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Rain, possibly heavy.
Highs in the 50s.
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THIS ISSUE
Copyright © 1997 Forsyth County News
Opinion
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Cartoonists’
views on
the news.
PagelGA
Sports
Prep wrestlers send
two dozen qualifiers
testate
Page IB
LAKE LANIER LEVELS
Sate Level
•' Eeb.6 1073.09 ft
J 072.89 ft
FeM 1072.7611
1.00 ft
Schools,
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Students are
Rally-ing for the
Atlanta Braves.
Page6A
INDEX
Abby. 14A
Classifieds— .68
Deaths ..—2A
Events ......9A
Horoscope 14A
Legals - .38
Opinion 16A
Schools 6A
5p0rt5....................................! 8
Valentine's .8A
COMING
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Forsyth Count «C'" T£ '
J Your "Hometown Paper" Since 1908 ™*»<s - 3060£ .
Vol. 89, No. i 8 WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY 11, 1998 _______ 50 Cents
Commission lifts imposed hiring freeze
By Sheri Toomey
Staff Writer
An early thaw by the Forsyth County
government will allow the hiring of much
needed employees.
The Board of Commissioners Monday
voted 3-2 to cease the hiring freeze for new
positions approved for the 1998 budget.
Commissioners Andy Anderson, Lamar
Suddeth and John Kieffer voted in favor of
the motion.
“It’s time to get along with business and
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Photo/Tom Brooks
Investigator checking out the Cessna damaged in Saturday afternoon’s plane crash at Mathis Airport.
Airplane runs out of runway
By Michael Kurtz
Staff Writer
The Federal Aviation
Administration is investigating a
weekend plane crash at Mathis
Airport.
A Cessna 177 RG went down
Saturday afternoon when the pilot,
31-year-old Roswell resident Jay C.
Garcia, misjudged Runway 3.
According to officials at the scene,
Garcia misjudged the length of the
runway.
The plane skidded about 700 feet,
Study of transportation options continues
By Sheri Toomey
Staff Writer
The major investment study for
transportation solutions going west
from Cumming to Cartersville will be
completed soon.
The state Department of
Transportation is conducting the study
which is a first for Georgia. Growth,
Hendrix says he’ll
investigate charges
against attorney
By Michael Kurtz
Staff Writer
Sheriff Denny Hendrix said he will
personally investigate the allegations
made against his attorney, Ed
McCrimmon.
Two homeowners in the Mathis Air
Park subdivision filed for a warrant
hearing in Magistrate Court, charging
McCrimmon with impersonating a
police officer, aggravated assault and
illegal operation of a motor vehicle
equipped with a flashing or revolving
blue light.
On Jan. 8, McCrimmon allegedly
approached Patrick E. McLaughlin Sr.
and L.G. Mathis while they were trying
See HENDRIX, Page 2k
the departments need these positions,” said
Anderson.
Suddeth said county departments needed
the workers as well.
Kieffer said the board spent a lot of time
during the 1998 budget meetings reviewing
requests and making sure all new positions
were warranted.
Chairman Bill Jenkins and
Commissioner Julian Bowen voted against
lifting the freeze.
Jenkins said the board should wait until
a decision was made on the full cost of the
landing in a tree line.
Garcia and his two passengers,
Skip Elsworth and his 6-year-old
daughter, Lindsey, were taken to
Baptist North Hospital.
Garcia and Lindsey Elsworth were
released shortly after the incident.
Elsworth was complaining of neck
and back pain but was released the
next day.
According to reports, the trio had
left the Gwinnett County Airport and
were heading to Cobb County.
Garcia told investigators he want
ed to land at Mathis Airport because
land use planning, economic impact
and environmental issues will be con
sidered in the study which was
prompted by the tremendous growth
in Forsyth, Cherokee and Bartow
counties.
“The goal of the MIS is to plan for
the transportation needs of the next 20
years for the corridor between
Cumming and Cartersville,” said
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Threatt property.
Forsyth County is in binding arbitration
over 315 acres condemned by the previous
commission in March 1996. The land was
to be the site of a wastewater treatment
facility. The property is on McGinnis Ferry
Road along the Chattahoochee River.
Already, $7 million has been paid for the
property from the general fund and special
sales tax money.
The appraisers for the county set the
price between $3.5 million and $5 million
while the Threatts’ appraisers contend the
he had never flown there before and
wanted to see the area.
National Transportation Safety
Board investigator Corky Smith said
the crash was nothing more than pilot
error.
“He had insufficient room to land
and too much speed,” said Smith.
The FAA will handle any citations
or reprimands concerning the inci
dent.
This is the second plane crash at
Mathis Airport in three months.
See AIRPLANE, Page 5A
Margaret Bryant, environmental plan
ner for Jordan, Jones & Goulding.
Bryant said the study team needs
population and employment projec
tions for this region for the year 2020
as well as input as far as commuting
patterns.
See STUDY, Page 2k
land is worth at least $lO million. An arbi
trator will determine the price the county
will ultimately pay for the property.
Jenkins added he would have certainly
considered any department head’s individ
ual request for positions that were necessary
to keep up with county business.
Bowen concurred with Jenkins about the
Threatt situation.
See HIRING, Page 2A
County-owned
buildings will
be smoke-free
By Sheri Toomey
Staff Writer
The No Smoking sign outside the county administration
building will definitely be enforced.
On Monday, the Board of Commissioners voted unani
mously to keep the building smoke-free.
Use of other tobacco products will also not be tolerated.
Commissioner Andy Anderson said the board just
responded to the voice of the public and employees who
work in the building.
We listened to the response and found out allowing
smoking in the building wasn’t acceptable to those
involved, said Anderson.
Commissioner Julian Bowen, who previously spoke in
favor of allowing smoking in the building citing loss of
employee production as the reason, voted in favor of
Anderson’s motion.
“Government-owned buildings should be smoke-free in
the best interest of the voters,” said Commissioner John
Kieffer.
The board also voted 3-2 in favor of keeping all county
government buildings smoke-free. Bowen and Anderson
See SMOKE-FREE, Page 2A
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. Photo/LeAnne T. Bell
Humane Hearts honoree
Chuck Woddail was honored Saturday as the 1997
Humane Hearts’ Volunteer of the Year. Also honored
for her efforts was Donna Vickery. Coverage of the
Valentine’s Ball will appear in an upcoming issue.
Livestock judging
Robert Wallace from the >
University of Georgia
judged Saturday's heifer e ‘<
show held at the Cumming
Fairgrounds. He watches
as participants show their
heifers around the arena.
Blake Doster took first .
place in the Junior Division.
More photographs on Page
48.
Photo/Chris Puflh