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Gwinnett Daily Post WEDNESDAY, JUNE 21, 2017
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BOC REPRIMANDS HUNTER BY CURT YEOMANS
addressed residents. The commissioners voted unanimously to publicly reprimand ComAn emotional public missioner Tommy Hunter hearing on whether Gwin- for his comments, which nett commissioners should included calling U.S. Rep. reprimand one of their own John Lewis a “racist pig” for making controversial and referring to Democomments on Facebook crats as “Demonrats” and was capped with Chair“Libtards” on his personal woman Charlotte Nash Facebook page. fighting back tears as she Hunter was not prescurt.yeomans @gwinnettdailypost.com
ent at the meeting, but his colleagues, who have remained silent on the matTommy ter for Hunter months, made their feelings known before the vote was taken. “We are a strong com-
behind the scenes
munity, and I have every confidence that Gwinnett County is stronger because of the differences that we have, which don’t have to divide us,” Nash said. The reprimand calls Hunter out on several aspects of this case, including his comments on Facebook and his handling of the issue since it first came to light in January.
Vol. 47, No. 145
Commissioner’s Facebook comments lead to action
Those actions that he was criticized for include not staying for public comment at several commission meetings, not testifying at his ethics hearing in May, not appointing a representative to sit on the ethics board and not filing a response to Atlanta resident Nancie Turner’s ethics complaint. The reprimand will be
served to Hunter and be posted on the county’s website, at the Gwinnett Justice and Administration Center and in the Gwinnett Daily Post, which is the county’s legal organ. The reprimand will also be posted on the county’s website. “If you want to hold
See HUNTER, Page 6A
Man steals track hoe, breaks into gun shop
HERO
BY CAILIN O’BRIEN cailin.obrien@gwinnettdailypost.com
An unidentified suspect sat for about 20 minutes in the middle of West Crogan Street early Tuesday morning trying to figure out how to operate the track hoe that he used to smash into the front of a downtown Lawrenceville gun shop. “It’s odd because a few cars passed him, but nobody called us,” Lawrenceville police Capt. Greg Vaughan said. A surveillance camera on the front of Bullseye Indoor Range and Gun Shop captured the man as he maneuvered the track hoe from a construction site beside
See SMASH, Page 6A
Wesleyan grad Tanner Smith was surprised by the Atlanta Braves on Tuesday as a Community Hero for founding and sustaining Tanner’s Totes, which brings bags of items, pictured at top, to long-term hospital patients across the country. Smith’s first delivery was to Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta 15 years ago. (Photos: Logan Riely/Atlanta Braves)
Workers board up the front of the Bullseye Indoor Range and Gun Shop on Tuesday after someone tried to break in by using a track hoe. (Photo: Cailin O’Brien)
Gwinnett rescue Braves honor Smith for ‘Tanner’s Totes’ charity team assists in B C T local flood area Y
HRISTINE
ROYKE
christine.troyke @gwinnettdailypost.com
A cadre of Atlanta Braves hid around a corner as Tanner Smith was brought into the main room of “The Zone” at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta on Tuesday. Smith, a former Wesleyan and Clemson basketball standout, thought he was just there to deliver a couple of Tanner’s Totes. Smith started the project 15 years ago, bringing bags of items to kids in longterm care at the hospital. Smith walked into a room filled with young patients, from toddlers to teenagers, at Scottish Rite’s high-tech game room and told them a little about what sparked the program. Smith was 12 when his father was diagnosed with stage 4 non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. He saw what patients and families went though during months at the hospital. “So many people out there are praying for you,” Smith told them. “I know the struggle it is on a daily basis.” Then former Brave-turnedbroadcaster Paul Byrd came
FROM STAFF REPORTS Gwinnett firefighters responded Tuesday afternoon to reports of a flooded area in the 6875 block of Mimms Drive near Button Gwinnett Drive in unincorporated Doraville. Crews requested the Swiftwater Rescue Team to assist at a parking lot and three businesses down a hill that were surrounded by water after heavy rain moved through the area, Gwinnett Fire Cpt. Tommy Rutledge said. Rutledge said fire fighters were assisting employees with exiting the
See FLOOD, Page 6A Wesleyan grad Tanner Smith, fourth from right, was surprised by the Atlanta Braves on Tuesday as a Community Hero for founding and sustaining Tanner’s Totes, which has brought bags of items to long-term hospital patients across the country for 15 years.
in with a microphone. Smith handled it smoothly, saying that must be his cue to get going. Byrd then sprung the surprise for Smith, who the Braves selected as one of their Community Heroes for 2017. “I thought it was weird
people were videoing it, but this is just really cool,” Smith said. The Braves honored him with a short ceremony and will donate $5,000 to Tanner’s Totes. Seven players, including Matt Kemp and R.A. Dickey, showed up to support
the cause. Also on hand to talk to the kids and sign autographs were Ender Inciarte, Jaime Garcia, Johan Camargo, Jason Hursh, Danny Santana and broadcaster Joe Simpson. “This was obviously a big See HERO, Page 6A
Firefighters responded to a flooded area in the 6875 block of Mimms Drive N.W. near Button Gwinnett Drive in unincorporated Doraville/Atlanta in Gwinnett County. (Special Photo)
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