D e c e m b e r 3 0 , 2 0 1 5 | Fo r s y t h H e r a l d . c o m | A n A p p e n M e d i a G r o u p P u b l i c a t i o n | 5 0 ¢ | Vo l u m e 1 8 , N o . 5 2
FCSO reduces crashes Awarded grant for DUI enforcement ►►Page 2
BOC discuss makeup Possibly add two members ►►Page 4
Forsyth moves forward
Government go-getters Meeting Jodi Gardner ►►Page 9
It’s that time of year again. We start recovering from Christmas and start thinking of our New Year’s resolutions. But before we completely move into 2016, let’s take a look at the biggest headlines from 2015. Among the biggest Forsyth County Courthouse events in the past year was and Jail. Read more Year in Review, Pages 6 – 7. the unveiling of the new
Study released on Sharon Springs Kathleen Sturgeon/Staff
Discusses savings, fiscal impact ►►Page 18
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2 | December 30, 2015 | Forsyth Herald | ForsythHerald.com
Public Safety
FCSO awarded $38,400 grant for local DUI enforcement 770-442-3278 | ForsythHerald.com 319 N. Main Street, Alpharetta, Ga. 30009 PUBLISHER Ray Appen EDITORIAL QUESTIONS: Alpharetta-Roswell: ex. 122 Forsyth Herald: ex. 143 Johns Creek Herald: ex. 121 Milton Herald: ex. 143 Business Post: ex. 116 Northside Woman: ex. 102 TO SUBMIT EDITORIAL: News: news@appenmediagroup.com Press Releases: NewsLink.NorthFulton.com Calendar/Events: NorthFulton.com/Calendar ADVERTISING QUESTIONS: General Advertising: ex. 101 advertising@appenmediagroup.com Classified Advertising: ex. 119 classifieds@appenmediagroup.com Circulation/Subscriptions/Delivery: ex. 100 circulation@appenmediagroup.com Our Weekly Publications
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ATLANTA — The Governor’s Office of Highway Safety has announced that the Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office is one of 17 law enforcement agencies in Georgia to receive a Highway Enforcement of Aggressive Traffic grant for the 2015 grant season. Referred to as a H.E.A.T. grant, the amount awarded to Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office totals $38,400. The goal of the H.E.A.T. program is to combat crashes, injuries and fatalities caused by impaired driving and speeding, while also increasing seatbelt use and educating the public about traffic safety and the dangers of driving under the influence. The Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office H.E.A.T Unit will use the grant from GOHS to develop and implement strategies to reduce local traffic crashes due to aggressive and dangerous driving behaviors. “Agencies like the Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office receive this H.E.A.T. grant because they have shown a particular dedication to protecting their citizens from impaired drivers,” said GOHS Director Harris Blackwood. “This dedication is crucial because alcohol-related crash deaths still account for 25 percent of traffic fatalities in Georgia. We are grateful to Sheriff Duane Piper and his staff for their continued hard work.” Totaling $3.2 million for 2015,
DUIs & Drugs All crime reports published by Appen Media Group are compiled from public records. Neither the law enforcement agencies nor Appen Media Group implies any guilt by publishing these names. None of the persons listed has been convicted of the alleged crimes.
DUI arrests ►► Bryan Marshall Holcomb, 41, of
Dawsonville, was arrested Dec. 12 on Freedom Parkway in Cumming for DUI, failure to maintain lane and possession of methamphetamines. ►► Steve Roy Grosz, 50, of Stagecoach,
The Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office H.E.A.T Unit will use the grant from GOHS to develop and implement strategies to reduce local traffic crashes due to aggressive and dangerous driving behaviors. H.E.A.T. grants fund specialized traffic enforcement units in counties throughout the state. The program was designed to assist Georgia jurisdictions with the highest rates of traffic crashes, injuries and fatalities with grants awarded based on impaired driving and speeding data. “The H.E.A.T. project aims to increase the impaired driver apprehension rate. H.E.A.T. units like ours help accomplish that goal through the systematic delivery of effective DUI and aggressive-driving countermeasures and by providing a higher traffic
enforcement profile in the community,” Piper said. As law enforcement partners in the Operation Zero Tolerance DUI and Click It Or Ticket seatbelt campaigns, the Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office will also conduct mobilizations throughout the year in coordination with GOHS’s year-round waves of high-visibility patrols, multijurisdictional road checks and sobriety checkpoints. For more information about the H.E.A.T. program or any other GOHS campaign, visit gahighwaysafety.org or call 404-656-6996.
Texas, was arrested Dec. 12 on Ronald Reagan Boulevard in Cumming for DUI and violation of handicap parking. ►► Robin Michele Abernathy, 40, of Dahlonega, was arrested Dec. 13 on Ga. 400 in Cumming for DUI and failure to maintain lane. ►► Elizabeth M. Morrison, 31, of Robin Road, Cumming, was arrested Dec. 13 on Buford Highway in Cumming for DUI, speeding and possession of marijuana. ►► Jose Luis Rivera, 31, of Eagles Crest Village, Roswell, was arrested Dec. 13 on Ga. 400 in Alpharetta for
DUI, no license and failure to maintain lane. ►► Ricky A. McDaniel, 54, of Bentley Ridge, Cumming, was arrested Dec. 10 on Ga. 400 in Alpharetta for DUI and speeding. ►► Christina P. Breitenbach, 23, of Doc Bramblett Road, Cumming, was arrested Dec. 10 on Dawsonville Highway in Gainesville for DUI, suspended registration and failure to report striking a fixed object. ►► Robert Wallace Boyce, 39, of
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ForsythHerald.com | Forsyth Herald | December 30, 2015 | 3
What is that white spot on my eye? By Samir Vira, M.D.
Samir Vira, M.D.
Don’t Let Cataracts Keep You From Enjoying The New Year
If you wear contact lenses and you ever wake up with a painful red eye with discharge or blurred vision, you should always consider the possibility of a corneal infection. A corneal ulcer, or infectious keratitis, occurs when there is a breakdown in the cornea and microbes create an infection of the eye. The cornea is the transparent window into the eye, and it is critical for this segment to remain healthy and intact so that you can see everything clearly.
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A corneal ulcer is mostly commonly caused by bacteria. It can occur in anyone after sustaining direct injury to the eye. The trauma creates an entry point for bacteria or other microorganism to invade and establish an infection. Contact lens wearers have a significantly higher risk of developing a corneal ulcer. This is especially true for individuals who wear extended duration contact lenses – they are ten times more likely to develop an infection. Contact lens wearers are susceptible to microtrauma that can occur from the lens itself. With extended wear, contact lenses can develop small scratches at the edge or deposits that can lead to this microtrauma. In addition, these contact lenses can harbor bacteria on the surface over time. Lastly, these contact lenses can obstruct oxygen availability and thus make the cornea more susceptible to infection. Overnight wear of contact lenses is also associated with a higher risk of infection. Ulcers can also occur due to other microorganisms. The herpes virus, commonly associated with cold sores, can lead to recurrent corneal ulcers. Contact lens wearers are at higher risk for a fungal or parasitic infection. Acanthamoeba, a parasite found in tap water, swimming pools, hot tubs, and lakes, can lead to a severe corneal ulcer in contact lens wearers. Contact lens wearers must maintain good hygiene to reduce their risk for an infection. This includes washing hands regularly before handling contact lenses, disinfecting and disposing lenses in a timely fashion, and frequent cleaning of contact lens cases. Individuals should also avoid wearing contact lenses during swimming or showering. Patients with severe dry eyes, eyelid abnormalities leading to exposure of the cornea, and autoimmune disorders, such as rheumatoid arthritis, are especially prone to infection and should be aware of this possibility. Any individual, especially contact lens wearer, experiencing symptoms of eye pain or foreign body sensation, blurred vision, discharge, or light sensitivity should seek urgent care from an eyecare provider. Delay in attention and treatment can lead to vision loss and sometimes even blindness or loss of the eye. Contact lens wearers should immediately stop the use of their lenses. Your ophthalmologist or optometrist will obtain a detailed history and examine the extent and location of the corneal ulcer. He or she will initiate frequent use of topical antibiotics, and in certain severe or unusual circumstances, obtain cultures to determine the specific bacteria causing the infection. You will be asked to return for re-assessment of the ulcer and its response to antibiotics every 1 to 3 days. Most patients respond well to topical antibiotics with good visual prognosis. In severe cases where the central cornea is affected, treatment may be required for a duration of several weeks to months. Patients can also develop cataracts or glaucoma concurrently. Permanent vision loss may occur despite aggressive treatment due to irreversible scarring of the cornea. In these rare cases, a corneal transplant procedure followed by long visual rehabilitation may be necessary to restore the patient’s vision.
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NEWS
4 | December 30, 2015 | Forsyth Herald | ForsythHerald.com
Discussion begins on makeup of Board of Commissioners By KATHLEEN STURGEON kathleen@appenmediagroup.com FORSYTH COUNTY, Ga. — The way the Forsyth County Board of Commissioners is comprised could soon change. At the Dec. 15 prelegislative breakfast, hosted by the Cumming-Forsyth Chamber of Commerce, District 25 State Rep. Mike Dudgeon announced officials are considering adding a sixth member to the BOC, although a seventh member was later discussed by the BOC. The at-large chairperson(s) would be voted on by the entire county and would take office in January 2017. The position(s) would be effective in the 2016 election, with qualifying in mid-March, primary in May. Any new official(s) would be a full voting member and be similar to the current chairpersons. At their Dec. 22 work session, the BOC discussed what they would like to see come out of this change and decided what to put into a resolution to say how they would like the BOC to be made up. Commissioner Todd Levent requested the top priority be that no changes are made by the legislature until a straw poll is done in order to receive voters’ input. This was passed unanimously. In early conversations about adding a sixth member, the second item in the resolution is for the BOC to go to a seven-person board, but keeping the five districts. There would be two
There have been signals from certain members of legislature that they might be uncomfortable mainly for voting rights perspective.” Ken Jarrard County Attorney
at-large commissioners to be divided equally among the districts. This was also passed unanimously. The third request is that voting for commissioners goes back to being countywide rather than districtwide. It passed after a 3-2 vote with Commissioners Pete Amos and Cindy Jones Mills against. “There have been signals from certain members of legislature that they might be uncomfortable mainly for voting rights perspective,” County Attorney Ken Jarrard said. “There have been examples from other counties where there was some concern about it.” Since the vote was not unanimous, this resolution will come up again at a BOC meeting in January.
Temporary closure of Chamblee Gap Road FORSYTH COUNTY, Ga. — Chamblee Gap Road will be temporarily closed to through traffic from Bethelview Road to Johnson Road beginning January 4, 2016. The temporary closure is to allow for improvements to be made, including realigning and upgrading Chamblee Gap Road to an urban curb and gutter paved roadway with sidewalks and multi-use paths adjacent to the roadway. The road improvements are being completed by Lennar, homebuilder for a residential development being constructed off of Chamblee Gap Road, northwest of the city of Cumming. The development is slated to include 572 single-family detached homes and 124 attached units. No county funds are involved in the road work. Improvements to the roadway are expected to be completed in late 2016, at which time the road will reopen to through traffic. Motorists’ patience during this temporary closure is appreciated.
Forsyth public safety personnel, commissioner recognized FORSYTH COUNTY, Ga. — Representatives from the Sons of the American Revolution presented Public Safety Awards during the Forsyth County Board of Commissioners meeting on December 17. Following the presentation of colors by representatives
dressed in Revolutionary Army uniforms, the awards were presented on behalf of the Robert Forsyth Chapter of the SAR. Recently-retired Battalion Chief Tommy Coleman received the Firefighter of the Year award; Katie Bardo
received the EMS Person of the Year award; and Deputy First Class Jerry Loggins received the Sheriff Deputy of the Year award. The group also presented District 2 Commissioner Brian R. Tam with the Bronze Good Citizenship Medal.
ForsythHerald.com | Forsyth Herald | December 30, 2015 | 5
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6 | December 30, 2015 | Forsyth Herald | ForsythHerald.com
Year in Review:
YEAR IN REVIEW
Many changes to Forsyth, continues to expand and adapt This year, Forsyth grew in many ways. The county’s new courthouse and jail opened and widening began on Ga. 400. However, the chance to grow into a two-city county dissolved toward the end of the year. Forsyth County Schools saw schools in Forsyth receive recognition and awards many times throughout the year, including having one of the state’s highest graduation rates. In the year to come, new residents will be welcomed into a county with a great school system, low unemployment rate, a comparably lower cost of housing and robust public safety.
Rupert Sexton and his wife Dana reminisce about his time in office.
Cumming City Council sees many changes CUMMING, Ga. — This year saw the somewhat drastic change of the makeup of the Cumming City Council. Former Councilman Rupert Sexton retired in May after more than 44 years in office. Earlier in the year and in late 2014, Sexton was allegedly accused by some council members of leaking
documents, which members said illegally released private information about city employees on social media. Sexton denied releasing any documents. In his place, Councilman Chuck Welch joined the group as the youngest and newest member in over 23 years. Two more councilmen, Ralph Perry and John D. Pugh, both announced their retirement beginning 2016. They were replaced by Christopher Light and Linda Ledbetter.
Forsyth County Schools rake in the accolades FORSYTH COUNTY, Ga. — Throughout 2015, Forsyth County Schools added many new awards and recognitions to its long list of honors. In December, FCS was one of only six Georgia school districts to be named members of the College Board’s 2015 AP District Honor Roll – a list honoring districts that have increased access to Advanced Placement coursework while simultaneously maintaining or increasing the percentage of students earning scores of 3 or higher on AP exams. Whitlow Elementary School was named the first elementary school in Georgia and the 23rd in the U.S. to be STEM certified. In November, FCS ranked among the highest in the state on the Georgia Milestones test, coming in fourth overall. One school was No. 1 in Georgia while eight others scored in the top 10. All schools in the county were ranked. For 2015, the graduation rate for Forsyth County Schools increased 3.7 percent to an overall total of 94 percent. As for the ACT, FCS had the state’s highest ACT scores and metro Atlanta’s highest SAT scores.
County and city officials hold ribbon cutting for new courthouse in March. September 2015 with a capacity of 608 inmates. The new courthouse is located at 101 E. Courthouse Square at the intersection of Main Street and Veterans Memorial Boulevard in downtown Cumming. The address of the Forsyth County Jail will remain 202 Veterans Memorial Blvd.
County may have career academy
The second city in Forsyth County could be Sharon Springs.
Sharon Springs found financially viable, then New jail, courthouse open unconstitutional FORSYTH COUNTY, Ga. — The longawaited opening of Forsyth County’s new courthouse occurred in March. Voters approved a $100 million SPLOST November 2011 that included the jail, a new county courthouse and nearby parking facilities within the same package. Construction began in 2013 for the new jail, which opened in
(“city light”) is financially viable. Later that same month, State Rep. Mike Dudgeon introduced House Bill 660 that would initiate a referendum to incorporate the city of Sharon Springs in southern Forsyth County. Supporters rejoiced until December, when Dudgeon said the delegation decided the bill was “unconstitutional” due to it being a “city light.” State Sen. Michael Williams said legislators want to regroup and find another way to go about creating Sharon Springs.
FORSYTH COUNTY, Ga. — Incorporating a second city into Forsyth County took one step forward and two steps back this year. The Carl Vinson Institute of Government at the University of Georgia completed a feasibility study for the proposed city of Sharon Springs and the research, released March 2, confirmed a new limited-services city
FORSYTH COUNTY, Ga. — High school students in Forsyth County looking to get more real-world experience in areas like hospitality or public safety before graduating may soon have that option. Forsyth County Schools is considering building another high school in the county that will be more like a career academy. In August talks began on creating an intergovernmental agreement between multiple agencies to help get the nontraditional school, dubbed Alliance Academy for Innovation of Cumming-Forsyth County Inc., started. The school would be for about 1,000 ninth- through 12th-graders in the county, and would provide secondary and continuing education for individuals, organizations, small businesses and corporations located within the city of Cumming. The city would provide the land, about 15 acres. Examples of programs that may be offered include aeronautics, distribution and logistics, drone technology, energy systems, health care information technology, health care in general, hospitality and tourism, mechatronics, public safety and wireless
YEAR IN REVIEW
ForsythHerald.com | Forsyth Herald | December 30, 2015 | 7
Forsyth County Board of Commissioners and the Georgia Department of Transportation broke ground on the Ga. 400 widening project Nov. 4. communications. The Public Facilities Authority said it is not prepared to approve the agreement until the Board of Education provides them with a summary description of the academy proposal as well as a not-to-exceed amount. Because this is a governmental project and not a private project, it cannot begin until it has secured financing, said bond attorney Roger Murray.
Widening begins on Ga. 400 FORSYTH COUNTY, Ga. — For those who commute along Ga. 400 from McFarland Parkway to Ga. 369, traffic and congestion will soon ease up. Forsyth County and the Georgia Department of Transportation broke ground in November to commemorate the widening project’s beginning. The project will add one lane in each direction, including widening bridges at Big Creek and Lake Lanier/Sawnee Creek, and is made possible through a partnership between the county and GDOT. Forsyth County Board of Commissioners Chairman Pete Amos said the citizens put a small tax on themselves to help improve transportation in their county. The widening of Ga. 400 will yield 27 lane miles. This past fall, crews began removing damaged concrete sections and replacing them with new concrete. This work will occur overnights and weekends. Next
spring, new construction will begin, eventually giving drivers one additional lane in each direction. Work will finish some time in 2018.
Domestic violence shocks county FORSYTH COUNTY, Ga. — This year was a tough one in terms of domestic violence. On July 8, Forsyth County 911 operator Erin Jones, 28, was shot to death by her live-in boyfriend, 43, who then killed himself, according to police. On July 17 a 64-year-old woman reportedly shot her 69-year-old husband several times. And, on July 22, Rebecca Manning, 37, was allegedly killed by her boyfriend who also killed Manning’s 8- and 9-year old sons, Jared and Jacob Smith. He also shot and critically wounded Manning’s father, who later died. However, even with the rampage of violence during July, the Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office said the county’s domestic-violence statistics have dropped over the past three to four years, but it’s tough to tell what’s causing the drop. T here were 1,355 domestic violence incidents in 2012, said Robin Regan, FCSO internal/external communications supervisor. In 2013 that number was 938, and in 2014 the number fell to 776.
A potential expansion at The Collection would add over 300 housing units to the area.
The Collection could add residential CUMMING, Ga. — The Collection at Forsyth, an outdoor shopping mall, could soon be adding housing to its complex. The Forsyth County Planning Commission voted 3-1 to approve the proposed overlay in November. However, when brought before the Board of Commissioners, it was tabled. Part of the initiative would include a town center with a town green where con-
certs, plays and special events could be held. Ethan Underwood, attorney for the project, said they are looking to create a mixed-use area with a 24-hour customer base for residents living onsite, additional offices, retail area and park space. There would be 309 housing units, Underwood said, all one- or two-bedroom apartments. Because of the pressure on schools to avoid overcrowding, Underwood said they are not looking into building three-bedroom units.
8 | December 30, 2015 | Forsyth Herald | ForsythHerald.com
OPINION
A New Year’s challenge Goodbye 2015, hello Every New Year’s, most of us think about what we’d like to resolve to change. The lists often include losing weight, getting in shape – either physically or financially Kathleen Sturgeon – landing a new job, getting married, Reporter kathleen@appenmediagroup.com etc. Unfortunately, whatever is wished for is often soon forgotten. But still we make our resolutions. The new year is a unique time when many of us feel we have a chance to start over. It’s as if we think we can almost be anyone or do anything we want. It’s pretty cool. There is usually a sense of recharged energy in the air. Come Jan. 1, most people are ready to kick off the year with a bang. So this year I would like to challenge our readers to put all of that energy to good use. Let’s be better. 2015 felt like a hard year. Granted, there are always tragedies in every year, but 2015 seemed to be one of the worst. While we had many, many good times, the bad often seemed to overshadow the good and take precedence. So, for 2016, I would love to see us all be better. Better friends, parents, significant others, workers and people. We need to be better in how we treat
So this year I would like to challenge our readers to put all of that energy to good use. each other, how we resolve issues and how we voice our differing opinions. We can start this new year off by really taking our lives, country, city and families by the reigns and going full force to make all of it better. In addition to being better, I also charge everyone reading this to be more positive. I write a lot on this topic because I honestly believe a positive outlook and mindset goes a long way toward ending negative issues and just making us better people as a whole. Being better and positive are behaviors we can easily incorporate into our daily lives. Smile at someone, hold the door for the person behind you and maybe put down your phone or device and listen and look at the world around you. It will amaze you what you miss when you’re tuned into your device all the time. So happy New Year, dear readers. Let’s make this year better and more positive by starting the change within ourselves. Happy 2016!
Letter to the Editor: Response to the Dec. 16 Letter to the Editor regarding reporter Kathleen Sturgeon’s Dec. 9 MARTA column – I read Kathleen Sturgeon’s Dec. 9 article, “MARTA moving up north, is that really smarter?” and winced at the title as, I’m sure, Ms. Taylor did, which prompted her to write her response on Dec. 16. The point of her response was that we indeed need to have a good, dependable and cost-effective form of transportation in Atlanta besides the autos we use that are expensive to maintain and fuel and, worst of all, clog the highways. I totally agree with this premise, especially as a native New Yorker who commuted by rail every day to and from work before heading South for a wonderful life in Atlanta. However, in re-reading Ms. Sturgeon’s article, I believe that the question she posed in her title was more an opportunity to get the reader’s attention than to object to the ultimate benefits derived from expanding the current MARTA rail system that effectively
goes nowhere, especially in the suburbs of North Fulton, Cobb, Gwinnett , Forsyth, etc. What’s more, with the growing population of millennials and their desire to utilize mass transit, such expansion would entice them to think about moving away from the city, especially when they decide to raise a family. In essence, Ms. Sturgeon and Ms. Taylor agree. Congratulations! The last comment in Ms. Sturgeon’s article reads as follows: “But giving our area the chance to flourish to its fullest capability? That is something we will all miss out on if we are held back by not having public transportation. Why wouldn’t we want to better our communities?” Thanks to you both for supporting this concept. Now we need the votes and ultimately the funds to make it happen! Bruce Kellogg, Roswell
spanking-new 2016
The new year is a great time for looking back, but it is also a good time to look forward. For me, it is easy to do both. I can take those shiny new 2015 HATCHER HURD resolutions I made, Executive Editor hatcher@appenmediagroup.com wipe a mote of dust off them and go with them again. There they are, still new in the box. Let’s see, begin a regimen of exercise, check. Start my new (make that my first) novel, check. Become a contestant on “Jeopardy,” check. Yes, they’re all here, so I’ll just put them back in the box and use them for 2016. That’s OK, for me. Nobody is going to care much whether I get these things done. But it is a little different for our local governments. Each year is new and calls for new, or at least continued, efforts to get these local cities down the road. City council members will have to ask themselves, “What have I done to govern?” That makes it hard for those who pledge what they won’t do. “I won’t raise taxes. I won’t spend money frivolously. I won’t vote for this or for that project.” These are commendable goals in and of themselves. But you will find you can’t build a political career on don’ts and won’ts. At some point you are going to have to say I – or better, we – did this and thus so that the city’s economy is stronger, the quality of life is better and the future is brighter. Too often the appeal is to do nothing. But that ultimately leads to dry rot for a city. It begins to decay from within. Doing nothing is much like a cancer. It kills a business here, a neighborhood there, until the blight is unmistakable. Suddenly, you’ll look around at a picture less bright than when you took office. You’ll be asked what you supported. And you had better have an answer. But this involves a certain amount of risk. Do the wrong thing
and it will backfire on you. But if you do nothing, that will backfire, too. So you work with your fellow council members to do “the right thing.” It is not always obvious what the right thing is. That is why you have consultants, experts and fellow council members. It also takes a vision. Hard thing that, vision. But if you don’t have the vision, there can be no right thing to do, because the goal is missing. One option is to treat a city like a car. Just maintain it, change the oil every so often, rotate the tires and get a tuneup. But, like a car, a city is made to go somewhere. And in the bustling suburban communities of North Fulton, it is easy to see people are going in every direction. Cities can’t do that. They have to have direction to go where they want to end up – prosperous, full of quality of life, good infrastructure and the like. And you can’t pull in a service station and say, “Fill it up with quality of life. Oh, and check the roads.” No, this is 2016 (almost). And it is all self-service. That means we have to do the work, the planning, the decision making. What we don’t have is the luxury of status quo. That’s because a city is like an organism, perhaps it is an organism. It certainly is not a car. It lives and breathes and needs care and sustenance. If you are not growing as a city, you are dying. Often, neither happens very quickly, but one or the other is inevitable. So a city council has to decide what is going to make our city grow and be well. It takes a plan and a regimen to become stronger, livelier, more robust. You will find not everyone wants to take the medicine. They won’t want to spend the money, they won’t want to make changes, in general they don’t want change. But change is inevitable, and remaining unchanged becomes a form of change itself – and almost always it is for the worse. That does not mean all change is good, of course not. It takes a lot of planning, a lot of hard work. So a council has taken on the job of leading. And leading is making decisions. You’ll find getting elected is the easy part – yes, the easy part. Making the tough decisions? Well, that’s a job I wouldn’t have the guts to do.
COMMUNITY
Government Go-Getters Meet Jodi Gardner By KATHLEEN STURGEON kathleen@appenmediagroup.com FORSYTH COUNTY, Ga. — While Forsyth County residents often receive emails, phone calls and letters from the Forsyth County government, the person sharing much of that information might be a bit of a mystery to many. As the county’s director of communications for 10 years, however, Jodi Gardner has helped shape a department that has grown and developed as much as the county she represents. Since starting her job in 2005, Gardner’s role has evolved from a stand-alone position as a public information officer for administration to running the county’s own communications department. “I hadn’t worked in government previously, but it was a communications job that really fit my education and interests,” said Gardner, who grew up in Tampa Bay, Florida, and graduated from the University of Tampa with a degree in communications and a minor in advertising. Gardner, who had long been interested in communications, had two internships out of college with a local hockey team and also with a performing arts center in Clearwater, Florida, where she was later hired to do communications work in their fundraising department. But after working there for three years, she moved
ForsythHerald.com | Forsyth Herald | December 30, 2015 | 9
The Forsyth Herald is starting a new monthly series on the people who make Forsyth County and the city of Cumming run. We will be featuring a different department head each month to really dig behind the scenes of the government to see how and why these people do what they do. up to Dahlonega to be closer to family. That’s where she heard about the Forsyth County opening. In the decade she’s been with the county, Gardner has helped with the creation of TV Forsyth, Forsyth’s new logo, Facebook page and website look, as well as assisting with annual reports for the county and the fire department. She also is involved with ribbon cuttings, ground breakings and more. “I’ve had the good fortune of being involved in some really neat projects like the Public Safety Complex opening in 2006 and the courthouse project,” she said. “I’ve seen a lot of progress and had the chance to be involved and plan events around some of those projects. To just have a role in some of those big milestone projects for our county has been very memorable.” As communications director, Gardner gets to meet and talk to many different people, which she enjoys. “I feel like it’s an honor to be able to work in this position and serve the citizens of the county and to get to do the job I get to do,” Gardner said. “It’s very rewarding to me.”
Feeling... Lost? Alone? Hopeless?
KATHLEEN STURGEON/Staff
Jodi Gardner shows off the behind-the-scenes of TV Forsyth.
However, the position doesn’t come without demands. “A challenging aspect of my job is that our office is responsible for the communications for all of the county government departments and offices,” Gardner
See GARDNER, Page 28
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10 | December 30, 2015 | Forsyth Herald | ForsythHerald.com
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CUMMING, Ga. — Two Cumming residents have been selected as “Members of the Year” by Cumming Chapter 1030 of the Vietnam Veterans of America. Gary Ely of Lakewood Road in Cumming and Steve Masak of Vanadium Bend in Cumming were chose for their efforts on behalf of the organization over the last 12 months. Each year the chapter president selects one of more individuals for the distinction. In naming Ely and Masak, President Billy Darby said the two were chosen for “their outstanding dedication and hard work resulting in the success of the chapter’s fund-raising activities.” Ely, an Army veteran served in Vietnam in 1970 and was with the 7th Battalion 13th Artillery. He is a Michigan native. Masak, also a US Army veteran, served a total of 27 years in the Army. The Atlanta native served in Vietnam
in 1969 and 1970. He was pilot with the 119th Assault Helicopter Company. In other news, the December meeting of Chapter 1030 marked their last one to be held at the Golden Corral on MarketELY place Boulevard. The organization will begin holding its general membership meetings at the Georgia National Guard Regional Readiness Center on Aquatic Circle in Cumming beginning with the Jan. 4 meeting. The VVA meets on the first Masak Monday of each month at 7 p.m. All Vietnam Era Veterans are invited to attend.
Cynthia Hayes to speak to American Legion 307 CUMMING, Ga. — Veterans Service Department Manager for North Georgia, Cynthia Hayes will speak on Jan. 11, 2016 to American Legion 30 7, county veterans and spouses. This event is open to the public. Hayes speaks at the new Georgia National Guard Armory, 100 Aquatic Circle, Cumming. Hayes, a retired Army E-7, more than 20 years veteran, holds a psychology degree. With the opening of the expanded VA clinic in Oakwood, some veterans can now be helped in Oakwood without going to the Decatur VA office and hospital. Many Veterans are not aware of
the benefits they are entitled to, or know how to access the VA. Membership in the American Legion is open to any Veteran who served honorably during a wartime era. See the Post’s website for more information americanlegionpost307. org. Veterans are entitled to free license plates and drivers licenses, have access to two Georgia VA nursing homes if a five year resident of Georgia, free medical care and drugs and many other benefits. For more info contact Cindy Hayes, Veterans Field Service Officer, 311 Green St., Room 405, Gainesville, Ga., 770-531-6060 or chayes@vs.state. ga.us.
Arrests:
►► Tonya Head Mann, 41, of
Continued from Page 2 Suwanee, was arrested Dec. 11 on The Twelfth Fairway in Suwanee for DUI.
Drug arrests ►► Robert Alan Youngblood, 40, of
John Burruss Road, Cumming, was arrested Dec. 12 on State Barn Road in Cumming for possession of methamphetamines and suspended license.
Commerce, was arrested Dec. 13 on Browns Bridge Road in Cumming for possession of methamphetamines, possession of drug-related items, and drugs not kept in original container. ►► Justin Adam Roeder, 35, of Whitmire Road, Cumming, was arrested Dec. 10 on Dahlonega Highway in Cumming for possession of marijuana. ►► Peter Menke, 25, of Sandy Springs, was arrested Dec. 11 on Ga. 400 in Cumming for possession of marijuana, failure to maintain lane and open container.
COMMUNITY
ForsythHerald.com | Forsyth Herald | December 30, 2015 | 11
700 Jingle Jog runners support Forsyth County children CUMMING, Ga. — The Forsyth County Community Connection’s Jingle Jog 2015 brought out almost 700 runners in the annual 5K run. Funds raised by the charity race support the organization’s three primary initiatives: recruiting foster families for children in the county; “Darkness 2 Light,” to help raise awareness and prevent child sexual abuse; and the Forsyth County Drug Awareness Council, to prevent drug abuse. There were awards for all age groups, beginning at 10 and younger, up to 60 plus. The runners received a t-shirt, and the race was a qualifier for the annual Peachtree Road Race. The event also included a 1-mile Fun Run. “It is a fun event, but more importantly, it makes a difference in the lives of children,” said Niki Colella, Community Connection executive director. “We are grateful for so many of our neighbors who ran in this year’s race, along with all the sponsors who helped make the run possible. Their participation will have a lasting positive impact on Forsyth County children and their families.” For information on the Forsyth County Community Connection, contact Niki Colella, 706-844-6138, niki@connectforsyth.org or go to connectforsyth.org.
Almost 700 runners and friends enjoyed the 2015 Jingle Jog, along with great weather.
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12 | December 30, 2015 | Forsyth Herald | ForsythHerald.com
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America Recycles Day contest winners announced FORSYTH COUNTY, Ga. — Reaping Nature Educational Outreach Foundation held its annual America Recycles Day contest in November. Students from Kelly Mill Elementary and Otwell Middle School took the top prizes. “It’s always fun to see what the students submit and learn from the contest,” said Denise Carleton, Reaping Nature’s executive director. Sawnee Woman’s Club sponsors the contest by donating $250 for winners. Students also receive prizes donated by Reaping Nature and Keep Forsyth County Beautiful. Reaping Nature holds two contests annually. One in April for Earth Day
Students from Kelly Mill Elementary and Otwell Middle School took the top prizes. and another in November for America Recycles Day. For information regarding their contests, visit reapingnature.org.
Forsyth parks and rec. offers 0% APR fitness challenge this winter For 24 Months Subject to credit approval. Equal Housing Lender. Interest accrued if not paid in full during the promotional period. Equal monthly payments required. Limited time only.
FORSYTH COUNTY, Ga. — Looking for a way to get fit or stay fit this winter? If so, consider taking part in Forsyth County Parks and Recreation’s one month Get Fit Forsyth program. The program is open to ages 18 and up, and participants will receive a one month month FitPlus pass to Forsyth County’s recreation centers as well as weekly challenges and encouragement. Registration is underway now at the recreation centers, continuing through Jan. 19, 2016. The program will take place Jan. 19, 2016 – Feb. 19, 2016. As part of the FitPlus pass, participants will have access to basketball gyms, walking tracks, cardio-weight rooms and fitness classes at the county’s three recreation centers. Prizes will be awarded to the male and female with the highest participation based on a points system. Participants must be able to attend one of
Get Fit Forsyth: Ages: 18 and up Registration Dates: Dec. 1 – Jan. 19 Program Dates: Jan. 19, 2016 – Feb. 19, 2016 Weigh in: Jan. 19, 2016 noon - 1 p.m. or 5 - 6 p.m. Weigh out: Feb. 19, 2016 noon 1 p.m. or 5 - 6 p.m. Activity # 142825-A Fee: $25 for county residents/$30 for out of county residents the weigh-in and weigh-out times to be eligible for prizes. Registration and weighing will take place at the Central Park, Fowler Park and Old Atlanta Park recreation centers. For more information, please call (770) 205-4646.
ForsythHerald.com | Forsyth Herald | December 30, 2015 | 13
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14 | December 30, 2015 | Forsyth Herald | ForsythHerald.com
COMMUNITY
Swatter meets bulldog, swatter loses JCPD cop tracks down elusive cyberbully By HATCHER HURD hatcher@appenmediagroup.com JOHNS CREEK, Ga. – A cyberbully who went by the apt alias of Obnoxious thought he was too smart to ever get caught harassing and terrorizing his victims. But he didn’t count on one Johns Creek police detective who just would not give up on the case. The crime is called “swatting,” and at first glance seems to resemble the juvenile pranks teenagers used to play by making offensive or inane phone calls to strangers. But, with the advent of the Internet and the virtual anonymity it provides perpetrators, swatting has taken an ominous tone. Today, cyber loonies call local 911 operators with wild scenarios so heinous and dangerous that authorities respond by calling out SWAT teams. On a 911 screen, a swatting call appears to be from the address that pops up, which means victims will have helmeted and heavily armed officers surrounding their house or even bursting through the door.
When just such a case occurred in Johns Creek, Detective Sgt. B.A. Finley spent a year tracing the steps of the perpetrator, who called himself “Obnoxious” and thought he was safe behind an impenetrable digital wall he had created. Without Finley’s dogged determination, Obnoxious might be out there yet. Finley’s involvement began Jan.16, 2014, when the city’s 911 call service, ChattCom, received notification from nearby Alpharetta’s 911 that someone had phoned from a home in Country Club of the South. The caller claimed he had shot a man, woman and child and was threatening to kill another hostage if he wasn’t given $30,000. It was all a hoax, but the scammer was sophisticated enough to have his call appear to be coming from inside the house. So the Johns Creek SWAT team, including Finley, rolled up to the house, along with fire and medical personnel. And, while the officers were staging a response, expecting to confront a gunman with a hostage, they only found a nanny and two small
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children. “We determined it was just them in the house. But by that time we already had contacted the mother, an attorney, and gave her the information we had at the time,” Finley said. “So she was driving from Forsyth County to her home, wondering if she would ever see her children again.” “It’s a tremendous safety issue when you have officers responding to those kinds of situations,” said Johns Creek Police Chief Ed Densmore. “When the report comes in of people shot and killed in the middle of the afternoon and more hostages held – that warranted a very high response. “You have such a propensity for a bad situation to get even worse,” the chief said. Add to that the cost of assembling a response and such hoaxes become a serious attack on the city, Densmore said. Then the same house was swatted again. Obnoxious called back, saying he had planted bombs all around the house. The SWAT team had to return and check things out. That was when Densmore had had enough. Law enforcement agencies have to broaden their scope to include cybercrime, Densmore said, and he decided Johns Creek would start with this case. He assigned Finley the job of doing whatever it took to track down whoever was doing this. Finley, who says he did not have any particular Internet skills at the time, quickly began to develop them. The first thing he discovered was his adversary was adept at disguising his cyber trail. “This was no case of local phone calls. It was far more sophisticated and led to crossing borders and even oceans,” Finley said. What he discovered is swatting seems to have migrated to the online gaming world – a world most adults know very little about. But it is an alternate universe to millions of teenagers and young adults. They are quite at home at sites such as Twitch, which is owned by Amazon and has been described as an interactive, live TV universe for gamers. The very best of the players, called “streamers,” are the rock stars of these sites, attracting followers by the thousands and earning big paychecks from video game companies for popularizing their specific games. They can also earn the envy of players such as Obnoxious, who apparently would exact revenge against those who beat him at gaming, something authorities think may have occurred with the Johns Creek’s home’s previous owners. In tracking down Obnoxious, Finley discovered he would especially
Johns Creek detective busts cyberbully responsible for terrorizing family with phony 911 calls that sent SWAT team to their house. Turns out culprit was responsible for ‘swatting’ chosen victims from California to Florida. target female streamers with escalating demands that often graduated to demands for nude photos, which Finley called “sextortion.” For those who refused, Obnoxious used his cyber skills to render their Internet portals unusable, ruin their (or their parents’) credit, send fake social media messages, get into their school files or have 50 pizzas delivered to their homes. And he could accomplish such acts because he learned to gain the confidence of voice Internet providers (VoIP) themselves and get passwords. “He would tell Internet providers he forgot his password, but say, ‘Here’s my birthday.’ And the VoIP people would give him the passwords,” Finley said. “He is an excellent con man.” While authorities were aware of Obnoxious’ activities, he made it so difficult to find him that most would just give up. “The laws haven’t caught up to the crime yet,” said Finley, who slowly began to connect the dots, building a network of swatting cases with other departments around the country. Despite such seemingly unsurmountable obstacles as digging through millions of phone numbers, numerous VoIP identities and retailers and crossing multiple jurisdictions, Finley eventually discovered Obnoxious had harassed people —often young girls — from California to Florida. “The picture we developed was this guy was terrorizing women, young girls and their families all over the country,” Finley said. “And the severity of it was such you couldn’t just dismiss it.”
See SWATTING, Page 28
ForsythHerald.com | Forsyth Herald | December 30, 2015 | 15
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Since 2014, I’ve shared with our board’s executive officers that my desire was to take on a new challenge, to make the next impact while testing my skills. Tino Mantella, President and CEO of the Technology Association of Georgia
16 | Forsyth Herald | December 30, 2015
Technology Association of Ga. leader stepping down TAG’s Tino Mantella to serve through 2016
Prior to joining TAG in 2004, Mantella had amassed 20 years of related experience leading the National Arthritis Foundation ATLANTA – After 12 years of leading and YMCA of Metropolthe Technology Association of Georgia, itan Chicago. Tino Mantella announced that he will “Tino has headed be stepping down as the organization’s TAG during a period of president and CEO at the end of 2016. MANTELLA dynamic and exciting The news was announced at a recent change within the tech industry,” said meeting of the TAG board of directors. TAG 2015 Board Chairman Barry Mc“Since 2014, I’ve shared with our Carthy. “Because of his expertise and board’s executive officers that my deguidance we’ve created a tremendously sire was to take on a new challenge, to effective association guided by industry make the next impact while testing my leaders second to none. skills. Simultaneously, I have outlined “Tino’s leadership has put us in a a plan in concert with our board of true position of strength that will only directors to build on TAG’s incredible continue to drive us forward,” McCalegacy,” Mantella said. rthy said. TAG will continue its drive to make Stacie Hagan, Georgia one of the top vice president of five states in America human resources for technology. at Dell Secure“I have asked the Works and TAG board to start the pro2016 board chaircess needed to conduct woman, thanked a national search for Manetella for his a leader who will take service and said TAG to the ’next level’ of she expects 2016 success.” Mantella said. will be a “capstone Under Mantella’s year” for him and leadership, TAG has TAG. become the largest state “The next sevtechnology trade associeral months will ation in North America provide many new with more than 30,000 exciting opportumembers, multiple nities as we roll chapters and societies, out TAG’s new and a prestigious board quantum growth made up of more than Tino Mantella President and CEO of the Technology strategy, and we 60 of Georgia’s leading Association of Georgia are fortunate to technology stakeholdhave the benefit of ers.
I have asked the board to start the process needed to conduct a national search for a leader who will take TAG to the ’next level’ of success.”
Tino’s experience and input as we do this,” she said. Mantella is a member of the boards of Venture Atlanta Coalition Inc., TAG Education Collaborative, the Midtown Alliance, the Tech College System of Georgia’s Foundation and the Chambers of Commerce in North Fulton and for Georgia. He also serves on the advisory board of the Atlanta Metropolitan Chamber. “Over the years, with the help of the T:\ADS_2015\NFAYP
TAG board and countless technology leaders, I’ve been honored to be part of a true transformation that has put Georgia’s technology industry on the map,” Mantella said. “This has been extremely exciting and rewarding and when I leave TAG at the end of next year, I can confidently do this knowing TAG has never been stronger.”
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BUSINESSPOSTS
ForsythHerald.com | Forsyth Herald | December 30, 2015 | 17
Alpharetta sees mixed development trends Homes up, stores down By JONATHAN COPSEY jonathan@appenmediagroup.com ALPHARETTA, Ga. – According to numbers provided by the city of Alpharetta, the number of new construction permits in Alpharetta over the last two years contains a mixed bag of blessings, with increased residential activity, but decreased commercial activity. The number of new single-family home permits went up slightly between 2014 and 2015, from 142 permits to 166. Similarly, permits to make additions or alterations to residences went up from 130 to 194. The number of approved
permits for condos, townhomes or apartments went down from 130 to 89. There was only one permit issued for apartments. For commercial properties, the total number of new commercial construction permits issued went down from 21 in 2014 to 15 this year. These permits are for brand-new buildings, built from the ground up. For renovations of existing sites into new businesses, those numbers went down significantly, from 386 in 2014 to 283 in 2015, a decline of 103 permits. “Miscellaneous” permits, which includes pools, demolition and foundation permits, declined from 242 in 2014 to 227 in 2015. Since December’s numbers were not available for 2015, the 2014 numbers used only include January through November.
Getting off to a fast 40 under 40: start in the New Year James Carr Happy New Year! Hopefully you’ve spent the past couple of weeks celebrating your success from the previous year, and spending some quality time with your family and dick jones friends. Now that Founder & President Jones Simply Sales the new year is here, it’s time to get things in motion. Small businesses that get off to a fast start in the new year are more likely to achieve their annual goals and objectives. To get off to a fast start in the new year, you have to have a plan of action. Documenting your strategic and tactical plans will help ensure you are doing the right things early in the new
year. Whether it’s hiring new employees, rolling out new products and services, or identifying the best prospects you want to meet with, a plan of action will help you get more done. When the new year arrives each year, almost everyone has “resolutions” they make. What are yours? Based on your performance last year, what changes are you going to make to improve your results? Analyzing what was successful, and not as successful last year, will help you to identify ways to improve. Too many small-business owners waste time in the beginning of the year by not having a plan to get off to a fast start. Don’t let that happen to you. Getting off to a fast start in the new year will significantly improve the odds you’ll have a great year!
YARD SIGNS
Editor’s note: The North Atlanta Business Post, an Appen Media Group publication, recently recognized 40 individuals under the age of 40 with outstanding accomplishments in their professional or extracurricular lives. Each week for the next 40 weeks, we will publish a profile showcasing one of these individuals. Visit NorthAtlanta BusinessPost.com for more info.
Age: 26 Title/Company: Communication coordinator for Georgia Organics A sports buff, James Carr has always been interested in communications. Growing up in Australia and London, England, before settling in Alpharetta, he was editor of the Milton High School Eagle Edition and sports editor at the University of Georgia’s radio station before working for Fox Sports South. He got into the local food movement through his book, “The Jig is
Up,” which moved him to work for Georgia Organics. “Almost all of the CARR major issues faced in this country and the world can be traced back to our food system, and I am thrilled to now peruse the fight for good food in my regular waking hours,” Carr said. Curiosity and exploration are important traits, he said. “Explore your curiosity and talk to people older than yourself. Inspiration is everywhere; but you have to be open to it,” he said. Some of those older people have taught Carr important life lessons. “I am fortunate to have several mentors in my life, from writers to filmmakers to managers. All of them push me to think in different ways, more inclusive ways, more effective ways, more creative ways.”
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BUSINESSPOSTS
Sharon Springs still fights for cityhood By KATHLEEN STURGEON kathleen@appenmediagroup.com FORSYTH COUNTY, Ga. — The second study regarding the potential city of Sharon Springs was brought before the Forsyth County Board of Commissioners Dec. 22. Originally approved Sept. 8, the study, conducted by Georgia Tech, was a contract between the BOC and GT. A more in-depth presentation will be held in January by Georgia Tech. However, before this second study was released, on Dec. 15, District 25 State Rep. Mike Dudgeon said the delegation decided House Bill 660 for creating Sharon Springs was “unconstitutional.” “The delegation has decided to withdraw House Bill 660, which would enable a referendum on the creation of Sharon Springs,” Dudgeon said. “Legal developments and opinions over 2015 have made ‘city light’ restrictions in a charter unconstitutional.” State Sen. Michael Williams said the legislature wants to regroup and find another way to go about creating Sharon Springs. The study examined the fiscal impact that the proposed city of Sharon Springs would have on Forsyth County. The report said it answers several key questions posed by the board that have not been addressed by previous studies. “This analysis was done using 2014 financial data (the last year for which complete data is available), and compares what the county actually experienced to what they would have experienced had the city of Sharon Springs existed,” the report read. “Rather than rely on simple ratios of tax digests and population, in most cases revenues and expenses were assigned to their actual geography. In the few cases
where this wasn’t possible, or in cases where the dollar amounts were relatively small, appropriate ratios were used. Further, the research staff interviewed county employees who are experts in their various service delivery areas in order to get expert knowledge related to potential cost reductions.” The proposal for Sharon Springs includes only three services — solid waste, planning and zoning, and code enforcement, deeming it a “city light.” Since the county does not currently offer curbside solid waste services, and since the existing drop-off convenience centers would continue to operate as a county enterprise fund, the study said there is no fiscal impact to the county from the city’s provision of solid waste. “However, had the city of Sharon Springs existed in 2014, the county would have saved nearly $770,000 in expenses in both code enforcement and the planning and development departments,” the study read. “These savings are primarily due to the reduction of 13-15 positions with the associated salaries, benefits and other related expenses.” With respect to operating revenue, had Sharon Springs existed in 2014, the county would have received $6.20 million less than it actually collected. The primary revenue losses would have been in alcohol licenses and excise taxes, business licenses and occupation tax, cable franchise fees, planning and zoning permits and fees and insurance premium taxes “Because the revenue loss is significantly more than the cost savings, the county would have been left with a revenue gap of approximately $5.4 million,” the study read. “Given the size of the Forsyth County net tax digest, it would have required an additional 0.623 mills to recover that amount of revenue. Given
However, had the city of Sharon Springs existed in 2014, the county would have saved nearly $770,000 in expenses in both code enforcement and the planning and development departments...These savings are primarily due to the reduction of 13-15 positions with the associated salaries, benefits and other related expenses.”
the 2014 millage rate of 4.812, that represents a 12.9 percent tax increase.” In March, a study done by the Carl Vinson Institute of Government at the University of Georgia for the Sharon Springs Alliance completed a feasibility study for the proposed city and the research released March 2 confirmed a “city light” is financially viable. To view the whole county study, visit http://bit. ly/1mgy8GW.
NEWBUSINESSSPOtlightS
Juice Bar Johns Creek opens
Sport Clips opens in Roswell
Business name: Juice Bar Johns Creek Owner(s): R.A.D Health (Retha Blackburn) Opened: November 2015 What: We are a “healthy way of life” vegetarian-style restaurant. We serve freshly made juices, smoothies and
Business: Sport Clips Opened: November 2015 Owners: Brett Gluck What: At Sport Clips, TVs everywhere are playing sports as guy-smart stylists give customers the cuts they want. No appointments needed. Address: 10779 Alpharetta Highway,
grab-and-go snack foods, which include salads, soups, muffins and more. Address: 11270 Medlock Bridge Road, Johns Creek, GA 30097 Website: ilovejuicebar.com/johnscreek-2
Suite 150, Roswell Hours: Monday-Friday 10 a.m.-8 p.m., Saturday 9 a.m.-6 p.m., Sunday 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Phone: 770-557-0733 Website: www.haircutmenmansellshopsroswellga.com
CALENDAR
ForsythHerald.com | Forsyth Herald | December 30, 2015 | 19
get outside
georgia
Georgia Ensemble Theatre’s ‘Charley’s Aunt’ Kick off the New Year with a play that’s sure to be the cure for the post-holiday doldrums, the hilarious comedy, “Charley’s Aunt.” Jan. 7-24, times vary. GET, the Roswell Cultural Arts Center, 950 Forrest Street, Roswell. $26 for Wednesdays, Thursdays and matinees; Friday nights start from $30, and Saturday nights start from $35; senior/student discounts available for select performances. Visit www.get.org, or call 770641-1260 for more info.
Events: Habitat for Humanity ReStore Volunteer Information Session
What: Volunteer information session/ open house for volunteering at the Habitat for Humanity ReStore in in Roswell. When: Saturday, Jan. 2, at 10:30 a.m. Where: The ReStore 11060 Alpharetta Highway, Roswell 30076 More info: Contact Vernita Gibson, assistant store manager, at vgibson@ habitat.org or 770-415-1633.
LIBRARY EVENTS: Friends of the Alpharetta Library Book Sale
What: Shop at the Friends’ book sale. When: Saturday, Jan. 2, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Where: Library porch and Friends Bookstore (upper level, lobby area), Alpharetta Library, 10 Park Plaza, Alpharetta 30009 More info: 404-613-6735
Laughter for Wellness
What: Let laughter lighten your mood. Instructor is a certified laughter yoga leader trained by Dr. Madan Kataria. Registration required. When: Saturday, Jan. 2, 2-3 p.m. Where: Northeast/Spruill Oaks Library, 9560 Spruill Road, Johns Creek 30022 More info: 770-360-8820
Anime and Manga Club for Teens
What: Teens meet to discuss anime and manga, share fan art and fan fiction. This program is by teens for teens. Ages 12-18. Registration required. When: Sunday, Jan. 3, 2:30 p.m. Where: Northeast/Spruill Oaks Library, 9560 Spruill Road, Johns Creek 30022 More info: 770-360-8820
Monday Morning Movies
What: Watch a classic film on the big screen in our auditorium every Monday morning. All are welcome. When: Monday, Jan. 4, 10:30 a.m. Where: Alpharetta Library, 10 Park Plaza, Alpharetta 30009 More info: 404-613-6735
Beginner’s Genealogy Class
What: Bob Volz will counsel others on how to begin the search for their ancestors. This class will help you gain the research skills needed to discover your own family history. Registration required. When: Tuesday, Jan. 5, 6 p.m. Where: Milton Library, 855 Mayfield Road, Milton 30009 More info: 404-613-4402
Energy Yoga
What: Energy yoga is a combination of stretching, breathing and meditation. Please bring a yoga mat or towel and wear loose comfortable clothes. Open to ages 10 and up. When: Sundays, 4 p.m. Where: Ocee Library, 5090 Abbotts Bridge Road, Johns Creek 30005 More info: 770-360-8897
HOLIDAY HAPPENINGS: Lanier Islands Magical Nights of Lights and Winter Adventure What: Drive across the Lanier Islands Bridge and into a world of lights. Also, enjoy a new adventure this year with Winter Adventure, a snow-packed winter play land perfect for building a snowman, delightful tubing and thrilling sledding. When: Opens Nov. 27 Where: Lanier Islands, 7000 Lanier Islands Parkway, Buford 770-945-8787 More info: lanierislands.com
Fernbank Rings in Noon Year’s Eve
What: Celebrate the new year a full 12 hours early as Fernbank hosts a dinosaur photo stop, a resolution station, dancing and games with DJ Willy Wow, and a balloon drop at the stroke of noon. The event caters to families with youngsters who may not be able to stay up until midnight. When: Thursday, Dec. 31, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Where: Fernbank Museum of Natural History, 767 Clifton Road NE, Atlanta, GA 30307 More info: fernbankmuseum.org
Volunteers carry trout from the stocking truck to the water during the Dec. 22 “bucket brigade” volunteer-assisted stocking on the Chattahoochee at the Whitewater access.
YOUR GUIDE TO FISHING, HIKING, CAMPING AND THE GREAT OUTDOORS:
More trout for the holidays A few days before Christmas, the Georgia Department of Natural Resources and an eager crew of volunteers helped stock more than 2,000 rainbow and brown trout in the STEVE HUDSON Chattahoochee Get Outside Georgia, Chattahoochee Media Group River delayed harvest water at the Whitewater access point near Mount Paran Road. Some impressive fish were stocked, including 1,500 rainbow and 500 brown trout in the 10- to 11-inch range. Larger fish were stocked, too, among them 100 browns and 100 rainbows in the 13- to 14-inch range. Those on hand to help stock included Steve Bailey and his daughters Alex, 11, and Kate, 9. This enthusiastic trio made several trips from the stocking truck to the river, carrying trout in 5-gallon buckets and then placing the fish into the river. After the stocking was completed, I had the pleasure of helping Alex and Kate each catch their very first trout on a fly rod. In fact, each of them landed and released several nice fish. The trout were big, but the smiles were even bigger! Favorite flies for the day tended to be bright and flashy streamers (minnow imitations). Using the “countdown” technique (that is, counting to two or three after the fly hits the water to give it time to sink a bit), every angler I spoke with ended up catching fish. You don’t have to be a fly fisher to pursue Hooch DH trout, however. Spinning gear works well, too. Try a Rooster Tail, Mepps spinner, or a white curly-tailed grub-and-jig. Just
remember that, on delayed harvest water, it’s artificials only and each lure can have just one single hook. One challenge this year on the Hooch DH has been ongoing high water. Extreme flows have made the river difficult to impossible to fish on many days – and those flows may wash some trout downstream, too. To deal with this, the fisheries folks at Georgia DNR have fine-tuned their stocking pattern by stocking larger numbers of fish in the upper portion of the Chattahoochee DH water. “We know that those trout may be pushed downstream [into the rest of the DH water] by the high flows,” noted Pat Markey, manager of the state’s Buford Trout Hatchery. As those fish spread out downstream it should be good news for Chattahoochee delayed harvest trout anglers later on in the season. How many fish have been put into the Chattahoochee DH water so far this season? Since the end of October, Markey notes, about 30,000 trout have been stocked in the Hooch DH water. Another 20,000 will be stocked through the first months of 2016, so there will be plenty of fish. Once conditions improve in the river, there should be trout through most or all of the Chattahoochee DH water. Steve Hudson has written numerous books on fishing, hiking, the outdoors and more. Check them out at www. chattahoochee media.com.
SCHOOLS
20 | December 30, 2015 | Forsyth Herald | ForsythHerald.com
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Recycle your tree after Christmas Citizens invited to “Bring One for the Chipper” FORSYTH COUNTY, Ga. — Keep Forsyth County Beautiful invites residents to continue their annual post-holiday tradition of recycling their Christmas trees during the “Bring One for the Chipper” event from Dec.26 through Jan. 30, 2016. Last year, Forsyth County recycled more than 4,000 trees. Christmas trees can be dropped off at locations throughout the county where a wood chipper will process the trees into mulch. “Forsyth County residents have recycled more than 98,000 Christmas trees since the county began participating in the ‘Bring One for the Chipper’ program in 1994,” said Environmental Program Manager Tammy Wright. “We are looking forward to another great turnout this year.” On the designated dates and times, Christmas trees can be dropped off at the following locations: • Home Depot - 1000 Market Place Boulevard on Jan. 2, 2016 from 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. • Home Depot - 2635 Peachtree Parkway on Jan. 2, 2016 from 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. • Vickery Creek Elementary School - 6280 Post Road from Dec. 26 through Jan. 2, 2016 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. • Tolbert Street Recycling Convenience Center - 351 Tolbert Street, (770) 781-2176, open Monday - Saturday, 7:30 a.m. - 5 p.m. starting 1 p.m. Dec. 26 through Jan. 30, 2016 • Old Atlanta Recycling Convenience Center - 3678 Old Atlanta Road, (770) 205-3010, open Monday - Saturday, 7:30 a.m. - 5 p.m. starting 1
Over 4,000 trees were recycled last year. p.m. Dec. 26 through Jan. 30, 2016 • Coal Mountain Recycling Convenience Center - 3560 Settingdown Road, (770) 781-2071, open Monday - Saturday, 7:30 a.m. - 5 p.m. starting 1 p.m. Dec. 26 through Jan. 30, 2016 All three recycling convenience centers will be closed Jan. 1, 2016 in observance of New Year’s Day and Jan.18, 2016 in observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Wood chips made from the recycled trees will be available for county residents, just inside Coal Mountain Park at 3560 Settingdown Road. Residents are responsible for loading and hauling their own wood chips. For information visit keepforsythcountybeautiful.org or call KFCB at (770) 205-4573. CDAR Member SWIFT Code: GMCBUS3A
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ForsythHerald.com | Forsyth Herald | December 30, 2015 | 21
COMMUNITY
22 | December 30, 2015 | Forsyth Herald | ForsythHerald.com
Over 180 fast-pitch softball players made over 1,600 meals for the needy.
Fast-pitch softball food drive makes over 1,600 meals FORSYTH COUNTY, Ga. — The fourth annual Fast-pitch Softball Food Drive hosted Dec. 12 16 local softball teams made up of 200 players and coaches. The volunteers made 1,600 meals for needy families. They are working with the Georgia Mountain Food Bank and the meals were distributed across north Georgia. Follow the group on Twitter @fp_fooddrive and email them at fastpitchfooddrive@gmail.com for information about next year’s event.
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Order of the Eastern Star donates to Faith Shelter ALPHARETTA, Ga. — On Wednesday, Dec. 9, Alpharetta Chapter 311 of the Order of the Eastern Star gathered for their 18th annual Holiday Shoeboxes for Battered Women. The shoeboxes contain a variety of personal items, including toothpaste and toothbrushes, soap, shampoo, combs, tissues and costume jewelry, all donated by Eastern Star members. A total of 45 boxes were assembled and gift wrapped for the residents of Faith Shelter, serving battered women and children in North Fulton and South Forsyth Counties. Since women fleeing from abusive relationships usually escape with their children, the clothes on their
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backs and little else, the shoeboxes provide the basics for maintaining dignity and self-confidence. Treasure Benson has been a member of Eastern Star for 21 years and has led the campaign since launching it 18 years ago. The idea was sparked during her career as a CVS pharmacist, years before spousal abuse was in the public eye. Benson consulted women who sought her advice on concealing cuts and bruises caused by their abusers. All wishing to contribute cash or personal care products for the 2016 campaign can contact holiday.shoebox@gmail.com.
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SCHOOLS
ForsythHerald.com | Forsyth Herald | December 30, 2015 | 23
SFHS teacher named green school educator of the year Keep Forsyth County Beautiful recognizes Ann Kohler, Green Schools CUMMING, Ga. —Ann Kohler, a teacher at South Forsyth High School, was recently named the Green School Educator of the Year. The award is given to an educator who focuses on spreading their passion and commitment to the health of the environment. She has been the sponsor of the Environmental Club at the school for the past nine years. “Taking care of our environmental resources is a high priority for me and I have tried to foster good stewardship of our planet through education,” Kohler said. “I enjoy helping students discover ways by which to improve our environment.” SFHS has been designated a “Green School” since 2011 due in great part to the efforts of Kohler and her students. The Environmental Club works closely with Keep Forsyth County Beautiful on many of its volunteer efforts around the county all year long, and participates monthly in the KFCB Mobile Action Crew to pick up trash in the county in different locations. Caring for the environment is part of the school culture,
Taking care of our environmental resources is a high priority for me and I have tried to foster good stewardship of our planet through education.”
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with AP Environmental classes working with KFCB to teach water quality testing and amphibian monitoring, and teachers and students recycling paper, plastic and printer cartridges throughout the year. South Forsyth processes sufficient recyclable materials to merit a dumpster pick-up twice a month.
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Ann Kohler, a teacher at South Forsyth High School, was recently named the Green School Educator of the Year.
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SCHOOLS
24 | December 30, 2015 | Forsyth Herald | ForsythHerald.com
2016 region alignments finalized Multiple teams move up to newly formed Class 7A By JOE PARKER news@appenmediagroup.com NORTH FULTON, Ga.- The Georgia High School Association has finalized the region alignments after forming Class 7A, which will feature the largest schools in the state, for the 2016 sports season beginning in the fall. Seven local teams from North Fulton and Forsyth County have been placed in Class 7A. The region alignments, which will still need to be officially ratified Jan. 13, will run from 2016-18. The introduction of the 48-school Class 7A region reduced the number of schools in all classes except for Class A, and is comprised of the largest schools in the state based on student population. Roswell, Forsyth Central, Lambert, Milton, North Forsyth, South Forsyth and West Forsyth will all compete in Class 7A beginning at the start of the 2016-17 school year. In perhaps the most intriguing region alignment, all five schools from
Forsyth County will now compete in Region 5 of Class 7A. Milton will also play in the six-team region. Five of the six teams were moved up from Class 6A, while Forsyth Central will have to make the two-class jump to 7A from 5A. According to Forsyth Central’s Athletic Director Dan Kaplan, the school is excited to make the jump to Class 7A and play county rivals. “I believe, and I think all of our coaches believe, it is exciting. We’re now able to play [other Forsyth schools], which we have not been able to do in the past in some sports, and create some rivalries and a great atmosphere at all of our games. “Our kids are excited that they will be able to play kids they that knew and that they grew up with. Some of the kids played on the same travel teams and then dispersed throughout schools in the county,” said Kaplan. “We’re coming out of Class 5A which had 14 teams in seven counties, so it’s kind of hard to develop rivalries. [The new region] gives us more of an opportunity to play teams that are in proximity to our county. We’ve traveled so far in distance with the large region. There’s so many teams that are not in our [current] region that are closer to us in North Fulton and Gwinnett. Now we have the opportunity to go out and see if they want to play in all of our sports.” Roswell also moved into Class 7A and was placed in Region 4. Region 4 includes six of the nine teams that comprised Region 5 of Class 6A, Roswell’s current region, including Cherokee, Etowah, Lassiter, Walton and Woodstock. Johns Creek’s student population was just 26 students short of putting the Gladiators in Class 7A, making them the largest school in Class 6A. Johns Creek was placed in Region 7. Region 7 will be comprised of many of the same teams from this year’s Re-
Regions for years 2016-18: Class 6A Region 7 Alpharetta Cambridge Chattahoochee Centennial Dunwoody Johns Creek North Atlanta Northview Pope Class A Region 6 Subregion B Fellowship Christian King’s Ridge Christian Mount Paran Christian Mount Pisgah Christian Pinecrest Academy St. Francis Walker Whitefield Academy
gion 6 of Class 6A. Alpharetta, Chattahoochee, Centennial, Johns Creek and Northview will once again be region opponents. Cambridge was also placed in Region 7, making the move up from 5A to 6A. Dunwoody, North Atlanta and Pope are also in the nine-team region. Blessed Trinity, which has captured multiple state titles in multiple sports in recent years, will be moving up from Class 3A to Class 4A. BT was moved up a class not due to their student population size, but rather because more than 3 percent of their students are from out-of-county, the other stipulation for teams moving between classes. The Titans were placed in the six-team Region 7. In discussing the new region, Ricky Turner, BT’s athletic director, said, “We think it’s a great region and it’s going to be very competitive. “I think [the new region is] an opportunity to build relationships with new schools that we have not played in most of our sports. We have Marist in our region which we have competed
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Class 7A Region 5 Forsyth Central Lambert Milton North Forsyth South Forsyth West Forsyth Class 7A Region 4 Cherokee Etowah Lassiter Roswell Walton Woodstock Class 4A Region 7 Blessed Trinity Chestatee Riverside Military Academy West Hall White County against but we have never been in their region. It will be an opportunity for us to get to know some new people and build some rivalries.” By being placed in Region 7, BT will have lots of traveling to do for away games. Only Marist, located in Atlanta, is within 20 miles of the school. Chestatee, Riverside Military Academy, West Hall and White County are all located over 40 miles away from the BT campus. For the Class A private schools in North Fulton and Forsyth counties, there are no major changes for the new region alignments. Fellowship Christian, King’s Ridge, Mount Pisgah, Pinecrest Academy and St. Francis will all compete in Region 6 Subregion B of Class A once again. Whitefield Academy also remains in the subregion and Mount Paran Christian and Walker were moved from Subregion A to Subregion B. Including Subregion A, Region 6 will be comprised of 18 schools, 15 of which play football.
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ForsythHerald.com | Forsyth Herald | December 30, 2015 | 25
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26 | December 30, 2015 | Forsyth Herald | ForsythHerald.com
6-AAAAAA All Region cheer team announced NORTH FULTON – The following student-athletes were named to the 6-AAAAAA All Region Competition Cheerleading Team for the 2015 season. The team consists of the top 16 cheerleaders from the all-girl programs in Region 6-AAAAAA including: Alpharetta, Centennial, Chattahoochee, Lambert, South Forsyth, and West Forsyth. Johns Creek and North Forsyth competed in the Co-Ed division during the 2015 season. • Madi Brock (10), South Forsyth High School • Alexis Bush (12), Chattahoochee High School • Ciara Caruso (11), West Forsyth High School • Jaimee Crumpler (10), South Forsyth High
School • Raegan Dover (10), South Forsyth High School • Camryn Fetzer (10), Alpharetta High School • Anna Claire Flack (12), Lambert High School • Kate Henry (12), Centennial High School • Megan Koenigs (12), South Forsyth High School • Jennifer Levine (11), Alpharetta High School • Jessica Porter (12), West Forsyth High School • Sydney Rhodes (12), Lambert High School • Shea Seibert (10), West Forsyth High School • Claudia Stanziale (11), South Forsyth High School • Alexa Wagner (12), Lambert High School • Emily Willman (12), Lambert High School
SPORTS
Pinecrest Quarterback Ryan McCarthy.
Pinecrest Paladins head Football Coach Todd Winter.
CUMMING, Ga. — Pinecrest Academy’s head football Coach, Todd Winter, has been named ‘Coach of the Year’ for region 6-A football, and Paladins quarterback Ryan McCarthy has been selected as region 6-A ‘Co-offensive Player of the Year.’ Additionally, several Paladins players were named to the All Region First Team. Ryan McCarthy, Greg Varghese, Stone Brown, Garrison Winter and Alan Yadav made First Team Offense, while
Wills Brown, Peter Nelson, Carson Holler and Mitchell Ojeda were selected to the First Team Defense. Pinecrest players named to the All Region Second Team include Michael Birozes, Nolan Stafford, Will Patota and Corey Downes. Brooks Binkley was an honorable mention selection for region 6-A. These award designations come on the heels of the Paladins’ best football record since joining the GHSA in 2010.
Pinecrest has coach, co-offensive player of year
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28 | December 30, 2015 | Forsyth Herald | ForsythHerald.com
Gardner:
Swatting:
Continued from Page 9
Continued from Page 14
said. “As you can imagine, they have a lot of activities, progress and things going on. It can be a challenge for us because we’re a small office that is keeping up with all of that and making sure we’re getting the information we need to get out to the public.” But she works with great people day in and day out who make it enjoyable for her to come to work, where no two days are alike. “An interesting part of the job is that every day is different,” Gardner said. “On any given day, we could be working on something for parks and recreation and switch gears and work
A break came when the FBI took an interest in the case. “The FBI was great,” said Finley, who was nominated by his fellow police officers around the country as the best man to interface with the FBI since he was most familiar with the breadth and depth of the case. He was summoned to Washington, D.C., to brief agents on what he and other law enforcement agencies had pieced together. “I was able to sit down with the FBI cyber unit and we figured out our guy was living in Canada,” he said. Specifically, Obnoxious turned out to be a 16-year-old boy in British Columbia. “We spoke to the RCMP [Royal Canadian Mounted Police] and they were already aware of him. They were guarded about talking about him because they knew he was a juvenile.” Finley participated in a conference call with the FBI and the RCMP to explain the case they had against Obnoxious, who had become his own worst enemy. He had become so arrogant and confident he could not be caught, Finley said, that he conducted an eight-hour swatting marathon while streaming it live online on Twitch. The RCMP came in and finally closed him down, making a case against Obnoxious that will have him in juvenile custody for two years.
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During Board of Commissioner meetings, Jodi Gardner oversees the public comments all while keeping a summary of the on-going meeting.
on something for the fire department or water department. No two days are alike. There’s a lot of variety in the work we do.” Nevertheless, through all the craziness of running a county’s communications department, Gardner said she just wants people to know that everyone working in Forsyth County government is there to serve the community. “We’re here to help with anything they need,” Gardner said. “If they’re looking for information they can’t find, anything at all, they can come to us as a resource for that. We want the public comfortable coming to us and asking any questions we might be able to help with them, too.”
Finley said it brought a great deal of satisfaction to everyone to put him away, even though he has only recently turned 17. “He operated by intimidation. He was an Internet bully and he liked the fact that he could push people around with impunity and then would brag about it,” Finley said. “He did a lot of harm to a lot of folks.” Talking with the victims and hearing how their lives had been held hostage convinced Finley that the time and effort devoted to finding Obnoxious was worth it. Mayor Mike Bodker agreed and praised the efforts of the Police Department and Finley in particular. “Swatting is a very dangerous practice, and few fully understand how badly it can go,” said Bodker. There have been four Johns Creek swatting incidents since the initial Jan. 16, 2014, case. Now, with the apprehension of Obnoxious, all the perpetrators have been identified. “When you call police officers to the scene of what they think is a crime in progress, they come ready to react. “People could get hurt or killed,” Bodker said. “But Sgt. Finley went above and beyond to find this lowlife who put a Johns Creek family and their young children through absolute torment. “He literally chased this person around the world to find him in Canada. It is my hope the Canadian authorities find a way to lock him away for a very long time. [Finley] is a hero for what he was able to accomplish.”
COMMUNITY
forsythherald.com || Forsyth ForsythHerald.com Forsyth Herald Herald || December December 30, 30, 2015 2015 || 29 29
Roswell celebrates Bulloch-Roosevelt wedding Christmas reenactment held one night a year By JONATHAN COPSEY jonathan@appenmediagroup.com ROSWELL, Ga. - Dec. 22, 1853, was an unusually cold night, with a wet and bitter chill in the air. It was on this night that the finest families of Roswell gathered in the cozy and warm Bulloch Hall for the social event of the year – the wedding of Martha “Mittie” Bulloch to Theodore “Thee” Roosevelt. Each year, on (or near) the anniversary of the event, Roswell’s Bulloch Hall hosts a reenactment of that night in 1853. With ladies and gentlemen in their finest period attire, the house is bedecked with wreaths and garlands and poinsettias aplenty. It’s a mixture of Victorian Christmastime with wedding formality. Mittie and Thee would become the parents of President Teddy Roosevelt Jr. With actors throughout the historic home, guests of this year’s event – held Dec. 21 – were able to feel almost as if they were witnessing a wedding party nearly eight years before the start of the Civil War. The women of the event held court in the parlor, chatting and gossiping about the latest fashions and the couple-to-be. “They are so in love,” said “Mrs. Margaret Roosevelt,” mother of the groom. “They are a delightful pair.”
JONATHAN COPSEY/Staff
Roswell’s historic home celebrates the Christmas wedding of its famous daughter – Mittie Bulloch – to New York’s Theodore Roosevelt. The couple would become parents to President Theodore Roosevelt Jr.
The wedding guests marveled at the life the new couple would have in New York City with the Roosevelts. Mittie should be happy, said Mrs. Roosevelt, since a new department store was opening near their home – Lord & Taylor. The men were gathered in the library, discussing politics and commerce – when will railroads come to Roswell for the cotton mill? Talk also turned to another matter of great import
– that new Lord & Taylor store would be selling readymade dress shirts! The bridesmaids busied themselves in the upstairs bedrooms, practicing their dances for the wedding, giggling and prancing as they did. Finally, it was time for the main event – the wedding ceremony. Everyone gathered in the parlor to watch Roswell’s Mittie join with New York’s Thee to spend the rest of their lives together. Then there was dancing, of course. Guests on the tour were treated to refreshments and a story afterward. Josie Bailey, a professional storyteller, regaled the group with the old Uncle Remus tale of Brer Rabbit. Norman Jacobs, a DeKalb County resident, said he grew up in New York City and has loved learning the history of President Teddy Roosevelt. He has visited Mittie’s New York home away from home with Thee, Teddy’s childhood home. Jacobs said he enjoyed seeing the wedding performance, an event he has tried to attend for years. “It’s the closest you can get to how it felt like back then,” he said. “This was better than anything I could have expected.” His wife, Kathy, agreed. “It was fabulous,” she said. “They did a really nice job.” The wedding of Mittie Bulloch and Theodore Roosevelt is only held one night a year. For more about Bulloch Hall, its holiday events and next year’s wedding performance, visit bullochhall.org.
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