September 13, 2020 — Gwinnett Daily Post

gwinnettdailypost.com ♦ sunday, september 13, 2020 ♦ A3

WORLD & NATION

WORLD

Iranian champion wrestler Navid Afkari executed despite international outcry Iranian champion wrestler Navid Afkari has been executed in Iran on Saturday, according to Iran’s state-run news agency IRNA, despite a high-profile international campaign calling for the sentence not to be carried out.

The 27-year-old was executed at a prison in Shiraz, according to IRNA. He had been sentenced to death in relation to the murder of the Iranian government’s water and sewage department’s security agent Hasan Turkman during the August 2018 protests in Shiraz, according to Iran’s state media Mizan.

The International Olympic Committee sad it was “shocked” by the announcement. “In letters, Thomas Bach, the IOC President, had made direct personal appeals to the Supreme Leader and to the President of Iran this week and asked for mercy for Navid Afkari, while respecting the sovereignty of the Islamic Republic of Iran,” the statement said.

Afkari’s case sparked interest beyond the sports circles.

Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch called for an international intervention and a new trial.

President Donald Trump got involved last week, asking the Iranian leaders last to spare Afkari’s life.

Greek police fire tear gas at protesting migrants on Lesbos Police on the Greek island of Lesbos fired tear gas at a group of migrants on Saturday protesting against a new camp being set up to replace one destroyed this week by fire, according to local media.

Migrants had been protesting along the main road connecting the island town of Mytilene and the location of the new camp, which is due to be set up by the authorities after the Moria camp was razed earlier this week.

A journalist on the ground said the migrants were frustrated with being in refugee camps and want to leave the island, but the Greek government said on Friday they would “not be blackmailed” into relocating them.

Greek authorities said the fires at Moria appeared to have been deliberately lit after quarantine rules were imposed on residents who had tested positive for coronavirus at Europe’s largest refugee camp.

AstraZeneca’s Oxford vaccine trial to resume, university says The AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine trial, halted last week after an unexplained illness in one of the volunteers, will resume, the University of Oxford announced Saturday.

The university, which is developing the vaccine with AstraZeneca, did not say when the trial would resume. AstraZeneca said the trial will only resume in the United Kingdom, adding that it’s working with health authorities across the world to determine when other trials can resume.

— From wire reports

26 people dead, dozens more are missing as fires ravage West Coast

By Jason Hanna and Christina Maxouris CNN

Deadly wildfires have blanketed swaths of the West Coast with unhealthy smoke, complicating efforts to fight the blazes and find dozens of missing people, and compounding the misery of thousands who’ve been displaced.

“You just never believe it’s all going to go up in flames,” Marian Telersky, who lost her home in the southern Oregon city of Talent, told CNN affiliate KOBI. “It’s a lot to handle.”

Fires have killed at least 26 people in the three contiguous West Coast states since mid-August, including 19 in California, many of them in the past few days.

Blazes this week have killed a 1-year-old boy in Washington and six people in Oregon, including a teen who in his last moments huddled with his dog inside a car that was engulfed in flames.

Thousands have fled their homes in Oregon alone, including Lori Johnson, who was woken up in the middle of the night by law enforcement shortly before fire would consume her home in Mill City.

“I got out with no socks, no nothing — literally, the clothes on our backs,” she told CNN affiliate KATU from Salem, where she and her family are staying temporarily while trying to figure out what do next.

John locher/ap

Desiree Pierce cries as she visits her home destroyed by the Almeda Fire in Talent, Oregon, on Friday. At least 26 people have been killed in a devastating fire season across the West Coast.

Nintety-seven large fires were burning Saturday in the West overall, including 12 in Idaho and nine in Montana, the National Interagency Fire Center said.

Federal air quality monitors are warning that smoke is making for unhealthy air Saturday in most of California, Oregon and Washington and parts of Idaho — and that smoke could make people more vulnerable to Covid-19, doctors say.

In California, three of the top five largest wildfires in the state’s history are burning now, officials say. Little rain, high temperatures and strong winds helped set the stage

for the flames and fuel them.

And officials say it may take a long time for them to stop.

At least eight of Oregon’s wildfires are expected to burn “until the winter’s rains fall,” Oregon Department of Forestry Fire Chief Doug Grafe said Friday.

Oregon prepares for ‘mass fatality incident’ In Oregon’s Clackamas and Marion counties south of Portland, smoke was so thick that it was difficult to see more than 10 feet ahead Saturday morning.

Carolee Brown told CNN

NATION

Stimulus deal unlikely until after the election With fewer than two months until the election, the odds for a massive stimulus compromise intended to help bolster small businesses, provide additional unemployment benefits and give more money to schools as they adapt amid the coronavirus pandemic have fallen practically to zero.

“Well, looking to the House and for that matter our colleagues across the aisle — it’s a sort of a dead end street, and very unfortunate, but it is what it is,” Sen. Pat Roberts, a Republican from Kansas, told reporters.

This week not a single Democrat voted for the Republicans’ scaled-back stimulus plan and no leadershiplevel negotiations between Republicans and Democrats ensued. Instead, Congress is turning its focus now to simply passing a short-term spending bill by the end of the month aimed at keeping the government funded and then heading home for the election.

Asked if the stimulus negotiations were officially dead, Sen. Dick Shelby, a Republican from Alabama, told reporters, “It looks that way.”

“You never know around here. Sometimes things look bleak and they’re revived, and so forth. We thought the scaled-down version was a good bill, a good timing and everything else. The Democrats obviously thought otherwise. That’s all we can do, is tee it up and go with it,” Shelby said.

getty images/ap

The leaders of the U.S. House and Senate are unlikely to reach a compromise on a massive stimulus deal intended to help bolster small businesses and provide additional unemployment benefits.

Trump to visit California for briefing on historically devastating wildfires The White House on Saturday announced President Donald Trump will soon visit California, hours after Trump thanked the firefighters and first responders battling the historic wildfires raging in the western part of the United States.

Trump’s public acknowledgment of the crisis comes after weeks of remaining largely silent on the fires that have killed over two dozen people and burned millions of acres.

Trump will visit McClellan Park, California, on Monday for a briefing with local and federal fire and emergency officials on the state’s wildfires, the White House said Saturday. The President was already set to visit Reno, Nevada, on Saturday, where he is likely to see firsthand evidence of the devastating fires, as the National Weather Service in Reno issued a dense smoke advisory through Sunday.

Over the past few weeks, Trump hasn’t tweeted about the devastating wildfires, despite regularly posting to his Twitter feed. His relative silence adds to his history of offering little empathy in the face of natural disasters, and tendency to attack Democratic leaders for their handling of crises.

But on Friday, he posted to Twitter: “THANK YOU to the 28,000+ Firefighters and other First Responders who are battling wildfires across California, Oregon, and Washington.”

Acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf subpoenaed after refusing to testify The House Homeland Security Committee has issued a subpoena to acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf for a hearing next week as he faces whistleblower allegations that he urged department officials to alter intelligence.

“From the coronavirus pandemic to the rise of rightwing extremism to ongoing

she has relocated twice this week because of evacuation orders. She’s been losing sleep, constantly monitoring her home’s security camera online to see if it’s still standing. As of Saturday morning, it was.

“It’s unreal. You can’t really fathom what is going on,” she told CNN in Marion County. “You take what you think (you should), and you just get out.”

While Oregon’s death toll was at least six on Saturday, the state is preparing for a “mass fatality incident” based on how many structures have been charred, Oregon Emergency Management Director Andrew Phelps said Friday. election interference, there are urgent threats requiring our attention,” Committee Chairman Bennie Thompson, a Mississippi Democrat, said in a statement Friday. “Mr. Wolf’s refusal to testify — thereby evading congressional oversight at this critical time — is especially troubling given the serious matters facing the Department and the Nation.”

In a Friday letter to Thompson, Assistant DHS Secretary Beth Spivey told the chairman, “The arguments in your letter are without merit,” adding in part that “the right of a President’s nominee to abstain from testifying on matters unrelated to his or her nomination while such a nomination is pending is an unwritten rule honored by Chairmen from both sides of the aisle for many decades.”

Wolf and DHS, Spivey said, “have been most cooperative” in supplying the committee “accurate and complete information” related to national security.

The witness list for next week’s hearing includes Wolf, FBI Director Christopher Wray and Christopher Miller of the National Counterterrorism Center.

The subpoena comes after CNN reported Wednesday that a whistleblower has alleged that top political appointees in DHS repeatedly instructed career officials to modify intelligence assessments to suit President Donald Trump’s agenda by downplaying Russia’s efforts to interfere in U.S. elections and the threat posed by white supremacists.

— From wire reports

PEOPLE

BTS on making music, watching Netflix and working out during quarantine BTS, they’re just like us — except with millions of fans and number one hits.

Members of the international K-pop sensation that is BTS were supposed to be on tour right now. But due to the COVID-19 pandemic, they’ve had to press pause.

Aside from releasing their latest hit single, “Dynamite,” the group told CNN in an interview on Friday they’ve been spending a lot of time in recent months streaming shows, like a lot of us.

“We’re working out, watching Netflix and learning to play instruments. I think we’re doing a lot of self-development, and also just trying to stay active,” J-Hope said.

Jimin added, “We’re working on a new album. Although we cannot say for sure how concerts are going to go, we’re still working very hard. Personally, I don’t think I’m doing a lot of things myself.”

The pandemic hasn’t slowed down the group’s success.

“Dynamite,” their first full English song, currently sits at the top of the Billboard Hot100 chart for the second consecutive week. This makes BTS the first South Korean pop act to ever achieve such a milestone, earning praise from fellow artists like Justin Bieber.

Brazilian surfer breaks her own Guinness World Records title by riding an epic wave Brazilian surfer Maya Gabeira has broken her own world record for the largest wave surfed by a woman.

The 33-year-old rode a 73.5-foot wave in Praia do Norte, Portugal, on February 11, beating her previous record by 5.5 feet. She made history in 2018 after surfing a 68-foot-high wave in the same waters.

“I never thought this could happen, still feels surreal,” Gabeira said in an Instagram post capturing her achievement. “To have a woman in this position in a male dominated sport is a dream come true!”

Since measuring the size of waves is difficult, teams from the University of Southern California, WaveCo Science Team and Scripps Institution of Oceanography reviewed videos of the surfer’s feat to confirm she once again broke the record, according to Guinness World Records.

‘Toots’ Hibbert, Jamaican reggae legend, dies aged 77 Jamaican reggae legend Frederick Nathaniel “Toots” Hibbert has died aged 77, his band Toots and The Maytals said in a statement early Saturday.

Hibbert “passed away peacefully” in Jamaica “surrounded by his family” at the University Hospital of the West Indies late Friday, the Twitter statement said.

While the cause of his death has not been announced, the band said on Sept. 3 that Hibbert had been taken to intensive care and was waiting to receive the results of a coronavirus test.

— From wire reports

Ball python lays 7 eggs at zoo, even though she hasn’t been around a male

By David Williams CNN

Zookeepers at the Saint Louis Zoo were surprised to see their oldest snake coiled around a clutch of freshly laid eggs because she hadn’t been near a male in more than 15 years.

The ball python, which has been at the zoo since 1961, laid seven eggs on July 23, Mark Wanner, the Zoological Manager of Herpetology told CNN.

MUST READ “It was a surprise. We didn’t expect her to drop another clutch of eggs, honestly,” he said.

Keepers had noticed some changes in the snake beforehand, but Wanner said they were subtle.

The snake doesn’t have a name, but is identified by the number 361003, according to the zoo. She’s believed to be at least 62 years old.

Ball pythons are native to

central and western Africa and can reproduce asexually, which is known as facultative parthenogenesis, the zoo said. Wanner said Komodo dragons and some other snakes and reptiles also reproduce asexually.

Females can also store sperm for delayed fertilization, but Wanner said the longest documented case they found of that happening was seven years after the contact.

She laid another clutch

of eggs back in 2009, but none of those eggs hatched and there are no records of her being around a male then either.

Wanner said she could have been with a male in the late 1980s and early 1990s because keepers used to put the snakes together in buckets while cleaning their cages.

“We’re saying 15 plus years, but I mean, it’s probably easchawna schuette/saint louis Zoo/ap ily closer to 30 years since she’s been physically with a This snake at the Saint Louis Zoo laid seven eggs even male,” he said. though it’s been years since she’s been near a male.

gwinnettdailypost.com ♦ sunday, september 13, 2020 ♦ A5

NUMBERS From A1 and the Fourth of July, produced spikes in cases.

The daily decline in twoweek numbers does not necessarily mean there is no Labor Day bump, however.

Officials at the Gwinnett, Newton and Rockdale Health District have previously said it takes several days for the virus that causes COVID-19 to incubate in a person’s

body and cause the disease.

That is why health officials have suggested people who have been exposed to a person who has COVID-19 should wait until Day 10 after the exposure to get tested so medical professionals can make a better determination of whether the disease was transmitted.

Statewide, there has been a total of 292,905 cases, 6,287 deaths, 26,327 hospitalizations and 4,818 ICU admissions since March.

The state’s two-week num-

bers have been declining however. On Thursday, Georgia’s two-week total was 26,771 cases and its two-week incidence rate was 247. On Friday, the two-week total was 26,183 cases and the two-week incidence rate was 242 cases for every 100,000 residents.

On Saturday, the Department of Public Health reported the state’s two-week total was 25,925 cases while its two-week incidence rate was 239 cases for every 100,000 residents.

GROVE From A1 also expected to include 250 luxury apartments.

“We are glad to partner with Mid Cast on this key piece of the entire enterprise and, together, we believe we will create a unique and sophisticated dining/entertainment venue, which will attract customers from all over our region,” Bender said.

In addition to those amenities, Gwinnett County is teaming up with the city to put the new Elizabeth Williams library branch in the development. The second floor of the library is expected to include a business development and accelerator space.

In addition to approving the market construction and

staff photo: curt yeomans

A car passes a sign advertising Snellville’s The Grove at Towne Center mixed-use development on Wisteria Drive on Friday. City officials approved a construction and lease agreement that clears the way for construction on the mixed-use development to begin by the end of this year. leasing agreement, the city council also signed off on paying Winter Construction $366,603 to complete the pre-cast concrete engineering, which was done by by Metromont Precast Building Solutions, for Snellville’s

new parking deck.

The city is providing regular updates on the Grove at Towne Center development at www.snellville.org/thetowne-center-snellville for residents who want to track the project’s progress.

signs into a county vehicle and later placing them on a roadway; and that she asked From A1 county employees to help them create, edit and print her husband, Travis, and for- campaign materials.

“It’s disturbing that my mer sheriff candidate Curtis Clemons have been violat- opponent would allegedly ing campaign ethics laws commit these corrupt acts.

It is never acceptable for months. to campaign on taxAustin-Gatson and payer’s time, while usClemons have denied ing taxpayer-funded the allegations, howgovernment equipever, and accused Porment, and pressurter of playing poliing your subordinates tics with less than two into campaigning for months to go before you,” Porter said in a election day.

Patsy statement.

It’s essentially a case Austin“If true, these alof He said/They said.

Gatson legations show that “Gwinnett’s citizens Mrs. Austin-Gatson should be able to count is willing to abuse her on their District Atpower — and possibly torney candidates to commit criminal acts have the highest ethi— just to win an eleccal standards,” Porter tion. This alleged besaid in a statement. havior is beneath the “As far as I’m concerned, Mr. Porter’s Curtis L. standards of the office desperate,” Austin- Clemons that Mrs. Austin-Gatson seeks.”

Gatson told the Daily Meanwhile, the accusations Post. “He’s making so many allegations, just trying to against Clemons are that he sully my name, and I think also asked county employees he’s just seen the handwrit- to help them create, edit and ing on the wall. The people print campaign materials and that he violated ethics want change.”

The State Ethics Com- rules by filming a campaign mission confirmed that it ad with Whiteside inside the has opened an investigation Gwinnett County Justice and into the complaint filed by Administration Center durPorter. Campaign rules in ing business hours.

One other violation, for Georgia prohibit the use of government resources for which Porter included a statement from an investigator campaigning.

Gatson has already filed with the Hall County solicia response to Porter’s com- tor’s office, alleges Austinplaint with the State Eth- Gatson’s husband handics Commission and Clem- ed out cards promoting his ons said he plans to file his wife’s campaign while on response with the state on a trip to Hall County with another employee from the Monday.

Porter is alleging multiple Solicitor’s Office to obtain a violations by both his oppo- search warrant for medical nent and Clemons, who was records.

In a statement included defeated by Keybo Taylor in the Aug. 11 Democratic in Porter’s complaint, Hall primary run-off for sheriff. County solicitor’s Office InAustin-Gatson, her hus- vestigator Andrew Ledbetband and Clemons all work ter said Travis Gatson menfor Solicitor General Brian tioned his wife’s campaign and handed out her campaign Whiteside’s office.

Allegation against Aus- business cards to everyone tin-Gatson include: she and in the courtroom.

“He stated that it was time her husband allegedly made campaign fundraising calls Danny to go and change was while on county time; Solici- needed in that office. Gattor’s Office employees were son stated that they could seen loading her campaign use all of the support they

could get,” Ledbetter said in the statement attached to the complaint.

Austin-Gatson said the incident with her husband was misconstrued.

“My husband said somebody started talking about the campaign season and he mentioned ‘Yeah, My wife is running for DA in Gwinnett,’ “ she said. “So the judge was asking about me and he handed her one of my cards.”

As for the other allegations about making fundraising phone calls on county time, having employees produce campaign materials and Solicitor’s Office employees loading her campaign signs into a county car and putting them out on a roadway, she said none of them are true.

She said she hired an outside company to place signs for her.

“It doesn’t make sense to me that he would allege all of this stuff,” Austin-Gatson said. “My materials for my campaign have all been made from a union shop in Decatur ... I’ve never campaigned on county premises and all of that stuff.”

Similarly, Clemons denied having county employees produce campaign materials — calling it a “complete falsehood” — and said the filming of the ad with Whiteside was not accurately described in the complaint.

They scheduled the filming so they could do it when they would not be on county time, the former candidate said.

“That is a very distorted claim,” Clemons said of the allegation. “Yes, Brian Whiteside and I filmed a video during normal business hours (but) we were on my off time and it was on his lunch time.”

Clemons said he was caught off guard by the complaint since his election season ended with his loss to Taylor in the primary runoff last month.

“You have to wonder why these allegations came out now,” he said. “As for me, the elections process for me, I lost the runoff so the elections process for me is over.”

ETHICS

photo: gwinnett county police

Gwinnett Police SWAT K9 Blue is shown with members of the SWAT team in this undated photo. Blue was killed in a shootout between a suspect and police that also resulted in the death of the suspect on Thursday.

K9 From A1 1990 Willow Trail Parkway.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation reported a police officer saw a man and woman seen standing by a car in the parking lot. They were seen walking into a room at the hotel and then walking back out.

“The officer ran the tag of the vehicle, and the results came back indicating the vehicle was stolen,” the GBI said in a statement.

“The officer approached the man and woman about the stolen vehicle.”

At that point, the man and the woman ran from officer in opposite directions, according to Gwinnett police.

The police department’s SWAT Unit was then called in, and it brought SWAT K9 Blue with it to search for a male suspect who had run into nearby woods.

“During that search, SWAT K9 Blue located items from the suspect and tracked him to a location within the woods,” Flynn said. “The suspect was given commands and at some point fired on officers. Officers returned fire after being fired upon. During the gunfire, K9 Blue and the suspect were both shot.

Both K9 Blue and the suspect were transported to hospitals where they both died from their injuries.”

The GBI is handling an investigation into the shooting. The female suspect, who was seen running from the scene, has not been arrested

Gwinnett Police SWAT K9 Blue is shown in this undated photo. Blue was killed in a shootout between a suspect and police that also resulted in the death of the suspect on Thursday. or located. The suspect who died has not been identified.

“The GBI will continue its independent investigation,” state investigators said. “Once completed, it will be turned over to the Gwinnett County District Attorney’s Office for review.”

K9 Blue had been with the police department for just over a year and was 5 years old, according to the department.

Anyone who has informa-

tion about the case, including the location of the other suspect, is asked to call detectives at 770-513-5300 or Crime Stoppers, which lets tipsters remain anonymous, at 404-577-8477. they can also visit www.stopcrimeATL.com. There is a cash reward offered by Crime Stoppers for information that leads to an arrest and indictment. Tipsters are asked to reference case No. 20-067836.

TRANSIT From A1 the number of people that lost their jobs, businesses closed, businesses that have gone bankrupt, people that have lost their life savings, I don’t believe that the expense of the transit, or partnering in any way with MARTA, really makes any sense at this point.”

While the party line divide might seem anecdotal on the surface, there’s a deeper significance here since they have to share the general election ballot in November with the referendum.

Candidates at the forum did not just talk about transit. They also discussed economic development the county’s relationship with the chamber and Partnership Gwinnett.

But, transit has long been one of the hot button topics of debate in Gwinnett County, and how the county’s voters go in the referendum mirrors the stakes in the commission races. Republicans have held the majority on the county commission since the 1980s, but Democrats — who already picked up two commission seats in 2018 — can reclaim the majority by winning just one of the commission seats up for grabs in November.

The transit referendum, meanwhile, is about whether the county should commit to implement a sales tax for the next 30

Nicole Love Laurie David Hendrickson Post McClain years to expand Gwinnett County Transit significantly and extend MARTA heavy rail into the county.

And, it’s the county commission that will be deciding how and when to implement the transit expansion plan voters will be casting ballots on.

As was the case with the vote to join MARTA in 2019, opinions are split on the new transit expansion proposal, both in the community and among the commission candidates.

Republican District 1 candidate Laurie McClain, who led the transit review committee that presented proposals for modifying the transit plan rejected by voters last year, said she is voting “No” on the referendum because it includes a heavy rail extension from the MARTA’s Doraville station to the Jimmy Carter Boulevard corridor.

One of the options the transit review committee gave commissioners was a “no rail” option.

“When they decided to include heavy rail, they picked an old antiquated technology

Kirkland Jasper Ben Carden Watkins III Archer that costs a billion and a half dollars and will not be built for another 14 years,” McClain said. “Gwinnett County, and particularly District 1, cannot wait 14 years for a transit system. We can build a very robust and useful transit system with BRT (bus rapid transit) and ART (arterial rapid transit) without passing this referendum.”

She also raised concerns that having the sales tax last 30 years would jeopardize the chances of other future special purpose local option sales tax referendums passing.

Her opponent, Democrat Kirkland Carden, said he fully supports passage of the referendum because he felt he was able to take advantage of opportunities in his life because of transit.

“Being pro-transit means being pro-jobs,” he said. “This issue is particularly important to me because transit gave me opportunity. I’m a 16-year resident of Gwinnett County. I’m an alumnus of Georgia State University. I actually took MARTA in the city to my job every day before COVID and I can tell you, firsthand, transporta-

tion provides our residents with opportunities. It provides us with connectivity to rest of the metro region.”

In District 3, the focus of the debate was a little different even though the Republican and Democratic candidates still took opposing stances on the issue.

Republican candidate Ben Archer said he will vote “No” while Democratic candidate Jasper Watkins III said he’ll vote “Yes.” Both candidates, however, raised issues with the fact that they felt their district will not get as much transit expansion as other districts.

“It’s a hard sell for our area,” said Archer, who suggested a Uber or Lift-style service would be better for eastern Gwinnett. “It’s a rural area. I don’t know if there needs to be a little more thought put into the plans.”

Watkins said, “I think the referendum itself will be beneficial for Gwinnett County, however, I think District 3 was missed out of this referendum again like the first referendum (in 2019). The reason why I say that is when you look at the 82 projects over the 30 years, you’re only looking a 16th of those that will benefit District 3 residents.”

The chamber will host a forum featuring candidates for Gwinnett school board Districts 1 and 3 at 5 p.m. Tuesday. That forum will be broadcast virtually and a link to watch the forum can be obtained by registering for free at bit.ly/2FAdyAA.

A6 ♦ Sunday, September 13, 2020 ♦ gwinnettdailypoSt.com

Georgia’s graduating class outscores national average on SAT for 3rd year in a row to beat the national average on the SAT.” Members of the class of 2020 were forced to abandon their classrooms in midMarch when the coronavirus pandemic Georgia public school students outper- took hold in Georgia. The students endformed their peers around the country on ed up completing their final high school the SAT for the third year in a row, the semester online. state Department of Education reported.

On the down side, the state’s publicThe Georgia high school class of 2020 school students did experience a slight derecorded a mean score of 1043 on the stan- crease in the SAT compared to 2019. The File photo dardized test, 13 points higher than the mean score of 1043 for 2020 was down mean nationwide score for public schools. five points from last year’s 1048.

The Georgia students scored 12 points However, the nationwide decrease in higher in Evidence-Based Reading and 2020 was nine points at 1030, compared Writing and one point higher in Math. to 1039 in 2019.

“The class of 2020 has faced unprecePublic-school minority students in Georgia “This extension, paired with Thursday pickup. The families dented adversity and uncertainty during posted strong gains on the SAT this year. By Curt Yeomans guidance received from the will have to check with their the COVID-19 pandemic,” State School Black students recorded a mean com- curt.yeomans@ Georgia Department of Edu- schools for specific curbside Superintendent Richard Woods said. posite score of 946, well above the nation- gwinnettdailypost.com cation, will allow Gwinnett pick-up instructions.

“Given all they have overcome, I am so al mean of 914. Georgia’s Latino students Gwinnett County Public County Public Schools to ofFamilies of kids under 18 proud of these students for becoming the recorded a mean composite score of 1010, Schools has received a waiver fer meals at no charge at all who are not Gwinnett County third graduating class in Georgia history compared to the national mean of 958. from the federal government school sites to all students, Public Schools students will that allows them to provide effective Sept. 8,” district of- have to check with their lomeals to children under 18 ficials said. “These meals are cal schools for details about for free through the end of provided at no cost to the in- curbside meal pickups.

LAWRENCEVILLE, GA LAWRENCEVILLE, GA BRASELTON, GA December. dividual through the federal No one will be allowed Charles Gregory The waiver came from the School Nutrition Program.” to enter the school to pick U.S. Department of AgriculStudents who are attend- up a meal.

Stevens ture last week and allows the ing classes in person will “Gwinnett County Public Charles Gregory school system to offer the be able to receive their free Schools encourages families Stevens, age 52, of Seamless Summer Option meals during their scheduled who are eligible for the Free Braselton passed away meals program throughout meal times at their respec- & Reduced Meal Program to Monday, September 7, the fall semester of the cur- tive schools. complete the annual applica2020. Funeral services James W. Brown Frances McWhirter rent school year.

Families of students partion to ensure meal benefits will be held 11:00 am James W. Brown age Frances Burleson The free meals will be ofticipating in digital learncontinue when this waiver Saturday, September 12, 77, of Lawrenceville, McWhirter, age 95, of fered to both students attend- ing will be able to pick up expires,” school system of2020 at Lawson Funeral GA passed away on Lawrenceville, Georgia ing classes in person and those their meals, curbside, from ficials said.

Home Chapel. Rev. Jack Thursday, September went peacefully to be participating in virtual learn- 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on MonThe Free & Reduced Meal Chalmers and Rev. Allen 10, 2020. He is survived with her Lord and Savior ing because of the COVID-19 days through Thursdays, Program application is availStevens will be officiating. by his loving wife of 51 after a long illness on pandemic, as well as other with Friday’s breakfast and able at both the GCPS website Interment cremation. years, June; sons, Tyler September 7, 2020. children under 18. lunch being included in the or at www.nlappscloud.com.

The family will receive (Shelbie) Brown and their Frances was born on friends 6:00 pm to 8:00 sons, Evan Brown and February 1, 1925 in pm Friday, September 11, Corey Brown and Chris Waynesburg, Kentucky.

WHERE TO GO PICK UP FREE MEALS FOR KIDS 2020 at the funeral home.

(Natalie) Brown and their She was preceded in Arrangements by Lawson (mill creek) (north gwinnett) daughters, Brooke Brown death by her husband of The schools offering Funeral Home, 4532 Hwy Freeman’s mill elementary north gwinnett middle School and Ava Brown; as well as over fifty years, James curbside pick-up of meals (mountain View) 53, Hoschton, GA, 30548, (north gwinnett) a host of aunts, uncles, and McWhirter. Frances was includes (with school www.lawsonfuneralhome. giVe center east (alternative) northbrook middle School cousins. He is preceded a loving wife, mother, org, 706-654-0966. giVe center west (alternative) (peachtree ridge) cluster in parenthesis): in death by his parents, grandmother, great grace Snell middle School norton elementary School Velma and Warben Gray grandmother, aunt, and (South gwinnett) (South gwinnett) alcova elementary School and brother, Tom Brown. friend to all who knew graves elementary School osborne middle School (mill (dacula) SMILE BECAUSE HE LIVED James proudly serviced her. She was the first (meadowcreek) creek) alford elementary School You can shed tears that he his country in the United of her family to earn grayson elementary School parkview High School (discovery) is gone, or you can smile be(grayson) (parkview) anderson-livsey elementary States Air Force during a college degree. She cause he lived. You can close grayson High School (grayson) parsons elementary School School (Shiloh) the Vietnam War. He was graduated from Eastern your eyes and pray that he gwin oaks elementary School (peachtree ridge) annistown elementary School a member of the Elite Kentucky University will come back, or you can (brookwood) partee elementary School (Shiloh) Guard. James retired with a degree in Music open your eyes and see all Harbins elementary School (Shiloh) arcado elementary School from Case Power and Education. She loved that he has left. Your heart (archer) patrick elementary School (parkview) Equipment. He was active music and playing the can be empty because you Harmony elementary School (mountain View) archer High School (archer) in the Lawrenceville piano for her beloved (mill creek) paul duke Stem High School baggett elementary School can’t see him, or you can sports community Maco Sunday School Harris elementary School (norcross) (discovery) be full of the love that you where he coached for class at First Methodist (duluth) peachtree elementary School baldwin elementary School shared. You can turn your many years. James was Church of Atlanta.

Head elementary School (norcross) (norcross) back on tomorrow and live (brookwood) peachtree ridge High School bay creek middle School a member of Westhills Frances is survived by yesterday, or you can be hapHopkins elementary School (peachtree ridge) (grayson) Church where his son two daughters, Debbie py for tomorrow because of pharr elementary School beaver ridge elementary School (berkmar) Tyler serves as Pastor. He Strother (Bill) of St. yesterday. You can rememHull middle School (peachtree (grayson) (norcross) was a loving and devoted Simons Island and Pam ber him and only that he is pinckneyville middle School benefield elementary School ridge) husband, father, and Jones of Duluth. Frances gone, or you can cherish his (norcross) (discovery) ivy creek elementary School grandfather who will be has 5 grandchildren memory and let it live on. puckett’s mill elementary berkeley lake elementary (mill creek) deeply missed. A funeral Carlton Strother (Lauren), You can cry and close your School (mill creek) School (duluth) Jackson elementary School service honoring the life Clay Strother (Anne), radloff middle School berkmar High School (berkmar) (peachtree ridge) mind, be empty and turn of James will be held on and Stewart Strother of (meadowcreek) berkmar middle School Jenkins elementary School back, or you can do what Sunday, September 13, St. Simons, Mac Jones richards middle School (berkmar) (central gwinnett) he would want: Smile, open 2020 at 4:00pm at Tom (Renata) of Roswell and (discovery) bethesda elementary School Jones middle School (mill your eyes, love and go on. riverside elementary School (berkmar) creek) M. Wages Lawrenceville Claire (Nick) Richards of — Author Unknown (north gwinnett) britt elementary School (South Jordan middle School (central Chapel. Interment will Smyrna. Frances also has roberts elementary School gwinnett) gwinnett) follow at Shadowlawn 4 great grandchildren.(north gwinnett) brookwood elementary School Kanoheda elementary School Cemetery. The family will Jaxon Strother, Ansley $ rock Springs elementary School (brookwood) (berkmar) receive friends on Sunday, Strother, and Oliver (collins Hill) brookwood High School Knight elementary School Vincent (O.V.) Strother of September 13th from rockbridge elementary School (brookwood) (parkview) St. Simons and Brooks 2:00pm until the time of (meadowcreek) burnette elementary School lanier High School (lanier) Jones of Roswell. The service at 4:00pm. Due rosebud elementary School (peachtree ridge) lanier middle School (lanier) family would like to to the current COVID-19 (South gwinnett) camp creek elementary School lawrenceville elementary express their gratitude for regulations, our staff Shiloh elementary School (parkview) (central gwinnett) the loving and devoted is committed to taking (Shiloh) cedar Hill elementary School level creek elementary (north Shiloh High School (Shiloh) (discovery) gwinnett) care Frances received at care of our guests and Shiloh middle School (Shiloh) centerville elementary School lilburn elementary School Ana’s Personal Care of families that we serve.

(Shiloh) (meadowcreek) Simonton elementary (central We ask that all guests and Lawrenceville for many central gwinnett High School lilburn middle School gwinnett) family members attending years. Also recently for (central gwinnett) (meadowcreek) Simpson elementary School services to please the exceptional care of chattahoochee elementary lovin elementary School (norcross) bring and wear a mask.

Homestead Hospice of School (duluth) (archer) Snellville middle School (South Condolences may be sent Roswell. A celebration chesney elementary School magill elementary School gwinnett) to or viewed at www. service will be held at (duluth) (South gwinnett) South gwinnett High School wagesfuneralhome.com. a later date. Donations coleman middle School (duluth) mason elementary School (South gwinnett) Tom M. Wages Funeral can be made to the collins Hill High School (collins (peachtree ridge) Starling elementary School Hill) mcclure Health Science High (grayson) Service LLC, “A Family Alzheimer’s Association cooper elementary School School (meadowcreek) Stripling elementary School Company” 120 Scenic in memory of Frances. (archer) mcconnell middle School (norcross) Hwy Lawrenceville, Online condolences may corley elementary School (archer) Sugar Hill elementary School GA 770-963-2411 has be sent by visiting www.

Call for (berkmar) mcKendree elementary School (lanier) been entrusted with billheadfuneralhome. couch middle School (grayson) (collins Hill) Summerour middle School details the arrangements. com. Arrangements by craig elementary School meadowcreek elementary (norcross) Bill Head Funeral Homes (brookwood) (meadowcreek) Suwanee elementary School and Crematory Duluth creekland middle School meadowcreek High School (north gwinnett) Chapel, 770-476-2535. (collins Hill) (meadowcreek) Sweetwater middle School

By Dave Williams

Bureau Chief Capitol Beat News Service

Gwinnett schools get waiver to offer free meals to kids under 18 through Dec. 31

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B2 ♦ Sunday, September 13, 2020 ♦ gwinnettdailypoSt.com

FANS CHOICE FALL ATHLETE OF THE WEEK

FOOTBALL ROUNDUP

Brown, Curtis power Parkview past Mountain View From staff reports

Who: Shannon Quinn School: north gwinnett Sport: Volleyball Class: Senior Highlights: Had 30 assists and six digs in the bulldogs’ region-opening win over mountain View Coach Kristina Stinson’s take: “Shannon Quinn has been a ray of light and source of joy in our program for four years now. Her love for her teammates, her coaches and the sport of volleyball is so evident. Shannon loves and plays fiercely, and she always brings energy and fun to our gym each and every day. on top of that, Shannon works so hard to be the best player she can be for her teammates, and this hard work is also reflected in the classroom as well as she is a marvelous student and role model for younger players to follow. we are so grateful to have a senior player like Shannon on our team.

She is so deserving of this recognition.”

FANS CHOICE FOOTBALL PLAYER OF THE WEEK

Name: dylan lonergan School: brookwood Position: Quarterback Class: Sophomore Highlights: completed 28 of 44 passes for a schoolrecord 432 yards and four touchdowns in a victory over dacula Coach Philip Jones’ take: “i’m so proud of dylan. i’m proud that he was able to set our single game passing record, but i’m more proud of how he approaches every day with his consistency, his work ethic, his commitment to excellence on a daily basis and his selflessness and his love for his teammates. i know this is only the beginning for him and all the amazing things he’s going to do at brookwood over the next three years.”

IN BRIEF Georgia State lands Lanier’s Walton Lanier junior Andrew Walton committed Thursday night to the Georgia State University baseball program.

The 6-foot-2, 210-pound Walton is a catcher who also can play third base and first base.

Calabrese commits to Anderson

LILBURN — Cody Brown and Tyler Curtis combined to rush for 379 yards and the Parkview football team rolled to a 33-16 win over Mountain View on Friday at the Big Orange Jungle.

Brown rushed 18 times for 237 yards and two touchdowns on runs of 22 and 1 yards. He had a 67-yard gain, a 41-yard gain and seven double-digit runs.

Curtis ran it 13 times for 142 yards, including a 60-yarder, and scored three touchdowns.

“The offensive line was moving people. (Johnny Brown and Jackson Walls) were getting after people. That was fun to see,” Godfree said. “The whole offensive line did a real good job.

And Cody and Tyler are, in my opinion, the two best backs in the state. They’ve showed that week-in and week-out. They’re tough, physical runners.”

Parkview scored on its first possession on Brown’s 22-yard run, but Mountain View immediately answered when Mossiah Carter returned the kickoff 94 yards for a touchdown. Mountain’s View’s extra point failed, leaving Parkview with a 7-6 lead.

The Bears (1-1) took the lead after Darren Baggett intercepted Colin Houck’s pass returned it to the Parkview 38. Mountain View couldn’t move the ball and settled for Carson Van Horn’s 30-yard field goal.

Then it was Parkview’s turn to respond. The Panthers got a 67-yard run from Brown and Curtis banged it in from the 5 on the next play. The extra point put Parkview ahead 14-9.

Mountain View drove 74 yards to regain the lead. Quarterback Nathan Payne connected with Carter for a 74-yard gain. Payne then kept it himself to score on a 10-yard touchdown run and put the Lions ahead 1614. Parkview took the 20-16 lead before the half when Curtis broke through the pile and ran for a 60-yard touchdown.

Parkview expanded its lead by taking its first possession of the second for a touchdown, with Brown scoring from the 1. The extra point was blocked, but the Panthers had a 26-16 lead. They padded it in the when Curtis scored from the 5.

Mountain View quarterback Payne completed 9 of 26 passes for 184 yards. Carter caught three passes for 139 yards, including a 74-yarder that set up a score.

Grayson 55, McEachern 21 POWDER SPRINGS — Grayson’s Phil Mafah rushed 16 times for 223 yards and two touchdowns in leading the Rams to a 55-21 nonregion victory over McEachern at Walter Cantrell Stadium Friday.

Mafah had second-half touchdown runs of 72 and 66 yards to give the Rams a victory in their season opener, while sending the Indians (0-2) to their second straight loss to start the 2020 campaign.

Big plays were a theme Friday for Grayson, which also scored touchdowns off a fumble and an interception return. Another fumble set up a short-yardage score, while quarterback Deyon Cannon connected with Jaden Smith on passing touchdowns of 53 and 46 yards.

The Indians, who dropped to 0-5 in the season series against the Rams, trailed 30-13 at halftime and 36-21 midway through the third quarter before Grayson pulled away.

Cannon finished 11-for-16 for 154 yards and two touchdowns.

Smith caught five passes for 125 yards and two scores. Jayvlan Allen’s 23-yard fumble return for a touchdown put Grayson in front 49-21 with 10 minutes, one second remaining in the game.

Grayson jumped ahead 30-13 at halftime but two big passing plays from Cannon to Smith and a 28-yard interception return

craig cappy

Parkview’s Cody Brown (7) breaks off a long run during Friday’s game against Mountain View. for a score from Mumu BinWahad midway through the second quarter.

Cannon found Smith for a 53yard touchdown on the Rams first possession to give them a 6-0 lead after a failed pointafter attempt.

On McEachern’s second possession, Tyler Pugh recovered a fumble deep in Indians territory, resulting in a 4-yard scoring run for Jamal Haynes.

Grady Bryant ran in for the conversion and Grayson led 14-0 four minutes into the contest.

Cannon found Smith for a 46-yard touchdown reception to open the Rams’ first drive of the second period, and Bryant scored again off the conversion for a 22-7 margin.

Bin-Wahad’s interception return and Bryant’s conversion pass to Jaidan Jackson helped Grayson pull ahead 30-7 with 4:31 remaining in the second.

South Gwinnett 43, Meadowcreek 12 NORCROSS — Two weeks into the COVID-19-delayed high school football season, South Gwinnett is 2-0 for the second straight year.

Kareem Miller rushed 18 times for 138 yards and five touchdowns, Nigel Hussey was a threat in multiple ways and the Comets posted a convincing 43-12 victory at Meadowcreek on Friday. Down 12-7 after a quarter, South outscored the hosts 22-0 in the second quarter and 36-0 over the final three quarters thanks in part to four Mustang turnovers.

“2-0 is better than 1-1 and certainly better than 0-2,” South head coach Steve Davenport said.

South’s advantage in the rushing game was the big difference in the game. With Miller leading the way, the Comets rushed for 257 yards behind the offensive front of Damian Clark, Aristotle Henson, Alphonse Russo, Isaiah Thomas and Ty VanHassel. Ethan Miller also got time on the line when Russo left with an injury.

After an early TD run by Miller, Meadowcreek’s Rock Gaither and Omie Huntley had first-quarter scoring runs to build a 12-7 lead.

South did a nice job defensively to contain Gaither — he had 14 rushes for 72 yards after going over 200 yards in the Mustangs’ season opener against Eagle’s Landing.

Miller spent much of the second quarter in the wildcat formation, pounding away at the Meadowcreek defense. He scored on a 24-yard run, and scored again on a 4-yard run after an errant snap by Meadowcreek.

South hit a huge play just before halftime when Rion White found Nigel Hussey for a 71yard TD strike that built a 2912 halftime lead. Hussey had a 29-yard run, two catches for 102 yards and 68 return yards.

Miller had a 1-yard TD run in the third quarter and an 8-yard scoring run in the fourth for the final margin.

POLLACK

Mill Creek senior Max Calabrese has committed to the From B1 Anderson University (S.C.) men’s lacrosse program.

Calabrese plays in the Pollack was a difference-maker, like Hoage, midfield and attack for the perhaps more of a blue-collar performer who Hawks. might get the tip of his middle finger on a pass at the line of scrimmage, which changed the traPetrucci, Debebe earn jectory of the pass, resulting in an incompletion or interception. Such moments can kill a drive running honors or induce a three-and-out possession, which Collins Hill’s Marc Pe- can saliently affect the outcome of a game. If a trucci and Parkview’s Abi canny player outmaneuvers a blocker and puts Debebe were named Gwin- himself in position to make a tackle, that can’t nett runners of the week by be photographed or videotaped for posterity, the county’s cross country but it’s the kind of thing that wins games. coaches.

That is what the late Erk Russell wanted his Petrucci won the Horizon players to understand when he came up with the Christian Academy race with a slogan B-I-G-T-E-A-M, little me. A team player time of 18 minutes, 46 seconds thinks about his team, not himself. on a difficult course. Debebe Just five teams in Southeastern Conference hisplaced 12th at the Starr’s Mill tory have had a player earn consensus All-America Invitational in 19:54. honors for three straight seasons. The first four are

Meadowcreek also got four rushes for 63 yards from Jabari Ponders, along with four catches for 83 yards from wideout Micah James. James had a beautiful, over-the-shoulder catch for 39 yards, and won a jump ball for another 37-yarder.

Discovery 27, Kennesaw Mountain 22 LAWRENCEVILLE — After being shut out in last week’s season opener, Discovery had a much better night offensively in its home opener against Kennesaw Mountain.

Quarterback Rashad Ray ran for two touchdowns and threw for another score as the Titans took a lead after a back-andforth first half and held on for a 27-22 win Friday at Discovery Community Stadium.

Devin Martin hauled in a scoring strike from Ray, while Richard Seay added a touchdown run as Discovery bounced back from a 21-0 loss at Central Gwinnett last week.

“The biggest takeaway is that we got better from last week,” Titans coach Efrem Hill said. “That’s what I preached to the guys all week.

We need to make sure we’re better than the week before. So us being able to score is great.”

Ray’s 50-yard TD run was part of a big first half the ended with Discovery leading 20-15, a lead that became 27-15 in the second half before KMHS (0-2) tried to rally.

A touchdown and two-point conversion brought the Mustangs to within 27-22 with about a minute to play, but the Titans recovered the ensuing onside kick and were able to run out the clock.

North Gwinnett 44, Jones County 21 GRAY — North Gwinnett’s football team, in danger of an upset loss at Jones County, came storming back Friday night in a 44-21 victory.

The Bulldogs (2-0) trailed 14-9 at halftime and got behind 21-9 midway through the third quarter before reeling off 35 straight points to close out the victory.

Ashton Wood’s touchdown pass to Seth Anderson with 7:34 left in the third quarter got the comeback started, and Marcus McFarlane followed with a TD run and a 23-21 lead. Two scores from Brinston Williams pushed the lead to 37-21, and North’s Austin Bookman finished out the win with a TD run.

North’s only TD of the first half was a TD pass from Wood to Bobby Ezzard.

Collins Hill 34, Sprayberry 13 SUWANEE – Another big night in the passing game from Sam Horn and Travis Hunter, and a strong game by the defense helped Collins Hill roll to a 3413 win over Sprayberry on Friday night at Alan Fahring Field.

Horn finished the night 23 of 36 for 202 yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions, with Hunter hauling in 10 of those completions for 108 yards and two scores as

the Eagles moved to 2-0 on the young season.

“It’s a good start for us,” Collins Hill coach Lenny Gregory said.

“Our goal is to go 1-0 each week, and we’ve come out and had success these first two weeks. We’re a young team and make plenty of mistakes because we didn’t have a scrimmage game, so we’re still correcting some things. But I like where we are, and everything we’re doing is correctable.”

Collins Hill got on the board less than two minutes into the second quarter and built a 20-6 lead by halftime.

A blocked punt by Richard Ransom helped set up another Eagles TD in the third quarter, and the defense also did its part in the game by limiting Sprayberry (0-2) to just 84 yards of total offense, and just four rushing, led by James Smith with eight tackles, including a tackle for loss and two sacks.

The Eagles also got a TD reception from Cam Pedro (633 receiving on the evening), plus 62 yards and a score from Spenser Anderson on 17 carries on the ground.

GAC 10, Lovett 3 NORCROSS — Two weeks into the 2020 high school football season, it is clear to Greater Atlanta Christian coach Tim Hardy that there are still some execution issues to work out with his young offense.

But when he has a defense that is as stingy and opportunistic as the Spartans’, it gives that young offense a little room to learn and grow.

Such was the case in Friday night’s game against longtime rival Lovett.

After a big season opener against Denmark that included eight turnovers forced, the GAC defense produced four more takeaways, and the offense came up with just enough key plays to help the Spartans hold off the Lions 10-3 at Spartan Stadium.

“The good news is we’re 2-0,” Hardy said. “We made the plays we needed to make to win.”

After six interceptions in last week’s opener, GAC (2-0) came up with three more Friday, including one by Josh Williamson after Will Hardy batted away Lovett’s (0-1) last gasp pass towards the end zone with eight seconds left to seal the win.

That gives the Spartans 12 total turnovers forced in the first two weeks, nine of which have been interceptions.

Branan Rountree made a field goal from 33 yards with 15 seconds left in the first half, which sent GAC into intermission with a 3-0 lead. Gannon Heart rushed for the game’s only TD that gave Spartans breathing room before Lovett trimmed the lead with a late field goal.

Wesleyan 24, Mount de Sales 0 PEACHTREE CORNERS — Wesleyan’s defense was impressive Friday night in a 24-0 win over

Tennessee (Bob Suffridge), Ole Miss (Barney Poole), LSU (Tommy Casanova) and Alabama (Cornelius Bennett). Only Georgia has two in that esteemed category — Herschel Walker and Davey Pollack.

Throughout Pollack’s career, he forever seemed to come up with difference-making plays and countless third-down stoppages, which brought the Georgia offense, run by his buddy David Greene, back on the field.

In the last series of his Bulldog career, he sacked Wisconsin quarterback John Stocco, stripped the ball and recovered the fumble at the Dawgs’ 16-yard line. This was the third time he came up with that trifecta in his career.

Two years earlier, the Bulldogs were locked in a defensive tug-of-war at South Carolina, leading 3-0 early in the fourth quarter. Backed up to their own 4-yard line, the Gamecocks, on first down, tried a swing pass left, which Pollack snuffed for a gain of two yards. On the next play — a rollout pass to the right — Pollack beat two blockers and met quarterback Corey Jenkins in the end zone, just as he released the ball. In one continuous motion — amazing, stunning and so quick that no one

Mount de Sales in a matchup of top10 Class A Private football teams.

The Wolves improved to 2-0 thanks in large part to its defensive effort.

“It was a complete win for us over a really good opponent,” Wesleyan head coach Franklin Pridgen said.

Cooper Blauser had another big game offensively for Wesleyan with five catches for 73 yards and a touchdown. He also had a TD run and an interception on defense.

Griffin Caldwell rushed 12 times for 55 yards and a score, and Vance Nicklaus had three catches for 59 yards.

Mount de Sales couldn’t muster anything against Wesleyan and its defensive front of Michael Soukup, Jackson Turner and Tanner Bivins.

Wyatt Hodges (10 tackles), J.D. Chipman (10 tackles), James Tremble (nine tackles) and Nicklaus (four tackles) also were among the defensive standouts.

Wesleyan also got important contributions from Brooks Sturgeon, who made a 36-yard field goal and averaged 45 yards on his punts.

North Cobb 28, Buford 14 KENNESAW — There have been many games on the North Cobb sideline for Shane Queen, but the Warriors’ 28-14 victory against Buford on Friday night at Emory Sewell Stadium will always hold a special place in his heart.

Buford came into the game as the reigning Class AAAAA state champion.

“That may be our biggest win in my time here,” Queen said. “It ranks right up there.

It was huge.”

North Cobb’s defense suffocated Buford early and allowed only 62 yards of total offense and one first down in the first half, and 258 total yards in the game.

Warner Robins 42, Archer 7 WARNER ROBINS — After hanging close with Lowndes in the season opener, Archer had a rough road trip in Game 2.

The Tigers fell 42-7 Friday night to Warner Robins, state runner-up the past three seasons. It was the home opener for the Demons.

Social Circle 31, Providence 28 LILBURN — It came a week later than Social Circle was hoping for, but the Redskins picked up their first win under head coach Rob Patton with a 31-28 win over Providence Christian Friday night to move to 1-1 on the season.

It came down to a field goal to win it, but Aaron Aune knocked in a 22-yarder with two seconds left to win it for Social Circle.

Providence got a 1-yard touchdown run by quarterback Connor Jones midway through the first quarter. The Storm went for two and successfully completed the try with a pass from Jones to Skyler Jordan.

Providence added another touchdown just before the half when Jones found Jordan again, this time for six. The 2-point try was no good leaving the score at 16-6 in favor of the Storm heading into halftime.

Providence got a 25-yard passing TD from Jones to Clemente Mesian in the second half, as well as a 1-yard TD run from Jones.

North Cobb Christian 56, Hebron Christian 37 KENNESAW — North Cobb Christian ran for 341 yards in the first half, and 496 for the football game, as it rolled past Hebron Christian 56-37 on Friday.

Hebron scored three times in the second half, mostly on the arm of Colten Gauthier, who threw for 341 yards on the night.

Jefferson 61, Central Gwinnett 7 JEFFERSON — Jefferson posted a 61-7 victory Friday night over visiting Central Gwinnett.

Malaki Starks rushed for three scores to lead the Dragons. Central falls to 1-1.

knew what had happened — Pollack stripped Jenkins of the ball and clutched it to his chest for a touchdown. He was credited with an interception.

Undoubtedly, it was the signature play of his career, and Georgia left Columbia that September day with a 13-7 victory, an endorsement of that old saw, “Defense wins games.”

With his big-play proficiency, there was an opportunity for Pollack to leave campus early for the NFL. He never tipped his hand until there was a press conference late in spring of 2004 at the Butts-Mehre Building. After a conversational feint or two, Pollack electrified the team meeting room where the press conference took place, when he finally said, “I think I will take one more year.” Thunderous applause erupted.

That seems like decades ago rather than 16.

He is now entrenched in the business of television commentating. Participating in a podcast over a decade and a half ago, ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit listened to Pollack’s commentary and called him to pass along a compliment and to suggest to ol’ No. 47 that he should consider broadcasting. We know the rest of the story.

gwinnettdailypost.com ♦ sunday, september 13, 2020 ♦ B3

PERSPECTIVES

Gwinnett Daily Post www.gwinnettdailypost.com

Todd Cline,

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

COLUMNIST|DICK YARBROUGH

State school superintendent refuses to turn around on testing

I

have a new hero. His name is Rich- when families, students, and educators ard Woods and he is the state school have understandable anxiety about resuperintendent of Georgia. turning to a new instructional environFirst, a little background: For a couple ment, why add the additional stress of of years during the Deal administration, high-stakes testing?

Superintendent Woods, although duly “Continuing to administer high-stakes elected by the people, was reletests during these unprecedented gated to the governor’s time-out and uncertain times is, sadly, more chair in a dispute over how to deal about adults than the needs of stuwith the state’s lowest performdents and teachers. ing schools.

“Those who push the rhetoric Under a law pushed through by about moving forward with highthen-Gov. Nathan Deal, that restakes summative testing during a sponsibility was given to a chief pandemic show total disregard for turnaround officer in 2017, by- Yarbrough the realities faced by our families, passing Woods, who Deal critistudents, and educators. Make no cized for a “downward spiral of failure” mistake — these test scores will not be in education under his leadership. used to support teaching and learning, Fast-forward to 2018 and the election as the proponents suggest. They will be of Brian Kemp as governor. How things used to undermine our public education have changed. Kemp described his re- system, understate the heroic efforts of lationship with the superintendent as our teachers, and undercut any oppor“fantastic.” tunity we have for a full K-12 recovery.”

And the chief turnaround officer? He reAnd he wasn’t through. “To our districts, signed in January after the Department of families, educators, and students: Don’t Education initiated an audit of his office, worry about the tests. Given the unique reportedly triggered by a whistleblower environment we are in, they are neither and accusations of bid-rigging, workplace valid nor reliable measures of academic harassment and questions regarding travel progress or achievement. expenses. Bottom line? The turnaround guy “I repeat: Do not worry about the tests. is long gone. Richard Woods is still here. Worry about meeting the students and So much for the time-out chair. teachers where they are. Worry about a Woods, a Republican, came to the job safe and supportive restart. Worry about as state school superintendent with excel- the well-being of your students and teachlent credentials. He is a former educator, ers. Worry about doing what’s right.” including 14 years in the classroom as a Woods says in coming days he will anhigh school teacher and an additional nounce a list of actions and recommeneight as a school administrator. He was dations to do just that — reduce the presalso named teacher of the year during sure of high-stakes testing in Georgia. “No that time. test prepping or cramming. No punishing Compare that to Betsy DeVos, the fed- students, teachers, or schools for scores. eral Secretary of Education, who is about No giving up weeks to administer, remeas qualified for her job as I am to fly jets diate, and administer tests.” in the Moldovan Air Force (if they have The superintendent ends his letter sayany.) DeVos is a Republican fundraiser ing, “I deeply appreciate having Governor married to a rich guy and a shill for char- Kemp’s support every step of the way in ter schools. our common commitment to let our teachHer Eminence recently issued a direc- ers teach.” Amen, brother. tive from her ivory tower in Washington I also appreciate that somebody finally that the U.S. Department of Education has the teachers’ backs. They have been would not grant federal testing waivers lied to, disrespected, furloughed, secondfor the 2020-21 school year despite the guessed and micro-managed at every level chaos the current pandemic has caused of government for way too long by people in the classroom and elsewhere. Georgia who couldn’t carry their book bags, includhad been the first state in the nation to ing that joke of an education secretary. announce its intent to apply for such a Thanks to your strong support, Mr. waiver this year.

Woods, maybe Georgia’s public schoolThat is when Richard Woods prompt- teachers can finally get to do what they ly unloaded on DeVos. In response, the signed up to do — teach. If so, that would superintendent said, “(I)n a year when be quite a turnaround. instructional time is so precious, why cut into it with high-stakes testing? At a You can reach Dick Yarbrough at dick@ time when our economic outlook is still dickyarbrough.com; at P.O. Box 725373, Atlanta, Georgia 31139; online at shaky and millions of dollars are having to be cut from our classrooms, why divert dickyarbrough.com or on Facebook at www. facebook.com/dickyarb millions to high-stakes tests? At a time

COLUMNIST|KATHLEEN PARKER

T

What Bob Woodward owed the public

hough they might not admit it, jour- just disappear one day, as Trump once nalists who began their careers in said with a wand-like wave of his hand.

It would be unfair to suggest, as some the wake of Watergate often ask themselves: What would Bob Woodward have, that the two men are equally at fault.

One is the president and took an oath to and Carl Bernstein do?

Today, that question is more focused: faithfully execute his duties. But, in an inWhat would I do if I were Bob Woodward? terview about his reporting process with Thanks to taped recordings of inter- The Washington Post’s Margaret Sulliviews Woodward conducted with the van, Woodward’s explanation for waitpresident in preparation for his latest ing because he knew his book would be book, “Rage,” the world has learned that published before the election falls short President Donald Trump was well aware of satisfying. Woodward also told Sulliof the virus’s lethality and its method of van that in February he wasn’t yet sure Trump was telling the truth — altransmission as early as February. ways a valid concern.

It is also clear that the legendary It is good to remember that this reporter sat on that story until the is not just any reporter. This is Bob week before his book was published.

Woodward — the man who met Trump’s remarks, now exhaus“Deep Throat” in parking garages tively replayed, confirm that he and knocked on people’s doors in knew — as, presumably, did oththe middle of the night for clues to ers in his administration — that the the Watergate burglary. Rememnovel coronavirus was an airborne Parker ber the operative question: What infectious disease and that it was far did the president know, and when did he more lethal than the regular flu.

Nevertheless, over several weeks and know it? Normally, what a president says months, as the virus progressed across he knows is news; with Trump, that linkthe United States, the president contin- age has never been reliable.

Woodward pointed out to Sullivan that ued to downplay concerns about the virus in public, saying it was no worse than the he’s no longer a daily reporter but an auregular flu, and failing to create a plan to thor. This means that he has ultimate authority over his research. Although no contain the virus.

“Downplay” is an essential word in the longer technically employed by The Post, context of the Woodward interviews. In he maintains an honorary associate edione recording from March,Trump admit- tor title. Which is to say, no one wants to ted to downplaying the virus — and wanted criticize an icon who brought fame to the to continue downplaying it — because he paper for which we proudly toil. Trump, never lacking in self-confidence, really didn’t want people to panic.

Today, this is the crux of a dilemma believed that talking to Woodward, offor both Trump and Woodward. Are they ten without staff present, would make the guilty in different ways of contributing to book more positive. Many of the converabout 190,000 American deaths through sations reportedly took place at night by a conspiracy of silence? Trump may well phone when Trump thought of something have wished to avoid a national panic in he thought Woodward might like to hear.

What would you or I have done, if we the early stages of the pandemic, but his silence signals an underlying distrust of were Woodward?

I do know that I would have sought the his fellow countrymen. Our history is filled with examples of Americans rally- counsel of my newspaper editors, which ing to a cause, no matter how frighten- Woodward no longer has. Sometimes, ing. One can’t help wondering how many being the captain of one’s own ship is lives might have been spared with a strong a windward proposition. It seems clear dose of truth and the nobility of purpose now that revealing the president’s calculated deceptions sooner might have forced of which we’re capable as a nation.

One also wonders whether Woodward, by Trump to act earlier and led more Ameriwithholding news of the president’s with- cans to take greater precautions.

Given that, I think I know what many holding, may have added to COVID-19’s punch. At the very least, public knowledge editors would have advised him: Publish of what the president knew but would not lest others perish. say might have forced Trump and others Kathleen Parker is a columnist for the to act on reality rather than some imagiWashington Post. nary scenario in which COVID-19 would

SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS: EmAil: letters@gwinnettdailypost.com mAil: 725 Old Norcross Road Lawrenceville, Georgia, 30046

COLUMNIST|MARC THIESSEN

D

If President Trump lied, so did Anthony Fauci

emocratic presidential nominee Joe Biden accused President Donald Trump of “a life-and-death betrayal of the American people” on Wednesday, after Bob Woodward revealed that Trump was warned in January about the potential deadliness of COVID-19. The president’s failure to act, Biden said, was “beyond despicable. It’s a dereliction of duty, a disgrace.

He knew how deadly it was. He knew and purposely played it down. Worse, he lied.”

Well, if Trump lied, so did Anthony Fauci.

No doubt there are many things Trump said in those early days (and since) that he wishes he could take back — such as promising in February that the 15 U.S. cases “within a couple of days is going to be down to close to zero,” or that the virus would weaken “in the warmer weather,” or that Chinese President Xi Jinping was “powerfully focused on leading the counterattack” against the virus. But there are also a lot of things I’m sure Fauci wishes he could take back — which shows that neither he nor Trump had any idea we were facing a virus deadly enough to shut down the U.S. economy, put tens of millions out of work and kill nearly 200,000 Americans.

On Jan. 21, Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said in an interview that “this is not

a major threat for the people of the Unit- “I don’t think it’s gonna be, because I think ed States, and this is not something that we’d be able to do the kind of mitigation. It the citizens of the United States right now could be mild.” On Feb. 29 he said, “Right should be worried about.” On Jan. 26 when now, at this moment, there is no need to he was asked whether Americans should be change anything that you’re doing on a dayscared, Fauci replied, “I don’t think by-day basis. Right now the risk is so. The American people should not still low, but this could change. . . . I be worried or frightened by this. It’s mean, this could be a major outbreak. a very, very low risk to the United I hope not. Or it could be something States, but it’s something that we, as that’s reasonably well controlled. At public health officials, need to take the end of the day, this will ultimatevery seriously.” On Jan. 31 (the day ly go down.” On March 9 he said, “If Trump announced banning travel you are a healthy young person, there from China, saving countless lives), Thiessen is no reason if you want to go on a Fauci said, “We still have a low risk cruise ship, go on a cruise ship. But to the American public, but we want to keep . . . an elderly person who has an underlyit at a low risk.” ing condition, I would recommend strongly On Feb. 3, Fauci predicted that because that they do not go on a cruise ship.” of the travel restrictions Trump had put As late as March 10, Fauci was still adain place, “I think you are going to see a mant that “as a nation, the risk is relativedampening down” of U.S. cases. On Feb. ly low” but admitted that “there are parts 17, Fauci told USA Today that the danger of the country right now that are having to Americans was “just minuscule” and that community spread in which the risk there people should be more worried about the is clearly a bit more than that.” He added “real and present danger” of seasonal flu. that “we would like the country to realize He further warned against “outlandish ex- that as a nation, we can’t be doing the kinds trapolations of fear” and advised that “now, of things we were doing a few months ago. in the United States, there is absolutely no That it doesn’t matter if you’re in a state reason whatsoever to wear a mask.” that has no cases or one case.” Three days On Feb. 28, Fauci finally acknowledged, later, on March 13, Trump declared a na“It could be really, really bad,” but added, tional emergency. And on March 16 the

president urged all Americans to avoid restaurants, bars, discretionary travel and groups of more than 10 people, while states began issuing orders to shelter in place.

What this shows is that until mid-March, no one knew we were facing a once-in-ageneration pathogen. The real question is: Why did Fauci and all of the government’s smartest medical minds take so long to recognize the danger and advise the president to take action? The answer is because they expected this outbreak to be like the SARS, avian flu, swine flu, Middle East respiratory syndrome, Zika and Ebola outbreaks before it — a serious public health crisis, but one they could handle. They were wrong.

When they finally realized they were wrong, and advised the president to implement mitigation measures, he did so — shutting down a booming economy to protect public health.

The suggestion that Trump knew how dangerous the virus was, but intentionally misled Americans and failed to take action, is demonstrably wrong. What is “beyond despicable” is for Biden to suggest that he did.

Marc Thiessen is a fellow at the American Enterprise Institute and the former chief speechwriter for President George W. Bush.

B4 ♦ SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 2020 ♦ GWINNETTDAILYPOST.COM

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GWINNETTDAILYPOST.COM ♦ SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 2020 ♦ B5

65% of readers who spend $150 per week on groceries read a Daily or Sunday Newspaper

www.gwinnettdailypost.com

B6 ♦ SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 2020 ♦ GWINNETTDAILYPOST.COM

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2020

PLEASE DO YOUR SHARE

THIS NEWSPAPER

They’re Nuts!

T I F F

R A D A R

B A A M T O N U G A S L T B E R T

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S O M E V I L L A G E H A S L O S T I T S

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© Puzzle Features Syndicate

B8 ♦ Sunday, September 13, 2020 ♦ gwinnettdailypoSt.com

Concerned about the well-being of your loved one?

We’re concerned about their

incredible-being.

File photo

Books stand on a shelf at the Five Forks library branch. The Gwinnett County Public Library system announced it will reopen nearly all of its branches to the public on Monday.

AT THE LANDINGS, WE ARE PREPARED 24/7 TO PROVIDE COMFORT AND CARE.

Majority of Gwinnett County libraries will reopen Monday

By Curt Yeomans curt.yeomans@gwinnettdailypost.com

Book lovers can rejoice because the Gwinnett County Public Library system is preparing to reopen nearly all of its branches.

The library system, which has closed branches twice because of the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic, said most of the branches will reopen Monday with precautions put in place to limit the spread of COVID-19.

The only exception will be the Dacula branch, which will remain closed until further notice.

“We’re excited to announce that we are expanding our in-person services and are on the path to restoring all services,” library officials said in an announcement. “Starting Monday all branches will be open for computer use and browsing.

“We will continue to offer curbside holds

• Secure apartments supplied with everything residents need • Chef-prepared meals delivered right to our residents’ doors • Maintenance, laundry service and daily housekeeping

pickup. With COVID-19 being an ongoing concern we continue to monitor the situation and will have measures in place for the health and safety of staff and customers.”

Library patrons will have be required to wear face masks to enter branches, but there are several other changes they will notice as well.

One is that furniture and devices have been moved to improve social distancing.

Another is that the branches that are open again will follow an operating schedule of 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Mondays through Saturdays and noon to 5 p.m. on Sundays.

And, despite the branches reopening, some services and areas of the libraries will not be available to patrons at this time.

Services and areas that will not be available include Open Access at the Lawrenceville and Suwanee branches and learning labs, meeting and conference rooms and quiet rooms at all branches.

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C4 ♦ Sunday, September 13, 2020 ♦ gwinnettdailypoSt.com COLUMNIST|RONDA RICH

I

The kindness of Larry Pirkle

t happened a year or two time to thank me for my stoago that I read a maga- ries. And, sometimes, they zine piece that moved share stories of their own. me enough to reach out to The emails I answer rather the writer and comquickly, then once a pliment him. month I sit down to He wasn’t famous. answer the letters with At least, I had never a handwritten note heard of him, but he and sometimes I even wrote powerfully and surprise them with a movingly about his recall. It’s important, cently departed mama I feel, to repay kind and I thought he dewords with gratitude.

Rich served to be lifted up.

When he did not He didn’t reply and, respond, it was, I figthough, I thought it odd, I ured that my email did not shrugged it off. reach him. A few months I get hundreds of emails later, I heard a tremendous a day and, believe it or not, compliment about his work I get many pieces of hand- from a person of renown. I written notes and letters decided to pass it along in from readers. No more than another email. Again, I was 1% are critical. They’re in- driven by how much kind credibly kind, often touch- words uplift me. ing and the folks take the No reply.

When I had the opportunity to review a piece of his work, I praised it highly because it deserved it. I did mention that he never acknowledged my emails.

Then, I got a reply.

It was both a chastisement and a thank you. He explained that he normally answered only people in need.

I answer those, too. But I will never fail to thank someone for admiring my work and sharing a story.

There is a wonderful woman who reads this column in Blythewood, S.C. She writes occasionally, and I always answer. The other day, she sent a five-page letter and I was halfway through it before she gave me a date and said, “That

was the saddest day of my life.” As the story unfolded, she told me all about the weather that day, her sons, their work and then that one did not show up for work so the other went to see about him and discovered that his brother had died in his sleep.

I was so taken by her strength that I wrote immediately. And I have prayed for her every day since.

A bit ago, an email popped up from a wonderful man whom I never met but I admire his thoughtfulness and kindness. Larry Pirkle of Dawsonville, Ga., asked by email if I minded to give him my address. I replied, then two days later a note arrived. Handwritten.

He explained that his sis-

ter had called and asked if he had read my column that day. He immediately picked up the paper and began to read it to his mama.

“As I read it aloud, I stopped mid column … and wept.

‘Faith will carry us through crisis’ was God sent! It just reaffirms why I write,” he explained. Larry has written a couple of books that showcase the faith and family values of the Appalachian Mountains.

Enclosed in the note was a packet of flower seeds – morning glory. It was my turn to weep. Mama loved morning glories and she always planted them. Larry didn’t know what an essential part of my childhood were my mama’s morning glories.

All of her flowers, really. I

remember so clearly how she’d take her pan of used dishwater out every summer’s morning and water her flowers.

“Hope you will enjoy these seeds. They are weeds to some folks, but our family has always had a special place for them.”

Dear, Larry Pirkle. Thank God for people like you and the moments of sweetness and encouragement you spread.

I shall be in need of precious readers like you, always.

Always.

Ronda Rich is the best-selling author of the new book, Let Me Tell You Something.

Visit www.rondarich.com to sign up for her free weekly newsletter.

COLUMNIST|ROB JENKINS

Good news on the COVID front (that you might not have heard)

T

here seems to be no about 6 percent of reportshortage of bad news ed COVID deaths are acabout Coronatually attributable to virus. Rising “case the virus alone. The rates,” localized other 94 percent had “spikes” and the latest an average of 2.6 “co“hot spots” are breathmorbidities” — other lessly reported in the serious medical conmainstream media on ditions, like diabetes, a daily basis. heart disease, or reGood news, meanspiratory ailments — Jenkins while, rarely seems to with a median age of make the headlines — even about 80. though there is plenty of it.

That doesn’t mean younger For example, the CDC people never die of COVID. noted last week that only Nor does it mean that, among

the 94 percent, the disease was not responsible for many deaths. Plenty of those folks might have lived for years, despite their other health problems, if not for COVID. What it does mean, however, is that while COVID poses a grave threat to people in certain high-risk categories, it’s not particularly dangerous to everyone else.

That’s good news.

Another bit of good news involves the return of college students to campuses

across the country. According to Dr. Andrew Bostom, after analyzing over 11,000 reported “cases” at 18 large universities, he could find only one confirmed report of a student being hospitalized. Even in that instance, it’s not clear COVID is the culprit.

Perhaps the relative dearth of hospitalizations, despite the apparent rise in “cases,” can be explained by a recent story in The New York Times. The paper of record

— hardly a right-wing conspiracy site — reports that at least 90 percent of all positive COVID tests probably should not have been.

The reasons are complicated, and not all are spelled out in the article. For a deeper dive, look up Michael Thau’s highly-technical, three-part series at redstate.com. But the gist is that the test we use isn’t very accurate in detecting viruses, and the way we analyze the results violates the CDC’s own guidelines.

If the Times story is true, there aren’t nearly as many cases as we’ve been told — which could explain why both hospitalizations and deaths continue to decline.

And finally, based on a new study, researchers at UCLA and Stanford have concluded that COVID may be up to 10 times LESS deadly than originally thought — even

for older people.

As reported by the San Jose (CA) Mercury News, “The study found that a 50-64-year-old person who has a single random contact has, on average, a 1 in 852,000 chance of being hospitalized or a 1 in 19.1 million chance of dying.”

Said one of the researchers, Dr. Jeffrey Klausner, “We were surprised at how low the relative risk was.”

Given all this good news, it should be clear that most of us can go back to work and school while we continue to protect the truly vulnerable. Any other policies are based on politics, not science.

Rob Jenkins is a college professor. The views expressed here are his own. You can email Rob at rob.jenkins@ outlook.com.

Live Healthy Gwinnett offering free outdoor yoga events at parks

By Curt Yeomans curt.yeomans@ gwinnettdailypost.com

Live Healthy Gwinnett is inviting Gwinnettians to head outdoors and get a little more yoga in their lives this month.

The healthy living organization is celebrating the fact that September is National Yoga Month by offering free Yoga in the Park events around the county. Residents can participate in these events regardless of age or skill level, but they must bring their own mat, towel and water bottle because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The physical benefits of yoga include reduced chronic pain, lower heart rate and blood pressure, improved flexibility, better body alignment and increased breathing capacity,” Live Healthy Gwinnett coordinator Carion Marcelin said.

“The mental benefits of yoga and meditation are mental clarity and calmness, decreased stress, relaxation of the mind and improved concentration.”

To stage the events, Live Healthy Gwinnett is partnering with Ebb & Flow Yoga Surf Studio, The Spirit Mamma, Yoga In Daily Life-Buford, Performance Power Yoga, Flip Your Dog Yoga Center and

Just Fitness 4U 24/7 Lilburn.

In addition to bringing their own equipment, participants are asked to practice social distancing at the yoga events, and wear face masks if possible when talking to the instructor, because of the pandemic.

Sessions will be held on the following dates: ♦ Sundays, Sept. 13, 20 and 27 from 7 a.m. to 8 a.m. at Vines Park in Loganville ♦ Tuesdays, Sept. 15, 22 and 29 from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at Duncan Creek Park in Dacula ♦ Tuesdays, Sept. 15 and 22 from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at E.E. Robinson Park in Sugar Hill ♦ Wednesdays, Sept. 16, 23 and 30 from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at George Pierce Park in Suwanee ♦ Thursdays, Sept. 17 and 24 from 6:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. at Club Drive Park in Lawrenceville ♦ Saturdays, Sept. 19 and 26 from 7 a.m. to 8 a.m. at Lenora Park Community Garden in Snellville ♦ Saturdays, Sept. 19 and 26 from 7:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. at Little Mulberry Park in Dacula Anyone who would like additional information about the sessions can call 770-822-3197 or visit www.LiveHealthyGwinnett.com

Special photos

Gwinnett residents participate in a Live Healthy Gwinnett Yoga In the Park program at Vines Park in this undated photo. Yoga in the Park sessions are being offered around the county throughout September to celebrate National Yoga Month.

C6 ♦ Sunday, September 13, 2020 ♦ gwinnettdailypoSt.com CLOSE TO HOME

John McPherson

FAMILY CIRCUS

Bill Keane

Today’s Solution

BEETLE BAILEY Mort & Greg Walker

BLONDIE Dean Young & John Marshall

DILBERT®

Scott Adams

HAGAR THE HORRIBLE Chris Browne

Zits Jerry Scott and Jim Borgman

PEANUTS

GARFIELD Jim Davis

POOCH CAFE Paul Gilligan

Charles M. Schulz

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: Super Bowl

C8 ♦ Sunday, September 13, 2020 ♦ gwinnettdailypoSt.com

Buford’s Downs recognized as ‘Superintendent to Watch’ by organization From staff reports The National Public Relations Association (NSPRA) recently selected Buford City Schools Superintendent Robert Downs for its “Superintendents to Watch” list.

Each year, the NSPRA program recognizes up to 25 school district leaders with fewer than five years of experience as a superintendent for demonstrating dynamic, fast-paced leadership with strong communication at its core. This year Downs was named to that list.

“Dr. Downs was chosen for this honor because he uses communication technology in innovative and effective ways Robert to engage and Downs inform the school community and expand two-way communication and outreach efforts,” said NSPRA Executive Director Rich Bagin.

To be nominated, superintendents must have been in their role for less than five

years and should have the following: ♦ Implemented a communication program for the district that includes the use of new communication technology as well as more standard communication tools. ♦ Integrated communication goals and strategies into the district’s strategic plan. ♦ Active, visible involvement in the district’s communication effort (e.g., tweets, blogs, participates in face-to-face engagement activities, responsive to media requests, models good communication for staff).

“I am extremely humbled to be recognized by the National Public Relations Association and even more so by my staff’s recommendations and nomination,” Downs said. “Transparent communication has been a consistent priority since I came to Buford last year.”

The nomination process consisted of samples of Downs’s written communications, video messaging and recommendation letters.

“It is evident that he not only feels it is important to gather input but to show stakeholders he values their input,” Buford

Middle School principal, Laura Beth Short, wrote in her letter of recommendation. “His thoughtful and analytical approach is appreciated, especially when he transparently communicates the decisions and the reasons behind why other options were not chosen.”

“One of the first qualities I noticed when Dr. Downs began was his humility,” Buford City Schools Assistant Superintendent Melanie Reed said.

“The relatability he shows in his regular communications has been the source of many compliments from our stake-

holders.”

Reed said that one of Downs’ initiative, in particular, stood out to her.

“If I were to point out a single initiative that exemplifies the importance he places on communication, it would be the decision to purchase Canvas (learning management system),” Reed said. “We have over 35 languages spoken by families in our district, and Canvas provides the translation capabilities that will ensure all families have the ability to partner with us in their child’s education.”

Answering service adding 100 new jobs in Sugarloaf CID as part of expansion

By Curt Yeomans curt.yeomans@gwinnettdailypost.com

A leading answering service company is expanding its footprint in Gwinnett County with new offices in the Sugarloaf Community Improvement District, officials at Partnership Gwinnett announced Tuesday.

Moneypenny’s new office will be located at 2915 Premiere Parkway in unincorporated Duluth, and the expansion includes new 100 jobs and $860,000 in capital investment by the company. Moneypenny provides VoiceNation and Ninja Number, which are 24-hour answering

services, in the U.S. “We are delighted that VoiceNation and Ninja Number are moving into our new state-of-the-art offices in Georgia,” Moneypenny CEO Joanna Swash said. “Our outsourced communications business is growing, and we are looking forward to having new offices which can accommodate a growing team to manage our call answering and live chat on behalf of thousands of businesses.

We have very ambitious growth plans and will be launching some technology products and services.”

The company’s new office will have 27,000 square feet of space,

which is twice as big as its current office. It is also expected to include a state-of-the-art headquarters for the company.

“We are pleased that the industry-leading Moneypenny has chosen to locate in the Sugarloaf CID,” Sugarloaf CID Executive Director Alyssa Davis said. “Our vibrant business community continues to be a strong draw for cutting-edge companies, and we are excited about the jobs they are bringing to our district.”

State and local officials applauded the announcement.

“It’s a pleasure to welcome Mon-

eypenny to the State of Georgia alongside Partnership Gwinnett,” Georgia Department of Economic Development Commissioner Pat Wilson said. “Georgia’s high-tech ecosystem will enable Moneypenny to remain agile and responsive to provide the highest customer service to their clients. Our international partnerships have been critical to attracting new job opportunities for Georgians as we continue to fight COVID-19 and look toward economic recovery.”

Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners Chairman Charlotte Nash added, “Gwinnett County is proud

to foster a business environment that allows existing businesses to thrive and expand. We’re pleased to see the growth of quality jobs in our community.”

Partnership Gwinnett Director of Business Retention and Expansion Deven Cason worked with the Georgia Department of Economic Development, Metro Atlanta Chamber and Georgia Power to secure the expansion.

“We are thrilled to welcome Moneypenny to Gwinnett County and know our exceptional workforce continues to be a strong draw for growing companies” Cason said.

more voices, more victories.

When you’re facing cancer, you want a strong team on your side. Even better, two. That’s why Northeast Georgia Medical Center is now a network affiliate of Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University – Georgia’s only National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center. Together, we deliver some of the most effective treatments and promising clinical trials, right here at home. It all starts with more voices – and leads to more victories.

Learn about the collaboration, and choose your cancer doctor at nghs.com/more

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