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FORSYTH COUNTY NEWS
Midweek Edition-September 28-29, 2022 FORSYTHNEWS.COM
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Lane closures set for Ga. 400 interchange work
By Kelly Whitmire
kwhitmire@forsythnews.com
Forsyth County officials said there will be
lane closures on Ga. 400 between Martin
Road and Hwy. 369 Monday, Sept. 26,
through Friday, Sept. 30 for work on the new
interchange.
According to a news release from the
Forsyth County government, the right lane of
Ga. 400 will be closed 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.,
weather permitting, on Monday for shoulder
work. Once that project is complete, south
bound lanes will be closed with traffic pacing
for shoulder work and restriping.
“Commuters can anticipate various traffic
delays and temporary lane closures during the
construction of the interchange as crews pre
pare to move SR 369 traffic onto the new
overpass bridge,” officials said in the release.
Once completed, the interchange project
will be for a continuous-flow, partial-clover-
leaf interchange at the current intersection,
while the widening project is for a four-lane
road divided by a 20-foot raised median that
will include an 8-foot sidewalk trail along the
south side of the highway and a 5-foot side
walk on the north.
Ashlyn Yule Forsyth County News
Lane closures will conitnue this week for work on Ga. 400
between Martin Road and Hwy. 369.
'Share your love and passion'
Sabrina Kerns Forsyth County News
Akers Academy leaders surprise Alaina Jones with a bouquet of flowers to tell her she is
the winner of the Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning's 2022-23 Pre-KTeacher
of the Year award.
Akers Academy’s Jones is private Pre-K teacher of the year
By Sabrina Kerns
skerns@forsythnews.com
Alaina Jones immediately knew
what was happening when a crowd
of Akers Academy leaders walked
through her classroom door with
balloons and a bouquet of flowers.
“Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh!” she
yelled as they came in to surprise
her and her students with some
exciting news.
The Georgia Department of Early
Care and Learning, or DECAL,
chose Jones as the statewide 2022-
23 private Pre-K teacher of the year.
“You are truly so deserving of this
special recognition and so much
See Teacher 16A
Akers Academy staff pose with Alaina Jones with a
photo after announcing her as the statewide private
Pre-K teacher of the year and awarding her with a
$3,000 check she can use however she chooses.
Two indicted
for allegedly
stealing car
from dealership
By Kelly Whitmire
kwhitmire@forsythnews.com
Two men were indicted by the Forsyth County
Superior Court in September after being arrested in
February for allegedly stealing a vehicle from a north
Forsyth car dealership.
Quantavy Trevaughn Terrell, 29, of
Decatur, and Jaequon Dominique
Cheeks, 24, of Atlanta, were both
indicted on counts of theft by taking
after allegedly stealing a 2018 Dodge
Charger valued at more than $25,000
from Don Jackson Chrysler Dodge,
located at 5855 Ga. 400, and theft by
receiving stolen property for possess
ing a 2019 Chevrolet Camaro, proper
ty of Nalley Toyota Stonecrest in
Lithonia, valued at more than $5,000.
Additionally, Cheeks was charged
with possession of a firearm during
commission of a felony, and Terrell
was charged with two counts of identi
ty fraud for possessing the information
of a victim and “a fictitious person.”
All charges were tied to the
February arrest.
According to a Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office
release from the time of the arrest, one of the men
went into the dealership to request a test drive, and “as
the salesperson attempted to get into the passenger
seat, [Terrell] started the car and took off out of the
dealership,” being followed by a red Chevrolet
Camaro in which the pair arrived, reportedly driven by
Cheeks, later found to be stolen from DeKalb County,.
Both were arrested within 23 minutes of the initial
crime.
FCSO officials said, at the time of the crime, depu
ties had been responding to a wreck on nearby Martin
Road, where coincidently, Terrell crashed the Charger
and fled on foot before being spotted by an FCSO ser
geant, who was washing their patrol vehicle at a car
wash at the time, which can be seen in a video of the
incident released by the sheriff’s office.
Terrell was arrested following a brief foot chase.
In the video, a complainant says the dealership “just
had someone jump in a car and take off’ and was
being followed by the Camaro.
The video also shows a deputy arresting Cheeks at
gunpoint after he pulled into a local bank following a
pursuit.
Cheeks
Lambert students work to provide food to families in need
By Sabrina Kerns
skerns@forsythnews.com
Two Lambert High School students started
their own chapter of Blessings in a Backpack
in 2013, packing 50 bags of food every Friday
to provide meals and feed students in need
over the weekend.
As the only Forsyth County chapter of the
national nonprofit, the students’ main goal
then was to grow their Lambert chapter and
provide food to as many kids in the county as
possible.
Now, nine years later, the chapter has
grown beyond what they ever dreamed, with
current co-presidents Marco Nader and
Michael Locurcio packing 383 meals every
week alongside volunteers to give out to mid
dle and elementary school students across
Forsyth.
“Looking back, it’s crazy to see they
packed 50 bags every week,” Locurcio said.
See Students 13A
Volunteers with
Lambert High School's
chapter of Blessing with
a Backpack spend part
of their Friday packing
bags with meals and
snacks to be delivered
to middle and elemen
tary school students in
need.
For the FCN
A'V-*
Cumming Farmers
Market moving
locations, opening
year-round. 4A
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Volume 113, Number 75
© 2022, Forsyth County News
Cumming, Georgia