🌱 Pavement Project Next Week + Adopt A Pet Today + Local Man Jailed

Good morning, friends! It's me, Nina, your host of the Patch newsletter. Follow along to find out the most important things going on these days in town, including updates on...

• Subdivision paving starts next week.
• Adopt a pet at the animal shelter today.
• A county man has been sentenced to 25 years.

But first, today's weather:

Cloudy. High: 73 Low: 63.

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Here are the top three stories in Canton-Sixes today:

1. Starting on April 3, 13.67 miles of road in subdivisions around the county will be getting some sprucing up. The 2023 Resurfacing Project will be completed using $763,000 in SPLOST funds and $2.4 million from a GDOT Local Maintenance Improvement Grant. Expect traffic and/or detours as the paving moves through the Orange Shoals, North Lake, Tamarack, Crabapple Springs, Westridge, Copper Creek, Emerald Forest, Towne Lake Hills North, BridgeMill and Kingston Square neighborhoods. The project is expected to finish up in the fall, and construction hours will be Monday - Friday, from 8 a.m. - 6 p.m. (Cherokee County Communications Division)
2. The Cherokee County Animal Shelter is holding a special adoption event today. For today's event, the adoption fee is waived for all pets over 6-months. These beautiful future family members will go home with you with their spay or neuter, heartworm and leukemia testing, initial vaccinations, deworming, flea preventative and microchip already done, and the shelter even throws in a sample bag of food. You can see available animals here. Adoptions today will run from 10 a.m. - 5 p.m., and the shelter is located at 1015 Univeter Road in Canton. (Cherokee County Animal Shelter via Facebook)
3. A year after a charges were brought against a Woodstock man for crimes against children, he has been sentenced to 25 years in prison. John Bennett, 38, was living with an area woman and her two children in March of last year when he sexually assaulted the two children and a visiting third child. The mother of the two children caught Bennett in bed with one of her sons and contacted the Sheriff's Office. Bennett then fled to Mississippi, where he was captured on March 27, 2022. It was revealed during the investigation and subsequent trial that he had assaulted the children multiple times. He pled guilty to all charges, including aggravated child molestation, statutory rape, five counts of child molestation, criminal attempt to commit aggravated child molestation and failure to register as a sex offender and will be spending a mandatory 25 years in prison, followed by life on probation with a sex offender status attached. (Fox 5 Atlanta and Cherokee Sheriff's Office via Facebook)

Today in Canton-Sixes:

• Open Pickleball Play: open to county residents at The Buzz, 7345 Cumming Highway. There is a nominal fee to play. (9 a.m. - 1 p.m.)
• American Red Cross Community Blood Drive: donors will receive a $10 prepaid Visa card and will be entered to win a $3,000 prepaid Visa card. You can make an appointment by phone at 800-733-2767 or online at the link for the blood drive at the R.T. Jones Memorial Library, 116 Brown Industrial Parkway. (11 a.m. - 4 p.m.)
• Open Gym: open to county residents at The Buzz, 7345 Cumming Highway. There is a nominal fee to play. (1 - 6 p.m.)
• Flashlight Egg Hunt: bring the kids over to Cherokee Veterans Park, located at 7345 Cumming Highway, to meet the Easter Bunny, have fun in the Kid Zone, make crafts, dance and get their face painted. There will also be craft and food vendors. Flashlights will be provided, but please bring your own basket. The egg hunt starts at 8:30 p.m., and there is a $10-per-child, cash only entry fee. (6 - 9 p.m.)
• Live Music on The Green: head over to catch the School of Rock East Cobb House Band, The Green is at 225 Reformation Parkway. (7 - 9 p.m.)
• Kurt Wheeler: the artist will be live tonight at Riverstone Corner Bistro, 151 Reinhardt College Parkway. (7 - 9 p.m.)
• David + Eva: catch the music at J. Michael's Prime, 110 Mountain Vista Boulevard. (7 - 9 p.m.)

From my notebook:

• SafeWise has released their annual 20 Safest Cities in Georgia list, and Holly Springs is in the top spot. Also landing in the top ten were neighboring Johns Creek and Milton. Canton is in spot 14, and Woodstock is in last place. Drilling down, Canton's violent crime rate is currently 1.1 per 1,000 people, and the property crime rate is 8.2 per 1,000 people. (Holly Springs PD via Facebook)
• Have you seen the progress on the mural on the Downtown Parking Deck next to City Hall? The piece is titled "It's a Vibe!" and is being created by artist Lauren Stumberg. The artist was selected by the Canton Cultural Arts Commission from a group of 20 submissions. The mural will be finished in the next couple weeks, there will be a ribbon cutting to celebrate the completion. (Canton City News and Downtown Canton via Facebook)
• City of Canton GA: "Special Notice: Boling Park (1200 Marietta Hwy.) will be closed April 3-7, weather permitting, for a paving project. We thank you for your understanding as we continue to make improvements to our parks. #cantonga #cityofcantonga" (City of Canton GA via Facebook)
• History Cherokee: "The Kentucky Derby may be “the most exciting two minutes in sports” but we’re celebrating from 4:30 - 7:30 p.m. Join us for the 20th Annual Kentucky Derby Day on May 6. Get your tickets now. www.historycherokee.org #DerbyDay2023 #CantonGA..." (History Cherokee via Facebook)
• History Cherokee: "Have you ever wondered what it's like to sit behind the wheel of a race car? On April 26, join us at 11:00 a.m. for What's Up Wednesday - What's up with the Dixie Speedway. Explore the Laura Spears Coogle Gallery..." (History Cherokee via Facebook)
• Cherokee County, Georgia: "Cherokee Recreation and Parks is accepting donations for the Some Bunny Special program through April 7. Drop-off locations include the Cherokee County Aquatic Center, The Buzz and The WREC. For more information, visit https://www.playcherokee.org/2..." (Cherokee County, Georgia via Facebook)
• Nextdoor Neighbor, Bridgemill: "Need one more full time Friday night poker player. We play every Friday 7pm till 1130pm and is dealers choice. We play in bridgemill and is a good group of guys. just text or call me at 240 793 6084 and I will tell you all about it..." (Nextdoor)

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You're all caught up for today! I'll be in your inbox tomorrow with a new update.

— Nina Lightcap

Have a news tip or suggestion for an upcoming Canton-Sixes Patch newsletter? Contact me at Canton-GA@Patch.com