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Marietta Daily JournalMarietta Daily JournalWEDNESDAY, JULY 1, 2009 50¢MDJONLINE

C O B B ’ S L O C A L N E W S S O U R C E S I N C E 1 8 6 6

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ADVICE 2D

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Staff/Laura Moon

Bill Borden of Kennesaw poses with his sled dogs, from left, Pony, Nacho and Tanto and the sled that he usedto complete the 2002 Iditarod race in Alaska. Borden is the first Georgian to complete the 1,151 mile race and didso on his first attempt. For story, see Page 1D.

FAITH, FORTITUDE, FINISH LINES IN GEORGIAIN GEORGIA

Chat Techmerges withtwo schools By Brandon Wilsonbwilson@mdjonline.com

MARIETTA — Chatta-hoochee Technical Collegeis now the largest technicalcollege in the state withseven campuses in sixcounties and more than15,000 studentsenrolled.

That’s due to amerger of Chatta-hoochee, NorthMetro andAppalachian techni-cal colleges that wasmade official today.The state board thatoversees the Technical Col-lege System of Georgiaapproved the consolidation.Dr. Sanford Chandler, for-mer president of Appalachi-an Tech and current presi-dent at ChattahoocheeTech, is the new college’spresident.

Summer quarter beginsMonday.

“The three colleges willbring together operations asone institution to form theleading post secondarytechnical college in thestate under the name Chat-tahoochee Technical Col-lege,” Chandler said. “Eachindividual campus willretain, through the name,their distinct communityidentity. This identity isvery important to the com-munity leaders, citizens,faculty and staff who have

worked to promote,enhance and grow theirrespective institutions.”

The campuses will beChattahoochee TechnicalCollege: Marietta Campus;Mountain View Campus, ineast Cobb; South CobbCampus; Paulding Campus,

in Dallas; NorthMetro Campus, inA c w o r t h ;Appalachian Cam-pus, in Jasper; andWoodstock Campus.

C o l l e g espokesman John Fur-man said a CantonCampus in also in

the works. He said thatcampus could be completedin about a year and a half.

Chattahoochee Techni-cal College, due to themerger, offers more than100 associate degree, diplo-ma and technical certificateprograms. The merger isenvisioned as a way of pro-viding more programs,more instruction and a bet-ter educational experiencefor the students.

Furman said the studentshave been “very pleased”with the way the merger hasbeen handled. He saidChandler has received let-ters from students praisingthe way officials haveinformed them of the merg-er and how they will benefitfrom it.

Technical college finalizes move today

Dr. SanfordChandler

By Greg BluesteinAssociated Press Writer

ATLANTA — Thebeginning of July ushers in aslew of new laws in Georgia,including a measure thatseeks to celebrate the Con-federacy while also honor-ing a civil rights leader,new rules praised byabortion opponents anda pair of laws longsought by prosecutors.

Those measuresand dozens of oth-ers are set to takeeffect today. Andwhile some of thenew laws aren’t among themost high-profile legislation,many are the result of hard-fought legislative battles thatcould have profound impact.

Prosecutors groups, forone, are thrilled that a mea-sure allowing relatives andfriends of victims to testifythrough prerecorded audio orvideo is taking effect.

Georgia law has longrequired the victims to testifyin person and without anyemotion about the crime’simpact, requirements that

were sometimes too stiff forgrieving family members.The new law, supporters say,will mean that they will notbe silenced again.

Gov. Sonny Perdue, whosigned the bill into law inApril, said it would give a

victim’s supporters “theopportunity for their voic-es to be heard in a court of

justice where all thefacts and all the prob-lems can be revealedto those that makethose decisions.”

Victims advo-cates are also cheer-ing a second mea-sure that gives vic-

tims who have suffered amental injury broader accessto state-funded counselingand therapy services. Thelaw previously extended thathelp only to victims who suf-fered a physical injury.

Georgia families who usedonated embryos to have achild will have new legalprotections under a law goinginto effect that is designed toprevent an embryo donorfrom later claiming the childborn from that embryo to

July means newstate legislationLaws cover embryos, MARTA, Confederacy

See Laws, Page 7A

By Hamza HendawiAssociated Press Writer

BAGHDAD — Not a sin-gle American soldier was insight. Gone, too, were theAmerican helicopters whosebuzz has for years definedBaghdad’s background track.

Left alone to protect thecapital Tuesday were thou-sands of Iraqi troops andpolice manning checkpoints,with army tanks deployed atpotential trouble spots andconvoys of pickup trucks withmachine guns roaming thestreets.

But it was elsewhere, 180miles to the north, that mili-tants delivered their firstdeadly challenge to Iraq’ssecurity forces on a highlysymbolic day after the formalwithdrawal of U.S. combattroops from cities at midnight.

A car bombing devastated afood market in the city ofKirkuk, killing at least 33 peo-

ple and wounding 90. Theearly evening attack, whichbore the hallmarks of Sunniextremist groups such as al-Qaida in Iraq, was the secondin the Kirkuk area since atruck bombing killed 82 peo-ple on June 20.

The latest blast was a dead-ly example of the violencemany Iraqis fear will increasewith the departure of U.S.troops from urban areas,despite Prime Minister Nourial-Maliki’s confidence inIraq’s nascent security forces.

The bombing came hoursafter the U.S. militaryannounced that four Americansoldiers were killed in combatMonday. It was the deadliestattack on U.S. forces sinceMay 21, when three soldierswere killed and nine woundedin a roadside bombing inBaghdad.

“It reminds me that there

A woman gives a

flower to an Iraqi sol-

dier at an army check-

point in Basra, Iraq’s

second-largest city, on

Tuesday. U.S. troops

pulled out of Iraqi cities

in the first step toward

winding down the

American war effort by

the end of 2011.

�The Associated Press

Blast kills 33 asIraqis celebrateurban pullout

See Iraq, Page 7A

By Brian BakstAssociated Press Writer

ST. PAUL, Minn. — AlFranken ascended Tuesdayfrom the ranks of former“Saturday Night Live”comedians to an even moreexclusive club, outlastingRepublican Norm Colemanin an eight-month recountand courtroom saga to win aseat in the U.S. Senate.

Franken’s victory givesDemocrats control of 60seats in the Senate — thecritical number needed to

overcome Republican fili-busters. When Franken isseated, which could come asearly as next week, his partywill have a majority notreached on either side of theaisle in about three decades.

“When you win an elec-tion this close, you know notone bit of effort went towaste,” Franken said. “Theway I see it, I’m not going toWashington to be the 60thDemocratic senator, I’mgoing to Washington to bethe second senator fromMinnesota.”

Coleman conceded theelection hours after a

Former SNL comic wins Senate raceVictory gives Dems60-seat majority

The Associated Press

Democrat Al Franken with his wife Franni, left, speakwith the media outside their home in Minneapolis.Republican Norm Coleman conceded to Franken inMinnesota's contested Senate race Tuesday. See Franken, Page 7A

Marietta theater wants a facelift

COBB & STATE / 1B

Theatre in the Squarewaits on council approval

Comcasttransitionsto digital

page

1BVICK BANKRUPTCY

PLAN OFFERS MORETO HIS CREDITORS

SPORTS / 1C

From staff reports

Lunch and Learn, a new seriesof programs presented by CobbCounty Master Gardeners, will befrom noon to 1 p.m. on thesecond Friday of each monthat the Cobb County CentralLibrary, at 266 Roswell Streetin Marietta.

Bring you lunch and enjoy anhour-long presentation on a plant-related subject.

For more information, call Cobb Extensionat (770) 528-4070 or visitwww.cobbmastergardeners.org.

COBB COUNTY MASTER GARDENERSHOST LUNCH AND LEARN

FIRSTAND FOREMOSTa rundown of harmless news

“Monsters Inside Me” (9 p.m., Animal Plan-et). This series explores the icky things insideus and how they make us sick.

TELEVISION TONIGHT

WEDNESDAY, JULY A, 2009MDJONLINE MARIETTA DAILY JOURNAL

DSECTION

LifestyleLifestyle� Dear Abby, 2D� Movies, 3D

NEWS EDITOR

Kim Isaza770-428-9411 ext. 201

By Sally LitchfieldMDJ Features Editorsallylit@bellsouth.net

In 2002, Bill Borden of Kennesawbecame the only Georgian to completeAlaska’s Iditarod race, an ultimate test ofhuman endurance. Through his grippingexperience, Borden convinces that any-thing is possible with proper planning,perseverance and faith.

At age 42, after 3 years of training andqualifying, Borden ran the race of a life-time from Wasilla, Alaska, to Nome,Alaska. A rookie musher who put his suc-cessful real estate business on hold, Bor-den completed the 1152-mile run in 14days, 4 hours, 10 minutes and 14 seconds,and it was not without countless obstaclesthat would test his faith and spirit.

With his 16-dog sled guided by veteranAlaskan Husky Fisher King, the first 200miles of the race were uneventful. “Mygoal was not to win the race,” states Bor-den. “I set my goals within reason.”

“I wanted to finish the race with asmany happy and healthy dogs as I could.”

It was on the Happy River Steps, “inthe middle of nowhere,” that Borden expe-rienced his first crisis. A cable broke, pro-pelling him over the sled, into a tree.

“I wake up 10 seconds later and see mydogs 200 yards down the trail going onwithout me,” remembers Borden, seniorloan officer of Checkpoint Mortgage. Bor-den’s wife, Brenda, is president of theircompany named for the checkpoints onthe race.

Borden suffered a cracked kneecap,broken rib and hurt back. He was left witha loaded sled and only two dogs.

“The first thing I did was pray that Godwould take care of my puppies,” says Bor-den. “Then I put one foot in front of theother and started pushing the sled.”

Remarkably, Borden secured the dogs12 miles down the trail, thanks to informa-tion from a snowmobiler. At the next

Staff/Laura Moon

Bill and his wife, Brenda Borden, with their dogs, front to back, Tanto, Nacho and Pony, who competed in the 2002 Idi-tarod with Bill and completed the race in 14 days, four hours, 10 minutes and 14 seconds.

Kennesaw man shares stories from thegrueling Iditarod race

Johnson Ferry Baptist Church will hostPatriotic Concerts at 7:30 p.m. today andThursday at the Sanctuary at Johnson FerryBaptist Church, 955 Johnson Ferry Road inMarietta. The theme is an American Celebra-tion: In Defense of Freedom.

The performances will feature the 45-pieceorchestra and 150-voice choir, a musical pre-sentation with his-torical narrative.The concert is lessthan an hour andwill be followed byan ice creamsocial in the fellow-ship hall. Present-ing the colors aremembers of the Cobb Fire and Emergency Ser-vices Honor Guard, and active and veteran mili-tary men and women will be honored. Musicalselections include “Battle Hymn of the Repub-lic;” “Fanfare for the Common Man,” by AaronCopland, “American Salute,” by Morton Gould;and “The Stars and Stripes Forever.”

For more information, call (770) 795-3234.

JOHNSON FERRY BAPTIST CHURCHTO HOST PATRIOTIC CONCERTS

It’s not too late to secure a spot in some ofthe most popular classes offered this summer atContinuing Education at Kennesaw State Uni-versity. Classes in “Swing Dance” and “Dancingfor All Occasions” are available on Tuesdayevenings beginning July 14 at KSU Center, andthe cost is $119 for each.

Perfect for anyone who wants to improvespeaking skills, a professional “Voice Over”class will enhance tone, power, resonance,cadence and other vocal techniques. Sales rep-resentatives, attorneys, customer service pro-fessionals and various other professionals canbenefit from polishing their skills in this class.The course, which is also offered at KSU Cen-ter, will be on Wednesday evenings from 7 to 10p.m. The cost is $89, and it begins Sept. 9.

“Successful Supervisor” is one of the center’smost valuable courses for professionals who areready to move up in the ranks and be eligible fora supervisory position. It begins July 21 andruns Tuesday and Thursday evenings from 6:30to 9:30 p.m. It is a certificate program whichoffers students 2.4 IACET units. The cost is$929.

Teachers who need help preparing for theGACE exam can attend a course at KSU Centeron three Saturdays from 8 a.m. to noon July 11-25. The cost is $249, and students will receive1.2 continuing education units.

For more information about these and othercourses or to register online, call ContinuingEducation at KSU at (770) 423-6765 or visitwww.Kennesaw.edu/ConEd.

KSU HAS SPACE AVAILABLE INSUMMER COURSES

“The more we learn the more we realize howlittle we know.”

— R. Buckminster Fuller (1895-1983)

QUOTABLE QUOTE

On a beautiful evening in thegardens at the Marietta home ofYvonne and Henry

Randall, theirgrandson and hisbride wed on May30. Daniel Forstand Sarah

Plowwright mar-ried before 200guests on May 30.The HonorableConley Ingram

officiated the cere-mony, as he didfor the groom’s parents 34 yearsago at the Randall home.

Following the ceremony, guestsmoved to a tented area for dinner

and dancing to music provided byan orchestra.

Daniel is the son of Susan andArtie Forst of Manhattan, NY.

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Here’s a wonderful opportuni-ty for up and coming musicians!Marietta Grassroots is launchingits first Marietta GrassrootsMusic Festival on Sept. 12 from3 p.m. until 9 p.m. in GloverPark at the Marietta Square. Vol-unteer bands will have theopportunity to play 30-45 min-utes in front of large crowds, selltheir merchandise, and gainrecognition.

Bands must be based out of

metro Atlanta area, must have all-age appropriate music, music mustbe live (no recorded tracks) andsolo acts will not be accepted forthe main stage.

All bands and acts interested inparticipating must send a complet-ed application, along with musicsamples, by July 31. For details,visit www.mariettagrassroots.orgor e-mail Les Sanders atLes@mariettagrassroots.org.

Sponsorships and volunteeropportunities available for this fam-ily-friendly event. For more infor-mation, e-mail Suzanne Murphy atSuzanne@mariettagrassroots.org.For general information, e-mailinfo@mariettagrassroots.org.

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KJ Hippensteel, formerly ofAcworth, is starring in three sum-mer productions, “Wish You WereHere,” “All Shook Up” and “Rent”at the Forestburgh Playhouse in theCatskill Mountains of New York.KJ graduated from PebblebrookHigh School and obtained his BFAin Musical Theatre from WrightState University in Ohio. He wasrecently seen in “Altar Boyz;” asMatthew in “Vero Beach,” and wasin the national tour of “The Wed-ding Singer” as Glen Guglia.

His family traveled fromAcworth, Rome and Pennsylvaniato catch the finale of the first sum-

mer production and opening nightof “All Shook Up.” For his dad,Ken Hippensteel, it was a perfectway to spend Father’s Day.

Family making the trip includedhis parents, Becky and Ken Hip-pensteel; Joseph and Kyle Hip-pensteel; grandmother, BobbieHippensteel; Danny and ArletteDrummond; Mollie and BillHarrell; and family friend Mary LouFish.

Sally Litchfield is a longtimeMarietta resident. She formerlypracticed law in Marietta and nowstays home to raise her two chil-dren. Send Sally news at sallylit@bellsouth.net. Call Sally at (770)425-7122.

C O L U M N I S T

Sally Litchfield

Daniel Forst, Sarah Plowwright wed in Marietta gardens

Extreme athlete

Top right: A patch is given only to finishers of the Iditarod and they becomemembers of the Iditarod Official Finishers Club, left, and the belt buckle is givento individuals who complete the race the first year that they compete. Above:Borden sits with his sled dogs Pony, standing, Nacho, seated left, and Tanto.See Extreme, Page 3D

‘The first thing I did was pray that Godwould take care of my puppies. Then I putone foot in front of the other and started

pushing the sled.’ — Bill Borden,

Kennesaw resident and first Georgian to complete Alaska’s Iditarod race