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Cloudy and mild.
High in the low 70s.
Low in the 50s.
THIS ISSUE
Copyright C IW9 Forsyth Canty Newt
Sports
Racing runs
in the family
for local brothers.
Page IB
Puzzles
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Page IB
LAKE LANIER LEVELS
2 Date Level
Octi 1062.43 ft
Oct 2 1062.37 ft
Oct 3 1 062.33 ft
Oct 4 1062.25 ft
„ Nonna! 1070.00 ft:
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Page6A
INDEX
Abby .8A
Business 9A
Classifieds .4B
Deaths .2A
Events. .~JSA
Horoscope 8A
Legals 3A
Opinion 14A
Sports IB
COMING
THURSDAY
Great Outdoors
Our monthly section takes
■ a look at outdoor
recreation opportunities.
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■ Thursday and Friday, and 9 a.m. -1
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OHT
Forsyth Count vNews
J Your "Hometown Paper” Since 1908 I GEORGI PROJECT
* • UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA
Vol. 20, No. 147
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Photo/Scott Rogers
Smiling faces
Norma Jean paints the face of Danielle Holder, 6, during grand opening festivities at Pikes
Nursery on Saturday. Story page 6A.
Rain helps, but not enough
County water ban remains in place; many boat ramps on
Lake Lanier still out of water as overall dry year continues
By Jim Riley
Staff Wnter
With cooler weather and rains visiting the Forsyth
County area during the past few days, county officials
are considering lifting the mandatory odd-even watering
ban that went into effect during the hot summer months.
“The demand for outdoor watering is going way
down,” said Tim Perkins, director of the Forsyth County
Water and Sewer Department.
He added the county w " ,r y to coordinate eliminat
ing the bar in conjunction with the city of Cumming, so
that the county doesn't lift the ban while the city still has
one in place.
Eventhouf’ ne a* pply situation is improving,
Settles Bridge Elementary
enjoys a smooth opening
By Laura Lavezzo Carrico
Lifestyles Editor
The freshly scrubbed floors at Settles
Bridge Elementary School were flooded
with almost 600 Forsyth County school
children Monday as they set foot for the
first time in the new facility.
Heavy morning rains may have can
celed the scheduled flag-raising ceremony
to observe the first day of school but had lit
tle effect on the spirits of the children and
their teachers, said Facilities Director Jake
Grant.
“It's a celebration those kids are so
excited,” Grant said. “The place looks great.
The landscaping is in and the contractor is
done.” Grant added that Monday’s down
pour was a great test for possible roof leaks.
“I’m kind of a purist and I wanted
everything to be perfect. The good thing is,
everything works and they were comfort
able,” he said.
Because of the storms, timing for the
move-in could not have been better, said
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Photo/Tom Brooks
Rides for the Cumming Country Fair & Festival arrived in town Monday for assembly in prepara
tion for Thursday night’s opening. Admission will be free opening night.
WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 6, 1999
Lake Lanier water levels fell to 1,062.25 feet on
Monday. The normal level for this time of year is 1,070
feet.
According to Memphis Vaughan, hydraulic engineer
with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers headquarters in
Mobile, Ala., if dry weather continues this fall the lake
could drop by as much as 6 inches per week. Vaughan
said that figure represents a worst-case scenario, adding
that any rain the area receives would help offset the lake
level’s decline.
Vaughan added that navigational releases have
ended, with the last coming Aug. 19.
In an interview last month. Lanier Chief Ranger
See RAIN, Page 2A
Paula Gault, associate superintendent of
schools.
“It was not a good day to be in a trailer,”
Gault explained, “and all but the youngest
children were in mobiles” on the campuses
of Big Creek and Daves Creek elementaries
prior to the new building’s completion.
Principal Mary Harwell agreed that,
despite the natural confusion of merging
two schools together, the move went
smoothly.
“We can always count on the rain to
make our day brighter,” she reflected. “It
was nice not to have to traipse back and
forth between the trailers, and our children
felt safe and secure in the building.”
Harwell transferred to Settles Bridge
from Daves Creek Elementary last year.
Debbie Sarver, former assistant principal at
Big Creek Elementary, is assistant principal
at Settles Bridge.
The flag-raising ceremony canceled
Monday due to the rain was to be held on
See SCHOOL, Page 2A
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Photo/Scott Rogers
Raider royalty
North Forsyth High School held its annual homecoming celebration Friday night,
including the crowning of Amanda Hubbard and Jimmy Graham as homecoming
queen and king.
Annual Country Fair
kicks off on Thursday
Free admission offered opening night
By Joda Browning
Staff Writer
The much anticipated
Cumming Country Fair &
Festival starts tomorrow.
“We’re ready,” says
Fairgrounds Administrator Dave
Horton. “The gates will open at
4 p.m.”
Horton adds that everything
is going as planned and the only
aspect left to worry about is the
weather.
The National Weather
Service is predicting mild tem
peratures with partly cloudy
conditions with a chance of a
thunderstorm this weekend.
This year the midway is
paved, making rainy conditions
less threatening. In past years,
Deputy OK
after being hit
by suspected
drunk driver
Protective vest helped avert serious injury
By Colby Jones
Staff Writer
A Sheriff’s Office deputy is
expected to fully recover from
injuries
received when
he was struck
Saturday night
by a suspected
drunk driver
while investi
gating an acci
dent scene.
Authorities
ron
ilk
Giordano
said Deputy Michael Giordano,
23. was searching for evidence
about three feet off the shoulder
of Hyde Road near the
Summerwalk subdivision when
he was struck at 11:45 p.m. by a
1997 Ford Expedition.
“It took a 240-pound man
and threw him 25 feet,” said
Cpl. Horace Perry. “That takes a
lot of energy and speed.”
The driver of the Expedition
Arthur Failla, 41, of
Cumming was charged with
driving under the influence and
weaving on the roadway.
Despite the force of the
impact, Giordano suffered only
ligament damage in his left
elbow and bruising to his face.
■ J
head and back. He probably will
undergo surgery on the elbow.
Perry said.
Officers credited a protective
vest with helping to reduce the
seriousness of the deputy’s
injuries, saying the vest distrib
uted the impact of the vehicle in
much the same way as it would
a bullet.
Giordano was transported to
Baptist Medical Center in
Cumming, where he was treated
and released.
According to witnesses,
Failla continued traveling down
Hyde Road after hitting the
deputy. Another officer at the
scene witnessed the accident
and chased down the sport utili
ty vehicle.
Failla’s wife and three chil
dren also were in the vehicle
with him. They live nearby and
apparently were on their way
home, said Perry. No one in the
Expedition was injured.
Detention officers later
released Failla from custody on
a $1,700 bond.
The Georgia State Patrol is
investigating the accident and
will file any additional charges.
Giordano joined the Sheriff’s
Office in October 1997.
rainy days forced visitors to
deal with muddy conditions as
they stepped from the ground
onto the rides and off again.
Fair patrons now have the luxu
ry of stepping from asphalt to
their ride of choice.
A huge crowd is expected to
take advantage of the free
admission offered Thursday,
with unlimited rides available •
all night long for $lO.
Exotic creatures and per
forming elephants are usually
hard to find in Cumming, but
not this week. Performances by
Baboon Lagoon, Farmyard
Frolics, Frisco Brothers Petting
Zoo and Performing Elephants
See FAIR, Page 3A