About Dawson County news. (Dawsonville, Georgia) 2015-current | View Entire Issue (June 5, 2024)
Wednesday, June 5,2024 dawsonnews.com I DAWSON COUNTY NEWS I 3B Dawson ivents Listings in Dawson Events are free and available to nonprofit organiza tions sponsoring free or low-cost events for the public. Groups may submit notices by fax at (706) 265- 3276 or via email at editor@dawson- news.com. The Dawson County Woman's Club, a nonprofit service organiza tion, meets on the first Monday of each month except July and August (no meetings) and September (second Monday). Monthly membership meetings feature guest speakers, discussions and planning for upcoming events and activities. Annual events include a picnic in June, a Christmas banquet, and our fund raiser fashion show, luncheon and silent auction. For dates, times and locations of our meetings and events, please visit www.dawson- countywomansclub.org Dawson County Chapter No. 970 of Vietnam Veterans of America meets at noon the sec ond Monday of each month at the Dawson County Board of Education Professional Development Center. Members and guests meet for "Breakfast" each Friday at Papa's Place between 7:30 a.m. and 9 a.m. For more information call Chapter President Bill Martin at 706-809- 2573. The Dawson County Republican Party meets on the third Monday of each month at the Dawson County Board of Education Professional Development Center at 28 Main Street, with a social at 6 p.m. and the meeting beginning at 6:30 p.m. Food and refreshments are provid ed, and a donation is encouraged. Contact Lisa Lillemon at 770-500- 6871 for more information. Dawsonville Fellowship AA meetings are heldTuesday, Thursday and Saturday at 8 p.m. (Open) at Grace Presbyterian Church on Hwy 9. Call 706-429- 4517. Court mandated welcome. The National Alliance on Mental Illness offers support group meetings for family mem bers of the mentally ill every sec ond and fourth Tuesday of the month. They are held at the United Way in Cumming and start at 6:45 PM. Reservations are not required. For more information, go online to NAMIFDL.ORG The Veterans Affairs of Dawson County (VADC) spon sors an annual pancake breakfast, the Walk of Flonor at Veterans Memorial Park, and ceremonies for Veterans Day, POW/MIA Day, and Memorial Day. Membership is open to individuals who aspire to associate with the organization and be responsible for programs and events that serve the Veteran popu lation of Dawson County. Meetings are open and occur the 3rd Wednesday in February, 1st Wednesday in May, 4th Wednesday in August, 1st Wednesday in October. For more information con tact Rob Wiley at VeteransAffairsDC@outlook.com. The Dawsonville Lions Charities, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) orga nization that supports financial contributions and referrals to Georgia Lions Lighthouse for free eye exams, glasses, hearing-aid assistance and more serious eye care.The Dawsonville Lions Club meets the 1st and 3rdThursdays of each month (except December) at Papa's Place Restaurant. Dinner is at 6 PM.The meeting starts at 7 PM. dawsonvillelionsclub.com Trinity Church, 2685 Steve Tate Highway in Marble Hill, offers free groceries for those in need as part of its "Hope for the Hungry" minis- try.Those in need can pick up free groceries on the fourth Monday of every month from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at theTrinity Church campus. For more information, call 770-893- 2682. Celebrate Recovery Dawsonville meets every Friday night at Cross Bridge Church. Come out and enjoy a free meal every Friday night at 6:15-6:45. Large group starts at 7:00.This is where we learn to overcome any hurt, habit, or hangup that you may be experiencing. Small groups start at 8:00. 751 Hwy. 53 East Dawsonville, Ga.; 678-858-2443. Court mandates welcomed. The Amicalola Regional Farmers Market will take place every Saturday beginning on April 27 and running through Oct. 19. The market will be located at the city's farmers market pavilion, will run from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. or until sold out and will feature wares from a wide variety of local ven dors. For more information, go to https://www.facebook.com/amica- lolafarmersmarket/. Good Shepherd Clinic of Dawson County provides a Free medical clinic for Dawson's unin sured adults every Thursday 9:00 am to 4:30 PM. For more informa tion or an appointment call 706- 426-9914. Eligibility is required. Patient Eligibility Requirements are: • 18 years old and over • Live, work or attend school in Dawson County • Do not have health insurance • Income at or below the 200% Federal Poverty Level Stories from the once-incredible friend of mine There was once a friend I had who was incredible. Remarkable. Exciting. Too splen did for any adjective in the English language. She is still my friend. But she no longer fits any description above. What she is now is what most of us are — ordinary. Normal. And, too often, downright ho- hum. But once? Once, she was an adventuress who lived out experiences — often exotic and tantaliz ing — then returned to her native South to recite the story in the most beautiful language. Spellbound, other friends and I listened to her tales, and I, for one, tried to tattoo into my brain some of the gorgeous phrases that dripped alluringly from her tongue. A female Hemingway is what she was. On a moment’s notice, she dashed off to Africa to see giraffes and elephants wandering, unre strained. Once, she spent an entire summer in Paris, pretending she belonged not to the South but to the poets and writers who littered the Left Bank. “Would you like to have dinner on Wednesday?” I asked once on the phone. “No, no,” she replied absentmindedly as I heard her flipping through her mail. “I’m leav ing Tuesday for Brazil. A quail hunt.” As my rare fortune would have it, I had recently read an article about hunting being illegal in Brazil. “If you’re goin’ huntin’ in Brazil, I hope you’ve found a good attorney to rescue you from dreary prison life,” I replied. At that moment, I knew, she stopped look ing at her mail. “Why, on earth, would you say such a thing?” “Brazil doesn’t allow hunting. I’ll send you the news story.” Unfazed, she shrugged it off. “Then, we’ll hop over to Venezuela or visit a rain forest.” She yawned slightly. “Though that wouldn’t be tremendous fun because I’ve already seen a rain forest.” She was sophisticated in a way that, admit tedly, I admired. She read books that were slim volumes of poetry and used intellectual parlance. Once, she had come to spend the weekend with me, having no grander place to visit — though she did admit that seeing a place called Blood Mountain where, once, two tribes had warred against each other to the point that blood coursed down the mountain and trickled across the Appalachian Trail, was as almost as fetching as the Denali had been — and this I will remember always: I went to bed after midnight but she stayed up to read Dante. Around four in the morning, I slipped out of bed for a glass of water and from the darkened kitchen, I could see her on the sofa, still read ing by a soft-lit lamp, completely absorbed. Delight is what she almost always brought to me because her stories were engaging and the freedom of her life — provided by a trust fund that was mostly funded by Coca-Cola stock purchased in the 1930s — was awe inspiring. In those days, the most I could hope for was a week’s stay in Daytona Beach or, using frequent flier miles and money scrimped together for years, a week in Ireland. Then, it happened. The day I learned that I would no longer live vicariously through her carefree journeys, my heart broke. It was the end of a happy era. While in Washington, D.C., where she was visiting a friend who was an ambassador or someone of an equally grand tide, she met a charming man and, in her typically impulsive way, eloped within days. Quickly, his charm evaporated and several years later, after five shots of Scotch — the only woman I’ve ever known to drink hard liquor — she admitted what a grievous folly it had been. Her flowery language had wilted and her carefree ways — children can be a damper on free-spirited folks — had melted away like ice cream in the Monte Carlo summer. I’m not sure who regrets it more — she or I. Ronda Rich is the best-selling of the new novel, “St. Simons Island: A Stella Bankwell Mystery.” Visit www. rondarich.com to sign up for her free weekly newsletters. RONDA RICH Columnist Some light, summertime pasta dishes In the colder months, I love a bowl or plate of spaghetti and meatballs, or a meaty lasagna. That being said, as we head into the warmer months, I still love pasta, but I want some thing lighter. Here are some delicious pasta dishes that are perfect alongside grilled chicken, pork chops, fish or steak. Great news! Even a nor mally heavy Fettuccine Alfredo can be lightened up and yet still taste decadent. 1/3 cup parme- san cheese, grated In a skillet, melt the butter. Add the lemon zest and gar lic, cooking for a minute. Meanwhile, cook the spaghetti in plenty of boiling, salted water. When pasta is cooked al dente, reserve Vi cup of the water, and then drain the pasta. Add pasta to the skil let with the garlic butter. Add cheese, salt, pepper, and lemon juice, tossing to combine. Taste for season ing and add more lemon juice if desired. Top with more lemon zest and cheese. ADLEN ROBINSON Columnist Lightened Up Fettuccine Alfredo % cup parmesan cheese, finely grated 2 tablespoons heavy cream 1 egg, lightly beaten 1 Vi teaspoons cornstarch 1 teaspoon lemon zest 2 tablespoons olive oil Vi teaspoon salt 14 teaspoon pepper 1 pound fresh fettuccine pasta 1 teaspoon garlic, minced 2 tablespoons butter 'A cup parsley, minced In a bowl, combine par mesan cheese, heavy cream, egg, cornstarch, lemon zest, salt and pepper. Cook pasta in plenty of salted, boiling water. When pasta is done, reserve 2 cups of the pasta water and drain the pasta. Add the garlic and butter to the hot pasta, stirring to combine. Slowly whisk in Vi cup of the hot pasta water to the cheese mixture. Add the pasta, tossing to com bine. Top with parsley and more cheese to serve. Lemon makes everything taste better! Make this as lemony as you want. Pasta al Limone 5 tablespoons butter Zest of 1 lemon 1 tablespoon lemon juice, plus more to taste 1 clove garlic, minced !/2 teaspoon salt !/2 teaspoon pepper 1 pound spaghetti If you have only ever had pesto from a jar of the store bought stuff, you really owe it to yourself to try this reci pe. Most traditional recipes call for pine nuts. If you have ever bought pine nuts, you already know those lit tle nuts cost a fortune. You don’t need too many to make this pesto, but if the cost is prohibitive, just use walnuts instead. The taste is slightly different, but your pesto will still be delicious. Pesto Alla Genovese 2 cloves garlic, chopped 2 tablespoons pine nuts, or walnuts, lightly toasted Vi cup basil leaves Pinch of salt 14 cup parmesan cheese, grated 2 tablespoons Pecorino Romano cheese, grated % cup olive oil In a small food processor, pulse garlic, salt, and pine nuts. Add cheese and basil, pulsing to combine. Slowly add olive oil, pureeing until smooth. Taste for season ing. Bring a large pot of salt ed water to a boil. Add pasta of your choice and cook until al dente. Drain pasta and toss with some of the pesto. Pasta Puttanesca 6 tablespoons olive oil, divided 4 cloves garlic, minced 4-6 anchovy fillets, Kim Ick, Unsplash minced Vi teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes 14 cup capers, minced 14 cup kalamata olives, pitted and chopped 1 cup whole canned San Marzano tomatoes, chopped 8 ounces spaghetti 14 cup parsley, minced 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated 14 cup Pecorino Romano, grated In a skillet, add 4 table spoons of the olive oil and heat to medium heat. Add garlic, anchovies, and crushed red pepper flakes. Cook for 4-5 minutes. Add capers, olives, and toma toes, simmering while you cook the pasta. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until al dente. Reserve 1 cup of the pasta water and drain the pasta. Add the pasta to the skillet, along with 1-2 tablespoons pasta water, tossing to combine. Add a little more pasta water if needed. Top with both cheeses, and parsley. Pasta Primavera 12 ounces asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces 12 ounces broccoli flo rets 1 Vi cups frozen peas, thawed 4 tablespoons butter 2 tablespoons olive oil 2 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed 14 cup pine nuts 6 ounces creme fraiche 2 teaspoons lemon zest 2 teaspoons lemon juice 1 pound fresh pasta, such as fettuccine Vi cup fresh basil leaves, chopped Vi cup parsley, chopped Vi cup parmesan cheese, grated Bring a pot of water to a boil. Add salt. Add aspara gus and broccoli and cook for 4-5 minutes until crisp tender. Drain and immedi ately immerse in an ice bath to stop the cooking. When cool, drain the vege tables and spread out on a kitchen towel, patting them very dry. Meanwhile, in a skillet, heat the butter and oil over medium heat. Add the gar lic and pine nuts, stirring constantly. When the nuts begin to brown, remove and discard the garlic cloves. Add the blanched asparagus and broccoli and the peas, stirring to com bine. Cook the pasta in plenty of boiling, salted water. Reserve 1 cup of the pasta water and drain the pasta. Add the pasta to the skillet, along with the creme fraiche, lemon zest, lemon juice, basil, and parsley. Add a little pasta water until sauce is loosened. Top with grated parmesan. Adlen Robinson is an award-win ning columnist and author of “Organic Food and Kitchen Matters.” You can email her at adlen@adlenshomematters.com. Man sentenced for federal, local sex crimes By Julia Hansen juliahansen@dawsonnews.com A local man also sentenced in federal court recently pleaded to multiple sex crimes for two cases in Dawson County, according to docu ments filed May 13, 2024. Dennis Laron Brown, 28, pleaded guilty to one count of child molestation and six counts of sexual exploitation of children in two separate local cases. In February, Brown pleaded guilty to one count each of distributing child por nography and possessing child pornog raphy for the federal case. Previously, Brown was federally indicted in March 2022 for distributing child pom on Oct. 17, 2019 and having it on Jan. 14, 2021. Three other charges were dismissed as part of his federal plea agreement. In April 2022, Brown was indicted in the first Dawson County case for child molestation against a victim under 16 years old between New Year’s Day 2013 and 2015. In October 2022, Brown was indicted in the second local case for having videos and images of young children being sexually abused stored on his phone on Feb. 16 of that year. At the time of Brown’s arrest that February, he was on pretrial release for the first Dawson County case. Sentences Brown was sentenced to six years in custody for the federal case and the local cases. He will serve the custodial part of his sentence for all three cases at the same time. He will get credit in the local cases for already having served almost a year in jail. The federal court recommended that Brown serve time in federal prison for any part of the federal sentence not served in state custody, according to an amended judgment filed Apr. 26, 2024. As part of the amended federal sen tence, Brown must also pay restitution totaling $16,000 to each of the child vic tims depicted in the pornographic con tent linked to the case. Upon his release from custody, Brown will have to be on federal proba tion for 10 years. At the same time, he will also be on the first decade of his probation for the local cases. After that, he will have to serve 20 more years of local probation. Brown’s federal probation terms include strict provisions such as his requirement to provide access to his per son, belongings and financial informa tion when asked; using credit cards or opening a new line of credit without approval and complying with mental health and sex offender-specific treat ment. Under his supervised release terms, Brown will also not be permitted to visit adult novelty stores, any places where minors could gather or locations where illegal controlled substances are, his fed eral sentencing document stated. The local probation conditions include similar terms allowing authori ties to monitor Brown.
