Brian Vanderhoff's North Fulton Real Estate Blog: July 2009

Health care workers, emergency medical personnel, pregnant women and healthy people between the ages of 6 months and 24 years old are among the target groups to receive the vaccine against the H1N1 virus when it first becomes available. That’s one of several recommendations approved Wednesday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices.

The recommendations are based upon completion of clinical trials and when a safe vaccine is available. Five companies are making the vaccine, which officials hope will be available in October. That may not be soon enough to satisfy parents, though, since schools begin next month in Georgia.

The committee met for several hours at the CDC to set guidelines for a national vaccine program against swine flu, as it is commonly called. If demand exceeds supply, priority should be given to subgroups within those groups including pregnant women, people younger than 19 with chronic medical conditions, and health care and emergency service personnel with direct contact with patients or infectiousness materials.

Jeremy Arieh, a spokesman for the Georgia Nurses Association, said the group supports the vaccination of health care professionals against the novel H1N1 virus. “Health care workers are on the front lines,” he said. “It’s a good practice as long as we don’t get into a situation of mandatory vaccinations.”

There have been 43,771 lab-identified cases of the virus, 302 deaths and more than 5,000 hospitalizations in the United States. Although not all sick patients are being tested for swine flu, health officials estimate that more than 1 million people have been infected.

Labels: CDC, foreclosure, Foreclosures, swine flu

Two cars were slightly damaged when small chunks of concrete fell in a Alpharetta parking deck just after lunch Tuesday. The five-level deck services the Northside Alpharetta Medical Campus on 3400 Old Milton Parkway, according to Alpharetta Police spokesman George Gordon.

Penny Smiley, a nurse at the facility, said inspectors were on the scene just a few weeks ago in wake of the collapse of the Centergy Parking Deck in Midtown.

“There’s a lot of big cars that park here so it doesn’t surprise me,” Smiley said. She typically searches out a corner spot; “It’s safer there,” she said.

The concrete fell on the third level. The structural damage was minimal.

Labels: Alpharetta, alpharetta police, damage, Foreclosures, parking deck

OK. So you expected suddenly a dozen coaches were going to declare: “I want Vick!”?

If you haven’t noticed, NFL teams have fallen over themselves to declare their respective teams out of the Michael Vick derby. We’re up to 18. Now, none of this means Vick won’t be signed. Thirty-one teams can say no but it only takes one to give Vick a contract. But it does illustrate how quickly some coaches and front office executives wanted the Vick Distraction doused in their city.

So here’s the thing. There are 14 teams who’ve said nothing so far. Thanks in part to the aggregation of ProFootballTalk.com, you’ll see the 18 teams below that have publicly declared they have no interest in Vick. To make this easier to digest, I listed all 32 teams in order of last year’s standings. If there’s a line through the team, it’s out of the Vick Derby.

If there’s one safe bet, it’s that Vick won’t be playing in the NFC East. Every team in that division has pulled out. Below the standings, I list the 14 teams that haven’t made a public statement on Vick, broken into two categories: Possible contenders and less likely to have an interest.

Around the league . . .

NFC SOUTH
Carolina
Atlanta
Tampa
New Orleans
NFC EAST
New York
Philadelphia
Dallas
Washington
NFC NORTH
Minnesota
Chicago
Green Bay
Detroit
NFC WEST
Arizona
San Francisco
Seattle
St. Louis
AFC SOUTH
Tennessee
Indianapolis
Houston
Jacksonville
AFC EAST
Miami
New England
New York
Buffalo
AFC NORTH
Pittsburgh
Baltimore
Cincinnati
Cleveland
AFC WEST
San Diego
Denver
Oakland
Kansas City
THE VICK SCORECARD
(Disclaimer: “Already out” category means only that a club official or coach is on the record as say saying they have no interest. That doesn’t mean they can’t change their mind.)

ALREADY OUT (18): Atlanta, Buffalo, Cincinnati, Dallas, Detroit, Houston, Indianapolis, Jacksonville, Kansas City, Miami, N.Y. Giants, N.Y. Jets, Philadelphia, St. Louis, San Francisco, Seattle, Tampa Bay, Washington.

POSSIBLE CONTENDERS (5): Arizona, Baltimore, Minnesota, Oakland, New Orleans

LESS LIKELY TO HAVE INTEREST (9): New England, Chicago, Pittsburgh, Tennessee, Cleveland, Carolina, Denver, Green Bay, San Diego.

Labels: Football, foreclosure, Foreclosures, Michael Vick, Mike Vick

Atlanta officials say two northbound lanes on Roswell Road between Wieuca and W. Wieuca roads will be closed to traffic between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. through Saturday.

Labels: Atlanta, Bank Owned, Bank owned properties, foreclosure, Foreclosures, roswell road, Wieuca

Southern Co., which operates two nuclear power plants in Georgia and one in Alabama, might build another nuclear generating plant that could initiate licensing requests as early as 2011, the Augusta Chronicle reported. “The forecast date is 2011, but that is an early estimate to support some long-range planning,” company spokeswoman Beth Thomas told the Chronicle Monday. “We’re not committed to submit in the 2011 time frame.”

She told the paper it was too soon to discuss site locations for a new plant.

“We are continuing to evaluate our needs, so we’re not really far enough along in the process to determine when or where,” she said. “Our major focus right now remains on the Plant Vogtle project, and we’re continuing to work through the licensing effort.”

The company’s application for an early site permit and combined operating license, which would allow construction of two additional reactors at Vogtle, is in the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s final evaluation stages.

An early site permit will likely be approved this year and the combined operating license could be obtained in 2011, allowing the new reactors to go online in 2016 or 2017.

Factors influencing the new plant’s approval will include energy demand, population growth in the area and financing availability, Thomas told the Chronicle.

Southern Co. operates Plant Vogtle near Augusta, Plant Hatch in Baxley and the Farley Plant near Dothan, Ala.

Labels: Bank Owned, Bank owned properties, foreclosure, Georgia, nuclear, Nuclear plant, Southern Co.

August 5 Senior Orientation from 8:15 - 11:15 a.m.
Sophomore Orientation from 12:30 - 3:30 p.m.
August 6 Junior Orientation from 8:15 - 11:15 a.m.
August 7 Freshman Orientation from 8:15 - 11:15 a.m.
August 10 Welcome Back! First Day of School

Labels: city of milton, Milton Georgia, Milton High School

Not far from the backed-up traffic on Ga. 92 in north Fulton County, Mountain Park sits apart on a half-square mile of hilly woodlands that slope down to two small lakes teeming with waterfowl. The 500-some residents love the town’s tranquility, scruffiness, mishmash of housing and curling one-lane roads. “It’s quirky, it’s Southern, it’s intelligent, it’s backward,” said Keith Ridgway, an 11-year resident. “It’s like living in a state park.”

But paradise has a price. Town politics marked by apathy. Very high taxes. And a lawsuit that’s bleeding the town coffers.

On Wednesday night a town hall meeting was held to mull the eternal Mountain Park questions.

Should the town dissolve the charter and become part of unincorporated Fulton County? Would it be better for Mountain Park to be annexed into Roswell or even Woodstock? Why don’t more people run for town council?

But the gorilla in the living room was the lawsuit. And that’s such a touchy subject that Mayor Jim Still didn’t want it talked about.

“This is a brainstorming session, not a blame-storming session,” he said.

In 2005, the town council sued several developers in upstream Roswell, saying they ruined the lakes with sediment from building sites. The town’s lawyer, Martin Shelton, said it would cost $2 million to
$3 million to dredge the lake and haul off the spoilage. Though three of eight defendants have settled, no trial date has been set.

Meanwhile, Mountain Park has paid more than $1.76 million in legal fees, said town clerk Karen Segars. That’s a hefty tab for a bare-bones operation with a $482,000 annual operating budget. The town employs only one full-time employee — Segars — and three part-timers.

Because of the lawsuit, Mountain Park taxpayers have taken a hit. The owner of a $200,000 home in Mountain Park pays $942.40 in town taxes before exemptions. The millage is 11.78, higher than neighboring towns Roswell or Alpharetta, which offer city police, parks and a bevy of other services. Residents bear all the tax burden because Mountain Park doesn’t have a single retail businesses, not even a convenience store.

Some residents said the lawsuit has put the town in such a distressed position that it’s impossible to decide questions about the town’s future, such as whether to dissolve the charter. Hope Mays said shutting down the town is hardly a new idea.

“This is a question that’s always there,” said Mays.

Still said some problems will remain, no matter how the lawsuit ends. For instance, the town has trouble finding enough people to run for the seven council seats. Shrinking the council and changing terms from four to two years might increase participation, people at the meeting agreed.

The session ended with a decision to determine what residents want more information about.

Longtime resident Pat McLendon said it’s hard to get Mountain Park folks to agree on anything.

“We’ve always had a lot of fighting in Mountain Park, politically,” she said. “You have some that won’t change and some who want to change.”

Labels: developer, lake, Mountain Park, sues

Several years ago the graceful, long-necked birds showed up unannounced and were quickly adopted as mascots for the wooded town of 500 people built around two lakes in north Fulton County.

When a coyote killed Juliet, residents made sure the male, Romeo, was provided another love interest, also named Juliet. When she died of an infection caused by a fishhook in the neck, they came up with Viola last fall.

Residents loved to see the swans cruising the lake, but Mayor Jim Still said the birds and the town never had the right chemistry. The swans were too aggressive, especially at nesting time.

"It made it a little hard to go on the swing set when you had a large white swan chasing you," Still said.

The real violence started a few about a month ago when Viola's leg was mangled, apparently by a snapping turtle, said Karen Segars, the clerk and Mountain Park's only full-time employee.

Viola spent 10 days at the veterinarian and ran up a $1,000 bill, paid by a local civic club. The three cygnets were so young they had to stay with Viola. When mother and babies returned, Romeo started hurting a cygnet, apparently viewing it as a rival for food, Segars said. Viola joined the beatdown.

"Children were hysterical because the mother and father were attacking a baby swan," Segars said. "The decision was made on the spot that the babies must be saved."

In the following days, Romeo crossed into Lake Garrett and started killing wood ducklings. Before, he'd stuck to Lake Cherful. The city council called a special meeting June 27 and decided to find a new home for the birds. By that time, the birds had been moved to a private pond near Cumming, Segars said. The cygnets were sold, the money used to pay part of the vet bill.

That's the swan song for Romeo and Viola.

"They coexisted for several years," Segars said. "Then whatever happened, happened."

Labels: Forsyth, Forsyth County, Mountain Park, North Fulton, Swans

Sandy Springs can’t do anything about the day laborers lingering at major Roswell Road intersections, hoping that a passing car will bring work. That’s because anyone can be in the public right of way. Plus, the upscale city has admitted it has — and needs — those kinds of workers by adopting a new local law that focuses more on traffic than its does the people on the sidewalk.

“We are not stopping anyone from seeking employment or from hiring,” councilman Rusty Paul said. “We are just trying to be smart about safety.”

The problem has come from the traffic jams — and risks to pedestrians — created when a driver stops to offer work. Police Chief Terry Sult said the workers will ignore traffic in their rush to land a job, creating hazards and sudden stops on some of the city’s most heavily traveled roads.

In some cases, the workers swarm around a potential employer so quickly it blocks traffic completely, Sult said.

So under the new law, the city will fine any driver who doesn’t pull off and park to hire the workers. The citation is $250 for the first offense, $500 for the second and $1,000 and up to three months in jail for the third.

“There is an orderly way to do things,” Sult said. “We can’t have people slamming on their brakes because someone in front of them decides to stop and hire someone.”

The city weighed the issue for a month before approving it Tuesday. No one spoke out against the measure, and some churches have even signaled they approve of the push for safety.

The new law does limit where people can solicit work. The laborers face the same fines for being on private property, such as parking lots, unless the owners give permission.

The laborers also have to stay 300 feet away from freeway ramps, city attorney Wendell Willard said.

That distance — that of a football field — should keep traffic on busy I- 285 and Ga. 400 moving, he added.

Traffic flow, and the hiring process, would also run more smoothly with more job centers.

City officials said they hope the new law will encourage more of the hiring centers like the one that Holy Spirit Catholic Church opened on Northwoods Drive earlier this year.

There, workers register for jobs daily and the staff helps keep track of there comings and goings as a way to protect them from being mistreated. Plans are also under way to offer language classes for workers as they wait.

“I am very proud of our community for doing this,” Mayor Eva Galambos said. “We are doing the right thing by everyone.”

Labels: day laborer, jobs, sandy springs

Sarah Palin stepped down as Alaska governor on Sunday with a fiery speech reminiscent of her days as running mate to Republican John McCain — when she frequently revved up crowds while attacking Democrats and the news media.

On Sunday, Palin took on old foes in the media, Hollywood and the Lower 48 states. As her audience shouted its approval, she scolded reporters for making things up, mocked Hollywood stars who have opposed wolf-control programs, and complained that "outside special interests still don't get it."

Palin, 45, said she was resigning with more than a year left in her first term to take her political battles to a larger if unspecified stage and avoid an unproductive, lame duck status.

"With this decision, now, I will be able to fight even harder for you, for what is right, and for truth. And I have never felt that you need a title to do that," the former Republican vice presidential candidate said to raucous applause from about 5,000 people gathered Sunday at Pioneer Park in Fairbanks.

Palin called her 2 1/2-year tenure as governor a success, citing efforts to take on the state's long-dominant oil industry and progress on development of a natural gas pipeline. She also cited ethics reform, but said "ironically, it needs additional reform" to stop partisan and frivolous complaints such as those that have dogged her in the past year.

Palin leaves office with her political future clouded by ethics probes, mounting legal bills and dwindling popularity. She has been targeted by nearly 20 ethics complaints filed by Alaska residents, most of which have been resolved in her favor. She did not refer directly to the ethics complaints in her 19-minute speech, but has repeatedly cited the financial and psychological toll of those investigations as a key reason she is stepping down.

Palin said Sunday her reasons for resigning "should be so obvious," but listed them again for the benefit of a supportive crowd that repeatedly interrupted her speech with applause and shouts of support. She said her departure would spare Alaska an unproductive, "politics as usual" lame-duck session, adding that she would always work for Alaska.

"When I took the oath to serve you, I promised, remember what I promised? To steadfastly and doggedly guard the interests of this great state like that grizzly guards her cubs, as a mother naturally guards her own. And I will keep that vow wherever the road may lead," she said.

Her first order of business as a private citizen is to speak Aug. 8 at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in California. She also wants to campaign for political candidates from coast to coast, and continue to speak her mind on the social networking site Twitter, one of her favorite venues to reach out to supporters.

Free speech was a theme of her farewell speech at the crowded picnic in Fairbanks, as the outgoing governor scolded "some seemingly hell-bent on tearing down our nation" and warned Americans to "be wary of accepting government largesse."

"It doesn't come free," she said.

Palin also took aim at the media, saying her replacement, Lt. Gov. Sean Parnell, "has a very nice family too, so leave his kids alone!"

And she told the media: "How about, in honor of the American soldier, you quit makin' things up?"

She didn't elaborate, but Palin said when she announced her resignation July 3 that she was tired of the media focus on her family and felt she had been treated unfairly by reporters and bloggers.

Friend and foe alike have speculated that Palin may host a radio or TV show, launch a lucrative speaking career or seek higher office in Washington, D.C.

Palin hasn't ruled out any of those options, and her political action committee, SarahPAC, has raised more than $1 million, said Meghan Stapleton, a spokeswoman for the committee and the Palin family.

Palin's surprise announcement she was stepping down 17 months before the end of her first term pushed her favorability rating down to 40 percent, according to a Washington Post-ABC poll. Fifty-three percent of those polled gave her an unfavorable rating.

Last summer, almost six in 10 Americans viewed her favorably. The latest poll was taken July 15-18.

Parnell, 46, of Anchorage, was sworn in Sunday as the state's new governor.

"I'm firmly convinced that Alaska's greatest days are ahead," Parnell said in pledging to continue Palin's policies, which he said "put Alaska first."

Palin received a warm welcome Sunday, both during her speech and as she served food at the annual Governor's Picnic.

Among those present was Donna Michaels, 57, of Fairbanks, who wore a red T-shirt that said: "Palintologist."

The T-shirt defined a Palintologist as "someone who studies Palin and shares her conservative values, Maverick attitude and American style."

Michaels also held a poster board sign showing the front page of the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner when Palin announced she would resign. Michaels altered the banner headline "Palin steps down," replacing the last word with "up."

"She's really not stepping down. She's stepping up to do something bigger and better," said Michaels, who attended the picnic with her daughter and two granddaughters, one of whom who wore Sarah Palin-style eyeglasses.

Larry Landry, 51, of Fairbanks held up a red, white and blue sign that that read, "Quitting: the new American value." The other side read: "Thanks for the laughs."

Landry, a registered independent, said he respected Palin when she ran for governor in 2006, but he felt she changed during last year's presidential campaign.

"She descended into ugly, divisive politics," he said.

Labels: Alaska, governor, Sarah Palin

Gwinnett County is on the verge of launching its largest economic initiative in the county’s history, according to Chuck Warbington, executive director of Gwinnett Village Community Improvement District. Speaking at Partnership Gwinnett’s third annual Economic Development Summit last week, Warbington said the formation of five tax allocation districts, or TADs, this fall could create 36,100 jobs and $1.6 billion in annual payroll to the county. The measure could triple the taxable value within the districts from $640 million to $1.9 billion in 15 years, he said.

TADs are specific areas marked for redevelopment that can use public money to fund improvements. Funding occurs through the issuance of bonds, which are paid off with the increased tax revenues as the property appreciates.

Warbington’s remarks were part of an overall assessment of economic strategies presented to about 150 business leaders attending the summit at Gwinnett Technical College in Lawrenceville.

Glenn Stephens, Gwinnett County Planning and Development director, detailed the county’s 2030 Unified Plan, which lists actions the county is taking to foster redevelopment.

“There is no status quo for Gwinnett County,” he said. “We can either move forward and up or down and probably out.”

Stephens underscored one element that is changing: the county’s stance toward high-density housing. Gwinnett must encourage it now, he said, in order to keep pace with the needs of its population and conserve infrastructure.

Nick Masino, vice president of economic development for the chamber and head of Partnership Gwinnett, said he and his staff follow every lead to solicit businesses to the county, adding Partnership Gwinnett is currently pursuing 30 projects.

Mac Holiday, CEO of Market Street Services, a strategy development firm based in Atlanta, said that Gwinnett is becoming a prominent regional job center with an image of providing multiple services for business.

“The strong image you’re developing nationally and regionally is going to pay off,” he said. “You’re one of our stars.”

Labels: Gwinnett, Gwinnett COunty, jobs

After building the Lake Lanier reservoir in 1960, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers helped transform it into something for which it was never intended: the Atlanta region’s main source of drinking water.

Court records show the Corps repeatedly permitted local governments to withdraw water from the federal reservoir, even though Congress didn’t authorize its construction for that purpose. Meanwhile, the region’s population — and its demand for water — grew rapidly to the point where more than 3 million people depend on drinking water from the lake today.

But the fate of the region’s water supply now is in question after a federal judge issued a stinging ruling in the tri-state water rights war this month that says the Corps’ actions were illegal. The judge is giving Congress three years to decide how the reservoir should be used before tightening the spigot at the lake to levels from the mid-1970s, when Atlanta was a fraction of its size.

Critics say the Corps helped push the region into this crisis by giving into local political pressure for drinking water as the area developed and generated more tax revenues. One of those critics compared the Corps and the Atlanta region’s relationship to that of a pusher and an addict.

“Who is responsible, the Corps for facilitating demand or the local water providers for their ever-increasing demands?” said George W. Sherk, who wrote about the reservoir’s legislative history when he was a visiting associate professor at Georgia State University and who now teachers water law at the Colorado School of Mines. “The Corps’ failure to understand that there were limitations on its authority was a factor in creating the problem we have today.”

Brig. Gen. Todd Semonite, who took over command of the Corps’ South Atlantic Division on May 1, was out of town training and not available for comment last week, said his spokesman.

“The Corps acted in good faith,” said Corps spokesman Rob Holland. “Our goal has always been to be even-handed and — insofar as we could — accommodate what people wanted and needed within the law.”

In his ruling in the nearly 20-year-old legal dispute among Georgia, Alabama and Florida, U.S. District Court Judge Paul A. Magnuson said the Corps should have known better. And he highlighted the Corps’ inconsistent actions.

The Corps, for example, rejected a water supply request from Gwinnett County during the Buford Dam’s construction in 1955, saying the withdrawals could affect the reservoir’s original purposes as authorized by Congress: power generation, flood-control and navigation.

But it entered into contracts in the 1970s and 1980s, allowing Gwinnett County and Cumming to withdraw tens of millions of gallons of water from the lake. The Corps also entered into a contract with the Atlanta Regional Commission in the 1980s, the judge wrote, to release more downstream for drinking water customers in Cobb, DeKalb, and Fulton counties and Atlanta.

Then in 2002 — after the tri-state legal battle began — the Corps responded to another Georgia water-supply request, saying it could not grant the request without congressional approval, the judge wrote.

Also, the Corps wrote an operating manual for the reservoir about 50 years ago that does not include water supply among its “major uses,” the judge said.

Erwin Topper, who served as the operations manager for the reservoir and Buford Dam when the contracts were approved in the 1980s, said those decisions were made at a higher level than him.

“Water supply contracts are not negotiated at the local level but — with input from local managers — are finalized and negotiated in the Mobile District Office of the Corps of Engineers,” said Topper, who worked at the reservoir from 1983 to 2004.

Lisa Coghlan, a spokeswoman for the Mobile district office, said the Corps acted believing it had authority under the federal Water Supply Act to permit the withdrawals from the lake.

Magnuson said the Corps doesn’t deserve all the blame for region’s dilemma.

“Too often, state, local and even national government actors do not consider the long-term consequences of their decisions,” Magnuson wrote in his 96-page ruling. “Local governments allow unchecked growth because it increases tax revenue, but these same governments do not sufficiently plan for the resources such unchecked growth will require.”

From the time the reservoir was completed in 1960 to last year, the population in the five counties that depend at least in part on Lake Lanier or the Chattahoochee River for drinking water grew by 2.2 million, according to the Atlanta Regional Commission.

Labels: drinking water, Lake Lanier, lake lanier water

The Georgia Department of Transportation is checking the lanes this morning to ensure debris has been removed and expects to reopen the closed lanes as soon as possible, according to Crystal Paulk-Buchanan with the DOT.

Only the HOV lane has been open on the northbound stretches of I-75 and I-85 as road crews build a ramp from the Connector at 14th Street to the 17th Street Bridge. DOT crews had to move a total of 40, 130-foot beams, Paulk-Buchanan said. By early Sunday, all had been moved, she said.

DOT’s work has been completed earlier than anticipated. Three northbound lanes were originally expected to be closed until 5 a.m. Monday.

The DOT urged drivers to take Interstate 285 – if possible – to get around the city. And apparently, they’ve listened.

“It’s a sign that the traffic moved really well,” Paulk-Buchanan said. “It’s a tribute to folks showing patience.”

For at least 10 weekends, crews will be repaving the section north of 10th Street to where I-75 and I-85 split near 17th Street, the final leg of a project started last summer.

That project was not completed last year because repaving that leg of the highway would have interfered with the replacement of 14th Street Bridge. But the bridge contractor, C.W. Matthews Contracting Co., is now ready to finish repaving the Connector.

Last summer, there were epic traffic jams when crews ground up the Connector and laid new asphalt between University Avenue and 10th Street.

Labels: 10th street, Atlanta, connector, georgia dot

Georgia Tax Free days are coming up July 30-Aug.2. School supplies, clothing, footwear, computers and more are exempt from state taxes. Help our local economy and SAVE by buying these products on the designated days. You don't have to be a student or have school age children to save. ADDED TIP: Check on-line or mailed promotions for coupons for added savings.

Labels: Georgia, Tax Free, Tax Free Days

The City of Milton joins the nation in celebrating the 19th anniversary of the American’s with Disability Act on Sunday,
July 26. Mayor Joe Lockwood and Council urge all citizens to join in this celebration by proclaiming July 26, 2009 as "Americans with Disabilities Act Day" in the City of Milton.

"I am proud of the progress the City of Milton has made to be ADA compliant," said Mayor Joe Lockwood. "We have a hard working MDAC Committee, Council and Staff who know the importance of this Act and are determined to make Milton accessible for all people."

Labels: americans with disability act, city of milton, milton

Commissioner Brian Tam announced Wednesday his candidacy for the Georgia House of Representatives. Tam is seeking to succeed Representative Tom Knox, who announced last week he will not seek another term.

Tam, who has been a resident of Forsyth County for more than 15 years, operates Tam's Backstage in Cumming with his wife, Kelly. In 2007, Tam's Backstage received the Partners in Education's Gold Level Award for its commitment to supporting quality education.

As a graduate of Leadership Forsyth, a recipient of the Don Hendricks Memorial Award, a partner in education for many of our local schools and as a recipient of the 2008 Georgia Association of Elementary School Principals' Patron Award, Tam said he understands the importance of giving back to his community.

"As a Commissioner, I have had an unparalleled opportunity to make a difference in the direction of our community," said Tam. "I am seeking election to the Georgia State House because I am committed to continuing to ensure our community reaches new heights."

In 2008, Commissioner Brian Tam was successfully reelected to serve a second term on the county commission with more than 55 percent of the vote—avoiding a runoff in a four-way contest.

"In these tough times we need leaders who understand how to create jobs and revitalize our economy," said Tam. "As a small business operator, I understand what it takes to maintain a budget and to meet a payroll."

Tam's direction and vision have led to the acquisition of hundreds of acres of greenspace, a recreation center at both Buice and Fowler Parks, the implementation of an early warning weather system to guarantee the continued safety of local residents, and an additional Sheriff's precinct located adjacent to South Forsyth High and the widening of Highway 141.

"As a steward of Forsyth County, it is my responsibility to preserve our quality of life," said Tam. "With the continued support of Forsyth County voters, I will ensure Forsyth County has a strong voice in the state legislature."

John Clark, former Chairman of the Forsyth County Parks, Recreation and Greenspace Bond Committee describes Tam as " a conservative and family man who will vote the values of the 24th House District."

"Commissioner Tam has been a strong voice for families across Forsyth County and I am proud to support him in his candidacy for State House," said Clark. "Not only will he continue to be a voice for our community, but, he will also be a voice for all of Georgia."

Brian and his wife, Kelly, reside in South Forsyth with their three children.

Labels: Brian Tam, commissioners, Forsyth, Forsyth County, georgia house of representatives

Rivermont Covenants that were drafted in 1973 with a twenty year expiration. No legal or binding contract existed after this. They could not be renewed. 100%=ALL! property owners had to agree to the new covenants that were put up in 1996, and very few people agreed to it. After the covenants expired you must personally contract with Rivermont to be a member. I did not, and no-one else that I know did, and I have lived here for 20+ years. But Rivermont kept on as if it was o.k. and kept collecting dues and fining people.

Ed P. has the facts and the lawyers are involved to end this abusive organization. Now that we have Johns Creek, with very strict zoning, maintenance, and building codes, RCA is obsolete. And I don't want to pay

Labels: Covenants, expired, HOA, Rivermont, Roswell

Looking for an Agent who knows the ins and out of the Real Estate Foreclosure Market who can help you get the best deal out there. Get access to newest Foreclosures and actually work for you not the bank.

Brian Vanderhoff
Associate Broker
Vanderhoff Real Estate
t. 770-331-1206
f. 770-783-6812
www.VanderhoffHomeFinder.com

Labels: Bank Owned, Forclosures, foreclosed properties, foreclosure, properties, REO

The government says the number of newly laid-off workers filing initial claims for jobless benefits fell sharply last week, largely due to changes in the timing of auto industry layoffs.

The Labor Department says the number of first-time jobless claims plummeted by 52,000 to a seasonally adjusted 565,000, the lowest level since early January. That's significantly below analysts' expectations of 605,000.

But a department analyst says the drop is mostly due to technical factors. Auto layoffs that normally take place in early July, as factories are retooled to build the next year's models, happened in the spring as General Motors Corp. and Chrysler LLC implemented sweeping restructuring plans.

Continuing jobless claims, meanwhile, jumped to 6.88 million, a new record high.

Labels: jobless claims, jobs, unemployment, work

Residents and businesses in north Atlanta, including the Lenox Square and Phipps Plaza malls, are being asked to boil water after a power outage at the Northside Pumping Station.

The area under the advisory is West Wesley Road to the south; the DeKalb County line to the east; Northside Drive to the west and Wieuca Road, Loridans Drive and Churchill Downs to the north. City officials could not estimate how many customers were affected.

City officials said the power outage happened about 5:30 a.m. and was restored approximately two hours later.

Officials are maintaining the advisory as a precaution to prevent anyone from getting sick from potential bacterial contamination.

Officials said the water should be boiled for at least one minute after it reaches a boiling point.

Labels: Atlanta, boil, water

The Community Development Department and the Comprehensive Plan Advisory Committee will host two Community Planning charrettes on Saturday, July 18, at 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. at City Hall, as part of the City's 2008 - 2028 Comprehensive Plan process

Labels: city of milton, Community Meetings, Milton Georgia, planning

Come into any Chick-fil-A® restaurant
dressed as a cow and receive a free meal.

Show your appreciation for the cows while eating more chicken. Put on your best cow costume and join us on Friday, July 10.

Labels: chick-fil-a, cow, dress up, free chicken, free meal

The state Department of Public Safety said 19 people have been killed in Georgia traffic accidents during the July 4 holiday weekend.

The number was three less than the department had predicted.

The 2,490 wrecks far more than the 1,874 that had been forecast. There were 682 injuries.

Labels: 4th of july, Atlanta, car accidents, fourth of july, Georgia, weekend wrecks

Steve McNair earned the respect of his fellow NFL players for shaking off defenders and injuries. That same blue-collar playing style won the love of fans amazed at how the quarterback kept showing up for work and winning.

He endeared himself more with his charity work. Not just from the checks he handed out, but for throwing himself into the efforts, like he did when loading boxes onto tractor-trailers bound for Hurricane Katrina victims.

Publicly, McNair was a happily married man and proud father of four sons who split his time between his Mississippi farm and a home in Music City, where celebrities are cherished, not hassled.

But when he was found shot to death on the Fourth of July with his 20-year-old girlfriend dead nearby, a darker side of his private life was suddenly thrust into the spotlight.

"People have certain things that they do in life," said McNair's longtime friend Robert Gaddy, who called 911. "We don't need to look on the situation at this time (but) on the fact we just lost a great member of society."

Even McNair's longtime agent said he didn't know about the former quarterback's relationship with Saleh Kazemi until news broke of the deaths. Now police call McNair the victim of homicide, though they aren't yet ready to label Kazemi's death a suicide despite her single bullet wound to the head.

"As good as he was on the football field, that couldn't touch the person," agent Bus Cook said Sunday, still shaken by McNair's death. "I mean it just couldn't."

Hints of a problem with alcohol surfaced in May 2003 when a Nashville cop pulled McNair over on suspicion of drunk driving. Police said the quarterback's blood alcohol content was .18 percent _ well over Tennessee's legal limit. He also was charged for having a 9mm weapon with him, but all the charges were later dropped.

McNair was charged with drunken driving in 2007 because he let his brother-in-law drive his pickup truck. Those charges were later dropped when the DUI charge against the brother-in-law was reduced to reckless driving.

And McNair could have been charged again Thursday night when the same officer who arrested him in 2003 stopped a 2007 Cadillac Escalade driven by Kazemi and registered to both her and McNair. Kazemi was arrested on a DUI charge, and he was allowed to leave in a taxi.

Dr. Sherry Blake, a clinical psychologist who practices in the Atlanta area, has counseled athletes and entertainers about the temptations of easy drugs, alcohol and women. She talked Sunday about the challenges even for those with strong family ties, though not about the McNair case specifically.

"Individuals can't get enough of the limelight. It's easy to have people telling you how great and wonderful you are rather than otherwise," Blake said.

"The sad part is many times the public likes to be close to you not because of who you are but what you do."

Police labeled his death homicide Sunday, revealing McNair had been shot four times _ twice in the head, twice in the chest when found in a rented condominium he shared with a longtime friend, Walter Neeley. Police found a semiautomatic pistol under Kazemi's body.

But police spokesman Don Aaron said they were reviewing every possibility, interviewing friends of both and an ex-boyfriend before labeling Kazemi's death.

On the football field, he simply was "Air McNair," a winner.

McNair still holds the NCAA's Football Championship Series (formerly Division I-AA) records for career yards passing (14,496) and total offense (16,823) from his days at tiny Alcorn State in Mississippi.

He played 13 NFL seasons starting with the then-Houston Oilers, led Tennessee to its famous last-second 2000 Super Bowl loss to the St. Louis Rams. He ended his career in Baltimore last season, after being traded away by the Titans after they drafted Vince Young as a replacement to the aching and expensive veteran.

A four-time Pro Bowler, he shared the NFL's MVP award with Peyton Manning in 2003.

"Many of our defensive players talked about what a huge challenge it was playing against him," Manning said in a statement. "He and I had some great battles against each other."

McNair never acknowledged any of his numerous injuries on the field, even in one game when the painkilling shot wore off before he drove the Titans to a touchdown and ran in for the tying 2-point conversion. Then he led them to the winning field goal.

Young called McNair, a father figure since Young was a teenager, "Pops."

"I hear his advice in my head with everything I do. Life will be very different without him," Young said in a statement.

McNair's friends want the quarterback to be remembered for his generosity. He gave away turkeys and checks in Tennessee, toys in Baltimore and paid for three football camps himself this year. Cook talked to someone Saturday who saw McNair cleaning up the field after one camp at Southern Mississippi.

"That was Steve McNair. That's who he is. And who he was," an emotional Cook recalled.

Cook described Mechelle,

who married McNair in 1997, as "very upset, very distraught." Funeral arrangements could be completed Monday with some of McNair's family coming to Nashville to assist planning.

McNair met Kazemi at the Dave & Buster's restaurant where she worked as a server and where when his family ate often. The two began dating a few months ago in a relationship that included a vacation with parasailing. Photos posted on TMZ.com showed McNair gazing and smiling at the young Kazemi.

"She pretty obviously got mixed up way over her head with folks," said Reagan Howard, a neighbor of Kazemi's.

A man who answered the door at a house in the Jacksonville, Fla., suburb of Orange Park said it was the home of Kazemi's family, but said her relatives did not want to comment.

"We don't have anything to say, please leave us alone," he said.

The victim's sister, Soheyla Kazemi, told the Florida Times-Union in Jacksonville that the young woman had expected McNair to get a divorce. "She said they were planning to get married."

Nashville courts had no record of a McNair divorce case, but a home he owned in Nashville is on the market for $3 million.

The real estate agent declined to comment. Her online listing for property described it as a "gigantic house" of more than 14,000 square feet and photos showed a pool, home theater, baby grand piano and ornate furnishings throughout.

Kimberly Hardy visited a restaurant McNair recently opened near Tennessee State University to provide healthy, affordable food for college students. The Nashville woman said McNair had been nice to her the handful of times she met him. She said she hated what had happened to him.

"But I do think that all the greatness he accomplished will endure forever," Hardy said.

___

Associated Press writers contributing to this report include: Ron Word in Jacksonville, Fla., Travis Loller, Lucas L. Johnson II and Joe Edwards in Nashville.

Labels: dead, NFL, quarterback, shooting, shot, steve mcnair, tennessee

For first time in Peachtree Road Race history, a runner has been disqualified for unsportsmanlike conduct.

The incident happened in the final 30 meters of race.

Ethiopia's Tadese Tola and Kenyan runner Boaz Cheboiywo were racing side by side and it appears that Tola shoves Cheboiywo just before crossed finish line.

Cheboiywo filed a protest, video of finish was reviewed and three race officials confirmed they saw the incident.

Tola was disqualified.

Tola had 24 hours to appeal. He did not and so the disqualification upheld.

Cheboiywo was awarded 4th place finish and $2,500.

Labels: Atlanta, disqualify, officials, peachtree road race, peachtree runner

A woman remains in grave condition and on life support after she and a young child nearly drowned in Lake Lanier.

The pair were swimming in the Van Pugh Park south in Hall County on Sunday when they went under.

According to rescuers when the boat pulled up to a sand bar, a 24-year-old woman got out to swim and at one point submerged.

It took crews 12 minutes to locate the victim who was found in eight feet of water.

She was rushed to Northeast Georgia Medical Center where she was listed in critical grave condition and on life support.

A six-year-old boy in the same party also had to saved.

Authorities said he was blue when crews pulled him out of the water.

That child was resuscitated and then taken to Children's Healthcare of Atlanta at Eagleston for evaluation.

The names of the victims have not been released nor did rescue workers say what their relationship was -- other than to say they were from the same party.

Labels: Child, drown, drowned, georgia lakes, Lake Lanier, woman

Forsyth County Sheriff Ted Paxton is recuperating after a recent motorcycle accident that left him with seven broken ribs, a broken shoulder and broken left collarbone.

Paxton said he had been riding his 2005 Harley Davidson Softail motorcycle in the mountains all day with a female friend. Shortly before 6:45 p.m., he was on U.S. 19 between Dahlonega and Cleveland when he got too close to a curve and the bike went off the road.

Labels: accident, Forsyth, Forsyth County, Motorcycle, sheriff. wreck

Under a new law (HB 251) signed this year by Governor Perdue, parents of Fulton County Schools students have the option to enroll their child in any FCSS school that has available classroom space.

If you would like to request a transfer from your child's home school to an eligible transfer school for the 2009-10 school year, please visit www.fultonschools.org/dept/studentassignment for an application or call the Student Assignment Office at 404-763-6801. Applications will be accepted from July 15 - July 29, 2009

Placement will be determined by lottery drawing. Parents will be notified of transfer approval and enrollment guidelines. Bus transportation will not be provided.
Elementary Schools:
Mary M. Bethune, Medlock Bridge, Mount Olive, Mountain Park, Love T. Nolan and Roswell North

Middle Schools:
Haynes Bridge
Note: School availability subject to change based on enrollment capacity. High School transfer requests have already been fulfilled under the FCSS Open Enrollment Process.

More information about public school choice can be found on the school system's web site.

Labels: fulton county schools, governor sonny perdue, house bill 251