Sandy Springs Crier - June 27, 2024 by Appen Media Group

Georgia Press Association recognizes Appen Media

Namari Dance Center students open “From Africa to America” June 19 at City Springs with a dance number to “Mary Don’t You Weep.” HAYDEN SUMLIN/APPEN MEDIA

Juneteenth at City Springs wows crowd

By HAYDEN SUMLIN hayden@appenmedia.com

SANDY SPRINGS, Ga. — A tribute to freedom and liberty on Juneteenth at City Springs drew thousands to celebrate and learn.

More than two-and-a-half years after President Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation, Union troops arrived in Galveston Bay, Texas, and announced enslaved Black people were free.

Juneteenth, made a federal

holiday in 2021, celebrates the end of chattel slavery in the United States when all Americans were finally freed June 19, 1865.

The City Springs celebration, sponsored by the cities of Sandy Springs and Dunwoody, brought together the Perimeter area on both sides of Ga. 400 for a whirlwind of performances, educating and fun.

The day’s festivities flowed across the City Green and into the Byers Theatre lobby, where high schoolers from Dunwoody,

Sandy Springs and Douglas County discussed their works in an immersive art exhibition.

PeQue Brown, founder of LIQUID Arts studios, worked with local high school artists to create canvas pieces representing what freedom means to them. PeQue’s wife, Kelli Brown, said it’s all about youth artists and supporting the next generation.

The pieces incorporate

FREEDOM, Page 7

$1.09 billion

General fund spending expected to rise by 15%

By HAYDEN SUMLIN hayden@appenmedia.com

SANDY SPRINGS, Ga. — Sandy Springs adopted the city’s 2025 budget at the June 18 City Council meeting, a spending plan totaling $1.09 billion.

The city’s 2025 budget calls for an additional $20 million in operational, or general fund, spending from the current fiscal year, which ends June 30.

The city’s 2025 general fund, totaling $155 million, represents what it costs to run the city. It covers operations and personnel expenses across city departments and transfers to various sub-budgets.

The budget is based on maintaining the city’s property tax rate of 4.731 mills.

The spending plan sets aside about $32 million – or 25.6 percent of expenditures – in general fund reserves.

“That does not change our financial policy,” City Manager Eden Freeman said. “[It] requires that we keep 25 percent of our general fund budgeted expenditures in our rainy-day fund from year to year.”

The reserve is important, given dwindling revenues from commercial property taxes, increasing insurance costs and other inflation factors.

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COMPARING POLICE TRANSPARENCY

Sandy Springs vs. Johns Creek

Sandy Springs Johns Creek

Each week Appen Media requests police incident reports to inform residents about the safety of their community. Sandy Springs continues to withhold what it calls the “narrative reports.” It is the only city Appen Media covers that follows this practice, which goes against guidance from the Attorney General, Georgia Bureau of Investigation, Georgia Sheriff’s Association, Prosecuting Attorneys’ Council of Georgia and Georgia Press Association. Appen Media will continue pursuing the release of more detailed documents that belong to the public in order to inform residents how safe – or unsafe – their city is.

PALS

SUMMER 2024 PROGRAM

Dunwoody Baptist Church 1445 Mt. Vernon Rd., Dunwoody, GA 30338. Registration will be available on the PALS website: www.palsonline.info

The class line up is as follows:

MONDAYS:

From 10:00 am - 11:00 am

Local Authors – We will continue our commitment to presenting local authors to discuss their books, their backgrounds and their genres. This year we will have such best selling authors as Ann Hite, a Jimmy Carter biographer (Dot Padgett, and authors who wrote books on sports personalities, more novelists, murder mystery writers and more.

From 10:00 am - 11:00 am

Sandy Springs Conservancy backs trails, parks

SANDY SPRINGS, Ga. — The Sandy Springs Conservancy presented the city with $20,000 in funding for parks and trails projects at the June 18 City Council meeting.

Conservancy Board Chair Jack Misiura and Development Chair Alexandra Allen gave the first $10,000 check for restoration efforts and improvements to Abernathy Greenway Park South.

The funds serve as a community support matching grant needed to secure state grant funding.

The project is expected to begin in 2025.

Kristen Ristino, director of operations at the Conservancy, said the Bennett Thrasher Foundation made the donation possible with a grant.

Another $10,000 check went toward the Springway, or the Sandy Springs Trail Master Plan, specifically for the segment running along Roswell Road through the Big Trees Forest Preserve.

The city is currently in the rightof-way acquisition phase of the path project that will connect Morgan Falls Overlook Park and Orkin Lake to Roswell Road.

Ristino said Northside Hospital and its support of community health made the second donation possible.

Speaking to the City Council, Conservancy Board Chair Misiura said support from city staff, councilmembers and the community makes work to

A Sandy Springs Conservancy representative hands Mayor Rusty Paul a toy along with $20,000 for parks and trails projects. The donations fund work on the Abernathy Greenway Park South and the Springway trails at Morgan Falls Overlook Park.

enhance city facilities a reality.

“I want to thank everyone up here for your support of trails, greenspace and parks in Sandy Springs,” he said. “It’s an important part of our community and we’ve made a lot of progress.”

Misiura said the Conservancy is excited about the opening of the segment of Morgan Falls Connector Trail running over Orkin Lake later this year and funding for aspects of other segments.

During the presentation, the Conservancy gave Mayor Rusty Paul items along with each check, a shovel for help with the Springway and a toy truck for Abernathy Greenway Park South.

Paul thanked Conservancy members and supporters for their help delivering city projects. He said the toy truck will lead to extensive debates with his grandchildren.

A View Into Western Civilization Through Its Architecture – Architect Jerry Cooper will lead us in an exploration of how societies down through the ages have reflected their values through the buildings that were built to serve them beginning with Ancient Egypt through Ancient Greece to the Roman Empire up to the present day with a view of Romanesque, Gothic, Renaissance and Modern structures. Discussion willcenter on how the evolution of technology, the various societies’ changing values, governing structures and religious perspectives impacted their architecture. The class will conclude with a discussion of what buildings might look like today and why.

From 11:30 am - 12:30 pm

Libraries – with Betsy Jones – From the ancient library of Alexandria to the Library of Congress, scores of libraries have been the repository of the written word. Among others, the class will look at several Presidential libraries and explore the 2509 Carnegie libraries which formed the backbone of our public library system.

From 11:30 am - 12:30 pm

A Perspective on Jimmy Carter – Professor Bob Short will discuss the life of Jimmy Carter from his life in Plains, GA to Governor of Georgia to President of the United States and his legacy post-presidency.

From 11:30 am - 12:30 pm

A History of America Through Life Magazine Covers –

Besty Jones started collecting old LIFE magazines almost 50 years ago and at one time had a collection of more than 1400 issues. LIFE was launched as a weekly magazine in 1936 by Henry Luce, publisher LIFE covered topics and ceased weekly publication in 1972. LIFE touched every fabric of our lives - war (and peace), royalty, sports, presidents and other politicians, celebrities, science, space, medical triumphs (and tragedies), civil rights, art, music and fashion - to name but a few. Each week will cover a specific topic to see how it was covered over the years.

PHOTOS BY: HAYDEN SUMLIN/APPEN MEDIA

From left, Sandy Springs Conservancy Board Chair Jack Misiura; Mayor Rusty Paul; and Conservancy Development Chair Alexandra Allen smile after a check presentation June 18. The Sandy Springs Conservancy donated $20,000 for parks and trails projects throughout the city.

Visit Our Brand New Showroom

Georgia Press Association recognizes Appen Media

JEKYLL ISLAND, Ga. — The Georgia Press Association honored winners of the 2024 Freedom of Information Award and Better Newspaper Contest June 7 for outstanding achievements in journalism.

The association also recognized winners of the Better Newspaper Advertising Contest during its 137th annual convention at Jekyll Island Club.

Competing in Division F, Appen Media received first place in the General Excellence category, coming out ahead of Big Canoe’s Smoke Signals and the Augusta Press.

Appen Media unseated Smoke Signals, which had won the award each of the last nine years.

In total, Appen Media brought home 10 awards for advertising and 17 honors in the Better Newspaper Contest.

Entries are judged in six divisions based on circulation:

• Division A: daily circulation of more than 8,000

• Division B: daily circulation of less than 8,000

• Division C: weekly circulation of 3,800 to 15,000

• Division D: weekly circulation of 2,000 to 3,799

• Division E: weekly circulation of less than 2,000

• Division F: weekly circulation of more than 15,000 and all associate media members of GPA

Members of the Texas Press Association judge both contests in February and March.

For the 2,293 entries to the editorial contest, the GPA presented 509 awards in 42 categories to 78 newspapers.

For the 449 entries in the advertising contest, the GPA presented 120 awards in 17 categories to 30 newspapers.

Appen Media won first place in Special Issues/Sections for the October 12 Sandy Springs Crier, an edition dedicated to walking readers through the ongoing public records conflict between the newsroom and the City of Sandy Springs.

Appen also took home the top prize for Best Investigative Reporting. The award honored databased and enterprise work from members of the newsroom including Amber Perry, Delaney Tarr and Carl Appen for their work covering Milton elections and Open Records practices in the City of Roswell.

“Staff uncovered irregularities, including omitted provisions, in a feasibility report on a change to city-run elections,” a judge said as part of their remarks. “Open records requests produced the complete version versus the changed one, which the paper published so voters could see what was left out of the public presentation.”

Rounding out the group awards, newsroom staff also secured second and third place in the Page One category.

Appen Media’s pagination team, led by Dionna Williams and Jacob Tomberlin, took home second and third place for layout and design.

Appen Media’s Perry took top honors in the Feature Photograph category, as well as second place in Business Writing and third place in Education Writing.

Former Appen Media reporter Shelby Israel won first place in Education Writing for her work covering elementary redistricting in Forsyth County.

Carl Appen, director of content and development, edged out Pat Fox, managing editor, to win first place in the Serious Column category. A judge commended Appen for clever yet serious public service writing and said Fox stood out in the crowded category with strong, clear writing.

Appen Media’s Hayden Sumlin won second place in the Breaking News Writing category.

Appen Media’s advertising team, led by senior designer David Brown, swept the Food category of the Better Newspaper Advertising Contest.

The team also won awards in the Real Estate, Home Furnishings, Newspaper Promotion and Service categories.

The True Citizen of Waynesboro won the 2024 Freedom of Information Award for its work getting the City of Keysville to provide information to the public regarding construction and funding of a water well.

The University of Georgia’s Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication judges the annual award.

“Public institutions must know that if they keep secrets, the local newspaper will battle them, in court,” a judge said. “And that they won’t back down.”

4TH OF JULY STOREWIDE SALE!

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Save NOW on in-stock & custom-ordered quality home furnishings from UltraComfort, King Hickory, Temple, Bradington-Voung, American Leather, Jessica Charles, IMG, Palliser, Surya & more!! 1101 Alpharetta St (Hwy 9) • Historic Roswell • 770-518-8518 Open Tues-Sat 10-5:30 Now celebrating our 32nd year–thank you for shopping local!

30 Fasten a boat to a bitt, pin, or cleat

33 Colored slightly

Author engagements promise sizzling talks through early summer

By KATHY DES JARDINS CIOFFI newsroom@appenmedia.com

Whether your preferred reading spot is on a beach or the closest couch, these nearby book events in July will make passing the lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer a breeze.

Tuesday, July 2, Lo Patrick, celebrates her new release, “The Night the River Wept.” 7 p.m. Free. Johns Creek Books, 6000 Medlock Bridge Road. 770-696-9999. johnscreekbooks.com

Tuesday, July 9, Bookfair for Grownups., Read It Again Bookstore will partner with Stillfire Brewing for a book fair. 4 p.m. Free. 343 US-23, Suwanee. 770-927-8989. Stillfirebrewing.com

Saturday, July 13, Cicely Lewis., The award-winning local media specialist and author will promote her six-book “Hair Magic” series. 10 a.m. Free. Read It Again Bookstore, 3630 Peachtree Parkway, Suite 314, Suwanee. 770-232-9331. read-itagain.com

Saturday, July 13, Jenn Lyons, with the first book in her newest romantasy series, “The Sky on Fire.” Noon. Free. Read It Again Bookstore, 3630 Peachtree Parkway, Suite 314, Suwanee. 770-232-9331. read-itagain.com

Saturday, July 20, Allie Millington, discusses her bestselling novel,

PROVIDED

Lo Patrick will discuss her new release, “The Night the River Wept,” in Johns Creek July 2

“Olivetti.” Noon. Free. Read It Again Bookstore, 3630 Peachtree Parkway, Suite 314, Suwanee. 770-232-9331. read-it-again.com

Saturday, July 20, Jenny Studenroth, signing and speaking about “Let Me Let You.” 3 p.m. Free. Poe & Company Bookstore, 1890 Heritage Walk, Suite P101, Milton. 770-7975566. Poeandcompanybookstore.com

Tuesday, July 23, Sarah Metts, author of “Between Brothers.” 5 p.m. Free. Poe & Company Bookstore, 1890 Heritage Walk, Suite P101, Milton. 770-797-5566. Poeandcompanybookstore.com

Thursday, July 25, Crabapple

Summer Stroll, featuring Nandita Godbole with spices, cookbooks and handmade pottery. 5 p.m. Free. Poe & Company Bookstore, 1890 Heritage Walk, Suite P101, Milton. 770-797-5566. Poeandcompanybookstore.com

To submit an author event for the upcoming month, email Kathy Des Jardins Cioffi at kathydesjardins3@ gmail.com by the 15th.

North Fulton charity to hold backpack drive

ROSWELL, Ga. — North Fulton Community Charities is asking for donations to help families in need prepare for the fall with its annual Back-to-School Backpack Drive.

Last year, donations from the community provided 1,083 new backpacks filled with school supplies for 412 families in need.

This year’s drive will be held at Alpharetta Presbyterian Church on Academy Street.

The nonprofit announced that sturdy backpacks and supplies can be dropped off between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., July 22-24.

Donors are also invited to make financial contributions to the program.

School supply lists and sign-up forms are available at nfcchelp.org/holidayprograms/.

Founded in 1983, North Fulton Community Charities is a nonprofit dedicated to helping ease hardship and foster financial stability for residents of Alpharetta, Johns Creek, Milton, Mountain Park and Roswell.

The nonprofit focuses on case management, emergency financial assistance, food and clothing support, seasonal initiatives and education at its two locations in Roswell.

Sherri Morgan, director of development at North Fulton Community Charities, said seasonal programs ease the hardship of costly purchases for families whose budgets are stretched.

“Often, these extra purchases can put a strain on families who are barely getting by,” Morgan said. “When our supporters purchase quality backpacks and supplies, they help local children return to school excited for the new school year, and fully equipped for academic success.”

Alpharetta Presbyterian Church Senior Pastor the Rev. Ollie Wagner said equipping children for success in education is what the backpack drive is all about.

“APC is honored to host this year’s event, and we are grateful for every donation of time, money or school supplies that will make it happen,” Wagner said. “What a joy and privilege it is to partner together across the community to serve and support our youngest members as they prepare for the start of a new school year.”

Hallboys Holdings is the presenting sponsor for the Back-to-School initiative, with Datascan, C.L. Burks Construction, Kloeckner Metals, Choate Construction and Toyota Financial Services as supporting sponsors.

Roswell beverage contest scheduled for this summer

ROSWELL, Ga. — Summer Sippin’, Roswell’s annual beverage competition and promotion, is returning for its ninth year from June 18 to Aug. 13.

This year, 51 establishments are participating, and each one is tasked to create a special summer inspired drink that patrons are encouraged to rate on the Summer Sippin’ app or on SummerSippin. com.

At the conclusion of the two-month event, one alcoholic and one non-alcoholic beverage will win the title of ‘Best Sip in Roswell.’

Patrons can expect to see a mix of Roswell breweries, tasting rooms, coffee shops and restaurants on the list of places to try.

#SummerSippin2024 will serve as the official hashtag.

Andy Williams, executive director of Visit Roswell, said the annual competition is a great way for the organization to collaborate with local hospitality businesses and showcase their teams’ creative talents.

Visit Roswell is the city’s tourism program.

“It provides us a fun way to promote our

food and beverage partners while helping to drive sales during the summer months,” Williams said.

Roswell Inc, an economic development arm for the City of Roswell, is also leading the effort.

"We are proud to offer this program for one of our leading industries,” Roswell Inc Executive Director Steve Shroud said. “Roswell restaurants are a key sector of our economy, employing over 4,500 individuals and generating more than $250 million annually."

The full list of participating restaurants, drinks, descriptions and photos can be found at SummerSippin.com and on the Summer Sippin’ App, which is available in both Google Play and Apple App stores. You can also follow Summer Sippin’ on Facebook and Instagram at @RoswellEatsandSips.

The popular Summer Sippin’ Cocktail Crawl is also back again, scheduled for July 13.

Summer Sippin’ is partnering with Bar Crawl USA to bring the fun crawl to downtown Roswell which will feature around a dozen participating locations. For more details and tickets visit barcrawlusa.com.

COMMUNITY

Freedom:

augmented reality, allowing guests to engage with innovative, live-action displays, called the STEAM Art Gallery.

Jade E’lon, rising 10th grader in the arts program at North Springs High School, said she thought about being at home with loved ones while creating her piece, “Dreamers.” Her goal, she said, was to showcase Black joy, while also incorporating symbols of African heritage.

Madison Ozane, a rising junior in the Douglas County School System, said freedom means the ability to express oneself. She said speaking with hundreds of patrons outside the Byers Theatre helps her get out of her shell.

Before a packed crowd of more than 1,000 at the Byers Theatre, Sandy Springs Mayor Rusty kicked off the program introducing Namari Dance Center and Production’s “From Africa to America.”

“It’s a real privilege to be here and be a part of this great ceremony,” Paul said. By the time the mayor walked off stage and “Mary Don’t You Weep” began playing, only standing room remained.

Antwan Sessions and Shervoski Moreland, co-owners of Namari Dance Center & Productions, produced and directed “From America to Africa,” the theatrical production highlighting the event.

The stage program included dance from Namari and Douglas County students, spoken word from the pastor of Pleasant Hill Church in Roswell and song from the Lynwood Park Community Choir.

The performances weaved through different themes and emotions associated with Juneteenth, including joy and grief. References to “the brothers that chose the sea,” on trips across the Atlantic Ocean quieted the crowd, while “amens” rang out during unifying speeches from local leaders.

Councilwoman Melody Kelley led the

Juneteenth Planning Committee on an eight-month effort to put together the city’s newest signature event.

“We were very intentional from the beginning with defining who the most important stakeholders are,” she said.

“That’s what is was, eight months of relationship building to get us to this point.”

Kelley, already thinking about next year’s event, said she received an email from a resident suggesting day-time activities for young children.

“That’s what expansion looks like to me, instead of three hours – all day,” Kelley said.

Kelley said she couldn’t isolate any one person for pulling off the festival because of the dozens of people on city staff, in community organizations and throughout the corporate world who made the day possible.

Many attendees at the celebration echoed Mayor Paul’s praise for Kelley for her herculean effort.

Sandy Springs Communications and Public Relations Director Carter Long said her team estimates more than 2,500 people attended the celebration.

Over the eight-month process, the committee sought relationships with corporate sponsors and community partners, including Inspire Brands, Classic Cadillac, Sandy Springs Together, Veritiv and Rough Draft Atlanta.

Councilwoman Jody Reichel, City Clerk Raquel Gonzales and Planning and Zoning Manager Michele McIntosh-Ross also pitched in time and effort putting together the event.

For Juneteenth Planning Committee members, educating the public about Juneteenth is just as important as celebrating it.

In his speech to the Byers Theatre crowd, Pleasant Hill Church Senior Pastor Sabin Strickland spoke of the importance of celebrating the Black experience.

“Juneteenth exemplifies the enduring themes of resilience and perseverance, it tells the story of how we overcome,” Strickland said. “We cannot quit.”

PHOTOS BY: HAYDEN SUMLIN/APPEN MEDIA

Jagger Austin, rising 11th grader at North Springs High School, talks about his piece, “The Path to Freedom,” during Juneteenth at City Springs.

A DJ on the City Green leads elementary school students in the “Soul Step,” during Juneteenth at City Springs. The tradition originated at Black fraternities and sororities in the United States, drawing from South African tradition.

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Budget:

Continued from Page 1

Transfers from the general fund include $23.1 million to the capital projects fund, money earmarked for large, one-time expenses like land acquisition or street improvements.

The 2025 budget also allocates $4.25 million to the stormwater fund; $1.8 million to the fleet fund; and $13.4 million to the Public Facilities Authority for debt service.

The total 2025 budget, across all annual and multi-year funds, comes out to $1.09 billion.

More than half of the total budget, or $592.3 million, comes from the multi-year Public Facilities Authority fund, which serves as a financing and ownership partner of major city developments like City Springs.

Freeman said the city has invested $441 million in infrastructure since incorporation, across the capital projects, stormwater and county-wide sales tax funds.

A challenge on details

After a Roberts Drive resident leveled criticism at elected officials for not combing over details, Councilman Andy Bauman held up a binder containing the city’s line-item budget.

“I’ve got at least several hundred pages in this book from staff through different versions,” Bauman said. “Do I necessarily agree with each and every line item? … probably not, but this is a good budget.”

Bauman went on to tout the city’s delivery of best-in-class services without raising the millage rate, allowing the city to fund “wants, in addition to our needs.”

The taxpayer asked councilmembers not to rubber stamp the budget without a deep dive into 50 percent increases to

HAYDEN SUMLIN/APPEN MEDIA

Sandy Springs Councilman Andy Bauman raises a binder with the city’s 2025 lineitem budget at the June 18 City Council meeting. Bauman responded to a resident who questioned the city’s spending increases in 2025, which elected officials approved at the meeting.

expenditures in the City Manager’s Office and pay for Municipal Court judges.

City Manager Freeman said her office is adding two positions, a grants administrator and a director of data strategies and analytics, which explains the 50 percent increase in personnel costs.

Other councilmembers took turns defending the spending plan.

“We’ve been looking at this since April,” Councilman John Paulson said. “There’s quite a bit of work that goes into these.”

Councilwoman Melody Kelley asked a series of questions about specific line items in the budget, before voting to adopt it.

Councilman Tibby DeJulio, serving on the City Council since incorporation, gave context for the city’s billion-dollar budget.

“There’s a reason that the budget numbers have gone up so much,” DeJulio said. “Inflation is at the highest rate it’s been in the last 40 years.”

DeJulio said while the rate of inflation is slowing, prices remain high. He cited

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contracting for ambulance services and retaining quality personnel as examples of added expenses the city faces.

The 2025 budget includes increases of 12 percent to health insurance premiums for employees and 5 percent to staff salaries.

Insurance costs increase

After unanimously adopting the budget, councilmembers approved a renewal of the city’s general liability insurance policy, up 14 percent from last

year, after a presentation from the city’s insurance counselor Mike Royal.

“Y’all are in good shape,” he said. “The insurance market is not, some would say it’s in chaos, and it is.”

Royal went on to commend city staff for going beyond what many surrounding municipalities do with general liability insurance.

In other items, the hourly compensation rate for associate judges of the Sandy Springs Municipal Court is up 50 percent to $220. Chief Judge Donald Schaefer also received a 50 percent bump to $225.

Together, the compensation rates look to keep the Sandy Springs Municipal Court competitive among other North Fulton County cities.

Councilmembers gave City Manager Freeman a new spending threshold of $200,000, up $50,000 from the current year. The discretionary spending increase comes amid price hikes in project costs.

Staff said updating the limits ensures the city manager can manage routine expenses efficiently and effectively, without approval from elected officials.

Mayor Rusty Paul said Freeman will report to council on a semi-annual basis on her exercise of discretionary spending.

“So that council knows what type of spending has been authorized by the city manager under this authority,” Paul said. “It’s important for council to know how taxpayers’ dollars are being spent.”

Notes on progress in the age of getting nothing done

RAY APPEN Publisher Emeritus

When my phone died and I restored my data to my new phone, a lot of the data did not restore. I am not sure why. It’s gone, never to be found again. And I am semi-OK with that. I won’t miss much of the data – never revisited 99 percent of it anyway, but there were a few files that I do wish were still within my reach, especially my “column ideas” file which had perhaps several hundred ideas, thoughts, quotes and sometimes even images that I had squirreled away over the years for a rainy day.

A lot of those ideas also used to be posted on my Facebook page, especially the quotes. So, for a very long time, that was my backup reservoir. Same deal later when I opened an Instagram account. However, I deliberately deleted my Facebook account a couple years ago because I didn’t seem to have the discipline to not allow Facebook to chew up way too many hours of my time. And when my phone died, I deliberately did not restore the Instagram account, although it is still there in cyber space; I just don’t go there anymore, again, for the same reason – time.

THE INK PENN

Yes, I regret losing contact with many old friends who I had reconnected with through social media. I miss being able to at least occasionally see updates about their lives. I still miss that, but my reward has been more time, surely one of life’s most precious and limited commodities. And, yes, I consciously periodically ask myself if I am making “good use” of that extra time.

I am envious of those people who seem to be able to crank out articles, columns, blog-material as easy as breathing. Jon Katz comes to mind with his Bedlam Farm blog. Google it! He seems to post non-stop, every day, sometimes three or four and more blog posts that are usually engaging, fun, and generally, worth my time.

Jon reads a lot, which I think helps him write a lot. I suspect that he may read almost a book a day on his farm in upstate New York. I guess we all should have that luxury of time to be able to do that but, it’s not like that is all Jon does. He does a lot. He has a small but active farm that he tends. He is a talented photographer and is out shooting images almost daily, a fact that becomes obvious when one sees all those flower, dog and farm animal photos in his blog posts.

He often writes about helping his neighbors on their farms – his Amish

neighbors. He writes a lot about the Amish. I think he deeply respects their values; I must say that I tend to admire them as well. I bet Jon does not have social media accounts; surely not. He just gets too much stuff done to be spending time there.

I don’t know how our world is going to evolve, where we collectively are going to end up. I don’t like the trends – the longterm trends I think I see. We have less connectivity. We are less engaged. We help each other less. We take more and give less. We have more; we share less. Self-interest seems to have displaced collective/universal needs and welfare.

“I got mine; you get yours.” This seems to be the marching orders now, a mandate that is toxic and ultimately fatal. Prosperity, peace, and health most likely will be the victims of these trends – trends that are a clear and present danger – if we just open our eyes and ears to the world around us.

In a recent interview Richard Powers, who wrote the Pulitzer Prize winning book “The Overstory,” describes our current situation far more succinctly than I ever could. He said the following: “We are now engaged in a massive, communal, consensual sleepwalk, a trance that we can’t even see, under the spell of individualist humanism and commodity culture that we

call inevitable progress. The fact that the blessings of contemporary life have been won at the expense of a disastrous depletion of natural capital remains almost invisible to most of us. “

What are we thinking? Or is that the point - that we are not thinking at all?

Of note, for those of you who enjoy reading about history, especially as it is a window to the future, you will probably enjoy the book, “The Accidental Super Power – 10 Years On,” by Peter Zeihan. It is well worth a read and if only 10 percent of what he projects comes true, we are in for a very bumpy next 3-20 years-ish. But the good news is that the USA, according to Zeihan, will fare far better than the rest of the world.

Appen Media, with our six local newspapers and online products, works every day 365 to protect your rights and keep you safe. If you want us to be able to continue to do this and to continue to be able to report your local news for you, then support us please. Your support is critical. Join The Appen Press Club today. Just go to AppenMedia.com and in the top upper right side of our home page click on the red oval that says “Join the Club.” Take the time. It’s important, really important.

From Australia to New York City, murder is in the air

I picked up four books from the library last week, and this is the first time in a long while that I only finished two. The other two I started but couldn’t get into. As is my practice, my lips are sealed about the books I didn’t care for. Both were written by best-selling authors liked by plenty of readers, and I’m sure others will enjoy them. Of the two I finished quickly, the first, set in Australia, was my favorite, and I plan to pick up its prequel soon. It’s very cleverly written. What leaps out about the second book is its clever casting. If there’s a third book in what promises to be a series, I’ll read it too.

“Everyone on This Train is a Suspect” by Benjamin Stevenson

I don’t know how I missed this author’s first book with Ernest Cunningham as the main character, but I did. Now, I feel compelled to find “Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone.”

I was especially intrigued with the plot because it’s written in first person, and Ernest or Ern or Ernie is a writer. He is living

the murder mystery.

The Ghan, a train through the Australian desert, is hosting the Australian Mystery Writers’ Society, and Ern is invited as a guest speaker. After all, he wrote the wildly popular “Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone.” That I hadn’t read that book didn’t get in the way of my enjoying this one.

Naturally, a murder on a train smacks of Agatha Christie’s “Murder on the Orient Express,” and for my money, it’s every bit as complex and twisty as that GoldEN Age mystery. The difference is that it’s also quite funny.

He continually refers to the rules of the Detection Club, a Golden Age group that included Agatha Christie, Dorothy Sayers and other well-known mystery writers of the era. They considered these as rules of fair play. There must be clues and red herrings, but no trickery, no ghosts, etc.

One rule is that the killer must be introduced in the beginning of the story before the murder occurs. No springing a new character late in the game and having them turn out to be the villain. He doesn’t hit all 20 rules, but the references are hilarious — at least to an author like me.

Which rule does the book break? “There must be but one detective — that is, but one protagonist of deduction — one deus ex

machina. To bring the minds of three or four, or sometimes a gang of detectives to bear on a problem, is not only to disperse the interest and break the direct thread of logic but to take an unfair advantage of the readers.”

The Detection Club was very strict about the rules of fair play, but what’s a writer to do when the train is filled with mystery writers who all want a say?

This was a thoroughly entertaining read, and I highly recommend it.

“Holmes, Marple & Poe” by James Patterson and Brian Sitts

Of course, the title grabbed me. Three modern-day private detectives named after Arthur Conan Doyle’s and Agatha Christie’s detectives and a third named for Edgar Allan Poe. It never actually says that’s how they got their names, but what else are we supposed to think? Brendan Holmes, Margaret Marple and August Poe open a detective agency in New York City. Mayhem ensues.

The three get along splendidly despite having three very different personalities and different areas of expertise. All are smart. Who are they and where did they come from? Their back story is only hinted at, which tells me a sequel is in the works.

I haven’t read any of Patterson’s books since the days of the Women’s Murder Club

mysteries. Back then, I was drawn to the women’s strengths and their deep friendship. These characters are intentionally a mystery, so while I was intrigued by them, I wasn’t invested in them. Perhaps that will change when or if there are more books.

The story is fast paced with several interwoven investigations. It’s a 300-page book with 118 short chapters, a structure that hurtles you through the story. While each investigation is resolved and the culprits taken away, it left me a tad unsatisfied. Not so much that I won’t read the next book. But I’ll do that more to find out where the heck these three came from than I will for the writing.

I don’t often stray from reading books set in England, but these two set in very different locales were well worth the change.

Happy reading.

Award-winning author Kathy Manos Penn is a two-time Georgia Author of the Year nominee and a Sandy Springs resident. Find her cozy mysteries on Amazon or locally at The Enchanted Forest, Bookmiser, and Johns Creek Books. Contact her at inkpenn119@gmail.com, and follow her on Facebook, www.facebook.com/ KathyManosPennAuthor/.

ray@appenmedia.com

KATHY MANOS PENN Columnist

OPINION

Remarkable stories of the Ann Jackson Gallery, Part 2

BOB MEYERS Columnist

“The Ann Jackson Gallery was a mainstay of downtown Roswell for more than 50 years. In a previous column I discussed the early history of the famous art gallery by highlighing the life story of Ann Marie Moir Jackson (1932-2012), the exploits of her husband Basil (1923-2013) as a World War ll bomber pilot and the transfer of ownership of the gallery to their daughter Valerie in 1986.

This week’s column will complete the story.

The Farm, a sad tale

In 1971 Ann and Basil purchased a 12-acre parcel on Freemanville Road that contained a small milking barn that Ann used to house several horses while she built a larger barn. The couple built a beautiful house on the top of a hill that resembled a southern plantation. They affectionally called the property The Farm and kept it for about 15 years before selling it to pursue their dream of buying a boat where they would live for fi ve years before returning to Georgia.

The buyer gave Ann and Basil enough money to buy their 42-foot sailboat but never paid the rest of the agreed price for the property despite legal action by the Jacksons. The sad result was that the couple never got their money and had to live on their boat for 12 years, their dream of paradise crushed.

Life in the Caribbean was not always idyllic. The couple was lost at sea twice.

Life had its good aspects as well. When the boat docked in Caribbean ports, Ann painted local scenes and sold her paintings in galleries in Nassau, Marsh Harbor, a town in the Bahamas and in other ports. The purchaser eventually abandoned the Freemanville Road property, and the beautiful house deteriorated until a new owner restored it.

Today the property is owned by the City of Milton which has plans to convert it into a nature preserve. The house has been torn down. The city recognizes the historic nature of the small barn and intends to preserve it. According to Milton Communications Director Greg Botelho, residents in the coming months will have input into plans for the preserve as part of the Greenprint intitive to develop a vision for Milton’s greenspaces.

The Jackson story has a happy ending after all. In 1998 Ann and Basil bought a house on Tybee Island where they lived for the rest of their lives. Ann painted almost every day, and Basil retired from his job as an engineer at Lockheed

Once when asked by an Atlanta Constitution reporter when she started to paint, Ann replied “My fi rst recollection of art is I would always ask Santa Claus for paint.”

Dr. Seuss postscript

Valerie Jackson has assembled a large collections of reproductions of Dr Seuss drawings and paintings for the gallery. After the death of the author/cartoonist (1904–1991), his wife Audrey Stone Dimond (1921–2018) chose a company to promote his work. Valerie had worked with

FAMILY PROVIDED

Ann Jackson Gallery owner Valerie Jackson stands in front of a painting done by her mother Ann Jackson in 1995 while she was in France. Valerie, the oldest of their eight children, eventually took over the gallery from her mother. Today she operates the gallery at her home on Bowen Road in Roswell. Call her at 770 6865613 to make an appointment to visit the gallery.

the promotion company in the past, and the company provided her with some reproductions of Dr Seuss art encompassing 70 years of his work. The collection has grown from 10 pieces to approximately 150 today. Valerie treasures her collection and sells some occasionally out of her home which now houses the Jackson gallery. Clients can contact Valerie at 770 993-4783. Be sure to call for an appointment to see her beautiful collection.

Dr. Seuss, whose real name was Theodor Seuss Geisel, is best known for his more than 40 children’s books, but he was much more than Cat in the Hat, the Lorax or the Grinch. He earned a bachelor’s degree in 1925 from Dartmouth College and published his fi rst book, “And to Think That I saw it on Mulberry Steet” in 1937. He used his mother’s middle name Seuss as his pen name. Some of his books sold more than 200 million copies. Many have been adapted for television and fi lms.

During the early days of World War ll Geisel joined the New York magazine PM as a political

ATLANTA CONSTITUTION/PROVIDED

The Ann Jackson Gallery was largely responsible for the growth of the Roswell Art District. In 2006 they hosted an exhibit titled “The Secret Art of Dr Seuss” consisting of reproductions of sculptures and serigraphs (silk-screens) on canvas, most of which were never published in his children’s books.

Here his widow Audrey

the Cat in the Hat and Thing

and Thing 2

the dedication of the Dr Seuss star.

cartoonist. He drew more than 400 political cartoons for the publication between 1940 and 1942. In 1943 he joined the Army and was deployed to Fox Studios in Hollywood where he worked with top fi lmmakers, screenwriters and journalists as part of Frank Capra’s Signal Corps unit. He produced hundreds of political cartoons and cartoon shorts, such as a series featuring Private Snafu about the misadventures of an inept soldier. Geisel told his wife that after his death she would have to guard his legacy by taking charge of all the creatures he had created. That became her mission in life. In 1993 she founded Dr. Seuss Enterprises and became active in many charities. She gave $20 million and thousands of her husband’s drawings and manuscripts to the University of California, San Diego, for example.”

Bob is director emeritus of the Milton Historical Society and a Member of the City of Alpharetta Historic Preservation Commission. You can email him at bobmey@bellsouth.net. Bob welcomes suggestions for future columns about local history.

REED SAXON, ASSOCIATED PRESS/PROVIDED Dr Seuss received a star on Hollywood’s Walk of Fame in 2004.

Geisel is shown with

The wild, wonderful world of worms

Yucky! Slimy! Gross! These are the adjectives used to describe the unsung hero of the garden, the lowly worm. Yet worms do so much, from building healthy soil to helping us lead more sustainable lifestyles.

Using their grinding mouthparts, worms break down fallen leaves, twigs and even tiny pebbles. They create small tunnels in the ground, allowing air and water to get to the roots of plants. As worms tunnel through the ground, they loosen the soil, enabling the plant roots to spread more readily and take up nutrients from the soil. This is especially important when trying to grow plants in our famously hard, red clay. Best of all, they poop. It is this poop, also called worm castings (if you are in polite company) that is some of the best fertilizer around. No chemicals needed!

How can I get some of this fertilizer you may ask? Well, you can buy it, or you can grow your own with little time and effort. In so doing, you are also helping to lower your carbon footprint.

To get started, you need a large plastic tote (18” wide by 22” long by 14” deep) with a lid, some shredded newspaper, newsprint, or coconut coir and a bunch of red wiggler worms. The earthworms found in the garden will not survive in the tote, but the red wigglers will do just fine. Red wigglers can be purchased online.

About 9 inches from the bottom of the tote, drill holes all around the top of the tote and all over the lid. The holes should be about the diameter of a Sharpie pen. This allows the worms to breathe and the worm bin to ventilate. Don’t worry, the worms will not crawl out of the holes. They don’t like light. My bin is kept in a dark spot in the basement. The bin doesn’t get too cold in the winter and not too warm in the summer.

Shred your newspaper or newsprint. Avoid using colored newspaper, such as comics or ads. The finer the shred, the

About the Author

This week’s “Garden Buzz” guest columnist is Sabine Savoie, a Master Gardener and Sandy Springs resident. Her favorite plants are natives and perennials. Sabine’s gardening goal is to make her property a place where wildlife and people can coexist in an urban setting. She delights in seeing fireflies in the summer and the return of Monarch butterflies in the fall.

better. Moisten the shredded paper or coconut coir. You are trying to create the consistency of good garden soil. This will be used for the worm bedding. Do not soak your bedding material. The worms will drown. Make enough bedding so that it is about 4 inches deep once placed into the bin. Keep in mind that, as food scraps are added and decompose, they will also keep the bedding moist. If your bin is too wet, add more paper or torn up cardboard egg cartons. This will help soak up excessive moisture. Your worm bin should not smell bad. It may smell earthy, or if you are adding lots of coffee grounds, it may even smell a little like coffee, but there should never be a foul odor. A foul odor is usually an indicator of too much moisture. If your worm bedding is too dry, spritz it with a spray bottle.

Add the worms to your bin and give them something good to eat. They like fruit, such as banana peels, apple cores,

strawberry hulls, melon rinds and coffee grounds, including the coffee filter. They like most any vegetable scraps. The food scraps to avoid are those high in acid, such as citrus, onions, garlic and tomatoes. DO NOT add meat, fats or seasonings. Chop up the food scraps. The finer the food scraps, the finer your worm castings will be. I like to add eggshells. The worms like to nestle up inside the shells. Occasionally I’ll finely grind eggshells into a powder and add it into the worm bin. The eggshell grounds help to keep the worms’ gizzards sharp. I feed my worms once a week and check up on them to see if they are thriving.

About every three to four months, it will be time to harvest the worm castings. To prepare for the harvesting, stop feeding the worms about a month in advance. This allows the worms to eat up any of the remaining food scraps. There are several methods of harvesting which can be found online. I like using a simple

mesh sieve. The openings are large enough for the castings to fall through but not big enough for the worms or remaining eggshells to fall through. I prepare a fresh batch of bedding and transfer the worms and remaining eggshells to the fresh bedding as they are sifted out from the castings. The castings are bagged up and ready to be applied to the plants in your garden. The plants will grow and get harvested. Parts of the plants will become kitchen scraps. The kitchen scraps will become worm food, and the cycle starts all over again. Not a thing in this process makes it into a landfill. Now that is sustainability. It’s a beautiful thing!

Happy Gardening!

North Fulton Master Gardeners, Inc. is a Georgia nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization whose purpose is to educate its members and the public in the areas of horticulture and ecology in order to promote and foster community enrichment. Master Gardener Volunteers are trained and certified by The University of Georgia Cooperative Extension. Learn more at nfmg.net. Previous Garden Buzz columns are featured at https://appenmedia.com/ opinion/columnists/garden_buzz/.