About Dawson County news. (Dawsonville, Georgia) 2015-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 20, 2019)
Wednesday, February 20,2019 dawsonnews.com I DAWSON COUNTY NEWS I 3A Rules change again for passing school buses By Joshua Silavent DCN Regional Staff The Georgia legislature on Friday, Feb. 15, reversed a con troversial change in state law approved last year that allowed motorists more leeway to pass stopped school buses. “I can rest a little easier tonight, and I believe that’s true for our school transportation directors and parents, as well,” state schools Superintendent Richard Woods said in a statement. For years, the law only allowed motorists traveling in the opposite direction of a school bus stopped along a four-lane roadway to pass when a median (grass, concrete, etc.) was in place. But a law passed in 2018 (as part of broader legislation that included capping fines for illegal ly passing a school bus at $250 per instance and gave local gov ernments the authority to establish cameras in school zones to catch speeders) changed this. It said that if a four-lane road has a center turn lane dividing each direction of travel, then motorists can legally pass a stopped school bus. The law was signed and took effect July 1. Opponents of the change, including administrators and transportation directors with both Gainesville City Schools and Hall County Schools, feared the new exemption would place students in danger, and create more accidents and unsafe bus stops. “Today, Senate Bill 25 was signed,” Woods said. “It revers es the change and takes effect immediately - it is once again clear that in Georgia it is illegal to pass a stopped school bus unless on a highway divided by a grass median, unpaved area, or physical barrier.” Last day for applications for Joe Dumphy Memorial Golf Scholarship is March 17 Photo for the Dawson County News Joe Dumphy was killed in a car wreck upon leaving Chestatee Golf Club in July 2015. By Jessica Taylor jtaylor@dawsonnews.com The application deadline for the fourth annual Joe Dumphy Memorial Golf Scholarship is less than a month away. The last day applicants can submit their applica tion is March 17. Joe Dumphy was a freshman at North Forsyth High School when he died in July 2015 after sustaining injuries in a car wreck as he left Chestatee Golf Club in Dawsonville. A memorial scholarship was estab lished in his honor by his family to financially assist junior golfers as they chase the college dream that Dumphy was not able to pursue. The memorial fund provided more than $15,000 in local scholar ships between 2016 and 2017. Last year, in what would have been Dumphy’s senior year of high school, the memorial fund far sur passed its record by providing $17,000 to local athletes. At minimum, the scholarship board will award a $5,000 college scholarship to one local college bound high school senior in Dawson or Forsyth County and additional scholarships to other deserving high school seniors in any county in Georgia. Eligible candidates are male or female high school seniors residing in any Georgia county that current ly attend a private or public school or are home schooled. They must also emulate Joe Dumphy’s charac ter and approach to life. According to the scholarship application, ideal candidates “excel academically; participate in activi ties that support their community; pursues extracurricular interests — with an emphasis on golf — and have demonstrated leadership and solid, faith-based moral character.” Candidates do not have to be on a golf team to apply. The application is available now at www.joedumphygolf.org. GDOT meeting to discuss express lane on Ga. 400 By Kelly Whitmire DCN Regional Staff The Georgia Depart ment of Transportation will conduct a series of meetings on upcoming express lanes on Ga. 400, including a meeting in Forsyth County. Meetings will take place at Hilton Garden in Alpharetta on Feb. 28; at the Forsyth Conference Center on March 5, at the DoubleTree in Roswell on March 7 and at City Springs in Sandy Springs and on March 12. Last year, the project received $184 million in Infrastructure for Rebuilding America, or INFRA, grant funding to add two express lanes on each side of Ga. 400 from the North Springs Marta Station in Sandy Springs to McGinnis Ferry Road and one express lane in each direction from McGinnis Ferry to McFarland Parkway. Express lanes are optional toll lanes along existing lanes aimed at allowing drivers to bypass congestion. Construction for the express lanes is slated to begin in 2021 and be completed by 2024. The lanes are not planned to reduce the number of normal lanes on the road, including new lanes funded through a $200 million transportation bond approved by voters in 2014. According to GDOT, the new lanes will add 65 miles of road and reduce traffic delays by 18 percent. Once other projects are completed, the new Ga. 400 lanes will tie in with express lanes on 1-285 between 1-75 and 1-85. The projects are one of 11 Major Mobility Investment program projects from around the state. The projects include interstate widen- ings for options of 1-85 and 1-16, commercial vehicle lanes on 1-75 near Macon and inter change reconstruction projects on 1-16 and 1-285. The projects total $11 billion. AFC Ankle & Foot Centers of North Georgia AnkleFoot-Centers.com For appointments please call: (706) 265-6600 Ankle & Foot Centers of North Georgia specializes in the latest in conservative and surgical management of conditions of the foot and ankle. 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