Forsyth Herald - February 19, 2026

Rash of new legislation seeks to make inroads to affordable housing

By ZOE SEILER zoe@appenmedia.com

ATLANTA – Democratic Georgia House members are working to address various housing issues. State Reps. Mary Margaret Oliver (D-Decatur), Phil Olaleye (D-Atlanta), and others announced a bipartisan package of legislation on Feb. 12 to address affordability.

That package also seeks to expand housing supply, strengthen tenant protections, and encourage more affordable housing development.

“There is an issue of housing affordability across Georgia,” Oliver said. “We need more doors. We need more opportunities and a wide variety of ways.”

The House Minority Caucus’s legislation includes proposals related to tax incentives, tenant protections, zoning reform, and affordable housing development.

“Whether you’re trying to buy your first home, stay in the home you already have, or just keep up with rent

See HOUSE, Page 12

MEDIA

Georgia Rep. Mary Margaret Oliver represents House District 84, which includes Decatur and parts of unincorporated DeKalb County.

Parks director requests gate to crack down on fee dodgers

By JON WILCOX jon@appenmedia.com

FORSYTH COUNTY, Ga. — After a summer where as many as half of Mary Alice Park visitors skipped the required parking fee, Forsyth County may add a gate to require payment.

At a Feb. 10 work session, parks Director Kirk Franz asked the Forsyth County Commission to consider the $47,000 purchase of a parking gate to be installed at Mary Alice Park.

Commissioners will consider the item for a vote at an upcoming meeting.

Located on the western shore of Lake Lanier, the park, 1820 Mary Alice Park Road, is one of the county’s busiest recreation destinations, he said. Amenities include a boat ramp, courtesy dock, picnic pavilion, sand beach and swimming area.

Parking for the day costs $10, and annual passes are $60. Parking fees were left to an “honor

system” with little enforcement, Franz said.

Observations by park staff and deputies last summer have led Franz to suspect 25-50 percent of visitors were ignoring the required parking fees.

Franz said the gate would be similar to those at parking decks, requiring every visitor to pay before leaving. A QR code and app could make payment even easier, he said.

PARK, Page 12

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All crime reports published by Appen Media Group are compiled from public records. Neither the law enforcement agencies nor Appen Media Group implies any guilt by publishing these names. None of the persons listed has been convicted of the alleged crimes.

Cumming woman cited for reckless conduct

FORSYTH COUNTY, Ga. — A 32-yearold Cumming woman was arrested after allegedly concealing a pistol in the bushes outside the county courthouse Feb. 2.

The Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office said the woman told deputies at the courthouse she had a gun in her purse, asking if they would secure it for her as she conducted her business. The woman was asked to stow the weapon in her vehicle.

Deputies observed the woman on security cameras as she exited and concealed an object in bushes, the sheriff’s report said. Deputies went to the location and allegedly found a loaded .38 handgun.

After the woman was arrested, deputies recorded her on body camera saying she thought “it wasn't a big deal,” the sheriff’s report said.

The woman was charged with misdemeanor reckless conduct.

— Jon Wilcox

Jewelry worth thousands reported stolen in burglary

FORSYTH COUNTY, Ga. — Deputies investigated the reported theft of $15,000 in jewelry from a Suwanee home Jan. 28.

The Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office said a 67-year-old man and 62-yearold woman reported returning to find their Windsor Hill Passage home ransacked.

The woman determined rings and earrings were missing.

The couple said they had left the

door to the home unlocked and the alarm unarmed.

A sheriff’s crime scene investigation technician found two sets of footprints leading toward a backyard fence adjacent to a shopping center.

The incident was classified as a felony burglary.

— Jon Wilcox

AT&T telephone poles stripped for copper

ROSWELL, Ga. — For the third time in two weeks, the Roswell Police Department received reports of AT&T telephone poles cut and stripped for copper.

The most recent incident occurred Feb. 3 on Atlanta Street. An AT&T construction supervisor said they were notified of a power outage at 9 a.m. and called 911 after arriving on the scene.

Employees with AT&T said that the amount of copper taken would have been too heavy for one person to carry. They told officers of three other instances in January where copper was stolen from AT&T telephone poles.

The damage is estimated at between $50,00 and $100,000.

— Hannah Yahne

Police investigate theft of $2,500 in clothing

ALPHARETTA, Ga. — Police investigated a reported shoplifting of thousands of dollars worth of children’s clothing from a North Point Mall department store Jan. 14.

Alpharetta police officers were dispatched to the business for a shoplifting that occurred Jan. 13.

Various items of children’s clothing were reported stolen. The clothing had a value of almost $2,500.

Officers viewed security camera recordings that showed two men stealing the clothing, according to the police report. The men stuffed the clothes into

black trash bags before fleeing on foot. The incident was classified as a felony theft by shoplifting of more than $500.

— Jon Wilcox

Roswell man arrested, charged with robbery

ALPHARETTA, Ga. — A 37-year-old Roswell man was arrested on a charge of robbery by intimidation Jan. 17.

Alpharetta police said officers were dispatched to a North Main Street business about noon after a shoplifting was reported. A store manager said the man threatened store employees while stealing more than $300 of food and drink.

Officers obtained a description of the suspect and apprehended him nearby.

Employees followed the man through the store as he allegedly selected various items and concealed them in a backpack. The man threatened to kill the employees as he was stealing, police said.

Employees described the man’s tone as threatening and erratic, police said. Officers recovered the allegedly stolen items from the man’s backpack and placed him under arrest.

— Jon Wilcox

Police say female suspect used stolen keys in thefts

ROSWELL, Ga. — A woman was arrested Feb. 3 after Roswell police received reports of a burglary at a multiuse complex on Alpharetta Street.

An individual matching the description of the suspect was leaving a parking garage when police arrived on scene. It was reported that she had broken into multiple businesses after hours using the master keys that had been missing since Feb. 1.

When police stopped the subject, she was carrying a bag with two laptops and the missing keys. All items were returned to their owners.

— Hannah Yahne

FBI investigates Fulton County handling of 2020 ballots

By ZOE SEILER zoe@appenmedia.com

ATLANTA — The search warrant related to the FBI raid of a Fulton County elections hub shows the investigation is tied to the 2020 election results and possible “defects” in the Fulton County results.

The FBI executed a search warrant at 5600 Campbellton Fairburn Road in Union City Jan. 28.

During a press conference on Jan. 29, Fulton Elections Board Chair Sherri Allen said 700 boxes of documents were taken. She added that agents also looked at other documents “that we did not believe had anything to do with 2020.”

The search warrant was for all physical ballots from the 2020 general election in Fulton County, all tabulator tapes from the voting machines, all ballot images produced during the ballot count on Nov. 3, 2020, and all voter rolls from the 2020 general election.

The U.S. Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division sued Fulton County Court Clerk Che Alexander in December 2025.

The lawsuit claims that Attorney General Pam Bondi sent a letter to the Fulton County Elections Board in October 2025

demanding records responsive to a State Election Board resolution.

A subpoena requested “all used and void ballots, stubs of all ballots, signature envelopes and corresponding envelope

digital files from the 2020 general election in Fulton County.”

A hearing was scheduled for Feb. 9, 2026, regarding the transfer of the 2020 election documents to the state.

An FBI special agent with the Atlanta Field Office’s Public Corruption Squad requested the search warrant.

“Following the Nov. 3, 2020, presidential election, there were many allegations of electoral impropriety relating to the voting process and ballot counting in Fulton County, Georgia,” the affidavit says. “Some of those allegations have been disproven, while some of those allegations have been substantiated, including through admissions by Fulton County.”

The search warrant was part of an FBI criminal investigation into whether any improprieties were intentional acts. The investigation was initiated by a referral from Kurt Olsen, the director of election security and integrity, who was appointed by President Donald Trump. Olsen also served as Trump’s 2020 campaign lawyer and now serves as an administration official overseeing the attempt to investigate Trump’s loss, according to the Associated Press.

Trump lost the 2020 election after serving his first term in office. He lost the national vote by about 7 million votes to Joe Biden and lost Georgia by 11,779 votes. Trump has maintained that he won the 2020 election.

See BALLOTS, Page 12

Seer World remains on Roswell payroll for contracted work

By HANNAH YAHNE hannah@appenmedia.com

ROSWELL, Ga. — The Roswell City Council voted Feb. 9 to terminate a single scope of work agreement with Seer World that created the role of chief operational officer, the city remains attached to the consulting firm.

Scope of work No. 2 outsourced the position to Seer employee Don Stephens at an annual rate of $340,000. His role assessed economic opportunities presented to the city.

The council approved the award in June 2024. Councilwoman Sarah Beeson was the lone dissenting vote, with an abstention from Councilman David Johnson, who questioned whether the contract was ethical.

Allen Sells and Christine Hall, who still sit on the City Council, along with former council member Lee Hills, voted in favor at the time.

Sells and Hall joined the unanimous vote Feb. 9 to end that contract.

Canceling the scope of work will cost Roswell a $170,000 breakage fee that is equivalent to six months payment.

The overall master services agreement with Seer World that was approved

in April 2024 remains in place, and it included 25 scopes of work total.

The five-year contract with Seer World tasked the company and CEO Peter Sorckoff with helping the city produce development plans with a maximum annual payment of $2 million.

When the 2024 master services agreement was approved, constituents raised concerns about the cost and method about which the agreement came about.

Sorckoff had been paid more than $43,000 by Roswell for “development planning and project support” from March-June 2023. His company was awarded a $250,000 agreement in August 2023 without going through the city’s bidding process before his company was contracted by the city.

The day before an August 2023 committee meeting, where a budget amendment for $250,000 in professional services was initially proposed, Purchasing Manager Greg Anderson resigned. Within the same week, Finance Director Ryan Luckett resigned, according to records obtained by Appen Media.

To this date, Roswell has paid Seer World an estimated $2.4 million.

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Knights of Columbus preps for All Saints fish fry

By JILLIAN DIMARCO newsroom@appenmedia.com

DUNWOODY, Ga. — The Knights of Columbus at All Saints Catholic Church in Dunwoody is prepping to kick off its annual Lenten Fish Fry at the church gymnasium Feb. 20.

Organizers say the event, running every Friday from 5-8 p.m. through March 27, has grown in size and impact.

“We’re proud that this has become a community-wide event,” said Bob Mitchell, a team captain for the fish fry and a Knight since 1997. “It’s open to the public, everyone is welcome, and we’re proud to be one of the largest fish fries anywhere east of the Mississippi.”

Founded in 1979, All Saints Catholic Church has been a fixture in the community for decades. In the mid-1990s, members of the Knights of Columbus launched the fish fry as a way to support charitable giving, one of the organization’s central missions.

Last year, the Knights served a record 8,500 meals. At peak times, nearly 1,500 meals have been served during a single night.

Guests may dine in or take meals to go. Entrée options include fried cod or shrimp, as well as broiled cod or salmon. Side dishes include New England clam chowder, french fries, macaroni and cheese, roasted red potatoes, cole slaw, green beans and hush puppies. Kids meals are also available. Pricing varies by entrée, with discounted options available for children.

Desserts, beer, wine, soft drinks and bottled water are offered for cash-only purchase, while iced tea and water are complimentary.

“The camaraderie of the guests and the staff is what makes this event happen,” Mitchell said. “We couldn’t do this without them.”

Learn more at https://allsaintsdunwoody.org/ programs-events/events/fish-fry/.

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It’s a direct call to action, and the growth in the students we’re seeing is incredible. It’s beyond what any classroom can provide.

SWARUP KESARKAR, Co-CEO of Alpharetta Print Shop

8 | Forsyth Herald | February 19, 2026

Student print shop teaches business skills while turning profit

By HANNAH YAHNE Hannah@appenmedia.com

ALPHARETTA, Ga. — For 30 minutes each day, the 10-member team of Alpharetta High School Print Shop is in full swing, writing invoices and designing banners to drape the school’s walls.

Since its launch in 2023, the Alpharetta Print Shop has turned into a lucrative business and popular extracurricular among students. This past year, only four spots were open to 33 applicants.

“You’re dealing with real money, and you have real clients that have real requirements,” said Swarup Kesarkar, the co-CEO of Alpharetta Print Shop.

The enterprise serves more than 100 clients.

Clients can request designs and pick from various paper types, like vinyl, glossy or matte. The print shop offers high-quality materials at an affordable price with each paper material costing less than $20 a foot.

Most current clients are programs at Alpharetta High, Kesarkar said. Last September, the print shop designed and printed banners for each of the school’s student organizations in time for Raider Fest, a community celebration featuring a parade, food and information about all 86 clubs.

The Alpharetta Print Shop started as a fundraising effort for the school’s chapter of the Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA). Now, it serves as a stepping stone for students aspiring to become FBLA officers.

“The print shop was kind of necessary for FBLA’s success, because FBLA is so big that we need some pillars to sustain it,” Kesarkar said.

The student organization is a business, Kesarkar said, and it helps create responsible and forward-thinking leaders at a young age.

Posters made by the Alpharetta Print Shop of seniors on Alpharetta High School’s boys’ basketball team hang in the school gym. See PRINT, Page 9

Alpharetta | Roswell | Milton | Johns Creek

HANNAH YAHNE/APPEN MEDIA

Members of Alpharetta High School’s student-run print shop gather Feb. 5 after a 30-minute session that included confirming orders and matching invoices to order forms.

Print:

Continued from Page 8

“Everyone has to learn how to communicate with each other and kind of grow together to understand how to operate this business the most efficient way possible,” he said.

It has evolved into being an irreplaceable Career and Technical Student Organization, Kesarkar said.

Fulton County Schools is taking notice, and the small business is pitching that the district start a

print shop at each high school to give students a real path to business operations.

Not only is it a learning opportunity for students, but the Alpharetta Print Shop has saved the school thousands of dollars by having in-house printing access.

“It’s a direct call to action, and the growth in the students we’re seeing is incredible,” Kesarkar said. “It’s beyond what any classroom can provide.”

To place an order with the Alpharetta Print Shop, visit the Alpharetta High School website or email alpharettaprintshop@gmail.com.

Two members of Alpharetta Print Shop complete invoices and track orders Feb. 5.

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Public records court litigation has cost paper nearly $100,000

Dear reader, With so much happening in the news and in our day-to-day lives, you might not have seen this update:

A Fulton County judge recently ordered Sandy Springs to turn over previously withheld documents to Appen Media in an ongoing public records lawsuit.

We've now been in court for almost three years, pushing for public access to police incident reports the department is trying to withhold.

During that time, we've written a few stories and columns about the case. Plus, our newsroom has been able to produce some hard-hitting articles based on limited records we've been able to obtain thus far.

But to date, I haven't mentioned one critical piece of information:

Our small, locally owned newspaper group has now spent nearly $100,000 fighting for these records. Why?

Because it matters.

Transparency begets transparency. The inverse is also true.

These are reports that police departments across the state regularly release to the public. And yet, we have been unable to access them from Sandy Springs without going to court.

We do not have endless resources –far from it.

But we do have our readers, and I hope this example shows you why that's so important.

If you believe these records should be public, consider supporting our work.

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House:

Continued from Page 1

continuing to jump over and over and over again, housing has become the biggest bill facing families,” Olaleye said.

The following House Bills are included in the representatives’ legislative package:

• HB 1145, sponsored by Rep. Miriam Paris (D-Macon), would create a statewide homestead exemption for certain public service employees, like police officers, nurses and teachers.

“I think that it is incumbent upon us to take good care of those that take good care of us, and this bill seeks to do that for them.”

• Oliver sponsored HB 1153, which would allow developers to use the state’s low-income housing tax credit (LIHTC) to build affordable single-family homes. These homes would be available to individuals earning up to 80 percent of the area median income.

Currently, LIHTC is only available for multifamily developments, like apartments or fourplexes.

“The LIHTC program of tax credits giving financial support for the purchase of lower-income, moderate-priced apartments can be duplicated in the single-family market,” Oliver said.

She added that it’s an effort to address incentives and produce more for-sale housing options.

• HB 1166, sponsored by Rep. Tangie

Ballots:

Continued from Page 3

In Georgia, the 2020 election was overseen by Republican Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger and certified by Gov. Brian Kemp, also a Republican.

The affidavit claims that Fulton County does not have the scanned images of the 528,777 ballots initially counted or the 527,925 ballots that were recounted. The county had said some ballots were scanned multiple times during the recount.

Other alleged deficiencies included inaccurate batch tallies from a risklimiting audit, counting absentee ballots that had never been creased or folded, and reporting 17,434 ballots fewer than originally counted. The affidavit states that Fulton County reported 511,343 ballots on election day but 527,925 the next day.

Park:

Continued from Page 1

The parks director said he estimates the gate could quickly result in hun-

Herring (D-Macon), would remove zoning regulations for smaller homes.

“It removes the arbitrary zoning restrictions that currently ban safe and high-quality homes of 400 square feet or less,” Herring said. “You might know these are tiny homes, carriage houses or granny flats.”

Homeowners should be able to build secondary homes and should be part of the solution to create more options, she added.

“We all know the American Dream of homeownership is quickly slipping out of reach for too many Georgians,” Herring said. “We are facing a dual crisis right now. We have skyrocketing costs that are hurting families and we have a desperate lack of housing inventory. Simply put, we do not have enough homes in Georgia.”

• HB 1177 expands the authority of local development authorities to allow them to finance or develop affordable housing. Rep. Al Williams (D-Midway) sponsored this bill.

“It is imperative that as development authorities, we’re able to get involved, able to help move these projects, but most importantly we’ve got to bring the cost of housing under control,” Williams said. “You can’t be the best place to do business in America and one of the hardest places to live in the south.”

• HB 1252, sponsored by Olaleye, would prohibit investors from acquiring singlefamily homes before Georgia residents.

“Before a large institutional investor can buy a newly listed single-family home, those families or that owner-occupied

“If these deficiencies were the result of intentional action, it would be a violation of federal law regardless of whether the failure to retain records or the deprivation of a fair tabulation of a vote was outcome-determinative for any particular election or race,” the affidavit says.

The election records were needed to determine if records were destroyed and if the vote tabulation included false votes, according to the affidavit. The warrant sites possible violations of election records preservation and retention laws, and a law that says it’s a crime to “knowingly and willfully” deprive residents of a “fair and impartially conducted election process,” The AP reported.

Fulton County Commission Chairman Robb Pitts has maintained that after every review, no issues were found in the 2020 general election results in the county.

“Fulton County’s 2020 elections

dreds of thousands of dollars of revenue.

In 2025, the county collected $217,000, which Franz said likely only represents payment by half of the park’s visitors.

buyer would have first dibs within a 30day window to purchase that home first,” Olaleye said.

He also sponsored HB 305 last year, which prohibits large companies from purchasing single-family homes in Georgia.

• HB 1171, sponsored by Rep. Spencer Frye (D-Athens), would establish minimum habitability standards consistent with recognized housing standards.

Some of the requirements include making all repairs necessary, keeping all common areas in a clean and safe condition, maintaining utilities and appliances, providing trash receptacles and supplying running water.

If those conditions are not met, tenants could terminate their lease or withhold rent, recover damages or make repairs and deduct the cost from the rent.

• Rep. Saira Draper (D-Atlanta) is the sponsor of HB 1221. The bill would require homeowners associations to provide written notices of fines or delinquent fees and give a reasonable opportunity for homeowners to pay before assessing attorney fees and costs.

• HB 1017, sponsored by Rep. Dar’shun Kendrick (D-Lithonia), would require home values to be assessed at 100 percent for corporate investors. Most homes are assessed at 50 percent or less of the home value.

“We know that they are creating a housing shortage in the state of Georgia,” Kendrick said. “As opposed to assessing the

have been examined, they’ve been reexamined, they’ve been audited, there have been headcounts… in every instance we come up clean,” Pitts said during a Feb. 10 press conference.

He said the county will fight the lawsuit and allegations with every resource available.

As part of an agreement between the State Election Board and Fulton County, an independent monitor was hired in 2020 to observe the general election. The monitor found “sloppy processes” and “systemic disorganization” but no evidence of fraud or other illegal actions, the AP reported.

The Secretary of State’s Office investigation and State Election Board performance review also had similar conclusions.

The review board stated, “we do not see any evidence of fraud, intentional misconduct, or large systematic issues that would have affected the

“We feel like we will be able to recoup this cost probably within the summer,” Franz said.

Fees will be contributed to Park and Recreation’s general fund, which pays for repairs and new amenities.

“It is a very well loved and well used park,” Franz said. “And it takes a lot of our staff time and energy and resources

value at 40 percent of a home, that many of us have our homes assessed at, large corporate investors would have to pay 100 percent of the assessed value of the home that they are renting out.”

Rep. Gabriel Sanchez (D-Smyrna) sponsored HB 679, the end rental pricefixing act, in 2025. The bill is still active this session.

“I am a renter myself, like the majority of my district. In the past eight years, my rent has almost doubled from $850 a month to $1,550 a month, and my story is not unique,” Sanchez said. “It’s the story of families across Georgia who are working hard every single day, doing everything right, and yet they’re still falling behind.”

He said a driver of rent increases is due to companies that sell their software to landlords and use data to calculate the highest rents they can charge in a market. HB 679 would end this practice.

“I think it’s important that we do everything in our power to ensure that we have affordable housing here in the state of Georgia, and end these price-fixing and price-gouging practices that are hurting working Georgians,” Sanchez said.

House Bills 1145, 1166, 1177, 1221, and 1252 have gained bipartisan support.

“There are many different bills, many different actions in the federal government and the state government to address this issue and I’m hoping for progress in 2026,” Oliver said.

result of the November 2020 election,” according to the affidavit.

Pitts filed a lawsuit asking for the search warrant to be unsealed and demanding that the documents taken be returned.

Pitts previously said Fulton County wants to retrieve the ballots because it is unaware of what is happening with them. The county would like to inventory the documents. He added that the officials were not given notice of the raid or copies of what was taken.

In an interview with WSB-TV, Secretary of State Raffensperger said he doesn’t understand why federal officials are reliving the 2020 election. He is not aware of what the FBI is looking for or why.

“We probably know as much as you do because the search warrant that was issued is sealed, so no details were provided to us or to the press or to Fulton County,” Raffensperger said.

to keep that park clean and safe.”

Last summer, the department repaved the parking lot at a cost of hundreds of thousands of dollars.

“When we say that you have to pay, I'm sorry, but you have to pay,” Franz said.

3 answers on the line. But here’s the catch! The clues are not in order - so the first clue in Line 1 may (or may not) actually be for the second or third answer in that line. Got it? Good luck!

GROUPS

1. Rock bottom. Fashionable. Group of witches.

2. Toss. Group of criminals. Cold weather warmer.

3. Syrup type. Fixed costs. Group of bees.

4. Theater group. Door sign. Mountain pool.

5. Juicy fruit. Group of cattle. Burger condiment.

6. Sporting group. Office note. Heavy drinking vessel for Beowulf.

7. Musical group. Pub game. Cookbook suggestion.

1 Rock bottom. Fashionable. Group of witches

2. Toss. Group of criminals. Cold weather warmer

How to Solve: Each line in the puzzle above has three clues and three answers. The last letter in the first answer on each line is the first letter of the second answer, and so on. The connecting letter is outlined, giving you the correct number of letters for each answer (the answers in line 1 are 4, 5 and 5 letters). The clues are numbered 1 through 7, which each number containing 3 clues for the 3 answers on the line. But here’s the catch! The clues are not in order - so the first clue in Line 1 may (or may not) actually be for the second or third answer in that line. Got it? Good luck!

3. Syrup type. Fixed costs. Group of bees

4. Theater group. Door sign. Mountain pool

5. Juicy fruit. Group of cattle. Burger condiment

6. Sporting group. Office note. Heavy drinking vessel for Beowulf.

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Sawnee Electric Membership Corporation is an Equal Opportunity Employer including Disabled and Protected Veterans. Sawnee EMC is VEVRAA Federal Contractor. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. Drug Free Workplace.

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Sawnee Electric Membership Corporation is an Equal Opportunity Employer including Disabled and Protected Veterans. Sawnee EMC is VEVRAA Federal Contractor. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. Drug Free Workplace.

Software Developer: Analyze, Design and develop, implement software applications using SQL, Python, DBT, JAVA, Oracle, ETL, BI, AWS Redshift. Req: Bachelors o Forgn Equi in CS/Engg (ANY)/IT and 6 mon exp. Loc: Alpharetta GA. Resumes to HR Consello Technologies Inc, 4015 Nine, Mcfarland Dr, Suite 250, Alpharetta GA 30004. EOE.

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What is the Education Answer Book?

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Deadline: 2/23/26

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