Musician cuffed in Alpharetta
Education a no-go
Young Jeezy arrested after panic alarm ►►PAGE 2
School bills on back burner ►►PAGE 6
Land conservation initiative gains support Preserve Rural Milton picks up steam ►►PAGE 8
January 29, 2014 | northfulton.com | 73,500 circulation Revue & News, Johns Creek Herald, Milton Herald & Forsyth Herald combined | 50¢ | Volume 9, No. 5
Horse farm event facility approved Neighbors divided on issue By JONATHAN COPSEY jonathan@northfulton.com
Crabapple MS celebrates Grandparents Day MILTON, Ga. – Crabapple Middle School recently celebrated Grandparents Day as students honored their elders and shared the day with them at school. Here, Carson B. has his hands full as he entertains both sets of grandparents at the event, which featured festive music and great food.
Police victims of ‘swatting’ hoax Fake 911 calls endanger police, residents By JONATHAN COPSEY jonathan@northfulton.com JOHNS CREEK, Ga. – North Fulton’s police departments were the victims of “swatting” Jan. 16. Swatting is a form of prank where the police get a call requiring a heavy SWAT
response only to find out the call was fake. Jan. 16, Alpharetta 911 received a call about 4:30 p.m. from an unknown person claiming that a man, woman and child had all been shot at a residence on Carlisle Lane, in Country Club of the South. Additionally, the caller demanded $30,000 for the release of a hostage. Alpharetta transferred the call over to Johns Creek’s dispatch – ChatComm – who
relayed it to their police. The call allegedly was traced to a Carlisle Lane residence. Dozens of police responded to the scene, ready for a shooter. They surrounded the home and set up surveillance sites and a command center. Many officers were armed with rifles and shotguns. After police had set up their perimeter, two women came
See HOAX, Page 20
MILTON, Ga. – In a unanimous vote, the Milton City Council Jan. 22 approved allowing an event facility on 5 acres of horse farm on Hopewell Road. The event facility will be restricted to 150 people and will cease “artificial” noises by 10 p.m. Yellow House Farm owner Jeff Runner came before council to allow him to host special events on his property such as weddings and graduation parties. The events would be held in the buildings currently on the site and the horse farm would remain. Runner ran into issues from some of his neighbors, notably in the Bethany Oaks neighborhood, in which several homes abut his property. While some neighbors have claimed to enjoy the view of the horse farm, others have expressed concerns about noise and lights coming from the event facility. Proponents said this was a perfect example of a landowner trying to keep his land, rather than sell to developers. “There’s a huge outcry from the community to preserve as much of our green space as we possibly can,” said Councilmember Bill Lusk. “This is an attempt to actively preserve green space in our community.” The venue was first put to
There’s a huge outcry from the community to preserve as much of our green space as we possibly can.” BILL LUSK Councilmember
council Dec. 2, 2013, and deferred to Dec. 16 for its first presentation. The Jan. 22 meeting was the final approval needed for the property. One persistent issue with the approval was a holdover from Fulton County’s laws. When Milton became a city, it largely assumed Fulton’s code of laws. However there was one such law that regarded event facilities in AG-1 (residential or agricultural) districts. That law required the event venue to come back for approval every three years. Staff said the law may have originated with such county events as the Renaissance Faire. “At this point, that is the use permit that we have on our books and that is the permit under which Mr. Runner made his application,” said Kathleen Field, Milton’s community development
See FARM, Page 16