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Your "Hometown Paper" Since 1 0001646 12/31/2020 Vol. 99, No. 132 Go tell it on the mountain ■ i ti \ / g l $»/ ■ m ■ < 1 A* "'■WAV ' \ v% Members of Mt. Tabor Baptist Church, like Lois Yarbrough, above, are getting ready to celebrate 175 years of sermons, songs and saving souls. For more on the oldest Baptist church in Forsyth County see Forsyth Life, IB. The student shuffle : ; 1 «1 k i ■$ Families still face redistricting, grading scale shift By Julie Arrington Staff Writer The end of what has been a contentious process for school officials and parents this year could come in about two months, and a non-traditional grading scale will have a new name this year. During a special called meet¬ ing Thursday the Forsyth County Board of Education unanimously approved a sched¬ ule for finalizing the redistrict¬ ing process. School officials have outlined dates for discussions, changes to the fourth draft of the redistrict¬ ing map and consideration of feedback leading up to a deci¬ sion that could come Oct. 16. The district plans to open one middle, one high and three elementary schools in 2009. The new facilities will shift thou- m The easement agreement details work on a 1.75-mile stretch of Ronald Reagan Boulevard, between McGinnis Ferry and McFarland roads. Maps/Forsyth government County Missed paper policy: For a replacement paper, call 8:30 Thursday, a.m. -1:00 Friday, p.m. and Wednesday, ( ) Sunday 770 887 - 3126 . Copyright ® 2007 Forsyth County NawT 0 90994 040001 7 SUNDAY August 17, 2008 * ’1 il i A k • f .a Photos/Jennifer Sami Above, South Forsyth High School freshman Sivani Molugoori checks her schedule on the first day of school. Top, students move through the halls between classes. sands of students to new learn¬ ing environments. For example, plans call for students in the Creekside com- "' - q "‘ ‘ ‘ I I ’2 If 4 f max, “I a 1% ‘ ‘//' ”-‘ J , L I I; h it ’ . ii ‘:/ a 5*“ a £2 . f ,1' 3’" ‘ :3 ' i} . ' INDEX Abby 6B Engagements 4B Classifieds.. 3C Deaths_________ 2A Forsyth Life IB Horoscope. 6B Opinion ...... 12A Sports---------- 1C County presses Etowah hopes State legislator cautions reservoir plan could land in court By Frank Reddy Staff Writer County commissioners met with all five members of Forsyth’s state legislative del¬ egation to discuss ideas for alternative water sources in the ongoing drought. Forsyth County Water and Sewer Director Tim Perkins gave a presentation Friday which included cur- munity, Which has been redis¬ tricted five consecutive times, to See STUDENT, Page 3A Board, developer reach accord Easement agreement means mall plans may move forward By Frank Reddy Staff Writer Commissioners and representatives of an upscale, mixed-use project in south Forsyth County have reached a consensus on a construction agreement accelerating development plans. An easement agreement, which out¬ lines the basics of the county’s intent to Local Opinion Partly Cloudy LAKE LANIER LEVELS Date Level Cumming Country New jail project will Aug. Aug. 11 12 1054.34 1054.24 ft ft Fair & Festival only depend heavily on Aug. 13 1054.18 ft six weeks away. informed voters. Aug. 14 1054.13 ft Page 4A Page 12A Full 1071.00 ft High in the high 80s. - Low in the mid-60s. i 1 rent statistics about how the county’s water system works. “We can’t depend on Lanier as a guaranteed water source as we once could, »» Perkins told state leaders. Lake Lanier is changing. H Perkins also addressed potential plans to build a reservoir that would draw water from the Etowah River, which dips from Dawson Quicker than a phone call Texting’s digital shorthand keeps children and parents connected By Jennifer Sami Staff Writer If u d/k ur a 4nr 2 txt msgs. Just a few years ago, only teenagers might have understood digital shorthand. But with the advantages of speed, availability and not having to leave a meet¬ ing for a phone call, texting has made its way to the adult world. Many adults, like Maggie Schmitz, started texting as a way to keep in touch with their chil¬ dren. They will actually respond to a text before they’ll respond to a phone call,” said Schmitz, an administrative assistant with the Cumming-Forsyth County Chamber of Commerce. If they’re at work or even if they’re in class, it’s a great way for me to get a message to them. Schmitz said she only learned how to text because of her three children, who range in age between 19 and 23. Without them, she admits she might not have learned how to use it, but now, “I use it all the time. While she’s caught on to some abbreviations, like using “u” instead of the word “you, ■ Schmitz says she still has a long way to go. i Sometimes I have to get them to explain to me what they just said,” she joked about her kids’ text fluency. “I don’t know them all. I wish I did. District 23 state Rep. Mark Hamilton said he gets a kick out of some of the abbreviations his three daughters use in text mes¬ sages. begin work on the southern end of Ronald Reagan Boulevard, passed 4-1 at a called meeting Friday morning. The agreement covers infrastructure improvements sought by the develop ers for an upscale, mixed-use project on 164 acres along Ga. 400. Taubman Centers representative Mark Putney called the agreement “a very important step in making all this SPORTS, bash 1C Dawgs Bobcats State argues drinking water was Lanier’s original purpose, Page 6A. County into a corner of extreme northwestern Forsyth. Perkins said there has long been a push to use the Etowah to supply water for —i Photo/Jim Dean Maggie Schmitz said texting is a way to keep in touch with her three children. ' * < * * ', In fact, Hamilton said he’s read magazine articles in an effort to stay on top of the most popular abbreviations. \V Though Hamilton sometimes uses text messaging to keep tabs on his family, he uses it most often to communicate with fel¬ low legislators. “In the legislature, that’s pret¬ ty much our preferred way of communication, especially dur¬ ing session,” he said. Many use a Blackberry hand¬ held device, which is assigned with a personal identification number, or PIN, so messages go straight through to another Blackberry. PIN numbers are distributed for everybody in the Republican See TEXT, Page 3A happen. Putney added that the easement 4* signifies to anchor stores that progress is being made, and it is, but it shows it in a physical way. Commissioner David Richard, who cast the lone vote against the agree ment, said the property purchased by See ACCORD, Page 4A the population in the Coosa/Etowah basin, which includes about 30 percent of the county’s residents. District 27 state Sen. Jack Murphy cautioned that a reservoir plan would likely result in legal battles! “If we start a reservoir tomorrow,” he said, “I guar¬ antee there will be a lawsuit See ETOWAH, Page 3A