Milton Herald - December 22, 2022

Honoring first responders

County, city officials OK sales tax split

By ALEXANDER POPP alex@appenmedia.com

ATLANTA – After months of turbulent negotiations, threats and conflict, Fulton County and it’s 15 cities have finalized an agreement over the $3 billion local option sales tax.

Foundation raises funds for annual initiative

By AMBER PERRY amber@appenmedia.com

MILTON, Ga — The Milton First Responders Foundation gifted around 100 Milton first responders with $200 gift cards for the third year, continuing an effort born

from hardships caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Established in 2015, the foundation is a nonprofit consisting of 10 to 15 volunteers who raise money to financially

See FOUNDATION, Page 5

The LOST one-penny sales tax is used by local governments to fund services like public safety, parks and recreation and libraries, and by county governments to fund state-mandated services like county courts, jails, health departments and elections.

Signed by city and county representatives at an event held at the Central Library in Atlanta Dec. 14, this agreement will grant about 10 percent of total See LOST, Page 4

FULTON COUNTY/ PROVIDED District 2 Fulton County Commissioner Bob Ellis speaks at a signing event for the 2023 local option sales tax agreement held at the Central Library in Atlanta Dec. 14.

AMBER PERRY/APPEN MEDIA

Milton first responders gather Dec. 16 for a ceremony hosted by the Milton First Responder Foundation. For the third year, the volunteer-led nonprofit has given out $200 gift cards for all the city’s first responders.

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PUBLIC SAFETY

Alpharetta police captain arrested in Forsyth Co.

By ALEXANDER POPP alex@appenmedia.com

ALPHARETTA, Ga. — A police captain with the Alpharetta Department of Public Safety has been placed on administrative leave following an alleged domestic incident and arrest in Forsyth County.

Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office incident reports said deputies were called to the home of Capt. Michael Stewart of the Alpharetta Police Department Dec. 3, after receiving reports that a husband and wife were involved in a domestic dispute.

At the scene, a residence on Lilac

Pass in Forsyth County, deputies learned Stewart allegedly broke down a bedroom door in the home after an argument with his wife.

After breaking down the door his wife was hiding behind, Stewart allegedly took a gun and left the residence, the report said.

Stewart was arrested and charged with simple assault family violence and criminal trespass. The report did not say whether Stewart was taken to the Forsyth County Jail or released following the incident Dec. 3, but jail records show he was booked into the jail for those charges Dec. 12.

POLICE BLOTTER

All crime reports published by Appen Media Group are compiled from public records. Neither the law enforcement agencies nor Appen Media Group implies any guilt by publishing these names. None of the persons listed has been convicted of the alleged crimes.

Police identify suspect in $10,000 robbery

ROSWELL, Ga. — Police have listed a suspect in the Dec. 8 robbery outside of the Honda dealership on Alpharetta Highway. Police reports said the suspect stole $10,000 cash from an individual during a car purchase.

The suspect met Okwar Benedict, a non-resident, at Stroker Lounge in Atlanta on Dec. 7. The suspect said his cousin worked at the Alpharetta dealership, and he could get Benedict a car at an affordable rate.

Benedict withdrew $10,000 cash from his bank account, and the pair met with the suspect’s supposed “cousin” at the dealership. Once

there, Benedict told police the suspect started acting “weird,” so he decided not to buy the car.

Benedict told police that when he went to the parking lot, the suspect brandished a firearm and took the cash.

Police spoke to the dealership employee, who said he is not related to the suspect, but he did take a photo of his face. Police used the photo to identify the suspect, who has a current address in Marietta.

Items stolen from car at Webb Bridge Park

ALPHARETTA, Ga. — An Alpharetta woman reported multiple credit cards stolen from her vehicle at Webb Bridge Park, police reports said.

Alpharetta police said the woman’s vehicle was burglarized Nov. 30, while parked at the park’s soccer fields for about one hour.

The victim told police she had placed her purse and wallet in the vehicle’s trunk before entering the park and didn’t notice the theft until her husband called to ask if she was

Attempts to reach Stewart for comment were not immediately successful.

In a statement to Appen Media Dec. 12, Assistant City Administrator James Drinkard confirmed that Stewart, an 19-year-veteran of the Alpharetta Department of Public Safety, has been suspended pending an investigation into the alleged incident.

“Per our policies and procedures, he was placed on administrative leave while the Alpharetta Department of Public Safety and Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office conduct their respective ongoing investigations,” Drinkard said.

trying to make purchases at the Apple Store.

The woman later learned that five of her credit cards were missing from her wallet, but no transactions were fully processed.

No suspect was identified.

Vandals hit townhome under construction

ALPHARETTA, Ga. —A townhome under construction on Olmstead Way in Alpharetta was damaged by unknown vandals overnight Dec. 2, police reports said.

Vandals used bricks and asphalt to damage two large windows, siding and gutters on the backside of the home, causing more than $2,000 in damage.

Police officers found rocks, bricks and other projectiles inside and outside the home, reports said.

Police were told the home had been damaged at least two times prior. The townhome’s buyer is currently overseas in India.

No suspect was identified at the time of the report.

HANS

Alpharetta Youth Symphony rings in holidays

By AMBER PERRY amber@appenmedia.com

ALPHARETTA, Ga. — Around 30 festive, young musicians with the Alpharetta Youth Symphony Orchestra ignited the holiday season for a packed room of listeners Dec. 11.

Four holiday pieces were central to the show, the second of the season. Musicians played the 300-year-old “Sleepers Wake” by Bach, “Tidings of Comfort and Joy,” a Gustav Holst Christmas suite, which is a mash-up of three of Holst’s Christmas carols, and “Christmas in About Three Minutes,” another mash-up. They also played “Trepak” from Tchaikovsky’s “The Nutcracker” as an encore.

An additional row of chairs was needed to accommodate some 100 audience members at the Preston Ridge Community Center. Parents lined the room recording.

Established in 2019, the Alpharetta Youth Symphony Orchestra (AlphaYouthSO) is open to audition to primarily middle school and high school students.

Barbaraann Bongiovanni, education director, heads the audition process. Most must know how to read music to gain entry, but she said there are some

The Alpharetta Youth Symphony Orchestra plays its encore piece of the evening Dec. 11, Tchaikovsky’s “Trepak” from “The Nutcracker.”

Suzuki violins — or musicians who only play music by ear right now.

AlphaYouthSO musicians have the opportunity to perform chamber music

throughout the year, including holiday performances in local senior centers with members of the adult orchestra and other local musicians. Most concert sea-

sons also feature a youth competition.

Kim Stocksdale, youth symphony conductor, led the group Sunday evening and described each piece. She mentioned Holst is most well-known for “The Planets,” a seven-movement orchestral suite. The next youth concert will feature one of its pieces, Stocksdale said.

Before introducing the three-minute holiday medley, Stocksdale thanked all the adults who had volunteered their time. Volunteers could be seen scattered throughout the orchestra.

Stocksdale, a lifelong violinist, is in her first year with the AlphaYouthSO. She has conducted the orchestra program at Forsyth Central High School for the past six years but has 15 years of music education experience.

“A lot of school systems are cutting music programs, especially orchestras,” Stocksdale said. “It’s just been great to have a place for them to play.”

She tells her students that music is something they can do lifelong because it’s a great way to connect with people.

“They’re developing connections with each other and ways to relate to each other that they wouldn’t necessarily have in a school setting or any other settings,” Stocksdale said.

AMBER PERRY/APPEN MEDIA

North Fulton Community Charities welcomes new Executive Director

ROSWELL, Ga. — North Fulton Community Charities welcomed Sandy Holiday as the new Executive Director of the nonprofit organization at the end of November. Two weeks later, Holiday says the work has been a whirlwind.

Holiday takes over the role from Mary Good, who served as Interim Executive Director from June to November. Holiday comes to NFCC from Atlanta Children’s Shelter, where she served as the Executive Director for 13 years.

As director, Sandy will lead the nonprofit organization in its goal to aid individuals and families in need. NFCC serves over 8,500 residents every year in Alpharetta, Johns Creek, Milton, Mountain Park and Roswell.

The organization has multiple programs to assist residents, including care management and financial assistance, food pantry, education, clothing assistance and seasonal aid.

During her first week, Holiday worked with the organization’s Giving Tuesday initiative. Volunteers assembled hundreds of senior baskets and received donations for a future Toyland event.

“I must say the highlight for me has been meeting the individuals and families that we impact,” Holiday said.

Prior to Holiday’s role with Atlanta Children’s Shelter, she worked as the State Operations Director with the State Office of Child Support. She has a doctorate from Emory Law.

LOST:

Continued from Page 1

revenues generated over the 10-year life of LOST to Fulton County and the remainder to its cities.

“What I witnessed is something that I know to be true from my decades of representing public entities: addressing contentious matters, sincere, conscientious political leaders find solutions,” Andy Welch, an attorney representing 13 of Fulton County’s cities, told Appen Media after the signing. “The leaders of the 15 Fulton Cities and Fulton County found a solution despite the unnecessary conflict the LOST statute encourages. They all have served their citizens well.”

Prior to this agreement, city and county officials spent several months in official and unofficial negotiation and mediation sessions, debating whether Fulton County should receive a much larger portion of the tax revenues than it has received in recent years.

County negotiators initially argued for returning to a pre-2000 LOST distribution rate split of 35 percent to the county and 65 percent the cities, which raised an immediate outcry from city officials and residents.

However, after months of negotiating, county officials relented and approved the

Appen Media has covered the sales tax negotiations since before they began in July. Support persistent reporting of local issues by joining the Appen Press Club at appenmedia.com/join.

final 90/10 sales tax split at a meeting Nov. 2.

Over the last month, the agreement was ratified by council members in each of Fulton County’s 15 cities.

Per the agreement, cities in Fulton County would see a staggered decrease in LOST distribution percentages over the 10 years, so that the county share can increase from 4.9 to 9.9 percent.

Johns Creek Mayor John Bradberry said the agreement provides a “softer landing.” The city gets the same tax cut next year, he said, but over time the city’s percentage will decrease and the county’s will increase.

Even though cities will see losses in the short run, officials said expected economic growth in the coming decade will make up for any losses cities might experience at first.

Now that the agreement has been signed by all parties, it will be filed with the state of Georgia before the deadline on Dec. 31.

Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens speaks at a signing event for the 2023 local option sales tax agreement held at the Central Library in Atlanta on Dec. 14.

FULTON COUNTY/PROVIDED

Foundation:

The Dec. 16 event, held at the Milton Public Safety Complex, set a $60,000 benchmark of funds raised for first responders during the holiday season.

Brian Dolan, chairman of the foundation, said Kroger gift cards, used for gas and groceries, are a well-suited contribution to the 98 percent of Milton first responders who live in other cities.

Carrying around several stacks of white envelopes, foundation treasurer Robyn Pinto handed out gift cards before and after the outside ceremony.

City officials, staff and officers from the fire and police departments attended, huddling around Dolan.

“I want to reinforce just how important you are to us in keeping us safe every day, to truly understand what you go through every day,” Dolan said. “And happy holidays for you and your family.”

This year, Milton resident Bill Tevendale, who also attended the event, donated a generous $10,000, buying up half the gift cards.

Dolan spoke on behalf of Tevendale, who said, “This is all about recognizing them and what they do each and every day, and the sacrifices they and their fami-

PERRY/APPEN MEDIA

Brian Dolan, chairman of Milton First Responders Foundation, leads a ceremony Dec. 16 that honors first responders. The foundation gifted around 100 Milton first responders with $200 gift cards for the third year.

lies made to keep our community safe.”

An additional $10,000 was raised by the foundation through events, such as its annual Concert on the Green and Pancakes with Santa as well as one-off donations from supportive Milton residents, like Tevendale. Last year another Milton resident donated $30,000 out of the blue, Dolan said, who became tired of how the police departments have been underserved.

The ceremony closed with remarks from Milton Mayor Peyton Jamison.

“All of y’all know our community here is better than anywhere else,” Jamison said to first responders. “They support you 100 percent. We have your back all the time.”

AMBER

PHOTOS BY AMBER PERRY/APPEN MEDIA

City officials, officers from Milton fire and police departments and members of the Milton First Responders Foundation gather in front of the Milton Public Safety Complex Dec. 16. Bill Tevendale, who also attended the ceremony, donated $10,000 to the cause.

‘Resourceful and tenacious’

Sandy Springs woman invents recovery tool

By DELANEY TARR delaney@appenmedia.com

SANDY SPRINGS, Ga.—When Dawn Clements was 23 years old and pregnant with her first child, she herniated five discs in her back. It’s a pain Clements remembers vividly decades later, and it’s what inspired her to invent the Fit Buddy.

The Fit Buddy looks unassuming. It’s curved, with a pointed edge on one side. Despite its simplicity, the fitness tool has over 20 applications for muscle tension, recovery, mobility and flexibility.

The packaging shows a few of the uses, like standing on the curved wood to stretch calf muscles or putting the point of the tool into the palm of the hand. Clements uses the Fit Buddy every day to massage her body.

After Clements herniated the discs in her back, she spent years looking for a solution. Surgery at the time was too high risk, and she got dismissed from physical therapy for not making progress. Clements then started looking at alternatives to traditional medicine.

It was years before Clements really improved. She credits her chiropractor, swimming and massage as helping her improve. Yet at 46 and 47, Clements re-herniated her back.

“I went to see this chiropractor, and he said, ‘You need to take a rock or as a stick that has a rounded end, and you need to just press it into you,” Clements said.

Page 9

I mean it’s pretty amazing, honestly.

ALYSON ROGERS, Fit Buddy user

DELANEY TARR/APPEN MEDIA

Dawn Clements holds her invention, the Fit Buddy, and its instruction manual Dec. 12. Clements invented the Fit Buddy to help with muscle tension, recovery, mobility and flexibility. See Clements,

Clements:

She also started going to Korean yoga, where she used a wooden tool in class to stretch out her muscles.

“I just thought it would be so cool if it was well designed because I would use it in classes, and I just loved it,” Clements said. “I thought I could design one that’s better, with a point to get into that area myself.”

Once she had the idea, Clements dove into meetings with chiropractors, physical therapists, personal trainers and doctors to figure out the best design and use for the tool. She wanted it to be as functional as possible

“It was going in finding more ways to use it, finding what they liked and didn’t like,” Clements said.

She would create prototypes with Styrofoam and shape it using a hot knife, going through numerous iterations of the tool before she settled on her favorite. She created the first official model in 2016 with a woodworker.

The result was lightweight wooden tool called the Fit Buddy, an easy to transport companion for any moment.

Creating the product was one thing, with multiple roadblocks and three different manufacturers. Clements had to learn how to manage production, quality

control and the work of a new business. Selling the product was a new challenge entirely.

Clements sold one of her first Fit Buddies to a friend on her tennis team, Alyson Rogers. They’ve been playing tennis together for close to 15 years, and Rogers went to the yoga classes where Clements got her inspiration.

“I mean it’s pretty amazing, honestly,” Rogers said. “I was proud of her and kind of admired her tenacity.”

Clements started taking her product anywhere she could, targeting people

she knew dealt with pain and muscle tension.

“Before COVID-19, I would go into gyms and studios and I would have a banner and a mat,” Clements said. “I would also go to Delta Airlines, Southwest Airlines and corporate events.”

Clements said flight attendants were a major focus when she designed the product. She knew they dealt with stiff and sore muscles and wanted to ensure the Fit Buddy could fit easily in a carryon.

She also wanted it to be accessible in exercise spaces. Clements eventually got her product into a gym used by players from the National Football League and the National Basketball Association. Soon enough, they started using her products.

Before the onset of COVID-19, Clements taught classes where she would demonstrate how to use the tool.

“It’s pretty awesome watching her get out there and telling people about it,” Rogers said.

Clements said even in casual interactions, she can tell when someone is an athlete or deals with chronic pain. She’ll strike up conversation to introduce the Fit Buddy to them.

“If people are professional athletes, a lot of it is in the way they carry their body and make eye contact,” Clements said.

With one athlete, after a brief conver -

sation, he showed her even more ways to use the tool — something Clements said is a frequent occurrence.

“I’m an extrovert, and I love to talk to people,” Clements said. “I love to learn.”

Clements patented the design for the Fit Buddy in 2019, but she still works on the product.

“She’s still tweaking it along the way,” Rogers said.

Clements said she’s open to learning about new uses for the Fit Buddy. She’s also had to learn a lot about running a business. With a degree in communications, a lot of her education happened as she began her business, or with a women entrepreneur program she joined.

Now, decades after her herniated discs and years from the idea for the Fit Buddy, Clements said she has at least 1,000 Fit Buddies in circulation. It’s a number she only hopes will grow over time.

“I would love to get it into the gyms where the Atlanta Falcons or Hawks or working out,” Clements said, “to actually do a workshop with the athletes.”

Sitting in her office, Fit Buddy in hand, Clements reflected on what’s motivated her through the years of work.

“My father always said I was resourceful and tenacious,” Clements said. “I think that’s benefitted me because it’s ingrained in my mind that I’m resourceful and tenacious, and you have to be in business.”

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DELANEY TARR/APPEN MEDIA

Clements demonstrates how to use the Fit Buddy to help with hand pain, rotating her palm on the rounded point of the tool.

Unhitch the itch!

A revolution has been taking place in dermatology in recent years.

Previously incurable diseases are being cured.

Previously uncontrollable diseases are being controlled.

Previously itchy conditions are now being…de-itched. Un-itched? Unhitched? Scratched?

No, definitely not scratched. You should cure a disease, but you should not scratch an itch. It feels so gratifying in the moment but scratching just leads to more itching later and usually to more suffering, scratching, itching and before you know it, your skin either has chronically itchy spots, bumps, nodules, thickened areas or worse: areas that are now painful and itchy.

You see, fixing itching is so new that there isn’t even a good word for it yet. But de-itchifying the itchy is exactly what some of the newest, latest and greatest medications are doing.

One of the most recent examples of this exciting forward march of medical progress is the use of Dupixent to treat eczema and prurigo nodularis.

Dupixent is a medicine that works by blocking a pathway in our body that involves interleukin 4 (IL-4) and immunoglobulin E. These proteins are involved in conditions that itch such as eczema and many allergic reactions. By blocking the IL-4 pathway, Dupixent stops these proteins from activating cells such as eosinophils that are responsible for inflammation and itching in many cases. Many dermatologists were not surprised that a medication like Dupixent would help eczema. But the exciting news is that Dupixent appears to be effective in many other itchy conditions. It recently gained approval for treating “prurigo nodularis” – a condition characterized by itchy bumps or nodules that previously would often persist for years with little hope of resolving.

Even more remarkable, a clinical trial is underway because Dupixent has shown potential for causing keloids to improve. Keloids are scars that grow with time and often are larger than the size of the wound that caused the scar. Keloids are often itchy and painful.

A new treatment for prurigo nodularis and possibly keloids may not seem like a medical breakthrough, but there is such a deficit of other effective treatments

for these conditions that this is actually very exciting news.

What’s the catch? Don’t we need IL-4 and immunoglobulin E? Is it safe to block them from working? Don’t most pathways in our body exist for a reason? These are reasonable questions to ask before going on a new medication – especially one that someone might be on for years.

The fascinating background to why modern Americans suffer from many skin diseases is that our ancestors likely developed weaponized immune responses against parasites that used to be a problem and are now rarely encountered in the United States. Many medications that treat psoriasis block a protein called TNF-alpha that is important in fighting off tuberculosis. Medications such as Dupixent that block IL-4 likely impair our ability to fight off certain types of parasitic worms such as hookworm. Remember from above that IL-4 activates eosinophils. Well, eosinophils are a type of white blood cell that is important in fighting off “helminth” or parasitic worm infections. Likewise, many believe that keloid scars developed as an ability to wall off parasites with scar tissue.

The package insert for Dupixent mentions that this medicine may interfere with our body’s ability to fight off these parasitic worms. If you regularly come in contact with parasitic worms, Dupixent might not be right for you!

If you avoid parasitic worms and suffer from atopic dermatitis or prurigo nodules and are interested in learning about treatment options including Dupixent, contact Premier Dermatology and Mohs Surgery of Atlanta.

Brought to you by - Brent Taylor, MD, Premiere Dermatology and Mohs Surgery of Atlanta

ISTOCK

’Tis the season

Understanding seasonal depression

Brought to you by - Darrick Brown, Mental Health Awareness Program Coordinator at Summit Counseling Center

Each year, about five percent of Americans experience seasonal depression. Also referred to as Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), seasonal depression can cause those affected to experience feelings of sadness, low energy, or just not feeling like their regular selves as days become shorter in the winter months, often subsiding in spring when days become longer and warmer.

Considered just as devastating as clinical depression, seasonal depression can be accented with more issues when accompanied by traumatic events - not only is one depressed, but memories of events or experiences of current events add additional weight to the season.

Additionally, when the days are shorter and darker, the production of melatonin increases. Melatonin can affect an individual’s “biological clock,” resulting in unusual sleep/ wake rhythms. In addition to the typical signs of major depression, symptoms typically more common in seasonal depression include:

• Oversleeping

• Overeating, particularly craving carbo-

hydrates or sugar

• Weight gain

• Social withdrawal (feeling like “hibernating”)

Seasonable Affective Disorder is treatable, with success found in the following treatments:

• Light therapy (exposure to artificial sunlight to make up for the loss during darker winter months)

• Antidepressant medications

• Talk therapy

I would add that being in community, having a support system, developing systems of accountability, having healthy coping skills, and making healthy lifestyle choices work year-round to assist anyone working to confront and combat depression regularly.

Seasonal depression is a recognized mental illness that can impact those affected by it emotionally, spiritually, and physically. If you are struggling with signs of seasonal depression, Summit Counseling is here to help. We have a team of trained and experienced therapists available to walk alongside you this season. Visit our website to view our services, meet our therapists, and schedule an appointment for yourself or a loved one at www.summitcounseling. org!

Business: Crossroads Yoga

Owner: Kim MacPherson

Description: Community-focused yoga studio with a variety of classes for all ages and stages in the heart of Milton.

Opened: August 2022

Address: 980 Birmingham Road, Milton 30004 Phone: 678-383-7646 Website: www.Crossroads.Yoga

Business Name: North Main Street Market at Alpharetta

Name Of Owners: Kristina Conley & Joern Seigie s

Business Description: The North Main Street Market at Alpharetta is a winter market running from November - March. Serving the Alpharetta & surrounding communities by providing access to locally produced foods and artisan goods.

Month Opened: November Phone: (563) 723-1774 Address: 735 N. Main Street Alpharetta, Ga.

Celebrating Award-Winning Pet Care...

Alpharetta

AlpharettaAnimalHospital.com

Business Name: Brown Bag Seafood

Name Of Owners: Donna Lee

Business Description: Bringing seafood to the masses - with a dash of creativity, a whole lot of love, a squeeze of lemon, and not an ounce of pretentiousness. Your food is coming in a brown bag, and we’re pretty sure there’s no better way to

enjoy it. Delicious. Friendly. Responsible. Month Opened: June 2022

Phone: (678) 336-9522

Address: 123 Perimeter Center W. Ashford Lane (Perimeter Center W. & Olde Perimeter) Atlanta, GA 30346 Website: https://www.brownbagseafood. com/

Business Name: Regions Bank Avalon Crossing Branch

Owner: Regions Financial Corporation

Description: Regions Bank combines advanced technology with personalized service at our modern Avalon Crossing branch in Alpharetta. Our local bankers are ready to listen to your needs and assist

with everything from basic transactions to in-depth conversations to assess your financial health.

Month Opened: December 2022

Address of Business: 11790 Haynes Bridge Road, Alpharetta Phone Number: 770-543-7060 Website: www.regions.com

The poetry of moving water

I went walking the other day along Amicalola Creek in Dawson County, and it was nice. You should do it too. It was the first time I’ve been walking like that in a while, and it made me realize I’ve missed it. Rediscovery can be good for the soul. It can.

Lately I’ve been doing something else again that I haven’t done in a long, long time. I’ve been sitting down with a pad of paper and a ballpoint pen and (are you ready for this?) rediscovering just how much fun it can be to writing poetry.

Yes, poetry.

But what, precisely, is poetry? I asked the Interweb for definition. Most all the sources agreed that poems are a highly developed and often sophisticated literary form that uses focused language and elements of rhythm to creatively express emotion or feeling.

Highly developed sophistication…focused…creative. Yep, that’s me.

All that notwithstanding, this poem writing thing turns out to be a remarkably effective way to crystallize thoughts and bring clarity to one’s mind.

It’s not like regular writing. Not at all. If I write some sort of “long form prose” (that’s writer talk for rambling on and on, kind of like I’m doing now) then I’ve got lots of words to play with and can pretty much go wherever I want to, at least until the laptop’s battery dies or Carl over at the paper sends me a note and says that, no, there really isn’t space to run a 26,000-word column on the subtle beauty of such-andsuch a waterfall.

With a poem, on the other hand, you’ve got fewer words to work with, and so every one really counts. You’ve got to choose them carefully. You’ve got to choose lots of things carefully in life, of course, and I suppose it’s possible that word choice when writing poems is good practice for the bigger choices that sometimes come along.

And if you really get carried away with the whole poetry thing, you can even selfimpose various limits that focus you even more. You could, for example, tell yourself that you’re gonna write a “haiku,” a kind of

poem written in three phrases with a total of 17 syllables. Just 17.

We poet types know about these things. Aren’t you impressed?

Let me tell you, that’s not a lot of syllables. With only 17 to play with, things like rhyme and meter and all that just sort of go out the window. What’s left is essence, essential meaning, the real and true heart of what you’re trying to say.

“But that’s still too easy,” she says. “Want a real challenge? Try doing it in six words.”

Six words? Only six?

“Yes,” she says. “And those six words must tell a story.”

The six-word story, she tells me, is a real thing. I am intrigued.

“Tell me more,” I say. “Give me an example.”

“OK,” she says.

She pauses then, and turns her eyes away, considering, composing. Then at last she looks at me again and says, her voice a little softer, “I find myself finding myself again.”

“Like that,” she says after a moment. “Six words.”

And now I’m walking beside Amicalola Creek. It’s early November. Delayed Harvest trout season has begun. The Ami, as they call it, is a good Delayed Harvest stream, a nice place to fish, and I’ve ended up at the access point near the Georgia 53 bridge – ostensibly to check out the water for a future edition of this column.

I make my way to the creekside trail. If I turn right, I’ll follow the flow upstream, walking along water that I’ve fished so many times before.

But I turn left instead. I follow the boardwalk downstream, away from what is so familiar, away from those waters I fished for so many years. I pass under the Highway 53 bridge, moving now beyond the road that brought me here.

I keep going. The creek grows more excited, more animated, gathering intensity –

I stop and listen. I listen to the poetry of moving water, the free verse of rapids, the haiku of riffles, and the six-word stories of each little splashing cascade.

Again, I hear in my mind’s ear her voice.

“I find myself finding myself again.”

I sit down on a rock. The music of the creek embraces me, and I listen.

STEVE HUDSON

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.

Christmas trees and heroes

In honor of the holiday season this week’s column will explore the transition of one man from combat pilot to successful Christmas tree farmer.

Born in San Jose, California, Gordon Hunter attended UCLA on a Naval ROTC scholarship. After graduation in 1964 he was sent to the Naval Air Station in Pensacola, Florida, where two years later he earned his wings. He soon found himself in the middle of the Vietnam War aboard the aircraft carrier USS Oriskany stationed in the Gulf of Tonkin. There he piloted an A4 Skyhawk, a nimble delta-wing single pilot attack bomber. Skyhawks logged more missions in Vietnam than any other naval aircraft, and 195 carrier based Skyhawks were shot down during the war with their hero pilots either killed or taken captive.

BOB MEYERS Columnist bobmey@bellsouth.net

Gordon served three deployments in Vietnam, flying nearly 300 combat missions. Gordon said during one of his deployments they lost nearly one-third of their pilots, including the future U.S. Senator John McCain who spent five years in a North Vietnamese prison.

The day he was shot down started off like any other daily bombing run with a breakfast of bacon and eggs to be followed by a 90-minute mission over Hanoi. A formation of 20 A-4 bombers from Hunter’s squadron, VA-163, known as the “Saints,” supported by two fighter planes squadrons of F-8 Crusader aircraft made the run. Pilots knew that the target area was well defended by missiles and 50 and 57mm heavy machine guns, any one of which could bring down a plane.

“You could usually avoid the surfaceto-air missiles if you could see them, but sadly, many did not,” Gordon said.

During his entire tour of duty his plane was hit only once by machine gun ground fire when a bullet lodged in the plane’s instrument panel.

After his Vietnam service, Gordon was assigned to be a Naval flight instructor at Lemoore Naval Air Station in California. One day he received a call from Delta Airlines. They needed pilots. Gordon accepted their offer and spent the next 30 years as a Delta pilot.

Gordon and his wife Brooke lived in Stone Mountain which was convenient to the Atlanta airport. Having been a competitive sailor all his life, while in Stone Mountain Gordon operated a part-time sailboat business. He also served in a Naval Reserve squadron based at Naval

Air Station Atlanta (now closed) which was co-based with Dobbins Air Force Base in Marietta.

In 1983, Gordon and Brooke bought a piece of property and moved to Milton where they considered various ways of using the property. After reading an article about Christmas tree farming, Gordon did research and concluded that growing trees would be a good family business and a way to generate income to pay for their four daughters’ college expenses. He and Brooke planted some 200-300 Virginia Pine trees and nurtured them during their 4-5 year growing cycle and opened for business the day after Thanksgiving in 1990.

They bought an additional 100 Frazier fir trees, known for their fragrance, from North Carolina, trucking them to Georgia

themselves. After experimenting with Virginia pine trees for several years, they switched to the naturally shaped and sturdy Leyland cypress trees. The current mix is about 200-300 Leyland cypress trees grown on the property and about 1,000 Frazier firs every year. The business is open to the public from Thanksgiving to mid-December.

For the Hunters, Christmas trees bring hope and light into the world and symbolize giving service to others, such as military service.

“The evergreen tree symbolizes eternal life and the spirit of Christ,” Gordon said.

Brooke’s background is also unusual for a Christmas tree farmer. She attended Brigham Young University for a year, spent a year of study abroad in Vienna, Austria,

FAMILY/PROVIDED LtCdr Gordon Hunter is pictured standing on his Navy A-4 Skyhawk light bomber aboard the aircraft carrier Oriskany off the coast of Viet Nam. Hunter flew nearly 300 combat missions in Viet Nam. 1967.

and then attended UCLA where she earned a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree in Modern Dance, the first degree of its kind in America. She taught dance at Fresno State University in California and Spellman College in Atlanta. She did choreography in local schools in north Georgia, and of course, she trimmed many trees. The business is now run by their daughters while Gordon and Brooke divide their time between Georgia and Florida.

The tradition of modern Christmas trees is often traced back to 16th-century Germany, although evergreens were used in pre-Christian times at the winter solstice to remind people of the coming spring. The winter solstice, the first day of winter, is also the shortest day of the year. This year, it falls on Wednesday, Dec. 21, when the North Pole is tilted furthest from the sun. On that date we will have eight hours and 46 minutes of daylight.

Christmas trees were generally restricted to Europe until the use of decorated trees by Queen Victoria and her German born husband Prince Albert was popularized in the American press in the mid-1850s. We can thank the Victorian era for several important Christmas traditions such as Christmas cards and the decorated Christmas tree.

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.

LESLIE WATSON/PROVIDED

People attending the events at the Hunter Christmas Tree Farm can donate gifts to North Fulton Charities. The farm sells trees from Thanksgiving to mid-December.

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.

Nancy Hanks, Airline Belle, and Man o’ War trains

In the last Past Tense, I told how Charlie Blackburn rode the Airline Belle from Atlanta to Chamblee, then boarded the Roswell Railroad to visit his grandparents in Dunwoody. There are many reasons people traveled by train to or from Atlanta. Some came to visit family, to get to work or school, attend an event such as a football game, or shop in downtown Atlanta, especially in the days before Christmas.

The train known as Nancy Hanks first began the trip from Savannah to Atlanta in 1893. The trip took about six and a half hours. Georgia Central Railway picked the name Nancy Hanks because of the world record racehorse by that name, rather than Abraham Lincoln’s mother.

Atlanta historian Franklin Garrett describes this first version of the Nancy Hanks as “elaborate and luxurious.” The train was painted royal blue and trimmed in gold leaf with images of the racehorse logo in the frosted glass panels above each window.

The Nancy Hanks only lasted a few months because it caused many accidents. It was too fast for the time, colliding with livestock and unfortunately also with people. It was shut down before the end of 1893.

Georgia Central Railway brought the name Nancy Hanks back in 1947. A July 10, 1947, article in the Bulloch Times announced, “Nancy Hanks II: Modern Stream-Liner is Latest Word in Comfort.” A round trip from Savannah to Atlanta began with departure from Savannah at 8 a.m., arrival in Atlanta at 1:40 p.m., departure from Atlanta at 6 p.m. and arrival back in Savannah at midnight.

In September of 1957, football fans could ride the Nancy Hanks to Atlanta for two games. Georgia Tech played Kentucky at 2 p.m. and Georgia played Texas at 8 p.m. Following the second game, a bus would return fans to Terminal Station to leave for Savannah around 11:15 p.m.

Riding the Nancy Hanks II from Savannah or Macon to shop in Atlanta is remembered by many. Stops along the way included Wadley, Tennile, and Griffin. In 1963, the train was owned by Southern Railway and in 1971 it shut down for good with the beginning of Amtrak.

Just as with other forms of trans -

portation, trains were racially segregated in the South and this continued until 1965, according to the Smithsonian Institute Magazine. Southern Railway Car Number 1200, a segregated car used on the Southern Railway in Georgia is on display at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture. Cars such as Number 1200 had smaller bathrooms, no luggage racks, and no amenities. Blacks sometimes rode in baggage cars and were denied access to dining cars.

Other trains that brought people from small towns to Atlanta include the Air-Line Belle and the Man o’ War. The Air-Line Belle from Toccoa to Atlanta ran from 1879 until 1931. Stops along the way included Duluth, Suwanee, Sugar Hill, Buford, Alto, Lula, Oakwood and Mount Airy.

Clifford M. Kuhn wrote about riding the Air-Line Belle in “Living Atlanta: An Oral History of the City, 1914-1948.” “We’d get the Airline Belle out of Toccoa, which was about three coaches, and a little steam engine. We’d come down Mitchell Street and turn there to go to Rich’s, Bass’s and Kress ten-cent store.”

Also named for a racehorse, the Man o’ War ran from Columbus to Atlanta beginning in 1947 and continued until the spring of 1970. Bonnie Smith Nichols and Larry Jordon remember riding the Man o’ War from Atlanta to Columbus on a Dunwoody School field trip in 1957. They visited Fort Benning while in Columbus.

Other stops for this route included Cataula, Pine Mountain, and Hamilton.

Atlanta’s Terminal Station, owned by Southern Railway, was shut down in 1970 and demolished in 1972. Union Station in Atlanta was also demolished in 1972.

Marc Hayes of Brookhaven remembers seeing the Nancy Hanks on many occasions when he worked in downtown Atlanta in the 1960s. He worked close to both Terminal Station and the smaller Union Station. “At least a couple of times a week, on my lunch hour, I’d walk over to either or both stations to explore the cavernous Terminal Station and the smaller Union Station.”

Over the sound system, incoming trains were announced. Passengers leaving Atlanta were notified when it was time to board their train and then the words “All Aboard” were called out.

Award-winning author Valerie Biggerstaff is a longtime columnist for Appen Media and the Dunwoody Crier. She lives in Sandy Springs. You can email Valerie at pasttensega@gmail.com or visit her website at pasttensega.com.

VALERIE BIGGERSTAFF

PROVIDED

A 1950 advertisement promotes the Central of Georgia Railway’s Nancy Hanks II, a train ride between Savannah and Atlanta. Augusta passengers could connect by way of Millen, Georgia.

Robin Fricton

Roderick Liptrot

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Take a literary trip to Brittany in two books

GEORGIA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION A LOCATION AND DESIGN PUBLIC INFORMATION OPEN HOUSE

For P.I. No. 0016582

Fulton County

“The King Arthur Case” by Jean-Luc Bannalec

OMG. As a King Arthur addict and Bannalec fan, how could I go wrong with this book? Arthurian legend and a murder mystery all in one made this an entertaining page-turner for me.

The Ink Penn, inkpenn119@gmail.com

I was fortunate enough to visit Normandy in 2014 but the closest I got to Brittany was having a tour guide on my cycling trip whose family owned a farm there. It’s long been my practice to find and read works of fiction—especially mysteries—set in the locales I plan to visit, and that’s how I stumbled across this author years ago. I’ve read the earlier books in the series and was tickled to find the most recent one at the library.

“The Granite Coast” by Jean-Luc Bannalec

When I stumbled across Book seven in the series, I brought it home and immediately logged onto the library website to reserve this one—Book six. I prefer to read a series in order when I can.

This one was a delight. Who knew there were so many very different locales in Brittany? The author splits his time between Germany and France and someone else translates his books into English. Every book is like a virtual vacation. In this one, Commissaire Dupin is taking a forced vacation with his girlfriend and is trying mightily to relax. Of course, his boredom is relieved by a murder and several lesser mysteries in the picturesque village on the Granite Coast. Read it for the descriptions of the pink granite. Read it for the murder mystery. Read it for the evolving relationships. You won’t be disappointed.

Solution

Visit yet another locale in Brittany when Commissaire Dupin and his team take a field trip to the Forest of Broceliande, the setting for “the legend of all legends,” that of King Arthur as told by Chretien de Troyes. When Dupin discovers the body of a scholar on their first stop, the field trip quickly turns to the business of finding the murderer, and just as quickly, the body count grows.

Woven throughout the modern-day mystery are tales of the Knights of the Round Table. As are all Bannalec’s mysteries, this one is filled with twists and turns, good food, and good wine. Read it for the intrigue and the fairy tale legend and come away hungry! I also came away with the urge to visit Brittany--as I always do when I read this series.

If you’re intrigued, I suggest you start with Book one—“Death in Brittany.” I recall being fascinated by the descriptions of the shoreline and the famous painters who visited the locale in the days of old. I love learning things when I read fiction, and in these books, I always do.

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/.

DEATH NOTICES

Suzanne Blazovich, 81, of Alpharetta, passed away on December 11, 2022. Arrangements by Northside Chapel Funeral Directors & Crematory.

Helen Cox, 93, of Alpharetta, passed away on December 13, 2022. Arrangements by Northside Chapel Funeral Directors & Crematory.

Sara Fagundes, 87, of Roswell, passed away on December 11, 2022. Arrangements by Northside Chapel Funeral Directors & Crematory.

The Georgia Department of Transportation (DOT) is placing project information for review and feedback into an internet platform to allow citizens to review and comment on the proposed project. We appreciate your participation in this process.

Georgia DOT has posted information at https://www.dot.ga.gov/GDOT/Pages/ PublicOutreach.aspx related to the proposed bridge replacement at City Street (CS) 34/Freemanville Road at Cooper Sandy Creek.

This project proposes to replace the existing bridge (GDOT Bridge ID# 121-51230) carrying CS 34/Freemanville Road bridge over Cooper Sandy Creek, 1.75 miles north of the City of Alpharetta limits. The existing bridge consists of two 9-foot lanes. The proposed bridge would widen the lanes to two 12-foot lanes. The bridge would be replaced on existing alignment and would require a 4.3-mile offsite detour during construction.

The purpose of this internet posting is to replace an in-person meeting, while allowing the public to review the proposed project, provide feedback, or write in with questions.

Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Information:

To request materials in accessible formats for people with disabilities contact the District Planning and Programing Liaison Joshua Higgins at johiggins@dot.ga.gov, or (770) 216-3896.

Comments will be accepted concerning this project until January 27, 2023. Written statements may be submitted to:

Mr. Eric Duff

State Environmental Administrator Georgia Department of Transportation 600 West Peachtree Street, NW – 16th Floor Atlanta, Georgia 30308

Veronica Genito, 60, of Milton, passed away on December 6, 2022. Arrangements by Northside Chapel Funeral Directors & Crematory.

Catherine Lindsey, 90, of Alpharetta, passed away on December 11, 2022. Arrangements by Northside Chapel Funeral Directors & Crematory.

Rosalie MacLaren, 98, of Alpharetta, passed away on December 8, 2022. Arrangements by Northside Chapel Funeral Directors & Crematory.

Michael Pannell, 42, of Roswell, passed away on December 7, 2022. Arrangements by Northside Chapel Funeral Directors & Crematory.

Linda Varni, 73, of Milton, passed away on December 7, 2022. Arrangements by Northside Chapel Funeral Directors & Crematory.

Betsy Whitley, 92, of Sandy Springs, passed away on December 10, 2022. Arrangements by Northside Chapel Funeral Directors & Crematory.

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