Travis Jenkins and his girlfriend, Alicia Santiago, attend the seventh annual Juneteenth Celebration in downtown Sugar Hill, hosted by the Black Women’s Association of Sugar Hill and the City of Sugar Hill. “I love the multicultural atmosphere where everybody gets along,” Jenkins said.
By STANLEY LEARY newsroom@appenmedia.com
SUGAR HILL, Ga. — Crowds filled downtown June 20 as the Black Women’s Association of Sugar Hill joined the city in hosting the seventh annual Juneteenth Celebration.
The free community event featured food trucks, local vendors, family games, music, dancing and a scholarship presentation as guests celebrated African American culture and commemorated Juneteenth, the holiday marking the end of slavery in the United States.
Throughout the afternoon and evening, participants took part in R&B Bingo, Family Feud, Musical Hoops and line dancing. The celebration also included a performance by Mariyah's Dance Kingdom.
By JON WILCOX jon@appenmedia.com
FORSYTH COUNTY, Ga. — A new Home Depot is expected to be the next addition to an expanding retail environment in north Forsyth County.
At a June 18 meeting, the Forsyth County Commission reviewed plans for the big box store near the intersection of Browns Bridge and Keith Bridge roads. Commissioners granted a rezoning for 21 acres zoned for agricultural use to commercial business district use.
Austin Edelen, representative for Home Depot, said the business is a prototype store for the home improvement retailer. "A lot of people travel through here. A lot of people will be seeing it, and so they're really proud of this project," Edelen said at an April 28 Planning Commission hearing.
See GROWTH, Page 14
FORSYTH COUNTY/PROVIDED The intersection of Browns Bridge and Keith Bridge roads is host to numerous businesses and would be near the site of a future Home Depot.
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FORSYTH COUNTY, Ga. — A 19-yearold Bethlehem, Ga., man reported he was robbed June 14 at pool house on Westfall Parkway.
The Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office said the man reported he was robbed after picking up a woman for a date.
The man said the woman accused him of stealing money from her shortly after they left the pool house, and he decided to return her there and started searching his vehicle for her missing money.
While searching, a man approached them and demanded the 19-year-old give him all of his belongings, authorities said. The teenager allegedly said the man was reaching toward his waistband as if he had a weapon.
The man allegedly threatened to shoot the teen. The teen gave over his wallet, police said.
The incident was described as a felony robbery case.
— Jon Wilcox
FORSYTH COUNTY, Ga. — Hospital staff allegedly seized a 36-year-old Cumming patient’s fentanyl during his hospital stay June 13.
The Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office said Northside Hospital Forsyth staff told deputies they had found a powdered substance wrapped in tissue paper. The tissue paper was allegedly hidden under the man’s body.
Staff said they began monitoring the man’s behavior after noticing he was acting suspiciously. The man appeared
to be trying to hide something, they said.
A preliminary test found the substance was fentanyl, the Sherriff’s Office said.
The case was forwarded to sheriff’s investigators.
The incident was classified as a felony possession of a Schedule III substance.
— Jon Wilcox
ALPHARETTA, Ga. — A 20-year-old Atlanta man, who left his driver’s license behind during a traffic stop, was charged after he eluded officers June 4.
Police said an Alpharetta officer was monitoring Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office radio chatter when he heard that a black Mercedes Benz had fled from a traffic stop. During the pursuit with deputies, the car allegedly collided with and disabled a deputy’s vehicle.
The officer began watching for the car on southbound lanes of Ga. 400 near Old Milton Parkway.
The officer began pursuing the Mercedes when it passed him. The car allegedly sped to more than 100 mph, weaving in and out of traffic. The car allegedly evaded stop sticks by driving on the shoulder, reaching speeds in excess of 120 mph.
Alpharetta officers discontinued the pursuit but charged the man using his driver’s license, which was left with Forsyth County deputies.
Alpharetta officers charged him with fleeing a police officer and reckless driving.
— Jon Wilcox
ALPHARETTA, Ga. — Six video game consoles were reported stolen from an Alpharetta department store June 1.
Alpharetta officers were dispatched to the North Point Parkway business about 2:30 p.m.
A loss prevention employee told police a
man grabbed six of the gaming devices and left without paying. Employees said the man left in a black SUV.
Loss prevention staff later determined the suspect was a 45-year-old Atlanta man. The devices were valued at a total of $1,800.
The incident was classified as a felony shoplifting.
— Jon Wilcox
ROSWELL, Ga. — Police found bags containing multiple grams of methamphetamine, marijuana and cocaine June 16 after a Roswell detective learned of an Atlanta suspect’s location.
The detective was tipped off to a Black BMW that had frequented an area on Old Dogwood Road and was possible being driven by a suspected criminal. The driver of the BMW had an active warrant for his arrest after failing to appear in Fulton County Court on a violation of the Georgia Controlled Substance Act.
While surveilling the driver in a parking lot, the detective saw him enter a building for almost 30 minutes before leaving. Upon attempting to exit, officers blocked the vehicle and commanded the driver to step out of the car.
During a search of the driver, police found $531 in bills of various denominations that were consistent with street level drug sales.
A K-9 unit arrived and detected drugs in the vehicle after performing an open-air sniff test. As a result, officers searched the vehicle and found various drugs in separate bags.
Within a bag, officers found 38 grams of methamphetamine, 33 grams of marijuana, a THC vape pen, digital scale and empty bags. In the center console, there were 21 bags of suspected cocaine totaling 22 grams.
The driver was charged with trafficking methamphetamine and two counts of possession with intent to distribute for the cocaine and marijuana.
— Hannah Yahne
NORTH METRO ATLANTA — The United States marks its 250th birthday this year, and many North Metro Atlanta communities are helping it celebrate.
This July 4 is the nation’s semiquincentennial, the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
Although Independence Day is on a Saturday, some celebrations will take place on other days.
Here is a list of events celebrating the holiday across DeKalb, Fulton, and Forsyth counties.
Forsyth County
The Cumming Fairgrounds, 235 Castleberry Road, hosts a fun-filled evening from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. July 4, with a firework show at 9:30 p.m. The celebration includes live music, alcohol, food, kids zone, vendors and more.
In Cumming, the annual ThomasMashburn Steam Engine Parade travels south on Tribble Gap Road, starting at Forsyth Central High School and ending at the Cumming Fairgrounds. The parade starts at 10 a.m. July 4.
Fulton County
Alpharetta is hosting a July 3 concert and drone show 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. at Town Green at Alpharetta City Center, 2 Park
Plaza, with the drone shower beginning at 9:30 p.m. On July 4, the city holds a fireworks show with the fireworks commencing at 9:15 p.m. with the latest start of the show at 10:40 p.m. Families are encouraged to bring a blanket, picnic and games for a memorable evening together.
In Johns Creek, a fireworks display will be held at The Boardwalk at Town Center, 11362 Lakefield Drive from 6 to 9 p.m. July 3 Fireworks will be displayed after 9 p.m. The free event also features music, activities and food.
Milton’s Red, White, and YOU! will be held at Broadway Pavilion, 12615 Broadwell Road, 9 a.m. to noon July 3. A parade begins at 9:45 a.m. with a foam party to start at 10:15 a.m.
Roswell’s July 4 celebration is from 7 to 11 p.m. at 10495 Woodstock Road. Enjoy live music, entertainment and food trucks. Bring chairs and blankets to spread out at one of several fireworks viewing areas throughout the park. Fireworks will start at sunset.
Sandy Springs’ Stars & Stripes Fireworks Celebration is July 4 at City Springs District, 1 Galambos Way. The event opens at 4 p.m. with food trucks opening at 6 p.m., a concert by Don McLean from 8 to 9:30 p.m. and fireworks at 9:30 p.m.
DeKalb County Avondale Estates holds its fireworks display from 7 to 10 p.m. July 4. The show can be viewed at Napoleon B. Cobb Stadium, 1192 Clarendon Ave. The event kicks off with the Fourth of July Parade. Parking will be limited. Please consider walking, biking and alternate modes of transportation.
The Clarkston July 4 parade begins sharply at 10 a.m. from the Renaissance High School parking lot, with a left turn on to Church Street, then right turn on to Main Street, heading north, then a left turn on Miller Road, finally ending at Calvary Lutheran Church parking lot. The First Announcer's Stage will be on Main Street in front of The Fed Restaurant near Rudy's Prime Steakhouse. For more information, visit clarkstonparade.org.
The Chamblee Rocks Summer Concert features Robin Thicke at 6:30 p.m. in Downtown Chamblee. Fireworks will begin about 9 p.m. Parking will be limited and available at Winter Construction, 5616 Peachtree Road, or Chamblee Middle School, 3601 Sexton Woods Drive.
Decatur’s Pied Piper Parade is at 6 p.m. July 4 in the downtown with a concert at 7 p.m. Fireworks start at 9 p.m. or at dark. Parade line-up begins at 5:30 p.m. at the First Baptist Church of Decatur, 308
Clairemont Ave. Pedestrians should gather on the lawn, and vehicles will line up in the parking lot.
In Dunwoody, a July 4 parade begins at 9 a.m. at Dunwoody Village Shopping Center, 5555 Chamblee Dunwoody Road. The 2.7-mile route travels west on Mt. Vernon Road and along Dunwoody Village Parkway. Spectators are encouraged to bring chairs, picnics and flags. After the parade, a festival at the shopping center features performances by the Dunwoody High School Band and Dunwoody Idol winner Lauren Schroder along with the presentation of parade awards.
Stone Mountain Park holds its July 4 fireworks display 9:30 p.m. July 1 to 6. Visitors are advised to enter the park before 5 p.m. The park will close gates to traffic once parking capacity is reached, regardless of pre-purchased tickets. Attractions are all day from 10:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. For more information, visit stonemountainpark.com.
Tucker’s July 3 Celebration of Independence and Fireworks Spectacular kicks off at 6 p.m. and continues until the barricades come down at 11 p.m. Enjoy live music, DJ Fernando, a kids zone and carnival games. Food trucks open at 5:30 p.m. Fireworks start at 9:15 p.m.
By DYANA BAGBY dyana@appenmedia.com
JOHNS CREEK, Ga. — The Johns Creek Symphony Orchestra is celebrating its 20th anniversary with a season called “Becoming,” a yearlong program that orchestra leaders say reflects both the organization’s history and where they want to take it next.
Music Director Henry Cheng was selected to lead the orchestra in May 2025. Executive Director Philip Kim joined the orchestra in November 2025. Both described the season as a turning point for an organization stepping into new leadership at the same time it marks two decades of performances in North Metro Atlanta.
“We are building an orchestra that is not only excellent on stage, but continually evolving in how it serves, connects and expands what orchestral music can be in our community,” Kim said.
Cheng said the “Becoming” theme captures what he hopes the season will do for the orchestra and the people who come to hear it play.
“It reflects our belief that orchestras must continue to evolve alongside the communities they serve,” he said.
The orchestra, made up entirely of professional musicians, was founded by Wayne Baughman in 2006. Baughman
died in 2023, and a memorial concert was held for him the following year. Cheng attended that concert and said it influenced him to want to lead the Johns Creek Symphony Orchestra.
“What was amazing about that experience was how the community showed up,” Cheng said.
“As a conductor, I’ve had the honor of flying around the world and experiencing a lot of different cultures, organizations, orchestras — and what was quite palpable in that room was the sense that everybody was there for the right reasons, that this was an organization that was truly and sincerely cared about,” he said.
Since 2006, the orchestra has evolved into one of the leading cultural institutions in the area, performing for audiences across the region while building education and outreach programs in local schools, Kim and Cheng said.
There have been challenges. Last year, Johns Creek voters rejected a $40 million bond referendum to build a performing arts center. But Kim said the vote created an opportunity for the orchestra to expand beyond Johns Creek’s borders.
See ORCHESTRA, Page 14
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By KATHY DES JARDINS CIOFFI newsroom@appenmedia.com
FORSYTH COUNTY, Ga. — Readers in and around Forsyth County clearly adore Mary Kay Andrews. |
In just one day, tickets sold out to hear the New York Times bestselling author of over 30 titles detail her new release, “Road Trip.”
To meet demand, a second presentation is being offered. Same place. Same day. Same conversation partner.
After their sold-out afternoon appearance Sunday, June 28, Andrews and author Colleen Oakley will return at 5 p.m. to discuss “Road Trip” at Sharon Forks Library, 2820 Old Atlanta Road, Cumming.
“I can't wait to reunite with readers in Forsyth County,” said Andrews, often called the queen of beach reads. “Let summer begin!”
Her other noted works include “Summers at the Saint,” “The Weekenders” and “The High Tide Club,”
With 25 of Andrews' titles in a variety of formats available to check out, Sarah Brubaker, Forsyth County Library’s programming manager, called the Atlanta-based writer one of the system’s most in-demand adult fiction authors this year and a great choice to headline the Forsyth Reads Together event.
Since 2012, thanks to grants from the Forsyth County Arts Alliance and support of the library's Friends & Advocates, the Forsyth Reads Together program has hosted such acclaimed authors as Kathryn Stockett, Shelby Van Pelt and Liz Moore, Brubaker said.
“Readers come not just from the county, but from around the state to celebrate these authors, listen to them speak, and get their books signed,” Brubaker said. “Last year marked the first time that FCPL was able to host a second bestselling author in a single year due to a new partnership with Bookmiser and Arts On The Creek.
William Kent Krueger visited the Sharon Forks Library in October 2025 to celebrate the release of ‘Apostle's Cove’ to the delight of 300 attendees.”
This year, the same partnership is bringing Andrews to the Sharon Forks Library. Event registration is free, but for $32 attendees receive an autographed and personalized copy of “Road Trip” and, for the first 50 purchasers, priority seating and a photo with the author. Go to forsythpl.org/ event/16702146 for details.
FCPL provides numerous oppor -
BILL MILES/PROVIDED Mary Kay Andrews will discuss her new book, “Road Trip,” June 28 during two presentations at Sharon Forks Library in Cumming.
tunities to meet and interact with acclaimed authors year-round through the Forsyth Reads Together and Forsyth Writes Together programs.
Since 1998, Bookmiser has hosted author appearances across the greater Atlanta metro area as well at its bookstore at 3822 Roswell Road, Marietta. Bookmiser’s co-hosted events have featured, among many others, Fredrik Backman, Lisa See, Brad Thor, Ann Patchett, Delia Owens and Charles Frazier. For more Bookmiser details, go to bookmiser.net.
Arts On The Creek founded the Johns Creek Literary Fair in 2022, with headliners including Rick Bragg, Kristin Harmel and this year’s keynote speaker, Ariel Lawhon, author of “The Frozen River,” who will appear Nov. 14. For more information about AOTC, go to artsonthecreek.org.
Continued from Page 1
The Black Women’s Association of Sugar Hill, also known as BWASH, presented a scholarship before concluding the evening with a raffle drawing, Soul Train line and Swag Surf.
Juneteenth commemorates June 19, 1865, when enslaved African Americans in Galveston, Texas, learned they had been freed more than two years after President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation. The observance became a federal holiday in 2021.
"This is the seventh year," said Schenell Johnson, chair of Juneteenth for BWASH. "The first year, we got together and just wanted something in Sugar Hill and didn't want to drive down to downtown Atlanta for the Juneteenth celebration, so we created our own."
Johnson said the inaugural event had no vendors and has since expanded.
"It has grown every year since," she said.
The organization's goal, Johnson said, is to educate residents while building community.
"We want to teach the history of America, and that includes Black history," she said. "We also want to celebrate unity and community."
Johnson also expressed concern about recent actions affecting the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
Attendee Cedric Bailey shared the sentiment.
"The recent administration actions on the Voting Rights Act of 1965 concern me," Bailey said.
"Education is everything," he added. "The more you know, the better informed you are."
His daughter, Chantel Bailey, said she worries recent developments could reverse progress made by previous generations.
"The accumulation of things lately is taking us back rather than forward for our community," she said.
For attendee Rytchne Clarke, the event highlighted the value of cultural exchange.
"I love how we embrace other cultures' foods," Clarke said.
As residents gathered throughout the evening, organizers said the annual celebration continues to serve as a place for education, remembrance and community connection while honoring Juneteenth’s legacy of freedom.
Appen
8 | Forsyth Herald | June 25, 2026
By HANNAH YAHNE hannah@appenmedia.com
FULTON COUNTY, Ga. — When Skyler Ventura saw the chaos of a group chat of college women trying to rent out date night dresses, he thought: Why is there not an app for that?
The Milton resident, a Milton High School graduate, spent the last part of his senior year at the University of Georgia coding Rotation, an app that allows women to rent clothing from one another for weddings, nights out or beach vacations.
“People aren’t renting stuff because they’re interested,” Ventura said, “they’re renting stuff based on need.”
Ventura’s momentum has been building since he won an entrepreneurship competition at UGA his senior year. With the $2,500 prize, he started to grow the app and gained around 800 users at the university before being approached by Brandon Spencer, the founder of E-Closet, a competing app.
when Spencer approached Ventura about a merger. Since the apps combined in March, more than 3,000 orders have been placed nationwide on college campuses the team has never set foot on.
“We have girls signing up at like, certain universities that I’ve never even been to,” Ventura said.
Accounts have grown organically at Coastal Carolina, Louisiana State University and Florida Atlantic University. This fall, E-Closet is planning a tour of colleges in the Southeastern Conference and wants to launch an ambassador program for students.
As E-Closet users relocate to different cities, they’re hoping to expand their market to include high school students and young professionals.
now, we’re moving quicker every day,” Ventura said.
Sellers keep 85 percent of the listing price with rentals averaging $90 to $100 each.
“The closets that do well are like really expensive things that people can’t get,” Ventura said.
That selectivity is a key differentiator, the co-founders said, and investors have taken notice. The team has secured more than $100,000 in funding with more on the horizon.
The March merger E-Closet had been operating in the college market for more than a year
“We already can prove it works in college,” Ventura said.
E-Closet’s four co-founders now want to continue hitting the flywheel and allow their financial statements to tell the story.
Since merging, E-Closet has surpassed 10,000 users and generated more than $60,000 in revenue. Despite the early success, Ventura – the company's chief financial officer and one of four cofounders all under 27 – is eager for more. He is targeting $100,000 in sales by August.
“We’ve done over $60,000 dollars
The investments come as E-Closet expands its in-app experience. A new discover page lets users browse outfits by occasion or filter for items available for purchase. A “closet talk” feature lets users post what they’re searching for, and others can comment inspiration or options from their own closets.
“There’s so much changing, and we don’t want that to change in an overwhelming way,” Ventura said.
Soon, boutiques will be able to list items for users to rent or buy as the app looks to expand beyond college campuses to cities across the Southeast and further.
“There’s no world in my mind where it doesn’t work out,” Ventura said. “I just kind of feel like everything that’s happened keeps happening for a reason.”
Recently, patients have brought to my attention that people are posting startlingly graphic videos on social media of their experiences using creams like Efudex® to treat precancerous sun damage. Efudex® is a prescription-only cream that can help treat certain skin cancers and precancerous lesions. These “influencers” often discuss how many times they have gone through Efudex® treatments and continue to apply medicine long after their skin has become severely irritated. I fear that these individuals are causing themselves suffering and likely damage for dramatic effect, “clicks,” or “likes.” Because social media platforms can financially reward high view counts, there is an incentive for self-treatment to be intentionally extreme.
I do not know whether these individuals are misguided themselves, but what is certain is that they are misleading their viewers. Many of these creators highlight their severe skin reactions, holding themselves up as models for how treatment should be carried out. They report performing multiple rounds of treatment back to back, continuing treatments for weeks after skin is severely inflamed and are likely crafting their own regimens, presumably against medical advice. Contrary to what the influencers imply, “no pain, no gain” doesn’t mean the higher the pain, the higher the gain.
To understand the proper way to use Efudex® (also known as 5-fluorouracil), it helps to understand its mechanism of action. Cells use building blocks called nucleotides to replicate DNA and RNA. Think of these blocks like individual cars in a model train set. Efudex® acts as a counterfeit part that gums up the assembly of the train and then often causes the completed train to break into pieces. Unable to function, the damaged cell is essentially sent to a cellular scrap yard.
Dosing is key. Precancerous cells divide and manufacture proteins much faster than healthy, resting skin cells. But even healthy “resting” skin cells exhibit some degree of growth and division. The strategy with
Efudex® is to exploit cancerous cells’ hyperactive metabolism—targeting the abnormal cells while sparing the healthy ones.
Achieving this balance requires aiming for a "Goldilocks zone." In general, the goal is to apply just enough cream to cause severely sun-damaged areas to become inflamed, pink, and mildly scabby, but not enough to turn the entire application area into a raw field of broken skin.
If the skin seems barely pink or completely unaffected, then the patient is likely under-dosing the medicine, and precancers are not being eliminated. If the entire skin surface is painful and severely inflamed, then both the precancers and the healthy skin are likely being damaged. Very rarely, a patient’s burden of disease may be so severe that a “harsh” result is advised by their dermatologist, but this is generally the exception to the rule.
Severe Efudex® reactions can lead skin to breakdown to such an extent that skin infections and scarring can occur. Many times, the whole point of using a cream like Efudex® is to try to eliminate precancerous lesions and avoid surgery. If the cream itself is overdosed and leads to scarring, then the entire enterprise of using a cream can prove counterproductive, and influencers’ digital martyrdom ultimately hurts our common cause.
Undergoing this treatment under the guidance of a caring and competent dermatologist is vital. A spot of concern might actually be a skin cancer requiring a biopsy rather than a cream. Other spots might be purely cosmetic, requiring entirely different therapies tailored to aesthetic sun damage. Before starting Efudex®, risks, benefits, and alternatives all need to be discussed.
If you have concerns about sun damage, a non-healing spot, or any other skin condition, a consultation with a qualified dermatology provider can help determine the most appropriate treatment options. If you are in the Atlanta area, we would be honored to help.
At Premier Dermatology and Mohs Surgery of Atlanta, Dr. Brent Taylor, Kathryn Filipek, PA-C, and our staff are privileged to care for patients and families throughout our community.
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 23 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.
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Dear Reader,
Check your title insurance policy if you are planning to place your home in a trust.
When I checked mine it said that it remained valid only while a natural person owns it. Yikes, I thought. My trust is not a natural person. I hurriedly scanned the policy for the definitions to see if a trust was included. It was. A natural person is defined as a natural person and includes a natural person who places the home into a trust for the benefit of that natural
If you want more certainty that reading the policy to be sure your trust does not invalidate your title policy, call and ask for the trust to be added as an additional insured or ask for an endorsement confirming that your trust is also covered by the company. If your title policy does not cover your trust, you can purchase a new policy for your trust. Either way, you can avoid the unwanted surprise of not being covered and not realizing it until it's too late. As always, we are here to help if you get stuck or have other questions. Call us at 770-205-7861
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Many believe that Medicare insurance will pay for assisted living and nursing home care, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. Medicare will provide coverage up to the first 100 days of Skilled Nursing Care, also referred to as Rehabilitation Care. Staying in a “Rehab” facility usually takes place after a surgery to help get you back on your feet. Rehab is not a long-term care situation.
With average costs for full time care in a nursing home now reaching $10,000 per month for a private room (source: seniorliving.org), it is wise to plan ahead. You hope it won’t happen to you, but that is a risky bet. If you are of lower income, you may qualify for Georgia Medicaid; however, that typically requires a “spend down” of your assets. You could also self-pay, but if your long-term care needs last longer than average this could mean a sizable amount of your nest egg being spent to provide for your long-term care.
A better way to preserve what you have worked so hard for is by obtaining Long-Term Care Insurance. LTC Insurance comes at a cost, like most insurances do, but costs are lower if you purchase between the ages of 50 and 60 versus waiting until you are in your seventies. Long-Term Care Insurance companies will examine your health in order to qualify you for their insurance, so it’s better to get it while you are younger and healthier if possible. If you are 70 or older and in good health, it may still be possible to get approved for an affordable LTC plan.
The Long-Term Care Insurance business has changed in recent years, with new policy designs and new companies entering into the business. At SeniorSource Medicare Solutions, we keep up to date with the latest news and changes in the Medicare and Long-Term Care Insurance industries. If you have thought about getting LTC Insurance for yourself or a loved one, please give us a call today! Call us at (770) 315-8145 or visit our website at www.SeniorSourceMedicare.com.
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PAT FOX Managing Editor pat@appenmedia.com
His name is Jim, and he’s about 90 now.
When I first met him, he was the managing editor at a newspaper in central Kansas, a mid-sized daily in a city of 42,000. Everybody liked Jim. He was about 50 – twice my age – witty, smart, and he’d been running the newsroom for about a decade. He never spoke without having something to say, leaving everyone to do their job. But he read every story after it had been edited and proofread, just to make sure – a quiet backstop.
He was trim and came to work most days in a blue Oxford, navy tie and dark slacks. An avid golfer, Jim’s face was tanned, his hair goldenbrown with silver at the temples – a requirement for all managing editors.
He sat at his desk in the newsroom among some 25 reporters, copy editors and edition editors.
Alongside Jim’s desk was a yellowcushioned chair almost always occupied by a reporter seeking advice or complaining about something. Jim listened.
I was an edition editor and never sat in that chair, figuring Jim had enough to do.
He smoked about a pack a day at that desk. Sometimes, he’d get up and walk over to someone with a question or a compliment. He once praised one of my headlines.
Jim wasn’t a pal, though. He seldom engaged in banter. Sometimes, he'd chat with some of the veterans – the press foreman, senior reporters –people he’d known a long time.
Back in those days, it was common to go out for a drink after work, usually after midnight after putting
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the morning edition to bed. I was pretty good at it.
Jim must’ve heard, because one evening, he asked me if I wanted to go get a drink during my dinner break at 8 p.m. I declined but said I’d meet him after work.
That’s when I saw the other side of Jim. The guy could knock ‘em back, and he had an underground network of dive bars and basement lounges not listed in the Yellow Pages – the Red Lion, Lena’s, the Knotty Pine.
He was one of the best drinking companions you could ever want, funnier the more he drank. At an allnight diner once, he took a spoon to a small bowl of salsa – the green kind –and began eating it like soup.
He talked about quitting smoking and once went a week without lighting up.
That ended one night, when over drinks, he said he’d watched a Bogart film the night before. He swore to me the plot revolved around how many cigarettes you could smoke in two hours.
Two years into my stint at the paper, Jim was fired.
It had come to light that some staffers had been sneaking beer into the building on Saturdays.
The executive editor, who likely knew Jim drank, held the managing editor responsible. He announced that Jim had been fired, that he’d never work for the paper again and that he likely would not work for any paper in the chain.
We were flattened, and it took more than a week for the newsroom to recover. It helped when the editor promoted a senior staff reporter to fill the vacancy, a veteran everyone respected.
Things settled down to a new normal.
Then, a month later, I arrived at work, and there was Jim, sitting in the editor’s office. You could see through the windows. Jim was hunched forward in his chair, wearing a blue
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Oxford with a tie, smoking a cigarette, listening to the editor.
The guy had been sent to hell, and here he was … Lazarus in the newsroom, talking to the big guy.
An hour passed, all of us sneaking glimpses to follow the interchange.
The lecture
Then, Jim came out. I thought he’d stop by the new managing editor’s desk or chat with some of the others he’d known for years.
Instead, he made a beeline for my desk, pulling up a chair.
“Pat, I’m worried about you,” he said.
“Oh yeah?” I responded, maintaining focus on my work.
“Yeah, I’m worried because I think back to when I was your age, and I believe you’re on the same path like me. I just spent a month in recovery, and I don’t want to see it happen to you.”
I stopped typing, turned, and looked at him.
“Jim, I’ll sit here and listen to this bull for as long as you like because I know it’s part of your recovery process. But, when you were my age, you were over at the El Capitan Club talking to walls.”
He laughed, lit a cigarette and copped to practicing his spiel on me. He just wanted to sit a while to get his bearings.
The formal announcement came that afternoon. The editor had agreed to take Jim back – as a reporter.
A man who had ruled the newsroom for a decade, with credentials most journalists would kill for, was now on the bottom rung of our reporting staff. It broke our hearts. Better the earlier career death sentence than to see this man humiliated.
Jim showed up the next day, shirt-tie-slacks, stationed at his old desk. No one sat in the yellow chair. Jim was on the phone or out on an assignment.
He tore it up, outpacing, outwriting and outproducing every reporter. His stuff was polished, newsy.
In September 1985, I was running the morning desk for the afternoon paper as UPI provided overnight updates on an earthquake that had struck Mexico City the day before. New information put the death toll in the thousands.
It was 6 a.m. Jim and I were the only two in the newsroom.
Our city had a small Hispanic population, but I asked Jim if he could spin a local angle. He hopped on
the phone.
Within two hours, just before the deadline, Jim turned in an 800-word article filled with quotes and accounts of the devastation from local people who had spoken to family in the disaster zone.
To this day, I’ve never seen anything like it.
Jim continued the pace for a full year. He was always out the door by 5 p.m. to attend church – part of his sobriety program.
Another thing: Jim was even funnier sober than drunk. He’d wisecrack about my odds of making a deadline or the likelihood of my misspelling a word in a headline.
After one year of torrid reporting, the newspaper chain announced that Jim would be leaving. He’d been named executive editor of another paper in northeastern Kansas. It was a smaller paper, but Jim was back on top.
The newsroom exploded in applause, but we were losing a role model.
Some 30 years later, I too lost my job at a major newspaper in the middle of the Great Recession. I wasn’t drinking … well, beet juice for high brain function. Layoffs and firings were increasing, and I was one of the final casualties.
It was devastating. The world I’d known for 25 years had ended.
Colleagues called offering condolences. Some were angry, saying I’d been singled out because I was 56. One went to the effort of printing a spreadsheet showing my story production over the past year, ranking in the top 10 percent at the paper.
Life isn’t fair.
Before the recession, I was a golden boy, having left the copy desk to return to reporting. Almost immediately, the paper named me reporter of the month, reporter of the quarter, posted my articles on newsroom bulletin boards – blah, blah and more blah.
Unemployment makes you bitter. I envied the drivers who passed my house each evening, coming home from a steady job. I chased down freelance work, even advised on a political campaign.
Each day – every single day – I thought of Jim.
Pity is poison, he screamed in my head, and it got me through the lows. Eventually, I landed this job. It’s been good to me.
As I step away to retirement, there will be other challenges.
I’ll think of Jim.
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!
1. Ford’s flop. Essen’s river. Jingle.
2. Dutch cheese. Toss. River of Tuscany.
3. Glasgow’s river. Gung-ho. Fencing sword.
4. River to Donegal Bay. Citrus fruit. Like Scrooge
5. It’s a no-no. Kick out. Yorkshire River.
6. Baseball stat. France’s longest river. Like hen’s teeth.
7. Like a busybody. Forest growth. River in England and Wales.
1 Ford’s flop. Essen’s river. Jingle
2. Dutch cheese. Toss. River of Tuscany
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. Glasgow’s river. Gung-ho. Fencing sword
4. River to Donegal Bay. Citrus fruit. Like Scrooge
5. It’s a no-no. Kick out. Yorkshire river
6. Baseball stat. France’s longest river. Like hen’s teeth
7. Like a busybody. Forest growth. River in England and Wales
How to Solve: To solve the Sudoku puzzle, each row, column and box must contain the numbers 1 to 9.
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.
Continued from Page 1
Located a little more than a mile east of Coal Mountain, the Home Depot will serve the county’s much more rural northern community. Other than a Walmart at Ga. 400 and Ga. 369, the area is home to few large retailers.
As a result, residents are sometimes required to make long drives for shopping, said Commissioner Mendy Moore, a 12-year resident of north Forsyth County. She said many travel south to Cumming or north to Dawson County for more for certain purchases.
“We're either going down to Cumming at Exit 14, or we're going up to Dawson County,” Moore said. “I'd rather be able to provide some options in north Forsyth.”
But Moore said she thinks that could change. Development could increase in the area and other stores may follow Home Depot.
“I think Home Depot is really going to usher in some more enthusiastic retail,” the commissioner said. “We don't have a lot of options in that area, so I think this will be one of the first.”
The area has seen some opposition to projects as residents say they value the area’s charming rural character and slower way of life.
Members of Forsyth County Voice, a community nonprofit, continue to advocate against the creation of an event facility on Keith Bridge Road.
Continued from Page 4
“We will be branching out geographically and moving into different regional spaces … to bring the community of Johns Creek to other areas, to other cities, to other regional geographic locations, and for us to reach audiences outside of Johns Creek as well,” Kim said.
A Home Depot is planned near the intersection of Browns Bridge and Keith Bridge roads.
But Moore said the County Commission is working to promote smart growth through its Comprehensive Plan. Unlike the event facility, the Home Depot would be located at an intersection that already is home to numerous businesses.
Forsyth County Voice co-founder Ana Strauss said she has concerns about traffic in the area. Already, traffic along Keith Bridge Road can be heavy, and she wonders whether the two-lane roadway will support the increased usage when the
program features violinist Simon Zhu, who won the 57th International Violin Competition “Premio Paganini,” along with the Michael O’Neal Singers performing Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto, Stravinsky’s “Firebird Suite” and Christopher Tin’s “Sogno di Volare.”
Collaboration concert
The expansion is not a direct result of Johns Creek’s rejection of the performing arts center, Cheng added. Most importantly, he said, it shows how a regional professional orchestra in the 21st century defines its mission “to hopefully connect more communities within themselves, and then also together across boundaries.”
The season opens Oct. 3 with “Outdoor Pops: Soundtrack of Us,” a free outdoor concert at Newtown Park in Johns Creek. The program will feature iconic popular music and beloved favorites in an accessible setting for audiences of all ages.
On Oct. 9, the orchestra performs “Tchaikovsky + Stravinsky” at the Sandy Springs Performing Arts Center’s Byers Theatre, a booking Kim and Cheng pointed to as part of the orchestra’s push to grow its presence outside Johns Creek. The
In November, the orchestra turns to a different kind of programming. “Soundcraft Symphonic Experience,” set for Nov. 14, pairs the orchestra with Georgia Tech and the Fulton County Public Art Futures Lab on a project built around composer Terry Riley’s “In C.” Students will work with digital creator JazziiRed to design interactive musical environments inside the video game Minecraft, with the project culminating in a live performance combining the orchestra with the students’ digital work.
Cheng said the project is meant to push students and audiences to rethink what an orchestra musician’s training looks like today.
“Holiday Pops: From Our Family to Yours” is set for Dec. 5 at Innovation Academy in Alpharetta. The program will feature the Christmas Voices of Johns Creek choir alongside new arrangements written by the orches-
Home Depot arrives.
The county’s Comprehensive Plan calls for improving the roadway, but Strauss said she wonders whether that will happen. She said she thinks the Home Depot, which is located along a corridor and nestled among other businesses, is in a more suitable location than the event space.
“It needs to be planned smartly,” Strauss said. “We are not against growth. We are against growth that is not planned out.”
tra’s composer-in-residence, Michael Duff. The season closes April 10, 2027, with “Beethoven’s Fifth & Mahlon Berv World Premiere,” presented as part of JCSO’s Music as Healing initiative. The program pairs Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony with a new work by Young Composer-in-Residence Mahlon Berv, created in collaboration with Full Radius Dance, a professional dance company in Georgia that brings together dancers with and without disabilities. The concert is part of the orchestra’s “Music as Healing” initiative and centers on accessibility and the human experience, organizers said.
Kim and Cheng said the orchestra continues to grow its education work, now reaching thousands of students annually through its Meet the Orchestra program, school residencies and partnerships across Fulton County.
Kim said the timing of the season carries extra weight, coinciding with the 20th year since Johns Creek’s incorporation as a city.
“Season 20 reflects our commitment to pushing artistic and institutional boundaries,” Kim said.
More information on the season, including ticket information, is available at johnscreeksymphony.org. screeksymphony.org.
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To place a classified ad, email classifieds@appenmedia.com. Deadline is Thursdays by 3pm
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Software Developers –Multiple openingsAlpharetta, GA
BPM Technologies LLC needs professionals:
Work Using LWC, Aura Components, Apex, REST APIs, CPQ, SFRA, B2C Commerce Cloud, Copado, Visual Studio code & JavaScript. Req: Bachelor’s+5 yr exp. Wages: $152131/yr. Relocate to unanticipated site. No Int’l/Nat’l travel. Send mail to: President, 6495 Shiloh Rd, Ste 200, Alpharetta, GA, 30005
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APC seeks a vibrant, relational leader to serve as Youth Director for middle and high school students. 20–25 hrs/week | Up to $25/hr. Ideal candidates have a passion for youth mentorship and a background in education, coaching, or youth leadership. Retired teachers and ministryminded professionals encouraged to apply. Strong volunteer team and pastoral support in place.
To apply: Submit a brief introduction and resume to jobs@alpharettapres.com.
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