July 12, 2020 — Gwinnett Daily Post

A2 ♦ Sunday, July 12, 2020 ♦ gwinnettdailypoSt.com

Buford City Schools to require students wear face masks on buses, ‘strongly recommend’ they wear them in school as well

By Curt Yeomans curt.yeomans@ gwinnettdailypost.com

Buford City Schools students whose families opt for in-school instruction this fall will have to wear face masks for at least part of their day because of the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic, Su-

perintendent Robert Downs announced Thursday.

The city school system will reconvene classes on Aug. 5, a week earlier than Gwinnett County and Hall County schools, with families having the option of in-school instruction or digital learning for the fall semester.

As for face masks — which

Gwinnett County Public Schools plans to make mandatory — Downs said in a letter to parents that he understands a decision on whether to wear one is “very personal.”

At the same time, the district would prefer students wear them in school while staff will be required to wear them at least in common areas, in-

All the loving comfort of home.

With care that goes above

and beyond.

AT THE LANDINGS, OUR PRIORITY IS UNWAVERING ATTENTION TO OUR RESIDENTS’ HEALTH.

cluding halls and media centers, when social distancing is not possible.

The school system will only mandate the wearing of masks by students on school buses, however.

“Given the most recent guidance, we strongly recommend that BCS students wear cloth face coverings while at school,” Downs said. “Students will be required to wear cloth face coverings on BCS school buses. This protocol will be included as part of the school reopening guidelines.

“We encourage families to obtain reusable/washable face coverings for their student(s).

However, a disposable mask will be provided for any student who boards the school bus without an appropriate face covering.”

Virtual town hall meetings with parents will be held Tuesday so district officials can answer questions about their plans for the beginning of the school year. A town hall for parents of kindergartners through fifth-graders will be held at 6 p.m., while a town hall for parents of sixthgraders through high school seniors will be held at 7 p.m.

Parents can fill out forms at bufordcityschool.org to submit questions for the town halls, with 9 a.m. Monday being the deadline to submit questions. The links to view the town halls is expected to be released Monday.

Meanwhile, as neighboring school systems have been pushing the start of their school years back to give them additional time to make preparations

to handle the COVID-19 novel coronavirus to try and stop it from spreading, Downs said such a delay wasn’t needRobert ed for Buford Downs schools.

“I am aware that Gwinnett County Public Schools and Hall County Schools have decided to push their school start date back to Aug. 12,” Downs said. “While I respect their decisions, their dynamics do not alter the fact that we will be ready to open as planned.

“As evidenced by our reopening guides for families and staff, we have prepared and will continue to do such, so we can welcome our students back to school for in-person and digital learning Aug. 5.

If a directive from Governor Kemp or health agencies changes this projected start date, we will immediately notify our BCS families.”

School specific information will be sent to families as the school year approaches.

Families of students in the school system have until July 15 to tell the district whether they want their children to participate in digital learning, or in-school instruction.

The school system made information about the options available online Thursday so parents can decide which learning option they prefer.

The information is available at bit.ly/3fglrsb.

“Our commitment to your family continues to be trans-

parent communication and, to the greatest degree possible, personalization, and respect for your family’s circumstances,” Downs said. “We understand and acknowledge the decision to return to school is a highly personal one for each family, and we are here to help in whatever way possible.”

Buford City Schools officials previously warned parents and students that digital learning will be challenging because of how long it is expected to last: 90 days of instruction.

They also said it will not be similar to the digital learning the district used this past spring because of the fact that some students will be learning digitally and others will be learning in person.

The school system said there will be a consistency in expectations for attendance, grading and accountability for all students regardless of whether they are in the classroom or participating via computer.

The district also said options for electives, specials and connections classes may be limited for students who chose to stay home and participate in digital learning.

“The digital learning option will require a significant commitment from students and parents, as it will be a full semester commitment (90 instructional days),” Buford City Schools officials said in information sent out to parents earlier this month.

“In order for students to be successful with digital learning, parents must be willing to provide adequate support at home.”

Congressional candidate charged with contempt for failing to surrender guns

• Monitoring of staff according to CDC recommendations • Medication delivery and administration to our residents • On-site assistance available 24/7 UNCERTAIN TIMES CALL FOR CERTAIN CARE — AND A COMMUNITY THAT’S WARM, ENGAGING AND CONNECTS WITH YOU.

By Curt Yeomans curt.yeomans@ gwinnettdailypost.com

A candidate for Rep. Doug Collins’ seat in Congress who, at one time, planned to run for the open Gwinnett County TO LEARN MORE OR TO TAKE A VIRTUAL TOUR, commission chairman seat VISIT THELANDINGSATNORCROSS.COM this year, has been arrested and is sitting in the Gwinnett County jail for not surrendering guns and ammuASSISTED LIVING nition she’d previously been MEMORY CARE ordered to turn in.

680 Holcomb Bridge Road Brooke Siskin was booked Norcross, GA 3007 1 into the jail Thursday on a contempt of court charge for allegedly not surrendering T H E L A N D I N G S AT N O R C R O S S . C O M • 8 0 0 . 5 6 7. 0 5 7 0 guns she owned. Siskin had REPORT OF LILBURN COMMUNITY IMPROVEMENT ordered to surrender DISTRICT OF PROPOSED MILLAGE RATE been the weapons and ammunition after a 12-Month Family Violence Protective Order In compliance with O.C.G.A. §48-5, the Lilburn Community Improvement District (“CID”)

reports that at its meeting on June 22, 2020, beginning at 11:30 A.M. at Lilburn City Hall, 340 Main

REPORT OF LILBURN COMMUNITY IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT OF PROPOSED MILLAGE Street, NW, Lilburn, Gwinnett County, Georgia 30047, the Lilburn CIDRATE Board of Directors will vote upon a proposal to levyO.C.G.A. an ad valorem taxation rate of 5 mills, and will set its millage rate for the In compliance with §48-5, the Lilburn Community Improvement District (“CID”) reports that at its meeting on July 22, 2020, beginning at 11:30 A.M. at Lilburn lawful purposes of the District for the current calendar year. Set forth below are the assessed taxable City Hall, 340 Main Street, NW, Lilburn, Gwinnett County, Georgia 30047, the Lilburn CID Board Directorssubject will vote uponfora proposal levyand an the ad valorem taxation rate five of values of theofproperties to taxes the currenttoyear immediately preceding 5 mills, and will set its millage rate for the lawful purposes of the District for the current years, theyear. total Set dollar amount of are ad the valorem taxestaxable proposedvalues to be of levied the current year and calendar forth below assessed the for properties subject to taxes theimmediately current yearpreceding and the immediately five years,and thetotal totaldollar dollarincreases amountor leviedfor in the five years, as preceding well as the percentage of ad valorem taxes proposed to be levied for the current year and levied in the immedidecreases with respect to theasimmediately calendar year.dollar All property levied upon is real ately preceding five years, well as thepreceding percentage and total increases or decreases with respect to the immediately preceding calendar year. All property levied upon is real property. The millage rate for each year has been 5 mills. The meeting is also accessible via Zoom property. The millage rate for each year has been 5 mills. The meeting is also accessible via at: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84754379435 at: Zoom https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84754379435 Assessed Value

Taxes Levied

% Change

$ Change

2015

$46,848,440

$234,242

12%

$

25,025

2016

$62,631,320

$313,156

34%

$

78,914

2017

$65,538,960

$327,695

5%

$

14,539

2018

$71,468,520

$357,342

9%

$

29,647

2019

$79,325,360

$396,627

11%

$

39,285

2020proposed

$87,636,081

$438,180

10%

$

41,553

J. Lynn Rainey, PC – State Bar No. 592350 – 358 Roswell Street, Suite 1130, Marietta, Georgia 30060 – (770) 421-6040

was issued in March. News reports have indicated the protective order was related to her divorce from her exBrooke husband.

Siskin Siskin was ordered by Judge Deborah Fluker to spend the weekend in the jail and will have to appear at a hearing at the Gwinnett County Detention Center Monday morning.

“As a sanction for respondent’s continued willful contempt of court for failing to surrender all firearms and ammunition as previously ordered, respondent shall purge herself of contempt by serving (four) days in custody at the Gwinnett County Detention Center,” the order states. “Additionally, respondent shall file an affidavit related to her ownership and/or possession of a Glock .22 handgun and ammunition referenced in the 12-month order.

“The court made a finding in the 12-month order that respondent owned or possessed a Glock .22 handgun and ammunition. Consequently, respondent is required to file an affidavit attesting to her possession and ownership of such a weapon and ammunition to purge herself of willful contempt in this case.”

Siskin is one of two candidates in the Democratic Party runoff for the 9th Congressional District seat, which is in northeast Georgia

and stretches down to Hall County. The congressional district does not include any part of Gwinnett County.

Jail records, however, list Siskin as having a Norcross address although the order for her arrest states she has a residence in Gainesville.

Prior to entering this year’s congressional race, Siskin had been planning to run for Gwinnett County commission chairman this year, campaigning on the angle that she was the only woman in the Democratic field — until Nicole Love Hendrickson entered the race earlier this year, that is.

According to the order for Siskin’s arrest, she testified at a hearing on June 9 that she had .380 ammunition at her home in Gainesville. The order also states Siskin had a Smith and Wesson .380 handgun and ammunition in the glovebox of her car when she was arrested for criminal trespass and disorderly conduct at a BB&T bank branch in Lawrenceville on March 6.

The 12-Month Family Violence Protective Order was issued three days earlier, on March 3.

Siskin will have 24 hours after she is released from the jail to surrender the .380 ammunition at her home, as well as any other guns and ammunition she has. The order states the handgun and ammunition that was in her car when she was arrested at the BB&T bank location was taken into the custody of the Gwinnett County Police Department at that time.

COVID surge beds to resume at Georgia World Congress Center

By Beau Evans Staff Writer Capitol Beat News Service

Gov. Brian Kemp is poised to reopen the Georgia World Congress Center for standby hospital beds and medical equipment amid a recent increase in COVID-19 positive cases and hospitalizations in the state.

The governor also plans to tap a metro Atlanta hospital for an extra 100 surge and ICU

beds, as well as fund additional staff at health-care and elderly care facilities in Georgia amid the COVID-19 uptick.

A 200-bed alternative care facility was activated in April at the World Congress Center in downtown Atlanta as cases soared and state officials rushed to boost emergency bed capacity. Its operations were paused in late May as Kemp moved to relax business restrictions and jump-start the state’s flagging economy.

gwinnettdailypost.com ♦ sunday, July 12, 2020 ♦ A3

WORLD & NATION

WORLD

Singapore’s ruling party wins election even as support dips Singapore’s ruling People’s Action Party (PAP) maintained its unbroken grip on power in Friday’s general election, even as its popular support slipped to a near record low.

Led by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, the PAP — which has been in power since 1959 — won 83 out of 93 seats in parliament, securing a super majority.

The Workers’ Party took the remaining 10 seats — the most ever held by opposition lawmakers since the city-state’s first general election in 1968.

The PAP’s share of the popular vote also slid to 61.2%, down from nearly 70% five years ago and close to the party’s record low of 60% in 2011.

The election saw a voter turnout of nearly 96%.

“We have a clear mandate but the percentage of the popular vote is not as high as I had hoped for,” Lee said Saturday. “The results reflect the pain and uncertainty that Singaporeans feel in this (COVID-19) crisis.”

5 killed in hostage situation at church in South Africa Five people have been killed and six hospitalized after gunmen took hostages at a church in South Africa on Saturday, police said.

It was unclear how many hostages were in the church at the time, but all have been freed, according to the South African Police Service. They have arrested 40 suspects in relation to the attack at the International Pentecostal Holiness Church in Zuurbekom, northwest of Pretoria.

Of those who died, four were found shot and burned in a car and the fifth, a security guard, was also shot in his car while responding to the incident. Police officers were among those hospitalized with injuries.

More than 34 firearms, including rifles, short guns and pistols, were seized by police.

“I am certain that the speedy response by the joint security forces has averted what could have been a more severe blood bath,” said National Commissioner of Police General Khela John Sitole in a statement.

French bus driver attacked over mask rules dies A bus driver in France who was beaten up by passengers refusing to wear mandatory face masks died in hospital Friday, French Prime Minister Jean Castex and the victim’s family have said.

Philippe Monguillot, 59, was left brain dead after the attack in the southwestern city of Bayonne on July 5.

His family decided to switch off his life support on Friday, news agency Agence FrancePresse reported.

“We decided to let him go.

The doctors were in favor and we were as well,” the victim’s 18-year-old daughter, Marie Monguillot, told AFP. Four men were detained and charged following the assault.

—From wire reports

Expert warns the US is approaching its ‘most unstable’ period in history

By Madeline Holcombe CNN

With rising COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations sending many states backward in their reopening plans, one health expert warns that if the U.S. continues on its current path it will reach “one of the most unstable times in the history of our country.”

“We will have hospitals overwhelmed and not only in terms of ICU beds and hospitals — and that’s bad — but exhausted hospital staff and hospital staff that’s getting ill themselves,” Dr. Peter Hotez, the dean of tropical medicine at Baylor College of Medicine, told CNN Friday night. “So, we won’t have enough manpower, human power, to manage all of this.”

Only five states saw a decrease of at least 10% in average new daily cases over the past week. And the U.S. set a record for the highest single day of new cases for the second time this week with 66,627 cases on Friday, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.

The resurgence has many local leaders returning to actions taken in March and April to slow the spread of the virus.

At least 26 states have paused or rolled back their plans to reopen.

Atlanta’s mayor and Georgia’s governor are at odds over the mayor’s order Friday to send her city back to Phase

special photo: maRK FeliX/aFp/getty images

Health care workers move a patient in the COVID-19 Unit at United Memorial Medical Center in Houston, Texas, on July 2.

1 of its reopening plan. Citing an “alarming” increase in cases, Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms said residents under this phase should leave the house only for essential trips, and restaurants and retailers must offer only to-go or curbside pickup service.

Gov. Brian Kemp’s office said the mayor’s plan is not “legally enforceable” because Kemp signed an order prohibiting local action from being more prohibitive than the state’s requirements. To free the capacity for more testing and hospital care in a surge, Kemp reactivated a makeshift hospital Friday at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta.

In Texas, Gov. Greg Abbott renewed a disaster declaration first issued March 13 to mitigate spread in his state, while Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer requested the extension of National Guard use through December for humanitarian missions such as running mobile screenings, distributing food and medical supplies and disinfecting public spaces.

Even as Florida flirts with records for daily cases and soaring hospitalizations, one of its biggest tourist attractions reopened Saturday.

Disney World opened its Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom Park near Orlando to the general public for the first

Customer leaves restaurant staff $1,000 tip for working in pandemic

NATION

Pelosi blasts Roger Stone commutation as Trump defends move House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Saturday slammed President Donald Trump’s decision to commute the prison sentence of his longtime friend and political adviser Roger Stone as “an act of staggering corruption.”

“President Trump’s decision to commute the sentence of top campaign advisor Roger Stone, who could directly implicate him in criminal misconduct, is an act of staggering corruption,” Pelosi said in a statement.

Pelosi said that Congress will take action to “prevent this type of brazen wrongdoing” and that legislation is needed to “ensure that no President can pardon or commute the sentence of an individual who is engaged in a cover-up campaign to shield that President from criminal prosecution.”

The president has broad constitutional power to pardon and grant clemency, and Friday night the White House announced that Trump commuted Stone’s sentence days before he was set to report to a federal prison in Georgia.

Before the White House’s announcement late Friday, Pelosi told CNN’s Anderson Cooper that granting clemency for Stone is “appalling” and “ridiculous.”

Stone was convicted in November of seven charges, which included lying to Congress and witness tampering, as part of former special counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia investigation. Among the things he misled Congress about

time since shutting down over the pandemic. The reopenings come with restrictions and adjustments, including capacity limits, requiring preregistration, and temperature screenings.

Florida recorded 11,433 new COVID-19 cases Thursday — its second-highest count for one day — the state said Friday.

“All people who study these viruses think that the summer is the quiet time. Think about that. This is the quiet time for coronavirus,” Dr. William Haseltine, a former professor at Harvard Medical School, told CNN on Friday.

“If this is the quiet time, I hate to think what winter is going to be like this year.”

special photo: getty

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi slammed President Donald Trump’s decision to commute the prison sentence of his long-time friend and political adviser Roger Stone as “an act of staggering corruption.” were his communications with Trump campaign officials, which prosecutors said Stone hid out of his desire to protect the president.

Trump’s move spares Stone from having to serve jail time after a judge sentenced him in February to 40 months in prison — but the guilty verdicts remain on the books.

The president defended his decision in his first public comments on the matter Saturday.

“Roger Stone was targeted by an illegal Witch Hunt that never should have taken place. It is the other side that are criminals, including Biden and Obama, who spied on my campaign — AND GOT CAUGHT!” the president wrote on Twitter.

Jimmy, Rosalynn Carter pose in face masks and call on the public to save lives Former President Jimmy Carter and former first lady Rosalynn Carter on Saturday urged the American people to “please wear a mask to save lives” as the country continues to battle the

deadly coronavirus.

The couple’s Atlanta-based charity, the Carter Center, posted a photo on Twitter Saturday of the pair wearing white masks printed with the center’s logo. The picture was paired with the straightforward plea.

Masks have become a political flash point as some Americans argue the requirement infringes upon their civil liberties. But the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention urges everyone to wear a “cloth face cover when they have to go out in public,” noting that masks are critical “in case the wearer is unknowingly infected but does not have symptoms.”

The Carters’ message follows Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms’ Friday announcement that the city is rolling back its reopening to Phase 1 and will mandate face coverings. The decision left her at odds with Georgia Republican Gov. Brian Kemp.

Cases have recently raged across the South, and Georgia added a record 4,484 new coronavirus case reports in one day, according to the state’s department of public health on Friday.

The staff at a New Jersey restaurant that has been struggling amid the coronavirus pandemic were moved to tears after a regular customer left them a $1,000 tip.

Arnold Teixeira, owner of The Starving Artist in Ocean Grove, told CNN the customer has been a regular since 2001. He did not want to reveal the identity.

“The customer and his family ate their meal and left without saying a word,” Teixeira said. “When the waiter serving them saw the tip, she just started crying.

Then another one of my staff members saw it and started crying, too. And then I see it, and I couldn’t help but cry.

It was just extremely emotional because it’s been a really difficult time for us.”

The customer was having breakfast last week at The Starving Artist, which just celebrated its 21st anniversary, when he left the massive tip along with a heartwarming note.

“Thank you so much for working through this tough time,” the note read.

“We are grateful for your delicious food, warm smiles, and great atmosphere... Please know we appreciate you all very much. It wouldn’t be a good summer without the Starving Artist,” the tipper added.

At the end of the note, the customer asked that the $1,000 tip be divided amongst the entire staff.

Teixeira split it between his seven staff members — not including himself.

—From wire reports

PEOPLE

Officials searching for Naya Rivera using sonar equipment to scour the murky waters Authorities are using sonar equipment and a specially-trained dog to search for “Glee” actress Naya Rivera in murky waters, saying the recovery operation could take days.

Rivera, 33, vanished Wednesday from Lake Piru in Southern California’s Ventura County.

She went to the lake that afternoon and rented a pontoon boat with her 4-year-old son, according to authorities.

Rivera’s son was on the boat, but she was nowhere to be found. One life jacket was found on the boat and the boy was wearing another. Investigators found Rivera’s purse and her identification, but no other clues on the boat. Rivera has been presumed dead.

The lake remains closed to the public while the search continues.

Actor Armie Hammer and wife separate after 10 years of marriage Actor Armie Hammer and his wife have announced they are separating after 10 years of marriage.

The “Call Me By Your Name” star, 33, and Elizabeth Chambers Hammer, 37, a TV host, wed in 2010.

They posted the same message along with an old photo on their Instagram accounts.

“Thirteen years as best friends, soulmates, partners and then parents,” it said.

“It has been an incredible journey, but together, we’ve decided to turn the page and move on from our marriage.

“As we enter into this next chapter, our children and relationship as co-parents and dear friends will remain our priority.

“We understand this news lends itself to public dialogue, but in the interest of our children and our family, we’re asking for privacy, compassion and love during this time,” the statement read.

The pair and their two kids, 5 and 3, had been quarantining together in the Cayman Islands for months, People. com reported. Hammer has returned to Los Angeles.

Lady A, the singer, is fighting back against Lady A, the group The singer Lady A is pushing back against a suit from the band Lady A. The country trio formerly known as Lady Antebellum, filed suit on Wednesday against Anita White, a singer/songwriter who also performs as Lady A. White recently told HLN she had been willing to work with the band but is unwilling to share the name with them.

“You’re saying that you are an ally, but you are not,” White said. “You basically want to bully me and take the name and think that that’s ok. That’s not an ally.”

A rep for the band told CNN on Friday they had no additional comment.

In June, Lady Antebellum, made up of Dave Haywood, Hillary Scott, and Charles Kelley, announced it would be dropping the “Antebellum” portion of its name because of the association with slavery and go by “Lady A” instead.

—From wire reports

The people behind the pandemic’s most visited website: Johns Hopkins

By Kristen Rogers CNN

If the year 2020 is good for anything, it’s the lesson that during a crisis, anyone who builds a better mousetrap will find the world beating a path to his door.

A humble team at Johns Hopkins University in Maryland reminded the world of late poet Ralph Waldo Emerson’s phrase when they created a real time tracking map of coronavirus cases and deaths.

MUST READ And the world came to their door. They report that the site, plus downloads of its data, hosts 3 to 5 billion interactions daily. By their measurement, interactions include uses of the public dashboard and requests from a separate website for the underlying data used by news outlets and others who design their own maps and graphics.

Government agencies, public health departments, the public and news outlets, includ-

ing CNN, regularly rely on it for the latest updates on the confirmed cases, deaths and recoveries connected to this harrowing disease.

“We were collecting data on a new virus that nobody understood at a time [when] there was not a single web page dedicated to COVID-19 case count,” said Lauren Gardner, the project’s chief and an associate professor in, and codirector of, the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins Whiting

School of Engineering.

From December 2019 to January 2020, Ensheng Dong, Gardner’s first-year PhD student, heard from family in China who regularly reported how the outbreak was worsening and upending their lives. After passing an exam that cleared him to earn his PhD, tracking confirmed cases in China was what he wanted to tackle next.

On Jan. 21, over coffee during a weekly research meeting, Dong proposed this idea to Gardner.

His background in spatial data visualization and Gardner’s past in modeling infectious diseases converged to create the first iteration of the dashboard — which they finished that night and published the next day. The map’s alarming red dots then reflected only 320 reported cases — mostly in China, the rest in Thailand, Japan and South Korea.

For two weeks from dawn till dusk, Dong lived and breathed the dashboard; it took precedence over his free time outside

of class and soon the classes themselves. With Gardner’s blessing, he pushed back a required course until the fall.

But as cases became globally widespread, they needed help.

What was once a modest goal to fill a research gap in a field with antiquated methods for disease tracking is now a tool widely used around the world.

They had no idea “that it would evolve into something that literally impacts almost everybody’s life on the planet,” Gardner said.

A4 ♦ Sunday, July 12, 2020 ♦ gwinnettdailypoSt.com COLUMNIST I KEITH ROACH

WEATHER WATCH

Interstitial cystitis drug can affect eye

D

EAR DR. ROACH: Could you discuss Elmiron side effects and the pending lawsuit? I have been on this for years for interstitial cystitis and am worried about staying on it even though it is the only relief I can find.

Roach — C.H. ANSWER: “Interstitial cystitis” is a term used for chronic bladder pain when no other cause has been identified. It is not well understood. It appears that some of the protective layers of the bladder are damaged, allowing irritants in the urine to attack deeper layers, causing pain. There may be an autoimmune component to the disease.

There does seem to be a family predisposition.

Before considering medication therapy, it’s important to identify individual triggers to symptoms, whether through diet, body position or exercise. Some people do better with more fluid, some with less. Pelvic floor physical therapy can bring great relief to many with IC. If medication is indicated, amitriptyline is usually the first tried, and is effective for many. It is not effective for all, and pentosan polysulfate (Elmiron) is then often tried. It may take three to six months to see maximum benefit. It appears to work by repairing the damaged protective layers of the bladder. Side effects of nausea and diarrhea happen 10% to 20% of the time. Hair loss may occur and is reversible with stopping the medication. Liver function abnormalities are possible but uncommon.

In 2018, a paper identified damage to the macula (the center of the retina) in people who had been taking the medication for an average of 15 years. A further study in 2019 confirmed that people taking pentosan polysulfate may develop pigment in the retina, which threatens sight.

A lawsuit claims that the drug manufacturer withheld knowledge about this potential side effect.

People with IC should be made aware of this potential side effect. Those with vision symptoms should have a visual examination by an ophthalmologist. The risk of retina damage is highest in people who have taken the most Elmiron — 42% of people taking the highest amount of Elmiron for many years had evidence of this toxicity.

Although there is no official recommendation to do so, those who have been taking Elmiron for years should get an ophthalmologic examination, in my opinion. Knowing whether there is any toxicity is important in deciding whether to keep taking the medication, especially since there is evidence that the damage may continue even after the drug is stopped. People may still choose to continue the medication despite this toxicity. I recall when Vioxx was removed from the market, many of my patients said they wished they could continue it despite the risks. Knowing the risks is essential in order to make an informed decision.

Dr. Roach regrets that he is unable to answer individual letters, but will incorporate them in the column whenever possible.

Readers may email questions to ToYourGoodHealth@med. cornell.edu or send mail to 628 Virginia Dr., Orlando, FL 32803.

TODAY

MONDAY

TUESDAY

WEDNESDAY

THURSDAY

FRIDAY

SATURDAY

20%

10%

10%

20%

50%

60%

91 69

20%

92 71

HOROSCOPES

92 70

94 72

93 73

90 72

LAKE LEVELS

SOLUNAR TABLES the gwinnett daily post (upSp 921-980, iSSn 1086-0096) is published wednesday, Friday and Sunday by Scni, 725 old norcross Road, lawrenceville, ga 30045. periodical postage paid at lawrenceville, ga 30044. poStmaSteR: Send address changes to gwinnett daily post, p.o. Box 603, lawrenceville, ga 30046-0603.

91 72

the solunar tables for lakes are based on studies that show fish and game are more active at certain times during the lunar period.

MAJOR 7:18-9:18 a.m. ............. 7:38-9:38 p.m.

MINOR 1:07-2:07 a.m. ............. 1:34-2:34 p.m.

POLLEN COUNTS trees: low weeds: low grass: low

LOTTERY

Lake

Full

Yesterday

allatoona .............(840.0) ..... 840.53 Blackshear .......... (237.0) ..... 236.87 Blue Ridge.........(1690.0) ... 1686.54 Burton...............(1865.0) ... 1864.94 carters..............(1072.0) ....1070.23 chatuge ............ (1927.0) ....1925.16 Harding ............... (521.0) ..... 520.59 Hartwell ..............(660.0) ......660.51 Jackson...............(530.0) ..... 528.92

Lake

Full

Yesterday

lanier.................(1071.0) ....1071.39 nottely...............(1779.0) ....1776.08 oconee ...............(435.0) ..... 434.62 Seminole................(77.5) ........77.56 Sinclair ................(339.8) ..... 338.82 thurmond ...........(330.0) ..... 330.65 tugalo ................. (891.5) ......889.19 walter F. george...(188.0) ...........n/a west point...........(635.0) ..... 635.66

TODAY IN HISTORY

Saturday cash 3 midday: 8-7-3 cash 4 midday: 9-9-8-9 ga. 5 midday: 7-7-0-8-9 Friday cash 3 midday: 3-4-7 cash 3 evening: 0-2-8 cash 3 night: 3-2-0 cash 4 midday: 6-3-7-0 cash 4 evening: 2-2-1-9 cash 4 night: 1-9-3-1 ga. 5 midday: 3-2-4-9-4 ga. 5 evening: 9-5-5-4-8 Fantasy 5: 17-19-22-34-40 mega millions: 10-15-20-49-53, mega Ball: 22 cash For life: 13-17-27-39-50, cash Ball: 4

today is the 193rd day of 2020 and the 22nd day of summer.

TODAY’S HISTORY: in 1798, the u.S. marine corps was reestablished, having been disbanded since april 1783. in 1804, former Secretary of the treasury alexander Hamilton was fatally wounded in a duel with Vice president aaron Burr. in 1960, Harper lee’s “to Kill a mockingbird” was published. in 1987, the united nations estimated that the world’s population had reached 5 billion.

TODAY’S BIRTHDAYS: John Quincy adams (1767-1848), sixth u.S. president; e.B. white (1899-1985), author; yul Brynner (1920-1985), actor; david Kelly (19292012), actor; giorgio armani (1934- ), fashion designer; leon Spinks (1953- ),

boxer; Sela ward (1956- ), actress; Suzanne Vega (1959- ), singer-songwriter; Jeff corwin (1967- ), naturalist/tV personality; lil’ Kim (1975- ), rapper; patrick peterson (1990- ), football player; alessia cara (1996- ), singersongwriter.

TODAY’S FACT: william Howard taft, who was sworn in as chief justice of the united States on this day in 1921, is the only person in history to serve as both chief justice and president of the united States.

TODAY’S SPORTS: in 1914, Babe Ruth made his major league debut, pitching seven innings for the Boston Red Sox in a 4-3 victory over the cleveland indians.

TODAY’S QUOTE: “Books are good company, in sad times and happy times, for books are people -- people who have managed to stay alive by hiding between the covers of a book.” -- e.B. white

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Gwinnett Daily Post editor – todd cline main office – 770-963-9205

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Honored as a newspaper of General Excellence

2018

COLUMNIST I AMY DICKINSON

Daughter wants to clean up after mom

D

EAR AMY: My mom is 90 years old and has had a hoarding/ messy home problem, gambling addiction, and money issues for the past 25 years.

She is a compulsive shopper and was shopping almost every day when she was driving. Last year she had a minor car accident that totaled her car, so she does not drive anymore and depends on me to take her for groceries, errands, doctor appointments, etc.

I had to clean out her car, which was so full of stuff that it took me five hours to clean it out. I filled five large garbage bags of trash and 12 boxes of stuff.

I have had to “clean up her mess” many times over the years, sometimes at my insistence, and sometimes because she needs to let someone into her apartment and they can’t get in because of the mess. Clothes are piled on the bed, groceries on the counters, and boxes on the floor.

My daughter, who has helped me clean in the past, has very good organizational skills and works quickly. She has agreed to help me this weekend. (I have a sister who lives locally but isn’t very helpful.)

In the past, Mom has told me that my cleaning makes her anxious.

Should I insist she let us do this? Mom’s apart-

ment makes me sick and I feel so overwhelmed when I am there because it is so bad. I have trouble Dickinson sleeping because it bothers me so much.

I have tried to get her counseling help in the past, but she only went to a few sessions.

If I clean now, it would be on my terms, but if I don’t force it now and something comes up with her apartment or health, I would be forced to clean it immediately.

She procrastinates until things become urgent with her; then she makes me deal with this urgency.

I want to honor my mother and also be the responsible daughter. Any advice?

— Loving Daughter DEAR DAUGHTER: At the age of 90, your mother is probably not going to make dramatic steps to change. She might not be physically and emotionally able to deal with her hoarding disorder in any truly substantial way.

(Hoarding seems to be related to anxiety, and — longer-term — you should ask her primary care physician about appropriate anti-anxiety medication that might help.)

Because you seem to be her primary caretaker, I suggest that you take this on — on your terms.

Ask your sister if she can take your mother on errands/outings for the day.

Tell your mom that you and her granddaughter are going to handle this for her, and reassure her that when she returns, her home will be much easier for her to navigate. If your mother isn’t in the space and is instead distracted during the day, she might feel less anxious.

DEAR AMY: In the past two years, I have given monetary gifts for graduations, birthdays, a bridal shower and a wedding.

I have not received any acknowledgment or thanks for any of these gifts.

At this point, I would settle for two words in a text message: “thank you.”

Do young people feel so entitled that acknowledging a gift is not necessary?

One of the recipients is now pregnant and her mother-in-law is throwing a baby shower.

Of course, I’ll be invited.

I don’t want to go.

Friends have told me that I am being petty. Am I? — Petty in Maryland DEAR PETTY: You don’t seem petty, as much as worn out. And I don’t blame you.

A natural consequence of this lack of appreciation

is that you will be less inspired to keep giving.

My only caution here is that baby showers are intended as celebrations centered on a new baby, who is obviously innocent.

I think it is also time to contact the recipients of these gifts to tell them, “I believe I’ve been generous to you, and I’ve always been happy to celebrate your milestones with gifts. But you have never acknowledged or thanked me for a gift. I’m not sure why this is, but it is quite discouraging.”

DEAR AMY: “Tom, in Los Angeles” expressed extreme distress in where this country is headed. I have to say, I was shocked (pleasantly) by your response. Your first line got me: “I think you should celebrate the freedom we each have to either launch an insurrection, or go to the movies.”

— A Fan DEAR FAN: Thank you.

I’m a huge movie buff — but I also love a good insurrection. Onward!

You can contact Amy Dickinson via email: ASKAMY@amydickinson. com. Readers may send postal mail to Ask Amy, P.O. Box 194, Freeville, NY 13068. You can also follow her on Twitter @askingamy or “like” her on Facebook.

do things differently this year. look for new ways to deal with people, manage money and do your job. don’t fear the unknown. use common sense and trust your intuition. dismiss people who make your life miserable. take ownership of your happiness and do what’s best for you.

CANCER (June 21-July 22) — a change will be useful for you. Spice up your day and opt to spend it doing something that makes you happy. Begin a new project or nurture a meaningful relationship.

LEO (July 23-aug. 22) — look for an outlet that will challenge you physically. taking time out to enjoy life with the people you love will help you gain perspective regarding uncertainty you face.

VIRGO (aug. 23-Sept.

22) — Shake things up. if you aren’t happy with the way someone treats you, share your feelings. it’s better to be forthright than to let someone take advantage of you.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-oct.

23) — unfulfilled promises will lead to dissatisfaction.

Be true to your word and expect the same in return, and you will maintain a healthy relationship. walk away from anything less.

SCORPIO (oct. 24-nov.

22) — learn as you go. ask questions and use your resources to get inside information. an open and honest discussion will bring you closer to a loved one.

SAGITTARIUS (nov.

23-dec. 21) — How you run your household will determine how much extra cash you have. don’t be fooled into thinking you need something you don’t. moderation is encouraged.

CAPRICORN (dec. 22Jan. 19) — a risk will leave you feeling anxious. Stick to what you know and make adjustments as you go. Home improvements should bring your family closer together, not push you further apart.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20Feb. 19) — the past will be a reminder of something you miss. take a walk down memory lane. if you reconnect with an old friend, it will lead to a new beginning.

PISCES (Feb. 20-march 20) — look for the best way to use your skills, services and time to help others. the insight you get will be eye-opening and will encourage you to make personal lifestyle changes.

ARIES (march 21-april 19) — it’s what you do that will count. if you love someone, shower them with affection. too much talk will lead to a disagreement that will ruin your day. do your best to be your best.

TAURUS (april 20may 20) — it’s up to you to bring about change. consider what moves you and follow that path. distance yourself from anyone who is a bad influence. abide by the rules.

GEMINI (may 21-June 20) — consider what you can do to make a difference. putting a smile on someone’s face will make you feel good and boost your reputation.

Romance is in the stars.

Sign up to get Gwinnett Daily Post breaking news alerts and daily newsletters at www.gwinnettdailypost.com/newsletters.

gwinnettdailypost.com ♦ sunday, July 12, 2020 ♦ A5

CASES From A1 do, we continue to see more cases because we know we have community-wide transmission in the county,” Gwinnett, Newton and Rockdale Health Departments spokesman Chad Wasdin said.

In addition to crossing the 11,000 cases benchmark, Gwinnett has had 182 reports of COVID-19-related deaths and 1,315 hospitalizations. The county leads the state in total cases and has had an incidence rate of 1,140.3 cases for every 100,000 residents.

Wasdin said the average age of people in Gwinnett who have tested positive for COVID-19 is 38.

Earlier this week, Gwinnett saw 1,330 new cases reported in six days between July 3 and Thursday. On Friday, Wasdin said delays in getting results from tests from labs, who may have gotten backed up while processing the tests, could also result a large increase in new reports showing up at one time.

Although the results are entered into the state’s reporting system so they are counted under the date the test was administered, it can be a bit confusing because a comparison of case totals alone can make it seem like they are new tests.

“Now, it’s very possible that there were actually 1,300 cases whenever you saw that increase (as of Thursday), but if you see large increases, sometimes that’s really dependent upon when private providers get an opportunity to report their positive cases as well,” Wasdin said.

“So, sometimes even though those positive cases will be put into respective dates on when that person actually tested positive, the way the current system works, it shows when they’re actually reported into the system so that’s something to keep in mind when looking at those numbers also.”

The data also does not break down how

MURDER From A1 said the robberies included the deadly armed robbery at the O’Reilly’s store on Hamilton Mill Road on Jan. 8, where former Gwinnett Sheriff’s Deputy Sgt. Felix Cosme was killed. He had been working at the store following his retirement from the sheriff’s office.

After Cosme’s death, investigators zeroed in on the vehicles the suspects used to flee from the scenes of the robberies. Police said Cpl. David Smith, who was assigned as the lead detective for the case, learned that the suspects fled the O’Reilly’s after Cosme’s death in a Volkswagen Jetta.

He worked with Robbery Detective Justin Cofield and discovered that the tactics and description of the suspects matched four previous robberies of auto parts stores in Gwinnett County.

Police said Cofield had already been assigned as lead detective on those cases.

Smith and Cofield scoured local surveillance cameras and continued to gain more information on the Volkswagen Jetta until they were able to identify the

many of those new cases at the county level were discovered through swab tests, which shows people who had the disease when they were tested, and how many were discovered through an antibody test, which shows a person previously had the disease but recovered before they were tested.

Wasdin also said there are some encouraging signs elsewhere in the data. The percentage of people hospitalized in Gwinnett who have tested positive for COVID-19 has decreased week over week. This past week, it was 12%. The week before that, it was 13%.

The percentage of people testing positive who also had underlying health conditions has also decreased.

“That is likely due to us testing a younger population who typically has as many underlying health conditions, so what we’re seeing is we’re testing a younger, healthier portion of the population who is less likely to probably have complications from the virus,” Wasdin said.

Although the increase seen in Gwinnett over the eight-day period between July 3 and Saturday appears high, the increase is not as high as the increase seen across all of Georgia over the same time period.

Statewide, there have been a total of 114,401 cases, 2,996 deaths, 13,205 hospitalizations and 2,610 ICU admissions.

Across Georgia, 23,908 new cases of COVID-19 were discovered through swab and antibody tests between July 3 and Saturday. That’s an increase of 26.4% in cases for the state.

In Fulton County, which has had the second highest case total in the state behind Gwinnett, there was an 37.5% increase in cases over that time period. That’s an increase of 2,827 new cases in Fulton county between July 3 and Saturday.

Although the Gwinnett, Newton and Rockdale Health Departments had previously talked about expanding the available of Saturday testing dates to all of its testing sites this weekend, that is now expected to not happen until later this month.

exact vehicle.

Meanwhile, the suspects continued doing armed robberies of auto parts stores, police said, including two more in Gwinnett, one in Roswell, Henry County, Athens and Duluth.

After identifying the specific Volkswagen Jetta, investigators learned that Robertson was associated with the vehicle and had been stopped and arrested by Braselton police in December 2019 for a DUI. During the traffic stop, Robertson was driving a Toyota Camry, which police later found was also used in the robberies.

Norah was also in the vehicle during the traffic stop.

According to body camera footage, police found masks and a gun, which detectives believe were later used in the robbery that led to Cosme’s death.

“Since these robbery suspects were committing their crimes in multiple jurisdictions around Atlanta, the FBI provided agents for assistance,” Flynn said. “The Gwinnett County Sheriff’s Department also provided round the clock assistance with surveillance.”

While conducting surveillance on the two suspects on June 1, Cofield and an FBI agent witnessed them com-

GUNNIN From A1 three-man, full-time commission that ran everything in the county to a five-person commission that had more of a professional staff in place,” Thompson said.

Gunnin died on June 30 at the age of 92 in Colorado, where he lived with his daughter, Gail, and her husband. He is also survived by his son, Bill, and daughter-inlaw, as well as a sister, five grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his wife of 54 years, Louise, who died in 2012.

Long before he got into politics, Gunnin went to work at Southern Bell Telephone Company, which later became AT&T, when he was 20 and worked there for 35 years.

He served in the U.S. Army JAG Corps during the Korean War and attended Clemson University and the Georgia Institute of Technology.

A key part of his life that people who remembered him cite, however, is his role in the development of Gwinnett, helping move the county from a rural community toward the increasingly urbanized community that Gwinnettians know today.

“He was very much involved with the initiation of the advances that helped move Gwinnett toward being a modern day community,” said Gwinnett County commission

mit another armed robbery at an Auto Zone in Dacula.

But when police confronted the suspects, a car chase ensued.

Robertson and Norah ended up crashing off La Maison Drive in Dacula and fled from the scene, resulting in an overnight manhunt. Robertson was arrested near the neighborhood the next morning while walking down the street, and Norah surrendered that same day.

“After the arrest, detectives were able to locate crucial evidence linking the men to these robberies and the murder. That evidence also helped to link them to two other auto store robberies from 2017,” Flynn said.

“This investigation involved hundreds of hours of work.

The Gwinnett County Police Department wants to thank the FBI, the Gwinnett County Sheriff’s Department, Athens Police Department, Cobb County Police Department, Roswell Police Department and Duluth Police Department for the invaluable assistance that they provided in arresting this dangerous robbery crew.”

Police said the suspects stole a total of $17,391. Robertson and Norah are still being held without bond in the Gwinnett County jail.

Chairwoman Charlotte Nash, who began her long association with county government in the 1970s.

Nash pointed to several areas of county government Gunnin helped develop or modernize. These include the establishment of a full-time paid fire department, the beginning of Gwinnett’s sewer system, a modernizing of the Gwinnett County Police Department, improvements to the county’s road network, creating a foundation for Gwinnett County’s parks system and a “major expansion” of the water system.

“All of us who love and work in Gwinnett today have multiple reasons for being grateful that Ray Gunnin loved Gwinnett enough to take the leadership role he did,” Nash said.

Thompson said he felt Gunnin was also instrumental in attracting the Western Electric Plant to his commission district by working on the fire department and water and sewer systems. “(The Wester Electric Plant) was a huge supplier of jobs back in the early 1970s and led to some of the improvements that helped start the making of Gwinnett into more of a suburban county by putting in water and sewer and fire and recreation, and some of those improvements,” Thompson said.

In the early 70s, Gov. Jimmy Carter picked Gunning to serve on Georgia’s Board of Industry and Trade, the World Congress Center

OUTREACH From A1 thread, etc.,” Ren said about their “Sew to Save” project.

They began placing flyers in their neighborhoods’ mailboxes and spreading the word about the money they were raising to support their initiative via social media.

Although Ren’s family already owned a sewing machine before the pandemic, she didn’t know how to sew, so she found a tutorial on YouTube and has been improving her newfound craft ever since.

Four months later, Ren and her friends have sewn about 2,000 face masks and donated them to places all over the area, including Village Vets Animal Hospital, Emory Healthcare, Rainbow Village, the Parkview High School staff, the Centers for Disease Control and at the recent Black Lives Matter protests.

“I’ll probably keep doing this for a long time since school is starting in the fall and I feel there will be an increase in the demand for masks since they’re being required,” Ren said. “This is also a good opportunity to contact other schools who may need them and help spread this and make sure that every student and staff’s safety is prioritized.”

To continue to help in the community, Ren also started a “Canned Food for Masks” subproject, where people in the community donate canned goods and other supplies to the Lilburn Co-op for a free face mask. The project helps support people who may have lost their jobs or who are strug-

HONORS From A1 front page to be proud of!”

Individually, staff writer Taylor Denman won a pair of first-place honors for education writing and for best sports feature, while Sports Editor Will Hammock placed first in sports coverage.

Denman was honored for his education reporting that included stories on the contract renewal of Buford City Schools Superintendent Robert Downs, the Brookwood aquaponics program and the performance-based awards given out by Gwinnett County Public Schools.

In sports feature writing, the Daily Post swept all three places, with Denman being honored for his stories that included a feature of former Parkview star Jeff Francoeur’s emergence as a Major League Baseball broadcaster, along with features on David Andrews of the New England Patriots and the Mill Creek High cheerleading team dedicating its state title to the

Board, the Community Development Board, the Intergovernmental Council Board and the Policy Planning Board.

Gunnin also served as chairman of the National Association of County Commissioners and president of the Association of County Commissioners of Georgia.

He and Harold Medlock established the Pinckneyville Community Association and the Pinckneyville Spring Festival as well.

But Gunnin was also involved in the county’s Democratic Party, which is more of how Thompson knew him.

After a decade on the county commission, Gunnin opted to leave county government to challenge U.S. Rep. Ed Jenkins for the 9th Congressional District seat in 1978.

“I was on Ed Jenkins’ campaign staff and ran his Gwinnett County office during the 1978 campaign when Ray ran against him in the Democratic primary and actually my college professor, I have a political science and history degree, and my political science professor ran Ray’s campaign, so that was kind of fun,” Thompson said.

Gunnin was unsuccessful in his bid to unseat Jenkins, who remained in Congress until 1992, but the former county commissioner continued to play a role in the Gwinnett County Democratic Party. In fact, he lead the party in much of the 1980s, which was a time of change for Gwinnett as

special photo

High schoolers Joy Ren, Velda Wang and Pamela Esquivel have sewn about 2,000 masks since the pandemic started and donated them around the community to places like Village Vets Animal Hospital, Emory Healthcare, Rainbow Village, Parkview High School staff, the Centers for Disease Control and at the recent Black Lives Matter protests. gling financially because of the pandemic.

“I have known Joy and her family for a couple of years,” Nikhat Nazarali, Ren’s ACT tutor, said. “Her parents, Kening and Hong, have raised an intelligent, driven and conscientious daughter. Most importantly, the entire Ren family is of kind heart and generous spirit.”

Nazarali said you rarely see a community mobilize so quickly. Within days, Ren rallied dozens of families to participate in her and her friends’ projects.

“The smallest effort can make such a big impact in people’s lives,” Ren said. “I think it not only makes you feel good because you’re doing something to help others, but people don’t realize how something so little can make such a big impact.”

This summer, Ren also began diving into topics related to happiness and psychology since she recently started a club with her friend at school that focuses on random acts of kindness and spreading positivity around the community.

She said she wanted to get a better understanding of those topics, so she took a free online course offered by Yale University and realized how doing something good for others can change how people feel and their outlook on the world.

She’s now conducting a survey that looks at how COVID-19 has impacted high schoolers’ mental health in order to seek out coping strategies and treatment.

For more information or to get involved in all of Ren and her friend’s projects, visit www.we4kids.org.

feature writing.

Hammock placed first for sports coverage for stories the daily post was that included former Buford honored by the georgia football coach Jess Simpson press association in the returning to the Atlanta Falfollowing categories: cons, as well as Buford High winning the girls state basFirst place awards ketball title and a feature on Local news coverage Brookwood tennis player Page One Design Thomas Montroy leading Special Section his team to a state title the Layout and design day after his mother’s death.

Multimedia journalism The Daily Post placed third Taylor Denman, for both its sports section education writing and lifestyle coverage, while Taylor Denman, sports Kristen Hansen and Jacee feature Sellers placed third for headWill Hammock, sports line writing. coverage The Daily Post competes Second place awards in Division A, for papers Christine Troyke, sports with a circulation of 10,000 feature or more.

Third place awards The Savannah Morning General excellence News won the General ExSports Section cellence Award in Division Lifestyle coverage A, while the Valdosta Daily Will Hammock, sports Times earned the General feature Excellence Award in Division Kristen Hansen and B and the News-Tribune in Jacee Sellers, headline Cartersville and The Timeswriting Georgian in Carrollton tied for first in Division C. The late Ashley Taube. Christine Valdosta Daily Times also Troyke took second and Ham- won the prestigious Freemock placed third in sports dom of Information Award.

GPA WINNERS LIST

Republicans gradually swept out Democrats from county offices.

After Republicans swept the local offices — including sheriff, tax commissioner, district attorney and some commission seats — in the 1984 election, Gunnin issues a warning that the Gwinnett County Democratic Party was down, but it was not out. “(Democrats) are a party in exile, just waiting to come back,” Gunnin told the Home Weekly, the predecessor of the Daily Post, after the 1984 general election. “I think (the Republican domination) is temporary.”

That statement ultimately proved to foreshadow the 2018 election, where Democrats swept several local seats, defeating some incumbent Republicans and picking up previously Republican-held open seats in the process.

“It only took us about (about) 35 years,” Thompson said.

The 1980s was the beginning of more than three decades of Republican dominance in Gwinnett. While that could have led to the disappearance of the Gwinnett County Democratic Party, Thompson said the fact that it didn’t happen immediately after the 1984 or 1986 elections is due to Gunnin holding the party together.

Thompson pointed out that while Republicans took power in Gwinnett in the 1980s, Democrats remained in power in most statewide offices until the late 1990s

and early 2000s.

“In the ’80s, as things were beginning to change, I think he kept the (Gwinnett) Democratic Party organized and continued to support Democratic candidates who were still in office — and also kept us hooked into the state party, which was still in power,” Thompson said.

Gunnin eventually moved to Gainesville, although he had recently moved to Colorado to live with his daughter and son-in-law.

It could be argued that Gunnin approached the various roles he held in Gwinnett with an eye focused on what needed to be done to prepare for the future, whether it was planning for Gwinnett’s growth or keeping the county’s Democratic Party together in the aftermath of defeat so it could someday experience a resurgence.

“He was a very intelligent person and did a lot of forward thinking as to what improvements the county needed as it grew,” Thompson said.

“I think he knew a lot of growth was going to happen in the later 70s, early 80s ... and helped the county do a lot of planning for that.”

There will not be a public memorial service because of the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic. Wellwishers are asked to send their recollections of Gunnin to raygunnin91@gmail.com. A small family memorial service and a storyfest, where stories about him will be told, is expected to be held at a later date.

sports

gwinnettdailypost.com

SECTION B ♦ SuNday, July 12, 2020 laCROSSE

COllEGE WRESTlING

Collins Hill picks Smith to lead girls program

By Will Hammock will.hammock@gwinnettdailypost.com

Collins Hill has promoted Abbey Smith from assistant coach to head coach with the girls lacrosse program, the school announced this week.

Smith, an assistant coach the past two years, replaces Kimberlee Mankin, who will remain with the program as an assistant. “(Smith) is passionate about the sport and dedicated to growing the program at Collins Hill,” Collins Hill athletic and activities director Scarlett Grantham Abbey said. “She already has a Smith good relationship with our kids and community, and we are excited to see what she accomplishes in the coming years.”

Smith, also an assistant softball coach for the Eagles, played both lacrosse and softball at the high school level for South Forsyth. She also played four seasons at Point University, where she was a goalie.

She joined the Collins Hill staff after college, but had been a kindergarten teacher at McKendree Elementary.

She will transfer to the high school for 2020-21 school year.

“I’m excited about being head coach,” Smith said. “I played four years of college lacrosse so I have a really good knowledge of the game. I think it will be beneficial for the girls that I’ve only been out of college since 2018. I come from a background of college lacrosse and I played in high school and college. I’m excited to work with the girls.”

One of Smith’s goals is growing lacrosse in the Collins Hill cluster beyond the high school level.

“I like the community,” Smith said.

“There’s a lot of people willing to do a lot of things. For instance, I’m very excited about they have the middle school teams. One of my really big goals is to get the youth involved, the elementary and middle girls. I think that’s the biggest trouble we have at Collins Hill. They don’t really know the sport until they get to high school.”

MINOR lEaGuE BaSEBall

Special Photo: David McGregor

Buford’s Charlie Darracott attempts to take down Woodland-Cartersville’s Cole Cochran during their Class AAAAA 160-pound final at the GHSA state traditional wrestling championships at the Macon Centreplex.

Stanford cutting wrestling deals blow to Buford pair

By Will Hammock will.hammock@ gwinnettdailypost.com

Former Buford state champions Logan Ashton and Charlie Darracott got devastating news Wednesday when Stanford University announced it planned to cut 11 varsity programs, including their wrestling team, Logan because of finanAshton cial challenges brought on by the coronavirus pandemic.

Ashton just finished his freshman year at Stanford (he wrestled only 13 matches and took a redshirt year), while Darracott signed for the 2020-21 school year. The 11 programs will be discontinued after the 2020-21 school year.

In addition to wrestling, Stanford’s cuts were men’s and wom-

en’s fencing, field hockey, lightweight rowing, men’s rowing, co-ed and women’s sailing, squash, synchronized swimming and men’s volleyball.

Stanford broke the news to coaches and athletes via Zoom calls Wednesday.

“Heartbroken doesn’t begin to describe how I’m feeling right now,” Ashton posted on Twitter.

Assuming the coronavirus allows it, the Stanford athletes will be permitted to compete for the 2020-21 season. The school will honor their scholarship commitments for an education at Stanford, but it also announced it will assist athletes should they want to compete elsewhere.

The financial burden for Stanford is heavy because it fields 36 varsity teams — only one NCAA Division I FBS level school sponsors more sports and the average Division I program typically sponsors only 18 sports, the school cited in its letter releasing the news.

“This is heartbreaking news to share,” stated the letter, penned by Stanford president Marc Tessier-Lavigne, provost Persis Drell and athletic director Bernard Muir. “These 11 programs consist of more than 240 incredible student-athletes and 22 dedicated coaches. They were built by more than 4,000 alumni whose contributions led to 20 national championships, 27 Olympic medals, and an untold number of academic and professional achievements.

Each of the individuals associated with these programs will forever have a place in Stanford’s history.”

The school said it looked into a wide variety of alternatives to make up for the money lost from the pandemic, including ticket sales, broadcast revenue, university funding, philanthropic support, operating budget reductions and others, but found they were “insufficient to meet the magnitude of the financial

challenge before us.”

“Due to the escalating costs of operating such a large athletics department, a structural deficit emerged several years prior to the COVID-19 pandemic,” the letter said. “That deficit was projected to exceed $12 million in FY21 and to grow steadily in the years ahead. The COVID-19 pandemic and associated recession have only exacerbated the gap; before these sport reductions, our revised forecasts indicated a best-case scenario of a $25 million deficit in FY21, factoring in the effects of COVID-19, and a cumulative shortfall of nearly $70 million over the next three years. These projected deficits could become much greater if the 2020-21 sports seasons are suspended or altered due to COVID-19.”

Stanford is one of numerous colleges that have trimmed athletic programs due to COVID-19, but it has cut more programs than others have at this point.

White earns Frontier league opportunity Swarm’s Ladouceur named New York coach PRO laCROSSE

By Jacob Oldknow Staff Correspondent

From staff reports

One more shot. One last opportunity to keep the dream alive. That’s what’s facing Brookwood baseball alum Jonathan White.

White is currently playing independent baseball in the Frontier League for the Washington Wild Things out of Washington, Pa. Earning a minor league contract in the independent leagues can be challenging, but challenges are nothing new for White, an AllGwinnett County, fouryear varsity letterman at Brookwood High School.

White broke into the Jonathan Bronco lineup as a pitchWhite er, but his powerful bat soon became a reason to get the young athlete into the regular lineup. White primarily played third base and outfield in high school, but was often called upon as a closer. Even with all of his high school success, White was not heavily recruited and decided go the junior college route through Georgia Highlands College.

The Georgia Swarm announced Friday the departure of assistant coach Dan Ladouceur, who was named head coach of the National Lacrosse League’s New York Riptide.

New York plays in the NLL’s East Division with the Swarm.

“We are excited to see Dan get this fantastic opportunity,” Swarm owner and general manager John Arlotta said. “He has been a great offensive coordinator for the Swarm and was a big part of the record-breaking offensive season we had in 2017 when we won the NLL Championship. We wish him all the best in his new endeavors.”

Ladouceur joined the Swarm coaching staff as the team’s offensive coordinator ahead of the 2017 NLL season. He had an immediate impact coaching the talented Swarm offense, as the team set a new NLL regular season record for most goals scored by a team (266) and helped the Swarm franchise earn its first NLL Cup. “We’re very happy for the op-

See WHITE, B2

Special Photo: Kyle Hess/Georgia Swarm

The Georgia Swarm announced Friday the departure of assistant coach Dan Ladouceur, who was named head coach of the National Lacrosse League’s New York Riptide. portunity that Dan has in New York,” Swarm head coach Ed Comeau said. “He’s done a great job with the Swarm, and we thank him for everything he’s done for the Swarm organization. Obviously, a guy of Dan’s caliber is not someone you want to lose, but we understand that people get great opportunities

that present themselves, and we wish Dan the best in New York.”

The Thunder Bay, Ontario native is a six-time NLL champion, having won five of his championships as a defenseman for the Toronto Rock from 1999-2009.

Prior to joining the Swarm, he was the assistant coach for Rock for four seasons, helping guide

the team to an NLL Finals appearance in 2015.

During Ladouceur’s tenure as the Swarm’s offensive coordinator, the team has produced two MVPs — Lyle Thompson in 2017 and Shayne Jackson in 2020 — and the offense has finished as the top producing offense twice (2017, 2020) and second once (2019).

“I want to thank John and Andy Arlotta for their support and vision over the past four seasons,” Ladouceur said. “They have supported myself and my family every step of the way. I want to thank Eddie and (assistant coach) Sean (Ferris). I couldn’t have asked for better bench mates. I learned and developed thanks to them and all of their experience. I will miss the locker room and the group of athletes that do battle for each other and the Swarm.

“Great relationships have been built and will continue in the future. And lastly, the Swarm fans.

I appreciate your dedication to the game and helping us grow the game in Georgia. I look forward to returning to Sting City in the future.”

B2 ♦ Sunday, July 12, 2020 ♦ gwinnettdailypoSt.com

Glads land Pelech, active leader in ECHL games played From staff reports

The Atlanta Gladiators, the affiliate of the National Hockey League’s Boston Bruins and American Hockey League’s Providence Bruins, announced the signing of veteran forward Michael Pelech for the 2020-2021 ECHL season on Friday.

“The addition of Pelech gives us a great two-way player, and one of the best face-off guys in the league,” Gladiators head coach Jeff Pyle said. “He will be an upgrade to every part of our game and the guys are pumped to have him on our side. He is a big addition for our club.”

Pelech is a 30-year-old forward from Toronto, Ontario. He played his first game in the ECHL in 2009, and has amassed 705 games played in the league over the ensuing 11 years. That mark leads active ECHL players and ranks fourth all-time.

He has played for eight different teams and most recently spent time with the Greenville Swamp Rabbits, suiting up for 135 games over the last two seasons. As the squad’s captain during the 2019-2020 season, he led Greenville in points (53) and assists (37) over 63 games played.

“I have heard great things about Atlanta as an organization,” Pelech said. “My conversations with Coach Pyle have been very positive and I love the direction the team is headed. I cannot wait to get the season started.”

The addition of Pelech gives the Gladiators one of the ECHL’s most productive and tenured players. He became the 28th player in league history to surpass the 500-point mark last season. The signing also creates a titanic tandem for Atlanta, as Pelech (541) and team captain Derek Nesbitt (487) trail only former Gladiator Casey Pierro-Zabotel

IN BRIEF Zion Wimby to play for Clarke University

atlanta gladiators

The Atlanta Gladiators, the affiliate of the National Hockey League’s Boston Bruins and American Hockey League’s Providence Bruins, announced the signing of veteran forward Michael Pelech for the 2020-2021 ECHL season on Friday.

(543) in career points among active players.

“The addition of Michael to our roster should be seen as a major move by our fans and other teams,” Gladiators team president Jerry James said. “Our entire organization is thrilled to welcome a player of his status and experience. He fits our system well and will make an immediate impact.”

Atlanta Gladiators sign two for 2020‑21 From staff reports

The Atlanta Gladiators announced Wednesday the signing of defenseman Grant Frederic and forward Jack Suter for the 20202021 ECHL season.

Gladiators head coach Jeff Pyle has emphasized a desire for physical players on the blue line. He noted Frederic is a “big, hardto-play-against, stay-at-home defenseman.”

Frederic is a 25-year-old defenseman from St. Louis, Missouri. He suited up in 118 games for the Green Bay Gamblers of the USHL before his college career commenced in 2016.

He played in 72 games over a four-year college career at Miami (Ohio) University.

“I have only heard great things about Coach Pyle, the organization, the city, and

the fans,” Frederic said.

There will be some chemistry between new signings from the first day, as Frederic mentioned playing “with Zach Yoder in juniors, so it will be fun to be reunited with him.”

The two played together during the 20132014 season with the NAHL’s Janesville Jets.

Pyle continued on the theme of versatility when talking about Jack Suter. “(Suter) is a smart, two-way player that is an extremely hard worker. Jack had a breakout year in college last season [4G, 16A in ’19-‘20] and is ready to make the step to pro,” Pyle said.

Suter is a 25-year-old forward that was born in Omaha, Nebraska. Like Frederic, he racked up experience in the USHL before college, playing in 98 games for the Sioux

Falls Stampede. In 2016, Jack embarked on a four-year college career at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst. In 124 games played for the Minutemen, he tallied 12 goals and 25 assists. During his junior year, Suter helped UMass defeat the University of Denver at the Frozen Four to advance to the NCAA National Championship Game against the University of Minnesota-Duluth.

“I cannot wait to contribute to the goals and future success of the organization,” Suter said.

“It is clear that the team’s vision of having two-way forwards and physical defensemen is taking shape” Atlanta team president Jerry James said. “Grant and Jack fit that mold, and I believe their youth and energy will translate onto the ice.”

Busch used to success at Kentucky Speedway

By Holly Cain

NASCAR Wire Service

If Kyle Busch were going to allow himself to feel super optimistic and keenly confident in scoring his first win of the season, this may be the week as the NASCAR Cup Series arrives at Kentucky Speedway for Sunday’s Quaker State 400 Presented

by Walmart (2:30 p.m. ET on FS1, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

Busch was the inaugural winner (2011) at Kentucky, added another trophy in 2015 and his 621 laps led there is most among all his competitors. He’s led 100 laps or more in a race four times in the nine-year history of the event, including a dominating 163 of 267 in his 2015 win. He has eight top-10 finishes in nine races, including seven top-five results — two of which were runner-up showings in addition to his victories.

Busch’s most recent runner-up effort came last summer when his older brother Kurt won by a scant .076-second — the closest margin in track history — after jumping to the lead on an overtime restart and setting the stage for a brotherly 1-2 finish.

Kyle Busch, the driver of the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota drew the

Jared c. tilton/getty images for naScaR

Kyle Busch, driver of the No. 18 M&M’s Mini’s Toyota, stands on the grid prior to the NASCAR Cup Series Pocono 350 at Pocono Raceway on June 28 in Long Pond, Pa. pole position for Sunday afternoon’s race and the race winner has started on the front row in five of the nine races at Kentucky.

Busch has nine top-10 finishes in 16 races this season, but this marks only the second time in the last four seasons that he hasn’t won already by the 17th stop on the NASCAR Cup Series racing calendar.

He has three Xfinity Series and one Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series victories at Kentucky as well.

Certainly Busch’s older brother Kurt is looking to

answer his 2019 win. The driver of the No. 1 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet has six top-10 finishes in nine races, including four of the last five years. However, only one driver, JGR’s Martin Truex Jr., has won backto-back events (2017-18) at Kentucky. And 12 of Truex’s 27 career wins have come on 1.5-mile tracks like Kentucky. His 2018 win there came from the pole position.

This venue could also be a place Brad Keselowski has circled on his calendar. The 2012 NASCAR

Cup Series champion has a series-best three wins at Kentucky. The driver of the No. 2 Team Penske Ford earned the most dominant win in the track’s young history — leading 199 of 267 laps en route to his 2014 victory from the pole position. And his 4.399-second victory in 2012 is still the largest margin of victory in NASCAR Cup Series competition there.

Keselowski has nine top10 finishes in the last 11 races this season — 11 top10s on the year — includ-

ing his two victories (at Charlotte-1 and Bristol-1).

Certainly there are two marquee names still looking for a maiden Kentucky victory. Championship leader — and last week’s Indy winner — Kevin Harvick has six top-10 finishes in nine Kentucky starts, but only one top-five (fifth place in 2018). The driver of the No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford won the pole position in 2016 and led a race best 128 laps only to finish ninth — and those are the only laps he’s ever led. Last year he finished 22nd. Kentucky and the Charlotte ROVAL are the only two tracks left on the schedule Harvick has yet to win at.

Denny Hamlin, who looked poised to celebrate his first Indianapolis win last weekend before surrendering the lead and crashing with five laps remaining, is also winless at Kentucky. All four of his top-10 finishes on the 1.5mile Kentucky oval have been top five runs. His best finish is third and he’s done that twice — in 2012 and 2015. He was fifth in 2019.

Hamlin has been particularly strong this season, earning his third Daytona 500 victory to start the year and adding three more wins since.

Ga. State plans DH at Ole Miss From staff reports Georgia State has scheduled a unique weekend in 2026 for its men’s basketball and football programs as both squads will travel to Oxford, Mississippi, to face Ole Miss during a 24hour period.

The men’s basketball team will face Ole Miss on Friday, Nov. 20, 2026, followed by a match-up gSu athletics for the football team on Georgia State head coach Shawn Elliott addresses the Saturday, Nov. 21, 2026. team during the 2018 Blue-White Spring Game at Grady This continues a trend of adding more regional Stadium in Atlanta.

WHITE From B1 At Georgia Highlands, White made his mark during the 2016- 2017 seasons. He excelled both at the plate and on the base paths by amassing a .368 batting average with 50 RBIs, six home runs and 15 stolen bases. White dealt with some adversity during his junior college days, as he was hit by a pitch during the conference championship

match-ups for the football team, while the men’s basketball team will be making a third trip to Oxford in recent years.

By the time of the matchup in 2026, the football team will be playing at least its seventh different member of the Southeastern Conference, including a 38-30 win over Tennessee last fall.

On the men’s basketball side, the Panthers nearly knocked off the Rebels as a part of the MGM Grand Main Event in 2017. Geor-

and fractured the orbital floor below his eye.

Despite his injury, White was able to continue his baseball journey at Division I Presbyterian College.

White continued to excel at Presbyterian.

He splashed onto the Division I scene in 2018 by earning first-team All-Big South Conference honors. White’s Presbyterian batting average (.333) ranks second in school history.

Another unforeseen challenge facing White has been COVID-19 and the suspension of the Frontier league season on June 24. A constant fear of obstacles that could halt

gia State also made a trip to Oxford in 2015.

Georgia State football has set its non-conference schedules through the 2022 season, with three games set for 2023 and 2024, as well as two games already scheduled 2025, 2026 and 2027.

Under third-year head coach Shawn Elliott, the Panthers are coming off a third bowl appearance in the last five seasons after traveling west for the NOVA Home Loans Arizona Bowl last December.

White’s goal of playing professional must be always be looming. Luckily for White, four teams within the frontier league have agreed to play games this season. White’s pro baseball debut was July 9 at Wild Things Park versus the Steel City Slamming Sammies.

“I have no doubt White will be successful at the next level,” former Brookwood head coach Rick Howard said. “J. White has always shown an uncanny ability to adjust to the game of baseball. He plays the game to win, and uses his abilities to create opportunities for himself and his teammates.”

Zion Wimby, a 2020 Mill Creek grad, committed Wednesday to the Clarke University (Iowa) men’s basketball program.

The 6-foot guard averaged 17.3 points, 3.8 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 2.3 steals as a senior, earning AllRegion 6-AAAAAAA and all-county honors. He earned MVP honors at the Deep South Classic after posting 26 points, four assists and two steals in a 71-63 championship game win over Providence Day (N.C.).

Bonacci commits to Chattanooga State Anthony Bonacci, a rising senior at Norcross, committed Tuesday to the Chattanooga State Community College (Tenn.) baseball program.

The 6-foot, 193-pound pitcher struck out 45 batters in 38 innings as a sophomore for Norcross’ 2019 state playoff team, earning first-team All-Region 7-AAAAAAA honors. His 2020 season was cut short by the coronavirus.

Bonacci also maintains a 3.7 GPA and has earned the Eagle Scout Award.

Parkview’s Nieva Gaither named an All‑American for third straight year Nieva Gaither, a 2020 Parkview grad, was named a United Soccer Coaches All-American for the third straight year when the awards were announced Thursday.

Gaither and Highland Park (Texas) star Presley Echols were the only honorees with three or more AllAmerican awards in their careers.

Echols picked up the acclaim for a fourth straight year.

Georgia put five girls on the 26-player team as Gaither was joined by Harrison’s Averi Visage, Lambert’s Madison Haugen and Sydney Hennessey and St. Pius’ Caroline Gray.

Only three Georgia boys earned AllAmerican awards — Lassiter’s Vedad Kovac, McIntosh’s Luke Giordano and Westminster’s Weyimi Agbeyegbe.

Lauren Flynt named to A‑Sun All‑Decade Team Brookwood grad Lauren Flynt was one of the 19 runners named to the Atlantic Sun Conference All-Decade Team for women’s cross country.

Flynt, who runs for Lipscomb, has earned three all-conference honors since she began college running in 2017. She also was the 2019 Atlantic Sun Scholar-Athlete of the Year.

Warren headed to Christian Community College John Warren, a 2020 Brookwood grad, committed Thursday to the Christian Community College (Calif.) football program.

Warren is a prospect at wide receiver.

Gwinnett softball players excel at Georgia Highlands Gwinnett softball players, including Mountain View grad Hailey Cronic, led the way this season for Georgia Highlands College softball.

Cronic, a freshman, hit .352 with four home runs, 18 RBIs and five doubles. Teammates Alexis Davis, a sophomore from Dacula, and Haley Robinson, a sophomore from Parkview, also excelled during a season shortened to 23 games by the coronavirus pandemic. Davis hit .341 with three doubles, and Robinson hit .320 with three homers, nine RBIs and three doubles. Archer’s Madeline Hairston, a freshman, went 6-for-12 with a home run in her limited plate appearances, while Natalia Herrera (freshman, Mill Creek) and Emma Self (freshman, Lilburn resident) also were contributors.

Twardoski, locals shine in college baseball Three Gwinnett graduates, all sophomores, had big years for the powerhouse Georgia Highlands College baseball program, which finished the coronavirus-shortened season with a 21-4 record.

Brookwood grad Trace Twardoski hit .433 with three home runs, 24 RBIs, 10 doubles and a triple. He had a .514 on-base percentage and stole 11 bases.

Ryan Smithson, from Grayson, went 1-0 with a save in four relief appearances, striking out 12 and walking just two in seven innings.

North Gwinnett grad Lavoisier Fisher hit .298 with two home runs, eight RBIs, 11 stolen bases and a .468 on-base percentage.

gwinnettdailypost.com ♦ sunday, July 12, 2020 ♦ B3

PERSPECTIVES

Gwinnett Daily Post www.gwinnettdailypost.com

Todd Cline,

Editor and SCNI Vice President of Content todd.cline@gwinnettdailypost.com

GUEST COLUMNIST|CRAIG NEWTON

C

Community policing works

ommunity policing, or community- providing the highest quality police seroriented policing, is a strategy of vices. Each year CALEA evaluates 25% policing that focuses on building of its 484 standards to make sure the ties and working closely with members department is in compliance. Random of the communities. The main idea is to citizen review of police performance is create trust and partnership between po- also a part of this certification process lice and the public. providing needed checks and balances.

We’ve adopted this philosophy here in I am proud of the work of our NorNorcross. Efforts like the recently com- cross Police Department in being recogpleted 30 days of birthday drive-ups for nized and awarded CALEA accreditation our citizens shut-in during this for past certifications. I believe it coronavirus has a positive vibe in speaks volumes to the dedication, complementing community policing. professionalism and hard work of In addition to community policour law enforcement team. The ing, it is my belief that the implecitizens of Norcross truly value mentation of continual training, our police force and the respected peer review and accountability public service that they provide. are the keys to minimizing abuse Specifically, CALEA’s goals are to of power within our law enforcestrengthen crime prevention and Newton ment ranks. This is best achieved control capabilities, formalize esthrough state certification and national sential management procedures, estabaccreditation through CALEA. The Nor- lish fair and nondiscriminatory personcross Police department has been ac- nel practices, improve service delivery, credited for several years and is currently solidify interagency cooperation and coworking toward re-accreditation. ordination, and increase community and There are only 46 law enforcement staff confidence in the agency. agencies in Georgia that have achieved As a side note, I am truly troubled in CALEA Law Enforcement Accreditation. having to add George Floyd’s name along(There are 1,181 total law enforcement side that of Breonna Taylor, Eric Garner, agencies in the state.)

Michael Brown and many others who CALEA programs internationally ac- have died over the years at the hands of credit more than 1,100 agencies. CALEA the police — as well as Ahmaud Arbery was created in 1979, and the organiza- and Trayvon Martin who were killed by tion’s accreditation program seals are armed members of the public. awarded to public safety agencies that Procedures across our nation must have demonstrated compliance with its change, prevention systems must be put standards. The Commission was created in place, Federal accreditation must be rethrough the combined efforts of four ma- quired and above all, rogue police officers jor law enforcement organizations: The who abuse their sworn oath to protect and International Association of Chiefs of Po- defend should be charged and convicted lice, National Organization of Black Law for the crimes committed without prejuEnforcement Executives, National Sher- dice or respect of persons. Only then will iffs’ Association, and the Police Executive trust in our system of justice be restored.

Research Forum.

I have and will always say that violence This accreditation does not come easy begets violence. I strongly condemn the as our agency must go through a rigor- rioting and the looting from protests that ous review and evaluation of their orga- we have recently seen. These acts are sonization and then implement the neces- cially destructive and self-defeating, and sary policy and procedure changes. The must be condemned by all. process does not stop at that point. By But at the same time, it is necessary choosing to seek CALEA accreditation, to condemn the weapons of oppression, the agency commits to an ongoing review social injustice and inequality that have of adherence to CALEA’s standards. Each plagued our nation and fueled protests community with CALEA-accredited agen- in our great nation for years. Change is cies should feel confident that their pub- possible when we instill institutional lic safety organization is going above and processes that guarantee equal treatbeyond and operating under the highest ment throughout all our judicial systems standards in public safety. across this nation.

This accreditation validates that the City We must embrace processes of change of Norcross police adheres to strict policy that undergird the promise of the naand best practices. “CALEA accreditation tion’s founders that all men are created sends a clear message to our community equal and endowed inalienable rights of that our department is following national life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. standards and best practices.” It supports our commitment to the community in Craig Newton is the mayor of Norcross.

COLUMNIST|KATHLEEN PARKER

A

COLUMNIST|DICK YARBROUGH

Remembering a great event 24 years later H

as it really have been 24 years since steroids. All that it did was to snarl traffic the Atlanta Centennial Olympic and dash the hopes of vendors thinking Games? Next Sunday will mark they would make money off the scheme 8,766 days since that dramatic night when and didn’t.

Muhammed Ali, hands shaking with palsy, The local media gave the mayor and his lit the cauldron signifying the beginning cronies a pass lest they be accused of being of 17 days of Olympic competition and the racist and focused instead on our woebeculmination of years of hard work. gone mascot Izzy and other trivialities. In During the Games, some 10,000 my opinion, the lack of courage by Olympians from 197 countries comthe media in holding the city’s feet peted in 271 events, setting 662 reto the fire has contributed greatly to cords, including 32 world records the mess currently taking place on and 111 Olympic records. Those the mean streets of Atlanta. events were seen by more than Now, 24 years later I view my 5 million people in person and a experiences with mixed feelings. I worldwide television audience of am proud of what a group of commore than 200 million.

Yarbrough mitted and dedicated people were We sold more tickets to women’s able to accomplish despite the uncompetitions than Barcelona had sold total necessary obstacles and the constant sectickets four years earlier. The women’s soc- ond-guessing by outsiders. I have been cer gold medal finals held at UGA’s Sanford on this earth a long time and have never Stadium drew over 80,000 spectators, the been around a better or more charismatic largest crowd ever to witness a women’s leader than Billy Payne. One of my favorcompetition anywhere. (The USA won.) ite quotes from George Bernard Shaw’s Beyond the athletes, the real heroes were “Pygmalion,” says “Some see things as Billy Payne who had the idea of bringing they are and say why. Others dream things the Games to Atlanta and a small group of that never were and ask why not?” That believers who helped him make that dream is Billy Payne. a reality. I was not among that group and Sadly, the city of Atlanta was in way like many thought the whole idea was far- over their heads and couldn’t walk their fetched. Little did I know I would soon big talk. But I can’t be too critical of Malbe a part of the organization, engaged in function Junction. They launched me on hand-to-hand combat with every special a new and unexpected career path. interest group imaginable trying to shake After the Games were over, I was asked us down for something (usually money or to write a guest column on how the city political leverage.) performed in 1996. I wasn’t kind. I said AtAnother group of heroes were the 50,000 lanta blew a great opportunity and wasn’t volunteers who showed our visitors that even the Next Great City, as it claimed to Southern Hospitality is real and genuine. be. Charlotte had taken that title along There were the dark moments, main- with all the city’s bank headquarters. And ly the bombing in Centennial Olympic that’s the nice stuff.

Park and the media feeding frenzy and The column got national attention and ultimate destruction of the reputation of I was asked to write another one and then poor Richard Jewell, who deserved bet- another until now when I find myself in ter. It took five years to catch the bomber, my 22nd year as a weekly syndicated colEric Rudolph. He was found climbing out umnist in 47 newspapers across the state. of a dumpster by a rookie deputy sheriff Thank you, Atlanta. I couldn’t have done in North Carolina. it without you.

The biggest loser was the city of AtlanI don’t see or hear from many of my ta. Even though the city was indemnified Olympic colleagues these days but if any from any tax liabilities — the Games were of them are reading this, we put on a great privately funded to the tune of $1.7 billion show and can take great pride in what we — they set up their own ambush market- did and how we did it. But, really, can you ing program, undercutting our Olympic believe it has been 24 years? sponsors. The mayor, Bill Campbell, who was to end up in the federal pokey on tax You can reach Dick Yarbrough at dick@ evasion charges, was the architect of a dickyarbrough.com; at P.O. Box 725373, sidewalk vendors program that made the Atlanta, Georgia 31139 or on Facebook at city look like a third-world flea market on www.facebook.com/dickyarb

Stay away from South Carolina

t times like this, I’m tempted to dig out my father’s doormat, which bore the words: “Go away.” A dedicated misanthrope, he at least maintained a sense of humor.

Today, as South Carolina’s COVID-19 infection rate skyrockets, there’s not much to chuckle about. As of Friday, more than 75% of hospital beds were filled and one coastal hospital was seeking staffing help from the National Guard.

How did we get so sick so fast? In a word, tourism, especially in Charleston, erstwhile “Best City” in America, and north along the coast to Myrtle Beach — now among the un-safest places in the United States and, therefore, the world.

There, you’ll see very few people wearing masks, and social distancing is a joke.

Republican Gov. Henry McMaster, though he has urged citizens to wear masks in public, as he does, has stopped short of making them mandatory. As he has said, how could the state possibly enforce such a mandate?

Stubbornness and rebelliousness come naturally to my fellow natives, a large percentage of whom rely on tourism to pay the bills. But summertime has brought fresh challenges along with rotating crops of close-contact human bodies. A quick

survey of license plates along the Grand Bike Week. Postponed in May because Strand is testament to the state’s appeal of the pandemic, nothing will stop these to vacationers. engine-revving partiers now. Revelers are Still, out-of-staters don’t get all the blame. expected to fill Highway 17 as they gather Locals are guilty of not taking the virus se- for beach time, rallies and, reputedly, the riously enough in part because for a best biker bars this side of the Mislong while they seemed immune from sissippi. Wait until they get wind of the terrible outbreaks elsewhere. For the state’s order Friday to shut down several months, Georgetown County, alcohol sales at 11 p.m. where I’ve been hiding out since FebWhat is one to make of such inruary, had just a handful of COVID sanity? Well, tracks, for starters. cases and only the occasional death.

My moving van is almost packed.

Graduation, beach-week parties and But a smart leader might recogMemorial Day weekend changed all nize what these various in-denial Parker that. Today, this county has an esgroups share — a lust for freedom timated 724 cases, while bordering Horry and distrust of government — and forge County, home to Myrtle Beach, has more an appeal to those instincts. As Bike Week than 5,200, with numbers increasing ex- founder Sonny Copeland recently told the ponentially by the day.

Daily Beast, “We don’t need the damn South Carolina now has more cases per government to tell us what to do ... We’re capita than most countries, and no one smart enough to know how to take care of thinks things will get better any time soon. ourselves, distance when we ride, and we Some Northern states, including New York, have common sense … We’re not a bunch have imposed a two-week quarantine for of teenagers who are going to hug and kiss visitors returning from South Carolina. on the beach. This is about riding motorAnd we’re just getting rolling. cycles, being in the wind.”

Over the July 4 weekend, around 4,000 Well, OK, let’s work with that. What’s boaters from 11 states convened on Lake needed is an alternative narrative that Murray, due west of Columbia, for a pro- makes sense to that rebel-biker spirit. By Trump boat-parade. And next week comes not following health guidelines, which the annual windfall event — Myrtle Beach makes tighter restrictions more likely,

conservatives are actually threatening freedom and weakening the underlying structures of the free market. Masks are economic drivers.

As a Christian matter, disregarding guidelines is the opposite of professed care for the common good. And what of the Christian belief that the body is a temple in which his or her Holy Spirit lives? Not caring for the self and the common good, thus, can be seen as un-Christian.

A comparison could also be made to another shocking, illness-related period in our history, when then-U.S. Surgeon General C. Everett Koop, a man of deep Christian faith, scandalized conservatives as the AIDS crisis intensified by urging non-monogamous, sexually active men and women to use condoms for HIV prevention.

The conservative, Christian world nearly toppled from its axis.

Today, it’s shocking that such a minimal instruction was controversial. And, some day, our inheritors likely will be aghast that so many Americans refused to don a mask and social distance to protect themselves and others from a potentially lifethreatening disease.

Kathleen Parker is a columnist for the Washington Post.

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PICKLES Brian Crane

Sudoku is a number-placing puzzle based on a 9x9 grid with several given numbers. The object is to place the numbers 1 to 9 in the empty squares so that each row, each column and each 3x3 box contains the same numSolution to today's Sudoku ber only once.

WHATZIT SOLUTION:

Today’s Answer: Political

B5

gwinnettdailypost.com ♦ sunday, July 12, 2020 ♦

SUNDAY, JULY 12, 2020

Fruit Basket

P A P A

O V E R

S R T A S

N E A T O

B O S O M

E V E N T

P E A C H I M P E D I M E N T S

S C A R

P A R A

A N C Y

E R R I S O L P E I E P L T E O A N S G H L A I N T A H E

P E N N E D

A A R L U U G M N I T R R A A M M P L O O A P R

FRUIT BASKET ACROSS 1. Leo XIII or Pius X 5. Pillars 10. Pie bottom 15. Not new 19. Declare 20. Pro Football Hall of Famer John 21. Vital vessel 22. Fictional captain 23. Remember at the fruit stand?

25. Causin’ trouble at the fruit stand?

27. Band of sparks 28. Stuck-up person 29. Gives the okay 30. Strange 31. Openings 33. Reverent 35. Refuses to 37. Attacked slyly 39. Game fishes 40. Cry of alarm 41. Military award, for short 44. Part of the scale 45. Comfy furniture at the fruit stand?

47. One __ time 48. VCR insertion 49. Opera solo 50. “...__ the ramparts we...”

51. “A diller, a dollar, __ o’clock...”

52. Polished off 53. “Don’t tell!” at the fruit stand?

58. Frozen floater 59. Grass layer 60. Tow 61. Merchandise 62. Whitish one 64. Dating couple gossiped about 66. Extremely cold 67. Sharp 68. Lament 70. Work hard 71. Half a candy?

72. Muslim title 75. Baker’s need 76. With 43 Down, “Both sides are responsible” at the fruit stand?

80. Rejections 81. Elected officials: abbr.

82. Stewart, for one 83. District 84. Also says 85. Canadian prov.

86. Brain at the fruit stand?

91. Just sitting there 92. Blanc and Everest: abbr.

93. Show-offs

94.

95.

97.

98.

99.

100.

103.

104.

105.

108.

111.

114.

115.

116.

117.

118.

119.

120.

121.

UFO pilot Alley cats Light source Apple drink Brag USA ally Nothing, in Mexico Weather forecast Eight or velvet suffix Will be forced into a formal wedding at the fruit stand?

Sad at the fruit stand?

Curved beam overhead Like some furniture Wow Guideline Comedienne Martha Iron “Wonderful!”

“Now!” in the ER

2

3

4

5

19

12.

13.

14.

15.

16.

17.

18.

24.

26.

29.

32.

33.

34.

35.

36.

37.

38.

39.

40.

41.

24

27

28 31

42.

43.

45.

46.

49.

51.

53.

54.

55.

56.

57.

63.

65.

66.

7

8

9

33

10

12

13

60

61

65

93

55

56

103.

104.

106.

107.

109.

110.

111.

112.

113.

14

62

78

82

83 88

97

89

118

N Y E T

16

17

18

41

42

43

73

74

63

72 80 84

90

91 95

96

99

103

114

E L L A

58

79

98

110

A S S E S

67

94

109

G O D L Y

36

71

87

108

15

57

77

102

M A N G O

51

70

92

S T E R N

47

66

86

73.

74.

77.

78.

79.

84.

86.

87.

88.

89.

90.

95.

96.

97.

98.

99.

100.

101.

102.

50

59

81

D A T E I N A N D D A T E O U T

Breast Happening Discontinues South African Dutchman Divine Pack animals Vagrant Spud Songbird Snobbishness African nation Aries the __ Damsels Actor Alan Connection Oklahoman Powder Flexible; agile Cod and others Spirits Unsightly mark S.A. nation Suffix for buoy or malign Heat in the microwave Sound of thunder Singer Fitzgerald Putin’s refusal Cut off Boat propeller Barker and Bell Big awkward bird Time periods: abbr.

46

54

85

68.

69.

70.

71.

40

53

76

D O N E

26

35

49

75

E M I R

22

39

69

S E A T

30

45

101

11

34

52

100

M A S

29

44

68

T I E

U S T U R T A N I S I N C S O U WO N T O H N O R R I E S O E R A WO R D B E S A L B D K E E B O N T WO T O A R E A A T E R I E N S T R R B O A S C O O L E L O N C H M A Z E R U P E R S

25

38

64

E R I E S

R O A D S

21

32

48

C A R O U S E

“Exodus” author Leon Anthony & Ambrose: abbr.

Skater Babilonia Still whole Tush Foreign ruler Finisher’s cry Tiny isolated land Taboos Flood survivor Mayberry resident Large cats Abbr. in a business name Blender sound Very late bedtime Niñas’ titles: abbr.

“Groovy!” in a past decade Decorative molding Sandwich cookies Continuously, at the fruit stand?

Strict; no-nonsense See 76 Across Snug as a bug in __ Propelled a boat College donors, often French prelate’s title Entreaty Fine-tune Slice down the middle Certain tribal members North __ Most famous Jay Heavy weights Air freshener

20

23

37

6

S T S WA Y I N D T N P I O T U N A R M C H I A M S T H WA G E L S L A V T A K E O D P E M A S A L C I D N A D A U P E K E N E S S

by Calvin R. & Jackie Mathews

DOWN 1. One of The Three Bears 2. Ended 3. Lisps at the fruit stand?

4. Goof 5. Wrote 6. Actor Edward James __ 7. “M*A*S*H” actress 8. Panty hose shade 9. Most populous city in Australia: abbr.

10. Eat, drink and be merry 11. Highways 1

O L M O S

104

105 106 107

111 112

113

115

116

117

119

120

121

© Puzzle Features Syndicate

gwinnettdailypost.com ♦ sunday, July 12, 2020 ♦

B7

gwinnettdailypost.com ♦ sunday, July 12, 2020 ♦ C3

Local author wins first U.S. Selfies Book Award in Chicago

By Chamian Cruz chamian.cruz@ gwinnettdailypost.com

Pre–Civil War Georgia is the setting for the first winner of the U.S. Selfies Book Awards.

On Saturday, June 27, Tim Westover, who resides in Georgia, was awarded the first U.S. Selfies Book Award from co-presenters Publishers Weekly and BookBrunch at the American Library Association’s national conference in Chicago for his book, “The Winter Sisters.”

“The Winter Sisters” is a Southern historical novel filled with folklore, medicine and miracles set in pre-Civil War Lawrenceville. It was published in August 2019.

The judges called Westover’s book “an absorbing, well-researched and beautifully written novel” set in antebellum Georgia.

“This is a brilliantly realized depiction of the conflict between new scientific theories and traditional herbal remedies, set in a small 19thcentury community under

threat of rabies,” said Jo Henry, managing director of BookBrunch U.K. and a juror for the awards.

“Will the superstitious townsfolk trust the new doctor or the three sisters — witches to some, healers to others — to cure them? With excellent sales and a sound marketing plan, Westover is a worthy winner.”

Unlike most awards, Tim received a cash prize of $1,000 in addition to the honor, plus a total of $7,500 in promotions from PW and Combined Book Exhibit.

The mission of the awards initiative is to discover new talent and reward the best self-published titles each year. The U.S. awards’ first year focused on adult fiction published during 2019.

Future years are expected to include nonfiction and children’s books.

“Congratulations to Tim Westover on winning the first annual U.S. Selfies award,” Cevin Bryerman, executive vice president and publisher of Publishers Weekly, said. “‘The Winter Sisters’ makes

special photo

Author Tim Westover recently won the first U.S. Selfies Book Award from co-presenters Publishers Weekly and BookBrunch at the American Library Association’s national conference in Chicago for his book, “The Winter Sisters.” an admirable contribution to the wealth of Southern literature.”

Westover previously donated $50,000 of the proceeds of “The Winter Sisters” to nonprofits, primarily to Children’s Hospital of Atlanta, and recently, $2,200 to the Southeast Gwinnett Co-Op Ministry, as he is a believer in supporting the local community.

“I want to thank everyone who helped our neighbors

in SE Gwinnett County by purchasing a copy of ‘The Winter Sisters,’” Westover said. “And I want to thank the team at the SE Gwinnett Co-Op for all the good work they are doing for our community.”

Visit www.timwestover. com for more information, or follow Westover on Twitter at https://twitter.com/timwestover and on Facebook at https://www.facebook. com/timwestoverauthor.

Community leaders join Rainbow Village Board of Directors

By Chamian Cruz chamian.cruz@ gwinnettdailypost.com

The two newest additions to the Rainbow Village Board of Directors have all the makings of a dynamic duo for the 29-yearold nonprofit in Duluth.

President of Georgia Gwinnett College Dr. Jann Joseph and Senior Vice President of Jill Edwards United Community Bank Jill Edwards will now be tasked with Rainbow Village’s mission to transform the lives Jann Joseph of the families it serves in northeast metro Atlanta by helping to break the cycles of homelessness, poverty and domestic violence.

A lifetime educator and relative newcomer to Georgia, Joseph has been at the helm of Georgia Gwinnett College since July 2019. Soon after, she joined the board for the Gwinnett Chamber, where she met Edwards.

Edwards is currently celebrating her 34th anniversary in banking, primarily in Northeast Georgia. She is intimately familiar with Rainbow Village, as she aided in the funding of the second phase of apartment buildings on the nonprofit’s campus.

With a shared desire to positively impact the lives of women and children in need, Edwards introduced Joseph to Rainbow Village and the two joined the board of directors together.

Joseph said she looks forward to becoming part of the conversation and ongoing evolution at Rainbow Village, particularly where the after-school program is concerned. As a former middle school teacher, she looks forward to setting tangible goals, being able to contribute to them, witness measurable gains and add value during her time on the board.

She also hopes to have a personal impact on the spiritual and emotional life of the women at Rainbow Village.

“I felt a connection to the mission at Rainbow Village,” Joseph said. “I had been asking myself, ‘How do I use my time and energy to help people who keep working and keep fighting, but need a voice?’ Our life decisions can easily become mistakes and a series of mistakes can mean one’s life is not turning out the way one hoped it would. From a spiritual perspective, I say, ‘There, but by the grace of God go I.’” “For some of these women, it involves the decision of the

people they choose to have in their life. I was fortunate to be happily married for 36 years to a man who was devoted to me and our children.

If he had not been the man he was, I could have been homeless. Instead, I had a support system. Many of the families who come to Rainbow Village haven’t had a support system to lift them up. This program represents an opportunity for homeless families – often led by single mothers – to start over and reach their full potential.”

Edwards echoes a similar desire to have a personal impact in her work with the nonprofit.

“I learned about Rainbow Village nearly 25 years ago from Barbara Howard, who was a community legend and major supporter of the nonprofit,” Edwards said. “In all the years since, I’ve been to many of the lunches, events and galas. I’ve heard the compelling stories of how lives had been transformed by Rainbow Village. I recently asked their CEO, Melanie Conner, if she believed I could be of value to her organization and why.

“She could sense that I wanted to give back and felt my involvement and deep roots within the business community would prove invaluable.

It was the right thing to do at the right time for me. Since joining the board, I’ve had meaningful conversations about Rainbow Village with dozens of people. It’s amazing to me that there are still people out there in the Northeast Georgia community who don’t know about Rainbow Village and the important work they are doing on behalf of homeless families with children.”

Edwards said she is most impressed with the accountability and structure at Rainbow Village – that it represents a hand grabbing another hand to lift them up rather than giving them a handout.

She feels the combination of career training and financial counseling are game-changers for many of these families, allowing them to walk away with skills they didn’t have when they arrived.

To her, Rainbow Village builds confidence and restores a sense of pride before giving its residents the belief that they’ve regained control of their lives. In doing so, the graduates of the program enjoy long-lasting results and success beyond the borders of the Rainbow Village campus.

“We are incredibly honored to have these two fantastic women serve on our board of directors,” Conner said. “Each comes with her own unique set of skills, a wealth of wonderful ideas and a heart for serving others. We feel extremely blessed

to welcome Dr. Jann Joseph and Jill Edwards to Rainbow Village.”

In addition to their positions on the boards for Rainbow Village and the Gwinnett Chamber, both Joseph and Edwards serve on several other boards.

Joseph lends her talents

to Gwinnett Clean & Beautiful and the Georgia Hispanic Chamber, while Edwards remains busy with her service on the boards of the Gwinnett Place CID, Across the Bridge, and the Gwinnett Coalition for Health and Human Services, where she serves as treasurer.

When they’re not working

in their respective leadership roles or attending board meetings, Joseph and Edwards enjoy spending time with family.

Joseph has three sons, three daughters-in-law and four grandchildren. Edwards and her husband of 25 years, Greg, have a son at Mercer

University and a daughter at Greater Atlanta Christian School. In her spare time, Edwards enjoys riding bikes, playing tennis and going to the beach.

For more information about Rainbow Village and its programs, visit www.rainbowvillage.org.