July 8, 2018 — Gwinnett Daily Post

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GRASS-FED YOGA, 1C

National craze of goats, exercise hits Loganville farm

Gwinnett Daily Post SUNDAY, JULY 8, 2018

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MARTA OR NOT? BY CURT YEOMANS

inally intended to serve Gwinnett and Cobb too, has been a presence looming in the background of To hold a vote on joining conversations about transportation MARTA this year, or not to hold in Gwinnett in recent years. hold a vote on joining MARTA It’s popped up in a Gwinnett this year? That is the question Chamber study, the Gr8 Exchange Gwinnett County commissioners on Transportation and even in the will have to answer in the next few county’s recently finished transit months. development plan, which includes The metro Atlanta transit syssome MARTA-style heavy rail. tem, which serves Fulton, DeKalb In recent months, however, it and Clayton counties but was orig- has become more present in light curt.yeomans@gwinnettdailypost.com

$2.00 ©2018 SCNI

Vol. 48, No. 128

Gwinnett faces big question about future of transit — possibly on November vote

of a clause in the regional transit bill that was signed into law earlier this year, which sets up a mechanism for Gwinnett to hold a MARTA referendum as early as November. “It’s coming at some point,” said Duluth City Councilman Kirkland Carden, a proponent of holding a MARTA referendum. “I think (county leaders have) found

Passengers are seen boarding the MARTA train. Gwinnett leaders are mulling similar heavy rail projects to the county’s transit options. (Stock Photo)

See MARTA, Page 5A

Father charged in murder of baby girl BY ISABEL HUGHES isabel.hughes@gwinnettdailypost.com

‘It’s our duty’

Charlene Finney, a nurse practitioner at the Good Samaritan Health Center of Gwinnett, performs an exam on a patient, who is with his mother. The clinic celebrates its 13th birthday this month. (Special Photos)

Good Samaritan Health Center of Gwinnett celebrates 13 years of helping the poor, underserved

BY ISABEL HUGHES

See MURDER, Page 5A

ATLANTA REGIONAL COMMISSION

isabel.hughes @gwinnettdailypost.com

It started small, operating only one or two days per year in conjunction with Gwinnett’s Great Days of Service. Then, it grew to a day-and-ahalf per week in a 4,300 square foot building. Now, almost a decade-anda-half later, Good Samaritan Health Center of Gwinnett — a nonprofit medical, dental, counseling and pharmaceutical clinic for the poor or uninsured — has two facilities, which, combined, take up more than 25,000 square feet of space. “The need for our services has not decreased whatsoever,” said Greg Lang, the clinic’s executive director. “When we were (first founded) in 20042005, only a small percentage of Gwinnett’s population was living at the poverty level. Today, 14 percent of the population is living at or below the poverty line, and we only see that the demand for our services is going to increase.” This month, Good Samaritan Health Center of Gwinnett is celebrating its 13th birthday and the strides it has made since its inception in 2003, its incorporation in 2004 and its official opening in July 2005. So far, it’s provided more

A 22-year-old Lilburn father who was charged with cruelty to children in the first degree on Tuesday after his two-month-old daughter was brought to the hospital unresponsive has a new charge, officials said Friday: felony murder. Hiker Rios was charged with cruelty to children a day after Gwinnett County Police Department officers responded to Kaiser Emergency Care in unincorporated Duluth Hiker Rios after receiving a call that the baby, Mayalen Rios, wasn’t breathing, according Sgt. Jake Smith, a spokesman for the department. “No foul play was suspected at the time and Mayalen Rios was transported to Scottish Rite hospital,” Smith said. “Later the same day, medical personnel from Scottish Rite contacted (the Gwinnett County Police Department) and advised they believed Mayalen’s injuries were not accidental.” Smith said detectives were contacted and took over the investigation.

Plan includes $49M for county transportation BY CURT YEOMANS curt.yeomans@gwinnettdailypost.com

From left, Laura Martino, nurse practitioner; Charlene Finney, nurse practitioner; Greg Lang, executive director; Teresa Clark, medical director; and Kim Keyes, physician assistant, pose at the Good Samaritan Health Center of Gwinnett. The clinic is celebrating its 13th birthday this month.

BY THE NUMBERS

MORE ONLINE Visit gwinnettdailypost.com for a gallery of photos

than 132,000 medical, dental and social services to more than 22,000 people and in two years since it added dental services, it has completed more than 5,400 See SAMARITAN, Page 5A

• $7 million: Worth of services provided by the Good Samaritan Health Center of Gwinnett • 132,000: Medical, dental and social services provided to local patients • 22,000: People served since its founding • 5,400: Dental appointments completed in two years since the clinic added dental services • 13: Years of operation

SERVICES OFFERED • Medical • Dental • Counseling • Pharmaceutical • Health Education • Spiritual • Social

Gwinnett County has more than $49 million coming its way for transportation projects after the Atlanta Regional Commission recently agreed to fund them as part of its Atlanta Region’s Plan. The projects range from expanded transit service and more bikeways to “smart corridor” improvements and a new interchange on Interstate 85. Each project is to be supported by a mixture of local, state and federal funding and either be completed or at least under construction by 2023. “These projects address some of the most significant local transportation needs and will help people get where they need to go safely and efficiently,” ARC Executive Director Doug Hooker said in a statement about the regional plan. “This will provide more options for many residents and will strengthen our economic competitiveness.” The Atlanta Region’s Plan short-term

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See ARC, Page 5A


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