The times. (Gainesville, Ga.) 1972-current, December 29, 2018, Image 7

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The times., December 29, 2018, Image 7

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Newspaper Page TextLOCATSOUTHEAST The Times, Gainesville, Georgia | gainesvilletimes.com Saturday, December 29, 2018 7A Shutdown may block aid to farmers hit by trade war CHARLIE NEIBERGALLI Associated Press Justin Roth holds a handful of soybeans at the Brooklyn Elevator in Brooklyn, Iowa, Nov. 21. BY JULIET LINDERMAN Associated Press WASHINGTON — The end of 2018 seemed to signal good things to come for America’s farmers. Fresh off the passage of the farm bill, which reauthorized agricul ture, conservation and safety net programs, the USDA last week announced a second round of direct payments to growers hardest hit by President Donald Trump’s trade war with China. Then the government shut down. The USDA in a statement issued last week assured farmers that checks would continue to go out during the first week of the shut down. But direct payments for farmers who haven’t certified production, as well as farm loans and disaster assistance programs, will be put on hold beginning next week, and won’t start up again until the government reopens. There is little chance of the gov ernment shutdown ending soon. Trump and Congress are no closer to reaching a deal over his demand for border wall funding, and both sides say the impasse could drag well into January. Although certain vital USDA pro grams will remain operational in the short term, that could change if the shutdown lasts for more than a few weeks. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or food stamps, helps feed roughly 40 mil lion Americans. According to the USDA, eligible recipients are guar anteed benefits through January. Other feeding programs, including WIC, which provides food aid and nutrition counseling for pregnant women, new mothers and chil dren, and food distribution pro grams on Indian reservations, will continue on a local level, but addi tional federal funding won’t be pro vided. School lunch programs will continue through February. USDA has earmarked about $9.5 billion in direct payments for growers of soybeans, corn, wheat, sorghum and other commodities most affected by tariffs. The first round of payments went out in Sep tember. The deadline to sign up for the second round of payments is January 15. The impact of the shutdown, which began shortly before most federal workers were scheduled for a holiday break, started coming into focus by midweek. About 420,000 employees are working without pay, while another 380,000 are being forced to stay home. In the past, federal employees have been paid retroactively. But government contractors won’t get paid for hours they’ll lose staying home, causing problems for those who rely on hourly wages. In anticipation of the financial bind many federal workers and contractors may soon find them selves in, the Office of Personnel Management offered some advice: haggle with landlords, creditors and mortgage companies for lower payments until the shutdown is over. The shutdown also is affecting national parks, although unevenly: Some remain accessible with bare- bones staffing levels, some are operating with money from states or charitable groups, while others are locked off. Prosecutor sues Justice Department over man shot 59 times Fulton County District Attorney Paul Howard discusses his attempts to obtain information about the killing of Jamarion Robinson, who was shot 59 times by law enforcement officers, on Friday, Dec. 28. BY JEFF MARTIN Associated Press ATLANTA —A Georgia prosecutor is suing the U.S. Department of Justice over its refusal to provide infor mation about how officers shot 59 bullets into a schizo phrenic college student. Fulton County District Attorney Paul Howard said Friday that federal authori ties have blocked his prose cutors from interviewing the officers who killed Jamarion Robinson, 26. Howard said the federal agency has also stymied his investigation of the 2016 killing by refusing to turn over any documents, despite numerous requests during the past two years under the federal Freedom of Infor mation Act. “We’ve never done any thing like this,” he said of the lawsuit. “Our hope was that the federal authorities would cooperate and pro vide this office and this fam ily with all the information about this incident. I cannot understand why they have not done it.” Robinson’s mother, Mon- teria Robinson, accom panied Howard when he announced the lawsuit. “My son deserves the truth,” she said. Atlanta criminal defense lawyer Page Pate, who isn’t involved in the case but has handled numerous others involving the federal gov ernment, said the standoff between local and federal law enforcers “is extraordi narily unusual.” “They stonewall plaintiffs all the time, but it is unusual for them to stonewall a dis trict attorney who is inves tigating a possible crime. .. They generally cooperate when it comes to investigat ing serious crimes,” Pate said. Robinson died in a hail of gunfire after a fugitive task force armed with weapons that included submachine guns broke down the door in the Atlanta suburb of East Point, Georgia, in August 2016, and fired more than 90 rounds “into or inside” the apartment, according to the lawsuit. The lawsuit alleges that the Department of Justice has “steadfastly blocked” Howard’s office from inves tigating and that federal offi cials failed to return many calls from his office. “It has now been 875 days since the officers killed Mr. Robinson, and the DOJ has yet to provide any of the documents or evidence requested and has failed to provide any investigative reports relating to Mr. Rob inson’s death,” the lawsuit states. Witnesses and videos have indicated that officers gave numerous verbal com mands for Robinson to put down a weapon, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation said JEFF MARTIN I Associated Press in a statement the day after the shooting. The GBI inves tigates many shootings by police across the state, as it did Robinson’s death. A handgun found at the scene was “believed to be associated with Robinson,” the GBI said at the time. The lawsuit also alleges that while officers claimed Mr. Robinson fired at them three times with a gun found later in his apartment, “when the firearm was recovered, it was damaged and inoperable.” East Point police have said Robinson was suspected of shooting at Atlanta offi cers earlier that summer, and members of the task force had gone to the apart ment to arrest him. The Department of Jus tice did not immediately return a request for com ment Friday. Its Office of Public Affairs said in an email that due to the partial government shutdown, mes sages “may not be returned until funding is restored.” Robinson, who studied biology, had played football at Clark Atlanta University and had been transferring to Tuskegee University in Alabama shortly before he was killed. He’d recently been diag nosed as a schizophrenic, the prosecutor’s lawsuit states. Except for a traffic violation, he had no criminal convictions, according to the lawsuit. ROME Officer fired after hit-and-run involving child A police officer in Georgia has been fired after he was charged in a hit-and-run incident that injured a 3-year-old child. News outlets reported that 51-year-old Rome Lt. Richard Pen- son has been arrested and charged with reckless driving, hit-and- run and second-degree cruelty to children. The police department said in a news release that Penson was off- duty and driving his own vehicle Dec. 17 when the accident occurred at a daycare pickup line and a child’s foot was hit. It wasn’t known if Penson has an attorney. Rome police asked the Geor gia State Patrol to conduct the investigation. MCDONOUGH Officer dies from gunshot wound suffered earlier this month A police officer has died from a gunshot wound he suffered earlier this month when he responded to a disturbance at a dentist’s office. News outlets reported the Henry County Police Department said officer Michael Smith died early Friday in an Atlanta hospital from complications of a gunshot wound he suffered Dec. 6 at a dentist’s office in McDonough. The dentist’s office had called police about a man who was acting erratically. Investigators say Smith went into the office and struggled with 53-year-old Dimaggio McNelly. Smith tried to stun the man, but a scuffle developed over the officer’s gun. A single shot was fired that killed McNelly and fatally injured Smith. Smith had been with the police department for seven years. GUYTON Dead children never reported missing were homeschooled Two children found dead and buried in their father’s backyard had been missing for months, but their disappearances were never reported. News outlets report 14-year-old Mary Crocker disappeared in Octo ber and her brother Elwyn Crocker Jr. disappeared in 2016 when he was 14. The Effingham County School System says Mary and Elwyn were removed from school and trans ferred to a homeschool program. The children were found last week, and their father, step mother, stepgrandmother and the stepgrandmother’s boyfriend are charged in their deaths. A living 11-year-old child with cerebral palsy was taken from the home and placed this week in the care of his mother, Rebecca Self, of South Carolina. County Sheriff Jimmy McDuffie says despite noticing signs of pos sible abuse, neighbors and acquain tances didn’t report their suspicions to authorities. CHARLOTTE, N.C. Man says $252K in cash seized from luggage was for nonprofit A Michigan man who had about $252,000 seized from his carry-on bag at a Charlotte, North Carolina, airport says the money was for humanitarian purposes. The Charlotte Observer reported Thursday that Robert Shumake has filed a claim to recover the cash, which authorities say was pack aged in a way “consistent with drug trafficking.” The money was seized in June when authorities found it stashed inside a shoe box. Associated Press OBITUARIES DEATH NOTICES Barbara Allison July 29, 1932-Dec. 27, 2018 Barbara Allison, 86, of Cleveland died Thursday. Funeral service, 2 p.m. Monday, Dec. 31, Mossy Creek United Methodist Church, Cleveland. Barrett Funeral Home, Cleveland. Gary Leon Black Died Dec. 27, 2018 Gary Leon Black, 70, of Cleveland died Thursday. Barrett Funeral Home, Cleveland. Patricia J. Born Died Dec. 24, 2018 Patricia “Patty” J. Born, 74, of Cumming died Mon day. Funeral mass, Thurs day, Jan. 3, St. Brendan Catholic Church, Cumming. McDonald and Son Funeral Home, Cumming. Joseph Junior Cummings Died Dec. 27, 2018 Joseph Junior Cummings, 87, of Commerce died Thursday. Funeral service, 2 p.m. Saturday, Rogers Baptist Church, Commerce. Little-Ward Funeral Home, Commerce. Tony Hall June 15, 1946-Dec. 27, 2018 Tony Hall, 72, of Demor- est died Thursday. Ser vice, 2 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 5, funeral home chapel. McGahee-Griffin & Stewart Funeral Home, Cornelia. Bob Meister Jr. Oct. 23, 1921-Dec. 23, 2018 Bob Meister Jr., 97, of Cor nelia died Sunday. Whitfield Funeral Home, Demorest. Hillard Reed Moon Died Dec. 25, 2018 Hillard Reed “Bud” Moon, 85, of Jefferson died Tuesday. Funeral service, 1 p.m. Monday, Dec. 31, New Salem Baptist Church, Jef ferson. Wimberly & White Funeral Home, Commerce. Robert Daylon Moore Died Dec. 27, 2018 Robert Daylon Moore, 83, of Maysville died Thursday. Service, 3 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 6, funeral home chapel. Ivie Funeral Home, Commerce. William Thomas Rabun Died Dec. 26, 2018 William Thomas Rabun, 78, died Wednesday. View ing, 5 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 28, funeral home chapel. Ingram Funeral Home, Cumming. JD Raines Died Dec. 27, 2018 JD Raines, 86, of Gaines ville died Thursday. Funeral service, 2 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 29, funeral home cha pel. Memorial Park Funeral Home, Gainesville. Richard James Rensing Sr. Oct. 18, 1944-Dec. 27, 2018 Richard James Rensing Sr., 74, of Alto died Thurs day. Memorial service, 2 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 26, funeral home chapel. Haber sham Crematory, Cornelia. Honorio Betancourt Roman Died Dec. 26, 2018 Honorio Betancourt Roman, 36, of Cumming died Wednesday. Visita tion, 1 p.m. Monday, Dec. 31, funeral home chapel. McDonald and Son Funeral Home, Cumming. Bonita King Swope Died Dec. 23, 2018 Bonita King Swope, 81, of Suwanee died Sunday. Memorial service, 2:30 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 20, Grayson Church of The Nazarene, Loganville. McDonald and Son Funeral Home, Cumming. Obituary information Death notices are printed free as a public service by The Times. More information can be provided in paid obituar ies. The rate is $50 per 100 words (or any part thereof). There is an additional man datory $40 fee for online ser vices, which includes a guest book that allows family and friends to post condolences. Deadline for publica tion 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 informa tion, please call 770-718-3419 or 800-395-5005, extension 3419, between 3 and 6 p.m. weekdays. INTRODUCING^/ (7/t TatottciKl 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.