CrossRoadsNews, September 4, 2010 by CrossRoadsNews, Inc.

COMMUNITY

WELLNESS

YOUTH

A photo of high grass on Turner Hill Road drew quick reaction as crews mowed the grass on Tuesday. Before and after photos are on page 6.

Four fathers are teaching classes to help allay the fears about child care that new dads may have. 7

The Marching Panthers of Southwest DeKalb High School have received a repeat invitation to march in the Tournament of Roses Parade. 9

Fast action at Stonecrest

Prep work for future dads

September 4, 2010

Pasadena bound, again

Volume 16, Number 19

www.crossroadsnews.com

DeKalb DA leaving to be EPA’s Region 4 administrator By Jennifer Ffrench Parker

DeKalb District Attorney Gwen Keyes Fleming has been picked by President Barack Obama to lead the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Region 4, which encompasses Georgia and seven other Southern states and six tribal nations. Announcing the appointment Wednesday, EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson said she is looking forward to working closely with Keyes Fleming on the many urgent environmental issues facing the country, and especially along Region 4’s Gulf Coast. “Gwen is coming on at an exceptionally challenging time,” Jackson said. “She will certainly play an instrumental role in protecting the health and environment of all

those living in the region.” Keyes Fleming was set to vacate the District Attorney’s Office she has held for the past five years on Friday and will be sworn in on Tuesday. She said Wednesday that she is grateful to Obama and Jackson for the trust they have Gwen Keyes Fleming placed in her and for giving her the opportunity to serve. She said that she will not be leaving the area. “I will still be working with constituents in addressing their environmental concerns,” she said. The special election to replace Keyes

Special election to be on Nov. 2 ballot, page 2

trators nationwide who are responsible for managing the EPA’s regional activities under the direction of the EPA administrator. Regional administrators promote state and local environmental protection efforts and serve as a liaison to state and local government officials. They also work to ensure that the EPA’s efforts to address the environmental crises are rooted in three fundamental values – science-based policies and programs, adherence to the rule of law, and transparency. Keyes Fleming, who is the first AfricanAmerican, first woman and youngest person to hold the DeKalb DA’s Office, has more than 15 years of experience as both a pros-

Fleming will be on the Nov. 2 ballot and qualifying will be Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. Her successor would complete the three years left on her term before running for reelection in 2013. Keyes Fleming will be based in Atlanta and will work out of the Sam Nunn Atlanta Federal Center on Forsyth Street in downtown Atlanta. Region 4 includes Alabama, Florida, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee and six Native American nations. She will be one of 10 regional adminis- Please see KEYES FLEMING, page 2

Uncertain Future For Flat Rock Church in historic community may face foreclosure By Jennifer Ffrench Parker

Flat Rock United Methodist Church – one of DeKalb’s oldest churches – is on the brink of losing the $1 million sanctuary it opened with great fanfare in 2004. The church, which was founded by exslaves, has anchored the historic Flat Rock Community in Lithonia since 1860. Its 156 members, who took the ceremonial march into the new 350-seat sanctuary at 4542 Evans Mill Road on April 4, 2004, included members of 18 families whose ancestors were among the founders of the church. Those families have lived continuously along Flat Rock, Crossvale and Evans Mill roads since the 1800s and their community predates the formation of DeKalb County in 1822. They are now facing the prospect of not only losing their sanctuary, but also the possible dissolution of the 150-year-old church. Vera Whitaker, who grew up in the community, has been a lifelong member of the church. She said Thursday that it hurts even to talk about the end of a way of life. “It’s the place I always go to,” she said, breaking down in tears. “It’s the place you felt welcome.” Whitaker remembers how great it felt to have room to move around in the new building after the cramped quarters of the old 120-seat church. “I was glad to have more space myself,” she said. “I was so happy. I love that church. I love the land it sits on. It’s a beautiful spot.” Church members and current pastor Troy Benton are in disagreement about whether SunTrust Bank, which holds the $750,000

Lifelong members of Flat Rock UMC Church, Johnny Waits and Vera Whitaker, outside their new sanctuary in 2004, just before its dedication. The church, built at a cost of $1 million, is on the brink of foreclosure. “We don’t have any money,” Whittaker says. “SunTrust wants us to go.”

mortgage note, is about to foreclose on the church. Members say the church is broke and that loan is about to reset with a balloon payment that they are unable to make. Benton, who arrived at the troubled church in June 2009 and attempted to merge it with the Isaiah United Methodist Church he initiated in Stone Mountain four years earlier, said Flat Rock UMC has never missed any of its $6,532.32 monthly loan payments, but that it will be unable to make its Sept. 21 payment.

“I have not received a letter or a phone call saying anybody is foreclosing on us,” he said Thursday. “We are having trouble making payment, but SunTrust is not forcing us to leave the building.” Whitaker, a member and past chairperson of the church’s board of trustees, said the church fell behind on its payment once before and that the bank wants it out of the building. “We don’t have any money,” she said. “SunTrust wants us to go. They want to

close it up.” Whitaker said the church has no savings and that the $175,000 it sold its old 2,000 square-foot church building for was used up to pay bills and salaries. “We don’t have anything,” she said. “It’s a shame. It’s heartbreaking.” Flat Rock UMC, like thousands of churches nationwide lured by easy credit and heady growth predictions, expanded during Please see FLAT ROCK, page 5

CrossRoadsNews

Community

September 4, 2010

“What I know for sure is that I am definitely running for district attorney on Nov. 2.”

County top officer fired for affair with county employee By Jennifer Ffrench Parker

Keith Barker, who ran DeKalb County as CEO Burrell Ellis’ chief operating officer, lost his $200,000 a year job Wednesday in the wake of sexual a relationship with a subordinate county employee. At a press briefing on Thursday, Ellis said he fired Barker on Sept. 1 after he confessed to the relationship and described it as “inappropriate” to Ellis. Barker is married with Keith Barker two children in college. His wife is a teacher with Gwinnett County Schools. While there is no county policy forbidding fraternizing among county employees, Ellis said the highest standards are expected of the county’s high level employees and that

he immediately terminated Barker. “I felt that it did not meet the expectations that we have for senior staff here in DeKalb County government,” he said. “It was my call, my decision.” Asked if DeKalb County employees can expect terminations for extramarital affairs, Ellis said high standards and expectations are required of high-level employees. “There are certain people at certain levels that are expected to conduct themselves in a way that is consistent with the positions of trust they hold for the people they represent,” he said. “We understand that mistakes are made but at the same time, sometimes there are consequences.” Barker’s confessions to Ellis followed media inquiries about the relationship Wednesday, but Ellis said he did not know what motivated Barker to come clean to him. Dana TraBue, a Water Department administrative assistant who was identified as

the woman Barker had the improper relationship with, is still employed by the county. She is single and has told Atlanta media that the relationship lasted from December 2009 to August. Ellis said no action had been taken against her and that he has not spoken to her. Asked why Barker was fired if there are no claims, Ellis said it was a call he made. “The COO serves at the pleasure of the CEO, and I made the decision that termination was appropriate, but again we don’t have any claims made by the employee or anybody else at this time,” he said. “Should that happen we will look into it.” Ellis said that he was not going to “do a witch hunt” but that if anything comes to his attention he will investigate it. Barker, whose contract includes six months severance pay or $100,000, was unavailable at press time. Before he joined Ellis’ administration on

Jan. 6, 2008, he was chief of staff for the Board of Commissioners. He joined the county in 2006 as the BOC’s first chief of staff. Ellis said he will move swiftly to begin looking for a new COO. Barker is the second high-profile employee to depart Ellis’ office in recent weeks. Communication chief Shelia Trapier Edwards, who quit in August, got a $13,000 raise before she left. Even though she resigned, she got a $45,980 severance package representing four months of her $138,000 a year salary. Asked what the departure of two highlevel people from his administration says about what’s going on in his office, Ellis said: “It says that no matter who you are, in this administration you are going to be held to the same standards and the same level of expectations throughout county government. We are going to go ahead and represent the people and represent them well, and we take that very seriously.”

MARTA eases travel for Labor Day James first to announce for D.A. MARTA is making it easy for customers to travel to events during the Labor Day holiday. The transit authority is charging $2 each way, plus a 50-cent charge to purchase a temporary Breeze ticket, or a $5 charge for a permanent Breeze card. Commuters can purchase a roundtrip fare at the start of their trip to avoid long lines on the return. MARTA will have regular special event rail service available to ensure that customers are able to travel safely and conveniently to their destinations. Additional staff and police

will be available to assist patrons. Parking for less than 24 hours is free at all of MARTA’s daily parking facilities. To get free parking in the decks at Lindbergh Center Station, MARTA riders must park in MARTA-designated areas and validate their parking ticket at machines inside Lindbergh Station. Some buses will be rerouted to accommodate parades. On Sept. 6, MARTA will operate a Sunday schedule on both bus and rail. For more information, visit www.itsmarta. com or call Customer Service at 404-8485000.

Barack Obama to be administrator DeKalb Solicitor-General Robfor the Environmental Protection ert James was the first lawyer to Agency’s Region 4, overseeing eight throw his hat in the ring for the states, including Georgia, and six Nov. 2 special election to replace Native American nations. She will DeKalb District Attorney Gwen be based in Atlanta. Sept. 3 was her Keyes Fleming. last day. “I am running to further what Keyes Fleming said Wednesday we started,” said James, who was that she left the office quickly so unopposed for a second term in that the special election could make the July 20 Democratic primary Robert James and does not have a GOP opponent in No- it on the Nov. 2 ballot. Matt Carrothers, vember. He said Thursday that he too had a a spokesman for the Georgia Secretary of lot of questions about how things will work State’s Office, said Thursday that qualifying out since his name is already on the Nov. 2 will be Sept. 8-10 at the Election Division, 1104 West Tower, 2 Martin Luther King Jr. ballot for solicitor-general. “What I know for sure is that I am defi- Drive S.E. in Atlanta. The hours are 9 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Wednesnitely running for district attorney on Nov. day; 8 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Thursday; and 8 a.m.2,” he said. Keyes Fleming announced her resignation noon Friday. The qualifying fee is $3,430.61, on Wednesday after five-and-a-half years as 3 percent of the district attorney’s annual district attorney. She was picked by President salary of $114,353.76.

Nominations for police champions

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Organizations, businesses and individuals can nominate peace officers as well as members of the community for the 2010 DeKalb Public Safety Champion Awards. The DeKalb Police Alliance is seeking nominations for the awards, which honor the men and women in public safety and in the community who go above and beyond the call of duty to keep us safe and secure. To nominate a Public Safety Champion, fill in the online form at www.dekalbpolicealliance.org/championnominations.html or download the form at www.dekalbpolicealliance.org and mail to P.O. Box 888511, Atlanta, GA 30356 or fax to 404-373-7721. You do not have to be from DeKalb County to nominate a DeKalb Public Safety Champion. The deadline for nominations

is Sept. 9. A panel of judges composed of members of the DeKalb Police Alliance board and the Champion Newspaper will select this year’s winners. Winners will be honored at the fourth annual Police Officers Ball on Oct. 30 at the Crowne Plaza Ravinia hotel near Perimeter Mall. The DeKalb Police Alliance develops and garners public support for crucial projects and programs that provide additional resources to officers in DeKalb County, including the municipalities, to enhance their work and promote greater safety and peace. The Champion Newspaper sponsors the 2010 DeKalb Public Safety Champion Awards. For more information, contact Deborah Spector at deborah.spector@ dekalbpolicealliance.org or 404-372-1870.

Responsibilities include Gulf Coast KEYES FLEMING,

from page

ecutor and administrator. As district attorney, she manages more than 165 employees, handling 13,000 felony cases each year with an annual budget of more than $12 million. Prior to her election as district attorney, Keyes Fleming was the first woman and first African-American to be elected solicitorgeneral in DeKalb. During the two terms she served in that office, she handled misdemeanor crimes and implemented numerous domestic violence prevention initiatives that successfully decreased the rate of domestic violence deaths

in the county. Keyes Fleming obtained her B.S. in finance from Rutgers University and her Juris Doctorate from the Emory University School of Law. She has received numerous awards, including Emory Law’s Distinguished Alumni Award; the Georgia Association of Black Women Attorneys Leah Ward Sears Award for Distinction in the Profession in 2010; Atlanta’s Top 100 Black Women of Influence in 1999, 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010; CrossRoadsNews Readers Choice Awards for Most Beloved Elected and Most Beloved Public Official; and the Women in the NAACP Award in 2010.

CrossRoadsNews

September 4, 2010

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September 4, 2010

Millions of laid-off workers have enrolled in technical, twoyear and four-year colleges.

The enduring spirit of the American worker Labor Day 2010 celebrations will be muted or nonexistent for millions of Americans who are unemployed, underemployed or too discouraged to continue the search for work. The Great Recession is reaping a bitter harvest of jobs, hopes and dreams. Americans fortunate enough to be gainfully employed are haunted by fear and anxiety, which are the debilitating byproducts of widespread economic uncertainty. A growing number of respected economists are beginning to raise the specter of a potentially devastating double-dip recession. Many corporate leaders, business owners, and entrepreneurs are hoarding huge amounts of capital, refusing to invest in new workers and technological infrastructure. They argue to all who will listen that the prevailing national political climate is, at best, anti-business, or, at worst, socialistic. Republican and Democratic administrations have appropriated billions for fiscal and monetary

Despite our difficult economic circumstances, I believe there is still much to celebrate and appreciate. The American Spirit is not broken, nor will it be broken. Michael Thurmond

stimulus. However, the recession without end grinds on. Political Jeremiahs lament the American ship of state is listing toward secondclass status among the world’s industrial powers. Tens of thousands of concerned Americans recently gathered before the Lincoln Memorial to pray for the restoration of the American Spirit. Despite our difficult economic circumstances, I believe there is still much to celebrate and appreciate. The American Spirit is not broken, nor will it be broken. During the nadir of the Great Depression, President Franklin Roosevelt boldly confronted eerily similar economic and political circumstances. In his first inau-

gural address delivered in March 1933, Roosevelt famously rallied a dispirited American people by proclaiming: “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself – nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance.” The president acknowledged the severity of “our common difficulties,” and he calmed a troubled nation by asserting that America’s problems “concern, thank God, only material things.” America’s greatness is not defined by the gyrations of the New York Stock Exchange, real estate values, or the national unemployment rate. Lost among the exhortations of economic malaise is the fact that

millions of laid-off workers have enrolled in technical, two-year and four-year colleges. Millions of others are attending proprietary schools, signing up for job training programs, and benefiting from subsidized onthe-job training. This painful, but necessary, process of retraining, re-educating, and retooling our 20th century work force for 21st century opportunities will eventually pay huge dividends in increased productivity and prosperity. During this Labor Day, please reflect upon the enduring greatness of the generations of American workers who contributed to the making of this nation. Throughout our history, courageous men and women have risen to meet and overcome daunting domestic and international challenges. This time will be no different. Through good and bad economic times, America remains the last best hope on the face of the Earth. Michael Thurmond is commissioner of the Georgia Department of Labor.

Effective programs needed to combat high dropout rate The high school dropout rate for black males is as high as 70 percent in some urban areas. Overall, for males and females, it’s around 50 percent, yet there are programs out there that are far more effective than the methods being unproductively used in these classrooms. Examples include Urban Prep in Chicago, some of the charter schools in Harlem, and the Ron Clark School here in Atlanta to name a few. My questions are these: First of all, why aren’t these programs replicated throughout the country? Second, what can we, black people, do to make it happen? The answer to the former is quite simple: It is not part of the grand scheme to educate black children – that’s why so many prisons are being prepared.

The latter question is more challenging because it requires the uniting of our communities in an organized, systematic manner, and on a national basis, which leads to another question: Who will provide the leadership? Can we count on noted educators, talk-show hosts, credible celebrities, the clergy, politicians and noted psychologists to lead the way? Or do we play along with the system, pretending the problem

isn’t that serious so therefore we continue to ignore it? I cannot understand why, with all the expertise and influence in our own communities, we wait for someone on the outside to “come to our aid.” It “ain’t gonna happen.” How many more of our young people will have to die in the mean streets that we’ve helped create? How many more will provide the cheap labor that improves the bottom line of companies like Victoria’s Secret and Fruit of the Loom?

How many of our young daughters do we have to lose to the streets before we wake up? If and when we do wake up, will it be too late? When are we as a people going to show our children that someone out there cares? We need a national movement to work toward incorporating educational programs that work for our youth into the school systems of every urban area in America. Please take this plea seriously and share with colleagues; surely there must be someone out there who’s willing to step up. Hopefully someone like the Rev. Al Sharpton, Warren Ballentine, Joe Madison or Martin Luther King III can take this on as a project and provide the impetus so that the rest of us can get busy. Ron Gilliam lives in Decatur.

Quick Read County officer terminated after admitting to affair 2

Driver Services closed for holiday

Keith Barker lost his $200,000 a year job Wednesday in the wake of sexual a relationship with a subordinate county employee.

All Department of Driver Services driver’s licensing and testing Customer Service Centers will be closed Sept. 4 for Labor Day.

James first to announce for D.A. 2

Expo showcases program’s grads 6

Solicitor-General Robert James was the first lawyer to throw his hat in the ring for the Nov. 2 special election to replace DeKalb District Attorney Gwen Keyes Fleming.

Entrepreneurs who have completed the Microenterprise Development Program will showcase their goods and services and network at a Sept. 11 Business Expo.

Free health screenings at races

Dead battery can put damper on trip

Race fans can get free health screenings over the Labor Day weekend at the Atlanta Motor Speedway.

The summer heat not only saps your energy, it also can drain your car battery. And heavy holiday traffic takes its toll as well.

Training class helps ease new dads’ fears 7 Becoming a new father can be a stressful experience. Worrying about finances, how to care for the baby, and keeping Mommy happy can leave men nervous.

Centenarian’s too busy to worry about age

Elzora Baker is 100 years old but you wouldn’t know it from the schedule she keeps.

Six win Chick-fil-A scholarships

Six DeKalb County Chick-fil-A employees have received $6,000 in national Leadership Scholarships from the fast-food chain.

index to advertisers Armstrong Cleans Carpets..............................6 Before & After Fitness Center....................... 10 Bruce Street / East DeKalb Center.................. 11 Chapel Hill Orthodontics................................. 7 Community Lenders....................................... 11 DeKalb County Schools...................................9

DeKalb Technical College............................... 8 DoMaro Uniform Services............................. 10 Exotic Thai Restaurant................................... 11 Georgia Power................................................ 5 Law Office of Trichelle Griggs Simmons........ 11

LawnMax, Inc................................................ 10 Macy’s............................................................. 3 Malcolm Cunningham Auto Gallery..............12 Mini Mall........................................................ 11 Mystery Valley Golf Club................................. 8

North DeKalb Mall.......................................... 2 The Law Office of B.A. Thomas..................... 11 The Samuel Group (2)................................... 11 The Spa at Stonecrest.................................... 11 Wonderland Gardens.................................... 11

September 4, 2010

Community

CrossRoadsNews

“I am not at liberty to say anything else. The future of the church is a private matter.”

Quick action on unkempt median

Holiday for I-20 roadwork Motorists will get some relief during the Labor Day holiday with the suspension of the I-20 resurfacing project this weekend. The resurfacing of the eastbound lanes of I-20 between Columbia Drive and Turner Hill Road will resume Sept. 9, weather permitting. The Georgia Department of Transportation is reminding drivers to still exercise caution as heavy holiday traffic is expected. Crews still may be working in proximity to highways, and safety concerns may require that some long-term lane closures remain in place. “Historically, there are nearly 2,000 accidents in Georgia during the Labor Day weekend and more than a dozen individuals lose their lives,” Transportation Commissioner Vance C. Smith Jr. said. “Enjoy your holiday, but please, please, be careful and courteous on our roadways.” For more information, call 511 or visit www.511ga.org.

Free health screenings at races Race fans can get free health screenings over the Labor Day weekend at the Atlanta Motor Speedway. Emory Healthcare’s team of staff and clinical volunteers are offering the screenings to the more than 150,000 race fans, visitors and support crews who are expected at the Henry County venue. The free health screenings include blood pressure screenings; smoking cessation help and information; head, neck and skin cancer screenings; body mass index, or BMI, screenings; and general health and wellness information. Dane Peterson, Emory University Hospital Midtown’s chief operating officer, said it’s an incredible opportunity to reach out to so many men and women. “At the end of the day, we hope to make a difference in the lives of more than a few individuals and ensure that they will be able to return for many more exciting Labor Day weekends at the Atlanta Motor Speedway,” Peterson said. For more information, visit www.emoryhealthcare.org/500.

Driver Services closed for holiday Photos by Jennifer Ffrench Parker / CrossRoadsNews

The median on Turner Hill Road got a trim on Tuesday after the photo (at top) of the unkempt overgrown median leading to the entrance to the Mall at Stonecrest appeared on the front page of the Aug. 28 CrossRoadsNews. DeKalb County mowers also cut the left side of the road but did not get to the I-20 overpass bridge or the exit and entrance ramps. By Thursday someone had posted an illegal sign. Hopefully, Commissioner Connie Stokes’ Code Enforcement Task Force can quickly locate and fine the perpetrator.

Pastor says options include relocating, dissolving church FLAT ROCK,

from page

the real estate boom. Borrowing by churches reached $28 billion nationwide in 2006, including mortgages, construction loans and church bonds, according to Lambert, Edwards & Associates, a Grand Rapids, Mich.-based consulting firm. But as the economic recession took hold, congregants lost jobs and tithes and offerings plummeted. Many churches are now finding it difficult to service their loans. In recent months, hundreds of churches nationwide, including many in Atlanta, have fallen behind on their mortgage payments or have received foreclosure notices. Benton said church members of record will be asked to decide the church’s future at a Sept. 12 “private congrega- Troy Benton tional meeting.” He said the options on the table are to relocate the congregation, dissolve the church, and other alternatives that he would not discuss. “I am not at liberty to say anything else,” he said. “The future of the church is a private matter.” Whitaker said that the UMC District has declined to help the church. Reached Thursday, UMC District Superintendent Sharma Lewis referred telephone calls to the North Georgia Conference of the UMC. Its treasurer, Keith Cox, did not return a phone call by press time. The church began life in 1860 as Flat Rock Episcopal Church. It became United Methodist in 1971. Its board of trustees voted in 1985 to construct a new building and began setting aside third Sunday tithes and offerings for the building fund. It bought the 6.6-acre property in 1996

and broke ground for the new building on June 9, 2003. Whitaker said the church had not had a mortgage since 1972 and its aging membership was unprepared for the burden of the huge mortgage note. “We should have waited,” she said. “We didn’t know the economy would be that bad, that people would be without jobs, that people would leave, that people would put a handful of change in the offering basket.” In the flush of expansion, members thought that an attractive new building would draw some of the new homeowners who were moving into new subdivisions with $300,000 and $500,000 homes that opened along Evans Mill and Browns Mill roads. Whitaker said none of that happened. “I think we got one member,” she said. “Some of the Flat Rock people gave up on Flat Rock because of the ministers [the UMC District] sent us.” Benton’s arrival with 72 members from Isaiah UMC also could not save the church. He said Thursday that the church has averaged 112 members this year. Whitaker said the church has about 75 members. “All of his people didn’t come with him,” she said. “The money didn’t come with him. We thought the church would prosper with the merger. It didn’t.” Johnny Waits, a third-generation member of the church, said the membership is in the dark about plans for the church. “We really don’t know what is going on,” he said, asking a reporter what the pastor had to say. Whitaker said she does not see how the Sept. 12 meeting can save the church or help them. “If I had $1 million, I would put my million dollars into the church. I even found myself wishing I could win the lottery and buy the church. It means that much to me.”

All Department of Driver Services driver’s licensing and testing Customer Service Centers will be closed Sept. 4 for the Labor Day holiday and will reopen Sept. 7. DDS administrative offices, which include the customer telephone contact center, will be closed Sept. 6. Services such as replacing a lost license and requesting a change of address can be done online. For more information, visit www.dds.ga.gov.

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CrossRoadsNews

Community

September 4, 2010

“I hope this will remind everyone to continue using precautions to avoid mosquito bites.”

Expo showcases program’s grads Social activist to lead DeKalb Habitat tors will get a business directory Entrepreneurs who have comof all the businesses. pleted the Microenterprise DevelSaleem said that with the opment Program will showcase help of American Recovery & their goods and services and netReinvestment Act Funds, PCA work at a Sept. 11 Business Expo was able to provide 111 grants at the Partnership for Community and 15 loans to jump-start or Action Clarkston campus. expand the various businesses. The noon to 5 p.m. expo will Microenterprise particishowcase graduates of the program that trained more than 400 Mohammad Saleem pants received training on people in fiscal 2010. They either started or building credit and setting up financial expanded an existing business and several management tools for their business ventures. Business coaches worked one-oncreated jobs for others. Mohammad Saleem, PCA’s president one with the trainees to ensure they have and CEO, said the expo is one strategy for a competitive edge for success. Partnership for Community Action is providing the business owners with access to the markets they want to reach. They can at 815 Park North Blvd. For more information, e-mail MDP. network with prospective clients and other small businesses throughout metro Atlanta. business@pcaction.org or call 404-929The event is open to the public and visi- 2496.

Decatur man is first West Nile case A 39-year-old Decatur man who has been diagnosed with West Nile virus is the first human case in DeKalb County and the fifth in Georgia. The DeKalb Board of Health says he is currently in the hospital with some paralysis. “I hope this will remind everyone to continue using precautions to avoid mosquito bites,” said district health director S. Elizabeth Ford. About one in 150 people infected with the disease develop severe symptoms that can include paralysis, high fever, convulsions and coma. People 50 and older face the greatest risk. As of Aug. 31, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that 26 states have reported 177 cases of West Nile virus in humans. The Board of Health offers these precautions against mosquitoes: Reduce outdoor exposure at dawn and dusk, when the mosquitoes that transmit

West Nile virus are most active. On skin, use an insect repellent containing DEET (at least 30 percent), picaridin, oil of lemon eucalyptus or IR3535. Apply according to label instructions. Spray clothing with products containing permethrin. Wear long-sleeved shirts, long pants and socks when outdoors, particularly at dawn and dusk and in areas with large numbers of mosquitoes. Reduce mosquito breeding in your yard by eliminating standing water in gutters and items such as planters, toys, wheelbarrows and old tires. Discourage mosquitoes from resting in your yard by trimming tall grass, weeds and vines. Make sure window and door screens fit tightly to keep mosquitoes out of your home. For more information, visit www.dekalbhealth.net c or call 404-294-3700.

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affiliate, providing strong leaderSocial activist John Shaffer has ship in resource development and joined DeKalb Habitat as executive community development which director. are both sorely needed in DeKalb Shaffer comes to DeKalb from County,” she said. Colorado, where he was the founder Shaffer said he is looking forand executive director of Rocky ward to working with the board Mountain Human Services Coaliand especially the new executive tion, which served Jefferson County, committee. for 13 years and placed 275 hoJohn Shaffer “They are an eager, engaged meowners into renovated or new group of volunteers, committed to excelconstruction homes. Under his leadership, Rocky Mountain lence in serving the housing needs of DeKalb Human Services Coalition raised more than County,” he said. Habitat will welcome Shaffer with a Sept. $2 million in federal, state and local grants, obtained a $40,000 in-kind donation of pro- 27 meet-and-greet reception at Cornerstone motional campaign materials and secured a Community Bank in downtown Decatur. Shaffer takes over from Joe Stoner, who $100,000 major gift from a private donor. He holds a master of divinity from the retired in June. During his two years as exPrinceton Theological Seminary, bachelor ecutive director, Stoner more than tripled the of arts from the University of Colorado, number of homeowners served from three and a paralegal certificate from the Denver families a year to 10. In addition to the welcome reception, Paralegal Institute. He also has a Residential Habitat DeKalb will hold a family fun event Contractor Class C license in Colorado. Kimberly Cameron, the housing non- – “Party on the Plaza” – on Oct. 7 at Perimprofit’s board president, said they are excited eter Mall. For more information, call 404-534to have Shaffer on board. “John will add a new dynamic to our 1611.

Dead battery can put damper on trip The summer heat not only saps your energy, it also can drain your car battery. And heavy holiday traffic takes its toll as well, AAA says. The auto club says requests for battery assistance spiked from 4,000 a year to more than 400,000 in the past decade. Throughout the Labor Day weekend in Georgia, it expects the call volume for AAA service technicians to provide jump-starts and battery replacements to stranded motorists to increased dramatically. Between 2008 to 2009,thosecalls jumped 40 percent. Jay Bolster, AAA Battery Service Operations senior manager, said they want motorists to be prepared if their battery fails this Labor Day weekend. “It’s a busy holiday for motorists and extremely hot – the heat alone can drain a battery,” he said. Drivers may get an early warning when their car battery is about to die. Motorists may notice their car will start slower than usual, interior lights may start to dim or flicker, and after-market equipment may not function properly. This is the time to test the battery to see if it needs to be charged or replaced to prevent being stranded. Motorists

will know if the battery has failed because the car will make a series of rapid clicks and will not start.

‘Tow to Go’ AAA is also teaming up with Budweiser for “Tow to Go” to help remove drunk drivers off the roadways over the Labor Day holiday. Anyone – members and nonmembers – can call for a Tow to Go ride through Sept. 6. Since its launch in 1998, Tow to Go has safely removed more than 11,660 drunk drivers off the roads. It provides a free, confidential ride and tow home from any bar or restaurant to anyone who may have had too much to drink by calling 1-800-AAA-HELP (4357). Kathy Casso, vice president of corporate social responsibility for Anheuser-Busch, says the program is designed to help keep people safe while traveling. “Our country was built by the many men and women who make up our work force,” Casso said. “As we celebrate the Labor Day weekend, let’s not forget the hard-working AAA service technicians who provide rides home from Tow to Go and help keep our roads safe for our families and friends.”

September 4, 2010

Wellness

CrossRoadsNews

“We’re here to give incentives to the new dads to help them gain confidence as well as give them the skill sets that they need.” Jonathan Phillips (left) shows prospective fathers how to support an infant’s head during the New Dads 101 training class.

Photos by Carla Parker / CrossRoadsNews

Training class helps ease new dads’ fears By Carla Parker

Becoming a new father can be a stressful experience for men. Worrying about finances, how to care for the baby, and keeping Mommy happy can leave men nervous about being a father. That is why Jonathan Phillips and three other experienced fathers are answering the concerns of new dads at New Dads 101, a class that is training new and expectant fathers in topics such as delivery room dos and don’ts, diaper changing, safety issues, affording the baby, feeding the baby, and more. Phillips, a father of three girls, and George Willingham, a father of two, started the class in 2005. After attending a new dad class in Cobb County, Phillips said he wanted to bring the same type of class to the South DeKalb area, where he is a resident of Lithonia. “I saw it as an opportunity to make a difference in families in the South DeKalb area,” he said. The class is done in partnership with the Decatur Pediatric Group and the Babies R Us at the Mall at Stonecrest. Phillips’ wife is Dr. Lynette Wilson-Phillips, owner of Decatur Pediatric Group.

Pragga (left) and Pulkit Bhatnagar watch as Jonathan Phillips demonstrates how to change a diaper.

Phillips said that he, Willingham, and fellow class instructors Pete Alexander and Charles Releford are not professional trainers, just a group of dads sharing their experiences so new dads won’t make the same mistakes that they did.

“We’re here to give incentives to the new dads to help them gain confidence as well as give them the skill sets that they need,” said Alexander, a father of six. “Dads have to be knowledgeable just like the moms.” Pulkit Bhatnagar, who attended the Aug. 28 class with his pregnant wife, Pragga, said the class and the demonstrations were helpful. “It was very informative and entertaining,” he said. “I had concerns about how well I will take care of the baby, but the class was helpful with that.” The Decatur couple’s first child is due in February. Phillips hopes this class also will help with bringing discipline back in the schools. “Studies show that when dads are more involved with their kids and in the schools, the child is a better student,” he said. The next New Dads 101 class will be held on Sept. 4 at the Decatur Pediatric Group, 5424 Hillandale Park Court in Lithonia. On Oct. 9, Wal-Mart’s Fairington Road store is hosting a class. The store recently became a partner of the New Dads 101 class. To attend the class or for more information, contact Jonathan Phillips at jphillips @visionsusa.net or 404-542-3294.

Stroke seminar includes free screening offer Adults can find out about stroke prevention and receive a coupon for a free vascular screening at a Sept. 9 seminar at DeKalb Medical in Decatur. Dr. William W. Rose III, a board-certified vascular and endovascular surgeon, will discuss the relationship between stroke and peripheral vascular disease and peripheral artery disease at the William Rose III 6:30 p.m. seminar in the DeKalb Medical Theatre on the North Decatur campus. Rose, on staff since 1998, also will talk about the latest medical advances to combat blood circulation disorders. He offers non-surgical medical vascular therapies including vein treatments as well as performs traditional/open vascular surgery and endovascular surgery. Seminar participants will get a $129 coupon for a free vascular screening. Parking and registration are free. Call 404-501-9355 to R.S.V.P. DeKalb Medical is at 2701 North Decatur Road.

Y offers free mammograms Women 35 to 64 years old who lack health insurance can get free mammograms on Sept. 18 through a partnership of the YWCA of Greater Atlanta and DeKalb Medical’s Wellness on Wheels. The deadline to register is Sept. 8. Women who register will be given the address to get their mammograms. The Greater Atlanta Y branch is participating in EncorePlus, a national YWCA breast and cervical cancer awareness program that connects women to free and low-cost mammography and cervical screening locations throughout metro Atlanta. Thomasine Platt Leachman, the Y’s EncorePlus program coordinator, said the need is great because so many women lack resources to pay for a mammogram due to a job loss in this economy. For more information, visit www .ywcaatlanta.org.

Oakhurst staying Crisis center open in evening seeks volunteers The DeKalb Rape Crisis Center is to serve patients seeking volunteers to provide support to Oakhurst Medical Center has extended its weekday hours to accommodate working parents and others who need evening appointments. The nonprofit center, which has locations in Decatur and Stone Mountain, is now open until 8:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday. Oakhurst has been providing primary health care services in DeKalb County since 1980 and serves more than 11,000 patients each year. It offers family medicine and pediatric and obstetrics/gynecology services. The board of directors approved the extended hours after the Stone Mountain location reached 95 percent capacity. Oakhurst Medical Center is at 1760 Candler Road in Decatur and at 770 Village Square Drive. For more information, call 404-2988998, visit www.oakhurstmedical.org, or e-mail info@Oakhurstmedical.org or.

survivors on its 24-hour crisis line and to accompany them to the hospital when needed. The center responds to nearly 900 calls a year. The Fall 2010 Volunteer Training begins on Sept. 14. It takes place from 6 to 9 p.m. on Tuesday and Thursday for seven weeks. For an application, visit www.dekalbrapecrisiscenter.org. For more information, call 404-3771429, Ext. 4.

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CrossRoadsNews

Scene

September 4, 2010

“She is a real joy to be around. Sometimes I wish I had a truckload of Bakers.”

100 years later, Elzora Baker still going strong By Carla Parker

Elzora Baker is 100 years old but you wouldn’t know it from the schedule she keeps. Every Sunday she is at Union Missionary Baptist Church in Lithonia where she is the oldest member and serves on the Mother Board and the Missions Board and also helps serve communion. Once a month, she joins church members for their trip to Traditions Health and Rehabilitation center on Evans Mill Road, where she prays for residents. André Grier, her pastor for 16 of the 76 years that she has been a member of church, calls her “a praying woman.” “She is a real joy to be around,” he said. “Sometimes I wish I had a truckload of Bakers.” When Grier guest preaches at other churches, Baker says she always tried to go along to support. And every fifth Sunday, she worships at Emmanuel Community Church in Conyers, where she has reserved parking with her name on it. Grier said he is not surprised that Baker is still active at her age. “She has been blessed with great health, so she is going to continue to be involved as long as she can,” he said. Baker, who has lived in Lithonia all her life, will be celebrating her 100th birthday on Sept. 4 with a party at Piccadilly in the Suburban Plaza on North Decatur Road. Her daughter, Allean McMullen, said the grandmother of nine, great-grandmother of 25, and great-great-grandmother of eight

Elzora Baker poses before photos of her large family in the house, build by her late husband Jack, 66 years ago.

Carl Parker / CrossRoadsNews

will be surrounded by family, friends and church members. She will probably need help blowing out that many candles. When Baker took her first gulp of air on a Sunday in 1910, William Taft was in his second year as president. She was the oldest of three children to the late Henry and Jossie Swans and outlived them. On Sept. 1, flanked by two of her four children, McMullen and Mary Felton, Baker talked about how she picked cotton and did housework as a domestic servant. “I could pull fertile,” she said, describing how she picked cotton. “I ironed clothes and cleaned up the houses.” She and her late husband, Jack, raised

their four children in the house where she currently lives; the same house that her husband built. “He came down here when they were selling the lots, and he bought two lots,” she said. “And I said, ‘Why did you go down there and buy?’ And he said, ‘Iherefore I’m gon’ build a house.’ So he had the house built.” Baker said she had never had a serious illness. She’s had surgery only once, on her knee in 1985. “I don’t have any pain; I’m just weak,” she said. Baker said she never thought she would reach 100 years of age, but that it feels wonderful. “It feels good to be blessed to live that long,” she said.

Atlanta

champion needs votes Vanetta S. Keyes, the founder and executive director of C.H.O.I.C.E.S., needs the votes of Atlantans to help her win a $10,000 grant from the General Mills Feeding Dreams Campaign. Keyes is one of 10 Af r i c a n - Am er i c a n s from 10 Southern cities honored by the 2010 General Mills Feeding Dreams Community Champion campaign. Vanetta Keyes Feeding Dreams celebrates people who invest their time, energy and talents to make improvements at the local level. Keyes, the mother of an overweight child, founded the Center Helping Obesity In Children End Successfully Inc. (C.H.O.I.C.E.S.) in 2002 to fight childhood obesity by enabling children to make better food and lifestyle choices. She is vying with champions from Birmingham, Charlotte, Columbia, S.C., Jacksonville, Fla., Jackson, Miss., Memphis, Miami, New Orleans and Norfolk. Voting is taking place at www.feedingdreams.com through Oct. 30. The top vote-getter gets a $10,000 grant to benefit the charity of his or her choice. The second-place winner gets $5,000, and a third-place winner, $3,000. The others will get $2,000 each.

Crackdown on drunk drivers Married life workshop at library Police officers will be on the prowl for drunk drivers during the Labor Day holiday. The Governor’s Office of Highway Safety is launching its statewide end-of-summer impaired driving enforcement mobilization, “Operation Zero Tolerance (O-Z-T) –if you’re Over the Limit, you’re Under Arrest.” Officers will aggressively enforce DUI laws at all times of the day and night during the national crackdown. More than 500 Georgia Traffic Enforcement Network member agencies are planning DUI countermeasures across the state this holiday to remove more impaired drivers from the road. They are also joining peace officers from five other Southeastern states –Florida, Alabama, Tennessee, and North and South Carolina –in beefing up enforcement of DUI laws with the Hands Across the Border campaign over the Labor Day travel period. The Governor’s Office of Highway Safety says that three out of 10 fatal highway crashes in Georgia each year are caused by impaired

drivers. It calls impaired driving an epidemic of careless disregard for human life and one of America’s most often committed and deadliest crimes. Bob Dallas, who directs the Office of Highway Safety, said motorists heading out of state to celebrate the holiday should expect to see more law enforcement patrols than usual, especially on the expressways and roadways near state lines. “This life-saving mission has served for nearly two decades as a warning to high-risk drivers that law enforcement in Georgia and our neighboring states will continue to crack down on DUI. So motorists better not hit the bottle before they hit the road because if they choose to visit Georgia their vacation plans will also include a visit to jail if they choose to drive drunk,” Dallas said this week in a statement announcing the campaign. Operation Zero Tolerance will run through Sept. 6. For more information, visit www.gahighwaysafety.org.

Discover the Mystery Find out why we’re one of the best courses in Atlanta. Voted by Golf Digest as one of the top 50 courses in America, Mystery Valley Golf Club has become a staple in the Atlanta Metro area. Visit us online to view a full schedule of tournaments, course details, rates, and more! Join our Annual Pass Program! Passes start as low as $700 per year with discounts for seniors (age 60+) and Dekalb County Residents. The pass can also be used for play at our sister course, Sugar Creek. Call the golf shop or visit our website for more information.

Call (770) 469-6913 6094 Shadow Rock Dr. • Lithonia, GA 30058 • www.mysteryvalley.com

Intimacy, Raising ChilCouples can learn dren, Defining Roles and about the skills needed for Responsibilities, Blended a successful relationship at Families, and Conflict Married Life classes startResolution. ing Sept. 9 at the Redan The Mar r ie d Life Park Recreation Center. coaches are Freda and The sessions will be Gentry Doxey. Both earned held every second and master’s degrees from Dalfourth Thursday from 7:30 las Theological Seminary. to 8:30 p.m. The purpose is The Doxeys, residents of to help couples understand Freda and Gentry Doxey DeKalb County for 11 themselves and what each one brings to the marriage and be realistic years, have two daughters. The classes are free to the public. Seating about the adjustments they must make to is limited; call 770-484-2679 to register. have a successful marriage relationship. Redan Park Recreation Center is at 1839 Topics will include Dysfunctional Communication, Money Management, Physical Phillips Road in Lithonia.

Fall fest kicking off Ready DeKalb Fun activities, weather safety and the opportunity to honor fallen police and fire officers are all on tap at the Sept. 11 fall festival in Tucker. The festivities are part of DeKalb Emergency Management Agency’s launch of its “Ready DeKalb” program. The free festival takes place 9 a.m. to 2 p.m at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on Brockett Road. It kicks off with the 9/11 Memorial and Public Safety Recognition, featuring a memorial service for those who have fallen in the line of duty and those still serving. There will be interactive booths, displays, and Emergency and Disaster preparations

taught by public safety leaders and their DeKalb County volunteer groups. A Children’s carnival will offer inflatable bouncing rooms, face painting, Atlanta Braves T-Ball Alley, Ready Kids programs, Trained Rescue Dogs, and a preparedness treasure hunt with prizes for all children. Families will also get to tour DeKalb Fire and Rescue Trucks, Ambulance, Fire Safety house and a Tornado room. The North Decatur Lions club is providing free eye/ear screenings. There will prizes and giveaways all day. The Church is at 1947 Brockett Road in Tucker. For more information, contact Captain Beth Burgess at 678-406-7822.

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CrossRoadsNews

September 4, 2010

“We’re wanting to raise the bar on entertainment values, and Southwest DeKalb brings that. They’re terrific.”

Photos by Carla Parker / CrossRoadsNews

The Marching Panthers perform at halftime at the Aug. 27 Southwest DeKalb-Tucker High football game at Hallford Stadium, where Jeff Throop, president of the Tournament of Roses, presented the 2011 official Rose Parade Flag to Southwest DeKalb band director James Seda.

Marching Panthers for encore appearance at Tournament of Roses The Southwest DeKalb High School Marching Panthers are headed to the Rose Bowl – again. For the second time in five years, the Decatur school’s band, whose credits include the movie “Drumline,” will be high stepping and showing off its musicality in Pasadena, Calif., on Jan 1. It is one of only two Georgia high school bands that will represent the state in the parade. The other band is Central Carroll High School from Carrollton. The Marching Panthers are among 15

bands that will be participating in the 122nd Tournament of Roses Parade. They even have the 2011 official Rose Parade Flag to prove it. Jeff Throop, president of the Tournament of Roses, and his wife, Angel, flew into town last week to present the flag to the band during halftime at the SWD vs. Tucker High football game at Hallford Stadium. “We’re very, very excited to have Southwest DeKalb back at the parade,” Throop said. “They are one of the top bands that

we’ve ever had at the parade and we’re happy to have them back.” The 230-plus member band participated in the prestigious parade in 2006. Throop said a school can only make a repeat appearance every four years. “You want to have the bands come back every year, but there are a lot of good bands and we want to give everyone a chance,” he said. Throop said he loves the bands from the South because of their passion for entertainment.

“We’re wanting to raise the bar on entertainment values, and Southwest DeKalb brings that,” he said. “They’re terrific in what they bring to a parade.” The Marching Panthers will fly out to California on Dec. 29 and return on Jan. 3. The Rose Parade will be broadcast on ABC, Hallmark Channel, HGTV, KTLA (Tribune), NBC, RFD-TV, Travel Channel and Univision at 11 a.m. The parade also is seen in more than 200 international territories and countries.

Six win Chick-fil-A scholarships Six DeKalb County Chick-fil-A employees have received $6,000 in national Leadership Scholarships from the fast-food chain. Laieisha Cooper of Lithonia; Alison Sanderson of Stone Mountain; and Janesa Frazier, Romeshia Vinson, Amber Harris and Sherita Bolden of Decatur each received $1,000 each from three South DeKalb-based Chick-fil-A stores. They are among hundreds of the restaurant’s associates who got $1.9 million in scholarships this year, the chain’s highest single-year increase since Chick-fil-A founder S. Truett Cathy established the program in 1973. The 2010 awards are up 35 percent from last year’s $1.4 million. Cooper and Sanderson got their scholarships from Turner Hill Road operator Tony Royal. Cooper is studying biology at Gordon College, and Sanderson is studying education and psychology at Valdosta State University.

They are the 40th and 41st team scholarship recipients from that location. Vinson and Harris received their scholarships from the South DeKalb mall Chickfil-A, which Royal used to operate. Vinson is studying nursing at Albany State University, and Harris is attending Georgia Perimeter College pursuing general studies. They are the 67th and 68th team scholarship recipients from that location. Bolden and Frazier received their scholarships from Wesley Chapel Chick-fil-A operator Deirdre York. Frazier is studying biology at Valdosta State University, while Bolden is studying mass communications at the University of West Georgia. They are the 18th and 19th team members from that location to receive the honor. Since the Leadership Scholarship program began, the chain has awarded more than $6.1 million in scholarships in Georgia and more than $26.6 million nationwide.

Deadline nears for HR scholarships College students studying human resources management or a related field at any accredited metro Atlanta college have until Sept. 15 to apply for the National Association of African Americans in Human Resources scholarship. The $1,000 scholarships will be awarded to one undergraduate and one graduate student. Applicants must be African-American, must have successfully completed at least two or more HR-related classes, and are currently enrolled in at least one HR-related course at a metro Atlanta accredited college

or university. Undergraduate applicants must have at least a 3.0 GPA, and graduate applicants must have at least a 3.5 GPA. Scholarship winners will be announced at NAAAHR’s Scholarship Banquet in November. As a bonus, the undergraduate scholarship recipient also will receive paid student membership to NAAAHR Atlanta until graduation. Graduate scholarship recipients will receive one year paid student membership to NAAAHR Atlanta. For more information on how to apply, visit www.naaahratlanta.org.

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DeKalb County School System Announces The Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA)

Supplemental Educational Services (SES) 2010-2011

Free Tutoring

Free tutoring is available for your child under Federal ESEA Schools must offer Supplemental Educational Services in the areas of math and reading/ language arts.

Free tutoring is available for your child if he or she

• attends a Title I elementary, middle, or high school (eligible schools are listed below) that is included on the “Needs Improvement” list and • receives free or reduced-price lunch

Avondale High Avondale Middle Bethune Middle Cedar Grove High Clarkston High Columbia High Cross Keys High Eagle Woods Academy Elizabeth Andrews High

Eligible Schools

Freedom Middle Indian Creek Elementary International Student Center Lithonia High Lithonia Middle M.L. King Jr. High McNair Discovery Learning McNair High McNair Middle

Miller Grove Middle Redan High Shadow Rock Center Stephenson High Stone Mill Elementary Stone Mountain High Stone Mountain Middle Toney Elementary Towers High

The Enrollment Dates are August 30, 2010-September 24, 2010 The Application Deadline is September 24, 2010 DeKalb County School System invites you to attend its Supplemental Educational Services (SES) Providers Fair where you will be able to discuss guidelines and procedures for receiving service for your child

Where

The William Bradley Bryant Center 2652 Lawrenceville Highway Decatur GA 30033

When

Saturday, September 11, 2010, 9:00 am to 1:00 pm Saturday, September 18, 2010, 9:00 am to 1:00 pm

For more information, call the DeKalb County School System Office of School Improvement at 678-676-0309 or contact your local school SES Liaison

CrossRoadsNews

September 4, 2010

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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.

36 Week Place your property in good hands • Cut grass • Trim Shrubs • Edge Lawn • Deweed Bed • Blow & Go • Aeration

CUT & GO 770-593-1382

Call for a FREE Estimate!

10% OFF YOUR FIRST SERVICE

Weight Loss Study!

Before And After Fitness Center is seeking a limited number of participants to take part in an innovative 36 Week Weight Loss Study. Participants must have 15-100 lbs of weight to lose and be able to attend three 30 minute sessions per week, eat on plan for 5 days with 2 days off, plus be accountable to your coach. Valued at over $449, You Pay Absolutely No Study Fee to participate. All that we ask is that you cover the low weekly maintenance fee.

CALL TODAY 770-979-0090 Stonecrest Mall Lithonia Location

Pat S. lost 40 lbs and 28 inches!

BEFORE

CrossRoadsNews

September 4, 2010

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.

Marketplace BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES Have you ever dreamed of having your own business? For free? If you are: Financially Ambitious, Entrepreneurial-Minded and Like people, please call Ms. Hammond at 678-561-7593. Only serious apply.

FORECLOSURE RELIEF Marable Home Retention Foundation, a tax deductible, non-profit organization is holding an Info-session for individuals/ businesses that want to help stop/mitigate foreclosures in metro-Atlanta. On Saturday, Sept.

11, 1-5 pm, Flat Shoals Library, 4022 Flat Shoals Pkwy, Decatur. 30034. Vendor applications at: www.marablemafoundation.org Call 888-677-6320.

GARAGE SALES Big Garage Sale. 6291 Silver Spur Dr., Lithonia, GA 30058. Furniture, appliances, clothes. Lawnmowers, good condition. Sept. 4, 18, 25.

HELP WANTED Payton Electrical need top sales associates, 2 years experience in sales and marketing, able to multi-task, energetic, self starter,

The Samuel Group, Inc. Loans for Churches, Restaurants, Day Care Centers, Multi Family Properties, Office Buildings and other commercial properties. Purchases or refinancing. All credit considered. Closings as quick as 7 days.

404-870-9070

www.thesamuelgroupinc.com

BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT & CONSULTING

Wall Street experienced professionals providing business plans, incorporations, financial statement preparation and other consulting services.

The Samuel Group 404-870-9070

MINI MALL

bonus plus commission, fax resume 404-254-0869.

Seeking Residential Instructors for live-in weekend position and hourly third shift in Residential Group Home. Pheobie Coleman, 770-593-0913.

LANDSCAPE/LAWN CARE Next Day Lawn Maintenance Service. Bobcat Work, Hauling, French Drainage System 770593-1382.

PERSONAL CARE

Day Care. Mondays and Fridays 8:30 a.m. - 6 p.m. Snapfinger Road, Lithonia. 678-760-7887.

Community Lending Services Get a Loan. Avoid bankruptcy. Pay your bills, outstanding loans. Credit cards, Auto Personal, Business, Home Debt consolidation

Authentic Thai Cuisine • Inexpensive Fine Dining

NOW OPEN

Satay • Spring Rolls • Pad Thai • Crazy Drunken Chicken Mosman • Salmon Panang

Now Serving: Lunch Menu $699 Get Soup or Salad, Special Vegetarian Entrée, Spicy Tofu Veggies, Panang Curry Veggies, Ginger Tofu

All credit welcome, No fees.

Chef from Vegetarian Restaurant Café Sunflower, Atlanta

Take $5 Off Buy 1 Entree, Get 1/2 OFF Lunch or Dinner

Garden

770-484-9923

* Equal or Lesser Value

Quick! Call 1-877627-6886

A Safe Comfortable Place for the Elderly. Ella’s Caring Hands Adult

Exotic Thai Cuisine

the

2nd Entree*

with a minimum $25 purchase per table

Lunch or Dinner 8075 Mall Pkwy • Suite 110 Lithonia, GA 30038 Monday – Sunday Next to Firehouse Subs Limit 1 Coupon Per Table • Expires Sept. 19, 2010

Sept. 10 • 7 p.m. - 9:30 p.m. featuring

Our New Dimension Jazz Group Bring your picnic basket, blankets & lawn chairs.

Tickets $10 Proceeds benefit Wonderland Gardens’ WOW Factor (Weight Off Wisely) Program. For tickets, call 404-286-6163.

7173 COVINGTON HWY • LITHONIA, GA 30058

(next to the Porter Sanford III Performing Arts Center)

678-755-5955

www.wonderlandgardens.org

Back 2 School Massage Special

$20 – $95 hr.

Bruce Street/East DeKalb Center

for Swedish massage

Salon Restaurant FOR RENT: Hair

Sell ur Stuff for

FREE!

www.minimall1.com

LAW OFFICE OF TRICHELLE GRIGGS SIMMONS Family Law (Divorce, Modification, Legitimation, Child Support and Name Change). Other Practice areas are Wills, Criminal Law, Traffic Citations, DUI and Personal Injury.

Payment Plans Available

CALL 404-304-5854

Wonderland Gardens is at 3145 Rainbow Drive

$ 60

Presents a Fabulous 3 day/2 Night Vacation Package to

Myrtle Beach, S.C. Oct. 13 - 15, 2010 $350 PP - Double Occupancy or $400 Single Rate (includes casino boat cruise, taxes, meal gratuities & more)

For information and/or reservations, call 404-353-9114, 678-615-7296, or 770-482-6350

Visit Our Website for MORE SPECIALS

Now Offering Nail Art

SPA at Stonecrest

8052 Mall Parkway, Suite 104 • Lithonia, GA 30038

678-672-4100

www.spaatstonecrest.com spaatstonecrest@gmail.com

CrossRoadsNews

September 4, 2010

You Do Not Want To Miss the labor day...

extravaganza! A tt M M aa ll cc oo ll m m C C uu nn nn ii nn gg hh aa m m ’’ ss A A uu tt oo G G aa ll ll ee rr yy A 2002 FORD

PRE-OWNED 2010 CHEVROLET

MUSTANG CONVERTIBLE Automatic, Loaded, Stk#A1168A

5997

Kelley Blue Book Retail Price . .$7,997 Malcolm Cunningham Discount: . . . . . . . . . . .-$2000 You Pay: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

2006 FORD

COBALT LS

EXPEDITION XLT

Automatic, Power Package, Stk#A1223

Loaded, Clean Trade, Stk#A1238

10,997

Kelley Blue Book Retail Price $12,997 Malcolm Cunningham Discount: . . . . . . . . . . .-$2000 You Pay: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

14,997

Kelley Blue Book Retail Price $16,997 Malcolm Cunningham Discount: . . . . . . . . . . .-$2000 You Pay: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

2004 NISSAN MAXIMA SL

2005 FORD FOCUS

2006 PONTIAC GRAND PRIX

2007 DODGE CALIBER SXT

2008 FORD RANGER

Leather, Sunroof, Loaded, Stk#A1240A

Automatic, Gas Saver, Stk#A1250

Auto, Loaded, Must See, Stk#A1256

Great Fuel Economy, Stk#A1210

Work Truck, Stk#A1246

7997

2007 Mazda3

CD, Wheels, Power Package, Stk#A1188

Automatic, Gas Saver, Stk#A1249

10,997

PRE-OWNED 2010 TOYOTA COROLLA LE

2007 FORD RANGER XLT

2007 MERCURY MILAN PREMIER

Low Miles, Local Trade, Stk#A1206

Super Cab, Loaded, V6, Stk#A1242

Leather, CD, Loaded, Must See, Stk#A1201

12,997

12,995

11,997

2005 FORD EXPLORER XLT

2008 FORD TAURUS SEL

Leather, Sunroof, 3rd Seat, Stk#A1233

2007 CADILLAC CTS

Loaded, CD, Wheels, Stk#A1212

Loaded, Leather Sunroof, CD, Stk#A1257

13,997

2009 HONDA CIVIC LX-S SEDAN

2008 FORD FUSION SE

Automatic, Power Package, Stk#A1205

Leather, Sport Package, Loaded, Stk#A1202

14,997

14,995

2009 PONTIAC G6 SEDAN

9997

14,997

2007 DODGE CHARGER

2009 HONDA ACCORD LX SEDAN

2009 NISSAN ALTIMA 2.5 S

2008 FORD EXPLORER XLT

2009 FORD MUSTANG CONVERTIBLE

Loaded, Every Option, Stk#A1225

Low Miles, Local Trade, Stk#A1194

Loaded, Local Trade, Stk#A1230

Loaded, 3rd Seat, Every Option, Stk#A1259

Automatic, Power Package, Loaded, Stk#A1253

14,997

15,997

16,997

2009 TOYOTA CAMRY SE

2006 MERCEDES C280

2007 FORD EDGE SE

2006 BMW X3

2007 INFINITI G35 SEDAN

V6, Loaded, Sporty, Chrome Package, Stk#A1251

Leather, Sunroof, Loaded, Stk#A1243

Great Family Vehicle, Stk#A1220

Loaded, CD, Every Option, Stk#A1226

Loaded, Every Option, Must See, Stk#A1172

16,997

17,997

2009 FORD MUSTANG GT Clean And Fun To Drive, Stk#37396

20,997

2007 ACURA TL S-TYPE

2007 BMW 328

2007 LINCOLN MKZ

Loaded, Nav, Stk#A1258

Sport Package, Loaded, Automatic, Stk#A1245

2WD, Leather, Loaded, Clean Trade, Stk#A1229

21,997

19,988

21,997

Prices plus tax, tag and title.

WE NOW RENT & SELL

20,988

PLUS MANY MORE!

TRUCKS! 770-987-8189

off the wall service specials! Get Ready For The Winter

$49

with coupon

VALID ONLY AT MALCOLM CUNNINGHAM AUTO GROUP Not valid with any other offer. Must present coupon when order is written. Plus shop supplies, hazardous waste fee, and disposal fee if applicable. Some models might be slightly higher. See Dealer for details. Expires 9/30/2010.

BATTERY CHECK

FREE

with coupon

VALID ONLY AT MALCOLM CUNNINGHAM AUTO GROUP

Not valid with any other offer. Must present coupon when order is written. See Dealer for details. Expires 9/30/2010

FREE

BRAKE INSPECTION A Savings of $29.95!

VALID ONLY AT MALCOLM CUNNINGHAM AUTO GROUP

Not valid with any other offer. Must present coupon when order is written. Plus shop supplies, hazardous waste fee, and disposal fee if applicable. Some models might be slightly higher. See Dealer for details. Expires 9/30/2010

WESLEY CHAPEL I-20, Exit Wesley Chapel To Snapfinger Woods Drive

MCAutoAtl.com

770-987-9000 Sales Hours: Mon-Fri 9:00am - 8:00pm • Sat 9:00am - 8:00pm • Sun Closed

5C (10.5”) X 16” 22347-MCAQ (9-4) crossroads fc (lm)

HEAT CHECK

Come In Today Fo r ALL of Your Serv ice, Collision and Pre-Owned Need s!