Seen on the Scene

Gov. Deal Signs Education Bill at Georgia Gwinnett College

H.B. 131 will help students dually enrolled in high school and college.

Gov. Nathan Deal was at Georgia Gwinnett College Friday to sign H.B. 131 into law. The bill, introduced by Lawrenceville State Representative Valerie Clark, allows students dually enrolled in high school and college to apply their college credits towards their application for the HOPE Scholarships. Patch will have more on this story.

• Videos (1)

Seen on the Scene

Gwinnett County Sorority Honored by Gov. Deal

The Gwinnett County Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. was honored by the Governor and the State of Georgia Tuesday.

• Photos (1)

Deal OKs Changes to Terms for Mayor and Council

Georgia Governor Nathan Deal approved the change in length of terms and limits for Lawrenceville lawmakers.

  The City of Lawrenceville will be holding fewer elections in the future. Governor Nathan Deal signed into law changes to the City's charter, allowing for the mayor and city council members to hold four year terms instead of the current two year terms.  Mayor Judy Jordan Johnson was not available for comment, but noted in a previous city council meeting that this does not mean the current seat holders will automatically extend their terms. The change will go into effect with the November elections when residents will vote for Posts 1 and 2, seats currently held by Marie Beiser and Tony Powell, as well as for Mayor. Councilwoman Beiser believes the change will be good for Lawrenceville. "I think the four year terms will benefit the city …

• Photos (1)

Governor Deal to Examine I-85 HOT Lane Situation

The toll lanes that opened Oct. 1 have caused controversy.

The controversy continues over the new HOT lanes on I-85, and now Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal is getting involved. According to WSB-TV, Deal says he will "take a very close look and see if the outline that has been put in place is actually working." The lanes opened on Oct. 1 and affect commuters in Lawrenceville and many other Gwinnett County cities. Also, a Snellville commuter has created a Facebook page for people to voice their opposition to the new lanes and the Peach Pass that is required to use them. We'd like to know your experiences. Tell us in the Comments section below.

•  9 Comments
• Photos (1)

Georgia License Plate Design Winner Announced

Gov. Deal unveiled the winning design from a statewide contest decided by online votes.

After having to do a "do-over," Georgia's new license plate–the winner in a design contest–was unveiled today by Gov. Nathan Deal, along with Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle and Department of Revenue Commissioner Doug MacGinnitie. The license plate, designed by Linda Sosebee of Forsyth, is scheduled to begin production in the fall. It garnered the most online votes with a total of 34,154 in the recently concluded 2011 License Plate Design Contest administered by the Department of Revenue.    “After hundreds of thousands of votes were cast, we are pleased to announce the winning design,” Deal said. “All of the semifinalists submitted great designs that would reflect well on our state, but the winning plate was the clear favorite among voters. I …

•  3 Comments
• Photos (1)

Do-Over for License Plate Contest

Confusion over "In God We Trust" stickers led to the restart of the contest.

Governor Nathan Deal was expected to announce the winner of the new Georgia license plate design contest today. Instead he's announced a do-over after some confusion regarding whether the motto "In God We Trust" would be on the chosen design.  More than 500 designs were submitted by the public. That field was then narrowed down to eight by a panel of Georgia college and university art professors. Those eight were then voted on in an online poll by the public to determine the top three. Some of the designs were shown with the optional "In God We Trust" sticker while others did not. All three of the final designs were displayed initially with that sticker. According to the Atlanta Journal Constitution, confused church groups, atheists and …

• Photos (7)

New Child Restraint Law Takes Effect July 1

Law requires children up to the age of 8 be secured in child safety or booster seats.

A new law designed to protect children between the ages of 6 and 8 whose height and weight still puts them at risk for injury as a result of being secured only by an adult lap or seat belt will go into effect on July 1. S.B. 88 requires that all children under 8 be secured in a child seat or booster seat. The child seat or booster seat must be located in the rear seat of the vehicle, must be appropriate for the child's height and weight and must meet all federal safety standards. According to Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, children using booster seats are 59 percent less likely to be injured in a crash than those using just a seat belt. Children who are at least 4-foot-9 are exempt from the law as are children whose parents have …

• Photos (1)