Five Things You Need To Know July 12

Good morning Lilburn. It's Tuesday, July 12. Here's your daily digital checklist of things to know today.

1. Ballot Watch: Scott Batterton, who holds one of four seats, says he’ll seek re-election Nov. 8. Batteron holds the Post 2 council seat, one of two that will be on the ballot (the other is Johnny Crist's Post 1 seat). Lilburn also will elect a mayor, currently held by Diana Preston. “Yes, I plan to seek re-election,” Batterton said. “The city is at a tipping point where revitalization and renewal is possible. A continuum of leadership can help make it easier.” Preston and Crist have not yet made their intentions public. The qualifying period for the positions is Aug. 29-Sept. 2. Qualifying fees are $150 for mayor and $105 for council.

2. Heat Advisory: Like you need to be advised that it’ll be darn hot outside today. But it’s smart to pay attention this time. The National Weather Service has issued a heat advisory, with a heat index (the opposite of wind chill, for sure) of 105 or more. The real temp is expected to be pushing 100. Stay hydrated and out of the sun — if you can. To make matters worse, there’s a Code Orange alert for unsafe air today, too.

3. Fire Fighters in Action: A press release sent out to media Monday afternoon by the Gwinnett Fire and Emergency Services Department made this nobody’s-gonna-argue-with-you statement: “If you think it’s hot just being out in the summer sun, throw on an extra forty-five pounds of firefighting gear, and a self-contained breathing apparatus, and rush into a burning building.” We get it. Today, 25 fire recruits will demonstrate it live during a training program at the Gwinnett County Fire Training Academy in Dacula, beginning around 10 a.m. Check back with Patch Wednesday to see images from the event.

4. Stars Come Out Tonight: Mid-summer’s best reason to stay inside (beating the heat is an added benefit) is tonight’s annual Major League All-Star Game, beginning at 8 p.m. ET in Phoenix, another hot place. Check out Atlanta Braves Brian McCann (our own Brian McCann from Duluth), Jair Jurrjens, Chipper Jones, Craig Kimbrel and Jonny Venters, all on the National League roster. Oh great, there’s like 18 Yankees on the AL roster (actually eight, but you get the point), which will give Fox announcers plenty of chances to grate on our nerves.

5. Speaking of Braves: Those of the Gwinnett variety will be on hand at the Lilburn (4801 Lawrenceville Highway) this Saturday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Still-to-be-named Gwinnett Braves will pose for photos and sign autographs (food samples and the Chick-fil-A cow will be part of the program, too). If you haven’t noticed, our local Chick-fil-A is an active community member on a regular basis.