Gwinnett approves research development

Gwinnett County leaders are making a $70 million bet on a massive project they say could transform scientific research into three of the state’s biggest economic drivers: agriculture, medicine and the environment.

It also has the potential of being transformative for the region, and perhaps Georgia as a whole, county officials say.

The Gwinnett Development Authority and the County Commission on Tuesday approved up to $72 million in loans to a nonprofit organization formed by the county that plans to build a sprawling research center on 2,000 acres near Dacula at the Barrow County line.

“Mark down this date,” Commission Chairman Charlotte Nash said, after the vote was approved. “It’s historic.”

The project’s operating costs will be funded by the development authority, until it can be supported by its own revenues. The county and the development authority will be repaid over time by land sales. ers have a warning for parents of students who are bullying others or displaying inappropriate behavior online: Stop or we’ll send a school resource officer to your home.

During an online community meeting Tuesday, district leaders said teachers, counselors, administrators and others have reported increasingly troubling behavior among some students that have raised concerns about their actions and their well-being.

“We’re seeing bullying, we’re seeing threats, we’re seeing nudity and pornographic material,” said Chief Thomas Trawick, who oversees safety for Clayton County Schools.

The issue is not confined to Clayton, which started school Aug. 10 with all-virtual learning. Henry County police earlier this month warned students not to show pornographic material while in class and said it could lead to prosecution. A 17-yearold from Coweta County also was arrested and accused of bullying after he coerced girls at his high school into sending nude photos of themselves to him. cation Secretary Betsy DeVos reiterated her message that students need to be back in school, but she modified it by saying that doesn’t mean all of them must be in a classroom.

She chose Forsyth County Schools, north of Atlanta, as a model for the message that she said she and President Donald Trump intended. DeVos has pushed for schools to reopen, and Trump has threatened to withhold federal funding from schools that do not, as many, including the largest districts in metro Atlanta, chose reopening online as the safest route during the pandemic.

Like many school districts that already have opened their classrooms, Forsyth let its more than 50,000 students choose between in-person and virtual learning. The district is also offering an a la carte option to middle and high school students. They can attend in person part time and online part time, based on each course, and DeVos said parents deserve such choices.

Georgia schools tend to open earlier than in the rest of the nation, and that is one reason the beginning of the fall semester in nearby Paulding and Cherokee counties made headlines across the country and internationally.

ACROSS METRO ATLANTA

Here are other recent inspection scores for area restaurants.

Newton County

■ Honey Creek Wings Jr., 11388 Brown Bridge Road, Covington. 98/A

■ Tava’s Diner, 6154 Washington St., Covington. 91/A

■ Town House Café, 1145 Washington St., Covington. 100/A

■ Rudyboo’s Buffalo Café, 2123 Pace St., Covington. 92/A

■ Zaxby’s, 12945 Brown Bridge Road, Covington. 87/B

Fulton County

■ Atlanta Fish House & Grill, 1437 Campbellton Road, Atlanta. 94/A

■ Flatlands Bourbon & Bayou, 52 N. Main St., Alpharetta. 87/B

■ JCT Kitchen & Bar, 1198 Howell Mill, Atlanta. 89/B

■ Loyal Q and Brew, 3655 Old Milton Parkway, Alpharetta. 96/A

■ Sombreros Mexican Cantina, 411 N. Central Ave., Hapeville. 92/A

DeKalb County

■ Avellino’s Brookhaven, 1328 Windsor Parkway, Atlanta. 95/A

■ Hobnob Neighborhood Tavern, 804 Town Blvd., Brookhaven. 87/B

■ Joey D’s Oak Room, 1015 Crown Pointe Parkway, Atlanta. 85/B

■ Tacos El Chapin, 2515 Chamblee Tucker Road, Chamblee. 90/A

■ Taqueria La Carreta, 3375 Buford Highway, Atlanta. 96/A

Coweta County

■ Christy’s Café, 27 Jackson St., Newnan.95/A

■ Katie Lou’s Café, 70 Main St., Senoia. 98/A

■ Matt’s Smalltown Pizza, 53 Main St., Senoia. 95/A

■ Nard’s BBQ, 5320 U.S. 29, Grantville. 97/A

■ Redneck Gourmet Café, 11 N. Court Square, Newnan. 87/B

Cobb County

■ Bruster’s Real Ice Cream, 2960 George Busbee Parkway, Kennesaw. 90/A