Johns Creek Herald - July 30, 2026

Johns Creek finds Clean Eatz

JON WILCOX/APPEN MEDIA

Yao Peng, center, stands with her daughter Pepper, left and an employee Allison, right, at Clean Eatz in Johns Creek.

Read the story on Page 8

Johns Creek could enhance The Boardwalk with land purchase

By JON WILCOX

jon@appenmedia.com

JOHNS CREEK, Ga. — A lakefront office

could help Johns Creek activate The Boardwalk, which is emerging as a popular gathering and recreation space.

The city has entered a due diligence period for the 5.86-acre property at 11555 Medlock Bridge Road, which hosts

a two-story office building on a lake opposite City Hall. The city council approved its purchase for $8.58 million. City leaders are considering the site as a way of improving the experience of visitors to The Boardwalk, with amenities such as parking and bathrooms or businesses like a restaurant, venue or rooftop bar.

Opened in May, The Boardwalk is an

event space and outdoor recreation area just behind City Hall, 11360 Lakefield Drive. With advanced sound equipment and performance areas, the area is wellsuited to host events, including the city’s America 250 Independence Day celebration, which attracted about 15,000 visitors.

See PURCHASE, Page 19

Tax digest delay puts Fulton County finances at risk

By HANNAH YAHNE & ERLANDRYA RUTLEDGE hannah@appenmedia.com erlandrya@appenmedia.com

FULTON COUNTY, Ga. — Fulton County needs a Superior Court judge’s permission to begin collecting 2026 property taxes after delays finishing this year’s tax digest. Without that approval, the county risks missing debt payments and being unable to pay employees, while cities and the school system risk losing out on tax revenue and the ability to make their own financial decisions.

The county’s Board of Commissioners approved a petition seeking a court order July 15. If a judge agrees, the county will remain on track to bill property owners by Aug. 15 with a payment due date of Oct. 15. However, property owners would be taxed at the 2025 millage rate.

Chief Financial Officer Sharon Whitmore said her office was hoping to propose this year’s millage rate and begin the subsequent public hearing process, but a backlog of 292 unprocessed land packages has resulted in an unfinished tax digest. Those packages represent about 1,000 land parcels, many of which are not residential, according to Commissioner Dana Barrett. Commissioner Bridget Thorne said the delay is happening because only one employee has been using Esri, the county’s geographic information system. That system integrates maps and records

See FULTON, Page 18

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Grandmother charged in toddler’s Roswell pool drowning

By ATLANTA NEWS FIRST

ATLANTA, Ga. — The grandmother of a 2-year-old boy who drowned at a Roswell apartment complex in June has been charged in his death, according to arrest warrants.

Emelisa Paz-Santos was booked July 15 in the Fulton County Jail on felony second-degree cruelty to children and misdemeanor involuntary manslaughter charges in the death of her grandson Axel Delgado.

She also has a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement hold, jail records show.

On the night of June 21, Roswell police responded to The Lake House at Martin’s Landing after reports of a young child drowning at the clubhouse pool.

There, first responders provided aid to the child, who died the next day at a hospital Investigators determined Paz-Santos was in charge of supervising Delgado at the pool, but she “failed to provide adequate supervision” for “an extended period of time,” according to the arrest warrants.

Appen Media partner Atlanta News First provided this story.

POLICE BLOTTER

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.

Man charged with DUI after crash into Roswell shop

ROSWELL, Ga. — Roswell police charged an Alpharetta man with driving under the influence after his car crashed into a bottle shop on Houze Road July 14. When given a breathalyzer test, police reported the man had a breath alcohol concentration of .277 and was unable to complete field sobriety evaluations.

Police arrived after 7 p.m. to find a Nissan Rogue embedded in the front doors and windows of the store. According to bystanders, the car reversed in the parking lot and backed into a light pole

Roswell police responded to The Lake House at Martin’s Landing June 21 after reports of a child drowning at the clubhouse pool.

before accelerating rapidly into the front of the building. The 59-year-old suspected driver was in the bathroom when police arrived.

While interacting with police, police said the man had droopy eyelids, a staggering walk and the odor of alcohol on his breath. When asked about the crash, the man admitted he “had too much to drink” and said the crash was caused by a vehicle malfunction.

The man said he drank alcohol early that morning but could not remember how much. He consented to field sobriety exams but allegedly struggled to balance and follow instructions.

Officers arrested the driver and charged him with driving under the influence and reckless driving. They transported him to a hospital to be treated for injuries sustained during the collision, drew his blood for state-administered chemical testing and booked him into Cherokee County Jail.

— Hannah Yahne

Erratic driver strikes mailbox, flees street

ROSWELL, Ga. — A driver knocked down a mailbox in a neighborhood on Old Oak Trace the evening of July 14 after residents observed a car speeding and moving erratically.

Before 10 p.m., a resident saw a sedan parked in the cul-de-sac before it accelerated suddenly, jumping the curb before briefly stopping in front of his house. The vehicle struck a mailbox as it sped away.

When a Roswell officer arrived, residents said an unknown vehicle had been driving erratically through the neighborhood and had nearly struck several parked vehicles.

None of the residents had surveillance footage that captured a clear description of the suspect’s vehicle or license plate.

— Hannah Yahne

Black bear necessities: What to know as sightings rise

By JOSHUA WILSON joshua@appenmedia.com

ATLANTA — A black bear might be a scary sight, but officials say the animal would rather avoid you than confront you.

Recent local news reports have noted bear sightings in Sandy Springs and Smyrna neighborhoods, a natural occurrence in the summer months for bears wanting to establish habitats, find food or even locate a mate. The animals, according to the North American Bear Center, are timid and will often run away when they encounter humans. A fact sheet from the Georgia Department of Natural Resources notes there are no recorded bear attacks on humans in the state’s history and only two documented fatal attacks in the Southeast.

Black bears were once common in the Peach State, according to the fact sheet, but have been reduced in population by habitat loss, unrestricted hunting and overall degradation of habitat due to human development. There are now about 5,100 black bears throughout the state.

The animals can still be a nuisance, officials note, and game management offices receive numerous calls about them every year. Instead of immediately capturing and relocating bears, staffers evaluate “why the bear is causing problems,” according to the fact sheet.

“Most problems can be resolved through simple actions such as taking down bird feeders, taking in pet food, or storing garbage in an area unavailable to bears like a garage,” the fact sheet notes. “Removing

DRIVEWAYS & CONCRETE

MICHAEL ANFANG/UNSPLASH

A black bear rests in a wooded area in an undated photo. Sightings of the animals have increased recently in metro Atlanta.

or making attractants unavailable to bears is a critical step in resolving bear/human conflicts. It is equally important for people to be patient. It may take several days for the bear to learn that it is no longer going to be provided with a free meal.

”Campers and those enjoying Georgia’s ample outdoor offerings are also urged to avoid providing easy food offerings for black bears.

“When camping or hiking, store food items in a vehicle or hoist food packs into the air away from the trunks or trees,” the fact sheet advises.

After losing their meal ticket, bears will “simply move on” to “a more traditional range,” officials say, but it might be necessary to install an electrical fence if beehives or gardens are involved.

Game management staffers consider capture and relocation a last resort, only warranted if a bear persists in being a nuisance and warrants a safety threat. Disturbing bears could disorient them, experts warn, ultimately causing them to wander onto roadways and be killed by passing traffic.

So, what should you do if you see a black bear in the wild? Biologist Lynn Rogers, who founded the North American Bear Center, says to “enjoy it” and observe the bear from a safe distance. It will move on, she writes in a blog post. However, if it lingers past your comfort, you can make the bear run away by waving and announcing your presence. The animals tend to “run first and ask questions later,” she adds.

“Most attacks by black bears are defensive reactions to a person who is too close, which is an easy situation to avoid,” Rogers notes.

The biologist says a small can of pepper spray is “a good way to feel self-confident around black bears.” The spray will not hurt the bear but will prompt it to leave the area. Throwing stones at the bear can also scare it away, she mentions.

“Black bears have killed 61 people across North America since 1900,” she says in the post. “This no longer worries me. My chances of being killed by a domestic dog, bees, or lightning are vastly greater.”

DRIVEWAYS

World Cup: MARTA logs 4.7M rail trips, no major crimes

By HANNAH YAHNE hannah@appenmedia.com

ATLANTA, Ga. — Across 35 days of World Cup matches, fan festivals, concerts and other associated events, the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority provided around 4.7 million rail passenger trips.

“Team MARTA showed up and showed out during the World Cup tournament, providing frequent service, ensuring the system was secure and riders were safe,” Jonathan Hunt, MARTA interim general manager and CEO, said.

On match days, MARTA experienced approximately 2 to 3.5 times its normal daily rail ridership, generating an average of nearly 130,000 additional rail passenger trips each day. Fan festivalonly days generated an average of 37,000 additional rail passenger trips per day, resulting in daily rail ridership approximately 1 to 2 times the normal ridership.

Hundreds of MARTA transit ambassadors worked alongside 100 multilin-

gual FIFA volunteers throughout the tournament to help visitors navigate the public transportation system and downtown Atlanta.

MARTA police officers, along with law enforcement from other local jurisdictions and Denver transit, patrolled trains, buses and their stations, in addition to staffing response teams in case of emergencies. A press release from MARTA said these efforts resulted in no major crimes reported and the apprehension of three suspects wanted for previous violent incidents.

Hunt thanked law enforcement officers, frontline staff and transit ambassadors for their dedicated work and applauded MARTA passengers for their ridership.

“Whether you were headed to a match, fan festival, watch party or one of the many celebrations, concerts and events around our region or to work, to run errands, or to a holiday get together, thank you for trusting us and for riding with us during this historic summer,” Hunt said.

Roswell teacher shapes wood, music and lives

By STANLEY LEARY newsroom@appenmedia.com

ROSWELL, Ga. — Erik Herndon describes his longtime friend and bandmate Seth Gamba, an orchestra director who teaches elementary and middle school students in Roswell, as a man without limits.

“I don’t think there’s anything Seth can’t do,” Herndon said.

“I’m not joking. He’s brilliant. I think we used to use the term like Renaissance man,” Herndon added. “I know that’s getting harder to do in today’s world because there’s so much out there to learn and do. But this guy, I’ve seen him; he made me a guitar pedal from scratch, engineered it, soldered it, did the circuitry.”

Herndon said Gamba wired up a recording studio himself, teaching himself to be a studio engineer and mastering the software along the way.

He’s watched Gamba pick up nearly any instrument and play it at a high level.

Seth Gamba is a professional bass player who specializes in string education, a background that puts him in daily contact with students learning to play their first instrument, even as he continues to perform at a high level himself.

That range shows up just as clearly in Gamba’s woodworking. Working out of his home shop, Gamba hand-turns bowls and vessels almost entirely from wood sourced within walking distance of his front door.

“I usually play up the local angle,” Gamba said of how he describes the work to customers.

The majority of the wood he uses — about 85% — comes from the street where he lives, pulled from tree services removing trees from neighbors’ yards or his own. He estimates he’s found wood from close to half the yards on his street.

What draws him to wood turning, he

said, is that it’s a tree-to-finished process — he doesn’t buy pre-cut lumber from a home improvement store. He cuts the log himself and carries it through to a finished piece someone can use, enjoy, or pass down as an heirloom.

Gamba brings that same hands-on instinct to his own playing. He composes original music, which he posts on gambamusic.com, and recently helped form a blues band, where he plays upright bass and electric violin. The group’s first performance is set for August.

Music has connected Gamba to a tight circle of fellow teacher-musicians for two decades. Herndon, also an orchestra director, met Gamba around 2005 through a shared mentor teacher.

“That lady kept telling me, ‘Oh, you should meet Seth. You guys would hit it off,’” Herndon said.

The two hit it off immediately and began making music together, eventually forming a group called The Expats that ran nearly nine years before the pandemic ended it, followed by a five-year run with a group called the Vesna Quartet.

Today Gamba plays in a newer project alongside Herndon and Jay Champion, who teaches chorus and music technology at Lost Mountain Middle School in Kennesaw. Champion said he’s known Gamba for more than a decade through the music educators’ community, largely through Champion’s wife, who also teaches orchestra.

“This is certainly the most I’ve gotten to know him,” Champion said of playing alongside Gamba. “It’s a real pleasure to get to make music with him and get to know him as a musician and share this experience.”

For Champion, playing outside the classroom isn’t a side hobby — it’s part of what makes him a better teacher.

“Music teachers have to keep themselves musically centered. I can’t let middle school choral music be the only music in my life,” he said. He’s sung in choirs and played piano at his church since he was 15.

Herndon sees the same pattern in his own career. He said many musicians end up teaching to piece together a living, and many fall in love with it — but the two feed each other.

“I teach music, and therefore the music that I get to play enhances my teaching and vice versa,” he said. Before returning to the classroom, he worked as a professional musician full-time — and, in his words, was poor and without insurance.

Beyond the music and the woodworking, Herndon points to something simpler about his friend.

“He’s got a good moral and ethical compass. I don’t know, I don’t see that in everybody. But I know that this guy shoots straight,” Herndon said.

It’s that combination — a professional bassist who teaches strings, builds guitar pedals from scratch, turns bowls from his neighbors’ fallen trees, and still finds time to help launch a new band — that keeps drawing comparisons to a bygone kind of craftsman. Whether at a lathe or with an instrument in hand, Gamba’s work follows the same instinct: take something raw and carry it all the way through to something finished.

Tune-Up Projects

Kitchen Tune-Up

Paint Cabinets

New Countertops, Sink & Faucet

New Backsplash

Cut Down 2-level Island

Bathroom Tune-Up

New Countertops, Sink & Faucet

Enlarge Shower Shower Glass Shower Safety Full Remodel

Kitchen Remodel

Total Cabinet Replacement

Large Island

Optimize Cabinet / Appliance Locations

Open Concept –Move Walls

9-5 Mon-Fri • 10-4 Sat

Showroom – Design Center 10591 Old Alabama Rd. Connector Alpharetta, GA 30022 (near Northpoint Mall)

Projects

Bathroom Remodel

New Larger Shower

Vanity Replacement –Cabs, Counter, Sink

Free Standing Tub

Floor Tile, Wall Tile

Plumbing Fixtures

Networking helps Clean Eatz find its customers

By JON WILCOX jon@appenmedia.com

JOHNS CREEK, Ga. — The principle that guides Yao Peng’s Clean Eatz franchise is one she learned during her own weight loss journey.

“Eating healthy is easy,” said the Johns Creek business owner. “You just have to choose the right options.”

Since September 2024, the restaurant at 3630 Peachtree Parkway has served freshly made and boxed meals designed to satisfy taste buds and bodies with quality ingredients and clever recipes. The meals are as healthy as they are delicious, featuring labeling that informs exactly how many calories and macronutrients they contain.

Despite all that Clean Eatz has to offer, Peng said finding success has been a battle — but it is one she is pleased to say the business is winning.

“It was a struggle trying to figure out how to get the word out,” Peng said.

Peng, a Johns Creek mother and former senior human resources technology consultant, said she began considering entering the restaurant business after moving to Georgia in 2017.

After quitting her job with Union Pacific Railroad Co., she researched franchises before finally settling on Clean Eatz, which has dozens of locations across the country.

The franchise’s mission of providing healthy yet tasty food resonated with her own experience. In her 20s, Peng decided to get healthy one day after realizing she was struggling with walking up a small hill.

“I just didn’t feel good. I was very overweight. I was like size 14,” she said. “I decided I’m tired of being out of shape.”

Now a runner, Peng said she attributes her weight loss primarily to diet, which experts often describe as the primary driver in managing weight.

Looking back on that time, Peng said she recalls the biggest mental hurdle was renegotiating her relationship with food. Growing up in a household that viewed eating as a sign of well-being, Peng said she struggled at first with figuring out what to eat.

“Food was always the hardest thing in my life, even when I was a kid,” she said. “It’s just choices — like if I don’t have very good, healthy choices around me, I’m just not healthy.”

One of Clean Eatz’s greatest strengths is that it takes the guesswork out of a diet, she said. Each meal is

made with a sensible amount of calories and offers a balance of protein, carbohydrates and fat. The result is meals designed to make eaters feel good.

The meals also go against another diet myth. Many are surprised to learn healthy food can taste good, she said.

With hundreds of meals on the menu, customers can enjoy different foods each week as the restaurant rotates its offerings. Favorites include wraps, bowls and other items, with a variety of lean proteins — from chicken to bison to fish.

When the eatery attracted only a trickle of customers soon after opening, Peng said she knew she could do better. She attributed the restaurant’s early struggles with the simple reality of operating in Johns Creek.

With restaurants and cafes on every corner, not enough residents knew what Clean Eatz could do for them.

Everything changed after Peng decided to seek out some help from the Johns Creek Chamber of Commerce.

Richard Brooks, chamber management consultant, said he agrees that the city’s abundance of competition can pose a daunting environment for new restaurants.

After sitting down with Yao and analyzing her operations, the chamber made a plan to expand her visibility.

They introduced her to local business leaders, who agreed to partner with her. Contact lens manufacturer Alcon and medical device maker Boston Scientific offered her meals at events. Emory Johns Creek Hospital began offering Clean Eatz meals in their cafeteria.

The chamber itself began serving her food at some events and hosting socials at her location.

A recent after-hours networking social was held at Clean Eatz, introducing about 50 members to her menu.

Networking opportunities like those can be huge, Brooks said.

“It’s still about who you know a lot of the time,” he said. “Having someone open the door for you and make that warm introduction can make all the difference.”

Brooks added the assistance from the chamber is hardly unique to Clean Eatz. The organization strives to promote members’ businesses, allowing them to “connect, grow and thrive,” Brooks said.

“We do whatever we can to help people,” he said.

See EATZ, Page 9

Eatz:

Continued from Page 8

With word spreading, Peng’s Clean Eatz location is gaining a foothold in the community.

The restaurant now fills between 50 to 100 tickets each day, including many diehard converts who source a majority of their meals from Clean Eatz.

That’s easier than many think with the restaurant’s affordably priced bulk purchase rates, she said.

Recently, a woman reported losing about 100 pounds while eating a diet that included a healthy amount of the meals, Peng said.

“She looks absolutely fantastic,” she said.

The restaurant also has become a favorite among Johns Creek police officers, many of whom rely on the nutrient-balanced meals as a mainstay for their weightlifting programs.

“We have a lot of customers from Johns Creek Police Department,” Peng said with a smile. “It's like our free security.”

Those successes have led Peng to see her business has a future in the city.

“I’m optimistic," she said.

Business association donates $10K for Cauley Creek daffodils

The Atlanta Retailers Association and Platinum Business Alliance recently donated $10,000 to Johns Creek Beautification for a project to plant thousands of daffodil bulbs at Cauley Creek Park.

Johns Creek Beautification officials were presented the check during the July 25 opening ceremony of the first cricket tournament sponsored by the business group. The tournament featured men’s and women’s cricket teams.

The donation will fund the purchase and planting of thousands of daffodil bulbs as part of Johns Creek Beautification’s Dig Day planting initiative scheduled for Oct. 10. During the event, volunteers from throughout the community will come together to plant bulbs along the park’s landscape, creating a vibrant spring display for residents and visitors to enjoy for years to come.

“Atlanta Retailers Association and Platinum Business Alliance is proud to support Johns Creek Beautification and its efforts to enhance one of our community’s most treasured public spaces,” said an Atlanta Retailers Association representative. “The Dig Day is a wonderful example of how businesses, volunteers and community organizations can work together to create a lasting impact.”

Beautification officials expressed their appreciation for the generous contribution, noting that the support will help make the

large-scale daffodil planting effort possible.

“The partnership with Atlanta Retailers Association/Platinum Business Alliance demonstrates the power of community collaboration,” said a Johns Creek Beautification representative. “This donation will help transform Cauley Creek Park and create a beautiful legacy for future generations.”

The cricket tournament brought together athletes, families and community members while highlighting the association’s commitment to supporting local initiatives. The combination of the sporting event and charitable presentation showcased the important

role businesses can play in strengthening community connections, representatives said.

Dig Day will continue Johns Creek Beautification’s mission of enhancing parks, green spaces and public areas through volunteer-driven projects and partnerships. The group, led by volunteers, is a nonprofit dedicated to bringing people together through landscaping and public works of art. Volunteers wishing to help plant bulbs on Oct. 10 should visit johnscreekbeautification.org.

— Jon Wilcox

August 4

August 6

Public

August 7

August 10

City

City

August 13

Arts, Cultural, & Entertainment Committee

Hall - 7:30 p.m.

August 18

Board of Zoning Appeals

Hall - 7 p.m.

August 19

Recreation & Parks Advisory Committee

Hall - 7 p.m.

August 21

Adaptive Recreation Dance Night

August

‘This

Story Might Save Your Life’ author to speak at Roswell library

By KATHY DES JARDINS CIOFFI newsroom@appenmedia.com

It’s not often that a debut author’s freshman effort garners over 140,000 Good Reads reviews in just four months. But Tiffany Crum’s “This Story Might Save Your Life” has done exactly that.

Atlanta Authors will spotlight Crum detailing her book and whirlwind publishing journey Aug. 15 at 2 p.m. at the Roswell Library, 115 Norcross St., Roswell. Ahead of that conversation with local author Carlie Walker, Crum answered a few questions.

Q: You were raised on a dairy farm near which maximum-security prison?

A: I grew up in Chino, Calif., just down the road from the California Institution for Men. Other than the prison, we had very few neighbors, just thousands of cows and a billion flies.

Q: When did you move to Metro Atlanta?

A: My husband and I moved here in 2021 after spending almost two decades in Los Angeles, where I had a variety of jobs over the years, including working as an executive assistant and later doing bookkeeping for my husband’s production company.

Q: When did you decide to become an author?

A: Writing wasn’t something I stumbled into overnight. It was a long process of learning the craft, writing multiple manuscripts, and figuring out what kind of stories I wanted to tell before I finally wrote the book that sold. I’ve wanted to be a novelist for a long time. I decided to seriously pursue writing when my son was born, and he’s 19 now, so this has definitely been a long journey.

Q: What proved instrumental in getting published?

A. I earned an MFA in creative writing and spent years writing literary fiction before realizing my heart was really in mystery and suspense. Like many authors, I wrote several novels before writing the one that found a publisher. The previous manuscripts will never see the light of day, but that’s OK. I’ve thanked them for making me a better writer and moved on.

Q: Was the novel penned in Atlanta?

A: Yes, I wrote “This Story Might Save Your Life” after moving to Georgia.

Q: Can you sum up the accolades and honors your book has so far amassed?

A: The response has been far beyond anything I imagined. “This Story Might Save Your Life” debuted as a New York Times bestseller and has since been named

one of the best books of the year by Amazon, Indigo and Spotify. It was also a Book of the Month Main Selection, a LibraryReads pick, and a BBC Radio 2 Book Club selection, and it’s being translated into 23 languages.

Q. Touch on yet another development, the TV adaptation.

A. We’re still very early in the TV process, and anyone who’s spent time around Hollywood knows there’s a long and unpredictable road between an option and seeing something on screen, but I’m crossing my fingers.

Q. What has most surprised you since the novel’s March release?

A. I hoped people would find the book, but I never imagined how many would have read it by this point. That’s been the biggest surprise. Hearing from readers around the world and realizing the story has reached far more people in just four months than I could’ve ever dreamed, has been incredibly surreal. I’m immensely grateful.

Q: Have you and your presentation partner, Carlie Walker, collaborated previously?

A: Carlie and I actually just met at the last event we did together, but I’m already a fan. One of my favorite parts of becoming an author has been getting to know other writers, especially here in Georgia. Writing is such a solitary job, so it’s always a treat to spend an afternoon talking books with someone who truly understands the ups and downs of this business.

Q: What are you planning for Atlanta Authors?

A: Attendees can expect a fun, relaxed conversation about writing and publishing, along with plenty of time for audience questions. I hope readers come for the mystery but stay for the friendship.

Q: What’s next for you?

A: I’m currently writing my second novel, which has also been picked up by Flatiron.

There is no charge to attend Crum’s Atlanta Authors event, but registration is required at eventbrite.com/e/ atlanta-authors-presents-tiffany-crumtickets-1989374592960.

For more information, go to AtlantaAuthorsGa.com.

Sandy Springs teen assists at coin toss of FIFA World Cup

By ANNABELLE REITER annabelle@appenmedia.com

ATLANTA — Riverwood High student

Nicholas Nackley got an experience of a lifetime. He served as a coin-toss assistant on June 18 for the South Africa versus Czechia World Cup match.

Nackley’s mom, Janey Riley, watching at home, received a flurry of messages from friends and one of her son’s teachers, who were in the stadium for the match and saw him on the Jumbotron.

Coca-Cola sponsored Special Olympics to send one athlete to be a coin-toss assistant at Atlanta Stadium, more commonly known as Mercedes-Benz. Nackley’s adaptive physical education teacher, Jason Russo, accompanied him to the game.

Russo, who has been with Fulton County Schools for eight years, also teaches at Lake Forest and Heards Ferry Elementary Schools and serves as an assistant baseball coach for Riverwood.

In Russo’s class, students participate in different games and exercises to stay active. Among the most popular are bowling and track and field. Students also play tennis, Unified Basketball and Wiffle ball.

Russo has worked with Nackley over the years both in school and as a

coordinator for Special Olympics. Russo brings a team of students from Fulton County to the yearly Special Olympics Georgia games at Emory University to compete in track and field.

Nackley was selected for the coin-toss ceremony because, as Russo put it, “fear is not in his vocabulary.” Even in front of tens of thousands of fans, Nackley relied on his experience acting in school plays at Riverwood to channel an inner calm.

After working together every day for the last four years, Russo and Nackley have developed a bond.

“He’s just a great kid,” Russo said. “He puts a smile on your face, always willing to give you a hug. Every day, he asks me how I’m doing and how my wife is doing; he truly cares about others.”

After initially being overwhelmed after arriving at the stadium and greeting a multitude of new faces, Russo said Nackley got into his comfort zone quickly and became his normal bubbly self.

Russo said it’s a moment they will both remember for the rest of their lives.

Nackley is just one of many Special Olympics athletes who had an experience of a lifetime on the pitch this summer.

Kym Jordan, vice president of global corporate engagement at Special Olympics International, said their organization

sent athletes to 18 2026 FIFA World Cup matches across the U.S. and Canada.

“It’s just really special to incorporate people with intellectual disabilities at this level of sport,” Jordan said. “Making sure that sport really encompasses everyone and is really leveling the playing field… that’s really our mission as well.”

Special Olympics has partnered with Coca-Cola for more than 50 years. Bringing athletes to the World Cup is just the latest installment of a long-standing series of collaborations.

Megan Gausemel, vice president of marketing communications at Special Olympics International, spoke to the organization’s mission.

“Sport is for all, and we at Special Olympics drive that home,” Gausemel said. “We at Special Olympics say ‘Special Olympics is for everyone,’ because anyone can be a part of Special Olympics, whether it’s a volunteer, coach, referee or an athlete.”

Their staff has numerous future events in the works, including the women’s World Cup next year and future Olympic Games. At Special Olympics, the work never stops.

“Every single day throughout the year and all over the world, we offer sports for everyone and an equal playing field,” Gausemel said.

PRESERVING THE PAST

Mountain Park celebrates a century of history

BOB MEYERS

Georgia is home to roughly 35–40 incorporated ultra small cities, each with about 500 or fewer residents.

Many of these towns were founded in the late 19th to mid-20th centuries to secure a post office, school district or railroad stop. Incorporation also offered local autonomy — their own government and taxing authority. Over time, some communities have faded from the map, while a handful continue to thrive.

Mountain Park, incorporated in 1927, has about 550 residents in an area of 0.5 square miles, making it the smallest city in Fulton County. Located on the North Fulton-Cherokee line between Roswell and Woodstock, it is wooded, has two lakes and mostly narrow roads. To those fortunate enough to live there, it is paradise.

Trish Hill is the city’s unofficial historian. She has lived in the community for 43 years and worked for one of the first computer distributorships during the pioneering days of the industry. Later, she and her husband, now deceased, developed a marketing agency with a specialty in international business.

She says that living in a very small town has many advantages.

“I live on a lake and enjoy the herons, turtles and ducks,” she says. “It is a city of trees and is very different from the hustle and bustle of a large city. There is a strong sense of community. We know each other. We are a diverse city with young people, old people and rich and not so rich. The Atlanta Journal used to say that going to Mountain Park was like going back 100 years and 100 miles north.”

Among the city’s founders were six businessmen operating together as the Mountain Park Improvement Club. Three of them were with Southern Railway, a major employer in the 1920s. Trish says that all the men and their wives were frequently featured in the social pages of various newspapers. The group’s attorney was Stephens Mitchell, president of the Atlanta Bar Association whose sister was Margaret Mitchell, author of “Gone with the Wind.”

In its early years before incorporation, the future lakeside city was known as a summer resort for Atlantans, many of whom drove to Mountain Park on roads of varying quality. A series of ads in the Atlanta Journal in 1925 promoted the sale of 1,000 50x150 “camp sites” at $10 each. The first lot was sold

on April 1, 1925, according to Trish’s research.

In 1929, the Atlanta Constitution reported that Mountain Park had “about a hundred cottages already built and occupied and more under construction. Many of Atlanta’s businesses and social clubs here have commodious clubhouses where their members and friends may spend weekends during the summer.”

In 1934, the Mountain Park Skeet Club opened as the newest skeet club in the area with traps installed in the community’s valley. One member was famous baseball star Nap Rucker. It is

no longer in operation.

The only store ever operated in the city was The Stand, a country store and restaurant with a dance floor adjacent to the neighborhood pool and a small jail. It was established in the late 1930s and closed in the late 1970s.

The Mountain Park Elementary School is part of the Fulton County School District and is in Roswell just outside the Mountain Park city limits.

A non-denominational Sunday school opened in 1956 which, according to Trish Hill, is the “longest standing continuous organization in Mountain Park other than the City Council.”

In 1989, Mountain Park became the first city in Georgia to require a recycling program.

The city has a volunteer Fire and Rescue Department and relies on Fulton County for police services. It also has contracts with Roswell for police and fire department services as needed.

The city is currently gearing up for next year’s centennial celebration.

Bill Kolbrener became mayor of Mountain Park 2 ½ years ago, following in the footsteps of longtime mayor Jim Still. The new mayor says, “I want to honor the past while taking the city to a new level.”

Bill has been a developer for the past 30 years, and he is using his experience to focus on some needed infrastructure and erosion control issues. He also wants to help Mountain Park become more involved with other Fulton County cities.

Bill says, “We are a great and proud city. We are also an anomaly. We have no income from businesses, so we must be wise and efficient with money. We are fortunate that we have a great local government team building on the strong foundation put in place by Jim Still.”

The history of Mountain Park invites all of us to appreciate a special place that enjoys a unique way of life.

Thanks to Jacqueline Venchi, owner of Wild Birds Unlimited Crabapple/Roswell for suggesting this topic.

OPINION

Going home again, back to the water

You might not know this, but there was once a time when I didn’t fish for trout. Sure, I fished for other things — for bream, mostly, and usually with a glob of worms. Red wigglers were good. Super-jumpers were better. But catalpa worms, those colorful caterpillars from the trees down by the pond, were always best of all. It’s a fact, Dad would say, that you just can’t find a better bait for bream, even as he reminded one and all that the proper way to say it was “catawba.”

From the time I was about 12 years old, Dad always had a pond. The house he built for us back in the mid-60s had one, a nice little farm pond of about an acre. Near the upper end, where a tiny creek flowed in, we built a boat dock sized just right for the Sears aluminum john boat which was such an essential part of my childhood.

It was a nice pond. One bank was open and sunny; the other was shaded and dark and mysterious, especially right before rain on a summer afternoon.

What was it about an impending storm that always seemed to make the fishing better? The air got thick and heavy. The sky morphed from blue to gray, the same gray as a sheet of stainless steel. The wind slowed and then stopped completely. The earth held its breath. Premonition?

And then the bream went wild. You just knew you were going to catch a mess of fish. And we did too — big bream, lots of them, each bending the rod in a battle of epic proportions. We’d catch a mess of them and then clean them and carry them up to the kitchen, where Mom had hush puppies (made from cornbread mix and sweet onions and other stuff, but never from a recipe)

all mixed up ready to go. In the massive pot sitting on the stove, the grease was hot and ready for frying. Hush puppies went in first. Then, while those drained on paper towels folded over a big cookie sheet, she’d bread and salt and pepper the fish and set them in the hot grease, too, where they bubbled merrily until she deemed them just right.

By the time the fish were done, the hush puppies were cool enough to eat without burning your tongue. And then — then! — we’d sit at the round table, that platter of fried bream on the lazy Susan, and we would bask in heavenly bliss right here on earth until the platter was bare and the real world drifted back into view.

Oh, those bream … is it any wonder that I didn’t think about other fish? Is it any wonder, through those shimmering years between childhood and adolescent awakenings, that bream were the center of my universe?

Yeah, bream. But no trout.

The trout came a little later, and my spirit guide to their world was a buddy, Randy. Randy and I shared lots of interests — music, ham radio and fishing — but when it came to things piscatorial, Randy was sophisticated in a way that I was not.

Randy, you see, had gone beyond bream. Randy knew the ways of trout.

One day, somewhere during the high school years, he called me. I paraphrase shamelessly, but the conversation went something like this:

“Want to go trout fishing?” he asked.

Trout fishing! It was the holy grail. I’d read of it, but I’d never dabbled. Now, though, there was a way forward.

“Sure,” I said.

A couple of days later, early on a Saturday morning, he picked me up (in his pumpkin-orange Karmann Ghia) and off we went.

We were bound for Boggs Creek, the namesake stream of the U.S. Forest Service’s Boggs Creek Recreation Area up in Lumpkin County about 15 miles north of Dahlonega off U.S. 19/129. It’s easy to find — just go up 19/129 for about 15 miles, and watch for the brown-and-white sign announcing that you’ve arrived. The sign is about an eighth of a mile before you get to the access road, which turns right off the main highway.

Besides fishing, what will you find in the Boggs Creek Recreation Area today? Vehicle access is limited by a closed gate, but there’s picnicking before you reach it. Beyond the gate, foot travel opens up places that relatively few take the time to see, including waterfalls on Little Ridge Creek, a tributary to Boggs Creek proper.

But for us, that day, the trout were the thing. That’s why we were there.

We had with us two ultralight rods and a small container of bait.

Wait. Bait? Not my hallowed latter-day flies? No sir, but I was younger then and can be forgiven. Or maybe forgiveness is not required. Maybe in my neophytic enthusiasm I’d just stumbled onto a great bit of trout-catching wisdom. I’ll let you decide.

Anyway, bait (specifically, mealworms) was what we had, and so mealworms were what we would use. They are the larval form of some sort of beetle and were, as I recall, kind of cream colored and each about an inch long. Randy told me they were the thing for trout, even better than catalpa worms were for bream.

I had high hopes.

We rode a while, and pretty soon we were there. Randy parked the Karmann Ghia, and we hiked a little bit to his secret spot (some things never change) and then hunkered down by the creek to talk it through.

“That’s where they are,” Randy said, pointing to a deep run that

flowed close by a big rock.

Randy, the expert, selected a mealworm and slipped it onto my hook.

“Cast it over there and let it drift through the deep water,” he said, and I did.

Right away I had a bite. I lifted the rod and hooked the fish and brought it in, a small rainbow trout about 6 inches long. It was the first of about a half dozen we caught over the next hour or so — and (I have to be truthful here) we kept them all and cleaned them right there and sprinkled on salt and pepper and cooked them over a tiny fire right beside the sparkling water. They were delicious.

That was a long time ago. So why, just the other day, did I decide to go see Boggs Creek again? I hadn’t been there even once since that fateful day in 1970-something, so why go now, a half a century later? Was I trying to rediscover the heady thrill of a first? Was I maybe trying to atone for trout caught on wormy things and cooked?

I don’t know. But I went.

I wish I could now share with you an inspiring return-of-the-native narrative, an uplifting story of many trout now caught on tiny flies, a tale of justification or affirmation or some other such multi-syllabic arc of lofty prose.

But I can’t. I can only tell you the truth, and the truth is I didn’t catch a single fish. Not a one.

But that’s okay. Sometimes that happens. It’s the experience that matters, after all.

You know, there are things you always remember — things like the first time you kiss the love of your life … or the first time you catch a trout. They’re way different, those two things are, but they’re kind of the same too.

And you know what? That next kiss is even sweeter than the one before. Always.

Steve Hudson is an award-winning outdoor writer and fly fisherman.

Meet Ammi Williams, 1860 DeKalb landholder

In September 2025, I wrote about an 1860 DeKalb County map that combines land lot numbers, landholder names and 1986 road names. Some of the names in north DeKalb are familiar today, such as Powers, Ball, Tilly, Dunwody, McElroy and Chesnut. However, other names are individuals who bought land as an investment, never living on the property.

Ammi Williams was one of those people. In 1860, he owned Land Lots 349, 350 and 363 in the area between Chamblee Dunwoody Road and Ashford Dunwoody Road in today’s Dunwoody.

He also owned Land Lot 199 on Peachtree Road in Brookhaven, or Cross Keys as it was known then, next to early settler Solomon Goodwin.

In downtown Atlanta, he owned Land Lot 78 along with Judge Reuben Cone. Williams Street in Atlanta is named after Ammi Williams and Cone Street for Judge Cone.

He was born in Columbia, Connecticut, in 1780. He first saw Decatur, the town he would later make his home, on his way to Carroll County, Georgia. Williams brought enslaved people with him to work in the gold mines.

An 1840 survey of land lots in downtown Atlanta shows four lots. They include LL 52 owned by Lemuel P. Grant, 47 owned by Samuel Mitchell, 51 owned by the Hardy Ivy estate and 78 owned by Williams and Cone.

The first owner on record of Land Lot 78 was Jane Doss, a widow from Jackson County. Property consisting of 202.5 acres became available to purchase by lottery after Native Americans were forcibly removed. Widows who had lived in Georgia three years were given one lottery draw and widows of war veterans were allowed two draws.

The family home of Ammi Williams in Decatur was on Atlanta Avenue. He sold it to Benjamin Swanton in 1852. Swanton moved from Maine to Georgia in the 1830s to sell machinery to gold miners. The circa 1825 Benjamin Swanton home was moved in the mid-1960s to Adair Park on West Trinity Place in Decatur.

On the night of July 19, 1864, as the Federal Army came through Decatur, Brigadier Gen. Thomas W. Sweeney used the Swanton home for his headquarters.

In the 1840s Atlanta city officials became concerned that the city needed a new cemetery. Williams and Cone agreed to donate one acre of land and sell four adjoining acres to establish Oakland Cemetery in 1850. The four additional acres were sold for $100 per acre. Ammi Williams and his wife Laura Loomis are both buried at Oakland, as is Reuben Cone and his wife Lucinda. Oakland Cemetery includes 48 acres of land today.

Sources for this article include 1966 and 1975 articles in The Atlanta Constitution and dekalbhistory.org.

Award-winning author Valerie Biggerstaff is a longtime columnist for Appen Media and the Dunwoody Crier. She lives in Atlanta. Write her at pasttensega@ gmail.com. Learn more at pasttensega.com.

in the

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 4, 5 and 5 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!

SPORTING IMPLEMENTS

1. Uniform material. Hockey necessity. Like Krypton.

2. Latin dance. Bawl out. Pub game piece.

3. Archery item. On one’s guard. Give up.

4. Moonfish. Soccer necessity. Brouhaha.

5. Curling playthings. Speaker’s platform. Auction shout.

6. Soup scoop. Winter warmer. Fencing item.

7. Golf item. Repair. Like hen’s teeth.

1 Uniform material. Hockey necessity. Like krypton

2. Latin dance. Bawl out. Pub game piece

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. Archery item. On one’s guard. Give up

4. Moonfish. Soccer necessity. Brouhaha

5. Curling playthings. Speaker’s platform. Auction shout.

6.

Fulton:

Continued from Page 1

to analyze data for tax purposes. Chief Information Officer Keven Kerrigan said they are working to add more users to the platform.

Whitmore said staff members are actively working to resolve the issue that caused the delay, and they are also looking at how to ensure it does not happen again.

The backlog has prompted a number of issues. Without a court order allowing the county to move forward with interim collection, Fulton could risk being unable to pay its debts and employees. Government functions would be at risk of stopping, and the county’s credit rating would also be uncertain.

The ripple effects are also strong. The county’s school system and municipalities, which depend on the tax digest to set their own millage rates, have yet to be able to do so.

Downstream effects

Days after the Fulton commission voted to ask a judge to authorize interim collection, the city of Milton passed a resolution to join the petition.

City Manager Steven Krokoff said a prolonged interruption of property tax collections could put at risk city operations, employee paychecks and the payment of financial obligations. He said the matter is procedural and not a change in tax policy or a sign Milton is experiencing financial difficulties.

“The purpose of the resolution is to prevent a disruption before one occurs,” Krokoff added.

Ken Jerrard, city attorney for both Milton and Alpharetta, said the Alpharetta City Council is considering a similar resolution.

Johns Creek could also join in, with Assistant City Manager Kay Love saying its council will vote on the matter July 27.

Matt Holmes, director of communications and engagement for the city of Roswell, said the situation does not halt his city’s process. Sandy Springs city officials said that, without figures, it is too early to release a statement on the matter.

Without the 2026 tax digest, the county school system’s short-term cash flow is also at risk. Local tax revenue

Fulton County Government Center at 141 Pryor St. in Atlanta is where the Board of Commissioners meets twice a

projections total more than 60% of the system’s budget. Combined with a new homestead exemption that decreases the educational tax obligations owed by senior citizens, the district could see a drop in incoming funds.

Brian Noyes, chief communications officer for Fulton Schools, said a prolonged delay in the tax digest could affect the timing of incoming revenue and require the system to consider short-term financing options to meet its financial obligations while continuing to provide for students.

Commissioner Thorne was sympathetic to the school system’s troubles and said the court order could also help Fulton Schools.

“They’re blindly having to set budgets,” Thorne said. “And they have all these implications with new tax breaks for seniors. They don’t know how their

tax digest has been affected by that.”

The county has yet to provide an estimate on the delivery date of the tax digest. County Commissioner Bob Ellis described the situation as unacceptable.

“You had one job and it didn’t get done,” Ellis said. “That’s a failure that impacts us and all of our jurisdictions.”

Processes and next steps

The process for assembling the tax digest begins with the Fulton County Board of Assessors appraising and assessing property. They provide those values to the county tax commissioner, who reviews the digest and certifies it. That official then sends the certified digest to the state revenue commissioner, historically around Aug. 1. The county can only bill and collect property taxes after the revenue commissioner reviews and approves the digest.

Fulton County, however, is stuck in the appraisal and assessment stage. If a judge allows the county to move forward with collection without the new tax digest, interim tax bills will go out ahead of a final millage rate. Those bills would be calculated using 2026 assessed values, where available, but the 2025 millage rate. Commissioners are unable to set the 2026 millage rate without first having a state-mandated public hearing process.

If the judge approves that step, property owners will get the interim bill and later another property tax notice. That notice could come with an additional amount owed to the county or news of a refund from the county, Whitmore said.

A hearing on the matter has been set for 4 p.m. Aug. 4 in the Superior Court of Fulton County.

MEDIA

Johns Creek has entered into a due diligence period for a two-story office building adjacent to The Boardwalk. City officials said the building could support events at the recreation and gathering space.

Purchase:

Continued from Page 1

The Boardwalk also has found considerable popularity between events, routinely attracting numerous families and residents eager to stretch their legs on its trails and enjoy its central lake. It even has begun to host a weekend yoga class with dozens of participants.

City officials said they expect The Boardwalk’s popularity to only increase with the opening of the nearby Medley mixed-use center. With an opening slated for late 2026, Medley is a 42acre, $560 million development headed by Avalon developer Mark Toro. It will feature numerous dining and shopping options and already is home to a Trader Joe’s grocery store.

Mayor John Bradberry said the twostory office could be used for a variety of amenities, although no decision has yet been made. The building also is host to numerous business tenants who will pay the city rent, potentially allowing it to pay for itself.

Rose Barbarino, age 85, of Alpharetta, GA passed away on July 14, 2026. Arrangements by Northside Chapel Funeral Directors & Crematory.

Katie Brandon, age 91, of Milton, GA passed away on July 14, 2026. Arrangements by Northside Chapel Funeral Directors & Crematory.

Councilman Chris Coughlin said council members have explored numerous possibilities for inviting the private sector into the building. Some ideas include renting the first floor to a restaurant to provide food and drinks. A rooftop bar or cafe could allow patrons to look out over the lake and surrounding area.

Coughlin even said he has tossed around the idea of a rooftop pickleball court.

The businesses could capitalize on large crowds during events or simply sell to visitors who stop by on days when nothing is planned.

As a public amenity, the building could provide additional office space for city employees, overflow event parking with hundreds of spaces and additional bathrooms, Coughlin said.

Bradberry said he expects the area to continue to draw visitors as with the arrival of Medley and the upcoming opening of a pedestrian tunnel.

“It’s only going to get better,” the mayor said.

Coughlin said he admits he was once a skeptic of The Boardwalk, but he

Fred Casteel, age 89, of Alpharetta, GA passed away on July 15, 2026. Arrangements by Northside Chapel Funeral Directors & Crematory.

Kendall Hunnewell III, age 63, of Roswell, GA passed away on July 12, 2026. Arrangements by Northside Chapel Funeral Directors & Crematory.

sees now he may have been mistaken. The massive turnout to the city’s July 4 celebration and ensuing discussions for supplementary amenities at the office building have made him realize The Boardwalk has become a success.

“I didn’t think we could make a nice park. I didn’t know how events would be hosted,” he said. “And then you know I’m eating crow now.”

Beverly Lindsey, age 93, of Alpharetta, GA passed away on July 11, 2026. Arrangements by Northside Chapel Funeral Directors & Crematory.

William Orr, age 93, of Alpharetta, GA passed away on July 16, 2026. Arrangements by Northside Chapel Funeral Directors & Crematory.

Caroll Thomas, age 76, of Alpharetta, GA passed away on July 13, 2026. Arrangements by Northside Chapel Funeral Directors & Crematory.

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THE APPEN PRESS CLUB

One solution is the creation of a membership driven organization called the Appen Press Club that is dedicated to recruiting people and companies to join as members. Members pay recurring monthly or annual dues that are 100% dedicated to sustainable journalism. By providing predictable revenue, Appen Press Club members and partners help fund the salaries and expenses of local reporters who will no longer be subject to the whims of marketing budgets and an ever changing advertising world. In turn, those reporters will provide the readers they serve with highly researched and qualified journalism focused on subjects that directly affect their quality of life.

To join go to appenmedia.com/join and follow the prompts to select your membership level and select your t-shirt size! Questions? Email Hans Appen at hans@appenmedia.com or call 770-442-3278.

Scan QR code to join the Appen Press Club

Sawnee EMC is seeking an Accounts Payable Clerk to process invoices, purchase orders, payments, reports, and vendor files while assisting with audits, closings, and customer inquiries. Requires: high school diploma or equivalency, proficiency in mathematics, monetary, and general office skills. A minimum of two years of related work experience, as well as a degree in a related field preferred. Position is full-time; must be flexible to work irregular hours, to include evenings and weekends.

Applicants must complete an application prior to 5 PM, July 31, 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.

US 21 International Inc. DBA SOONI & TOMMI seeks Social Media PR Specialist to Write, edit, and distribute social media press releases and media kits to promote new cosmetic product launches and related business. Bachelor’s degree in Communications, English, business, or related req’d. Send resume to job loc: 10820 Abbots Bridge RD Suite 330, Duluth, GA 30097.

Staff Full Stack Engineer sought by Airia LLC in Alpharetta (Atlanta), GA. Design & develop AI solutions. Reqs: BSc or for. equiv. in SW Eng, Comp Sci, or a rel + 10 yrs SW dev experience. P/t telecommute permitted w/n Atlanta, GA MSA. Apply at https://job-boards.greenhouse.io/airia/ jobs/5130475007 or email hr@airia.com, ref. SK202.

SOFTWARE ENGINEERS: Cumming, GA & various unanticipated locations throughout the U.S.: Dsgn & impl highly sclbl dstrbtd sw & rbst data sys that process lrg vlms of strctrd & unstrctrd data. Archt end-to-end prcsng wrkflws inclu ingstn, trnsfrmtn, vldtn, strg & srvng layers & dvlp backend srvcs & APIs. Mdl cmplx datasets u/advncd SQL & data engg tchnqs & apply sttstcl & ML mthds. Bld data-drvn feats lvrgng applied AI. Invstgt rlblty issues thru rca & impl long-term solns to trnslt ambgs rqmts into sclbl, mntnbl tech dsgns suprt biz-crtcl pltfrms. Master’s in Sci, Tech, or Engg (any) is req’d. Mail CV: HR, Jobly Solutions, LLC., itservices@joblysolutions.com.

Sawnee EMC is seeking a General Clerk III –Financial Services to retrieve and deliver mail, file/ scan documents, operate office equipment, and assist internal customers. Requires: high school diploma or equivalency, valid Georgia Driver’s License, basic office/ computer skills, and 12 months’ related experience or equivalent education. Position is full-time; must be flexible to work irregular hours, to include evenings and weekends.

Applicants must complete an application prior to 5 PM, July 31, 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.

Midway Preschool is looking for an experienced Young 5’s/Prek teacher for the 2026-2027 school year. Contact Beth at beth@midwayumc.org.

Food Pantry Manager

NFCC is seeking a qualified candidate to fill the full-time Food Pantry Manager position. Under the direction of the Food Pantry Director, the Food Pantry Manager leads back of house food pantry operations including inventory control, receiving products, client orders, managing volunteers, entering data and creating reports.

This role is perfect for someone who enjoys managing people and process! Volunteer and inventory management, operations and data entry are primary responsibilities of this role.

The applicant should have a desire to join the team of a mission-driven non-profit where we work to ease hardship and build financial stability throughout our community. We offer one of the most competitive total rewards packages among Atlanta’s nonprofit organizations, making this role both meaningful and rewarding.

Please send resumes to jobs@nfcchelp.org

Sawnee EMC is seeking a Mapping Technician to update, maintain and operate Geographic Information System (GIS), related mapping systems and peripheral equipment to create integrated circuit designs for an electrical distribution system. Provide technical assistance in database maintenance and map production for the GIS. Requires an Associate degree or technical school certificate in GIS or related mapping or associated field, with a minimum of two years related experience and/or training; or equivalent combination of education and experience. Must have advanced computer skills with MS Office products, ESRI GIS mapping and Auto CAD. Must be available for alternate shift assignments and irregular work hours, including evenings and weekends as necessitated by circumstances and on-call functions.

Applicants must complete an application prior to 5 PM, July 31, 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 accommodations may be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. Drug Free Workplace.

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& Fitness

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Jacuzzi Bath Remodel can install a new, custom bath or shower in as little as 1-day. Limited time, waving all installation costs! Additional terms apply. Subject to change & vary by dealer. Ends soon. 844-501-3208

Consumer Cellular - same reliable, nationwide coverage as the largest carriers. No long-term contract, no hidden fees free activation. All plans feature unlimited talk & text, starting at just $20/mo. Call 1-877-751-0866

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RECREATION:

Best Of North Atlanta 2026

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