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The champion newspaper.
March 14, 2024
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The champion newspaper., March 14, 2024, Image 1
About The champion newspaper. (Decatur, GA) 19??-current | View Entire Issue (March 14, 2024)
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Newspaper Page Text
lAjb* Mb Social ^ (cDDEKALBCHAMPNEWS
THURSDAY, MARCH 14 - 20, 2024
www.THECHAMPIONNEWSPAPER.com
VOL. 34 • NO. 37
e CHAMPION
50£
The official legal organ of DeKalb County, Ga.
"64116 0D0U1
HAPPY ST. PATRICK’S DAY
LOCAL
Alleged cult
leader gets life
without parole
PAGE 3
LOCAL
Candidates qualify for CEO,
commission, school board elections
BY CHRISTINE FONVILLE
CHRISTINE@DEKALBCHAMP.COM
Q ualifying for the May 21 General
Primary and Nov. 5 General
Election ended March 8 with
three county commissioners vying to
take over the seat of DeKalb County
chief executive officer (CEO). Voters
will see new and familiar names on the
ballots running for open commissioner
seats as well as for the DeKalb County
Board of Education. Check out more
about who qualified below:
Commissioners Steve Bradshaw,
Lorraine Cochran-Johnson, and Larry
Johnson have already hit the campaign
trail as each qualified to become the
next CEO. Whoever wins will take the
helm from Michael Thurmond, who
has served as CEO since 2016. Each
candidate has experience in local
government - Bradshaw has served as
a commissioner since 2016; Cochran-
Johnson has served as a commissioner
since 2019; and Larry Johnson has
served as a commissioner since 2002.
Multiple candidates qualified to run
for county commissioner seats:
• Voters will choose Chakira Johnson,
Gabrielle Nicole Rogers, Lance
Lawyer Hammonds, or Rita A.
Scott for the county's next District 4
commissioner.
• Incumbent District 1 Commissioner
Robert Patrick will face challenger
Andy Yeoman.
• Incumbent District 5 Commissioner
The DeKalb County Voter Registration and
Elections Office is located in Decatur. File
photo
Mereda Davis Johnson will face
challenger Gina Smith Mangham.
DeKalb County's Board of Education
SEE ELECTIONS ON PAGE 7
Exhibit chronicles
complex history
of a city planned
in every detail
PAGE 6
DeKalb goes undefeated in
state title appearances
SPORTS
Greenforest
makes statement
with state title
sweep
PAGE 11
THECHAMPIONNEWSPAPER.COM
Greenforest McCalep Academy’s girls’ basketball team was the first of three DeKalb teams to
win a 2023-24 GHSA basketball championship, marking the first girls’ state title in program
history. Photo by Jay Phillips
BY JAY PHILLIPS
JAY@DEKALBCHAMP.COM
B asketball teams from Marist School
and Greenforest McCalep Christian
Academy won three Georgia High
School Association (GHSA) state titles on
March 5 and March 8 in Macon.
Greenforest's girls' team was the first
to win a title game, marking the first state
title for the girls' team in program history.
The boys' from Greenforest followed the
girls and won the program's fifth state title
in boys' basketball — the second title in
the past three seasons.
Marist joined the Greenforest boys'
program in winning its second title in
three seasons and finished the season
with the best record in DeKalb at 30-1.
Marist capped off a dominant season
in the title game, ending its run by
defeating two of the top teams in its
SEE BASKETBALL ON PAGE 12
