Today’s Focus
FOCUS: Grieving father ponders problems of addiction to drugs
By Derby Waters, Jesup, Ga. | On August 7 a young woman lay down to sleep and never woke up. She was a mother of two children, beautiful, highly-educated person, and my daughter.
She was also a drug addict. A great part of my heart is empty.
What I can feel of it is sorrow so profound there are no words to describe it. Almost 600,000 people in the United States will die this year, just as my daughter did. Death from drug use is among the top killers in this nation. More than 1,600 will die every day this year. That’s 1,600 more grieving families, 1,600 funerals every day, 365 days each year.
FOCUS: Friends of the disabled help with distribution of medical equipment
By Lisbeth Dison, Stone Mountain | Friends of Disabled Adults and Children (FODAC) is a non-profit organization providing over $10 million annually in durable medical equipment (DME) and supplies to people with injuries and disabilities. It recently announced that Healthcare Quality Association on Accreditation (HQAA) has fully accredited the organization as a durable medical equipment, prosthetics, orthotics and supplies (DMEPOS) provider. DMEPOS accreditation is required when working as a vendor with Medicare/Medicaid and many insurance carriers and their clients. The organization is headquartered in Stone Mountain at 4900 Lewis Road.
FOCUS: Georgia nature photographers meet monthly in Lawrenceville
By John Criminger | The Georgia Nature Photographers Association (GNPA) is dedicated to helping nature photographers of all skill levels improve their photography, learn and grow, meet other outdoor photographers, participate in great trips and events, help others understand the value of the natural world, and give focus to a special area of interest in photography.
FOCUS: Founder looks back on 34 years of Duluth Fall Festival
By Kathryn Willis | The year 2016 marks the 34th anniversary of the Duluth Fall Festival. It’s coming September 24-25 this year.
Let’s look back over those years. The first festival was in October of 1983, in the rain, and it produced only $300 in proceeds. However, despite this inauspicious beginning, the decision was made to make it an annual event, and have all future proceeds go to improving Downtown Duluth.
FOCUS: Site ranks Gwinnett Technical College top community college in state
By Paige Havens | Gwinnett Technical College is the highest ranked community college in Georgia, and ranks in the top five percent nationally, says WalletHub, a national personal finance website. WalletHub’s ranking released this week speaks volumes about the value and return on investment students get from a degree from Gwinnett Tech.
FOCUS: Small Town, Big World Festival coming to Lilburn on Sept. 10
By Nikki Perry, | Celebrate music, food, and traditions from around the world at Small Town, Big World: Lilburn International Festival on September 10 in Lilburn City Park. This free event features cultural performances, food vendors, a parade of flags, international games and crafts, and free bounce house play for the kids.
FOCUS: Sugar Hill names plaza for Realtor Dawn P. Gober
By Varessa Butts | The newly-created plaza at the Sugar Hill City Hall has been named for Dawn P. Gober, a Sugar Hill resident and long-standing advocate for the city. Mayor Steve Edwards and Council of the City of Sugar Hill have recognized her for her infectious energy and dedication to public service. Her work has helped define the Sugar Hill of today and set the stage for the welcoming and iconic destination city of tomorrow.
FOCUS: 30th annual JapanFest coming to Duluth September 17-18
By Mike Lendon | Buckle your seatbelts and get ready to explore Japan like never before. This year’s JapanFest on September 17-18, breaks through with the theme “Cooler Japan.” This year’s focus is an electric combination of cool tech-advanced modern Japan with a traditional twist.
JapanFest Weekend will be from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. (Saturday) and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. (Sunday) at the Infinite Energy Center, located at 6400 Sugarloaf Parkway, Duluth.
FOCUS: New health center, The Bridge, opens Sept. 13 on Jimmy Carter Blvd.
By Jerene Curse | A new charitable health center is to open east of Interstate 85 on September 13. This new center, Bridge Atlanta Medical Center, will focus on providing not only primary health care, but specialty care, for such chronic conditions as hypertension, heart failure, asthma, COPD and diabetes.
Bridge Atlanta Medical Center provides healthcare for uninsured and underserved individuals and families in a Christian faith-based environment. It is located at 4864 Jimmy Carter Boulevard, in Norcross, (just past Rockbridge Road, one block from Walmart.)
Gwinnett Forum | Aug. 23, 2024
“Never tell anyone that you’re writing a book, going on a diet, exercising, taking a course, or quitting smoking. They’ll encourage you to death.”
– Comic Artist Lynn Johnston (“For Better or Worse”) (1947 – ).
Recent deaths
DULUTH FALL FESTIVAL
The family-friendly event, Duluth Fall Festival, will take place on September 28-29. This is the 41st year, and the Festival has consistently been voted one of the top festivals in the entire area, including “Best Large Festival in the Southeast’” by national publications.
There will be more than 300 arts, crafts and food booths, a huge parade, entertainment at two venues, a 5K road race, and much more. If you would like more information, are interested in volunteering, etc., go to the Festival website:
Continuing objectives
Gwinnett Forum publisher Elliott Brack suggests that Gwinnett County needs a long-range list of continuing objectives for improving the county. His list:
- Move statewide non-partisan judge and school board elections to the General Election.
- Adoption of the 2023 Transit Plan for Gwinnett.
- More creative efforts to support the arts in Gwinnett.
- Advancement and expansion of city historical societies.
- Require establishments that serve alcoholic beverages to halt sales of such products at 1 a.m., and close by 2 a.m.
- Require the Georgia Legislature to meet only once every two years.
- 21st century salary for the Gwinnett County Commission members.
- Remove chewing gum on sidewalks at entrances of post offices and other governmental buildings.
- Eliminate single-use plastic packaging and straws in Gwinnett and require instead the use of paper products.
- Condos instead of apartments for Gwinnett.
Interested in Gwinnett history?
Now re-printed in its third edition, Gwinnett: A Little Above Atlanta, the award-winning history of Gwinnett County, is once again available for purchase. It sold out of its first two printings. The book won the 2010 Award of Excellence in Documenting Georgia History from the Georgia Historical Records Advisory Board. The book is available at Old Town Antiques at 93 Main Street in Lilburn.
- The history of Gwinnett is also available as an e-book from Amazon or Barnes and Noble for $9.95.
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