Newspaper Page Text
JUNE 29 - JULY 5, 2023
www.THECHAMPIONNEWSPAPER.com
VOL 33 • NO. 1
e CHAMPION
The official legal organ of DeKalb County, EA. Serving East Atlanta, Avondale Estates, Brookhaven, Chamblee, Clarkston, Decatur, Doraville, Dunwoody, Uthonia, Pine Lake, Tucker, Stonecrest and Stone Mountain.
504
LOCAL
Largest grant
in nonprofit’s
history to help
families move
from motels to
homes
PAGE 3
LOCAL
Chamblee to
allow open
containers in
entertainment
district
DeKalb DA withdraws from
prosecuting training center cases
BY CHRISTINE FONVILLE
CHRISTINE@DEKALBCHAMP.COM
Officials with the DeKalb County
District Attorney's office have announced
their withdrawal from the prosecution
of all current cases related to the Atlanta
Public Safety Training Center.
The announcement came on June
23 in a statement from District Attorney
(DA) Sherry Boston. The reason for the
withdrawal is "fundamental differences,"
according to Boston.
"The DeKalb County District
Attorney's Office has been part of a multi-
jurisdictional group of law enforcement
agencies tasked with investigating and
prosecuting acts of domestic terrorism
and related charges occurring in and
around the future site of the training
center," the statement reads, in part.
"Over the last several months, Boston and
her team have been involved in ongoing
discussions with their law enforcement
partners about the evidence and charges
in those cases. Recent conversations
between those agencies have revealed a
fundamental difference in prosecutorial
philosophy."
Boston said she and her team have
SEE CASES ON PAGE 6
DeKalb County District Attorney
Sherry Boston recently announced
the office’s withdrawal from the
prosecution of all current cases
related to the Atlanta Public Safety
Training Center. Photo by Christine
Fonville
Fireworks, parades scheduled for
Independence Day celebrations
PAGE 8
SPORTS
Lakeside players
sign college
scholarships
PAGE 14
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Fireworks, parades, and other activities will
take place on July 3 and July 4 at locations
across DeKalb in honor of Independence Day.
File photo
BY JAY PHILLIPS
JAY@DEKALBCHAMP.COM
Cities throughout DeKalb have
planned free Independence Day
parades, firework displays, and other
celebrations, even with July 4 falling on
a Tuesday this year.
With the celebrations planned,
several cities and local agencies are
advising residents to use caution
- especially when celebrating with
fireworks. A news release from city of
Brookhaven also reminds community
members that state laws mandate
residents to only use fireworks between
10 a.m. and 1 a.m. on July 3 and July
4, unless otherwise noted, and that
celebratory gunfire is illegal.
Listed below are parades, firework
displays, concerts, and what events
organizers call the state's biggest
Independence Day event in Dunwoody,
set to occur in DeKalb:
Avondale Estates
The Avondale Estates Fourth of July
SEE FOURTH ON PAGE 6
‘Greenest film studio on earth’ opens on Redan Road
BY JAY PHILLIPS
JAY@DEKALBCHAMP.COM
ribbon was cut at
Electric Owl Studios
June 8 at what the
company describes as the
world's first LEED Gold
certified ground-up campus.
Located at 3963 Redan
Road near the Indian Creek
MARTA Station—which
is also undergoing a $10
million renovation—the $60
million Electric Owl Studios
spans 312,000 square feet
and will employ more than
2,000 people, according to
information from Decide
DeKalb.
A news release states
that "this state-of-the-art
facility positions itself as
'the greenest film studio on
earth,"' due to its use of LED
lighting, 48 electric vehicle
charging stations, solar
panels, high-efficiency HVAC
systems, carbon-negative
concrete, a composting and
recycling program, solar golf
carts, water refill stations,
SEE STUDIO ON PAGE 6
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