Today’s Focus
FOCUS: Editor gets discouraged at courthouse Day of Prayer event
By Tommy Purser, editor and publisher, Jeff Davis (Co.) Ledger | Several years ago, I made the decision to stop going to the Day of Prayer event held each year at the courthouse. I haven’t been in several years because I don’t feel welcome there.
What caused my feelings took three years to develop. At the very first Day of Prayer event, I went to take photos and participate in a time set aside to pray for our government, our leaders, our country, our schools, our county and city, etc. And, by the way, also for the media.
FOCUS: 4 finalists announced for $50,000 Hudgens art prize for Georgians
By Floyd Hall, Duluth, Ga. | Four Finalists have been named for the prestigious 2017 Hudgens Prize. With a cash award of $50,000 and an invitation for a solo exhibition for one artist, the Hudgens Prize is one of the largest art awards given in the entire nation, and is open only to Georgia residents.
The four finalists are: Sarah Hobbs who is from Columbus and works in Atlanta; Jiha Moon, who is from DaeGu, Korea and works in Atlanta; Lauri Stallings is a native of Gainesville, Fla., and now based in Atlanta; and Cosmo Whyte, who is based in Atlanta and Montego Bay, Jamaica.
FOCUS: Peach State FCU to award over $161,000 in scholarships, grants
By Heather Griffin, Lawrenceville, Ga. — Peach State Federal Credit Union is currently accepting applications for its 2017 scholarship program, which will award more than $161,000 in scholarships and educational grants. The program was established to honor the credit union’s founders, past and present board members and employees, as well as the lifetime achievements of several notable school system and community leaders.
FOCUS: Truth ministry has special partner in 72-pound golden retriever
By Scarlett Rigsby, Lawrenceville, Ga. | “Building relationships.” “No us and them.” “Meeting others where they are.” “It all counts”….these are statements frequently heard when the mission of Nothing but the Truth Ministry is explained.
I founded Nothing but the Truth as a charitable 501c3 in 2010 with the idea that it would seek to understand the needs of the community and then to mobilize ministry partners to meet those needs. What began as a small Bible study in a room of a local extended stay hotel has grown rapidly into a multi-faceted ministry. In 2013, the Nothing but the Truth’s Ministry Center opened its offices on Langley Drive near downtown Lawrenceville. It is centrally located near several low-income housing options.
FOCUS: The West needs to come together with Islam to destroy ISIS
By Alvin Leaphart, Jesup, Ga. | The moving forces in society are not lawyers. Lawyers simply work within the framework of society as it exists during a period in history, trying to make sense out of it, and maintain peace and harmony in society.
The moving forces, or the changers, are religious leaders, activists, and radicals in all groups. Religious leaders work to keep things as they are; activists seek change; and radicals use one or the other, or both, to destroy a society and create a new one in their own image.
FOCUS: Making a few points as she waits for the 2018 elections
By Sara Rawlins, Lawrenceville, Ga. | Please allow me to make a few points.
Point 1. Yes, Mr. Trump won the election with the help of the “White Man,” especially in the rural areas, but here’s a fact that needs to be pointed out: most of their jobs went overseas way before President Obama came into office and most jobs were out-sourced because of cost concerns. Here the fault lies with big business, which Mr. Trump is a part of.
FOCUS: Distinctive marble water garden to grace new Braselton hospital
By Sean Couch, Braselton, Ga. | Thanks to a signature gift to The Medical Center Foundation from Janice and Jack Frost, owners of Memorial Park Funeral Homes and Cemeteries in Gainesville, The Janice and Jack Frost Water Garden will be constructed next year by the public entrance to the Emergency Department at Northeast Georgia Medical Center (NGMC) Braselton.
Gwinnett Forum | Nov. 22, 2024
“We are born charming, fresh and spontaneous and must be civilized before we are fit to participate in society.”
– Etiquette Authority Judith Martin (1938 – ), also known as Miss Manners.
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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