SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE Home for the Holiday expo coming to Infinite Energy Forum in early December. • Local, 9A
Gwinnett Daily Post THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 26, 2015
www.gwinnettdailypost.com
75 cents ©2015 SCNI
Vol. 46, No. 42
Teen finds family with Boys and Girls Club
‘It became literally my home,’ Ball says of organization By Keith Farner
keith.farner @gwinnettdailypost.com
LAWRENCEVILLE — What he calls the irony of life, Brian Ball now looks back as a life-changing event. Just before his parents divorced, his father signed him up for the Boys and Girls Club in Lawrenceville.
It started out as a place to go after school, but 11 years later, it’s become something more. “It became literally my home,” said Ball, a senior at the Gwinnett School of Math, Science and Technology who wants to pursue college studies in film production. “There’s been instances where the Boys and Girls Club has fed me,
clothed me.” Ball recently cleaned his room and found a pile of T-shirts several feet high all from the Boys and Girls Club. Some date to 2008, and at times they represented his entire wardrobe. For the last four years, Ball has worked at the organization’s summer camp, Camp Kiwanis in Danielsville, where he’s developed his mentor-
ing and leadership skills with younger club members. Lawrenceville Boys and Girls Club Executive Director Rory Johnson said Ball simply has a gift and shares it. “Not only us here, but numerous platforms,” he Brian Ball, a senior at the Gwinnett School of Math, Scisaid. “His persona, the way ence and Technology, speaks at an awards event for behe projects, the way he ing named the Boys and Girls Club of metro Atlanta’s Youth of the Year award. Ball plans to pursue film produc-
See BALL, Page 5A tion in college. (Special Photo)
Rising from the ashes
Man found shot dead in residence By Joshua Sharpe joshua.sharpe@gwinnettdailypost.com
LAWRENCEVILLE — The Gwinnett County Police Department is investigating after the discovery of a young man shot dead in an upscale neighborhood off New Hope Road. Just before midnight Tuesday, authorities received a tip of a possibly deceased man inside the home at 2773 River Station Court, said Cpl. Michele Pihera, spokeswoman for the department. When officers arrived, they found the man, identified as 25-year-old Jeffery Anderson, with at least one gunshot wound in the house, which sits on a cul-de-sac in the River Station Estates subdivision in unincorporated Lawrenceville. On Wednesday afternoon, whether See SHOT, Page 3A
Locals cook holiday meals for firefighters
Tradition began shortly after Sept. 11 attacks By Joshua Sharpe Above, Eagle’s Landing Cafe and Grill owner Randall Eagleson describes the damage done to his restaurant’s kitchen by a weekend electrical fire. The restaurant suffered nearly $500,000 in damage, which will be covered by its insurance policy. Top, Eagle’s Landing Cafe and Grill owners Judy and Randall Eagleson stand outside the sign of their restaurant Tuesday. (Staff Photos: Curt Yeomans)
if they had gotten there five minutes later, the roof would have collapsed,” Eagleson said. Although the building was saved, the restaurant’s owners expect it will take about three months to repair the damages. Eagleson said it could cost about $475,000 to rebuild, although that will be covered by insurance. He expects the building will have to be stripped to its studs so the extent of the damage can be fully examined.
After 9/11, Susan Powell wanted to do something for emergency workers to let them know the community appreciated their efforts. She sent out a flyer to neighbors in the Huntington West subdivision, which she’s called home for more than 20 years, asking for volunteers to join her in cooking for the firefighters at Gwinnett County Fire Station 18. The meals would come every night in November. Fourteen years later, the tradition is going strong. “We’re always thankful for it,” said fire Capt. Greg Mitchell, “especially for the guys working Thanksgiving because they’re away from their family that day. It shows people care and gives us a good, warm feeling.”
See RESTAURANT, Page 5A
See FIREFIGHTERS, Page 5A
Fire won’t stop Eaglesons from serving holiday dinner By Curt Yeomans
curt.yeomans @gwinnettdailypost.com
Nothing was going to stop the owners and staff of Eagle’s Landing Cafe and Grill from meeting their commitments for Thanksgiving. Not even the fire that forced the restaurant to close its doors for repairs this week. Randall and Judy Eagleson and their staff will still spend Thanksgiving Day cooking turkey and all of the popular fix-
ings for their customers. It just won’t be where they expected to be cooking. Instead of their restaurant, they’ll be cooking out of the kitchen at Cannon United Methodist Church in Snellville. “We’re very pleased and very thankful that the church let us use their facilities so we could serve our customers,” Randall Eagleson said. “We would have figured it out, trust me. If all of the cooks had to cook at their homes, we would have found a way to fulfill our orders.”
The church’s agreement to let Eagle’s Landing use their kitchen is one example of the community support that the restaurant has received since news spread about the fire on Sunday. An issue in the building’s electrical system caused the fire, which damaged the rafters and was beginning to spread throughout the building. The firefighters were able to keep the damage limited to a 15-foot area in the restaurant and save the building. “The firefighters told me that
gwinnettdailypost.com
INSIDE Classified........7B
Horoscope......4A
Nation............ 6A
Sports.............1B
Comics............5B
Local.............. 2A
Obituaries.......6B
Weather..........4A
Crossword......5B
Lottery............ 4A
Perspectives...7A
World..............6A
289693-1
joshua.sharpe@gwinnettdailypost.com
Stay connected with the Daily Post online, where you can submit news tips, browse photo galleries and sign up to receive headlines digitally at gwinnettdailypost.com/newsletter. Send us engagements, wedding, births or anniversaries under “Submit your news” on the home page.