O c t o b e r 2 2 , 2 0 2 6 | 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 2 1 , N o . 4 3
Wanderlust Food Truck Fest opens Milton season By ERLANDRYA RUTLEDGE erlandrya@appenmedia.com MILTON, Ga. — The Wanderlust Food Truck Fest opened its 2026 season in Milton Oct. 15. Four more editions are planned in Crabapple through midDecember. The next event is Oct. 29, followed by Nov. 12, Dec. 3 and Dec. 10. Each will return to the same two Crabapple locations with a new lineup of trucks. The season opener brought more than a dozen food trucks to the two sites. The “East Side,” in the Market District Crabapple parking lot, had live music. The “West Side,” in the gravel area behind Crabapple Market, sat near the Green, where cornhole was set up. Admission is free, and visitors pay vendors for what they order.
HANNAH YAHNE/APPEN MEDIA
Children gather in front of a Milton Fire-Rescue Department fire truck at the 2025 Carvin’ in Crabapple festival at Broadwell Pavilion.
Your guide to fall fun By HANNAH YAHNE hannah@appenmedia.com COURTESY CITY OF MILTON
The Wanderlust Food Truck Fest brought more than a dozen food trucks to Milton’s Crabapple area Oct. 15. Additional food truck fests are planned through December.
ALPHARETTA, Ga. — Trunk-or-treats, costume contests and a goat pumpkineating contest are among the fall events planned across north Fulton County and Dunwoody through Nov. 1.
Milton Carvin’ in Crabapple, Saturday, Oct. 24, 4-7 p.m., Broadwell Pavilion, 12615 Broadwell Road. Bring your own pumpkin. Carving and painting tools are provided, along with face painting, games and inflatables. The Milton Police Department’s Trunk-or-Treat runs at the same time.
Alpharetta Trick-or-Treating at Avalon, Saturday, Oct. 24, 10 a.m. to noon, rain or shine. There will be candy and activities, plus a Rhythm n’ Shoes dance show at noon.
See EVENTS, Page 25
2 | October 22, 2026 | Milton Herald | AppenMedia.com/Milton
770-442-3278 AppenMedia.com 319 N. Main Street Alpharetta, GA 30009 HANS APPEN Publisher RAY APPEN Publisher Emeritus CONTACT NEWS TIPS Contact reporters directly or send story ideas to newsroom@appenmedia.com. LETTERS, EVENTS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS Send your letters, events and community news to newsroom@appenmedia.com. See appenmedia.com/submit for more guidance. ADVERTISING For information about advertising in the Milton Herald or other Appen Media properties, email advertising@ appenmedia.com or call 770-442-3278. CIRCULATION To start, pause or stop delivery of this newspaper, email circulation@appenmedia.com or call 770-442-3278.
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Sandy Springs police arrest 4 in human trafficking sting By JOSHUA WILSON and HANNAH YAHNE joshua@appenmedia.com hannah@appenmedia.com SANDY SPRINGS, Ga. — Sandy Springs police arrested four people during an Oct. 7-8 human trafficking operation at Morgan Falls Overlook Park and along Hammond Drive, the department announced Oct. 9. Police said the operation targeted people involved in sexual exploitation and related crimes. It ended with an adult trafficking victim rescued and three children placed in protective custody, according to a news release posted to the department’s social media. Eric Dejuan Lightfoot was charged with trafficking a person for sexual servitude. James Brandon Bell was charged with pimping. Na’kaya Delzora Jones was charged with prostitution, making false statements and three counts of seconddegree cruelty to children. Tamera La’Shay Brasby was charged with solicitation for an illicit sexual act. Records said Lightfoot, who has a
DEAN HESSE/APPEN MEDIA
Memphis address, was booked into the Fulton County Jail on Rice Street Oct. 8. Bell, who has an Atlanta address, and Jones, who has an Austell address, were booked into the Rice Street jail Oct. 9. The county’s online inmate search tool did not show ages for any of those defendants. According to the county, Bell was released on a $2,500 surety bond Oct. 11. Jones was released Oct. 11 without posting a cash bond. Brasby, according to the police department, was taken to the Fulton County Jail’s North Annex in Alpharetta.
Jail records for her were not available as of Oct. 11. The department’s release did not say how the three children were connected to the case or which agency now has custody of them. “The charges resulting from this operation highlight the serious nature of human trafficking and crimes involving children,” the release said. The department said it “remains committed to thoroughly investigating these offenses, protecting vulnerable individuals, and ensuring those responsible are held accountable through the criminal justice system.” The department confirmed Oct. 10 the operation was the active investigation that Sandy Springs resident Marrón Bridges walked onto Oct. 7 at Morgan Falls Overlook Park. Bridges, who posted videos of the encounter to Instagram, says officers racially profiled her. She has filed a complaint with the department, which says it is reviewing the encounter. Police have not accused Bridges of any wrongdoing.
Police say profiling claim came amid trafficking operation By JOSHUA WILSON joshua@appenmedia.com SANDY SPRINGS, Ga. — Sandy Springs police say a resident who accused officers of racially profiling her Oct. 7 at Morgan Falls Overlook Park had walked onto the scene of a human trafficking operation that led to four arrests. Marrón Bridges, a Black woman, recorded videos at the park and posted them to her Instagram account. They show a white male police officer following her, asking her to identify
herself and then telling her to leave the park. Her account has more than 50,000 followers, and the videos have received hundreds of thousands of views. Bridges later said she filed a formal complaint with the department. In a video posted Oct. 9 to the department’s social media pages, Sgt. Giovanni Gomez, the department’s public information officer, said the department is aware of the incident and that officials are reviewing it. Gomez said Bridges had walked onto
the scene of an active investigation, but he did not specify that the encounter occurred during the trafficking investigation. On Oct. 10, police confirmed it was the Oct. 7-8 human trafficking operation in which officers arrested four people at Morgan Falls Overlook Park and along Hammond Drive. Police have not accused Bridges of any wrongdoing. Gomez referred people to the department’s social media channels for updates.
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AppenMedia.com/Milton | Milton Herald | October 22, 2026 | 3
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4 | October 22, 2026 | Milton Herald | AppenMedia.com/Milton
Hurley top American woman in record Chicago Marathon debut By ANNABELLE REITER annabelle@appenmedia.com
KEVIN R. MORRIS/PROVIDED
Roswell native Emma Grace Hurley races toward the finish line at the Chicago Marathon Oct. 11. The Fellowship Christian School graduate finished in 2:20:47, the fastest marathon debut by an American woman.
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CHICAGO — Roswell native Emma Grace Hurley finished seventh overall and was the top American at the Chicago Marathon, crossing the finish line in 2:20:47. Shattering the record for fastest American marathon debut, Hurley made the fastest marathon performance by an American woman since the 2024 Paris Olympics. And it was her first time running more than 22 miles at once. “I am so proud of my performance today and returning to Chicago is a full-circle moment for me,” Hurley said. “This morning was a reminder to never limit what you think you’re capable of on race day.” Hurley came to Chicago to tackle a new challenge, returning to the city where she broke the American 8K record at the Shamrock Shuffle in March. Before the race, she said she was coming back with a lot more confidence and a lot less fear. The 2016 Fellowship Christian graduate now runs for ASICS and made her marathon debut in a prototype of the company’s Metaspeed Edge. After college, though, she didn’t see a professional career ahead of her. Despite winning a conference title in the 3K, she had never earned All-American honors. After graduating from Furman University, Hurley quit training “cold turkey” for 16 months. Everything changed when she connected with the Atlanta Track Club and coaches Amy and Andrew Begley, who persuaded her to compete in USA Track & Field races. USATF is based in Indianapolis, and Hurley moved
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AppenMedia.com/Milton | Milton Herald | October 22, 2026 | 5
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© 2026 Sotheby’s International Realty. All Rights Reserved. Sotheby’s International Realty® is a registered trademark and used with permission. Each Sotheby’s International Realty office is independently owned and operated, except those operated by Sotheby’s International Realty, Inc. The Sotheby’s International Realty network fully supports the principles of the Fair Housing Act and the Equal Opportunity Act. 8000 Avalon Boulevard, Suite 800, Alpharetta, Georgia 30009. *Rate shown (4.5%) is available only to well-qualified borrowers and assumes a minimum 760 FICO credit score and qualifying banking relationship balances of $100,000 or more. Rates, APR, terms, and program availability are subject to change without notice. Additional eligibility requirements, including income, assets, reserves, loan amount, occupancy, loan-to-value ratio, and underwriting approval apply. Not all borrowers will qualify. The interest rate is fixed for the first seven (7) years and may adjust periodically thereafter according to the terms of the loan, which may result in higher monthly payments. This is not a commitment to lend. Equal Housing Lender. Member FDIC.
6 | October 22, 2026 | Milton Herald | AppenMedia.com/Milton
NEWS
Develop Fulton launches free AI training pilot for residents By HANNAH YAHNE hannah@appenmedia.com FULTON COUNTY, Ga. — Develop Fulton has launched AI Ready Georgia, a seven-month pilot program that will provide at least 500 Fulton County residents with access to artificial intelligence training sessions and certification pathways. Develop Fulton is Fulton County’s development authority. The agency invested $97,500 in the pilot, which aims to strengthen residents’ AI literacy and workforce preparedness and the county’s economic competitiveness. The program is administered by the Enterprise Technology Association and is free for participants. To request access, visit joineta.org/ai-ready-fultoncounty. “Becoming an AI-ready region means ensuring Fulton County has the people, skills and infrastructure needed to compete in an increasingly technologydriven economy,” said Develop Fulton Board Chair Kwanza Hall. “This investment is about
moving from conversation and conceptualization to real action to build real skills. By helping residents and public sector professionals understand and apply AI responsibly, Fulton County can help lead Georgia into the next era of economic growth.” The pilot program will offer three certification pathways, each tailored to participants at different stages of their AI learning. The first pathway is AI Explorer, which teaches fundamentals and responsible use. The second, AI Empowered Professional, focuses on practical applications of AI across business functions, and the third, AI Empowered Leader, teaches AI strategy, implementation and governance. The program offers online and in-person training options. Participation is open to Fulton County residents, small business owners, nonprofit organization professionals, individuals in career transitions and employees from the county’s municipalities. If the county’s pilot program is successful, officials say they hope to take the program statewide.
DEVELOP FULTON/PROVIDED
From left, Select Fulton Director Samir Abdullahi, Alpharetta Mayor Jim Gilvin, South Fulton Mayor Carmalitha Gumbs and Develop Fulton Board Chair Kwanza Hall take part in a panel discussion on artificial intelligence and power infrastructure in early October.
AppenMedia.com/Milton | Milton Herald | October 22, 2026 | 7
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Forsyth resident launches podcast about vision loss
“I wish there were more options for public transportation. They have Access Forsyth, but it’s not convenient,” Roach said. Access Forsyth requires rides to be scheduled in advance, making it difficult to accommodate last-minute plans. Roach would also like to see more accessibility features downtown, such as audible pedestrian signals. The podcast idea grew out of Roach’s own experience with isolation. During a trip to Michigan to receive a new guide dog through Leader Dogs for the Blind,
she connected with others who understood her experiences. “I found that being around people who I didn’t have to explain my vision impairment to, who were in a similar situation as I was, was very freeing for me,” Roach said. “To share my story with people was important, and I wanted to give other people a way to share their story and to know that they weren’t alone.” Roach said the podcast helps people feel accepted and understood through shared experiences rather than focusing
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KATHERINE DAVIS/APPEN MEDIA
Charity Roach poses for a portrait in her home studio in Cumming, Georgia, on Monday, Oct. 5, 2026. Roach, with her co-host Austin Linton, launched a podast in August about living with visual impairment.
erfi el
CUMMING, Ga. — For people living with vision loss, everyday life can become isolating. Charity Roach, a Cumming resident who has spent decades living with vision loss, hopes to change that through her new podcast, “Central Vision Podcast.” Roach co-hosts the weekly podcast with Austin Linton, who has Usher syndrome, a condition that includes vision loss and congenital hearing loss. Together, they discuss topics ranging from mental health to parenting. Roach also hopes to bring that same sense of connection to Forsyth County by organizing a community group for visually impaired residents. Roach was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa, a genetic condition that gradually affects peripheral vision, in her early 20s. At that time, she still had about 40 to 50 degrees of vision. Today, she has just 3 to 4 degrees of central vision remaining, which inspired the podcast’s name. “First it’s like looking through a toilet paper roll or a paper towel roll,” Roach said, describing what she sees. “Then it becomes looking through a McDonald’s straw, and I would say mine is like a coffee straw.” Originally from Bay City, Michigan, Roach moved to Cumming in March 2017. She said she has had positive experiences with other residents and has never been denied service because of her guide dog. However, getting around Forsyth County independently remains difficult. Since she no longer drives, she coordinates rides with her husband, friends and youngest daughter.
primarily on education or advocacy. She also hopes the podcast helps sighted listeners and caregivers better understand how to offer assistance and understand what kind of help visually impaired people want and don’t want. “It feels really nice to know that you’re not alone and that is exactly what their podcast does for me,” said Stephanie Fineout, a listener and past guest on the podcast. “It’s just listening to two people talk about things that really hit home for me and they help.” Fineout, who also has Retinitis Pigmentosa, lives in Louisiana but is friends with Austin Linton through Facebook. After listening to the first episode of “Central Vision Podcast,” she reached out and became friends with Roach. Fineout says she listens to every episode and takes away something new from each one. “You start to realize that you really can have an absolutely full life and I’ve always kind of known that, but it really does help to see that there are other people out there that are visually impaired really living their lives and to the absolute fullest,” Finout said. Now, Roach hopes to create a similar connection in Forsyth County through an informal gathering where visually impaired residents can share experiences and enjoy one another’s company. She is still working out the logistics but hopes to start meeting after the new year. Roach also encourages people experiencing vision loss to seek resources such as cane training or assistive technology to help them maintain their independence. “It’ll take time. It’ll take effort, and it can be a little scary, but it’s well worth it in the end,” Roach said.
De
By KATHERINE DAVIS newsroom@appenmedia.com
AppenMedia.com/Milton | Milton Herald | October 22, 2026 | 9
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Compass is a licensed real estate broker and abides by Equal Housing Opportunity laws. All material presented herein is intended for informational purposes only. Information is compiled from sources deemed reliable but is subject to errors, omissions, changes in price, condition, sale, or withdrawal without notice. No statement is made as to the accuracy of any description. All measurements and square footages are approximate. This is not intended to solicit property already listed. Nothing herein shall be construed as legal, accounting or other professional advice outside the realm of real estate brokerage. Rules & Exclusions apply. Compass offers no guarantee or warranty of results. Subject to additional terms and conditions.
NEWS
10 | October 22, 2026 | Milton Herald | AppenMedia.com/Milton
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Johns Creek expects modest traffic increase as Medley opens By JON WILCOX jon@appenmedia.com JOHNS CREEK, Ga. — The Medley mixeduse development has some residents worried about its impact on nearby traffic, but city officials say they expect a marginal increase that should be mitigated by traffic infrastructure projects in the area. A traffic study suggests delays could be considerably worse without improvements planned and proposed at roadways and intersections in the near future. “It’s going to be a slight bump,” said Chris Haggard, assistant city manager. Set to open its first phase Oct. 29, Medley promises to bring 64,000 square feet of walkable retail, restaurant and entertainment space to 43 acres at the corner of McGinnis Ferry Road and Johns Creek Parkway. The development also includes 110,000 square feet of office space, 748 rental homes, 133 for-purchase townhomes and a 25,000-square-foot plaza. In conjunction with the recently completed Boardwalk, the project is part of the city’s vision for a walkable Town Center district near City Hall. City officials point to a traffic study
submitted in 2022 in assessing how the project may increase delays on nearby roadways and larger thoroughfares in the area. Prepared by Kimley-Horn and Associates, the study analyzes current and projected levels of service, entry points to the mixed-use center, future roadway improvements and other aspects. The study shows a modest increase in traffic delays associated with the development when road improvements are taken into account. Intersections examined include Medlock Bridge Road at Johns Creek Parkway, McGinnis Ferry Road at Lakefield Drive and McGinnis Ferry Road at Johns Creek Parkway. With improvements to roadways, wait times at those intersections are expected to be relatively small during a.m. and p.m. hours. Without the improvements, the study projects average westbound morning delays at Medlock Bridge Road and Johns Creek Parkway could increase from 186 seconds without Medley to 277 seconds with the development.
See MEDLEY, Page 25
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Traffic backs up at the intersection of Medlock Bridge and McGinnis Ferry roads on an afternoon in early October. A 2022 traffic study projects the Medley development will add only modestly to delays in the area if planned road improvements are completed.
AppenMedia.com/Milton | Milton Herald | October 22, 2026 | 11
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12 | October 22, 2026 | Milton Herald | AppenMedia.com/Milton
NEWS
Johns Creek Symphony enters 20th season with new executive By JOSHUA WILSON joshua@appenmedia.com JOHNS CREEK, Ga. — The Johns Creek Symphony Orchestra’s new executive director spent nearly 40 years in telecommunications, teaches electrical engineering at Kennesaw State University and has played viola since he was young. He has also played guitar in a Wisconsin bar band called Severance Package. The orchestra announced Monday that Greg Selig will run the nonprofit organization as it marks its 20th season. Music Director Henry Cheng oversees the music itself. Selig holds electrical engineering degrees from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and Northwestern University. He held engineering and executive roles at global cellular technology companies before moving to metro Atlanta from the Chicago area in 2011. He has also served as president of nonprofit orchestra boards and studied music in Chicago and at Lawrence University in Wisconsin. Board President Peter Hildebrandt said Selig pairs leadership experience with “a genuine love of music.” “Greg brings an exceptional blend
of leadership experience, organizational vision and a genuine love of music,” he added. “As we celebrate 20 seasons of bringing exceptional music to our community, we are excited about the perspective and energy he will bring to JCSO and the opportunities ahead.” The anniversary season, titled “Becoming,” includes five concerts in Johns Creek and nearby communities. The season opened with an outdoor pops concert Oct. 3 at Newtown Park and continued with “Taking Flight,” featuring works by Tchaikovsky and Stravinsky, Oct. 9 at the Sandy Springs Performing Arts Center. The remaining concerts include an exploration of the intersection of music and technology at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 14 at LOOP in Atlanta; a holiday pops show at 4:30 p.m. Dec. 5 at Innovation Academy in Alpharetta; and “Music as Healing,” which pairs Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony with a world premiere by composer Mahlon Berv, at 7:30 p.m. April 10 at Johns Creek Baptist Church. Music Director Emeritus J. Wayne Baughman founded the orchestra, and its players are professional musicians from across the metro. For tickets and more information, visit johnscreeksymphony.org.
COURTESY JOHNS CREEK SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
Greg Selig, a lifelong violist and electrical engineering professor at Kennesaw State University, is the new executive director of the Johns Creek Symphony Orchestra.
AppenMedia.com/Milton | Milton Herald | October 22, 2026 | 13
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Bring You.Y.O.P r Own Pu mpkin
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Saturday, October 24 from 4-7 p.m.
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Don't forget to B.Y.O.P. (Bring Your Own Pumpkin)!
We’ve got all the carving and painting tools you need to create the spookiest or silliest jack o’lantern for Halloween. But the fun doesn’t stop there! Milton Police are hosting a Trunk-or-Treat across the street, so bring your Trick-or-Treat bags and snag some candy. Plus, join in the costume contest for extra fun and prizes! Once your pumpkin masterpiece is done, stick around for crafts, games, face painting, food trucks, inflatables, and so much more! Make Carvin’ in Crabapple a part of your Halloween tradition –
we can’t wait to celebrate with you!
14 | October 22, 2026 | Milton Herald | AppenMedia.com/Milton
COMMUNITY
HANNAH YAHNE/APPEN MEDIA
Students in one of art teacher Emma Grace Avery’s three fifth-grade classes at Medlock Bridge Elementary School pose with their portraits of dogs available for adoption at Furkids, a nonprofit no-kill shelter.
Students draw shelter dogs to help them find forever homes By HANNAH YAHNE hannah@appenmedia.com JOHNS CREEK, Ga. — Medlock Bridge Elementary School art teacher Emma Grace Avery knew she wanted to give her fifth-grade students a memorable class project before they went to middle school. “To show them, before they go to middle school, that they could make an impact with their art was really important to me,” Avery said. Avery’s three fifth-grade classes got to work drawing portraits of dogs available for adoption at Furkids, an Atlanta nonprofit organization operating the largest cage-free, no-kill shelter for dogs and cats in the Southeast. Close to 90 students completed pencil drawings of dogs, capturing their likenesses and personalities. They learned about color emphasis, the difference between positive and negative space, and how to make a drawing look three-dimensional. “These kids don’t realize it, but they are artists already,” Avery said. “I’m just kind of waking up that skill inside of them.” Students’ final pieces were displayed at an Oct. 1 art show at Johns Creek Books so parents and Furkids volunteers could appreciate their work. Students could draw or outline their dogs’ pictures with markers and were able to include accessories like sunglasses. Student Gianmarco Vitulli drew a dog wearing a bandanna and a T-shirt. “The dog project is really cool,” Vitulli said.
Students Anna Stoja and Ellie Amideo worked on their portraits for three weeks. Stoja said they used different shading techniques, like using a dull pencil to make shading darker or dabbing with an eraser to blend shades. It is Avery’s first year teaching with Fulton County Schools. Her mother held the same teaching position there for 30 years. Avery also attended the school. Principal Matt Vance said Avery has always been someone to think differently about how she can expand lessons outside of her classroom. “Anytime our kids can do something that has a real impact on the world, we love to see that,” Vance said. Avery said it has been “heartwarming” to see the kids realize they have the power to make a difference. “When I came here to Fulton County … I wanted to see how I could make an impact in the community and show students that they can make an impact with their art,” Avery said. Cynthia Bueno, volunteer coordinator with Furkids, said the organization was “very excited” when Avery called about the project. She said community involvement is “incredibly important to our mission.” “Projects like this help our dogs gain visibility, connect with potential adopters and teach children compassion for animals,” Bueno said. Multiple dogs drawn as part of the project have already been adopted. The dogs’ portraits will be scanned and uploaded to their profiles at furkids.org.
EMMA GRACE AVERY/PROVIDED
Medlock Bridge Elementary School fifth grader Samik Shah smiles beside his dog portrait at an Oct. 1 art show at Johns Creek Books.
AppenMedia.com/Milton | Milton Herald | October 22, 2026 | 15
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AppenMedia.com/Milton | Milton Herald | October 22, 2026 | 17
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18 | October 22, 2026 | Milton Herald | AppenMedia.com/Milton
PRESERVING THE PAST
OPINION
A story of three brothers — growing up on a north Fulton farm Brothers Phil, John and Tim Worley grew up on a farm in north Fulton. Although their parents owned only about one acre, they rented and farmed land at various locations. They rented about BOB MEYERS 25 acres on Hembree Columnist Road in Roswell owned by Eula Hembree Maffett (1895-1987). The property was later owned by well-known farmer Earl Mansell and included a barn, corncribs and several sheds used for hay storage and an old chicken house. They also rented 15 to 20 acres on Elkins Road from a Roswell businessman they knew as Mr. Troutman and an additional 20 acres where the Alpharetta city-owned Old Rucker Farm Park is today on Rucker Road. The boys’ grandfather Fred C. Worley (1892-1971) grew corn and raised chickens north of Canton on the Etowah River. He had been a sharecropper but was able to purchase a small farm. His wife, Annie Lou Cline (1894-1991), was from Waleska near Reinhardt College. The boys’ parents were Charles Wesley Worley (1928-2011) and Mary Alice Wright Worley (1928-2014). Each of them had day jobs and came home every evening to work on the farm. Charles worked for the Mullen Box Company in Roswell, maker of corrugated packaging. Mary worked for the Seating Company in Roswell for 50 years. The company made furniture for churches. Son Tim also worked there for eight years as a young man. “In those days we could drive tractors from our house on Hembree Road to Crabapple and see only one or two cars on the road,” Tim says. The three brothers attended Milton High School. Phil and John served as presidents of Milton High School’s Future Farmers of America chapter in the late 1960s. Tim, the youngest of the three, looked forward to joining the FFA; however, the school closed the program in 1970-71 just before Tim started school. “I was very disappointed,” he says. However, Tim was a member of the 4-H Club from fourth through ninth grade. Each member specialized in a subject. Tim’s specialty was entomology. Members competed by making presentations to a panel of county agents and other county officials. Their parents always supported the boys’ farm projects. Tim says, “My brothers grew the farming business and I worked into it. It was a team effort. Our parents were not wealthy, and they sacrificed everything for their boys.” When John and Phil were about 12 or
From left, brothers John, Phil and Tim Worley and their father, Charles, in 1965 on their annual vacation, this time to Ruby Falls and Rock City in Tennessee.
IMAGES PROVIDED TO APPEN MEDIA
Phil Worley at the Southeastern Fair at the Lakewood Fairgrounds in 1963, where his pig won the Grand Champion Boar award, the highest honor given to a boar at agricultural competitions. The Southeastern Fair was a major annual event in the lives of the Worley boys. 13, they began working to earn money. John recalls, “Our first job was yard work at 75 cents an hour which we had to divide. We were so small that the property owner said, ‘You look like one person.’” Tim says, “My brothers raised their first crop of corn with a mule which they used to plow, plant and harvest the corn. They borrowed the field, the mule and plow from Clarence Thompson, owner of a small grocery store on Main Street in Alpharetta. The experience was enough for them to know that was not what they wanted to do.” When Phil turned 15, he bought a 1949 John Deere Model M tractor, allowing the boys to raise a large corn crop to make hog feed. The boys did a lot of work for Earl Mansell when they were in high school, hauling
hay and tossing it into a hayloft. They worked for Mansell and others for about 10 years. The brothers grew feed crops and had them milled at Shaws Feed Mill across the street from the Green Lawn Cemetery in Roswell. Around 1962, they started a cattle business. Jake Hughes (1898-1987), a prominent farmer, entrepreneur, transportation pioneer and landowner in Crabapple and Alpharetta, let the boys use some of his extensive land holdings to start their hay business where the entrance to the North Farm community in Crabapple is today. (I wrote a column about Jake Hughes in 2023.) “We grew good-quality Coastal Bermuda hay which was sought after by the area’s growing horse industry. They
preferred Bermuda for its high protein content. Fescue was the most common then for cattle,” Tim says. The boys’ great-uncle Jim Watkins owned a dairy between Ball Ground and Canton on old Highway 5. He sold two calves to John and Phil. Tim says, “Dad offered his car to pick them up. He had to remove the last seat in his Chevy Impala to carry the baby calves. It was pretty messy by the time they got home.” John, who retired in 2018, was a professor of agricultural engineering at the University of Georgia Extension Service for 25 years. County agents depended on him if there were engineering issues involving farm operations. Phil, also retired, was superintendent of the University of Georgia Experiment Station at Calhoun for about 25 years and eventually became superintendent of three farms that were part of the experimental stations in northwest Georgia. Phil administered the 4-H program when he was an assistant county agent in Gwinnett County. He recalls, “I lived in a sheep barn at UGA for three years. I shared the barn with one other student and 100 sheep. We didn’t have far to go when the ewes were lambing.” Tim is retired and a serious student of local history. He attended technical schools and worked for Reynolds and Reynolds, an automotive computer company, for 29 years. The boys are still close. Their stories of life on the farm are total history, because rural life is very different today.
AppenMedia.com/Milton | Milton Herald | October 22, 2026 | 19
20 | October 22, 2026 | Milton Herald | AppenMedia.com/Milton
GET OUTSIDE GEORGIA
OPINION
Telling it like you want it to be Ahh. It’s election time, and (coincidentally) fall is here at last. Can fall fishing be far behind? There’s that hint of crispness in the air (which refreshes me!) and interminable political ads on the STEVE HUDSON TV (which give me Columnist indigestion). OK, let’s cut to the chase: I hate those ads. They are almost universally of the he-said-she-said variety, mean-spirited and jaggedly biting and all the rest of those things that folks of a more civilized ilk forswore back in second grade. But there’s nowhere else to go. So I listen to the talking heads, hearing the charges and counter-charges, wondering where they were when their mommas were trying to teach them how to behave in a nominally civilized world. Those are not happy people, I say to myself as yet another one winds up and makes the pitch. I realize that I wouldn’t invite a single one of ’em to go fishing with me. Life’s too short to hang out with people who bring you down, and that seems to be the thrust of so many of the ads — not to inform or educate or help me decide important things in reasoned ways, but rather to inflame and polarize and incite disjointedness when positivity might be what we need instead. Inevitably, I wonder: What makes them think I want them running my world? And there’s that other question too. Where’s the truth? What’s real? I was talking recently with someone near and dear to me. We were talking politics (not a good idea sometimes), and my conversational companion had just made a statement that was so far from reality that even that second grader would have known. Being of the journalistic persuasion, I called foul. The response was disturbing. “Those may be your facts,” I was told in no uncertain terms. “But I have my own facts.” And that was that, and ne’er the twain shall meet. So, again, what’s real? I’ll tell you what’s real. What’s real is fishing. What’s real is the little bass I tangled with last week on Talking Rock Creek. The afternoon had opened up, so my buddy Marty and I took a couple of hours and made the short drive up to the town of Talking Rock. It’s a neat little town just
STEVE HUDSON/APPEN MEDIA
My buddy Marty tries his luck in the waters of Talking Rock Creek, which flows beside a small park in the town of Talking Rock. It’s a beautiful place to explore on a fine fall day. off Interstate 575, and (icing on the cake) it boasts a creek (Talking Rock Creek), which flows along right beside a public park. No fisherman could ask for more. How would it be? We were going to find out. “I think,” I said to Marty, “that this is going to be good.” That at least is how I wanted it to be. The creek was flowing low and clear, and the fish can see you coming a mile away. That’s tough. But now and then, if you’re careful, and if the light falls just right, you can ease up on a likely spot and make a cast. So I did just that, offering a tiny little pink spider I call the Gracie Bug (after granddaughter Gracie, who picked the color). The little fly landed softly and began drifting down the run, bouncing on the riffles in the fast water at the head of the pool and then slowing as the water deepened. That deep water was the target. If there were fish here, I knew, that’s where they’d be — there unseen in the deep places, tucked up close to the rocks, waiting for something interesting to float along. The bug drifted on — and then there was a splash as something came up from the depths and grabbed the Gracie Bug and took off across the pool. I set the hook, and a few minutes later I cradled
a small Talking Rock Creek bass in my hand. I thanked the fish. That’s what we do, you know. The fish said, “Any time!” and with a flick of its tail slipped from my palm and returned to its refuge among the rocks. I kind of envied the fish. It would not have to put up with any political ads that night. It would not have to worry about what’s real and what’s illusion, would not have to be bothered by raging rhetoric and baffled by the task of figuring out what’s truth and what is, well, not just lies but dam’ lies. In these days of confused situations (another song reference there — did you catch the others?), it becomes so important to divine fact from fabrication. How do you do that? One way is the way this paper does it — through careful research, hard questions, unfettered investigation — through quality reporting, in other words. There is still some of that out there, and you can be a part of it through the Appen Press Club. When you join, you’re making a contribution to the future health of solid reporting. The dollars go straight to funding the quality local journalism for which Appen Media’s various news outlets are known. Check it out at appenmedia.com/ join. You’ll be doing something worth-
while, and our corner of the world will be a better and more honest place because of it. Because ... why? Because it’s important to know how things really are. There’s a line in a song by Chris Thile (of Nickel Creek fame, if you’re a fan of progressive bluegrass music) and Thomas Bartlett. The song is “Falsetto,” and let me warn you that it’s overtly political in case such things upset you. Anyway, some of the lyrics go like this: “Don’t tell it like it is,” Thile sings. “Don’t tell it like it was. Just tell it like I want it to be.” Is that an observation? Or is it a warning? I play that song in my head just now as I turn on the TV, for there they are — the same old angry voices, charging and accusing and innuendo-ing. Listening to it could make me sad if I let it. But it doesn’t. Come morning, it’ll still be early fall. In Talking Rock Creek, the bass will still be patrolling the deep places, waiting for something interesting to float by. Maybe that something will be another Gracie Bug. Maybe the big one is down in there somewhere, keeping one eye on the flow, wondering if I’m really serious about it. Waiting ...
AppenMedia.com/Milton | Milton Herald | October 22, 2026 | 21
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22 | October 22, 2026 | Milton Herald | AppenMedia.com/Milton
AIKENOMICS
OPINION
Why local newspapers still matter more than ever to the people who actually live here. Perhaps best of all, they still understand there is something special about receiving an actual newspaper delivered to your home each week. No app. No scrolling. No searching through a website trying to figure out what happened down the street. Just a newspaper, a cup of coffee and an opportunity to find out what's happening in your community. For me, this is personal. I have lived in north Fulton for more than 50 years and grew up reading our local newspapers. When I was in high school — Go Hornets! — I couldn't wait to read the paper and see what was happening in local high school sports. As the years passed, my perspective changed. I still followed the sports pages, but from 2001 through 2015, I had the privilege of serving Alpharetta as a council member and mayor pro tem. Suddenly, I wasn't just reading the local news.
Occasionally, I was part of it. And having spent those years on the other side of the reporter's notebook, I can tell you something important: Good local journalism matters. Over those years, our local journalists consistently treated me with respect. They asked tough questions when necessary, but their reporting on Alpharetta and their interviews with city officials were, in my experience, accurate and fair. Today, the relationship has come full circle. I am fortunate that these local publications carry many of my economic articles. I try to write about economics for the "common man" ... people like my fictional friend Joe Lunch Pale, who occasionally makes an appearance as he tries to navigate mortgage rates, inflation, housing costs and the everyday challenges of our local economy. National news certainly matters. Washington matters. Wall Street matters ... but what's
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happening at City Hall, in our schools, on Friday nights at the football field, at the business opening down the street or with the development being proposed around the corner often matters a whole lot more ... because this is home. It's fall fundraising time for our local newspapers, so I would encourage you to give what you can to support Appen Media. Local journalism isn't free to produce, and once it disappears, it is awfully difficult to bring back. Let's make sure the next generation can still experience what so many of us grew up with: opening the front door, picking up the local paper, pouring a cup of coffee and discovering what's happening right down the street. Support local journalism. Support our communities. And let's keep that newspaper coming home. Learn more at appenmedia.com/ join.
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Now that The Atlanta JournalConstitution has ended home delivery throughout metro Atlanta, I think many of us have a new appreciation for just how important our local newspaD.C. AIKEN pers really are. Guest Columnist We are fortunate dcaiken.com to still have publications like Appen Media that understand what local journalism is supposed to be about: covering the stories that directly affect the communities where we live, work, raise our families and do business. Local government. Local schools. Local sports. Community events. New businesses. Development. Elections. And, yes, sometimes those seemingly small stories that will never make the national news but matter a great deal
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24 | October 22, 2026 | Milton Herald | AppenMedia.com/Milton
PAST TENSE
OPINION
The history of the WWII Naval Air Station Atlanta The land now known as DeKalbPeachtree Airport was the World War I encampment Camp Gordon from 1917 to 1921. DeKalb County signed an option for 300 acres VALERIE BIGGERSTAFF of former Camp Columnist Gordon land in 1935. In 1939, with the assistance of the Works Progress Administration, the county began construction of grass runways. The Navy chose this site to build a naval aviation reserve base. (“The Best Years of Their Lives, the Naval Air Station Atlanta and Lawson General Hospital Site During WWII,” by Paul Stephen Hudson and Troy H. Campbell) The plans included 50 permanent buildings, two hangars and three runways. DeKalb County constructed the east and west hangars. During the first year and a half, the base’s mission was primary flight training. For many arriving students, it was their first flight training. “Most of them arrived in their civilian clothes and had never put foot in an airplane before.” Once primary training was complete, the men went to Pensacola, Florida, or Corpus Christi, Texas, for intermediate training. (Tattoo: United States Naval Air Station Atlanta, April 1944) In January 1943, the base’s name changed to U.S. Naval Air Station Atlanta. Additional buildings were constructed, including an auditoriumrecreation building, officers’ quarters, more barracks, a service store, a barbershop, bowling alleys and a fully equipped gymnasium. An Army hospital, Lawson General, was next door to the air station. In 1943, the station completed its own hospital. The staff included doctors, dentists, pharmacists, Navy nurses and members of the Women Accepted for Voluntary Emergency Service. (Atlanta Journal, July 18, 1943, “Hospital is completed at Navy Air Station here”) Between 1942 and 1944, five schools were established at Naval Air Station Atlanta. They were the Instrument Flight Instructors School, the Link Instrument Training Instructors School, the Control Tower Operator School, the Naval Air Navigation Radio School in Gainesville and the Assistant Operations Officers Naval Training School. There was no shortage of entertainment at the air station. United Service Organizations performances took place in the new auditorium,
UNITED STATES NAVAL AIR STATION ATLANTA, APRIL 1944
Bob Hope and Commander “Crash” Harrigan at NASA during a War Bond Drive. Harrigan was nicknamed “Crash” in the early 1930s for pioneering flights in the USS Akron, a Navy dirigible. including appearances by Bob Hope and Dorothy Lamour. Hope made an appearance during a war bond drive, along with Cmdr. “Crash” Harrigan. Harrigan was the air station’s first commander. In May 1944, movie star Tyrone Power was stationed at the base. His friend and fellow actor Don Ameche visited him while also visiting patients at Lawson General Hospital. (Atlanta Constitution, May 9, 1944, “Don Ameche hits town to visit friend Tyrone”) A variety of sports were available to those stationed at the base, including
baseball, basketball, volleyball and swimming. Because there were female nurses and WAVES at the base, women’s sports were available. Trips to John and Vira Cramer’s home on Peachtree Dunwoody Road provided a place to swim. Later, a swimming pool was constructed on the base. Each April, the social event of the year was the Ship’s Ball, “attended by all hands from the Captain to the Apprentice Seamen.” The event was held in the main hangar, which was decorated by employees of the Atlanta clothing store J.P. Allen. Southern-style barbecue, entertainment and dancing
made it a memorable evening. (Tattoo: United States Naval Air Station Atlanta, April 1944) Thousands of Navy and Marine aviators and ground personnel were trained at the air station and deployed from there for overseas duty. Three thousand pilots graduated from the instructor school. Award-winning author Valerie Biggerstaff is a longtime columnist for Appen Media and the Dunwoody Crier. She lives in Atlanta. Write her at pasttensega@gmail.com. Learn more at pasttensega.com.
AppenMedia.com/Milton | Milton Herald | October 22, 2026 | 25
Events: Continued from Page 1 Dunwoody Free flashing reflectors from the Dunwoody Police Department help kids stay visible on Halloween night. They’re available while supplies last. Spooky Fridays featuring a showing of “Hocus Pocus,” Friday, Oct. 23 at dusk, at Ashford Lane, 4500 Olde Perimeter Way. Halloween Farm Festival, Saturday, Oct. 24, noon to 6 p.m., at Donaldson-Bannister Farm, 4831 Chamblee Dunwoody Road. There will be a candy mystery, games, crafts, a petting zoo, live music and food. Admission is free, and activities cost 75 cents to $4. Truck or Treat, Thursday, Oct. 29, 5-8 p.m., Brook Run Park, 4770 North Peachtree Road. There will be food trucks, live entertainment and trick-ortreating. Haunting at High Street, Saturday, Oct. 31, 5:30-8:30 p.m., on The Green, 101 High St. There will be trick-or-treating, live music, face painting and a costume contest. Goat-pumpkin pie eating contest, Sunday, Nov. 1, 2-3 p.m., Brook Run Park. Bring your pumpkins for the goats and vote for the hungriest one. Johns Creek Ghosts and Goblins Gala, Saturday, Oct. 24, 6-8 p.m., at Autrey Mill Nature Preserve. The adults-only
Medley: Continued from Page 10 The study recommends numerous projects for reducing congestion in the area. Haggard said the city has already widened lanes at Medlock Bridge Road and Johns Creek Parkway and plans to add a third northbound and southbound lane at Medlock Bridge Road and McGinnis Ferry Road. The city is currently in a right-of-way acquisition phase for a project to add a third north and south through lane on Medlock Bridge Road from East Johns Creek Crossing to Johns Creek Parkway. A Medley representative said the project will replace a former State Farm corporate campus that once included two office buildings totaling 564,000 square feet and over 2,200 parking spaces. “When State Farm left, the campus sat empty for about five years,” the representative, Raechel Blitchington Lyden, said. “The roads have been quieter since, but that was a temporary lull, not the norm. These streets were built to serve a major corporate campus, and Medley is bringing the
HANNAH YAHNE/APPEN MEDIA
A vendor paints a ghost on a child’s face at the 2025 Carvin’ in Crabapple festival which drew 1,500 people. evening includes heavy hors d’oeuvres, drinks and a silent auction. Tickets are $50, or $85 for couples. Party on the Plaza, Friday, Oct. 30, 6-10 p.m., at Medley. The grand opening celebration is a free, familyfriendly Halloween night with live music. Roswell Halloween Fun House, Friday, Oct. 23, 4:30-7 p.m., East Roswell Recreation Center, 9000 Fouts Road. There will be magic shows, crafts, inflatables and trick-or-treating, and costumes are encouraged. Adaptive Truck or Treat, Saturday, Oct. 24, 10
site back to life.” The representative said Medley, unlike the former State Farm campus, will spread its traffic over hours with vehicles moving both directions. She compared that traffic flow to the State Farm office, which saw employees leaving or arriving all at once. Haggard added the mixed-use center also will reduce trips because it contains numerous shopping, dining and recreation destinations within one location. Nearby resident David Dabo said he already has begun to see more traffic on roadways since the opening of Trader Joe’s at Medley. The grocery store opened in June. “Traffic is already bad, and Medley coming definitely will make it worse,” Dabo said. “But the hope is a lot of work being done will help to alleviate that.” Currently, traffic on Medlock Bridge and McGinnis Ferry roads, two of the city’s busiest roadways, is already considerable, he said. But Dabo said he balances those potential delays with the benefits Medley will bring the city. Additional jobs, dining opportunities and shopping should help out the local economy considerably, he noted. “I just need to plan ahead and leave
a.m. to noon, Waller Park, 250 Oak St. Unique Individual Ranch hosts this free, sensory-friendly event for children and teens with special needs. Registration is required. Trunk or Treat, Friday, Oct. 30, 4-7 p.m., Roswell City Hall, 38 Hill St. The Roswell Police Department will have candy, games and a petting zoo. Sandy Springs Spooky Springs, Saturday, Oct. 24, 5-7 p.m., Abernathy Greenway Playable Art Park, 70 Abernathy Road. Admission is free, with trick-or-treat stations, face painting, music and food vendors.
home 15 or 20 minutes ahead of time to get wherever I’m going,” he said. “No matter what you do, traffic is going to be bad.” Meyyappan Chetty, another nearby resident, said his morning commute is already inundated with traffic, requiring him to leave before the roadways get even more difficult. On the way back in the evening, traffic is usually bumper to bumper. He said he worries what effect Medley will have on those already lengthy drives.
“The commute, especially in my case, is actually bad, and this is probably going to add to it,” he said. Chetty said he also worries about the roadways and the effect of Medley on traffic before some road improvements are completed. “Even though the city says it’s not going to be too bad, it’s hard to say,” he said. “It’s definitely something people are worried about.”
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Carole Wilson, age 82, of Roswell, GA passed away on October 12, 2026. Arrangements by Northside Chapel Funeral Directors & Crematory.
26 | October 22, 2026 | Milton Herald | AppenMedia.com/Milton
Invitation to Bid Fire Station Bay Door Replacement Project
Request for Proposals Building Division Support Services RFP NUMBER 27-CD01 Proposal Due Date: November 17, 2026, by 2:00PM Local Time Electronic submission via: https://www.miltonga.gov/government/finance/bidsrfps Names for submissions received will be publicly announced via a virtual bid opening at approximately 2:30 PM at the City of Milton City Hall located at 2006 Heritage Walk, Milton, GA 30004. The City reserves the right to reject any and all proposals. If the contract is awarded, it will be awarded to the highest scoring Offeror whose proposal meets the requirements and criteria set forth in the request for proposals. The City of Milton is seeking proposals from qualified vendors to provide building plan review and inspection services for both residential and commercial construction permits within the City limits. All qualified proposals will receive consideration without regard to age, handicap, religion, creed or belief, political affiliation, race, color, sex, or national origin. The request for electronic proposals for RFP 27-CD01, Building Division Support Services will be posted on the following websites the week of October 22, 2026: https://www.miltonga.gov/government/finance/bids-rfps and https://ssl.doas.state.ga.us/gpr/
ITB NUMBER 27-FD01 Bid Due Date: November 4, 2026 by 2:00PM Local Time Electronic submission via: https://www.miltonga.gov/government/finance/bidsrfps Bid submissions will be publicly announced on the above date at approximately 2:30 PM at the City of Milton City Hall located at 2006 Heritage Walk, Milton, GA 30004. The City reserves the right to reject any and all bids. If the contract is awarded, it will be awarded to the lowest responsible and responsive bidder whose bid meets the requirements and criteria set forth in the invitation for bids . The City of Milton is requesting bids from qualified vendors with demonstrated professional competence, experience, and qualifications to furnish all labor, materials, equipment, supervision, services, and incidentals necessary to complete the removal and replacement of existing apparatus bay doors and operators at Milton Fire Stations 41 and 43. Fire Station 41 is located at 12670 Arnold Mill Rd, Milton, GA, and Fire Station 43 is located at 750 Hickory Flat Rd, Milton, GA. A pre-bid meeting/job site visit will be held on October 27, 2026, from 10:00 – 11:00 AM. The pre-bid meeting/visit is not mandatory but highly recommended. A bid bond of 5% is required when submitting bid response. All qualified bids will receive consideration without regard to age, handicap, religion, creed or belief, political affiliation, race, color, sex, or national origin. The request for electronic bids for ITB 27-FD01, Fire Station Bay Door Replacement Project will be posted on the following websites the week of October 15, 2026: https://www.miltonga.gov/government/finance/bids-rfps state.ga.us/gpr/
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Wills Park brims with area visitors on Fourth of July By JON WILCOX jon@appenmedia.com
A girl waves an American flag as she dances to music by Davis and the Love at Roswell Area Park July 4.
PHOTOS BY: SARAH COYNE/APPEN MEDIA
Kendall, from left, John, Brooks and Reid Hill sit on a picnic blanket at Roswell Area Park to celebrate the Fourth of July.
Roswell crowd celebrates America’s 249th birthday By SARAH COYNE sarah@appenmedia.com ROSWELL, Ga. — Food trucks, live music and fireworks were on the menu for America’s birthday in Roswell. A crowd of over 1,000 piled into Roswell Area Park July 4 to celebrate America’s 249th birthday.
Kendall and John Hill travelled from East Cobb to bring their two little ones to the show. “The kids love it,” John Hill said. Baseball fields and multi-use fields were filled with families and friends awaiting the firework show at dusk.
See FOURTH, Page 23
OPINION
See FIREWORKS, Page 24
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Business owner crafts calm in the chaos
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From left, Traci Foreman, Chris Foreman and John Hanley watch fireworks in Wills Park July 4.
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JOHNS CREEK, Ga. — The heart of the holiday was shining through the music, food and fun of Creek’s Juneteenth celebration. As the sun set on a warm Saturday evening, Midway grandmother Matilda Riles sat in a lawnchair, watching her grandchildren play on the park lawn amid the sound of booming live music and mouthwatering aroma of food trucks. Before the fun started, Riles, who attended with three generations of family, educated the kids about the reason for Juneteenth. “It's a point in time when enslaved people no longer had to be enslaved, and certain places did not relay the message at the time that it should have been relayed,” Riles said. “And, therefore this is a celebration as to when the final group of people were told you no longer had to be enslaved.” Several thousand visitors descended on the city’s annual celebration at Newtown Park, 3150 Old Alabama Road, doubling last year’s attendance. The celebration resembled a giant block party with live music performances, chatting neighbors, plenty of food and rows of arts and craft vendors.
FORSYTH COUNTY, Ga. — The perfect biscuit is like a warm hug, said Brandy White, owner of Sawnee Mountain Biscuit Company. “It kind of warms your soul,” White said. “It feels like home to me.” Since 2001, the Sawnee Mountain Biscuit has operated out of a renovated mobile home at 104 13th St., serving perfect pillowy biscuits wrapped around eggs, cheese, bacon and other breakfast staples. With dozens of items on the menu, the restaurant features other tasty offerings from French toast to a house-made pimento cheese. Tucked into a sleepy neighborhood on the edge of Cumming, Sawnee Mountain Biscuit might easily be taken as another house, but locals say the squat, blue-clapboard building is one of the town’s best breakfast spots. Over the decades, the restaurant has earned a cult following in Cumming and the north Atlanta area, serving as many as 400 orders some mornings.
JON WILCOX/APPEN MEDIA
Brandy White holds her 1-year-old daughter, Lennon, at the entrance to her Sawnee Mountain Biscuit Company on 13th Street just outside Cumming.
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FORSYTH COUNTY, Ga. — The Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office is working to complete converting an old elementary school into a law enforcement training center. Since October, the training center has hosted a public safety academy as part of a partnership between the sheriff’s office and University of North Georgia. The academy, funded by the
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sheriff’s office, provides training for law enforcement officers in Forsyth County and surrounding jurisdictions, Capt. Rob Heagerty said. At an April 22 work session, the County Board of Commissioners discussed a proposal to allocate $47,993 for design services with ar chitectural firm Wiley Wilson to create plans, conduct inspections and
make changes to water heaters. The sheriff’s office wants to install showers and locker rooms at the building at 4805 Atlanta Highway, Heagerty said. The improvements are important because exercise and physical conditioning are essential in maintaining capable deputies, he said. The building already houses classrooms, meeting rooms, a cafeteria,
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gym, simulator room and an empty wing where deputies can conduct building-clearing and other training exercises. The work is part of a second phase to transform former Midway Elementary School into a law enforcement training center.
See SHERIFF, Page 12
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County restores original funding to cultural arts
Children play in the lawn at Newtown Park during a Juneteenth celebration in Johns Creek June 21. JON WILCOX/APPEN MEDIA
ATLANTA — The Fulton County Board of Commissioners voted unanimously to restore funding for a program within the Arts & Culture Department to $3 million a year Sept. 17. While the unanimous vote reflects unity and bipartisanship, some commissioners criticized colleagues for the delay. The item, sponsored by Democratic commissioners Khadijah AbdurRahman and Marvin Arrington Jr. and Republican commissioners Bob Ellis and Bridget Thorne, includes an increase of $1.7 million for a previously requested program and its full $3 million in funding set aside in the 2026 budget.
See JUNETEENTH, Page 10
ATLANTA — Fulton County Jail employee has been indicted in federal court for allegedly using excessive force against prisoners. The 47-year-old sergeant is accused of repeatedly using tasers on compliant, nonresisting pre-trial detainees on three occa-
sions last January and writing false reports about each of the incidents. “The (Justice Department’s) Civil Rights Division has zero tolerance for law enforcement officers who abuse public trust through excessive force and concealing their misconduct,” said Assistant U.S. Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon. “We will vigorously safeguard the constitutional
Dunwoody opens doors to refine future land-use By JON WILCOX jon@appenmedia.com
PHOTOS BY: HAYDEN SUMLIN/APPEN MEDIA
Front center, Ann Hanlon, executive director of the Perimeter Community Improvement Districts, holds the ribbon for phase one of the Ashford Dunwoody Road path April 3 while City Councilman Tom Lambert, front right, gets ready to cut it. The Perimeter CIDs and Dunwoody split the project’s $1.5 million construction cost.
Commercial partners and city celebrate new path By HAYDEN SUMLIN hayden@appenmedia.com
See FULTON, Page 20
Fulton jail staff faces civil rights indictments By DAVE WILLIAMS Capitol Beat
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County considers funding for sheriff’s training facility Two-year-old Cameron holds a beach ball at the City of Roswell Fourth of July celebration at Roswell Area Park.
► PAGE 5
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Residents celebrate, remember meaning behind Juneteenth
See BISCUIT, Page 6
County delays closing Alpharetta jail site
Pitts: Raising millage rate would be mistake
► PAGE 4
ALPHARETTA, Ga. — Thousands filled Wills Park to celebrate July 4 with a bang. Hours before darkness fell, friends and families filled the park’s lawns, Equestrian Center, trails and athletic fields. Everywhere, children played, cartwheeling, running, tossing balls and waving glow sticks. Alpharettan Lindsey Landis, her husband, two children and two dogs were part the crowd, passing the golden hour on a blanket laid out on the grass.
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Biscuit eatery rises to meet high demand
rights of all individuals, including those in custody.” “Abuses of power of this kind are unconstitutional, erode our community’s trust, and will be prosecuted,” added Theodore S. Hertzberg, U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Georgia. Solomon faces up to 10 years in prison for each federal civil rights violation and 20
► PAGE 4
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years behind bars for each false report. The FBI’s Atlanta Field Office is investigating the case based on a referral from the Fulton County Sheriff’s Office. This story is available through a news partnership with Capitol Beat News Service, a project of the Georgia Press Educational Foundation.
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A look down the completed phase one of the Ashford Dunwoody Road path April 3 shows the two-way cycle track parallel to the revamped sidewalk.
DUNWOODY, Ga. — Dunwoody elected officials, city staff and Perimeter Community Improvement Districts Executive Director Ann Hanlon cut the ribbon April 3 on phase one of the Ashford Dunwoody Road path. “We’re super proud to partner with the city of Dunwoody on building this trail project,” Hanlon
said. “And we’ll look forward to many more phases to come.” A little over two years ago, the group gathered at the same spot near the corner of Ashford Dunwoody Road and Hammond Drive for phase one’s groundbreaking. Phase one of the corridor’s path includes a two-way raised cycle track separated from traffic by a wide landscape buffer
See PATH, Page 17
DUNWOODY, Ga. — The City of Dunwoody is streamlining development rules and updating its vision for the city’s future as part of a state-mandated overhaul. City officials and representatives from consulting firm TSW Design, which was tasked with creating a plan, gave a two-hour presentation about the changes April 1 during a special meeting at Vintage Pizzeria on Chamblee Dunwoody Road. Residents received and discussed the creation of a unified development ordinance and changes to the city’s comprehensive plan. Dunwoody is updating its comprehensive plan as part of a state mandate that requires an overhaul every five years, said Allison Stewart-Harris, an associate principal and planner at TSW. Stewart-Harris presented the changes to about 30 residents who attended the meeting.
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By HAYDEN SUMLIN hayden@appenmedia.com SANDY SPRINGS, Ga. — Sandy Springs announced that the Billboard Music Award-winning band Lit is headlining Friday night Sept. 26 at the third annual Blue Stone Arts & Music Festival. The festival will take place in the heart of Sandy Springs Friday, Sept. 26, from 4-10 p.m., and Saturday, Sept. 27, from 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Lit is an American rock band from Orange County,
California, formed in 1988. They are best known for their platinum-selling 1999 power-pop punk album “A Place in the Sun” and its massive hit single “My Own Worst Enemy.” The band is set to headline the main stage Friday night at 8 p.m. In addition to Lit, the family-friendly festival features music all day long across multiple stages, an artist market with more than 80 vendors and a Kids Zone.
See LIT, Page 9
HAYDEN SUMLIN/APPEN MEDIA
Motorists line up at the Boylston Drive signal to turn left onto Hammond Drive Aug. 14. Sandy Springs will begin work in September to realign Boylston to the east and eliminate a nearby traffic light.
Realignment construction begins on Hammond-Boylston intersection
CITY OF SANDY SPRINGS/PROVIDED
Sandy Springs said Billboard Music Award-winning band, Lit, is headlining this year’s festival Sept. 26-27 at City Springs.
October 23, 2025 | Decaturish.com | Locally Sourced News | An Appen Media Group Publication | Volume 1, No. 13
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SANDY SPRINGS, Ga. — Sandy Springs contractors are set to begin work in September on realigning the intersection of Boylston and Hammond drives and removing a redundant traffic light. The city says work will last around 15 months, and the intersection will remain open during construction, but there will be occasional lane closures so crews can get the work done safely. Initially, city officials expected the project
to begin in mid-August. No explanation was given. Currently, there are two separate sets of traffic lights less than 100 feet away from one another, one at the Hammond Glen Retirement Community’s driveway and another at the office building next door. The new configuration will shift Boylston Drive to the east, aligning it with the Hammond Glen driveway and eliminating the traffic light at the driveway to the office building at 325 Hammond Drive.
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Hundreds attend Intown Ace Hardware’s annual Ladies Night
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Wild Nest Bird Rehab finds roost at Legacy Park
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Billboard Music Award winner to headline Sandy Springs fest
See REFINE, Page 17
About 30 residents fill a dining room at Vintage Pizzeria on Chamblee Dunwoody Road April 1 to hear a presentation by TSW Design planner Allison Stewart-Harris, who spoke on the city’s future land-use strategy.
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Puzzles
rier 10/22/26 Connect-It
PuzzleJunction.com
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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, 4 and 6 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!
Milton Herald ...................................October 22, 2026 | 27
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Copyright ©2026 PuzzleJunction.com
64 Actor’s forte 65 From scratch 66 Bouquet 67 Consider 68 Doctrines Down 1 Son of Seth 2 Faux pas 3 After dinner drink 4 Woodwind instrument 5 And others, for short 6 Stone 7 Octopus’s defense 8 Always, in verse
9 Jessica of Dark Angel 10 Foyer 11 Excuse 12 Gown material 14 Open slightly 18 Biblical boat 20 Debacle 23 Compass pt. 24 Homeless child 25 Looked amorously 27 Hammett hound 28 Drift 29 Photog’s request 31 Bakery offering 33 Wears away 34 Hair holders
35 Blue-pencil 36 Beach shades 39 Brad 44 Actress Barbara ___ Geddes 47 Repeat 48 For all to hear 49 Oblivion 50 Author Umberto 51 Beams 53 From a distance 54 Well (It.) 55 Provo neighbor 57 News bit 58 Pulls 60 Ancient 61 Fish story 62 Mai ___
See puzzle solutions on Page 28
$17
Solution 1 2 3 9 7 8 5 4 6
8
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Solution
9 4 7 3 5 6 1 8 2
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28 | October 22, 2026 | Milton Herald | AppenMedia.com/Milton
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SOLUTIONS Solution
6 8 4
A L A S E R I E E N D S Join today L O L A A T O N E N O R A for $16/month J A C K R A B B I T O N Y X R A B B I F A L K S O S Y I N W O K H E I R PuzzleJunction.com 22/26 Kakuro A R E N A S A G B E T M I L E S O R E S T O D A C O N I F E R T A R DC Aiken N grid. The rules are easy: B B I style D inOa crossword A L solved O R puzzle, A M Y number A number Cross Sums, is a challenging Big Sky Franchise Team E B D right E T I squares number below the diagonal line is the sum of it.T A S to the in a black square is the sum of the white David & Michelle Bertany L the digitsR1 toE 9,LandYa digit can only be used once in any sequence. L may EonlyEuse D it.A You the sequence below MaryAnne Browne P I T B O A S I L I A C Amour & Duane Carthy T I T O T O M F O O L E R Y Scott Childress A N E W L I N E S T U B A I S M S D E E M O D O R
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6 7 4 3 6 2 9 3 8 3 7 7 9 Connect-It Solution 4 5 1
Support Local News Join Appen Press Club CHARTER MEMBER Adam Corder Patrick Cressaty Lindsay DeFranco Robert Flint Robin Fricton Zachary Hahn
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7 G E O R G E X I T I L T
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AppenMedia.com/Milton | Milton Herald | October 22, 2026 | 29
Support Local News Join Appen Press Club
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MEMBER (CONT.) Susan Huss Paul Huth Jeffrey Hyde J. Craig Inman Sandra Jacobs Susan Jacques Lynn Johnson Tyler Jones Zach Jones Patricia Kachur Amy Kanderis Arthur Kebanli Laura Keck Mark Kelly Nancy Kennell Randall Kent Carol Kerr Sally Klaskala Allison Kloster Dyna Kohler Brett Koutnik Larry Krueger Jess & Chris Kysar Malinda Lackey Sarah Lamm Daniel Lashinsky Richard Lapin Christine Law Brandon Leach Dennis Lee Ken Leffingwell Carol Lehan
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THE FUTURE OF LOCAL NEWS
Jay O’Meara Diana O’Sullivan Anne Pappas Lynn Pennington Jonathan Peters Kurt & Leslie Phillips Mary & Jan Phillips James Potts Debra Powell Seth Price Joyce Provissiero Chuck Pugh Douglas Quat Patricia Rackliffe Robert Radloff Raj Rajagopalan Pankaj Rajankar Ashwin Ramaswami Cheryl Rand Manu Rao James Rasmussen Paula Rattray Lori Rausch Jean Rearick Joseph Reed Scarlett Reynolds Righteous PR Angie Rigney Sean Riley Neil Robertson Rory Robichaux Kimberly Robinson
Continued innovation in digital media has changed the ways in which people buy, sell and interact with products and services. It has caused businesses to reassess the ways in which it communicates with potential customers and advertises its products. It has been well documented that these changes have had a destructive impact on local newspapers, which continues to be a primary source for local news, but is no longer a primary source for local advertising dollars – historically the lifeblood for reporters and their coverage. At Appen Media Group we want to address this conflict head on, and build new and innovative approaches to monetizing local news and creating a sustainable future for local journalism in metro Atlanta.
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30 | October 22, 2026 | Milton Herald | AppenMedia.com/Milton
Appen Media Wins 2026 Georgia Press Association General Excellence Bringing Journalistic Excellence to North Atlanta 1st Place
Page One – Staff Layout & Design – Staff Education Writing – Jim Bass Serious Column – Carl Appen
2nd Place
Local News Coverage – Staff Business Writing – Staff, Dan Whisenhunt, Dean Hesse, Jim Bass Education Writing – Jim Bass and Zoe Seiler Feature Photograph – Dean Hesse Serious Column – King Williams Humorous Column – Pat Fox Feature Writing – Dan Whisenhunt
3rd Place
Page One – Dionna Williams Layout & Design – Dionna Williams Local News Coverage – Staff Serious Column – Pat Fox Feature Column – Steve Hudson Feature Writing – Jim Bass Newspaper Website – Decaturish.com
ADVERTISING 1st Place
Health Care Ad – David Brown Food Ad – David Brown Home Furnishings/Appliances Ad – David Brown Classified Section/Page – Staff Signature Page – David Brown
2nd Place
Food Ad – David Brown Service/Institutional Ad – David Brown Non-Traditional Ad – David Brown
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AppenMedia.com/Milton | Milton Herald | October 22, 2026 | 31
Full-time Inneos, LLC seeks a Design Engineer in Alpharetta, GA to: Design and develop fiberoptic subassemblies, optical transceivers, and video modules. Position requires a Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering, plus 2 years of experience as an Electrical Engineer or in a directly related position. Experience must include 2 years of experience with each of the following: 1. Embedded Systems Development using C/C++. 2. Microcontroller development (ARM Cortex). 3. Interrupt handlers, A/D & D/A Converters, and timers and hardware protocols including SPI, I2C, UART, and GPIO. 4. FPGA development using Verilog and RTL. 5. Tools: Intel Quartus, Xilinx Vivado, or ModelSim. 6. PCB Design CAD Layout (Schematic & PCB layout) using KiCAD or Altium. 7. Optoelectronic systems including Transmitter or Receiver Design: LED/Laser driver or Photodiode/ TIA. 8. Circuit Simulation Tools (SPICE, SIMetrix, or TINA). 9. Using debugging tools and setting up laboratory equipment. 10. Experience working in cross-functional engineering teams. Apply online at https://www.inneos.com/careers or send resume via email to jobs@inneos.com with position title in the subject line.
To place a classified ad, email classifieds@appenmedia.com. Deadline is Thursdays by 3pm
Part-time
IT Professionals: Ent. Lvl to Sen. Lvl Validation Engs, S/ware Engs, Security Analysts, Comp Systems Analysts, S/ware QA Analysts, D/base Admins, DevOps & Cloud Engs, Big Data Engs & S/ware Devs are needed for our Alpharetta, GA office. May req. traveling. Send resume, Cvr Ltr., & Sal. Req. to Intelligenie LLC, 5755 Northpoint Pkwy, Ste 86, Alpharetta, GA, 30022. IT/Engg Professionals (multiple) Computer Programmers: Write comp. programs using various techs. Software Developer: Modify complex apps programs from specs, maintain those prgrms using various techs. Job locs Cumming, GA & various unanticipated client sites in US req reloc to these sites. Specify title & Mail resume: Global Infotech LLC, 600 Peach Tree Pkwy,#106,Cumming, GA 30041.AttHR
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BUSINESS ADMINISTRATOR (Part-Time) Alpharetta Presbyterian Church Seeking an organized, detail-oriented professional to support church operations and staff. Position is 20-25 hours per week, M-F, on-site. Responsibilities include: • Human resources administration and staff support • Church operational and administrative functions • Technology systems coordination and support • Insurance, compliance, and records management • Vendor and contractor administration Qualifications: • Associate’s or Bachelor’s degree required • Strong computer and organizational skills • Experience in office administration, operations management, HR, or related field preferred • Excellent communication skills and ability to maintain confidentiality • Successful criminal records/child abuse background check required To apply: Please submit your resume and cover letter to alpharettajobopening@gmail.com
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32 | October 22, 2026 | Milton Herald | AppenMedia.com/Milton
Fall into your next chapter. For Sale | 195 Heatherton Lane
For Sale | 2029 Heritage Walk
M I LTO N | O F F E R E D F O R $ 3 , 4 9 5 ,0 0 0
M I LTO N | O F F E R E D F O R $ 1 , 3 9 6 ,0 0 0
For Sale | 245 Heatherton Way
For Sale | 240 Heatherton Way
For Sale | 13798 Brittle Road | 3± Acres
M I LTO N | O F F E R E D F O R $ 3 ,0 9 9,0 0 0
M I LTO N | O F F E R E D F O R $ 3 , 4 9 5 ,0 0 0
M I LTO N | O F F E R E D F O R $ 1 , 2 0 0,0 0 0
For Sale | 6645 Will Allen Road
For Sale | 235 Winterberry Way
C U M M I N G | O F F E R E D F O R $ 1 ,0 1 9,0 0 0
R O S W E L L | O F F E R E D F O R $ 1 ,6 9 5 ,0 0 0
For Sale | 740 Windsor Court
For Sale | 96 White Aster Lane
For Sale | 185 Heatherton Lane
A L P H A R E T TA | O F F E R E D F O R $ 8 4 9,0 0 0
J A S P E R | O F F E R E D F O R $ 1 , 1 5 0,0 0 0
M I LTO N | O F F E R E D F O R $ 2 , 8 7 5 ,0 0 0
JULIE MARTIN N O. 1 I N D I V I D U A L A DV I S O R , VO LU M E N O R T H AT L A N TA O F F I C E , 2 0 2 5
m. 770.668.4680 o. 770.442.7300 juliemartin@atlantafinehomes.com J U L I E M A R T I N . AT L A N TA F I N E H O M E S .C O M
© Sotheby’s International Realty. All Rights Reserved. Sotheby’s International Realty® is a registered trademark and used with permission. Each Sotheby’s International Realty office is independently owned and operated, except those operated by Sotheby’s International Realty, Inc. The Sotheby’s International Realty network fully supports the principles of the Fair Housing Act and the Equal Opportunity Act. 8000 Avalon Boulevard, Suite 800, Alpharetta, Georgia 30009.