Milton Herald - December 15, 2022

Fulton County Schools welcomes new board members

By DELANEY TARR delaney@appenmedia.com

SANDY SPRINGS, Ga. — The Fulton County School Board swore in three new members during a work session Dec. 6. The newcomers will take office in January 2023.

Michelle Morancie, Kristin McCabe and Lillie Pozatek won their district seats in May 2022, after the current board members decided to retire. The seats are non-partisan.

The Fulton County School Board also appointed Katie Gregory to fill the District 3 seat, covering parts of Sandy Springs, College Park, East Point and Hapeville. She was appointed to fill the term of Gail Dean.

Gregory will be sworn in at the

AMBER PERRY/APPEN MEDIA

DELANEY TARR/APPEN MEDIA Michelle Morancie is sworn in as District 7 Fulton County School Board member at a work session Dec. 6.

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PUBLIC SAFETY

Scam takes Alpharetta firm for $2 million

By ALEXANDER POPP alex@appenmedia.com

ALPHARETTA, Ga. — Thieves using spoofed email accounts of Fulton County School System employees were able to defraud a local company out of more than $2 million over a three-month period, Alpharetta police officials say.

Details of the investigation are limited, but police reports said that unidentified thieves pretending to be Fulton County Schools Chief Financial Officer Marvin Dereef and a school system purchasing agent stole nearly 1,000 laptop computers worth $2,060,474 from Edge Solutions, an Alpharetta-based technology company.

Reports said Edge Solutions received an email order from the suspects Sept. 14 for $372,867 worth of Lenovo X1 Thinkpad computers.

Employees at Edge Solutions believed the email was a legitimate order

because it came from the email address, @fultoncschools.org, which is a spoof of the legitimate Fulton County Schools address, @fultonschools.org.

The order was processed and shipped, and on Oct. 3, an unidentified suspect picked up the computers from Edge Solution’s warehouse in Alpharetta.

Thieves later used Dereef’s identity to make two more orders for laptops worth $834,103 on Oct. 13, and $853,502 on Nov. 4. Both orders were also picked up at the Edge Solutions warehouse by an unidentified suspect.

The fraud was finally uncovered on Nov. 29, when after multiple attempts to reach Dereef for payment, Edge Solutions employees visited the offices of Fulton County Schools and met the real Marin Dereef, who said the orders were not real.

“This is when Edge Solutions realized they had been scammed,” police reports

said.

Alpharetta Police officials have declined to comment further on this incident, beyond confirming the report’s details and saying that an investigation is ongoing.

In a statement to Appen Media on Wednesday, Brian Noyes, Chief Communications Officer for Fulton County Schools, said the district is cooperating fully to advance the investigation.

“The district’s reputation is paramount to our good credit,” Noyes said. “Our Financial Department and school police are coordinating with state and federal investigators to find and take action against the individuals responsible for this fraud.”

Officials have confirmed this incident is also under investigation by federal authorities, including the United States Secret Service. But officials have not commented on why federal authorities have been called in.

Alpharetta drug trafficker sentenced to 25 years

By ALEXANDER POPP alex@appenmedia.com

ATLANTA — A Mexican national arrested for trafficking pounds of illegal drugs from an Alpharetta home has been sentenced to 25 years in federal prison.

U.S. Department of Justice officials said Dec. 8 that Giovani Orozco Ramirez, 31, of Guerrero, Mexico, has been convicted of multiple counts relating to the trafficking of methamphetamine, cocaine and heroin, which he sold out of his home in Alpharetta.

“The defendant, besides dealing deadly illegal drugs, showed a reckless disregard for his children’s safety by keeping these drugs and loaded guns within their plain sight,” U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan said. “This investigation successfully put an end to his

dangerous crimes.”

Ramirez and a co-conspirator, Bryan Razo Bermudez, 34, of Michoacan, Mexico, were arrested April 26, 2017, after joint task force agents tracked Ramirez to a drug deal in Johns Creek and later raided his home in Alpharetta.

During the raid, agents recovered nearly 50 pounds of methamphetamine, 2.6 pounds of heroin, and 4 pounds of cocaine, along with an arsenal of weapons and $53,797 in cash stashed throughout the home.

Investigations also revealed that Ramirez and Bermudez had a third coconspirator, Eduardo Reyes Gonzalez, 28, of McAllen, Texas, who was working to help launder drug money through a series of bank accounts in Atlanta and Texas.

Ramirez was convicted by jury July 17 for conspiracy to distribute metham-

phetamine; possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, heroin, and cocaine; possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine on premises where minors are present; possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense; and possession of a firearm by an illegal alien.

He was sentenced to 25 years in prison, followed by five years of supervised release.

Bermudez pleaded guilty to multiple charges Feb. 21, 2019, and was sentenced to 17 years in prison, followed by five years of supervised release.

Gonzalez pleaded guilty to money laundering charges June 5, 2018, and was sentenced to one year and six months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release.

This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration.

HANS

Alpharetta Jail to house City of Milton detainees

Police say agreement will save city $14,000

By AMBER PERRY amber@appenmedia.com

MILTON, Ga. — The Milton City Council signed an agreement with the City of Alpharetta and Fulton County officials allowing its police department to hold local prisoners at the newly reopened Alpharetta Jail.

The action could save Milton thousands of dollars and hundreds of manhours.

The COVID-19 pandemic shut down the Alpharetta Jail, forcing Milton police officers to transport detainees 30 miles away to the Fulton County Jail in Atlanta, eating up valuable time and leaving the city with one less officer for more than an hour.

During the pandemic, transportation time for Milton officers almost doubled— from 73 minutes to 135 minutes, Milton Police Capt. Shawn McCarty said.

To boot, Milton officers couldn’t process all detainees at the Fulton County Jail. McCarty said police had to develop workarounds for anyone with local charges, such as releasing violators on a copy of charges, fingerprinting them when they appeared in court and increasing community supervision in lieu of jail time.

But, the City Council unanimously reinstated a 10-year agreement with Alpharetta, the Fulton County Sheriff’s Office and Fulton County to allow sheriff’s deputies to provide for the booking and housing of inmates at the Alpharetta Jail. The only major difference between the old and new agreement is the cost for booking and housing of inmates on local charges, McCarty said.

Under the new agreement, Milton Police will see almost $14,000 in savings a year, McCarty said.

Other police agencies in North Fulton have received the same intergovernmental offer, he said, and they are evaluating what to do next.

The Alpharetta-owned jail on Old Milton Parkway, also called Fulton County’s north jail annex, reopened Nov. 9

and can house roughly 70 inmates.

In May, the Fulton County Board of Commissioners approved $517,000 to reopen the Alpharetta facility. In addition to refurbishing the jail, the plan called on cities to pay a daily rate for holding detainees in the jail.

Under terms of the agreement, Milton will pay an inmate holding fee of $60 per day. The overall cost for the city is estimated to be around $45,000 a year for booking, lodging and medical costs for up to 12 inmates held concurrently.

School emergencies

Also at the Dec. 5 meeting, Capt. McCarty sought approval for an intergovernmental agreement permitting a collaboration between Milton Police and the Fulton County School District. The agreement comes after a state-wide shooting hoax that included Cambridge High School on Bethany Road .

The agreement, which was unanimously approved by the City Council, outlines jurisdiction, emergency response protocol and encourages routine school visits from Milton police. It also mandates regular training and efforts to acquire grants or programs that support safe school environments.

While Milton police have had access to recorded surveillance footage at schools, they will now have access to real-time footage during crisis situations.

Also at the meeting, Milton Community Development Director Bob Buscemi introduced a new development project in the Mayfield District. Representatives from TSW, the design firm responsible for the project, were present to expound on objectives in a high-level overview.

The project will encompass 22 parcels, totaling almost 18 acres.

TSW planner Ryan Snodgrass said the first meeting between city staff and stakeholders will be in late January. There, TSW will present preliminary concepts. The timeline beginning with the initial analysis to plan adoption is eight months, Snodgrass said.

FILE PHOTO

Milton elections panel presents findings, including polling costs

By AMBER PERRY amber@appenmedia.com

MILTON, Ga. — The committee tasked with determining whether it’s feasible that Milton conduct its own elections, presented its findings to the City Council Dec. 5 and included an eye-opening comprehensive cost analysis.

If the city were to renew its agreement with Fulton County for 2023, committee members projected a price tag ranging from more than $186,000 to almost $190,000 — not including the cost of a runoff election.

The estimate also comes with the county’s recommendation for area governments to run their own elections announced at an October Fulton County Registration and Election Board meeting.

If the City Council were to approve the measure at its Dec. 19 meeting, the City of Milton and its taxpayers would see significant cost savings. In the first year, the city is looking at $72,254 to run its 2023 municipal general election, according to the presentation led by Lisa Cauley, Milton Municipal Election Feasibility Committee member, who is one of two at-large representatives on the panel.

In subsequent years, with onetime costs out of the way, it is estimated the city will pay $56,589.

Committee member Mark Amick set the ground for Cauley’s presentation on cost, explaining to councilmembers how the panel gathered information. Amick also cited matter-of-fact research about elections, culled through the six months of formal meetings and around half a dozen informal, closed meetings held before the panel’s official formation in April.

A Fulton County trend

The 2023 projected cost the city

would pay Fulton County to operate its municipal election is a 120 to 124 percent increase from the cost charged in 2021, Cauley said, when the city paid $84,671 to the county. But in that same year, Milton paid Fulton County another $70,368 to conduct a runoff election in late November, according to the contract agreement.

By bringing municipal elections in-house, Cauley noted any potential run-off elections would include additional savings for the city.

The upward cost trend from the county echoes a similar jump from 2019 to 2021. In 2019, the city paid Fulton County $41,758 for its municipal general election.

The calculation used to project the 2023 Fulton County municipal election cost was based on the number of Milton registered voters (31,104) multiplied by the county-

determined cost per voter, which has more than doubled since the last municipal election cycle.

Milton Deputy City Manager Stacey Inglis said the city was

charged $2.96 per voter for the last election, while the county’s estimated new charge will be more

AMBER PERRY/APPEN MEDIA

Milton City Councilwoman Carol Cookerly offers supportive comments to the committee Dec. 5.

The Fulton County Elections team released an update Dec. 7 stating that election costs have increased statewide due to the implementation of new voting equipment and new voting law requirements. The county is completing the analysis of municipal costs and will present the figures to the Board of Registration and Elections and the Board of Commissioners for approval this month, the update said.

Setting an example

While the City Council rarely allows public comment during presentations, Milton Mayor Peyton Jamison made an exception for seven comments on the election presentation, most from Milton residents but two from Roswell residents. All comments cited Fulton County mismanagement and urged

the City Council to move forward with self-run municipal elections.

The committee’s assumption at its last meeting — that the City Council would vote in favor of inhouse elections — may prove true Dec. 19. Following the presentation, City Councilwoman Carol Cookerly said she has supported the prospect from the beginning.

“Things are never as inexpensive as we hope,” Cookerly said. “I certainly have the latitude and would expect that if we need more money, we’ll make it available.”

A packed room of applause followed Jamison’s comment, the second and last remark on the item.

“I do feel like a lot of cities and a lot of mayors are looking at the City of Milton because more costs will be carried over to the municipalities over time, so this is probably inevitable for all the cities — North and South,” Jamison said. “It’s important that we get this right the first time. Let’s make it a successful local election, so that all the cities can mirror us, and we can be an example for everybody.”

Holiday market takes over Milton City Hall

By AMBER PERRY amber@appenmedia.com

MILTON, Ga. — On a rainy Wednesday afternoon, nearly 40 vendors set up shop in and outside Milton City Hall for the city’s second holiday market.

While some returning features of the event were canceled because of the weather, like mini horses-turned-reindeer, about 100 people managed to do some early holiday shopping Dec. 7. And they were sure to see elves walking around the premises.

The event was organized by the same group who run the six-monthlong farmer’s market. But instead of produce, the holiday market consisted of handcrafted products and homemade treats. Milton resident Judy Hall, who led organizing efforts and works alongside Milton Parks and Rec, said she wanted one last opportunity of the year after the bulk of produce had gone out of season.

Food tents and trucks as well as some craft vendors were outside of City Hall.

Baba Akayati, of Akayati Craft Centre, leaned against his table outside, surrounded by dozens of colorful baskets he wove himself out of Elephant Grass. Akayati said it takes around four to five days to weave one basket.

He learned the craft from family members, who also contribute to the business. Living in Sugar Hill now,

Akayati moved from Bolgatana, Ghana, three years ago. Each of the 10 regions in Ghana have their own kind of craft, he said.

In addition to baskets, the Akayati Craft Centre also offers handmade hats, fabric and leather fans as well as canvas paintings. Every purchase helps with “continued generational change” and empowers the Akayati family in Bolgatanga to “preserve a cultural heritage hundreds of years old.”

That afternoon, most vendors were inside of Council Chambers. Tucked in the left corner by the City Council dais, Michael Lloyd called out to the passersby about his Num Num Sauce, bolstered by its low sodium, locally sourced, all-natural ingredients and long history, dating back to the ’40s when Lloyd’s grandfather began making his legendary sauces.

“They started it,” Lloyd said. “I just took it to the next level.”

Lloyd, who earned his doctoral degree in food science, developed and patented a flavor activating technology used in the sauce.

Num Num Sauce, from the outside, looks akin to barbecue sauce with warm red and yellow colors. But it’s much different. He said barbecue sauce is slathered on food, whereas Num Num is more a compliment to pre-existing flavors. On his phone, Lloyd showed several plates of food he cooked, using only a touch of sauce.

Lloyd worked in pharmaceuticals before focusing on his business, which has a manufacturing plant in Atlanta. But Num Num Sauce Company is his, he said,

and it’s in the Black community.

“We need technology in our community that no one else has, so we can grow our communities up and bring resources back to our community,” he said. “[The pharmaceuticals] market is already over-saturated. We are unicorn technology.”

Milton residents Ursula Gallagher and her daughter Devon Rowse, who trains equestrians on her farm on Knox Hill Drive, were carrying bags of goods on their way out of City Hall. Gallagher carried honey roasted peanuts, while Rowse held a jar of cookies.

Gallagher said she sat in the car, watching in the rain and was hesitant to go inside.

“I said, ‘Oh, why don’t we just go home?’ [The weather is] so miserable. Then we ventured in,” she said. “It’s very, very nice.”

Milton residents Ursula Gallagher and daughter Devon Rowse braved the rainy weather to visit the holiday market at City Hall Dec. 7.

PHOTOS BY AMBER PERRY/APPEN MEDIA

Baba Akayati, of Akayati Craft Centre, stands surrounded by dozens of colorful baskets he made from Elephant Grass at the Milton holiday market Dec. 7.

Young performer builds confidence, finds community in drag

By AMBER PERRY amber@appenmedia.com

CUMMING, Ga. — By day, Abbi DeJohn is a 17-year-old Forsyth County high school student. But by night, she transforms herself into Valentina Dae, her sassy, confident, rock star drag persona, and performs with House of Laveau on Browns Bridge Road in Forsyth County.

Valentina Dae, whose name originates from Abbi’s love of Valentine’s Day discounted candy, is always changing. She said her persona used to be “very girl, very bubbly,” akin to Barbie, but has evolved into someone along the lines of a Bratz doll with teased blonde hair and bold costumes.

“When I was younger, I always wanted Bratz dolls because I thought they were cooler. They had the big hair and the crazy heels and the skimpy outfits,” Abbi said. “I feel like Valentina is a living Bratz doll — me being able to live my Bratz kind of fantasy.”

While Valentina Dae is considered a drag persona, defined by imitation and exaggeration, DeJohn said she carries Valentina in her daily life. Abbi, who’s been with House of Laveau since March, recently performed “Confident” by Demi Lovato — “a full circle moment.” For a long time, Abbi said she was terribly insecure.

“I keep forgetting that she’s not just a character — she is me,” she said. “I realized that I really can carry that energy on.”

A family affair

Abbi’s mom, Dyneen, learned about the House of Laveau when she sought hair color treatment for Abbi at the Punk & Poet Cut and Color Co., a known haven for members of the LGBTQ+ community. Owners Kendra and Elliott Rubin founded House of Laveau — “Cumming, Georgia’s first drag family,” according to its Instagram page.

Abbi has been experimenting with makeup since the age 12, following makeup gurus like Jeffree Star and posting looks on her own makeup account. Knowing her daughter’s love for makeup, Dyneen thought Abbi could help the House of Laveau drag family look their best.

Soon after Abbi began assisting with shows, she asked to perform because she missed the stage. She used to do ballet but stopped because of all the rules.

“I like drag so much because there really aren’t any rules,” Abbi said. “You can determine what you want to do. It’s so freeing and powerful.”

Dyneen described the first time she saw Abbi perform in drag. It was the second night Abbi ever performed. The first night, Dyneen was in the back helping Abbi get ready. A self-proclaimed “stage

mom,” Dyneen helps Abbi with her hair and designs her costumes.

Eric, her husband and Abbi’s dad, was there in the audience, too. Abbi bounces music ideas off of Eric, who’s had music in him since a young age. He’s also a DJ.

“We were completely, I want to say, ‘gobsmacked,’” Dyneen said. “She came out on stage, and we looked at each other, and we both got chills. I’m telling you, it was the best thing I’ve ever seen.”

Dyneen has received backlash for allowing Abbi to perform, but she said drag has no agenda — it’s nothing more than theater with people in costume, singing and dancing.

Abbi had gone through a bad period, Dyneen said, where she needed something like the House of Laveau, whose members have helped and supported her after having gone through a rough period.

For Abbi, House of Laveau has become a second family. While Abbi’s family fully accepts and encourages her to participate, the term “family” is associated with drag houses because its members are often estranged from their own.

“She got her glow back. She got her smile back,” Dyneen said. “Man, she is incredible.”

Leading the pack

Salon owner and House of Laveau founder Kendra, aka Kentucky Laveau, is the drag mom, but not a traditional one who teaches everyone how to do

everything.

“In this instance, I’m learning with everyone,” Kendra said.

While Kendra considers herself more a student of drag, having only recently formed House of Laveau this year — her “baby” and lifelong dream — she takes the responsibility of making sure everyone is on time and that everything is up to standard.

She’s also charged with group choreography and goes into it with a vision. Every show starts with a huge opening number to energize the crowd, and there’s often closing numbers. She also ensures that performances are family friendly.

“It’s not a typical drag show,” husband and fellow drag queen Elliott said. “They’re really produced, cohesive performances.”

Like other queens, Kendra intentionally overstates femininity. As Kentucky, Kendra can be seen with a long, neon orange wig, fishnets and a leotard, and a dragtraditional strong, full face of makeup.

Kentucky is someone who doesn’t have to be careful about what she says, Kendra said. Because she became a mom at a young age, Kendra said she had to grow up fast. So, Kentucky allows her to be the person she had to neglect for the sake of new responsibility.

Making a statement

Elliott, Kendra’s husband, performs as Deverauxxx, who, he said, isn’t really a

persona, so much as just being himself.

“Deverauxx will do anything for cheers — 100 percent,” Kendra said.

Elliott, who talked about the tangible difference he, Kendra and others have made in Forsyth County, said he does drag despite the county’s traditional conservative nature.

“It’s the most punk rock thing I can do in these times,” he said. “Drag, for me, is the biggest middle finger to the people who have been here who don’t want you.”

Like Dyneen, Kendra and Elliott’s daughter participates in drag events. 11-year-old Avalia, aka Venus Valentine, is always stage-left with her older brother David, who runs the music. Kendra said she doesn’t find any problem with allowing someone under 18 to perform drag.

People tend to think drag is filled with “oversexualized perverts,” she said, because most people, at one point, who did drag were gay.

“It’s a performance that shows everybody who’s in the room that you’re loved and that you’re accepted,” she said.

Kendra brought up the recent Colorado Springs LGBTQ+ club shooting, where a 22-year-old man killed five people and injured over 20 others.

“[The attack] gives us a bigger fire to keep pushing on,” she said. “At some point the hate has to stop. At some point, people have got to be able to not be scared to just live their lives. At some point, some people need to just mind their own business.”

ADAM BISSONNETTE/PROVIDED

Abbi DeJohn, aka Valentina Dae, stands with her parents, Dyneen and Eric, at the House of Laveau Pride show in June. The event was held on the anniversary of the Stonewall uprising, the same day as actress Judy Garland’s death. House of Laveau, located on Browns Bridge Road, did a tribute to Garland as a closing number

A HOLE-IN-ONE

Trader Golf succeeds with expertise, relationships

By AMBER PERRY amber@appenmedia.com

ALPHARETTA, Ga. — Sitting in the Trader Golf teaching center, employee Rick Coursey defined golf’s uniqueness — it’s a competition more with oneself, rather than another person. And it’s a game of a lifetime, suitable for any age, and a game of integrity.

Coursey wore a ball cap, hiding a balding head of white hair, and a Magellan fishing shirt tucked into a pair of polyester khakis. With a slow, measured voice, he shared his thoughts on golf and described the store’s business model, which hinges on expertise and relationship-building.

“When we see somebody in here, and they don’t know how to hold a golf club, we can give them a mini lesson,” Coursey said. “They go from swinging a club, and can’t even hit the ball, to three or four swings later — we have them hitting the ball straight right down the fairway, just by giving some very important tips.”

Walking into Trader Golf, a small brick building with a worn metal roof, crooked golf posters tacked to its windows and racks of collared shirts behind them, visitors will most likely hear a friendly conversation between Coursey and a customer.

Maybe the conversation is about finding a specific used or new golf club, needing a repair or a club fitting. Talk could isolate on lessons to improve a golf game, taken in the shop’s teaching center — a spacious, secluded room with netting covering the wall, marked with the brand Callaway, behind a green. Golf bags packed with clubs and training aids are off to the side. In the main area, Trader Golf also has a range in the left corner and a putting green to the

right. Or maybe Coursey’s conversation is unrelated to golf, an exchange about personal matters. It’s not uncommon for Coursey to ask returning customers about their family, knowing intimate details acquired over the years, or casually talk with someone new as if he’s known them for

a long time.

The relationships that can be forged, and that are essential, in small, local businesses are incomparable, Coursey said.

He isn’t opposed to staying after hours to help someone. The night before, Coursey talked with a first-time customer, trying to accommodate a budget. That same

customer, Coursey now knowing him by name, came back to snag what he didn’t buy.

“He now trusts me because of things that I’ve told him and showed him, and the communication that I gave to him,” Coursey said. “Now we’ve got a relationship.”

Golf clubs abound

After handing over heavy- and lightweight training aids, Coursey said, “But the biggest tool is the knowledge that we have.”

Trader Golf feels like an heirloom. It’s a cozy space with a familiar smell, perhaps of a grandparent’s living room, and it holds a wealth of experience, and plenty of stories, among its three employees. Coursey has been seeking to fill more positions for more than a year, but he has high standards.

“The years of knowledge that we have about golf — I would put it up against anybody, any place in America,” Coursey said. “There’s no doubt.”

Coursey, who is somewhat of a store manager but cleans golf clubs with the rest of them, has been in the golf industry since 2000. He worked at Edwin Watts before Trader Golf and began playing the sport long before then, though, at age 26, through his father-in-law.

At one point, the store only sold used clubs. But when Coursey joined the business eight years ago, he introduced new merchandise, buying from manufacturers like Callaway, TaylorMade, Mizuno and Cobra.

Coursey, 59, has an impressive memory of the store’s bursting inventory. Used clubs are well-organized in wooden racks along the right wall. New clubs in plastic wrap are

But the biggest tool is the knowledge that we have.

RICK COURSEY, employee, Trader Golf

PHOTOS BY AMBER PERRY/APPEN MEDIA

Robie Robinson and Rick Coursey, employees at Trader Golf, stand in front of the business logo. A retired PGA professional, Robinson offers golf lessons in-store. Coursey has been with Trader Golf for eight years but has been in the golf industry since 2000.

lodged in a free-standing rack in the middle of the store. But there’s also dozens of boxes in the back room.

“There’s about 10,000 golf clubs behind this wall here,” Coursey said from within the teaching center. “If a guy calls in and says, ‘Hey, I need a 1984 Ping Eye 2 Square Groove Green Dot. Do you have one?’ Yeah, I got four.”

Unmatched knowledge

Robie Robinson was also on the floor Dec. 8. A 6-foot-something kind-hearted jokester, Robinson is a retired PGA professional of more than 40 years and gives private lessons at the store. Coursey was proud to point out Robinson’s plaques on the wall.

“You’ll get to see me take my PGA card and take the trash out to the dumpster as well,” Robinson said in the backroom.

With no need for additional income and a passion for what he does, Robinson drives an hour and half one way for work. He, Coursey and Tom Reed, an employee absent on this particular humid Thursday morning, are all past the retirement age and continue to show up because they hang out, have fun and share their love for golf with whoever walks in the door.

Reed, who is in his early 80s, still plays golf twice a week. He used to work at Edwin Watts alongside Coursey, who said Reed has a repertoire and a grandfatherly way of talking to people who are uncomfortable with the sport.

“That’s experience that you’re not really going to get any other place,” Coursey said.

Word of mouth

Coursey declines using advertisements because of a strong belief in spreading word the old-fashioned way. It also allows for a low-key atmosphere, preferred by the

professionals who don’t want to be bothered while shopping at Trader Golf.

The belief isn’t unfounded. The golf shop might seem like Alpharetta’s best kept secret since the mid-’90s. But at its 10 a.m. opening, customers were already there.

Coursey uses email blasts from time to time about Trader Golf deals for the shop’s private consumer base, including prompts to forward the email. But outside of that, what keeps customers returning, and new ones coming in, is more of an organic transmission, based on reputation. All the Google reviews are positive, Coursey

said, apart from one review caused by an employee who has since been fired.

Erin Fletcher, a frequent Trader Golf shopper, showed up Tuesday afternoon, Dec. 6, looking to price clubs he bought from the PGA superstore. He set several on the counter and swung one for practice.

“Hey, Erin,” Coursey called from the opposite side of the store, while talking to another customer.

Fletcher, an easygoing 39-year-old with an athletic build, has been going to Trader Golf since 10th grade. He was driving around Alpharetta one day and stumbled across the store, before it moved to its current location on North Main Street. His hometown of Calhoun didn’t have golf options at the time.

Fletcher said he likes everything in his golf bag nowadays, which he’s been building for 25 years, save for the occasional trade. But he still makes the trip from Milton at least twice a week to the shop to hang out and buy knickknacks.

Bigger stores tend to pay bottom dollar for products, Fletcher said, but with Trader Golf, the relationship is clean. When Fletcher was in the store Tuesday, Coursey was transparent in telling him he would get a better deal selling his clubs on eBay than he would selling them at the store.

“[Honesty] is basically dead,” Fletcher said. “There’s a way we can all be equitable, and everybody can win in whatever we do. But most people don’t live or have that philosophy.”

Frank Paras Home Depot Installation Services Local

Tara Tucker

Located on North Main Street in Alpharetta, Trader Golf has been in business for almost 30 years. The shop offers trades, new merchandise, repairs, club fittings and golf lessons

NEW BUSINESS SPOTLIGHTS

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Owners: Alisha Isani

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guests. Equipped for Body Contouring, Skin Rejuvenation, Facials, Injectables, or Fillers.

Opened: November 2022 Address: 4712 Ashford Dunwoody Rd Suite 320; Dunwoody, GA 30338 Phone: (404) 282-3650 Website: https://www.viomedspa.com

Business: A January Love

Owner: Vada Love

Description: A January Love is a children’s boutique based in Dunwoody, Ga offering diverse and eco-friendly products for the modern baby, child, and parent. We are more than just cute clothes, we offer a curated selection of mostly organic

and natural brands ranging from toys, accessories, and essentials for growing families..

Opened: October 2022

Address: 1402 Dunwoody Village Pkwy; Dunwoody, GA 30338 Phone: (470) 299-3904 Website: https://www.ajanuarylove. com/

Business : Ellie Mental Health

Owners : Michael and Tessie Lauer

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Kemp suspends state gas tax for the last time

By DAVE WILLIAMS Capitol Beat

ATLANTA — Gov. Brian Kemp signed an executive order Dec. 8, suspending the state sales tax on gasoline for the seventh and final time since March, when pump prices began climbing after the outbreak of war in Ukraine.

The latest suspension will run through Jan. 10, the day after Georgia lawmakers convene under the Gold Dome for the 2023 General Assembly session. After that, Kemp will look to the Legislature to help provide tax relief to Georgians in other ways, the governor said during a news conference at the Capitol.

“We can’t continue to do what we’re doing with gas taxes,” Kemp said. “This was always intended as a short-term answer.”

Kemp, who was reelected to a second term in office last month, repeated a pledge he made on the campaign trail this year to push for an additional $1 billion state income tax rebate on top of the $1.6 billion tax rebate Georgia lawmakers approved this year. He also is asking the Legislature for $1 billion in

property tax rebates.

Incoming Republican legislative leaders appeared with Kemp Thursday to lend support to his tax cutting proposals.

“Georgians deserve to keep as much of their hard-earned money as possible,” said House Majority Leader Jon Burns, R-Newington, the House Republican Caucus’ nominee to succeed the late David Ralston as speaker of the House. “It’s not our money.”

Providing additional tax relief shouldn’t be a heavy lift for the General Assembly. The state is sitting on a $6.6 billion budget surplus, which will make deciding what to do with tax dollars a lot easier.

In confirming he was suspending the gas tax for the last time, Kemp noted that pump prices have been falling. The average price of a gallon of regular unleaded gas in Georgia currently is $2.93 per gallon, according to AAA, down from $3.13 a month ago and well below this year’s peak price of $4.50 per gallon in mid-June.

This story is available through a news partnership with Capitol Beat News Service, a project of the Georgia Press Educational Foundation.

Understanding the probate process

Probate is the process by which a court takes over the assets of a deceased loved one and distributes it as the court sees fit. This is a process that can be burdensome, especially if your loved one has recently passed away –not to mention the court procedures take at least a year. The worst part of probate is that the estate of the decedent becomes public. This means any creditor can place a claim on an estate, leading to loved ones losing control over the decedent’s assets.

There are a few ways to avoid

probate. Surprisingly, having a will does not exempt your assets from probate. However, by making a trust and doing careful estate planning, you can rest assured that your family will not have to worry about the court process when you pass on.

At Estate Law Center, we understand the pain of losing a loved one, and we understand the last thing you want is for your family to have to deal with the court while grieving for you. Let us help by helping your family walk through the probate process – or by teaching you how to avoid probate entirely at one of our free workshops.

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Estate Law Center

GEERDES

Alpharetta sparkles with downtown tree lighting

By ALEXANDER POPP alex@appenmedia.com

ALPHARETTA, Ga. — Alpharetta kicked off its holiday season Friday, Dec. 2, with the annual Christmas tree lighting at downtown City Green.

Led by Mayor Jim Gilvin, members of the City Council and a celebrity appearance from Santa Claus, spectators looked on as the 50-foot tree was lit with thousands of tiny lights.

Officials said this year’s event marks 45 years of holiday celebrations for the city.

“The Christmas Tree Lighting has brought the Alpharetta community together for years,” Gilvin said. “It is a perfect time to enjoy the simple traditions of the holiday season. Community celebrations like this showcase the vibrancy of our city, strengthen connections between our residents, and create an opportunity for families to create memories together.”

But if you missed the tree lighting, don’t worry, because festivities are scheduled to continue with other events.

On Dec. 9, Alpharetta will host a free photo with Santa at the Hamilton Hotel in downtown. During the event, the Downtown Alpharetta District will also share a holiday beverage guide “Sips of the Season” for several establishments in the downtown area.

Alpharetta’s holiday events will conclude Dec. 16 with a showing of the seasonal favorite movies “Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer” and “Frosty the Snowman” on the town green.

“The holidays are extra merry and bright in Alpharetta,” Janet Rodgers, president and CEO of the Alpharetta Convention and Visitors Bureau said. “We are so thrilled to

invite visitors to our community and welcome them with open arms during three incredibly festive Friday nights in Alpharetta.”

Throughout Alpharetta’s celebrations, a holiday food drive will be held for the North Fulton Community Charities food pantry. From Dec. 2 to Dec. 16, nonperishable food donations can be dropped at more than 11 locations around the city.

Drop-off locations include the Wills Park Recreation Center, Alpharetta Adult Activity Center at North Park, Alpharetta City Hall, Preston Ridge Community Center, the Alpharetta Community Center, as well as four outdoor collection trees at Alpharetta City Hall, Town Green, Teasley Fountain, and the corner of Milton Avenue and Canton Street.

“The families we serve are really feeling the impact of higher prices

at grocery stores, along with cost increases for rent, clothing, and other essentials. As the prices go up, the need for donations is even greater,” Mel Fortin, director of Food Pantry Services said. “We are

so grateful for the outpouring of support from our community to those in need.”

For more information on the city’s schedule of holiday events, visit alpharetta.ga.us.

PHOTOS BY ALEX POPP/APPEN MEDIA

Alpharetta residents and spectators watch as city officials light the towering Christmas tree in downtown Dec. 2.

Santa Claus entertains a crowd of spectators and youngsters at the annual Christmas tree lighting in downtown Alpharetta Dec. 2.

Alpharetta to reexamine Ethics Board procedures

By ALEXANDER POPP alex@appenmedia.com

ALPHARETTA, Ga. — Following the first hearing held under Alpharetta’s revised 2018 Ethics Ordinance, city officials are pondering some big changes they hope will strengthen and streamline the ethics complaint and hearing process.

At a City Council meeting Nov. 28, members heard from City Administrator Chris Lagerbloom, that the ethics hearing held in October exposed a number of different weaknesses in how the city’s ordinance was written, leading to inconsistencies and procedural lapses that need to be fixed.

“Through that process we identified some things that went ok and some things that didn’t quite go so ok, and they didn’t go quite so ok in pretty significant ways,” Lagerbloom said.

In a presentation by City Attorney Molly Esswein, councilmembers were told that issues had been identified in how complaints are vetted and filed, how members of the Ethics Board are selected and empaneled, and several other related problems.

Esswein also laid out a detailed plan for how the ethics ordinance could be amended to fix the problems.

The most significant proposed change, according to Lagerbloom, would be in the qualifications of future board members, and how members are selected to serve.

“When we got to the point of actually having a hearing in this case and had people who weren’t familiar with the hearing process or what was appropriate at a hearing,” Lagerbloom said. “Quite frankly the question the city attorney had to respond to about,

“That doesn’t work when we have these quasi-judicial sorts of things,” he added.

Ethics Board members are currently chosen at random from a list of citizens appointed by the city council. But Esswein suggested appointing a board of nine to 15 attorneys to sit on the board.

In that scenario, Esswein said they would want to appoint only attorneys with at least five years of experience, three years of civil litigation, with no residence or office in the city and without an existing formal or familial relationship with the city.

“An ethics complaint, it’s very much like a trial, so having a litigator who has experience in how that goes, could be beneficial for keeping meetings moving smoothly,” she said.

Nearly all of the councilmembers expressed disbelief that they would be able to find that many attorneys to sit on the Ethics Board. But Esswein said the suggestion was modeled after the City of Milton’s Ethics Ordinance, which has had success in the past years.

Among the other proposed changes, Esswein said they would also impose a six-month statute of limitations on complaints with provisions for special circumstances, like if alleged unethical behavior was done secretly and only discovered long after the fact.

“But if it was done secretively and there was no way they could have found out about it, they have six months from when they knew or should have known about it or could

have reasonably found out about that,” she said.

The city could also add a “tolling period” that would prevent an ethics complaint from being brought within two months of an election, she said. In that case two months would be added to the six-month statute of limitations, so that the complaint could still be brought after the election.

“That prevents ethics complaints from being weaponized,” she said.

Esswein said ethics complaints going forward would have to identify specific violations, would require support from affidavits based on personal knowledge, and would have rules to prevent frivolous use of the ethics complaint process and duplicate complaints.

“The intent here is not to expand the power of the Ethics Board,” she said. “Things need to be done to ensure it can run smoothly regardless of whether we add in the ability to expand any of the powers.”

In the discussion between councilmembers after Esswein’s presentation, a small group of members questioned whether having an Ethics Board in the city was even necessary, but generally the board seemed to approve keeping the board with some of the proposed changes.

“I’m pretty comfortable with the process that was brought forward,” Mayor Jim Gilvin said. “I understand

not wanting all attorneys. But when I look at the stakes, especially for the people on this dais, I’d want attorneys making those judgments.”

One change proposed by councilmembers was to possibly have a central, legally trained figure like a judge presiding over the Ethics Board.

“I don’t think we can use our own city judge in any shape or form sitting on an ethics panel,” Councilmember John Hipes said. “However, I don’t see what would prevent us from approaching a neighboring jurisdiction judge for them to sit on a panel as part of our procedure.”

“I think structure is needed on the panel with somebody knowledgeable about those matters,” he added.

Several members also proposed having a separate process for volunteer boards than state mandated and elected boards. In that situation, complaints involving boards with lower stakes and impact could be judged internally by city staff and city councilmembers.

“I don’t know, the current ordinance needs to really be applicable to all of our board members,” Gilvin said.

No action was taken on this workshop item and no public comments were made.

Lagerbloom said that he and Esswein would consider the council’s remarks and return the item for further discussion at a future board meeting.

‘well I can’t find a date on my calendar to make this work, can I change my vote?’”

FILE PHOTO

Alpharetta City Administrator Chris Lagerbloom draws five names from a jar in September, to select members for the city’s Board of Ethics. Officials are now considering changes they hope will strengthen the ethics complaint and hearing process.

Members:

Continued from Page 1

Dec. 14 School Board meeting at the South Learning Center in Union City.

Pozatek is a Milton resident and former teacher. She won the District 2 seat, which represents areas in Alpharetta and Milton. Pozatek has a Bachelor of Science in exceptional education and has been active as a parent in Fulton County Schools for 12 years.

Pozatek’s platform focused on funding and support for teachers, engaging parents and “putting children first.”

McCabe will represent District 5, which covers parts of Johns Creek and Alpharetta. McCabe has lived in Johns Creek for the past 18 years and has been involved in Fulton County Schools for 15 years.

McCabe has a bachelor’s degree in nursing from the University of South Florida. Her husband, Dan, is a charter member of the Johns Creek City Council. McCabe aims to lower the tax rate for the school system and supports the creation of a charter district.

Morancie, a Sandy Springs resident, won the District 7 seat covering Sandy Springs and parts of Alpharetta, Johns Creek and Roswell. Morancie has worked in public schools as a licensed school psychologist for over 30 years.

Morancie ran on a platform of improving mental health services for children during the school day and equalizing the quality of education in

the country.

The newcomers mark a major change for the school board.

All three retiring members represent combined service of more than five decades.

Katie Reeves, the current District 2 board representative, has held the position since 1999. Linda McCain has represented District 5 since 2011. Julia Bernath, School Board president and District 7 representative, has held the position since 2000.

“The board was very consistent with about five members for almost 20 years,” Fulton County Schools Chief Communications Officer Brian Noyes said. “That created a great deal of consistency and a wealth of knowledge.”

Noyes said the schools will miss the insight and experience the veteran members had, but they’re looking forward to the future.

“It’s an exciting time, because we have four members bringing new insight and experience,” Noyes said.

McCabe and Pozatek have already interacted with the school system as parents, an experience Noyes finds beneficial to their work. As for Morancie, she’s had experience working in public schools for decades.

“The positives and strengths of our board is that connection on a personal level,” Noyes said.

Because the board members won’t take office until January, Noyes said it’s an opportunity for residents to learn the priorities of each member.

“(Residents) should be engaging, listening and talking to board members,” Noyes said.

PHOTOS BY DELANEY TARR/APPEN MEDIA

Kristin McCabe is sworn in as a Fulton County School Board member serving District 5 at a School Board work session Dec. 6.

Lillie Pozatek is sworn in as District 2 Fulton County School Board member at a School Board work session Dec. 6.

Roswell City Council begins work on bond funding

By DELANEY TARR delaney@appenmedia.com

ROSWELL, Ga. — The Roswell City Council unanimously approved action Nov. 28 on the three bond referendums residents approved in the special election in early November. The bonds will fund nearly $180 million for parks, public safety and downtown parking.

Mayor Kurt Wilson said the bonds had overwhelming support from the public. The final tally showed 74 percent of voters approved the parks and recreation bond and 73 percent of voters approved the public safety bond.

The bond to fund a downtown parking deck drew 57 percent of votes cast.

“I liked that it wasn’t up to us,” City Councilman Mike Palermo said.

Despite the strong public support for the bonds, the mayor clashed with a resident during public discussion of the bonds during the meeting.

Roswell resident Patrick Cahill came forward with a prepared statement regarding the $52 million public safety bond. The bond will fund new police and fire headquarters, as well as a new fire station.

Cahill said he wanted to highlight a “recent failure” of the Roswell Police Department, in hopes that it will encourage effective use of the new funding.

Wilson stopped his comments, stating that he did not see how a specific failure of the police was relevant to the approval of funds.

Palermo said Cahill may want to “make sure we focus on how they’re going to be spent.”

Wilson later set aside time to allow Cahill to speak.

Tragedy recounted Cahill recounted the recent death of a 64-year-old Marietta man Hussein Esmail whose body was discovered in a small pond in East Roswell on Nov. 24. He had been missing for nearly two weeks.

Esmail had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder with cognitive decline.

On Nov. 11 Roswell police spoke to Esmail two times. Esmail had been wandering the area until a Good Samaritan picked him up and dropped him at the Roswell Police Department around 4 p.m. Hussein couldn’t provide a home address to the police but refused transportation and medical help. Hussein stated he would walk home.

Police found Hussein again that day after responding to reports of him walking along the road. Police spoke to Hussein, but he denied assistance. The police let him walk away. They didn’t see him again.

“Clues obvious to civilians went unnoticed by theoretically trained officers,” Cahill said.

Cahill asserted that while the police couldn’t legally detain Hussein, there were avenues and agencies that could assist in a situation like Hussein’s.

“One begins to wonder if you’ll ever truly understand the sheer magnitude of this failure and the betrayal of the public trust,” Cahill said. “We require more. “

In response, Mayor Wilson said the comments were “very charged” and

lacking in complete information.

“One of the things I find unfortunate is that people can come up with a five-minute prepared statement at 25 percent of the information and report that out to the rest of the public,” Wilson said.

The mayor said the police did everything they could under the law. Hussein had not been diagnosed with dementia or Alzheimer’s, which Wilson said limits the actions the police could take.

“I don’t appreciate the narrative that the police didn’t care about this man,” Wilson said. “The police, like the rest of us, mourn the loss of this man.”

Wilson thanked Cahill for the public comment but called it an attack on the Roswell Police Department.

Beyond the bonds

Also at the meeting, councilmembers approved three appointments to city commissions.

Eric Schumacher and Pooja Gardner were appointed to the Roswell Planning Commission. William Strika was appointed to the Roswell Recreation Commission.

In other matters, the council approved a 90-day moratorium on the acceptance of zoning applications or new business license applications for THC dispensaries in Roswell. Pharmaceutical access is still available for those with medical needs.

Councilmembers said the moratorium is an opportunity to study current ordinances governing the businesses, including where dispensaries can be located.

PROVIDED

Roswell City Council members set in motion projects funded through three bonds.

Thank You!

Our local news is free to read but not to produce. Milton Herald relies on advertisers to keep the lights on, pay our reporters and publish your news. That’s why we want to say thank you to all the advertisers, large and small, who have stuck by us through thick and thin. Consider giving them your business, just as they have done with us. Buy local, eat local, read local.

THIS HOLIDAY SEASON TIP YOUR NEWSPAPER DELIVERY PERSON

This holiday season, consider giving your newspaper delivery person a tip for their weekly delivery of the free community newspaper to your driveway. These folks work hard to make sure you are informed of all the local happenings, rain or shine, week in and week out. Importantly, at Appen Media, we have always been intentional about our desire to keep delivery of our newspapers free. That said, it would mean the world to us if you would consider tipping your newspaper delivery person so that they will have a little extra money for the holiday season.

If you can help us help these amazing people, we promise to keep delivering high quality news to your driveway, for free, every week. Free home delivery of 105,000 homes is hard work –and we couldn’t do it without our amazing delivery folks.

How you can give your delivery person a tip:

We have created an online portal at www.appenmedia.com/deliverytip.

100% of every dollar you contribute will be spread out evenly between the 24 newspaper delivery people that Appen Media employs. Whether you give $5 or $50, they will greatly appreciate it.

If you prefer, you can also mail a check made out to “Appen Media Group C/O Newspaper Delivery Tip” to 319 North Main Street, Alpharetta, GA 30009.

Post offices played vital role in Georgia’s development

Two of our nation’s founding fathers share responsibility for establishing the postal service that we pretty much take for granted today. In 1737, Benjamin Franklin was selected by the British government to be Postmaster of Philadelphia, a post he held for several years. During his tenure, carefully marked routes were established from Maine to Florida, overnight mail delivery between New York and Philadelphia was launched, and a postal rate chart based on distance and weight of letters and parcels was created. This was essential infrastructure that enabled future enhancements to take place.

BOB MEYERS Columnist bobmey@bellsouth.net

In 1775, a year before Congress declared independence from Great Britain, Franklin was appointed our nation’s first postmaster by the Second Continental Congress, a position he held for only about a year, long enough to establish a new system of postal routes from today’s Portland, Maine, to Savannah, Georgia, which became the first post office in our state. Soon after the colonies declared independence in July 1776, Franklin was named an ambassador to France. The postal system by then was well established and continued to flourish.

George Washington signed the Postal Service Act in 1792 creating The Post Office Department. This pivotal legislation gave the postal service responsibility for creating additional postal routes, essential for settlement of a new and expanding nation. It recognized a right to privacy by stipulating severe penalties for opening other people’s mail and allowed inexpensive distribution of newspapers by mail, which encouraged literacy and participation in community affairs. Franklin, along with George Washington, were honored by being on the first U.S. postage stamps in 1847.

Certainly, the U.S. Postal Service has its challenges today. It lost $4.9 billion in 2021. The volume of mail has been declining for years while advertisements now constitute the majority of USPS mail. Competition from other carriers, the cost of pension benefits for more than 1 million workers and retirees, increased cost of fuel and equipment pose real challenges for the institution. However, the USPS is written into our Constitution and still provides essential services. Don’t expect it to go away any

time soon.

The history and importance of post offices in Old Milton County and surrounding areas in north Georgia has been studied in great detail by Ed Malowney, president of the Alpharetta and Old Milton Historical Society and founder of the Johns Creek Historical Society. Over the past five years, he has researched some 40 post offices in Old Milton County and another 30 or so in surrounding counties, plus some 200 individuals connected to the post offices.

His initial efforts focused on four villages, or crossroads communities, Newtown, Warsaw, Shakerag and Ocee and quickly expanded into surrounding areas.

When studying post offices, Malowney has noted the importance of family ties. Post offices often existed in tight-knit communities where the postmaster was the head of a leading family. His descendants or close relatives often followed in his footsteps and became postmasters in the same or nearby communities. This interconnectivity existed in many post office jurisdictions.

Another interesting finding of his research is that several postmasters were medical doctors.

“I’m not sure why,” Malowney says. “It is the last thing I would expect.”

When he looked into the matter, he found that some of the postmasters had recently graduated from medical school. Because many post offices were housed in or near stores, he believes this may have been a promotional tool by a store owner if the doctor held regular clinics in the store.

Malowney notes that the first postmaster of Alpharetta was Dr.

The Skelton-Teasley House, built in 1856, was the home of physician Dr. Oliver P Skelton, appointed in 1858 to be Alpharetta’s first postmaster. It is located on one of the highest points in Alpharetta. It is now home to the Ginger Room, a coffee and tea cafe.

Oliver P. Skelton, who was appointed in 1858, the day the Farmhouse Post Office was closed. Farmhouse was a small community located northeast of Route 400 and Old Milton Parkway. The Farmhouse postmaster was Isham Teasley, Skelton’s son-in-law. Skelton served two other Alpharetta appointments and Teasley also was later appointed to serve as the Alpharetta postmaster. In 1899, Isham’s wife, Nannie Teasley, became the first female postmaster in Alpharetta.

A third finding of the research pertains to the devastating economic impact of the Civil War and Reconstruction period, which delayed the establishment of Milton County post offices. Only one Milton post office was added in 1873, three in the early 1880s and six in the late 1880s. Nine post

offices were added in the 1890s. Most were discontinued by 1907 with the implementation of Rural Free Delivery. At that time old Milton County had one post office at Alpharetta. The Roswell Post Office, then part of Cobb County, covered the south portion of the county; Duluth, in Gwinnett County, provided mail service to the eastern part of the county.

Ed’s goal for his research is to preserve the basic information electronically and in hard copy for current and future generations and to selectively write summaries for each post office and related individuals.

Bob is director emeritus of the Milton Historical Society and a Member of the City of Alpharetta Historic Preservation Commission. You can email him at bobmey@bellsouth.net.

LIBRARY OF CONGRESS/PROVIDED

When Rural Free Delivery mail service began in 1896, the need for local post offices declined. By 1907 most post offices in our area had closed. Early RFD relied on horse and wagon for distribution. Photo 1914.

BOB MEYERS/APPEN MEDIA

OPINION

Christmas with Charlie and Myrtice Blackburn

In the last Past Tense, I shared some of the story of Charlie and Myrtice Blackburn as told in the 1978 Dunwoody Crier article, “A Life Shared and Times Remembered.” Every year they celebrated Christmas and their wedding anniversary because they married Dec. 24, 1922.

VALERIE BIGGERSTAFF

Their marriage took place at the Dunwoody Methodist Church parsonage, the home of the church minister. The parsonage sat where Dunwoody United Methodist Church is today. The church building was on the other side of Mount Vernon Road. There were only two churches in Dunwoody, the Methodist and Baptist, both small wood buildings.

Myrtice Loyd was born in 1899 and Charlie was born in 1904. He lived most of his life in Dunwoody but lived in Atlanta a few years as a child. Charlie recalled the train trip his family would take to visit his grandparents Calhoun and Mary Jane Copeland Spruill for Christmas.

Charlie Blackburn’s family rode the Air-Line Belle from Atlanta to Chamblee. From there they boarded the engine known as Buck, which was part of the Roswell Railroad. The route of the Roswell Railroad was from Chamblee through Dunwoody and on to the Roswell Depot, just south of the Chattahoochee River.

Grandfather Spruill would meet the family at the Dunwoody Depot. It was usually night when they arrived, and Spruill would carry a lantern to guide everyone to the family home on Chamblee Dunwoody Road, just south of Mount Vernon Road. In later years, Dunwoody School principal Elizabeth Davis and her husband Manget Davis lived in this same house.

Myrtice Loyd was part of a family that also went by the name Lord. Genealogy records found on ancestry. com show that the family is documented as Lord in census and other records. However, the gravestones of Myrtice’ parents bear the name Loyd.

Charlie and Myrtice Blackburn both shared that their Christmas morning presents consisted of an apple or orange and a small toy. Some years there might be a peppermint stick. Only the children received presents. The couple also recalled that there was a Christmas tree at the church in those days, but no one had a tree in their home. The one at the

This 1925 photo includes five generations of Charlie Blackburn’s family. Beginning on the bottom right corner is great grandmother Salina Copeland, bottom left is grandmother Mary Jane Copeland Spruill holding Edward Blackburn (Charlie and Myrtice Blackburn’s son), top left is mother Eliza Spruill Blackburn, and top right is Charlie Blackburn.

church was cut on Christmas Eve and decorated before church that night.

A big dinner was served on Christmas Day, with ham, chicken, homemade cakes and pies. Everything was cooked on a wood-burning stove. Charlie explained how dinner was served at noon, elaborating, “Some highfalootin people call supper dinner, but that’s not right.”

Charlie died in 1984 and Myrtice in 1987. They are both buried in the historic New Hope Cemetery along Chamblee Dunwoody Road just north of Dunwoody Village Parkway.

The next Past Tense will feature more history of the Air-Line Belle and Nancy Hanks engines and their importance for traveling during the holidays, both for visiting family and for shopping in Atlanta. If you have memories of these trains, please share them by email.

Award-winning author Valerie Biggerstaff is a longtime columnist for Appen Media. She lives in Sandy Springs. You can email Valerie at pasttensega@gmail.com or visit her website at pasttensega.com.

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OPINION

The crippling of crypto currency

Is crypto currency a chimera or a true investment?

Per MerriamWebster’s dictionary, one definition of a “chimera” is “an illusion or fabrication of the mind, especially: an unrealizable dream.”

LEWIS J. WALKER, CFP

Webster also defines investment as “the outlay of money usually for income or profit.” Crypto may be both a chimera and an investment. But how wise an investment is crypto?

Crypto is not traditional money which is issued by a national government or central bank, for example, the American dollar. You can carry physical denominations of U.S. dollar currency or fractional coins in your wallet or coin purse. Crypto currency resides in cyberspace. It exists digitally or virtually and is not issued by government entities. The two leading forms of crypto currency measured by market capitalization are bitcoin and ethereum.

Bitcoin, the first crypto creation, is the most well-known. Crypto does not pay interest or dividends. But like a traditional investment, you buy it with hope that ultimately you’ll be able to sell it for a profit.

Like some things new and unregulated, crypto has been hyped in a manner that would make the “wild, wild West” seem relatively tame. The 1881 gunfight at the O.K. Corral in Tombstone, Arizona, resulted in mayhem, death, and injury. That chaotic incident lives in infamy as an example of lawlessness that demanded containment.

The Nov. 11, 2002, sudden Chapter 11 bankruptcy implosion of FTX Trading may go down in history as another example of out-ofcontrol disregard for prudence, the law and public interest. Regulation and oversight is now demanded as criminal investigators, regulators, lawyers and politicians jump into the fray. Luminaries who lauded FTX in commercials are ducking for cover and seeking legal counsel. Billions of dollars are unaccounted for.

Per The Wall Street Journal, FTX, a leading crypto exchange, had $16 billion in funds that customers had placed with the firm for trading purposes. Without the knowledge of investors, FTX lent roughly $8 billion of that to an affiliated firm, Alameda, to fund “risky bets.” A subsequent investor run on FTX caused a classic liquidity squeeze and the destruction of the company.

As a financial advisor with a penchant for eschewing speculators as clients in favor of working with true investors who seek long-term growth of capital while understanding the dynamics of risk, reward, and diversification as a risk management tool, bitcoin and other digital assets hold little appeal. It’s true that bitcoin soared to an all-time high of over $68,000 for a single coin in November 2021, after starting the year at just under $30,000. That kicked off a buying frenzy as even small investors seeking quick returns flooded in. This situation was akin to the recent “meme stock mania” involving names like GameStop, Bed Bath and Beyond, and AMC, whose prices were driven to unrealistic heights by armies of speculators who grouped together on social media platforms. Speculative fever didn’t go well for most who jumped aboard late in either game.

The Journal noted that prior to the FTX debacle, crypto markets lost roughly $2 trillion in market value over the last year. On Nov. 13, 2022, one bitcoin traded at $16,546, facing pressures from rising interest rates as the “Federal Reserve has removed liquidity and markets re-priced financial assets.” So much for crypto “inflation hedge” theories. But the siren song of “quick riches” still lives on the internet. Trading platform Robinhood urges, “There’s no need to buy a whole coin start with as little as $1.” You may buy crypto with a debit card or credit card. Using borrowed money to speculate is overly risky and aggressive.

Firms like FTX are not governed relative to the safety of client assets like well-known independent custodians such as Pershing, Fidelity, Schwab, T.D. Ameritrade, etc.

For example, Pershing, a division of Bank of New York/Mellon, protects securities in a customer’s account up to $500,000 through Securities Investor Protection Corporation (SIPC). Plus, Pershing carries extensive added insurance on client assets through underwriters such as Lloyds of London. Custodians such as those noted and others offer SIPC protection and excess coverage similar to Pershing. Note that insurance does not protect you from the rise and fall in the value of securities due to market volatility. Protection only guards against insolvency or the bankruptcy of the custodian entity. Such safeguards do not exist in cryptoworld.

Independent financial advisors should use independent custodians to house client cash and assets and execute trades. Make sure that account statements come from recognized custodians, not from the advisor directly. Some of the greatest frauds,

Madoff included, came from fake statements generated in-house by the fraudster. Understand what safeguards are in place.

Long-term investment strategies involve diversification. With inflation concerns paramount, “loanership,” a portfolio of cash and bonds, is less likely to provide real long-term returns in excess of inflation and taxation. Nevertheless, such asset classes are germane to liquidity needs and wealth preservation efforts during turbulent periods. Cash is a source of bargain hunting capital when opportunities arise.

For value-oriented conservative investors, a long-run growth-oriented portfolio should encompass equities and real assets with the potential to generate interest, dividends, and and/ or growth, i.e., “real returns in excess of inflation and taxation over time. “Ownership” of growing companies and assets such as dividend paying real estate or other alternative investments form the core of long-term wealthbuilding and wealth-preservation strategies. Because any individual asset or asset class can underperform expectations at any given time, diversification counts.

Crypto as a prudent investment? The jury is still out.

Lewis Walker, CFP®, is a life centered financial planning strategist with Capital Insight Group; 770-441-3553; lewis@capitalinsightgrp.com. Securities & advisory services offered through The Strategic Financial Alliance, Inc. (SFA). Lewis is a registered representative and investment adviser representative of SFA, otherwise unaffiliated with Capital Insight Group. He’s a Gallup Certified Clifton Strengths Coach and Certified Exit Planning Advisor (CEPA).

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DEATH NOTICES

Stanley Beck, 74, of Milton, passed away on December 3, 2022. Arrangements by Northside Chapel Funeral Directors & Crematory.

Patricia Black, 81, of Johns Creek, passed away December 3, 2022. Arrangements by Northside Chapel Funeral Directors & Crematory.

THE

PENN Books and bookshops and writers, oh my!

What is it about books about bookshops? Or books? No, not all of them are engaging, witty, and informative, but these three are.

“The Mayfair Bookshop” by Eliza Knight

This is the second book I’ve read that shifts between the story of Nancy Mitford and that of a modern-day character who is visiting the Heywood Hill bookshop in London where Nancy worked during WW II. The first was “The Bookseller’s Secret.”

This time, curator Lucy St. Clair is in search of books for a client’s library and is also seeking the answer to a family mystery involving Nancy Mitford.

This book added additional detail to what I’d learned about Mitford’s life in the earlier book, and I was fascinated by all of it. The two tales are carefully intertwined and the mystery is satisfactorily resolved. All in all, a delightful read, one I highly recommend.

Bernice Elrod, 79, of Milton, passed away December 2, 2022. Arrangements by Northside Chapel Funeral Directors & Crematory.

Herbert Mueller, 65, of Alpharetta, passed away November 30, 2022. Arrangements by Northside Chapel Funeral Directors & Crematory.

“The

Lost for Words Bookshop” by Stephanie Butland

Another book set in a bookshop? Of course, I loved it. Yes, I reveled in the books mentioned, but I was also fascinated by the main characters: Loveday, Nathan, and Archie. Loveday, whose story it is, has worked in the Lost for Words bookshop for six years. It is a refuge, a hideaway, and her world is books, so much so that she has first lines of novels she loves tattoed on her skin. The tale of how she emerges from her shell drew me in. The why behind her pesonality, her need not to engage with others, is slowly revealed. Ultimately it is a story of love and loss, not only in the romantic sense, but in the family sense. I predict you’ll find yourself rooting for Loveday, Nathan, and Archie as I did. I tried to savor the book, but instead I stayed up late several nights because I couldn’t put it down.

“The Bar Harbor Retirement Home for Famous Writers (and Their Muses)” by Terri-Lynne DeFino

I loved this book for its tale of writers, the writing process, and more! I expected it to be a cozy mystery, perhaps along the lines of the “Thursday Murder Club.” Silly for me to think one retirement home

would be like another. A cozy mystery it is not! If you don’t care for sex and cursing, this is not the book for you, but if you want a view into writers’ lives, you’ll be fascinated. It’s a “ ... whimsical, moving novel about a retirement home for literary legends who spar, conjure up new stories, and almost magically change the lives of the people around them.” As an author, I treasured insights into the writing process. When one writer comments, “You made him Polish?” and hears back, “It just happened. Surprised the hell out of me too,” I laughed aloud. It confirmed for me that I’m not the only one who doesn’t always know where my work is headed. Things DO just spring to mind. It’s a beautifully written story that has stayed with me even as I’ve begun another book. I highly recommend it.

Now, I must turn my attention to writing my next book. I wonder what surprises my characters will have in store for me as the story unfolds.

Award-winning author Kathy Manos Penn is a Sandy Springs resident. Find her cozy mysteries locally at The Enchanted Forest in Dunwoody and Bookmiser in East Cobb or on Amazon. Contact her at inkpenn119@ gmail.com, and follow her on Facebook, www. facebook.com/KathyManosPennAuthor/.

John Nemesh, 92, of Roswell, passed away on December 5, 2022. Arrangements by Northside Chapel Funeral Directors & Crematory.

Domonique Williams, 41, of Roswell, passed away December 2, 2022. Arrangements by Northside Chapel Funeral Directors & Crematory.

GEORGIA DEPARTMENT

OF TRANSPORTATION

A LOCATION AND DESIGN PUBLIC INFORMATION OPEN HOUSE

For P.I. No. 0016582

Fulton County

The Georgia Department of Transportation (DOT) is placing project information for review and feedback into an internet platform to allow citizens to review and comment on the proposed project. We appreciate your participation in this process.

Georgia DOT has posted information at https://www.dot.ga.gov/GDOT/Pages/ PublicOutreach.aspx related to the proposed bridge replacement at City Street (CS) 34/Freemanville Road at Cooper Sandy Creek.

This project proposes to replace the existing bridge (GDOT Bridge ID# 121-51230) carrying CS 34/Freemanville Road bridge over Cooper Sandy Creek, 1.75 miles north of the City of Alpharetta limits. The existing bridge consists of two 9-foot lanes. The proposed bridge would widen the lanes to two 12-foot lanes. The bridge would be replaced on existing alignment and would require a 4.3-mile offsite detour during construction.

The purpose of this internet posting is to replace an in-person meeting, while allowing the public to review the proposed project, provide feedback, or write in with questions.

Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Information: To request materials in accessible formats for people with disabilities contact the District Planning and Programing Liaison Joshua Higgins at johiggins@dot.ga.gov, or (770) 216-3896.

Comments will be accepted concerning this project until January 27, 2023. Written statements may be submitted to:

Mr. Eric Duff

State Environmental Administrator Georgia Department of Transportation 600 West Peachtree Street, NW – 16th Floor Atlanta, Georgia 30308

CITY OF MILTON PUBLIC NOTICE

PH-22-AB-15

PLACE

CITY HALL 2006 HERITAGE WALK MILTON, GA 30004

DATE & TIME: 12/19/22 6:00 PM

PURPOSE: Chapter 4 On-Premises Sunday Sales

APPLICANT:

Milton Brewing LLC dba Six Bridges Brewing & Craft Spirits 1850 Heritage Walk Milton, Georgia 30004 Amy Haygood, Contact 678-404-5095

CITY OF MILTON PUBLIC NOTICE

PH-22-AB-16

PLACE

CITY HALL 2006 HERITAGE WALK MILTON, GA 30004

DATE & TIME: 12/19/22 6:00 PM

PURPOSE: Chapter 4 On-Premises Sunday Sales

APPLICANT: AKP Butcher’s LLC dba New York Butcher Shoppe & Wine Bar 12635 Crabapple Road, Suite 120 Milton, Georgia 30004 Kelly Persichetti, Contact 404-709-0398

CITY OF MILTON PUBLIC NOTICE

PH-22-AB-18

PLACE

CITY HALL 2006 HERITAGE WALK MILTON, GA 30004

DATE & TIME: 12/19/22 6:00 PM

PURPOSE: Chapter 4 Consumption on Premises Wine, Malt Beverages, and Sunday Sales

APPLICANT: Milton YP LLC d/b/a Your Pie Milton 2955 Bethany Bend,Suite 309 Milton, Georgia 30004 Kaushal Desai, Contact 734-277-1417

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covers the most noteworthy updates to the legislative session of Georgia’s House of Representatives and State Senate.

Brian Iroff GIA Graduate Gemologist