About The times. (Gainesville, Ga.) 1972-current | View Entire Issue (April 13, 2023)
LOCA^NATION The Times, Gainesville, Georgia | gainesvilletimes.com Thursday, April 13, 2023 3A Hall man accused of sharing child pom over Snapchat BY NICK WATSON nwatson@ gainesvilletimes.com An Oakwood man was accused of distributing a video of a child being sexu ally abused through his Snapchat account, accord ing to authorities. Austin Michael Pope, 21, was charged with two felony counts of sexual exploitation for posses sion and distribution of the video. The case started March 24 with a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Hall County Sheriff’s Office investi gators believe Pope transmit ted the video a child, believed to be between the ages of 8 and 10, being sexually abused by a man. “Investigators found no evidence the video was produced locally or involved a local victim,” according to the Sheriff’s Office. Investigators arrested Pope Tuesday, April 11, and booked him in to the Hall County Jail, where he remains with no bond. Officers also searched Pope’s home and seized his electronic devices, which were processed by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. No further charges are anticipated. Pope Hall students named finalists for 2023 Governor’s Honor Program BY BEN ANDERSON banderson@ gainesvilletimes.com Eight Hall County high schoolers have been named finalists for the 2023 Georgia Governor’s Honors Program. GHP, a free residen tial summer program for gifted high school sopho mores and juniors, will be held at Georgia Southern University from mid-June to mid-July. Of the more than 4,100 students from across the state who applied, about 700 were chosen as finalists. Students attend classes in the mornings and after noons in specific areas of study, and in the eve nings they participate in a wide variety of social and instructional activities like seminars and concerts, according to the Gover nor’s Office of Student Achievement. “Many of GHP’s past participants regard it as one of the most life-chang ing events in their lives,” Hall County Schools said in a news release. The finalists are: • Benvon Roberts, Flow ery Branch High, commu nicative arts • Logan Huntsman, Flowery Branch High, engineering • Declan Dunn, Flowery Branch High, engineering • Nicholas Simela, Flow ery Branch High, music • Claire Bussler, North Hall High School, music • Carter Massey, Flow ery Branch High, science • Brekelle Wilkes, John son High, social studies • Uyen Ngo, West Hall High, world languages House engulfed in flames after fire Provided by Hall County Fire Rescue Flames engulfed a vacant home in Gainesville Wednesday, April 12, according to authorities. Hall County firefighters responded around 5 a.m. to the 1200 block of Holland Street. Firefighters were able to knock down the fire quickly. No one was injured. The cause of the fire is under investigation by the Hall County Fire Marshal’s Office. Nick Watson WBD launches new streaming service Max BY MICHAEL LIEDTKE AP Technology Writer Warner Bros. Discov ery unveiled a streaming service Wednesday com bining iconic HBO pro gramming such as “The Sopranos” with a mix of unscripted TV series in a push to reap more sub scribers from what so far has been a muddled media merger. The $16-per-month ser vice, called Max, will be released May 23 in the U.S. and automatically replace the company’s existing HBO Max service in what is being prom ised as a seamless transi tion. Max will gradually become available in the rest of the world, with Latin America next up on the slate. The existing Discovery Plus app featuring real ity and unscripted series such as “Fixer Upper” and “Naked and Afraid” from a collection of TV networks will continue to be offered. That’s even as all that programming is made available within the new Max app, which will be marketed with the tag line “The One To Watch.” The transition comes a year after the comple tion of a roughly $43 bil lion deal that spun off the AT&T’s WarnerMedia Division that includes HBO, CNN and TBS into Discovery, whose stable includes the TLC, HGTV, Magnolia and Food networks. When the deal was announced in 2021, War ner Bros. Discover CEO David Zaslav envisioned it creating “the best media company in the world” backed by a vast library of movies, TV series, documentaries and children’s program ming. The goal was to stand out among an array of streaming options com peting for subscribers at a time many households are trimming discretion ary spending amid stub bornly high inflation. With Max now on the verge of rolling out, Zaslav said he still sees big things ahead. AG DAY ■ Continued from 1A and Natural Resources Conservation Service. “Can anybody tell me what trees are good for?” Mark Madrey of the For estry Commission asked a group of students. “Oxygen!” many of them answered. “Squirrels build a house in it!” another blurred out. As the day wrapped up, a few students shared their thoughts about Ag Day. “The petting zoo,” said fifth grader Fabain Reyes when asked to name his favorite station. “I liked the animals and how it was interactive. You got to feed the animals and pet them and brush them.” The white sheep was his favorite. “I just really liked his fluff and how he was chill,” he said. Fifth grader Zada Sum- merour enjoyed the Hall County Master Gardeners station. “I liked the way they explained how seeds grow and how it sprouts into dif ferent stages in its life,” she said. “They gave me a green bean seed ... and I’m going to cook it and grow it.” Fifth grader Mario Gar cia was able to rope two mock head of cattle. “We had to experi ence how cowboys did it,” he said. “It was a fun experience.” RTH GEORGIA PREMIUM OUTLETS JOIN US FOR OUR PREMIER DISCOVER NORTH GEORGIA TRAVEL AND LEISURE GUIDE The Event will feature great places to Visit, Dine, Play & Stay! It's a must have for families planning a day trip or weeklong holiday. SPONSORSHIP AND BOOTH SPACE AVAILABLE INTACT YOUR LOCAL SALES REP OR MARKETING@GAINESVILLETIMES.COM FOR MORE INFORMATION. Feinstein seeks Judiciary replacement LOS ANGELES — Recu perating U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California asked Wednesday to be temporar ily replaced on the Judi ciary Committee, shortly after two House Democrats called on her to resign after her extended absence from Washington. In a statement, the long- serving Democratic senator said her recovery from a case of shingles she disclosed in early March had been delayed because of compli cations. She provided no date for her return to the Sen ate and said she had asked Majority Leader Chuck Schumer to ask the Senate to allow another Democratic senator to serve in her com mittee seat until she was able to return. “I intend to return as soon as possible once my medical team advises that it’s safe for me to travel,” Feinstein said. “In the meantime, I remain committed to the job and will continue to work from home in San Francisco.” Associated Press SEWER ■ Continued from 1A with the overall line running from Hog Mountain Road at Friendship Road/Ga. 347 to the Spout Springs Water Rec lamation Facility off Spout Springs Road. The contractor “has already proceeded with ordering materials with the longest lead times,” said Srikanth Yamala, Hall’s director of public works and utilities in September. The $13.9 million Friend ship Road Sewer Extension project is scheduled for com pletion in fall 2024, with fund ing coming from the county’s special purpose local option sales tax program and the federal American Rescue Plan Act. When done, the line could carry up to 500,000 gallons per day of sewer, with treat ment taking place at the Spout Springs plant at 6827 Spout Springs Road, Yamala has said. “It is expected that as proj ects move forward, various residential developers and commercial tracts will begin to make applications for sewer availability,” he said. “The sewer line is expected to eventually generate approximately 2,000 new sewer users over the next 20 years.” Hall County Public Works Director Bill Nash said, “We have to be intentional in plan ning these types of develop ment projects, and we’re proud of the time, effort and planning that’s gotten it to this point. But we’re even more excited for what’s to come and the service it will provide the citizens of South Hall.” From Buford to Braselton, South Hall is rapidly growing, with much of the sewer com ing from local governments. Flowery Branch is seek ing to build a new sewer plant, delayed by what were budget-busting bids last year. The city also has imposed a 90-day growth moratorium while it tweaks its zoning ordinances. jobfair Thursday, April 13 10am - 2pm I Gainesville Civic Center Northeast Georgia Health System Greater Hall CHAMBER OF COMMERCE 60+ Companies Hiring • Open to the Public ABB Motors & Mechanical Georgia DOC / Whitworth Women's Facility Northside Hospital Forsyth Ace Hardware Retail Support Center Georgia DOC / Lee Arrendale State Prison Panera Bread Acts Retirement Life Communities Georgia Department of Driver Services Performance Foodservice Affinis Hospice Georgia Department of Public Safety Pilgrim's All Ways Caring Home Care Georgia Department of Transportation PrideStaff ALBAform Goodwill of North Georgia QuikTrip Avita Community Partners Hall County E-911/Central Communications Resilux America Badger Daylighting Interactive College of Technology Salford BBI BTD Manufacturing King Green Societal CDMO Bourbon Brothers King's Hawaiian Spherion Staffing & Recruiting Boys & Girls Club of Lanier Kloeckner Metals Star Choices Cantrell - Gainco Koch Foods Suntex Marinas - Holiday on Lake Lanier City of Gainesville Kubota Manufacturing of America SYFAN Logistics Coca-Cola Bottling Company UNITED Lanier Technical College TD Automotive Compressor GA (TACG) Department of Public Health Longstreet Clinic The Sherwin-Williams Company Express Employment Professionals Mansfield Oil Company of Gainesville The Times Fastenal Mars Wrigley Top Notch Personnel Fox Factory McDonald's NEGA Tribe Transportation Gainesville Mechanical McGarity's University of North Georgia Gainesville Parks & Recreation Milliken & Company - New Holland Voyant Beauty Gainesville School Nutrition Mincey Marble Manufacturing Wahoo Docks Gainesville Water Resources Northeast Georgia Health System ZF Gainesville » SOCIETAL' 0 5PHERION * Tacg STAFFINC & RECRUITING Express DpcMmya\ V»Tioa .4 l\C3MUA ToyotaCompr9ssor.com The power of PET __ , ■ , . . 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