Sheriff’s Office seeks reaccreditation FCSO strive to meet national, local standards ►►PAGE 6
Head to head
Two debate for House District 24 seat ►►PAGE 5
Top of their class Local valedictorians talk past successes, future plans ►►PAGE 15
June 17, 2015 | forsythherald.com | 75,000 circulation Revue & News, Johns Creek Herald, Milton Herald & Forsyth Herald combined | 50¢ | Volume 18, No. 25
Ride for Kids held for pediatric tumor research By HILLARY HUNNINGS news@northfulton.com
Pictured: Troy Von Kutzleben takes Catherine Rowan for a ride.
CUMMING, Ga. – The 32nd annual Atlanta Ride for Kids, a motorcycle event benefitting the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation, returned to Cumming on June 7. This event was particularly special for the Compton family of Forsyth County, where four-year-old Addison Compton continues her fight against an adult form of brain cancer. Addison Compton looked on as a myriad of motorcycles circled Cumming Fairgrounds. “She likes looking at them,” said Addison’s mother, Samantha Compton. “Normally she’s scared of them but my parents are here, her grand-
parents, and they’re riding in the [Ride for Kids] so that’s what she was looking forward to.” This year, Addison has a ride all her own. “She was diagnosed with adult brain cancer when she was 18 months old,” Samantha Compton said. “This year she was healthy enough that we could come out and do the ride.” A tumor sits at the middle of Addison’s brain and spans outwards left to right. Feeding it at its core was an artery, the tumor’s main blood supply. This main blood supply has been eradicated due to an adult phase I chemotherapy study dubbed AMG 386. “In normal chemo they attack the cells in the body,” said Compton. “This one attacks the blood vessels. The
See RIDE, Page 21 PHOTO BY BILL PHELPS
Second city to get second study County researching possibility of Sharon Springs BY KATHLEEN STURGEON kathleen@appenmediagroup.com FORSYTH COUNTY, Ga. — After a study done by the Carl Vinson Institute deemed Sharon Springs financially viable in March, the potential city now must undergo a second study. Ken Jarrard, county attorney, asked the Forsyth County Board of Commissioners (BOC) June 9 at their work
session if his office could look into the possibility of the city from the county’s perspective and then get a second opinion on that document. The commissioners voted unanimously to authorize Jarrard to write an opinion on the “city light” issue and to have another expert of his choosing review it. Also, the BOC voted unanimously to authorize Jarrard to bring in a qualified individual or firm to do a study of the
fiscal impacts on the county related to the proposed new city. “This BOC has some long range planning to do and you’re in the middle of the budget time,” Jarrard said. “One of the things you have to think about is JARRARD the potential long term impact of a new city and all of its various funding sources on the county’s budget. No one has looked at that.”
The study said the city would be a “city light,” Jarrad said, which means it will have three powers: zoning, solid waste management and code enforcement. “While the study does come up with the finding this new city would be financially viable, it doesn’t address nor was it tasked to address what the financial impact is on the county,” Jarrard said. “Basically most of its numbers are based upon almost a reverse engi-
See STUDY, Page 15
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