The times. (Gainesville, Ga.) 1972-current, November 05, 2018, Image 6

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The times., November 05, 2018, Image 6

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Newspaper Page Textt*ZJ OUR REGION Shannon Casas | Editor in Chief 770-718-3417 | news@gainesvilletimes.com The Times, Gainesville, Georgia Monday, November 5, 2018 Two GHS seniors selected as Questbridge scholarship finalists Courtesy of Gainesville City Schools Gainesville High School seniors, Doris Toledo and Kingsley Owusu Otoo, have been selected as 2018 National College Match Finalists for the Questbridge National Scholarship program. BY JOSHUA SILAVENT jsilavent@gainesvilletimes.com Gainesville High School seniors Doris Toledo and Kingsley Owusu Otoo have been selected as 2018 finalists for the Questbridge National Scholarship program. According to a press release from Gainesville City Schools, Toledo and Otoo were two of 6,507 students selected from more than 16,000 applicants nationwide based on “their strong aca demic achievement (with an average grade point average of 3.90 or higher); high test scores on the SAT or ACT; financial circumstances; strong charac ter; and exemplary accomplishments and leadership roles in extracurricular and community activities, while rank ing in the top 10 percent of their gradu ating class.” “By getting Questbridge, my dream of going to a college out of state seems to be more realistic,” Toledo said. “I plan on majoring in biology on a pre-med track. I hope to work in the forensics field, potentially as a forensic pathologist.” Otoo, who is on pace to complete 500 hours of community service in the spring, said he hopes to become a neuro surgeon and plans to major in pre-med icine in college with a focus on human biology and neuroscience. “Becoming a Questbridge finalist is like a dream come true,” he added. “It’s that one step closer to ensuring that my parents won’t have to worry about paying for (me) to go to college. It’s that distinct pleasure of knowing that all those sleepless nights worrying about grades, stressing about tests, and focus ing on school above all else will finally payoff.” Questbridge finalists will receive noti fication in early December regarding which college they were matched with to receive a full academic scholarship. Each student will be awarded a four- year scholarship, which will cover the full cost of attendance, including tuition, room and board, and additional expenses for four years, to one of the nation’s top colleges. “(They) are truly amazing students,” Lynn Jones, spokeswoman for Gaines ville City Schools, told The Times. “They have worked hard to overcome many barriers while maintaining outstanding grades and positive attitudes. They are both kind-hearted and respectful.” TRUMP ■ Continued from 1A system. Kemp didn’t provide evidence linking the Democratic Party to the hacking attempt. The Democratic Party of Georgia called the allegation “100 percent false” and “an abuse of power” by Kemp’s office. After election officials received a report Saturday that the state’s voter registration website was vulnerable, they blamed the Democrats instead of correcting the issue, said Demo cratic Party of Georgia Executive Director Rebecca DeHart. The development Sunday intensified calls for Kemp to resign as the state’s top election official while he’s running for governor. Throughout the campaign he has refused to do so. Abrams called Kemp’s investigation “a desperate ploy.” “He twice this week was told by federal judges that he was wrong when it comes to voter suppression,” Abrams told WSB-TV. “He is trying to rile up his base by misleading voters yet again.” The Georgia race has garnered attention from a list of high-profile backers, including former president Barack Obama and Oprah Winfrey, who campaigned for Abrams last week. Abrams 985 ■ Continued from 1A adding a new “fresh coat of paint” and sanding to the major highway connecting Northeast Georgia with metro Atlanta. According to the GDOT, lane closures for the project will be allowed overnight from 7 p.m. to 6 a.m. Monday through Sunday. Entrance and exit ramps will remain open at all times during this work. Joshua Silavent What’s on the ballot: Candidates, questions Here’s a preview of the candidates who will appear in contested races at the local, state and federal level to represent Hall County residents. Ballot and registration information is available at the Secretary of State and Hall County Elections websites. For previews of each local race and more election information, visit gainesvilletimes. com/election2018. Governor ■ Brian Kemp, R ■ Stacey Abrams, D ■ Ted Metz, L U.S. House, 9th District ■ Doug Collins, R (incumbent) ■ Josh McCall, D Collins is an attorney and took office in 2013 to represent what is one of the most conservative districts in the country. McCall is a teacher in Gainesville making his first run for public office. State House, District 29 ■ Matt Dubnik, R (incumbent) ■ Nancy Stead, independent Dubnik first took office in 2017 and runs a Gainesville marketing firm with his wife, Katie Dubnik. Stead is a retired physician. State House, District 30 ■ Emory Dunahoo, R (incumbent) ■ Alana Watkins, D Dunahoo first took office in late 2011 and works in the poultry industry. Watkins is a graduate of Brenau University and is circulation director with the Forsyth County News, a sister publication of The Times. Hall County Board of Commissioners, District 1 ■ Kathy Cooper, R (incumbent) ■ Michael W. Parker, D Cooper has run a cattle, egg and Christmas tree farm off of Union Church Road for more than 30 years with her husband. She first took office in 2014. Parker is a retired resident of Flowery Branch. Hall County Board of Education, at-large ■ Bill Thompson, R (incumbent) ■ Stephanie Lopez-Burgos, D Thompson has been on the board for more than five years and worked in the county school system as a teacher and principal for 32 years. Lopez-Burgos works in customer service and lives in Flowery Branch. Hall County Board of Education, Post 2 ■ Mark Pettitt, R ■ William Wallace, D Pettitt is a 2016 graduate of the University of North Georgia’s Gainesville campus, a United Parcel Service supervisor and chairman of the Hall County Library System Board of Trustees. Wallace is a father of four, including one attending a Hall County school. He worked with the New York and Atlanta police departments and is now a security officer at a private boarding school in Sandy Springs. OTHER STATEWIDE RACES Lieutenant Governor ■ Sarah Riggs Amico, D ■ Geoff Duncan, R Secretary of State ■ John Barrow, D ■ Smythe Duval, L ■ Brad Raffensperger, R Attorney General ■ Charlie Bailey, D ■ Chris Carr, R (incumbent) Commissioner of Agriculture ■ Gary Black, R (incumbent) ■ Fred Swann, D Commissioner of Insurance ■ Jim Beck, R ■ Donnie Foster, L ■ Janice Laws, D State School Superintendent ■ Otha E. Thornton Jr., D ■ Richard Woods, R (incumbent) Commissioner of Labor ■ Mark Butler, R (incumbent) ■ Richard Keatley, D Public Service Commission, District 3 ■ Chuck Eaton, R (incumbent) ■ Ryan Graham, L ■ Lindy Miller, D Public Service Commission, District 5 ■ Tricia Pridemore, R (incumbent) ■ Dawn A. Randolph, D ■ JohnTurpish, L Compiled by Times staff including Keith Albertson and Shannon Casas AMENDMENTS, REFERENDUMS Amendment 1: Georgia Outdoor Stewardship Act Question: Without increasing the current state sales tax rate, shall the Constitution of Georgia amended so as to create the Georgia Outdoor Stewardship Trust Fund to conserve lands that protect drinking water sources and the water quality of rivers, lakes, and streams; to protect and conserve forests, fish, wildlife habitats, and state and local parks; and to provide opportunities for our children and families to play and enjoy the outdoors, by dedicating, subject to full public disclosure, up to 80 percent of the existing sales tax collected by sporting goods stores to such purposes without increasing the current state sales tax rate? What it means: If it passes, up to 80 percent of sales taxes collected by sporting goods stores would go to the “protection and preservation of conservation land,” according to the secretary of state’s website. Amendment 2: State business court Question: Shall the Constitution of Georgia be amended so as to create a state-wide business court, authorize superior court business court divisions, and allow for the appointment process for state-wide business court judges in order to lower costs, improve the efficiency of all courts, and promote predictability of judicial outcomes in certain complex business disputes for the benefit of all citizens of this state? What it means: If parties to a lawsuit agree, a case could be removed from the judicial circuit’s Superior Court to a new statewide business court. Judges for this court would serve five-year terms by appointment of the governor. They can be reappointed for any number of consecutive terms, according to the resolution. A Metro Atlanta Business Court oversees cases in Fulton and Gwinnett counties. According to the business court’s 2016 data, half of the cases were closed within 12 months of transferring to business court. Amendment 3: Forest land fair market value Question: Shall the Constitution of Georgia be amended so as to revise provisions related to the subclassification for tax purposes of and the prescribed methodology for establishing the value of forest land conservation use property and related assistance grants, to provide that assistance grants related to forest land conservation use property may be increased by general law for a five-year period and that up to 5 percent of assistance grants may be deducted and retained by the state revenue commissioner to provide for certain state administrative costs, and to provide for the subclassification of qualified timberland property for ad valorem taxation purposes? What it means: The amendment would create a new class for ad valorem taxation known as “qualified timberland property,” which “includes only tangible real property” primarily used for growing trees, according to House Resolution 51. The Georgia Forestry Association said it would increase the acres “eligible for conservation under the Forest Land Protection Act.” Currently, land protected by the act must be 200 contiguous acres. This change would allow it to be “an aggregate of 200 acres across the state” if there are 100 acre parcels in any county, according to the forestry association. Amendment 4: Marsy’s Law, crime victims’ rights Question: Shall the Constitution of Georgia be amended so as to provide certain rights to victims against whom a crime has allegedly been perpetrated and allow victims to assert such rights? What it means: The law would give crime victims certain constitutionally protected rights, including timely notification of court proceedings and the right “to be heard at any scheduled court proceedings involving the release, plea or sentencing of the accused,” according to Senate Resolution 146. The Georgia General Assembly would also create a process for a family member or guardian to “assert the rights of such victim” when the victim is a minor, legally incapacitated or dead. Amendment 5: County sales tax referendum for school district/ districts Question: Shall the Constitution of Georgia be amended so as to authorize a referendum for a sales and use tax for education by a county school district or an independent school district or districts within the county having a majority of the students enrolled within the county and to provide that the proceeds are distributed on a per student basis among all the school systems unless an agreement is reached among such school systems for a different distribution? What it means: If passed, school systems with the majority of students enrolled in a county could call for a referendum without needing approval from all school systems. The funds would then be issued on a per student basis among all school systems inside the county unless another distribution agreement is reached between the school systems. According to Senate Resolution 95, the per student distribution formula would be based on the latest “full-time equivalent count” prior to the tax referendum. Referendum A: Homestead exemption Question: Do you approve a new homestead exemption in a municipal corporation that is located in more than one county, that levies a sales tax for the purposes of a metropolitan area system of public transportation, and that has within its boundaries an independent school system, from ad valorem taxes for municipal purposes in the amount of the difference between the current year assessed value of a home and the adjusted base year value, provided that the lowest base year value will be adjusted yearly by 2.6 percent? What it means: This would create an ad valorem tax homestead exemption that meets all of the requirements listed in the referendum. If approved, the act would take effect Jan. 1. Referendum B: Tax exemption for nonprofit homes serving mentally disabled Question: Shall the Act be approved which provides an exemption from ad valorem taxes on nonprofit homes for the mentally disabled if they include business corporations in the ownership structure for financing purposes? What it means: Similar to the first referendum, this ad valorem tax exemption would affect nonprofit homes serving the mentally disabled. According to the secretary of state’s website, it would make it clear that the exemption applies “even when financing for construction or renovation of the homes is provided by a business corporation or other entity.” Compiled by Nick Watson INTRODUCING Little & Davenport Funeral Home To inquire about pricing packages available to memorialize a pet in print, please contact Megan Lewis at 770-535-6371 or mlewis@gainesvilletimes.com Pets at Peace will appear in The Times the last Sunday of each month.