Newspaper Page Text
Business & Industry
Forsyth County News Thursday, April 15,2004 Hi
Business notes
lasis Health and Christian
Bookstore
... owned by Frank and Suzy
Treece, is now open on Freedom
Parkway in Cumming.
The store has a wide variety of
merchandise from health food to
Christian books. The health food
selection includes gluten free products
and Atkins Low Carb Solutions.
Shoppers can find Bibles and music
from all Christian denominations
including Catholic resources and gifts.
The store operating days and hours
are Monday-Thursday from 10 a.m. to
7 p.m. and Friday and Saturday from
10 a.m. to 8 p.m. For more informa
tion call (770) 886-9633.
Johns Creek Business
Association
... has scheduled its next meeting
for April 20 at 5:30 p.m. at Johns
Creek Physical Therapy, 3571
Peachtree Parkway. The event will fea
ture a buffet and refreshments.
The group also is welcoming its
newest members. About Magazines
and Call Charlie Inc.
Communications.
Meetings are monthly on the third
Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. at a location in
the Johns Creek area.
Officers include president. Greg
Martin of ERA Sunrise Realty; presi
dent-elect. Kathy Bracewell, EBC
Office Centers; and treasurer. Dagan
Sharpe. Wachovia Bank.
Georgia Farm Bureau
... is reminding hay producers
preparing to graze or harvest winter
grasses, such as fescue, that they
should remember farm Service
Agency regulations stipulate produc
ers must report acres to be harvested
for crops covered by the Noninsured
Crop Disaster Assistance Program 15
days prior to harvest.
The final acreage reporting date for
all cool season grasses is May 1, said
Wayne Dollar. Georgia Farm Bureau
president. However, fescue is harvest
ed and grazed before May 1. so it is
critical that peoducers remember to
report the number of acres they intend
to harvest or graze as they prepare to
begin harvest.
Allstate Insurance Co.
... announces the opening of a new
agency in Cumming. Owned and
operated by Dean B. Barnard, the full
senice agency offers a complete line
of products and senices, including
auto, property, commercial and life
insurance.
"Our No. 1 goal at the Dean
Barnard Allstate Insurance agency is
to provide superior service to our cus
tomers," says Barnard. "I and my
assistant Kristie Hulsey are looking
forward to helping families insure and
protect the things that are important to
them, such as their family, home, car,
boat, and more. In our commitment to
provide the best customer service pos
sible, we will sit down with our cus
tomers and review their insurance
policies upon their renew al to insure
that they are getting the best coverage
that fits their needs."
After spending 25 years in the cor
porate world and the last four years as
vice president of sales for a Fortune
500 company. Barnard decided to use
his knowledge and expertise to open
his own Allstate Insurance agency.
The Dean Barnard Allstate
Insurance agency is located at 600
Peachtree Parkway, Suite 102 in
Cumming. Office hours are Monday
through Friday from B:3oam to
s:3opm and Saturday from 9am to
noon. He and his licensed staff can be
reached at (678) 455-8606 or by e
mail at Deanßamard@Allstate.-com.
Marine Corps Cpl. Jeneva C.
Coggins
... daughter of Jennifer A. Dykes of
Cumming and Dayne Coggins of
Brooklyn, N. Y, recently was promot
ed to her current rank while serving
with Marine Aviation Logistics
Squadron 14, 2nd Marine Aircraft
Wing. Marine Corps Air Station,
Cherry Point, N. C.
Coggins was promoted based on
sustained superior job performance
and proficiency in her designated spe
cialty.
Coggins is a 2001 graduate of
Etowah High School in Woodstock
and joined the Marine Corps in July
2001.
North Fulton Regional Hospital
... announced it has relocated and
expanded its human resources depart-
See NOTES, Page 2B
Unemployment rate down
Forsyth dips
to 2.7 percent
By Colby Jones
Staff Writer
Unemployment rate in Forsyth
County dropped from 3 percent in
January to 2.7 percent in February,
the Georgia Department of Labor
recently reported.
The total number of unemployed
persons in the county decreased from
1.911 to 1,706 during the time peri
od. signaling the economy is still on
the rebound.
In February 2003, the unemploy
ment rate in Forsyth County was at
3.9 percent and a total of 2,451 resi
dents were out of work.
The drop during the first two
months of this year mirrored a slight
decrease in the unemployment rate
statewide.
In Georgia, the unemployment
rate dropped from 4.1 percent to 3.8
percent, meaning the number of
unemployed persons in Georgia
decreased from 178.738 to 167.106.
During the same time period, the
number of jobs in Georgia increased
by 4.000 or 1/10 percent between
January and February.
Neighboring counties to Forsyth
experienced a similar decline in
unemployment.
The rates dropped in Dawson
Forsyth reps critical of tort reform effort
Say Dems in
House inflexible
in negotiations
By Colby Jones
Staff Writer
Tort reform experienced a slow,
bitter death in the Georgia General
Assembly this past session and law
makers say it is unlikely Gov. Sonny
Perdue will press the issue in a spe
cial session.
The push to overhaul the tort sys
tem and malpractice suits against
doctors in particular met resistance
from powerful lobbying groups even
as the final hours of the session
winded down. Physicians argued for
a reduction in the amount of dam
ages juries can award in a medical
malpractice claim. Trial lawyers
worked for increased oversight of the
insurance industry. The groups
appeared to cancel out each other,
leaving lawmakers where they began
on the first day of the session.
“They were still hollering for tort
reform and no bill was to be found."
said state Rep. Tom Knox, (R-Cum
ming), a supporter of tort reform.
Lenders will
now have to
follow new
payday law
From staff reports
ATLANTA Gov. Sonny
Perdue last week signed into law
Senate Bill 157. the payday lending
legislation.
“This legislation was needed to
protect the men and women of our
armed forces from unscrupulous
lending practices,” Perdue said in a
prepared statement. “It will also
protect unsuspecting Georgians
from loans with exorbitant interest
rates.”
However, the State Law
Department advised the Office of
the Governor that there is likely to
be litigation challenging this legis
lation, the governor's office said.
Because the legislation becomes
effective on May 1, the governor
signed the bill relatively quickly so
that any possible lawsuits could
move forward and give the courts
See BILL, Page 2B
Source:
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from 2.6 percent to 2.4 percent, in
Hall from 3.2 percent to 2.8 percent
and in Fulton from 4.9 percent to 4.5
percent.
The unemployment rate in
Cherokee increased slightly from 3.2
percent to 3.3 percent.
Oconee County had the lowest
rate in the state at 1.5 percent. Burke
“We had several
bills and I’m not
sure any of them
addressed the issue
fully."
Lawmakers un
der the Gold Dome
furiously attempted
to hammer out dif
ferences on key
pieces of the
reform package
Cagle
less than an hour before the midnight
adjournment on April 8.
The Republican-controlled Senate
passed significant changes to the tort
system that would have made emer
gency room workers partially
immune from lawsuits, limited the
pool of expert witnesses available to
plaintiffs, mandated mediation in
certain cases and made it more diffi
cult to hold doctors jointly liable for
the entire amount of damages victims
suffer. The Democratic-controlled
House passed a more limited meas
ure designed to help hospitals obtain
more affordable malpractice insur
ance through creation of the Georgia
Hospital and Medical Insurance
Liability Authority.
The text of the failed bill states a
“crisis" exists in Georgia in the field
of hospital and medical liability
Photo/David McGregor
Belk's relocating
The former Kmart store in Lakeland Plaza shopping center
near the intersection of Ga. 400 and Hwy. 20 (Buford Highway)
currently is being transformed into a new location for Belk
Department Store. The 86,000-square-foot space is scheduled
for a September opening, company officials have said. It will
replace Belk's current, smaller location in the same shopping
center.
and Macon counties were highest at
9.2.
Georgia Labor Commissioner
Michael Thurmond remained cau
tiously optimistic about the data.
“While we’re encouraged by the
decline in the unemployment rate,
job creation remained anemic in
February." Thurmond said.
Knox
insurance.
“The result of
this crisis is the
potential for a
diminution of the
availability of ac
cess to health care
services °and the
resultant effect on
the health and well
being of the citi
zens of this state,”
it states.
Other measures proposed in the
House but never gamering a majority
vote would have redefined the quali
fications of expert witnesses used in
malpractice actions and mandated
sanctions against attorneys who file
frivolous lawsuits.
None of the bills capped the
amount of damages a jury can award
for “pain and suffering” in a medical
malpractice action —a measure
strongly pushed for by the Medical
Association of Georgia and other
lobbying groups in favor of reform.
Despite the numerous bills pro
posed, members of a conference
committee comprised of members
from both chambers could not ham
mer out their differences in the final
hour of the session.
The chairman of the House
“New workers continue to enter
the workforce each month. In addi
tion, there are many workers who
have been unemployed longer than
six months, and others who have
become discouraged and dropped out
of the labor force. Real improvement
for these workers can only come
with increased job creation.”
Judiciary Committee, Rep. Mary
Margaret Oliver, (D-Decatur), report
edly accused committee members
from the Senate of frustrating the
negotiations.
State Sen. Casey Cagle, (R-
Gainesville), whose district includes
part of Forsyth County, pointed the
finger at the House.
“My assumption is Mary
Margaret Oliver may not be being
genuine about the facts," Cagle said.
“The House negotiators never
brought anything of substance to the
table. That was the problem.”
Knox described tort reform as
being "held hostage" by Democrats.
With less than an hour left in the
session, the Senate voted to withdraw
its members from the conference
committee, effectively killing any
chance of passing a reform package.
Lobbying groups on both sides of
the issue back up their claims with
statistics.
The Georgia Hospital Association
and Medical Association of Georgia
point to six-figure malpractice pre
miums paid by doctors as an exam
ple of a system run amok. More than
20 percent of physicians in the state
changed insurance carriers and 18
See TORT, Page 2B
Annual “P.I.E.
in the Sky”
luncheon set
Linder guest speaker
From Staff Reports
The eighth annual “P.I.E. in the
Sky" luncheon, with special guest
speaker U.S. Rep. John Linder of
Georgia’s 7th Congressional
District, is scheduled for Friday
from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at
Sawnee Cultural Arts Center. 1090
Tribble Gap Road, Cumming.
At the Partners In Education
Celebration, recognition and awards
will be given to: Teachers of the
Year. Volunteers of the Year,
Mentors of the Year, Partner of the
Year Gold level. Partner of the
Year Silver level, school pro
gram of the year, the Chamber
Apple award and . the Don
Hendricks Partnership award.
Sponsors include Kroger,
Forsyth County Schools, the
Cumming-Forsyth County Chamber
of Commerce, Outback Steakhouse
and Northside Hospital-Forsyth.
See LUNCH, Page 2B