About The times. (Gainesville, Ga.) 1972-current | View Entire Issue (March 22, 2024)
4A Weekend Edition-March 22-23, 2024 The Times, Gainesville, Georgia I gainesvilletimes.com LOCAL/NATION Hall high schoolers win hig at SkillsUSA championship Photo by Hall County Schools Hall County high schoolers (Flowery Branch High pictured here) took home dozens of medals in February at the annual SkillsUSA state championship, held in Atlanta at the Georgia World Congress Center. BY BEN ANDERSON banderson@gainesvilletimes.com Hall County high schoolers took home dozens of medals in February at the annual SkillsUSA state championship, held in Atlanta at the Georgia World Congress Center. Most of the gold medal winners will advance to the national level in June. “Hall County Schools is so proud of all the hard work these students have put into their projects,” the district said in a news release. “Congratulations!” The SkillsUSA website describes the competition as “the premier showcase of America's most highly skilled career and technical education students. It's also one of the largest hands-on workforce development events in the world.” The event features more than 6,000 state champions from across the United States competing head-to-head in 115 skilled and leadership competitions. “The competitions are created, overseen and judged by nearly 2,000 industry volunteers, each committed to building the next generation of skilled professionals, career-ready leaders and responsible community members our future depends on,” the website says. Here are the winners. Summary • 30 Gold Medals, 18 events • 16 Silver Medals, 15 events • 14 Bronze Medals, 12 events Gold medal winners — 1st place • Wyatt Goad, Anahi Granado & Mack Manning, Chestatee High School — Short Film • Chris Carrillo, Trent Mesurac, Wyatt Mesurac, Ansleigh Sims, Josh Thornton, & Sam Weis, Chestatee High School — Single Script Video • Cooper Brown & Wyatt Goad, Chestatee High School — Sports Highlight Reel • Kathy Delcid Cruz, East Hall High School - Restaurant Services* — also received a $3,000 scholarship • Noel Lara, Flowery Branch High School — Culinary Arts* • Vincent Kilroy, Flowery Branch High School — Technical Computer Applications* • Kai Kvamme, Flowery Branch High School — Graphic Communications* • Lincoln Lunt, Llowery Branch High School—Medical Assisting* • Kai Kvamme, Llowery Branch High School — Graphic Imaging Sublimation* • Kody Montero & Kai Kvamme, Llowery Branch High School — Web Development* • Bo Tison & Declan Dunn, Llowery Branch High School — Additive Manufacturing* • Lincoln Lunt, Llowery Branch High School — Medical Terminology* • Anna Turpin, Llowery Branch High School — Pin Design* — will also be the GA pin to trade at Nationals • Josue Lopez, Llowery Branch High School — SkillsUSA Georgia Pin Design • Maya Gasky, Johnson High School — Applied Communications • Liz Cate, Yuliana Castillo & Lexia Lazaro, Lanier College Career Academy — Nail Design Display • Abigail Mendoza, West Hall High School — Promotional Graphics • Ashley Castillo, West Hall High School — SkillsUSA Georgia T-shirt Design Silver medal winners — 2nd place • Ansleigh Sims & Sam Weis, Chestatee High School — Audio/ Radio Production • Wyatt Mesurac, Chestatee High School — Photography • Kody Montero, Llowery Branch High School—Electronics Technology • Humberto Martinez, Llowery Branch High School — Practical Nursing • Cami Robinson, Llowery Branch High School — Action Skills • Humberto Martinez, Llowery Branch High School — Dental Assisting • Humberto Martinez, Llowery Branch High School — Medical Math • Sanaai Drayton, Llowery Branch High School — Extemporaneous Speaking • Guillermo Rosales, Johnson High School — Graphic Imaging Sublimation • Saira Hernandez, Johnson High School — Graphic Communications • Malachi Hebert, North Hall High School — CNC 2-Axis Turning • Ellis Robertson, North Hall High School — Plumbing • Kaycie Smith, West Hall High School — Cabinetry • Sophia Herrera, West Hall High School — SkillsUSA Georgia T-shirt Design • Ashley Castillo, West Hall High School — Promotional Graphics Bronze medal winners — 3rd place • Nathan Caceres & Addison Chabot, Cherokee Bluff High School — High Risk Traffic Stop • Austin Evans, Chestatee High School — Diesel Equipment Technology • Anna (Ace) Kelley, Chestatee High School — Graphic Communications • Vincent Kilroy, Llowery Branch High School — Computer Programming • Lincoln Lunt, Llowery Branch High School — Basic Healthcare • Ayelet Llores, Llowery Branch High School — Advertising Design • Michael Perez, Johnson High School — Carpentry • Maddie Gaddis & Yoselin Rodriguez, Lanier College Career Academy — Esthetics Design Display • Jorge Moya, Lanier College Career Academy — Electrical Wiring • Dalton Hulsey, North Hall High School — CNC 3 — Axis Turning • Annie Lasseter, West Hall High School — T-shirt Design • Ashley Castillo, West Hall High School — Pin Design Other winners/finalists • Chestatee High School—Gold Chapter of Distinction • Llowery Branch High School — Silver Chapter of Distinction • Erik Almendarez, Danilea Gonzalez Munoz, Erick Letona, Jasmin Sepulveda, Ashely Navarro & Daniel Lopez, East Hall High School—Quiz Bowl Team—Top 6 State Linalists • Trevor Smith, East Hall High School — Automotive Brakes — Top 16 Linalist Prosecutors say Trump’s hush money trial should begin April 15 BY MICHAEL R.SISAK Associated Press NEW YORK — New York prosecutors on Thursday urged a judge to start Donald Trump's hush money criminal trial on April 15, saying the defense's calls for further delays or dismissal of the case because of a last- minute evidence dump were a “red herring.” The vast majority of evidence that the Republican former president's lawyers received in recent weeks — more than 100,000 pages from a previous federal investigation into the matter — was “entirely immaterial, duplicative or substantially duplicative” of evidence they'd already been given, prosecutors said. In one batch of 31,000 documents turned over to Trump's lawyers last week, fewer than 270 were relevant to Trump's case and had not previously been disclosed to his lawyers, prosecutors said. Lederal prosecutors finished giving evidence to Trump's lawyers last week. Judge Juan M. Merchan last week postponed the trial's start until mid-April after Trump's lawyers complained that the late arrival of evidence from the federal investigation was hindering their FROM 1A Hernandez deputies found two men holding down Hemandez-Cota. A man told law enforce ment he was sitting in a car outside of a coin laundro mat when “Hemandez-Cota approached him, pulled out a box cutter and demanded his property,” according to the Sheriff's Office. Hernandez-Cota pleaded guilty to taking the man's phone and wallet. Wilfredo Lee Associated Press Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump speaks after voting in the Florida pri mary in Palm Beach, Fla., Tuesday, March 19. preparations. Trump's criminal trial, the first of a former U.S. president, had been scheduled to begin on Monday. The hush money case is among four criminal indictments against Trump, the Republican Party's presumptive 2024 presidential nominee. Instead, on Monday, Merchan will hold a hearing to assess “who, if anyone, is at fault” for the late evidence, whether it hurt either side and whether any sanctions are warranted. Trump, who has pleaded not guilty in the case, is expected to attend the hearing. The evidence includes records about Trump's former lawyer-turned- key prosecution witness Michael Cohen, who went to prison as a result of the federal probe. Trump's lawyers have said some of that evidence appears to be “exculpatory and favorable to the defense.” Prosecutors argue it mostly pertains to Cohen's unrelated federal convictions, though that material could come in handy to Trump's lawyers in seeking to undermine Cohen's credibility. Trump's lawyers want a The Sheriff's Office said Hemandez-Cota then pulled out a machete, and a man got out of his car on the passen ger side to escape. “Hernandez-Cota fol lowed, but fell as he was chasing the victim,” the Sheriff's Office said. “The victim and another man held down the suspect until depu ties arrived.” The top charge, armed robbery, was dismissed, and Hernandez-Cota also pleaded guilty to possession of a knife during the com mission of a felony and mis demeanor theft by taking. Defense attorney Larry Duttweiler said the case involved a “number of com promises from three sides.” A conviction on the armed robbery count would have meant 10 years in prison without parole. Duttweiler said he was “interested in avoiding that and reducing the outer limits to no more than three years.” “I was surprised to learn that the victims in this case who tackled this young man who had brandished a knife and machete were not in favor of a prison sen tence,” Duttweiler wrote in an email. 90-day delay, but they've also asked Merchan to dismiss the case entirely, alleging the late disclosures amount to prosecutorial misconduct and violate rules governing the sharing of evidence. That sharing process, called discovery, is routine in criminal cases and is intended to help ensure a fair trial. The Manhattan district attorney's office did not oppose Merchan's 30-day delay but said it would fight the defense's attempts to put the trial off any longer. Prosecutors said in a court filing Thursday that the Trump legal team's allegations were “wholly unfounded, and the circumstances here do not come close to warranting the extreme sanctions” that are being sought. They said there was no discovery violation because evidence sharing rules apply only to material in their possession — not evidence kept by outside parties like the U.S. attorney's office. Prosecutors contend Trump's lawyers caused the problem by waiting until Jan. 18 to subpoena the U.S. attorney's office for the full case file — a mere nine weeks before the scheduled start of jury selection. The defense has also sought to delay the trial until after the Supreme Court rules on Trump's presidential immunity claims, which his lawyers say could apply to some of the allegations and evidence in the hush money case. The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear oral arguments April 25. The hush money case centers on allegations that Trump falsified his company's records to hide the true nature of payments to Cohen, who paid porn actor Stormy Daniels $130,000 during the 2016 presidential campaign to suppress her claims of an extramarital sexual encounter with Trump years earlier. Trump pleaded not guilty last year to 34 felony counts of falsifying business records and has denied having a sexual encounter with Daniels. His lawyers argue the payments to Cohen were legitimate legal expenses and not part of any cover-up. After a decade of working for Trump, Cohen broke with him in 2018 and soon pleaded guilty to campaign finance violations related to the hush money payments, making false statements on a bank loan application, evading taxes related to his investments in the taxi industry and lying to Congress. Cohen went to prison for about a year before being released to home confinement because of the COVID-19 pandemic. He became an outspoken Trump foe and is poised to be a key prosecution witness against Trump. Trump and his lawyers, meanwhile, contend Cohen is untrustworthy. ■OINGER’ROOT, Meet Ginger Root, a 5-month-old puppy. She is the last of her litter waiting for a forever home. She is good with other dogs, knows the command sit, and is learning leash manners. Meet Preston, a 3.5-year-old female cat. She is shy at first meet, but once she warms up, she loves to be petted. Come meet them Tuesday - Saturday from 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.! If you cannot adopt, but would still like to help you can donate $50 to our food bowl fund to feed one rescue for an entire month! We’re sponsored by: ^ NORTH GEORGIA V I*et Crematiori!s 770-540-2078 QOO HUMANE SOCIETY OF NORTHEAST GEORGIA 1 E5T. 1913 770-532-6617
