About The times. (Gainesville, Ga.) 1972-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 31, 2023)
LOCAL/NATION The Times, Gainesville, Georgia I gainesvilletimes.com Sunday, December 31, 2023 3A Russia launches 122 missiles at Ukraine The Biden Administration bypasses Congress for emergency weapons sale BY MATTHEW LEE AP Diplomatic Writer Alex Brandon Associated Press Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks during a meeting with human rights leaders at the State Department, Thursday, Dec. 7, in Washington. BYILLIA NOVIKOV AND HANNA ARHIROVA Associated Press KYIV, Ukraine — Russia launched 122 missiles and doz ens of drones against Ukrainian targets, officials said Friday, kill ing at least 30 civilians across the country in what an air force offi cial called the biggest aerial bar rage of the war. At least 144 people were wounded and an unknown num ber were buried under rubble during the roughly 18-hour onslaught, Ukrainian officials said. A maternity hospital, apart ment blocks and schools were among the buildings reported damaged across Ukraine. In the capital, Kyiv, broken glass and mangled metal littered city streets. Air raid and emer gency service sirens wailed as plumes of smoke drifted into a bright blue sky. Kateryna Ivanivna, a 72-year- old Kyiv resident, said she threw herself to the ground when a mis sile struck. “There was an explosion, then flames,” she said. “I covered my head and got down in the street. Then I ran into the subway station.” Meanwhile, in Poland, authori ties said that what apparently was a Russian missile had entered the country's airspace Friday morn ing from the direction of Ukraine and then vanished off radars. In the attack on Ukraine, the air force intercepted most of the bal listic and cruise missiles and the Shahed-type drones overnight, said Ukraine's military chief, Valerii Zaluzhnyi. Western officials and analysts had recently warned that Russia limited its cruise missile strikes for months in an apparent effort to build up stockpiles for massive strikes during the winter, hoping to break the Ukrainians' spirit. The result was “the most mas sive aerial attack” since Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022, Air Force commander Mykola Oleshchuk wrote on his official Telegram channel. It topped the previous biggest assault, in November 2022 when Russia launched 96 missiles, and this year's biggest, with 81 mis siles on March 9, according to air force records. Fighting along the front line is largely bogged down by winter weather after Ukraine's summer counteroffensive failed to make a significant breakthrough along the roughly 620-mile line of contact. WASHINGTON — For the second time this month the Biden administration is bypassing Con gress to approve an emergency weapons sale to Israel as Israel continues to prosecute its war against Hamas in Gaza under increasing international criticism. The State Department said Fri day that Secretary of State Antony Blinken had told Congress that he had made a second emergency determination covering a $147.5 million sale for equipment, includ ing fuses, charges and primers, that is needed to make the 155 mm shells that Israel has already pur chased function. “Given the urgency of Israel's defensive needs, the secretary noti fied Congress that he had exercised his delegated authority to deter mine an emergency existed neces sitating the immediate approval of the transfer,” the department said. “The United States is commit ted to the security of Israel, and it is vital to U.S. national interests to ensure Israel is able to defend itself against the threats it faces,” it said. The emergency determination means the purchase will bypass the congressional review requirement for foreign military sales. Such determinations are rare, but not unprecedented, when administra tions see an urgent need for weap ons to be delivered without waiting for lawmakers' approval. Blinken made a similar decision on Dec. 9, to approve the sale to Israel of nearly 14,000 rounds of tank ammunition worth more than $106 million. Both moves have come as Presi dent Joe Biden's request for a nearly $ 106 billion aid package for Ukraine, Israel and other national security needs remains stalled in Congress, caught up in a debate over U.S. immigration policy and border security. Some Democratic lawmakers have spoken of mak ing the proposed $14.3 billion in American assistance to its Mideast ally contingent on concrete steps by Israeli Prime Minister Benja min Netanyahu's government to reduce civilian casualties in Gaza during the war with Hamas. The State Department sought to counter potential criticism of the sale on human rights grounds by saying it was in constant touch with Israel to emphasize the importance of minimizing civilian casualties, which have soared since Israel began its response to the Hamas attacks in Israel on Oct. 7. “We continue to strongly emphasize to the government of Israel that they must not only com ply with international humanitar ian law, but also take every feasible step to prevent harm to civilians,” it said. “Hamas hides behind civilians and has embedded itself among the civilian population, but that does not lessen Israel's responsi bility and strategic imperative to distinguish between civilians and Hamas terrorists as it conducts its military operations,” the depart ment said. “This type of campaign can only be won by protecting civilians.” Bypassing Congress with emer gency determinations for arms sales is an unusual step that has in the past met resistance from lawmakers, who normally have a period of time to weigh in on pro posed weapons transfers and, in some cases, block them. In May 2019, then-Secretary of State Mike Pompeo made an emer gency determination for an $8.1 billion sale of weapons to Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Jordan after it became clear that the Trump administration would have trouble overcoming lawmakers' concerns about the Saudi and UAE-led war in Yemen. Pompeo came under heavy criticism for the move, which some believed may have vio lated the law because many of the weapons involved had yet to be built and could not be delivered urgently. But he was cleared of any wrongdoing after an internal investigation. Artem Perfilov Associated Press Firefighters work to extinguish a fire at a damaged building after a Russian attack in Odesa, Ukraine, Friday, Dec. 29. FROM 1A Smith School System than Sammy, I would love to meet them,” said Smith's friend since elementary school, Charlie Strong. “Any time a story comes up about something that maybe hap pened back in the ‘50s or ‘60s or ‘70s, you can go to Sammy and he knows who was involved and could tell you where they live now,” said school board member Kris Nordholz. And for all of his soft-spoken southern charm, Smith does not easily suffer fools. “I've probably known him 25 years — and if you get a story wrong, he will quickly put one finger up and correct you immediately,” said longtime friend John Lilly. The third of three children, Smith grew up in a middle- class family on Enota Avenue in Gainesville and had what he described as a bucolic upbring ing. His father owned a glass company, and his mother was a bookkeeper. He attended Enota Elemen tary from first to sixth grade and then Gainesville Junior High on Washington Street. At Gainesville High School, Smith was deeply involved in student leadership activities, some of which underscore the fact that he grew up in a much different era. As the manager of the football team, for instance, he fulfilled a particularly important role for legendary coach Bobby Gruhn. As his friend Strong recalled with a laugh, “There was a little convenience store ... up on Oak Street, and he’d say, ‘Sammy, run up and get me a pack of cigarettes before practice.’ He said, ‘That was my number one job as the manager of the football team.’” Before graduating in 1970, as a senior Smith served as the Student Body president and the first class president of the post integration era, “which I believe helped all of us get through a very nervous year of full (racial) integration,” Smith said. “It was not disruptive, it was not bad, but most people were nervous, including the administration and the teachers. ... All of a sudden, we had to prepare for maybe 150 new (Black) students (from E.E. Butler High School) and make room. We had to merge the fac ulties. ... That was a challeng ing summer, not just for Sammy Smith. That was a challenging summer for this city. Lots of uncertainty in the summer of ‘69.” In 1969, the all-Black E.E. Butler High School — named after Hall County's first Black physician — shuttered its doors following a Supreme Court rul ing in the Alexander v. Holmes County Board of Education case that ordered the immediate desegregation of public schools in the South. The school's closure has been described as a traumatic experience by alumni. Smith spent two years at Gainesville College (now the University of North Georgia), and three years at the University of Georgia, earning his master's degree in secondary education. After college, he took a job as a social studies teacher at Gaines ville Middle School, where he taught for about a year and a half. He then moved to Washing ton, D.C., and spent 16 years as a congressional aide for the late Democratic U.S. Rep. Ed Jen kins, who represented District 9 covering Northeast Georgia. He moved back to Gainesville, worked for a public relations firm and later formed his own firm in the late 1990s called Rainmaker & Associates. Superintendent Jeremy Wil liams said Smith's political experience paid dividends on the school board. “That definitely helped us as a school system to have relationships with people in the legislature and just mak ing sure that Gainesville City Schools was active in the discus sions at the community and state level,” he said. Smith, who represents District 5 as board treasurer, was first elected in 2007 in the midst of a dire financial crisis. “I recall vividly a screaming Times headline in the spring of 2008 that our school district was $6 million in the red — $6 mil lion in the red — so that set my course to be the treasurer for 16 years and make sure that that never happened again,” he told The Times at his final school board meeting earlier this month. Amid an uproar from the com munity, the board fired the super intendent and hired Merrianne Dyer as his replacement. “The state told us that we had the largest deficit per percentage of our total revenue of any school district in Georgia,” Dyer said. “We had to make really tough decisions. ... Other school dis tricts were cutting certain pro grams, they would cut back on their art program or cut back on something else ... but we sur veyed our teachers and staff, and they overwhelmingly sup ported furloughing their own days so that every program could continue and everyone could keep their job. And the board supported that, listened to the schools, listened to what their employees wanted to do, because it was an unprecedented crisis.” Smith and outgoing board member Willie Mitchell sat down for a joint interview in the Gainesville High School library, where Smith described himself and Mitchell as the “veteran bookends” of the school board, with Smith sitting on the left and Mitchell on the right. “As you look at our board dur ing meetings, Willie and I are the bookends,” Smith said. “We're the visual bookends. Well, we're also veteran bookends that folks look to for advice and discern ment and history. Both of us really have a lot vested in the history of our schools, so I've enjoyed being one of the book- ends with Willie.” During his tenure, Smith earned a reputation for asking tough and unpredictable questions. “He would always have ques tions, but he would never divulge those questions ahead of time,” Williams said. “He always kept us on our toes, and to be honest with you I'm not going to miss that,” he said, laughing. But Smith was also known for the curt manner in which he would try to hurry meet ings along, often motioning for approval or adjournment while the superintendent was in the middle of introducing an item to the board. It became something of a trademark during his tenure. “As principals who had been at work all day long and then attending a board meeting that evening, the ‘motion to adjourn' was always music to all of our ears,” said retired Centennial Arts Academy Principal Leslie Frier son. “It's going to be strange to have board meetings without him sitting on the left-hand side. He's a staple of Gainesville City, and he leaves a legacy of love and support for the system.” Smith will be replaced by 38-year-old banker Steven Pettit, who will take his seat in January after running unopposed in the November election. FROM 1A Assistant Councilman Tony Cornett said he's confident the city has a strong pool of prospects to select from in the coming weeks. “I feel good,” he said. “I think we have a good slate of candi dates who would serve the city very well, regardless of who we end up with. I'm hoping we make a final decision within weeks. I'd love to be able to make an offer before the next city voting meeting.” Councilwoman Denise Shockley agreed and stated, “I'm hope ful about the process. I think we've got some good candidates.” The duties of the assistant city manager, which could be paid up to $88,000 a year with benefits included, would be to assist City Manager Dennis Bergin in general day-to-day operations of government and to “support, direct and coordinate the adminis tration of city government in accordance with policy.” A work session will take place at 6 p.m. Monday, Jan. 8, at Lula City Hall. Lula's next voting meeting is at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Jan 16, at City Hall. FROM 1A Crucifix felony obstruction for swing ing at two other officers that day. In the time since his initial arrest, Marcos-Bautista was accused of other violence to law enforcement, including squeezing an officer's testicles and trying to bite multiple officers. Marcos-Bautista pleaded guilty to these charges and was sentenced to time served. The pleas were entered under the First Offender Act, meaning he may have the cases discharged from his record without being found guilty if he fulfills the terms of his sentence. Gosselin ordered for Mar cos-Bautista's cases to remain on the mental health caseload. Defense attorney Jake Shap iro did not return a request for comment. FROM 1A Concrete would connect the concrete plant to the Heidelberg Materials Gainesville Quarry. “Concrete mixer trucks will utilize public roads to deliver to job sites, which may take place at any time of day,” documents state. All “vertical improvements” are proposed near the center of the property, and the applicant says some 125 feet of “exist ing, mature vegetation” will separate the operation from adjacent property. Neighboring properties are within Hall's heavy industrial zoning district, with several developed with industrial uses, documents state. Gainesville lawyer Steve Gilliam is seeking approval of the operation, set to appear before the Hall County Planning Com mission on Tuesday, Jan. 2. Hall planning staff recommend approval of the plant. The planning board would recommend approval or denial to the Hall County Board of Commissioners, which is set to take final action at a public hearing on Feb. 8. Hall County Planning Commission What: Proposed concrete plant off Candler Road in southeast Hall When: 5:15 p.m.Tuesday, Jan. 2 Where: Hall County Government Center, 2875 Browns Bridge Road, Gainesville
