The Collection at Forsyth sold to Florida-based firm ► PAGE 3
J a n u a r y 1 9 , 2 0 2 3 | A p p e n M e d i a . c o m | A n A p p e n M e d i a G r o u p P u b l i c a t i o n | 5 0 ¢ | Vo l u m e 2 6 , N o .
County seeks $1.5 million grant to widen McGinnis Ferry Road By SHELBY ISRAEL shelby@appenmedia.com FORSYTH COUNTY, Ga. — The Forsyth County Board of Commissioners approved an application for funding the widening of McGinnis Ferry Road in a Jan. 10 work session.
The application for funding from the Georgia Department of Transportation Infrastructure Bank Grant would help fund the costs of widening the road. The board approved the item 5-0. The board also unanimously voted to settle the final amounts in two civil cases regarding the project. Initially approved
by the board in December 2022, the settlements granted to the landowners total $751,350. In March 2022 the board approved over $6.3 million in property acquisitions to allow for the widening of McGinnis Ferry Road. The board also voted 5-0 to request
from the Georgia Department of Transportation traffic signals on the north and southbound ramps at Ga. 369 at Ga. 400. It also applied for a signal at Ga. 369 and Bridgetown/Coal Mountain Parkway.
See GRANT, Page 5
Kemp to keep state’s focus on education By CANDY WAYLOCK candy@appenmedia.com ATLANTA — In a spirited inaugural address Jan. 12, Gov. Brian Kemp took media and pundits to task and renewed his commitment to make education a priority in his second term. “We listened to the people of our state…not the cocktail circuit [or] the so-called experts,” Kemp said before the crowd gathered at Georgia State University’s Convocation Center. “We gave Georgians the opportunity to go back to work, get their kids back in the classroom…and protect freedom to live their lives without fear of more government lockdowns, mandates and overreach.”
Kemp followed up on his commitment to education the next day by sending his amended FY 2023 budget to the Georgia Legislature which includes a $2,000 raise for teachers, pre-K teachers and certified kindergarten through 12th grade personnel. If approved by the Legislature, the starting salary for first-year teachers will rise this year to $40,500 and average more than $62,000 for the state’s 115,000 public school teachers. The increase could place Georgia among the top 20 states for teacher pay, which was a goal Kemp set in his first run for office.
See KEMP, Page 18
ARVIN TEMKAR/CAPITOL BEAT NEWS SERVICE
Gov. Brian Kemp is sworn in for his second term by Justice Carla Wong McMillian in an inauguration ceremony at Georgia State Convocation Center in Atlanta on Jan. 12.
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