The Vine Prevention: Frank Ski, Celebrities Raise Money For Kids

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Movie stars, political leaders, entertainers, professional athletes, wine connoisseurs and novices alike lifted their glasses – ahem, wine glasses – over the weekend in support of a local prevention program for at-risk youth. The Frank Ski Kids Foundation, the namesake of the V-103 Radio personality and host of the number one urban morning radio show in Atlanta, celebrated its seventh annual Wine Tasting & Live Auction.  The Sunday evening affair featured a live auction of authentic autographed memorabilia, vacation packages and rare bottles of vino. Funds raised at the $250-a-ticket soiree held at a swanky Buckhead mansion, will benefit the non-profit Foundation’s programs, which seek to expose young people to promising futures through science, technology, athletics and the arts. “Our efforts to date have helped many children, but the needs of our children remain immense,” said Ski. “We must continue with unfaltering determination and dedication.”

Here's what some of the notable attendees who spoke to JJIE’s Chandra Thomas had to say.

Deal Taps Reese as Next DHS Commissioner

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Governor – elect Nathan Deal has nominated Clyde Reese to run the Department of Human Services.   The announcement came Friday afternoon, according to the Atlanta Business Chronicle. Clyde Reese is an attorney and currently serves as Commissioner of Community Health, which administers Medicaid, Peachcare and the State Health Benefit Plan. He was appointed to the post last April by Governor Sonny Perdue.   The DCH website describes Reese as a health care regulatory and administrative law specialist. He’s also been General Counsel for the State Health Planning Agency, and an Assistant Attorney General.

Cobb County Juvenile Court Move on Hold for Now

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A plan to relocate Juvenile Court operations in Cobb County to the Superior Courthouse is not likely to happen any time soon.  According to the Marietta Daily Journal, the county doesn’t have the $2.2 million needed to make the move. Juvenile Court is currently located in a renovated warehouse. It was scheduled to move to the 5th and 6th floors of the old courthouse building in Marietta next year.  The space will be available once construction is finished on the new Courthouse building. The Board of Commissioners will consider a special purpose local option sales tax (SPLOST) to fund the juvenile court move, along with other projects.  As MDJonline.com reports, they could decide next week whether to put it to the voters in March. Courthouse construction has been a hot issue for months in Cobb.  Last summer, a watchdog group called Jobs for Georgians called on the county to do background and security checks on 760 construction workers at the new court site.  As a result, the AJC reports two illegal immigrants were arrested, along with eight other workers who had outstanding warrants.

30-Proof Whipped Cream Spikes New Health Concerns

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On the heels of the fight to keep caffeine-packed alcoholic “energy drinks” out of the hands of young people, a new health concern is emerging over a new product -- whipped cream with a twist. Cans of flavored alcohol-infused whipped cream, yes whipped cream, with names like Cream and Whipped Lightening have been popping up on local liquor store shelves. Much like the alcoholic energy drinks that the Federal Drug Administration threatened to ban in November (the maker of the controversial Four Loko brand has agreed to remove caffeine and two other ingredients, guarana and taurine), the toppings come in flavors like raspberry, German chocolate, cherry, Amaretto, caramel and vanilla flavors, which are especially inviting to young people. Similarly these so-called “whipahols” also pack a powerful punch at 15 percent alcohol, about 30-proof. Depending on how much is consumed, some experts contend, that can be about three times the amount found in beer.

Street GRACE Mobilizes Churches To Fight Child Sexual Exploitation

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“Defend the poor and fatherless; do justice to the afflicted, young and needy.” Karen Klett says that scripture, Psalms 82:3 to be exact, always comes to mind when she reflects on her church’s work with Street GRACE. The passage also seems to underlie the motivation behind why Klem’s church, 12Stone in Lawrenceville, and leaders from about 39 other metro Atlanta area churches, have been inspired to partner with the metro Atlanta-based non-profit. The non-denominational alliance of churches, community partners and volunteers is dedicated to “supporting, enlarging and allying with those individuals and organizations working toward eliminating the commercial sexual exploitation of children,” according to its website. Anyone who thinks underage sex for sale is not a church issue, should think again, Street GRACE leaders say. “God is a God of justice and this is a justice issue,” insists Klem.

Children’s Agencies Push for Data Driven Progress, Common Goals at Statewide Conference

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Georgia ranks near the bottom on almost every index of child well-being charted by KIDS COUNT, the annual survey that tracks children and families in all 50 states.  While the state has made progress on issues like child deaths, teen pregnancy and high school graduation rates, Georgia sits at #42. So when 500 people who provide services for children got together this week at the Georgia Conference on Children and Families, they had plenty to talk about. Leaders of the largest state agencies and non-profits who guide child policy came together in front of a full house on Wednesday to send a message about sharing common goals and measuring progress with data. “We have to work together by developing outcomes we agree to and track,” said Normer Adams, executive director of the Georgia Association of Homes and Services for Children. "Child welfare has changed so much over the years it really needed a break from the past. We have moved away from the model of child rescue to the model of family restoration. It’s more informed by research and outcomes than in the past. What we know from research is that children are best cared for by their families."

Atlanta Church Facing Eviction To Serve Free Thanksgiving Meal

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The looming threat of eviction is not stopping a metro Atlanta church that provides multiple programs for at-risk youth from feeding the hungry for Thanksgiving. The Atlanta Urban Foursquare Church (AUC) is facing eviction from its building owned by the United Methodist Church, but church leaders say they still plan to move forward with its annual Thanksgiving meal for the poor next week. “We want to invest in souls; that’s the purpose of this church, to invest in souls,” says Pastor Mark Anthony Mitchell, a former drug dealer who turned his life around and earned a masters degree from Harvard Divinity SchoolSchool.  Watch CNN's interview with Mitchell:

Under Mitchell’s leadership, the church has earned a reputation as a “beacon of hope” in the economically challenged Lakewood community and surrounding neighborhoods. It’s been particularly welcoming to area residents who have served time in prison and need help re-entering society. AUC also houses a free pre-school and after school program along with hosting a mentoring and sponsorship program for ex-offenders.

Civil Suit Challenges Life Without Parole for Kids

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There are new legal challenges popping up across the country in the wake of the Graham v. Florida Supreme Court decision, which made life without parole sentences for juveniles unconstitutional in cases that don’t involve murder. Unlike appeals filed in Florida and Pennsylvania, the American Civil Liberties Union is suing Michigan government officials on behalf of nine convicts who were sentenced to life in prison without possibility of parole for crimes they committed when they were minors, according to the Jurist. Michigan law requires mandatory life sentences for certain crimes committed by kids who are 14 to 17 years old. The ACLU argues their rights have been violated because they don’t have the chance for parole by demonstrating growth or maturity.

Gangs Use Social Networking to Mark Their Turf

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Teens in gangs are using sites like Facebook, Myspace and Twitter to glamorize their activities and carry on gang wars. In several cases, gang members use these sites to track down and confront rivals by following them on Twitter or checking out their Facebook page, according to a gang awareness blog called Open the Gate. Teens in gangs are also using social networking to recruit new members. Authorities call it cyberbanging and they’re trying to fight it by monitoring sites, along with pictures and comments related to illegal activities. Some gangs are very active online.

Prevention Group Works On ‘Battle Plan’ To Stop Deadly Teen Violence

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The violent deaths of two metro Atlanta teenagers a week apart – allegedly at the hands of peers – has sparked a debate among members of a local violence prevention organization. Members of the Metropolitan Atlanta Violence Prevention Partnership (MAVPP), discussed the tragedies, and more specifically how to thwart similar ones, during its monthly meeting this week. The partnership, a who’s who of more than 200 local violence prevention groups, boasts a diverse membership that spans the spectrum from the Emory (University) Injury Control Center (EICC) and the Morehouse School of Medicine (MSM) Department of Community Health and Preventive Medicine to the Martin Luther King, Jr. Center, local churches and law enforcement agencies. Attendees batted around an array of ideas Tuesday, including implementing large-scale community reform initiatives along with anger management counseling and expanded educational opportunities for young people and their parents. “I’d like to see more intervention aimed at the community,” says Shakiyla Smith, EICC deputy director.