CrossRoadsNews, February 8, 2014

COMMUNITY

BLACK HISTORY

WELLNESS

Sheriff Thomas Brown, who cut the ribbon on his 4th Congressional District campaign headquarters on Feb. 1, said he leave the sheriff’s job on Feb. 28. 2

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s children are squabbling again, this time over the civil rights icon’s Nobel Peace Prize. 5

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention offers guidelines to prevent heart disease during American Heart Month. 10

Campaign in full swing

Center of controversy

Tips for a healthier heart

EAST ATLANTA • DECATUR • STONE MOUNTAIN • LITHONIA • AVONDALE ESTATES • CLARKSTON • ELLENWOOD • PINE LAKE • REDAN • SCOTTDALE • TUCKER

Copyright © 2014 CrossRoadsNews, Inc.

February 8, 2014

Volume 19, Number 41

www.crossroadsnews.com

Radio station serving refugees seeking funds to rebuild

By Jennifer Ffrench Parker

Sagal Radio’s recording studio and offices and seven other tenants of the Kensington Office Park in Decatur were burned out in a Jan. 28 fire. The nonprofit station has launched a fundraiser online.

the city’s first immigrant council member.

Hussien Mohamed, the station’s founder and director, says Sagal Radio is a tool that the refugee community needs.

“On Sagal Radio I can talk to them,” Mohamed Hussien Mohamed said. “If you just came from a refugee camp and had never had a door, how are you going to open the door?

We give them orientation on how to be successful.”

For the past 16 years, Clarkston’s refugee population has known that they have a friend in Sagal Radio.

The nonprofit station, which broadcasts live Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from WATB-AM 1420 on North Decatur Road and streams those shows daily on the Internet and cell phones, has been their go-to source for information in their native tongues.

Its broadcasts in Somali, Amharic, Bhutanese/Nepali, Swahili, Karen and English tackle everything from surviving an apartment with doors and indoor plumbing to Clarkston’s November 2013 elections that yielded Please see FIRE, page 3

Jennifer Ffrench Parker / CrossRoadsNews

Gridlock frustrates Candler Road businesses Water main project to end in September

By Jennifer Ffrench Parker

Motorists navigate the obstacle course that Candler Road has become as Kemi Construction crews work on a $7.1 million water main project.

Fridays are usually busy days at Red Lobster on Candler Road, but on Jan. 31 in the middle of the lunch hour, only about 15 percent of the tables were occupied.

Outside on Candler, bumper-to-bumper traffic crawled as Kemi Construction crews labored on a $7.1 million DeKalb County Waterline Replacement, Landscape and Resurfacing project that has been under way since last April.

Pam Johnson, the restaurant’s general manager, said that Friday, business was off 30 percent to 40 percent.

“Guests don’t come in because it’s just too hard to get in and get out of our parking lot,” she said. “It’s not that they don’t have access.

Photos By Jennifer Ffrench Parker / CrossRoadsNews They just don’t want to be bothered.”

Ten months into the construction, Crews are of your office?’ Then they business owners, residents and commuters replacing old tell me they will try and along the busy corridor have become weary water mains and come by next week.” of the seemingly never-ending project that will repave and He said his business extends 3.7 miles from Memorial Drive to landscape the is down 25 percent to 30 I-285. It involves replacing 1960s and ’70s area. They are percent. water mains and repaving and landscaping working close to “I am not in love with the area. a high-pressure it,” he said of the ongoing Business owners say traffic congestion gas main. construction. “I thought it caused by construction has driven away would take a month or so. Cornelius Williams customers and reduced their sales 20 percent Now it’s been going on for a while.” to 75 percent.

Down the street at the CVS drugstore at Pherita Furcron, owner of the FedEx the Candler Road and Misty Waters Drive center at 2376 Candler Road, said customers intersection, manager Nery Martinez blamed are staying away from the area. the construction for a 20 percent drop in “People are avoiding Candler Road,” she his sales. said. “They tell them on the radio to avoid “It was especially bad during the ChristCandler Road because of construction, and mas holidays,” he said. “They noticed at corthey are not coming.” porate that my sales weren’t that great.”

Furcron said business plummeted 75 per- ship packages. Now I have five a day.” can’t get to his door.

Up the street at Dr. Leroy Loving Oral cent over the Christmas holidays and hasn’t “I have had some of them park up the Next door, Cornelius Williams, owner of picked up yet.

Williams Insurance Agency, said when the street and walk here,” he said. “Some call and “I used to have 30 people a day coming to daily traffic backup starts, customers just ask, ‘Are they still working out there in front Please see CONSTRUCTION, page 4

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CrossRoadsNews

Community

February 8, 2014

“All the equipment and the all supplies in the world won’t help if the trucks can’t get on the roads.”

About 150 supporters watched as DeKalb Sheriff Thomas Brown cut the ribbon on his new congressional campaign headquarters on Feb. 1 in Tucker.

Gov. Nathan Deal announced the changes in the wake of the Jan. 2830 snowstorm that shut down of Atlanta’s interstates.

Ken Watts / CrossRoadsNews Curtis Parker / CrossRoadsNews

Brown opens campaign office Deal upgrades storm preparation,

By Ken Watts

Sheriff Thomas Brown cut the ribbon on his new congressional campaign headquarters on Feb. 1 in Tucker.

Brown told a crowd of about 150 supporters outside the office on Lawrenceville Highway that he will leave the Sheriff’s Office on Feb. 28 to enter the May 20 Democratic primary. He is challenging four-term incumbent Rep. Hank Johnson, who was elected in 2007.

Chief Deputy Jeffrey Mann will take over as interim sheriff on March 1. It will be the first time in nearly 14 years that someone other than Brown has led the Sheriff ’s Office.

Qualifying for candidates in Georgia’s state and federal races is March 3-7.

Brown, who was has been sheriff since 2001, has worked for every DeKalb CEO starting with the late Manuel Maloof.

He promised the crowd at his ribboncutting that he’ll bring “substantial jobs” to the district.

“We’re not doing enough to prepare our kids for the next generation of hightechnology jobs or retrain good workers to find their place in the new work force.”

Brown’s career dates back to 1972 and includes stints as an Atlanta firefighter, DeKalb fire chief and DeKalb public safety director.

He said he will reach across party lines to Republicans in the Georgia delegation to bring jobs and a larger share of federal funds for education and transportation to the 4th District, which covers much of DeKalb as well as parts of Rockdale, Gwinnett and Newton counties.

The campaign headquarters, which shares space with Network Realty at 3782 Lawrenceville Highway, will be used primarily as a meeting place for senior staff and give them a place to sign up campaign volunteers.

“Some of our most critical business like fundraising is done online, but the office gives us a visible location in the community for other campaign business.”

appoints winter weather task force A Severe Winter Weather Warning and Preparedness Task Force has been named

by Gov. Nathan Deal to make sure that two inches of snow never cripples the city again.

Deal announced on Feb. 3 the 23-member task force and immediate reforms in how the state communicates with Georgians when under a winter storm warning.

“Effective immediately, a storm warning will trigger a message to cell phones in targeted areas, as in the Amber Alert system, and advise against road travel,” said Deal.

“We will go one step further with school superintendents by emailing them weather condition updates, so that they have the most up-to-date information when determining whether to close schools.

The task force includes meteorologists from four Atlanta television news channels, along with the heads of Georgia Emergency Management Agency, the Georgia Department of Transportation, Department of Natural Resources, the Georgia National Guard, the DeKalb, Fulton and Marietta school districts, state senators and representatives, Atlanta Police and Fire departments, along with other private sector companies.

DeKalb Schools Superintendent Michael Thurmond is a member.

Deal said that he will also overhaul the

state emergency app with shelter information, alternative transportation routes and other emergency-related information.

“Lastly, as storms approach, I have ordered Georgia Emergency Management Agency to consult with local meteorologists on current weather modeling and predictions,” he said.

The changes came in the wake of the Jan. 28-30 shutdown of the city by a snow storm.

Some motorists were trapped for up to 24 hours on Atlanta interstates, and hundreds of children had to sleep overnight in their school gymnasiums.

Deal said the reforms have to make sense.

“All the equipment and the all supplies in the world won’t help if the trucks can’t get on the roads,” he said. “We’ve got to communicate quicker and more effectively on the front end to keep as many vehicles off the road as possible.”

The preparedness task force is expected to issue its report in within 60 days.

It will meet in an open forum setting and deliver preparedness recommendations to Deal in a timely manner.

An internal review by agency heads involved in emergency response will yield a report and action plan to the governor within 10 days.

Father gets 7 years in fatal DUI wreck The father who got behind the wheel while drunk and killed his 15-year-old daughter is going to prison for seven years.

Anthony Eugene Johnson of Lithonia was sentenced Jan. 28 to 12 years for the June 3, 2012, DUI wreck that killed his daughter Corliss Johnson.

Joi Johnson, his other daughter who was in the Anthony Johnson car with him, suffered serious injuries when his Chrysler Pacifica swerved off Highway 78 and struck a tree.

DeKalb Superior Court Judge Gail Flake ordered Johnson, 36, to serve seven years with the remainder of his sentence to be

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served on probation.

A DeKalb grand jury indicted Johnson last July on first-degree vehicular homicide, driving under the influence, and multiple counts of serious injury by vehicle and endangering a child while driving under the influence.

The grand jury also noted that Johnson had two prior DUI arrests in 2002 and 2004.

DeKalb County District Attorney Robert James said there are no winners in this case.

“This is a very difficult situation for the entire Johnson family,” he said. “While this sentence does not bring Corliss back, it does hold her father accountable for his reckless act of driving under the influence while transporting his young kids.”

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February 8, 2014

Community

“It’s my heart. I give voice to my immigrant community. I just don’t want that voice to go away.”

Proposed County Impact bill urges ‘pause’ in cityhood efforts

By Ken Watts

Calls for a one-year moratorium on cityhood efforts in DeKalb County are joined by a proposed County Impact bill sponsored by state Rep. Dar’shun Kendrick.

But Kendrick, who represents District 93 that covers Lithonia, Loganville, Snellville and Stone Mountain, said her bill, which calls for a six-month “pause,” is different.

“The six-month pause would not be a morato- Dar’shun Kendrick rium,” she said. “That implies an effort to kill cityhood movements. This is just a cooling off period so everybody can accurately assess what additional cities and more annexation would mean for the rest of the county.”

The County Impact bill comes in the wake of interim CEO Lee May asking the delegation on Jan. 27 to write a resolution calling for a year moratorium while the impact is studied by a committee composed of residents and community leaders.

It takes the idea a step further by making the cityhood pause state law. Kendrick said a resolution would be non-binding.

“I am not opposed at this time to supporting it,” she said in a Feb. 4 email. “However, with such a short session, something needs to be filed as soon as possible and I believe it needs to be done legislatively to correct problems with the process of cityhood in the state now and in the future.”

This week Kendrick was seeking co-sponsors for the bill that she hopes will be considered by this session of the Legislature.

“I don’t have a definite filing date yet,” she said, explaining that she wants to build support for the measure in the delegation before moving forward. Kendrick hopes to introduce the bill in the next two weeks.

The task force would deliver its report to General Assembly members six months after the group is formed.

With an early primary election set for May 20, the General Assembly is on a fast track to finish its business. Many lawmakers want to wrap up legislative business quickly so they can campaign for re-election.

Kendrick’s proposed bill outlines how the task force would be selected.

The bill requires the appointment of about eight members to examine the impact of new cities on the county as part of the process of incorporation. The chair would be appointed by “the chair or CEO of the

county’s governing body,” and each member of the General Assembly who has introduced an incorporation bill affecting the county would appoint a representative.

Members also would be appointed by the chamber of commerce and existing municipalities. The Georgia Municipal Association and the Association County Commissioners of Georgia also would get to select nonvoting members.

The task force would meet 30 days after its creation and at least monthly thereafter.

Its recommendations would be presented to the commissioner of the Department of Community Affairs, the governing authority of the affected county, and the members of the Legislature of the affected county no later than Nov. 1. The bill lays out what would be included in the report: nRecommendations regarding the boundaries of each proposed municipal corporation. nRecommendations regarding annexation of areas by existing municipalities. nAn evaluation of the feasibility of each proposed municipal corporation. nAn assessment of the fiscal impact each proposed municipal corporation will have upon the county in which it is located. nAn analysis of the services to be provid-

ed by the proposed municipal corporation. nRecommendations for addressing any negative fiscal impact any newly incorporated municipal corporation will have upon the county in which it is located. nAny such recommendations as the task force deems relevant to its report and objectives.

May says residents have a right to form cities if they choose to do so but that incorporation leaves the county accountable for long-term legacy obligations like pensions.

On Feb. 3, Lindsay Forlines, president of the DeKalb Municipal Association, and mayors of eight cities told legislators that strong cities benefit the entire county.

The Legislature is considering three city initiatives, the proposed cities of Lakeside, Briarcliff and Tucker in DeKalb. But their boundaries overlap in the Northlake Mall neighborhood and organizers of the various proposals have to work out that issue.

SB 270 for the creation of Lakeside moved from the State and Local Governmental Operations General Committee to the Rules Committee, Lakeside Alliance President Mary Kay Woodworth said in a Feb. 5 email. She said the Lakeside bill could go the Senate floor for a vote if it clears the Rules Committee.

Founder vows to rebuild nonprofit Sagal Radio recording studio, offices FIRE,

from page

1

The station serves 40,000 listeners weekly.

On Monday, 1,500 people listened on their cell phones.

The station hosts discussions ranging from the importance of education, to diet and health. Somali youths get to talk about how they are adapting to the United States, and other panels discussed building better bridges with their new neighbors.

On Jan. 28, the station’s studio and offices, which opened in 2009 in the Kensington Office Park at 4151 Memorial Drive in Decatur, went up in flames when a fire destroyed the 12,000-square-foot office building it shared with seven other tenants.

When news of the 4 a.m. fire reached him that morning, Mohamed said he was devastated.

“I just never imagined everything would be gone,” he said. “We dreamed a long time for that studio. Now that dream is gone and we have to start from zero.”

Mohamed said the station’s audio console board was destroyed along with four computers, two CD players, a CD recorder, and

office furniture.

Sagal Radio was one of eight businesses, including the Georgia Department of Labor Vocational Services, located in the building.

The DeKalb Fire Department, which arrived on the scene at 4:35 a.m., did not have a cause for the fire that started on the top floor where Sagal Radio was located.

“Every time I think of something, it’s not there anymore,” Mohamed said. “I cannot even grab a piece of paper. We lost all of our recording.”

The only files that were saved were the ones on his laptop and on the station’s Web site, www.sagalradio.org.

Mohamed said that the station’s insurance deductible is as high as the estimated $25,000 it will take to replace the studio.

“We have to start over,” he said.

Ahmed Hassan, Clarkston’s first former regugee to win election on the city council, said the community would be lost with the Sagal Radio.

“Many of the people don’t speak English,” said Hassan, who hails from Samali and has lived in the city for 29 years. “The community listens to the radio. The need the

information on health, immigration and events that they get.”

Sagal Radio Services launched in 1998 with start-up grants from Catholic Social Services, the DeKalb Board of Health, the Community Foundation, and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

It serves the Georgia refugee resettlement community, which ranks seventh nationally.

Most of the state’s refugees settle in Clarkston. Other refugees across the country also listen via the Internet and their cell phones.

The fire interrupted the station’s streaming for three days, but Mohamed said they came back online on Jan. 31. The station broadcast live Jan. 31 and Feb. 1 and 2 from the WATB-AM 1420 studios and has a temporary office at Emory.

To help with the rebuilding process, Mohamed said they have launched a $10,000 fundraising campaign at www.crowdrise .com/HelpSagalRadiotoRebuild/fundraiser /sagalradioservicesin.

By press time Thursday, $1,793 had been raised.

Mohamed said he is encouraging listeners and supporters to give what they can.

“If you have $10, it will help,” he said.

“You don’t have to be rich, just help out.”

Mohamed, a refugee from Ethiopia, arrived in the United States in the early 1980s.

He lived first in Chicago before relocating to Atlanta. He has been around Clarkston since 1986,” he said.

Since the fire there has been an outpuring of support. “I got tons of emails and calls saying it will come back. That gives me encouragement.”

Mohamed says he has to rebuild because of the people who depend on the radio station.

“It’s my heart,” he said Feb. 3 with his former offices in ruins behind him. “I give voice to my immigrant community. I just don’t want that voice to go away.”

Plus, he feels responsible for the refugees who are isolated because they can’t speak the language of their new homeland.

“I can’t stop thinking of the 75-year-old sitting looking at a television and don’t understand what people are saying,” he said.

“On Sagal Radio, I can talk to them.”

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Community 2346 Candler Rd. Decatur, GA 30032 404-284-1888 Fax: 404-284-5007 www.crossroadsnews.com editor@crossroadsnews.com

Editor / Publisher Jennifer Parker Graphic Design Curtis Parker Staff Writers Jennifer Ffrench Parker Ken Watts Copy Editor Brenda Yarbrough Advertising Sales Kathy E. Warner Billing Clerk Charmyne Montfort Circulation Manager Jami Ffrench-Parker

February 8, 2014

“Candler Road is the gateway to South DeKalb. When businesses are hurting, we have to step up and communicate better with them.”

Group to mull county future A diverse group of citizens from across DeKalb County will meet on Feb. 11 at the Decatur Library to discuss a “Blueprint to Redefine DeKalb County.”

The document, drafted by Super District 6 Commissioner Kathie Gannon, was completed with input from several sources.

“The Blueprint is a framework for a conversation we need to have about the myriad of problems facing DeKalb.” Gannon said.

“We need a set of solutions that are as broad as the problems we face. There is no silver bullet that will fix DeKalb. It will take a consensus building effort.”

The Blueprint contains recommendations regarding cityhood, Board of Ethics, purchasing procedures and other issues.

Gannon calls it a beginning.

“I don’t expect everyone will agree with everything,” she said.

“But I hope we can agree on the general direction in the Blueprint.

There will be give and take as we reach a consensus.”

Gannon said the Blueprint has been circulated to the Board of Commissioners and citizens, and that action is needed.

“If the citizens and leadership of DeKalb do not find solutions and consensus, our future will be determined by the General Assembly and a series of isolated events,” she said.

The meeting begins at 6:30 p.m. in the ground floor meeting room. The library is at 215 Sycamore St. For more information visit www.KathieGannon.com.

Energy grants available to assist low-income families Energy funds are available for eligible low-income residents of DeKalb, Gwinnett, Rockdale, Newton, and Walton Counties.

The Partnership for Community Action, Inc. (PCA) says eligible residents can get one-time heating assistance grants of $310 or $350 to help with their heating bills. Funding for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) is provided by the Georgia Department of Human Services, and the Public Service Commission and H.E.A.T. Individuals and families who meet income guidelines of 60 percent of the median household income for Georgia may apply.

Potential clients must be able to provide the following information: n Proof of income for all household members, 18 years of age and older

for the last 30 days; 90 days if irregular income. If no income, a Zero Income Form will be provided at the your appointment. All household members with no income must be present to complete this form. n Most recent home heating bill. n Verification of Social Security cards for all household members or some other legal proof of SS number. n Secure and verifiable document to prove United States citizenship will be needed for the head of the household.

Examples include a valid state-issued identification card or driver’s license, passport, United States permanent resident card, etc.

For more information and to apply, call 404-537-4300 or visit your local PCA office. The DeKalb office is at 3597 Covington Highway in Decatur.

Candler traffic snarls drive customers away, cuts into sales CrossRoadsNews is published every Saturday by CrossRoads­News, Inc. We welcome articles on neighborhood issues and news of local happenings.

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CONSTRUCTION,

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and Maxillofacial Surgery Office, customers have been complaining about how long it takes them to get to the office at 2352 Candler Road.

Surgery assistant Antonio Perry said some have even missed their appointments.

“Some get here an hour late,” he said. “By then, we have moved on to another patient and they have to reschedule.”

Williams says he is especially frustrated by construction workers doubling back to the spot they worked on before.

“They dig a hole, close it up and I think they are done,” he said.

“Then here they come right back two weeks later.”

Business owners say they got no notification about the scope of construction and how long it would take.

“I had to go out there and ask one of the workers what they were doing,” Williams said. “That’s how I found out they are putting in water mains.”

At Red Lobster, Johnson said no one spoke to them either.

“It’s been going on for months and I have no clue when it will end,” she said.

David Pelton, the county’s director of Engineer Services, said Wednesday that the project is now scheduled for completion in September.

“That’s crazy,” said Johnson.

“We want the improvement, but please hurry up and get done. It’s affecting my business.”

Pelton said that it’s been slow going because they have to keep the road open while the crew works and because the crew is working close to a high-pressure gas main.

“They have to take a lot of care,” he said.

In October, the crew broke the gas line and shut the area down, costing Red Lobster its lunch and

Circulation Audited By

Pherita Furcron, owner of the FedEx center at 2376 Candler Road, says customers are staying away from the area.

Jennifer Ffrench Parker / CrossRoadsNews

Construction update for Candler businesses DeKalb Commissioner Larry Johnson is hosting a meeting on Feb. 24 at the Scott Candler Library, for business owners to hear from representatives from GDOT, DeKalb Watershed Management, DeKalb Transportation, Kemi Construction and AGL. The meeting starts at 9:30 a.m.

The library is at 1917 Candler Road in Decatur. For more information call Margaret Britton at 404-964-4936.

dinner business that day. The CVS drugstore at Candler and Misty Waters also was closed for 24 hours.

Johnson said that was the first time she had conversation with anyone.

Ceresa Williams who was making a u-turn in the parking lot of one of the businesses on Thursday because of the traffic backup, said she has had enough.

“It’s horrible,” she said. “This is just ridiculous.”

Williams daughter Teneah is a student at Toney Valley Elementary School and she said she is up and down Candler four or five times away.

“I can’t wait for this to be over,” she said.

Pelton said they are trying to limit the disruptions.

“We limit the area they affect,” he said. “They have to close any hole they open each day. We are making an effort to minimize disruptions.”

Ben Cummings, DeKalb Watershed Department’s senior engineer, apologized for the inconveniences being faced by businesses, residents and commuters along the corridor.

He says he lives in South DeKalb and goes up and down Candler Road.

“I am not insensitive to what’s going on,” he said Wednesday. “It’s painful sometimes. I know people are not happy. It’s bad while we are doing it, but when it’s done, it will be a good project and our water needs will be met for years to come.”

Cummings said that the weather has impacted the project.

“We have had ice. We have had snow, and we have had rain,” he said. “We didn’t work in December, and in January, the weather shut us down. We don’t want to be out there longer than we have to.”

The project includes installing a 36-inch water main between I-20 and Valley Ridge Drive and twoand-a-half miles of 12-inch mains

and two-third of a mile of 8-inch mains to Glenwood Road.

Cummings said the installation of the 36-inch main is 90 percent in the ground.

“Once it’s all in, we have got to test it and make sure it doesn’t leak,” he said. “If there are no leaks and everybody is happy, we will pave that section of the road.”

Offering the first explanation for the Oct. 9 gas leak, Cummings said Atlanta Gas Light provided incorrect information about the location of the line.

“AGL plans said the gas line was on the east side of Candler Road, but it jumped to the west side near Eastwyke Apartments,” he said.

“After that, we had to redesign the entire installation plan.”

DeKalb District 3 Commissioner Larry Johnson, who represents the corridor, said he will be following up on the complaints of business owners.

“Candler Road is the gateway to South DeKalb,” he said. “When businesses are hurting, we have to step up and communicate better with them.”

Furcron, the FedEx store operator, said it’s time to get the project done.

“I am wondering if they are trying to run me out of business,” she said.

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February 8, 2014

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Dr. King’s kids squabbling over his legacy again

By Ken Watts

The heirs of civil rights icon Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. are in court again battling over his legacy.

The Rev. Bernice King and her two brothers – Dexter Scott King and Martin Luther King III – are fighting over their father’s Nobel Peace Prize, which he was awarded in 1964, and the Bible he traveled with during the fight for civil rights in the 1960s.

The King estate, which is controlled by the brothers, filed suit Jan. 31 in Fulton County State Court asking a judge to force their sister to relinquish the items that are in her possession.

At a Feb. 6 news conference at the Historic Ebenezer Baptist Church, which her father co-pastored with her grandfather, Martin Luther King Sr., from 1960 to 1968, Bernice King said she has to stand up for her father.

“Daddy is not here to say himself that ‘My Bible and medals are not for sale,” she said.

The brothers and their attorneys had no comment on the case before press time Thursday.

Bernice King, CEO of the King Center in Atlanta, said in an open letter Tuesday that she immediately rejected her brothers’ demand for the medal and Bible, which President Barack Obama used when he was sworn in for his second term in office.

She said her brothers notified her that they want to sell to a private buyer “our father’s most prized possessions.”

“I am absolutely opposed to the selling of these extremely sacred items and I expressed my opposition to my brothers,” she wrote.

“Although these items have been under my care and custody for the past few years, they have remained in a safe and secure location since my father’s assassination, and my mother’s death in 2006.”

King was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his work toward nonviolent social change. He donated the $54,123 cash prize that came with the medal to the civil rights movement.

Bernice King said she found out about her brothers’ plans to sell the medal and Bible on Jan. 20 as the family and the nation observed the annual national King holiday.

She said the lawsuit was filed in retaliation after she refused to immediately transfer the items to her brothers’ control.

“In my opinion, there is no justification for selling either of these sacred items,” she said. “They are priceless and should never

Dexter Scott King (center) and Martin Luther King III are asking a Fulton County State Court judge to force the Rev. Bernice King to relinquish their father’s Nobel Peace Prize medal and Bible.

The case is the latest in a long history of be exchanged for money in the marketplace.

While I love my brothers dearly, this latest legal entanglements for the King family over decision by them is extremely troubling. Our MLK’s words and image.

Legendary entertainer and close family father must be turning over in his grave.”

friend Harry Belafonte sued the surviving King children on Oct. 15, 2013, over three King documents that were in his personal collection of historic memorabilia.

One of the documents is a three-page outline for King’s 1967 speech “The Casualties of the War in Vietnam,” written on a legal pad in Belafonte’s New York apartment.

The second is a letter of condolence from President Lyndon B. Johnson to King’s wife.

The third is an envelope King had in his pocket the day he was killed on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tenn.

On it he had scribbled notes for a speech he was to give to Memphis’ striking sanitation workers.

Belafonte wanted to auction the documents in 2008 to raise money for a charity, but the King siblings challenged his ownership, saying the papers were taken without permission and belong to the King estate.

The family’s largest legal fight was in 1986 when Coretta Scott King sued Boston University in an effort to regain control of about 83,000 documents that her late husband had given the school in the mid-1960s. She lost in court.

Bernice King said she is “utterly ashamed and embarrassed” by the latest family fight.

“My brothers’ decision to sue me is drastic and grieves me greatly,” she wrote. “I have absolutely no desire to be in court or to fight yet another public battle. Nonetheless, some actions are sacrilegious and some things are not for sale no matter the circumstances, including my daddy’s Bible and Nobel Peace Prize medal. Both are tangible evidence of the faith and devotion of Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King.”

6

Black History

CrossRoadsNews

February 8, 2014

“The symposium will be of interest to scholars … of history as well as members of the general public.”

Railroads’ role in the African-American experience explored Law professor Anthony V. Baker will speak at “The Enduring Chronicle: Civil Rights and the Railroads” on Feb. 15 at the National Archives at Atlanta.

The 9:30 a.m.-to-3:30 p.m. program is free and Anthony Baker limited to the first 200 guests to register.

Baker, a professor at John Marshall Law School, will give the keynote address – “What’s ‘Wrong’ With Civil Rights.”

Highlights of the symposium include railroad illustrator Robert West speaking on “The Pullman Porter African-American

By the 1920s, a peak decade for the railroads, about 20,000 AfricanAmericans were working as Pullman porters and train personnel.

Pre-registration is required by emailing ancestr yatl@ gmail.com.

Joel Walker, the National Archives education specialist, said the annual event has wide-range appeal.

“The symposium will be of interest to scholars of late 19th Experience on the Railroad”; records at the and 20th century African-American history National Archives pertaining to civil rights as well as members of the general public who issues and the railroad; and the story of the desire a deeper and broader understanding Gandy Dancers tradition. of the American story,” Walker said.

The program features the story of Sallie Robinson and her attempts to ride in a firstclass passenger car along the Memphis and Charleston Railroad in 1879. Her journey will take her all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court in 1883.

It also spotlights the impact of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters on the civil rights movement of the mid-20th century.

West, living historian and painter, brings this important but often forgotten component of the long struggle to life with his portrayal of the train porter and the veiled effect the porter had on driving the fight for better economic and social opportunities during the years of segregation.

The symposium is presented in partnership with the Metro Atlanta Chapter of the Afro-American Historical and Genealogical Society.

The National Archives at Atlanta is a center for the study of the history of the South.

It has about 180,000 cubic feet of archival holdings dating from 1716 to the 1980s.

It is at 5780 Jonesboro Road in Morrow.

For more information, visit www.archive. gov/Atlanta and www.aahgsatl.org or call 770-968-2530.

Ousley marks Civil Rights Act Two ministers and a television reporter will bring the message to Ousley United Methodist Church as it celebrates Black History Month through February.

The featured speakers are the Rev. Sharma D. Lewis on Feb. 9; Dr. Edward P. Wimberly on Feb. 16; and WAGA-TV/Fox 5 reporter Portia Bruner on Feb. 23.

The theme is “The Sharma D. Lewis Golden Jubilee of the Civil Rights Act of 1964: Reclaiming Our Connections.” Dr. Robert M. Franklin, former president of Morehouse College, kicked off the celebration on Feb. 2 with a focus on combating the residuals Portia Bruner of slavery. All worship services start at 10 a.m.

The Feb. 9 service, featuring Lewis, will focus on “Connecting With Our Culture (combating the residuals of integration) through communal nature, strong family ties and sharing with others in Edward Wimberly the community.

Lewis, a former research biologist and chemist, is superintendent of the Atlanta-Decatur-Oxford District in the North Georgia Conference. She is a part of the Metro State Women’s Prison Women of Faith Bible Study and Worship Services and Peachtree Pine Homeless Shelter, and she has led missions to Jamaica and Kenya.

The Feb. 16 service at which Wimberly will speak will focus on “Connecting With Our Church (combating the residuals of Eurocentric worship), including failure to embrace the past (American slavery), the invisible church, African-American slave music, and black church retention. Wimberly is interim president of ITC. On Feb. 23 when Bruner speaks, the focus will be “Connecting With Our Community (combating the residuals of exclusivity) by differentiating the church; de-emphasizing individuality; re-establishing the church in the community; and celebrating diversity.

Ousley UMC is at 3261 Panola Road in Lithonia. For more information, visit http:// ousleyumc.org or call 770-981-0180.

Black History

7

CrossRoadsNews

February 8, 2014

Former Hawks player Mike Glenn will share exhibit items from his private collection that illuminate Douglass’ America.

Book chronicles civil rights movement’s last great march Historian Aram Goudsouzian will discuss “Down to the Crossroads: Civil Rights, Black Power, and the Meredith March Against Fear” on Feb. 20 at the Carter Library & Museum Theater.

The free reading and book signing starts at 7 p.m.

“Down to the Crossroads” is the story of the last great march of the King era and the first great showdown of the turbulent years that followed, Aram Goudsouzian depicting rural demonstrators’ courage and the impassioned debates among movement leaders.

In 1962, James Meredith became a civil rights hero when he enrolled as the first African-American student at the University of Mississippi.

Four years later, he would make the news again when he re-entered Mississippi, on foot. Meredith’s plan was to walk from Memphis to Jackson, leading a “March Against Fear” that would promote black voter registration and defy the entrenched racism of the region.

But on the march’s second day, he was

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Stokely Carmichael later came to finish the March Against Fear.

James Meredith was shot a few miles into his (then) solo March Against Fear in 1966. The photo won a 1967 Pulitzer Prize for photojournalism.

shot by a mysterious assailant, a moment that was captured in a harrowing and now iconic photograph.

What followed was James Meredith one of the central dramas of the civil rights era.

With Meredith in the hospital, the leading figures of the civil rights movement flew to Mississippi to carry on his effort. They

Abolitionist’s descendant to appear at exhibit

THE CELEBRATION LASTS 28 DAYS; THE CONTRIBUTION, A LIFETIME. No amount of time would be sufficient to recognize all of the trailblazers who saw what no one else could, did what no one else dared and gave us all what we needed most. Georgia Power is proud to honor the achievements of African-Americans throughout Black History Month and more importantly beyond.

A special exhibit celebrating abolitionist Frederick Douglass and his contributions to America’s triumph over slavery and inhumanity will be on display on Feb. 14 at the Stonecrest Library in Lithonia.

“The Liberated Life and Turbulent Times of Frederick Douglass” takes place from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.

F o r m e r At l a n t a Frederick Douglass Hawks player Mike “Stinger” Glenn will share exhibit items from his private collection, which includes first edition and rare books, newspapers and other documents that illuminate Douglass’ America.

The event includes a special performance about the life of Douglass by the internationally acclaimed performer “The Spirit of Frederick Douglass.”

Nettie Washington Douglass, greatgreat-granddaughter of Frederick Douglass and chair of the Frederick Douglass Family Foundation, will be a special guest.

The Stonecrest Library is at 3123 Klondike Road. For more information, visit www. dekalblibrary.org or call 770-482-3828.

Lou Walker group in concert at library The Negro spiritual “Great Gettin’ Up Morning,” written by gospel great Mahalia Jackson, will be performed by the Lou Walker Senior Center Performing Arts Group on Feb. 11.

“Hallelujah: In That Great Gettin’ Up Mornin’!” takes place at 7 p.m. at the Decatur Library.

The musical program is part of the library’s Black History Month observance.

Jackson, who died in 1972, was a powerful contralto. She wrote and popularized “Great Gettin’ Up Morning.”

Funding for the concert is provided by the Friends of the Decatur Library.

The library is at 215 Sycamore St. in downtown Decatur. For more information, visit www.dekalblibrary.org or call 404-3703070.

quickly found themselves confronting Southern law enforcement officials, local activists, and one another.

In the span of only three weeks, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. narrowly escaped a vicious mob attack; protesters were tear-gassed by state police; President Lyndon Johnson refused to intervene; and the charismatic young activist Stokely Carmichael first led the chant that would define a new kind of civil

rights movement: Black Power.

Goudsouzian, chairman of the Department of History at the University of Memphis, reveals the legacy of an event that would both integrate African-Americans into the political system and inspire even bolder protests against it.

Goudsouzian is also author of “King of the Court: Bill Russell and the Basketball Revolution,” “The Hurricane of 1938,” and “Sidney Poitier: Man, Actor, Icon.”

The Jimmy Carter Presidential Library & Museum is at 441 Freedom Parkway in Atlanta.

For more information, visit www.jimmycarterlibrary.gov or call 404-865-7100.

georgiapower.com

8

CrossRoadsNews

Youth

February 8, 2014

“All the programs should be on the same page. This law puts us in line with the national standard of care for concussions.”

Measure to protect young athletes from concussions in effect Georgia’s Return to Play law, which is designed to protect children and teens from the deadly effects of concussions, went into effect on Jan. 1.

The new law calls for concussion management policies within each school system to raise awareness about the injuries with school staff and youth athletes’ parents and establish actions to be taken when an injury occurs during practices or games, and it requires each athlete with a concussion to get clearance from a medical professional before he or she can return to their sport, the Georgia Department of Public Health says.

Youth sports leagues outside of schools are required to provide parents with information about concussions at the start of their sport’s season.

Georgia joins 43 other states in the adoption of concussion legislation, part of a growing national awareness of the dangers of head injuries for children and teens.

Gov. Nathan Deal signed Return to Play in April 2013. State Rep. Billy Mitchell (DStone Mountain) was author of the law.

Mitchell said he became aware that there was insufficient law to protect student athletes when he was approached by Shaun Davis of Decatur, whose son, Courtney, has been a quarterback since seventh grade and has had several concussions. He graduated from Columbia High in 2013. The NFL, the Atlanta Falcons and Children’s Healthcare also supported the legislation.

The national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that U.S. hospital emergency departments annually treat about 173,285 sports- and recreation-related traumatic brain injuries, including concussions, among children and adolescents up to 19 years old.

Carol Ball, program consultant in the Office of Injury Prevention at the Department of Public Health, acknowledges that concussion injuries are not new to youth sports.

“These injuries are often considered as just a ‘bump on the head’ or getting your ‘bell rung,’” Ball said. “But doctors and researchers are discovering that these injuries are much more serious, especially to young athletes.”

Many Georgia schools and club sports already take precautions when it comes to athletes who may have concussions, says Harold King, manager of sports athletic training and community outreach at Children’s Harold King Healthcare of Atlanta.

King said the law encourages all sports programs, including those at private schools and in recreational leagues, to take concussions seriously.

“All the programs should be on the same page,” King said. “This law puts us in line with the national standard of care for concussions.”

Concussions, a type of traumatic brain injury, happen when a person is hit hard enough to disrupt the way the brain normally works. Although a hit can be hard enough to knock a person out, most people don’t lose consciousness when they get a concussion.

More often, they show a range of signs and

symptoms – anything from headaches, nausea and fatigue to confusion, dizziness and feeling irritable or depressed.

To fully recover from a concussion, an athlete needs complete rest, not only from sports but from school, homework, even watching television or using computers, experts say. Recovery time can last from days to weeks, depending on how long it takes the athlete’s symptoms to completely fade away.

The Department of Public Health is encouraging schools and sports leagues to go above and beyond the law by requiring coaches and sports staff to take extra concussion management training courses, many of which are available online. The Georgia High School Association and the Georgia Independent School Association already have exceeded the law by requiring such training for coaches.

For more information, visit www.cdc. gov/concussion/headsup/youth.html, http:// nfhslearn.com, www.choa.org, and http:// dph.georgia.gov/return-play.

Scholarship applications due Feb. 28

Nine-week series offers CRCT help

accredited college or university, High school seniors and underor to current high school seniors graduate and graduate students in preparing to become a full-time the 4th Congressional District have undergraduate students. until Feb. 28 to apply for the ConFor more information and gressional Black Caucus Foundation to apply, visit www.cbcfinc.org/ General Mills Health Scholarship.

Leadership-Education/cbcsRep. Hank Johnson, who repcheerios.html or contact Peggy resents the 4th District, is urging Stenzel at pstenzel@scholarshieligible students to apply.

Hank Johnson pamerica.org or 507-931-1682.

The CBC General Mills Health To contact the Congressional Black Scholarship awards scholarships to academically talented and highly motivated Caucus Foundation, e-mail scholarships@ undergraduate or graduate students at an cbcfinc.org or call 202-263-2800.

Children in grades three through eight who need help to prepare for the CRCT can attend a nine-week series on test-taking strategies at Stonecrest Library through April 2.

The “Lights On After School” sessions, which will be held from 3:30 to 7:30 p.m.

Mondays and Tuesdays, are facilitated by certified teacher Lillian Bittaye. The sessions include practice tests, test scoring, and strategies for improving test scores.

The series is presented by Sojourner Truth Observational Study Hometel, a nonprofit, community-based outreach program

designed to provide youth services, advocacy, and tutoring on computers to foster needy, homeless, and at-risk youth throughout Georgia and across the country. For more information, visit www.letthechildrenlive. net.

CRCT measure how students proficiency in reading, English/language arts, mathematics, science and social studies.

To register for Lights On After School, call or visit the branch at 3123 Klondike Road in Lithonia. For more information, call 770-482-3828.

MG lineman going to UT-Chattanooga

Step up the pace.

Miller Grove High’s two-way lineman Branden Parker has committed to play football for the University of TennesseeChattanooga’s Mocs.

Branden, who is 6-foot-3 and tips the scales at 250 pounds, made the decision Jan. 12 while on an official visit to the school.

“I knew once I put that jersey on and walked out on the field that this is where I wanted to be,” he told the Chattanooga Times Free Press. “I just liked everything about the visit. I like where it’s located, so my family can drive up in just a couple of hours to watch us. And I like the atmosphere around

Be Fearless.

it, the coaches, the city, the campus. I won’t be making any more visits. This is where I want to be.”

Branden, who plays both offensive and defensive tackle for Miller Grove, is projected to play offensive tackle or guard for the Mocs.

Miller Grove coach Damien Wimes said the Mocs are getting a very good player.

“He’s real tough and very athletic,” he said. “He can move for a guy his size, and he’s also a student of the game. He’s a real bright kid who comes from a good family, so I think it’s a real good fit for him.

Online student

Lindsay Little

enrolled in an accounting class while studying abroad.

Cele 21 Ye brating ar Comm s in the unity

Are you juggling work and family and just need one class to graduate? Maybe you want to start college by taking just an art or history class? In any case, GPC offers eight-week spring courses on campus and online to fit your busy schedule. Second-half registration is now open for classes starting March 19. Registration must be completed by February 21.

gpc.edu/secondhalf Crossroads 2nd Half Ad.indd 1

2/3/14 3:59 PM

9

CrossRoadsNews

February 8, 2014

Wellness

“Put simply, the sale of tobacco products is inconsistent with our purpose.”

CVS pharmacies to end sales of cigarettes, tobacco products CVS Caremark, which operates 7,600 CVS/pharmacy stores in DeKalb County and across the U.S., said this week that it will stop selling cigarettes and other tobacco products at all of its stores by Oct. 1.

The Feb. 5 announcement makes CVS/ pharmacy the first national pharmacy chain to take the step in support of the health and well-being of its patients and customers.

Larry J. Merlo, CVS Caremark president and CEO, said that ending the sale of cigarettes and tobacco products at CVS/ pharmacy is the right thing to do to help people on their path to better health.

“Put simply, the sale Larry J. Merlo of tobacco products is inconsistent with our purpose,” Merlo said.

Smoking is the leading cause of premature disease and death in the United States with more than 480,000 deaths annually.

While the prevalence of cigarette smoking has decreased from approximately 42 percent of adults in 1965 to 18 percent today, the rate of reduction in smoking prevalence has stalled in the past decade. More interventions, such as reducing the availability of cigarettes, are needed.

Merlo said that as the delivery of health care evolves with an emphasis on better health outcomes, reducing chronic disease and controlling costs, CVS Caremark is playing an expanded role in providing care through its pharmacists and nurse practitioners.

“The significant action we’re taking today by removing tobacco products from our retail shelves further distinguishes us in how we are serving our patients, clients and health care providers and better positions us for continued growth in the evolving health care marketplace,” he said.

The pharmacy chain also launched a national campaign to help millions of Americans quit smoking.

In a Feb. 5 statement President Barack Obama praised CVS Caremark for its decision to stop selling cigarettes and other tobacco products in its stores.

“As one of the largest retailers and pharmacies in America, CVS Caremark sets a powerful example,” the president said, “Today’s decision will help advance my administration’s efforts to reduce tobacco-related deaths, cancer and heart disease as well as bring down health care costs – ultimately saving lives and protecting untold numbers of families from pain and heartbreak for years to come.”

CVS Caremark’s decision is consistent with positions taken by the American Medical Association, American Heart Association, American Cancer Society, American Lung Association and American Pharmacists Association that have all publicly opposed tobacco sales in retail outlets with pharmacies.

Merlo said that as a leader of the health care community focused on improving health outcomes they are pledging to help

millions of Americans quit smoking.

“In addition to removing cigarettes and tobacco products for sale, we will undertake a robust national smoking cessation program.” he said.

The program, launching this spring, is expected to include information and treatment on smoking cessation at CVS/pharmacy and MinuteClinic along with online resources. It will be available across all the company’s locations and will offer additional comprehensive programs to help benefit plan members to quit smoking. Approximately seven in 10 smokers say they want to quit and about half attempt to quit each year.

Helena B. Foulkes, CVS/pharmacy president, said that every day, customers and patients place their trust in the company’s 26,000 pharmacists and nurse practitioners to serve their health care needs.

“Removing tobacco products from our stores is an important step in helping Americans to quit smoking and get healthy,” she said.

Georgia drops two slots, to 38th, in ranking of nation’s healthiest states Georgia lost ground in the 2013 America’s Health Rankings, dropping back to 38th among the 50 states.

It ranked 36th in 2012.

Hawaii is the healthiest state, replacing Vermont, which dropped to second this year and has ranked among the top five states for the past decade.

Mississippi ranks 50th, and Arkansas, 49, Louisiana, 48, Alabama 47, and West Virginia, 46, complete the five least healthy states.

Nationwide, Americans improved in a majority of the measures captured by the rankings. The most notable gains came in key behavioral measures, including smoking, physical activity and obesity.

The United Health Foundation, which released America’s Health Rankings: A Call to Action for Individuals & Their Communities last December, said Americans are making considerable progress in their

overall health.

The 24th edition of the rankings spotlights Georgia’s strengths and challenges.

Among its strengths: n In the past year, binge drinking decreased from 16.6 percent of adults to 14.4 percent. n The high school graduation rate improved for the seventh consecutive year, rising from 60.8 percent of incoming ninth-graders who graduate in four years in 2006 to 69.9 percent today. n In the past year, the infant mortality rate decreased from 7.7 to 6.9 deaths per 1,000 live births.

Among its challenges: n In Georgia, more than 2.1 million adults are obese and more than 720,000 adults have diabetes. n The percent of children in poverty increased from 20.4 percent in 2007 to 27.1 percent of people younger than 18 years,

continuing an upward trend since the 2004 edition. n The percent of low birthweight infants, at 9.4 percent of births, has remained relatively constant for the past six years.

The Georgia Department of Public Health has used America’s Health Rankings to transform state health systems. It partnered with the March of Dimes and area hospitals to reduce rates of infant mortality, and Gov. Nathan Deal announced the Georgia SHAPE initiative that combines the efforts of state agencies, health providers, schools, sports teams, and philanthropic groups to

reduce rates of obesity.

To reduce rates of tobacco use, the Department of Public Health is partnering with school districts across the state to adopt 100 percent tobacco-free schools. About 86 school districts have adopted the policy.

America’s Health Rankings, an annual comprehensive assessment of the nation’s health on a state-by state basis, is published jointly by United Health Foundation, American Public Health Association and Partnership for Prevention.

To see the full rankings, visit www.americashealthrankings.org.

Memorial fund can honor DUI victims Families can honor a loved one killed in a DUI crash on Georgia state highways with a memorial sign.

The Criminal Justice Coordinating Committee, which operates the Georgia Crime Victims Compensation Program, is raising awareness about the DUI Memorial Fund.

If a loved one has passed away from a

car crash on a Georgia state highway caused by a motorist driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol, a memorial sign can be placed at the crash site upon request from an immediate family member.

For more information or to apply to honor a loved one, visit http://cjcc.georgia.gov/ dui-memorial-fund or call 404-657-2222.

FREE Blood Pressure & Diabetes Health Screening Tuesday, February 11, 2014 1-3pm

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www.flatshoalsinternalmedicine.com Where your doctor knows your name.

Our goal is to provide high-quality medical care for you and your family with courtesy and understanding.

Our board-certified internal medicine physicians provide comprehensive medical treatment to adults ages 17 years and older.

We are conveniently located just outside I-285 on Flat Shoals Pkwy and have been serving the metro-Atlanta area for over 15 years.

To schedule an appointment and meet your partner in health call 404.596-4791.

• John J. Oliga, M.D. • Grantley F. Joseph, M.D.

• Carmen Echols, M.D. • Daryl Sherrod, M.D.

10

Wellness

CrossRoadsNews

February 8, 2014

Maintain a healthy weight. Being overweight or obese can increase your risk for heart disease.

Give your heart some love during American Heart Month A healthy heart is a prized possession and during February, which is celebrated as American Heart Month, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that adults can do their heart good with a few simple steps.

The national centers, which is based in DeKalb County, says heart disease is preventable and controllable.

This month it is offering weekly tips to fight heart disease, the leading cause of death for both men and women.

Every year, about 715,000 Americans have a heart attack and one out of every four deaths, about 600,000 people die from heart disease in the United States annually.

The term “heart disease” refers to several types of heart conditions. The most common type is coronary heart disease, also called coronary artery disease. It occurs when a substance called plaque builds up in the arteries that supply blood to the heart.

Coronary heart disease can cause heart attack, angina, heart failure, and arrhythmias.

Cardiovascular disease, including heart disease and stroke, costs the country $312.6 billion each year for health care services, medications, and lost productivity. These conditions also are leading causes of disability, preventing Americans from working and enjoying family activities.

The CDC’s tip-a-day for heart health includes: n Don’t become overwhelmed. Every step brings you closer to a healthier heart. n Don’t go it alone. The journey is more fun when you have company. Ask friends and family to join you. n Don’t get discouraged. You may not be able to take all of the steps at one time. Get a good night’s sleep and do what you can tomorrow. n Reward yourself. Find fun things to do to decrease your stress. Round up some colleagues for a lunchtime walk, join a singing group, or have a healthy dinner with your family or friends.

Plan for prevention Some health conditions and lifestyle factors can put people at a higher risk for developing heart disease. You can help prevent heart disease by making healthy choices and managing any medical conditions you may have. n Eat a healthy diet. Choosing healthful meal and snack options can help you avoid heart disease and its complications. Be sure to eat plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables – adults should have at least five servings each day. Eating foods low in saturated fat, trans fat, and

cholesterol and high in fiber can help prevent high cholesterol. Limiting salt or sodium in your diet also can lower your blood pressure. For more information, visit www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/ dnpao/index.html and ChooseMyPlate. gov. n Maintain a healthy weight. Being overweight or obese can increase your risk for heart disease. To determine whether your weight is in a healthy range, doctors calculate your body mass index, or BMI. With your weight and height, you can calculate your BMI at www.cdc.gov/healthyweight/assessing/bmi. n Exercise regularly. Physical activity can help you maintain a healthy weight and lower cholesterol and blood pressure. The Surgeon General recommends that adults should engage in moderate-intensity exercise for at least 30 minutes on most days of the week. For more information, visit www.cdc. gov/nccdphp/dnpao/index.html. n Monitor your blood pressure. High blood pressure often has no symptoms, so be sure to have it checked on a regular basis. You can check your blood pressure at home, at a pharmacy, or at a doctor’s office. Find more information at www. cdc.gov/bloodpressure. n Don’t smoke. Cigarette smoking greatly increases your risk for heart disease. If you don’t smoke, don’t start. If you do smoke, quit as soon as possible. Your doctor can suggest ways to help you quit. For more information about tobacco use and quitting, visit www.cdc.gov/tobacco and Smokefree.gov. n Limit alcohol use. Avoid drinking too much alcohol, which can increase your blood pressure. Men should stick to no more than two drinks per day, and women to no more than one. For more information, visit www.cdc.gov/alcohol/ fact-sheets/alcohol-use.htm. n Have your cholesterol checked. Your health care provider should test your cholesterol levels at least once every five years. Talk with your doctor about this simple blood test. Find out more at www.cdc.gov/cholesterol. n Manage your diabetes. If you have diabetes, monitor your blood sugar levels closely, and talk with your doctor about treatment options. For more information, visit www.cdc.gov/ diabetes. n Take your medicine. If you’re taking medication to treat high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or diabetes, follow your doctor’s instructions carefully. Always ask questions if you don’t understand something.

For more ideas about simple steps to take every day for better heart health, visit www. cdc.gov/salt/healthy_heart_tips.htm.

Million Hearts is a national initiative to prevent 1 million heart attacks and strokes in the by 2017. For more information, visit http://millionhearts.hhs.gov/index.html.

you are hereby notified that on November 4, 2013 the above-named Plaintiff filed suit against you for: Divorce You are required to file with the Clerk of Superior Court, and to serve upon the plaintiffís attorney whose name and address is Angela J. Ricetti Atlanta Legal Aid Soc. 246 Sycamore St, Suite 120 Decatur, Ga 30030-3434. Answer in writing within sixty (60) days of, January 31, 2014 Witness the Honorable Tangela M. Barrie Judge of the DeKalb Superior Court.

This the 31st day of January, 2014.

Legal Notices 1/25, 2/1, 2/8, 2/15

NOTICE OF PUBLICATION In the Superior Court of DeKalb County State of Georgia

Civil Action # ++14CV1171-3++ Edith Meeks Plaintiff Vs. Richard Meeks Defendant 248 Quincy Place Canton , Ga 30114

By Order of the Court service for service by publication dated January 15, 2014 you are hereby notified that on January 7, 2014 the above-named Plaintiff filed suit against you for: Divorce You are required to file with the Clerk of Superior Court, and to serve upon the plaintiffís attorney whose name and address is Edith Meeks 1303 Constitution Rd SE Atlanta, Ga 30316.

Answer in writing within sixty (60) days of, January 15, 2014 Witness the Honorable Clarence Seeliger Judge of the DeKalb Superior Court.

This the 15th day of January, 2014.

1/25, 2/1, 2/8, 2/15

Civil Action Case Number: ++ 14CV1295-2++ Bianca Lynn Hudson filed a petition in the DeKalb County Superior Court on January 14, 2014 to change the name from: Bianca Lynn Hudson to Hudson Lynn Marr. Any interested party has the right to appear in this case and file objections within 30 days after the petition was filed.

Dated: January 10, 2014 Bianca Lynn Hudson Petitioner, Pro se 3261 Pinehill Dr Decatur, Ga 30032 (404)-633-3668

Eric Tchamako Plaintiff Vs. Angela Francis Defendant TO: Angela Francis 4370 Northwest 22nd Ave Opa Locka, FL 33054

By Order of the Court service for service by publication dated January 15, 2014 you are hereby notified that on December 20, 2013 the above-named Plaintiff filed suit against you for: Compliant for Divorce You are required to file with the Clerk of Superior Court, and to serve upon the plaintiffís attorney whose name and address is Eric Tchamako 2916 Clairmont Road, Atlanta, Ga 30329 .Answer in writing within sixty (60) days of, January 15, 2014.

Witness the Honorable Clarience Seeliger Judge of the DeKalb Superior Court.

1/25, 2/1, 2/8, 2/15

02/8, 2/15, 2/22 3/1

Notice of Petition to Change Name of Adult in the Superior Court of DeKalb County State of Georgia

NOTICE OF PUBLICATION

NOTICE OF PUBLICATION

Civil Action # ++13CV12860-3++

Civil Action # ++13CV10657-10++

In the Superior Court of DeKalb County State of Georgia

In the Superior Court of DeKalb County State of Georgia

Erika Garcia Valente Plaintiff Vs. Marco Lorenzo Bibiano Defendant

By Order of the Court service for service by publication dated January 28, 2014

1/25, 2/1, 2/8, 2/15

NOTICE OF PUBLICATION In the Superior Court of DeKalb County State of Georgia

Civil Action # ++14CV1165-3++ Leontyne Scott Plaintiff Vs. Anthony Jackson Defendant

By Order of the Court service for service by publication dated January 15,2014 you are hereby notified that on January 7, 2014 the above-named Plaintiff filed suit against you for: Divorce You are required to file with the Clerk of Superior Court, and to serve upon the plaintiffís attorney whose name and address is553 Wynbrooke Pkwy, Stone Mountain Ga, 30087. Answer in writing within sixty (60) days of, January 15, 2014 Witness the Honorable Clarence Seeliger Judge of the DeKalb Superior Court.

This the 15th day of January, 2014.

DeKalb County Sheriff

4415 Memorial Drive • Decatur, GA 30032

Sex Offender

David Dyke 3262 Bety Circle Decatur, GA 30032 Charge of Child Molestation, Convicted on 6 18 2000

Sex Offender

Jeffery Little 4815 Buford Hwy Chamblee, GA 30341 Charge of Statutory Rape.

Convicted on 01 07 2008

Sex Offender

Richard Lucas 5585 Rocksprings Road, Lithonia, GA 30028 Charge of Aggravated Assault.

Convicted on 06 27 2012

Sex Offender

Evon Wright 5030 W. Mountain St., Stone Mountain, GA 30083 Charge of Child Molestation.

Convicted on 12 18 2003

11

CrossRoadsNews

February 8, 2014

People

“I trust the residents of our county will use this election to select leaders who will commit themselves to improving outcomes for students across the system.”

School board appointee will not run for seat

By Ken Watts

Curtis Parker / CrossRoadsNews

From left to right, Karyn Green, Jennifer Parker, Steen Miles and Valerie Hill Morgan pose with their awards on Feb. 6 after the DeKalb History Center’s Honoring Women in Media 7th Annual Black History Month Celebration.

History center honors DeKalb women in media CrossRoadsNews editor/publisher Jennifer Parker was on of five women in the media honored by the DeKalb History Center at its seventh annual Black History Month Celebration on Feb. 6.

The other honorees were On Common Ground editor-in-chief Valerie Hill Morgan; retired broadcaster and former state Sen. Steen

“News Lady” Miles; WXIA-TV 11Alive anchor Karyn Greer; and radio personality Rashan Ali. The awards luncheon at the Historic DeKalb Courthouse was presented by the Champion Newspaper and emceed by its publisher Carolyn Glenn.

Navy pioneer honored for service Thomas Swann Holden Jr., who prepared a hot breakfast for four years for hundreds of people at DeKalb Commissioner Stan Watson’s Community Cabinet, was honored posthumously by Watson on Feb. 1.

Holden died on Jan. 29, 2013, at the age of 92.

His widow, Ella, accepted the proclamation and flowers during the monthly community meeting attended by about 200 people.

On the first day of Black History Month, Watson said he was honoring Holden for his service in the U.S. Navy.

Watson said that “Pop Holden,” as he was affectionately known, was the Navy’s first African-American gunnery sergeant. He served in World War II, Korean and Vietnam wars before being honoarably discharged on June 1, 1972, as a Gunner’s Mate 6 First Class.

John Coleman, who was appointed last year to the DeKalb School Board by Gov. Nathan Deal, says he will not seek election to the board. He is the first of six replacement school board members to address the upcoming 2014 election.

All seats on the school board will be up for grabs this fall as state legislators John Coleman reduced the size of the board from nine to seven.

Coleman, who represents District 1 in north DeKalb, notified Board Chairman Melvin Johnson of his decision in a Feb. 2 letter. He said that he has been honored to represent the residents of DeKalb and to work on behalf of the students in our schools.

“I believe we have accomplished a great deal over the past year – improving the financial and operational health of the system, reforming our governance policies, drafting a new strategy for the future, and working with staff and community members to restore trust,” he said. “Despite this progress, there is much work to do, and I look forward to dedicating myself fully to continued reforms and improvements over the course of the coming year.”

The other appointees – Michael Erwin, District 3; David Campbell, District 5; Joyce Morley, District 7; Karen Carter, District 8; and Thaddeus Mayfield, District 9 – have not yet indicated what they will do.

Coleman said he felt confident that qualified candidates would run for the board.

“I trust the residents of our county will use this election to select leaders who will commit themselves to improving outcomes for students across the system,” he wrote.

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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.

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12

CrossRoadsNews

February 8, 2014

legal

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