Here are some of the top stories you may have missed this weekend.
COVID-19 cases continue to drop in North Georgia System facilities
COVID-19 hospitalization numbers within the Northeast Georgia Health System are now the lowest they have been since October. As of yesterday, 68 hospitalizations were reported throughout the system’s facilities, compared to 335 on Jan. 8. The last time the numbers were that low was Oct. 7.
In addition, there are 23 available ICU beds at the Gainesville hospital and four at the Braselton hospital. As for vaccinations, 10,990 vaccines have been administered to employees and 13,256 have been administered to the community. READ MORE
FoCo4Frontliners initiative created to thank all 3,200 employees at Northside Forsyth Hospital
The Forsyth County Chamber of Commerce recently launched a new initiative to say “thank you” to the county’s many healthcare workers. Starting with Northside Hospital Forsyth, the Chamber is hoping to raise enough money to give each of the 3,200 employees a special gift to show their appreciation.
Each employee will get a t-shirt that has the logo for the initiative, FoCo4Frontliners, on it, which they will be able to wear as part of their work uniform. The other money raised will go toward the purchase of Visa gift cards, which will be given to managers to distribute as they see fit. Donations to the initiative are ongoing and there is no timeline or deadline during which to donate. READ MORE
City of Sugar Hill opens Downtown Art Gallery and History Museum
City of Sugar Hill officials and community members held a socially distanced ribbon-cutting ceremony at the new Sugar Hill Art Gallery and History Museum Thursday, Feb. 25. The new building is located on West Broad Street across from the Eagle Theatre.
The History Museum offers both permanent and special exhibition of items collected and researched by the Sugar Hill Historic Society, including exhibits and displays focused on highlighting the community’s churches, schools, volunteer fire department, gold mining and moonshining history and the impact of the creation of Lake Lanier. Like the History Museum, the Art Gallery will also offer permanent and special exhibitions with works from local and non-local artists. READ MORE
Food Truck Friday returns to Lake Lanier Olympic Park
The City of Gainesville’s first Food Truck Friday event of the year will take place this Friday, March 12 at Lake Lanier Olympic Park, making this the fifth year in a row that the park will host the events.
The series begins at 5 p.m. this Friday and will run once a month through August, with events scheduled April 9, May 14, June 11 and Aug. 13. Food trucks at the event will include Tap it Growlers, Downtown Drafts, Bill’s Grills on Wheels, All Around The World, Let’s Taco Bout It, Sherry’s Bait & Barbecue, Pass the Plates, Frozen Frenzee and Juke N Jive Creamery.
In addition, Gainesville-based Dave Anderson Band will perform from 6 to 9 p.m. READ MORE
Hall County students named finalists in Young Georgia Authors competition
Several students within the Hall County School District were recently recognized as finalists in the 2021 Young Georgia Authors Writing Competition. The contest is open to any student enrolled in Georgia public schools in grades K-12 and competition entries can include short stories, poetry, essays/literary criticism/analysis, journalism, academic research reports, personal narratives or other original student writing.
Each school district chooses a winner from each grade level to compete at the regional level through Pioneer RESA. The purpose of the competition is to encourage students to develop enthusiasm for writing and to recognize student achievement in arts and academics. READ MORE
