Update: Friday, March 8, 7:54 a.m. It has been more than two weeks since Lance White, president of the Humane Society of Forsyth County, wrote his "Letter to the Editor" to Cumming Patch. Since publication of the letter we heard from more than 100 readers in Forsyth County and across the U.S. who had plenty to say about the situation. During a brief conversation with Lance, he told me that no action has been taken against him from the woman who accused him of stealing her dog (mentioned in the letter to the editor). Since the week of Feb. 18, Lance told me that the woman and her male dog (…
I am a Special Needs Bus Driver with Forsyth County Schools and today [Thursday, Jan. 24] we honored a special man who lost his battle with cancer on Monday. Lanier Pruitt was the Director of Transportation for Special Needs for the school system. At his funeral today [Thursday, Jan. 24] we paid tribute to him and his family by showing our love as his drivers led the funeral procession with about 30 Special Needs School buses in his honor. His family had no clue we were going to honor him in this way. Lanier was a very Godly man and loved the children in our school system. Just thought you …
Through the Holiday Gift Angels Program, 597 gifts were given to local seniors solely from the generosity of their fellow citizens in Forsyth County. While a blanket, robe or cookies may not seem like much to others, these gifts were greatly appreciated by the seniors in our community. Most importantly, it showed these seniors that someone was thinking about them during the holidays. What a precious gift! Through the Home-Delivered Meal Holiday Gift Certificate Program, we received financial donations that allowed us to provide 4,688 meals to seniors in Forsyth County. Individuals, churches, …
Gun Control Views Based on Facts, not Wishful Thinking I am a Veteran, I pay taxes, I vote, I have the highest level of government security clearance, I have sworn to uphold the Constitution, and I work every day in a job that keeps America safe. I am a reasonable person. I am not insane. I am pro-gun and right to carry. I open discussion on the topic of gun control: Gun control laws in America do not work and only stop law-abiding citizens from getting what criminals already have. The only thing that can effectively stop a criminal with a gun is a law- abiding person or law enforcement with …
The Coal Mountain faculty, students, and community are very grateful to the congregation and leadership at Browns Bridge Community Church for their generous donation of $10,000 to support students at risk. We are overwhelmed by their kindness and generosity! Clay Scoggins, Lead Pastor, along with several members of the Browns Bridge Leadership, presented the check to Ms. Jan Davis, school counselor, and to the Coal Mountain administrative team. Browns Bridge Church has been a Partner in Education with Coal Mountain Elementary School for the past three years. During this time, their youth and…
FCS Parents and Staff, I want to thank each of you for your renewed commitment to promoting safety for our students in Forsyth County Schools. I know that you, like me, are hurting at the senseless act of violence that tragically took the lives of Newtown students and staff. Our thoughts and prayers continue to be with the members of that community. While there is no indication that this is anything but an isolated incident in a state far from Georgia, we do want to take this opportunity to remind our families that all schools have detailed safety plans in place. Our staff conducts regular …
It's true! Cumming Patch launched on Dec. 16, 2010, and what a first couple of years it's been! Since that first day, we've brought you more than 4,300 stories, pictures, and tweets more than 2100 events posted by you, more than 500 announcements and blogs posted by you and more than 3,300 comments posted by you and Patch staff! Along the way, we've amassed nearly 2,300 Facebook friends, and more than 800 Twitter followers. As we continue to grow, we want to hear from you. How are we doing? How are we maturing? What are we doing well? What can we do better? Tell us in the comment section …
I remember some years ago while heading to work at the CNN Center, as I made my usual stop at the Georgia 400 toll booth to pay my $.50, a nice thing happened to me. As I waited for my turn to pay the attendant, the person in the car in front of me paid my toll booth fee. It totally made my day! Just a simple gesture of giving back put a smile on my face and made me want to pay it forward. As I headed home later that day, I did the same thing for the person in the car behind me. How crazy is that? A simple act of kindness to make a stranger, friend, family member, animal or all of the above …
Long before Northside Hospital-Forsyth became the leading hospital it is, a group of women formed an auxiliary in order to provide supplemental equipment to the institution. Today that volunteer auxiliary includes more that 300 men and women and includes several members of the original group from 20 years ago. One of the first and most popular fundraisers was and is the Annual Bake Sale held the Friday before Thanksgiving and has continued through the decades. Supporters bake and bring all kind of wonderful pastries and snacks and leave with new goodies to try out! This year’s event will …
Greetings Patchers! It was three weeks ago today that Forsyth County held its General Primary election. In the end, four candidates did not receive 50 percent of the votes plus one vote and so a runoff was declared. Tonight's election returns for the Republican Primary Runoff include the following races: Congressional District 9, Sheriff, Coroner and County Commission District 4. Who will emerge as the victor? We will know soon enough, which brings me to where I am situated for the next several hours. I am live from the Forsyth County Administration building in downtown Cumming and as I did …
Greetings Patchers! I am live from the Forsyth County Administration building in downtown Cumming and will be keeping you updated tonight with election returns on all the races, including the transportation referendum (TSPLOST). The Forsyth County Voter Registrations & Elections Department is counting the votes as they come in from all reporting precincts. Check the updates below for the latest results. Liz KennedyEditor, Cumming Patch UPDATE 10 P.M. UNOFFICIAL FINAL RESULTS Sheriff - Runoff between Paxton and Piper Paxton 13,093 - 47.64% Piper 7,529 - 27.40% State Senate - Jack Murphy wins …
One of the topics mentioned recently is the much lessened gang activity. Reasons given included the consequences of the recession on industry and therefore the movement of illegal immigrants to more lucrative areas. No one mentioned the effect that the Mounted Patrol Unit [of the Forsyth County Sheriff's Office] has had on the gangs. The Mounted Patrol Unit can access places that cars, trucks, even bicycles are unable to access. Once they began patrolling the areas where gangs gathered, the gangs dispersed. The gangs now gather on the other side of the Buford Dam area outside the jurisdiction…
President Obama plans to go around Congress (Senate and the House) and the AMERICAN PEOPLE by Executive Order granting work permits to illegals if they meet his predetermined requirement. Janet Napolitano, Homeland Security secretary explained, "Young people who were brought to the U.S. will no longer be removed from the country. It is not immunity, it’s not amnesty, it’s an exercise in discretion. It streamlines enforcement of low priority cases involving productive young people." She is referring to youths brought to the U.S. before they were 16 and younger than 30. That encompasses 800,…
Dear Editor, I find it disturbing that elected Republican officials will endorse and even help raise funds for a current incumbent who is running against another Republican. I’m referring to the race between Jack Murphy and Steve Voshall for our State Senate seat 27, which encompasses 98 percent of our county. Jack Murphy is the sitting Chairman of the Banking and Finance Committee and became such after the bank (Integrity Bank) he was a board member on went out of business and used over $200m of FDIC funds in the process. He has since settled a lawsuit to the FDIC for a $250k loan that he …
Dear Editor, Recently, the mainstream media has raised questions about the effectiveness of the Tea Party regarding the 2012 elections. Writing with an implied chuckle they cast the image that the Tea Party is nowhere to be seen. Where are they? According to Debbie Dooley, National Coordinator for the Tea Party Patriots, “We’re like an army equipping ourselves to go into battle. 2010 was just a practice run for 2012. The best way to be effective is for your opponent not to see you coming before it is too late.” According to Trilby Leech, who is Chair of the Forsyth Tea Party Patriot Alliance…
Today I announced that I am suspending my campaign for the President of the United States. This has been one of the hardest decisions Karen and I have ever had to face together. And it has been hard in large measure because of you. I know that my candidacy has offered you a way to fight for your convictions, and I do not want to let you down. Since I first ran for Congress in a Democrat-majority district in Pittsburgh, I have fought for struggling families. I have fought for the unborn. I have fought for those losing hope in the American Dream. And during this Presidential race we have …
Certainly there are some taxes that we have no control over…things like property taxes, income taxes and many others, but what WE DO have control over is a SPLOST TAX. SPLOST stands for Special Purpose Local Option Sales TAX. The name of the SPLOST on this year’s ballot is T-SPLOST and the “T” stands for TRANSPORTATION. The media and government will have you believe that by voting for this 1% (PERCENT) additional sales tax, you will see some benefit. I challenge anyone to show me how voting for this TAX will improve my life in any way. Below is misleading information taken directly from: www.…
Letter to the editor: As the immediate family of Michael Smith, we would like to express our deepest gratitude to all of the good people of Forsyth County who investigated the tragic events of his death and brought it to closure for us with a guilty verdict and life sentence for Jill Smith. We are grateful to the firefighters and police who rushed to the scene that night in an attempt to save Michael's life. Lt. Debbie Lindstrom's (Arson Investigator) diligence and commitment to this case was professional and thorough. We want to thank her for becoming Michael's voice and his champion. Sgt…
When I first started to look at the water contract negotiations which are currently underway between the City of Cumming and Forsyth County, I had no idea of the complexity of the issues involved. I will do my best to present this in the simplest way while doing the subject the justice it deserves. There are many "facts" that need to be digested, before a recommendation about how to proceed with the negotiations can be attempted. But first, a little history. The City of Cumming had the foresight in the 1970's to negotiate a water intake from Lake Lanier to lure Tyson to build a plant in the …
Hi Liz, I just wanted to take a moment to let you know that we have closed First Mountain Arts Gallery in Vickery Village. We have been there seven months and just could not make a go of it in this bad economy. It has been a pleasure being in Vickery and meeting many of the wonderful people but it is time to take a different direction. I am returning to making my own woodturning art and you can find my work at Encore in Roswell. Thank you so much for your support and for your kind article in the Patch. Peg Schmid
