About The times. (Gainesville, Ga.) 1972-current | View Entire Issue (June 25, 2020)
State lawmakers approve more health coverage for new moms, inside, 3 a Local cops get little military gear Sheriffs Office, Gainesville Police have received no surplus equipment in years BY NICK WATSON nwatson@gainesvilletimes.com Though they were past par ticipants in a federal program to obtain excess protective gear, rifles and even an inflatable boat, law enforcement in Gainesville and Hall County have not received gear in recent years. More than 8,000 law enforce ment agencies have received gear through the Law Enforcement Sup port Office Program, known by the shorthand of the 1033 Program. In the wake of recent protests, many departments are under scrutiny for the use of military equipment. “Requisitions cover the gamut of items used by America’s military -- clothing and office supplies, tools and rescue equipment, vehicles, rifles, and other small arms. Of all the excess equipment provided through the program, only 5% are small arms and less than 1% are tactical vehicles,” according to the Defense Logistics Agency. According to 1033 Program inventory lists, Gainesville Police received M14 rifles in 2006 and Ml6 rifles in 2011. The Hall County Sheriffs Office received M14 and M16 rifles between 2006 and 2008. The most recently available inventory list updated March 31 did not show any further shipments to Gainesville Police or the Hall County Sheriff’s Office. “The intent of the Sheriff’s Office was not to militarize our deputies, but to obtain useful sur plus federal equipment at little to no cost for the agency and there fore the taxpayer,” according to the Sheriff’s Office. Some of the items are for pro tection, such as helmets and gas masks. “In addition to the equipment listed above, the Sheriff’s Office has received an inflatable boat, a spare boat engine, Ml Garand rifles and Ml6 rifles from the pro gram. As it stands today, only a few of the items obtained through the program remain in service,” according to the Sheriff’s Office. ■ Please see GEAR, 5A Stage for the summer Photos by SCOTT ROGERS I The Times Above, below: The new outdoor stage and pavilion at The Arts Council in Gainesville is taking shape Wednesday, June 24, and will open this summer, ready to host performances, fundraisers and weddings. Microtransit service could begin in city BY JEFF GILL jgill@gainesvilletimes.com Microtransit services could start up in the fall in Gainesville and by July 2021 in other parts of Hall County, if the technology that would allow the service to operate gets government offi cials’ approval this summer. “Unlike other things we’ve done — we’ve painted the buses, we’ve changed the logo — this is truly a system change,” said Phillippa Lewis Moss, director of Gainesville-Hall County Community Services, on Wednesday, June 24. “A big system change. ” Microtransit, a public shuttle service that mirrors app-centered, pick-up services such as Uber and Lyft, has been in discussion locally for a couple of years. ■ Please see TRANSIT, 3A Ga. lawmakers OK greater jobless benefits New outdoor event venue set to open in downtown Gainesville BY JEFF AMY Associated Press BY MEGAN REED mreed@gainesvilletimes.com A new outdoor stage and pavilion at the Smithgall Arts Center could be ready in mid-July, providing a new event space in downtown Gainesville. Construction began in January. The 6,300-square-foot venue is a more than $1 million project that has been funded by pri vate donations. The stage will be 50 feet long and 50 feet wide, and the space will host events such as performances and weddings. Gladys Wyant, executive director of The Arts Council, said the space can accommodate a diverse array of events. ■ Please see VENUE, 3A ATLANTA — Workers in Georgia would be allowed to earn several hundred dollars more a week while keeping their full unemployment benefits under a bill that passed the General Assembly on Wednesday. Employees also would potentially be eligible to receive benefits for a longer period of time under Senate Bill 408, which the Senate sent to Gov. Brian Kemp for his signature or veto after approving a change proposed by the House. The bill is a reversal for Georgia, which slashed the maximum unemployment benefit to 20 weeks in 2012, as it sought to repay money it borrowed from the federal government to pay jobless claims during the Great Recession. The length of benefits would be set on a slid ing scale, starting at 14 weeks when the jobless ■ Please see BENEFITS, 5A Legislation could stop officials mailing ballot requests BY BEN NADLER Associated Press ATLANTA — Republicans controlling a Georgia House committee approved legis lation Wednesday that would prevent elec tion officials from proactively sending mail ballot request forms to voters ahead of an election. If it makes it through both chambers and gets Gov. Brian Kemp’s signature, it could take effect ahead of November’s general elections. To protect voting rights during the coronavirus pandemic, Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffens- perger, a Republican, sent absen tee ballot applications to nearly 7 million active registered voters for the state’s June 9 primary elections, enabling huge numbers to avoid having to vote in person. That con- Raffensperger tributed to increased turnout, with turnout particularly high among Democrats. The election was marred by prob lems after poll workers dropped out in fear of getting infected and their replacements had trouble with new voting equipment, contributing to hours-long lines in some locations. Soon after Raffensperger sent bal lot applications to all voters, House Speaker David Ralston, a Republican from Blue Ridge, expressed concern that it could be bad for the GOP, telling news outlet Fetch Your News in April that expanded use of mail voting “will be extremely devastating to Republicans and conservatives in Geor gia.” Ralston later walked back those com ments and said his concerns are about the potential for ballot fraud. Historically, there ■ Please see BALLOTS, 3A This e-edition sponsored by: JEMCCovld-19 Updates
