Forsyth Herald - July 20, 2023

Forsyth County increases funding to transportation service for needy

By SHELBY ISRAEL shelby@appenmedia.com

FORSYTH COUNTY, Ga. — Residents’ need for a public transportation network continues to rise as the Forsyth County adjusts to a rapidly growing population, officials say.

Now, the county is exploring ways to expand in-house options.

At its July 11 work session, the Board

of Commissioners granted an additional $260,000 to Common Courtesy, a third party that provides discounted on-demand rides to county seniors and disabled residents.

The service manages national rideshare organizations to provide transportation, and trips are $2. To qualify, residents must register, have a credit card and be able to exit and enter the vehicle without accommodation.

Common Courtesy is one of two county-administered public transit options. The other, Access Forsyth, is a demand-based bus system that allows residents to schedule rides in advance. The buses, formerly called Dial-a-Ride, do not operate on fixed routes, and patrons ride with other passengers.

See TRANSIT, Page 8

Access Forsyth, a reservation-based bus system, is one of Forsyth County’s two public transit options. Public Transportation Director Roy Rickert said the demand for transportation in the county has grown.

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Man cited for threats in alleged dog dispute

FORSYTH COUNTY, Ga. — Forsyth County deputies arrested an Alpharetta man July 3 who allegedly threatened a woman during an ongoing dispute over dogs.

Deputies reported responding June 18 to the woman’s home on Red Bank Road. The woman said Raymaun White, 46, had trespassed, and she recorded video of the alleged incident.

Deputies confirmed White had criminally trespassed the woman’s home in March, the report states. The woman showed deputies messages and photos of White allegedly on her property after his previous charge.

The woman also shared audio of White allegedly saying he would kill the dogs before giving them to her.

The woman said she had been talking to White to get the dogs back. The report does not state who owns the dogs.

White was charged with felony terroristic threats and acts.

Deputies arrest woman who allegedly fled chase

FORSYTH COUNTY, Ga. — Forsyth County deputies arrested a Cumming woman July 2 who allegedly fled pursuit for outstanding warrants.

Deputies reported pursuing Amanda Kennedy, 42, on Hutchinson Road and Atlanta Highway around noon June 19. Kennedy has two active warrants in Forsyth County.

Cumming police officers reportedly initiated a traffic stop on Hutchinson Road, but Kennedy fled the scene toward Atlanta Highway. Deputies reported Kennedy was speeding in the center turn lane, passing other cars and swerving.

The pursuit ended near the skating rink on Atlanta Highway, the report states.

After the chase, deputies reported Kennedy had committed a hit-and-run during the initial traffic stop at a shopping plaza on Hutchinson Road.

A woman at the scene provided deputies a video of Kennedy allegedly pulling into a handicap parking spot, the report states. After Cumming police arrived, she is then seen reversing and hitting a truck with her front right bumper.

Kennedy was charged with attempting to elude for a felony offense, as well as misdemeanor hit-and-run and reckless driving.

Deputies arrest suspect for kidnapping, battery

FORSYTH COUNTY, Ga. — Forsyth County deputies arrested a Cumming man July 1 who allegedly locked his wife in a bedroom and beat her.

Deputies reported responding to a domestic dispute on Stafford Place around 11 p.m. A woman told deputies her friend had called her an hour before because her husband had beaten her, the report states.

The victim reported her husband, Roland Allen Patrick III, 39, had looked through her phone while she was taking care of their son upstairs, and Patrick “saw things on Instagram that he did not like.”

When she came downstairs, the woman said Patrick locked her in a bedroom, confronted her and beat her. She reported Patrick hit her repeatedly with closed fists and his arms and threw her to the ground, the report states.

The report states that after Patrick stopped hitting her, he allegedly locked her in the bathroom to prevent someone from hearing her screams, according to the wife.

Deputies reported the woman said this was not the first instance of violence.

Patrick reportedly told deputies his wife had sent sexual videos of herself to her friends, and he admitted he “lost his cool” and hit her “a few times and that was it.”

Patrick was charged with felony kidnapping of an adult, false imprisonment and aggravated battery.

Atlanta suspect cited for driving stolen car

FORSYTH COUNTY, Ga. — Forsyth County deputies arrested an Atlanta man July 2 after identifying the vehicle he was driving as stolen out of South Carolina.

Deputies reported receiving a stolen vehicle alert from a Flock camera on southbound Ga. 400 near Jot Em Down Road. The driver, later identified as Mishon Brabham, 28, stopped near the Buford Highway exit.

Brabham initially gave deputies a false name, the report states. He then provided a Georgia driver’s license with a different name and a photo that did not resemble him.

Deputies reported conducting a search of the vehicle and identifying Brabham through Fulton County court documents in the vehicle’s glovebox.

Brabham was charged with felony theft by receiving a stolen vehicle and misdemeanor giving false name and date of birth to law enforcement, window tint violation and driving while license suspended.

Man sought for theft of vacuum cleaners

JOHNS CREEK, Ga. — Police were dispatched to Target on State Bridge Road July 4 on a report that a man walked out of the store with nearly $3,350 in stolen items.

The store’s loss prevention officer reported a male suspect grabbing a shopping cart, filling it with around five items. Three minutes later, at 8:03 p.m., the suspect left without paying. His stock included different models of vacuum cleaners.

The employee could not retrieve the license plate number from security cameras or identify the driver. But she provided several videos of surveillance footage, which were forwarded to detectives.

678-208-0774

info@montessoricumming.com www.montessoricumming.com

Sawnee EMC marks 85 years of service

FORSYTH COUNTY, Ga. — Sawnee Electric Membership Corporation, a Forsyth County-based electricity provider to more than 172,600 North Georgia members, marked its 85th anniversary July 16.

The cooperative was launched in 1938 as the Forsyth County Electric Cooperative, but later expanded service to Gwinnett, Fulton, Cherokee, Dawson, Lumpkin and Hall counties.

Still based in Cumming, Sawnee is the third largest electric cooperative in the state and the eighth largest in the country. Electric cooperatives are member-owned and nonprofit.

“Sawnee EMC’s long and rich history is grounded in the communities we serve,” President and CEO Michael Goodroe said. “And while technology and times have changed, our core principles of being good stewards of our members’ assets remain the same.”

The business also offers energy conservation rebates, solar energy, energy efficiency solutions and natural gas.

— Shelby Israel

SAWNEE EMC/PROVIDED

Sawnee EMC employees service power lines on aerial work platforms. The electric cooperative commemorated its 85th year of service July 16.

County property tax revenues continue to rise

By SHELBY ISRAEL shelby@appenmedia.com

FORSYTH COUNTY, Ga. — Although Forsyth County officials have projected a growth in property values for another consecutive year, there are many moving parts before a tax bill lands in the mailbox.

Reassessments, or the cyclical reevaluation of a property’s value, are managed by the County Board of Assessors. The office analyzes sales data from Jan. 1-Dec. 31 of the previous year, and assessment notices are mailed to residents between mid-April and May 1.

“But really, it’s all what’s going on out there in the market,” Board of Assessors Director and Chief Appraiser Joel Benton said. “And our job is to follow fair market value and to value properties at their fair market value as of Jan. 1 based on prior year sales and market data.”

Fair market value refers to a property’s value that can be taxed. Set by the state, the taxable value equals 40 percent of the assessed value. For example, if a home were assessed at $250,000, its taxable value would be $100,000.

Forsyth County has kept the same millage rate since 2021, but officials project revenues will rise due to increases in property assessments.

In 2023, county staff reported $78.6 million were generated from real and personal property taxes, not including vehicle ad valorem taxes; sales taxes; and miscellaneous revenues, investments, contributions and donations.

As a result of this year’s reassessments, staff project that number will rise to $84.7 million for 2024.

Between 2022 and 2023, the net tax digest grew 15.31 percent.

Of the growth, 10.09 percent is the result of increased reassessment values, while the remaining 5.22 percent accounts for new construction, county officials say.

The millage rate

As a local government, Forsyth County generates revenue from property taxes through the millage rate, or mill levy. A mill is $1 per $1,000 of a property’s taxable value. Using the previous fair market value of $100,000, a 4-mill rate would send a homeowner a $400 tax bill.

Forsyth County’s fiscal year coincides with the calendar year. The county’s millage rate is drafted and typically approved by the Board of Commissioners in the summer, which determines homeowners’ tax bill.

Net Tax Digest

Total taxable value of real and personal property in Forsyth County, in billions

As of July 6, the County Finance Department is proposing a millage rate of 7.896 mills. Over half of the tax rate is reserved for the county’s daily maintenance and operations, and the remainder is split between the Fire Fund and debt services.

However, most of a homeowner’s tax bill does not come from the county. Nearly 68 percent, or 16.718 mills, supports Forsyth County Schools. With the school and county rate combined, the 2024 rate would be 24.614 mills.

Forsyth County Schools approved its final 2024 millage rate June 29. The County Commission is set to approve a final rate July 20.

The Board of Assessors is not part of the millage rate process, Benton said.

“We are one part of the equation,”

DATA: FORSYTH COUNTY/PROVIDED MAP: CARL APPEN/APPEN MEDIA

he said. “We have no control, no input whatsoever, over what a millage rate is going to do … That’s when it gets above and beyond the tax assessor’s office, and that millage rate is the calculation that creates taxes.”

Relief options

To ease some of the burden off taxpayers, the county and the School Board have named some options.

In February, the County Board of Education approved a floating homestead exemption that caps annual property value increases at 5 percent through 2028.

County staff also announced homesteaded property owners will receive a state Homeowners Tax Relief Grant of $18,000 off the 2023 assessed value of their property for the county and schools maintenance and operations

and fire portions of the rate.

Property owners with a Standard Homestead Exemption are set to receive a $400.79 credit based on the county and school maintenance and operations rates and the Fire Fund rate.

Residents 65 years and older who qualify for the Senior School Homestead Exemption, a 100 percent exemption from county school taxes, will receive a $125.39 credit based on the county maintenance and operations and fire rates.

Further information on exemptions can be found on the County Board of Assessors site at forsythco.com/ Departments-Offices/Board-of-Assessors/Homestead-Exemption.

Tax bills will be sent in late August by the County Tax Commissioner with a Nov. 15 deadline.

See solution page 23

Transit:

Continued from Page 1

Both systems are the product of Link Forsyth, the county’s first public transportation master plan in 2021. The project was funded by the county and the Atlanta-Region Transit Link Authority, a body that oversees transportation in Metro Atlanta.

The Atlanta-Region Transit Link Authority also operates an Xpress park-and-ride service at 163 Deputy Bill Cantrell Memorial Road, which offers weekday morning rides from Cumming to downtown Atlanta with a return trip in the evening.

Unlike neighboring counties Fulton, DeKalb and Clayton, MARTA does not operate in Forsyth County.

Like Common Courtesy, seniors can also use the Senior Services Department’s shuttles to official events. But, Access Forsyth remains the county’s only public transit option for all residents.

County Public Transportation Director Roy Rickert said since January 2022, the number of Common Courtesy riders has grown each month.

“The associated cost of providing the service has risen an average of 9.65 percent, resulting in costs for this year through May being 71.63 percent higher than last year,” Rickert said. “As such, we will run out of funds at the end of July.”

In 2022, Common Courtesy reported hosting 115 riders for a total of 13,305 trips. As of May 2023, the number of riders climbed to 141, and the number of miles traveled rose about 39 percent.

FORSYTH COUNTY/PROVIDED

A map using 2020 U.S. Census Bureau data shows the areas of Forsyth County most likely in need of some sort of public transportation. The study identified areas with concentrations of seniors, zero-car households and low-income and disabled residents.

The service was initially launched to supplement Access Forsyth, which had reached capacity. Now, Rickert said Common Courtesy requires additional funding to meet its demand.

A reluctant funding

At the July 11 work session, commissioners unanimously approved an additional $260,000 to Common Courtesy’s 2023 budgeted amount, as well an increase to the company’s annual maximum funding. Commissioner Todd Levent was absent.

While acknowledging the need for services, commissioners were concerned about the 100 percent increase and the dollar amount of future requests if demand continues to grow.

Commissioners were also worried the service could be abused, with riders not actually meeting the eligibility criteria.

Rickert said the ridership among Access Forsyth and Common Courtesy is 87 percent senior and disabled, and trips to medical facilities have increased. He said it would be difficult to vet Common Courtesy patrons for their personal information.

Ultimately, Rickert said he would prefer focusing on the bus system so all residents can access transportation, rather than the narrower qualifications for the ride share service.

“Part of my personal problem with Common Courtesy is that it is limited in what it can do,” Rickert said. “Ideally, I believe we should be expanding the bus service to where we don’t need Common Courtesy, and then we have more control over what’s going on. And when you fill up the buses, then the cost goes down.”

County Manager David McKee said the county will explore a service like Common Courtesy that is county-operated, which could be reimbursed through federal funds.

Commissioners requested Rickert and county staff gather more ridership data to consider moving forward.

The approved funding agreement will be formalized at an upcoming Board of Commissioners regular meeting.

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Nurturing bonds beyond the classroom: The power of teacher-student relationships

In the realm of education, where knowledge is imparted and minds are shaped, an invaluable connection exists far beyond textbooks and curriculum: teacher-student relationships. At King’s Ridge Christian School, these relationships form the bedrock of our educational philosophy from Pre-K through High School. These relationships are also what continue to draw our alumni back to campus long after graduation.

Nurturing Personal and Spiritual Growth:

At King’s Ridge Christian School, the commitment to individualized attention and care is at the forefront of our educational approach. By establishing strong relationships, our teachers create a safe and nurturing environment where

students feel seen, heard, and valued. This feeling of being “known” encourages students to explore their passions, take risks, and discover their true potential.

Through relationships and small class sizes, our teachers become mentors and leaders, providing students with the support and encouragement they need to overcome challenges and achieve their goals. By understanding students’ unique strengths and learning styles, our teachers can often tailor their instruction to meet individual needs, cultivating personal growth and selfconfidence.

Recognizing the importance of each student’s personal relationship with Christ, educators at King’s Ridge Christian School actively model this for our students of all ages. We understand that a growing relationship with Christ is foundational to a purposeful and fulfilling life and a cornerstone of our school’s mission. By integrating biblical

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teachings into the curriculum, engaging in prayer and chapel services, and participating in small group advisement, King’s Ridge Christian School teachers guide our students toward deepening their relationship with Christ in a safe and loving environment.

Academic Success and Motivation: The influence of teacher-student

relationships on academic success cannot be overstated. Our faculty and staff know that when students feel connected to their teachers, they are more likely to be engaged and motivated in their studies. The positive rapport established between teachers and students creates an environment where students are eager to learn, actively participate, and take ownership of their education from a young age.

As the educational landscape evolves, King’s Ridge Christian School stays true to its passion: to bring every student into a personal growing relationship with Jesus Christ while equipping them to do with excellence all that God has called them to do. Through nurturing bonds, our teachers cultivate an environment where every student feels valued, supported, and empowered to make an impact that extends far beyond the King’s Ridge Christian School campus.

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A letter to students

1. You are awesome. Be confident in who you are. I promise you’ll meet people who are smarter than you, and that’s OK. You don’t have to be the smartest person—oddly enough, sometimes being the smartest person is difficult. I also promise that you will be smarter than most. Enjoy that; while being smart isn’t everything, it is definitely something. Be confident in your intelligence, but not arrogant. I’ve found that, most of the time, being arrogant backfires on you. That leads into point two…

2. Sometimes it takes more courage and intelligence to be silent than to speak. It took me a long time to understand and respect silence. I’m still learning that it’s a mark of maturity and, most of the time, intelligence. Also, respect everyone’s differences and challenge yourself to learn about them.

3. Never stop learning. I don’t mean that in a teacher way, I mean it in a learning life sort of way. You are constantly growing, maturing, and developing, so enjoy it. Life is a condition to which no one is immune. We learn something every day. Our taste in music, food, TV, and the people we surround ourselves with evolves. It’s natural for these preferences to change. I wasted a lot of time trying to be someone I wasn’t because I thought I was supposed to be someone else. To complete number three, you need to invest in number four…

4. Spend time with yourself. Since you’ve been in my class, I’ve learned how amazing you are each in your own way. If you sit and spend time with you, I think you’ll feel the same way. I’m such a people person, but sometimes the best thing is time alone with great music, a book, TV, or whatever. As cheesy as this sounds, be your own best friend. The sooner you learn that all of your faults and idiosyncrasies are what make you awesome, the sooner you will be a better person and enjoy life so much more. That leads to number five…

5. Everyone has faults. With the advent of social media, I sometimes find myself comparing my faults with everyone else’s highlights. Scrolling through your Twitter feed (or

Snapchat or TikTok), you see people lauding their accomplishments, great times, and great friends. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with this, as long as you understand that what you see on social media is an incomplete picture. If you compare all of your faults to those highlights, you may feel a bit inadequate. Everyone has faults, so embrace yours. Grow from them and know that they add to what makes you, you. And remember, you’re awesome.

6. Surround yourself with people who love you and think you’re great (but also who know and accept your faults). You need this. If someone won’t accept you for who you are, ask yourself if you really need that relationship (be it friends or more).

7. Smile. Every day. I’m not getting into the psychology of it all, but it could possibly make you happier and healthier. It works. Trust me.

8. Don’t trust people just because they say, “trust me.” Still...

9. Trust people. It’s endearing. I know this is very contradictory, but it’s true. Even though “trust me” should raise flags, trusting people means you are human and we all need people we can trust.

10. I’ve saved one of the most important tips for last: Be happy. Genuinely happy. Choose a profession that pays the bills and makes you want to go to work most days. You won’t be happy every day. You will have bad days, weeks and maybe even months, but you’ll be generally happy. Money will not, in the end, make you happy.

One of the greatest pieces of advice my dad ever gave me was to make greatmemories. Good and bad, and all kinds in between, they are all part of our life.

So, make them good ones and remember that you are part of other’s memories so make sure they are positive, too.

I have to end this the way my mother ended most of our conversations when I was in high school and college. Make good choices. (I repeat this often to my own kids.)

Lori Fenzl, Upper School social studies teacher

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Education solutions for every mind, every age

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Eaton Academy offers multiple programs, both in person and online, since a “one size fits all” approach to education is not effective in today’s world.

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There is no place like High Meadows School. Since 1973, High Meadows students in Pre-K through 8th grade have learned through experiential, immersive educational opportunities offered both in the school’s spacious, light-filled classrooms and across 42 acres of grassy fields and scenic woodlands. High Meadows School’s progressive curriculum is focused on developing future global citizens and innovative leaders who embrace challenge and think for themselves.

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“I’m sorry. I was wrong. Please fo Did you know that mental health support in schools is often lacking?

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Research has shown that school connectedness (how much youth believe that adults and peers at school genuinely care about them and want them to succeed) plays a significant role in mental health. Youth who experience a strong sense of connectedness during middle and high school are less likely to encounter problems with substance use, mental health, suicidality, and risky sexual behavior as they become adults (Steiner, R. J., et al., Pediatrics, Vol. 144, No. 1, 2019).

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Sowing the seeds of organic learning

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Maria Montessori, Italy’s first woman doctor, invented a system of early childhood education based on her scientific observations of how the child constructs himself through interaction with his environment.

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‘Freedom’ will make you hug your kids

Before you castigate me and my ability, or lack thereof, as a movie reviewer, load your Winchester and let me have it.

I’m no Siskel (he was the skinny one, right?) or Ebert (the one who looked like he ate buttered popcorn by the bucket). Shucks, I’m no Joe Bob Briggs either. No clue as to whatever became of him and his goofy drive-in movie reviews.

as unpalatable as a bug sandwich, I had to see it for myself. After all, I’ve been going to movies for long enough that I can amuse anyone who will listen that a ticket to the Tejon Theater in Bakersfield was 35 cents. Joey Lemucchi’s dad owned the moviehouse and we started the tradition of having a schoolboy fight.

MIKE TASOS Columnist

I’m on unfamiliar ground here, sort of like asking kids how they enjoyed their summer vacation and getting a pithy “Buy a calendar you idiot! It’s not even August and school starts in two weeks” reply.

After reading a bit about “Sound of Freedom” and how the movie was a scam, a sham and not worth the tank-of-gas price of admission, I played hooky from work and traipsed all by my lonesome to the local AMC movie house.

With all the publicity billing the movie

There was nothing like a brawl in the lobby, a double feature and a handshake after the fisticuffs were brought to the conclusion by Mr. Lemucchi with a stern look, a lecture and carte blanche for soda pop, candy and popcorn slathered with butter so real I’d wager that the plaque it formed is still stuck to arteries some nearly 60 years later.

Before the lights dimmed, I wished I could have settled my nerves with a little trading of blows with Joey. I would have happily bought the popcorn, although any real butter used to enhance the tasteless offering would have to be like contraband and smuggled in. I swear, AMC lets you use as much butter as you want in the self-serve dispensers but there’s no way it’s real melted but-

ter. It’s not even close to Parkay. About the only thing that type of gruel is good for is staining your clothes. I usually pass on applying it. My cardiologist is grateful, I’m sure.

Can you believe it, more than 400 words and not a word about the movie. I warned you I was no movie reviewer, especially when what I’m watching doesn’t involve belly laughs or lots of things getting blown to smithereens.

There was no way to muster even a little chuckle while watching “Sound of Freedom.” Before the movie started, I was uneasy and queasy. It was like going to the dentist. Nothing enjoyable, maybe a tear or two, but you know the experience will do you lots of good.

For those of you not familiar with the film’s subject matter, it’s child trafficking and an up close, behind-thecurtain look at a world so repulsive, I found myself muttering “no” to no one, just an affirmation to myself that evil monsters in a world inhabited by vermin with behavior so reprehensible, exists and defies belief.

The company you keep says a lot about you

I have a friend here in Alpharetta I’ve known for decades. We went to school together at FSU, lived in the same dorm, swam at the same sinks, camped out at St. George Island together with our posse with kegs of beer on weekends and such. I don’t think you can sleep in the dunes at St. George with kegs of beer anymore. That was a long time ago.

We’re both married and have adult children. We are retired or very close. We’ve both survived bouts of prostate cancer and we’ve both stumbled into older age sometimes clueless and other times with firm and clear resolve. And we are headed into, well, those later chapters of life now.

And boy, who knew?

My friend is an artist – a talented musician, writer, painter, and who knows what else. He never ceases to surprise me. We were both big Dylan fans back in the day. At one point, I am sure he knew and could play almost every recorded Bob Dylan song ever made.

Dylan still makes up maybe half of my play list – with the Stones, Jackson Brown, Velvet Underground, Hendrix, Tracy Chapman and Van Morrison making up most of the remainder. When I did my hike seven years ago, it

was the same playlist that it is now. I don’t think I have added more than a few songs in the last 20 years. Sad. While I seem to be stuck in one place musically, he has probably moved on, I think; his playlist today probably doesn’t overlap so much with his old one, I suspect.

Neither of us would have imagined back then that after all the water under all the bridge, and all the years that we should end up living within a couple miles of each other in North Fulton. Life is funny.

It reminds me of water; water is going to go where it wants to go, and at the end of the day, one rarely has control of water. The older I get though, the more I believe that very little in life is random. There is a reason – a plan – somewhere. Nothing else makes sense or explains this stuff.

Our relationship is still the same, but it’s not.

Time, I find, has a sneaky way of messing with people, relationships, friendships and the status quo. I can count on one hand the number of truly close friends I have. If I include the friends who are still so close, but who have changed in ways that are no longer as convergent with our shared relationship back then, my list probably expands to two hands, but not more.

The friends I have from the only-one-hand group will always be there, and the relationship will never change. We can pick up the phone after

years, and it is like not a day has passed. We can do that today. We can do that in 20 years. Depending on who goes first, we’ll attend each other’s funerals.

We know each other’s kids and spouses well. The kids are almost as close to us as we are to each other. We’ve been to their weddings. We’ve driven or flown down for funerals of their grandparents. We keep track of their lives, their careers and their families as if it were our own. And when the chips were down, we are the ones who always show up.

“Just show up,” is what my son Carl says about things that are important. Just show up. My friend’s kids know, and they appreciate their parents’ friendships almost as if it is their own – which actually, it really is.

My friend and I have been through a few rough patches in our relationship, but we have managed to fight off those times and stay connected and stay friends, good friends. A lot of the reason that we have been able to do that is because we keep talking, we keep communicating, we keep working at staying connected; we don’t throw in the towel because of stupid differences or not so important divergent points of view. It takes work. It takes will. And at the end of the day, what is more important than family and the close friends you keep?

The company you keep defines you, who you are, and is worth fighting for to the very end. The company you keep makes it all worthwhile.

Jim Caviezel plays Tim Ballard, a former US government agent whose tenacity is refreshing.

The reality is that there are those with mountains of cash who can live out fantasies so perverse I can’t imagine that mindset. And while Caviezel’s Ballard is the hero, when you see this movie, see if we agree that the dad whose children were abducted is the most inspiring and pitiful character you’ve ever seen.

Pay no attention to the bad publicity. Go see this movie. After you arrive home, shaking and processing, try to forget the line: “God’s children are not for sale.”

To me, “Sound of Freedom” affirmed what I believe. Evil exists.

I also believe, deep in the recesses of my soul, that the folks in the white hats will win.

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.

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Ray Appen column was a joy to read Mr. Appen!

I’ve enjoyed Appen Media, especially your columns, over the years, but I wanted to let you know how much I enjoyed your recent column, "A day in the life outside the shell we call home." This piece was a perfect example of your exceptional writing. I found it beautifully warm and engaging, and highly relatable. You really do have a way with words and I’m a huge fan!

And keep up the good work you’re doing with your in-depth coverage of Roswell’s mayor and City Council. Your paper is doing a fine job staying on top of things, and the writing has been fair, accurate, and timely. Thank you for that.

I appreciate all that you and your team are doing to serve our community. We need your voice!

Joanne Simmons Roswell

What do you think?

Send letters, story tips and feedback to newsroom@appenmedia. com.

Walking in the garden, there are fungi among us

CAROLE MACMULLAN

Guest Columnist

Walking in the garden this morning I observe something new! Overnight, suddenly there are fungi everywhere! White mushrooms, orange mushrooms, puffballs and bracket fungi!

The showstopper and the source of my interest was a blue fungus. How unique – a blue mushroom with a royal blue underside or gills. My internet research determined it is commonly called indigo milk mushroom and goes by the scientific name of Lactarius indigo.

So how did these fungi suddenly appear? Like all organisms they need moisture, nutrients and light. This week the conditions were perfect. Fungi spores are opportunists waiting for the perfect conditions to spring into life! Spores can wait for weeks, months and even years to germinate. Fungi do not germinate from seeds but reproduce by spores. Spores wait for the perfect moment to pop out of the ground and grow.

Fungi are not green; therefore, they do not contain chlorophyll and do not carry on photosynthesis, so biologists kicked fungi out of the Plant Kingdom several decades ago and assigned them to their own kingdom, Fungi! Scientists also discovered fungi differ from plants in their cellular structure. Fungi cells contain cell walls like plants, but their chemical composition is different. Plants have cell walls constructed from a chemical called cellulose, but Fungi contain a different chemical called chiton. Like all living things, fungi contain DNA, and variations in the DNA found in the nucleus of fungi can create the many different genera and species assigned to the Fungi Kingdom.

I also observed a fairy ring, a cluster of fungi that grows in a circular pattern. Why in a circular pattern? If we had the ability to view beneath the surface, we would find decaying organic material, the source of nutrients for fungi. Fungi are one of the main contributors of decomposition on the Earth. The fairy ring in my yard was probably sustained by the remains of a maple tree that was removed two years before. Underground its root system is decaying. This decaying process creates a perfect opportunity for spores to germinate and for the above

ground mushrooms to grow, prosper and continue their life cycle.

I challenge you to walk around your yard or wherever your favorite walk takes you and observe the fungi you might see. If you have children or grandchildren, give them a minilesson on fungi.

Happy gardening!

North Fulton Master Gardeners, Inc. is a Georgia nonprofit 501(c) (3) organization whose purpose is to educate its members and the public in the areas of horticulture and ecology in order to promote and foster community enrichment. Master Gardener Volunteers are trained and certified by The University of Georgia Cooperative. Extension. Learn more at nfmg.net.

Learn more

• Morel Mushroom Hunting Club - https://morelmushroomhunting.com/

• Fairy Ring Mushrooms - https://site.extension.uga.edu/bartow/ fairy-ring-mushrooms/

• Indigo Milky - https://mdc.mo.gov/discover-nature/field-guide/indigo-milky

About the author

This week’s “Garden Buzz” guest columnist is Carole MacMullan, a Milton resident and master gardener since 2012. Carole describes herself as a born biologist. Since childhood, she has loved to explore the out-of-doors and garden with her mother. When she entered college, she selected biology as her major and made teaching high school biology her career for 35 years. After retirement in 2008, she had three goals: to move from Pittsburgh to Atlanta to be near her daughter and granddaughter, to volunteer, and to become a Master Gardener. Shortly after moving, she became involved with the philanthropic mission of the Assistance League of Atlanta (ALA) and in 2012, completed the Master Gardener program and joined the North Fulton Master Gardeners (NFMG) and the Milton Garden Club. Carole uses her teaching skills to create a variety of presentations on gardening topics for the NFMG Lecture Series and Speakers Bureau. She also volunteers weekly at the ALA thrift store and acts as chair of their Links to Education scholarship program. Her favorite hobbies are gardening, hiking,

GARDEN BUZZ

biking, and reading.

MRBLACKSARMY.WEEBLY.COM/

Parts of a fungus

UGA PHOTO FROM BARTOW COUNTY Fairy Ring

PHOTO BY MISSOURI DEPARTMENT OF CONSERVATION

Lactarius indigo, Blue indigo milk mushroom with gills.

Silk, cotton, Georgia land auction and the Civil War

paid a premium for Rucker cotton and in turn received a premium for its goods in local and foreign markets.

MEYERS

When European settlers came to Georgia, some thought that planting mulberry trees, which are home to silkworms, would be the road to riches. Silkworms would provide the fiber to make silk cloth which was highly prized by the European upper classes. In 1734, a group of persecuted German-speaking Protestants from Salzburg, Austria, founded the town of Ebenezer about 25 miles northwest of Savannah. After a decade, the residents began producing high-quality silk from the mulberry trees they had planted.

The Revolutionary War ended production completely in 1779. It did not recover after the war, and cotton replaced silk production. Cotton was easier to grow and was more profitable than silk. Along the Georgia coast, around 1785, growers began importing long staple Sea Island cotton seed from the West Indies.

Farmers in North Fulton began growing a different type of cotton as well. Lynn Tinley, a board member of the Milton Historical Society with a PhD from Emory University in American Studies with an emphasis on textiles says, “short staple Upland cotton fibers are lower quality than Sea Island cotton fibers, but the plant produces higher yields. It is well suited to the climate in North Fulton.”

Seeds are particularly difficult to remove from short staple cotton. (Staple refers to the length of fibers.) The rapid expansion of short staple cotton production in this part of Georgia was made possible by the perfection of the cotton gin which Eli Whitney patented in 1794. According to the National Archives, Whitney’s idea was based on earlier gins and on ideas from others. Whitney thought he would become rich by making and installing gins throughout Georgia and the South, charging farmers a fee for doing the ginning for them. Farmers revolted, and Whitney’s dream of great wealth did not come true.

Upland cotton is well suited for basic products such as canvas and denim jeans. It is low maintenance, soft and strong. Ninety-five percent of the cotton grown in the U.S. is short staple. As staple length increases, cotton becomes softer and silkier and is ideal for sheets and towels.

Unlike the plantation system on the coast, cotton production in this area

was linked to the 19th century land lotteries, notes Lynn Tinley. There were a few large landowners in this area. Most, however, grew cotton on portions of 40- to 100-acre lots obtained directly or indirectly through the land lotteries. As subsistence farmers, they kept a portion of their cotton for personal use. The remainder was a cash crop which they had ginned and then sold.

Two of the most notable cotton growers in North Fulton were John B. Broadwell (1855-1953) and Joel Jackson Rucker (1880-1960). Broadwell was a breeder of cotton plants. By using only the seeds from

his best plants he was able to produce three bales of cotton per acre while the average was one or two. His Broadwell Double-Jointed Cotton Seed was very well known throughout the cotton belt.

J.J. Rucker, brother of professional baseball star Nap Rucker, founded the Rucker Cotton Seed Company circa 1911. He actively promoted his Rucker Select No. 1 seed in newspapers throughout Georgia. In 1930, he built a cotton gin in Crabapple which remained open until the 1950s. In a testimonial ad in the Atlanta SemiWeekly Journal in 1918, the Roswell Manufacturing Company said it always

The Roswell Manufacturing Company played an important role in the history of cotton. Lynn Tinley has done extensive research on the company and its relationship with local farmers. She will present a public presentation on the local cotton industry sponsored by the Milton Historical Society in November at the Milton Library.

Roswell King first arrived in North Georgia in 1830. He was on the board of the Darien Bank and came to the area to scout out a new branch location. He knew the cotton industry, having overseen cotton plantations and been a cotton agent in Darien, and he believed Vickery Creek would provide the perfect water supply to power a cotton manufacturing company. Together with some prominent Darien families, he founded the town of Roswell in 1839. In that year he and his son Barrington established the Roswell Manufacturing Company with a cotton mill and adjacent mill village to house its workers. The factory spun ginned cotton into coarse yarn and then wove some of it into coarse cotton cloth. He later built another cotton mill and converted a sawmill into a wool mill. During the Civil War, the factory sold cloth to the Confederate government for army uniforms. The mills were largely destroyed during the Civil War. Some of the mills were rebuilt and remained in operation until the 1970s.

You can contact Lynn Tinley at lynntinley38@gmail.com.

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.

BOB

Columnist

PHOTO COURTESY OF TOM STATHAM

John Broadwell invented new strains of cotton and promoted his Double Jointed Cotton from his wagon in addition to selling to selling to the Roswell Manufacturing Company. He was a man of many talents. His tombstone is inscribed “He was a farmer merchant, miller, inventor and plant breeder.”

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To view the entire listing visit https://nfcchelp.org/ work-at-nfcc/. To apply, please submit resume to Carol Swan at cswan@nfcchelp.org.

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In 2022, Appen Media Group created the Appen Press Club, its mission driven news division dedicated to creating a sustainable infrastructure for local journalism in the north metro Atlanta area.

Residents of that community, like you, join the Press Club by committing to small monthly or annual dues, 100% of which is dedicated to producing reliable, professional journalism on local issues that affect your lives. Join

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