🌱 Police Search For Hit-And-Run Driver + Gwinnett County Rapid Growth

Hello all. It's me, Danielle Fallon-O'Leary, your host of the Dacula Patch newsletter — here to explain all the most important things happening in town.

But first, your local weather:

• Wednesday: Some sun, then clouds; warm. High: 85 Low: 64.
• Thursday: Cloudy with a thunderstorm. High: 80 Low: 58.

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Here are the top three stories in Dacula today:

1. Gwinnett County police are searching for a hit-and-run driver who critically injured a man on Kilcrease Road. The victim was found in a ditch beside the road and taken to the hospital, where he remains in critical condition. The police are looking for a 2016-2018 Hyundai Santa Fe and urge anyone with information to contact them or provide a tip anonymously through Stop Crime ATL. (11Alive.com WXIA)
2. Gwinnett County is reportedly experiencing significant growth with nearly 20,000 people moving to the area in the last three years. The county's population has grown from 958,005 in 2020 to 975,353 by July 2022, making it the fastest-growing county in metro Atlanta. The area's appeal is due to factors such as good schools, low crime, and affordable housing, with many people moving from other parts of the country. As the population grows, there may be more multi-family homes or apartments and duplexes built to keep up with demand. (WSB Atlanta)
3. A former Gwinnett County police officer who was convicted nearly three decades ago for murder is asking a judge to consider whether his constitutional rights were violated during his trial. His attorneys argue that he was the victim of an alleged conspiracy involving officials in Gwinnett. Supporters and attorneys have long asserted he did not kill the victim and that he was the victim of a conspiracy that involved multiple agencies, including the police department and the District Attorney's Office, to protect dirty cops in the early 1990s. (Subscription: Gwinnett Daily Post)

Today and tomorrow in and around Dacula:

Wednesday, April 5

• Egg-Stravanganza Play Day — Alexander Park, Lawrenceville (10:00 AM)
• Reading Buddies — Gwinnett County Public Library Five Forks Branch, Lawrenceville (4:00 PM)
• Summer Vibes — Paradise Lounge, Duluth (7:00 PM)

Thursday, April 6

• Preschool Storytime — Gwinnett County Public Library Five Forks Branch, Lawrencevillee (10:30 AM)
• Spring Break Art Camp — Art for Life, Buford (1:30 PM)

From my notebook:

• The community is really stepping up! Fantastic donors have already raised more than $10,000 for Georgia Gwinnett College's #GGCDays. (Georgia Gwinnett College via Instagram)
• Gwinnett County Public Schools is throwing its 7th annual Teacher Signing Day celebration on Apr. 11 to honor students who plan on pursuing an education degree after they graduate high school. Learn more at the link. (Gwinnett County Public Schools via Facebook)
• Get your creative juices flowing and take up the challenge to write a video game, movie, play, or script in a month! Join Gwinnett County Public Library every Thursday in April for discussions on scriptwriting topics along with designated time for writing and tackling any problem areas. (Gwinnett County Public Library via Instagram)

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Featured events:

• Easter Eggstravaganza - Egg Hunt - April 8th 1 pm - 3 pm (April 8)
• Stress, Depression, and Anxiety Recovery Program (April 16)
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That's it for today. I'll see you back in your inbox soon with your next update!

— Danielle Fallon-O'Leary

About me: Danielle Fallon-O’Leary is a content manager with content creation agency Lightning Media Partners and assists Patch.com with community newsletter curation. Danielle also holds a Master’s Degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders and works part-time as a pediatric speech therapist.