Politics & Government

Woman Wins $400K in Lottery; Storm Pounds Gwinnett

Here are some top Patch headlines not far from Roswell.

 - Duluth Patch

An Alpharetta daycare worker stumbled upon prize money from the Georgia Lottery during an afternoon walk in Alpharetta. Patsy Wehby of Duluth won a $400,000 prize playing the instant game 20X The Money, lottery officials reported.

Wehby, 56, claimed her prize recently at the Georgia Lottery District Office in Duluth.

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The mother of three was out for a walk when she stepped into the , where she purchased her lucky ticket, according to lottery officials.

 - Norcross Patch

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A car chase Tuesday afternoon in unincorporated Norcross ended with authorities finding $300,000 worth of methamphetamine, according to WSBTV.com.

Georgia State Patrol told the news station that they attempted to pull over a Jeep Cherokee traveling on I-85 South, but the driver didn't stop. Instead, he sped off when he saw the lights on the patrol's car.

He got off the Beaver Ruin Road exit, crashed into another vehicle and landed in the  parking lot.

Authorities found 15 pounds of meth in the Cherokee. Joel Martinez, the alleged driver and 32-year-old from Michoacan, Mexico, is being charged with drug trafficking and was taken to Gwinnett County Jail.

 - Marietta Patch

The Cobb County animal shelter recently received new energy-efficient air conditioning units, ceiling renovations, new lighting and energy-efficient windows.

The $295,000 in renovations were funded by the 2011 SPLOST, which .

The pad-mounted air conditioning units will "help keep temperatures down and significantly reduce the spread of airborne diseases," as well as "provide the appropriate amount of ventilation, proper cooling and dehumidification," according to the county's website.

 - Alpharetta Patch

Alpharetta City Council decided to move forward with plans to talk with the cities of Milton and Johns Creek about cooperation and sharing of resources for Parks and Recreation.

Milton is eager, but has few resources and fewer parks. Johns Creek has plenty of Park and Recreation assets, including Ocee Park and Newtown Park, but hasn't come to a consensus on working with Alpharetta.

Ocee Park is a special source of frustration for council members who live in the Kimball Bridge Road area. The park is completely surrounded by Alpharetta subdivisions. About half of the participants at the Johns Creek park have been Alpharetta residents. But Councilman D.C. Aiken said Johns Creek stopped following an understanding the two cities had about non-resident fees at the park, drastically raising them.

 - Suwanee Patch

The storm that hit Gwinnett County on Tuesday evening (July 10) caused house fires in the Suwanee and Lawrenceville areas and downed trees and power lines in Peachtree Corners.

Gwinnett Fire/Emergency Services Capt. Tommy Rutledge said neighbors witnessed a lightning strike to a house in the 700 block of McKendree Lake Way in Lawrenceville, between Lawrenceville and Suwanee. Firefighters found heavy fire in the attic on arrival.

Crews quickly contained the flames to the attic and kept it from spreading to the rest of the home. The blaze caused significant damage to the attic, but left the roof intact.


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