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Forsyth County departments plan holiday benefits for young, old
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Bird enthusiast follows passion with new book Local columnist, historian chronicles backyard beauty By SHELBY ISRAEL shelby@appenmedia.com ALPHARETTA, Ga. — ocal author and columnist Bob Meyers wants to put in a good word for birds with his newest coffee table book. Released this year, Meyers’ “Celebrating Backyard Birds” is a love letter to some 40 species of birds photographed in his backyard in Crabapple over two years. Although Meyers has always appreciated the beauty of birds, he said his interest was really sparked 10 years ago while visiting Florida to board a cruise ship.
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SHELBY ISRAEL/APPEN MEDIA
“A lot of the ships would sail out of Cape Canaveral, and there are some birding areas there in that area,” he said. Meyers said he would spend the day before departing shooting photos of water birds such as roseate spoonbills, which have a large population there. “I think that birds make people healthier,” he said. “They make people more focused. If you're interested in birds, you have to really listen. You have to observe where the birds are. In a sense, I think birds are revealing themselves to us in the way they live. Each species of bird has a different history, and a different way of living.”
See MEYERS, Page 21
State awards Sheriff’s Office funds for traffic enforcement FORSYTH COUNTY, Ga. — The Governor’s Office of Highway Safety is awarding the Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office $341,518 to combat unsafe driving and encourage traffic safety. The Highway Enforcement of Aggressive Traffic, or HEAT, grant is dedicated to preventing crashes, injuries and deaths caused by impaired driving and speeding.
It also encourages seatbelt use and public education about the dangers of DUI and the importance of road safety. HEAT grants fund specialized traffic enforcement units in state jurisdictions with the highest accident rates. The Governor’s Office of Highway Safety awards the funding based on impaired driving and speeding data.
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Forsyth County is among the 24 law enforcement agencies to receive the HEAT grant for the 2024 federal fiscal year. Sheriff Ron Freeman said traffic concerns are among Forsyth County residents’ most common complaints, and the HEAT grant will aid deputies in keeping dangerous drivers off county roads. As a partner agency in the Drive Sober
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or Get Pulled Over and Click It or Ticket campaigns, the Sheriff’s Office will conduct mobilizations throughout 2024 in partnership with the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety’s year-long high visibility patrols, multi-jurisdictional road checks and sobriety checkpoints.
— Shelby Israel
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