Newspaper Page Text
Deadline
Is Nearing
For Contest
A big box under the Christinas tree, a
bug named Homer and a special doll
... these are only a few of the subjects
some have written about for The News’
best Christmas story.
After this week, there will only be
two weeks left before the deadline ar
rives in tbe contest.
Entries continue to arrive each day
and the stack is getting higher. But, the
deadline will be here before you know
it.
The story you write doesn’t have to
be true. It doesn’t even have to be real.
It can be a personal experience, it can
be a funny story or it can be sad. We
just want to read a good Christmas
story.
The author of the story selected the
best will receive a SSO cadi prize. Sec
ond place winner will get $25 and third
place winner will get $lO.
Many, if not all the stories, will ap
pear in The News Christmas greetings
issue.
Stories should be no longer than two
typewritten pages, doubled spaced. If
they are not typed, they should be
neatly printed.
Judges will make decisions on the
theme, originality and content. The de
cision of the judges will be final.
Entries should be postmarked no
later than Dec. 13.
Stories may be brought by The News
office on Dahlonega Street up until 5
p.m. on Friday, Dec. 12.
Send your entry to “Christmas Con
test,” The Forsyth County News, 107
Dahlonega Street, Cumming, Ga. 30130.
Entries should include the wrinters
writer’s name, address, age and tele
phone number.
Inside This
Week’s News
The Forsyth County High School
boys’ and girls’ basketball teams
opened their season on a good note Fri
day night. See stories on Page 1-B.
+++
Homework can be fun. If you don’t
believe it, see what teachers have been
looking at that can make at
home enjoyable. Story and photos on
Page9-B.
+++
The Upper Chattahoochee River Soil
and Water Conservation District held
its annual banquet in Gainesville Nov.
20. Story on Page 3-B.
+++
Want to get in a earpool? Want to
start your own? Now’s your chance to
get going and save some money. See
chart and story on Page 8-A.
+++
Gov. George Busbee and Rep. Bo
Ginn led the prelegislative forum that
was held in Gainesville last week. Story
isonPage2-A.
Forsyth Jury Convicts
Crowe In Shooting Here
Melvin Crowe was convicted by a
Forsyth County jury Nov. 20 of two
counts of aggravated assault with a
deadly weapon on black Atlanta fire
man Miguel Marcelli.
Marcelli, 28, was shot and wounded
July 26 when he was driving on Athens
Park Road with his girlfiriend, Shirley
Webb, 37. The two were leaving a com
puter company picnic when the shoot
ing occurred.
Robert Neal Davis, Crowe’s and Bry
ine Williams of Tennesee face separate
trials on identical charges either dur
ing a special court term in January or
during the regular term in March.
Appointed defense attorney Lynwood
Jordan moved for a pre-sentencing in
vestigation. Presiding judge Richard
Neville said the procedure was normal,
but added, “But I don’t know what it
will show that I don’t already know. ”
The investigation and sentencing will
be completed within two weeks, Judge
Neville said.
Crowe could serve between one and
10 years in jail. District Attorney
Frank Mills said the state would ask
that Crowe be given part of his sen
tence in jail and the rest on probation.
Marcelli testified he was driving
down Athens Park Road when, “I felt a
great weakness come over me. Then I
felt a wiggling sensation in my head
Have A Happy Thanksgiving!
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What, Me Worry?
Tom Turkey looks as if he might be sticking his neck out just a bit, which can be
dangerous, especially this time of year. He also has what appears to be a worried
expression, but, there is really no need because this particular turkey is a pet and
he should have no worries about Thursday being unlike any other kind of day. Un
fortunately, some of his friends might not be so lucky. (News staff photo by Eddie
Stow*.)
Metro Phone Group
Still Pushes For Goal
The Metro Atlanta Telephone Group
is continuing to try to obtain metro tele
phone service for Cumming.
The group would like for Cumming
area residents to be able to dial any
telephone in the metro Atlanta area
without paying a long distance charge.
The telephone group has hired a con
sultant to challenge Southern Bell Tele
phone and Telegraph’s estimate of the
cost of supplying metro telephone serv
ice. In October, Jewel Palmer of the
telephone group sent a letter to the
Georgia Public Service Commission
asking it to provide information about
Bell’s equipment to her consultant.
The PSC answered some of the ques
tions, said it did not understand others
and referred Mrs. Palmer to Bell for
answers to the rest.
Mrs. Palmer said recently the tele
phone group has asked the PSC to help
obtain information from Bell. Mean
and neck. I heard Shirley scream and
the car seemed to be moving on its
own. And that was all for right then.”
Ms. Webb testified similarly and
added that the car struck an embank
ment and overturned.
Marcelli and Ms. Webb and two oth
ers testified that Crowe had been
watching them at their picnic. Marcelli
said he saw Crowe circling the area in
a truck and “looking at me with a mean
face.” Marcelli added that at the time
he did not pay much attention to
Crowe.
Marcelli also testified Crowe backed
Proposed Center Sewer Service OK’d
By JAY JORDAN
News Editor
The Cumming City Council voted to
supply sewer service to the proposed
Tri-County Plaza Shopping Center
when construction begins if there is suf
ficient capacity in the city sewer sys
tem.
The motion followed a determined
discussion by the council and Mrs. Ei
leen White, a sponsor of the shopping
center. In May Mrs. White and the city
signed a contract to supply sewer serv*
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER HIM-CUMMING, GA 30130
while, she said “we’re waiting pa
tiently for the information.”
Two of the questions the PSC said
Bell would have to answer were about
allowing the telephone group’s consult
ing engineer to study Bell’s cable and
assignment records.
'Die PSC’s engineer Robert Evans
explained the PSC did not have the ca
ble records which would show the type
and location of each of Bell’s telephone
cables. The assignment records would
show who was connected to what cable.
Evans said Bell would probably not
give its records to the telephnone
group’s consultant, a Mr. Crumbley,
but, “if he feels it is necessary for him
to see them, I can’t see any problem
there.”
Bell public relations officials took a
reporter’s questions about the cable
and assignment records and promised
to supply an answer the next day. De
his truck across the road and glared at
him as he was leaving with Ms. Webb.
Other testimony brought out that
Crowe had allegedly been drinking dur
ing the day.
According to tapes made of inter
views with Crowe by the Georgia Bu
reau of Investigation and played to the
jury Crowe said, “We talked about
shooting out their (the black couples’)
tires...l don’t like colored people, but I
ain’t going to kill one.”
According to the tapes, Crowe rode to
the park several times with Davis and
Continued on Page 2A
ice to the proposed shopping center at
the comer of U.S. Highway 19 and
Georgia Highway 20. The center’s de
velopers would build a sewer line and
eventually deed it to the city. The con
tract expired Nov. 20. Mrs. White at
tended both the October and November
meetings of the council to ask for an ex
tension.
Mrs. White argued she would be in
default on her contracts with the cen
ter’s developer if the city did not ex
tend her contract. The only concession
Special Services Set
Here For Thanksgiving
Many Forsyth Countians will this
week be celebrating Thanksgiving, a
U.S. national holiday set aside for giv
ing thanks to God.
Though the day of observance is al
ways the fourth Thursday in Novem
ber, many folks will view the time as
more than a one-day affair.
Many area residents will be awarded
time off from work to enjoy reunions
with their families as well as the tradi
tional turkey dinner.
Some will choose to participate in
Thanksgiving worship services,
whether at their own church or an ecu
menical service.
A community Thanksgiving service,
presented by seven Forsyth County
churches, is planned for 7:30 p.m. on
Wednesday, Nov. 26, in the sanctuary
of the Cumming United Methodist
Church on Pilgrim Mill Road.
The preacher for the evening will be
the Rev. Derry Cochran, pastor of
Community Bible Church in Cumming.
He has been there since August of 1979.
Born in Chattanooga, Tenn., Rev.
Cochran attended Middle Tennessee
State University on a basketball schol
arship. Following his graduation from
college, he worked with Campus Cru
sade for Christ as a basketball player
and minister in the U.S., Canada and
Australia. He received his ministerial
training at the Dallas Theological
Seminary.
Preachers of the participating
churches will lead in the service.
The community Thanksgiving serv
ice is being sponsored by the First Bap
tist Church, First Christian Church,
Deer Creek Shores Presbyterian
Church, Catholic Church of the Good
spite several telephone calls over a
five-day period, though, officials didn’t
have an answer by press time.
Mrs. Palmer said Bell didn’t want to
reveal how easy it actually would be to
supply metro telephone service to
Cumming. She said a previous Bell
manager had told her and other tele
phone group members that Cumming
could have metro service simply by
making some minor adjustments in the
equipment at the Cumming office.
“Why do they object to giving us-the
information,” Mrs. Palmer asked.
“It’s my opinion they don’t want us to
know how easy it is (to supply metro
service).
“We’re a gold mine up here to Ihe
m...and I don’t think it is fair.” The
rest of Mrs. Palmer’s letter asked
where Cumming telephone numbers
were assigned from, how reports of
trouble were handled, and some techni
cal questions about Cumming’s tele
phone equipment.
Evans answered telephone numbers
and trouble reports were handled by
Bell's Gainesville office.
In response to another question, he
said he wasn’t sure exactly what Mrs.
Palmer wanted to know when she
asked if Cumming was on a repeater.
He said Cumming’s equipment re
quires repeaters, which are in use. A
repeater, he explained to a reporter, is
a device to amplify a telephone signal
which travels thrfagh the cable over a
long distance.
Evans also said he did not precisely
understand what was meant when Mrs.
Palmer asked for the location of Cum
ming’s “distribution center.” This
usually means “central office,", he
said, and the location of the Cumming
central office is well known. He asked
Mrs. Palmer to have her consultant
telephone him to explain himself.
she won was the council’s vote on possi
bly supplying service in the future.
The council also adopted a sewage
disposal ordinance which will allow the
contents of septic tanks to be dumped
down city sewer manholes only by per
sons with a permit. Permit holders will
not be allowed to use the sewer system
for dumping whenever city officials de
termine it can not handle the additional
load.
Bill Corley, who lives on Pilgrim Mill
M PAGES, 3 SECTIONS—2S CENTS
Shepherd, Episcopal Church of the
Holy Spirit, Bethelview United Method
ist Church and Cumming United Meth
odist Church.
According to Rev. Bob Bowling of
Cumming United Methodist Church,
the public is invited to attend the serv
ice.
Two groups at Forsyth County High
School have made plans to spread the
joy of Thanksgiving to others as well as
themselves this week.
The Future Business Leaders of
America (FBLA) and the Y Club will
both be taking a Thanksgiving food
basket to some family that might not
otherwise have such a bounteous holi
day.
Any other groups or persons who
might be interested in providing food or
preparing a dinner for someone else’s
Christian Citizens
Plan 'Wait And See’
The Concerned Christian Citizens of
Forsyth County, a group of persons
who have recently banded together to
ask area store owners to voluntarily re
move those magazines which display
nudity or which the group says are con
sidered obscene under Georgia law,
have taken a “wait and see” stand for
the time being.
The group of 10 to 15 persons, which
has now contacted all stores in the
county which display and sell the
material, “is still evaluating the re
sponses from the stores,” according to
Don Voss, spokesperson for the group.
“We’re not really planning any fur
ther action right at the moment,” he
said. “We’ll know more after the next
couple of weeks.”
None of the stores contacted by the
group indicated they would not remove
the books, according to Voss.
With many of the establishments con
tacted, the managers needed to check
with their store’s owner, said Voss.
Voss believes with many of the stores
the owners were not really watching
what was being left in their stores by
the magazine distributors.
When Voss met with his group re
cently, he learned that one store is act
ing to remove the materials.
City Council Okays
A $1 Million Budget
The city of Cumming approved a 1981
budget of over $1 million at its Nov. 18
meeting.
The police department is to receive
$175,000, while the water department is
to receive $580,500. The city has bud
geted $150,000 for adminsitrative serv
ices and $150,000 for the park and
recreation department. The streets de
partment is to receive SIOO,OOO in 1981,
down $6,000 from 1980.
The budget is composed mostly of
fixed expenses like salaries, Mayor
Ford Gravitt explained. He said very
few new purchases and expansions are
planned.
The police department is to receive a
new car, and the council bought a used
dump truck for the streets department
at the same meeting.
The water department will maintain
the existing plant and system in 1981.
The street department is budgeted to
do the same with the existing streets
and sidewalks.
The city park and recreation depart
ment budget is mostly for mainte
nance, Mayor Gravitt said.
Road, came before the council to com
plain about wildly fluctuating water
pressure in his house. After a long dis
cussion, the city agreed to have its en
gineer put a recording pressure meter
on the nearest fire hydrant to see if the
city was at fault.
In other business, the council:
Learned the old Moose Lodge on
Pirkle Ferry Road has been demo
lished and that the burned house in
Pine Forest subdivision is being re
moved. The council decided not to take
Thanksgiving should contact Kathryn
Martin at the Forsyth County Depart
ment of Family and Children Services
(DFCS)- 887-6158.
Ms. Martin has a list of families who
have specifically asked for help this
Thanksgiving.
Most local businesses will close for
the holiday, Thursday, Nov. 26. To be
sure of any particular business clos
ings, one would do best to call that busi
ness on or before Tuesday, Nov. 23.
Area financial institutions have an
nounced their holiday schedule as fol
lows:
The Forsyth County Bank, the Bank
of Cumming, Home Federal and First
Federal will close their doors on
Wednesday, Nov. 26, and Thursday,
Nov. 27, but will open as usual on Fri
day, Nov. 28.
Some of the store owners said if oth
ers remove the material, they would
too, Voss said.
Finishing up their initial campaign
this past week, the Concerned Chris
tian Citizens had divided into groups
and visited each of the establishements
known to have carried the “obscene”
material.
With each visit the group left a copy
of a letter which states their position
and a copy of the Georgia statute which
deals with the distrubition of obscene
material.
The letter states, “we feel it is our
Christian duty to appeal to you in this
fashion rather than commencing some
formal legal proceeding without giving
you an opportunity to clean up this
problem voluntairly.”
The purpose of the campaign is, “to
get rid of material which we feel is de
termental to the moral standards of the
community,” said Voss.
According to the letter given to the
store owners, “Children and others
who do not choose to be exposed to the
magazines should not be subjected to
their display."
Based on a survey made a month
ago, most of the establishments are
convenience stores, Voss said.
Major sources of city income next
year are expected to be the beer and
wine tax, local option sales tax rec
eipts, property taxes and franchise
taxes.
Fines and forfitures to the police de
partment will provide some revenue,
as will business licenses.
Garbage collection is expected to
provide a substantial sum, and bank in
terest, water bills and miscellaneous
income will make up the balance of the
city’s income.
In 1979, for comparison, the city spent
$141,526 for administration costs and
$180,051 on the police department. The
street department had $106,811 bud
geted for it. The fire department spent
$179 and some $13,758 was spent for
building maintenance. In 1979, the wa
ter department just barely broke even
and showed a profit of $2,247.
The water system has outstanding
bonds totaling slightly over $2 million.
The oldest series of bonds dates back.to
1955. The most recent series was issued
in 1979 and will be paid off in 2019. <.
any further action against the owners.
Purchased a used dump truck.
Decided to buy outright, rather
than lease, a copy machine. The coun
cil decided it would save money,even
by going to a bank to borrow for the
machine.
Approved a rezoning of 11.73 acres
for Ronnie Stevens on Ridge Road. The
front 2.8 S acres are now zoned for com
mercial use and the rear 8.88 are zoned
for apartments. : >