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Dunwoody man recalls 9/11 escape ► PAGE 4

S e p t e m b e r 1 0 , 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 . 3 7

Disability nonprofit to take over old Freedom Mill site By JON WILCOX jon@appenmedia.com

JON WILCOX/APPEN MEDIA

Keeping pets and people together Humane society clinic eases vet costs for Forsyth pets Above, Angel receives care from Dr. Sue Kascher during a veterinary visit at the Humane Society of Forsyth County Sept. 4.

► SEE STORY ON PAGE 6

CUMMING, Ga. — A local nonprofit organization that helps residents with disabilities overcome employment barriers plans to move into a location once occupied by an indoor recreation center. Representatives and supporters of Creative Enterprises showed up at a Sept. 3 Forsyth County Board of Commissioners meeting to thank commissioners for giving the green light for the move. Commissioners approved zoning conditions and variances for the nonprofit to take over the property at 2730 Spot Road. The space was home to Freedom Mill, an entertainment center that offered an arcade, brewery, axe-throwing, a gun range and other activities. It shuttered in 2025. “We have big plans for Freedom Mill,” said a Creative Enterprises client services manager. The facility will provide day services and job opportunities, the representative said. It will also allow the organization to expand its offerings to families who have increasingly been in need of its services, officials said. Incorporated in 1979, Creative Enterprises provides employment assistance as well as social and life skill education to individuals with developmental disabilities. The organization offers other educational programming, job placement assistance, community events and additional resources.

See NONPROFIT, Page 4

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2 | September 10, 2026 | Forsyth Herald | AppenMedia.com/Forsyth

PUBLIC SAFETY

Appen Media sues Georgia over media limits on executions By JOSHUA WILSON joshua@appenmedia.com

770-442-3278 AppenMedia.com 319 N. Main Street Alpharetta, GA 30009 HANS APPEN Publisher RAY APPEN Publisher Emeritus CONTACT NEWS TIPS Contact reporters directly or send story ideas to newsroom@appenmedia.com. LETTERS, EVENTS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS Send your letters, events and community news to newsroom@appenmedia.com. See appenmedia.com/submit for more guidance. ADVERTISING For information about advertising in the Forsyth Herald or other Appen Media properties, email advertising@appenmedia.com or call 770-442-3278. CIRCULATION To start, pause or stop delivery of this newspaper, email circulation@appenmedia.com or call 770-442-3278.

ALPHARETTA, Ga. — Appen Media Group, which publishes seven newspapers and operates numerous digital news properties in metro Atlanta, has sued the state of Georgia, arguing that rules set by corrections officials governing media access to executions violate the First Amendment. The family-owned media group is asking a federal court to intervene before the state’s next scheduled execution Sept. 16. The lawsuit, filed Sept. 2 in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Georgia, names Georgia Department of Corrections Commissioner Tyrone Oliver, Georgia Diagnostic and Classification Prison Warden Jason Beasley and state Attorney General Chris Carr as defendants. Each defendant was sued in their official capacity. The media group is represented by the ACLU Foundation of Georgia and Atlanta attorney Gerald Weber. Alongside the complaint, the media group filed a motion for a temporary restraining order and expedited preliminary injunction, asking the court to bar the state from carrying out its Sept. 16 execution of Stacey Ian Humphreys under the current media access rules unless officials first expand what media representatives are allowed to see and hear. The media group has covered the convicted double-murderer’s case since November 2003, when he shot and killed two female real estate agents at a Powder Springs business. Humphreys was convicted of malice murder, felony murder, aggravated assault, armed robbery and kidnapping with bodily injury in 2007. A jury

APPEN MEDIA GROUP/PROVIDED

Appen Media Group of Alpharetta, a family-owned publisher that owns seven newspapers and numerous digital news properties in metro Atlanta, has sued the state of Georgia. The company argues that rules set by corrections officials governing media access to executions violate the First Amendment.

unanimously recommended the death penalty, and he was sentenced to death that same year. The U.S. Supreme Court denied his final appeal in October 2025, and a stay of execution was lifted in March. The 53-year-old is scheduled to be executed by lethal injection Sept. 16. A hearing date on the temporary restraining order motion has not yet been set. The lawsuit challenges the state’s lethal injection procedures, which govern how executions are carried out at the Georgia Diagnostic and Classification Prison in Butts County. Under those procedures, the state Department of Corrections allows only five media representatives — one from the Associated Press, two from the Georgia Association of Broadcasters and two from the Georgia Press Association — to observe any part of an execution. The AP is a cooperative news agency with an Atlanta hub, while the broadcasters association is a membership organization for Georgiabased radio and TV news outlets. The press association is the same but for the state’s newspapers. During the execution process, the

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FORSYTH COUNTY, Ga. — Deputies investigated a reported burglary at a Preston Pointe Way apartment complex Aug. 17. The Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office said deputies were dispatched to the location about 12:45 p.m. A 35-year-old Cumming woman said a storage unit she rents from the complex was burglarized. The woman, who said she had not visited the unit in weeks, said the door was opened and items were stolen. She reported an electric scooter and dinosaur toys stolen. The items totaled a value of $350. She was unable to provide a serial number for the scooter. Deputies observed the unit’s door

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.

was off track and broken. The items inside appeared to have been rummaged through. No cameras were in the area. The incident was classified as a felony burglary.

Deputies arrest man in Canton shooting case FORSYTH COUNTY, Ga. — A 42-year-old Gainesville man was arrested Aug. 15 in connection with a Cherokee County shooting.

Transparency is not a favor the government grants the press — it is an essential safeguard of public accountability. HANS APPEN Publisher and CEO of Appen Media Group AP journalist and the four journalists from the two associations are required to relay what they witness to other news outlets waiting in a separate media staging area. According to the complaint, the state gives media no visual or auditory access at all to several steps that happen in the two hours before an execution, including delivery of the lethal injection drugs, equipment checks and preparation of the syringes. A single “media monitor” — who, the complaint says, is often someone with no prior experience witnessing an execution — is allowed to watch, without audio, as the condemned prisoner is secured to a gurney and connected to an IV line. The complaint calls that step “often the most fraught segment of an execution by lethal injection,” citing recent botched IV insertions during executions in Tennessee, Arizona, Idaho and Alabama. The complaint also mentions cases in Georgia where, during a 2001 and 2007 execution, officials struggled to establish IV access.

See SUIT, Page 12 The Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office said deputies were advised to look out for the man after receiving a bulletin from Cherokee County. Deputies waited for the man after learning his phone pinged in the area of Keith Bridge and Old Keith Bridge roads. They located the man in a white pickup truck and conducted a felony traffic stop with firearms drawn. The man was arrested after a domestic violence incident. During the incident, the man’s wife was shot in her torso, the Canton Police Department said. He was charged with three counts of aggravated assault, two counts of possession of a firearm in the commission of crime, false imprisonment and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

AppenMedia.com/Forsyth | Forsyth Herald | September 10, 2026 | 3

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4 | September 10, 2026 | Forsyth Herald | AppenMedia.com/Forsyth

COMMUNITY

Dunwoody man remembers his 9/11 escape 25 years later By HANNAH YAHNE hannah@appenmedia.com DUNWOODY, Ga. — When Anthony Yorio recounts his experience in the south tower of the World Trade Center complex in New York City on Sept. 11, 2001, he knows he is lucky to be alive. When the north tower was struck at 8:46 a.m., Yorio — who was then an employee at the Guy Carpenter risk and reinsurance firm — was on the phone while seated at his desk on the 54th floor of the south tower. He saw papers flying through the outside air and looked up to see the north tower burning from its 93rd floor. He thought “maybe a small plane or something” had crashed into the tower. Only a few people ran when they heard the “hollow boom” from the plane crash. They didn’t yet know that American Airlines Flight 11 — a Boeing 767200ER with 92 occupants, including five hijackers — had been deliberately flown into the skyscraper. Yorio stayed behind, answering phone calls from people asking if he and his colleagues were OK. Thinking the crash would prompt a building closure and he wouldn’t be back for days, he started making copies of his work.

While walking back from the copier, Yorio said he felt the south tower shake. He was tossed through the air, his ears filled with what he described as the “horrible grinding noise” of metal on metal. Pieces of the 110-story building, covered in flames, fell to the ground. “I’m like, ‘Oh, my God,’” Yorio said. “I waited. I shouldn’t have stayed.” The time was 9:03 a.m., and United Airlines Flight 175 — a Boeing 767200 with 65 occupants, including five hijackers — had just been flown into the building’s facade between floors 77 and 85. Yorio ran to the stairwell along with others from his floor. Despite the chaos, their evacuation, he said, was orderly and silent. “We just kept moving,” Yorio said. “I remember saying to myself, ‘Okay, we’re not going to start counting [down] until the 40th floor.’” It took about 30 minutes for him to escape the tower. He walked about five blocks to a church, where he called his family, and was huddled in the church’s kitchen with his fellow survivors, sipping soup and water, when the first tower fell.

See ESCAPE, Page 12

HANNAH YAHNE/APPEN MEDIA

Anthony Yorio survived the collapse of the World Trade Center’s south tower on Sept. 11, 2001. He holds a trifold brochure listing the names of more than 300 Guy Carpenter colleagues who died that day.

County graduates fifth annual citizens’ academy

Nonprofit:

By HANNAH YAHNE hannah@appenmedia.com

Continued from Page 1

FORSYTH COUNTY, Ga. — Forsyth County held a graduation ceremony for the fifth annual class of the Citizens’ Academy at the end of August, capping a summer that gave residents firsthand experiences inside local government. From May to August, 32 Forsyth County residents participated in the program, touring various facilities and speaking with county leaders about county-wide functions that help drive the community. Participants got to see how a local government functions and how they, as residents, can get involved in the community. Northside Hospital Forsyth President and CEO Lynn Jackson, Forsyth County Board of Commissioners Chairman Alfred John and Forsyth County Manager David McKee spoke at the graduation ceremony Aug. 26. Also at the event, Forsyth County announced its Student Government Academy that will provide similar experiences for selected high school juniors over eight classes scheduled from August into April 2027. “The continued success of our county is dependent upon residents taking a

The new site will allow Creative Enterprises to partner with Cummingbased nonprofit, Launch Ability. Creative Enterprises has other campuses in Dawson, Gwinnett, White, Franklin and Barrow counties. Commissioner Mendy Moore said she could immediately see the possibilities of the move after receiving a phone call asking whether she would support it. She said she recognizes the need for supporting residents with disabilities and envisions the new center as a way of meeting that need. “We have a great need in our community,” she said. “They need a home.”

FORSYTH COUNTY/PROVIDED

Participants of Forsyth County’s first Student Government Academy, an eight-month program for high school juniors to learn about how county government functions that was announced Aug. 26. vested interest in how their government works,” Forsyth County Manager David McKee said. “Our Citizens’ Academy and Student Government Academy participants are leading the charge in

helping Forsyth County remain a great place to live, work and play.” For more information on the academies, visit the communications page on www.forsythco.com.

SPORTS

AppenMedia.com/Forsyth | Forsyth Herald | September 10, 2026 | 5

Area lacrosse players headed to international play By ANNABELLE REITER annabelle@appenmedia.com MILTON, Ga. — In recent weeks, four area high school lacrosse players from Milton, West Forsyth and Wesleyan have been announced as members of a national team. Team USA’s U17 and U19 squads will be hosting Canada and the Haudenosaunee Nationals Sept. 25-27 at the USA Lacrosse headquarters in Sparks, Maryland, for the Brogden Cup. Several weeks later, the teams will compete again in Oshawa, Ontario, for the second annual Rivalry Challenge against Canada Oct. 9-11. The Brogden Cup originated in 1988, named after Olympic goalie Mac Brogden, a Johns Hopkins alumnus who represented Team USA in the 1932 Los Angeles Olympics. Lacrosse is set to return to the Olympics, and to Los Angeles 96 years later, and Team USA has recently selected their players. Only one college player is going to the Olympics, with the rest being professionals, but all the buzz in the media is making the Brogden Cup even more special this year. West Forsyth midfielder Luca Diehl is returning to the national team for the Brogden Cup after taking part in the U17 combine last year. As a member of the class

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West Forsyth midfielder Luca Diehl, right, drives on a defender at the Team USA U17 Combine earlier this summer.

of 2028, recruiting opened Sept. 1 at noon for coaches to contact her. Diehl is one of two five-star juniors on the Wolverines, and she could be shaping up to be the second Wolverine in three years to sign to play for Maryland. Two-time state champion with West Forsyth Avery Grace Jones is a freshman Terrapin this year.

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national team. Team USA has an automatic bid to the Olympics as the hosts, and the remaining five spots are up for grabs. Four of those teams will be determined next year at the 2027 World Sixes Championships. The 2026 African Sixes Lacrosse Championships will be hosted by South Africa in Johannesburg Dec. 1-4, where both men and women will play to decide which team will move on to the 2027 World Sixes Championships. Africa currently has 15 countries that are members of World Lacrosse, up 375% from when they joined Ghana, Kenya and Uganda in 2021 as the only members from the African continent. According to World Lacrosse documents on the Olympic qualification system, each continent is guaranteed one team in the Olympics, so the stakes couldn’t be higher come December. Milton boys’ head coach Tom Dell shared his pride upon finding out that two of his players would be representing their countries. “It’s huge for our program and for these young men,” he said. “It’s a cool thing [for our players to be] highlighted.” Milton High and Eagle Stix lacrosse continue to cement themselves as a nontraditional lacrosse area that can no longer be ignored. ATTENTION - Double check ad for ALL content. Phone, web, address, coupons, etc. Assume nothing Reply back that ad is approved once ALL ITEMS HAVE BEEN CHECKED FOR ACCURACY.

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Another athlete from the Eagle Stix club program, Wesleyan’s Savannah Higgins, will be playing in the Brogden Cup on the U19 battalion. Higgins is a senior committed to the University of Michigan. She is the only area player to make the U19 team, men’s or women’s, and is one of just two women from outside of the Northeast. Eagle Stix director Tim Godby is no stranger to sending players to top Division I programs or to international stages. “We’ve got girls from our program going to some of the best programs in the country in college every year,” Godby said. “It’s just great to see success that the girls have had [and for them] to have the chance to play at the next level in college and now at the USA level. It’s just pretty incredible to see girls from here, which is one of the nontraditional areas for lacrosse, producing talent every year.” Milton boys’ lacrosse is sending two players to the world stage. Cooper Schindler put up eight goals against a nationally ranked Roswell squad in the state championship, and the coaches at Team USA took notice ahead of the Brogden Cup. He is one of only two players on the U17 team who are from south of Maryland. Midfielder and faceoff specialist Andreas Roux will be joining the South African

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6 | September 10, 2026 | Forsyth Herald | AppenMedia.com/Forsyth

NEWS

Humane society clinic eases vet costs for Forsyth pets By JON WILCOX jon@apppenmedia.com FORSYTH COUNTY, Ga. — Sara Cayaffa used to schedule veterinarian appointments for her dog Angel as soon as she got paid. Like many Americans, money is often tight for the Dawson County woman, but one cost is nonnegotiable. “He’s No. 1,” said Cayaffa, who works for a carpet cleaning company. “He can take all of my money.” Thanks to an affordable pet clinic hosted by the Humane Society of Forsyth County, taking care of her dog is now easier. That’s important not only for Angel but also Cayaffa. “He’s just the sweetest,” she said. “I’ve had him since I was 11.” On Sept. 4, Angel — who is a mix between a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel and a Bichon Frise — received a microchip and flea medication. He was one of dozens of dogs and cats to file through the humane society’s small north Forsyth County office. The visits, handled by Dr. Sue Kascher, are prompt and professional. Jenny Belafi, director of animal services for the shelter, said treatments can cost about a quarter of what other veterinary clinics charge. The humane society keeps costs low by minimizing extras and breaking medication payments into installments rather than charging them all at once. “We can keep animals and people together by providing services so that they will never have to face the choice of having to give up their pets because they can’t afford something,” Belafi said. That approach serves two purposes: it reduces surrenders, preventing shelters from becoming overwhelmed, and it helps residents stay with their pets. About 30% of animals taken into shelters in the U.S. are the result of surrenders, according to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. Owners say affording pet food and veterinary services are among the top reasons for surrendering pets, an ASPCA study found. “Keeping pets and people together is the best thing not just for the animals but the emotional well-being of the owners,” she said. Now semi-retired, Kascher has been practicing veterinary medicine for about 30 years. She donates her time because she believes in the mission of the affordable clinic, Belafi said. Veterinary visits can be expensive partly because of the cost of professional education. Veterinary schools can cost more than $250,000, and vet salaries

A cat is treated during a veterinary visit at the Humane Society of Forsyth County Sept. 4.

JON WILCOX/APPEN MEDIA

Keeping pets and people together is the best thing not just for the animals but the emotional well-being of the owners.” JENNY BELAFI Director of animal services often lag far behind wages paid to other health care professionals. The most common treatments Kascher provides are simple but essential in maintaining pets’ health. They include treating ear infections, spaying and neutering, administering vaccines, and performing gland expressions, bladder stone removals and dental cleanings. “I am of retirement age, but we should be doing something we love,” Kascher said. “For me, it’s doing this. I fell in love with vet medicine.”

A dog is seen by veterinary staff at the Humane Society of Forsyth County Sept. 4.

AppenMedia.com/Forsyth | Forsyth Herald | September 10, 2026 | 7

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AppenMedia.com/Forsyth | Forsyth Herald | September 10, 2026 | 11

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Eaton Academy program helps students transition out of high school By DAN WHISENHUNT dan@appenmedia.com When Ally Arant, 19, finished high school, she wasn’t sure what she would do next. Arant has Prader-Willi syndrome, a rare genetic disorder that affects her ability to regulate hunger. She joined Eaton Academy’s College Foundations Program, a bridge program designed to give graduating high school students real-world experience before they move on to the next stage of their lives. The program meets four days a week and combines academics, career exploration and other handson learning. It helps students build confidence as they grow, and it teaches

job skills by placing them with for-profit and nonprofit organizations. While in the program, Arant volunteered at a food bank and a library and worked at a Burlington store. She dreams of becoming a teacher or a teacher’s aide. “With my syndrome that I was born with, it’s pretty hard to go out into the world to get my own job, and the bridge program, I loved,” Arant said. “I got to experience the work world and how real life is.” Her mother, Debbie Arant, said the family enjoyed the experience so much that Ally plans to return next summer to work directly with teachers and take college courses. Brian Uitvlugt, cofounder of Eaton Academy, said last year was the trial run of the College

Foundations Program, which was limited to four or five students. He expects that number to rise. “We want to have students in this program who have the ability at some level to go to college, but they need some more seasoning,” he said. The program’s focus is independent living. Every Thursday, students prepare simple, affordable meals while learning about food safety — skills they can take to college. Moneek Brown, program director, said the idea for College Foundations came from parents. “It stemmed from a need,” she said. “These students graduated from high school and were not quite ready for college, so what can we do while we’re

figuring that out?” Brown said the program is designed for students taking a gap year between high school and college. “We focus on independent living skills, budget skills, shopping — some things we should know as adults that need to be taught,” she said. Uitvlugt said the program isn’t just about preparing students for college. It’s about preparing them for life. “We want every student to leave our program believing they can navigate their future with confidence and independence,” he said. To learn more about the College Foundations Program, visit eatonacademy.org/post-secondary/ college-foundations-program.

12 | September 10, 2026 | Forsyth Herald | AppenMedia.com/Forsyth

Suit: Continued from Page 2 The lawsuit also says media witnesses are given no audio or visual access to the chemical room, where the lethal drugs are injected through tubing that runs through a wall into the execution chamber, and that a microphone in the execution chamber itself is turned on only for the prisoner’s final statement and the state’s official pronouncement of death. Appen Media Group argues the state has offered no justification for those restrictions, and they appear to exist to shield its own conduct from scrutiny. The group also says that the Georgia Department of Corrections has “unbridled discretion” to decide who can watch an execution and what they are allowed to see without any statute or written standard governing those decisions. The complaint seeks a court order declaring the state’s current media access scheme unconstitutional and requiring officials to give all five media representatives visual and auditory access to the preparatory steps, the IV insertion and the chemical room, including by remote camera or microphone if necessary.

The media group, founded in 1990, publishes the Alpharetta RoswellHerald, Dunwoody Crier, Sandy Springs Crier, Johns Creek Herald, Forsyth Herald, Milton Herald and Decaturish INK. It also operates the digital outlets appenmedia.com, decaturish.com and georgiapress. com. The company is a member of the Georgia Press Association. “The public shouldn’t have to take the government’s word for what happens behind prison walls during an execution,” said Hans Appen, publisher and CEO of Appen Media Group. “Furthermore, transparency is not a favor the government grants the press — it is an essential safeguard of public accountability. The case is about whether Georgians can trust that the government’s most consequential actions are being conducted openly and lawfully.” Cory Isaacson, legal director for ACLU of Georgia, said in a press release that the state “currently holds absolute power to hide key components of executions from the press and the public, and the Constitution doesn’t allow that.” “If the state can limit access whenever and however it wants, it can too easily hide mistakes or misconduct,” Isaacson continued. The execution lawsuit is the latest instance of the Alpharettabased media group pressing Georgia governments in court over public access to information. The company has been engaged in a separate, long-running Georgia Open Records Act lawsuit against the city of Sandy Springs since May 2023. After city officials declined to release full narrative reports from police officers on open investigations, the company sued the city. A Fulton County judge initially ruled for Sandy Springs, but the Georgia Court of Appeals reversed that decision in March 2025. The case is now back before the Fulton County Superior Court. In January, a superior court judge ordered Sandy Springs to produce documents it previously withheld from the media group.

Escape: Continued from Page 4 “All of a sudden, [I heard] this absolute roar,” Yorio said. “Some of the people inside [started] screaming. And then outside you could just see this brownish, gray dust just take over the whole road.” He thought the north tower, the first of the Twin Towers struck, had fallen — but it was the south tower, his workplace, that had collapsed. “Little did I know that if I had stayed there another 20 minutes, I’d be dead,” Yorio said. The south tower had burned for 56 minutes before falling. The north tower collapsed about 30 minutes later. Three other buildings fell, too, and other structures, streets and infrastructure were in disarray. The attacks, carried out by the terror group al-Qaida, resulted in 2,606 deaths at the World Trade Center complex and surrounding sites. Overall, 2,996 people — representing more than 90 countries — died during the attacks, which also included a plane striking the Pentagon and another hijacked plane, nearly recaptured by its passengers, crashing into a rural Pennsylvania field. The attacks would, in many ways, alter the course of world history, with the U.S. and its allies starting a global “war on terror,” which would eventually encompass military action in Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Pakistan, Yemen, Somalia and Libya. In 2011, U.S. military special operations forces killed the leader of al-Qaida and organizer of 9/11, Osama bin Laden. They would also change the trajectory of Yorio’s life. In the weeks and months after, he grieved. On the 25th anniversary of the event, he still does. The weeks after Yorio returned to work just a few days after the attacks, working from a space in the Rockefeller Center complex. As a reinsurer, he was busier than ever while handling claims related to 9/11.

“That’s all we were dealing with,” Yorio said. “And then, of course, you’d … be getting notices every day of someone’s remains being found and a service. We were constantly grieving.” He spoke to a psychiatrist to confront a haunting memory from that day. He saw two people fall to their deaths from the north tower before he evacuated from the south tower. At the sight of the first fall, he turned away to avoid seeing someone die. The second time, he watched the person fall. Yorio couldn’t understand why he watched such a terrible sight. The psychiatrist’s answer to this still makes him emotional a quartercentury later. “She said, ‘Well, as human beings, we don’t want people to die alone,’” Yorio recalled, tears filling his eyes. Still with him The events of the day are “always there,” Yorio said. Talking openly about them is still difficult. His company merged with another firm in 2009, and he moved to Dunwoody. He said his chest still tightens in a crowded stairwell. Yorio has a pamphlet from the memorial service that he attended for colleagues 17 days after the attacks. He also has a brochure, made on 9/11’s first anniversary, containing the names of more than 300 colleagues lost on that day. He said it’s still hard to comprehend what happened and why it happened. He does, however, remember what helped him stay alive, even as burning building components fell around him. “We survived that day by being united,” Yorio said, remembering his colleagues who helped him escape the doomed building and the strangers that helped him get home. “We were united, and I think that was important.” He said that, on the 25th anniversary, he’ll be thinking about the victims. “I think about the poor people that just had no chance,” Yorio said. “And I think I’m just very fortunate to be here. And, you know, you just do the best you can.”

DEATH NOTICES Linda Bagley, age 85, of Roswell, GA passed away on August 25, 2026. Arrangements by Northside Chapel Funeral Directors & Crematory.

Christopher Farnsworth, age 52, of Roswell, GA passed away on August 27, 2026. Arrangements by Northside Chapel Funeral Directors & Crematory.

Mary Dripps Johnson, age 90, of Alpharetta, GA passed away on August 20, 2026. Arrangements by Northside Chapel Funeral Directors & Crematory.

Bobbie Eddins, age 91, of Roswell, GA passed away on August 22, 2026. Arrangements by Northside Chapel Funeral Directors & Crematory.

John Hathorn, age 82, of Roswell, GA passed away on August 26, 2026. Arrangements by Northside Chapel Funeral Directors & Crematory.

Lawrence O’Brien, age 92, of Alpharetta, GA passed away on August 17, 2026. Arrangements by Northside Chapel Funeral Directors & Crematory.

Puzzles

7/17/25 Connect-it

PuzzleJunction.com

Connect-It

Each line in the puzzle below 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 5, 5 and 4 letters). The clues are numbered 1 through 7, with 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!

Forsyth Herald .....................September 10, 2026 | 13

Dunwoody Crier 7/17/25 Crossword

GROUPS OF THINGS 1. Royal flush card. Burglar. Group of birds. 2. Group of cattle. Passe. Dining room cabinet. 3. Texas shrine. Work group. Wax-covered cheese. 4. Sporting group. Kick out. Evening wear. 5. Stringed instrument. Education group. Football play. 6. Musical group. Big cat. Break in friendly relations. 7. Gung-ho. Western group. Envelope part. PuzzleJunction.com

2 3 4 5 6

/10/25 Sudoku7

Groups 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, andGroup so on. The letter is outlined, giving you the correct number of letters for each 1. Royal flush card. Burglar. of connecting birds. 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 3 answers on thepuzzle, line. Buteach here’s the catch! Thecabinet. clues are not in order - so the first clue in Line 1 may (or may not) actually 2. Group cattle. Passe. Dining room To the solve theofSudoku row, column and be the second or the thirdnumbers answer in1that line. Got it? Good luck! boxformust contain to 9.

3. Texas shrine. Work group. Wax-covered cheese. 4. Sporting group. Kick out. Evening wear.

2 9 6. Musical group. Big cat. Break in friendly relations. 2 5 8 7. Gung-ho. Western group. Envelope part. 3 8 2 1 4 5 4 9 1 6 5 3 4 8 9 8 3 How to Solve: Kakuro, also known as Cross Sums, is a challenging number puzzle, solved in a crossword style grid. 2 4 7 The rules are easy: A number above the diagonal line in a 5. Stringed instrument. Education group. Football play.

How to Solve: To solve the Sudoku puzzle, each row, column and box must contain the numbers 1 to 9.

Solution 7 1 5 3 6 4 2 8 9

4 3 6 8 2 9 5 7 1

8 2 9 7 1 5 3 6 4

2 5 4 6 8 3 1 9 7

9 6 3 5 7 1 4 2 8

1 8 7 9 4 2 6 5 3

black square is the sum of the white squares to the right of it. A number below the diagonal line is the sum of the white squares in the sequence below it. You may only use the digits 1 to 9, and a digit can only be used once in any sequence.

Across

1 CEO’s degree 4 Maid’s cloth 7 Figured out 10 Menu phrase 13 In poor health 14 Honest one 15 Hail, to Caesar 16 Bagel topper 17 Small bag 19 Crêpe 21 “Scram!” 22 Cigar residue 24 Haven 25 URL ender 27 Smells 30 Whip 32 Exposed 33 Harbor posting 36 Companion of Artemis 37 Decrees 39 Dated 41 Roll of bills 42 Grimm character 44 Decompose 45 Female rabbit 46 Car nut 47 Kind of spray 49 Lock horns 51 Easy chair site 53 Exceedingly 54 Marsh growth 55 Quartz variety 57 ___ judicata 58 Hiker’s path 61 Sweet drink 63 Present mo. 67 Unfortunate 70 Hotel offering 72 Helm heading 73 Sgt.’s address 74 Nonexistent

PuzzleJunction.com 2

13 17

29 33

37 42

47 52 55

6 4 1 2 9 7 8 3 5

5 7 8 1 3 6 9 4 2

61 68

Dunwoody Crier 7/17/25 Crossword

PuzzleJunction.com

75 See 30 Down 76 Combine 77 Mother’s Day month 78 Money dispenser 79 Lamb’s mother Down 1 Overlook 2 Lackluster 3 Kind of sax 4 “Go, team!” 5 Crosswise, on deck 6 Salon supply 7 Breach 8 Egg cells 9 Pavarotti, e.g. 10 Woeful word

11 Norse god of discord 12 Lumberjacks’ tools 18 Winter warmer 20 Detective’s assignment 23 Pueblo dweller 26 Utah town 28 ___ beloved 29 Savvy about 30 Deception 31 Pigeon’s perch 32 Printer type 34 Sidestep 35 Vocally 36 Mouse catcher 38 Rubberneck 40 Irish Sea feeder

75 See 30 Down 76 Combine 77 Mother’s Day month 78 Money dispenser 79 Lamb’s mother

Down

1 Overlook 2 Lackluster 3 Kind of sax 4 “Go, team!” 5 Crosswise, on deck 6 Salon supply 7 Breach 8 Egg cells 9 Pavarotti, e.g. 10 Woeful word

43 Kind of lamp 48 Atlas stat 50 Pine product 52 Hammer’s target 56 Twinkle 57 Invoice word 58 Not us 59 Indian princess 60 Mountaintop 62 Comedian Carvey 64 Riviera city 65 Pack away 66 Daly of Judging Amy 68 Jacuzzi 69 ___ sauce 71 Freddy Krueger’s street

Solution on next page

See puzzle solutions on Page 15

Is Your Company Hiring? Solution on next page

3 9 2 4 5 8 7 1 6

10 16

19 22

Submit your opening at appenmedia.com/hire

14 | September 10, 2026 | Forsyth Herald | AppenMedia.com/Forsyth

Part-time

Full-time Landis+Gyr Technology Inc. Product Manager Alpharetta, GA Responsibilities: Lead complete product lifecycle of energy management products and solutions, including authoring Product Requirement Documents (PRDs), prioritizing sustainment activities, & managing investment plan & New Product Introduction (NPI) process for assigned products. Work closely with clients and apply functional and technical knowledge of energy management products to ensure work product & deliverables meet customer satisfaction. Salary: $100,000 - $115,500 Requirements: Bachelor’s in Comp Sci, Engg, or related field & 2 yrs of exp product management. Exp must include 2 yrs each of following: market research to address market/business needs for a product; data analysis to identify opportunities & efficiencies & measure critical metrics for a product line; gathering, synthesizing, & translating customer requirements into technical & functional product requirements & specifications; collaborating with marketing, sales, manufacturing, & engineering functions in the development and launch of new products; developing/specifying requirements for Edge computing & IoT computing technologies; & NPI (new product introduction). Experience may be gained concurrently. To apply, please send resume via email to Portia. Ehoussou@landisgyr.com or mail to Landis + Gyr Technology, Inc., c/o Portia Ehoussou, HR, 30000 Mill Creek Ave, Suite 100, Alpharetta, GA 30022. Please reference job title (Product Manager). Director of Field Operations (Alpharetta, GA) Oversee superintendents & sr field leaders, establish & enforce company-wide field operating standards, & ensure consistent execution of safety, qlty, productivity, professionalism, & collaboration across all divisions. 50% trvl req to worksites throughout Georgia. Reqs: 5 yrs of exp in the job offered or Field Coordinator or closely rltd pos. Concurrent exp must incl 5 yrs of exp w/ construction safety compliance & audits, Construction mgmt s/w (Procore & Autodesk) & Safety mgmt sys (Hammertech, Go Contractor). Must have OSHA 510 trng certificate. Mail resumes to: KC Painting & Coatings, LLC, Daly Martinez, 345 Branch Drive, Alpharetta, GA 30004

Sawnee EMC is seeking a General Clerk III – Customer Service to assist in a high-volume call center. Requires high school diploma or state approved High School Equivalency (HSE), computer, communication, and general office skills. Requires one (1) year experience in a customer service call center or service-type organization, utility, finance, banking, or equivalent industry. Bilingual is preferred, fluent in English and Spanish (written and verbal).

Sawnee EMC is seeking a PC Technician to review PC and network system capabilities; inspect personal computer equipment; prioritize and schedule repairs; and coordinate help desk activities. Requires an associate degree with a minimum of three years of experience in LAN/Network design, configuration, installation, and PC troubleshooting. Position is full-time; must be flexible to work irregular hours as necessary, to include evenings and weekends.

Position is full-time; must be flexible to work irregular hours, to include evenings, weekends and holidays.

Must have a thorough working knowledge of administering and maintaining the latest version of Windows Operating Systems; MS Office products; Office 365; internet configuration and technologies. Must have strong verbal documentation and customer service skills. Strong abilities performing monitoring, testing, troubleshooting, maintenance, and administration of WAN/LAN infrastructure, SCCM, Power Shell, iPhone, iPad, Airwatch, MDT, Intune and KMS.

Applicants must complete an application prior to 5PM, September 18, 2026. Apply online: www.sawnee.coop/careers. If you require a paper application or an alternate format, please contact us at 770-887-2363, extension 7568. 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. Arxada, LLC seeks Planning Manager – Supply Chain in Alpharetta, GA (Full-time telework permitted) to analyze & coordinate the ongoing logistical functions. Salary within the range of $146,827 to $184,000 per year. 10%-30% travel within North America required. Send resume to terence.oconnor@arxada.com (Alpharetta, GA) ANDRITZ, Inc. seeks Project Engineer responsible for supporting Project Management in engineering activities, equipment specifications, and bid evaluations. Requires Bachelor degree in Mechanical Engineering or related field & (5) five years of experience in boiler project engineering and/ or related field. Travel to North American project client sites 15-20% of time. Submit resumes to Suzanne. Fulton@andritz.com. Reference job title in subject line.

Applicants must complete an application prior to 5 PM, September 11, 2026. Apply online: www.sawnee.coop/careers. If you require a paper application or an alternate format, please contact us at 770-887-2363 extension 7568. 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.

CERTIFIED PERSONAL TRAINER WANTED Established Milton/Alpharetta exercise studio specializing in SuperSlow training, serving mature clientele. Exhibit enthusiasm for teaching and coaching. All sessions are by appointment. Friendly, professional team environment. Onboarding provided. Luis 404-545-1443.

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AppenMedia.com/Forsyth | Forsyth Herald | September 10, 2026 | 15

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Solution

Connect-It Solution

SOLUTIONS

A L A G O T R A G M B A L O X A V E A B E I L L P A N C A K E S A T C H E L O A S I S A S H S H O O O D O R S C O M E D A O P E N F L O G O L D F I A T S O R E A D D O E R O T E L F W A D A R G U E N A S A L L U G R E E D V E R Y D E N R E S A G A T E I N S T A D E T R A I L A M E N I T Y H A P L E S S C O N N I L A P O E N E E W E A T M M A Y M I X

6 8 9 3 2

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7 F L A P O S S E A G E R

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16 | September 10, 2026 | Forsyth Herald | AppenMedia.com/Forsyth

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