4.7 million from the city of Brookhaven; acquiring the 5.3-acre former Skyland Elementary School site for $2.8 million from the state of Georgia; and transferring 4.17 acres of the old school property to the city of Brookhaven. The State Vital Records Office is now located in the old Skyland Elementary site.

The Brookhaven City Council voted to

approve the agreement at its monthly meeting on May 10. The State Properties Commission is scheduled to sign the agreement within a week.

The DeKalb School System expects to close on the properties in January 2017.

Dr. Melvin Johnson, School Board chairman, said the board has already implemented a short-term redistricting plan.

“We are committed to providing safe, healthy learning environments for all our students.” he said.

The new elementary school, which should be completed for fall 2019, will ease crowding at several existing elementary schools, including Dresden, Montclair and Woodward.

House 91 candidates’ signs stolen and vandalized

METROPOLITAN ATLANTA RAPID TRANSIT AUTHORITY

Monday, May 16th

3

Monday, May 16th Clayton County Govt.

Office Board Room 112 Smith Street Jonesboro, GA 30236

Community Exchange: 6-7 P.M.

HEARING: 7 P.M.

Riding MARTA: Bus routes 191, 192, 193 &194 from the Justice Center exit at Tara Blvd and Smith Street for a 0.5 mile walk due to construction closure of Smith Street.

Thursday, May 19th Maloof Auditorium

1300 Commerce Drive Decatur, GA 30030

Community Exchange: 6-7 P.M.

HEARING: 7 P.M.

Riding MARTA: Walk one block west of Decatur Rail Station.

Copies of the proposed Budget and Bus Service Modifications will also be available for public viewing at MARTA’s Headquarters Office of External Affairs, 2424 Piedmont Road, N.E. Atlanta, Georgia 30324 during regular business hours, Mon-Fri 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.

For formats (FREE of charge) in accordance with the ADA and Limited English Proficiency regulations contact, (404) 848-4037.

For those patrons requiring further accommodations, information can be obtained by calling the Telephone Device for the Deaf (TDD) at 404 848-5665.

In addition, a sign language interpreter will be available at all hearings. If you cannot attend the hearings and want to provide comments you may: (1) leave a message at (404) 848-5299; (2) write to MARTA’s Office of External Affairs, 2424 Piedmont Road, N.E. Atlanta, GA 30324-3330; (3) complete an online Comment Card at www.itsmarta.com; (4) or fax your comments no later than May 26, 2016 to (404) 848-4179.

All citizens of the City of Atlanta and the counties of Fulton, DeKalb, Clayton and Gwinnett whose interests are affected by the subjects to be considered at these hearings are hereby notified and invited to appear at said times and places and present such evidence, comment or objection as their interests require.

Keith T. Parker, AICP, General Manager/CEO

signs, including many on private property, have been stolen or broken up and left where they were.

Taylor also has lost signs.

“To the tune of $1,200,” she said Thursday. “Mine are pulled up and Vernon’s placed in the very same hole from my stakes. I am so aggravated with that.”

Neville said he has been lucky. “I have only lost two signs,” he said, but he adds that Hill has not fared as well in Conyers.

“All of his signs have disappeared around here,” Neville said.

Hill said the thefts and vandalism have occurred overnight.

“These tactics are a very old school, brass knuckle, roll-around-in-the-dirt form of politics that have cast a very dampening shadow over the House District 91 race,” he said.

Hill says his signs began disappearing the day after the April 23 Rockdale County

Democratic Party Political Forum where he clashed with Jones.

During the “vigorous and spirited debate,” Jones called Hill, who is 30 years old, “a child.”

The two were the only candidates in their race who attended that forum.

“Often when one of our large campaign signs goes missing overnight, the next day a Vernon Jones sign will be placed within arms’ length of where our sign was previously placed,” said Hill, a newcomer to politics.

In an April 28 police report filed with the DeKalb East Precinct, Hill said his signs were stolen or damaged along Mall Parkway near the Mall at Stonecrest and near the intersection of Georgia highways 212 and 138 in Rockdale County.

Officer E.E. Hoyt said the case is under investigation but so far “has not resulted in the identification of a suspect.”

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

Editor / Publisher Jennifer Parker Assistant Editor Brenda Yarbrough Staff Writers Jennifer Ffrench Parker Ken Watts Front Office Manager Catherine Guy Graphic Design Curtis 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.

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.

“When you talk about the Native American search for identity, it’s almost always a story of loss and pain.”

Hicks, DeBerry to be honored at Champions for Change Atlanta attorney Zoe Hicks and DeKalb Superior Court Clerk Debra DeBerry will be honored at the Women’s Resource Center’s 13th annual Champions for Change Luncheon on May 17 at the Georgia Aquarium.

The nonprofit is celebrating its 30th anniversary.

Hicks is its 2016 Champion for Change.

T h rou g h he r personal volun- Zoe Hicks teerism, including being a former board member, and through the work of her foundation, Encouragement Unlimited, Hicks is dedicated to helping women build peaceful and fulfilling lives. She chaired the

capital campaign that helped the center build the safehouse it still occupies, providing a home away from home for hundreds of women and children in the community.

DeBerry will receive the Clarence Seeliger Local Justice Award for her contribution of office space that allows the center Debra DeBerry to better assist victims of domestic violence applying for restraining orders.

The award is named for DeKalb Superior Court Judge Clarence Seeliger, an activist and leader in the domestic violence prevention community.

A silent auction begins at 11 a.m., followed by the program at noon in the Oceans Ballroom.

Items for auction include luxury vacation packages, jewelry, event tickets, autographed sports memorabilia, and gift certificates. Members of the community may bid on items online at www.501auctions. com/wrcdv.

Donations also can be made directly to the Women’s Resource Center to End Domestic Violence.

Sponsors include Georgia Power Co., Georgia-Pacific, Southern Co., Cox Enterprises, Delta Air Lines, Encouragement Unlimited, Home Depot, UPS, Cox Automotive, King & Spalding, Littler Mendelson, Edie and Bo Lycke, DeKalb Sheriff ’s Department, PwC, and Troutman Sanders.

Civil rights, individual freedom explored Former President Jimmy Carter and Derreck Kayongo, CEO of the National Civil and Human Rights Center, are featured at a two-day National Conversation on Civil Rights and Individual Freedom at the Carter Library & Museum.

Sessions take place from 1:30 to 5 p.m. on May 20 and 9:30 a.m. to noon on May 21 in the theater.

The National Archives and Records Administration is presenting the event in partnership with the Carter Library as part of its Amending America Initiative, and it will address the challenges to and future of civil rights and individual freedom.

The program is free and open to the public. A simulcast of the program can be viewed in the adjacent theater or online. To register, visit www.archivesfoundation.org/ amendingamerica/conversations/ civil-rights.

A question-and-answer session with Carter and Kayongo on May

Jimmy Carter

Derreck Kayongo

20 will be followed by a panel on “Civil Rights: Then and Now,” moderated by William Jelani Cobb, an associate professor of history and director of the Africana Studies Institute.

Panelists include Ouleye Ndoye Warnock, a Ph.D. candidate in history and graduate teaching fellow at Columbia University; Karin Ryan, senior policy adviser on Human Rights and special representative on Women and Girls for the Carter Center; Lisa Williams, founder of the nonprofit Circle of Friends; and Dr. Kurt Young, chair of the Department of Political Science at

Clark Atlanta University.

On May 21, Maurice Hobson, an assistant professor of African American Studies at Georgia State University, will moderate a panel on “Taking a Stand: Activism Today.”

Panelists include Carrie Freshour, a Ph.D. candidate in development sociology at Cornell University; Fahamu Pecou, a visual/performing artist and scholar whose works combine observations on hip-hop, fine art and popular culture; and Laura Emiko Soltis, executive director of Freedom University, an underground freedom school for undocumented students banned from public higher education in Georgia.

The panel will be followed by a performance by Peabody Awardwinning poet Abyss.

The library is at 441 Freedom Parkway in Atlanta.

For more information, visit www.jimmycarterlibrary.gov or call 404-865-7100.

Chinese dance troupe to perform, lecture Members of the Atlanta Chinese Dance Company will perform on May 17 at the Redan-Trotti Library in Lithonia.

The lecture-demonstration begins at 6:30 p.m.

The company combines traditional Chinese dance performances with detailed live narration and audience participation. The goal is to introduce the audience to Chinese history and culture as well as to traditional Chinese dance.

Funding is provided by a DeKalb Public Library Foundation Grant.

The company was founded by Hwee-Eng Y. Lee in 1991. It appeared in the Opening and Closing ceremonies of the 1996 Centennial Olympic Games and has been featured in the “Chinese variation” of John McFall’s “The Nutcracker” with the Atlanta Ballet at the Fox Theatre since 1998.

The library is at 1569 Wellborn Road. For more information, call 770-482-3821.

Panola Mountain reptile show Circulation Audited By

May 14, 2016

A park ranger will introduce kids to Panola Mountain’s reptilian residents in a live animal show on May 21.

The Creature Feature – Kids to Parks Day event begins at 2 p.m. in the Nature Center.

Can turtles leave their shells?

How many types of venomous snakes live in Georgia? Are salamanders reptiles? Participants will

learn the answers to all of these questions and more.

Space is limited – call 770389-7801 to register. Kids must be accompanied by an adult.

Panola Mountain State Park is at 2620 Highway 155 S.W. in Stockbridge.

For more information, including fees, visit http://gastateparks. org/PanolaMountain.

Artistic Director Hwee-Eng Y. Lee is pictured in the Sword Dance.

Family Game Day needs vendors Vendors are needed for the Fulton/DeKalb Family Life Center’s Family Game Day on May 21.

The event takes place from noon to 5 p.m. at the center, 3300 Memorial Drive, Suite D4, in Decatur.

To reserve a vendor space, contact Susan Byrd at susanb0065@ gmail.com or 770-572-4899.

The center has worked since 1986 to meet the immediate and long-term needs of the diverse community of battered women and their children with programs that promote safety, compassion, connection, advocacy, and prevention. Services include a confidential safehouse, a 24-hour hotline, legal advocacy, children’s programs, a violence-prevention summer camp, emergency financial assistance, financial education and fiscal trauma recovery, support groups, supervised visitation, and community education. Each year, more than 6,000 women turn to the center for aid.

The aquarium is at 225 Baker St. N.W. in Atlanta. For more information or tickets, visit www.wrcdv.org or call 404-370-7670.

Lyrical tale of Native American

Award-winning Native American author Sherman Alexie will introduce his first picture book, “Thunder Boy Jr.,” on May 18 in the Decatur Library Auditorium.

The 7 p.m. event is presented in partnership with Little Shop of Stories and the Georgia Center for the Book. A pur- Sherman Alexie chase is required to receive a ticket to enter the signing line.

The story is about a boy wanting to claim his own name.

“When you talk about the Native American search for identity, it’s almost always a story of loss and pain,” Alexie says. “I wanted to write a picture book in which a kid goes on a search for identity in the context of a lovely family.”

Thunder Boy Jr. is named after his dad, but he wants a name that’s all his own. Just because people call his dad Big Thunder doesn’t mean he wants to be Little Thunder. He wants a name that celebrates something cool he’s done, like Touch the Clouds, Not Afraid of Ten Thousand Teeth, or Full of Wonder.

But just when Thunder Boy Jr. thinks all hope is lost, he and his dad pick the perfect name … a name that is sure to light up the sky.

The book is illustrated by Caldecott Honor Book winner Yuyi Morales, author and illustrator of “Viva Frida.”

Alexie, a Spokane/Coeur d’Alene Indian, is a poet, short story writer, novelist, and performer. He received the National Book Award for Young People’s Literature for “The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian,” a semi-autobiographical account of growing up on the Spokane Indian Reservation and attending high school off the reservation.

The library is at 215 Sycamore St. For more information, visit www.dekalblibrary.org and www. georgiacenterforthebook.org.

May 14, 2016

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Community Kudos

CrossRoadsNews

May 14, 2016

“I wish we could have a number of we did, we probably wouldn’t be in

Mother-daughter duo unrelenting in their fight on

By Jennifer Ffrench Parker

When Viola Davis and her mother, Ruby Bozeman Davis, speak, elected officials on the receiving end sometimes squirm.

The two like to remind officeholders who their real bosses are – just in case it has slipped their minds.

“As taxpayers and voters, you work for us” is a common reminder from the two when they speak to the DeKalb Board of Commissioners, to state legislators and at public “I say, ‘Jesus was an meetings. agitator. Moses was Davis co-founded an agitator and Martin the Stone MountainLuther King Jr. was an based Unhappy Taxpayer & Voter agitator.’ I’m glad to be organization with in the mix.” her mother in 1996 to – Ruby Bozeman Davis target waste, mismanagement and inefficiency in local and state governments.

The duo says their grass-roots group is a “faithbased, nonpartisan movement representing and protecting the interest of taxpayers and voters.”

“We are a community-based social action and educational organization,” Viola Davis says. “We analyze how taxpayer dollars are spent and disseminate the results to the public.”

Their direct, no-holds-barred style does not endear them to all elected officials. Voters call them watchdogs. Some election officials consider them “a menace to society.”

But the Davises say they are not trying to make officials mad – just accountable.

“I say, ‘Jesus was an agitator. Moses was an agitator and Martin Luther King Jr. was an agitator,’” Bozeman Davis, a retired mental health This is the final of a 3-part technician and real series on the 2016 CrossRoad- estate agent, once told sNews Community Kudos a reporter. “I’m glad Honorees. to be in the mix.”

See also our May 7 edition, She got her start in for Kevin Chapman, Jr.’s story, and our April 30 edition for community service in Tom Smith’s story or visit www. 1979 when she was a crossroadsnews.com. plaintiff in the Brown v. Board of Education lawsuit filed by Charles Scott Sr., who was mentor to her mother.

Davis, a registered nurse, works four 10-hour days a week so that she can be available to attend Board of Commissioners and other community meetings.

For more than a decade, the Davises have made it their business to show up at public meetings to speak on behalf of citizens.

Joel Edwards, a retired union man and community activist, says the women speak truth to power.

He met them about eight years ago at a Board of

Viola Davis (left) and her mother Ruby Bozeman Davis (right) co-founded Stone Mountain-based Unhappy Taxpayer & Voter in 199

Viola Davis and Ruby Bozeman Davis are frequent participants at protests, including against the ill-conceived T-SPLOST proposal that excluded I-20 rail to DeKalb County, or a plan to put cellphone towers on local school properties.

“They are concerned about the people, about the well-being of the people in DeKalb County. They are concerned about the property value in DeKalb County, and they want to make sure that taxpayer money is not being utilized in the wrong way.”

– Joel Edwards, Restore DeKalb member

Commissioners meeting and liked their spirit and advocacy.

Edwards said he connected with them because they represent the voters.

“Here you have this lady that is concerned about the community, and concerned about taxpayers in this county, the accountability of their money, about how their money is being spent,” he said. “She was like a magnet. I was drawn to her.”

The Davises, who say everybody is Joel Edwards an unhappy taxpayer and therefore a member of their group, always stand out in their signature bright yellow “Unhappy Taxpayer & Voter” T-shirts with a “frowning” smiley face.

Edwards, like most people, initially thought they were sisters.

May 14, 2016

CrossRoadsNews

7

Viola Davises in this county. If n the trouble we are in now.”

n behalf of DeKalb taxpayers, voters and children

have consistent values and beliefs about what’s right and what’s wrong.”

Arrington said Davis and her mother speak up for people who are treated unfairly.

“I think Viola prides herself on helping people who don’t know how to navigate the system,” he said.

Davis, a U.S. Army “We are Airborne veteran who was missionaries. honorably discharged in We work for our 2003, said the Unhappy God to do what is Taxpayer & Voter group right and just.” grew out of their efforts – Viola Davis exposing the molestation and mistreatment of children and their work fighting for better care for U.S. veterans. She characterizes their work as a mission.

“We are missionaries,” she said. “We work for our God to do what is right and just.”

Edwards says they are an integral part of DeKalb’s political process.

“They are concerned about the people of people, about the well-being of the people in DeKalb County,” he said. “They are concerned about the property value in DeKalb County, and they want to make sure that taxpayer money is not being utilized in the wrong way.”

Over the past decade, the Davises fought against cellphone towers on DeKalb Schools grounds, dirty classrooms, and the improper closing of the Scales 96 to hold officials accountable. They frequent meetings of the DeKalb Board of Commissioners and other gatherings of officials.

Landfill in Lithonia. They were part of a coalition that in July 2012 helped defeat the ill-advised TFellow activSPLOST that excluded I-20 rail to the Stonecrest area. ists praise the The two have fought for regional funding for Davises for their MARTA and to save the HOPE Scholarship. They willingness to advocated for DeKalb Schools to implement funcspeak up for tioning School Councils and for an end to the socounty resicalled “Donor District” in which the state makes the dents, and their DeKalb School District send more than $1 million to commitment to making sure tax- support Gwinnett County Schools despite its fundpayers’ money is ing shortfalls. not being used Partly because of their advocacy, the county adinappropriately. opted a resolution asking the state to pay to properly close the 25-acre abandoned and bankrupt Scales Landfill and former state Sen. Steen Miles shepherded a $1.5 million appropriation in March 2005 for the landfill’s proper closure and to compensate James Clark, a next-door property owner who was affected by water runoffs from the landfill.

To get action, Edwards said the Davises work with different, sometime disparate groups.

“I always notice them at the Board of Commissioners People familiar with the mother-daughter duo’s “A lot of times we have to reach across the aisle meeting,” he said. “I didn’t realize that it was mother and work say they are fearless. to get the Republicans on board,” he said. daughter until maybe a year later.”

“They are the voice of the voiceless here in One of Viola Davis’ strengths is the research she In 2012, Edwards joined the Davises in launching DeKalb County, ” Edwards said. does and her use of the state’s Open Records Law to Restore DeKalb, a coalition of five groups of community Joe Arrington, who is also a access government documents. activists who advocate for issues involving DeKalb govregular at Board of Commissioners “There are a lot of things that we find out with ernment and the school system. meetings, has known the Davises Open Records,” Edwards said. “So when we have a DeKalb County is the coalition’s main area of concern, since the mid-1990s. problem, all we have to do is lay the documentation and integrity and accountability top its list.

He said the two were interested on the table.”

“We try to ensure that we are getting proper repin the county budget just like he Edwards wishes there were more people like the Joe Arrington resentation from our elected officials and from school was.

Davises active in the county. officials,” he said. “We think taxpayers deserve good “We are not always on the same page, but we are “I wish we could have a number of Viola Davises representation from the school system and from county on the same chapter of the book,” he said. “They in this county,” he said. “If we did, we probably government.” have integrity. They take consistent positions and wouldn’t be in the trouble we are in now.”

CrossRoadsNews

8

Wellness

May 14, 2016

Participants learn critical decision-making, financial literacy, and how to prevent other early pregnancies and sexually transmitted disease.

Memory, aging focus of seminar

The workings of the brain will be the subject of a May 21 Memory and Aging Seminar at the Clarkston Library.

The 90-minute Older Americans Month program begins at 12:30 p.m. It is open to residents 18 and over.

Dr. Mark Yates, an anatomy teacher and former university instructor, will present an overview of how the brain remembers and what happens to memory as we age. He also will discuss things we can do to improve memory.

The library is at 951 N. Indian Creek Drive in Clarkston. For more information, call 404-508-7175.

Three grads of EPA Justice Academy Teen mothers practice newborn first aid at a COMIZIA Care Inc. workshop. The deadline to register for the June workshops is May 20.

June workshops offer teen moms parenting skills Expectant and new teen mothers can learn and hone their parenting skills at four Saturday parenting workshops in June.

The nonprofit COMIZIA Care Inc. is hosting the workshops to help the young people develop and maintain healthy relationships, care for their children, and prevent other early pregnancies.

The workshops take place 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on June 4, 11, 18 and 25 at the DeKalb

ARC facility in Stone Mountain. Participants learn critical decision-making, financial literacy, how to delay unintended pregnancy, and preventing sexually transmitted disease.

They also will learn first aid to help their children.

Miko Jones, founder and CEO of the community-based organization that has serves pregnant and parenting teens and their children since 2001, said that while the

workshops have attracted more women than men, the training is also open to teen fathers. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t get many teen dads, but they can benefit from it too,â&#x20AC;? Jones said.

The deadline to register for the workshops is May 20.

DeKalb ARC is located at 949 N. Hairston Road. For more information and to register, call 404-428-1472.

John H. Miller II and Deborah Ortiz of Decatur and Charlotte K. Cartagena of Lithonia are graduates of the EPAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s inaugural class of the Environmental Justice Academy.

Miller represents the DeKalb Watershed CIP Citizens Advisory Group, while Ortiz represents the Environmental Justice Alliance. Cartagena is a Georgia State University student. They are among 21 graduates honored at a ceremony on May 7 at Kennesaw State University.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency provides the nine-month environmental justice training program to cultivate skills participants can use to identify and address environmental challenges in their communities. For more information, email R4_EJAcademy@epa.gov or visit www.facebook.com/eparegion4.

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CrossRoadsNews

May 14, 2016

Wellness

9

“We must act now to diagnose and treat hidden infections before they become deadly and to prevent new infections.”

Hepatitis C deaths underscore need for testing and treatment Studies indicate that new acute cases of hepatitis C infection cases since 2010 were predominantly among young, white individuals with a history of injection drug use, living in rural and suburban areas of the midwest and eastern United States.

life-threatening hepatitis C-related diseases, and they may unknowingly transmit the disease to others.

Dr. Jonathan Mermin, director of CDC’s National Center for HIV/ AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention, is concerned over the mortality numbers.

“Why are so many Jonathan Mermin Americans dying of this preventable, curable disease?” Mermin said.

“Once hepatitis C testing and treatment are as routine as they are for high cholesterol and colon cancer, we will see people living

Class provides tips to prepare for Ramadan

Meal planning help for older residents Residents 55 and older can attend “Healthy Eating: The Power of Planning a Meal” on May 19 at the Redan-Trotti Library in Lithonia.

The 12:30-to-1:30 p.m. program is part of the Older Americans Month and Savvy Senior series.

Participants will learn how to plan healthy, low-cost meals that make the most of their food dollars. They also will discover the benefits of shopping with a list and will practice planning meals in advance with a menu.

The library is at 1569 Wellborn Road. For more information, call 770-482-3821.

likely much higher than what is reported,” Ward said. “Due to limited screening and underreporting, we estimate the number of new infections is closer to 30,000 per year. We must act now to diagnose and treat John Ward hidden infections before they become deadly and to prevent new infections.”

Addressing viral hepatitis risk among people who inject drugs is an important public health priority and a key concern for CDC. CDC recommends that comprehensive prevention programs be implemented to avert drug-related hepatitis C transmission.

These prevention programs should include regular testing for hepatitis C (as well as hepatitis B and HIV); rapid links to medical care for people who test positive; and access to substance abuse treatment, sterile injection equipment, and other services.

The CDC and the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommend one-time hepatitis C testing for everyone born from 1945 to 1965 and regular testing for others at high risk.

Once diagnosed, patients can take advantage of new, highly effective treatments that can cure the vast majority of infections in two to three months and take other steps to protect their health.

For more information, visit www.cdc. gov.

278

PANOLA RD

Certified health and wellness coach Laila Qadira Yamini of Stone Mountain will present “Glow With Ramadan All Year Long! How to Maintain Good Health While Fasting” on May 21 at the Clarkston Library.

The two-hour program begins at 10 a.m.

Yamini, author of the “Glow With Ramadan All Laila Yamini Year Long!” health guide and “Get Your Glow On!” workbook, will provide tips about nutrition, exercise, sleep and other factors to help adherents prepare for a healthy Ramadan and good health throughout the year.

The Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which begins in early June this year, is a period of daily fasting from sunrise to sunset, ending with the Islamic holiday of Eid al-Fitr.

The library is at 951 N. Indian Creek Drive in Clarkston. For more information, call 404-508-7175.

the long, healthy lives they deserve.”

The surveillance data also point to a new wave of hepatitis C infections among people who inject drugs. Acute cases of hepatitis C infection have more than doubled since 2010, increasing to 2,194 reported cases in 2014. The new cases were predominantly among young, white individuals with a history of injection drug use, living in rural and suburban areas of the midwest and eastern United States.

Dr. John W. Ward, director of CDC’s Division of Viral Hepatitis, says cases are underreported.

“Because hepatitis C often has few noticeable symptoms, the number of new cases is

DEKALB MEDICAL PARKWAY

Hepatitis C kills more Americans each year than any other infectious disease, underscoring the need for testing and treatment, especially for baby boomers.

About 3.5 million Americans are living with hepatitis C and roughly half are unaware of their infection.

Deaths associated with hepatitis C reached an all-time high of 19,659 in 2014, new surveillance data released May 4 by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show.

A second CDC study, published online in Clinical Infectious Diseases, shows that annual hepatitis C-related mortality in 2013 surpassed the total combined number of deaths from 60 other infectious diseases reported to CDC, including HIV, pneumococcal disease, and tuberculosis. Further, both studies use data from death certificates, which often underreport hepatitis C, so there likely were even more hepatitis C-related deaths than these numbers suggest.

The greatest hepatitis C burden falls on baby boomers – those born from 1945 to 1965 – many of whom have unknowingly been living with the infection for many years.

Many baby boomers were infected during medical procedures in the years after World War II, when injection and blood transfusion technologies were not as safe as they are today, a study published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases earlier this year says. Without diagnosis and treatment, they increasingly develop liver cancer and other

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CrossRoadsNews

10

Youth

May 14, 2016

â&#x20AC;&#x153;This freedom will allow the DeKalb School District to continue on the road to student growth and achievement.â&#x20AC;?

Strategic Waivers School Systems status gives district more flexibility The DeKalb School District has been awarded Strategic Waivers School Systems status by the State Board of Education that frees it from some state restrictions and gives it flexibility in increasing student performance.

Superintendent R. Stephen Green says the designation, approved by unanimous consent, validates the strategy and improvements that he and the DeKalb School Board have brought to schools, students, staff, and families of the district. â&#x20AC;&#x153;With the SWSS designation, we now have Stephen Green freedom from many of the restrictive state practices,â&#x20AC;? Green said in a May 5 statement. â&#x20AC;&#x153;This freedom will allow the DeKalb County School District to continue on the road to student growth and achievement as

evidenced in the recent CCRPI test scores and increases in graduation rates and SAT scores.â&#x20AC;?

SWSS districts demonstrate the vision and ability to be granted flexibility with specific state laws as a way to improve operational, financial, and academic practices that better student achievement and organizational effectiveness. They operate under a five-year contract with the state School Board. In exchange for flexibility, they agree to raise measures of student achievement and operational effectiveness to certain predetermined levels.

The Department of Education and the Governorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Office of Student Achievement oversee the contract and performance.

Green says the designation comes at the right time to motivate teachers and staff even more in their DeKalb System turnaround. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We have just completed a reorganization that moves decision-making closer to the

schoolhouse â&#x20AC;&#x201C; a regional system instead of a bureaucratic central office hub,â&#x20AC;? Green said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We have finished an intensive audit of our curriculum, instructional practices, assessment, and accountability programs and are significantly upgrading all those areas. Our financial house is stable and, with a new financial management system coming, we will be able to effectively focus more resources on student achievement.â&#x20AC;?

The DeKalb School District took more than 18 months to build the detailed vision of future success presented in its SWSS application to the state.

It based the vision on feedback gathered from 17 community engagement sessions, plus comprehensive audits of academic and organizational practices.

Laura Stowell, director of Charter Schools, Governance and Flexibility, said the community and internal leadership â&#x20AC;&#x153;clearly aligned.â&#x20AC;?

â&#x20AC;&#x153;We already had in place many of the building blocks necessary to regain our place as an academic leader in Georgia, and the SWSS contract takes us another major step forward,â&#x20AC;? Stowell said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The flexibility we Laura Stowell now have from certain state requirements will allow DCSD to accelerate the innovative concepts we know will improve student achievement.â&#x20AC;?

The SWSS contract outlines practices the school system can implement in curriculum innovation, instructional innovation, organizational innovation, teacher and talent innovation, operational innovation, and innovations to engage stakeholders such as parents and community leaders.

For more information, visit www.dekalb. k12.ga.us.

Free computer coding workshop Girls and boys ages 9 to 15 can register to participate in the Conyers Chapter of 100 Girls of Codeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s inaugural Hackâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d Mini Hackathon on May 20 at Rockdale Career Academy.

Registration is available at www.100girlsofcode.com/conyers-ga.html.

Doors open at 5:30 p.m. for the 6-to-9 event. Prizes and surprises will be awarded.

Hackâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d Mini brings metro students in fourth to 10th grade together to support the free coding workshops given by the Conyers chapter. Facilitators include volunteers who have a love for computer science and are employed in the fields of education, technology,

and engineering.

100 Girls of Code provides one-day workshops across the country, partnering with local female developers, engineers, and teachers who seek to close the gender gap and introduce more girls to computer science. In the workshops, female coders conduct an interactive learning experience that includes an introduction to computer programming, website construction, games, and apps.

The academy is at 1064 Culpepper Drive in Conyers. For more information, contact Danithea Ward at danithea@100goc.com.

Georgia Piedmont Technical College

2016 Spring Commencement Announcement

The 14U Salem Lions are seeking donations for their Disney Tournament Trip on May 26-30 in Orlando, Fla. The tournament includes teams from all over the world.

Salem Lions seek donations for trip The 14U Salem Lions baseball team in Lithonia is raising funds for its Disney Tournament Trip on May 26-30 during Memorial Day Weekend.

The tournament includes teams from all over the world and will be held at the ESPN Disney World of Sports in Orlando, Fla. The team, which includes players from Chapel Hill, Miller Grove, Stephenson and Salem middle schools and MLK Jr. High, is part of the YMCA of Metro Atlanta program.

The Salem Lions have finished the past two seasons with appearances in the DeKalb

County Final Four with an overall record of 34-7-2.

On May 10, the team competed against the nationally top-ranked West Georgia Rebels and upset them 13-12 in a last-inning comeback victory.

The team is seeking to raise funds by May 25. Send checks or money order donations to Salem Baseball Team, 5333 Salem Road, Lithonia, GA 30038.

For more information, contact head coach Marius Nolden at 404-290-5626 or email Salembaseball97@yahoo.com.

Milestones promotion rule waived Dr. Jabari Simama, President

and The Board of Directors of Georgia Piedmont Technical College with The Board of Trustees of the Georgia Piedmont Technical College Foundation

Â&#x2014;Â&#x;Â&#x2019;Â?Â&#x17D;ȹ¢Â&#x2DC;Â&#x17E;ČąÂ?Â&#x2DC;ČąÂ&#x160;Ä´Â&#x17D;Â&#x2014;Â?ČąÂ&#x2DC;Â&#x17E;Â&#x203A;

2016 Spring Commencement Â&#x160;Â?Â&#x17E;Â&#x203A;Â?Â&#x160;¢ǰȹÂ?Â&#x2018;Â&#x17D;Čą  Â&#x17D;Â&#x2014;Â?¢ȏÄ&#x2122;Â&#x203A;Â&#x153;Â?Čą Â&#x160;¢ȹÂ&#x2DC;Â?Čą Â&#x160;¢ǰ Two Thousand Sixteen at

basing promotion, placement and The State Board of Education retention on the outcome of the has waived promotion/retention tests,â&#x20AC;? Woods said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;While many requirements for the 2016 Georgia districts tested online without a Milestones End of Grade tests. major incident, in the interests of During this yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s tests, some our students, we asked the State school districts reported technolBoard of Education for a waiver ogy-related interruptions of online of the promotion, placement and testing. Some events were quickly retention portion of the rule.â&#x20AC;? resolved, while others required State law requires students in more extensive technical support. Richard Woods The GaDOE, which granted the waiver grade three earn an At/Above Grade Level on May 5, said it believes further analysis is designation in reading to be promoted. In needed before the release of student scores. grades five and eight, students earn an At/ State School Superintendent Richard Above Grade Level in reading as well as score Woods said he was committed to â&#x20AC;&#x153;a respon- in the Developing Learner achievement level or above in math to be promoted. These are sible approach to accountability.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;Given the technology issues experienced the promotion, placement and retention reby some students â&#x20AC;Ś we believe it is best quirements being waived for the 2016 EOG to proceed with caution when it comes to administration. Visit www.gadoe.org.

Ten oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;clock in the morning Â&#x153;ÇŻČą Â&#x17E;ÂŁÂ&#x160;Â&#x2014;Â&#x2014;Â&#x17D;Čą Â&#x2018;Â&#x160;Â&#x2014;Â&#x201D;Ç°Čą Â&#x17D;¢Â&#x2014;Â&#x2DC;Â?Â&#x17D;Čą Â&#x2122;Â&#x17D;Â&#x160;Â&#x201D;Â&#x17D;Â&#x203A; Founding Partner, Siebert Brandford Shank & Company at the

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CrossRoadsNews

May 14, 2016

Legal Notices 05/07, 05/14, 05/21, 05/28

Notice of Petition to Change Name of Child(ren) in the Superior Court of DeKalb County State of Georgia

Civil Action Case Number: ++16CV4975-3++ Anndria Robinson filed a petition in the DeKalb County Superior Court on Apr. 22, 2016 to change name(s) of the following minor child(ren) from: Nailah Robinson-Molley to Nailah Robinson.

Any interested party has the right to appear In this case and file objections within the time prescribed In OCGA 19-12-1(f)(2) and (3).

Dated: Apr. 19, 2016 Name: Anndria Robinson 771 Rockboro Stone Mountain, GA 30083 (678) 361-3473 04/23, 4/30, 05/07, 05/14

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

Civil Action Case Number: ++16CV4506-4++ Fabian Blue filed a petition in the DeKalb County Superior Court on Apr. 12, 2016 to change name from: Fabian Blue to Kal-elle Jagger. Any interested party has the right to appear In this case and file objections within 30 days after the Petition for Name Change was filed.

Witness the Honorable Gail C. Flake, Judge of the DeKalb Superior Court.

This the 14th day of Apr., 2016

04/23, 4/30, 05/07, 05/14

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

Civil Action Case Number: ++16CV4457-3++ Fanny A. De Leon Velasquez Plaintiff Vs. Isaac D. Torres Sauceda Defendant You are hereby notified that the abovestyled action seeking Plaintiff for Divorce was filed suit against you in said court on Apr. 13, 2016 and that by reason of an Order for Services Summons by Publication entered by the court on Apr. 18, 2016, you are hereby commanded and required to file with the Clerk said court, and serve upon Sarah T. Austin, Plaintiffâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s attorney, whose address is: Atlanta Legal Aid Society, 246 Sycamore Street, Suite 120, Decatur, Georgia, 30030, an answer to the Petition within sixty (60) days of the Order for Service

by Publication.

Witness the Honorable Clarence F. Seeliger, Judge of the DeKalb Superior Court.

This the 18th day of Apr., 2016 04/23, 4/30, 05/07, 05/14

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

Civil Action Case Number: ++16CV4486-9++ Shewaye K. Kiffay Plaintiff Vs. Halemarim Kassa

Defendant To: Halemarim Kassa Ethiopia, Shire Endselasie Kebede 03 By order of the Court service for service by publication dated Apr. 18, 2016. You are hereby notified that on Apr. 12, 2016, the above-named Plaintiff filed suit against you for Petition of Custody.

You are required to file with the Clerk of Superior Court, and serve upon plaintiffâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s attorney whose name and address is: Donald M. Coleman, 246 Sycamore Street, Suite 120, Decatur, Georgia, 30030. Answer in writing with in sixty (6) days of Apr. 18, 2016..

Witness the Honorable Mark Anthony Scott, Judge of the DeKalb Superior Court.

This the 18th day of Apr., 2016 05/07, 05/14, 05/21, 05/28

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

Civil Action Case Number: ++16CV4473-3++ Artie Maryland Snell Plaintiff Vs. Kelvin Richardo Snell Defendant To: Kelvin Richardo Snell 5068 Wellborn Trace Lithonia, GA 30038 You are hereby notified that the abovestyled action seeking Plaintiff for Divorce was filed suit against you in said court on Apr. 20, 2016 and that by reason of an Order for Services Summons by Publication entered by the court on Apr. 15, 2016, you are hereby commanded

and required to file with the Clerk said court, and serve upon Artie M. Snell, 280 Northern Ave., Apt. #16, Avondlae, GA 30002, an answer to the Petition within sixty (60) days of Apr. 20, 2016.

Witness the Honorable Clarence F. Seeliger, Judge of the DeKalb Superior Court.

This the 28th day of Apr., 2016 05/07, 05/14, 05/21, 05/28

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

Civil Action Case Number: ++16CV4979-3++ Sylvia Soumano Plaintiff Vs. Sikina Soumano Defendant To: Sikina Soumano 2660 Godby Rd. College Park, GA 30345

By Order of the Court service for service by publication dated 04/26/16; You are hereby notified that Sikina Sourmano, the above-named plaintiff filed suit against you for Divorce. You are required to file with the Clerk of Superior Court, and to serve upon the plaintiffâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s attorney whose name and address is: Sylvia Soumano, 2260 McAfee Rd., Decatur, 30032. Answer in writing within sixty (60) days of Apr. 26, 2016.

Witness the Honorable Clarence F. Seeliger, Judge of the DeKalb Superior Court.

This the 27th day of Apr., 2016 05/07, 05/14, 05/21, 05/28

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

Civil Action Case Number: ++16CV2301-4++ Trenita Wilson-Beals

11 Plaintiff Vs. Orlando J. Beals Defendant To: Orlando J. Beals

By Order of the Court by publication dated 04/22/16; You are hereby notified that on Apr. 21, 2016 , the above-named Plaintiff filed suit against you for Divorce.

You are required to file with the Clerk of Superior Court, and to serve upon the plaintiffâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s attorney whose name and address is: Trenita Wilson-Beals, 5280 Peachtree Industrial Blvd., Rm#416, Chamblee, GA 30341. Answer in writing within sixty (60) days of Apr. 22, 2016.

Witness the Honorable Gail C. Flake, Judge of the DeKalb Superior Court.

This the 25th day of Apr., 2016 05/07, 05/14, 05/21, 05/28

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

Civil Action Case Number: ++16CV4769-7++ Kevin Carter Plaintiff Vs. April Carter Defendant To: April Carter 1131 Audubon Circle

By Order of the Court by publication dated Apr. 22, 2016; You are hereby notified that on Apr. 19, 2016 , the above-named Plaintiff filed suit against you for Divorce. You are required to file with the Clerk of Superior Court, and to serve upon the plaintiffâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s attorney whose name and address is: Kevin Carter, 2274 Salem Rd., #106, Conyers, GA 30013.

Answer in writing within sixty (60) days of Apr. 22, 2016.

Witness the Honorable Daniel M. Coursey, Jr.,, Judge of the DeKalb Superior Court.

This the 22nd day of Apr., 2016

++16CV4774-7++ Deborah Rasheed Plaintiff Vs. Omar Rasheed Defendant To: Omar Rasheed 5354 Fawnbrook Cir. Griffin, GA 30023

By Order of the Court by publication dated Apr. 22, 2016; you are hereby notified that on Apr. 19, 2016, the abovenamed Plaintiff filed suit against you for Divorce. You are required to file with the Clerk of Superior Court of DeKalb County, and to serve upon the plaintiffâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s attorney whose name and address is: Deborah Rasheed, 37 Treeview Dr., #70C, Lithonia, GA 30038. Answer in writing within sixty (60) days of Apr. 22, 2016.

Witness the Honorable Daniel M. Coursey, Jr., Judge of the DeKalb Superior Court.

This the 22nd day of Apr., 2016 05/07, 05/14, 05/21, 05/28

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

in the Superior Court of DeKalb County State of Georgia

Civil Action Case Number: ++16CV4547-1++ Rose Kinsey Smith Plaintiff Vs. Dorcy David Smith, Sr. Defendant To: 3747 Rockbridge Rd. Stone Mountain, GA 30083

By Order of the Court by publication dated Apr. 20, 2016; you are hereby notified that on Apr. 15, 2016, the abovenamed Plaintiff filed suit against you for Divorce. You are required to file with the Clerk of Superior Court, and to serve upon the plaintiffâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s attorney whose name and address is: Rose Kinsey Smith, 3747 Rockbridge Rd., Stone Mountain, GA 30083. Answer in writing within sixty (60) days of Apr. 20, 2016.

Witness the Honorable Courtney L. Johnson, Judge of the DeKalb Superior Court.

This the 21st day of Apr., 2016

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