Champion FreePress 12-4-15

FreePress
FRIDAY, December 4, 2015 VOL. 18, NO. 35 FREE
thechampionnewspaper.com
Serving East Atlanta, Avondale Estates, Brookhaven, Chamblee, Clarkston, Decatur, Doraville, Dunwoody, Lithonia, Pine Lake, Tucker and Stone Mountain.
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A PUBLICATION OF ACE III COMMUNICATIONS
Historic Tucker
site makes Places
in Peril list
Santa rides
Retiring baby
through Stone
boomers to be a
boon to nonprofits Mountain
Local, 6A
local, 8A
local, 13A
Gang member sentenced to life

in prison for murder of baby
by Carla Parker
carla@dekalbchamp.com
It will be 50 years before Devin
Thomas could be released from
prison.
The 20-year-old pleaded guilty to
seven of eight charges, including malice murder, in the shooting death of
9-month-old KenDarious Edwards
Jr. DeKalb Superior Court Judge
Asha Jackson sentenced Thomas on
Nov. 30 to life in prison, plus 20 years,
with the possibility of parole.
Edwards was one of four people
shot in their home on To Lani Farm
Road in Stone Mountain on May 10,
2014. According to Assistant District
Attorney Anna Green-Cross, Thomas
and two other gang members went to
the home looking for Oslushla Smith,
Cutrez Johnson and Kemontay Cullins.
Smith, Johnson and Cullins, all
members of the Bloods gang, were
previously arrested and indicted for
the death of fellow gang member
Devin Thomas apologizes to the family. Photos by Carla Parker
Alexis Malone. The May 10 shooting

was in retaliation of Malones murder,
according to prosecutors.
After several hours of looking
throughout the day for those people
and unable to find Mr. Smith, in particular, Thomas and two other gang
members decided they had to do
something to send a message about
the murder of Alexis Malone, GreenCross said.
Green-Cross said Thomas and
his accomplices knew where Smith
and Johnsons mother lived and drove
to her home. Living at the home was
Edwards, along with his mother Tanyika Smith, his grandmother, Tracy
Smith, and family friend Teniqua
Clark.
The three women heard Thomas
and his accomplices kicking in the
back door and called 911 and barricaded themselves in a bathroom. The
door was broken down by Thomas
and Watson and then shooting began.
At least 12 gunshots were fired
in that tiny bathroom, Green-Cross
See Prison on Page 15A
Devin Thomas looks back at the family of KenDarious Edwards Jr. before he pled guilty
to killing the 9-month-old baby.
Longtime YMCA
executive retires
by Andrew Cauthen
andrew@dekalbchamp.com
Eston Hood, who recently retired after 36 years with
the YMCA of Metro Atlanta,
said his career was a wonderful ride.
I found my niche when I
started my career with the Y
and enjoyed every moment,
said Hood, who retirement
was the YMCAs chief operating officer (COO), a position
he had held since 2009.
Hood, an Atlanta native,
joined the Metro Atlanta
YMCA family in 1979 as senior program director for the

Southwest Family YMCA,
now named the Andrew &
Walter Young Family YMCA
on Campbellton Road in
Atlanta. Hood was hired by
Ed Lee, then the district vice
president, who became his
friend and mentor.
Hood later served as
executive director, district
executive director, vice
president, vice president of
operations and senior vice
president of operations, in
addition to chief operating
See YMCA on Page 15A
championnewspaper
Retired Metro Atlanta YMCA executive Eston Hood said he would do his 36-year career all over again if he
could. File photo
championnews
championnewsPaper
championnews
The Champion FREE PRESS, FRIDAY, December 4, 2015
local
Page 2A
DeKalb County utility customer

operations center relocating
The DeKalb County Utility Customer Operations Center is moving to a new location. Effective Dec. 7, the center will be located at 778 Jordan
Lane, Decatur. As a result of this move, the 1300
Commerce Drive office will be closed.
Hours of operation for the new location will
be Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. The
drive-thru and drop box payment options will not
be available at the new location. County utility customers still can use the more than 70 walk-in locations, which include Kroger, Walmart, and other
locations throughout the county authorized to process payments.
For more information, visit the DeKalb County
Department of Watershed Management website at
www.dekalbwatershed.com or call (404) 378-4475.
The
Decatur police offer ChampioN
holiday safety tips Newspaper
Decatur Police offered holiday safety tips for residents.
by Carla Parker
The holidays are typically a time for shopping and
giving and unfortunately
also a time for increased
criminal activity.
To prevent residents
from becoming victims of
theft or other crimes, the
Decatur Police Department
has given safety tips to help
keep residents and their
possessions safe during the
holidays.
While out and about,
police suggest shoppers be
alert, aware and trust their
instincts.
If a situation does not
feel right, pull to another
part of a parking lot or walk
back into a store, Decatur
Polices Lt. Jennifer S. Ross
said. Beware of looking
unaware by talking or texting on your phone, digging
in bags or sitting parked in
your vehicle after arriving or
before leaving. Predators are
looking for targets that seem
to not be paying attention.
Ross also said shoppers
should park in well-lit, populated areas.
Place packages and bags
out of view in your vehicle,
either in the trunk or under
a cargo shade, she said. If
you return to your vehicle to

unload items with the intent
to return shopping, move
your vehicle.
Package theft has been a
problem in Decatur during
the holidays in recent years
as well. Thieves have taken
packages left by front doors
and other visible locations.
Last year, thefts occurred at
single-family homes as well
as multi-unit condo properties.
Have packages shipped
to your office or work location or to the home of
a friend or relative who is
home during the day, Ross
said. Request that a signature be required to deliver
the package.
Police suggest that consumers use services offered
by shipping companies that
allow for tracking and rerouting packages.
Track packages and ask
a trusted neighbor to look
out and take the packages
in when they arrive, Ross
said. When traveling, make
sure to ask a family member,
friend or neighbor to check
for packages at your home.
You may have received a gift
delivery you were not expecting.
If you observe people
you do not recognize on a
neighbors property, pay attention and if it appears they

are removing packages, call
police immediately and provide a detailed description
of the person and direction
of travel and description of a
vehicle if present, Ross said.
Residents are encouraged to secure their homes
by making sure all doors and
windows are locked at all
times.
If you have a burglar
alarm, use it every time you
leave and when your family
is in for the evening, Ross
said. Acknowledge knocks
on your door that you are
not expecting by speaking
through the door or a window. It is a common tactic
for burglars to knock to confirm nobody is home before
they break-in.
For those headed out
of town, police suggest
residents ask a neighbor to
park one of the cars in the
driveway and submit an
Out of Town House Check
through the SeeClickFix
App. The app can be downloaded at www.decaturga.
com/residents/make-a-request. Residents can also call
the police department nonemergency number at (404)
373-6551.
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local
Hundreds of museumgoers watch live performances at Fernbank Museum of Natural History.
Page 3A
Atlanta Ballets Centre Youth Ensembles of Buckhead performing short pieces

from the Nutcracker.
Fernbank presents Winter Wonderland

by Ashley Oglesby
ashley@dekalbchamp.com
This holiday season,

Fernbank Museum of Natural History will host a series
of family-friendly programs
and performances for museumgoers.
Fernbanks holiday
programming includes
the annual exhibit Winter
Wonderland: Celebrations &
Traditions Around the World,
family-friendly Winter Wonderland Celebration Days and
Winter Wonderland evening
viewing hours during Martinis & IMAX.
On Nov. 21 Fernbank
Museum officials invited the
media to attend a preview of
the annual Winter Wonderland program.
Festivities and performances vary each week,
including Atlanta Ballets
Centre Youth Ensembles of
Buckhead and Powers Ferry,
the Fil-Am Christmas Carolers, P.A.W.A.G. Filipino
dancers, traditional Chinese
Lion dances by the Chien
Hung School of Kung Fu, a
hands-on Puppet Factory led
by the Center for Puppetry
Arts, and classic holiday
cartoons including A Charlie
Brown Thanksgiving, A Charlie Brown Christmas and How
the Grinch Stole Christmas.
This years event brought
hundreds of families to the
museum.
Children had their picture taken with Fernbanks
Santa-saurus, created their
own Canadian Mountie
hats, had story time with a
Fernbank educator and were
invited to see the screening
of A Charlie Brown Thanks-
giving.
The sixth annual Winter
Wonderland includes two
floors of holiday trees and
displays decorated by cultural partners to reflect traditions and holidays celebrated
around the world. There are
more than 30 trees and other
displays representing North
America, South America, Africa, Europe and Asia.
The programs will be
on view through Jan. 10,
2016. Fernbank will also offer discounted membership
throughout the holiday season.
Museum admission is
$18 for adults, $17 for seniors, $16 for children ages 3
to 12, free for children ages
2 and younger and free for
museum members.
Fil-Am Christmas carolers, P.A.W.A.G. Filipino dancers and Blaan tribe dancers.
Opinion
Page 4A
Dont do evil for evil

There have been many
times in my life when my
parents taught me, Dont do
evil for evil. That was paraphrase of a Bible verse that
states Never pay back evil
for evil to anyone. Respect
what is right in the sight of
all men (1 Peter 3:9 New
American Standard Bible).
Some protesters at the
University of Missouri
missed the idea behind that
principle earlier this month
when they violated the
freedom of the press while
exercising their freedoms of
assembly and speech during a protest against racism,
workplace benefits and leadership.
A videorecording of the
Andrew Cauthen
Managing Editor
@AndrewChampNews
protests, which quickly led

to the resignation of the universitys president, shows students, along with an assistant
professor of communication,
blocking the medias access
to the protests at the school.

In the video, Melissa
Click, the assistant professor,
tries to grab the camera of
Mark Schierbecker, a University of Missouri student
journalist.
To a mass of students,
Click says, Who wants to
help me get this reporter out
of here? I need some muscle
over here. Click and the
group of students proceed to
badger and push the student
journalist.
Click was wrong, and as
an assistant professor in the
communication department,
she should have known better. She should know the
same First Amendment that
gave her and the students
the right to protest and to

assemble gave the student
journalist the right to document their protest. Instead,
they said he was in their
space, which was actually
public school grounds, and
that they did not want to be
photographed, although they
were in a public place where
they had no legal expectation
of privacy.
On Nov. 10, the day after
the protest, Click apologized
for her actions.
I have reached out to
the journalists involved to
offer my sincere apologies
and to express regret over
my actions, she wrote in a
statement. I regret the language and strategies I used,
and sincerely apologize to

the [University of Missouri]
campus community, and
journalists at large, for my
behavior.
Hopefully Click has
learned her lesson because
the assistant professor in the
communication department
was a bad example and her
actions were a terrible lecture
for the students she teaches.
By trying to uphold one
right, she led others to violate another right. Thats why
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
was against violent protests
against racismyou dont do
evil for evil.
opinion
Page 5A
One Mans Opinion
Chess for success

I have a debt to pay, and
Im doing it with my chessboard. Orrin Checkmate
Hudson, executive director
of Be Someone, www.besomeone.org in Atlanta.
My first grade teacher,
Miss Rice, challenged our
class to a contest.Whoever
could read the most books in
a month, and write the title
of each of those books on an
index card, piled into a shoe
box, would win a mysterious
grand prize.
I had learned to read
early, and this contest just
gave me a reason to do more
of that.I went to the school
library and checked out as
many books as they would let
me.I talked my mother into
a trip to the Barwick Pharmacy, where comic books
were a mere 12 cents each,
and bought a couple bucks
worth.I stacked up every
Little Golden Book we had
at home and started to read
and write those titles on a big
stack of index cards.I won
the contest by a healthy margin, and began my lifelong
love of comic books.
With great fanfare, Miss
Rice brought out the award,
along with a blue ribbon, and
it was a rather modest chess
set.I had never seen one,
and did not even understand
checkers, but with lessons
Bill Crane
bill.csicrane@gmail.com
Columnist
from my father, I learned

chess before Chutes and Ladders or Candy Land, before
any card game except War,
before any organized sport
except swimmingand I was
hooked.
I didnt really know why,
but I was amused by how
folks reacted to being asked
to play chess by a 7-yearold.I was even more amused
at their reactions when I
won.I read chess books and
watched others play.
By the end of elementary
school, I won a few tournaments.I started playing
three-dimensional check
after seeing a fictional version on Star Trek, and started
to appreciate the benefits of
thinking two or three steps
ahead of my peers.
By college I noted that
chess had helped me become

good at logic problems, and
their cause/effect, linear flow.
Chess is like life in many
ways, particularly if well
played, but it is also a game
that takes time and skill development, and, as a result,
is less and less in favor today
in our quick thrills, 3-D,
electronic age.But thankfully, though it may not be
currently in vogue, there are
those making sure chess does
not become a lost art, and
particularly in some surprising places where it can make
even more of a difference in
the lives of chess players.
Orrin Checkmate Hudson was similarly inspired
by the game and an educator early in his life.Hudson
was a struggling inner-city
Black youth in Birmingham
in 1978 when a high school
teacher introduced him to
chess to help him understand
the importance of every
move, every decision and
each step that we take in life.
He taught me to think it
out, dont shoot it out. Now
I have debt to pay and Im
doing it with my chessboard.
I am reaching young people
through chess. I speak their
language and they listen.
And watch. And learn. And
change, Hudson said.
The educator assured
Hudson that by making

the right choices, in time,
Hudson could be someone.Hudson fulfilled that
prophecy, later founding a
nonprofit of the same name,
based here in Atlanta.
In the decades since,
Hudson has introduced
thousands of young men living a life as he had known to
the joys and benefits of chess,
and many of them have since
made the move to a better
life.
Hudson has the ambitious goal of reaching and
impacting one million youth
one move at a time.He has
written a book of the same
title, and teaches hundreds
of seminars each year, often
giving away his time.His story has been told and retold
by television networks and
affiliates and daily and community newspapers across
the country.
Hudson and Be Someone
Inc. sponsor tourneys and
chess traveling teamsand
they win.These students are
also coming to the realization
that learning and hard work
can have great benefit, and as
they are sharpening new skill
sets, they are not sharpening
knives or joining gangs.
If you want to help
Checkmate, you can donate
your time, your skills or from
your purse (www.besomeone.org/donate).Or invite

Orrin to your neighborhood
school or church to introduce more kids to chess, and
whichever choice you make
along these lines, you certainly cant make a bad move.
Bill Crane also serves as
a political analyst and commentator for Channel 2s Action News, WSB-AM News/
Talk 750 and now 95.5 FM,
as well as a columnist for The
Champion, Champion Free
Press and Georgia Trend.
Crane is a DeKalb native
and business owner, living in
Scottdale. You can reach him
or comment on a column at
bill.csicrane@gmail.com.
F ree P ress
Let Us Know What You Think!
THE CHAMPION FREE PRESS encourages opinions from its readers. Please
write to us and express your views. Letters
should be brief, typewritten and contain
the writers name, address and telephone
number for verification. All letters will be
considered for publication.
Send Letters To Editor, The Champion Free Press, P.
O. Box 1347, Decatur, GA 30031-1347; Send email
to Andrew@dekalbchamp.com FAX To: (404)
370-3903 Phone: (404) 373-7779 . Deadline for news
releases and advertising: Thursday, one week prior
to publication date.
EDITORS NOTE: The opinions written by columnists and contributing editors do not necessarily
reflect the opinions of the editor or publishers. The
Publisher reserves the right to reject or cancel any
advertisement at any time. The Publisher is not
responsible for unsolicited manuscripts.
Publisher:
John Hewitt
Chief Financial Officer:
Dr. Earl D. Glenn
Managing Editor:
Andrew Cauthen
Production Manager:
Kemesha Hunt
Photographer:
Travis Hudgons
Staff Reporters:
Carla Parker, Ashley Oglesby
The Champion Free Press is published
each Friday by ACE III Communications,
Inc., 114 New Street, Suite E, Decatur,
GA. 30030 Phone (404) 373-7779.
www.championnewspaper.com
DISPLAY ADVERTISING
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Statement from the

publisher
We sincerely appreciate the
discussion surrounding this and any
issue of interest to DeKalb County.
The Champion was founded in 1991
expressly to provide a forum for
discourse for all community residents
on all sides of an issue. We have no
desire to make the news only to
report news and opinions to effect
a more educated citizenry that will
ultimately move our community
forward. We are happy to present
ideas for discussion; however,
we make every effort to avoid
printing information submitted to
us that is known to be false and/or
assumptions penned as fact.
Shene Heard
Shene Heard, a 23-yearold recent college graduate
beams with excitement to
mentoring and tutoring students participating through
Communities in Schools
(CIS). The organization partners with DeKalb and Fulton
County public schools to
improve barriers that hinder
students from succeeding.
Heard said she was
drawn to the organization
because shes always wanted
to give back to the neighborhood in which she grew up.
Heard spent much of her
adolescent years in the Edgewood area.
Through CIS Heard assists Maynard Jackson High
School students with literature and other subjects.

The most challenging
part of the work is connect-
local
Page 6A
ing with students. With the

demographics that I work
with there are students who
come from different types of
backgrounds. The average
student deals with stress or
theyre coming from a difficult living environment,
Heard said.
She added, My job is to
identify their needs, make
them feel comfortable and
help the best I can.
Heard was zoned to attend Maynard Jackson High
School but decided to attend
North Atlanta High School
after being accepted into its
magnet program.
She said, I can relate to
the [students] because I grew
up in that same neighborhood. Im familiar with the

demographics in the area. I
can actually remember being in high school, trying to
figure everything out, dealing with things at home and
constantly thinking what my
next move was.
Through CIS I want to
at least have an impact on
one child and assure them
that it is possible to make it
out of their neighborhood
and be whatever they want to
be. I want them to know that
they do have options, she
added.
Heard graduated from
Claflin University in 2014
with a major in mass com-
munication.
She loves reading, listening to music and attending
theaters, ballets and museums.
She said she would advise people interested in volunteering to start with things
theyre passionate about.
Its important to play a
part in your community because its a great way to network, meet different people
and, of course, if youre able
to impact somebodys life
along the way thats always a
plus, she said.
If you would like to nominate someone to be considered as a future Champion of the Week, please contact Andrew Cauthen
at andrew@dekalbchamp.com or at (404) 373-7779, ext. 117.
An 1800s DeKalb County-owned house in Tucker has been labelled as a place in peril by the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation. Photos by Andrew Cauthen
Historic Tucker site makes Places in Peril list

by Andrew Cauthen
A historic site in Tucker
has made the 2016 top 10
Places in Peril list by The
Georgia Trust for Historic
Preservation.
The Johns Homestead
site, located at 3071 Lawrenceville Highway in Tucker, was built between 1829
and 1832 on a 200-acre land
grant received by the Johns
family in 1827. Johns family
descendants farmed the land
until the 1980s, said Dave
Butler, DeKalb Countys
greenspace environmental
manager, in a 2014 interview
with The Champion.
When the family vacated
the house in the 1980s, it was
one of the longest continually occupied structures in
DeKalb County. The historic
farmhouse still stands on the
property. As the Johns family grew, the family added on
to the original structure and
built a second home, Butler
said.
We ended up tearing
that down because it was in
bad shape, Butler said.
According to The Georgia Trust, other historic
structures remain in various states of disrepair and
budget cuts have left the site
largely neglected and unsecured, resulting in vandalism.
In 2004, DeKalb County
purchased the last 23 acres of
the Johns family property at
a cost of $4.72 million with
plans of building a park at
the site. In 2006, the county
purchased the adjoining
Twin Brothers Lakes property for $2.31 million, making
the park approximately 50
acres in all, including other
smaller acquisitions.
The Georgia Trusts Places in Peril list is designed
to raise awareness about
Georgias significant historic,
archaeological and cultural
resources, including buildings, structures, districts,
archaeological sites and
cultural landscapes that are
threatened by demolition,
neglect, lack of maintenance,
inappropriate development
or insensitive public policy,
according to a news release
by the organization.
The Georgia Trust uses
the list to encourage owners
and individuals, organizations and communities to
employ proven preservation
tools, financial resources and
partnerships in order to re-
claim, restore and revitalize

historic properties that are in
peril, according to the news
release.
The main house of the
Johns Homestead is a rare
example of a single pen
turned saddlebag house
type, according to the Georgia Trust.
The property contains
many late 19th century and
early 20th century outbuild-
ings and a historically significant dairy building.

According to the Georgia
Trust, the dairy building was
constructed of rammedearth, an ancient construction technique that became
popular in the United States
during the 1800s. Very few
buildings of this type remain
in Georgia, and Johns Homestead contains the only documented one in the state.
CITY OF STONE MOUNTAIN

PUBLIC HEARING NOTICE
The City of Stone Mountain hereby gives notice that a Public Hearing will be held
to consider Zoning Variance Application for the property located at 565
Rockborough Drive, Stone Mountain.
The Mayor and City Council will hold a Public Hearing on this matter on September
21, 2015 at City Hall located at 875 Main Street, Stone Mountain, GA at 6:00 P.M.
Anyone wishing to attend the public hearing may do so and be heard relative thereto.
Please contact the City of Stone Mountain Administration Office at 770-498-8984
for further information.
AroundDeKalb
Atlanta
IMAX film featured at Fernbank

Fernbank Museum of Natural
Historys IMAX theatre will show
National Geographic Entertainments screen film Jerusalem, 767
Clifton Road, Atlanta, through Jan.
7.
Jerusalem explores the intersection of science, history and religion
in this ancient, enigmatic place.
Special access is one of the unique
aspects of the film. Filmmakers
were granted permission to capture
aerial images over the Old City
of Jerusalem, and throughout the
Holy Land. A strict no-fly zone has
existed over the region for years, restricting low-altitude filming. Once
permission was secured, the filmmakers launched a campaign in Hebrew and Arabic to notify the public
before filming began.
IMAX tickets for the 43-minute
large-format film are $13 for adults,
$12 for seniors, $11 for children 12
and younger, and $8 for museum
members.
Avondale
Estates
City to host tree planting
Avondale Estates Tree Board
will hold its annual tree planting
Dec. 5, at 9 a.m. This years planting, titled Save Our Canopy aims
to create a tree canopy along Kensington Road. Twenty-two Trident
Maples will be planted in the area
between the street and the sidewalk,
on the north side of the Kensington
Road. Volunteers will meet at the
grassy triangle bordered by Berkeley
and Kensington Roads. For more
information, visit www.avondaleestates.org.
Brookhaven
Public review meetings
scheduled for park plans
Public review meetings will be

held for each of the parks that are
included in Brookhavens site specific park plans project. The review
meeting format will allow community members to review the draft
conceptual master plans, ask ques-
local
tions and offer suggestions. Comments received will be documented

in summary format.
For those who are unable to
attend the individually scheduled
public review meetings, a general
park comments meeting has been
scheduled for Saturday, Dec. 12,
from 10 to 11:30 a.m. at the Briarwood Community Center, 2235
Briarwood Way,for the purpose
of receiving additional community
member input.
Meetings on site specific
park plans are as follows: Dec. 5,
Blackburn Park 9 to10 a.m., Lynwood Community Center; Dec.
5, Brookhaven Park 10 to 11 a.m.,
at Lynwood Community Center;
Dec. 5, Murphey Candler, 11 a.m.
to noon, at Lynwood Community
Center; Dec. 7, Lynwood Park, 5:30
to 6:30 p.m., at Lynwood Community Center; Dec. 7, Fernwood Park,
6:30 to 7:30 p.m., at Lynwood Community Center; Dec. 8, Ashford
Park 5:30 to 6:30 p.m., at Lynwood
Community Center; Dec. 8, Clacks
Corner, 6:30 to 7:30 p.m., Lynwood
Community Center; Dec. 9, Georgia Hills Park, 5:30 to 6:30 p.m., at
Lynwood Community Center; Dec.
9, Skyland Park, 6:30 to 7:30 p.m.,
at Lynwood Community Center;
and Dec. 12, Briarwood Park, 9 to
10 a.m., at Briarwood Community
Center.
Decatur
Wreath-making event supports
nonprofit programs
Through Dec. 5 the Wylde Center will host its first wreath-making
fundraising event at the Oakhurst
Garden in Decatur, 435 Oakview
Road, Decatur.
Participants will be provided
with Balsam Fir wreaths, along with
a variety of garden materials including dried berries and herbs, pine
cones, magnolia pods and more to
embellish wreaths and create holiday decorations for their homes.
The cost is $65 per person and
all materials are included. Adults
must register online in advance and
may choose an evening from Dec.
1-5 from 7-9 p.m.
Funds raised at the events will
further support the organizations
community efforts, educational programming and green spaces.
To learn more about the Wylde
Center visit wyldecenter.org.
School promotes father

involvement
On Dec. 4 Oak View Elementary School will host its annual Guys
Night Out event at 3574 Oakvale
Road, Decatur.
School officials aim to increase
parent involvement by inviting dads
and guardians to attend the event
with their sons for a night of bonding, education and fun.
During the Guys Night Out
there will be basketball competitions, soapbox races and informative sessions on teaching boys how
to tie a tie and shake hands. The
event will include pizza, wings,
chips and refreshments.
Event organizers are recruiting
male volunteers for the event to accompany children without parents
or guardians.
Contact Parent Liaison Wendy
Jackson at (678) 875-1302 for additional information.
Lithonia
Tree lighting celebration set
The city of Lithonia will hold its
annual tree lighting and holiday celebration with Santa Dee on Sunday,
Dec. 6, from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m.
The event will be held at Kelly
Park, located at the corner of Main
Street and Max Cleland Boulevard.
Participant will have the opportunity to enjoy refreshments,
Christmas carols and local vendors.
For more information, contact Lithonia City Hall at (770) 482-8136,
or send an email to Nia.Harper@
lithoniacity.orgor Leah.Rodriguez@
lithoniacity.org.
State representative to host

legislative hack-a- thon
State Rep. Darshun Kendrick
(D- Lithonia) will host the first ever
Legislative Hack-a-thon on Saturday, Dec. 5 from 8 a.m to 3:30 p.m.
at ITT Tech in Atlanta.
The event aims to get residents
across the state involved in the policymaking process by giving them
the opportunity to meet with industry experts, legislators, attorneys
and community activists to examine
specific issues facing Georgia, and
develop legislative solutions to address them. Topics to be discussed
include: child support reform,
school discipline, mental health and
the police, technology skills & jobs,
Page 7A
and treatment of the homeless.

This event is supported by a
host committee, which includes
Jennifer Young, Ashlyn Shockley,
A. Fitzgerald Breland, Theron
Johnson, Travis Stegall, Travis
Townsend, and former State Rep.
Yasmin Neal (ITT Tech Criminal
Justice advisory board member).
Registration is required and
spots are limited. To register, visit
www.kendricksforgeorgia.com. For
more information, contact Rep.
Kendrick at (404) 697-8006 or via
email at dkendrick@kendrickforgeorgia.com.
Stone
Mountain
Organization to host breakfast
with Santa
Stone Mountain Cooperative
Ecumenical Ministry will host its
annual Breakfast with Santa event
Dec. 5, 8-11 a.m. at St. Timothy
United Methodist Church in Stone
Mountain. All proceeds go to benefit the Christmas season for Stone
Mountain Cooperative Ecumenical
Ministrys clients. The church is located at 5365 Memorial Drive. For
more information, www.facebook.
com/SMCEM.
Tucker
Community to host Christmas
event
Christmas on Main Street in
Tucker will be held Dec. 5, 5-9 p.m.
Santa Claus will be in attendance
and the Great Tree will be lit. The
Tucker Farmers Market will be
open during the celebration and
Main Street will be lined with craft
and food vendors. There will be
ornament decorating by the Tucker
Historical Society and the Masons
will have hot chocolate, smores
and funnel cakes. There will also
be a bounce house for children. For
more information, call Jamey at
(404) 556-7666.
local
Page 8A
Retiring baby boomers to be a boon to nonprofits

by Kathy Mitchell
During the holiday season many
are inclined to give more to charity,
but those likely to be most generous year-round are members of
the generation known as the baby
boomers, according to the results of
a recent Merrill Lynch study, Giving
in Retirement: Americas Longevity
Bonus.
The study predicts a potential
giving surge in the United States over
the next two decades valued nationally at an estimated $8 trillion.
Between 1946 and 1965, the
United States experienced an unprecedented spike in its birth rate.
By the time the rate started to taper
off in the mid-1960s, baby boomers
represented almost 40 percent of the
nations population, according to history.com.
This generation has changed or
had an impact on all theyve touched
as theyve gone through school and
into the work force. Now they are
changing the face of retirement, said
Buck Wiley, a private wealth advisor
in the Private Banking and Investments Group at Merrill Lynch.
The study, conducted in partnership with Age Wave, factors in
increasing life expectancy and high
rates of giving among retirees. It
found that with more time, savings

and skills to contribute to charitable
causes, the emerging generation of
retirees is positioning itself to make
significant contributions to the
nonprofit community. In retirement
baby boomers are showing an eagerness to give not just money but time
and expertise to causes they believe
in.
The generosity of this generation may come from a number of
factors. It may be that unlike their
parents who grew up during the
Great Depression they grew up during a period of prosperity and are
more confident about giving, Wiley
continued. Also, he said, historically
those who came of age in the 1960s
and 70s have been an activist generation, working to help set the nations
agenda in such areas as civil rights,
foreign policy, womens rights and
other concerns. It makes sense that
in their senior years they still want to
work for the betterment of society.
He said the $8 trillion impact
will come not only from direct giving but from the value of time and
expertise donated by the current
generation of retirees. Wiley said one
of his clients, Dr. William C. Wood,
who retired as chairman of Emory
University School of Medicines surgery department, is a prime example.
Like many retiring today, Dr.

Wood is not using the time freed
up by retirement to play golf or
go to the beach, Wiley said. Hes
traveling around the world building
health clinics and training people to
provide healthcare in places where
its really needed. Hes giving the big
three time, talent and treasureto
make this a better world.
Wood in retirement became the
first academic dean of the international Pan-African Academy of
Christian Surgeons (PAACS). In this
position he oversees the academic
aspects of 10 PAACS-sponsored
residencies that are currently training surgeons in Africa in an effort to
establish affordable and sustainable
cancer care in the continents developing countries. Among the PAACS
training centers he visits regularly is
Soddo Hospital in Ethiopia, where
he gives time and expertise to the
Emory Global Surgery Program.
Dr. Woods retirement choices
are right in line with what the study
has found, Wiley said. Retirees
bring a lifetime of experience when
they give back. Approximately 84
percent of retirees say an important
reason they are able to give more in
retirement is that they have greater
skills and talents compared to when
they were younger.
Baby boomers define success

differently than many in previous
generations, Wiley said. The classic definition that associates success
with the accumulation of wealth
does not apply to many in this generation. Retirees, the study found, are
nearly six times more likely to say
being generous defines success for
them rather than being wealthy.
Giving for the post-World War II
generation is an important source of
happiness and wellbeing, the survey
indicated. Retirees who volunteer
or donate report a strong sense of
purpose, high self-esteem, health
and happiness at a higher rate than
those who do not contribute and are
three times more likely to say helping others makes them happier than
spending money on themselves (76
percent vs. 24 percent).
Wiley said giving also can be
an important source of social connections in retirement. Although
pre-retirees predict a reliable income
is what they will miss most after
leaving the workforce, in reality the
survey indicated, retirees say that it
is the social connections that they
miss. Eighty-five percent of retiree
volunteers say they have developed
important new friendships through
their giving and volunteering activities.
Two finalists seek to be county

commissioners chief of staff
by Andrew Cauthen
DeKalb County Board of Commissioners has two
finalists to consider for its vacant chief of staff Antwyn
Brown and Arrelle Anderson.
Anderson worked as the chief operating officer for
the Clayton County Board of Commissioners from June
2013 to October 2014.
While working for Clayton County, Anderson was
recognized by Women Looking Ahead magazine as Woman of the Year and one of Georgias 100 most influential
and powerful women.
The Clayton County Board of Commissioners voted
3-2 to fire Anderson without giving a reason.
From 2009 until 2013, Anderson was the owner and
chief business strategist of the Chandler Strategic Management consulting firm. She was a special assistant,
strategist and management liaison officer for the Washington, D.C., government from May 2005 to June 2009.
Anderson has a masters of business administration
degree from the University of Georgias Terry College of
Business and a journalism degree from Howard University.
Brown has served as the DeKalb Board of Commissioners policy analyst since April 2012.
From 2008 to 2011, Brown was a policy analyst for
HOPE Federal Credit UnionMississippi Economic
Policy Center. He was an adjunct instructor at Virginia
College in Jackson, Miss., from 2008-2010, and an evaluator for the Joint Legislative Committee on Performance
Evaluation and Expenditure Review from 2004 to 2008.
Brown has a masters of public policy and administration degree with a concentration in policy analysis
and public finance. He has a bachelors degree in English
from Tougaloo College. He is a member of the Georgia
City, County Management Association and Georgia
County Clerks Association, American Society for Public
Administration and State Fiscal Analysis Initiative.
The commissioners chief of staff position has been
vacant since Morris Williams left the position in August
2013 to become interim county CEO Lee Mays deputy
chief operating officer. Williams retired in March.
It is anticipated that the Board of Commissioners
will consider chief of staff candidates at its regular Dec. 8
business meeting.
local
Page 9A
Decatur woman to chair Georgia

4-H advisory committee
Jenna Black of Decatur
has accepted the nomination
as chairwoman-elect of the
Georgia 4-H Advisory Committee.
The Georgia 4-H Advisory Committee plays a vital
role in the development and
implementation of Georgia
4-H programming. The committee advises the University
of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental
Sciences and UGA Cooperative Extension with the
planning of 4-H programs
and development of Extension curricula that enhance
the Georgia 4-H partnership
with formal educational systems.
The committee also
supports the Georgia 4-H
Foundation, informs donors
of current activities and accomplishments, recognizes
donors, and recruits new
donors.The committee assists in evaluation, planning,
and improvement of Georgia
4-H facilities and works to
determine the need for future facilities and conducts
long-range planning of future
facilities. The committee also
helps communicate the value
and accomplishments of
Black
Georgia 4-H to state leaders,

as well as the entire state.
Black will serve a twoyear term as chairwomanelect, a two-year term as
chairwoman, and a one-year
term as past chairwoman.
She has served alongside her
peers on the Georgia 4-H advisory committee for several
years and also as president of
the Georgia Counselors Association.
I am honored beyond
measure to be selected to
serve Georgia 4-H in this capacity, Black said. I am very
excited for the opportunity

to grow the future of Georgia
4-H and to give back to the
organization that has helped
define me as a person.
Black is a family and consumer sciences teacher and
director of the Frasier Center
at the Decatur Career Academy.
Her love for 4-H began
when she was child watching
her older brothers and sisters
participate in 4-H. When she
finally reached the minimum
grade, Black eagerly joined
Gwinnett County 4-H. She
won her first contest at the
county level by sewing an
apron her 86 year-old mother
still has.
She became a Master
4-H Club member in June
1980 by earning a Master
4-H Club Scholarship and
is a lifetime member of the
Master 4-H Club for livestock
judging.
She attended 4-H camp
every summer, ultimately becoming a major interest leadership counselor during her
third counselor summer.
Black is married to Clanton C. Black III, and they
have three children.
Time to invest
in yourself.
gpc.edu/apply
Its not too late to apply for Spring classes.

Soon to be part of the new Georgia State University.
GPCSpringCampionAd.indd 1
thechampionnewspaper.com
11/19/15 6:38 PM
local
Page 10A
Man receives life sentence

in Chamblee rape case
by Ashley Oglesby
Perez
Kruke
Talley
Chavez
Waters
Five suspects busted with drugs

and money in Brookhaven
by Carla Parker
What began as an investigation of a
suspicious person, turned into drug bust
at a Brookhaven hotel.
Brookhaven Police arrested five people Nov. 24 on drug-trafficking charges.
Maj. Brandon Gurley said officers were
investigating a report of a suspicious
person at the Red Roof Inn on North
Druid Hills Road when they uncovered
several grams of methamphetamine,
marijuana and more than $58,000 in
cash.
Officers patrolling the area of the
Red Roof Inn located a suspicious person in the parking lot, Gurley said.
During the course of their investigation
they were led to a specific room at the
motel. The officers were able to receive
a search warrant. Their investigation led
to the search of the room and several
vehicles.
Officers found and recovered 62.8
grams of methamphetamine, 13.3 grams
of marijuana and a half gallon of liquid methamphetamine along with the
money.
The suspects, named below, were arrested and taken to the DeKalb County
Jail.
Angel Perez Banuchi, 44, Hispanic
male
-Trafficking methamphetamine;
-Possession of a weapon while in violation of Georgias Controlled Substance
Act;
-Possession of Alprazolam (schedule IV

controlled substance); and
-Possession of marijuana less than 1
ounce.
James Talley, 35, Black male
-Possession of Hydrocodone;
-Possession of Oxycodone;
ounce; and
-Possession of prescription pills not in
original container.
Sandrekius Waters, 39, Black male
ounce.
Juan Carlos Torres-Chavez, 26, Hispanic male
ounce.
Aubrey Elizabeth Kruke, 24, white female
ounce; and
-Possession of drug related objects.
Banuchi also was wanted for aggravated
assault in Gwinnett County.
happy
holidays
Allen Lee Garner, 30, has been convicted on six counts in the
rape of an elderly woman at her DeKalb
County home in April 2014.
On April 27, 2014, the 79-year-old
female reported to Chamblee Police Department (CPD) that she had been sexually assaulted by an unknown male in the
bedroom of her home.
Within 48 hours of the incident, CPD
had identified a suspect.
That person was identified to be Garner, who had been recently released from
prison at the time of the assault.
Garner
The GBI Crime Lab determined that
DNA recovered from the crime scene matched the DNA of Garner.
Garner, 32, was charged with one count of rape, one count
of aggravated sexual battery, one count of burglary, one count of
abuse of an elderly person, one count of theft by taking and one
count of loitering and prowling.
He was convicted on Nov. 2 and has been sentenced to life in
prison.
Judge Hilton Fuller signed the order.
NEWS BRIEFS
DeKalb County Animal Services issues rabies alert
The DeKalb County Animal Service and Enforcement Division
has alerted residents in the Arldowne Drive area that a raccoon
was captured on Nov. 18 and tested positive for rabies.
Those who have been bitten or scratched by a wild animal
should seek medical attention. Residents in the area should monitor their pets behavior. If pets act unusually nervous or aggressive
or if they have excessive drooling or foaming at the mouth, contact
DeKalb County Animal Control at (404) 294-2996, Monday-Friday
from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., or (404) 294-2519 during 5 p.m. to 9 a.m.
As a preventative measure, pet owners should make sure their
animals are vaccinated against rabies yearly.
Former commissioners aide pleads guilty

Bob Lundsten, who was former DeKalb County Commissioner Elaine Boyers chief of staff, pleaded guilty to three counts of
obstruction of an officer, reduced from making a false statement.
He was sentenced to 12 months of probation and ordered to pay
$310.95 restitution and perform 250 hours of community service,
according a spokesman for the DeKalb County District Attorneys
office.
Lundstens plea and sentencing were part of a plea agreement.
Originally, he had been charged with six counts of theft by taking
and three counts of making false statements.
Erik Burton, a spokesman for DA Robert James, released this
statement: It is not uncommon for felony cases to be reduced to
misdemeanor violations. The case involving Mr. Lundsten is no
different. The prosecutor and defense attorney agreed on the terms
of the negotiated plea and presented those terms before the trial
court judge. The plea agreement was accepted by the judge and
Lundsten accepted responsibilities for his actions.
Boyer, who pleaded guilty last year to federal charges of mail
fraud conspiracy and wire fraud, was sentenced to 14 months in
prison earlier this year.
local
Page 11A
This former gas station has been torn down to make way for greenspace. Photo provided
A warning sign is posted during the development of the greenspace.

Photo by Andrew Cauthen
A nonprofit organization has secured funding to help develop greenspace on Columbia Drive. Photo by Andrew
Cauthen
East Decatur Greenway

final cleanup under way
Final cleanup is under
way on the one-acre former
gas station site at 890 Columbia Drive, Decatur.
East Decatur Greenway,
a nonprofit whose mission is
to create community greenspace, began the cleanup in
late November.
The cleanup is one of the
final stages in a multi-year
effort by residents to remedy
blight and petroleum-based
contamination at this abandoned gas station. The nonprofits goal is to transform
the site into shared greenspace for residents and students at neighboring schools.
Weather permitting,
the brownfield remediation should be complete by
the end of the year by Environmental Technology
Resources Inc., the contractor selected for the project.
The subcontractor, Aqua-
Terra Recycling, will remove

heavily-contaminated soil
and groundwater, while
mildly contaminated soil
may be treated onsite. Once
all contamination has been
removed, Aqua-Terra will
bring in new soil and complete earthmoving activities
to shape the site for the future community greenspace.
Since acquiring the property in 2012, East Decatur
Greenway has been working
with the Environmental Protection Agency, Georgia Environmental Protection Division, and others to determine
the level of contamination
at the site, develop a cleanup
plan and complete remediation activities. EPA provided
initial technical assistance
through a Targeted Brownfields Assessment Grant. The
current planned remediation
is made possible by a three-
year, $200,000 grant from the

EPAs Brownfields program.
For the past year, East
Decatur Greenway has been
working with residents in
Midway Woods and Forrest
Hills, as well as the students,
teachers, and administrators of the Friends School
the Museum School, and the
Waldorf School for input on
plans for the future greenspace.
As a result of these visioning sessions, East Decatur Greenway is seeking
funding to build an outdoor
classroom, seating, bike racks
and passive recreation on the
remediated site. Additionally, the nonprofit is working
with the PATH Foundation
to build a 1.1-mile trail originating at this site. The proposed trail will end at Avondale Estates MARTA Station.
local
Page 12A
Residents and business owners put up

blue ribbons in support and appreciation of
Avondale Estates police officers.
Residents and business owners

put up blue ribbons in support
and appreciation of Avondale
Estates police officers.
Avondale shows appreciation to police officers
by Carla Parker
Avondale Estates residents

and business owners wanted
to do something honor the
police officers who keep their
homes and businesses safe.
On Nov. 23, all Avondale
Estates Police Department
personnel attended a mandatory meeting called by City
Manager Clai Brown. According to Police Chief Gary
Broden, the topic of the meeting was unknown by the officers.
Mr. Brown went on to
explain that the topic of the
meeting was an expression of
gratitude by the community
to its police department being called True Blue Thanks,
Broden said in a released
statement. Needless to say, all
officers were stunned to hear
what had been occurring for
approximately the last 30 days
without their knowledge.
Broden said he and the
officers learned that a group
of residents and business owners wanted to do something to
show their appreciation and
support of their police officers.
Michael Payne, lead organizer

of True Blue Thanks, said
True Blue Thanks was a way
for them to say thank you to
the officers.
The general thought was
that all of us take things for
granted and we realize what
[the officers] mean to us and
what they do for Avondale,
Payne said. We have a great
department and we are thankful for them.
Brown said this all was
started by the residents and
business owners.
The community did it,
Brown said. They wanted to
show their appreciation to all
the police officers. City Hall
didnt have anything to do
with it. We just orchestrated
it.
Learning that the project
was a grassroots effort and
totally unsolicited astounded
us all, especially knowing the
current climate of the nation
involving communities and
their law enforcement agencies, Broden said.
Each officer was presented
with a personalized letter
and gift. Broden said it was
obvious that the officers were
touched by the communitys

generosity and support.
The room was quiet and
emotions surfaced, smiles and
moist eyes were clearly noted,
he said. Later we were to
learn that a banner had been
made and placed in the plaza
area for the community and
those commuting through the
city to see.
Broden said there were
also hundreds of blue ribbons displayed on businesses,
homes, mailboxes and in yards
in support and appreciation.
The experience has not
only been appreciated more
than the officers can express,
but more humbling than
anything else, he said. We
realize that the community
could choose another agency
to provide their security and
service needs, but we instead
have the privilege and honor
to do such.
Each officer would like
to personally thank the community for its support, now
and through times to come,
Broden added. We all realize what a special and caring
community we serve. Please
accept our expressions of
gratitude, knowing that our

feelings for the community we
serve are a reflection of those

we receive.
this
holiday season
Splash of Olive
Sq/Ft
Worthmore Jewelers
The 17 Steps
Chamblee adopts film production ordinance

The City of Chamblee
has adopted a film production ordinance to help facilitate commercial movie and
television projects that shoot
in Chamblee.
According to city officials, Georgia has become
a hub for the entertainment
industry, with an estimated
statewide economic impact
of $6 billion from nearly 250
movies and television shows
filmed during July 2014 to
June 2015.
In a Nov. 23 press release
city officials said Chamblee
offers a great mix of authentic and unique locations for

filming from quiet neighborhoods to busy city streets.
Chamblees location in the
metro area, proximity to
DeKalb Peachtree-Airport,
and vicinity to existing or
planned film production facilities make it a great choice
for any project.
With more film projects coming to the area, a
permitting process becomes
necessary to address certain
inconveniences to the public
that may result, the press re-
lease stated.
Chamblees straightforward process will ensure that
proper standards are met, the
public will be notified of any
impacts, and that the production company can maintain their schedule.
The permit process will
be administered by the Economic Development Office.
For more information
visit www.chambleega.gov/
film or contact Adam Causey at (770) 986-5010 or
acausey@chambleega.gov.
Get Gifty!
Shop Terrific Thursdays in
Decatur for seasonal sales,
snacks, and extended hours.
Join in the jolly with
Decatur
free fun and local
cheer all month long.
Visitors Center
decaturga
Decatur-champion-dec3-2015.indd 1
downtowndecatur
113 Clairemont Ave.

Tuesday-Saturday
10 am-4 pm
visitdecaturga.com
11/30/15 1:19 PM
In
WEEK
local
Page 13A
Pictures
Santa Claus came through

Stone Mountain on his red sleigh
for the annual Christmas parade
and fireworks event Nov. 27.
Santa was led into town by
local organizations, churches,
youth dance groups, cheerleaders, Girl Scout and Boy Scout
troops and politicians. The event
also included childrens activities, marshmallow roasting, hot
chocolate and fireworks.
Photos by Carla Parker
Photos brought to you by DCTV

DeKalb County begins one-day-a-week sanitation collection service July 6, 2015
Residential customers will have same-day garbage, recyclable materials and yard trimmings collection
For more info, call or visit:
(404) 294-2900
www.rollingforwardtoone.com
local
Page 14A
Judge Tangela Barrie addresses adoptive families during DeKalbs fifth annual Adoption Day.
Clerk Debra DeBerry is offered a chip by a child. Photos provided.
Clerk Debra DeBerry with Judge J.P. Boulee
Clerk of Superior Court

holds fifth annual
Adoption Day
Clerk Debra DeBerry with adoptions staff and Judge Gregory A. Adams
DeKalb County Superior Court Clerk Debra DeBerry

and Superior Court judges Gregory A. Adams and Tangela
Barrie hosted the fifth annual Adoption Day in DeKalb
County on Nov. 20.
According to the U.S. Department of Health & Human
Services, November is set aside as National Adoption Month
to raise awareness about the adoption of children and youth
from foster care.
During this years event, the DeKalb County clerks office finalized 14 family adoptions with approximately 75
people. Also attending the event were adoption attorneys
and adoption clerks to oversee the adoptions. Judge Johnny
Mason Jr. was the guest speaker. Also, DeKalb County Superior Court Judge J.P. Boulee shared his personal story of
adoption.
local
Page 15A
YMCA Continued From Page 1A

officer. He worked at seven branch locations, including the South DeKalb YMCA on Snapfinger
Road.
As COO, he provided leadership to 27 YMCA
locations and the fast-growing child care program. Hood and his grant development staff were
responsible for raising more than $500 million
in government grant funds since 1994 for youth
development programs and early childhood education.
He joined the staff when the South DeKalb
YMCA was going through some financial difficulties. Under his leadership, the team turned
that branch around and [it] went through several
expansions.
In 2000, Hood moved to the corporate operations of the YMCA. Prior to joining the YMCA,
Hood was with Atlanta Public Schools. He received his bachelor of arts in history from Missouri State University.
In 2014, Hood negotiated with DeKalb County
for one of the largest-ever public/private partnerships, resulting in the Wade Walker YMCA-$18
million family YMCA.
Its a win-win-win for everybody involved,
Hood said in a 2014 interview with The Champion. It just makes good business since that we
work together to solve social issues in our community. No one agency can do it all by itself.
Under Hoods watch, the county and YMCA
Prison
also worked together to establish two childcare

academies, one in 1995 and another in 2000.
Hood said joint response of public-private
partnerships help to address concerns of communities, and DeKalb County has been ahead of the
trend.
We started a dialogue with the commissioners
and with county staff as well as the DeKalb CEO
and things went forward from there, he said in a
2011 interview with The Champion.
Back in the 1970s missing and murdered
children in the Atlanta area were making news nationwide, Hood explained. We had to find ways
to keep our children safe after school. It was difficult for government or private institutions to do it
alone; combining resources seemed the right way
to go. When we saw how well it was working, we
said, Lets keep doing this.
As COO, Hood also was responsible for government grant compliance, new grant development and public policy.
Under Hoods leadership, the YMCA developed after school programs that now engage 6,000
children daily, growing from approximately 1,000
in 1984. The YMCAs early childhood programs
serve 3,200 children annually.
Hood said, I had a wonderful, wonderful,
wonderful career and I met some wonderful community leaders. He recalled working with former
Atlanta mayors Maynard Jackson and Andrew
Young, DeKalb County commissioners and school

superintendents, and The Champion Newspaper
co-publisher Dr. Earl Glenn, who helped Hood
become a member of 100 Black Men of DeKalb
County.
In 2011, Hood received the Publishers Lifetime Achievement Award from The Champion
Newspaper.
During his tenure, Hood received the Metro
Atlanta YMCA Sullivan Award, the highest award
presented to a staff member; Executive of the Year;
Outstanding Professional of the Year for Child
Care; the YMCA of the USA Program Development Award, the National Black Child Development Institute Award and the Community Service
Award from the Atlanta Concerned Black Clergy.
Its been a story book of opportunities, said
Hood, who lives in Lithonia with wife Shirley.
There are a lot of people that I could thank.
One such person, Hood said, is Phil McGregor,
the public policy chairman for the Metro Atlanta
YMCA.
He was with me every step of the way, Hood
said. He certainly helped guide the way and
helped me organize the community in response
to a number of the initiatives, such as response to
the missing and murdered children crisis.
I would do it all over again if I could, Hood
said about his career. I enjoyed every minute of
it.
Continued From Page 1A
said.
Edwards, who was being held
by his mother, was shot five times,
including in his head, chest and
back.
Green-Cross said Tanyika
Smith had eight gunshot wounds,
including ones to her face and
chest. Tracy Smith had three gunshot wounds in her arms and legs,
Clark had at least five gunshot
wounds to her legs.
Each woman has had multiple surgeries and continues to suffer pain, mobility problems and
complications from the gunshot
wounds, Green-Cross said. The
injuries were just horrific.
In her victim impact statement, Tanyika Smith said Thomas
and his accomplices took her
whole life away.
Its been almost two years
[and] I still think about it like it
was yesterdayfrom the time
my best friend told me yall was
kicking at the door, to the time I
was looking at [Edwards] lifeless
body, Smith said.
When he was alive the last
thing I said [was], I love you and
I gave him a kiss, Smith added. I
felt like I was doing everything to
protect him with my body shielding him. It wasnt good enough.
Tracy Smith said Thomas
knew her son and friends were
not home at the time.
Yet you still decided to come

into my home, my sanctuary, and
destroy my family, she said. You
took my grandbaby from memy
first grandson.
I cant say Ill forgive you, but
we forgive you because God will
handle this, she added. But I
hope you burn in hell.
Before he was taken out of the
courtroom, Thomas turned to the
family and apologized to them.
At the end of the day, we cant
bring no one back and I know
what I did was wrong, Thomas
said. I felt like this was the best
way to give my life for KenDarious. I just want to ask you guys to
forgive me and Im sorry.
Tanyika Smith appreciated his
apology.
I thought him saying sorry
would release something, but it
didnt because thats not bringing my baby back, she said. Im
happy he did say sorry and he
stepped up.
The case of Marco Watson,
the codefendant in the shooting, is still pending, according to
Chief Assistant District Attorney
Nicole Golden.
Were still in talks with him
and his lawyer to see what will
happen next, but that case is still
pending, Golden said.
A family member holds a poster honoring KenDarious Edwards Jr. outside the courthouse.
Lawyer:
local
Page 16A
Brookhaven councilman
did not break any laws
by Carla Parker
A lawyer found that it is
not illegal or unethical for
Brookhaven City Councilman Bates Mattison to be
employed by the Brookhaven
Innovation Academy (BIA).
However, Mattison must
recuse himself from all
matters brought before the
mayor and city council and
the development authority
regarding BIA, according to
attorney R. Randall Bentley
of Bentley, Bentley and Bentley.
After reviewing the citys
ethics policies and other
laws, Bentley delivered his
decision to city officials Nov.
25. Bentley concluded that
Mattisons employment with
BIA is not illegal or unethical.
Upon the advice of [City
Attorney Chris] Balch, it
appears that Mr. Mattison
recused and excused himself
from all BIA matters brought
before the council and development authority after Aug.
23, 2015, Bentley said. Mr.
Mattison became executive
director of the BIA on or
about Nov. 5 2015. Now, as
an employee of the BIA, Mr.
Mattison should recuse himself from all matters, including discussions and votes,
brought before the mayor
and council and the development authority regarding
BIA. The best practice would
be Mr. Mattison leave the
dais and exit any meeting,
conference or forum at which
any matter regarding the BIA
is befire the council or development authority.
On Nov. 16, Brookhaven
Mayor Rebecca Chase Williams requested a legal opinion concerning the ethics of a
council member accepting a
full-time job with academy.
The mayor and council would like to clarify and
have a better understanding

of any legal, ethical or charter problems, violations or
conflicts of interest for Mr.
Mattison to serve as both a
Brookhaven city councilman
and director of the BIA, Williams said. That is why I am
calling for an independent
inquiry into the questions.
The BIA Board of Directors voted Oct. 16 to have
Mattison serve as executive
director through opening of
school or Sept. 30, 2016.
However, the board voted
a month later to remove
commissions from current
Mattisons contract at his request and setup an executive
compensation committee to
avoid a conflict of interest.
The Board appointed
an executive compensation
committee to look into best
practices for compensation
within the nonprofit sector,
and ensure compliance with
the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) ethics policy which discourages
against percentage-based
compensation based on contributions raised, the board
said in a released statement.
Additionally, the BIA Board
and Mr. Bates acted swiftly to
ensure that both contributors
to BIA and Mr. Bates constituents have full confidence
in his respective roles as the
BIA Interim Executive Director and Brookhaven City
Councilman by removing the
commission based part of his
fee structure at their special
called Board meeting on Nov.
19, 2015.
Bentley also mentioned
that BIA is no longer interested in occupying the
Skyland Drive property,
which was the subject of a
proposed bond issue which
lease savings might have
been constructed as such an
incentive.
From left, Jean Coppage White; Phoebe Paredes (University of West Georgia); Coppage Scholar Julie Marciano (Georgia State University); Cassandra Leon (Georgia Southern University); Lacey Causey (University of
West Georgia) and Mr. Glenn White. Photo courtesy of Jessica Wronker Photography
DeKalb Medical announces

Coppage Scholarship recipients
As part of its ongoing commitment
to help the nurses of tomorrow, DeKalb
Medical recently awarded $13,000 to nursing students through the 2015 Dr. W. Mark
Coppage Scholarship Fund. The Coppage
Scholarship is funded through private donations, and is given annually to nursing school
students who best represent the legacy of W.
Mark Coppage, M.D.
This years winners include Phoebe Paredes (University of West Georgia), Coppage
Scholar Julie Marciano (Georgia State University), Cassandra Leon (Georgia Southern
University), Lacey Causey (University of
West Georgia) and Julia Kimball (Columbus
State University). Since 1993, the Dr. Mark
Coppage Scholarship Fund has awarded over
150 scholarships totaling more than $376,500
to nursing students.
Coppage died on March 3, 1989, in an
automobile accident in Florida. An anonymous donor established the Dr. Mark Coppage Nursing Scholarship Fund to sustain
his memory and the principles for which

he stood. Each year, the Coppages family
matches the donations, dollar-for-dollar, that
are made to the scholarship.
Scholarship winners must demonstrate
leadership, compassion, concern for humanity and other qualities exemplified by Coppage, who was renowned for his compassionate care during his career at DeKalb Medical.
It still amazes me that a single donation
over 20 years ago has grown and has helped
so many students fulfill their dream to be
a nurse, said Dee Keeton, director of patient care services and quality. Dr. Coppage
would be so honored and humbled.
During the awards presentation, the
DeKalb Medical Foundation also recognized
the members of the Coppage Scholarship
Committee who all knew and worked with
Coppage: Beverly Hutchinson, RN; Nancy
Curdy, RN; Bill Keeton, M.D.; Dee Keeton,
RN; Linda Herren, RN, and Jean Coppage
White.
CITY OF CHAMBLEE PUBLIC NOTICE
Acopyoftheproposed2016OperatingBudgetfortheCityofChamblee
willbeavailableforreviewatCityHallonTuesday,December8,2015.
ApublichearingontheproposedbudgetwillbeheldonThursday,
December10,2015at6:00p.m.intheCivicCenter,3540BroadStreet.
Anypersonswishingtobeheardonthebudgetmayappearandbe
heard.
TheCityCouncilwilladoptthebudgetonThursday,December17,2015.
Themeetingwillbeginat6:00p.m.andwillbeheldintheCivicCenter.
business
Page 17A
The product looks menacing to most dogs

so they stay away from it.
Coach Guard is designed not to hurt animals

or furniture.
Christian Enterkin says she loves the dogs

she rescued from the streets, but didnt like
what they were doing to her furniture.
Trays can be arranged in a variety of configurations to fit the furniture shape.
Kirkwood resident invents product to keep dogs off furniture

by Kathy Mitchell
Kirkwood resident Christian
Enterkin said she loves the dogs
she rescued from the streets in her
neighborhood, but she wasnt so fond
of what the animals were doing to
her furniture.
I found the dogs abandoned and
abused at a time when I really didnt
want a doglet alone two, Enterkin recalled. After I took them in,
I quickly fell in love with them, but
they were destroying my furniture,
especially my white sofa. Still, getting
rid of them wasnt an option for me
at that point.
When Im confronted with a
problem I focus on it until I come
up with a solution. I tried a lot of
ways to keep my dogs off the furniture. I visited pet supply stores and
went online looking for a product
that would help, but nothing I found
worked. I decided it shouldnt be so
hard to keep a clean house with pets,
so I started working to invent a product to solve my problem, Enterkin
said.
After creating several prototypes

that didnt meet her requirements,
Enterkin invented a product shes
pleased with and is now marketing
through her new start-up company
Peachtree Pet. The product, called
Couch Guard, consists of sets of
trays with paw-shaped cutouts that
stick up at an angle. I think they
look menacing to the dogs so they
just stay away from them. Even when
dogs do climb up on them, they are
uncomfortable so they go someplace
else, Enterkin explained.
They are completely safe, she
emphasized. The projections cant
pierce the skin; they cant harm the
dog in any way. They also dont harm
the furniture. That was important
to me. What I came up with had to
be effective but safe. They are also
durable. They are made of the same
material used in making bulletproof
glass. The trays can be overlapped so
they fit a variety of furniture shapes,
Enterkin added, noting that they are
stackable and can be tucked away
under the sofa when its in use.
Although most of my life Ive
been creating things to solve prob-
lems, said Enterkin, who grew up

in Georgia, I never imagined that
I would one day hold a patent on a
product. She said the product has
worked with every dog she has tested
it with, including dogs five to 80
pounds; however, if a customer finds
it doesnt work with her or her dog
the customer can return the product
for a refund.
Enterkin said she is proud that
her product, which is manufactured
in north Georgia, helps boost the
states economy. I was working in
the real estate industry when the
recession hit. I saw a lot of people in
my industry lose their ability to earn
a living. Although some people advised me to have my product manufactured overseas, I vowed to get it
made in the United States.
The Couch Guards are handmade, which Enterkin said is expensive and time consuming, which is
why they are produced in relatively
low numbers. Enterkin said her
goal is to move as quickly as possible to mass production so we can
churn out more products faster and
cheaper. I also want to offer Couch
influential
Guards in a variety of colors so customers can choose colors to match

their furniture. Mass production
requires creating a mold, which is expensive, according the Enterkin, who
has launched a fundraising effort to
supplement sales.
While most products offered on
the Peachtree Pet website are made
in America, Enterkin also is interested in helping people outside the
United States earn a living. She has
partnered with Atlanta-based Lions
Thread, an organization founded
by her sister, whom she describes
as a longtime crusader for positive
change around the world, to employ
women in Uganda to hand make
pet bow ties. Sixty percent of the
purchase price of every bow tie sold
through Peachtree Pet goes to Lions
Thread.
Peachtree Pet also sells dogthemed holiday cards. Those visiting
the businesss website are urged to
donate to Ahimsa House, an Atlanta
organization that helps people and
pets escape domestic abuse.
DeKalb Chamber of Commerce Two Decatur Town Center, 125 Clairemont Ave., Suite, Decatur, GA 30030 404.378.8000 www.dekalbchamber.org
education
Page 18A
GPC Decatur students and faculty were honored for their efforts to beautify the county during the DeKalb Clean and Beautiful awards ceremony Nov. 20. From left are GPC students Shaquille Smith and Kayla Sims, GPC faculty member Scott Mitchell, and LeKeisha Jackson, Decatur Student Life programs coordinator.
Decatur students receive DeKalb Clean

and Beautiful awards
Georgia Perimeter Decatur students cleaned debris from nearby
Doolittle Creek, and ran sustainability workshops for the Decatur
Campus. They weeded and planted
vegetables in the Decatur Community Garden, picked up trash from
local roads and set up recycling bins
around the area.
Their efforts in DeKalb County
did not go unnoticed. On Nov. 20,
DeKalb Clean and Beautiful awarded
the GPC Decatur students the organizations Beautification Group of

the Year Award. In addition, students
from the Decatur Jaguar Activity
Group were honored with the Keep
DeKalb Beautiful Environmental
Stewardship award. The awards recognized their continued service and
environmental stewardship for the
county. The students received their
awards during the DeKalb Clean and
Beautiful Volunteer Appreciation
MasterChef Junior to hold

open call auditions
Youngsters with a knack for
cooking have a shot to appear on
Fox TVs culinary challenge MasterChef Junior.
An open casting call will be held
in Atlanta for children ages 813.
Producers are seeking children
from all types of backgrounds, and
with a range of cooking styles to
audition. The young chef hopefuls
chosen to be featured on the show
will try to impress judges Gordon
Ramsay, Christina Tosi, and Graham Elliot.
The auditions will be held Dec.
12 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., at Doubletree Atlanta, 160 Ted Turner Drive,

Atlanta.
Whether your child enjoys
cooking delightful desserts or hefty
main courses, whether they cook
fine French cuisine or prefer a great
tasting burger, we want to hear from
you, according to a notice on the
shows website.
Prior to attending the auditions
parents or legal guardians should
create a profile and pre-register their
child. For additional information,
visit masterchefjuniorcasting.com.
dinner held at the DeKalb County

sanitation administration offices.
The Decatur Campus Earth
Week 2015 and other beautification activities were a collaboration
between the Decatur Jaguar Activity
Group, the Office of Student Life,
Homecoming King & Queen, the
Earth Club and the Decatur Garden
Club.
Receiving the award were Shaquille Smith, GPC garden work
study student and member of the

Decatur Campus Earth Club; Kayla
Sims, J.A.G. Service chair and president of the Earth Club; Dr. Scott
Mitchell, GPC English professor,
LeKeisha Jackson, Decatur Student
Life programs coordinator and J.A.G.
advisor; and Jada Brown, current
J.A.G. Service chair.
Science Saturday
program expands
education
Page 19A
by Ashley Oglesby
Georgia Pacific (GP) chemist Dexter
Johnson hosted his second Saturday science program of the year on Nov. 21 at
Miller Grove High School. Three students
participating in the programCandon
Kilcrease, Coi Kilcrease and Zoie Robinsonorchestrated a winter drive to collect
coats, jackets, hats, gloves and scarves.
The chemist first started the program
after participating in his sons career day at
E.L. Bouie Elementary School. Hes worked
for Georgia-Pacifics paper chemicals division for 18 years and thought it would
be interesting to conduct a paper-making
demonstration.
Johnsons career-day demonstration
was such a huge hit, teachers asked him to
come back to present to the entire school
over the course of three days.
Johnson contacted the GP Foundation,
an organization designed to support community-based programs, volunteer service
projects, disaster relief and other initiatives.
The Foundation evaluates proposals
and determines an amount to donate per
program.
Johnson and his colleague volunteers
decided to dedicate one Saturday a month
and were awarded $5,000 to buy supplies,
as well as provide lunch for the kids.
Since the programs inception the GP
Foundation has increased the funding for
Science Saturday to $7,500 and participation has grown from 65 students to approximately 90 students from various schools
throughout the district.
Johnson said, Were just trying to expose students to as many science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM)
related careers as possible this year.
Johnson said this years weekly programs will also feature aerospace engineers
to teach students about rockets and a computer science engineer to talk with the students about apps and video games.
We want them to know that there is a
whole world of things that they can do if
they have a strong background in any of the
STEM related subjects, Johnson said.
During the Saturday Science event on
Nov. 21 youngsters learned about the science of foods.
Johnson invited a food scientist to instruct students to create ice cream, flavored
drinks and conduct experiments on taste
and enzymes in food.
GP volunteer and chemical technician
Racine Hearns has worked with Johnson
since the beginning of the program.
She said, This has a really big impact. I
didnt have a lot of science influence when
I was growing up. To have something like
this is so powerful because were letting
these young girls and boys know that the
world is their oyster.
I hope they go back to school on Monday and tell other students, she added.
Saturday Science has garnered support
from Emory and Georgia Tech students.
Parent volunteers assist students as they experiment with food coloring.
Youngsters use a dropper to alter the color of fruit juice.
Georgia Pacific volunteer poses for a picture before gathering supplies the science
projects.
Volunteer portion cups of baking soda for students to use in an experiment.
Dozens of students and volunteers took part in the Science Saturday Program. This is the second year for the Georgia Pacific
sponsored activities.
TheChampion
local
Page 20A
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sports
Page 21A
FOOTBALL
All-region teams announced
by Carla Parker
Several DeKalb County football players were named
to All-Region teams in their perspective region.
Below are the lists of players named to an All-Region
team.
Region 2-AAAAAA
Offense
Quarterback Will Jernigan, Lakeside;
Offensive lineman Rahsaan Crawford, Tucker;
Offensive lineman Tavarus King, Tucker;
Tight end Tabarius Peterson, Tucker;
Kicker Adam Lippy, Tucker.
Defense
Defensive lineman Antonio Showers, Tucker;
Linebacker Tabarius Peterson, Tucker;
Defensive back Jeremiah Shelley, Tucker;
Punter Damon Davis, Lakeside.
Honorable mention: Running back Chris
Broadwater, Tucker; defensive lineman Damon
Blount, Lakeside; defensive back Gerry Vaughn,
Tucker; defensive back Terry Beckham, Tucker;
defensive back Michael Malinovsky, Lakeside; and
punter Joshua Vann, Tucker.
Region 6-AAAAA Division A
Player of the year: Defensive tackle Aaron Sterling,

Stephenson
Offensive players of the year: Running back Jaylen
Marson-Knight, Stephenson, and quarterback Justin
Tomlin, Southwest DeKalb
Defensive players of the year: Defensive tackle Aaron
Sterling, Stephenson, and defensive end Michael
Pitts, Stephenson
Coach of the year: Ron Gartrell, Stephenson
Offense
Quarterback Justin Tomlin, Southwest DeKalb;
Quarterback Jordan Douglas, M.L. King;
Running back Jaylen Marson-Knight, Stephenson;
Running back Ezekial Gouch, Miller Grove;
Running back Jordan Eastling, Southwest DeKalb;
Running back Josh Hudgins, Dunwoody;
Wide receiver Owen Clark, M.L. King;
Wide receiver Devaugn Brown, Southwest DeKalb;
Wide receiver Kobe Ross, M.L. King;
Wide receiver Keyviousseea Rhodes, M.L. King;
Wide receiver Nehemiah Brown, Druid Hills;
Wide receiver Javeon Cody, Southwest DeKalb;
Tight end Jadarius Mosley, Stephenson;
Tight end Franklin Smith, Miller Grove;
Offensive lineman Kameron Smith, Stephenson;
Offensive lineman Daniel Gothard, Dunwoody;
Offensive lineman Jaylen Cunningham, M.L. King;
Offensive lineman Dylan Wonnum, Stephenson;
Offensive lineman Louis Hannon, Druid Hills;
Offensive lineman Reggie Curtis, Miller Grove;
Offensive lineman Jahlone Cobb, Southwest DeKalb;
Offensive lineman Jalil Irvin, Stephenson;
Offensive lineman Deandre Childress, Druid Hills;
Offensive lineman Myles Huggins, Miller Grove;
Offensive lineman Trenelius Craddick, Southwest
DeKalb;
Offensive lineman Tyler Johnson, Stephenson.
Defense
Defensive lineman Aaron Sterling, Stephenson;
Defensive lineman Michael Pitts, Stephenson;
Defensive lineman Ryan Hicks, Dunwoody;
Defensive lineman Deangelo Malone, M.L. King;
Defensive lineman Dennis Wonnum, Stephenson;
Defensive lineman Brenton Cox, Miller Grove;
Defensive lineman Navoro Griffin, M.L. King;
Defensive lineman Hakeem Enis, Druid Hills;
Defensive lineman Jordan Page, Druid Hills;
Linebacker Stevie Gebhardt, Dunwoody;
Linebacker Khaliq Byard, M.L. King;

Linebacker Jonathan Mathis, M.L. King;
Linebacker Amari Andrews, Stephenson;
Linebacker Brashaun Askew, Dunwoody;
Linebacker Javier Lee, Druid Hills;
Linebacker Eris Walker, Southwest DeKalb;
Linebacker Shaheed Hargrove, Miller Grove;
Defensive back Tyce Ellis, Dunwoody;
Defensive back Shaun Jolly, Stephenson;
Defensive back Tyrone Bowie, M.L. King;
Defensive back Victor Wilkins, M.L. King;
Defensive back Korey Hernandez, Southwest
DeKalb;
Defensive back Eugene Brown, Stephenson;
Defensive back Carlito Gonzalez, Stephenson;
Defensive back Rashad Preston, Miller Grove.
Special teams
Kicker Josh Bronstorph, Dunwoody;
Kicker Darien Tisdale, Stephenson;
Punter Michael Tanks, Southwest DeKalb;
Returner Hassan Littles, Stephenson;
Long snapper Dennis Wonnum, Stephenson;
Returner Ezekiel Gouch, Miller Grove;
Returner Kaderius Terrell, Southwest DeKalb;
Returner Kevonte Johnson, M.L. King.
Region 6-AAAA
Offense
Running back Michael Addicks, Marist;
Running back Michael Hector, Columbia;
Wide receiver Marcus Gay, Arabia Mountain;
Wide receiver Tirice Cramer, Redan;
Offensive lineman Chris McNulty, St. Pius X;
Offensive lineman Chad Nelson, St. Pius X;
Offensive lineman Eric Long; St. Pius X;
Offensive lineman Chet Lagod, Marist;
Kicker Nick Jones; St. Pius X;
Grant Holloman, St. Pius X (All-Purpose).
Defense
Defensive lineman Daekwon Moultrie, Arabia
Mountain;
Defensive lineman Rasaan Johnson, Columbia;
Defensive lineman Jordan Smith, Lithonia;
Linebcaker Terray Bryant, Arabia Mountain;
Linebacker Winston OStricker, St. Pius X;
Defensive back Jamari Meyers; Arabia Mountain;
Defensive back Will Tomlin; Columbia;
Defensive back Darryl Moody; Redan
Special Teams
Punter Joshua Jenkins; Columbia
Honorable mention
Athlete Jabari Meyers and linebacker Geovanni
Rene Arabia Mountain; defensive lineman Tate
Lasher and linebacker Jordan Muse Chamblee;
defensive lineman Bobby Tillman and defensive
lineman Terrance Snellings, Columbia; defensive
back Tyheem Freeman and wide receiver Ty
Patterson Lithonia; lineman David Velazquez and
athlete David Maldonado Cross Keys; athlete Chris
Bradley and linebacker Charlie Utsch, Marist;
athlete Michael King and lineman Malik Paris, of
Redan; quarterback Reed Egan and athlete Brennan
Garrison; defensive back Kwasi Curry and lineman
Antonio King, Stone Mountain.
Region 4-AAA
Players of the year: LaBron Morris and Antwuan

Jackson, Cedar Grove.
Coaches of the year: Jermaine Smith, Cedar Grove
Rookies of the year: Jaydon Haselwood, Cedar Grove
First-team offense
Quarterback Jelani Woods, Cedar Grove;
Running back LaBron Morris, Cedar Grove;
Wide receiver - Jesse Reverio, Cedar Grove;
Offensive lineman Netori Johnson, Cedar Grove;

Offensive lineman Justin Shaffer, Cedar Grove.
First-team defense
Defensive lineman Xyron Jackson, Decatur;
Defensive lineman Antwuan Jackson, Cedar Grove;
Defensive lineman Devonte Wyatt, Towers;
Linebacker Elysee Mbem-bosse, Cedar Grove;
Defensive back Dennis Bell, Decatur;
Defensive back Christian Holmes, McNair;
Athlete Tre Shaw, Cedar Grove.
Special teams
Kicker Nathan Tumperi, Decatur;
Returner Israel Spivey, Cedar Grove.
Second-team offense
Running back Grant Walker, Decatur;
Wide receiver Terrill Hall, Decatur;
Tight end Deaundre Wilson, Decatur;
Tight end DAngelo Evans, Towers;
Athlete Demetrice Gilbert, Towers;
Offensive lineman Brandon Crawford, Decatur;
Offensive lineman Johnny Thomas, Cedar Grove.
Second-team defense
Defensive lineman Marcus Hood, Decatur;
Defensive lineman Adrian Fendell, Cedar Grove;
Defensive lineman TyQuee Carter, McNair;
Linebacker Deaundre Wilson, Decatur;
Linebacker Elijah Bandy, Cedar Grove;
Linebacker Brandon Duckworth, McNair;
Defensive back Zavier Williams, Cedar Grove;
Athlete Tray Tice, Decatur.
Weekly Basketball Scores

Nov. 28
Boys
Greenforest 77, Norcross 48
Morgan County 44, Lithonia 41
Miller Grove 64, Columbus (Miss.) 54
East Hall 68, Paideia 54
Chamblee 72, Therrell 68
Arabia Mountain 37, Meadowcreek 32
Tift County 65, Tucker 54
Girls
Tucker 75, Bolingbrook (Ill.) 65
Nov. 27
Boys
Columbia 48, Valdosta 42
Lanett (Ala.) 60, Arabia Mountain 55
Wesleyan Christian 72, Lithonia 53
Girls
John Carroll (Ala.) 71, Miller Grove 69
Montevallo (Ala.) 58, Miller Grove 57
Nov. 25
Girls
Arabia Mountain 48, Bradwell Institute 38
Nov. 24
Boys
North Paulding 61, Dunwoody 57
St. Pius X 54, Decatur 46
Southwest DeKalb 78, Campbell 69
Towers 66, Hampton 33
Girls
Beach 52, Arabia Mountain 42
M.L. King 41, Walton 31
Miller Grove 53, Druid Hills 34
Southwest DeKalb 76, McEachern 69
St. Pius X 34, Decatur 31
Stephenson 43, Loganville 40
sports
Page 22A
BASKETBALL
Emorys Ilene Tsao dribbles the ball up court.
Emory womens basketball stands

4-1 after win over Methodist
Emory mens basketball
Senior Davis Rao scored 15 points in the loss to LaGrange College.
Junior Fran Sweeney totaled a teamhigh 11 points and the Emory womens
basketball team used a strong rebounding
effort Nov. 29 in a win over Methodist
University.
The Eagles closed out a three-game
home stand by raising their record to 4-1
following a 58-44 decision over the Methodist University Monarchs.
Sweeney ended the afternoon hitting
four of nine from the floor, including
three of six from beyond the arc, in registering her fourth double-figure scoring
effort of the year. Senior Khadijah Sayyid
chipped in nine points as a result of sinking three triples in five attempts, while
completing seven rebounds and a pair of
steals, which ran her streak to 32 games
with at least one theft to her credit.
Methodist outshot Emory from the
floor in the contest, hitting 39.1 percent
(18 of 46) to 28.8 percent (19 of 66), but
the Eagles made up for that by sinking
eight treys while the Monarchs sank just
one in as many tries. Emory also enjoyed
a decided 48-31 advantage in rebounding,
including a 26-8 margin on the offensive
end of the floor that helped it to a 22-7
margin in second-chance points.
Eleven of the 12 Eagles who appeared
in the game found their way into the rebounding column, including sophomore
Dumebi Egbuna who paced the club with
a career-high tying 10 caroms.
Holding an eight-point lead with
9:37 left in the third quarter following a
bucket by Methodists Ayanna Peques,
Emory rattled off an 11-2 run, capped by

a Sayyid triple, that gave it a 43-26 lead
with 5:50 left in the stanza. However, the
Monarchs battled back, capitalizing on
six Emory turnovers over a three-minute
span en route to registering a 13-1 spurt
that cut the Eagles cushion to five points
with 19 seconds remaining. An Egbuna
make from the charity stripe finished out
the quarter with Emory holding a 45-39
edge.
Emory ended any hopes of a Methodist fourth quarter comeback by holding
the visitors scoreless for the opening 7:40
of the frame, while recording 10 unanswered points, sparked by junior Shellie
Kaniut and Sayyid hitting three pointers
in that stretch, to extend its margin to 5539 with 2:42 remaining. A three pointer
by Sweeney later in the quarter allowed
Emory to register its second 17-point lead
on the afternoon.
Emory trailed by an 8-7 margin with
3:14 left in the first quarter before closing
out the frame on a 11-2 charge, highlighted by triples by Sweeney and Sayyid, to
claim an 18-10 lead after the opening 10
minutes of action.
Emory stayed ahead of the Monarchs
in the second quarter, using strong bench
play that saw its reserves total 10 of the
teams 14 points in staking claim to a 3222 lead at the break. Sweeney picked up
eight points in the opening half while
freshman Ashley Oldshue bolstered the
scoring attack, accounting for all six of
her points in the first 20 minutes.
Athlete
of the
Week
tripped by LaGrange
Senior Davis Rao and

junior Jonathan Terry were
among five double-figure scorers with 15 points each, but it
wasnt enough as the Emory
mens basketball team came
out on the short end of a hardfought battle with LaGrange
College at the Maryville College
Thanksgiving Classic Nov. 29.
All of Raos eight field goal
attempts were three pointers,
and he hit four of them, while
going three of four from the
foul line in registering his season high in points. Rao also
came up with three of Emorys
eight steals on the afternoon.
Terry came off the bench
to sink six of 14 from the floor,
three-of-eight from beyond
the arc, in notching his third
straight and fourth doubledigit performance of the year.
Junior Austin DaGue and
sophomore Adam Gigax each
finished with 13 points, while
sophomore Whit Rapp chalked
up 10 points while doling out a
career-best 12 assists, with that

mark tying the third-highest individual game total in program
history.
Both teams finished the
contest shooting nearly identical from the floor as Emory
finished with a 45.6 percent
effort (26 of 57) and LaGrange
a performance of 45.2 percent
(28 of 62). The Eagles held a
firm advantage in three-point
shooting, knocking down a
season-high tying 13 triples in
31 opportunities (41.9 percent)
while the Panthers sank just
28.6 percent (6 of 21) of their
attempts. LaGrange did convert 29 of 38 from the foul line
while Emory was successful on
21 of 30.
Each team grabbed 37 rebounds, but Emory was hurt by
a season-high 21 turnovers that
helped LaGrange to a 21-11
margin in points off turnovers.
Emory returns to action
Dec. 6, when it plays at Guilford College at 3 p.m.
The Champion chooses a male and female high school Athlete of the Week each week throughout
the school year. The choices are based on performance and nominations by coaches. Please e-mail
nominations to carla@dekalbchamp.com by Monday at noon.
MALE ATHLETE OF THE WEEK
Keith Gilmore, Southwest DeKalb (Basketball):

The senior guard had a double-double of 25
points and 15 rebounds in the 78-69 win over
Campbell Nov. 24.
FEMALE ATHLETE OF THE WEEK
Iyanna McMillian, Arabia Mountain (basketball): The sophomore guard scored 12 points and
had 5 rebounds in the 48-38 win over Bradwell
Institute Nov. 25.
sports
Page 23A
Cedar Groves Adrian Fendell returned a fumble for a touchdown.
Cedar Grove running back LaBron Morris outruns Westside defend- Westside running back Donta Pate is tackled by
ers.
a Cedar Grove defender.
Cedar Groves Tre Shaw returns an interception.
Cedar Grove dominates WestsideMacon, advances to semifinals

by Carla Parker
The Cedar Grove Saints reached the state
playoff semifinals for the third time in program
history after a 41-25 win over the Westside-Macon
Seminoles on Nov. 27 in the Class AAA quarterfinals.
However, despite the big win and making history, Coach Jermaine Smith was not too pleased
with his teams overall execution and the multiple
penalties committed.
It feels good [to win] but that was a horrible
job of executing what we wanted to do tonight,
Smith said. Were all happy with the win, but
thats not how we were supposed to play football.
Cedar Grove got off to a good start on both
sides of the ball. The defense forced a Westside
three and out, and the offense marched down the
field and scored on a 2-yard run by quarterback
Jelani Woods to go up 7-0.
However, the offense stalled the rest of the
first quarter and early in the second quarter, going
three and out twice. The defense gave chunks of
yardage to Westside, but the Seminoles could not
capitalize, missing two field goals in the first half.
With 23 seconds left in the second quarter,
Cedar Groves Tre Shaw picked off Westside quarterback Geremie Mitchell, setting up a Saints
touchdown. With three seconds left in the quarter,
Woods was in the process of getting sacked when
he found running back LaBron Morris and tossed

the ball to him before hitting the ground. Morris
did the restoutrunning defenders and avoiding
tackles for a 36-yard touchdown, giving the Saints
a 14-0 lead at halftime.
Cedar Grove opened the second half with big
plays on the ground and in the air by Woods to set
up a first and goal at the six-yard line. However,
the Saints could not capitalize on the drive after
Morris was tackled for a loss and two consecutive
incomplete passes from Woods to wide receiver
Jessie Reverio, turning the ball over on downs.
Westsides offense came to life a few plays later
when Mitchell found receiver Tygee Cunningham down field and hit him on an 86-yard touchdown pass, cutting the score to 14-7.
Cedar Grove responded on the following kickoff, when Israel Spivey picked up the squib kick
and returned it 80 yards for a touchdown, giving
the Saints a 20-7 lead in the third quarter.
After a defensive stop, the offense scored on a
pass from Woods to wide receiver Jaydon Haselwood, who ran 43 yards to the end zone, giving
the Saints a 27-7 lead.
Both teams traded turnovers with Westside
fumbling the ball before the end of the third quarter. In the fourth quarter, Woods was intercepted
by a Westside offensive lineman. On the following
play, Mitchell fumbled after a hard hit and Adrian
Fendell was there to scoop the ball and return
it 68 yards for a touchdown. Earl Russell scored
on the 2-point conversion attempt, extending the

Saints lead to 35-7.
Forty seconds after that score, Fendell sacked
Mitchell and stripped him of the ball, which was
picked up and returned for a touchdown by defensive tackle Antwuan Jackson, extending Cedar
Groves lead to 41-7.
Mitchell would go on to lead three scoring
drives for Westside. Mitchell threw a 30-yard
touchdown pass to wide receiver Tydarius Berrian, scored on a 7-yard run and threw a 12-yard
touchdown pass to running back Donta Pate to
bring the final score to 41-25.
Mitchell finished the game 13-of-23 for 289
yards and three touchdowns. Smith said his defense has to play better in the semifinals.
Up front, on both sides of the ball, we have
to do better, Smith said. Thats our bread and
butter, so we have to get better up front. Our secondarywe have to fix that. We have to fix our
secondary.
Woods was 7-of-11 for 152 yards and two
touchdowns, and Morris finished with 108 yards
rushing on 16 carries.
Cedar Grove (11-1-1) will host Westminster
(9-4) Dec. 4 at Hallford Stadium at 7:30 p.m.
Other playoff scores
Class AAAA
Woodward 42, Marist 14
Bainbridge 18, St. Pius X 17
local
Page 24A
Pet Week
of
the
City has new leaf vacuuming truck

A new leaf vacuum truck has been added to the Doraville city maintenance fleet.
Maintenance staff will spend the next week
training on how to operate the vacuuming
truck.
The truck will begin vacuuming leaves
on Monday, Dec. 7, and for this winter season will run every two weeks in tandem with
the city street sweeper, until Feb. 28, 2016.
After this years winter season, the
trucks schedule will be from Oct. 1 through
Feb. 28 annually.
Residents are asked to rake leaves to the

curbside, but not into the street or on the
sidewalk. Non-contained leaves only will
be picked up. The material picked up must
be free of all solid objects, i.e. sticks, bricks,
wood, rocks, concrete, etc. These items will
damage the truck and the property owner
can be held liable for the damage.
A post card reminder with these details
will be mailed to all residents homes and
should arrive soon.
Armando ID#
29917253 - There will
never be a dull moment
with Armando around!
This happy go lucky ninemonth-old boy can't wait
to have a home of his very
own. If you are looking
for an active companion,
Armando is the boy for
you! He loves everyone he
meets and showers strangers with all the love and
affection he can muster.
Armando is great with
other dogs and will probably do well with a dog that shares his happy, playful
attitude and if you adopt him during our "Home for
the Pawlidays" promotion, throughout December, his
adoption fee is FREE! Come meet Armando today
and let him shower you with love!
During December to celebrate our "Home for
the Pawlidays" special., all dogs weighing 25 lbs. or
more and all cats may be adopted for FREE. Adoption includes spay, vaccinations, microchip and more!
If you would like more information about Armando
please email adoption@dekalbanimalservices.com
or call (404) 294-2165. All potential adopters will be
screened to ensure Armando goes to a good home.

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FRIDAY, December 4, 2015 VOL. 18, NO. 35 FREE

A PUBLICATION OF ACE III COMMUNICATIONS

Gang member sentenced to life

Devin Thomas apologizes to the family. Photos by Carla Parker

Alexis Malone. The May 10 shooting

See Prison on Page 15A

YMCA family in 1979 as senior program director for the

See YMCA on Page 15A

The Champion FREE PRESS, FRIDAY, December 4, 2015

DeKalb County utility customer

you return to your vehicle to

neighbors property, pay attention and if it appears they

DeKalbs most trusted news source and Georgia Press

To subscribe, visit TheChampionNewspaper.com

The Champion FREE PRESS, FRIDAY, December 4, 2015

Hundreds of museumgoers watch live performances at Fernbank Museum of Natural History.

Atlanta Ballets Centre Youth Ensembles of Buckhead performing short pieces

Fernbank presents Winter Wonderland

This holiday season,

The Champion FREE PRESS, FRIDAY, December 4, 2015

Dont do evil for evil

protests, which quickly led

to the protests at the school.

the right to protest and to

and sincerely apologize to

The Champion FREE PRESS, FRIDAY, December 4, 2015

One Mans Opinion

Chess for success

from my father, I learned

chess had helped me become

Hudson that by making

your purse (www.besomeone.org/donate).Or invite

Statement from the

The Champion FREE PRESS, FRIDAY, December 4, 2015

School students with literature and other subjects.

ing with students. With the

up in that same neighborhood. Im familiar with the

Historic Tucker site makes Places in Peril list

claim, restore and revitalize

ings and a historically significant dairy building.

CITY OF STONE MOUNTAIN

The Champion FREE PRESS, FRIDAY, December 4, 2015

IMAX film featured at Fernbank

Public review meetings will be

tions and offer suggestions. Comments received will be documented

School promotes father

State representative to host

and treatment of the homeless.

The Champion FREE PRESS, FRIDAY, December 4, 2015

Retiring baby boomers to be a boon to nonprofits

found that with more time, savings

Like many retiring today, Dr.

Baby boomers define success

The Champion FREE PRESS, FRIDAY, December 4, 2015

Two finalists seek to be county

Decatur woman to chair Georgia

Georgia 4-H to state leaders,

excited for the opportunity

Its not too late to apply for Spring classes.

The Champion FREE PRESS, FRIDAY, December 4, 2015

Man receives life sentence

Five suspects busted with drugs

-Possession of Alprazolam (schedule IV

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The Champion FREE PRESS, FRIDAY, December 4, 2015