About The times. (Gainesville, Ga.) 1972-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 2, 2020)
Football 2020: West Hall eager to begin in new Region 7-3A. SPORTS, 1B Midweek Edition - SEPTEMBER 2-3, 2020 | $1.00 | GAINESVILLE, GEORGIA | gainesvilletimes.corr Honestly Local CDC to halt pandemic evictions Policy to take effect immediately for tenants who assert inability to pay rent Tribune News Service WASHINGTON - The Trump administration said it will use its quarantine authority to keep renters in their homes during the coronavirus pandemic as a way to prevent an eviction crisis that could worsen economic strains. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention plans to tempo rarily halt evictions of consum ers earning no more than $99,000 a year to prevent the virus from spreading, a senior administration official said Tuesday. The policy will take effect immediately. The administration is acting unilaterally after failing to reach a deal with lawmakers over another round of stimulus relief funding, aimed in part at keeping renters in their homes. To obtain the relief, renters must assert they are incapable of paying their rent or are likely to become homeless if kicked out of their property, the administration official said. Individuals who received a coro navirus stimulus check earlier this year also qualify for the protection, as do couples who jointly file their taxes and expect to earn less than $198,000. The move is an unprecedented use of executive authority, and may face legal challenges from landlords who have seen rental income evaporate during the cri sis. But administration officials believe they have the ability under a federal law that allows the CDC to order emergency measures when it determines that state and local governments haven’t taken sufficient steps to prevent the spread of a communicable disease. A White House lawyer who asked not to be identified discuss ing the measure said that the CDC Director has authority to take measures he deems reasonably ■ Please see EVICTIONS, 5A All hands on tech Photos by SCOTT ROGERS I The Times Elian Mosqueda works on a diesel motor Monday, Aug. 31, at Lanier Technical College. Lanier Tech reports nearly 10% increase in students BY NATHAN BERG nberg@gainesvilletimes.com Pandemic concerns don’t seem to have slowed enrollment at Lanier Technical College. The technical college in northeast Hall County began its semester on Aug. 17 with record enrollment numbers, according to school President Ray Perren. Perren said the school has seen about a 10% increase in students from last year, jumping from 4,616 last fall to 5,040 this semester, with about 50% of those students taking fully online courses. “It’s a record in a big way,” he said. “It’s not just barely over what our previ ous record was, so certainly we’re thrilled with that.” Perren said most of the students who have been attending classes on the campus off Ga. 365 have been taking lab-oriented courses that could not be completed remotely. Lanier Technical College offers many classes involving hands-on work that can not be simulated in a virtual setting, Per ren said. “You can’t teach welding remotely; you’ve got to put your hands on a welder, for example,” he said. “You can’t teach nursing remotely. You’ve got to actually get in and work with patients or simu lated patients. So, we’ve got a lot of stu dents who are on campus for those lab experiences.” Lanier Tech’s in-person students have been adhering to a variety of precaution ary measures to help stem the potential spread of COVID-19. All students and employees are required to wear masks in school build ings and are required to have their temperature checked upon arriving on campus. Desks in classrooms have been ■ Please see LANIER, 5A Levi Tyner looks for a tool Monday, Aug. 31, in an automotive class. Parents may get refund for school meals amid closures BY NATHAN BERG nberg@gainesvilletimes.com Parents of students who received free or reduced-price school meals during the 2019- 2020 school year may be eligible for a reim bursement of federal dollars for meals missed due to spring school closures. An initiative called Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer, which is included in the fed eral Families First Coronavirus Response Act, awards parents $256.50 for each child they have who was receiving free or reduced-price school meals as of March 2019, prior to school buildings closing their doors. Those wishing to receive the benefit must apply on the Georgia Division of Family & Chil dren Services website by Sept. 25. ■ Please see P-EBT, 5A 37 Main, BMI to setde suit over copyright BY NICK WATSON nwatson@gainesvilletimes.com The attorneys for 37 Main and Broadcast Music Inc., which controls the public per formance rights for millions of songs, filed a motion Aug. 21 to close a copyright infringe ment case, indicating to the court that they have agreed to settle. U.S. District Judge Richard W. Story granted the motion Aug. 24 in the case in which BMI alleged the Gainesville restaurant played music from its repertoire without authorization to do so. According to the motion, the parties “have executed a settlement agreement containing certain obligations over time” and expect the terms to be complete on or before Oct. 1. C. David Joyner, the attorney for 37 Main and its operating company Please Rock ME LLC, declined to comment through a represen tative from his office. ■ Please see 37MAIN, 8A DEATHS 6A Suzanne Adler, 77 Brenda Anderson, 72 Mamie Armour, 99 Joseph Bennett, 82 Otis Bingham, 83 Guyrene Bowling, 90 Jo Ann Buice, 88 Georgie Burrell, 92 Dorothy Carpenter Russell Cheek, 84 Jack Clark, 83 Selena Creasman, 79 Bobby Culpepper, 65 Eugene DiNardi, 70 Jean Dyer, 62 Shirley Fields, 79 Luke Franklin, 48 Nancy Garland, 83 Mildred Garner, 79 Paul Flanna, 92 Thomas Harris, 93 Janet Haynes, 55 Chester Higgs Jr., 88 Darlene Hollis, 56 Jimmy Hudgins, 74 Juan Ixcoy, 40 Kenneth Johnson Sr., 58 Sung Ho Kim, 97 Katie Love, 37 Viola Marsingill, 101 Arthur Mavis Jr., 88 Terry McGill, 76 Bernice Meeks, 89 Kobe Nunez, 19 Buffie Phagan, 47 Phillip Pierce, 53 Ryan Raber, 26 Byron Reeves, 84 Tania Sanchez, 5 Yvonne Shaffer, 63 Jerry Thomas II, 49 Harry Voelker, 86 Franklin Vonier Sr., 91 Mary Williams, 71 0 *40901 06835 8 We will make it through this, and the strength of hope will shine brightly. EH NORTHSIDE HOSPITAL
