Forsyth Herald - June 20, 2024

State tax revenues continue to decline

By DAVE WILLIAMS Capitol Beat News Service

ATLANTA – Georgia tax collections

continued to fall last month, dropping 1.1% compared to May of last year, the state Department of Revenue reported.

With just one month remaining in the current fiscal year, tax revenues are down by 1.2% compared to

the first 11 months of fiscal 2023.

However, that doesn’t account for the fact the state wasn’t collecting sales taxes on gasoline and other motor fuels during the first half of the last fiscal year.

As a result, the 11 months that ended May 31 saw a net decrease in tax revenues of 4.3% from fiscal 2023.

Individual income tax receipts for

Divided County Commission scraps whole health building

By JAKE DRUKMAN newsroom@appenmedia.com

FORSYTH COUNTY, Ga. —

Recent efforts to establish a mental health facility in Forsyth County have all but ended.

The county’s Board of Commissioners signaled their intent June 11 to redirect nearly $30 million in federal American Rescue Plan funding originally set aside for a whole health building on the new Freedom Parkway administration complex, and use it instead for infrastructure to return treated water from the Fowler Water Reclamation Facility to Lake Lanier.

The whole health building was planned to house a mental health center operated by Avita Community Partners as well as a sexual assault nurse examiner unit and the County Health Department. After construction estimates came in $12 million over budget, commissioners voted in January to scrap the plan for the time being.

The June 11 work session vote of 3-2 to redirect the funds still has to pass a formal vote June 20. The item is on the meeting’s consent agenda, although it could be singled out for further discussion.

See BUILDING, Page 13

May were down 3.3% compared to the same month last year, driven largely by a 32.9% decline in individual tax return payments.

Net sales tax collections rose slightly last month, increasing by 0.4% compared to May a year ago. Corporate incomes taxes fell by 35.1% percent in May due to the combination of a 23.1% decline in payments and a huge increase of

497.5% in refunds issued by the revenue agency.

With the state likely to show tax revenues down at the end of fiscal 2024 June 30, Gov. Brian Kemp has been warning of leaner times ahead. However, the $16 billion budget surplus the state has built up during the last three years should provide ample cushion to avoid major spending cuts.

JAKE

Forsyth County commissioners debate the fate of a whole health building that had originally been planned for the new administrative campus at a June 11 work session.

DRUKMAN/APPEN MEDIA

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Police conduct sting op for alcohol compliance

By HANNAH FRAZER hannah@appenmedia.com

MILTON, Ga. — Milton police issued citations to employees at three businesses for serving alcohol to an underage, undercover volunteer May 14.

Police cited a 35-year-old Cumming man at The Nest Cafe, a 20-year-old Alpharetta woman at Community Burger and a 34-year-old Suwanee woman at Nahm Thai Cuisine, according to the incident reports.

Milton Public Information Officer

Lt. Andrew Noblett said police select businesses at random during their

POLICE BLOTTER

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.

Woman reports theft of jewelry, $300 in cash

ROSWELL, Ga. — Roswell Police are investigating a non-forced burglary at an apartment on Hemingway Lane June 6 after a woman reported stolen jewelry and cash.

Officers said the victim, a 38-year-old female, said she last saw the items June 3 and didn’t notice them missing until that day. She said she suspects someone took her key, which she accidentally left in the lock when she returned from vacation May 30.

The officer said there were no signs of forced entry or damage to the residence.

The victim’s stolen jewelry includes six rings, five chains, six bracelets and eight watches, valued around $15,000. The stolen cash totals $300.

The victim said most items are 18 karat gold.

Officers said there are no security

quarterly inspections, unless they are previous offenders. If a company has failed an alcohol compliance inspection in the past, police usually check more frequently to ensure it is following the rules.

The legal drinking age in Georgia is 21.

Noblett said Nahm Thai Cuisine had been noncompliant in another inspection earlier this year, though the business passed a check in late 2022.

He said Community Burger and The Nest Cafe saw their first inspection May 14.

As of press time, Appen Media could not reach The Nest Cafe, Community Burger or Nahm Thai Cuisine for

cameras near the woman’s apartment. Officers did not identify a suspect.

Police investigate claim by fired spa worker

ROSWELL, Ga. — Roswell Police are investigating a spa on Grimes Bridge Road after an ex-employee claimed management wanted her to perform sexual acts on customers.

An officer said he spoke with the business owner and manager June 7 at the establishment.

They said the reason for the incident

Correction

comment.

For their routine checks, Milton Police select a volunteer, typically an underage individual familiar to them, to enter the establishment with an officer. The volunteer then orders an alcoholic beverage with their driver’s license.

The same volunteer entered the three businesses with a police sergeant. After the underage individual was served an alcoholic beverage, an officer at the scene cited the server.

“The checks are important to keep alcohol out of the hands of people that aren’t legally allowed to have alcohol,” Noblett said.

stemmed from the woman’s request for more money.

The manager said an argument ensued and resulted in a phone call to 911.

The ex-employee, who called 911, said the manager and owner asked her to perform sexual acts on customers. She said she wanted to work at the spa because she was told it was a legitimate massage parlor.

She also said the manager and owner refused to pay her for refusing to perform the acts.

The Criminal Investigations Division responded and took over the scene, the officer said.

The June 13 edition of the Forsyth County Herald listed the incorrect classification for the West Forsyth High School girls tennis and soccer teams’ state championships.

The girls teams won the titles in 7A.

West Forsyth’s Noah Danforth won the state wrestling title at 144 pounds.

The article also overlooked the accomplishment of the Lambert High School boys tennis team which took its second straight 7A state title. The school also took the team championship in girls golf, with Athena Yoo posting the top individual score.

The girls track team took first in the 7A Girls 4x200 meter relay.

Lambert’s Jackson Hogsed captured first in the 7A boys track 3200 meters.

Katie Andrews of Forsyth Central took the state individual all-around title in girls gymnastics. She placed first in the bars and floor, and second in the beam and vault.

Forecasting experts evaluate prospects for housing market

By HAYDEN SUMLIN hayden@appenmedia.com

ATLANTA — More than 1,200 professionals from the housing industry tuned into a two-hour zoom call June 13 from John Hunt, chief analyst, principal and cofounder of MarketNsights.

Hunt’s presentation, “Higher for Longer May Be Here to Stay,” covered markets from Dallas to Richmond, and he spoke from a vantage point of someone with more than 30 years of experience and a track record of accurate modeling to the discussion.

In 2006, Hunt was on the team that first predicted the Great Recession.

Hunt briefly mentioned the U.S. is still recovering from the “irrational exuberance” in the housing market.

Quoting former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan’s famed comment about market bubbles, he traces the current housing availability crisis back to December 2007.

Hunt said housing starts had reflected increases in population before the crash, but they have not recovered since.

During a discussion with the North Fulton Improvement Network in February, Hunt said housing attainability or affordability is the defining issue of our time.

Hunt reaffirmed the significance of housing June 13. He said the barriers to “missing middle housing” stem from the emergence of zoning regulations 100 years ago from politicians during Jim Crow.

“Their goal for doing zoning was to circumvent Civil Rights laws and to keep neighborhoods White,” Hunt said. “Don’t trust me, look it up and read the book, ‘The Color of Law.’”

Georgia State University economist Rajeev Dhawan also spoke in the June 13 presentation.

Georgians can expect “practical” cuts from the Federal Reserve totaling 175 basis points by the end of 2025, he said.

Dhawan is the holder of the Zwerner Chair of Economic Forecasting and director at the J. Mack Robinson College of Business at GSU.

The questions are whether interest rate cuts will help bring down mortgage rates, and whether homebuyers should wait on the cuts, Dhawan said.

For the week of June 9-15, the average rate on a 30-year mortgage in the U.S. is 7.33 percent.

The Federal Reserve voted to hold rates steady at the end of its two-day meeting June 12, pushing back the start of rate cuts and relief from high borrowing costs.

Dhawan’s prediction came during an explanation for what spurred the growth of the national economy in the second half of last year.

Dhawan pointed to pent up travel demand, changes with consumer spending, a government hiring spree and a superb stock market rally.

Another factor stimulating the economy is the lack of mortgage rate shocks, as seen in other countries like the United Kingdom and Canada.

“Fed rate cuts are going to happen, the speed is different and it’s going to come in,” Dhawan said. “The issue is what is going to happen after that.”

Hunt said the shortage of affordable homes in the region is here to stay, keeping many younger buyers from owning while pushing others farther from downtown Atlanta.

Dhawan and Hunt were clear about the role homeownership plays in building wealth for Americans.

Hunt is skeptical about the effect of decreasing mortgage rates on housing attainability, but he also doesn’t think it should dissuade new buyers.

Pointing to data from the second half of the 20th century, Hunt showed waiting for rates may hurt prospective buyers.

One of the topics debated between the two forecasters is whether mortgage rates will fall when the Fed cuts rates on a ratio of 1-to-1.

Dhawan said increasingly restrictive trade policies, which take dollars chasing Treasury bonds out of the market, prevents rates from dropping together.

MarketNsights also brought along some of its clients and sponsors to discuss how they view the housing industry.

Lori Lane, director of Berkshire Hathaway’s New Homes Division, discussed the new regulations surrounding real estate commissions and their effect on sellers, buyers and agents. The rules take effect in July.

The changes remove the assumption that sellers will pay the buyer’s agent and require buyers’ agents to secure written agreements with clients. Up till now, the average real estate commission in the United States is around 5.5 percent, divided between the listing agent and the buyer’s agent. The new law eliminates that arrangement.

Representatives from Jackson EMC and BankSouth Mortgage discussed the mortgage industry, affordability and their companies’ initiatives.

Mac Kregger, senior vice president at BankSouth, promoted the Georgia Dream Homeownership program, which provides affordable financing options, down payment assistance and education to first-time and low-income buyers.

More information is available on the Georgia Community Affairs Department’s website, dca.ga.gov.

Alpharetta Legion post announces new officers

The more than 700 members of Alpharetta’s American Legion Post 201 will see new leadership this month as swearing-in ceremonies put a new post commander, auxiliary president, and Sons of the American Legion commander into office.

Bob Byrd has been named post commander, his fifth time serving in the role. He has also served as adjutant, judge advocate and Executive Committee member. Byrd, a U.S. Army veteran and a twodecade member of the post, is retired from a lengthy career in information systems.

Lee Harrison has been a member

of Unit 201 for over 50 years as she takes on the role of unit president. During her five decades of active and dedicated membership she is a past president, vice president, and chair of several committees.

Derek Garmon will take the oath as commander of the Sons of the American Legion, for the 18th time. He will lead his group of more than 270 members, which is now the second largest in Georgia.

For information about the Post 201 family go to www. legion201.org. To contact the post about membership, email americanlegionalpharetta@gmail.com.

Jimmy Song (NMLS#1218336) 770-454-1871 (Duluth Branch)

Sandy Na (NMLS#983548) 770-454-1861 (Norcross Branch)

Trinh Pham (NMLS#1369150) 678-672-3926 (Norcross Branch)

AMERICAN LEGION POST 201/PROVIDED

Newly installed officers for American Legion Post 201 include, from left: Derek Garmon, Sons of the American Legion commander; Lee Harrison, unit president; and Bob Byrd, post commander.

State halts Ga. 9 widening amid fraud investigation

By HAYDEN SUMLIN hayden@appenmedia.com

MILTON, Ga. — Work to widen Ga. 9 through Milton is at a standstill until the Georgia Department of Transportation sorts through a snag in its right-of-way and easement process.

GDOT notified the city June 11 that it has become aware of fraudulent activity associated in the acquisitions.

Nearly 23,000 vehicles use the roadway daily, and the city has braced residents for months of construction which had already been poised to commence with orange cones and heavy equipment along the thoroughfare.

Milton officials said their first priority is to strongly urge GDOT to promptly take action to clean up properties damaged and affected by construction. Because the widening is a state project, city officials have little control over its administration and timeline.

“We’re already reaching out to state leaders for answers and expect productive conversations to ensure that Milton citizens and businesses are heard, and their best interests are served,” Milton Mayor Peyton Jamison said. “Highway 9 is vital to our city’s

present and future, and it’s important that this project is done right.”

Milton was alerted to the fraudulent activity surrounding the project around 1 p.m. June 11. It involves a now-former Georgia Department of Transportation official associated to the Ga. 9 widening project.

Milton Communications Director Greg Botelho said the city is still looking for answers.

“We are concerned and disappointed by these reports, as well as the resulting impact on our citizens, business leaders and employees and others who travel on this main Milton thoroughfare,” he said.

Scott Higley, director of strategic communications for GDOT, said the department investigated the actions of a former right-of-way acquisition specialist who was involved in the falsification of internal documents which led other officials to believe that right-of-way parcels necessary to advance a total of five infrastructure projects in metro Atlanta had been acquired by GDOT, when in fact they had not.

Higley said GDOT traced the falsified information to a single

employee, who was immediately fired after an initial investigation.

“A subsequent and thorough investigation into all projects verified by the employee over the past decade has since been conducted, and an internal audit of processes and procedures is underway,” Higley wrote in an email. “At this time, it has been confirmed that the extent of fraudulent information traced to the employee is limited to just five projects.”

He said the other four projects are not associated with the Ga. 9 widening and that they are less extensive in their impact.

According to GDOT, there are 139 parcels necessary to advance an active project to widen Ga. 9 in the city of Milton from Windward Parkway in Alpharetta north to the Forsyth County line.

Higley said work had begun on 33 parcels GDOT believed had been acquired for the project.

The Office of the Inspector General and other state officials are conducting further review of the matter.

“The Georgia Department of Transportation will notify any property owner impacted by activity on their property that GDOT will work to properly acquire the necessary rights

and easements for the project,” Higley said. “GDOT is also making immediate changes to certain internal processes and procedures to help ensure that the state is protected against any such fraudulent activity in the future.”

Ike Yancy, leader of Milton’s Coalition Against GDOT Havoc, said he and surrounding neighbors are grateful to the city for casting light on this apparent total mismanagement of the widening of Ga. 9.

“This development is extremely disturbing, especially in the light of the cavalier attitude by GDOT towards the wanton destruction of our landscaping and mature trees,” Yancy said. “If I read this correctly, it appears that trees, landscaping and areas along Ga. 9 in Milton that were not legally owned by GDOT were destroyed.”

As for what comes next, Yancy said the news gives a reason for GDOT officials to listen to residents along the corridor.

“All of this casts serious doubt on the management and control of the Ga. 9 widening,” Yancy said. “Now that the widening has been shut down, the whole approach needs to be given a thorough and complete review.”

Kimberly-Clark names scholarship recipients

NORTH METRO ATLANTA, Ga. — Kimberly-Clark awards the Bright Future College Scholarship to six local high school students.

The Kimberly-Clark Foundation, based in Roswell, presents college scholarships of up to $20,000 to the children of company employees. The selection process includes academic performance, extracurricular activities, work experience, and

community contribution. The following students received scholarships based on the listed criteria:

• Sayhan Alam-Murillo , a senior at East Paulding High School, who plans to attend the Georgia Institute of Technology.

• Lauren Cavin , a senior at Chattahoochee High School, who plans to attend Colorado State University.

• Rohan Dalal , a senior at Johns Creek High School, who plans to attend the Georgia Institute of Technology.

• Isabella Stankiewicz , a senior at Blessed Trinity Catholic High School, who plans to attend the Georgia Institute of Technology.

• Brendan Strickland, a senior at Rome High School, who plans to attend Cornell University.

This year, the Kimberly-Clark Foundation provided 47 scholarships to students in the United States and Canada. The grade point average for this year’s recipients is a 3.97. Since the program began, it has awarded over $47 million in scholarships to more than 2,300 students.

— Hannah Frazer

Sponsored Section June 20, 2024 | Forsyth Herald | 6

Questions after you pop the question

Brought to you by – Estates Law Center USA

Whether you’re getting married or entering a new partnership, it’s important for you to lay down some ground rules to make sure there are no misunderstandings going forward. Although the conversation may be difficult, it’s best to have the talk early with your new spouse or partner to make sure you are on the same page. The goal of any type of estate planning is to avoid probate and here are several important questions you should ask when setting up your estate plan:

Are the estates of both parties equal? If not, a prenuptial/ postnuptial agreement or an agreement to keep your estates separate should be considered. Whose name is on the deed to the house? Rights of survivorship

aren’t always automatic depending on the state, so you must specify what will happen in case of death if the surviving partner’s name is not on the deed. You may want to consider giving your partner or new spouse the right to occupy your property. In addition, after the death of surviving partner or spouse, do you want the property or asset to be split among your children?

Do you have powers of attorney and healthcare directives? POA gives the person you name legal and financial authority to act on your behalf if you become incapacitated or incompetent. Healthcare Directive appoints an agent for medical and life support decisions in the event you are incapacitated or incompetent. Depending onyour situation, each of you need separate financial and Healthcare Directives. You should also consider if you want your

children involved in these decisions with your partner or new spouse. Will beneficiary designations on your accounts change upon remarriage or new partner? Make sure the beneficiary designations on your bank, investment, life insurance and retirement accounts are updated so the proceeds are handled according to your new relationship and prevent disinheriting your children accidentally. If you’re entering a new relationship with a home, assets, and family members, creating a new estate plan is essential to balance the expectations of your new spouse/ partner with the needs of the loved ones who have been with you for years. Consult a local estate planning attorney familiar with the inheritance laws in your state to make the best estate plan as you start the next phase of your journey.

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SCHOOLS

North Metro Atlanta’s 2024 valedictorians and salutatorians

By HANNAH FRAZER hannah@appenmedia.com

High Schools commemorate top students each year by highlighting the valedictorian and salutatorian in the graduating class. The valedictorian is awarded to the student with the highest academic rank in their gradating class, based on GPA and academic achievements. The salutatorian is the student with the second highest rank. Congratulations to the following students in area schools.

DeKalb County

Fanta Ndiaye

• Magnet Valedictorian

• Arabia Mountain High School

Rayna Robinson

• Magnet Salutatorian

• Arabia Mountain High School

Jada Bailey

• Resident Valedictorian

• Arabia Mountain High School

Nathan Thwaites

• Resident Salutatorian

• Arabia Mountain High School

Jack Bolte

• Magnet Valedictorian

• Chamblee High School

Joshua Jacks

Magnet Salutatorian

Chamblee High School

Hanna Lin

• Resident Valedictorian

• Chamblee High School

Kai Henderson

• Resident Salutatorian

• Chamblee High School

Adriel Ammah

• Valedictorian

• Cedar Grove High School

Waynijah Kuykendall

• Salutatorian

Cedar Grove High School

Kennedy Edge

• Valedictorian

• Clarkston High School

Rasina Abdulkadir

• Salutatorian

• Clarkston High School

Leah Johnson

• Magnet Valedictorian

• Columbia High School

Christopher Cook

• Magnet Salutatorian

• Columbia High School

Zoe Carter

Resident Valedictorian

• Columbia High School

Sakhari Matthews

• Resident Salutatorian

• Columbia High School

Exahel Castaneda

• Valedictorian

• Cross Keys High School

Floricela Bravo-Avendano

• Salutatorian

• Cross Keys High School

Christalle Bristol

• Valedictorian

• DeKalb Early College Academy

Blain Daniel

• Salutatorian

• DeKalb Early College Academy

Danielle Beaucejour Valedictorian

• DeKalb School of the Arts

Anna Kirk

• Salutatorian

• DeKalb School of the Arts

Terry Crawford

• Valedictorian

• Druid Hills High School

Micah Burton

• Salutatorian

• Druid Hills High School

Neil Shah

Valedictorian

Dunwoody High School

Naomi Kleber

• Salutatorian

• Dunwoody High School

Deandra Smith

• Valedictorian

• Lithonia High School

Shakara Miles

• Salutatorian

• Lithonia High School

Hannah Parks

• Salutatorian

Lithonia High School

Shreya Chatterjee

• Valedictorian

• Lakeside High School

Matthew Phillips

• Salutatorian

• Lakeside High School

Zachary Murphey

• Salutatorian

• Lakeside High School

Danielle Buchanan

• Valedictorian

• McNair High School

Dieynabou Diallo

• Salutatorian

• McNair High School

Zy’Eshia Hudson

• Salutatorian

• McNair High School

Chance Hill

• Valedictorian

• Martin Luther King, Jr. High School

Janea Jackson

• Salutatorian

• Martin Luther King, Jr.

High School

Winter Adam’s

• Valedictorian

• Miller Grove High School

Asauni Jones

Salutatorian

Miller Grove High School

Mikiah Jones

• Valedictorian

• Redan High School

Chi Choo

• Salutatorian

• Redan High School

Myra Furlow

• Salutatorian

• Redan High School

Aryel Allen

• Magnet Valedictorian

Southwest DeKalb High School

Autumn Luke

• Magnet Salutatorian

• Southwest DeKalb High School

Austin Akhabue

• Resident Valedictorian

• Southwest DeKalb High School

Keion Jefferies

• Resident Salutatorian

• Southwest DeKalb High School

Journee Love-Gates

• Valedictorian

• Stephenson High School

Morgan Shepperd

• Salutatorian

• Stephenson High School

Matthew Kedir

• Valedictorian

• Stone Mountain High School

Sojat Kedir

• Salutatorian

Stone Mountain High School

Kisha Richard

• Valedictorian

• Towers High School

Trystan Davy

• Salutatorian

• Towers High School

Betelehem Gidey

• Valedictorian

• Tapestry Charter High School

Richard Halloway, Jr.

• Salutatorian

• Tapestry Charter High School

Bram Rosenblatt

Salutatorian

Tapestry Charter High School

Violett Todd

• Salutatorian

• Tapestry Charter High School

Epherata Zeleke

• Valedictorian

• Tucker High School

Ava-Elizabeth Jacoby

• Salutatorian

• Tucker High School

Forsyth County

Advaith Nidumukkala

• Valedictorian

• Alliance Academy for Innovation

Eshan Jaffar

• Salutatorian

• Alliance Academy for Innovation

Sheil Dharan

• Valedictorian

Denmark High School

Pranav Potluri

• Salutatorian

• Denmark High School

Madison Lee Malone

• Valedictorian

• East Forsyth High School

Rebecca Ann Wade

• Salutatorian

• East Forsyth High School

Suyash (Vasu) Dwivedi

• Valedictorian

• Forsyth Central High School

Phillip Porter

• Salutatorian

• Forsyth Central High School

Anish Madireddy

• Valedictorian

• Lambert High School

Justin Wang

• Salutatorian

• Lambert High School

Coleton Thomas

• Valedictorian

North Forsyth High School

Arianna Hagen

• Salutatorian

• North Forsyth High School

Kavin Kalicheti

• Valedictorian

• South Forsyth High School

Pravallika Nayak

• Salutatorian

• South Forsyth High School

Anirudh Naveen

• Valedictorian

• West Forsyth High School

Maya Zhang

• Salutatorian

West Forsyth High School

Fulton County

Malavika Niverthi

• Valedictorian

• Alpharetta High School

Faye Lu

• Salutatorian

• Alpharetta High School

Ruqaiyah Njie

• Valedictorian

• Banneker High School

Jameiyah Sparks Salutatorian

• Banneker High School

Mitchell Landis

• Valedictorian

• Cambridge High School

Ayan Agarwal

• Salutatorian

• Cambridge High School

Cindy Zheng

• Valedictorian

• Centennial High School

Amrita Puri

Salutatorian

Centennial High School

Sahil Hemrajani

• Valedictorian

• Chattahoochee High School

Alif Misha Antony Selvin

Raj

• Salutatorian

• Chattahoochee High School

Demi Jones

• Valedictorian Creekside High School

Ngone Seye

• Salutatorian

• Creekside High School

Lakshana Ramanan

• Valedictorian

• FCS Innovation Academy

Tanish Potula

• Salutatorian

• FCS Innovation Academy

Vihaan Narvekar

• Salutatorians

• FCS Innovation Academy

Andy Qu

Valedictorian

• Fulton Academy of Virtual Excellence

Brea Butler

• Salutatorian

• Fulton Academy of Virtual Excellence

Cyr Kamga

• Valedictorian

• Global Impact Academy

Isabela Damian

• Salutatorian

• Global Impact Academy

Myles Estime

• Valedictorian

Independence High School

Jasmine Valle

• Salutatorian

• Independence High School

Daniel Bao

• Valedictorian

• Johns Creek High School

Annika Joshi

• Salutatorian

• Johns Creek High School

Mattison Downs

• Valedictorian Langston Hughes High School

Yazmina Holness

• Salutatorian

• Langston Hughes High School

Joseph Petkash

• Valedictorian

• Milton High School

Kiran Bardakjy-

• Salutatorian

• Milton High School

Christopher Yamamoto Valedictorian North Springs High School

Aoi Chiara Misawa

• Salutatorian

• North Springs High School

Vaishali Prahalad

• Valedictorian

• Northview High School

Kevin Xiang

• Salutatorian

• Northview High School

Leah Perlman

• Valedictorian

• Riverwood High School

Ava Satisky

• Salutatorian

• Riverwood High School

Christian Jimenez

• Valedictorian

• Roswell High School

Nori Liang

• Salutatorian

• Roswell High School

Dana Lopez Lopez

Valedictorian

• Tri•Cities High School

Jennifer Bojorge-Arredondo

• Salutatorian

• Tri•Cities High School

Mi’Cai Haywood

• Valedictorian

• Westlake High School

Sayantan Das

• Salutatorian

• Westlake High School

I’m just trying to do right by the customer. That’s why I was always successful, not just as a wine educator but successful as a salesperson.”

ANITA LARAIA, founder, Anita LaRaia Wine School/Winegroceries.com

8 | Forsyth Herald | June 20, 2024

Wine educator shares fruits of her experience

World-renowned expert keys customers to value

By HAYDEN SUMLIN hayden@appenmedia.com

DUNWOODY, Ga. — When students at Anita LaRaia’s Wine School wrap up their first class, they’re likely struck with the extensive knowledge and infectious energy of their instructor.

Whether they took her series of 2-hour in-person classes decades ago or stumbled across her new videos on YouTube, LaRaia’s students remember her empowering personality and wine expertise.

In her 33 years, LaRaia has graduated more than 2,000 people from her classes – young adults in the hospitality industry, trade professionals and anyone interested in understanding the process of selecting a quality wine.

So, what did students walk out the door with? LaRaia says they carried confidence and a bottle of wine with some of five noble grapes of Bordeaux: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot.

If the mention of Red Bordeaux and blended wine makes your head spin, LaRaia’s new venture in 2024 can get you up to speed in no time.

LaRaia, a 30-year resident of Dunwoody, kicked off 2024 with the rollout of her YouTube channel, Winegroceries.com, including six videos around 10 minutes each.

See LARAIA, Page 9

in early January.

Anita LaRaia sits ready to record the “Latin Lovers” video on her YouTube channel, Winegroceries.com,

The third educational video in a six-part series dives into LaRaia’s grocery-shopping advice for patrons.

BUSINESSPOSTS

LaRaia:

She said her goal is to give viewers the information they need to be able to walk into a grocery store or distributor and select a cost-effective wine that pairs with an occasion and its food.

Instead of paying hundreds of dollars for six two-hour classes with the wine expert, you can access them for free on YouTube. Viewers won’t get a nice bottle of wine, but they will be able to find one on their own.

In her six videos available on YouTube, viewers are first introduced to the different processes used to make Champagne in France and different varieties of sparkling wine from around the world.

One video explores Australian wines, which LaRaia helped popularize in the United States. Other topics include South American and Latin wines, “Big Spenders,” or expensive bottles and which American wines give you the best bang for your buck.

LaRaia says her decision to roll out her wine classes online was sparked when her channel’s producers, Nancy and Murph Ivey from South Carolina, began sending her photos of wine bottles on grocery store shelves.

“I was sitting there thinking, well my goodness, I’m back in the business,” LaRaia said.

The 77-year-old wine expert, unafraid to discuss her recent foot surgery and time in a wheelchair, told the Iveys to drive down to Dunwoody and film some videos at her dining room table.

“I set it all up and decided to think long and hard, what could I cover in these short videos?” LaRaia said. “I did write scripts, although people think I do this extemporaneously; Yes, I do because it’s real, more exciting and I have that personality.”

Winegroceries.com on You Tube combines LaRaia’s six years studying in London, her time answering questions posed from around the world for CNN.com and 33 years of teaching in Atlanta – all in an easily digestible one-hour series.

“I wanted to do this as a service to grocery shoppers,” LaRaia said.

WineGroceries.com creates videos designed to make viewers savvy buyers of wine in their local grocery store wine department, with entertaining instruction from one of America’s top independent wine educators.

More information

Anita LaRaia’s Wine School established Feb. 1978

• WineGroceries.com

• @WineGroceries on YouTube

• “Pick a Perfect Wine in No Time” on Amazon

palatable.

The daughter of Italian immigrants to New York City after World War I, LaRaia’s story is an inspiration.

After earning the valedictorian title at her high school, LaRaia received two degrees from Cornell University before heading to London for her wine education.

If the American Dream is a myth, try telling LaRaia.

She still carries the first payment her father received in the United States, a 1908 Golden Eagle coin.

“My Osage friend from Oklahoma worked on the necklace for a year,” LaRaia said. “I wear it sometimes with that gold coin.”

Equality among all Americans is important to LaRaia, and her decision to start her YouTube channel represents that philosophy.

LaRaia’s resume also includes 10 years at the retail, wholesale and importer levels, including as Banfi Vintner’s sales manager in Georgia.

Her deluxe tours have taken her everywhere from the vineyards of Tuscany, Italy and France to Jack Nicklaus Bear’s Club in Jupiter, Florida.

Despite her luxurious experiences in the wine industry, LaRaia remains down-to-earth.

Her inspiring story as the daughter of American immigrants approaches legendary status as the wine expert now wants to make her lifetime of knowledge available to the public.

NEW BUSINESS SPOTLIGHTS

Business description: As the inaugural fine art gallery in Dunwoody, we are honored to present a captivating fusion of established and emerging talent, curated with meticulous care and a

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Pairing the correct wine bottle with a meal, occasion or partner is what it’s all about. If complicated grape varieties, sommeliers and “wine snobs” have soured your wine education, LaRaia’s sweet and energetic personality make the process more

If someone picks up a wine bottle in the grocery store and checks out the label, odds are they won’t recognize the region of origin and grape varieties.

One of LaRaia’s goals with her YouTube channel is to give patrons the knowledge to select the cheaper bottle with the same grapes grown in the same region as the bottle worth hundreds of dollars on the top shelf.

“I’m just trying to do right by the customer,” she said. “That’s why I was always successful, not just as a wine educator but successful as a salesperson.”

LaRaia’s next series, shot from the Kroger off Dunwoody Club Drive in Sandy Springs, will be available shortly on the Winegroceries channel.

LaRaia said trips to other local stores, like Costco, may be in the cards for future installments. Continued from Page 8

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Owners: Irfan Mandani and Vikash Sharma

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Business Name: Dunwoody Gallery Owners: Dawn Tresh and Linda Pozzobon

53

1

There was a time when going to the movies was an event to be cherished. Dinner and a movie was the standard for a Friday or Saturday night. Going on a date in high school often entailed seeing a movie. Theaters were packed and I couldn’t wait to see the latest Hollywood offering.

Today, not so much. The last movie I saw in a theater was “Killers of the Flower Moon.” Before that, I went to see “Oppenheimer” with my sons. And while both films were well-done and entertaining, I haven’t gone back.

I recently queried Abigail from AMC at The Collection about what I should be looking forward to this summer. How many “summer blockbusters” will inspire me to fork over nearly $20 just to get a ticket?

Are you ready? “Despicable Me 4” (We all need more Minions, don’t we?), “Deadpool vs. Wolverine” (I guess there’ll be a fight, but I don’t care who wins), and some type of “Mad Max” offering. Oh, and there’s also plans for a “Lord of The Rings” marathon.

Maybe I’m a movie snob, but there really doesn’t appear to be anything worth seeing right now. And worse yet for those in Hollywood wanting to get some of my money, there’s nothing on the horizon that gets me to say: “I really want to see that!”

I guess there’s the possibility that going to the movies is not what it used to be. The experience is somewhat lacking. However, I love a good IMAX offering with that vivid picture or a Dolby theater with audiophile sound and reclining seats.

I have the fondest California memories of DeeDee, my godmother, taking me to the Warner Theater in downtown San Pedro. Whenever there was a new Disney movie showing, she was a great sport, and we had popcorn and drinks

while watching upstairs in balcony seats. DeeDee always paid extra to have us sit upstairs, which made the experience feel that much more special.

I had an early crush on Hayley Mills in “The Parent Trap.” I believed Fred MacMurray had ditched his three sons to become “The Absent-Minded Professor,” and his Flubber could help me become a better basketball player and might make our old Plymouth fly. I remember being mesmerized by “Swiss Family Robinson” and how that clan fought the elements and some jabbering pirates, vanquishing the marauders by employing coconut bombs.

Mom was wise to my ways when I asked her to pick me up a few coconuts next time she bought groceries, “and by the way, where do we keep our gunpowder around the house?”

Admittedly, I thought the last “Mission Impossible” offering rocked. I’ll probably pony up for a ticket to watch Tom Cruise perform his own “how does he do that?” stunts.

I think there’s a new Western starring Kevin Costner on the horizon, and that seems to be worthwhile. Aside from that, there’s nothing that excites me. Maybe we’ve exhausted all the possibilities for new material, and all that’s left are sequels and remakes. I can’t help but think that Hollywood is hurting, and its once “sure thing” audience may have become more discerning and, worse yet, aloof.

Looking at all the entertainment alternatives, the prospect of driving to a movie house and paying ridiculous admission prices, coupled with food that can be purchased for at lease halfprice at Publix, I’ve concluded I still like movies, but going to the movies just isn’t worth the hassle.

Mike Tasos has lived in Forsyth County for more than 30 years. He’s an American by birth and considers himself a Southerner by the grace of God. He can be reached at miketasos55@ gmail.com.

MIKE TASOS Columnist

OPINION

Remarkable stories of Ann Jackson Gallery, Part 1

BOB MEYERS

Most readers will be familiar with the iconic Ann Jackson Gallery, purveyors of outstanding fine art and custom framing, a mainstay of downtown Roswell for more than 50 years. Now, as the saying goes, it is time for the rest of the story — in two parts.

The Gallery and disaster

Ann Marie Moir Jackson (19322012) was born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio. She loved to paint and majored in home economics and art at Ursuline College, founded in 1871 and one of the oldest colleges for women in the United States.

She met her husband Basil George Jackson (1923 –2013) on a blind date when he and some fraternity brothers from North Carolina University traveled to Cleveland. The couple courted and married in 1952 and lived in Cleveland until 1958 when they moved to Sandy Springs where Basil’s family resided. Basil was born in Scotland and had dual citizenship. He had moved to Massachusetts with his family and then to the Atlanta area.

Ann started to paint after her eight children were old enough to have a degree of independence. She participated in Piedmont Park art festivals, and she and Basil studied how to frame paintings since framing was so expensive. The couple started the Ann Jackson Gallery on the Roswell Square in 1971, the first gallery in Roswell. The population of the city was 5,000, and the Square was being restored after a period of neglect. The gallery featured some wellknown artists, local artists and Ann’s work. Their oldest daughter Valerie was studying to be a nurse and dropped out of Dekalb College to help her parents in the gallery. Valerie had no training in business or art and had to teach herself.

She says “the gallery became my work and my passion. I worked in the gallery by day and waited on tables at night. Fifteen years later, I bought the gallery from my parents.”

One day, Ed’s Gun and Tackle Store caught fire and bullets were flying out into Canton Street. The police evacuated the area and let the building blow up. The roof blew completely off.

Valerie says that “by then the Square was going downhill. Rents were going up, and I was looking for another place for the gallery. When I looked up through where the roof was supposed to be and saw the sky, I knew that the time had come to leave the Square.”

She saw the potential of Canton Steet. It had charm, adequate parking and room for growth. The city had spruced it up for the 1996 Summer Olympics with sidewalks, landscaping and old fashioned street lights. So, after 15 years, the gallery moved.

Prisoner of war

When World War ll began, 19-year Basil was determined to join the fray. The United States had not yet entered the war, so Basil went to Canada, lied about his age and enlisted in the Royal Canadian Air Force. Desperate for pilots, the RCAF taught Basil to fly. He flew a Lancaster heavy bomber, was a squadron leader and flew 30 missions over Germany. He was one of the youngest pilots in the war. The 7,377 Lancasters produced during the war were primarily used for nighttime strategic bombing of German cities. The Lancaster had the largest payload of any bomber in the war. It was used by the RAF, RCAF and air forces of other allied countries.

PROVIDED

Ann Jackson Gallery owner Valerie Jackson stands in front of a painting done by her mother Ann Jackson in 1995 while she was in France. Valerie, the oldest of their eight children, eventually took over the gallery from her mother. Today she operates the gallery at her home on Bowen Road in Roswell. Call her at 770 6865613 to make an appointment to visit the gallery.

On Feb. 24, 1944, Basil was flying over Schweinfurt in Bavaria, Germany, on a night mission involving 734 bombers to destroy vital ball bearing factories, when his plane was hit by intense flack and attacked by German Luftwaffe fighters. He was blown out of the top of the plane and his boots were blasted off his feet. Only Basil and one other crew member survived the attack. Basil landed in snow and, due to frostbite, later lost many of his toes and was permanently blinded in one eye due to shrapnel. Equipped with civilian clothes, he caught a train but was spotted by German soldiers and taken to the notorious prison Stalag Luft lll, one of nine POW camps run by the Luftwaffe to house captured Allied airmen. He remained there until the camp was liberated by Soviet forces in January 1945. The camp was manned by 800 Luftwaffe guards who ranged from cruel to sympathetic.

The prison was made famous by the 1963 movie “The Great Escape,” starring Steve McQueen, James Garner and Richard Attenborough. The film was an exaggerated version of a famous mass escape of 76 British airmen from the prison the night of March 24, 1944. Seventy-three escaped prisoners were recaptured within a matter of days and under direct orders from Hitler, 50 of them were executed by the Gestapo. Many

ATLANTA CONSTITUTION/PROVIDED Ann and Basil Jackson opened the Ann Jackson Gallery in Roswell Square in 1971. In this photo Ann points to one of the many works of art in her gallery.

Before the U.S. entered World War ll, 19 year old Basil Jackson, future husband of the founder of the Ann Jackson Gallery in Roswell, went to Canada to join the Royal Canadian Air Force. He piloted 30 missions over Germany before his bomber was shot down. This portrait was taken shortly after he enlisted in the RCAF. FAMILY PROVIDED

of the Gestapo killers were identified and executed or imprisoned after the war.

The escape was meticulously planned. Six hundred prisoners were engaged in the digging of three tunnels, 30 feet below the surface. Newly captured airmen had to pass rigorous inspections by the prisoners before they could be trusted in order to avoid German spies infiltrating the project.

Basil helped dig tunnels and worked on plans for the escape, but fortunately he was not one of the escapees.

After the war, Basil returned to North Carolina University and became an electrical engineer. He worked for General Motors and for Lockheed Corporation in addition to helping with the art gallery.

In next week’s column I will tell a sad tale about the Jackson “farm” and a story about Dr Seuss, whose works played and still play an important role in the Ann Jackson Gallery.

Bob is director emeritus of the Milton Historical Society and a Member of the City of Alpharetta Historic Preservation Commission. You can email him at bobmey@bellsouth.net. Bob welcomes suggestions for future columns about local history.

Columnist

FAMILY

GET OUTSIDE, GEORGIA!

Stone circles, wool socks and fish stew

If there’s one thing that’s true about exploring the great out-of-doors, it’s the fact that it’ll make you hungry. It’s hard work climbing mountains and fording creeks, even low ones and narrow ones, and one must have sustenance if one is to reach the summit or come out of the water safely on the other side.

I have learned that that’s just as true in Ireland as it is anywhere else.

One Tuesday, for instance, we get an early start with the idea of driving to the town of Kenmare to see the stone circle which sat just outside of town. It’s a well-known early Bronze-Age site within walking distance of the little town.

We know we have to see it (after first doing a little shopping for wool socks). And then we will continue the day with what had turned into a genuine quest –specifically, to find the very best fish stew in the land.

To understand the importance of this quest, you must first know that I absolutely love any kind of seafood-based soup. I make a mean crab and clam bisque, and she makes a shrimp and corn chowder that’s even better.

In Ireland, we discovered right away, they make what they all call fish stew. Rich, thick, warm, flavorful – the adjectives could go on and on, but none adequately describe it. I’d fallen into the pleasant habit of ordering fish stew everywhere we went, and I was beginning to learn to differentiate the various recipes. All were good. Which was best? Maybe the next one…and today the next one would most likely come from a pub somewhere in Kenmare.

It’s all in the name of research, and I do it all for you.

The drive over from our cottage is a little less harrowing than before (maybe we are getting the hang of it?), and we arrive with plenty of time for socks shopping. She purchased a pair a few days before and immediately pronounced them one of the crowning achievements of humankind. We need more, she says, and Kenmare seems as good a place as any to fine ‘em.

So sock shopping we go. We find some for us and for family back home too. The day is off to a grand start!

And then, socks secured, we walk up a small street and follow a sign pointing down a little lane. “Kenmare Stone Circle,” it says. We are almost there.

“Two of ye?” asks the gatekeeper. I pay the small admission and turn to follow the path to the stones. But he stops me and hands me two small pieces of

paper, each with a string attached – one for me and one for her.

I look at them, puzzled.

“For the tree,” the gatekeeper says. “For the hawthorn tree.”

Taking hers, she walks on ahead of me toward the ancient stones. But I linger for a moment. I want to know more about the hawthorn trees.

Hawthorns, I learn, are considered magical and sacred, symbolizing love and protection. They’re said to bring blessings and good luck, and so for ages they have been revered and treated with great respect by one and all. In fact, roads in Ireland have been rerouted to avoid having to take one down.

Usually, it seems, that common knowledge is enough to keep the trees safe. But to deal with the occasional chainsaw-wielding ne’er-do-well who hasn’t gotten the word, further protection for hawthorn trees is said to come from the fairies who live under them. The fairies’ job is to protect the trees from harm, a task which they apparently embrace with gusto. The fairies don’t seem to mind if you respectfully collect hawthorn twigs and flowers, especially for a bride who might wear the blossoms in her hair or carry them in her bouquet as a symbol of love. But if your motives are not so good as that, be forewarned!

As it turns out, hawthorn trees are commonly found at ancient sites like this one.

“There are several hawthorn trees near

the stones, and visitors often leave notes with handwritten wishes attached to the trees’ branches,” our host tells me. “Maybe you’ll want to do that too.”

We chat a minute more, and then I start down the short path to the stones. She is already ahead of me, and as I round a bend in the path I see her standing by one of the hawthorns and affixing something to one of its branches.

I stroll toward her, suddenly aware of the notecard I hold in my hand. I need to leave a note too, a decide, a word or a wish or something too.

But what?

That one’s easy.

We writer types usually carry a pen in case we ever need to write something down. So, I retrieve my pen and stop mid-path and write some words on the card. Then I walk up to the biggest of the hawthorns (which is already decorated with dozens and dozens of words and wishes from others before me) and begin to look for just the right branch. Which one…that one? Yes! Then, carefully, I tie my note to the tree.

By this time, she has moved from the trees to the stones themselves. Ancient and weathered but strong and enduring, they have been there for perhaps 3,000 years, silent and solid as the earth itself. There are 15 stones arranged in a circle about 17 meters (roughly 55 feet) in diameter, plus a center stoner. The rock used to make them came from a site several miles away. Only

someone who really wanted to build this would go to the trouble of moving those stones so far.

Why are they there? No one is completely sure. Some say it was a ritual site used by Druids. Others believe it is some sort of calendar or perhaps a memorial site. The fact is that no one knows for sure.

But whatever its purpose, the stone circle is captivating. We wander there for a while, walking among the stones, touching them, wondering…

After a while, I realize, I am getting hungry.

“Fish chowder time?” I ask her, and we turn back to the path to walk back into Kenmare.

We do find a pub with fish stew, and it is good.

“Is that the best one?” she asks.

“I’m still not sure,” I answer. “Further research is in order, I think.”

She smiles at me and squeezes my hand across the table. A moment passes.

“That was a neat place,” she says at last. “The stones. And the hawthorn trees. Did you leave a note?”

“I did,” I say, and I feel the beginnings of a smile.

What did I wish for in my note on the hawthorn tree?

Did I wish for the perfect bowl of fish stew? Did I offer a word of thanks that I had already found it?

Maybe.

But maybe not.

STEVE HUDSON Columnist

STEVE HUDSON/APPEN MEDIA

The stone circle in Kenmare, Ireland, dates back some 3,000 years and includes a center stone surrounded by 15 others. The purpose for the arrangement remains a mystery.

OPINION

So many hills, so many views to block

I drive this stretch of road every day, usually multiple times a day. It is the road I take leaving or heading to my home in Crabapple just inside the Alpharetta city limits. Every day when I travel this road, it is the same. I pass the same buildings, the same school, the same lawns and trees; it rarely changes. I know, because I look; I am always looking.

This past week when I was driving the road, Milton Avenue, however, I noticed something I have never seen before. This happens to me when I reread a book; I notice things I missed the first time through – details, names, plot twists, descriptions. My rereads of any of JD Salinger’s books are notorious for this.

Those I have reread at least a half dozen times each, and still, I spot things I missed the previous five times.

So, I spotted a sign on Milton Avenue that I had never noticed. Part of me wants to believe it is a new sign, but another part of me suspects it has been there all along, and I just wasn’t watching close enough to see it. When you are traveling east on Milton Avenue almost in front of the old Milton High School – now called Innovation Academy – you go up a hill. Just before the crest of the hill, on the right, is that yellow regulatory sign I just noticed. The sign says, “Hill blocks view.”

And it does – somewhat. I am sure I have never seen quite that specific message on a street sign before. It struck me as odd. On one hand, the hill really doesn’t obstruct your vision, not really. On the other hand, a “view” as I think of “views” does not really exist there; it is just a street a couple blocks from downtown Alpharetta that runs

should not have to foot the bill for the facility, which she said is “the state’s role to pay for.”

past a cemetery and a school at the top of a very slight grade, barely what one might call a “hill.” It certainly wasn’t as linear a message, such as “blind curve use caution” that immediately precedes a dangerous curve on the side of a mountain or something. That is, the sign just didn’t seem very necessary to me or have that much utility. But, I have a hunch as to why it is really there.

Anyway, the sign struck some kind of nerve in me. I have stewed about it – a lot. Yea, I know that sounds weird, a little bit off. I just started thinking about the idea, about things blocking views. Lots of things block our views these days besides hills. And there are lots of “views” that really aren’t “views.”

Right now, the most obvious “hill” that is “obstructing” many “views” is that trial we have all just watched for the past month or so – the so-called “hush-money” trial. The “hill” is one’s belief about what that was all about. The “view” is how our beliefs determine what we think we

just witnessed – our interpretation. The “street” is both the trial itself and the sum total of all our past experiences, values and beliefs.

While there is great divergence among us in our views, the one aspect that we all hold in common is how our bias determines what we think – or say – we witnessed. This is in spite of the fact that there is an actual objective, straightforward reality here, a paved asphalt street that slopes upward perhaps 5 degrees – enough to partially obstruct a driver’s vision of the street ahead – an objective reality not subject to opinion, no matter how much one desires to see something different.

And the reason for that sign? I think it might have something to do with law enforcement, radar guns, and tickets for speeding. But what do I know?

Commissioners Cindy Jones Mills and Todd Levent voted against the motion. Both have signaled support for the facility and voted against the contract that excluded it in January.

No small number of Forsyth County residents have voiced support for the facility. Some 80 residents gathered at the Jan. 18 Board of Commissioners meeting to denounce the building’s exclusion from the construction contract. Dozens of others advocated for the center at a Feb. 5 listening session.

County Commissioner Kerry Hill said she thinks county taxpayers

DEATH NOTICES

Bradley Bromelow, 54, of Alpharetta, passed away on June 9, 2024. Arrangements by Northside Chapel Funeral Directors & Crematory.

But Mills said the county should not expect the state to offer money to the project when the Board of Commissioners had not even approved the building’s construction.

“When they don’t see that we’ve got a board that’s supportive of it, why would they be putting money out?”

Mills asked, adding that the state had offered to run the facility’s operations at a cost of $10.5 million per year.

Commissioner Laura Semanson said that if the facility is operated by the state, then it would be open to people from around Georgia, and Forsyth County residents would not necessarily be prioritized.

When Mills asked why the board

Wesley Goswick, 60, of Alpharetta, passed away on June 8, 2024. Arrangements by Northside Chapel Funeral Directors & Crematory.

had set aside money for the project in the first place, Commission Chairman Alfred John said he had been repeatedly told that the money could only be used for the facility, and he did not learn it could be used for the water return project until early 2023.

Hill agreed with Mills that there is a need for mental health services in the county, but he said the board could look for alternatives that are less costly than the whole health building.

After less than 15 minutes of discussion, Semanson called the question as Mills and Hill spoke over one another, forcing the debate to a close. Levent stated that his vote against the motion was based on the fact that discussion had been cut short.

Angela Pruett, 96, of Roswell, passed away on June 3, 2024. Arrangements by Northside Chapel Funeral Directors & Crematory.

RAY APPEN Publisher Emeritus ray@appenmedia.com

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