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6A I DAWSON COUNTY NEWS I dawsonnews.com
Wednesday, August 3,2022
North Georgia Premium Outlets adds new stores
Photos by Julia Fechter Dawson County News
The Vans store is located between LOFT Outlet and The
Children's Place at North Georgia Premium Outlets.
Lids is located next to the food pavilion and Reebok Outlet.
By Julia Fechter
jf e c hte r@d a wson n ews. com
Multiple national brands have
recently added new store loca
tions at Dawson County’s North
Georgia Premium Outlets.
Apparel retailer Vans opened a
store at the outlet mall in June,
and sportswear retailer Lids
opened at the shopping complex
in March.
Housewares store Zwilling
J.A. Henckels will also premiere
its own location at the outlet mall
in the coming months.
Vans sells women’s, men’s and
kid’s performance footwear,
activewear and accessories,
according to a press release
about the new stores. Its store is
located between LOFT Outlet
and The Children’s Place.
Lids offers a vast assortment of
licensed and branded headwear
for NCAA, NFL, MLB, NBA
and NHL teams alongside other
specialty fashion categories,
according to the press release.
The Lids store is located next to
the food pavilion and Reebok
Outlet.
The Zwilling J.A. Henckels
store is currently under construc
tion and is expected to open this
fall. Its location will be between
the food pavilion and Lids.
Zwilling, a German-based brand,
makes and sells kitchen knives,
scissors, cookware and flatware.
“Athletic footwear and home-
wares are two categories that
have always been really strong
[here].. .so adding Vans and Lids
to that mix definitely made sense
for us,” said Area General
Manager Randall Jackson.
Before its decision to locate in
Dawson County, Zwilling had
already been sold for years at the
premium outlet’s Williams-
Sonoma store, Jackson added, so
he and his colleagues know the
brand is already popular in the
market.
Jackson explained that with
140-plus brands and the outlet’s
proximity to southeastern retail
mecca Atlanta, national brands
have long found North Georgia
to be an appealing market.
He added that the outlet’s pre
mium designation and proximity
to Atlanta while also being out
side of the state capitol helps
draw retailers and people to the
Dawson County location.
While national news reports
have recently come out detailing
big-box retailers’ concerns about
a looming recession, Jackson
upheld his company’s approach
during such a time, pointing out
that the premium outlets offer
discounts of up to 65 percent.
“When people are looking for
a better price point, they’re look
ing to that,” he said.
Jackson elaborated that other
nationally-recognized brands are
expected to announce new loca
tions at North Georgia Premium
Outlets before the end of the
quarter.
Simon Property Group owns
over 200 mall locations through
out the United States and interna
tionally in Asia and Europe,
including six shopping centers in
Georgia.
Ga. Lottery funding for education hits $25 billion
By Dave Williams
Capitol Beat News Service
The Georgia Lottery Corp. hit
a historic milestone this month,
as the program’s total funding of
education since its inception in
1993 reached $25 billion.
There’s a lot of zeroes in
there,” Gov. Brian Kemp
quipped Thursday as Gretchen
Corbin, the lottery organiza
tion’s president and CEO, pre
sented him with a giant check.
Georgia voters approved cre
ation of the lottery in 1992,
drawn to support the referendum
by the promise of an influx of
funds to the new HOPE
Scholarships program and
Georgia pre-k.
Since then, more than 2 mil
lion college students have
received HOPE scholarships or
grants, while lottery revenue has
supported more than 1.7 million
pre-kindergartners, Corbin said.
Kemp said some Georgia stu
dents have benefited from both
programs, both at the beginning
and end of their academic
careers.
“The impact of lottery-funded
HOPE scholarships and pre-k
goes far beyond the classroom,”
the governor said Thursday. “It
makes our workforce stronger
and the state more sought after
by job creators. ... Georgians
win every day with the lottery.”
This story is available through
a news partnership with Capitol
Beat News Service, a project of
the Georgia Press Educational
Foundation.
DDS offers tips
to teens getting
their permit
By Erica Jones
ejones@dawsonnews.com
The Georgia Department of Driver Services (DDS) is
offering several helpful tips and tricks to teens who are
looking to earn their driver’s permit.
To receive a driver’s permit in Georgia, teens must pass
a Road Signs and Road Rules test. According to a release
by the DDS, one common mistake is thinking that these
tests will be easy or obvious to pass.
“While the Road Signs section does not typically give
applicants trouble, passing the Road Rules portion of the
exam is tricker and proven by a 68.02 percent pass rate,”
the release said.
In order to have the best chance of passing the exam, the
DDS recommends that teens take the time to study ahead
of the test.
“Data shows that studying for the permit test is crucial
for not only obtaining a Permit, but it helps make safer
drivers,” DDS Commissioner Spencer R. Moore said in
the release. “The first step is to study the official Georgia
Driver’s Manual, which can be found on the DDS website,
or it can be downloaded on the free mobile app DDS 2
GO.”
Teens can also take a practice test on the DDS website
at https://online.dds.ga.gov/ddsgeorgiagov/practicetest/
index.aspx.
According to the release, a few other helpful tips are to:
Plan ahead. Make sure to bring the necessary docu
ments to the learner’s permit test. A list of these docu
ments can be found at https://dds.georgia.gov/how-do-i-
leamers-permit. The majority of teens taking the test will
need to bring an origin^ birth certificate, proof of school
enrollment and residency requirements. The DDS also
asks for teens to provide their full social security number,
although they do not need to see the social security card.
Be wary of fake websites and apps claiming to have the
“Georgia DMV” test answers or study sheets. Many of
these are an attempt to steal personal information or
money. Reliable information and practice tests can be
found on the official DDS website or mobile app for free.
Plan to visit at a less crowded day and time. While teens
don’t need an appointment to take the test, planning ahead
can help provide a shorter wait. According to the release,
Tuesday is the business day for service statewide. For a
shorter wait, those taking the test are encouraged to visit in
the middle of the week and during the middle of the day.
Applicants under the age of 18 must bring a parent or
guardian, responsible adult or authorized driver training
instructor with them to sign their license/ID/permit form.
The responsible adult must provide paperwork to show
their relationship.
For complete driver testing and issuance information, go
to www.dds.georgia.gov or download the free mobile app
DDS 2 GO.
Sawnee EMC introduces new Solar
Renewable Energy Credit program
'As Sawnee EMC grows, the ener
gy needs of its members continue
to evolve. Today, many businesses
are interested in renewable ener
gy, but few may want to own or
install solar panels of their own.'
Company press release
©S AW NEE
An Electric Membership Corporation
" We’re More Than Electricity, We’re Service.”
By Erica Jones
ejones@dawsonnews.com
Sawnee Electric
Membership Corporation
recently announced that
its board of directors has
approved a new Solar
Renewable Energy
Credit (REC) program.
According to a press
release by the corpora
tion, the new program
allows participating
members to achieve their
renewable energy goals
without having to install
and maintain solar pan
els themselves.
“As Sawnee EMC
grows, the energy needs
of its members continue
to evolve,” the release
said. “Today, many busi
nesses are interested in
renewable energy, but
few may want to own or
install solar panels of
their own.”
Sawnee EMC mem
bers participating in the
program will receive
retired renewable energy
credits (RECs) from
Sawnee EMC’s solar
generation projects locat
ed in south Georgia.
“Solar RECs represent
the energy generated by
the many utility scale
solar projects from
which Sawnee buys
power,” the release said.
“While buying an REC
is not equivalent to buy
ing electricity, it does
fully represent and
include 100 percent of
the clean energy attri
butes of renewable elec
tricity.”
While the program
was originally open to
only commercial and
industrial accounts, it is
now open to other mem
bers on a first come, first
served basis.
“This new program
allows for flexibility
within the commercial
sector, where a business
may have multiple loca
tions or lack the infra
structure to install their
own solar panels,” Vice
President of Member
Services Blake House
said in the release. “Our
solar REC program can
help members offset
their environmental
impact or meet certain
renewable energy goals,
depending on what their
mission happens to be.”
The REC program
operates on a voluntary,
month by month basis
with no contract.
Members can purchase
RECs equal to either 50
or 100 percent of their
monthly energy usage
for an additional $0.01
per kWh. Members par
ticipating in the program
will continue to be billed
on their normal rate
schedule, and an addi
tional line item will be
added for the RECs that
they purchase, the
release said.
“Meeting and exceed
ing our members’ needs
is a daily focus for the
staff of Sawnee EMC,”
President and CEO
Michael Goodroe said in
the release, “and with
our new Solar
Renewable Energy
Credit Program, we can
further help our mem
bers achieve their energy
objectives.”
Sawnee EMC mem
bers who are interested
in learning more about
the solar REC program
can call 770-887-2363 or
email marketing®)
sawnee.com.
Dawson County Humane Society
a no kill shelter
706-265-9160
Doggy Spotlight
Meet Paisley! Hello there big world! My name is Paisley and I am a
gorgeous red and white Spaniel Mix. All my legs are white and red
speckled and I have mesmerizing chocolate brown eyes that will melt
your heart! I weigh about 30 pounds and am estimated to be 1.5 years
old. I would need an adopter that could give me that patience, time, and
love that I need to transform into the brave, independent girl that I know
I can be! I am quite frightened of kids, men, and loud noises
(I need a home with women only). I would benefit from a dog friend to
play with and teach me how to be a dog. I am house-trained too.
I will chase cats. I am currently available for adoption. If you are
interested in meeting with me, please fill out an application or call the
Humane Society of Forsyth County at 770-887-6480, Tuesday through
Saturday, for more information. All my love and kisses, Paisley
Paisley
For more information contact the 706-265-9160 | 633 Martin Rd, Dawsonville
Dawson County Humane Society Adjacent to the Rock Creek Sports Complex
Visit our RESALE SHOP & BOUTIQUE
Wed. - Sat. 10 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. | 54 S. Lumpkin Campground Rd.
Dawsonville
ANH Collision
(igx ) Veterinary
Specialists
Hospital
706-216-0992
706-265-8381
103 Industrial Park Road,
Dawsonville
All proceeds benefits
the Humane Society
Bradley M. Maple
CPA, PC
706-216-2362
2390 Thompson Rd • Ste 100
Dawsonville
Image courtesy Unsplash
