A Suwanee man is facing several charges, including driving under the influence of alcohol, after he hit a Gwinnett County police officer’s patrol car on Interstate 85 on Thursday night.
Master Police Officer Hideshi Valle said Randy Vanallen Cooley, 35, is accused of hitting the patrol car on Interstate 85 South near Pleasant Hill Road just after 9 p.m. Police had previously said on social media that the officer, whose name has not yet been released, had been working the scene of a five-vehicle accident when her patrol car was hit.
Police said the officer sustained a head injury, but she is expected to recover.
Cooley has been charged with following too close, driving under the influence of alcohol, possession of an open alcohol container, failure to yield to an emergency vehicle, driving without a valid license, and failure to register a vehicle in Georgia.
He was arrested at the scene of the accident.
The state House of Representatives handily passed a bill Monday aimed at bolstering school safety in Georgia.
The “Safe Schools Act,” which has the strong support of Governor Brian Kemp, passed on a 148-20 vote.
The bill, sponsored by Representative Will Wade, a Republican from Dawsonville, one of Kemp’s floor leaders in the House, would require schools to conduct an intruder or active-shooter drill by October 1 each year. It would also require public schools to submit school safety plans to the Georgia Emergency Management Association as well as local emergency management and law enforcement agencies.
The legislation would create a mechanism for school employees to earn a “school safety and anti-gang endorsement” after completing a special training program. And it encourages colleges and universities to include training for future teachers in best practices for safe schools and deterring gangs.
Though the bill breezed through the House, it drew criticism from some Democratic lawmakers. Savannah Democratic representative Anne Allen Westbrook cited a study conducted by researchers at Georgia Tech showing increases in anxiety and depression among students for 90 days after active-shooter drills. Representative Stacey Evans, an Atlanta Democrat, voted for the bill but also urged lawmakers to consider passing gun-control measures. The bill will now move to the Georgia Senate for consideration.
A 14-year-old Brookwood High School student was hit by a pick-up truck while leaving the school on Thursday, and Gwinnett County police are using the incident to urge pedestrians and drivers to practice safety on or along roadways.
The incident happened at about 6:40 p.m., as the 14-year-old student was leaving the school campus and walking across Dogwood Road at a crosswalk on a red traffic signal. The teen sustained a head injury and a broken leg as a result of the injury.
The pick-up driver remained at the scene as police and firefighter/paramedics arrived.
Police are urging pedestrians to use sidewalks or paths while walking along roadways, and to walk facing traffic and as far from vehicles as possible if neither are available. They are also urging pedestrians to only cross streets at crosswalks or intersections since drivers are more likely to expect pedestrians at those locations.
Pedestrians are also urged to wait for gaps in traffic before trying to cross the street and to not assume drivers will see them. Wearing bright colors during the day, or reflective materials at night, and trying to make eye contact with drivers are some ways pedestrians can make sure they are seen.
Meanwhile, drivers are encouraged to be on the lookout for pedestrians and to always stop or yield to pedestrians who are in a crosswalk. They are also encouraged to never pass another vehicle that is stopped at a crosswalk since they might be stopped to let a pedestrian cross the street.
Drivers are also urged to remain on alert and slow down while driving by schools and in neighborhoods, and to stick to posted speed limits.
Defense is at the forefront of the Norcross basketball teams’ state title defense.
Both the reigning Class seven A state champion girls and boys have ratcheted up their defense of late as they aim to bring two more trophies to Spalding Drive. The two teams host quarterfinal games Wednesday night — the girls vs. Number 3 Archer at 5:30, followed by the boys against Number 5 Newton at 7.
The Number 2-ranked Norcross girls have been especially impressive with suffocating defense, including holding Lambert in check in a 59-34 second-round win over the weekend. That came on the heels of holding Collins Hill to 41 points in a first-round victory. The high-paced Norcross boys are a dangerous team offensively, but their work on the defensive end has been equally important in their past postseason success. The fourth-ranked Blue Devils have held opponents to 56.3 points per game over their last 15 games. They held Osborne to 60 in the second round while also showcasing their high-powered offensive attack with 45 second-half points in a 72-60 win. They racked up 90 points in a first-round victory over Collins Hill.
In addition to the Norcross doubleheader, four other Gwinnett basketball teams have quarterfinal games Wednesday. In seven A, the Central Gwinnett girls play at McEachern at 6 p.m., while the Grayson boys take on Walton at 6:30 p.m. at Archer. The Lanier boys host Grovetown at 7:30 p.m. in six A, and the Providence Christian boys host Spencer at 7:30 p.m. in double A.
For the third consecutive week, the Number 14-ranked Georgia Gwinnett College softball team has had a player named the Continental Athletic Conference Pitcher of the Week.
Senior Alexa Good received the latest honor after tossing a two-hit shutout in the Grizzlies’ 8-0 victory against No. 9 Tennessee Wesleyan University last Saturday. The Pembroke Pines, Fla., native struck out four batters and did not issue a walk in the game.
The right-hander stands 4-0 this spring with two shutouts and a 1.68 earned run average. She has recorded 27 strikeouts in 25 innings pitched. Sophomore Annalise Wood was named the CAC Pitcher of the Week for the first two weeks of the 2023 season.
Georgia Gwinnett College is scheduled to host the University of Rio Grande from Ohio in a doubleheader on Friday, March 3, at the Grizzly Softball Complex, starting at 2 p.m. The four-game series between the two teams will continue Saturday, March 4, at noon.
Gwinnett County commissioners are moving to adopt international property maintenance rules that will enable the county’s code enforcement officers to issue citations for interior code violations at rental properties.
The county began the process of adopting the International Property Maintenance Code this past week. Adoption of the code would enable the county’s code enforcement officers to work with rental property tenants to ensure the interiors of their residences remain up to code. Code enforcement officers currently have no authority over interior issues at rental properties.
The rules would only apply to rental properties. The Georgia Department of Community Affairs must first review the proposed policy change before the Board of Commissioners can officially adopt the International Property Maintenance Code. State law requires the 60-day review by the DCA before final adoption can take place. The International Property Maintenance Code was compiled by the International Code Council. The code requires, among other things, all interior surfaces are maintained and that issues are corrected swiftly. It also requires ongoing pest control, making sure equipment works, and ensuring the interiors of rental properties main clean and sanitary.
The code does state that occupants of rental units will be tasked with ensuring the interior of their particular unit remains clean while property owners are responsible for shared and public areas.
An occupant can be held responsible if their actions, or failure to act, directly leads to any rodent or insect infestation.
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