The Sports Pig

Brooks & Dunn will bring their “Reboot 2023” tour to Gas South Arena; Duluth is offering missed appearance amnesty; And a Buford star will play two sports at Tufts University. 

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Learn about what all exciting exhibits will be at the North Atlanta Home Show this weekend at the Gas South Convention Center. 

Two Duluth men are facing murder charges in the death of an Atlanta man who died earlier this month from wounds he sustained in a beating that occurred in December.

Master Police Officer Hideshi Valle said Bryan Alvarado and Yeison Alvarado have been charged with allegedly killing Raul Diaz-Villalba. Diaz-Villalba was attacked on December 20 and officers found him unconscious and bleeding with multiple lacerations, a swollen face, wounds all over his head and discoloration. The officers provided aid at the scene and Gwinnett fire officials took him to a local hospital. Diaz-Villalba died on January 14 and the Gwinnett Medical Examiner’s Office concluded this week that the injuries to his head were the cause of death.

The suspects have each been charged with felony murder, aggravated assault, aggravated battery, robbery and false imprisonment.

Gwinnett County Public Schools outpaces the state of Georgia when it comes to the percentage of Asian and Latin-ex teachers it has on its staff, but the percentage of people from those communities who serve in principal positions lags behind the student demographics, a staffing consultant told district leaders on Thursday.

The stats were presented as part of a presentation on equity in talent management systems that Alma Advisory Group CEO Monica Rosen made to the Gwinnett school board during a work session. The presentation covered a variety of staffing issues, including diversity of staff and employee retention. Despite the underrepresentation of Asian and Latin-ex in leadership roles in the district, GCPS does outpace the state in representation of both groups in teaching positions.

Rosen presented data that showed Asian and Pacific Islander teachers make up 4.12% of teachers in GCPS, compared to 1.49% of teachers statewide. Similarly, Latin-ex teachers make up 5.99% of the GCPS teacher workforce, compared to 2.79% statewide.

But, Latin-ex people make up 7.8% of principals in GCPS despite the fact that Latin-ex students are the largest population block in GCPS, making up 34.3% of the student body. Meanwhile, there were virtually no Asian principals in GCPS even though Asian students make up 11.5% of the student population.

GCPS does lack behind the state in the percentage of teachers who are Black. That figure is 27.15% statewide, but just 23.59% in GCPS.

Black people make up 36.17% of people serving in principal positions while Black students make up 32.17% of the student population.

White people hold 53.9% of principal positions and 60.2 percent of teacher positions while white students make up about 17% of the student population.

An incredibly thin margin separated Brookwood and North Gwinnett again Saturday night at West Gwinnett Aquatic Center.

And for the second straight year, Brookwood emerged as the Gwinnett County champion in girls swimming and diving.

The Broncos scored 1,186 points, only 11 ahead of North, which is still seeking its first county title. The Bulldogs were second by only five points at the 2022 county meet.

Brookwood maintained its long-running dominance in the meet with its ninth straight county championship and 20th in the past 24 seasons. Brookwood got its scoring off to a nice start thanks to its divers — Chloe Brothers won the county title and teammate Kristen Davis was sixth Saturday morning — then the swimmers did their job later in the evening.

Sophomore Hailey Dopson led the way with a win in the 100-yard freestyle in 51.75 seconds, and she followed it with a county meet-record in the 100 backstroke with a first-place swim in 55.06. The old 100 back record was set at 55.22 in 2016 by Mill Creek’s Katherine Parker.

The Broncos also won the 200 freestyle relay in 1:37.36 with Dopson as the anchor on a relay with teammates Nicole Amike, Sophie Hamilton and Emma Greene. Dopson also was on a runner-up 200 medley relay.

Braselton’s Community Development department is launching a new volunteer work force to help with town events and welcome visitors. Nicknamed the “Bee-Team,” volunteers will be assigned to welcome visitors and help staff event preparation and/or office tasks. An informational meeting is set for January 24 at 6:30 p.m. in the Civic Center, located at 27 East Lake Drive adjacent to the town’s parking deck downtown. B-Team members will be asked to complete a brief application, attend an orientation and begin learning local history.

For more information, Pinnell can be reached by e-mail at [email protected] 

Gwinnett police said they are investigating a homicide that appears to be domestic related after a shooting Sunday evening at a Norcross area apartment complex.

According to Corporal  Evanko, Gwinnett police responded to a person shot call at Canopy Glen Apartments just after 6 p.m.

The incident appeared to have stemmed from a domestic dispute. When officers arrived on scene, they located an adult male with a gunshot wound who died from his injuries on scene.

Evanko said investigators are talking with a female believed to be related to the incident and the investigation is ongoing. The motive for the shooting is unknown. Gwinnett police are asking anyone who has information to share in the case to contact GCPD detectives or crime stoppers.

The new year brought a big change for the Gwinnett Chamber’s On Topic series this past week.

The first installment of the series in 2023 was held on Wednesday and it marked the introduction of Porter Steel as the series new presenting sponsor.

Why is that a big deal? Well, it was the first time in well over a decade that someone other than RocketIT has been the presenting sponsor of the monthly information and lunch series.

Porter Steel is a Lilburn-based company that specializes in structured steel and architectural metal for construction projects.

Company President Cole Porter said the company is interested in helping the community and it sees sponsoring On Topic on to do that. He also said he sees value in the monthly series, where officials and experts give presentations on a wide array of topics ranging from transportation and schools to economic outlooks.

The Gwinnett Daily Post is giving away a family four pack of tickets to Fernbank Museum. Call ‪(404) 997-8655 and leave a voicemail for your chance to win four tickets for Fernbank.

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Gwinnett police said they are investigating a homicide that appears to be domestic related after a shooting Sunday evening at a Norcross area apartment complex.

According to Cpl. M. Evanko, Gwinnett police responded to a person shot call at Canopy Glen Apartments just after 6 p.m.

The incident appeared "to have stemmed from a domestic dispute," Evanko said. "When officers arrived on scene, they located an adult male with a gunshot wound who died from his injuries on scene."

Evanko said investigators are talking with a female believed to be related to the incident and the investigation is ongoing. The motive for the shooting is unknown.

For more information be sure to visit www.bgpodcastnetwork.com

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https://www.milb.com/gwinnett 

https://www.fernbankmuseum.org/ 

www.atlantagladiators.com

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Pop star Sam Smith will be making a stop in Gwinnett county on their “Gloria” tour; A local student was named one of the top STEM students in the nation; And a suspect in a fatal shooting was brought into custody. 

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Duluth officials said they are proud of the city’s newest public art, a mural called “Meet Me on Main” that is painted on the back window of the Nacho Daddy building, which is located on Main St. The officials say it allows people to step back in time to the old Duluth. Brenda Ehly is the artist behind the piece. She said she was inspired from a phrase on the city’s seal that she saw when she first moved to Duluth. Ehly is no stranger to the Duluth art scene. Her notable pieces in downtown Duluth include:

♦ Dream Big mural at Hill Street & West Lawrenceville

♦ Painted bike rack at Hill Street & West Lawrenceville

♦ Two paintings displayed in Maple Street Biscuit Company♦

♦ Interior & exterior signage at both Crave Pie & Harper Row

♦ Backdrop for the model train set at the Southeastern Railway Museum

♦ Pen & ink depiction of City Hall located inside City Hall as part of our permanent art collection

Gwinnett County commissioners agreed to partner with the Georgia Department of Transportation on one proposed new interchange on an interstate in the county and to team up with the city of Buford on a draft report for another proposed interchange on a different interstate.

One of the interchanges is the long-discussed proposed McGinnis Ferry Road interchange on Interstate 85 in Suwanee. The other is a proposed interchange on Interstate 985 at Thompson Mill Road in Buford.

The partnership with Georgia DOT pertains to right-of-way acquisition for the McGinnis Ferry Road interchange on I-85. The interchange has been in the planning stages for years and advertisements calling for construction bids for the project are expected to be posted this year. The other project, with Buford, is further off, however.

In fact, it only recently go the OK from federal officials to even be considered. Under the agreement, the county and Buford will jointly fund the creation of a draft project concept report on a proposed new interchange on I-985 at Thompson Mill Road. Each side will pay $500,000 for the study, with the county using 2017 special purpose local option sales tax funds for is portion of the cost.

“Producing ‘American Son’ is part of a season of site specific shows about moving forward in the face of adversity,” Live Arts Theatre’s Co-Artistic Director Becca Parker said.

If the name “American Son” is familiar, it was a 2019 movie directed by Kenny Leon and written by Christopher Demos-Brown. The movie was based on Demos-Brown’s play of the same name. American Son’ touches many avenues of life such as interracial relationships, being the product of an interracial relationship, and different levels of profiling by those in power as well as the public. The story centers around a bi-racial couple who must confront their feelings about race and bias after their son is detained by the local police following a traffic stop incident.

Because of the language which is described as “severe adult,” other adult topics and moderate violence, the play is recommended for audiences ages 16 and up. The audience is also cautioned that the production contains racially charged language and an audio depiction of a shooting.

Leading the production are Le Titia Sloan as Kendra Ellis-Conner, the mother of the “American Son.” R. Chandler Bragg portrays Scott Conner, the father who is estranged from Kendra. The cast is completed by Santiago Vargas as Officer Paul Larkin and Live Arts Theatre Pro Company member D. Norris as Lieutenant Stokes.

The production opens today and runs through Sunday. Friday and Saturday evening performances are at 7:30 p.m. The Sunday show begins at 2:30 p.m. Tickets start at $15.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service Southeast Region announced Tuesday that Georgia and Tennessee are two of 14 states that have been selected to participate in the expansion of a demonstration project to evaluate the impact of using Medicaid eligibility data to directly certify students from low-income households to receive free and reduced-price school meals.

Historically, most students who receive these meals have been certified based on information they submit in an application. Officials say adding Medicaid to the list of benefit programs that can “directly certify” a student to receive free or reduced-price meals is a win-win for students, families, and school officials. This means less paperwork for families and fewer school meal applications for school districts to process and verify. The remaining 12 states selected to participate in this round of the project are Arizona, Colorado, Delaware, Montana, New Mexico, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Vermont and Wyoming. The newest round of this demonstration creates an important opportunity to further test the impact of Medicaid Direct Certification, which was first initiated through the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010.

The Biden Administration is committed to expanding direct certification opportunities and certifying more eligible children for free and reduced-price meals without an application. For more information, visit the FNS webpage on Direct Certification.

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Gwinnett County commissioners agreed to partner with the Georgia Department of Transportation on one proposed new interchange on an interstate in the county and to team up with the city of Buford on a draft report for another proposed interchange on a different interstate.

One of the interchanges is the long-discussed proposed McGinnis Ferry Road interchange on Interstate 85 in Suwanee. The other is a proposed interchange on Interstate 985 at Thompson Mill Road in Buford.

The partnership with Georgia DOT pertains to right-of-way acquisition for the McGinnis Ferry Road interchange on I-85. The interchange has been in the planning stages for years and advertisements calling for construction bids for the project are expected to be posted this year.

For more information be sure to visit www.bgpodcastnetwork.com

https://www.lawrencevillega.org/ 

https://www.foxtheatre.org/ 

https://guideinc.org/ 

https://www.psponline.com/ 

https://www.kiamallofga.com/ 

https://www.milb.com/gwinnett 

https://www.fernbankmuseum.org/ 

www.atlantagladiators.com

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Learn what it's like to ride bulls for a living, as Dakota Louis stops by ahead of the PBR event in Duluth.

A Duluth High School student is facing criminal charges after they used a knife to cut a classmate during a fight shortly before classes began last Thursday, according to the school's principal.

Duluth Principal Eric Davidson told parents in a letter on social media that the students got into a fight outside the cafeteria shortly before first period. One of the students pulled out a knife during the fight and inflicted what Davidson called a "superficial wound" on the other student.

Duluth's school resource officers and several administrators were nearby when the incident occurred and quickly worked to the break the fight up, according to the principal. Both students are expected to face disciplinary consequences for fighting, but the student who was carrying the knife is also expected to face criminal charges since they were carrying a weapon on campus. In a follow up message to parents, Davidson said, all students involved in the incident, even those students who were only marginally involved, were suspended. The fight is the latest incident involving a weapon at a Gwinnett County school year, however.

In October, a Grayson High School student was cut with a box cutter during a fight in a school bathroom, days after a Norcross High School student died after he was shot near campus during school hours. Around the same time, a Shiloh High School was arrested after he fire a gun on campus shortly after classes dismissed for the day.

Critics of a new discipline policy that was put in place for Gwinnett County Public Schools last summer have pointed to the incidents, as well as others including increased numbers of fights, saying they are evidence that the district's new discipline approach is not working.

In November, Gwinnett County Public Schools officials said the number of incidents involving guns between Aug. 1 and Oct. 31 had more than doubled compared to the same time period during the 2021 2022 school year, going from two incidents to five incidents. The number of incidents involving a blade or a razor had also increased, going from seven between August and October 2021 to 11 incidents between August and October of 2022.

Collins Hill legend Maya Moore officially retired from the WNBA on Monday, making the announcement on "Good Morning America." Moore hasn't played in the WNBA since 2018, when she announced plans to commit time to criminal justice reform.

Moore entered the WNBA in 2011 as the No. 1 pick of the Minnesota Lynx on the heels of leading UConn to the national title. She captured the Rookie of the Year award and the first of four WNBA titles (2011, 2013, 2015, 2017). Minnesota appeared in the playoffs eight consecutive seasons with Moore on the roster.

An All-WNBA pick five consecutive seasons, Moore was league MVP in 2014 and a six-time All-Star with three All-Star MVP awards.

At the high school level, Moore led Collins Hill to state championships her final three seasons and a national championship as a senior. As part of her commitment to criminal justice reform, Moore lobbied for the release of Jonathan Irons from the Jefferson City correctional center in Missouri. After 23 1/2 years behind bars, Irons was vindicated of a conviction for murder and burglary that happened when he was 16 years old. A judge set Irons free, citing a fingerprint report that would've proved Irons' innocence but was not turned over to his defense team.

Moore and Irons are now married with a child, and have co-authored a book "Love and Justice."

When Gwinnettians lined up to either participate in, or watch, the county’s annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day Parade in Lawrenceville on Monday, it was the first time they’ve been able to do so since before the COVID-19 pandemic.

The parade, which is staged by the United Ebony Society of Gwinnett County, had the theme of “Why We Can’t Wait.”

The parade was not held in 2021 because of the pandemic. Meanwhile, last year’s parade was cancelled partially because of a surge in COVID cases, but also because King’s family had asked communities to use the day to focus on getting voting rights legislation passed by Congress instead of holding parades. The parade and celebration were not be the only way Gwinnettians honored King’s legacy on Monday, however. Multiple local groups held service projects, such as Volunteer Gwinnett and Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated.

Kahmare Holmes had 19 points and five rebounds Monday in the Archer boys basketball team’s 50-48 win over Buckhorn Alabama in the MLK National Showcase.

The Tigers, seventh in Class 7A, also got contributions from Darrian Joseph (five points, three rebounds, two assists), Elijah Davis (five points), Bryce Kennedy (three points, two rebounds), Dominick Wright (three points, six rebounds, three steals) and Courtland Walker (six points, three rebounds, three assists).

Class 7A Number 1 Norcross held Thompson Alabama to 17 second-half points in a 66-51 victory Monday in the MLK National Showcase. Lamariyon Jordan scored 23 for the Blue Devils, and Samarion Bond scored 16.

And Greater Atlanta Christian fell 65-49 to Drew Charter, Number 8 in Double A, in Monday’s Dream Challenge.

Jonathan Waters led the Spartans with 15 points and six rebounds, while Kaosi Chijioke added nine points, six rebounds and two assists. GAC’s other contributors included Nick Teague (five points, nine rebounds), Amare Williams (seven points, five assists, three rebounds) and Noah Harry (seven points, four rebounds).

A man was shot by a Snellville police officer early Monday morning at a local gas station after police said the department "received multiple calls of a man brandishing a firearm."

Police said an officer located the suspected vehicle shortly after 4 a.m. at the Speedway gas station located at Stone Mountain Highway and Highpoint Road. Snellville police said said the suspect was taken to a local hospital and was being treated. His condition was not immediately known. The department also said the officer "sustained a minor injury during the event" and was also treated at a hospital.

According to police, a gun was located at the scene.

Snellville police said the GBI has been called to investigate the incident, which is standard procedure in police involved shootings.

One of them leads the company that has the naming rights to the Gas South District and has been involved in the county because of that.

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PBR Stock Contractor and former world champion Cord McCoy talks about the business of bulls ahead of this weekend's PBR event in Duluth. 

Gwinnett County police are searching for a 19-year-old man who is wanted for a deadly shooting that happened in the early hours of Saturday morning.

According to Corpora. Angela Carter, Miguel Rodriguez is wanted for felony murder and aggravated assault in the death of 45-year-old Felipe Velasco.

Carter said police responded to a call on Fox Forest Ct. in Lilburn at about 12:40 a.m. and found Velasco inside the home suffering from a gunshot wound.

Velasco was transported to the hospital but was pronounced dead upon arrival. Carter said Rodriquez is known to drive a Jeep wrangler with Georgia tag “XEG482.” She said a “domestic related” dispute led to the shooting.

Police are asking anyone with information to share in the case, or who has information on Rodriguez’s whereabouts, to contact Gwinnett detectives.

When Peachtree Corners officials were approached in 2019 about the city participating in the federal Urban County program with its fellow Gwinnett cities and the county itself, they were given a few days to look at impact of participating versus not participating and make a decision.

Without a whole lot of time to think it over, and without knowing the county would be impacted if the city did not participate, Peachtree Corners’ leaders decided to pass on the offer.

Flash forward to this past Tuesday and the situation was very different. The city’s leaders, armed with new information from the county, are considering joining the program. Peachtree Corners is the only Gwinnett city — the only part of Gwinnett in fact — that does not participate in the Urban County program. The federal program is set up to help communities get HUD assistance grant funding.

Gwinnett cities who opt to participate in the program with the county, as well as qualified residents who live in those cities, can apply to the county’s HUD program for community development block grants.

A qualified resident is a person who lives within a low-income census tract within a community. There are only two census tracts in Peachtree Corners that meet that criteria. Both tracts are in the southern part of the city, near the Gwinnett-DeKalb county line along the Peachtree Industrial Boulevard and Buford Highway corridors.

If a city does not participate in the program with the county, its qualified residents have to apply to the state for assistance.

In that scenario, Peachtree Corners residents would have compete against a much larger pool of applicants from across Georgia, and they would therefore be less likely to get approved for help.

One piece of information Peachtree Corners officials said they have now that they did not have in 2019 is the details on how not participating in the program affects Gwinnett County as a whole.

County and city officials said Gwinnett is missing out on $350,000 per year by not having Peachtree Corners participate because of the population its inclusion adds.

Gwinnett County residents who want to adopt a dog, or surrender a pooch they are no longer able to care for, from the county's animal shelter are out of luck — for now.

County officials have stopped dog adoptions and intakes at the Bill Atkinson Animal Welfare Shelter in Lawrenceville until Jan. 19 because of a disease outbreak at the shelter.

The situation at the shelter only affects dog adoptions and intakes, so people who want to adopt a cat can still do so at this time. Some dogs can also still be brought to the shelter for intake, but only if they are injured.

The county is also allowing pet owners to come by and reclaim their lost pets, including lost dogs, at the shelter despite the suspension of dog adoptions.

In the early years of the Hooper-Renwick School, events such as graduations, recitals and plays were like church affairs.

That’s in large part because those events were held in local churches because the school — which many African-American students in Gwinnett attended before desegregation of schools occurred in the 1960’s — did not have facilities to host events when it was first built.

Those kinds of spaces would not be available at the school itself until it was expanded in the late 1950’s and early 1960’s.

Two churches in particular which supported the school were the old Mt. Calvary United Methodist Church and Pleasant Hill Baptist Church in Lawrenceville. As work commences to turn the old Hooper-Renwick School into the Hooper-Renwick themed library, the city of Lawrenceville has secured several artifacts from Mt. Calvary’s 1960 building on Neal Street for display in the library.

The city saved the church’s stained glass windows and pews. It also found items which had been placed inside a time capsule with the church’s cornerstone. The items were removed before the church was torn down at the end of December.

Among the items found inside the time capsule were a 1960 Hooper-Renwick graduation program, a copy of the program from the church’s opening day celebrations and a copy of the new testament.

Multiple Gwinnett County government and business leaders have been named among the most influential and notable people in the state by Georgia Trend magazine.

Georgia Trend released its annual 100 Influential Georgians list, as well as its list of notable Georgians, this month. Among the people named Influential Georgians were Gwinnett County Commission Chairwoman Nicole Love Hendrickson and Gwinnett Chamber President and CEO Nick Masino. Two other names included on the list were Hussey Gay Bell CEO and Chairman G. Holmes Bell IV, who was listed by Georgia Trend as being from Duluth, and Johnson R&D and JTEC Energy founder Lonnie Johnson, who was listed as being from Lilburn.

The list of Influential Georgians recognizes people in the state who, according to Georgia Trend, “represents the best qualities of leadership, power, character and influence the state has to offer.” It includes a broad cross section of Georgians from government officials such as Governor Brian Kemp to business, healthcare, education and nonprofit leaders and even University of Georgia Head Football Coach Kirby Smart. There were also four Gwinnettians who made Georgia Trend’s Notable Georgians list, which recognizes people who have made a significant contribution to the state. These Gwinnettians include: Atlanta Regional Commission Board Chairman Kerry Armstrong; Georgia Republican Party Chairman David Shafer; Partnership Gwinnett Vice-President of Economic Development Andrew Carnes; and American Council of Engineering Companies of Georgia President and CEO Michael “Sully” Sullivan. In addition to the eight people from Gwinnett who made the Influential or Notable Georgians lists, there were some other people with ties to Gwinnett who were named among the state’s most influential residents as well. Some of them lead hospital systems which have campuses or medical offices in Gwinnett while others are either state officials who live close to Gwinnett’s borders and have been involved in projects in the county.

One of them leads the company that has the naming rights to the Gas South District and has been involved in the county because of that.

For more information be sure to visit www.bgpodcastnetwork.com

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Gwinnett County police are searching for a 19-year-old man who is wanted for a deadly shooting that happened in the early hours of Saturday morning.

According to Cpl. Angela Carter, Miguel Rodriguez is wanted for felony murder and aggravated assault in the death of 45-year-old Felipe Velasco.

Carter said police responded to a call on Fox Forest Ct. in Lilburn at about 12:40 a.m. and found Velasco inside the home suffering from a gunshot wound.

For more information be sure to visit www.bgpodcastnetwork.com

https://www.lawrencevillega.org/ 

https://www.foxtheatre.org/ 

https://guideinc.org/ 

https://www.psponline.com/ 

https://www.kiamallofga.com/ 

https://www.milb.com/gwinnett 

https://www.fernbankmuseum.org/ 

www.atlantagladiators.com

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The FBI announced on Thursday that they believe a former Gwinnett County resident and lab owner who allegedly violated his pre-trial release while facing fraud charges in New Orleans may be back in the Atlanta area, and they are asking for help to find him.

Federal officials said Khalid Ahmed Satary was indicted on several charges in the New Orleans-based United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana in September 2019. He was one of 35 people indicted at that time for their involvement in a scheme where about $2.1 billion in claims were filed with Medicare for fraudulent cancer gene tests for elderly people.

A warrant for Satary's arrest was issued on Nov. 23 for the pre-trial release violation. The FBI field office in Miami is leading the search for Satary, but anyone who knows where he is located can contact any FBI office, including the one in Atlanta. At the time of the 2019 indictment, federal officials called it one of the largest health care fraud schemes they have ever seen. The charges from the case were spread across five federal court districts in Louisiana, Georgia and Florida.

Satary, in particular, is facing the following charges: conspiracy to commit health care fraud and wire fraud; health care fraud; conspiracy to defraud the United States and to pay and receive illegal health care kickbacks; and conspiracy to launder monetary instruments.

Satary was running Clio Laboratories, which was located in the Gwinnett Progress Center on Hurricane Shoals Road, when the indictment came down.

In addition to the Atlanta area, other places the FBI said Satary may have headed to include: Houston, Texas; Delray Beach, Fla.; and Dubai in the United Arab Emirates.

Gwinnett County police are looking for a motive after a man was stabbed to death at a Norcross area extended stay in the wee hours of Wednesday morning.

Fifty-year-old Duluth resident Marvin Hollie was arrested for the stabbing, which left Tyler Summerour, 28, dead. Hollie was charged with aggravated assault, malice murder and felony murder.

Police said they were called to the Norcross Extended Stay, located at 2250 Pelican Way, shortly after 3:20 a.m. Wednesday. Valle said the reason for the stabbing is unknown, and homicide detectives are exploring all motives. Police are asking anyone with information to share in the case to contact Gwinnett detectives at 770-513-5300. 

Harbins Elementary School teacher Melissa Barth was recently named a 2023 Don Cargill STEM Scholars recipient.

The award, sponsored by the Georgia Youth Science and Technology Centers, recognizes educators for their thoughtful engagement with students, and creating imaginative classroom lessons that teach and support science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education.

Barth, one of only 23 educators from around the state and the only educator from Gwinnett County selected to receive the award said she was humbled by the recognition.

The GYSTC is a private, not-for-profit educational organization. Its mission is to increase interest in and enthusiasm for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics as subjects for serious study, particularly among elementary and middle school teachers, students, and parents in typically underserved areas in Georgia. Barth says she’s passionate about STEM because it engages students.

It was an easy decision for the Aurora Theatre to bring “Kim Convenience” to the Lawrenceville Arts Center’s Metro Waterproofing Main Stage from Jan. 19 to Feb. 19.

“We loved this play because it is about a hard-working family who own a small business,” Jon Carr, the Aurora Theatre’s director of marketing, said. “Many Gwinnett stories start that way. Then combine that with the universal themes in the show: The struggle of keeping your loved ones together, the balance of work and family.

“Kim’s Convenience,” an award-winning comedic play that evolved into a hit series on both Canadian TV and Netflix, centers on Appa Kim, played by James Yi, who runs the family business from behind the counter at Kim’s Convenience in Toronto. He provides his customers with wisdom and history lessons along with their snacks.

But Mr. Kim is presented with a substantial offer by big-city developers to sell them his store so they can close it, which would yield him a substantial profit but also end a business that’s been in his family for years.

It’s up to Kim and his wife, played by Yingling Zhu, to decide if they want to take the cash or turn down the offer by convincing their adult children Janet (Caroline Donica) and Jung (Ryan Vo) to keep the store in Korean-Canadian family’s name by following in their father’s footsteps. “Kim’s Convenience” was a huge hit at the Toronto Fringe Festival in 2011, where the play by Ins Choi completed a sold-out run en route to winning the Patron’s Pick Award. The show was such a big hit that it was picked by Netflix in 2020.

 When it comes to his profession and his country, Dacula native Will Hinton’s aim is true.

Hinton, 26, has a unique position in military hierarchy as a member of the elite Army Marksmanship Unit, which numbers about 15 soldiers. And with his sharp shooting, Hinton has the opportunity this summer to earn a spot on the U.S. Olympic team.

Competing in bunker trap, Hinton — who in 2022 has been ranked No. 5 in the world — had an excellent year. He won the ISSF President’s Cup in Men’s Trap and was on the ISSF World Championship Team in Men’s Skeet at a competition in Cairo, Egypt, and he took the silver medal in men’s trap at the Shotgun National Championship in July in Hillsdale, Michigan.

Perhaps most importantly, Hinton snagged one of two U.S. Olympic Quotas at the 2022 CAT Games in November in Lima, Peru. As a result, he’ll compete for one of two spots on Team USA for the 2024 Summer Olympic Games (in Paris) at the Olympic Trails, set for May 2023 back in Hillsdale. The Olympic Games would be a fitting competition for Hinton, who grew up shooting with his father, whom he said is “a big bird hunter.” He began shooting competitively as a teenager and transitioned from team shooting to individual performances with the National Sporting Clays Association.

Stone Mountain Park is hosting its first Lunar New Year Festival and park officials it will be the largest one in North America.

Taking place Jan. 20-22 and 27-29, the celebration will feature cultural craft activities, storytelling, puppetry, dance and drum exhibitions, parades, a new Drone Show and a new Light Show along with other cultural elements.

It will be held in the Crossroads area of the park, and officials say visitors will experience the largest Lunar New Year Spectacular in North America through dance, music, educational craft activations, dragon and lion dance teams, martial arts demonstrations, signature foods, hundreds of red and gold lanterns, and much more.

“The event showcases cultural and educational activities for families to experience together,” park officials said.

Visitors can:

♦ Learn calligraphy

♦ Witness yo-yo demonstrations, knot tying, and more from certified instructors from the Chinese Cultural School of Atlanta

♦ Pose for pictures with ambassadors dressed in cultural dress and stationary backdrops throughout the event

♦ Visit the Lighted Reflection Walk-Way to offer well wishes and prayers for a prosperous new year.

Each evening visitors can witness a festive Drone Show featuring more than 200 color-changing drones creating amazing aerial formations synced to music before watching the massive Lunar New Year Light Show projecting images on the mountain along with immersive lights and special effects. All of that is followed by a fireworks finale.

For tickets and more information, go to www.stonemountainpark.com.

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