About The times. (Gainesville, Ga.) 1972-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 1, 2020)
Text, drugs, The Rock and Foil Hall County resident Luke Parker, left, and Hannah Brown meet on the set of “The Bachelorette.” Photo courtesy ABC Times’ top stories of the decade range from a serious autocorrect error to Hall’s own reality show ‘villain’ As the decade ends and a new year begins, The Times takes a look back at the stories you looked at the most each year of the 2010s. They include crime and mayhem, a text message gone hor ribly wrong, a bizarre drug arrest and a visit from action hero The Rock. Perhaps not surprisingly, 2019’s top story was the appearance of local man Luke Parker on “The Bachelorette,” where he was painted as the series’ foil — or villian — driving ratings, and your clicks, ever higher. Story excerpts appear as originally printed, and can be read in their entirety at gainesvilletimes.com. 2010: Autopsies being performed on Schaefer, husband after apparent murder-suicide Autopsies are being performed today on the bodies of former state Sen. Nancy Schae fer and her husband, who were found shot to death Friday afternoon in an apparent murder-sui cide at their Habersham County home. Sheriff Joey Terrell said this morning that authorities believe they know who the shooter was, but wanted to wait until the autopsies are completed before releasing that information. Terrell said the couple’s daughter, who lives in the same gated community as the Schaefers, discovered their bodies in a bedroom about 5:30 p.m. Friday. He said a handgun was used in the shootings and was found near the bodies. (Authorities later said Schaefer’s hus band, troubled by financial problems, shot his wife to death as she lay sleeping before turning the gun on himself.) 2011: Victims, suspect in Harbour Point shooting identified Hall County deputies shot and killed a ■ Please see DECADE, 5A Anthem, NGHS fail to agree by deadline MEGAN REED mreed@gainesvilletimes.com The Northeast Georgia Health System and Anthem have not reached an agreement to keep the health system in-network with the insurer. NGHS had agreed to honor in-network rates for Anthem patients through Dec. 31, taking a loss of about $10 million a month. Anthem patients are now out-of-network with most NGHS facilities and providers. A judge has issued an injunction that will keep the system’s Gainesville and Braselton hospitals, as well as Hospice of Northeast Georgia Medical Cen ter, as Anthem locations through Feb. 7, 2020. Northeast Georgia Physicians Group’s family medicine and internal medicine practices in Buford, Cumming, Dacula and Hamilton Mill have not been affected and are still in-network with Anthem. The stalemate has left thousands of people in Northeast Georgia unsure about how to make health care decisions. The insurer was formerly known as Blue Cross and Blue Shield but was renamed Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Georgia in Janu ary. Negotiations to renew a five-year contract between Anthem and NGHS began Jan. 30, but for months the health system and the insurer have disagreed on key points of the contract, including rates paid by Anthem and whether NGHS would have to renegotiate with Anthem when it opened or acquired a new facility. Times file photo Community gathers to discuss bullying in city schools NICK WATSON I The Times Gainesville City Schools Superintendent Jeremy Williams, left, speaks Monday night at a “Parents Rebuilding the Village” meeting held at the Fair Street Neighborhood Center in Gainesville. The group rose out of the arrest of a Gainesville Middle School student’s mother, who was charged with terroristic threats after a video in which she complained about her son being bullied. BY NICK WATSON nwatson@gainesvilletimes.com A Gainesville Middle School student’s mother became “a sacri fice” in order to spur the commu nity’s passion to combat bullying and address issues in the school system, Apostle Roderick Hughey said Monday night at a community meeting. Dozens of people gathered at the Fair Street Neighborhood Center for a panel discussion hosted by “Parents Rebuilding the Village.” The group formed after the arrest two weeks ago of Cirea Oliver, who was charged with terroristic threats following a video posted on Facebook. In the video, posted around 12:30 p.m. Monday, Dec. 16, the woman discusses her child being bullied and feeling that not enough is being done by the faculty to address the issue. “Sadly, it took her getting ugly in order to get our attention as a whole. Did I say it was right the way she — well I don’t know how you would handle it if you lose it. Before you judge, be real with yourself. We’ve all lost it at some point,” Hughey said. The panel included Gainesville City Schools Superintendent Jer emy Williams, leaders in the faith community, “Parents Rebuilding the Village” members and Georgia Legal Services Program staff attor ney Alina Venick. Gainesville Police Cpl. Jessica Van said comments in the video were “insinuating that she was going to shoot multiple people at the school.” In the video, which was obtained by The Times, Oliver discusses showing up to the school at the end of the school day to pick up her child. She explains that she has voiced her concerns to teachers and the principal “numerous times.” “I’m going to go up to the school and talk to them again, and I’m going to talk to the Board of Educa tion and talk to whoever I need to up there because something has to be done,” Oliver said in the video. “It’s breaking my heart because it’s like nothing I can do.” Oliver, who is a single parent, said in the video that she works hard to give her child a strong sup port system. She said the consistent ■ Please see PARENTS, 5A □ 40901 06835 8 INSIDE Business 8B Classified 9B Comics 7B Life 5B Sports 1B TV/puzzles 6B WEATHER 2A Lake Lanier level: 1,068.74 feet Full pool 1,071. Up 0.05 feet in 24 hours DEATHS 6A Emma Abraham, 86 Idris Asigiri, 58 Martin Gonzalez-Andrade, Lena Bailey, 75 C.V. Cockerham, 91 Robert Crowl, 58 Mark Chalmers, 57 Teresa Frix, 62 Joanne Fisk, 65 Dennis Garmon, 68 Mary Green, 88 Elizabeth Gravitt, 79 56 Patricia Gibby, 87 Clifford Gilley, 78 Wilma Humphries, 91 Frances Hodge, 92 Thelma Henry, 77 Leah Hill, 40 Daniel Himes, 58 Daniel James, 69 Kenneth Johnson, 72 John Kitchens, 85 Long Lim, 73 Peri Meyer, 57 Virginia Moore, 76 Nanine Placek, 64 Elizabeth Padgett, 38 Sebrina Parker, 47 Norma Phillips, 74 John Propes, 60 Harry Poole, 93 Felipe Rosales, 65 Rene Sexton, 58 Hazel Swain, 81 Aubrey Tipton, 96 Walter Turner, 74 Marsha Wells, 71 Imogene Wright, 92 Bebe Yarbrough, 89 NOW CANCER CENTERS ACROSS GEORGIA By providing access to more cancer treatment centers, we're bringing expert care to more Georgians. 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