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VOLUME LXXXIII —NUMBER 5
State cutting
funds for new
middle school
By Kristin Jeffries
SWt Writer
Although the county qualifies to get
funding for its proposed South For
syth Middle School, it looks as if the
state has not been able to fund all
qualified building projects for the
coming year.
Superintendent Rick Case an
nounced at the Monday work session
of the school board the governor’s
budget does not contain $3 million for
the middle school project The county
wi 11 receive only 4 percent of that cost
to cover any engineering and archi
tectural fees which may have been
incurred.
If the board re-applies for state
funding next year the school would
not be built for at least four years, said
Case.
“That is too long a time-frame for
that many students in that facility,”
said Case.
As an interim situation to ease over
crowding at Forsyth Central High
School, South Forsyth High School
was begun in the same facility as
South Forsyth Middle School two
years ago. At that time the building
was expanded.
However, five trailers were placed
on the campus to provide classrooms
the first year the schools shared the
building. This year five more were
moved in. The campus had 1,263 stu
dents on it as of December, 595 in mid
dle school and 668 in high school.
Case and Board of Education mem
bers encouraged parents to contact
their state legislators to put pressure
on the General Assembly to put funds
back into the budget for the project
The only two alternatives the board
has is to come up with local funds or
delay the project, said Chairman
Johnny Stone.
In a later interview Stone said the
only option the board had for coming
up with local funds is to “float” a
bond. This means the county’s voters
would have to vote in a special elec
tion this year whether to allow the
board to borrow the money to build
the school. The loan would be paid off
over the coming years much as a home
mortgage by using ad valorem taxes,
explained Stone.
It is possible to raise the taxation
Please see SCHOOL, Page 2A
Weather:
Cold
Partly cloudy skies today give
way to fair skies Thursday and
Fridaywithhighsonlyinthe4os
dipping into the 30s by Friday.
Lows Wednesday will be in the
30s.OnThursdayandFridaythe
lows will be inthe teens accord
ing to the National Weather
Service.
INSIDE
Abby 3B
Church Briefs 8A
Classified 7B
Deaths 2A
Editorials 6A
Engagements 3B
Events 12A
Food & Nutrition 10A
Horoscope 3B
Pet of the Week 3B
Your County Extension....9A
Sports 1B
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Forsyth ’ r s
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Hillgartner out; Bennett in
By Kristin Jeffries
Staff Writer
Commissioners began their meet
ing Monday evening by electing Mi
chael Bennett their new chairman for
1992, which made outgoing chairman
Barry Hillgartner’s announcement of
resignation from the Board of Com
missioners a timely move.
With his resignation effective this
Friday, Hillgartner will be leaving
Forsyth County in an upward move in
his career with Tyson Foods. He will
serve as complex personnel manager
at Tyson’s plant in Waldron, Ark
It’s Girl Scout cookie time
By Kara Sproles •
Staff Writer
Put those New Year’s diets on
hold.
It’s time once again for that old
American tradition marked by lit
tle girls decked in brown jumpers
complete with badges, knee
socks, an orange tie and a beanie
and the Girl Scouts in green.
They will soon tempt you with
such treats as Thin Mints, Short
breads and Praline Royales.
And if they succeed your New
Year’s resolution may be a thing
of the past - at least until the
cookie jar is empty.
Today America’s Girl Scouts
will begin calling upon the Ameri
can public to help with their an
/ nual fundraiser.
The scouts are hoping that last
year’s 10 percent decline in sales
- which they attribute to Ameri
can’s feelings of uncertainty
which accompanied the outbreak
of the Persian Gulf War will
rebound this time around.
Girl Scouts are hoping sales
will be on the rise as folks attempt
this year to instead combat the
depression associated with the
sagging economy.
“We’ve been told that in bad
economic times people tend to
eat more sweets,” said Elaine Ed
wards, the scout’s volunteer con
tact for Forsyth County. ‘Times
may be hard but we’re hoping
they’ll buy cookes.”
sth anniversary
Marchers were met with anger
By Kara Sproles and
Kristin Jeffries
Staff Writers
It has been five years since then-
Forsyth County resident Chuck
Blackburn had the idea to prove to the
world the county had seen a change in
its climate against the African-
American.
His idea was a four-mile walk in
Forsyth County to celebrate the birth
day of civil rights leader Dr. Martin
Luther King, Jr. This Friday marks
five years since the first local march
and King’s birthday will again be com
memorated by some this Monday.
A week before the march was to
take place on Jan. 17,1987, Blackburn
tried to cancel the event because of
alleged threats of violence and lack of
community support.
“Forsyth County is just not ready
for it yet. It isn’t ready for the 20th
century,” he had cited as his reason.
The karate school instructor left
Forsyth County for Orlando later that
year.
However, martial arts instructors
from Gainesville, Dean and Tammy
Carter, stepped in and with the help
of Hosea Williams, then serving as At
lanta city councilman, sparked what
has been called the largest civil-rights
demonstration since the Selma to
Montgomery walk led by the late Dr.
Martin Luther King, Jr.
A small but violent march took
place on Jan. 17 when about 50 black
and white civil rights demonstrators
met with angry crowds in Cumming.
Counter demonstrators included
members of the Ku Klux Klan and
what was to become the Forsyth
County Defense League, led by “white
power” supremists David Duke, then
president of the National Association
for the Advancement of White People,
and Richard Barrett, leader of the Na
tionalist Movement
At one point the freedom marchers
were forced to board their bus for a
time after they were driven off the
road by a crowd of angry bystanders
shouting and hurling bottles and
rocks.,
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 15, 1992-CUMMING, GA 30130-22 PAGES :
“It was not an easy decision to
make. This is my home and where I
grew up,” said Hillgartner. He added
he had to choose in the best interest of
his family.
According to law the Board of Elec
tions will meet and set a date for a
special election no earlier than 15
days from Friday and no later than 30
days following the resignation date.
Hillgartner will leave his Post 5 of
fice with one more year left of the
term. So far the only candidates who
have publicly announced they will
seek the seat are Howard Mathes,
running as a Republican, and Madon
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Edwards, who leads two local
troops, is also a mother of two
scouts ages 15 and 11.
She said those who order will
receive their cookies by Feb. 15.
However, the sale doesn’t end un
til March 28.
“After they get here, some
troops will still have cookies on
hand,” Edwards explained.
“Once they order them, they can’t
First of two parts
The protestors were encouraged by
well-known white supremist J.B.
Stoner and later joined by former
Governor Lester Maddox.
Stoner met with about 500 support
ers at the courthouse after the march
and proclaimed the day a “white vic
tory.” He then vowed to have another
march.
Seven of the eight counter demon
strators arrested that day were For
syth County residents.
However, local media reported the
majority of the agitators came from
out of town and many from other
states.
The violence at the freedom march
placed Forsyth County in the national
and international media spotlight.
Photo by Porflrlo Solorzano
Brownie Scout Kara! Hyder and Junior Girl Scout Nicole Salyers go
over the new cookie order list with Kim Edwards.
hi
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na Parrish, running as a Democrat
Parrish made her bid firm only Mon
day night
“There are several things I would
be interested in seeing improved in
the county,” Parrish said.
The new officers of the board for
1992 were elected amid polite declin
inations until finally Michael Bennett
was elected chairman by the four oth
er members, Michael McGaughey was
approved as vice chairman also by
four votes, and James Harrington was
approved in the same manner as
secretary.
As the first formal meeting of the
return them.”
She added that booths will be
set up in front of local stores to
sell the sweet treats.
Like any American business,
the Girl Scouts have experiment
ed with the best way to market
and sell their product
They are constantly trying new
Please see COOKIES, Page 2A
But it was not to stop there. Two
days later Williams vowed to bring the
marchers back to Forsyth County.
Klansmen also resolved to attend in a
counter demonstration.
Next Saturday, the country’s big
gest names in civil rights: Coretta
Scott King, the Rev. Joseph Lowery,
Andrew Young and others led the
march of almost 20,000 people
through Cumming.
The march was peaceful, with more
than 3,000 federal, state and local law
enforcement officials on patrol. Abar
rier, a National Guardsmen and Geor
gia State patrolmen surrounded the
marchers keeping a buffer between
the marchers and about 2,000 counter
demonstrators. Local officials esti
mated $679,000 was spent keeping the
Please see MARCHERS, Page 2A
year, the board also appointed the
county attorney. The board had ad
vertised last month for proposals
from area attorneys.
They received three proposals. One
was from the county’s current firm,
McVay and Stubbs, for SBO and hour.
This is $5 more than the firm has been
charging the county. The other pro
posals were from Hamil and Dickin
son for S7O and hour and McFarland
and Assoc, for $95 an hour.
Charles Welch moved that the
board accept the proposal of Hamil
Please see COMMISSION, Page 2A
Cumming woman
arrested in shooting
By Kara Sproles
Staff Writer
A Saturday night domestic argu
ment left a 39-year-old Forsyth Coun
ty man dead and his 29-year-old ex
wife jailed on murder charges, the
sheriff said.
The shooting marks the first alleged
murder of the year in Forsyth County.
Bonnie Crystal Pinion of 4024 Ev
ans Road, Cumming, was arrested
Saturday night after allegedly shoot
ing John Terry Pinion, of the same
address, in the chest as he argued
with her 16-year-old nephew.
She is being held without bond.
According to Forsyth County Sher
iff Wesley Walraven and the incident
report, the fatal shooting occurred at
the home of Roxane Hubbard, the sis
ter of the alleged offender, Apt 11,
3200 Rockport Court in Rockport Con
dominiums in Cumming.
Walraven said Pinion, his former
wife and her sister had been to a local
lounge earlier in the day, and re
turned to the sister’s condominum off
of Buford Dam Road prior to the
shooting.
Alleged
burglary
prevented
by alarm
By Kara Sproles
Staff Writer
Two burglary suspects were arrest
ed and a third fled on foot after sheriff
deputies responded to an alarm at a
local business Monday morning.
Charles Davis McClendon, Jr., 19, of
Route 5 Sharon Road and Robert Ev
erett Brumbelow, age 17, of 3560
Spruil Circle were both arrested
when deputies spotted them driving
away from Northside Tool after an
alarm sounded there at 2:40 a.m.
A third suspect, still unidentified,
reportedly dropped his loot and fled
into the woods behind the business
located on Piney Grove Road.
A search of the alleged getaway
truck produced a .45 calibur gun and
marijuana, according to Forsyth
Please see BURGLARY, page 2A
Photo by Porftrio Sotorzano
Michael Bennett
The sister then left to go to the store,
leaving the 16-year-old, two small
children ages two and four, whose
mother was not at the scene, Pinion
and his former wife in the apartment.
Adispute then ensued in which Pin
ion is said to have struck his 16-year
old nephew in the nose and his ex
wife shot him, according to reports.
A neighbor dialed 911 after he
heard screaming in the nearby condo,
reports state.
Pinion was reported dead on the
scene.
The nephew was taken to Lakeside
Community Hospital where he was
Please see SHOOT, Page 2A
Suit goes
to higher
court now
By Kristin Jeffries
Staff Writer
Forsyth
County officials
received word
Friday it will be
allowed to take
its suit concern
ing the county’s
Parade Permit
Ordinance to
the U.S. Su
preme Court.
The county
will defend it
self against alle
gations by the
M\
iU
Barrett
Nationalist Movement that its parade
fees, which can be up to SI,OOO per day
under the current ordinance, are
unconstitutional.
The county appealed the case of
free-speech rights to the U.S. Su
preme Court when a decision in favor
of the Nationalists was upheld by a
panel of judges in the U.S. District
Court of Appeals last July.
• The case stems from a 1989 occur
rence when Nationalist leader Rich
ard Barrett, who heads the movement
from Jackson, Miss., applied for a pa
rade permit to hold a demonstration
protesting the national holiday for
late civil rights leader Dr. Martin Lu
ther King, Jr.
He was charged SIOO in parade fees.
Please see SUIT, Page 2A
Facelift
Laura Thornton rearranges
books in the Library at Cumming
Elementary School while paint
ers, employed by the city, finish
redecorating with bright colors.
The bright colors combined with a
ceiling decorated with hanging
banners will provide a lively atmo
sphere for the students’ study
and research work.
25 CENTS