Programs could help property owners manage stormwater S e p t e m b e r 3 , 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 6
Fear, votes and money How attack ads actually work
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School board approves tentative rate increase By JIM BASS jim@appenmedia.com ATLANTA — The Fulton County Board of Education has approved a tentative increase of the school system’s millage rate to 18.08 mills. The proposed rate is up one full mill from last year’s millage rate of 17.08 mills. A mill equals $1 in tax for every $1,000 of a property’s assessed value. In Georgia, assessed value is 40% of a property’s fair market value, not the full market price. For a home valued at $450,000 on the market, the school tax, before any homestead exemptions, would be $3,254 a year. In a news release about the tentative increase, Fulton County Schools offered a tax rate calculator tool for homeowners to use to calculate their tax bill with the 18.08-mill rate. View it at fultonschools. org.
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See MILLAGE, Page 20
Johns Creek resident confirmed as US ambassador to Moldova By JOSHUA WILSON joshua@appenmedia.com JOHNS CREEK, Ga. — Joseph Mark Burkhalter of Johns Creek, a former leader of the Georgia House of Representatives, has been confirmed by the U.S. Senate as the American ambassador to Moldova, a European nation wedged between Ukraine and Romania.
The Senate approved Burkhalter’s nomination — along with a slew of other Trump administration appointments — in a 51-47 vote Aug. 7. He was nominated to the post by President Donald J. Trump June 1. In a certificate of demonstrated competence report delivered to the Senate’s Committee on Foreign Relations June 8, the Trump administration said Burkhalter is the owner and
consultant for business development at Burkhalter International LLC. The report said Burkhalter, as senior advisor in the public policy and regulation practice at the law firm Dentons U.S. LLP, “played a significant role in Dentons’ public affairs and economic development initiatives throughout Europe.”
See BURKHALTER, Page 18
APPEN MEDIA FILE PHOTO
Joseph Mark Burkhalter of Johns Creek, a former member of the Georgia House of Representatives, has been confirmed by the U.S. Senate as the American ambassador to Moldova.
2 | September 3, 2026 | Johns Creek Herald | AppenMedia.com/Johns_Creek
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Second suspect arrested in 2025 Atlanta mass shooting By ATLANTA NEWS FIRST STAFF ATLANTA — Authorities have arrested a second suspect in a mass shooting in Atlanta that killed one person and injured 10 others in summer 2025. On Aug. 25, the FBI’s Atlanta field office announced that the agency’s Violent Crime Task Force, with the assistance of Atlanta and Sandy Springs police, arrested Nasir Williams on the evening of Aug. 24. The FBI said Williams was one of the shooters in the July 28, 2025, incident on Edgewood Avenue along a popular strip of bars in the historic Sweet Auburn neighborhood. Jail records show Williams is charged with murder and 10 counts of aggravated assault. Santos Wyatt, 27, died from his injuries, and 10 others — seven men and three women between the ages of
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18 and 29 — were injured. Nearly two weeks after the shooting, police announced the arrest of 19-year-old Rico Arnold on charges of murder and 10 counts of aggravated assault. At the time, police said investigators believed the shooting was the result of a fight, and that they were looking for three other suspects — two men and one woman. In response to the violence, local business owners formed the Historic King District Association earlier this year. Cyrei Daniel, the association president and owner of Sweet Me Good, said the group met with Atlanta police last month to discuss safety efforts and has noticed a heavier police presence recently. “We are grateful for that. I’ve been out meeting with officers. We see them
out here on a weekly basis,” Daniel said. But Daniel said securing the area requires more than just a temporary fix. “I think now where we’re at is how do we build a long-term strategy?” Daniel said. ”We can’t just put more cameras on the street. It’s all about, how does this community come together, and how are we supported by the city?” The FBI said a third suspect remains at large and that the agency will announce more information on that suspect in the coming days. Appen Media reports that the Sandy Springs Police Department assisted the FBI Violent Crimes Unit in a separate case, arresting a man wanted by the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office for multiple weapons-related offenses. He was taken into custody and transported to the DeKalb County Jail.
AppenMedia.com/Johns_Creek | Johns Creek Herald | September 3, 2026 | 3
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4 | September 3, 2026 | Johns Creek Herald | AppenMedia.com/Johns_Creek
Johns Creek programs could help property owners manage stormwater By JON WILCOX jon@appenmedia.com JOHNS CREEK, Ga. — Johns Creek is exploring programs to help residents with expensive stormwater headaches. During budget talks at the Aug. 24 meeting, City Council members discussed two programs that could provide grants and expertise to residents. Council members are considering whether to continue a grant program that debuted last year to help neighborhoods with runoff, local flooding, streambank erosion and watershed education. They are also considering a new program to assist with dredging stormwater collection ponds. City staff proposes funding $500,000 for each program as part of a balanced $83 million budget. Council members are considering how the programs would be implemented. "I think we have a divide in how we want to tackle the finite dollars for stormwater," Council Member Chris Coughlin said. "We need to use our finite dollars to prioritize projects." Coughlin, who said he supports the programs, said he is still working through their minimum requirements for applicants, how preventive and reactive they are, and other criteria. In its pilot year, the stormwater grant program received $422,000 in funding and was open to all Johns Creek property owners, including single-family homes, homeowners as-
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sociations, businesses and nonprofits such as churches. It helped property owners install rain gardens, bioretention areas, cisterns, dry wells and downspout disconnects. It also provided for more reactive measures such as streambank erosion stabilization. Applicants were required to identify a problem and match city funds. City staff and contractors visited sites, determined whether additional permits were needed and evaluated the project based on a fixed points-based rubric. City staff awarded funds to projects that scored highest. The programs are effective in part because stormwater problems often extend past any one property, Mayor John Bradberry said. Some neighborhoods may see water flowing into their boundaries from adjacent areas simply because of their geography. Issues along the edges of streams may cause problems within one property but require solutions that extend far up and down the channel. "If you really want to solve a problem, you have to do it from the source to the end, and to do that it is incredibly difficult for an individual property owner," Bradberry said. Likewise, stormwater management issues are a responsibility shared by all residents. "It's not unlike the sewer system," Bradberry said. "It can be very destructive if it's not managed."
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AppenMedia.com/Johns_Creek | Johns Creek Herald | September 3, 2026 | 5
Milton council OKs $10M settlement in fatal crash case By JOSHUA WILSON and ERLANDRYA RUTLEDGE joshua@appenmedia.com erlandrya@appenmedia.com MILTON, Ga. — The Milton City Council unanimously approved a $10 million settlement Aug. 24 with the parents of Joshua Chang, the Yale University student who died in a 2016 crash after his car struck a concrete planter off Batesville Road. Under the settlement, the city’s insurer, the Georgia Interlocal Risk Management Agency, and its reinsurer, NLC Mutual Insurance Co., will cover $6.67 million, with the city responsible for the remaining $3.33 million. The agreement does not include an admission of fault by the city or its insurers. The case reached the Georgia Supreme Court on questions of municipal sovereign immunity before returning to the Georgia Court of Appeals, where it remained pending at the time of the settlement. Chang died Nov. 19, 2016, when his car left Batesville Road and struck a concrete planter roughly six feet off the roadway between two driveways. His parents, John Chang and Rebecca Zhu, sued the city for wrongful death,
and a Fulton County jury found Milton liable for negligence and nuisance. The jury awarded the parents $35 million in 2023, which was later reduced to about $32.55 million. The city of Milton appealed the verdict, which was later upheld by the appeals court. The state’s highest court reversed that ruling in a 5-2 decision in March. Justices ruled in part that the state’s waiver of the city’s sovereign immunity for failing to keep streets safe for travel does not extend to roadside areas like where the planter was located, even if those areas might be used in an emergency. The case was sent back to the appeals court to decide whether other immunity waivers could still allow the negligence claim to proceed and whether immunity separately bars the nuisance claim. Those questions remained unresolved when the settlement was reached through mediation. Attorneys Jeffrey R. Harris and Jed D. Manton of Harris Lowry Manton LLP, who represent the Chang family, said in a statement to Appen Media that no settlement “can undo the loss of Joshua Chang, a young man who had an incredibly bright future.”
See SETTLEMENT, Page 18
APPEN MEDIA FILE PHOTO
A concrete planter on Batesville Road in Milton is shown in this file photo. In November 2016, Joshua Chang’s vehicle struck the planter, which was, according to city officials, installed by a private resident roughly six feet off the roadway between two driveways. Chang died in the crash.
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6 | September 3, 2026 | Johns Creek Herald | AppenMedia.com/Johns_Creek
NEWS
Fear, votes and money: How attack ads actually work By JOSHUA WILSON joshua@appenmedia.com ALPHARETTA, Ga. — Turn on the television in metro Atlanta this summer, and it’s hard to avoid them: ads warning that one candidate is dangerous, dishonest or simply wrong for Georgia. With hotly contested races for U.S. Senate and governor both underway, attack ads have become a fixture of daily life for Georgia voters — and one researcher said that is by design. David Schweidel, the Goizueta chair in business technology and a professor of marketing at Emory University’s Goizueta Business School, has spent years studying how political advertising shapes voter behavior. He said the basic definition of an attack ad is straightforward. “Attack ads are focused on your opponent,” Schweidel said, distinguishing them from ads in which “the candidate is promoting himself, saying, here is my record.” He pointed to the Senate race between incumbent Democrat Jon Ossoff and Republican challenger U.S. Rep. Mike Collins as a live example. Any Ossoff ad focused on what Collins “is doing,” what he “might do” or on the Republican’s character would be classified as an attack ad, Schweidel said — and the same holds true in reverse. Fear and anger stick Attack ads are not inherently more memorable than positive ones, according to Schweidel, but they tend to trigger the emotions that make messages stick. “What we found is the things that tend to stick with us are the things that evoke high arousal emotions,” he said. “In particular, things that evoke fear and anger tend to resonate with us. That’s the stuff that we share on social media. That’s the stuff that we choose to read online.” By contrast, he said, positive messaging rarely has the same pull. A candidate touting a strong economy might earn a shrug. “It doesn’t really excite me,” Schweidel said. “Whereas if I get you afraid of something, if I make you angry at someone — those are the things that kind of get us really riled up, and that’s what tends to be most effective.” Gabriel Sterling of Sandy Springs, the former chief operating officer of the Georgia Secretary of State’s office who ran unsuccessfully for that role earlier this year, put it more bluntly: there is no such thing as a rational voter — only a rationalizing one. “We use emotions much more as a sorting mechanism to make decisions, and then we rationalize it with our intellect after the fact,” Sterling said. “Attack ads are a much more gut emotional thing. Issue ads on real substantive discussion things do not move the needle at all. They just become background noise.” A modest but real effect on votes Schweidel’s research has found negative advertising makes an impact on both voter turnout and vote share, though the effect of any single ad is small. Citing a 2018 study, he said a 1% increase in a candidate’s own negative advertising was associated with roughly a 0.015% increase in that candidate’s total vote share. That may sound negligible, he said, but in Georgia’s tightest statewide races — decided in recent cycles by a matter of thousands of votes — even a marginal shift can matter.
Paper cutouts of the Democratic donkey and Republican elephant symbolize the two parties.
JON OSSOFF FOR SENATE/YOUTUBE
A screenshot shows a frame from “The Vote,” a TV ad uploaded to YouTube by Democratic U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff’s reelection campaign. The ad criticizes Republican challenger U.S. Rep. Mike Collins for voting against releasing the Epstein files.
Sterling said he sees that modest effect play out in a different way — not who wins, but who shows up at all. He pointed to a statewide Republican primary race this year as a case study. Operatives and scholars had projected turnout between 1.2 million and 1.35 million, he said, but the eventual nominee spent more than $100 million — most of it on attack ads — and turnout came in at 950,000. The former state elections official said the drop was concentrated in metro Atlanta among college-educated suburban voters. “It’s not fatigue so much as a pox on both their houses,” Sterling said. “[Voters end up thinking] ‘all these people suck. What’s the point?’” Beyond the ballot box The effects of heavy negative advertising don’t end on Election Day, Schweidel said. Partisan messaging from ads bleeds into ongoing media coverage, keeping conflict in the headlines long after the ads stop running. “It devolves from talking about actual issues into the mud-slinging contests,” he said.
KELLY SIKKEMA/UNSPLASH
RICK JACKSON FOR GOVERNOR/YOUTUBE
A screenshot shows a frame from “Legacy,” a TV ad uploaded to YouTube by Republican Rick Jackson’s campaign for governor. The ad attacks Democratic candidate Keisha Lance Bottoms as “out for herself, not Georgia.”
Asked whether negative ads are fueling the country’s rising “affective polarization” — the emotional, identity-based divide between the parties — Schweidel said he sees them more as a symptom than a cause. “We are in a very divided society,” he said. “It’s ‘us versus them.’ That’s how each side sees it. It’s not so much in favor of a particular candidate, but it’s ‘I can’t stand the other party, so that tells you who I’m going to vote for.’” He called Georgia “kind of a microcosm of the U.S.” as a genuinely “purple” state where large blocs of voters on the left and right — and a substantial middle — are left choosing between polarized options. “In my opinion, [that polarization] detracts from actually addressing the issues,” he said. Sterling called that reaction “active apathy” — not indifference, but active dislike of every option on the ballot. He said the effect compounds because suppressed turnout tends to thin out swing voters first, leaving a more partisan electorate behind.
See ADS, Page 17
NEWS
AppenMedia.com/Johns_Creek | Johns Creek Herald | September 3, 2026 | 7
Fulton’s Milestones scores average higher than state, region By HANNAH YAHNE hannah@appenmedia.com FULTON COUNTY, Ga. — Superintendent Mike Looney said he and Fulton County Board of Education members are proud of students’ spring Georgia Milestones results from the 2025-26 school year, which outperformed state and regional scores. Chief Academic Officer Brannon Gaskins gave a presentation on last year’s end-ofyear test results in math, science and social studies across certain grade levels at an Aug. 11 work session. Gaskins said there will be an in-depth presentation on the scores and the school district’s action plan to maintain the momentum in September. Results from the English language arts Milestones tests will be available in the fall due to the tests being replaced by a new assessment. Gaskins said the progress Fulton County Schools students made in math across all grade levels is “encouraging,” with more than 57% of students assessed scoring proficient or distinguished — a 2.5 percentage-point increase from last year. High school students taking Algebra: Concepts and Connections saw the largest change, with almost 45% of students showing growth in the subject matter. “While grades seven and eight remain
FULTON COUNTY SCHOOLS/PROVIDED
A graph presented during the Aug. 11 Board of Education work session shows the average scores of Fulton County students on the 2026 spring Georgia Milestones, compared with the state and regional averages for each topic. relatively stable, the overall trend is clear,” Gaskins said. “More students are meeting or exceeding Georgia’s expectations in mathematics.” Eighth grade had the greatest gain
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See FULTON, Page 20
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8 | September 3, 2026 | Johns Creek Herald | AppenMedia.com/Johns_Creek
OPINION
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
MARTA needs visionary leadership Dear editor, Thank you for publishing Hannah Yahne's column, "MARTA Riders Want World Cup-Level Service to Continue." I have been a Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority rider — to the airport and to events in Downtown Atlanta — for the past 30 years, and with the exception of occasional annoying panhandlers, I have been satisfied with the convenience of car-free transport, especially to the airport, and with not having to deal with Atlanta car traffic or the hassles of parking there. I am very sad that voters in the northern Atlanta suburbs nixed a proposal several decades ago to extend MARTA rail up Georgia 400 to Alpharetta and beyond. In my opinion, this was pure racism. Now, instead, the Georgia Department of Transportation is cutting down thousands of trees to make room for more lanes on Georgia 400, leading to more cars, more traffic and more fossil-fuel pollution. Local government lacks the vision or funding to make MARTA rail expansion a reality, and appallingly, MARTA gets no funding from the state govern-
Submit your letters: Appen Media welcomes your letters to the editor. All letters must be signed and Appen Media reserves the right to edit a letter for length and content. To submit your letter, visit: appenmedia.com/site/forms/submit_ letter_to_the_editor/letter_editor ment, in contrast to other systems such as the New York City subway and Bay Area Rapid Transit in San Francisco. It is also an insult to the regular MARTA rider that safety is "geared up" for special events such as the Olympics and the World Cup, while safety has not been a priority on "ordinary" days. Visionary Atlanta Mayors William B. Hartsfield and Maynard Jackson founded and expanded HartsfieldJackson Atlanta International Airport, the world's busiest. We need such visionaries for MARTA. Sincerely,
Salpi Adrouny, MD Johns Creek, GA
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Just opened? Appen Media publishes New Business Spotlights to highlight local businesses as they get started. Submit yours for free at appenmedia.com/newbusiness. 9 | Johns Creek Herald | September 3, 2026
Popular pizzeria to relocate to former Off Leash building By JON WILCOX jon@appenmedia.com ALPHARETTA, Ga. — A building that once housed a dog park cafe concept will soon welcome a popular pizzeria. Crust Pasta & Pizzeria, currently at 131 S. Main St., plans to move across the street to 142 S. Main St., a restaurant manager said. The restaurant’s new building was previously home to Off Leash, which closed in December 2024. Property near the pizzeria’s current location is expected to undergo expansive development with the construction of a major shopping and dining project. Alpharetta District Places is expected to come in behind the strip mall that now houses the pizzeria and a number of other businesses, but the developer has no plans currently to demolish or alter the current building, McKibbon Places President Erik Rowen said. A joint venture between Market District Development and McKibbon Places, Alpharetta District Places broke ground in June and is expected to consist of four buildings, nearly 100 surface parking spaces and 34,000 square feet of retail and restaurant space. Rowen said his group’s plans are to improve pedestrian
GOOGLE STREETVIEW
The building at 142 S. Main St. that once hosted Off Leash will welcome popular Alpharetta pizzeria Crust.
activity and create a beneficial environment for all businesses in the area. Brad Weiner, managing broker for Alpharetta’s Realty on Main real estate firm, said the area around Crust Pasta & Pizzeria is well suited for restaurants, with easy access for pedestrians and proximity to the downtown district.
He said he thinks Alpharetta District Places could improve the value and standing of nearby businesses, including the pizzeria. “The downtown sector has exploded with a tremendous amount of high-density residential,” Weiner said. “The whole purpose of coming into the downtown area is because everything is so accessible and walkable.” Although Weiner said he thinks the busy intersection at South Main Street and Old Milton Parkway could challenge some businesses, the pizzeria’s already-developed customer base could carry it through. “That is the one biggest detriments of the corner. I have an opinion as to why Off Leash didn't succeed,” he said. “That corner is tough to navigate because there's medians, and the traffic at that light at Main and Old Milton is just horrific.” Donna Murphy, president of the 400 North Realtors Association, said she thinks the former Off Leash building is a “prime location” and one that will only improve. “It’s got so much more potential in the future,” she said. Alpharetta District Places could potentially increase the value of adjacent property, she said. “You know, in real estate, it’s location, location, location,” she said.
10 | Johns Creek Herald | September 3, 2026
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AppenMedia.com | Johns Creek Herald | September 3, 2026 | 11
12 | September 3, 2026 | Johns Creek Herald | AppenMedia.com/Johns_Creek
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14 | September 3, 2026 | Johns Creek Herald | AppenMedia.com/Johns_Creek
REAL ESTATE REPORT • Sponsored Section
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Last chance for new construction at Laurel Canyon — Now $999,950 $200,000 price reduction creates an exceptional opportunity for the final new home in this award-winning Canton community Brought to you by – Patrick Malloy Communities For homebuyers who have been waiting for the right opportunity at Laurel Canyon, this is it. The last new construction home available in this highly desirable master-planned community has recently been reduced by $200,000 and is now priced at $999,950. With approximately 1,350 homes, Laurel Canyon has become one of Canton’s most recognized communities, known for its beautiful North Georgia setting, established neighborhoods and spectacular mountain views. Residents enjoy a pool, clubhouse, tennis, pickleball, golf, and walking trails. Now, buyers have one final opportunity to own a brand-new home and enjoy everything this exceptional community has to offer.
Set against the scenic backdrop of the North Georgia mountains, this 3-bedroom, 2.5-bath home with a large study is set on more than one acre and features a rare, flat backyard, impressive living spaces and amazing mountain views within a well-established community. Designed with both everyday living and entertaining in mind, the home features spacious gathering areas that make it easy to host family and friends, celebrate special occasions or simply relax and enjoy the surroundings. Thoughtful design, beautiful finishes and generous living spaces create a home that feels equally suited for an intimate evening at home or a house full of guests. But one of its most memorable features may be just outside the windows. Beautiful mountain views provide a dramatic backdrop and a sense of retreat that is difficult to find this close to the conveniences of Canton. For buyers who love the idea of a new home but don’t want to wait years for a new neighborhood to take shape, this opportunity offers the best of both worlds: brand-new construction within an established 1,350home master-planned community.
Built by Patrick Malloy Communities, the recent price improvement makes the opportunity even more compelling. Originally priced $200,000 higher, the home is now offered at $999,950 as the neighborhood prepares to close out new home sales. There will not be another new construction release at Laurel Canyon. Once this home is sold, the opportunity to purchase a brand-new residence here is gone. One home. One incredible new price. One last chance. If Laurel Canyon has been on your wish list, now is the time to make your move. Tour the final new construction home today and experience the mountain views, spacious design and lifestyle that have made Laurel Canyon such a sought-after Canton address. Priced to Sell — Hurry Before It’s Gone! Horizon at Laurel Canyon 236 Laurel Vista Drive Canton, GA PMCommunities.com 770-301-1889
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AppenMedia.com | Johns Creek Herald | September 3, 2026 | 15
Don't let probate court run your business Why a trust matters for business owners
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If you own a business, you've spent years building something that runs on your judgment, relationships, and daily decisions. But what happens to that business the day you can no longer make those decisions — whether from death or incapacity? For many owners, the honest answer is: nobody knows, because there's no plan in place.
The problem with relying on a will alone A will only takes effect at death, and even then, it doesn't avoid probate — it has to go through it. Probate is a court-supervised process, and court supervision means delay, public record, and a judge (not your family or your business partner) overseeing what happens to your ownership interest until the estate is settled. For a business that depends on quick decisions — signing contracts, approving payroll, responding to a supplier issue — a probate delay of months isn't a paperwork inconvenience. It can be the difference be-
PROVIDED
tween the business surviving and the business stalling out while heirs wait for a judge's approval to act. The bigger gap: Incompetency Death planning gets most of the attention, but incapacity is arguably the more dangerous gap. If you become incapacitated — from an accident, a stroke, a progressive illness — a will does nothing at all. It has no legal effect until you die. Without other planning in place, the only way for someone to step in and manage your business interest is for a family member to petition a court for guardianship or conservatorship
How a trust changes the picture A properly funded trust holds title to your business interest during your lifetime, so there's no gap in authority if you're incapacitated. Your named successor trustee simply steps in under the terms you wrote, with no court process required. And at death, the trust doesn't need to pass through probate at all — the successor trustee already holds legal title and can continue operating or transitioning the business according to your instructions, immediately and privately. For a business owner, that difference isn't abstract. It's the difference between a seamless handoff and a court-supervised interruption at exactly the moment your business can least afford one. The bottom line If your business interest is one of your most valuable assets — and for most owners, it is — it deserves more protection than a will alone can offer. A trust, properly drafted and properly funded with your business interest, is what allows your business to keep running smoothly through incapacity and to pass to the next generation or the next owner without a probate court standing in the way. Come visit our workshops and webinars to learn more about protecting your assets.
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16 | September 3, 2026 | Johns Creek Herald | AppenMedia.com/Johns_Creek
OPINION
GARDEN BUZZ
Please plant native for picky eaters Increasingly, scientists and backyard gardeners are recognizing the importance of native plants to the survival of native insect populations. What is a native plant? Native plants are Guest Columnist species that have grown naturally in a specific region for thousands of years. Most were here before European settlement, and they have thrived and contributed to the health of our ecosystem. Some native insects depend DANA HALLBERG on one or a handful of Guest Columnist specific native plants for survival. One urgent example is the eastern monarch butterfly, which has declined over the past several decades.
About the authors This week’s “Garden Buzz” guest columnists are Carole MacMullan and Dana Hallberg, both master gardeners and Milton residents. Carole is a former biology teacher who enjoys using her teaching skills to create a variety of presentations on gardening topics for the North Fulton Master Gardeners Speakers Bureau. Her favorite hobbies are gardening, hiking, biking, and reading. Dana is a retired, pharmaceutical research chemist turned scientific and healthcare staffing executive. Dana has lived and gardened in New Jersey and Southern California before moving to Georgia.
CAROLE MACMULLAN
What do butterflies and moths need? Two types of native plants are essential to many butterflies and moths: nectar-rich plants, which sustain adults so they can reproduce and lay eggs, and host plants, which nourish the caterpillars that emerge from the eggs. Be a friend to butterflies and other pollinators by planting nectar-rich natives such as bee balm, coneflower, beardtongue, columbine, salvia, Joe-Pye weed, butterfly weed, milkweed, blazing star, goldenrod and asters. Butterfly bush (Buddleia), confusingly, is neither a native nor a host plant. It earned the moniker by attracting butterflies as a nectar source. Monarchs require milkweed as a host plant The key to the monarch’s long-term survival is a single plant: milkweed. Monarch caterpillars eat only milkweed in the Asclepias genus. They are picky eaters. The leaves feed the caterpillars and, because of chemical toxins called cardenolides, make both caterpillars and adult monarchs poisonous to predators. Monarchs’ generational migration Eastern U.S. monarchs, like all butterflies and moths, have a four-part life cycle: egg, larva (caterpillar), pupa and adult. Adults are known for their long, round-trip migration in the spring from their winter roosts in the mountains of Mexico to the northeastern United States and back to Mexico in the fall. But the story is more complicated than
PAT MILLIKEN/PROVIDED
Upper Left: Monarch butterfly enjoying nectar from a pink-flowering swamp milkweed Upper Right: Monarch feeding on orange-flowering butterfly milkweed Lower left: A single white, monarch butterfly egg on a milkweed leaf Lower middle: Two monarch butterfly caterpillars on a milkweed plant Lower right: A monarch pupa after emerging that, because no single butterfly makes the whole trip. On the journey north, monarchs stop at four locations with one objective: to reproduce. Four generations are born over the course of a year before the last of them returns to Mexico. First generation The sexually immature adults overwinter in Mexico. As the weather warms in the spring, they mature, travel north and make their first stop to reproduce in a Southeastern state. Second generation These offspring travel to a midAtlantic location to find a mate and lay their eggs on the leaves of the essential milkweed, so the picky caterpillars can grow into adults. Egg laying is a laborious process. The female lays one egg per milkweed leaf until her supply is depleted. When the eggs hatch, after a three- to eight-day incubation period, each caterpillar has an instant source of food. Both the second and third generations die within two weeks of reproducing. Third generation A desire to travel is built into a monarch’s DNA. The third generation flies to a northern location to reproduce, and its descendants fly farther north to reproduce for the last time.
Fourth generation The fourth generation is supercharged. These monarchs do not reproduce, and they can live six to nine months. The best chance to see monarchs in Georgia comes in late summer and early fall, as they travel south and stop here to fuel up on nectar-rich plants. That energy carries them on a 1,500-mile journey to their winter home in the mountains of Michoacán state, west of Mexico City. The Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve, a UNESCO World Heritage site, shelters them in an oyamel fir forest for four or five months, until the spring odyssey begins again. Georgia gardeners have three suggested native milkweeds: swamp milkweed (Asclepias incarnata), which has pink flowers; butterfly milkweed (Asclepias tuberosa), which has orange flowers; and whorled milkweed (Asclepias verticillata), which has white flowers. These plants are often difficult to find locally, so growing them from seed is an excellent alternative. Growing milkweed from seed Buy organic seed that has not been treated with systemic pesticides. Place the seeds on a paper towel or coffee filter, seal them in a plastic bag and refrigerate them in the crisper drawer for 30 to 45 days to simulate the winter cold they need to
germinate. Once the chilling period is complete, it is time to plant. Use a well-draining seedstarting mix in deep containers, because milkweed develops a long taproot. Press the seeds into the soil, cover them with a quarter-inch of soil and set the containers in a sunny window or under a grow light until they sprout. Keep the soil consistently moist. Gardeners should avoid tropical milkweed (Asclepias curassavica) and hairy balls milkweed (Gomphocarpus physocarpus), which are sold at some big-box stores and large nurseries. These nonnative species do not die back in the winter in temperate areas such as ours, and as a result they interfere with monarch migration and reproduction. Cultivating native plants is a direct investment in the survival of the monarch butterfly. By choosing native milkweed and nectar plants, backyard gardeners can support the essential migration pathways needed to keep these magnificent monarchs flying for generations to come. Happy gardening! North Fulton Master Gardeners Inc. is a Georgia nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization whose purpose is to educate its members and the public about horticulture and ecology to promote and foster community enrichment. Master Gardener volunteers are trained and certified by the University of Georgia Cooperative Extension. Learn more at nfmg.net. Previous Garden Buzz columns are at appenmedia.com/opinion/ columnists/garden_buzz. Come visit us at the Alpharetta Farmers Market and the Sandy Springs Farmers Market. We will also have a booth at the Crabapple Festival in Milton on Oct. 3.
AppenMedia.com/Johns_Creek | Johns Creek Herald | September 3, 2026 | 17
Ads: Continued from Page 6 He cited the crossover voters who backed both Gov. Brian Kemp, a Republican, and U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock, a Democrat, in 2022 as the kind of bloc that disappears when attack ads dominate a race. Follow the money Negative ads also serve a fundraising function, Schweidel said, particularly in close, high-profile Senate races where out-of-state money pours in. Campaigns and parties frame contests as existential — “the Senate hangs in the balance” — to justify appeals for donations from voters who don’t even live in the state. Notably, his research found candidate- and party-funded ads tend to be more persuasive than ads from outside groups such as political action committees. “Maybe viewers are kind of, maybe not consciously, but they are able to tell, ‘Oh, this is a third party attempting to persuade me. I’m going to discount that a little bit,’” he said. Sterling agreed attack ads serve campaigns’ fundraising needs but noted they cut both ways — an ad attacking a candidate raises that candidate’s negatives, but it also raises the negatives of whoever is running it. This is a particular risk for the outside groups and PACs that often produce them, the former state official said. Going negative, earlier and earlier Comparative ads — the kind that lay two records side by side and let voters judge for themselves — have all but disappeared, Schweidel said, in part because they lack the emotional punch of an attack ad. “That almost to me feels more like a rational appeal,” he said of comparative advertising. “It’s not as sexy as the extreme language.” Research on campaign advertising found that negativity itself is increasing,
Schweidel said. Campaigns used to hold back and pivot from positive to negative messaging late in a race, aiming for a final push before Election Day. That is no longer the pattern. “Campaigns are going negative earlier and earlier,” he said.
mated more than a third of Georgians now watch television through services like YouTube TV, which lets campaigns target individual voters rather than buying a broadcast time slot. “I can give a list to a vendor of Republican voters, or swing voters, I want to hit,” Sterling said. “It will follow you around if you go on vacation; if you open your streaming service, it will find you.” He said the result is that attack ads increasingly run with no public witness. Your neighbor may never see the ad built to move you, which means no one outside the target group is positioned to catch it, question it or call it out, he noted.
What has changed, in his view, is that voters no longer share a common set of facts to argue over. He pointed to social media algorithms that reinforce whatever a user already clicks on, creating parallel realities even among people who agree on the underlying events. “We are living in two different realities, even though all the facts are the same,” Sterling said. “We’re only having certain ones reinforced. And I think social media, more than the attack ads, is the bigger single problem.” Schweidel is looking at a related question from a different angle. The professor’s current research examines how attack ads shape the news coverage and social media commentary that AI systems draw on to summarize candidates for voters. “To what extent does today’s attack ad shape the way that AI talks about a candidate?” he said. “That is something that we’re looking into.” For now, Georgia voters can expect the ads to keep coming. With the Ossoff-Collins Senate race and the governor’s race between Republican Rick Jackson and Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms both unresolved heading into the fall, Schweidel offered little hope of relief before Election Day. “Unfortunately, they’re not going to stop,” he said. “We got another two, three months.”
Little appetite — or ability — to regulate Political advertising faces few content or truthfulness regulations, Schweidel said, and enforcement is difficult given how quickly campaigns move. He traced part of the landscape back to the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2010 Citizens United decision, which he said “opened the floodgates for third-party spending.” Sterling, however, said money “is like water.” He said it finds a way into Same ads, different battlefield politics regardless of the legal frameSterling, who has worked on presiwork and argued the more consequendential campaigns since 1988, agrees tial unintended effect of the ruling was with Schweidel that attack ads are not weakening the political parties’ role as a the true cause of rising polarization. moderating filter. “I do not remember a time in my “The parties used to act as a buffer political life where we didn’t have attack mechanism to weed out and be a little ads at some level,” he said. bit more responsible,” Sterling said. He pointed to the U.S. presidential “Since the parties have been disconelection of 1800 between incumbent nected from it, there’s not a mediating John Adams and the eventual victor mechanism.” Thomas Jefferson as proof the tactic Schweidel said he supports more predates any modern cause. oversight of political advertising, includ“They had the yellow, you know, the ing on digital and artificial intelligencepartisan papers,” Sterling said. “They generated content, arguing there is no literally called John Adams a hermaphreason platforms could not verify the roditic troll.” claims made in political ads before they Built for memories, run. for community. made Fact-checking, however, does little Built for memories, to blunt an ad’s impact once it’s out in made for community. the world, he said — a dynamic that Built for memories, predates social media but has been acBuilt for memories, celerated by it. for made forcommunity. community. made “A lie gets halfway around the world before the truth has a chance to put its boots on,” Schweidel said. “Even when you try to tell people this ad was wrong, the people who care about that have already made up their mind who they’re voting for. The undecideds aren’t listenWe’re proud to introduce our ing to that fact check.” Ads that follow you Streaming has changed who even sees these ads, Sterling said. He esti-
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18 | September 3, 2026 | Johns Creek Herald | AppenMedia.com/Johns_Creek
Burkhalter: Continued from Page 1 The report noted Burkhalter’s 18 years of service in the Georgia General Assembly. He represented north Fulton County from 1993-2011 and served as speaker pro tempore of the chamber from 2005-2010. Burkhalter was also speaker for 11 days in 2010. Burkhalter, according to the report, “built a successful career in real estate development” while serving in the state Legislature. The report said that his “decades of public service as an elected official and business leader, commitment to advancing American leadership and engagement, and broad understanding of the complexities of promoting strong economic growth make him well qualified to serve” as the country’s representative to Moldova. The city of Johns Creek named an outdoor venue, the Mark Burkhalter
Settlement: Continued from Page 5 “We hope this brings his family some measure of closure,” the attorneys said. “His death, caused by a concrete planter placed dangerously close to a road, was a preventable tragedy for which a Fulton jury held Milton liable. We hope his legacy prompts cities to take roadway hazards more seriously to maintain safe travel ways for all Georgia citizens.” Before the vote during the specialcalled meeting, city officials said the alternative to the settlement was a “contingent but unknown” outcome that could exceed $40 million if the case continued through the appeals court. During public comment on the matter, Milton resident Sarah Moen told the council there were “no winners” in the settlement.
Amphitheater at Newtown Park, in the former state representative’s honor in September 2016. As of Aug. 26, 2026, the amphitheater holds that name in various references on the city’s website. However, in a July 13, 2026, memo to the Johns Creek mayor and city council, city staffers said the amphitheater at Newtown Park had never been officially named by the council. Trump also nominated Burkhalter to serve as an ambassador during his first presidential term, tapping him in 2020 as the U.S. envoy to Norway. The nomination never advanced in the Senate, and the Senate returned it to the president in 2021. Then-Sen. Bob Menendez, a Democrat from New Jersey and, at the time, the ranking member of the Foreign Relations Committee, and NAACP President and CEO Derrick Johnson rallied against the nomination because of Burkhalter’s role in a 1994 political campaign. During that race for a seat on the
Fulton County Board of Commissioners, Burkhalter, according to an ABC News report, “helped distribute a racist campaign flyer right before the election that distorted the image of Gordon Joyner, the Democratic incumbent.” The news report said that, according to a lawsuit, Burkhalter and others discussed how white voters in north Fulton County were unaware that Joyner is Black. The flyers, distributed to more than 100,000 white voters, darkened Joyner’s skin, painted on an afro, distorted one eye and made his lips thicker. Burkhalter, according to ABC News, settled a libel lawsuit over the matter, paid a civil penalty for violating Georgia House ethics laws and apologized to Joyner. It is unclear when Trump will sign the necessary letter of commission to officially name Burkhalter as ambassador. After that occurs, Burkhalter will take an oath of office and present his credentials to Moldova’s Ministry of
Foreign Affairs. Burkhalter will live in the country’s capital, Chișinău, in the ambassador’s residence near the U.S. embassy. Moldova, according to The Associated Press, is navigating major political shifts, formal accession negotiations with the European Union and ongoing regional pressures from Russia. Moldova was a constituent of the Soviet Union from 1940-1991.
“$3.33 million is a much easier pill to swallow than $40-plus million,” Moen said. “That said, I do have some serious reservations about the [insurer’s] ability to assess risk on behalf of the city.” Moen said the Georgia Interlocal Risk Management Agency passed on an earlier $1.75 million settlement offer, which was, in her opinion, “foolish and irresponsible.” “[That] decision was made not only at our expense but at the expense of every governmental body GIRMA represents,” she said. “We deserve answers for that decision — real answers. Regardless, as I stated … there are no winners here tonight. The signing of the settlement agreement will bring a finality that I pray none of us ever have to experience. By all accounts, Joshua was a good kid … his life cut far too short.” Council Member Doug Hene said he agreed “with [Moen’s] comments that clearly there’s no winners and it will forever be an unfortunate circumstance
we had to navigate.” “I do want to give kudos and appreciation on behalf of all the citizens of Milton to our city attorney, city manager and specifically to you, Mayor, for the effort that you undertook to make sure that you protected … taxpayers the way you did,” he continued. “It was not unnoticed … that was a herculean task to rally the troops, meaning all the other cities in the state, to ensure they understood the liability posed by such a ruling.” Mayor Peyton Jamison said the settlement marks the end of a chapter in the city’s life. “Tomorrow, we’re going to continue what we do best, which is serving our citizens … and making this the safest city in Georgia and No. 1 city to raise a family,” Jamison said. Jamison said during an Aug. 20 interview with Appen Media that the city has “been looking” at items similar to the concrete planter, which he said was placed by a private resident, and having those items, including masonry mailboxes, “removed.” “We have forced people to remove them,
and we continue to do so,” Jamison said then. Provided all parties sign the settlement agreement and submit required documentation, Chang’s parents are due to receive the $10 million payment within 14 days. The parties will jointly ask the appeals court to dismiss the pending case as moot once the settlement is paid. The settlement agreement does note the court is “under no obligation to” dismiss the case, but the terms require the plaintiffs to “execute and file any satisfaction, cancellation, dismissal or other document necessary” to confirm that the judgment, verdict and all claims from the lawsuit have been fully satisfied.
Notice of Public Internet Auction Johns Creek Police Department The following is a list of property located at the Johns Creek Police Dept. If you believe that you are the owner of this property, please call (678) 474-1600 Monday through Friday between the hours of 8:30 AM and 5:00 PM. Proof of ownership and a valid ID will be required to claim any property. A public internet auction of the following items will begin the week of 09/17/2026. The auction’s website is www.propertyroom.com. Items: Laptop, Backpack, Phone Charger, Headphones / US Currency / Hand Truck / Bags, Clothing, Prescription Bottle, First Aide Kit, Name Tag, Shoes, Misc. Items, US Currency, Misc. Medications / US Currency / Lighting System, Rings, Necklace, Shoes / US Currency / US Currency / Suitcase / Phone, CDs, Charger / US Currency / Bicycle parts / Backpack / US Currency / Goggles, Head Covers, T-Shirt, Bag, Shoes / Bicycle / Backpack, Tools / Hoodie, Gloves / Saws / Backpack, Ear Protection, Tool, Quick loader
Editor’s note: Appen Media attempted to contact Joseph Mark Burkhalter for comment using publicly available phone numbers, an email address listed on his personal website and his website’s contact form. We did not receive a response before publication. This story will be updated online if a response is received. This story was originally published as a news brief on Aug. 25, 2026. It has been updated with more information about the 2026 ambassadorial appointment and the city of Johns Creek venue.
Editor’s note: This story was originally published as a news brief after the council meeting Aug. 24. It was updated to include quotes from resident Sarah Moen and city of Milton officials, the statement from the Chang family’s attorneys and additional details about the settlement.
CITY OF JOHNS CREEK PUBLIC NOTICE FISCAL YEAR 2027 BUDGET ADOPTION The proposed FY2027 Budget was presented to the Council during their Monday, July 13, 2026 5:00 p.m. Work Session. A Public Hearing was held during the July 27, 2026 7:00 p.m. City Council Meeting. Council will hold a second Public Hearing and consider adopting the FY2027 Budget at their regularly scheduled meeting on September 14, 2026 at 7:00 p.m. Council Meetings are held in the Council Chambers at Johns Creek City Hall, located at 11360 Lakefield Drive, in Johns Creek, GA 30097. The proposed budget is available on the City website and a copy is available at City Hall for review. Allison Tarpley City Clerk
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Crier 8/20/26 Connect-It
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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, 4 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!
Johns Creek Herald .......................September 3, 2026 | 19
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IS IT SOUP YET? 1. Coin toss result. Barber shop call. French ___ soup. 2. Soup with a lot of fiber. Acidic. Vetoes. 3. Hawaiian feast. Vegetarian soup, usually. Recipe direction. 4. Like many a cellar. Soup with spuds. Duck hangout. 5. Cream soup made from shellfish. Hurry. Big pitcher. 6. Reindeer herder. Baby buggy. Cattle rear end soup. 7. Soup from green reptiles. Visionary. Litter member. PuzzleJunction.com
Dunwoody Crier 8/20/26 Crossword
Across
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1 Scarf material 5 Overdue 9 Glimpse 13 Boredom 3 14 Macaws 15 Blue shade 16 Island in the road 4 18 Swallow quickly 19 Tender 20 Tipster 5 21 Smacks 22 Summer (Fr.) 23 Terrarium plant 6 24 Big game 25 Even, in verse 26 “Shucks!” /20/26 Sudoku7 28 Young newt Is It Soup Yet? Crier 8/20/26 Kakuro 31 Ohio, for one PuzzleJunction.com How to Solve: Each line in the puzzle Dunwoody above has three clues and three answers. The last letter in the first answer on each line is 34 Sicilian erupter 1. first Coin toss Barber call. French ___ letter soup.is outlined, giving you the correct number of letters for each the letter of result. the second answer,shop and so on. The connecting 35 Niagara River 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 2. the Soup with aonlot fiber. Acidic. Kakuro, alsoThe known as Cross Sums, is a challenging number puzzle, a crossword grid. The rules are easy: A number source for 3 answers theofpuzzle, line. Buteach here’srow, theVetoes. catch! clues are not in order - so the first clue in Line solved 1 mayin(or may not) style actually To solve the Sudoku column and above the diagonal line in a black square is the sum of the white squares to the right of it. A number below the diagonal line is36 the sum Protect those be for the second or third answer in that line. Got it? Good luck! box must contain the numbers 1 to 9. 3. Hawaiian feast. Vegetarian soup, usually. direction. of the white squaresRecipe 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. within 39 Curved shape 4. Like many a cellar. Soup with spuds. Duck hangout. 40 Keats, for one 5. Cream soup made from shellfish. Hurry. Big pitcher. 41 West Pointer 42 Kitten’s cry 6. Reindeer herder. Baby buggy. Cattle give up their rear ends 43 Brass component for this soup. 44 Club ___ (resort) 7. Soup from green reptiles. Visionary. Litter member. 45 Mystery writer Ambler 47 Kimono sashes 49 Stew morsel 52 Dixie drink 54 Very, in Versailles 55 Jack-in-thepulpit 56 Cutlass maker 57 In the way place 59 Old dagger 60 Dance bit 61 Torcher’s Copyright ©2026 PuzzleJunction.com How to Solve: Kakuro, also known as Cross Sums, is a misdeed challenging number puzzle, solved in a crossword style grid. The rules are easy: A number above the diagonal line in a black square is the sum of the white squares to the right of Copyright ©2026 PuzzleJunction.com it. A number below the diagonal line is the sum of the white How to Solve: To solve the Sudoku puzzle, each row, squares in the sequence below it. You may only use the digits column and box must contain the numbers 1 to 9. 1 to 9, and a digit can only be used once in any sequence.
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62 Richard Rodgers collaborator 63 Rocky peaks 64 Male turkeys Down 1 Schnoz 2 Harden 3 Crescent 4 Youngster 5 Work 6 Make a left or right and you’re there 7 Tense 8 Time zone 9 Raptor 10 Land measure (Brit.)
11 Orange feature 12 Hogs the conversation 13 Gaelic 17 Egyptian solar deity 21 Japanese coin 23 Touch 24 Doodle 25 Engrave 27 Dill seed 29 Penalty 30 Exam 31 Con game 32 Radial, e.g. 33 Machinist’s tool 34 Collar type 35 Cry of surprise 37 Colossal 38 Deck members
43 Energy 44 Soybean paste 46 Change, as a clock 48 Makes like a horn 49 Geometrical solid 50 Continental money 51 End of grace 52 One of the Brolins 53 Arm bone 54 Former Yugoslav leader 55 60’s hairdo 57 WW II craft (Abbr.) 58 Blubber
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Millage: Continued from Page 1 The proposed increase follows an “extensive districtwide effort to identify savings and efficiencies through the GLIDE initiative.” The district said the initiative — a data-informed strategy focused on growth opportunities, lean operations, investment in innovation, diversified revenue and enhanced efficiency — has already saved $50 million. Superintendent Mike Looney said the increase is due to “significant uncertainty surrounding the county’s property tax process.” Fulton County does not yet have a certified tax digest, but school district officials said the district is moving forward with its financial planning and millage rate process. Fulton County Schools will hold three public hearings — as required by state law — to provide residents an opportunity to comment on the tentative millage rate. The board will then take a final vote on the matter.
Fulton: Continued from Page 7 High school biology scores increased by 3.9 percentage points, raising the proportion of students’ knowledge labeled proficient or distinguished in the subject to almost 60%. Overall, nearly 2 percentage points more students scored proficient or distinguished in science. Looking at the results, Gaskins said the challenge now is to build on these practices to achieve the same level of acceleration at every grade level across the district. “The important message here is that our progress is not occurring in isolation,” he said. “Across every content area included … Fulton students are outperforming both the state and in our region.” Board Member Franchesca Warren asked about support for students who are scoring below proficient levels. Gaskins said while those students do have support systems and classes in place to help close learning gaps, it’s important that the parent or guardian is engaged in their student’s learning as well. Board Member Lillie Pozatek said while the growth is exciting, the district can’t be finished making progress. “We’re competing against ourselves,” Pozatek said, “and we have one chance to do this right.”
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MEMBER (CONT.) Zach Jones Patricia Kachur Amy Kanderis Arthur Kebanli Laura Keck Mark Kelly Nancy Kennell Randall Kent Carol Kerr Sally Klaskala Allison Kloster Dyna Kohler Brett Koutnik Larry Krueger Jess & Chris Kysar Malinda Lackey Sarah Lamm Daniel Lashinsky Richard Lapin Christine Law Brandon Leach Dennis Lee Ken Leffingwell Carol Lehan Melissa Libby Bonnie Lind Francia Lindon Karen Lippert Harlan Little Jarrett Long Ross Long Kyser Lough Rita Loventhal Jerry Lucas Brenda Lundy Harry Lutz Rita Loventhal Karen Magill Freda Manning-Rumph
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THE FUTURE OF LOCAL NEWS
Cindy Nolan North Fulton Master Gardeners, Inc. Tricia Novarro Bob O’Brien Jay O’Meara Diana O’Sullivan Anne Pappas Lynn Pennington Jonathan Peters Kurt & Leslie Phillips Mary & Jan Phillips James Potts Debra Powell Seth Price Joyce Provissiero Chuck Pugh Patricia Rackliffe Robert Radloff Raj Rajagopalan Pankaj Rajankar Ashwin Ramaswami Cheryl Rand Manu Rao James Rasmussen Paula Rattray Lori Rausch Jean Rearick Joseph Reed Scarlett Reynolds Righteous PR Angie Rigney Sean Riley Neil Robertson Kimberly Robinson Matt Rohs Kim Romaner Courtney Rozear Fran Russell
Continued innovation in digital media has changed the ways in which people buy, sell and interact with products and services. It has caused businesses to reassess the ways in which it communicates with potential customers and advertises its products. It has been well documented that these changes have had a destructive impact on local newspapers, which continues to be a primary source for local news, but is no longer a primary source for local advertising dollars – historically the lifeblood for reporters and their coverage. At Appen Media Group we want to address this conflict head on, and build new and innovative approaches to monetizing local news and creating a sustainable future for local journalism in metro Atlanta.
E S P Y L A T E S I L K A Q U A A R A S E N N U I G U L P R O U N D A B O U T S L A P S T O U T S O R E D E E R F E R N E T E E F T D A R N E E N Pu Dunwoody Crier 8/20/26 Kakuro S T A T E E R I E E T N A S N O G A W E H T E L C R I C Carol Tall C A D E T P O E T A R C H Mike Tasos style grid. The rules a challenging known as Cross Sums, is a M D Kakuro, also M inEa crossword N C solved Z I puzzle, E W number Candice Teichert below the dia of the line in a black square is the sum the diagonal above A P it.EA number O B toI theSright of C squares I white E R The Small Business Advisor be used onc only can digit a and 9, to 1 digits the use only may You it. below sequence the in squares white the of M U A R T R E S J U L E P Suzanne & Bob Thomas L I N E O F F I R E O L D S William Tietjen A R S O N S T E P S N E E Lisa Tilt T O M S T O R S H A R T Michael Townes
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22 | September 3, 2026 | Johns Creek Herald | AppenMedia.com/Johns_Creek
Appen Media Wins 2026 Georgia Press Association General Excellence Bringing Journalistic Excellence to North Atlanta 1st Place
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AppenMedia.com/Johns_Creek | Johns Creek Herald | September 3, 2026 | 23
Part-time
Full-time Computer Professionals for GA based IT Firm: “Sr. Software Developer to Design, develop, code, test & deploy advance software module components in complex computing environments using latest tools & technologies. Optimize database performance through queries, indexing & schema designs. Travel to various unanticipated worksite locations with frequency dependent on Project and/or Client requirement throughout the U.S. may be required.” Apply w/2 copies of resume to HR, Powermind Solutions, Inc. 11539 Park Woods Cir, Ste # 703, Alpharetta, GA 30005. 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). Position is full-time; must be flexible to work irregular hours, to include evenings, weekends and holidays. 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.
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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. 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 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.
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Sawnee EMC is seeking a Staff Accountant – Financial Services to provide financial and accounting services in compliance with RUS accounting requirements and standards, coordinate budgeting and financial planning functions, compile and analyze financial information, prepare financial statements, statistical analyses, balance sheet and financial position statements, make recommendations on reserves, collect appropriate data to prepare tax returns, and prepare related reports to management. Requires: Bachelor’s degree (B.A.) in accounting with a minimum of two years progressively responsible work experience; high level of competency in MS Office, Accounting, Spreadsheet and Database Software; knowledge of RUS System of Accounts preferred.
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.
SERVICE DIRECTORY Electricians
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 and Affirmative Action Employer of Females, Minorities, Veterans and Individuals with Disabilities. 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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