Gwinnett’s oldest locally owned newspaper - established 1988 Covering Duluth, Peachtree Corners, Norcross, Berkeley Lake, and Suwanee
Vol. 29, No. 7
Concert fun
page 4
FREE
Peachtree Corners plans reverent Veterans’ monument By Carole Townsend Staff Correspondent
Emotional Intelligence page 6
A group of volunteers in Peachtree Corners has, for about 2 years, been planning the design and construction of a veterans’ monument to be located on the city’s future Town Green. The desire to erect a monument honoring those who have served (or who are currently serving) in some branch of the United States military is not unusual in municipalities; Gwinnett County and several cities have done the same thing. However, the design and function of Peachtree Corners monument is both unusual and innovative. Bob Ballagh, executive director for the Peachtree Corners Veterans Monument Association (PCVMA), heads up the committee tasked with
planning and soon, with building, the monument. “There is a difference between a veterans’ memorial and a veterans’ monument,” Ballagh explained. “A memorial honors those who have died in combat. A monument honors all veterans, and it is a place people can learn about the U.S. military and all that it has done.” Ballagh and his team have been fortunate to enlist the help of key people in order to make the vision for the monument a reality. Diana Wheeler, Peachtree Corners’ Community Development Director, helped the team find the land on which to build the approximately 2500 sq. ft. monument – on the Town Green. Members of the city council backed the idea. The monument is expected to be finished at about the same time as the Town
See VETERANS on Page 12
Outstanding service page 8
MAY 2017
www.gwinnettcitizen.com
GA’s Prisoner Re-entry Initiative
Photo by John Bensley
Left to Right: John Watkins, Janet Watkins, Judy Putnam, Doug Heckman, and LC Johnson.
A little planning means a lot of love for your family
Springtime at Oakland page 16
INSIDE
Photo Credit: Joanna Daou
Gwinnett Superior Court Chief Judge Melodie Snell Conner speaking about the importance of community-wide efforts to reduce recidivism.
By Staff Reports
Gwinnett Pulse 2 Health & Wellness 12 Classifieds 19
PRESORT STD U.S. POSTAGE PAID LILBURN,GA PERMIT NO. 99 ECR-WSS POSTAL CUSTOMER
Tabernacle International Church, a large and inviting place of worship near the corner of Simonton Road and Grayson Highway, was host to The Department of Community Supervision’s (DCS) first GA--PRI Stakeholders Meeting on February 28th. The meeting convened state leaders, resource providers, volunteers, and service professionals to introduce Governor Deal’s new initiative, GA-PRI or GA’s Prison-
er Reentry Initiative. The meeting was to include several specific plans and outlooks for Gwinnett county, led by Community Coordinator Lee Robbins. The GA-PRI, signed into law in July 2015, provides additional funding to Georgia’s judicial departments, crucially including additional resources towards reducing prison recidivism in the state. Recidivism is the tendency for a former inmate to re-offend upon returning to free society.
See RE-ENTRY on page 18
Photo by Auveed Bagheri-Cawthon
On a recent Wednesday morning in March, Attorney Jim Miskell held an estate planning workshop for a group interested in learning about options available to protect their assets and loved ones, during their lifetime, in the event of being incapacitated, and in the best interest of their beneficiaries after their death.
By Carole Townsend Staff Correspondent Everybody has a story, or has heard a story, about the nightmare that unfolded when a loved one’s life was tragically interrupted or cut short by injury or illness. Such a time in any family is fraught with fear, chaos and indecision. Decisions must be made in a highly emotional climate; family members’ opinions
and wishes often differ. Critical decisions may have to be postponed until someone can rush over to the courthouse and stand before a judge, pleading for certain permissions. It’s a scenario that can be avoided with some thought and planning. “We do both planning and cleanup,” said James Miskell, J.D., founder of the Estate Planning and Law Group of Georgia, James M. Miskell, P.C.
See PLAN on Page 16