Newspaper Page Text
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Chance of showers.
Highs in the 50s
Lows in the 30s.
THIS ISSUE
Copyright © 1997 Forsyth County News
Third six weeks/second
nine-weeks honor rolls.
Pages 9-11A
Prep wrestlers ready for
Area IV meets.
Page IB
LAKE LANIER LEVELS
Date Level I
HjK/1 1071.16 ft
Feb. 2 1071.22 ft
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Valentine’s Day table
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Page 8A
INDEX
Abby. •••••••••••••■•••■••••■•••••■•■•••a 12A
Classifieds .......4B
• Community .8A
Deaths •■••••■•••••■•■■••■••••••••■••••• 2A
Entertainment— .C
Events 5A
Opinion ••••■••••••••••••• ••••■•••••• 13A
Horoscope 12A
Schools .6A
Sports •■■••••••■■••■••••••■•••••••••••••• IB
COMING
SUNDAY
It's Time for Tax-Aide
i
The American Association of
Retired Persons (AARP) is again
this year offering tax assistance
in the community.
Missed paper policy:
For a replacement paper call
8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday and
Friday, and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on
Sunday-887-3126.
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Forsyth Countv2J^ ,rc
J Your "Hometown Paper" Since 1908 J * ™ ITY ° F EEORGIfi
* Al HENS GA 30602
Vol. 89, No. I 6
Neighborhood dispute escalates to 'war'
By Michael Kurtz
Staff Writer
An ongoing neighborhood dispute could
have Sheriff’s Office attorney Ed
McCrimmon facing criminal charges for a
Jan. 8 incident.
On Jan. 30, two homeowners in the
Mathis Airport area filed a warrant hearing
request in Magistrate Court claiming
McCrimmon threatened them while posing
as a deputy.
In their affidavit, Patrick E. McLaughlin
Sr. and L.G. Mathis said they were attempt
ing to remove a fence erroneously built by
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Photo/Tom Brooks
Winter weather yielding
to spring planting time
Ethel Scott’s daffodils appear to be
ducking their heads as this tree -
one of two which fell in her Pilgrim
Mill Road yard during the windy,
rainy weather of Tuesday and
Wednesday - hovers above them.
Fortunately, the trees missed
power lines, the house and a travel
trailer. Sawnee EMC’s Larry Kohn
said to cross your fingers that pre
dicted winds do not pick up.
Saturated soil and wind could pose
a serious situation with downed
trees, at right, Garrett Davis, a
sixth grader in Jessica Cheatham’s
class at Otwell Middle School,
assists in planting bulbs outside
the school to greet spring with col
orful blossoms.
Corps’ FSL decision may take 3 months
By Beth L. Chester
Staff Writer
Those opposed to FSL Corp.’s bid to construct
a private regional landfill in Forsyth County will
likely have to wait at least three months before
the Corps of Engineers decides whether to hold a
public hearing and let area residents voice their
Traffic stops
end in charges
By Michael Kurtz
Staff Writer
Two routine traffic stops between
Jan. 31 - Feb. 1 ended in drug arrests
when deputies found the vehicle dri
vers smoking marijuana.
A 24-year-old McGinnis Ferry
Road resident was stopped on Old
Atlanta Road about 10:30 p.m. Jan.
31 when a deputy saw her vehicle
facing north in the southbound lane.
According to the incident report,
the woman told the deputy she had
just dropped a cigarette between her
legs. A small amount of marijuana
and a warm smoking device were
found during a search of the car.
See CHARGES, Page 3A
McLaughlin on the property of Bill
Durham.
While they were there, McCrimmon
allegedly approached the two while wearing
his Sheriff’s Office badge and carrying a
9mm pistol on his hip.
McCrimmon told them “you’re trespass
ing. I’m ordering you to drop your tools and
get back to your car.”
McLaughlin and Mathis stated they were
in shock by McCrimmon’s actions and
feared he was trying to provoke a confronta
tion “so that he could use his weapon and
then attempt to hide behind his badge.”
I
concerns.
The private company needs the Corps’
approval for the project because it plans to fill
12,500 linear feet of tributaries to the Etowah
River during construction.
See FSL, Page 2A
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FRIDAY FRIDAY 6, 1998
The affidavit also claims McCrimmon
has installed a blue light on his golf cart
which he uses to patrol the street.
The hearing is requested to justify charg
ing McCrimmon with impersonating an
officer, simple or aggravated assault and
illegal operation of a motor vehicle
equipped with a flashing or revolving blue
light.
McCrimmon said the charges are anoth
er step in a “war” by the two parties against
himself and his wife, Lisa.
“This is another perversion of the laws
by those who are committing wrong,” he
Spring’s on the way?
By Michael Kurtz
Staff Writer
Despite predictions of an early
spring from Groundhog General Lee,
the official weather forecaster for the
South to rival the more northerly Phil,
the week’s foul winter weather has
caused major problems for residents,
emergency workers, drivers and
repair personnel.
Heavy rains Tuesday and
Wednesday forced the closing of six
county roads.
Chamblee Gap, Stoney Point,
Windy Hill, Nicholson and a portion
of Shiloh Road were all closed
Tuesday and Wednesday. Daves
Creek Drive was shut down Tuesday,
but reopened in time for Wednesday’s
commute.
Several other roads were on alert
through Wednesday afternoon.
The problem wasn’t necessarily
flooding.
Sheriff’s Office spokesperson
Karleen Chalker said the wind
knocked down trees into roadways.
Debris, such as branches, was
blowing across roads al) dav and
night. But traffic was not a major
problem.
Deputies responded to about 15
Wells currently supply
half of county’s water
By Sheri Toomey
Staff Writer
More than half the population of
Forsyth County is not hooked up to
either the county’s or city’s water
service.
The county has 15,218 accounts
for potable water, based on the
county water department’s computer
report, said water department direc
tor Tim Perkins.
To service customers, the county
purchases water from the city of
Cumming and Fulton County.
Perkins said the county can also buy
water from Cherokee County if the
need arises.
If the county special sales tax
referendum passes in March, the
county intends to use some funds to
build a potable water plant.
The city of Cumming has 6,702
said.
McCrimmon was one of nine Mathis Air
Park subdivision residents who successfully
sued Mathis and McLaughlin in Superior
Court last year because of the fence dispute.
They said the fence was built by the two
on property that wasn’t theirs and which is
on the Mathis Air Park Court easement.
In December, Judge Stan Gault ruled for
the plaintiffs and gave the defendants five
days to remove the fence. After that time
period, the plaintiffs could tear it down.
See DISPUTE, Page 2A
weather-related accidents from 7 a.m.
Tuesday to noon on Wednesday.
Chalker said none of the accidents
were serious and no serious injuries
were reported. According to the
Georgia State Patrol, troopers only
worked two accidents in the area
Tuesday and Wednesday and neither
were weather-related.
Falling trees also had Georgia
Power employees racing around town
all day Tuesday.
Bill Hansford, local manager for
Georgia Power, said there were scat
tered power outages all day because
of trees hitting power lines.
The biggest problem was in the
North Dale subdivision near the
library. The entire subdivision was
without power for an hour when a
tree fell through the main power lines.
Hansford said there were no calls
Wednesday.
Larry Kohn of Sawnee EMC
reported a tree on a line on Haynes
Bridge Road in North Fulton County
resulted in an outage for 1,400, but in
Forsyth County as well as in
Cherokee, Dawson and Lumpkin
counties, the few outages were scat
tered. “So far, we’re in good shape,”
Kohn said.
customers inside and outside the
city limits, said Margie Bottoms,
city utility billing clerk.
The city’s current water plant
capacity will increase from 15 mil
lions gallons per day to 27 MGD
once the 30-inch line under con
struction is completed.
From 70,362 to 84,269 people
lived in the county in 1997, based
on population projections from
Information Decision Systems and
the Cumming/Forsyth County
Chamber of Commerce. The
Georgia Mountains Regional
Development Center estimates there
were 69,851 residents of Forsyth
County in 1996. The population will
not be officially determined until the
next census is conducted in the year
2000.
See WELLS, Page 3A
Fire destroys home
Little Jacob Morton says,
“My house died." The
mobile trailer where
Morton, his mother, Shelly,
and Janey Ledford had
lived for less than three
weeks was recently
destroyed by fire. The
American Red Cross
Disaster Assistance was
readying to assist the
household. The fire
occurred on Jan. 30. Shelly,
a waitress, said, “I have no
money, no clothes.”
Photo/Tom Brooks
50 CENTS