CrossRoadsNews, September 11, 2010 by CrossRoadsNews, Inc.

WELLNESS

MINISTRY

Decatur Pediatric Group is adding a Lithonia location – its third – to better serve the children of east metro Atlanta. 7

Tomatoes are getting a lot of attention these days, in large part due to their high concentrations of cancerfighting lycopene and other nutrients. 9

Teens and parents can learn more about the boys and girls Rites of Passage programs at First Afrikan Church in Lithonia. 12

Helping, healing

Powerhouse veggies

September 11, 2010

Move into adulthood

Volume 16, Number 20

www.crossroadsnews.com

DeKalb gets $5.2 million to rehab foreclosed properties By Carla Parker

DeKalb County got $5.2 million this week from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to help rehabilitate some of the thousands of vacant foreclosed properties plastering the county. HUD Regional Administrator Edward Jennings announced the grant at a Sept. 8 news conference in Atlanta. DeKalb’s grant is part of $50.4 million awarded to Georgia to help communities struggling with the adverse effects – abandoned properties, blight and depressed real estate values – of the foreclosure crisis sweeping the country. DeKalb, which has been hard hit by foreclosures, got the single largest award of the 10 counties receiving funds.

Metro Atlanta, home to the top three counties with the highest number of foreclosures, got $23.4 million. In July, DeKalb County had 14, 510 foreclosed homes, according to RealtyTrac, a California-based company that tracks foreclosures nationwide. Barry Williams, program coordinator for the DeKalb’s Neighborhood Stabilization Program, said the funds will be used to purchase foreclosed homes at a discount and rehabilitate and redevelop them for resale. Masharn Wilson of Synergy Real Estate and the Real Estate Alliance Partners, which are under contract to market the homes for the county, said 20 homes have been remodeled. “All the homes can be purchased,” she said Thursday.

This is the second HUD grant that DeKalb has received to rehab foreclosed properties. In 2008, the county got $18.5 million, which was used to acquire 75 homes. Twenty of those homes have been renovated. Fourth District U.S. Rep. Hank Johnson, who was present for the announcement, said the funds will be helpful. “This grant will help re-establish neighborhoods in DeKalb County that have been gripped by the foreclosure crisis,” he said. Johnson said the funding comes from the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, which was passed early this year. It is the Please see GRANTS, page 2

Georgia’s top grant recipients State of Georgia .........................................$18,679,977 DeKalb County .............................................. $5,233,105 Atlanta .........................................................$4,906,758 Clayton County.............................................. $3,796,167 Fulton County ............................................. $3,094,885 Cobb County ................................................ $2,415,784 Gwinnett County ......................................... $2,065,581 Douglas County ........................................... $1,628,471 Macon ..........................................................$1,503,897 Paulding County............................................. $1,372,214 Carroll County/Villa Rica City ....................... $1,190,390 Augusta-Richmond County ........................... $1,161,297 Columbus-Muscogee Co ................................$1,128,174 Henry County ............................................... $1,217,736 Savannah ......................................................$1,027,553 Georgia Total .......................................... $50,421,988

Praying For DeKalb

Jennifer Ffrench Parker / CrossRoadsNews

Face with a spate of bad news headlines about DeKalb County Government and School System, neighborhood and civic associations presidents, and others, joined with elected officials at the Sept. 4 DeKalb Community Cabinet meeting at New Piney Grove Baptist Church to pray for the county. “We just need to pray for DeKalb County,” said Commissioner Lee May.

CrossRoadsNews

September 11, 2010

MARTA Service Changes ommunity September 25, 2010 Schools’ response to SACS to be online Modified Bus Routes:ll 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 9, 12, 13, 15, 16, 19, 21, 24, 25, 26, 27, 30, 32, 33, 34, 36, 37, 42, 47, 49, 50, 51, 53, 55, 56, 58, 60, 66, 68, 73, 74, 75, 78, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87, 89, 93, 95, 99, 103, 104, 107, 111, 114, 115, 116, 117, 119, 120, 121, 520L, 521E, 123, 125, 126, 132, 140, 143, 148, 150, 153, 155, 162, 165, 170, 172, 178, 180, 181, 183, 185, 186, 189, 193 Eliminated Bus Routes:ll 7, 11, 17, 18, 22, 28, 38, 44, 45, 52, 54, 57, 59, 67, 69, 70, 72, 77, 88, 91, 96, 97, 105, 113, 118, 122, 137, 139, 151, 160, 200, 216, 245, 273, 311, 328, 329, 341, 364, 376, 389, 397. Braves Shuttle and Lakewood Shuttle for 2011. How to Prepare for Bus Route Changes: • Go to www.itsmarta.com for interactive links showing bus route changes and text descriptions. •Call 404-848-5000 and ask one of our Customer Service agents to help you plan your trip.

• Printed booklets are in RideStores or mailed upon request through the website or by calling Customer Sevice at 404-848-5000. •Maps and descriptions will be posted in all bus bays to help guide you.

Modified Rail Service:ll New frequencies.

New hours.

WEEKDAYS 6 AM to 7 PM � 15 minutes 7 PM to 1 AM � 20 minutes WEEKENDS: � 20 minutes

WEEKDAYS � 4:45 AM to 1 AM WEEKENDS � 6:00 AM to 1 AM Every night at 7 PM: Red Line Turnback @ Lindbergh Green Line Turnback @ Vine City

Customer Call Center Hours changing..l Routes/Scheduling Information Center. Weekdays 7 AM to 7 PM; Weekends/Holidays 8 Customer Services Center. Weekdays 8 Five Points Info Booth.

Weekdays 7

to 5

to 7

Fewer Restrooms Open There will be nine restrooms availiable for public use: Bankhead, College Park, Doraville, Edgewood/Candler Park, Five Points, H.E. Holmes, Indian Creek, Lindbergh and North Springs. Restrooms will be available from 6 AM to 7 PM. (Five Points will close at 10 PM.)

Two RideStores Will Remain Open • OPEN at Airport and Five Points stations. • CLOSED at Lenox and Lindbergh stations.

Reduced Fare and Lost & Found Office Hours Reduced Fare Office will remain open at Lindbergh HQ and Five Points stations with new hours. Weekdays 9 AM to Noon and 2 to 4 PM. Lost & Found open until 5 PM.

Automated Phone System Will Check Your Breeze Balance On Sept. 25 the Call Center will no longer provide Breeze Card Balance information. Instead, you can use the automated telephone system at 404 848-5000 to check your balance. You can also visit www.breezecard.com, use a Breeze vending machine, or check at RideStores in the Airport & Five Points stations.

BREEZE Changes: October 3, 2010 Reduced Breeze Card Cost. Breeze Cards

“The document is complex and voluminous, analysis and study of which may require further clarification.”

A 45-page executive summary of DeKalb School System’s response to the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) was scheduled to be up on its website by end of day Sept. 10. In a statement Thursday, Dr. Alice Thompson, the district’s chief of staff, said the school system’s response, comprising 2,500 pages, including a 45-page report, was submitted Thursday to SACS. She said the summary will be posted at www. dekalb.k12.ga.us/schools/ within 48 business hours. “The document is complex and voluminous, analysis and study of which may require further clari-

fication,” the statement said. “We want to make sure that the facts you are reporting accurately reflect the response and its purpose.” She referred questions and clarification to “our interim media representative, Jeff Dickerson.” Thompson said that SACS has not threatened the accreditation of the DeKalb County School System, that it routinely requests information to help school districts comply with SACS standards and procedures, and that the district will continue to work cooperatively with SACS to ensure that it is compliant with all SACS standards and procedures.

Weekend paving to resume on I-20 Work crews will be all over I-20 eastbound lanes between Wesley Chapel Road and Lithonia Industrial Boulevard this weekend as the interstate resurfacing project resumes after the Labor Day weekend. Georgia DOT said Thursday that the work was set to begin at 9 p.m. Friday, weather permitting. This weekend’s work will require that the two left eastbound lanes be closed from Wesley Chapel Road to Lithonia Industrial Boulevard. Two right lanes will be open and no ramp closures are planned. DOT Area Engineer Thomas Parker encouraged motorists to avoid the area. “Motorists can expect some delays and may want to seek alternate routes to avoid the traffic,” he said.

Work hours are weeknights from 9 p.m. until 5 a.m. and on weekends continuously from Friday night at 9 p.m. until 5 a.m. on Monday. The $28.6 million project is resurfacing 9.8 miles of I-20 between Columbia Drive and Turner Hill Road. It has been under way since June 18 and has snarled traffic and made the weekend commute difficult for residents and interstate travelers. It will continue on weeknights and weekends until fall, when the temperatures get too low to pave. It is being completed through a joint venture of contractors E.R. Snell Contractors Inc., and Pittman Construction. The project will be completed in the spring. For more information, call 511 or visit www.511ga. org.

EPA visit to South River postponed The river became a hot recreation spot A planned visit to the South River on this summer at the intersection of SnapfinSaturday by U.S. Environmental Protection ger and Panola Road after parking was built administrator Lisa Jackson has been postfor the new South River Trail head and as poned. temperatures soared into the high 90s. The river was one of several stops for Families bathed and played in the river, Jackson, who was scheduled to visit the conwhich is on the state’s list of impaired rivers gressional districts of Hank Johnson, John because of high levels of fecal coliform and Lewis and David Scott this week. PCBs, because there were no signs warning Johnson said the stop at the South River them not to. is part of his effort to turn the spotlight on Lisa Jackson After a July 24 story in CrossRoadsNews, signs the polluted river and help transform it into a comwere posted, and community groups renewed calls munity asset. Jackson is President Barack Obama’s environmen- for the river to be cleaned up. Jackson’s visit was cancelled because of the death tal czar. Three waste treatment plants operated by DeKalb this week of Lewis’ older brother, Edward Lewis, in County and the city of Atlanta empty into the South Troy, Ala. Johnson said Jackson’s visit will be rescheduled River, which is also home to numerous accidental within the month but that he didn’t yet have a date. sewage spills a month.

Code enforcement task force to hold meetings The DeKalb Code Enforcement Task Force will meet Sept. 13 at the Tucker Library in Tucker. The meeting, which starts at 6:30 p.m., was rescheduled from Sept. 9. The new task force, made up of community leaders, county officials, and other stakeholders, is seeking solution-driven recommendations

to address code enforcement issues affecting communities throughout DeKalb. The Tucker Library is at 5234 LaVista Road. Other meetings will be held: n Sept. 23 – Stonecrest Library, 3123 Klondike Road, Lithonia, GA 30038. n Oct. 7 – Lynwood Recreation

Center, 3360 Osborne Road, Atlanta, GA 30319. n Oct. 19 – Cedar Grove High School, 2360 River Road, Ellenwood, GA 30294. All of the meetings start at 6:30 p.m. For more information, contact Commissioner Connie Stokes at conniestokes@dekalbcountyga.gov or call 404-371-3053.

will be reduced from $5 to $1. You will need to add fare at the time of purchase.

Now it’s Easier to Load Breeze Cards on Buses. You no longer need to ask the bus operator for assistance. Only Breeze Cards can be reloaded at the bus farebox (NOT Breeze Tickets). 1. Tap Breeze Card on the bus farebox. 2. Insert cash. 3. Tap Breeze Card once on the farebox to load transfer.

Breeze Tickets Can No Longer Be Reloaded.

The Breeze Ticket will still cost 50¢. However, it can only be used once for either a one-way trip, round trip, or 1 Day Pass.

Fare Increases for Multi-Day Passes. One-Way . . . . . . . Remains $2

7-Day Pass . . . . Changes to $17

Reduced Fare . . . Remains 90¢

30-Day Pass . . . Changes to $68

1-Day Pass . . . . . . Remains $8

Mobility Pass . . Changes to $115

2-Day Pass . . . . Changes to $11

The number of children under 46” tall who can ride free with a paying adult changes will also be changed to a maximum of two.

3-Day Pass . . . . .Changes to $13 4-Day Pass . . . . Changes to $15

w w w. i t s m a r t a . c o m

404-848-5000

T T Y: 4 0 4 - 8 4 8 - 5 6 6 5

Program offers assistance to homebuyers GRANTS,

from page

third round of funding of $1 billion through HUD’s NSP program. For East Lake Terrace in Decatur, which has more than 50 abandoned homes among its 1,100 homes, the funding will provide emergency assistance to help the community acquire, redevelop or demolish foreclosed properties. Brenda Pace, president of the East Lake Terrace Neighborhood Association, said she welcomed the new round of funding. “In the condition that we are in, any funding is good,” she said. Pace said the HUD funds will help to bring in more families who

will live in the houses, instead of investors looking to resell. “Investors bought all these abandoned homes thinking they were going to sell them to NSP, but the homes were no longer foreclosed and NSP only buys foreclosed homes,” she said. “So investors just left them abandoned.” Starting Oct. 25, DeKalb’s new Foreclosure Registry Ordinance will require lenders who foreclose on properties to register them with the county or face fines. The registered owners will be required to maintain and secure the vacant houses. NSP already has bought and renovated five homes in the East

Lake Terrance community. Those homes are currently for sale. Pace said that they are five less vacant houses to worry about. “They are gorgeous,” she said. “They did some awesome work on them. There is one that if I could sell my house I would and buy it.” DeKalb residents who want to buy the homes can qualify for up to $25,000 in home-buyer assistance through DeKalb’s NSP program. For more information and to see available homes, contact REAL at 404-808-4405, visit www.realhomeonline.com, contact ANDP Homes at 404-420-1600, or visit www.andphomes.org.

CrossRoadsNews

September 11, 2010

Community

“I would like the opportunity to continue the legacy and ... to work for the citizens to see that justice is served.”

Aides keep DA, solicitor offices running Oct. 4 is deadline By Jennifer Ffrench Parker

Women lawyers are in charge at both the DeKalb District Attorney and the DeKalb Solicitor-General offices while the elected officeholders move on to, or reach for, higher offices. Javoyne HicksWhite is the acting district attorney, and Nicole Marchand is acting solicitorgeneral. B o t h l aw ye r s were chief assistants to their former bosses – District J. Hicks-White Attorney Gwen Keyes Fleming and Solicitor-General Robert James – and were tapped by them to fill the positions until new elections or appointments can be made. Keyes Fleming left the DA’s office last week after she was picked by President Barack Obama to become the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Region 4 administrator. She left the office quickly to meet the 60-day window needed to hold a special election

to replace her on the Nov. 2 general election ballot. James, who was running unopposed on the Nov. 2 ballot for his second term, resigned on Sept. 8 to run for district attorney. Hicks-White, who was Keyes Fleming’s chief assistant for five and a half years, says she will not run for district attorney. “I will keep the office running until the new DA is elected,” she said. Qualifying for the Nov. 2 special election to finish the three and a half years left on Keyes Fleming term was under way this week and was scheduled to close at noon on Friday. Through the end of day Thursday, only James had qualified.

Governor to appoint solicitor Bert Brantley, spokesman for Gov. Sonny Perdue, said Thursday that a new solicitor-general will be appointed and that the position will not be on the ballot in November. “Because the appointment will be within 60 days of the election, the appointee will be up for election in 2012,” he said.

Marchand said Thursday that she “definitely, 100 percent” wants to be the next solicitor-general and will seek the appointment. “I have been in the office for the past four years working with Mr. James on the wonderful things that he has done for citizens Nicole Marchand of DeKalb,” she said. “I would like the opportunity to continue the legacy and to continue to work for the citizens to see that justice is served.” James called Marchand a veteran prosecutor who began her career in the DeKalb Solicitor-General’s Office and later worked as a child abuse prosecutor in the DeKalb District Attorney’s Office. As his chief assistant, she supervised a staff of 75, including 25 lawyers. This is the second time in the past six months that Marchand’s hopes for higher office have been dashed. She was a candidate for the DeKalb State Court bench to succeed Judge Edward Carriere Jr. when Perdue made an appointment T:7.5” rather than call a special election.

to register for vote DeKalb residents who are not registered to vote and want to participate in the Nov. 2 general election and in the special election for district attorney have until Oct. 4 to register. Registration forms are available at local libraries and at http://web.co.dekalb.ga.us/Voter/applicationForms .html. To become a registered voter, you must be a citizen of the United States, be a legal resident of Georgia, be at least 18 years old, not be serving a sentence for a conviction of a felony involving moral turpitude, and have not been found mentally incompetent by a judge. Georgia law requires voters to show photo identification when voting in person. If you do not have some form of photo ID, the state offers a Voter Identification Card free of charge at the DeKalb Elections Office, 4380 Memorial Drive, or at Department of Driver Services offices. To receive a Voter Identification Card, residents must provide a photo identity document or approved non-photo identity document that includes full legal name and date of birth; documentation showing date of birth; evidence that the applicant is a registered voter; and documentation showing the applicant’s name and residential address. Completed registration applications can be mailed or faxed. For more information, call 404-298-4020.

DeKalb Democrats are organizing to get out the vote for the Nov. 2 general and special elections and are launching a Unity Cabinet on Sept. 12. Lisa Cunningham, who is helping organize the cabinet, said its goal is to increase voter turnout in DeKalb County. Lisa Cunningham The cabinet’s headquarters will be at North DeKalb Mall near Macy’s. Volunteers will run campaigns and phone banks from it. The grand opening takes place from 4 to 7 p.m. Cunningham said they need volunteers and a range of office supplies. For a list of items that can be donated, contact Lisa Cunningham at dducgotv@gmail.com or 404-978-5433.

DeKalb Democrats plan Unity Cabinet

Professor Henry Louis Gates, Jr.

Lt. General Russel Honoré (U.S. Army, Ret.)

Rodney Peete Holly Robinson Peete

GOP Women holding luncheon

T:10”

The North DeKalb Republican Women are hosting a Sept. 25 buffet luncheon at the Dunwoody Country Club, 1600 Dunwoody Club Drive. Guest speakers include state Rep. Fran Millar, who represents House District 79. The luncheon starts at noon. Tammy Johnson, the group’s president, said the public is invited. Tickets are $40 each. To purchase tickets or for Fran Millar more information, call Debbie Fountain at 770668-9546.

Rita Mack

What do an Actress, Quarterback, Educator, Entrepreneur and General have in common?

They come from every walk of life, but they share one vision – a selfless commitment to enriching their communities. McDonald’s® 7th Annual 365 Black® Award salutes this year’s honorees for working hard every day to make a difference. For more about this year’s honorees, visit

CrossRoadsNews

Forum

September 11, 2010

This act of being in deep conversation on the phone while driving can and does cause one to forget their surroundings.

Dropout rates reflect failure of principles, not programs 2346 Candler Rd. Decatur, GA 30032 404-284-1888 Fax: 404-284-5007 www.crossroadsnews.com editor@crossroadsnews.com

Editor / Publisher Jennifer Parker General Manager Curtis Parker Staff Writer Carla Parker Advertising Sales Cynthia Blackshear-Warren

CrossRoadsNews is published every Thursday by CrossRoadsNews, Inc. We welcome articles on neighborhood issues and news of local happenings. The opinions expressed by writers and contributors are not necessarily those of the publisher, nor those of any advertisers. The concept, design and content of CrossRoadsN ews are copyrighted and may not be copied or reproduced in whole or in part in any manner without the written permission of the publisher.

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In “Effective programs needed to combat high dropout rate” [CrossRoadsNews, Sept. 4], Ron Gilliam raised provocative questions about black leadership; tropospheric dropout rates among black males; the national replication of programmatic successes like Chicago’s Urban Preparatory and Atlanta’s Ron Clark Academy, which counter the evolving dropout calamity; and his hypothesis of a “grand scheme” to imprison instead of educate black males. Gilliam’s concern is well-placed, and maybe raising the question will generate open discussion and may even, a more dubious prospect, mobilize a few blacks to do something. However, when was the last time anyone saw African-Americans “uniting in an organized, systematic manner on a national basis to do anything”? We can’t count the election of Barack Obama because African-Americans alone could not get Obama elected president.

“I do not know what the answer is, but, clearly, we have seen that it is not government. Government can provide an education, but it cannot make us appreciate learning.” Elrado Ramsay

One thing is clear: AfricanAmericans do not need another program carved out to address anything. When 70 percent of our males drop out of high school; when 30,000 black people show up for HUD voucher applications; when greed, graft and criminal attachments seem to travel with our best and brightest in politics and government; when robbery and murder of our community entrepreneurs is vogue; when our young people believe that exposing their underwear is fashionable; and when we believe that whored-out expensive autos with rented rims is the way to social salvation, another

program is not the answer. I do not know what the answer is, but, clearly, we have seen that it is not government. Government can provide an education, but it cannot make us appreciate learning. Government can get us personalized registration plates but it can’t stop us from driving around in a new BMW with taped-up back lights. Government can facilitate election laws to get us elected, but it cannot stop us from indulging in theft, nepotism, bid-rigging, sexual misconduct, insularity and arrogance when we get elected. Government can pick up trash from our streets, but it cannot stop us from

laying down fresh piles. My point is that the problems are more insidious than any columnist, pundit, government, leader (see Obama) or program. We are witnessing the devolution of African-American cultural morality. The ball of civil rights yarn rolled up tightly by King, Abernathy, Parks, Marshall, et al, such as self-discipline, dedication, commitment, family, community, is almost unspooled as entitlement, robbery, murder, booty calls, and sagging drawers. There are no rules of community conduct. Personal ethics has been bludgeoned to death. Loud, obnoxious and tawdry is all we seem to have left. It is honorable to call for a “national movement,” but one wonders what that really means, when Chicago is calling for the National Guard to stop the orgies of blood that seem to be fashionable distractions among young black men. Elrado Ramsay lives in Decatur.

Lots of close calls with ubiquitous cell phone drivers I don’t understand people who can’t get off cell phones while driving. Recently it happened to me. A Cell Phone Driver (CPD) tapped me slightly while backing out of a parking space at the mall. And Stanley L. Raper yes, I exploded and went off on the driver and hollered, “Get off that $#@&*$#@& cell phone.” When the driver heard me and felt me – they stopped the car and never stopped talking on the cell phone because I could see the driver through the car’s tinted windows. The driver didn’t get out of the car to check on me or offer an apology. The driver just sat there watching me – still talking. Several people in the parking lot saw it and said, “Were they talking on the

phone?” Fortunately it was only a tap, but it could have been a lot worse. I could have filed charges but I didn’t (foolish me), and I should have because the next time this driver might seriously injure someone. CPDs still don’t get it: This act of being in deep conversation on the phone while driving can and does cause one to forget their surroundings in an instant, and all it takes is a split-second for an accident to happen. And this was the case long before cell phones came on the scene with their many applications. Cell phones are mega-jumps from the CB radios of old that mainly catered to the “big truckers” on the highways. CBs also had a following of “wannabe truckers” who were cursing up and down the expressways with their own special “handles” to let everybody on the road know who they were. And

Quick Read

people fell in love with it, and like “cell phone driving” today, people feel a need to talk on the phone while driving. It’s kind of like a smoker who sees a pack of cigarettes on the dashboard and just has to get one while driving. I think cell phones are among the greatest inventions, but like a lot of the marvelous gadgets of our time, they are ahead of our rational minds and more often we get addictively carried away with them. Once I was going into a supermarket and I saw a CPD get out of their truck while talking on the phone. As chance would have it, I walked in the store behind the driver and did my shopping and noticed the CPD again, leaving ahead of me, still on the phone. I guess it was my day to witness some insight into the habits of a CPD. So the CPD gets into the truck – still talking. I find my car and get in and drive around to leave. Then

I see a lady with two small kids and before you know it, this lady started screaming and hollering at the CPD – because the CPD almost backed into her kids. And yes, the CPD was still talking on the phone. I had the feeling the lady wanted to shake the CPD up a bit. So I waited like everybody else in the parking lot to see what would finally happen after the woman kept venting and rightly so. It was a close call for the lady, and of course the kids weren’t aware of the truck backing out on them. Had they been playing ahead of the lady, like we’ve all seen kids do, and the CPD’s mind is someplace else, the results could have been horrible. Sometimes I wonder if this addiction of cell phone driving is really some kind of therapy for CPDs. Stanley L. Raper lives in Decatur.

Schools’ response to SACS to be online 2

Consumers can act to control winter heating costs 6

Colorful, flavorful tomatoes are nutritional powerhouses 9

A 45-page executive summary of DeKalb Schools’s response to the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools was scheduled to be on its website by Sept. 10.

As the hot days of summer slowly transition to milder and cooler days of fall, now is the time consumers should begin preparing for the upcoming winter heating season.

Tomatoes have been in the news a lot lately because they’re an excellent source of the carotenoid lycopene, which is what gives them that gorgeous deep red color.

Aides keep DA, solicitor offices running

Young patients have a spacious new medical home 7

Obama to address nation’s students 10

Women lawyers are in charge at both the DeKalb District Attorney and the DeKalb Solicitor-General offices.

Children and teens now have a new medical home with the opening of the Decatur Pediatric Group’s new Lithonia facility.

DeKalb students will hear from President Barack Obama on Sept. 14 as he delivers his second annual Back to School speech.

Deadline looms for voter registration

Free lectures explore happiness

Former students pay to tribute to FAMU’s ‘Maestro’ 13

DeKalb residents who want to participate in the Nov. 2 general election have until Oct. 4 to register.

A free lecture series from the Pursuit of Happiness Project gets under way at Emory University on Sept. 14.

Florida A&M University alumni are mourning the passing of their teacher, mentor and band director extraordinaire.

index to advertisers

Circulation Audited By Before & After Fitness Center........................14 Bruce Street / East DeKalb Center..................14 Chapel Hill Orthodontics................................. 8 Chick-fil-A / Turner Hill Road..........................6 Clemmons Law Firm......................................15 Collard Greens Cultural Festival.....................15 Community Lenders.......................................15 Conservatory of Dance & Fine Arts................14 DeKalb Medical...............................................9

DeKalb Technical College............................. 10 Destination Depot......................................... 10 DirecTV........................................................... 3 DoMaro Uniform Services..............................15 First African Presbyterian Church...................12 Gibbs Garage.................................................14 Kaiser Permanente......................................... 7 Law Office of Trichelle Griggs Simmons........15 Love Life Christian Fellowship Church...........12

Macy’s............................................................. 5 Malcolm Cunningham Auto Gallery............. 16 MARTA............................................................ 2 McDonald’s..................................................... 3 Mini Mall........................................................15 Mystery Valley Golf Club................................ 11 North Georgia Orthodontics...........................9 Rainbow Park Baptist Church.........................13 Sarah Fabrics Inc............................................15

Sugar Creek Golf & Tennis............................ 10 Superior Digital Images.................................15 Terry Benn / Allstate.......................................6 The Eye Care Studio........................................ 8 The Law Office of B.A. Thomas.....................15 The Samuel Group (2)...................................15 Wonderland Gardens....................................15 Wright Vision Care.......................................... 8

CrossRoadsNews

September 11, 2010

SHOP 9AM-11PM SATURDAY. HOURS MAY VARY BY STORE. VISIT MACYS.COM AND CLICK ON STORES FOR LOCAL INFORMATION.

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CrossRoadsNews

Finance

September 11, 2010

Lenders who foreclose on properties are required to register the property with the county or face fines.

Consumers should move now to control winter heating costs By David Burgess

““The Public Service Commission (PSC) publishes a monthly price-comparison chart of all natural gas marketers’ plans – fixed and variable. Check the price you pay your marketer with the price of other marketers to see whether it is in your best interest or not to change to another marketer.”

As the hot days of summer slowly transition to milder and cooler days of fall, now is the time consumers should begin preparing for the upcoming winter heating season. Take steps to ensure your heating system is ready, check into current natural gas plans and make sure you know your rights and reDavid Burgess sponsibilities when it comes to paying those winter heating bills. Several marketers are offering special DeKalb County consumers can take a number of steps to reduce the impact of promotions and discount plans. Many of these offerings waive switching charges, rewinter heating costs. They include: imburse contract termination fees, and lower monthly customer service charges. Budget billing Also, the Regulated Provider is available Consumers who are on a budget, retired or on a fixed income may find budget billing to serve low-income citizens and those who to be an attractive payment option. It allows are not able to obtain service from any of the consumers to make levelized monthly pay- certificated marketers in Atlanta Gas Light ments on their bills, and is available whether Company’s service area. consumers have fixed or variable rate plans. Budget billing can help consumers avoid the Conserve energy Conservation is vital to any plan of action spikes in their winter heating bills. to lower one’s monthly utility bill. Purchasing energy-efficient equipment Review natural gas plans Now is a good time to see if you’re get- such as a furnace, hot water heater and/or ting the best value for your dollar. Natural stove, caulking around doors and windows, gas prices are at some of the lowest levels insulating walls, floors and the attic, are some seen in the last five years. The Public Service things consumers can do to lower their winCommission (PSC) publishes a monthly ter heating bills. Of course, if you don’t need to have any price-comparison chart of all natural gas of your equipment replaced, be sure to have marketers’ plans – fixed and variable. Check the price you pay your marketer these inspected by a professional to insure with the price of other marketers to see operation at maximum efficiency. Georgia Power Co. provides free in-home whether it is in your best interest or not to energy audits. Call 1-800-524-2421. change to another marketer.

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Weatherization Weatherization assistance for low-income families is available in DeKalb County. This assistance is offered through a program administered by the Partnership for Community Action, Inc. (404-929-2464 or 404-929-2465) or email weatherization@ pcaction.org. The Georgia Environmental Facilities Authority (GEFA) also provides weatherization assistance. Go to http://www.gefa.ga.gov/ or call 404-584-100. Also Atlanta Gas Light Co. (“AGL”) and the PSC assist those in need through the Home and Heartwarming Project– a joint effort with GEFA and Resource Service Ministries. This new program, in which AGL will invest $1million over the next 12 months, provides weatherization services and natural gas equipment repair or replacement for qualified senior and low-income households that receive natural gas from the AGL system. If you need help and to find out if you qualify, call United Way’s referral service by dialing 2-1-1.

Low income assistance Low income consumers may qualify for assistance with their heating bills through the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP). In DeKalb County the program is administered by the Partnership for Community Action, Inc. Last year eligible consumers received a one-time credit of up to $350.00 on their home heating bill. The program will open on Nov. 1, 2010 for senior citizens, disabled, and homebound. On Dec. 1, 2010, the program will be open to the general public. Consumers may also be eligible for assistance through Salvation Army – Project Share (404-873-3101), United Way (211), and H.E.A.T.,Inc. (678-406-0212). For more information For more assistance, visit the PSC website at, www.psc.state.ga.us, to get information to help you obtain Senior Citizens Discounts, manage your utility bills, to assist in selecting a natural gas marketer, and to get additional conservation tips. Consumers may contact the Commission for more information: Georgia Public Service Commission 244 Washington Street, SW Atlanta GA, 30334 Toll-free in Georgia (outside Metro Atlanta): (800) 282-5813 Metro Atlanta: (404) 656-4501 Fax :( 404) 656-2341 Email: gapsc@psc.state.ga.us David Burgess is a former Public Service Commissioner.

Meeting on new foreclosure registry Residents can get information on DeKalb’s new foreclosure registry and and registration process at a Sept. 14 meeting at the Decatur Library. The Foreclosure Registry Ordinance, which goes in effect on Oct.25, was approved by the Board of Commissioners to protect residential neighborhoods from the blight of unkempt vacant properties. It requires owners to maintain and secure their foreclosed properties, include cutting the grass. Lenders who foreclose on properties are required to register the property with the

county or face fines. The registration fee is $175, and violators will be fined $1,000 per day, per property. A provision in the ordinance mandates lenders located outside of DeKalb, Clayton, Fulton, Gwinnett, Henry and Rockdale counties to designate a local property agent to manage and maintain the property. The meeting starts at 6:30 p.m. The Decatur Library is at 215 Sycamore St. in downtown Decatur. For more information, call 404-286-3308 or e-mail tonzaclark@dekalbcountyga.gov.

5526 Flat Shoals Parkway, Decatur GA 30034

Job fair explores work opportunities Job seekers can get information about employment opportunities at a Sept.14 career and resource fair in Atlanta. The 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. event will feature a number of employers, educational institutions, and resource agencies. Applicants should bring copies of resumes and be prepared to fill out company applications and interview for potential job openings. Computers will be available so jobseekers can fill-out applications on-line. Space is available for employers to interview job applicants. Participants include A Friend of the Fam-

ily Staffing Corporation, Abacus Staffing, Allied Barton, Amerigroup, Brown Mackie College, Catholic Charities, Doraville Library, Georgia Perimeter College, 5 Linx, Microtel Inn and Suites, O’Reilly’s Auto Parts, Primerica Life Diversified Sourcing Solutions, Publix, and Wachovia Bank. The fair will be held at the Northeast Plaza Goodwill Career Center, inside the Goodwill store at 3337 Buford Highway in Atlanta. For more information, contact Janice Burley-Black of the Georgia Department of Labor at 404-679-0507.

Seminar on doing business in Africa Businessmen and women can find out about business opportunities in Africa and Brazil at an International Business seminar on Sept. 17 and 18 in Atlanta. The seminar, which is hosted by the Carlton-Care EP Foundation, will include presentations on investing in Africa and the African Diaspora, including Brazil. Cynthia Jarrett-Thorpe, the foundation’s CEO, said discussions will center on tourism, international business development, market-

Your Source for Neighborhood News

ing, promotions, and investment, as well as information about dual citizenship. The seminar will be followed by a Q & A session on ethnic and multicultural tourism, leisure and business travel, raising business capital, investing, and Citizenship. The seminar takes place at Georgia State University at 4 p.m. on Sept. 17, and at 8 a.m. on Sept. 18. For more information, visit www.cc-epfoundation.org or call Cynthia Jarrett-Thorpe at 404-569-0229.

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Wellness

CrossRoadsNews

September 11, 2010

“Electronic records allow for better management of patient records, and patients loved the convenience.”

Kids and teens have a spacious new medical home By Jennifer Ffrench Parker

Children and teens now have a new medical home with the opening of the Decatur Pediatric Group’s new Lithonia facility. The practice, owned by Drs. Lynette WilsonPhillips and Melinda Williams-Willingham, cares for newborns, children and teens. T h e n e w 8,000-square-foot building is a symbol of the growth enjoyed by Williams-Willingham the practice that Wilson-Phillips bought in April 1996. When she acquired the 44-year-old practice from Dr. John E. Taylor, it had a single location in Clarkston and 1,500 patients. Today, it serves more than 20,000 patients from three locations. Wilson-Phillips credits the practice’s growth to having the right people around her and innovation – Decatur Pediatrics was among the first medical offices in metro Atlanta to go paperless with its medical records in the late 1990s. “We have been paperless since 1999,” she said. “With multiple locations, it made charts accessible and patients could come to any of our locations and be served. Electronic records allow for better management of patient records, and patients loved the convenience.” Wilson-Phillips said she kept the practice’s name as a tribute to her late father, Dr. Decatur Ward Wilson, who was a pharmacist in Charleston, S.C., until his death in 2002. She said the practice’s growth has been truly amazing. “I consider it a blessing from God,” she

half to Generation Next Sports Performance Facility, owned by Before and After Fitness that offers nutritional and exercise counseling and after-school care for children and teens.

Dr. Lynette Wilson-Phillips, who bought Decatur Pediatric Group in 1996, said she is amazed by the growth of the practice, which now boasts three locations and 20,000 patients.

said. “He placed the right people around me, my business partner, Dr. Willingham, the right providers, managers and administrative staff. I also had the right partner in marriage. My husband, Jonathan, who is in public relations, helped us market the practice.” Wilson-Phillips and Williams-Willingham are cutting the ribbon this weekend

on the building just off Hillandale Drive. The private grand-opening festivities will include a brief reception and tours for invited guests. The practice has been operating from the facility since July. Decatur Pediatrics occupies 4,000 square feet of the building and has leased the other

Practice relocates Decatur Pediatrics relocated from a 1,500-square-foot modular unit on the campus of DeKalb Medical at Hillandale, where it opened its third location in 2006. The move to its own building doubles the size of the Lithonia office. Wilson-Phillips said they built their own facility to offer convenience to their patients. “It’s more spacious and we have more room to offer service to patients from Conyers and Covington and the entire east metro corridor,” she said. The new office has 11 examination rooms and features computerized patient charts that allow doctors 24-hour access to patient files. Williams-Willingham, who joined Decatur Pediatrics in 2001, became WilsonPhillips’ business partner in July 2004. The practice also has four other doctors – Tracy Ferguson, Regina Hardin, LaShawnda Doster and Shyronda Pleasant – and two nurse practitioners, Marilyn Wiltshire and Cindy Lebiecki. All its doctors are on staff at DeKalb Medical, Emory University Hospital-Midtown, Northside Hospital and Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. The new offices are at 5424 Hillandale Park Court. It also has offices at 4112 E. Ponce de Leon Ave. in Clarkston and at 3065 S. Cobb Drive in Smyrna. For more information, visit www.decaturpediatricgroup.com or call 404-2967133.

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CrossRoadsNews

Wellness

September 11, 2010

Every person who donates to the Get a Kit drive will be entered to win a football autographed by Ovie Mughelli of the Atlanta Falcons.

DeKalb Medical racks up awards for service to community, excellence DeKalb Medical has been collecting awards for its service to the community and its programs. In August, it got a five-star ranking as a community value provider from Cleverley & Associates, a health care financial consulting firm specializing in operational benchmarking and performance enhancement strategies. It was followed by its Hillandale hospital being named to the Georgia Hospital Association’s Partnership for Health and Accountability’s Quality Honor Roll. And this week, its Surgical Weight Loss Center earned the designation of Bariatric

Center of Excellence from the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery. Columbus, Ohio-based Cleverley & Associates released its Community Value Index in the 2010 edition of State of the Hospital Industry. The proprietary index measures the value that a hospital provides to its community by assessing hospitals financial strength and reinvestment, cost of care, pricing, and quality. DeKalb Medical, which operates three hospitals including DeKalb Medical at Hillandale, was listed among the top 100 and five-star hospitals nationwide.

Eric P. Norwood, DeKalb Medical’s president and CEO, said they are proud of the recognition. “Our nation is looking for greater accountability by health systems like ours for the total value we provide to our community,” he said. Analyst James Cleverley said the Community Value Index “suggests that a hospital provides value to the community when it is financially viable, is appropriately reinvesting back into the facility, maintains a low cost structure, has reasonable charges, and provides high quality care to patients.” DeKalb Medical at Hillandale ascends

to the Quality Honor Roll for the quality of treatment it offers as an acute care hospital. It is one of 51 Georgia hospitals to be placed in the Presidential category. The Weight Loss Center’s designation as a Bariatric Center of Excellence comes for its consistent achievement of outstanding outcomes and low complication rates. Dr. Scott Steinberg, the hospital’s medical director of bariatric surgery, said that 85 percent of their patients lose at least 70 percent of their excess weight, and almost 90 percent of patients who have laparoscopic or lap Roux-En-Y gastric bypass will have resolution of Type 2 diabetes.

Ready Kits boost disaster response Kids boot camp promotes fitness September is National Preparedness Month, and the “Get a Kit, Give a Kit” campaign is encouraging Georgians to arm themselves with a Ready Kit of emergency supplies that can assist them during the initial 72 hours following a disaster until help arrives. “For less than $50, you can get a Ready Kit for your home, office or car,” said Charley English, director of GEMA/Homeland Security. “This is a small price to pay for peace of mind and ensuring that your community is prepared.” The statewide Ready Georgia campaign is seeking to educate and empower Georgians to prepare for and respond to natural disasters, pandemic outbreaks, potential terrorist attacks, and other large-scale emergencies. Ready Kits can be purchased at www. georgiaredcross.org. Every person who donates to the kit campaign will be entered to win a football autographed by Ovie Mughelli,

fullback for the Atlanta Falcons. Tim English, CEO of the American Red Cross, Metropolitan Atlanta Chapter, said a few key items can save your life. “By making a small donation to the Get a Kit, Give a Kit campaign, you can provide first aid to a child hurt during a tornado or essential items for a family that lost its home.” The campaign will continue until year’s end and the kits make great gifts for the holiday, birthday and for charitable contributions. At ready.ga.gov, visitors will find an interactive preparedness tool to help them create custom checklists of emergency supplies and tailored communications plans. Users also can log on with loved ones to help them create their own plan. Fo r m o r e i n f o r m a t i o n , v i s it www.ready.ga.gov/Get-Involved /Community-Calendar.

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under the supervision of experiChildren can get their fitness enced personal trainers and get on at a free monthlong boot camp information about making healthy at Anytime Fitness center in Defood choices. catur. “We hope there will be a large The classes that kick off on Sept. turnout,” she said. 11 take place through Oct. 2, Parents also will get a free 30They are being offered as part day membership. of National Childhood Obesity Space is limited. Anytime FitAwareness Month. Carla Carson ness is at 4920 Flat Shoals Parkway Carla Carson, the center’s owner, said that with the free boot camp, in Decatur. For more information, visit www they are offering kids a chance to work out .anytimefitness.com or call 770-674-4185.

Free lectures to explore happiness A free lecture inclusion in the series from the Declaration of Pursuit of HapIndependence. piness Project He also will adgets under way dress the endurat Emory Uniing conservaversity on Sept. tive idea that 14. government The lectures, cannot make F. Smith Foster hosted by Emory M.E. McCullough Patrick Allitt people happy, University’s Center for the Study of Law and even though it can create the political stabilReligion, begin at 7 p.m. at Emory Law’s Tull ity and rule of law within which citizens can Auditorium, 1301 Clifton Road in Atlanta. pursue happiness. The topics are: n Sept. 28 – “Making Happiness in Early Afn Sept. 14 – “Revenge, Forgiveness, Human rican America.” Frances Smith Foster, a CSLR Nature and the Happy Society: Some Les- senior fellow and the Charles Howard Cansons for Law.” dler Professor of English and Women’s StudMichael E. McCullough, director of the ies at Emory, will explore domestic happiness Laboratory for Social and Clinical Psychol- and loving bliss that many Afro-Protestant ogy and professor in the Department of families of the antebellum era experienced Psychology at the University of Miami, will despite the obstacles they faced. draw from his latest book, “Beyond Revenge: Foster has written about this happiness The Evolution of the Forgiveness Instinct.” and the resilience of African-American n Sept. 21 – “Religion and the Pursuit of families in “‘Til Death or Distance Do Us Happiness in the Anglo-American Con- Part: Love and Marriage in Early African text.” America” and “Love and Marriage in Early Patrick Allitt, author of six books and the African America.” Cahoon Family Professor of American HisFor more information, call April L. Bogle tory at Emory, will reference 18th-century at 404-712-8713 or Elaine Justice at 404-727thinking on happiness and faith and their 0643 or visit http://cslr.law.emory.edu.

CrossRoadsNews

September 11, 2010

Wellness

Choose tomatoes with the deepest, richest color, which indicate the highest amounts of beta-carotene and lycopene.

Colorful, flavorful tomatoes are nutritional powerhouses To get the most from your tomatoes, combine them with a little olive oil because many carotenoids are fat soluble, which means your body will absorb them best with a little fat.

Tomatoes have been in the presence of a little fat. news a lot lately because they’re Cooking your tomatoes rean excellent source of the caroleases even more of the health tenoid lycopene, which is what benefits, and tomatoes don’t lose gives them that gorgeous deep their nutritional value during red color. the high-heat processing used in Lycopene has been cited to canning. In fact, the ripest tomaLife Chef Asata Reid help reduce the risk of several toes go into canned and jarred cancers including prostate, lung tomato products like tomato and breast cancer, but did you know lycopene also has sauce and tomato paste. Just watch for the sodium and been credited with helping prevent the hardening of sugar contents in processed products. arteries, which could lead to heart disease? Choose tomatoes with the deepest, richest color, One cup of tomatoes has 57 percent of your daily which indicate the highest amounts of beta-carotene needs for vitamin C, 22 percent of vitamin A, and 17 and lycopene. percent of vitamin K. Here’s a summer salad that pulls three unlikely ingreTo get the most from your tomatoes, you may want dients together in a fresh and easy way. Serve as a vibrant to combine them with a little olive oil because many side dish with grilled chicken or fish. carotenoids, including lycopene, are fat soluble, which For more healthy and delicious recipes, visit www means your body will absorb them best when in the .lifechef.net.

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Getting Rid of Your Knee Pain Thursday, September 23, 2010, 6:30 – 7:30 p.m. in the Community Room at Hillandale, Lithonia DeKalb Medical orthopedic surgeon William Craven, M.D., will talk about common orthopedic injuries, their prevention, and their treatment. He will offer tips on how to know when an orthopedic injury requires a trip to the physician and how to treat an injury before you visit the doctor.

www.dekalbmedical.org

Free Lecture

Light refreshments will be served and parking is free. Appointments required. Call 404.501.WELL to reserve your space.

DM-161 CE2_UFE_XRoads_resize.indd 1

8/27/10 11:00:49 AM

Tomato, Peach and Basil Salad 5 fresh peaches, large dices 2 large tomatoes, diced 1 small onion, thinly sliced 1 bunch fresh basil, leaves torn 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar 2 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil salt and pepper

1. Cook onion on a grill or griddle over medium-high heat until lightly caramelized; set aside to cool. 2. In a small bowl, combine white wine vinegar and extra-virgin olive oil with basil. Season with salt and pepper. 3. Combine diced peaches, tomatoes and basil in a large bowl. Add chopped grilled onion. Drizzle with vinegar mixture and stir to incorporate flavors. Allow to sit 5 minutes and gently stir again prior to serving.

Youth

CrossRoadsNews

September 11, 2010

“She said I had an eye for it and she pushed me into it. If it wasn’t for her, I wouldn’t be where I am now.”

Hobby evolves into higher artistic pursuit for MLK Jr. grad By Carla Parker

Clinesha McLester has gone from drawing stick figures in her notebook to having her paintings and other artwork on display at a local art gallery Sept. 14 to Oct. 14. McLester, a student at the Art Institute of Atlanta-Decatur, will have her own exhibit featuring two- and three-dimensional artwork of various media at the DeKalb High School of Technology-South first Art Gallery. “I’m very excited about the exhibit,” said McLester, who is 18 and a 2010 graduate of Martin Luther King Jr. High School in Lithonia. “Something like this has never happened to me before.” Her work includes oil paintings of trees, plant leaves and insects. She also does pencil drawings and scratch board art. “I’m can’t believe I did all this,” she said, observing the array of work she created for the exhibition. “I’m proud of myself.” While a student at MLK High, McLester took art classes at DeKalb High School of Technology to earn college credits. She said that drawing was just a hobby for her before her art teacher, Rosemary Winn,

way. I’m proud of her for taking that step.” During her senior year, McLester received college credit for her high school artwork through the Advanced Placement Studio Art Program/College Board. “The program helped me out a lot,” she said. “DHST helps prepare you for college, so the program put me ahead of the game.” She is currently majoring in interior design at the Art Institute. “I plan to continue to enter shows so I can keep my art in the public eye,” she said. “I plan on getting an art degree in graduate school after I receive my bachelor’s.” The new gallery at DHST-South was made possible by a generous grant from SkillsUSA and Lowe’s. Future exhibits will include local artists Samuel O. Williams, Karen Phillips, Montrey Booker, and current art and design students at DHST-South. DeKalb High School of TechnologyCarla Parker / CrossRoadsNews Clinesha McLester’s artwork will be on display at the DeKalb High School of Technology-South South first Art Gallery is at 3303 Panthersfirst Art Gallery. McLester, 18, is a student at the Art Institute of Atlanta-Decatur. ville Road in Decatur, adjacent to Georgia Perimeter College-Decatur Campus. The am now.” encourage her to pursue art as a career. exhibit will be open Monday through Friday, Winn said she knew McLester had the 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. “She said I had an eye for it and she pushed me into it,” McLester said this week. ability to become a well-known artist. “She is For more information, call 678-874“If it wasn’t for her, I wouldn’t be where I hard-working and has the desire to go all the 4502.

APPL$ &'( )'* )ALL +&*'LL,+&).ll 0u.rter5 2787 August 23rd Appl>?.t>@A Bl@s>Ag C.te deD.lEte?FGeduH.dI>ss>@AsH '* B.ll J7JK2LMKLN22 eOtG P EQUAL OPPORTUNITY INSTITUTION

President to address students DeKalb students will hear from President Barack Obama on Sept. 14 as he delivers his second annual Back to School speech. The speech is an opportunity for the president to speak directly to students across the country. He will deliver it this year at 1 p.m. from the National Blue Ribbon Julia R. Masterman Laboratory and Demonstration School in Philadelphia. The White House says the president will address students as President Barack Obama will deliver his second annual they resume their fall studies and Back to School speech to students on Sept. 14. will encourage them to “study hard, stay in school and take responsibility school on the day of the speech to prevent them from listening. for their education” like he did last year. For the students who attended school and Obama’s first address to students last year attracted a lot of criticism from conser- listened, the president told them that every vatives who claimed that it was an attempt single one of them has something to offer. “And you have a responsibility to yourself at indoctrination. Some schools did not carry the address to discover what that is,” he said. “That’s the and some parents kept their kids out of opportunity an education can provide.”

Progress report for Parent Council Parents with children attending schools in south DeKalb County will gather Sept. 16 for the first South DeKalb Parent Council meeting. The meeting will feature a presentation from DeKalb School Board District 5 member Jesse “Jay” Cunningham. Cunningham will share his progress report, future agenda goals and plans for the district. The 6:30-to-8 p.m. meeting will be held at Southwest DeKalb High School, 2863 Kelley Chapel Road in Decatur. For more information, call Donna Priest-Brown at 404-386-8454. Jay Cunningham Visit our website to learn about & register for upcoming College Tours & Events: February 18, 2011 Tour Georgia Southern University & University of Georgia-Athens April 4-6, 2011 Tour Mercer (Macon), Ft. Valley State, Albany State, Valdosta State & University of Georgia-Athens

A College Prep Information Series for Parents & Students The Information you NEED to know! Sunday, October 17, 2010 • 3:00pm – 6:00pm • How the HOPE Scholarship works & what • How to obtain the scores you need to get into Georgia schools can do for YOU. the schools you desire. • Meet a recipient of over $200K in • Allow the college admission rep to show you scholarships – who now teaches what your school is looking for and what others how to do the same. you need to work towards getting accepted! • And Much More!

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CrossRoadsNews

September 11, 2010

Scene

“Unfortunately, there is no widely available cure for sickle cell. We can, however, help to relieve pain, prevent infections and control its complications through education.”

Archives hosting ‘Ancestry Day’

Festival celebrates collard greens

Reginald Washington, archiFamily historians and people vist and genealogist from the curious about their roots can find anNational Archives inWashington, swers at Ancestry Day on Sept. 18 at will discuss the records of the the National Archives in Morrow. Southern Claims Commission. “Discovering Our Ancestors, Our Topics include Getting the History and Ourselves – Together,” is Most From Your Ancestry Subpresented by the Metro Atlanta Chapscription, Jump-start Your Reter of the Afro-American Historical search Using Online Trees, Using and Genealogical Society and the the African-American Collection National Archives. It takes place from R. Washington at Ancestry, and Ancestry’s World Archives 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Doors open at 8:30 a.m. Many of the records available at Ancestry. Project. The cost is $10 and includes lunch. Seating com are scans of original documents housed at the National Archives. The seminar also is limited. For registration information, visit targets family historians who want to maxi- www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~gaaahgs. The National Archives at Atlanta are at mize the resources of Ancestry.com and the 5780 Jonesboro Road in Morrow. For more National Archives. Lisa Arnold, Ancestry.com’s content information, call 770-968-2100, e-mail manager, will answer questions about the atlanta.archive@nara.gov or visit www.archives.gov/southeast. genealogy research site.

From mouth-watering greens with dumplings to collard green ice cream, patrons of the first Atlanta Collard Greens Cultural Festival on Sept. 18 will find plenty to make them view the greens in a new light. The 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. event will also feature a Collard Green King & Queen Cook Off, vegetarian cooking demonstrations, a Farmer’s Market, food and crafts vendors, exhibitors, live music, Children’s Sproutland, African Market Place, wellness pavilion and more. Tacuma Brown of the Social Action Committee of the Shrine of the Black Madonna which is hosting the festival, called it an historic event for Atlanta.

“It is one that we hope will unite the entire metro Atlanta community while placing a positive spotlight on the West End,” she said. Dr. Nobantu Ankoanda founded the festival in 1998 in East Palo, Calif., to raise funds for the Shule Mandela Academy. Since then, the festival has been held in Philadelphia, Pa., and Houston, Texas. Food and marketplace vendors are also being accepted. The festival will take place at the Shrine of the Black Madonna, 946 Ralph D. Abernathy Blvd. S.W. in Atlanta. To rent a booth or for more information, call 678-8a28-4008 or email atlcollardgreenfestival@gmail.com.

Celebrities to bowl for sickle cell DeKalb Sheriff Thomas Brown and DeKalb NAACP chairman John Evans are among celebrities who will be hitting pins on Sept. 18 to help find a cure for sickle cell. The celebrity lineup includes two-time Olympic gold medalist Angelo Taylor; jazz impresario Ken Ford II; auto dealership owner Gregory Baranco; and recording Thomas Brown artist T-Boz. They will be bowling at the Suburban Lanes in Decatur from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. Brown, who is co-chairing the event with Channel 2 WSB-TV editorial director Jocelyn Dorsey, said he is pleased to partner with the Sickle Cell Foundation.

“Unfortunately, there is no widely available cure for sickle cell,” Brown said. “We can, however, help to relieve pain, prevent infections and control its complications through education.” “These are the main goals of our fundraising efforts,” Brown said. Sickle cell disease is a group of inherited red blood cell disorders in which the red blood cells become hard and sticky and look like a C-shaped farm tool called a “sickle.” Georgia has one of the highest occurrence rates in the United States. All contributions, including ticket purchases, are tax deductible.For more information, contact Jean Brannan at 404755-1641 or Tom Walker at Suburban Lanes, 404-373-2514.

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CrossRoadsNews

Ministry

September 11, 2010

Across the country, more than 1.3 million invitations have been extended to unchurched people to attend special services.

Churches join national effort to invite ‘unchurched’ to services By Brenda Yarbrough

Churches across the country are luring “unchurched” people with “Back to Church Sunday on Sept. 12. More than 3,500 churches, including Decatur’s Beulah Cathedral Church, sent out “Come as you are!” invitations this week. The church at the intersection of Wesley Chapel and Kelley Chapel roads hung the invitations on the door knobs of homes in the subdivisions around the church. The invitation to its 9:30 a.m. Sunday school and 11 a.m. worship services promised a casual atmosphere as well as refreshments. Other local congregations participating in Back to Church Sunday include Kingdom Bible Ministries in Clarkston; Harvest Tabernacle International Ministries COGIC, Anvil Block United Methodist Church, and

“Our hope is that God will touch many lives through the simple act of an invitation.” Philip Nation

Austin Oaks Baptist Church in Ellenwood; True Grace Christian Fellowship in Lithonia; and DeKalb United Pentecostal Church in Stone Mountain. Across the country, more than 1.3 million invitations have been extended to unchurched people to attend special services. At the current rate, participation in the 2010 Back to Church Sunday is expected to more than double last year’s 700,000 invitations. Philip Nation, director of ministry de-

velopment for LifeWay Research, says the campaign may have lasting impact as churchgoers show concern for family and friends. His LifeWay surveys of unchurched people have shown they are receptive to invitations from people close to them. “Our hope is that God will touch many lives through the simple act of an invitation,” he said. Although 83 percent of American adults identify themselves as Christians, only about 20 percent attend church on any given Sunday. Yet a study by LifeWay Research and the North American Mission Board of more than 15,000 Americans found that 67 percent say a personal invitation from a family member would be effective in getting them to visit a church. Fifty-six percent say an invitation from a friend or neighbor would likely move them to respond. Churches that participated in the 2009

campaign saw an average 19 percent increase in their weekend attendance, said Eric Abel of Outreach Inc., a Southern California church marketing company that supports the event. “When members reach out to others, it makes a dramatic impact,” Abel said. “Back to Church Sunday focuses greater awareness on taking the time to simply ask a friend Eric Abel or family member to join you at church.” For more information on the national Back to Church movement, visit http:// backtochurch.com. Beulah Cathedral Church of Christ (Holiness) USA is at 2901 Wesley Chapel Road. For more information, call 404-288-2434 or visit www.beulahcochusa.org.

Golf tournament to support those working for GED Youth and adults working toward their GED will benefit from a Sept. 18 golf tournament presented by the Rev. Clifton Dial Sr. Scholarship Foundation. Registration for the inaugural General Education Scholarship Tournament, begins at 8 a.m. at the Browns Mill Golf Course in Atlanta. The tournament starts at 9, followed by a reception and putting contest at 2 p.m. A golf foursome can play for $400 or $100 for individual players. The Dial Scholarship Foundation is a nonprofit created to provide financial and educational support to students seeking to obtain their GED. Eligible students must be enrolled in a state-approved GED class and meet minimum requirements. In addition to Empowerment of Minds Learning Centers, a nonprofit that provides educational services to youth and adults, sponsors include Gregory B. Levett and Sons Funeral Home, DeVon Hudson State Farm Insurance, Rainbow Park Baptist Church, CrossRoadsNews and Georgia Perimeter College. Browns Mill Golf Course is at 480 Cleveland Ave. in Atlanta. For more information, call 678-954-5851.

The Heshima Female and Kijana Male Rites of Passage programs seek to empower teens with the knowledge, skills and abilities to transform successfully from adolescence into an Africancentered adulthood.

Orientation to describe rites of passage program Teenagers can learn about becoming men and women at the Heshima and Kijana Rites of Passage programs at First Afrikan Church in Lithonia. Registration for the eight-month long program takes place on Sept. 18. During the 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. orientation, parents and teens will be introduced to the program and participate in a question-and-

answer session. The Heshima Female and Kijana Male Rites of Passage programs serve youth 13 to 17 years old. They seek to empower teens with the knowledge, skills and abilities to transform successfully from adolescence into an African-centered adulthood. Activities include yoga, tai chi, aerobic exercise, drumming, dance, African his-

tory, African-American history, field trips, lectures, community service, and financial literacy sessions. Participants meet on Saturdays from October to June. First Afrikan Church is at 5197 Salem Road in Lithonia. For more information, contact Lynne Young at 678-772-9400 or Michael McWhorter at 404-384-5886.

Church to mark ‘Holy Cross Day’

“WHEN GOD CALLED YOUR NAME – 25 YEARS OF AMAZING GRACE” JEREMIAH 1:5 ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION BANQUET SATURDAY, OCTOBER 9, 2010 MARRIOTT MARQUIS ATLANTA, GEORGIA RECEPTION: 6:00 P.M. – 7:00 P.M. BANQUET: 7:00 P.M. – 10:00 P.M. ADULTS: $125.00 CHILDREN 12 & UNDER: $50.00

ANNIVERSARY WORSHIP SERVICE SUNDAY, OCTOBER 10, 2010 LOVE LIFE CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP CHURCH 3980 PANTHERSVILLE ROAD ELLENWOOD, GEORGIA 30294 10:00 A.M.

CONTACT: TEMITA S. DAVIS

lovelifefellowship@yahoo.com or (404) 241-1499

TRACY PERKINS

typerkins101@yahoo.com or (404) 241-1499

Sept. 12 is Holy Cross Day at the Episcopal Church of the Holy Cross in Decatur and church members will be celebrating with a reception following their 9:30 a.m. service. Holy Cross Day, also called “Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross,” commemorates the finding of the true cross in 326, where the Church of the Holy Sepulchre was built. The church in the Old City of Jerusalem is on the holiest Christian site in the world,

standing on a site that encompasses both Golgotha, or Calvary, where Jesus was crucified, and the tomb (sepulchre) where he was buried. The Church of the Holy Sepulchre has been an important pilgrimage destination since the 4th century. The Episcopal Church of the Holy Cross is at 2005 South Columbia Place. For more information, call 404-284-1211 or visit www. holy-cross.org.

“Come on and be a part of the vision” First Afrikan Church is an Afrocentric Christian Ministry that empowers women, men, youth and children to move from membership to leadership in the church, community and the world. 5197 Salem Road Lithonia, GA 30038 Praise & Devotion Worship Service Sundays at 10 a.m.

Join us for Bible Study Wednesdays at 7 p.m.

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

Rev. Dr. Mark A. Lomax

CrossRoadsNews

September 11, 2010

People

“He made every student feel that they could be great. He would not accept anything but the best from his students.”

FAMU alumni pay to tribute to Marching 100’s ‘Maestro’ Dr. William P Foster Aug. 25, 1919 - Aug. 28, 2010 By Jennifer Ffrench Parker

DeKalb’s band fraternity and Florida A&M University alumni are mourning the passing of “The Maestro,” Dr. William P. Foster , their teacher, mentor and band director extraordinaire. Foster, 91, died in Tallahassee on Aug. 28. For more than 50 years, he reigned over FAMU’s band program, making it worldfamous. In the process the Rattlers’ “Marching 100” wowed crowds with its unique style of band pageantry at hundreds of half-time shows, marched at President Clinton’s inaugural parades, and was the only American band invited for the 1989 Bastille Day Parade in Paris that celebrated the 200th anniversary of the French Revolution. Foster’s showy band pageantry – rapid tempos, high-stepping routines – revolutionized college marching band technique and the perceptions of the collegiate band. But more importantly, he spawned a cadre of musicians who went on to model his emphasis on character-building and musicianship in the programs that they now lead at schools and colleges across the country. In DeKalb, home to hundreds of FAMU alumni, Foster’s influence runs deep. Graduates of his program lead bands and music programs at eight DeKalb high, middle and elementary schools – Southwest DeKalb, Martin Luther King Jr., Stephenson High and Middle, Avondale and Stone Mountain, and manage the Stephenson and Southwest DeKalb elementary school clusters. At the county level, the school district’s

Dr. William P. Foster, who led Florida A&M’s marching band for more than 50 years, spawned a cadre of musicians who model his emphasis on character-building and musicianship.

music coordinator – Don Roberts, who oversees band and orchestra programs systemwide – is also a Foster alum. Stephenson High School band director Quentin Goins said that while Foster’s demeanor was meek and mild, he spoke powerful words. “He made every student feel that they could be great,” he said. “He would not accept anything but the best from his students.” James Seda, who heads a three-man Foster alumni team at Southwest DeKalb High School, said that every day, Foster set a high bar for his students. “Dr. Foster wrote a very interesting band motto to guide our thoughts and to rule our actions and minds,” Seda said. The motto is so dear to them, that alumni

begin reciting it, within minutes of talking about their beloved former teacher. They said it stressed the highest quality of character, academic achievement, leadership attainment, perfection in musicianship, precision in marching, and dedication to service. “Every single day he challenged all of us to live by those values,” said Seda, who graduated from FAMU in 1998, the year Foster retired. Alumni point out that musicianship appeared fourth on the FAMU band program’s motto. “He was always about training the whole child,” Goins said. “He believed that it’s your character that will take you where you need to go.”

Today, Goins says he stresses the same principles in his program at Stephenson High School. “We have adapted it as part of our band creed,” he said. FAMU President James Ammon told the Tampa Tribune last week that he can attest to the fact that what Foster created at the university was magical. “It was the marching band, at an Orange Blossom Classic in Miami, that sparked my interest in attending FAMU,” he said. “The band was dynamic, larger than life and something that I wanted to have access to even though I was not a musician.” Foster, who was born in Kansas City, Kan., was 12 when he began learning to play the clarinet. He earned his bachelor’s of music education from the University of Kansas but, as a young black man, wasn’t allowed to march in the school’s all-white band. Later, his “Marching 100” would become the first black band to play in the Festival of States Parade in St. Petersburg. His former students say he took great pride in having a top-notch program at an African-American school. “He built the style and quality of program that many did not expect of black colleges,” Seda said. Seda and his assistant directors Steve Cooper and DeMetrius Hubert got a van and drove four hours to show their respect to Foster, who taught at FAMU from 1946 to 1998. During his Sept. 4 funeral service, Seda said students from every decade were represented and that the 1,400-seat hall could not hold everyone who showed up. “They went decade by decade and someone stood up for every one of them,” he said.

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CrossRoadsNews

September 11, 2010

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CrossRoadsNews

September 11, 2010

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2010 Atlanta Collard Greens Cultural Festival Saturday, Sept. 18, 2010

10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Shrine of the Black Madonna 946 Ralph D. Abernathy Blvd SW, Atlanta, GA

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Featuring Delicious Collard Green Ice Cream!

Also Featuring: Collard Green King & Queen Cook Off! Vegetarian Cooking Demos • Farmer’s Market Exhibitors • Live Music • Children’s Sproutland African Market Place • Wellness Pavilion ...and much, much more For more information atlcollardgreenfestival@gmail.com Or call 678-828-4008 www.atlcollardgreen.webs.com

CrossRoadsNews

September 11, 2010