COMMUNITY
FINANCE
WELLNESS
South DeKalb residents are disappointed that the I-20 Rail Project was shafted by the Regional Roundtable. 3
Arabia Mountain High culinary students will operate a restaurant to get handson experience. 6
More than 100 adults channelled their inner youth in a quest to help set a new Guinness record. 11
Passion for rail
Bistro on the Mountain
Jumping for new mark
EAST ATLANTA • DECATUR • STONE MOUNTAIN • LITHONIA • AVONDALE ESTATES • CLARKSTON • ELLENWOOD • PINE LAKE • REDAN • SCOTTDALE • TUCKER
Copyright © 2011 CrossRoadsNews, Inc.
October 15, 2011
Volume 17, Number 24
www.crossroadsnews.com
Stone Mountain kids make ‘The Amazing Race’ By Jennifer Ffrench Parker
Rebecca Young of Stone Mountain is a dedicated fan of “The Amazing Race.” On Sunday nights when the CBS reality show is on, she commandeers the big-screen television, and if football happens to Rebecca Young be on, Jim, her husband of 40 years, has to settle for checking the scores during commercial breaks. That was until their two youngest kids – Justin, 31, and Jennifer, 27 – became contestants on the show’s new season that debuted Sept. 25. So far, the siblings have survived
three episodes of the popular show, which takes contestants to exotic locations around the world to test their physical, analytical and creative skills. Eleven two-member teams started the journey on the first episode, and the last team standing in Episode 12 will win $1 million. Along the way, teams that finish first each week win trips to fabulous locales around the world. When Episode Four airs on Oct. 16, the siblings’ thrilled parents will again be glued to their television. Their mother said that having her children as contestants on the show has been amazing. “No pun intended,” she said Wednesday. “I love it, love it, love it.”
Young became an early fan of the show that first aired in September 2001. As they watched the show, the retired DeKalb County teacher said her kids would take turns saying, “I can do that.” After rounds and rounds of “We can do that,” Young said Justin, a medical doctor, and Jennifer, a special education teacher, sent in their application – an essay and video – this spring. To everyone’s surprise, the show’s producers called. When Justin and Jennifer were picked to be contestants on “The Amazing Race,” everyone, including their parents, had to sign confidentiality agreements. Please see ‘RACE,’ Page 2
CBS
Siblings Justin and Jennifer Young graduated from DeKalb County high schools.
‘Fired Up’ for King Dedication South DeKalb contingent making bus trip to D.C. By Jennifer Ffrench Parker
It’s six weeks later than originally planned, but 56 South DeKalb residents will depart Saturday to witness the dedication of the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial on the National Mall in Washington. The bus carrying members of the DeKalb NAACP will travel overnight, arriving in time for a day of activities around the West Potomac Park ceremony. John Evans, the group’s president, said they will “keep it fired up” on the trip. “This is an opportunity for the ages,” he said Wednesday. “Being at the dedication is simply superb. It’s just like going to John Evans the inauguration of the first black president. I wouldn’t miss it for the world.” During the bus trip, riders will celebrate King, who is the first African-American to have a statue on the National Mall. “We are going to sing freedom songs,” Evans said. “There will be testimonies from those who were involved in the movement and we will play clips of Dr. King’s speeches,” he said. The dedication was rescheduled from Aug. 28 as Hurricane Irene caused havoc along the eastern seaboard. The Martin Luther King Jr. National Memorial Project Foundation, which is hosting the dedication ceremony for the 30-foot King Memorial, has scaled back the festivities, but a full day of events is still planned. The dedication activities begin with an hour-long “Morning Joy” program at 8 a.m.
The dedication of the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial on the National Mall was rescheduled to Oct. 16 from Aug. 28 because of Hurricane Irene.
emceed by television commentator Roland Martin. The 9 a.m. dedication program, emceed by PBS “NewsHour’s” Gwen Ifill, will pay tribute to King. President Barack Obama will deliver the dedication address, and noted civil rights leaders, including Julian Bond; U.S. Rep. John Lewis; Marian Wright Edelman; former
Ambassador Andrew Young; and the Revs. Joseph Lowery, Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton, are scheduled to speak. King family members and retired network TV news anchor Dan Rather, who covered the civil rights movement early in his career, are also on the program. Musical and spoken tributes will be delivered by poet Nikki Giovanni, Mary
Mary, Miri Ben-Ari and PoemCees, Sweet Honey in the Rock, and Jennifer Holliday. The Dedication Choir of 75 vocalists from across the Washington metropolitan area will perform. Harry E. Johnson, Sr., president and CEO of the Martin Luther King Jr. National Please see KING, Page 2