Sandy Springs firefighters reunite child with mother ► PAGE 2
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Transgender activist challenges state Rep. Panitch in May primary
Plan for interchange alarms city officials By DYANA BAGBY dyana@appenmedia.com SANDY SPRINGS, Ga. — A preliminary design to ease traffic at the notoriously clogged Interstate 285 and Roswell Road interchange by building a diverging diamond interchange has some Sandy Springs leaders sounding the alarm about its potential harm to surrounding neighborhoods and businesses. The city council heard about the concept plan from Georgia Department of Transportation officials at its March 17 work session. GDOT officials said replacing the existing interchange with a diverging diamond interchange was the best option to reduce traffic and improve safety. GDOT officials also said the interchange project could be tied to the planned I-285 topend express lanes, which would add toll lanes in each direction and include replacement of the existing bridge.
See PLAN, Page 6
By DYANA BAGBY dyana@appenmedia.com
get this underway. It’s going to be one of those jewels that we come to appreciate as time goes on.” Park amenities will be built on a small portion of the 23-acre park and will include passive greenspaces, two river overlooks, a nature-based playground, picnic areas, restroom facilities and parking. The remaining land will remain largely untouched.
SANDY SPRINGS, Ga. — The campaign trail is heating up in North Fulton, where transgender software architect and digital activist Aaron Baker is challenging state Rep. Esther Panitch in the May 19 Democratic primary for House District 51. The district includes portions of Sandy BAKER Springs and Roswell. Baker is a first-time candidate and member of the Democratic Socialists of America. She says she is running a progressive, grassroots campaign and is fighting for working people, affordable housing and fully funding public schools. If elected, she would make history as Georgia’s first openly trans legislator. She is Jewish and a lesbian. “Progress isn’t extremism,” Baker said. “If you’ve felt like your voice isn’t being PANITCH heard or your priorities aren’t being taken seriously, you’re not alone.” But she’ll have a fight on her hands, and it’s a fight Panitch said she’s ready for. Panitch said she welcomes Baker’s challenge but questioned her motives. “Anybody who’s trying to take down a successful incumbent — it’s a fight,” she said. “I’m a trial lawyer. Competition strengthens me. I’ve developed the skills to fight not just for my clients, but my constituents. We’re in a democracy. I welcome the competition, and I wish her well, but I do not wish her luck.” Baker said she got her start in politics in 2023 when the Georgia legislature passed Senate Bill 140 that limits gender-affirming medical care for transgender children.
See PARK, Page 6
See PRIMARY, Page 9
DYANA BAGBY/APPEN MEDIA
A pedestrian walks across the Interstate 285 bridge at Roswell Road, the busy interchange where some 40,000 vehicles travel daily.
Construction to start soon on Old Riverside Park By DYANA BAGBY dyana@appenmedia.com SANDY SPRINGS, Ga. – The Sandy Springs City Council has approved a contract to build Old Riverside Park on the banks of the Chattahoochee River, a project that’s been in the works for more than a decade. At its April 7 meeting, the council awarded a $4 million construction contract to Eastern Builders Inc. Construction will
get underway in the next few weeks, and the park at 6500 Old Riverside Drive is expected to be completed by the end of the year. The project is a longawaited one for residents living in neighborhoods near the Chattahoochee River in west Sandy Springs. “This is something that the folks in that part of the city have been looking forward to for quite a while,” Mayor Rusty Paul said. “I’m delighted that we’re able to
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