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Jonathan Cribbs

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Expert: Long must try case in court, public

As Bishop Eddie Long faces sexual coercion charges from four former church congregants, he must make his case both in court and to the public at large to preserve his reputation, public relations and crisis management, experts said. As Long, head of ...

Charges dropped in strip club killing

Murder charges were dropped against two men arrested last month in the killing of a strip club co-owner just east of Decatur, an attorney for one of the men said. Joey Celestin and Bill Nichols were arrested after the Sept. 7 killing of Terry Stephen...

New school board candidates press for change

A spate of candidates for the DeKalb County Board of Education stressed last week the necessity for change throughout an embattled school system, including the removal of sitting board members. eduKALB, a nonprofit advocacy group backed by the county...

Opinions vary after Long addresses lawsuits

Members of the New Birth Missionary Baptist Church worship, Sunday, Sept. 26. (AP Photo/John Amis, Pool)
Cars were wrapped around Lithonia’s back roads in stopped traffic for at least a mile up to an hour before the 8 a.m. service at New Birth Missionary Baptist Church on Sept. 26. It was not a typical Sunday for Bishop Eddie Long or his 25,000-member...

Glenwood Road residents march to stop crime

DeKalb County Commissioner Larry Johnson leads a group of concerned residents along Glenwood Road to protest an increase in crime along the residential and commercial corridor. Photos by Jonathan Cribbs
Jackie Gay has lived in the Belvedere neighborhood along Glenwood Road for about 32 years, she said. Like many of the neighborhood’s older residents, she remembers a more peaceful, pleasant place when she moved in. Fast forward to several years ago...

Fourth lawsuit filed against Bishop Eddie Long

A fourth former congregant of New Birth Missionary Baptist Church has sued Bishop Eddie Long, claiming he had a sexual relationship with the nationally known pastor. Spencer LeGrande was 15 years old when he met Long at a New Birth satellite church i...

School system hires auditor to help restore credibility

Gary Babst
The DeKalb County Board of Education wanted an auditing director sooner. Two years ago to be more specific. But tight budgeting and salary freezes kept the district from hiring one. Now, there’s Gary Babst. The school board recently hired the forme...

Third lawsuit filed against New Birth pastor Eddie Long

A third lawsuit has been filed against New Birth Missionary Baptist Church pastor Eddie Long, claiming Long lured a former congregant into a sexual relationship in exchange for gifts and lavish trips.  Jamal Parris, a 23-year-old former church congr...

Death of 12-year-old ruled homicide

A 12-year-old DeKalb County boy whose body was discovered in an apartment complex Sept. 14 was strangled to death, police officials said. The county’s medical examiner ruled the death of Nicolas Aleman a homicide Sept. 16, according to a DeKalb Cou...

Interim superintendent tells chamber audience that school system must change public perception

Tyson: ‘We’ve got work to do’ The DeKalb County School System must prove to its accreditors the administration and school board have the policies and internal controls to prevent future malfeasance, interim Superintendent Ramona Tyson sai...