5/23: On rabid cat attacks; Film crew at home; Academic accomplishments

GwinnettForum  |  Number 17.15  |  May 23 , 2017  

EVENTFUL: For the first time, the number of graduates at Georgia Gwinnett College’s spring graduation passed the 500 mark, as 505 students earned their bachelor’s degrees. For more details on this event, go to Notable below.

TODAY’S FOCUS: After Rabid Cat Attack, Watch Out for Animals Behaving Unusually

EEB PERSPECTIVE: What Happens When A Film Crew Wants Your House for Shooting

ANOTHER VIEW: Shining Some Light on Academic Accomplishments at One High School

SPOTLIGHT: Heaven and Associates, P.C.

FEEDBACK: Pleased at Speedy Treatment at Gwinnett Med Center Emergency Room

UPCOMING: Gwinnett To Add One More Name to Fallen Heroes Memorial on May 29

NOTABLE: Georgia Gwinnett College Awards Record 505 Bachelor’s Degrees

RECOMMENDED: The Little Book of Hygge by Meik Wiking

GEORGIA TIDBIT: Vet College Gives Students Hands-On Experience in Diagnosis of Animals

TODAY’S QUOTE: Here’s What You Need To Pass to Your Descendants

MYSTERY PHOTO: Today’s Mystery Photo Is a Very Tall Column

LAGNIAPPE: Parkview Students Win Scarbrough Water Prize on Filtration Technique

After rabid cat attack, watch out for animals behaving unusually

By Heather Sawyer, Lawrenceville, Ga.  |  Three people in Norcross were attacked by a rabid cat last week. As a result, the Gwinnett County Animal Welfare and Enforcement Division and the Gwinnett County Health Department are advising residents to use caution and avoid animals behaving in unusual ways.

Several adults and pets were attacked by the cat on the 500 block of Sunset Drive in Norcross. The cat was quickly caught and subsequently tested positive for rabies. In another incident recently, in March, a rabid raccoon was caught near Lawrenceville.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, principal carriers of rabies are bats, raccoons, skunks and foxes. In 2016, seven rabies cases were confirmed in animals in Gwinnett County, four in 2015 and 12 in 2014.

Animal Welfare and Enforcement is partnering with Planned Pethood, Animal Alliance of Georgia and Gwinnett County Parks and Recreation to offer free rabies vaccinations on Saturday, June 10 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Best Friend Park located at 6224 Jimmy Carter Boulevard, Norcross. Additional low-cost vaccinations will be available. All dogs must be on a leash and cats must be in a carrier.

All pet owners should ensure that their pets are current on their rabies vaccination.  CDC warns that unvaccinated animals or animals not current on their rabies vaccination that have been exposed to rabies should be euthanized immediately or strictly quarantined for six months and vaccinated a month before being released.

Rabies can be transmitted from an infected animal to humans. Prompt medical attention and treatment for rabies exposure may be needed after an exposure to an infected animal. Without treatment, rabies infection in humans is nearly 100 percent fatal. The Gwinnett County Health Department is available to answer questions regarding the impact of rabies on humans and can be reached at 770-339-4260.

If you or your child have been bitten or scratched by any stray animals, or if you know of anyone handling an animal possibly infected with rabies, scrub the wound with antiseptic soap and water, flush the wound, and seek immediate medical attention. If possible, the animal should be captured and tested. Contact the Gwinnett County Animal Welfare and Enforcement Bite Office at 770-339-3200 ext. 5576, or call the after-hours non-emergency dispatch at 770-513-5700.

• Have a comment?  Send to:  elliott@brack.net

What happens when a film crew wants your house for shooting

The Sloan house.

By Elliott Brack, editor and publisher |  With Georgia being discovered these days for filming movies and television series, who knows? A location scout could knock on your door!  Your home could be in demand for filming. Recently a crew from the Oprah Television series, Greenleaf, was filming in Norcross, right next door to our home.

The filming was at the home of Bonnie and Ben Sloan, with the home picked because of its modern appearance.  Ben said: “It looked like a modern contemporary home that fit the screen character of one of the young single guys in the series.”

The crews filmed on three occasions over nine days at the Sloan home. When filming, one side of the entire street was blocked off with red safety cones to allow for all the equipment vehicles. The company doing the filming, Preach Productions of Buford, compensated some of the area homeowners for their “inconvenience.”

Sloan says of their compensation: “The rates are negotiable, though they have a standard starting fee. The crews set up on the first day, film on the second, and take down on the  third day. They pay a higher rate on the day of filming.” The company also gave the Sloans an allowance for temporary housing. The Sloans, including a son and two daughters, chose to stay at a nearby Hyatt Place: “It was convenient and easy to get the kids to school. But staying in three rooms, we felt cooped up. And it disrupts where the children study and sleep. It’s a small inconvenience, but overall a neat experience.”

Through it all, the Sloans never watched the filming. “We had a lot going on with school activities.” However, Bonnie and Ben met some of the key actors.

The crews rearranged furniture in the house for shoots, moving some items to the TV room or garage. “They even hung their own pictures on the wall, and had their own carpet,” Sloan allowed.

However, there was some distraction. “At some times, there would be as many as 90 people, plus equipment, in the house. The first shoot did not go well, with items damaged. We re-negotiated the rate for the other two shoots. But they took care of what they said they would do.”

There was one larger problem. The Sloans have a special paint on their bedroom walls, and the crew damaged the area. “It took four days to replace it, but they got it back the exact way it was.”

For the second shooting, the Sloans were not even in town, but in Florida on spring break. “We gave them a key, for we trusted them.” The film company kept an around-the-clock security detail on the premises.

Advice for others?  Ben Sloan suggests: “Definitely make sure you are dealing with a reputable company. It wasn’t the first time we had been approached. We talked to people down the street whose house was a film location.  Also read the contract carefully, and negotiated a price you are comfortable with. Then make sure any repair is done well. Remember, the film company wants to make you happy, for they might be approaching other families in the area.”

So, would they do it again?  “Yes, but we are moving to Florida soon. Maybe the new house owner might be approached if Greenleaf wants to shoot here again.”

The filming at the Sloan house will appear in episodes 13-14 (of 20) in the upcoming season.

• Have a comment?  Send to:  elliott@brack.net

Shining some light on academic accomplishments at one high school

By Howard Hoffman  |  The term student-athlete is bandied about almost as often as the partisan student cry, “We’re number one!” A comforting thought that the student-athlete is spending as much time in the library as the weight room. Yet, before we devolve into how much student their really is in the “student-athlete,” let’s shine the light on one local high school where the mortar board is right up there with the backboard—Norcross.

Hoffman

Experts continue to judge both the Norcross girls and boys basketball teams among the elite in the nation with good cause.  Coach Angie Hembree has eclipsed the 500 win mark during her legendary run of winning more than 80 percent of her games, while Coach Jesse McMillan has also posted an 80 percent plus winning mark.  In 2011 and 2013, they both won their respective state titles. This last season fell just short as both were runners-up in Georgia’s biggest athletic classification.  The Girls were rated #13 in the nation (ESPNW) and the Boys #25 (MaxPreps).

But, perhaps even more impressive is what these young folks do in the classroom.

Fifteen of the girls ‘ players and a student manager posted 3.25 or better GPA (grade point average). Sophomore Tionna Carter posted a 4.0 GPA and won the Academic Athlete Award, while taking Gifted and AP Classes. Two seniors, Vanessa Blagmon (headed for University of South Florida) finishes at Norcross with a 3.54 GPA and running mate, Taylor Mason (to be at the University of Miami) was not far behind with a 3.33 GPA. During their two years at Norcross, the team had a gaudy 54-8 record. Mason is a four-letter winner. During that time, the team posted a 105-19 record including four Region Championships.

Several former players have earned academic scholarships including: Nya Dawson, 2015 (Georgia Tech), Madisyn Wells, 2015 (Georgia) and Nia Ladson, 2014 (William & Mary).

Not to be outdone, the Boys showed their bookish side, as well. Senior Devin Dennis, who has received a partial academic scholarship to North Carolina Central University, has a sterling 3.45 GPA in Honors/AP Classes. Jordan Goldwire, another senior, accepted a basketball scholarship to Duke. His solid grades and 1300 SAT scores got him noticed by a school known for basketball and academic success. Lance Thomas, another senior, will take his 6-10 frame to Louisville on a basketball ride with a 3.3 GPA in Honors Classes.

Former players; Andre Chatfield (Harvard), Devin Huffman (Oglethorpe) and Tim Cameron (University Texas-El Paso), have balanced basketball and books.

All these young women and men are of high character and have represented their family, school and the Norcross community well.

It’s great to win games, be known nationally, pocket tournament trophies and individual honors, but these kids are so much more.

We recognize and salute these young people, their supportive parents, their hardworking coaches and teachers in a school that values them as being among basketball’s best and future leaders in wherever their career paths take them.

• Have a comment?  Send to:  elliott@brack.net

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Pleased at speedy treatment at Gwinnett Med Center emergency room

Editor, the Forum:

Let me brag on the Emergency Room (ER) at Gwinnett Medical Center in Lawrenceville. (Disclaimer: I’m a retired registered nurse after 20 years at Gwinnett Medical Center – Lawrenceville and have seen such an improvement since I first started there in 1987.)

Recently I had to take my husband there for a mysterious discomfort a couple of weeks ago. We would have gone to our doctor’s office, but this was after hours and knew that this was something serious. The last time he complained of a discomfort ended with him going to St. Joe’s for a stent placement, (which was before GMC had their state of the art cardiac cath lab) and I don’t ignore his complaints anymore.

Back to our current story: when we got there, and they did a quick triage for placement. We waited less than 20 minutes before a nurse got him all hooked up to monitors and had his blood drawn for labs, an IV started and told him he would be seeing a doctor in a few minutes. That took about 20 minutes total.

Next the ER doctor came in and examined him, which was another 5 to 10 minutes. He was then whisked to a CT scan which took another 35 to 45 minutes. The longest we had to wait was for the CT scan to be read by a radiologist.  That took over an hour.

Once the report was read and reported to the ER doctor; it turned out my husband’s discomfort was from gall stones. The whole ordeal from door to door was about 3 hours spent in the ER. I felt bad using the ER like that, but the bottom line is I would rather be safe than sorry.

The one thing that stuck out in my mind about this visit to the Gwinnett Medical Center ER was how busy everybody was, from the clerk behind the desk, to the transporters, security, assistants, nurses, doctors and even the EMT’s. This ER was like a finely crafted dance with everyone knowing their part to keep everything moving along.

— Sara Rawlins, Lawrenceville

Clarification on project at former city hall for city of Lilburn

Editor, the Forum:

Regarding your mention of Lilburn in last edition’s GwinnettForum:

“Meanwhile, Lilburn is re-focusing the city, building the new combined City Hall and Library to the uptown area, nearest major streets. Now it concentrates on renovating its former City Hall into a larger police headquarters.”

While the City did turn the former City Hall into a larger police headquarters, no further renovations are planned. We are now concentrating on the new facility on U.S. Highway 29. In April, City Council approved a contract with Precision Planning Inc. for design services. The new building, which will house the police department and municipal court, will be completed by first quarter of 2019.

Once the police and court move out, the former City Hall will be demolished to make way for implementation of the City Park Master Plan.

— Nikki Perry, Communications Officer, City of Lilburn

Send us your thoughts:  We encourage you to send us your letters and thoughts on issues raised in GwinnettForum.  Please limit comments to 300 words.  We reserve the right to edit for clarity and length.  Send feedback and letters to:    elliott@brack.net

Gwinnett to add one more name to Fallen Heroes Memorial on May 29

Memorial Day 2017will be marked in Gwinnett at 1 p.m. on May 29 at the Fallen Heroes Memorial. It is located opposite the entrance to Gwinnett Justice and Administration Center, at the back of the parking lot.

The keynote speaker for this year’s event is retired Army Colonel Ralph Kauzlarich, executive director of Georgia Military College in Milledgeville. In addition, the county will be adding a name to the Fallen Heroes Memorial, that of Todd Helcher, a Braselton police officer who was killed in a car accident in 2005.

Prizes await all ages in library’s summer reading program

Readers of all ages can begin signing up for the Gwinnett County Public Library Summer Reading Program. This year’s theme is “Build a Better World.”

Reading for fun builds literacy skills, expands vocabulary, and helps kids explore their growing interests and expand their horizons. Join the library for programs including crafts, movies, storytimes, and special guest performers all summer long.

The Summer Reading Program will go digital with the launch of Beanstack, a customized online portal where customers can access weekly book recommendations, keep track of reading activities, earn digital badges, and more.

Kids and teens will receive a Certificate of Recognition and have a chance to win prizes including a free book of their choice, tickets to a Gwinnett Braves game, free Laser Quest play, a $75 LEGO gift card or even a Chromebook laptop computer. Prizes vary by age and are available while supplies last.

Adults can sign up for the Adult Summer Reading Challenge and enter to win a gardening gift basket that includes a book, garden hose, fertilizer, and an assortment of garden tools. Pick up an Adult Summer Reading Challenge sheet at your local branch, fill in as many answers as possible, and return the completed sheet to the branch for your chance to win.

• To learn more and sign up for the Summer Reading Program, visit www.gwinnettpl.org/summer.

Snellville Towne Green celebration to honor veterans on May 27

Snellville’s Towne Green will be the site of a celebration on Saturday, May 27, to remember those who have served our country and paid the ultimate price to ensure freedom.

Beginning at 4 p.m., on the lawn in front of the Veterans Memorial, 2342 Oak Road, attendees nine years and older can learn how to make corn husk dolls, candles and corn cob darts as of colonial times. A Revolutionary War encampment will be on display, weather permitting. The Gwinnett Community Band will be playing patriotic music starting at 4:30 p.m.

The Memorial Day program starts at 5 p.m. The Button Gwinnett Chapter Militia will be firing muskets throughout the program. From 4 to 8 p.m., a silent auction benefiting the Veterans Memorial will take place.

At 6 p.m., all eyes will turn to the Towne Green stage as the Ultimate Eagles Tribute – ON THE BORDER will take the stage. For more information visit www.SnellvilleEvents.com.

Georgia Gwinnett College awards record 505 bachelor’s degrees

Georgia Gwinnett College awarded a record 505 bachelor’s degrees during last week’s spring commencement ceremony held on the Library Lawn. This is the first ceremony in the college’s history in which the graduate number surpassed 500.

Rep. Stacy Abrams was commencement speaker.

Adding to the highlights, GGC awarded bachelor’s degrees to the college’s first Special Education Paraprofessional students, through a program developed in collaboration with colleagues at Gwinnett County Public Schools. In addition, for the first time during a commencement ceremony, the college recognized graduates who received their teacher certifications as part of their degrees in biology, English, history, mathematics and political science.

The keynote address was delivered by Georgia House of Representatives Minority Leader Stacey Y. Abrams, the first woman to lead either party in the Georgia General Assembly. Abrams’ statements intertwined her fascination with dramatic television and the symbolism behind stories that capture the internal struggles of characters. “As graduates, today you join the ranks of a special ensemble cast: those who have sought and achieved higher education and who now face the ultimate cliffhanger: what next?”

Eastside Hospital recipient of 2017 Patient Safety Excellence Award

Eastside Medical Center is a recipient of the Healthgrades “2017 Patient Safety Excellence Award™, a designation that recognizes superior performance in hospitals that have prevented the occurrence of serious, potentially avoidable complications for patients during hospital stays. The distinction places Eastside Medical Center among the top five per cent of all short-term acute care hospitals reporting patient safety data for its excellent performance as evaluated by Healthgrades, the leading online resource for comprehensive information about physicians and hospitals. Eastside Medical Center is one of eighteen hospitals in Georgia that was awarded this honor and the only hospital in Metro-Atlanta.

Eastside Medical Center’s Vice President of Quality Denise Flook explains: “Keeping our hospital safe is a shared responsibility and requires all hands on deck with every staff member. Here at Eastside, we make sure processes are in place to prevent errors, falls, injuries, and prevent and control infection. By attention to detail, and open communication amongst all caregivers, patients, and their families, we are able to make Eastside a safe place for patients, visitors, and staff.”

Georgia SPCA in Suwanee places 10,000th animal for adoption

Georgia SPCA, an animal welfare organization based in Suwanee, recently placed its 10,000th animal in a forever home.  This is a major accomplishment considering that Georgia has one of the highest kill rates in the country with 27 per cent in the metro Atlanta area alone. The Georgia SPCA fights to save these animals, provide medical care, and seek loving homes for our four-legged friends.

The 10,000th animal is a kitten named Carmel, who like the rest of the litter was named after types of Popcorn, the name given to the mother by her foster parent, Karen Deffler, a long time GASPCA volunteer foster.

Mark and Vicki and Kyleigh Grizzard

The proud adopters were Mark and Vicki Grizzard of Lawrenceville. This was not an adoption to be taken lightly. Vicki had always wanted a cat, and their first one, a four-month-old kitten, had passed away a month earlier after suffering seizures. The couple were distraught and Mark thought an adult cat might help fill the void. Then they saw Carmel, and the kitten began whimpering. Vicki knew this was the one.

The Georgia SPCA was started in 2007, and has expanded to include a variety of services that support the mission. We’ve rescued and found loving forever homes for abandoned, abused and neglected cats and dogs. The program is funded primarily through donations, and depends heavily on support from the community.

Jacki McDonald, the new executive director, Georgia SPCA, says: “Reaching that 10,000-animal mark is an amazing feat for an organization like ours. It’s remarkable to see the support we receive for the animals. More and more people are choosing to adopt rescue animals. Year over year we’re seeing tremendous growth in all facets of our operations and our need for donations. Various groups like the Scouts, sports teams of all ages, and schools, are making donations of needed supplies and funding. The outpouring from the community and our dedicated volunteers is heart-warming.”

Adopting the 10,000th animal fit well into the 10-year anniversary plans. To celebrate Georgia SPCA is “springing” forward with the goal to raise $25,000 in donations during the Spring Forward campaign. Anyone wishing to donate should go to  https://donatenow.networkforgood.org/spring-giving.

The Little Book of Hygge

Nonfiction by Meik Wiking

Reviewed by Karen Harris, Stone Mountain  |  This book is a delightful exploration of how Danes have achieved  happy lives built around community, home and nature.  Wiking defines “Hygge” as the art of intimacy, coziness of the soul, the absence of annoyance and taking pleasure in soothing things. Each chapter explores how to build hygge into daily life by making subtle changes and adjustments. Chapters include Togetherness, Food and Drink, Clothing, Home, Hygge outside the home, the Five Dimensions of Hygge, and Hygge and Happiness.  They provide reachable ways to achieve a resonance in life through adding these dimensions into one’s life.  Illustrated with quaint pictures that are colorful and restful, this book is like traveling to Denmark and stepping into a quieter existence with more depth and soulfulness. It’s a delightful read that will benefit readers.

An invitation: what books, restaurants, movies or web sites have you enjoyed recently? Send us your recent selection, along with a short paragraph (100 words) as to why you liked this, plus what you plan to visit or read next. –eeb

Vet college gives students hands-on experience in diagnosis of animals

( Continued from previous edition)

The foremost objective of the University of Georgia’s College of Veterinary Medicine hospital is to give students hands-on experience in the diagnosis and treatment of animals. Students are supervised by faculty members who are board-certified in various specialties of veterinary medicine and surgery, including internal medicine, surgery, radiology, dermatology, ophthalmology, cardiology, neurology, anesthesiology, reproduction, food animal and equine medicine and surgery, and herd health management.

The faculty’s involvement in veterinary medical research advances the profession while contributing to the education of graduate students. Studies are conducted on diseases of farm animals, pets, wildlife, poultry, fish, marine life, and laboratory animals. Veterinary research has important implications for human health as well, by increasing food production and protecting the food supply from diseases transmitted from animals to man.

Diagnostic laboratories in Tifton and Athens, staffed by the college’s diagnosticians and technicians, are an important service to practicing veterinarians, animal owners, and citizens of the state and nation. Partially funded by the Georgia Department of Agriculture, these laboratories test more than 100,000 samples a year submitted by veterinarians for a wide variety of disease-causing agents, such as viruses, bacteria, parasites, and toxins, to help practicing veterinarians and clinicians at the college diagnose and prevent diseases, determine cause of death, and advance teaching and research. They also provide important animal disease surveillance by reporting information to state regulatory agencies about the emergence of common diseases, as well as foreign diseases, including mad cow disease and foot and mouth disease. In addition, they identify and report the appearance of human diseases that may threaten public health.

In 2006 the college’s Animal Health Research Center, a 75,000-square-foot facility, opened in Athens. Researchers at the center focus on developing vaccines and treatments for infectious diseases found in hogs, horses, poultry, pets, and wild animals, among others. That same year the Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta collaborated with the school to offer both faculty members and students the opportunity to work and study at the aquarium’s Center for Aquatic Animal Medicine.

Since its beginnings more than 50 years ago, the College of Veterinary Medicine has risen to national and international prominence. Its graduates are in great demand, and many have become leaders in their profession.

• To view the Georgia Encyclopedia online, go to http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org

Today’s Mystery Photo is a very tall column

This tall column awaits your search. The carved symbols might give you a clue to its whereabouts.  Send in your thoughts to elliott@brack.net and be sure to include your hometown.

Other than snow and two carved lions, there were few clues to the most recent Mystery Photo, this time again from Susan McBrayer of Sugar Hill. As usual, however, George Graf of Palmyra, Va. labored on to determine the right answer. He wrote: “This is The Red Lion Inn, in Stockbridge, Mass. According to historichotels.org, Silas Pepoon established a small tavern on the corner of Main Street in 1773, under the sign of a red lion. A year later, angry citizens gathered at Pepoon’s to boycott English goods and to pass resolutions protesting the oppressive Acts of Intolerance levied against the colonies. Since its earliest days, the inn was a vital gathering place for locals and has continued to play an important role in the life of the community ever since.  Operating continuously for over 200 years, the inn has had several names but has always been identified by the red lion. The Red Lion’s quintessential New England charm was immortalized by Norman Rockwell in his painting Stockbridge Main Street at Christmas.  The inn has hosted five presidents and numerous other notable figures, including Nathaniel Hawthorne, William Cullen Bryant, and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.”

Parkview students win Scarbrough Water Prize on filtration technique

Parkview High School students Thuy Pham and Grace Hu were recognized May 16 by the Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners for their project on an alternative water filtration technique. The two students received the Scarbrough Water Prize for the project they presented at the Gwinnett Science and Engineering Fair in February. The Scarbrough Water Prize is named in honor of late Gwinnett County Department of Water Resources employee James Scarbrough, who was a strong supporter of water education and the advancement of water sciences in Gwinnett County schools. Scarbrough believed that by teaching students the importance of protecting and conserving our water resources when they are young, they will carry those behaviors and beliefs into adulthood. He felt that education was the key to preserving Gwinnett’s precious water resources for future generations.

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