Newspaper Page Text
Serving Braselton, Hoschton, Chateau Elan, Traditions, Reunion, Deaton Creek and West Jackson $1.00 copy
Wednesday, August 9, 2023
Vol. 16 No. 35 A publication of MainStreet Newspapers, Inc. www.BraseltonNewsTODAY.com 12 pages
Lanier Chrisitian Academy
breaks ground on new facility
Lanier Christian Academy has started construction on a new school
building, slated for completion in 2024-25 PAGE3A
Panthers facing Eagles inThurs. scrimmage
The Jackson County football team will face rival East Jackson Thursday on the road in
its preseason scrimmage
PAGE7A
South Hall
Flowery Branch man
killed in I-985 shooting,
suspect arrested
AFlowery Branch man was
shot and killed in Gainesville
early Friday morning (Aug.
4) by a passenger in his ve
hicle, according to a press
release from the Hall County
Sheriff’s Office (HCSO).
The victim has been iden
tified as Jeremiah James
Bonds, 23. A suspect, Deon
Altron Ellison of Gaines
ville, was arrested on charges
of felony murder, aggravated
assault and aggravated bat
tery, according to the HCSO.
Ellison was taken into cus
tody at a location north of
Gainesville on Aug. 4 just be
fore 7:30 p.m. He was spot
ted by a Gainesville Police
Department investigator and
arrested by two Hall County
Sheriff’s Office deputies.
Hall County Sheriff’s Of
fice criminal investigators
became aware of the shoot
ing just after 1:30 a.m.
when they found a witness
to the crime at the entrance
ramp from Jesse Jewell
Parkway to 1-985 north
bound. The vehicle, with
the victim deceased inside,
was found nearby.
Investigators, so far, have
determined Ellison and the
witness were in the vehi
cle with the victim exiting
1-985 northbound at Exit
24/Jesse Jewell Parkway.
Ellison and the victim be
gan to argue, and as the
argument escalated, Ellison
pulled a handgun and shot
the victim in the head. The
vehicle traveled through
the intersection and into
a ditch where it came to a
stop.
Ellison fled the scene in
the direction of the Rabbit-
town community.
WELCOME BACK
Photo by Ben Munro
West Jackson Elementary School students were greeted with bubbles as they returned to school
on Thursday (Aug. 3). See page 6Afor more back-to-school pictures.
Hoschton
City of Hoschton proposes
2.954 millage rate for 2024
Hoschton leaders have
proposed a millage rate of
2.954 to fund its Fiscal Year
2024 budget that will be fi
nalized in December.
The city council plans to
set its millage rate at its Aug.
21 at 6 p.m. voting session.
The 2.954 rate meets the
rollback rate required to
avoid a tax increase. Last
year’s millage rate was 3.5.
The new rate will produce
an estimated $1 million in
COMING UP
•Hoschton millage rate vote, Aug. 21,
6 pm
property tax revenue.
Hoschton, after years of
not levying taxes, intro
duced a property tax in 2022.
Among the reasons cited for
the tax was to help fund the
city’s growing police depart
ment — which now has four
offices — and pay for road
improvements.
INSIDE
HALL COUNTY
GEORGIA
Hall planners recommend
against South Hall wedding
venue
PAGE 3A
INDEX
News...
1A-SA, 12A
Opinion
4A
Public safety
SA
School,,,
6A
Sports ,„
Ik
Social ,„
8A
Ob tuaries...
9A-10A
Classifieds HA
MAILING LABEL
o
Jackson Co. Schools
Intruders who entered JCHS
arrested in Gwinnett County
Wesleigh Sagon
Two male intruders reportedly entered Jackson
County High School on Thursday (Aug. 3). They
were arrested by Gwinnett County authorities on
Friday (Aug. 4). The intruders also reportedly en
tered Winder-Barrow High School on Thursday.
By Ben Munro
ben@mainstreetnews. com
Two of three intruders
who entered both Jackson
County and Winder-Bar
row high schools Thursday
(Aug. 3) have been appre
hended.
According to a press re
lease from the Gwinnett
County Sheriff’s Office,
Christian Lebron Williams,
20, and Lamonte Dianell
Smith, 21, were arrested in
Gwinnett County on Aug.
4. The third suspect, Jay-
wan Edwards, remains at
large, according to a Face-
book post by the Barrow
County Sheriff’s Office.
Williams and Smith, both
of Gwinnett County, have
been charged with disrup
tion of public schools and
loitering on school proper
ty-
The investigation of the
incident revealed that Wil
liams had outstanding war
rants related to firearms
charges in May.
The Gwinnett County
Sheriff’s Office, Jackson
County Sheriff’s Office,
Gwinnett County Police
Department and Barrow
County Sheriff’s Office
have worked in conjunction
during the investigation.
On Thursday, the Jackson
County Sheriff’s Office in
vestigated a report of two
young male intruders who
entered Jackson County
High School (JCHS) on the
first day of classes.
The males were identified
as two of the three individu
als who caused a lockdown
at Winder-Barrow High
School (WBHS) on the
same day.
According to a note sent
from JCHS leaders to JCHS
parents, the school’s staff
identified and approached
See Intruders, page 3A
Hoschton
Hoschton qualifying
now set for Aug. 23-25
The City of Hoschton will not
hold qualifying this week for its
regular and special elections set
for Nov. 7.
After an error in the city’s
public notice listed qualifying
dates as Aug. 7-9, Hoschton has
now announced Aug. 23-25 as
its qualifying dates.
Qualifying will be held from
8:30 a.m. to noon and 1-4 p.m.
daily at Hoschton City Hall, lo
cated at 61 City Square.
Hoschton will have five open
seats between its regular and
special elections.
The city is holding regular
elections for three council seats
whose terms expire in 2024. Up
for grabs in those races are the
seats of Tracy Carswell, who
said he won’t seek re-election;
Hoschton qualifying
•New Hoschton qualifying dates, Aug. 23-25,8:30
am. to noon, 1-4 pm. daily at 61 City Square
Debbie Martin, who won a
council seat in 2022 to fill the
unexpired term of Shantwon
Astin; and the former seat of
Adam Ledbetter, who stepped
down in February.
Meanwhile, Hoschton’s
special elections will fill the
seats of former mayor Lauren
O’Leary, who resigned on July
5, and former councilman Scott
Mims, who stepped down in
March.
Those terms don’t expire until
2026.
The qualifying fees are $360
for mayor and $180 for the
council seats.
Braselton
Braselton Town
Council to
hear Friendship
Rd. apartment
proposal
By Ben Munro
ben@mainstreetnews. com
A developer asking to replace a proposed
senior living community on the western edge
of Braselton with an apart- ^
merit complex will pitch his . Pub[i[hean
plans to the town council Thurs Ayg ]Q ^
after failing to earn a rec- pim j raselton Police
ommendation of approval a nd Municipal Court
from the town’s planning
commission.
The proposal will go be
fore the Braselton Town Council during an
Aug. 10 (4:30 p.m.) public hearing with a po
tential vote on Aug. 14 (7 p.m.).
See Apartments, page 3A
