The award recognizes school systems for the greatest overall performance and improvement in student achievement, particularly for minority and low-income students. This award is yet another indicator of the dedication and excellence which continues to thrive within the Gwinnett County Public Schools, extending from the leadership of the board, superintendent and administration all the way through to the individual school teachers and school administrators.

The award winner will be announced in Washington D.C. on September 16th after teams of educators and educational researchers visit each of the five finalist districts over the next two months to evaluate and select the overall winning district. The other four school districts are in Houston, Fort Lauderdale, Long Beach and El Paso. The award originated in 2002 and has been previously presented to school districts in Texas, California, New York, Massachusetts and Virginia.

For more information on the Gwinnett County Public Schools’ achievements leading up to this award, see Heather Darenberg’s article in today’s Gwinnett Daily Post and visit the GCPS website.

Here’s your chance to create the Peachtree Road Race’s biggest prize.

T-shirt design rules and entry form
Representatives of the Atlanta Track Club, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and local artists will judge T-shirt designs. Five finalists’ designs will be selected and published in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The public will select the winning design.

The person who submits the winning design will receive $1,000 and have the design reproduced on the 2009 Peachtree Road Race T-shirt, distributed to runners at the race’s finish line. The four finalists who are not selected will each receive $100.

All entries must be postmarked by Feb. 28, 2009 and:

1. Designs should measure 12” x 12”.

2. Designs must be submitted on unlined white paper or illustration board. Designs must be created in: color markers, paint, color pencils, inks, chalks or crayons. Designs may be hand-drawn or computer-designed, but “clip art” is not allowed.

3. An official entry form (or facsimile) must be submitted with each design. DO NOT affix entry form to artwork.

4. DO NOT write on front or back of artwork.

5. Designs should include the race title, “The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Peachtree Road Race 2009″  It should be at the top of the design. The word “Peachtree” should be at least 2” high.

6. Color copies of original designs will be accepted.

7. All entries must be submitted together. Limit three entries per person.

8. Designs should be sent to: AJC Peachtree Road Race 2009

T-shirt Design Competition, Atlanta Track Club, P. O. Box 12109, Atlanta, GA 30355 9.

All entries must be postmarked by Feb. 28, 2009.

10. DO NOT send entries to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Go make history.

I noticed this article in today’s USA Today online edition. Of course it was buried in the bottom of the edition. Why would the media continue to downplay positive signs of potential economic recovery when they can sell more using all the bad news. Hmmm….

The National Association of Realtors said Tuesday its seasonally adjusted index of pending sales for preowned homes for December rose 6.3% to 87.7 from an upwardly revised November reading of 82.5. That’s better than the 82.3 reading economists expected, according to a survey by Thomson Reuters.

The reading also was up 2.1% from December 2007.

“In an otherwise bleak landscape, this represents a ray of hope, as it’s a leading indicator for existing home sales. I’m sure it’s foreclosure-driven, so it could be a hollow number,” said Brian Dolan, chief currency strategist at Forex.com.

Data from the housing market, which is at the center of the worst financial and economic crisis in decades, has sent conflicting signals in recent days.

Last week, the NAR reported an unexpected rise in existing home sales in December, driven mainly by distressed sales, with prices falling from a year earlier by the biggest margin in over 40 years.

The NAR’s housing affordability index jumped 10.9% in December to 158.8, the highest since it began tracking records in 1970. The index rose on falling home prices and low mortgage rates.

But government data Thursday showed sales of new U.S. single-family homes dropped in December by their biggest margin since 1994.

Stability in the housing market is critical to the U.S. economy’s recovery. The economy slipped into recession in December 2007.

The pending sales index tracks signed contracts to purchase existing homes. Typically there is a one- to two-month lag between a contract and a done deal. Home sales that were pending in December are likely to be completed in the coming weeks.

The Georgia Force of the Arena Football League has been informed by the Arena Football League (AFL) that the 2009 season has been suspended. It has been rumored for weeks that the season was in jeopardy but last week the AFL Board of Directors issued the following statement.

“Every owner in the AFL is strongly committed to the League, the game, and, most importantly, the fans,” said Acting Commissioner ED POLICY. “Owners, however, recognize that, especially in light of the current unprecedented economic climate, the AFL, as a business enterprise, needs to be restructured if it is to continue to provide its unique brand of this affordable, fan-friendly sport.”

This is a blow to all the local Georgia Force fans who come to expect a break from the winter time blues and head to the Gwinnett Center for some faced paced, inexpensive entertainment. The Georgia Force has been in the Atlanta area for a number of years and has had a very successful campaign since moving back to Gwinnett a couple of years ago. Since Arthur Blank purchased the team in 2005, the Force had compiled a 33-15 record and had appeared in three consecutive playoffs.  The team recently issued this response to the league news that the season was cancelled.

“We are disappointed that we will not be playing in the 2009 season, but we agree with and support the need for the Arena Football League to take this time to strengthen its financial foundation to ensure long-term success,” Georgia Force President Dick Sullivan said. “We are very proud of the achievements of the Georgia Force over the last four seasons of ownership, and we hope to field another strong team in 2010.”

As we head into a uncertain time in our economic lives, this suspension goes to show that all areas of the economy are being hit by the downturn in economy and we must be aware and resilient in our beliefs that we as a nation will come out of this downturn a better, more efficient economy. The local economic impact is huge. From the players salaries to the employess of the Gwinnett Center, to the vedors, suppliers and numerous other people that depend on the Geogia Force for their livelyhood. This decision is not merely about football, it is so much more than that.

The team will be refunding season ticket holders the money that had already been collected within the next few weeks via the US postal service.

It is a shame that the Force will not be entertaining the fans of the team this year and we can only hope that the league comes back stronger and more financially sound in the years to come.

Anyone that lives in Gwinnett County has seen, heard or has had to deal with the recent gas shortage we have experienced over the past four weeks and I am tired of it. Since this all started I have reassured my wife that there will be gas and that there is no need to fill up our gas tank whenever we see a station that actually has gas.

Well, maybe I was wrong. Yesterday I needed to drive to a meet with a client who is going to be selling their home and I left my office with a little more than 70 miles in the tank. I figured I would l find somewhere to fill up and have no issues. Well, I was wrong. All the way down to the appt. which is about 45 miles from my office there were no gas stations pumping anything but air out of the tanks.

Get the math issue above (70 miles in the tank, 45 miles one way = 0 gas).

As I was searching for a gas station that had gas I got to thinking about the last time we as a Country had a situation like this. Back in 1973, and living in Fairfield Connecticut, we had a similar issue. Gas prices shot up from $.38.5 to $.55.1 cents per gallon. I remember this vividly because my friends and I would buy as many morning newspapers as we could and walk up and down the line of cars waiting for gas and sell our newspapers.

The following excerpt is taken from our friends at Wikipedia:

Thankfully, my gas gauge was kind to me and I pulled into my home with 4 miles left in the tank.  This morning, the gas station up the street did have gas and my wife called me to let me know about it. After putting in 15 gallons at $3.97 each I was miffed. What is going on that a year or so ago we were paying around $2.50 per gallon and now we are paying $4.00 and having to “search” for gas.

I do not know who to blame or why but I do know I am tired of this and ready for a change.

In my business (Real Estate), I travel constantly in my car and paying the amount we have to is not making me very happy.

Maybe I need to fix my bike that is collecting dust in the garage. Here’s an idea. I will buy three or four bikes and take my clients on a bike ride to show them local properties. I can get a child seat or two and attach it to the back of one or two of the bikes so if my clients have small children we can just strap them in.

I will need to buy a few mike helmets to go along with the bikes so if someone falls or gets hit by a car they have a chance of survival. Wait a minute, I will also need to get one of those fancy bike jerseys and some tight pants so I can be more aerodynamic. What else do I need. That is at least a $1000 investment. Wonder if I can write that off on my business tax return?

If you have kids in the 8-13 year range, chances are you have a book or two of hers on your bookshelves.

Here is a little more about mom: Patricia Hermes is the author of almost fifty books for readers from early middle grades through young adult, as well as two nonfiction books for adults. Her books have won many awards and recognitions: American Library Association Best Book, Smithsonian Notable Book, C.S. Lewis Honor Book, Ira Children’s Choice, as well as many state awards, four of them for the novel, “You Shouldn’t Have to Say Goodbye”.

As a lecturer and speaker at schools and libraries, she engages her audience with her lively presentations, underscoring key qualities of good writing, and, of course, good rewriting. (She has been known to revise her books ten times!) She has researched and written six historical novels in the Scholastic Dear America series.

Here is a brief list of some of her books:

The Starving Time

Westward To Home

A Perfect Place

The Wild Year

Our Strange New Land

Kevin Corbett Eats Flies (one of my favorites)

And many more. Check out a number of them at:

http://search.barnesandnoble.com/bookSearch/results.asp?ATH=Patricia+Hermes

[youtube]wVClGPFPJqs[/youtube]

The population is approximately one-million and growing.  Gwinnett county has been one of the most rapidly growing counties in the United States through the 70′s, 80′s and 90′s when the population grew from 72,349 in 1970 to 700,794 in 2004.  Though the growth has slowed overall, there are still many rapidly growing areas throughout the county and a great deal of economic development. Many of Gwinnett’s historic old towns have been aggressively pursuing renovation and revitalization projects surrounding their historic roots.

Gwinnett county includes 15 different municipalities with a broad range of style, history, personality and charm.  Several of these communities have recently or will soon complete major revitalization projects to restore and rejuvinate the historic old town squares and main street areas.  These projects include innovative developments such as mixed-use retail and residential combinations amid historic factories and/or main street stores, as well as adding modern shopping centers and business parks.  Buford, Duluth, Grayson, Lawrenceville, Loganville, Norcross, Snellville and Suwanee have the most prominent projects, but others are continually working to maintain a balance between modern growth and historic preservation.

Gwinnett’s other major attractions and features include one of the best library systems in the country, a commitment to preserving green space in numerous parks and reserves, the area’s premier facility for arts, entertainment and sports in the Gwinnett Civic Center and Arena,  recreational opportunities on Lake Lanier and close proximity to downtown Atlanta.  In the spring of 2009, Gwinnett will add the minor league’s Triple A Gwinnett Braves to its list of exciting sports attractions along with the Georgia Force (arena footbal team) and Gwinnett Gladiators (ECHL Hockey team).

Check out more fun and informative facts at the Gwinnett County website.

Gwinnett Medical Center is opening a new imaging center right here at Hamilton Mill. Now you can get an MRI, Ultrasound and more — right around the corner with little or no waiting time! It’s called GMC Imaging Center at Hamilton Mill and they are located right in the same complex with Diamond Dwellings (2078 Teron Trace — behind 12Stone Church on Hwy 124).

Here’s a list of features for the new facility:

• Board Certified radiologists
• Licensed & certified professional staff
• Fast & easy registration
• On-site lab
• Mammography, bone density, MRI, CT, ultrasound, X-ray and EKG
• All Digital Imaging

This weekend is the grand opening carnival with lots of fun stuff for the kids, etc.

Here’s a link to the New GMC Imaging Center website and also the main hospital site.

Their phone number is 678.312.8600

An echocardiogram is an ultra sound scan of the heart which can reveal the presence of an enlarged heart and other heart abnormalities. Each scan will be taped and analyzed by a pediatric cardiologist. Results will be mailed directly to the parents of each Hamilton Mill teenager who participates. The tests are designed for children aged 11 to 18 and are not just for athletes – any child could experience a problem in gym class.

The screenings at Brookwood High School (1255 Dogwood Road, Snellville, GA) will take place from 8 am to 4 pm September 27th. Those interested in an appointment should contact Gayla Malkiel who is with the Brookwood High PTSA. You can email her at gaylamail@aol.com to arrange an appointment or call her at 770-979-0840.

For more information about the Heart Screens for Teens program, visit their website – www.heartscreensforteens.com.