Suspect in assault dies after pulling gun ►
Sandy Springs elects Mayor Paul to fourth term
Sandy Springs Mayor Rusty Paul and his wife, Jan Paul, react favorably to early voting results Dec. 2 during an election night party at J. Christopher’s in the City Walk shopping center. Advance voting and absentee by mail ballots showed Paul with a roughly 72-to-28 percent margin early in the evening.
By HAYDEN SUMLIN hayden@appenmedia.com
SANDY SPRINGS, Ga. — A day after Sandy Springs celebrated its 20th anniversary, Mayor Rusty Paul cruised to a fourth term in a runoff election against 2021 runner-up Dontaye Carter.
The Dec. 2 runoff between Paul and Carter was one of four mayoral contests across Fulton County, which included the cities of East Point, Roswell and South Fulton.
More than 14,000 voters in Sandy Springs cast ballots in the runoff. Paul won with more than 10,000 votes, or roughly 69 percent.
With none of the four mayoral candidates securing a majority Nov. 4, top vote-getters Paul and Carter advanced to the runoff.
Council members Andy Bauman and Jody Reichel, who ran for mayor while criticizing aspects of Paul’s leadership, endorsed him before the runoff.
City Councilwoman Melody Kelley,
reelected to the District 2 seat, was the only sitting Sandy Springs official to not endorse a mayoral candidate. All other sitting council members endorsed the mayor.
Several local, county and state officials on both sides of the aisle endorsed one of the candidates in the weeks leading up to the runoff.
The mayoral campaign tested just how nonpartisan local elections are in Sandy Springs.
Carter describes himself as a “progressive Democrat,” and Paul has a GOP-heavy resume, including time as chair of the Georgia Republican Party in the late 1990s and work with presidential administrations.
Early voting reactions
After the Dec. 2 City Council meeting at 6 p.m., elected officials and some city staff headed over to J. Christopher’s in the City Walk shopping center for Paul’s election night party.
See RUNOFF, Page 9
City signs agreement to assist in World Cup security
By HAYDEN SUMLIN hayden@appenmedia.com
SANDY SPRINGS, Ga. — Sandy Springs approved a grant application to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Dec. 2 for its Police and Fire departments to assist with security at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The grant, administered through
the DHS and Federal Emergency Management Agency, covers reimbursements for eligible overtime personnel expenses incurred by local law enforcement.
A city memo says the federal government is spending $625 million to enhance security and preparedness for the 2026 FIFA World Cup games across the United States and North America.
FIFA stands for Fédération Internationale de Football Association, which is French for International Federation of Association Football.
Next summer, Atlanta’s MercedesBenz Stadium will host eight games of the World Cup, including one semifinal, from June 15 through July 15.
See SECURITY, Page 9
The 2026 FIFA Club World Cup drawings were Friday, Dec. 5 at 12 p.m. The specific match schedule, including kick-off times at Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium, were announced after press time.
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Detectives from the Sandy Springs Police Department investigate an officer-involved shooting Dec. 4 at the Bank of America Financial Center at Roswell Road and Dunwoody Place. A Sandy Springs Police spokesperson said an officer shot a suspect in an alleged assault after he pulled out a firearm during questioning.
Suspect in assault case dies after pulling gun on police
By HAYDEN SUMLIN hayden@appenmedia.com
SANDY SPRINGS, Ga. — A suspect in a Dec. 4 alleged assault died at the hospital after he pulled out a gun and was shot by Sandy Springs police.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation announced Dec. 5 that the suspect, a 27-year-old man from Jackson, Mississippi, was pronounced dead at the hospital.
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The GBI said his body will be taken to the Fulton County Medical Examiner’s Officer for an autopsy.
Just after 11 a.m., the Sandy Springs Police Department made a social media post about a large police presence in the city’s North End district just south of the Chattahoochee River.
Officers said they responded to an assault call near the Bank of America Financial Center at 8755 Roswell Road at Dunwoody Place and Hope Road shortly after 10:30 a.m.
Sandy Springs Police Sgt. Leon Millholland said officers quickly located a male suspect who was reported to have assaulted a 46-year-old Sandy Springs
woman walking her dog near the bank.
“They were separated,” Millholland said. “[Officers] showed up on scene and located a guy on the sidewalk. When they were talking to him, running his name, date of birth and information, the dude pulls out a gun, and an officer shot him.”
Millholland said the suspect did not fire a shot and confirmed no officers were injured.
Sandy Springs Police Officer Jarrell Greene, also speaking with the media in a nearby staging area, said ambulances transported the suspect in critical condition to Wellstar North Fulton Medical Center.
Thursday’s officer-involved shooting is the second within the North Fulton city in the past three months.
In mid-October, a bullet struck a Sandy Springs officer in the hand, causing minor injuries, after responding to a shots-fired call near Carroll Manor Drive and North River Parkway. After an exchange of gunfire, the incident ended with the suspect surrendering to crisis negotiators.
The officer-involved shootings, both
involving suspects who brandished a firearm, were within a mile of one another.
Appen Media asked Greene and Millholland whether there has been an increase of violent police incidents.
“It’s two different situations,” Greene said.
Millholland said the Sandy Springs Police Department’s command staff talked about an across-the-board decline in property crimes and general police incidents earlier Thursday morning.
“Numbers are down,” Millholland said. “I just think they’re independent, random acts.”
Sandy Springs Police detectives were notified and have taken over the investigation, the news release said. The incident was captured on body-worn cameras.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation has also been asked to investigate, which is standard for any shooting involving a law enforcement officer.
This is a developing story. Check appenmedia.com for updates.
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County signs $45 million for inmate healthcare plan
By HAYDEN SUMLIN hayden@appenmedia.com
ATLANTA — The Fulton County Commission approved a $45.1 million contract renewal for inmate healthcare next year, a routine step to comply with a federal consent decree.
Fulton County has the option to renew the contract with NaphCare LLC for a ninth and final year in 2027. The Dec. 3 vote was unanimous.
Purchasing Director Felicia StrongWhitaker said her team will begin developing a request for new proposals next year for a revamped inmate medical services contract at the start of 2028.
“We do need some assistance,” Strong-Whitaker said, referencing a consultant to help with the rebid process. “I know there’s some things in the consent decree around medical healthcare, and our [contract] has not really been updated or revised since I started at the county in 2004.”
Strong-Whitaker said the county must ensure its contract for inmate medical services meets the requirements of the federal consent decree.
There are long-standing problems at the Rice Street jail requiring a lengthy and costly process with a federal consent decree monitor reviewing conditions to ensure the rights of incarcerated citizens are not violated.
The probe into the county’s Rice Street facility and three annexes, including one in Alpharetta, began in 2023 after the murder of an unindicted inmate who had been in custody for eight months. Violence at the jail has continued this year.
“I think a review is necessary to make sure that a contract that is going to exceed $45 million a year is up to date
Fulton County Commissioner Bob Ellis wants the vendor for the county’s $45.1 million contract for inmate healthcare, NaphCare LLC, to report back to county staff more regularly. The County Commission approved the contract Dec. 3 for inmate medical services in 2026 and previewed a new one to comply with a federal consent decree on its jail system.
and is going to take us through the next 10 years,” Strong-Whitaker said.
After County Chairman Robb Pitts asked what a consultant would cost, Strong-Whitaker said it may just involve consulting with the consent decree monitor.
Kathleen Kenney was appointed lead monitor in February, overseeing the Fulton County Sheriff’s Office and compliance with specific requirements for the jail system.
In an August report, Kenney wrote that the monitoring team was focused on staffing and supervision, repairing damaged appliances and alarm systems, inmate classification and mental health.
During the Dec. 3 public hearing on the 2026 operating budget, a former Rice Street Jail inmate spoke in detail
about her experience with violence in the jail, witnessing a September attack that left a 20-year-old woman fighting for her life at Grady Memorial Hospital.
After her remarks, Fulton County Chairman Robb Pitts told the audience that the hearing was for next year’s proposed budget.
The next speaker, LaQuana Alexander, a community advocate in Atlanta known as LA Pink said the discussion of next year’s operating budget revolves around the justice system.
“This is the reason why the budget is all screwed up,” Alexander said. “We can talk about these things … Y’all need to start taking your time and using it toward the things that matter. Y’all got inmates up over here [at the Rice Street
jail] dying.”
County Commissioner Khadijah Abdur-Rahman said she thinks the county needs a consultant because of the federal consent decree’s requirements and potential penalties for failure to follow them.
“I know that anytime we’re talking about dollars, we must be fiscally responsible,” Abdur-Rahman said. “We built a jail that when the doors opened, it was already overcrowded. We have an opportunity now …”
In August, commissioners approved a long-term plan to build a new 1,813bed jail facility for around $1.1 billion, specifically for people with medical, mental health and special needs. That money also includes repairs at Rice Street.
County Commissioner Bob Ellis, representing the western half of North Fulton, said he thinks it’s important to have the vendor, NaphCare of Fulton County LLC, share performance metrics with county staff.
A county evaluation of the vendor reported “minimal staffing not maintained per contract,” but otherwise positive comments.
Ellis compared the $45.1 million contract for inmate healthcare to the $15.8 million the county contracts for behavioral health services for all county residents, including students, seniors, people with developmental disabilities and inmates.
“Reporting mechanisms … are really important given the size of this contract and the number of people it impacts,” Ellis said. “We just went through a very detailed report back from different contracts we have in the behavioral health area. We have very little insight into this one.”
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SCREENSHOT
Connect-It
BEING KIND
1. Knight fight. Speech impediment. Kind of butter.
2. Up and down toy. Kind of order. Way too weighty.
3. Kind of race. Tableland. Plaster of Paris.
4. Burger topper. Kind of stick. Sag.
5. Rapids runner. Chess piece. Kind of shot.
6. Long-tailed parrot. Kind of attack. Stinger.
12/11/25 Sudoku PuzzleJunction.com
7. Chinese tea leaves. Golfer’s cry. Kind of chamber.
1 Knight fight. Speech Impediment. Kind of butter
2. Up and down toy. Kind of order. Wa
How to Solve: Each line in the puzzle above has three clues and three answers. The last letter in the first answer on each line is the first letter of the second answer, and so on. The connecting letter is outlined, giving you the correct number of letters for each answer (the answers in line 1 are 4, 5 and 5 letters). The clues are numbered 1 through 7, which each number containing 3 clues for the 3 answers on the line. But here’s the catch! The clues are not in order - so the first clue in Line 1 may (or may not) actually be for the second or third answer in that line. Got it? Good luck!
To solve the Sudoku puzzle, each row, column and box must contain the numbers 1 to 9.
3. Kind of race. Tableland. Plaster of Paris
4. Burger topper. Kind of stick. Sag
5. Rapids runner. Chess piece. Kind of shot.
6. Long-tailed parrot. Kind of attack. Stinger. 7. Chinese tea leaves. Golfer’s cry. Kind of chamber.
Gwinnett County career center links job seekers to employers
By HANNAH YAHNE hannah@appenmedia.com
DULUTH, Ga. — The Atlanta Regional Workforce Development Board celebrated the opening of its relocated career resource center Dec. 3 in Duluth that offers training and assistance with job-seeking to Gwinnett County residents.
The Workforce Development Board includes members of the Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC) and oversees the six career centers serving seven Metro Atlanta counties: Gwinnett, Cherokee, Clayton, Douglas, Fayette, Henry and Rockdale.
The Gwinnett County career resource center is open at its new location, 3805 Crestwood Parkway NW, Suite 200 in Duluth.
The career resource center is a collaboration between Gwinnett Technical College and WorkSource Atlanta Regional, a federally funded program working to connect employers with job candidates.
“When you provide individuals with a skill set, you provide them with a lifechanging opportunity to earn a viable wage, and therefore, increase their quality of life,” said Lauren Dodson, vice president of Economic Development for Gwinnett Tech. “We are thrilled to have this new facility in our backyard.”
Brett Lacy, director of the Workforce Development Board, described the career resource centers as the place for job seekers and training providers to connect, leading to further skill development and certifications needed
for employment.
“The relocation of our career resource center shows our dedication to meeting job seekers where they are and helping them succeed in the long run,” Lacy said.
Career resource centers throughout the state resulted from WorkSource Georgia, a statewide employment and training system created in 2016 after Congress passed the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act. When the program launched, the state’s unemployment rate hovered around 5.5 percent, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Georgia’s unemployment rate now stands a full percent point lower than the nation’s average of 4.4 percent.
The ribbon-cutting for the new resource center was one piece of good news shared at the Dec. 3 meeting of the Atlanta Regional Workforce Development Board.
By summer 2026, Building Georgia will launch its first training cohort as the program aims to fill the need for an estimated 136,000 jobs created by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.
The program began in 2024 and is a partnership between ARC, the Technical College System of Georgia and the Georgia Department of Transportation. All three are collaborating to complete the curriculum that will focus on entry-level construction skills and basic industry knowledge. Graduates from the program will be paired with participating employers throughout the state.
HANNAH YAHNE/APPEN MEDIA
Gwinnett County Chairwoman Nicole Hendrickson and Co-Chair of the Atlanta Regional Workforce Development Board Trey Ragsdale are joined by fellow members Dec. 3 as they celebrate the new Gwinnett County career resource center at 3805 Crestwood Parkway NW, Suite 200 in Duluth.
Memberships
Sandy Springs opens ticket sales for 2026 Daddy-Daughter Dance
SANDY SPRINGS, Ga. — The 16th annual Daddy-Daughter Dance is back with two magical nights Friday, Jan. 9 and Saturday, Jan. 10 on the third floor of Sandy Springs City Hall.
The beloved community tradition features music from dads, and father figures, with their daughter’s favorite playlists provided by a live disc jockey from 6-8 p.m. both evenings.
Beyond dancing, there will be plenty of activities, including musical games, dinner and refreshments.
Organizers encourage DaddyDaughter duos to register for only one night, as tickets are not transferable between the two events.
The dress code is semi-formal, and attendees will be able to capture the magic of the evening with a keepsake photo and goody bag.
New this year, guests can reserve a private table for a group at $200.
Each reserved table includes admission for up to eight guests
(four Daddy-Daughter duos) and guarantees the group a dedicated table for the entire evening.
For those interested, Sandy Springs staff encourages one person to purchase the reserved table on behalf of the group.
There are a limited number of reserved tables available each night, so people are encouraged to book early. Also, individual tickets are not needed for guests included in a reserved table purchase.
Other seating will be open for everyone to enjoy throughout the night.
Tickets are $40 per duo, plus $10 for each additional daughter.
Registration is required at sandyspringsga.gov/ daddydaughterdance.
There is no onsite registration.
For scholarship information, contact recreation@sandyspringsga. gov.
— Hayden Sumlin
NEWBUSINESSSPOTLIGHT
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Security:
Continued from Page 1
Sandy Springs Police Maj. Forrest Bohannon, a member of the department’s command staff supervising field operations, said her team will ensure the city has adequate staffing within its city limits during the games.
“The City of Atlanta requested the City of Sandy Springs be a subrecipient of the grant program to receive reimbursement for overtime costs incurred while providing public safety support during the World Cup events,” Bohannon said. “Our Police and Fire departments will provide personnel with projected overtime expenses of approximately $78,000. These costs will be reimbursed in fiscal year 2027 through the DHS grant program.”
A city memo says current projections show 33 staff members from the Police Department and three firefighters will be deployed for 1,200 hours during the games.
The resolution states the specific dollar figure will be determined later.
Bohanon told City Councilwoman Melissa Mular that public safety personnel assisting with security should not interfere with law enforcement duties in Sandy Springs because there is plenty of time to plan ahead.
She also said the grant should allow for some fluctuation if specific hours are not met or exceeded.
After the brief presentation, City Councilman John Paulson asked about language in the resolution, referencing an
Runoff:
Continued from Page 1
A total of 7,282 early votes, including 60 absentee by mail ballots, showed Paul ahead of Carter by more than 3,000 votes, a roughly 72-to-28 percent margin.
In 2021, Paul defeated Carter with 70 percent of the vote.
After the release of early votes, Paul said he was feeling gratified with roughly half of the ballots counted.
“It just means that the vision we started with is very much alive,” Paul said. “I can go visit Eva Galambos in Arlington [Memorial Park cemetery] and let her know that her dream is still progressing. That’s gratifying to me.”
Paul said the Sandy Springs community rallied to incorporate the city to protect neighborhoods from development and use property tax revenue to improve infrastructure inside the city.
“It’s still early, but it just says that the people in Sandy Springs are excited and committed to the original vision,” he said.
Sandy Springs Police Maj.
details a request from the City of Atlanta for the Sandy Springs Police and Fire departments to assist with public safety support at the 2026 FIFA World Cup next summer. As a recipient of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security grant program, Sandy Springs would be reimbursed close to $80,000 for overtime-related expenses.
agreement between Sandy Springs and “the appropriate party.”
Bohannon said she is not exactly sure what entity with the DHS is the point of contact for the grant program.
“I think the Atlanta Regional Commission is still trying to work everything out,” Bohannon said. “All of the subgrantees had to turn in their amounts, and then they have to work through the grant process with DHS.”
Mayor Rusty Paul said many things remain up in the air, even with a drawing for the group stage games scheduled for Dec. 5. That will indicate which national
Paul had praise for Carter.
“Dontaye is a good man, I think the world of him personally,” he said. “I just don’t think his vision is what Sandy Springs wants. I hope he’ll stay engaged.
During the four-way mayoral race, Carter and Paul got along during debates, sometimes taking each other’s talking points and defending one another.
“I want to find some role for him to play because I think he’s got some good ideas,” Paul said. “He’s got some … I think they’re a little beyond, in some cases way beyond, what Sandy Springs is willing to accept at this point. We need young people involved, just not as mayor yet.”
Carter concedes to Paul
Carter spent election night at his home in north Sandy Springs, reacting to the final results the morning of Dec. 3.
“Waking up the day after the election, I want folks to know this: Even though the results didn’t go our way, I’m incredibly proud of the movement we built together,” Carter wrote in a statement. “To everyone who stood with us — thank you ... We showed up, we
2026 FIFA Club World
a press conference at MercedesBenz Stadium in April.
segments in Buckhead to Central Perimeter when completed in 2029.
teams are playing in Atlanta in June.
“We’ve been working closely with the Atlanta Sports Council, Mr. Dan Corso and the City of Atlanta,” Paul said. “This request comes from the police folks who’ve got to provide security. They want our participation in security arrangements.”
Paul said the city is also working to host World Cup watch parties and community gatherings.
In other business, the City Council:
• Approved a $15 million construction contract for the middle PATH400 segment, which will eventually connect
fought hard, and we stood up for what matters most. That work doesn’t end with an election.”
Carter said he reached out to Paul on election night to congratulate him on his victory.
“I genuinely look forward to working with him,” Carter wrote. “The ideas we lifted up in this campaign matter, and I’m committed to bringing them into the conversation as we push for the brighter future Sandy Springs deserves.”
Carter encouraged the community to work together.
“So, while this chapter may be closing, the story is far from over,” he wrote. “I hope residents stay engaged, stay hopeful and keep raising their voices — because Sandy Springs is worth fighting for, and I’m not bowing out.”
Roberts wins District 4 seat
In the race for the City Council District 4 seat vacated by Jody Reichel, Frank Roberts defeated Michelle Sullivan in the Dec. 2 runoff with a roughly 54-to46 percent margin.
The other two candidates eliminated in the general election, Dave Flynn and Steven Hickey, endorsed Roberts, a
• Approved a roughly $667,000 contract for sidewalks and a signalized crossing at Spalding Drive and Jett Ferry Road.
• Heard a presentation from Maulden & Jenkins on an unmodified, clean opinion of the city’s fiscal year 2025 external audit.
• Heard a report that the Sandy Springs Police Department is spending $250,000 remaining from a statewide grant on improvements to its Intelligence Operating Center at the Morgan Falls Road facility.
• Accepted the donation of a permanent easement at Lake Forrest and Maryeanna drives in southern Sandy Springs to monitor slope erosion, which Public Works officials said is under control.
former Sandy Springs police sergeant. Roberts said he heard a lot about traffic congestion and stormwater runoff during his campaign.
He said it’s been a long-drawn-out experience since he announced his bid in June, describing it as “tiring but fun.”
“I met a lot of people in Sandy Springs who I didn’t know before ... a lot of good neighbors,” he said. “I’d like to give a lot of credit to the people of my campaign team because I was a rookie at this. It was a unified effort on everybody’s part.”
City Councilman John Paulson, who will become the city’s longest serving elected official in January, spoke at the council meeting about the turnover at City Hall following this year’s election.
The city is planning to recognize the three council members leaving office at its Dec. 16 session.
“It’ll be the last meeting for several members of this council, Tibby DeJulio, Jody Reichel and Andy Bauman,” Paulson said. “Tibby has been with this council since the beginning, as he reminds us all the time. And my challenge to folks is: if you have a good Tibby, Jody or Andy story, you have three minutes at the next meeting.”
HAYDEN SUMLIN/APPEN MEDIA
Forrest Bohannon
FILE PHOTO
From left, FIFA President Gianni Infantino and Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens discuss the design of the official match ball for the
Cup during
‘Boom Boom’ – The history of local nicknames
BOB MEYERS Columnist
When Juliet said “what’s in a name” in Shakespeare’s ”Romeo and Juliet,” she was saying that a person’s name is just a label. Nicknames, on the other hand, often reflect a characteristic of a person or are given for convenience such as “Liz” for Elizabeth or “Ike” for Eisenhower.
Sometimes a person may have more than one nickname. Frank Sinatra was known as, “Ol’ Blue Eyes,” “Chairman of the Board” and “The Voice.”
The word nickname is a derivative of “ekename” which means an additional name in Middle English, the language spoken in England circa 1150 to 1500. In these parts, nicknames were likely to be based on funny incidents, odd behavior or an inside joke. Here are a few prized local nicknames that lasted and some that disappeared over time.
The “Boom Boom” nickname belonged to James Newton Dinsmore (1936-2004). His grandparents, Joe and Patsey Dinsmore lived on Redd Road in Alpharetta. Young James dammed the creek that ran behind his grandparents’ barn every summer to make a swimming hole. One day, a snapping turtle grabbed his toe and would not let go. James’ cousin Lester Samples ran to get grandfather Joe who rushed to the creek and told James the turtle would not let go until it thundered. So, James yelled Boom Boom over and over again, and a nickname was born.
Boom Boom was a star athlete at Milton High School. He was on the same baseball team as another star, Gene Estes (more about him later), when the team won the state championship in 1955. He also excelled at football and shotput. Boom Boom ran a gas station for many years after serving in the Army for two years and then worked for Coke as a truck driver. Later, he was employed by the county.
Boom Boom was a popular character. He was also very opinionated about Ford cars and meticulously wore khaki pants with pleats. He had the best flat top haircut in school, but he never outlived his nickname. In fact, “Boom-Boom” is listed as part of his name on the Find a Grave website.
Connie Mashburn, Boom Boom’s cousin and local historian told me the Boom Boom story. Connie was also a star athlete at Milton High School and had two nicknames, “Mashed Potatoes” because of his name, and “Half Pint” because when he was in the 6th grade he
ATLANTA CONSTITUTION, AUG. 27, 1953
Milton High School star all-round athlete Gene Estes had several colorful nicknames bestowed on him by sports writers. The caption of this photo says Milton’s One Man Gang Snatches Aerial.
would go to varsity basketball practice with his brother Larry, a member of the team. Coach Beavers would have Connie fill in when they were short a player for team scrimmages. The varsity players gave Connie his nickname.
Eugene Talmage Estes (1935-2025) was the greatest all-round athlete in his time at Milton High School. He was a favorite of sportswriters in the 1950s who gave him nicknames such as “Mr. Everything,” “Big Gene” and “Waterproof,” the latter because of his ability to “slip through tackles like water off a tin roof.” He excelled in baseball, football and track. Later, he turned down an offer to play pro baseball in Kansas City, choosing instead a football scholarship at the University of Georgia. His career was cut short by a broken leg and other injuries during his freshman year, but his legend endured. After leaving college he became a firefighter in Atlanta for 23 years. In 2022 he was inducted into the Milton High School Hall of Fame.
Walter Ferguson (1932-2014) had the nickname “Square” because he bought so
HAL COLEMAN/PROVIDED
Lamar “Hobo” Coleman is shown stoking the potbelly stove in his gas station in Roswell in the early 1960s. The heater was where local storytellers gathered. The famous columnist Celestine Sibley, who was a fan of Hobo, said in a column “There is always some project going around the heater.”
much chewing tobacco for his grandfather Paul Wood from the general store owned by his uncle C.M. Wood. It was near the intersection of Redd Road and Hopewell Road. In those days some chewing tobacco was sold in squares. The chewer would cut off a small piece from the square and pop it in his mouth. Square owned a TV repair shop and was Chief of the Alpharetta Volunteer Fire Department for 28 years. For 35 years, he supervised special education school bus operations in Fulton Country. He was a Korean War veteran.
Lamar “Hobo” Coleman (1906-1967) was part of a family that migrated from North Carolina and settled in the Roswell area in 1836. Hal Coleman, Hobo’s nephew, also known as Milton Crabapple on the entertainment and music circuit, says the Hobo nickname came about because, as an infant, he wore clothes that were too large. Hugh William “Happy” Coleman (1906-1959), also a local personality, said the baby looked like a hobo, and the nickname stuck.
Hobo owned a gas station in Roswell at the corner of Canton Steet and Wood-
stock Road. “It was always crowded,” says Hal Coleman. “It was just the place to be.”
The celebrated columnist Celestine Sibley wrote several articles about Hobo. In 1966 when he was in the hospital she said “half of North Fulton County is desolate….Hobo’s is sort of a masculine retreat….There is always some project going around the heater. In spring, the group makes birdhouses or fiddles around with gourds or polishes some bit of copper or brass that Hobo picked up somewhere.”
Special thanks to Don Rolader for his help with this story.
Because nicknames are so much fun, I will do a future column about other local folks blessed or cursed with clever nicknames.
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. Bob welcomes suggestions for future columns about local history.
‘The Candy of the South’ and other sweets manufacturers
VALERIE BIGGERSTAFF Columnist
In 1923, candy manufacturing was big business in Atlanta. More than 4,000 people in the city worked in candy factories. There were several candy companies, but four were identified in the Atlanta Chamber of Commerce publication “City Builder” as the largest. They were Nunnally, Norris, Block and Schlesinger Candy Companies. (The City Builder, 1923, “The Sweets Center of Dixie,” Atlanta History Center archives)
James Nunnally began Nunnally Candy Company in 1884, manufacturing and selling boxed chocolates in Atlanta. The company produced 5 million pounds of candy a year and was known by the slogan “The Candy of the South.” Nunnally had 10 retail stores across the U.S.
When James Nunnally married Cora Winship, a cousin of the CocaCola Woodruff family, he combined his candy business with Coca-Cola connections. He built Nunnally’s, a soda fountain on Peachtree Street facing Luckie Street.
In 1920, James and Cora’s son Winship took over the family business. Winship Nunnally served on the boards of Delta Airlines, Coca Cola Company, Trust Company of Georgia, Lowry National Bank and First National Bank. He built a summer house along the Chattahoochee River off Spalding Drive, where the Sandy Springs neighborhood River Oaks is now located.
Norris Candy was the newest candy manufacturer among the top four as of 1923. The factory was located on Peachtree Street. The Norris recipes included pecans from the Southern U.S., but they also incorporated imported nuts and fruits.
Advertising for Norris Inc. appeared in national publications, such as the Saturday Evening Post. A Norris employee had the job of searching the art centers of Europe for new candy box designs.
A.L. Norris, owner of Norris Candy Company, entertained dealers who sold his candy at his Dunwoody summer home. In 1927, more than 500 guests enjoyed music and dance at his home on Chamblee Dunwoody Road and on the grounds of Sirron Gardens, his nursery business. (The Constitution, Sept. 1, 1927, “Dealers in Norris Candies are feasted at barbecue given
PROVIDED
Nunnally Candies featured its manufacturing facility at Edgewood Ave. and Ivy Street in this 1906 advertisement from The Atlanta Georgian newspaper.
by A. L. Norris at Sirron Farms”)
The Norris house was later destroyed by fire, but the guest house remains on Sirron Court.
Roy C. Head worked for Norris Candy for 25 years, then decided to start his own candy business in 1933. He planned to use Georgia products whenever possible. (Atlanta Constitution, “Head will make candy in Atlanta”)
Head owned property on both
sides of Chamblee Dunwoody Road, including where Boxwood Farms is today. One of the Head family homes still stands on Chamblee Dunwoody Road.
Another home in Dunwoody with ties to Norris Candy was that of Earl Smith, who was a salesperson for the company. That home was also on Chamblee Dunwoody Road but was demolished to make way for new construction.
Among the other top four candy companies in 1923, Frank E. Block Company was the oldest, dating back to 1866. Harry Schlesinger Candy Company began in 1888. Block Candy produced 9 million pounds of candy and 10 million pounds of crackers and cakes in 1923. From 1928 until 1936, the company was located at 512 Means Street in Atlanta in a building that still stands.
Schlesinger Candy was best known for its peanut butter kisses, also known as “Charlies.”
Award-winning author Valerie Biggerstaff is a longtime columnist for Appen Media and the Dunwoody Crier. She lives in Atlanta. You can email Valerie at pasttensega@gmail.com or visit her website at pasttensega.com.
Joe Lunch Pail has insights Federal Reserve ignores
Leading up to this week’s Federal Reserve meeting, markets are placing slightly better than even odds on a 25-basis-point rate cut — far from the 50-basispoint move that was circulating among analysts back in October. The Fed continues to express skepticism about postshutdown economic data, questioning whether the recent softness truly reflects an economy losing momentum or merely reflects outdated, distorted or incomplete datasets.
But while policymakers debate the credibility of month-old surveys, a different kind of economic barometer is available in plain sight: the lived experience of everyday Americans. I’ve argued repeatedly that while hard data is essential, it does not capture the full picture. If members of the Federal Reserve spent more time talking
with workers, families, and small businesses — those who feel economic pressures in real time — the story would be far less ambiguous.
Take my friend “Joe Lunch Pail.”
We met for a beer recently to catch up. I immediately noticed Joe wasn’t drinking his usual craft IPA. Instead, he was back to Bud Light — a brand that has clawed its way back into market relevance after several years of turmoil. When I asked about the switch, Joe’s answer was simple economics: everything costs more, and discretionary spending is the first casualty. Even his occasional bourbon — what he jokingly calls his “brown water” — has become a luxury at $12 a pour. Beer is cheaper, so beer it is.
Joe’s pressures don’t stop at the bar tab. His kids’ travel baseball now costs $4,000 just to join, not including equipment, fuel for weekend tournaments across the Southeast, hotel nights or food. The cumulative effect is what economists would call “compressed real household purchasing power.”
Joe explains it more directly: “My
income just isn’t keeping up.”
And to bridge the widening gap between wages and expenses? Joe is “mastering it” with his MasterCard — at more than 20 percent interest. That’s consumer-finance inflation in its purest form.
Joe remembers when life felt easier: a 2.5 percent mortgage rate, gas under $2.25 a gallon, grocery trips that didn’t routinely cross the $100 threshold, and fast-food meals that didn’t cost nearly $20 for a parent and child. Those days feel increasingly distant. And Joe isn’t alone. We talked about several mutual friends who have recently been laid off, forced to downsize homes or make lifestyle changes that seemed unimaginable just five years ago.
This is the economy real people are living in, one where data releases lag reality and household budgets tighten long before official reports acknowledge the strain. Yet the Federal Reserve continues to rely heavily on backward-looking indicators, many of which predate the shutdown and fail to capture the deterioration occurring at
the ground level.
If policymakers observed the real-world signals flashing in front of them — from shrinking consumer discretionary spending to rising reliance on high-interest credit — they might not be debating whether the economy is slowing; they would be acknowledging that the slowdown is already here. Perhaps then the conversation would still include a 50-basis-point cut next week — and the possibility of an additional 150 basis points or more in 2026. It shouldn’t take stale data to recognize what millions of families already know. If the Fed wants real insight, they don’t need another spreadsheet. They just need to ask Joe.
DC Aiken is Senior Vice President of Lending for CrossCountry Mortgage, NMLS # 658790. For more insights, you can subscribe to his newsletter at dcaiken.com.
The opinions expressed within this article may not reflect the opinions or views of CrossCountry Mortgage, LLC or its affiliates.
D.C. AIKEN Guest Columnist dcaiken.com
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Part-time
Front Desk Intake Specialist (Bilingual-Spanish)
NFCC is seeking a qualified candidate to fill the part-time Front Desk Intake Specialist position. The Front Desk Intake Specialist is responsible for connecting clients to the programs and services that NFCC offers. The role includes data entry, updating clients’ applications, and keeping clients and students informed of programs and service enhancements. As the face of NFCC at the Intake desk, this role requires maintaining a professional and welcoming presence that reflects the organization’s values.
Proficiency in Microsoft Suite and Spanish are required. Experience using Salesforce or other CRM systems is a plus.
If this sounds like the role for you, we’d love to hear from you! Please submit your resume to jobs@nfcchelp.org
