BLACK HISTORY
YOUTH
Sharing heroines’ story
Excellence in JROTC
Students from Bob Mathis Elementary will get to see “Hidden Figures,” compliments of two nearby homeowners associations. 4
Tucker Air Force Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps received the Exceeds Standards ranking during its recent inspection. 7
Let’s Keep DeKalb Peachy Clean Please Don’t Litter Our Streets and Highways
EAST ATLANTA • DECATUR • STONE MOUNTAIN • LITHONIA • AVONDALE ESTATES • CLARKSTON • ELLENWOOD • PINE LAKE • REDAN • SCOTTDALE • TUCKER
Copyright © 2017 CrossRoadsNews, Inc.
February 25, 2017
Volume 22, Number 44
www.crossroadsnews.com
Stonecrest’s New Jewel
$200M complex to transform new city Entertainment, sports venues hallmark of plan By Terry Shropshire
A $200-million, 200-acre multifaceted sports and entertainment complex unveiled Wednesday before a cheering crowd in the new city of Stonecrest will transform the area, owners and developers say. The “Atlanta Sports City at Stonecrest,” adjacent to the 1.3 million-square-foot Mall at Stonecrest on Mall Parkway, will devour all the vacant lots between Stonecrest Trace and Evans Mill roads. It is the single largest project in south DeKalb County since the construction of the Mall of Stonecrest in 2001 at a cost of $131 million. Owners, investors and the developers touted the project’s accessibility to HartsfieldJackson Airport and interstates 20 and 285 and said it will attract thousands of people to the city to attend sports tournaments and championships. They said the privately funded sports city will have 29 fields for soccer, football and baseball, five full-sized courts for basketball and volleyball, an outdoor covered stadium, two sports training facilities, a sports
Jennifer Ffrench Parker / CrossRoadsNews
Patrick Henderson, CEO of Atlanta Sports Connection, speaks at the unveiling of Atlanta Sports City at Stonecrest on Feb. 22. With him are Zeric Foster, Vaughn Irons, and James Tsismanakis.
medicine pavilion, an extreme sports zone, a 15,000-seat professional stadium, hotels, and a 340,000-square-foot culture and entertainment district with one-of-a-kind sit-down restaurants and upscale boutiques. Atlanta Sports City at Stonecrest joins the
Patrick Henderson, CEO of Atlanta Sports Connection, which owns the project, said he and his partner, COO Zeric Foster, worked for eight years to bring the project into fruition. “It’s been a long time coming,” he told the crowd of more than 200 gathered for the Feb. 22 unveiling. “The Atlanta Sports Connection is not only here to help develop sports and entertainment, sports medicine, corporate development, but we’re here to help enrich the community and help connect communities through sports.” Vaughn Irons, CEO of APD Solutions, which coordinated the partnership that brought the project to DeKalb County, said it will bring almost 2,000 jobs to the new city and generate more than $105 million in annual economic impact on Stonecrest and DeKalb County and have a nearly $200 million impact on the state of Georgia overall. Discover DeKalb, the county’s tourism office, said the complex also will generate $80 million in new demand for lodging, food and entertainment in the county. Irons said Atlanta Sports City is second only to Disney’s ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex, which has 220 acres, and will turn Stonecrest into a true sports paradise. “By 2020, this entire area will be transformed,” he said. “I want it to be a place where you tell your friends, ‘I don’t want to
two other new sports facilities in the metro Atlanta area, including the new SunTrust Park for the Atlanta Braves in Cobb County and the trillion-dollar Mercedes-Benz Stadium for the Atlanta Falcons in downtown Please see COMPLEX, page 5 Atlanta.
Stonecrest to become the state’s, region’s soccer mecca By Jennifer Ffrench Parker
In two years, the city of Stonecrest will be home to two professional soccer teams and it will be hosting regional and national soccer championships, bringing thousands of fans to south DeKalb County. First Team SC Sports and the Georgia Soccer Association said this week that the proposed Atlanta Sports City at Stonecrest that is going up on 200 acres along Mall Parkway between Stonecrest Trace and Evans Mill
Road “is a fantastic location” for the fast-growing sport. To roars of approval from a crowd of more than 200, Trey Brantley, First Team CEO, said his organization will field a professional men’s soccer Trey Brantley team there in 2018 and follow up in 2019 with a women’s professional soccer team.
“The two teams will play in a facility that is unique throughout the entire land,” he said. “A sports complex dedicated to the idea that game day isn’t just about the professionals. A stadium literally surrounded by soccer fields, a home for the next generation of soccer.” Greg Griffith, Georgia Soccer executive director, said the facility is going to allow players to play in metro Atlanta instead of driving hours to host their tournaments and the association that hosts seven tournaments will now be able to host them here.
“It’s going to make everyone in the Atlanta metropolitan area very happy to come out and play in a top-ranked facility,” he said. Brantley did not offer a name for the men’s team, but he said it will vie against “some of the best competition in the country.” He said that and the women’s team will bring Atlanta the franchise the city deserves and they will win multiple championships. Because Atlanta is an international town
Please see SPORTS, page 5
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Community
February 25, 2017
“What we are building here today is a first-class sports and entertainment destination.”
Early voting begins Feb. 27 Stonecrest forum at First Afrikan Church 20 candidates vying for Stonecrest mayor and and George Turner for District 4; and Diane Adoma, for Stonecrest mayor, council cityThe council will faceoff at a Feb. 27 forum co-hosted Tammy Grimes, Lloyd Morrison and Richard Stone Early voting begins Feb. 27 for the March 21 city of Stonecrest elections. Twenty candidates are vying for mayor and five council seats. Early voting takes place week days through March 17, only at the DeKalb Elections Office, 4380 Memorial Drive in Decatur. The polls are open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. On election day, all polling precincts in the city will open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Runoffs, if needed, will take place April 18. A sample ballot is available at www.dekalbvotes.com. Residents can verify if they live within the new city or their council district by visiting http://stonecrestcityalliance.com/dmap.html and searching by their address. The winners of the March 21 election will make up the first elected government of the new city of 50,000 that went into effect on Jan. 1.
by CrossRoadsNews and First African Presbyterian Community Action Team. The forum takes place 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Lithonia church. The three candidates for Mayor are Douglas Favors, Charles Hill, Jr., and Jason Lary. Seventeen men and women are seeking five council seats. They are Jimmy Clanton, Charles Ross, and Plez Joyner for District 1; Alexis Morris, Gretchen Tolbert and Rob Turner for District 2; Jazzmin Cobble and Eric Hubbard for District 3; Geraldine Champion, Jay Cunningham, Mary-Pat Hector, Jonathan Phillips
for District 5. The will discuss their vision for the new city of 50,000, why the voters should pick them, and the top issues facing the city and if elected, what they will do about them. The forum will be moderated by CrossRoadsNews editor/publisher Jennifer Parker and FAPC First Lady, Lillie Shaw Lomax, who is a former television reporter and anchor. First African church is at 5197 Salem Road in Lithonia. For more information, call 404-284-1888.
Project’s impact to be felt across state, Southeast, Discover DeKalb says COMPLEX,
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meet in Midtown because you can meet me in Stonecrest.’” The applause from the crowd of residents, civic and business leaders, and candidates for office was thunderous. When completed in 2020, the sports city will be home to 22 sports teams, including professional men’s and women’s soccer teams, within the next two years. It will host tournaments and championships. First Team SC Sports CEO Trey Brantley said his organization will host a men’s professional soccer team starting in 2018 and its goal is to bring women’s soccer to the city in 2019. In addition, Atlanta Sports City will include: n Soccer Village, featuring eight multi-use fields and outdoor covered stadium. n The Diamond District, seven baseball and softball fields and batting cages. n Xtreme Heights, an extreme sports area including a skate park, ziplining, rock climbing and team building. n Stonecrest Stadium, a 15,000-seat sta-
Terry Shropshire / CrossRoadsNews
Residents, civic and business leaders, and candidates for office constituted the huge crowd that gathered to learn about the new Atlanta Sports City development.
dium for championship games, matches, exhibitions, practices and home games for professional sports teams. n Uptown – the Entertainment District. The 340,000-square-foot complex will include retail shops, restaurants, music and comedy venues, grocery store, Sports Walk
of Fame and Sports City Market. n City Center, the main entrance with ticket gate, welcome center, retail kiosks and children’s playground. Construction will start in the March and take two and a half year to complete. James Tsismanakis, Discover DeKalb executive director, said the project’s impact will be felt across the state and the Southeast. “Just 20 minutes east of downtown Atlanta, the location of this project is key,” he said. “This will be a destination between Augusta and Atlanta allowing us the opportunity to compete for regional and national sporting events. An estimated 3 million visitors will visit Atlanta Sports City, creating a demand for more hotels, retail shops, restaurants and entertainment experiences that metro Atlanta has not seen.” Irons said they will have temporary office space right away and tournaments will begin this year. He said they are in a movement to make
the Atlanta Sports City at Stonecrest the most desired sports, recreation and entertainment venue on the planet. “What we are building here today is a first-class sports and entertainment destination,” he said. “We are going to convert every parcel of vacant property that you see here, that the residents have been bellyaching for years, into that shining place on the hill.” Jason Lary, a candidate for mayor of Stonecrest and one of the city’s founders, said he is happy that the project, which is privately funded, will not be a financial burden on the citizens. “Not only does it not take away from the tax base,” he said, “it adds revenue to our tax base. This is how you reduce taxes in a new city.” Mera Cardenas, executive director of the Arabia Mountain National Heritage Area Alliance, said the project could expand the 4,000-acre area’s market and the reach. “When the game is over, we will be able to introduce all those people to the rich cultural area around them,” she said. “We can show them Arabia Mountain, the trails, the Monastery, and all the area has to offer.” Jim Kelly of Kelly Land Co., who owns land in the Lithonia Industrial Park, was in the audience. He was pleased with what he heard. “It’s great,” he said. “It’s something that we have been needing for 25 years. It will help the whole surrounding area. It could help us in the Industrial Park too.” Plez Joyner, who worked to create the city of Stonecrest and is a candidate for the Stonecrest City Council, called the announcement awesome. “We thought we were going to start Stonecrest off slow,” he said. “Instead we are starting at a sprint.”
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“It should be viewed and addressed as the number one priority for this administration.”
CEO Thurmond seeks budget amendment to fix water woes By Rosie Manins
DeKalb’s water billing woes are so vast, county CEO Michael Thurmond is asking the Board of Commissioners to consider an amendment to his proposed $1.3 billion budget for 2017 when the board meets to adopt it on Tuesday morning. Thurmond would not say how big a change it will be but he told commissioners that the water issue “is the most critical Michael Thurmond crisis facing our county today.” “It should be viewed and addressed as the number one priority for this administration,” he said, blaming the problems on “systemic deficits in leadership, management
and oversight.” The BOC must approve the county’s 2017 budget on Feb. 28. Since taking office on Jan. 1, Thurmond has spent more than a month working with county staff to identify exactly what has gone wrong with water metering and billing in the last decade, which systems and procedures are failing, what technology is outdated, how many bills are under dispute, and what solutions can be implemented. “It was a painful and embarrassing process,” he told commissioners at a special called meeting on Feb. 23. “There were some tears, and quite frankly, this is what had to happen in order for us to get to where we are today.” Standing in front of about 100 people, including many staff responsible for water billing, Thurmond apologized to residents
for the county’s inability to correctly handle its water billing responsibilities. “Over the last two years there has been a growing chorus of complaints, anger, frustration, even disgust, with the quality of service that was being provided to our customers – customers that have been plagued by inaccurate and sometimes inordinately high bills,” he said. DeKalb has about 185,700 residential water customers and 6,100 commercial customers, 14 meter readers and five in training. About 40,000 meters installed between 2011 and 2014 are defective and prone to malfunction. Since 2007, the average bimonthly water bill has increased by 212 percent. In 2016, customers disputed 8,702 water bills; 3,762 were resolved and 4,940 remain open.
In total, 37,000 bills dating back to September 2016 are on hold pending verification. Thurmond said the county’s 15-year-old water billing system is outdated; meter readers and other employees are understaffed, under-trained, and underpaid; there is poor communication between departments; old meters are not recording accurate usage; some meters have been installed incorrectly; about 3,000 meters have been buried under sidewalks, structures or landscaping; and computing systems are not integrated. “There is no one cause, no one culprit, and no quick fix for the problem,” he said. The BOC’s Feb. 28 meeting starts at 9 a.m. in the Manuel Maloof Auditorium, 1300 Commerce Drive in Decatur. It will host the final public hearing into the budget before approving it.
Job training, employment help at fair Town hall meeting to discuss “By creating an environACA repeal, effect on seniors ment where constituents can By Rosie Manins
Job hunters needing help with job readiness training and employment can attend the free public Career and Community Resources Fair being hosted by U.S. Rep. Hank Johnson at Georgia Piedmont Technical College’s Clarkston campus on Friday, March 3. More than a dozen government agencies, colleges, businesses and corporations are expected at the second annual Resources Fair hosted by Johnson, who represents the 4th Congressional District that includes parts of DeKalb County. The fair takes place 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on GPTC’s campus at 495 Indian Creek Drive. Johnson said there will be break-out sessions in which participants can get the resources and foundation they need to build a bright future.
explore various employment opportunities and resources, it will help bolster the local economy and increase the number of skilled workers within the labor force,” he said. The breakout sessions inHank Johnson clude topics such as overcoming barriers for ex-offenders, training for veterans, and job readiness and resume development. Attendees should bring several copies of their resume. Johnson said he is committed to helping constituents who want to improve their lives. “This event is all about helping people connect with the resources and opportunities that are available to them,” he said.
Seniors can learn how the repeal of the Affordable Care Act could harm them at a March 1 town hall meeting at the Lou Walker Senior Center in Lithonia. The Decatur office of U.S. Rep. Hank Johnson is hosting the meeting, which begins at 12:30 p.m. Confirmed speakers include Cindy Zeldin, executive director of Georgians for a Healthy Future, a consumer health advocacy nonprofit, and Kathleen Connors, a Health and Human Services/Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services partner. There will be a discussion on ways that the ACA repeal could weaken Medicare and Medicaid. In a Feb. 22 email to constituents, Johnson’s office said that under an ACA repeal, millions of seniors would have to pay more for their prescription drugs because it has been closing the doughnut hole. It said that seniors would have to pay sometimes larger co-pays for key preventive services, such as cancer screenings. Under ACA, key preventive services are free under Medicare. The Lou Walker Center is at 2538 Panola Road. For more information, call 770-987-2291.
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February 25, 2017
Black History
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 Managing Editor Terry Shropshire Assistant Editor Brenda Yarbrough Staff Writers Jennifer Ffrench Parker Editorial Intern Rosie Manins Front Office Manager Catherine Guy Multimedia Editor Sharif Williams CrossRoadsNews is published every Saturday 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 CrossRoadsNews are copyrighted and may not be copied or reproduced in whole or in part in any manner without the written permission of the publisher. Advertisements are published upon the representation that the advertiser is authorized to publish the submitted material. The advertiser agrees to indemnify and hold harmless from and against any loss or expenses resulting from any disputes or legal claims based upon the contents or subject matter of such advertisements, including claims of suits for libel, violation of privacy, plagiarism and copyright infringement. We reserve the right to refuse any advertisement.
“I thought all fourth- and fifth-grade girls should be able to see the movie.”
Girls to see ‘Hidden Figures’ with neighbors’ help By Rosie Manins
Fifty-one fourth- and fifthgrade girls from Bob Mathis Elementary will get to see the popular 2016 biographical film “Hidden Figures” compliments of two homeowners associations near the Decatur school. The students – 27 fourth-graders and 24 fifth-graders – will get an all-expense-paid field trip to see the movie at the Satellite Cinemas South DeKalb. The Oscar-nominated “Hidden Figures” tells the story of three African American women – mathematician Katherine Johnson, programmer Dorothy Vaughan, and engineer Mary Jackson – who were top NASA scientists between 1943 and 1986 and were instrumental in the program’s first successful space missions, including John Glenn’s first flight into space. Johnson is played by actress Taraji P. Henson, Vaughan by Octavia Spencer, and Jackson by Janelle Monáe. Spencer is nominated for best supporting actress in the 2017 Academy Awards taking place Feb. 26 and the movie is nominated for best picture. Chapel Meadows Civic Association and the Creekwood Hills Community Association donated more than $500 to Bob Mathis Elementary on Feb. 21 to pay for the
Rosie Manins / CrossRoadsNews
Chapel Meadows Civic Association and Creekwood Hills Community Association present a check to Bob Mathis Elementary for movie screening.
private screening for the students. Robert Douglas, a past president of the Creekwood Hills Association, conceived the idea of raising money for the girls to see the movie. He saw an advance screening in Atlanta in December. “I thought all fourth- and fifthgrade girls should be able to see the movie,” said Douglas, who works as a paraprofessional at Bob Mathis. Across the country, groups like the two Decatur civic associations have been raising funds to send girls to see “Hidden Figures,” which is based on Margot Lee Shetterly’s nonfiction book, “Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the
Untold Story of the Black Women Mathematicians Who Helped Win the Space Race.” The book, published on Sept. 6, 2016, and the film tell the story of three black women educated in segregated schools who worked as human computers for NASA. They calculated spaceflight trajectories during a time when African Americans were denied civil and human rights in America. Zehline Davis, a retired elementary school teacher and Bob Mathis volunteer, brought her subdivision, Chapel Meadows, into the mix when she heard about the fundraising initiative. She hasn’t yet seen the
movie but plans to chaperone the students to see it in March. “I would like them to see what they can become because girls never thought about being engineers and dealing with mathematics,” Davis said Feb. 21. “I think it will be wonderful for them to see this.” Davis has something in common with Johnson, the movie’s main character. She studied during the 1950s at West Virginia State University, where Johnson (nee Coleman) graduated summa cum laude in 1937 at age 18 with the highest honors in mathematics and French. Johnson, now 98, is the only living member of the trio featured in the film. Bob Mathis principal Dawn Blackwell said there are numerous benefits to showing the film to students, especially young black girls. “First, it’s the exposure,” she said Tuesday. “They’re exposed to engineers, to their history, and to a story that basically had not been shared before.” Blackwell said the film gives young girls an opportunity to see possibilities, to see what they can become, to see what their history is and what they already are. “We thought that was important to share with our young ladies because historically, the media hasn’t portrayed African American young women in that way,” she said.
Three women of ‘Hidden Figures’ are no longer hidden “Hidden Figures,” which went into general distribution in January, was optioned while Margot Lee Shetterly was writing her book, “Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Mathematicians Who Helped Win the Space Race.” The book was published in September 2016. Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan and Mary Jackson – whose story is told in the book and the movie – were three African American women who worked together in the segregated West Area Computers section of NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Va. Vaughan (nee Johnson) was born in Kansas City, Mo., in 1910 and was the first of the trio to be hired by NASA, in 1943. Six years later, she became supervisor of West Area Computers and the first African American woman to supervise a staff at NASA, then called the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics, or NACA. Vaughan, who retired from NASA in 1971 after 28 years, died in 2008 at age 98. She is played in the film by Octavia Spencer, who received Oscar and Golden Globe nominations for best supporting actress. Johnson (nee Coleman), who became known as “the Human Computer,” is 98 and still lives in Hampton.
Circulation Audited By
Photo Illustration by Sharif Williams / CrossRoadsNews
Mary Jackson (top from left), Katherine Johnson and Dorothy Vaughan are played by Janelle Monae (from left), Taraji P. Henson and Octavia Spencer.
For the U.S. space program, She was born in White Sulphur Springs, W.Va., in 1918, and joined Johnson calculated the trajectories, NASA in 1953, initially working launch windows, and emergency return paths for many spaceflights under Vaughan’s supervision.
from Project Mercury, including the early missions of John Glenn and Alan Shepard and the 1969 Apollo flight to the moon. She also did calculations for plans for a mission to Mars before retiring in 1986. She is played in the movie by Taraji P. Henson. Jackson (nee Winston), a Hampton native, was born in 1921 and joined NASA in 1951. She started under Vaughan’s supervision as a research mathematician. In 1958, she was promoted to aerospace engineer, becoming NASA’s first black female engineer. Jackson, who worked at NASA until her retirement in 1985, died at age 83 in 2005. Actress Janelle Monae plays her in the movie, which is nominated for best picture in the Feb. 26 Academy Awards. Shetterly, whose father was a research scientist at NASA-Langley Research Center, was born in 1969 in Hampton. She grew up knowing many of the black families, including Johnson, Vaughan and Jackson, who worked at NASA. Shetterly began researching and writing “Hidden Figures” in 2010. In 2013, she founded the Human Computer Project to archive the contributions of all of the women who worked as computers and mathematicians in the early days of NACA and NASA. The Fox 2000 feature film also stars Kevin Costner.
index to advertisers Committee to Elect Eric Hubbard...................6 Committee to Elect George Turner................. 2 Committee to Elect Jason Lary........................ 2 Committee to Elect Plez Joyner...................... 2 DeKalb Convention & Visitor’s Bureau............ 5 DeKalb County Clerk of Superior Court.......... 8 DeKalb County Watershed Mgmt.................... 3
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February 25, 2017
Community
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“An estimated 3 million visitors will visit Atlanta Sports City, creating a demand for more hotels … restaurants.”
Candidates for Stonecrest mayor, District 4 talk up themselves By Terry Shropshire
During a spirited Feb. 19 election forum, the three candidates for Stonecrest mayor and the five seeking the district 4 council seat discussed the top issues facing the new city and what they would do about them. Douglas Favors, Charles Hill, Jr. and Jason Lary, who are vying to be mayor, drew on the differences between them and tried to persuade the voters why they are the right pick to lead the new city. The forum was hosted by the Hunters Communities Association and moderated by CrossRoadsNews editor/publisher Jennifer Parker, Lary, a concert promoter who spearheaded the effort to form the city, said his experience, wisdom and ability to create coalitions and get things done should earn him the nod from voters. “There is some merit behind people work-
ing to get us to this point,” he said. “There is merit behind being able to communicate with the general legislature. There is merit behind failing the first time. There’s merit with dusting yourself off and then continuing the mission. And, yes, I’m the old dude in the group. I know that. But I still have grit, I still got abilities, I still have opportunities to represent us at the next level. Hill, an Ivy League-educated business owner, said if elected, he doesn’t need nor want the mayor’s salary. “I’m running because I think that we need something different on this side of the county,” he said.“It’s time for younger people to get active to get involved.” He said he wants for the city and its residents. “I’m going to listen to you, the constituents, to build bridges,” he said. “I know that I’m a young person with a very good education. But I also know that I cannot
run everything. I want to work with each and every one of you to build up this city. I am un-bought, I am un-bossed, and I am beholden to no one.” Favors admonished the audience not to be seduced by sophisticated political rhetoric. Instead he said the voter should measure whether the candidate has the skill set to get the job done as mayor. “I don’t have to be from Stonecrest for 700 years,” he said. “I don’t have to be ‘my parents know me’ and ‘you know me.’ I don’t have to be that. You know me right now. You know why? Because I’m telling you. You don’t need nothing behind me but me. Because when you say ‘why something didn’t get done?’ What are you going to look at? My 400 years? The school I went to? Or are you going to look at me? I’m here to work for you. You have the person that is going to sit there and tell you the truth.” District four candidates Geraldine
Champion, Jay Cunningham, Mary-Pat Hector, Jonathan Phillips, and George Turner discussed a range of issues. Champion, a retired Atlanta Police Officer, told the voters that she is their pick if they are concerned about corruption. Cunningham touted his experience as a former school board member, and said he has demonstrated coalition-building skills. Hector, who is a Spelman College student, highlighted her work with the National Action Network and said she worked with President Obama in the White House on ways to uplift disadvantaged youth. Phillips underscored his business credentials, and cited ways to curb crime. He also encouraged electoral participation. Turner said that he has been working for the community for many years on the community council, ad in the South Lithonia Neighborhood Coalition and that he want to continue doing it as a council member.
Stadium, fields part of proposed entertainment district for Stonecrest SPORTS,
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and soccer is a world game, Brantley said it was only natural that the two should converge in DeKalb County – one of the most diverse counties in the country. He said the Atlanta Sports City will begin construction in March and be built over the next four years with its planned 15,000-seat stadium and 22 natural soccer fields. He said its influence will be felt throughout the entire soccer universe. “This facility is being built in a fantastic location,” Brantley said. “Close enough to the city to be convenient, but far enough away to avoid at least some of the traffic.” The stadium and fields are part of a pro-
posed entertainment district that Brantley said will enable fans to not just watch a game but spend the day. “The Stonecrest location is important for another reason,” he said. “As we stand here, we are literally surrounded by soccer fans. Our research tells us that there are almost three-quarters of a million soccer fans living within a 20-minute drive of this area. Farther out, there are 1.6 million fans within a 45-minute drive, and the people in this community watch and play soccer at a rate 15 percent higher than the rest of the country.” Griffith, who leads the Chamblee-based Georgia Soccer Association, said there are
90,000 soccer players across the state, “many of them right here in DeKalb.” The goal of the association, founded in 1968, is to grow and develop and Griffith said the Atlanta Sports City is now No. 1 on its target of how to make that happen. “We are the largest sports in the world and we are the largest sports in Georgia and we will show you that when these fields get built,” he said. Griffith said the group represents 100 youth soccer organizations and 70 percent of them and players are in the metro area. “They are very excited,” he said. Griffith was happy about the large number of soccer fields planned for Stonecrest.
“Ask any person in soccer what’s the biggest thing keeping you from growing and they will tell you fields. They don’t have enough fields. Look around, we are going to have a lot of fields. This is going to be awesome.” For the first time, Griffith said, the soccer region, which stretches from Texas to North Carolina and Florida, will be able to bid to host regional and national championships. He said the hotels and restaurants in Stonecrest are the kinds that soccer families favor. “You are the kind of community that we want to be in,” he said. “We want to be in an international community.”
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Ministry
February 25, 2017
“It is a tremendous privilege to recognize the important work of Bishop and Dr. Adams and the impact they have had.”
Ujamaa Exchange shares useful items Retired AME bishop, wife getting
Families and individuals can bring new and gently used items or extras to trade at the Ujamaa Exchange on Feb. 25 at First Afrikan Church at 5197 Salem Road in Lithonia. The bimonthly Community Giveaway, which takes place 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., is a project of the church’s Ujamaa Ministry. The Rev. Rhonda James-Jones, a church elder, said everything is free. Participants can bring clothing, shoes, books, furniture, appliances, electronic goods, anything that can be
useful to others. Owners must take back items that were not exchanged. “It’s also open to people who may need stuff but have nothing to exchange.” James-Jones said the exchange is inspired by the Kwanzaa principle of cooperative economics. “It helps us take better control of our dollars. You give to someone and someone gives to you.” Visit www.firstafrikanchurch.org.
Free screenings, more at health fair Free medical screenings and exercise and nutrition demonstrations will be available on March 4 at the “Living Healthier in 2017” Health Fair at Welcome Friend Baptist Church in Ellenwood. The community event, which is free and open to the public, takes place 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and is co-sponsored by the church and the Decatur/DeKalb Chapter of the National Coalition of 100 Black Women Inc. Participants can receive blood pressure,
prostate and BMI screenings and engage in discussions on heart disease, kidney disease, diabetes and nutrition with medical professionals. Panelists include Kianna Lawson, physician assistant certified; nutritionist Susan Chapman; Dr. Frank Robinson, family practitioner; and Rudolph Morgan, Georgia Prostate Cancer Coalition. The church is at 3198 Bouldercrest Road. Visit www.ncbwdekalb.com.
“Come on and be a part of the vision” First Afrikan Church is an Afrocentric Christian Ministry that empowers women, men, youth and children to move from membership to leadership in the church, community and the world. Praise & Devotion Worship Service Sundays at 10 a.m. Join us for Bible Study Wednesdays at 7 p.m.
5197 Salem Road Lithonia, GA 30038
770-981-2601 “We are building far beyond our years.”
Rev. Dr. Mark A. Lomax
Wesley Woods Foundation award By Rosie Manins
Retired AME Bishop John Hurst Adams and his wife, Dr. Dolly Desselle Adams, are being honored by the Foundation at Wesley Woods as 2017 Heroes, Saints and Legends recipients. The Adamses, both in their 80s, will be celebrated at a March 30 gala at the St. Regis Atlanta for their commitment to civil rights, social justice and raising awareness in the African American community about cognitive disorders affecting seniors. They are among four honorees being recognized for their dedication to leadership, service and philanthropy. Tracy Crump, the Wesley Woods Foundation president and CEO, called the couple “iconic leaders” who mirror the work of Wesley Woods, which was founded in 1954 by leaders of the North Georgia Conference of the United Methodist Church and Emory University to provide care for seniors unable to Retired AME Bishop John Hurst Adams and his wife, Dr. Dolly Desselle Adams, will be feted at a March 30 gala. care for themselves. “During Black History Month She said Wesley Woods is important to and especially at this time, when there has been a renewed focus on civil and human her because her mother was “extraordinarily rights, it is a tremendous privilege to recog- happy” as a resident there. “I was always struck by the generosity, the nize the important work of Bishop and Dr. Adams and the impact they have had on so kindness, the love that she was treated with and how she was not dismissed there,” she many others,” Crump said. Bishop Adams, 89, said he appreciates said. “She was treated like she had something being among the distinguished group of to contribute and to give, and that was part past honorees, who include former first lady of why, I think, she was able to survive as Rosalynn Carter; former Atlanta Mayors long as she did, because she felt valued and Andrew Young, Sam Massell and Shirley loved there.” The other 2017 honorees are Hank Franklin; business and civic leaders Truett Cathy, Jesse Hill, Ingrid Saunders Jones, Paul Huckaby, former chancellor of the UniS. Amos, and Lonnie Ali; and baseball legend versity System of Georgia, and Ann Curry, a director and former CEO of nonprofit Hank Aaron. “The name of the honor is a little bit fundraising consulting firm Coxe Curry and intimidating,” said Adams, who was conse- Associates. Funds raised by the gala benefit the crated the 87th AME bishop in 1972. “But it independent living communities of Wesley is very flattering and a high honor.” He retired from active service in 2004 af- Woods Senior Living, the retirement houster 54 years in ministry – 22 years as a pastor ing division of Wesley Woods that serves more than 1,800 older adults annually in and 32 years as a bishop. Dr. Adams, 85, is a retired college profes- eight locations throughout North Georgia, as sor and civic leader. She served the Episcopal well as specially designated Alzheimer’s and districts in a variety of positions for 32 years Parkinson’s disease research and education and also was national president of the Links programs at Emory University. They join 90 Heroes, Saints and Legends Inc. and the Links Foundation Inc. and the honorees recognized over the past 27 years. Black Women’s Agenda Inc.
February 25, 2017
Youth
CrossRoadsNews
7
“Those principals and the regional superintendent of these employees unanimously recommended termination.”
Superintendent, family under police protection following threats By Rosie Manins
Threats made against DeKalb Schools Superintendent Dr. R. Stephen Green and his family have prompted the district to place them under police protection. Over the last week or so, Green has received numerous aggressive comments and threats from people via phone, email, and social media. The district says the Stephen Green threats are sparked by false online news reports claiming that three district employees – a nurse and two teachers – were fired for supporting President Donald Trump’s stance on immigration. The threats came from Georgia and throughout the country, including Florida, and California, and are now part of an ongoing criminal investigation. Conservative news and opinion website WorldNetDaily, based in Washington, D.C., is one of several media organizations reporting that DeKalb Schools staff were fired for voicing their pro-Trump views on immigration.
“It is important to know that this outlet never contacted the district or me to discuss the facts,” he said. “All three [staff] voluntarily left the system without termination.” DeKalb Schools’ 102,000 students come from more than 180 countries and speak 140 languages. Some are refugees and children of undocumented residents. Green said the articles inaccurately represent the voluntary departure of three employees who were investigated by the district last year for comments they made suggesting that DeKalb students with immigrant backgrounds faced deportation. Cross Keys High School teachers Diane Clark and Susan Petre resigned in late November and early December 2016, after their comments on immigration sparked an internal investigation. Both were removed from their classrooms Nov. 20, 2016. About 86 percent of students at Cross Keys, which is located on North Druid Hills Road in Atlanta, are Hispanic or Latino. Clark allegedly told students she would call the Department of Immigration if they misbehaved. Petre, who told students she was voting for Trump, also allegedly said their
parents were to blame for deportation fears because they illegally brought children into the country. Nurse Tish Domins, who worked at Cary Reynolds Elementary School, was investigated by the district for making racially insensitive comments on social media. She allegedly wrote “Go back to Mexico” amid comments from other Facebook users about undocumented residents. Cary Reynolds Elementary is part of the Cross Keys cluster of schools, which includes refugees and some students whose parents are undocumented residents. Green said he is not aware of any threats made against the DeKalb Schools’ students, its staff, or members of local school communities. In a Feb, 23 statement, he reassured the community that the school district is operating as per usual, and that it values and welcomes its students’ diversity, and will not tolerate any form of bullying – on or off district property. Green, who has also been a school district superintendent in New York City and Kansas City, told CrossRoadsNews Thursday that he has never before received this volume or se-
verity of threats, which he describes as “very, very aggressive and mean-spirited.” Green said he values freedom of speech, but the comments from the former staff members were “publicly available to students and families and negatively impacted the employees’ effectiveness in their schools.” He said that each received full due process of law and school board regulations, including direct investigations by the appropriate school principals. “Those principals and the regional superintendent of these employees unanimously recommended termination,” Green said. The former employees also had opportunity to rebut allegations and challenge the recommendations. “We fully respect the free speech and all other constitutional rights of our employees, but actions by DeKalb staff members that interfere with their ability to effectively perform their jobs or interfere with our students’ rights to receive education are simply not acceptable,” Green said. The superintendent’s security team is monitoring the situation and will continue to recommend extra protection based on perceived the risk.
Tucker High JROTC lands ‘distinguished unit with merit’ ranking By Rosie Manins
Tucker High JROTC is now the highestranked Air Force Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps unit in DeKalb County. The Tucker GA-9511 class of 100 students in ninth to 12th grades received the Exceeds Standards ranking, also known as “a distinguished unit with merit,” during its unit inspection on Jan. 23. Units are inspected every three years. Tech. Sgt. Denise Womack, who helps train the corps with Lt. Col. Terry Robinson Sr., said that in the JROTC world, the ranking is equal to winning a major sports championship. “That’s like the Super Bowl ring,” she said Feb. 14. “That’s our Super Bowl ring.” To achieve the top ranking, the Tucker unit, established in 1995, had to have a minimum of 1,200 documented and verified community service hours for this school year alone. Womack said the group completed more than 2,200 community service hours during various initiatives, including two blood drives, an “Empty Stocking” fundraiser, and color guard performances at school and community events. It is believed to be the first time in nine years that a DeKalb Air Force JROTC unit has achieved that ranking from inspectors based at Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery, Ala. The last time Tucker achieved a
Rosie Manins / CrossRoadsNews
The Tucker High Air Force JROTC received the Exceeds Standards ranking, also known as “a distinguished unit with merit.”
significant inspection award – distinguished unit without merit – was in 2008. Chief Betty Maldonado, the Air Force JROTC regional director who inspected the corps, examined the cadets’ sincerity, the condition of their uniforms, and their form during drills and quizzed them on general
knowledge and the program. She also evaluated how well the unit is managed and run. After the inspection and debriefings with the principal and unit instructors, Maldonado delivered the good news to cadets. Cynthia Villatoro, 15, said it was an emotional moment.
“I almost started crying,” she said. “I was working hard for this and it felt really good to just know that we did it.” Fellow cadet Jamon Binns, also 15, said the many hours of training during class, after school, and on weekends were fun and it feels like “hanging out with friends.” Fatima Perez, 16, said working with fellow cadets feels like being part of a family. “Coming here changed a lot for me, for the better,” she said. Tucker is one of 240 Georgia high schools with JROTC programs for the Air Force, Navy, Army, and Marine Corps. In DeKalb, 18 high schools have JROTC units. There are Air Force units at Avondale, Clarkston, Dunwoody, Lakeside, McNair, Redan, Towers, and Tucker; Army units at Chamblee, Decatur, and Miller Grove; and Navy units at Columbia, Cross Keys, Lithonia, Martin Luther King Jr., Southwest DeKalb, Stone Mountain, and Stephenson. DeKalb has no high schools with a Marine Corps JROTC unit. Nationally, the Air Force high school citizenship training program comprises about 125,000 students and 1,970 instructors in 889 schools. Students are trained in organizational leadership and produce organizational charts modeled on the Air Force. They learn discipline, military drills, and general knowledge and volunteer in the community.
GPTC, Clark Atlanta collaborate to expand opportunities The presidents of Georgia Piedmont Technical College and Clark Atlanta University have announced a historic partnership that will provide transfer students with additional options to continue postsecondary education. Georgia Piedmont President Jabari Simama secured a higher education partnership with Clark Atlanta University to provide additional transfer opportunities for Georgia Piedmont students who complete their technical education requirements but wish to pursue a four-year degree and graduate school. “Access 4 Achievement” will begin in late spring 2017 and will call for dual admissions and joint enrollment for qualified students at both institutions, program-specific transfer agreements, and joint faculty and teaching opportunities for graduate students and faculty at both schools. “Students enrolled in the Access 4
(competency-based certificates), which will make them more globally competitive upon graduation. Johnson said he believes the initiative will assist students in graduating sooner with both high-demand technical skills and soft skills, key indicators of longterm employment success. Clark Atlanta University, a private, comprehensive, coeducational institution, was established in 1988 through the consolidation of Atlanta University (1865), the nation’s first institution to award graduate degrees to African Americans, and Clark College (1869), the nation’s first four-year liberal arts college to serve a primarily African American student population. Georgia Piedmont Technical College, established in 1961, has three campuses and nine learning centers in DeKalb, Newton, 14 statement. The partnership is in keeping with CAU Rockdale and Morgan counties. For more information, visit cau.edu and President Ronald A. Johnson’s plan to equip every student with stackable credentials gptc.edu. Georgia Piedmont President Jabari Simama (far left) and Clark Atlanta President Ronald A. Johnson sign a partnership expanding postsecondary education options.
Achievement program will graduate prepared for today’s job market as well as ready to adapt to sudden shifts in market demands well into the future,” Simama said in a Feb.
CrossRoadsNews
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Legal Notices 01/28, 02/04, 02/11, 02/18
Notice OF PUBLICATION in the Superior Court of DeKalb County State of Georgia
Civil Action Case Number: ++17FM1087-2++ Shakita Moore Plaintiff Vs. Karriem Shabazz Defendant To: 2929 Panthersville Rd.
2821 Zane Gray Dr. Decatur, GA 30034 By ORDER of the Court for service by publication dated Jan. 09, 2017, you are hereby notified that on Jan. 05, 2017, the above-named Plaintiff filed suit against you for Divorce. You are required to file with the Clerk of Superior Court and to service upon the plaintiff’s attorney whose name and address is: Shakita Moore; 2929Pantersville Rd., #D-21, Decatur, GA 30034. Answer in writing within sixty (60) days Jan. 09, 2017. Witness the Honorable Asha F. Jackson,
Judge of the DeKalb Superior Court. This the 19th day of Jan., 2017 02/11, 02/18, 02/25, 03/04
Notice of Petition to CHANGE Name of ADULT in the Superior Court of DeKalb County State of Georgia
30, 2017 to change name from: Tanka Maya Dartee to Chunku Siwa. Any interested party has the right to appear In this case and file objections within 30 days after the Petition was filed. Dated: Jan. 13, 2017 02/11, 02/18, 02/25, 03/04
Civil Action Case Number: ++17FM1788-10++ Tanka Maya Dartee filed a petition in the DeKalb County Superior Court on Jan.
Notice of Petition to CHANGE Name of ADULT in the Superior Court of DeKalb County State of Georgia
Civil Action Case Number:
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February 25, 2017 ++17FM1526-2++ By ORDER of the Court for service by publication dated Jan. 31, 2017, you are hereby notified that on Jan. 13, 2017, the above-named Plaintiff filed suit against you for Name Change. You are required to file with the Clerk of Superior Court and to service upon the plaintiff’s attorney whose name and address is: 2895 Alameda Trl., Decatur, GA 30084. Answer in writing within sixty (60) days Jan. 31, 2017. Witness the Honorable Asha F. Jackson, Judge of the DeKalb Superior Court. This the 2nd day of Feb., 2017
30, 2017 to change name(s) following minor child(ren) from: Kerriah Tuiana Denson to Kierra Tuiana Denson. Any interested party has the right to appear In this case and file objections within the time prescribed in OCGA 19-12-1(f) (2) and (3). Dated: Jan. 10, 2017
02/11, 02/18, 02/25, 03/04
in the Superior Court of DeKalb County State of Georgia
Civil Action Case Number: ++17FM1283-4++ Schaquita Morris filed a petition in the DeKalb County Superior Court on Dec. 30, 2016 to change name(s) following minor child(ren) from: Kateerah Monea Woods White to Kateerah Monea Woods-White. Any interested party has the right to appear In this case and file objections within the time prescribed in OCGA 19-12-1(f)(2) and (3). Dated: Dec. 29, 2016
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Notice of Petition to CHANGE Name of MINOR CHILD(REN)
Civil Action Case Number: ++17FM1763-3++ Antoinette Porter filed a petition in the DeKalb County Superior Court on Jan.
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Notice of Petition to CHANGE Name of MINOR CHILD(REN) in the Superior Court of DeKalb County State of Georgia
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