GETTING D.C. VIEW: Brookwood High’s Abbas Rangwala is shown with Seventh District Congressman Rob Woodall while Rangwala was on the Washington Youth Tour, sponsored by Walton Electric Membership Corporation. The youth says: “I could go on for hours about how much the tour has helped me.” Tour stops include the White House, Capitol, Smithsonian, National Mall, National Holocaust Museum and various memorials. Social activities included a cruise on the Potomac River and dining at restaurants like the Hard Rock Café.
IN THIS EDITION
SURVEY: Share your priorities in new GwinnettForum reader survey
TODAY’S FOCUS: To the Home Invader: Don’t Come Back to My House Uninvited
EEB PERSPECTIVE: MARTA Referendum May Be Most Important Ever in Gwinnett
ANOTHER VIEW: Corners Outreach Program Now Encompasses Much, Much More
SPOTLIGHT: Georgia Campus – Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine
UPCOMING: Dr. Mary Beth Walker Is Interim President of Georgia Gwinnett College
NOTABLE: Gwinnett WateReuse Project is a Winner….and Better and Cheaper
RECOMMENDED: Film: A Dog’s Way Home (2019)
GEORGIA TIDBIT: Georgia Native Honored for Work Remembering World War I Soldiers
MYSTERY PHOTO: Handsome Church Anchors City You Might Not Associate with Photo
CALENDAR: “Bring one for the chipper” tree program continues through January 26 at Bethesda Park
READER SURVEYShare your priorities in new GwinnettForum reader survey
As we start the new year in Gwinnett, we’d like to give our readers a chance to sound off about your priorities at the local and county level in a new GwinnettForum reader survey.
We encourage you to participate in this 10-question survey to share your thoughts on the community challenges and priorities. The survey provides an opportunity for you to rank major issues and to provide us with information that we can share with you and our elected officials.
The deadline to complete the survey is January 19. We’ll provide results in a coming issue. Your answers will be anonymous unless you provide your contact information to us, as outlined in the survey. Thank you.—eeb
TODAY’S FOCUSTo the home invader: Don’t come back to my house uninvited
(Editor’s note: The person writing this is using a nom-de-plume, since she wants to remain anonymous after going through the terrors of a house invasion which occurred outside of Gwinnett County. Perhaps her story will cause readers to consider if their own home is secure. –eeb).
By Liz Collins
JAN. 15, 2019 | We had a house invader early last Tuesday morning.
Our rescue dog (who was downstairs), started barking wildly around 1 a.m. (I had been asleep since 11 p.m.; my husband had just come up the stairs and was in the bathroom). Our dog doesn’t bark inside except when USPS or UPS deliver. I went to find out what was going on, me in flannel pajamas and no glasses, to check on the dog.
Immediately I found a man in one of the bedrooms at the top of the stairs, yelled at him, charged him and banged him into the door. He grabbed me bear-hug style and tried to drag me into the other bedroom at the top of the stairs. I don’t know if I was channeling Kathy Bates from Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe’ (her attack call: TOWANDA) or if I was channeling Hobbes (of Calvin and Hobbes) and did a Hobbes version of a ‘stealth attack’….anyway.
I went “Towanda/Hobbes” on the guy and lifted my arms over my head, pow-wee style (having a heavy dog seems to keep upper arm strength). Grabbing his hoodie, I threw him down the stairs, ran down after him, slammed his head into a door jamb, wrenched open the front door (which he’d busted open, then apparently closed while he was inside), and threw him out. The whole thing took maybe a minute.
My husband, from the bathroom, called the cops.
Whew! It all happened so fast!
Four cop cars and one K-9 unit showed up. ). The cops asked for a description. The guy was about 5’ 7″, and about 130/140 lbs. A kid in his 20s, I’m guessing.
About a half hour later, one of the policemen came back and asked if I could maybe identify a person that they had apprehended nearby. The ride was short: two streets. The police told me that the person they had apprehended couldn’t see me through the back windows (I had a retaliation fear). I told him: “Yes, dark blue hoodie, yes, dark jeans, but he’s got a Lincoln beard and he looks too old and he’s thick in the middle, I don’t think I could have thrown him down the stairs.”
Returning home, my next door neighbor was awake when I sent out an alert email; he came over about 4 a.m. and rebuilt the door jamb with a heavy security brass plate, so that was a worry off our shoulders.
And days later, I’m still trying to get the adrenaline out of my system. Very much PTSD.
In hindsight, I know attacking the guy was risky; he could have had a knife, gun, etc.; it was just pure instinct propelling me to get the guy out of my house. I’m sure he didn’t think a mid-50 year old woman would attack him, so the element of surprise worked in my favor. And I’m worried we’ll see an escalation of crime with the government shutdown, as people will be missing paychecks, food allotments, etc.
The upshot: get your security systems, heavy locks, motion-sensor lights and stay safe.
- Have a comment? Send to: elliott@brack.net
MARTA referendum may be most important ever in Gwinnett
By Elliott Brack
Editor and publisher, GwinnettForum
JAN. 15, 2019 | The March 19, 2019 referendum concerning Gwinnett County becoming a partner the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit System (MARTA) may be the most important election that Gwinnett has ever had.
It will show if Gwinnett County is ready to adapt the modern conveniences of the future, or is stuck in the mud in antiquated transportation systems.
It may be our last chance to providing better options for our citizens regarding transit.
Yes, we are being hyperbolic in the assertion of how important the vote will be. But we think the vote is seriously important to Gwinnett’s future.
Just to make sure you understand, let’s go over the older forms of transportation. First there was walking, something that most of us barely recognize in going any distance any more. Then there were animal conveyances, horses and buggies and wagons. Then came the motorcar, and later the ‘big brothers’, buses and trains. And even for greater distances the airplane.
Rapid transit service has been in Metro Atlanta since 1979. Gwinnett turned up its nose to join the system when it was first proposed in 1971. Given another opportunity in 1990, Gwinnett again rejected the heavy rail system.
The thinking in saying ‘No” to MARTA in two previous votes was that Gwinnett would contribute its penny in sales tax, but would get little out of it.
In the 28 years since Gwinnett has last voted on MARTA, there has been a tremendous change in the make-up of the county. In 1991, there were 362,800 people living in Gwinnett. The estimated populated in 2018 in Gwinnett is 950,807—a difference of 588,007 people—a 140 percent growth! And we’ll venture that many of those 588,007 new residents of Gwinnett have come from areas where there is viable public transit. These people wonder: “Why isn’t there better public transportation in Gwinnett?’
Our guess is that these newcomers will go to the polls and vote “Yes!” on Gwinnett joining the MARTA team and work for rapid transit in our county.
There’s a new element in the 2019 vote on public transit: how the Gwinnett penny going to MARTA is to be spent.
County Commission Chairman Charlotte Nash points out that the contract that both Gwinnett County and the MARTA Board have approved has a critical difference between this vote and any earlier votes in Gwinnett regarding participating in the MARTA system. She says: “Our contract is so different that we term our relationship with MARTA as ‘structured membership’ to distinguish it from what our relationship would have been under earlier votes.
“We worked very closely with the authors of HB 930 and state legislative leadership in crafting the language and ensuring it was part of the adopted legislation. Gwinnett’s pivotal role in the future of regional transit for the Atlanta area served as an impetus to include this language.”
The “Gwinnett language” grants authority to Gwinnett County over funds, expenditures, debt and projects, as well as standards of service. It envisions that Gwinnett County will be a full partner with MARTA in planning and implementing transit improvements.
Nash notes: “It will have the final say on delivery of transit to Gwinnett. It also provides three seats on the MARTA Board to Gwinnett.”
The wording on the ballot, specified by state legislation, will read:
Gwinnett County has executed a contract for the provision of transit services, dated as of August 2, 2018.
Shall this contract be approved?
YES __________ NO ____
There you have it. It’s an important vote. Your job is to tell others in Gwinnett how important this vote is, and work for its passage.
- The entire 11-page contract with MARTA and Gwinnett can be accessed here.
- Have a comment? Send to: elliott@brack.net
Corners Outreach program now encompasses much, much more
By Larry Campbell
Executive Director, Corners Outreach
PEACHTREE CORNERS, Ga. | Carlos is a dual language elementary student who started coming to Corners Outreach because he was behind in reading. He was dedicated to showing up every day, was a joy to be around and a very hard worker. This past year, we honored Carlos at our first annual Celebration of Student Excellence. Through all of his hard work and dedication, Carlos improved by six reading levels in one year! And now he is on track to have the tools he needs to graduate high school.
Campbell
Corners Outreach began in 2012 as a tutoring program but has grown to be much more. Corners Outreach targets low-income communities, finding these by partnering with Title 1 schools and asking the principals which students have the most need. We then set up Corners Academy locations in walking distance of their neighborhoods. In 2018, we tutored more than 600 elementary students, many of which are dual language learners.
We know that 61 percent of Dual Language Learners in Gwinnett County and 71 percent of Dual language Learners in DeKalb County drop out of high school and never graduate, according to The Georgia Department of Education’s 2016 review. By developing programs to tutor and mentor these students, Corners makes a significant impact on the well-being of children in need while also planting better educated individuals into their communities. High school dropouts have tremendous repercussions for students and communities. Dropouts are 60 times more likely to serve a prison term. Student drop out has been shown to predict health, mortality, teen childbearing, marital outcomes and crime. And there is the cost. Every dropout cost tax payers $292,000 over the course of their lifetime.
In 2017, Corners Outreach launched Corners Industries to combat poverty by hiring parents into better paying jobs and created its own Lawn Care business. Corners Industries has three goals in mind: to raise earnings levels for families, to create opportunities to teach the value of education to parents and positively affect life choices, and to donate 15% of all revenue to Corners Academy.
By 2020, Corners Outreach will partner with 10 schools, helping 1,000 students, adding 300 high school graduates, and saving taxpayers $87M. Corners Industries will employ 25 parents, creating $700,000 in revenue for the community, and raising $105,000 for tutoring students. It is not just numbers! Lives are changing, cycles are being broken and the future will be impacted for generations to come.
In 2019, Corners Outreach is opening a community center with Meadowcreek Elementary, which will serve over 500 students. We need volunteers, snacks and lawn clients. We will also offer early learning for pre-K children, teen programs and parent workshops.
- For more information, visit us at cornersoutreach.org.
With your help, we can change lives and create a thriving community.
- Have a comment? Send to: elliott@brack.net
Georgia Campus – Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine
The public spiritedness of our sponsors allows us to bring GwinnettForum.com to you at no cost to readers. Professional healthcare programs leading to doctoral degrees in Pharmacy (PharmD), Physical Therapy (PT), and Osteopathic Medicine (DO) are offered at Georgia Campus – Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (GA-PCOM) in Suwanee Ga. A graduate degree at the master’s level can be earned in Biomedical Sciences and Physician Assistant Studies. GA–PCOM is a private, not-for-profit branch campus of the fully accredited Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, a multi-program institution founded in 1899 with a tradition of educational excellence.
- To learn more about how GA-PCOM is educating tomorrow’s healthcare professionals, visit pcom.eduor call 678-225-7500. For an appointment at the Georgia Osteopathic Care Center, an osteopathic specialty clinic, call 678-225-7485.
- For a list of other sponsors of this forum, click here.
Send us your thoughts
We encourage you to send us your letters and thoughts on issues raised in GwinnettForum. Please limit comments to 300 words. We reserve the right to edit for clarity and length. Send feedback and letters to: elliott@brack.net
UPCOMINGWalker is interim president of Georgia Gwinnett College
Interim president of Georgia Gwinnett College is to be Dr. Mary Beth Walker, who is the associate provost for strategic initiatives and Innovation at Georgia State University. She began this assignment on January 12.
Walker
Georgia Gwinnett College (GGC) President Stanley C. “Stas” Preczewski, who previously announced his retirement last year, departed the GGC post effective January 11. He has accepted a new role leading Riverside Military Academy. Preczewski has served as president of GGC since 2014.
Chancellor Steve Wrigle says: “On behalf of the Board of Regents and the entire University System of Georgia, I want to thank Stas for his leadership and dedication to the students of GGC. He’s overseen the growth of Georgia’s youngest state institution to an enrollment of more than 12,500 and helped ensure GGC’s integral role in the community. I wish him success in his future plans.”
A search is already underway to select the next president.
Under Georgia State’s ambitious strategic plan, Dr. Walker helped to create exciting new initiatives for the university, such as a pipeline program that helps talented diverse undergraduates prepare for graduate and professional school. She is also assisting with the expansion of Georgia State’s Entrepreneurship and Innovation Institute, part of the university’s efforts to encourage student entrepreneurship across student majors.
She previously served as dean of the GSU’s Andrew Young School of Policy Studies. A professor of economics, Walker’s scholarship includes applied econometrics and statistics, spanning education economics, public finance and health economics. Her recent research focuses on the evaluation of education policy. She holds a Ph.D. and a master’s degree in economics from Rice University in Houston, and a bachelor’s degree in economics and mathematics from Rhodes College in Memphis, Tenn.
InfoSense Group specializes in protecting information technology data
InfoSense Group, LLC (ISG) is a new woman-owned Norcross-based start-up that specializes in Project Management of information technology projects (InfoSec/Cybersecurity) such as Data Loss Prevention, Cybersecurity Assessments, Securing the Human (Employee Cybersecurity Awareness Training). Contact person is Arlene Beckles at abeckles@infosensegrp.com.
Heading InfoSense Group is Certified Project Management Professional Arlene Beckles. She seeks to work with small business owners to bring awareness to cybersecurity and its many facets. “No matter the size of your business hackers who want to access your information and will take advantage of any vulnerable access point,” she says. A single unprotected or improperly secured device (laptop, desktop, network, or mobile device) is all they need to gain access to your castle.
A comprehensive approach to security is crucial for keeping hackers at bay. Unfortunately, when it comes to cybersecurity, many smaller organizations have a relatively haphazard approach. InfoSense Group consults with small business owners to provide security assessments and offers simple affordable solutions based on the outcome of the assessment. Each business is unique, and the solutions should be reflective of that uniqueness.
ISG collaborates with several partners that offer cybersecurity solutions from in-person employee cybersecurity awareness training, online information security training, vulnerability management and disaster recovery solutions, to name a few. In addition, the corporate responsibility arm of ISG plans to give back to the community via The CyberDuo, in the form of short cybersecurity videos and monthly articles geared to cybersecurity topics.
- InfoSense Group, LLC site can be found at www.infosensegrp.com
Gwinnett WateReuse project is a winner…and better and cheaper
From left are Dr. Kati Bell (Brown and Caldwell); Jen Hooper (CDM Smith; Denise Funk (Gwinnett County Department of Water Resources); and Paul Jones ([resident of WateReuse Board of Directors). Bell and Hooper were co-principal investigators on the project.
Earlier this year, the same project won the Excellence in Environmental Engineering and Science Grand Prize for research from the American Academy of Environmental Engineers and Scientists.
The research project evaluated the feasibility and economics of using ozone/biological filtration treatment to produce drinking water directly from reclaimed water, compared to more expensive reverse-osmosis processes.
The project involved two different demonstrations operated simultaneously for nine months. While both demonstrations replicated the current full-scale drinking water treatment process, one pilot treated lake water only, while the other pilot treated blends of lake water with advanced treated reclaimed water from the F. Wayne Hill Water Resources Center.
The pilot study demonstrated that drinking water standards could be achieved with a blend of the F. Wayne Hill Water Resources Center’s advanced treated reclaimed water combined with water from Lake Lanier.
Denise Funk, division director for Research and Development at Gwinnett County, says: “The results show there are alternative treatment technologies that can be less expensive and more efficient than other standardized practices. This work allows other water utilities to evaluate water supply options that may not have been feasible before. It also opens the door for further research and applications that could optimize efficiency in our own county.”
The project was completed in collaboration with the Water Research Foundation which recently released the final report titled, “Ozone Biofiltration Direct Potable Reuse Testing at Gwinnett County (Reuse 15-11).”
Gwinnett Tech names 3 staff members as new vice presidents
Gwinnett Technical College announces the promotions three members of its staff to vice president. They are LaShanta’ Cox, Melvin Everson and Chuck McKinnon.
President Dr. D. Glen Cannon states: “With our recent retirements it is always great to be able to promote exceptional talent from within. I am pleased to announce the addition of these seasoned professionals to our leadership team. Their backgrounds, industry experience and institutional knowledge will continue to lead the College in growing and serving our community and business partners.”
Cox
LaShanta’ Cox, vice president for Human Resources, previously served as the executive director of Human Resources for the College.. Cox is responsible for the planning and implementation in acquiring and developing talent, training and development of faculty and staff, optimizing human resources operations and providing guidance and support to faculty and staff that includes adherence to best practices for employee relations. She is a native of Columbus, Ga., and raised in Bellevue, Neb. She has a Bachelor of Arts in Human Resources from Southern Illinois University and a Master’s Degree in Organizational Leadership from
Everson
Walden University.
Melvin Everson, vice president, Economic Development, previously served as the college’s director of Business and Industry Training. Everson leads the College’s economic programming with a myriad of workforce development programs focused on training and education to grow businesses. In addition to economic development, he oversees continuing education, career services and the College’s Center for Career Experience, Launch Pointe. Prior to joining the College, he served as the executive director of the Governor’s Office of Workforce Development and executive director of the Georgia Commission of Equal Opportunity. Everson also served as a Georgia State Representative for House District 106, on the Snellville City Council and in the United States Army. Everson is originally from Abbeville, Ga., and currently resides in Grayson. Everson holds a Bachelors of Arts from Albany State University in Criminology.
McKinnon
Chuck McKinnon, vice president, Communications, previously served as the executive director of Communications for the College. McKinnon leads the Institutional Advancement division, which includes the Gwinnett Tech Foundation and communications. McKinnon is responsible for the planning, development and implementation of Gwinnett Tech’s marketing and branding strategies, communications, and public relations activities. He is from Pittsburgh, Pa., and currently resides in Lawrenceville. McKinnon holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Management from Carlow University.
RECOMMENDEDFilm: A Dog’s Way Home (2019)
From Cindy Evans, Duluth | My husband and I recently enjoyed this new, sweet film just out in theaters. It is a heartwarming story of a dog, Bella, and her owner, Lucas, played well by Jonah Hauer-King. After getting separated, Bella has to attempt to make a long journey home back to her master. There are many touching moments before the trek, including the dog’s helping at a center for veterans. The acting was great, including Ashley Judd as Lucas’s mom. Also, the soundtrack was a definite enhancement. Don’t forget to take from the concession stand a few napkins for those tearjerker moments. It’s PG, and lasts 1:36 hours.
- An invitation: what books, restaurants, movies or web sites have you enjoyed recently? Send us your recent selection, along with a short paragraph (100 words) as to why you liked this, plus what you plan to visit or read next. Send to: elliott@brack.net
Georgia educator honored for remembering World War I soldiers
Moina Belle Michael, a longtime Georgia educator, was best known for her work as a World War I (1917-18) remembrance advocate. Inspired by the poem “In Flanders Field,” Michael first proposed that red silk or paper flowers be worn in memory of fallen soldiers. As a result of her campaign, memorial poppies became an enduring symbol of military sacrifice throughout the world, and Michael came to be known as the “Poppy Lady.”
Michael
Moina Belle Michael was born in Good Hope, in Walton County, on August 15, 1869. The Michaels had deep Georgia roots, settling in Oglethorpe County in 1791 and later moving to Walton County. Her father, who had fought for the Confederacy during the Battle of Chickamauga, owned a cotton plantation. He encouraged Moina, the second of seven children, to read widely and provided her a sound education. For seven years she walked to school at nearby Braswell Academy across the Morgan County line, and she later attended the Martin Institute in Jefferson.
Michael began her teaching career at the age of 15 in Good Hope, where two of her sisters and a brother were among her pupils. For two decades she taught in and administered various town and county schools, in Liberty and Greene counties, Atlanta, Social Circle, and Madison. In 1909 she rose to the rank of lady principal at Bessie Tift College in Forsyth, where she served until 1912, when she enrolled in courses at Columbia University in New York City.
By late 1913 Michael was a house director at the State Normal School, a teaching college in Athens that maintained close ties to the University of Georgia (UGA). In August 1914 she visited Europe on a university-led educational tour and was in Germany when the conflict began later that month. She then served as volunteer “secretary” to an ad hoc committee evacuating stranded tourists, who sailed to New York aboard the Carpathia, which had rescued Titanic survivors in 1912.
Disturbed by graphic news reports of battlefield carnage, Michael successfully applied to become a YMCA war worker in 1918. Working without pay on leave from the normal school, she helped to coordinate the transportation of fallen soldiers from New York City to their hometowns.
In her autobiography, Michael described her inspiration to make the symbolic Flanders poppy a “messenger of remembrance.” Just before Armistice, November 11, 1918, alone in her office at Columbia, she thumbed through a new issue of The Ladies Home Journal. Opening to a page “most strikingly illustrated in color” with red poppies, Michael found the poem, “We Shall Not Sleep,” by Canadian soldier-surgeon John McRae. Later renamed “In Flanders Fields” in reference to battlegrounds in northwest France and in Belgium, the poem concluded with a verse that resonated with Michael:
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.
(To be continued)
- To view the Georgia Encyclopedia online, go to http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org
Handsome church anchors city you might not associate with photo
Today’s Mystery Photo is a handsome church, in a place you might not associate necessarily with a church. Figure it out and send your answer to elliottt@brack.net, and include your hometown.
The last Mystery Photo proved to be fairly easy for several of our readers. The photo was of Curacao in the Lesser Antilles, a Neatherlands island near Aruba off the coast of Venezuela. It was shot from a ship by Roving Photographer Frank Sharp of Lawrenceville.
Jo Shrader of Suwanee first identified the waterfront at Willemstad, Curacao. Then came several others: Jim Savadelis, Duluth; George Graf of Palmyra, Va.; Allison Nobles of Lawrenceville; Susan McBrayer of Sugar Hill; and Philomena Robertson of Oakwood.
Frank Kellert, Norcross, added: “I think it is Curacao. where former Atlanta Braves player Andruw Jones and Andrelton Simmons are from.” Lynn Naylor of Atlanta contributed: “The Caribbean is chock full of pastel-colored oases, but one of our favorites is Curacao. Locals say that in the early 19th century, the Dutch Governor-General Albert Kikkert suffered from migraine headaches made worse by the reflection of the bright Caribbean sun on white buildings. He issued a decree to paint all the structures any color but white, and since then an array of pastel colors trimmed with white adorn the island buildings.”
Allen Peel, San Antonio, Tex. tells us: “Curaçao is one of the three Dutch islands in the Southern Caribbean that make up the ABC Islands. They are called the ABC Islands after the names of each island — Aruba, Bonaire and Curaçao — that share a colonial history with gorgeous beaches, warm hospitality, an exciting culinary scene and a desirable location outside of the hurricane path. As much as they have in common; these islands are very different from each other. Aruba is known for its glittering casinos and bustling night life; Bonaire for its spectacular diving and snorkeling; and Curaçao for its rich colonial history and laid-back vibe. Willemstad is the capital city of Curaçao with an estimated population of 150,000. The city center, with its unique architecture and harbor entry, has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is home to the Mikve Israel-Emanuel Synagogue, the oldest surviving synagogue in the Americas.:
George Graf also adds: “I knew this one from the very first glance. A famous and colorful Dutch colonial harbor town. Curacao has been under the rule of many nations over the course of its history, and as a result, many languages are spoken. For some Curacaoans, knowing four languages is just a way of life. The languages spoken on the island are Papiamentu, Dutch, Spanish, and English. Few people know about Curacao, and even fewer know about Klein Curacao. Klein Curacao means ‘little Curacao/” It’s a small island about a two-hour boat trip from Curacao. No one lives on Klein Curacao, and all that can be found on the island is an abandoned and dilapidated light house, a ship wreck, and lots of sea life. Yet another reason why Curacao is distinctly unique, the island gets very little rain and grows very few crops. The reason Curacao liqueur came about is because the Spanish wanted to grow oranges and instead, they got strange, small, and tart little fruits instead. The peel of those weird orange failures was discovered to be perfect for making a liqueur than has since been called Curacao!”
CALENDAR
Tips about Social Security: Whether you are about to retire or start a new chapter, Social Security provides financial benefits, information, and tools to help secure today and tomorrow for you and your family. This will be presented on Saturday, January 12 at 11 a.m. at the Suwanee Branch of the Gwinnett Public Library, and then presented again on January 18 at 10:30 a.m. at the Collins Hill Branch in Lawrenceville. It is to be presented by Gwinnett Library, in partnership with the Social Security Administration. The program is free and open to the public.
Tannery Row Art Gallery Reception, Saturday, January 12 from noon until 4 p.m. at the Artist Colony in Buford, 554 West Main Street. Join us in congratulating the 2018 Tannery Row Artists who received awards for their work in the 2018 Juried Art Exhibits at the Tannery. They include Debra Barnhart, Donna Biggee, Christine Canova, Adrienne Forshner Kinsey, Judy Isaak, Donna Jassmann, Bree Sauers and Judith Surowiec.
Author Visit: Brad Taylor is the New York Times bestselling author of over 12 novels. Hear him on Sunday, January 13 at 3 p.m. at the Peachtree Corners Branch, 5570 Spalding Drive, Peachtree Corners, GA 30092. His latest, Daughter of War, is another heart-pounding thriller starring Taskforce operators Pike Logan and Jennifer Cahill. This event is free and open to the public. Books will be available for purchase and signing.
Get your birding year off to a good start by attending the Southern Wings Bird Club meeting on Monday, January 14 at 7 p.m. at the Gwinnett Justice and Administration Center. Speaker will be Peter Gordon, educational director of the Elachee Nature Science Center in Gainesville. He will tell of a birding journey through the seasons and discuss the birds people in the area can expect to see throughout the year. Peter will also talk about the Elachee Nature Science Center and the exciting things that are going on there.
Promotional meetings: The Town of Braselton business owners, managers and staff from all over Braselton (four counties, four zip codes, and four state highways) are invited to four quarterly network meetings and discuss ideas or suggestions they have for promoting business in Braselton. Each meeting is held in a different part of town. All are welcome to attend! Snacks and refreshments will be served. Mark your calendar and come join us. The next meeting will be on Georgia Highway 211 at 6:30 p.m. on January 15 at Primrose School of Braselton,2711 Old Winder Highway.
Water Conservation Program: Gwinnett County Water Resources has developed “Homeowner H2O” to educate residents about water conservation. This presentation focuses on leak detection and repair, do-it-yourself water audits, Gwinnett County’s toilet rebate program, and increasing water-saving behaviors inside and outside the home. This free education seminar takes place on Tuesday, January 15 at 1 p.m. at Gwinnett County Public Library’s Collins Hill Branch, 455 Camp Perrin Road, Lawrenceville,. Register by emailing events@gwinnettpl.org or call 770-978
Discovery High park site public meeting: will be Thursday, January 17 at 7 p.m. at Discovery High School. A site is being acquired to function as a community park for all ages. Residents are invited to attend and share thoughts on this future project. For more information, contact 770-822-8840.
NORTH ATLANTA Metro Area Realtors (NAMAR) is holding its annual EXPO on January 17, 2019, at the Infinite Energy Center, from 11 a.m. until 3 p.m. Nearly 150 exhibitor booths will be in attendance.
Free Nature Photography Workshop at the Gwinnett Public Library’s Five Forks branch, 2780 Five Forks Trickum Road in Lawrenceville, on January 26, at 2 p.m. Join the Georgia Nature Photographers Association for this informal talk and Q&A nature photography workshop. They will provide information about cameras, editing software, and tips for getting better photographs with the equipment you already have.
M.L. King Day of Service will be January 21 from 9 a.m. until noon. Start the year off right by giving back to your community. Join us for National Day of Service to help empower and strengthen local communities. Families, service organizations, and Scout groups welcome. Register at www.volunteergwinnett.net or call 678-277-0900 for more information.
CHIPPING CHRISTMAS TREES: Bring One for the Chipper will be held on Saturday, Jan. 26 at Bethesda Park in Lawrenceville. The mulch resulting from the chipped trees will be used in Gwinnett County parks and trails and on county school grounds. Cut Christmas trees will be accepted at Gwinnett County Fire Stations locations between December 26, 2018 and January 20, 2019. Before dropping trees off, trees must be free of lights, tinsel, decorations and tree stands in order to be tree-cycled.
State of the County Annual Report will be February 20 at 11:30 a.m. at the Infinite Energy Center. Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners Chairman Charlotte Nash will review 2018 achievements and present the vision for 2019 and beyond.
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