Newspaper Page Text
Forsyth CountvNews
J Your "Hometown Paper" Since 190
Vol. 95, No. Oil
Belk to fill Kmart’s space in Cumming
By Harris Blackwood
Community Editor
Belk Inc. has announced it is relocating its department
store at Lakeland Plaza to a larger site formerly occupied
by Kmart a few doors away.
The completely renovated 86,000-square-foot store on
the west side of the intersection of Ga. 400 and Hwy. 20
is slated to open in September and will feature expanded
assortments of fashions currently featured at the
Lakeland Plaza store, as well as a number of lines not
currently carried.
“The most significant change will be a full home
department,” said Judy White, store manager. “We will
offer a complete selection of housewares, china, silver,
linens and accessories.”
The formal announcement follows months of specula
tion about the Kmart site, with Belk being mentioned as
the suitor for the larger retail location. The two Kmart
stores in Forsyth County Lakeland Plaza and Johns
Creek closed their doors last year as a part of the
retailing giant’s massive restructuring.
Amazing ride
through life ends
close to home
By Harris Blackwood
Community Editor
Jay Cullen lived the life that most people only
dream of. He was a quarterback for Princeton
University, flew jets in the Navy, was an airline
captain, and made two trips across the nation on a
bicycle.
An avid cyclist, Cullen, 65, was killed
Tuesday when a motorist struck him from behind
I &■'
Jr '’
I «
I 1 ’
Jay Cullen
.1 . . _ • • t r i
the collision. He was being held without bond in
the Lumpkin County Jail.
The patrol’s Specialized Collision
Reconstruction Team was called to conduct a
detailed investigation.
Cullen, his wife and four daughters moved to
Forsyth County in 1972 and lived here until mov
ing in recent years to Dawson County. He was an
active member of First Baptist Church of
Cumming where hundreds of mourners gathered
on Friday to remember him.
“Though I do not understand Jay’s death,” said
Dr. Bob Jolly, Cullen’s pastor, “I am learning to
understand how great God’s love is for us. I do
not have the words that will magically take away
the hurt of your grief, but I do know the God who
wants to help you through your hurt.”
Cullen, a retired Delta captain, completed his
second bike ride across the country in October.
The nearly two-month excursion took Cullen and
fellow cyclers Frank Szvetecz, Joe Bannister, and
Jim Rinehart from Anacortes, Wash., to Ocean
City, Md. A chronology of the trip was recorded
on the Web site, www.joeban.com.
The pastor said that Cullen was, “a faithful,
backbone-type church member.” Cullen taught
Sunday School for more than 20 years and was a
member of the church’s finance committee. He is
survived by his wife, Julie, four daughters, and 12
grandchildren.
Missed paper policy:
For a replacement paper, call
8 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. Wednesday,
Thursday and Friday, and 9 a.m. -1
p.m. on Sunday - (770) 887-3126.
Copyright © 2003 Forsyth County News
0 90994 04000 7
Your "Hometown Paper" Since 190
as he rode his bicycle
on Hwy. 9, just inside
the Lumpkin County
line. Lumpkin County
Coroner Bradley
McKinney said Cul
len was taken by
ambulance to North
side Hospital For
syth, where he was
pronounced dead.
The Georgia State
Patrol reported an
18-year-old Dahlon
ega man, Jeffrey
Warren Petree, was
driving the Ford
Pickup which struck
Cullen.
Petree was
charged with a felony
count of leaving the
scene of an accident.
The felony count
resulted from the
fatality.
Petree was arrest
ed north of the acci
dent scene after his
right front tire went
flat, reportedly from
INDEX
Abby 6B
Births 4B
Classifleds .......SC
Deaths ,2A
Forsyth Life •••■••••••■■•••••■•■•■■•a IB
H 0r05c0pe............... ..........68
Opinion 10A
Sports •■■•■■■■■■■■••••■••••■•■•••••••■■■■a 1C
SUNDAY January 18,2004
The retail market in the bustling intersection of the
two major highways has shifted to the east side of Ga.
400, where retailers such as Target, Ross, Home Depot,
Lowes and Wal-Mart have established a major presence
in the Marketplace area.
“We plan to re-establish Lakeland Plaza as the prime
retail center in the area,” said Jim Carter, senior property
manager with Ben Carter Properties.
The Carter company manages Lakeland Plaza for its
owner, the State Teachers Retirement Fund of Ohio.
Carter said that the 51,000-square-foot site currently
occupied by Belk, as well as an adjoining 4,000 square
foot site, would likely be divided for use by two large
tenants with approximately 26,000 square feet for each
location.
He declined to identify any of the prospective retailers
until a letter of intent had been executed. He said, howev
er, that the prime retail space had attracted a great deal of
interest.
“They are all brands and names you would recog-
See BELK, Page 2A
•$: 'Mfe-
' ■ : .S
Photo/David McGregor
Point of law
John D. Jones, right, an attorney representing Chief Magistrate Barbara
Cole, asks Superior Court Judge David L. Dickinson to quash a subpoena
of Magistrate Court records after his client was accused of not granting a
child molestation suspect a preliminary hearing as required by state law.
District Attorney Penny Penn listens. See story, page 3A.
Candidates for sheriff report campaign donations
By Todd Truelove
Staff Writer
Almost $30,000 in cash was donated for
Forsyth County Sheriff Ted Paxton’s re-elec
tion campaign between July and December,
according to disclosure reports filed recently
with the county’s voter registrar’s office.
Os that, the sheriff spent more than
SIB,OOO on various fees including legal coun
sel for ethics complaints filed with the state,
and expenses for an Aug. 28 golf tournament
fund-raiser.
A person identified as Michelle Head
reportedly filed the complaint, which alleges
Paxton gave deputies a direct order to cam
paign for him on county time in their uni
forms, and that he posted a campaign fund
raiser flyer on county property.
Paxton said the flyer was posted outside
the sheriff’s office’s Central Park precinct
without his knowledge and he ordered it
removed. He also said the additional charges
are without merit. The complaint is still pend
ing before the state Ethics Commission.
Cash contributions totaled $29,715 for the
six-month reporting period. That amount
includes $1,970 of separate contributions of
less than slOl each. The state does not
Opinion
Political columnist
Bill Shipp on Democrats
in Georgia.
RagelOA
Photo/Audra Perry
Belk in Lakeland Plaza will move to a completely renovated
86,000-square-foot store that once was occupied by Kmart.
I 1 1
Paxton
require the names of donors who contribute
SIOO or less.
The remaining $29,745 was received from
43 contributors.
The following individuals and businesses
donated $2,000 to the sheriff: Bill Howell
Ford of Cumming, Compass Inc. of
Alpharetta, Gold’s Gym of Cumming, Mobile
Communications of Forsyth Inc. of
Cumming, and Reid and Reid Contractors
LLLP of Cumming.
Bud Lang of Cumming, owner of Lang
Signs, donated $1,125 to Paxton’s campaign
funds.
Troncalli Chrysler of Cumming,
Conservation Land Developers Ltd. of
Suwanee and Classic Cadillac of Atlanta each
Sports
Forsyth teams in
high school
basketball action.
PagelC
NFHS, Otwell
will get new
principals
By Nicole Green
Staff Writer
A few Forsyth County Schools principals will
be playing musical chairs when the 2004-2005
contracts come out in April.
The school system announced Friday that
Bruce Wagar, principal at North Forsyth High
School, will not return to the high school in 2004-
2005. He requested a reassignment this week after
a two-year stint at North High.
“I have asked to be considered for any future
opportunities to serve the school system in a role
that would better allow me to have time with my
family and address personal liealth concerns,”
Wagar wrote in a letter to students and parents.
Wagar is the former assistant principal of South
Forsyth High School. He served Broward County
Schools in Florida for 31 years as a teacher, cur
riculum assistant, high school principal and direc
tor of professional standards before coming to
Forsyth County in 2000.
“Bruce is a good man with a large heart and he
truly cares about our students,” Superintendent
Paula Gault said. “We will continue to support him
and the school throughout this transition process
and will begin working with the North Forsyth
High School community to find a new leader.”
The school system also announced Friday that
Otwell Middle School principal Terri North will
move to the new Riverwatch Middle School.
North received her undergraduate degree in
education and psychology from Duke University.
See SCHOOLS, Page 3A
hl H §
r t ftfi
Beebe
Rain
x LAKE LANIER LEVELS
Date Level
Jan. 13 1068.46 ft
H 111 Jan. 14 1068.37 ft
////////// Jan. 15 1068.24 ft
hi! Hill/ Jan. 16 1068.13 ft
' Full 1071.00 ft
High in the low 60s.
Low in the mid-30s.
IW. —1
Lk - ...»
VYTi ■ I
La .d j
LIFE, 1B
Win a makeover for charity
contributed $ 1,000 to Paxton’s campaign con
tributions.
Norman Nichols of Suwanee, who is
retired, contributed $725.
The sheriff received contributions of SSOO
from Gene Carpenter of Cumming, the execu
tive sales manager of Manatron Inc.; CMAC
Inc. Technology Solutions of Atlanta; Davis
Landscaping Inc. of Cumming; Eastern
Healthcare Group Inc. of Myrtle Beach. S.C.;
Executive Car Wash and Lube Inc. of
Suwanee; Greenleaf Recycling Inc. of
Alpharetta; Hayes, James and Associates Inc.
of Duluth; Henry H. Holman Inc. of
Snellville; Hugh Hope of Cumming, sales
man at Intown Design Inc.; Jarrad and Davis
LLP of Cumming.
Also contributing SSOO were Jasper
Grading and Pipeline Inc. of Cumming; L and
S Holdings LLC of Cumming; Lipscomb,
Johnson, Sleister. Dailey and Smith LLP of
Cumming; Miles, McGoff and Moore LLC of
Atlanta; Northside Towing of Atlanta;
Pendley Corp, of Cumming; Timothy Perry
of Cumming, a banker at Citizens Bank;
Dean Pruitt of Cumming, who is retired; John
Rountree of Gainesville, a self employed real
See FUNDS, Page 2A