Champion FreePress: 1-29-16

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CHAMPIONNEWSPAPER CHAMPIONNEWS CHAMPIONNEWSPAPER CHAMPIONNEWS

hechampionnewspaper.com F REE P RESS FRIDaY, JaNUaRY 29, 2016 • Vol. 18, No. 43 • FREE

• A PUBLICATION OF ACE III COMMUNICATIONS • Serving East Atlanta, Avondale Estates, Brookhaven, Chamblee, Clarkston, Decatur, Doraville, Dunwoody, Lithonia, Pine Lake, Tucker and Stone Mountain.

CHAMPION The

See Illustrator on Page 13A

Cop who killed unarmed man indicted

R. Gregory Christie:from shy kid toaward-winning illustrator

LOCAL, 10A EDUCATION, 15A SPORTS, 18A

Business .................................17A Classied .............................. 16A Education ........................15, 20A Opinion ......................................5A Sports ................................18-19A

QUICK FINDERWELDING STUDENT TOREPRESENT COLLEGE’S ADULTEDUCATION PROGRAM

GREENFOREST BOYS,GIRLS EYE STATEBASKETBALL TITLES

DEKALB FIREFIGHTERSLEAVE COUNTY FORMORE MONEY

by Andrew [email protected]

“All six counts! All six counts!”

hat was the chant o a crowd a ter learn-ing that the DeKalb County police o icer who

atally shot an unarmed, naked man in March2015 will ace a jury trial.

DeKalb County District Attorney RobertJames announced Jan. 21 that a grand jury in-dicted DeKalb County Police O icerRobertOlsen on six counts: two counts o elony mur-der, aggravated assault, two counts o violationo oath o o ice by a public o icer, and onecount o making a alse statement.

A ter the indictment, a Superior Court judge signed a warrant or Olsen’s arrest. Olsen,53, was booked into the DeKalb County Jail at6:30 a.m. Jan. 22 and booked out at 9:30 a.m. on$100,000 bond.

See Hill on Page 13A

by Carla [email protected]

Growing up in ScotchPlains, N.J., R. GregoryChristie was not a child whoofen interacted with others.

“I was a shy kid and I

iked being by mysel ,” heaid.He did not gain

ondence until hediscovered his talent and love

or drawing.“It helped build my sel -

steem to draw somethingand have people ask i Iraced it,” he said. “As I got

older I got more and morenterested in art.”

His mother would takehim to museums, and hewould go to the library totudy illustration. When he

was 11-years-old, he started

attending Scotch PlainsFanwood Arts Associationmeetings. Te associationis a group o ne artists,crafers, photographers andsculptors who come togetherto express and enjoy theirtalents.

“When I got there, theywere all retirees and I was just 11 years old and theytook me in,” he said. “Teyshowed me pastel drawings,they showed me paintings…Iwas excited that every timethey nished the actual[meeting] obligations theywould go into a sessionwhere we would all drawsomething or someone.

“I’ve always loved art,”he said. “It made me eelgood about mysel andhelped guide me throughmy childhood and teenage

years.”wenty years later,

Christie is now a renownedillustrator. He has createdartwork or more than 50children’s books and hasdesigned numerous albumcovers.

His selected clientelelist includes Te New Yorker,Rolling Stone, Vibe, Te Wall

Street Journal, Te New Yorkimes, Te Kennedy Center,

Moserobie Music (Sweden),Impulse Records (New York),MCA Records (Los Angeles),Reading is Fundamental,actress Marlo Tomas , olksinger Pete Seeger , actorand comedian Chris Rock ,actress and rapper QueenLatifah and actress Karyn

Parsons .Christie is also a two-

time recipient o TeNew York imes’ 10 BestIllustrated Children’s Bookso the Year Award and athree’time winner o theCoretta Scott King HonorAward in Illustration. He hasalso won a NAACP’s ImageAward, Te Boston Globe’s

R. Gregory Christie has done artwork for more than 50 children’s books.

A sign states the reason a crowd camped outside theDeKalb courthouse for days before a county policemanwas indicted for fatally shooting an unarmed man. Photo

y Travis Hudgons

“Justice was served,” said Chris Chestnut (front right), theHill family’s attorney. Photos by Andrew Cauthen


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The Champion FREEPRESS, Friday, Jan. 22, 2016 LOCAL Page 2A


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AVONDALEESTATESGirl Scouts troop to hold meeting

Girl Scout Troop 3647 will holda meeting Jan. 31 from 2 to 4 p.m.The meeting will be held at AvondalePattillo United Methodist Churchocated at 3260 Covington Highway.For more information or to join theroop, call Bonny Wilder at (770)

469-9032.

BROOKHAVENCity to host watershed publicmeeting

Brookhaven will hold a NancyCreek Watershed public meeting Feb.3, from 7 to 8 p.m. at Marist School’svy Street Center Lecture Hall. The

meeting will include a brief presenta-ion of the draft list of recommended

projects. The presentation will beollowed by an opportunity for resi-

dents to share their concerns or in-erests in the watershed. The lecture

hall is located at 3790 Ashford Dun-woody Road. For more information,visit www.brookhavenga.gov.

Spring adult softball leagueegistration announced

Registration has begun for theBrookhaven Parks and Recreation’s2016 Spring Adult Softball League.players, ages 17 and older can signup for the league until Feb. 12. Par-icipants must have turned 17 prioro Jan. 1, 2016. The registration fees $625 per team. Registration willbe taken at the Parks and Recreation

main office at Lynwood CommunityCenter, Monday through Friday, 8:30a.m. to 5 p.m. League play begins theweek of March 7 and will concludebefore Memorial Day. The seasonwill culminate with a tournamentand opportunity to go to GRPAState. Lynwood Community Centers located at 3360 Osborne Road NE.

For more information, contact Tay-or Davis at (404) 637-0542 or visit

www.brookhavenga.gov/city-depart-ments/parks-recreation.

DECATURSymposium to explore relationsbetween Blacks and Jews

DeKalb History Center willpresent a symposium titled ‘ Rootsof Friendship’ on Saturday, March5. Author Melissa Fay Greene andother scholars will discuss the uniquerelationships that formed betweenthe Black and Jewish communitiesin Atlanta during the first half of the20th century. Topics for this sympo-sium will include the immigration ofEuropean Jews to Atlanta, the inter-dependence of these communities,empathy and understanding amongcommunities, the Leo Frank case,Jewish and Black experiences afterWorld War II, plus additional topics.

Additional participants includeCharissa Threat, (symposium mod-erator), Sandy Berman, DanielleWiggins , Dr. Jelani Favors (panelmoderator) and additional panelistsDavid Goldwasser, Herschel Green-blat, Sylvia Clark, Roy Nesby, San-dy Berman and Danielle Wiggins .

Tickets are $35 for DeKalb His-tory Center members ($40 beginningMarch 1) $45 for nonmembers ($50beginning March 1). The symposiumwill be 10 a.m.-1:30 p.m. at DeKalbHistory Center located in the historicDeKalb courthouse in downtownDecatur.

Registration includes a buffetlunch. For additional informationcall (404) 373-1088, ext. 20.

Homeless ministry to hold gala

Lady T’s Homeless Ministrywill hold its 16th-year anniversaryMasquerade Gala Affair on Saturday,Feb. 20, 5 – 9 p.m. at Milligan Hall,Clairmont Presbyterian Church,1994 Clairmont Road, Decatur. Theevening will include dinner, a disc jockey and a 50/50 raffle. Proceedssupport the homeless ministry. Tick-ets are $40 for a single and $75 for acouple. Program ads are available.

For more information, contactTeresa Hamilton at (404) 316-0774.

Republican presidentialcandidates to meet

The North DeKalb RepublicanWomen will host a presidential can-didate mass meeting at the DeKalbGOP headquarters on Saturday, Feb.13, at 10 a.m.

Speakers will include Rachel Lit-tle, immediate past chairman of the

Gwinnett County Republican Partyand recent recipient of the GeorgiaRepublican Party Chairman of theYear Award, and Georgia Rep. BuzBrockway , member of the GeorgiaHouse of Representatives since 2011,previous chairman of the GwinnetRepublican party, and assistant edi-tor of the Peach Pundit .

All residents interested in ex-panding their knowledge about Re-publican presidential candidates areinvited to attend. Coffee and refresh-ments will be served.

The DeKalb GOP Headquartersis located at 2050 Lawrenceville Hwy,Suite 4054, Decatur, near the U.S.Post Office.

For more information, vis-it northdekalbrepublicanwomen.com, or contact Merrie Soltis at [email protected].

PINE LAKEOrganization to host pancakebreakfast

The Pine Lake Association of In- volved Neighbors (PLAIN) will hostits monthly pancake breakfast Feb.6 from 8:30 to 11 a.m. at the BeachHouse. PLAIN is an integral part ofmany of the activities happening inPine Lake. The house is located at4865 Lakeshore Drive. For more in-formation, visit [email protected].

STONEMOUNTAINStone Mountain CID addslights on Mountain IndustrialBoulevard bridge

The Stone Mountain Commu-nity Improvement District (CID) hashired contractors R. J. Haynie andAssociates and Massana Construc-tion to install lights on the MountainIndustrial Boulevard bridge.

Contractors will begin installingthe poles in about 45 days, eventu-ally adding overhead LED lights onthe Mountain Industrial Boulevardbridge over Highway 78.

In a statement, CID PresidentEmory Morsberger said the lightingincreases and is a key enhancementthat CID members have supportedfor years.

“The CID set its sights on bridgelighting from the beginning, andwe’re now launching this effort,”Morsberger stated. “We’re improvingsafety and adding a new dimension

in appearance to better define thisgateway interchange. It will be a saferbridge, and anyone who drives it atnight will notice the difference im-mediately.”

Ten light posts will be added onthe bridge and immediately adjacentramp areas, according to the newsrelease. Crews will extend existingbridge beams to accommodate theaddition of light poles, allowing thenew lights to shine on the lanes. Thepoles will be black and approximate-ly 25 feet high, and the entire projectis expected to be complete within 2months, weather permitting.

Construction funding is suppliedby a grant from the State Road andTollway Authority’s Georgia Trans-portation Infrastructure Bank. TheCID is funding the project designand inspection costs.

“Anything we can do to make itsafer and easier to navigate in this in-credible corridor is good for all com-muters,” Morsberger stated. “TheCID is very pleased to have playeda leading role in adding this much-needed improvement.”

COUNTYWIDE

Youth ag football applicationsbeing accepted

Youth flag football registrationcontinues until Saturday, April 9.

“The program is designed todevelop good sportsmanship, instillskill development and maintain aninterest in physical fitness,” accord-ing to an announcement about theprogram.

Youth Flag Football is open toages 12–16 at a cost of $40 per par-ticipant. To access online registra-tion, please visit the DeKalb CountyParks webpage (apm.activecommu-nities.com/dekalbcountyrecreation)or register in person at any DeKalbCounty recreation center.

Practice dates and times will bedetermined by recreation centers.Participants must present birth cer-tificates at the time of registration.

For more information, call theAthletics Office at (770) 414-2113.

AROUND DEKALB


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The Champion FREEPRESS, Friday, Jan. 22, 2016 oPINIoN Page 4A

“How do I love thee? Letme count the ways.

I love thee to the depthand breadth and height

My soul can reach, wheneeling out of sight

For the ends of Being anddeal Grace.

I love thee to the level ofeveryday’s

Most quiet need, by sunand candle-light.

I love thee freely, as mentrive for Right;

I love thee purely, as theyurn from Praise.

I love thee with a passionput to use

In my old griefs, and withmy childhood’s faith.

I love thee with a love Ieemed to loseWith my lost saints,–I

love thee with the breath,Smiles, tears, of all my

life! –and, if God choose,I shall but love thee better

after death.” –Elizabeth Bar-rett Browning

It was an uncharacter-istically warm January day15 years ago when DeannaLorraine and I joined in holymatrimony in front of nearly200 of our friends, familyand coworkers.

It was my first marriage,her second. She had threechildren, ages 10, 12 and 14,and within a year we addedanother to our family.

During our 15 years, asin most marriages, we haveendured some tough times:lengthy unemployment and

financial difficulties, rela-tionship problems with thechildren, deaths of close fam-ily members and health chal-

lenges. But our relationshiphas endured while we haveseen several marriages much

younger than ours fail.I can honestly say that I

can’t imagine—at least notpositively—my life withoutmy wife. She’s my best friend,my biggest fan, and my part-ner in all that I do.

Dee is smart, talented, agreat singer and storyteller,an excellent cook, a loyalfriend, an encourager, a ded-icated mother and she’s anentrepreneur.

I can’t count all of theways I am loved by my wifeand the reasons I love her.

I love spending time withher and we make an effort tokeep the lines of communi-cation open. Because I live3.8 miles from my office, Ihave the privilege of havinglunch with my wife every

day. And at the beginningof our marriage we made acommitment to go out on adate at least twice a month,whether it’s eating at a fancyrestaurant or simply goingfor a drive.

Of course, I don’t knowwhat the future holds forus—I don’t know if we willlive long enough to be ableto be married 61 years likeformer DeKalb CEO LianeLevetan and her late hus-band Phil .

But I truly cherish ourfirst 15 years and if I had it todo all over, I would say “I do”again without hesitation orreservation.

Here’s to the next 15years, Dee. I Iove you!

@AndrewChampNews

Andrew Cauthen

[email protected]

Managing Editor

How do I love Dee?


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See Avondale on Page 12A

thechampionnewspaper.com

Avondale releases annexation feasibility study

If you would like to nominate someone to be considered as a future Champion of the Week, please contact Andrew Cauthenat [email protected] or at (404) 373-7779, ext. 117.

Zeus LubyTo help solve some of

he issues in the Black com-munity, Zeus Luby , 33, andhis friend Travis “Achilles ” Williams formed a nonprofitorganization called “The Ao Z Project.”

“We addressed all issuesrom ‘A to Z,’” Luby said. “Weet out to tackle homeless-

ness, battered women, rapevictims, displaced and trou-bled youth, poverty strickenamilies, etc. Unfortunately,

Achilles died in a tragic ac-cident in March of last year.

plan to carry the torch inhonor of his memory andour dream.”

Williams was hit andkilled by a freight train whilefilming a YouTube workout video near the train tracks.

According to The A toZ Project’s website, the twowant to give back by “merg-

ing health and fitness andthe human spirit to pay itforward.” Every month,Williams hosts a donation-based fitness camp with allproceeds being used to fundcommunity outreach proj-ects.

Outside of working withhis project, Luby, a Stephen-son High School gradu-ate, also takes time to visitschools to talk to students.

“I do a great deal of edu-cational and motivationalspeaking at grade schoolsand colleges,” he said. “I’malso a life coach and mentor.I take young men under my

wing and help reformat theirperspectives.”

Luby is also a single fa-ther with full custody of hischild and he teaches men onhow to be a better and moreinvolved fathers.

“[I also] provide themwith information on how tofight for custody,” Luby said.

Luby said doing commu-nity outreach is an “integralpart of our educational foun-dation.”

“Volunteering exposespeople to the difficult reali-ties that a significant portionof the global populationgrapples with daily,” he said.

“Volunteering teaches com-passion and empathy, andnurtures one’s humanity. Itteaches patience, tolerance,and can cultivate a desireto learn the why behindthe actions of others ratherthan immediately rebukingor condemning them. Thebenefits to those in need canbe just as life altering if notmore so. Selflessly giving ofone’s time, energy, and re-sources can inspire hope andhelp heal the scars of poortreatment.”


An annexation feasibiltyor Avondale Estates has

been completed.The city contacted the

Carl Vinson Institute of Gov-ernment last November toconduct an annexation studyon two areas. One study areamap includes commercialproperty north of the cityalong East Ponce De LeonAvenue, the old AvondaleMiddle School property andesidential property north-

east of the city along OldRockbridge Road and theDeKalb School of the Artsand residential propertyouth the city along Berkeley

Road.

The second study areaalso includes propertiesalong Old Rockbridge Roadand Berkeley Road, but alsoncludes residential proper-ies west of the city along

Katie Kerr Drive and SouthColumbia Drive.

The study areas containcommercial and industrialparcels with 40 percent as-essed value of $10.9 millionn study area 1 and a 40 per-

cent assessed value of $4.1

million in study area 2, ac-cording to the report.

According to the report,representatives from CarlVinson Institute focused on

two questions—how muchrevenue would the city havecollected from the study ar-eas in fiscal year 2014 if theareas were annexed, and how

much would the city havespent in 2014 to provide services to the study areas.

“We specified that thestudy areas had been an-

nexed one or more yearsprior to fiscal year 2014 andas a result there are no lostrevenues due to transitionissues nor do we consider

Carl Vinson Institute of Government conducted an annexation study on two areas and developed to maps for Avondale Estates.


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Volunteers pack rice for refugeesOn Jan. 18, more than 200 volunteers fromaround metro Atlanta packaged more than 4,000pounds of rice for refugees during the annual Lu-heran MLK Day of Service.

The rice, donated by the volunteers andother donors, was repackaged from large 25- to50-pound bags into smaller family-sized bags tohelp stock the pantries of newly arrived refugeesresettled by Lutheran Services of Georgia, accord-ng to a news release by the organization.

The event was held at Rock of Ages LutheranChurch in Stone Mountain.

“We at Lutheran Services of Georgia are over-whelmed by the number of volunteers who donat-ed rice and showed up to help us welcome refugeefamilies to our state,” stated Melanie Johnson ,program manager for volunteer, congregation andcommunity engagement, refugee and immigrationservices at Lutheran Services of Georgia, in therelease. “We are thankful to them for sharing their

time with us.”The Lutheran Theological Center of Atlanta,

Southeastern Synod of the ELCA and Rock ofAges Lutheran Church were also sponsors of theevent.

“After fleeing dangerous situations in theirhome countries and spending many months inrefugee camps, most refugees arrive in the U.S.with few personal possessions,” states Emily Laney , director of refugee and immigration services, Lutheran Services of Georgia, in the release.“At Lutheran Services of Georgia, we providerefugees with food, shelter, and other support dur-ing their early days in the United States. The ricedonated and packaged on MLK Day will help thenearly 550 refugees we will serve in 2016.”

Additionally, many participants wrote lettersurging Georgia legislators “to vote with compas-sion and welcome for all refugees,” according tothe news release.

Many volunteers also participated in a paneldiscussion about interfaith dialogue and refugeesand immigrants living in Georgia. The panelmembers included Johnson; Imam Arshad An-war , resident imam, Roswell Community Masjid;Sadia Yusaf , employment specialist, LutheranServices of Georgia; and Pastor Randy Palm ofRock of Ages Lutheran. The panel discussion, ledby Pastor Justin Ask of Good Shepherd LutheranChurch in Woodstock, addressed fears surround-ing refugee resettlement, facts and myths aboutSyrian and other refugees, the process of vettingrefugees in the United States and other relevanttopics.

Lutheran Services of Georgia is a 501(c)(3)nonprofit organization dedicated to promot-ing services that enhance the stability, wellness,health, and safety of individuals and families inGeorgia.

Metro Atlanta volunteers joined together to aid refugees during the annual King Day of Service at Rock of Ages Lutheran Church in Stone Mountain. Photos provided


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y Andrew [email protected]

The Georgia Bureau ofnvestigation (GBI) has con-luded that a so-called cor-uption report by a specialnvestigator contained noth-ng for the GBI to investigate.

“It’s encouraging that wehave a sense of closure in thisrea,” said interim DeKalbCounty CEO Lee May dur-ng a Jan. 22 phone interview.It’s a step forward to allow

us to really move this countyorward.”

In October 2015 GeorgiaGov. Nathan Deal orderedhe GBI to review a report on

DeKalb County governmentorruption. The report wasrepared by former state at-orney general Mike Bowers ,

who was selected in Marchy May to root out countyorruption.

In his report, delivered tohe county Sept. 30, Bowerstated that the county’s pooreadership and widespreadorruption “are a disgrace tots citizens and an embarrass-

ment to our state.”Calling for May to resign,

Bowers’ report stated thatMay and others conspiredctively to block” the corrup-ion investigation.

In his Jan. 11 letter toDeal, GBI Director VernonKeenan said, “The FBI was

already aware of most of theallegations in the report, andto the extent any allegationinvolved potential federal

criminal violations, the FBIhas already investigated thematter.”

Another allegation isbeing investigated by theDeKalb County Police De-partment and “a number ofthe allegations in the reportrelated to violations of theDeKalb County ethics rules,which could not be prosecut-ed criminally,” Keenan wrote.

“It is our view the reportcontained no new criminalallegations that warrantedfurther investigation by theGBI,” he stated.

“As I have stated before,the vast majority of ouremployees are hardwork-ing, honest employees [and]they’re dedicated,” May said.

www.thechampionnewspaper.com

‘It’s encouraging that wehave a sense of closurein this area.’

CITY OF STONE MOUNTAINPUBLIC HEARING NOTICE

The City of Stone Mountain hereby gives notice that a Public Hearing will be heldto consider proposed text amendments to Appendix A of the Zoning Ordinance ofStone Mountain.

The Mayor and City Council will hold a Public Hearing on this matter on Monday,February 15, 2016 at City Hall located at 875 Main Street, Stone Mountain, GA at6:00 P.M. Anyone wishing to attend the public hearing may do so and be heardrelative thereto. A copy of the proposed text amendments will be available at CityHall.


Brookhaven City Man-ager Marie Garrett will re-sign from her position andwill receive a settlement of$225,000 from the city.

Garrett reached the set-tlement agreement with thecity following mediation onJan. 20, according to a state-ment from Brookhaven

“The city of Brookhavenand Marie Garrett have re-solved a contract disagree-ment to the satisfaction of allconcerned,” the city said ina statement. “Over the pastthree years, Marie Garrett’s

integrity and hard work havebeen invaluable assets to ourcity and instrumental to thecity’s success. The mayor andthe city council thank Mariefor her devoted service andwish her the best in her fu-ture endeavors.”

According to the settle-ment agreement, $42,300 ofthe $225,000 will be allocatedto Garrett’s retirement annu-ity. More than $13,000 willgo toward her One Americaaccount, and the remainderof the settlement is a lumpsum of $168,750, less taxes.

On Jan. 12, Mayor JohnErnst and the city councilunanimously voted to sus-pend Garrett. Her city hallbuilding access was revokedand she was escorted fromthe building.

Police Chief Gary Yan-dura was appointed interimcity manager.

“The city honors its obli-gations,” Ernst said in a Dec.12 statement. “Unfortunatelythe contract negotiated by

previous administrations isambiguous and does not al-low the city to know what itsduties are. While workingtoward an orderly transitionwe have become mired inconflict over the terms andconditions of that agreement.The responsible thing to dois to have a third party re-solve these disputes. We wishMarie Garrett well.”

According to Garrett’s2014 employment agree-ment, her annual salary was$214,000.

Garrett was hired as citymanager Feb. 26, 2013, withan initial salary of $170,000.

However, for six monthsshe worked as a consultantand made an additional$24,700. In March 2014,Garrett received a pay raise,which brought her salary to$214,000.

According to a 2015 Mu-nicipal Wage and Salary Sur- vey, Garrett had the secondhigh salary among city man-agers in the state. She alsoreceived a $600 allowanceper month for her car.

Marie Garrett to resign asBrookhaven city manager

GBI finds nothing new toinvestigate in DeKalb“If there is any kind of

criminal wrongdoing wewant to take care of it proac-tively and we want to hold all

employees accountable forhis or her actions,” May said.We are fully cooperatingwith anyone who is investi-gating.”

– Lee May

Garrettn March 2015 interim DeKalb County CEO Lee May, left, hired former state attorney general Mike Bowers “tooot out corruption,…waste, fraud and abuse.” The Georgia Bureau of Investigation’s review of Bowers’ report

yielded nothing new to act upon. Photo by Andrew Cauthen


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y Kathy Mitchell

Maine resident Benja-min Franklin Swanton cameo Georgia during a goldush that started in the late820 and continued throughhe 1830s and a house that

was once his residence stilltands—one of the oldesttructures in Decatur, ex-lained Fred Mobley , archi-

vist for the DeKalb HistoryCenter, who spoke at theenter’s Jan. 19 Lunch and

Learn program.“Swanton didn’t come

o mine for gold; he cameo sell mining equipment tohousands of prospectors

who came here looking toet rich,” Mobley explained.

Swanton made more moneys a businessman than mostf the gold miners did inheir attempts to find gold,

he said, adding that Swan-on—in addition to selling

mining equipment—openedleather tanning business,brickyard, a machine shop

nd other enterprises.Although the house is

named for Swanton he didnot build it, according toMobley. Originally a two-oom log cabin, the structure

was built in the 1820s andwas purchased by Swantonwhen he moved to Decaturn 1852. The owner at theime was Ammi Williams ,or whom Atlanta’s Williams

Street is named.“William probably didn’t

uild the house. We believet was constructed by a man

named Burwell Johnson ,”Mobley said. The exact con-truction date has not been

determined; however, it iselieved to be around 1825,hree years after DeKalb

County was established.Documenting precise dates

or DeKalb’s oldest buildingss difficult because in 1842,when the county was just 20years old, a fire destroyed

most of DeKalb’s early re-cords, Mobley said.

It is likely the house isnamed for Swanton ratherthan one of its other ownersbecause five generations ofthe Swanton family lived inthe house through the yearsin which it was enlargedand updated from a pioneercabin to a Georgian-stylecottage, Mobley said, addingthat the dining room and anadjoining area are part of theoriginal house.

“The house as it lookstoday isn’t what you thinkof as a cabin. It actually wasa rather nice home duringthe years the Swantons livedthere,” Mobley said. TheSwantons may have returnedto Maine during the CivilWar years, when the housewas believed to have been

occupied by a woman and 10girls—the woman’s daughtersand nieces, Mobley said.

“There’s a story of the

woman locking a Union sol-dier in a closet in the houseand refusing to let him outuntil he took off his Yankeeuniform,” Mobley said. Re-cords indicate the FederalArmy of Tennessee usedSwanton House as it was enroute to Atlanta. Musket ballswedged in the structure bearwitness to Civil War battlesin the surrounding area, hesaid.

Swanton House’s futurewas imperiled in the 1960s asan urban renewal movementswept through downtownDecatur and commercial ac-tivity began moving to suchnew shopping areas as NorthDeKalb Mall, which openedin 1965. Land use plans developed by DeKalb Countyand the city of Decatur raisedquestions of whether to de-molish or preserve some of

the city’s oldest structures,Mobley said.

“Fortunately, there werethose around at the time whosaw the value of preservingsuch historic buildings as theSwanton House” and foughtto save it from the wreckingball, Mobley said. A com-munity newspaper ownedin part by a Swanton familymember urged saving thehouse on its editorial pages.

“The two most importantfactors in saving SwantonHouse have been the family’sinvolvement and the inter-est [C& S Bank President]Mills B. Lane Jr. took in thehouse,” Mobley said. Lanewas instrumental in restor-ing the house and having

it moved from its AtlantaAvenue location to Decatur’shistoric complex. Swantonfamily members lived inthe house until the mid-1960s when responsibilityfor maintaining the struc-ture was transferred to theDeKalb History Center.

In 1978, Swanton Housewas placed on the NationalRegister of Historic Places.

MOVE IN/OUT CLEANNGCleaningByMarines.com

(404) 975-9002

CITY OF CHAMBLEE, DEKALB, GA ADVERTISEMENT FOR INVITATION TO BID

Sealed bids for the PEACHTREE STREETSCAPE PROJECT NUMBER: P.I. 0009024 will be received by the City of Chamblee at Chamblee City Hall, 5468 Peachtree Road, Chamblee, GA, until 3:00 pm on Friday, February 19, 2016 , and then at said office publicly opened and read aloud. Bids received after the designated time will not be accepted. (The bid deadline and opening have been changed from Feb. 5th to

Feb 19th)

The project generally includes furnishing all labor, materials and equipment for the construction and related improvements for the PEACHTREE STREETSCAPE. This project will provide two travel lanes 11 feet wide and 5ft to 6ft wide sidewalks on the east side, with two foot grass strip. Coordination with utilities will be required.

The project is located between Pierce Drive and 700 ft North ‐East of Chamblee Dunwoody Road along Peachtree Road in the City of Chamblee, DeKalb County. The Georgia Department of Transportation Standard Specifications, 2013 Edition, applicable Supplemental Specifications and Special Provisions apply to this project.

Bid documents may be obtained from the State of Georgia/DOAS website at https://ssl.doas.state.ga.us/PRSapp/ and the Procurement Page on the City’s website at www.chambleega.gov.

If you have any questions regarding this project please contact Marc Johnson, Chamblee City Manager, at 770 ‐986 ‐5026 . Chamblee reserves the right to accept or reject any or all bids and to waive technicalities.

County history preserved in pre-Civil War house

Fred Mobley, archivist for the DeKalb History Center, discusses the history of the Swanton House with thoseattending a lunch-and-learn event at the center. Photo by Kathy Mitchell


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On Sept. 11, 2013, interimDeKalb County CEO Lee May , justwo months on the job, promised to

hire 300 firefighters over three yearsat a rate of 100 per year.

May said hiring the new person-nel would improve response times,give greater support to first-respond-ers who may need backup and relieveome of the pressure public safety

personnel experience from high callvolume.

Since then, 147 firefighters havebeen hired, according to county of-icials.

“We’re in 2016 and we’ve stillust hired the one group,” said Tom

Burrell , a fire rescue captain and sec-etary of the International Associa-ion of Fire Fighters, Local 1492. “We

haven’t even opened up applicationsor another group yet. We’ve alreadyailed at that as a county.”

May said that prior to that publicaddress in September 2013, the firedepartment had ceased hiring. There

hadn’t been any academies for “quitea while.”Since his commitment, the

county has had “a number of them,”and May has attended two fire rescueacademy graduations.

“We have another eight monthsor so for that three-year period,” Maysaid. “We’re still hiring. We still havea ways to go, really, to get to that 300,but I feel good about the momentumthat we’ve had. We’ve completelyturned that around—the trajectory ofhiring in DeKalb County.”

In addition to the aggressivehiring plan, May announced pay in-creases for promotions.

In the past when a firefighter waspromoted, he or she received a 5 per-cent raise when the initial paperworkwent through, and then was placedon probation for six months, Burrellsaid.

“After six months, if you didwell…you received another 5 per-cent,” Burrell said. “The second 5percent was taken away.

“The commitment in 2013 wasthat we were going to bring thatback,” Burrell said. “And that we wereactually going to go back retroac-tively a year.

“Here we are in 2016 and…wehave people here now who not onlymissed one promotional raise,…

many have missed two,” he said.“My commitment was to look

at and address that,” May said. “Wehaven’t done that as of yet. Just thecost of that was too difficult at thetime for us to accomplish. But, that isnot off the table.

“Our balancing act has beenmaking sure we’re expanding…ourfire rescue personnel…while at thesame time compensating the peoplewho have been here for years,” Maysaid. “They are both very costly mea-sures and we have done our best toaddress both.”

Burrell said, “We’ve seen a steadyrise in attrition here in DeKalbCounty in the fire department, verysimilar to the police department.”

In the past five years, more than150 sworn firefighters have resignedtheir positions, he said.

“This week we’ve lost three peo-ple—this morning two alone,” Burrellsaid Jan. 13. “Since 2011…we’ve losttwo sworn employees to resignationsper every retirement.”

Burrell said the average employeethat resigns has 5.9 years on the job

in DeKalb. “And they’re going somewhereelse,” Burrell said. “They’re going

to Cobb County. They’re going tosomewhere like Clayton or Henry[counties]. All these places start over10 percent more starting pay.”

In DeKalb County the startingpay for a firefighter/EMT is $33,444.The same position pays $37,964 inHenry County and $39,633 in Gwin-nett, according to their respectivewebsites. In Atlanta, upon graduationfrom the fire academy, firefightersstart off at $35,255.

Burrell said DeKalb County losesits investment each time a firefighterleaves.

The “big investment of the sideof the DeKalb County taxpayer” forfirefighters—including the initialsalary, benefits, gear equipment andtraining costs—is $60,000 per fire-fighter, Burrell said.

That’s $9 million per the 150 firepersonnel who have resigned in thepast five years, he said.

May said, “Retention is still achallenge that we have identified andthat we are dealing with head on.”

That was the impetus behindthe county’s pay and class study, an

18-month process of comparing thecompensation of its employees withsimilar employees in the region.

DeKalb firefighters leave county for more money

See Fire ghter on Page 12A

DeKalb County’s re ghters, among the lowest paid in the metro area, are seeking better compensation. Photos by Travis Hudgons


11/20


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The East Metro Orchids, a social/civic organization of professional women living in DeKalb, Rockdale, Newton and Gwinnett counties, recently made a $1,500 donation to the Earl andCarolyn Glenn Unconditional Love for Children Foundation (ULC). Pictured from left are Lisa Moreaux, attorney Saundra Davis-Forrest, Isha Western, The Champion publisher CarolynGlenn of ULC, East Metro Orchids president and State Rep. Dee Dawkins-Haigler, Steen Miles, Lois Keith and Debbie Hillman. Photo by Travis Hudgons

A group holding American ags and signs celebrated in the rain after an indictment was announced late Jan. 21 for a police of cer who shot an unarmed man. See story on page 1A.Photo by Andrew Cauthen


12/20


y Carla [email protected]

Leading up the March 1pecial Election, The Cham-ion will publish a Q&A withach candidate in the city ofTucker elections. The first

Q&A segment features theandidates for City Coun-il District 1 Post 1 and 2:

Honey Van De Kreke (Post) and Jon Carr (Post 2).

Candidate William Rosen-eld did not respond to theuestionnaire.

) Why did you decide torun for a city councilseat?

Van De Kreke: “I thought

with my experience in work-ng in the community andDeKalb County for the last

0 years would be useful inetting up the foundation forhe new city.”

Carr: “Tucker needs quali-ied leadership and repre-entation; someone with aecord of long-term businessnd community involve-

ment.”

) What are your top threepriorities if you’re electedto the city council?

Van De Kreke: “Tuckerwill be taking on land usend zoning, parks and codenforcement. I think it isrucial that all three of theseesponsibilities have equal

attention.”

Carr: “1) Support producinga plan to decrease commu-nity and business crime; 2)support hiring a city man-ager with “new city” experi-

ence; 3) support producinga conservative city budgetwith no increase in propertytaxes.”

3) What qualities do youhave that will help you bea good city council mem-ber for Tucker?

Van De Kreke: “I currentlyserve on several boards ofTucker organizations thathave been working on solu-tions for Tucker residentsand business. I also serve asDistrict 1 appointee to theDeKalb Parks Bond CitizensAdvisory Board since 2001.As a small business owner, Ido possess a working knowl-edge of budgets, responsibili-ties and promises kept.”

Carr: “My proven leadershipand business skills with expe-rience in producing budgets,purchasing and negotiatingcontracts. My master of busi-ness degree from Mercer

University, and my successfulownership and business skillsin operating a communitypharmacy.”

4) What do you believesome of the challengeswill be for Tucker?

Van De Kreke: “Tucker isunique in that we have greatcommunity involvement. Isincerely hope the involve-ment continues. That beingsaid, the new city will not beable to meet all of the desiresof the citizens at once. Meet-ing expectations in a shortperiod will be a huge chal-lenge.”

Carr: “Tucker will be a citywith yearly budgets that will

allow us to live within ouranticipated income withoutraising property taxes. Main-taining community roadsand secure grants for revi-talization of our communityparks.”

5) If elected, what kind ofcity will Tucker be at theend of your term?

Van De Kreke: “My termis set for two years. I wouldlike to make certain that allpolicies and procedures arein place for a successful fu-ture. My sincere hope is thatTucker will be the modelother communities and citiesuse as a standard for gover-nance.”

Carr: “Tucker will seegrowth in its population andbusinesses. The new Tuckerwill be a clean, neat and safefamily and business orientedcommunity.”

FIREFIGHTERContinued From Page 10A

Tucker city council District 1 candidates“The point to that study

is really to tell us…where weare across the board with allof our employees, in termsof the market and the region,

in terms of pay and class[and]…where we ought tobe,” May said.

Soon county officials willtry to determine how to “im-plement this study to makesure that people are fairlycompensated and ultimatelyto reduce the number of peo-ple that are leaving because…of pay,” May said.

“We’ve seen through ourattrition numbers that wehave a ways to go,” May said.“We are not where we wantto be, but we have truly madeprogress in that area.”

Burrell’s message to elect-ed officials is “we have putour employees in a bad posi-tion. We have not honoredtheir service; and frankly,we’ve made commitments tothem that we have not kept.

“We did not followthrough on the promotionalraises,” he said. “The firedepartment never saw whatwas promised to them.”

He is meeting withcommissioners during thecounty’s budget period andurging them to “bring back

promotional raises that werecut in half in 2010.”“We think that will start

to close the back door and letus keep people,” Burrell said.

“What you’re hearing isover a decade worth of frus-tration—of employees feelinglike they have not been fairlycompensated, feeling likethings have been taken awayfrom them over the years,”May said.

“On that Sept. 11, Ipromised a 3-percent incen-tive to all sworn public safetypersonnel,” May said. “Theyreceived that. We did a 3 per-cent cost of living adjustmentthe year after that. Every em-ployee received that includ-ing our fire rescue.”

The county also heldback some of the rising pen-sion cost from employees,May said.

“We want to be fair andwe want to make sure theyare fairly compensated forthe hard work that they do,”May said. “We want our firerescue personnel to comeinto the academy and wewant them to retire here inDeKalb County.”

Rosenfeld Carr Kreke

AVONDALE Continued From Page 6Ahe effects of cash flow,” theeport states.

The Institute used the2010 U.S. census block data,ensus estimates for 2014

and tax maps. According tohe report, they estimatedhe 2014 population of thetudy areas, would be 461n study area 1 and 2,040 intudy area 2.

The institute estimatedhat if the study areas were

annexed into the city in

fiscal year 2014, the citywould have produced nearly

$526,339 in gross revenuesor $1,141.73 per capita instudy area 1. Study area 2would have provided $1.6million in gross new rev-enues or $795.95 per capita,according to the report.

“We assumed that theresidents and businesses ofthe annexed area would havebeen charged the same taxrates, fees and service charg-

es that were in effect for cityresidents during fiscal year

2014,” the report stated.The institute also inter- viewed department headsand asked them to considertheir individual departmentbudgets for fiscal year 2014,according to the report. Thedepartment heads were thenasked to project the effectthe annexation would haveon their budgets, includingpersonnel-related expendi-

tures, operating expendituresand equipment.

“According to what welearned from these inter- views, there is very lim-ited need for personnel andequipment increases,” thereport stated. Only publicsafety, public works and san-itation departments wouldneed any additional person-nel.”

REDUCE - REUSE - RECYCLE


13/20

HILL Continued From Page 1A

The Champion FREEPRESS, Friday, Jan. 29, 2016 local Page 13A

ILLUSTRATOR Continued From Page 1A

“ he jury saw what we already saw, the evi-dence, the truth. I’m really speechless,” said Caro-yn Guimmo , the mother o Anthony Hill , 27, an

Air Force veteran.Hill was shot by Olsen, who responded to he

Heights at Chamblee apartment complex around1 p.m. March 9, 2015, on a call about a man act-ng “deranged,” knocking on apartment doors andrawling on the ground, Cedric Alexander , depu-y chie operating o icer or public sa ety, said at a

news con erence a ter the incident.James said the two murder charges are “ elony

murder. hey are not malice murder. We did notpresent to the grand jury an indictment that al-eges that it was malice or anger or ill will or any-hing like that.

“What’s been alleged was while in the commis-

ion o a elony, the o icer...did cause the death oAnthony Hill,” James said.James said there are two murder charges not

because there were two victims, but because theelony murder was charged two ways: one with the

aggravated assault as the cause o death, and onewith the cause o violation o oath o o ice.

he alse statement charge was the result oOlsen allegedly telling DeKalb County Police O -

icerL. Anderson during the investigation o thehooting that Hill “physically assaulted [Olsen]

prior to the shooting by pounding on [Olsen’s]hest,” according to the indictment.

“My job as a prosecutor is to seek justice,”ames said. “My job as a prosecutor is...to do whatbelieve is right under the law. hat’s what we do

n every case and that’s what we did in this case.”

In October 2015, a civil grand jury stated thatit was “unable to reach a consensus on recom-mending indictment because there were contra-dictions and inconsistencies in the testimoniespresented.”

“ he grand jury that heard the case and issueda civil presentment asked us to do more work andto do more investigation,” James said. “We tookthem seriously and that’s in act what we’ve donein the course o the last several months.”

James said his o ice presented evidence in thecase or eight hours.

Outside the courthouse be ore the indictmentwas announced, Zan Thornton , a Decatur resi-dent and veteran o the U.S. Army Reserves, dis-played a sign that read, “ Vets Support AnthonyHill. Mental Illness is not a Crime!”

“I’m here because Black lives matter, but our veterans matter as well,” hornton said. “ his is just an egregious shooting and death o somebodythat clearly had a mental illness. My amily hashad P SD in it rom the veterans that have served,so I am standing here or other veterans that can’tbe here.”

Rev. Jeffery Benoit , who started campingoutside the courthouse on Jan. 26, said, “As presi-dent o the local chapter o the National ActionNetwork, under the Rev. Al Sharpton , we stand

or justice. We see this particular situation reeks oinjustice.”

Benoit, a 32-year Army veteran, said the casewas personal or him.

Hill was a “veteran who has gone to war andcome back with various ailments,” Benoit said.

“Our Veterans Administration system has ailedhim. And now our local law en orcement has tak-en him. his is an outrage and an outcry.

“We are standing here or justice, but we arealso standing or veterans [who didn’t get] the carethey need when they come rom a war,” Benoitsaid.

Chris Chestnut , the attorney or the Hill am-ily, said, “Justice was served.”

He thanked the veterans and other supporterswho gathered and camped at the courthouse allweek.

“We need you to come back,” Chestnut said.“ here’s going to be a criminal trial. We need aconviction. his has the potential to set a nationalprecedent.

“An o icer being convicted o murdering An-

thony Hill sets a precedent, not only or veteransbut or A rican Americans,” said Chestnut, whoalso thanked James “ or his courage and being very diligent and meticulous.”

“ his is a day in history,” Chestnut said.According to Chestnut, the di erence between

the civil grand jury and the grand jury that in-dicted Olsen “was [during] the civil grand jury theDA was not allowed to advocate. In this instancehe was able to. He was able to actually advocate.He was able to lawyer.

“ here was a lot o evidence that needed to beexplained,” Chestnut said.

–Travis Hudgons contributed to this story.

Horn Book Award and more.Christie said he was not

urprised by his success.“I was just condent in my

work,” he said. “I had no doubt thatart] was what I wanted to do. I puto much ocus and effort towardt. No one that grew up with me isurprised that I’m doing art becausehat’s all I did as a kid. I didn’t go to

prom; I didn’t do anything but justdraw. I loved drawing and painting.

didn’t have a doubt that I wouldn’t

succeed.”What did surprise him is his

artwork providing opportunities totravel the world.

“I was never thinkinginternational; I was thinking aboutgoing across the country as a kid,”he said. “It had an immense impacton my li e—just leaving the UnitedStates and seeing other orms o artand where other artists lived.”

Christie is well-known or hisartwork or children’s books.

“It’s a power ul thing to dochildren’s books—in the sense o I’mdoing artwork or generations thataren’t even here yet,” he said. “Tat’sa huge responsibility. Most artworkthat children will see will come roma children’s book. It’s something thatI take as an honor.”

Christie currently works as areelance illustrator and operates his

autographed children’s bookstorenamed GAS-AR GIF S at NorthDeKalb Mall in Decatur. He hosts art

classes or children on weekdays andweekends. Tere are also classes oradults in painting and book binding.

He lectures in schools andlibraries, teaches in afer-schoolprograms and is a skilled bookbinder.

“I want to show kids that youcan be anything you want to be iyou ocus,” he said. “It’s great orthe kids to see a man doing positivethings. I’m just trying to help thecommunity through art.”

DeKalb DA Robert James announces the police of-cer’s indictment.

Supporters kneel in prayer before the indictment’s announcement.Photos by Andrew Cauthen

Darrick Lindsey was one of those camping. Photo by TravisHudgons


14/20


Suspect arrested inhomicide of teen

DeKalb County Po-

ice obtained a warrantor 29-year-old DeandreSeabrooks charging himwith the murder of 17-year-old Sariah Wilcoxson , whowas shot to death on Jan. 11at approximately 9 p.m. at2051 Flat Shoals Road nearhe MARTA bus stop.

According to police, Wil-oxson was shot in the neck

while she waited for the bus.DeKalb Sheriff’s Office

Fugitive Squad located andarrested Seabrooks on Jan.21 in Stockbridge withoutncident.

An ongoing dispute isbelieved to have led to thehooting.

Former county zoningboard of appeals memberentenced for bribery

Former DeKalb CountyZoning Board of AppealsMember Jeremy “Jerry”Clark and Ismail Sirdah have been sentenced to fed-ral prison on corruptionharges. Clark accepted a

bribe from Sirdah in ex-hange for voting for a zon-ng variance for Sirdah’s late-

night billiard hall, accordingo a news release by the U.S.

Attorney’s Office.“This is another unfortu-

nate incident of corruptionn DeKalb County,” said U.S

Attorney John Horn . “Again,reiterate that the citizens

of DeKalb County expectpublic officials to act withhonestly and integrity. Publicofficials who may be temptedby money and graft remem-ber: we remain committed toinvestigating and prosecutingacts of corruption regard-less of who commits them orwhere they are.”

“Today’s sentencingserves as a reminder to notonly these defendants butother public officials thatthere are consequences forsuch actions as seen in thiscase,” said J. Britt Johnson ,special agent in charge, FBIAtlanta Field Office. “Be-cause of the extensive poten-tial damage involved, the FBIregards public corruption

investigations as its numberone criminal investigativepriority and, as such, urgesthe public to partner withour agents in reporting thosewho abuse their public of-fices.”

On Feb. 19, 2015, Clark,43, of Lithonia, pleadedguilty to accepting a bribefrom Sirdah. He was recentlysentenced to nine monthsin prison followed by threeyears of supervised releaseand ordered to pay a $3,500fine. Sirdah, 53, of Duluth,pleaded guilty to bribingClark and was recentlysentenced to six months inprison followed by two yearsof supervised release and or-dered to pay a $10,000 fine.

According to the U.S.Attorney Office, Sirdah wasthe owner and CEO of 2841Investments Inc. which didbusiness as LuLu Billiards, aTucker pool hall.

Based on a new zoningordinance, in November2011, the DeKalb CountyDepartment of Planning andSustainability informed LuLu

Billiards that it was grandfa-thered in only as a late-nightbusiness–and thus could nei-ther operate as a nightclubnor have a dance floor, ac-cording to the news release.

When Lulu Billiardscontinued to operate as anightclub with a dance floor,the county’s planning de-partment in September 2012

issued a warning to Sirdah,who was again advised thatLuLu Billiards could not op-erate as a nightclub or have adance floor without a specialland use permit, according tothe news release.

Sirdah appealed to theDeKalb County ZoningBoard of Appeals. Prior tothe hearing on the appeal,Sirdah met with Clark andmade it clear if the ZoningBoard of Appeals approvedSirdah’s petition to operate asa nightclub, Clark would berewarded, according to thenews release.

Sirdah’s request to oper-ate as a nightclub was ap-proved in November 2012with Clark voting in favor of

the permit.“In return for the vote,Sirdah paid Clark approxi-mately $2,000 in cash anddonated approximately$1,500 to a nonprofit inter-est with which Clark wasinvolved,” the news releasestated.

New K9 deputies joinDeKalb Sheriff’s Of ce

On Jan. 15, Sheriff JeffMann officially introducedtwo new K9 deputies to the

DeKalb County Sheriff’s Of-fice field and jail divisions.“Our canine deputiesadd special value to opera-tions inside the jail, in thecourthouse, and out in thecommunity,” said Mann.“Their unique law enforce-ment skills and trainingequip them to serve specificpurposes as partners withour officers. The duties theyperform greatly expand ourcapabilities.”

The new K9 deputieswere imported from Europeby Florida-based Southern

Coast K9 office at the end oflast year. Officers selected tobecome their partners wererequired to complete a four-week K9 handler course be-fore taking the assignments.

With the addition of K9Deputy Astor, the DeKalbCounty Jail becomes the only jail in the area with a lithium(cell phone) detection dog,according to the news re-lease. Astor is a 15-month-old German shorthairedpointer, single-purpose,dual-detection dog that part-ners with Officer T. Theus , amember of the jail emergen-cy services team, to detectboth drugs and electronics.

K9 Deputy Tomi is a20-month-old German

Shepherd dual-purpose dogthat partners with DeputyP. Snow in the field divisionto serve warrants and arrestfugitives. Tomi detects drugsand can also be used fortracking and apprehendingsuspects.

The new canines joinK9 Deputy Viper , a veteranBelgian Malinois partneringwith Field Division DeputyM. McRae since 2009.

NEWSBRIEFS

K9 Deputy Viper with Deputy M.McRae

eabrooks


15/20

The Champion FREEPRESS, Friday, Jan. 22, 2016 EDUCATION Page 15A


A Georgia PiedmontTechnical College (GPTC)welding student is competingo be a statewide adult educa-ion ambassador.

Justin Bates , 21, will rep-esent Georgia Piedmont in

March during the upcomingEAGLE Leadership Institute.The EAGLE Leadership Insti-ute, sponsored by the Tech-nical College System of Geor-gia’s Office of Adult Educa-ion, recognizes students who

have demonstrated superiorachievement in adult educa-ion classes and programs.

In May 2015, Bates en-olled in GPTC’s Accelerating

Opportunities program andhas earned a GED and twowelding certificates.

Bates said he did not plano compete in the program,

but was encouraged to do soby his instructors.When he looked at the

EAGLE program’s goals, he

said, “I felt like that’s me.“I’m not coming to school

to mess around,” Bates said.“I’m coming to get my grade

and to get everything readybecause this is life. You can’tdo anything in the real worldwithout an education. That’s

just fundamental.”Bates said the skills he is

learning at Georgia Piedmonthave given him an advantage

“versus going to a regularfour-year college because nowall those people... are overed-ucated and underemployed.

“But you can take thisroute and then you can makesure that you’re getting a jobstraight out of school, so Ifeel like I get a leg up on theworld,” Bates said.

When he leaves the pro-gram, he plans to “weld, weld,weld.”

“I love welding. It’s really...therapeutic. When you get inthere, you know what you’redoing and you can get agood-looking end result...youfeel like you did something,”he said.

“I feel like my instruc-tors are really getting me onthe right [track],” said Bates,who learned about the GEDprogram from his motherwho is a caterer for GeorgiaPiedmont. “I feel like I can go

into a basic welding job andknow what to do. I wouldn’t just be blind and not knowingwhat to do. I feel like they’re

Welding student to represent GPTC’s adult education program

See Welding on Page 20A

ustin Bates, a welding student at Georgia Piedmont Technical College, has been selected to represent the college in a statewide adult education competition. Photos by Andrew Cauthen

Bates demonstrates his welding skills which he said will give him a “leg up on the world.”

Bates


16/20

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The Champion FREEPRESS, Friday, Jan. 22, 2016 BUSINESS Page 17A

by Kathy Mitchell

When Keith and Amy Richards came back from a 1997 vacation inGreece, they brought back more thanouvenirs; they returned with a busi-

ness idea.“They not only loved the food in

mall Greek restaurants, they lovedhe intimate family atmosphere that

eflects the Mediterranean lifestyle,”explained Dean Robb , vice presidentof operations for Taziki Mediterra-nean Café, the business born from theRichardses’ vacation experience.

Residents of Birmingham, Ala.,he couple recalled their Southernoots as they created the Taziki’s

menu. The result, Robb explained, isMediterranean with a Southern twist.

Tasiki’s website calls the fare “avision materialized in their hearts andminds of a place somewhere betweenhe tasty Mediterranean markets andheir mothers’ kitchens.” The restau-ant’s slogan is “Originality is our na-ionality.”

“It quickly became amazinglypopular,” said Robb, noting that thereare now 52 Taziki’s locations nation-ally with five in Georgia. Some areranchises and some, such as the new-

est Taziki’s in downtown Decatur, areowned by the corporation.

Restaurant Business magazineisted Taziki’s Mediterranean Café17th among its 2015 “Future 50” fast-est-growing restaurant chains in theUnited States. The list, according tohe magazine, “spotlights chains with

annual sales between $25 million and

$50 million and unit growth of at least10 percent last year, a milestone sig-naling chains on the brink of nationalrecognition and remarkable growth.”

The 2,600-square-foot restaurantthat opened in mid-January on WestPonce de Leon seats 78 inside. Ad-ditional seating will be available on

the patio when the weather is warmer.Material created by Taziki’s describesits interior design as “Mediterraneandécor with hardwood furnishings,natural stone, wood finishes and resi-dential lighting.”

Robb said even though competi-tion for restaurant customers is steepin Decatur he predicts the new Tazi-ki’s will be a hit. “People in this areahave discerning taste in food. Theyalso are health-conscience. We useoriginal chef-driven recipes preparedfrom scratch daily from fresh ingredi-ents. It’s a concept that Decatur diners

really like. One customer told me,‘This tastes so fresh,’ and I said, ‘That’sbecause we just made it.’”

The menu features a variety ofMediterranean-inspired appetizers,salads, soups, sandwiches, gyros, en-trees—including vegetarian dishes—and desserts.

Taziki is a fast casual restaurant, aconcept that Forbes magazine says “isgaining market share in the restaurantindustry.”

In an article Forbes published inmid-2014, the business magazinedescribed fast casual as “a relativelyfresh and rapidly growing concept,positioned somewhere between fastfood restaurants and casual diningrestaurants. Technically, being thehybrid of the two concepts, they provide counter service and offer morecustomized, freshly prepared and highquality food than traditional [quick

service restaurants], all in an upscaleand inviting ambiance.”

At a fast casual restaurant, typi-cally the customer orders at a counteras he or she would at a traditional fastfood restaurant, but instead of waitingat the counter for food, the customeris seated and food is brought to thetable.

Another departure from what

quick service customers might expectis beer and wine, available at the De-catur Taziki’s and others.

Robb said the choice to come toDecatur is proving to be a good one.“The community has been so wel-coming,” he said. “People have beenso gracious.”

He added Taziki’s has been ableto find the type of employees it looksfor to staff all its restaurants. “I’m re-ally proud of our staff. It’s fun to workwith them. They not only put in theextra effort to make everything right,they know how to extend Southernhospitality and we want that to be ahallmark of our restaurants.”

Robb said that giving back to thecommunity has been part of Taziki’sculture since its inception. The web-site notes “to dine with the Greeksis to gather around the communaltable.” In that spirit, the Decaturrestaurant during its grand openingpresented a check for $2,000 to TheGiving Kitchen, a nonprofit organiza-tion that describes itself as “a resourceat times of unanticipated crisis foranyone employed in the Atlanta res-taurant community.”

DeKalb Chamber of Commerce • Two Decatur Town Center, 125 Clairemont Ave., Suite, Decatur, GA 30030 • 404.378.8000 • www.dekalbchamber.o

INNOVATION

Mediterranean flavors come to DecaturFrom left, Celebrating the opening of Taziki’s Mediterranean Café in downtown Decatur with a donation to a local charity are Naomi Green of The Giving Kitchen; Keith Richards, Taziki’sounder and chief development of cer; Jim Keet, Taziki’s chief executive of cer; Dean Robb, Taziki’s vice president of operations; and Melissa Brown, Taziki’s sales and marketing direc-or.

The fth Georgia location, the Decatur Taziki’s is on West Ponce de Leon.


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The Champion FREEPRESS, Friday, Jan. 22, 2016 SPORTS Page 18A


The Greenforest girls’ basketballprogram has had pretty good teamsn recent years.

The program went 17-10 in2013, 15-10 in 2014 and 11-9 lasteason. However, no one, not evenhe players expected to be unde-eated (17-0) and ranked No. 3 in

Class A-Private through the monthof January.

“In the beginning of the sea-on—when we were playing in theummer—I never thought we would

be where we’re at now because of thenumber [of players] we were work-ng with and everybody on the team

was dealing with an injury,” saidenior guard Arielle Holloway . “Ihought we were going to have a bet-er season than last year, but I neverhought we would have been here.”

“It’s the Lord that is doing all ofhis,” said Coach Allison Prather . “Ift wasn’t for Him, none of this would

be possible.”In the eight years that Prather

has been the head woman, she hasn’tchanged her coaching routine duringhe offseason and season. And this

year is no different. The team’s suc-cess is due to the players’ work ethic.

“The difference between this

year and last year is we have somenew players,” Prather said. “We havemore players that are serious aboutbasketball, that are not just doing itor their dad or mom or whatever.

They actually love the game. Wehave players that are trying to takeheir game to another level, not just

playing until they finish high schooland move on. By the players be-ng more serious about the game it

makes my job easier. Of course whenyou work hard success comes withhat.”

Some of those new players in-clude a couple of exchange studentsrom Nigeria. The team has four Ni-

gerian players, including senior for-ward Theodora Odia . Odia has beenn Georgia and playing for Greenfor-

est for two years.“When I first got here, it was

kind of hard, being away fromamily, and playing basketball andchool,” Odia said.

With the help of Prather and hereammates, Odia was able to adjusto her new surroundings. Odia said

all of the girls on the team get along,which she says plays a role in theeam’s success this season.

“In practice we try to be togetheras a team—everyone is doing the

ame thing,” she said. “We’re like sis-ers so we don’t fight or do stuff thatmost people do. If I have a problemwith someone, I will go to them andell them how I feel. All we do is talk

and play.”

Prather said she tells her playersconstantly that they are destined tobe successful.

“And they believe that,” she said.“They believe in what I’m tellingthem, they believe that God is thereason why we’re undefeated, theyunderstand that without Him wewouldn’t be undefeated. He’s takencare of us as far as injuries. They gethurt and amazingly they heal. Themain thing that they know is it’sGod.

“We are state bound,” Pratheradded. “We are prepared, we workhard and we’re continuously workinghard. We have the right attitude to besuccessful, and every game, whoeverwe play, we’re ready to fight. We’reready for the battle.”

Greenforest boys

Since losing in the Class A-Pri- vate, the Greenforest Eagles set theirsights on returning to the state titlegame and having a different outcome.

“It was a tough loss,” said seniorforward Precious Ayah . “No one goesinto a championship game expect-ing to lose. It made us come back andwork even harder because we knowthat it’s not going to be given to us; wehave to take it.”

“It’s been in our mind ever since,”said senior guard John Ogwuche .“Every game we play is a reflection ofthat game. Every game we play is toget back to the championship game.”

“We look at every game as thestate championship game,” said seniorguard Justin Forrest . “We try to takeall the bad feelings we had from that

game out on all the teams we playagainst.”

The Eagles have played like achampionship team so far with an18-2 record, claiming the No. 1 spotin the Class A-Private rankings. Theteam averages 70.6 points and 27.5rebound per game.

The Eagles also are doing all ofthis under first-year coach LarryThompson . Although this is his firstseason as head coach, this is Thomp-son second year with the program. Hewas an assistant coach last season.

Thompson said the transitionfrom assistant to head coach wassmooth.

“It’s been great and it’s predicatedall because of the kids that are in theprogram,” he said. “I had a great re-lationship with them last year and it’seven better now that I’m around themevery day.”

Thompson said the players tookthe championship game loss as theirdriving force, the fuel for their fire.

“We talked about it after thatchampionship game and the kidshave always kept it in the back of theirminds,” he said. “They didn’t want tohave that feeling, especially my se-niors. They didn’t want to have thatsick feeling again for their senior year.That has been the driving force tocome out and play with reckless aban-

don almost each and every night.”Just as the girls’ team, the boys’team has several [five] exchange stu-dents from Nigeria as well. And justlike the girls, the boys get along aswell and consider each other family—one of the reasons behind the team’ssuccess.

“We’ve been playing as a unit, asa family,” Ogwuche said. “It’s morethan just basketball for us. On and offthe court we’ve incorporated that. Wedon’t play selfish.”

“We really just rely on each other,”Forrest said. “Some people might havegames off, others might have gameson, but we never have a night whereeverybody is off. We always play to-gether, we always rely on each other toplay good.”

Thompson and the players said ifthey continue to stay focused and playGreenforest basketball, they could getback to the title game and win it thistime around.

“If we continue down the paththat we’re on—and that’s coming towork every day, taking every rep inpractice, every film session, everytime we assemble the team to get bet-ter then the sky is the limit,” Thomp-son said. “I do think that if we arefortunate enough to stay injury free

and continue to play the way we are Ido think we have a great opportunityof getting back there and having a dif-ferent result.”

State title on the minds of Greenforest boys’, girls’ basketball teamsBASKETBALL

From left, Arielle Holloway and Theodora Odia hold the holiday tournament trophies Green-forest won in December.


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The Champion FREEPRESS, Friday, Jan. 22, 2016 SPORTS Page 19A


When Alterique Gilbert et foot on the Miller Grove

High School campus, no oneoutside the boys’ basketballprogram thought he wouldbecome a McDonald’s AllAmerican player, accordinghis coach Sharman White .

“But me and him hadhis in our mind,” White said.This was planned; this was

predestined because I felt likehe was the type of kid thatould do it because of thealent that he had. Not onlyhat, but because of his workthic and his commitment tohe game.”

Gilbert was named to the2016 McDonald’s All Ameri-an Boys team Jan. 17, and

he received his game jerseyan. 25 in front of his family,eammates, coaches and the

Miller Grove student body.Gilbert is among the top 24boys basketball players in theountry to participate in the

39th annual game on March

30 in Chicago.The game will be airedon ESPNU.

Gilbert, who will playollege basketball at Con-

necticut, said being a Mc-Donald’s All American is adream come true.

“I’m just honored to berecognized as one of the bestin the country, and I thankGod for everything,” he said.“I’m looking forward to it.I know it will be very excit-ing to get on that stage andshowcase my talent againstsome of the best in the coun-try. I think it will be great forme.”

Gilbert is the sixth playerfrom DeKalb County to benamed to one of the McDon-ald’s All- American teams.He is the second player fromMiller Grove to receive thehonor, joining former playerTony Parker (2012). Gil-bert joins St. Francis’ KobiSimmons as the only twoMcDonald’s selections fromGeorgia this season

Gilbert is averaging 20.5points per game this season,

as well as 5 rebounds, 4 stealsand 5.9 assists per game. Hesaid it took a lot of hard workto get to this point in his bas-ketball career.

“Especially behind closeddoors when no one is watch-ing,” he said. “But it’s a lot—being consistent is the key.I just try to stay hungry andhumble.”

White, who has knownGilbert since he was in sev-enth grade, said Gilbert is

more than a phenomenalbasketball player.

“He’s even a better per-son than he is a basketballplayer,” White said. “His ap-proach on life means every-thing, and that’s why I thinkhe’s as successful as he is.”

Prior to his McDonald’sAll American selection, Gil-bert was also named a JordanBrand All-American. Gil-bert has received numerousawards and last summer wasnamed to the 2015-16 USAMen’s Junior National TeamOctober Minicamp roster.Gilbert said he wouldrank his McDonald’s AllAmerican very high.

“It’s just a dream cometrue to be recognized forthese prestigious awards,” hesaid. “I’m just thankful.”

Interim DeKalb CountyCEO Lee May gave Gilberta proclamation from thecounty.

“It’s really an honor tocelebrate an accomplishmentthat somebody has workedso hard to get to,” May said.

“It takes a lot of hard work, ittakes a lot of discipline and ittakes a lot of perseverance toget here.”

BASKETBALL

Alterique Gilbert named McDonald’s All-AmericanMiller Grove guard Alterique Gilbert was selected for McDonald’s All American Boys team. He received his gameersey during a Jan. 25 ceremony. Photos by Travis Hudgons

Interim DeKalb County CEO Lee May gives Alterique Gilbert a proc-lamation from the county.

From left, Alterique Gilbert with his basketball coach Sharman White and interim DeKalb County CEO LeeMay.


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The Champion FREEPRESS, Friday, Jan. 22, 2016 EDUCATION Page 20A

WELDING Continued From Page 15Asetting me up for success here and it feels like there’ssupport.”

Willie Harvey , welding instructor and directorof GPTC welding program, said students “not onlyearn how to be welders but they learn somethingabout being young men as well and how to conducthemselves out into the world so they get the best of

both things here. They get the training and they gethe soft skills that are lacking out in the industry.”

Researchers “are discovering that a lot of peo-ple...are college prepared as far as the credentialsgo, but they are lacking the soft skills,” Harvey said.“We just make it an automatic thing. It’s only a ben-efit to the students and to us.”

Last year, GPTC had a state winner, Justin Wal-

ters , who also began as a welding student beforemoving to Georgia State, where he will major inearly childhood education.

“It feels like a lot of responsibility consideringhow long I’ve been here,” Bates said about the pos-sibility of being the statewide adult education am-bassador. “I feel like I’m the right one. I take schoolseriously. I know what it’s for. It’s not just daycare.It’s a job.”

There are more than 60,000 adult educationstudents in Georgia and 4,000 at Georgia Piedmont,which has the largest program in the state, accord-ing to Hazel Simmons , a GPTC transitions special-ist.

“The adult education [program] gives people

who for whatever reason...couldn’t complete highschool...a second chance,” she said.

“We take personal interest in each one of ourstudents to encourage them to finish,” Simmonssaid. “We are very proud of our students and ourstudents leave here to go on to college career readywith great job skills and ready to compete in today’sworkforce.”

About Bates, she said, “Justin has worked veryhard to earn his GED and he is ready to hit the jobmarket. He is very young, but he is determined tobe a success with the skills he has learned here.

“I believe he is going to be the state winner,”Simmons said.

From left, Willie Harvey, director of Georgia Piedmont’s welding program, provides one-on-one instruction to Justin Bates, who will represent the college in the upcoming EAGLE Leader-hip Institute’s competition. Photos by Andrew Cauthen

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