The times. (Gainesville, Ga.) 1972-current, November 02, 2018, Image 8

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The times., November 02, 2018, Image 8

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Newspaper Page TextA OUR REGION Shannon Casas | Editor in Chief 770-718-3417 | news@gainesvilletimes.com The Times, Gainesville, Georgia Friday, November 2, 2018 Ways to celebrate Veterans Day Veterans Events Gainesville Veterans Appreciation Festival When: Noon-3 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 3 Where: Roosevelt Square, near the downtown square Cost: Free More info: Tom Reesman, reesmanta@yahoo. com, 678-943-6108 University of North Georgia, Veterans Day ceremony When: 3 p.m. Nov. 9 Where: Memorial Flail Gym, Dahlonega campus Cost: Free More info: ung.edu Lumpkin County Veterans Day parade When: 11 a.m. Nov. 10 Where: Lumpkin County Veterans Day parade Cost: Free More info: ung.edu 2nd annual Veterans Appreciation Weekend Festival When: Nov. 10-11 Where: Dahlonega Cost: Ride for Rangers, $40 registration fee; park activities, $10 donation More info: veteransappreciationday.org BY JEFF GILL jgill@gainesvilletimes.com Area residents can attend both ceremonies and celebrations honor ing veterans over the next couple of week. Here’s a look at events taking place through the area: Gainesville to host first veterans appreciation event The Gainesville’s first-ever Veterans Appreciation Festival is set for noon to 3 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 3, in Roosevelt Square, near the downtown square. The free event, sponsored by the city and veterans groups, will feature patri otic music, a concert by the Believers Band, vendors, face painting, bouncy house and booths. Attendees also can buy food and drinks from Sherry’s Bait and Bar- beque, Atlas Pizza and Kona Ice. Annual Veterans Day event at Lakewood Baptist Church One of the more traditional local events is the American Legion Paul E. Bolding Post 7’s Veterans Day cer emony, held every Nov. 11 at 11 a.m., the customary time that Veterans Day is officially observed. The ceremony will take place at Lakewood Baptist Church, 2235 Thomp son Bridge Road, Gainesville, which involves somber wreath layings recog nizing war veterans. U.S. Rep. Doug Collins, R-Gainesville, will be the featured speaker. The Ches- tatee High School band in northwest Hall County and Oakwood-based Maranatha Christian Academy’s chorus are sched uled to perform. Rock Creek Veterans Park ceremony planned Vietnam Veterans of America Chap ter 772 is sponsoring a ceremony at Rock Creek Veterans Park at 223 Northside Drive, Gainesville. The event, taking place at 9 a.m. Nov. 12, will feature retired Marine Lt. Col. Pat Zaudtke. The park features war memorials, benches and walkways dotting its land scape. It also features an amphitheater and has served as the site for previous veterans ceremonies. Veterans Appreciation Weekend set in Dahlonega The 2nd annual Veterans Apprecia tion Weekend Festival is set for Nov. 10-11 in Dahlonega. The event features foot and bicycle races, including the Run for Rangers, and a music festival, as well as activi ties for kids. A golf tournament that had been planned is now postponed until April 2019. The 64-mile bicycle Ride for Rangers has a $40 registration fee. A $10 donation is requested for park activities, including a kids play area and vendors, set for 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Nov. 11 at Hancock Park off Hawkins Street. Proceeds from events requiring a fee will go to veterans and their families. All events are free for veterans. The event also will feature a parade, taking place at 10 a.m. Nov. 10. The music festival is set for 11 a.m.-6 p.m. American Legion Post 7 Veterans Day ceremony When: 11 a.m. Nov. 11 Where: Lakewood Baptist Church, 2235 Thompson Bridge Road, Gainesville Cost: Free More info: Dave Dellinger, 770-718-7676 Rock Creek Veterans Park ceremony When: 9 a.m. Nov. 12 Where: Rock Creek Veterans Park, 223 Northside Drive, Gainesville Cost: Free More info: Dave Dellinger, 770-718-7676 University of North Georgia, National Roll Call When: 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Nov. 12 Where: Gainesville campus. Cost: Free More info: ung.edu that day. UNG planning roll call, Veterans Day observances University of North Georgia is plan ning to observe Veterans Day in three events. The school will participate in the National Roll Call from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Nov. 12 at the Gainesville campus. The event, taking place on the patio in front of the Student Center, will involve students, faculty and staff reciting the names of service members from Geor gia killed in action during Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom. Also, UNG’s Corps of Cadets are set to host Veterans Day ceremonies at 3 p.m. Nov. 9 in Memorial Hall Gym at the Dahlonega campus and at the Lumpkin County Veterans Day parade at 11 a.m. Nov. 10. The school’s Golden Eagle Band will perform at the Dahlonega campus observance. GAINESVILLE 85 BUSINESS PARK 2SOO Alton Crtcfc Road. Gakmvilto. GA. USA Rendering The city of Gainesville wants to build a 1,300-acre business park off of Allen Creek Road and will work with the Greater Flail Chamber of Commerce to recruit tenants. The city already owns the land. BUSINESS ■ Continued from 1A The business park will have a trail connecting one end of the develop ment to the soccer com plex, going past a waterfall and winding through the business park and flood plain land. Lots will be developed around flood plains and ponds on the property. Permits will be needed to comply with Section 404 of the Clean Water Act, which mandates that steps be taken to minimize impact to wetlands and streams. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers issues those permits. City spokeswoman Nikki Perry said costs for development of the busi ness park have not been determined yet. The site is in the ward of Councilwoman Barbara Brooks, who said on Thurs day that she was anticipat ing the development. “The south side of Gainesville needs this, and it’s going to be really important for this devel opment to take place and attract other businesses to (U.S.) 129 and that corri dor,” Brooks said. “That is where the action is going to be over the next 10 years.” DOG BEN HENDREN I For the Forsyth County News Flail County woman Michelle Root listens to court proceedings during her animal cruelty trial this week in Forsyth County. ■ Continued from 1A A little over an hour after the jury’s verdict was read, Root stood before judge David L. Dickinson in Forsyth County Superior Court to receive sen tencing and final comments in the case. “Ma’am, you have been abusing animals for a long time. Far too long,” Dickinson said. “It will now stop.” Root was then escorted from the courtroom in handcuffs. Meko’s owner, Mavel Blanco, addressed the court before Root’s sen tencing and stated that after such an emotional roller-coaster she was happy that Meko did not die in vain. “Meko was a special part of my life and my son’s life,” Blanco said. “I can’t say that I’ll ever forget how it is that this happened. I trusted someone with my dog and my family member, and they killed them. I hope that this justice that was served today for Meko affects every other animal moving forward. ” After the verdict, Meko’s other owner, Eric Francis, told the FCN that he was happy with the outcome, even though Root was acquitted of one of her charges. “Justice was served for Meko,” Fran cis said. “But we need to have stronger sentencing and online registration for animal abusers.” Root, the former owner of Paw’sh Paws in Cumming, was arrested on Oct. 11 and again on Oct. 18,2017, after it was reported to the Cumming Police Department that two dogs, Little Boy and Meko, died under her care. Over the two days of testimony, assis tant district attorney Michael Mahoney and defense attorney Rafe Banks squared off over conflicting versions of what happened on Oct. 7, 2017, that ultimately lead to Meko’s death. The state based its case on Root’s past history at PetSmart, where three former employees stated that they regularly saw her abusing animals; two eye witnesses who stated that they saw Root kick and choke Meko on Oct. 7, 2017; and the necropsy by the Univer sity of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine that uncovered damage to Meko’s legs, abdomen, head, shoulder, neck, brain, lungs and other body parts. “The injuries on Meko line up exactly with what (witnesses) say,” Mahoney said in his closing argument. “That’s why you should believe them and not the three others that testified today.” In arguments defending Root, Banks and his witnesses put forward the the ory that Meko was not killed in a mali cious attack but died in an accident at Paw’sh Paws after acting aggres sively toward Root and another store employee. “What you will find is, it was an acci dent,” Banks said. “Yes, it’s tragic, and it’s certainly unfortunate, but nobody intended for Meko to die.” Several members of Root’s fam ily, including her husband Chris Gar rett, her mother, brother and a family friend spoke on her behalf on Thurs day, but in the end Dickinson was unmoved. “You were in a position of trust as you undertook to open a business and holding yourself out as someone to take care of the animals of this community, and you breached that trust,” Dickin son said. JOSHUA SILAVENTI The Times Michelle Prater (standing left), president and CEO of the North Georgia Community Foundation, and Margaux Dolenc, director of grants and community partnerships, unveil the foundation’s new Growing Roots of Wisdom program, or G.R.O.W., to several dozen local nonprofit leaders on Thursday, Nov. 1. GROW program to support, teach nonprofit leaders BY JOSHUA SILAVENT jsilavent@ gainesvilletimes.com Seminars, learning ses sions and a luncheon series are part of a new effort by the North Georgia Commu nity Foundation in Gaines ville to educate, mentor and prepare civic and nonprofit leaders for success. The Growing Roots of Wisdom program, or GROW, was unveiled Thurs day, Nov. 1 to several dozen attendees, most of whom are already leading local nonprofits or are working toward becoming executive level leaders. According to Michelle Prater, Community Foun dation president and CEO, GROW is meant to open new opportunities through educa tional classes, professional development sessions and networking to better support nonprofits. The Community Founda tion already provides grants to nonprofits, office and meeting space, and manages endowment funds for grow ing agencies, for example. The learning sessions include workshops on ethical decision making and how to get the most out of collabora tions, for example. And the luncheon series features pre sentations on how to manage fundraising campaigns, writ ing press releases and man aging grant budgets, among other things. GROW also includes two robust seminars: Lead For ward, an intensive 12-month executive coaching program; and You Lead, a six-month program that develops emerging leaders. Prater said the Lead For ward program, for example, was piloted and that she per sonally learned a lot about how to better manage the Community Foundation because of it. “It’s hard,” she added. “I’ve had a lot of growth.” The program is more than just teaching time management, for example, but analyzes and digs deep to understand an execu tive’s methods, personality and areas for improvement Growing Roots of Wisdom program To learn more about GROW, visit www. ngcf.org/GROW, or contact Margaux Dolenc, director of grants and community partnerships, at 770- 535-7880 or by email at mdolenc@ngcf.org while highlighting positive qualities. Prater said she has learned how to step back and let her staff do their work. “To do that, I can’t be in their weeds,” she said. Steven Mickens, CEO of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Lanier, said he had previ ously completed an execu tive development program at Harvard University. But as part of the pilot version of Lead Forward, he found this program beneficial for sev eral reasons. “Being in this leadership program was probably the best because it was more inti mate and we had an oppor tunity to network with each other,” Mickens said. Mickens said he also learned about better com munication with staff, talent development and setting attainable but challenging goals. “It’s really about personal development,” he added. “The accountability starts with us and ends with us. ” Jessica Butler, execu tive director of Gateway Domestic Violence Center in Gainesville, said she almost backed out of participating in the pilot version of the Lead Forward program. But after seeing it through, “I’m so glad I did,” she said. Butler said she feels like she is working more produc tively and efficiently based on the “eye-opening” evalu ations she received, which helped her better understand some of the minor but sig nificant structural changes needed in her organization. “This isn’t about right and wrong,” she said, but rather bringing out the best in each leader’s individual qualities. “I really appreciated that philosophy.” Flowery Branch City Council approves pocket park The Flowery Branch City Council voted unani mously Thursday to approve a pocket park between Mitchell Street and Debbie Lane, near the roundabout on Lights Ferry Road. The park will have walk ing trails and seating. About $95,000 from the city’s parks budget will be used for the project, and about $4,500 of that budget has already been paid for the design of the park. Baytree Landscape, from Stone Mountain, has been hired for the project. Megan Reed CVS ■ Continued from 1A serious condition to North east Georgia Medical Center. Officers found the suspect shortly after the incident, and took him to the Hall County Jail. Dudley is charged with aggravated assault and armed robbery but may face additional charges. Hospital officials said the victim was discharged Thursday. A representative from CVS answering a call from The Times said employees were not allowed to discuss the matter. PUMPKIN ■ Continued from 1A the device,” Templeton said. The church said on Face- book after 4 p.m. Thursday the teenager is still in the intensive care unit. “We ask that you join us in lifting him and his fam ily up in prayer during this difficult time. Updates will follow as the situation pro gresses,” according to the church’s post.