The Sports Pig

Although it wasn’t necessarily a vacation, the Brookwood High School Bronco Marching Band recently completed a history-making holiday sojourn to Southern California.

On Jan. 2, the Bronco Marching Band performed in the iconic Rose Parade in Pasadena, Calif., the first high school ensemble from Gwinnett County to take part in the parade, which has been a holiday tradition for more than 130 years.

“Unbelievable,” said Laura Moates Stanley, director of bands and Fine Arts Department chair at Brookwood, when asked to describe the scene. “It’s hard to put the experience into words. It took a lot of training and rehearsal and when you get there, it’s an extremely emotional thing because it’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience.”

For advertising inquiries, please email [email protected]

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/ 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

An effort by the Mountain View High School football community to help one of its families, which lost its home in a fire on Christmas Day, has exceeded expectations this week.

The Van Horn family was hit by a fire on Sunday night, and the home ended up being a total loss. The family’s father, Michael, is the Mountain View football Touchdown Club president and the two sons in the family have played football at the school.

Mountain View football officials set out to raise $4,000 through a GoFundMe campaign to help the family.

As of Thursday night, the fundraising effort had raised $19,377 from 163 donations.

The football team also held a donation drive, where people could donate clothing and gift cards to the family, for two hours on last Wednesday morning. A link to the Go Fund Me can be found on Gwinnett Daily Post dot com.

For anyone who thinks that one person can’t effect a positive impact in multiple communities, meet Alessandra Ferrara-Miller, the founder of Forsyth County-based All For Lunch.

Five years ago, the California native established All For Lunch Inc. in Suwanee to pay off the lunch debt for four elementary schools in the North Gwinnett Cluster. Ferrara-Miller’s efforts have since blossomed throughout schools in the metro Atlanta area.

In mid-December, Ferrara-Miller announced that her one-person nonprofit erased the lunchroom debt in more than 250 schools in Gwinnett, Fulton, Cobb, Barrow and Fayette counties. All For Lunch gave more than $130,000 to schools — including more than $75,000 in Gwinnett — so that families wouldn’t go into the holiday season with outstanding school lunch debt.

On December 19, Ferrara-Miller said she planned to meet with administrators in Forsyth County to eliminate lunch debt in more than 40 schools before the end of 2022. Ferrara-Miller said she got the idea to pay off school lunch debt after seeing a news report about a young student in Alabama who was sent home from school one day with a stamp on his arm that said, “I need lunch money.”

A digital asset portfolio manager by day, Ferrara-Miller established All For Lunch (using the book “Nonprofits for Dummies” as a guide) and began her push to put a dent in the debt many families accrue in school cafeterias across the metro area.

According to the Educational Data Initiative, more than 1.5 million students can’t afford a school lunch, resulting in a school meal debt of some $250 million. More than three-quarters of the schools in the country have unpaid lunch debt and at the beginning of the 2022-23 school year, the free lunches that had been offered to students in the wake of the COVID pandemic were no longer offered.

North Gwinnett grad Seth Anderson committed Sunday to the Iowa Hawkeyes football program.

Anderson was a hot prospect in the transfer portal after a breakout 2022 season at Charleston Southern, where he earned Freshman All-American honors and was the Big South Conference Offensive Player of the Year as a redshirt freshman. The 6-foot, 178-pound wide receiver had 42 catches for 628 yards and seven touchdowns. Anderson, who earned second-team all-region honors and honorable mention all-county acclaim as a North senior in 2020, is the son of longtime NFL receiver Willie “Flipper” Anderson, whose 336 receiving yards against the Saints in 1989 is an NFL record. Seth chose the Hawkeyes over Georgia Tech, James Madison, and Appalachian State, among others. Iowa went 8-5 this season, with a 5-4 mark in the Big Ten. The Hawkeyes capped off their season Saturday with a 21-0 win over Kentucky in the Music City Bowl.

 Gwinnett County officials are warning residents to be wary of anyone who shows up at their door claiming to work for the county’s water department — because that person is an imposter.

Officials said reports have been coming in to Gwinnett County Water Resources about someone trying to enter homes while claiming to work for a Gwinnett County lab. Most of the attempts have targeted Spanish-speaking families who live in the Norcross area.

Residents are advised to not let anyone asking to test their water into their homes. They are also asked to call 9-1-1, especially if they don’t feel safe or they think someone is trying to break into their home.

They can also call the Department of Water Resource’s 24-hour dispatch line if they have questions or concerns.

 On January first of 2019 history was made as Gwinnett County Commissioner Marlene Fosque and school board member Everton Blair became the first African-Americans to serve on their respective boards.

Four years later, they will both leave their respective offices this weekend.

Saturday marked the last official day of Fosque’s and Blair’s terms of office. Blair opted to not seek re-election this year while Fosque’s bid for a second term in the County Commission District 4 ended in defeat last month.

At Fosque’s last commission business meeting on December 13, she quoted Nelson Mandela as she reflected on her time in office.

“He said, ‘What counts in life is not the mere fact that we have lived. It is what difference we have made to the lives of others that will determine the significance of the life we led,’ Fosque said. “I hope and I pray that I made a difference in your lives as a commissioner, and I want you to know that you definitely made a difference — a positive, not just a difference but a positive difference — in my life and I thank you all.”

Fosque and Blair were celebrated by their respective colleagues earlier this month, not only for the historic firsts that their elections represented, but also for the work they did on their respective boards.

Fosque, for example, was hailed for her work on Project RESET and Project RESET 2.0, programs that she championed and helped get off the ground to help families with financial assistance to stay in their residences during the COVID-19 pandemic. Meanwhile, Blair received a plaque from Gwinnett County Public Schools Superintendent Calvin Watts during the school board’s December meeting.

Blair, who was the board’s chairman in 2021, was recognized for bringing “innovation, the innovative ideas” and “valuable leadership input” to the board and for his commitment to the school system during Watts’ presentation.

For advertising inquiries, please email [email protected]

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/ 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Gwinnett County police are looking for a woman accused of robbing one bank and trying to rob another one in mid-December.

Arrest warrants have been taken out against Janae Samantha Fareaux according to Corporal Ryan Winderweedle.

Fareaux is accused of going to a Wells Fago off of Killian Hill Road in unincorporated Lilburn on December 14 and demanding that she be taken into the vault. Winderweedle said she left the bank without getting any money, however.

A day later, Fareaux allegedly went to a Truist bank located off of Pleasant Hill Road in unincorporated Duluth and passed a note to a teller. She allegedly left Truist with more than $2,000. Winderweedle said Fareaux was wearing a long black wig, gray T-shirt over a long sleeve black shirt, black pants, black shoes and green socks the last tie she was seen. She may be driving a red or maroon 2019-2020 Hyundai Elantra.

Anyone who has information about Fareaux’s whereabouts is asked to call detectives or crime stoppers. Crime Stoppers is offering a cash reward for tips that lead to arrest and indictment.

North Gwinnett senior Marek Briley committed Sunday to the Georgia Bulldogs football program, accepting a preferred walk-on offer from the defending national champion. Briley, a 6-foot-3, 200-pound wide receiver, had 37 catches for 795 yards and eight touchdowns this season for North’s state playoff team. Briley had division one offers from programs such as Stetson and Navy. He received his offer to be  a preferred walk-on for the Dawgs during his mid-December visit to Athens.

As U.S. Representative Carolyn Bourdeaux’s final days in Congress ticked away during the holidays, she highlighted one last batch of funding she was able to secure for the 7th Congressional District before leaving office.

Bourdeaux, who leaves office this weekend, said the federal Fiscal Appropriations Bill that was passed by the House and sent to President Joe Biden in December included nearly $13 million for projects in her district. In all, 14 7th Congressional District projects were included in the appropriations bill.

Some of those projects include money to expand transit in Gwinnett County, support work to convert the Hooper-Renwick School building in Lawrenceville into the Hooper-Renwick library branch and support efforts to help victims of sexual and domestic violence. This will be the last time that north Gwinnett and Forsyth County get funding allocations as part of the 7th Congressional District. Starting in 2023, Forsyth and parts of the Buford area will move to the 6th Congressional District while most of the northern half of Gwinnett will move to the 9th Congressional District.

Meanwhile, part of north Fulton County and the part of Gwinnett County that is south of U.S. 78 will be added to the 7th Congressional district.

A major chunk of the 7th Congressional District money included in the appropriations bill will support transit expansion in Gwinnett County.

That funding includes $2 million for Gwinnett County Transit to establish microtransit service in the Buford and Suwanee area. Another $2 million was allocated to the county’s transit system for bus shelters for a new Route 25 local bus service.

Data shows Georgia is among the worst states for grade crossing crashes.

According to Operation Lifesaver, citing preliminary 2021 Federal Railroad Administration statistics, Georgia had 132 grade crossing collisions with eight deaths and 37 injuries. The Peach State ranked behind Texas and California for the number of collisions.

According to the Georgia Department of Transportation, in 2018-20, there were 283 crashes with 22 fatalities and 63 injuries at grade crossings in the state. Between 2018-20, 12.4% of all injuries and 5.3% of all fatalities occurred at grade crossings with gates.

Jennie Glasgow, Operation Lifesaver’s state coordinator for Georgia, told The Center Square it’s not necessarily surprising the state nears the top of the list, considering it is one of the more populous states and is an important railroad state.

The number of crashes in Georgia increased from an average of 81 in 2010-12 to 99 per year in 2017-19, even as the annual number of crashes during 2009-19 nationally stayed constant.

Across Georgia, there are more than 5,000 railroad crossings. However, less than half — roughly 45.2% — have gates, while about 2.9% have flashing lights but no gates.

The majority — roughly 51.9% — are so-called "passive" crossings, meaning they do not have flashing lights or gates.

Lanier had good reason to throw in the towel.

The Longhorns boys basketball team saw its seven-point lead over Scottsboro dwindle to two before halftime of the 31st Annual Deep South Classic Championship on Friday. They then surrendered back-to-back 3-pointers to open the third quarter, resulting in a four-point deficit.

Some teams would panic. Others might fold entirely.

Instead, the Longhorns dug in their heels.

Lanier used a dominant third-quarter run to pull out a 61-56 win and secure the DSC title on Eddie Martin Court.

Trailing 30-26 with 6:30 to go in the third quarter, Lanier turned up the dial defensively.

The Longhorns made a concerted effort to apply pressure, close out on shooters and force up shots. On the other end of the court, the proverbial lid on the rim dissolved, allowing their own shots to float through the net at last.

The result? A flurry of 14 unanswered points en route to a 20-2 run that flipped the game on its head. By the time the third-quarter game clock dipped inside the minute, the Longhorns had built up a 46-32 advantage.

The run lasted five minutes of game time, but it was perfectly encapsulated by a sequence that took just 38 seconds to unfold.

When Lanier junior Cameron Thornton’s 3-pointer slipped through the net to retake the lead for his team, 5:10 remained on the clock. Just 20 seconds later, senior Landon Suarez stopped at the same spot on the court and knocked for a 3-point jumper of his own.

The Wildcats marched down the court looking to answer, but junior Jayce Nathaniel elevated to block the shot at the 4:42 mark. The Longhorns wasted no time running the other in transition, putting the ball in the hands of Suarez, who once against connected from downtown to make it 37-30 with 4:32 to go. The 38-second sequence injected a jolt of energy into the Longhorns that ultimately carried them to victory.

For advertising inquiries, please email [email protected]

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/ 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As U.S. Rep. Carolyn Bourdeaux’s final days in Congress ticked away during the holidays, she highlighted one last batch of funding she was able to secure for the 7th Congressional District before leaving office.

Bourdeaux, who leaves office this weekend, said the federal Fiscal Appropriations Bill that was passed by the House and sent to President Joe Biden in December included nearly $13 million for projects in her district. In all, 14 7th Congressional District projects were included in the appropriations bill.

Some of those projects include money to expand transit in Gwinnett County, support work to convert the Hooper-Renwick School building in Lawrenceville into the Hooper-Renwick library branch and support efforts to help victims of sexual and domestic violence.

For advertising inquiries, please email [email protected]

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/ 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

People who live in northwest Gwinnett County will have a chance to get a year's worth of free pizza next week.

A new Pizza Hut location, which is run by Flynn Restaurant Group, opened at 1550 Buford Highway in Buford on Dec. 23, but it's what the new store has planned for its grand opening festivities next week that will have tongues salivating. The first 25 customers who are in line at the store on Jan. 6 will get free pizza for a year. There are some limits on what pizzas qualify for the free pizza for a year, and what locations the pizzas can be picked up at. The deal is only valid at locations owned by Flynn Restaurant Group — which happens to be Pizza Hut's largest franchisee and which owns 10 other Pizza locations in Gwinnett County.

In addition to the Buford location, Flynn Restaurant Group also owns locations in Sugar Hill, Suwanee, Auburn, Dacula, Duluth, Lawrenceville, Lilburn, Loganville, Norcross and Snellville. It also owns 15 other locations in metro Atlanta, including stores nearby cities such as Cumming, Flowery Branch, Hoschton and Alpharetta.

Other limitations on the free pizza for a year offer customers only being able to use it to get two complimentary specialty pizzas or up to three topping large pizzas per month for a year, a limit of one pizza per party, it only being valid on carryout orders, and it only being valid on Thin N' Crispy, original pan and hand tossed crusts.

The new store is expected to add 15 new jobs to the Buford and Sugar Hill area.

Now in its seventh decade of delivering compelling performances all over the world, the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre — recognized by Congress as a vital American “Cultural Ambassador to the World” — will make its return to Atlanta’s Fabulous Fox Theatre for a series of shows in mid-February.

Led by artistic director Robert Battle, the Ailey troupe will showcase premiers, new productions and repertory favorites for five performances February 16-19 as part of a 22-city North American tour.

While each performance will feature different choreographed works — including pieces by Kyle Abraham, Jamar Roberts and Twyla Tharp — each presentation will conclude with the stirring Ailey-choregraphed “Revelations,” which made its debut in 1960 and has been seen by more people than any other modern dance work. Ailey’s Fox Theatre residency begins at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, February 16 with Tharp’s 1997 piece “Roy’s Joys,” a new production of the 1986 production of “Survivors,” Ailey’s tribute to Nelson and Winnie Mandela, and “Revelations.  Tickets, starting at $29, are available at the Fox Theatre box office at 660 Peachtree St., or by calling 855-285-8499 or visiting www.alvinailey.org or www.foxatltix.com.

The arts in Gwinnett made great strides in 2022 to return to the pre-COVID world, where more than one nonprofit was overjoyed to find their doors still open.

As a result, the vitality and pure joy of being back on stage or opening gallery doors was evident in the work art lovers could again absorb. Below are just a few of the highlights that made this writer smile in 2022. There were so many great performances, great exhibitions, great moments that it is hard to choose.

Spring was an exciting time for Gwinnett performing arts groups and audiences.

♦ Live Arts Theatre has been nurturing and growing talent for many years. In March, their efforts were enhanced when LAT Actor Rodney Johnson won Best Performer for his work in the play “Sea Wall” at both the Southeastern Theatre Conference and the Georgia Theatre Conference.

♦ The Aurora Theatre was the venue April 2-3 when Atlanta’s amazing “Dance Canvas” highlighted the work of seven emerging choreographers. Dance Canvas’ Founder and Director, Angela Harris, has a special relationship with the Aurora, having danced in a number of their productions over the years.

♦ Spring was also celebrated by the joining of two of the Southeast’s premiere Barber Shop Choruses. Gwinnett’s lauded Stone Mountain Chorus and Atlanta Harmony Celebration joined their voices together in a concert at Mountain Park’s United Methodist Church on May 21.

♦ Also in May, Duluth photographer Mary Buck traveled to Spain and returned with another treasure trove of images. Buck is known for her extraordinary photos of birds, whether taken in her own backyard or on the other side of the world.

Art Beat columns of summer and early fall seemed to be full of young, talented Gwinnett dancers finding success.

♦ Rachael Graham was once a featured performer at Gwinnett Ballet Theatre. Since this summer, she has sported a number of tiaras, dancing and singing as Disney Princesses on their Cruise Line in the Caribbean.

♦ Dreams came true for another ex-Gwinnett Ballet dancer. Runako Campbell is living the dream in New York City where she has performed in a variety of shows, commercials, and with the Metropolitan Opera Ballet.

♦ The Hudgens Center is one of Gwinnett’s treasured arts entities, and The Hudgens Prize is a great example of how philanthropy can lift emerging artists into the spotlight. This year’s winner is sculptor Olu Amoda who received the Prize with its $50,000 cash gift in October.

♦ “The Lion in Winter” was presented in early December by Lionheart Theatre, directed by Brandi Kilgore. Taking on such a renowned and powerful work is a true artistic test and certainly a highlight of Lionheart’s season.

As 2022 comes to a close, one more young artist is spreading wings and flying into her future.

♦ By the new year, 10-year-old Lillian Sears, who has trained at Duluth’s Atlanta Professional Dance Academy, will begin studying at the Paris Opera Ballet. She is the first North American to be accepted into the POB’s six-month audition program. Dreams do come true.

Here’s to 2023!

Grayson’s girls basketball team defeated Archbishop Chapelle (La.) 58-22 Thursday in the championship game of the St. Pius Christmas Classic.

The Rams went 3-0 in the tournament, improving to 10-4 on the season.

Tatum Brown was named tournament MVP, and Samara Saunders earned a spot on the all-tournament team.

The Rams are back at home Friday where they’ll open the New Year with a game against Brookwood.

Georgia saw its population increase by 1.7% between 2020 and 2022, new numbers from the Census Bureau show.

As of July 1, Georgia’s population stood at more than 10.9 million, up from about 10.7 million at the same time in 2020.

The Peach State’s neighbor to the south, Florida, saw its population increase at a higher rate of 3% during the same timeframe, Census numbers show.

South Carolina (2.9%), North Carolina (2.4%) and Tennessee (1.8%) also grew more than the Peach State, though Georgia has a higher population than the three states. However, Georgia’s growth outpaced that of Alabama, which saw its population increase by 0.9%.

For more information, visit www.lanierislands.com

For advertising inquiries, please email [email protected]

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/ 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Gwinnett's own Offset sponsored his "Toys for the Nawf" drive to help local kids have a Merry Christmas. 

For more information, visit www.lanierislands.com

For advertising inquiries, please email [email protected]

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/ 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Fernbank Museum will offer a vivid immersion into the science of color in the new special exhibit that will open in February.

“The Nature of Color” will be on view at the museum February 11 through May 7 of 2023.

A statement from museum officials said: “Our world is covered in color — it’s woven so tightly into our lives that we rarely stop to question what it is and how it works. Where do colors come from? The new exhibit offers an in-depth exploration of the way color carries information in nature, including how organisms use it to find food, warn off predators and reproduce. The exhibit also delves into the use of color across cultures, where different colors can signal a wide range of meanings, impact emotions and ultimately influence the society around us.

This fun and family friendly exhibit features models, cultural objects, media and interactive components that will invite visitors to play and experiment. Guests will be immersed in a kaleidoscope of imagery, interactivity and exploration and can interact with activities such as a “painting” on a floor-to-ceiling canvas using just their hands.

They also can experience a colorchanging room, featuring a light lab experiment that provides the opportunity to combine colors to make white light.

“The Nature of Color” also brings with it three displays that delve more into the specificities of color.

♦ “Feeling Color” allows guests to create different pigmented combinations to see how their creation affects their emotions.

♦ “Making Color” demonstrates the process of dyeing fabric and the history behind this process.

♦ “Meaning of Color” teaches guests how colors can create a shared identity and shows this through the color red and its use from cave art all the way to college sports.

For those who have ever pondered the influence of hue on society — from guiding emotions and the way animals interact in nature to the history of color production — “The Nature of Color” aims to answer these explorative questions and showcase the ways that color ultimately influences every aspect of our lives, museum officials said.

Another highlight of “The Nature of Color” is an installation of portraits by Brazilian photographer Angélica Dass, whose work showcases the diversity of human skin tones to challenge socially constructed racial categories and celebrate the beauty and diversity of humans around the world. Also featured is a red chiffon and organza gown by American designer Brandon Maxwell that was created specifically for the exhibit.

Fernbank will celebrate the opening of The Nature of Color with a special family-friendly Discovery Day on February 11, featuring a range of activities that explore color, including a special demonstration with Fernbank’s youth volunteers to creatively paint a life-sized bear model provided by Behr Paint.

The Nature of Color is organized by the American Museum of Natural History, New York and local presentation is made possible by Behr Paint Company, one of the largest manufacturers of paints, primers, decorative finishes, stains and surface preparation products.

“The Nature of Color” is included with general admission at Fernbank and with CityPASS.

For more information, go to FernbankMuseum.org.

At the fourth annual Wreaths Across America ceremony held in mid-December at Lawrenceville’s East Shadowlawn Memorial Gardens, 350 veterans were honored as more than 150 people participated in a ceremony that included laying a fresh balsam wreath at every gravesite and reciting aloud the names of those who served.

The commemoration was hosted by the Philadelphia Winn Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution, a volunteer women’s community service organization who for more than 130 years has promoted historic preservation, patriotism and education.

The event included ceremonial wreaths honoring each branch of the military and also honored the nearly 95,000 POW/MIA veterans who have never returned home to their families. The wreaths, complete with red bows, were made in Maine for Wreaths Across America, whose stated mission is to remember the fallen, honor those who serve and teach the next generation the value of freedom. More than 3,300 locations nationwide and abroad received veterans’ wreaths for ceremonies.

Among the participants in the local commemoration were the Georgia State Society, Sons of the American Revolution Color Guard and Milita, the Elisha Winn Society Children of the American Revolution, the Parkview High School Marines JROTC Cadets and women’s groups and several Boy Scouts and Girl Scout troops, American Legion Auxiliary and VFW organizations.

Special guests included Gwinnett County Commission Chari Nicole Hendrickson, District Three Commissioner Jasper Watkins III and Lawrenceville Mayor David Still. Colonel John Haynes, U.S. Air Force (retired), a resident of Lilburn, was the guest speaker.

The National Anthem was led by the Philadelphia Winn Chapter chaplain Connie Rifkind and the Pledge of Allegiance was led by siblings Nick and Rebecca Hamrick, members of the Elish Winn Society Children of the American Revolution. The Georgia Society SAR Color Guard and Milita presented colors, performed a three-musket volley and played Taps to conclude the ceremony.

For more information on the Philadelphia Winn Chapter Daughters of the American Revolution, visit www.philadelphiawinn.blogspot.com.

Supporting the 11Alive/Salvation Army Can-A-Thon has been an annual school-wide tradition at Greater Atlanta Christian School for the past decade.

This year the GAC community again came together in the fight against food insecurity in the Gwinnett County community and beyond by collecting 22,563 non-perishables, which were delivered to the Salvation Army on Dec. 2.

Students from infant to 12th grade rallied their efforts for the past month in varying ways to accomplish their goals. Different incentives and competitions all spurred the number of cans to grow.

On Can-A-Thon collection day, each school level’s service and leadership groups lent a hand collecting, counting, boxing, packing, and delivering food. On-site at Salvation Army, the GAC Concert Choir serenaded volunteers with spirited Christmas music while student leaders unloaded boxes and presented the donations for the 11Alive/Salvation Army Can-A-Thon.

Although Santa Claus has come and gone, there’s still time for plenty of “Winter Wonderland” fun to be had at Margaritaville at Lanier Islands through New Year’s Day.

There are several holiday packages available at Legacy Lodge, the landmark hotel at Lanier Islands, including the Winter Family Fun Package, which is available for groups of two or four. Highlights include overnight accommodations, passes for snow tubing, carnival rides, ice skating and more at Margaritaville’s License to Chill Show Island, and breakfast the next morning at Sidney’s.

After Christmas Day, the focus at Lake Lanier Islands shifted to ringing in 2023 with a pair of New Year’s Eve events and accommodation offerings.

The New Year’s Eve Celebration is an adults-only package featuring overnight accommodations, two tickets to a party and dinner buffet in the Legacy Lodge Ballroom, dancing to the music of Moxie, an open bar during the celebration, a champagne toast at midnight, a New Year’s Day brunch for two and late check out on New Year’s Day.

There’s also the New Year’s Eve Family Fun Celebration, which includes overnight accommodations, two tickets to the party and dinner buffet in the ballroom, dancing, open bar, champagne toast at midnight and two tickets to Lanier Islands’ New Year’s Eve Kids Party, complete with dinner, crafts, games, a movie and more. Also included is a New Year’s Day brunch for four and late check out, followed by a day for four at License to Chill Snow Island. For visitors reserving a LakeHouse or Villa room, a four-seater resort cart rental is also included.

License to Chill Snow Island will be open to the public daily through January 4 and on the weekends until February 26.

For more information, visit www.lanierislands.com

For advertising inquiries, please email [email protected]

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/ 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Supporting the 11Alive/Salvation Army Can-A-Thon has been an annual school-wide tradition at Greater Atlanta Christian School for the past decade.

This year the GAC community again came together in the fight against food insecurity in the Gwinnett County community and beyond by collecting 22,563 non-perishables, which were delivered to the Salvation Army on Dec. 2.

Students from infant to 12th grade rallied their efforts for the past month in varying ways to accomplish their goals. Different incentives and competitions all spurred the number of cans to grow.

On Can-A-Thon collection day, each school level’s service and leadership groups lent a hand collecting, counting, boxing, packing, and delivering food. On-site at Salvation Army, the GAC Concert Choir serenaded volunteers with spirited Christmas music while student leaders unloaded boxes and presented the donations for the 11Alive/Salvation Army Can-A-Thon.

For advertising inquiries, please email [email protected]

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/ 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A local ballet company had their props for the “Nutcracker” burglarized; Firefighters respond to 1,200 incidents over holiday weekend; And Gwinnett seeks grants for paving. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hundreds of Gwinnett County kids had gifts to unwrap on Christmas morning because of one of the county’s most famous sons.

Rapper Offset, a Gwinnett native who rose to international fame as a member of Migos, held his first-ever toy giveaway at Central Baptist Church in Lawrenceville on Friday. This is the first Christmas since Offset’s cousin and fellow Migos member, Takeoff, was killed in Houston nearly two months ago.

The Toys For Nawf event offered kids a chance to get plenty of gifts, ranging from bikes and remote control cars to dolls and toy dinosaurs.

Kids also got to play games, enjoy hot chocolate and other snacks and play in an inflatable obstacle course.

Offset’s efforts to help families enjoy Christmas did not go unnoticed by local leaders. Lawrenceville and Gwinnett County leaders presented proclamations to Offset, whose birth name is Kiari Cephus.

A proclamation from the city of Atlanta was also presented to him. “(Migos) are our favorite sons,” county commission Chairwoman Nicole Love Hendrickson said. “They put Gwinnett County on the map, and when they talk about the ‘NAWF side,’ they’re talking about the suburbs of Gwinnett County. They’re not talking about Atlanta. They’re talking about Gwinnett.

Several organizations, including Central Baptist Church, Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity and the Lawrenceville Boys and Girls Club, along with local government officials partnered with Offset to stage the event.

On behalf of Georgia’s 3,500 cotton farming families, the Georgia Cotton Commission recently donated 12,000 pairs of socks to various homeless shelters across the state.

Farmers delivered socks to the Albany Rescue Mission, the Friends Ministry in Bainbridge, Lowndes Associated Ministries to People in Valdosta, the Southwest Georgia Housing Opportunities in Columbus, The Sparrow’s Nest in Athens, Cedartown United Fund, the Rescue Mission of Middle Georgia in Macon, the Atlanta Mission, the CSRA Economic Opportunity Authority in Augusta, Fair Haven in Jesup, and the Homeless Authority in Savannah.

The Georgia Cotton Commission is a producer-funded organization located in Perry. The commission began in 1965. Georgia cotton producers pay an assessment enabling the commission to invest in programs of research, promotion, and education on behalf of all cotton producers of Georgia.

Eight boys basketball teams head to Buford City Arena this week for the inaugural Buford Classic.

Half of the field is made up of Gwinnett teams with the host Wolves being joined by Archer, Shiloh and South Gwinnett. Carrollton, Sequoyah, Walnut Grove and West Forsyth also are in the field.

Shiloh opens Wednesday’s first round with a matchup against Sequoyah, followed by Archer (8-2, No. 8 in Class AAAAAAA) against West Forsyth at 4:30 p.m. The two late games Wednesday feature South (8-2) vs. Carrollton (9-1, No. 10 in AAAAAAA) at 6 p.m., and Buford (6-3) against Walnut Grove at 7:30 p.m.

Play continues with four games Thursday — semifinals are 6 and 7:30 p.m. — followed by four more games Friday, highlighted by the 7:30 p.m. championship game.

Gwinnett County officials are planning to seek federal grant funding to find a new way to reduce the amount of biosolids coming out of the F. Wayne Hill Water Resources Center by turning them into fertilizer.

The Gwinnett County Department of Water Resources is applying for a $21.25 million grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Fertilizer Production Expansion Program. County officials plan to use the grant funds, if they are approved to receive it, to purchase a biosolids dryer for the water resources center, which treats and cleans wastewater before returning it to the county's water source, Lake Lanier.

The center has done work in the past to extract as much waste as possible to be converted into other uses.

The biosolids dryer would be used to convert biosolid waste to fertilizer instead of sending it to landfills.

County officials said, in addition to buying the dryer, they will use the grant funds to develop a marketing plan to sell the fertilizer.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.