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UNG brigade commander makes plans to serve as US Army officer after college. See story Page 3A Sports Denmark’s Dominae Jordan named FCN Volleyball Player of the Year. Page IB FORSYTH COUNTY NEWS Weekend Edition-December 30-31, 2022 FORSYTHNEWS.COM forsythcountynews Q@ForsythNews (®)@ForsythNews $2.00 Holiday cold snap keeps county busy By Kelly Whitmire kwhitmire@forsythnews.com Emergency crews had a busy Christmas weekend in Forsyth County as temperatures fell to single digits. Forsyth County Emergency Management Agency Director Chris Grimes said crews were in communication over the week end to handle any emergencies the cold weather brought, including trees on roads, water and power issues and other emergency calls. “It was busy, but we were pre pared, and we were flexible,” Grimes said. “We had to kind of bend and regroup, but it all went really well.” Grimes said there was com munication between his office, the Forsyth County Fire Department, law enforcement and utility providers to monitor emergencies and responses. Between Friday, Dec. 23 and Monday, Dec. 26, the coldest days of the winter weather, the Forsyth County Fire Department responded to a total of 431 inci dents, according to Division Chief Jason Shivers. Shivers said of those calls, eight were for structure fires, three for vehicle fires, more than 140 were for medical emergen cies, more than 160 were for ruptured pipes or sprinkler sys tems and 10 were for serious vehicle wrecks, including a fatal wreck at River Club Drive on Christmas Eve. “I think overall it was a very busy weekend for us,” Grimes said. “I know our fire depart ment stayed very busy respond ing to water leaks and sprinkler systems and fire alarms, helping a lot of folks out in the commu nity with that.” Despite several calls for struc ture fires, Shivers said no one was displaced and two occu pants had smoke inhalation issues but refused transport. Shivers said a firefighter received a “minor shoulder inju ry” after falling down a set of stairs while fighting a fire in the home’s second level but is expected to return for his next scheduled shift. Many were left without power, with Sawnee EMC hav ing a peak of more than 1,500 members in the seven-county service area being affected on Friday, Dec. 26 and asking cus tomers the following day to con serve power while there was stress on the electrical system. See Weather 12A Finding lost rings to winning title rings Kelly Whitmire Forsyth County News UGA football players and fans celebrate the team's first national championship in 41 years. Our favorite stories of the year ml Online Staff reports 2022 was a year of memory-mak ing, and the staff at the Forsyth County News reported on many sto ries that left impacts on us all. From funny to serious, tragic to jubilant, these are our reporters’ thoughts on their favorite stories of the year. Full stories can be found at forsythnews. com. Ashlyn Yule Tattoos and diving for diamonds As someone who loves earrings, I’ve made a few trips into Fulton County To read our favorite stories of the year, go to forsythnews.com/ favoritestories2022. Not using the digital access included in your subscription? Visit forsyth- news.com/register, enter your information and check the "Already a subscriber box" to activate your digital access. Having trouble? Email websup- port@forsythnews.com for addi tional support. to get safe, lasting piercings. I’ve grown up in Forsyth County and always known that to get a tattoo or piercing, you had to go elsewhere. It wasn’t a big deal; Forsyth just didn’t have any tattoo shops. See Favorite 16A Photo courtesy Brianna Ruark Brianna Ruark's engagement ring sports a diamond that has been passed down from her grandmother to her mother to her. One of our favorite stories concerned a diver who recovers jewelry lost in Lake Lanier. Council OKs budget with worker raises By Kelly Whitmire kwhitmire@forsythnews.com With just a few days left in 2022, mem bers of the Cumming City Council approved the city’s budget for next year. At a special called meeting on Tuesday, Dec. 27, members of the council voted 4-0, with Councilwoman Finda Fedbetter absent, to approve a balanced 2023 budget of $47.5 million. The total is the sum of the general, water and sewer, downtown devel opment authority and capital projects funds. “I’m here tonight to ask you to approve the 2023 budget and the accompanying res olution that is with it to approve this budget as we have to do before Dec. 31,” City Administrator Phill Higgins said at the meeting. At a previous meeting on Tuesday, Dec. 13, Higgins said the general fund would have a 2 percent increase from last year to $15.8 million from $15.5 million. The capi tal projects fund would be lower than last year’s, taking the projected expenditures from over $1 million to $880,818. The downtown development authority is projected to earn more than it will spend, with $2,808,600 in expected revenue and $2,220,455 in expenditures. The water and sewer fund would have the largest increase — 9 percent — from 2022’s $25,841,600 to $28,607,600. Included in the budget is also a 4 percent cost of living adjustment for city employ ees. Other capital items Higgins said include paving at the Cumming Fairgrounds and purchasing new police cars. During Tuesday’s meeting, members of the council also approved an amendment to balance the city’s 2022 budget, which Higgins said had higher revenues than expected. That item was also approved 4-0. “The purpose of this item is we do have to submit a balanced budget to the state,” Higgins said. “This year, we budgeted $15,464,150 in revenue. Our final budget is going to come in at $18,670,600, therefore we have to do an amendment to balance the budget both on the revenue side and expen diture side.” Morrissey retires from Forsyth school board after 12 years By Sabrina Kerns skerns@forsythnews.com Kristin Morrissey first moved to Forsyth County 20 years ago for the schools, heading to the south end to enroll her kids in Big Creek Elementary. She immediately started to vol unteer at the school, where she heard other parents complain about the growth and “trans plants” moving in from other states and counties. Being from New York, Morrissey felt like she was part of the problem. So she started to get more involved, ultimately deciding to ran for the Forsyth County Board of Education in 2010. She won the race, securing her spot in District 2 where she has served south Forsyth for 12 years. Now, after more than a decade of meeting families, working with school staff and trying to make Forsyth County Schools the best, she is stepping away from the board on Sunday, Jan. 1. “After three terms, I feel like I’ve given it the best I can,” Morrissey said. “I’ve been through multiple strategic plan nings, hiring superintendents, vulnerable budgets, good econo mies and hurt economies. I think I’ve given it what I can give, and it’s time for someone else to give their time. I’m ready to slow down a little bit.” When Morrissey first started on the board, she said it sur prised her. She quickly learned that the board and school system were made up completely of a wide range of professionals Kristin Morrissey is retiring from the Forsyth County Board See Morrissey 16A of Education after serving 12 years. Sabrina Kerns Forsyth County News 58/51 Forecast! 2A Sawnee EMC receives customer satisfaction award. 4A Forsyth County News app available for download Find the app at forsythnews.com/apps for local news at your fingertips. □ 7 Volume 113, Number 100 © 2022, Forsyth County News Cumming, Georgia