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APS students lead the state in Gates Millenium Scholarships Fourteen Atlanta Public Schools (APS) high school students have been awarded the Gates Millennium Scholarship. APS has more winners than any other school district in the state of Georgia. “At a time when the perception of our academic programs has suffered, it is reassuring to see our students compete and achieve some of the most prestigious academic awards offered to high school students,” said Erroll B. Davis, Jr., superintendent of Atlanta Public Schools. The Gates Millennium Scholars (GMS) Program selects 1,000 talented students each year to receive a good-through-graduation scholarship to use at any college or university of their choice. In addition, award recipients receive personal and professional development through Gates leadership programs along with academic support throughout their college career. 2013 APS Gates Millennium Scholars are: George Washington Carver: Early College Jakira Lewis Jasmine Williams George Washington Carver: Health Sciences & Research Demarquez Grissom Jori Marshall Frederick Douglass High School Ibrahim Carson
Henry W. Grady High School Mezmure Dargie Sanjida Mowla Maynard H. Jackson High School Divine Butts Bulmaro Espericueta Benjamin E. Mays Ocquianna Suggs South Atlanta Educational Complex: Computer Animation & Design Miaya Faniel D.M. Therrell Educational Complex: Law, Government & Public Policy Adrain Artary Booker T. Washington High School: Banking, Finance & Investment Kourtney Mosley Marionte Poole The United Negro College Fund (UNCF) administers the Gates Millennium Scholars (GMS) Program. To reach, coordinate and support the constituent groups, UNCF has partnered with the American Indian Graduate Center Scholars, the Hispanic Scholarship Fund, and the Asian & Pacific Islander American Scholarship Fund to assist in implementing the program.
CAU Professor Named American Council on Education Fellow Charles W. Richardson Jr., Ph.D., His research has been presented assistant professor of marketing in at numerous conferences and published in the Journal of Marketing the Clark Atlanta University School Development and Competitiveness, of Business Administration, has the International Journal of Business, been named an American Council Marketing and Decision Sciencon Education (ACE) Fellow for the es and other publications in the 2013-2014 academic year. marketing and international business The ACE Fellows Program, disciplines. established in 1965, is designed Richardson holds a doctorate degree to strengthen institutions and in marketing and international leadership in American higher business from Pace University’s education by identifying and Lubin School of Business. He earned preparing promising senior faculty a M.B.A. degree in marketing (New and administrators for responsible York University, Stern School of positions in college and university Business), a M.S. degree in operaadministration. Richardson is tions research and statistics (Rensamong 50 Fellows, nominated by selaer Polytechnic Institute), and a the presidents or chancellors of their Charles W. Richardson Jr., Ph.D. B.S. degree in mathematics and data institutions, who were selected this systems management (Pratt Institute). In addition, he year following a rigorous application process. Richardson teaches courses in Consumer Behavior, has earned master’s certificates in finance (University of Marketing Strategy, Multicultural Marketing and SusPennsylvania, Wharton School of Business) and project tainable Marketing. management (Stevens Institute of Technology).
Tablets Donated for Atlanta Homeless Survey By Associated Press
Efforts for the Atlanta Street Homeless Registry have received a boost with a donation of 20 computer tablets by Staples, Inc. Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed said this week the tablets will allow outreach workers to more effectively capture information from the homeless as part of the registry which was launched in January. That month, volunteers and professional outreach workers conducted more than 630 surveys with people sleeping outdoors and in emergency shelters in Atlanta. Information collected in the city’s first homeless registry includes names, health challenges and barriers to maintaining permanent housing. The effort is funded with a $3.3 million grant from Bloomberg Philanthropies. Under an initiative called ``Unsheltered No More,’’ Reed and various community partners have set a goal of connecting 800 people to permanent housing by December.
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May 16 - 22, 2013
King Center Honors Founder Coretta Scott King with Rose Debut The King Center celebrated Mrs. Coretta Scott King’s 86thbirthday with the launch of The Coretta Scott King Rose: An American Symbol of Peace and Love at The King Center. The celebration included a commemorative program, rose planting ceremony, wreath laying and birthday cake ceremony. The Coretta Scott King Rose is a Grandiflora Rose that has creamy white blooms blushed with tropical tones of coral-orange. For more information about the Coretta Scott King Rose, visit: http://www.corettascottkingrose.com/. Pictured here, from left, are Naomi King, Dr. Christine King Farris, Andrea Waters King, Yolanda Renee King, Martin Luther King III, King Center CEO Elder Bernice A. King, and Kathy Jackson, President of Junior Girls Day Out Community Project. Photo by Kenya King
METROPOLITAN ATLANTA RAPID TRANSIT AUTHORITY
Notice of Public Hearings May 14 & 16, 2013 Notice is hereby given that the Board of Directors of the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority will hold public hearings for the purpose of considering the
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politics
New Study: Historic Black Turnout for 2012 Election South Fulton County By Associated Press
Making history, America’s Blacks voted at higher rates than Whites in 2012, lifting Democrat Barack Obama to victory amid voter apathy, particularly among young people, new census data show. Despite increasing in population, the number of White voters declined for the first time since 1996. Blacks were the only race or ethnic group to show an increase in voter turnout in November, most notably in the Midwest and Southeastern U.S., the Census Bureau said Wednesday. The analysis, based on a sample survey of voters last year, is viewed as the best source of government data on turnout by race and ethnicity. The Associated Press reported last week that Black voter turnout surpassed Whites for the first time, based on an analysis by experts of earlier data. In all, about 66.2 percent of eligible Black voters cast ballots in 2012, up from 64.7 percent in 2008, according to census data. That compares with non-Hispanic White turnout of 64.1 percent, which fell from 66.1 percent four years earlier. As recently as 1996, Blacks had turnout rates 8 percentage points lower than non-Hispanic Whites.
Latino turnout dipped slightly, from 49.9 percent in 2008 to 48 percent, while Asian-American turnout was basically unchanged at 47 percent. Voter turnout across all race and ethnic groups fell for a second consecutive presidential election, from 64 percent in 2004 to 62 percent in November, according to the census figures. “Obama’s win in 2012, despite the important Democratic constituency of young voters not participating at a high level, is good news,” said Michael McDonald, a George Mason University professor who specializes in voter turnout. “The bad news is that voting is a habit – and the fact that we saw turnout declines among younger African Americans suggests Democrats will have to work even harder to excite these voters in future elections.” The data underscore how turnout plays an important role in elections for both Whites and Blacks, who will remain the two largest racial groups of eligible voters for the next decade. While Hispanics are now the fast-growing demographic group, they currently make up a smaller share of eligible voters because many are children and non-citizens, limiting their electoral impact for the immediate future. In 2012, the number of Blacks who voted rose by 1.7 million. Hispanics added 1.4 million and Asian voters increased by 550,000. Meanwhile, even though the White population is slowly increasing, the number of White voters dropped by 2 million – the first drop in absolute terms for any race or ethnic group since 1996. By age, youth enthusiasm for voting fizzled in 2012. About 41 percent of voters age 18-24 cast ballots in November, down 7 percentage points from 2008. The drop was greatest among Whites, whose turnout fell from 49 percent to 42 percent. But young Black voters also saw big declines, from 55 percent in 2008 to 49 percent. That’s compared with a decline among young Hispanics from 39 percent to 34 percent. The only subgroups showing increases in voter turnout were among Blacks ages 45 to 64 as well as those 65 and older. “Blacks have been voting at higher rates, and the Hispanic and Asian populations are growing rapidly, yielding a more diverse electorate,” said Thom File, a census sociologist who wrote the voting analysis. “Over the last five presidential elections, the share of voters who were racial or ethnic minorities rose from just over 1 in 6 in 1996 to more than 1 in 4 in 2012.”
Thursday, May 16
7741 Roswell Road, Sandy Springs, 30350
2424 Piedmont Rd., NE 30324
NORTH FULTON
HEADQUARTERS BLDG. Community Exchange: 6-7 p.m. HEARING: 7:00 p.m.
Riding MARTA: Bus route 87 from either the Dunwoody or North Springs rail stations.
Riding MARTA: Across the street from the Lindbergh Center Station.
also on Tuesday
also on Thursday
1300 Commerce Drive, Decatur, 30030
3201 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, SW 30311
DECATUR
ATLANTA
MALOOF AUDITORIUM Community Exchange: 6-7 p.m. HEARING: 7:00 p.m.
ADAMSVILLE RECREATION CENTER Community Exchange: 6-7 p.m. HEARING: 7:00 p.m.
Riding MARTA: Walk one block west of Decatur Station.
Riding MARTA: Bus route 73 from H.E. Holmes Station.
Copies of the proposed budget will also be available at MARTA’s Office of External Affairs, 2424 Piedmont Road, N.E. Atlanta, Georgia 30324 during regular business hours, Mon-Fri 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
MARTA’s Office of External Affairs, 2424 Piedmont Road, N.E. Atlanta, GA 30324-3330; (3) complete an online Comment Card at www. itsmarta.com; (4) or fax your comments no later than May 28, 2013 to (404) 848-4179.
For formats (FREE of charge) in accordance with the ADA and Limited English Proficiency regulations contact (404) 848-4037. For those patrons requiring further accommodations, information can be obtained by calling the Telephone Device for the Deaf (TDD) at 404 848-5665. In addition, a sign language interpreter will be available at all hearings. If you cannot attend the hearings and want to provide comments you may: (1) leave a message at (404) 848-5299; (2) write to
I am a grandmother. I am a widow. I am a woman.
MARTA
SERVICE CENTER Community Exchange: 6-7 p.m. HEARING: 7:00 p.m.
I am not a line item on a budget.
Tell your senators to leave Social Security out of any budget deal. Call 1-877-814-7890.
All citizens of the City of Atlanta and the counties of Fulton, DeKalb, Clayton and Gwinnett whose interests are affected by the subjects to be considered at these hearings are hereby notified and invited to appear at said times and places and present such evidence, comment or objection as their interests require. Keith T. Parker, AICP, General Manager/CEO
Listening Session Planned
Fulton County Commissioner William “Bill” Edwards, District 7, will host his regularly scheduled “Community Listening Session” on Thursday, May 23, at 7 p.m. The session returns to the South Fulton Government Service Center, located at 5600 Stonewall Tell Road in College Park, Ga. The public is invited to voice their opinions about issues and are welcomed to comment about services in south Fulton. All citizens, including youth, are urged to participate in the session. Staff from Fulton County agencies will be on hand to answer questions and follow up on inquiries. For more information, please contact Commissioner Edwards’ office at 404-612-8230 or 404-612-3079.
GOP Legislators Use Power to Control Local Affairs
Proposed Fiscal Year 2014 Operating & Capital Budgets Tuesday, May 14
May 16 - 22, 2013
Paid for by AARP
facebook.com/AARPGeorgia @AARPGA aarp.org/GA
By Bill Barrow Associated Press Even with Republicans holding unprecedented political power across the South, Democrats remain mostly in charge of urban centers in otherwise conservative states. Yet increasingly that control is threatened, not at the ballot box, but by Republican-led legislatures reaching into local governing decisions, often over objections. In Georgia and North Carolina, GOP efforts range from regionalizing the Charlotte airport, the Atlanta metro transit system and the Asheville water system to redrawing district lines for local offices to benefit Republican candidates. Republicans insist there’s no power play at work as they do battle with Democrats such as Charlotte Mayor Antony Foxx, who is now President Barack Obama’s nominee to be U.S. transportation secretary, and the board of commissioners in Georgia’s most populous county, which includes most of Atlanta. Georgia state Rep. Edward Lindsey, a key GOP floor leader and a candidate for Congress, said the ideas are intended to make government more responsive and efficient. But many Democrats say Republican supermajorities are abusing newfound power to overtake the last lingering Democratic bastions. And some Democrats almost mock Republicans for abandoning the conservative principle -- usually attributed to Thomas Jefferson -- that the best government is the one closest to home. ``This all just flies in the face of Republican thinking,’’ said North Carolina state Sen. Floyd McKissick, a Democrat from Durham. In Georgia, race is also at play in the longstanding tension between the majority African-American south Fulton County and the Whiter, wealthier areas in newly constituted cities north of Atlanta. ``None of this is about making Fulton government better,’’ said Georgia Democratic Party Chairman Mike Berlon. ``This is about taking over Fulton County.’’ In Georgia, the Republican-led legislature this year redrew lines for the Fulton commissioners to give north Fulton residents, who are reliably more Republican, a greater voice. Two Black Democrats in south Fulton must now run against each other. The GOP stripped the commission’s power to appoint the top county elections official and handed the Republican governor the power to appoint the chief local magistrate judge. They also made it easier to fire new county employees.
When the General Assembly reconvenes in January, Republicans will pick up two even bigger measures that were stymied this year: One would grant a property tax break that Fulton County officials say would gut their budget. The other would overhaul the Atlanta metro transit system, privatizing many of its functions and giving suburbs more control. There’s also an annual measure for north Fulton to break away from the south altogether and form its own county. Lindsey, who represents the wealthy Atlanta neighborhood of Buckhead, attributed the push in no small part to mismanagement by Fulton officials. Fulton elections have been plagued by voting problems, with thousands of new voters having to cast provisional ballots last November. The transit system has in hand an independent analysis identifying potential savings from some privatization. Republicans, Lindsey conceded, ``absolutely want the county to reduce its footprint.’’ But he said it’s not to punish Democrats, but to shift the focus to cities. In the last decades, residents in north Fulton have voted to incorporate several new Atlanta suburbs, leaving few unincorporated residents in the county. Emma Darnell, one of the commissioners who now must run against a colleague, said Lindsey can’t make the distinction. Those cities grew in the first place, she said, because of White-flight from the Blacker, more liberal city. Lindsey said Darnell and some of her colleagues are focused on race: A top White county executive recently won a lawsuit alleging he was fired so his job could be given to an African-American woman. Georgia Democrats also noted that after the 2010 census, the GOP drew several legislative districts that are anchored outside Fulton but still reach into the county. Now, about a third of the county’s representatives and senators live outside Fulton, but they provide a narrow GOP margin on committees that control Fulton bills. Berlon, the Georgia Democrat, said he believes North Carolina and Georgia are GOP test cases, with successful results certain to be exported to other states where minority and younger voters could soon give Democrats an advantage. “You’ll see this next in Arizona and Texas,’’ he predicted. “I give them credit for foresight.’’
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