About The times. (Gainesville, Ga.) 1972-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 31, 2023)
2A Sunday, December 31, 2023 The Times, Gainesville, Georgia I gainesvilletimes.com Cher asks court to give her conservatorship over son Chris Pizzello Associated Press Cher poses at the premiere of the documentary film “Sidney,” Sept. 21, 2022, in Los Angeles. BY ANDREW DALTON AP Entertainment Writer LOS ANGELES —Cher has filed a petition to become a temporary conservator overseeing her son's money, saying the 47-year-old's struggles with mental health issues and addiction have left him unable to manage his assets and potentially put his life in danger. The Oscar and Grammy winning singer and actor on Wednesday filed the peti tion in Los Angeles Supe rior Court that would give her temporary control of the finances of Elijah Blue All- man, her son with musician Gregg Allman. Cher's petition says that Elijah Allman is entitled to regular payments from a trust fund. But “given his ongoing mental health and substance abuse issues," she is “concerned that any funds distributed to Elijah will be immediately spent on drugs, leaving Elijah with no assets to provide for himself and putting Elijah's life at risk,” the petition says. Reached through his attor ney, Elijah Allman said in a phone call with The Associ ated Press, “I am well, and able, and of sound mind and body.” He declined to say whether he planned to oppose the petition, or give any further comment. A court-ordered conserva torship is “urgently needed,” Cher's filing says. A judge scheduled a January hearing on the issue. The filing explicitly seeks to keep control of Elijah All man's finances from his wife, Marieangela King, from whom he filed for divorce in 2021. The two remain legally married. A filing from King in October says the couple had agreed to pause the divorce proceedings and work on their marriage, but she had not seen him in per son in six months. Cher's petition says the couple's “tumultuous rela tionship has been marked by a cycle of drag addiction and mental health crises” and that she believes King “is not sup portive of Elijah's recovery.” Emails seeking comment from an attorney for King and representatives for Cher were not immediately returned. Cher has two sons, one from each of her marriages — 54-year-old Chaz Bono with the late Sonny Bono, and Elijah Allman, who is the former singer and guitar ist of the band Deadsy and is known professionally as P. Exeter Blue. Conservatorships, known in some states as guardian ships, allow courts to give rel atives or others control over a person's money and, at times, their life decisions after they are deemed not competent to make such decisions for themselves. The issue became widely known when what began as a temporary conservatorship over Britney Spears became a years-long legal saga and fight with her father. THANKYOU FOR READING EVENTS Noon Year’s Eve Dance Party. 11 a.m. to 12:05 p.m. Dec 30. Gainesville Branch Library, 127 Main St. NW, Gainesville. 770- 532-3311. Holiday Tree Trail. Dec 31. Atlanta Botanical Garden Gainesville, 1911 Sweetbay Drive, Gainesville. First Day Guided Hike. 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Jan 1. Elachee Nature Science Center, 2125 Elachee Drive, Gainesville. 770-535-1976. Free. First Day Hike 2024: Dog Creek Trail. 2 to 3 p.m. Jan 1. Don Carter State Park, 5000 North Browning Bridge Road, Gainesville. 678-450-7726. Having Fun with Pottery on the Wheel with Pam Kohler Camp. 10a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Jan 2. Quinlan Visual Arts Center, 514 Green St. NE, Gainesville. 770-536-2575, qa- rtscenter@gmail.com. $247-$265. Family Frolics. 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. Jan 3. Elachee Nature Science Center, 2125 Elachee Drive, Gainesville. 770-535-1976. Free. The Arrival of the Three Wise Men at the Petting Zoo. 3 to 5 p.m. Jan 6. Flowery Branch United Methodist Church, 5212 Spring St., Flowery Branch. 770-967-4243, flowerybranchumc@gmail.com. Free. Greeting Card Workshop. 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Jan 6. Hall County Library System, Gaines ville Branch, 127 Main St. NW, Gainesville. 770-532-3311 et. 4011, gkoecher@hall- countylibrary.org. Free. Walkwitha Doc. lOto 11 a.m. Jan 6. Mid land Greenway- Meet at outdoor fitness court (orange mural). For inclement weather location see webpage, 422 Banks St, Gainesville, fmwwad@gmail.com. Free. ONGOING Alzheimer’s Caregivers Support Group. 5:30-6:30 p.m. first Tuesdays of the month. Grace Episcopal Church, 422 Brenau Ave. NE, Gainesville. 727-409-6608, charlenebe- stdewitt@gmail.com. Free. Card workshop. 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. first Sat urdays of the month. Hall County Library System, Gainesville branch, 127 Main St. NW, Gainesville. 770-532-3311 ext. 4011, gkoecher@hallcountylibrary.org. Discovery Saturdays. 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. second Saturdays of the month. Elachee Nature Science Center, 2125 Elachee Drive, Gainesville. 770-535-1976. $3 - $5. Ekphrasisforthe Masses. Noon to 1 p.m. second Tuesdays of the month. Quinlan Vi sual Arts Center, 514 Green St. NE, Gaines ville. 770-536-2575, info@qvac.org. Free. Gainesville Lacers. 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. third Saturdays of the month. Hall County Library System, Gainesville branch, 127 Main St. NW, Gainesville. 770-532-3311, gkoecher@ hallcountylibrary.org. Gentle Yoga. 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 Publish your event Don’t see your event here? Organizers can go to gainesvilletimes.com/ calendar and submit their events for publication online and in print. Click the “+Add event” button at the top right and follow the prompts to add information and a photo. Events publish at the editors’ discretion. See more Go to gainesvilletimes.com/calendar for the full interactive calendar of events throughout the region. p.m.second, third and fourth Wednesdays. Blackshear Place Branch Library, 2927 At lanta Highway, Gainesville. 770-337-1572, dl9345@bellsouth.net. Free. Georgia Cross Stitchers. 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. second Saturdays of the month. Hall County Library System, Gainesville Branch, 127 Main St. NW, Gainesville. 770-532-3311 ext. 4011; gkoecher@hallcountylibrary.org. Free. Gold Rush Quilting Guild. 10 a.m. to noon first Wednesdays ofthe month. Friendship Baptist Church, 3513 Westmoreland Road, Cleveland, alenekempton@gmail.com. Hip Hop Class Wednesdays. 4-5 p.m. (3rd to 5th Graders) through May 15. Gaines ville Ballet Company, 971 Riverside Drive, Gainesville. 770-866-5353, info@gbcdance. com. $88. Homeschool Day. 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. third Thursdays ofthe month. Elachee Nature Science Center, 2125 Elachee Drive, Gaines ville. 770-535-1976. $15. Ice Skating at Sugar Hill. Through Feb. 17. The Ice Rink at Sugar Hill, 5039 W Broad St, Sugar Hill. Music Bingo. 7 to 9 p.m. every Thursday. NoFo Brew Co. Gainesville, 434 High St. SW, Gainesville, topher@nofobrew.co. Free. Northeast Georgia Writers. 1-3 p.m. first Wednesdays ofthe month. Gainesville Down town Library, 127 Main St. NW, Gainesville. talltaleswriter@gmail.com. Free. Tea with Jane Austen: A Reading Group. 3-4 p.m. fourth Fridays ofthe month through No vember. Hall County Library System, Gaines ville Branch, 127 Main St. NW, Gainesville. 770-532-3311 ext. 4011, gkoecher@hall- countylibrary.org. Free. Trivia Night. 7-9 p.m. Tuesdays. NoFo Brew Co Gainesville, 434 High St. SW, Gainesville, topher@nofobrew.co. Free. Turning Leaves Book Club. 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. first Wednesdays ofthe month. Linwood Nature Preserve Ecology Center, 415 Lin wood Drive, Gainesville. karin.hicks@uga. edu. War Stories BookClub. 4-5 p.m. second Fridays ofthe month. Murrayville Branch Li brary, 4796 Thompson Bridge Road, Gaines ville. 770-532-3311 ext. 171. Free. 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As your honestly local news source, we serve our readers first. Find us on these platforms or reach out to our newsroom at news@gainesvilletimes. com or 770-718-3435. She (Times gainesvilletimes.com A Metro Market Media Publication © 2023, Vol. 76, No. 259 Sunday. December31,2023 HOW TO REACH US 345 Green St. N.W., Gainesville, GA 30501 P.0. Box 838, Gainesville, GA 30503 (770) 532-1234 Hours: 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m., Mon.-Fri. Drive thru open: 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m., Mon.-Fri. Publisher Stephanie Woody swoody@forsythnews.com Group Editor Nate McCullough nmccullough@gainesvilletimes.com TALK TO AN EDITOR, REPORT AN ERROR If you spot an error, we want to correct it immediately. We also want your news tips and feature ideas. Call: (770) 718-3435 or (770) 532-1234, Ext. 3435 Advertising Sales Mgr Jessica Shirley Hours: 8:30 a m. to midnight. 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Periodical postage paid: USPS 212-860 Delivery problems call (770) 532-2222 SINGLE COPY The Times is available at retail stores, newspaper racks and at The Times for $2.00 Midweek Edition and $2.00 Weekend Edition For our digital subscription offerings, go to gainesvilletimes.com/subscribe On this date: In 1879, Thomas Edison first publicly demon strated his electric incandescent light by illumi nating some40 bulbs at his laboratory in Menlo Park, New Jersey. In 1904, NewYork’s Times Square saw its first New Year’s Eve celebration, with an estimated 200,000 people in attendance. In 1951, the Marshall Plan expired after distrib uting more than $12 billion in foreign aid. In 1972, Major League baseball player Roberto Clemente, 38, was killed when a plane he had chartered and was traveling on to bring relief supplies to earthquake-devastated Nicaragua crashed shortly aftertakeoff from Puerto Rico. In 1974, private U.S. citizens were allowed to buy and own gold for the first time in more than 40 years. In 1978, Taiwanese diplomats struck their colors for the final time from the embassy flagpole in Washington, D.C., marking the end of diplomatic relations with the United States. In 1985, singer Rick Nelson, 45, and six other people were killed when fire broke out aboard a plane that was taking the group to a New Year’s Eve performance in Dallas. In 1995, the syndicated comic strip “Calvin and Hobbes,” created by Bill Watterson, came to an end after a 10-year run. In 1999, Russian President Boris Yeltsin an nounced his resignation. In 2021, Betty White, a television mainstay for more than 60 years on series including “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” and “The Golden Girls,” died less than three weeks before she would have turned 100. ENTERTAINMENT Pierce Brosnan accused of trespassing in Yellowstone CHEYENNE, Wyo. — Pierce Brosnan, whose fictitious movie character James Bond has been in hot water many times, is now facing real heat, charged with step ping out of bounds in a thermal area during a recent visit to Yellowstone National Park. Brosnan walked in an off-limits area at Mammoth Terraces, in the northern part of Yellowstone near the Wyoming-Montana line, on Nov. 1, according to two federal citations issued Tuesday. Brosnan, 70, is scheduled for a mandatory court appearance on Jan. 23. The Associated Press sent a request for comment to his Ins- tagram account Thursday, and email mes sages to his agent and attorney. Yellowstone officials declined to com ment. Brosnan was in the park on a personal visit and not for film work, the U.S. Attor ney's Office for Wyoming said. Mammoth Terraces is a scenic spot of mineral-encrusted hot springs. They're just Celebrity birthdays TV producer George Schlatter is 94. Actor Sir Anthony Hopkins is 86. Actor Barbara Carrera is 82. Rock musician Andy Summers is 81. Actor Sir Ben Kingsley is 80. Actor Tim Matheson is 76. Actor Joe Dallesandro is 75. Rock musician Tom Hamilton (Aerosmith) is 72. Actor James Remar is 70. Actor Bebe Neuwirth is 65. Singer Paul Westerberg is 64. Actor Don Diamont is 61. Rock musician Scott Ian (Anthrax) is 60. Actor Gong Li is 58. Author Nicholas Sparks is 58. Pop singer Joe McIntyre is 51. Rock musician Mikko Siren (Apocalyptica) is 48. Rapper PSY (Park Jae-sang) is 46. Rock musician Jason Sechrist (Portugal. The Man) is 44. Actor Ricky Whittle is 44. Actor/ singer Erich Bergen is 38. DJ/vocalist Drew Tag gart (The Chainsmokers) is 34. some of the park's hundreds of thermal fea tures, which range from spouting geysers to gurgling mud pots, with water at or near the boiling point. Going out-of-bounds in such areas can be dangerous: Some of the millions of people who visit Yellowstone each year get badly burned by ignoring warnings not to stray off the trail. Associated Press
