About The times. (Gainesville, Ga.) 1972-current | View Entire Issue (June 20, 2020)
LOCAL The Times, Gainesville, Georgia | gainesvilletimes.com Weekend Edition - June 20-21,2020 3B New Bells Mill Bridge in N. Hall is open BY JEFF GILL jgill@gainesvilletimes.com The new Bells Gainesville. SCOTT ROGERS I The Times Bridge is open to one lane of traffic Thursday, June 18, north of The new Bells Mill Bridge in North Hall opened Thursday, June 18. Traffic was limited to one lane early on for last-minute work, but motorists were soon able to use the two-lane bridge to cross the East Fork Little River. The bridge is on Cleveland Highway/ U.S. 129. The project called for replacing the old structure with a 661-foot bridge. The old bridge will now be torn down. The replacement is being done in tan dem with the new Longstreet Bridge, which opened to traffic in January farther south on U.S. 129. The $34 million bridge replacements have an overall official completion date of September 2020. Road crews often have a “punch list” of items to complete after opening new projects. Georgia legislators have proposed nam ing Bells Mill Bridge after fallen Hall County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Nicolas Blane Dixon. Senate Resolution 844 seeks to dedicate the bridge as Deputy Nicolas Blane Dixon Memorial Bridge and to authorize the DOT to put up signs at the structure. Dixon was shot and killed July 7 while chasing burglary suspects. 60-year-old man found dead in Lake Lanier Hall County authorities are investigating the death of a 60-year-old Gainesville man that a fisherman found floating Tuesday in Lake Lanier. Hall County Sheriff’s Office deputies were called around 2:45 p.m. June 16 to Balus Creek near Whites Mill Road regarding an unrespon sive man. The man, Ben Bidgoly, was transported to Northeast Georgia Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead. Foul play is not sus pected, Sheriff’s Office spokesman Derreck Booth said. One of Bidgoly’s family members reported him missing after he had already arrived at the hospital. Booth said Bidgoly lived in the area where he was found, and his boat was found in the same area. The body has been sent to the medical exam iner for an autopsy, and the Sheriffs Office is still investigating the death. Nick Watson CONVERSATION ■ Continued from 1B ■ Ban no-knock warrants ■ Ban chokeholds and establish penalties for officers violating the policy ■ More training on de-escalation, with the recommendation being one to two hours annually ■ Prioritizing minority hiring ■ No more military gear to law enforcement ■ Requiring officers to intervene “when they knowingly witness and contribute to another officer’s violation of law enforce ment policy” ■ End of civil forfeiture, a process by which property seized during a criminal investigation can later be sold at auction and fund law enforcement agencies ■ Requiring law enforcement to provide identifying information and a card with instructions on filing a complaint ■ Protocols on eliminating “unconscious bias and racial profiling” ■ Encouraging patrol officers to “use discretion when making traffic stops to limit arrests” ■ End “criminalization of poverty,” which includes policies regarding urban camping, panhandling and cash bail. They also request hiring social workers and men tal health partnerships to assist in calls for service, as well as having court fines and fees on an income-based sliding scale ■ Making statistics on training, use of force, arrests and other information publicly accessible. The second part of the open-air conversa tion will be July 2 at the same location, where law enforcement and judiciary officials will share their concerns with the community. Johnson said she was concerned that people’s feelings may get hurt “and they’re going to feel condemned or indicted.” “It is easier to be in this place, listening to what we have listened to today, than to be in Atlanta or Minnesota or Seattle or any of those other communities where people are not listening and they’re not talking to each other,” Johnson said. The first speaker of the night was Mary Bowman, who introduced herself as a “con servative Republican who understands my white privilege.” Bowman referenced the death of George Floyd, who was held down by the knee of a police officer for roughly eight minutes and 46 seconds in a widely circulated video. The 46-year-old man died while being detained by police in Minneapolis, Minne sota. Four officers were fired, and criminal charges have been filed. “Watching this video has made me and many others in our country lose trust in our police departments, so how do we rebuild trust here in our community? How do we keep our community and our police officers safe here in Gainesville and Hall County? How will our city police chief and our county sheriff handle these types of situations if they occur here in the future?” Bowman asked. Bowman advocated for Gainesville Police and the Hall County Sheriff’s Office to imple ment a citizen’s review board. Shayla Bush discussed the issue of com munity policing, where she felt there are officers all along Athens Street while there is less of a presence in other parts of town. “It’s easy to say, ‘Well, the statistics show that there’s more crime in that area.’ But if we’re overpolicing, then the crime shouldn’t be there anymore,” she said. Bush called for better relationships between law enforcement and the community. The Bright Teens United For a Future, or B-TUFF, performing arts team perform before the Newtown Florist Club’s open-air conversation. The June 18 event at the midtown pedestrian bridge brought roughly 100 people to listen to community voices regarding potential criminal justice reform. NICK WATSON I The Times Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. ^iWorstlip - Ephesians 4:32 I ijBURANXE JfcENCY www. chastainagency. com HOURS Mon-Fri 8:30-5:00 Special thanks to our sponsors who make this page possible. For more information about advertising in this space, call 770-532-1234 or email classifieds@gainesvilletimes.com 770-297-1166 235 Pearl Nix Pkwy, Suite 8 Gainesville, GA 30501 Chastain SET FREE ChM Flowery Branch Sunday Service 11 am Tuesday Bible Study 10 am Wednesday Service 7 pm 5801 Blackjack Road, Flowery Branch, Georgia 30542 (678) 725-0813 HARDY HARDY CHEVROLET, INC. Wayne Alexander & Personnel 770-532-4389 t Weekend virtual *, ■SGRAND OPENTNGL — please join us — MEDICAL PARK 2 IS OPEN! FREE ONLINE SEMINARS ALL SEMINARS BEGIN AT 12:30 P.M. JUNE 22 JUNE 23 JUNE 24 Enjoy the Foods You Love Again So You Have a Hernia...What’s Next? Brain Health Tools for Well-being Casey Graybeal, MD Ronald Lewis, MD Devin Vicknair, PhD DRIVE-THRU PHARMACY GIVEAWAY JUNE 15-JUNE 26 Get a prescription filled with us in our drive-thru and receive a free pill organizer. DRIVE-UP DRUG TAKE BACK JUNE 20, 11 A.M.-2 P.M. Drop off expired or unused prescriptions in our parking lot with the Gainesville Police Dept, and receive a free pair of sunglasses. VIRTUAL TOUR OF MEDICAL PARK 2 JUNE 26, 12:30 P.M. Hear from our providers and tour the building on NGHS Facebook. Visit nghs.com/grandopeningfor more info and to register. Medical Park 2
