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Forsyth Your "Hometown County J Paper" Since 1908 J ^ws '»*££?***«
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Vol. 95, No. 109
Advance
voting starts
next week
Cast ballots before July 20
From staff reports
The Forsyth County Elections Office will accept votes
next week July 12-16 as the state’s advance voting period
begins for the July 20 primary election.
It will be the second time the advance voting period
has taken place in Georgia.
The first was for the March 2 election when Georgians
voted on the state flag, U.S. presidential primary candi¬
dates and — in Forsyth County — a bond package for a
new jail and courthouse, which failed.
Unlike absentee voting — where registered voters
must either be absent from their precinct on election day,
are 75 years old or older, or are disabled or meet other
specific requirements — those who participate in the
advance voting period are not required to provide accept¬
able reasons to vote early.
Chief Registrar Gary Smith said 700 people participat¬
ed during the previous advance voting period. He said that
number is expected to increase next week.
“We’re anticipating that we will have twice as many,”
said Smith. “I think the word is starting to get around
[about advanced voting], A lot of people are finding it
convenient.”
Those who are going to vote next week should bring
along some form of identification, Smith said.
“The most common is a driver’s license,” he said,
adding there are 27 various forms of ID including pass¬
ports, birth certificates and fishing licenses.
Even if a registered voter does not have the necessary
identification, the state provides an application voters can
fill out.
“You can sign a form that you are who you say you
are, but don’t have any identification,” Smith said.
There will be seven booths open in the commissioner’s
meeting room upstairs in the County Administration
Building in downtown Camming to take residents’ votes.
See VOTING, Page 2A
Woman overcomes to teach school
By Nancy Smallwood
Associate Editor
Special education students return¬
ing to North Forsyth Middle School
this fall will find a new teacher who
knows what it feels like to overcome
the odds.
Paula Sue Halcomb was told by
many she may never be able to attend
college again after being involved in
a serious car wreck in October 1998.
“I was in a coma for two weeks
and doctors did not expect me to live
through the night,” said Halcomb.
However, the 25-year-old was
able to return to her studies at North
Georgia College and State University
in Dahlonega one year later after
receiving physical, occupational and
speech therapy.
Forsyth Court Appointed Special
Advocates moved to local control
By Nicole Green
Staff Writer
The abused and neglected chil¬
dren of Forsyth County now have a
voice of their own.
Until last week, Court Appointed
Special Advocates (CASA) for
Children represented children from
Cherokee and Forsyth counties in
court proceedings. As of July 1,
Forsyth County CASA emerged as
an independent nonprofit organiza¬
tion with its own executive director,
board, funding and legion of volun¬
teers.
“The work of the volunteer coor¬
dinators won’t change,” said outgo¬
ing board chair Annette Shutters.
Forsyth County currently has 55
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Copyright O 2004 Forsyth County Ntws
90994’040 '
THURSDAY July 8,2004
Halcomb
the college’s stu¬
dent disability resources with assist¬
ing her in returning to school. The
office helps integrate students with
disabilities into the college setting.
Halcomb worked with an advisor
to select a reduced course load of
classes for a couple of semesters
before taking on a full load. The
active volunteers who champion the
needs of at least 145 children. At the
request of the court, the advocates
visit children who have been taken
from their families and placed into
foster care.
“No matter where they are
placet!, they have the same CASA,”
program manager Mary Lamond
said.
CASA began in the 1980s when a
Seattle judge realized that the special
needs of abused and neglected chil¬
dren were falling through the cracks
during court proceedings. He organ¬
ized the first league of volunteers to
look out for those children. There are
now more than 900 CASA programs
in the United States and 70,000 vol¬
unteers, according to the National
INDEX
Abby... Classifieds 6A
2B
Deaths— 2A
Horoscope. 6A
Kids Page 10A
Opinion 9A
Sports . .............................. 8A
Wreck causes road closure
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Photo/Tina DiFabio
The driver of this 2002 Mazda Protege lost control on a curve on
Chattahoochee Road and struck a power pole, causing it to ‘crack all the way
through,’ near Stone Creek Circle Tuesday about 10:42 a.m., sheriff’s deputies
reported. Although the driver was not seriously injured, deputies closed the
road from Shady Grove to Holtzclaw Drive for several hours until power to the
pole could be turned off. The car could not be removed immediately because
of the instability of the pole, deputies reported.
“Due to the
accident, 1 had to
re-learn every
thing,” said
Halcomb. “Prayers
from all over the
world went up for
me and definitely
had a lot to do with
my recovery.”
Halcomb credits
CASA Association.
The local organization will con¬
duct training classes for new CASAs
in August. Twelve new volunteers
have committed to the August train¬
ing, but 20 arc needed, Lamond said.
Time is the most important require¬
ment: 10 to 15 hours monthly for at
least 18 months.
A CASA visits his or her
assigned child at least once a month
at the foster home.
“We try to establish a rapport so
they build a trust in us,” Lamond
said.
Once the CASA determines the
needs of a child, he or she can ask
See CASA, Page 2A
Local
Forsyth County Sheriff
releases holiday
traffic report.
Page2A
office also worked with Halcomb to
give her preferential registration to
ensure a workable schedule and
allowed her to take tests at the col¬
lege’s testing center for a distraction
free environment.
According to Rodney Pennamore.
coordinator of the college's student
disability resources, it is Halcomb’s
“go-getter" attitude that assisted her
in accomplishing her goal of becom¬
ing a teacher.
“She was very persistent in get¬
ting through her injuries and basical¬
ly did not take ‘no’ for an answer,”
said Pennamore.
Jacqueline Leeper, an assistant
professor at the college, said
Halcomb had succeeded so well in
overcoming her disabilities that she
V
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Photo/Tina DiFabio
Forsyth County Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) staff
and board members include, back row, Gene Valde and Annette
Shutters: front row, Brian Adams, Mary Lamond and Dianne
Boyington.
Sports
Hunters Chase
swim team impresses
in third season.
Page 5A
did not realize Halcomb had been in
an accident.
“She is very enthusiastic and very
dedicated to her career,” said Leeper.
Halcomb decided she wanted to
work with special education students
during an experience as a peer men¬
tor in elementary school.
“1 really liked the self rewards —
seeing the students’ faces light up
when they accomplished something
that was easy for me but so difficult
for them," she said.
The experience of her wreck has
drawn her even closer to what stu¬
dents go through in learning new
things, she said.
“I have had to prove myself to
See TEACHER, Page 2A
Possible Storms
■ 1
JhVH
High in the high 80s.
Low in the high 60s
&
SINESS, 1B
libk balances work, home
Thunder
Road sold
for $5.5M
Bought by local group
By Charlie Auvermann
FCN Regional Staff
DAWSONVILLE A
Dawsonville-based partnership paid
$5.5 million to buy the bankrupt
Thunder Road car racing museum
Tuesday.
Newton Cummings, attorney for
the law firm of Cummings, Kelly and
Bishop, offered the only bid from a
group called Phoenix One during an
auction of the property Tuesday on
the steps of the Dawson County
Courthouse.
He said Phoenix One was a gen¬
eral partnership located in
Dawsonville, but declined to provide
any further information.
“We had hoped to get more,” stat¬
ed Jordan immediately after the sale.
“This is the best we got.”
Lawyers representing Chestatee
State Bank arrived on the Dawson
County Courthouse steps Tuesday
afternoon to receive offers for the
facility in downtown Dawsonville.
Paul Jordan, from the law firm of
Lawson, Davis, Pickren and Seydel,
made his way to the north side steps
at 2:05 p.m. to announce that the
bank was placing the property up for
sale.
Before a moderate crowd of local
bankers and interested observers,
Jordan read off the legal descriptions
of the building and property, and
then called out for offers.
Cummings made a single offer,
placing a bid on behalf of Phoenix
One for the amount of $5.5 million.
After calling for any further bids
and getting no response. Jordan
closed the sale and awarded Thunder
Road to Phoenix One. The two law
firms agreed to meet to review the
timing of the transfer of Thunder
Road to Phoenix One as the auction
concluded.
“The terms are cash as stated at
the beginning of the sale." Jordan
said. “We will discuss the method of
transfer but I would expect every¬
thing will be in order.”
As holder of the notes for the
U.S. Department of Agriculture
(USDA), Chestatee has managed
Thunder Road’s financial transac¬
tions since problems surfaced with
the attraction and museum. The sale
of Thunder Road by the bank will
allow it to clear the USDA from the
title.
By eliminating the USDA from
the original loan, a new owner has
See ROAD, 2A
LAKE LANIER LEVELS
Date Level
July 2 1071.77 ft ft
July July 3 1071.80 ft
4 1071,87
July Full 5 1071.00 1071.93 ft ft