GwinnettForum | Number 21.42 | June 10, 2022
YOU WOULD BE SMILING, TOO, if you had just completed 16+ years of education toward your doctoral degree. These Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine Georgia graduates show their elation after being awarded their degrees recently. Altogether, a total of 226 doctoral degrees were awarded from the Suwanee campus. See more in Notable below.
TODAY’S FOCUS: We know hurricanes are coming; Question is how severe and when?
EEB PERSPECTIVE: New voting system in primary turned out to be much easier
ANOTHER VIEW: If you must have guns, here’s a list of what you should buy
SPOTLIGHT: E.R. Snell Contractor, Inc.
FEEDBACK: From the Spanish Inquisition to Governors Abbott and DeSantis
UPCOMING: Commissioners evaluating feedback about Gwinnett Place Mall
NOTABLE: Gwinnett has best water in state, maybe in the nation
RECOMMENDED: Saving America’s Amazon by Ben Raines
GEORGIA TIDBIT: Georgia Archives housed in building near Clayton State University
MYSTERY PHOTO: You may be surprised at where this lighthouse is located
CALENDAR: Ribbon-cutting of interchange of Highway 316-Harbins Road is June 16
EDITOR’S NOTE: The next edition of GwinnettForum will be published on June 21. There will be no edition on June 14 and June 17. Hey, let us have a break! Send us news or comment for the big June 21 edition.–eeb
We know hurricanes are coming, but how severe and when?
After an 1893 hurricane
By Wendy Jones
JEFFERSON, Ga. | The Atlantic hurricane season started on June 1. This year is predicted by the Weather Channel to be active and above average. Jackson EMC offers these tips for you and your family to prepare for the upcoming hurricane season.
Start Planning Now. If you haven’t already, make a written storm plan. This plan should include how you’ll keep up with essential information during a storm, like important documents and files. It is important to make a plan with your family so that everyone is involved and prepared.
Make an emergency storm kit. Create an easily accessible emergency kit that includes items you might need in a storm. Be sure to include items like water, food and medications. For a complete list of items to include in your emergency storm kit, visit jacksonemc.com/storm-center/storm-preparation.
Protect your home. Depending on the storm’s severity, your home could be subject to high winds and heavy rainfall. Take precautions such as trimming trees around your house and moving loose items, like outdoor furniture, inside. You should also secure all doors, including garage doors, and plan for a safe location to store your car.
Know your risk. During hurricane season, these storms can produce floods and tornadoes. Visit weather.gov for more resources on the potential storm threats for your specific area, as well as information on the different hurricane categories and what they mean.
Stay updated. NOAA weather radios, weather apps, local TV stations and websites like weather.govare all great resources for receiving weather alerts. Be sure to keep your devices fully charged before storms in your area and have extra batteries or portable chargers accessible to keep these devices on in case of power outages. In addition to following local weather stations, follow Jackson EMC on social media for timely updates.
Use the MyJacksonEMC mobile app to report outages easily. Outages can also be reported online atoutage.jacksonemc.com and via phone by calling 1-800-245-4044.
- Have a comment? Send to: elliott@brack.net
New voting system in primary turned out to be much easier
By Elliott Brack
Editor and Publisher, GwinnettForum
JUNE 10, 2022 | Were you surprised at the ease of voting in the May 24 primary? The State of Georgia has been tweaking the procedure of voting, and has come up with a new system that allows most of us to speed through checking in….and in voting itself.
We talked with Elections Manager Zack Manifold about the new system. He says: “it definitely improved the process. It’s so much simpler, and the staff was pleased at how quickly we could pull up a voter, if not in the state system.”
Do you remember what it was like when we previously voted? If I remember correctly, the first thing you had to do was show your identification. Then they found your name on a printed list. They handed you a paper form to write your name and home address. Eventually, you put down in which primary you wanted to vote. This was a slow process, as we diligently wrote all this down on paper.
Meanwhile, there was pressure on the poll workers, since they had to check all the details, and make sure your name listed was the way they had it. Finally, they gave you a plastic card and you went to the voting booth, inserted the card, then started making your selections. At the end, the machine asked if you wanted to cast your ballot, and when you checked OK, zoom! You ballot was recorded by the machine. But you had no paper record of it.
In 2022, the process is considerably different.
Instead of having to fill out paperwork to identify yourself, the poll worker asks for your driver’s license, and runs it through a scanner. Presto! They found you, and then handed you an iPad. You had one of three choices. You could vote in either the Republican or Democratic primary, which both had non-partisan choices….or vote in the nonpartisan primary alone. Note, too, that the poll worker did not have to know which primary you voted in; only the iPad and computer system knew.
Then you were given a card to insert at the polling place, and you voted. Once complete, instead of telling the machine to cast your vote, it then asked if you were ready to print your ballot. When you said yes, it churned out a paper ballot, which you took to the next station, and slid it into the vote tabulator machine, finally casting your vote. While you didn’t walk away with a record of your voting, if the officials had to have a recount, they could go to the paper ballots and do the recount. By the way, this paper ballot could not in any way identify the person casting that ballot.
All in all, the voting went smoothly. And when the returns started coming in, they were pretty fast. Seems the new system is a good one.
But what do we know? Bet some guy maintains this new system is lousy!
Let’s end today on another positive note: The current time may be the part of the year where Gwinnett is at its most lush in greenness. Every way a person turns, they are greeted with the now fully bloomed trees, which have pushed out their new growth of leaves. And with the rains often coming these days, the grass is thriving and some blooming plants are so colorful, especially the roses. Ah, spring. It’s wonderful…..again.
- Have a comment? Send to: elliott@brack.net
If you must have guns, here’s a list of what you should buy
By Raleigh Perry
BUFORD, Ga | Last year it was announced by the news agencies that the year 2020 had more murders than any recent years. In fact, there were 4,901 more murders in 2020 than in 2019. That is a lot of murders. Look at the numbers and you will see you are safer in the military in an active war than you are walking down the streets in this country.
Perry
And look at the too many recent shootings. Matters are not improving, but deteriorating.
The more deaths than the year before might be better understood by knowing that there were only 2,400-2,500 U.S. troops killed in the 20 year long war with Afghanistan. It has gotten to the point where I will not go into the city of Atlanta any further than Clairmont Road to the Veterans Administration hospital.
I do not even buy gas anywhere inside I-285, fearing carjacking or robbery. You cannot go on the VA property with a firearm or other type of weapon or you end up in a Federal Court awaiting sentencing, and you are going to get it.
I think that what bothers me most is the complete lack of interest of our Senators and Congressmen to the problem of gun control. The “Big Originalist,” Justice Antonin Scalia, was not the Originalist that he thought he was when he wrote the last decision on the Second Amendment. The Second Amendment is rather terse and specific but you have to consider the era in which it was written. Specifically, it reads:
A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed.
Justice Scalia seemed to interpret it as if the statement that “A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state,” was unnecessary, so he interpreted the rest of it “the right of the people to keep and bear are, shall not be infringed,” was the only salient part of the Amendment.
Militia, in this case, does not mean the Proud Boys or the Oath Keepers or the myriad of other idiotic groups posing as militia and playing soldiers, but an organization ordained by the states and run by the states. States do not have militia today, they have the National Guard, so the concept of a “well regulated militia” does not exist and is not necessary today.
I have no problem with the ownership of guns, but the ownership of AR-15s and like weapons is stupid. Actually, I think that the ownership of a pistol is rather stupid also. So you are carrying a pistol and get stuck up. The man has a gun and he asks for your wallet and your Rolex. The best thing to do is to give the man what he wants and do not try to draw your pistol. If you do, you are going to get shot!
If the assailant begins to walk away, no longer posing a threat, that is not a good time to draw your concealed weapon either because if you shoot him, you can be charged with murder.
The best guns for you to have, if you must have one, is a rifle for big game, a shotgun for squirrels, rabbits, and birds, or a .22 caliber for the squirrel and rabbit.
- 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, E. R. Snell was built on Christian beliefs with honesty and integrity leading the way. The fifth generation of the Snell family continues to run the company. 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.
From the Spanish Inquisition to Govs. Abbott and DeSantis
Editor, the Forum:
Politicians, national, state, local, and school boards are banning books from public schools, and libraries are spreading ignorance. Ignorance limits intelligent decision making and grows into stupidity. The forbidden entices disobedience, which invites repression.
When people ban certain books by people of color, female, or LGBTQ authors, who discuss important life issues, they deny allowing students to learn decision making from livable experiences. In pursuit of Power these politicos are failing to educate. After all, the goal of education should be to decrease not increase repression and fear.
When repression is magnified, fear grows, as does curiosity. Remember, “curiosity killed the cat.” Better to learn from people who have experience, rather than from learning in the back alleys and street corners, or from overpowering immature people posing as adults.
This wave of censorship is attempting to erase the legacy of discrimination and life experiences of people who are different, people who do not look or dress like most others. By refusing to let students think for themselves, it is a repeat of the dogma the church practiced in the dark days of the Middle Ages. People like Abbott and DeSantis are modern day Thomas of Torquemada, the first Grand Inquisitor in Spain’s movement to homogenize religious practices in the late 15th century, all in the name of power and control. They are full of fear themselves.
With the size of the worldwide population and our technologies, repression will lead us to destroy ourselves.
– Ashley Herndon, Oceanside, Calif.
Dear Ashley: Some pretty heavy thoughts here. Well done. –eeb
There was a reason microwave ovens have loud tones
Editor, the Forum:
Those loud tones alerting us about the completed process in a microwave oven goes back to their beginning. We were told to leave the room or at least not stand in front of them watching the food cook. The fears about the possible microwave effects on our bodies were strong in the beginning.
The units were huge in the beginning. The cost dropped with improved quality and now they are almost throwaway items. We used to have them repaired. The rotating mechanism was usually the first part that would fail.
The loud tone was most likely to alert the individual leaving the room to do something else while the meal was heating. If the suggested soft Steve Jobs tones were used, one would need to stay nearby. A volume control might be a good addition.
– Byron Gilbert, Duluth
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.
Commissioners reviewing feedback on Gwinnett Place Mall
When it comes to revitalizing Gwinnett Place Mall, Gwinnett residents have spoken: They would like to see affordable housing, neighborhood services, incentives for existing businesses in the area, job support and a central location with regional and accessible transit.
Gwinnett County Chairwoman Nicole Hendrickson says: “The County pursued this work with the goal of centering marginalized communities most at risk of displacement through large-scale redevelopments such as this one.”
In addition to the Community Partner Advisory Board guiding the process, several community-driven events were held over the course of the last year to streamline responses and gain valuable feedback.
Here is a breakdown of the five themes that emerged from the community’s responses:
- Housing: Ensure existing residents of the mall can remain in the area and share in the benefits of redevelopment
- Neighborhood Services: Support existing and new Gwinnett residents as the County grows and becomes increasingly diverse
- Small Business: Offer existing businesses in the mall area new opportunities to grow and thrive
- Jobs: Generate jobs for Gwinnett residents that enable them to support themselves and their families
- Cultural Activity Center: Become a vibrant, regional destination, with transit connectivity, that generates prosperity for communities and the County
In the next major milestone for the mall’s future, the Board of Commissioners will evaluate themes from the Reclaim Gwinnett Place Mall Project and outcomes from the Gwinnett Place Livable Centers Initiative study and use the findings from both plans to prepare a Request for Information to solicit proposals for the redevelopment of Gwinnett Place Mall.
Gwinnett has best water in state, maybe in the nation
Through a blind taste test and vote, the Georgia Association of Water Professionals named Gwinnett County’s drinking water the Best Tasting Water in Georgia. Winning this award qualifies Gwinnett to compete in the national American Water Works Association competition against utilities across the country.
Department of Water Resources Director Tyler Richards beams proudly as she says: “We take pride in delivering high quality, great tasting water to the people and businesses of Gwinnett. I believe we owe this award to the hard work, passion, ingenuity and dedication of our employees. They work around the clock to ensure our water meets the Gwinnett Standard.”
The county gets its drinking water from Lake Lanier. From there, it’s treated at two water production plants, Shoal Creek Filter Plant and Lanier Filter Plant. These two plants use advanced technology to provide more than 70 million gallons of drinking water to Gwinnett’s nearly one million residents. The water is continuously tested for quality and taste. To find out more about Gwinnett’s drinking water, visit GwinnettWaterWords.com.
PCOM Georgia graduates 236 doctoral candidates in 2022
PCOM Georgia in Suwanee graduated 236 doctoral students on May 26 from the Ameris Amphitheatre in Alpharetta. Family members and friends gathered to celebrate the 123 doctor of osteopathic medicine students, 73 doctor of pharmacy students and 40 doctor of physical therapy students who have completed their professional education. Leading up to commencement, honors brunches, awards ceremonies and a dinner dance were held to celebrate the graduates.
PCOM President and CEO Jay Feldstein addressed the graduates. He said, “At PCOM Georgia, you have acquired vital knowledge, critical thinking, and clinical skills. You have learned, too, how to pivot and adapt, and how to meet challenges with courage and determination. And resilience. I have never been more proud of a class of students. Go. Step out into the chaos and make use of your gifts for the betterment of the world!”
Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine pharmacy alumni Anthony J. Silvagni, was the keynote speaker. He has been an educator for more than 50 years. Most notably, he is the former dean of osteopathic medicine at Nova Southeastern University, serving from 1998 to 2015.
Dr. Silvagni is a Distinguished Fellow of the American College of Osteopathic Family Physicians, a Fellow of the College of Physicians of Philadelphia, and a Fellow of the American Foundation for Pharmaceutical Education. In his remarks, he requested that the graduates work together in health care as a team. “No profession, or more importantly individual professionals, can practice well completely independent in today’s complicated and rapidly changing healthcare environment,” he said. “Today absolutely requires teamwork among all health professionals. Respect each other’s strengths and work together to give the best patient care possible.”
- Have a comment? Send to: elliott@brack.net
Saving America’s Amazon by Ben Raines
From Rick Krause, Lilburn: This is a hard-hitting account of the incredibly diverse ecosystem of the Mobile-Tensaw Delta of Alabama and its ongoing destruction at the hands of man. The basin, which drains most of Alabama, is the most biologically diverse in the nation, but has the weakest protection afforded it of any state in the country. Alabama native Ben Raines, former newspaperman, filmmaker, and naturalist, pulls no punches in his treatment of the subject, citing the biological setting, and describing the mostly single-minded extraction, development, abuse of the land and water, and extinction of aquatic life. The book is a short read, lavishly illustrated with photos of vintage cultures and modern photos of the area’s biological wonders. An excellent read on the subject, the subtitle of which is: The Threat to our Nation’s Most Biodiverse River System.
- 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
Georgia Archives in building near Clayton State University
The Georgia Archives, formerly a division of the office of the secretary of state, became a unit of the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia in 2013.
Created in 1918 by the Georgia General Assembly, the institution was originally named the Georgia Department of Archives and History. The mission of the archives is to serve state and local governments and the people of Georgia by identifying, selecting, preserving, and making accessible the records that constitute the state’s recorded history; by documenting state government decisions; and by aiding local government to meet open records requirements. In 2009 the archives received the Governor’s Award in the Humanities.
Among the items collected at the archives are colonial and state laws dating to 1755, official records, Civil War records, land records, private manuscripts, and the Vanishing Georgia Project. Highlights of the collection include a rare signature from Button Gwinnett (a signer of the Declaration of Independence from Georgia), a letter from George Washington, and a copy of the royal charter establishing the colony of Georgia in 1732.
Lucian Lamar Knight was the founder and first director of the archives (1919-25).
The state’s archives were first housed on the third floor of the state capitol building in Atlanta, a vast improvement over the past, when documents were kept in a basement and occasionally used to light the furnace.
Over the years, the archives has sponsored several projects aimed at preserving Georgia’s history. Carroll Hart, who was director of the archives from 1964 to 1982, initiated the Vanishing Georgia Project in 1975 to preserve and copy photographs in communities throughout the state. A mobile photo lab visited counties to copy historical pictures from private collections. Approximately 18,000 photographs have been preserved through this project.
From the mid-1940s until the mid-1990s, the archives used microfilm to preserve and access copies of records. Current technology enables the archives to scan records and make digital copies more widely accessible. In 2005 the archives launched Georgia’s Virtual Vault, a database available on the Georgia Archives Web site that includes digital images of maps, photographs, plans, drawings, and other documents.
In addition to its primary mission of preserving state records, the archives offer many other resources and services to Georgia citizens, including lectures, tours, and assistance with family history research. The archives’ staff also provides emergency advice for damaged materials and disaster preparedness planning for documents.
The present-day Georgia Archives, located on Jonesboro Road adjacent to Clayton State University in Morrow. The four-story structure, completed in 2003, comprises 177,000 cubic feet and is large enough to contain the archives’ holdings, which include 10,000 state and county maps; 20,000 books and periodicals; 30,000 reels of records on microfilm; 100,000 photographs; and 1.5 million land grants and property maps.
The southeastern branch of the National Archives and Records Administration is located next door to the archives. The partnership between the Georgia Archives and the National Archives is unique in the nation; genealogists and historians are able to conduct research at both the state and national archives.
- To view the Georgia Encyclopedia article online, go to https://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org
You may be surprised at where this lighthouse is located
Though not dramatic, this lighthouse sits low on the horizon and serves its vital function for sailors. Figure out where this photograph was taken, and send your idea to ellott@brack.net, and include your hometown.
That haunted-looking ruins in the recent Mystery Photo has worldwide interest for fans of Bram Stoker’s Dracula. Holly Moore of Suwanee recognized Whitby Abbey, overlooking the North Sea in Whitby, North Yorkshire, England. Located in the center of the Northumbrian kingdom, this 7th century Christian monastery, later became a Benedictine abbey. The monastery was established in 637 A.D. and disestablished in 1538 during King Henry VIII’s dissolution of the monasteries. The character, Count Dracula, comes ashore at this headland and ascends the steps to the St. Mary’s Church graveyard, next to the Abbey.” The photo was taken by Ann Marie Ellsworth of Chicago, and sent in by Susan McBrayer of Sugar Hill.
Others recognizing the photo included Ann Serrie, Lawreceville; Allan Peel of San Antonio, Tex. and George Graf of Palmyra, Va. who added: “In December 1914, Whitby Abbey was shelled by German battlecruisers whose crew were aiming for the Coastguard Station on the end of the headland. The abbey buildings sustained considerable damage during the ten-minute attack. The ruins of the abbey are used by sailors as a landmark at the headland. Since the 20th century, the substantial ruins of the church have been declared a Grade I Listed building and are in the care of English Heritage.”
Peel told us: “In celebration of the 125th anniversary of the release of Dracula, the largest gathering of people dressed as vampires took place. The previous Guinness World record was 1,039 people, but that record was broken on May 26, 2022 when 1,369 ‘vampires’ showed up at the Whitby Abbey Ruins.
Ribbon cutting for the Georgia Highway 316 and Harbins Road interchange will be Thursday, June 16, at 11:30 a.m. at the site. This is another project funded by the Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax.
Meet the Author: A talk with bestselling author Lynn Cullen, will be Thursday, June 16 at 7 p.m. at the Duluth Branch of Gwinnett County Public Library. Books will be available for sale and signing. There will be complimentary refreshments and a silent auction.
Recognizing a new craze, there’s a Cornhole Tournament on the horizon. The Sunrise Rotary Club of Snellville plans this tournament on June 25 at the Lincoln Fill Station, 2280 Henry Clower Boulevard in Snellville. Hours are from noon to 6 p.m. Teams can register for prizes at $50 per two-person team. Proceeds will benefit local charities that the club supports. Email questions to gwinnettsunrisefundraiser@gmail.com.
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