Empty Nest
Sponsored section ►►PAGE 20
Old Soldiers Parade gets new route Start moves from Main Street to Canton Street ►►PAGE 7
Holyfield speaks with PAL Heavyweight boxing legend shares lessons, advice ►►PAGE 9
Welcome to the WIld West
‘Annie Get Your Gun’ on stage at Cumming Playhouse ►►PAGE 14
July 23, 2015 | johnscreekherald.com | 75,000 circulation Revue & News, Johns Creek Herald, Milton Herald & Forsyth Herald combined | 50¢ | Volume 19, No. 30
Shadow puppeteer teaches, entertains Library program entertain youngsters as well as educate By HATCHER HURD hatcher@appenmediagroup.com JOHNS CREEK, Ga. – So how do you keep a bunch of youngsters from 3 to 7 entertained for 90 minutes without the use of an electronic device? It helps if you have Mr. Damon’s Theater Arts and Puppets. Mr. Damon is Damon
Young, the Atlanta father of two who most of the year works at the Center for Puppetry Art where he is a lead teaching artist. But in the summer he tours libraries, schools and such places as will afford him an audience to tell folktales using shadow pup-
See PUPPETEER, Page 25
PHOTOS BY HATCHER HURD/STAFF
Damon Young, aka Mr. Damon, explains to his young audience how shadow puppets are used.
Mr. Damon keeps young visitors engaged as retells old legends through the shadow puppets designed by his wife.
Fulton reduces millage by nearly 11% Homeowners to get some relief for rising appraisals By HATCHER HURD hatcher@appenmediagroup.com FULTON COUNTY – The Fulton County Board of commissioners approved July 15 a 10.9 percent reduction in the general fund tax millage rate. Some North Fulton residents experiencing rising home revaluations of 20 percent or more may not be as relieved. Fulton County District 2 Commissioner Bob Ellis presented the proposal approved by a 5-2 vote (commissioners Emma Darnell and Marvin Arrington Jr. opposed). This resulted in a millage rate of 10.5 mills tax rate for 2015 It was 11.7 mills last year. “This is not as great as the 17 percent reduction
HAUSMANN
ELLIS
we gave last year, but it is a step in the right direction,” said District 1 Commissioner Liz Hausmann. “It’s hard to gauge the effect on individual homeowners because some evaluations have been increased.” This is a significant reduction from the 2014 millage rate of 11.781, said Ellis.
See MILLAGE, Page 27
Johns Creek’s Judge Schaefer uses innovative program on young drivers By HATCHER HURD hatcher@appenmediagroup.com JOHNS CREEK, Ga. – Sometimes a picture – or a video – is not only worth a thousand words, it could save the life of a teenage driver.
That is part of the reasoning for the Johns Creek STOP program, a safe driving program for teens designed by the Police Department and Municipal Court to reduce the number of teen traffic accidents and repeat violators in Johns Creek. The 90-minute class,
taught by Johns Creek Municipal Court Judge Don Schaefer and police officers, was launched in 2007. It combines lecture, humor, demonstrations, fictional videos and real-life photos designed to
See SCHAEFER, Page 5
Johns Creek Municipal Court Judge Don Schaefer is presented with his award for the STOP program.