About The times. (Gainesville, Ga.) 1972-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 26, 2024)
Gainesville man convicted of child molestation takes plea deal he rejected earlier. REGION, 7C The Oak Ridge Boys will be in Gainesville for a sold-out show. LIFE, IB Weekend Edition - JANUARY 26-27,20241 $2.001 GAINESVILLE, GEORGIA I gainesvilletimes.com a Cherokee Bluff earns national ranking in Top 50 to open 2024 baseball season. SPORTS, 1C Honestly Local Bills, if passed, could revive TSPLOST push in Hall BY JEFF GILL jgill@gainesvilletimes.com After failing to make a Hall County referendum in 2023, TSPLOST has new life in 2024. Hall legislators have introduced bills in the Georgia legislature proposing changes that could kickstart a new push for the 1-cent transportation special purpose local option sales tax. State Rep. Lee Hawkins, R-Gainesville, introduced House Bill 946 on Jan. 12, and state Sen. Shelly Echols, R-Gainesville, introduced Senate Bill 383, on Wednesday, Jan. 24. The bills seek to remove the requirement that all governments within a county must agree to the sales tax program before the tax could go before voters in a referendum. Instead, cities signing onto the agreement need to represent at least 50% of the city population inside the county, including border cities that are in more than one county. “So, for Lula, Gillsville, Braselton, Buford, and Rest Haven, only their residents from Hall County count and only those residents may vote,” Echols said. SeeTSPLOSTI3A ‘The thrill of making a friend’ Photos by Scott Rogers The Times Wauka Mountain Multiple Intelligences Academy Principal Dean DeVito tours the school’s new inclusive playground Tuesday, Jan. 23 Wauka Mountain Academy opens new inclusive playground BY BEN ANDERSON banderson@gainesvilletimes.com Children with disabilities finally have a place to play at Wauka Mountain Multiple Intelligences Academy, an elementary school in Hall County. The school recently opened a new inclusive playground thanks to the efforts of a mother whose disabled daughter will attend the school in a couple of years. A grand opening ceremony will be held from 1-3 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 3. Free food will be provided by El Tepache, Southern Baked Pie, Java Joy, Midland Social Ice Cream and others. The playground's final price tag came in at around $800,000, which included a $ 150,000 contribution from Hall County Schools. The rest was raised in a vigorous fundraising campaign led by Hope for Hall, a nonprofit organization that strives to “normalize disability through play, education, and technology.” See Playground 13A The playground, the first of its kind in Hall County, was donated by the non-profit Hope For Hall to allow kids with all abilities a place to play together. Oakwood man is accused of impersonating federal agent BY NICK WATSON nwatson@gainesvilletimes.com An Oakwood man was accused of impersonat ing a federal agent at the scene of a wreck where his daughter was deemed to be at fault, according to authorities. Sean Michael Lehner, 41, of Oakwood, was charged with four counts of impersonat ing an officer. He was booked Friday, Jan. 19, in to the Hall County Jail and released the same day on a $26,000 bond. Oakwood Police Chief Tim Hatch said his department was made aware of Lehner repre senting himself as an agent for the Federal Emer gency Management Agency, or FEMA, as well as driving an “unmarked vehicle with emergency lighting.” After presenting the police with an ID card, police requested his record with FEMA. FEMA did not have a record of him ever being an employee, Hatch said. Lenher See Lenher 13A UNG to allow alcohol at its sporting events BY BEN ANDERSON banderson@gainesvilletimes.com The University of North Georgia announced that it will now allow alcohol at university events and tailgates. “This decision comes after careful con sideration and aims to enhance the overall enjoyment and camaraderie of our game day celebrations,” UNG said in an email to students and faculty. “You can now enjoy SeeUNGI3A ONLINE INSIDE gainesvilletimes.com/newsletters: Sign up to receive email newsletters from The Times gainesvilletimes.com/apps: Download The Times’ app for a user-friendly online experience and app notifications for big stories Calendar 2A Life Classified 8C Opinion Comics 1D Region Fun+Games 4C Sports 1B 6A 7C 1C 40901 06825 HAVE A HEALTHY NEW YEAR Learn about your weight-loss options at Northeast Georgia Medical Center at nghs.com/newyear Northeast Georgia Medical Center
