About The times. (Gainesville, Ga.) 1972-current | View Entire Issue (July 22, 2020)
Georgia High School Association rules in favor of playing fall sports; football put on two-week delay. SPORTS, 1B Midweek Edition - JULY 22-23,2020 | $1.00 | GAINESVILLE, GEORGIA | gainesvilletimes.com Honestly Local New plans for Gainesville grads amid pandemic BY THOMAS HARTWELL thartwell@gainesvilletimes.com As is the plight of nearly every high school senior in any graduating class of 2020, Gaines ville High School’s nearly 500 graduates will have to settle for a different kind of commence ment experience at City Park on Friday, July 24. The Gainesville City School System late last week decided its original plans for a full but delayed graduation ceremony, with all gradu ates and families to attend at once, will not be possible given the continued spread of COVID- 19, Superintendent Jeremy Williams told The Times. In a letter published to the high school’s Facebook page on Saturday, July 18, Gaines ville High School Principal Jamie Green said the school system had hoped that the risk of community spread would diminish over time when the “difficult but necessary” decision to delay graduation was made in May. “A crisis that was unanticipated to begin with, now continues to develop in ways we could not have foreseen,” Green’s letter says. “Even with the strictest safety protocols in place, we cannot ■ Please see GRADS, 4A Related Hall Schools superintendent: District continuing to examine options for return to school, 4A Sheriff’s Office mourns loss of jail lieutenant BY NICK WATSON nwatson@gainesvilletimes.com A Hall County Sheriff’s Office lieutenant with 20 years of service died Monday, July 20, after a serious illness. Sheriff’s Office spokesman Derreck Booth said Lt. Brian McNair, 53, had been trans ported Sunday, July 19, from his Habersham County home to Northeast Georgia Medical Center in Gainesville. The Sheriff’s Office did not have information on McNair’s cause of death but said he had tested positive for COVID-19 last week. McNair had not been at work since July 9. He served in the jail division. “Our hearts are broken, that’s for sure. He’s going to be missed. He’s just one of those guys that whenever you saw coming, you smiled,” retired Capt. Brad Rounds said. “He always had you laughing about something. That’s just the way he was. If you were in a bad mood and you spent 10 minutes around him, he’d have you laughing about something. ” ■ Please see JAIL, 8A Aid up in the air SCOTT ROGERS I The Times Acupuncturist Steve Collins demonstrates the traditional Chinese medicine Tuesday, July 21, on patient Nicole Kiang at his office at The Spa on Green Street. Debate rages on whether to extend $600 federal jobless benefit BY JEFF GILL jgill@gainesvilletimes.com A debate may be raging in Washing ton, D.C., over whether to extend federal unemployment benefits, as well as other help as part of a new stimulus package. But locals say there’s still widespread need, and the benefits are still needed. “My practice has been hit hard and I remain partially unemployed due to the drop in people who are either unable or unwilling to venture out,” Gainesville acupuncturist Steve Collins said this week. “My patient load has dropped in half and if it weren’t for (funding assis tance) , I very well might be on the street. ” Despite some positive signs, unemploy ment is a rampant problem nationally, and congressional leaders are consider ing an extension to the federal jobless benefit, which is set to end Saturday, July 25. The federal CARES Act, a coronavi- rus relief law enacted in March, provided an extra $600 weekly through July 31 to Americans receiving jobless benefits. A package from Senate Major ity Leader Mitch McConnell, being crafted this week behind closed doors, is expected to replace the $600 with a smaller amount. It’s one of the more controversial aspects of stimulus funding. Critics have said that between state and federal jobless money, workers are getting more money than they were while employed and thus, have no incentive to return to work. One crack in that argument is that “unemployed workers must attest each week that they haven’t refused an offer of work to keep receiving benefits,” accord ing to the Georgia Department of Labor. “Generally, if you reject an employer’s call to return to work, then you have quit your job and are no longer eligible for unemployment compensation.” ■ Please see JOBS, 11A Retailers begin to enforce face covering rules BY KELSEY P0D0 kpodo@gainesvilletimes.com Not wearing a mask is becoming less of an option for those visiting popular grocery, pharmacy and department store chains in Hall County and across the country. Companies like CVS Pharmacy, Target, Publix, Kroger and Walmart have already implemented face-covering policies nation wide to help limit the spread of COVID-19. Tuesday, July 21, was the first day Pub lix has asked customers to don a mask. David Brewer, manager of the Thompson Bridge Road location in Gainesville, said his staff has taken steps to inform people, including placing an instructive sign at the entrance and making announcements over Inside ■ New NGMC Gainesville mobile unit opens, 11A ■ New state partner to increase COVID-19 testing capacity, 11A the intercom. Although masks are mandatory, Brewer said Publix’s employees will not drag some one out of the store for not following the rules. Instead, they’ll politely ask them to wear one or take one of the store’s free face coverings. So far, Brewer said he hasn’t expe rienced any challenges with guests observing the policy. “We did have one customer inform ■ Please see MASKS, 11A Stores requiring masks in Hall County ALDI: Effective Monday, July 27 Best Buy: Effective now CVS Pharmacy: Effective now Kohl’s: Effective now Kroger: Effective now Publix: Effective now Sam’s Club: Effective now Target: Effective Saturday, Aug. 1 Walmart: Effective now Walgreens: Effective now DEATHS 6A John Anulies, 76 Jamerrick Brown, 36 Shannon Brunson, 82 James Burris, 52 Tony Carlock, 56 Horace Chuang, 86 Wiley Coley, 88 Deborah Cooper, 65 Joyce Davenport, 79 William Dunigan, 78 Joshua Edwards, 35 Webster English, 93 Ethel Freeman, 93 Edward Gaither, 69 Dokaor Gazboda, 50 Richard Gebelein, 87 Robert Huey Gillian, 48 Jimmy Helton, 65 Betty Hendrix, 88 Douglas Higham, 68 Mary Jackson, 81 Clyde Jones, 57 Jack Jones, 92 Joann Kinnard, 88 Florence LaSure, 80 Jalen Leonard, 19 Rainey Lilly, Infant Roy Lingerfelt, 84 Howell Loggins Jerry Mauldin, 76 Brian McNair, 53 Lamar Millsap, 70 Virginia Morrow, 92 Roy Ochsen Jr., 78 Danny Payne, 65 Drusella Roberts, 81 Anne Sands Sherka Statham, 33 Max Stiarwalt, 59 Lucille Syers, 94 James Tankersley, 85 Carol Taylor, 74 Pamela Trotter, 59 Annette Tucker, 72 Lori Van Scoten, 56 Rex Watson, 86 Sylvia Wheeler, 66 Jim White, 75 Sheila Wilber, 61 Pauline Williams, 86 Virginia Young, 76 0 *40901 06835 8 Your source of spine expertise Your source of relief. 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