About The times. (Gainesville, Ga.) 1972-current | View Entire Issue (March 7, 2024)
2A Thursday, March 7, 2024 The Times, Gainesville, Georgia I gainesvilletimes.com Prosecutors drop criminal charges concerning ‘Hotel California’ Mary Altaffer Associated Press Former Rock & Roll Hall of Fame curator Craig Inciardi smiles as he leaves court, Wednesday, March 6. BY JENNIFER PELTZ Associated Press NEW YORK — From the start, the case was highly unusual: a criminal prosecution centered on the disputed ownership of a cache of hand-drafted lyrics to “Hotel California’ and other Eagles hits. Its end was even more unexpected. In the middle of trial, New York prosecutors abruptly dropped their case Wednesday against three collectibles experts who had been accused of conspiring to hang onto and peddle the pages, which Eagles co-founder Don Henley maintained were stolen, private artifacts of the band's creative process. In explaining the stunning turnabout, prosecutors agreed that defense lawyers had essentially been blindsided in recent days by getting 6,000 pages of communications involving Henley and his attorneys and associates. The material was provided to both sides only in the last few days, after Henley and his lawyers apparently made a late-in-the-game decision to waive their attorney- client privilege to keep legal discussions confidential. “These delayed disclosures revealed relevant information that the defense should have had the opportunity to explore” when Henley and other prosecution witnesses were on the stand, Assistant Manhattan District Attorney Aaron Ginandes told the court. With that, rare books dealer Glenn Horowitz, former Rock & Roll Hall of Fame curator Craig Inciardi and rock memorabilia seller Edward Kosinski were cleared of all the charges, which had included conspiracy to criminally possess stolen property. The case centered on roughly 100 pages of legal- pad pages from the creation of a classic rock colossus. The 1976 album “Hotel California” ranks as the third- biggest seller of all time in the U.S., in no small part on the strength of its evocative, smoothly unsettling title track about a place where “you can check out any time you like, but you can never leave.” Prosecutors had said the defendants knew the pages had a dubious chain of ownership but sought to keep and sell them anyway, scheming to fabricate a provenance that would pass muster with auction houses and stave off Henley's demands for the return of the documents. Through their lawyers, the defendants contended they were rightful owners of pages that weren't stolen by anyone. “The next step is building back our reputations,” Inciardi said in a written statement after the dismissal. Kosinski, leaving court, said only that he felt “very good” about the case's end. Horowitz hugged tearful family members, then left court without commenting. THANKYOU FOR READING FULL ACCESS WITH YOUR SUBSCRIPTION Our local news team, the largest in Northeast Georgia, works each day to bring you honestly local news delivered in several different platforms. Subscribers can tailor their preferences for reading the day’s news, whether that’s the traditional print edition or a combination of online formats. Print Traditional print editions are currently published Wednesday and Friday for delivery by mail. EPaper This platform offers the traditional look of a newspaper page but available on your tablet or other device. Editions are published Tuesday through Saturday, with two of those being replicas of the print edition. Access at gainesvilletimes.com/ epaper. Website Always stay up to date with us at gainesvilletimes.com. Newsletters Sign upatgainesvilletimes.com/ newsletters to receive email newsletters. 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Find us on these platforms or reach out to our newsroom at news@gainesvilletimes. com or 770-718-3435. EVENTS Inspired by Nature: The Works of James R. Darnell Art Exhibit. 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays through April 19. The Arts Coun cil Smithgall Arts Center, 331 Spring St. SW, Gainesville. 770-534-2787, julie@ theartscouncil.net. Free. Boot Barn Hall Blind draws on Wednesday and Sundays. 6:30 to 10 p.m. March 10. Boot Barn Hall (Gainesville), 312 Jesse Jewell Parkway, Gainesville. An Evening with the Experts: An Art Collec tor and Investor Event. 7 to 9 p.m. March 7. The Smithgall Arts Center, 331 Spring St. SW, Gainesville. 770-534-2787, julie@ theartscouncil.net. Free. Hall Health Expo. 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. March 7. Frances Meadows, 1545 Community way, Gainesville. 70-535-6371, gracereed@ gainesvilletimes.com. Free. Caffeine and Octane Lanier Raceway. 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. March 8. Caffeine and Octane’s Lanier Raceway, 5301 Winder Highway, Bra- selton. Sitting up with the Dead. 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. March 8. Gainesville Branch Library, 127 Main St. NW, Gainesville. 770-532-3311 ext. 4011.$15. Early Blooms: Witch Hazel and Spring Ephemerals (WalkingTour). 10 a.m. to noon March 9. Atlanta Botanical Garden Gaines ville, 1911 Sweetbay Drive, Gainesville. $29 - $34. Pop up Fossil Exhibit with the Paleontology Association of Georgia. 1 to 3 p.m. March 9. The Northeast Georgia History Center, 322 Academy St. NE, Gainesville. 770-297-5900, info@negahc.org. Free. United Way of Hall County’s 75th An niversary Gala. 6 to 10 p.m. March 9. The Boathouse at Lake Lanier Olympic Park, 3105 Clarks Bridge Road, Gainesville. 770- 536-1121, kellison@unitedwayofhallcounty. org. $75. 17th Year Church Anniversary. 10:45 a.m. to 5 p.m. March 10. Cornerstone of Faith Minis tries, 3 First St., Gainesville. 470-556-5666, cornerstoneoffaith@gmail.com. Free. Lula Cobb Memorial Car Show. 2 to 6 p.m. March 10. St. Paul United Methodist Church, 272 W Academy St. NW, Gainesville. ONGOING 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 Saturday. 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Satur- 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. days. Elachee Nature Science Center, 2125 Elachee Dr., Gainesville. 770-535-1976. $0-$10. Gentle Yoga. 11:30a.m.to 12:30 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. Hip Hop Class Wednesdays. 4-5 p.m. (3rd to 5th Graders) through May 15. Gainesville Ballet Company, 971 Riverside Drive, Gaines ville. 770-866-5353, info@gbcdance.com. $88. Inspired by Nature: The Works of James R. Darnell Art Exhibit. 10 a.m. to4 p.m. weekdays through April 18. The Arts Coun cil Smithgall Arts Center, 331 Spring St. SW, Gainesville. 770-534-2787, julie@ theartscouncil.net. Free. LEGO Club. 4 to 7 p.m. Thursdays. North Hall Tech Center, 4175 Nopone Rd. Suite B, Gainesville. 770-532-3311. 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 of the month. Gainesville Down town Library, 127 Main St. NW, Gainesville. talltaleswriter@gmail.com. Free. Trivia Night. 7-9 p.m. Tuesdays. NoFo Brew Co Gainesville, 434 High St. SW, Gainesville, topher@nofobrew.co. Free. TODAY IN HISTORY AP Photo In this March 7, 1965 file photo, clouds of tear gas fill the air as state troopers, ordered by Gov. George Wallace, break up a demonstration march in Selma, Ala., on what became known as “Bloody Sunday.” The incident is widely credit ed for galvanizing the nation’s leaders and ultimately yielded passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. On this date: In 1876, Alexander Graham Bell received a U.S. patent for his telephone. In 1911, President William Howard Taft or dered 20,000 troops to patrol the U.S.-Mexico border in response to the Mexican Revolution. In 1916, Bavarian Motor Works (BMW) had its beginnings in Munich, Germany, as an airplane engine manufacturer. In 1926, the first successful trans-Atlantic radio-telephone conversations took place be tween New York and London. In 1936, Adolf Hitler ordered his troops to march into the Rhineland, thereby breaking the Treaty of Versailles and the Locarno Pact. In 1945, during World War II, U.S. forces crossed the Rhine at Remagen, Germany, us ing the damaged but still usable Ludendorff Bridge. In 1965, a march by civil rights demonstrators was violently broken up at the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama, by state troopers and a sheriff’s posse in what became known as “Bloody Sunday.” In 1975, the U.S. Senate revised its filibuster rule, allowing 60 senators to limit debate in most cases, instead of the previously required two-thirds of senators present. In 1994, the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously ruled that a parody that pokes fun at an original work can be considered “fair use.” In 2005, President George W. Bush nominated John Bolton to be U.S. ambassadortothe United Nations, an appointment that ran into Democratic opposition, prompting Bush to make a recess appointment. In 2013, the U.N. Security Council voted unanimously for tough new sanctions to punish North Korea for its latest nucleartest; a furious Pyongyang threatened a nuclear strike against the United States. In 2016, Peyton Manning announced his retire ment after 18 seasons in the National Football League. She (Titties gainesvilletimes.com A Metro Market Media Publication © 2024, Vol. 77, No. 47 Thursday, March 7,2024 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. 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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 ENTERTAINMENT Potential Soprano ‘whacking’ site sells for thousands BLOOMFIELD, N J. — The ice cream parlor booth where Tony Soprano may or may not have been whacked has sold for more than $82,000. An anonymous buyer bid $82,600 Mon day night in an online auction for the piece of memorabilia that occupies an outsize role in the lore of the award-winning HBO series — particularly because it was where the New Jersey mob boss was sitting when the series ended by cutting to black, outrag ing many viewers and claiming a place in TV history. Ron Stark, co-owner of Holsten's, the northern New Jersey ice cream parlor, candy shop and restaurant where the scene was Celebrity birthdays Actor Daniel J. Travanti is 84. Entertainment executive Michael Eisner is 82. Rock musician Chris White is 81. Rock singer Peter Wolf is 78. Pro and College Football Hall of Famer Lynn Swann is 72. Golfer Tom Lehman is 65. Interna tional Tennis Hall of Famer Ivan Lendl is 64. Ac tor Mary Beth Evans is 63. Singer-actor Taylor Dayne is 62. Actor Bill Brochtrup is 61. Author E.L. James is 61. Author Bret Easton Ellis is 60. filmed, won't say a word about who bought it. Anyway, the story starts with some bro ken legs — on the tables of the restaurant that opened in 1939, that is. Suffice it to say, things were trending downward. Stark and his co-owner Chris Carley decided to auction off the booth and use the proceeds to pay for a renovation of the din ing area. Interest in the booth has remained high among fans of the show since the final scene aired in 2007. Associated Press
