About The champion newspaper. (Decatur, GA) 19??-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 15, 2024)
IAjb* Mb Social ^ (cDDEKALBCHAMPNEWS THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 15 -21, 2024 www.THECHAMPIONNEWSPAPER.com VOL. 34 • NO. 33 e CHAMPION 50£ The official legal organ of DeKalb County, Ga. "64116 0D0U1 LOCAL Summit explores how the faith community should respond to climate change PAGE 3 LOCAL Agnes Scott College wins grant to teach children financial literacy through theater PAGE 7 SPORTS Basketball region tournaments underway PAGE 9 LIFESTYLE Enter the dragon: Lunar New Year being celebrated countywide PAGE 13 THECHAMPIONNEWSPAPER.COM Summer camps to offer ultimate Frisbee and youth activities BY JAY PHILLIPS JAY@DEKALBCHAMP.COM E ven with winter weather lingering in DeKalb, the county and several cities are opening registration for youth spring and summer camps with limited spots available in some cases. DeKalb County Depart ment of Recreation, Parks, and Cultural Affairs will open registration for its "Camp Su perstars" summer camp pro gram Feb. 13. At press time, summer camps—and in some cases spring camps—were also scheduled for Chamblee, Decatur, Doraville, Dunwoody, and Tucker. According to a news re lease, "Camp Superstars" is a summer day camp for ages 5-15, and it runs June 3 to July 26, from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Friday. The camp fee is $66 per week; breakfast and lunch are pro vided. Activities at the camp will include swim lessons, arts and crafts, fun with nature, sports, health and wellness clinics, and team games, according to the news release. Registration is on a first-come, first-served basis. To access online regis tration for DeKalb County's "Camp Superstars," visit dekalbcountyga.gov/parks and click the "Register Online" button on the department's homepage. City of Chamblee ad vertised registration for a SEE CAMP ON PAGE 6 Black History Month events offer educational, creative learning opportunities BY CHRISTINE FONVILLE CHRISTINE@DEKALBCHAMP.COM Black History Month, celebrated annually in February, is a time to highlight the achievements made by African Americans and a time for recognizing their central role in U.S. history, according to history, com. Events to celebrate Black History Month will be happening throughout DeKalb County; check out the information below to learn more: Black History Month, which occurs annually each February, will be celebrated with events throughout DeKalb County. SEE BHM ON PAGE 6 File photo Atlanta City Council approves signature matching ordinance BY CHRISTINE FONVILLE CHRISTINE@DEKALBCHAMP.COM Approximately one month after first introducing legislation to codify the process for verifying and approving referendums and ballot initiatives in Atlanta, city council members voted to pass the ordinance. Passage of the legislation comes after "hundreds of volunteers organized thousands of registered Atlanta voters in a historic petitioning campaign compelling the Atlanta City Council to submit to qualified voters of Atlanta, at the next regularly scheduled election, the repeal of the ordinance authorizing the ground lease of land in the South River Forest of DeKalb County to the Atlanta Police Foundation for approval or rejection through voting," according to the ordinance. The ordinance was first introduced by Councilmember Liliana Bakhtiari, who has voiced opposition to the Atlanta Public Safety Training Center, which is currently under construction in DeKalb "The new law gives the municipal SEE DEKALB ON PAGE G Members of Cop City Vote coalition, who helped gather the signatures on the petition campaign, released statements condemning the ordinance immediately after the vote. File photo County. Bakhtiari ultimately voted against the ordinance after revisions were made to include signature matching. According to reporting from nonprofit publication Capital B, "a visibly frustrated Bahktiari emphasized that signature verification can pose problems for Atlanta residents, including the elderly and the physically disabled, before voting against her own legislation. 'I have tried all that I can,' she said before the vote."
