GwinnettForum | Number 22.02 | Jan. 6, 2023
PCOM AT RESOURCE FAIR: Recently students and faculty members in the PCOM Georgia osteopathic medicine program conducted blood pressure checks and distributed gifts to more than 150 families at the Annual Resource Fair at Sara J. Gonzalez Park in Atlanta. The event was organized by Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens’ Office of International and Immigrant Affairs. According to Ryan Almodovar, the president of the Latino Medical Student Association, the attendees included immigrants and their children who have limited access to health care resources. Those undergoing the tests were given gift cards by Flo Byarms, director of the college’s Community Wellness Initiative. Enzo Ferrara demonstrated PCOM Georgia’s Simbulance, the college’s mobile medical unit, to the attendees, including the kids “who enjoyed hearing breath and lung sounds emanating from the medical simulation mannequins.”
TODAY’S FOCUS: Businesses need qualified and motivated labor force
EEB PERSPECTIVE: Carrying six loaded guns in Publix, person may not be convicted as felon
SPOTLIGHT: E.R. Snell Contractor, Inc.
FEEDBACK: Appreciates thoughts on grieving in recent Forum
UPCOMING: Suwanee community program, Art Ties, focuses on visual arts
NOTABLE: Beginning of the year is good time for a financial checkup
OBITUARIES: Deborah Mason
RECOMMENDED: Chicken Salad Chick restaurants
GEORGIA TIDBIT: Fiddler Clayton McMichen known as the North Georgia Wildcat
MYSTERY PHOTO: Formally-designed, elegant household is today’s Mystery
Businesses need qualified and motivated labor force
By Alan Schneiberg, Ph.D.
Schneiberg
SUGAR HILL, Ga. | Recently I had the opportunity to interview a CFO of a local business. He described one of the most vexing problems for operating an efficient business today was the lack of qualified and motivated labor. He complained that even though they paid a good wage, potential employees were unprepared and unmotivated for work. He pointed to the poor quality of our educational system as a major issue.
As a former educator, I realized in many ways how our schools fail to prepare our young adults for the world of work. Far too many students fail to learn the skills necessary for a modern work environment. Schools fail to teach the basic technology skills that are necessary for a successful career. More importantly, many graduates have a poor understanding of the hard work necessary to meet the demands of our modern business environment. Too many workers expect high wages without a willingness to work long and hard.
Thinking back at my fifty years teaching at every level of our educational system I have the following observations.
- Boys are at a disadvantage in school. Boys develop later than girls, yet the expectations for both are equal. So many boys have difficulty sitting still and concentrating. Squirmy boys are not unusual even in a high school classroom. Classroom management is often the primary effort of teachers and drains all the meaning of education for many teachers.
- Students are bored by school. Inattention is a basic problem in today’s classroom.
- Another fundamental problem is that in our grading system by definition only the best students achieve good grades and as a result are encouraged by success. However, that leaves half the students feeling frustrated and lacking confidence. Taking tests is pervasive in our schools and yet tests don’t measure the quality of our children. We do not account for the measure of our student’s mettle. All we measure is the amount of trivia that students can regurgitate.
Years ago I was part of a public school experiment In Beachwood, Ohio. At that time, CBS-TV had a prime time documentary and called our school the first 21st Century school. Our new middle school staff built a curriculum and structure designed to engage students. They were challenged by interdisciplinary projects requiring a variety of skills. Each project required using academic skills to produce something that proved their acquisition of skills. One example was a TV commercial. This required groups to plan their message, to organize their information in a meaningful two minute commercial and present it on the school network.
This school structure and curriculum was so successful that we didn’t have to take attendance because every student showed up every day. Administrators often had to send sick children home because they were so engaged that they couldn’t miss participating. Overall students learned as much or more from these projects than by sitting in classrooms. As a result most students were encouraged by their experiences and I believe many built positive self images and learned how to produce something of value. These are the skills necessary for our 21st century workforce.
I hope that this presentation offers an opportunity for a dialogue about a structural change of our schools.
With 6 guns in Publix, man may not be convicted as felon
By Elliott Brack
Editor and Publisher, GwinnettForum
JAN. 6, 2023 | Did you hear about the story published recently of a guy found to be carrying six loaded guns in a restroom at a Publix in downtown Atlanta? The story was in The New York Times on January 3.
This person had four handguns in his jacket pocket, plus a 12-gauge shotgun and AR-15 rifle in a guitar case. This happened in March of 2021.
Luckily, an Instacart delivery driver saw the person in the restroom, alerted store officials, and the store was evacuated without incident.
The ironic aspect in this potentially disastrous story was that, under Georgia law, it appears that no significant charge can be made against the person. That’s because Georgia and 47 other states have the so-called “Open Carry” legislation, allowing people to carry a loaded weapon in public. So drop this problem at the door of the Republican Party, and credit Gov. Brian Kemp for signing it into law. He could have used his power to veto it. (And remember in his first campaign, shown holding a rifle with his son?)
We can thank the Republican-controlled state legislature for the law allowing people to walk around openly with loaded weapons as long as they have a permit. It’s a law gone too far, since it gives people like the guy with the weapons at Publix a way to easily open fire at will with their weapons. The person was a 22-year-old homeless guy.
This incident caused some soul-and-law searching by public officials. It means that law enforcement officials have limited tools when dealing with heavily armed people in a public place. Think about it:
- Would you like to be sitting next to someone heavily armed at a Braves’ game?
- Are your children safe when playing in a park, with people walking around with an obvious “Open Carry” weapon?
- How many armed robberies, and even shootings, take place from people with “Open Carry” weapons?
At first, it looked like Georgia would come down hard on the guy with the weapons in the restroom. He was charged with 11 felonies. It was noted that while in the restroom, he had put on body armor. You just wonder what he was up to. At least, no deaths came from this incident.
Charges were released against him in February of this year, after the person was in jail for 10 months. However, a grand jury later indicted him on 10 counts of reckless conduct, a misdemeanor. He pleaded not guilty to these charges and remains in jail since his lawyer says he cannot afford bail.
Word from several people in the legal community is they feel that the person had technically broken no law. But even his own lawyer seems to have some doubt, saying he might be suffering from mental illness and was awaiting a formal diagnosis. He also added that his client had attempted suicide during his 10 months stay in jail.
So what do we have? It appears the State of Georgia has given to this young, homeless, possibly mentally-ill person, a permit to walk around in public “packing weapons,” fully-loaded. What would have caused this person to open fire in the Publix save another person alerting store officials to a possible problem?
The sad part is that the State of Georgia shares blame with the “Open Carry” law.
It’s up to you, Republicans, in and out of the Legislature, to solve this problem. Repeal “Open Carry” before someone like this person opens fire in a public place.
- 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. So 2023 marks its 100th anniversary, which the company will celebrate in several ways this year. The fourth and fifth generation of the Snell family continues to run the company. Specializing in roads and bridges, 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.
Appreciates thoughts on grieving in recent Forum
Editor, the Forum:
Thank you, Randy Brunson, for your testimony of faith in the recent GwinnettForum. Your words sound like a “prophet crying in the wilderness,” offering hope to a culture that longs for meaning and seeks to find it with things instead of living in the mystery of God.
– Barbara Dawson, Dahlonega
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.
Suwanee community program, Art Ties, focuses on visual arts
A new program dedicated to the arts is forming out of Suwanee. The Suwanee Arts Center and Suwanee’s branch of the Gwinnett County Public Library are working together to bring knowledge about the visual arts and art programming to the area with a new program called Art Ties. The goal for the collaboration is to provide art education for all ages, encouraging creativity and engagement in the visual arts.
The new Art Ties program is to begin in January, 2023 and to continue quarterly. The first programs will be held on January 17, 2023. The programs feature two Suwanee Arts Center Photographers: Traci Dickson, who will present “The Photographer’s Eye – The Wonder of Looking Closely,” for children ages 10-13; and Gary Bowlick, who will present “The Wonder of Photography: Light, Subject and Composition,” for adults interested in gaining knowledge about photography. Both one-hour programs will take place simultaneously at the Suwanee Library, at 4 p.m. on January 17.
Suwanee Arts Center Board Member, Rhonda Starling, along with Radha Ashok, Branch Manager of the Suwanee Public Library, are the co-creators of Art Ties.
Starling says: “As a member of the Suwanee Arts Center Board, I see the Suwanee Arts Center as a space dedicated to community engagement with several specific goals: to encourage local artists, to present workshops and other forms of education, to provide community outreach activities, and to be accessible to those that love art, and those that want to become more familiar with art. I have lived in Suwanee for more than 20 years, and feel the Suwanee Arts Center is a vibrant, vital part of the City of Suwanee.”
Located at 3930 Charleston Market Street in Suwanee, Suwanee Arts Center is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit art organization dedicated to promoting the appreciation of local art through exhibitions, festivals and art education. Suwanee Arts Center maintains an open membership policy where artists of all types and community members are welcome to be a part of the organization.
County OKs 2023 budget of $2.27 billion, another record
In its first major vote of the year, the Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners approved the 2023 budget of $2.27 billion, a new record.
It consists of a $1.78 billion operating budget and a $488 million capital improvements budget, which includes funds from the County’s Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax program.
Board of Commissioners Chairwoman Nicole Hendrickson said the budget addresses challenges facing the County, including hiring and retaining a qualified workforce, inflation and supply chain disruptions.
Initiatives in the budget include:
- Upgrades for county roads, water and sewer lines and parks;
- A language learning assistance program for employees;
- Enhancements to Gwinnett’s courts’ abilities to conduct virtual proceedings;
- New Environmental Sustainability Officer and Equity Officer positions; and
- New positions for Gwinnett’s Emergency Management team.
Historical Society to hear talk on Revolutionary-era dining
Watters
Kitty Watters of the Philadelphia Winn Chapter, National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution, will speak on the topic of Dining in Early America to the Gwinnett Historical Society on Monday, January 9. The program begins with members bringing snacks at 5:30 p.m. at the Society’s new meeting place, at Rhodes Jordan Park Community Center, 100 East Crogan Street, Lawrenceville. Kitty Worrell Watters is a native of Hinds County, Mississippi, the fifth generation to be raised on the family farm. Little did she know that she had roots in Georgia back to the 1700s.
Beginning of the year is good time for a financial checkup
Now that the year 2022 has ended, some families use the year end as a prime time to perform a financial checkup. Dr. Cathy McCrary is a certified public accountant with more than 20 years of experience in tax, accounting and finance. She is an assistant professor of accounting at Georgia Gwinnett College, recognizes that many people have been pulled in several directions during the holidays and may not know where to start. “With continued interest rate hikes, people are ultimately spending more,” she says. “That’s why it’s crucial to review where your money is going. A little time spent can result in big savings.”
McCrary suggested a few areas where people can see immediate results.
- Review recurring expenses and cancel any subscriptions or memberships you don’t use. Do you belong to a gym that you never visit? Are you paying for food, magazine or streaming subscriptions that you’re not using?
- Shop around for home and auto insurance coverage. Are you working from home instead of commuting? Can you afford a higher deductible which results in a lower premium?
- Be alert and on the defense for scammers. Do you know the warning signs of a scam? Have you taken cybersecurity awareness training? A number of online companies offer free training and tips.
While you’re reviewing your finances, McCrary feels it’s never too early to organize tax documents. The IRS provides a Tax Withholding Estimator tool, which calculates the amount of taxes you should have withheld during the year. This helps to avoid any surprise tax penalties due to underpayment.
Finally, McCrary suggests that a good place for money saved is an emergency fund. “There’s nothing that can have a negative impact on finances more than an unexpected emergency,” she said. “That’s why having an emergency fund or boosting an existing fund will go a long way in helping your financial health.”
McCrary says that even a few dollars consistently placed in an emergency fund will eventually build up. “Every little bit helps,” she says.
- Have a comment? Send to: elliott@brack.net
Deborah Mason
Deborah “Debbie” Mason, 71, wife of Peachtree Corners Mayor Mike Mason, died January 4, the city of Peachtree Corners has announced.
Mason
She previously served as a member of the board of directors of the United Peachtree Corners Civic Association, served as the campaign chair of the Peachtree Corners YES Campaign, and played a pivotal role in helping with the creation of the city. She was a trailblazer, community leader and advocate for the citizens of Peachtree Corners.
The family will receive visitors on Sunday, January 8, from 2 to 4 p.m. and from 6 to 8 p.m. at Crowell Brothers Funeral Home, 5051 Peachtree Industrial Boulevard, Peachtree Corners. The funeral will be held Monday, January 9, at 11 a.m. in the chapel with Pastor Lori Osborn officiating, with a reception to follow the services.
Chicken Salad Chick restaurants
From Chuck Paul, Norcross: I visited the Perimeter Mall area recently and checked out the new Chicken Salad Chick off Ashford Dunwoody Road just north of the mall area. There are at least 15 in the Metro Atlanta area.
Highs:
-
- Clean and bright interior;
- Menus displayed in the area for you to peruse before ordering;
- I ordered the Original with a side of Chicken Poblano soup;
- Matthew was the order-taker and you could tell he was a Chicken Salad Chick cheerleader;
- Organized drink station and rest rooms;
- My order was delivered in under 10 minutes; and
- I requested my sandwich to be toasted on wheat toast and it was perfectly done.
Lows:
-
- Tipping used to be for full-service restaurants; now it’s suggested at every restaurant.
- Total tab of $14.86 included a fountain drink and gratuity.
Would I go back? Yes for the food quality and teamwork shown while I was there.
- 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
Fiddler McMichen known as the North Georgia Wildcat
Clayton McMichen became one of the most successful and respected fiddlers to gain experience and exposure at the Georgia Old-Time Fiddlers’ Conventions, held in Atlanta from 1913 to 1935.
McMichen was born on January 26, 1900, at Allatoona, in Cobb County. With a father who played fiddle and a grandfather who played banjo, he showed an interest in music at an early age. By the time he was eleven years old, he was playing the fiddle and eagerly learning the ancient tunes that had been handed down in his family. His first documented appearance at the Atlanta fiddlers’ conventions was in 1922, when he won second place for his rendition of “Arkansas Traveler.”
On September 18, 1922, a mere six months after Atlanta’s first radio station, WSB, went on the air, McMichen and a group of his musician friends, calling themselves the Home Town Boys, made their broadcast debut. They soon became one of the most frequently appearing acts on the station, and their programs, featuring a mixture of fiddle tunes, popular jazz numbers, and familiar ballads, provided entertainment for WSB listeners over the next four years.
In 1923, at a fiddlers’ contest in Macon, McMichen won first place with his fiddling ability, and a newspaper reporter covering the event dubbed him “The North Georgia Wildcat.” The epithet stuck, and McMichen’s future fiddle bands became known as the Georgia Wildcats. Between 1926 and 1930 McMichen recorded with Gid Tanner’s famous Skillet Lickers, an influential Atlanta-based old-time string band. Modern critics have given McMichen much of the credit for the success of the Skillet Lickers, citing his jazzy but polished fiddling. McMichen himself criticized some of his fellow Skillet Lickers band members for being “about thirty years” behind the times in their musical styles and repertoire.
On January 13, 1931, McMichen made what was apparently his last appearance on Atlanta radio with a broadcast over WSB. He subsequently worked on various radio stations in Pittsburgh, Penn., in the Midwest, and in Nashville, Tenn, where he was a member of the Grand Ole Opry. McMichen settled in Louisville, Ky., where, for many years before his retirement in 1955, he was heard regularly on local radio and television stations. During the last ten years of his professional career McMichen led his band in Dixieland jazz arrangements that met with enthusiasm among his audiences.
McMichen was rediscovered during the 1960s folk music revival, and for several years he made appearances on college campuses and at bluegrass and folk festivals around the country. Although known primarily for his performances on stage, radio, and records, McMichen was a songwriter of considerable talent. Some of his compositions that gained wide acceptance among country musicians were “My Carolina Home,” “Dear Old Dixie Land,” “Peach Pickin’ Time in Georgia,” and “Georgiana Moon.” He died in Battletown, Ky., on January 3, 1970.
- To view the Georgia Encyclopedia article online, go to https://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org
Formally-designed, elegant household is today’s Mystery
Here’s an elegant residence, somewhat symmetrical in landscape design. Tell us more about this home, and include your name and hometown when you send to ellott@brack.net.
Recognizing the previous Mystery was Susan McBrayer, Sugar Hill, who wrote: “This is Gythio, Greece, on the eastern shore of the Mani Peninsula. It is now part of the municipality of East Mani in the Peloponnese Region. It has a permanent population of under 7,000 people and it’s about a three-hour drive from Athens. According to legend, Paris of Troy and Helen of Sparta spent their first night together here before departing for Troy and igniting the Trojan War.” The photo came from Susan LeMaster of Atlanta.
Others sending in the right answer were George Graf, Palmyra, Va.; Lou Camerio, Lilburn; and Allan Peel of San Antonio, Tex., who wrote: “Today’s mystery photo is of Gytheio (aka Gythio or Gythion), a town on the eastern shore of the Mani Peninsula in Greece. Today it is a beautiful port town that certainly lives up to its name, which when translated from Greece, means ‘Land of the Gods.’ Myth has it that Gytheio was founded by Apollo (the sun god) and Hercules (the god of strength). Today, Gytheio is the main port for ferry and cruise ship landings at the Mani Peninsula.”
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