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One dead and five are injured
on roads soaked by heavy rains
By Cynthia Clark
Staff Writer
Heavy rains on Wednesday is said to be
the cause of two accidents which resulted in
one death and five injuries according to law
enforcement officials.
The death came in a 4:15 p.m. accident on
Dahlonega Street in front of the city’s wa
terworks building,
The two-car accident resulted in the death
of Sheila Garrett, 29, of Gainesville.
Shoppers head to stores
seeking holiday specials
By Cynthia Clark
Staff Writer
The biggest shopping day of the
year was Friday, and the scene in
county stores was familiar as shop
pers hunted for bargains.
Store managers say they fully ex
pect to have thousands of shoppers do
their Christmas shopping in their
stores.
“We expect a few thousand shop
pers during the Christmas season,”
said Kmart Store Manager Vince
Barnett.
“We expect to see thousands of peo
ple in our store during the Christmas
season,” said Stephen Durand, Wal-
Mart’s electronic department
manager.
Big crowds at the start of the day,
are not unusual, employees from both
Wal-Mart and Kmart said.
“I helped the store manager open
the door and then I got out of the way.
There were so many customers com
ing in. You have to want something
INSIDE
New postmaster. . .3A
Auction ready... sA
Abby 3C
Births 2C
Church Briefs 4C
Classified 5C
Deaths 2C
Editorials 4A
Events 1C
Horoscope 3C
Letters 5 A
Sports 1B
Lake Lanier Levels
Date Lake level
Nov. 20 1070.53 feet
Nov. 21 1070.49 feet
Nov. 22 1070.43 feet
Nov. 23 1070.52 feet
Nov. 24 1070.52 feet
,*. • Forsvth Countv News i
, "* 1 ""” WM *" 11 —■■'■■ - ■■——■■
Sheila Garrett was pronounced dead in
the emergency room after the 1977 four
door Buick Regal in which she was driving
was struck by an oncoming 1987 Iroc Ca
maro driven by a 16-year-old male.
Garrett was driving south on Dahlonega
Street and the unidentified male driver was
driving north.
Due to heavy rain, the boy’s car hydro
planed, crossed center line and hit Garrett
head on, police said.
pretty bad to come out at 7 a.m. in
weather like this,” said Kate, a Wal-
Mart door clerk.
“It was like a madhouse when we
opened the door at 7 a.m., the day af
ter Thanksgiving,” said Kmart Mer
chandising Manager Michelle
McDonald.
Busy hours in the stores vary. Some
stores said their opening time for a
hour or so are the busiest as well as
lunch hours, after school hours and af
ter 5 p.m.
“Our busiest time is between 11
a.m. and 1 p.m. There was a rush this
morning at 7 a.m. when we opened the
door. There were a lot of people out
side in the vestibule of the store, wait
ing to get in. It was really crowded,”
said Durand.
“Guesstimates on how many ex
changes will take place in just our
store on Friday are 1,000 or more,”
said Joy Books, Wal-Mart Service
Desk Clerk.
Please see SHOPPING, page 2A
Why the leaves change color
3 Doing KfflMmcmhg,.
deoduoui trees fcffl* twtfc.
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What happened thk year?
In step 1, the drought of 1988 caused fewer and les healthy buds to
form. The yellow colors that are unmasked in the fall were not bright.
The weak layers of cells holding the leaves on the trees were weaker
Those lusting for colorful
fall foliage will be unhappy
By Jacquie Jackson
Special To The Forsyth County News
A look of disappointment will cross
faces of nature-lovers driving through
the north Georgia mountains this
weekend in search of red, gold, and
purple leaves.
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 26, 1989 CUMMING, GA. 30130-28 PAGES 4 SECTIONS
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Shoppers begin the holiday season as the doors open early for the busiest shopping day of the year.
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What they’ll find are brown leaves
that appear to be minutes away from
falling to the ground or already blan
keting the earth. Park officials say
the leaves never reached their normal
color peak and are declaring this
year’s leaf season as over.
“A little color remains but it’s not
The boy was transported to North East
Georgia Medical Center, and his condition
is unknown.
The accident was investigated by the
Cumming Police Department and the Geor
gia State Patrol.
Earlier that day it 12:10 there was an
accident at the intersection of Knuckles
Please see WRECK,page 5A
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than usual. Leaves began fating oil the trees prematurely as
early as July. Because of a wet fa#, fungal and bacterial growths
formed on leaves and made them dull and brown.
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bream, to meek taper el
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and to fame fate# to
stems
worth driving up to see.” said Karen
Palmer, public affairs specialist, U.S.
Forest Service in Gainesville. “It’s
pretty well over.”
A few red and yellow leaves peep
out between the dull brown ones but
Please see LEAVES, page 3A
Property taxes again nixed
$5 million budget
is approved by city
By Cynthia Clark
Staff Writer
A $5 million budget for fiscal year 1990
was adopted Tuesday by (Humming City
Councilmen Tuesday night.
It is the second year that there will be no
property taxes levied by the city.
Last year’s budget was (TOM) $4,728,000,
(MAYOR) $5,013588. as opposed to the 1990
budget of $5,123,650.
Mayor Ford Gravitt does not think the
Proposed tax digest
likely to be rejected
By Sallylyn Hill
Staff Writer
Preliminary indications are the county’s
proposed 1989 digest will be rejected by the
state revenue department.
However, the state tax commissioner has
not taken final action on it, said an official
in the state revenue department.
Despite the expected rejection, property
owners should receive tax bills in approxi
mately two weeks, said Tax Commissioner
Bobby Gene Gilbert.
Under house bill 12-79 counties with re
jected digests can collect taxes based on the
proposed digest and have one year to cor
rect the digest and resubmit it. If the prob
lems are not corrected counties could lose
its state grant revenue for roads and high
way repair.
However, the fate of the digest lies in the
hands of Superior Court Judge Frank Mills
who ordered a re-evaluation to be complet
ed by the end of 1989, said Larry Griggers,
director of the property tax division of the
Georgia Department of Revenue.
Campaign effort a success
toys are now being sought
In a strong showing of support for
the needy, Forsyth County residents
contributed canned goods and money
to the Hands Across Forsyth
campaign.
The campaign was designed to col
lect food and/or money to assist needy
families at Thanksgiving.
In all, $260 was raised and a signifi
cant number of canned goods were
donated.
“We are grateful to those who do
nated to this cause and hope they con
tinue to show their support during the
coming months,” said News Manag
ing Editor Leonard Kransdorf.
The campaign collected enough
food to bring baskets to nearly 70 fam
ilies. Additionally, $l4O was collected
at the Jim Wallace Food Store and
$l2O was sent in from others.
Strong support was shown by stu
dents at Forsyth Central High School
and Cumming Elementary, area civic
clubs, churches and subdivision
groups and employees of Kmart De
budget is a lean one.
“No, the city’s budget is not a lean one.
We have enough in budget to take care of
every department and give a cost of living
raise of probably from four to six percent,”
Gravitt said.
The General Fund the revenues total
$1,564,150 and expenditures total $1,564,150.
There are no excess funds in the General
Fund.
Please see BUDGET, page 5A
The re-evaluation is not expec’ed to be
finished before April 1990.
Mills at a Dec. 14 hearing could order the
county to void the digest and collect taxes
on last year’s digest, then re-collect when
the re-evaluation i dom said Griggers.
The ■ 'B9 digest i the .me digest as the
1988 digest with improvements added. The
Please see DIGEST, page 2A
Decision to affect
local governments
By Sallylyn Hill
Staff Writer
The three year battle surrounding the tax
digest is taking its toll on county operations.
Property tax bills will be sent out as soon
as the county is formally notified of the de
cision on the proposed 1989 tax digest by the
state revenue department. However, the
Please see TAX BILL, page 2A
Staff photos Cynthia Clark
partment store who donated about 20
turkeys.
The News plans on continuing the
campaign through December, work
ing with the Jaycees to help collect
toys.
Toys can be dropped off at the News
office as well at Jim Wallace Food
store at the comer of Hwy 20 and Bu
ford Dam Road.
The toys do not have to be new but in
a workable condition.
For more information you are wel
come to call the News office at 887-
3126 or come by at 121 Dahlonega.
Any checks should be made out to
the Department of Family and Chil
dren Services and please specify the
money for toys.
10 CENTS