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Chris Stephens

Stories by Chris

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Wounded vets fish with Falcons at annual event

Falcons players fish with wounded vets.

Peachtree Corners votes to accept grant

PEACHTREE CORNERS -- The mayor and city council voted to accept a local maintenance and improvement grant from the Georgia Department of Transportation during Tuesday's city council meeting.. The 2013 grant deadline has already passed, but the city can still receive the $128,785.90 as long as it can come up

Local company finds niche in the movies

From "Fast Five" to "Anchorman 2", Buford company Atlanta Waterjet has made its mark. The compnay is one of many from the county and state that will participate in the Georgia Manufacturing Exop on June 8.

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Families can pick fresh strawberries from local farm

Washington Farms, located off Ga. Highway 20, is in the middle of strawberry season. With the end of the season in mid-June, hundreds of locals like Henderson and Bailey make treks to the farm to enjoy in family fun.

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Vietnam vet shares massacre story at school

PEACHTREE CORNERS -- "Baby killer" was a term Larry Colburn became accustomed to being called on his return from Vietnam in 1969. After some of the atrocities committed by some U.S. soldiers, every service member returning from Vietnam heard the same words.

GAC boys eliminated on PKs

CALHOUN -- Greater Atlanta Christian had its chances.. But in the end, the Spartans couldn't put the ball in the back of the net as Calhoun forced a scoreless Class AA state semifinal matchup into penalty kicks, where it won 4-2.

Brookwood girls fall to Harrison in PKs

ACWORTH -- For 90 minutes, No. 9 Brookwood went toe-to-toe with No. 1 Harrison, playing to a scoreless tie through regulation and overtime.. In the end, penalty kicks doomed the Broncos as they fell 4-2 to end the season at 16-5.. "I told the girls they have nothing

Duluth City Council hears first budget proposal

DULUTH -- The Duluth City Council held a public hearing on the budget for the 2014 fiscal year during Monday's city council meeting.. The budget, presented by City Finance Manager Ken Sakmar highlighted various items of importance to the city.. In total, the city is expected to spend $75,136,532 through

Patriots clobber North Cobb 6-1 in boys state tourney

Berkmar came into Saturday's soccer quarterfinal matchup with North Cobb feeling like itwould be the better team. The Patriots just didn't know how much better they would be.

Norcross swept in series after squandering leads

Norcross led most of both games in Thursday's second-round doubleheader with Walton. However, big innings late in the game by Walton proved costly as the Raiders swept the series 6-5, 7-6.

Centennial scores late goal to advance, tops Broncos

Brookwood and Centennial looked as if they were going into overtime tied 1-1 in their second-round state playoff game Wednesday.

Sixth-inning error dooms Comets

MARIETTA -- For 6 innings, the South Gwinnett defense made all the plays behind starting pitcher Adrian Martinez.. However, an error on a two-out grounder in the bottom of the sixth helped lead to three Walton runs as the Raiders prevailed 5-2 to end South's season.. "It's a tough

Burn ban now in effect for Gwinnett

Burn ban now in effect.

Brookwood, Milton baseball play combined 19 innings in split

Fonseca comes up with clutch hit for Broncos in Game 1 victory

'Lost Boy' speaks to Parkview class

LILBURN - History came alive Friday morning for hundreds of Parkview 10th-graders as they heard from one of the original Lost Boys of Sudan, King Deng.. The students are reading "They Poured Fire On Us From the Sky," a memoir of the lost boys of Sunday.. "I wanted my

Mustangs fall to No. 3 Centennial 3-0

ROSWELL -- For more than a half, Meadowcreek hung tough with No. 3 Centennial in their first-round boys soccer playoff match on Wednesday.. However, the Knights offense wore down the Mustangs in the second half, scoring three goals in a 15-minute span to win 3-0.. "We wanted to

South Forsyth scores two late goals to advance past Duluth

CUMMING -- For 77 minutes, Duluth was firmly in control of its first-round soccer game against South Forsyth on Tuesday.. After 10 years of not making a playoff appearance, the Wildcats looked as if they would advance to the second round.. Then, things fell apart as the War Eagles

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Duluth discusses downtown development, addition to theater

The mayor and city council put plans in motion that will continue to enhance the development of the downtown area.

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Build-A-Bear enters digital age with Mall of Georgia store

BUFORD -- Build-A-Bear is a favorite store among kids.. With the ability to build your own bear, it's a top pick among kids and parents.. Now the store has entered the digital age with its new store at the Mall of Georgia, which had its grand opening Friday

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Team mentality has turned Berkmar program around

Feature story on Berkmar boys' soccer team

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5K held to help build Boston Terrier rescue shelter

AUBURN -- The country came to a standstill on April 15 as the finish line at the Boston Marathon took a turn for the worst.. At 2:50 p.m. a bomb went off, with a second one going off soon after.. For Conyers resident Ben McClain, it was a surreal experience

GGC opens softball complex with a pair of losses Wednesday

GGC Softball Home opener

Peachtree Corners creates Downtown Development Authority

PEACHTREE CORNERS -- The mayor and City Council created a Downtown Development Authority after a vote during Tuesday's City Council meeting.. The creation of the DDA came as a result of the city agreeing to buy the 20.6 acres of land across The Forum by Peachtree Corners Circle and Ga

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Lingerie football team heats up Arena in season opener

The atmosphere was electric as more than 2,000 fans showed up for the Atlanta Steam's home opener in the Legend's Football League at the Arena at the Gwinnett Center.

Duluth parks granted $1.665 million for improvements

DULUTH -- The mayor and city council approved $1.665 million from the 2009 SPLOST fund to help make improvements at various Duluth city parks.. The funds, requested by parks and recreation director Kathy Marelle are aimed at improving facilities that either need to be renovated or redone.. Eight separate projects

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Black team scores 16 unanswered points to win G-Day game

In what many would consider an upset, the Black team beat the Red team by scoring 16 unanswered points in the second half in Georgia's annual spring game Saturday, 23-17, at Sanford Stadium.

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G-DAY NOTES: Wesleyan grad strong in G-Day

Kyle Karempelis had a strong day for the Black team in Georgia's annual spring game Saturday at Sanford Stadium.

Peachtree Corners sees interest growing in alcohol tastings

PEACHTREE CORNERS -- The concept of beer growlers is not new, but for the city of Peachtree Corners it's something that is making its way into the community.. In last month's City Council meeting, the mayor and council approved a new business (Peachtree Growlers Co.) which specializes in the growlers

Cotter's single lifts Brookwood in ninth inning

Collin Cotter was having a rough go of it on Tuesday night as his Brookwood team hosted rival Parkview. However, the night ended good for him as he had two key hits in Brookwood's 6-5 comeback victory in nine innings.

Duluth discusses parking plan at work session

DULUTH -- In a continual effort to improve the downtown area, the Duluth City Council discussed possible parking/sidewalk options on Main Street during a work session Monday.. The options presented to the council included one with a 21-foot upper sidewalk and a 4- to 5-foot lower sidewalk

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'Duck Dynasty' star speaks at Hebron

Duck Nation is alive and better than ever as was evident by the more than 10,000 people in attendance at Hebron Church on Sunday.

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Runners, dogs brave rain for Run for Rescues

Rain and cold didn't deter more than 300 runners and their dogs as the Georgia SPCA hosted its fourth Run for Rescues 5K and Fun Run on Saturday.

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Michael Vick pit bull loving life

It was a story that captivated the nation and roused anger at former Atlanta Falcons' quarterback Michael Vick.. More than 70 dogs, mostly pit bulls, were seized from Vick's property in Virginia after evidence of a dogfighting ring known as Bad Newz Kennels.. For Charles (now Chucky), that story was

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Kindergartners unite letters in holy matrimony

LAWRENCEVILLE -- The letters Q and U, C and H, and P and R were united in holy matrimony during a wedding of the blends on Thursday at Woodward Mill Elementary School.. Those combinations, among others, were part ofkindergarten teacher Laura Baynard's lesson to her students as they learned to

Peachtree Corners approves two new businesses

PEACHTREE CORNERS -- Peachtree Corners is set to grow by two businesses after getting approval during Tuesday's City Council meeting.. The companies include Newell Recycling (auto salvage) and Peachtree Growlers Co., which will specialize in retail/package of malt beverages.. The auto salvage company had a special-use permit approved

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Bed races raise awareness of homelessness

The fourth-annual Gwinnett Bed Race around Lawrenceville's historic courthouse is put on by Family Promise of Gwinnett County.

Duluth amends alcohol ordinance

DULUTH -- It was business as usual Monday for the Duluth City Council as it approved every action item put forth during the monthly council meeting.. Among the most prominent items was an amendment to the city's alcohol ordinance.. The three areas changed included sections detailing outside events, art shops

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GGC baseball dominates in home debut

Georgia Gwinnett College finally played its first home games after a month on the road, defeating Rochester College (Mich.) in both games of a doubleheader on Saturday.

Peachtree Corners tables amendment on readings to pass an ordinance

PEACHTREE CORNERS -- The city of Peachtree Corners voted to table an amendment on the number of required readings to pass an ordinance during Tuesday's city council meeting.. The requirement is for there to be two readings, with the first being for informational purposes, while the second is where public

GAC takes Gwinnett Girls Open

The Gwinnett Girls Open returned to the county for the first time in more than a decade as Greater Atlanta Christian scored 66 points to take the team title at the Trophy Club of Apalachee on Saturday.

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Gwinnett authorities capture murder suspect

Gwinnett authorities capture murder suspect. LAWRENCEVILLE -- The Gwinnett County Sheriff's Department arrested and booked Lawrenceville resident Tyerus Brandon Hayes, 29, on a charge of first-degree murder Friday.. Hayes had a federal warrant out for his arrest in the shooting of Christopher Carter, 25, in West Virginia on Jan

Duluth discusses 2014 SPLOST projects

Even though it’s still early in 2013, the Duluth City Council began discussing possible SPLOST projects for the 2014 budget during a work session Monday.

Meadowcreek no match for Wheeler

Wheeler defeated Meadowcreek in the second round of the Class AAAAAA state playoffs 96-52.

Hebron struggles inside in loss to Holy Innocents'

ATLANTA -- Coming into Friday's Class A (private) first-round state tournament game, Hebron Christian head coach Bryan Bartley knew his No. 16-seeded Lions were going to have their hands full on the inside with No. 1-seeded Holy Innocents'.. And, that's exactly what the Lions dealt with as

Archer boys survive second-half surge

The Archer boys basketball team is counting its blessings after surviving a near comeback by Cherokee. In the end, two Randall Smith free throws sent the Tigers into the second round with a 47-45 win in the Class AAAAAA playoffs.

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Parkview surges past Wheeler in first round

Parkview pulled away in the second half to win 73-48 in the first round of the Class AAAAAA state playoffs.

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Archer holds on to reach region final

The Tigers (21-6) were too much for the Falcons as they held on for a 69-63 win in Friday's Region 8-AAAAAA semifinals at South Gwinnett.

Reed dunk sends Shiloh to region final

Trayvon Reed took a pass from Nate Mason for the game-winning dunk with three seconds left to send the Generals to a 50-48 win over Berkmar.

Snelling buzzer-beater lifts Mustangs into playoffs

North was 19-5 and Meadowcreek was 8-14 coming in to Wednesday's game.

Wildcats hang on in 7-AAAAAA thriller

In what looked to be a blowout, Habersham Central made a game of it in the second half before falling to Duluth 52-49 in the quarterfinals of the Region 7-AAAAAA basketball tournament.

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