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Forsyth CountvNews J Your "Hometown Paper" Since 1908 * Vol. 95, No. 61 Forsyth will not have extended postal num o vonight By Harris Blackwood Community Editor Last minute tax filers in Forsyth will have to make a drive to a post office outside the county if they wait beyond the Cumming Post Office’s regular business hours tonight. The postal service has announced that a dozen post offices in the Atlanta area none of which are in jK x $ B Sr ~ ~ _____ Photo/David McGregor Norm Kaminsky of Dunwoody shoots his .22-caliber Hornet at the Riverbend Gun Club on the Forsyth/Dawson county border. Sheriff Ted Paxton said he needs a more isolated site for a firing range than his deputies had been using near the Windermere area. Rep says delay of class size reduction needed for funding By Nancy Smallwood Associate Editor Class sizes, middle school instruction and more flexibility in local school spending were some of the educational issues addressed by recent legislative action, according to four state lawmakers. Representatives Amos Amerson of Dahlonega. Jan Jones of Alpharetta, and Tom Knox and Jack Murphy, both of Cumming, were asked by the Forsyth County mem bers of the Parent Teacher Association Legislative Coalition to comment on the effects of the gov ernor's education bill for local school systems at a noon meeting Tuesday. Jones, who is on the House Education Committee, said she felt the House did get the most impor tant bill passed. The bill will allow for a delay of the class size reduction mandates for grades four through 12 until next year. Jones said the delay was needed to allow for state funding of the class size mandates. “If the delay was not approved Missed paper policy: For a replacement paper, call 8 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, and 9 a.m. -1 jpan. on Sunday - (770) 007-3126. Copyright 0 2004 Forsyth County Nows [W Forsyth will have extended win dow service hours to help filers meet the midnight deadline. “Next to Christmas, the tax filing deadline is the busiest day of the year at the post office," said Atlanta District Manager Anderson Hodges Jr. “By extending hours, we hope we can make this day a little less stress ful for our customers." For tax preparers, this is crunch Amerson Jones require all students to take a class in Georgia history before graduating. Murphy said he thought it impor tant students graduate with knowl edge of the history of the state in See BILL, Page 2A INDEX Abby 68 Classifieds -- - - .., , Deaths 2A Government 3A Horoscope 68 Kids Page 10A Opinion 9A Sports 5A THURSDAY April 15,2004 many of the school systems would have to fund it locally by raising taxes or cutting programs." said Jones. Another issue addressed by the bill was flexibility in local school spending. “I think this is a better decision made locally since parents at a local level can influence how the money is spent," Jones said. One education initiative Jones and Murphy disagreed on was a part of the bill that would Learn to play disc golf, free of chaige, at Central Park Page 5A “We were very quiet through last week," said Judy Pair, franchisee of H & R Block in Cumming. "The last two days, we’ve been very busy.” Pair said that most of her compa ny’s clients utilize electronic filing of their return. “We’ll be doing walk-in returns as long as possible on Thursday," she said. Pair said that changes in the tax Hippity hop ..j 2 ’• Ok Photo/David McGregor Joseph Torres, 6, jumps around during the "Hop-a-thon" to benefit MDA Friday at A Place Like Home Learning Center. law last year have resulted in a lower tax liability for many of the filers at H & R Block. “I’ve seen some where it was sev eral hundred dollars lower,” she said. For persons who are unable to complete their return. Pair said that they should file a request for an extension. Like tax returns, an exten sion must be postmarked or filed by midnight Thursday. Most post offices Forsyth baseball teams reopen region schedule on winning note. PageßA Gun range irks nearby neighbors Sheriff halts training practices By Todd Truelove Staff Writer Susan Mineo and other residents within the Windermere community in central Forsyth County began worrying about the safety of their children last summer when gunshots rang through the neighborhood. Little did they know the source of the noise was deputies from the sheriff’s office training at a nearby gun range. “At first, I thought maybe it was a neighbor and it would only happen once in a while.” said Mineo. adding her children Nicholas. 7. Anthony, 5. and Matthew, 2 thought the popping sounds were fireworks. However, the sounds continued, and the community’s concerns grew. The Mineo family moved to Forsyth County from Boston. Mass., at the end of 2002. “When we moved here. 1 never heard shooting.” she said. “I’m outside 90 percent of the time with my chil dren. I just don't want anything to happen to them" The gun range was located on property donated by the France-based company Lafarge at its rock quarry. Sheriff Ted Paxton said deputies began training at the range in the late 1990 s before he was elected to oversee the county's law enforcement operations. He said Lafarge See RANCE, Page 2A Partly Cloudy LAKE LANIER LEVELS u Date Level April 10 1069.95 ft ~ 1 April 11 1069.95 ft * April 12 1069.99 ft April 13 1070.05 ft Full 1071.00 H High in the mid-80s. v ' , Low in the high 60s. Work continue* on new Belk’s have tax forms, including requests for extensions. The following post offices offer the nearest extended hours for Forsyth residents: • Gainesville Main Office, 364 Green St., Gainesville. • Norcross Main Post Office, 265 Mitchell Road, Norcross. • Sandy Springs Postal Store, 227 Sandy Springs Place, Atlanta. Marijuana reported at high school By Nicole Green Staff Writer A man was arrested at Forsyth Central High School as school dismissed on Monday afternoon, according to a Forsyth County Sheriff's Office report. School Resource Officer Alan Seabolt arrested Greg Irvine. 21, of Rising Mist Lane in the high school’s upper parking lot after reportedly find ing marijuana in Irvine's vehicle. Seabolt said he received information that a man in a blue Ford Focus driving in the parent pick-up line sold drugs to students "in the west wing" parking lot of Forsyth Central. Following up on the report. Seabolt looked for the car and found it parked in the upper parking lot. Irvine, the driver, said he was waiting to pick up his girl friend from the high school. When Seabolt told Irvine of the alle gations against him, Irvine reportedly said that “someone is trying to get him in trouble because he had just gotten out of jail." Irvine gave Seabolt permission to search the vehicle. Cpl. David Garrison arrived shortly thereafter with Ranger, a sheriff s office drug dog. The dog alerted the officers that drugs or weapons were present. The officers reportedly found a See MAK/Jt/ANA, Page 2A