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 SERVICE AWARD. Ron's Auto Sales of Lawrenceville recently won recognition from the National Independent Automobile Dealer's Association for service to the community. Manheim's Nick Peluso, left, presented a $5,000 check for charity to Ron and Debbie Rigdon. For more, see Notable below. |
Issue 12.24 | Tuesday, June 26, 2012 TODAY'S FOCUS ELLIOTT
BRACK'S PERSPECTIVE FEEDBACK UPCOMING NOTABLE ALSO INSIDE IN
THE SPOTLIGHT RECOMMENDED GEORGIA
TIDBIT LAGNIAPPE GWINNETT
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TODAY'S
FOCUS
NORCROSS,
Ga., June 26, 2012 – Lifelong Gwinnett County resident Herb Green
died on May 18, 2012. He was 90 years of age.
This man
was a lion of a political activist with the Democratic Party of Georgia.
He was a member of the Gwinnett County Democratic Party Committee for
over 50 years, and was a delegate to five Democratic National Conventions.
Herb believed
in the “working people.” After serving in the U. S. Army Air
Corps during World War II, he began his own career on the assembly line
at the General Motors plant in Doraville, and subsequently became active
in the United Auto Workers. Eventually, Herb became a full-time union
representative, and was instrumental in securing the endorsement of organized
labor for Jimmy Carter when Mr. Carter sought the presidency in 1976.
Herb retired from the UAW in 1976 after 37 years, and continued thereafter
to serve on the Board of Review for the Georgia Department of Labor until
last year. The consummate
family man, Herb was married to Autince (“Tince”) Green, his
wife of 63 years. They had a son, Terry, and daughter, Cathy, five grandchildren
and three great-grandchildren. He was an active member of Winters Chapel
United Methodist Church near Norcross for 77 years. He was
a beloved leader of his church, who had a prominent role in virtually
everything that occurred there. Herb Green was a man who cared deeply
about his family, his church, and his community. Herb as a “doer”
when things needed to be done; he was known typically as the one organizing
the activity and taking a lead “hands on” role in getting it
done. The activity could be a church event, a political rally, or building
a ball field at the local park in Norcross. Herb could
also be the one to “light a fire” under the rest of us to get
an activity completed. When I was the local Democratic Party chairman,
if nobody stepped forward to take on a task, Herb would just start doing
it himself, which of course compelled the rest of us to get to work on
it! When it
came to the area of Norcross, Herb Green was something of a local historian,
knowing so many of the people who came and went over the decades. Raised
in the Norcross area, as a child Herb attended the one room school house
in the Mechanicsville neighborhood off Buford Highway. Norcross and Gwinnett
County were rural farming areas when Herb came of age, and he could document
in detail the development of the area to its present day. Growing
up in the Depression, Herb knew what poverty was. He persevered through
the hardest of times because of his relentless work ethic, hope and faith
in God, and an absolute refusal to accept defeat. Herb will
be missed by many. He was a friend upon whom one could always depend.
The void he leaves is wide and lasting to those of us who knew him. The
lessons we learned from his example are unforgettable. Herbert Cleveland Green, 1921, 2012: may he rest in peace. ELLIOTT
BRACK JUNE 26, 2012 – Gwinnett’s four Community Improvement Districts scored well when Gov. Nathan Deal distributed funds from the State Road and Tollway Authority’s Georgia Transportation Infrastructure Bank (GTIB) last week. The four Gwinnett CIDs got $3 million of the $8 million awarded.
How did Gwinnett score so well? The short answer we got from talking to CID officials is that Gwinnett had projects already outlined which squared well with what the GTIB wants to do. Just having within Gwinnett four communities which are already organized for improving their areas, particularly with funds dealing with roads, put Gwinnett a leg ahead of some other CIDs, whose projects were either not funded or funded to a lesser degree. As Gov. Nathan Deal said: “The GTIB program is a way for communities who are serious about investing in their infrastructure to apply for the help they need to complete or move their projects forward.” He added: “These projects are the kinds of investments that not only sustain communities, but they also strengthen communities by providing more job opportunities.” Both the Gwinnett Place and Gwinnett Village CIDs obtained $1 million for work on each of their Diverging Diamond Interchanges (DDI) along Interstate 85. While the projects will cost, the award of $1 million will pay about 20 percent of both projects. Work will begin this summer on the Gwinnett Place DDI, and be completed in about a year. The project has already been awarded to E.R. Snell Contractor of Snellville, the same firm that did the first DDI to be completed, the one at Ashford Dunwoody Road and Interstate 285. URS Corp. of Perimeter Center did the design on the Gwinnett Place DDI. Eric Fry of Grayson was the project engineer. By the way, work will halt on the Gwinnett Place DDI from mid-November until later in January to accommodate traffic during the heavier Gwinnett Place Christmas season shopping. Work on the Jimmy Carter Bridge DDI should be bid in the next few weeks, with dirt moving by September, and finished by spring of 2013. The big surprise in the GTIB announcement was the $800,000 that the Lilburn CID garnered. The award is for relocation of 1,200 feet of Main Street, from U.S. Highway 29 a short distance south to Church Street. That will include two round-abouts, curb, gutter and drainage improvements. All this is to pave the way for traffic when the City of Lilburn moves its City Hall and new library to the Church Street location. Cost of the total project will be $1.6 million. For the Evermore CID, the project will be a realignment of Old U.S. Highway 78 on the north side of US 78 directly across existing Walton Court. It’s part of a larger project of a parallel road to U.S. 78. The GTIB grant was for $200,000. Evermore also was awarded $500,000 for a two-lane parallel road to U.S. Highway 78 for one mile, from Hewatt to Britt Roads. Other GTIB grants went to the following CIDs: Perimeter, $1 million; Atlanta Downtown, $200,000; Buckhead, 750,000; Cumberland, $1 million; Midtown, $200,000; Stone Mountain, $500,000; and North Fulton, $1 million. The funding by the state recognizes the good work that these CIDs are already doing, and helps speed projects along. It’s good to see positive news coming to us these days. ABOUT
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FEEDBACK Editor, the Forum:
Also property values have significantly dropped, hence property tax has declined. Why not raise gasoline taxes and make those who use the roads pay for the roads? I know that is not a politically correct idea in an election year but I believe (did not research) Georgia taxes on gasoline are some of the lowest in the region.
Editor, the Forum: I thought you presented a well thought-out approach to your column on why to vote against T-SPLOST, until your comment about "fat cats.” You're drinking the Obama Kool-Aid and trying to divide our great country by making successful people synonymous with the dark side. Surely you can do better than that!!
Taxes are the price we pay for being part of a civilized society Editor,
the Forum:
Finds continual waste in ways governments spend our monies Editor, the Forum: How much is too much? How long will it take before we fill out a tax form that has two lines: “How much did you make?” The other part: “Send it in.” We have tremendous waste, fraud and abuse in the "administration" of our taxes. Do we always have to say, "We can't stop waste, fraud and abuse so we have to have new money so we can do good by the taxpayers?" I had an uncle who had a contract with the city where he lived to perform a service for which his company was being paid $100,000 a year. A new administration came in, gave the contract to "connected" people in their world and, for the same service, paid the "connected" people $1,000,000. That’s one example of waste, fraud and abuse in the US of A. Where else is it happening?
Remembering Duluth Ballet’s Peter Garick, who inspired many Editor, the Forum: Peter Garick,
artistic director of the Duluth School of Ballet, passed away on Friday,
June 8, just five days after the school’s 22nd annual spring performance
at the Performing Arts Center. He had a heart attack and died in his sleep.
A memorial to Peter will be held at the Sugarloaf Performing Arts Center
at 1 p.m. on Saturday, June 30. Former and current students will pay tribute
to him through dance. Peter,
in fact, was blind in one eye, yet that handicap did not stop him from
pursuing a dance career, which included years spent with the Royal Winnipeg
Ballet. A true artist, he produced original ballets for the students’
annual performances in which he always performed a cameo role. Peter would
gruffly emphasize that he did not hold “recitals,” so
we should not refer to them as such. Nevertheless, as beautiful and entertaining
as his ballets were, the productions were not the reason students and
parents chose the Duluth School of Ballet for their dance studio. Most
of all, they loved the experience of being part of a dance family in which
the best interests of the child always came first.
UPCOMING Aurora Theatre returns for the sixth year for Lawrenceville’s Prelude to the 4th Concert with the musical adaptation of Big River: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Winner of eight Tony Awards, Big River will begin at 7:30 p.m. on July 3 on the grounds of the Historic Gwinnett Courthouse in downtown Lawrenceville.
Bring the
whole family for a picnic dinner and a show. The lawn seating begins at
5:30 p.m. for the 7:30 p.m. performance. Reserve a table for the best
view and a chance to order exclusive catering packages from local restaurants. Admission is free. Lawn seating begins at 5:30 p.m. Reserved Table for six in prime location is $125, which includes table rental with six chairs and linens. Reserve by calling 678-226-2639. Method of picking jurors being radically changed as of July 1 A major overhaul of Georgia’s jury system, which will expand the local jury pool to include every citizen who legally is eligible, goes into effect July 1. According to Philip Boudewyns, court administrator for Gwinnett County, every resident who is at least 18 years old and is a citizen of the county who votes or has a driver’s license or state issued identification card will be eligible for jury duty under the new law. Previously, Georgia was the only state remaining that required “forced balancing” of jury pools. This means that jury pools were created by local jury commissions in the state’s 159 counties for the purpose of ensuring the pools were not skewed according to gender or race. The new system is designed to eliminate any opportunity for discrimination on any grounds and is a result of changes in state law and Georgia Supreme Court rules adopted after concerns that the current system is unconstitutional Under the new system, which is based on inclusion rather than exclusion, the list of prospective jurors will be compiled using the entire state driver’s license file in addition to the entire state voter registry. This list will be certified as inclusive by the Council of Superior Court Clerks and distributed to each of the 159 jury commissions in Georgia. Local jury clerks will then draw names from that certified pool in a totally random manner, thus assuring a representative sample of available jurors. The methodology currently used for selecting grand jurors also will change. “Essentially, we will have only one jury pool consisting of persons who may be summoned for service as jurors for jury trials and grand jury,” Boudewyns said. “This is a radical change since, for over 200 years, only the names of persons deemed by jury commissioners to be the ‘most intelligent, most experienced and most upright citizens’ of the county were placed in the grand jury pool. How this translates for local citizens is that they are subject to be summoned for service as either a grand or trial juror.” By law a juror may be permanently excused for any statutorily required reason that includes non-residency and permanent medical or mental infirmities attested to by a medical doctor or psychologist. Persons who are convicted felons and who have not had their civil rights restored automatically are disqualified from jury service. Summer reading plan to reward $5,000 scholarship to Georgian This year, one Georgia lucky Summer Reading Program participant will win more than $5,000 to apply toward their future education. They will also help their public library in the bargain, as the Path2College 529 Plan once again partners with Georgia libraries to offer the "Think Big! Save for College!" Sweepstakes. The sweepstakes, administered Georgia's official 529 plan, will also award $1,529 each to the winner's home library, to the Georgia library with the greatest number of sweepstakes entries and to the Georgia library system with the greatest percentage of registered users entering the sweepstakes. Last year, Gwinnett County Public Library won two of the three prizes from the contest, and was awarded a total of $3,058 towards their children’s and teen materials and youth programming. This year’s sweepstakes is now underway and runs through July 31. The Path2College 529 Plan will conduct a random drawing among all sweepstakes entries for the $5,529 Path2College 529 Plan account winner in early August. The three $1,529 awards will be used for the winners' children's and teen's materials and programming. Legal residents of the state of Georgia who are at least 21 years of age and are a parent, grandparent or legal guardian of any child born in 1996 or after may enter the sweepstakes online at www.path2college529.com. NOTABLE A Lawrenceville auto dealer has been recognized at the National Independent Automobile Dealer’s Association convention for its service to the community. Ron’s Auto Sales was named the winner of the Association’s second annual “Dealer’s Edge” National Community Service Award. Ron and Debbie Ridgon were presented with the award recently in Las Vegas, Nev. The dealership was presented a $5,000 check to be donated to KidStuff USA, Ron’s charity of choice, which will use the funds in its work with special needs children. Nick Peluso,
senior vice president of customer management at Manheim, told those assembled: “Independent auto dealers are an integral part of local communities, from providing valuable jobs to supporting area schools, civic organizations and philanthropic efforts. Ron’s Auto Sales’ Circle Heart Racing, a charitable organization created to bring ‘Miles of Smiles’ to children in need, is one of many examples that earned Ron and his team this year’s Dealer’s Edge National Community Service Award The Ridgons launched Circle Heart Racing in 2008 as a non-profit with the mission of supporting other charities that benefit children. These include such causes as A Friend’s House, Rainbow Village, Piedmont CASA and Haven House. Ron Ridgon is also a board member for the national group Speedway Children’s Charities, which has teamed up with the National Auto Sport Association – Southeast Division to create the annual Santa’s Toy Run. Four other dealers whose charitable efforts earned them the spotlight during the NIADA National Leadership Awards Banquet as they were touted as finalists. These were:
Primerica wins 2012 award from volunteer administrators
Pat Baker, director of Gwinnett County Health and Human Services Division, says: “We would like to congratulate Primerica for being such a valued partner in the community. The corporation has been instrumental in assisting Friends with delivering meals to our seniors for over 32 years without interruption.” Primerica Senior Vice President Pam Tokarz, a former Friends’ president and current board member, accepted the award during the awards dinner hosted by Trees Atlanta. RECOMMENDED
GEORGIA
ENCYCLOPEDIA (From previous edition) At the
time of statehood in 1776, Georgia's revolutionary government operated
from Savannah,
though no document or election formally designated Savannah as the capital
city. As the largest city of the new state, and by virtue of the tradition
of the past three decades, Savannah remained the seat of government. Georgia's
first state constitution—that of 1777—directed that the state
legislature meet in Savannah, although it also allowed the assembly to
meet at other places as it should decide.
After the capture of Savannah, British and Tory sympathizers attempted to reinstitute royal government in the city. In January 1779 an attempt was made to convene the revolutionary legislature in Augusta, but representatives from only three counties were present, and thus no quorum could be assembled. A temporary governing executive council was named, but it had to flee later that month as the British arrived in Augusta. The council later returned when the British abandoned the city in February. Finally, in January 1780, a new assembly was convened in Augusta and a resolution was passed designating Heard's Fort—a site to the northeast in Wilkes County—as the meeting place for the legislature in case of attack. Soon the British recaptured Augusta, and Georgia's government convened at Heard's Fort in May 1780. This fortification, named after Stephen Heard, president of the executive council, was located eight miles from the present-day city of Washington. Heard's Fort disappeared after the American Revolution, and no trace remains of the village that served as a temporary seat of Georgia government during the war. Little is known about the location of Georgia's state government over the next year. Likely, it kept on the move in Wilkes County and may even have moved into South Carolina. By April 1781, a new offensive was under way by Continental forces against the British, and Augusta was soon recaptured. An effort was again made to reassemble a state government for Georgia in Augusta, and in August a newly elected legislature was convened. This body elected a new governor and other state officials and proceeded to enact a variety of laws. Augusta served as the capital from August 17, 1781, until May 4, 1782. By this time, the tide of war had changed in favor of the American forces, and by July 1782, the British had evacuated Savannah. As Georgia state officials prepared to return to Savannah, one other city served temporarily as the unofficial seat of government until the British evacuated. New Ebenezer, a small Salzburger settlement on the Savannah River 25 miles upstream from Savannah, served as the meeting site for Georgia's House of Assembly on July 3 and 4, 1782. On July 4, the legislature also convened here but adjourned to meet in Savannah. New Ebenezer, once the center of Georgia's hoped-for silk industry, would later fade from existence, as did Frederica and Heard's Fort. (To be continued)
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TODAY'S QUOTE "Disappointments are to the soul what a thunderstorm is to the air."
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IN THE COMING WEEK Cultural Food Camp for ages 8 to 12: 10 a.m. to noon, June 25 to June 29, Centerville Community Center, 3025 Bethany Church Road, Snellville, Cost is $12 per person. To pre-register, call 770-985-4713. Children with learning disabilities are welcome. (NEW) Transportation Forum: 7 p.m., June 28, Lawrenceville City Hall. Details about the upcoming Regional Transportation Referendum (T-SPLOST) will be provided. The session will inform all attendees of the specifics surrounding the referendum and open the floor for neutrally based questions that serve to educate on the issues. SOON AND ONGOING Beyond Rosie, Women in World War II: Through July 31. This traveling museum is now on display at the Norcross Welcome and History Center. On June 27 at 6 p.m., join curators Julia Brock and Richard Harker for an evening to discuss how the roles that women played in World War II reflect a greater complexity than implied by Rosie the Riveter. The museum is located at 169 Lawrenceville Street. Recycling and Cookout: 11:30 a.m. until 2 p.m., July 2, LAN Systems, 3079 Crossings Park, Norcross. Bring computers, monitors, cell phones and electronic appliances ($10 charge for large TV sets) for recycling. Get a free "green" insulated shopping tote. Enjoy food and recycling together! Proceeds benefit Norcross Cluster School Partnership. (NEW) Girl Scout Camp, for grades 2 to 5: 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., July 2 to July 5, Norcross Human Service Center, 5030 Georgia Belle Court, Norcross. Cost is $30 weekly. For more info, call 770- 638-5661. (NEW) Lilburn’s Fourth of July celebration: starting at 4 p.m., July 4, downtown city park. The second annual celebration will include music and a decorated bike contest for kids,. Sponsored by the Woman’s Club. Info: www.cityoflilburn.com. MORE EEB PERSPECTIVE
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I
do agree with you on several points you make against the T-SPLOST being
voted for next month. But letting your liberalism bleed into this does
not help support your cause. The "fat cats" (liberal propaganda)
will just pass on taxes to the renters so making property owners pay more
than their fair share does not hold water. 
Known
for mentoring and inspiring girls from age three through high school,
he committed his life to sharing his love of ballet and teaching young
people that they could overcome just about any adversity—whether
they had any intention of growing up to be dancers. 
Following
the concert is a brief fireworks display, accompanied by the Aurora Theatre
orchestra playing the patriotic anthem Stars and Stripes Forever in a
tribute on the eve of our country’s Independence Day.
The
Atlanta Council of Volunteer Administrators (COVA) selected Primerica
Inc. of Duluth as the 2012 Corporation of the Year for its extraordinary
support of worthy causes and sustained volunteer outreach commitment to
the community. The selection was announced at the COVA awards celebration.
Gwinnett County Friends of Senior Services (Friends) nominated the company
to receive this award. 
“Well,
yes, there’s an Oyster Bar on the back porch of this two-story house
facing the square in Dahlonega. But that’s not what we went for;
instead, we went for the seafood. The menu is sound, but not overdone:
12 appetizers, three soups, six salads. But the entrees: 12 different
seafood items, plus a special of this night: filet mignon. We enjoyed
fried shrimp, others had fried oysters, and another the shrimp and grits.
Apparently from what we saw and heard, it doesn’t matter what you
pick; it’s all good. Desserts, alcoholic beverages and good hospitality
abound. It’s enjoyable, inside or on the back porch.”--eeb
