🌱 Local Students Win Poster Contest + GSU Officer Charged With Rape

Good morning, friends. It's me, Nicole Fallon-Peek, your host of the Loganville-Grayson Daily — here to tell you everything you need to know about what's happening in town. I'll get right to it.

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📣 Our readers love to celebrate good news! You can now shout out your big announcement at the top of the Loganville-Grayson Daily newsletter. Whether it's a grand opening, new product for sale, birthday, anniversary, engagement, wedding or new baby, let everyone celebrate alongside you! Submit your announcement here.

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First, today's weather:

Sunshine and patchy clouds. High: 84 Low: 67.

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Here are the top five stories today in Loganville-Grayson:

1. A Loganville man turned himself in at the Gwinnett Detention Center for rape and kidnapping. Terry Payne, a 59-year-old Georgia State University campus police officer, faces charges of rape, kidnapping, false imprisonment, and a violation of oath of office charges. The victim reported going on a date with Payne on Aug. 5 before being drugged and raped. (Buford Patch)
2. Masks are again optional for Gwinnett County school employees. On Thursday, the CDC reported the transmission levels in Gwinnett County dropped from high to medium, prompting the school district to drop its mandate. However, on their website, the county stated they still encourage masking in schools even when it isn't required. Staff at Gwinnett schools have been required to wear masks for about a month, which was protested by 40 people at the school board meeting where the decision was made. (The Atlanta Journal Constitution, Subscription)
3. Four Georgia students have placed in the National School Bus Safety Poster Contest, with two winners from Gwinnett County. Claire Hwang of Northbrook Middle School won second place for grades six through eight, and Kamil Samnani of Hull Middle School won first place for Special Education grades K-12. The bus posters focused on the importance of bus drivers.
   Superintendent Woods said, "Each day, Georgia's school transportation employees work hard to ensure students' safety as they travel to and from school – as Georgians, we can all partner together to ensure all students are safe on the road." The next poster contest opens on Aug. 15. (Athens CEO)
4. As Gwinnett County grows, the county commission is attempting to streamline zoning meetings. District 1 Commissioner Kirkland Carden proposed earlier start times. Carden said, "It's just bad practice to do country business at 1 o'clock in the morning. That's not very transparent." Staffers and sheriff's deputies are required to stay for the full length of the meetings. The county planning commission already shifted its schedule from once to twice a month to mitigate meeting length. (The Atlanta Journal Constitution, Subscription)
5. Northside Gwinnett's Extended Care Center is closing later this year. Currently, the care center is an assisted living and rehabilitation center for patients who are well enough to leave the hospital but aren't ready to go home. The facility will be reallocated for the hospital's inpatient needs. The decision reflects the increased pressure put upon hospitals during pandemics and rising gun violence. (Gwinnettdailypost.com)

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Today in Loganville-Grayson:

• 2nd Round Music At Walnut Grove Park Market (10:00 AM)
• Reading Buddies At Lawrenceville Branch (11:00 AM)
• RoboTech Day! At Lawrenceville Branch (2:00 PM)
• School Age Science: Weather At Collins Hill Branch (3:00 PM)

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From my notebook:

• For a weekend day trip, consider heading to Panola Mountain State Park for their Creature Feature. The park rangers will lead a lesson on Sunday about all the creatures in the state park as well as the animals Georgia is most famous for. (Rockdale Newton Citizen)
• Dr. Erin Brown will be at the Boss Brothers Country Store today from 8:00 a.m. to noon. She can provide your pets with rabies vaccinations, heartworm checks, mini wellness checks, and prescriptions for medicines. (Boss Brothers Country Store via Facebook)
• The Lawrenceville Arts Center is hosting a night of comedy starting tonight at 8:00 p.m. You can share the laughs with Kiana Dancie and Dexter Ferguson. (Gwinnettdailypost.com)

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That's it for today. See you all soon for another update!

— Nicole Fallon-Peek

About me: Nicole Fallon-Peek is a journalist and copywriter with a degree in Media, Culture and Communication from New York University. She has served as a freelance reporter, managing editor, copy editor, and editorial director for a variety of B2B news outlets. She currently co-owns and operates content creation agency Lightning Media Partners.