Ga. 400 express lanes worker killed ► PAGE 3
J u n e 4 , 2 0 2 6 | 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 3 0 , N o . 2 3
Summer of sippin’ Festival assists endeavor to employ disabled adults By DEAN HESSE | newsroom@appenmedia.com
DEAN HESSE/APPEN MEDIA
From left, Jennifer Sheran, Jana Birdseye and Kim Welch dance to live music by Rock Station during the third annual Sips of Summer Festival at the Lou Sobh Amphitheater at Cumming City Center May 30.
CUMMING, Ga. — The third annual Sips of Summer Festival, hosted by The Well GA, took place at the Lou Sobh Amphitheater at Cumming City Center on Saturday, May 30. The event serves as a fundraiser for Launch Ability, a nonprofit that supports adults with disabilities finding employment. It featured free admission, a local artisan market, live music and unlimited tastings of beer, wine, spirits and seltzers from The Well's curated selection, available with a ticket purchase. Ivy Lawson, director of workforce development for Launch Ability, said the organization is the sister nonprofit to SliceAbility, a pizza restaurant located upstairs at the city center, where more than 80 percent of employees are autistic or have an intellectual or physical disability. Lawson said Launch Ability's goal is to help other local businesses recognize the value of hiring people with disabilities.
See SIP, Page 6
Forsyth County Commission nibbles at sales tax proposal By JON WILCOX jon@appenmedia.com FORSYTH COUNTY, Ga. — Forsyth County voters may get the chance this November to decide whether to impose 2026
Best Of North Atlanta Presented By
a transportation sales tax to help fund roads and trails as the population continues to climb. A second sales tax could appear on future ballots that would directly offset tax bills on homesteaded properties.
The Forsyth County Commission expressed some ambivalence for placing the proposals before voters because they fear residents have little appetite for tax referendums. At its May 26 work session, commis-
Coming Soon!
sioners indicated support to explore placing both the Transportation Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax and a Local Homestead Option Sales Tax before voters.
See COUNTY, Page 14
Nominations for Best of North Atlanta (Nomination Period: May 15 – June 15)
BestOfNorthAtlanta.com
2026
Best Of North Atlanta Presented By