Forsyth County Schools OK'd For 'Flex Contract'

The Georgia school board has approved the state's second district to join a new program freeing schools from many education mandates. The board voted 11-1 on Thursday to allow the Forsyth County school district to enter into a "flexibility contract" with the state. The contracts give districts a break from state requirements like class size and teacher pay in exchange for promises that students will perform better than is required under the federal No Child Left Behind standards.

Gwinnett County, the state's largest district with 158,000 students, was the first to enter into such a contract based on a 2008 state law. Forsyth County schools have about 32,500 students.

-The Associated Press-

Another County Gains Education Flexibility

The Georgia school board has approved the state's second district to join a new program freeing schools from many education mandates. The board voted 11-1 on Thursday to allow the Forsyth County school district to enter into a "flexibility contract" with the state. The contracts give districts a break from state requirements like class size and teacher pay in exchange for promises that students will perform better than is required under the federal No Child Left Behind standards. Gwinnett County was the first to enter into such a contract.

(Associated Press)

Ex-deputy and wife admit to nanny servitude

An ex-deputy of Forsyth county and his wife pleaded guilty to keeping an illegal immigrant as an unpaid nanny in their home.

Prosecutors say Russell and Malika Garrett of Woodstock harbored an Indian woman from February 2003 to June 2005. She was first underpaid and then not paid at all. The couple said she could have left at any time but acknowledged telling her she would be deported and jailed.

She finally escaped with help from a neighbor.

The Garretts will be sentenced on April 22, 2009. Russell Garrett faces up to 10 years in federal prison. Malika Garrett could get a maximum of 15 years.

(Associated Press)

North Metro Atlanta officials indicted by federal grand jury

Officials say a part-time Fulton County magistrate, his deputy sheriff son and daughter-in-law are accused of luring a nanny from India then forcing her to work in their home for free.

William D. Garrett Jr. of Alpharetta, Forsyth County Deputy Russell Garrett and Malika Garrett of Woodstock were indicted by a federal grand jury on charges including human trafficking, alien harboring and witness tampering.

U.S. Attorney David E. Nahmias said Wednesday that the three conspired to induce the woman to come to the United States in 2003 to work as a nanny for the younger Garretts' children, but later made her work for up to 16 hours a day, and threatened that if she didn't, they would have her jailed and deported.

Local tax measures approved

A number of local tax measures were approved by voters yesterday.

Clayton County voted for a penny sales tax increase to help pay for new county facilities, including a juvenile justice center, police stations and libraries.

In Gwinnett County, voters approved a $750 million bond referendum to build more schools.

Metro Atlanta voters favored extending an existing sales tax to fund repairs to the city’s sewer system.

Forsyth County, voters approved a one percent sales tax for road improvements and property tax increase for more county parks.

Colquitt, Madison, Jones and Polk Counties all approved local sales tax measures for school funding and other projects.

Newton County voters granted senior citizens an additional exemption from school property taxes.

A Lumpkin County referendum to allow liquor-by-the-drink sales passed, while an effort to allow Sunday alcohol sales in Jackson County was rebuffed.

Cumming starts project to pull water from Lanier

A city in north Georgia has begun an emergency project to dig into Lake Lanier to ensure the city doesn’t go dry.

Cumming is spending a million dollars from its emergency contingency fund to burrow into Lanier's floor. The process begins next week, and will involve a barge digging to a level of 1,030 feet above sea level. That would allow new piping to draw water from 10-feet deeper than the lake's current bottom.

Jonathon Heard is Cumming’s director of utilities. He says this project is a temporary fix for the city if the drought continues.

"The dredging project will provide a reliable source of water for the city until the lake reaches the level 1035’, and the (Army)Corps(of Engineers)has predicted the lake will go down to 1035’ either by the end of the year or beginning of next year".

At that point, the city would utilize another barge to go out into the shrinking basin and pump water back to its piping infrastructure.

Lanier hit a 50-year historic low earlier this week.

Three indicted in Forsyth farmhouse killings

Three men have been indicted for their roles in a shooting spree at a Forsyth County farmhouse in March of 2006, leaving four people dead. The three men, all in their 20’s, were indicted by a grand jury on 20 felony charges, from malice murder to aggravated battery. Three teenagers and a 56-year-old woman were killed in the attack. The farmhouse was known as a hangout for local teens. Authorities believe the rampage may have been retaliation for an incident months earlier, where marijuana was stolen from one of the gunmen. The Forsyth County district attorney says she will seek the death penalty.

Forsyth Co considers house occupancy law

Another county government is considering rules to limit the number of people who may live in one dwelling. Forsyth County Commission members on Tuesday were given a draft of an occupancy ordinance that is similar to a new Cobb County law. It bases the number of people who may live in a house on its square footage. Critics say it unfairly targets Forsyth County’s growing Latino community. The proposal is one of several across the nation that cities and counties are considering, in the midst of immigration debate.

Lighting kills man

Forsyth County officials say a man is dead after being struck by lightning. Thunderstorms moved through metro Atlanta yesterday afternoon. Authorities say the 27-year-old man was hit by lightning inside a house under construction where he and other workers had taken shelter.

Hundreds face watering ban fines

A north Georgia county is making good on its threat to impose harsh punishments on people who violate watering restrictions. 150 people in Forsyth County have been fined $1,000 each. They are all second offenders of the county’s watering ban. So far, officials have written 14-hundred citations against violators.