Newspaper Page Text
Serving Braselton, Hoschton, Chateau Elan, Traditions, Reunion, Deaton Creek and West Jackson $1.00 copy
Wednesday, May 10, 2023
Vol. 16 No. 22 A publication of MainStreet Newspapers, Inc. www.BraseltonNewsTODAY.com 12 pages
Toast to Braselton
Scenes from the Braselton DDA's Cinco De Mayo-themed Toast to
Braselton' event
PAGE 7A
New wrestling coach
Jackson County High School has named Mountain View's Jim
Gassman as its new wrestling coach
PAGE 8A
Double murder
Braselton man charged with murdering his parents
Hall County Sheriff's
deputies arrested a Bra
selton man on Friday eve
ning, May 5, for the murder
of his parents, according to
a report from the sheriff's
office.
Daniel Edward Rawlins,
39, is charged with two
counts of malice murder
in the deaths of Leanette
Rawlins, 66, and William
Rawlins, 67, at their home
in the 5000 block of Union
Rawlins
Church Rd.
The cause of the deaths
was not available at press
time. The victims’ bodies
have been sent to the GBI
Crime Lab for autopsy.
According to the Hall
County Sheriff's Office re
port, deputies responded to
the home at approximately
4:30 p.m. on Friday, when
another family member
found William Rawlins
unresponsive in the yard.
Deputies located Leanette
Rawlins, who was also un
responsive. on the porch
of the house. Deputies
searched the house and a
barn apartment on the prop
erty for safety reasons be
fore Hall County Fire Res
cue assessed both victims,
whom were deceased. The
suspect, Daniel Rawlins,
lives in the apartment on the
property but was not there
when authorities arrived.
The investigation, which
included use of Flock cam
eras, provided information
indicating the car Daniel
Rawlins was driving was
near 1-85 in Braselton. The
search led deputies to the
Holiday Inn Express and
Suites off of 1-85 and Hwy.
211 in Braselton. Depu
ties and officers evacuated
the hotel prior to arresting
Daniel Rawlins without in
cident in a hotel room just
before 7 p.m.
The Braselton Police De
partment (BPD), a Barrow
County Sheriff's Office unit
and the Georgia State Patrol
assisted with the effort at
the hotel.
Braselton officers helped
secure stairwells and hall
ways at the location, ac
cording to a BPD report.
Rawlins then reportedly
exited the hotel and fol
lowed commands from
law enforcement to show
his hands and lay on the
ground.
Cinco de Mayo party
The Braselton Downtown Development Authority hosted its Cinco de Mayo-themed Toast to Bra
selton fundraiser on May 4 at the Braselton Civic Center. The evening included the sounds of the
band, Mariachi Nuevo Jalisco.
INSIDE
Drift Atlanta returns
to Braselton area this
week PAGE 8A
News... 1A-3A
Opinion... 4A
Public safety... 5A
Social... 6A
School/Social... 7A
Sports 8A
Obituaries... 9A
Classifieds... 11A
Braselton
Braselton enters into license agreement
with charter school organization
By Ben Munro
ben@mainstreetnews. com
A national charter school organi
zation seeking to lease the former
West Jackson Primary School from
the Town of Braselton will continue
its preliminary work.
No lease agreement has been
reached, but the Braselton Town
Council voted Monday (May 8) to
authorize Town Manager Jennifer
See School, page 3A
Photo by Ben Munro
A national organization seeks to open
a charter school at the old West Jack-
son Primary School campus, which is
owned by the Town of Braselton.
Hoschton
Annexations,
rezonings
sought major
developments
Jackson Co.
commissioners
formally object to
annexations
Hoschton leaders will hear
annexation and zoning requests
for a pair of proposed large-scale
developments that would add a
combined 1,400 residences to the
city and a shopping center if ap
proved. Both annexation requests
received formal objections from
Jackson County’s commission
ers.
Public hearings for the two
developments are scheduled for
Thursday, May 11, at 6p.m„ at
Hoschton City Hall, located at 79
City Square.
Rocklyn Homes and the Prov
idence Group of Georgia seek the
annexation and zoning changes
for their respective projects.
Rocklyn Homes requests an
nexation and rezoning of 287.14
acres owned by Mary Ann
Kenerly and New Hope AME
Church along Hwy. 53 from ag
ricultural-rural farm district to a
PUBLIC HEARINGS
•Thursday, May 11, 6 p.m.,
Hoschton City Hall, 79
City Square
planned unit development (PUD)
for a major mixed-use develop
ment of 651 single-family lots,
404 townhome units and 200,000
square feet of commercial space
with 6.6 acres of outparcels.
“A centrally-located commer
cial component is proposed along
Hwy. 53 as a grocery-anchored
shopping center with attached
retail/commercial office uses and
several outparcels,” a letter on
behalf of the applicant said of the
commercial space.
The project would include 3.6
acres of civic space and 5.5 acres
of church expansion.
The property is situated on the
east side of Hwy. 53, south of
Pearl Industrial Ave. and across
from the southern portion of the
large Twin Lakes subdivision.
Two parcels of the proposed site
are owned by Kenerly, totaling
See Developments, page 12A
MAILING LABEL
O
Jackson Co.
Angry crowd packs town hall meeting
Photo by Mike Buffington
Like most of those who attended Monday night’s town hall meeting about
higher property assessments, this woman had brought her assessment pa
perwork with her.
Property
assessment
hikes get strong
public blowback
By Mike Buffington
mike@mainstreetnews. com
A large and angry crowd
packed into the Jackson
County Agricultural Center
May 8 for a town hall meeting
about why there are signifi
cantly higher property assess
ments in the county this year.
When it was over, many in
attendance didn't seem molli
fied by what they heard from
county officials.
Organized by commission
er Marty Clark, the town hall
session was scheduled follow
ing a public outcry over a large
jump in property assessments
across the county. Notices
of those reassessments were
mailed out two weeks ago.
A second town hall meeting
is slated for Thursday, May 11
at the Braselton Civic Center
starting at 6 p.m.
Around 1,000 people at-
See Meeting, page 3A
