AVAILABLE ONLINE AT WWW.CHAMPIONNEWSPAPER.COM • FRIDAY, MARCH 13, 2009 • VOL. 11, NO. 50 • FREE FREEP• A PUBLICATIONRESS OF ACE III COMMUNICATIONS • DeKalb 2009 budget focuses on safety and shortfalls by Brian Egeston [email protected] St. Patrick’s Day 2009 After averaging a 4.2 percent operating budget increase since 2005, DeKalb County Commissioners voted to accept the 2009 bud- It’s a great day for the Irish and all who like to party with them get with a 5.4 percent decrease from the 2008 budget. By Deborah Held tural services are promising buckets of the stuff, live The budget includes funding for 35 ad- music, as well as tastings from some of the area’s ditional police offi cers, four sheriff’s depu- There are a few really great things that make St. fi nest restaurants. ties and fi ve code enforcement offi cers. The Patrick’s Day so darned easy to enjoy: it’s fun, it’s Silent and live auction items include fi ne art, housing market, consumer sales and the festive, and it always falls of the same day every theater tickets, restaurant meals and even a visit from Dunwoody succession contributed to the year—March 17. Though originally focused on the Santa Claus (and who can put a price on that?). budget decrease, according to a report pub- celebration of St. Patrick himself, who is credited ART Station is located at 5384ManorDrive, in lished by the county. with bringing Catholicism to Ireland and who died the restored trolley barn within the historic village Ten out of 12 departments have cuts to on this day in the 15th century, today’s St. Patty’s of Stone Mountain. Tickets cost $20 in advance and their annual budget. General administration celebrations focus more on shenanigans, especially $25 at the door. took the biggest hit with a near 20 percent of the drinking and eating of Irish-themed beers and For more information call 770-469-1105, or decrease in funding. “During these harsh eco- vittles variety. visit www.artstation.org. nomic times, we have to employ long-term This year, March 17 falls on a Tuesday, but thinking to help keep DeKalb solvent and don’t let that stop you from getting your party on. Gastronomy making an effort to fund a position focused Here is a rundown of options for your St. Patrick’s Hungry-man portion meat-and-potatoes fare is on retail recruitment in our Economic Devel- Day enjoyment in and around DeKalb County. a staple of the Irish tradition, and according to one opment Department will certainly give us a source, the more pork involved, the better. While leg up in helping stimulate DeKalb’s econo- Saturday, March 14 Buckhead may be known for its nightlife and its my,” said Commissioner Larry Johnson in a Noon-6 p.m. pub or two, DeKalb County is not to be outdone in press release. Atlanta St. Patrick’s Day Parade terms of Irish pub representation. Here, a listing, in Information Systems will incorporate This one’s good for the whole family. no particular order: 311, the Citizen Help Center, which is the Atlantans launched their fi rst St. Patrick’s Day county’s phone number for government in- parade in 1858, and citizens have been lining up for James Joyce Irish Pub formation and non-emergency services. Arts more ever since. Attendance this year is expected 22N.AvondaleRoad,AvondaleEstates Culture and Entertainment will be folded into to be greater than ever, and promoters are promis- (404)296-5097 Parks & Recreations & Facilities, according ing close to 200 fl oats, as well as bagpipe and drum www.jamesjoyceirishpub.net to the report. One hundred Parks and Recre- corps, bands, Irish dancers and clowns (who may Drink specials and revelers on March 17. Also, ation positions were restored. not be Irish, but just want something to celebrate). “the Joyce” has a full menu with ‘round the world The emphasis on public safety reinforces The1.1-mile starts at the intersection of Ralph fare, and of course, shepherd’s pie and corned beef CEO Burrell Ellis’ stance on making the McGill Boulevard and Peachtree Streets and ends at and cabbage. county safe. Ellis, during his state-of-the- Martin Luther King at Underground. It can be eas- county address, said the current state of ily reached by MARTA, making a stop at the Civic Melton’s App and Tapp DeKalb County’s public safety was unaccept- Center station. 2500N.DecaturRoad,Decatur.(404)634-9112 able. He went on to talk about the importance For more information, visit Patrons can enjoy a night full of corned beef of a public safety director. The adopted bud- www.stpatsparadeatlanta.com and cabbage and beer specials (including Guinness, get did not include funding for such a posi- of course). Melton’s has an impressive array of ro- tion. The public safety director position was Tuesday, March 17 tating beers and wines from around the world. deferred for further review, according to a release issued by the county. ART Station, Stone Mountain Brick Store Pub: Some of the specifi c cutbacks include no “Raising of the Green” 125 E. Court Square, Decatur (404) 687-0990 merit increases, and no new county vehicles. 6-9:30 p.m. www.brickstorepub.com Capital construction was decreased by What’s St. Paddy’s Day without the green beer, Wow, talk about beer from everywhere. A visit 49 percent. The proposed budget allots 90 really? Promoters of the 13th annual “Raising of the See St. Patrick’s on Page 15A Green” fundraiser to benefi t the community’s cul- See Budget on Page 15A QUICK FINDER VISIT US ONLINE @ www.CHAMPIONNEWSPAPER.com Business......................... 18 Health.............................. 19 Opinion ......................... 5-6 Around DeKalb .............. 12 Local .....................1-3, 7-13 Sports ........................22-24 Education .................. 16-17 Classifi eds.................20-21 News THE CHAMPION FREE PRESS, FRIDAY, MARCH 13, 2009, PAGE 2A Hundreds turn out to discard electronics by Gale Horton Gay waterways. [email protected] David McCleskey, one of the partners of At- lanta Recycling Solutions, which was responsible A burden was lifted from Etta Sykes’ shoul- for hauling the stuff away, said none of the items ders on Saturday. would end up in landfills. She drove away from a shopping center park- He said computers would be broken down ing lot relieved of electronics and accessories that and all metals recycled and plastics turned into had previously left her fraught with guilt. polymer beads to be used in other enterprises. He Sykes was one of more than 460 people who explained his company has a way of rendering took advantage of the electronics recycling event hard drives useless so that no one can access any held in the parking lot of Wal-Mart at 3580 Me- information from them. Cabling is also resold. morial Drive in Decatur. Other companies often buy used printers whole Sponsored by Keep DeKalb Beautiful (KDB), or for parts, he said. the event brought in what amounted to a truck- Amber Weaver, director of Keep DeKalb load of worn, outdated, broken and unwanted Beautiful, said she was pleased with the turn- electronics. After being taken from each vehicle, out, especially considering that the program’s separated and stacked, the towers of monitors, locations were reduced from two to one but had CPUs, televisions and microwave ovens were greater participation. wrapped in plastic and later loaded onto a large “This is the most cars we’ve had in the past truck. There were also boxes practically over- four years,” said Weaver, explaining that the flowing with used telephones, keyboards, cables popularity of the site and the support of Wal- and other discards stationed in the lot and being Mart’s management are a winning combination. tended to by some of the 10 or so volunteers. She anticipates the store’s parking lot will be the “I think this is wonderful.” about having one location for future events. printer and 12 cartridges taken from her vehicle. Weaver said the growing awareness and “I felt so guilty dumping in the landfill,” said concern about the environment coupled with Sykes. She noted that one of her concerns is technological advances such as television digital chemicals from her print cartridges getting into See Electronics on Page 7A THE CHAMPION FREE PRESS, FRIDAY, MARCH 13, 2009 Page 3A Gupta withdraws from surgeon general search by Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar WASHINGTON (AP) CNN says medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gup- ta won’t be the next surgeon general. The news network reported Gupta’s withdrawal March 5. The Obama ad- ministration con- firmed that Gupta, a member of the staff and faculty of the DeKalb’s Ready to Work Department of Neu- A weekly series on employment, searching for jobs and how people are surviving rosurgery at Emory University School Gupta of Medicine, had Tips for success in searching for and taken himself out of Self-imposed landing a job the running because he wants to focus deadline to find work on his medical career and spend more • Establish goals – If you don’t know where you are go- time with his family. ing, how will you know when you get there? Do a reality The 39-year-old Gupta was seen as fast approaching check. You may have to re-establish your goals. Keep President Barack Obama’s first pick your eyes on your goal and view any setbacks as tempo- for the job. He would have brought star Chamblee man says odds not in his favor rary. Keep moving forward. power to the office of surgeon general, • Sources of job leads – Only a small percentage of avail- which has lacked visibility since the by Jonathan Cribbs able jobs are advertised in local newspapers.