Roswell Planning Commission reviews two preliminary plats
By SARAH COYNE sarah@appenmedia.com
ROSWELL, Ga. — The Roswell Planning Commission met March 18 to discuss two preliminary plats.
Commission members unanimously approved the Riverwalk II/Vickery Bluff preliminary plat located on 1200 Old Alabama Road, adding some
modifications after a discussion about driveway length concerns, one-way alley safety precautions and balcony adjustments.
“There’s some gymnastics happening with the code around townhouse setbacks,” board member Eric Schumacher said.
The debate will lead to a code clarification during the upcoming April
Academy hits milestone tailoring student classes
By JON WILCOX jon@appenmedia.com
ROSWELL, Ga. — Eaton Academy has learned no student deserves to fall through the cracks.
“Everybody can learn,” said Brian Uitvlugt, owner and cofounder.
Launched in 1995 in cofounder Bridgit EatonPartalis’ basement, the school strives to offer specialized educations to students of all kinds through a variety of inand out-of-school programs. The small private academy, 1000 Old Roswell Lakes Parkway, boasts low student-to-teacher
ratios, customized schedules and curricula, life coaching, workplace education and college prep.
Eaton-Partalis has since retired.
While Eaton’s “bedrock” employs the traditional schooling offered on campus, its catalogue of programs has grown diverse. Uitvlugt said each of Eaton Academy’s offerings grew out of a need to serve students’ actual needs.
An independent study program educates students with unique schedules, teaching them on their own time, he said.
See EATON, Page 16
15 Planning Commission meeting. The Unified Development Code is a unified tool that works to address contemporary development and zoning practices for administrators, developers and community members.
The preliminary plat proposes that the balconies would extend over the property
See REVIEW, Page 16
Eaton graduate Will Griffith celebrates graduation with his favorite truck in 2020.
STEPHANIE GRIFFITH/PROVIDED
Alpharetta’s new North Point plan revives optimism for troubled area
By JON WILCOX jon@appenmedia.com
ALPHARETTA, Ga. — Once a premier commercial hub of Alpharetta, the aging North Point corridor received a new redevelopment plan March 24, the latest in more than a decadelong effort to revive the area.
The Alpharetta City Council unanimously approved the North Point Development Framework plan to offer a vision of how the area might be reimagined as a more green, walkable and mixed-use community. Consultant team Starr Whitehouse spent eight months with city staff and stakeholders to create the framework.
It’s a $200,000 investment sitting atop a decade-long timeline of frustration.
The North Point plan is the latest vision from the city in a longrunning revitalization effort. North Point Mall, which serves as an anchor and was opened in 1993, has long been seen as a key to transform the area.
Over the years, a handful of developers have purchased the mall property with plans for large-scale, mixed-use projects, but those efforts evaporated.
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Man reports choking outside restaurant
ALPHARETTA, Ga. — Police investigated an aggravated assault reported by a 22-year-old Roswell man March 16.
The man said the assault occurred about midnight at a South Main Street restaurant, according to an Alpharetta police report.
The man said he felt himself get hit on the side of the head while sitting on a bench outside the restaurant. He was then placed in a chokehold with an arm and elbow across his neck.
The man feared for his life and said he was strangled so badly his nose bled. Officers observed a large bruise on his neck.
The man said he did not know the suspect but had seen him around the downtown area and heard him called “Mikey.” He described the suspect as a man about 5’9” tall, 200 pounds and 30 years of age.
An owner of the restaurant told officers he would not provide surveillance camera recordings without the order of a subpoena.
— Jon Wilcox
Officers seek suspect in mini-mart burglary
ROSWELL, Ga. — Roswell Police are searching for a man suspected of throwing a rock through the window of a Norcross Street mini-mart March 19 and stealing cash from the register.
An officer said he and a recruit noticed a shattered window on the northside of the building when they arrived around 7 a.m.
The report identifies the reporting party as a 27-year-old Marietta man but does not say whether he is an employee or the owner.
The man said an unidentified suspect broke into the store through the window and stole around $95 in cash from the register.
The officer said security footage showed a
male suspect, around 6 foot, 4 inches, wearing a black hoodie, sweatpants, black slides and white socks climb through the broken window, grab the cash and flee westbound on Norcross Street.
Additional security footage showed the suspect looking through and trying to open other windows of the mini mart before the burglary occurred around 5 a.m., the officer said.
Detectives from the Roswell Police Criminal Investigations Division have taken over the investigation.
The case remains active.
— Hayden Sumlin
Guns, drugs seized during Mansell Road traffic stop
ALPHARETTA, Ga. — Police seized a gun and drugs during a Ga. 400 traffic stop March 13.
Officers noticed a car driving east on Mansell Road near the Ga. 400 interchange, according to an Alpharetta police report. The vehicle had its high beams on.
While following the vehicle, officers observed it stopped at a green light for 18 seconds and initiated a traffic stop.
While speaking to the driver, a 32-yearold Atlanta man, and passenger, a 39-yearold Stone Mountain woman, police reportedly smelled marijuana coming from the vehicle. They also saw the handle of a gun between the passenger seat and center console, according to reports.
Officers asked the driver and passenger to exit the vehicle. The woman pulled out a baggie containing two blue pills after police asked her for her driver’s license.
The woman identified the pills as ecstasy and said she had picked them up after finding them in the car.
The man’s driver’s license was determined to be suspended due to a failure to appear in court charge from 2023.
A search of the driver revealed a pipe and small amount of marijuana, which was placed on the hood of the car, according to the officer’s report. Apparently a gust of wind then blew the marijuana away.
The driver and passenger were arrested. The man was charged with failure to dim
headlights, failure to obey a traffic control device and driving with a suspended license. The woman was charged with possession of a Schedule I controlled substance.
A black 9mm Taurus G2c pistol, 27 rounds of 9mm and two magazines were entered as evidence.
— Jon Wilcox
Woman charged with arson, attacking Roswell officers
ROSWELL, Ga. — Roswell Police charged a 29-year-old Roswell woman with arson and two counts of simple battery against law enforcement March 21 after she allegedly set fire to her apartment.
Officers said they located a female suspect, a resident of the Crossings at Holcomb Bridge Road, when they responded to a structure fire just after 3 a.m. off Creekside Way.
The Roswell Fire Department also responded, and all tenants were evacuated safely.
Officers said the woman immediately stated she intentionally set the fire in the apartment because she believed she was a god. They said the woman told them she placed items into the oven to start the fire, and she expressed no concern about endangering other residents.
The report says damage to the kitchen area, especially in and around the oven, totaled $1,000.
Officers said the woman told them she was schizophrenic and wanted to be locked up. She was transported to Wellstar North Fulton Medical Center for evaluation.
Police sought a 1013 form, which allows temporary custody of people in mental health crises.
While at the hospital, the report says the woman attacked two Roswell police officers. They said she told them she wanted more charges.
Police obliged, securing warrants for reckless conduct, first-degree arson and two counts of simple battery against a police officer.
The report says a doctor signed the 1013 form and the woman was admitted.
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Roswell moves forward with bond to assist Wellstar
By SARAH COYNE sarah@appenmedia.com
ROSWELL, Ga. — The City Council voted March 24 to allow disbursement of Roswell Development Authority Revenue bonds to refinance Wellstar Health System debt obligations.
The resolution allows the Development Authority to act as a “pass through” for up to $100 million to refinance Wellstar debt at a lower interest rate.
The Development Authority must still formalize the transaction, but Chairman John Cusack indicated earlier this month that the agreement will close sometime in April.
In contrast to city bond issues, Roswell taxpayers are not on the hook for any repayment obligations under this arrangement with the Development Authority.
At least 10 other Wellstar hospitals are going through the same process, including the Cobb County Kennestone Hospital Authority.
In other matters at the March 24 meeting, the Roswell City Council deferred action on a land exchange agreement with developer Atlantic Communities after City Attorney David Davidson asked for more time to prepare. The agreement will come back to the council April 14.
The exchange would include 1.3 acres owned by the developer at Ga. 9 and Hill Street and an equalsized parcel owned by the city.
Plans call for a mixed-use project on 6 acres along Hill, Atlanta and Ellis streets consisting of around 80,000 square feet of commercial space, up to 143 multi-family apartments, up to 16 townhomes and a 300-space parking deck.
Originally approved at the Jan. 13 City Council meeting, the agreement would allow the Roswell Development Authority and the Downtown Development Authority to complete specific scopes of work related to projects brought forward by the city to improve economic development. The projects are not binding until a specific set of parameters are set. Upon approval, the city would give the agencies a budgeted amount for each specific work project.
The Downtown Development Authority agreement will run five years and renew for another one-year term, unless either party gives notice of intent not to renew within 90 days before the end of the calendar year.
Also at the meeting, Roswell City Councilwoman Lee Hills announced that the city will commemorate Vietnam War Veterans Day with an early morning ceremony from 8:30 to 9 a.m., Friday March 2 at the Faces of War Memorial on Roswell City Hall grounds. The event will include tributes, musical performances by Southeast Elite Entertainment and a moment of silence.
“It's very heartfelt. It's not long, but certainly sincere,” Hills said.
The council also announced the return of the Roswell Farmers Market April 12 on the grounds at
City Hall. The market will run from 8 a.m. till noon.
“There's going to be a lot of very new and exciting vendors there,” Councilwoman Christine Hall said.
In other business, Mayor Kurt Wilson swore in Pooja Gardner for the first time for her three-year term with the Planning Commission.
The city also gave thanks and honored United States Navy Lt. David Bonfante with the Esteemed Veteran of Roswell award. Bonfante gifted Mayor Wilson with the devices from his collar that he wore during his last tour.
Bonfante graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy and spent five years on the USS Tennessee, a ballistic missile submarine.
“This is probably a day I’ll never forget,” Bonfante said.
SARAH COYNE/APPEN MEDIA
Mayor Kurt Wilson swears in Pooja Gardner for her first three-year term with the Planning Commission.
GrillFest is a celebration of all of our favorite foods that can be prepared on the grill, smoker, or flattop griddle. Guests will enjoy unlimited samples of juicy burgers, smoked BBQ, and an array of grilled meats from wings to steaks. Don’t worry veggie lovers—we’ve got you covered, too, as our restaurant partners and chefs will also have your
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Saturday, April 26th 1:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.
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favorites fired up on the grill. GrillFest will include craft beer and craft cocktails, along with bourbon and tequila tastings from our spirits partners. Enjoy live entertainment all day and visit with our vendor sponsors just in time for summer—think outdoor living, summer fun, and grills and gadgets for the outdoor chef.
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FULTON COUNTY — Fulton County School Board Superintendent Mike Looney will recommend “necessary” budgets cuts for the 2026 fiscal year.
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4 . 2 5 % A P Y *
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Looney offered an update on the current outlook for the 2026 budget at the March 19 school board meeting. As of now, the board plans to implement a 2.5 percent salary increase for employees, down from the originally planned 3 percent.
Fulton County School Board
*To earn the advertised APY, a minimum balance of $500 00 is required, which is effective as of March 11 2025, for a limited time Substantial penalty for early withdrawal
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Last year, the county gave approval to a 4.5 percent compensation raise for eligible employees.
“In addition to that, it is going to be necessary to adjust some of the supplements that we’ve been paying for employees,” Looney said.
Superintendent Mike Looney announces new budget cuts that have the chance to get approval for next year’s fiscal budget.
the county located in North Fulton, the board foresees a growth in certain cohorts, but not strong enough to counter overall enrollment decline.
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PLANT SALE AND MORE!
Saturday, April 12 • 9am–3pm The Grove @ Wills Park • 175 Roswell Street Free parking and shuttle from/to the Amana Academy parking lot
Brought to you by THE NORTH FULTON MASTER GARDENERS in partnership with Georgia Native Plant Society & the Alpharetta Community AG Program
Educational speakers, Fleatique, Children’s activities, Plant vendors, Food vendors, and Master Gardeners to answer your gardening questions. For more information: www.nfmg.net/garden-faire
The popular North Fulton Master Gardeners
Passalong Plant Sale will feature more than 2000 beautiful plants suitable for sun or shade.
The North Metro Atlanta Chapter of the Georgia Native Plant Society will have a selection of approximately 2000 native perennials, shrubs, vines, and trees.
The Alpharetta Community Agriculture Program will have around 5000 unique and carefully selected varieties of organic, heirloom, and non-GMO plants, grown from seed at Old Rucker Farm.
At least $500,000 will also be cut from technology and software materials, alongside the reduction of central office positions.
“I have directed all department leaders to cut their non personnel expenses by 5 percent in the upcoming year,” Looney said.
Looney’s recommendations also include shuttering the elementary school section of Fulton Academy of Virtual Excellence due to low enrollment numbers.
Looney’s reasoning for the proposals come from inflationary concerns, an increase in mandated expenditures, the increase of cost for employee benefits and retirement and compliance costs for doing business.
“It’s going to be necessary to make some reductions,” Looney said. “Key revenue constraints include a projected reduction in state revenue in the upcoming year and uncertainty in federal funding formulas, that along with continued downward pressure in revenue from local taxation.”
The school board is currently in their midway point for the development of fiscal year 2026 finances. A final vote for the budget will be held June 10. Before then, two public hearings will take place on May 6 and May 13.
“It’s going to be a tough budget year here in Fulton County schools, but we’re ready for it,” Looney said.
School enrollment is on pace to continue decreasing in the next five years, due to rising home prices and higher interest rates. The board projects that South Fulton enrollment will grow at a constant rate as the area’s “strong” housing market continues, while Sandy Springs will continue to decline. As for the rest of
The Fulton County School Boards projects that there will be a 1,023 loss in students next year and a 3,334 loss over the next five years. The projections include all elementary, middle and high schools, along with charter and alternative schools.
As of early March, Gwinnett Schools has the highest enrollment in the Metro area with approximately 182,000 students, while Fulton County stands around 87,000 students. A correlation can be found when looking at affordable home options in Fulton County versus Gwinnett County.
Gwinnett’s median home sale price as of 2023 is priced at $330,000, in which 50 percent of homes classify as “below-median priced suburban neighborhoods,” according to the Metro Atlanta Housing Strategy. In comparison, the median home sale price for Alpharetta is $667,000, with 52 percent of homes in the “Higher-Priced Suburban Employment Corridors & Town Centers” classification.
The rest of North Fulton includes Johns Creek with the median price of $640,000, Milton at $870,000 and Roswell at $583,000.
In other business, the board will recommend the new name for the Conley Hills Elementary School replacement to be made into Briarwood Elementary School. The new name provides a history lesson, honoring the past high school that existed there.
“I think it is an opportunity for us to honor the past, as we continue to move forward with new energy,” Board member Kimberly Dove said.
The final vote will take place at next month’s board meeting.
SCREENSHOT
JAN RODGERS, owner, The Nimble Needle
8 | Alpharetta-Roswell Herald | March 27, 2025
Full-service needlepoint shop thrives at City Springs
By HAYDEN SUMLIN hayden@appenmedia.com
SANDY SPRINGS, Ga. — The Nimble Needle, a full-service shop tucked behind Sandy Springs City Hall off Johnson Ferry Road, is bucking the belief that needlepoint is a dying art.
Owner Jan Rodgers said the COVID-19 pandemic saw a resurgence in needlepoint with Americans stuck at home with a desire to shut out the noise in an uncertain and accelerating world.
Some people enjoy the repetitive and relaxing nature of needlepoint, using the artform to relax after getting home from work or as an activity away from cellphones with friends.
There’s an online world of social media influencers and writers promoting and celebrating needlepoint as a practice in mindfulness and a hobby away from screens.
Popular reality TV shows like “Bridgerton” and an endorsement from megastar Taylor Swift have cemented needlepoint’s comeback with young women around the world.
“This is actually our third location; we started over by the Punchline [off Hilderbrand Drive] and then we were in this center up by the dry cleaners, the location was about half this size,” Rodgers said. “We moved here just over three years ago.”
The Nimble Needle just celebrated its 16th anniversary March 11 as a locally owned and operated business.
Rodgers said she bought the shop from the original owner Stacy Brown in 2018.
“I had worked for Stacey the years that she was open,” Rodgers said. “Not
Emmie
full-time, I was actually a sales rep most of the time, but I worked for her some of the time and taught a lot of classes.”
Things were going so well in 2022
that the shop needed to expand and find more space for its weekly help sessions, classes hosted by special guest artists, hundreds of canvasses and thread.
“I bought it about a year and a half
before COVID, and actually it wasn’t bad for our business because people were stuck at home looking for things to do,” Rodgers said. “People started painting, doing puzzles and stitching.”
The Nimble Needle employs 16 women.
“Plus, a data entry person and a social media person,” Rodgers said. “And my husband actually left his job two years ago … he does the website and a lot of the data entry too.”
Tim Rodgers, Jan’s husband, worked in the IT industry before stepping away and helped create the shop’s first website.
PHOTOS BY: THE NIMBLE NEEDLE/PROVIDED
From left, Nimble Needle employees Courtney Kuriger, Marci Slotin, Eloise Boylan, Carolyn Stovall, Aleena Ke, Mindi Sard, owner Jan Rogers and social media manager
Rogers stand behind a wall of thread at the shop’s expanded location. The COVID-19 pandemic saw an explosion in people interested in needlepoint.
The Nimble Needle at 206B Johnson Ferry Road lies within the City Springs downtown district, just a couple of blocks from Sandy Springs City Hall.
Needlepoint:
Continued from Page 8
Emmie Rodgers, one of Jan’s daughters, is the Nimble Needle’s social media manager.
She said there’s been a wave of young women interested in needlepoint during and after the pandemic.
Emmie Rodgers said sometimes men show up to classes, often brought along by their girlfriends, but needlepoint is really something that anyone can pick up if they want to.
Jan Rodgers said the Nimble Needle’s social media presence has made a real difference bringing more people into the shop.
Some customers have been stitching for decades and others just picked up a canvas after watching a recent wave of TikTok videos promoting the hobby as an alternative to cell phone and social media addiction.
The blending of different generations at the Nimble Needle, including teenagers and grandmothers, makes its community rare.
Rodgers said the back of the shop at 206B Johnson Ferry Road was originally supposed to be the classroom, but it wasn’t big enough for most of them. Instead, the Nimble Needle hosts workshops and classes around three large wooden tables in the front of the shop.
“We teach beginner classes … how to paint canvasses … finish your stitch piece into an ornament,” Rodgers said. “Then, we have national teachers who come in for what they call embellishment classes where they take a canvass and tell you what kind of stitches to use on it.”
BUSINESSPOSTS
THE NIMBLE NEEDLE/PROVIDED
With its walls displaying every color of thread imaginable and a table draped in canvasses, the Nimble Needle bills itself as a full-service needlepoint shop off Johnson Ferry Road within City Springs. The shop hosts workshops, beginner classes and specialty instruction throughout the week.
There’s usually one or two classes open to the public on weekends.
Because needlepoint is an artform, businesses avoid large corporate competition with an emphasis on the community of artists, experienced stitchers and beginners.
Needlepoint is an intricate art form, requiring a dedication to detail, patience and a willingness to learn. The number of different stitches, ranging in complexity, can be intimidating for novices, but local shops like the Nimble Needle exist to provide all ability levels with some guidance.
“Canvasses are stitch painted, so there’s a dot of paint on every intersection of the canvass,” Rodgers said. “All the canvasses that you see on the wall are hand-painted; They are starting to print some canvasses, but it’s a kind of kludgy process as far as trying to get lines straight, so ink ends up on every intersection of canvass.”
Despite all the advancements in human technology, needlepoint artists still prefer methods used by the ancient Egyptians more than 3,000 years ago.
Rodgers said the technology isn’t quite there yet to make printed canvasses as viable as traditional, painted ones. She said once you’ve made a stitch, it’s difficult to know what’s underneath, which makes each drop of paint crucial to the look of the final product, whether it be a pillow, wall hanging or belt.
Twice a week on Monday mornings and Wednesday evenings, the shop hosts a help session.
“Marcie Slotin teaches the help classes,” Rodgers said. “It’s just bring whatever you’re working on, and she will help you learn new stitches and try new threads.”
People from around the Metro Atlanta, the state of Georgia and the Southeast patronize the Nimble Needle in Sandy Springs.
Rodgers said there’s an existing needlepoint shop in midtown Atlanta and Savannah just got a new one, but there are not a lot of options close by. She said the 15 miles between the two Metro Atlanta shops sometimes takes an hour to navigate.
All of the new people interested in needlepoint puts a smile on Rodgers’ face.
“We give out some beginner information, and we have to constantly remake that,” she said. “We’re seeing a lot of new stitchers and younger ones, which is good for the future.”
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State senator’s bill gets the attention of Fulton commissioners
By HAYDEN SUMLIN hayden@appenmedia.com
ATLANTA — Fulton County Commissioner Dana Barrett asked her colleagues March 18 to back her resolution opposing state Senate Bill 244, which would allow defendants to recoup fees if a prosecutor is disqualified for misconduct.
State Sen. Brandon Beach, a Republican representing parts of North Fulton and Cherokee counties, sponsored SB 244.
Beach, a prominent ally of President Donald Trump, told reporters that he had in mind the actions of Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis in the state’s racketeering case against Trump, according to Barrett.
“Whether you like the language or don’t … the fact of the matter is this is a state officer, we should not pay the bill,” Barrett said. “For that reason and that reason alone, we should be opposing this bill. We can put [aside] the whole rest [of the] conversation, the intent, the language … it does not matter.”
While Willis and her office cannot continue prosecuting the Georgia election interference case against Trump and his allies, she is appealing that restriction.
Also, the case has not been dismissed. Barrett said without the Commission’s opposition, the bill is likely to pass. She said she thinks the county needs to protect its taxpayers and coffers.
Commissioners Bob Ellis and Mo Ivory voiced opposition to Barrett’s resolution, which they said should have been a part of the External Affairs Department’s regularly scheduled legislative update.
Ellis cited a recent example of the Board coming together to take a position against a bill creating a development authority during a legislative update in February. He said there’s already a process for the Board to have their voices heard in the General Assembly and Barrett wasted time drafting a resolution.
Barrett said the state should pay attorney’s
Fulton County Commissioner Dana Barrett speaks in opposition to Senate Bill 244, which allows criminal defendants to recoup fees if the prosecutor is disqualified for misconduct.
Barrett says the state should pay legal fees for its constitutional officers, not the county.
fees, instead of Fulton County taxpayers, in a case where a prosecutor is disqualified, and the case is later dismissed. Because the state attorney general defends legal action against district attorneys and pays judgements across Georgia, Barrett said SB 244 should reflect that arrangement.
“These types of prosecutorial disqualifications aren’t super common; however, I think we all know the elephant in the room … is the Trump case,” Barrett said. “There are potentially millions and millions of dollars here that are going to be gone after, and that would be coming from our coffers.”
Barrett said the county should be questioning the motives of the Senate bill, and it needs to be opposed or amended to protect the interests of county residents.
“If there should be a remedy, and that’s a question for everybody to answer in their own mind … it should be coming from the state,” she said. “It’s the state’s job to defend and pay any judgements on their state constitutional officer, their employee.”
Commissioner Bridget Thorne, representing the eastern half of North Fulton, said the bill passed the state Senate unanimously 55-0, citing support from Democrat minority leader Harold Jones II.
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Citing an example of a teenager arrested for drug possession, Jones said if a prosecutor did something wrong, then the defendant is entitled to have their attorney fees back.
“Whoever it may be … I’m sorry it’s going to be Trump defendants, and you may have a problem with that, but they should get their money back,” Thorne said. “I think it’s hypocritical to say we’re protecting the taxpayer’s dollars when our district attorney entered into this case, costing us millions of dollars.”
Thorne also cited
District Attorney Fani Willis’ racketeering case involving rapper Young Thug, or Jeffery Williams, and his label YSL Records, which turned into the state’s longest trial.
“It has cost the taxpayers millions and millions of dollars,” she said. “Not to mention the time, while our jails are overcrowded, and the court system has been clogged.”
Thorne also cited two recent fines, totaling less than $60,000, to cover the District Attorney Office’s Open Records Act violations.
“I fully agree that the state should probably pay for these fees because [Willis] makes it clear she is a state constitutional officer, she is not a county constitutional officer,” Thorne said. “I think we have to look at what’s just for the people in this case, and it might hurt doing the right thing.”
Commissioner Marvin Arington Jr., a practicing attorney for nearly three decades, said the bill gets it wrong, conflating disqualification and prosecutorial misconduct.
“A prosecutor can disqualify themselves, the issue is prosecutorial misconduct,” Arrington said. “The intent of SB 244, or the idea that it could apply to the Trump case, is unbelievable … no, better yet, unconstitutional.”
Arrington said even if the bill is passed, it would be unconstitutional to apply the law retroactively.
“There’s numerous ways in which a prosecutor can be disqualified, but that doesn’t mean they committed prosecutorial misconduct,” he said. “I’ll make the motion that we speak loudly against SB 244 and oppose it in its entirety.”
Arrington said the reason that the bill passed unanimously is that someone lied about a substitution removing applications to the Trump case. If the state House amends the bill and it goes back to the Senate, Arrington said no Democrat will vote for it.
However, the case against Trump and the other defendants remains active. If the bill passes, and the case is dismissed, then Fulton County taxpayers could be on the hook for millions of dollars in legal fees.
In that case, the law would not be applied retroactively.
County Attorney Soo Jo said there is a claim under state tort law for malicious prosecution, if any law enforcement entity is deliberately targeting a person for improper purposes through the justice system. Basically, a remedy for Trump and his defendants exists in state law.
“Typically, retroactive application is not something that you can do with legislation,” Jo said. “In its current iteration, I do not read the bill to apply retroactively … I don’t know if that was the intent.”
Barrett said the bill should have been written specifically to address overall prosecutorial oversight and reemphasized the state’s responsibility in her final pitch.
Ultimately Fulton County commissioners seemed to agree that the state, not the county, should pay when a prosecutor is disqualified for misconduct and a criminal defendant is allowed to recoup their legal fees.
However, only Barrett and Arington voted to approve the resolution, and it failed.
SCREENSHOT
Northern Ridge Eagle Scouts announced on Feb. 27
NORTH METRO ATLANTA, Ga. — The Northern Ridge Boy Scout District, representing cities of Roswell, Alpharetta, Johns Creek and Milton, announced a new batch of Eagle Scouts, who completed their Eagle Board of Review Feb. 27 at Alpharetta Presbyterian Church.
Top row, from left
Rohan Vydana, of Troop 3143, sponsored by The American Legion Post 251, whose projectwas the design and construction of a renovation at the Sri Shiva Durga Temple by expanding a playground and placing a new border, re-mulching, building an extra bench for parents to sit at to watch their children and installing a rope ladder.
Mitchell Christopher Theodore, of Troop 27, sponsored by the Johns Creek Christian Church,whose project was the design and construction of a 30-footdiameter labyrinth for the Johns Creek Christian Church.
Kyle David Popelka, of Troop 3000, sponsored by Birmingham United Methodist Church, whose project was the design and construction of three benches and three picnic tables and clearing and maintenance of the Cambridge High School Cross Country Trail.
Charles Harold Fischer IV, of Troop 629, sponsored by Prince of Peace Lutheran Church, whose project was the renovation of an outdoor classroom at Holcomb Bridge Middle School by refurnishing the teaching podium, rebuilding the whiteboard, resealing and releveling benches, painting benches, upgrading wooden beams outlying the classroom, designing and building a large wooden box to protect the markers and erasers and weeding and re-mulching the classroom.
THANK FOR STANDING WITH GEORGIA FARMERS YOU
Bottom row, from left
Evin Erickson, of Troop 432, sponsored by Roswell United Methodist Church, whose projectwas the design and construction of a full set of life-size Lincoln Logs for the Fulton Academy of Science and Technology playground.
Anay Ram, of Troop 3143, sponsored by The American Legion Post 251, whose project was mapping and taking pictures of all water inlets, including evaluating and noting their condition, and painting all
The Georgia Legislature has taken a bold stand for our farmers and rural communities by passing SB 144— legislation that protects their access to vital crop protection tools, ensuring they can continue to feed America without unnecessary burdens.
We applaud Senator Sam Watson and Representative Steven Meeks, the dedicated sponsors of this legislation, and Agriculture Committee Chairmen Sen. Russ Goodman and Rep. Robert Dickey for their leadership.
A special thank you to Speaker Jon Burns and Lt. Governor Burt Jones for championing Georgia agriculture and securing the future of one of our state’s most important industries.
Thank you for standing up for Georgia farmers and families!
Modern Ag Alliance Supporting Those Who Feed America
manhole covers yellow for the Fulton County Executive Airport.
Rahul Mathew, of Troop 2143, sponsored by The American Legion Post 251, whose project was the design and construction of four picnic tables for the North American Shirdi Sai Baba Temple.
Siddharth Vendula, of Troop 143, sponsored by Greenleaf Capital Partners, whose project was the design and construction of eight benches for lookout points at Cauley Creek Park.
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NORTHERN RIDGE BOY SCOUT DISTRICT/PROVIDED
What exactly are allergies?
Brought to you by – Comprehensive Internal Medicine
What are allergies?
Allergies are your body’s reaction to a foreign particle, usually a protein. These proteins can come from pet dander, molds, pollens, or from trees and grasses. If you develop an allergy to a particular protein, your body’s defense system (immune system) reacts to it and the allergic reaction creates allergy symptoms.
What is an allergic reaction?
An allergic reaction is the way your body responds to an allergen, usually a protein.
You may feel itchy, watery eyes, a runny nose, sinus or ear fullness, a hoarse voice, a scratchy throat, or
trouble breathing. You may even develop a skin rash.
These symptoms can be treated with over the counter or prescription allergy medication or immunotherapy (allergy shots) can be tailored specifically for you.
What is allergy testing?
To perform allergy testing, small pinpricks or scratches are made in the skin and a very small amount of allergen is placed to test your body’s response. If you react to the allergen, we have identified a trigger that is causing your allergy symptoms.
What is immunotherapy?
Immunotherapy is a treatment used to desensitize your body to the allergy trigger.
In this treatment, the results of your allergy testing are used to create a very personalized formula of medicine that is used to slowly treat your immune system in a way that stops reacting to your allergy trigger. Immunotherapy medicine is given by injection (allergy shots) and is administered twice weekly. The first injection is given in the doctor’s office. Comprehensive Internal Medicine uses an advanced formulation and instruction that allows you to then give the injections at home. This saves the twice-weekly visits to the doctor’s office. You return to Comprehensive Internal Medicine every 6 weeks to progress the therapy and at the end of one year, allergy testing is repeated. Often, a second year of treatment is advised, following which, most allergies are cured.
Alpharetta: (678) 205-9004 3180 North Point Pkwy | Suite 303 | Alpharetta, GA - 30005
It’s Allergy Season in Atlanta
bronchitis, asthma, COPD and nasal allergies are treated with medication and/or allergy shots.
Dr. Obiora has a special interest in managing medical issues such as diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol. He also specializes in diabetes prevention and weight loss.
In addition, he brings expertise in allergy treatment and managing allergic rhinitis, sinusitis and asthma, and can schedule allergy testing to determine the best way to treat allergy symptoms.
Dr. Bozof specializes is men’s health, cardiovascular risk assessment and the evaluation and management of high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes. He also provides evaluation for testosterone levels and treatment as needed.
In addition, he brings expertise in allergy treatment and managing allergic rhinitis, sinusitis and asthma, and can schedule allergy testing to determine the best way to treat allergy symptoms.
Alexis brings years of nursing experience to Comprehensive Internal Medicine and has expertise in the care of Allergy and Asthma patients. She prides herself in forming lasting relationships with her patients, while also providing compassionate and individualized care. She has a special interest in the treatment of sinusitis, chronic bronchitis, asthma and allergies.
In addition, she brings expertise in allergy treatment and managing allergic rhinitis, sinusitis and asthma, and can schedule allergy testing to determine the best way to treat allergy symptoms.
Jeffrey Obiora, M.D.
Ryan Bozof, M.D.
Alexis Miller, MSN,APRN,FNP-C. • Laurae Carpenetti, M.D. • Arezou Fatemi, M.D. • Carol Hector, M.D. • Jacqueline T. Pearson, M.D., M.S. • Sudeshna Nandi M.D. • Sumera Pervaiz M.D.
Alexis Miller, MSN,APRN,FNP-C.
Is Lidocaine a secret weapon against cancer?
We always worry about the negative side-effects that a medicine might have. At the end of a pharmaceutical company’s commercials, an auctioneer very quickly states the twenty terrible things that might happen if you take the advertised medicine. Side effects range from your ear falling off when you sneeze to the belief that you are Elvis. Side-effects make almost any medicine sound scary. But occasionally, a positive side effect emerges. Sometimes, we discover something wonderful about a medicine that is wholly unexpected.
Examples of positive side-effects are not hard to find. The medicine finasteride was first being used to help decrease the size of the prostate in men who were having difficulty urinating. An unexpected positive side-effect was discovered when it was noticed that many of the men were regrowing their scalp hair. With finasteride, male pattern baldness was often partially reversed or stopped in its tracks.
One of the most recent medications discovered to have a possible positive side effect is lidocaine, which has been around since 1943. Lidocaine is an injectable anesthetic. We use lidocaine for skin biopsies, excisions, Mohs surgeries and countless other procedures every day in the dermatology office. Amazingly, lidocaine may be more than an anesthetic. It may also have anti-cancer effects.
A team of surgeons in India operating on breast cancer divided patients into two groups. One group had standard breast cancer surgery. The other group received a lidocaine injection around the tumor 7-10 minutes prior to surgery. During the 5 years after surgery, the group that received the lidocaine injection had an 8.5% rate of the cancer recurring (popping up again) at a distant site versus an 11.6% rate of distant recurrence in the surgeryonly (no lidocaine) group. The study has some limitations including not being a double-blind trial and being a single-
center study, but it is intriguing enough to warrant further investigation. The authors reported that injecting lidocaine around breast cancer before removing it increased survival in their study.
What made the surgeons perform this study in the first place? Why lidocaine? Over the last few years, researchers have discovered that electrical gradients maintained across the membranes of cancer cells are important to their ability to metastasize or spread. Our cells have pumps in them called “ion channels.” They allow certain ions to pass across the cell membrane. The resulting ion concentration gradient creates an electrical charge across a cell. This gradient affects the way other proteins in the cell function. Importantly, some of the proteins affected by the charge across a cell membrane are important for healthy cells’ growth and development as well as for cancers’ ability to grow and spread.
Lidocaine works by blocking sodium channels in cell membranes. Disrupting the electric charge across a cancer cell membrane was suspected to have the potential to weaken the cancer itself. Preclinical studies supported this hypothesis, and the breast cancer surgeons took the next step of performing a trial with breast cancer patients and peritumoral lidocaine injections.
I don’t know if breast cancer surgeons in the United States consider these results valid, are awaiting confirmatory studies or are already injecting lidocaine. However, in dermatology, these results are exciting because, for now, we do not need to change anything that we are already doing. Every day that I perform Mohs surgery, we inject the area around a tumor with lidocaine prior to surgically removing the cancer. If lidocaine is more than an anesthetic, then our patients are likely already benefiting from any anti-cancer properties that lidocaine has.
Mohs surgery is the gold standard for treating most skin cancers and has a cure rate that is usually at or above 99%. Perhaps lidocaine is one of the secrets to this success.
Insist
Dr. Brent Taylor is a Board-Certified Dermatologist, a Fellowship-Trained Mohs Surgeon, and is certified by the Board of Venous and Lymphatic Medicine in the field of Vein Care.
He is an expert in skin cancer and melanoma treatment, endovenous laser ablation, minimally invasive vein procedures and cosmetics procedures such as Botox and injectables.
Kathryn is a certified physician assistant with over 22 years experience as a Dermatology PA and cosmetic dermatology.
Her specialties include general dermatology such as acne, eczema, rashes, hair loss, full body skin exams, abnormal growths etc. Kathryn also specializes in cosmetic dermatology including lasers, injectables, micro-needling, PRP, facial peels, sclerotherapy for spider veins and at home skin care.
Kathryn Filipek, PA-C
Brought to you by – Dr. Brent Taylor, Premier Dermatology and Mohs Surgery of Atlanta
Your Local Broker for Medicare Insurance Needs
Jay Looft Owner/Agent
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What exactly is IRMAA?
Some of you are aware of this acronym, IRMAA. But what is it, and how could it affect you?
IRMAA stands for Income Related Monthly Adjustment Amount. It is a government surcharge added to your monthly Medicare Part B and Part D Premium if your Adjusted Gross Income exceeds certain government income thresholds.
A client recently said to me, “We’ve finally outrun IRMAA”, which I thought was a clever way to phrase the situation they were in. See, this year’s IRMAA is based on a 2-year look-back from tax-year 2023. In her situation, they had a large income year in 2022, which would have significantly increased their payment to Medicare. Since they had access to a pretty decent employer-based health insurance, they stayed put until the IRMAA look-back rolled into the next tax year.
The Medicare IRMAA surcharge is on a rolling system. So, if you continue to work past age 65 and have significant ups and downs in your income, then some years you might be subject to the surcharge and some years you might not.
A simple search-engine web search for “Medicare IRMAA” should pull up multiple resources that dive deep into this issue.
Make sure you are looking at the right numbers! Keep in mind:
• The tax year the government is basing their calculations on (2-year look-back)
• Marital status - if married, the government allows for a higher income threshold
• Know your Adjusted Gross Income (AGI)
Medicare IRMAA is a Medicare topic, but most professional accountants will be very familiar with this part of the law. You should seek counsel from them when calculating AGI and for other tax related guidance. I am not a professional accountant and can only professionally guide you with your Medicare insurance.
I would be happy to discuss your Medicare insurance situation with you and become your Medicare insurance broker. Give us a call at (770) 913-6464 or send us a message at SeniorSourceMedicare.com/contactseniorsource.
Brought to you by - SeniorSource Medicare Solutions
7, with each number containing 3 clues for the 3 answers on the line. But here’s the catch! The clues are not in order - so the first clue in Line 1 may (or may not) actually be for the second or third answer in that line. Got it?
HOSPITAL FACTS
1. Wealthy. Medical assistant. Door sign.
2. Some kind of a nut. Crude group, briefly. Hospital area.
3. Hospital VIP. Magician’s stick. Road __.
4. Place to acquire some suds. Exploding star. Blood __ (exam)
5. Picture of health. Desert beast. Glove material.
6. Medical man with a knife. Indian bread. Psyches.
7. Dog house. Gyro meat. Hospital accommodations.
1 Wealthy. Medical assistant. Door sign.
2. Some kind of a nut. Crude group, briefly. Hospital area
How to Solve: Each line in the puzzle above has three clues and three answers. The last letter in the first answer on each line is the first letter of the second answer, and so on. The connecting letter is outlined, giving you the correct number of letters for each answer (the answers in line 1 are 4, 5 and 5 letters). The clues are numbered 1 through 7, which each number containing 3 clues for the 3 answers on the line. But here’s the catch! The clues are not in order - so the first clue in Line 1 may (or may not) actually be for the second or third answer in that line. Got it? Good luck!
3. Hospital VIP. Magician’s stick. Road ___
4. Place to acquire some suds. Exploding star. Blood ___ (Medical exam)
5. Picture of health. Desert beast. Glove material
6.
7.
Vietnam War Veterans Day Ceremony
12 noon Friday, Mar. 28 at Newtown Park 3150 Old Alabama Road, Johns Creek
Children’s Easter Egg Hunt - 11 a.m. Saturday, Mar. 29
For children 12-years-old and under
Six “egg hunting areas” separated by age level
Two Golden Egg prizes in each egg hunt area
BINGO - 2 p.m. Sunday, April 13
Future Games: 2nd & 4th Sunday Each Month
Dances & Dance Instruction
For all the details visit: www.club201dance.com
Support Roswell Rotary “Honor Air”
Trip to D.C., Wednesday, April 9, 2025
For World War II, Korea, Vietnam Vets Visit www.legion201.org for more
Atlanta Regional Commission to introduce new freight plan
METRO ATLANTA — The Atlanta Regional Commission Board will recondition the Atlanta Regional Freight Mobility Plan after adopting the major update on March 12.
The plan will provide resources for local jurisdictions, policy makers and business leaders. with a comprehensive resource to better accommodate the freight traffic that drives the economy in Metro Atlanta.
“The Regional Freight Mobility Plan provides a roadmap to help metro Atlanta accommodate everincreasing freight traffic volumes while enhancing safety, boosting
Eaton:
Continued from Page 1
Past students include a Formula 4 racer, Olympic hopeful equestrian and a state-ranked tennis player.
“That program is perfect for someone who has a passion outside of school,” Uitvlugt said.
Another student graduated from Eaton’s high school on an accelerated program at age 13 and enrolled in Georgia Tech before obtaining a doctorate.
A post-graduate Leap program helps young adults with workplace and independent living skills. In the morning, staff members shadow participants at a workplace before teaching skills like making a grocery list, cooking, managing a budget, interviewing for jobs and drafting resumes.
the economy, and preserving our quality of life,” ARC Executive Director & CEO Anna Roach said.
“The plan is a critical tool that will guide investments and inform decision-making over the next several decades.”
Metro Atlanta is one of the nation’s largest hubs, with connections to the Port of Savannah, the nation’s fourthbusiest container port. Volumes of freight and e-commerce are expected to rise even more in the next 25 years due to population growth in the region and ports.
The plan will include updates such
as freight design guidelines, countylevel factsheets, an interactive freight dashboard, a model truck parking zoning ordinance and a list of 147 recommended transportation project to improve freight mobility and safety in the region.
Freight traffic has a chance of doubling by 2050, to combat this the plan has developed two freight growth scenarios. The “low-growth scenario” with 69 percent and a “high-growth scenario” with 118 percent will provide plans for the coming years.
In 2019, Georgia saw a total freight volume of 31 million tons with a total
A college preparatory program assesses all the nonacademic demands imposed by a college career without the payment of a full tuition.
“Studies show most students, if
trash service is approved by Director of Environmental Public Works and alleys to be designated no parking, private alley right-of-away, with the exception of designated parking spots.
they are going to have trouble, it’s not academic,” Uitvlugt said.
Despite their differences, the various programs share one common trait. They meet students where they are at.
summer 2024.
Accepting the preliminary plat does not guarantee approval of plans during the Land Development Permit process.
value of $398.5 billion. The state is currently ranked fifth in the nation and first in the Southeast, with one in three jobs associated with the sector. Efforts for the freight planning will continue in the coming years, including a creation of additional Freight Cluster Plans in areas with significant industrial development. The plans will focus on facilitating the movement of goods, reducing traffic congestion and improving safety, mobility and access for all roadway users.
— Sarah Coyne
“One of our slogans is ‘every mind, every age,’” Uitvlugt said.
Canton resident Stephanie Griffith said her son began attending Eaton because public school failed to properly serve his needs. Will Griffith graduated from Eaton’s high school in 2020.
“Things were happening that were not as good as they could have been,” Stephanie Griffith said.
He had trouble fitting in, and he had difficulties in large classroom settings.
“I felt he needed a better place,” Griffith said.
Will found a home in Eaton’s 5-1 student to teacher ratios. The school gave him space when he needed it. And his teachers got to know him on a personal level.
To this day, Eaton staff still check on him from time to time.
“It feels like a family because it is such a small, close-knit school,” Griffith said.
line, which caused concern among the commission.
“I’m adding this to my list of places where we need to clarify the code, because this was, if you go back and look at 2014, this was specifically put in to allow those balconies over Canton Street, and that was the only intention. It wasn’t foreseeing that it would be used this way,” Chair Kitty Singleton said.
Singleton made the motion to approve the plat upon the following modifications; prior to Land Development Permit approval, the plan shall be revised such that any private alleys less than 20 feet in width, from face of curve to face of curve shall be one way, unless private
Singleton also motioned to condition easement language proposed for the inter parcel access granted for the parcel at the end of Willow Bend Way to meet the conditions of 11.3.7 E.
This condition is part of the Unified Development code which aims to allow pedestrians and vehicles access all properties on the same block face as the property owner establishing the interparcel access.
The 89-lot townhome project is zoned Commercial Mixed-Use and will cover 21 acres. While the property is zoned as Commercial Mixed-Use zone, which requires 51 percent of the square footage to be commercial and retail, the plat is 100% residential. The mayor and city council approved the variance
All standards of the City of Roswell Unified Development Code and specifications of the Georgia Stormwater Management Manual must be fully met during the design process. The applicant must also understand that they may lose buildable areas as a result of compliance.
In other business, the board deferred a preliminary plan for the Grand Reserve at Litchfield Phase 4 on 926 Old Chadwick Lane. The residential development will consist of 36 single-family lots across 60.3 acres, with an Agricultural Residential zoning.
This zoning is intended for a singlefamily home detached from agricultural and equestrian activity, with a minimum lot size of one acre.
The deferral came after the
applicant requested to change the previously approved site plan to comply with GDOT safety requirements and adjust secondary emergency access entrance on Arnold Mill Road.
City Council members approved a motion to require all construction traffic to utilize Old Chadwick Road and Arnold Mill Road as primary egress pending GDOT approval and to make the access along Arnold Mill Road a full entrance that aligns with Chadwick Farm Boulevard in the commercial development across the street in Milton.
“We are now back to the drawing board,” a Toll Brothers employee said.
The Planning Commission could meet earlier than the April 15 to give the approval to the developers.
“As soon as you have the drawings done and the clock is ticking, we’re happy to reschedule a meeting,” Singleton said.
EATON ACADEMY/PROVIDED
Founded in 1995, Eaton Academy began in cofounder Bridgit Eaton-Partalis’ basement and has since moved to an Old Roswell Lakes Parkway campus.
Roswell girls beat Chattahoochee
By ANNABELLE REITER annabelle@appenmedia.com
ROSWELL, Ga — The Roswell girls lacrosse team improved to 4-5 on the season, with a 13-4 win March 14, putting a stain on visiting Chattahoochee High’s undefeated record, now 8-1.
All five of the Hornets’ previous losses came to teams ranked in the top 25 in the state. Head coach Brooke Magnuson said the strength of schedule highlighted some areas for improvement, putting in the work has given the team a boost.
“We’re working on fundamentals every day and tonight was a great result for us,” she said. “I’m proud of our girls for staying driven to our goals and our mission. Every day is a win for us whether it’s a game or a practice.”
Roswell got out to a 10-0 lead in the first half, headlined by strong draw performances by sophomore Claire MacLeod and freshman Hazel Shively. The pair combined for nearly half of the Hornets’ goals. MacLeod contributed four goals.
Plan:
Continued from Page 1
Shively tallied two points and one assist.
Chattahoochee started to get momentum rolling at the end of the second half when sophomore Sarah Tanner was able to finish on a free shot. Junior Tori Anderson followed up soon after with another goal, putting the score at 10-2 for halftime.
Roswell was able to slow the Cougars’ upward swing in the second half, allowing just two more goals, coming from Tanner and freshman Kira Hill.
The Hornets kept a comfortable lead throughout, with a display of ball distribution that saw seven players’ shots make it past Chattahoochee’s goalie.
Roswell senior midfielder Keira Mainella praised her team’s perseverance through a tough start to the season. The Salisbury commit is one of five Hornets committed to play in college.
“This game definitely showed how strong we’ve become as a team,” she said. “Our defense is clicking so well, everything today just happened to click, and I feel like from here it’s only up.”
Now, New York Life Co., which owns the property, says it plans to create a mixed-use project around an NHL franchise.
In 2008, the city adopted the Atlanta Regional Commission’s Livable Centers Initiative plan, which proposed improving pedestrian access and repurposing vast parking lots.
Although the plan led to pedestrian enhancements along Encore Parkway and a bridge over Ga. 400, the plan’s potential has yet to be fully realized.
In 2019, the City Council approved a special tax district to fund landscaping and other improvements aimed at reinvesting in the area. Three years later, the district was dissolved.
“It was a great idea,” Mayor Jim Gilvin said at the time. “It was really bad timing right before COVID, so we’ll dissolve it, and maybe in the future we’ll keep it in our toolbox for future projects if needed.”
Alpharetta Community Development Director Kathi Cook said the city is considering a new special tax district, this time with a wider scope.
In 2020, the City Council approved an extension for then-owner of the mall Brookfield Property Partners for 300 rental units as part of its redevelopment at the mall in conjunction with a proposed MARTA transit station there.
The Marta station and redevelopment project never materialized, but Cook said the transit hub remains a possibility.
In 2021, New York Life took ownership of the mall in a $202-million deal with Brookfield. National developer Trademark Properties announced plans for a massive redevelopment that would include 315,000 square feet of retail and restaurant space, a hotel and about 1,000 rental and for-sale units.
CITY OF ALPHARETTA/PROVIDED
The North Point Development Framework plan calls for direct connections with the Big Creek Greenway, mixed-use-style blocks and numerous parks in the North Side district.
Months later, the City Council shot down the idea, questioning whether Trademark was committed to a total mixed-use plan.
“They wanted to build the residential without building some of those other components,” Cook said.
City Councilman John Hipes said at the time he wanted to see a more encompassing plan.
“If the mall dies, I want to know that there’s a true mixed use outside the mall, that will carry the day,” Hipes said. “The only commitment I got out of Trademark is they want to build … apartments.”
In 2022, the Council approved the North Point Streetscape Project, which would redesign the roadway
from six to four lanes, promoting pedestrian-friendly amenities and ties to the Big Creek Greenway and Alpha Loop.
In February, the Council replaced it with a project to promote pedestrian access without reducing lanes, repurposing about $10 million. The new plan would prevent traffic limitations to potential business growth in the area, council members said.
Gilvin noted the North Point Development Framework will serve as a guide for businesses and developers, offering a vision for what the area could be. At the end of the day, changes will be up to the private sector, he said.
The North Point Framework proposes a dramatic revisioning with numerous trails, on-street parking, green spaces and city blocks that would incorporate mixed-use development.
Despite the numerous stops and starts over the past decade, Gilvin and Cook noted the area already has attracted many new restaurants, which indicates its potential.
Gilvin said redevelopment also has faced economic challenges like less-than-ideal interest rates and the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We’re excited because I think the opportunity is as good as it’s been in a long time to do something really significant at North Point Mall,” he said.
Cook agreed, saying the area’s potential remains promising.
“It’s still a phenomenal site,” she said. “It’s the best site in North Fulton. In fact, it’s the best site in probably the whole metro area.”
ANNABELLE REITER/APPEN MEDIA
Roswell sophomore Kit MacLeod fights for the draw against Chattahoochee’s
Lauren Cavanaugh at Roswell High School March 14. The Hornets dominated the Cougars 13-4.
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One of the intriguing things about writing this column is that it lets me explore what a teacher of mine once called “the story behind the story.” It’s always intriguing (and often revealing) to interpret the world around you, considering things and seeing where the thought chain will lead.
Sometimes this kind of exposition is fun.
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But once in a while all you can do is report what happened and let it speak for itself. Sometimes there is nothing more to be said.
I’ve mentioned that a hobby of mine is ham radio, and one thing that’s popular in the hamming world right now is what’s called “Parks On The Air” (POTA). It’s a program that encourages ham operators to take portable equipment into the field, set it up in a park somewhere, and then communicate with others all over the country and across the world. Anything that encourages communication is a good thing these days, in my book, and so I’m all for it. Besides, it’s just a lot of fun.
How does one decide which park to visit? The POTA website has a map covered in yellow dots, each representing a site that’s part of the POTA program. There are dots all over the place, including many here in the southeast.
I love maps anyway, and this one is no exception. I’ll spend lunch hours perusing the POTA map, looking for dots I may have never thought of or never known.
And that’s how this story begins.
We were destined for Tuscaloosa to attend an Alabama-vs.-Auburn basketball game with the grandkids. They’re big Auburn fans, let me tell you, though I (of course) pull for Georgia. They love me anyway.
So off we went to the game. It was fun. Auburn came in second. And then we headed home.
By then, I’d picked a park. There had been a lot of stuff on the news about division in society, and lately I’d kind of had such things on my mind. Maybe that’s why I’d decided to try to find the Freedom Riders National Monument.
The Freedom Riders National Monument reminds folks of the struggle for civil rights that so consumed things in the 1950s and 1960s.
STEVE HUDSON Columnist
Change:
Continued from Page 18
It remembers an incident that took place in May 1961 when an interracial group of Freedom Riders traveled by bus from Washington, DC, to New Orleans in an effort to challenge racial barriers. According to the National Park Service website, “The purpose of the 1961 Freedom Rides was to test if bus station facilities in the Deep South were complying with U.S. Supreme Court decisions” which reversed separatebut-equal doctrines.
I urge you to explore the whole story. But for now, here’s a very short version. It seems that two groups of Freedom Riders departed Washington, DC, on May 4, traveling on two buses – a Greyhound and a Trailways –bound for New Orleans. When the Greyhound bus arrived in Anniston May 14, a group attacked the vehicle with pipes and bats, as well as slashing its tires. Police eventually escorted the Greyhound bus to the city limits. From there it headed west out Highway 202, followed by a line of cars and pickup trucks, its slashed tires slowly deflating.
Finally, inevitably, the vehicle had to stop.
The following mob attacked the bus and set it on fire. Signs back in Anniston note there were screams of “burn them alive.” Ultimately, a fuel tank exploded and pushed the mob back, allowing those in the bus to escape.
Eventually the remains of the bus were towed to Birmingham as evidence, but it’s unclear what happened to the charred chassis after that. All that’s left is replicas.
This National Monument marks this incident in a couple of places. One is in Anniston itself at the site of the former Greyhound bus station from which the fateful bus trip departed. The other is a ways west of town on Highway 202 at the site where the bus eventually had to stop.
I chose to operate my radio from the second site, reasoning that it would be easier to pull off the road and make a few contacts there than it would be in downtown Anniston. The only problem was that I didn’t know where that second part of the monument was. Specific directions were surprisingly hard to find – and since it was after hours and the National Park Service office in Anniston was closed, we were pretty much on our own.
Following what guidance we could get from the Interweb and GPS, we drove back and forth on Highway 202 with eyes open. But no luck.
Finally I admitted defeat and stopped at a little store to ask for help.
OPINION
This sign on Highway 202 west of Anniston, Ala., marks the spot where a Greyhound bus carrying Freedom Riders was attacked and burned on May 14, 1961.
We parked, and I walked inside. There were five people in the store: two behind the counter and three shopping. The two behind the counter were White, as were two of the shoppers. The third shopper, who was choosing a bag of chips, was Black.
I walked up to the counter.
“Can I help you?” one of the clerks asked.
I said I was looking for the Freedom Riders National Monument location.
“I know it’s close,” I said, “but I can’t find it. Can you help?”
There was sudden silence in the little store. Then the one clerk turned and looked at the other clerk.
“He’s looking for the freedom monument,” the clerk said.
“Uh, I don’t know where it is,” the second clerk said after a spell. “Sorry.”
I looked at the shoppers. The two at the counter just shook their heads and said nothing.
A long silence.
Then the third shopper, the Black man choosing the chips, released a long, slow sigh.
“It’s that way,” he said, pointing down the road in the direction we had not been. “It’s not far. There’s a big ol’ sign right there by the road at the flashing lights.”
He looked at the clerks.
“There’s a big ol’ sign. You can’t miss it,” he added.
Silence again.
I thanked him and the others and went back to the car. We followed the directions, and there it was just as he said, big as life, right by the flashing lights.
We pulled over, and I set up the antenna on top of the car. Over the next half hour or so, I talked to perhaps two dozen stations from that roadside monument to humanity’s struggle for freedom. Most were in the United States. One was in Ukraine.
Then it was time to go. I packed up the radio gear and we headed home.
That’s pretty much it.
There’s not a lot more to say.
What is important
From time to time, I try to write for my kids and my grandchildren. I have done so in the past and it has usually taken the form of a “letter” to (name). Recently I was with a group of folks about my age, and we were talking about our lives and our families. The talk ended up being more involved and more granular than I think anyone had anticipated. It was not something that made anyone uncomfortable at the time but after we all went our separate ways, I am sure some - if not most - of us replayed the conversations to ourselves. It was one of those - and perhaps - worth passing on.
After I left, and in a hurry, I texted myself this: “loss, love, pain, and redemption.” While that conversation was still fresh, I wanted to make sure that I saved as much of it as I could - and that started with those four words. We covered a lot of ground my friends and I and I felt that those words would preserve - hopefully - what I wanted to remember most. I was afraid that if I didn’t it would disappear much like my dreams disappear that I don’t write down as soon as I wake up.
Years ago, my wife Christina traveled down to Columbus, GA with a group from Milton High School - the drama department - for a state-wide contest. She was waiting outside in the lobby by herself when another parent walked out and sat down on the same bench. He was quiet - thoughtful - and they both sat for a time in their own space. Then he looked over to her and spoke: “my life didn’t turn out how I thought it would.” Christina recounted the conversation to me, and I have never forgotten it.
My life didn’t turn out how I thought it would. Most lives don’t. Not really.
Yes, I do have a few friends who seem to have breezed through life and everything generally workedwent the way it was “supposed” to go - no major trauma, no cancers or tragic car wrecks, no years of wandering out in the wilderness trying to find a career or a spouse,
or something to give meaning to life - no hard failures, no tragic losses, and yes, a successful marriage to the childhood sweetheart and near perfect flawless children. But those few friends are more the exception surely. The rest of us have to work harder - have to endure more - have to climb at least a few of those rocky mountains.
Loss
Learn that loss is the other side of something / anything that sustains you - that nourishes you - that makes climbing those mountains doable. There is a reason loss exists; it is not just a random thing. It is the parent of endurance, strength, and faith and a promise that there will be another sunrise - a sunrise that you need. To lose requires you to heal. Healing is that sunrise.
Love
Learn that love is grace. It is God’s gift to us all. Love is the lens through which life evolves - all of life. Without love - without falling in love - without knowing love of others - indeed, life does not turn out how we thought it would. Love colors an otherwise black and white world.
Pain
Loss and love require pain. Knowing pain is to know loss and love. Pain is never fun. Sometimes it is unbearable. Sometimes it seems like it will never end. It will end. There is a reason for it; it leads to finding love and ultimately healing.
Redemption
Redemption is kindness - for yourself and for those you love. Redemption is why we get up every morning and put one foot in front of the other. Redemption is finding gratitude. Redemption is finding grace. Redemption is where love leads. It is the reward - the reward for us all.
It’s all related and connected. Its magic. It heals. It nurtures.
Expecting life to turn out how you wanted it to - how you thought it would -may not be as important simply as how you lived the life you lived and appreciating that. Love, loss, pain, and redemption all involve other people in addition to you. The more your focus is on them and their lives - and not on your own - the closer your “how I expected” will be to what you hoped.
RAY APPEN Publisher Emeritus ray@appenmedia.com
STEVE HUDSON/APPEN MEDIA
PRESERVING THE PAST
A unique building in Crabapple has storied pas t
BOB MEYERS Columnist
A building with a unique shape on a five-way intersection in downtown Crabapple is bound to provoke curiosity. Since 2002 this landmark structure has housed the Hometown Carpet store operated by Steve Cash, but since it was probably built circa 1900 or earlier the building has been home to several businesses. It may be one of the oldest buildings in Fulton County still engaged in active business.
Measuring only 2,379 square feet, the charming structure was most likely originally built as a general store. It has a classic brick facade with reasonably large display windows which was common for retail buildings at the time of its construction.
The building also has two unique adjustable brace rods that connect its two main walls to keep them square during windstorms and other damage. The rods run through the building near the ceiling and are visible inside the building. They pass through the walls and can be adjusted from outside the building to keep the walls vertical with a simple turn or two of a bolt to move the top of a wall in or out. Such reinforcement was fairly common in historic buildings, particularly masonry structures.
Sally Rich-Kolb has owned the building since about 2000. Over the years she has worked to preserve several historic buildings in Crabapple.
Bill Bates, retired Alpharetta Fire
Chief, recalls that his uncle George Bates owned a grocery store in the building in the 1960s. “My friends and I used to ride bicycles from Daddy’s house on Mayfield Road to the store for Cokes. We picked up empty Coke bottles on the way and turned them in to pay for our treats.”
Bill’s dad was Billy Bates (1926-2021), well-known merchant, knowledgeable historian and volunteer fireman for more
CITY OF ALPHARETTA
NOTICE OF CONSIDERATION OF CITY CODE AMENDMENTS
The following items will be considered by the City Council on Monday, April 14, 2025 during the Alpharetta City Council Meeting and Public Hearing, which begins at 6:30 p.m. in the Alpharetta City Hall Council Chambers, located at 2 Park Plaza, Alpharetta, Georgia.
a. The Code of the City of Alpharetta, Georgia Text Amendments – Chapter 2, Article III Boards and Commissions and Chapter 32, Article II Recreation Commission
Consideration of an ordinance proposing modifications regarding the creation, powers, duties and obligations of the Recreation Commission; to repeal conflicting ordinances; and for other purposes.
b. The Code of the City of Alpharetta, Georgia Text Amendments – Chapter 10, Article IX Massage and Spa Establishments
Consideration of an ordinance proposing modifications to require enhanced identification and fingerprint background checks; to provide for additional requirements for applications for licensing and permitting; to provide for renewal applications; to amend regulations to authorize the denial of a license or permit; to repeal conflicting ordinances; and for other purposes.
than 30 years.
George Bates ran the store with his wife Fanny Bell and son Doug. They had two Gulf gas pumps in front of the store and a small ramp which cars drove up in order to have their oil changed.
When the Crabapple Baptist Church obtained new pews, George bought two of the old ones which he put on the front porch of his store. “Every time I would go by the store there would be five or six old-timers sitting on those benches telling lies to each other,” says John Dorris a member of one of Milton’s most distinguished pioneer families.
John believes he is the first person in his family to be born in a hospital, St Joseph Hospital in downtown Atlanta. His well-known and highly respected father John Marvin Dorris almost made his hundred-year goal. “He lived to be 99 years, 11 months and one week.” says his son.
Mark Coleman, who lived on Crabapple Road about 300 yards from the store, remembers that “As a kid my mom would send me there to pick up groceries. Mr. Bates had an agreement with my dad to settle up every month.
“There were some benches out front and brothers Jeff (1911-1969) and Cody (1908-1971 Spence would sit there every day. They were in their 50s and made my little brother Randy “Mayor of Crabapple.
“I remember when the Goat Man would come through town once a year
with a wagon pulled by 7 or 8 goats and would camp out for the night with his goats. My brother really felt pity for him and gave him a chicken. He didn’t have a home and probably was hungry.”
The next occupants of the building were Emory and Virginia Reeves who opened an antique store called Crabapple Corners Antiques in 1969. They lived in Chastine Park and commuted to the store. Emory (1921-2009) served in the U.S. Army during World War II and took part in the D-Day Invasion. After his retirement from BellSouth he joined Virginia in the antique business. He was a very popular figure in town and was affectionally called the “Mayor of Crabapple.” Virginia (1920-2012) was known as the “First Lady” of Crabapple. She helped create the Crabapple Antiques Fair in the 1970s and early 1980s. The store closed in 2005.
Thanks to Linda Statham, Joan Borzileri, Connie Mashburn, Kathy Beck and Sheila Pennebaker, each of whom provided useful information. Sometimes, writing about history takes a village as they say.
Bob is director emeritus of the Milton Historical Society and a Member of the City of Alpharetta Historic Preservation Commission. You can email him at bobmey@bellsouth.net. Bob welcomes suggestions for future columns about local history.
SALLY RICH-KOLB DONATION TO MILTON HISTORICAL SOCIETY
This iconic building in downtown Crabapple is shown as it was in the 1960s when it was a grocery store and Gulf gas station. Note the red ramp on the right of the photo. Cars were driven up the ramp for oil changes.
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CITY OF ALPHARETTA NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING
The following item will be heard at a public hearing held by the Historic Preservation Commission on Thursday, April 17, 2025 commencing at 3:00 p.m. in the Alpharetta City Hall Council Chambers, 2 Park Plaza, Alpharetta, Georgia.
Items forwarded by the Historic Preservation Commission will be considered by the City Council on Monday, April 28, 2025 commencing at 6:30 p.m. in the Alpharetta City Hall Council Chambers, 2 Park Plaza, Alpharetta, Georgia.
a. PH-25-04 John C. Weatherford House/193
Canton Street – Historic Designation
Consideration of a request to designate the John C. Weatherford House as historic. The property is located at 193 Canton Street and is legally descried as being located in Land Lots 1197 & 1252, 2nd District, 2nd Section, Fulton County, Georgia.
The following item will be considered by the City Council on Monday, April 28, 2025 commencing at 6:30 p.m. in the Alpharetta City Hall Council Chambers, 2 Park Plaza, Alpharetta, Georgia.
a. V-25-06 DRB Group/Charlotte
Drive – Waiting Period Variance
Consideration of a variance to Unified Development Code Subsection 4.2.1(C) to reduce the waiting period for City Council consideration of a request for zoning change affecting the same property from 12 months to 6 months. The property is located at 12265 Charlotte Drive and is legally described as being located in Land Lots 1245 & 1246, 2nd District, 2nd Section, Fulton County, Georgia.
Note: Georgia law requires that all parties who have made campaign contributions to the Mayor or to a Council Member in excess of two hundred fifty dollars ($250) within the past two (2) years must complete a campaign contribution report with the Community Development Department. The complete text of the Georgia law and a disclosure form are available in the office of the City Clerk, 2 Park Plaza, Alpharetta, Georgia.
PUBLIC NOTICE REGARDING DISPOSAL OF CITY PROPERTY BY EXCHANGE Notice is hereby published, in accordance with O.C.G.A. § 36-376(c), that, having met all applicable state law requirements, the City of Alpharetta, Georgia, acting by and through its governing authority, the Mayor and City Council, intend to dispose of approximately 0.0626 acre (2,726 square feet) of real property located in Land Lot 1243 of the 2nd District, 2nd Section, Fulton County, Georgia (being a portion of Tax Parcel ID# 22 418012430508), by conveying such area to abutting property owner, JONNA L. BEILETTI, in exchange for approximately 0.0626 acre (2,726 square feet) of real property located in Land Lot 1243 of the 2nd District, 2nd Section, Fulton County, Georgia (being a portion of Tax Parcel ID# 22 418012430086). O.C.G.A. § 36-376(c) authorizes the City to dispose of real property by exchange without the requirement of a sealed bid or auction when the real property so acquired is of equal or greater value than the property previously belonging to the City. By agreement of the parties, this transaction shall close on April 8, 2025.
CITY OF ALPHARETTA NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING
The following items will be considered by the Design Review Board on Friday, April 25, 2025 with a workshop commencing at 8:30 a.m. and regular meeting commencing at 9:00 a.m. in the Alpharetta City Hall Council Chambers, 2 Park Plaza, Alpharetta, Georgia.
1. DRB250013 Sign Package 100 North Main St
Consideration of a sign package for the property. The property is located at 100 North Main St and is legally described as being in Land Lot 1252, 2nd District, 2nd Section, Fulton County, Georgia
2.
DRB240014 Chutney Express 5215 Windward Pkwy
Consideration of an addition. The property is located at 5215 Windward Pkwy and is legally described as being in Land Lot 1120 & 1121, 2nd District, 2nd Section, Fulton County, Georgia
Note: Georgia law requires that all parties who have made campaign contributions to the Mayor or to a Council Member in excess of two hundred fifty dollars ($250) within the past two (2) years must complete a campaign contribution report with the Community Development Department. The complete text of the Georgia law and a disclosure form are available in the office of the City Clerk, 2 Park Plaza, Alpharetta, Georgia.
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NFCC is seeking a qualified candidate to fill the part-time Thrift Shop Associate position. One of the primary responsibilities of this role is to provide a high level of customer service in the Thrift Shop. The associate is responsible for all cash register and client clothing program transactions and keeping the merchandise in the store neat, clean, and organized. The role requires a friendly and customer-focused demeanor where all shoppers are treated with dignity and compassion.
If this sounds like the role for you, we’d love to hear from you! Please submit your resume to jobs@nfcchelp.org
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