The Atlanta Constitution from Atlanta, Georgia • JH1

-Composite Proof 0:00 0:00 SAUL STOOGENKE Staff Ivy Moultrie receives a packet containing photos of her children from a client also hoping to find lost negatives. Hopeful searchers hunt lost memories Please see PHOTOS, J4 By ADRIANNE MURCHISON Most of the 40 strangers who traveled to an abandoned Roswell photo studio last week had one goal: to find their photos among thousands of images. While thumbing through photos of moms with their newborns, and family celebrations, these strangers became partners in searching for snapshots of their precious memories. The gathering was the third open house held by Carl Fleischer, owner of Realty and landlord for the defunct Richard Thomas Photography studio. For reasons unknown, his tenant, Richard Stallard, deserted the photo studio last year.

He was arrested in April on felony theft charges for allegedly having been paid for photos he never delivered. Fleischer has opened two rooms to customers. Last week, the searchers passed photos and envelopes Landlord opens abandoned studio By MARCIA LANGHENRY Rob Endres, whose wife disappeared from her Forsyth County hair salon more than two months ago, continues to hope a growing reward fund will help uncover information to find Patrice and her abductors. Endres, along with relatives and friends, plans a car wash June 27 at the shop to add to a reward fund, now totaling $12,400. A car wash May 30 brought in $700, Endres said.

belief is somebody out there who knows what happened to Patrice, or where she is, other than her Endres said. trying to get this reward high enough to be an The event will be from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Trim-N-Tan, 6195 Matt Highway (Ga. 369).

Patrice Endres was last seen at her shop just before noon on April 15. A witness later described a white van and a man she said she saw in front of the shop that day. Fliers showing a similar van and composite drawing of the suspect remain in businesses throughout Forsyth, Dawson, Cherokee and Hall counties. An air and ground search turned up no trace of Endres, and investigators continue to go over more than 700 leads that came in to the office. Patrice Endres was last seen at her shop just before noon on April 15.

Husband ups ante in bid to find wife HANNANS HENRY Staff Loren Conrad of Roswell practices for his run Friday with the Olympic torch. He says he can go the distance, but he just want to singe his hair. By KATIE REETZ Loren Conrad nervous about carrying the Olympic flame in front of hundreds of people. not concerned about wending his way through Atlanta streets on a stifling June afternoon. His only concern: clutching the torch a little too closely.

going to get a stick or something to practice running with so I can make sure ready and accidently set my hair on said the 65-year-old Roswell resident. Conrad is one of 11,400 torchbearers who will carry the Olympic flame during its long journey to Athens, Greece, ending Aug. 13 with the opening ceremony of the Summer Games. This is the first year the torch relay will encircle the globe, crossing all six inhabited continents. And just like the other 130-plus runners who will take part in the Atlanta leg of the run Friday, Conrad is ready to savor his moment in Olympic history.

A moment, he said, that would not have been possible without his wife quick thinking and penchant for penmanship. the Olympics were here eight years ago, he missed his she said. going to let that happen a second After seeing a TV commercial asking for applicants who exemplified the Olympic themes of unity and inspiration to carry the torch, Janet quickly composed a The route through Atlanta and the festival at Centennial Olympic Park. J4 AJC.COM Coverage and photos of the Olympic torch going through Atlanta OLYMPIC TORCH CELEBRATION Please see TORCH, J4 INSIDE going to miss this for the VASNA WILSON Staff PARALYMPIC PROFILE still sunk Gavin Cloy of Roswell, who lost his legs in an accident eight years ago, qualified in September for the Paralympics Games and practices five nights a week to prepare. Sports, J14 Split board approves pension increases By CHRIS REINOLDS In a contentious vote, the Fulton County School Board approved a $637.2 million budget that pays pension increases for all retirees covered in the school plan.

Board members Gail Dean, Liz Hausmann and Katie Reeves voted against the budget, saying they disagreed with giving cost-of-living increases to the pension fund. Board member Julia Bernath noted that the board supported the pension move earlier in the year. Dean scolded the board for approving a budget that dips too far into the reserves. But Superintendent Michael Vanairsdale, who recommended the budget, said, trying to create equity for all our While there will be no across-the-board raises, the board approved experience increases (called steps) in July and January. That step (which averages about 2.8 percent) is not given to new employees and some veteran employees who have reached the top of the pay scale of the school system.

The board noted that Fulton County teachers start their careers with the highest salary in the area. New Fulton teachers with no experience earn $37,584. Atlanta rookie teachers are the second-highest paid at $37,462. want to be No. 2 or No.

3, not the most Reeves said at a budget work session. Board members also were concerned about a budget that needed to draw too much money from reserves. Federal accounting procedures recommend that governments maintain reserves of 5 to 15 percent. The approved budget takes $16.2 million from the reserve fund and leaves roughly $91.5 million (14 percent) in reserves, according to district reports. Northview High business teacher Pam Spalla said the plan to roll back the tax rate for a revenue neutral budget make sense.

saving Fulton County families $50 a year because an election year, but it cuts millions of dollars out of the school budget that we afford. And they did it last she said. what an average family of four would spend to go out to The board will vote on the rollback next week. Spalla also said concerned about the rookie teachers who bring home any additional money next year. not making the field of education very desirable for young Spalla said.

By JANET FRANKSTON Even in a down market, some companies are buying office buildings. Duke Realty Corp. bought the Preston Ridge IV office building in Alpharetta last week. The Indianapolis-based real estate company would not give the purchase price. Duke now controls more than 1 million square feet of Class A office space in the Ga.

400 corridor about one- seventh of the office space in the area. The six-story building, at 3340 Preston Ridge Road in the Preston Ridge office park, is 90 percent full, compared with the 76 percent average of most office buildings in north Fulton County. Preston Ridge IV tenants include Publix Direct, Silicon Graphics, U.S. Healthworks, Arthur J. Gallagher Evercare Products Corp.

and General Mills Sales. Duke executives Kerry Armstrong and Chris Brown handled the transaction. The seller, SSR Realty Advisors, was represented by Reynolds Couch, David Meline, and Stewart Calhoun of Cushman Wakefield. Duke Realty buys another building in 400 corridor THE ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION CHECK FOR BREAKING NEWS UPDATES AT AJC.COM THURSDAY, JUNE 17, 2004 J4 ON AJC.COM INSIDE TODAY ajc The Atlanta Journal-Constitution North Fulton View from the cop: Read Detective Steve offbeat reports. Metro farms: See how profitable they are in each metro county.

Online map. ajc.com/metro Cheapest or best? Mayor Jere Wood would rather raise taxes slightly than cut the services that have won Roswell local and national accolades. CONTACT US: Todd C. Duncan, editor 770-410-3757 RZH0617JH1FZH0617JH1 Thu. Zone 1JH 1JH RR RR BlueRedYellowBlack Blue RedYellowBlack.