About The times. (Gainesville, Ga.) 1972-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 26, 2020)
Save up to $230 COUPONS INSIDE Couple serves up New Orleans flavors in Gainesville, our region, ic SUNDAY, JANUARY 26, 2020 | $2.00 | GAINESVILLE, GEORGIA | gainesvilletimes.com Legislators may tweak film tax credit Audit: Georgias program lacks data, creates ‘environment ideal for fraud’ BY JEFF GILL jgill@gainesvilletimes.com From “Baby Driver” to Netflix’s “Ozark,” Hall County has been an occasional second home for Hollywood. And it’s a home that Stacey Dick son, president of the Lake Lanier Convention & Visitors Bureau, would like to see maintained. “If Georgia were to cancel the film tax credit, we would very likely see projects like this go else where to film,” she said. The popular but expensive state tax credit, which has come under scrutiny after a state audit showed lax oversight, has emerged as a hot topic in this year’s legislative ses sion, which got underway Jan. 13. The audit, conducted by the Georgia Department of Audits and Accounts and released earlier this month, “brought to light some very serious issues that we need to take a look at, no doubt,” said state Rep. Timothy Barr, R-Lawrenceville, who represents part of South Hall and is a member of the House Working Group on Creative Arts & Entertainment. “We have definitely talked about different ways to make this work ■ Please see FILM, 4A A few projects shot in Hall County ■ “Rampage,” a 2018 movie starring Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, was shot on or near the campus of Brenau University ■ “Baby Driver,” a 2017 movie starring Ansel Elgort, Kevin Spacey, Lily James, Elza Gonzales, Jon Hamm and Jamie Foxx, was shot at the old Regions Bank on Green Street ■ “Ozark,” a Netflix series that started in 2017 and stars Jason Bateman, Laura Linney, is shot on parts of Lake Lanier ■ “Thank You for Your Service,” a 2017 movie starring Miles Teller, was also shot at the old Regions Bank on Green Street Cleaning up the neighborhood Photos by SCOTT ROGERS I The Times Hall County Marshal Capt. Barry Shaw, left, and Marshal Khip Miller visit a dumping site. Shaw is the new captain of the Marshal’s Office and previously served as zone commander for Atlanta Police Department’s 2nd Precinct, which covers the northern end of the city. He also worked in code enforcement in Atlanta for two years. New Marshals Office captain focuses on community, proactivity Hall County Marshal Khip Miller visits a dumping site along Skelton Circle Tuesday, Jan. 21, in Hall County. BY MEGAN REED mreed@gainesvilletimes.com The new captain of the Hall County Marshal’s Office wants the office to reach out to the communities it serves. Capt. Barry Shaw joined Hall County in November. He takes over following the resignation of Andre Niles in August after an internal affairs investigation into Niles’ leadership. Shaw was previously a zone commander for the Atlanta Police Department’s 2nd Precinct, which covers the northern end of the city. He also worked in code enforce ment in Atlanta for two years, and he said the Marshal’s Office position combines law enforcement with code enforcement, one of his favor ite types of work. For Shaw, it’s about getting to know each neighborhood and its unique needs. “When you start trying to clean up neighborhoods, it’s always important to me to try to get out and meet people and find out the neighborhood leaders,” Shaw said. “Some times what you think might be a concern for the neighbor hood, when you go in there and you start talking to them, you’ll find out that it may not be what you thought. ” The Marshal’s Office, which is a division of the planning and development department, enforces county ordinances regarding junk, inoperable vehicles, littering, business licenses and short term rentals. The issues, if gone unaddressed, can lead to environmental or safety con cerns. Shaw said the problems can also affect quality of life. ■ Please see MARSHAL, 5A Soil collected to remember 1912 lynching in Forsyth BY KELLY WHITMIRE kwhitmire@forsythnews.com Scoop by scoop, the dirt fell into a pair of glass jars. Visitors collected the soil, heavy and dark from Friday’s rain, from the spot near where Rob Edwards was hanged in September 1912. They placed the soil in jars, one to be sent to a museum in Alabama, another to remain in Forsyth County. Edwards, a black man, was stripped nude, beat and killed in his jail cell by a mob of at least 2,000 white residents after being arrested the day before in connection with the alleged rape and murder of Sleety Mae Crow, a white Forsyth County resident. After his death, Edwards’ body was dragged through downtown Cumming and hanged from a telephone pole. Along with a similar incident days before in which another white woman was allegedly attacked by two black men, the end result was the county’s black population, an estimated 1,100 resi dents in 1910, according to census records, were forced out of the county. Many sought refuge 11 miles away in Gaines ville and other parts of Hall County. ■ Please see SOIL, 4A Edwards ^uniming, Georgia September 10,1912 I KELLY WHITMIRE I Forsyth County News Two jars, one to stay in Forsyth County, another that will go to the Equal Justice Initiative’s Legacy Museum in Alabama, were filled Jan. 24, with dirt from near the site of Rob Edwards’ 1912 lynching. INSIDE WEATHER 2A DEATHS 2C 0 40901 06825 Advice 1E Business 1D Calendar 2A Classified 2D Comics Inside 9 Fun+Games 1E Kitchen 8C Life 6C Lottery 2A Opinion 7A Our Region 1C Sports 1B High Low SX 53 42 Lake Lanier level: 1,070.87 feet Full pool 1,071. Up 0.08 feet in 24 hours Lois Bartsch, 84 Richard Clark, 91 Jack Davenport, 83 Viola Evans, 94 Grace Hammond, 82 Jimmy McLendon, 84 Perry Oliver Jr., 88 Sandra Roberts, 73 James Peterson, 64 Johnny Skinner, 75 Candi Tucker, 42 Patricia Williams, 89 let this be the year of you — attend Bariatrics 101 — This year, take the next step toward a new and healthier you by attending a free Bariatrics class. Just one session will teach you all you need to know about bariatric surgery and the nationally recognized, accredited program at NGMC. Learn more and register at www.nghs.com/newyou. Northeast Georgia Medical Center BARIATRIC WEIGHT LOSS CENTER
