Good Morning Gwinnett Podcast

www.GoodMorningGwinnett.com Gwinnett County Democrats dominated local races in Tuesday's election, winning nearly every seat they competed for.One big development to come out of the election is that Gwinnett appears poised to have its first all-Democrat county commission in decades, and be led by an African-American for the first time ever, based on unofficial results.Some absentee ballots had to be re-adjudicated and provisional ballots have not yet been counted.Nicole Love Hendrickson led Republican David Post with 185,348 votes, or 56.31% of all votes cast in the race.SOURCE: www.GwinnettDailyPost.com

www.GoodMorningGwinnett.com Drivers in Gwinnett can now pay insurance fines and renew tags at two additional motor vehicle self-service kiosks, bringing the total number of kiosks in the county to eight.“Drivers can now pay insurance fines at kiosks,” Gwinnett County Tax Commissioner Richard Steele said, “and two new Kroger kiosk locations make it easier than ever to renew tags without a special trip,” Steele said.Gwinnett residents can use any DMV kiosk across the metro area, and conduct their business in English or Spanish. The new kiosks can be found at Kroger Singleton Square, 6050 Singleton Rd. in Norcross, and Kroger Midway Plaza, 910 Atlanta Highway in Loganville.Kiosk use has jumped 157 percent this year due to the pandemic, from 33,000 renewals Jan. to Sept. in 2019, to 85,000 for the same time period this year.SOURCE: www.AJC.com

www.GoodMorningGwinnett.com Yesterday I had the honor of seeing Senator Kamala Harris in person as she campaigned here in Gwinnett County. She was joined by litney of other Democratic hopefuls to get the message out to vote.

www.GoodMorningGwinnett.com Construction is almost complete at a new location of the U.S. Post Office at 2440 Wisteria Drive in Snellville, formerly occupied by SunTrust Bank. USPS officials said they expect to move from their current Oak Road location to the new site the weekend of Nov. 7-8 as the $1.2 million renovation nears completion. The new post office will open Monday, Nov. 9 with normal business hours.This relocation and renovation is made possible through the cooperative efforts of Snellville and USPS officials. The old post office will soon be demolished, making way for The Grove at Towne Center which will bring 250 luxury apartments, a 750-space public parking garage, a new Gwinnett County library, several thousand square feet of retail/office space and a City Market all helping to create a new city center and downtown for Snellville.SOURCE: www.AJC.com

www.GoodMorningGwinnett.com Thompson’s vote changed because the transit expansion plan on this year’s ballot changed, from a proposal voters decisively rejected in a 2019 special election.“This new referendum is actually completely different than last time,” Thompson said. “They heard [voters’] concerns and they made changes.”One of the biggest changes has to do with control.The 2019 plan, known as Connect Gwinnett, would have led to the county joining the MARTA system. Under the current proposal, Gwinnett County would maintain control of its own transit system. MARTA would be part of the project only through a single heavy rail extension from Doraville to Jimmy Carter Boulevard.The $12.1 billion expansion would be paid for through a penny sales tax collected under the new Atlanta-Region Transit Link Authority — not MARTA, as would have been the case in 2019. Sales tax dollars will pay for three quarters of the cost.www.AJC.com

www.GoodMorningGwinnett.com Using the federally funded CARES Act, Peachtree Corners is offering grants to small businesses that have experienced business interruption due to the COVID-19 public health emergency.To be eligible, businesses must operate out of a physical commercial ...

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www.GoodMorningGwinnett.com Dr. Sarah Porray graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Exercise Physiology from Hofstra University on Long Island. She worked for a wellness company called Plus One Fitness in Manhattan, managing private corporate fitness centers for nearly ten years. Her background includes personal training, group fitness instruction, stretch therapy, and spa management. Prior to leaving New York City to pursue her doctorate degree in chiropractic, Dr. Sarah had plans to return to university to pursue a degree in physical therapy, but a ‘kink’ in her mid-back motivated her to visit a chiropractor for the first time in her life. Her chiropractor successfully helped eliminate her symptoms in less than a month and Dr. Sarah experienced so many additional positive changes in her health under chiropractic care that she decided her true calling was to become a chiropractor. She moved to Georgia to attend Life University and graduated in September 2019.Dr. Sarah’s approach is gentle and intuitive. She works with each patient to individualize a care plan that is specific to their unique needs.

www.GoodMorningGwinnett.com Helping Gwinnett’s small businesses recover from COVID-19 is a major topic that the candidates running for Gwinnett County Commission District 1 want to tackle in 2021.Republican Laurie McClain and Democrat Kirkland Carden weighed in on the big issues facing District 1, including the looming issue of dealing with the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. That will dominate the county commission’s agenda in 2021 as the county, state and nation recover from the pandemic.Both candidates said helping small businesses will be key to recovering from the pandemic.“The biggest issue facing Gwinnett County is the response and economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic,” Carden said. “County officials have been on the front lines responding to this pandemic by providing public health services, emergency management assistance and enforcing the many executive orders enacted while continuing to provide other essential services to our residents.”SOURCE: www.GwinnettDailyPost.com

www.GoodMorningGwinnett.com Gwinnett County Public Schools' free meals program is being extended through the end of the 2020-2021 school year.The district recently received an extension on a waiver from the U.S. Department of Agriculture that had allowed them to serve free breakfast and lunch to any Gwinnett County residents aged 18 or under through the end of 2020. Now, they will be available through the last day of school: May 26, 2021.The USDA-administered program is typically intended to keep free meals available to young people who need them while schools are closed over the summer. It was extended into the school year to assist families who typically receive free and reduced lunch as well as those impacted financially by the COVID-19 pandemic.SOURCE: www.AJ.com

www.GoodMorningGwinnett.com Kim Andrews Bio:Kim, Story Shepherd, Spiritual Leader & keynote speaker, is dedicated to helping seekers create inner sanctuary & self-mastery in their lives. Her professional and entrepreneurial life spans a wide range of industries, from fitness and wellness to training and development and the investigation of federal employment discrimination complaints.In 2010, she said “yes” to a divine calling to create the Global Red Circle (GRC). First, Kim began writing her book, The Global Red Circle: Standing in Truth, Unleashing Our Most Powerful Selves, an anthology of letters from women about watershed experiences in their lives and the wisdom they gained from them.In July 2011 she began hosting monthly gatherings in her home where women are warmly welcomed and encouraged to share like the contributors in her book. In 2015, with the help of a good friend, Kim started coaching men and women in the art of storytelling and producing and directing storytelling events that are transformational for both storyteller and audience. She also partners with poet Daingerfield Dunn and produces and directs his live spoken word experiences.In 2018 GRC was re-imagined into Kim for the World, a suite of services for men and women seeking to create inner sanctuary for a balanced, peaceful, meaningful life. That same year she also said “yes” to a different calling. She began serving as Spiritual Leader at Unity Spiritual Center, Sachse, Texas, where she inspires seekers to embrace and express their innate divine natures. She is now studying at Unity Worldwide Spiritual Institute to become an ordained Unity minister.In 2020, GRC was re-imagined into The Call to Peace, a suite of services for men and women seeking to create inner sanctuary for a balanced, peaceful, meaningful life.Georgette Taylor BioGeorgette, podcast producer and host, transformational storyteller, life in-powerment™ coach, author and doll co-inventor is dedicated to helping women transform their lives by building self-like, self-love and self-worth.In 1995 she began her journey in cable television first as assistant to the director then assistant producer. In 1999 her entrepreneurial fire was lit when she helped to co-invented and co-founded the first plus size fashion doll and doll company Big Beautiful Dolls.From 2004-2008 Georgette continued to help women find their voice by helping them embrace and enhance their sensual and sexual selves as a romance consultant. In 2014 she was presented with a personal challenge of her own as affirmations, affirming words and storytelling became a huge part of the next phase of her life. That year she created Dynamic Life Enterprise and soon to follow, her in-powerment™ card deck, I AM-YOU ARE™ card deck, helping to empower positive self-talk, self like and self-love.In 2015 she was introduced to transformational storytelling by her friend Kim, when she experienced Kim’s one-woman show and subsequently became a transformational storyteller and advocate for women who want to transform their lives through sharing their stories.Currently she is a podcast host and producer. She hosts and produces, The Dynamic Life Show where she and guest share inspirational words, stories and conversations and In The Doll World focused on spotlighting the doll community and the producer for the Good Morning Gwinnett show. She is working towards an EFT Tapping Master Practitioner Certification.

www.GoodMorningGwinnett.com Gwinnett election officials offer a special webpage where voters can view advance voting wait times: www.tinyurl.com/GwinnettVotingWait. Wait times are updated at least every 30 minutes.Advance voting for the Nov. 3 general and special election began Monday, Oct.12 at 9 locations throughout the county:Bogan Park, 2723 North Bogan Road in Buford, Dacula Park Activity Building, 2735 Old Auburn Road in Dacula, George Pierce Park Community Recreation Center, 55 Buford Highway in Suwanee, Gwinnett County Fairgrounds, 2405 Sugarloaf Pkwy. in Lawrenceville, Lenora Park Gym, 4515 Lenora Church Road in Snellville, Lucky Shoals Community Recreation Center, 4651 Britt Road in Norcross, Mountain Park Activity Building, 1063 Rockbridge Road in Stone Mountain, Shorty Howell Park Activity Building, 2750 Pleasant Hill Road in Duluth, and the Gwinnett County Elections Office, 455 Grayson Highway, Suite 200 in Lawrenceville.SOURCE: www.AJC.com

www.GoodMorningGwinnett.comWhen a 170-car train slid from its track and burst into flames Sunday, a Lilburn police officer ran right toward the fire to help those on board, officials said.City leaders called Officer Almedin Ajanovic a “hero” for helping two conductors escape as the fire drew nearer to them.In an email, Lilburn Mayor Tim Dunn said he is proud of the police department and “individuals like AJ Ajanovic who run toward danger to assist those in trouble.”Ajanovic was heading home from an off-duty job about 1:30 a.m. when he heard radio dispatches about the train derailment, Lilburn police spokesman Capt. Scott Bennett said Monday. Authorities said a washout caused by storms and flooding caused the CSX train to leave the tracks. Police later determined that 38 of the train’s cars derailed.SOURCE: www.AJC.com

www.GoodMorningGwinnett.com Known for his namesake county, rare signature, and statue on top of a “castle of commerce” (Mall of Georgia). You might think ol’ Button Gwinnett would have been long forgotten if not for the success of the county. Turns out there’s a lot more to his story. Button was human. He had real fears, doubts, and emotions.We begin the tale of Button Gwinnett a bit differently than you may have read in the history books. Mostly because not very much has been written. In this episode, we dive deep into what was at the core of a man like Button Gwinnett and what his motivations were for leaving home and coming to Georgia in the first place. SOURCE: www.GwinnettMagazine.com

www.GoodMorningGwinnett.com Jenny Taylor is a sought after public speaker on the topics of successful large-scale public/private partnerships, employer engagement, and employment outcomes for people with significant barriers. She is Vice President of Career Services at the largest Goodwill in the nation for mission outcomes, leading evidence-based programs with outcomes in the top 10% of the industry, as measured by the National Benchmarking Project.Her agency has a $165 million dollar budget and operates programs that placed 25,019 people in competitive employment last year.She holds a Masters of Rehabilitation Counseling and is a Certified Rehabilitation Counselor. She is a member of the National and Georgia Rehabilitation Associations, and Mens