About Dawson County news. (Dawsonville, Georgia) 2015-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 17, 2024)
Wednesday, January 17,2024 dawsonnews.com I DAWSON COUNTY NEWS I 5A No One Alone fundraiser set for Feb. 3 By Julia Hansen juliahansen@dawsonnews.com Area residents will soon have the chance to support local victims of family violence in Dawson and Lumpkin counties through an inspir ing annual event. Local nonprofit No One Alone will host its 23rd annual “Winter’s Walk” gala benefit Feb. 3 at Forrest Hills Resort in Dahlonega to raise money for its various programs and shelter costs, according to its executive direc tor, Cara Ledford. People can have fun while donating to a good cause through purchasing tickets and attending the gala, spon soring the benefit and taking part in the event’s silent auction. Law enforcement veteran and con sultant Mike Mertz will be the event’s guest speaker, Ledford added. More event details are available at www.noonealone.org/benefit. No One Alone is actively seeking donors to help the nonprofit fund a new shelter, Ledford told DCN. “We have purchased land and have a completed set of architectural plans and will break ground in February,” Ledford said. “We have a goal to raise $750,000, [and] we currently have close to half of the funds raised.” The nonprofit is looking for donors who would like to sponsor things including but not limited to the cost of a shelter room, landscaping and/or grading, what Ledford also called “really any part of the [new] shelter.” “We really want to be in this new building by the first of 2025,” the executive director added. DCN file photo No One Alone serves people in Dawson and Lumpkin counties. The nonprofit’s shelter is located in the Dahlonega area. Safety is key when using heating sources By Julia Hansen juliahansen@ dawsonnews.com With temperatures pre dicted to drop below freezing throughout this week, it’s important to make sure heating sourc es don’t become safety hazards. Half of home heating fires are reported between the months of December, January and February, stated a statistic from the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA). With the help of Dawson County Fire and Emergency Services, DCN has compiled this list of tips for area resi dents using different types of heating sources. General heating rules • Test smoke alarms at least once a month. • Keep a heater or other heating source at least three feet or one meter away from anything that could bum. This includes people. • Keep heating sources out of the way from foot traffic and room exits. • Turn off and unplug heaters when you leave a room or go to bed. • Have a qualified pro fessional install stationary space, water or central heating equipment. Electric heaters Many people may opt for a portable electric space heater to keep their homes warm nowadays. While this can be a safe way to heat one’s house, two in five deaths in space heater fires involve porta ble electric space heaters, according to the National Fire Protection Association. The NFPA offered the following tips to guide people in getting and safe ly using electric space heaters: Choosing the right heater for you • Buy a heater with the seal of a qualified testing laboratory. You can buy an oil or water-filled radiator heater or one that’s fan- forced, ceramic or infra red. • Choose a heater with a thermostat and overheat protection. Where to place the heater • Put the heater on a solid, flat surface. • Make sure the heater has an auto-shutoff to turn itself off if it tips over. • Plug the heater direct ly into a wall outlet. Do not use an extension cord, as that poses a fire risk. • Use the right kind of fuel for fuel-burning space heaters as specified by the manufacturer. Fireplaces, chimneys and stoves • Check that your fire place has a sturdy screen to stop embers from flying into the room. • Make sure ashes are cool before putting them in a metal container, and keep that container outside at least three feet away from your home. • Have heating equip ment and chimneys cleaned and inspected on a yearly basis. • Do not use your oven to heat your home. • Follow a manufactur er’s instructions when installing wood-burning stoves or have a profes sional do it. Fuel-burning equipment should be vent ed to the outside to avoid carbon monoxide or CO poisoning. • Before lighting a fire, check that it’s safe to do so. Look for any signs of creosote. • Avoid burning unsea soned wood. Fires burning this type of wood can use up a lot of energy at first to get rid of the water in the logs that the resulting smoke ends up cooler than if seasoned wood is used. • Do not burn paper in your fireplace or wood stove. KITCHEN INSPECTIONS '^BURGERS et FRITES Photo courtesy Unsplash/Elodie Agodor Staff reports Dawson County’s most recent kitchen inspections included local spots and chain restaurants. Following inspections, restaurants are given a letter grade that coincides with a percentile: ‘A’ (90- 100), “B” (80-89), “C” (70- 79), “U” or unsatisfactory (69 and below). Kitchen rules are avail able at https://dph.geor- gia.gov/environmental- health-inspections. Health scores are listed below as of press deadline. To register a complaint against a food service establishment, contact the Dawson County Environmental Health Department at 706-265- 2930. Jan. 11 Chestatee Golf Club Location: 777 Dogwood Way, Dawsonville Score: 97; Grade: A Jersey Mike’s Subs Location: 145 Forest Blvd. Ste. 425, Dawsonville Score: 94; Grade: A Jan. 10 Burger King no. 9957 Location: 21 Medical Center Dr., Dawsonville Score: 97; Grade: A Jan. 9 Dawsonville Pool Room Location: 9 Bill Elliott St., Dawsonville Score: 97; Grade: A Jan. 8 North Georgia Senior Living Location: 181 Memory Ln., Dawsonville Score: 100; Grade: A Bojangles no. 2021 Location: 749 Ga. 53 W., Dawsonville Score: 94; Grade: A Jan. 5 J & S Kitchen Location: 326 S. 400 Center Ln., Dawsonville Score: 90; Grade: A Kajun Seafood of Dawsonville Vinh Inc. Location: 30 Industrial Park Rd. Ste. 140, Dawsonville Score: 91; Grade: A Jan. 4 Five Guys Burgers & Fries Location: 143 Power Center Dr. Ste. 150, Dawsonville Score: 100; Grade: A Takoz Express Location: 30 Industrial Park Rd. Ste. 140, Dawsonville Score: 87; Grade: B The restaurant received a grade of A- for the fol lowing reasons: Proper cooling time and temper ature. Beef was stored in containers in a reach-in cooler with temperatures of 55-58F. Dec. 20 Quality Inn Location: 127 Beartooth Pkwy., Dawsonville Score: 100; Grade: A Sakura Hibachi & Sushi Location: 12 Dawson Market Wa7 Dawsonville Score: 97; Grade: A Photo by Unsplash/Hayden Scott Howto deal with creosote Creosote is a residue that is highly combustible or flammable. Enough buildup and high internal flue temperatures could lead to a chimney fire. Creosote can be black or brown, crusty and flaky, tar-like, drippy and sticky and/or shiny and hardened. Creosote can be caused by restricting a chimney or wood stove’s air sup ply, closing a device’s glass doors, not opening the damper wide enough or by closing down a wood stove’s damper or air inlets too soon or too much. For more tips, go to the National Fire Protection Association’s home fire safety webpage at https:// www.nfpa.org/Education- and-Research/Home-Fire- Safety or the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s chimney safety webpage at www.usfa. fema.gov/prevention/out- reach. Visit us for a FREE COOKIE Experience our warm, gooey, award-winning MILK CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE when you visit us in store Dawsonville Crumbl 12 Dawson Market Way Unit 200, Dawsonville, GA 30534 One chocolate chip cookie per coupon. Expires 2/10/24
