CrossRoadsNews, July 4, 2009 by CrossRoadsNews, Inc.

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SPORTS

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In letters and on our website, readers shared their memories of Michael Jackson and his impact on their lives. Read some of their comments here. 4

Members of the Decatur Court Kings basketball team use the summer league to work on their fundamentals and, maybe, to get noticed by NBA teams. 8

When Carolyn Hill wants fresh tomatoes or pole beans, she simply walks about five feet out the back door of her Decatur condo. 9

Michael’s lasting legacy

Summer prep work

Fresh as it gets

July 4, 2009

www.crossroadsnews.com

Volume 15, Number 9

Grand jury probe into Recorders Court goes beyond 11 indicted Former Recorders Court employees

Adrian Andrews

Charlene Johnson Stephan Roberts Vanessa Burks

Indicted accomplices

Reshonda Counts

Separate indictments

Marlene Findley

Tameka Johnson

Tanzie Sankey

McKenzie Jackson / CrosRoadsNews

At a June 30 press conference CEO Burrell Ellis (left, with Public Safety Director William Miller) said he will address “serious systemic problems” in the DeKalb Recorders Court and collect outstanding funds.

CEO pledges to audit court and collect funds By Jennifer Ffrench Parker and McKenzie Jackson

The heads of the DeKalb Recorders Court have been subpoenaed by the grand jury investigating the disappearance of millions of dollars from the court. The summons, issued Monday, seeks court financial documents from Recorder’s Court Chief Judge Joy Walker and Chief Clerk Joyce Head. District Attorney Gwen Ke y e s F l e m ing confirmed Wednesday that the grand jury Gwen K. Fleming also issued subpoenas Tuesday to the DeKalb Sheriff ’s Office and the county’s Finance Department in its ever-widening civil probe into the county’s cash management. At a press conference on Tuesday, DeKalb CEO Burrell Ellis said that DeKalb Public Safety Director William Miller would oversee an audit of the Recorders Court in an attempt to recoup those funds. On Wednesday he said Miller would also be responsible for supervising the court’s employees and the revenue collection process. “We don’t know how much of the missing funds can be recouped but we intend to try to collect,” he said. “We do know in this difficult economic environment with declining revenue, it is important that

Andrea Sinclair

“This is good oversight. We did have some bad apples in the Recorders Court and we applaud the DA for dealing with them.” Chief Judge Joy Walker

we look at as many revenue sources as possible before we raise taxes.” Walker said Wednesday she is happy to comply with the subpoenas, which were sent to her as the department’s head. “We intend to cooperate and we are gathering the documents,” she said. “It wasn’t a personal subpoena. I was subpoenaed as head of the department and the clerk, as keeper of the record.” She said she is working to provide the documents by the July 9 deadline set by the grand jury. “This is good oversight,” she said of the probe. “We did have some bad apples in the Recorders Court and we applaud the DA for dealing with them.” In a follow-up statement Wednesday, Ellis said he was taking immediate steps to address “serious systemic problems with the operational processes” of the Recorders Court in the wake of the subpoena. “It is important that county government take immediate action to begin the process of re-establishing the DeKalb County Recorders Court’s judicial and financial in-

tegrity and its ability to fulfill its responsibilities to the county and its citizens,” Ellis said. He said that he will ask the National Center for State Courts to conduct a financial audit to analyze the court’s policies and procedures and that the county will hire a consultant on a short-term emergency procurement basis to assist in the collection of outstanding revenue from defendants who have failed to appear before the court. The developments come in the wake of last week’s indictment of four low-level court employees, and seven other people who didn’t work for the court, for fixing 30 to 40 tickets affecting 171 criminal charges ranging from making false statements to theft of public documents. They face up to 40 years in prison. Keyes Fleming said they are unable to put a dollar amount on the scammed tickets. In two separate indictments announced June 25 – one for eight people, and another for three individuals – Keyes Fleming said that former Recorders Court deputy clerks Charlene Nettles Johnson of

Sonia Williams

Conyers, Stephan Bruce Roberts of Lithonia, and Adrian “Tony” Andrews of Clarkston are accused of dismissing, closing out or destroying traffic citations for money or retail vouchers at a Stone Mountain store, with the help of five outside accomplices. The indictment named the accomplices as Sonia Williams of Stone Mountain, Reshonda Counts of Riverdale, Marlene Findley of Stone Mountain, Tameka Shrone Johnson of Ellenwood, and Andrea Ariean Sinclair of Loganville.

Brenda Singleton

corders Court had failed to collect up to $20 million in funds from traffic and code violation citations because the court’s management allowed court operations to erode into “an environment of organized chaos.” Ellis said that at least for the past nine years, the court has not collected funds either by people not coming to court to pay violations or by court employees not recording the payment properly. “There seems to be an extensive breakdown in the way of the recording and management, and that is what we expect to find out through conducting the audit,” he said. The review identified a decline in Recorders Court performance and efficiency from an erosion and breakdown in information systems, policies, procedures, workflow processes and workforce standards. Ellis said Walker and Head are responsible for ensuring that the court’s collection of citation funds runs smoothly and that the search for more information is related to people failing to appear in court, the court’s lack of followup and the court’s failure to collect money. “It’s clear to me that was a responsibility of the chief clerk

‘Extensive breakdown’ In a separate unrelated indictment, former Recorders Court employee Vanessa Adel Burks of Atlanta, former DeKalb probations office employee Tanzey Swankey of Decatur, and Brenda Singleton of Decatur were named in individual ticket-fixing indictments. The request for documents also follows a December 2008 study by Norcross-based e2 Assure, which detailed the loss of million of dollars in ticket collections at the court. The widening probe comes at a time when the cash-strapped county is struggling to balance its budget and keep county services intact. The 31-page 2008 performance review found that since 2000, Re- Please see INDICTMENTS, page 3

CrossRoadsNews

July 4, 2009

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Community

CrossRoadsNews

“I think it sends a clear message to potential violators that this kind of behavior will not be tolerated.”

New law protects whistle-blowers in corporate fraud, price-fixing cases Whistleblowers who expose anti-competitive, illegal activity within companies now have federal protections through June 22, 2010, Hank Johnson because of a law authored by Fourth District Con-

gressman Hank Johnson. The bipartisan “Antitrust Criminal Penalty Enhancement and Reform Act of 2004 Extension Act” (ACPERA) or H.R. 2675 was signed into law by President Barack Obama on June 19. It extends the 2004 provisions. ACPERA promotes the detection and prosecution of corporate antitrust violations by extending

protection to whistle-blowers who expose anti-competitive, illegal activity within companies. It also greatly increased the maximum fines and jail sentences for antitrust violators. Johnson said he is pleased that the president moved quickly to combat corporate fraud and price fixing. “I think it sends a clear message

to potential violators that this kind of behavior will not be tolerated,” he said. The act strengthens the Division’s Corporate Leniency Program by allowing the Justice Department to limit the civil liability of a party cooperating in the DOJ’s prosecution of an antitrust violation. Separately, the Act amends Sections 1 through 3 of the Sherman

Act by increasing the maximum corporate penalty from $10 million to $100 million; the maximum individual fine from $350,000 to $1 million; and the maximum jail term for antitrust violators from 3 to 10 years. Prior to the act, the Department of Justice was only able to limit criminal charges against a cooperating party, not civil liability.

Court employees received cash, store credits INDICTMENTS,

director, said he got the subpoena Wednesday for “data and informaby statute and the chief judge was tion” that he may or may not have not entirely clear in terms of her in his department. He too has a July responsibility to the administration 9 deadline from the grand jury. of these things,” he said. “If you look at the report, it is very clear Indictments cover 4 years that there needs to be someone that The 37-page ticket-fixing inhas the ultimate responsibility to dictments covered everything from make sure that management hap- speeding and seat belt violations, to pens in an appropriate way moving bribery and conspiracy. forward.” Keyes Fleming said the ReThe subpoena calls for Walker corders Court employees charged and Head to make available all pa- people half the amount of the pers, books, records and accounts citation and pocketed the cash, or that relate to court accounting and got credits at two Stone Mountain recording of money between Janu- businesses: Glitzy Dazzle, a clothing ary 2007 and June 2009. store in the Village of Stone MounSheriff Thomas Brown said tain, and Fidel’s Salon on Memorial Wednesday morning that he had Drive. Both businesses were used not yet received the subpoena. He as referral points, and 25 percent said he understood from the dis- finder’s fees were paid. trict attorney that the grand jury In some cases, Keyes Fleming would be looking at how his office said the people involved were given manages the cash fund process for store credits at both businesses. cash bonds for State, Superior and The indictment said Findley Recorders Court. and Counts, who work at Fidel’s Mike Bell, the county’s finance Salon, were friends of deputy clerk from page

Johnson. The indictments said that customers used Glitzy Dazzle, owned by Williams, as a “drop box” for their tickets to be fixed by the three court employees. It said Williams also gave Johnson store credit for fixing her tickets and the tickets of those referred through her business. The indictments cover the period from July 1, 2004, to Jan. 31, 2008. Keyes Fleming said they found fixed tickets dating back to 2000, but the five-year statute of limitations for prosecution had expired. She said the deputy clerks “actually stole from the county, or prevented the county from collecting fees.” Keyes Fleming said Burks, Sankie and Singleton were not involved in the bigger scam, but are named independently in individual ticket-fixing indictments. Keyes Fleming said the 11 indicted individuals were all arrested at some point and have bonded out of jail.

The Housing Authority of DeKalb County is applying for $10 million dollars under the Neighborhood Stabilization Program 2 (NSP2) to purchase, renovate and resell homes in the HUD designated Tier 1 and Tier 2 areas of greatest need in DeKalb County. A citizen comment meeting will be held July 9, 2009 at 6:30 pm in the Housing Authority of DeKalb County training room located at 750 Commerce Drive, Decatur, GA 30030. For more information call (404) 270-2501, email nsp2@dekalbhousing.org or go to www.dekalbhousing.org.

People

CrossRoadsNews

July 4, 2009

“I just know that my friend is dead. That’s all I know. He was a good guy and he is gone.”

Businessman’s sudden death shocks friends 2346 Candler Rd. Decatur, GA 30032 404-284-1888 Fax: 404-284-5007 www.crossroadsnews.com editor@crossroadsnews.com

Editor / Publisher Jennifer Parker General Manager Curtis Parker Staff Writer McKenzie Jackson Advertising Sales Cynthia Blackshear

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

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By Jennifer Ffrench Parker

It’s been a month since Stone Mountain restauranteur Jeffrey Richardson was killed and is friends and family are still reeling from the news. Richardson who was a co-owner in the failed Lousiana-style Flambeau restaurant at Stonecrest was found shot to death in his car on the side of the road in Alabama. His friend and former business partner Vallantine Howson said Richardson said it was a big shock for him. “It still is,” he said. “It’s a serious blow to our psysche. The two were partners along with Howson’s brother Charles, and Thomas Toomer, another friend, in the restaurant, located on Stonecrest Circle overlooking the Mall at Stonecrest. The four best friends opened the restaurant in the former Atlanta Steakhouse Grill in March 2006. It closed in January, a victim of the recession sweeping the county and the nation. Howson said no one knows who shot Richardson or if the wound was self inflicted. “He was in the process of marketing a seasoning he had developed,” he said. “He went to

Jeffrey Richardson (left) and Vallantine Howson outside the old Atlanta Steakhouse & Grill that they bought in 2006 with two other partners and operated as Flambeaux restaurant until January this year.

meet someone about investing in his business.” Pamela Holmes, another friend and former neighbor of Richardson, said the circumstances of his death are unclear. “I just know that my friend is dead,” she said. “That’s all I know. He was a good guy and he is gone.” Richardson leaves his wife Bobbie and a son, Jeffrey, the 2nd, and daughter, Brandy. to mourn him. His wife did not return phone calls. Before the Flambeau restaurant, Richardson, a former New Orleans shrimp boat owner, operated

Event for Stogner benefits Leadership DeKalb public service throughout Richard Stogner, who metro Atlanta. was executive assistant Before coming to under CEO Vernon Jones, DeKalb in 2001, he worked was honored by elected for the City of Atlanta and officials and community Fulton County governleaders recently at a Leadments, Hartsfield/Jackson ership DeKalb’s Toast & International Airport, Tales event. and the Atlanta and U.S. At the May 31 event, Olympic Committees. Stogner, who was the sec- Richard Stogner He is now a member ond in command for eight years, was honored for 40 years of of Leadership DeKalb’s board of

Quick Read

directors and the USO Georgia Chapter. Well-wishers made donations to Leadership DeKalb in honor of Stogner during the event. DeKalb CEO Burrell Ellis said Stogner’s work is a testament to his commitment, dedication and hard work. “Richard has truly shaped government and the lives of the people he has worked with,” he said.

Matriach celebrated by county Maggie Woods, the first African-American elected to the Lithonia City Council, was honored by DeKalb County at the June 9 DeKalb Board of Commissioners meeting. DeKalb CEO Burrell Ellis and commissioners recognized Woods for her contributions to the county and presented Woods’ children and other family members with a proclamation celebrating the matriach, who died May 10 at age 94. Woods served on the Lithonia Council from 1972 to 1978 and was active in the DeKalb NAACP. She also worked with various community and government groups. In 2008 she receive Lithonia’s Living Legend Award. Woods’ daughters Marcia Glenn-Hunter and Barbara Lester followed her into the city’s politics. Glenn-Hunter was mayor in the 1990s. Lester was on the City Council in the early 2000s. Woods’ son, Jerome Woods, was a Lithonia police chief for 19 years.

New law protects whistle‘Man in the Mirror’ offers life Players build skills, get blowers in price-fixing cases 3 lessons we can all live by 6 noticed while playing

Whistle-blowers who expose anti-competitive, illegal activity within companies now have federal protections because of a law authored by Congressman Hank Johnson.

We all mourn the passing of Michael Jackson, the King of Pop. No other musician delivers such timeless messages of life in song that will live forever and forever.

Jamal Walker, 28, is playing in front of a home crowd for the first time in nine years.

Catching a MARTA bus will cost 25 cent more beginning this October 1.

A panel of experts will discuss “Going Green” at a July 14 discussion hosted by the South DeKalb Business Association.

participated in the 2009 DeKalb County Junior Football Development Program at Hallford Stadium in Clarkston.

Middle schoolers build football 8 MARTA fares to increase on SDBA to look at ways members prowess at camp Seventy-six DeKalb County middle school Oct. 1 5 can ‘go green’ 7 football players buckled their chinstraps and Third candidate enters race for Shipp’s seat 5 July 4 travel likely to drop East Atlanta businessman Kevin Johnson is the third person to enter the race for the House District 58 seat.

Fans remember the King of Pop and his music 6

Circulation Audited By

Louisiana Fish Gumbo & More in a strip shopping center at the corner of Redan and Panola Roads in Stone Mountain and on Moreland Avenue in Atlanta. He made the news in 2005 when he took in 29 members of his family who fled New Orleans in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. His family and friends buried him on June 6. Howson, who had known Richardson for 10 years, said his friend’s untimely death has been been difficult for everyone. “Bobbie is a strong woman and she is going as best as se can,’ he said.

Maggie Woods was the the first black person to serve on Lithonia’s City Council.

I was in high school when the Thriller album came out. My cheerleading squad played his songs all the time and did a routine to “PYT”. I still remember how much fun we had dancing to his music.

7 Eating healthy’s a breeze with Just over 1 million people are expected to garden that’s right outside 9

travel in Georgia over the three-day Fourth of July weekend, down 2.6 percent from a year ago. AAA credits the decrease to consumer concerns over personal finances, rising unemployment and the sluggish economy.

May unemployment claims drop in DeKalb

DeKalb’s unemployment claims dropped in May but are still higher than a year ago.

Carolyn Hill loves vine-ripened tomatoes and garden-fresh zucchini, cucumbers, bell peppers and pole beans.

Children’s Hospital among the best in U.S. 9 Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta is among the nation’s top pediatric hospitals, according to U.S. News & World Report’s edition of America’s Best Children’s Hospitals.

index to advertisers Alpha Climate Control......................................11 Avondale Tire & Service LLC............................11 2009 Adoption & Family Expo.......................10 DeKalb Convention & Visitors Bureau..............5 Diversified Marketing Service Inc......................7

Dollar Spree.....................................................11 Ella’s Caring Hands Adult Day Care.................11 Eulla Master Stylist............................................7 Fletcher’s Place................................................11 Housing Authority of DeKalb County................3

Law Office of C.E. Taylor...................................7 Malcolm Cunningham Ford..............................2 Mini Mall..........................................................11 Newburn Reynolds Photography.....................11 Oakhurst Medical Centers Inc.......................... 9

Everest Institute . ..............................................7 South DeKalb Business Association..................7 Music First . .................................................... 12 Wireless Global Solutions................................11 Wright, James & Boston P.C..............................3

July 4, 2009

Community

CrossRoadsNews

“We need to demand that our state reps and senators take part in these discussions and actually do something because they are not being held accountable right now.”

MARTA fares to increase on Oct. 1 Hunstein is state’s new top judge By McKenzie Jackson

Catching a MARTA bus will cost 25 cent more beginning this October 1. MARTA’s board of directors voted June 22 to increase the transit authority’s base fare from $1.75 to $2 as part of its approval of its of a $787.6 million 2010 budget. The fare increase is the first since 2001. The board also increased wait time on some routes as part of cost-cutting measures in the face of declining revenues. The cuts and fare increase followed a number public hearings at which riders voiced their displeasure with some of the changes. At a June 17 hearing at the Maloof Auditorium in downtown Decatur, Atlanta resident Katy Glass said MARTA, which is funded by sales taxes from DeKalb and Fulton counties, should continue to seek funds from the state. “Why should we have to pay more for less?” she asked. MARTA treasurer Richard Marsh told the more than 90 people at the hearing that transit authority is facing a crippling crisis if changes in services and rates are not made. “MARTA with the help of regional partners have managed to put off the day of reckoning for at least another year,” he said. “That day is unavoidable. This year we have done all we can do to put off that day of reckoning.” In October, commuters will also pay $15 for a weekly pass, up $2. By 2012, a weekly pass will be $17. Monthly passes will go to $60 from $52.50, and reach $68 by 2012. Changes to 48 routes, ranging from consolidations, rerouting, elimination and the lengthening of service times, will save $8.4 million a year. The changes will affect 13 routes in South DeKalb. Clara F. Welch, who lives in Decatur and has been riding MARTA for 13 years, said the

axing of Route 245, the Kensington/Emory Blue Flyer, does not sit well with her. She uses the route to get to her job at the Emory Eye Center and says patients also use the bus to get to a number of health institutions. “There are people that are not able to catch route 36 or 6 and walk the three or four blocks down to services,” she said. “We have the children’s hospital, the children’s clinic, Wesley Woods, the cancer institute…some of the services cut yes, but why eliminate the entire service.” Jerry Moore, a DeKalb business owner, suggested that instead, MARTA should cut a route that serves Atlantic Station in downtown Atlanta and several routes in Cobb County including routes to Six Flags. “Cobb County doesn’t pay any sales tax that goes to MARTA,” he said. John Michael, a Kirkwood resident, lambasted state and local officials for not attending the meeting. “There is a reason they are not here,” he said. “We need to demand that our state reps and senators do something, take part in these discussions and actually do something because they are not being held accountable right now.” MARTA CEO Dr. Beverly Scott, who attended the meeting, said MARTA is trying to be as honest as it can about the situation. “We have $45 million in one-time stimulus funds that went into this budget,” she said. “We are looking at a minimum of being $50 million in the hole with next year’s budget. We have got to have urgent action that addresses the chronic problems of lackw of investment in MARTA and in transportation funding overall.” Scott said MARTA is almost bankrupt. “I think that we have gotten it clearly through that there is a major issue that has to be dealt with,” she said.

Carol W. Hunstein is the new Chief Justice of the Georgia Supreme Court. The Decatur resident was unanimously elected by her colleagues on the bench and assumed the top job on July 1. She succeeds Chief Justice Leah Ward Sears who stepped down from the Court on June 30. Carol Hunstein Justice George H. Carley was picked to become the new Presiding Justice. Hunstein was appointed to the court by former Gov. Zell Miller in 1992 while she was a DeKalb Superior Court Judge. She is the second woman to serve on the Supreme Court and to be Chief Justice. Miller, who is retired, returned to swear her into her new position at the July 1 ceremony. In 2006, he co-chaired her reelection campaign.

Hunstein, 64, has three children. She overcame polio, two bouts of bone cancer, poverty and a tough 2006 re-election campaign in which special interest groups and her opponent spent more than $2 million to defeat her. The Chief Justice presides over state’s judicial branch, runs the meetings in which the court makes its decision, presides over oral arguments, and is the court’s main spokesperson. The Chief Justice, who serves two terms of two years each, also chairs the Georgia Judicial Council, which governs all levels of the state’s courts. The Presiding Justice serves in her absence. Hunstein is taking over the courts at a time when state budgets are down and courts are facing cuts in their operations budget. She said this week that her top priority as chief justice is to ensure that there is enough money to keep the state’s court system operating efficiently.

3rd candidate in race for Shipp seat Johnson, who is the founder East Atlanta businessman and president of Johnson Media Kevin Johnson is the third person Inc., said his “A Better Commuto enter the race for the House nity” campaign would focus on District 58 seat vacated by former policies and issues – public safety, Rep. Robinn Shipp. community revitalization, employJohnson, who announced ment and education – affecting June 16, is the third person to enquality of life in the district. ter the November special election “I will focus on providing reto seek the seat that represents Kevin Johnson sources and solutions both public portions of DeKalb and the city and private to reduce crime, to enhance of Atlanta. He joins campaign consultant and community revitalization, to improve former state Senate chief of staff Michael schools, and to create jobs,” he said. “WorkMcPherson, and Atlanta attorney Asha ing together, we will continue to bring about positive change in our community.” Jackson in the race.

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July 4, 2009

“MJ’s music was the backdrop of my youth. I was just 7 when he released ‘Off the Wall’ and 11 when ‘Thriller’ changed my life.”

Fans remember the King of Pop and his music’s impact on them « Stephanie S Benfield wrote on Saturday, Jun 27 » I was in high school when the Thriller album came out. My cheerleading squad played his songs all the time and did a routine to “PYT”. I still remember how much fun we had dancing to his music. Michael Jackson was a phenomenal musician and left behind a wonderful legacy of songs. « Nobantu Ankoanda wrote on Friday, Jun 26 » I am writing on behalf of Kamau, my 37-year-old disabled son who loved Michael Jackson and his music. It took me some time to put 2 and 2 together as to why my son for years wanted to wear a glove on one hand no matter what the weather was outside. I had no idea he was emulating how Michael wore one glove during many of his performances. It’s been difficult for me to explain to my son that Michael is no longer with us. He refuses to hear it. Michael will live on in our hearts and souls for an eternity. « Angela Moore wrote on Friday, Jun 26 » I was in the second grade in NYC when the J5 made their first appearance on TV. It was the day I fell in love with Michael. Hands down for me, “I Want You Back” was my all-time fav from the Jacksons. I, like every girl, was so-o-o in love with Michael I use to kiss his face on the album cover. All we ever wanted was for someone to take a second look. His early work is what made him a mega star. When he split from his brothers there was such a divide you could feel it. MJ was

Michael Jackson

Aug. 29, 1958 - June 25, 2009 Michael Jackson died June 25 at the age of 50. Jackson, who brought the world joy with his music and dancing and helped pried open the opportunity doors for his race, died at the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles, where he lived. One of the greatest entertainers of our time, Jackson’s smash hits range from “Billie Jean” and “Beat It” to “Man in the Mirror.” “Thriller,” released in 1982, remains the best-selling album of all time. His death ends an enduring career that spanned more than four decades. The superstar is survived by three children: Michael Jr., Paris and Prince; his parents, Joe and Katherine; and nine siblings. Everyone has a few favorite Michael Jackson songs and a memory. Post yours at www.crossroadsnews. com.

tormented and did all kinds of things because he felt he was all alone. That family bond made way for many other family groups to step out, i.e., the Partridge family, the Osmonds, etc. I loved him the way God made him... Young, Gifted and Black. And this is how I

choose to remember him. Besides, he gave hope to every lil black girl in the world. I remember when I was 8, my mother gave me the Jackson Five’s first Christmas album. It was the very first LP I ever owned and I still have it. But they didn’t give

Pop superstar’s music will live on forever On June 25, 2009, the Still Waters Youth Sinfo-Nia of Metropolitan Atlanta Orchestra and Dance Company celebrated its 19th anniversary. This commemoration became bittersweet when the world lost the King of Pop, Michael Jackson. Also lost was famed actress Farah Fawcett. I grew up in Highland Park, David Robinson Mich., an inner-city suburb of Detroit, listening to the music of Michael Jackson. I was in ninth grade in 1969 when the Jackson 5 came out with its inaugural hit, “I Want You Back.” The whole metro Detroit area – home of Motown – as well as the country, was mesmerized to a frenzy at this song. People were asking, “Who is this kid singing the lead?” Some thought this kid was 5 years old, 5 years old, but really he was 11. The next song, “ABC,” was an instant hit, followed by “I’ll Be There.” As the late Wolfman Jack (and some baseball announcers in a slugfest) would say, “The hits just keep on coming.” As students we would go to the parties and dance to the music of the Jackson 5. My mother bought a piece of piano music of one of their hits, “Maybe Tomorrow” and played it. My sister

would play it as well. Also, in those days, there were many rock/R & B bands of high school students playing their music. The Jackson craze kept on growing. On Saturday mornings, there was a Jackson 5 cartoon series featuring their music. I remember when they sang “ABC,” on the part when they are singing “shake it, shake it, baby, ooh, ooh…” there was a snake dancing. Back then there were other cartoons based on famed groups: The Beatles, the Harlem Globetrotters, Fat Albert, the Archies. It would be nice if there was a television channel that could bring these unsung classics back or at least have boxed series of them available in stores. There was a Jackson 5 television special called, “Goin’ Back to Indiana,” which guest starred Bill Cosby as the “Roving Reporter” Skip Newsworthy, who could not get in to do any interviews. The Jackson 5 were playing basketball against NBA legends Bill Russell, Ben Davison, Elgin Baylor, and Elvin Hayes. The Jackson 5 won on a last-second shot. There was a narrative rap on the play-by-play of that game. Then they ended up singing a fast version of their hit, “Goin’ Back to Indiana.” I hope that MTV, VH-1, and BET find this video and show it. It should also be available in stores. Some of the later youth groups

that were influenced by the Jackson 5 were the Osmond Brothers, the Sylvers, and DeBarge. I hope that TV-One will do an “Unsung” show on the Sylvers. One of Michael’s songs that I remembered that I have not seen on his compilation albums was “Farewell, My Summer Love.” It came out when I was in college, when I had a summer girlfriend and the relationship ended when I returned to school. In the Ronald E. McNair Area Orchestra, the DeKalb Youth Pops Orchestra and the Still Waters Youth Sinfo-Nia, the students performed “Thriller,” “All I Do Is Think of You,” “Black or White,” and “Remember the Time.” Sinfo-Nia will perform tributes to Michael Jackson this summer and this school year including these selections. I have had the pleasure of knowing and working with a musical legend, the late Shirley Cartman, who taught strings in DeKalb County. Before that she taught in Gary, Ind., at Roosevelt High School, and helped get the Jackson 5 into talent shows on their road to fame. She taught Tito the double bass. Many generations of children and youth love to listen to the music of Michael Jackson and the Jackson 5. His music will live on forever. David E. Robinson III is founder of Still Waters Orchestra.

me a record player to play it on till I was 14, and I couldn’t touch dad’s stereo. Hmmm, I can’t remember how I even listened to it! That’s like giving a gift that requires batteries and not giving the batteries, on Christmas Day. They have some ’splainin to do!

« Stanley Raper wrote on Friday, Jun 26 » I heard about Michael Jackson passing on my way to the skating rink and a surreal feeling came over me. Quincy Jones said, “God put his hands on people’s shoulders and a few, he leaves his hands on their shoulders a little longer, and Micheal Jackson was one of them.” At the skating rink, every song of Michael’s they played was phenomenally off The Wall. Thanks, Michael, for giving the world so much music. « Tarvis Thompson wrote on Friday, Jun 26 » MJ’s music was the backdrop of my youth. I was just 7 when he released “Off the Wall” and 11 when “Thriller” changed my life. It’s amazing to recollect today on his massive music legacy. There are just too many songs to chose from. My favorites are those with such poetic lyrics that music served only as a minor enhancement to what would otherwise be considered pure genius and artistry. As a child he had perfect pitch and he emoted like no other since at such a young age. This is evident on the song “Maybe Tomorrow.” Surely he didn’t know what love was all about at the tender age 13 or 14. But it seemed as it he felt every word he sang: “I don’t know how many stars there are, up in the heavenly sky. I only know my heaven is here on earth, each time you look into my eyes. The way you do, baby! You are the book that I read each day. You are the song that I sing. You are the four seasons of my life, and maybe tomorrow you’ll change your mind.”

‘Man in the Mirror’ offers life lessons we can all live by just to make money. His We all mourn the name is already in the passing of Michael Jackhistory books and he will son, the King of Pop. No be forever remembered other musician delivers by people of all ages and such timeless messages races throughout the of life in song that will world. He transformed live in the hearts of the world of music and people forever and formade a change. Whereas ever. Miriam Robinson other types of music may There are numerous songs that come to mind that I appeal to a specific race of people adore for the messages of the reali- and age group Michael Jackson’s ties of life – “Billy Jean,” “You Are music transcended across all the Not Alone,” “Black or White,” “Got world reaching all people because to Be There,” and many, many it was the type of music that evmore – but I will have to say that eryone could relate to in one way “Man in the Mirror” is at the top or another. He stuck to the type of of my favorites. It sends a powerful music that he believed in doing. He also did not have to degrade message to you. We are the first ones to look in the mirror and see his attire causing people to disrespect him and his music. People ourselves in the morning. In the lyrics, my interpretation respected him because he repreis that men must stand up and be sented respect in himself and othreal men to make a change. That ers. There were critics who did not change doesn’t come until you like the way he touched his private make it happen. This song was parts in song, but for the most part a hit in 1988 and is still relevant he was a respectable man. The powerful lyrics to “Man in today and somewhat speaks of what President Obama is speak- the Mirror” are as relevant today. ing of today. What a powerful “I’m asking him to change his ways and no message could ever revelation. It is worth noting that Michael have been clearer. If you want to Jackson became the world’s most the world a better place, take a recognized entertainer yet he look at yourself and then make did it without degrading his race the change.” – Miriam Knox Robinson lives with the “N” word or degrading women with demeaning names in Decatur.

CrossRoadsNews

July 4, 2009

Finance

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SDBA to look at Ford’s newest Taurus on display ways members can ‘go green’

July 4 travel likely to drop

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DeKalb’s unemployment claims dropped in May but are still higher than a year ago. The Georgia Department of Labor said 4,070 jobless workers filed first-time claims for state unemployment insurance benefits in May, down from the 4,104 who filed in April, and 2,999 in May 2008. Statewide, unemployment claims were 75,436 in May, down from the 84,346 in April. A year ago this time, 44,711 filed. State Labor Commissioner Michael Thurmond sees a silver lining behind the decline. “I remain hopeful that Georgia’s job losses will continue to decline in the coming months,” he said.

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A panel of experts will discuss “Going Green” at a July 14 discussion hosted by the South DeKalb Business Association at Saint Philip A.M.E. Church. The panelists, who will enlighten business owners on earth-conscious products and services, include Mary Talukder, a pollution prevention adviser with the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, and Sheldon Fleming, co-founder of WonderMcKenzie Jackson / CrossRoadsNews land Gardens. DeKalb Commissioner Kathie Gannon, who heads the county’s Green Commission, will update the audience on DeKalb’s green initiatives. Just over 1 million people are expected to travel in Georgia The 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. meeting over the three-day Fourth of July weekend, down 2.6 percent will be in the Fellowship Hall. Lunch will from a year ago. AAA credits the decrease to consumer concerns be served at noon. over personal finances, rising unemployment and the sluggish SDBA president Linda Mayhand said U.S. economy. green consciousness is growing in the “The relatively steep price increase seen in May and most community. of June may have diminished interest in car trips,” the Tampa, “I believe businesses and the comFla.-based motoring and leisure travel organization said. munities are starting to see the value in The club estimates that 952,000 of the 1,067,000 people reducing, reusing and recycling as often expected to travel to the state to celebrate Independence Day as possible,” she said. will drive. It said 60,000 will fly and 55,000 are expected to arDuring the event, participants will also rive by other means. The travelers to Georgia are among 37.1 learn more about the American Recovery Americans that AAA says will travel over the holiday, a and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), recentlyMmillion ASTER TYLIST of 1.9 percent from 2008. approved by Congress and signed by S decrease But while travel by automobiles is down, AAA says air travel President Barack Obama to increase fundSEWand -IN is up 4.9 over last year because consumers are taking ing for water, sewer, energy efficiency MONpercent THURS SPECIALS EAVE S PECIAL advantage of travel deals currently available. renewable programs. TheW programs are KevinHAMPOO Bakewell, AAA Auto Club South senior vice president, administered by the Georgia Environmen$ said that even though research suggests some consumer aptal Facilities Authority. prehension, the fact that gasoline prices appear to have peaked Admission for SDBA members is free. ELAXER WE ALSO DO LOCKS and may be on their way down, may encourage some families Visitors pay only $20. ALL NOW FOR APPOINTMENT to reconsider vacation getaways starting with the Fourth of Saint Philip A.M.E. is at 240CCandler July weekend. Road, at the corner of Memorial Drive, (404) 983-1694 “We’ve many visitors come to our branch offices in in Atlanta. PROFESSIONAL SALON IN had DECATUR recent weeks to plan family vacations, cruises and tours,” he For more information, visit www. said. “Perhaps there’s more optimism in our territory than the sdba-inc.org or call 678-476-3727 or 678national survey data reflects.” 418-9104.

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(404) 312-1368 info@BurksConsultingGroup.com Ms. Burks was selected Small Business Person of the Year on June 2, 2009 at the 2009 SDBA Business-to-Business Showcase and Vendor Fair. She has been a supporter and partner of the South DeKalb Business Association for the past 2 years. She helped develop a 3-year strategic plan to increase membership value and community exposure for the organization, and is working with the SDBA and Youth V.I.B.E to engage and support the young people in South DeKalb. The SDBA's mission is to promote commercial prosperity and enhance the quality of life within the South DeKalb community. Pamela Burks and Burks Consulting Group exemplify the SDBA's commitment to supporting the South DeKalb community, its entrepreneurial spirit and membership. Join us in congratulating Pamela Burks, owner of Burks Consulting Group.

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CrossRoadsNews

Sports

July 4, 2009

“I’m learning a lot of different things about the pro game. I’ve seen a lot of great competition.”

Players build skills, get noticed while playing for Decatur’s Court Kings By McKenzie Jackson

Jamal Walker, 28, is playing in front of a home crowd for the first time in nine years. The 6-foot-5 guard and 2000 Southwest DeKalb High School graduate has played basketball overseas since graduating from Briarcliff University in 2005, but is currently playing for the Decatur Court Kings, a World Basketball Association team that plays its home games in the Decatur Recreation Center. Walker, who played for teams in Lebanon and Indonesia for more than five months this year, said in previous summers he went to Portland, Ore., to play in the International Basketball League and work out with a trainer instead of playing in the Atlanta area. He said it feels good to play professionally in front of family and friends. “It’s cool because they haven’t seen me play in a long time and they love it,” said Walker, adding that he is heading to the northwestern United States in July. “I love it. I love for my family to come out and see me play, along with all my friends; that’s cool.” The Court Kings are a squad made up of newly graduated college basketball players and American players who play for professional teams in Europe, Asia and beyond during the fall and winter months. Walker plays for the Court Kings to keep his jump shot, dribbling and other court skills fresh during the summer. “I played overseas this year and saw some weak points in my game that I need to work on,” he said. “This gives me the opportunity to work on my game and stay in game shape. “When I’m overseas I’m playing the point guard, so I’m just trying

Decatur Court Kings head coach Markeal King (red hat), who drilled two of his players during a workout at the Decatur Recreation Center in early June, says playing for the Court Kings gives players a chance to work on their skills during the summer and impress scouts and agents.

McKenzie Jackson / CrossRoadsNews

to better my point guard skills because I’m used to playing shooting guard.” Court Kings coach Markeal King, who played for Georgia State, the WBA and overseas, said many of the players for the Court Kings and the eight other WBA teams use the league to polish their skills. King, who played overseas last season before going into coaching, said the WBA has long been known as an exposure league.

“This is gives guys an opportunity to get more exposure, to get game film and to get that experience of playing at the professional level,” he said. “Most of these teams have about five or six professional basketball players on the team.” King said the league is also a home for players who have never played on the national stage. He said that gives them a chance to work their way up the basketball ranks to overseas, NBDL or NBA

teams. “There are about 200 players that have played in this league that are now playing internationally,” he said. “It gives guys hope and an opportunity to play at a high level.” As of press time the Court Kings, who are the defending WBA champions, were scheduled to participate in the WBA Final Four July 2-3 at Bogan Park, 2723 North Bogan Road, Buford. The third-seeded Court Kings

will play the Tupelo Rock-n-Rollers, the second seed, at 6 p.m. on July 2 and the top-seeded Buford Majic will play the Cartersville Baseline Warriors, seeded fourth, at 8 p.m. The winners will advance to the July 3 WBA championship game, which will be at 7:30 p.m. Heading into the playoffs the Court Kings had a 5-3 record. King said he has a good squad on his hands. “The thing about this team this year is that we have a lot of young talent; we only have maybe two veterans on the team,” he said. “The rest are guys that are just recently getting out of college.” The team includes seasoned players such as Walker, Marquist Foster and Antonio Mincy, and has several players who have recently finished college, including former Morehouse College players 6-foot-8 forward Jerry Felder and Kenny Boyd, the 2009 MVP of the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. Jamel Stokes, a 2002 graduate of Towers, last played college basketball at Valdosta State in 2007-08. After taking a year off, the 25-yearold is playing with the Court Kings to shake the rust off his game. “I’m learning a lot of different things about the pro game,” he said. “I’ve seen a lot of great competition.” King said the young players are learning that the professional game is played faster, but also in spurts. “In college they are taught to hustle, hustle, hustle,” he said. “In the pro ranks you have to use your heads and plays. It is just a different feel to the game.” King said the team is composed of good post players and athletic wing players. “We try to play at a fast up-anddown pace,” he said, “but for sure we like to slow it down and run our offense.”

Middle schoolers build football prowess at camp

The 5- and 6-year-old Red Sox finished the season with a 20-0 record and a state championship.

Redan’s Red Sox ride strong bats to state title The Redan Park Red Sox capped an undefeated season by winning the 2009 AABC Georgia 5/6 T-Ball Division II State Championship. The 12-member Red Sox team knocked off the Glenwood Royals 14-11 in the Duncan Park Division II Tournament on June 18 en route to the state title. The team of 5- and 6-year-old boys finished with a 20-0 record, which included 10 wins in the regular season, four wins in the Redan Park Tournament, and six wins at the Duncan Park Division II Tournament. The Red Sox beat the Royals in a tough, come-frombehind championship game in which they scored six runs in the third inning to take a 12-9 lead. The team averaged five homeruns a contest this season. Damon Allen was the Red Sox head coach and Travis Smith was the team’s assistant coach.

Seventy-six DeKalb County middle school football players buckled their chinstraps and participated in the 2009 DeKalb County Junior Football Development Program at Hallford Stadium in Clarkston. The rising seventh- and eighthgraders from Chapel Hill, Champion, Shamrock and Stephenson middle schools practiced gridiron skills on June 15-18, under the watchful eyes of coaches from Stephenson High School, Wade Walker Park and Chapel Hill and Champion middle schools. Thirty varsity football players from Redan, Stephenson, M.L. King and North Atlanta high schools also helped with the instruction at the full contact camp. Tyrone Cornelius, the camp director, said the camp is replacing the NFL Junior Development Program, which the National Football League held for five straight summers before cutting the program this year due to budget cuts. DeKalb Schools athletic director Ron Sebree said the athletic department could not just let the program end. “We want to give our kids and schools the opportunity to build their programs through camps such as this development camp for the younger football players,” he said. Cornelius, whose son Tyrone plays

The DeKalb County Junior Football Development Program replaces an NFL program that was cut for budgetary reasons.

football for Stephenson, said that the athletic department provided camp equipment to the schools and coaches to help teach the players individual techniques and life skills. Stephenson High coach Ron Gartrell was one of the speakers at the camp. He told kids they must have commitment to be successful. “Commitment also means more than just on the football field,” he said. “It is in the classroom, the community and in life. You also have to love football and if you do, you will put more into it.” The camp is one of 10 football and soccer themed camps taking place in

DeKalb this summer. On July 11 at 9 a.m., Atlanta Falcons players Chauncey Davis and Ovie Mughelli, along with Baltimore Ravens player Daniel Wilcox, will host the third annual DTLR Football Clinic at Hallford Stadium. The free, one-day camp will include comprehensive NFL football drills and conditioning for players ages 12 to 17, a recruiting seminar for parents and student-athletes, and lunch. Hallford Stadium is at 3789 Memorial College Ave., Clarkston. For more information or to register, visit www. DTLR.com or register the day of the camp between 8 a.m. and 9 a.m.

CrossRoadsNews

July 4, 2009

Wellness

“I like my tomatoes large. I wait until they get nice and red. I slice them and eat them or I put them in salads.”

Eating healthy’s a breeze when the vegetable garden is right outside By Jennifer Ffrench Parker

Carolyn Hill loves vine-ripened tomatoes and garden-fresh zucchini, cucumbers, bell peppers and pole beans. This summer for the third consecutive year, she will just walk out of her back door into the tiny back yard of her Candler Road condo, and pick some. “I am eating healthy now,” she said. “These vegetables taste good. I used to just have flowers out here, but I can’t eat flowers.” Hill, a Decatur grandmother, said store-bought vegetables often don’t taste as good as they look. “We don’t know how far they have traveled and how long ago they were picked,” she said. “From my garden, its straight in the pot or in my salad.” Hill has been gardening for about 10 years. For seven of those years, she worked in the community garden at Eastwycke Condominum, where she lives. She said she finally gave up on it when there were more people reaping the harvest than planting and tending the garden. Now her backyard organic garden is more accessible and easier to handle. “I just walk out the door and get what I want,” she said. Hill says growing her own vegetables is helping her eat better as well remain stress free. “I had high cholesterol and high blood pressure,” she said. “Since I

Curtis Parker / CrossRoadsNews

Carolyn Hill waters the organic vegetable garden she keeps in the back yard of her condo off Candler Road in Decatur. Hilll, who has been gardening for 10 years, says growing her own garden helps her eat better.

started eating more vegetables, my cholesterol has gone down.” She said that digging, pulling weeds and tending a garden on a daily basis is also great exercise. “I get a good workout,” she said.

She said the puttering around in her garden is also relaxing, which reduces her stress level. Even though Hill’s garden isn’t large, its harvest is bountiful. She plants big boy tomatoes.

Children’s Hospital among the best Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta is among the nation’s top pediatric hospitals. That is the word from U.S. News & World Report’s 2009 edition of America’s Best Children’s Hospitals. The news magazine ranked Children’s Healthcare fifth in orthopedics, seventh in heart/heart surgery, 12th in cancer, 17th in respiratory disorders, and 18th in urology. The Atlanta-based hospital has three campuses and 15 clinics, including a hospital in North DeKalb. The report on America’s Best Children’s Hospitals also ranks hospitals in diabetes and endocrine disorders, digestive disorders,

kidney disorders, neonatal care, neurology and neurosurgery and orthopedics. The rankings weighed a three-part blend of reputation, outcome and care-related measures such as nursing care, advanced technology, credentials and other factors. Nearly 100 pediatric facilities responded to the 65-page survey, which asked for detailed data and statistics. The “America’s Best Children’s Hospitals” report will be in the August issue of U.S. News & World Report, which will be on newsstands starting July 21. The report is available at www.usnews. com/childrenshospitals.

Nurse named to DeKalb Regional board Registered nurse Susan Parry was appointed to the DeKalb Regional Health System board of directors on June 8. Perry, a nurse at the hospital since 1982, will serve a three-year term on the board. She is the first nurse ever to have a seat on the board and one of the few nurses in the nation to be extended an invitation to help shape Susan Parry hospital futures and share in governance policies. DeKalb Medical officials believe the appointment of Parry, who is also a member of hospital system’s Center for Nursing Practice, should strengthen its commitment to providing quality care.

A nurse since 1962, Parry has held nursing managerial and executive positions at DeKalb Medical and served as an instructor for Emory University Hospital. Parry said her focus will be to facilitate collaborative partnerships between nurses, administration and physicians that can be catalysts for health service excellence and innovation. The health system board also named former DeKalb County district attorney Robert Wilson secretary of the board. Currently he is chairman of the DeKalb Medical Foundation and has co-founded multiple community service organizations, including Georgia Center of Children, the DeKalb Rape Crisis Center, and the Decatur Education Foundation for the City of Decatur Schools.

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“I don’t like cherry tomatoes,” she said. “They are too small. I like my tomatoes large. I wait until they get nice and red. I slice them and eat them or I put them in salads.” Each year, she also supplies

friends with green tomatoes for fried green tomatoes. Hill says she starts her garden every year with compost; she gets seeds from the Atlanta Urban Gardening Program funded by the University of Georgia Cooperative Extension Service. The program, which was established in 1978, helps metro Atlanta families to grow their own vegetables, which saves them money by lowering their grocery bills as well as put fresh vegetables on their dinner tables. In addition to individuals like Hill, more than 200 community gardens participate in the program, which also offers gardeners the opportunity to bottle their produce for later use. Hill says she takes some of her garden’s bountiful harvest to the DeKalb Extention Office on Memorial and bottle them. Her backyard is also her sitting area and when she is not training her pole beans to climb correctly, or watering her lush tomatoes and zucchini plants, she sits and enjoy the view. Growing a garden has made her popular with some of her neighbors. “Everybody wants some of your tomatoes,” she said. “I don’t mind sharing as long as they wait for me to get it for them.” Hill says she was also attracted to vegetable garden because she loves being outdoors. “I am out here every day,” she said last week. “Once the sun goes down I am out here for while.”

CrossRoadsNews

July 4, 2009

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Reader Notice As a service to you – our valued readers – we offer the following information: This newspaper will never knowingly accept any advertisement that is illegal or considered fraudulent. If you have questions or doubts about any ads on these pages, we advise that before responding or sending money ahead of time, you check with the Attorney General’s Consumer Fraud Line and/or the Better Business Bureau. They may have records or documented complaints that will serve to caution you about doing business with those advertisers. Also be advised that some phone numbers published in these ads may require an extra charge. In all cases of questionable value, such as promises or guaranteed income from work-at-home programs, money to loan, etc., if it sounds too good to be true – it may in fact be exactly that. This newspaper cannot be held responsible for any negative consequences that occur as a result of you doing business with any advertisers. Thank you.

CrossRoadsNews

July 4, 2009

Marketplace Computers & Electronics WWW.JONATECH.NET Internet ready computers $149. & up. Laptop & computer repair. Spyware/virus removal. Diagnostic fee $35. (678) 918-4445 Jonatech

Contractors/Construction Home Remodeling & Roofing Services Call Rob at 404-2072875 or go online for a free estimate. GA Licensed & Insured www.atmconstructors.net

★ Balloons ★ Greeting Cards ★ Gift Bags

MOVERS

Seller Motivated

Serving Metro Atlanta • Super Speed Internet • 2 Minutes Plug-N-Play Installation • No software Installation

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Well Equipped. Well-known Name Call

HOME INTERNET PLANS AS LOW AS $20.00 PER MONTH

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★ Jewelry ★ Novelty ★ Toys and more

Wireless Global Solutions

RETAIL SALES

Decatur. 4bd/2.5 bth. 2 Car Garage. Near Elementary School and bus line.. $1200.00. Section 8 ok. $600 deposit . 770-808-0198

HELP WANTED

770-474-0002

Gideon Movers, Inc Moves & Deliveries, In-house Moves; Loading & Un-loading. Free onsite Estimate. (404)241-8899. gideonmovers@comcast.net

Restaurant For Sale

Futon bunkbed for sale Black Futon bunkbed for sale plus mattresses excellent condition 100.00. Contact Angela Henry at 678-698-8256.

2806 E Atlanta Rd/Fairview Rd Ellenwood, GA 30294

other commercial properties. Purchases or refinancing. All credit considered. Closings as quick as 7 days. www.thesamuelgroupinc.com. 404-870-9070.

FOR RENT/LEASE

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404-934-0157

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www.clearinternet.me • wirelessglobalsolutions@gmail.com

Exp

Monday – Thursday: 11am-11pm Friday-Saturday: 11am-1am • Sunday: Noon-11pm 2801 Candler Road at South DeKalb Mall • Decatur, GA 30034

404-212-0330

Wanted- certified professional coder (Cpc) requirements: min. 5 Yrs a/r exp & light advertising; wk on an as needed basis; days; call (678) 749-3823

Homes for Rent Clean unfurnished Rms in Stn Mtn/Lithonia Full Kitch, util, cable & Washing included. $135 wk. Call 404-433-8820 for more info

LOANS & MORTGAGES Loans for churches, restaurants, day care centers, multi-family properties, office buildings, and

MARKETPLACE RATES Place your MarketPlace line ad here – up to 20 words for $25. Additional words are $3 per block of five words (maximum 45 words). Boxed Ads (with up to 3 lines bold headline): $35 plus cost of the classified ad. Send ad copy with check or credit card information and contact phone number (if different from ad) to MarketPlace, CrossRoadsNews, 2346 Candler Road, Decatur, GA 30032, or e-mail to marketplace@crossroadsnews.com. Our deadlines are at noon on the Thursday one week prior to publication, unless otherwise noted.

For Honest & Reliable Heating & Air Conditioning Service, Call... Repairs • Maintenance • Tires • Oil Changes Synthetic Blend Oil Change

404-294-8632 East Metro’s First Choice Since 1985 ✓ Spring Air Conditioning Checks ✓ Fall Heating System Checks ✓ Planned Maintenance Agreements ✓ Equipment Repair & Replacement ✓ Ductwork Installation ✓ Free Estimates on Unit Replacement

MENTION THIS AD AND GET 10% OFF YOUR FIRST SERVICE

Lu Woodson, Owner

B.S., Mechanical Engineering Member, Conditioned Air Assoc. of GA (CAAG) State Licensed & Insured EPA Certified, NATE Certified

We Service All Equipment Brands – Residential & Light Commercial

Mon-Fri

$7 OFF

7:30am-6:30pm

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Sat

FREE Vehicle Inspection

7:30am-5:00pm

Environmental Waste Fee

Present coupon at writeup of service. Expires: 08/31/2009

Avondale Tire & Service (Directly across from Wal-Mart) 3589 Memorial Drive • Decatur, GA 30032

404-284-8835

Decatur Tire and Service 307 Clairmont Ave • Decatur, GA 30030 404-377-5069

NexTire Stone Mountain 5217 US Hwy 78 • Stn Mtn, GA 30087 770-498-1121

CrossRoadsNews

July 4, 2009