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Roswell celebrates Dia de los Muertos By CHAMIAN CRUZ chamian@appenmedia.com ROSWELL, Ga. — Sisters America and Citlalli Salas-Abrego wandered the grounds of the second annual Dia de los Muertos Festival near Roswell City Hall looking for pieces to complete their family’s “ofrenda,” Spanish for “altar.” The girls, dressed in semi-poofy skirts and intricate flower wreaths, wore their best La Catrina makeup complete with hollowed-out eyes and stitched mouths. One of them resembled Mexican artist Frida Kahlo. Although Dia de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, happens around the same time as Halloween, it is a Mexican celebration that takes place over several days, Oct. 31 to Nov. 2, and honors family members who have passed away. The festival on the grounds of Roswell City Hall on Oct. 30 featured a costume contest, margarita tasting, traditional Mexican entertainment, food trucks, face painting and a showing of Disney’s “Coco.” Roswell Special Events Manager Chris Ward said between 2,500 and 3,000 people attended the event. “[Turnout was] a bit lower than expected, but the weather was a factor,” Ward said. “The goal was to have an event to celebrate our Hispanic community in a way that was culturally sensitive and educational for all.” As America and Citlalli walked around looking at all the vendors at the festival, they stopped to buy “pan
Alpharetta passes across-the-board 3% pay increase Police, 911 dispatchers to get larger pay bump under special provision By PATRICK FOX pat@appenmedia.com
The significance of the ofrenda, according to a Day of the Dead website, is that it is left for the souls of the deceased to come back and be able
ALPHARETTA, Ga. — Seeking to preserve a force that has struggled to keep its ranks filled, Alpharetta officials have approved a 10 percent pay increase for police and 911 dispatchers. The City Council action also includes a 3 percent pay hike for all full-time city employees. That includes the city’s firefighters, who serve under the umbrella of Public Safety, but were not included as part of the police and 911 dispatchers’ salary package. The budget adjustment for salaries is expected to cost the city an extra $2.2 million annually. The measure, passed unanimously Nov. 1, comes in the wake of an internal study that shows Alpharetta lagging behind many surrounding cities in pay for sworn officers, especially those at the lower end of the salary range.
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CHAMIAN CRUZ/APPEN MEDIA
A family watches “Coco” at the second annual Dia de los Muertos Festival on the grounds of Roswell City Hall Oct. 30. de muerto” for their family’s ofrenda, which they said they had been setting up all week. Pan de muerto is a type of traditional sweet bread commonly baked during the weeks leading up to Dia de los Muertos.
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