GwinnettForum | Number 21.62 | Aug. 13, 2021
GATEWAY ENTRANCE: Here’s a concept of what a new entrance to the City of Lawrenceville’s Depot District will look like. This comes from the Lawrenceville Arts Commission, which also has an idea of another distinct area of the county seat. For more details, see Upcoming below.
Everyone’s buzzing about the “new” Downtown Duluth! From stellar entertainment with Eddie Owen at the Red Clay Music Foundry to the outstanding restaurants of Parsons Alley, Duluth has it all! Indulge at Noona, Good Word Pub, Maple Street Biscuits, Dreamland BBQ, Nacho Daddy, Falling Rabbit, and more! After splashing in the fountain, take the kids for ice cream at The Chocolaterie, dessert at Crave Pie or donuts at Simply Donuts. And don’t forget Food Truck Fridays. Also, go ahead and mark your calendars for the last weekend in September – Duluth Fall Festival is a can’t miss event! Visit duluthfallfestival.org.
TODAY’S FOCUS: Canadian provides details of his personal health care plan cost
EEB PERSPECTIVE: Senators Warnock and Cruz get together, proposed Interstate 14
SPOTLIGHT: E.R. Snell Contractor, Inc.
FEEDBACK: Two readers raise concerns about previous Bernard article
UPCOMING: Lawrenceville Arts Commission releases first of two planned projects
NOTABLE: Residents encouraged to help in Great Pollinator Census Aug. 20-21
RECOMMENDED: American Dirt by Jeanine Cummins
GEORGIA TIDBIT: Torras Causeway prompted early development of St. Simons Island
MYSTERY PHOTO: Spewing fountain adds grace to this sidewalk scene
LAGNIAPPE: Duluth Fall Festival is six weeks away
CALENDAR: Bourdeaux hosts Job Fair today (Friday) at Gas South District
Canadian provides details of his health care plan cost
(Editor’s note: Through Raleigh Perry of Buford, we have come into contact with a Canadian who gives us a glimpse of the Canadian health care plan. He lives in Clairmont, Canada, about an hour northeast of Toronto.)–eeb
By Ron Hinchliffe
CLAIRMONT, Ontario, Canada | For those who read Raleigh Perry’s article praising the benefits of socialized medicine I would like to add my two cents worth. I am the Canadian friend Raleigh referred to in his article.
Hinchliffe
I believe that the term “socialized medicine” tends to scare the average person who thinks “communism” when they hear it. That’s not the way I think of it.
Living with the Canadian health care system my entire life, I had no fear of the financial uncertainty when I was diagnosed with colon cancer in early 2013. It didn’t even occur to me, nor should it to anyone dealing with this insidious disease. I have heard horror stories of people living in the United States who have suffered bankruptcy following a serious illness.
Socialized medicine does not mean second rate medicine. I can still choose my doctors as well as the hospitals where I was to be treated. My cancer was discovered through a routine colonoscopy when I was 55 years old. I was called by the doctor’s office who had done my colonoscopy and was asked to come in the following day. I was sent to see a surgeon the next afternoon.
That surgeon laid out his plan of attack which included surgery that would leave me with a colostomy bag. My family doctor of 30 years (who I trust) contacted me the next morning, suggesting a second opinion from one of the top three cancer centers in the world at Princess Margaret Hospital in Toronto. Just over a week and I had the entire medical team in place who were all vetted by my family physician.
My journey began with radiation, chemotherapy, and after a while, a nine hour surgery. After my final treatment, I was cut back to monthly appointments for the next five years. Every three months during that time I had CT Scans and MRI’s along with blood work to be certain there was no return of my cancer.
A very good friend of mine is fighting a very aggressive prostate cancer. He too has paid nothing for treatment. He is now on a protocol of meds that cost $3,850 per month and will be on them for the rest of his life. His cost: $0.
The entire cost of all treatments and medications was covered by the Ontario Health Insurance Plan paid by an unseen deduction on my income tax. (Each province has a similar plan.) Every citizen in Canada is issued a card, whether you are employed or not. It doesn’t matter if you are “between jobs” or are the CEO of a Fortune 500 company, everyone is treated equally. The maximum cost for anyone, if working, no matter what their income, would be $900 per person per year.
When I was a young man I was on a trip with a friend of mine in British Columbia and he was injured and had to go to the hospital. He simply presented his OHIP card and the hospital took it from there. Nothing more was required.
For 41 years I owned and operated a small manufacturing company employing 8-10 people. Never once have I heard a complaint from anyone regarding the cost or quality of their/our healthcare. The horror stories I hear about the cost of seeing a doctor or receiving treatments in the United States needs to be addressed by a forward-thinking administration.
I can’t say that the Canadian system is perfect, but it certainly is a system that works. I see no reason it isn’t adaptable for the U.S. needs.
- Have a comment? Send to: elliott@brack.net
Warnock and Cruz get together to propose Interstate 14
By Elliott Brack
Editor and Publisher, GwinnettForum
AUG. 13, 2021 | Ever heard of Interstate 14? You may not have. It doesn’t exist…..yet.
But it could. It would be a route across the Deep South covering 1,300 miles, after a bipartisan amendment passed through the U.S. Senate, through an unusual partnership of Sen. Raphael Warnock of Georgia and Ted Cruz of Texas, who got together behind the measure. The U.S. Senate approved an amendment to the pending Bipartisan Infrastructure Package expanding the congressional designation of an interstate route on a corridor across Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia. . The designation was approved earlier in the U.S. House and has the support of every House member whose district is along the route. All 10 senators along the route agreed to the proposal.
The proposed interstate motorway would begin in Augusta, cut through middle Georgia near Macon and head west to Columbus. In Alabama it would be routed slightly south of Montgomery, while in Mississippi it would connect Meridian, Laurel and Natchez. Entering Louisiana at Alexandria, it would enter Texas at Jasper, then continue to Bryan Station, Temple, Killeen and end at Midland-Odessa.
The proposed route released by the two senators has an unspoken element to it. It has a strategic military impact. The map drawn shows not only the highway route, but pinpoints military bases along the way. That includes 16 military bases near or that have high-speed routes connected to the proposed Interstate. In the case of any national emergency, the four-lane route would be a benefit to move cargo or troops along the way. That’s a bow to the idea of the original throughway, the German autobahn systems, built to move traffic unimpeded along greatly improved roads.
Warnock
Of course, another benefit from the five-state route would be its economic impact for every city along the way. An additional element is that its building would mean that traffic on other Interstates routes would be reduced, and even drive times between locations of cities along the route would be lowered.
For Georgians, a midstate Interstate could greatly improve driving conditions. If you have ever traveled east-west across Georgia, you would have been driving on what is called “Washboard Roads.” This term comes as waters generally flow from North Georgia toward the coast, creating valleys and hills, running north and south. That means a traveler is continually going either up or down a small hill, much as a washboard is constructed. An Interstate route would fill in the valleys, and cut down the hills, making a more comfortable, safer drive.
Authorization is only the first step in a decades-long process of building this interstate route. Supporters must now shift to winning funding for planning and construction of projects on the corridor, work that must be done with Congress, the U.S. Department of Transportation and the departments of transportation in each of the states along the corridor.
But for now, here’s a Hip-Hip-Hooray to Raphael Warnock and Ted Cruz, for showing us what bipartisanship can do!
- Clarification: Mayor Lois Salter of Berkeley Lake reminds us: “Dan Miller (who GwinnettForum featured in a cross-country bike ride story recently) doesn’t live in Duluth. He lives in Berkeley Lake and we are proud to claim him.” We regret he was misidentified in the story sent to us.—eeb
- Have a comment? Send to: elliott@brack.net
E.R. Snell Contractor, Inc.
The public spiritedness of our sponsors allows us to bring GwinnettForum.com to you at no cost to readers. Today’s sponsor is E.R. Snell Contractor, Inc. of Snellville. Founded in the 1920s, ERS was built on Christian beliefs with honesty and integrity leading the way. Specializing in roads, bridges and culverts, its goal is to build a safe and modern highway system while preserving our natural environment. Through quality production and high safety standards, it strives to be the best contractor possible, while continuing to be a positive influence on its employees and the community.
- Visit online at www.ersnell.com.
- For a list of other sponsors of this forum, click here.
Two readers raise concerns about Bernard article
Editor, the Forum:
Jack Bernard’s writings really disturb me for their ad hominem attacks on Republicans and those who don’t bow to the direction of his woke ideology. If he has a legitimate criticism, I wish he could make it without the insults, humiliation, and generalizations. Instead of informing discussion they exacerbate division. He might very well have legitimate points about all of these folks, but they are lost in the transparent divisiveness of his rhetoric. We need to have critical two-way discussions inviting serious debate on difficult issues without being insulted and ridiculed by some self-appointed media ‘elite.’ A return to civil discourse and the respect for differing opinions is well overdue.
— Joe Briggs, Suwanee
Editor, the Forum:
Mr. Bernard needs to run for governor, as it seems he has all the answers.
— Wayne Hill, Suwanee
Comment about winning Covid War lifted his spirits
Editor, the Forum
Your editorial in this Tuesday issue of the Forum, about how “we are winning” the Covid War, lifted my spirits. How refreshing it is to see your positive outlook in battling this pandemic after having been battered in recent months by mostly negative press of fear and criticism of our leaders in this war. Thank you!
— Al Swint, Tucker
Gee, thanks, Al. Never thought of it that way, though I do try to see the positive in what’s going on around us, which sometimes is difficult to find. —eeb
Ponder explains riddle posed in previous issue
Riddle explains: Here’s the explanation of Rob Ponder’s riddle he posted in the previous issue: He writes: “My sister and I are both 62 years old. She was born in late August of 1958 (before Alaska became a state). I was born in July of 1959 (in between Alaska and Hawaii becoming states). At 11 months apart, we are the same age for one month each year. I have been told that that makes us ” Irish twins.” Rob’s sister is Teresa Ponder Watch, and goes by the name of Terrie. She recently moved from Norcross, where her husband, Dan, was on the city council, and is now living in Monteagle, Tenn.
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, and include your hometown. The views of letters are the opinion of the contributor. We reserve the right to edit for clarity and length. Send feedback and letters to: elliott@brack.net.
Lawrenceville commission releases two planned art projects
Rendering of proposed Shoe Horn Alley
The City of Lawrenceville and the Lawrenceville Arts Commission released its first two art improvement projects in the downtown area. The projects include final designs for an alleyway renovation on Lawrenceville Square and two Depot District signs to be installed on Perry and North Clayton Streets to limit the entry of large commercial vehicles into the downtown area.
The alleyway design features gas lanterns, string lights, an entryway arch, a paved walkway, and provides a walkthrough from the public parking lot to the downtown square. Designs for the Depot District signs include arched steel structures across both roads with a height-limiting bar feature. The structures will brand the Depot District and also function as an art installation. Bids are expected to be requested on both projects in the near future. A construction timeline has not been established. The City Council will vote on an official name for the alleyway at the council meeting on August 23, 2021 at 7 p.m.
The Arts Commission was formed in October, 2020 and has been working since that time on an overall plan to have art throughout the city. The members of the Lawrenceville Arts Commission include Aura Leigh Sanders, Chair; Amber Walden, Vice-Chair; Alicia Wetzel; Alice Stone-Collins; Nancy Abuaisheh; Katrina Fellows; and Councilman Bob Clark.
Eight artists highlighted in Norcross Gallery from Aug. 30
Photographer Aldridge Murrell’s work
The spotlight will be on eight selected artists in Norcross Gallery’s Spotlight 3 exhibit of their works, beginning August 30 and lasting until October 21. There will be an opening reception on Friday, October 8, from 6 to 9 p.m., featuring wine, food, and discussion of art. Participating artists are Lucy Brady, Kathy de Cano, Joyce English, Jeannie Fortin, Caroline Hernandez, Kathy Kitz, Aldridge Murrell and Chitra Ramanathan. The Gallery has chosen this limited format to show more of each artist’s works and allow collectors and viewers to have the opportunity to know each on a more personal level. Among the works shown:
- Jeannie Fortin, of Norcross and Johns Creek, offers this tribute to Hannah from the Bible, Hannah’s Legacy II.
- An engaging portrait is an acrylic painting on canvas, Charlie, by Joyce English.
- Don’t Break is the oil on fine canvas painting by Carolina Hernandez.
- Photographer Aldridge Murrell has a scene of the surf and ocean breezes along with his playful canine Beach, just outside of Sydney, Australia.
- Norcross Gallery president, Kathy Kitz presents a semi abstracts in Sunrise 3.
- Kathy de Cano’s l abstract Women in the Trees, an acrylic on canvas, portrays the relationship between women and the natural world.
- Santa Fe Hotel shows a sunlit hotel rendered in acrylic on paper by Lucy Brady.
- Chitra Ramanathan’s Happy Glow, Sunshine’s Bounty, an acrylic painting, shown as “a symbol for happiness.”
Norcross Gallery and Studios (formerly Kudzu Art Zone) is located at 113 Carlyle Street in downtown Norcross. Open hours for the exhibit are Fridays from noon until 6 p.m, and Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. The phone number is 770-840-9844 and the website is norcrossgalleryandstudios.org.
Gwinnett Tech to offer new certificate in three skill areas
Gwinnett Technical College announced three new certificate programs today designed to provide students with cutting-edge skills to participate in Gwinnett and North Fulton County’s thriving economy.
Beginning in the Fall 2021 semester, Gwinnett Tech will offer the following technical certificates: Amazon Web Services Cloud Solutions Specialist, iOS App Development in Swift, and Driverless and Driver Assist Systems. These programs use curriculum and hands-on training to provide students with the skills and competencies they need to prepare for a successful career in these growing industries.
Gwinnett Tech President Dr. D. Glen Cannon says: “Employers are looking for a diverse and skilled workforce, and we are proud to offer these industry-leading certificates. We are excited to offer these opportunities to our students and look forward to seeing them apply their skills in the community.
Property tax bills being mailed; payment due by Oct. 15
Gwinnett County 2021 property tax bills are being mailed soon, and taxes are due October 15.
Taxpayers may view, print and/or pay their bills online as of today from any Internet-connected device at www.GwinnettTaxCommissioner.com/Pay. Property owners who signed up for e-billing will receive their bills immediately upon release via secure email.
Mortgage companies are provided access to property tax information; however, property owners with tax escrow accounts are responsible to ensure their taxes are paid on time.
Both buyers and sellers receive a tax bill when properties are sold, click here to learn why.
Residents urged to help Great Pollinator Census Aug. 20-21
Gwinnett County is encouraging residents of all ages and abilities to participate in the Great Georgia Pollinator Census on Aug. 20-21.
Pollinators — including bees, beetles and butterflies — play a critical role in the ecosystem. They help pollinate plants that produce fruits, vegetables, nuts, oils, fibers and other raw materials; feed and protect wildlife; clean the air; prevent soil erosion and more.
Developed by UGA Extension and the Center for Urban Agriculture, the Great Georgia Pollinator Census helps to understand and advance pollinator health in Georgia by generating snapshots of pollinator populations, increasing entomological literacy and creating sustainable pollinator habitats.
Participation is simple. Volunteers count how many times in 15 minutes insect pollinators land on a pollinating plant bloom. Volunteers then upload their results online.
UGA Extension Gwinnett’s participation in this statewide effort is in partnership with Gwinnett Parks and Recreation and Live Healthy Gwinnett. Visit GwinnettExtension.com, GwinnettParks.com or LiveHealthyGwinnett.com to download the insect pollinator identification guide and counting handout or for more information.
PCOM team working to educate people about Covid vaccine
Eight PCOM Georgia students from the osteopathic medicine, pharmacy and biomedical sciences programs worked to educate community members about the importance of the COVID-19 vaccine at the Gwinnett Daily Post’s Back-to-School Health Fair and All About Kids Expo on July 31, 2021.
Led by faculty members Valerie E. Cadet, PhD, director of health equity curricular initiatives and an associate professor of microbiology and immunology, and Edo-Abasi U. McGee, PharmD, BCPS, assistant professor in the Department of Pharmacy Practice, the group’s mission is to increase COVID-19 vaccine uptake within the Black, Indigenous, People of Color or BIPOC population through direct grassroots engagement. The event, part of the President’s Community Wellness Initiative, was held at the Rhodes Jordan Park Community Center in Lawrenceville.
To fund the work, Drs. Cadet and McGee were awarded a community-based research faculty fellowship in March 2021 from the Office of Institutional Advancement and the Office of Diversity and Community Relations. The team has worked to educate local church attendees and the broader community through health fairs. The group will participate in another health fair on September 11 at Lenora Church Park in Snellville.
American Dirt by Jeanine Cummins
From Karen J. Harris, Stone Mountain: Lydia Quixano Perez lives in Acapulco with her large extended family. She owns a bookstore and has a good middle-class life. She befriends a customer, Javier, who selects two of her favorite titles. They bond as friends through their love of literature. Little does she know that Javier is the “el jefe” of a large cartel that has taken over the city. When Lydia’s journalist husband Sebastian writes an article about the cartel, their lives are irrevocably changed. Lydia is forced to flee with her eight-year-old Lucas, becoming migrants in crisis. Their goal is to reach the United States in the hope of escaping death and rebuilding their lives. American Dirt is a stark and painful read. It illustrates the power of grit and hope necessary to overcome unimaginable anguish, loss and fear of death. It illustrates how harsh circumstances can propel people to do anything to save their lives.
- An invitation: what books, restaurants, movies or web sites have you enjoyed recently? Send us your recent selection, along with a short paragraph (150 words) as to why you liked this, plus what you plan to visit or read next. Send to: elliott@brack.net
Causeway prompted early development of St. Simons Island
The opening in 1924 of the Brunswick–St. Simons Highway, today known as the Torras Causeway, was a milestone in the development of resorts near Brunswick.. St. Simons’ beaches were now easily accessible to locals and tourists alike. More than 5,000 automobiles took the short drive from Brunswick to St. Simons via the causeway on its opening day, paving the way for convenient residential and resort development.
In 1926 automotive pioneer Howard Coffin of Detroit, Mich., bought large tracts of land on St. Simons, including the former Retreat Plantation, and constructed a golf course, yacht club, paved roads, and a put in residential subdivision. Although the causeway had brought large numbers of summer people to the island, St. Simons remained a small community with only a few hundred permanent residents until the 1940s.
The outbreak of World War II (1941-45) brought more visitors and residents to St. Simons. Troops stationed at Jacksonville, Florida; Savannah; and nearby Camp Stewart took weekend vacations on the island, and a new naval air base and radar school became home to even more officers and soldiers. The increased wartime population brought the island its first public school. With a major shipyard for the production of Liberty ships in nearby Brunswick, the waters of St. Simons became active with German U-boats. In April 1942, just off the coast, the Texas Company oil tanker S. S. Oklahoma and the S. S. Esso Baton Rougewere torpedoed by the Germans, bringing the war very close to home for island residents. The World War II Home Front Museum, dedicated to preserving coastal Georgia’s contributions to the war effort, is now located on the island.
Due in large part to the military’s improvement of the island’s infrastructure during the war, development on the island boomed in the 1950s and 1960s. More permanent homes and subdivisions were built, and the island was no longer just a summer resort but also a thriving community. In 1950 the Methodist conference and retreat center Epworth by the Sea opened on Gascoigne Bluff. In 1961 novelist Eugenia Price visited St. Simons and began work on her first works of fiction, known as the St. Simons trilogy. Inspired by real events on the island, Price’s trilogy renewed interest in the history of Georgia’s coast, and the novelist herself relocated to the island in 1965 and lived there for 31 years. St. Simons is also home to contemporary Georgia writer Tina McElroy Ansa.
Since 1980 St. Simons’ population has doubled. The island’s continued status as a vacation destination and its ongoing development boom have put historic landmarks and natural areas at risk. While such landmarks as the Fort Frederica ruins and the Battle of Bloody Marsh site are preserved and maintained by the National Park Service, and while the historic lighthouse is maintained by the Coastal Georgia Historical Society, historic Ebo Landing has been taken over by a sewage treatment plant.
Several coastal organizations have formed in recent years to save natural areas on the island. The St. Simons Land Trust, for example, has received donations of large tracts of land and plans to protect property in the island’s three traditional African American neighborhoods. Despite its rapid growth and development, St. Simons remains one of the most beautiful and important islands on the Georgia coast.
- To view the Georgia Encyclopedia article online, go to https://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org
Spewing fountain adds grace to this sidewalk scene
Check out today’s Mystery Photo, a spewing water fountain in front of a building. Can these few clues tell you where you think this is located? Send your answer to elliott@brack.net, and include your hometown.
Susan McBrayer, Sugar Hill, was quick in recognizing the recent Mystery Photo, writing: “This is ‘Portrait of a Gentleman,’ attributed to Gilbert Stuart in the lobby of The Greenbrier Hotel in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia. It was hung in the lobby in 1948 and he believes the portrait to be a person from the 18th century.” The photo came from Catherine Coleman of Charleston, S.C.
Our two regular Eagle Eyes, Allan Peel of San Antonio, Tex., and George Graf of Palmyra, Va., also recognized the photo. Peel wrote: “Today’s mystery photo is of the main lobby in the Greenbrier Resort in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia. Another portrait in this room,is of George Washington, which hangs over the fireplace. There is actually some debate as to who is depicted in the portrait in the mystery photo.
“According to Robert Conte, the official Greenbrier historian, the portrait in the mystery photo is attributed to Gilbert Stuart (1755-1828) and is titled as simply “Portrait of a Gentleman”. Many people assume that it is a portrait of Thomas Jefferson, but Conte does not believe that the ‘gentleman’ depicted is Jefferson.”
Only six weeks away: You’ll find booths—and people— everywhere in the downtown Duluth area during its Fall Festival. It’s one of the best attended venues of the events season. The Festival is planned for September 25-26 this year.
A job fair hosted by Congresswoman Carolyn Bourdeaux will be today (August 13) in the Gas South District Hall A, formerly the Infinite Energy Center,6400 Sugarloaf Parkway in Duluth. It will be from 1 to 4 p.m. to assist local businesses in finding new employees. The Business RSVP link is https://bit.ly/bourdeauxjobsfair.
ATLReads Virtual Book Club Outlander by Diana Gabaldon, Tuesday, August 17 at 7:00 p.m. EST, virtually. Outlander is the first book in the Outlander series, the basis for the Starz original series. Free and open to all. Read the book and chat with us! Invite friends to join. Guests do not have to be library cardholders. Those who are cardholders may download a free copy of this book by clicking here. To join us, click here.
Climate Change Prevention: Andreas Karelas – Renewable Energy Advocate, will be on Thursday, August 26 at 7 p.m. EST, virtually. Join Andreas Karelas to discuss his solutions to climate change and his new book, Climate Courage. Karelas is the founder and executive director of RE-volv, a Audubon TogetherGreen Conservation Leadership Fellow and an OpenIDEO Climate Innovator Fellow. Free and open to the public. Registration is required to access this program. Register online at GCPL.org.
Duck Derby Time: The Rotary Club of Sugarloaf will host the seventh Annual Gwinnett Duck Derby on Thursday, September 2, 2021. By adopting a duck, individuals are entered to win prizes, the top prize being $2,500 in cash. Proceeds from the Gwinnett Duck Derby help fund projects, including supporting local charities. Proceeds in previous years have raised more than $60,000 to local charities. Visit this site to adopt a duck.
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