Waffle House Issues Call for Photos for 2014 Calendar Contest

If you love your Winder, Auburn or Statham Waffle House, here's your chance to show it!

Calling all Waffle House lovers! The restaurant chain — a southern staple with its anytime breakfast offerings, Bert's Chili, Lib's Patty Melt and, of course, waffles — wants to see why WaHo is one of your favorite places to dine. The company, which is headquartered in Norcross, Ga., has issued a call for photos for a contest to fill its 2014 calendar.  So if you love Waffle House, head out to one of Barrow County's three locations — Winder, Auburn or Statham — and snap an awesome picture. Then click here to submit your photo and enter.  The contest is open to both amateur and professional photographers and submissions can be anything from an photo of food to your favorite Waffle House employee. Thirteen pictures will be selected from …

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Several Residents Have Recently Reported Being Victims of Fraud — Take Advantage of Not Just One But Two Free Credit Reports Annually

You can thank the Fair Business Practices Act and request both copies to ensure no one has stolen your identity or your personal financial information.

On April 10, a Statham resident reported to the Barrow County Sheriff's Office that 11 financial accounts had been fraudulently opened in her name.  On April 17, a Winder woman reported someone had used her bank card information to make three unauthorized purchases from Walmart.com for 277.14, $614.40 and $338.15. On April 12, 13, 17 and 19, five separate complainants reported someone had fraudulently filed their tax returns. To ensure you are not a victim of identity fraud and that no one has used your personal financial information, you can request not just one but two free credit reports yearly. Georgia's Fair Business Practices Act entitles residents to two free credit reports from each of the three reporting agencies. The Better …

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Find Out More About New Braselton Area Hospital

Northeast Georgia Health System plans to build a 100-bed facility adjacent to the existing River Place Medical Plaza 1 on Thompson Mill Road.

Representatives from Northeast Georgia Health System will be available Thursday evening, May 2, to discuss the new 100-bed hospital facility being built near Buford on Thompson Mill Road. The meeting, which will include a construction update and provide attendees with the opportunity to see new architectural renderings, will begin at 6 p.m. at the Braselton Stover House at 5257 Ga. Highway 53 in Braselton.  The new hospital will include an emergency department, diagnostic services and more. Construction of the facility is under way with a target completion date of spring 2015. NGMC Braselton is expected to create 500 new jobs in the area. For more information about the new hospital and the May 2 event, visit the NGMC Brasleton website. …

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Census Bureau: U.S. Businesses Show First Rise in Employment Since 2008

The mining, quarrying and oil and gas extraction sector showed the most significant increase in employment from 2010 to 2011.

While U.S. businesses have shown the first rise in employment since 2008 — based on data for the year 2011 — this is the fourth consecutive year the number of businesses in the U.S. have declined, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.  Total employment in all U.S. business sectors was 113.4 million in 2011, an increase of 1.5 million employees from 2010. The mining, quarrying and oil and gas extraction sector showed the most significant increase in employment — 12 percent from 2010 to 2011. According to the Census Bureau, there were 7.4 million U.S. businesses with paid employees for 2011, down 42,585 establishments from 2010. These new findings, released today, April 30, are from "County Business Patterns: 2011," which the Census Bureau …

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Chateau Elan Completes $1.2 Million in Renovations

The makeover includes renovations to all 24 bedrooms and bathrooms, living area, kitchen and exterior of the resort's Villas.

Recent Reviews Posted for Nail Salon, Child Care Facility and Handyman Service

Read what Barrow Patch users have to say about local businesses and share your own reviews.

Did you know you can rate and review hundreds of Barrow area businesses and restaurants in our directory? Businesses are rated on a scale of one to five, with five stars being excellent and one star indicating a poor rating. Recent reviews were posted for the following businesses:  Want to share your opinion about a local business? Visit the Barrow Patch Directory, search for the business you want to review and look for the "Rate this business" link directly beneath the company name. Subscribe to Barrow Patch’s newsletters, follow us on Twitter and “like” us on Facebook.

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Featured Business of the Week: Dali Mama Consignment in Winder

This store sells gently-used apparel and household items and also accepts consignments.

Barrow County residents can learn more about local businesses, read reviews by other customers, post their own reviews and more by visiting the Barrow Patch business directory. While potential customers can benefit from the information in the directory, business owners can reap rewards as well. Owners who claim their directory listing can take advantage of several free business tools, including the ability to better interact with customers. Thank you to Dali Mama Consignment for claiming its free directory listing: Dali Mama Consignment This business offers a selection of apparel and household items, including clothing for men, women and children, accessories, linens, furniture, art, books and jewelry. Individuals are welcome to bring …

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Violations Observed During Recent Restaurant Inspections Include Malfunctioning Equipment and Improper Cooling Methods

Find out how Barrow restaurants and places that offer food services scored on recent health inspections.

Want more information on how restaurant inspection scores are calculated? Click here to view the form inspectors use.  The Northeast Health District reports the following health inspection scores for Barrow County.    The Georgia Club Golf Club, 1050 Chancellors Drive, Statham  Score: 82 Date of routine inspection: April 10, 2013 Critical violation:  Non-critical violations:     Chen's Garden, 1296 Atlanta Highway, Suite F, Auburn  Score: 93 Date of routine inspection: April 8, 2013 Non-critical violations:    Captain D's, 54 E. May St., Winder  Score: 97 Date of routine inspection: April 3, 2013 Non-critical violation:    Mistico Mex-Mes Bar and Grill, 425 Loganville Highway, Winder  Score: 97 Date of routine inspection: April 5, 2013 Non…

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