About The champion newspaper. (Decatur, GA) 19??-current | View Entire Issue (March 14, 2024)
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
