Newspaper Page Text
Forsyth J Your "Hometown CountvNews Paper" Since 19i
Vol. No. 78
Finacee holds on to hope for return
Authorities continue search for missing man
By Julie Arrington
Staff Writer
The fiancee of a 3l-year-old
man who has been missing for
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Officials with Forsyth County and developer Cousins
Properties gathered Wednesday night to cut the ribbon
for the The Avenue Forsyth. The grand opening of the
500,000-square-foot outdoor mall is set for Saturday.
Many merchants have already opened in the retail cen¬
ter, which is at Ga. 400 and Peachtree Parkway (Exit
13). Above, Shannon Rudd and her daughter, Maddy
Rudd, 12, sit next to a statue during the ribbon-cutting
ceremony. Right, Christian Ruotsalainen, 4, looks at
Clifford The Big Red Dog, hoping he’ll turn around dur¬
ing the event. *
Photos/Emily Saunders
Annual Relay for Life starts tonight
Food, festivities add to the fun of annual walk-a-thon
By Lara Moore
Staff Writer
Relay for Life brings alive the con¬
cept of “strength in numbers.” And
‘Mitch Madness’ precedes event
NFHS grad hopes
to do 6,000 sit-ups
By Lara Moore
Staff Writer
Crunching 1,000 sit-ups is
laughable for Mitch Holland.
Now, multiply that number
by six.
66 When you think about
what you’re doing it for, it
ain’t no big deal,” Holland
said. “It’s just a thing.”
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Copyright © 2007 Forsyth County News
FRIDAY May 16, 2008
two weeks said she still has
hope he will be found, though
the investigation appears to
have slowed.
“That’s all you can do is
Mall marks
moment
seeing thousands of local cancer sur¬
vivors enjoying life at the all-night
fundraiser is a sight to behold.
.. It gives you the feeling of, ‘We
can beat this.’ There’s strength in it,”’
Nonetheless, for the sixth
annual “Mitch Madness,” the
2007 North Forsyth High
School special needs graduate
will attempt 6,000 sit-ups to
raise funds for cancer research.
“Mitch Madness” is part of
the opening ceremonies for the
Relay for Life fundraiser, set
for 6 tonight at the Cumming
Fairgrounds. The theme of this
year’s walk is cancer never
sleeps.”
The sit-up event was born
INDEX
Abby.................... .36
Church events. 4A
Classifieds......... 6B
Deaths................ 2A
Food.................... 6A
Horoscope........ 3B
Opinion.............. ,7A
Sports................. IB
hope, Natasha Lohman said.
Michael Brian Benson has
been missing since the morning
of May 2, when he left his
Country Walk Court home in
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said Keith Richardson, a leukemia sur¬
vivor and former relay committee
chair.
The annual event benefits cancer
research, survivors and caregivers.
after Holland's friend, Dakota
Pritchard, died from cancer at
age 13.
“It changed my life a little
bit,” Holland said. “It made me
realize I need to put other peo¬
ple before I put myself. And
most important, put God into
it, too, because I realize I
would not be able to do half
the crazy stuff I do.”
Holland, 20, who has cere
See MITCH, Page 2A
Food
A menu fit for the
warming weather of
spring.
Page6A
northwestern Forsyth County.
The truck Benson was
driving and some of his per
sonal belongings were found
May 3 in a remote, heavily
wooded area of Cherokee
County. Authorities have said
they suspect foul play in his
Teams literally walk through the night.
The purpose of the length is to symbol¬
ize that “cancer never sleeps,” which is
the theme this year.
The Relay begins at 6 tonight at the
Cumming Fairgrounds, and continues
See RELAY, Page 2A
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Photo/Jim Dean
Paula Gault, left rear, and Joey Pirkle take turns
holding down Mitch Holland's legs while he does
sit-ups at last year’s event.
Religion
See what’s
happening in
local churches.
Page4A
disappearance.
Lohman said Benson takes
daily medication, which he did
not have with him when he left,
She declined to elaborate on
See MISSING, Page 2A
County
seeks
clarity
Tax accord tweaked,
returned to the city
By Jennifer Sami
Staff Writer
Forsyth County has countered
Cumming’s proposed conditions
on a 1-cent sales tax agreement
with a few of its own.
The county’s clarifications, a
copy of which the Forsyth
County News obtained
Wednesday, hint that a deal still
could be days — if not weeks —
away.
The governments have until
’May 30, or
about two
weeks, to reach
an accord, cour¬
tesy of another • >ig
judicial exten
sion. T
Last week,
the county
offered a com¬
promise to the
city in hopes of Gravitt
resolving how
best to split the sixth round of the
special purpose local option sales
tax, known as SPLOST VI.
The proposal offered the city
about an additional $12.5 million,
pushing the municipal share to
some $24 million, more than dou¬
ble the original, population-based
cut of $11.7 million.
The city responded Monday,
adding conditions to each of the
five offers.
The county essentially agreed
to those conditions during an
executive session Tuesday, but
seeks clarification on several
items.
Cumming Mayor H. Ford
Gravitt said he would not com¬
ment on the county’s response
until he had a chance to talk it
over with the city council.
“We have a regular meeting
Tuesday night,” Gravitt said. “It
may be discussed then, if I can’t
get everyone together before
then. • *
County Commissioners Linda
Ledbetter and Brian Tam said the
language was tweaked slightly for
clarification purposes.
64 We just said, basically, what
you want is fine, we want this,
Ledbetter said. “It’s not that big a
deal that you would break up an
agreement.
What the city sent us was not
a deal-buster. We’re just going
back and forth with clarifica¬
tions. **
Commissioner David Richard
is the only member of the board
who has refused to work on an
agreement, defending the city’s
See TAX, Page 3A
Possible Rain
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High in the mid-70s.
Low in the low 50s.
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Benson
LAKE LANIER LEVELS
Date Level
May 11 1057.62 ft
May 12 1057.64 ft
May 13 1057.65 ft
May 14 1057.65 ft
Full 1071.00 ft