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
