The candidates have come out of the woodwork for the 2026 Georgia primary.
Can you believe it? Gwinnett voters will see a total of 193 persons as candidates on its primary ballot on May 19. That includes 92 persons running for 13 statewide offices, and 101 local candidates seeking 43 elected seats.
Fifteen Georgians are running for governor, and 10 signed up to seek the office of lieutenant governor.
- For a list of all candidates to appear on the Gwinnett ballot, click here.
Commissioners award contract on several fronts
The Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners acted on several initiatives recently. Highlights include new pickleball courts, improvements to Beaver Ruin Road and a continuation of the Gwinnett Place Mall site redevelopment.
Commissioners approved a contract to enhance sewer capacity at the Gwinnett Place Mall site. The project includes replacing and enlarging approximately 1.5 miles of sewer infrastructure along a Sweetwater Creek tributary from Breckinridge Boulevard to Club Drive, downstream from the mall. The $9.5 million contract was awarded to Reynolds Construction of Georgia LLC of Suwanee.
Beaver Ruin Road: The Board also approved widening of Beaver Ruin Road from I-85 to Park Drive. A third travel lane will be added in each direction, along with dual westbound right-turn lanes at the I-85 northbound on-ramp. Azimuth Contractors LLC of Suwanee will complete the work.
Pickleball courts will be coming to Bethesda Park. The Board approved the construction of six new pickleball courts including new lighting, fencing, sidewalks and a small pavilion. Located near the aquatic center at the back of the park, these courts will expand the County’s pickleball courts to 30 total. The $967,378 contract was awarded to J.G. Leone Enterprises Inc. of Alpharetta.
The Gwinnett County Public Library headquarters at 1001 Lawrenceville Highway is undergoing an interior renovation. The building, which previously also housed the Lawrenceville branch library, was left partially vacant after a move to new space at the Hooper-Renwick Themed Library last summer. The renovation upgrades current offices and HVAC replacements, parking lot repairs and the installation of a natural gas generator. The $5.27 million contract was awarded to Multiplex LLC of Duluth.
Smoke, snakes and ice cream, oh my!
Saturday afternoons are great for many things. At Georgia Gwinnett College (GGC), it was a time for kids and families to explore the world of science during the Atlanta Science Festival event, “Grizzlies in the Forest of Science.”
GGC faculty and students helped young explorers discover the wonders of science – from the environment and body strength to technology and chemistry.
Dr. Misael Romero-Reyes, assistant professor of chemistry at GGC, says the annual event started in 2023 with 150 attendees. This year’s event had over 400.
“Every year we do this to give our students and faculty the chance to reach out to the community,” he says. “We want kids to enjoy science and maybe even become a scientist one day.”
Maa’idah Abukar, a Lawrenceville resident and GGC student majoring in chemistry, demonstrated a popular experiment called Dragon’s Breath.
She says: “This is a fun treat you can make with Rice Krispies treats.You dunk the treat in liquid nitrogen, which freezes it. When it evaporates, it creates nitrogen gas. You put it in your mouth, blow it out and it makes smoke.”
Abukar assures attendees the process is safe because nitrogen evaporates quickly and the gas escapes as it warms.
Visitors also sampled ice cream made using liquid nitrogen. The mixture included half-and-half, heavy whipping cream, fruit preserves and sugar.
For Vic Wren, 13, of Dacula, the frozen treat deserved a unique name.“I call it witch’s brew because it looks like that,” he says. “The ice cream was delicious.” His father, Brian Wren, says the family has attended the event for three consecutive years. “Exposing him to science early was one of the main reasons we came. We were excited to have something like this here locally to help keep that interest going.”
The event also connected science to the environment. Children painted small pots and planted seeds while learning about ecosystems and sustainability.
Aubrey Dyer, director of GGC’s Institute for Environmental Science and Sustainability, says: “For young kids, it’s important to learn the best ways to take care of their environment. With our micro farm, they learned about gardening in an urban environment. You don’t need a huge farm or lots of land to grow something for yourself.”
“I like snakes,” he said. “They’re cute.”
Dr. Ricky Fiorillo, professor of biology at GGC, used the opportunity to explain an often-misunderstood relationship in nature: “We’re showing people that most living organisms are infected with other living organisms. Parasites are very common. While we usually think of parasites as something bad, they’re actually an important part of ecosystems.”
Fiorillo said parasites can even signal environmental health: “If a stream is polluted and these organisms disappear, it shows the ecological connectivity has broken down,” he says.
At the health and fitness station, GGC exercise science students demonstrated how science applies to the human body. Visitors tested their grip strength with a hydraulic hand dynamometer, learned how bioelectric impedance analysis measures body fat, and practiced performing chest-compression CPR.
North Gwinnett student is Washington delegate
North Gwinnett High School junior Emma Calin has been picked as a delegate for the 2026 Washington Youth Tour, scheduled June 12-19. Calin was chosen for the all-expense paid leadership development experience sponsored by Georgia’s electric cooperatives and organized by the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA).
Calin is the daughter of Ramona and George Calin of Suwanee. She is a state DECA champion with a top 10 international placement. She serves as vice president of Community Service for DECA and president of the Eastern European Student Association. She is an active member of the SPARK student leadership team and CHARGEnorth, the school’s STEM program. Emma is a math tutor and enjoys the opportunity to shape her community by serving as a Suwanee Youth Leader. She plans a career in quantitative analysis.
The other three Jackson EMC delegates selected were Jabe Andrews, a junior at Banks County High School; Sterling Clendenning, a junior at East Hall High School; and Kaelyn Rhea, junior at Jefferson High School.
