About The times. (Gainesville, Ga.) 1972-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 21, 2018)
LOCA^SOUTHEAST The Times, Gainesville, Georgia | gainesvilletimes.com Friday, December 21,2018 9A ENGINE ■ Continued from 1A The health system may not ultimately occupy the Engine 209 site after all, though — Knight Commercial Realty has the first option for the land. Developer Tim Knight told The Times earlier in December that three mixed- use plans were being considered. When plans were announced in 2017, the project was said to include 30,000 square feet of retail and res taurant space with 150 apartments above. Sean Couch, a spokesman for the health system, said the health system would use its 90-day due diligence period to evaluate the site and see if it would work for a new facility or offices. If the health system decides not to purchase the land, the redevelopment author ity would retain ownership. Negotiations will now be between the health system and Knight Commercial Realty, City Manager Bryan Lackey said after Thursday’s redevelopment authority meeting. “(Knight) is still in what I’d call first posi tion on that. The hospital has to negotiate with them to alter that agreement to allow them to enter first position,” Lackey said. Engine 209 would be relocated to other city- owned property, possibly to be incorporated into a larger park. The city had already been considering moving the train to make it more accessible, city officials said Thursday. “That train really needs to be in a place that is convenient and can be better utilized by the public, and also a cover put over it so we don’t have to paint it every two or three years,” Mayor Danny Dunagan said. “Also, it can be used with maybe a park around it so it would be a nice amenity.” Abb Hayes, Gainesville’s city attorney, said the city often seeks to sell excess property so it can become tax-producing and contribute to economic development. If the health system builds on the property, any health system building would be required to have at least two stories, according to the contract. If anyone other than the health sys tem builds there, that developer would be required to construct a multi-use building with at least three stories. Before any construction on the site could start, plans would have to be approved by Gainesville’s city manager. The contract with the health system would require NGHS to grant the city an easement to build an electronic sign to promote com munity events. Also, 40 parking spaces would need to be set aside 12 times a year for events at the Smithgall Arts Center. Source: Travis Scott to perform at Super Bowl BY MESFIN FEKADU Associated Press Rapper Travis Scott is in talks to per form at the Super Bowl halftime in Atlanta, The Associated Press has learned. A person familiar with the situ ation, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not allowed to speak about the topic publicly, told The AP that Scott is close to signing on to per form at Super Bowl 53 on Feb. 3 at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium. The person confirmed that Scott will headline Pepsi’s pre-Super Bowl concert on Feb. 1 in Atlanta, two days before the Super Bowl. Controversy has surrounded the half time show since NFL player Colin Kae- pernick said he would not stand for the national anthem in protest of racial discrimination against blacks in the United States two years ago. Some musi cians have reconsidered performing at the Super Bowl as a result, and Rihanna and Jay-Z were among the stars who reportedly said no to performing at halftime show. The person said Pepsi, which sponsors the halftime show, brought Scott to the NFL, which is in talks with the rapper. Scott, 26, has had an uber-successful year with his latest album “Astro- world,” one of the year’s top releases. It features the No. 1 hit, “Sicko Mode,” and recently earned Scott three Grammy nominations. Maroon 5 has been rumored to headline the halftime show, though their represen tatives or the NFL have not officially con firmed the news. Scott ATU\NTA 3 passengers killed in business plane crash BY JEFF MARTIN Associated Press JOHN AMIS I Associated Press A person investigates the scene of a small plane crash in a city park which killed all on board, Thursday, Dec. 20, in northwest Atlanta. DEATH NOTICES Carol Asbridge Died Dec. 20, 2018 Carol Asbridge, 74, of Flowery Branch died Thurs day. Memorial Park South Funeral Home, Flowery Branch. Betty Jean Cantrell Died Dec. 20, 2018 Betty Jean Cantrell, 71, of Cleveland died Thurs day, Barrett Funeral Home, Cleveland. Gussie Cleare Died Dec. 19, 2018 Gussie Cleare, 86, of Gainesville died Wednes day. Funeral service, 11 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 22, Antioch Baptist Church. Wimberly Funeral Home, Gainesville. Max Lee Crocker Dec. 16, 1949 -Dec. 18, 2018 Max Lee Crocker, 69, of Alto died Tuesday. Funeral service, 11 a.m. Friday, Dec. 21, funeral home chapel. Whitfield Funeral Home, Baldwin. Claudia Mae Davis Daniels Dec. 5, 1955 -Dec. 18, 2018 Claudia Mae Davis Dan iels, 63, of Cornelia died Tuesday. Funeral ser vice, 2 p.m. Satuday, Dec. 22, funeral home chapel. McGahee-Griffin & Stewart Funeral Home, Cornelia. Lisbeth Giles Gaddy Died Dec. 19, 2018 Lisbeth Giles Gaddy, 60, of Gainesville died Wednes day. Memorial Park South Funeral Home, Flowery Branch. Harris Cleveland Haughton Died Dec. 18,2018 Harris Cleveland Haugh ton, 90, of Gainesville died Tuesday. Funeral service, 12 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 22, St. Paul United Methodist Church. Dexter T. Sims Mor tuary, Gainesville. Margie Nell Hicks Died Dec. 20, 2018 Margie Nell Hicks, 87, of Cleveland died Thursday. Funeral service, 2 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 22, funeral home chapel. Memo rial Park Funeral Home, Gainesville. Jose Salomon Parras Died Dec. 16,2018 Jose Salomon Parras, 47, of Gainesville died Sunday. Graveside service, 3 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 23, Memorial Park Cemetery. Memo rial Park Funeral Home, Gainesville. 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 more info., call 770- 718-3419 or 800-395-5005, extension 3419, between 3 and 6 p.m. weekdays. ATLANTA — Three people aboard a Tennessee-bound business jet were killed when the aircraft plunged into a football field at an Atlanta park, igniting its fuel and sending thick smoke over a nearby neighborhood Thursday. A home behind the sports field was damaged, but no injuries on the ground were reported, Atlanta Fire Rescue Sgt. Cortez Stafford said. The plane’s wreckage was spread out on the field over about a 100-yard area, he said. The aircraft was “shooting out of the sky,” witness Reggie Dumas told reporters at the scene. “As it was going down, you could see the wings shifting back and forth,” said Dumas, who saw the aircraft plunge as he drove along a nearby road. He jumped out of his car to see if he could help anyone, but saw no survivors — only smoke. The plane was a Cessna Citation V jet, Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman Kathleen Bergen told The Associated Press. It was headed to the Millington- Memphis Airport when it went down, airport Executive Director Roy Remington said. He said a fire official at the Millington airport was working with authorities in Atlanta to determine the identities of those killed in the crash. Remington says ATLANTA — Catholic church officials suppressed reports of abuse by a priest in northwest Georgia and failed to inform the community of the danger he posed, according to a lawsuit filed Thursday. The lawsuit, filed by a man identified under a pseudonym, Phillip Doe, says he was an altar boy at Saint Joseph’s Catholic Church in Dalton from age 12 to 15 and that he was sexually molested by priest John Douglas Edwards from 1976 to 1978. The lawsuit filed in Cobb County Superior Court says the failure by the Archdiocese of Atlanta to report the alleged sexual abuse is a public nuisance because it endangered the public. It was filed against the arch diocese, Saint Joseph’s and Arch bishop of Atlanta Wilton Gregory, who has presided over the archdio cese since 2005. The archdiocese had not received the lawsuit Thursday the victims were believed to be from the Memphis area. “This is a tragedy,” he said. The jet had departed from a runway at nearby Fulton County Airport-Brown Field and went down about 1.5 miles east of the airport and, therefore, could not comment, spokeswoman Paula Grant said in an email. She added that the archdiocese abhors every instance of abuse and offers support to survivors. “Archbishop Gregory remains committed to being engaged with the laity, the presbyterate, and his brother bishops as we as a Catholic Church work through this tremen dously difficult time,” she wrote. Edwards died in 1997. “The Archdio cese and Arch bishop of Atlanta owed a duty of reasonable care to protect minor parishioners who were altar boys at St. Joseph’s church,” Darren Penn, one of Doe’s lawyers, said in a press release. “The Archdiocese and Archbishop failed to investigate, sus pend or remove Edwards from all religious ceremonies and other events.” Penn, who’s representing Doe along with California-base lawyer Paul Mones, urged Georgia Attor ney General Chris Carr to investi gate the archdiocese “to get to the shortly after noon, Bergen said. The airport itself is about 10 miles west of downtown Atlanta. The plane’s wreckage is not far from a small set of metal bleachers and the yellow goal post in the end zone of the football field, video from truth about all of the clergy cred ibly accused of sexual misconduct in Georgia and ensure the public is properly informed.” The attorney general had no comment, spokeswoman Katie Byrd said. But Carr released a statement in August saying he was concerned about continued reports of abuse in the Catholic Church. He said the crimes involved generally fall under the jurisdiction of local prosecutors but said he’s willing to commit any appropriate atten tion and resources from his office to hold accountable those who have committed or concealed such crimes. Edwards directly supervised the altar boys, leading their meetings and practices, and had a house on Lake Allatoona in Acworth where he would take groups of boys from Saint Joseph’s, the lawsuit says. Edwards sexually molested Doe eight to 10 times, fondling Doe’s penis and performing oral sex on him, the lawsuit says. Because of the alleged abuse, Doe has suffered throughout his life from emotional and psycho logical problems and “experienced a loss of faith and spirituality which were bedrocks of his life prior to the abuse,” the lawsuit says. The archdiocese knew about sexual molestation of children by priests across the U.S., and spe cifically Edwards, the lawsuit says. Instead of reporting those crimes, WAGA-TV shows. Most of the plane is badly burned. Its tail is one of the only parts that appear to be intact. Firefighters had to make their way through jet fuel to put out the flames on the football field, Stafford said. abuse reports they have “actively concealed the identities of sexual predators and allowed them to remain in unsus pecting communities, exposed to innocent children, for decades.” This alleged behavior allowed a dangerous environment to persist, “creating a nuisance that continues to this day,” the lawsuit says. While Doe never reported the alleged abuse to church officials, Penn said, it’s clear from Edwards’ inclusion on a list of priests cred ibly accused of sexually abusing children that there were other victims and that the church knew about it. A Pennsylvania grand jury report released in August alleged that more than 300 Roman Catholic priests there had molested more than 1,000 children since the 1940s and that senior church officials sys tematically covered up the abuse. Following the release of that report, Catholics demanded more transparency and accountability, and cases of alleged abuse have come under new scrutiny in some other places. Dioceses and arch dioceses around the country have released lists of priests, other clergy and some lay staff at reli gious institutions who have been credibly accused of sexually abus ing children. The Archdiocese of Atlanta and the Diocese of Savannah each released such a list last month. Edwards is on the archdiocese list. COVINGTON Wounded police officer back home after rehab A police officer who was shot in the head has returned home after months of physical rehabilitation. News outlets report Covington police Officer Matt Cooper finished his inpatient brain injury rehab program Wednesday and got to go home. Police say officers responded to a report of shoplifting at an area Walmart in September and three suspects fled, shooting at officers. Authorities say Cooper was shot in the head by 21-year-old suspect Aaron Demonta Fleming, who was shot and killed at the scene. Authorities have said Fleming’s gunshot wound was likely self-inflicted. The other suspects were taken into custody. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation said then that Cooper was hospitalized in serious condition. He underwent several surgeries and was later transferred to the rehabilitation center. ATLANTA GBI workers resign after taking photo with dismembered man The Georgia Bureau of Investigation says two of its workers have resigned after taking a photo with a dismembered man’s head during a medical examination. News outlets report GBI spokeswoman Nelly Miles says Jesse Landen Wilson and James N. Brown would’ve been fired if they didn’t resign this week. Miles says Brown took a photo of Wil son posed with the remains of Robert Page, who authorities have said was dismembered by his neighbor. Authorities have said Page was reported miss ing in November. Responding authorities followed a trail of blood leading to the yard of 25-year-old Christian Ponce-Martinez and discovered Page’s remains hidden under a tarp and in a cooler. Ponce-Martinez was arrested on charges including murder. Police say it appears the men argued at Page’s home before the slaying. SOUTH CAROLINA African American Museum needs $10 million to construct project CHARLESTON — Organizers for the Inter national African American Museum planned in South Carolina say they’ll need an additional $10 million for the project. Organizers in Charleston cited inflation and ris ing costs of materials in Thursday’s statement that they need the money before construction starts. Fundraisers reached their $75 million goal in August, the estimated amount needed to start. That prompted Charleston City Council to hire a con struction manager and begin soliciting bids. That’s when they realized that the prices were climbing. Museum organizers say they’ve already raised about $3 million of the extra $10 million needed. Then-Charleston Mayor Joe Riley announced plans for the museum in 2000. The museum is planned at the former Gadsden Wharf, where tens of thousands of enslaved Afri cans first entered America. Associated Press Lawsuit: Catholic church suppressed Ga BY KATE BRUMBACK Associated Press ‘The Archdiocese and Archbishop of Atlanta owed a duty of reasonable care to protect minor parishioners who were altar boys at St. Joseph’s church.’ Darren Penn Lawyer to Phillip Doe
