About The Banks County news. (Homer, Banks County, Ga.) 1968-current | View Entire Issue (June 5, 2024)
PAGE 6A BANKS COUNTY NEWS WEDNESDAY, JUNE 5, 2024 Public Safety 19 arrests reported by sheriffs office The Banks County Sher iff’s Office charged 19 peo ple recently, including: •Gelacio Avellaneda-Ura- po, 48, 3228 Brackett Drive, Gainesville, driving without a valid license. •Ryan Dillon Cantrell, 33, 400 Hickory Flat Road, Gillsville, terroristic threats and acts and simple assault. •Heather Ann Cornelius, 36, Homer, burglary and criminal trespass. •Emmanuel Orso-Ro- may, 17, 2331 North Broad Street, Commerce, driving without a valid license and no registration. •Codey Shoemake, 34, 673 Alpine Court Circle, Cornelia, possession of methamphetamine, reckless driving, driving without a valid license, failure to stop at stop sign, no valid license plate and fleeing or attempt ing to elude a law enforce ment officer. •Matthew Neal Brissey, 32, 4041 Williams Bridge Road, Toccoa, driving under the influence of intoxicants (DUI), driving without a valid license and failure to maintain lane. •Kevin Scott Fowler, 45, 308 Palmer Street, Greer, S.C., obstruction of a law enforcement officer. •Cody Cheyenne Gibis, 30, 201 Granite Road, Maysville, possession of a sawed-off shotgun and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. •Kellie Anny McCoy, 45, 125 Pine Crest Drive, Alto, theft by receiving stolen property. •Kimberly McElreath, 53, 145 Walkers Way, Com merce, criminal trespass. •Pedro Luis Tulux- an-Basilio, 32, 2361 Dun- woody Crossing, Dun- woody, driving without a valid license and failure to yield. •Gavin Brent Anderson, 17, 65 Griffeth Lane, Dan- ielsville, theft by shoplift ing. •Terrance Perrymond, 23, 1524 Jackson Way, River- dale, driving without a valid license and giving false in formation to a law enforce ment officer. •Gilmar Lopez-Vicente, 32, 1509 Frederick Road, Opelika, Ala., driving with out a valid license. •Brian Neely, 44, 55 Stag horn, Nicholson, theft by shoplifting. •Carvilius Jamaal Tuck, 35, 124 Waterford Ridge, Lula, simple battery. •Martha Zarate, 39, 3061 Oakcliff Road, Atlanta, DUI. •James Joseph Lawson, 69, 110 Gray Hill Drive, Homer, failure to appear. •Jose Candido Suli- nas-Garcia, 46, 830 Mead ow Creek Drive, Cornelia, driving without a valid li cense and expired tag. Incidents reported to Banks County Sheriffs Office listed Incidents reported re- 'simple assault during a 'theft by taking at an Crossing business. Hwy. 441, Commerce, ad- location, cently to the Banks County domestic dispute at a West- Eisenhower Drive, Com- -stolen vehicle recovered dress. 'shoplifting at a Banks Sheriff’s Office includes the brook Road, Commerce, merce, address. at Lula location. -simple assault at a Wof- Crossing business when following: address. -shoplifting at a Banks -theft of property at a ford Creek Road, Baldwin, someone didn’t scan right. NEWBRIDGE OPEN The new bridge over the Hudson River on Ga. 51 has re-opened. The original bridge was built in 1937 and was widened in 1979. Work will continue on Ga. 51 in the area on and surrounding the bridge. Drivers in the area are asked to drive carefully and watch for construction crews. Work to replace the bridge began in 2022. Cryptocurrency mining stirring concerns across rural Georgia By Dave Williams Capitol Beat News Service Opposition is growing across Georgia to cryptocur rency mining, the process of creating Bitcoins and other forms of virtual currencies at giant server farm sites. Residents of Gilmer County in the North Geor gia mountains recently beat back a proposed rezoning to allow a cryptocurren cy server farm in that rural community. Just north of Gilmer, the Fannin County Commission has enacted a ban on crypto mining. And several hundred miles to the south, the Southern Georgia Regional Commission, which rep resents 18 primarily rural counties, has published a model ordinance counties can use to put restrictions on the development of cryp tocurrency farms. Opponents complain that server farms generating cryptocurrency are extreme ly noisy, impose a huge drain on electricity and wa ter resources, and don’t gen erate enough jobs to justify those negative consequenc es. “It’s the biggest con on the public ever,” said Cyn- die Roberson, cofounder of Gilmer County Citizens Against Crypto Mining, which brought out hundreds of residents to a meeting of the county’s planning com mission to oppose the proj ect. “So many attended, peo ple were wrapped around the courthouse,” Roberson said. The General Assembly took up the issue during this year’s session in the form of a bill aimed at growing the industry by offering a sales tax exemption on equipment purchased to equip cryptocurrency server farms and prohibiting local governments from passing noise ordinances specifical ly targeting crypto mining. The industry already has gained a solid foothold in Georgia. Roberson’s group has documented 30 crypto currency mining operations in 20 communities across the state, from Rome and Dalton in Northwest Geor gia to Swainsboro, Sand- ersville, and Brooklet in the southeast. In fact, Georgia mines the second-most cryptocur rency in the country behind Texas. “Bitcoin mining is more than just an economic ac tivity,” Bo Ginn, who man ages the Sandersville crypto mining operation for Neva- da-based CleanSpark Inc., told state lawmakers during a hearing on the bill in Feb ruary. “It’s an important tech nological advancement that brings substantial invest ment, innovation and job creation to Georgia, espe cially to our rural communi ties,” he said. But Rep. Penny Houston, R-Nashville, said she and her constituents have had a “terrible experience” since a crypto mining server farm began operating in Adel. “The noise is absolutely atrocious,” she said. “They bring no money in, no jobs in, except for people who are there guarding the place.” Houston also complained about the amount of elec tricity crypto mining uses. Large data centers are hav ing an impact on Geor gia’s power grid, as state lawmakers demonstrated this year when they passed legislation — subsequently vetoed by Gov. Brian Kemp — that would have tempo rarily suspended a tax break aimed at attracting more data centers to Georgia. “We’ve built two (nucle ar) reactors over at Plant Vogtle, and we’re using so much power, we’re going to have to build another one,” Houston said. “When we have to build another reactor, it’s going to be the taxpayers of this state who have to pay for it.” Rep. Scott Hilton, R-Peachtree Comers, who introduced this year’s cryp tocurrency bill, said it is not at the top of his priority list for the 2025 General As sembly session. However, he said he believes the leg islature eventually should address the cryptocurrency issue. The model ordinance might be a place to start. It allows the development of crypto mining operations but sets standards for noise levels and appearance serv er farms would have to meet before they could set up shop. “I think those who are seeking to move these here would be amenable to rea sonable accommodations,” Hilton said. Bob Sherrier, a staff attor ney with the Atlanta-based Southern Environmental Law Center, said he would rather let local governments regulate crypto mining op erations than impose state control. “Some industrial areas (suitable for a server farm) are next to residential,” he said. “It should be within the control of local govern ment to say, ‘That area’s OK, and that area’s not.’ “ LESLIE SPORNBERGER JONES, LLC ATTORN EY-AT- LAW Northeast Georgia's Strong, Strategic, and Skilled Defense. Criminal, DUI, Traffic, Commercial Drivers, and Professional Licensing. Trials and Appeals. Phone: (706) 224-0321 www.lesliejoneslaw.com
