Here are our top five stories from the Thanksgiving holiday and weekend you may have missed.
-
UNG student Anna Møller becomes the University’s first Rhodes Scholarship finalist
University of North Georgia student and Student Government Association president Anna Møller is the university’s first-ever Rhodes Scholarship finalist. Møller is a senior international student pursuing a degree in psychology with a minor in organizational leadership.
The Rhodes Scholarship is a national postgraduate award for students to study at England's University of Oxford. It is the oldest and most prestigious international graduate scholarship in the world. The Global Rhodes Scholarship, to which Møller, a Danish citizen, applied, is an exceedingly competitive international scholarship, according to Dr. Anastasia Lin, UNGs assistant vice president for Academic Affairs.
According to the university, finalists for the Rhodes Scholarship are chosen for their outstanding scholarly achievements, their character, their commitment to others and to the common good, and their potential for leadership in whatever domains their careers may lead. Read More
-
Forsyth County Fire Department opens annual toy drive
As the holiday season approaches, local charities are starting to open up for children in need. Among them is the Forsyth County Fire Department.
The Forsyth County Fire Department is accepting donations now through December 9 for its annual "Aerial's House" toy collection. The program is named for the aerial ladder truck used by the department.
This will be the program’s twentieth year.
In a release, the department said it is looking for donations of new or unwrapped toys, gift cards or new or gently used coats. Donations can be dropped off at any Forsyth County fire station or at the department's headquarters in Cumming. Starting in December, donations can also be left under the Christmas tree in the lobby of the Forsyth County Administration Building in Cumming. Read More
-
Hall County’s three-decade streak of excellence in financial reporting continues
Hall County Financial Services has received the Government Finance Officers Association of the United States and Canada Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting for the fiscal year for the third consecutive decade.
This is the highest form of recognition in governmental accounting and financial reporting.
The annual comprehensive financial report had to demonstrate full disclosure to clearly communicate its financial story and be able to motivate potential users to read the ACFR
Copies of Hall County's most recent comprehensive financial reports can be found on the Financial Services page. Read More
-
One woman dead after domestic incident in Buford
The Gwinnett County Police Department Homicide Unit is investigating a homicide after a woman was shot and killed Sunday morning in Buford.
According to authorities, a domestic incident between Michael Jason Marin, 44 of Buford, and his wife Desiree Ann Jean Marin, 44 of Buford led to the deadly shooting. Police arrived at the couple's home on 2605 Ivy Stone Trail at 10 a.m. and found both adults suffering from gunshot wounds.
Both of the people were transported to the hospital, but Desiree Marin died at the hospital. Michael Marin has been hospitalized in critical condition.
A school-aged child was also in the home during the shooting, but they were not physically harmed. Read More
-
Humane Society of Northeast Georgia “Season of Saves” initiative benefits animals like abused rescue
Three-year-old Terrier Mix Nelson was found a couple of weeks ago in excruciating pain on the side of a road in Jackson County. When rescuers with Jackson County Animal Control discovered the horrific cause of Nelson’s pain, they immediately contacted HSNEGA staff for life-saving help.
According to the organization, someone had shown extreme cruelty to Nelson by zip-tying his penis. By the time Jackson County Animal Services found him it had gotten necrotic.
Chief executive officer Allison Mayfield said that thanks to emergency surgery at the University of Georgia Veterinary Teaching Hospital, Nelson is in recovery. However, the procedure needed to save him and give him normal urinary function means it will take weeks, if not months, to urinate without pain and fully recover.
Mayfield said she had never seen a case of animal cruelty as horrible as Nelson's. His story demonstrates the importance of the shelter’s Season of Saves, an annual year-end initiative dedicated to saving lives like his. The goal of this year’s initiative is to raise $55,000.
“What [the initiative] does is it allows us to not say no to animals like Nelson,” said Mayfield. “What this Season of Saves does is it allows us to put money away for special cases, so we never have to say no.”
Those interested in donating to save lives like Nelson’s can visit hsnega.org for a link to donate as part of the Season of Saves. More information about Nelson’s story is also available there, although WARNING: some of the images are graphic. Read More
