J u n e 3 0 , 2 0 2 2 | A p p e n M e d i a . c o m | A n A p p e n M e d i a G r o u p P u b l i c a t i o n | 5 0 ¢ | Vo l u m e 1 7 , N o . 2 6
New study charts learning declines among students due to pandemic By CANDY WAYLOCK candy@appenmedia.com
CHAMIAN CRUZ/APPEN MEDIA
The City of Milton plans to turn three adjacent properties on Bethany Bend bordering Alpharetta’s North Park into an active park with facilities and recreational programming.
City buys more parkland By CHAMIAN CRUZ chamian@appenmedia.com MILTON, Ga. — The Milton City Council unanimously agreed June 20 to purchase three adjacent properties on Bethany Bend bordering Alpharetta’s North Park for $1.95 million.
The properties are at 2545 Bethany Bend and add up to 7.08 acres in one of the more population-dense parts of Milton. The plan is to turn them into an active park with facilities and recreational programming that align with the 2027 Parks and Recreation Master Plan. Parks and Recreation Director Tom
McKIveen said there will now be a 90day due diligence period to allow the city to conduct surveys and inspections, followed by the closing date 30 days later. In the meantime, the owners of the properties – Cagle & Cagle Real Estate
See PARK, Page 11
OPINION
Milton sees draft of land use code
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Area baseball legend grew to love farming
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Avalon developer plans new project
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ATLANTA — Younger students may have been less vulnerable to the COVID-19 virus, but they were hit hard academically, according to a recent Georgia State University report. The study, conducted by the Metro Atlanta Policy Lab for Education, reviewed data from three area school districts, including Fulton County Schools, to measure student achievement in math and reading over the course of the two-year-long pandemic. MAPLE has been collecting this data from the three districts since the start of the pandemic in March 2020. It released its first findings in spring 2021 which looked at data in the first year of the pandemic. The recent update states, “Student Achievement Growth During the COVID-19 Pandemic,” found many students have begun to recover academically in the second year
See REPORT, Page 17