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t*ZJ OUR REGION
Shannon Casas | Editor in Chief
770-718-3417 | news@gainesvilletimes.com
The Times, Gainesville, Georgia
^ Monday, October 29, 2018
Seven
BY NATE MCCULLOUGH
nmccullough@
gainesvilletimes.com
One home was
destroyed and another
damaged by fire Sunday
afternoon in eastern
Hall County.
Hall County Fire Ser
vices responded to an
emergency call Oct.
28 in the 3300 block
of Greenleaf Lane off
Gaines Mill Road after
residents saw smoke
coming from the garage,
according to a statement
from spokesman Capt.
Zachary Brackett.
Arriving units found
a single-family home
with heavy fire in the
people displaced by
garage and extending to
the attic. Brackett said
firefighters attempted
an offensive attack,
but assumed a defen
sive posture as flames
spread rapidly.
The home is consid
ered a total loss, accord
ing to Brackett. Two
adults and five children
were displaced and are
being assisted by the
American Red Cross.
A home next door,
approximately 40 feet
away, also sustained
damage to the vinyl
siding.
No injuries were
reported and the cause
is undetermined, Brack
ett said.
Photos courtesy of HALL COUNTY FIRE SERVICES
Hall County Fire Services fights a blaze at a home on Greenleaf
Lane on Sunday.
east Hall blaze
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SCOTT ROGERS I The Times
“Just” People residential development in Flowery Branch is nearing completion Thursday, Oct. 25, and the grand
opening will happen in December.
JUST
■ Continued from 1A
come from “Just” People resi
dential complexes in Roswell
and Lilburn.
“Just” People is a Norcross-
based nonprofit organization
that helps residents with condi
tions such as autism and issues
related to traumatic head inju
ries, among others.
The program works with
people who are considered
“high-functioning,” or those
who don’t need help bathing,
feeding and dressing, accord
ing to “Just” People’s website.
The complex is just off
McEver Road near Flowery
Branch, featuring apartment
buildings, a dining hall, full
kitchen and a courtyard larger
than a football field.
The courtyard, with a
planned gazebo and fire pits,
will be a social gathering spot
for residents. The area will
be landscaped with trees and
other plants.
Future plans call for build
ing a gymnasium on the
property.
“We want it to have more of
a campus feel than a regular
apartment complex,” Ivey has
said.
In addition to programs and
services, residents also will
get help finding jobs thanks to
“Just” People efforts.
Those interested in becom
ing residents must go through
an application process, attend
a day program, then stay one
or two nights “to see if they like
the program,” Ivey has said.
There are fees and rents in
the program, but residents can
reduce costs by having room
mates. The complex features
1-, 2- and 3-bedroom units.
“Just” People seeks dona
tions and other funding, Ivey
said.
‘We want it to
have more of a
campus feel than a
regular apartment
complex.’
Kyle Ivey
“Just” People
project manager
PHOTOS COURTESY KYLE IVEY I For The Times
Work is almost completed at the “Just” People residential community for the
disabled in Flowery Branch.
ABOVE: A finished apartment inside the almost completed “Just” People
residential community for the disabled in Flowery Branch. BELOW: A balcony
porch at the residential complex.
Trump set to
visit Georgia in
support of Kemp
BY GREG BLUESTEIN
Tribune News Service
PEARSON — If ever there was a place to tout President Don
ald Trump’s endorsement, it’s this quiet town of 2,000 in south
Georgia.
Pearson is the seat of Atkinson County, which gave Trump his
biggest margin of victory in the 2016 primary, and the dozens who
showed for a Brian Kemp rally had the president on their minds.
As he often does, though, the Republican contender for gover
nor stuck to state-specific issues — and attacks on his Democratic
opponent Stacey Abrams — during his Friday trip to Pearson and
every other stop on his rural bus tour.
If the president has occupied an unusual space in this cam
paign, his role is about to change even more significantly. National
media outlets reported Trump is set to stump for Kemp in Macon
on Sunday, just two days before the Nov. 6 election.
His visit, along with Vice President Mike Pence’s plans to join
the campaign trail with Kemp on Thursday, will inject the White
House directly into a race for Georgia governor that has largely
steered clear of national issues in recent weeks.
While many of his supporters obviously support Kemp, the sec
retary of state has largely avoided talking of Trump or his agenda
on the campaign trail. Instead, he’s more likely to bring up Nathan
Deal and Sonny Perdue — the last two Republican governors —
as he talks of extending their legacy.
Abrams, who once launched a website devoted to resisting
Trump’s policies, has treated the president in a similar fashion.
At a string of her own recent campaign stops, she didn’t mention
Trump and stuck to policies she’s highlighted since entering the
race, such as expanding Medicaid.
She also could counter with her own presidential firepower.
Barack Obama endorsed her campaign earlier this year, and he
could include Georgia on a string of stops he’s planned before the
election.
For Kemp, the approach to Trump marks a stark contrast from
earlier in the campaign, when he directly tied himself to Trump
and even unveiled a “Georgia First” mantra inspired by the presi
dent’s slogan. And Trump’s endorsement of Kemp days before the
July GOP runoff helped to turbocharge his victory over Lt. Gov.
Casey Cagle.
In an interview, Kemp said there was no deep strategic motiva
tion behind the shift.
“I’m trying to stay on the Georgia message. People know both
candidates. They do not know how extreme Stacey Abrams is.
They don’t know about her agenda,” he said. “It’s clear I have the
president’s support — it’s not strategic. ”
Abrams has taken a similar approach. She’s condemned
Trump’s selection of Brett Kavanaugh for the U.S. Supreme Court,
but otherwise, she has mostly steered clear of federal debates
even as a string of potential 2020 candidates have campaigned
with her.
Georgia Democrats are wary of turning the race into a refer
endum on Trump — and possibly further energizing Republicans
— in a state he carried by 5 percentage points. Still, some of her
backers see the race as a chance to reject Trump.
Amy Spray felt so alienated by both Trump and Hillary Clin
ton that she skipped the vote and went on a long hike instead. She
woke up the next day shocked by the results — and determined
to get engaged in this election. She’s enthusiastically backing
Abrams.
“I was very naive, ” said Spray, a reflexologist in Toccoa. “And I
won’t make that mistake again.”
SOUTH FORSYTH
Water main break
closes high school
BY BRIAN PAGLIA
bpaglia@forsythnews.com
South Forsyth High School will be closed today due to a
nearby water main break, according to school district officials.
School staff and students will have an online learning day,
according to Jennifer Caracciolo, director of public information
and communications for Forsyth County Schools.
According to Caracciolo, the water main break was discov
ered Sunday and has left three-fourths of the school without
water, including the cafeteria.
Repairs are scheduled to be made this morning, according to
Caracciolo, which the district is hopeful will be completed later
in the day.
Information regarding afterschool athletics and activities
will be posted on the school’s website around noon.
FOUNDER
■ Continued from 1A
Monkey Barrel with his leaf blower.”
The Monkey Barrel closed Dec. 31, 2016, under Albert
Reeves, who had been the owner since 2013. A fine dining Ital
ian restaurant, Novella’s, opened at the site in September 2017
and closed in July 2018.
Today, the building sits vacant.
Jones also was passionate about the outdoors.
He was an avid Whitewater canoeist and enjoyed fishing on
the beach. According to his obituary, donations can be made to
Chattahoochee Riverkeeper in lieu of flowers.
