About The times. (Gainesville, Ga.) 1972-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 20, 2020)
LOCAL The Times, Gainesville, Georgia | gainesvilletimes.com Thursday, February 20, 2020 5A The Boys and Girls Clubs of Lanier Youth of the Year finalist Dionte Daniel prepares to deliver his speech Wednesday, Feb. 19, during a Youth of the Year luncheon at the Fair Street Neighborhood Center. YOUTH ■ Continued from 1A Jonlyn said her confi dence grew after meet ing peers who had similar struggles. She said the Teen Center gave her a purpose in life, which is to be successful and a leader. Antoine Nealey, the direc tor of the Boys & Girls Clubs’ Teen Center, said he wit nesses Jonlyn being a leader on a regular basis. “A lot of kids look up to her and ask her for advice,” Nealey said. “She’s very strong-willed. If you tell her that there’s a wall in front of her, she’s going to find a way through it.” As the Youth of the Year, Jonlyn received a $1,000 scholarship to put toward college. She will now go on to represent the Boys & Girls Clubs of Lanier on the state level and compete against a new pool of students for a $5,000 scholarship. When she graduates from high school, Jonlyn said she plans on pursuing a degree in cardiovascular technolo gies from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. “I just love the heart, so I just wanted to get the medi cal understanding of it,” Jon lyn said. The $1,000 amount for Youth of the Year winner is made possible through the Duane Hinshaw Scholarship. Hinshaw, the former CEO of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Lanier, said his coworkers started the scholarship fund once he retired from the organization’s southeastern headquarters. “I can’t tell you how spe cial this is,” Hinshaw said while choking up before the audience. “We need your help to keep this thing going. I’m going to be sure that it keeps going to some degree, but with your help we can do this at a much higher level and ensure that kids have an opportunity to pursue their dreams.” For more information about the Boys & Girls Clubs of Lanier, visit boys- girlsclubs.com or call 770-532-8102. BUDGET ■ Continued from 1A good?” asked House Minor ity Leader Bob Trammell, a Luthersville Democrat. “What we’re about to pass on is paying the tab on that tax cut.” House Appropriations Com mittee Chairman Terry Eng land, though, blames much of the revenue shortfall on damage from Hurricane Michael. He defended the tax cut to reporters after the vote. “I would rather a dollar be in your pocket or my pocket for us to spend the way we want it to than us as a state be taking it and trying to spend it differently,” the Auburn Republican told reporters. Lawmakers took money from other places, includ ing $11 million meant to implement electronic health records in the state prison system and $2.7 million more cut from the Department Public Safety. The House added $7.5 mil lion back to the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities to bolster services for sub stance abuse, services to dis abled adults, mental health crisis beds and autism. Lawmakers also restored more than $3 million for educating physicians and other medical profession als, put $2.8 million back into agricultural research and extension, lessened cuts to county health boards by $2.75 million, and gave an additional $1.75 million to public defenders. House budget writers also restored money for account ability courts that divert people from regular crimi nal proceedings and rejected cuts to state grants to buy library materials. The decisions are also important for the 2021 bud get that lawmakers are now writing. “Nearly every one of these reductions is repeated,” Eng land said of the spending plan that begins July 1. Business EXPO 2020 Thursday, February 20 1 -6 pm | LanierTechnical College Ramsey Conference Center l-6pm: Business Expo, 60 + exhibits, door prizes, lead development, giveaways! (Free Admission) 4-6pm: A Taste of Gainesville with delicious food from local restaurants! ($5 Entry Fee) Open to the Public No Admission Fee 6o+ Exhibitors Free On-Site Shuttle Door Prizes Presented by MEGfilcRINTi Greater Hall CHAMBER OF COMMERCE GreaterHallChamber.com 770-532-6206 Man charged with vehicular homicide year after Gainesville wreck BY NICK WATSON nwatson@gainesvilletimes.com A Gainesville man was charged with first- degree vehicular homicide more than a year after a fatal wreck on Gaines Mill Road in Hall County, according to authorities. Luis Enrique Ramirez, 30, was also charged with too fast for conditions, failure to maintain lane, reckless driving and “DUI/ drugs/less safe,” according to the Depart ment of Public Safety. “At the conclusion of the (Specialized Collision Reconstruction Team) findings, warrants were taken for Mr. Ramirez. The (SCRT) report, although complete, is not available for release as it is an ongoing case,” Department of Public Safety Lt. Stephanie Stallings wrote in an email. Hall County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Derreck Booth said the warrants served were dated Feb. 15. The wreck happened around 6 p.m. Jan. 30, 2019, at Gaines Mill Road north of Jim Sweet Road. Georgia State Patrol Cpl. Josh Hedden previously told The Times Luis Enrique Ramirez, 29, of Gainesville, was traveling southbound on Gaines Mill Road in a Dodge Neon. Two cars were headed northbound, with Christian Abel Menchaca, 27, of Gainesville, driving a Dodge Charger ahead of Walter Patrick Fulbright, 52, of Kennesaw, in a Dodge Ram truck. Hedden said Ramirez’s car crossed the centerline and struck Menchaca’s car. Menchaca’s car then “rotated counter clockwise and struck a mailbox,” Hedden wrote in an email. Ramirez’s car kept heading in the wrong direction and struck Fulbright’s truck head-on. Ramirez’s passenger, Austin Jeremy Tatum, 32, of Gainesville, was fatally injured. Ramirez and Fulbright suffered serious injuries, though Menchaca was unharmed. No attorney information was available for Ramirez Wednesday, Feb. 19. Event focuses on Bible’s views on same-sex relationships BY JEFF GILL jgill@gainesvilletimes.com It’s a tender subject for many churchgo ers but one that local Methodists are tack ling head-on. Gainesville First United Methodist Church is sponsoring “A Dialogue in Bibli cal Interpretation and Human Sexuality” from 1 to 3:30 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 23. The event is being held in light of the denomination’s own emotional divide over gay marriage and gay clergy — one that could result in a schism. “Your church leadership has spent much time in discussion and prayer over how we as a congregation might be best prepared for the days ahead,” said the Rev. Scott Hearn, Gainesville First’s senior pas tor, in an online letter to church members. Sunday’s event will feature a video pre sentation at 1 p.m. of two professors from Candler School of Theology, Kendall Sou- len and Kevin Watson, addressing human sexuality — and specifically homosexual ity — from traditionalist and progressive biblical perspectives. At 2:30 p.m., Soulen and Watson will be on hand to answer submitted questions. “A Dialogue in Biblical Interpretation and Human Sexuality” When: 1 -3:30 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 23 Where: Gainesville First United Methodist Church, 2780 Thompson Bridge Road More info: 770-536-2341 orgfumc.com The program will be similar to an event held by Dunwoody United Methodist Church in the spring of 2019. “The result (at Dunwoody) was people said their mind wasn’t changed, but now they better understand how someone else believes what they believe,” Hearn said. “We want to help our folks do that (also).” Members will have another opportu nity to talk on the topic before the 2020 General Conference, set for May 5-15 in Minneapolis. Bishop Sue Haupert-Johnson of the denomination’s North Georgia Conference has scheduled town hall meetings “on the future of the United Methodist Church here in North Georgia and beyond.” One of the meetings is set for 3 p.m. April 26 at Gainesville First UMC. Wednesday, February 26, 2020 from 9AM-Noon . The Venue at Friendship Springs 7340 Friendship Springs Blvd ©friendship springs Floujery Branch, GA 30542 The event will feature: • Demonstrations • Entertainment & Health Screenings Arbor Terrace Hamilton Mill uuill provide an incredible brunch for all the attendees and vendors! She SrmCS Megan Lewis gainesvilletimes.com 770-535-6371
