Milton Herald - November 24, 2022

Georgia House Speaker Ralston dies following extended illness

By DAVE WILLIAMS Capitol Beat

ATLANTA — Georgia House Speaker David Ralston died Nov. 16 at the age of 68, just two days after the House Republican Caucus nominated a new speaker to succeed him in January.

Ralston, R-Blue Ridge, had been suffering from an extended illness. His wife, Sheree, his children, and other members of his family were with him when he passed away, his office announced. Arrangements will be an nounced in the coming days.

Ralston announced early last week that he would not seek election by his House colleagues to another term as speaker, citing his health. Voters in the 7th House District in Northwest Georgia reelected him Nov. 8 without opposition.

At the time of his death, Ralston was the longest currently serving state house speaker in the nation.

As provided by the Georgia Con stitution, House Speaker Pro Tempore Jan Jones, R-Milton, will serve as speaker for the remainder of the cur rent term, which ends in January.

On Monday, House Republicans nominated Majority Leader Jon

AMBER PERRY/APPEN MEDIA

Tonka, a rescue horse, greets the camera from inside the hand-built barn on Stable Days Farm, a 6.5-acre property located on Birmingham Highway owned by Tim Enloe. This year, Enloe published an online book criticizing the City of Milton for failing to protect the reasons his family bought the property more than 40 years ago — the quiet, safety, horses and agriculture.

Milton voters approve increase on senior homestead exemptions

By AMBER PERRY amber@appenmedia.com

MILTON, Ga. — Milton voters decided on three questions on the Nov. 8 ballot pertaining to senior homestead exemptions on municipal property taxes.

HB 1493 secured 83.33 percent of the vote, while HB 1497 captured 57.04 percent of the vote.

Before Nov. 8, seniors 65 and older were exempted from $15,000 in taxable (assessed) value with no income requirements, applying to only city maintenance & operating (M&O) taxes, not bond-related taxes. The second was a $10,000 exemption, applicable to seniors that meet an income qualification and applied to both the city’s M&O and bondrelated taxes.

Because HB 1493 and HB 1497 were both approved, the two exemptions for seniors 65 years and older will collapse into one $25,000 exemption applicable to both the city’s M&O and bond-related taxes.

The third question, HB 1492, garnered 71.83 percent of the vote and was independent of the other two questions, pertaining to Milton residents

ages 70 and older. The approval qualifies ages 70-plus for the full value exemption from municipal ad valorem taxes if their annual income is below $100,000. The qualifying annual income was approximately $80,000 for tax year 2023.

Voters approved all three measures:

• City of Milton - House Bill 1493: Increase the Amount of the General Senior Homestead Exemption

• City of Milton - House Bill 1497: Repeal a Homestead Exemption for Citizens age 65 Years or Older Meeting Certain Income Requirements Sub ject to Increasing the General Senior Homestead Exemption Under House Bill 1493

• City of Milton - House Bill 1492: Modify the Maximum Income for a Senior Homestead Exemption

Come Journey

Manger

Statewide ballot proposals pass by large margins

By DAVE WILLIAMS Capitol Beat

ATLANTA – Georgia voters overwhelmingly ratified all four legislative proposals on the statewide ballot this year.

Three of the four received support from more than 75 percent of the electorate Nov. 8, while the proposal garnering the least “yes” votes still won by 18 percentage points.

Two amendments to the Georgia Constitution drew the strongest support. A constitutional change

prohibiting statewide elected officials and members of the General Assembly from being paid after they have been indicted for a felony and suspended from office passed with 88.5 percent of the vote.

Georgia lawmakers took up the legislation after hearing complaints that then-state Insurance Commissioner Jim Beck was still being paid his salary of $195,000 a year after being suspended in 2019 by Gov. Brian Kemp. Beck was indicted and later convicted of fraud and money laundering.

A second constitutional amendment arising from a strong tornado that hit Heard, Coweta, and Fayette counties last year got the most support of the four proposals on the ballot, winning 91.9 percent of the vote. It will let cities, counties, and local school districts temporarily exempt disaster victims from paying property taxes.

Voters also passed two other tax relief measures that were on the ballot as “questions” rather than as constitutional amendments. Question A, which passed with the least support at a still-solid 59.1 percent, provides a

property tax exemption for equipment used in the timber industry.

Question B expanding an existing property tax exemption for agricultural equipment by applying it to equipment shared by two or more family farms sailed through with 76.5 percent of the vote.

This story is available through a news partnership with Capitol Beat News Service, a project of the Georgia Press Educational Foundation.

Northern Ridge announced October Eagle Scouts

Church. This entailed rebuilding 6 benches and one podium, killing weeks and placing landscape plastic down and then mulching the area.

Matthew Robert Young, of Troop 51, sponsored by American Legion Post 201, whose project was the design and construction and stocking of 2 outdoor libraries for adults and landscaping the Edenwilde subdivision playground.

Middle row, from left:

Travis Clark Adcock, of Troop 431, sponsored by Roswell United Methodist Church, whose project was the design and construction of a 12 foot tall entry way sign and covered kiosk/bulletin board for the Giving Garden located at Roswell United Methodist Church

located at Grace Point Church.

John Song, of Troop 629, sponsored by Mt. Pisgah United Methodist Church, whose project was the removal of rot ten benches and then designing and constructing of 2 new picnic tables and then clearing the area by the running track of overgrown vines and weeds at Barnwell Elementary School

Bottom, from left

Samuel Jake Bradley, of Troop 27, sponsored by the Johns Creek Christian Church, whose project was The design and construction of a sensory trail with 3 benches for Statebridge Rd Park for the city of Johns Creek

ALPHARETTA, Ga. — The Northern Ridge Boy Scout District is proud to announce its newest Eagle Scouts, who completed their Eagle Board of Review on October 27, 2022, at Alpharetta Presbyterian Church.

Top from left;

Shravan Kothapeta, of Troop 27, sponsored by the Johns Creek Christian Church, whose project was the design and construction of 4 benches for the AG Rhodes Nursing Home.

Kaivalya Somayajula, of Troop 2000, sponsored by Johns Creek Pres byterian Church, whose project was the renovation of 4 educational bulle tin boards, pressure washing the dirty school walls and relandscaping and lining with pavers, the area around the

storage trailer at Medlock Bridge El ementary School.

Simon Pellegri, of Troop 431, sponsored by Roswell United Methodist Church, whose project was the design and construction of 3 benches for the Georgia Ensemble Theater.

Nick Vojnovic, of Troop 1134, sponsored by St. Peter Chanel Catholic Church, whose project was the Resto ration of the Rosary Walk at Queen of Angels Catholic School. Nick had to replace the pea gravel. Landscape tim bers, and broken paver stones. He also installed a new sign explaining the walk as well as planting 10 bushes.

Lance Ridley, of Troop 206, spon sored by Zion Missionary Baptist Church, whose project was the renova tion of the outdoor classroom for Refuge

Eric Joseph, of Troop 27, sponsored by the Johns Creek Christian Church, whose project was the collection of over 4000 food items to create over 100 break bags for the families of North Georgia. A Break bag is a bag of food given to a family for the children to have meals during the school breaks, sponsored by Meals by Grace.

Pranav Potluri, of Troop 3143, sponsored by John’s Creek United Meth odist Church, whose project was the design and construction and painting of 2 picnic tables and 3 fire pit benches for Brick House (Youth & kids Learning Center) of WayPoint Baptist Church.

Evan Fistel, of Troop 1134, spon sored by St. Peter Chanel Catholic Church, whose project was the design and construction of 18 shelves into 2 shelving units for the rectory garage at St. Peter Chanel Catholic Church .

Merrick Edmondson, of Troop 143, sponsored by John’s Creek United Meth odist Church, whose project was the de sign and construction of 6 portable golf holes with obstacles for Camp Kerusso

David Semmes Paulus, of Troop 3000, sponsored by Birmingham United Methodist Church whose project was the cleanup and renovation of a natural area and the installation of landscap ing materials and the construction of a perimeter fence for Fur Kids animal shelter.

Ethan Brady Mattace, of Troop 51, sponsored by American Legion Post 201, whose project was the Restoration and cleanup of a cemetery located in the Wexford Neighborhood. This included replacing a damaged fence, including a new gate and cleaning up the cemetery and placing fresh mulch.

Ian Calvert, of Troop 629, sponsored by Mt. Pisgah United Methodist Church, whose project was the design and con struction of a cabinet, a picnic table and mulching a trail located at the Chatta hoochee Nature Preserve.

Logan Ridley, of Troop 206, spon sored by Zion Missionary Baptist Church, collected many items needed for homeless children, such as baby wipes, diapers, baby bottles, car seats, strollers, children’s masks etc. for the Atlanta Children’s Shelter.

Family Promise cuts the ribbon on new facility

By ALEXANDER POPP alex@appenmedia.com

ROSWELL, Ga. — After years of hard work serving families out of donated church basement space in Dunwoody, Family Promise of North Fulton/ DeKalb finally has a permanent home.

At a ribbon cutting ceremony at the Grove Way Community Center in Ro swell Nov. 9, North Fulton community members officially welcomed Family Promise into its new space, where members will work to serve families in the community experiencing home lessness.

With a base of operations so cen trally located to all of their partner church congregations, the organiza tion now has greater ability to serve the community, Family Promise Ex ecutive Director Andrea Brantley said.

“I’m just really excited about this new relationship that we’re going to have,” Brantley said. “I think it’s go ing to help us really grow and get the word out about what Family Promise does.”

Family Promise is a nationwide non-profit group that fights home

lessness by providing resources, transitional housing and support to struggling families. Brantley said this three-pronged approach is what has made the group so successful over the years.

At any given time, Family Prom ise is likely serving about 14 people – families, parents and kids – with its rotational shelter system, where people are temporarily housed at lo cal church congregations on a weekly basis.

In addition to that, Brantley said the organization served more than 1,000 people in 2021 with its Emer gency Response Program, providing gift cards, toiletries, groceries and gas cards to people at risk of becom ing homeless. The charity also served 33 individuals in 2021 who were able to graduate from the Family Promise system, she said.

The organization faces more need than ever in the North Fulton com munity, which makes the move to the area so much more important, she said.

“We’re definitely seeing more

Executive Director Andrea Brantley speaks to a crowd at a ribbon cutting Nov. 9 in Roswell. The ribbon cutting, hosted by the Greater North Fulton Chamber of Commerce, was to celebrate Family Promise’s recent move to the Grove Way Community Center.

ALPHARETTA, Ga. — American Legion Post 201 in Alpharetta is about to hit an important milestone – nearing a total of 12,000 packages sent to military members overseas.

Over a period of 19 years, the post has sent thousands of packages to deployed soldiers, boosting their morale with candy, snacks and personal care items donated by members of the Alpharetta community who want to share their appreciation and support.

“The program is the brainchild of Legionnaire Steve Olesnevich who has chaired the program since its inception,” Post spokesman Marty Farrell said. “According to Olesnevich, most of the items in the packages are purchased with funds donated by residents and local businesses and organizations.”

In total, community members have also donated over $100,000 to cover postage for the care packages.

Farrell said care packages have a huge and lasting impact on the servicemen and women that they were delivered to. Including multiple current post members, who received similar packages when they were deployed abroad.

“Legionnaire Mike Carroll, a retired Air Force master sergeant with 22 years of service, never forgot the joy of receiving packages from home while he was deployed during Desert Storm,” Farrell said.

Anyone wishing to support Post 201’s Troop Package Program can send donations care of American Legion Post 201, PO Box 314, Alpharetta, GA 30009.

UGA graduate Delaney Tarr joins Appen Media as reporter

ROSWELL, Ga. — Appen Media Group announced Nov. 15 that Delaney Tarr will join its staff as a reporter. Tarr will cover Roswell government and local news. She will report to Carl Appen, director of content and development, and be based in Alpharetta.

“It’s a great day when we can add someone like Delaney to our team,” Appen said. “She has multi-media chops and a fair, inquisitive approach to reporting. I’m excited to see the impact she’ll have, and drive, in our community.”

Originally from South Florida, Tarr recently graduated from the University of Georgia’s journalism program. In her time at UGA, Tarr worked for local newspaper the Red & Black, as well as student-run news station Grady Newsource. Tarr covered politics, culture and food across outlets and platforms.

“I’m excited to do the boots-on-theground coverage I’ve always dreamed of,” Tarr said. “To me, journalism has always been about the stories of people and community. Local news is vital to that, and I’m thrilled to finally play a part in it.”

To contact Tarr with news tips or story ideas, email delaney@ appenmedia.com.

AMERICAN LEGION POST 201/PROVIDED

Legionnaire Mike Carroll, a retired Air Force master sergeant, readies packages for delivery to the Old Milton Parkway Post Office in Alpharetta for military members stationed overseas.

TARR

Agency reports Georgia flu activity ‘very high’

By REBECCA GRAPEVINE Capitol Beat

ATLANTA — Georgia’s flu activity is currently very high, state epidemiologist Dr. Cherie Drenzek said during the state Department of Public Health board meeting Tuesday.

Flu activity is spread around Georgia but is especially concentrated in Metro Atlanta and around Macon and Columbus, Drenzek said.

The state’s flu activity has been high since mid-August and increased to “very high” recently. Currently, in Georgia, 18 percent of flu tests are positive, while only 9 percent are positive nationally, Drenzek said.

Outpatient visits for influenzalike symptoms have hit 10 percent this week. The last time the state saw similarly high rates so early in the flu season was in 2009-10.

The current influenza activity is disproportionately affecting young children and the elderly, Drenzek added. DPH has confirmed 58 institutional flu outbreaks in the last week alone, about half of those in

schools and half in long-term care homes.

“Annual vaccination really remains the very best method for preventing seasonal flu and protecting against serious outcomes like hospitalization and death,” Drenzek added. “[It] is recommended for everyone over the age of 6 months.”

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), another infectious disease that affects primarily young children, has also had high levels of activity in September and October, said Drenzek, though numbers have declined recently. While 20 percent of tests were positive in mid-September, only 4.6 percent were positive this week.

Drenzek noted the disease can be deadly and that there is no vaccine for it. RSV mainly affects young children, and infants are at most risk for hospitalization.

DPH Commissioner Dr. Kathleen Toomey noted the department had received reports that hospitals were being hit hard by the high number of cases across the state and that EMS transport had been a problem in some

cases. Toomey said she contacted the governor’s office and the Georgia Department of Community Health about those issues.

In other public health developments, the DPH will also launch a new program to educate health-care providers and families about a common cause of hearing loss in young children, congenital cytomegalovirus (CMV). Twenty percent of children born with the disease have a permanent disability such as hearing loss or a developmental delay, Tina Turner, deputy director of child health services at DPH, told the board.

Georgia requires screenings for all newborns for hearing problems so that they can receive early treatment and intervention. Beginning next month, the DPH will roll out an educational campaign about congenital cytomegalovirus to health-care providers and families, Turner said.

The agency also is putting together a work group to look more closely at increasing CMV screening efforts in newborns in Georgia. Most other states have such a screening program in

place, said board member Dr. Cynthia Mercer, an OB-GYN.

The Nov. 8 meeting was the first in recent months in which COVID was not discussed in detail.

This story is available through a news partnership with Capitol Beat News Service, a project of the Georgia Press Educational Foundation.

Cafe Landmark connects guests to native culture

By AMBER PERRY alex@appenmedia.com

JOHNS CREEK, Ga. — Svitlana

Bogorodska opened Cafe Landmark in Johns Creek last year because she missed the “spirits” in her small, yet crowded, Ukrainian city and wanted to create something that had the same ambience.

Born in Kharkiv, Ukraine, a city bordering Russia, she moved to the United States six years ago with her husband. Before opening her business, Bogorodska struggled to find a sense of community, in part, because of the language barrier. She prefers her native language to express emotion.

But Cafe Landmark, tucked into a shopping center on Jones Bridge Road with an unassuming facade, provides comfort to Bogorodska — not only for her, through its Ukrainian cuisine and atmosphere, but also for patrons who long for what they’ve had to leave behind.

A bright, blue and yellow sign that reads “Stand with Ukraine” in all caps, driven into the ground, greets visitors when they walk inside.

Bogorodska’s perspectives echoed the cafe’s mission, available on her website, which is to provide guests “a feeling of their native culture and atmosphere, where they are welcomed and accepted, where they are warm and comfortable.”

She said she saw there was an “empty room” for something like Cafe Landmark, noting she isn’t the only one who misses the culture — like others from Ukraine but also people from Russia, who still share a lot of common ground, despite the war.

“I know that it’s not popular right now to think that … but in Russia, there are good people,” Bogorodska said. “They are also victims, they also lost something.”

A meeting ground

She hurried through the front door into the back to set down her belongings and returned with a sweet smile and easygoing presence.

“Would you like coffee?” Bogorodska asked, after extending her hand for a soft handshake. “It’s so cold outside.”

Preparing a cup of Raf, one of her favorite drinks made with espresso, cream and vanilla sugar, Bogorodska described its origin. Raf, native to Russia but also popular in nearby countries like Ukraine, is short for Rafael — the man who invented the drink in the mid-’90s.

Bogorodska said she also likes cappuccino with hazelnut, and added pine nuts to her cup of Raf for a special blend. The nutty flavor makes for a “great combination,” she said.

Middle-aged with comely features, Bogorodska styled her hair in a French

braid and wore a silk scarf around her neck. She sat across the table, occasionally sipping her drink in the well-decorated space that had soft light and house music playing in the background, and spoke on a host of things — like Ukrainian coffee shops, which are social places.

“In my place, people come to meet each other,” Bogorodska said. “A cup of coffee is just a good reason to meet each other.”

In Kharkiv, people don’t spend much time in the car, she said, because they walk from place to place, all the time connecting. But that isn’t possible around here, she said, where everything is so spread out.

Cafe Landmark is also for people who are connoisseurs of taste, Bogorodska said, rather than for those who go for “black liquid” to be guzzled down for quick energy.

Food, a ‘symbol of home’

Outside of coffee and other beverages like bubble tea, the menu at Cafe Landmark boasts a diverse range of food items.

The cafe, once owned by someone from Hong Kong, at one point only offered Asian plates. In case old customers return, expecting the old menu, Bogorodska kept the Asian flare. But still, she centers her personal twist of traditional Ukrainian, Slavic foods, like borsch and cheese pancakes.

Borsch is a vibrant, fuchsia-colored savory soup made with beef and pork, vegetables like tomato, carrot and potato, and beetroot. It’s usually served

A cup of coffee is just a good reason to meet each other.

SVITLANA BOGORODSKA, owner, Cafe Landmark

AMBER PERRY/APPEN MEDIA

Svitlana Bogorodska, owner of Cafe Landmark, holds a cup of Raf coffee Nov. 16. Raf is a Russian coffee, popular in nearby countries like Ukraine, made from espresso, cream and vanilla sugar.

toasted bread and a dollop of sour cream on the side, both provided in her kind gesture of laying out a sample spread on a green, leaf-shaped placemat.

Bogorodska said borsch has historical roots — centuries ago, families came together to eat borsch portioned from a big pot. She also talked about her love for her mother’s style of cooking borsch, which used canned fish and comes from an era when food was sparse.

“Borsch is something you don’t like when you’re a little kid because it’s not sweet,” she said, laughing. “But you adore it as an adult … It’s like a symbol of home because that’s something that your mom will cook when she knows you will visit her.”

She reenacted a familiar scene and said, “When you came …” and theatrically smelled the air — “I feel like borsch was not done so long ago.”

Cheese pancakes, a sweet dish made from farmers cheese, was served with berries and a shot of condensed milk — a joy among Ukrainians, she said.

And there was another side of sour cream.

Bogorodska later recalled an episode

of “Friends,” which she uses to learn English, where Ross asks Monica about a Ukrainian kid she used to hang out with in junior high. In the episode, Monica said one of the reasons is because his mom would put sour cream on everything.

Stepping from a ‘seashell’

Bogorodska spent a good while talking about her gratitude for all the people she’s met at Cafe Landmark, who had gone there to show support and help her following the Russian invasion of Ukraine early last year, knowing she’s Ukrainian.

“I just thought everyone lived inside of their own seashell,” she said.

The pain seen in Bogorodska’s eyes and heard in her voice when talking about the devastation of the war was palpable, but also the hope that people gave her, brightening her outlook. Describing herself as someone who was once more emotionally closed off, she said the outpouring of support changed her mind.

“It was a kind of miracle that you could see with your eyes,” she said. “Because I have never seen it before — that compassion.”

Because of her customers’ sincerity, Bogorodska said she would come home and share her experience with her husband. She also shared her uplifting experience with friends still in Ukraine, who frequently send her updates.

One update Bogorodska received was about a coffee shop, the chosen meeting point with her friends. The cafe recently printed new cups.

“I want just to breathe that smell that’s inside,” she said.

Bogorodska received other messages that illustrate the bravery and resilience of Ukranians, who try to continue life as normal and focus on the future, undeterred by their war-torn surroundings.

“I admire the people who are so brave when everything around them is broken,” she said. “But they don’t agree with it.”

Frank

Tara Tucker

AMBER PERRY/APPEN MEDIA

Pictured is borsch, a Ukrainian-styled soup made from beef and pork, veg etables and beetroot. Borsch is usually served with a side of bread and sour cream.

Newspaper Delivery Route Openings with Appen Media Group

Birmingham Park in Milton features seven multi-use, natural surface trails. The park is part of the larger environmental project that led Milton to earning its certi fication as a Community Wildlife Habitat for its 10th consecutive year, awarded by the National Wildlife Federation.

Milton continues to hold Community Wildlife Habitat title

MILTON, Ga. — For the 10th consecutive year, Milton has been certified as a Community Wildlife Habitat, a special distinction that recognizes efforts to make the city “healthier, greener and more wildlifefriendly.”

According to the certificate awarded by the National Wildlife Federation (NWF), the City of Milton “has taken exceptional action to preserve, enhance, restore and connect wildlife habitat while also communicating the importance of habitat stewardship to the public.”

These efforts include:

• Adding environmental signage in Providence Park, led by Eagle Scout Ronan Chandaria

• Installing a fishing line recycling unit at that same park’s pier overlooking Providence Lake

• A guided “bird watch” tour of Providence Park in partnership with the nonprofit Georgia Audubon

• Numerous posts on the city’s social media showcasing, educating and expressing appreciation for wildlife

and nature

• The registering of “Certified Wildlife Habitats” in Milton residents’ backyards, which can be done at nwf.org/Garden-for-Wildlife/Certify

• Attendance on quarterly NWF calls about their programs

Milton is one of six cities in Georgia — and about 200 municipalities and communities nationwide — to earn this distinction from the NWF, which describes itself as “America’s largest and most trusted conservation organization [that] works … to unite Americans from all walks of life in giving wildlife a voice.” The city was first certified in 2013 and has taken efforts every year since to retain that honor.

If interested in exploring the city’s trails at parks like Birmingham Park, Providence Park, Bell Memorial Park and Lackey Road greenspace, check out the city’s website at miltonga.gov. Information about Milton’s greenspace can also be accessed through the website as well as information about the city’s environmental efforts.

CITY OF MILTON/PROVIDED

Online book challenges Milton’s equestrian identity

By AMBER PERRY amber@appenmedia.com

MILTON, Ga. — Stable Days Farm sits along Birmingham Highway with a white house and a hand-built horse barn on just over 6 acres. The property holds family memories, some sweet, but some that ache with heavy frustration.

The property’s name has a double meaning. The Enloe family moved to the agriculturally zoned property in 1978 — what was supposed to be an escape for a family nearly torn apart by the patriarch’s alcoholism, which flared following a devastating fire that killed the two oldest children of Harvey Enloe III and his wife, Patricia Ann.

Touring the once-full home, a wealth of family artifacts were piled in different areas, remnants from Patricia Ann’s death in 2016. Harvey died in 1999 in another fire.

“It would seem the fire from decades ago was only smoldering and finally caught up with him,” Tim Enloe, their middle child, wrote of his father in his online book, “A Story That Must Be Told.”

Enloe’s long-time girlfriend Elaine

Sha, who has been witness to events outlined in the book, said Enloe is still going through everything. Sha visits the farm a couple of times a week to tend to the horses — Tonka, Enloe’s rescue, and two others, Pickles and Lemon, who are owned by a neighbor.

Enloe has been

Florida-bound the past couple of years, working in dementia care.

Author decries city

Written this year, Enloe’s book is a series of more than 20 posts, or chapters, that chronicle his family history before and after moving to Milton. Enloe wrote that it was shared to “show the strength” of his mother and to “show the hope and internal battle” of his father.

He begins the story detailing his

Stable Days Farm on Birmingham Highway is a 6.5-acre property owned by Tim Enloe. This year, Enloe published an online book criticizing the City of Milton for failing to protect the reasons his family bought the property more than 40 years ago — the quiet, safety, horses and agriculture.

family’s personal tragedy. But it soon turns into a confrontation with the City of Milton and ultimately becomes a compilation of alleged city wrong doing.

By the end of the book, Enloe has created a nine-item list of purported illegal behavior by the city.

Enloe has done his research, noting the state and federal laws that each example speaks to.

To Enloe, what elected officials and city staff have or haven’t done has compromised the reasons the Enloe family moved to Stable Days Farm in the first place — the quiet, safety, horses and agriculture.

The book’s main takeaway, later summarized by Enloe in conversation, is the city’s inauthentic rural and equestrian character.

“The bottom line is if you’re going to claim to be a certain type of situation, then put action behind that to show that,” Enloe said. “If you go to their website, it’s all pictures of horses. The story of Milton is not that. And that’s okay. I’m not saying it should be. But don’t keep pushing that narrative, but then not knowing state law.”

For the horses

Enloe’s tirade begins with the relocation of Milton High School, an unpalatable move for Enloe, that resulted in high noise levels, deadly levels of speeding and kids who have harassed his late mother and abused his horses with paintball guns and fireworks.

After describing countless vain attempts to tackle his grievances with

city assistance, Enloe concludes that not enforcing the law is tantamount to breaking the law.

Aside from the city’s alleged apathy to horse abuse, Enloe’s skepticism of Milton’s touted image hinges on the lack of horse-related goods and the city’s high-priced land, which make it an unrealistic equestrian destination. He also said a new subdivision behind the property, once a 34-plus-acre, 60-plus-year-old farm, will have a retention pond less than 200 feet from his farm — a source of potential disease that could infect Enloe’s horses.

With a handful of exceptions, such as well-defined commercial districts, most of Milton is zoned AG-1 — or agriculture —with minimum lot sizes of 1 acre.

Enloe also talks about the city’s rejection of “Liberty’s Law,” a proposed measure invented by Enloe’s mother, named after the family’s late horse and a campaign covered by the Atlanta Journal Constitution. The law proposes establishing quiet equestrian zones.

In his book, Enloe also notes there have also been several complaints made by a neighbor for his agricultural burning. He writes that it’s a common practice in farming because the ash puts nutrients back into the soil and keeps land debris to a minimum. Complaints have also been lodged about loud radio playing, which he does to ward off pesky deer.

Both practices have been used by the Enloes for years, passed

AMBER PERRY/APPEN MEDIA

Tim Enloe stands with his horse Tonka.

Equestrian:

Continued from Page 12

down from his grandfather, and are permitted by state law. But Enloe notes that Milton police have responded to the calls, and out of ignorance, ask that he stop both.

While Enloe has successfully argued his freedom to burn — piles situated in the back pasture — he gave up on the radio after police threatened arrest.

Failed garden

Before 2020, Enloe said there were only three years he didn’t have a garden, due to his mother’s failing health. In the garden’s prime, he said many in the city have enjoyed his produce. But because of the non-threatening silence, deer have destroyed his crops.

Enloe hasn’t had a garden for the past three years. Every raised garden bed behind the home is still in rough shape, sad and overgrown.

In the chapter “‘City’ Approved Vandalism,” Enloe outlined another major issue that wrecked his garden — new development and mismanaged engineering jobs. To illustrate the decline of Stable Days Farm, he provided before-and-after pictures in the chapter. Nowadays, Enloe’s property catches a lot of stormwater runoff.

Sha, Enloe’s partner, pointed to vast areas of erosion around the farm, seen in the book, that have also severely limited horse grazing. What grows in the pasture is mostly inedible, Sha said, pointing to a barren, weedy ground. Enloe said he now spends hundreds of dollars a year for hay to feed Tonka.

Contested history

Enloe writes, “As each year passes, I hear my parents’ guiding words and principals more and more often – etched in my soul forever. One that comes to mind is my father saying, “Don’t claim you’re one thing and be another…’”

Enloe offers an alternative historical narrative in the chapter “An ‘Equestrian’ Community” and prods at city efforts to make the area look equestrian, like recurring horse logos and the white fencing around one of the city’s gas stations. Most recently, the city finished steel infrastructure for the Fire Station 42 replacement on Thompson Road with design plans that include a barn-like aesthetic.

“...the ‘horse country’ claim started to emerge in North Fulton during the early 1980s — prior to that, it was cattle, corn and cotton with farms run

by poor but proud white and black farmers,” he wrote. “I lived this — did you?”

While Enloe pokes at Milton’s image, others bolster its legitimacy.

Milton Historical Society President Jeff Dufresne traced the city’s 160-plus-year horse history in a 2019 Appen Media article. He wrote that in the mid-1800s, horses were considered beasts of burden, working on farms and providing transportation, but of course, have become a symbol of pride and beauty in Milton.

Dufresne said local farmers would drive livestock, potatoes, apples and honey to Atlanta in the spring and fall and would return home with clothing, tools and other “big city” items.

“It would not be uncommon to see a countryman returning from the Atlanta market fast asleep, slumped forward over his saddle bag, while his horse plodded his own way home,” he said.

Maintaining character

After acknowledging Milton’s rural history, rooted in its distance from Atlanta, Mayor Peyton Jamison said the city has made sure to keep its agricultural zoning intact, despite growth.

There have been many measures taken by elected officials to maintain Milton’s look and feel, an embrace of the city’s contested past. Most recently, the City Council voted Nov. 7 to increase the lot width requirement from 100 feet to 150 feet in AG-1 districts.

City code also requires a 40-foot rural viewshed for AG-1 districts to “preserve the bucolic views from the

roads,” an ordinance that Enloe takes issue with considering it deems a significant amount of private property unbuildable.

To keep density at a minimum, the city’s preference for septic over sewer continues to play a role in development plans, and this is what keeps Enloe from selling. Because Stable Days Farm sits in an AG-1 zoning district, where sewer is prohibited, the property value is much less. The most Enloe has been offered for his 6.5-acre property is $500,000.

Jamison said anyone can apply for re-zoning. But he said in order to meet whatever demand the new zone requires, sewer would need to be extended, which is a separate City Council action.

“I have no desire to extend sewer,” Jamison said.

Milton’s equestrian community

City efforts to maintain Milton’s character doesn’t stop at white fences and the city-wide septic mandate. The City Council-appointed Milton Equestrian Committee dedicates itself to protecting the rights and interests of equestrians.

Committee member Nan Buckner, who owns The Snooty Fox Tack Exchange, says that, like Enloe, she’s had trouble with fireworks spooking her horses. Buckner said after voicing her concerns, the city posted signs near her residence on Hopewell Road and others on Birmingham Road that read, “Fireworks scare horses.”

On the city website, Buckner can be seen talking about her process as a horse owner before and during fireworks, and the steps she takes to

protect her horses, such as sedation and rubber ear puffs.

“It’s the unplanned fireworks that are the problem,” she said.

The committee has taken other measures to prioritize Milton equestrians on behalf of the city. Outside of regularly attending city events to spread awareness, members have provided training to Milton first responders for Technical Large Animal Emergency Rescue (TLAER).

Last year, Buckner took charge of a project to map horse farms in Milton, available on the city’s website. The map shows farms dispersed throughout the city.

“Some have a few horses; others house a dozen or more,” the web page says. “But whatever the size of these horse farms, they are central to Milton and its distinct equestrian identity.”

The committee also regularly hosts Meet the Neigh-bors, an event where the public has an opportunity to convene with the committee, the Milton Fire Department and other horse lovers. The next will be April 23 on the city’s unnamed new green space at the corner of Birmingham Highway and Freemanville Road.

Buckner said the city plans to name the property after Sunny Stevens, a late equestrian trainer from the area.

“We want people to identify the City of Milton as an equestrian-safe space,” she said.

Buckner said she wants people — who theoretically have a neighbor set off five M-80s on the fence line, triggering the horses to run — to be able to say, “Hey, you don’t do that here. This is Milton .”

AMBER PERRY/APPEN MEDIA

Elaine Sha, Tim Enloe’s long-time partner, talks about the unusable horse pathway Nov. 2. She said new development and city engineering have led to stormwater drainage on the property, causing severe erosion.

Doc, can treating this wait?

“Cancer is inconvenient,” a patient of mine recently remarked. I had never thought of it quite like that before, but you know what? She was right!

Whether it’s Thanksgiving, Christmas, a vacation or a wedding, many commitments justifiably raise the question of whether receiving medical treatment can be safely delayed. It’s one of the most com mon questions that I get asked.

In the field of dermatology, we most commonly deal with three skin cancers – basal cell carcinoma (BCC), squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), and mela noma.

BCC’s are generally slow growing, lo cally destructive and have a low chance of metastasis (spreading to other parts of the body). Most of the time, treating a BCC can be safely delayed a few months provided that the tumor is small, has not been growing quickly, and is not located in a “critical area.” Important or critical areas include areas such as the tip of the nose, the ears, lips and eyelids. If a BCC on the eyelid grows even a tenth of an inch larger, the result can be a dramatically harder

wound to close after surgery. Preserving eyelid tissue and function means removing cancers when they are as small as possi ble. In contrast, a small BCC on someone’s back can be removed several months after the date of the biopsy with little risk that the cancer’s growth during that time will impact the final result after surgery.

SCC’s are more dangerous than BCC’s. SCC’s result in approximately as many deaths each year as melanomas do. SCC’s are divided into those that are only in the top layer of the skin (squamous cell carci noma in situ) and those that have begun to grow into deeper tissues (invasive squa mous cell carcinoma). The in situ SCC’s can often be treated similarly to how a BCC is treated. A short delay is acceptable in most patients provided the location on the body is not “critical,” the cancer is small and slow growing, and the patient has a normal, healthy functioning immune sys tem (for example, the patient has not had an organ transplant). Invasive squamous cell carcinoma should be treated more ag gressively. Treatment should generally not be delayed

Melanomas are the most dangerous of the three most common skin cancers. Even

Brought to you by – Brent Taylor, MD, Premiere Dermatology and Mohs Sur gery of Atlanta

ISTOCK

How to Take Care of Yourself while Caring for an Aging Loved One

to you

Understanding the probate process

Brought to you by

Probate is the process by which a court takes over the assets of a deceased loved one and distributes it as the court sees fit. This is a process that can be burdensome, especially if your loved one has recently passed away – not to mention the court procedures take at least a year. The worst part of probate is that the estate of the decedent becomes public. This means any creditor can place a claim on an estate, leading to loved ones losing control over the decedent’s assets.  There are a few ways to avoid

probate. Surprisingly, having a will does not exempt your assets from probate. However, by making a trust and doing careful estate planning, you can rest assured that your family will not have to worry about the court process when you pass on.

At Estate Law Center, we understand the pain of losing a loved one, and we understand the last thing you want is for your family to have to deal with the court while grieving for you. Let us help by helping your family walk through the probate process – or by teaching you how to avoid probate entirely at one of our free workshops.

Center

For most, being able to care for an aging loved one is a privilege. Knowing that you are giving back to someone who has given so much to you can be rewarding. However, if you have limited time and resources, it can also be overwhelming. The pressure of being a caregiver can cause mental, emotional, and physical fatigue over time. A state of exhaustion called caregiver burnout can affect all areas of your life if not recognized and addressed.

What are the symptoms of caregiver burnout?

• Increased anxiety – Always worrying about the well-being of your loved one or if you are doing enough.

• Being easily frustrated, irritated, or angered over small things – You might notice that you are increasingly getting upset over things that hadn’t bothered you before. Other family members may notice this as well.

• Lack of energy – Being a caregiver takes a lot of energy, and you may find you don’t have any left over for your own life.

• Sudden weight gain or loss – You may be soothing yourself with food or not eating regularly.

• Sleep problems – You might be wanting to sleep more than usual as an escape, or you might have trouble sleeping due to constant worry.

• Lost interest in activities you previously enjoyed – This can easily happen when you dedicate most of your time to caring for your aging loved one and neglect your own needs.

• Feelings of hopelessness – Constant caregiving can lead to depression or a feeling that the work never ends, especially as your loved one deteriorates.

• Increased illness – Constant stress can make you more susceptible to illness.

Caring for yourself is critical when experiencing caregiver burnout. Just like the saying, “You can’t pour from an empty cup,” it can be difficult to care for an aging loved one when you are feeling depleted. Below are some suggestions for how you can practice self-care.

• Get respite – Your care plan should include days when your elderly loved one receives respite care so that you can take a break. You need time to de-stress and take care of your own needs.

• Find help – Share caregiving with other family members or reach out to your local Area Agency on Aging. Alert your church community and ask them for resources they are aware of. The Department of Senior Services also connects Fulton County Seniors to the right resources - find out more at tinyurl.com/fultonseniors.

• Establish boundaries – Sometimes your elderly loved one may have demands that seem unreasonable. Turn them down so that you can have the energy for the caregiving that is necessary.

• Get organized – Managing your own life (and maybe your children’s) and your loved ones needs is a lot to manage! Make lists, prioritize your work, and get into a daily routine.

•

•

•

GEERDES

Brought

by - Janet Fluker, Licensed Professional Counselor at Summit Counseling

THIS HOLIDAY SEASON TIP YOUR NEWSPAPER DELIVERY PERSON

This holiday season, consider giving your newspaper delivery person a tip for their weekly delivery of the free community newspaper to your driveway. These folks work hard to make sure you are informed of all the local happenings, rain or shine, week in and week out.

Importantly, at Appen Media, we have always been intentional about our desire to keep delivery of our newspapers free. That said, it would mean the world to us if you would consider tipping your newspaper delivery person so that they will have a little extra money for the holiday season.

If you can help us help these amazing people, we promise to keep delivering high quality news to your driveway, for free, every week. Free home delivery of 105,000 homes is hard work –and we couldn’t do it without our amazing delivery folks.

How you can give your delivery person a tip:

We have created an online portal at www.appenmedia.com/deliverytip.

100% of every dollar you contribute will be spread out evenly between the 24 newspaper delivery people that Appen Media employs. Whether you give $5 or $50, they will greatly appreciate it.

If you prefer, you can also mail a check made out to “Appen Media Group C/O Newspaper Delivery Tip” to 319 North Main Street, Alpharetta, GA 30009.

Ralston:

Continued from Page 1

Burns, R-Newington, to succeed Ralston as speaker. The full House will vote on the nomination on the first day of the 2023 General Assembly session Jan. 9.

Political leaders who served with Ralston remembered him as an effec tive leader who played a key role in the major legislation the General Assembly adopted during his tenure.

“Speaker Ralston was a pioneer in the growth of Georgia’s Republican leadership and leaves an indelible mark on this state,” Gov. Brian Kemp said. “His last session as speaker will long be remembered for his landmark mental health reform bill, helping Georgians fight through inflation, and passing a historic income tax cut that puts more money in the pockets of taxpayers for years to come.

“We are also especially proud of our previous bipartisan efforts on reforming the citizens’ arrest law and adding an anti-hate crime statute to the Georgia code, which would not have happened without the speaker’s steadfast leader ship. These historic accomplishments were only a handful of the numerous hallmarks of David Ralston’s decadeslong service to Georgia.”

Other lawmakers expressed similar tributes.

“Speaker Ralston was a steady, reli able guiding force under the Gold Dome in good times and tough times,” added state Sen. Steve Gooch, R-Dahlonega, who was elected majority leader by Senate Republicans last week. “He cherished the idea of his beloved House being a body that truly represented all of Georgia’s people, and he respected each of the elected members that comprised it, regardless of partisan differences. It takes a genuinely good heart and decent person to lead that way.”

Democrats, too, reflected on Ralston’s passing.

“Georgia Democrats join the en tire state in mourning Speaker David Ralston,” said U.S. Rep. Nikema Wil liams, D-Atlanta, chairman of the Georgia Democratic Party. “Speaker Ralston was a statesman who led with fairness and honesty, looked for com mon ground, and always put his com mitment to Georgia first. … Speaker Ralston will be missed dearly – by those who agreed with him, and by those who often didn’t.”

This story is available through a news partnership with Capitol Beat News Service, a project of the Georgia Press Educational Foundation.

Celebrating Award-Winning Pet Care... For Over

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Historical transition in Roswell Fire Department

BOB MEYERS Columnist bobmey@bellsouth.net

When I learned that the Roswell Fire Department would transition from a part-time department to one with only salaried career firefighters, I became curious about the history of the department and the reasons for the shift.

The statistics about fire departments may be surprising to some folks. Did you know, for example, that according to the National Fire Department Registry maintained by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, FEMA, 70 percent of registered fire departments in the U.S. are all-volunteer, and 16 percent are mostly volunteer? Only 9 percent are fully career and 5 percent are mostly career.

In Georgia, which has 456 fire departments, 72 percent are volunteer or mostly volunteer, while only 28 percent are career or mostly career. Even so, Roswell has had the distinction of being the only city in North Fulton without a full-time career fire department.

Roswell’s fire department dates back to 1937 when it was established with 27 volunteers with C.W. Hughes as fire chief. In 1947, a group of local business leaders decided that the city needed a fire truck. They purchased a used American LaFrance Ford fire engine for $13,000. Up until that time firefighting depended on two long lines of bucket holders, called bucket brigades, with one line for passing water from the water source to the fire and the other for returning empty buckets for reuse.

Former Roswell Fire Chief Ricky Spencer says “there weren’t enough buckets to put a fire out. We needed a truck.”

This is the official portrait taken when Ricky Spencer became a full-time fire chief in 2004.

The City of Alpharetta has a similar history. In 1944 a small group of local business leaders obtained sufficient surplus war material from the U.S. Government to start an Alpharetta volunteer fire department. It gradually grew in size and capability, and in 1957, Billy Bates was one of several local men to volunteer as part of a reorganized department. Billy’s son Bill, like his dad before him, became a volunteer and rose through the ranks to become the first salaried fire chief in 1989. He retired in 2006 after 43 years in the fire service. The Alpharetta department still has some volunteer firefighters.

Ricky Spencer joined the Roswell Fire Department as a volunteer in 1975.

“Everyone had a pager,” says Ricky. “The 911 center would send a call out about a fire, heart attack, etc. The volunteer closest to a station would pick up the truck and head to the fire. We had about 50 volunteers at the time.”

The city grew. So many calls came

in during the late 1950s that the chief at the time, Aubrey Reeves, decided to station people in the fire stations overnight. The calls kept increasing, so more people were assigned to the fire stations, and the volunteer jobs evolved into paid part-time jobs.

Roswell attracted full-time firefighters from all over the Atlanta metropolitan area who wanted to supplement their incomes as paid part timers. The department also continued to have unpaid volunteers, who retained their regular outside jobs, until the late 1970 when it transitioned to part-time.

“We had doctors, lawyers, grocery clerks, mechanics, all committed to saving lives and protecting property, spending their days and nights in the fire house” says Ricky.

The number of calls continued to increase. There were more medical emergencies and more cats caught in

trees. The most serious fires were multistory apartment complexes requiring many rescues. Freeing people trapped in cars after serious accidents, first aid for burn victims and rescuing hikers trapped on cliffs were also quickly handled. More recently, the pandemic affected Roswell’s ability to fill slots and to have personnel available to man the city’s seven stations 24 hours a day. Discussions had already begun to gradually move to a more permanent paid workforce.

Ricky worked his way up through the ranks. Like many other firefighters, he worked full time as a Fulton County firefighter from 1982 to 2004 in addition to his volunteer work in Roswell. After 13 years as a volunteer assistant chief, in 2004 he became the Roswell Fire Chief. He retired in 2014. He was succeeded by Ricky Burnette, who served as fire chief for six years.

In 2019, following a nationwide search, Dr. Joe Pennino was sworn in as Roswell’s current fire chief. Due to the significant changes occurring in recent years, the City Council approved a five-year plan to move the department to a career-only model. The city has hired 21 captains to ensure adequate coverage of Roswell’s seven fire stations.

“Firefighting gets into your blood,” says Ricky Spencer “and it is always with you. Our goal is always to help other people.” Maybe that is why so many young people want to grow up to be firefighters. After all, George Washington and Benjamin Franklyn were volunteer firefighters.

FAMILY/PROVIDED Roswell Fire Chief Ricky Spencer was named Fire Chief of the Year by the Georgia Association of Fire Chiefs. He accepted the award at the association’s annual conference Sept. 14, 2013, in Albany, Georgia. The ceremony was attended by several hundred Georgia fire chiefs and firefighters.

Bob is director emeritus of the Milton Historical Society and a Member of the City of Alpharetta Historic Preserva tion Commission. You can email him at bobmey@bellsouth.net.You can email Bob at bobmey@bellsouth.net. To learn more about the Milton Historical Society, go to miltonhistoricalsociety-georgia.org.

SPENCER FAMILY/PROVIDED

SPENCER

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Newspaper should include environmental coverage

I frequently read the Alpharetta-Roswell Herald, and I appreciate all the content and news in it. I like how the news is diversified and there are a variety of top ics. However, one very important topic that is missing from the newspaper is global warming. I believe some stories about the dangers of global warming should be included in the news.

Temperatures are rising, and though climate change may not affect us right now, it is important that we should try to do what we can so our community can have a small positive impact on the world. It is important that readers of the newspaper are educated on the topic of global warming so they know how we are

hurting the environment, and how we can change.

Atlanta is a big city, and it is known how much pollution occurs here. If the Herald newspaper includes topics on the environment, and it has a positive im pact on our community, other newspa pers may also follow. That way, Atlanta can be much more sustainable.

I really hope the Herald will have stories on the environment to educate readers about global warming.

Thank you for reading.

Rikhil Duvvuri, Alpharetta

Thank You!

Our local news is free to read but not to produce. Milton Herald relies on advertisers to keep the lights on, pay our reporters and publish your news. That’s why we want to say thank you to all the advertisers, large and small, who have stuck by us through thick and thin. Consider giving them your business, just as they have done with us. Buy local, eat local, read local.

More about the curious state of college football

but it’s still worth a mention.

“If a team has two (or more) penalties on a play, only one is enforced,” he wrote. “And the coach of the other team decides which penalty will be enforced. And he must decline all the other penalties. That’s crazy!”

He still hates Tennessee, though. And, he thinks the NCAA should ban cowbells.

There are so many other nits to pick with college football, despite my love of the game.

a crawl for scores from other games.

PAT FOX Managing Editor pat@appenmedia.com

A number of readers responded to a recent column in which I took college football to task for some alarming trends that have surfaced in recent years –from narcissistic bands to Oregon’s Imelda Marcos closetful of uniforms. (The Ducks lost at home last week tricked out in a charming, two-piece, canary-yellow outfit.)

One writer, who goes by Chef Jeff and has a regular list of subscribers to his “I Wonder” newsletter, sent along some of his own pet peeves. The one I liked most and made the most sense was something I’d never thought of before. It’s not a new trend,

THE INK PENN

Chef Jeff goes on to say that this phenomenon occurs nowhere else in the real world.

If you run a red light, then flee police while exceeding speeds of 80 mph, the cops aren’t forced to decide which offense to cite you with. They throw the book at you. You’re tossed out of the game and fined, to boot.

Another writer, a native of Arkansas, said he grew up reveling in his hatred of Ole Miss and Texas. He lamented the fact that one of his sons enrolled at Ole Miss, and his favorite niece and nephew chose to attend Texas.

Allow me one final complaint, this one about the television coverage.

Nearly all college football broadcasts include graphics at the bottom of the screen to provide the game score, time remaining, time outs remaining and the play clock –all well and good. That’s about all I need to know. Some networks present this information in a handsome, unobtrusive way.

But some networks – one in particular – don’t.

They need to add program teasers encased in an Oregon Ducks’ canary yellow box at the bottom corner, along with other incidental information, and

The bottom third of the television screen is cluttered with so much multi-colored debris that viewers are made to wonder whether they’re watching a football game or a slot machine.

I was tuned into the final seconds of an exciting match-up last Saturday when my eye was pried to the bottom of the screen where network Einsteins were running scores from soccer games.

Soccer games!

Let’s be clear about one thing –and I think I speak for all college football fans. The reason most people tune in college football games is college football. The score of a close soccer game is not going to have me scrambling for the remote.

I have Hulu. I can watch soccer or hockey if I want to, but I don’t.

Heaven is a good book and a roaring fire

he was an outdoorsman and was, of course, interested in history and the Royal Navy but didn’t know he was an artist.

KATHY MANOS PENN The

Ink Penn, inkpenn119@gmail.com

It’s the time of year when I want to lie on the couch with a fire going in the woodburning stove and read a good book. Add a pair of cozy socks, a blanket, and perhaps a cat tucked by my side, and I’m in heaven. If you can forgo watching football or raking leaves, I highly recommend you give it a try. You’ll need a good book, and I’m happy to help with a few suggestions.

‘All the Queen’s Men’

I read this mystery before Queen Elizabeth’s death, and I enjoyed the details of her day-to-day life. How can you not like a novel featuring the queen as an intelligent, kind amateur sleuth – one that gives you glimpses of the inner workings of and relationships in the palace? Her role as an amateur sleuth may be pure fiction, but her many duties, her unbelievably busy days, and her kind heart were, I believe, based on fact. She was one busy lady!

Set in 2016 when Prince Philip is still alive, the portrayal of him is especially poignant. I enjoyed learning about his varied interests. I knew

I smiled at the description of Theresa May in her kitten heels as well as the asides about the tumultuous US presidential election and who Queen Elizabeth would wind up dealing with when it was over.

Tidbits like these are sprinkled throughout the book as the complex mystery unfolds. A dead body by the swimming pool at Buckingham Palace is just the beginning. Is the dead staff member somehow connected to a missing painting--one of the Queen’s favorites?

I found this follow-up to “The Windsor Knot” another entertaining read and am delighted to see that a third mystery will come out in 2023--”Murder Most Royal.”

‘Two

Nights in Lisbon’

“Ariel Pryce wakes up in Lisbon alone. Her husband is gone--no warning, no note, not answering his phone. Something is wrong.” Thus reads the book jacket for this pageturner.

I was pulled in from the first paragraph and stayed up late several nights to finish this intriguing thriller. The husband’s disappearance plays out with everyone asking questions,

even his wife. The police want to know how well she knows her new, younger husband. She wonders the same.

As we get glimpses of her life before she married, readers are set up to ask these and other questions. The plot swings back and forth convincingly as clues surface about her husband’s whereabouts, and oddities about his background are revealed. And then there are the revelations about Ariel’s past life.

The question: How does it all connect? The answer: In an explosivewow-gut punch way. I predict that, like me, you won’t be able to read this book fast enough. Author Chris Pavone has done it again!

‘The Love of My Life’

You know going in that lies have been told in what seems like a strong, stable marriage. The story unfolds in chapters voiced by Leo and Emma, husband and wife.

Chapter one opens with the stuff of everyday life, depicting their professional lives, their relationship with their adorable 3-year-old daughter and each other, and the trauma of dealing with illness. The love between them rings true.

But the thread of deception snakes through the day-to-day and soon erupts into a full-scale mystery that calls into question everything Leo has

ever believed about Emma. If she has deceived him about so much, how can he believe she loves him?

My heart ached for both of them, and I rooted for them to make it as a couple. At the same time, I read as fast as I could, wanting to know the truth about Emma’s life, past and present, and why she lied about it.

The book is billed as romantic suspense and women’s contemporary fiction. Call it what you will, the mystery of who Emma really is pulled me in. At the same time, I smiled at the sweet day-to-day gestures and humor that comprise a strong relationship. Now, I want to find Rosie Walsh’s first book, “Ghosted.”

I’m off to find my fuzzy socks and choose another book. Will you be doing the same?

PS. Please join me at Bookmiser on Saturday, Nov. 26, where I’ll be signing books with author Susan Sands from 1–3 p.m. Local authors Marily Baron and Kathy Des Jardins will be there from 11–1.

Award-winning author Kathy Manos Penn is a Sandy Springs resident. Find her cozy mysteries locally at The Enchanted Forest in Dunwoody and Bookmiser in East Cobb or on Amazon. Contact her at inkpenn119@gmail.com, and follow her on Facebook, www.facebook.com/ KathyManosPennAuthor/.

Ribbon:

families who have never experienced homelessness before,” she said. “I think COVID put us in a desperate situation for many folks.”

The COVID-19 pandemic made many families choose between work ing and keeping kids at home when schools closed, which was especially hard for their clients, many of them single parents, she said.

But with the help of their commu nity partnerships, like the churches that house their families, business partnerships like they have with the Greater North Fulton Chamber of Commerce, the volunteers who keep the organization running, that need was filled.

“Our congregations are very in vested in our success not only do they house a lot of our families, but most of them also support us financially,” she said. “Our ministers spend the night with our families, our ministers cook, it’s just a great community that we have.”

To learn more about Family Prom ise of North Fulton/DeKalb, volunteer opportunities and more, visit family promisenfd.org .

Wait:

Continued from Page 15

though SCC’s result in about the same number of deaths each year as melanoma, SCC’s are far more common and so are less dangerous on a per case basis. Melano mas are very dangerous, can easily spread to other parts of the body, and should be treated as the life-threatening cancers that they are.

Like SCC, melanomas are divided into those that are in the top layer of the skin – “melanoma in situ” – and melano mas that have begun to grow into deeper tissue “invasive melanomas.” An invasive melanoma is about as close to an emer gency as most dermatologists regularly encounter. Invasive melanomas trump travel plans, upcoming parties and work functions. Melanoma in situ should also be treated urgently, because biopsies often only sample a lesion, and a possibility of invasive melanoma exists even when the original biopsy report only reads “mela noma in situ.”

The above are all rules of thumb. Decisions about an individual cancer ide ally take the whole person and his or her circumstances into account. A good doctor patient relationship can allow some cancer treatment to be delayed… a little while… sometimes. But in short, yes, cancer is all too often unavoidably inconvenient.

SPONSORED

Care:

Continued from Page 16

Ask members of your household to pitch in more than usual during this stressful time.

• Acknowledge your limitations –Remember that you cannot control everything, so focus on the things that you can control.

• Keep in touch with friends and family – Remember that you need your support system now more than ever!

• Stay active and don’t neglect your own health – Remember that you can’t take care of others if you aren’t taking care of yourself.

• Consider taking a break from your work – It may be impossible to work and be a caregiver at the same time, so consider using Family Medical Leave to make things easier to manage.

Whether you are caring for an ag ing parent or another loved one, being a caregiver can bring with it a lot of emotions and stress. If caregivers aren’t careful, they can jeopardize their own health. Sum mit Counseling Center is here to help you identify these stressors and provide the resources needed to improve your own wellbeing.

CITY OF MILTON PUBLIC NOTICE PH-22-AB-13

PLACE

CITY HALL 2006 HERITAGE WALK MILTON, GA 30004

DATE & TIME: 12/5/22 6:00 PM

PURPOSE: Chapter 4 Consumption on Premises Wine, Malt Beverages, Distilled Spirits, Sunday Sales and Resident Caterer

APPLICANT: Milton Hospitality Group dba Lagarde American Eatery 1935 Heritage Walk, Suite 100 Milton, Georgia 30004 James Adams, Contact 404-538-0278

Notice of Public Meeting

NOTICE OF PUBLIC MEETING

Notice is hereby given that a public meeting will be held on November 30, 2022, at 6:00 pm in the City Council chambers of the City of Milton, Georgia, 2006 Heritage Walk Milton, GA 30004 before the stakeholder Committee for the purpose of planning the proposed Urban Growth Boundary

Notice is hereby given that a public meeting will be held on November 30, 2022, at 6:00 pm in the City Council chambers of the City of Milton, Georgia, 2006 Heritage Walk Milton, GA 30004 before the stakeholder Committee for the purpose of planning the proposed Urban Growth Boundary

For more information you may contact: Shubhangi Jangam Senior planner AICP 678-242-2539 (O)

For more information you may contact: Shubhangi Jangam Senior planner AICP 678 242 2539 (O)

CITY OF MILTON NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING BOARD OF ZONING APPEALS

Date & Time December 13, 2022 6:00 P.M.

Location: City of Milton 2006 Heritage Walk Council Chambers Milton, Georgia 30004-6119 678-242-2500

Consideration of Primary Variances

a. V22-26, 13845 Brittle Road Request(s):

• To allow a proposed accessory structure to remain in front of primary house. (Sec. 64-416(i)).

b. V22-27, 14455 Thompson Road Request(s):

• To allow an existing barn to encroach into the 100-foot building setback for housing animals by 76 feet. (Sec. 64-415 (4)(a)).

c. V22-28, 13580 Freemanville Road Request(s):

• To allow an existing barn to encroach into the 100-foot building setback for housing animals by 3.5 feet toward the rear property line, and 1-foot toward the front property line. (Sec. 64-415 (4)(a)).

POOL TECHNICIANS

WANTED

Part-time & Full-time positions available. Pay is $12-$14 per hour. Hours starting at 6:30AM, Monday-Friday. Pick-up truck not required but must have your own reliable transportation. Gas allowance provided. Looking for people who enjoy working outside and are enthusiastic, dependable & punctual. Able to contribute independently or on a crew with consistently friendly attitude.

Well-established commercial pool maintenance company providing service in the North Atlanta Metro area.

Call Bill: 404-245-9396

AGILYSYS NV, LLC SEEKS

LEAD SOFTWARE ENGINEER IN ALPHARETTA, GA.

Execute in a tech startup environment incl activities: green field designs & implementations, build systems, eng processes, & delivery systems. Telecommuting permitted. Applicants may apply https://www.jobpostingtoday.com/ Ref # 97084.

FRONT OFFICE RECEPTIONISTS AND MEDICAL ASSISTANTS

for busy Dermatology Practice; Cumming, Roswell and Alpharetta locations. Email resume to wmark@atlcenterforderm.com or Fax 770-751-7410.

Systems Analyst

(Multiple Positions):

Associate Degree or equiv.

+ 1 Year Application

Development experience utilizing Java, Applets, SQL, Servlets, JSP, Tomcat, XML, HTML, Hibernate, Struts.

Mail resume to Northstar Technologies, 3650 Mansell Rd., #225, Alpharetta, GA 30022

Full-time

IT Professionals needed by Ingenico Inc. in Alpharetta, GA (mult openings). Sr. Software Developer (SSD072) to design, develop, & maintain user interfaces & underlying functionality for embedded point-of-sale applications that handle secure payment processing, & design, develop & maintain POS solutions. Remote work allowed 1 day/week from home office located within commuting distance of Alpharetta, GA HQ. Technical Services Analyst (TSA071) to analyze business problems & provide product integration, computer systems & software solutions support to Solution Engineering team, customers & partners. Gather technical & systems req’s from customers & provide technical guidance/training on Ingenico’s suite of terminal solutions. Travel req’d once per month within North America. Remote work allowed up to 3 days/week from home office located within commuting distance of Alpharetta, GA HQ, minimum 2 days working in office req’d per week. Mail resumes to Nayelli Cruz Freyre, HR Head TSS NA Region, 3025 Windward Plaza, Ste 600, Alpharetta, GA 30005. Reference code in response.

Supportive Service Coordinator:

The Supportive Service Coordinator (“SSC”) will be responsible for managing the social/supportive services for a portfolio of properties, under the supervision of the Company Asset Manager.

This position will serve as a liaison between the Asset Manager and the property management company. This individual will primarily be responsible for managing compliance and reporting for supportive services and, secondarily, procuring grant funding to supplement the property service budget, and identifying local service providers to augment property offerings.

Full time hours. Requires a Bachelor’s degree in social work or education and a minimum of 5 years’ experience.

For a full job description and to submit a resume, please reach out to:

Samit Patel, spatel@rhgroup.org Resource Housing Group, Inc.

SR. BUSINESS ANALYST, MAGELLAN INBOUND, ALPHARETTA, GA.

May require to travel/telecommute. This Project is a Business Transformation program within Boston Scientific to move the ERP System from SAP ECC to S4 HANA .Contact Sarah Okusanya, Boston Scientific Corporation, application@bsci.com. Please include reference H4872-00122. (EOE).

SiteOne Landscape Supply, LLC seeks a Computer Systems Analyst in Roswell, GA to design, implement, and test Unity Enterprise (UE) solutions to improve the technical quality of SiteOne’s vendor management, inventory control, and customer-interface application systems. Teleworking is acceptable. Send resume to Susann Arrington at SArrington@siteone.com and reference job title and location

Part-time

ASSISTANT TEACHERS

Reliable, confident, dedicated; support the Lead Instructor in providing an excellent learning environment for young children.

• Flexible Hours

• Competitive salary

• Safe, clean, CDC-recommended environment

• Opportunities for tuition reimbursement for family members

Johns Creek Montessori School JCMSOG.org 770-814-8001 • Info@jcmsog.org

Building/Facilities Assistant Manager

Seeking part-time Building/Facilities Assistant Manager for Alpharetta

Presbyterian Church from about 12-4 Monday – Friday.

Candidate needs basic knowledge/competency in building maintenance and grounds keeping as well as strong interpersonal skills. Computer skills are desired.

Requires successful completion of a criminal record and child abuse background check, a valid driver’s license and the ability to perform physical tasks. Full job description can be seen at https://alpharettapres. com/about-us/jobs/.

Qualified candidates please send resume to office@alpharettapres.com

Onsite at his place of employment. Perfect for retired nurse. Helping with meal prep, drive to doctors appointments, some shopping. Salary negotiable. English speaking nonsmoker. Charlotte 678-208-0774

General Clerk 1L (Building and Grounds/ Custodial/ Maintenance) Sawnee EMC is seeking a General Clerk 1L (Building and Grounds/Custodial/ Maintenance) (part-time position) to perform facility maintenance and grounds keeping duties. Requires some heavy lifting, high school diploma or equivalency and a valid GA driver’s license. Related experience with outdoor maintenance equipment and a valid CDL are preferred. Hours: Availability for alternate shift assignments and irregular work hours.

Applicants must complete an application prior to 5 PM, December 2, 2022. Apply online: www.sawnee.com/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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I am thankful for you ...

And the opportunity to serve clients like you. It brings me joy and gratitude every day of the year. I wish you a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday and hope that you are blessed to truly enjoy it with those you love. Thank you for your continued support throughout this year and always.

"Gratitude can transform common days into thanksgivings, turn routine jobs into joy and change ordinary opportunities into blessings."

William Arthur Ward