Serving DeKalb, Fulton, Gwinnett, Henry and Rockdale Counties Celebrating the Life and Legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.....page 6
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Volume 19 Number 41
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Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed sworn in for second term ....page 5
january 11, 2014
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Looking for Study: City of Stonecrest is not viable a job? Alliance leader demands special election By Valerie J. Morgan
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By Joshua Smith
oodwill of North Georgia will host a community job fair on Wednesday, Jan. 15, 10 a.m. – 1 p.m., at the Decatur Career Center, 1295 Columbia Drive, Decatur. “Putting people to work is a Goodwill mission that we are fully committed to,” said Mary Howard, manager of the career center. “Both salary and minimum wage jobs will be offered. We don’t have an age requirement. All hungry job seekers are welcomed.” Employers will conduct interviews at the job fair and will be recruiting for a wide range of jobs including sales positions, package handlers, switchboard operators, customer service positions, interpreters, hotel staff, cashiers, managers, cooks, security guards and correctional office positions. Participating employers include AARP, A.E.T.C., Inc., Allied Barton, Bobby Dodd, the Department of Juvenile Center, the Hyatt Regency Atlanta, Lowes, Norred & Associates, UPS and Zaxby’s. Howard suggests that job seekers visit the Decatur center before the Jan. 15 fair to receive training and take advantage of everything the center has to offer to prepare for their job search. “We don’t want anyone to show up to the job fair unprepared. From social media and dressing for success to resume help, we can help get you ready for the job fair,” said Elaina Armstrong, director of Public Relations at Goodwill of North Georgia. “We can help you, even if you don’t have a resume. We also help you with questions you should ask employers. We really encourage job seekers to come to us and get fully prepared.” Armstrong said Goodwill has nine career centers in the state, including the Decatur center. Each center plans to hold at least one job fair monthly. Last year, eight of the centers held career fairs on the same day. Attendees should come to the job fair dressed in professional attire and be prepared to hand out copies of their resumes. To receive training or resume help prior to the Jan. 15 job fair, visit the Decatur career center on Monday – Friday, 9 a.m. – 4 p.m., and on Saturday, 10 a.m. – 2 p.m., 1295 Columbia Drive. For more information, call 404-728-8600 or 404-420-1162.
he Stonecrest City Alliance, which had hoped to form its own city, has learned the area is not viable for incorporation. The University of Georgia’s Carl Vinson Institute of Government said in a 59-page feasibility study that incorporating the Stonecrest area would cost $45.4 million to operate annually compared to the $31.1 million the city would generate in revenues. The Stonecrest group was one of Jason Lary four to present cityhood proposals on Jan. 9 to the DeKalb Delegation, hoping to win support for a voter referendum in May. Stonecrest, however, was the only group that was not deemed viable. Briarcliff, Lakeside and Tucker got their feasibility studies back in December showing they would be able to generate the revenues needed to operate as cities. Now, however, the three groups are battling over Northlake Mall. All three want to include the mall within their proposed boundaries. The mall would generate more than $1 million annually in property values for the proposed cities. Meanwhile, Jason Lary, who heads the Stonecrest group, is gearing up to fight for leadership on another front. “We are in the toilet. We’re holding on to the rim of the bowl,” said Lary. “This study lets us know how badly we have been under-represented.” See Lary, page 5
The Stonecrest study area is comprised of 37.94 square miles. The area’s western boundary runs roughly along a line stretching from County Line Road along the Henry County border in the south to Rockbridge Road along the Gwinnett County border in the north. The study area excludes the existing city of Lithonia.
Stone Mountain mom receives outpouring of support for son killed in robbery attempt
Nichole Villafane
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Xavier Arnold
By Valerie J. Morgan
ichole Villafane found a little joy on her son’s birthday—the joy of knowing that he was a young man who touched many lives. Xavier Arnold, who had been an engineer in the Army National Guard reserves for three years, would have turned 22 on Jan. 8. Arnold was fatally shot walking with his girlfriend and his best friend along a bike trail in Atlanta’s Kirkwood community the day after Christmas. Arnold’s murder outraged the community because of the ages of the suspects involved in the violence. Police charged a 14-year-old boy, the suspected gunman, and a 22-year-old man, Qutravius Palmer, with murder and attempted robbery in connection with the shooting. James Arnold told reporters the fact that a 14-year-old was involved in the shooting made his son’s death even more disturbing. “I just don’t understand,” he said as he fought back tears. Arnold’s mother sought to make some sense of the shooting by confronting the 22-year-old suspect, demanding to know why he ordered the 14-year-old to shoot her son. Villafane confronted the suspect as he made his way in handcuffs with his head bowed to his first
court appearance. “I’m the mother who sat there and you told that 14-year-old to shoot my son in the head,” Villafane said. “Now that you sat and thought about it, was it worth it? Was it worth it?” Villafane said the ordeal has been tough for the whole family, but the calls, visits and prayers are helping them to cope. “It’s been amazing—the outpouring of support from his friends, the community, everyone,” said Villafane, who lives in Stone Mountain. “People have been sharing stories with me about how they have lived off of his words of encouragement, his big smile.“ After the shooting, the Kirkwood community showed its support by posting signs in their yard showing a black letter “X” on a yellow background. The “X,” short for Xavier, was Arnold’s nickname and to send a message that the community wants to stop violence. Workers from Villafane’s office sent over a catered dinner on Arnold’s birthday to remember him. Villanfane said her son was a 2010 graduate of Chamblee High School. He had moved home during Thanksgiving from Savannah, where he was enrolled in the Savannah College of Art and Design. He planned to attend classes at the Atlanta campus and spend more time with his 14-year-old brother, Villafane said. “His brother is suppressing what happened. His death has hit all of us,” Villanfane said. She said her son’s girlfriend, who was with him when he was shot, has cried a lot. She was shoved during the attack but was not seriously injured. The suspects demanded money, but Arnold had no money in his wallet and a cellphone that didn’t work. The suspects shot Arnold in the head and his friend in the leg. Both men were transported to Grady Memorial Hospital, but Arnold did not survive his injuries. “We’ve cried together. We’ve laughed together. It’s been one day at a time,” Villafane said of her son’s girlfriend. Palmer, who is being held in the DeKalb County Jail, is scheduled for a court hearing on Jan. 21.