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Scratch ends 12-year run in Milton By CHAMIAN CRUZ chamian@appenmedia.com MILTON, Ga. — All mother-daughter team Kelley and Samantha Hughes wanted when they opened Scratch Fresh in Milton more than a decade ago was for their customers to feel comfortable and at home. So, on May 1, when they saw their little breakfast and lunch restaurant fill up one last time with loyal customers, Samantha said she was reminded they had accomplished their goal and more. “We just wanted everybody to feel that they could come in and not have to worry about whatever was outside of those doors,” Samantha said. “And that’s kind of what we stuck with. We started making lots and lots of friends. As our customer base grew, they became more than just customers. They became our very close friends, and we’re still very close to them to this day.” Samantha said they made the tough decision to close Scratch after struggling for several months to keep up with rising food costs and staffing shortages caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Another factor, Samantha said, was her father, Toby’s, declining health. “It was time for us to, unfortunately, close it, so we could be with him,” Samantha said in a phone interview on May 4. Kelley and Samantha bought Scratch in January 2011. Samantha said her parents moved to the area in the late 1980s and both she and her sister grew up in a house just off Mayfield Road in
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Fulton Schools budget proposes pay increase as worker pool declines District’s 2023 budget reaches $1.12 billion By CANDY WAYLOCK candy@appenmedia.com
CHAMIAN CRUZ/APPEN MEDIA
The owners of Scratch Fresh in Milton, Kelley and Samantha Hughes, are closing the restaurant, effective May 1. It had been in business since 2011. Alpharetta. Her dad, a master plumber, already had a large customer base from years of working in the community when they decided to go into the restaurant business.
“Alpharetta started getting bigger and bigger, and we gained a bigger following and more friends,” Samantha said. “So,
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See SCRATCH, Page 10
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ATLANTA, Ga. —Teachers in the Fulton County School System will be among the highest paid in the region next year under the proposed $1.1 billion budget for the 2023 fiscal year starting July 1. The budget also includes a slight decrease in the millage rate for property owners. Included in the FY23 budget is a 3 percent salary increase for all district staff, a mid-year step increase for eligible employees, bonuses and other financial incentives. The pay increases will add nearly $53 million to this year’s salary schedules. “We are in a competitive market, and we’re constantly trying to make sure that our frontline positions are staffed with qualified personnel…and that comes at a price,” said Marvin Dereef, chief financial officer for Fulton Schools. Despite the salary hikes, the FY23
See BUDGET, Page 14