About The times. (Gainesville, Ga.) 1972-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 27, 2020)
Senate votes to confirm Barrett as Supreme Court justice, inside,sa Tuesday, October 27,20201 GAINESVILLE, GEORGIA | gainesvilletimes.com 3 pedestrians killed in 2 days People struck by vehicles on Athens Street, Athens Highway, Thompson Bridge BY NICK WATSON nwatson@gainesvilletimes.com Three people were killed after being struck by vehicles in Gaines ville in a period of about 36 hours between Friday afternoon and late Saturday. A 25-year-old Oakwood man died Friday after stepping into the path of a commercial vehicle. A Talmo man was killed just prior to midnight on Athens Highway when he was hit by a van. And a Toccoa woman died Saturday night on Athens Street. Two vehicles were involved in that accident, one of which fled the scene. Thompson Bridge Gainesville police have iden tified the 25-year-old Oakwood resident they say died when he stepped into the path of a vehicle on Thompson Bridge Road on Fri day, Oct. 23. According to police, David Tis- dell walked in front of an oncom ing commercial vehicle for “unknown reasons.” Charges are not being filed against the driver, said Sgt. Kevin Holbrook, a spokes person for the Gainesville Police Department. “By all accounts, it appears the pedestrian stepped in the travel lane, thus causing the truck no other option but to hit him,” Hol brook wrote via text. Athens Highway A Talmo man was struck by a van and killed near midnight Friday, Oct. 23, on Athens High way in Gainesville, according to authorities. Jonathan Calvin Cross, 37, was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash around 11:50 p.m. Fri day on Athens Highway just north I Inside GoFundMe page for 11 -year- old hit by truck has reached nearly $2,000,7A of Smallwood Road, according to Georgia State Patrol. State patrol said Cross was walk ing southbound in the northbound lane of Athens Highway. ■ Please see PEDESTRIAN, 7A Hall prepares for heavy rain from Zeta BY KELSEY P0D0 kpodo@gainesvilletimes.com Tropical Storm Zeta is expected to bring heavy rainfall to Hall County Wednesday night and into early Thursday morning, according to the National Weather Service. Kyle Thiem, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service’s Peachtree City office, said around 2-3 inches of rain is forecasted with the potential for flash flooding. Earlier this October, several roads in Hall experienced damage from rain associated with Hurricane Delta, including Mud Creek Road at Mud Creek and Persimmon Tree Road near Ga. Highway 52. Portions of five roads — Bald Eagle Trail, B Clark Road, Hensley Road, For rester Road and Webb Girth Road — are still closed for repairs. ■ Please see STORM, 3A Work could start on new roundabout in spring 2021 BY JEFF GILL jgill@gainesvilletimes.com A roundabout is being planned at Cash Road and Hog Mountain Road in Flowery Branch, with construction possibly starting in spring 2021, according to Hall County officials. The project is intended to help relieve traf fic, especially for Cash Road residents hav ing trouble turning onto busy Hog Mountain, which runs past Flowery Branch High School and ends at the Atlanta Falcons headquarters/ training complex off Falcon Parkway/Ga. 13. The $2.35 million road improvement is one of Hall County’s remaining special purpose local option sales tax projects before the cur rent SPLOST VIII, which was approved by vot ers in November 2019 and kicked in July 1. Officials originally considered lining up Cash Road to the high school, but that “is no longer an option due to the terrain,” Hall County Public Works and Utilities Director Srikanth Yamala said in March. Yamala said at the time the county would consider lining up Cash instead to a 334-unit ■ Please see ROUNDABOUT, 3A Making something of themselves Photos by SCOTT ROGERS I The Times Hall County Schools Superintendent Will Schofield tours the new West Hall High School manufacturing lab Monday, Oct. 26, as school board members visit the new shop. West Hall High manufacturing program popular with students West Hall High School opens their new manufacturing lab Monday, Oct. 26, for school board members to tour. BY JEFF GILL jgill@gainesvilletimes.com Scott Reed doesn’t give homework, but his students in West Hall High School’s new manufacturing lab are craving it anyway. “If they want to do something that bad, as a teacher, you got to reach out to them,” he said. The student excitement surrounds the new $1 million lab, with its 3-D printers and other equipment that moves students from the drafting table to hands-on, real- world manufacturing experiences. “Eighty percent of my kids want to get out here and put their hands on some thing,” Reed said during a tour of the lab Monday, Oct. 26. “They just want to work. They’ll draw it, they’ll measure it and they’ll bust their tail to make sure they got it right.” He said that instead of giving home work, he urges students: “Tell your par ents what you’re doing in my class ... talk to them and show them what you’re doing, get your family involved with it.” The program began this school year, as much as possible under COVID-19 pre cautions, such as mask wearing and social distance, with about 100 students. Students are learning “Foundations of Manufacturing & Materials Science” in the first year of a three-year curricu lum. The second year will be “Robotics & Automated Systems,” with robotic equip ment expected to arrive at the school in February, and “Production Enterprises” in the third year. Many students will wind up in the work place and/or furthering their education at a technical school. The program had its start in trying to determine what to do with some avail able space at the campus at 5500 McEver Road. “We had room to start one more pro gram here,” principal Ley Hathcock said. Several hands-on options were con sidered, including welding and auto mechanics, when officials settled on manufacturing. When companies were queried about the effort, they said they ■ Please see WESTHALL.4A This e-edition sponsored by: aoMT&rt YOU CAN COUNT ON 011//^ ~ I^ight 'hoice HOMES jacksonemc.com
