The times. (Gainesville, Ga.) 1972-current, December 20, 2018, Image 9

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The times., December 20, 2018, Image 9

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Newspaper Page TextLOCATSOUTHEAST The Times, Gainesville, Georgia | gainesvilletimes.com Thursday, December 20, 2018 9A GOP weigh shielding Trump from primary challenge BY MEG KINNARD Associated Press COLUMBIA, S.C. — Repub licans in early voting states are grappling with how — and whether — to protect President Donald Trump from a potential primary challenger in 2020. South Carolina’s GOP chairman said Wednesday the party was con sidering cancelling its presiden tial primary, a move that would make it harder for a challenger to gather delegates to wrest the party’s nomination from Trump. That follows a debate unfolding in New Hampshire, where some of Trump’s backers are pushing for the removal of longstanding rules that prevent the state party from taking sides in a primary. In Iowa, there’s no plan to alter the caucus process to block poten tial Trump rivals from participat ing. But state GOP Chairman Jeff Kauffman has said he will defend the president should any prospec tive challengers begin making moves. The activity reflects a party weighing how far to go to fend off potential primary challeng ers. So far, no one has said they’d run against Trump in a primary, a move that would be extraordi narily difficult given the presi dent’s popularity among the GOP base. But outgoing Ohio Gov. John Kasich and Sens. Jeff Flake of Arizona and Bob Corker of Ten nessee are among those who have entertained the possibility, forc ing party leaders to think through their options. In South Carolina, which holds the first-in-the-South contest, GOP leaders said they weren’t trying to shield Trump from a challenger and instead questioned the need for a primary when the president faces no Republican challengers. “At this point, I’m not aware of a need for a primary,” South Caro lina GOP Chairman Drew McKis- sick told The Associated Press Wednesday. He cited Trump’s popularity among South Carolinians among the reasons to possibly skip over the 2020 nominating contest, which he views as a foregone conclusion. According to AP VoteCast, The Associated Press’ nationwide survey of the 2018 midterm electorate, 53 percent of voters in South Carolina said they approve of Trump. Fully 86 percent of Republi cans approved, while 96 percent of Democrats disapproved. “The state party and the grassroots within the state, all around the state, totally support the president,” McKissick said. “The purpose of political parties is to unify around the plat form and elect candidates who will advance that platform.” McKissick stressed that no final decision would be made until June 2019 at the earliest, and there is precedent. In 1984, state party leaders opted to call off South Car olina’s GOP primary as President Ronald Reagan sought a second term. “Obviously President Reagan was very popular,” said Warren Tompkins, a political consultant who served as executive director of South Carolina’s Republican Party at the time. “There was really no known organized oppo nent on the horizon.” South Carolina Repub licans did hold a 1992 primary, when Pat Buchanan mounted a challenge from the right to President George H.W. Bush. In 2004, the GOP again cancelled the state’s primary with leaders opt ing instead to endorse President George W. Bush’s pur suit of a second term. “The party is well within its rights to not hold a primary and to endorse the president,” said Matt Moore, who finished two terms as state GOP chairman after the 2016 election cycle. “It simply means that all the party’s delegates at the convention will be given to the president.” Democrats have used the tactic themselves. The South Carolina Democratic Party didn’t hold presidential primaries in 1996 or in 2012, as Presidents Bill Clin ton and Barack Obama sought their second terms and faced no opposition. Not having to deal with the trappings that come along with a presidential primary can free up officials to look at other races. Strategist Luke Byars points out that by skipping the 2004 presi dential primary, South Carolina Republicans were able to focus on winning a seat left open by Sen. Ernest “Fritz” Hollings’ retirement. “The U.S. Senate was much more on the top of our priority list,” Byars said. But with more than two dozen Democrats mulling White House bids in 2020, Tompkins cautioned Republicans against allowing the other party to occupy all the state’s political news sphere. “It would probably behoove us to have the primary,” Tompkins said. “I would hate to see the pub licity and all that attention go to the Democrats.” McKissick said his focus remained more on strategy and less on theatrics. “Why would we want to distract attention from the absolute circus that’s going to be the Democratic primary?” McKissick asked. “Our job is not to satisfy everybody’s need for political entertainment.” Trump MOBILE, ALA. Carnival cruise line: Autistic man climbed rail, went overboard Associated Press An autistic man missing at sea since Sunday, when he disap peared from a Carnival Cruise Line ship traveling from Alabama to the western Caribbean, went overboard after climbing over a deck rail, the company said Wednesday. The family says he is presumed dead. Relatives of the 22-year-old Johns Creek, Georgia, man believed “he may have been under the mistaken assumption that he was going swimming,” the Miami-based company said in a release. The cruise line also provided a statement from the family of Luke Renner that said relatives were devastated by his death but do not blame a group that organized the trip for people with special needs, Wishes4Me. “He loved the Wishes4Me spe cial needs community where he lived, and we were delighted when they planned this special event. He loved cruises,” said the statement, sent by a public relations firm. An earlier statement from the cruise company said crew mem bers aboard the Mobile, Alabama- based Carnival Fantasy conducted shipwide searches and made onboard announcements after a passenger disappeared Sunday while the ship was headed to Pro greso, Mexico. The man was traveling with an organized group of nine people with three chaperones, the com pany said, and he was last seen when he ran out of his cabin. A chaperone could not locate him and contacted the crew. While the ship was docked at Progreso, the Mexican Navy helped with a canine search that didn’t turn up signs of the man. The Fantasy left Mobile on Saturday on a cruise across the Gulf of Mexico. It has a passenger capacity of 2,675 people. New Orleans schools expected to green light bulletproof backpacks Associated Press Bulletproof backpacks may soon be allowed in New Orleans public schools. An Orleans Parish School Board committee on Tues day approved allowing the optional bags, and The New Orleans Advocate reports that it appears the proposal will get enough to pass when the full board votes Thursday. The school district’s attorney, Kathy Moss, says the board is not required to pass the policy change, but the district would like to give families the option. The backpacks were banned in Louisiana until Gov. John Bel Edwards signed a proposal in June to let students wear them on school property or school buses. In the early 1990s, schools were designated as gun-free zones, and state law prevented students or staff from wearing body armor. The law now has an exception to the body- armor ban, allowing back packs with either a metal insert or whole panels made with Kevlar, a fiber used in bulletproof vests. Republican state Sen. Mike Walsworth introduced the bill. He has said that the backpacks could protect students if a shooter is on campus, and that he was reacting to the shooting at a Parkland, Florida, high school in February that killed 17 people. The mea sure was one of roughly two dozen gun bills filed this year, most stemming from the shooting. Other Louisiana school districts have passed rules allowing bulletproof back packs. The school board in West Feliciana Parish did so in August. State Sen. J.P. Morrell, a Democrat from New Orleans, was one of two senators who voted against the bill. He said the back packs, which can cost from $50 to $400, might be unaf fordable for many families and are not equivalent to “a Captain America shield.” Officials have warned against being misled by companies promising the backpacks meet federal standards. U.S. Justice Department spokesman Devin O’Malley said this year that marketing claim ing National Institute of Justice testing or certifica tion for such products is false, as the research insti tute certifies body armor only for law enforcement. ATLANTA Election recount confirms lawmaker lost by just 2 votes A recount of the votes confirms a Georgia lawmaker lost his seat by just two votes in a court-ordered repeat of last May’s primary election. Official results of the Tuesday recount by Banks, Habersham and Stephens counties once again show challenger Chris Erwin barely defeated state Rep. Dan Gasaway in northeast Georgia’s House Dis trict 28. The new tally of the 7,040 ballots yielded the same final count as the Dec. 4 special primary between the two Republican rivals. The original primary was held in May, but a judge ordered the election redone because some vot ers had been assigned to the wrong House district. No Democrats ran for the seat, making Erwin the overall election winner. FORT VALLEY North Carolina man arrested in Georgia shooting death A North Carolina man has been charged with murder in a shooting in Georgia last year that authori ties initially said might have been self-defense. News outlets reported that 58-year-old David Lee Billings was arrested in Bladen County, North Carolina, on Monday and was trans ferred to Peach County. Billings is charged with murder in the shooting death of 35-year-old Lloyd Goldie of Fort Valley. He was found in the carport of a house near Byron June 9,2017. Authorities said last year that Goldie had been in a confronta tion with one of three women at a house. Authorities said it appeared that Billings had intervened in the dispute when Goldie tried to force his way into the house with a .45-cal- iber pistol. It was not known if Billings has an attorney. SAVANNAH Man arrested in shooting that left wife injured, husband dead Police have arrested a suspect in a shooting last month that killed a Georgia man and injured his wife. Savannah Police spokeswoman Bianca Johnson told news outlets that 26-year-olf Victor McMillar has been arrested with the help of the regional fugitive task force of the U.S. Marshals Service. McMillar is charged with mur der in the shooting that killed 37-year-old Donte Chisolm. McMil lar is also charged with aggravated assault for wounding the victim’s wife. Police were called to the shoot ing around 11 p.m. Nov., 3 and found the couple suffering from gunshot wounds. The couple was taken to a hospital where Donte Chisolm died and his wife survived. It was not known if McMillar has an attorney yet. AUGUSTA Eligible farmers can get loans to cover hurricane losses Some Georgia farmers are eligible for federal loans to help cover the costs of losses sustained because of Hurricane Michael. The Augusta Chronicle reported Tuesday that Agriculture Secre tary Sonny Perdue designated sev eral Georgia counties as primary natural disaster areas, allowing the U.S. Department of Agricul ture to offer the loans. Hurricane Michael swept through Georgia in October and cost area farmers at least $1 bil lion in damages and lost crops. Eli gible counties in Georgia include Richmond, Taliaferro, Warren, Burke, Glascock, Emanuel, Han cock, Jefferson, Jenkins, Screven and Washington. Eligible counties in South Carolina include Aiken and Barnwell. The loans will allow farmers to replace essential items such as livestock or reorganize farming operations. The deadline to apply is Aug. 12. The interest rate is cur rently 4 percent. Associated Press OBITUARIES Braganza Forrester Pitchford July 26, 1929-Dec. 18, 2018 Braganza Forrester Pitchford, 89, of Murrayville passed away peacefully in the comfort of her home on Tuesday, Dec. 18,2018. Mrs. Pitchford was born on July 26,1929, in Hall County to the late Ira Peter and Nora Williams For rester. She was immaculate with keeping her home and a renowned cook. She was a long-standing member of Concord Baptist Church. She was preceded in death by her loving husband of 69 years Wil liam Ernest Pitchford; their daugh ter Rhonda Gail Pitchford; and her parents. Mrs. Pitchford is survived by her son and wife Ira and Judy Pitchford; grandchildren Melissa Pitchford Wilson, Billy Pitchford, Melinda Pitchford Garland and husband Jayson; great-grandchil dren Kayla Jackson and husband Jonathan, Cody Marchbanks, Mat- tie Early, Alex Early, Anna Grace Garland; sister Polly Bower; sister- in-love Barbara Oliver Forrester. Funeral services will be held Friday, Dec. 21, 2018, at 11 a.m. at Concord Baptist Church in Cler mont with interment to follow. The family will receive friends on Thursday, Dec. 20, 2018, 4-8 p.m. at Strickland’s Funeral Home in Clermont. Strickland Funeral Home, Clermont Sign the online guest book at gainesvilletimes.com. The Times, Gainesville, Ga. Dec. 20, 2018 Philip Williams June 30, 1945-Dec. 18,2018 Philip Williams, 73, of Oakwood, Ga., passed away on Tuesday, Dec. 18, 2018. He is survived by his lov ing wife of 31 years, Ann Little Williams; daughters, Michele Red mond (Jeff) Holcombe, Kelly Wil liams (Michael) Wood, Heather Williams (Steve) Fosth, Allison Williams (Todd) Eldridge, Abbey (Branden) Eichler and Ansley Wil liams; grandchildren, Connor Red mond, Carly Ann Redmond, Jeff Holcombe Jr., Brad Holcombe, Noah (Mary) Wood, Jacob Wil liams, Ian Fosth, Georgia Mae Fosth, Ethan Eldridge and Alex Eldridge; great-grandchildren, Amelia Wood and Lily Wood; sis ter, Phyllis (George) Sutherland; brother-in-law, Bob Blankenship; sister-in-law, Marti Lewis; several nieces and nephews, and notably his niece Sonia Sewell who was instrumental in his care. He was preceded in death by his parents, Isaac Wendell “Red” Williams and Maggie Imogene Buice, and sister, Pamela Jean Williams. He grew up attending Bethesda UMC where he attended regularly. He dedicated his life to serving the church for over 40 years through the United Methodist Northeast Georgia con ference. He had a master’s degree in chemistry from UGA, as well as a master’s in divinity at Emory Uni versity. Philip loved to fish, watch anything UGA sports related, play ing golf, riding horses and telling jokes, not particularly good ones, but we laughed anyways. Philip was a loving husband, father, brother and grandfather who cher ished his family. A funeral service honoring the life of Philip will be held on Friday, Dec. 21, 2018, at 1 p.m. at Bethesda UMC. Inter ment will follow at Shadowlawn Cemetery. The family will receive friends on Thursday, Dec. 20,2018, from 6-8 p.m. at Tom M. Wages Lawrenceville Chapel. Those desir ing to make memorial donations may do so to Parkinson’s research at Emory Hospital. Condolences may be sent to or viewed at www. wagesfuneralhome.com. Tom M. Wages Funeral Service, Lawrenceville Sign the online guest book at gainesvilletimes.com. The Times, Gainesville, Ga. Dec. 20, 2018 DEATH NOTICES Willard Alexander Nov. 19, 1939-Dec. 18, 2018 Willard Alexander, 79, of Com merce died Tuesday. Funeral service, 2 p.m. Friday, Dec. 21, funeral home chapel. Ivie Funeral Home, Commerce. Bobby Glenn Cantrell Aug. 25, 1953-Dec. 18, 2018 Bobby Glenn Cantrell, 65, of Buford died Tuesday. Funeral ser vice, 1 p.m. Dec. 27, Union Baptist Church. Flanigan Funeral Home and Crematory, Buford. Jerome Mack Caudill Died Dec. 18, 2018 Jerome Mack Caudill, 74, of Hoschton died Tuesday. Funeral service, 11 a.m. Friday, Dec. 21, Chestnut Mountain Presbyterian Church. Memorial Park South Funeral Home, Flowery Branch. Georgia Elaine Davis Feb. 27, 1939-Dec. 17, 2018 Georgia Elaine Davis, 79, of Sugar Hill died Monday. Memorial service, 11 a.m. Dec. 28, funeral home chapel. Flanigan Funeral Home and Crematory, Buford. John Paul Dills Died Dec. 18, 2018 John Paul Dills, 79, of Com merce died Tuesday. Funeral service, 11 a.m. Friday, Dec. 21, funeral home chapel. Little-Ward Funeral Home, Commerce. Sandra Jean Lutters Died Dec. 15, 2018 Sandra Jean Lutters, 68, of Gainesville died Dec. 15. Memo rial Park North Riverside Chapel, Gainesville. Jan Nix Died Dec. 19, 2018 Jan Nix, 80, of Dawsonville died Wednesday. Funeral service, 11 a.m. Friday, Dec. 21, First Baptist Church of Dawsonville. Bearden Funeral Home, Dawsonville. Douglas L Sanders March 10, 1949-Dec. 18, 2018 Douglas L. “Doug” Sanders, 69, of Dacula died Tuesday. Celebra tion of life service, 3 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 23, Duncan Creek Congre gation Church, Buford. Flanigan Funeral Home and Crematory, Buford. Ruby Louise Skelton Died Dec. 18, 2018 Ruby Louise Skelton, 86, of Cleveland died Tuesday. Funeral service, 1 p.m. Friday, Dec. 21, Union Grove Congregational Holi ness Church. Barrett Funeral Home, Cleveland. Obituary information Death notices are printed free as a public service by The Times. More information can be provided in paid obituaries. The rate is $50 per 100 words (or any part thereof). There is an additional mandatory $40 fee for online services, which includes a guest book that allows family and friends to post condolences. Deadline for publication is 6:30 p.m. seven days a week. Death notices and obituaries are accepted only from funeral homes. They should be emailed to obits@gainesvilletimes.com. All submissions will appear in The Times and online at gainesvilletimes.com. For additional information, please call 770-718-3435 or 800-395-5005, extension 3435, between 3 and 6 p.m. weekdays.