A statue of Martin Luther King Jr. will be unveiled on Saturday at Rodney Cook Sr. Peace Park in Atlanta’s Historic Vine City, as part of a festive day that includes a Peace Walk and awards to local leaders. The statue was designed and sculpted by Georgia artists Kathy Fincher and Stan Mullins and commissioned by several local and national philanthropists, including Clyde Strickland, a Gwinnett philanthropist. The statue shows Dr. King delivering his iconic “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop” speech. The event will begin at The Home Depot Backyard, with gates opening at 10 a.m., followed by a Peace Walk to Rodney Cook Sr. Peace Park, greetings and speakers, and the statue unveiling at 1 p.m.
The Gwinnett Stripers have added new seafood dishes to the menus at CoolRay Field, as well as other menu items, to reflect its fish-themed name and logo. The change was initiated by Coolray Field Chef Jamerius "Chef Jay" Sims, who noticed a lack of seafood items in the stadium’s eateries. The three new seafood dishes include catfish baskets, fish tacos, and crab cake sandwiches. Other new items on the menu include Cuban sandwiches, home-brewed sweet tea, buffalo chicken philly, walking taco, blooming onion petals, and more. The Stripers are the first professional baseball team in metro Atlanta to open their season at home this year, as the Atlanta Braves opened their season yesterday on the road in Washington, DC. First pitch for Stripers’ Opening Day tonight is 7:05 and the first 2,500 fans will get a free 2023 Schedule magnet cling.
Plus, as we talk with Ryan Cox, founder of Gwinnett Chatt Outreach to learn how the organization is helping high schoolers in Gwinnett and how you can support them.
Gwinnett County Public Schools in Georgia plans to add an extra $1,000 to the $2,000 raise that state legislators approved for teachers, resulting in an expected increase of about $3,000 for teachers' salaries. Additionally, GCPS employees not on the district’s teacher salary schedule will receive at least a 4% cost-of-living raise. Compensation was the top priority for GCPS employees in a district survey of budget priorities. The proposed FY 2024 budget is $3 billion, with $2.3 billion allocated for the general fund. The district plans to add 317 instructional positions to accommodate an expected increase of 2,064 students.
More than 130 students recently attended the Olifer Math Competition held at Georgia Gwinnett College in honor of the late Dr. Andrei Olifer, a mathematics professor who founded and organized the competition. Olifer's daughter, Maria, said her father wanted to inspire an interest in math, education, and learning, and the competition serves as a fun and engaging way to accomplish those goals. The Olifer Competition is open to students from first through 10th grade and continues to grow in popularity.
A Lawrenceville man, Jahir Alejandro Conteras Sagahon, has been charged with felony murder, cruelty to children, and aggravated assault for allegedly killing his ex-girlfriend, Rubi Maldonado Nava, and setting her body on fire in Oglethorpe County. Police were initially called to perform a welfare check on Nava but could not find her. Upon questioning, Sagahon admitted to getting into a physical altercation with Nava and choking her until she stopped breathing. He then loaded her body into her car and drove to Oglethorpe County where he set it on fire. Skeletal remains were found in the burned car, and Sagahon was arrested and booked into jail.
Gwinnett County Public Schools Superintendent Calvin Watts will remain in charge of Georgia's largest school system through at least the end of June 2025, the county's school board decided Tuesday night.
The school board voted 4-1 to give Watts a two-year extension on his contract, which had previously been set to expire this summer. Board Chairwoman Tarece Johnson cast the lone vote against extending Watts' contract.
After the called meeting, Watts told reporters that he is "ready to continue to stay laser-focused on the academic, the behavioral, and the social well-being of each and every student" in the district. He sent an abridged version of his comments to parents and GCPS employees on Tuesday evening.
And we get our Gwinnett Sports Update presented by Tom Wages Funeral Home.
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