About Dawson County news. (Dawsonville, Georgia) 2015-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 12, 2020)
Tigers win the 2019- 20 Region 7-AAA Tournament. SPORTS, 1B 150 kids receive free smiles at event. g A INSIDE, 8A WEDNESDAY I FEBRUARY 12, 2020 DaWSOflNeWS ^COITI DAWSONVILLE, GEORGIA $1.00 Board discusses Second Amendment proposal By Alexander Popp apopp@dawsonnews.com At a Dawson County Board of Commissioners’ work session on Thursday, Feb. 6, the board heard a pro posed resolution seeking to make Dawson County a “Second Amendment Sanctuary County.” The proposal, which was reportedly submitted by a member of the commu nity and representative of the local Republican Party, would seek to bar any state or federal firearm law deemed unconstitutional by the county, by blocking funding for any party recog nizing such law and banning all employ ees under the purview of the board from providing any support or participation in such firearm legislation. After the resolution was briefly intro duced by Commission Chairman Billy Thurmond, County Attorney Angela Davis told the board that because any ordinances or laws pertaining to fire arms are not under direct control of the board, the proposal would need to be reworked or clarified to fall within their authority. “Under state law, we in local govern ment are preempted by laws in the area of gun control, because it’s a state area of regulation,” Davis said. “So while this proclaims that we won’t even pass laws that implicate the Second Amendment, we don’t have the authori ty to do that anyhow.” However, Davis said that the “long form” resolution could be adopted by the board with certain clarification as to who the board has the ability to control and what they have the ability to regu late. “Because obviously we can’t control the operations of the sheriff’s office, or the probate court, or the district attor ney’s office or the superior court and so forth. So there was language added to make that clear,” she said. “Just to be clear that we’re not intending to over step and tell other elected officials what they can and can’t do.” The second option, what Davis called a “short form” of the resolution would reportedly uphold the county’s commit ment to the Second Amendment, com mit to making no ordinances that would infringe upon the right to bear arms, throwing support behind the Dawson County Sheriff and his discretion to enforce firearm laws. “The short form, candidly, I think stays very clearly within the lane of what you have control and authority over,” Davis continued. “The other ordi nance as presented, while we did narrow it, is still fairly broad in terms of the fact that you really don’t enforce gun laws, that’s something that’s left to the sheriff and the courts.” See Sanctuary 14A Dawson hit by rain and snow Ben Hendren Dawson County News Unfazed by the driving rains, Dawson County teens test floodwaters filling the parking lot of River Park on Thursday, Feb. 6. j Jessica Taylor Dawson County News The Dawson County Courthouse and its surrounding plants are adorned with snow on Feb. 8. Dawson County saw around 4 to 5 inches of snow on Saturday. County sees historic flooding, first snow of 2020 days later By Jessica Taylor jtaylor@dawsonnews.com Dawson County seems to have weathered all four seasons this past week. The week started off warm and sunny and ended with torrential rainfall and snow. Heavy rain buf feted Dawson County on Feb. 6, causing multiple road closures and flooding of local streams and rivers. Though the rain slacked off slightly on Friday, the drop in temperature made for the perfect conditions for a snowy Saturday. Around 9 a.m. on Feb. 8, large snowflakes began accumulating across the county, causing dan gerous road conditions that lead to multiple reports of stuck vehi cles and accidents on the county’s busiest roads. Some areas in the county reported more than four inches of snow, providing plenty of sup plies for building snowmen and conducting snowball fights for hours. By Monday morning, the snow was gone and the rain returned to stay for several days. INSIDE More photos of this week's weather events inside. I 3A { rti Y t vfod\ ) if?/ £ \L iYMi/T , Rmi, Vii ' t^ frl 1 if f i Ben Hendren Dawson County News Sticks and debris collect around an Etowah River water marker on Thursday, Feb. 6. Turner family to revitalize Gold Creek golf course By Jessica Taylor jtaylor@dawsonnews.com More than a decade after its initial closure, the Gold Creek Golf Club is eyeing a grand reopening. Over the last 18 months, owners Mike, David, Diane and Grady Turner, have been working to restore the original 18-hole golf course to its former glory and are looking reinstate the venue as a Dawsonville golfing staple. “We’re making progress pretty much every day, but the rain has hurt us,” Grady Turner said on Monday. “That’s slowed us down greatly, but you know, we’re still making progress.” The golf course has been closed since the summer of 2008 when golfers arrived for their tee times to find the doors locked and a note on the door stating the business was closed. But in December 2010, local business man Kenneth Turner, Grady’s father, emerged and purchased the business along with the surrounding 335-acres, including the clubhouse, golf course and several adjacent home lots for $900,000 — less than half the appraised value. See Gold Creek 14A AMS unveiling pace car with Chase Elliott during Dawsonville race fan event From staff reports Dawsonville’s own Chase Elliott will join Atlanta Motor Speedway for the unveiling of the Speedway’s special 60th anniversary pace car on Wednesday, Feb. 19. The pace car reveal will kick start an afternoon full of activities at the Georgia Racing Hall of Fame in Dawsonville to get race fans revved up for Georgia’s NASCAR race, including opportunities to meet hometown driver Chase Elliott. The day’s activities will begin with the first look at Atlanta Motor Speedway’s 60th anniversary pace car, which features a special livery paying homage to the Speedway’s historic past. See Pace car 14A 0 9 0 9 9 Inside Volume 4, Number 81 © 2020, Dawson County News Dawsonville, Georgia Church Events 3B Classifieds 7B Dear Abby 6B Deaths 2A Legals 8B Opinion 9A Sports 1B 6A River Park closed due to storm damage 7A Fire Marshal deputized at state capitol NORTHSIDE FAMILY MEDICINE & URGENT CARE DAWSON 81 Northside Dawson Drive, Suite 100 Dawsonville, GA 30534 Monday - Sunday: 8:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m. Call 706-216-6000 for an appointment NorthsideUrgentCare.com Welcoming New Patients! Northside Family Medicine & Urgent Care is here for the needs of your entire family. You'll find a commitment to personalized care, with a focus on communication. For your busy lifestyle, we offer extended office hours and weekend appointments to help you find time for the routine medical care you and your family need. We accept most insurance plans, and offer a convenient location for the Dawsonville community on the Northside/Dawson Medical Campus. Services • Routine medical care • Blood sugar checks and diabetes management • Hypertension screening and management • Allergy treatment • Physical exams (by appointment only) • Sports/School physicals
