Merry Christmas!
Gwinnett’s oldest locally owned newspaper - established 1988
Vol. 30, No. 2
Women need to know page 6
Heating and efficiency tips page 7
FREE
www.gwinnettcitizen.com
DECEMBER 2017
Gwinnett VIP gives veterans a helping hand By Carole Townsend Staff Correspondent Only veterans’ first names are used in this article, to protect their privacy. Judge Carla Brown stands in the middle of her courtroom this Thursday afternoon. She’s smiling and calling defendants by name, asking about their health, their families, and their general well-being. Interestingly, the defendants are smiling back at the judge, catching her up on their goings-on over the past month, and even cracking jokes now and then. In courtroom 2D in the Gwinnett Justice and Administration Center, there’s something happening. And it’s working. “We call our veterans’ court here in Gwinnett ‘VIP court,’ because that’s exactly who we’re dealing with: VIPs. We owe our veterans a great deal of gratitude,” Gwinnett’s Solicitor-General Rosanna Szabo said at the beginning of the veterans’ court session on Thursday, Nov. 9. Gwinnett’s VIP (Veterans Intervention Program) court is
See VETERANS on page 18
Who’s watching the kids? page 16
Covering Buford, Sugar Hill, Dacula, Lawrenceville, Braselton
Special Photo
Celebrating Graduation Day in Veterans Court (L-R) Judge Carla Brown, Gwinnett State Court, Rosanna Szabo, Melvin J. Everson, State Representative David Clark, Ron Goodbub, and Mrs. Georgia, Melanie Gossett Caceres.
Life at Three Miles Per Hour
Birdhouse Treasures
Love of learning page 19 Gordon Strauss and his birdhouses
INSIDE Gwinnett Pulse What’s in a name Health & Wellness
PRESORT STD U.S. POSTAGE PAID LILBURN,GA PERMIT NO. 99 ECR-WSS POSTAL CUSTOMER
By Tiffany Brix Staff Correspondent
2 11 12
Special Photo
A snapshot of Brett Bramble on his 2016 Walk from Lewes, Delaware to San Francisco By Paige Havens Staff Correspondent
Lilburn Man Walks Across America for Addiction Awareness
Brett Bramble grew up in Lilburn in a big family full of lots of love. In middle school he fell into
See
LIFE on page 8
With Thanksgiving on our heals, we try to hold on to that atmosphere of gratitude and be thankful for what we have in our lives. But it is not a far leap to assert that most of us do not acknowledge how good we have it on a day-to-day basis. During the holidays we try to increase our giving to those who seem to be in need. There are a few times when reality may smack us in the face and give us a humbling lesson in apprecia-
Special Photo
tion. One of the most heart-breaking experiences is when a child we love faces cancer. There is no way to explain sense into such an infliction. However, those who have to endure watching a child fight cancer know appreciation. They appreciate every day they get; they have to, even if that day is full of tubes, needles, treatments, and vomit. If they eventually get to celebrate a triumphant result, they enter back into life with a ferocious appreciation for all things.
See BIRDHOUSE on page10