Newest Johns Creek art installation features use of century old steel
By SARAH COYNE Sarah@appenmedia.com
JOHNS CREEK, Ga. — A piece of the historic former Rogers Bridge is forever memorialized at Newtown Park, thanks to a ribbon cutting held on Feb. 13 at its new home at Park Place.
The art installation titled “Reflections,” was made possible through the partnership with artist, Julia Hill and the Johns Creek Convention & Visitors Bureau, the Johns Creek Recreation & Parks Advisory Committee and the Johns Creek Arts, Cultural, and Entertainment Committee.
Hill, based in Atlanta, created the sculpture in her studio, alongside a few assistants. Hill alongside many other specialties used her experience in sculpture, public art and welding to create the piece.
“It was really exciting to be able to work with this historic steel from a bridge that a lot of people know as a marvel of its time, and a pretty rare specimen of the type of bridge it was,” Hill said.
Metal from the more than century old Rogers Bridge was used to create the art installation. The bridge originally connected Duluth’s Rogers Bridge Park to John’s Creek Cauley Creek Park, was replaced with a pedestrian bridge in July 2023. The bridge sat atop the Chattahoochee River.
See SCULPTURE, Page 22
Proposed legislation could cut school funding
By SARAH COYNE
sarah@appenmedia.com
NORTH FULTON, Ga. — The Fulton County School District may lose millions in funding due to proposed legislation that could affect its senior homestead tax exemption.
At a Feb. 13 community meeting held at Roswell North Elementary School, District 1 Board Member Sara Gillespie said state legislators are considering a law that would expand the exemption.
Lawmakers have not formally introduced the bill, and the details are still under consideration. However, if
it moves forward in its current form, school officials say it could have a negative impact to the district’s budget.
“A large majority of our funding does come from our homestead taxes,” Gillespie told people at the meeting.
Fulton County property taxes account for about 64 percent of the rev-
enues in the district’s fiscal year 202425 budget.
There is currently an exemption in Fulton County with a reduction of $10,000 of homestead assessment values for residents over 65.
See SCHOOLS, Page 21
SARAH COYNE/APPEN MEDIA
Julia Hill stands in front of her art installation, Reflections, at the Feb. 13 dedication ceremony at Newtown Park in Johns Creek. The piece was created using steel from the historic former Rogers Bridge.
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Man reports items stolen at Windward gym locker
ALPHARETTA, Ga. — A 72-year-old Johns Creek man reported a theft after items were allegedly stolen from his gym locker Feb. 4.
The man said his lock and belongings were missing after he returned from playing racquetball at a Windward Parkway gym, according to an Alpharetta police report. He returned to find the lock missing from the locker.
His bag was opened and appeared to have been rummaged through. A wallet containing numerous credit and identification cards and cash was missing.
A gym employee said they would review camera footage of the locker room’s entrance.
The stolen items included a Social Security card, driver’s license, five credit cards, $700, an insurance card and a lock.
The incident was classified as a misdemeanor theft by taking, less than $1,500.
— Jon Wilcox
Police capture fugitive sought for sexual abuse
ROSWELL, Ga. — Roswell Police arrested a 43-year-old Mexican man wanted for the accused aggravated sexual abuse of a minor Jan. 31 after spotting his vehicle with license plate cameras.
A Roswell officer said he located a Toyota Tacoma on Delmont Trace while helping the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office look for a fugitive in their jurisdiction.
Because crime databases listed the man as armed and dangerous, officers said they conducted surveillance on the vehicle
and waited until they could identify him.
Officers said the man had a full extradition warrant out of the McHenry County Sheriff`s Office in Illinois for alleged domestic battery, criminal sexual assault and aggravated criminal sexual abuse of a victim less than 18 years old.
Roswell officers did not specify any warrants out of Cherokee County.
When the man got in his truck, officers said they had blocked off the roadway and executed a high-risk traffic stop at the Rocky Creek Drive intersection.
Officers said the man complied with commands and surrendered.
Officers then transported him to Fulton County Jail.
Phone charged to card in identity theft report
ALPHARETTA, Ga. — A 73-year-old Alpharetta man reported an identity fraud Feb. 4 after his debit card was allegedly fraudulently charged.
The man told police his American Express card had been charged by a website for an iPhone and vacation, according to an Alpharetta police report.
He contacted his bank, which advised him to file a police report.
The phone was shipped to an address in Stone Mountain. The website is registered in Florida.
The man suspected someone had gained access to his card through his email account.
The incident was classified as a felony identity fraud of a person.
— Jon Wilcox
Police seeking couple linked to bank fraud
ROSWELL, Ga. — Roswell Police investigated a report of attempted fraud at Synovus Bank after a couple attempted to cash a more than $110,000 check Jan. 30 and were denied.
An officer said he spoke with an employee of Alpharetta Highway bank the following day.
The employee said a couple identifying themselves as being from Florida attempted to open a new bank account with a Georgia Power bill, their IDs and U.S. Treasury check totaling $112,999.81.
The employee said the account was opened, but the check would not clear with a fraud alert.
After searching the driver’s license numbers in a police database, the officer said there are many discrepancies with the suspects’ licenses, including the photographs, personal information and addresses.
The bank employee also said the phone number provided by the suspects returns to a LaGrange man.
The officer said he reviewed security footage, attached photos of the suspects to the report and could last see them fleeing on foot.
The suspect and their vehicle remain unidentified. The investigation is ongoing.
— Hayden Sumlin
Candles stolen from display at North Point Mall store
ALPHARETTA, Ga. — A shoplifting of dozens of candles was reported at a North Point Mall store Feb. 4.
A store manager told officers she noticed the candles were missing after checking inventory while closing the store, according to an Alpharetta police report.
At least 38 three-wick candles were missing from a display.
The manager said she had no idea when the theft might have occurred or who the suspects might be.
The candles were on a display facing the mall.
The manager said she would contact loss prevention staff to review camera footage.
The candles were valued at a total of $26.95.
— Jon Wilcox
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Atlanta Regional Commission launches transportation survey
METRO ATLANTA — For the first time in 14 years, the Atlanta Regional Commission has launched the Regional Household Travel Survey, in efforts to see how metro Atlanta residents travel around the region.
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In partnership with the Federal Highway Administration and the Georgia Department of Transportation, the commission is one of the first in the nation to administer a survey of its kind since the COVID-19 pandemic.
John Orr, Senior Managing Director of Transportation Planning at the Atlanta Regional Commission said that the survey is “one of the most important tools we have to understand how people in metro Atlanta travel.”
Data gathered will be given to researchers, policy makers and transportation planners to help provide improvements to the quality and availability of transportation.
“The findings will shed light on how travel patterns have changed since the pandemic, which caused a sharp rise in teleworking,” Orr said.
The commission aims to aid the Atlanta region through “transportation planning, aging services, community development, water resources management, workforce development and homeland security.”
The 19-county Atlanta region wide survey will consist of two phases, with the first that will be administered through Dec. 2025. This phase will include 3,000 households.
A “statistically significant” sample size that will consist of 6,500 households will be provided through the second phase, planned for 2026.
More Information: You can find more details about the survey at https://atlantaregional.org/news/uncategorized/ arc-launches-regional-household-travelsurvey-to-shed-light-on-transportationpatterns-in-metro-atlanta/
Households are defined as people who live together in one residence with a shared kitchen.
Counties that will be surveyed include Cherokee, Clayton, Cobb, DeKalb, Douglas, Fayette, Fulton, Gwinnett, Henry, Rockdale, Barrow, Bartow, Carroll, Coweta, Hall, Newton, Paulding, Spalding and Walton.
Households randomly selected to participate in the survey will receive details in the mail, along with the incentive to earn a gift card of $20 or more, based on household size, if chosen to opt-in.
The survey will ask the household to document travel for household members on an assigned day given by the Federal Highway Administration. Documentation should include time of day, mode of transportation, purpose of the trip and who they were traveling with. It is also important to note whether those who travelled were driving, walking, jogging, bicycling or using the transit.
A second survey, consisting of 9,000 households is planned to be conducted in 2025 through 2026, to provide an additional set of data for planning efforts.
“This survey will inform regional transportation planning efforts for years to come,” Orr said.
— Sarah Coyne
Alpharetta native joins Appen staff
ALPHARETTA, Ga — Appen Media Group announced Feb. 14 that Sarah Coyne will join its staff as a reporter. Coyne will immediately begin covering local government and business in North Fulton. She will report to Carl Appen, director of content and development, and will be based in Alpharetta.
“Having an Alpharetta native come home to cover her community is a special gift for us,” Appen said. “Sarah hit the ground running this week already covering some heavy topics, like the tragic death of Roswell Police Officer Jeremy Labonte. For a hometown news group, connecting to the reporting is key. We’re lucky to have someone with the reporting and photo chops Sarah brings. The fact that already has roots here just makes it that much better.”
Coyne grew up in Alpharetta and
COYNE
graduated from the University of Georgia in Dec. 2024 with a degree in journalism. During her time at Georgia, Coyne took courses in investigative reporting, international affairs and photojournalism. Alongside her coursework, Coyne served as the city and county beat reporter for The Oglethorpe Echo.
“I’m so excited to be able to write for the newspaper that I grew up reading,” Coyne said. “I have a passion to inform my audience and through my writing and photography, which I crafted at Grady College.”
To contact Coyne with news tips or story ideas, email sarah@appenmedia. com.
Spalding Drive community seeks delay in school closure
By HAYDEN SUMLIN hayden@appenmedia.com
SANDY SPRINGS, Ga. — A six-month process to close a nearly 60-year-old neighborhood elementary school is set to wrap up Feb. 20 with the Fulton County Board of Education’s final vote.
The Spalding Drive Elementary School community asked board members during a Feb. 11 public hearing to pause the process at least a year to see if student population increases.
It’s clear from public comment that people move to Sandy Springs just to send their kids to Spalding Drive Elementary School, one of the highest performing in the state.
The highlights of the hearing were comments from current and former students at Spalding Drive Elementary, ranging from first grade through middle school. The elementary school students just want to keep walking to school with their friends.
The school district’s rationale for closing the elementary school is that it has declining enrollment and an aging building. Superintendent Mike Looney has cited the school district’s increasing expenses and funding shortfalls
as a reason to shutter the school with underutilized classroom space.
Board members moved 4-3 in January to proceed with Fulton County Schools staff’s recommendation to close Spalding Drive Elementary and redistrict its students Woodland and Heards Ferry. That action will go to a final vote Feb. 20.
Advocates rallied behind the message “Use Us, Don’t Lose Us” to highlight what they consider the irreplaceable value of Spalding Drive Elementary.
When news broke about closure in September, parents formed the Save Spalding Drive Committee, hired professionals and collected their own data and information to argue against the school district’s recommendation. They say the school district has invested more than $2 million in facility upgrades, including a new HVAC system and roof with security cameras still being installed this month at the school.
Spalding Drive Pre-K teacher Amy Lund told the board that closing the elementary school will be chaos for its young students, two of which are her own.
See SPALDING, Page 15
HAYDEN SUMLIN/APPEN MEDIA
Sandy Springs council members, Spalding Drive Elementary parents and other community members wait in line at the Feb. 11 Fulton County Board of Education meeting to lobby for keeping the school open. The final public hearing and vote is Feb. 20.
Community, law enforcement mourn fallen Roswell officer
By SARAH COYNE sarah@appenmedia.com
ROSWELL, Ga. — Crowds gathered along the road to watch the vehicle processional and remember the life of Roswell Police Officer Jeremy Labonte during the afternoon of Feb. 12.
Despite the cold rain, community members rallied with their umbrellas and American flags to pay their respects for Labonte.
Police cars from cities across the state drove along the route. Cities as far as Milledgeville to Ellijay were included, as well as vehicles from the United States Customs and Border Protection, National Parks Service and the Georgia State Patrol.
The processional lasted a little under an hour and consisted of over 100 vehicles, beginning their journey at Lebanon Baptist Church. They made their way down Crabapple Road, Canton Street, Atlanta Street and Mimosa Boulevard, with community members watching from the sidewalks. The processional ended at Roswell United Methodist Church, where the funeral service was held at 3 p.m.
A livestream of the funeral was provided to the public on www.roswellgov. com/FuneralService.
Roswell Police Chief James Conroy spoke at the funeral where he provided words to those in attendance about the impact Ofc. Labonte made.
“If you look around you are surrounded by love,” Conroy said.
Community members, which have “overwhelmed” the police department with support, are encouraged to donate to the Labonte family on the Friends of Roswell Police Foundation PayPal.
At a press briefing on Monday, Feb. 10, Roswell Mayor Kurt Wilson addressed the public about the city’s
efforts to honor Ofc. Labonte.
“Officer Labonte dedicated his life to serving and protecting the people of Roswell, and now we come together to honor him,” Wilson said.
A private burial service for friends and family will take place on Thursday, Feb. 13.
“What we’re doing, I think is small really, in comparison to the sacrifice that this young man made for our city,” Wilson said.
A community member holds an umbrella over a firefighter during the vehicle processional honoring Police Officer Jeremy Labonte on Feb. 12. The processional ran along Crabapple Road, Canton Street, Atlanta Street and Mimosa Boulevard.
PHOTOS BY: SARAH COYNE/APPEN MEDIA
A procession of more than 100 vehicles roll past crowds lining streets in Roswell to honor Police Officer Jeremy Labonte Feb. 12. Residents braved rain and cold temperatures to pay their respects to the officer who was shot and killed while responding to a suspicious person Feb. 7 at a Market Boulevard shopping center.
County kicks off renovations for Health & Human Services Center
By HAYDEN SUMLIN hayden@appenmedia.com
ALPHARETTA, Ga. — A commercial property along North Point Parkway is getting a face-lift as Fulton County transforms the site into a new Health and Human Services Center.
County officials gathered at 4700 North Point Parkway Feb. 11 for a “sledgehammer ceremony” to mark the beginning of renovations for a new onestop shop for a range of health services for residents of all ages.
The county says the facility renovations are set to be completed in the first quarter of 2027 and will improve access to services for developmental disabilities, behavioral and public health, seniors and social support for North Fulton residents.
Commissioner Bob Ellis, representing the eastern half of North Fulton, said the county began looking for a site to put a health and human services center north of the Chattahoochee River in late 2018.
“We have to think about services geographically to make sure that we are getting them close enough to our residents,” Ellis said.
In 2019, Fulton County purchased the office building, formerly a telecommunications center, for $11 million. It served as one of the county’s main sites for testing and vaccinations during the COVID-19 pandemic, second only to Mercedez-Benz Stadium
The renovation project, approved by the Board of Commissioners last November, has been in the works since 2019. The $15.4 million contract with the Beck Group to renovate the building is funded through a loan from the Association of County Commissioners of Georgia.
After remarks from various elected officials, Ellis and Fulton County Commissioner Chair Rob Pitts took turns putting holes in a wall on the first floor of the empty office building with sledgehammers.
serve the entirety of the population better.”
As far as what active seniors can expect at the future North Fulton Health and Human Services Center, Ellis mentioned the Benson Center off Roswell Road (Ga. 9) in Sandy Springs.
Some services at the future center will be geared toward low-income residents, but county officials said others, like adult day care and vaccinations for international travelers, are available to everyone.
Other elected officials, including Mountain Park Mayor Bill Kolbrener, Johns Creek Mayor John Bradberry and Sandy Springs council members Melody Kelley and John Paulson, also attended the ceremony. The lucky ones got to swing a sledgehammer.
Fulton County Chief Operating Officer Pamela Roshell said the renovated facility will bring new senior services to North Fulton, while providing existing ones for behavioral and public health, developmental disabilities and real estate management.
Ellis said he thinks the health-related service center is going to be impactful long-term. He said the additional space available at the facility serves as a beachhead for future expansion.
The site, set to be renovated into the North Fulton Health and Human Services Center, consists of a 108,000-squarefoot, two-story facility on 23.87 acres. The plan is to revamp the entire first floor, tearing down walls and retrofitting the space. On the second floor, the plan is to leave around 25,000 square feet untouched for future expansion.
Ellis said the proximity of the site to Ga. 400 is excellent and generally accessible to all North Fulton cities, which was one of the goals of the facility.
The site allows the county to consolidate its existing services within several offices in Alpharetta, Johns Creek, Milton
Travel around the globe at Autrey Mill Middle School’s Multicultural Night
JOHNS CREEK, Ga. — Families, students and staff of Autrey Mill Middle School are invited to travel around the world at the annual Multicultural Night held at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 27.
The free event celebrates cultures from around the globe, that make up to middle school’s community. The goal of the night is to “celebrate culture, community and diversity.”
Those in attendance can watch live performances, listen to music, learn
with interactive displays and expand their palette’s by tasting different foods.
Representatives from the community and school will showcase global perspectives through traditional dances and cultural exhibits.
Members of the community are also invited to join the experience that aims to highlight the diverse backgrounds of the middle schools’ students.
— Sarah Coyne
and Roswell. County officials said those sites are crowded and dilapidated.
The county has the Customer Service Center off Maxwell Road in Alpharetta for assistance with water and sewer billing, tax assessments and driver services.
The North Fulton Service Center along Roswell Road (Ga. 9) in Sandy Springs offers similar services.
Those facilities will continue normal operations.
“What we have not had is many of the health-related services, or have them more proximate to residents,” Ellis said. “We have some smaller senior service centers that do sit in North Fulton cities right now … this is about being able to
She also said there is room for expansion and opportunities for collaboration with community partners and organizations at the site.
With more than a year until the North Fulton Health and Human Services Center is welcoming residents, there is a plan for a similar center south of Atlanta.
Roshell said plans for a second health-related service center is dependent on a feasibility study, which the county is actively seeking a vendor to conduct.
“This transformation today is significant step toward creating a state-of-theart facility that will enhance health and social support services for our friends and neighbors in North Fulton,” Roshell said. “We are not only expanding our capacity but also strengthening our commitment to well-being.”
Our chapel mausoleum offers timeless options of both cremation and traditional burial. Contact us for further information on the Chapel of Reflections and our many other offerings.
HAYDEN SUMLIN/APPEN MEDIA
From left, Fulton County commissioners Bridget Thorne and Bob Ellis ready their sledgehammers as Commission Chairman Robb Pitts takes a swing during the kickoff of renovations at 4700 North Point Parkway for the future North Fulton Health and Human Services Center. Work is expected to be completed by this time next year.
Just opened?
Cumming barbecue eatery draws devoted clientele
By JON WILCOX jon@appenmedia.com
CUMMING, Ga. — When Stephen Hartsock opened his barbecue restaurant in 2018, he brought a meticulous eye for detail honed over 15 years in home construction.
At face value, there’s little difference between the menu at Socks’ Love Barbecue and the thousands of other barbecue spots in the nation.
They serve brisket, sausage, ribs, pulled pork, turkey and all the traditional sides.
But there’s something special going on behind the scenes.
“It’s kind of like the ongoing question. ‘What sets you apart from other barbecue joints?’” Hartsock said. “And I just kind of smile and say, ‘Come with me into our kitchen for a day, and you’ll see.”
In pursuing his culinary passions, Hartsock said he has applied lessons learned while mentoring under the owner of a construction company he worked at for over a decade. It was sometimes a frustrating experience, but he learned the value of perfection over “good enough.”
That approach has made Socks’ barbecue a truly exceptional experience.
“I promise you, once you figure us out and try it, it’s unforgettable,” he said.
That attention to detail hasn’t just won over locals. It’s turned heads in the barbecue world, too.
In 2024, Daniel Vaughn, the mind behind “Texas Monthly’s” Top 50 barbecue list, included Socks’ as an honorable mention for barbecues outside Texas and in a list of his favorites outside the state.
Brisket is smoked for 14 hours at Socks’
establishment on Buford Road in 2018.
The magazine’s list of top barbecues is considered a Holy Grail for the latest and greatest meat smokers in the nation.
Among locals, the menu has won equally impressive praise and earned a steady stream of repeat customers who just can’t get enough. On Socks’ website, comments ooze with praise.
“I never write reviews, but I just finished the absolutely best barbecue I’ve ever had,” one reviewer writes. “That’s saying a lot because I lived in Texas.”
Hartsock began his professional foray into barbecue with a custom rub he gave out to guests at his wedding. Now dubbed Socks’ Love Rub, the mixture of molasses sugar, salt, paprika, black pepper, cayenne and onion and garlic powder is sold by the restaurant along with other custom condiments and seasonings.
After entering competitions and dabbling in catering, he realized he wanted to open a restaurant.
See SOCKS, Page 9
Socks’ Love Barbecue is open at 1050 Buford Highway in Cumming 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesdays through Thursdays and 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays.
To browse their products, visit socksloverub. com. To learn more about the restaurant, visit sockslovebrands.com.
STEVEN HARTSOCK/PROVIDED
Love Barbecue in Cumming. Owner Stephen Hartsock opened the
Socks:
Continued from Page 8
Pursuing that dream has been an exciting opportunity, but it’s also a lot of work, he said.
The brisket spends 14 hours in a J&R Manufacturing smoker, which he specially picked because of its ability to handle large quantities without skimping on flavor. The smoker is unique because the meat is cooked solely by hickory smoke rather than relying on an extra boost of heat from gas.
Trimmed and smoked daily, the certified Angus beef takes on a rich, juicy texture in the J&R, which also renders the beef’s fat into the butterlike consistency of tallow.
“When you achieve that, you know you’ve done it correctly,” Hartsock said.
The sausage is another source of pride at Socks’. Made in-house, staff make a point of respecting the cows by wasting as little of their meat as possible.
Natural hog casings are filled with brisket trimmings, and Hartsock applies a mathematical precision to their preparation, combining of 30to-70 ratio of fat to lean beef. The mixture is ground several times and seasoned throughout the process.
Extra fat is rendered to tallow and saved for sale.
“We’re not wasting money,” he said. “We’re not wasting meat. We’re not wasting this animal’s life.”
After the sausages are stuffed, they are dried and then smoked.
Hartsock said he has applied that same attention to detail to the menu’s sides, which include macaroni and cheese, collard greens, Frito chili pie, beans and creamed corn.
For example, the collards are made with Korean gochujang, fish sauce, soy sauce and other ingredients to impart a rich savoriness. The mac and cheese has an “ultra creamy” and “ultra cheesy” flavor and texture that
STEPHEN HARTSOCK, Founder and owner, Socks’ Love Barbeque
makes it simply the “best mac and cheese you’ve ever had,” he said.
While many places do barbecue well, it’s entirely different to do it with excellence, Hartsock said. That guiding principle has led Hartsock to critical acclaim, a healthy business and personal satisfaction.
“It’s a ton of work,” Hartsock said. “But it’s why we can exist and be successful with a competitor just a half a mile down the road.”
PHOTOS BY: STEVEN HARTSOCK/PROVIDED
Owner Stephen Hartsock applies to barbecuing a meticulous eye for detail he honed working in the home building industry. This rack of ribs is one of many traditional barbecued meats offered at the restaurant.
Sides like macaroni and cheese receive the same care from cooks at Socks’ Love Barbecue.
Innovation Academy girls win fencing championship for second straight year
By ANNABELLE REITER annabelle@appenmedia.com
ALPHARETTA, Ga — FCS Innovation Academy hosted the Georgia High School Fencing League Championship Feb. 8 and took home gold in girls team play for the second year in a row.
The final was a rematch of the previous year but this time on the academy’s home turf. Lambert High School was runner-up for the second straight season after taking first in 2023.
Boasting 97 fencers, Innovation Academy’s team is one of the biggest in the nation.
League Chairman Kathy Vail said Georgia ranks third in the nation with about 400 fencers in their 20th season.
“It’s a lifetime sport,” she said. “One of the things I like about the high school league is it gives more kids a chance to be a high school athlete.”
Innovation Academy Head Coach Bill Donges said 40-50 fencers join the team each year.
“(About) 90% of new participants have not fenced before. It’s a great opportunity,” he said. “It gives kids on my team a chance to succeed in a sport, and it’s huge for the community here.”
Team Captain Yuchen Fan said fencing “is IA culture.”
Assistant Coach Becca Han agreed.
Han said she returns to Alpharetta from Georgia Tech in order to stay connected with an organization that has added immense value to her life.
“I gained almost all my best friends through the team,” Han said. “Coach Bill recognizes every small
achievement. It really makes you feel accomplished.”
Innovation Academy took third in the boys final. The championship saw Pope High School triumph over Johns Creek High School.
Pope Head Coach David Eichler said seeing his team
Verizon FanFest parties at State Farm Arena
By ANNABELLE REITER annabelle@appenmedia.com
ATLANTA — This year for the Super Bowl, Verizon replaced a nationwide commercial by turning its attention to local markets and providing a Super Bowl experience to their customers.
Verizon joined the NFL and other sponsors to provide a new and unique experience in 30 cities across the country, Fan Fest.
Verizon’s Atlantic South retail vice president Shawn Alexander said they wanted to do something different this year.
“This is really about the experience and connecting with our customer base and fans that love the NFL,” she said. “We wanted to get as close to a big Super Bowl party that you could get.”
Three-time Pro Bowler, former Falcons running back and current Falcons minority owner Warrick Dunn took pictures with dozens of attendees at the Atlanta party held at State Farm Arena Feb. 9.
What meant the most to him was being there to help create memories for fans.
“It’s the relationships that we build in life that really impact us,” Dunn said. “To me, you’ve gotta meet [people] where
they’re at, and this is a great opportunity to actually do that and create memories today.”
Falcons linebacker Matt Judon said he was happy to get the call asking him to attend Fan Fest. He also complimented the Falcons’ Walter Payton Man of the Year nominee, Grady Jarrett.
“It’s a cool award to have around the league,” he said. “It makes us be competitive in giving, how much we can not think about ourselves.”
Wide receiver Ray-Ray McCloud III explained how the city’s support has been vital to his first year with the Falcons. He said he was excited to give back to a community that’s embraced him.
“This is a fan-driven league,” he said. “Being involved with the fans, being involved with the community is big for me. When our kids can touch, feel and see what their dreams look like I think it’s big for them.”
Fellow wide receiver KhaDarel Hodge agreed that being there for the fans has been a highlight of his time in Atlanta.
“The love they have for me, I love them just as much,” he said. “I love the fan base, all the people. Love when they come out and have a good time.”
rise to the occasion was the best way to close out his career before retiring this year.
“They fenced better than I have ever seen them fence before,” he said. “I could not be more proud of my team. They worked so hard this year.”
ANNABELLE REITER/APPEN MEDIA
Jahi “Deuce” Fields Jr. plays with a football aiming game before the big game starts at the Verizon Fan Fest at State Farm Arena Feb. 9
ANNABELLE REITER/APPEN MEDIA
From left, FCS Innovation Academy fencers Claire Wang, Anna Donges, Catherine Rafferty and Emma Cheng celebrate taking first place at the Georgia High School Fencing League championship held at FCS Innovation Academy Feb. 8. The quartet beat Lambert High School 45-31 for the title.
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Summer means just one thing at Atlanta International School (AIS) –and that’s fun! With a fantastic variety of unique camps for children from 4K to Grade 10, beating boredom is guaranteed! Designed to exercise both young minds and bodies during the summer months, we have a camp to suit everyone.
The school hosts over 90 camps, across its Buckhead Campus, and now for the second year, at its new Sandy Springs location. AIS Sandy Springs is the perfect place to enjoy friendship and fun. Set in 25 acres of beautiful natural woodland on the banks of the Chattahoochee River, campers get to experience the outdoors and enjoy the newly renovated campus facilities.
Depending on the age of the student, the camps offered at Sandy Springs are: Art Meets Science, Bulls and Bears Camp, Chess, Chicos on Stage, Cosplay – Character Fashion, Digital Creators Academy, Dungeons and Dragons Camp, Filmmaking, Islandmon, LEGO Robotics: Power Machines, LEGO Robotics – Remote Control Mania, Model UN Camp, No-Sew Design Camp, Read All About It, Slimetopia 2, Sports Play, Sports Play Party, STEAMtank Entrepreneurs, STEAMWarts, Stop Motion Camp, Sustainable Eco-Fashion Design Camp, Video Game Design and Coding Camp, and an awesome Wilderness Survival Camp!
And at the school’s Buckhead Campus, students can explore language camps - in Chinese, French, German, Spanish, and English. Or how about Tinkering, Engineering, Multi Sports, Music Video Production, Basketball, or Cheerleading? There is a vast range of camps which means there is truly something for everyone!
AIS Camps run from June 2ndJuly 25th, Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to
3 p.m.
Free early drop-off is available from 8 a.m., and we also have Stay and Play from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. for $25 a day.
Find detailed descriptions of each camp and register at www.aischool.org/ summercamps.
AIS Sandy Springs Campus: 1701 Brandon Hall Drive, Sandy Springs, GA. 30350
AIS Buckhead Campus: 2890 North Fulton Drive, Atlanta, GA. 30305
If you have any questions, please contact adriana.quispe-mesia@aischool. org. We look forward to making your child’s
A Place to Thrive this
Sandy Springs Campus | Grade 3 - 10
Enjoy over 90 fun camps including arts, science, coding, drones, chess, and more.
Their essential role in empowering couples through estate planning
Pre-nuptial agreements represent one of life’s most significant milestones as couples enter marriage, symbolizing love, commitment, and partnership. While the emotional elements of marriage often take center stage, practical considerations inevitably accompany this profound union, particularly regarding finances and asset management. Pre-nuptial agreements can play a crucial role in addressing these important aspects, providing a structured framework for navigating potential complexities that may arise during the course of a marriage. One of the primary benefits of a prenup is its ability to alleviate potential financial disputes in the future. By addressing issues such as property division, spousal support, and debt allocation in advance, couples can minimize misunderstandings and conflicts that may arise later. This level of foresight
is particularly valuable for individuals entering a marriage with significant assets, business interests, or children from previous relationships. In such cases, prenuptial agreements can ensure that these existing responsibilities and assets are safeguarded. If you own any assets prior to marriage or remarriage you should also establish a trust to keep assets separate instead of commingling the assets during marriage. Sometimes without the trust your assets get commingled and therefore you may waive some or all of your rights in the prenuptial agreement. Therefore, we always recommend a trust with a prenuptial agreement. Worst case if prenuptial agreement is not possible then at least do a trust to keep your assets separate during the marriage.
Come to one of our weekly workshops to learn how to protect your assets in all different circumstances during your life and for your beneficiaries after your death.
Touchmark National Bank: Your local partner for business growth
Brought to you by — Touchmark National Bank
Touchmark National Bank is proud to serve Roswell, Alpharetta, and metro Atlanta as a dedicated community bank. We specialize in commercial loans for small businesses and real estate investors, providing personalized financing solutions with the speed and flexibility that only a local bank can offer.
As a community-focused lender, we take the time to understand your unique business needs, allowing us to structure loans that align with your goals. Our Small Business Administration (SBA) loan programs make it easier for startups and growing businesses to access capital, as the SBA’s guarantees encourage banks to lend to a broader range of entrepreneurs. We encourage business owners to plan ahead when seeking financing. The loan process takes time, and businesses in urgent need of cash often face greater scrutiny from lenders. The best time to secure funding is before it becomes a necessity. Of course, borrowing is a strategic
Should
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decision. While the right financing can fuel growth and new opportunities, overleveraging can create risks—even a small dip in revenue can lead to cash flow challenges. That’s why we take a relationshipdriven approach, working closely with our clients to ensure they make informed financial decisions.
Commercial lending is a long-term commitment, often spanning 10 years or more. At Touchmark National Bank, we are dedicated to supporting our clients at every stage—from initial financing to ongoing business growth.
If you’re exploring financing options, we invite you to connect with Zed Yu, one of our experienced commercial lenders. Zed recently rejoined Touchmark National Bank, having previously worked with us from 2021 to 2023. With 25 years of experience in small business and investment financing—and a strong presence in the Atlanta market since 2006—he brings valuable expertise to local businesses.
Contact Zed Yu at 678-215-1981 or zed.yu@touchmarknb.com.
At Touchmark National Bank, we’re committed to helping local businesses succeed. Let’s build something great together!
Spalding:
Continued from Page 5
“Our small school has had a lot of ‘big feelings’ … we have felt confused, misled and undervalued,” Lund said. “We have heard conflicting things between operations and human resources … it is okay to admit that this proposal is not the right choice for Spalding Drive Elementary.”
Lund asked for a longer pause of three to five years.
State Rep. Debroah Silcox also spoke to board members about why “the model school” that she attended and continues to visit as an elected official should stay open. She mentioned the district’s $180 million investment in North Springs High School and the post-pandemic growth of young families in Sandy Springs.
“The neighborhood and the school had strong ties,” Silcox said. “The parents were very engaged, and the faculty were very committed. It is no different now.”
At three community meetings in the fall, parents were increasingly upset with what questions they were allowed to ask and the information presented from Fulton County Schools staff.
The school board’s redistricting policy does not allow staff to consider academic performance. While parents argue the school is a cornerstone of the community, offering exceptional academic performance, a diverse environment and a sense of belonging for families in the area, the school district is silent.
The Sandy Springs community is not giving up, and some city officials themselves are backing the final push for reconsideration.
City Councilwoman Jody Reichel, instrumental in effort to get a new North Springs High School campus, said the school board is pushing to erase a community cornerstone.
Some community members hinted at continued pressure on the school district and board members if they decide to close the school.
Sandy Springs Communications Director Carter Long said school district staff did reach out to its Community Development Department in October to request preliminary information for their annual student forecast amid the start of the redistricting process.
Long said staff provided Fulton County Schools with initial data, including current and planned residential development figures within the North Springs High School feeder district.
“Based on the conversations last night, we have reached out to the superintendent and the FCS chief of staff to provide a comprehensive list of developments that were not included in the initial October request,” Long said.
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Teams of sloppy headline writers try their best to hoodwink readers
A reader emailed recently to point out a couple of grammatical errors in an article we published. We are always on guard to ensure that what we publish is correct, and correctly presented. That includes grammar.
Another thing we do is write headlines. You don’t hear much about that. It’s not as simple as snatching a few words from the story and slapping them across the top.
A good headline should encase the “news” of the story. The headline writer must read the story, understand its essence.
It is an art I strive to master. Not long ago, there were rules for writing headlines, practices refined over centuries. The skills were born through a collaboration between writers and printers, a shotgun marriage of intellect and artisanship.
Back in the day, we were taught that if a headline has more than one line, each line should extend roughly the same length, filling the entire column. Printers understood that lines of equal length lines in a headline created a visually pleasing symmetry.
We had to learn character measures for each letter of the alphabet. For example, an “a” counted as 1, an “f” was ½, a “w” counted as 1½. Each column of a newspaper page allowed only so many characters of a certain type size. Large headlines allowed fewer characters than small headlines.
The goal was to make the words on each line fill the available width.
You had to calculate it in your head. Over time, you got good at it –not always perfect, but close.
That was decades before pagination software. Now, you can look at a computer screen to see how well your words fit each line.
Attracting the eye and mind
I learned rules governing newspaper presentation by reading books on typography and attending seminars on page design. My best teacher, though, was watching seasoned printers, mostly old timers who approached their work as the craft that it is.
From hot lead to the advent of photocopy cold type in the 1970s, these artisans took their profession seriously. A certified printer had to complete an apprenticeship – sometimes up to seven years.
Editors are not printers, but they should acquaint themselves with the craft.
Before computers allowed them to assemble pages on a screen, editors depended on printers. Editors drew a mockup – called a “dummy” – on a sheet of graph paper, which told the printer where to paste strips of type onto a fullscale cardboard sheet. The mockup told the printer where to place everything, including the dimensions of a photo, the space to allow for a headline and such.
If a story ran too long, the editor stepped forward with a blue highlighter to mark cuts – maybe the last sentence in a paragraph or a paragraph at the bottom.
Using a blade, the printer sliced out the highlighted portions, then adjusted the remaining pieces. If the story came up a line or two short, the printer would slice between the last few paragraphs and arrange the pieces evenly to make the gaps uniform. Only printers were allowed to touch the type and the board.
Smart editors marked cuts, kept their mouths shut and let printers do their job.
Smart editors had college degrees and wore ties, but they knew who the boss was during page production. Ideally, each respected the other.
The computer age and cheating
Computer pagination has replaced many printers. You don’t see them anymore. I married one, so there is that. And yes, I often keep my mouth shut around her, too.
But, it is sad to see the craftsmanship involved in newspapering fade.
I blame sloppy online news services for much of this, mainly because the people running them never learned the basics of what printers knew – how to appreciate readers, how the eye moves across a page, the perfect width for a line of type before the reader’s eyes tire.
(There’s an old printer’s formula for the proper length of a line of type: It’s roughly 1½ times the point size of the type, expressed in picas. A pica equals about 1/6 of an inch. So, if you’re using standard 10-point body type, you should limit the line length to 15 picas – about 2 ¼ inches.)
Sloppy online news services also cheat. They deceive in content and presentation.
They steal stories from television interviews. They also cheat when writing headlines.
Whether through incompetence or deliberate deception, their headlines do the opposite of what they’re supposed to do – tell the “news” of the story.
One telltale sign that you’re being had is when you see the words “this” or “these” in a headline.
Here's one from a broadcast news organization’s website:
“If you’re not doing this, experts say your pipes could burst during winter storm”
Click on the story, and five paragraphs in, you’ll find that the ”this” referred to in the headline is to leave a faucet dripping overnight.
Shocker!
A decent editor, one who respects readers, would have written:
Plumbing experts say leave faucet dripping to avoid frozen pipes
Not rocket science. It tells the story in a nutshell – and all three lines are roughly the same length.
Remember, when you see the word “this” in a headline, you’ll hit a paywall that charges you valuable time.
Another scurrilous practice is to make outrageous claims in a headline without specifics. Many sports websites do this.
“College football world outraged at late-game penalty”
I follow college football. I’m in the world. Why am I not already outraged? Did East Carolina get robbed by Temple? Dear readers, these phony news websites are a sham. They are the stranger standing on your doorstep with both hands behind his back. Do you open the door?
Be smart. Good headlines tell you that the writer appreciates your time.
OPINION
Corn shucking (separating the husk from the ear of corn) was a labor-intensive task requiring a group effort. In this 1932 photo, the extended Bell family and neighboring farmers are gathered at the Albert Bell farm on Rogers Bridge Road. For generations, the Bells farmed the land that includes today’s Cauley Creek Park.
PRESERVING THE PAST
Shakerag – A delightful community with a curious name
Shakerag is a historic community in Johns Creek dating back to the early 1800s. Parts of the community are in Forsyth County and parts are in Fulton County. It was originally called Sheltonville in honor of the pioneer family of Vardy Shelton. It changed its name to Shakerag sometime in the 1880s. The other most noteworthy historic communities in Johns Creek are Ocee, Warsaw, and Newtown.
Shakerag has many claims to fame, like its gold rush. After the famous Dahlonega gold rush in the 1830s gold was discovered in Sheltonville in the early 1840s when a resident, Mrs. Campbell, found a shiny yellow object in the dirt. A new small-scale gold rush was the result. Shafts were dug and a stamp mill was set up to crush ore. Later, surface, or placer gold mining took place especially along Cowpen Creek where a gold-rich vein of milky quartz existed. About 1849 when the gold was hard to find many miners left the area for California. Some remained and became permanent residents.
There are several stories about how Shakerag got its odd name. One claims that in the old days people would shake white cloths, or rags, in the air
to stop trains when they wanted to ride. The problem with that tale is that there were no trains in Shakerag says noted historian Charlie Boyd a lifelong resident of the community.
More likely the name derives from a fistfight described in a booklet written by the Sheltonville-Shakerag Community Club in 1962. According that that story, two disheveled miners got into a fight in a local store. Their ragged clothes flapped wildly as they fought. Observers broke up the scuffle. The store owner told the brawlers to leave and shake their rags elsewhere and a town name was born.
Charlie Boyd believes the fight story is the most credible and that a fight most likely occurred on a Saturday afternoon when people gathered to buy essentials such as coffee, tea, tobacco, corn meal and shortening. “Most of the stores I went to in my youth had one wall of canned goods, sometimes some bartered goods from local farms, but mostly just the essentials,” says Boyd.
As in most communities farming was the main economic activity. Cotton, as they say, was king. Charlie was raised on small farm near a 1700-acre farm owned by the Findley brothers. Charlie’s father was a sharecropper who, like many others, had a small plot of land and worked part time for a large farmer. “The large farms sustained the small farmers,” Charlie says. In the 1980s a technology park was developed
where the Findleys farmed.
“My parents lacked education but required all their children to get an education. If we got in trouble at school we got a good whipping at home,” Charlie recalls.
At the time, Shakerag consisted of a few large farms and no more than 40 small sharecropper houses. Charlie says that when harvesting came, information was posted at the local store and sharecroppers and the entire community would work. “If you arrived early, you could get the most productive rows of cotton, butterbeans or whatever was being harvested and make more money since workers were paid by the pound.”
The gold rush stimulated the local economy. A post office was opened in Sheltonville in 1848 and remained in operation until 1907 when rural free mail delivery began. Over time several general stores, a sawmill, a cotton gin, a grist mill, a blacksmith shop and a shoemaker were started. Ferry service across the Chattahoochee River was fairly common in the early 1800’s. The first bridge in across the Chattahoochee River was completed in 1907 near the McGinnis Ferry operation. The bridge ended the need for the McGinnis Ferry after 80 years of service. In the 19th century schools and churches were built, however, by the early 1960s there were still only two paved roads in the community.
In 1864, Shakerag was the site of a brief Civil War skirmish when eight Confederate soldiers of the 8th Texas Calvery were in the area to scout river crossings. They were spotted by a strong group of Federal Calvery riding down McGinnis Ferry Road. Two Texans were shot while the rest escaped. Sam Street, a blacksmith, was killed and buried in Shady Grove Baptist Church Cemetery. George Zimpelman was shot in the chest but was nursed back to health at the home of Henry and Luisa Rogers. He later became a successful businessman in Austin, Texas.
The Shakerag Hounds fox hunt, the oldest recognized hunt in Georgia, played a significant role in Shakerag’s history. Founded in 1943 it has had several homes. From 1948 to the to the late1980s it was located near McGinnis Ferry and Medlock Bridge roads in Shakerag. Charlie remembers the excitement the hunts generated among the children of the community.
Special thanks to Joan Compton, President of the Johns Creek Historical Society for her help and for connecting me with Charlie Boyd.
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 MEYERS
Columnist
JOHNS CREEK HISTORICAL SOCIETY ARCHIVES COURTESY OF JAN BELL WEBSTER AND WOODY BELL
Time, development swallowed little gray house
Before Perimeter Expo was developed in 1993, there was a farmhouse on the corner of Hammond Drive and Ashford Dunwoody Road. The driveway that led to the home was on Ashford Dunwoody Road. I remember seeing the house on my trips down that road.
Beth Saxe shared more about the property, which was owned by her parents, Hugh Stephen Spruill and Ollie Geraldine (Gerry) Jameson Spruill. The couple married September 17, 1948, in the chapel of Dunwoody United Methodist Church. They lived in Chamblee with Gerry’s parents, Claude and Florence Jameson, while they built their home.
Hugh Spruill had returned to his studies at Georgia Tech after serving in the Navy during World War II in the Pacific Theater. He was aboard the USS Hornet aircraft carrier. Gerry attended Bessie Tift College and was employed with the Life Insurance Company of Georgia.
The little gray house was built on 20 acres. As Gerry Spruill told it in “The Story of Dunwoody,” Hugh took two quarters off from Georgia Tech and “cut the timber, took the timber up to the sawmill, and he and another man built the house.”
Hugh was the son of Carey Thomas and Florence Warnock Spruill of Dunwoody, the last owners of the Cheek Spruill Farmhouse at the corner of Chamblee Dunwoody Road and Mt. Vernon Road.
Hugh and Gerry Spruill were always involved in the community. Hugh was the first Boy Scout Leader for troop 266 in Dunwoody, out of Dunwoody United Methodist Church. Gerry Spruill was a leader of arts in Dunwoody, which began in the basement of Dunwoody Methodist Church. She was chairperson of the first Dunwoody Fourth of July parade, held in 1976.
In 1956, the couple moved to a
brick house further north on Ashford Dunwoody Road. It was across the street from Dunwoody Baptist Church. The couple had two children, Beth and Sam.
Beth remembers her parents talking about their older home, including her dad commenting on how much granite there was on the property. Beth says he “always laughed that God had intended to make all of Georgia Stone Mountain but dark caught him. They had to drill
three times before they struck water in order to have a well.”
When Hugh and Gerry Spruill moved out of the house, Hugh’s newly married brother Edwin and his wife Nelda moved in. They lived there until the farmhouse and the last 20 acres of the farm were sold.
When Hugh and Gerry Spruill moved to their first home in Dunwoody, Gerry described the community as a place with unpaved roads and no lights anywhere. They
could not see their neighbors. She said her hometown of Chamblee seemed like a city compared to Dunwoody. (Story of Dunwoody, by Elizabeth L. Davis, Ethel W. Spruill, Lynne Byrd, Joyce Amacher)
Award-winning author Valerie Biggerstaff is a longtime columnist for Appen Media and the Dunwoody Crier. She lives in Atlanta. You can email Valerie at pasttensega@gmail.com or visit her website at pasttensega.com.
JIM COWARD/SPECIAL
An aerial view of I-285 at Ashford Dunwoody Road shows the home Hugh and Gerry Spruill lived in before Perimeter Expo Shopping Center was built.
VALERIE BIGGERSTAFF Columnist
OPINION
Free Spring gardening classes set in Milton
In collaboration with the City of Milton, the North Fulton Master Gardeners are offering a series of gardening classes open to everyone. The classes will be held on successive Tuesday evenings beginning February 25th and continuing on March 4th and March 11th. They are held at the Milton City Park and Preserve, located at 1785 Dinsmore Road.
These classes are free and open to the public. The doors open at 6:30 p.m.; we entertain questions and garden topics until 7:00 p.m., when the classes start. Each session consists of one or two topics and concludes around 8:30 p.m. We hope you join us! Please RSVP at https://nfmg.net/ wp/2025/01/21/spring-2025-classesplant-milton/.
Here’s a round up of classes you can expect.
The basics of vegetable gardening
Get a jump on vegetable gardening with Master Gardener George Scesney, who learned how to garden as a child. Whether you are new to growing vegetables or are interested in learning how to increase your garden’s bounty, there is much to learn from this lifelong gardener. George shares his expertise in sustainable (organic) gardening, mulching, weed control, fertilizing and pest control. He will also provide instruction on how to prepare your garden, select the best vegetables to grow in our area, and the optimal time to plant each type.
George has been a Master Gardener for over 15 years. He volunteers at community gardens and gardens that support local foodbanks. George is a highly sought-after speaker.
March 4
Hello Hostas! A perfect addition to your shade garden
Master Gardener Carole MacMullan has a lifetime of experience with hostas. She will tell you that no shade garden should be without a hosta, which have been the mainstay of shade gardens for at least one hundred years. Even though their flowers are insignificant, the appeal is the diversity of their leaves. Thanks to hybridizers the leaves of hostas come in a variety of sizes, colors as well as textures. Learn how to plant, care for, fertilize and prevent eradication from hosta enemy number one, deer.
Carole MacMullan taught biology for
About the author
This week’s “Garden Buzz” guest columnist is Michael Snow, a Milton resident and North Fulton Master Gardener since 2021. Michael had always been active in “yard work” and growing plants and shrubs. Upon retiring from a career in real property finance, he sought to benefit from an organized source of garden information and became a Master Gardener. He plays golf almost as frequently as he gardens.
35 years in the Pittsburgh area. In 2012 after moving to Milton, Carole completed the Master Gardener training program and joined the North Fulton Master Gardeners and the Milton Garden Club.
Goodbye lawn: Alternatives for a healthy environment
Shrink your lawn: Save money and time while enhancing biodiversity! North Fulton Master Gardener Sandra Shave explains how you can and should reduce your lawn size by making your own native habitat. Join the effort to create a countrywide Homegrown National Park and reduce your lawn size. Use low-growing natives;
plant a native wildflower meadow; establish a pollinator garden; embellish those shady spots with natives or even non-native ground covers; or just convert more of your lawn to native shrubs.
Sandy graduated from the Master Gardener program in early 2019. She is a recent transplant to Roswell, Georgia, moving from Wisconsin in 2014 after retirement to be nearer to her children and most importantly her grandchildren.
March 11
Growing berries, figs and other small fruit
If you have picked berries on roadside bushes and found them to be bitter, hard and inhospitable, help is on its way. If you have ever tasted a fig preserve and wish to have more, help is on its way. Lynn Nations will talk about how the home gardener can grow small fruits in the North Atlanta area. In addition to her experience as a gardener, she will provide selected informational handouts from UGA Extension.
Lynn Nations, a California native, followed her grandchildren to Georgia. Coming from California she had problems determining plants from weeds, which led
her to become a Master Gardener. Lynn is a retired pharmacist, and a certified medical Qigong instructor.
There must be a tool for that Every job is easier with the proper tool. Michael Snow will talk about his favorite tools and the benefits of having the proper tool to use. He will also provide insights into the favorite tools of other Master Gardeners. Michael wants to know: If you only had $100, what garden tools would you buy?
He may be the only person with an inventory of his garden tools, a list for what he wants to buy next and a desire to manufacture and sell garden tools.
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. Previous Garden Buzz columns are featured at: https://appenmedia.com/opinion/columists/garden buzz/.
MICHAEL SNOW Guest Columnist
PROVIDED
Master Gardener George Scesney will be teaching a class on the basics of vegetable gardening at the Milton City Park and Preserve.
Can you recall getting hooked on a series and having to wait a year for the next installment to appear? Or perhaps stumbling across book five or six in a series and enjoying it so much that you went in search of the earlier books? Michael Connelly’s Bosch series is one I started from the very beginning with “The Black Echo.” At the time, there were several books out. Only after that did I have to wait patiently for the next installment to appear. If you haven’t read the books, you may know his name from the show on Prime Video. This review is of book 25.
“The Waiting” by Michael Connelly Renée Ballard, who appears in the last five Bosch books, heads LAPD’s Open-Unsolved Unit, investigating cold cases — some decades old, others more recent. As happens in the previous books with Ballard as the main character, Harry Bosch contributes to solving the case.
This time, Bosch’s daughter Maddie, who is now a patrol officer, joins the unit as a volunteer. Before you know it, the unit is investigating the never solved Black Dahlia case from the ‘40s. The twists and turns in trying to solve the case while also dealing with department politics combine with investigating another cold case that hinges on DNA analysis.
This one is a suspenseful roller coaster ride, and, of course, I stayed up way too late several nights to get to the end. I had barely finished the book when the wildfires erupted in California.
Now, as I watch the coverage of the LA fires, I’m flipping back through the book and wondering how the areas in this series have fared. Harry’s neighborhood of Laurel Canyon had escaped unscathed as I began writing this column. The news reported that one Malibu trailer park was devastated, so I thought of Renée, who is an avid surfer and lives in a trailer park in Malibu.
So much of what I know of the LA area comes from Connelly’s series and visits with two friends who live there. One lives far from the devastation, but my Altadena friend was in the thick of it. He evacuated before his neighborhood was engulfed in flames, and miraculously, his house was still standing when he last heard.
The images on the news are horrific, and reading Michael Connelly’s vivid descriptions of the areas I see in flames make them all the more real to me. Gut wrenching, poignant—words fail me. My heart goes out to those who are living this horror.
Award-winning author Kathy Manos Penn is a Sandy Springs resident. Find her Dickens & Christie cozy mysteries on Amazon or locally at The Enchanted Forest and Bookmiser. Contact her at inkpenn119@gmail.com and visit her website www.facebook.com/ KathyManosPennAuthor/.
KATHY MANOS PENN Columnist
Schools:
Continued from Page 1
Gillespie also offered other district updates at the community meeting.
She spoke about possible school consolidations that may impact District 1 families. She said residents can expect changes that are “immediate enough” to issue the warning.
“This is not going to be a one-time situation,” Gillespie said.
School closures would be based on student populations and capacity. District 1 encompasses areas in North Fulton County such as Roswell, Alpharetta and Johns Creek.
On a related topic, Gillespie said the district received applications for more than 1,700 students through the Change of School Assignment process. The application allows for students to attend a school different than the original school they were zoned for.
“We have a total of 741 middle and high school students that were offered placement,” Gillespie said. “Elementary will be offered at the end of March.”
The applications come in the wake of possible school closures for Spalding Drive Elementary School in Sandy Springs and Parklane Elementary School in East Point.
In her address to patrons, Gillespie also shared that K-12 students can soon enjoy seeing three new fourlegged friends in the hallways.
Ducky, Delilah and Ernie, 18-month-old dogs, will join the canine unit to begin cycling through the schools.
“They are super sweet, loving, they like to snuggle,” Gillespie said. “They’re very well prepared to be in the school environment.”
The dogs, who went through an “extreme” process to get selected, can help provide safety measures, like detecting drugs and weapons.
Gillespie went on to note a few personnel changes for the district.
Crabapple Middle School will welcome Stephanie Haga as its new principal. The Roswell resident began her journey with Fulton County Schools in 2005, where she spent 11 years as a middle school teacher and was principal of Wilson Creek Elementary School.
“She knows our community,” Gillespie said.
Haga has supported 21 schools as a STEM program specialist.
Roswell High School will start the football season with a new head coach. Jonathon Thompson has been coaching since 2012 and was recently an offensive coordinator at Lee County.
“If you know anything about high school football, south Georgia brings a different breed,” said Melissa Little, Roswell High School assistant principal. “We’re just excited to add that to the competitive nature that’s already been there at Roswell.”
Among policy changes, Gillespie
said that exchange students will now have to submit a J-1 Visa to participate to be eligible to attend school.
Students will also be limited to joining at the start of the semester and can attend a maximum of one year. The student’s placement will depend on school capacity.
The students will not receive a diploma but can transfer their credits earned to their home institution.
The meeting also discussed:
• A Transition Services Resource Fair will be held to discuss the transition from school to adulthood on Feb. 18 at Riverwood International Charter School
and Feb.19 at Benjamin Banneker High School from 4-7 p.m. Families interested can register on the Fulton County Schools website under academics.
• Spring sports schedules are available on the respected athletics department website
• Fulton County Schools received the Common Sense Media Certificate, which aims to provide digital citizenship to families, staff and students.
• Parents and teachers can declare their candidacy for the School Governance Council until March 28 at fultonschools.org/our-district/chartersystem/elections
APPEN MEDIA/ SARAH COYNE
Sara Gillespie, Fulton County Schools District One board member, presents the three newest canine unit members to the crowd on at the Feb. 13 District 1 meeting at Roswell North Elementary School. “They’re very well prepared to be in the school environment,” Gillespie said.
Sculpture:
Continued from Page 1
The three-piece sculpture, which took three months to create, was made with the idea in mind of the “turbulence and change and the flow of time all around us.”
Hill wanted to “play” with the idea of reflections in water.
“That reflection might be pretty crisp and clear, and in turbulent water that
During
DEATH NOTICES
David Byrd, 46, of Alpharetta, passed away on January 20, 2025. Arrangements by Northside Chapel Funeral Directors & Crematory.
William Corder, 74, of Roswell, passed away on January 31, 2025. Arrangements by Northside Chapel Funeral Directors & Crematory.
reflection is going to be distorted, but the object remains the same through time,” Hill said.
Bob Erramilli, city council member, said he wants to “encourage” local artists with this steel, which he hopes will last another 100 years.
“People come and people go, but art remains, and art defines city,” Erramilli said. “We wanted Johns Creek to be remembered for some city, in which honors its artists, and it also values their contribution.
The art symbolizes the connection the city council is “seeking to define” its role with the arts and culture in the community through partnership with the Johns Creek Arts Center.
“A city cannot manifest its intentions by saying ‘we are a fun-loving society, or ‘we love art’, unless you put your efforts in the kind of masterpiece,” Erramilli said.
City council members say that this is just the start to their strategic plan for supporting the arts, culture, performing arts and the creation of an arts district.
Brian Pressnall, 54, of Roswell, passed away on January 25, 2025. Arrangements by Northside Chapel Funeral Directors & Crematory.
Cheryl Reese, 77, of Roswell, passed away on January 31, 2025. Arrangements by Northside Chapel Funeral Directors & Crematory.
James Robertson, 43, of Roswell, passed away on January 20, 2025. Arrangements by Northside Chapel Funeral Directors & Crematory.
Charles Stoyer, 92, of Alpharetta, passed away on January 24, 2025. Arrangements by Northside Chapel Funeral Directors & Crematory.
Edward Wegener, 90, of Alpharetta, passed away on January 23, 2025. Arrangements by Northside Chapel Funeral Directors & Crematory.
Communications and Marketing Manager
NFCC is seeking a qualified candidate to fill the fulltime Communications and Marketing Manager position. The Communications and Marketing Manager is responsible for helping raise awareness of North Fulton Community Charities and its programs and services. One of the primary responsibilities of this role is to create internal and external communications and marketing materials to promote NFCC’s overall mission.
The Manager will manage and update multiple channels including social media, email, websites, newsletters, presentations, and video. Proficiency in WordPress, Microsoft Office, and Canva are required and experience with Salesforce or other CRM and Pardot/Account Engagement a plus.
If this sounds like the role for you, we’d love to hear from you! Please submit your resume to jobs@nfcchelp.org
Discovery Analytics Inc: Work using MVS, JCL, Cobol/CICS, TSO/ISPF, VSAM, SQL, DB2, MQ Series & SqL. Req. - Bachelor’s +5yrs Exp. Comp. salary, Relocate to unanticipated site. No national/ international travel. Mail resume to: President, 11535, Park woods Circle, Ste A, Alpharetta, Georgia, USA- 30005.
Will serve on agile sftwre develpmnt team responsbl for develpng & maintainng existng sftwre prodcts by buildng new functionlty while ensurng qualty & excellnc of UKG’s prodcts. Will wrte code using knowldg of codng technqus, tech stacks, & best practcs, perform techncl architctre & desgn projcts, & mentor othr membrs of develpmnt team. Req: either (i) BS degree (or equiv foreign degree) in Computer Science, IT, Electrical Engineering or closely relatd field & 5 yrs of exp as Software Engineer wrkng on enterprise level projects or (ii) MS degree (or equiv foreign degree) in Computer Science, IT, Electrical Engineering or closely relatd field & 3 yrs of experience as Software Engineer wrkng on enterprise level projects. Hybrid position working 3 days/wk at co office in Alpharetta, GA & 2 days/wk from home office. Review full job descr. & reqs. & apply at https://www.ukg.com/about-us/careers under “Senior Software Engineer" REF:SRSOF011628.
Sawnee EMC is seeking a Warehouse Clerk - Trainee to restock, organize, and distribute materials. Responsible for unloading and verifying incoming shipments, maintaining accurate inventory records, operating a forklift and other heavy equipment, and proficient in Microsoft Office. Requires heavy lifting, high school diploma or equivalency and a valid GA driver’s license. Hours: Availability for alternate shift assignments and irregular work hours.
Applicants must complete an application prior to 5 PM, February 28, 2025. Apply online: www. sawnee.coop/careers. If you require a paper application or an alternate format, please contact us at 770-887-2363 extension 7568.
Sawnee Electric Membership Corporation is an Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action Employer of Females, Minorities, Veterans and Individuals with Disabilities. Sawnee EMC is VEVRAA Federal Contractor. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. Drug Free Workplace.
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