Newspaper Page Text
Forsyth J Your "Hometown Count Paper" Since 191 ^News
Vol. 99, No. 85
Whiskey theft takes sour turn
Whitaker
Board
looks at
firms
Consultants vie
to help county
find green space
By Frank Reddy
Staff Writer
Forsyth County commissioners
continue to interview the four con¬
sulting firms that want to help the
county shop for $36 million in
green space.
Representatives from the firms
attended Tuesday’s work session to
answer questions about their will¬
ingness to work with the county’s
geographic information services
department in the mapping of
*
.
Kilgore
i Our GIS department feels that
given a set of criteria they can run a
thorough analysis of all the parcels
in the county and ... look at a scor¬
ing factor depending upon the
weight of each criteria,” Chairman
Charles Laughinghouse said.
Kilgore used six examples of
criteria to weigh the parcels: park
equity; existing support/infrastruc¬
ture; historic sites; hydrology; pub
lie facilities; and undeveloped land.
All four consulting firms
viewed Kilgore’s presentation and
answered questions from
Commissioners Brian Tam and Jim
Harrell on various topics, including
their willingness to work with the
local GIS department.
Representatives from the firms
all said they were.
Commissioners also asked the
See COUNTY, Page 2A
Candidates for seat on board
By Harris Blackwood
FCN regional staff
Foi those who don’t follow poli
tics, this is the ultimate game of
inside baseball.
The members of the Georgia
Department of Transportation board
are the only state regulatory panel
elected solely by members of the
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
I
One suspect arrested after burglary, chase on Ga. 400
By Julie Arrington
Staff Writer
Authorities have made one arrest
and recovered 36 bottles of Canadian
whiskey in connection with an early
morning liquor store burglary and
chase on Memorial Day.
Capt. Paul Taylor of the Forsyth
green space
parcels.
John Kilgore,
director of the
department, also
gave a presenta¬
tion demonstrat¬
ing the staff’s
capabilities in
analyzing crite¬
ria and making
color-coded
INDEX
Abby............. ,6A
Classifieds. 3B
Deaths......... 2A
Horoscope, 6A
Kids Page.., 8A
Opinion....... 7A
Sports.......... 5B
THURSDAY May 29,2008
County Sheriff’s Office said another
suspect, whose name has not been
released, remains at large.
Edsel Whitaker, 54, of Austell is
being held at the Forsyth County
Detention Center on $11,110 bond,
Taylor said.
Whitaker was arrested after
deputies spotted him walking along
South swings tassels
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South Forsyth High School grad¬
uate Brittany Bates, above, plays
with her tassel during graduation
Tuesday night at the Gwinnett
Arena. Right, graduates, with a
full audience, are congratulated
on the digital banner during the
ceremony. Below, Alyssa Baskam
fixes her tassel.
Photos/Emily Saunders
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General Assembly.
Average voters couldn’t name
their district board member, but the
phones of 24 members of the House
and Senate have been busy this week
with candidates for the vacant trans
portation board seat in the 9th
District,
The vote is scheduled to take
place at 3 this afternoon in the Senate
Local
A look at the
class of2008
valedictorians.
Rage 2 A
Hubbard Town Road in north Forsyth
shortly after the burglary and pursuit
on Ga. 400.
Whitaker is one of two suspects
authorities think broke into the World
Beverage liquor store at 6190 Ga. 400
See WHISKEY, Page 2A
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chamber of the Capitol.
When the week began, there were
five candidates. Monday, state Rep.
Ben Bridges, R-Cleveland, got out of
the race.
That leaves Larry Dent, a former
deputy commissioner of the DOT,
along with three candidates from
Northwest Georgia: Steve Farrow,
Phil Neff and Ray Seipp.
Sports
Middle schools select
All-County basketball
athletes.
Page5B
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Photo/Emily Saunders
Outgoing principal Jeff Zoul does
a cartwheel for Otwell Middle
School teachers to celebrate the
final school bus leaving on the last
day of school Friday.
Principal
returns to
Illinois
Zoul leaves Otwell
to move closer to
widowed mother
By Lara Moore
Staff Writer
Most children don't like going to the
principal’s office.
Then again, most principals don’t sport
red Converse high tops on Fridays, or with
a nice black suit.
In four years, about 1,500 kids have
visited Jeff Zoul’s office at Otwell Middle
School. They visit for good behavior.
His teachers write up students “caught
in the act” of good deeds through the “pos¬
itive discipline referral” program.
The students likely will miss the
sneaker-wearing principal, who is leaving
for the Chicago area, where he is under
contract to be the principal at a middle
school as of July.
The decision to leave Forsyth County
comes in the wake of his father's abrupt
passing. Robert Zoul died last fall of pan¬
creatic cancer.
“The real reason was my dad dying in
October,” he said. “My mom (Geraldine
Zoul) is up there and by herself and she
could use my help. And I’m in a position
to be able to help and I’m going to do it.
“Losing my dad made me realize time
is precious.”
Zoul thinks the move will also be good
for his wife, Jill, who taught at Riverwatch
Middle School, and their daughter Jordyn,
an eighth-grader.
“About a year ago,” he said, “I tlew up
for a weekend and took my dad and his
See ZOUL, Page 2A
Farrow, a former Democratic state
senator from Dalton, now a
Republican, is actively campaigning
for the spot. Neff is a Republican
activist who owns a plastics business
in Dalton, while Seipp, a Lookout
Mountain City Council member, is in
the concrete business.
44 I have spoken to just about
everybody in the district,” said Neff,
Partly Cloudy
v*>
High in the low 80s.
Low in the mid-60s.
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BUSINESS, 1B
Quality focus at new pawnshop
who will be nominated by state Sen.
Don Thomas, R-Dalton, a popular
physician who serves in the Senate.
Rep. Carl Rogers, R-Gainesville,
said his phone has been busy with
talk about the transportation board. At
least one candidate is said to be mak
ing visits in the district.
" See DOT, Page 2A
LAKE LANIER LEVELS
Date Level
May 23 1057.76 ft
May 24 1057.80 ft
May 25 1057.79 ft
May 26 1057.78 ft
Full 1071.00 ft