Newspaper Page Text
THURSDAY, AUGUST 3-9, 2023
www.THECHAMPIONNEWSPAPER.com
VOL 34 • NO. 5
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
Congressman
schedules
resource seminar
for immigrants,
refugees
PAGE 2
LOCAL
Fernbank exhibit
highlights
advantages of
a slow pace in
nature
PAGE 7
SPORTS
Athletes qualify for
Junior Olympics
PAGE 12
LIFESTYLE
Laid back is the
vibe on Key
Largo
PAGE14
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Clarkston city council member
resigns during town hall meeting
BY CHRISTINE FONVILLE
CHRISTINE@DEKALBCHAMP.COM
A Clarkston city council member
announced her resignation, then gathered
her things and stormed out of the
Clarkston Community Center during a
town hall meeting that she organized.
Former Clarkston City Councilwoman
Susan Hood originally called for the town
hall meeting, held on July 27, in which
the community was invited to "comment
on current affairs in the city." The town
SEE MEETING ON PAGE 6
Clarkston officials prepare for a town hall meeting. Photos by Christine Fonville
Blight demolished to pave
way for new fire station
BY JAY PHILLIPS
JAY@DEKALBCHAMP.COM
DeKalb County officials began
preparation on the planned Fire
Station No. 5 on July 28 by demolishing
the county's former public health
headquarters on Cowan Road in Tucker.
"This is a historic day. This represents
cooperation ... between the city of
Tucker and DeKalb. This is why we're
going to have a state-of-the-art fire
station in Tucker, Georgia," said DeKalb
County CEO Michael Thurmond.
Officials from city of Tucker and
DeKalb County Board of Commissioners
said the replacement was necessary -
not only because of the old fire station
needing repairs but also because the
needs of the area have changed since
the former station was built.
"The people of Tucker—the
businesses and the residents—need
a fire station that can accommodate
more equipment and larger equipment,
especially as we build bigger buildings.
The risks are different, and the
equipment needs to match up with that,"
said Tucker Mayor Frank Auman.
Auman added that discussions about
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The former public health building on Cowan
Road in Tucker will be converted into what
officials called a “state-of-the-art” fire
station. Photos by Jay Phillips
replacing Fire Station No. 5 preceded
both himself and Thurmond. He said
Tucker officials also want to convert
the current Fire Station No. 5 into a fire
rescue museum and memorial once the
new station is operational.
"It's a great vintage building with
old school firepoles, and residence
space upstairs, and an antique fire
fighting truck in that facility right now.
It will remind people of the importance
of firefighters... and recruit a new
generation into this noble line of work,"
SEE FIRE STATION ON PAGE 6
Judge rules DeKalb
residents can participate
in collecting Cop City
referendum signatures
BY CHRISTINE FONVILLE
CHRISTINE@DEKALBCHAMP.COM
A judge has ruled in favor of
a group of DeKalb County
residents who want to
participate in collecting signatures
to put the future of the Atlanta
Public Safety Training Center,
which is located in unincorporated
DeKalb County and commonly
known as Cop City, to a vote.
U.S. District Judge Mark
Cohen's decision, which was
announced on July 27, means
that any DeKalb County resident
can now assist in gathering the
thousands of signatures required
for a referendum to be added to
November ballots. The ruling also
means that the 60-day timeline
in which opponents of the facility
must collect approximately 70,000
signatures is reset, according to
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
(AJC).
In the lawsuit, filed July 6,
plaintiffs Lisa Baker, Jacqueline
Dougherty, Keyanna Jones, and
Amelia Weltner, all listed as
SEE JUDGE ON PAGE 6
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