High Point Civic Association President Mary Ford and board member Colin Hubbard are vying for the District 5 seat on the Sandy Springs City Council this fall. Longtime City Councilman Tibby DeJulio announced he would not seek reelection for the seat.
By HAYDEN SUMLIN hayden@appenmedia.com
SANDY SPRINGS, Ga. — High Point Civic Association
President Mary Ford announced her run for the District 5 seat on the Sandy Springs City Council, setting up a race against fellow board member Colin Hubbard.
Sandy Springs is approaching its 20th anniversary as the state’s seventh most populous city.
It holds nonpartisan municipal elections every four years. All seats on the City Council and the mayor’s position are up for election at the same time. There are no staggered terms.
City Council races are determined by district, and voters may only cast a ballot for candidates running in the district where they reside.
High Point is a large Sandy Springs neighborhood, covering nearly 4 square miles in the southeastern corner of the city. It extends from the city’s southern border with Atlanta north to I-285 and from the DeKalb County line west to Roswell Road (Ga. 9).
The fifth district includes the High Point neighborhood and a small area north of I-285 and south of Hammond Drive.
By HAYDEN SUMLIN hayden@appenmedia.com
SANDY SPRINGS, Ga. — Los Niños Primero is using a Finnish model to reshape the future of learning in Metro Atlanta’s Latino community through its
new partnership with Lumo Education.
Los Niños Primero provides educational support to underserved Latino children and their families through a variety of in-person programming.
Lumo Education, a global consultant for student-centered education mod-
els, says its highly individualized and play-based approach is recognized for its efficiency and outcomes. Instead of emphasizing memorization and standardized testing, the Finnish company says it promotes creativity, collaboration, communication, critical thinking and care.
Leadership from both organizations held a panel, “Global Learning, Local Impact,” June 12 at The Mount Vernon School’s Main Campus to announce the partnership.
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By HAYDEN SUMLIN hayden@appenmedia.com
SANDY SPRINGS, Ga. — Trammell Crow announced plans to begin construction this month on an 8.1acre redevelopment — Hillcrest — just a block from City Springs off Mount Vernon Highway.
Plans for the mixed-use development include 362 apartments, 30 for-rent townhomes and around 18,000 square feet of retail space with a central plaza and greenspace.
The company’s subsidiary, High Street Residential, and mixed-use developer Third & Urban are expected to complete the project in 2027, according to information from Trammell Crow.
Sandy Springs Economic Development Director Chris Burnett said advancing the project involved a lot of moving parts.
“This is a big one for us, no doubt about it,” Burnett said. “I want to talk about new project that is really in the shadow of City Springs, it’s on the southwest corner of the [Mount Vernon Highway and Sandy Springs Circle] intersection.”
Currently, the site consists of Sandy Springs United Methodist Church’s Hitson Center, a grass field and a parking lot. Because of the property’s
steep grade, Trammell Crow says the development will terrace down from Mount Vernon Highway along Sandy Springs Circle.
The church, which is selling a chunk of its properties on the south side of Mount Vernon Highway, says it plans to use proceeds to fund significant improvements to its primary campus.
Sandy Springs Methodist Rev. Kate Floyd said she envisions that the church’s redeveloped campus will be integral to a vibrant city center and a welcome addition to the community.
The Sandy Springs Development Authority approved a tax abatement proposal at its June 5 meeting, laying out a parking arrangement with the city and Trammell Crow.
Development Authority members said the proposal should come before the Sandy Springs City Council June 17.
The agreement designates 111 parking spaces at Hillcrest for city use through a parking easement, making them free for the first two hours for patrons of City Springs or Hillcrest. Those are separate from around 400 spaces for residential use.
City Councilman Andy Bauman, who serves on the Development Authority, said there were two parts of the project that piqued his interest, whether there
would be affordable or owner-occupied housing and how to replace the city’s overflow parking at the site.
Sandy Springs has plans to expand its downtown district — City Springs — across Mount Vernon Highway to Hilderbrand Drive. While those are shelved, the private sector is helping to develop the city’s downtown.
Bauman said his conversations with the developers led him to believe affordable and owner-occupied housing is not an option.
“The good news is our piece of this is the parking,” he said. “That’s what we’re going to have a chance to address is replacement parking at a lot less cost.”
Bauman said the city is getting parking spots and some streetscape improvements at 15 cents on the dollar through the Development Authority’s agreement, which includes a buyout and maintenance cost sharing.
The three-party agreement caps the city’s investment for parking spaces and infrastructure at $4.87 million. The 10-year tax abatement kicks in after construction is completed with 50 percent off the first year with a 5 percent reduction each subsequent year. The realized tax savings is then paid to the city for its parking costs.
Bond documents, required by state law, are expected to be executed by mid-
July and total $150 million. In the bond resolution, the city and its Development Authority have no financial obligations.
According to the city, the Development Authority funds desirable economic development projects in Sandy Springs by providing access to capital and other financial incentives. It operates under the direction of a sevenmember board with members appointed by the mayor and confirmed by the City Council. Some its largest projects and partnerships include City Springs and Chastain Market.
Trammell Crow says the project will feature a three- to five-story apartment building with a parking garage and luxury townhomes with two- to threebedroom floor plans. Highlights of the residential portion include a rooftop pool and clubroom, state-of-the-art fitness amenities and a dog park.
Third & Urban partner Hank Farmer said Hillcrest’s retail side will introduce a mix of walkable shops and restaurants with abundant patio and outdoor spaces.
“[It] creates a retail experience that’s unique to the market,” Farmer said. “Located adjacent to City Springs, the project sits at the heart of the community in a pedestrian-focused, connected environment that reflects the character and spirit of Sandy Springs.”
Continued from Page 1
It marks Lumo Education’s first collaboration in the United States and the beginning of its work with community-based nonprofits.
The international partnership comes as the Sandy Springs-based nonprofit — Los Niños Primero — celebrates its 25th anniversary.
Executive Director Maritza Morelli said she and a few members of the leadership team attended a conference in Finland three years ago, which kicked off an emphasis on the Nordic nation’s pedagogy, or teaching methods.
In 2001, Morelli founded the nonprofit with support from the church, creating a culturally rich and inclusive education program to bridge opportunity gaps for Latino families. The five-week summer program is the organization’s flagship, serving more than 6,200 Latino children, youth and families since its inception.
“Los Niños Primero believes that education must nurture children’s deep sense of belonging, self-worth and possibility, particularly in our case to underserved or underrepresented populations,” Morelli said to kick off the panel. “We’re highly interested in partnering with Lumo because of our shared commitment to creating a transformative educational experience.”
The nonprofit’s Summer Educational Program accepts children ages 3 through the third grade. The full-day summer camp is held in Sandy Springs, Roswell, Hapeville, Lilburn, Chamblee, Marietta and Forest Park.
Other programs at Los Niños Primero include bimonthly Saturday classes during the academic year and early literacy classes for low-income students and their families to bridge educational gaps.
Panelists – all education specialists from both organizations – emphasized that one of the keys to making the approach work for local students is “cocreation.” It involves the process of adapting Finnish principles into local classrooms at The Mount Vernon Schools’ Lower Campus where Los Niños Primero holds its summer camps.
Co-creation requires instruction be culturally anchored and involve the children themselves.
After the panel, the group of local educators and parents made their way to Mount Vernon’s Lower School to see what instruction looks like during Los Niños Primero summer camps.
In one second grade classroom, an Atlanta Public Schools teacher was leading a unit on the phases of the moon, having students label each using Oreo cookie icing. The second graders ended up giving the tour a lesson in the difference between a waxing and waning gibbous.
Adelmo Sabogal, a fifth-grade teacher at Bolton Elementary School in Atlanta, said he is using some of the summer camp’s play-based approach with his regular students, and they are thriving.
Last summer, Los Niños Primero students demonstrated a 15-point increase in literacy and a 22-point jump in mathematics. More than 300 youth volunteers, some summer camp alumni and others attending local schools, assist state-certified teachers with more than 600 students in the summer.
The U.S. Department of Education ranks national
An attendee of Los Niños Primero’s June 12 “Global Learning, Local Impact” panel asks a second-grade student about her solar system project on the moon, which used Oreos to represent each lunar phase. Nonprofit leadership said the students were on a unit about natural cycles, making the solar system a little more enticing with sandwich cookies.
education systems every three years based on the average score of 15-year-old students in reading, mathematics, and science literacy. It’s called the Program for International Students Assessment (PISA) assessment.
In 2022, Finland ranked 20th in the world. The United States trailed Vietnam, Norway and Malta outside of the top 30.
In the age of digital computing and artificial intelligence, Lumo Education says it thinks it’s time for students to move away from the traditional model, developed in Germany more than 250 years ago. Prussia, a precursor to unified Germany, developed its education model to produce disciplined factory workers and soldiers. The United States began using the model in the mid-19th century, and its remnants are still around today in the form of standardized testing and bell schedules.
Lumo Education co-founders Salla Halko and Sanna De Araújo discussed similarities and differences between the Finnish and American models.
“Teachers are not required to submit any plans to anyone … that type of requirement doesn’t exist,” Halko said. “Teachers plan, but the focus is more on the students. I’m planning for my students and myself to stay on track, so that’s how trusted they are.”
The Finnish model incorporates a shorter school day along with its culturally anchored and childcentered approach. Lumo Education’s teaching principles and efficiency already matches well with the existing programming and philosophy at Los
Niños Primero, Halco and De Araújo said.
“We can’t ‘copy and paste’ a system, we really respect local community and culture,” Halko said. “So, the ownership of our partners, that’s very crucial, that they need to do the thing for themselves.”
The Finnish model requires teachers to relinquish some control of the classroom, which practitioners say eventually makes the learning experience more enjoyable.
There is a lot of diversity within Metro Atlanta’s Latino community and in the students who attend summer camps at Los Niños Primero.
Executive Director Morrelli said her students represent 14 of the world’s 21 Spanish speaking countries, which represents a variety of cultures, dialects and educational backgrounds. Having a constant dialogue with parents and students, a hallmark of the Finnish education model, is essential to the nonprofit’s mission of empowering Latino students.
Morelli said there is increasing demand to take on more students, whether by expanding the organization’s footprint or its age range. In 2024, the nonprofit added a summer program with Marietta City Schools in Cobb County and 10 new classrooms, bringing it to a total of eight locations across five Metro Atlanta counties.
Morelli said Los Niños Primero has no federal grants coming in, but competition for philanthropic funds will increase with other organizations losing that revenue. She said it’s an increasingly difficult time in the Latino community with anxiety running high during the federal government’s crackdown on immigration.
By HAYDEN SUMLIN hayden@appenmedia.com
ATLANTA — The Fulton County Board of Commissioners reappointed Sherri Allen as chairwoman of the Registration and Elections Board in a 5-2 vote along party lines at its June 4 meeting.
Allen is a practicing Sandy Springs attorney and an active community member, sitting on city and local nonprofit boards. She also works as a legal assistance manager for The Warrior Alliance.
Commissioners approved her nomination unanimously last July during a special-called meeting before the 2024 election. At the time, elected officials on both sides of the aisle spoke positively about Allen’s confirmation.
Less than a year later, the board’s two Republican commissioners voted against her renomination to a new twoyear term.
At a May 21 meeting, commissioners voted unanimously to confirm the
THORNE ELLIS
Fulton County Democratic Party’s two nominees, Douglass Selby to replace Aaron Johnson and the reappointment of Teresa K. Smith Crawford. Moments later, commissioners failed to appoint current board member Julie Adams and Jason Frazier, the Fulton County Republican Party’s nominees, in a 5-2 vote along party lines.
At that May meeting, District 5 County Commissioner Marvin Arrington
Jr. took issue with the move.
“This is not about partisan politics for me … maybe it is for some,” Arrington said. “The problem we have in this country is the far right and the far left, the solutions are in the middle.”
Arrington said he thinks the Democratic nominees, Selby and Crawford, are in the center but inferred Adams and Frazier are on the “far right.”
District 4 County Commissioner Mo Ivory said Adams sowed “discord and chaos” when she refused to certify the county’s primary results last year. Ivory also read off comments from Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger about the county’s well-run 2024 election, saying she can work with some Republicans.
Democratic commissioners made similar comments about Frazier, saying he has “an egregious record of voter suppression.” Frazier characterizes his work as “fighting for election integrity,” showing one of the stark divides in
American politics.
Two weeks after failing to appoint all four regular members of the board, Republican commissioners told their Democratic colleagues that they could not support Allen’s reappointment.
District 1 County Commissioner Bridget Thorne, a Republican representing east North Fulton, said she supported Allen’s nomination last year but has issues with her as chair.
“I ran on transparency in our elections, and it has been all but transparent,” Thorne said. “To have trust in our elections, we need transparency, and that’s exactly what Sherri Allen has not done.”
Thorne said she spoke and met with Allen when she was nominated. After confirmation, she said Allen stopped taking her calls.
Thorne said both sides of the aisle contribute to lawsuits and public uncertainty about elections.
See REAPPOINT, Page 11
SANDY SPRINGS, Ga. — Sandy Springs opened applications for the 2025-26 Citizens’ Leadership Academy, a multi-week program designed to educate residents, which will close June 30.
The Citizens’ Leadership Academy offers a comprehensive and engaging curriculum tailored to foster an informed and active citizenry.
Courses are set to take place at Sandy Springs City Hall and other
municipal facilities, including the new Sandy Springs Police Headquarters and Municipal Court Complex.
Class size is capped at 30 participants, and a $35 fee is due upon confirmation of attendance.
In its third year, the Sandy Springs Citizens’ Leadership Academy (SSCLA) will provide participants with an opportunity to meet with the mayor, City Council and staff to learn more about local government,
We are looking for one person or couple interested in delivering weekly newspapers in South Forsyth, Alpharetta and the Johns Creek areas.
Requirements: Must have a perfect driving record and background check, reliable transportation, honest, hard-working and positive attitude.
For more information or to apply, email heidi@appenmedia.com and include a paragraph or two about who you are and any relevant background/experience. In the subject line of the email please put “Delivery Route Application.”
civic responsibility and community leadership.
After the program, the city says participants will have developed a deep understanding of the structure, functions and responsibilities of their local government, providing the tools and knowledge needed to actively engage and take on leadership roles within their Sandy Springs.
The SSCLA includes eleven classes ranging from city management and the
Recreation and Parks Department to emergency management and signature events.
The program wraps up with a graduation ceremony at a City Council meeting next spring.
To learn more and view an application, visit sandyspringsga.gov/ sandy-springs-citizens-leadershipacademy.
— Hayden Sumlin
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, 3 and 7 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!
1. Depp’s captain. Grotto. Canon camera
2. Spiral shell. Clumsy person. ‘Peter Pan’ captain.
3. King of the road. Martini additive. Captain of the H.M.S. Bounty.
4. Pirate captain. Venture out. Icy coating.
5. Tropical fruit. Scottish hillside. Captain of the Pequod.
6. Poker pot. ‘Star Trek’ captain. Bakery supply.
7. Ford flop. Having a lot to lose. Jules Verne’s captain.
1 Depp’s captain. Grotto. Canon camera
2. Spiral shell. Clumsy person. ‘Peter Pan’ captain
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!
3. King of the road. Martini additive. Captain of the H.M.S. Bounty
4. Pirate captain. Venture out. Icy coating
5. Tropical fruit. Scottish hillside. Captain of the Pequod.
6. Poker pot. ‘Star Trek’ captain. Bakery supply
7. Ford flop. Having a lot to lose. Jules Verne’s captain.
Estate planning is about the people you love and the challenges they may face. Mental health is an often-overlooked part of the planning process, but it can have a major impact on long-term protection and decision-making.
Here are 5 key mental health considerations to keep in mind:
✓ Capacity Matters – A clear mind is essential when signing legal documents. Plan early.
✓ Appointing the Right Agents –Choose someone who understands and respects your family’s mental health dynamics.
✓ Guardianship Decisions – Protect vulnerable children or adults who may need ongoing care.
Customized Trust Provisions – Use trusts to provide support without disrupting benefits or autonomy.
✓ Planning with Compassion –Your estate plan should reflect not just your wishes, but your family’s needs. Join our in person workshops to learn how estate planning can protect both financial and emotional well-being for your loved ones. Please call us at 770.209.2346 for more information.
• Does my Will protect my “stuff”? (It does not.)
• Should I upgrade my Will to a Trust?
• What do I need to know about Revocable Living Trusts?
• How do Irrevocable Trusts work?
• Medicaid. What’s true and what’s not?
Workshops:
• How do I protect my assets for my family and legacy?
• How do I remain in control?
• How do I avoid losing everything to nursing home costs?
• How can my family avoid probate?
By HAYDEN SUMLIN hayden@appenmedia.com
DUNWOODY, Ga. — Elizabeth Morris and her mom, Kay Underwood, had some free time on their hands and opened a small gift shop in a small Gwinnett County city in 2005.
Now in its 20th year, The Enchanted Forest is in the back right corner of the Dunwoody Hall shopping center at 5580 Chamblee Road.
Morris said she opened the Village location in 2008, right around the time Dunwoody was incorporating. The Gwinnett native said opening a business in her hometown of Metro Atlanta keeps lots of friends from high school and college in her life.
Most of the employees are nearby residents as well, which lets the shop follow up with customers they know by name.
“Because we are a small business, we have the opportunity to really get know our customers,” Morris said. “That does make a difference.”
The shop sells a variety of gifts, candles, dinnerware, bags for every season, baby gifts, books and Mahjong tiles of every size, style and color. If you’re looking for a specific brand, The Enchanted Forest probably has it.
“We had two stores for a little while and then closed down the second store and just focused on our Dunwoody location,” Morris said. “Initially, I opened it as a part of a corporate gift business … and then realized we needed a little more space and opened a storefront.”
The Gwinnett location shuttered around 2010 because of significant construction slowing foot traffic in the area, making it hard to access the space. Around that time, The Enchanted Forest firmly planted its roots in Dunwoody, operating the single storefront through the Great Recession and COVID-19 pandemic.
“We still do some corporate gifts for companies … we help them create a unique gift to send to their clients and then send it out, usually around the holidays,” Morris said. “For the most part, we’re just a regular little gift store, and we try to carry unique brands at a good price point.”
Today, the shop ships some items to out-of-state customers and specializes in its face-to-face customer service with gift wrapping, holiday specials and all the top brands.
Morris and Underwood, the mother-daughter duo behind The Enchanted Forest, are teachers by trade. Before she opened the first location, Morris said she chose the name of the business because she wanted to open a children’s bookstore.
“We love talking to people and visiting with people,” Morris said. “She offered to help because I needed somebody else, it takes more than one person to get things up and going.”
She said her father — a financial planner and accountant — suggested expanding the store’s merchandise to draw in a larger demographic.
While many department stores and corporate retailers have stopped complimentary wrapping and packaging, The Enchanted Forest wants its customers to walk out the door with a gift they can hand to someone.
“Our goal is for the customers who come in to find
BY: THE ENCHANTED FOREST/PROVIDED Kay Underwood and Elizabeth Morris are a mother-daughter duo who own The Enchanted Forest within the Dunwoody Hall shopping center, selling home décor and uniquely themed gifts.
something unique for whoever they’re gifting to,” Morris said. “We offer the giftwrap, so they don’t have to go somewhere else. It’s one less step that the customer has to take.”
Morris said she thinks customers get value from coming into a brick-and-mortar shop, perusing merchandise and selecting something they can touch and see.
Like other local retailers and small business owners, the on-again, off-again tariffs are impacting The Enchanted Forest. In the first week of June, Morris said there’s a lot of uncertainty.
“A lot of our vendors have already implemented significant price increases across the board, in addition some of our vendors are charging us tariffs on top of the price increase,” she said. “It’s hard for people because money is tight, not everyone has a lot of expendable income right now.”
Because the gift shop usually has its price points set by manufacturers and vendors, the family-owned business doesn’t usually have the flexibility to change prices.
“It’s been a pretty big increase for a small business,” Morris said. “We try to partner with other small businesses, people who make their own products, and the tariff surcharges for them have caused some of them to go out of business or really reduce what they can produce.”
As a result, The Enchanted Forest is adjusting its purchasing to reduce order volume in some cases. Morris said she thinks small businesses are bearing the brunt of tariffs and trade uncertainty.
“We have a lot of vendors who say, ‘we can no longer absorb the tariffs,’” Morris said. “At the same time, they aren’t necessarily in effect, but they’re still passing [the surcharge or price increase] onto us regardless of what comes of the tariffs.”
Trying to predict where things may go, Morris said she thinks the price increases will stay but hopefully
Gifts celebrating Georgia, Atlanta and Dunwoody sit on display at The Enchanted Forest, a small business within the Dunwoody Hall shopping center off Chamblee Dunwoody Road. A mother-daughter duo from Gwinnett County, Elizabeth Morris and Kay Underwood, opened the shop within the Village in 2008.
the tariff surcharges go away as trade disputes cool.
“Having been in business for a long time, it tends to level out,” she said. “We try and seek out the smaller vendors who are trying to feed their families, and those are the companies that we do our best to continue to support because it does make a difference.”
Morris said she thinks there are similarities between the business environment during the pandemic and the current tariff situation.
“This time we’re still able to get product, during COVID we couldn’t get much product because so many things were shut down,” she said. “Companies are trying to figure out what they can do to pivot how their businesses are run to be able to adapt and adjust.”
By JON WILCOX jon@appenmedia.com
ALPHARETTA, Ga. — The first thing Richard Landin plans to do after reuniting with his wife is give her a big hug.
“I’m ecstatic, happy, joyful, honestly a lot of different things,” the Alpharetta husband said June 4. “I’m very, very, very happy that I’m going to see my wife and hold her again.”
Richard was separated from his wife Daniela Joy Landin May 12 when U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents apprehended her without warning from their Alpharetta apartment. Led away in handcuffs, Daniela remained in custody at federal immigration detention centers in Georgia and Texas for more than four weeks.
Daniela, who sought asylum as a Colombian immigrant, was granted a $10,000 bond after a June 4 hearing in El Paso, Texas.
Her attorney said she has broken no laws.
Previous attempts to reach the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement were unsuccessful.
Immediately after learning she had a hearing date set, Richard hopped on a plane, so he could post bond as quickly as possible.
Daniela presented herself to Border Patrol officers in 2024 after leaving Colombia stating her fear of violence at the hands of paramilitary groups. She has appealed a decision by an
immigration judge who denied her asylum status.
The couple was married Feb. 8 in a small ceremony in Alpharetta.
Expecting the worst from her bond hearing, Daniela was “very emotional” upon learning she would be freed, Richard said.
“I’m going to take her to eat a good meal for the first time in three weeks and let her have some actual rest and tranquility after such a terrible, terrible time for her,” he said.
Richard described his wife’s experience in federal custody as difficult.
Through in-person visits and video calls, Daniela had told him she was struggling in custody.
Richard said his wife was “desperate” and “depressed,” and he worried she was losing faith.
She experienced sleep deprivation from a rigid schedule in her pod, where overhead lighting was dimmed for only a few hours each day. She battled boredom mainly indoors, unwilling to venture outside during yard excursions because of high temperatures and a lack of shade.
“She always sounds very desperate,” Richard said previously. “When she calls me, she’s always asking, ‘Hey, is there an update? Do we know when the bond hearing will be?’ She feels like they’re treating her worse than criminals.”
Her immigration attorney Jameel Manji, who is based in Tucker, said Daniela will likely be released within a day after her bond is posted.
After her release, her asylum case will
continue and could reach a resolution within months or years. A federal immigration board has received her case but has yet to issue a ruling. The board could order her deportation, allow her to remain
in the country or send her case back to the original judge for a ruling. Manji also has begun the process for her to obtain a green card through a spousal application.
Since the start of 2025, federal agents have begun apprehending immigrants who would have previously remained free, he said.
“ICE has changed its priorities under this administration,” Manji said. “The previous administration was focused on individuals with final deportation orders and people with criminal histories. This administration is openly much more aggressive.”
Immigrants in detention can receive rulings on their appeals within months, but a decision can take years for those on bond.
During her entire time in the U.S.,
Daniela has never broken a law, failed to make a court appearance or filed paperwork late, Manji said. She also has no criminal history.
“She didn’t deserve to be detained at all,” Manji said. “She is certainly not a danger to society or a flight risk.”
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents initially told the couple she would be held because of problems with a tracking anklet she wore.
Richard said a case worker told him they could see no problems with the anklet’s function, leading him to question the agents’ explanation.
Richard said he wonders about the fairness of an immigration system that works within laws but seemingly punishes those who follow them.
“It is a big injustice because we have a system to be able to seek lawful and permanent residence in the U.S.,” Richard said. “This whole situation kind of makes me feel like the government doesn’t care if these things are in place. They are more trying to use it against people who are trying to immigrate.”
Manji said Daniela could be separated from her husband if federal agents decide to detain her again.
He said her release was “wonderful news” but also worried about the damage done to her and her family.
“It was a terrible experience for her,” Manji said. “It was unfortunate and unnecessary for them to take those actions. Now, she will live with the trauma for the rest of her life.”
By JON WILCOX jon@appenmedia.com
JOHNS CREEK, Ga. — The Johns Creek Symphony Orchestra welcomes a new musical director with an international resume.
Henry Cheng was selected to lead the ensemble, which can include as many as 60 musicians on stage, Executive Director Linda Brill said.
Cheng said he is grateful to join the orchestra and looks forward to becoming a part of the Johns Creek community.
“This isn’t about making music. It’s about building something meaningful and lasting, and serving a community that truly values innovation, education and the arts,” Cheng said. “Orchestras grow when they serve, and my vision is for JCSO to become a place where people feel connected, inspired and proud of what we create together, not just on stage, but throughout the city.”
His selection by the orchestra’s board and search committee marks a seasonlong selection process that considered two other finalists.
Cheng replaces the late founder and maestro J. Wayne Baughman, who died November 2023 after battling pancreatic cancer. Beloved by the orchestra and community, Baughman founded the orchestra in 2007.
Titled Three Maestros, One Podium, the 18th concert season featured Chen and two other finalists in at least two concerts each. After each performance, audiences submitted feedback and cast votes.
The other finalists include Paul Bhasin, an Emory University orchestral studies director, and Howard Hsu, music director of the Valdosta Symphony Orchestra.
Cheng was selected based on the votes of musicians, audience members and the board of directors.
In the coming months, the orchestra
plans to release details about its 19th season, expected to launch in the fall.
Cheng is an internationally recognized conductor who has led performances across Europe, Asia and North America, winning numerous awards.
He is the winner of the Antal Doráti International Conducting Competition and the European Union Conducting Competition.
His career spans a variety of musical styles and artistic forms. He has also collaborated with Justice Desk Africa, a South African human rights organization inspired by Nelson Mandela’s legacy.
“His projects often reimagine the concert experience, whether through ‘Classical K-pop,’ which bridges the worlds of BTS and Beethoven, or ‘Minecraft x In C,’
a music education initiative merging minimalist composition with digital interactivity,” Brill said.
In addition to his work on the podium, Cheng composes and produces interdisciplinary performances that fuse sound, movement and visual storytelling.
Often developed in collaboration with dancers, technologists and visual artists, his work has been featured at venues such as the Berliner Festspiele, Singapore Art Museum, Steirischer Herbst Festival and Kaohsiung Performing Arts Center. These projects explore themes of presence, memory, and transformation, creating experiences that move across the boundaries of genre and tradition.
“My family and I are looking forward to becoming part of Johns Creek’s cultural and civic life, and to building on the strong foundation JCSO has established, helping it grow artistically, strategically and in service to the people who call this place home,” Cheng said.
DC Aiken
Big Sky Franchise Team
David & Michelle Bertany
Amour & Duane Carthy
Adam Corder
Barbara Anderson
Kerry Arias
Scott Baynton
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Continued from Page 1
“Sandy Springs is an incredible place to live — and that’s no accident,” Ford wrote in her June 5 announcement.
“Sandy Springs is known for outstanding public safety, strong neighborhoods and responsible stewardship of taxpayer dollars. As your City Council representative, I’ll work to protect and strengthen those pillars while also preparing for the future.”
Ford said she has the support of outgoing District 5 City Councilman Tibby DeJulio, who announced in April he would not be seeking reelection
County Commissioner Arrington, who abstained from Allen’s confirmation vote last year, said his focus is on ensuring county boards have the staff they need.
“Commissioner Thorne, I actually found something that we agree on,” Arrington said, cracking a smile. “Because our boards need to be compliant with our rules. So, I agree. I hear the allegations that are being made regarding Ms. Allen, but we need to address a bigger problem.”
Arrington then brought up other county boards, which he alleged
after his 20 years of service.
Ford, a longtime resident, is the chief marketing officer at Centegix, a national provider of crisis alert systems.
She is also a graduate of Sandy Springs Citizens Academy, Citizens Police Academy and Leadership Perimeter.
Her campaign website says she puts public safety first with other priorities including neighborhood preservation, responsible fiscal management, smart housing development and a forwardfocused vision.
Both candidates for the District 5 seat are board members of the High Point Civic Association, the community engine of southeast Sandy Springs.
Like Ford, Hubbard is a graduate of the Sandy Springs Citizens Leadership
do not follow established rules and procedures. As a suggestion, Arrington said the county should hire an officer in the County Attorney’s Office to ensure board compliance.
As far as his comments at the last board meeting, when two Republicans nominees were denied confirmation, Arrington said he hopes he didn’t offend or call anyone names.
“I want to see people in the center on both sides … closer to the center than in the fringes,” Arrington said. “That being said, some people are obstructionists. And some people will add so many questions that they prevent the people from doing the work they have.”
Academy and Leadership Perimeter. The University of Georgia graduate is the vice president of design and construction at Shelton McNally, a real estate firm focused on multifamily, office and mixed-use.
Hubbard lost the District 5 race to DeJulio in 2021 by a 69-31 margin.
“Having four years to look back on that … I’m getting started earlier and making sure I’m touching neighborhoods that I didn’t as much last time,” he said. “I’m making sure the entire district knows me and is aware of what I stand for.”
Hubbard said his top priority is continuing the city’s track record of fiscal responsibility. His other priorities include open communication with residents in District 5, responsible development with a focus on affordable
The problems, Arrington said, are with the county’s processes and systems.
Thorne and Arrington said they are both glad to have found common ground.
“I would love to pursue some sort of compliance officer, I think it will save on litigation … and pay for itself,” Thorne said. “I do believe it’s processes and systems, and I’m all about process.”
Bob Ellis, the other Republican commissioner, struck a different tone.
“I have no ill will toward Ms. Allen, and I do thank her for her service and willingness to serve,” Ellis said. “But I would rather us take some time and identify a person who we think could move this board further in a greater fashion, and I’m not going to be supportive of the nominee today.”
Ellis said the remarks about
housing and clear direction to staff regarding the 2026 update of the city’s Comprehensive Plan.
Qualifying for the Nov. 4 election will be Aug. 18-Aug. 21 between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. and Aug. 22 between 8:30 a.m. and noon.
While official qualification takes place in August, candidates often announce their intentions earlier in the race. To qualify to run in the municipal elections, individuals must be a resident of Sandy Springs for a period of at least 12 months immediately prior to election day, as well as be registered and qualified to vote in the city.
The Georgia Secretary of State’s My Voter Page will show you your sample ballot and polling location. Go to https://mvp.sos.ga.gov/s/
Registration and Elections Board nominees were “really unfortunate.”
“All of these people are wellintentioned citizens who are looking to play a civic role in the right manner,” he said. “But this persistent issue — with the challenges with our elections — it just goes on and on … it’s tiresome.”
Ellis, who’s served as a commissioner for 11 years, said there have been consistent questions about the Registration and Elections Board’s funding and spending plan.
“I felt like we fell short on that for a number of years. We’ve made some incremental progress, I want to acknowledge that,” he said. “In many ways, our elections are significantly better than where they were, but ultimately transparency is our friend.”
VALERIE BIGGERSTAFF Columnist
The first shopping center in Sandy Springs opened in 1954. George Ivey and Robert Ney, who both lived in Sandy Springs, saw the potential for growth. They purchased land on the west side of Roswell Road, between what is now Sandy Springs Circle and Cromwell Road. (Sandy Springs Gazette, 2018, “Sandy Springs shopping takes center stage”)
The Big Apple grocery store opened in the shopping center in 1955. It was the first large grocery store in Sandy Springs. At the time, many stores were open half the day on Wednesdays, so the Sandy Springs Big Apple advertised being open all day on Wednesday. (Images of America: Sandy Springs, Kimberly M. Brigance and Morris V. Moore for Heritage Sandy Springs)
Big Apple marketed their Sandy Springs store as their “finest store.” S&H Green stamps were earned with each purchase. Shoppers saved S&H Green Stamps to purchase household goods. A grand opening was held on September 10, when Big Apple gave away a 1955 Ford Ranch Station Wagon.
Big Apple began from the 1924 wholesale grocery business of Louis Alterman, who came from Russia to New York to Georgia. The name Big Apple began with an independent supermarket on Marietta Street. By 1957, there were 37 stores in Atlanta and the surrounding communities as well as throughout Georgia. (Atlanta Journal, March 3, 1957, “Big Apple founder to see chain show”)
Robert Ney’s Roswell Road Rexall Pharmacy was the first business to open in the Sandy Springs Shopping Center. He describes the early shopping center in an October 1997 oral history with Heritage Sandy Springs. “Next to me there was a Big Apple Grocery store. Next to them was a Forrest Five and Ten, which was a local chain.” Other early stores included Aldridge Hardware, Swofford Shoes, Pinkard Dry Cleaners and a children’s shop owned by Mary Maglin.
Swofford Shoes was one of the local businesses who sponsored Sandy Springs Little League baseball.
Ney also recalled that First Federal Bank was in the early shopping center at a time when there were no banks in Sandy Springs. Residents had to drive to Buckhead or other locations to manage their banking. The Sandy Springs post office was also located in Sandy Springs Shopping Center.
George Ivey had to get busy helping ensure water and sewer services were available to the new shopping center. He provided library space for ten years, up until 1965, when the permanent library was dedicated and open to the public. (Atlanta Journal, Feb. 24, 1965, “Sandy Springs to dedicate new library”)
Today, the shopping center is known as Cornerstone Square, owned by Regency Centers. Stores include Aldi’s, CVS, Carniceria Los Pinos and Concentra Urgent Care. Wells Fargo Bank is located in the corner at Sandy Springs Circle and Roswell Road.
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.
Barbara Anderson, 77, of Alpharetta, passed away on June 4, 2025. Arrangements by Northside Chapel Funeral Directors & Crematory.
Barbara Ramer, 92, of Roswell, passed away on June 3, 2025. Arrangements by Northside Chapel Funeral Directors & Crematory.
Charles Rogers, 80, of Roswell, passed away on June 1, 2025. Arrangements by Northside Chapel Funeral Directors & Crematory.
NFCC is seeking a qualified candidate to fill the fulltime Community Engagement Manager position.
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The Community Engagement Manager oversees all aspects of NFCC’s community events from planning through execution, including creating timelines, managing vendors and securing sponsorships. Events range from the annual golf tournament and fundraising gala to donor recognition and community engagement gatherings. The ideal candidate must be highly organized, creative, and motivated to successfully lead event planning and community engagement initiatives.
If this sounds like the role for you, we’d love to hear from you! Please submit your resume to jobs@nfcchelp.org
NFCC is seeking a qualified candidate to fill the fulltime Workforce Development Coordinator position. The Workforce Development Coordinator serves as a crucial link between NFCC clients, Volunteer Coaches, and local employers.
The Coordinator collaborates with community businesses to identify hiring opportunities while working closely with Volunteer Coaches who deliver career readiness services including resume writing, job application assistance, and interview preparation. Through these efforts, the Coordinator helps clients improve their employment prospects that may lead to greater financial stability.
If this sounds like the role for you, we’d love to hear from you! Please submit your resume to jobs@nfcchelp.org
Vice President of Client Programs
NFCC is seeking a qualified candidate to fill the fulltime Vice President of Client Programs position. The Vice President of Client Programs (VPCP) is a senior leader responsible for creating and implementing the Client Services department strategy for NFCC. This includes creating programs and services, monitoring their effectiveness and ensuring funds are distributed appropriately. The VPCP also leads a team of 13 client services staff who handle client intake, case management, impact and outcomes data, education (GED/English classes) and workforce development programs.
If this sounds like the role for you, we’d love to hear from you! Please submit your resume to jobs@nfcchelp.org
Bi-lingual (Spanish/English) Thrift
NFCC is seeking a qualified candidate to fill the part-time Bi-lingual (Spanish/English) Thrift Shop Associate position. One of the primary responsibilities of this role is to provide a high level of customer service in the Thrift Shop. The associate is responsible for all cash register and client clothing program transactions and keeping the merchandise in the store neat, clean, and organized. The role requires a friendly and customer-focused demeanor where all shoppers are treated with dignity and compassion.
If this sounds like the role for you, we’d love to hear from you! Please submit your resume to jobs@nfcchelp.org
Part-time Salesforce Business Analyst
NFCC is seeking a part-time Salesforce Business Analyst to help ensure operational efficiency by updating data, building reports and assisting organizational teams to increase their capability to meet organizational needs. The Salesforce Business Analyst will also build and generate organizational reports monthly (eg. KPI, volunteer reports), complete Salesforce data clean-up projects and analyze data sets for special projects to ensure organizational efficiency.
If this sounds like the role for you, we’d love to hear from you! Please submit your resume to jobs@nfcchelp.org
