Trying to avoid a decline in viewership, MTV plans to present a nationwide study of 1,800 young millennials to marketers and programmers.     More...

Eddy Cue, a senior vice president at Apple, denied the governments charges that the company was working with e-book publishers to raise prices.     More...

A brand of one of the worlds largest olive oil producers has embarked on a social media campaign to increase its name in the American market.     More...

William Sanford Nye, better known as Bill Nye the Science Guy, has gone from TV host to fierce defender of scientific issues that have been polemicized for religious, political and even economic reasons.     More...

DreamWorks Animation will supply Netflix with a flood of new episodic TV programs inspired by characters from past DreamWorks franchises, which include Shrek and The Croods.     More...

After posting a loss in the first quarter, Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia redesigned its print and digital offerings in hopes of returning to profitability.     More...

LinkedIns Influencers program, which consists of people in leadership positions posting about their lives and careers, has transformed viewer engagement on the site, its chief executive said.     More...

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Max Scherzer improved to 10-0 and struck out 10, Miguel Cabrera hit a two-run homer and the Detroit Tigers beat the Baltimore Orioles 5-1 on Monday night. More...

Max Scherzer improved to 10-0 and struck out 10, Miguel Cabrera hit a two-run homer and the Detroit Tigers beat the Baltimore Orioles 5-1 on Monday night. More...

Clayton Kershaw says having to discuss ongoing contract negotiations has become a distraction after it was reported over the weekend that he was making progress on a landmark contract. More...

Slumping Yankees first baseman Mark Teixeira could be heading back to the disabled list. More...

Nelson Cruz homered twice, A.J. Pierzynski drove in three runs and the Texas Rangers snapped a six-game losing streak with an 8-7 win over the AL West-leading Oakland Athletics on Monday night. More...

Rookie Shelby Miller pitched five shutout innings and Yadier Molina had a two-run double to lead the St. Louis Cardinals to a 5-2 win over the Chicago Cubs on Monday night. More...

Slumping Indians first baseman Nick Swisher received a cortisone shot in his sore left shoulder Monday and will be sidelined for Cleveland's next three games. More...

Giants right-hander Ryan Vogelsong will have his surgically repaired pitching hand re-examined Tuesday with the hope of taking another step in his recovery. More...

Albert Pujols had an RBI double among his four hits, Josh Hamilton hit a two-run homer, and the surging Los Angeles Angels pounded out a season-high 21 hits in an 11-3 victory over the Seattle Mariners on Monday night. More...

A big thank you goes out to all those who contributed items to help pets displaced by the tornados in Moore, Oklahoma. With generous donations from Gwinnett residents and people all over Georgia, the Gwinnett County Animal Shelter's pet food and supply drive was a tremendous success! Donations filled two tractor-trailers with 17 tons of supplies for animals in need. The County also raised more than $1,100 in donations to be sent directly to the city of Moore Animal Shelter. Thanks again to all those who showed Gwinnett's spirit of giving! More...

The Gwinnett County Police Department will host a job fair on Saturday, June 22 from 8:00am to 2:00pm for Police Officer and E-911 Communications Officer positions. The job fair will take place at the Gwinnett County Police Training Center, located at 854 Winder Highway in Lawrenceville.The Gwinnett County Police Department is a nationally accredited, full-service department with specialized units such as SWAT, K-9, DUI Task Force, and more. The department offers a competitive compensation/benefits package along with on-the-job training. Interested applicants are encouraged to apply before attending the fair on the Police Employment webpage.For more information about the opportunities available with the Gwinnett County Police Department, visit the Police Employment webpage. More...

ThePleasant Hill Road bridge over I-85 opened ahead of schedule on Sunday, June9 as a new Diverging Diamond Interchange. The DDI’s innovative design relieves congestion, improves safety and is less expensive than replacing the bridge. A DDI shifts traffic to the opposite side of the road, making left turns onto the interstate easier and improving the flow of traffic across the bridge. Construction will continue on the center median and pedestrian facilities while crews finalize the signals, interchange lighting and pavement markings. The project is expected to be substantially complete in September, with landscapingto begin in the fall. Once the project is complete, the bridge at Pleasant Hill Road and I-85 will be Gwinnett County’s first DDI and the second in Georgia. “We ask that drivers be especiallycautious and alert as they drive through this new type of intersection and keep in mind that construction is still going on," said Transportation Director Kim Conroy. “Gwinnett DOT will continue to monitor the corridor over the coming weeks and make signal timing adjustments to keep traffic flowing. Gwinnett Police will also be onsite through Thursday during peak hours to assist motorists with the change.” Pedestrian traffic should continue to use the detour route of Pleasant Hill Road to Satellite Boulevard to Steve Reynolds Boulevard to Shackleford Road to Pleasant Hill Road, and the reverse, for at least one month during the construction ofpedestrian walkways. Gwinnett Place CID Director Joe Allen said,“The Gwinnett Place business community is excited about the revitalization and mobility improvements this project brings to the area.” For information on how to drive the diamond, including a video rendering of the project, visit www.gwinnettDDI.com. More...

FOCUS ON is a monthly feature that tells how your county government employees focus on providing high-quality services to you each and every day.Our Gwinnett County Aquatics Team: Making pools fun and safe for all When you think about the boys and girls in blue, lifeguards aren’t the first people who come to mind, but they are the front line of safety in Gwinnett County’s aquatic facilities. Gwinnett County Parks and Recreation’s lifeguard program, one of the largest in Georgia, keeps swimmers safe at five state-of-the-art year-round aquatics centers, nine leisure pools, and five competition pools. Members of the aquatics team are committed to providing the most fun for residents while ensuring that water safety always remains the top priority. Read more about the Gwinnett County Aquatic Team. Our Swiftwater Rescue Team: Swimming to the rescue If you ever find yourself literally up a creek without a paddle, did you know there’s a whole team of people who will be there to help? Gwinnett has many recreational bodies of water, ranging from creeks and ponds to Lake Lanier and the Chattahoochee River, and in the Georgia summer heat, they’re a great way to cool off. However, these types of water bodies can change in depth quickly and are most often filled with currents. This type of water is called swiftwater, and there’s so much of it in Gwinnett County that the County’s Department of Fire and Emergency Services has a special team called the Swiftwater Rescue Team. Read more about the Gwinnett County Swiftwater Rescue Team. Past Articles:Our Neighborhood Stabilization Program: Fighting Foreclosures One Home at a TimeOur Grants Business Unit: Collaborating to meet the needs of the communityOur Performance Analysis Division: Driving change in the right directionOur Crime Prevention Unit: Working with apartment communities to reduce crime More...

Each spring during “kitten season,” thousands of newborn kittens join the millions of cats already in shelters across the country, so the American Humane Association has designated June as National Adopt a Shelter Cat Month. Due to the influx of cats and kittens, the Gwinnett Animal Welfare and Enforcement Center is running an “Adopt Two Special” on any kitten or adult cat throughout the month. Stop by the center and adopt a cat for $30 or two for only $40. The fee includes spay/neuter, first round of vaccinations, and a microchip. For more information on the Animal Welfare and Enforcement Center and pets available for adoption, visit the center’s webpage or call 770.339.3200. More...

The Gwinnett County Office of Emergency Management is offering free Community Emergency Response Team, or CERT training to Gwinnett County residents beginning June 11, 2013. These courses educate residents about disaster preparedness for emergencies that may impact their community. Residents are trained in basic disaster response skills such as fire safety, light search and rescue, team organization, and disaster medical operations. Courses are open to all Gwinnett County residents 18 years and older who pass a background check provided by the Gwinnett County Police Department. The training consists of eight sessions that take place from 6:30pm to 9:30pm on Tuesdays. A course review and disaster simulation will take place on Saturday, July 27 from 8:00am to noon. For more information or to sign up for the course, please email ema@gwinnettcounty.com. Please sign up soon; class size is limited to 25 participants. More...

On January 3, the Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners adopted a balanced budget for fiscal year 2013. The budget totals $1.463 billion, which is 7.1 percent lower compared to last year’s budget. It was prepared with input from six county residents and business people who served on the Chairman’s budget review committee and worked alongside elected officials and County staff to review departmental business plans and projected revenues. The budget preserves core services, maintains necessary reserves and addresses changes in legislation. It also adjusts for the loss of revenues resulting from a drop in property values, changes mandated by the consent order that ended the Service Delivery Strategy (SDS) litigation between the County and its cities, and the creation of the new city of Peachtree Corners. Commission Chairman Charlotte Nash said, “Thanks to strong support and insight from my fellow board members and other elected officials, candid input from the residents who served on the budget review committee and staff’s hard work, we have adopted a budget that maintains core services. Despite the loss of millions of dollars in revenue in 2013, we have worked hard to minimize the impact on property owners.” The budget for daily operations in fiscal year 2013 totals $1.058 billion, excluding one-time appropriations, up slightly more than one percent from the previous year. The capital budget is $404.7 million, a 21.6 percent decrease over 2012 that is primarily attributable to the completion of SPLOST projects in earlier years and the resulting decrease in SPLOST project budgets for 2013. The budget includes only $1.5 million in service improvements despite requests totaling $6.8 million; nearly 80 percent of the funding for these new items is due to the impact of legislative changes. It provides funding to handle the implementation of state-legislated tax and judicial reform, but very little else in the way of improvements could be funded. County employee pay raises are not included in the budget for the fourth consecutive year, and a 90-day hold on vacant positions will continue. The budget also includes increased revenue from the E-911 and streetlight fees, which the Board adjusted prior to the end of 2012 in order to keep those funds self-supporting. The SDS consent order required the implementation of new service districts for police, fire and emergency medical, and development and enforcement to provide these services and collect revenues only within certain geographic areas of the County rather than countywide. For example, the police service district includes unincorporated Gwinnett and the cities that do not have their own police departments. A fourth district, funded through a contract with the County, provides emergency medical services to residents of incorporated Loganville who live in Gwinnett. Creation of the police service district will have the greatest revenue impact, reducing the tax digest supporting this service district by approximately 20 percent. County revenues are down about $274 million since the recession began in 2008 due to a 25 percent decline in taxable property values, which puts the current tax digest at the 2005 level. Even as property values have declined, Gwinnett’s population has continued to expand, growing by about 130,000 residents between 2005 and 2012. Commissioners will set the millage rate for property taxes this summer, after assessments and appeals are completed in the spring. A millage rate will be associated with each of the new service districts; rates will depend on a property’s location, which determines what services are provided by the County. Under current estimates, the rate for residents who live in unincorporated Gwinnett County will increase by less than 1 mill, while residents in cities that operate a police department will experience a more than 1 mill decrease. Residents of cities that do not operate a police department should see an increase of less than .5mill. The greatest reduction in rates will occur within the city of Loganville, where property owners will pay County taxes only for the general fund, recreation district, and general obligation debt.Learn more about the 2013 budget by checking out the documents and video in the following links: 2013 Budget in Brief 2013 Budget Document – Complete Document Final Adopted 2013 Budget Resolution Adopted 2013 Budget Video More...

Walking and running outside are both fun and healthy ways to stay fit while enjoying the warmth of summer! Pedestrians are the most vulnerable users of the road, but with help from drivers, cyclists, and pedestrians combined, we can keep our streets safe for everyone. Below are some ways you can share the road and keep yourself and others free from harm: For drivers and cyclists: Always yield to pedestrians in the crosswalk – it’s the law! Don’t pass other vehicles stopped at a crosswalk; a pedestrian may be crossing. Watch for pedestrians when turning right on red, and proceed with caution. Be careful and go slow when large groups of people are around. Follow all rules of the road and always stay alert. For pedestrians: It’s always safest to walk on the sidewalks. If there aren’t any, walk on the left side of the road, facing traffic. When crossing the street, look both ways, especially for turning traffic, and only cross at intersections or crosswalks. Obey all traffic signals, and cross the street only on green or when the pedestrian signals say it’s safe to walk. Wear light colors and reflective clothing when walking or running, especially at night. Hold the hands of children when walking, and don’t let them play in the streets. Pay attention to your surroundings and make eye contact with drivers whenever possible. More...

Summer is just around the corner, and there’s no better way to make a splash this summer than enjoying the pool or visiting Lake Lanier! Gwinnett County Parks and Recreation pools will open for the summer on Saturday, May 25. Let’s keep Gwinnett healthy and safe this summer; check out these videos from Fire and Emergency Services, and follow these easy tips to make sure you’re swimming safely all summer long: Lock gates and doors to limit pool access, and use a pool cover when not in use. Always supervise children around water, and if a child goes missing, check the water first. Teach children to swim, and remind them of the dangers of unsupervised swimming. Make sure adults and experienced swimmers still swim with a buddy and in public areas. Wear a U.S. Coast Guard approved life jacket if you’re going to be around water or on a boat. Be careful around lakes and rivers, even if you don’t plan on going for a swim. Keep emergency telephone numbers and rescue equipment within reach. Learn CPR and how to use the rescue equipment at your pool. Cover pool drains and vents to prevent entanglement of hair or body. Mark water depths clearly, and use a float line to separate the deep and shallow ends. Always follow all pool rules and instructions from lifeguards. Don’t mix alcohol and water – it can impair your judgment, balance, and swimming skills. Check in advance for inclement weather, and take shelter accordingly. More...

Gwinnett County Parks and Recreation (GCPR) in partnership with Health and Human Services is celebrating Older Americans Month in May to honor and recognize older Americans for their contributions to our families, communities, and society. This year's theme, Unleash the Power of Age, highlights the significant contributions made by thousands of older Americans across our nation. GCPR will kick off the month with the Senior Art Showcase on May 1, featuring local senior artists showcasing their exclusive works of art in the atrium of the Gwinnett Justice and Administration Center. The exhibit includes artwork from patrons at Gwinnett’s Health and Human Services Centers and GCPR Community and Senior Recreation Centers. To see a list of the other events during the month of May, click here. Gwinnett County Parks and Recreation is proud to support Older Americans Month and the opportunity to show appreciation and commitment for our senior residents. For more information, call 770.822.8840 or visit www.gwinnettparks.com. More...