By Aldo Nahedaldo@forsythherald.com

DAWSONVILLE, Ga. – It was a week of mixed emotions for Nydia Tisdale, the camera-wielding citizen journalist.

She received a positive rul-ing on her two-year-old Open Meetings case against the City of Cumming. However, two days later, she was kicked out of another political event and this time arrested in Dawson-ville.

On Aug. 21, Judge Robert Adamson ruled in favor of State Attorney General Sam Olens in a lawsuit filed on June 2012. In that case, Tisdale was told

by the City of Cumming Mayor H. Ford Gravitt to stop filming a council meeting that took place April, 17, 2012. She com-plained to the Attorney General who took on the case.

Judge Adamson ruled

ATLANTA — A disease that some scientists have compared to the illness killing bats by the millions has been documented in a wild snake in Georgia.

An emaciated mud snake from Bulloch County tested positive last month for Snake Fungal Disease, according to the Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study.

The mud snake is the first free-ranging snake from Georgia that the Athens-based cooperative has confirmed with Ophidiomyces ophiodiicola, the fungus associated with the disease.

Snake Fungal Disease is a severe dermatitis that causes

scabs, crusty scales, nodules, abnormal molting and other changes to a snake’s skin.

First reported in a captive black rat snake from Sparta, Georgia, the disease has turned up in growing numbers of wild snakes in the eastern and midwestern U.S. since 2006. At least eight species, varying from milk snakes to eastern racers, have been infected.

The severity of infection varies and the overall impact on populations is not clear.

Yet, among Illinois’ last population of eastern massa-

September 3, 2014 | forsythherald.com | 73,500 circulation Revue & News, Johns Creek Herald, Milton Herald & Forsyth Herald combined | 50¢ | Volume 17, No. 35

‘We Will Rock You’School of Rock opens newest location

► PAGE 12

Real Estate ReportSponsored section

► PAGE 18

Don’t get scammedPolice warn of phone scammers

► PAGE 2

Going GreenMeet the Cumming Harvest founder

► PAGE 20

ALDO NAHED/STAFF

Sam Schwartz after taking his model airplane for a spin at Georgia Model Aviators Airfield.

Families and airplanesBy Aldo Nahedaldo@forsythherald.com

FORSYTH COUNTY, Ga. — From old warbirds up to the most modern commercial

unmanned air vehicles (drones), enthusi-

asts and long-time members

of Georgia Model

Avia-tors

celebrated their 25th year with demonstrations, lunch and awards.

The Georgia Model Avia-tors (GMA) celebration took place Aug. 23 at the GMA Airfield, 8250 Old Fed-eral Road in Ball Ground in northwest Forsyth County.

Members and the com-munity were invited to celebrate the group’s 25th anniversary as an Academy of Model Aeronautics (AMA)-chartered club.

The group now has about 300 members.

During the event, GMA pilots flew various aircrafts, from giant scale World War I and World War II hand-built war birds to giant scale true turbine jets.

Jase “The Ace” Dussia, 14, of Michigan, XFC Champion and one of the best aerobatic pilots in the country, was invited

See AIRPLANES, Page 7

MORE

PHOTOS ONLINE

FORSYTHHERALD.COM

Center QR code in white space

so that the black edges of the code overlap the blue

crop marks

Emerging snake disease confirmed in Georgia

See SNAKES, Page 20

See TISDALE, Page 4

Tisdale arrestedat GOP rallyLatest controversy for blogger

I’m usually pretty quiet, I’m just recording.”NYDIA TISDALECitizen Journalist

2 | September 3, 2014 | Forsyth Herald | forsythherald.com PUBLIC SAFETY

Man illegally dumps beaver carcasses CUMMING, Ga. — The smell of two carcasses belonging to beavers was described as “atrocious.”

On Aug. 23, an employee of Title Max, 231 Atlanta Road, told deputies the smell was causing potential customers to get back in their cars and leave, according to a Cumming Police incident report.

Deputies said the animals

were decomposing inside bags. With the heat, it seemed like the carcasses were cooking on the asphalt, the officer noted in the report.

The employee said he saw a green Toyota Tundra pull into the parking lot and toss the two dead beavers out of the truck and drive off.

Deputies were later able to identify the suspect as a Title Max customer who owed $4,000 in late payments.

The perpetrator was identi-fied and charged with illegally dumping, a misdemeanor.

Cars broken into at GreenwayFORSYTH COUNTY, Ga. — Two cars were broken into

while parked at the Big Creek Greenway parking lot, accord-ing to Forsyth County Sheriff’s incident reports.

A woman told deputies she parked her 2005 Honda Odyssey in the front row of the parking lot facing McFarland Parkway about 3 p.m. Aug. 17.

When she returned from a 2-mile walk, she said the driver’s side front window was shattered.

The suspect took her wallet, which was hidden under the driver’s seat.

While conducting the in-vestigation, deputies saw the car parked next to the Odyssey also had its front and rear pas-senger windows smashed. The owner of the 2013 Audi Quat-tro reported her purse stolen.

She said it was hidden un-

der a towel and contained her wallet, credit cards and $50 in cash.

More gravestones damaged at cemeteryCUMMING, Ga. — For the sec-ond time in a month, vandals have removed and damaged old gravestones in the area.

The latest incident occurred at Coal Mountain Historical Cemetery, 3360 Matt Highway, according to a Forsyth County Sheriff’s incident report.

Two men with the Historical Society of Forsyth County told deputies they came to check on the property at about 4 p.m.

POLICE BLOTTERAll 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.

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ROSWELL, Ga. — “Don’t be tricked. Just hang up!” This is the message the Roswell Police Department wants residents to hear regarding a recent rash of telephone scam-ming in Roswell. 

“It is common for telephone scammers to claim to be representatives from utility companies or local law enforcement of-ficers.

“NO legitimate utility company or gov-ernment agency would demand immediate payment or make threats,” said Officer Zac Frommer with the Roswell Police De-partment. “Unsuspecting victims consider threats more seriously if they think there’s a monetary or law-related consequence if they don’t comply.”

Common characteristics of telephone scams include:

A person claiming to be from a utility company (such as gas, water, electricity or phone) saying if you don’t make a payment immediately, they will shut off your service.

A person claiming to be law enforce-ment (a police officer, court clerk or sher-iff’s deputy) and using words like ticket, arrest, jail and warrant to scare you into giving them money.

The scammer demanding quick pay-

ment by money orders or prepaid debit cards. Watch out for brand names like Green Dot, Money Pak, Western Union or Money Gram.

The person on the other end may be very convincing. That’s their job, to con victims into believing they are legitimate. But they all have one characteristic in common: They are demanding that the victim had over cash or prepaid cards.

Frommer said a caller ID display may even make it look like the call is originat-ing from a utility company, but it is not. According to the Federal Communications Commission, scammers sometimes use

a practice known as “caller-ID spoofing,” which allows them to deliberately falsify the telephone number or name relayed on caller ID.

It is important to be aware of these situations to protect yourself, but also to protect friends and family. Someone who has been scammed may be too embar-rassed or scared to say something. You should encourage them to report their situation so that it doesn’t happen again.

“We need everyone’s help with this, to prevent telephone scammers from getting away with your hard-earned money,” said Frommer.

Police warn of new telephone scams‘Don’t be tricked. Just hang up!’

If scammers call...If you get a call that sounds like a scam, just hang up! Hint: They want you to give them money. If the call was allegedly from a utility com-pany, call that utility company using a phone number that you know is valid to verify the information and to report the call.

Call your local police department to report the call. Cumming Police Department – 770-781-2000Forsyth County Sheriff’s office – 770-781-2222Alpharetta Police Department – 678-297-6300Johns Creek Police Department – 678-474-1600Milton Police Department – 678-297-6300Roswell Police Department – 770-640-4100

See BLOTTER, Page 13

It’s not too late to register or apply for second-half classes at Georgia Perimeter College. You have until September 22 to submit all documents. Now’s your chance to join more than 21,000 students who call GPC home.

Second-half fall classes start October 13, so what are you waiting for?

forsythherald.com | Forsyth Herald | September 3, 2014 | 3PUBLIC SAFETY

DUI arrests ► Jeffrey Neal Imrie, 49, of

Chesil Street, Alpharetta, was arrested Aug. 12 on Atlanta Highway in Alpharetta for DUI.

► Pamela P. Smith, 49, of Hubbard Town Road, Cumming, was arrested Aug. 12 on Heard Industrial Way in Cumming for DUI and seatbelt violation.

► Caren Elizabeth Dooley, 41, of Nicholson Road, Cumming, was arrested Aug. 15 on Highway 9 in Cumming for DUI and following too closely.

► Gregory Johnathan Wulkowicz, 59, of New Salem Court, Cumming, was arrest-ed Aug. 15 on Ga. 400 in Cumming for DUI and speed-ing.

► Kenneth Taylor Lipscomb, 28, of Acworth was arrest-ed Aug. 17 on Ga. 400 in Cumming for DUI and failure to maintain lane.

► Kathleen Marie Michels, 51, was arrested Aug. 17 on Peachtree Parkway in Cumming for DUI, reckless driving and open container.

► Sadriddin Tufan, 37, of Clarkston, Georgia, was arrested Aug. 18 on Buford Highway in Cumming for DUI and failure to obey a traffic control device.

► David Thu Hoang Le, 32, of Lawrenceville was arrest-ed Aug. 16 on Ga. 400 in Alpharetta for DUI and failure to maintain lane.

► Martin Mena-Hernandez, 45, of Highway 9, Alpharetta, was arrested Aug. 20 on Atlanta Highway in Alpharetta for DUI.

► Kenneth Blake Piper, 25, of Carriage Walk Lane, Cumming, was arrested Aug. 19 on Buford Highway in

DUIS & DRUGSAll 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.

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Man confesses to taping women in bathroomCUMMING, Ga. — A Daw-sonville man was arrested for allegedly using his cellphone Aug. 20 to record women in the bathroom stall at a local hospital.

Jeremy Owens, 44, of Dawsonville has been charged with eavesdropping or unlaw-ful surveillance, a felony. He was taken to Forsyth County Detention Center for booking.

A woman told deputies she was leaving a doctor’s appoint-ment at Northside Hospital-Forsyth, 1200 Northside Forsyth Drive, and stopped on the third floor to use the bathroom.

She went into a stall and locked the door.

When she looked to sit down, she saw a cellphone be-ing held up by someone in the next stall.

She yelled and flung open the door. As she ran out, the culprit, allegedly Owens, ran out from the next stall, too.

Another woman, who occu-

pied the stall before the second victim, told deputies she also saw something waving around underneath the stall, but she was not sure whether it was a cellphone.

Both women followed Ow-ens out of the bathroom and called 911.

During the investigation, Owens told deputies he was in the women’s bathroom be-cause the men’s bathroom was full and denied taking videos or photos of the women with his cellphone.

The next day, deputies said Owens came to the station and confessed to taking pictures of the women while they were in the bathroom stalls.

He also confessed to vid-eotaping other women in a similar manner on previous occasions.

He said in addition to keep-ing the videos on his cellphone, he transferred at least one video to his computer at his home in Dawsonville. 

See ARRESTS, Page 13

4 | September 3, 2014 | Forsyth Herald | forsythherald.com NEWS

that the city will have to pay $12,000 in penalties and also ordered the city to pay attor-ney’s fees in an amount to be determined at a later hearing.

“This ruling is a major vic-tory for government transpar-ency,” said Olens in a news release. “Georgians deserve a government that operates openly and honestly. The essence of our democracy is that elected officials are held accountable to the citizens and that citizens are allowed to exercise their rights granted by the First Amendment.”

City Attorney Kevin Tallant said that the city is going to file an appeal.

This will go to the Georgia Court of Appeals, a three-judge panel that will hear the case.

Since April 2012, the City

of Cumming has allowed Tis-dale to video record all meet-ings she attends.

The celebration was short lived by Tisdale, 51, of Roswell,

who had been video record-ing the GOP rally Aug. 23 held at Burt’s Pumpkin Farm in Dawsonville for her YouTube channel and AboutForsyth.com blog.

Tisdale told the Forsyth Herald she identified herself to the property owner, who even offered her a slice of pumpkin pie.

But State Insurance Com-missioner Ralph Hudgens, on the stage talking about the state senate race, told Tisdale to stop filming.

“I don’t know why you’re videotaping,” Hudgens can be heard saying in an audio recording of the event made public by FetchYourNews.com.

Minutes later, Dawson County Sheriff’s Cpt. Tony Wooten forcibly removes a screaming Tisdale and her camera.

According to a sheriff’s arrest report, Tisdale was charged with criminal trespass and obstruction of an officer, or resisting arrest. Wooten told a judge that Tisdale had elbowed as well as kicked him in the right shin.

The arrest is being investi-gated by the Dawson Sheriff’s Office. Wooten has been sus-pended, in the meantime.

Dawson Sheriff Billy Carl-isle tells FetchYourNews.com that the property owner can ask a person to leave the prop-erty, and if they refuse, they can be arrested.

“If an officer’s there, they can ask a person to leave also and if they refuse, then the of-ficer can make the arrest right then and there,” Carlisle said.

Tisdale, who says she did not leave the event without re-sisting, calls the arrest unjust, unexpected and unnecessary. She says she was simply there to let voters hear the candi-dates in their own words, as she has in the past.

“So they can make an informed decision,” she said.

“Many people don’t even know there’s an election going on.”

Tisdale said she has bruis-ing from the incident and is terrified to listen to the record-ings of the event.

Attorney General Olens, who was also at the GOP rally, made comments in defense of Tisdale.

“If we stand for anything as a party what are we afraid of with the lady having a cam-era filming us?” Olens said. “What are we saying here that shouldn’t be on film? What message are we sending? Be-cause it’s private property they shouldn’t be filming? What is the harm? The harm that this poses is far greater than her filming us. What are we hid-ing? If we are telling you why we are running and what we stand for, what are we hiding?”

Olens, a longtime advocate of open government, in 2012 championed the first overhaul of Georgia’s Open Meetings and Open Records Acts in more than a decade.

Gov. Nathan Deal and Da-vid Perdue were also speaking at the Burt’s Pumpkin Farm event, along with Agriculture Commissioner Gary Black; Labor Commissioner Mark Butler and Congressman Doug Collins.

Tisdale also has a federal lawsuit pending against the City of Cumming for what she calls infringement on her rights as a citizen.

In April of this year, the Republican Women of Forsyth County kicked Tisdale out of their meeting luncheon where several candidates running for public office were scheduled to speak.

In February, she was told to turn her camera off dur-ing a Saturday City of Roswell meeting.

“I’m usually pretty quiet, I’m just recording,” Tisdale said. “I prefer to stay behind the camera.”

GARAGE SALESSee more garage sales in the classifieds • Page 22

ALPHARETTA: 213 Dennis Drive 30009. Saturday 9/6, 8am-1pm. Household, books, treasures!ALPHARETTA: 3475 Newport Bay Drive. Saturday 9/6, 9am-2pm. Moving sale; lots of great items!ALPHARETTA, Park Glenn Subdivision, 1720 Amber-lilly Drive, 30005, Saturday, 9/6, 8am-3pm. Moving sale!Furniture, pictures, electronics, collectibles, yard tools, sporting goods, exercise equipment, holiday decorations, books, and much more!CUMMING: 1030 Mountclaire Drive 30041. Friday 95, Saturday 9/6, 8am-12pm. Kids’ sale.JOHNS CREEK: The Falls of Autry Mill Subdivision, 9620 Autry Falls Drive 30022. Saturday 9/6, 8am-12pm. (Mov-ing; new house too small!)MILTON: Multi family. Kingsley Estates. Quayside Drive and Freemanville Road. Friday 9/5, Saturday 9/6, 8am-1pm.

DEADLINETo place garage sale ads: Noon Friday prior week

Call 770-442-3278 or email classifieds@northfulton.com

Forsyth County public hearings set for Sept. 4By ALDO NAHEDaldo@forsythherald.com

FORSYTH COUNTY, Ga. — The Forsyth County Board of Commissioners will hold several public hearings on Sept. 4 in-cluding changes to its outdoor sign and advertising, alcohol ordinance and adult entertainment laws.

Outdoor advertising, sign law changesCommissioners will consider an

amendment to the outdoor advertising and signage ordinance, Ordinance No. 74 (Part II, Chapter 66 of the Forsyth County Code of Ordinances).

The public hearing shall be for public review and comment concerning a pro-posed amendment to the ordinance to allow for certain signage to be placed on residential property with an active land disturbance permit.

Visit www.bit.ly/VNG9pK to view the proposed amendment.

Alcohol code changesChanges to the county alcohol ordi-

nance would modify the effect of a prior misdemeanor conviction on the issuance of a server’s permit. This means that an applicant who has been convicted of any felony or certain misdemeanors would not be able to serve alcohol for one year fol-lowing conviction.

Read the proposed amendment chang-es at www.bit.ly/VNH7Cg.

Adult entertainment ordinanceA public hearing will take place on an

amendment to the adult entertainment ordinance, Ordinance No. 85-A, found at section 10-32 within Chapter 10, “Amuse-ments and Entertainments,” of the For-syth County Code.

The ordinance extends the definition of “adult entertainment establishment” to include commercial establishments selling or renting adult novelties or devices.

Read the ordinance at www.bit.ly/1pfBrLR.

Emergency managementThis ordinance amends various sec-

tions within “Civil Emergencies,” of the Forsyth County Code and adds a new section that authorizes the chairman of the Board of Commissioners to activate emergency powers in the event of a state or local emergency.

The public hearings will be held at 5 p.m. Sept. 4 at the Forsyth County Admin-istration Building (Suite 220), located at 110 E. Main St. in Cumming. All Forsyth County residents and any other affected and/or interested persons are invited and encouraged to attend.

Continued from Page 1

Tisdale:

BRIAN PRICHARD WWW.FETCHYOURNEWS.COM

Dawson Sheriff Capt. Tony Wooten removes Nydia Tisdale from a GOP rally in Dawsonville on Aug. 23.

forsythherald.com | Forsyth Herald | September 3, 2014 | 5Submit your news & photos to news@forsythherald.com NEWS

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FORSYTH COUNTY, Ga. — Tax bills are in the mail.

The 2014 Forsyth County property tax bills were mailed out last week. Their due date is Nov. 15.

Matthew Ledbetter, the county’s tax commissioner, said that in an effort to avoid longer wait times and to help process payments more ef-ficiently, property owners are encouraged to send their pay-ment by mail to 1092 Tribble Gap Road or pay by personal online banking or credit card at www1.forsythco.com/Pay-PropertyTax.

Doing so helps to minimize operational costs and to lower taxes associated with collec-tions, Ledbetter said.

Tax office hours are from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, excluding holidays.

Locations: Main office (mailing address) at 1092 Trib-ble Gap Road, Cumming, Ga. 30040 or the Sharon Springs branch at 1950 Sharon Road, Cumming, Ga. 30041.

Call 770-781-2110, or email tax@forsythco.com for additional information.

—Aldo Nahed

Forsyth County tax bills due Nov. 15

Fire department puts three new engines in service

FORSYTH COUNTY, Ga. — The Forsyth County Fire Department has added three new pieces of firefighting ap-paratus to its fleet.

Three new Pierce fire en-gines are now in service.

“These three new engines are important components of the fire department’s five-year plan,” Fire Chief Danny Bow-man said. “They are critical pieces of equipment that will, without question, assist our firefighters as they perform their daily fire suppression and emergency response missions. They will also help boost departmental efficiency and enhance the safety of our personnel.”

Engines are the basic re-sponse unit and the backbone of the department, responding to all incidents. Engines per-form suppression functions, medical response and motor vehicle accident response and extrication duties. The new engines are housed at Fire

Station No. 1 on Castleberry Industrial Drive in downtown Cumming, Fire Station No. 10 on Old Atlanta Road in south Forsyth County, and Fire Sta-tion No. 12 on Settingdown Road in north Forsyth County.

Funding for the new en-gines came from the depart-ment budget and the depart-ment’s reserve funds. The

county has 12 staffed engines currently in service. The new units replaced aging engines, which are now a part of the department’s reserve fleet. Reserve apparatus are tempo-rarily called into service while frontline units undergo any required maintenance.

“This fire department is committed to serving the peo-

ple of Forsyth County to the very best of our ability,” Bow-man said. “These new appa-ratus are part of our ongoing plan to maintain our level of fire protection and emergency services. Without the contin-ued support of our citizens, Board of Commissioners and county administration, this would not be possible.”

New units replace aging engines

Three new fire engines have been added to the Forsyth County Fire Department.

6 | September 3, 2014 | Forsyth Herald | forsythherald.com Submit your news & photos to news@forsythherald.comCOMMUNITY

By SHANNON WEAVERshannon@northfulton.com

ROSWELL, Ga. —“I am a SWAG,” said Cindy Wood, Ms. Senior Georgia 2013 performing as her alter ego, Ms. Magnolia. “A Southern Woman Aging Gracefully.”

That was the message of the Ms. Se-nior Georgia pageant this year, hosted by the Georgia Classic Club to promote a positive image of aging.

The pageant was held at the Roswell Cultural Arts Center Aug. 16-17.

Although some contestants came from the city and regional levels, the only requirement for the pageant was to be a Georgia woman 60 or more years of age.

The winner was Dolores Lauder-dale, of Marietta. Her talent act was a “Singing in the Rain” song and dance routine.

“Life after 60 has been wonderful,” said Lauderdale in her platform. “I am loving this life even more and trying new ventures.”

Other contestants were Sheila Phil-lips of Albany, Lynda Dawson of Ham-ilton, Bernadine Cantrell of Woodstock, Cheryl Willoughby of Silver Creek, Jan Jones of Conyers and Charlene Mc-Cann of Augusta.

Classic Club members provided

many of the entertainment acts, includ-ing an introduction from the pageant’s former queens, a monologue by Wood as Ms. Magnolia and a tambourine routine by the Dazzlin’ Dames, an entertainment group made up of former pageant contestants and Classic Club members.

Barbara Quinn said that most of the queens have continued to be involved in the club.

“Everybody who’s been in the pag-eant, that’s the initiation into the Clas-sic Club,” said Quinn.

As “queen,” Wood toured many events throughout the state for her term as Ms. Senior Georgia, pub-lic speaking, auctioning for charity, volunteering and performing with the Dazzlin’ Dames.

Lauderdale will make a similar tour over the next year.

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Everybody who’s been in the pageant, that’s the initiation into the Classic Club.”BARBARA QUINN

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by Cumming-based Extreme Flight Radio Control to demon-strate a twin-cylinder, 94-inch MXS EXP model airplane.

The celebration also includ-ed advanced helicopter flights, extreme aerobatics, flight activities and examples of agri-cultural unmanned air vehicles (UAV) by Atlanta Hobby. There was even a candy drop, where a model plane made sure to disperse enough candy to all the children present, including 4-year-old Robbie Provo.

“They’ve got phenomenal pilots out here. It’s a great day to get out and be with the family and see some really cool stuff in the air,” said Robb Provo, of Suwanee in south Forsyth County.

It was 1989 when a group of like-minded model aviation buffs decided to organize Geor-gia Model Aviators.

Twenty-five years later, Georgia Model Aviators is still going strong.

“The property itself is a place where many of us learned to fly our toy air-planes,” said David Roberts, a training coordinator at GMA Airfield.

In fact, the GMA club is one of the top AMA-sanctioned organizations in the U.S.

Over the past 25 years, the model aviation hobby has grown into an industry that is expanding rapidly, with technology advances in almost every facet of flight.

Local cottage businesses delivering unmanned flight ve-hicles will see revenue top over $12 million this year, while math and science students are partnering with the Georgia Model Aviators to acceler-ate engineering learning in schools.

The Georgia Model Avia-tors sponsor Creekview High School’s rocketry team out of Cherokee County, who use the GMA Airfield for technology tests and practice launches.

The team took first in the U.S. and third in the world’s largest rocket contest, the Team Amer-ica Rocketry Challenge.

The Georgia Model Aviators also sponsor the Georgia Tech

Aeronautics team, and GMA Airfield is a base for their UAV testing and flights.

Earlier this year, GMA Airfield again hosted the SAE International and Lockheed Martin-sponsored Aero Design East 2014. The event brought

75 university teams of en-gineering students from 10 different countries to Forsyth County to compete in the annual advanced aerospace competition.

Visit http://gmarc.com for more information.

Continued from Page 1

Airplanes: Model aviators show off skills at GMA Airfield

PHOTOS BY ALDO NAHED/STAFF

Cliff Whitney, owner of Atlanta Hobby, showing an unmanned air vehicle used by farmers to determine soil moisture.

Chris Hinson, owner of Extreme Flight in Cumming, and Jase “The Ace” Dussia, an expert aerobatic pilot.

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Dance academy hosts fundraiser for ill student

CUMMING, Ga. – Cumming Dance Academy will host a community-wide family event to support Sydney Ridings and her family, as she continues her four-year fight against Ewing’s sar-coma, a malignant bone tumor.

The Sydney Strong Social will take place from 2 to 6 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 27 at CDA’s third location at the Shoppes at Trammel, 1676 Buford Highway in Cumming.

The afternoon will honor Ridings and her family as well as raise funds to help pay medical costs.

The event will feature vendor booths, a dance showcase, balloon ani-mals, hairstyling, bouncy houses and face painting for families and children in attendance. A raffle and silent auc-tion will also be held with all proceeds going to the Ridings family.

Ridings has been a student at Cumming Dance Academy since its opening 11 years ago and has re-mained a member of the CDA family as she has undergone surgeries and cancer treatment.

“I’ve watched her grow up,” said Niki Watkins, CDA’s owner. “She and her family are so important to us at CDA and we want to do whatever we

can to support them both financially and in prayer and love.”

Watkins and the Cumming Dance Academy hope the community will come out and help them do just that at the Sydney Strong Social.

Those wishing to participate can donate items for the silent auction and raffle, rent a booth space or make a donation. The event is free for attend-ees with suggested donations.

For more, visit www.cummingda-nceacademy.com or contact Cheryl Mahan, CDA events coordinator, at cdaevents@yahoo.com.

–Rachael Dier

Sydney Strong Social honors Sydney Ridings’ battle with cancer

ALDO NAHED/STAFF

Sydney Ridings, left, with her mother, Tammy Ridings.

Mentor Me group makes a splash at summer dock partyCUMMING, Ga. — Mentor Me North Georgia held its third annual Lake Lanier Dock Party on July 26. This is just one of the many fun activities that Mentor Me sponsors throughout the year for volunteer mentors and their mentees.

Mentor Me North Georgia is a lo-cal nonprofit organization committed to making a difference in the lives of children and young people through mentoring programs.

“Everyone had so much fun, and it was great to see our mentees enjoy themselves,” said Sylvia Cardona, executive director of Mentor Me North Georgia. “Outings like this not only give the kids and their mentors the

opportunity to have fun and build their relationships, but they all get to know each other better.”

Cardona said the event helps the children to continue developing their social skills.

Mentor Me provides traditional one-on-one mentoring relationships between adult volunteers and young people.

Children between the ages of 6 and 17 who need and want a mentor are matched with adults who can serve as role models.

For more information, call 678-341-8028 or visit www.mentor-menorthga.org.

–Rachael Dier

Tubing was one of the favorite activities at the dock party.

forsythherald.com | Forsyth Herald | September 3, 2014 | 9Submit your news & photos to news@forsythherald.com COMMUNITY

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‘Sip of the South’ returns to Bulloch Hall ROSWELL, Ga. — Grab your cowboy boots and head out to Bulloch Hall at 6:30 p.m. on Oct. 4 for its Sip of the South event.

The annual event’s theme this year is “Boots ‘n’ Barbe-cue,” and it will be hosted on the grounds of the historic home, 180 Bulloch Avenue in Roswell.

Expect music, dancing, barbecue and an open bar, featuring the event’s signa-ture drink “The Buggy Whip.”

It will also include a cob-bler cook-off, campfire and a prize awarded for the best-

looking cowboy boots.Guests are invited to kick

their heels and enjoy the atmosphere of the Wild West; dressing in Western or casual attire is encouraged.

Proceeds from the event will support the continued re-construction of Bulloch Hall’s Orchard Hill project on the north side of the property.

Tickets are $50 per per-son. Reservations must be made by Sept. 30. Call 770-992-1731, ext. 2 for more information or to reserve tickets.

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Pinecrest junior wins first place in global competitionBy ALDO NAHEDaldo@forsythherald.com

CUMMING, Ga. — A junior at Pinecrest Academy was part of a team that won first place in the Young Entrepreneurs Global Competition.

Josiah Jones and his The Indus Entrepreneurs (TiE) team, “Terra Bacter,” won first place at the TiE Young Entre-preneurs Global Competition in Vancouver, British Columbia in Canada on June 22.

After nine months of educa-tion, mentorship, pitch ses-sions and winning the local competition at TiECON South-east in Atlanta in April, Jones and team Terra Bacter beat 17 other teams from around the globe.

The runner up and also winner of the Elevator Pitch Prize was Team Scanitizer from TiE Austin.

Terra Bacter’s mission is to help farmers end hunger and save the planet by provid-ing an alternative, eco-friendly bioremediation technique to ef-

ficiently lower the acidity level of affected soils.

TiE Young Entrepreneurs is a program designed to educate high school students on what it takes to be successful in business as an entrepreneur.

To participate, students form teams and meet with mentors twice a month for six months to brainstorm, select ideas and create a business plan.

At the end of the program, teams compete locally and then globally against teams from around the world at the TiE Young Entrepreneurs Global Competition.

The Atlanta program begins its fifth year this month.

For more information on the competition, visit https://www.tie.org/article/tie-global-announces-2014-tye-wiiners.

From left: Josiah Jones, Ishaan Bhasin, Nilai Sarda, Vamsi Gadde, Sai Maddali, Amith Vadlamudi and Sanket Mehta.

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10 | September 3, 2014 | Forsyth Herald | forsythherald.com Submit your news & photos to news@forsythherald.comSCHOOLS

By CANDY WAYLOCKcandy@northfulton.com

ATLANTA – Aside from politi-cal affiliation, few issues divide the candidates for state school superintendent when it comes to the future of public educa-tion in Georgia.

Democrat Valarie Wilson and Republican Richard Woods both advocate for more support for teachers, less emphasis on standardized testing and a cautious approach to tying student achievement to teacher paychecks.

But the issue that divides both candidates is the imple-mentation – and future – of the national Common Core Stan-dards (CCS) for Georgia public school students.

During a candidate forum Aug. 18 hosted by the Georgia Partnership for Excellence in Education, both Wilson and Woods explained their stance on the standards.

Depending on who pre-vails in the November election, students in Georgia could continue their Common Core journey through Wilson, or see a gradual pulling back, if not end, under a Woods adminis-tration.

In January, either Woods or Wilson will replace current superintendent John Barge who chose to run for governor instead of seeking a second term.

Wilson, president of the Georgia School Boards As-sociation and a school board member from Decatur, sup-ports the CCS, pointing to a

survey of teachers showing 75 percent support the standards. A change in standards would mean the fourth state cur-riculum in place over the past decade.

“I think we have to move forward with implementation,” said Wilson. “It is critical for us to prepare our kids to be suc-cessful locally, statewide and globally. But we have to work closely with districts to ensure the level of training and sup-port is there to implement [the standards] correctly.”

On the other side of the aisle, Woods discounts the survey results, noting the sampling was not extensive, and supports a step back to determine if the standards are what is needed in Georgia classrooms.

He noted the previous standards – the Georgia Perfor-mance Standards (GPS) – con-tained 85 to 90 percent of the Common Core standards and questioned how much improve-ment one could expect.

“As far as whether Com-mon Core moves forward, my plan is for Georgia to move forward,” said Woods, a class-room teacher and administra-tor in South Georgia for more than 20 years. “As far as the standards itself, I think we could have done better, and we should have done better (than the CCS). I think there is room for improvement.”

Jemelleh Coes, the 2014 Teacher of the Year, said what CCS added to the GPS were skills necessary for students to succeed in life after high

school.“As a classroom teacher

that difference [between CCS and GPS] is something that we previously missed, [and that is] the fostering of critical think-ing and critical analysis,” said Coes, who served a panelist for the forum.

The CCS curriculum was adopted by Republican Gov. Sonny Perdue during his ten-ure as Georgia’s governor. It is in its third year of implementa-tion.

One area of concern with the CCS is the new assess-ments set to begin next year in grades 3-12, Georgia Mile-stones. Both Woods and Wilson agree the new assessments are rolling out too quickly to adequately gauge achievement. And with teacher evaluations, and potentially pay, linked to achievement, the stakes are

too high for low-quality assess-ments.

“I asked for a two-year moratorium on the [Milestones] where we can look at the test,” said Woods. “The implementa-tion has not been field tested and we are developing it on the move.”

He also dislikes assess-ments that come at the end of the school year, likening it to an autopsy, instead of throughout the year to assess progress.

“Do you want your doctor to look at you when you are dead or take a series of physi-cal throughout your life?” he asked.

Wilson also supports a more cautious view of assess-ments, noting the current format is punitive to teachers.

“We have to evaluate the Milestones and see if we are providing the information that is necessary for our teachers to be successful and for our students to learn,” said Wilson. “We test, test, test, test way too much. Whatever assessment we use, we need to make sure

we are using that tool cor-rectly.”

Both candidates also ad-dressed the controversy in the Fulton School System over the math curriculum. A question from the audience asked if the candidates would support funding to develop assess-ments for both integrated and traditional math. Currently, the state only supports the integrated path, but Fulton is pushing for a traditional option as well.

Wilson indicated she sup-ported both options, but indi-cated finding the money could be difficult in lean budget times.

Woods said the proposal from Fulton was fair and prob-able.

“We should work together to support our local school sys-tems and as your next school superintendent, my intent is to make sure we reach the goals,” Woods said.

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Common Core divides school superintendent candidates Wilson, Woods outline education stance during forum

Valarie Wilson, left, and Richard Woods.

forsythherald.com | Forsyth Herald | September 3, 2014 | 11Submit your news & photos to news@forsythherald.com COMMUNITY

Clemson UniversityCLEMSON, S.C. – The following local students were among the graduates of Clemson University at the school’s May 9 commencement ceremony.

Alpharetta: Brady Patrick Brown, bachelor’s degree in marketing; Mat-thew Scott Campbell, bachelor’s degree in parks, recreation and tourism management; Lacey Michelle Crisler, bachelor’s degree in history; Kyle Al-exander Kipping, bachelor’s degree in marketing; and Candice Leigh Sinis-galli, bachelor’s degree in management.

Cumming: Matthew Irby Cureton, bachelor’s degree in civil engineering; Robert Michael Gagliano, bachelor’s degree in marketing; and Taylor Alex-andra Godfrey, bachelor’s degree in construction science and management, summa cum laude.

Duluth: Kimberly Michelle Bandy, master’s degree in architecture; Mat-thew Carter Campbell, bachelor’s degree in management; Laura Anne Hayes, master’s degree in teaching middle-level education; and Katherine Thayer Winfrey, bachelor’s degree in political science.

Johns Creek: Ross Cannon Bep-pler, bachelor’s degree in electrical

engineering, summa cum laude.Milton: Herbert Noel Carpenter,

doctorate in planning, design and the built environment.

Roswell: Patrick James Bailey, bachelor’s degree in biosystems engi-neering; Brett Hayden Beidel, bach-elor’s degree in economics; Robert Andrew Finney Jr., bachelor’s degree in financial management; Darcy Olivia Hannon, bachelor’s degree in market-ing, cum laude; Garrett Edwin Hurst, bachelor’s degree in financial manage-ment; Gabriella Marie Ide, bachelor’s degree in production studies in perform-ing arts; and Stephen Beaty Wilker-son, bachelor’s degree in communica-tion studies.

Suwanee: Katharine Marie John-son, master’s degree in architecture; Abigail Claire Lee, bachelor’s degree in psychology; and Howard Clay Mar-tin III, bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering, summa cum laude.

Clemson University has announced the names of local students who are on the spring 2014 President’s List and Dean’s List. Students who achieved a 4.0 grade point average for the term were placed on the President’s List. Dean’s List honorees earned GPAs be-tween 3.50 and 3.99.

President’s List: Matthew David Gabriel, Alpharetta, industrial en-gineering; Tanner Seine Hamilton, Alpharetta, pre-business; Helen Chan-dler Kalley, Alpharetta, health sci-ence; Rebecca Morgan Ruiz, Alpharetta,

psychology; Thomas Alexander Ryan, Alpharetta, electrical engineering; and Kara Elizabeth Wilson, Alpharetta, elementary education.

Taylor Alexandra Godfrey, Cum-ming, construction science and man-agement; Andrew Wade Johnston, Cumming, mechanical engineering; Cooper A. Burdick, Duluth, pre-busi-ness; Julianne Ciaramello, Duluth, marketing; and Callie Ann Pate, Du-luth, marketing.

Ross Cannon Beppler, Johns Creek, electrical engineering; Elizabeth Grace Shevlin, Johns Creek, elemen-tary education; Allison Nicole Tanzy, Johns Creek, elementary education; Taylor Marie Walton, Johns Creek, graphic communications; and Char-lotte Lane Colt, Milton, biochemistry.

Morgan McKenna Edmondson, Roswell, civil engineering; Tanner J. Hayes, Roswell, pre-business; Maxwell Christopher Hoelzen, Roswell, electri-cal engineering; Laura Justine Jegers-Hayes, Roswell, graphic communica-tions; Bridget O. Johnson, Roswell, health science; and Melissa Kathleen Moore, Suwanee, economics.

Dean’s List: Kaylyn Parks Bidwell, Alpharetta, nursing; Brady Patrick Brown, Alpharetta, marketing; Lacey Michelle Crisler, Alpharetta, history; William Brown Finnell II, Alpharetta, pre-business; Amanda Karyn Gauger, Alpharetta, marketing; Ashley C. Gentry, Alpharetta, nursing; Benjamin Lee Hirschland, Alpharetta, financial

management; Kyle Alexander Kip-ping, Alpharetta, marketing; Melanie J. Magazine, Alpharetta, psychology; Kevin Patrick McCarthy, Alpharetta, management; Candice Leigh Sinisgal-li, Alpharetta, management; Genevieve Marie Watkins, Alpharetta, computer science; Sydney Nicole Welch, Al-pharetta, pre-business; and Kelly Ann Wise, Alpharetta, management.

Briana Morgan Smith, Cum-ming, psychology; Emily A. Spark-man; Cumming, history; Alicia Bates Bostic, Duluth, English; James E. Cusick Jr., Duluth, general engineer-ing; Benjamin Clark Doherty, Duluth, computer information systems; and Anna Elisabeth Lofgren, Duluth, gen-eral engineering

Robert Owen Calvert III, Johns Creek, biochemistry; Megan I. Froats, Johns Creek, graphic communications; Ashley Jordan Gaillard, Johns Creek, health science; and Austin Wesley Hicks, Johns Creek, management.

Brandon Shane Austin, Roswell, mechanical engineering; Brett Hayden Beidel, Roswell, economics; and Gar-rett Brooks Busch, Roswell, market-ing;

Austin J. Golden, Suwanee, food science; Clare M. Kelley, Suwanee, English; Abigail Claire Lee, Suwanee, psychology; Lydia Darrington Melin, Suwanee, civil engineering; Lauren Ma-rie O’Donnell, Suwanee, microbiology.

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By JONATHAN COPSEYjonathan@northfulton.com

ALPHARETTA, Ga. – Alpharet-ta’s restaurant scene is going to get the chance to show off for a week as part of the Alpharetta Restaurant Week Sept. 6 -14.

With South Main Kitchen, Chicken Salad Chick and many other restaurants opening in Alpharetta this year as well as the dozens to come in Avalon, Alpharetta’s restaurant scene is expanding rapidly.

To help raise awareness of this foodie scene, the Alpharet-ta Chamber of Commerce is

hosting Restaurant Week to kick off a week of local eating.

The event, open to all restaurants in the City of Al-pharetta, is designed to show-case the best the city’s eateries have to offer as well as giving customers deals.

“We wanted to create an event centered on promot-

ing Alpharetta restaurants similar to how Roswell, INC has used Roswell Restaurant week to promote the Roswell

restaurant community,” said Hans Appen, president of the Alpharetta Chamber of Com-merce.

Fixed menus, reduced prices or other discounts are all offered by participating restaurants.

There will also be “goodie bags” patrons can win at the end of the week.

Along with Restaurant Week, the Alpharetta Chamber of Commerce has created “Dine Alpharetta.” This program of-fers a card for use while eating at local restaurants. When it is presented, customers can save 10, 15, or 20 percent off their bill.

This program is designed to encourage residents to eat locally on a regular basis.

In order for restaurants to take part in either deal, they must be located within Alpharetta and be Alpharetta Chamber members.

“We want people to get out of their comfort zone and visit restaurants they have never eaten at before or they have never heard of,” Appen said. “We want to market Alpharet-ta’s restaurants.”

For more information, including participating restau-rants as well as offered deals, visit www.alpharettachamber.com.

Alpharetta to host ‘restaurant week’Alpharetta Restaurant WeekSept. 6 – 14. See partici-pating restaurants atwww.alpharettachamber.com

VARSITY BRIEFSSend us your news!

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12 | September 3, 2014 | Forsyth Herald | forsythherald.com Submit your news & photos to news@forsythherald.comCOMMUNITY

School of Rock opens in Johns Creek

By HATCHER HURDhatcher@northfulton.com

JOHNS CREEK, Ga. – You say you want to get those kids out of the garage because their band amps keep short-ing out the TV and you can’t watch the game?

You say you want to give those kids some positive feedback while trying to find a musical identity?

You say you always wanted to be a rock star but time has passed you by?

Well it’s time to get back to school, then. The School of Rock that is, which just opened in Johns Creek at the corner of Abbotts Bridge and Medlock Bridge roads.

Ben and Christina Simms are the young entrepreneurs who opened the 135th School of Rock worldwide Aug. 22.

In true rock and roll fashion, they did not have Mayor Mike Bodker cut the ribbon, rather he smashed a guitar a la Pete Townshend.

But the Simms are serious about the music despite the antics at the opening, and they say they chose Johns Creek for a reason.

“First, we want to thank the mayor and council and the Johns Creek Chamber of Commerce for making us not only so welcome here, but for their help in making the opening of our busi-ness so smooth,” Ben said.

“We’re honored to be a part of such a great arts city. We think this is the perfect place to teach people to not only rock in music, but to rock in life.”

And while rock is the basis of what they do, it is all about teaching music to students who have been as young as

4 and as old as 80.Christina said the music is also a

tool for students to learn life skills as well. They learn to master a piece of music, and it gives them confidence to set a task and accomplish it.

They learn the confidence to go before a large group or audience that will serve them in any endeavor. And they will learn an appreciation of music that will be deeper and more complete, she said.

The couple each has an MBA and they thought a lot about what sort of business they would choose to launch their career. They even considered a butcher shop, but looking at the School of Rock prospectus, Christina said they knew this was the opportunity for

them.“We both love the arts. We have

always had that side. We also wanted to do something that would let us give back to the community,” said Chris-tina. “And we just love Johns Creek’s commitment to the arts. It is a real arts community.”

Ben said the great thing about School of Rock is that anyone can sign up at any age or skill level.

Two visitors for the opening cer-emony signed up for lessons that day. Johns Creek Chamber of Commerce Chairman Kent Davies sat in one of the classrooms and decided it was some-thing he had wanted to do.

“I have a grandson who plays piano and is learning guitar. I told him I

would play with him one day. It’ll be awesome,” Davies said. “This will be a way to connect with him from one gen-eration to another.”

ReMax realtor Cleve Gaddis was another visitor who got the bug and enrolled right away.

“I always wanted to play the drums, so signed up,” Gaddis said matter-of-factly.

Ben said that is not unusual to get “more mature” enthusiasts to sign up after seeing the layout.

“We have programs for all ages,” he said. “Our lessons are a bit different from others. We teach our students to perform. In three or four months, they will be playing in a live show.”

And they will be taught to play in groups and ensembles, so they learn faster and learn to play more collabora-tively,” Ben said.

“They learn to play with others, not in a vacuum. That is the way most professionals play – as part of a group, band or symphony,” he said.

The classes are taught for a semes-ter – they call it a session. And the end of that session, they will play in a group and give a show, he said.

For the best of the best, there are the School of Rock All-Stars.

They will play gigs together and compete at School of Rock concerts. Each year, top School of Rock students play in a rock concert tour the month of July and play at major venues across the country.

Asked which came first, the school or the movie of the same name, Chris-tina says the school.

“Originally, it was supposed to be a documentary about School of Rock, but when Jack Black got involved, it quickly became a comedy,” she said. “But when you watch the movie, how he teaches the kids to play is exactly how we teach.”

You’re never too old, too young to rock ‘n’ roll

PHOTOS BY HATCHER HURD/STAFF

Johns Creek Mayor Mike Bodker foregoes the traditional ribbon cutting, instead does his best Pete Townshend imitation to officially open the School of Rock in Johns Creek.

HATCHER HURD/STAFF

Johns Creek Chamber of Commerce Chairman Kent Davies, right, takes a lesson from instructor Jeff Jones. He liked it enough to sign up for more lessons.

forsythherald.com | Forsyth Herald | September 3, 2014 | 13Submit your news & photos to news@forsythherald.com COMMUNITYUnited Way kicks off 13th annual Day of CaringFORSYTH COUNTY, Ga. – United Way of Forsyth County will host the 13th annual community-wide Day of Caring and kick off its 2015 fundrais-ing campaign.

On Friday, Sept. 5, a record-breaking 650 volun-teers from local businesses, schools, civic organizations and churches will embark on projects at nonprofit organiza-tions and schools throughout Forsyth County.

Many volunteers will also participate in the second an-nual United Way Food Friday, a large project where 60,000 dried, non-perishable meals will be packaged by volunteers for distribution to local food pantries.

This program was brought to the community in partner-ship with Outreach Inc., a nonprofit organization that works to end hunger across the world.

In 2013, about 535 volun-teers participated in the 12th annual Day of Caring, with 185 of those volunteers doing yard work, painting, sorting food donations and reading to children at eight different loca-tions.

The other 350 volunteers participated in the inaugural United Way Food Friday, pack-aging 50,000 meals for local food pantries.

Volunteer opportunities for this event are already full, but visit www.UnitedWayForsyth.com for other opportunities.

–Rachael Dier

Cumming native in prestigious navy crew

KINGS BAY, Ga. — A 2005 North Forsyth High School graduate and Cumming native is serving in the U.S. Navy as part of a crew work-ing aboard one of the world’s most advanced guided missile submarines, the USS Georgia (SSGN 729).

Petty Officer Daniel Hoadley is an electrician’s mate serving aboard the Kings Bay-based boat, one of four Ohio-class guided missile subma-rines.

Measuring 560 feet long, 42 feet wide and weighing greater than 16,500 tons, a nuclear-powered propulsion system helps push the ship through the water at more than 20 knots.

The Navy’s guided missile subma-rines provide the Navy with unprec-edented strike and special operation mission capabilities from a stealthy, clandestine platform. Armed with tactical missiles and equipped with superior communications capabili-ties, guided missile submarines are capable of launching missile strikes and supporting Special Operation Forces missions.

“We demand the highest stan-dards from Petty Officer Hoadley, technically and personally,” said Rear Admiral Charles A. Richard, com-mander of the Submarine Group 10 in Kings Bay.

–Vallari BhavePetty Officer Daniel Hoadley is an electrician’s mate serving aboard the Kings Bay-based boat.

CUMMING, Ga. – A mental health advocacy group will offer free educational classes for family and friends of adults living with a mental illness.

The local affiliate of National Alliance on Mental Illness, or NAMI, will offer the family-to-family program at 6:30 p.m. Mon-day evenings beginning Sept. 8 at 240 Elm St. in Cumming.

The 11-week program will continue at the same time and location on Monday nights through Nov. 17.

The family-to-family course is designed to help all family members understand and support their loved one living with mental illness, while maintaining their own well-being. The course includes information on schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, major depressive disorder and other mental health conditions.

The program is taught by trained teachers who know what it’s like to have a loved one living with mental illness.

Anyone interested in attending needs to pre-register by email-ing namifdlga@gmail.com. Visit www.namifdl.org or call Ovie Hughie at 678-341-9414 for more information.

–Rachael Dier

Mental health education class beginning Sept. 8

China seeks forever or foster home

This snowy white, stunning girl is China. She is a 5-year-old Box-er/Lab mix who would do well in a home with one other dog her size or all by herself. China is a good girl with a sweet personality. She has been crate trained and is working hard on leash training.

Visit www.forsyth-pets.org for more infor-mation.

Cumming for DUI, hit and run and open container.

► Tereka Lynn Cronic, 32, of Gainesville was arrested Aug. 20 on Providence Lane in Gainesville for DUI and failure to maintain lane.

Drug arrests ► Johnny Dale Bradshaw,

48, of Warm Springs, Georgia, was arrested Aug. 14 on Lake Center Parkway in Cumming for possession of metham-phetamines and wanted per-son.

► Edward M. Henson, 23, of Dawsonville was arrested Aug. 16 on Ga. 400 in Cumming for possession of marijuana, pos-session of cocaine and failure to maintain lane.

► Tammylee Marie Wright, 42, of County Line Road, Cumming, was arrested Aug. 21 on Browns Bridge Road in Gainesville for pos-session of methamphet-amines.

► Cameron Kyle Cantrell, 22, of Hutchinson Road, Cumming, was arrested Aug. 8 on Hutchinson Road in Cumming for possession of marijuana with intent to dis-tribute.

Continued from Page 3

Arrests:Aug. 16 and found several grave markers destroyed.

They said historical headstones were knocked off the gravesite and some were even missing.

After surveying the area, deputies found a receipt from Ferguson’s Meat Market close to the dam-aged property. Deputies went to the market off Matt Highway, which is within walking distance to the cem-etery, and watched surveil-lance video around the time stamped on the receipt.

Deputies said two men, who looked to be in their late teens or early 20s, were seen buying the same drinks listed on the receipt. Then, they left the market and walked in the direction toward the cemetery.

The first incident hap-pened sometime around July 15 where several head-stones and foot stones were damaged at James Cem-etery, 1575 Union Hill Road.

Neighbor charged as ‘Peeping Tom’FORSYTH COUNTY, Ga.

— A woman saw a man standing on her back porch holding a device that looked like a cellphone, according to Forsyth County Sheriff’s incident report.

After an investigation, Charles “Evan” Robert-son, 20, was charged with peeping tom, a felony, and loitering and prowling, a misdemeanor.

Robertson was taken to Forsyth County Detention Center.

A woman in the 400 block of Longwood Lane told deputies she yelled at the man after she saw him on her porch at about midnight Aug. 20.

She said the man ran down the side of the home and across the street as she called 911.

When deputies arrived, they tracked footprints in the dew to a home in the 800 block of Longwood Lane.

Deputies eventually talked to Robertson, who matched the victim’s de-scription and had a scratch on his chest.

Two witnessed said they also saw a man matching Robertson’s description running on Longwood Lane around the time of the inci-dent.

Continued from Page 2

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14 | September 3, 2014 | Forsyth Herald | forsythherald.com

North Fulton has certainly been an attractive place to do business. But todo that, we should take up tax reform and cut the state’s income tax rate...

Sponsored by

This spring, the business network CNBC ranked Georgia the No. 1 place to do business in the country for 2014. Un-fortunately, as we wind down summer, the Bureau of Labor Statistics has posted shocking data. Our state’s unemploy-ment rate not only worsened in July but is now the second worst in the country.

When ranked with the 50 states and the District of Co-lumbia, Georgia falls only be-hind Mississippi in the number of citizens out of work and now looking for jobs.

We have an unemployment rate of 7.8 percent while the national rate is 6.2 percent. Some regions of the state have an unemployment rate of 9.4 percent.

After giving the nod to Texas for several years, CNBC ranked Georgia first for doing

business in 2014 primarily because of our infrastructure such as Hartsfield Interna-tional Airport and workforce (collective bargaining is not legal here).

The network noted our weaknesses in Georgia’s edu-cation and employment.

If we are to turn around the job losses of the Great Reces-sion, the state needs to attract businesses of all sizes that will hire new workers. North Fulton has certainly been an attrac-

tive place to do business. But to do that, we should take up tax reform and cut the state’s income tax rate – now at 6 percent – to grow the economy and help create new jobs.

According to the Georgia Public Policy Foundation, 28 states have lower personal income tax rates than Georgia, including our neighbors in the region. Florida, Tennessee and Texas have no state income tax. Alabama and Missis-sippi collect 5 percent. North Carolina has cut its tax from 7.75 percent to 5.75 percent, including a dramatic cut in its corporate income tax rate.

Art Laffer, an economic advisor to President Ronald Reagan, and Stephen Moore, the chief economist at the Heritage Foundation, point out in a new book that there are more people working in the

nine states with no income tax compared to the nine states with the highest personal in-come tax.

Georgia lawmakers have taken a good first step by of-fering an amendment on the ballot in November that would prohibit the state’s income tax from ever rising above 6 percent.

However, to truly spark our economy, the General Assem-bly needs to reduce tax rates and not attempt to replace it with other new revenue. Only when we take money out of the hands of government and return it to the people will they spend it and create new jobs.

In a readers’ survey re-leased by the Atlanta Busi-ness Chronicle last winter, 77 percent of respondents said they would like the legislature to abolish the state income tax

– first imposed in 1929. In addition, another 12 per-

cent said they favored reducing the current tax.

Lawmakers who sincerely want to lure jobs from the rest of the nation and foster eco-nomic growth need to embrace bold tax reform so we can compete in the employment sweepstakes and jumpstart our still sputtering economy.

Burkhalter is a senior strategic advisor and indepen-dent consultant in the national government affairs practice of McKenna Long & Aldridge LLP. He also leads the firm’s public affairs and economic development initiatives in the United Kingdom. Burkhal-ter is the former speaker of the House and speaker pro tempore, who spent 18 years representing Johns Creek in the Georgia General Assembly. 

Unemployment, tax reform should top 2015 legislative agenda

MARK BURKHALTERGuest Columnist

By HATCHER HURDhatcher@northfulton.com

ROSWELL, Ga. – With Al-pharetta’s newest shopping ex-perience Avalon readying for its grand opening in less than 60 days, it is partnering with the Greater North Fulton Chamber of Commerce and the Roswell United Methodist Church Job Networking Ministry to fill a large shopping list of jobs.

Avalon will have service jobs, sales jobs and more Sept. 8. This event will feature retailers, restaurants, security,

housekeeping, parking and others with employment op-portunities prior to the grand opening.  

Dinner will be catered to all job seekers.

Employers will be the very best of retailers and restau-rants, including American Threads, Arhaus, Athleta, Banana Republic, Bantu, Bocado Burger, Dry Bar, The El Felix, Exhale, Fab’rik, Fly Wheel Sports, Free People, Goldberg’s, Kendra Scott, Kin-nucan’s, LensCrafters, Lulule-mon, Marlow’s Tavern, Mitchell

Gold + Bob Williams, Oak Steakhouse, Pottery Barn Kids, Road Runner Sports, Sage, The Cosmetic Market, Tommy Bahama, West Elm and many more.

“This is a great opportu-nity. Avalon is filled with great stores and shops looking for people to fill jobs right now,” said a RUMC Job Networking Ministry organizer. “Plus we will have workshops all after-noon at the church to polish resumes and even help people dress for success.”

Hiring managers will be on-site to interview and discuss employment opportunities one-

on-one. Job seekers are asked to wear business attire and come prepared with several copies of their resume.

No advance registration is required. RUMC Job Network-ing has planned a full agenda starting at 12:30 p.m. Prior to the career fair, job seekers can attend a series of career workshops taught by profes-sional job coaches and busi-ness leaders.

For Jobs Ministry informa-tion, visit www.RUMCjobnet-working.com. For information about Avalon and a complete list of attending companies, visit www.experienceavalon.

com and click on “Career Fair.”

Avalon holds career fair to fill 2,000 jobsJoins with RUMC Job Networking Ministry

If you goWhat: Avalon Job Fair set Monday, Sept. 8When: Employer introductions at 6:45 p.m.; concludes at 9 p.m. PLUS:Afternoon workshops: 12:30 – 5 p.m. Attire to Hire: 4 – 6:45 p.m. Guest orientation: 5 – 5:30 p.m. Dinner program: 5:15 – 6:45 p.m. Avalon Job Fair:  6:45 – 9 p.m.Where: Roswell United Methodist Church, 814 Mimosa Blvd., Roswell

forsythherald.com | Forsyth Herald | September 3, 2014 | 15Submit your business news & photos to businessnews@forsythherald.com BusinessPosts

Home sellers can take sol-ace in the fact that prices are still trending upwards, despite other challenging factors in the market.

With all sales transactions reported for July, data from the multiple listing system (MLS) still shows an increase in average and median sales prices for homes sold in North Fulton and Forsyth County.

The price gains were stronger and more dramatic last year and while they will continue, the rate at which they increase has been slowing and will continue to level off through the rest of this year.

Despite higher prices and slightly higher inventory to choose from, unit sales are not up compared to last year at this time. The number of home sales in July for Forsyth County are flat, while sales

in North Fulton for the same month are down 11 percent over last July.

The slowdown in sales comes from a combination of factors such as the dramatic rise in prices last year, condi-tion of the available inven-tory, less than flexible lending standards and lagging wage income.

Loan qualification has been challenging for buyers across all price ranges and while stan-dards will loosen in the future,

it’s likely to come at a time that rates increase.

Buyers have pulled back in general this year but the pool of buyers remains fairly large for the lower and mid-range priced homes – but condition is key.

Renovated or completely

updated homes are selling fast and close to asking price, indicating that buyers will make quick decisions and pay for what they want.

Nation-ally, sales of new homes are beginning to flat-ten out, but here in North Fulton the growth is startling. New homes are now

real competition for existing homes where that wasn’t as much the case 18 months ago.

As we continue to see new communities get developed, prices of new construction will rise which, in turn, will help with overall home prices.

Prices continue climb despite fewer sales

ROBERTSTRADERLocal RealtorKeller Williams Realty

As a small business owner, do you perform your daily tasks and activities in an organized manner? Do you have the self-discipline to get things done? If at first you don’t succeed, do you try again?

I learned from successful small business leaders that while planning and execu-tion are important, success is achieved through organi-zation, self-discipline and perseverance.

Being organized tops the list to being successful.

Winging it and performing random tasks and activities that have no rhyme or reason is often the “kiss of death” of a small business.

If you’re not organized and meticulous about how you plan your work and work your plan, you will have a hard time being successful.

Once you’re organized,

self-discipline comes into play. You may have a lot on your plate, such as a major project to complete, and the only way to get things accom-plished is with self-discipline.

Being steadfast in doing something, despite the dif-ficulty, often is the difference between success and failure. And finally, your level of per-severance has to be sky high.

Successful business lead-ers like Steve Jobs, Henry Ford, Bill Gates and many, many others will tell you that it wasn’t their ideas or work

ethic that made them suc-cessful; they just wouldn’t take “no” as an answer.

If you are trying to be suc-cessful as a small business owner, make sure you are very organized, have a high level of self-discipline and an attitude that anything is pos-sible.

DICKJONESFounder & PresidentJones Simply Sales

Organization, self-disciplineand perseverance key to success

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Disney exec. to leadAvalon hospitality teamALPHARETTA, Ga. — North American Properties (NAP) has tapped a Disney veteran to lead its hospitality program at Avalon and invested in a Ritz-Carlton training program for the Avalon team. These moves demonstrate NAP’s commit-ment to introducing a new level of service when Avalon opens on Oct. 30 in Alpharetta.

Wayne Rigsby will lead Club Avalon at the $600 million, 86-acre mixed-use Avalon. Club Avalon’s unique approach to concierge service will provide five-star services to guests and residents for a seamless and luxurious experience from the moment they arrive. That expe-rience will be all about taking care of life’s little details. The concierge will be prepared to thoughtfully and expertly fulfill any convenience, amenity or desire for residents, shoppers and office employees.

“We are excited to welcome Wayne to the Club Avalon

team,” said Mark Toro, managing partner of NAP. “As a seasoned hospital-ity manager, his extensive background with the Walt

Disney Company will allow him to effectively oversee our one-of-a-kind concierge program.”

Rigsby launched his career at the Walt Disney Company in 2007.

His exceptional leader-ship skills and commitment to guest services resulted in multiple promotions during his time with Disney, where he fin-ished his career as the restau-rant guest services manager at Golden Oak Club. Rigsby obtained his MBA from Stetson University and is currently enrolled at the Climer School of Real Estate.

RIGSBY

16 | September 3, 2014 | Forsyth Herald Submit your business news & photos to businessnews@forsythherald.comNewBusinessSpotlight

RESTAURANT ALLIANCE

JOIN TODAY! www.AlpharettaChamber.com

Alpharetta Restaurant Week program

RESTAURANTW E E K

ALPHARETTA CHAMBER’S

Dine Alpharetta program• Year round discount program put on by the Alpharetta Chamber’s Restaurant Alliance designed to encourage dining in Alpharetta on a regular basis.• Participating restaurants will offer 10, 15 or 20% OFF total ticket anytime the Dine Alpharetta card is presented with payment of bill.• All restaurants must provide a discount incentive• Participating restaurants will be identifi ed by “Alpharetta Participant” window decals.

• September 6 - 14 (includes two Saturday nights)• Many participating resaurants will have pre-fi xed lunch ($15) and dinner menus ($25) and suggested wine pairings.• Participating restaurants will be identifi ed with “Restaurant Week Participant” window decals.• All restaurants will provide a discount incentive.

ROSWELL, Ga. — On Aug. 2, Roswell Mayor Jere Wood cut the ribbon dur-ing the grand opening of Walgreens’ new Healthcare Clinic.

The clinic will be located at 695 West Crossville Road in Roswell, near King Road. The clinic will be open 8 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. weekly and

9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. Healthcare Clinic accepts most major insurance plans as well as Medicare and Medicaid and offers transparent pricing for those without insurance coverage.

Call 770-650-6692 for more infor-mation. .

Walgreens opensHealthcare Clinic in Roswell

BusinessBriefsCHAMBER OF COMMERCE »

Agile Resources’ Tricia Dempsey was selected as the 2014 Small Business Person of the Year by the Greater North Fulton Chamber of Commerce. North Fulton Community Charities’ Barbara Duffy, was selected Nonprofit Leader of the Year 2014. Also pictured is Brandon Beach, far right, chief executive officer for the GNFCC.

NF Chamber names Small Business Person of the YearNORTH FULTON, Ga. — The Greater North Ful-ton Chamber of Commerce has selected Tricia Dempsey, of Agile Resources, as the Small Business Person of the Year.

Dempsey, founder and chief executive officer of Agile Resources, has garnered industry awards and recognitions in several areas.

Dempsey also serves as president of Women in Technology.

Grissom to serve as chairman of Johns Creek Chamber JOHNS CREEK, Ga. — Local attorney Susan T. Grissom assumed the role of chairman of the board

of the Johns Creek Chamber of Commerce on June 1.

Grissom has been a member of the Johns Creek Chamber since 2008 and during her membership has served on the board of direc-tors and been the chairperson of the Chamber Gala committee in 2013 and 2014.

Grissom is the managing member of Grissom Law, located in Johns Creek. She also serves as president of the Johns Creek Arts Center, is a member of the Emory Johns Creek Hospital Board and a member of the board of Johns Creek Advantage.

NEW HIRES » Harry Norman welcomes corporate general counselATLANTA – Harry Norman, Realtors has hired Ashoo Sharma as their new in-house corporate general counsel.

Sharma joins Harry Norman from Weissman, Nowack, Curry & Wilco P.C. (WNCW) in Atlanta, where she was partner and attorney at law in the litigation department and brokerage servicing team.

An active member of the Georgia legal and busi-ness community, Sharma has served as the execu-tive vice president of the Georgia Indo-American Chamber of Commerce and as vice president and board member of SABA, the local South-Asian bar association.

For more information, visit www.harrynorman.com.

TRANSPORTATION » CorTrans Logistics has new sales director

JOHNS CREEK, Ga. — CorTrans Logistics, a transportation and freight provider, named Jimmy Hutchins as its new sales director of strategic ac-

counts.Prior to joining CorTrans Logis-

tics, Hutchins was vice president of corporate accounts for a major carrier, where he was responsible for accounts across the Southeast, Arkansas and Ohio. Hutchins at-tended University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, majoring in market-ing. Visit www.CorTrans.com for more information.

NEW BUSINESS » Clinic opens fifth Atlanta locationROSWELL, Ga. — American Family Care has opened a fifth location in the Atlanta area.

AFC opened a new clinic, 1095 Woodstock Road in Roswell, on Aug. 11. An open house and ribbon cutting took place Aug. 27. AFC has four other loca-tions – Windward, Prado, Marietta and Woodstock.

The clinic is designed, equipped and staffed to provide accessible primary care, urgent care, minor emergency treatment and occupational medicine.

It has a high-tech, high touch, digital x-ray, mi-nor trauma and procedure room, onsite lab testing, diagnostics and electronic medical records.

The clinic is open seven days a week from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. No appointment is necessary.

Visit www.americanfamilycare.com for more information

Alpharetta welcomes Supercuts ALPHARETTA, Ga. – Alpharetta and Johns Creek residents have a new option for all of their hair care needs. Supercuts is now open at 3000 Old Alabama Road in the Market at Haynes Bridge shopping center.

The Alpharetta and Johns Creek communities have been very welcoming since the salon opened in late July, and the stylists are enjoying getting to know their new guests.

Visit www.supercuts.com for more information.

GRISSOM HUTCHINS

forsythherald.com | Forsyth Herald | September 3, 2014 | 17CALENDARSubmit your event online at forsythherald.com

MUSIC:

ROSWELL RIVERSIDE SOUNDS: ROSCO BANDANAThe annual Roswell Riverside Sounds concert series presents country mu-sician, Rosco Bandana. These free outdoor concerts are hosted at River-side Park on the first Saturday of each month, with the last one in October. There will be at least two food trucks on location for each concert from 6-9 p.m. Music begins at 7 p.m. River-side Park. 575 Riverside Rd., Roswell. Please call 770-641-3705.

THEATER:A STREETCAR NAMED DESIREPerforming Arts North (PAN) and Ouroboros Theatre Productions (OTP) presents A Streetcar Named Desire. The play is about a woman whose life has become undermined by her romantic illusions. Her rejections of reality cause her to spiral into mad-ness. Sept. 5, 6, 12 and 13 at 8 p.m., 7 and 14 at 3 p.m. All tickets are $20. Discounts are available. Performing Arts North at the Dancing Goat Theatre. 10700 State Bridge Rd., Johns Creek. For tickets go towww.performingartsnorth.org. Please call 770-772-0762.

EVENTS:

YOGA BLOCK PARTYJoin Alpharetta’s new Yoga and Barre Studio for a yoga block party. Bring friends and family for a flow class along with free appetizers and bever-ages. Cost is $10 and space is lim-ited. This is the first block party in a monthly series. Register early atliftyogastudio.com. Thursday, Sept. 4 at 6 p.m. Lift Yoga. 501 South Main St., Suite #101, Alpharetta. Please call 470-268-4362.

ROSWELL SEMI-ANNUAL CONSIGNMENT SALECome out and shop at the Roswell United Methodist Church (RUMCK) semi-annual children’s consignment sale. The sale benefits the church's preschool and kindergarten. Donated items will be given to the Foster Care Support Foundation. Major credit

cards will be accepted with a $3 fee. Friday, Sept. 5, from 9 a.m.-2 p.m. and Saturday, Sept. 6 from 8 a.m.-12 p.m. Fellowship Hall of the Roswell United Methodist Church. 814 Mimo-sa Blvd., Roswell. Please call 770-993-6218.

GRANDPARENTS’ DAY AT CHATTAHOOCHEE NATURE CENTERGrandparents can enjoy some deli-cious ice cream for free. The rest of the family can enjoy ice cream for $4. There will be games on the meadow at 1–4 p.m. Children can make chalk drawings, play with hula hoops, play Frisbee, or throw the ball around – head out with family to play games and listen in for story time. Sponsored by Brusters at Ellard Village and Ro-swell Crossing. Sunday, Sept. 7, 1-3 p.m. Chattahoochee Nature Center. 9135 Willeo Rd., Roswell. Please call 770-992-2055.

JOHNS CREEK DRUG ABUSE AWARENESSThe Johns Creek Police Department (JCPD) will be presenting a Drug Abuse Awareness class for the resi-dents of Johns Creek. The JCPD will provide insights into practical aware-ness and tips on how to spot the signs of illegal drug use. The focus is on the youth of our city and applicable to older adults. Wednesday, Sept. 10, 6-9 p.m. Johns Creek Police Department. 11445 Johns Creek Pkwy., Johns Creek. Please call 678-474-1600.

RACES & BENEFITS:TORTOISE AND THE HARE HALF MARATHONGet ready to run on the Sutallee trails in Canton. The Tortoise and the Hare Half Marathon is set up so everyone

finishes roughly at the same time. Runners estimate their finishing time and that will determine the starting time, with runners starting in half hour waves. The race finishes at noon. The Tortoise and the Hare Half Mara-thon will be held on Saturday, Sept. 6 beginning at 8 a.m. This will be first race in the Tortoise and the Hare Trail Series. 1098 Marietta Hwy., Canton. Please call 678-400-9050.

PREVIEW BICYCLE RIDEPreview the neighborhood cycling route in Sandy Springs that will be used this fall for the 5th annual 24 Hours of Booty of Atlanta. Peachtree Bikes will provide bicycle inspec-tions and host events that include a one-hour, no-drop bicycle ride, lunch and viewing party for Tour de France. Cyclists of all ages and abilities can check out the 2.6-mile, flat course, which will be used this fall. Saturday, Sept. 6, 8:30-11 a.m. Peachtree Bikes. 225 Hilderbrand Dr., Sandy Springs. Please call 678-362-6228.

ERICA O’NEALCalendar Editorerica@northfulton.com

Submit your event to northfulton.com or email with photo to calendar@northfulton.com. For a more complete list of local events including support groups, volunteer opportunities and business meetings visit the calendar on northfulton.com. ED

ITOR

’S P

ICKS

Send me your event...

50 YEARS OF 19TH CENTURY FASHIONThe Roswell Historical Society presents 50 Years of 19th Century Fashion with Janine and Phillip Whitman. This free event is on Thursday, Sept. 4 and begins at 7 p.m. at the Historic Gardens of Great Oaks. 786 Mimosa Blvd., Roswell. Please call 770-992-1665 or visitroswellhistoricalsociety.org.

EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS FAIRLearn about food storage and emergency, financial and spiritual preparedness at this informative event. Presented by the Milton Ward of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 9 a.m.-12 p.m Saturday, Sept. 6. LDS Chappel Brannon Building. 510 Brannon Rd., Cumming. Please call 678-455-3086 or visit providentliving.org.

JOHNS CREEK FALL FAMILY FESTIVALBring the family out for the 6th annual Johns Creek Fall Family Festival. The festival features music, games, obstacle courses, and more. 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 6. Newtown Park. 3150 Old Alabama Rd., Johns Creek. Please call 678-512-3200.

SUBMIT YOUR EVENT AT

WWW.ROSCOBANDANA.COM

UPDATE: VICKERY VILLAGE FARMERS’ MARKETStock your fridge with farm fresh produce, local meats, poultry and more at your local farmers market. Runs through Friday Nov. 7, but subject to change based on availability of products. Fridays, 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. located in the YMCA parking lot adjacent to Vickery Village Shopping Center.

18 | September 3, 2014 | Forsyth Herald | forsythherald.com Submit your news & photos to news@forsythherald.com | Recycled paper

Sponsored Section • Forsyth Herald | September 3, 2014North Atlanta’sNews and advertising for new homes, realtors, developers, commercial properties and more.

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According to a landmark stress study developed by psy-chiatrists Thomas Holmes and Richard Rahe, FOUR events in the home buying process rank among the Top 43 of life’s most stressful circumstances: Changes in someone’s finan-cial state ranked No. 16, large mortgage loans ranked No. 20, change in living conditions ranked No. 28, and a change in residence ranked No. 32.

The purchase of a home should be a joyous event, but sometimes, the process can be overwhelming. Experts recom-mend partnering with trusted professionals whom should advocate for you, the buyer, to avoid mishaps.

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STEP 2: HIRE A BUYER’S AGENT

Having a Realtor who

represents you, the buyer, is the best decision in order to avoid costly mistakes. They advocate for your interest and ensure the process is as smooth as possible by using their expertise and education to guide you .

STEP 3: INSPECTIONA good Realtor should

be able to recommend reli-able inspectors in your area. Inspectors must adhere to code of ethics, which prohibits them from accepting kickbacks from contractors, or real estate agents.

Insist on inspectors who

go beyond state regulatory requirements, take continued education courses in their field and belong to organizations like ASHI.

STEP 4: CLOSING FIRMAgain, a good Realtor is

your source for recommend-ing a reputable, reliable firm, to avoid overdue closings and unforeseen problems at the closing table.

The communication between the Realtor, lender and attorney during this final stages of home buying is prob-ably the most important factor to avoid the elevated stress home buying can produce.

Keep in mind, the clos-ing attorney who work with lenders, title companies and prepare all the necessary pa-perwork for the actual transfer of ownership.

 ABOUT MARTA:

Marta is a tri-lingual native of Czechoslovakia who speaks

Slovak, Czech, and English. She believes that through hard work, education, and ambition anything is possible.

Marta is a college graduate with a degree in Business and Economics. Her greatest asset to her clients is her ability to really listen to their needs, read between the lines and then come up with solutions and results.

She is a Board Member of the Gainesville Newcom-

ers Club, member of BULLI, Frances Meadows Aquatic and Community Center, as well as a member of the 400 Board of Realtors, GA Association of Realtors and National Associa-tion of Realtors.

Marta strongly believes that the American dream of owning a home will never fade and she hopes to help as many people as possible to capture this privilege we have in this great country of ours.

Smooth home buying process

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A good Realtor should be able to recommend reliable inspectors in your area. Inspectors must adhere to code of ethics, which prohibits them from accepting kickbacks from contractors, or real estate agents.

What are buyers looking for in today’s market?By NANCY HAMBYHarry Norman Realtors

If you are thinking of putting your home on the market, here are a few tips that might help you in getting your home ready.

Buyers are looking for a home that is “Move-In Ready”, meaning they can move in without major repairs. Many buyers prefer homes in an established neighborhood, but the inventory is low for resale properties.

New construction creates competi-tion, but if your home is in good condi-tion and priced right, your chances are good of selling fast.

A clean and de-cluttered home

leaves a good impression. Freshen up your home with new paint inside. If you have a lot of walls with colors, you might want to consider neutralizing them. Consider replacing worn floors as new carpet will make your home at-tractive.

Often owners spend money on upgrades that are unnecessary to sell a home or inappropriate for the price level.

Consult a Realtor to help you decide what needs to be done to your home based on your area.

Call 678-557-4228 and I will be glad to talk to you on what needs to be done to get your home ready to put on the market.

Forsyth Herald | forsythherald.com REAL ESTATE REPORT • Sponsored Section September 3, 2014 19

Nothing to stress about yet, because home prices are still rising – but according to the S&P/Case-Shiller Home Price Indices, the rate of the increase is slightly slowing.

Compared to last spring, national home prices in-creased 6.2%.

However, for the first time in more than six years, home prices in the country’s largest markets showed that prices rose slower year-over-year in June with every city reporting lower gains. Still, both city indices, the 10-city and 20-city composites, escalated to 8.1% on an annual basis.

If you have read the latest housing market data, you will see that it has been a little contradictory. For the third straight month, the number of new homes sold in July fell, while existing home sales in July jumped to an annual increase of 5.15 million units - the highest level in 2014. Not to mention, everywhere you look, builder sentiments have remained positive.

“Taken together, these point to a more normal housing sector,” says David Blitzer, spokesman for S&P.

Fortunately, the hous-

ing market in North Atlanta did not suffer like many areas in the city due to our fantastic schools and quality of life. What is

happening now is simply a matter of supply and de-mand; there are more buyers in our market than there are homes that meet their imme-diate needs. 

When the market sub-sided several years ago, much of the construction labor force decreased, as a result, builders now face dif-ficulty recruiting the skilled labor needed to build at their desired pace. Thus, the time it takes to build a quality home has increased. So what can be concluded? Slow and steady. As long as our market is increasing, it is a good sign.

If you would like to learn more about a specific area, please reach out to me directly and I can introduce to you to a specialist in your particular market.

The Steady Increaseof Home Prices Slows

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sauga rattlesnakes, all of the snakes that showed signs of infection died, according to a University of Illinois professor studying Ophidiomyces ophio-diicola.

In New Hampshire, the disease was implicated in a 50-percent decline in an imperiled population of timber rattlesnakes.

The increasing reports and potential threat have prompted comparisons to white-nose syndrome, a fungal disease that has killed an estimated

5.7 million hibernating bats and spread from the Northeast to as far west as Missouri.

White-nose was confirmed in Georgia in 2013. The fungus related to white-nose is similar in some aspects to Ophidiomy-ces ophiodiicola, including that it occurs naturally in soil.

Senior wildlife biologist John Jensen, a herpetologist with the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, suggest-ed that Snake Fungal Disease is, for now, a deeper mystery than white-nose. “There’s a lot more we don’t know about it,” said Jensen, who works for DNR’s Nongame Conservation Section.

–Aldo Nahed

Suzanne Geddes, founder of the Cumming Harvest in Forsyth, realized how impor-tant healthy food is for overall health and wellness. It became even clearer when she became a parent.

It doesn’t take much Google searching to find out how bad processed food is or the pos-sible effects of chemical-laden, genetically modified organisms (GMO) produce, nor is it easy to ignore steadily rising obesity rates among the youth.

Geddes began her journey when her daughter’s stomach issues affected her perfor-mance in pre-K.

The teacher described her

daughter as being in a “fog” and she didn’t participate much in class.

Symptoms continued through first grade. Geddes decided to get her daughter tested for food allergies. Doc-tors found Geddes’ daughter is sensitive to dairy.

Geddes immediately re-

moved dairy from her daugh-ter’s diet. Her stomach pain went away. Her mood im-proved. The fogginess cleared.

“That’s when I knew food played a much bigger part in our health than just filling our bellies,” Geddes said.

Shortly after, Geddes sought to change the environ-ment around her.

“I wanted access to the locally grown, organic farm-ers around me,” Geddes said. “A place where I could get a variety of foods from a variety of local farmers that all grew chemical-free produce.”

That mission gave rise to the Cumming Harvest.

More advanced than a

typical Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) group, which typically does not al-low customers to choose their produce, shoppers log on to CummingHarvest.org and or-der specifically what they want the Wednesday and Thursday before the market on Saturday morning.

There isn’t a minimum order at the Cumming Harvest, and the membership of $25 per year is also cheaper than a typical CSA.

Cumming Harvest’s goal is to benefit multiple farms in the community as opposed to just one or two.

Cumming Harvest pulls this off by connecting several

nearby farmers, pooling all of their resources to meet con-sumer demand.

It’s not possible every week. Customers are warned that if they are late to order, there may not be enough produce.

Though the seeds of change are emerging in patches and communities around the coun-try, Georgia is the perfect place to set an example for how a state can work with local com-munities to provide their food from within 100 miles.

The climate, space, fertile land and lack of significant natural disasters make this state perfect for the sustain-able revolution.

It’s time to make it happen.

We live in a world with an out-of-control economy, out-of-touch political system, unhealthy processed food, ballooning wealth inequality and intense climate change. Everyone has the ability to take immediate action against all of these problems, and it starts in the kitchen. Buy a copy today and take part in the revolution occurring all over Atlanta.

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Author: James Carr• Graduate of Milton High School and UGA• Former editor of the Eagle Edition

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Going Green Forsyth Herald | September 3, 2014

Making a difference in your local community

JAMESCARRThe Jig Is Upjames@forsythherald.com

Prescribing a healthier harvest

Suzanne Geddes, right, with her father Bill McDowell.

Continued from Page 1

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forsythherald.com | Forsyth Herald | September 3, 2014 | 21Submit your news & photos to news@forsythherald.com COMMUNITY

Greensboro CollegeGREENSBORO, N.C. – Joseph Thomas Delia of Johns Creek has been named to Greens-boro College’s Dean’s List for the spring 2014 semester. To qualify, a student must have a 3.5 grade point average or better.

Piedmont College DEMOREST, Ga. – The follow-ing local students were among the 471 graduates receiv-ing degrees from Piedmont College at the recent spring commencement ceremonies in Demorest.

Alpharetta:Jeanna M. Black, educa-

tion specialist degree; Stacy Balthrop Flood, education specialist degree; and Sally Lynn Dixon Johnson, education spe-cialist degree.

Cumming:Elizabeth “Betsy” Cain,

education specialist degree; Jeannine Amanda Crowe, education specialist degree; Cynthia Evans “Cindy” Dankewich, education special-ist degree; Rachel L. Davis, bachelor’s degree in biology; Pamela Dimmick Edwards, education specialist degree; Alison Paige Fairbanks, education specialist degree; Janis Florendo, education specialist degree; Brittney A. Head, bachelor’s degree in early childhood education with high honors; Lauren G. Head, bachelor’s degree in early childhood education with high-est honors; Amy Henkel, edu-cation specialist degree; Jen-nifer Anne Higgins, education specialist degree; Jeanette Lynn Johnston, education specialist degree; Amber Shaw Lamb, education specialist degree; Jennifer Genette Mar-shall, education specialist de-gree; Amanda Faith Mathis, education specialist degree; Joel William Miller, education specialist degree; Kari Klarner Shepherd, education special-ist degree; Starling Powell Shultz, education specialist degree; Jessica Gaspierik Smith, education specialist degree; Michele Lee Vargas, education specialist degree; Stephanie Ann White, educa-tion specialist degree; Jennifer Leigh Williams, education specialist degree; Charles David Zink, education special-ist degree; and Deidre Zink, education specialist degree.

Roswell:Bryan D. Hudson, bach-

elor’s degree in biology.Suwanee:Kathryn Burr McIlvain,

education specialist degree; William McIlvain, education specialist degree; LuAnn M. Meinberg, bachelor’s degree

in nursing; Kristin Renea Robinson, education special-ist degree; and Kessa Baldy Stanford, education specialist degree.

University of OklahomaNORMAN, Okla. – John Gregory Whitaker II of Ro-swell and Hani Suleiman of Suwanee each graduated from the University of Oklahoma at its Norman campus following the spring 2014 term. Whitak-er received a bachelor’s degree in business administration. Suleiman received a bachelor’s of science degree.

Louisburg CollegeLOUISBURG, N.C. – Ken-neth Miller of Duluth and Jeffrey Sneed of Cumming were among the 103 students honored at Louisburg College’s commencement ceremony held on May 2, one of the college’s largest graduating classes in recent years.

Washington and Lee UniversityLEXINGTON, Va. – Jenny J. Wang of Roswell, a member of the class of 2017 at Washing-ton and Lee University, was recently inducted into Phi Eta Sigma National Honor Society, which is limited to students who complete the first term of their first year with supe-rior academic records. To be eligible for Phi Eta Sigma, a student must be in the top 20 percent of the class at the end of his or her first term.

In addition, the following Washington and Lee students have earned Dean’s List status for the recently ended winter term 2014. Dean’s List sta-tus at Washington and Lee represents a term grade point average of at least 3.4 on a 4.0 scale.

Rhett Delk of Duluth, Chase Flint of Suwanee, Con-nor Hollenbeck of Alpharetta, Brian Krouskos of Alpharetta, Kaitlin Krouskos of Al-pharetta, Nicholas Lombardo of Duluth, Rachel Samuels of Johns Creek, Jacqueline Yar-bro of Suwanee, Nicholas Bi-umi of Cumming, Drew Carlos of Roswell, Lucas McCracken of Cumming and Jenny Wang of Roswell.

Loyola Marymount UniversityLOS ANGELES – Jessie Gar-rett Black of Milton gradu-ated cum laude from Loyola Marymount University with a bachelor’s degree in fine arts. Black is a 2011 graduate of Milton High School and earned her college diploma in three years.

Southeast Missouri State UniversityCAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. – Kelli Mitchell of Cumming and Abigail Reed of Suwanee each earned Dean’s List recogni-tion at Southeast Missouri State University for academic achievement during the spring 2014 session. Students named to the list earned at least a 3.5 grade point average on a 4.0 scale and completed at least 12 degree credit hours during the spring session.

University of Dayton DAYTON, Ohio – Erin Riley of Roswell was named to the Dean’s List at the University of Dayton for the 2014 spring se-mester. To qualify for the Dean’s List, an undergraduate degree-seeking student must have a minimum of a 3.5 grade point

average for that semester and must have been enrolled for 12 or more credits that semester.

Keene State CollegeKEENE, N.H. – Bridget Rose Goodwin of Roswell was named to the spring 2014 Dean’s List at Keene State Col-lege. To qualify for the Dean’s List, students must achieve a 3.5 or higher grade point aver-age on a 4.0 scale.

Eastern New Mexico UniversityPORTALES, N.M. – Stefanie Fugarino of Suwanee was named to Eastern New Mexico University’s Dean’s List for the spring 2014 semester. To be eligible for the Dean’s List, a student must complete a mini-mum of 15 credit hours with a

GPA between 3.25 and 4.0.

Wofford CollegeSPARTANBURG, S.C. – Wofford College senior Logan Mack-enzie Morris was recognized during Honors Day ceremonies when she received the Senior Order of Gnomes recognition. Morris majored in English with a program in secondary teacher education and received a bach-elor’s degree on May 18, 2014.

Pratt Institute BROOKLYN, N.Y. – Pratt Institute congratulated three local students who graduated following the spring 2014 term. Sunju Hwang of Cumming, Lisa Lee of Duluth and Aditi Tolia-Pande of Alpharetta were each awarded degrees at Pratt’s 125th annual commencement ceremony, held at iconic New York City venue Radio City Mu-sic Hall on May 16.

Sarah Leen Bagley, 89, of Cumming, passed away August 23, 2014. Arrangements by Ingram Funeral Home.

Tom E. Clark, 75, of Sandy Springs, passed away August 20, 2014. Arrangements by Byars Funeral Home.

Lenore Patricia Durlacher, 68, of Roswell, passed away August 22, 2014. Arrangements by Northside Chapel Funeral Directors.

Martha Wallace Evans, 95, of Cumming, passed away August 21, 2014. Arrangements by Ingram Funeral Home.

Randle Gaddis, 65, of Cumming, passed away August 26, 2014. Arrangements by Ingram Funeral Home.

Gerard Gornes, Jr., 85, of Dekalb County, passed away August 21, 2014. Arrangements by Byars Funeral Home.

Robert Andrew Gotty, 86, of Forsyth County, passed away August 23, 2014. Arrangements by Ingram Funeral Home.

John Thomas Griffin, III, 45, of Milton, passed away August 24, 2014. Northside Chapel Funeral Directors.

Marion Griffin, 76, of Roswell, passed away August 23, 2014. Arrangements by Northside Chapel Funeral Directors.

Robert P. Henke, Jr., 51, of Duluth, passed away August 24, 2014. Arrangements by Northside Chapel Funeral Directors.

Dana Hicks, 82, of Roswell, passed away August 23, 2014. Arrangements by Byars Funeral Home.

Charlotte Shadburn Hill, 41, of Cumming, passed away August 24, 2014. Arrangements by Ingram Funeral Home.

Gene A. Mauldin, 86, of Dawsonville, passed away August 22, 2014. Arrangements by Ingram Funeral Home.

Jean Arlene Miles, 76, of Cumming, passed away August 25, 2014. Arrangements by Byars Funeral Home.

Samuel Vincent Mumpower, 2 months, of Blue Ridge, passed away August 19, 2014. Arrangements by Ingram Funeral Home.

JoAnn Payne, 63, of Cumming, passed away August 19, 2014. Arrangements by Ingram Funeral Home.

Rick Perdew, 51, passed away August 23, 2014. Arrangements by Ingram Funeral Home.

Addie Louise Pittman, 101, of Roswell, passed away August 25, 2014. Arrangements by Northside Chapel Funeral Directors.

Alice Gentry Ramsey, 74, of Dahlonega, passed away August 24, 2014. Arrangements by Ingram Funeral Home.

Gladys Akins Sosebee, 86, of Cumming, passed away August 22, 2014. Arrangements by Ingram Funeral Home.

Thomas R. Thompson, 78, of Sugar Hill, passed away August 23, 2014. Arrangements by Byars Funeral Home.

Sharon Turner, of White County, passed away August 19, 2014. Arrangements by Byars Funeral Home.

DEATH NOTICES

Continued from Page 11

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