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IN WEEKEND Movie critic Michael Clark ranks the best and worst films of 2015 • Page 1C
Gwinnett Daily Post FRIDAY, JANUARY 1, 2016
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2015
Vol. 46, No. 63
STORIES YEAR OF THE
A look back at Gwinnett’s top headlines
Kelly Gissendaner put to death for husband’s 1997 murder While the world watched, the state of Georgia killed its first female death row inmate in 70 years, Kelly Gissendaner, at the end of September. The former Gwinnett County woman sang “Amazing Grace” strapped to the gurney, resigning to her fate after many months of legal fighting between her lawyers and the state, and cries for mercy from former inmates and even Pope Francis. “I just want to say God bless you all,” Gissendaner said to the witnesses gathered to watch her die at the Georgia Diagnostic and Classification Prison. “Tell my kids I died singing ‘Amazing Grace.’ Tell the Gissendaners I am so sorry an amazing man lost his life. I just hope they can find peace, and I hope they can find happiness.” Her death also came after a failed attempt to execute her in March, when a “cloudy” batch of pentobarbital worried those tasked with carrying out her sentence. The state halted her execution at the 11th hour and didn’t conduct any other executions until it determined that storage issues had caused the drug to appear cloudy. The woman’s children also begged for mercy, saying even their father wouldn’t want her to die. They had forgiven her for having her lover, Greg Owen, kill Doug Gissendaner. Greg Owen, who escaped the death penalty by cooperating with prosecutors, is eligible for parole in 2023.
The battle for Snellville reaches climax
Cindy Martinez battles back from flesh-eating bacteria Gwinnett County residents rallied around Dacula resident Cindy Martinez in 2015 as she battled a flesh-eating bacteria that forced doctors to amputate several of her limbs to save her life. Martinez, the wife of Gwinnett County police officer David Martinez, was admitted to Gwinnett Medical Center in May and diagnosed with necrotizing fasciitis and myositis. She underwent several surgeries to stop the spread of the bacteria and both of her feet and her right hand were amputated in June. The community quickly rallied around the ex-Marine and mother of two children. A GoFundMe account was set up to raise money for Martinez and her family to help cover her medical expenses. Several fundraisers were also held throughout the county over the summer to help her. Volunteers also helped modify her home so she could maneuver around it after she was released from the hospital. At the same time, she was moved between hospitals in Lawrenceville, Augusta and Atlanta. In late September, she and her doctors at the Shepherd Center announced she was ready to come home. Tucker’s AMS Vans and Nalley Automotive Group donated a custom van to the Martinez family at AMS’ Fall Fest in October.
Before the November election brought a measure of harmony in Snellville, the city’s officials began 2015 as they had the previous several years: in disagreement. This time, they squared off before the Georgia Supreme Court over whether then-Mayor Kelly Kautz had the authority to fire City Attorney Tony Powell. The court would later side with the mayor, but the trouble between her and the council continued throughout the year. There was disagreement over City Clerk Phyllis Richardson, who the mayor hired against the council’s wishes. There were allegations of racism and, in turn, “race-baiting.” There were court battles that cost tens of thousands of dollars for residents. There were circular conversations at council meetings. There was verbal jabbing and moments when residents would rise to chastise the officials. On Nov. 3, voters tossed Kautz from office in a landslide, electing Tom Witts, the former mayor pro tem. Since Witts took office, the city rehired the city attorney and fired the clerk, bringing back council favorite Melisa Arnold, who had been with the city for more than two decades before resigning during the trial for Kautz’s lawsuit against the city.
Georgia Gwinnett College celebrates 10th anniversary A decade after the school began with 107 students, Georgia Gwinnett College celebrated its 10th anniversary throughout the fall highlighted by a series of events in September. Celebrated on social media through the hashtag #GGC10, there was a groundbreaking of the addition to the C building and an unveiling of the official portrait of the school’s first president, Dan Kaufman. GGC added about 1,000 students in August to reach nearly 12,000 for the fall semester, inching closer to officials’ enrollment target of 13,000, which could come in one of the next few semesters. The school is the ninth-largest and fastest-growing institution in the state. The school added a 15th bachelor’s degree in environmental science, which has concentrations in natural science and social science. The school also has new minors in geography and sociology for a total of 42 concentrations. GGC was honored at an event at the Gold Dome in February as members of the Gwinnett legislative delegation presented resolutions honoring the college to GGC President Stas Preczewski.
FOR MORE STORIES OF THE YEAR, SEE PAGE 7A
Lawrenceville City Manager Lanier water levels surpassing Baroni retires after 42 years Corps of Engineers’ projections By Curt Yeomans
curt.yeomans @gwinnettdailypost.com
Lawrenceville officials have big issue to address in 2016: Who will be the new city manager? Current City Manager Bob Baroni announced during a
By Curt Yeomans
called council meeting on Wednesday that he is retiring from his position after more than 40 years as a member of Lawrenceville’s government. The council voted to accept his retirement and retain him as a consultant throughout 2016 to See BARONI, Page 8A
curt.yeomans @gwinnettdailypost.com
Bob Baroni
Lake Lanier has surpassed U.S. Army Corps of Engineers projections for how high its water elevation will go after recent rains, and it’s continuing to rise, the corps
announced Thursday. Earlier this week, the corp predicted the elevation would peak at 1,075.1 feet by the end of the week. Now those predictions are being revised as new rain that moved through the area on Wednesday runs off into the lake. “The current elevation at
Lake Lanier is 1075.3 feet above mean sea level (msl),” corps spokeswoman Lisa Parker said in a statement. “Lanier has risen over 4 feet in the past few days and the lake is expected to peak at 1075.7 msl over the upcoming week.”
See LANIER, Page 8A
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INSIDE Classified........6B
Horoscope......4A
Nation............ 5A
Sports.............1B
Comics............5B
Local.............. 2A
Obituaries.......7A
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Crossword......5B
Lottery............ 4A
Perspectives...6A
Weekend........1C
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Meet the
Ambassador of Laughter
Sunday, Jan 10 • 1-3:00 pm •
at Mall of Georgia
Bring the family, bring the kids, bring Grandma and experience the fun of the circus!
• Ticket giveaways every 15 minutes • Grand prize giveaway at 3:00 pm • See Ambassador of Laughter, Rob Ringling, clown around, perform balancing acts and participate in social silliness. • Fun free activities, clown noses & more! 300598-1
For show tickets, go to Ringling.com • Feb 10-15 at Philips Arena • Feb 18-28 at Infinite Energy Arena (formerly The Arena at Gwinnett Center)