GwinnettForum | Number 21.63 | Aug. 26, 2022
PERHAPS A STRAY CART THEORY? The Broken Window Theory says that where there’s one broken window, if not repaired, others will follow. Maybe a Stray Cart Theory foretells that when one customer fails to park a shopping cart correctly, others will follow – in this case two more. And note the proper place to park the carts is only a parking spot away. This says it again: some people just do not adhere to common courtesy.
TODAY’S FOCUS: First year results of Community Response Team is impressive
EEB PERSPECTIVE: GOP and Dem incumbents use power, gain big advantages
ANOTHER VIEW: Couple on a roll, having visited 21 of 30 Major League parks
SPOTLIGHT: Lail Family Dentistry
FEEDBACK: Has second brush with death, and while visiting her parents!
UPCOMING: Free pet adoptions at Animal Welfare Center on August 27
NOTABLE: Trustees vote to disband Senior Leadership Gwinnett
OBITUARIES: Francis Thomas Lynch Jr.
RECOMMENDED: We need more contributions. Isn’t anyone reading?
GEORGIA TIDBIT: Outdoor education programs are relatively new to state
MYSTERY PHOTO: Clues abound in this tightly-cropped photograph
LAGNIAPPE: It’s the time of years for the hosta blooms to shine
CALENDAR: British Car Fayre comes to Norcross September 10
1st-year results of Community Response Team is impressive
By Melissa Hardegree
LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. | Two behavioral health clinicians are now embedded into field operations with police officers to be dispatched on crisis-related calls. The clinicians will assist people to obtain services after the crisis conclusion.
Hardegree
Last year, the City of Lawrenceville and View Point Health entered into an agreement creating a Police-Mental Health Collaboration (PMHC) to provide a co-responder program, which began July 1, 2021.
Jacob Baird, community engagement officer with the Lawrenceville Police Department, gave a Project F.I.R.S.T. Annual Update to the City Council recently.
Together the police and clinicians function as the Community Response Team (CRT). The program is called Project F.I.R.S.T in reference to “For Intensive Response and Supportive Transitions.” View Point Health staff are referred to as FIRST clinicians.
Mayor David Still says: “Our research and national statistics overwhelmingly support what we have found to be true in Lawrenceville. When co-responder programs are implemented effectively, both incarcerations and recidivism are greatly reduced. These reductions free up budget dollars for key personnel, infrastructure improvements, and programs. It’s a win-win.”
In Lawrenceville, the CRT defines crises broadly and includes issues such as homelessness, emergency transportation, and substance abuse, among others. In one year, the CRT responded to 879 crisis calls and eight ended in an arrest. In a comparative year, the police had 5,809 crisis calls and 504 arrests. The implementation of the Project F.I.R.S.T. Co-Responder Program directed 76 individuals from incarceration. Based on reported first-year statistics, a full expansion of the Project F.I.R.S.T. program could have averted an additional 452 individuals from jail.
Baird told the Council: “Once mental health professionals from Project F.I.R.S.T. were able to assess and direct individuals toward the services needed, crisis-related calls reduced, and in many cases, they stopped completely.”
Officer Baird also reported findings of a social determinant within the Co-Responder program. Project F.I.R.S.T. staff has established relationships with local nonprofits to assist individuals with emergency housing, food, and emergency transportation needs. From July 1, 2021 – June 30, 2022, Project F.I.R.S.T. provided/arranged the following social services for individuals after a crisis-related call:
- Emergency Housing, 39;
- Emergency Transportation, 40;
- Emergency Food, 4;
- Drug Rehabilitation, 3; and
- Crisis Stabilization, 169.
To further increase the success of the program, Project F.I.R.S.T. has established multiple community partners, including View Point Health, Magnuson, Northside Hospital Gwinnett, Recovery Foundations, Across the Bridge, Uber, Greyhound, Lawrenceville Co-op, Impact46, Lawrenceville Senior Center, Gwinnett Health and Human Services, and Veterans Administration.
The next steps for Project F.I.R.S.T. are to add additional Community Engagement officers and Mental Health professionals, add case management services and ancillary services, increase hours to provide 24-hour service, and secure space to create a F.I.R.S.T. Center.
- For additional information on Project F.I.R.S.T., visit lville.city/Co-Responder.
- Have a comment? Send to: elliott@brack.net
GOP and Dem incumbents use power, gain big advantages
By Elliott Brack
Editor and Publisher, GwinnettForum
AUG. 26, 2022 | Call it government, call it politics, we know the incumbent has some power.
Recently we noted the power of a sitting governor when in an election campaign. With Gov. Brian Kemp being challenged by Stacey Abrams, the governor is pulling out all the stops. He is sending many low-income Georgia taxpayers another check from the state surplus. And to make sure recipients get the idea of who is making this possible, the governor’s name will be on the check.
Political move? Of course it is. Republicans defend it, saying the state ought to send back money to people when it has built up a surplus. Democrats counter with the argument that the state should save its surplus, and that it is just pure politics.
Yes, the governor is playing Minor League Politics, and can only benefit, perhaps no more than half of the 10.7 million Georgians.
And guess who is playing Big League Politics? Fella by the name of Joe Biden, who is wiping out part of their student debt for lots of Americans, something like 43 million people. Who knows? Perhaps our president recognized what was happening in Minor League Politics in Georgia, and decided he too, could possibly “Buy votes” at a much higher level, from many, many more million people.
Will it work? Figure in this tightly divided country that if half the 43 million were Democrats, Biden would have gotten their vote anyway. But how about the remaining 21.5 million people, who would be Republicans? (For sake of argument, leave out the undecided or independents.) Perhaps only one million of the Republicans might switch their allegiance because of the student loan wipe-out. That may not sound like many.
But with President Biden winning the last popular vote by seven million people, and if the electorate voted for him in the same manner as 2020, he would have an eight million majority now.
And that is only taking in the student loan changes.
While many have considered that Joe Biden is a “weak” president, our country has seen a lot of activity going his way recently. One Congressional bill after another has had a 51-50 Democrat stamp to move lots of important legislation to new heights. Remember the CHIPS and Science Act, the Inflation Reduction Act, the drop in the record $1.7 trillion deficit reduction, etc. And that even includes major movement on a formerly stuck-in-the-mud topic called climate change!
Who knows? Could the recent Washington successes of the Democrats move another million votes Mr. Biden’s way come 2024, to a nine million majority?
Then there is the major elephant in the room: the people who supported Donald Trump in the past. With more and more stories floating from the Trump camp, including his high-handed approach to top secret documents, plus his lingering court cases, the January 6 hearings, and his constant lawyering up on any topic, Mr. Trump seems weaker.
We suspect many traditional Republicans are hoping that their party can come to reason, and become a viable party again without the excesses that President Trump has brought to the table. How many simply have said “Enough” with the Trump team? They might not actually vote for the Democrat, but simply stay away from the polls in 2024? Could that account for another million people?
The millions are adding up. Could the split become a bigger margin this time?
Yet look at Joe Biden. He’s using the power of incumbency, just as we have seen Brian Kemp do it, but at a much higher level, to 43 million student loan holders.
- Have a comment? Send to: elliott@brack.net
Couple on a roll, having visited 20 of 30 Major League parks
By Taylor Walker
LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. | This was never really something we intended to do, or had even talked about. It started 10 years ago when my wife and I were in California to see my sister in Lake Tahoe.
Walker
We stayed overnight in San Francisco. The Braves were in town. On a whim, we went to the Giants Stadium (Oracle Park). As we were walking in, someone hit a home run right over our heads into McCovey Cove where about a half dozen people in kayaks fought for the ball.
The next year my wife was in Toronto for work and the Braves were in for a weekend series. A ticket broker in Toronto got us tickets behind the visitor’s dugout. I flew up and we went to the game at Rogers Center on Saturday night.
After that we looked at each other: “Why not go to all of the stadiums!” So we started. (We are saving Truist Park for last, since it will be the easiest.)
Later that year we went to Seattle (T-Mobile Park) and the next year we flew to Los Angeles and were able to see the Braves play both at Dodger Stadium and later at Petco Park in San Diego. On the way back, we went to Angel Stadium in Anaheim for a game.
The next year was both Chicago teams at Guaranteed Rate Field and Wrigley. Just thinking about the 7th inning stretch at Wrigley Field still gives me goosebumps. That trip we also visited an American Family Field in Milwaukee. In following years were trips to Cleveland (Progressive Field), Cincinnati (Great American Ball Park), the Orioles (Camden Yards) and Nationals Park in D.C.
We’ve had occasional long weekend trips to St. Louis (Busch Stadium), Dallas (Globe Life Field), and Phoenix (Chase Field.) By the way, don’t buy any of that dry heat nonsense; 110 degrees is hot no matter the humidity.
We missed Oakland (Ring Central Coliseum) the first time out, so when visiting my sister again, we saw an Oakland game. We also have visited Yankee Stadium, PNC Park in Pittsburgh, and Houston (Minute Maid Park.)
My favorite stadium so far has been Petco Park; it is in a great location with tons of restaurants and bars outside, and very walkable and safe. Inside the park had great views of the city skyline.
The best food (full buffet with a prime rib) was at Yankee Stadium, but we had VIP treatment behind home plate.
What I call Miller Stadium in Milwaukee had the best fans: they tailgate for baseball almost like football games. We got to the game a little early, and people started coming up to us, offering us brats, hot dogs, chips, you name it. You can almost have more fun outside the stadium than inside.
It is hard to pick a least favorite since each is unique. But to pick one, it would be Dodger Stadium. Just getting to the stadium, we had to take the subway to a main hub, then a bus for about a 30 minute drive to be dropped off for what seemed like about a mile hike to the stadium.
Strangely enough, there were about as many Braves fans there as were Dodgers fans. The couple sitting next to us were from Lilburn!
Next month we are going to Philadelphia to watch the Braves hopefully win. That will be 20 stadiums visited out of 30. While in Philly, we are also going to a Monday night football game. That might be the kick-start of our NFL stadium tour!
- Have a comment? Send to: elliott@brack.net
Lail Family Dentistry
Dr. Slade Lail and his team
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Has 2nd brush with death, and while visiting her parents!
Editor, the Forum:
Recently on the last day of my visit with my parents and sister in Dayton, Ohio, I experienced my second brush with death.
The first was the car accident on Interstate-285 in 2006. It was a true brush because I saw my life in pictures before me.
This current brush was just as terrifying and OUT OF THE BLUE! We were all sitting together at the dinner table. I come from a family of storytellers. We each love to tell funny stories, usually about friends or family who have passed away.
Well, my sister Marianna was telling an outrageously funny story about my brother Paul. I had just taken a swallow of water when I started to laugh! The laugh pushed the water down my throat and I began to choke! I quickly lost my ability to breathe and was terrified!!
Mom tried to do the Heimlich maneuver but could not. Dad was paralyzed with shock and did not know what to do! My sister Marianna Harris sprung into action, reached the correct area near the diaphragm and pushed my closed throat open! It felt like a window opened in a stuffy room!
I was so tired and shaken after this event. Marianna has many physical challenges but is AMAZING in an emergency. I am so grateful to her for her courage and knowledge.
Listen, everyone, what I learned from this is…life can change…in a FLASH! We can be gone in a flash! There is no room for anger, resentment, judgment or hostility of any kind towards anyone! If one leaves the earth with any of the above, they leave with rot in the soul, and a stain on the heart. Each day is a gift and tomorrow is NOT promised.
– Karen J. Harris, Stone Mountain
Dear Karen: Thank you for sending this. We all should realize every day that death can take us all at any time. And to think that this was not on a busy highway, or brushing with death while shopping, but within the safety of a home. We all need to pray a special blessing on Marianna. Thank goodness for her clear action! Now how about some more book reviews?—eeb
Shopping trip shows that many people do not live mannerly
Editor, the Forum:
On Sunday afternoon, I brought my manners and a smile to Costco and found mayhem. I waited for a couple to put the last things in their vehicle, so I could take their cart for them. I wasn’t the bull in the China shop, but as I got closer to the entrance, one immigrant man was going at ramming speed in a straight line coming from the store exit. Lord help anyone in his path. I gave him a wide berth.
Inside, I did notice that my bulk size helped, but I don’t move that fast anymore. The American idea of staying to the right side is not a shared idea. Waiting until someone passes until going for what one wants is not shared. I wave people by my front to be gracious. It is unexpected. We live in a coarse time. Though I still miss them greatly, I’m so glad my parents didn’t have to experience this foul behavior. That generation would not stand for our performing this way.
– Byron Gilbert, Duluth
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Free pet adoptions at Animal Welfare Center on Aug. 27
For the fifth year, Gwinnett Animal Welfare and Enforcement is joining shelters and rescues across the nation to find homes for shelter pets during its Clear the Shelters adoption drive.
Animal Welfare will host a Clear the Shelter celebration on Saturday, August 27 from 11 a.m. until 4 p.m. with free pet adoptions, music, pet vendors, face painting and more. Clear the Shelters is an annual campaign sponsored by NBC Universal that‘s placed more than half a million pets in loving homes since 2015.
Animal Welfare and Enforcement Manager Alan Davis says: “Like shelters all across the country, our hope is to find happy forever homes for the many great pets in our care. We would love to literally clear our shelter.”
During August, all adoptions are free and adoptable animals are spayed or neutered, vaccinated and microchipped. Most pets can go home the same day as adoption.
Those interested in adoption can find available pets @GwinnettAnimal Shelter on Facebook or visit GwinnettAnimalWelfare.com and complete the application before coming to the shelter for a meet and greet. The Bill Atkinson Animal Welfare Center is located at 884 Winder Highway in Lawrenceville.
New Hudgens exhibits now at Lawrenceville City Hall
The city of Lawrenceville continues with a strong partnership with The Hudgens Center for Art and Learning. Three new exhibitions from the Hudgens’ permanent collection are currently on display at Lawrenceville City Hall for all to enjoy.
The partnership shows works from local artists ranging from inspiring photographs to colorful paintings installed throughout City Hall.
- On the Lower Level, are black and white landscape photographs from Georgia Nature Photographers Association members.
- The Main Level highlights artful photographs featuring the skilled dancers of the Gwinnett Ballet Theatre by Richard Calmes.
- The Third Level features various works from The Hudgens’ smART Honors Program, a nine-month program for Gwinnett County high school students. Teachers recommend students for the program who show artistic talent but cannot afford private art lessons to hone their craft. The student work can also be viewed on the downtown square’s digital kiosks.
Residents and visitors are encouraged to view the works displayed throughout Lawrenceville’s City Hall at 70 S. Clayton Street. Established as Gwinnett Council for the Arts in 1981, The Hudgens has pioneered arts enrichment programs and community engagement through the arts in Gwinnett.
Property tax bills mailed, and due back by Nov. 1
Gwinnett’s 2022 property tax bills began being mailed in batches Thursday and are to be paid by November 1, says Tax Commissioner Denise Mitchell.
Taxpayers are able to view, print and/or pay their bills online from any Internet-connected device at www.GwinnettTaxCommissioner.com/Pay. Any checking account can be used as an e-check; a video that explains how to pay online with an e-check is viewable at the link above.
Debit and credit cards may also be used to pay online with added convenience fees of a flat $3.95 fee for debit cards and a 2.25 percent fee of the total paid for credit cards and PayPal.
Owners who sold homes this year will still receive a tax bill, along with the buyer. Click here to learn why. Mortgage companies are provided access to property tax information; however, owners with tax escrow accounts are responsible to ensure their taxes are paid on time.
Trustees vote to disband Senior Leadership Gwinnett
The board of trustees of Senior Leadership Gwinnett has voted to disband the 501c3 organization. It began in 1998 to familiarize people 50 and older about the functioning of the county. More than 400 people have gone through the program.
Former Chairman Bill Atkinson said difficulty getting interest in a new class for 2022 was the reason it was closed. The organization has not held its nine-month program in the last two years because of the pandemic.
Trustees voted to donate its approximately $68,000 it had built up in its treasury to three local nonprofits for scholarships.
The Water Tower plans student Water Leadership Seminar
The inaugural The Water Tower (TWT) Student Water Innovation and Leadership Summit will be held on Friday, September 23 at TWT. Designed for 9-12th grade students in North Georgia, the Summit will feature expert speakers presenting career opportunities in the environmental industry, a career fair with water-related businesses and organizations, hands-on activity stations, and team building challenges.
This one-day, STEAM focused event will empower students to enhance their career or higher education readiness and discover new career opportunities while strengthening their skills in leadership, communication, strategic thinking, and networking.
- Have a comment? Send to: elliott@brack.net
Francis Thomas Lynch Jr.
Francis Thomas Lynch, Jr, 61, of Duluth, passed away peacefully on Aug. 17, 2022.
Lynch
Francis (Franny) was born on June 27, 1961 in Woodbury, New Jersey to Francis T. Lynch, Sr. and Joyce J. (nee, Espiscito) Lynch. Franny worked at Aramsco in Thorofare, N.J. and then at Tech Data Corporation in Swedesboro, N.J. as a Systems Engineer. In 2008, Franny accepted a company transfer to Georgia where he and his wife, Diane E. (nee, Clark) and daughter, Heather J. have lived, worked and enjoyed life together with friends and family. Franny was a loving and devoted husband and father who enjoyed his work in IT and traveling with his family. He had a passion for trains, fishing at the Jersey Shore, playing cards with his brothers, and spending time with the joy of his life, Heather. He also had great appreciation for the bands Grateful Dead and Pink Floyd.
Franny is predeceased by his father (Francis), and many aunts and uncles- most recently by his beloved Uncle (Robert Espiscito) of Fowlerville, Michigan.
Franny is survived by his wife (Diane Evelyn); daughter (Heather Joyce (Samantha Staffanell)); his mother (Joyce J. Lynch), of Woodbury, NJ; his aunt (Dawn Espiscito); his brothers, Charles, Robert, William (Doreen), Patrick (Jodi); and many nieces and nephews and great-nieces and great-nephews, in addition to many cousins- all of whom have never failed to lift his spirits and put a smile on his face.
A funeral mass will take place at Christ Church Episcopal, Norcross, Georgia on Saturday, August 27 at 11 a.m. with reception to follow. A memorial service and reception with New Jersey family and friends will be Saturday, September 17 a noon Red Bank Battlefield-Riverview Pavilion in National Park, New Jersey. The family is being assisted by Georgia Cremation, 3570 Buford Highway in Duluth.
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Outdoor education programs are relatively new to state
Outdoor education environmental programs are relative newcomers to the state’s education scene.
The Savannah–Chatham County Board of Education established Oatland Island Education Center in 1974. Located on a marsh island just east of Savannah, Oatland built large habitats for native wildlife and taught local students about coastal ecology.
About the same time, the University of Georgia’s Marine Extension Service on Skidaway Island began to provide marine ecology programs to students of all ages.
Environmental education moved inland when the state’s first nonprofit environmental education provider, the Chattahoochee Nature Center in Roswell, was founded in 1976.
In 1979 the Cooperative Extension Service started an environmental education program at its popular Rock Eagle 4-H center in Putnam County. Soon the other 4-H centers at Jekyll Island, Tybee Island, and Wahsega in Dahlonega followed suit.
At the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area, park rangers expanded their duties to include environmental education and interpretive programs for students and the general public. Teacher training in environmental education got a boost with the opening of “Geosphere,” the Chattahoochee River Environmental Education Center, a park facility located near Roswell.
Since 1967 Fernbank Science Center, an extension of the DeKalb County School System, has offered environmental education in metropolitan Atlanta. Other centers were created and other providers stepped forward in the 1980s and early 1990s. Elachee Nature Science Center hired its first program naturalist in 1986. The Outdoor Activity Center in Atlanta’s West End and the Dunwoody Nature Center soon followed.
- To view the Georgia Encyclopedia article online, go to https://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org
Clues abound in this tightly-cropped photograph
Clues, clues, clues along this walkway invite your attention. Lots of people, too. So figure out where this is, and send us your idea to elliott@brack.net, to include your hometown.
It’s good to have people outside the regular spotters recognizing the Mystery Photos. Stewart Ogilvie of Lawrenceville recognized the battery and lighthouse at Cape May State Park in New Jersey. The photo came from Bob Foreman of Grayson.
Others recognizing it included George Graf, Palmyra, Va.; Susan McBrayer, Sugar Hill; Lou Camerio of Lilburn; and Allan Peel of San Antonio, Tex. Peel tells us about the photo: “It is ˆ, a World War II bunker at Cape May Point on a beach that juts out into Delaware Bay. In the background is the Cape May Lighthouse.
Another shot of the lighthouse by Foreman.
“The massive concrete bunker was built in 1942 as a temporary military structure. With walls that measure seven feet thick, it was constructed on top of thick wooden pilings that are still holding strong today. Originally the bunker was more than 900 feet from the ocean, on high ground and it was originally covered in sod so as to blend in with the surroundings. Currently, the bunker is approximately 175-feet from the water, suggesting that the bunker has ‘moved’ about 9-feet per year (on average) over the last 80 years.
“Rising up in the mystery photo’s background is Cape May Lighthouse which was built (and first lit) in 1859. Visitors can climb the 199 steps of the original, cast-iron spiral stairwell for a staggering view of the Delaware Bay and Atlantic Ocean. It is 157 feet tall (165 feet above sea level). Its light, which is in operation today, flashes white every 15-seconds and has a range 28 miles (24-nautical miles).”
It’s the time of year for the hosta blooms to shine
Look around Gwinnett these days, and the hosta plants are abloom! It’s that time of year, when the long, spindly stalks open up their buds, flashing their white petals. Shown against the rich green leaves of the plant, it makes an appealing and beautiful sight. And if you want more blooms next year, plan to split your plants in two and watch them thrive.
Foster Parent Information Session will be Tuesday, August 30 at 6:30 p.m., at the Grayson Branch Library. Join the Georgia Division of Family and Children Services to learn how to become a foster parent in Gwinnett County.
The 21st British Car Fayre will be Saturday, Sept. 10, 2022 in downtown Historic Norcross, from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. Join as many as 15,000 who visit this annual event, showing British automobiles and motorcycles from the past. The featured vehicle this year is a 2022 Land Rover. There will be awards, raffle and boot sale, with all earnings going to the Amanda Riley Foundation. Visit https://www.atlantabritishcarfayre.com for more details.
Put on your calendar: The 43rd Annual Elisha Winn Fair will be Saturday and Sunday, October 1-2, at the Elisha Winn House, Gwinnett’s birthplace, at 908 Dacula Road in Dacula. Enjoy a living history exhibit, good food, craft vendors, music, blacksmithing, weaving, spinning and military enactors. The fair is sponsored by the Gwinnett Historical Society.
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