Newspaper Page Text
I2J OUR REGION
Shannon Casas | Editor in Chief
770-718-3417 | news@gainesvilletimes.com
The Times, Gainesville, Georgia
Wednesday, October 31,2018
Pro Touch offers reward for info on $50K burglary
BY NICK WATSON
nwatson@gainesvilletimes.com
Suspects in a burglary Friday
morning at Pro Touch Landscapes
cut the fence and ran an SUV
through it before leaving with
$50,000 in equipment.
Owner Ryan Thompson said it
happened around 4:45 a.m. Friday,
Oct. 26, at the Thompson Bridge
Road business in Gainesville.
Thompson said they discovered
the suspects — believed to be four
men — had “busted the front door
of our office, stole all of our equip
ment and drove off in one of our
trucks full of our equipment. ”
“They cut the fence, and then
they ran a car through our fence,”
Thompson said.
The Gainesville Police report
lists $50,000 in property loss,
including the $35,000 truck.
Thompson estimated roughly 40
items, which included blowers,
weed eaters, edgers, hedge trim
mers and chainsaws, were missing.
Thompson said they are offering
a $1,000 reward for information
leading to the arrest, “no questions
asked.”
Anyone with information is
asked to call Gainesville Police at
770-534-5252.
Photos by AUSTIN STEELE I The Times
Brian Kemp, Georgia’s Secretary of State and Republican candidate for governor, speaks to supporters Tuesday, Oct. 30, at
Longstreet Cafe.
KEMP
■ Continued from 1A
that blue wave down.”
Kemp had the support of
many Republican state politi
cians, including Gov. Nathan
Deal, U.S. Rep. Doug Collins,
state Sen. Butch Miller and
state Rep. Matt Dubnik. Con
tinuing the work of Deal and
other Georgia Republicans
was a focus of Kemp’s speech
Tuesday.
He said he wanted to build
on the growth of Georgia’s
economy and support local
businesses.
“I have signed not only the
back of paychecks, but I have
signed the front of them,”
Kemp said. “I know what it is
like to fight for your survival
during tough times, like dur
ing the Obama recession. ”
Kemp vowed to cut taxes
and work to lower health care
premiums. He also said he
wants to protect the state’s
Hope scholarship, but he does
not think that program should
be available to people who are
not in the country legally.
School safety would also be
a priority of his administra
tion, Kemp said.
“Nothing is more important
to me as a father, and nothing
is more important to you as a
parent or you as a grandpar
ent, as well as our teachers
and administrators,” he said.
“We have to keep that envi
ronment safe in this crazy
world we live in.”
Kemp also said he wanted
to give teachers in Georgia
pay raises.
His focus on education
policy was one factor in earn
ing him the support of Brit
tany Brookins and Cassidy
Buck, two Brenau University
students who are studying to
become teachers.
Brookins, who is from
McDonough, said she likes how
Kemp seems approachable.
“Kemp has taken the effort
to meet people and get per
sonal and go to small towns
like Gainesville and show
them that their voice mat
ters,” she said. “I think that
really matters to people and
gets their attention. ”
Buck, from Roswell,
agreed.
“It’s very important to be
personable,” she said.
Art Gallegos Jr., co-founder
of the Latinos Conservative
Organization, said he also
thinks Kemp is honest.
“I think he’s a straight
shooter. He says what he
means,” Gallegos said.
Gallegos said the Latino
community judged Kemp
more harshly at first, but from
his conversations with people
such as pastors and business
owners, many seem to be
changing their minds.
“He might have said some
things that perhaps were not
very attractive, but at the
end of the day, we need to
keep this county, this city and
this state conservative and
red, because of our convic
tions and because of what we
believe,” Gallegos said.
Some Latinos still have a
“sour taste in their mouth”
over Kemp’s immigration
stances, but community lead
ers seem to understand immi
gration is a federal issue and
are willing to work with Kemp
if he is elected, Gallegos said.
Speaking with the media
after the event, Kemp criti
cized out-of-state influence on
the governor’s race.
“My opponent’s got money
flowing in here from New
York and California, but I
think Georgians are waking
up now and saying, we don’t
really want a billionaire
socialist from California giv
ing direction on the Georgia
governor’s race,” Kemp said.
Kemp, who is from Athens,
also said he wants to focus on
helping Northeast Georgia,
particularly by supporting
local businesses, transpor
tation projects and higher
education.
“I know there’s great col
leges in Northeast Georgia, as
well as technical colleges, and
we need to continue to work
on those workforce develop
ment issues and supply the
workforce of the future,” he
said.
Deal also emphasized the
importance of education in
workforce development when
speaking at Tuesday’s event.
“If you’re going to have
the kind of skills that compa
nies are looking for, a lot of
those are blue collar skills,”
Deal said. “Some of you were
with us just a week ago when
we cut the ribbon at the new
Lanier Tech. It is going to be
one of the best institutions that
our state has.”
Deal said he felt that Stacey
Abrams, Kemp’s Democratic
opponent, would undo prog
ress made in recent years in
Georgia, like tax cuts and busi
ness reforms.
“I know that Brian is going
to be someone who will stand
against that,” Deal said.
Kemp, Abrams and Liber
tarian Ted Metz are on the
ballot for governor in the Nov.
6 election.
‘Nothing is more important to me as a father, and nothing is more important to
you as a parent or you as a grandparent, as well as our teachers and administrators.
We have to keep that environment safe in this crazy world we live in.’
Brian Kemp, Republican candidate for governor
BUFORD
Concerns over
natural gas
odors fixed
The rotten egg smell is gone in Buford.
Buford City Gas operations returned to
normal Tuesday, Oct. 30, after a couple days
of unwelcome odors caused by an excessive
amount of a chemical containing sulfur.
“The city continues to encourage homeown
ers to contact the city if they detect a smell of
natural gas,” the city said in a statement.
The problem stemmed from the city’s natural
gas provider injecting an excessive amount of
mercaptan into the natural gas system. Mercap
tan is added to natural gas so that leaks can be
detected, as natural gas by itself is odorless.
“The city is not aware of any natural gas leaks
or danger to the public, and the odor should sub
side given dilution and passage of time,” the city
said in an earlier statement.
Residents can call the city at 678-889-4600,
770-932-7981 or 770-932-7986. Buford City Hall
can be reached at 770-945-6761.
Buford is mostly in Gwinnett County, but its
boundaries stretch into South Hall.
Jeff Gill
IN OUR COMMUNIW
For The Times
Iris Smith turns 101
Born in 1917, Iris Smith turned 101 in October.
She lives at Waterford at Oakwood Assisted
Living Community in Oakwood and is involved
in all the activities offered to the residents.
For The Times
Newcomers Club gives
to day care center
Edna Clinton, with the Gainesville Newcom
ers Club; Danielle Latlippe, Little Steps Commu
nity Day Care coordinator with Family Promise
of Hall County; and Lindsey McCamy, execu
tive director of Family Promise of Hall County.
The Gainesville Newcomers Club presented a
$4,000 check to Little Steps Daycare, which is
in partnership with Family Promise, an agency
that helps homeless families and those seeking
employment.
SARDIS
■ Continued from 1A
The route “may vary some,
especially if we find envi
ronmentally sensitive areas,
graves we didn’t know about or
historical markers,” Farr said.
“But at this time, we feel like
this is the general area that the
route is going to take. ”
In addition to viewing maps,
residents will be able to ask
officials questions and com
ment on the project at the
meeting.
A court reporter will be
available to allow the public
an opportunity to make verbal
comments about the project.
Written statements will be
accepted concerning the proj
ect until Nov. 29.
The project will connect two
major routes but also could
help ease traffic traveling into
Gainesville.
Dawsonville Highway,
particularly, bottles up as
motorists cross Lake Lanier
and approach McEver Road.
Growth has been fierce in
that area in recent years, with
restaurants and other stores
springing up. A new Holiday
Inn Express opened recently in
the area.
Officials have long talked
about an east-west corridor
running across North Hall.
Another project has been dis
cussed — the North Hall Park
way — with a study area run
ning from Thompson Bridge
Road at Mount Vernon Road to
Ga. 365 around White Sulphur
Road. The study area could
possibly stretch as far north as
Brookton Lula Road and near
Clermont.
A similar road project,
dubbed the Northern Connec
tor, was rolled out as a concept
about nine years ago — and
quickly shot down.
At the time, planners con
sidered two primary routes
for that road, with both having
their western side starting on
Thompson Bridge Road near
Mount Vernon. One route fea
tured the road ending on Ga.
365 at White Sulphur Road and
the other on Ga. 365 at White
hall Road.
A key concern at the time
was possible bridges over Lake
Lanier.
Cars drive along
Sardis Road on
Tuesday, Oct. 30,
2018. A public
meeting is set for
Nov. 15 on the Sardis
Connector to look at
maps of the project.
Photos by AUSTIN STEELE
The Times
