Gwinnett Citizen Jan/Feb 2017 ( Zone 2)

Gwinnett’s oldest locally owned newspaper - established 1988 Covering Duluth, Peachtree Corners, Norcross, Berkeley Lake, and Suwanee

Vol. 29, No. 3

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Secrets and legend, all a part of Lake Lanier folklore

By Dan Brown From out of Habersham it comes, stretching between the cracks and crevices of the North Georgia mountains like an uneven pane of mirrored glass, some twenty-six miles long and covering almost 47 miles of original riverbed, reflecting back the sky and hiding its precious secrets from all who try to pry.

For many, Lake Sidney Lanier has always been here.

You can’t imagine what the North Georgia landscape might have looked like without it. The older folks can, and when they start to tell their stories, they look at you with this mischievous sparkle in their eye, as if they know something you aren’t supposed to.

Credit where it’s due

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Their stories all start the same . . . ‘”Ya know, once upon a time, way back . . .”

What the old folks have to tell you leaves you wide eyed in amazement.

I had no idea. Lake Lanier is full of secrets.

Ever since the Army Corps of Engineers completed construction of Buford Dam in 1956, and the backwaters of the Ole Hooch started filling in the cracks and crevices of North Georgia’s foothills, tall tales and legend have circulated throughout these parts about the secrets of Lake Lanier.

There was a good deal of disagreement over almost every aspect of the dam. Its uses (should it be designated to provide power, water or recreation), its location (originally proposed to inundate Ros-

See LAKE LANIER on Page 10

Millenials Wish page 7

Snell and Marlene Buchanan

By Marlene Ratledge Buchanan

INSIDE Gwinnett Road Runner 3 Gwinnett Pulse 6 Classifieds 8 Health & Wellness 12

Special Photo

The shoreline of Lake Lanier off Laurel Park in 2001 showing the top rows of the old concrete grandstand of Looper Speedway.

Popular ‘Run the Reagan’ Destiny race around the corner

FREE concussion test page 14

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JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2017

Runners of all ages participate in Run the Reagan.

By Carole Townsend Staff Correspondent One of Gwinnett County’s most successful community events – Run the Reagan – is scheduled for Feb.

Special Photo

25, just a few short weeks away.

Last year’s race was in April, but in response to runners’ requests, the race has been moved back to a February date. “People asked us to do this, because there were too many other competing events in April, such as proms, festivals and sporting events,” said Parks Mann, Board Member of Run the Reagan.

The race date, however, is not the only thing that’s changed about the race this year. “For the first time,

See RUN on Page 8

Special Photo

giving American History exams in another part of the building. We met in the lobby/courtyard area of the building and got to talking. He told me he was from Snellville and I told him that my parents and I had moved to Snellville just a couple of years before. I asked him what there was to do in Slug City besides watching the changing traffic light. He laughed.

Yeah, I wasn’t good at come-ons.

Time went on, and Bubba Lawrence was an Assistant Principal at Duluth. Bubba was trying to fix Snell up with my friend Sharon Varner.

Sharon was big into sports and was very active with the record keeping of the various teams at Duluth. Fran-

Did you meet your spouse or significant other and just know “this is the one”? I have to tell you a little story about Snell and me.

The first time I met Snell was at a testing training session at Dyer Elementary School. This was in 1972. I had a very short skirt, very long hair, uppies for boobies and an inny for a waist! I was 22 and teaching at Duluth High School. I thought I was cute.

Apparently, he was not impressed.

He later told me I was too young for him. I think that was his cover story.

In October 1974, we met again while administering the Governor’s Honors Tests. I was in charge of the ces Williamson was the counselor there.

Spanish language exams. Snell was See DESTINY on Page 14

The Gwinnett Citizen

Page 2

January/February 2017

Gwinnett is great Some considered it to be a brash statement. Others viewed it as an accurate reflection of the sentiment of its residents “Gwinnett is Great”. For over 30 years, those words, emblazoned on a water tower alongside Interstate 85, re-

flected the attractiveness of a county that was continually growing, often at unprecedented rates.

Although the water tower was demolished in 2010, the words with which it was identified still ring true, albeit for

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different reasons. Gwinnett continues to be known a great place to live and work, but has also become known for its heart.

That aspect of the county was never more obvious than in 2016. For years, churches, schools and other organizations throughout the county have operated programs to help people in need.

One stand-out program is the Gwinnett Coalition for Health and Human Services’ “Great Days of Service”, (GDOS) an initiative that brings community volunteers together to address specific needs throughout Gwinnett communities.

In 2016, participation in help-others efforts shifted into high gear. One example is the efforts of the Gwinnett Municipal Association, (GwMA) an organization comprised of the 15 incorporated cities within the county. This year, GwMA member cities joined with “Great Days of Service” and organized the “GwMA/ GDOS Food Drive”. Berkeley Lake, Duluth, Grayson, Lawrenceville, Loganville, Norcross, Peachtree Corners, Snellville, Sugar Hill and Suwanee each organized a drive to raise food and financial donations for their local food co-ops with elected officials and staff personnel within each city serving as ambassadors for the program. According to GwMA director Randy Meacham, over 17,000 items were collected (an item being a non-perishable food item or a $1.00 financial donation).

In spite of the prosperity that is apparent throughout the county, for many

families, hunger is a 24/7/365 proposition. Fortunately, local food co-ops throughout the county offer assistance year around. However, need often exceeds supply.

To meet that need, individuals, businesses and a variety of organizations regularly step up to bring in additional donations. As an example, STAT, Snellville’s Tourism and Trade Association recently used a “Festival of Trees” as a Give Hunger the Boot “food-raiser” for the Southeast Gwinnett Co-Op. People came to City Hall and voted for their favorite Christmas tree by bringing food items and placing them beneath the tree of their choice. Snellville also maintains a food collection bin at City Hall, which allows food donations to be dropped off year around during normal business hours. A number of businesses through-

out the city also serve as drop off points and some also host a financial donation box.

Snellville isn’t alone. Cities throughout the county are engaged in a variety of efforts to help local residents and Gwinnett County government sponsors a wide range of opportunities for volunteers to help with initiatives ranging from helping senior citizens to providing computer instruction to assisting with transportation.

The foregoing list is by no means complete. It merely highlights a few of the activities in which county residents participate to help others. And in spite of an improving economy and new optimism for the future, the number of people needing some form of assistance continues. Local options are the best way to fulfill that need.

As opposed to the types of programs that exist at the state and federal level, local programs, such as the ones offered by food co-ops, rarely build a dependency lifestyle. Rather, they serve as a bridge from dependence to independence; in addition to food and financial assistance, some co-ops help their clients update their resumes and find employment.

Most of the groups and organizations offering assistance largely depend on volunteers. And those volunteers are often overlooked as one of the most important factors that makes Gwinnett Great.

The Gwinnett Citizen

January/February 2017

The Gwinnett Roadrunner • The Gwinnett Daily News, Sunday January 2, 1982: “The dime phone call is no more.”

• The Gwinnett Daily News, January 10, 1982: “Christ the Lord Lutheran held the first services in the new building at 1001 Lawrenceville/Duluth Highway.”

• The Gwinnett Daily News January 15, 1990: “The paper moved into the new plant along I85 at Steve Reynolds Blvd.”

Mary Frazier Long

Gwinnett County Author, Historian FRIENDLY ADVICE Watermelon is a good fruit. You eat, you drink, you wash your face.

“If you go long enough without a bath even the fleas leave you alone.” Ernie Pyle, War correspondent “The husband who wants a happy marriage should learn to keep his mouth shut and his checkbook open.”Groucho Marx “Never saw off the branch you are on, unless you are being hanged from it.”

Stanislaw Lec “Never lend your car to anyone to whom you have given birth.” Erma Bombeck “A man must have a certain amount of intelligent ignorance to get anywhere.”

Charles F. Kettering” “It’s a good idea to obey all the rules when you’re young just so you’ll have the strength to break them when you’re old.”

Mark Twain “We ought never to do wrong when people are looking.” Mark Twain PAST EVENTS IN GWINNETT COUNTY • The News-Herald Monday January 11, 1909: “Fairview Presbyterian Church was formally dedicated Sunday morning, the sermon being preached by Rev. Lynn Walker of Atlanta and the pastor Rev. Fritz Rauschenberg read a very interesting history of the church.”

Co-Publishers/Editors Carolyn Ekenstierna Bagheri Auveed Bagheri Cawthon

DR. JON SEGARS INDUCTED INTO GWINNETT HISTORICAL SOCIETY At the last 2016 meeting of the Society held on December 12 officers were installed and annual awards were presented.

PRESERVATION AWARD TO

Mary Long Photo

GHS Preservation Award was presented to Mr. Thomas Livsey

THOMAS LIVSEY The Preservation Award is presented annually to an individual or group who demonstrate an effort to educate citizens of Gwinnett with regard to preserving our heritage. The 2016 award was presented to Mr. Thomas Livsey for his role in the preservation of the historic Maguire-Livsey House on Anderson-Livsey Lane south of Snellville in Gwinnett County. The house was first home to Thomas Maguire in the 1800s and Mr. Maguire called the plantation “The Promised Land.” The Livsey family bought the house and a portion of the surrounding 107 W Crogan St, Lawrenceville, Ga 30046 Office (770) 963-3699 www.gwinnettcitizen.com info@gwinnettcitizen.com

The Gwinnett Citizen is a monthly community newspaper that has been providing community news for the past 28 years. It is Gwinnett’s oldest locally owned newspaper. Our readers know how to love life and have a passionate interest in the well being of our community. Through our stories and photos we bring to life the passion of living, working, playing, living healthy, and worshiping in Gwinnett. We help to connect readers with local businesses and services to promote shopping and buying local. We are a free and direct mailed publication with 3 geographic zones (newspapers) that contain hyper-local news pertinent to each community. Each zone distributes 20,000 copies via direct mail with a few select local businesses for rack distribution to total a distribution of 60,000 in Gwinnett County, Ga.

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© Copyright The Snellville Citizen, Inc dba Gwinnett Citizen, 2017. All rights are reserved, including those to reproduce this printing or parts thereof in any form without permission in writing from Gwinnett Citizen. Gwinnett Citizen is a monthly newspaper publication covering all of Gwinnett County. The publication was established November, 1988 as The Snellville Citizen. The views expressed in articles, columns and Letters to the Editor published in Gwinnett Citizen, do not necessarily reflect the opinion of Gwinnett Citizen.

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“ON THE RUN” By Mar y Frazier Long

land in the 1920’s. When Thomas Livsey returned from military service in the Korean War he lived for a short time in Chicago then returned to Gwinnett where he began a lifetime building a unique community called “The Promised Land” for his own family and descendants. This home tells a story of two significant time periods in Gwinnett history.

Thomas Livsey has worked tirelessly for years maintaining contact with the Historical Society, County Commissioners, the Gwinnett Historical Restoration & Preservation Board and the Gwinnett Environmental Heritage Center. Mr. Livsey has shared documentation and offered tours of the property. In Mr. Livsey’s words, “Had I not done what I did to that house it would have rotted down.”

Now that Gwinnett County has purchased the home and 1.5 acres, the next stage in restoration can begin.

GWINNETT HISTORICAL SOCIETY PRESIDENTS’ AWARD 2016 TO DIANNE AND JIMMY WALDRIP This annual award is presented to those who assist the society president in significant areas. The 2016 award was presented to a couple who have been members of the society for 15 years and who have worked each of those years to make the Winn property outstanding.

They especially assist in preparing the property for the Winn Fair. This award was presented to Dianne and Jimmy Waldrip.

Dianne and Jimmy have readied the land around the house for planting the cotton patch, Jimmy clears the land when the cotton patch needs to be cleared, Jimmy works on several landscape projects around the house. Dianne works inside the Winn House getting it ready for tours, Dianne presents historical information to tour groups and individuals. The contri-

Mary Long Photo

Mary Long Photo

(L-R) GHS Co-President, Betty Warbington presenting GHS Presidents Award to Dianne and Jimmy Waldrip.

butions of Jimmy and Dianne Waldrip and too many to name and they are important to the president and to the work of the society.

HISTORICAL SOCIETY DISTINGUISHED SERVICE AWARD TO MIRIAM MACHIDA Miriam Machida joined GHS in 1986 and has volunteered in many areas for the past 30 years. She has assisted visitors with genealogical research, worked on

(L-R) Co-Presdient GHS Beverly Paff presenting Distinguished Service Award to Miriam Machida.

several publication projects, transcribed the 1888 Census, edited the quarterly publication and she is currently transcribing minutes of Friendship Primitive Baptist Church.

Miriam is a member of the Philadelphia Winn Chapter of the National Society of Daughters of the American Revolution. Miriam is a liason facilitating joint projects and she was instrumental in helping GHS receive a grant for restoration and preservation of the Walnut Grove one room schoolhouse and barn at the Winn property.

The Gwinnett Citizen

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January/February 2017

County’s 2017 budget shows priorities Riley Martin: Eagle Scout and YMCA Teen Leader of the Year

Charlotte J. Nash

County Business

By Charlotte J. Nash, Chairman, Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners Public safety, the judicial system, and community engagement are some of the County’s top priorities for the 2017 budget that the Board of Commissioners considered to adopt on January 3rd. We want to be sure that Gwinnett continues to be a safe community where all community members can feel at home.

I’ve spent most of my career managing local government budgets, and I know that budgets say a lot about what is important to us as a community. Of

course, county governments in Georgia are mandated by state and federal law to provide certain services, with very limited funding coming with the responsibilities. However, the budget is also built on services the community expects as well.

Like many family budgets, the County went through rough times during the recession. We cut jobs and services. We delayed building and opening new facilities like fire stations.

We had money for construction but not for hiring and training staff. Now the economy is turning around, and the County’s revenues are finally returning to pre-recession levels. In the meantime, though, Gwinnett’s population has grown by more than 135,000 residents, so service demands have increased as well.

Our 2017 budget adds positions in public safety and judicial, including staff for two new 24/7 ambulance units, law clerks, victim advocates, and a criminal investigator. We will reduce the waiting list for some senior services and enhance the County’s community outreach with a new program for teens.

You will also see improvements in transit and we will increase parks staff for E.E. Robinson Park, a new gymnasium at George Pierce Park, and expansions

at Alexander, Graves, and McDaniel Farm parks.

To help retain our workforce, the budget provides a four percent pay-for-performance raise for eligible employees, continues longevity pay, and funds promotions to master level positions for eligible police officers, sheriff deputies, and corrections officers. We also continued funding a solid employee benefits plan that compares favorably with other organizations. All of these steps are part of our strategy to attract and retain excellent employees to serve the Gwinnett community.

In today’s competitive environment, we can’t afford to do otherwise.

The capital budget includes funding for the Gwinnett Justice and Administration Center expansion. Courthouse construction will begin later this year.

The senior center at the Norcross Human Services Center also will be renovated.

User fees pay for upgrades to water and sewer facilities, better pipe inspections to find clogs before spills occur, and more public education about keeping fats, oils and grease out of our 3,000 miles of sewer pipes.

Continuing a long tradition, I asked six residents to volunteer for a budget review committee. They heard presentations and studied departmental business plans, budget needs and revenue projections before making recommendations for the 2017 budget. Their perspectives on community needs and priorities were invaluable to the process.

The 2017 budget uses multi-year planning and pay-as-you-go financing for capital improvements. It continues funding for future pension obligations and focuses on improving safety and quality of life for Gwinnett residents.

If you would like to learn more, we post budget information on our website at www.gwinnettcounty.com. Once there, click on the Your Money tab.

Happy New Year!

Special Photo

Riley Martin shown between his grandparents, Eddie and Dinah Martin and sister, Madelon.

Congratulations to Riley Martin on achieving the rank of Eagle Scout. As a Greater Atlanta Christian School senior, Martin chose to build a gazebo and benches for the greenhouse in Greater Atlanta Christian’s Environmental Learning Center as part of his culminating

project. Martin was also selected as the YMCA Teen Leader of the Year at Camp High Harbour Branch for his leadership, high energy, and compassion for children and his ability to grow young people into future staff.

The Gwinnett Citizen

January/February 2017

Give credit where credit is due

Carole Townsend

(Not So) Common Sense Credit. Credit worthiness, credit scores, credit cards, interest rates. What are we in this country without good credit standing? Nowhere, if my parents were to be believed, instructing me on fiscal responsibility when I was a kid. I’ll tell you something I never understood, though, and what I’m seeing and hearing lately just affirms my confusion.

I saw a commercial on television last week; it was an ad for a credit reporting agency. Imagine that. An ad, on TV, for a credit reporting agency! The voiceover urged young people to pay attention to their credit scores, to learn to crawl, then walk, then run where credit is concerned. And then the man said something that I thought was profound – he said that building credit is a process. It’s a skill, and it should be handled carefully and responsibly. I’m not sure, but I believe the nice man ended by adding that “there’s an app for that.”

I love that. Experion is encouraging young people to monitor their credit scores, to be careful and responsible with their credit. People now have unfettered access to their credit scores and information. Doesn’t that just make sense?

I mean, how can you watch your credit score if you don’t even know what it is?

This may sound foolish to anyone

under 30 who’s reading this, but let me tell you how credit was handled back in the day. There were three credit reporting agencies, apparently. That may still be true – I have no idea. Back twenty or so years ago, those agencies were as top-secret at the CIA, and they used pretty much the same information-gathering tactics. Even as a young girl just starting out on my life journey, and having no business sense whatsoever (that hasn’t changed), I used to think to myself, “Well, I’ll just do my best to make good choices and decisions, and pray that my credit score reflects that.” Sounds silly, doesn’t it. Why? Well, our credit scores were known to everyone on Earth except us. Except ourselves. Finding out your credit score was a terrifying prospect, a daunting task.

Talk about a Catch-22. We were supposed to manage credit well and be responsible with it, but actually inquiring as to what our own score was…lowered our score.

And it cost money to find out. That one always baffled me, too. We were limited as to how many times a year we could inquire about our own credit scores. And rarely would the three agencies agree on what the score was. It was ridiculous.

Back in the 70s, talking about our credit scores was a lot like “the talk” we all got (and dreaded) from our parents about s-e-x. No one wanted to have that talk, but everyone knew it was necessary.

It had to be managed, responsibly and carefully. And both parents and kids put it off for as long as possible. I know of one woman whose mom sat her down for “the talk” ten years and two kids into her own marriage.

The main thing, however, was that we just shouldn’t talk about IT. Everybody knew what it was and why it was, but we just weren’t supposed to talk about it. A kid would rather die than ask her parents about IT, so she often got distorted, inaccurate information from her friends. I remember my best friend Linda

telling me in elementary school that you could get pregnant from holding hands with a boy (I was a young second-grader). I refused to play dodge ball for two years, because the standard way to form a circle in elementary school was to hold hands and spread out as far as we could.

I didn’t know what “pregnant” was, but it sure sounded serious, and I wasn’t about to tell Linda that I didn’t know what it meant.

Yes, come to think about it, the credit talk and the sex talk were very much alike back when I was a young woman.

And today, believe me, there is still no app for having “the talk” with your kids.

Thank heaven we’re past all that, because I fear the necessity of that talk occurs earlier and earlier these days.

I love that credit reporting agencies are encouraging young people to pay attention to their credit scores and to manage credit wisely. I love that they are giving them the tools to do just that. I love that they are now saying the “C” word on television, and people aren’t turning redfaced, cringing and shuffling from one foot to another when they hear it.

Yes, of the two topics, I do believe that, if I had to pick, I’d choose the “credit” talk over the other one, hands down.

Carole Townsend is a Gwinnett author and freelance writer. Her fourth book, BLOOD IN THE SOIL, was published in 2016. It is the true tale of a crime that took place in Gwinnett County nearly 40 years ago. Her previous three books are written with Southern humor. Carole often appears on network television talk and news shows, as well as on national true crime radio shows. Her books can be found in bookstores, on Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble.com, and at www.caroletownsend.com.

When she’s not writing, Carole travels throughout the southeast, talking to groups about women, writing, family and life in her beloved South.

Jan.12th

Trivia starts on Thursdays.

Weekly prizes awarded for 1st, 2nd and last place.

Food available for purchase.

Feb. 2nd

Trivia Tournament begins.

Prizes awarded for 1st, 2nd and 3rd place.

Food available for purchase

Feb. 7th

Zoning hearing for new property 7pm in Lawrenceville, GA.

Mar 24th- American Legion State Convention at Mar 26th Sonesta Gwinnett Place in Duluth, GA.

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The Gwinnett Citizen

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January/February 2017

A New Year’s Resolution That Doesn’t Involve Working Out or Dieting “Start this year with a win without having to count calories or work out.”

James Miskell

Estate Planning

It’s that time of year again. Yes, it is New Year’s resolution time. Was making a will one of your unfulfilled resolutions from past years? Is it on your “to-do” list for 2016? The good news is that with a modest investment of time and effort, you will be able to check this off your list in just a couple of weeks and you won’t even have to go to the gym to get it done!

Estate planning is personal to every family. Only you understand your family’s priorities well enough to make the proper decisions. Legal and financial professionals are essential to understanding the best strategies, but the final decisions about what is right for your family can only be made by you.

No surprise, but “estate planning” ranks right near the top when it comes to the most frequently broken New Year’s resolutions. You might say it is somewhere between flossing every night and losing twenty pounds. Compared with many such resolutions, however, estate planning is an entirely unique challenge

with consequences for failing to follow through.

So give this year’s resolution some legs!

Here are six basic topics to help organize your approach: First, a health care directive or a health care power of attorney and living will allow you to appoint a person you trust be your health care agent and let them know in writing what your wishes are so that if you become disabled, he or she can speak with the doctors and make decisions to make sure that the treatment you receive is consistent with your wishes.

Second, a power of attorney allows you to appoint a person you trust to handle your financial matters in the event you become unable to do so.

Third, a will or trust allows you to specify what happens to your property when you die. Deciding which tools (wills or trusts) are right for your situation depends on your family’s assets and goals.

Fourth, checking the titling of assets is important. The way that your assets are titled affects the way they can and will be transferred to others. Knowing whether they are owned individually, jointly or in common is critical in making planning decisions.

Fifth, retirement and long term care planning means making a realistic assessment of the resources available for your support and care as you age. How soon you plan to retire and the state of your health will factor into your planning.

Pensions, retirement accounts, social security, veterans’ benefits, and Medicaid as well as long term care insurance can all play a part and should be considered in your planning.

Sixth, having a conversation with your parents to make sure that they have addressed these first five topics may be difficult, but is important for your family’s financial and emotional well being. It is important to ensure that their wishes for care and medical treatment are known to family members so that siblings don’t end up arguing about “what mom would want” in the hallway of the hospital. Also important is discovering what additional planning might need to be done to provide for aging parents’ long term care. If additional resources are going to be necessary, the sooner the rest of family knows and can plan to help out, the better.

For many of us, the task of putting together an estate plan is one of those “to-do’s” that never seems to get done.

Not planning has a funny way of becoming planning by default. This can lead to

some painful results. There is no time like the present to plan for tomorrow.

Start this year with a win by taking the necessary steps to help secure your family’s future.

James M. Miskell received his law degree from the University of Georgia in 1993. His Asset Protection, Estate Plan-

ning and Elder Law practice has offices located in Lawrenceville and Johns Creek.

He offers educational workshops and free consultations to assist clients as well as fellow professionals in creating individualized solutions. Visit his website: www.

LetsTalkEstatePlanning.com. For more information, see his ad in this issue.

School bus driver wins gold in World Track & Field event

By Staff Reports

A Gwinnett County Public Schools bus driver won two gold medals at the World Masters Track and Field Championship in Perth, Australia. Emma McGowan, who drives a Special Education Bus and is the mother of twins, won gold in the 100 meter and 200 meter. She says training and her job go hand-in-hand.

“I love driving the bus because after I drop off the kids in the morning, I can train for several hours before I have to begin my afternoon route. But the best part of my job is that I get to take my daughter to school,” McGowan said. “My daughter is autistic and I love being able to take her to school and pick her up. That way I know she and the other students are in great hands.”

The World Masters Track and Field Championships are the biennial championships for masters athletics events held

under the auspices of World Masters Athletics. Athletes who compete in the World Masters Athletic events must be at least 35 years old. McGowan says she loves to compete.

“It is awesome! It takes a lot of hard work especially for me. I am 48 years old with two children so it is not easy, but I love it. I practice three times a week at an outdoor track and once or twice in a gym,” McGowan said.

McGowan is now a two-time gold medal winner in the 100 meters. In 2015 she won gold in the World Masters Athletics Championship in her native France while also taking home silver in the 200 meters and 400 meters.

“I am so thankful to have a great job and a great coach who helps me stay focused and prepared. It was also great winning the 200 meters, as I barely lost in 2015,” McGowan said.

January/February 2017

The Gwinnett Citizen

Body FX - a real story

Page 7

WILLARD W RECKER S ERV ICE

Next time you’re stuck, give us a call!

Chrissy Thomas

Before

After

About Face Skin Care

Kimberly has always been a breath of fresh air in our practice. Since entering her new endeavor as a business owner of the Sparrow Hill Inn, a boutique bed and breakfast in Monroe, she is incredibly busy. When she consulted with us about Body FX and learned that the series would require eight visits for treatments, she didn’t hesitate to say that she was anxious to get started. The outsider would look at this beautiful woman and ask why she was even interested in discussing this amazing treatment, but Kimberly is actually the perfect candidate for this revolutionary type of body contouring.

Body FX is one of the new and most exciting treatments on the market that can actually permanently break down body fat. This technology works by combining radio-frequency energy, deep tissue heating, and suction coupled negative pressure to permanently break down the top thirty percent of the fat layer in the trouble area, and smooth lax skin and cellulite at the same time. This provides a wonderful alternative to liposuction, as it has no downtime. Body FX also treats larger surface areas at a time than other comparable machines on the market, and has extra measures to guarantee client safety during treatments. Areas typically treated include abdomen, thighs, arms, back fat, knees, flanks and hips. It has been very popular among men and women alike, and the results have been amazing. Naturally, clients with trouble areas

Before that are resistant to diet and exercise like Kimberly are ideal candidates. However, the treatment has been a launching point for others looking to embark on weight loss.

This takes us back to Kimberly’s story. She had noticed that despite her active lifestyle and healthy diet, her abdomen was not responding. Kimberly made the commitment to see us weekly for eight weeks to treat this area. Each session lasted about forty five minutes. When I sat down with her at her final photo appointment, she was excited to see her results. This conservative, busy professional told me that she was hoping to be my poster child, and I am happy to say that she is. She said that while her weight had only changed minimally, her body had changed drastically and even her kids noticed. “I was hopefully optimistic when starting Body FX treatments. The difference I witnessed over the course of treatment gave me added incentive to make even better choices with my diet and lifestyle. I love the fact that I got not

After only my confidence back but my wardrobe, as well”, claims the forty-nine year old. “Before Body FX I felt soft and pudgy.

My clothes did not fit right anymore and I was noticing fullness in my abdomen.

Because of the change from Body FX, I actually wore a two piece on the beach during my recent vacation.”

We thank Kimberly for her willingness to share her story with you, and we hope you will call on us to help you with your problem areas. Give us a call at 770.935.FACE (3223) for a free consultation to find out if you are a candidate for this life changing treatment. You may also request an appointment through our website at www.aboutfaceskin.com. We look forward to meeting you!

About Face Skin Care is located behind Lowes at the corner of Janmar Road and Highway 124 (ScenicHighway).

About Face was nominated at 2015 Best of Gwinnett and is owned and operated

by Chrissy Thomas, RN. The delegating and prescribing physician for the practice is Tina Thompson, MD.

A millennial’s wish

Alex Le

Millennial Views Top of the mornin’ to ya! As Christmas will have come and gone by the time this is read, I wanted to share my Christmas wish with you all. I’ve noticed a theme in our society as it stands today, and this theme is at the heart of my wish.

The theme I am referring to is exclusiveness towards others. This theme has become more prevalent due to our presidential election, accessibility of social

media, and above all; because we haven’t changed how we perceive others.

Now, having an exclusive view of the world goes beyond religion and politics.

What I’m going to discuss is what exclusive perception is and why people ignore dealing with their own.

Exclusive mindsets keep us looking for people who agree with us or who we sense are like us and pushes away others who have different viewpoints or interests or cultures. One of the most noticeable differences that we use to exclude one another is race. What I find upsetting is that even after the Civil Rights Movement and all the achievements we have made in the last 100 years, we are still divided in the 21st century due to this exclusivity.

For example, the rhetoric between Black and White goes back before America was a country and we still internalize race to excuse not learning about how other people are like us. We forget the most important truth about ourselves, that regardless of our superficial outward

differences, we are all humans and one race. The human race.

There is no such thing as a “race” defined by skin color. Our skin pigmentation is only skin deep and is determined by exposure to the sun. It is a superficial subcategory that has come to add meaning to our identity and solidified a specific form of exclusivity.

My wish, which is a big one to say the least, is that one day all humanity will embrace inclusivity and let go of exclusive views. That people would do their best on their own will and desire to help their neighbors and love and support one another for the sake of being helpful. I would love a world where we all see what we have in common beyond anything that seems to make us different. I’m sure we will find feelings, music, hopes, dreams, and above all, a heart of love.

Alex Le is a millennial who enjoys nature, spending time with family and friends, writing stories and poems, and adventure.

Curious about millennials? Email Alex at diversemillenial@gmail.com

visit gwinnettcitizen.com for more local news

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The Gwinnett Citizen

January/February 2017

RUN continued from page 1

Special Photo

2017 Run the Reagan participants will receive this long sleeve T Shirt Special Photo

Run the Reagan is an official qualifying race for the Peachtree Road Race. we’re inviting teams from all Gwinnett County schools to register a team (minimum 10 runners). Teams don’t have to be running or cross-country teams from schools to enter; a library, band or chess team, even a student government team can register. Why? “We want this to be an inclusive event, and we want teams from all schools to be rewarded for their efforts,” Mann said. Any Gwinnett County school team receives a $5.00 – per- runner rebate for each runner who participates. For example, if a band team from Collins Hill High School enters a team of 20 runners, that team will receive a $100 rebate after the race is run. That money can be spent however the team and its leaders decide to spend it. * Another critical change in this year’s race is that it is an official qualifying race for Atlanta’s popular Peachtree Road Race. This is a critical designation for any runner who plans to participate in that world-renown July 4th race down Peachtree Street in Atlanta.

A Family Fun Festival is open to any vendors who wish to participate, as

well. Vendors who intend to simply give product samples to patrons can occupy a booth space at no charge. Vendors who wish to sell products or services can rent booth space for $150. More details are listed on the website.

When the Gwinnett Roadrunners Club started running the Run the Reagan race nearly a quarter century ago, proceeds from the event went to the Gwinnett Community Clinic. Today, proceeds go to three designated recipients: The Lilburn and Southeast Gwinnett Co-Ops, and the Brookwood Schools Foundation.

In 2016, both co-ops received $14,000 each. According to Laura Drake, Director of the Southeast Gwinnett Cooperative Ministry, the money was “a Godsend.”

The Co-Op’s pantry shelves were bare at the time, and the need was great.

Grant recipients through the Brookwood Schools Foundation are teachers, and the funds they receive will be used to buy much-needed supplies and equipment for their classrooms. Without these grants, the teachers would either buy the supplies themselves, or students simply

would not have them in their classes.

Not only are all runners invited to register and run the race, but volunteers and sponsors are needed, as well.

About 125 volunteers are required to help organize runners, give out water along the route, and more. Sponsors are invited to participate at several different levels: Title Sponsor ($25,000), Race Sponsor ($10,000); Family Festival Sponsor ($5,000); Silver Sponsor ($2500); Bronze Sponsor ($1000); and Sponsor in Kind ($500). Each sponsorship package includes valuable benefits. For more information about sponsoring the race, visit www.RunTheReagan.net, or call 770789-0044.

For more information about volunteering, visit RunTheReagan.net, and click VOLUNTEER. All volunteers who work the race receive a t-shirt.

Runners can call 770-789-0044, or email info@runthereagan.net for registration information and specific details.

There will be a timed half-marathon, timed 10K, One-Mile Fun Run, timed 5K run and an untimed 5K walk/run, each with different start times. Race fees are posted on the website. All runners are asked to donate a non-perishable food item, as well.

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January/February 2017

The Gwinnett Citizen

Controlling rodents inside your home

Tim Daly

Gwinnett County Extension Agent One of the most irritating house pests is mice and rats, which are species of rodents. They frequently like to make your home theirs. Rats and mice can spread diseases, contaminate food, and cause structural damage. What should you do if you have a problem with these animals? What are the best methods of keeping them out of your home?

The three top types of rodents that infest homes are the Norway rat, roof rat and the house mouse. The Norway rat is the largest. It has a thick and heavy body that can grow seven to ten inches in length. The animal is gray to brown in color with the underside gray to white. They burrow extensively in soil and prefer to nest in basements and crawl spaces. Roof rats are smaller, with six to eight-inch bodies. They are black to brown in color with a lighter colored underside. Roof rats do not burrow much. They enter and build nests in the upper portion of homes, such as attics. The house mouse has a small and pear-shaped body two to three inches in length with a gray to brown color. They are excellent climbers and can infest both upper and lower parts of structures. Since they are small in size, they can gain entry into the home easier than rats. Consequently, mouse infestations are more common than rats.

How do you know if rats and mice are infesting your home? Frequently, their droppings can be observed in the areas they infest. Sometimes a musky odor is present. They will form paths between feeding and nesting sites, which are referred to as runways. The animals use these paths continually and prefer to move along objects such as walls. Another sign is gnawed marks. Fresh ones are light in color, and they will darken over time.

Keeping the rodents out of your home in the first place is the best preventative measure. They can enter through small openings and can gnaw through wood, lead, aluminum, and other materials. Rats can squeeze through gaps that are one-half inch in width, and mice can enter smaller ones. They can also enlarge openings that are too small by gnawing.

Several measures can be taken to exclude them. Seal openings in walls with materials that are resistant to the rodent’s gnawing such as small mesh hardwood cloth galvanized steel or concrete. Plug holes with steel wool or copper mesh before sealing. Make sure any gaps under the siding at the top of the foundation are closed. Seal up openings around pipes and electrical conduits where they enter exterior walls. Keep doors to the outside closed when not in use, and install weather stripping around doors and windows to allow for a tight fit when closed. Cover air vents with a one-quarter inch hardwood cloth, and make sure dryer vent flaps work properly.

Practicing good sanitation, which eliminates places that provide rodents with food, water, and shelter, will help reduce their populations. Remove any debris next to the foundation, such as log piles, brick or stone piles, accumulations of leaves and other debris. Prune any plant material 12 inches away from the foundation, and also pull back mulch from the same distance. Clean any food

or drinks that have been spilled, and keep all food material in sealed containers or the refrigerator. Do not leave pet food out overnight as this will be attractive to rodents and other wild animals. Also, keep any bird feeders far away from the house as possible.

Once you have determined they are infesting your home, several methods of control can be utilized. Poison baits are effective at reducing rodent populations.

They consist of poison that is disguised as a food material. The rodents consume it and will perish in a couple of days. The active ingredients of the baits are in small levels and reduce the chances of the rodents avoiding it due to taste. The main drawback to them is that the rodents often die in inaccessible places, which may cause a foul odor. As with all pesticides, make sure you follow all label directions and safety precautions when using baits.

Snap traps are commonly used for control. Rats need larger ones than the mice. Several foods can be utilized as baits, but peanut butter is the preferred choice. The traditional wooden traps are commonly used, and the least expensive, but the newer plastic, single-kill mouse traps are much easier to set and clean.

The traps should be placed in their runways such as along walls. Trapping is advantageous in that, unlike baits, they are not toxic and allows for the disposal of dead rodents, thus reducing the likelihood of odors from dead ones. If these methods do not get rid of the rodent problems, you should contract pest control professionals. You can find one at the website of the Georgia Pest Control Association at http://www.gpca.org/.

Timothy Daly is a County Extension Agent with the University of Georgia Cooperative Extension, Gwinnett County.

He can be reached at 678-377-4011 or tdaly@uga.edu.

Page 9

Taste of Collins Hill The Collins Hill Screamin’ Eagle Band is excited to present the 13th Annual Taste of Collins Hill, where local restaurateurs have the opportunity to strut their stuff. A collection of approximately 25 to 30 restaurants/food providers will be on hand to serve their trademark specialties, southern-fried secret recipes, or maybe a piece of their sinfully famous dessert.

Whatever the delicacy, this will certainly provide the unique opportunity to introduce or reacquaint local community members to everything our little corner of the world has to offer. The event will be held Friday, February 24, 2017 from 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM. Taste of Collins Hill is a key fundraiser for the Collins Hill band program; so therefore, the determination to succeed is immense. In fact, last year’s event set an all-time attendance and ticket sales record! It is our goal to provide a setting that will be enjoyable and enlightening to ticket holders, as well as an opportunity for local restaurants to meet and greet the community. It is the band’s intent to invite and display a myriad of different food types and styles to interest even the pickiest of customers and satisfy the hungriest of appetites.

It is with great pleasure that the Collins Hill Screamin’ Eagle Band offers this invitation to participate in this 13th Annual event. All band students and parents will be honored by, and indebted for, your participation and contribution to this event. Having researched the success of similar events, we feel your business will be vastly rewarded from the exposure it will receive.

Our goal is to sell approximately 3,000 tickets; however, a definitive number of attendees are yet to be determined, as ticket sales will not begin until after the New Year. All band students will be selling tickets 6 weeks prior to the event.

We will provide the setting, the drinks, and the people; you provide the cooking and any obligatory advertising. We hope you see the fun, the excitement, and the reward that this event has to offer.

If you are interested in participating, please don’t hesitate to contact Charlie Ware at 770-846-9973 or Charlie-ware@ outlook.com. Please allow us a few minutes of your time to explain the event in its entirety before making a final determination either way.

Thank you. We look forward to speaking with you soon.

The Gwinnett Citizen

Page 10

January/February 2017

LAKE LANIER continued from page 1 well), even its name (Lanier would be chosen after the start of construction).

Many starting dates are given, from1950 (dam construction begins) to 1959(first time Lanier reaches its “full” level of1071 feet above sea level), 1946 (the date the Army Corps of Engineers was charged with developing the project on the Chattahoochee River, but the birth of Lake Sidney Lanier actually began with the first purchase of land in 1948.

Shadburn’s Ferry marked the first physical move towards creating what would be known as Lake Lanier when 81-year-old Henry Shadburn of Forsyth County sold his 100-acre farm to the United States government for $4,100.

Shadburn’s Ferry would be only one piece of history destroyed by the creation of Lake Lanier. Also covered was the toll-gate run by James Vann, the entrance to the Georgia Road -later known as the Old Federal Highway, and a number of other ferries that crossed the Chattahoochee River.

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Many covered bridges were also lost, the most famous of which would be the original Brown’s and Keith’s Bridge.

Wooden structures that would be covered by Lake Lanier’s pool were removed. Concrete and brick structures were left in many cases. Graves were relocated, frequently from small, family graveyards that were common in these northeast Georgia hills.

Did you know that the depth of Lake Lanier at Buford Dam is 211 feet.

That’s deeper than the Statue of Liberty is tall.

Lake Lanier covers an area of more than 39,000 acres of water and is comprised of 692 miles of shoreline.

Lake Lanier plays host to more than eight million annual visitors with 68 parks and recreation areas, twelve campgrounds with more than 1,200 campsites, ten full-service marinas with restaurants, gas docks, pump-out stations and boat storage.

Construction on Buford Dam began in 1951 and was completed in 1956 at a total cost $45 million. Today, estimates of the economic impact of Lake Lanier exceed $5.5 billion annually, based on a study conducted by the Marine Trade Association of Metropolitan Atlanta.

More than $96 million in electricity has been produced by the powerhouse generators located at Buford Dam since 1957.

During the five years it took Lake Lanier to reach its full pool depths of 1,071 feet above sea level, entire towns were consumed by the lake, like Oscarville on the Forsyth County side, bridges, old county roads, racetracks such as Looper Speedway off Laurel Park, and other lakes as well, such as Lake Warner off the end of Riverside Drive and old Chattahoochee Park, just down the hill from American Legion Post 7 headquarters.

More than 50,000 acres of prime farm and bottom land was bought from individuals and private companies. To make way for the lake, the Army Corps of Engineers moved more than 250 families, six churches, 15 businesses, and 20 cemeteries. Land was cheap back then, selling for about $50 an acre.

In April 1958, Lake Lanier claimed its most famous victim, Susie Roberts, long since known as Lake Lanier’s Lady of the Lake. Roberts lost control of her car and crashed off the right abutment of Lanier Bridge on Dawsonville Highway. Her car came to rest in ninety feet of water, on a steep slope at the base of the bridge, caught in the dead fall of sheered-off tree trunks that comprise the Lake Lanier bottom.

A year after the accident in 1959, divers discovered the body of Delia Mae Parker Young, believed to be a passenger in Susie Roberts’ car, but could never locate the car or remains of Miss Roberts.

With visibility being almost zero at that depth, Roberts remained undiscovered until November, 1990 when

construction on the new Lanier Bridge expansion was underway. Construction crews found Roberts car while dredging out the lake bottom to set the foundation pillars for the new bridge.

One of the casualties of Lake Lanier was Looper Speedway, a half-mile dirt off old Cleveland Highway at the point of what is now Laurel Park.

Looper Speedway was owned by Max Looper.

His nephew Edwin Looper worked there during high school, watering down the dirt track every Friday night before the Saturday races.

“We watered down the track before each race,” Looper said in a 2001 interview.

“You couldn’t race on Sundays in Gainesville back then, so they ran races on Saturdays. They ran mostly ‘39 Ford coupes, though one guy ran an old Plymouth.”

Looper Speedway closed in the 1950’s as the backwaters of Lake Lanier began creeping northward. “Gober Sosebee from Dahlonega raced out here,” Looper said. “As did Eddie Samples from Atlanta, Chester Barron out of Cornelia, and a woman, Sarah Christain from Dahlonega.”

A rarity back in those days Christian actually brought home the checkered flag one Saturday afternoon, driving Speedway owner Max Looper’s car.

“This is a died-in-the-wool fact,?

Edwin Looper said.” Sarah Christian drove old Max’s car and won that race.

Made all the men mad too, her being a woman and all, and winning the race.

When the lake levels plummeted to a near record 15 feet below full pool back in 2001, the top rows of the old concrete grandstand could be seen along the shoreline off Laurel Park.

“There used to be ten to fifteen rows of concrete bleachers running along the track,” Looper said. Only four rows remain, the rest buried by lake bottom silt.

Today, instead of racing fans, schools of bass, crappie and sunfish gather around the old grandstand now, a popular Lanier fishing spot.

And speaking of fish . . .

“You know there’s catfish swimmin’ around the bottom of that lake that are the size of a ten year old boy.” The old fisherman scrapes a hand across his whisker-stubbled chin and offers a conspiratorial grin. They say, “half the lies this fella tells aren’t even true.”

Still, you visualize what your ten year old looks like -- about five feet tall and weighing somewhere between eighty and one hundred pounds.

That’s a lot of fish.

Taking into consideration the story teller’s creed of never letting the truth stand in the way of a good story, you wonder if there really are catfish the size of your fourth grader lurking in the murky deep of Lake Lanier. If anglers can pull 42-inch Stripers from there, why not ninety-pound catfish?

Special Photo

In 1956 the gates of the intake structure were closed on the lakeside of Buford Dam and the process of creating the reservoir, Lake Sidney Lanier began. It took over three years for the lake to record its normal elevation of 1071 feet above sea level for the first time on May 25, 1959.

Ever hear of the Chicken Truck story?

Every major lake, river and reservoir across the Southern United States has a story like this one: Divers performing maintenance work on a local dam encounter catfish the size of Volkswagens. They’re known as monster fish, and they live in the murky depths of lake and river bottoms . . . and they’re known to swallow a small dog whole.

The Chicken Truck Story is a classic rural legend, and it takes place on Lake Lanier.

How big catfish can actually get is widely disputed. The record is supposedly a 123 pound flathead catfish caught in Kansas. Folks around these parts, however, swear cats have been known to weigh twice as much, and often told stories about nearly landing one or being chased by one. Still, a flathead catfish weighing as much as a small adult is one big fish. Local fisherman Don Winkler looks at you with a twinkle in his eye when he talks about the Chicken Truck Story.

“Sure, it’s true,” he said, and then segues into a story about how he caught the largest striper ever pulled from the waters of Lake Lanier. He lost the official record, he claims, because the record holder used a lighter testline than he did.

“The chicken truck crashed off Thompson Bridge back in the 1980s,” Winkler said. “When divers investigated the wreck site, they came across catfish the size of twelve-year-old boys swallowing these chickens whole.” His daughter, according to Winkler’s Big Fish story, was one of those divers.

She never went diving in that Lake after this. Whether or not the Chicken Truck story is actually true doesn’t matter when considering whether monstersized catfish really do exist along the bottom of Lake Lanier. Given the lake-bottom sediments and water depths, chances are good Lake Lanier plays home to some real leviathans of the deep.

Remember, it’s not so much the truth that matters when spinning a good yarn, but the story itself.

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January/February 2017

The Gwinnett Citizen

Page 11

Investment Tax Planning

Roger Green, MSFS,CFP ®

Green Financial Resources

As we start a new year, there are things you need to think about doing to maximize your retirement assets, gain any available tax benefit, and/or avoid any tax penalty that may be linked to your investments. These are some of the things you should consider.

IRAs - First, make sure you have maximized your IRA contributions to take advantage of the increased tax benefits they offer. Contributions for 2016 may be made through April 17th, 2017. Note: Filing an extension on your tax return does not extend the deadline for making your IRA contributions.

The 2016 and 2017 maximum contributions are $5,500 for IRA contributions for those under age 50 ($6,500 for those 50+). Make sure your contribution amount takes into consideration any prior contributions you have made for the tax year 2016, so you do not exceed this maximum. The vendor holding your IRA

is the best resource to verify the amount you have paid for 2016.

Also, please note that there is an income limitation on taking a full deduction for your contribution to a traditional IRA while participating in a workplace retirement account, such as a 401k. For 2016, this income limitation is $61,000 for singles and $98,000 for married filing jointly. This deduction completely phases out when your income rises above about $72,000 for singles and $119,000 for married, filing jointly. There are also higher income limits on IRA deductions if only one person is participating. These limits are increasing slightly for 2017 to $62,000 for singles and $99,000 for married filing jointly.

Roth IRAs - Although there are no immediate tax benefits, for those who are eligible a Roth IRA might be the way to go because it provides tax-free withdrawal of contributions later. A Roth IRA has other benefits over a traditional IRA: 1) you can make contributions to your Roth IRA after you reach age 70 ½, and 2) you can leave amounts in your Roth IRA as long as you live. Be aware, however, some companies that offer Roth accounts place a surrender fee for mutual fund investments within the IRA for a period of generally up to 12 months, so make sure you intend to leave the money invested for at least one year.

A Roth IRA calculator is available at www.rogersgreen.com to help determine if you qualify for a Roth. The broad guideline is that you are eligible if your “gross adjusted income” on your tax re-

“Maximize your retirement assets, gain any available tax benefit, and/or avoid any tax penalty that may be linked to your investments.” turn is less than $117,000 filing single, or less than $184,000 filing jointly. For 2017, these numbers are increasing to $118,000 for those filing single and $186,000 for those filing jointly. There is some allowance for reduced Roth contributions for those making up to about $132,000$194,000 for 2016 and then $133,000 to $196,000 for 2017, depending on filing status.

Roth Conversions - In 2010, guidelines were changed to allow conversion of existing assets from a traditional IRA to a Roth IRA regardless of your Adjusted Gross Income (previously limited to those under about $100,000 in income). A conversion can lower your future tax bill if you anticipate higher future tax rates.

Keep in mind, however, that converting normally results in a taxable event, and you should have funds outside of your IRA to pay any taxes due upon conversion. The decision to convert can be complex, and you will need to take into consideration many factors such as assumed future tax brackets, other assets available for retirement, and whether you have the assets to pay for the conversion income taxes.

401(k) Contributions - The maximum contribution is $18,000 for 2017.

For those age 50+, an additional $6,000 catch-up contribution is also permitted, increasing the age 50+ maximum to $24,000 for 2017. Make sure you are maximizing your 401k contributions if you are able, as this is how most people get started on investing for their future.

If your company offers matching employer contributions into your 401(k), make sure you are contributing at minimum an amount that earns you the full employer match. Failure to do so equates to refusing free money from your employer. Your 401(k) contributions, unlike IRA contributions, must be made by December 31st each year. There is a provision limiting the matching money paid by employers into the 401k for those earning higher incomes. For 2017 that income limit is rising to $270,000.

401(k) Rollovers - Do you have a 401(k) account(s) you left with your prior employer(s)? Our office can assist you with 401k rollovers to expand diversification, consolidate multiple accounts, and/ or to provide ongoing professional management and advice on your retirement planning, if that makes sense for your situation.

SEP IRAs & Solo 401ks – For the self-employed and small business

owners, the amount they can save in a SEP IRA or a Solo 401(k) is rising from $53,000 in 2016 to $54,000 for 2017. That is based on the amount you can contribute as a percentage of salary as an employer, with the new compensation limit used in the savings calculation rising to $270,000 in 2017, up from $265,000 for 2016.

Required Minimum Distributions (RMD) - If you or someone you know reaches or is beyond the age of 70½ during 2017, you must take a Required Minimum Distribution (RMD) from impacted retirement accounts each year.

Failure to take an RMD can result in a 50% IRS excise penalty on the amount of the distribution.

For many of these decisions, the input of a financial advisor and/or a tax professional is recommended. To inquire about your individual situation, or about setting up an individual IRA or a 401k for your small business, please contact our office at 770.931.1414 to schedule a complimentary consultation. Tune in to “Your Green” aired Saturdays from 10-11AM on WNIV 970 AM or listen live at www.wniv. com.

This information is not intended to be tax or legal advice, and it may not be relied upon for the purpose of avoiding any federal or state tax penalties.

Roger S. Green is a Registered Representative of, and securities and advisory services offered through Cetera Advisors LLC, member FINRA/SIPC. Roger’s office is located at 3700 Crestwood Parkway Duluth, GA 30096.

The Gwinnett Citizen

Page 12

January/February 2017

Health, Beauty & Wellness

Make Weight Loss Last: The 5 essentials you need to know There is no doubt that New Year’s resolutions are easier to make than to keep. In fact, it is estimated that less than half of those that make resolutions make it past the first six months. But that shouldn’t stop you from making a commitment to health in the new year.

Of course, one of the most popular New Year’s resolutions is weight loss; however, when making this commitment, it’s important to consider what you can personally maintain for the long term.

Unfortunately, for most people, when a large amount of weight is lost, they regain it two to three years later.

So, what’s the secret to weight loss success? Neelima Dachuri, MD, an expert from Gwinnett Medical Center’s Center for Weight Management provides the essentials your weight loss journey may be missing.

1. Give yourself time. Habits don’t change overnight. Setting your goals too high can leave you feeling discouraged if you can’t reach them. Be realistic by choosing one or two small changes you can make each week.

Keep in mind that weight loss should be slow and steady as well. It is recom-

mended that no more than a half to two pounds per week should be lost.

2. There is no one-size-fits-all.

Healthy bodies come in all shapes and sizes. Not all bodies are made to be thin.

For some people, a healthy weight is higher than the average weight listed on weight charts.

Don’t become fixated on a magic weight or clothing size as your marker of success or health. Before deciding what success means for you, work with a doctor to decide what a healthy weight actually is.

Better yet, try working with a weight loss specialist who can guide you through the comprehensive, whole-body medical weight loss program at GMC’s Center for Weight Management. To learn more about this opportunity, visit gwinnettmedicalcenter.org/medicalweightloss.

3. Add the right kind of exercise.

The best type of exercise is the one that you’ll actually do. Focus on finding something that you enjoy first and foremost.

To ensure that you’re exercising to lose weight, it is best that you incorporate exercise that burns 1,500 to 2,000 calories per week. That breaks down to

approximately two to four days per week with at least 40 minutes of moderate to vigorous activity.

A great way to really gauge the best exercise for your weight, or perhaps the exercise that will give you the most bang for your buck, is to utilize the calorie burn rate calculator. To utilize this helpful tool, visit gwinnettmedicalcenter.org/ calorie calc.

4. Don’t deny yourself. One of the most important parts of any weight loss journey is to improve your diet. For many of us, the term diet brings to mind restrictive eating, but this shouldn’t be the case.

Of course, adding more fresh produce and lean forms of protein is never a bad thing, but neither is indulging every

now and then. But when you do indulge, make sure to focus on portion size, try only having one of your favorite treat instead of 10.

5. Be supportive. Encouragement from others, especially during difficult times, can make the difference in losing weight. Ask your family members and friends for support or for them to join you. There are also programs like Weight Watchers that offer support and accountability.

But despite all this external support, the support you offer yourself should not be overlooked. By keeping a journal or diary, you can keep a record of your experiences with eating healthier and exercising.

There will be weeks where things go well and your journal will serve as a reminder of success. On the weeks where you struggle, don’t be hard on yourself.

Instead, use the journal as a way to learn from your mistakes and to continue growing.

Weight loss can be difficult. And one of the biggest challenges many of us encounter isn’t just losing the weight, it’s maintaining it. So don’t do the same old thing to lose weight, you’ll keep getting the same old results.

Instead, try utilizing the expertise, resources and care that the Center for Weight Management offers. To learn more, visit gwinnettmedicalcenter.org/ bariatrics.

January/February 2017

The Gwinnett Citizen

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The Gwinnett Citizen

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WILLARD WRECKER SERV I C E

Free concussion baseline test offered February 25th

Next time you’re stuck, give us a call!

• Local and long-distance towing • Boost battery recharge • Flat tire change • Flatbed towing service • Lockouts • Gas Delivery • Junk car removal • Accident removal 719 Shadburn Ave. Buford, GA 30518 770-945-7580 Fax: 770-945-9843

Paige Havens

The Concussion Discussion

2451 Pleasantdale Rd. Doraville, GA 30340 770-773-1215 Fax: 770-864-9533

w w w. w i l l a rd w re c k e r. c o m

January/February 2017

If focusing more on your family’s health is on your New Year’s resolution list, here’s a great way to start the year off right. On Saturday, February 25th Gwinnett Medical Center’s Concussion Institute will host its third annual Concussion Baseline Testing Day and tests are available free of charge. This annual event is designed specifically to help keep Gwinnett families safe and healthy.

Concussions can happen anytime, anywhere, to anyone. Because Gwinnett is home to one of the premier concussion care centers in the country, we have access to preventative healthcare programs like this, that other communities could only dream to have. Gwinnett Medical Center’s Concussion Institute takes very seriously its role to care for us when we are hurt, but also owns the opportunity to offer education and preventative programs that help us better understand concussions and do everything possible to help keep them from happening.

This event was originally launched in 2015 with the goal of testing as many youth athletes in our community as possible. Children playing impact sports are at greater risk for concussion. We’ve made great headway on that front but still have so many young athletes out there playing with no concussion baseline test on file.

This free, community-wide event works to break down barriers and give parents easy access to concussion baselines for their children.

But concussions don’t just happen while playing sports. Children take big falls tumbling off playground equipment, riding their bikes, and stumbling down stairs. And adults get concussions too.

This is a great time to bring everyone in your family ages 12 and up to get these valuable baseline tests for free.

Baseline tests are simple and easy to take. The test is a computer-based program called ImPACT. You simply sit at a computer and answer the questions and prompts on the screen. The neurocognitive test documents your individual brain function as you work through exercises on the screen. ImPACT works to measure five key areas of neurocognitive functioning: Verbal Memory, Visual Memory, Visual-Motor Speed, Reaction Time, and Impulse Control.

The idea is to measure your normal brain function in a state of wellness. Then, if you should ever sustain a concussion, the same test can be taken again, allowing the doctors to compare the data pre and post injury. The data helps doctors better gauge the depth of

injury and craft a more effective concussion management plan. Adults only need to take baseline tests once. Youth with developing brains should be tested every two years.

For those that have test anxiety, don’t fret. ImPACT is not a “pass” or “fail” test, but one that provides valuable baseline data that helps when diagnosing and treating concussions. After the test you will be given an individual ID to keep and in the event you sustain a concussion, you share that ID with your doctor and they can access your baseline data online. The test only takes about 30 minutes to complete.

Concussion baseline testing sites this year include: • Discovery High School • Mountain View High School • North Gwinnett High School • Peachtree Ridge High School • Shiloh High School • JM Tull Gwinnett Family YMCA • Robert D. Fowler Family YMCA Other testing sites may be added based upon demand, so visit gwinnettmedicalcenter.org/baselineday for the latest list of testing sites and times. Registration is required and space is limited.

Walk-ins will only be taken on a space available basis.

Paige Havens is a big voice for concussion awareness, prevention, and cutting-edge treatment. Paige is an active advocate in the area of brain injury prevention and concussion awareness across the state.

DESTINY continued from page 1 One day she and Snell were talking about school-related business, and my name came up. He ended up calling me.

We had our first date on December 14 of that year, and it was nice. We talked and laughed and had to acknowledge that we had nothing in common with sports. He filmed all of the Varsity football games, coached the eighthgrade football, assisted with the Track program, and attended almost all of the basketball games. I went to the games and sold tickets. I visited with people in the bleachers. I knew the scores when the games were over, and I saw some amazing plays, but that was kind of lost on me.

Still, he called again. And again. And we went out again. And again. He was not intimidated when he met Daddy at the door for the first time. Daddy always greeted my dates. He usually was wearing his gun. Even the dog liked him.

Snell and I found more things to talk about. We enjoyed searching antiques and junk shops. One of my favorite dates was early in the relationship.

We went to Stone Mountain and visited the Old Plantation. We ate Sunday dinner at Arby’s on Memorial Drive. Lots of sauce. I love the sauce.

There is a little age discrepancy be-

Marlene Ratledge Buchanan Hey Y’all

tween us. Snell is ten and one-half years older than I. He remembers Elvis from the beginning. I know Elvis from his 1960-70’s comeback tours. Snell listens to Country and Western. I listen to Rock and Roll. Buddy Holly is who Don McLean sings about in American Pie. Snell remembers him changing the sound of music.

When he kissed me good night on that December 14th evening, I knew I would marry that man. We married December 13 the following year. 364 days later.

I had to wait a little bit for him to get ready to get married. He turned

me down the first three times I asked him. Then one night we went to see The Return of the Pink Panther at Lenox Square. We wandered around Davison’s and saw they were having an estate jewelry sale. I found the ring. It is an antique from Italy. It has inset mother of pearl and a few little diamonds. It isn’t a very valuable ring, but it is a fortune to me. The next day, he asked me to marry him, and we went to Davison’s and bought that ring.

Snell said he fell in love and got married during his mid-life crisis and had a baby in menopause. That’s probably true. We were married seven years before James came along. It has been 42 years since that first date. And we just celebrated our 41st anniversary.

I always said I was going to marry an old man with money. I only got the old man, but I wouldn’t trade him for anything. He is perfect. We are well suited, and he is ying to my yang. He is calm and easy going. I make Type A personalities shiver in fear. He rarely gets mad or loses his temper. I self-ignite. I am keeping him forever. After all this time we are well ‘broke-in” to each other.

Weren’t we lucky to find each other? I think it was destiny.

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Contact the GWINNETT CITIZEN today to share your community news & inquire about advertising and partnering.

(770) 963-3699 • info@gwinnettcitizen.com • gwinnettcitizen.com

January/February 2017

The Gwinnett Citizen

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A comparison of revocable and irrevocable trust

David Walker

Attorney at Law

For the purpose of planning your estate, a will is the basic tool for putting your plan in place. However there are other ways to accomplish this task, such as revocable or irrevocable trusts. The choice of one of these trusts can offer advantages that some people prefer over a will. But, there are misunderstandings about what each type of trust can and cannot do.

Either type of trust can eliminate the need for probate. For both types, the creator of the trust, known as the grantor, transfers ownership of his or her property to the trust. If all of a person’s property is in the trust there is no need for probate of a will. However, for any number of reasons people sometimes do not put all their property into the trust. Therefore a backup will is often recommended, called a pour over will.

For asset protection purposes, an irrevocable trust is required. The revocable trust does not offer any asset protection. With a revocable trust, the grantor, the trustee, and the beneficiary are generally the same person. To protect assets from future creditors, the grantor must give up control of the property put in trust. With an irrevocable trust, an independent trustee is required, who must manage the property for the benefit of the beneficiaries of the trust.

Concerning estate taxes, a revocable trust does not reduce estate taxes.

With an irrevocable trust, the assets are not subject to the estate tax generally. A person who creates an irrevocable trust transfers permanent ownership of his or her property to the trust. Therefore these assets are not a part of his or her taxable estate for estate tax purposes (with certain exceptions). At the present, the estate tax is only a problem for people with

a net worth of more than approximately $5.4 million. Statistically, most estates are not subject to estate tax. However, for an estate that is large, the amount over $5.4 million is taxed at a relatively high rate. In certain situations, a married couple can have a higher estate tax credit by using portability of any unused portion of the $5.4 million estate tax credit. Laws can always change, so it still pays to be mindful of the estate tax.

Our office prepares wills and trusts after analysis of their assets, liabilities, personal factors, and legal goals.

David S. Walker, Attorney at Law David Sinclair Walker, Jr. P.C. Mailing address: P.O.BOX 871329, Stone Mountain GA 30087 Offices: •North Gwinnett Office6340 Sugarloaf Parkway, Suite 200, Duluth GA 30097 •South Gwinnett Office-

2330 Scenic Highway, Snellville GA 30078 Telephone 770-972-3803; Facsimile 770-921-7418 email: david.walker.law.firm@gmail.com http://www.walker-law-firm.com

GA Bar No. 731725 Admitted in GA and D.C. UGA Law Certified Mediator no. 5194-7574-0803-0720

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January/February 2017