Lady Wildcats soccer first seed in playoffs
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April 14, 2022 | AppenMedia.com | An Appen Media Group Publication | Ser ving the community since 1976
Kemp signs mental health bill By JEFFREY ALBERTSON newsroom@appenmedia.com ATLANTA — A bipartisan supported mental health and substance abuse bill became official with the signature of Gov. Brian Kemp at a State Capitol ceremony April 4. HB 1013, known as “The Mental Health Parity Act,” cleared the Legislature on March 30, passing 54-0 in the Senate and 166-0 in the House. In remarks delivered at the ceremony, Kemp said the bill ensures Georgians do not fight alone and applauded the full bipartisan support from the General Assembly. “Today has been a long time coming, this outcome is exactly what we hoped for,” Kemp said. “Everyone in the General Assembly made history today.” The legislation was sponsored by Speaker of the House David Ralston (RBlue Ridge), who had marked it as a top priority. The 76-page bill brings sweeping changes to the treatment of mental health and substance abuse, including a state loan cancellation program and revised complaint filing and tracking procedures for private and state managed insurance plans. Also included is a provision permitting law enforcement to seek involuntary commitment under certain criteria. The law goes into effect on July 1. Ralston called the bipartisan efforts the model of effective lawmaking and acknowledged the work of Rep. Todd Jones (R-South Forsyth) and Rep. Mary Marga-
Lemonade Days plans to reclaim Dunwoody spring By SYDNEY DANGREMOND sydney@appenmedia.com
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Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp signs The Mental Health Parity Act bill at a ceremony April 4 at the Capitol in Atlanta. The legislation, which passed unanimously in the House and Senate, broadens mental health access to residents. ret Oliver (D-Decatur). “This will lift Georgia from the basin of mental health care,” Ralston said. The bill faced vocal right-wing opposition in a Senate Health and Human Services Committee hearing. Opponents said it would lead to guns being removed from people diagnosed with mental illness. The version signed by Gov. Kemp removed an earlier provision that required
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insurance companies to provide mental health benefits if they did not offer them. “This bill is many things (and) a result of years of study and work,” State Sen. Michelle Au (D-Johns Creek) said. “It’s a framework for continued work that needs to be done. But above all, it is a moral document.”
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DUNWOODY, Ga. — Dunwoody signature event Lemonade Days will return to Brook Run Park April 20, marking the festival’s 22nd year in the city. The five-day, free-entry festival will feature carnival rides, games, food trucks, artists, a petting zoo and the crowd favorite Dunwoody Idol, among other activities. More than 30,000 visitors are expected at Brook Run Park over the course of the festival, Lemonade Days Director Hope Follmer said. Traditionally held in the spring, last year’s festival was postponed until August due to COVID-19 spread. In 2020, Lemonade Days was cancelled altogether for the same reason. “I think this year is going to be a really special year because the world is different than it was two years ago,” Follmer said. “I think that people are going to be very excited to get back, to be outdoors and back to a fun family
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