GwinnettForum | Number 26.13 | Feb. 13, 2026
A FREE FITNESS PROGRAM is being offered by Georgia Gwinnett College to local residents. The 10 week program allows exercise science students to gain hands-on experience. For more details, see Upcoming below.
TODAY’S FOCUS: What was before the billboards, interstate and Amazon
EEB PERSPECTIVE: Slew of candidates to seek statewide office in 2026
SPOTLIGHT: Lail Family Dentistry
ANOTHER VIEW: Defunding SCORE: Why Trump has lost public support
FEEDBACK: Disgusted with Bondi’s Congressional testimony
UPCOMING: GGC offers free, 10 week exercise program
RECOMMENDED: Netflix program, Death by Lighting
GEORGIA TIDBIT: U.S. Postal Service stamps honor many Georgians
MYSTERY PHOTO: Today’s mystery could be “duck soup” for natives
CALENDAR: Master Gardeners to hear about hydroponic gardening Feb. 26
What was before the billboards, interstate and Amazon
By Michael Green
(Third in a series)
MILTON, Ga. | Sallie Duncan Liddell was widowed 150 years ago. Undaunted, she realized that managing a farm of 500 acres required equal parts of luck, clever thinking, and hard physical labor. Could one woman have the ability to keep the farm from utter ruin in 1870?
Was the family in the right place at the right time financially? Perhaps. Land fronting major transportation hubs such as a railroad, eventually a major interstate highway, and an important artery of commerce, made the farmland valuable. The land of the farm established in 1820 evolved into a major area sought after by major international companies. Its current inhabitants are a melting pot of people from around the world.
When the Eisenhower initiative created the Interstate Highway system in the 1950s, it provided a lucky break not just for the Liddells, but most certainly for many others in Gwinnett County. Dan Liddell did not farm after World War II.
In the 1950s, the Liddell farm became profitable in unique ways. The land produced crops of cash. Many of Dan Liddell’s acres became right of way for Interstate 85. More acres were lost in the next decade as another road ate up a good bit of his land. He called it “Politick Road,” and it is essentially today’s Satellite Boulevard.
He found that an electric company, Georgia Power, would pay for land easements. Enormous towers to carry high voltage transmission lines would cross his land. There were other sources of income, as well. Representatives from companies such as Turner Outdoor Advertising sought land fronting I-85 for giant billboards. Dan did not live long enough to see a major commercial hub, Gwinnett Place, change the future of Gwinnett County. He would not, and certainly the Matriarch would not, have recognized their roles in the remaking of Gwinnett County.
The Gwinnett Place Community Improvement District (CID) has been established in close proximity to the former Liddell farm. It promotes and encourages businesses in the area and promotes a safe environment for the people who live, work, and enjoy life in the nearby environs of the old Liddell farm.
Would a 19th century Liddell recognize the live-work community that the farm has become? Hardly, although there are some parallels to consider in 2026.
Sallie Duncan Liddell knew that she and her young son must ensure that the people who share-cropped her farm have shelter and food. These individuals and their families required a safe and secure environment. She provided this as she managed the farm that had become her challenge. From 1870 until her death in 1934, she maintained a successful place for those living within her acreage, including the descendants of enslaved people who lived there and depended on the land.
Today, giant world-class companies such as Amazon and Costco occupy the site of the 1840 Liddell House. Gone forever is the old home place, as well as swept paths with white clay-washed fieldstones, ornamental flower gardens, an avenue of towering elms, and a spectacular persimmon tree.
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Slew of candidates to seek statewide office in 2026
By Elliott Brack
Editor and publisher, GwinnettForum
FEB. 13, 2026 | Are you already seeing signs of the major event of 2026? Yes, 2026 is a political year, and the outcome of the Georgia voting could have a significant impact on the national scene. The season is closer than you think, since the General Primary will be on May 19, which is 95 days from now.
The candidates are coming out all around us. Look at the big races:
- U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff will face re-election this year.
- There’s the governor’s race.
- And the lieutenant governor’s race.
- Plus other statewide offices, such as secretary of state and attorney general.
- The 14 congressional races.
- And races for the Georgia Senate and House.
- Locally, seats open are for county commissioners in districts 2 and 4; School board districts 2 and 4; the office of Solicitor General and two state court seats. Altogether, there are 46 races only in Gwinnett open this year.
Democrats, particularly, are looking forward to the mid-term House elections, since in most of the off-year elections in the nation, Democrats have done particularly far better than Republicans, who are trying to defend President Trump’s actions.
So, let’s at least look at the list of candidates in the key statewide races.
For the Senate: U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff should have no trouble winning the primary since no significant statewide candidates are running.
However, Republicans are after his seat, with three major Republicans campaigning hard to oppose Ossoff in the general election. They are Congressman Mike Collins of Jackson; U.S. Rep. Buddy Carter of Savannah; and a newcomer to Georgia politics, former football coach Derek Dooley of Clayton, the son of Barbara and Vince Dooley; and several minor candidates.
For Governor: The latest count shows eight Republicans wanting to be governor, and seven Democrats having their sights on the governor’s chair.
Democrats campaigning for governor include former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Bottoms; Olu Brown, a retired Methodist minister from Atlanta; Geoff Duncan of Cumming, a former Republican lieutenant governor who switched parties; Sen. Jason Esteves of Atlanta, Sen. Derrick Jackson of Tyrone; Rep. Rumman of Gwinnett; and former Labor Commissioner Michael Thurmond, also the former DeKalb CEO.
Republicans seeking the governorship include Chris Carr, the state attorney general of Marietta; Businessman Clark Dean of Scottsdale; healthcare executive Rick Jackson of Alpharetta; Lt. Gov. Burt Jones of Jackson; Entrepreneur Gregg Kirkpatrick of Woodstock; LeLand Olinger II (residence unknown); Brad Raffensperger of Johns Creek, the current secretary of state; and Ken Yasger of Savannah.
For Lieutenant Governor: So far, three Democrats are seeking this office, while seven Republicans are running for the seat.
The Democrats are Seth Clark of Macon, State Sen. Josh McLaurin of Sandy Springs; and CPA Richard N. Wright of Atlanta.
Republicans for lieutenant governor include Rep. David Clark of Buford; Rep. Greg Dolezal of Cumming; Rep. Steve Gooch of Dahlonega; State Sen. John Kennedy of Macon; Researcher Brenda Nelson-Porter of Newnan; State Sen. Blake Tillery of Vidalia; and Jerry Timbs of Griffin. Note that in this race, five members of the General Assembly are not running for their legislative seat but seek higher office.
You will be hearing much more about these races in coming weeks.
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Lail Family Dentistry
The public spiritedness of our sponsors allows us to bring GwinnettForum.com to you at no cost to readers. Lail Family Dentistry has been serving the community in Duluth and Gwinnett County for 53 years. Being the longest serving dental practice in the county, our roots run deep within our community and will continue to do so for generations to come.
The doctors at Lail Family Dentistry are all members of the Lail family and are here to provide for you and yours. If you are in search of a traditional, hometown dentist that utilizes the latest dental techniques and technology while also exemplifying the utmost sense of professionalism, timeliness, and hospitality, we would be glad to welcome you to our practice. For more information, please visit our website at drlail.com or phone (770) 476-2400.
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Defunding SCORE: Why Trump has lost public support
By Jack Bernard, contributing columnist
PEACHTREE CITY, Ga. | Many small business owners will recognize the SCORE name (Service Core Of Retired Executives), affiliated with the Small Business Administration (SBA); it brings together volunteerism and entrepreneurship to benefit the small businesses.
Created nearly 60 years ago, SCORE has helped more than 17 million new and existing small businesses to grow and prosper.
Nationally, SCORE consists of 10,000 completely unpaid volunteers who, like the author, provide free mentoring to entrepreneurs in all 50 states. Last year, these volunteers gave four million hours of their time to these altruistic efforts, helping to create 143,000 new jobs.
In Georgia, SCORE has over 100 unpaid business mentors, businesspeople, most in the Atlanta area. There are also mentors in North Georgia, Macon and Savannah. Last year, these men and women conducted over 700 mentoring sessions with over 4800 clients. In Georgia, seminars on topics like marketing and business planning reached over 20,000 clients.
But SCORE has been defunded by Trump. Defunding SCORE, which helped create nearly 60,000 small businesses in 2024 is just one example of President Trump’s many unforced, easily avoidable errors affecting the economy.
The discrepancy between what Trump says and what he does is tremendous and being recognized by voters. That growing gap is why his support on the economy (36%) and the budget (31%) have fallen to an all-time low.
My story is typical. Formerly a senior vice president for a national corporation, I retired from corporate America over 20 years ago. But I was still young and wanted to give back. I eventually discovered SCORE and have been an active mentor for decades. I have mentored hundreds of small businesses in Georgia and, occasionally, other states.
Mentoring varies according to the needs of each individual client. Sometimes, we help with short-term crises specific to a business, like where to get a loan or how to secure a specific contract. Other times, our help is broader, strategic.
Typically, a small business owner is so overwhelmed with everyday pressures that he/she has little time to think long-term. We can assist by helping development of a business plan covering the marketing, implementation and financial aspects of an enterprise.
SCORE’s total funding from the federal government has been only $17 million annually. Since mentors are unpaid, funding has gone towards overhead, such as IT services to maintain the client data base. Federal funding for SCORE should be a “no-brainer.” And it would be—except for ideological factors driving this administration’s irrational, emotional funding decisions.
Many SCORE clients are considered “DEI” by the Trump Administration, women and minorities. Therefore, as the administration’s 2025 budget request states – “Eliminated programs include …SCORE, which in 2023 posted ‘Six Ways to Support LGBTQIA-Owned Businesses,’ and provided resources based on race.”
This intolerable situation, counter-productive to Trump’s economic development goals, should have received more national and state attention. But because of the chainsaw versus scalpel nature of Trump’s budget cuts, we should not be surprised. There are so many unjustifiable actions that have been taken by Trump that this one is far down on the list. But it’s hard for the SBA to tell that to the many small businesses that require free SCORE mentoring to grow and prosper.
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Disgusted with Bondi’s congressional testimony
Editor, the Forum:
I have just watched Attorney General Pam Bondi’s testimony in a Congressional hearing. She answered all the questions offered by supportive Republican members. On the other hand, when asked questions by Democrats about the Epstein files, violence by ICE officers, failure to follow judicial orders, Trump’s legal actions against his personal enemies, and the firings and resignations of competent attorneys who refused to follow illegal orders….. every time, Bondi used personal attacks and complaints about past Attorney Generals as a way to avoid answering questions under oath.
I blame Trump for hiring and not firing such an incompetent member of his cabinet. In fact, one of the questions Bondi failed to answer was why the head of the commerce department’s involvement with Epstein hasn’t resigned. Unfortunately, Trump’s cabinet is filled with political hacks that need to resign.
– Alan Schneiberg, Sugar Hill
Dear Alan: The White House Cabinet seems to be filled with incompetent and inexperienced members who are at best third or fourth level appointees. Top level possible cabinet officials know better than working with Trump. –eeb
- 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.
GGC offers free, 10-week exercise program
Free and fitness go hand in hand at Georgia Gwinnett College (GGC), where community members can volunteer for a free, 10-week exercise program offered by the Department of Exercise Science and Physical Education.
The program is designed to benefit both participants and students. Volunteers receive a comprehensive fitness assessment and a personalized training plan, while GGC exercise science students gain hands-on experience working in a practical fitness environment.
Following the initial assessment, participants will complete a personalized 10-week training program meeting Mondays and Wednesdays, 5:30-6:30 p.m. from February 16-April 24. A post-training assessment will be conducted at the conclusion of the program to measure individual progress.
The program is open to healthy adults ages 25–65 who do not have major health complications, do not currently exercise on a regular basis and are able to attend all scheduled sessions.
- To express interest in participating, visit https://tinyurl.com/GGC-FreeFitProgram to complete the pre-participation survey.
Netflix program, Death by Lighting
From Sue Baum, Hoschton: There’s a program on Netflix that I highly recommend called Death by Lightning. It tells the true story of President James Garfield, who is not well known because of the events that are portrayed in the show. As a person born in northeast Ohio, I was surprised that I knew nothing of Garfield, who lived in the Cleveland area. The story shows how politics have always been dirty, and that science when applied to medicine can save lives. The actors were all great, especially Nick Offerman, who portrays President Chester A. Arthur. Check it out!
- 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.
U.S. Postal Service stamps honor many Georgians
Prized not only for their artistry, stamps open windows to the wider world. They tell the history of a place and its people and have delighted collectors since they first came into use in the 1840s. The New Georgia Encyclopedia’s Stamp Collection includes stamps issued by the United States Postal Service over the last century to honor the political figures, artists and culture of Georgia.
Click HERE to view more than two dozen Georgia-related stamps, including those of Otis Redding, Sequoyah, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Eli Whitney, Jackie Robinson, Juliette Gordon Low and Bobby Jones.
- To view the Georgia Encyclopedia article online, go to https://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org
Today’s mystery could be “duck soup” for natives
Non-natives of Georgia may not quickly recognize today’s Mystery Photo, but it will be duck soup for many natives. See if you can pinpoint the location of this photo. Send your answer to ebrack2@gmail.com and list your hometown.
Stewart Ogilvie, Rehobeth, Ala. wrote of the last mystery: “If you are lucky enough to arrive in Oban, Scotland, by sea, then one of the first things to strike you is the presence on the summit of Battery Hill above the town of a large structure that looks like it might have been inspired by the Colosseum in Rome. It was. Welcome to McCaig’s Tower, a magnificent folly that, but for the death of the man it was named after, might have ended up being even more magnificent, though at the same time looking rather less like the Colosseum.
“The story of the building of McCaig’s Tower is a fascinating one in its own right, but over the years elements of it have grown in the telling. The starting point has to be with John Stuart McCaig, a native of the Isle of Lismore who became a successful banker with the North of Scotland Bank. McCaig was 72 years old when in 1895 he commissioned work on what became McCaig’s Tower. His view of himself can be seen from the inscription he had placed above the entrance: “Erected in 1900 by John Stuart McCaig, art critic and philosophical essayist and banker, Oban.” The photograph came from Mary Green of Milton.
Others sending the right answer included Caron Czburnet, Suwanee; Jay Altman, Columbia, S.C.; George Graf, Palmyra, Va.; Bobbie Cromlish, Stone Mountain; and Allan Peel of San Antonio, Texas, who added: “Built entirely of Bonawe granite, sourced from local quarries on Loch Etive, McCaig designed the structure himself. The structure features a circumference of about 650 feet and contains 94 lancet arches across two tiers (44 on the bottom and 50 on the top). McCaig originally planned for a much more elaborate complex with a central tower, museum, art gallery, and statues of himself and his family in the arched windows. However, it remains unfinished. Following McCaig’s death in 1902, construction ceased because his heirs successfully challenged his will, which had allocated funds for its completion. Today, the interior of the hollow shell serves as a public spot for views of the town, the harbor, and the nearby islands of Kerrera, Mull, and Lismore.”
- 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.
Master Gardeners to hear about hydroponic gardening Feb. 26
Hydroponic gardening is the topic of the next meeting of the Gwinnett Master Gardeners. The meeting will be at 12:30 p. m. on February 16 at the Bethesda Senior Center, 225 Bethesda Church Road. The speaker will be Christine Todd, who will share how to grow a wide variety of plants hydroponically, including pineapples, tomatoes, peppers, wildflowers, strawberries and herbs. The Gwinnett Master Gardeners meetings are free. Join the group for lunch and bring a dish to share.
Novelist talk: Radha Lin Chaddah discusses her novel, And the Ancestors Sing, a multigenerational story of sacrifice, survival, and the unbreakable pull of home, set against the rapidly changing backdrop of post-Cultural Revolution China. This will take place on February 17 at 12:30 p.m. at the Duluth Branch of Gwinnett County Public Library.
The Peachtree Corners Garden Club will hold a seed swap on February 19 at 6:30 p.m. at the City Hall Community Chest Room. Lynda Pollock will speak about seed starting, including vegetables and native plants.
Acclaimed author Terah Shelton Harris discusses her newest novel, Where the Wildflowers Grow, a poignant story of survival and redemption that questions what it means to stop existing and start living. This will take place on February 20 at 6:30 p.m. at the Duluth Branch of Gwinnett County Public Library.
Gwinnett Symphony Orchestra will present a concert on Sunday, February 22 at 5 p.m. at the First Christian Church of Atlanta, 4532 LaVista Road in Tucker. This concert features O Magnum Mysterium by Morten Lauridsen performed for brass choir, and Te Deum by Arvo Pärt performed by Gwinnett Symphony Chamber Singers and Chamber Orchestra with Conductors Rick Smith and Robert Trocina shaping an evening of reverence and inner light.
Award-winning author Denny S. Bryce will discuss her newest historical fiction novel, Where the False Gods Dwell, inspired by choreographer Katherine Dunham’s dance expedition, and the search for destiny that turns into a struggle for survival. This will be at the Duluth Branch of Gwinnett County Public Library on February 25 at 6:30 p.m.
Coca-Cola Preseason Party returns to Gwinnett Field on Sunday, March 1. Enjoy hot dogs and drinks, plus self-guided tours during free event at Gwinnett Field in Lawrenceville, where the Gwinnett Stripers play. The rain-or-shine event runs from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. The event is free, but fans will need to reserve tickets online in advance.
Gwinnett will have a chalk fest festival in March. Gas South District, in partnership with Sugarloaf Community Improvement District and the Hudgens Center for Art and Learning, will host Draw the District: A Chalk Arts Festival on Saturday, March 7. It will bring a free, community-wide celebration of art, culture, and creativity to the area.
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