Community News

Atlanta

Franklin to serve on special task force

Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin has been appointed to a newly-formed special task force by Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano to conduct a 60-day review of the Homeland Security Advisory System. According to Napolitano, the goal of the task force is to assess the effectiveness of the system in informing the public about terrorist threats and communicating protective measures within government and throughout the private sector.

Fran Townsend, a former assistant to President George W. Bush for Homeland Security, and Judge William Webster, a former director of both the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Central Intelligence Agency, will co-chair the task force and lead the review. ERNIE SUGGS

Holy Spirit grad now a finalist in video contest

Adam Lindenau has been named one of 10 finalists in this year’s Bridgestone Americas Safety Scholars video contest.

Safety Scholars is a national competition that challenges 16- to 21-year-old drivers to create short videos about automotive safety or making eco-conscious decisions when operating a vehicle.

Adam, a recent graduate of Holy Spirit Preparatory School in Atlanta, is now eligible to compete for a $5,000 college scholarship and the chance to have his video turned into a Public Service Announcement. To view his video, one of 817 entries, and the other top 10 finalists, visit www.safetyscholars.com.

GRACIE BONDS STAPLES

Cobb

Acworth * Austell * Kennesaw * Mableton * Marietta * Powder Springs * Smyrna * Vinings

Panel approves plan to issue bonds for school

Cobb County commissioners approved a plan Tuesday by the Development Authority of Cobb County to issue up to $14 million in bonds to make a loan to North Cobb Christian School for renovations, refinancing and expansion of the school. This is the third time the Development Authority has issued bonds on behalf of the school, said Bob Silliman, a lawyer for the authority.

The bonds are not paid with tax dollars, but as a public entity, the Development Authority can offer a lower interest rate than available on the open market. Federal tax rules require the authority to seek approval of the county for the bond issue.

Ed Buckner, president of American Atheists, and a Cobb resident, spoke against the bond issue at Tuesday’s meeting, saying public agencies should not support religious entities. MARY LOU PICKEL

Burglars’ plan foiled by thick concrete wall

Would-be burglars did a lot of smashing but no grabbing at a Cobb County electronics store early Tuesday, and two men are now in police custody.

Cobb County police say four people used sledgehammers to try to bust through a concrete wall behind the Micro Center computer store in the Powers Ferry Shopping Center at 1275 Powers Ferry Road. But they met more than a little resistance from the brick and mortar, which was two layers thick.

Neighbors overheard the noise about 1 a.m. Tuesday and called police, who spotted the would-be burglars in midswing.

The four people fled on foot, abandoning two vehicles.

Two suspects were captured a short time later. They were identified by police as Shade Rufus Burney, 31, address unknown, and Douglas Allan Clapp, 53, of Forest Park. Both are being held in the Cobb County Jail on charges of burglary, possession of tools of crime, criminal damage to property and loitering/prowling. Police still are seeking two other suspects. CHIP TOWERS

DeKalb

Avondale Estates * Chamblee * Clarkston * Decatur * Doraville * Dunwoody * Lithonia * Pine Lake * Stone Mountain * Tucker

DeKalb police chiefs can now be fired at will

The DeKalb County Commission decided Tuesday to eliminate job protection for future police chiefs. Former police Chief Terrell Bolton has appealed his recent firing, claiming he was removed for his politics rather than for his performance. Most police chiefs in Georgia can be fired at will, but DeKalb chiefs have enjoyed merit system protection usually reserved for lower-level employees.

County CEO Burrell Ellis has said he would not hire a permanent replacement for Bolton until the commission eliminated the protection. Bolton’s hearing was scheduled to continue today.

TY TAGAMI

Developer won’t see tax break until September

Developer Sembler Co. is unlikely to get a tax break for its Brookhaven project for at least another couple of months.

The company’s request for a waiver of property taxes was not discussed at Tuesday’s monthly meeting of the DeKalb Development Authority and did not appear on the agency’s meeting agenda. Last month, the authority put off a decision after hearing from angry residents about Sembler’s request for a 100 percent property tax break.

County CEO Burrell Ellis also had asked the quasi-governmental body to wait until his administration could assemble a new tax incentive policy for developers.

Ellis spokeswoman Shelia Edwards said Tuesday that the policy probably would not be ready until September. TY TAGAMI

Mother unhappy with district attorney

The mother of a man who was gunned down by a DeKalb County policeman in 2003 vowed to continue pushing for a criminal indictment against former Officer Alexander Brown.

Brown was forced to resign after a review board concluded that his shooting of Stanley Bates was unjustified. Bates, who had a history of drug addiction, was killed outside his mother’s home after his mother, Loretta Luke, called police to the scene. Luke later sued in federal court and won a $7 million judgment against Bates, but she said Tuesday that he hadn’t paid her anything yet.

Then-District Attorney J. Tom Morgan declined to prosecute Brown, but successor Gwen Keyes Fleming reopened the case last year at Luke’s request. Prosecutors presented the case to a grand jury in May, but Keyes Fleming’s office said Monday that it would be dropped because the grand jury deadlocked 9-9 on whether the shooting was justified and whether a criminal investigation should continue.

Bates’ mother was disappointed by the decision and vowed to press a future district attorney to pursue an indictment.TY TAGAMI

Fulton

Alpharetta * Chattahoochee Hills * College Park * East Point * Fairburn * Hapeville * Johns Creek * Milton * Palmetto * Roswell * Sandy Springs * Union City

Nonprofit’s lawsuit can go to trial, judge says

A prison news publication’s lawsuit against Fulton County can proceed to trial on allegations of unconstitutional censorship, a federal judge has ruled.

In an order signed July 13, U.S. District Judge Charles Pannell Jr. in Atlanta rejected the county’s motion to dismiss the suit, filed by Prison Legal News. The publication, founded in 1990 and based in Seattle, is a nonprofit dedicated to protecting human rights in U.S. detention facilities.

Pannell said the case can go to trial on allegations that former Fulton County Sheriff Myron Freeman enforced an illegal policy that prohibited inmates from receiving any books, magazines or newspapers other than religious publications. BILL RANKIN

Parklane administrators reassign pending probe

The principal and assistant principal of Parklane Elementary School have been reassigned pending an investigation by the agency that licenses educators, Fulton school district officials said Tuesday. Principal Lee Adams will work in the central office and assistant principal Vicki Bulluck will work at a different elementary school, said spokeswoman Susan Hale.

The reassignments come in the wake of a state investigation that found test-tampering had occurred at four Georgia schools last year. Students there made statistically improbable gains on summer-school retests after failing the state math Criterion-Referenced Competency Test in the spring.

The state found unusual patterns of answers that had been erased and corrected. Hale said the district’s investigation was inconclusive, but the Professional Standards Commission will examine the two administrators because they ultimately were responsible for the school’s testing program. Eleanor West, who recently retired as principal of Harriet Tubman Elementary, will temporarily serve as Parklane’s principal.HEATHER VOGELL

Roswell OKs rezoning after negotiations

The Roswell City Council approved a rezoning Monday night after the developer reversed course and agreed to build 14 single-family homes instead of 31 townhomes on the property.

In May, the City Council voted 5-2 to rezone the land for townhomes on 6.8 acres at Hardscrabble Road and Ga. 92, even though the city planning commission recommended against the rezoning. Mayor Jere Wood used a rare veto to stop the rezoning. The developer, Coro Development LLC, filed a lawsuit against the city. Brookfield Country Club residents opposed the townhomes plan, saying it would have a bad effect on the neighborhood. During negotiations with the city, Coro agreed to build single-family homes and also agreed to other conditions, such as installing pedestrian signals and building a bike lane along Hardscrabble Road.

The entire development will cover about 20 acres and include an assisted-living facility and 40,000 square feet of commercial space. RALPH ELLIS

Gwinnett

Berkeley Lake * Buford * Dacula * Duluth * Grayson * Lawrenceville * Lilburn * Norcross * Snellville * Sugar Hill * Suwanee

Girl Scouts to welcome back returning soldiers

Lilburn-based Girl Scout Troop No. 1888 is hosting a Taste from Home reception at 5:30 p.m. today for soldiers returning from overseas duty.

Troop No. 1888 coordinated the efforts of other Girl Scout troops in metro Atlanta to send boxes of cookies to soldiers in Iraq, Kuwait and Afghanistan. In 2009, more than 50 Girl Scout troops participated, with about 6,000 boxes shipped to remote locations, organizers said.

The reception will feature letters and pictures from soldiers who received the cookies. It will be at Lilburn City Hall, 76 Main St. For more information, call 678-886-1503. SHANE BLATT

Snellville looks to fill Citizen’s Police Academy

Snellville is accepting applications for the next session of its Citizen’s Police Academy.

The 10-week program starts Sept. 3 and consists of classroom and hands-on instruction on topics such as firearms safety, weapons training, building searches, DUIs and crime-scene investigations. The academy is open to Snellville residents and business owners, 18 years of age or older.

To enroll, contact Cpl. Joe Barnes at jbarnes@snellville.org. Applications will be accepted through Aug. 17. SHANE BLATT

Greater Atlanta

Cherokee * Clayton * Coweta * Douglas * Fayette * Forsyth * Henry * Paulding * Rockdale

Cardiac screenings

at Piedmont Fayette

Piedmont Fayette Hospital is offering CT coronary calcium scans on Saturdays. The procedure, which is noninvasive, takes about 15 minutes and helps physicians determine a patient’s risk for health disease.

Patients must get a doctor’s referral for the scan. Appointments are required and the cost of the procedure is $125. The fee must be paid at the time of registration. To schedule an appointment, call 770-719-7007 or for additional information visit www.fayettehospital.org.

SHELIA M. POOLE

State

Federal stimulus money to help buy appliances

Georgia will receive up to $9.3 million in federal stimulus money to encourage consumers to buy energy-efficient appliances, the U.S. Department of Energy said Tuesday. The money will go to the state energy office as part of a larger rebate program for Energy Star-rated appliances.

The program will allow consumers to receive rebates when they buy Energy Star appliances. It’s up to the state energy office to come up with the details. The state agency must give that information to the federal energy department. The state also will receive $82 million in stimulus dollars to boost its statewide energy plan. Another $125 million in Recovery Act money is supporting its weatherization program —- which helps low-income families make their homes more energy efficient. KRISTI E. SWARTZ