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Forsyth J Your "Hometown CountvNews Paper" Since 1908 Vol. 99, No. 84 Graduation 2008 A look back ■ i+m p ■ < M 13:2!“ .: a“ "i , ‘ V J ,.'a,i>飗;;":‘ / w“ ,. » 1 ’ ‘ A 1 Mr: ; a. ' 1 , g .~’ :31: 3' ,1 2' . > ,.}r %\ V A, ‘ " K k "5'1“; .09“; “9%.". {E135 ‘ : K' -7" .: . .3, .1 1- ’ 911‘?" ti *‘ WV.” V ‘1 7,; v ’ '. .. u 3 "91 at , . . ,, ., ‘ ~ ' . : . » 1 __ l ": , and a look ahead for North, Central Right, Amelia Haynes bites her nails in anticipation as she looks over the names of her fellow graduat¬ ing classmates during the Central Forsyth High School graduation ceremony Saturday morning at the Cumming Fairgrounds. Below, a sea of gradu¬ ates clap and yell for the salutatorian during the ceremony. 9 > iftj J X ss Many Forsyth homeowners feel flood plain pain Extra effort required to alleviate elevation oversight on FEMA maps By Jennifer Sami Staff Writer Bill Leonard is one of many Forsyth County homeowners who have taken steps to prove their property is not in a flood plain. The effort, which they undertook in order to avoid having to pay flood insurance, came about as a result of the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s nationwide initiative to update Hood plain maps. “1 knew, given where my house sits on the property, that there’s absolutely no way the property could be in the way of any flood damage at all,” Leonard said. “But FEMA doesn’t Missed paper policy: For a replacement paper, call 8:30 a.m. -1:00 p.m. Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Sunday ( 770 ) 887 - 3126 . Copyright © 2007 Forsyth County News WEDNESDAY May 28, 2008 send anyone out there to look at it, so it’s up to you to submit information to them to prove your case.” There are no new flood plain areas in the digital maps, which took effect for Forsyth County on Sept. 19, 2007, but they do indicate specific properties that lie in a flood plain. That new technology, in turn, has made it easier for lenders to see which properties are at risk. In response, many mortgage companies have required homeowners to carry flood insurance, which can cost more than $1,000 annually. See FLOOD, Page 2A INDEX Abby............ 5A Classifieds.. 15B Deaths........ 2A Horoscope, SA Legals.......... 3B Opinion...... 6A Sports.......... IB s * ' V OR* J ■W: i < i • I ; ! fcsji ? i •>»! -.JL Mb V i -‘■i Local Forsyth Academy recognizes graduates. Page3A Photos/Emily Saunders Heather Denny, left, retouches her makeup as her twin sister, Jessica Denny, giggles in the foreground moments before the start of the North Forsyth High School gradua¬ tion ceremony Friday night at the Cumming Fairgrounds. Below, facul¬ ty member Jane Osborne makes her way up the stairs as the rain starts pouring down before the start of the ceremony. Opinion Columnist Mel Copen shares his perspective of Memorial Day. Page7A Season ‘off to a good, safe start’ Holiday weekend passes quietly By Frank Reddy Staff Writer Wayne and Christy Wheeler of Forsyth County both got Monday off for Memorial Day. Problem is, one wanted to go shop¬ ping and the other fishing. “She’s all riled up about Avenue Forsyth, and I don’t care much for follow¬ ing her around watching her try on blue jeans,” Wayne Wheeler said. But the couple, who got married two years ago, found an amiable solution. “We’re at the point where we don’t got to do every little thing together,” said Wheeler, adding that approach “works out for the both of us.” So while the husband spent the day fishing for striped bass on Lake Lanier, the wife went with friends to The Avenue Forsyth, a new 500,000-square-foot out¬ door mall on Peachtree Parkway. Launching his boat at Six Mile Creek park, Wayne Wheeler called his Memorial Day angling a success, noting “there’s some decent fishing today.” The weather — lot of sun and little rain — likely added to the ideal conditions over what authorities were describing Tuesday as a quiet and safe holiday weekend on the lake and area roads. The Department of Natural Resources reported four boating incidents over the weekend, said spokeswoman Robin Hill. Two people were hurt, but neither had seri¬ ous injuries. Five lake-goers were cited for boating under the influence. Hill said lake attendance was down from last year’s Memorial Day weekend, which typically signals the start of summer on Lanier. Local law enforcement officials also said the holiday weekend was “very quiet.” Capt. Frank Huggins of the Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office and Georgia State Patrol Cumming Post spokeswoman Robin Stone both said there were no fatalities and few wrecks on Forsyth Count)' roads during the 78-hour holiday period. Huggins said there 23 wrecks in the county, only two of which resulted in injuries, both minor. See SEASON, Page 2A Possible Storms mm ill, VII High in the mid-8()s. Low in the mid-60s. > *> SPORTS, IB Changes at South target success Tom Slaughter holds a survey map as he looks out on a neighboring house that stands between his home and the creek that FEMA says poses a flood risk to his house, which stands at least 30 feet above the creek. File photo LAKE LANIER LEVELS Date Level May 22 1057.75 ft May 23 1057.76 ft May 24 1057.80 ft May 25 1057.79 ft Full 1071.00 ft