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Forsyth CountvNews Vol. 95, No. 018 New county drug court suffers first setback By Steven H, Pollak Staff Writer Drug Court suffered its first setback on Tuesday. The woman who was the first participant to enter the county’s new Drug Court program earlier this month returned to jail Tuesday after testing positive for methamphetamine. Tasha D. Maxie, 25, will remain behind bars for seven days until the next drug court FLYING BHsBBMsSKj fc .4 z 1 Wbkv ti B . a j ' KwV B i ■ ''WW*gwßfetfi ,r * / v aJP J BOMBS £ re » ■PvJiM .» Bk ’ W tAIAZ ?.y wHWkb - SMM ; ‘ v ' ' >. ‘l rMI ''. W.J6R W K,„ 1 - ™ '' .BWBBte wb • B - J^B.—-.. v e J B 4MI - v —ZMBb— <—■—-i:../; -• v• <•<:-:. A"*' WWajgffffl Photo/Audra Perry Recent cold weather does not deter friends and classmates Abby Gerwit, MacKenzie Prichard and Danielle Norris from having fun during recess at Klub Kids daycare center on Peachtree Parkway. GOP activist considers school board seat By Nicole Green Staff Writer The race for three Forsyth County Board of Education positions kicked into gear Tuesday night when former Republican Women of Forsyth County president Sharon Kasica announced her candidacy. Kasica plans to run for the District 3 seat which is currently represented by school board chairman Jeffrey Stephens. Though school board mem bers must run from the specific dis tricts in which they live, they are Attorney says she’s planning race for Magistrate Court judgeship By Steven H. Pollak Staff Writer A local lawyer this weekend announced her intention to run against incumbent Barbara A. Cole in this year's race for chief magistrate of Forsyth County. Melissa M. Banker, an attorney in private practice who handles divorce, child custody, and child support cases as well as court-appointed criminal cases and Juvenile Court deprivation and delinquency cases, says her pro fessional experience will enhance "her ability and credibility to serve as a fair and impartial judge" in the Magistrate Court system. “During my time practicing law in 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 9C99< C'4 0 •/ Your "Hometown Paper" Since 190 hearing on Tuesday afternoon when she is expected to be brought back before Chief Judge Jeffrey S. Bagley of the Superior Court of Forsyth County. Jennifer R. Johnson, the Drug Court coordi nator for Forsyth County, said she anticipates Maxie will be permitted to come back into the program following her release from custody. Johnson said participants in the Drug Court program are not punished if they test positive upon their entrance to the program. But, once voted on by residents throughout the county. District 3 covers the Midway, Piney Grove. Vickery, Oakmont and -■<*** fl Banker "Each judge in this county should be able and willing to call on fellow judges for assistance and cooperation. Such cooperation would result in a judicial system that works efficiently and fairly for the people of Forsyth County.” INDEX Abby 5B Church events 4B Classifieds 8B Deaths 2A Food 5A Horoscope 5B Opinion 9A Sports IB FRIDAY January 30, 2004 Forsyth County, I have learned the necessity of coop eration, courtesy and professional ism," said Banker, who graduated from ' Emory University School of Law in 2000 and passed the State Bar exam in 2001. Comfort foods: recipes to nourish your mind and body Page 5A enrolled in Drug Court, participants may receive sanctions if they continue to test posi tive. Johnson said the Drug Court committee received notice of Maxie's positive drug tests on Tuesday afternoon and decided that seven days in jail would be an appropriate punish ment. Maxie is the first participant to lapse during the program, Johnson said. A total of eight peo ple have enrolled since the start of the Forsyth 'IRT 4 v Brandywine com munities. The dis trict is in the south west corner of the county bordered by Ga. 400 and Hwy. 9 on the east and Hwy. 20 on the north. District 5 repre sentative Nancy Roche and District 4 board member Paul Kreager also are up for re-election. Banker will join a field of three other candidates, including Cole, who have taken the first step toward elec tion by submitting their names to the Forsyth County Board of Registrations and Elections. A former assistant magistrate, John G. "Jerry" Adams, who lost the 2000 election to Cole, said Monday that, although he submitted his name for this year's election, he is still not sure that he wants to run. Another candidate who submitted his name, William P. "Bill" Daniel of Cumming, was not available to com ment. As for the incumbent, Cole said See BANKER, Page 2A Kasica has established a commit tee to raise funds for her campaign. Qualifying for the Republican Party primary election is April 26-30, according to Gary Smith, chairman of the board of elections in Forsyth County. The primary is July 20. Kasica said she decided about 10 days ago to take her participation in Forsyth education to the next level by seeking election to the school board. She is the District 13 PTA Legislative Representative. She found- Kasica I wtRTT '1 Ml See what’s happening in local churches. Page4B Drug Court program on Jan. 6. The voluntary 18-month treatment program is considered an alternative to serving time behind bars. If defendants successfully complete the pro gram, prosecutors will dismiss the pending charges and nothing will appear on the offend er's criminal record. The county's Drug Court committee meets See COURT, Page 3A See KASICA, Page 2A Cloudy LAKE LANIER LEVELS . Date Level f ‘ Jan - 25 1068.01 ft WO Jan. 26 1068.07 ft Jan. 27 1068.03 ft Jan. 28 1068.03 ft Full 1071.00 ft High in the low 50s. Low in the high 20s. V if SPORTS, IB Rivals nimble in Coal Mountain Cagle bills address taxation Flexibility urged on school SPLOST use By Nicole Green Staff Writer ATLANTA State Sen. Casey Cagle has introduced legislation call ing for two constitutional amendments that could affect local funding of pub lic school systems. Senate Resolution 580 would increase the amount of flexibility local school systems have over Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST) usage. Senate Resolution 581 would link growth of the millage rate and property assessment to the inflation rate. To amend the state constitution, a resolution must be approved by a two thirds majority in both houses of the General Assembly and then a majority of Georgia voters. SPLOST is a voter-approved 1 per cent sales tax that now can be levied only for school construction or debt reduction. The constitutional amend ment proposed by Cagle would allow school systems to also use SPLOST revenue for maintenance and opera tions. “I want to create more options for local governments and local school boards,” said Cagle, R-Gainesville, whose district includes part of Forsyth County. If passed by the Legislature and the voters, individual school systems would have the option to use SPLOST for all, 25 percent or none of their maintenance and operations budget, which is part of the general fund budg et. Property taxes supply revenues See SPLOST, Page 2A Honored Sheriff’s Deputy Bill Keeton speaks after Kiwanis Club Pres ident Marty Byars presented him with the club’s 2003 Citi zen of the Y ea r award Wednesday. Keeton “went above and beyond the call of duty” to find a home for Louis Spearman, who lived in a dilapidat ed barn for nearly eight years until Forsyth County Schools purchased the property he occupied. Photo/Audra Perry