About The champion newspaper. (Decatur, GA) 19??-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 31, 2019)
The Official Legal Organ ofDeKalb County, GA. Serving East Atlanta, Avondale Estates, Brookhaven, Chamblee, Clarkston, Decatur, Doraville, Dun woody, Lithonia, Pine Lake, Tucker, Stonecrest and Stone Mountain. THURSDAY, JAN.31 - FEB. 6,2019 www.THECHAMPIONNEWSPAPER.com DeKalb to invest $105 million in sewer maintenance BY HORACE HOLLOMAN horace@dekalbchamp.com Before purchasing a home in the 100 block of Hood Circle in Decatur in 2017, Mette Sorensen said, county officials told her the property had had issues with sewer spills. Almost a year after moving into her new home, more than 20,000 gallons of sewage spills were reported at Sorensen’s residence Nov. 12 and Nov. 15, according to sewer spill reports released by DeKalb County. “It was very frustrating,” Sorensen said. DeKalb County officials submitted documentation to The Champion outlining the scope of three major sewer improvement projects planned for 2019 and beyond. Sorensen’s residence, along with 40 other areas and properties, are part of a $ 105-million investment to address sewer maintenance and repair issues. Sorensen said county workers have checked the sewer levels at her home often since the November spills. “It is great news that things are moving forward,” Sorensen said. “It seems like they are actually putting in the work to find a permanent solution. I feel a lot better now than I did when [the sewer spills] first happened.” Project No. 1 will focus on high-priority areas with more than 40 previous sewer overflows, including Sorensen’s address. Addressing the high- priority areas by increasing system capacity will cost approximately $28.2 million for improvements. Other properties considered “high-priority” areas are 4367 Buford Highway, 2692 SEE SEWER ON PAGE 5 DeKalb County officials said they plan to spend $105 million on sewer maintenance upgrades to prevent future sewer spills. Shootings in south DeKalb worry residents BY HORACE HOLLOMAN horace@dekalbchamp.com In less than two months, DeKalb County police officers and an off-duty Clarkston Police officer have been involved in shootings. In three separate incidents between Dec. 13, 2018 to Jan. 22, officers have shot and wounded suspects in south DeKalb. The most recent officer-involved shooting occurred at 2450 Candler Road on Jan. 22 at a Chevron gas station. According to police reports, DeKalb officers stopped a car occupied by Destiny Dowdell, Dieja Bethea and an unnamed male suspect who fled on foot. Officers said while the suspect was fleeing, an officer noticed him “attempting to hold an unknown object within his pants.” According to DeKalb police, the suspect fired at officers and officers returned fire, striking the man several times. The suspect, who has not been identified by police, was taken to a local hospital in critical condition. Bethea and Dowdell were taken into custody. Bethea had an outstanding warrant for violating probation on a shoplifting charge. On Dec. 13, DeKalb County Police officer Edgar Flores, 24, was shot and killed during a traffic stop on Candler Road. The suspect was shot and killed by pursuing officers. Flores, an officer of the south precinct, received an officer of the year award for the south precinct. Longtime community activist Joel Edwards said he has been in contact with county public safety and DeKalb County government officials to bring positive changes in the community. “It’s just unfortunate that these incidents have happened,” Edwards said. “We’re trying to get things done in south and east DeKalb...right now our major concern is crime. With crime, we won’t be able to attract economic development.” SEE SHOOTINGS ON PAGE 5 Flores QUICK FINDER Opinion 5 Week in Pictures 9 Education 12 Sports 14-15 FURLOUGHED EMPLOYEES OFFERED ASSISTANCE PAGE 8 COMMERCIAL GHOST TOWN RETURNS TO LIFE WITH AN INTERNATIONAL FLAIR PAGE12 o DEKALBCHAMPNEWS O DEKALBCHAMPNEWS 0DEKALBCHAMPNEWS
