Attorney says Dunwoody High student deported
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May 7, 2026 | AppenMedia.com
City Council gives approval for special tax districts
By DYANA BAGBY dyana@appenmedia.com
DUNWOODY, Ga. – Dunwoody has approved a charter amendment clarifying it can create special tax districts despite its property tax cap. The adjustment does not raise
taxes but resolves a longstanding ambiguity about the City Council’s taxing powers.
The City Council voted 5-2 at its April 27 meeting to approve the amendment. Voting against it were councilmembers John Heneghan and Tom Lambert.
MATTISON FAMILY/PROVIDED
Celebrated scholar and athlete
Chamblee High School salutatorian Kathleen “KK” Mattison is also the girls lacrosse team’s all-time leading scorer. She has notched more than 300 goals for the Bulldogs varsity squad. See story, page 16.
Heneghan, along with some other residents, have said it may be legal for the city to create special tax districts, but the amendment provides the council a work-around to raise taxes without a referendum.
Mayor Lynn Deutsch said the council needs to clean up language in
the charter to match state law. There are no plans to raise taxes despite what some people may have said, she added. She also said the amendment brings the city into alignment with what the city is already practicing.
See DISTRICTS, Page 17
Dunwoody looks to ban vape shops
By DYANA BAGBY dyana@appenmedia.com
DUNWOODY, Ga. — The Dunwoody City Council is considering an ordinance that would prohibit vape shops within the city.
The first read of the proposed ordinance was held at the April 27 council meeting. The second and final reading is scheduled for May 11 when a temporary moratorium on vape shops is set to expire.
The ordinance defines a business as a vape shop if 25 percent or more of its total retail sales come from alternative nicotine products, consumable vapor products, vapor devices or smoking devices, or if at least 25 percent of its interior floor space is dedicated to displaying, selling or renting those products.
Grocery stores and convenience stores that already sell vapes are excluded. Also excluded are traditional tobacco stores that sell cigars and cigarettes.
There are currently no vape shop restrictions in the city, meaning a stand-alone vape shop could locate in any commercial district like any other retail business. The proposed ordinance would prohibit vape shops in nonresidential and mixeduse zoning districts, Dunwoody Village and all Perimeter Center districts.
Essentially, a stand-alone vape shop would not be allowed to operate in the city anywhere, Senior Planner Madalyn Smith said at the April 27 meeting.
See BAN, Page 7
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Cop accused of using crypto to see child abuse photos
By DAN WHISENHUNT dan@appenmedia.com
DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. — A DeKalb County Police sergeant is accused of using cryptocurrency to obtain access to websites that contained child sexual abuse images.
The FBI arrested DeKalb County Police Sgt. Cameron Livsey on Thursday, April 30, on one count of accessing images of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct.
An FBI agent filed an affidavit in support of the criminal complaint against Livsey, providing additional details about the arrest.
Coinbase, a cryptocurrency exchange, notified the FBI that one of its users purchased child sexual abuse material, the affidavit said. Livsey's name and photo were attached to the account, according to the affidavit. There were no reports that the account had been hacked, Coinbase told the FBI.
The agent connected the transaction, valued at roughly $39, to a dark web site that the Internet Watch Foundation reported contained child sexual abuse material. The site could be found on Tor, a computer network designed to facilitate anonymous communication over the internet, the affidavit said.
"The Tor network does this by routing a user's communications through a globally distributed network
of relay computers, or proxies, rendering conventional IP address-based methods of identifying users ineffective," the agent wrote.
An undercover FBI agent confirmed the site contained child sexual abuse images. The website offered a $40 monthly subscription to view images, many of which featured young children.
"As previously stated, the [suspect's] Coinbase account made a purchase for $39, which appears to be consistent with purchasing a monthly membership," the affidavit said.
He is accused of spending $32 worth of cryptocurrency to access child sexual abuse material on a different dark web site.
On April 30, the FBI executed a
search warrant on Livsey at 1960 W. Exchange Pl., Tucker, Ga., the address of the DeKalb County Police Department headquarters. According to the affidavit, Livsey told agents he lived with his girlfriend and their 1-year-old daughter. FBI agents seized his phone. Agents found a Tor application on the phone with bookmarked websites, including one called "Pedohub," according to the affidavit. An agent accessed the site and found child sexual abuse images, the affidavit said. The agent also found a bookmark for one of the dark websites Livsey allegedly paid to access the images.
DeKalb police officials have launched an internal investigation of the officer and are cooperating with the FBI.
Police nab 3 suspects in child predator sting
SANDY SPRINGS, Ga. — Sandy Springs Police say a child predator sting operation resulted in three arrests.
In an April 24 social media post, the department said it had been conducting “a proactive child predator operation aimed at protecting our community’s most vulnerable.”
“During the operation, three adult males traveled to Sandy Springs believing
they were meeting a 15-year-old child to engage in sexual acts in exchange for money. They were met by our officers and taken into custody,” authorities said.
Derrell Green, 41, of McClellanville, S.C., was arrested and booked at the Fulton County Jail on April 21. Antonio Thackston, 43, of Tuscumbia, Ala., and Jacob Holloway, 38, of Lawrenceville, Ga., were arrested and booked at the
Fulton County Jail on April 22.
They are all charged with trafficking a person for sexual servitude and criminal attempt to commit a felony, according to Fulton County Jail online records.
Anyone with information or who suspects human trafficking is asked to call the Sandy Springs Police Department at 770-551-6900.
— Dyana Bagby
ASK APPEN
DEAN HESSE/APPEN MEDIA
Atlanta makes preparations to host World Cup matches
By ANNABELLE REITER annabelle@appenmedia.com
ATLANTA, Ga. — The World Cup is coming to Atlanta starting with a match between Spain and Cape Verde June 15 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
Matches hosted here run through July 15.
The first game of the Cup will be in Mexico City between Mexico and South Africa June 11.
Decatur will host several watchfests, starting with the Opening Ceremony headlined by an appearance by Savannah native Big Boi. The rapper will be performing at the Opening Ceremony of Decatur Watchfest June 11 to celebrate the beginning of the tournament that takes place once every four years.
June 15 is when Atlanta will host its first game at Mercedes-Benz. Atlanta’s next game is June 18 at noon where Czechia and South Africa face off.
June 21, Mercedes-Benz will host its third game where Spain will play against Saudi Arabia. On June 24, the fourth game will be played, Morocco versus Haiti.
Atlanta’s final game of the group
DRIVEWAYS & CONCRETE
stage will be Uzbekistan versus Democratic Republic of the Congo June 27.
From there, they will have three remaining games in the single-elimination bracket at Mercedes-Benz. The teams are yet to be determined, but the times have been established.
For the round of 32, Mercedes-Benz will host a game at noon July 1. The round of 16 game will take place at the same time July 7.
The final game in Georgia, and the biggest, will be July 15 for the semifinals at 3 p.m.
There will be a Closing Ceremony at Decatur Watchfest the day of the finals with a performance by the Indigo Girls.
Team USA will play its first game of the group stage the next day at 9 p.m. in Los Angeles.
Team USA will play its second game the next day in Seattle against Australia.
Team USA’s last group stage game is against Turkiye in Los Angeles June 25.
On July 18, the Bronze Medal match will take place in Miami. The finals are being played in New York on July 19.
TALK BACK TO THE CRIER
Largest tax increase in Dunwoody history?
On April 14, Ms. Cathy Cobbs, from Rough Draft Atlanta reported the following:
“Council Member John Heneghan, while acknowledging the legality of the special district changes, said he was not in favor of a potential tax increase that is not put before the voters.
“I know we are legally able to do it, but I believe we should go to the citizens to ask for this,” Heneghan said.
A special service tax district (SSTD) gives our City Council a way to TAX citizens for specific services, such as fire protection, sewer systems or infrastructure improvements, funded through additional taxes or fees levied only on property owners within that area. and operate with a level of fiscal and administrative independence.
In other words, what many residents predicted -- a new TAX without a VOTE is being contemplated.
In 2012, I served as the first Charter Commission Chair, and an angry flash mob of citizens showed up in droves to protest what they thought would be
DRIVEWAYS
an effort to change the charter to allow for a Dunwoody Fire Department. That would mean a new tax, a SSTD. However, a new Dunwoody Fire Department was NEVER discussed or contemplated by the Charter Commission! The outcry led to the 2012 “Summer of Discontent,” a term coined by the AJC. Fast forward from 2012 to 2026, 14 years and we do not hear a PEEP from voters, at least not YET.
If passed, this will be a large tax increase to all residents. Some say it is long overdue, while others claim the city should tighten its’ fiscal belt. I say this move, if passed by City Council and mayor, WITHOUT a public vote strikes at the heart of the reason we started the city – local control and local voice (VOTE) over any new taxes, bonds, etc. The current charter is capped, this would exceed that legally mandated cap without a public VOTE. What do YOU say?
Max Lehmann Dunwoody
Puzzles
Each line in the puzzle below 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, 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? Good luck!
WEATHER WATCH
1. Apothecary’s weight. Sultry. Gardener’s stock.
2. Breezy. Knight fight. Baker’s supply.
3. Winter forecast. Thin cracker.
South American mountain range.
4. Bread unit. Bird of prey.
Nice weather prediction.
5. Coffee order. Kind of prize. Umbrella weather.
6. Music genre. Wintry. Belt-shaped region in the heavens.
7. Part of AWOL. Opera star. Dry as a bone.
1 Apothecary’s weight. Sultry. Gardener’s stock.
2. Breezy. Knight fight, Baker’s supply.
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. Winter forecast. Thin cracker. South American mountain range
4. Bread unit. Bird of prey. Nice weather prediction
5. Coffee order. Kind of prize. Umbrella weather
6. Music genre. Wintry. Belt-shaped region in the heavens.
7. Part of AWOL. Opera
How to Solve: To solve the Sudoku puzzle, each row, column and box must contain the numbers 1 to 9.
to the right of it. A number below the diagonal line is the sum of the white squares in the sequence below it. You may only use the digits 1 to 9, and a digit can only be used once in any sequence.
TALK BACK TO THE CRIER
Same system, different treatment
The City of Dunwoody recently approved stormwater repairs for one neighborhood while denying them for another. Both are part of the same system. Both paid the same tax. Both sit on private property. Yet they were treated differently.
That is not a complicated issue. It is a question of consistency.
To make the distinction clear, consider the side-by-side comparison in the graphic.
Both are private. Both paid the same tax. Both are part of the system. One was funded. One was not.
Kingsley Lake is not an isolated feature. It receives stormwater collected and directed by the city from a much larger upstream area. Water flows through the lake and continues downstream as part of the broader system.
Redfield, by contrast, primarily manages its own neighborhood runoff before releasing it downstream.
That difference matters, but not in the way the city has applied it.
REDFIELD VS. KINGSLEY LAKE
Redfield
• Local neighborhood runoff
• Serves a single neighborhood stormwater
• Manages and releases its own water
• Drains into stormwater system
• Located on private property
• Paid the same district tax
• Gratuities Clause not cited
• Funded by the city
To better understand the city’s reasoning, the Kingsley Lake community submitted an Open Records request asking for the basis on which Redfield was funded. The city did not identify a Redfield-specific ordinance or district. Instead, it referenced a countywide tax structure that applies broadly and is not tied to any single neighborhood.
Kingsley Lake
• Receives water collected and directed by the city
• Serves a ~650-acre watershed beyond neighborhood
• Carries stormwater through the system
• Functions as part of the stormwater system
• Located on private property
• Paid the same district tax
• Gratuities Clause cited
• Denied by the city
The city has also cited the Georgia Constitution’s Gratuities Clause, which is intended to prevent the use of public funds for private benefit. That is an important principle. But when both Redfield and Kingsley involve stormwater infrastructure located on private property, the question becomes unavoidable. Why is it applied in one case and not the other?
That question was put directly to the mayor, City Council, city manager and city attorney.
No response was provided.
In this case, both of our district council representatives were recused due to potential conflicts of interest. That is understandable. But it also meant that the neighborhoods most directly affected had no voice in the discussion. In other cases, similar matters have proceeded without that same level of recusal. That difference deserves a clear explanation.
This is not a request for special treatment. It is a request for clarity.
Dunwoody was founded on the
TALK BACK TO THE CRIER: You talk, we listen. The Crier is parking the Talk Back section at the front of the paper for the foreseeable future. Send your letters to newsroom@appenmedia.com by Sunday night and they’ll end up here that week. Park locations, tree-lined medians and backyard chickens welcome.
Rules of engagement:
• Typically we restrict letters to 300 words. To limit fury from the copy desk, try and stay below that line.
• We normally do not publish letters written in response to other letters. We are going to waive that policy for the time being.
• We won’t publish your letter or name without explicitly getting your approval.
principle that government should be transparent, accountable and grounded in ethics. When a clear and fact-based question goes unanswered, it raises concern not only about policy, but about adherence to those principles.
Stormwater policy should not depend on which neighborhood is involved. It should be based on how the system functions and applied consistently across that system.
This is not a complicated issue. It is a straightforward one.
If the city believes any part of this is inaccurate, I would welcome a clear explanation of where the facts differ. If not, the question remains: Why are two parts of the same system treated differently?
In a city built on ethics, silence cannot be the final answer.
Danny Ross Founding member, Dunwoody City Council
Dunwoody High student deported, attorney says
By TRACEY AMICK PEER newsroom@appenmedia.com
DUNWOODY, Ga. — A Dunwoody High School junior has been deported to Honduras after the Department of Homeland Security denied a stay of removal.
Axel Rios, 18, was detained in March after Dunwoody police arrested him during a traffic stop. He was then taken to the Folkston ICE Processing Center, almost 300 miles away in South Georgia.
Alex Cornejo, Rios’s attorney, confirmed April 30 that his client had been deported. He said that he had mailed paperwork filing a motion to reopen Rios’s 2015 asylum case as a final hope to keep him in the United States.
Cornejo said he spoke to Rios every night.
“He’s very scared, he’s very sad and disappointed like all of us are,” Cornejo said.
“This order of removal, if it’s enforced, is the equivalent to a death sentence,” Cornejo said.
“His father is an MS-13 gang member.
Ban:
Continued from Page 1
Councilman John Heneghan asked why a total ban was necessary when vapes are already sold in every gas station in Dunwoody.
“Are we a nanny society?” he asked.
Councilman Joe Seconder, who proposed the ban, said in a letter to
He is convicted, public record, he is free and roaming around Honduras. [Rios] is a target right now.”
Cornejo said his client has been in the U.S. since 2015, and his mother applied for asylum in Florida, where they were living at the time.
“She was under the assumption she had an attorney working on her case. However, that person turned out not to be an attorney,” said Cornejo.
She never went to her hearing, and the order of removal was filed in absentia for her and her son.
Rios was pulled over in late March for running a stop sign and driving without a license, with his removal order from 2015 still in place.
Cornejo said Rios’s mother is the principal applicant, so she is also at risk of deportation.
“They’re going after the children so the parents will follow,” Cornejo said.
Appen Media partner Atlanta News First provided this story.
Dunwoody High School junior Axel Gerardo Archaga Rios, center, has been deported to Honduras, ending a month-long legal battle that began March 27 when the teen was pulled over for failing to stop at a stop sign and driving without a license.
Planning Commission members that the intent of the ordinance is to regulate land use, not personal behavior.
Seconder said vaping and alternative nicotine products are increasingly used by teenagers and are often marketed in ways that appeal to minors. He noted that Dunwoody is a “compact city” of 13 square miles with commercial centers located close together.
“[A]ny stand-alone vape shop located
anywhere in the city is inherently visible and easily accessible within the city,” he said. “For this reason, spacing requirements alone would not meaningfully reduce exposure or visibility, and a broader regulation of the use itself is being considered.”
In a 3-2 vote April 14, the Dunwoody Planning Commission failed to recommend the ordinance for approval. Those opposed said CBD and delta 8 THC products should be
included in the ordinance. Another concern was that vape shops should not be regulated differently from other uses considered dangerous, such as gun sales.
Dunwoody’s proposal to ban or regulate vape shops follows action by other area cities doing the same. In recent years, Alpharetta and Johns Creek have passed stiff regulations on businesses that sell vape products. Milton banned vape shops in 2019.
ALEXANDRO CORNEJO/PROVIDED
Ziffer hints at refined approach to school closings plan
By DYANA BAGBY dyana@appenmedia.com
DUNWOODY, Ga. — The DeKalb County School District’s controversial plan for school closures and building use changes dominated discussion at the April 26 Dunwoody Homeowners Association meeting.
DeKalb Board of Education member Andrew Ziffer, whose district includes Dunwoody, Chamblee and parts of Doraville, said parents are primarily seeking clarity about the Student Assignment Project.
The project proposes closing dozens of schools and merging or expanding others as the district deals with declining enrollment.
In Dunwoody, the current proposal includes closing Vanderlyn Elementary School and converting it into an annex for Dunwoody High School, closing Kingsley Elementary School and expanding Chesnut Elementary School.
“There is a lot of passion right now. I get it,” Ziffer said. “I am one of seven votes. I represent a very vocal community … we actually know what’s going on.”
The district has about 110,000 seats but only 90,000 students. The
Ziffer said. Data shows the city would still have an extra elementary school in 2030.
“We have too many seats in Dunwoody,” he said. “We could have one less elementary school now and in five years.”
Ziffer said population shifts to Forsyth, Cobb and Gwinnett counties are contributing to declining enrollment in DeKalb, particularly in the southern part of the county.
Affordability and business development also play a role, he said, but those issues fall outside the school district’s control.
Ziffer told attendees that interim Superintendent Norman C. Sauce was expected to announce a shift in the Student Assignment Project process to a more localized approach.
“Our cluster would decide what the best scenarios are, almost like a miniSAP group,” he said.
Student Assignment Project seeks to eliminate 20,000 seats to improve efficiency and better balance buildings, boundaries and programs.
“No one has ever done this, so this
is unprecedented,” Ziffer said. “We’re trying to figure it out along the way.”
If Dunwoody were its own cluster, it would have one extra elementary school based on current enrollment,
On April 29, Sauce asked the SAP Committee for feedback on a potential new approach focused on clusterbased action groups.
For now, the district plans to prioritize setting boundaries and programs at new or newly renovated schools.
Water customers still owe $288M in unpaid bills
By ZOE SEILER zoe@appenmedia.com
DECATUR, Ga. — DeKalb County water customers owe about $288 million in unpaid bills. Active accounts make up $137.5 million, and inactive accounts total $150.2 million, with the largest amounts owed by homeowners, condos and renters.
Most of this debt has gone unpaid for more than one year and upwards of seven years. About $81.9 million has been due for seven years or longer.
In 2025, DeKalb County CEO Lorraine Cochran-Johnson said water customers owed $104.7 million in delinquent bills, and there were 600 accounts with balances over $5,000.
The CEO previously outlined steps the county is taking to collect money it says it is owed, including recorded conversations with customers disputing bills and shutting off water for customers who don’t respond to the county’s notices.
The DeKalb County Finance, Audit and Budget committee discussed an update on water billing on April 14.
“People are paying their obligations better now,” Finance Director Dianne
McNabb said.
In some cases, liens automatically apply to a homeowner’s water account and are settled once the property sells. There are 938 active liens, of which 749 are single-family homes, 58 are condominium accounts and 47 are on apartment complexes.
The county recently received several million dollars from the sale of an apartment to settle a lien, McNabb said.
“We definitely collect every month on liens,” she said. “We have rarely ever had problems with single-family homes paying their liens out.”
Tenants owe about $20 million, but the county cannot impose a lien on renters.
“What we’ve been doing is reaching out and asking them to enter into payment plans based on what they can afford to pay those balances off,” McNabb said.
Condo customers owe $27.3 million from 246 accounts. Commissioner Ted Terry suggested looking into the accounts with bills three years or older, which total about $15 million.
Chief Operating Officer Zach Williams said the committee can discuss creative solutions, as condos with shared meters
are more complicated to disconnect due to debt.
“We recognize there are a number of condominiums that are affected that have not been able to maintain their infrastructure, that put us in a challenging position because you have hundreds of families living in these facilities, but they aren’t paying for water,” Williams said.
Inactive customers have an outstanding balance of $152 million, of which $92.8 million is from tenant accounts.
“These are not outstanding on our books. I’ve got an allowance, or a reserve, on the books for these accounts,” McNabb said.
Last year, DeKalb County started implementing payment plans on top of a customer’s current water bill. About 2,718 customers are on a payment plan, and most are paying $99 over 30 to 39 months.
Increasing disconnections
The county commission approved a water and sewer rate increase in 2025 that raises rates 10 percent annually over the next 10 years. The commission also committed not to shut off water
to customers who said they were overcharged.
The county came under scrutiny last year for disconnecting the service of homeowners with high bills and asking for a down payment to avoid shutoff.
As of April 14, there had been 48 water service disconnections and McNabb anticipates that effort will increase later this year.
“We’ve had some issues with our print vendor on getting the notices out, so our disconnections have still been extremely low,” McNabb said.
A moratorium was in place for years due to the county's replacement of water meters and the COVID-19 pandemic. Before that moratorium, the county disconnected 300 to 400 people per day.
“We would expect to get back to that, and as a result, we expect our collections to tick up,” McNabb said.
Customer advocate office
The Urban League of Greater Atlanta is serving as DeKalb County’s customer advocate office to implement discount and amnesty programs and to handle water billing disputes.
See BILLS, Page 10
DYANA BAGBY/APPEN MEDIA
DeKalb Board of Education member Andrew Ziffer discusseds the district’s controversial Student Assignment Project at the April 26 meeting of the Dunwoody Homeowners Association.
Perimeter banking began in cow pasture
Ethel Spruill wrote about the first financial institution to come to the Perimeter Center area in “The Story of Dunwoody,” the book she coauthored with Elizabeth Davis.
Tucker Federal Savings and Loan was located at the corner of Ashford Dunwoody Road and 2 Perimeter Center East. Spruill said the building was “sparkling white” and “stood like an oasis in a cow pasture when it opened for business June 4, 1970.” It was on a tiny piece of the property along Ashford Dunwoody Road once owned by her husband, Stephen Spruill.
Tucker Federal’s decision to build was based on the growing population in the area and the planned Perimeter Mall, which opened Aug. 11, 1971. Trust Company Bank, Citizens and Southern Bank, First National Bank and National Bank of Georgia soon followed Tucker Federal’s lead,
building branches at Perimeter Center.
Tucker Federal Savings and Loan began operations in downtown Tucker in 1957. In 1961 they moved into a new brick building on Main Street in Tucker. Their first branch office was at 4855 Briarcliff Road, opening in 1966, across the road from the future Northlake Mall. (Atlanta Journal ads, 1961 and 1966)
The savings and loan also made an impact on Doraville when they opened their location at the intersection of Buford Highway and Park Avenue on Jan. 2, 1969. The unusual round architecture was described as “…a unique 2,200 square foot structure with a street level lobby cantilevering over a lower terrace level. The exterior is pre-cast panels of concrete with a sparkling white stone finish.” (Atlanta Journal ad, Dec. 30, 1968)
Atlanta architects Cunningham and Forehand designed the Buford Highway and Briarcliff Road offices of Tucker Federal Savings and Loan.
Anyone that opened an account with $200 or more at the grand opening of the Doraville Tucker Federal Savings and Loan received
The 1970 Tucker Federal Savings and Loan at the corner of Ashford Dunwoody Road and 2 Perimeter Center East.
an electric serving tray as a gift.
The Dunwoody branch offered new account holders a choice of an electric serving tray, red and white checked picnic tablecloth or barbecue tools. Both offices also held drawings for door prizes. Prizes offered ranged from a minibike to a 12-inch RCA television.
The grand opening advertisement
for the Dunwoody office described the building:
“The beautiful semi-contemporary building has 2,500 square feet with indoor and outdoor exposure to open courts. The lobby is enhanced with subdued lighting from a raised ceiling.”
The 1960s and 1970s were a time for interesting bank architecture. Trust Company Bank built their circular branch office, designed by Henry Jova, along Monroe Drive and adjacent to I-85 in the 1960s.
The former Tucker Federal buildings at Perimeter Center and Doraville have had different owners and names over the years. Today, the office at Perimeter Center is Georgia’s Own Credit Union. The Doraville branch on Buford Highway is PNC Bank. The Briarcliff Road office stands empty.
Award-winning author Valerie Biggerstaff is a longtime columnist for Appen Media and the Dunwoody Crier. She lives in Atlanta. You can email Valerie at pasttensega@gmail.com or visit her website at pasttensega.com.
VALERIE BIGGERSTAFF Columnist
PHOTO FROM “THE STORY OF DUNWOODY,” BY ETHEL W. SPRUILL AND ELIZABETH L. DAVIS
Community Assistance Center reports record-breaking impact
By DYANA BAGBY dyana@appenmedia.com
SANDY SPRINGS, Ga. — About 11 years ago, Sue Koeneman noticed her teenage children throwing away school supplies – pencils, notebooks – when finished with them. But seated next to them at school were children with no pencils or notebooks.
She looked for a way to help and found out about the Community Assistance Center, a nonprofit with the mission of preventing hunger and homelessness for people in Dunwoody and Sandy Springs.
Founded in 1987 as a small, faithbased food pantry, CAC has grown into one of the larger human services organizations serving the Central Perimeter with the same “neighbors helping neighbors” mission. Its programs include food pantries, a thrift store for clothing, financial assistance, youth programs, adult education, career assistance services and free tax assistance.
“I enjoy giving back in my own community,” Koeneman said standing behind the register at the Canopy Thrift Store during a recent volunteer shift. “There is almost like a second Sandy Springs, a second Dunwoody, that exist on a different economic plane … that I didn’t know about until I came faceto-face with it … and I wanted to help people in that situation.”
The need for CAC’s services in the suburbs continues to grow.
In 2025, it assisted 4,440 households, including preventing 1,108 evictions — an 8 percent increase over the previous year, according to its annual report released last month.
Nearly 70 percent of those seeking help were first-time clients. Economic pressure is not just impacting traditionally underserved populations, but middle-class families are also struggling to deal with higher costs for healthcare and housing, CEO Francis K. Horton said in a statement.
“2025 was truly a year of growth for CAC, not for growth’s sake, but in response to rising need in our community,” Horton said. “Increasing economic pressure is impacting our lower-income families but also an increasing number of middle-income
years ago.
that foster personal and professional growth that can lead to lasting financial independence,” Director of Impact and Innovation Doris Pereira said in a statement.
Continued from Page 8
Since the Urban League began serving as the customer advocate, it has received 909 applications but has approved only 85 for assistance to low-
earners. The needs are creeping into more and more of our community, and we have to scale to meet them.”
Helping more
The report highlights that while the number of households served rose by 4 percent, the total financial assistance distributed increased by 13 percent, reaching $769,416. Six months after receiving aid, 92 percent of clients had secured stable housing, and 68 percent had resolved their immediate financial crisis, according to the report.
Also in 2025, the organization served 9,632 individuals across all its programs, distributed more than 1.1 million pounds of food and supported 1,738 children through youth initiatives.
Its client-choice Mini-Markets — food pantries designed to operate like grocery stores —allow families to select fresh and shelf-stable items based on their needs, helping preserve dignity during times of hardship, CAC officials said.
The growing need reflects broader
to-moderate-income customers from August 2025 to February 2026.
“The majority of the applicants have bills that are already lower than what they can afford, so the assumption is they should be able to afford their water bills,” Dorna Werdlin said.
Of the total applications, 514 were income eligible but not approved for
affordability challenges affecting suburban areas, CAC officials said. Many clients are employed but still struggle due to stagnant wages and rising living costs.
Families moved to the suburbs for safety and quality schools only to find themselves unable to afford high living costs, Director of Advancement George Northrop told Appen Media.
Workforce development
To address some of these challenges, the CAC opened its Empowerment Center in November 2025, a new hub for adult education and workforce development. The center consolidates career services and includes “Thrive,” a program that assists people with childcare, transportation and tuition so they can get work certifications to pursue higher-paying jobs.
“Through our integrated services and programs, we are supporting clients in upskilling and reskilling for today’s job market and pursuing pathways
credit. The Urban League calculates a rate that should be affordable for residents, and 388 applicants were already below that affordable amount.
Another 126 individuals were overconsuming water based on their household size. Werdlin said that if there is a leak, the person is referred to DeKalb Cares for plumbing repairs.
Early outcomes are promising, according to the annual report. Sixtyfive percent of clients who accessed career services in 2025 secured employment. Nearly 80 percent of those who received financial assistance were working within six months, though many still needed additional support to achieve long-term financial stability, the report said.
Community support continues to play a critical role in CAC operations. In 2025, more than 500 volunteers contributed 53,000 hours of service, equivalent to 25 full-time staff members. Donations surged with a 25 percent increase in donors and a 104 percent rise in individual contributions, according to the report.
Faith-based organizations contributed significantly through a new “Congregation of the Month” initiative and collected more than 38,000 pounds of food and raised over $10,000 to support the food programs, the report said.
The nonprofit’s South Sandy Springs branch saw significant growth after outreach to 120 apartment communities increased demand for services by 50 percent late 2025. The location distributed more than 260,000 pounds of food and served 971 families, according to the report.
Werdlin added that 172 applications are pending and waiting for additional information. There were 83 hardship cases: 21 applicants were incomeineligible, three reapplied too early, and 31 had inactive accounts or did not live in DeKalb County.
For more information, visit dekalbwaterassist.org/.
Sue Koeneman began volunteering at the Community Assistance Center in Sandy Springs more than 11
PHOTOS BY: DYANA BAGBY/APPEN MEDIA
The Community Assistance Center’s food pantry is set up like a grocery store so clients can choose what items they want.
Chasing data about DeKalb’s new police pursuit policy
Police chases are dangerous. They put innocent people at risk in the name of arresting suspects accused of nonviolent offenses.
Statistics on police chases nationwide are not as comprehensive as any journalist would like, but the information we do have is sobering. Chases account for hundreds of deaths every year. Those killed are often bystanders. In early April, the Associated Press reported police pursuits had caused eight deaths nationwide in less than a week.
In 2023, the Police Executive Research Forum (PERF) recommended limiting chases to life-or-death situations. Chases should be limited to when someone has committed a violent crime or is an imminent threat, PERF advised.
This is not the current policy in DeKalb County. DeKalb County Police are now allowed to pursue people for nonviolent crimes, a policy announced in 2025.
We do not know for sure how many chases police officers have been involved in since 2025, but we know they are happening. Our community was recently reminded why policing professionals advise against chases except in extreme circumstances.
On April 16, DeKalb Police spotted a stolen vehicle in the area of Snapfinger and Panola roads and chased it when the 18-year-old driver refused to pull over. The driver lost control of the vehicle, striking two pedestrians: Antoinette Catchings, 56, and an unidentified 14-year-old. Catchings died.
Police were quick to shift the blame to the teenage driver.
“This is a tragic loss of life, and our hearts are with the victims and their families,” Police Chief Gregory Padrick said. “But let me be clear: this incident is the result of a deliberate decision to flee from law enforcement. When individuals choose to run, they endanger innocent lives. Our officers were doing exactly what this community expects — taking action to stop crime and protect the public.”
Attitudes toward policing have shifted under county CEO Lorraine CochranJohnson’s administration. CochranJohnson has bolstered hiring, increased officer pay and made significant investments in crime-fighting technologies.
One of her first official acts was to install a new police chief, Padrick, who quickly expanded the department’s chase policy.
ATLANTA NEWS FIRST/PROVIDED
Around 3:37 p.m., DeKalb County police spotted a stolen vehicle in the area of Covington Highway and Panola Road and tried to pull it over, according to the DeKalb County Police Department.
“Effective immediately, a pursuit may be initiated if there is probable cause to believe that the suspect being pursued has committed any crime — whether felony, misdemeanor or any traffic offense,” he announced.
When the county’s expanded chase policy was first announced, CochranJohnson said the inability to pursue suspects has hampered the county’s enforcement of the law.
“What I’m finding is street racers have found DeKalb to be safe because we do not chase,” Cochran-Johnson previously said. “So they will antagonize an officer because we can’t lend chase to them, because it was not previously permitted because of the limited scope for chase.”
Most of us can agree that street racing is dangerous and annoying. We don’t want it in our communities. In political terms, giving police officers the tools to crack down on them is a no-brainer. The new chase policy is one of the new weapons in the police department’s arsenal.
Improving public safety is smart politics, after all, but it must include balancing the risks of police officers' actions against the perceived public benefit.
Do these new policies actually make us safer, or do they simply make people feel safer? It’s an important distinction, and it’s important that the county’s leadership take such distinctions into account when making policy decisions.
The chase policy was created in part to stop street racing, but police chases didn’t stop there. Catchings’ death shows that police have begun chasing people for other nonviolent offenses. How often this is happening and for what crimes are questions the police department should answer.
The police department hasn’t provided any data on how many chases have occurred since 2025 or how allowing more chases has made DeKalb County
in 2025, compared with 129 in 2024. A modest, but noticeable drop.
But that information doesn’t tell the whole story.
We also need data on police pursuits and on whether they reduce crime. How many chases have officers been involved in since 2025, when the policy was implemented, and how does that compare to 2024? How many of these incidents caused injuries? How many resulted in deaths? Who died? How many chases started over a property crime or a misdemeanor? How many resulted in apprehending a suspect involved in a violent crime?
safer. It’s difficult to draw conclusions from the data we do have.
Violent crime remained relatively level between 2024 and 2025, CEO CochranJohnson’s first year in office. In 2024, DeKalb County Police logged 4,521 violent crimes and 13,621 property crimes. In 2025, the county saw 4,419 violent crimes and 11,756 property crimes. Homicides declined, with 91 reported
This data is not readily available from the county, and it needs to be. If we are being asked to accept the real public danger these chases pose, we are owed the right to accurately assess their effectiveness and the risk they pose to public safety.
On April 25, a little over a week after Catchings’ death, DeKalb Police were involved in another chase on I-20. The driver crashed near the I-75 split approaching downtown Atlanta, our media partner Atlanta News First reported. Police recovered narcotics and a stolen gun. There were no injuries reported. This time.
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The risks of transfer on death deeds
In July 2024, Georgia quietly joined a growing number of states allowing transferon-death deeds (TODDs) for real estate. Codified under O.C.G.A. § 44-17-1 et seq., this new law allows property owners to name a beneficiary who automatically receives real estate upon death—without probate.
At first glance, TOD deeds seem like a simple, inexpensive solution. But beneath that simplicity lies a range of legal risks that can create serious unintended consequences. For many property owners, these dangers outweigh the perceived benefits.
Georgia has strict post-death deadlines. Georgia’s TOD statute includes a critical— and often overlooked—requirement:
• The beneficiary must file an affidavit and supporting documents
• Within 9 months of death
• Or the property reverts back to the estate
This creates a dangerous scenario where: 1) Beneficiaries may not know about the deed; 2) Deadlines are missed; 3) Probate becomes necessary anyway. In addition, Title companies have been refusing to provide title insurance for sale of property after death of owner because there is no probate or Trust to determine outstanding debts, creditors, and heirs.
Another failure of the TOD is there is no protection against a beneficiary from
losing your property to his or her creditors, bankruptcy and divorces. Moreover, beneficiary's divorces and creditors could put a lien on your property while you are alive for the beneficiary's interest. Instead, a Trust can shield your home from beneficiary's creditors, lawsuits, and divorces while you are alive and even after your death.
In actuality, TODs provide a false sense of security and marketed as cheap and easy probate avoidance. But that simplicity is exactly the problem that can create "complex legal and financial issues when not carefully planned. TODs cannot do the following:
• Do not address incapacity planning
• Do not coordinate your wishes for multiple beneficiaries
• Do not provide tax or asset protection strategies
• Do not prevent beneficiary's creditors and liens on the property
Bottom line-Georgia’s new TOD deed law offers convenience—but convenience is not the same as good planning For many individuals, TOD deeds:
• Oversimplify complex estates
• Create unintended consequences
• Increase the risk of disputes and loss of control
• Increases the probability of beneficiary's creditors and divorces from putting liens on a TOD that otherwise would not exist
The reality is that TOD deeds are often a band-aid solution, not a comprehensive strategy. The biggest danger of a transfer-on-death deed isn’t what it does—it’s what it fails to do. Before using a TOD, property owners should carefully evaluate whether they are trading short-term simplicity for long-term problems.
Learn more by reserving a spot in one of our in person workshops.
Dunwoody recognizes Sustainability Heroes
DUNWOODY, Ga. — Malte Weiland and Dunwoody United Methodist Church were recognized at the April 27 Dunwoody City Council meeting as recipients of the 2025 Sustainability Hero Awards.
The Sustainability Hero Award program began in 2012 to honor exemplary individuals and organizations for their dedication, service and leadership in promoting sustainable practices. Nominations for the awards were open to the community, and the winners were selected by the Dunwoody Sustainability Committee.
“Malte Weiland and Dunwoody United Methodist Church demonstrate how thoughtful action, long-term commitment and community engagement can help build a more sustainable Dunwoody,” Anne Hicks, chair of the Dunwoody Sustainability Committee, said in a statement.
Malte Weiland is a sustainability professional at Siemens and helps guide long-term sustainability planning through his service as Dunwoody Nature Center board member. Hicks said Weiland helps ensure the buildings, grounds and infrastructure at the Dunwoody Nature Center reflect environmental values.
“It has been a pleasure to support the sustainability efforts of the city through my volunteering at the Dunwoody Nature Center and Austin Elementary, and I hope to continue to advance these critical topics in the future,” Weiland said.
Dunwoody UMC was selected as the organizational recipient of the award for its Environmental Stewardship Committee. The church has installed rooftop solar and energy-efficient LED lights and thermostats in many rooms. The church recently began composting food waste and recycling during its Wednesday night supper program.
Senior Pastor Dr. Phil Schroeder praised the Rev. Kathy Brockman and the Environmental Stewardship Committee for its initiatives.
“Few other churches of our size have ever done this in the state of Georgia, and we wanted to be able to lead the way. We hope that other houses of worship will follow suit,” Schroeder said.
The City of Dunwoody Sustainability Committee meets monthly and serves to encourage the city and the community to reduce its environmental impact by improving resource efficiency.
— Dyana Bagby
CITY OF DUNWOODY/PROVIDED Malte Weiland holds his Sustainability Hero Award at the April 27 Dunwoody City Council meeting. He is flanked by members of the Dunwoody Sustainability Committee, from left, Kristen Monta, Anne Hicks and Larry Heiman.
Kathleen Mattison brings it in the classroom, on the field
By ANNABELLE REITER annabelle@appenmedia.com
CHAMBLEE, Ga. — Chamblee senior Kathleen “KK” Mattison is the resident salutatorian this year, and her impact has been recognized in the classroom and on the lacrosse field.
She describes herself as “very type A,” a trait that manifests in all aspects of her achievements through her strong sense of self-motivation.
Mattison has been the lacrosse team’s all-time leader in goals scored since sophomore year. In the last month, she has added two more accomplishments to her lengthy resume — being named salutatorian and reaching 300 career goals.
The team also won the program’s first area title April 22 after defeating Dunwoody 18-2.
Mattison was introduced to lacrosse in fourth grade by her cousins over Thanksgiving break, she quickly shifted her attention to the sport after previously participating in tennis and soccer.
With many of the most competitive club lacrosse teams practicing outside of the perimeter, Mattison became involved with Buckhead Stix and later played for the Atlanta Storm. She was the only athlete from inside the perimeter on several teams she participated with.
Driving to practice sometimes required a trek up I-75 and I-575 from Chamblee to Canton. After freshman year, she had watched her older brother Miles — now an aerospace engineering major with plans to become a pilot — going through the college application process and decided to shift once again to put her foot on the gas academically.
Although no longer competing with a travel team, Mattison didn’t slow down on the field, becoming the Bulldogs’ all-time program leader in goals when she surpassed 100. The program, which started in 2017, now has three 100-goal scorers, including junior Mary Hensarling with 200.
Mattison will be returning to club lacrosse next season, playing for Georgia Tech alongside a familiar teammate.
Fellow midfielder Ashley Nelson — the third 100 goal scorer — will be her roommate on campus. The pair have been close friends since eighth grade, playing up on varsity together.
Several of Mattison’s former teammates from Buckhead Stix, including Caroline Timmons from Midtown High and several St. Pius players, will also be on the Tech club
MATTISON FAMILY/PROVIDED
Kathleen “KK” Mattison suits up for the 8U Buckhead Stix lacrosse team in 2016. Mattison will be attending Georgia Tech last year on the pre-med track and will play on the club lacrosse team.
team.
Despite her busy academic schedule with multiple AP classes since freshman year and dual enrollment at Georgia State the past two years, Mattison finds time to be involved with National Charity League of Buckhead, National Beta Club and Student Government Association.
and God,” Mattison said. “I think a lot of my faith has been really strong these past four years, when a lot of times there were situations where it was very overwhelming, but I think my faith, my parents and my best friends [helped me stay the course.]”
Family support has been a pillar of Mattison’s growth. Her older brother Miles is a junior at Tech. The school is a family affair for the Mattisons. Miles and KK’s paternal grandfather was a running back recruited by Bobby Dodd in the 1950s.
KK has plans to attend medical school after graduating from Tech.
Stephanie Mattison, KK’s mom, said her daughter is too humble to ever talk about herself and her achievements, but Stephanie is always happy to brag about her.
Stephanie recounted a recent Thanksgiving break that KK had spent weeks preparing for. She set up a phone interview via LinkedIn that culminated in a shadowing shift of the director of Piedmont Hospital’s Anesthesiology Department. She spent seven hours in operating rooms while many of her classmates caught up on sleep.
“She’s the most self-motivated, self-disciplined person you will ever meet,” Stephanie said. “That’s a girl who knows what she wants. She is self-motivated beyond all measure. I mean, who does that?”
Another pillar has been the team that Mattison said she is dreading the end of her time with.
“I think my grit and determination comes from the passion and from the joy that I get,” KK said. “Whatever I put into my team, I always get immediately back.”
KK said the team is hungry to improve upon their Elite Eight finish last season.
Q: What does it feel like to be gearing up for your last run at the postseason?
Mattison holds several organizational leadership roles. She is the president of National Honor Society, vice president of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and a captain of the varsity cross country and lacrosse teams.
How does she balance it all?
“Number one, my support system
A: It’s very, very bittersweet. I do not want it to come to an end because, I just love my teammates so much. Ashley, especially, and how much work we’ve put in over these past 5 years to help improve the program and lift everyone up. I’m sad that it’s coming to an end, but I’m very excited and ready to go far and ready to kick some booty hopefully.
Q: What’s the team’s energy looking like right now?
A: We’ve been watching film of Boston College and other college programs. We’re ready for the challenge, we’ve been working so hard all season for these big moments. The energy is definitely excited.
Milton dominates Lakeside-DeKalb in first home playoff series in 6 years
By ANNABELLE REITER annabelle@appenmedia.com
MILTON, Ga. — Milton High School hosted its first baseball playoff series since 2019, sweeping Lakeside-DeKalb April 24.
The first game ended after five innings as the Eagles took a 10-0 lead over the Vikings. The second game ran the full seven innings and ended 8-1.
Milton was energized by a visit from retired MLB pitcher and Milton High alum Kyle Farnsworth, who threw the first pitch. Farnsworth was inducted into Milton’s Hall of Fame Class of 2026.
The last time Milton hosted in the playoffs was 2019 after winning the region championship. The 2019 team also swept their first-round opponent.
The senior class of nine players made their first playoff appearance as the Eagles have not played in the postseason since 2022 when they lost
Districts:
The very first council “violated their own charter” in 2009 when it imposed stormwater fees on residents without a referendum, she said.
“We are cleaning up the charter. We have to fix this,” she said.
in the first round to Woodstock.
The Eagles collected 20 hits in the two games. Milton scored four or more runs in an inning three times.
The senior class accounted for eight of the 12 innings pitched. Jackson Haug pitched all five innings in the first game. LaGrange College commit Weston Blevins pitched the first three innings of game two before two underclassmen came in relief.
Lakeside scored one run all day.
In the first game, sophomore Caelen Frederick went 2-for-3 at the plate and smashed the only home run of the evening in the bottom of the third inning. He also tallied four RBIs and one stolen base.
“I think we put on a really good offensive performance tonight, and pitching defensively,” Frederick said.
“We worked hard all year leading up to this, and I think it’s nice to… reap the benefits.”
Head coach Dustin Rennspies said
had a $3.5 million budget surplus, and this year the city is expected to announce another surplus.
“We don’t have a need to raise taxes right now,” she said.
Dunwoody voters will still decide on any general obligation bond the council may want to do, she said.
Frederick has earned the lead-off spot, being moved up from third down the stretch of the regular season.
“Sky’s the limit for him, the kid’s a sophomore,” Rennspies said. “I’m excited to see how he’s gonna continue to grow.”
Lakeside felt the heat around the corner, turning on the jets to avoid a shutout on the series before they were shut down after the third inning of game two when they scored their only run.
Rennspies said he’s pleased with how his team is finishing games and shared his pride in the senior class for how far they’ve come to make the playoffs for the first time in four years.
“[The team has] put a lot of hard work in,” he said. “Didn’t start off so great, but we’ve gotten better and better and better, and it seems like we’re starting to pick up at the right moment, so we’re just gonna keep riding it.”
“But none of that’s going to happen in the dark, and none of that’s going to happen without robust public discussion,” Deutsch said.
She also noted that most Dunwoody residents have not seen their property tax bill or city taxes changed since the city was founded because homestead properties have assessments frozen against increases in city taxes. Continued from Page 1
Last year, the mayor said, the city
A special tax district is also the only way the city could take over fire and emergency medical services from DeKalb County.
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NANCY DANIELS/PROVIDED
Milton sophomore Caelen Frederick crushes a pitch at Milton High School April 24. Frederick hit the only home run in the series sweep of Lakeside-DeKalb in the first round of the GHSA 5A playoffs.
An old deck reveals the resilience of pine
RAY APPEN Publisher Emeritus ray@appenmedia.com
Many years ago, Florida State University was my home for nearly a decade.
Every time I drive through Tallahassee or south toward the coast, the sense of time passing hits me like a cold shower.
From Tallahassee to the Gulf, the landscape remains largely old Florida. Century-old oaks draped in Spanish moss line slow, winding roads with Native American names. Families still farm land-grant acreage originally deeded by Spanish colonial authorities or the U.S. government in the early 1800s. North of town, between Tallahassee and Thomasville, Georgia, sprawling hunting plantations occupy thousands of acres originally owned — and some still owned — by Northeastern industrialists, among them the Phipps and Carnegie
families. Many continue to operate today, hosting well-heeled guests during hunting season.
To the west, however, much of that old Florida is gone. Some new residential communities feature coastal mansions listed at $5 million to $10 million. The area now resembles an overdeveloped, gated resort community more than a stretch of natural coastline. Development is coming to the rest of the Panhandle, but for now, a few years may remain.
Some of the old haunts I frequented in Tallahassee are gone. I spent countless hours at Pastime Billiards on Tennessee Street — far more time than I spent studying. The floor was covered in peanut shells; patrons simply threw them down. Cheap beer, boiled peanuts, thick cigarette smoke and some of the South’s best pool hustlers filled the place, most playing 9-ball for thousands of dollars.
Pastime drew players from across the region because of its central location along the circuit connecting New
Orleans, Miami, Atlanta, Charlotte and Jacksonville. The best of them, Mike Carella, held a permanent table in the corner. Watching him play was like watching Tiger Woods or Wayne Gretzky at the height of their craft — except it was pool. He could run rack after rack without missing, always for money, and was known as much for his gambling as for his skill at the table.
He was later confirmed to have been running drug shipments into the United States for a cartel. He was found dead in a Miami hotel room, shot multiple times. He was, in some ways, a force of nature.
Mike’s Beer Barn, another institution, was nearby. So was Bullwinkle’s, a bar on Tennessee Street across from the FSU campus, founded in 1956 by former FSU football player Mike Norman. By 1961, the establishment was open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, moving thousands of kegs of beer. In the 1970s, it was ranked the No. 1 beer retailer in the nation. It is still in business today, though the old Tallahassee atmosphere
has faded — as it has everywhere. Fred’s Dry Dock operated two locations: one on Tennessee Street on the west side of town, another off Tharp Street to the north. Both were highvolume, no-frills bars serving stiff, cheap drinks to packed crowds. Any number of FSU students barely survived the 50-cent bottom-shelf shots. One of the manager-bartenders, a woman named Brenda, eventually went to prison for what she was selling under the bar — and it was not liquor. Both locations have since closed, which is probably for the best.
Very little stays the same over time. Perhaps that is what makes the things that do endure — or nearly endure — so compelling. It is a race against time, and no one wins. But if we are smart and fortunate, we embrace the passage of time and savor each moment, each image, each memory, each relationship, whether it involves people, places or the natural world. Old Florida is worth savoring. There is still some of it left.
Falling in love with houses you can’t afford
There’s a peculiar modern ritual in homebuying: you scroll listings, tour a few homes, imagine where the couch goes, maybe even name the future dog — then discover you can’t actually buy the place. It’s like testdriving a Ferrari with a bicycle budget. Enter mortgage pre-approval, the unglamorous but essential step that separates the serious buyers from the enthusiastic tourists.
Here’s the reality, minus the fairy tale.
1: It tells what you can afford
Without pre-approval, you’re operating on vibes and Zillow optimism. A lender, however, deals in numbers — your income, debt, credit, and assets — and translates that into a price range grounded in reality.
It may not be as fun as guessing, but it does prevent the emotional spiral of falling in love with a home that belongs to someone with a significantly larger paycheck.
2: Sellers take you seriously
In competitive markets, submitting an offer without pre-approval is a bit like proposing on a first date — with no job. Sellers want certainty. A pre-approval letter tells them you’ve been vetted and are capable of closing. Without it, your offer can quietly slide into the “nice try” pile.
3: It lets you move at market speed
Good homes don’t linger. They appear, they charm, they vanish. If you’re not preapproved, you’re pausing to call a lender while someone else is already signing paperwork. Pre-approval means you can act immediately — no scrambling, no missed opportunities.
4: It reduces unpleasant surprises
There are few experiences more
frustrating than getting under contract, paying for inspections, and then discovering your financing falls apart. Pre-approval pushes most of that financial scrutiny to the front of the process, where it belongs — before you’re emotionally or financially invested.
5: It strengthens your negotiating position
Sellers don’t always choose the highest offer — they choose the one most likely to close. Certainty has value. A pre-approved buyer brings that certainty, and that can make your offer more attractive, even in a crowded field.
6: It helps you fix problems early
If there’s an issue — credit, debt, savings — you’ll find out before you’re picturing yourself hosting holidays in the dining room. That early awareness gives you time to address the problem and re-enter the market in a stronger position.
Sometimes we’ll make the call
When needed, we’ll even reach out to the listing agent and advocate on your behalf — because in real estate, a little reassurance can go a long way.
The bottom line
House hunting without pre-approval is like shopping without checking your bank account. It’s fun right up until reality arrives. Pre-approval, on the other hand, turns curiosity into capability.
It’s the difference between browsing… and actually buying.
DC Aiken is Senior Vice President of Lending for CrossCountry Mortgage, NMLS # 658790. For more insights, you can subscribe to his newsletter at dcaiken.com. The opinions expressed within this article may not reflect the opinions or views of CrossCountry Mortgage, LLC or its affiliates.
GET OUTSIDE, GEORGIA!
History, hiking, hamming at Eagle’s Beak
STEVE HUDSON Columnist
One thing that is a constant and delightful surprise to me is the number of “public spaces” (another way of saying “parks”) to be found hereabouts.
I’ve lived in this neck of the woods pretty much nonstop since I made my grand debut back in – well, let’s just say back in the previous millennium. In the years since then, I’ve spent an inordinate amount of time in the great outdoors, much of it exploring various parklands.
You’d think that by now I’ve seen ‘em all. But I haven’t – not even close. It seems like I’m always stumbling across one that’s new (or at least new-to-me).
That’s what happened a couple of months ago when I “discovered” Eagle’s Beak Park in Forsyth County.
To say that I discovered this park on my own is not quite true. The fact is that I’d driven by it countless times while rambling around in Forsyth County, but for a long time it only registered in some vague “look-at-the-neat-greenspace!” kind of way.
Then, one day, I was talking to my buddy Rin about the ham radio thing. To be more precise, we were talking about the “Parks on the Air” program, or POTA for short. I think I’ve mentioned it before in this space; it’s the thing where hams like me tote small portable radio stations out into the wild, set up a minimalist antenna of some sort, and then talk to other like-minded hams all over the world. Communication is a good thing, especially these days, and it gives folks like me yet another excuse to get out-of-doors and play.
Anyway, I asked my friend about his favorite places to visit. His answer included many of the usual suspects –the Chattahoochee River National Recreation area, various state parks, and a couple of state Wildlife Management Areas too.
But then he mentioned one called Eagle’s Beak Park.
Eagle’s Beak Park? I don’t think I’d run across that one on any list of POTA
parks I’d seen. Yes, my friend said, that’s true.
“But it’s on the Trail of Tears,” he added. “And the Trail of Tears counts as a POTA park, right?”
Right. Ahhh! Radio adventure, here I come!
The Trail of Tears, as you probably know, is the route which the Cherokee people followed as they were forcefully evicted from their native land in 1832. That was a tragic time for the Cherokee, and the whole sad story remains a dark blot on the timeline of those who drove them from their ancestral home.
To preserve this history, interpretive signs have been placed in the park where trails follow portions of the original Trail of Tears route.
“In order to progress, we have to take our history with us and learn from it,“ said Cindy Jones Mills, then Forsyth County District Four commissioner, speaking in 2022 at the ribbon cutting for expansions at Eagle’s Beak Park. If we forget that history, she added, “then we’ve forgotten where we’re going.”
Well said.
And so, with echoes of that history ringing fresh in my mind, I set out one afternoon with my hiking stick in one hand and my ham radio in the other to see what Eagle’s Beak Park might hold in store.
What I found was a delightful piece of public green space tucked in close by the Etowah River in northwestern Forsyth County. Radio-wise, it turned out to be a blast, and I talked to folks from Alabama to Argentina in a little more than one hour of radio time.
But being a good place to “ham” is just a tiny bit of what has, without a doubt, put Eagle’s Beak Park near the top of my go-to list when I’m looking for a place for some outdoor fun.
The park, which opened in 2017, is situated on land purchased by the county back in 2009. It offers about 225 acres of recreational potential with lots of open green space as well as picnic pavilions, a playground, and restrooms.
One favorite activity at Eagle’s Beak is walking or hiking. Particularly popular is the 1.25-mile paved walking trail, easily accessible from the main parking area off Old Federal Road. This trail
DEATH NOTICES
Kenneth Sandiford, age 92, of Alpharetta, GA passed away on April 21, 2026. Arrangements by Northside Chapel Funeral Directors & Crematory.
runs around the large grassy area in the corner formed by Old Federal Road and the Etowah River and includes a central cut-across shortcut leading back to the parking area. It’s a sort of stretched-out loop which parallels the river on its northern side. This loop, by the way, is considered by many to be a very good wildlife viewing area – especially for birders.
The west end of the main loop passes close by the park’s playground, restroom and picnic pavilion. It’s also accessible from a smaller parking area at the end of a short access road which turns north off Old Federal Road.
For canoe enthusiasts, one highlight of Eagle’s Beak Park is its canoe and kayak launch. Located in the same area as the playground and picnic pavilion, this launch provides a good put-in or take-out point for kayakers exploring the Etowah River Water Trail. The ramp features a pulley system to help you get your boat into and out of the water.
The Eagle’s Beak canoe/kayak launch is popular as an ending point for the 7-mile float from the Kelly Bridge Canoe and Kayak Ramp in Dawsonville.
In Memoriam
Nykoa Seales Boler
September 14, 1952 – April 20, 2026
Nykoa Seales Boler, 74, passed away April 20, 2026. Born September 14, 1952, in Philadelphia, MS, to Sarell Peeples Jamison and J.C. Seales, she lived a life defined by faith, service, and connection. She earned a B.A. in Business Administration and Finance from the University of Detroit and was a proud member and former president of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. She married James Edward Boler on December 18, 1974, and together they built a loving family.
(John). She was preceded in death by James Boler Jr.
A dedicated community leader, she served more than 25 years with the Assistance League of Atlanta, including as president, and twice led the Dunwoody High School PTA. A faithful member of Dunwoody Baptist Church for 42 years, she served in numerous ministries and most recently chaired the Leadership Committee (2021–2024).
Nykoa was a devoted mother to Stephanie Boler Williams (Telly) and Bryant Boler, and a loving bonus mother to Kimberly Boler, Alicia Boler Davis (Fitzgerald), and Raquel Boler Morris
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She is survived by her mother, Sarell; siblings Yolette, Colette, Jake, and Jens; four grandchildren; and a host of nieces, nephews, and dear friends.
Nykoa will be remembered for her warmth, leadership, and lasting impact on all who knew her.
The City of Dunwoody Planning Commission will meet Tuesday, June 9th, 2026 at 6:00 p.m. in the Council Chambers at Dunwoody City Hall, which is located at 4800 Ashford Dunwoody Road, Dunwoody, Georgia 30338 for the purpose of due process of the following:
RZ 26-02, 1369 Spalding Drive & 5646 Roberts Drive: The Providence Group of Georgia, LLC requests a rezoning from the R-100 district to the R-60 district to allow the creation of 3 lots.
Should you have any questions or comments, please contact the City of Dunwoody Community Development Department at 678-382-6800. Staff is available to answer questions, discuss the decision-making process, and receive comments and concerns.
Hudson:
Continued from Page 19
Of course, if you’re canoeing, be sure you know what you’re doing (and that you’re able to handle occasional fallen, river-blocking trees). Also be sure you have (and use) your life jacket.
Continuing west in the park, you’ll find one more parking area – a much smaller circular parking that’s the place to leave your car if you want to hike Eagle’s Beak’s 1.25-mile dirt trail. That trail, which is a favorite of mine, consists of two loops joined by an intermediate connector. The eastern portion of the dirt trail passes near the pavilion/playground/canoe launch area, and you can also access the dirt trail from there.
Once on the dirt trail, you’ll find yourself enjoying a fairly leisurely walk in the woods. Part of the eastern loop traverses the Etowah River floodplain, though most of the route traverses upland forest. Not surprisingly, it’s another good birding hike, particularly during spring and fall migration seasons.
If you decide to explore the dirt trail, be ready for about 160 feet of elevation change. You’ll do some climbing and descending, so wear good hiking shoes. Note too that during the summertime parts of this trail may be a bit overgrown. You can bring along your four-footed hiking companions, too, but remember to keep ‘em on the leash.
Though I’ve hiked there several times over the last few months, Eagle’s Beak Park continues to captivate me. I think you’ll be captivated by it too. It offers that mix of accessibility, remoteness and history that are increasingly elusive these days, all combined in a place that’s easy to get to and fun to explore.
Now…I wonder what the next newto-me park will be? I’m sure there are plenty of them out there. If you have a favorite, let me know. I’ll check it out and let you know what I find.
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