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SPORTS
East Forsyth
maintains
unbeaten start.
Page 1B
Storage facility, hotel
coming to South
Forsyth. 2A
FORSYTH COUNTY NEWS
Midweek Edition-September 21-22,2022 FORSYTHNEWS.COM $1.00
EDUCATION
FCS is helping students recover
from pandemic learning loss
District leaders to start finance
committee, student scholarship
By Sabrina Kerns
skerns@forsythnews.com
The Forsyth County Board of Education discussed
how schools are helping students recover from learn
ing loss, what the district is doing to involve the com
munity in its financial decisions and the education
foundation’s growth at its work session on Tuesday,
Sept. 13.
Recovering from learning loss
Before looking at what the district has been doing
over the past year to help curb learning loss caused by
the pandemic, Accountability Coordinator Tim Keyser
told the board it is important to look at students’
Georgia Milestones results.
“The state strongly discourages making longitudinal
comparisons to pre-pandemic levels because we know
that there was an effect that impacted learning,”
Keyser said. “But we still think it’s important to look
at that data. We want to know where were we before
See RECOVER15A
'We can't do it without you Forsyth County'
Kelly Whitmire Forsyth County News
Stacey Abrams and other Democratic candidates made a stop by the FoCAL Center on
Sunday, Sept. 18 as part of the One Georgia Assembly hosted by Georgia's 6th Congressional
District Democrats.
Abrams, Dem candidates hold rally at FoCAL Center
By Kelly Whitmire
kwhitmire@forsythnews.com
Democrats at nearly all levels of government,
including gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams,
were on hand in Forsyth County on Sunday after
noon.
On Sunday, Sept. 18, Georgia’s 6th
Congressional District Democrats hosted the One
Georgia Assembly at the FoCAL Center featuring
Abrams, 6th District candidate Bob Christian,
Forsyth County Board of Education candidate
Elaine Padgett and several other candidates on the
Nov. 8 ballot.
See ABRAMS 13A
Commissioners not in agreement over
two proposed commercial projects
By Ash lyn Yule
ayule@forsythnews.com
After hearing complaints
from residents, the Forsyth
County Board of Commis
sioners stopped two com
mercial projects from hap
pening.
At a regular meeting on
Thursday, Sept. 15, com
missioners voted to deny
an amendment of zoning
conditions and conditional-
use permit for Knapheide,
a truck bed and body man
ufacturer, and an alternate
design and conditional-use
permit for Valvoline.
The votes were not all
unanimous.
Kanpheide
Located off Friendship
Circle and Canton
Highway, Knapheide was
requesting to allow the
property to be used for
“office, warehouse, light
manufacturing, and auto
mobile service establish
ment major.”
Knapheide was also
See PROJECTS14A
Truck driver
charged in
wreck on 400
that killed man
By Kelly Whitmire
kwhitmire@forsythnews.com
The Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office Traffic
Specialist Unit is investigating a fatal crash on Ga.
400 that happened on Friday night, and a local
man has been charged with homicide by vehicle.
According to an FCSO news release, the wreck
had one fatality and involved a Freightliner truck
and several passenger vehicles at the intersection
of Ga. 400 and Hwy. 369 at about 8:30 p.m. on
Friday, Sept. 16. The truck’s driver, Charles
Wilkins, 61 of Cumming, is charged with first-
degree homicide by vehicle, reckless driving,
driving too fast for conditions and following too
close.
According to the news release, Wilkins’ truck
was traveling north on Ga. 400 and approached
stopped traffic at the intersection, which is under
construction for a new interchange, “at an unrea
sonable speed for the current traffic conditions
and construction zone.”
“The Freightliner failed to stop and struck the
rear of the Nissan [in the left, northbound lane] at
highway speeds, causing a chain reaction,” the
release said.
“The Nissan and the Freightliner crossed over
the center median into the southbound lanes. The
Freightliner struck the Kia at the driver’s side
front door.
See WRECK 12A
2 indicted on RICO
charges after alleged
truck thefts, attempt
to break into ATM
By Kelly Whitmire
kwhitmire@forsythnews.com
Two men have been indicted on
several counts, including racke
teering charges, for an alleged
string of truck thefts and the use
of a stolen vehicle to try to break
into an ATM.
Joshua Griffin, 18, and Damien
Ross, 30, both of Houston, Texas,
were indicted in September on Griffin
numerous charges including sec
ond-degree criminal damage to
property, theft by taking and vio
lations of the Racketeer
Influenced and Corrupt
Organizations, or RICO, Act tied
to incidents that allegedly
occurred in February.
According to the indictment,
Griffin and Ross allegedly stole a Ross
Ford F250 pickup truck from a
business on Tidwell Drive, used the vehicle to
damage an ATM at First IC Bank on Peachtree
See INDICTED 12A
91/67
Forecast 12A
Feral Cat Program of
Georgia annual benefit
on horizon. 5A
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Volume 113, Number 74
© 2022, Forsyth County News
Cumming, Georgia
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