The champion newspaper. (Decatur, GA) 19??-current, September 07, 2023, Image 1

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Newspaper Page TextTHURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 7 - 13, 2023 www.THECHAMPIONNEWSPAPER.com VOL. 34 • NO. 10 e CHAMPION 50^ The official legal organ of DeKalb County, Ga. "64116 UUUU1 LOCAL Annual report marks 10 years of Science ATL PAGE 3 LOCAL Stone Mountain attraction opens new outer space-themed escape room PAGE 8 SPORTS SWD coach named track and field coach of the year PAGE 11 LIFESTYLE DeKalb County Fire Chief Darnell Fullum was named 2023 Fire Chief of the Year. Submitted photo DeKalb fire chief named 2023 Fire Chief of the Year BY CHRISTINE FONVILLE CHRISTINE@DEKALBCHAMP.COM DeKalb County Fire Chief Darnell Fullum has received top honors from the Georgia Association of Fire Chiefs as he's been named 2023 Fire Chief of the Year. As the leader of the busiest fire department in Georgia (according to a 2021 DeKalb Fire and Rescue PowerPoint presentation), Fullum has made great strides in advocating for the department since beginning as chief in 2014, stated DeKalb CEO Michael Thurmond. According to officials, Fullum's accomplishments include: • Securing better pay for the department. In April 2023, after a series of pay raises during the past few years, the starting salary for new firefighter recruits became one of the highest among large local governments in the state. • Using $2 million in Special Purpose Local Sales Tax (SPLOST) funding to design and SEE CHIEF ON PAGE 6 Graduating class grows for district attorney’s recidivism reduction program BY CHRISTINE FONVILLE CHRISTINE@DEKALBCHAMP.COM A diversion program designed to stop repeat incarceration and organized by the DeKalb County District Attorney's office recently had its largest graduating class. DeKalb County District Attorney Sherry Boston announced on July 27 that 15 young adults had graduated from her office's pretrial diversion program, called STRIDE. "STRIDE, which stands for Stopping Trends of Repeat Incarceration with Diversion and Education, is a voluntary diversion program that holds young adults accountable for serious nonviolent crimes they have committed, while also ensuring their civic and career opportunities remain intact," stated a press release from the district attorney's office. Boston and her team introduced STRIDE in 2019. Six participants graduated in the first cohort of the program in October 2020, and 12 participants graduated as part of the second cohort in SEE GRADUATING ON PAGE 6 DeKalb County District Attorney Sherry Boston recently announced the biggest graduating class of the office’s STRIDE program, designed to reduce recidivism. File photo New Dunwoody food hall to open this fall PAGE14 VISIT US ONLINE @ THECHAMPIONNEWSPAPER.COM Georgia High School Association could evaluate a proposal on new name, image likeness rules in October. Georgia athletes could see more favorable NIL rules soon BY JAY PHILLIPS JAY@DEKALBCHAMP.COM High school athletes in Georgia could soon be a step closer to signing professional contracts and monetizing their platforms. Officials from Georgia High School Association (GHSA) discussed the possibility of creating guidelines for GHSA student athletes signing name, image, and likeness (NIL) deals during a board meeting in August, and board members said they could hear a proposal for a new bylaw as early as October. As the law stands now, student athletes in Georgia could violate their amateur eligibility at both the high school and college levels by SEE NIL ON PAGE 11 Social DEKALBCHAMPNEWS

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The champion newspaper. (Decatur, GA) 19??-current, September 07, 2023, Image 1