By Elliott Brack
Editor and Publisher, GwinnettForum
NOV. 14, 2023 | Work is on schedule in Duluth at Davenport Road and Buford Highway for its eventual opening of a new crossing across the Norfolk Southern Railroad tracks.
City Engineer Margie Pozin reports: “We are waiting for the railroad to finish their work. They just installed new signals at the Brock Road crossing, and once all the electrical work is done, they will install the new signals at Davenport (at the grade crossing).
“When that is complete, the Norfolk-Southern road crews will construct the new at grade crossing surfaces. At that point, the city’s contractor can finish paving the approach. So, we are probably on-target. We should be done sometime in the first quarter of 2024.”
She adds: “We’re keeping our fingers crossed.”
Sleeping idea: When you have trouble going to sleep, or wake up at 2 a.m. and can’t get back to sleep, what’s your solution? Years ago when Zell Miller started the Georgia Lottery, we began development of ideas on how we would spend all our winnings. So far, we haven’t been able to put that idea into practice, though we have revised how we will be spending that money several times when sleep is difficult.
Our whole concept is to start a non-profit, and give away money to good causes. But that reminds me of what philanthropist Scott Hudgens said years ago: “Giving away money is more difficult than making it.” That oughta keep us busy, for we suspect we could find plenty of people wanting charitable dollars.
But our first “mad” purchase after we win the lottery: never to fly commercial aircraft again. We’ll go private jet.
How do novelists and book authors do it? Take the routine author E.R. Doctorow adopted: “Here’s how it goes: I’m up at the stroke of 10 or 10:30. I have breakfast and read the papers, and then it’s lunchtime. Then maybe a little nap after lunch and out to the gym, and before I know it, it’s time to have a drink.”
It was on December 9 in 1793 that Noah Webster established New York City’s first daily newspaper. He called it The American Minerva and added a subtitle to the masthead, which read “Patroness of Peace, Commerce, and the Liberal Arts.” The paper was produced on Wall Street, near the birthplace of the New York Stock Exchange.
The American Minerva ran for 744 issues, from 1793 until 1796. Webster changed the name to The Commercial Advertiser in 1797. He sold the paper in 1803 and moved to New Haven, Conn., where he began work on his first dictionary. He published A Compendious Dictionary of the English Language in 1806, and then labored for two decades to produce his fully comprehensive dictionary (1828). Published in two volumes, it included scientific and technical terms, and words that were unique to American English, like squash, prairie, and skunk. As for The American Minerva, the paper continued under a series of titles, eventually becoming The New York Sun, which ceased publication in 1950.
How ‘bout them Dawgs? Saturday’s complete dominance of the Georgia Bulldogs over Ole Miss was beautiful to watch. After the Bulldogs were down 14-7, they dominated, driving again and again down the field, to a massive 52-17 victory. And while the offense sparkled, the defense played its best game, smothering Ole Miss with dispatch.
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