About The times. (Gainesville, Ga.) 1972-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 30, 2020)
Lakeview Academy girls to battle Hebron Christian for top seed in Region 8-A. sports,ib THURSDAY, JANUARY 30, 2020 | $1.00 | GAINESVILLE, GEORGIA | gainesvilletimes.com Collins makes US Senate run official BY MEGAN REED mreed@gainesvilletimes.com Gainesville’s Doug Collins has announced his campaign for the U.S. Senate to fill the seat currently occupied by U.S. Sen. Kelly Loeffler, who was appointed by Gov. Brian Kemp. Collins, a Republican, has served in the U.S. House of Representatives since 2013. He is the ranking member of the House Judi ciary Committee and serves on President Donald Trump’s impeachment team as a top defender of the president. “We just need to have a process that lets people decide, lets them choose for themselves how they want to see this vision,” Collins said in his announcement on Fox News the morning of Wednesday, Jan. 29. “We fought for the president, we fought for the state and we fought for this country, and we’re going to continue to do that, and I look for ward to the exchange of ideas, and I look forward to this election.” Collins highlighted his work on criminal justice reform, including the First Step Act, and he said he hoped to bring con servative values to the Senate. “Georgia is a state that is a won derful state, that is growing, has a lot of new ideas and new people coming in, and they need to see the conser vative values, the conservative val ues that actually believe in people, that actually come from being a state trooper’s kid and working as a pastor and being an Air Force chaplain,” Collins said. Loeffler was appointed by Kemp to fill the seat as former U.S. Sen. Johnny Isakson decided to retire at the end of 2019. Col lins had applied online for the position and received the support of Trump to replace Isakson. Loeffler is also running to stay in the position. State Sen. John Wilkinson, R-Toccoa, announced Wednesday that he would run for the 9th District U.S. House seat held by Collins. Inside Learn more about Wilkinson, who announced a run, and Kevin Tanner who is considering a run for the seat left open by Collins, 5A Collins It s amazing what these children can do’ tjistjr/.ifJ KjmmoM Photos by SCOTT ROGERS I The Times Judges Karen Ewing, left, and Marcella Diaz listen as Flowery Branch Elementary student Maelynne Spinelli gives her presentation in the graphic design competition Wednesday, Jan. 29, during the Hall County Schools Georgia Technology Competition. Hall County students participate in technology competition BY KELSEY P0D0 kpodo@gainesvilletimes.com Jonathan Ayers and Diego Ochoa, fourth graders at Sugar Hill Elementary, pro grammed and built a miniature motorized vehicle, fit for putting out fires in Australia and transporting rescued koalas. “Its propeller helps it fly and it also drives on the ground,” Diego said. “I feel excited to show it to the judges.” The two spent four weeks putting the proj ect together, just in time for the Hall County Schools Regional Technology Competition on Wednesday, Jan 29. Jonathan and Diego competed among 186 middle and elementary students from the school system. Students from all of Hall’s high schools, excluding Lanier College & Career Academy, participated the day before. Throughout the two-day event, individual ■ Please see TECH, 7A Mount Vernon Elementary’s Spencer Perry, right, and Tripp Hopkins hold their custom-designed drone they entered in the device modification competition. 2 area troopers among 30-plus dismissed in GSP cheating scandal BY NICK WATSON nwatson@ gainesvilletimes.com Two troopers assigned to the Gainesville post were among the 33 August grad uates of the 106th Georgia State Patrol Trooper School who are no longer on the job after a cheat ing probe, accord ing to authorities. An entire graduating class of the Georgia Allan State Patrol’s Trooper School has been fired or resigned amid a cheating scandal, the state’s public safety chief said Wednesday. David Allan, of Hall County, and Paul Osuegbu, of Osuegbu Barrow County, were on the list of removed troopers. “Any questions regard ing the inquired investiga tion can be directed to our Public Information Office. Post 6 Gainesville and I have no comments at this time,” Gainesville post commander Auston Allen wrote in an email. At a news conference, Georgia Department of Public Safety Com missioner Col. Mark W. McDonough confirmed to news outlets that 32 troop ers were fired after being accused of cheating on an online exam for the speed detection operator compo nent of the school’s curric ulum. One trooper resigned after the cheating allega tions came to light. All 33 are August graduates of the 106th Trooper School. McDonough said the investigation began in October after officials learned about the allega tions from the girlfriend of one of the cadets, who said she took the online test for him. When confronted about that, the trooper told superiors “He was not the only one who cheated, the whole class cheated,” and that’s when the decision was made to investigate the entire class. McDonough said State Patrol’s investigation con firmed four allega tions: every trooper cheated on speed detection opera tor exam; a cadet helped another cadet with their exam; three cadets assisted another with their exam; and a training instructor printed a makeup exam and permitted two cadets who failed to take it back to their rooms for studying purposes McDonough said all the graduates signed an oath to uphold professional con duct and standards, which they violated, leading to Wednesday’s dismissals. He added that the troopers used typed notes, received direct assistance and uti lized test questions and answers on GroupMe and on a website that aggre gates tests. He also said they used two Snapchat groups to facilitate the cheating and get their sto ries straight as the investi gation was ongoing. McDonough said he’s ordered a complete audit of the training department, which could lead to people higher up being disciplined. The Associated Press contributed to this report. 5,700-square-foot Firestone store proposed at Lakeshore Mall Gainesville Planning and Appeals Board What: Proposed Firestone store at Lakeshore Mall When: 5:30 p.m. Feb. 11 Where: Public Safety Complex, 701 Queen City Parkway BY JEFF GILL jgill@gainesvilletimes.com A Firestone Complete Auto Care is proposed again at Lakeshore Mall, but this time on mall prop erty, not across from it. The 5,700-square-foot tire store, which would be in a parking lot near the mall’s Dawsonville High way entrance, would “provide a valuable service” to customers in the area, states a letter that’s part of Palmetto Capital Group’s request for a special use permit. “Primary access will be from the existing mall entrance that con nects to Dawsonville Highway,” the letter says. The parking lot is near the mall’s former Sears store, which closed last year. Firestone, which used to have a store on the Pearl Nix Parkway side of the mall, came up in 2018 as part of a commercial develop ment proposed on the site of the Gainesville Masonic Lodge, across the road from the mall. The proposal, calling for a build ing with retail and restaurants, including one with a drive-thru, was later withdrawn. The appli cant in that proposal was REB Land Development LLC. At the time, Ron Farmer, presi dent of the Masonic Lodge, said the lodge was planning to relocate, and the group was in favor of the rezon ing from residential to general business for the development. However, some residents of the Lakeshore Heights subdivision had expressed concerns about traffic and safety. Drive-thru res taurants create a high volume of traffic, sometimes at late hours, and the Dawsonville Highway area already has a traffic problem, they said. Firestone also is looking to build a 5,700-square-foot store off Winder Highway/Ga. 53 in Oak- wood near the Publix-anchored Robson Crossing shopping cen ter. The store was approved by the Oakwood City Council earlier this month. 0 40901 06835 8 INSIDE Advice 6B Get Out 4B Business 8B Lottery 2A Calendar 2A Opinion 4A Classified 1C Sports 1B Comics 7B TV/puzzles 6B WEATHER 2A Lake Lanier level: 1,071.04 feet Full pool 1,071. Down .03 feet in 24 hours DEATHS 6A Paul Courtney, 66 James Cook, 77 Ruberti Galvez, 49 Elsie Harrison, 94 Beatrice Haralson, 87 Annie Holland, 78 Mattie Hulsey, 85 Nancy Jensen, 71 William Merrick Jr., 92 Virginia Moore, 93 Shirley Potts, 65 Wayne Phillips, 69 Ezequiel Salgado-Castillo, 81 Dorsey Taylor, 63 Sidney Turner, 58 Corine Teasley, 75
