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Wednesday, June 22,2022
dawsonnews.com I DAWSON COUNTY NEWS I 3A
Dawson library hosts educational bird presentation
Photos by Rio White Dawson County News
Buster Brown shows and talks aboutYonah the Eurasian Eagle Owl.
Greg Ames shows Marty the juvenile Great
Horned Owl.
By Rio White
riowhite@dawsonnews.com
The Dawson County
Public Library hosted a
children’s educational pro
gram presented by Georgia
Mountain Falconry on
Wednesday, June 16.
GMF brought with them
a variety of birds and owls
for children to witness and
learn about, with group
founder Buster Brown talk
ing through the unique fea
tures of each bird.
Brown, who has over 20
years of experience, was
accompanied by seasoned
falconer Greg Ames and
fellow raptor enthusiast
Lisa Fannon, who recently
finished her first year of
falconry.
“As a retired teacher and
coach I’ve always enjoyed
teaching kids,"’ Brown said.
“I enjoy sharing the joy of
the only sport in the world
where you partner with a
wild animal for hunting...
and trying to encourage
kids to get outside.”
With the room filled to
the brim with excited kids,
Brown carefully brought
out each bird and
described its particular
behavior, diet and training
process.
The birds themselves
varied in size, with the
small American Kestrel
and Eastern Screech Owl
contrasting with the large
Eurasian Eagle Owl and
the red-tailed hawk.
Brown explained to the
audience that the birds
were hunters and needed to
be respected as such. As
non-domesticated animals,
the birds had to be as active
as possible and fed as if
they were still in the wild.
“Caring for a falconry
bird has its challenges. The
first time you think you
have a pet is when you get
hurt,” Brown said. “They
are never domesticated, but
always wild. The key is
remembering that fact
[and] the result is a loyal
hunting partner that will
give you many seasons of
great memories.”
Each bird had its chance
to show off its feathers and
features, with a couple of
them showing their full
wingspan.
After the main presenta
tion, Brown put on a video
that showed the hunting
process for some of the
birds present.
The video showed how
each bird was able to pre
cisely calculate the location
of its prey and swoop in.
NGF is based in
Dahlonega and provides a
number of experiences for
children and adults alike.
These include events where
people can learn how to
handle raptors, multimedia
events for groups and an
apprentice academy.
The apprentice academy
is a weekend workshop
held twice a year that
teaches in-depth falconry.
NGF will host the next of
those events from Friday,
August 26 to Sunday,
August 28 at the Holiday
Inn Express in Helen.
DPH reminds Georgians to stay cool, hydrated during hot days
Photo courtesy Unsplash
By Erica Jones
ejones@dawsonnews.com
With summer fully
underway and temperatures
this week expected to be in
the high 90’s throughout
Georgia, the Georgia
Department of Public
Health is reminding
Georgians to “Stay Cool,
Stay Hydrated, Stay
Informed” in order to pre
vent heat-related illnesses.
According to a release
by the DPH, remembering
these three steps are impor
tant to protecting one’s
health while the tempera
tures are as high as they are
this week.
Stay Cool
In order to stay cool dur
ing the heat, the DPH rec
ommends wearing light
weight, light-colored,
loose-fitting clothing and
staying in an air-condi
tioned place. For those
without air conditioning at
home, the release recom
mends going to a mall,
public library or a friend or
relative’s home to cool
down.
“Even a few hours spend
in air conditioning can help
your body stay cooler
when you go back into the
heat,” the release said.
According to the release,
while electric fans may
provide comfort, they will
not prevent heat-related ill
nesses when the tempera
ture is so high. Instead, the
DPH recommends taking a
cool shower or bath to cool
down. The release also rec
ommends avoiding using
heat-generating appliances
like the oven or stove and
avoiding hot and heavy
meals which add heat to
the body.
Even if the windows are
cracked open, no infant,
child, adult or pet should
ever be left in a parked car,
the release said. If a passer
by sees someone locked in
a hot vehicle, they should
call 911 immediately.
According to the release,
outdoor activities should be
limited to the cooler morn
ing and evening hours. The
DPH recommends cutting
down on exercise, but for
those who must exercise it
recommends taking breaks
and staying hydrated.
For those who are out
doors, the DPH says to
wear a wide-brimmed hat,
sunglasses and sunscreen
with SPF 15 or higher to
protect from the sun.
According to the release,
the most effective sun
screen products say “broad
spectrum” or “UVA/UVB
protection” on their labels.
Stay Hydrated
Another important step
to help prevent heat-related
illnesses is to remember to
stay hydrated during the
hot weather.
“Drink plenty of water
even before you are
thirsty,” the release said.
“Don’t wait until you are
already thirsty.”
The DPH also recom
mends avoiding sugary or
alcoholic beverages, which
can cause the loss of more
body fluid, as well as
avoiding very cold drinks,
which can cause stomach
cramps. According to the
release, it’s also important
to replace the salt and min
erals lost by the body while
sweating, something that
drinking sports drinks can
help with.
Stay Informed
Being informed about
the heat and how to handle
it is another important step
in avoiding heat-related ill
nesses, the release said.
The DPH recommends
preparing for extreme heat
ahead of time by keeping
an eye on the local weather
forecasts, and using the
buddy system to check on
one another at least twice a
day for those working in
extreme heat.
Heat-related illness can
cause confusion or loss of
consciousness, so the DPH
recommends keeping a
close eye on those at great
er risk for heat-related ill
nesses, including infants
and young children, people
age 65 or older, those who
are overweight, those who
overexert during work or
exercise and those who are
physically ill or take certain
medication.
For those in these cate
gories who are at greater
risk for heat-related illness
es, the DPH recommends
having a friend or relative
call to check in twice a day
during a heat wave.
Learning the signs and
symptoms of heat-related
illnesses and how to treat
them is important especial
ly during a stretch of high
temperatures like this
week’s, the release said.
For more information
about extreme heat and
precautions to take to pre
vent heat-related illnesses,
go to https://www.cdc.gov/
disasters/extremeheat/
index.html.
FROM 1A
Roberts
of 21-year-old Daniel Lee
Roberts, who allegedly fatally
injured 19-year-old Duckworth
during a fight at the Dawson
County Applebee’s on July 25,
2021.
Roberts also stands accused of
allegedly threatening a teenage
friend of Duckworth’s and
assaulting that teen with a vehicle
in May 2022, for which he was
subsequently arrested. He has
additionally been charged with
alleged aggravated assault in a
2019 case.
Since his May arrest, Roberts
has remained in custody at the
Dawson County Detention
Center.
Earlier last month, lawyers for
Roberts requested a change of
venue for his 2021 case, given the
publicity on social media and in
multiple DCN articles. As of
now, a fall trial is still predicted
for this criminal case.
Bond motion
Documents for the oldest case
alleged that after getting in a ver
bal disagreement with one vic
tim, Roberts hit them while leav
ing a Dawson-area parking lot on
Oct. 23, 2019.
After being arrested that same
night, Roberts was charged on
Oct. 24 with two counts of aggra
vated assault, possession of a fire
arm during commission of a
crime and carrying a concealed
weapon.
On Oct. 25, 2019, Roberts was
released on a $20,200 bond. He
was indicted in June 2021 on
those charges. As part of his bond
conditions, he was not supposed
to violate any laws while those
charges were pending.
Then in July, the incident
with Duckworth happened.
Roberts allegedly caused
Duckworth’s death because of a
fight at the Dawson County
Applebee’s on July 25, 2021.
He has been indicted on two
counts of felony murder, aggra
vated assault and aggravated
battery for that case.
The indictment for that case
alleges that Roberts punched the
younger Dawsonville teen with a
closed fist, causing serious brain
damage. After the fight,
Duckworth was taken to a hospi
tal with severe brain trauma and
died on July 27.
Following Roberts’ 2021
arrest, bond for the 2019 case
was subsequently revoked on
Aug. 31, 2021. Court documents
from that time cited that he vio
lated conditions of the 2019 bond
by allegedly committing new
offenses. Roberts was indicted for
the 2021 case in October.
In December, the court rein
stated his bond in the earlier case
and set a $100,000 bond for the
newer case. The condition to vio
late no laws was a bond provision
in both cases.
That bond was paid, and
Roberts was released from
Dawson County Sheriff’s Office
custody. Five months later,
though, he was booked on felony
charges of terroristic threats and
aggravated assault relating to the
newest alleged incidents.
The state’s motion reiterated
the court’s option to deny bond
for, among other conditions, pos
ing a “significant risk of commit
ting any felony pending trial.”
Based on Roberts’ alleged
commission of new felonies in
violation of bond conditions, the
state reiterated the defendant’s
risk of committing more felonies
and asked the court to revoke
bond in the 2019 and 2021
cases.
Judge order
The order stated that a majori
ty of the Northeastern Judicial
Circuit’s Superior Court judges
agreed that extra judicial assis
tance was needed when request
ing Emerson’s services. The
document stated that senior
judges are appointed to help
conduct court business when
other judges in a circuit are
engaged in jury trials and/or
other duties or are absent from
the bench.
A senior judge is a superior,
state, magistrate or juvenile
court judge with either 10 or
more years’ experience in those
offices or nine years plus one
year’s tenure being chairperson
for the State Board of Workers
Compensation, according to
state law.
Judge Emerson worked for 31
years as a Superior Court judge
for Douglas Judicial Circuit,
most recently as its chief judge,
before retiring in December
2021. Prior to serving as a judge,
Emerson worked for 15 years as
a private practice attorney.
DCN will continue to follow
Roberts’ cases as they advance
through the court system.
FROM 1A
Ling Ling
another one in New Jersey.
Later that decade, He moved to
Buffalo, New York, in 1989 and
started the Kenmore location with
his wife, Li Qing Xie, in the early
1990s. Also around that time, he
started a Ling Ling’s location in
Ithaca, about two-and-a-half hours
southeast of Buffalo.
He additionally worked as the
head chef for two other Buffalo-
area restaurants.
With all of those locations in the
Northeast, one may wonder: Why
Dawsonville?
Well, similar to other business
owners, the COVID-19 pandemic
influenced his decision.
Because of the pandemic, He’s
teenage daughter was taking online
high school classes by 2021. After
visiting her older sister, who’d got
ten a job in Atlanta, the younger
daughter wanted to stay in Georgia.
So it was that He and Xie moved
to the state later that year to take
care of their teenage daughter, who
began attending private school in
Atlanta.
“I tried to retire early, and my
wife mentioned that we’d moved
here and had no business, so we
could start a couple locations here,”
He said. “I said, ‘You want to do a
business again? We can find it (a
new location) here, no problem.’”
Although He admitted his initial
reluctance at starting another busi
ness due to his age, He ended up
agreeing with his younger wife and
started looking for possible spots
along the Ga. 400 corridor in
Forsyth County.
That search led them to Dawson
County. He brought three men from
New York who’d previously
worked with him to help staff the
new location, and he hired two
locals before opening the place.
Xie works up front at the cash
register.
He said the secret to his food “is
in the sauce,” and restaurant dishes
like General Tso’s and orange
chicken or broccoli and beef seem
to reflect that.
He mused that maybe, if the
Dawson County location does well,
they’ll find another location in the
area within the next several months
or year.
Right now, though, He called this
Ling Ling’s “the last one.”
For him, it’s all worth it to hear
patrons return to the restaurant
complimenting the food and ready
to order more.
“I enjoy seeing the customers
come back happy to see me
again...I love that,” He said.
EARLY DEADLINES FOR
MEMORIAL DAY
Because of the upcoming holidays Dawson County News
will alter its advertising and legals deadline as follows:
Retail Display Ads
Publication Date Deadline
Dawson County News
Midweek Edition 7/6-7 Thursday, 6/30 3:00pm
Classifieds / Legal Ads / Obituaries
Publication Date Deadline
Dawson County News
Classifieds 7/6-7 Thursday, 6/30 noon
DawsonCountyNews
will be CLOSED
Monday, July 4th 2022
in observance of Independence Day
