Brian Vanderhoff's North Fulton Real Estate Blog: September 2010

100-plus antique dealers and juried artists on hand

MILTON, GA., Sept. 30, 2010 - The Crossroads at Crabapple Antiques and Art Festival, featuring more than 100 antique dealers and juried artists from six states, will again enliven quiet Crabapple this Saturday, Oct. 2 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

A tradition since 1969, this one-day-only, rain-or-shine, outdoor festival features thousands of antiques and unique pieces of art in all mediums. Parking and admission are free.

For directions to the festival (held at 750 Mayfield Road, Milton, GA 30004) go to www.crossroadsatcrabapplefestival.com or www.cityofmiltonga.us or call 770-448-3860. You may also click here.

"We get quite a crowd, so shoppers please come early for the best buys," said festival organizer Sally Rich-Kolb. "We have thousands of antiques, from 19th century American Country, to primitives, to shabby chic, to old and new pottery and quilts."

Artists will be on hand selling jewelry, birdhouses, watercolor and oil paintings, photography and hand-blown ornaments, said Rich-Kolb.

"There is just too much to list, so you must come and see for yourself," she said.

Included in the festival are roaming musicians, food, a trolley to free parking areas and children's activities provided by the Goddard School from 2 to 4 p.m. A number of non-profit organizations also take part, including the Boy Scouts of America and Girl Scouts of the USA.

Please note: The City of Milton is a presenting sponsor of this event. It is not a city-run special event.

Incorporated on December 1, 2006, the City of Milton is a distinctive community that embraces small-town life and heritage while preserving and enhancing the city's rural character. The City of Milton is committed to maintaining the unique quality of life for its constituents while efficiently delivering essential services to residents and businesses in an interactive community environment. For more information, visit www.cityofmiltonga.us, or call 678-242-2500.

Labels: Crabapple, crabapple antique and arts festival, Crabapple Crossing Elementary, Crossroads, crossroads at crabapple

For the fourth consecutive year, J.D. Power and Associates has ranked Apple highest in customer satisfaction among smartphone manufacturers.

Apple scored 800 out of a possible 1,000 points, according to the J.D. Power study that asked over 6,800 smartphone owners to rank their experiences between January and June 2010. The study, released today, showed that Apple scored particularly well in ease of operation, operating system, features, and physical design.

Motorola, at 791 points, and HTC, at 781 points, grabbed the second and third spots, respectively.

The factors key to overall satisfaction among smartphone users were, in order of importance: ease of operation (26 percent); operating system (24 percent); physical design (23 percent); features (19 percent); and battery function (8 percent).

With the popularity of the App Store, it should come as no surprise that mobile apps are becoming more important to smartphone users. More than two-thirds of users download games and 54 percent report downloading travel software like maps and weather applications. The study also showed that 41 percent of smartphone owners download utility applications and 36 percent download business-specific apps.

J.D. Power also released a study today on customer satisfaction with traditional wireless handsets. That survey found that owners of traditional mobile phones are keeping them longer. J.D. Power pointed to the economic downturn as one possible reason for that.

Earlier this week the University of Michigan's American Customer Satisfaction Index ranked Apple No. 1 in customer satisfaction for the seventh straight year.

Labels: Android, Apple, Smartphone

A new survey of Americans' knowledge of religion found that atheists, agnostics, Jews and Mormons outperformed Protestants and Roman Catholics in answering questions about major religions, while many respondents could not correctly give the most basic tenets of their own faiths.

Forty-five percent of Roman Catholics who participated in the study didn't know that, according to church teaching, the bread and wine used in Holy Communion is not just a symbol, but becomes the body and blood of Christ.

More than half of Protestants could not identify Martin Luther as the person who inspired the Protestant Reformation. And about four in 10 Jews did not know that Maimonides, one of the greatest rabbis and intellectuals in history, was Jewish.

The survey released Tuesday by the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life aimed to test a broad range of religious knowledge, including understanding of the Bible, core teachings of different faiths and major figures in religious history. The U.S. is one of the most religious countries in the developed world, especially compared to largely secular Western Europe, but faith leaders and educators have long lamented that Americans still know relatively little about religion.

Respondents to the survey were asked 32 questions with a range of difficulty, including whether they could name the Islamic holy book and the first book of the Bible, or say what century the Mormon religion was founded. On average, participants in the survey answered correctly overall for half of the survey questions.

Atheists and agnostics scored highest, with an average of 21 correct answers, while Jews and Mormons followed with about 20 accurate responses. Protestants overall averaged 16 correct answers, while Catholics followed with a score of about 15.

Not surprisingly, those who said they attended worship at least once a week and considered religion important in their lives often performed better on the overall survey. However, level of education was the best predictor of religious knowledge. The top-performing groups on the survey still came out ahead even when controlling for how much schooling they had completed.

On questions about Christianity, Mormons scored the highest, with an average of about eight correct answers out of 12, followed by white evangelicals, with an average of just over seven correct answers. Jews, along with atheists and agnostics, knew the most about other faiths, such as Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism and Judaism. Less than half of Americans know that the Dalai Lama is Buddhist, and less than four in 10 know that Vishnu and Shiva are part of Hinduism.

The study also found that many Americans don't understand constitutional restrictions on religion in public schools. While a majority know that public school teachers cannot lead classes in prayer, less than a quarter know that the U.S. Supreme Court has clearly stated that teachers can read from the Bible as an example of literature.

"Many Americans think the constitutional restrictions on religion in public schools are tighter than they really are," Pew researchers wrote.

The survey of 3,412 people, conducted between May and June of this year, had a margin of error of plus or minus 2.5 percentage points, while the margins of error for individual religious groups was higher.

Labels: Americans, Religion

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contact:
Jason Wright
jason.wright@cityofmiltonga.us
678-242-2523 (office)
770-825-3096 (cell)
Note: In an effort to provide the most up-to-date information for Milton citizens, the Communications Department will now send pre- and post-City Council meeting updates informing the public about events at City Hall and their outcomes. Following is the agenda for the September 28 Special Called City Council meeting.

The sole purpose of this meeting is an executive session to discuss potential land acquisition.

City Council meetings normally take place at City Hall, 13000 Deerfield Parkway Suite 107 Milton, GA 30004 the first and third Mondays of the month, barring a holiday or special-called meeting. Work sessions are held the second Monday of the month.

For a full list of all city sponsored meetings, click here to see the calendar.

Persons needing special accommodations in order to participate in any city meeting should call 678-242-2500.

CITY OF MILTON, GEORGIA
Joe Lockwood, Mayor

CITY COUNCIL
Karen Thurman
Julie Zahner Bailey
Bill Lusk
Burt Hewitt
Joe Longoria
Alan Tart

Tuesday, September 28, 2010 Special Called Meeting Agenda 5:00 PM

1) CALL TO ORDER

2) ROLL CALL

3) PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE (Led by the Mayor)

4) APPROVAL OF MEETING AGENDA (Add or remove items from the agenda)
(Agenda Item No. 10-1257)

5) PUBLIC COMMENT

6) EXECUTIVE SESSION
(Agenda Item No. 10-1258)
The purpose of the Executive Session is to discuss potential land acquisition
7) ADJOURNMENT
(Agenda Item No. 10-1259)

Labels: City Council, City Council Meeting, city milton, city of milton, milton, milton center, Milton City, milton city council, milton city hall, Milton Georgia

div id="rb-wrapper" style="width: 640px;">

---

Brian and Jennifer Vanderhoff Vanderhoff Real Estate (770) 331-1206 homes@400n.com http://www.vanderhoffhomefinder.com    Listed by: Vanderhoff REal Estate

Our recent listings Fantastic Foreclosure Awesome Maintenance Free Living on 1.35 acrea! Atlantic Station Loft Beautiful Brick & Stone Home,Custom details thruout Charming Ranch Home with Front Porch Subscribe to our listing feed

Nearby properties for sale

The Obama administration is developing plans that would require all Internet-based communication services -- such as encrypted BlackBerry e-mail, Facebook, and Skype -- to be capable of complying with federal wiretap orders, according to a report published Monday.

National security officials and federal law enforcement argue their ability to eavesdrop on terror suspects is increasingly "going dark," The New York Times reported, as more communication takes place via Internet services, rather than by traditional telephone.

The bill, which the White House plans to deliver to Congress next year, would require communication service providers be technically capable of intercepting and decrypting messages, raising serious privacy concerns, the Times said.

The proposal has "huge implications" and poses a test to the "fundamental elements of the Internet revolution," vice president of the Center for Democracy and Technology, James Dempsey, told the Times.

"They basically want to turn back the clock and make Internet services function the way that the telephone system used to function," he was quoted as saying.

Officials contend, however, that without new regulations their ability to prevent attacks could be hindered.

"We're not talking expanding authority," FBI general counsel Valerie Caproni told the Times. "We're talking about preserving our ability to execute our existing authority in order to protect the public safety and national security."

Internet and phone networks are already required to have eavesdropping abilities thanks to a 1994 law called the Communications Assistance to Law Enforcement Act, but the mandate does not apply to communication service providers -- like Research in Motion, maker of BlackBerry devices.

RIM has recently been working to resolve disputes with India, the United Arab Emirates and other countries to avert threats to ban BlackBerry services. The countries complained that BlackBerry e-mail encryption posed a national-security risk. India postponed a ban for at least two months after RIM agreed to give security officials "lawful access" to data.

"We've made it clear that we are respectful of government needs and fully cooperating to comply with lawful requirements on an industry standard basis, but we cannot compromise the security architecture of the BlackBerry enterprise solution," RIM co-CEO Jim Balsillie said Thursday, reiterating the company's previous stance.

Balsillie said RIM "simply has no ability to read the encrypted information and that it has no master key or back door key to allow access."

Labels: Blackberry, Facebook, Internet Wiretap Authority, New Category

City of Milton offers fitness camps
Three sessions available three times a week starting Oct. 18

MILTON, GA., Sept. 22, 2010 - The City of Milton Parks and Recreation Department has teamed with Milton-based CorePhysique to offer affordable fitness camps to residents looking for a healthier lifestyle.

The camps, offered in three separate sessions three times a week, will take place at Milton's Bell Memorial Park, 15245 Bell Park Road, starting Oct. 18. They will be taught by Milton resident and mother of three Kolleen Riddick, a National Academy of Sports Medicine Certified Personal Trainer and Corrective Exercise Specialist.

"These camps are safe, effective and they will kick your booty," said Riddick. "The first thing I do is physical assessments. I then tailor the camp to each person's specific needs, so you are not going to get hurt."

For Milton residents, the four week camps (12 full sessions) will be offered at a special rate of $90. For non-residents the cost rises to $120. The price includes an informational booklet and personal fitness journal, nutrition coaching and enrollment in one of three camps:

Early Riser: 5:45 a.m.
Just Right: 7 a.m.
Late Riser: 9:15 a.m.

Please note that camps are limited to just 30 participants per session. However, the City of Milton and CorePhysique are seeking to establish additional camps as demand requires.

A great value - just $7.50 per 45-minute session - each camp includes a warm-up and workout that combines strength, cardiovascular endurance and flexibility exercises. In addition, Riddick educates participants with articles and information on fitness, health issues and more.

"In just a few short weeks I have noticed a huge difference," said Tracey Hosmer, a previous fitness camper. "I have gotten much stronger, I am smarter about the types of food I eat, I have so much more energy and my clothes fit better."

To sign up for a fitness camp session, visit www.corephysique.net and click on the "Boot Camp" link or call 770-752-3159. You may also click here.

For more information, call Cyndee Bonacci, Milton's Director of Parks and Recreation at 678-242-2489 or e-mail cyndee.bonacci@cityofmiltonga.us.

Incorporated on December 1, 2006, the City of Milton is a distinctive community that embraces small-town life and heritage while preserving and enhancing the city's rural character. The City of Milton is committed to maintaining the unique quality of life for its constituents while efficiently delivering essential services to residents and businesses in an interactive community environment. For more information, visit www.cityofmiltonga.us, or call 678-242-2500.

Labels: city milton, city of milton, fitness camp, milton, Milton City

Even if you refinanced your home recently, now may be the time to do it again. Rates were historically low then, and they are even lower now. If you can reduce your rate by even 1/2 percent, you could save thousands of dollars over the life of your loan.

“Should I Refinance Now?” is an article on the Equifax Personal Finance Blog, and it will help you take a hard look at the numbers before you decide if another refinance is worth it. Real estate expert Ilyce Glink, the article’s author, talks about her experience refinancing and her thought process as she considers refinancing for the second time in less than a year.

One thing to consider is how much it will cost you to refinance, compared with how much you would save per month. To make the math easy, let’s say it would cost you $1,200 in closing costs, but you would save $100 a month. You break even in one year.

If you’ve refinanced in the last year, think about how much you’ve paid in interest since you refinanced. Because you pay more interest each year at the beginning of your loan, Glink says you’ve likely already paid thousands. If you refinance now, you’ll lose the year you’ve already paid. It will now take you a year longer to pay off your loan, plus it’s as if you’ve lost the money you’ve already paid in interest.

Glink’s plan to make this work out better is to put some of the monthly savings toward one extra mortgage payment each year. In her case, one extra payment per year will knock one year off of the loan. With the savings in interest, pre-payments on her loan, and subtracting the interest she “lost” in the last year, she figures that she still stands to save several thousand dollars.

How about you? To learn more about Glink’s thoughts on refinancing, visit the Equifax Personal Finance Blog. She has links to follow, many more articles on real estate and finance, and an opportunity for you to ask questions.

Labels: refinance

Milton will begin its fall paving schedule beginning Monday, Sept. 27, said Carter Lucas, Milton's director of Public Works.

Lucas said three roads will be affected: Hickory Flat Road from the Fulton County line to Birmingham Highway (Ga. 372); Thompson Road from Hopewell Road to Tabbystone Place; and Morris Road from Webb to McGinnis Ferry roads.

Click here for a map of the areas affected.

"Paving operations are expected to last approximately two weeks on each section depending on weather," said Lucas. "The project will begin on Hickory Flat, move to Thompson and finish on Morris."

The roads will remain open during the paving, but will be reduced to one travel lane. Motorists are encouraged to use alternate routes if possible during the construction period, he said.

"But if you must drive through the construction zone, use extreme caution and please drive slowly," said Lucas.

These portions of Morris, Thompson and Hickory Flat roads are ranked No. 2, 3 and 4, respectively, in the city's pavement management plan approved last year by City Council. The $1.121 million contract for the projects is to be carried out by Blount Construction Company.

Incorporated on December 1, 2006, the City of Milton is a distinctive community that embraces small-town life and heritage while preserving and enhancing the city's rural character. The City of Milton is committed to maintaining the unique quality of life for its constituents while efficiently delivering essential services to residents and businesses in an interactive community environment. For more information, visit www.cityofmiltonga.us, or call 678-242-2500.

Labels: Milton City, Milton Georgia, paving

The City of Milton will mail property tax bills Sept. 20, said Milton Finance Director Stacey Inglis. After receipt, residents have 60 days to pay the bill without incurring penalties.

"Recently, we've had a number of citizens ask when they will receive their city property tax bills, because they have already gotten their Fulton County tax bill," she said. "We wanted to make sure everyone knows they have not missed anything."

Inglis said Milton has recently switched its financial accounting software, which pushed back the billing cycle slightly. The switch has also disabled the city's online tax bill payment system.

"I do not have a timeline for when it will resume," said Inglis. "But I assure every citizen in Milton we are working very hard to get it back up and running as soon as possible."

In the meantime, residents still have three options available for paying their bill:
By phone: Call 678-242-2500 and ask for the Revenue Office.

By mail: 13000 Deerfield Parkway, Suite 107G, Milton, GA 30004. Please make check(s) payable to City of Milton. Mail both the tax stub and your check or money order.

In person: Finance Office: 13000 Deerfield Parkway, Suite 107G, Milton, GA 30004. Hours: Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Acceptable forms of payment are check, money order, cashier's check, credit card (Visa/MasterCard/American Express and Discover) and cash (exact change only).

For more information, e-mail Revenue Administrator Honor Motes at honor.motes@cityofmiltonga.us or call 678-242-2500.

Incorporated on December 1, 2006, the City of Milton is a distinctive community that embraces small-town life and heritage while preserving and enhancing the city's rural character. The City of Milton is committed to maintaining the unique quality of life for its constituents while efficiently delivering essential services to residents and businesses in an interactive community environment. For more information, visit www.cityofmiltonga.us, or call 678-242-2500.

Labels: City of MIlton Property Taxes, milton, Milton City, Milton Georgia

The movie "The Social Network" is about to hit theaters—but is your marriage already taking a hit from Facebook? If so, join me at Good in Bed, where we’re discussing the downside of social networking.

We all know how the story goes: Boy meets girl. Boy loses girl—blah, blah, blah. Save that version for Hollywood. How about this one? Boy meets girl. Boy loses girl. Boy grows up and marries someone else. But then Boy rekindles the friendship with his former flame on Facebook—and ends up totally wrecking his marriage.

I’m hearing this real-life story more often: A tale of high school sweethearts trying to go “back to the future,” only to realize they should have been content to leave those memories in that old shoebox in storage.

In the end, we’re only human. We all romanticize the past, men and women alike. And no memories are more potent than those first youthful fumblings. We tend to remember the good parts and forget the bad. Until the advent of Facebook, though, most of us were compelled to leave the past in the past and move on. But now exes of all stripes—high school sweethearts, college lovers, former hookups—are popping up on Facebook.

And I’m no exception. In the past few years, I’ve heard from at least three exes who wanted to be my Facebook friend or found my website and e-mailed me out of the blue. And while it’s ever-so tempting to accept these friend requests, or to fire back a quick “of course I remember you” e-mail, I haven’t done so. That was then; this is now. And in those rare instances where I have accepted an ex as a Facebook friend, or written back, I’ve informed my wife and let her read every correspondence. Not because she doesn’t trust me, but because we have nothing to hide. Once you have something to hide, that’s where the trouble begins.

So are you spending more time Facebooking with a former fling than face-timing with your partner? Being in a long-term relationship isn't easy. To do it well, a couple must maintain a high degree of transparency and dependability. For example, at any given time, my wife can text me, e-mail me, ping me, call me on the cell, try me on the home line, or sometimes just walk into the next room and tap me on the shoulder if she’s feeling particularly energetic. It’s safe to say we pretty much know each other’s move, which admittedly doesn’t always make for the most exciting relationship.

While relationships require transparency and dependability, sexual attraction thrives on the opposite: unpredictability and mystery. Therein lies the relationship rub: how do we share everything with our partners and yet also remain mysterious and unpredictable? By working at it, and not turning to the Internet for our thrills.

When two people strike up an e-mail or Facebook relationship, it’s easy to begin idealizing each other and blur the line between fantasy and reality. An intense sense of intimacy is quickly fostered. The instant gratification of these technologies stimulates reward centers in the brain, and it’s easy to find oneself craving the quick hit of an instant connection or lamenting its absence. Even without the senses driving attraction, the mind goes into overdrive and imagines that this is the perfect person and the perfect relationship. And when an ex is involved, the stakes and temptations are even higher. It’s all too easy to let the past hijack the present.

Here’s something else interesting: As a sex therapist, I tend to hear a lot about people’s sexual habits, both when they’re with their partner and when they’re on their own. In terms of self-pleasuring, there was a time not so long ago when most men used their imaginations to fuel their fantasies and guys would scour their own erotic histories for “memorable moments” in order to get their fingers to do the walking. But today, the Internet offers so much intense visual stimulation and variety, and makes gratification so easy, that most men have forgotten how to use their sexual imaginations or simply are too lazy. It’s like the difference between reading and watching TV.

However, men who are Facebooking with their exes and falling in love all over again are often skipping the computer when it comes to self-pleasuring and going back those potent formative memories to get themselves off. That’s how strong the past is – even stronger than Internet porn!

Whether you’re a man or a woman, if you find you’re thinking more and more about the past, and getting to the point where you’re fantasizing about what it would be like to be with that person again, it’s time to unplug your computer—get back to your lover

Labels: Facebook

t's that time of year again to stroll through beautiful, historic Crabapple on a cool fall day, taking in the wares of more than 100 antique dealers and juried artists from six states.

We're talking of course about the Crossroads at Crabapple Antiques and Art Festival, held Oct. 2 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. in downtown Crabapple. A tradition since 1969, this one-day-only, rain or shine outdoor festival features thousands of antiques, accessories and unique pieces of art in all mediums.

Portions of sales benefit the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts of America and many other non-profit organizations. Parking and admission are free.

For directions to the festival, click here.

"We get quite a crowd, so shoppers need to come early for the best buys," said festival organizer Sally Rich-Kolb. "We have thousands of antiques and accessories, from 19th century American Country to vintage/chic, pottery and old and new quilts. Plus, as always, we have the perfect find for someone searching out that unique piece of art or jewelry. There is just too much to list so you must come and see for yourself!"

Included in the festival are roaming musicians, a varied menu of food items, trolley rides and children's activities provided by the Goddard School from 2 to 4 p.m.

Children at the Goddard School must have one guardian with them at all times, said Rich-Kolb. While there the youngsters will be entertained by Captain Planet, music, magicians and a moon bounce.

Organizers recommend bringing cash or a checkbook, as about half the artists and dealers can not accommodate credit cards.

Please note: The City of Milton is a presenting sponsor of this event. It is not a city-run special event. For more information, go to www.crossroadsatcrabapplefestival.com or call 770-448-3860.

Incorporated on December 1, 2006, the City of Milton is a distinctive community that embraces small-town life and heritage while preserving and enhancing the city's rural character. The City of Milton is committed to maintaining the unique quality of life for its constituents while efficiently delivering essential services to residents and businesses in an interactive community environment. For more information, visit www.cityofmiltonga.us, or call 678-242-2500.

Labels: Crabapple, crabapple antique and arts festival, Crabapple Crossing Elementary, crabapple mercantile exchange, croassroads at crabapple antique and art festival, Crossroads

Atlanta residents, it’s time to pull those elastic waistband pants out of the closet: the 9th Annual Taste of Atlanta is just around the corner. This year’s 10-block food festival, located in the heart of Midtown, will take place Saturday, Oct. 23 and Sunday, Oct. 24 at Technology Square. Attendees are sure to find something to indulge in with more than 80 of the city’s most renowned chefs and restaurateurs whipping up their best culinary creations. Some of the featured restaurants include Craft, Iberian Pig, New York Prime and Tuk Tuk to name a few.

Taste of Atlanta experiences will include:

Farm to Festival Village-Patrons will learn about Atlanta’s local sustainable movement from local restaurant owners and farmers.

Live Cooking Demonstrations-Discover elite cooking techniques from the culinary industry’s cream of the crop on the festival’s three stages.

Family Food Zone-Presented by Amica Insurance, this family-fun area will include food-focused arts and crafts activities, as well as cooking demonstrations.

Inside the Food Studio-Hosted by Atlanta’s own Tom Sullivan, participants will discover the secrets of the professional chef while sampling delicious food and beverages in an intimate setting.

For VIP Ticket Holders Only

Wine, Beer and Cocktail Experience- Visit the tasting tent to sample more than 100 wines and 50 craft beers. Or, enjoy educational seminars hosted by Gil Kulers and Bob Townsend.

Barcraft Competition-Watch Atlanta’s top bartenders compete to become Atlanta’s Best Bartender while sampling some of their tasty brews.

General Admission tickets are $25 if purchased before midnight on Oct. 22 and $30 at the gate. Tickets include 15 taste coupons. VIP tickets are available for parties 21 and older. The VIP tickets are $75 and include 20 taste coupons, access to the Wine, Beer & Cocktail Experience and the first 500 ticket holders each day will receive a festival gift bag.

For more information about the 9th Annual Taste of Atlanta, including ticket information, visit the website.

Labels: Taste of Atlanta

U.S. health officials are worried about a new gene that can turn many types of bacteria into superbugs that are able to resist nearly all antibiotics.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that patients in three states - California, Massachusetts and Illinois - were infected with different types of bacteria that contain the gene.

All had recently been in India, where the problem is thought to be widespread.

Two cases also have turned up in Canada. Doctors described them Monday at an infectious diseases conference in Boston.

Labels: superbug

The City of Alpharetta invites teachers and students from local elementary schools with the entire community to celebrate the spirit of fall by creating scarecrows for the 5th Annual Scarecrow Harvest. The celebration will have over 90 scarecrows from elementary schools displayed on Main Street (SR 9) in Downtown Alpharetta beginning September 29, 2010. Residents, businesses and organizations throughout Alpharetta are encouraged to join in by displaying their own scarecrows as well.

“The Scarecrow Harvest brings the fall spirit to our children and the entire community,” said City of Alpharetta Mayor Arthur Letchas. The 5th Annual Scarecrow Harvest - Sat, October 2 from 10am – 2pm is a thank you celebration for all the children creating scarecrows. The event will take place on Old Roswell Street in downtown Alpharetta. Please come to the event and walk the scarecrow trail, also live music with High Cotton, FREE hayrides through downtown, FREE face painting, FREE fall crafts, FREE inflatables, and buy fresh produce at the farmers market across the street at City Hall. We encourage families to bring cameras for a photograph at a fall harvest photo area.

Barbecue sandwiches from Smokejack, A Southern Grill and assorted fall treats will be offered. The celebration will occur in conjunction with the Alpharetta Farmers Market hosted by Downtown Alpharetta Trade Association each Saturday from May through October. Parking is available at City Hall and Milton Center (old Milton High School).

On Saturday, October 2 at 12pm at the stage, selected scarecrows will be given either “Most Creative,” “Best Constructed,” “Best Personality,” “SchCOOLest” (school with the most participating classrooms), and “Go Green” Scarecrows. Each classroom/school winner will receive prizes donated by Alpharetta Farmers Market, Bagel Boys, Downtown Alpharetta Trade Association, PizzaVito, The Pediatric Center at Northside Alpharetta, and other area businesses.

In 2009, seventeen elementary schools created scarecrows that lined Main Street. Teachers and/or classroom representatives may obtain an application on-line at www.alpharetta.ga.us or by phoning Kim Maloney at (678) 297-6000, ext.1008. The City of Alpharetta will deliver hay to schools for each classroom’s creation and provide hay bales along Main Street for each classroom’s scarecrow display. Scarecrows must be placed in their assigned spaces along Main Street September 24 through 27.

We invite the entire community to join in on the fun by displaying your own scarecrows in front of your business or subdivision. If your business or organization would like to be on the “Scarecrow Locator List”, please complete our simple application. For more information on the event, applications, or how to create a scarecrow, visit www.alpharetta.ga.us or phone 678-297-6000, ext. 1008.

Labels: Alpharetta, Scarcrow, scarecrow harvest

Join hundreds of other volunteers for the 20th Annual North Fulton Rivers Alive on Saturday, September 25th from 8:00 until 11:00 AM. Volunteers will help remove litter and debris from the Chattahoochee River and surrounding areas in Roswell and Alpharetta.

This is a great event for families, scout troops, service groups and individuals! This Rivers Alive Clean Up is brought to you by the City of Alpharetta, City of Roswell, Keep Roswell Beautiful and the Chattahoochee Nature Center.

Registration begins at Riverside Park, 575 Riverside Drive, Roswell at 8:00 a.m. Volunteers will walk, shuttle or drive to selected locations to help pick up litter and debris.

Volunteers may also choose to help with a privet pull at Riverside Park. Bring a canoe or kayak if you have one; otherwise, land areas are available.

Everyone will return to Riverside Park by 11:00 am where everything will be weighed and tallied.

Recognition from Roswell Mayor Jere Wood and Alpharetta Council Member Chris Owens will be followed by a cookout for the volunteers.

The cleanup will be part of “Rivers Alive”, a joint program of the Environmental Protection Division’s Adopt-A-Stream Program and the Department of Community Affairs’ Keep Georgia Beautiful Program. The annual Georgia Waterway Cleanup is expected to once again be the largest single volunteer effort to beautify Georgia’s water resources.

All volunteers under age 18 must have the Rivers Alive Volunteer Waiver Form completed and signed by a parent before arriving at the event. The form is available at the City of Alpharetta web site www.alpharetta.ga.us and www.keeproswellbeautiful.org

Labels: Alpharetta, Chattahoochee River, North Fulton Rivers Alive, Roswell City Council

Attention all film lovers, parents of young children and residents of Milton: The City of Milton will present the family-friendly hit "Marmaduke" under the stars tomorrow, Sept. 11, at Birmingham United Methodist Church (BUMC).

This free outdoor film experience is part of B98.5 FM's "B at the Movies" summer festival sponsored by Publix, Gas South, Chick-fil-A and CLEAR. Festivities, including music, give-aways, and more, begin at 6:30 p.m. Marmaduke will begin at dusk.

Residents are encouraged to bring blankets, lawn chairs, insect repellant and picnics. Refreshments will be available on the lawn at BUMC.

For more information, click here.

For directions to BUMC ( 15770 Birmingham Highway Milton, GA 30004) click here.

ABOUT MARMADUKE
Marmaduke, the world's most lovable Great Dane, leaps from comic strip fame to big screen stardom in this family comedy event.
A suburban family moves to a new neighborhood in Orange County, Calif. with their large yet lovable Great Dane who has a tendency to wreak havoc in his own oblivious way. But it's not all living large for the Duke, who finds that fitting in with his new four-legged friends - and a potential romantic interest - isn't always easy for a super-sized teenage dog. Owen Wilson gives the beloved Great Dane his voice in the film, which also features the voices of Fergie, George Lopez, Emma Stone and Kiefer Sutherland.
- Internet Movie Database

Incorporated on December 1, 2006, the City of Milton is a distinctive community that embraces small-town life and heritage while preserving and enhancing the city's rural character. The City of Milton is committed to maintaining the unique quality of life for its constituents while efficiently delivering essential services to residents and businesses in an interactive community environment. For more information, visit www.cityofmiltonga.us, or call 678-242-2500.

Labels: birmingham united methodist church, BUMC, Free Movie, Marmaduke, milton

Looking for an inexpensive, fun-filled day that’s close to home? Look no further than Suwanee Day at Town Center Park. This highly anticipated, annual event will take place on Sept. 18 from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Champions Run residents won’t have far to travel to participate in the day’s festivities that include a parade, exhibitions and entertainment.

The 10 a.m. parade kicks-off the Suwanee Day festival. This year’s theme is “hometown hero.” Participation in the parade is encouraged and anyone may join in the fun. Embrace the parade’s theme and increase your chance of winning a cash prize in a variety of categories including best of show, most creative, best reflection of the theme and most entertaining.

The festival also includes many exhibitors with artwork, fine crafts, unique gift items and an eclectic variety of delicious food choices.

Interspersed throughout the day will be more than a dozen organizations and performers to entertain Suwanee Day attendees. Some of the day’s entertainment will include the high school drum line competition, fireworks and performances by Atlanta Harmony Celebration, The Dance Loft, Shadowbrook Church Praise band and Wild Wing “Battle of the Bands” winner. Native Georgian, John Berry, will headline Suwanee Day’s entertainment.

Champions Run is close to so many family-friendly events in the city of Suwanee. The community of four, five and six bedroom homes has a variety of floor plans sure to suit any buyer. Visit the website for more information on these beautiful homes.

For updated information about Suwanee Day 2010, visit the website.

Labels: suwanee, Suwanee Day, suwanne

Schools across the state are figuring out how to cut $12 million from their budgets.

The Peach County school system in middle Georgia is giving students three day weekends with Mondays off for as long as necessary in order to save money. Teachers will work on Mondays but classes won't be held.

The move comes after Governor Sonny Perdue announced the state's teachers should take three unpaid furlough days and public school systems must slash three percent from their budgets.

The State Board of Education will meet next Tuesday to pave the way for furloughs. They'll consider waiving the number of days the state requires each school employee to work.

Labels: 4 day school week, Georgia School, Georgia Schools, Peach County

Motorists should anticipate delays along a portion of Old Milton Parkway on Saturday, September 11th due to necessary maintenance activity. Contractors will be closing lanes along the roadway between North Point Parkway and Park Bridge Parkway in order to trim bushes in the median that are growing into the inside travel lanes.
Closure of the eastbound left lane on Old Milton Parkway will begin at 7:00 AM and remain in effect until approximately 1:00 PM. At that time the contractors will close the westbound left lane. It is anticipated that all lanes of Old Milton Parkway will be open for use by 6:00 PM on September 11.
Motorists are encouraged to use alternate routes to avoid the effected area of Old Milton Parkway and should anticipate congestion and delays in the area.

Labels: Alpharetta, alpharetta public safety, old milton parkway, road work

The Obama administration has not yet decided whether it should bring back a popular tax credit for first-time homebuyers, Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan said on Sunday.

"It's too early to say whether the tax credit will be revived," Donovan said in an interview on CNN's "State of the Union" program. He said the administration would "do everything we can" to stabilize the shaky U.S. housing market.
The analysis is based on the previous federal $8,000 homebuyer tax credit that boosted home sales reviving parts of the housing market. This credit expired several months ago, and things started going down.
The unexpectedly large drop in U.S. home sales in July has brought back fears that the nation could be on the cusp of another sharp drop in housing.
Donovan acknowledged that the data was worse than the Obama administration expected but said the government was already taking measures, including rolling out a refinancing program for some borrowers and an emergency loan program for the unemployed.
Some believe that bringing back the tax credit would help improve the current housing situation. However, those that oppose this idea, say it would blow a bigger hole in the federal deficit.
"I think it would help enormously," Florida Governor Charlie Crist, who is running as an independent for the U.S. Senate in the November elections, told CNN. "I would absolutely encourage the president to support that." His opinion was supported by U.S. Representative Kendrick Meek, a Florida Democrat, who said he also supported reviving the tax credit.
Last month, Obama signed a law giving consumers already in the process of buying a home three extra months to close the deal and still get the tax credit.
This means that homebuyers with contracts signed by April 30 who failed to go to closing by the original June 30 deadline will now have until September 30 to complete their purchases.

Labels: Georgia homes, Home, Home Buyers, home buying, homes, homestead tax relief grant program, tax credit

Following a sharp drop in the months immediately after the expiration of the home buyer tax credit, pending home sales have modestly risen, according to the National Association of Realtors.
The Pending Home Sales Index, a forward-looking indicator, rose 5.2% to 79.4 based on contracts signed in July from a downwardly revised 75.5 in June, but remains 19.1% below July 2009 when it was 98.1. The data reflects contracts and not closings, which normally occur with a lag time of one or two months.
Lawrence Yun, NAR chief economist, cautioned that there would be a long recovery process. “Home sales will remain soft in the months ahead, but improved affordability conditions should help with a recovery,” he said. “But the recovery looks to be a long process. Home buyers over the past year got a great deal, and buyers for the balance of this year have an edge over sellers. For those who bought at or near the peak several years ago, particularly in markets experiencing big bubbles, it may take over a decade to fully recover lost equity.”
Yun added, “Affordability could reach a generational high in the second half of this year because of rock-bottom mortgage interest rates, helped partly by the Fed’s very accommodative monetary policy. The loan underwriting standards are tighter, but home buyers can improve their chances of getting a loan by staying well within their budget.”
The PHSI in the Northeast rose 6.3% to 62.5 in July but is 21.1% below a year ago. In the Midwest the index increased 4.1% to 66.7 but remains 25.7% below July 2009. Pending home sales in the South rose 1.2% to an index of 86.3, but are 15.6% lower than a year ago. In the West the index jumped 11.6% to 95.0 but is 17.6% below July 2009.
The national index had fallen 29.9% in May and another 2.8% in June.

Labels: for sale, Forclosures, Foreclosed, foreclosed homes, foreclosed homes for sale, foreclosed land, foreclosed properties, foreclosure, Foreclosures, foreclosures for sale, Georgia homes, Home Buyers, home buying, Home Sales, home sales report, home selling, homes

An oil platform has exploded in the Gulf of Mexico, injuring at least one person. The Coast Guard tells MSNBC that the platform is still burning, but says it is not a drilling rig.

Update at 2:51 p.m. ET: USA TODAY's Donna Leinwand reports that Mariner, the oil company that owns the Vermillion platform, reports that oil has spilled into the water, according to U.S. Coast Guard Petty Officer Elizabeth Bordelon. The oil sheen at the site measures one mile by 100 feet, Bordelon says. The company is unsure where the oil came from since the well was not producing at the time of the explosion, she says.

Update at 2:28 p.m. ET: A mile-long oil sheen has spread from an burning offshore petroleum platform in the Gulf of Mexico off Lousiana, the AP reports, quoting Coast Guard Petty Officer Bill Coklough. The officer says the sheen is about 100 feet wide. Three firefighting vessels have been sent to the scene to assist a fourth already in place, he says.

Update at 1:25 p.m. ET: USA TODAY's Alan Levin reports that the platform is owned by Mariner Energy, according to the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management. The agency said that the platform was authorized to produce oil and natural gas, but had been undergoing maintenance at the time of the accident and was not producing.

Update at 12:52 p.m ET: USA TODAY's Alan Levin reports that several Coast Guard helicopters were on scene by late morning and attempting to rescue the 13 workers who had been thrown into the water, according to Commander Cheri Ben-Iesau. The crew had donned brightly colored survival gear known as "Gumby suits" and there had been no reports of fatalities, Ben-Iesau says. according to Levin. "We are actively pulling them out of the water right now," she says.

It was not clear whether today's explosion was the result of a blowout or whether it had caused any leaks of crude oil, Ben-Iesau says. The platform is owned by Mariner Energy. The AP reports that the platform was not producing oil at the time of the accident.

Update at 12:14 p.m. ET: The New Orleans Times-Picayune describes the facility, called Vermillion 380, as a "fixed, manned production platform." The newspaper says the platform is not involved in drilling and, unlike the ill-fated BP rig, is not a floating rig, but rather is a fixed platform.

Update at 12:11 p.m. ET: The Coast Guard tells MSNBC that the facility is not a rig, but is a platform that does not do any drilling.

Update at 12:04 p.m. ET: The rig, owned by Mariner Energy, is located west of the BP spill site, the Associated Press reports. The incident was first reported by a commercial helicopter company around 10:30 a.m. ET, according to Coast Guard Petty Officer Casey Ranel. The Coast Guard confirmes there is one injury, but no deaths. The platform is in about 2,500 feet of water, the Coast Guard said, but is not currently producing, the AP reports.

Update at 11:48 a.m. ET: Coast Guard Petty Officer Casey Ranel says a helicopter was sent to the site after a report that the rig was on fire "and that there was smoke and there were people in the water,'' The Times-Picayune of New Orleans reports.

Update at 11:41 a.m. ET: The Coast Guard says the oil rig is located 80 miles south of Vermilion Bay, La.

Update at 11:38 a.m. ET: MSNBC quotes Coast Guard Petty Officer John Edwards as saying one worker has been injured, but he did not know the extent of the injuries. Edwards says 9 helicopters and some fixed-wing aircraft as well as four Coast Guard cutters have been sent to the site.

Update at 11:35 a.m. ET: MSNBC quotes a Coast Guard spokesman as saying all of the workers were wearing protective gear.

Labels: Explodes, Oil Platform

“The Federal Housing Administration (FHA) is giving homeowners and buyers until October 4, 2010 to lock in a low monthly insurance premium,” said Gibran Nicholas, chairman of the CMPS Institute, an organization that trains and certifies mortgage bankers and brokers. “After October 4, the monthly insurance premiums on FHA loans will increase by over 63%.”
What does this mean for home buyers?
A home buyer purchasing a $200,000 home using a $193,000 FHA mortgage before October 4 would pay an insurance premium of $88.46 per month. If the same home buyer waits until after October 4, the insurance premium would jump to $148.01.
“In this example, the home buyer would lose $59.55 per month, or $7,146 over a ten year timeframe,” Nicholas said. “Although the upfront mortgage insurance premium is going down after October 4, the real impact to the home buyer is actually a net increase in their out of pocket costs because the monthly premium is going up by 63%. Remember, sellers can pay the upfront premium or it can be financed into the loan amount, so home buyers rarely pay the upfront premium out of pocket. On the other hand, the increase in the monthly premiums will be paid right out of the home buyer’s pocket with their mortgage payment each month.”
Ironically, home buyers who plan to be in the mortgage for less than three years and decide to pay the upfront fee themselves (instead of having the seller pay it for them), may actually save money by waiting until after October 4 to apply for an FHA loan. “Home buyers with a short term time horizon may actually benefit from this change because the upfront premium will be reduced to 1% from 2.25%,” Nicholas said. This change will impact over 30% of the home buyers in today’s market who use FHA-insured financing. Home buyers considering an FHA loan should find and contact a CMPS professional in their area to discuss their options and what this means for their situation. Also, you can follow CMPS Institute on Twitter to stay updated on these and other mortgage and housing industry developments.

Labels: Federal Housing Administration, fha, fha loans, home loans