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Serving Braselton, Hoschton, Chateau Elan, Traditions, Reunion, Deaton Creek and West Jackson $1.00 copy
Wednesday, October 26, 2022
Vol. 15 No. 46 A publication of MainStreet Newspapers, Inc. www.BraseltonNewsTODAY.com 12 pages
Panthers miss out
on playoff spot
The Jackson County football team put up a late rally against Lanier but fell
short of qualifying for a postseason spot
PAGE 10A
Scenes from
Sheila Fest
See scenes from this past weekends
Sheila Fest at Traditions of Braselton
PAGE12A
Sing it loud
Photo by Ben Munro
Sheila Anderson (left) joins Mark Myers of the band Redneck Blonde to sing the chorus of The Who
classic, “Baba O’Riley,” during Saturday’s (Oct. 22) Sheila Fest at Traditions of Braselton. Sheila
Fest is a a tribute Anderson, a Traditions of Braselton resident. Sheila Fest was first launched in
2017 after Anderson suffered a massive heart attack. Initially restricted to Traditions of Braselton
residents, the event has grown to include the public.
Political forum
Candidates talk about
maintaining small-town
feel in Hoschton
Photo by Ben Munro
Hoschton City Council candidates (L to R)
Tammy Sweat, Christina Brown and Debbie
Martin listen to instructions prior to an Oct. 18
INSIDE
See photos of the Braselton
Antique Festival
PAGE 5A
INDEX
Public safety
5A
Classifieds
11A
Obituaries
8A-9A
Opinion
4A
Sports
10A
By Ben Munro
ben@mainstreetnews. com
Three candidates vying for
an open Hoschton City Coun
cil seat voiced similar views on
growth — one of the town’s
oft-cited issues — during an
Oct. 18 political forum ahead
of the Nov. 8 special election.
In an event held at the
Hoschton Depot, all three
— Christina Brown. Debbie
Martin and Tammy Sweat —
expressed a desire to main
tain a small-town feel in the
fast-growing city while seek
ing to work with the Georgia
Department of Transportation
for some measure of traffic
control on Hwy. 53.
They also fielded a question
about revenue from the city’s
recently passed property tax
among other topics in the near
one-hour event hosted by the
Hoschton’s Women’s Civic
Club and moderated by Jack-
See Forum, page 3A
Hoschton
Application for
Hoschton car
wash withdrawn
By Ben Munro
ben@mainstreetnews. com
Developers of a proposed
car wash that’s generated op
position from residents of a
Hoschton subdivision have
withdrawn their rezoning ap
plication.
The Hoschton City Council
on Monday (Oct. 24) voted to
accept the withdrawal from
applicant Kenneth Whitworth.
Whitworth had sought a rezon
ing from mixed use to com
mercial motor vehicle service
and repair for a car wash on
1.38 acres on Hwy. 53 and Ea
gles Bluff Way. The proposed
location was near Hoschton’s
Creekside Village subdivision.
A public hearing over the car
wash was held in September,
but the zoning decision was
tabled for a month due to the
placement of rezoning signage
creating public confusion over
the exact location of the car
wash.
Whitworth told the council
in September an in-town car
wash was a needed new busi
ness that would save Hoschton
residents from having to cross
over 1-85 for car-washing ser
vices.
But multiple residents from
the Creekside Village subdivi
sion spoke against the request,
saying the business would hurt
their home values and wouldn’t
fit with the character of the
downtown corridor.
City planner Jerry Weitz had
recommended denial of the re
quest.
DEPOT TO BE T EASED
POTENTIALLY,
CITIZEN RESPONDS
The council on Monday
approved an intergovernmen
tal agreement (IGA) with the
city’s downtown development
authority (DDA) to market and
lease the city's historic train
depot. Carol Tanner, howev
er, requested that the council
See Hoschton, page 3A
Hall Co.
Braselton man claiming
to be a ‘psychic healer’
arrested by Gainesville
PD for $70K
Gainesville police on Fri
day (Oct. 21) arrested a Bra
selton man claiming to be a
psychic healer for allegedly
scamming a couple out of
$70,000, according to a post
from the department. Authori
ties believe there may be other
victims.
Gainesville investigators
have charged Jackson Wil
liam Ramirez-Reyes for six
counts of theft by deception.
According to the press release.
Ramirez-Reyes claimed to be
scam
Ramirez-Reyes
a psychic healer that “would
make promises that he very
See Psychic, page 2A
MAILING LABEL
Photo by Ben Munro
A variance has been granted to move a historic home on Davis St.
to another location on Davis St. near Braselton Brewing Company.
Braselton
Variance approved to
relocate 122-year-old home
By Ben Munro
ben@mainstreetnews. com
Plans to move a downtown Braselton
historic home — saved last year from
demolition — can proceed.
The Braselton Zoning Board of
Appeals on Wednesday (Oct. 19)
unanimously approved a variance
that will allow a 122-year-home to be
moved onto a location on Davis St. in
side a stream buffer protection area. The
new location, near Braselton Brewing
See Home, page 6A
South Hall
Arrest made
in child
pornography
investigation
Agents with the Hall County Sher
iff's Office (HCSO) and Georgia
Internet Crimes Against Children
(ICAC) Task Force arrested a Buford
man on Wednesday afternoon. Oct.
19, during a child pornography inves
tigation, according to an HCSO press
release.
Agents executed a search warrant
Wednesday at the home of Anthony
J. Mayer, 59. in the 3000 block of
Windgat Dr. Agents took Mayer into
custody without incident and seized
several electronic devices from his
See Arrest, page 2A
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