Power Realty Alpharetta Listing Of The Week!

Courtesy Power Realty

445 Chattahoochee Street Roswell, GA 30075

Five bedroom / four bath brick and frame home with a two car garage.

Located in Manor at Chattahoochee Commons subdivision.

Beautiful bank-owned new construction in the heart of Historic Roswell. Great floorplan, large bedrooms, tons of upgrades and full unfinished basement. Charming home on quiet side street close to restaurants and shops. A must see!

To find out more about this Milton Georgia home, go to http://www.powersoldit.com/ today! Alpharetta Office - 770-888-7653 - fax 678-990-5565 178 S. Main Street, Suite 300, Alpharetta, GA 30009

Alpharetta High's Andrew Jeschke Wins First Road To Safety Competition.

By Temura Bly; Accessmilton.com

The first "Road To Safety" Video competition was held this past Thursday at Alpharetta High School in the media center at 6pm.

With a crowd of an estimated 25 plus, familiar faces were in attendance including Milton Principal Jones, Alpharetta Principal Dunn, and Milton City Council Member Longoria.

A friendly wager was placed between the two competing principals with the loser buying the winner lunch...Congratulations to Mr. Dunn!

Two videos were submitted from Milton High School and two from Alpharetta High helping to kick of the "Road To Safety" inaugural event.

With the help of the Fulton County Board Member Katie Reeves, Protectmilton.com's Lisa Cauley, and Tim Enloe of Accessmilton.com, the competition plans on including all North Fulton High Schools north of the Chattahoochee River in 2011.

Every single video submitted for this year's competition was impressive and the judging intense.

From a fictional safe driving character dubbed "Safety Sam" to a shootout with special ops, every student involved poured their heart and soul into the project. Each approaching the topic in a unique way while still driving the message home.

If you would like to view the videos, awards will be presented and videos shown at Alpharetta City Hall on December 6th. Milton City Hall will showcase the videos on December 20th.

In the weeks to come, Accessmilton.com and Accessalpharetta.com will be showcasing all four videos along with the wondeful sponsors as well.

John Albers for State Senate.

Double Click To Enlarge Image.

NOTE: Accessalpharetta.com encourages all candidates running for office both locally and state wide to share information with us on their campaigns. This type of information does not mean that Accessmilton.com is endorsing one candidate as opposed to another. Here, all are treated equally and with respect.

Help Recreate Milton County!

Engage With Us! Phone Bank for the Re-creation of Milton County!

Greetings Belle Isle Supporters!

This week is do-or-die for the legislation to Re-create Milton County in 2010. Of all the legislation currently being considered this piece will directly affect our way of life in a positive way! We need to encourage 20 Democratic legislators to vote for H.R. 21 to ensure its passage into law. We need your help!Please join us to call the legislators and encourage them to vote yes!
We will meet Tuesday March 23rd, 2010 at 9:30 AM until 11:30 AM at:

Belle Isle Law Group
178 S. Main St. Suite 250
(corner of Hwy 9 and Old Milton Pkwy)
Alpharetta, GA 30009

We have a list of the legislators that need to be called and a script you can read from if your not sure of what to say. I'll put the coffee on and we will have some bagels and pastries to keep you going.If you need more information or directions call me at 770-572-1570.

Thanks!
Belle Isle Campaign

____________________________________

www.belleisleforsenate.com

The gift limit is $2,400 per person or company, but all contribution levels are welcome! Checks should be made payable to "Belle Isle For Senate" and mail to:

178 South Main Street
Suite 250
Alpharetta, GA 30009

NOTE: Accessalpharetta.com encourages all candidates running for office both locally and state wide to share information with us on their campaigns. This type of information does not mean that Accessmilton.com is endorsing one candidate as opposed to another. Here, all are treated equally and with respect.

John Albers for State Senate.

Milton County News!

Last Friday, 3/19 another legislative educational session was held downtown. John Albers, leading candidate for State Senate once again represented North Fulton residents. As the first speaker to the committee, Albers reminded legislators why 234 years ago we declared our independence – taxation without proper representation. The facts are clear and the time for Milton County has come. For more information, please contact us at www.votealbers.com.

NOTE: Accessalpharetta.com encourages all candidates running for office both locally and state wide to share information with us on their campaigns. This type of information does not mean that Accessmilton.com is endorsing one candidate as opposed to another. Here, all are treated equally and with respect.

Jones Is Pulling Out All The Stops For Milton County.

Courtesy John Fredricks / Beacon Media

House Speaker Pro-Tem Jan Jones (R-Milton) is the Joan of Arc of re-creating Milton County.

Hopefully, she'll end up with a better result than the famous French national heroine did.

The resolute Jones is determined to make sure of that. And she's pulling out all the stops to get the 125 votes she needs in the House next week to insure her constitutional amendment -- HR21 --gets to the senate.

Jones, speaking before a record crowd this morning at the annual Greater North Fulton Chamber of Commerce Expo breakfast in Alpharetta, said she is a handful of votes short of the two-thirds majority she needs -- as of today. "We have been working the other side of the aisle, and we have picked up considerable Democrat house support," Jones said. "We've closed the gap considerably in the last several days." Earlier this week Jones stated, "Good governance and economic efficiency is non-partisan and slices thourgh party affiliation." She says Fulton County cannot be fixed. "The only way to fix it is to eliminate it," Jones argued. The North Fulton legislator maintains that the resolution is good for all Georgians. "It [HR21] is gaining momentum as more House members review the facts behind it," she claimed. Jones says she needs about 20 Democrat votes to get it over the top.

REPUBLICAN BAILOUTS

Jones' Milton county supporters got thrown for a loop last week when her Majority Whip, Rep. Ed Lindsey (R-Buckhead) came out against the resolution and tacked on an amendment at the last minute to stall it from getting out of one obscure house committee. His Kamikaze bid failed, 9-7, but his opposition forewarned trouble ahead

One veteran North Fulton Representative vented his disgust with the Lindsey stealth bombshell, referring to Atlanta's only Republican representative as "Judas."

BIG GUN CALLED IN

Jones countered the Lindsey defection by rolling out her big gun: Rep. Mark Burkhlater (R-Johns Creek). The former Speaker Pro-Tem, who has staked his political career on making the re-creation of Milton County a reality, delayed several business trips to help Jones and her North Fulton legislative team round up votes. Burkhalter, immensely popular in the Gold Dome with deep ties to many Democrat house colleagues, has been working feverishly to gain support for the resolution, sources say. "He's made great progress, as our entire team has," Jones said.

DO OR DIE IN RULES NEXT WEEK

Jones says she is confident the resolution will make it out of the Rules committee next week. Once accomplished, the gnostic house leader said the historic floor vote would then get on the docket. But Jones warned that she would not bring the resolution to the floor if she didn't have the votes. "If we are not successful in this session, I will bring it back next year," Jones vowed. "It's not a matter of 'if' for Milton County," she predicted. "Its a matter of when."

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Police seize 10 pounds of pot, arrest six after Alpharetta burglary.

By Marcus K. Garner
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Police scored a major drug bust Sunday trying to arrest burglars.

Alpharetta and Gwinnett County police tracking suspects of an Alpharetta home invasion found 10 pounds of marijuana when they served a search warrant in Gwinnett, authorities said.

This came after arresting the sixth person apparently connected to an alleged band of house thieves.

Sunday around 6 p.m., police responded to the report of burglars inside a home on Broadwell Oaks Drive, where a teen and a 10-year-old were hiding from the intruders, Alpharetta police spokesman George Gordon said.

"Officers engaged in a foot chase which resulted in two males being taken into custody," Gordon said, saying that Danny Mosquera, of texas, and Eric Glen Bierd-Rivera, of Louisiana were arrested.

Witnesses identified two vehicles seen at the home, and police began a search for a dark-colored Nissan Maxima and a gold Honda Accord.

Later Sunday evening, police spotted the Nissan on Wills road. After a short car chase, Omar Rodriquez, of Myrtle Beach, S.C., was arrested.

Gwinnett County police stopped a gold Honda around 9 p.m. as part of a felony traffic stop, and arrested the two men inside after finding evidence tying them to Bierd-Rivera, Rodriquez and Mosquera, Gwinnett police spokesman Brian Kelly said.

Officers conducted a search warrant in Gwinnett at an address connected to the Honda, and there found the marijuana and a woman wanted by police, authorities said.

The driver of the Honda, Joselyn Rodriguez, and the woman, Lucy Cabral, both were charged with marijuana possession with intent to sell. The second man in the car has not been charged, Kelly said.

All three were taken to the Gwinnett County jail.

Bierd-Rivera, Mosquera and Rodriquez are being held without bond at the Fulton County jail in Atlanta, authorities said.

The investigation continues.

Residents Help Break Burglary Ring.

Courtesy WSB

Six people have been arrested following a home invasion in Alpharetta. And police say residents of the neighborhood deserve a lot of the credit in tracking them down.

Two of the suspects were nabbed immediately after neighbors saw them kick in the back door of a home on Broadwell Oaks Drive. One neighbor recorded the suspect's car on his cell phone while another neighbor wrote down the tag number. Danny Pierce tells Channel 2 Action News they look out for one another in their neighborhood.

"I think it proves you don't want to mess with our neighborhood, you know. We're a tight neighborhood and we stick together," said Pierce.

A 10-year-old and 17-year-old were at home at the time of the break-in. They ran upstairs, hid and called 911.

Danny Mosquera of Texas, and Eric Glen Bierd-Rivera of Louisiana were arrested at the scene. A short time later, a third suspect, Omar Rodriquez of South Carolina, was taken into custody.

Three more people were arrested in Gwinnett County, two of them while driving a second suspected car.

Gwinnett County Police Officer Brian Kelly tells WSB the vehicle was spotted in Gwinnett and two men were arrested. When police went to the apartment linked to the vehicle, they executed a search warrant and discovered more than ten pounds of marijuana.

Joselyn Rodriguez and Lucy Cabral have been charged with one count of possession of marijuana with intent to distribute.

Kelly says they're still working on how this is all linked. More charges and arrests are possible.

Forgehouse Names Christian Negri President, Ending Leadership Vacuum - cbl

By citybizlist Staff

ALPHARETTA, Ga. - Forgehouse Inc. (OTC BB: FOHE) has named Christian Negri as president, treasurer and director, ending a vacuum in its leadership since the resignations late last year of founder CEO John Britchford-Steel, director Jose Alonso and CFO Jose Vargas, according to an 8-K filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

On March 12, Philip Mann, the sole director and assistant secretary, named Negri, 41, a six-year veteran in the Alpharetta-based software company, to the positions. Negri owns 12 million shares.

Britchford-Steel and Alonso held board seats until their resignation Dec. 29.

Neenah Paper completes sale of timberlands for C$82,500,000.

Courtesy What They Think

Alpharetta, GA. - Neenah Paper, Inc. today announced it had completed the previously announced sale of its remaining 475,000 acres of timberlands in Nova Scotia for C$82.5 million to Northern Pulp Nova Scotia, through their affiliate, Northern Timber Nova Scotia. Cash received at closing was used to reduce debt. A pre-tax book gain on the sale of approximately $75 million will be recognized in the first quarter as well as a non-cash gain of $88 million for the reclassification of deferred foreign currency translation gains from accumulated other comprehensive income. Both of these gains will be recorded as income from Discontinued Operations.

Mad Hatter Service Company Giving 10% Discount on Firemagic and LYNX Gas Grills.

Courtesy Your Story. Org

Alpharetta, GA , 16 March 2010 : The trusted name for chimney cleaning, Mad Hatter Service is giving a discount of 10% on the range of LYNX and FireMagic gas grills to buyers. The offer has already benefited the company, as it is receiving lot of queries and orders from new & the existing clients.

“We always come up with discount offers on the products and services we offer. A lot of clients have been benefited with these money saving deals, and our new offer is yet another effort to provide better deal to customers. The products we sell are the best in terms of quality and our team ensures that a discount offer does not affect the durability & efficiency of the product at any cost,” said, Marketing Head of the Service Company.

Mad Hatter Service is a renowned name for carrying out chimney sweep Atlanta, air duct and fireplace cleaning tasks. The company also gives a workmanship guarantee of 12 months and ensures that all the cleaning work delivers 100% satisfactory experience to clients.

Apart from selling a variety of chimney and gas stove accessories, Mad Hatter Service also provides outdoor kitchens Atlanta design and build projects. The team of designers working at the company makes sure to come out with designs that match the exact requirement of the customer.

Bank Chief Accused of TARP Fraud.

Courtesy The Wall Street Journal

By LINGLING WEI And CHAD BRAY

A lifelong banking-industry executive was arrested Monday on numerous charges, including allegations of defrauding regulators in connection with what prosecutors said was his desperate effort to save his New York bank from failing.

Charles J. Antonucci Sr., the former president and chief executive of the Park Avenue Bank of New York, made false statements to regulators in an effort to obtain about $11 million from the U.S. government's Troubled Asset Relief Program, prosecutors said. He is the first person to be charged criminally with attempting to defraud TARP, the bank bailout program passed as the nation teetered on the verge of an economic meltdown in 2008, prosecutors said.

Park Avenue Bank, a lender with more than $500 million in assets that specialized in commercial-real-estate loans, failed on Friday after piling up more than $27 million in net losses last year. Bad real-estate loans shrank the bank's capital to just $3.3 million at year's end, down 87% from two years earlier, according to filings the bank made with the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.

"The bank was broken, so, in October and November 2008, [Mr.] Antonucci methodically went about pretending to fix it," said Preet Bharara, the U.S. attorney in Manhattan, at a press conference.

Prosecutors charged Mr. Antonucci with 10 counts of fraud, bribery and other crimes, including accepting free plane rides from a bank customer and stealing $103,000 from pastors of a church in Coral Springs, Fla. He could face up to 30 years in prison for each fraud and embezzlement charge. The bank's four branches were taken over by Valley National Bank.

Mr. Antonucci was taken into custody by federal agents at 7 a.m. at his home in Fishkill, N.Y. Unshaven and bespectacled, he sat quietly next to his lawyer and said little at a bail hearing Monday. He wore a red St. John's University hooded sweatshirt, blue track pants and brown loafers.

Bail was set at $2 million, to be secured by his home in Fishkill and his wife's apartment in Queens, N.Y. "These charges are what they are," said Charles Stillman, a lawyer for Mr. Antonucci. "We're going to study them and consider what our appropriate response to the charges will be."

The criminal charges against Mr. Antonucci come as regulators are ratcheting up their efforts to hold bank executives responsible as more financial institutions succumb to bad real-estate loans and other problems.

In January, a former executive at Omni National Bank, a failed bank in Atlanta, pleaded guilty to charges he overvalued bank assets in a bid to hide mortgage fraud. The former executive, Jeffrey Levine, is scheduled to appear before United States District Judge Jack Camp on March 23 for sentencing in his case.

The lending practices at Integrity Bank, an Alpharetta, Ga., lender seized by banking regulators in 2008, are under investigation by the FDIC. Lawyers for bank executives have declined to comment.

Mr. Antonucci held numerous positions in the banking industry before organizing a group of investors in 2004 to invest more than $10 million in Park Avenue for about 85% of the common stock, according to a person familiar with the matter. The bank, named after its location on Park Avenue, was struggling at the time, and Mr. Antonucci touted to investors his experience at working with regulators and turning around troubled banks, the person said.

The lead investor was real-estate developer David Lichtenstein, best known for his ill-fated acquisition of the Extended Stay Hotels chain, which is operating under bankruptcy protection. Mr. Lichtenstein hasn't been accused of wrongdoing.

Under Mr. Antonucci, the bank increased assets to $500 million from $100 million at the end of 2004, making loans throughout the region to commercial-real-estate owners, and to a racetrack in the Catskill Mountains. But like many other small banks across the country, Park Avenue saw its soured loans jump after the financial crisis hit in 2007.

According to Foresight Analytics, a banking research firm in Oakland, Calif., delinquencies on commercial property loans held by the bank jumped to 23% at year's end, up from about 18% a year earlier and 7.7% at the end of 2007. In September 2008, the FDIC declared that the bank was "undercapitalized."

This growing stress led to one of the schemes alleged in the criminal compliant. In the fall of 2008, Mr. Antonucci announced he had shored up the bank's capital base by investing $6.5 million of his own money, according to the complaint. But, in fact, the money came from the bank. Mr. Antonucci had set up a series of fraudulent transactions to make it seem like it was coming from him, the complaint states.

The federal investigation of Mr. Antonucci began about five months ago, when the Ecuador office of the Department of Homeland Security's U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement learned of a person interested in engaging in an illegal business deal with Mr. Antonucci, according to James Hayes, the agent in charge of ICE's New York office. He declined to elaborate.

The complaint also alleges Mr. Antonucci used a bank-consulting firm he owns to funnel Park Avenue Bank's money to himself. In addition, according to the bank bribery section of the indictment, he received free flights on more than 10 occasions in 2008 and 2009 on the private plane of a bank customer, including to the Super Bowl, Panama and the Masters golf tournament in Augusta, Ga.

Federal prosecutors alleged Mr. Antonucci arranged for Park Avenue to lease space from three properties he owned, causing the bank to spend more than $1 million to improve, lease and pay expenses on the properties, the complaint says. The bank used only one of the properties, according to the complaint.

Mr. Antonucci also was accused of stealing more than $103,000 from pastors of a church in Coral Springs, Fla., by offering to pay four times their investment through a purported bond, according to the complaint.

The money was deposited in an account he controlled at the bank and never repaid, according to prosecutors. Instead, Mr. Antonucci divided the money with an unnamed co-conspirator, according to the complaint.

Park Avenue Bank of New York isn't affiliated with Park Avenue Bank in Georgia.

Jury Awards $15 Million in Accident Case, Clears Lawyerless Chrysler.

Courtesy Law.com

A Georgia state court jury has held an alleged drunk driver responsible for $15 million in damages to a girl injured in a car accident, but the plaintiff likely will get only a fraction of the award because the driver has few resources and the designer of the girl's seat, which broke during the wreck, was cleared by the jury.

Complicating matters, according to the plaintiffs lawyers, was the bankruptcy-mandated dismissal of what was then DaimlerChrysler Co. from the case. Jurors faced a verdict form containing a line allocating blame to Chrysler, but no one represented the automaker at trial.

"The jury wanted to attribute some portion of the liability to Chrysler, given that Chrysler had designed the vehicle," said Law & Moran partner E. Michael Moran, who spoke to the panel after the Feb. 17 verdict (pdf) was released. "But as they were working through that, they had concerns about the fairness issue, because Chrysler didn't have a lawyer there defending them."

Chrysler went into bankruptcy protection last year, and the bankruptcy court approved its sale to Italian automaker Fiat last June; its new incarnation, Chrysler Group LLC, is protected from liability for cars manufactured prior to its bankruptcy declaration. But, in accordance with Georgia's 2005 tort reform law, Chrysler was still listed as a non-party defendant on the verdict form, which provided a space for apportioned damages.

"Under the law, Chrysler would not have had to pay anyway," said Moran. "We attempted to explain to the jury how it worked, but it's a bit complicated, and I guess we didn't do a good enough job explaining it."

The case began Jan. 1, 2007, when a Honda Accord driven by Joseph J. Covert ran a red light in Alpharetta, Ga., and hit the right side of a 2000 Jeep Grand Cherokee carrying Michael and Jacqueline Maybaum and their daughters, Jennifer, then 5, and Erica, then 11.

Erica was in the rear left-hand seat and wearing her seatbelt, according to the pretrial order. The impact caused a hinge pin at the base of her seat to pop out and she was pitched backward into the cargo compartment.

According to the pretrial order, Erica's head struck "something hard" with such force that her skull was dislocated from her spine, and she suffered "catastrophic brain injuries that have permanently compromised her endocrine and pituitary systems, as well as her bodily hormone balance."

The other three seats remained upright, and Moran's partner Peter A. Law said the other passengers in the Jeep, also named plaintiffs in the case, suffered "no significant injuries at all."

The complaint in the original suit, filed in April 2007 by Law and Jason L. Crawford and Peter L. Daughtery of Columbus, Ga.'s Daughtery, Crawford, Fuller & Brown named Covert and DaimlerChrysler as defendants. It claimed that the automaker "has been on notice for years that many of its seats and seating systems, including the seat and seating system in this case, are defectively designed and inadequate at keeping occupants restrained from rearward movement in foreseeable collisions."

Six months later, Johnson Controls, which designed and manufactured the seats, was added as a defendant to the suit.

Chrysler initially expressed interest in taking the case into mediation, but broke off talks as its financial situation deteriorated, said Moran. The automaker was eventually severed, then re-entered as a non-party at-fault defendant for trial.

In the defense portion of the pretrial order (pdf), Johnson Controls argues that the seats it provided "met and exceeded Chrysler's performance requirements, were tested and approved by Chrysler, and exceeded all Federal Motor Vehicle Standards."

Following a seven-day trial before Fulton County State Court Judge Patsy Y. Porter, the jury took about four hours to find Covert liable for $15 million in damages to Erica Maybaum; $10,000 to her sister, Jennifer; $15,000 to Michael Maybaum and $60,000 to Jacqueline Maybaum.

Johnson Controls was represented by Richard K. Wray and Tracy G. Ferak of Chicago's Reed Smith and Ronald D. Reemsnyder of Cumming's Ragsdale, Beals, Seigler, Patterson & Gray, who served as local counsel.

Ferak said post-trial conversation with jurors indicted that they had little trouble finding for her client.

"They said they reached a unanimous verdict [on Johnson Controls] on the very first ballot, then moved on to Chrysler, which was more mixed," she said.

Ferak said the panel was particularly impressed with the testimony of Timothy Brademyer, a Johnson Controls engineer.

"They said he just seemed very honest," she said, telling jurors, "'Look, I'm the engineer, here's how we do it.' And I think they thought some of the plaintiffs' experts were just not as believable."

"They also said our presentation style was more credible; they used the term 'classy.'"

William T. Casey Jr. of Marietta, Ga.'s Hicks, Foster & Casey, who represented Covert, said via e-mail that his client "admitted negligence and causation on all but the catastrophic injuries of Erica Maybaum. His policy limits were offered long ago.

"The Plaintiffs and co-defendant could not have tried a better case," added Casey. "I tried to push some blame onto the co-defendant without appearing to run from my client's culpability. The jury simply did not think the injuries were caused by the seat manufacturer and returned a verdict against Mr. Covert only. I do not anticipate an appeal on behalf of Mr. Covert."

Moran said that Covert's insurance and the Maybaums' underinsured motorist coverage would cover some of the judgment, but "nothing close" to the total award. Covert, whose DUI charges are still pending, has few assets to go after, he said.

"We got such a great trial from Judge Porter, there's little chance that we'll appeal," he said.

Law said Erica Maybaum has since recovered well, although she had to have a steel rod and screws inserted to reconnect her skull to her spine.

"She does really well," he said. "She plays softball, or has played softball; you wouldn't be able to tell she's had such a traumatic injury."

Lichdom announced; will use CryEngine 3

Crytek seems to be busy licensing their new CryEngine 3 graphics technology that will be used for their own upcoming game Crysis 2. Crytek has also announced that CryEngine 3 will be used by new game developer Xaviant for their just announced game Lichdom. There's little info on the game itself in the press release other than it will be an action game with RPG elements and that it will be released for the PC and other platforms. No release date was announced.

There's also little info on Xaviant itself. The developer is apparently based in Alpharetta, Georgia and their web site is not only Flash heavy but provides little info on their company (although the cryptic messages are fun).

Lichdom announced; will use CryEngine 3 originally appeared on Big Download Blog on Tue, 16 Mar 2010 21:00:00 EST.

Bruder Healthcare to expand Thermalon line.

Courtesy Drug Store News

ALPHARETTA, Ga. (Mar. 16) Bruder Healthcare Co. is looking to extend its line of Thermalon heat therapy products into the cough/cold arena, the company noted recently.

A recent sinus compress (covering the eyes and nose) test-marketed in the allergy set generated three-times the sales as compared to a similar SKU merchandised alongside other hot/cold therapies, the company shared with Drug Store News. The moist heat helps relieve sinus pain and congestion.

Kyocera supplies Georgia’s largest commercial solar array.

Courtesy Brighter Energy

Kyocera Solar, Inc., has supplied photovoltaic modules for the largest commercial solar array yet developed in the state of Georgia.

The 144.48 kilowatt rooftop array is located at flooring retailer USFloors in Dalton, in the north of the state.

It was designed and installed by United Renewable Energy LLC, a photovoltaic integrator based in Alpharetta, Georgia.

The system comprised 672 of Kyocera’s 215GX PLU solar modules, spanning 14,500 square feet of roofspace.

Kyocera, which has its headquarters in Scottsdale, Arizona, said the array should generate 171,216 kilowatt-hours of power each year, the equivalent of an electricity supply for 14 homes.

It will provide all of the building’s current electrical needs, allowing for cost savings that should preserve company jobs.

Steve Hill, president of Kyocera Solar, Inc., said: “This solar project demonstrates Kyocera’s commitment to sustainable energy. Kyocera strives to help organizations achieve their sustainability goals—we are pleased to work with companies such as USFloors and United Renewable Energy LLC who share Kyocera’s commitment to the environment.”

Grants

United Renewable Energy said US Floors was taking advantage of a 30% federal grant and a 35% state tax credit for its system. Excess power will be sold at a premium to the North Georgia EMC.

The system developers said that ownership of solar power systems meant business owners had the opportunity to hedge against “dramatic” energy price rises.

William Silva, President of United Renewable Energy LLC, said: “USFloors continues to show leadership in sustainable manufacturing practices and job growth. This solar power system is impressive in it’s size alone, but more importantly because this is the largest commercial solar photovoltaic installation in Georgia since the 1996 Olympics.”

Cox Wants To Raise Lottery Ticket Prices To Fund State's Schools.

Kathy Cox



Courtesy Beacon Media

State schools Superintendent Kathy Cox says lottery ticket prices should be raised to help pay for K-12 education in Georgia.


Cox said during an appearance Friday on CNN that hiking the price by just 50 cents per ticket could raise $350 million to help fill a massive hole left by state budget cuts in the last two years. Cox said raising prices would ensure K-12 got money while also preserving funding for the HOPE college scholarship and state's pre-kindergarten program.


The state constitution already allows lottery revenue to go to technology and buildings for elementary and high schools, but lawmakers stopped allotting that money to K-12 in 2003. Cox said the state's education budget has been slashed by nearly $3 billion in the last 19 months.


Cox, a Republican, is running for her third term as state school chief.


A lottery spokeswoman said she would have a comment early next week.

Fulton anti-burglary task force asks have citizens ‘had enough, already?'

By Marcus K. Garner
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Fulton County's district attorney is fed up with burglaries.

So Paul Howard Jr. is joining with the Fulton County Sheriff and police chiefs throughout the county to form a multi-jurisdictional burglary task force that aims to reduce home break-ins by 30 percent over the next two years.

The team formed in December, with chiefs from south Fulton police departments meeting to share information about a growing number of burglaries.

As more departments began responding to more and more break-ins, they came together to begin a formal cooperation against crime.

Since then, the task force has busted a $2 million Internet-based burglary ring with three arrests.

Eight jurisdictions -- East Point, Sandy Springs, Fulton County, Alpharetta, Atlanta, Johns Creek, the Fulton Sheriff's office and the DA's office -- will share a $20,000 federal grant intended to fight crime.

The burglary-reduction strategy will engage a public weary of what has been deemed an increase in home and business break-ins across the county.

The "Had Enough Already" campaign will team with the Atlanta Police Foundation and Crime Stoppers Atlanta to offer increments of up to $2,000 for credible burglary tips or for information on stolen property, authorities said.

Howard will unveil the plan Monday at 10 a.m. at the J.R. Crickets Sandtown at 5819 Campbellton Road in Atlanta.

Robbins Umeda LLP Announces Investigation of Schweitzer-Mauduit International, Inc.

Courtesy Market Watch

SAN DIEGO, Mar 14, 2010 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Robbins Umeda LLP has commenced an investigation into possible breaches of fiduciary duty and other violations of state law by certain officers and directors at Schweitzer-Mauduit International, Inc. ("Schweitzer " or the "Company") /quotes/comstock/13*!swm/quotes/nls/swm (SWM 45.88, +0.89, +1.98%) . Schweitzer manufactures and sells paper and reconstituted tobacco products to the tobacco industry, as well as specialized paper products for use in other applications. The Company was founded in 1995 and is headquartered in Alpharetta, Georgia.

Robbins Umeda LLP's investigation concerns whether the Company's directors and officers caused the Company to issue materially false and misleading statements. Specifically, the investigation will determine whether these directors and officers misrepresented the strength of Schweitzer's competitive position in the United States and its ability to withstand European competition.

The alleged material misstatements and omissions may have caused Schweitzer's stock to trade at artificially inflated prices, reaching a high of $83.63 per share on January 14, 2010. It appears that inflation in the Company's stock price allowed them to complete a secondary offering of 1.8 million shares of its stock at $60 per share in November 2009.

On February 10, 2010, after the market closed, Schweitzer reported its fourth quarter and 2009 financial results, as well as the filing of a patent infringement action alleging that certain foreign companies infringed on Schweitzer's U.S. patent. Upon this news, Schweitzer's stock fell $23.58 per share to close at $46.65 per share on February 11, 2010, a one day decline of nearly 34%.

A lawsuit alleging violations of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 has been filed on behalf of shareholders who purchased or otherwise acquired Schweitzer stock between August 5, 2009 and February 10, 2010 against the Company and certain of its officers. Securities class actions like this can potentially cause additional damage to the Company.

If you purchased your Schweitzer stock prior to August 5, 2009, continue to hold your shares, and would like more information about your rights as a shareholder, please contact attorney Lauren Levi at 800-350-6003 or by e-mail at llevi@robbinsumeda.com.

Robbins Umeda LLP is a California-based law firm, which has significant experience representing investors in shareholder derivative actions, securities fraud class actions, and merger-related shareholder class actions. For more information about the firm, please go to http://www.robbinsumeda.com.

Silicon Valley VC invests $25M in implant provider.

Courtesy Atlanta Business Chronicle

An Alpharetta-based health-care services firm has raised about $25 million from Silicon Valley-based Sequoia Capital and plans to create 150 white-collar jobs.

Implantable Provider Group Inc. (IPG) plays in the relatively untapped medical device benefit management space. The company buys medical implants, such as pacemakers and knee replacements, for hospitals and surgery centers and files reimbursement claims with insurers.

By doing the purchasing, IPG saves hospitals from tying up limited capital and spares them the complexity and financial risks associated with the billing and reimbursement process. Insurers, who contract with IPG, benefit from lower claims costs — about 15 percent to 20 percent— since IPG buys the implants in bulk. Device manufacturers, meanwhile, get a distribution channel for their products.

“Our primary value proposition is generated toward the payer,” CEO Jay Ethridge said. “Of all the dollars that an insurer spends on an implantable device procedure (i.e. physician fees, facility overhead, etc.), the cost of the device is the largest part.”

Letter To The Editor.

Should South Fulton suffer again for a Milton County?
by James Reese

Most people arguing for and against Milton County don't know the full story beyond the Depression consolidation of Campbell County (South) and Milton County (North)into Fulton County. Several facts are being skated over by lies and deceit.

The first lie and tale of deceit surrounds the notion that Sandy Springs was part of the Old Milton County. Sandy Springs once known as Hammonds has always been in Fulton County. The fact is the Chattahoochee River served as the old county line between what was once Milton and Fulton County. Representative Jan Jones and Representative Willard are trying to pull a fast one by sliding in language that slips Sandy Springs in their definition of reconstituted counties. Stop and think,better still look it up. Sandy Springs is south of the Hooch and has it's origins in Fulton County.

South Fulton has suffered enough for Sandy Springs to allow it to walk away easily.Read closely you are not going to read this information in ANY article written about reconstituting Milton County. Sandy Springs prosperity didn't happen by itself. During the late 1960's through early 1980's Fulton County's jewel was Fulton Industrial Boulevard (FIB) in South Fulton County. At one time, Fulton Industrial Boulevard was the largest industrial park east of the Mississippi River. With that came untold millions of dollars in property taxes and sales taxes. Where did Fulton County spend those dollars? Sandy Springs... The vast majority of it went into building Sandy Springs infrastructure and aid the white flight north that has made it one of the richest communities in the nation. South Fulton suffered through the 1970's and 1980's while it's northern cousin received favored treatment and money from South Fulton in an effort to keep Atlanta and it's annexation plans at bay.

Very little of the FIB money was spent in South Fulton that is why it remain rather rural to this day. There lies the other lie from those who constantly repeat the mantra that North Fulton is paying for South Fulton.

If it was my choice I'd say allow the state-wide vote for the Old Milton County WITHOUT Sandy Springs because it was never a part of the Old Milton County. Sandy Springs owes a large debt to South Fulton and the resources it imparted upon her.

Tell Representative Jones and Willard to stop telling lies and pull the plug on HR21. The people of South Fulton and Atlanta should let their representative know the truth. South Fulton is responsible for Sandy Springs and subsequently the balance of North Fulton's properity.

NOTE: Many thanks to James for sharing his perspective on the Milton County issue. When it comes to letters to the editor, Magnolia Media does not necessarily agree with or argue against the opinions shared. However, we do support any citizen who would like to share their opinion with our readers provided there is ownership to the letter published.

Alpharetta grandmother $500,000 richer.

By Mashaun D. Simon
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

When Nancy Hitchcock stopped by the local RaceTrac to pick up a soda, she could not have imagined she would be a half-million dollars richer.

Hitchcock, 63, of Alpharetta played the Georgia Lottery instant game Jumbo Jumbo Bucks and won the $500,000 top prize. Just a week prior, she had walked away with a $1,000 win.

“I’m still in shock,” said Hitchcock, a medical transcriptionist.

She purchased the winning ticket at the RaceTrac on McFarland Parkway, along with a Coke, and scratched the ticket in her car.

A grandmother of four, she plans to help her family with her winnings and possibly take a Disney vacation.

“Everyone who wants to go,” she exclaimed. “We’re going to go to Disney.”

Alpharetta Methodist presents 'Jesus & Passover'.

Courtesy Appen Newspapers

March 11, 2010 ALPHARETTA – What do the Jewish celebration of Passover and Jesus’ Last Supper have in common?

Alpharetta First United Methodist Church will delve into that 7 p.m. Sunday, March 14, in a special program called “Jesus in the Passover.”

Jesus’ last meal on earth was the Passover celebration, one of the most significant of all Jewish holidays. In it, the “Jesus in the Passover” service will focus on the Jewish roots of the faith in Jesus. The program will show how the Jews celebrate Passover today, how the symbolic food of Passover show God’s redemption and how Jesus is foreshadowed in the Passover celebration.

Murray Tilles of Light of Messiah Ministries will lead the program. The public is invited. The church is at 69 N. Main St., Alpharetta, one block north of Alpharetta City Hall. For information contact Mary Ann Gilbert, 770-475-5576.

Majority Whip Ed Lindsey Poised To Sink Milton County in 2010.

Courtesy Maggie Lee / Beacon Media

With Friends Like Rep. Ed Lindsey, Who Needs Enemies?

Talk about teamwork.

He's the only Republican House member that represents part of Atlanta.
He got elevated to Majority Whip in January, with the enthusiastic support of Speaker Pro-Tem Jan Jones (R- Milton).

But now Rep. Ed Lindsey (R-Buckhead) is poised to single-handedly sink the hopes for Milton County -- at least in the 2010 General Assembly.

A hearing in an obscure committee attracted north Fulton's state legislative heavyweights, only to divide them in a tight vote on the idea of recreating Milton County.

By 9-7, the House State Planning and Community Affairs Committee passed a resolution that would trigger a statewide referendum on the question of reconstituting old counties.

That's a long way from the two-thirds super majority Jones needs to get the resolution through the House.

The committee has only 14 members; but using their privileges as House officers, Jones and Lindsey also voted. On opposite sides of the House Resolution 21, that is.

The two-hour hearing began with Jones and Wendell Willard (R-Sandy Springs) again outlining their vision of Milton County: a place governed more efficiently than Fulton County, saving Fulton taxpayers millions of wasted dollars in the long run.

LINDSEY'S PLAN TO STRANGLE THE NEW COUNTY

The substantive opposition to Milton County actually came in the form of a surprise amendment from Lindsey.

HR21 envisions the entire state voting on a constitutional amendment that would allow for the recreation of former counties. If the amendment carries statewide, then North Fulton voters would be required to approve Milton County before it could be chartered. But Lindsey said all of Fulton County should have to approve it -- not just potential new Milton county residents. Lindsey's amendment to HR21 would have likely proved a death knell for the new county's hopes. However, Lindsey's bid failed.

FULTON COUNTY GOP FISSURES

In another shocker, Fulton County Republican Party official Brad Carver, speaking on the behalf of the Buckhead Coalition and Cousins Properties, testified against the new county, furthering the divide in the North-South Fulton County GOP camp. Carver, who is expected to run for Fulton County Republican Party Chairman when incumbent Shawn Hanley leaves the post, is sure to draw North Fulton GOP opposition from Roger Bonds, a party leader from Milton. Bonds has a better than two to one edge in members.

FEDERAL DOJ MAY STRIKE IT DOWN, ANYWAY

In any case, it's not clear that the federal Department of Justice would allow a Milton-only vote given the racial demographics; excluding south Fulton from the ballot box approval process is also apparently contrary to state code.

Lindsey's amendment didn’t carry despite the alleged legal problems with the HR21's current language.

The Buckhead legislator plans to reintroduce the amendment on the House floor. His language may doom Milton independence, as the question would go before the entire population of Fulton south of Sandy Springs.

Jones' next task is to guide the bill through the Rules Committee for a place on the House debate calendar. Then she's got to marshal two-thirds of the vote -- without her Majority Whip -- to pass the resolution.

With friends like Lindsey on your leadership team, who needs enemies?

The noose around Milton's neck is tightening -- and fast.

CloudBlue Introduces Next Generation of Electronic Scrap Management.

Courtesy Recycling Today

Company sees rapid growth with unique approach giving enterprises highest security and professional service; secures additional capital.

CloudBlue Technologies Inc., headquartered in Alpharetta, Ga., announces that it has added 25 Fortune 500 customers in the last 12 months in the financial services, healthcare, insurance, media, and manufacturing industries. “It’s not just about scrap recycling anymore. The next generation of e-Waste management merges social responsibility with a professional services-oriented approach that allows enterprises to outsource the complexity and risk associated with disposing of electronics in multiple geographies throughout the world,” says Ken Beyer, CEO of CloudBlue. “We’re focused on solving the global problem of e-Waste. Companies are demanding auditable solutions that meet growing compliance requirements, are greener and more secure; and our business model delivers all of those.”

CloudBlue has 16 facilities throughout the world, including locations in the United Kingdom and the Netherlands. The company manages all of the logistics of IT asset disposal, from pick-up to transportation to destruction or recycling.

The company also says that it is an e-Stewards recycler certified by the Basel Action Network (BAN).

“We have a program in place to ensure that no hazardous electronic waste is exported to developing countries. As an e-Stewards recycler, CloudBlue has been qualified as upholding the highest standard of environmental and social responsibility,” says Jim Puckett, BAN’s executive director.

The company also notes that it has recently secured Series B funding from the private equity firm Riverwood Capital that will allow CloudBlue to expand its professional services globally.

Bill would let more back yards be like barnyards.

By Nancy Badertscher
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Some barnyard animals could be moving into back yards under a bill that cleared a House committee Wednesday.

The bill would allow homeowners to have chickens, milk goats and rabbits -- as well as sizable fruit and vegetable gardens -- so long as the goal would be to feed their families.

Local governments wouldn’t have much room to object, unless they have complaints about things like noise or odor that they're willing to take to court. Subdivision covenants would still apply, said Rep. Bobby Franklin (R-Marietta), sponsor of the “Georgia Right to Grow” bill.

“If Michelle Obama can grow food at the White House, then no Georgia family should be denied the right to grow their own food,” Franklin said.

Last year, some cities in north Fulton pressed homeowners to get rid of their backyard chickens. Some of the homeowners balked, and, in December, Roswell changed its backyard chicken ordinance to allow six birds in yards of one-third to one acre and a maximum of 36 birds with even bigger acreage.

Officials representing cities and counties -- including Atlanta -- told members of the House Agriculture Committee that the bill would usurp local control.

“These decisions are best made locally,” said Tom Gehl, deputy director of governmental relations for the Georgia Municipal Association.

Committee members were split 6-6 on whether to pass the bill, and committee Chairman Tom McCall (R-Elberton) cast the tie-breaking vote.

Cuts would hurt lives, Fulton school board told.

By Gracie Bonds Staples
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Fulton County school counselors and psychologists added faces to the proposed budget cuts as the system seeks to pare $120 million from its 2011 budget.

Speaking before the county board of education Tuesday night, counselors provided stark examples of students at risk: three elementary-age children who were left to fend for themselves while their parent was strung out. A 14-year-old who was being recruited by gangs. A fifth-grade girl whose mother didn’t believe she was molested by her step-father.

“How do we educate that child without a school social worker to intervene on his behalf,” Stephanie Schuette asked the board.

Schuette, a 38-year-old mother and school social worker, was one of nearly a half dozen school employees and parents to address the board before an overflow crowd. Board president Linda Bryant assured the audience it would take the comments under consideration.

Parents and employees had been bracing for an additional $28.9 million in cuts recommended by Superintendent Cindy Loe.

Those recommendations come after the more than $35 million in cuts that the board approved Feb. 18, when it voted to increase class size to the state maximum across all grades. The board also agreed to eliminate the pre-kindergarten general fund, the summer CRCT retake program and reduce the school calendar from 180 days to 177 days.

The board is expected to vote on the more recent recommendations – the elimination of 1,000 positions – at its March 18 meeting.

Nearly half of those positions are teachers. Others included are 100 are custodial jobs, 26 social workers, 37 counselors, 28 psychologists, 42 instructional support teachers and 59 positions in the district’s popular band and orchestra program.

Unlike other budget items, Loe said the district does not we receive state funding for its band and orchestra programs.

“Anything we cut is straight savings to the bottom line,” she said.

A big proponent of band and orchestra, Loe said it was difficult for her to recommend cutting the programs, which could save the district $4.1 million.

Board members indicated they had all lost sleep over the issue and not just the cuts.

“South Fulton needs social workers, counselors and psychologists,” Bryant said to applause.

Loe said she has the backing of elementary school principals who say they favor dropping band and orchestra over staff reductions. But she added, “If we do this, we should have an after-school program and that is part of my recommendation.”

More than 4,000 parents have signed an on-line petition urging the board to reconsider before the March 18 vote.

Schuette recommended the board raise the millage rate by two mills rather than cut school counselors. She also said social workers responded to over 29,000 referrals of crisis intervention.

“The proposed budget cuts would have 50 percent fewer social workers, leaving only 28 people to respond to a projected 35,000 referrals,” she said. “It is not possible to meet such expectations.”

Bruce Moody, a parent, told the board that while he is happy to hear about the money the board will save.

"But who will save our children,” asked Moody, vice president of the PTA at Creekside High School in Fairburn and grandfather of two Fulton high schoolers Quoting Malcolm X, Moody said that education is the door to the future.

“Right now, it seems like it’s closing,” he said.

Other recommendations by the superintendent included scaling back on school resource officers (police officers) to one in north Fulton high schools and two in south Fulton high schools, which could save $1 million. And another $5 million could be saved by halving the number of school counselors and psychologists.

Employees who lose their jobs will be notified no later than April and will remain on the school system payroll through June 30, said Toller.

Milton County proposal could get House vote next week.

By Jim Tharpe
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

A controversial proposal that could lead to the re-creation of Milton County out of what is now north Fulton County could be voted on by the state House of Representatives in a week.

The proposal, HR 21, won approval from the State Planning and Community Affairs Committee on Thursday by a 9-7 vote, clearing the way for its consideration by the House Rules Committee and the full House next week.

Pushed by House Speaker Pro Tem Jan Jones (R-Milton), the resolution would put the Milton County proposal on the November ballot in the form of a constitutional amendment. If that passed, residents in the proposed county would still have to approve the plan.

But the road to the November ballot is a long one. Proponents would need a two-thirds vote in the House, meaning Republican backers would need to pick up 15 Democratic votes, an uphill task for any piece of legislation in the partisan chamber. And if it passed the House, it would have to pick up a handful of Democratic votes in the Senate.

“They have some very steep hurdles to overcome to get this on the ballot,” said state Rep. Billy Mitchell (D-Stone Mountain), who opposes the proposal.

Proponents, however, point out that they overcame similar obstacles with the creation of the cities of Johns Creek and Sandy Springs in recent years.

Milton and Campbell counties were merged with Fulton County during the Great Depression as a cost-cutting move. Since then, however, northern Fulton’s population has exploded. Some north Fulton residents contend that the county's Board of Commissioners has become increasingly unresponsive to their needs and an inefficient steward of their tax dollars.

Opponents of a re-created Milton County argue that dividing Fulton County would hurt Atlanta and the entire region. Some opponents have alleged that race is an underlying motivation for the proposal -- south Fulton is predominately black, while north Fulton is majority white.

Supporters of the new county have steadfastly denied any racial motivation, contending their primary aim is a more efficient county government closer to the people it serves.

Fulton County Commission Chairman John Eaves on Thursday called the 1932 merger of Fulton with Milton and Campbell counties a “marriage” that Milton County proponents are trying to tear apart.

“This divorce would have a disastrous impact on all parties involved,” Eaves said. “It’s a lose-lose situation.”

But Roswell Mayor Jere Wood said during the committee hearing that divorce is sometimes necessary. In this case, he said, it might cause some short-term pain, but the long-term benefits would be worth it.

“The divorce is because it’s not working out,” said Wood, a major backer of Milton County whose city would be within its boundaries. “I see irreconcilable differences.”

Alpharetta Youth Softball Association 3rd annual Jamboree.

Date: Saturday, March 20, 2010
Location: 13450 Cogburn Road, Alpharetta Georgia

Alpharetta Youth Softball Association 3rd annual Jamboree. Food, Carnival Games, Rides, Helmet Painting, T-shirts and Softball! Come out for a fun day at the park and check our girls, ages 4-18, and some exciting softball

GPS momentum builds across U.S., Canada.

Courtesy Baptist Press

Posted on Mar 10, 2010 by Adam Miller

ALPHARETTA, Ga. (BP)--Like many Southern Baptist congregations, Calvary Baptist Church has been involved in outreach efforts in the past. But this spring will see the congregation join others in its Baptist association touching the community in a way never attempted.

Known nationally as God's Plan for Sharing: Across North America, the effort is designed to touch every household with the Gospel in anticipation of Easter Sunday services, April 4.

"In our county we've got 42,000 homes that we are attempting to touch," said David Gifford, pastor of Calvary Baptist in Bowling Green, located in southwestern Kentucky. "Our church couldn't do that by themselves ... but when we break this up and we see the body of Christ working together, man it's exciting to be on board with that."

That's the idea behind Across North America and the multi-year God's Plan for Sharing, an initiative facilitated by the North American Mission Board with the participation of state and associational Baptist leaders. By linking evangelism efforts across national, state and associational levels, churches are able to plug into the larger cause and accomplish things that would have been difficult otherwise.

In all, state conventions have ordered or produced 17 million pieces of literature to be placed on each door in neighborhoods throughout the United States and Canada. In addition, NAMB has coordinated the purchase of more than 25,000 television ads, more than 7,000 radio spots and additional exposure through newspaper ads, billboards, yard signs and banners.

NAMB produced the ads and sent $1.2 million to state convention partners for the purchase of airtime and print space. State partners have contributed more than a half-million dollars to the purchases, bringing the total media buy to more than $1.7 million.

Advertising will direct people to a website, www.findithere.com, where they can view a Gospel presentation and a phone number, 1-888-JESUS20 (1-888-537-8720), to interact with a spiritual encourager.

In Kentucky, evangelism leader Ross Bauscher said he and his staff became excited about the possibilities of God's Plan for Sharing in early summer 2008. By December, the Kentucky Baptist Convention voted to proceed full steam ahead. The result: Detailed plans are now in place to touch up to 1 million homes with prayerwalking and packets that include a Gospel tract and church literature.

AN ADAPTABLE APPROACH

Southern Baptist churches across 43 state conventions will begin in March to prayerwalk and canvas their communities in the weeks leading up to Easter. Through such saturation, boosted by the media outreach strategies, the churches, their Baptist associations and state conventions will reach millions of homes, sharing the Gospel and inviting people to Easter services.

Each region has adapted GPS to its own strategy and context. A church in Alaska, for example, will do outreach differently than in more temperate climes.

"In 10 degrees and 25 mph winds, prayerwalking is more like prayer driving," said pastor Bruce Rowell of First Baptist Church in Palmer, a suburb of Anchorage, one of the state's few urban areas. In the surrounding Matanuska-Susitna (Mat-Su) Valley, GPS may look a little different than it does in the lower 48. Hanging bags on doors or mailboxes, for example, becomes problematic, as most people have to drive to the post office to pick up mail. So churches in the Mat-Su Valley benefit from the flexibility of the GPS strategy, adapting GPS resources toward meeting their unique challenges.

"This is exactly what we needed," Rowell said, underscoring how a common effort such as GPS can unify and mobilize churches in an area as frozen and spread out as Alaska.

First Baptist was able to partner with 10 churches situated along easily driven highways in the Mat-Su Valley Baptist Association, which covers more than 600 miles, encompassing some churches accessible only by plane. Building momentum through various pre-Easter events, the 10 churches will rally at First Baptist in anticipation of what God will do in their region.

Southern Baptist churches in Alaska plan to distribute more than 40,000 pieces of God's Plan for Sharing materials. People who respond to literature and media spots will be directed to websites, telephone numbers and eventually a contact at a local church, and they'll hear Gospel presentations all along the way.

Rowell said he's anticipating a harvest on Easter Sunday. "We hope to double our attendance that day through our outreach," the pastor said. "And each person there gets their own EvangeCube. We ordered around 400."

EARLY RESULTS

Flashback to early last spring in a Philadelphia neighborhood where Christian Cesar, pastor of Haitian Evangelical Baptist Church, showed up about 9 a.m. to coffee, pastries and more than a dozen church members sorting literature-filled bags into piles of 20. This was part of a pilot phase of the GPS initiative in 2009.

Within the next hour, church members were halfway through the task of visiting every home in the neighborhood with GPS materials and information about their congregation.

"Over the past year we've seen our community brighten," Cesar said. "Not as many drugs, not as much darkness and more people look to our church as a haven."

Situated near major intersections in a low-income area, Haitian Evangelical Baptist Church sits in a strategic location for building its community. Following last year's initial outreach, contact and communication have increased between church and its community.

At least three people accepted Christ during the initial outreach. Many residents showed up to the majority-Haitian congregation on Easter Sunday and many continue to attend.

An invitation like the ones being extended via GPS/Across North America can lead to life change among people not normally interested in church.

Gary Taylor, state director of missions for the Missouri Baptist Convention, noted, "We are told that 80 percent of unchurched people in America would be open to attending church on Easter Sunday if they were invited.

"This is so huge for the state of Missouri and little towns where people are going to share and saturate their towns with the Gospel," Taylor said.

Missouri churches ordered 750,000 GPS pieces, and merely talking about it to their congregations has given pastors a chance to lead people to Christ.

"A 70-year-old man came up after a service saying he needed what the pastor was talking about. Another church shared a similar story," Taylor reported. "It excites me to no end. We're already seeing fruit and we haven't even distributed the first piece!"

More than 40 Baptist associations in Missouri, encompassing some 1,000 churches, are participating. Television and radio ads are hitting the major hubs of St. Louis, Kansas City and Springfield, with ads playing during the Final Four basketball tournament, "The Bachelor" and "Oprah." Churches in Jefferson City, meanwhile, have prayerwalked their communities.

Churches on the West Coast, meanwhile, hope to gain similar traction.

The California Southern Baptist Convention has ordered 1.5 million pieces covering English, Spanish, Chinese, Korean, Russian and Vietnamese people groups. To illustrate how simple it is, Mark Beigle, pastor of Liberty Baptist Church in Moreno Valley, Calif., had a door set up near his pulpit on a Sunday morning. He took a bag, hung it on the doorknob and said, "There. You've been trained."

The California convention also will broadcast Find It Here advertisements more than 3,000 times through local television stations. The 42 other state conventions will use, in addition to television spots, billboard ads, radio spots and yard signs to send people in their communities to online or telephone-based opportunities for Gospel presentations.

LONG-TERM STRATEGY

GPS is a long-term strategy rolling out over the course of 10 years with the goal of every believer sharing, every person hearing by the year 2020.

"We are experiencing unprecedented cooperation from our state partners, associations and churches," said Jerry Pipes, GPS coordinator for the North American Mission Board. "We see this as a long-term effort, but we are sprinting right from the start with Southern Baptists excited to be a part of something that could dramatically influence life in North America."

The first step in the initiative, Across North America, is the first of six two-year campaigns that will carry GPS through 2020. This first leg of the vision is to saturate localities with the Gospel message through four primary strategies:

-- A three-week targeted media saturation taking place March 20 – April 11 (TV, radio, billboards, newspapers, etc).

- Prayerwalking in communities on the weekend of March 20.

-- Churches distributing clear plastic bags March 27 containing a Find It Here Gospel drop-in piece and an invitation to Easter services to each home in their surrounding neighborhoods.

-- Churches conducting a five-week follow-up process after Easter.

"It's been the best buy-in from our associations and churches of any evangelistic effort we've undertaken," said Sammy Gilbreath, director of evangelism for the Alabama State Board of Missions. "From small and large rural churches to inner-city churches, it's the best received of anything like this we've ever done."

Adam Miller is a writer for the North American Mission Board. James Dotson also contributed to this report. To find out more about Across North America, visit www.gps2020.net. Share your GPS story or video at www.namb.net/gpsstories.

Touchmark Banchsares Chairman Thomas Persons, Sr. Quits, Citing Board Split - CBL

Courtesy Citybizlist

ALPHARETTA, Ga. - Thomas Persons, Sr., the chairman of Touchmark Bancshares Inc. (OTC BB: TMAK), has stepped down citing a major split in the board of Touchmark National Bank's holding company,, according to an 8-K filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

In his resignation letter dated March 3, Persons, 65, said he could no longer "support many of the recent actions" by the board and would not allow the Alpharetta-based regional bank "to go through an expensive and nasty proxy fight under my leadership."

"I am exhausted with the split in our board. Our legal cost for the management review that is being conducted has already cost our bank much more than was ever necessary," he added.

Persons, who was a member of the company's audit and executive committees, expressed the hope that his successor "could promote more cohesive board action at the company and the bank."

Alpharetta Historical Society Presents1800’s Men & Women’s Period Clothing

Courtesy Appen Newspapers

Date: Thursday, March 18, 2010
Times: 7:30 PM
Phone: 770-475-4663
Location: 1835 Old Milton Pky Alpharetta

This month’s program will be a presentation and display of Authentic 1800’s Period Men & Women’s Clothing, its purpose, development and history. The program will be presented by Phillip and Janine Whiteman of Alpharetta, long time Civil War Re-enactors and Presenters.

Flood Watch For Alpharetta.

Courtesy WSB-TV

A flood warning continues for Big Creek near Alpharetta until Saturday morning. It could rise to 9.6 feet by early Friday then fall below flood stage on Saturday.

Rain began falling in metro Atlanta Wednesday morning and more is expected over the next few days.

“I expect just scattered showers Thursday afternoon with another round of storms likely Friday afternoon,” said meteorologist Brad Nitz.

High temperatures on Thursday will be in the mid 60s.

Children's Easter Egg Hunt

Courtesy Appen Newspapers

Date: Sunday, March 28, 2010
Times: 1:30 PM
Phone: 678-297-6140
Location: 13450 Cogburn Road Alpharetta

Alpharetta Recreation and Parks will host their annual Children's Easter Egg Hunt at North Park on Sunday this year. Complimentary photos with the Easter Bunny will be available! The hunt begins at 3pm. Thousands of plastic eggs and candy will be hidden for children age 10 and under. Fields 1 - 4 will be dividied into different age groups. Alpharetta Golden Age Club will co-sponsor.

Alpharetta lacrosse raises $2,750 for Wounded Warrior Project.

Courtesy Appen Newspapers

March 10, 2010 Members of the Alpharetta Junior Raider Men’s Lacrosse team raised more than $2,750 for the Wounded Warrior Project through a charity event in the memory of Capt. John Hallett III, a member of the U.S. Army who was killed in action last year while serving in Afghanistan. He was the cousin of Cal Swanson, a member of the AHS lacrosse team.

The Junior Raider team, composed of students in middle school, conducted a 12-hour “lacrosse-athon” on Feb. 6, playing non-stop lacrosse through sleet, rain and snow from 6 a.m. until 6 p.m. Players solicited donations from neighbors, friends and family for the Wounded Warrior Project after learning of the connection between Swanson and Hallett.

Hallett was a member of the United States Army, 1st Battalion, 17th Infantry Regiment, 6th Stryker Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division.

Job Transition Networking Meeting- Alpharetta FUMC.

Courtesy Appen Newspapers

Date: Thursday, March 18, 2010
Times: 6:30 pm
Phone: 404-784-3310
Location: 59 Main Street, Alpharetta, GA

Please join us for a great night of networking and sharing of ideas to help you in your job search.Free resume reviews beginning at 5:45 pm followed by round table networking at 6:30 pm, our industry guide program and guest speaker LynnMarie Earl. In this presentation, LynnMarie will discuss The Seven Steps of Sales as they apply to your job search. All our welcome and we suggest you bring a fellow networker who has never been to our meeting before.Contact Jeff Ivan at 404-784-3310 for more information.

Georgia-based medical device startup Carticept raises $20M.

Courtesy Local Tech Wire

ALPHARETTA, Ga. – A startup focused on developing treatments for cartilage and osteoarthritis has closed on $20 million in new venture funding.

Carticept attracted a new investor, SonoSite, as well as repeat investors New Enterprise Associates and Domain Associates.

The funds will be used to launch Navigator Delivery System, a computer-controlled fluid delivery system for automation of medication delivery.

Carticept also plans to continue enrollment of patients in a clinical trial for its Cartiva product, which is a synthetic cartilage implant.

The company had raised $25.5 million in earlier rounds, according to PE Hub.

“This additional funding provides further validation of Carticept’s leadership in the development of innovative treatments for patients with osteoarthritis or cartilage damage,” said Timothy Patrick, Carticept’s chief executive officer.

Stevi B's Hires Three.

Courtesy QSR Magazine

[2010-03-10] Stevi B's Pizza announced the hiring of Peter Klein as director of real estate and Bray Buckley and Lee Zimmerman as franchise sales representatives.

As director of real estate, Klein will oversee all Stevi B's real estate transactions, including site selection, broker services, store development, and the identification of potential franchisees through real estate avenues. A seasoned real estate professional with previous executive roles with Security Capital Group, Equity Investment Group, and Wal-Mart Stores Inc., Klein has more than 20 years of real estate development and property acquisitions experience. Klein earned his bachelor's degree from Drury University and resides in Alpharetta, Georgia.

"The director of real estate position is a newly formed role at Stevi B's Pizza and Peter deemed a perfect fit as he has extensive experience earned in diverse roles in real estate development and property acquisitions," says Matthew Loney, president of Stevi B's Pizza.

Franchise sales representatives Buckley and Zimmerman will focus on franchise sales activities with the objective of maximizing Stevi B's growth. Buckley most recently served as an associate with Grubb & Ellis Company, where he specialized in office tenant representation. Buckley earned his bachelor's degree from the University of Alabama and resides in Atlanta.

Zimmerman joins the Stevi B's team having most recently served as site specialist with New South Properties, overseeing site selection and land acquisitions for the development of retail shopping centers. Zimmerman earned a bachelor's degree from the Terry College of Business at the University of Georgia. He resides in Atlanta.

"We are thrilled to welcome Lee Zimmerman and Bray Buckley to the Stevi B's team," Loney says. "Both bring exceptional experience to our concept and we look forward to working with a group dedicated to Stevi B's value and franchise growth."

Time for Milton County.

Pictured: John Albers, Mayors’ Jere Wood, Joe Lockwood and Mike Bodker.

John Albers, the leading Republican candidate for State Senate District 56, was the ONLY State Senate candidate to attend a legislative committee meeting and education session regarding House Resolution 21 (Re-Creation of Milton County). North Fulton mayors, city council members and community activists packed the room.

Said Albers, “Putting politics aside, it is deeply concerning others running for the same office I seek did not make the time to attend this important session. The families of North Fulton have suffered from a lack of quality services from Fulton County for years and have my complete support. I will dedicate myself and time to re-create Milton County so our citizens can be best served.”

“Chairman Eaves of the Fulton County Commission presented his case for keeping Fulton united, but it failed quickly when Representatives Willard, Jones and Geisinger pointed out the decades of poor service and continuing mismanagement. North Fulton Mayors and Commissioner Lynne Riley set the record straight on how the North Fulton cities are better governing locally and decades of poor service from Fulton continue to loom. Senator Dan Moody also echoed the call for Milton County and as your next Senator; I’ll continue his bold leadership. I continue to hope for success this session with a positive vote and referendum. However, if not, I’ll lead a parallel process beginning immediately; to begin systematically separating key services including a separate North Fulton school district. Measures such as these will provide a quick impact until such time as we have a new Milton County and Milton County School system.”

“Being a State Senator takes a substantial commitment of time and energy, I make that commitment. I have consistently demonstrated involvement in our community. Once elected, I will work tirelessly to serve the families in North Fulton and make Milton County a reality. I look forward to being North Fulton’s customer service State Senator.”

For additional information, please contact John Albers at john@votealbers.com or (770)280-6061. www.votealbers.com

NOTE: Accessalpharetta.com encourages all candidates running for office both locally and state wide to share information with us on their campaigns. This type of information does not mean that Accessmilton.com is endorsing one candidate as opposed to another. Here, all are treated equally and with respect.

The Steve Miller Band adds 2010 tour dates.

Courtesy The Rock Radio

The Steve Miller Band has announced its full spring and summer itinerary, kicking it's 23-date tour off on May 21st in Henderson, Nevada and winding things down on August 8th in West Allis, Wisconsin. Fans are in for a treat when Peter Frampton teams up with Miller for a special, double bill on July 30th in Alpharetta, Georgia and July 31st in Orange Beach, Alabama. Miller says that there's no great science as to why his music still receives so much radio airplay and crowd reaction in concert.

Although Miller is considered a world-class blues guitarist, he says that it all come down to the songs: [ Click to listen if you have a backstage pass] "I think the reason my songs are still around is that they're simple on the first blush, they seem to be fairly simple tunes. There's a lot of harmony, a lot of harmony singing parts, and then when you go through the layers of the lyrics, they have meaning to people. And I think the main thing is that they're positive lyrics (laughs) and people like to sing."

Spelling Bee.

Courtesy Appen Newspapers

Date: Friday, March 19, 2010
Times: 11:00 a.m.Friday, Mar. 19, 11:00 a.m.
SKID-e-KIDS.com, an Alpharetta-based non-profit organization that operates a free social networking website for children, is sponsoring the Georgia Association of Educators' (GAE) 48th Annual Spelling Bee at 11:00 a.m, Friday, Mar. 19, 2010 at Georgia State University. SKID-e-KIDS will donate cash prizes of $50 to each student who participates in the spelling bee. The runner up will receive an additional $500 and the winner will receive an additional $1,000 from SKID-e-KIDS. For more information, go to SKID-e-KIDS.com.

NAMB corrects missionary count data to GCR Task Force

Courtesy Florida Baptist Witness

ALPHARETTA, Ga. (NAMB/BP) — The North American Mission Board has informed the Great Commission Task Force that data it provided last summer regarding the geographic distribution of missionaries in North America contained a significant error. The NAMB error resulted in incorrect data being published in the Feb. 22 "progress report" issued by the GCRTF.

The progress report depicts on page 19 how Southern Baptist resources are distributed throughout the United States. That data indicates that at the end of 2008 3,515 missionaries served in the 14 states considered to be where Southern Baptists are strongest and only 1,735 missionaries serving in the remaining states across the US. In the GCRTF report, the 14 states are depicted in blue and the others in red.

In actuality, 2,573 missionaries, or 48 percent, served in the 14 blue states in 2008 and 2,733, or 52 percent, served in the remaining red states.

Another 133 NAMB missionaries serve in Canada. If Canada is included in the overall numbers, 2,866 of NAMB's missionaries serve outside the blue states, making the percentage 53 percent in North America serving outside the 14 blue states.

The error was discovered by NAMB staff on March 5 while responding to an inquiry from The Tennessean, the Nashville daily newspaper.

"As soon as we discovered the mistake, we notified the GCR Task Force," Richard Harris, NAMB's interim president, told Baptist Press.

"We will leave it to the GCR Task Force members and others to determine the significance of these new numbers. We just wanted to provide this information as soon as we discovered it so the rest of the discussion can include the correct data," Harris said.

Ronnie Floyd, GCRTF chairman and pastor of First Baptist Church in Springdale, Ark., told BP the change in missionary numbers did not alter the major concern of the task force.

"[W]e spend 2/3 of the Cooperative Program dollars on 1/3 of the population and conversely spend only 1/3 of the Cooperative Program dollars on 2/3 of the population in the United States," Floyd said.

Floyd told BP the online manuscript of the progress report available at www.pray4gcr.com has been updated with the corrected NAMB information.

The error occurred when NAMB double-counted the states of Texas and Virginia. Both states have two, independently operated state Baptist conventions with which Southern Baptists are affiliated. The data spreadsheet used listed each of those state conventions with their individual subtotals and also an overall total from the state. Both the subtotals and the totals from those states were added when the overall missionary count was computed, leading to a double-count for the two states.

NAMB's 2009 data shows 2,454 or 46 percent of missionaries serving in the 14 states depicted in blue on the GCRTF's report and 2,850 or 54 percent serving in Canada and the remaining states depicted in red.

NAMB uses funding formulas developed in cooperation with state convention partners to determine how much funding it will send to a state to pay for missionary salaries, benefits and ministry initiatives. Because Southern Baptists have a much stronger presence in the South and parts of the Southwest, NAMB's funding portion is much lower in those states. Conversely, NAMB's portion is as high as 95 percent in Northeast and Northwest states where Southern Baptists have significantly fewer churches.

The GCRTF's progress report states that Southern Baptists "spend $316.6 million on reaching the 108.7 million people" living in the 14 South-Southwestern states depicted in blue on the page 19 map. Of this amount, $10.2 million came from NAMB in 2008 in the form of Cooperative Agreement money to the states. The rest, presumably, is money provided by churches in those state Baptist conventions.

The progress report states that Southern Baptists "spend $71.5 million on reaching 195.3 million people." These are states depicted in red on the page. Of this amount, $34 million came from NAMB in 2008 in the form of Cooperative Agreement money to the states.

In addition to money from Cooperative Agreements, NAMB sends money to state conventions through missionary benefits and national ministry funds. When these items are added, more than three-fourths, 77 percent, of the $62 million NAMB distributed throughout the US and Canada in 2009 went to areas where Southern Baptist church presence is the least. These are the 36 states depicted in red on page 19 of the GCRTF's progress report, plus Canada. Less than a quarter, 23 percent, of NAMB's spending occurred in states where Southern Baptists are strongest. These are the 14 states depicted in blue in the progress report.