GwinnettForum | Number 26.04 | Jan. 16, 2026
HOW WILL IT LOOK: The buyer of an older home on Barton Street in Norcross plans to tear down the older house and build a newer one. Approval of the city is required. To show the neighborhood what will be built, a concept of the planned house is shown on an easel.
TODAY’S FOCUS: Opposed to more Norcross density, must “Slow down!”
EEB PERSPECTIVE: Being assigned to temporary duty while in the Army
SPOTLIGHT: Peachtree Campus
ANOTHER VIEW: Will elite Democrats learn from past mistakes?
FEEDBACK: Horrible Aurora parking during Christkindl Market
UPCOMING: New event, Porchfest, coming to Norcross in May
NOTABLE: New director on board at Mosaic Georgia
RECOMMENDED: The Beast in Me by Rotter and Campos
GEORGIA TIDBIT: Benjamin Taliaferro, soldier and activist in early politics
MYSTERY PHOTO: Grand old building is today’s mystery
CALENDAR: Gwinnett Symphony plans free MLK Day concert
Opposed to more Norcross density, must “Slow down!”
By Jeff Allen
NORCROSS, Ga. | Yes, I read Jeff Hopper’s article. I like Jeff and know he wants density done responsibly. My argument is that the density we added 30 years ago did bring traffic, but the main projects he references were single-family developments, Col. Jones Park and Georgetown Park.
He also points to a single-family project in Peachtree Corners (The Foundry), but I think he has the name wrong or I cannot find it. I did a quick Zillow search of that area and found 1,700 apartment vacancies and over 100 townhomes for sale under $500k. Begs the question: why are we adding more apartments exactly? What if I’m half wrong and at any given time there are 50 townhomes and 850 apartments available? Should we build more apartments? How many?
We weren’t talking about hundreds of apartments back then. Those projects Jeff mentions created stakeholders invested in the community who’ve been active in shaping downtown. Those properties have increased in value. You’ll be hard pressed to find apartments that do.
It’s an obvious fact that renters are less involved in their communities. I know this because I was a renter, as most people were at some point. I wasn’t involved in local matters then; I knew I wouldn’t stay long term. Statistics show I was in the majority mindset. Habitat for Humanity did a study proving this true. When you invite an influx of renters, you degrade the fabric of community. Jeff breezes over this point, but it’s much more important than he believes.
Therefore, you know where I stand: I’m not against all apartments, but we’ve built 1,900 apartments serving Norcross in five years. I’m against building more now. The 2020 census shows owners are already in the minority in Norcross, and that was before we built 1,900 apartments and very few single-family homes. These are undeniable facts. Yet council takes the stance that neighbors have been misinformed, so they don’t need to consider these opinions. This is misguided.
The council says “we never said we’re building apartments,” which is gaslighting. Current zoning laws refer to the Comprehensive Plan, which prohibits the kind of high-density multi-family they envision. So they have to change the Comp Plan. And they’re trying.
To say they’re not voting on apartments is disingenuous. They reinforce this by saying “the word apartments doesn’t appear in our Comp Plan.” Also gaslighting. When you combine “high density” with “multi-family residential,” there’s only one logical outcome: apartments. In Norcross; no other product fits that description. There have been submitted plans from developers confirming they want apartments.
Had council passed the Comp Plan this month, it would have removed all constraints on the Magnolia project at Holcomb Bridge Road and Buford Highway. The project would have ballooned from 48 approved apartments to 180 by right.
How can they say they weren’t voting on apartments? If they didn’t know this, they’re voting in ignorance and showing incompetence. If they did know, they were gaslighting us. Councilmember Matt Myers claims he would have introduced the moratorium on multi-family housing even if the Comp Plan had passed. I have no confirmation other council members were aware. I also know he had no guarantee the motion would pass – so this offers little consolation.
We’ve got to slow down.
- Have a comment? Click here to send an email.
Being assigned to Army temporary duty in Europe
By Elliott Brack
Editor and Publisher, GwinnettForum
JAN. 16, 2026 | The military often assigns “temporary duty” to troops. They move someone from their regular job, leaving the second-in-command in charge. Temporary duty can be short-term, though some assignments can be longer in time.
The orders came to me from USAREUR in Heidelberg, Germany, via the Northern Area Command, to report to the Frankfurt rail station (bahnhof) on a certain date. I took a train from my station about an hour north of Frankfurt, and soon found the master sergeant, who was waiting for me.
After introduction, he had a clip board with an official paper on it. “Sign here,” he said.
“What am I signing for?” I asked. “The train,” he replied.
This German train was taking about 300 American soldiers from Frankfurt to Bremerhaven, to be boarded on a ship to take the men back to America. It was a military operation, a troop train, which was routine work for this master sergeant of the Transportation Corps. But as always, an officer (me a first lieutenant) was required to be the train commander.
There was one distinctive element about this military operation. The soldiers on the train had been court-marshaled for various military offenses, and all were being sent back to America to be dishonorably discharged from the Army. Members of the Military Police were on board to guard these prisoners. There was also a mess hall to feed those on the train two meals.
While the normal train travel time from Frankfurt to Bremerhaven was about six hours, this train was not a priority. We left about nightfall and were to arrive in Bremerhaven in mid-morning.
Meanwhile, the sergeant assured me that this was a routine duty for him, and he would keep me informed, but take care of everything. “Just enjoy the trip and the book you have brought along, “ he said. Later on that trip, at supper and breakfast, he brought a tray of food to the compartment. In general, I had a good night’s sleep as the “train commander.”
Shortly after awakening the next morning, the Master Sergeant knocked on the compartment.
“Sir, there has been a problem.” “What is it?”
“During the night when we passed through a long tunnel, the prisoners had become rowdy. Somehow, they got the idea to throw their mess trays out the window.”
“How many?” I asked.
“About all of them.”
Knowing nothing of such antics, I asked: “What do we do?”
The sergeant answered: “Nothing right now. What will happen is that the Northern Army Command in Frankfurt will start an investigation, which the Army calls a Report of Survey. Both you and I and the MPs will give sworn testimony about what we know of it. It’ll take several months to complete, from what I know of previous Reports of Survey.”
Later that morning, we pulled into Bremerhaven, alongside the military ship, and off-loaded the prisoners onto the ship. The sergeant had me sign some more papers, and provided me with a train ticket to return to my home station. He remained in Bremerhaven to take another train of soldiers, this time not prisoners, to their new duty stations.
About six months later came another letter from the Northern Area Command. Luckily, the results of the investigation relieved me from having to pay for those mess trays.
It was an unusual temporary assignment. Not every soldier gets to command a military train.
- Have a comment? Click here to send an email.
Peachtree Campus
The public spiritedness of our sponsors allows us to bring GwinnettForum.com to you at no cost to readers. Today we welcome a new underwriting sponsor. Peachtree Campus is North Atlanta’s campus for education, production, and events. Located in historic Norcross, with abundant parking and easy access to Peachtree Boulevard, Peachtree Campus should be on the short list when looking for a workspace with creative vision. It’s the home of Brenau University’s North Atlanta Campus and to Boswell Edward Academy, a Georgia Pre-K School and Daycare. The Veranda on Reps Miller provides flexible space for small events and larger community events. It hosts the annual Neighborhood Christmas Train Experience. Now available is 3159 Campus Drive, which has 27 classrooms and a large multi-purpose space, which can be the perfect location for a growing school, event facility, film/video production studio, or faith community. Learn leasing opportunities by contacting Jonathan Galucki, email jg@optimaproperties.net or texting 678-612-3385.
- For a list of other sponsors of this forum, click here.
Will elite Democrats learn from past mistakes?
By Jack Bernard, contributing columnist
PEACHTREE CITY, Ga. | Do the Democrats have a chance in 2026 and 2028?
After Democratic victories in the two Georgia Public Service Commission (PSC) elections, could put them in a good position for the next election.
Nationally, Democrats are feeling positively about their prospects for 2026 and 2028. Some are even talking about taking back both houses of Congress, lost in the recent MAGA wave.
For over a decade, our local, state and national elections have been all about the public being dissatisfied with traditional politics. President Trump is the epitome of this trend, getting re-elected despite all of his known faults. Democrat elites are now rightfully complaining about Trump attempting to be a dictator, entirely ignoring Congress and legality.
But the Democratic National Committee helped elect him in 2016 by anointing a consummate party elitist (Hillary Clinton) rather than a popular change agent, Senator Bernie Sanders, who might have gotten elected. The same thing happened in 2024, with leadership appointing Kamala Harris as their nominee, without a primary process.
The Democratic Party must motivate its base while getting independent moderates to vote blue. Democratic leadership refuses to acknowledge the obvious problem that clearly exists between the progressive party base and its risk adverse elites who do not want to take stands on things like true health insurance reform. Democrats are major recipients of Big Pharma/Insurance money. Of the top 10 individuals receiving such donations since 1990, only three were Republicans.
Party elites come down hard on anyone mentioning the disconnect underlying this situation, saying that they are disloyal and non-productive. This intransigence may well doom them to lose future elections.
There is voter discontent with the establishment of both parties, which is what led to Donald Trump being elected twice as an “outsider.” The Democratic party’s leaders have been tone-deaf, ignoring the public. How else could candidate Harris have stated that she would not change a thing that Biden did when inflation was out of control and there was unprecedented undocumented immigration into the nation in 2021-2023?
Voters did not know what Harris and the Democrats really stood for in 2024…and still do not today. Democratic candidates must understand the left-wing arm of the party, concentrating on issues motivating them- like healthcare coverage.
Plus, as Bill Clinton once said, “It’s the economy, stupid.” He could have added for 2026 and 2028: “It’s not losing our traditional base while bringing in moderates, stupid.”
The party must not be suckered into ridiculous “woke” political traps like transgendered athletes, turning off independents who want kitchen table issues to be addressed. Further, Democrats have treated blue collar workers as pariahs, the “deplorables” who Hillary Clinton mentioned. This miscalculation will sink Democrats, especially in swing states.
And forget what Michelle Obama said about “When they go low, we go high.” That is how Democrats lost the 2024 election to a convicted felon who tried to overthrow our government on January 6, 2021.
Democrats must come out swinging for the November 2026 elections. Otherwise, the usual Democrat defeatism and wimpy attitude will make them again pull defeat from the jaws of victory. The question remains: Will the Democratic Party’s elite learn from their past mistakes?
- Have a comment? Click here to send an email.
Horrible Aurora parking during Christkindl Market
Editor, the Forum:
Many may have enjoyed the German Christkindl Market in Lawrenceville. But it made it almost impossible to get parking at the Aurora Theater!
The performance of Christmas Canteen was on Saturday and the free parking lot was planned to be open only to ticket holders via a police person. That was never done and people kept driving all the way up to the top level and it was next to impossible to turn around and get down and out! Unbelievable!
They were supposed to limit entry there to only people with tickets to the performance and that did not happen! There was no policeman on duty to manage the free parking for the theater! It was a complete horror for patrons of the theater!
We have been patrons of the Aurora Theater for many years. The mess of the failure of the police did cause chaos! We will not be able to use our tickets for the show during the market unless we patrons can have priority for the parking during the market!
– Mikki Root Dillon, Lilburn
Sees killing by ICE in Minneapolis not cold blooded
Editor, the Forum:
Re: In “Wondering How Chief Justice Roberts Sleeps…”(January 13, 2026, GwinnettForum) you answered your own question. His job, and SCOTUS’ role, is not to legislate or get President Trump under control. The job is to be the final arbiter of the constitutionality of legislation put forward by Congress. That’s it.
Re: cold blooded murder of Ms. Good, I’d start with this: it was a pure, and avoidable, tragedy. It breaks your heart to know that she died needlessly and for nothing. But to suggest she was a woman in the wrong place at the wrong time is pure sophistry; she and her wife were paid, trained, agitators (do a little research). Other video from earlier in the day shows Ms. Good antagonizing ICE agents, blocking traffic, etc. I’m no LEO but I’m pretty sure that’s impeding federal law enforcement and is de facto illegal?
You also suggest Feds are picking up “legal and illegal immigrants.” If they are picking up legal immigrants, I stand with you. My neighbors are from the Philippines and Cuba, respectively. They came here via legal channels. But we have an obligation to citizens to ensure our border is secure.
– Jeff Gorke, Suwanee
Dear Jeff: Yes, indeed, our research shows that ICE agents have picked up legal immigrants, including lawful permanent residents (green card holders) and visa holders.—eeb
Another view of how John Roberts sleeps
Editor, the Forum:
I guess the reason Justice Roberts sleeps at night is because President Trump enforces the laws of the United States. Isn’t that what the Supreme Court does also? If people disagree, then have their congressman change the laws as dictated in the U.S. Constitution.
– Stewart Ogilvie, Rehobeth, Ala.
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, and include your hometown. The views of letters are the opinion of the contributor. We reserve the right to edit for clarity and length. Send feedback and letters to: ebrack2@gmail.com.
New event, Porchfest, coming to Norcross in May
A new event is being planned in Norcross. It’ll take place Saturday, May 2, and will be called “Porchfest.” Organizers say that “Porchfest is a simple idea: neighbors offer up their front porches (or yards), local musicians perform, and everyone is welcome. People can wander the streets, listen to music, meet someone new, or just sit and take it all in.”
Porchfest is centered around Thrasher Park in Historic Norcross, and host homes should be within a short walk. You do not need a porch. A front yard works just as well.
Porches across Historic Norcross will host musicians, poets, comedians, magicians, and more. We welcome artists and performers from all backgrounds and corners of Georgia to share their voice and craft. It’s a celebration of creativity, culture, and community.
Each host home will feature two or three bands during the day. The Porchfest team takes care of scheduling, booking, and promotion so you can simply enjoy the music and meet your neighbors.
Most artists’ equipment only needs a standard household outlet. An outdoor extension cord or power strip makes it easy.
- To donate, volunteer or perform, go to norcrossporchfest.com.
New director on board at Mosaic Georgia
A new leader has been named at Mosaic Georgia. She is Lindsay Woon Ferreira, who has been its deputy director previously for the last eight years. She replaces Marina Sampanes Peed, who says: “Lindsay has been instrumental in shaping Mosaic’s growth —operationally, clinically, and strategically during 15 years with us. She is deeply respected across our multidisciplinary teams and brings the steady leadership needed for this next chapter.”
Mosaic is a comprehensive, survivor-centered hub providing acute and long-term care to over 3,400 people in the greater-Gwinnett area annually.
In 2019, it was rebranded from Gwinnett Sexual Assault Center to Mosaic Georgia with the Wholeness Collective offering healing and wellness communities for youth and adults. It formed the SANE Community Support Network to provide ongoing education and networking for sexual assault nurse examiners across Georgia. It also relocated into a 16,000-square-foot center in partnership with Northside Hospital, expanding access to medical, forensic, legal, and trauma-recovery services.
Lindsay Ferreira was born in Malaysia, and came in 2003 to the University of the Cumberlands in Williamsburg, Ky. After one year, she transferred to Brenau University in Gainesville, and graduated in 2007 with a major in biology. She is married to Andrew Ferreira, and the couple live in Gainesville.
The Beast in Me, by Gabe Rotter and Antonio Campos
From Karen J. Harris, Stone Mountain: The Beast in Me is a psychological thriller miniseries on Netflix with actors Claire Danes and Matthew Rhys. Claire Danes plays Aggie Wiggs, a writer suffering from writer’s block since the untimely death of her young son. When she meets her new neighbor, Nils Jarvis, she is both annoyed and intrigued. He suggests that she write a book about him to break the writer’s block spell. Nils was considered a prime suspect in his wife’s disappearance, with many believing she was murdered. Abigail accepts the challenge and is pulled into a tangled web of suspicion, fear and menace. This eight-episode limited series will have the viewer on the edge of their seat from the very beginning. It is well worth the time and it will be hard to shake from thoughts after it ends.
- An invitation: what books, restaurants, movies or web sites have you enjoyed recently? Send us your recent selection, along with a short paragraph (150 words) as to why you liked this, plus what you plan to visit or read next. Click here to send an email.
Benjamin Taliaferro, soldier and activist in early politics
Benjamin Taliaferro served as a Continental soldier during the American Revolution (1775-83). He moved in 1784 from Virginia to Wilkes County, Ga., where he established himself as a planter and an upcountry political leader.
Benjamin Taliaferro (pronounced “Tolliver”) was born in 1750 in Amherst County, Virginia, to Mary Boutwell and Zachariah Taliaferro, both members of prominent Piedmont families. During the American Revolution Taliaferro served in two local rifle companies. Taliaferro distinguished himself at Trenton and Princeton, New Jersey, and as one of Colonel Daniel Morgan’s 500 crack riflemen at Saratoga, N.Y. By June 1779 Taliaferro had joined Colonel Richard Parker’s First Virginia Battalion to aid Georgia Whigs in their fight to end the British occupation of Savannah.
Parker’s regiment resided in Augusta before and after the Siege of Savannah in October 1779. After American forces surrendered the city on May 12, 1780, Taliaferro returned to Amherst County, Virginia, as a paroled prisoner of war. There he married Martha Meriwether in 1782.
Two years later, Taliaferro joined a migration effort led by his former militia commander, George Mathews. As did most of Mathews’s group, Taliaferro settled in Wilkes County. With his first wife he had a family of nine children: Benjamin, Mary Amelia (Emily), Louis Bourbon, Betsy, Martha, David, Thornton, Margaret, and Nicholas. A second marriage produced a tenth child, Zachariah.
Taliaferro worked to recreate the traditional planter-elite status maintained by his Virginia ancestors. He operated a thriving tobacco plantation along the Broad River and in the process became one of the largest enslavers in Wilkes County. Taliaferro’s efforts garnered him legislative appointment as one of the first trustees of the University of Georgia and as a county magistrate. His coalition of Wilkes citizens elected him to the Georgia Assembly in 1786.
As a state legislator Taliaferro consistently supported issues favoring upcountry growth and economic development. When Georgia reorganized its government in 1789, Taliaferro entered the state senate, serving as its president from 1792 to 1796.
Taliaferro’s most notable role as an upcountry leader came with his opposition to the 1789 and 1795 Yazoo land bills. Both statutes involved a legislative effort to sell Georgia’s western territories to private land companies. Taliaferro’s stand against the 1795 sale and the widespread bribery engaged in by its supporters attracted the attention of James Jackson, a U.S. senator from Georgia. Jackson resigned from the Senate and organized an anti-Yazoo faction to repeal the land sale and remove its supporters from office.
Taliaferro briefly considered an appointment from Governor George Mathews (his friend and former commander) to replace Jackson in the Senate but declined. His decision to remain in the state prompted the Jackson-dominated assembly to extend Taliaferro an appointment as a superior court justice to stop Yazooists from exerting their influence in the state courts. Taliaferro resorted to at least one duel to defend his character against the abuse of his political enemies.
In 1798 Taliaferro agreed to submit his name as a congressional candidate. He won the election and worked with Georgia’s federal legislators to arrange a settlement concerning the state’s western lands. Their efforts paved the way for an 1802 land cession to Congress.
Illness forced Taliaferro to retire from office in 1802. Although upcountry leaders approached Taliaferro in 1813 to serve in the U.S. Senate, he refused. Taliaferro died at his Broad River plantation in September 1821, at age 71.
- To view the Georgia Encyclopedia article online, go to https://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org
Grand old building is today’s mystery
This is a grand old building, dating back to earlier days. Your job is to tell us where it is located, and what use is made of this building. Send your answer to ebrack2@gmail.com, and include your hometown.
Jay Altman of Columbia, S.C. recognized the last mystery photo: “It’s a signpost at Cape Spear, the easternmost point of North America, located near St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. It is the first place in America to see the sunrise each morning. The photo also shows the Cape Spear Lighthouse, which is the oldest surviving lighthouse in Newfoundland, built in 1836. The signpost indicates the distance in kilometers to various locations, including Reykjavik, New York, and Toronto.”
This photo was sent in by Allan Peel of San Antonio, Texas.
Also recognizing this photo were George Graf, Palmyra, Va.; David Versel, Alpharetta; Stewart Ogilvie, Rehobeth, Ala.; and Byron Gilbert, Duluth;
- SHARE A MYSTERY PHOTO: If you have a photo that you believe will stump readers, send it along (but make sure to tell us what it is because it may stump us too!) Click here to send an email and please mark it as a photo submission. Thanks.
Gwinnett Symphony plans free MLK Day concert
Lionheart Theatre welcomes Vidalia Theatre to the local stage with their production of “Winter Yield 2: The Airport Plays,” a collection of short, 10-minute plays that all take place in an airport. January 16–25; Fridays and Saturdays, 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 3 p.m. Tickets are $20 and are available now.
Live Arts Theatre in Duluth presents The Minutes, a scathing new stage production from the author of August: Osage County. The show runs January 16–24, with showtimes at 7:30 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. Tickets are $20 adults, $17 students and seniors and $14 for LAT members and can be purchased online.
The Gwinnett Symphony Orchestra invites patrons, members, and the community to a free professional orchestra concert on Martin Luther King Day. The concert will be on January 19 at 2 p.m. at the Gwinnett Online Campus, 713 Hi Hope Road in Lawrenceville. This concert is the culminating public performance of the four-day Adrian Gnam International Conductors Workshop and Competition, now stewarded by Gwinnett Symphony, Inc. Guest conductors from around the world will lead the orchestra in excerpts from works by Beethoven, Brahms, Tchaikovsky, Verdi, and Mendelssohn, offering a unique look into the art of orchestral conducting at the highest level.
Join award-winning author Nikesha Elise Williams as she discusses her newest novel, The Seven Daughters of Dupree, which explores the ripple effects of actions, secrets, and love through seven generations of Black women. This will take place January 26 at 6:30 p.m. at the Snellville Branch of Gwinnett County Public Library. Books will be available for purchase and signing.
Peachtree Corners Library is hosting Robotics with Curiosity Lab on January 28 from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. Learn more about this unique space where companies test new innovations and technology. Get your questions answered and experience hands-on robotics in this all-ages program. Admission is free. Registration is not required.
A solo exhibit of the work of Chitra Ramanathan of Norcross, a teaching artist at Norcross Gallery and Studios, is now going on at the Pinckneyville Park and Recreation Center in Berkeley Lake through January 31, 2026. It is a retrospective, as some early works are included up to current ones, many large in scale.
A Houseplant Potting Workshop at Peachtree Farm will be on February 2 from 10 to 11 a.m. Learn to select the correct pot, amend and build potting soil, and then pot your plant. A pot, soil and plant is included, but guests may bring their own pots and plants if they want to do extra. $20 per person. Purchase tickets online.
GwinnettForum, which has been published online since 2001, is provided to you at no charge every Tuesday and Friday. The publication offers an online community commentary for exploring pragmatic and sensible social, political and economic approaches to improve life in Gwinnett County, Ga. USA. Learn more:
- Editor and publisher: Elliott Brack, 770-840-1003
- Mailing address: P.O. Box 1365, Norcross, Ga. 30091
- Work with us: If you would like to learn about how to be an underwriter to support the publication of GwinnettForum as a community resource for news and commentary, please contact us today.
Subscriptions to GwinnettForum are free.
- Click to subscribe.
- Unsubscribe. We hope you’ll keep receiving our great news and information from GwinnettForum, but if you need to unsubscribe, go to this page and unsubscribe in the appropriate box.
- © 2026, Gwinnett Forum.com.
