The Sports Pig

 The Jackson EMC Foundation board of directors awarded a total of $114,919 in grants for organizations during its November meeting, including $87,500 to organizations serving Gwinnett County.

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.

Rainbow Village is helping families this holiday season, Lanier’s former football coach is coming back to Georgia; And stay tuned for a special reading of “Twas the Night Before Christmas.”

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Gwinnett County police believe a road rage incident lead to the death of a man who was shot in the parking lot of a tavern in the Mountain Park area of south Gwinnett on Monday night.

Lilburn resident Jonnathan Bladimir Hernandez, 27, has been charged with aggravated assault and felony murder in connection with the murder of Lawrenceville resident Jerome Johnson, 39. Hernandez allegedly shot Johnson in the parking lot of Will Henry’s Tavern, which is located at 1228 Rockbridge Road.

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 lead teacher at a Lawrenceville-based family child care learning home is one of three recipients of the Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning’s (DECAL) Early Childhood Educator of the Year award for 2022-23.

According to a Dec. 16 release from DECAL, the state agency responsible for meeting the child care and early education needs of Georgia children and their families, Elianne Aguilera, from Eli’s Academy in Lawrenceville, was named the state’s winning toddler educator of the year.

It was also announced that the winning infant educator was Mary Barber with Kid’s Express Learning Center in Hawkinsville and the winning preschool educator is Tierra Faulcon with Faulcon Prep Academy in Smyrna.

Aguilera, Barner and Faulcon will receive $3,000 for their personal use, $2,000 for a classroom makeover and up to $2,500 for their school to cover travel expenses and stipends for substitute teachers as they fulfill their duties at Georgia’s Early Childhood Educators of the Year. All three teachers will serve as ambassadors for the state’s early childhood educators by modeling effective classroom practices and making public speaking appearances.

#GwinnettDailyPost #Georgia #LocalNews   

-
-          
-         
-         

The Gwinnett Daily Post Podcast is local news for Lawrenceville, Norcross, Duluth, and all of Gwinnett County. Register Here for your essential digital news.    

        
This podcast was produced and published for the Gwinnett Daily Post and GwinnettDailyPost.com by BG Ad Group 

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.

Travis Hunter made waves throughout college football last year by spurning P5 schools to play for Deion Sanders at Jackson State. Will he follow his coach out West? 

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.

Governor Brian Kemp picked a Duluth-based attorney to fill the newly created seventh Gwinnett County State Court Judge seat, starting in January.

Kemp’s office announced on Friday night that the governor has appointed Jaletta Long Smith to fill the seat, which was created by the Georgia General Assembly earlier this year. Smith is a Gwinnett native and a litigation associate at Andersen, Tate and Carr PC in Duluth.

Smith’s focus area at Andersen, Tate and Carr has been on civil litigation and appellate matters, according to the governor’s office. She earned her bachelor’s degree in communication studies and Spanish from Clemson University and her law degree from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock’s William H. Bowen School of Law.

Smith served as a law clerk for three judges: U.S. District Court for Eastern District of Arkansas Judge Kristine G. Baker, retire Arkansas Supreme Court Justice Robert L. Brown and former Georgia Supreme Court Justice Britt C. Grant.

She handled civil and criminal appeals for Brown and Grant and federal civil and criminal trial matters for Baker.

Smith was a Bowen Scholar, which is a full academic scholarship, at Arkansas-Little Rock and graduated in 2010 with high honors and among the top three students in her class.

She was also the executive editor of the University of Arkansas at Little Rock Law Review. During her time at Arkansas-Little Rock, she was also one of six students who were picked to compete on the Bowen Trial team and received a Dean’s Certificate of Distinguished Service. She was a member of he Judge Henry Woods Inn of Court in Little Rock as well.

Smith was a member of Omicron Delta Kappa and a Tiger Feature Twirler at Clemson, according to her biography on the Andersen, Tate and Carr website.

Smith and her husband, Andy, have two children.

The Atlanta Regional Commission awarded funding for seven transportation-related projects in Gwinnett County, including a Satellite Boulevard Bus Rapid Transit line, on Wednesday.

The projects are part of a list of 77 metro Atlanta transportation projects that will split $235 million in federal transportation funding that the ARC is tasked with distributing. The funding is part of the Transportation Improvement Program, also known as TIP.

The proposed BRT line on Satellite Boulevard is one of the biggest projects from Gwinnett, and it is set to receive $6.4 million in federal funding through the ARC.

It is expected to run from the OFS property off Jimmy Carter Boulevard in Norcross to the Sugarloaf Mills Park and Ride lot in Lawrenceville. The federal funding will be used to begin environmental and design work on the proposed BRT line.

Gwinnett officials have been looking at how to improve mobility adjacent to the Interstate 85 corridor. BRT, which is a setup where buses act somewhat similar to trains in that they travel in dedicated lanes, is one of the options that has been discussed in recent years.

The county is putting up $1.6 million as a local matching share on the federal dollars, meaning a total of $8 million will be used to kick off the environmental and design work.

But, BRT is not the only big project in Gwinnett that is expected to get funding. There is $6 million in federal funding going to the Georgia Department of Transportation for the widening of Scenic Highway, also known as State Route 124, between U.S. Highway 78 in Snellville and Sugarloaf Parkway in Lawrenceville. State and county officials have been planning to add an additional lane in each direction for years. For a list of the other projects receiving funds, please visit Gwinnett Daily Post dot Com.

Duluth senior Sean Kimani will play his college football in the Ivy League, committing Sunday to Columbia University.

Kimani, a 6-foot-5, 290-pound offensive lineman, was a first-team all-county selection this season by the Touchdown Club of Gwinnett. He also has a 4.0 GPA. He joins a Lions program that finished 2022 with a 6-4 record, going 3-4 against Ivy League competition. The backdrop for Lions home games is different than what you might see on most college campuses, as Columbia plays its home games in Manhattan, at Robert K. Kraft Field at Lawrence A. Wien Stadium. Columbia’s 2023 football season kicks off on September 16th at Lafayette College in Pennsylvania. Ivy League teams traditionally begin their football seasons a few weeks later than other colleges to help accommodate players doing summer internships across the county and world.

Shiloh Elementary School is getting a new principal — who parents, students and teachers are already familiar with — while Gwinnett County Public Schools will see new faces in two positions, including a new chief financial officer and executive director of leadership development.

Jennifer Mercedes, who has been an assistant principal at Shiloh Elementary School since 2018, will become the school’s new principal.

Meanwhile, Masana L. Mailliard has been hired as Gwinnett County Public Schools’ new chief financial officer and Chandra Walker will become the district’s new executive director of leadership development. In addition to being Shiloh’s assistant principal for the new four years, Mercedes has held positions at two other schools in the district, according to a background provided by GCPS. Mailliard is coming to GCPS from the DeKalb County School District, where she has been the deputy chief financial officer since 2020. And, Walker has been a GCPS employee since 2003, and has served as the district’s director of leadership development since 2013.

A fire that officials said was caused by an electrical issue destroyed a Loganville home Friday night.

Just before 6 p.m., firefighters responded to a fire at the 800 block of Creek Cove Way South East. A neighbor called 911 to report the house fire and believed that the homeowner was absent. When fire crews arrived they found heavy fire blowing through the roof. Once the fire was knocked down searches were completed that confirmed the house was vacant during the fire, McGiboney said. The scene was brought under control by 7:20 p.m. Twenty-nine firefighters responded to the incident.

A Dacula man has been arrested and charged in the murder of a Gwinnett County senior corrections officer who was killed in the parking lot of the county’s corrections facility earlier this week.

The Gwinnett County Police Department’s SWAT Team arrested Yahya Abdulkadir, in Lithonia on Friday afternoon. He faces felony murder and aggravated assault charges in the death of Scott Riner, who was killed on Tuesday morning. The Gwinnett Police Homicide Unit has been working this case around the clock since early Tuesday when the incident occurred. The SWAT Team was backed up by Gwinnett Sheriff’s deputies, U.S. Marshals, ATF agents and officials from the Gwinnett County District Attorney’s Office as they made the arrest. The suspect was arrested without incident.

#GwinnettDailyPost #Georgia #LocalNews   

-
-          
-         
-         

The Gwinnett Daily Post Podcast is local news for Lawrenceville, Norcross, Duluth, and all of Gwinnett County. Register Here for your essential digital news.    

        
This podcast was produced and published for the Gwinnett Daily Post and GwinnettDailyPost.com by BG Ad Group 

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 fire that officials said was caused by an electrical issue destroyed a Loganville home Friday night.

Just before 6 p.m., firefighters responded to a fire at the 800 block of Creek Cove Way SE .

“A neighbor called 911 to report the house fire and believed that the homeowner was absent,” Capt. Ryan McGiboney said.

When fire crews arrived they found heavy fire blowing through the roof.

#GwinnettDailyPost #Georgia #LocalNews   

-
-          
-         
-         

The Gwinnett Daily Post Podcast is local news for Lawrenceville, Norcross, Duluth, and all of Gwinnett County. Register Here for your essential digital news.    

        
This podcast was produced and published for the Gwinnett Daily Post and GwinnettDailyPost.com by BG Ad Group 

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.

The manager of Magnolia Estates of Winder Assisted Living Center, who was recently elected to the Georgia House of Representatives, is accused of stealing medications from the assisted living home.

The Barrow County Sheriff's Office said Danny Rampey, 67, of Statham, was arrested on Thursday and charged with unauthorized distribution or possession of a controlled substance, burglary and exploitation and intimidation of disabled adults, elderly persons and residents

The Sheriff's Office said investigators received reports over the past two weeks of Magnolia Estates of Winder residents missing medication and "initiated an investigation into the allegations" and used surveillance operations to assist in the collection of evidence.

According to the Sheriff's Office, deputies arrested Rampey on Dec. 15 as he was leaving an unoccupied residence of the assisting living home. More charges could be filed as the investigation continues, the Sheriff's Office said.

The Sheriff's Office is asking anyone with information regarding this case to contact the Barrow County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigations Unit at 770-307-3080 ext. 3083.

Rampey ran unopposed for the District 119 seat in the general election after winning the Republican primary and is taking over the District 119 seat.

Gwinnett police said a man was found dead near the entrance of his home in a Norcross area neighborhood Thursday night.

Officers were called to the home on Stanfield Court in unincorporated Norcross around 7 p.m. on a report that a person had been shot. They discovered the 23-year-old man dead from an apparent gunshot wound. Anyone who has information about the shooting is asked to call detectives at 770-513-5300 or Crime Stoppers, which lets tipsters remain anonymous, at 404-577-8477. They can also visit www.stopcrimeATL.com. Crime Stoppers offers a cash reward for information that leads to an arrest and indictment.

Gwinnett County Public Schools employees will get extra money just in time for Christmas.

The county's school board approved one-time $1,000 payments. GCPS Superintendent Calvin Watts said all benefits-eligible employees of the district who were employed as of Dec. 1 will receive a payment.

The payments will be included as a lump sum on employees paychecks that will be issued on Dec. 21.

Funding for the payments comes from the Elementary Secondary School Emergency Relief, or ESSER, federal funding package, according to Watts.

Duluth’s Purple Team won the Georgia High School Association eSports state championship in League of Legends on Wednesday.

It is the third eSports state title for a Gwinnett County Public Schools program after Brookwood won Super Smash Bros and North Gwinnett won League of Legends in the spring 2022 season.

The Wildcats, runner-up in the spring season, defeated Northview 2-0 in the finals with the team of Corey Chen, Paul Shim, Phillip Chao, Brian Do and Kristian Napire.

Other members of the Duluth eSports team are Yeong Lee, Tara Tu, Charles Deng, Cotrell Cooper, Wilson Nguyen, Ian Beltran, Michael Soto and Joseph de Lima.

The modern history of the Atlanta music scene cannot be written without devoting a full chapter to Michelle Malone.

With her smoking six-string, Malone has been blazing melodic trails for parts of five decades with her blend of rock, blues and Americana, and her collaborators include the likes of Drivin’ n’ Cryin’, Caroline Aiken, Indigo Girls and Shawn Mullins, among many others.

But every year when December rolls around, Malone assumes a slightly different persona as she morphs into the guitar-wielding chanteuse leading Michelle Malone and the Hot Toddies, performing your favorite Christmas songs with a twangy, jazzy vibe. The Hot Toddies — with their latest album release “Toddie Time” — will visit the Aurora Theatre at the Lawrenceville Arts Center at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 20. Malone said that she started hosting holiday-centric shows in 2017, due to Christmas residing so near and dear to her heart. The holiday shows are not only a treat to pull off, but they also allow Mallone a brief respite from her usual performance style. She’s also adamant that the songs performed will evoke memories a of certain time period in American history, complete with tunes made famous by Dean Martin, Nat King Cole, Elvis Presley, Rosemary Clooney and Brenda Lee.

Gwinnett County resident Kaitlyn Sanchez was 10 years old when she first attended a Cops and Kids Christmas event. Now, 14 years later, she’s back with her 10-month old son, Gianni. Cops and Kids Christmas is an annual event hosted by the Gwinnett Fraternal Order of Police and is meant to spread good will and holiday spirit to families in need. Thursday night’s shopping spree marked the 33rd year of the event and took place at the Lawrenceville Walmart Supercenter.

Upon sign-in, each family is paired with local law enforcement officers who accompany them as they browse and select gift options. Some, like Capt. Audrey Henderson with the Lawrenceville Police Department, have participated for 10 years or more.

Henderson, who shopped with a young girl named Gabby and her family, stated her favorite part of the event was watching the children’s faces light up.

Event organizer Connie Chesser stated that this year they identified and approved 132 children, approximately 64 families, to participate in the event. In order to qualify, families must be residents of Gwinnett County and the children must receive Medicaid benefits.

Families with children ages 3 through 15 had $150 to spend and newborns through age 2 had $75. Snacks and holiday treats as well as boxed dinners were also provided.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Anyone with information is asked to help police solve multiple shootings; And the funeral for a popular Gwinnett attorney was held this week. 

#GwinnettDailyPost #Georgia #LocalNews   

-
-          
-         
-         

The Gwinnett Daily Post Podcast is local news for Lawrenceville, Norcross, Duluth, and all of Gwinnett County. Register Here for your essential digital news.    

        
This podcast was produced and published for the Gwinnett Daily Post and GwinnettDailyPost.com by BG Ad Group 

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.

Thanks to a foster parent’s social media efforts, Buford-based Jambos Donates is more than doubling its pajama output in the final month of 2022.

Now in its fifth year of operation, Jambos provides new pajamas for foster children in Georgia and throughout the country. In 2022, the nonprofit founded by Rebekah Black will have served children in all 50 states and in 13 countries, sending out some 22,000 pairs of children’s sleepwear.

This summer, Jambos sent some pajamas to a foster parent — Black thinks she lives in Illinois — who happens to have more than 1 million followers on TikTok. To say the nonprofit was subsequently inundated by requests would be a bit of an understatement.

While Black relates she’s got a lot of volunteers to help out, Jambos is also in need of some operating capital and — surprise! — pajamas. Jambos is seeking to collect 11,000 pajamas for kids of all ages and sizes. The organization is also in need of donations to fund the shipment of all those jammies at an estimated cost of $30,000 to $32,000. Black said Jambos’ original December plan was to ship about 6,000 pairs of pajamas, but now she’s looking at amassing and sending out close to double that amount. When the rush of the holiday season passes, January will bring yet another rash of requests. When asked what she envisioned 2023 to look like for Jambos, Black said, “We are going to continue to serve the kids all over the country and we’ll take on new territories internationally because we do that every year. For more information, go to www.jambosdonates.com

t wouldn’t be the holiday season in Gwinnett without the Aurora Theatre’s “A Christmas Carol” which is being staged through December 23 at the Lawrenceville Arts Center.

Aurora Theatre Co-Founder Anthony Rodriguez returns to star in the one-man show for a 16th year.

Rodriguez’s performance has become a holiday staple, as his storytelling is enhanced with the latest technology. The show, which is directed by Katie Erin Chambers, is 70 minutes of nonstop fun without an intermission and is suitable for all audiences.

The show has an 8 p.m. start time on December 17 and 21-23, with 2:30 p.m. starts on December 17, 18 and 23.

“A Christmas Carol” marks a return to the stage for Rodriguez, who stepped away from leading the Aurora Theatre’s daily operations earlier this year after he was named the first executive director for the HUB404 Conservancy. Rodriguez, the Aurora theatre’s co-founder and former president opened the Lawrenceville venue in 1996 and grew it from one employee and a $50,000 annual budget to a thriving, successful company with nearly 30 employees and a $4.2 million annual budget.

He also serves on the boards for the Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce and Georgia Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and assists the Atlanta Regional Commission and National Association of Latino Arts and Cultures.

HUB404 aims to transform a multi-purpose nine-acre public greenspace that’s currently above Georgia 400 state highway and MARTA’s Buckhead rail station at the northern gateway to the City of Atlanta and will extend from Peachtree Road to Lenox Road.

The Lawrenceville Arts Center also is hosting its “Festival of Trees” through December 22.

Jackson Electric Membership Corporation is accepting applications for the annual Washington Youth Tour, sponsored by the nation’s electric cooperatives.

Jackson EMC will send four student delegates on an all-expense paid leadership development experience to Washington, D.C., June 15-22, 2023.

Current high school sophomores and juniors in the Jackson EMC service region who have demonstrated leadership potential, academic success and community service may apply directly online at www.jacksonemc.com/wyt or through their high school guidance counselor or teacher, who may nominate candidates for consideration.

Applications must be received at Jackson EMC by 5 p.m. on January 31, 2023. Finalists will interview on February 20, 2023, with a panel of business, community and university leaders to be one of Jackson EMC’s four delegates to receive the Washington Youth Tour leadership experience. For more information and to download an application, visit www.jacksonemc.com/wyt.

Six Gwinnett High Schools will be competing in the 15th Annual Georgia High School Musical Theatre Awards this school year.

Collins Hill, Grayson, Greater Atlanta Christian, Lanier, Mountain View and Providence Christian Academy will all be vying for awards and scholarships in the state’s biggest theatrical and musical competition.

The Shuler Awards or The Shulers — named for the Marietta-born stage and screen star Shuler Hensley — will be held and broadcast live from the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre on April 20, where the winners of the competition’s 18 categories will be announced. Fulton County had a state-high 10 schools register to participate in the competition, followed by Gwinnett with six and Cobb and Forsyth counties each with four, as 22 counties have at least one school competing in the event. ArtsBridge Foundation Executive Director Jennifer Dobbs cited several changes made last year that positively impacted the 2022-23 Shuler Awards competition and ArtsBridge Foundation’s commitment to its mission, vision, and Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Access initiative. The competition will send 70 volunteer adjudicators to attend live performances throughout the state to determine who was best on stage. The categories include direction, music direction, orchestra, lighting, scenic design, choreography, ensemble, costumes, overall production, Shuler Showstopper and best performances by a leading actress and actor, supporting performers and a featured performer. The recipients of the Shuler Awards’ leading actress and actor will be sent to New York City as Georgia’s entrants for the National High School Musical Theatre Awards program named The Jimmy Awards. They will participate in the awards show at the Minskoff Theatre on Broadway on June 26, where scholarships and professional opportunities will be awarded to the top performers.

#GwinnettDailyPost #Georgia #LocalNews   

-
-          
-         
-         

The Gwinnett Daily Post Podcast is local news for Lawrenceville, Norcross, Duluth, and all of Gwinnett County. Register Here for your essential digital news.    

        
This podcast was produced and published for the Gwinnett Daily Post and GwinnettDailyPost.com by BG Ad Group 

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.