About The times. (Gainesville, Ga.) 1972-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 30, 2018)
L2J OUR REGION Shannon Casas | Editor in Chief 770-718-3417 | news@gainesvilletimes.com The Times, Gainesville, Georgia Friday, November 30, 2018 Gainesville man killed driving wrong way on Interstate 85 A Gainesville man died Wednesday after driving the wrong way on Interstate 85 in Jackson County and striking another car, also killing the other driver. Carlos Cobb, 32, was traveling southbound Nov. 28 in the left lane of 1-85 north in his 2005 Ford Mus tang, according to the Georgia State Patrol. He struck head-on a 2006 Honda Civic driven by Eugene Lafontant, 40, of Lawrenceville, who was driving north on 1-85 North in the left lane. “It is unknown why (Cobb) was traveling the wrong way,” Cpl. Luke Mize said in an email describing the wreck. Both drivers died at the scene. No one else was in the vehicles. Jeff Gill Voters can now choose who assists them at polls in local, state elections in Georgia A federal judge signed an order Thursday deciding that in future elec tions in Georgia, voters who need assis tance can be helped by any person of their choice, other than their employer or union. The order was negotiated by voter Jin Kwon, Asian Americans Advancing Jus tice — Atlanta, and Secretary of State Robyn Crittenden. The lawsuit, filed Wednesday by Asian Americans Advancing Justice — Atlanta, Asian Americans Advanc ing Justice — Los Angeles and two pro bono law firms, asked the judge to block a Georgia law that limited assistance in non-federal elections to only relatives and people within the precinct. The Secretary of State’s office has issued guidance to county election offi cials telling them that voters can get assistance from anyone of their choosing if they are unable to read the ballot with out help. There will also be no limit to the amount of people someone can assist. “This law should have never been passed in the first place, but we are very pleased that the Secretary of State was willing to work with us to swiftly end it,” said Phi Nguyen, litigation direc tor at Advancing Justice-Atlanta, in a statement. “Today is a victory not only for Mr. Kwon but also for all (limited English proficiency) voters across the state of Georgia who will now have the right in every election to bring an interpreter of their choice.” The order states that county election officials cannot require people assist ing voters to check off any boxes on any forms, including those on absentee bal lots and absentee ballot envelopes, indi cating their relationship with the voter or how many people they have helped. However, officials are not prevented from requiring people assisting voters to identify themselves. Compiled from press releases from Georgia Secretary of State Office and Asian Americans Advancing Justice —Atlanta Photos courtesy Lanier Technical College Lanier Technical College begins to move robotics and welding equipment to its new North Hall campus on Wednesday, Nov. 28. The new campus will be the official home of administrators and business offices on Dec. 3, while the college will be operating in full by Jan. 9. JAY REEVES I Associated Press The parents of shooting victim Emantic “EJ” Bradford Jr., Emantic Bradford Sr. and April Pipkins, flank attorney Ben Crump during a community event in Birmingham, Ala., on Tuesday, Nov. 27. Police in suburban Hoover shot and killed their son in a shopping mall on Thanksgiving night. Suspect arrested in Alabama mall shooting; protests continue BY JAY REEVES AND KATE BRUMBACK Associated Press LANIER ■ Continued from 1A specialized equipment. Moving the last heavy- duty items was delayed until after students finished final exams on Wednesday. “We didn’t want to do anything to impact our stu dents,” Perren said. The new campus will become the official home of administrators and business offices on Dec. 3, Perren said, while the college will be operating in full by Jan. 9. Lanier Tech will host 2,700-plus students when it opens for classes on Jan. 22. The college will include a wide variety of programs, including allied health, con tinuing education, ammonia refrigeration, general edu cation, business, computer science, adult education, early childhood education, motorsports, welding, diesel technology and fire science. Among the new build ings is a 40,000-square-foot conference center with a 20,000-square-foot ballroom that can comfortably house 750 people. “The big (challenge) now,” Perren said, “is it’s one thing to physically move, but another getting organized, putting every thing in place.” RECORDS ■ Continued from 1A The clerks are also having trouble knowing which warrants are active and which have been closed out. “We’re just in limbo right now with two different systems,” Meeks said. The system in place for the sher iff’s office is the same that Gaines ville Police put in place several years ago. “Everyone is in the process of learning the new system, and this will be an ongoing process with additional meetings to follow,” Sheriff’s Office Lt. Scott Ware wrote in an email. Baker said the clerks should soon be getting access to the new system. “We think that we’re going to be able to learn enough about the new system as time goes on so that we can interact together at about a level that’s at least acceptable so we can run and they can run,” Forrester said. GROWTH ■ Continued from 1A The report draws on dis cussions with the police department in December 2017 and identifies two needs moving forward — new precincts and a new training facility. The new precincts would be in the New Holland and Daw- sonville Highway areas. A 10,000-square-foot training facility is also needed, but that could be built at the existing site and would not require a land purchase, according to the plan. New facilities could be completely funded by impact fee funds. Fire and rescue Gainesville has four fire stations, the same number it had in 2006. The city is in the process of relocat ing Fire Station No. 2 from Pine Street to the Park Hill Drive area, almost doubling the station’s size at the new location. The fire department had 9,000 calls for service in 2017 and has seen an increase of about 1,200 calls annually since 2010. By the year 2022, the depart ment expects about 15,000 calls annually. Over the next few years, the city has set aside money for two new fire stations and planning for a third addi tional one. According to the plan, there are about 100 homes, including some in the Cress- wind at Lake Lanier subdi vision, that would be better served by a fire boat than a fire truck, due to nar row, steep driveways. The fire boat would use water directly from the lake rather than hydrants. New training space is also needed, as only Fire Sta tion No. 1 is equipped for training. Parks and recreation The report prioritizes upgrading existing parks facilities. About 45 acres of new developed park land will be needed over the next 20 years to adapt to a grow ing population, according to the report, but that could be achieved through either building new parks or add ing to existing ones. Proposed parks proj ects include playground improvements, a new play ground along the Midtown Greenway, an outdoor pool at Frances Meadows Aquatic Center, a new rec reation center and a dog park. HOOVER — Authorities arrested a suspect in a Thanks giving shooting that spread panic at Alabama’s largest shopping mall Thursday, but protesters said they would continue demonstrations over the police killing of another black man who was initially believed to be the shooter. Erron Martez Dequan Brown, 20, of Bessemer was captured in Georgia at a relative’s home south of Atlanta, author ities said. He was jailed awaiting a hear ing to be sent back to Alabama. The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency said Brown was charged in the shooting of Brian Xavier Wilson, 18, of Birmingham, who was wounded at the Riverchase Galleria in Hoover on Thanksgiving night. Authorities didn’t announce charges in the shooting of another person who was wounded, 12-year-old girl, and a spokeswoman for the agency did not respond to an email seeking details. Protesters said Brown’s arrest didn’t resolve what they referred to as the “murder” of Emantic “EJ” Bradford Jr., 21, by police, and they vowed continuing demonstra tions over his shooting death. “We’re asking members of the public to not spend another dime in Hoover until they take black lives seri ously,” Carlos Chaverst Jr., who has helped organize pro tests, said at a news conference. In a statement issued by their lawyer, Bradford’s rela tives said they were gratified by Brown’s arrest and said it further underscored Bradford’s “unjust” death. Police have said a Hoover police officer who was work ing security at the mall during the start of Black Friday shopping heard shots and responded within seconds. The officer, who has yet to be publicly identified, saw Brad ford with a gun and shot him, police said. Authorities at first identified Bradford as the shooter who wounded two people. They later retracted that alle gation and searched for the real gunman. Bradford’s relatives have said he had a permit to carry a gun legally, and their attorney Ben Crump has quoted witnesses as saying Bradford was trying to help when he was gunned down. “He was a good guy with a gun,” Crump said. Court records show Brown previously was arrested in June 2017 in Huntsville on a charge of using a gun to rob a man, but the case was dismissed three months later after prosecutors filed notice that they didn’t want to pursue the case. As Brown was being arrested near Atlanta, city lead ers in Hoover were publicly asking the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency, which is investigating the shoot ings, for permission to release more informa tion about the shooting of Bradford. With its lone black City Council member, Derrick Murphy, act ing as a spokesman, the city said it would look at releasing information on its own if no response came by noon Monday. Demonstrators and relatives of Bradford have pushed authori ties to release video and other evidence about the shooting. Murphy, who joined other leaders in meeting with Bradford’s relatives earlier this week, said the city wanted to help answer questions raised by the family. “They have our love; they have our prayers,” he said. Hoover is a city of 85,000 people that gained much of its population as white residents left Birmingham after the end of legalized racial segregation in neighboring Bir mingham. Chaverst, one of the protest leaders, said the city was “built on racism.” A statement from the state agency about Brown’s arrest said it was “highly likely” that releasing evidence would hamper the continuing investigation, but it didn’t directly address the city’s request. Demonstrators and relatives of Bradford have pushed authorities to release video and other evidence about the shooting.
