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Serving East Atlanta, Avondale Estates, Brookhaven, Chamblee, Clarkston, Decatur, Doraville, Dunwoody, Lithonia, Pine Lake, Stone Mountain, Stonecrest and Tucker • A PUBLICATION OF ACE III COMMUNICATIONS
MONADNOCK MADNESS
Sixth annual
event continues
to grow
BY HORACE HOLLOMAN
horace@dekalbchamp.com
For the last six years,
Monadnock Madness has
entertained outdoor and hiking
enthusiasts throughout the month
of March.
The triple hike challenge, which
features a hike of some of Georgia’s
most popular trails, is part of the
“madness” that continues to grow
each year, according to event
organizers.
The annual event features three
local monadnocks—an isolated hill
or ridge or erosion-resistant rock—
including Arabia Mountain, Panola
Mountain and Stone Mountain.
“We wanted to create a program
AROUNDDEKALB
CLARKSTON 2723 Henderson Road. Use the Livsey Road
entrance. For more information, visit www.
bridal gown and tuxedo vendors, musicians
and caterers.
friendsofhendersonpark.org. Also, a fashion show will begin at 3 p.m.
Active shooting awareness This portion of the event will showcase
wedding gowns and tuxedos.
The Clarkston Police Department will
conduct a free active shooter awareness
COUNTYWIDE Stone Ridge Event Center is located at
1750 Stone Ridge Drive Suite A in Stone
class March 28 at the Clarkston Library from Registration reopens for DeKalb Returning Mountain.
6 to 8 p.m. Police officers will cover how to Citizens Career Readiness Expo For more information on planning a
survive and how to prepare for an active wedding in DeKalb County visit www.
shooting. The library is located at 951 North WorkSource DeKalb and Georgia discoverdekalb.com/wedding.
Indian Creek Drive. For more information, Piedmont Technical College are partnering
visit www.clarkstonga.gov. to host the annual Returning Citizens Career
Readiness Expo March 22 from 10 a.m. to 3
DeKalb County Recreation, Parks and
Cultural Affairs to hold mini camp
DUNWOODY p.m. at Georgia Piedmont Technical College’s
conference center located in Clarkston.
The expo is geared to equip those who DeKalb County Recreation, Parks and
Women’s self-defense class have recorded arrests or served prison Cultural Affairs will hold a spring break mini
time with the knowledge and resources to camp April 2 through April 6, from 7 a.m. to 6
The city of Dunwoody, Dunwoody Police overcome barriers to employment, education p.m.
Department and UFC Gym will offer a free and economic development. The cost is $10 for a day of activities for
self-defense class March 24 at 10 a.m. for This event will feature a workshops children ages 5-15. Participants must provide
women ages 13 and older. These classes are including the following topics: their own breakfasts, lunches and snacks.
held monthly at Georgetown Park at 4400 expungements and pardons; The Offender To access online registration, visit www.
Dunwoody Park courtesy of the Dunwoody Parolee Probationer State Training Program dekalbcountyga.gov/parks and click the
Parks Department. Before each class, a (TOPPSTEP); The Federal Bonding Program; register online button on the department’s
Dunwoody Police Officer will speak briefly Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC); résumé homepage, or register in person at any of the
about crime stats and basic safety. Each class writing; dressing for success; interview locations listed below:
is 90 minutes and is limited to 30 people. skills; networking; overcoming barriers for
Register at https://secure.rec1.com/GA/ youth, female and veteran ex-offenders; and • Browns Mill Recreation Center, 5101 Browns
dunwoody-ga/catalog. transition and re-entry resources. Mill Road, Lithonia, GA 30038
After completing the job-readiness • Exchange Recreation Center, 2771 Columbia
STONE MOUNTAIN workshops, candidates will be referred to the
DeKalb County 2018 Job Fair and Records
Drive, Decatur, GA 30034
• Gresham Recreation Center, 3113 Gresham
Restriction Summit to pursue employment Road, Atlanta, GA 30316
ART Station’s auction event scheduled • Hamilton Recreation Center, 3263 Chapel
opportunities.
The event is free and open to the public. Street, Scottdale, GA 30079
ART Station will host its annual Rising of • Lucious Sanders Recreation Center, 2484
the Green event March 17, 6 to10 p.m. The Registration is required due to limited
seating. Bruce Street, Lithonia, GA 30058
event will include a silent and live auction • Mason Mill Recreation Center, 1340-B
for hundreds of items, a tasting showcase Returning citizens may register online
at http://conta.cc/2Fv975j; employers and McConnell Drive, Decatur, GA 30033
of foods from local restaurants and caterers • Midway Recreation Center, 3181 Midway
along with a raffle for $500, a live band and community agencies may request a booth at
http://conta.cc/2Ic1cvw. Road, Decatur, GA 30032
free green beer. ART Station is located at • N.H. Scott Recreation Center, 2230 Tilson
5384 Manor Drive. For more information, call For more information about WorkSource
DeKalb call (404)-687-3400. Road, Decatur, GA 30032
(770) 469-1105. • Tobie Grant Recreation Center, 644 Parkdale
Drive, Scottdale, GA 30079
TUCKER Discover DeKalb prepares for 2018
Wedding Expo and Fashion Show For more information, contact LaShanda
Davis, Recreation, Parks and Cultural Affairs
Henderson Park work day announced public relations specialist, at 404-371-3643 or
Discover DeKalb Convention & Visitors
Bureau announced its 2018 Wedding Expo lsdavis@dekalbcountyga.gov.
Volunteers are needed to help install new
trail markers at Henderson Park in Tucker and Fashion Show on March 17 at Stone
March 24 from 9 a.m. to noon. The trail Ridge Event Center.
markers will help park visitors navigate the The expo, which starts at noon, will offer
park. Volunteers are asked to meet at the attendees the opportunity to interact with
playground by the lake, bring work gloves wedding planning professionals including
and sturdy shoes. The park is located at event venues, photographers, cake designers,
LOCAL DEKALB FREE PRESS • FRIDAY, MARCH 16, 20188 • Page 4
Guest Opinion
SCHOOL SHOOTING!
Its happened again! Despite student is too much to lose so timeline? Was there a particular of life? That would be inexcusable;
the shocking headlines, terrifying conversations about whether route picked out? An escape plan? but are we doing enough to
images, heart-wrenching the gun was a revolver or an How would he live with himself prevent them? Are metal detectors,
teary-eyed narratives and automatic capable of firing one afterwards? Third of all, we should gun laws, police presence, and
countless hours of counseling, thousand rounds per minute will investigate the initial motivation locked doors really helping? Or are
the unimaginable tragedy has only lead us further away from that has led to so many deaths. they making the problem worse?
happened again. Once again the solution. Additionally, we At what point did the idea of Are the horrific images, gruesome
a student has opened fire on should understand that the place gunning down classmates and first person accounts and twenty
his classmates and teachers. from which he got the gun is also teachers enter into his mind? How four hour coverage helping or
The number of people dead is irrelevant. Let’s not be naive; A was the inkling of the idea fed and glorying the event and giving the
unacceptable and the number of person motivated to commit such nurtured? Was it instantaneous gunman his ‘fifteen minutes of
people injured is unbearable. How an atrocity will search, find and or was it gradual? The mental fame’? There are no easy answers
could he do it? Why did he do it? use the needed weapon. Therefore framework of the murderer is the but one thing is for certain. At
And what can we do to prevent a we should steer the conversation single most important element some point, within the mind of
recurrence? towards the real heart of the issue; of the entire incident. Only after the student, he decided that it
The how of the matter the student. resolving its role should we was fine to kill his classmates and
appears to be straightforward. What thoughts are playing in consider the other contributing teachers. It is our responsibility to
The student went to school with his mind as he stalks through the factors. find the point when this happens
a gun and began shooting. This familiar hallways of his school School shootings have been and help the student find a better
was an action performed by the aiming and shooting to kill? We happening before this nation was alternative. This is how we can
student. Therefore as we review need to understand his thought even considered a country. Why prevent school shootings.
the incident, we should realize process in that moment. Secondly, have we allowed this menace
that the kind of gun used is we must examine how he planned to persist for so long? Have we David Amankwah
irrelevant. The life of even one this heinous crime. What was the accepted them as a natural part Resident of Stone Mountain
OPINION DEKALB FREE PRESS • FRIDAY, MARCH 16, 2018 • Page 7
My money is on Sonny
“We’re taking a bold innovative as well as the president’s Perdue, being a man of faith,
approach to providing nutritious ‘One Man’s endorsement of same were and also knowing well that this
food to people who need assistance
feeding themselves and their
Opinion’ immediately ridiculed by president does not always seek or
Democrats on Capitol Hill. White take counsel from his own cabinet,
families,” Sonny Perdue, secretary, Bill Crane House Budget Director Nick advised the farmers that their best
U.S. Department of Agriculture Mulvaney is projecting that short-term option was to pray.
bill.csicrane@gmail.com
(USDA). switching benefits in part to the So with Vegas oddsmakers
Perdue, 71, is one of President food box will save the USDA and taking bets on the direction of
Donald Trump’s oldest and last- purchasing food for qualifying taxpayers as much as $130 billion commodity prices in relation to the
confirmed cabinet members. He is households at or below the over the next decade. This program incoming Trump tariffs, and odds
among many other nontraditional federal poverty income level. change would impact any SNAP even being laid on who might be
picks, but as our former Georgia During the most recent household receiving $90.00 or indicted and when in the ongoing
governor buckles down in his new recession, SNAP enrollment more in monthly benefits—nearly Mueller investigation, I will make
job, I will go ahead and forecast mushroomed to more than 80 percent of current recipients. it again clear, though we may have
that if, or when, this Trump 50 million Americans, and During the past year, Perdue but one Georgian in the middle of
administration comes to an end, nearly 20 percent of American and the FDA also have increased this administration cabinet, and
Perdue will be among the last households. The resulting U.S. agricultural exports by 9 he regularly relies on prayer and a
men standing, if not the last man. budget increases have been percent, following several back-to- higher power to help him choose
Though the USDA is primarily staggering, making SNAP an back years of decline. This growth the best path—tell the bookies that
known for building U.S. exports annual investment of nearly $71 includes a 25 percent increase in my money is on Sonny.
markets and regulating agri- billion, comprising by far the vast exported beef and a 16 percent
business and farming, the majority of the USDA’s budget. increase in dairy.
largest portion of its budget is Perdue understands both the Perdue recently met with Bill Crane also serves as a political
SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition budget concerns as well as the a group of Mid-west farmers analyst and commentator for Channel
Assistance Program), formerly program drift of SNAP, including concerned about the potential 2’s Action News, WSB-AM News/Talk
known as the Food Stamp significant fraud challenges and impact of tariffs and a potential 750 and now 95.5 FM, as well as a
program. an entrenched black market for trade war, aimed at U.S. agricultural columnist for The Champion, DeKalb
SNAP began modestly in purchasing and reselling benefits exports and commodities. The Free Press and Georgia Trend. Crane
1933 as part of the Agricultural loaded onto recipient EBT cards, farmers sought guidance or is a DeKalb native and business owner,
Adjustment Act (AAA), and which replaced physical food assurances from Perdue on how living in Scottdale. You can reach
the program was initially stamps. the tariffs might impact their grains him or comment on a column at bill.
administered by the Federal Though EBT card usage has and other export commodities. csicrane@gmail.com.
Surplus Relief Corporation. been declining in many states
The Great Depression since the recovery, on average
dramatically reduced crop prices households are remaining longer
across the country and farmers on this temporary assistance
were struggling to deal with program. Perdue, himself a
their excess supply. The federal farmer and agri-business owner,
government purchased basic farm also knows that U.S. farmers still
commodities in bulk at discount produce excess supplies of many
prices, distributing the goods foodstuffs.
among hunger relief agencies in Perdue recently proposed
state and local communities. shipping a box of dry goods and
This model, with several U.S. grown farm products to
expansions, continued in place replace roughly half the amount
as late as the mid-1980s, with of the current EBT cash transfer
regular distribution of generically benefit. The USDA, back to its
packaged dry milk, cheese, roots, would buy commodities
canned fruits and vegetables and in bulk at discounted rates, and
other dry goods to economically arrange for their packaging,
challenged communities. And delivery and distribution, as
with the Food Stamps Acts of they did when the program was
1964 and 1977, paper currency founded.
‘stamps’ were made available for Perdue’s food box suggestion
FREEPRESS
the DeKalb Publisher: Staff Reporters:
John Hewitt Carla Parker STATEMENT FROM THE
Horace Holloman PUBLISHER
Chief Financial Officer: Derek Smith We sincerely appreciate the
Dr. Earl D. Glenn discussion surrounding this and any
Let Us Know What You Think! Social Media Manager: issue of interest to DeKalb County.
THE DEKALB FREE PRESS encourages opinions from SEND LETTERS TO EDITOR, Production Manager: Donna Seay The Champion was founded in 1991
expressly to provide a forum for
The DeKalb Free Press, Kemesha Wadley discourse for all community residents
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LOCAL DEKALB FREE PRESS • FRIDAY, MARCH 16, 20188 • Page 8
WEEK in PICTURES
Doraville Mayor Donna Pittman speaks to the Oakcliff Elementary BETA Club about leadership and community service March 8. Photo courtesy Dr. Delores Paschall
Students from Barack Obama Elementary take part in the 13th Annual Spring Into Janice Law, center, and the Tucker City Hall staff took home the second place award in the
Reading event hosted by the Delta Sigma Theta sorority at The Gallery at South judges’ choice category at the annual Tucker Chili Cookoff March 10. Photo from Tucker’s
DeKalb March 3. Photo courtesy McNair High School Facebook page
Emory team vies for best social bot via Amazon’s Alexa Prize
language.” “Their work will be tested Wang is a native of China information retrieval and
BY DEREK SMITH Wang’s teammates out by millions of real-world who earned his master’s in informative suggestion agent.
derek@dekalbchamp.com include graduate students consumers through Amazon. civil engineering at Carnegie “Our focus will be on the
Ali Ahmadvand, Jason Choi, And Amazon provides Mellon University. A robotics accuracy and usefulness of
Harshita Sahijwani and support and training so they project sparked his interest in information that we provide
A team of Emory Sergey Volokhin and senior can get experience with data information retrieval powered to users,” Wang said. “And
University students from the Mingyang Sun. and computing environments by machine learning, leading we will add conversational
Department of Mathematics Each university team that are usually only him to Emory and Agichtein’s functionality to our design to
and Computer Science are received a $250,000 research accessible to those within lab to work on his PhD. make the responses as natural
trying to help Amazon’s Alexa grant, Alexa-enabled devices, major corporations.” “Machine learning is and engaging as possible.”
personal assistant device plus other tools, data and Agichtein, an associate widely applied in the real IRIS will incorporate “ideas
develop conversational skills. support from Amazon. A professor of mathematics world,” Wang said. “It’s from each member of the
They are among eight $500,000 prize will be given and computer science at changing peoples' lives in team,” he said. “That’s one of
university teams selected next November to the team Emory , said his Intelligent every way.” the most fun things about the
from around the world that creates the best social Information Access Lab is Autonomous vehicles, contest, working as a team.”
to create a social bot and bot; while second- and third- developing new techniques drones, online shopping Starting in May, the public
compete for this year’s Alexa place teams will receive for intelligent information mechanisms and robots can access competing bots
Prize. Amazon is sponsoring $100,000 and $50,000, access, including Web search designed to detect and to provide feedback and rate
the $3.5 million university respectively. and automated question remove dangerous objects them by saying, “Alexa, let’s
challenge to advance the Additionally, a $1 million answering. Conversational are just a few examples of chat,” to an Echo device, or
conversational capabilities research grant will be search capabilities are a key how machine learning is to the Amazon mobile app.
of software that responds to awarded to the winning emerging trend, he said. being applied, he said. The bots will be randomly
voice commands through a team’s university if its social Agichtein said his children While a machine learning assigned and remain
growing list of devices. bot achieves the grand love asking Alexa trivia algorithm to simulate natural anonymous, so that people
“Conversational [artificial challenge—conversing questions or about music and human conversation is a providing feedback cannot
intelligence] is one of the coherently and engagingly sports. difficult challenge, Wang said identify the university that
most difficult problems in the with humans for 20 minutes “It’s natural for them to talk it’s one worth pursuing. generated them.
field of artificial intelligence,” with a user rating of 4.0 or to devices instead of having Wang also led an Emory By August, Amazon will
said Zihao Wang, a graduate higher. to type in a question because team in the inaugural Alexa have used this feedback
student and the leader of “The contest is a they’re growing up amid this contest last year, but the team to narrow the contestants
the Emory team. “Human wonderful way for students technology,” he said. “And as did not make it to the finals. to three finalists that will
language is so rich. We use to get hands-on experience time goes on, it’s clear that “We learned a lot from the continue to get more
combinations of words to developing a social bot using voice-based communication experience,” he said. consumer feedback until
form different expressions state-of-the-art technology,” devices are going to keep The working title for the the winner is announced in
and idioms. It’s difficult to the team’s faculty advisor, improving and become more Emory social bot this year November.
represent them in computer Eugene Agichtein, said. ubiquitous.” is IRIS, which stands for
DEKALB FREE PRESS • FRIDAY, MARCH 16, 2018 • Page 12
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EDUCATION DEKALB FREE PRESS • FRIDAY, MARCH 16, 2018 • Page 13
Miller Grove Tech. The game came down shot 3-14 (21.4 percent, nine
to rebounding, which Upson- points) in the third quarter
Lee dominated. and 4-18 (22.2 percent, 12
falls to Warner Upson-Lee outrebounded
St. Pius 43-28, with 34 of
points) in the fourth quarter.
Upson-Lee had eight blocked
10 x 6.5