The Week In Review

SUWANEE NEWS WEEK: Elections and Charter Schools ...

A recap of some top news stories from Suwanee and Gwinnett.

As we begin a new week, it's time to review some top Suwanee and Gwinnett news stories from the week that just passed. CHARTER SCHOOL AMENDMENT: There was plenty of election news, but a development that really hit home in Gwinnett was the so-called Charter School Amendment. Georgia voters approved an amendment that would allow the state to set up charter schools without local school board approval. The decision drew the disapproval of Gwinnett Schools Superintendent Alvin Wilbanks. What were some of your favorite news stories recently in Suwanee? Tell us in the comments below. GCPS DISTRICT III RACE: One local election drew some particular attention in November. Veteran Gwinnett school board member Dr. Mary Kay Murphy faced a spirited …

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From World War II to Retail Career to Suwanee (3rd in Series)

Freedman's career in television electronics and family life prospered after World War II.

Hank Freedman has a modern television in his Suwanee residence, has a Facebook page and works a cell phone well. But he remembers things called test patterns and rabbit ears. He broke into Atlanta retail in 1946 after Army service in Germany -- at $9,000 a year. After seven years with Davisons, he got a call from a former associate there to join Rich's, then the dominant department store in Atlanta. (Rich's since has been absorbed by Macy's.) -- Do/did you have any family members who served in the military? Do you have memories of the early days of TV? Share your memories and photos in the comments below. Freedman recalled WSB debuting in 1948 with little more than a test pattern. Then, both television and his career took off in 1956, when…

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WWII POW: 'Our Feelings Can't Be Described' (2nd in Series)

A Suwanee man recalls diary entries of his captivity in Germany in 1944-45.

There was a march of some 30 miles in the German winter, enduring bombing by other Allied forces -- and the conversation of one German officer "who wanted to shoot us." And so was part of the World War II prisoner of war experience for Hank Freedman, now 91 and a Suwanee resident. Freedman was born in Boston in 1921 and was drafted into the Army in 1942. His company was shipped to Europe in 1944 when German forces started new movements. His unit was transported to Europe via a British cruise ship, and once in England, he purchased a diary -- which he still has. During the famed Battle of the Bulge, the company was shipped into Germany's Ardennes Forest in November, and Freedman and his fellow soldiers were concerned with intelligence and …

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World War II POW Finds Peace in Suwanee

Hank Freedman remembers a German stalag, as well as significant moments from a long career in Atlanta retail.

Hank Freedman has been to Asia and Europe -- some of it on business, but some of it inside a German prisoner of war camp in World War II. Freedman remembers the Pink Pig in downtown Atlanta -- and breaking bread for Passover when liberated from the stalag where he and others were held. And Freedman remembers a TV test pattern -- as well as enduring British bombing in a German boxcar on Christmas Eve, bombing that killed 60 other POWs in the same group. -- Do you have memories, family or otherwise, of World War II? Share them in the comments below. Freedman, now 91 and a Suwanee resident, recalls with lively detail a harrowing World War II experience, as well as a long and productive career with Rich's and Davison's, once landmarks on …

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Gwinnett County Honors Our Local Heroes

The county officially thanked veterans for their service at a ceremony.

Gwinnett County took time Friday to honor those who fought for freedom and our protection. At the 11th hour on the 11th day of the 11th month, the county held its annual Veterans Day ceremony at the Fallen Heroes Memorial in Lawrenceville.  Opened in 2003, the memorial located at the Gwinnett Justice and Administration Center lists the names of Gwinnett residents who lost their lives in the line of duty. No new names were added to the stone slabs this year. Two lines of veterans, active duty military members along with fire and police men and women, holding flags welcomed attendees. Gwinnett County Chairman Charlotte Nash, District 1 Commissioner Shirley Lasseter and County Administrator Glenn Stephens led this year's ceremony. Retired …

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Gwinnett Plans Veterans Day Ceremony

Suwanee City Hall will be open during the holiday.

Suwanee City Hall will remain open for Veterans Day on Friday, and Gwinnett County offices will be closed. Gwinnett County will host the annual Veterans Day Ceremony at 11 a.m. Friday at the Gwinnett Fallen Heroes Memorial in Lawrenceville. The public is invited to attend this observance to pay tribute to the men and women who have served honorably in the military, during wartime or peacetime, and to memorialize the fallen heroes who have sacrificed their lives to protect the United States. Gwinnett County Commission Chairman Charlotte Nash, District 1 Gwinnett Commissioner Shirley Lasseter (whose district includes Suwanee) and Gwinnett County Administrator Glenn Stephens will lead this year’s ceremony. The keynote address will be given by…

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