It’s closing time — at least temporarily — for the popular Growlers on Main draft beer business in downtown Flowery Branch.

The business’ alcoholic beverage license has been suspended through the end of the year because of alleged violations of the city code.

The owners confirmed the news on the business’ Facebook page, with a Monday post explaining the business will be “closed until further notice.” A note on the business’ door states the same thing.

Co-owner Alan Davenport declined to comment until after today’s scheduled public hearing on the matter.

Charges were laid out in a hand-delivered letter dated Friday from City Clerk Melissa McCain to Ashley Cooper-Davenport of the Main Street business.

Two separate incidents were noted in the letter, including an Oct. 5 incident when alcoholic beverages were sold for consumption during the city’s fall festival for $5 each.

Also, a Saturday incident was noted when alcoholic beverages were “served for consumption on the premises in an amount over the three 1-ounce tastes authorized,” the letter reads.

According to the city code, while consumption is prohibited, samples of tap beers are permitted if they do not exceed 1 ounce each. Also, no more than three samples per person are permitted daily.

Flowery Branch officials have suspended Growlers on Main’s alcoholic beverage license beginning

 Monday through Dec. 31.

The business has appealed the decision. A public hearing is scheduled for the City Council’s 5 p.m. meeting today.

McCain said the owners have the chance to have an attorney present; City Council members will decide whether to lessen or remove the penalty, or keep it the same, after hearing both sides of the matter.

McCain also declined to comment on the matter until after the public hearing.

Growlers on Main opened earlier this year, offering multiple draft beers available for sampling. Patrons can then purchase a 32- or 64-ounce sealed glass jar, called a growler, to take home.

Interest has been strong enough in this type of business that Gainesville amended its alcohol ordinance in April to allow for the sale of growlers. Hall County is also considering an amendment to its malt beverage and wine code for the same issue.

To tackle her fear of heights, Ann-Margaret Johnston took to the skies. By her side was flight instructor Kelly Chandler, a staple in the Gainesville aviation community, who died Monday night.

“You’re not going to find anyone with the patience that he had, that I need,” she said. “He held my hand and I needed that. If I didn’t have him, I would have never gotten my license.”

Chandler, 50, was the passenger in a 1976 Rockwell Commander 112 that crashed Oct. 16 outside of Lee Gilmer Memorial Airport. He died Monday night from injuries suffered in the crash.

The pilot, Lawrence Youhanaian, 74, of Gainesville, died at the scene. A nearby mechanic pulled Chandler from the crash site.

Chandler’s ubiquitous presence at Lanier Flight Center left indelible impressions for Gainesville residents learning to fly.

“He was always in the air and always on the radio,” said Experimental Aircraft Association Gainesville chapter Vice President Shane Crider.

Crider and Gainesville’s Chapter 611 held a fundraiser on Oct. 25 to benefit Chandler and his medical bills. For students coming to Lanier Flight Center, Chandler’s even-keeled temperament and personability was well-known.

“Kelly was one of the good guys,” said Maj. Ross Statham of the Florida Civil Air Patrol. “Kelly was one of those people that was very approachable, and he went out of his way to ask how you were doing and what you were up to and what was up in your life.”

As he was working toward his own pilot ratings, independent flight instructor Curtiss Ford came to know Chandler, a man who knew everybody’s name and was always glad you came.

“He treated everybody the same, with the same big smile, the same big greeting,” Ford said.

Chandler was invested in his students’ lives and accomplishments, Johnston said. After her first solo flight, he called her, eager to find out how it went.

“I cried and cried and said, ‘I’m never getting in that plane again for the rest of my life,’ and ‘I hate this,’ and ‘What am I doing?’” she said to Chandler on the phone. “He had me back up in the air two days later.”

Johnston said Chandler had texted her an hour before the crash, asking her when she wanted to fly next. The two worked on animal rescues, the first time being a mission to fly dogs out of Nashville, Tenn.

“He knew that that’s what would get me up in the airplane and make me feel comfortable, and he was right there with me,” Johnston said.

On Oct. 16, a wing of the plane made contact with power line poles and caused the aircraft to roll, according to the National Transportation Safety Board’s preliminary report. A passer-by managed to pull Chandler out but was unable to reach Youhanaian, according to the report.

“My thoughts were if anybody will survive that, Kelly will because he was in great physical shape,” Ford said when he heard of the crash. “He was a fighter.”

The friendly radio hellos from Chandler may be gone, but his spirit in Gainesville will remain, Statham said.

“There won’t be a time that I fly in and out of Gainesville, Ga., that I won’t think of Kelly Chandler,” he said.

Sutphen, the manufacturer of a firetruck involved in a July accident that seriously injured three Hall County firefighters, has now reimbursed the county for the purchase cost of the truck and taken possession of the rig, according to documents obtained by The Times and interviews with county officials.

In addition, two investigations have found no fault on the part of Hall County officials related to the accident.

During a training exercise, firefighters TJ Elliott, Stephen Jackson and Will Griffin suffered back and spinal injuries when the bucket they were standing in atop a firetruck ladder fell 44 feet.

“... The top three sections of the fully extended ladder collapsed onto the second section when, apparently, the cables supporting the extension of the ladder failed,” wrote County Attorney Bill Blalock in a Sept. 16 letter to Sutphen.

According to an investigation by the Rimkus Consulting Group of Atlanta for the Association County Commissioners of Georgia Insurance, “When the platform was about to be or started being retracted, the witnesses reported hearing a ‘pop’ sound ... and the platform immediately retracted, uncontrolled, and at high speed, until it contacted the still-extended second section of the ladder. Most of the witnesses described seeing ‘broken cables’ falling down from or hanging beneath the ladder, and one end of one cable actually separated from the ladder and fell to the ground.”

The same investigation found that extension cables connecting sections of the ladder “failed catastrophically” and sent the firefighters into a free-fall.

“There was evidence of damage to the left extension cable that existed prior to the accident,” according to the investigation report. 

Failures in the truck’s extension cables were documented by the truck’s previous owner, Bluffton Township Fire District in South Carolina, which sold it back to Sutphen in 2013 for $305,000.

Hall County then purchased the firetruck, which was delivered in April of this year, from Sutphen for $505,000, an amount that has been reimbursed after a settlement agreement with the Ohio-based manufacturer was signed in late October.

Hall County, which had threatened legal action if not reimbursed, alleged that Sutphen knowingly or negligently misled fire officials when negotiating the purchase of the truck.

The county’s own investigation reports “there is no evidence that anyone with Hall County had prior knowledge of any prior equipment failures involving Sutphen vehicles, thus decisions to move forward with the purchase of the vehicle were made in good faith.”

The report also states Hall County Fire Services had followed the manufacturer’s specifications with regard to daily maintenance of the truck.

And the Rimkus investigation backs the county’s claims, reporting there is no evidence of improper maintenance or improper inspection of the firetruck by Hall County officials.

The settlement agreement with Hall County releases Sutphen from additional liability but does not preclude the injured firefighters from seeking damages.

“This agreement does not include and is not intended to encompass any personal injury claim that may be brought by any Hall County employee relating to the incident,” the settlement states.

Sutphen does not admit to any “liability, wrongdoing or other responsibility to anyone arising from the ... fire apparatus or incident,” according to the settlement.

Meanwhile, Hall County officials have recommended the fire services maintenance division be involved “in the process of equipment selection, design and delivery” as a precaution against purchasing faulty equipment.

Authorities said they believe a Gainesville man shot his live-in girlfriend Wednesday morning, with the bullet grazing her forehead.

The Hall County Sheriff’s Office responded to the 5:32 a.m. call at 44 Branch St. in the New Holland area to find Jamie Macdonell shot. She was taken to the Northeast Georgia Medical Center with injuries that were not considered life-threatening.

Following interviews with those there at the time of the shooting, Steven Keith Murphy, 27, of Gainesville, was arrested.

Murphy is charged with aggravated assault, cruelty to children and possession of methamphetamine. Macdonell’s children were at the residence when the shooting occurred, according to the warrants, and the Division of Family and Children Services has been contacted.

Murphy was listed as the “primary aggressor” in the aggravated assault in the warrants.

Sheriff’s office deputies found methamphetamine in Murphy’s bedroom, according to the warrants, at the time of the incident.

Murphy is at the Hall County Jail with no bond awaiting his first appearance, according to the sheriff’s office.

Get out the quilts and bring in the dogs: Winter's making another early visit.

A freeze warning is in effect for much of Georgia, including Northeast Georgia, tonight through Friday morning. Temperatures are expected to drop into the upper 20s overnight, with highs struggling to reach the mid-40s on Friday.

Temperatures will stay cold through the weekend before the next batch of rain arrives with slightly warmer air Sunday.

Statewide, the National Weather Service said low temperatures will be in the mid-20s in the Dalton and Blairsville areas, and around 28 degrees in Atlanta.

Bitterly cold weather also is expected in parts of south Georgia. Americus, for instance, is expected to see a low temperature around 34 degrees by early Friday morning.

If Hall County officials thought additional public input meetings would generate greater turnout and broader interest in a new round of special purpose local option sales tax, they got a rude awakening Thursday night.

A vote on the 1 percent sales tax, which would fund capital projects throughout the county, was postponed this fall after turnout lagged at three public input meetings in June.

Local officials had hoped that added meetings Thursday night and on Dec. 11 would bring some clarity to voters and, perhaps, drum up support for passage of the tax.  

But few county residents, about a dozen or so, showed up at the latest meeting.

Opinions about SPLOST VII were somewhat split among those who did attend.

Flowery Branch resident David Johnson said it’s time for taxpayers to get some relief.

“I think we should take a break from having that extra 1 percent sales tax,” he said, adding that comments by county officials that property taxes could rise to pay for road, sewer, building, parks and other capital projects unless SPLOST VII passes was a thinly veiled threat.

Johnson said he is concerned about the fact SPLOST money cannot be spent on maintenance and operations costs, meaning these expenses related to capital projects will fall on the general fund and other revenue streams in the budget.

But Robert Horne, a Gainesville resident, said a sales tax, which would be paid by both residents and visitors in Hall County, is a better method than property taxes to pay for needed infrastructure projects.

“Logically, it should (pass),” Horne said. “(SPLOST) is not new. It’s just occasionally people say they don’t want to pay more taxes.”

Voters will decide the fate of SPLOST VII, which would last for five years beginning on July 1, 2015, on March 17.

The latest revenue projection for SPLOST VII stands at $158 million.

Hall County and local municipal officials intend to sign an intergovernmental agreement in January and formalize a specific list of projects to be funded if voters approve SPLOST VII.

For West Hall High Principal Scott Justus, tonight’s football game is less about the result and more about the community the team’s winning season has inspired.

“It’s an amazing thing,” Justus said. “Our kids have all really bought into not just football, but they’ve bought into West Hall High School.

“It amazes me ... to watch how that has come together, and how everyone has become just one, big happy family — our middle school, our elementary schools and our coaching staffs, not just football but all our athletic (teams) — they’ve gotten behind not just our football program, but they’ve gotten behind West Hall High,” he said.

The West Hall Spartans are facing the Oconee County Warriors in the first round of the state playoffs, coming off last week’s triumph as the football team claimed its first region title in the program’s history.

“They got a taste of the playoffs last year,” said Athletic Director and Assistant Principal Ethan Banks about the team. “They got a taste of it, and they wanted more.

“Even before then, our kids believed. And they’re hungry. Coming into this season, they had one thing on their minds. This was Coach (Tony) Lotti’s third year; he wanted a region championship, and they went out and got it. When you set goals like that and you attain them, it’s a huge victory.”

A Thursday pep rally brought the school and many community members together, with palpable energy in the air ahead of the big game.

“It’s exciting,” said West Hall freshman Kylie Passmore. “I’ve been to every single (game). I can see ... they’ve gotten better, and they’re more hyped up.”

“It’s been nonstop,” said Debbie Oliver, who has children on both the football and cheerleading teams and in the band.

“We all pull together as a community,” added parent Anna Allen. “Everybody’s involved. Not only are we a team, but everybody’s a family.”

Both Banks and Justus agreed.

“It’s a very exciting time,” Banks said. “People give back, once they’ve gone on and done great things, they come back and they contribute to the West Hall community. That’s one of the biggest things. We try to instill that sense of community and relationships in our students by having them do things at the other campuses, because we see that happen for adults that come back and work for West Hall.”

Tonight’s football game begins at 7:30 p.m.; tickets are $8 and may be purchased at the gate. There is plenty of parking around the school itself, or supporters can also park at the nearby West Hall Middle School.

“We’re anticipating a big crowd,” Banks said. “We’re hoping that our parking lot will be full. The baseball field is an option if they want to park near the baseball field. We do have an entrance near the back of the stadium, which is a great easy in, easy out.”

It’s no secret that everyone — from the coaches to the players to the students to the administration — wants to win the game. It would be the first time for the Spartans to beat Oconee, according to Banks, and the team really wants to get that win in the books.

But at the end of the day, it’s about so much more than moving on to play again next week.

“Our kids are winners regardless of the outcome (tonight),” Banks said.

“The result for (tonight) is just a bonus,” Justus added. “Yes, we 100 percent want to win that ball game. But in my eyes, we’ve already won. Because this community’s back, and they’re behind West Hall. And I say that not just for the high school, but the entire West Hall community. And that’s a beautiful thing to see.”

Hall County industry leaders are manufacturers, transporters, bread makers and more.

The Greater Hall Chamber of Commerce held its annual Industry of the Year Awards on Thursday at the Chattahoochee Country Club in Gainesville.

“I look forward to this event each year as it gives us the opportunity to come together and celebrate the over 300 manufacturers, processors and distributors located right here in Hall County,” said Chairman David Lee. “We recognize them not only for their impact, but also for their corporate responsibility and workforce excellence.”

The event named the small, medium and large Industries of the year, and recognized four companies for their environmental stewardship, safety performance, employer recognition and corporate citizenship.

It included an address from state Sen. Butch Miller, who expressed his appreciation for the vast number of industries in North Georgia. Chamber President Kit Dunlap also congratulated the award recipients and thanked all the area industries for their work and the jobs they provide.

Tim Evans, chamber vice president for economic development, said Aerocom Systems Inc. was named the small Industry of the Year.

“I’m very thankful for our Aerocom family,” said President Richard Beaty. “We have a team that really cares about our customers, cares about each other. We’re just very thankful to be here.”

Syfan Logistics was named the Industry of the Year in the medium category. The company is a Gainesville-headquartered logistics management organization serving shipping needs for temperature-controlled, dry or flat loads.

“We’re very blessed and very thankful to be here,” said CEO Jim Syfan, echoing Beaty’s sentiments. “... We know there are many, many other companies that are just as qualified in Northeast Georgia as our company is. We want to thank all of our people. They’re the ones who get it done and we couldn’t possibly do what we do without all the fine people that work with us.”

King’s Hawaiian was named the large Industry of the Year. Three years ago, the company located a new bakery in Hall County and now employs 350 people. It expects to double its employee base over the next several years.

Vice President Curtis Taira said his brother visited Oakwood in 2010 and wanted the family to expand its business in the small town.

“Here we are now, two plants, three lines, $100 million and several hundred Georgia associates later,” Taira said.

“We’re glad to be here. This is our community, our home and you are our ohana, our family.”

Along with the three Industry of the Year Awards, the following awards were given:

• Marel Stork Poultry Processing was given the Employer Recognition Award. The company recognizes employee educational efforts and offers a retirement plan, apprenticeships, tuition reimbursement and free annual health screenings.

• Cargill was awarded the Corporate Citizen Award. The company says it is committed to feeding the world in a responsible way while reducing environmental impact and improving the communities where employees live and work

• KIK Custom Products was recognized with the Environmental Steward Award. The company conducts compressed air energy audits, uses energy-efficient lighting and uses metered water nozzles.

• Tatsumi Intermodal USA was given the Safety Recognition Award. The company has no recordable lost time accidents in two years and is a certified Drug Free Workplace.

The Hall County Board of Commissioners wants answers from the Georgia Department of Transportation and state lawmakers about why the Tumbling Circle railroad crossing has been closed despite the county’s objection.

“I think the taxpayers of this county deserve an answer from the (Hall County state legislative) delegation and the state because ... they’ve invested tax dollars in this crossing” for decades, Commissioner Scott Gibbs said.

Hall County officials have declined to close the crossing on two occasions.

But the DOT ordered the crossing closed in September after Norfolk Southern Railway petitioned the agency.

State transportation and railway officials have said it is in the interest of public safety to shutter the crossing permanently.

Barricades were erected at the crossing last month and the grading was later torn up. Guardrails are now installed at the site blocking access across the railroad tracks in either direction.

Tumbling Circle was formerly used as a westward cut-through from Ga. 13/Atlanta Highway to Old Oakwood Road, which then leads to Mundy Mill Road to the south and Mountain View Road to the north.

Heading in the opposite direction, Tumbling Circle acts as an access point to Exit 17 off Interstate 985.

According to accident reports from the Federal Railroad Administration, nine car-train accidents have occurred at the crossing since December 1997.

The reports indicate six motorists were injured in these accidents, but there were no fatalities.

An investigation by The Times published Nov. 9 revealed a pattern of misreporting data by state and federal authorities concerning the crossing.

For example, the DOT incorrectly stated in a 2013 document that five deaths had occurred at the crossing as a result of collisions between cars and trains.

DOT officials said they have corrected the record and did not use the faulty data when determining whether to close the crossing.

And a report from the Federal Railroad Administration incorrectly shows active warning devices were placed at the Tumbling Circle crossing in February 2010.

County officials said closing the crossing is not being done in the interests of public safety.

An analysis by The Times found there have been nine deaths at six other similar railroad crossings in Hall County over the last few decades.

County officials, instead, said financial considerations are the real motivation. According to DOT officials, active warning devices can cost in excess of $250,000 to install at railroad crossings.

And maintenance of these devices falls on the railroad company.

Commissioner Billy Powell said the crossing has been “inappropriately” closed.

And Commissioner Craig Lutz said the DOT owes the county a “more thoughtful and detailed answer” to justify closing the crossing in light of the misreported data.

County officials said they want to keep Tumbling Circle open and, ideally, build a bridge over the tracks because the road could become a major artery in the coming years as new development takes shape.

Officials said they will continue to resist a proposal to abandon the Tumbling Circle right-of-way and will formally vote against doing so Dec. 11 when they meet.

Officials said they will address a letter expressing their concerns to state lawmakers representing Hall County, as well as Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle and Gov. Nathan Deal.

Children bounced on their knees and shot their hands into the air, hoping the NASA scientist would call on them.

Roger Hunter visited Chestnut Mountain Creative School of Inquiry on Friday to discuss his work as associate director for programs in NASA’s Ames Research Center in California.

Principal Wade Pearce said the visit from Hunter was an important educational opportunity for the school and its students.

“This is a really incredible opportunity, a once-in-a-lifetime chance to see somebody who is very, very involved at NASA and in something called the Kepler project,” Pearce said.

For six years, Hunter worked as project manager for Kepler, NASA’s first mission capable of finding Earth-sized planets in habitable zones orbiting other stars in the Milky Way Galaxy.

Hunter explained to students the vast number of stars in the universe, and the even greater number of planets.

“Think about all of the beaches all over this planet,” Hunter said. “Just think, if you could count all the grains of sand on all those beaches, that’d be a lot of grains of sand. There are more stars in the universe than there are grains of sand on all the beaches on planet Earth.”

Hunter said the Kepler mission helped determine that there are even more planets than stars in existence.

Space exploration and understanding are likely to advance greatly over the next several decades, according to Hunter, with massive advances likely to occur during the lifetimes of the students at Chestnut Mountain.

“Over the coming decades, you are going to see giant strides forward in finding Earthlike habitable worlds beyond our solar system,” he said. “Your generation will be the first to confirm a life-bearing planet beyond our solar system, if we fulfill our astrophysics road map.”

Hunter shared technology currently being developed with the students Friday, including a seven-minute video about the new spacecraft Orion, which has its first test launch Dec. 4, and photos of two humanoid robots, Robonaut 2 and 5, which received a roar of excitement from the audience.

“We are getting to the point where we are using robots on board the International Space Station,” Hunter said. “There’s one up there now called R2. We put him up there some time ago ... and eventually we’re going to be giving instructions to these robots to go outside the space station and do maintenance so we can take some workload off the astronauts.”

Hunter said the students had excellent questions for him following his presentation.

“One kid asked the question, ‘Does time speed up in space?’” Hunter said. “That was amazing. Another asked how you know if planets are habitable. They had some amazing questions and that’s why I like doing this.

“Kids don’t have some of the inhibitions that adults do, and they go right to the chase and ask really great questions.”

Hunter said he never turns down an opportunity to speak with young students, because they are the future of space exploration.

“If I ever have an opportunity and my schedule isn’t too packed for me to do something like this, I will do it,” he said. “These kids are important, and we need to make sure they understand what’s going on in space exploration and that they understand they bring the future.”

With the snip of a ribbon, the Hall County Sheriff’s Office has a permanent presence in the South Hall area.

“This is a monumental change in the way that we do business at the sheriff’s office,” Sheriff Gerald Couch said. “We’re moving our base of operations out into the communities we serve.”

The department opened its South Hall headquarters Friday on Cody Drive in Braselton.

It’s the first full-service complex of the sheriff’s office south of Gainesville, according to information from the sheriff’s office.

The 10,000-square-foot building formerly housed a day care. Hall County bought the building for $700,000 with special purpose local option sales tax VI funds. Construction costs were around $130,000, according to Couch.

“This is a great investment for right here in our South Hall community because nearly two-thirds of our population in Hall County live in South Hall,” Couch said. “Hall County’s beautiful. It’s got a lot to offer and we’re going to see an influx of people over the next few years. This is one step, I believe, in the right direction to prepare for that.”

Work on the project began in April 2014, and is just wrapping up.

“We looked at it and decided this was the kind of building that we wanted,” Commission Chairman Richard Mecum said. “The sheriff and his staff have just done a tremendous job in getting this ready and prepared. I think it’s going to be a great asset for us here in the south end of Hall County.”

The new headquarters is near several major intersections as well as Flowery Branch High and Friendship Elementary schools.

It’s a full-service building, with the exception of firearms permitting and sex offender registration.

“But if you need to come down and speak with a deputy in any manner, file a report, pick up a copy of a report or any other business that you want to do, you can do it right here in South Hall,” Couch said.

Walking in, guests are immediately greeted by the community service officer. The building also houses a training area, fitness room and investigators’ offices. In total, there will be more than 60 employees based in the location.

In the days leading up to Friday’s grand opening, construction workers and employees are scrambling to finish last-minute details.

“It is quickly coming together,” said 1st Lt. Brian Pearson days prior to the opening. Pearson will serve as the precinct’s commander. “We’ve got some touch-ups to do.

“We’re trying to take care of things as they come up. Just little things, computer issues, this line’s connected to this line, we had the bathroom with a hot water issue ... things like that always happen.”

The new South Hall presence joins the sheriff’s office’s North Hall precinct in Clermont as the department expands its reach throughout the county.

“Long gone are the days where we could base all of our operations out of the city of Gainesville, and go out into the outlying areas,” Couch said. “Well, those areas are becoming more urban as well.”

Additionally, new headquarters next to the county’s government building on Browns Bridge Road in Gainesville are in the works, with plans to break ground in 2015.

In late October, the Georgia Municipal Association, a lobbying group for the interests of Georgia cities, laid out several priorities for the 2015 session of the state General Assembly during a meeting with local government officials.

Last week, it was the Association County Commissioners of Georgia, a lobbying group for the interests of Georgia counties, that presented its agenda for the upcoming session during a meeting with officials from Hall and neighboring counties.

The ACCG’s top legislative priorities include increased funding for counties to implement new reforms to the juvenile justice system, changes to property tax administration and transportation funding.

ACCG is recommending that state lawmakers study funding and staffing for juvenile courts.

It also suggests moving the deadline for the submission of county tax digests from Aug. 1 to Sept. 1; authorize superior court clerks to investigate complaints against the state Board of Equalization, which handles tax appeals; and allow tax commissioners to send tax bills electronically to save on mailing costs.

With regard to transportation funding, the ACCG suggests increasing the state motor fuel tax to provide additional revenue to the Georgia Department of Transportation, as well as transferring additional revenue from this tax out of the general fund to specifically fund transportation projects.

Special purpose local option sales tax revenue has funded hundreds of millions of dollars in capital projects in Hall County.

The ACCG wants the law governing how this money can be spent to be amended to allow for a percentage of revenues to be held in reserve for unexpected emergency needs.

Hall County has scheduled a SPLOST vote for March. A public meeting to discuss potential projects to be funded is set for 5 p.m. Dec. 11 at the Hall County Government Center, 2875 Browns Bridge Road in Gainesville.

As Thanksgiving approaches, many are beginning to daydream about turkey, dressing and all types of casseroles on the holiday table. But many people can’t expect such a feast.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, of the 180,831 people living in Hall County, 30,379 people live in poverty and 23,146 rely on food stamps.

There are several ways to help feed these families and individuals as the holiday season grows closer.

“(The public) can always donate to the food bank year round,” said Kay Blackstock, executive director of the Georgia Mountain Food Bank. “We always have our doors open.”

There are three main ways to help: food, time and money.

While donating directly to the food bank is always an option, plenty of local businesses, centers and groups are running food drives of their own.

“Gosh, they’re everywhere,” said Blackstock in reference to local food drives through the food bank. “’Tis the season, really.”

From Sunday to Dec. 24, Gainesville and Dawsonville area Krogers encourage customers to purchase $1, $3 or $5 icons through the food bank’s Can Hunger campaign, which benefits families in need of food.

Customers at Target stores in both Gainesville and Flowery Branch are participating in a food drive through Nov. 21.

Publix is providing a way to help the hungry in the community through “Food for Sharing.” From now until Thanksgiving, customers at any Publix market can contribute $5, $9 or $13 to pay for a meal for someone in need.

Contributing time is also an option. Anyone can volunteer to sort food at the food bank, coordinate a food drive or help with partnering agencies or other food bank programs.

The most beneficial way to help is by donating money to the food bank. This way, the organization can find the most economically efficient way to pay for the meals and deliver them to clients.

Blackstock said she remembers when she first joined the Georgia Mountain Food Bank and saw the difference in cost between donated food and food bought by the organization. She encourages members of the community to donate money, even a dollar, to the food bank to help feed those who do not have a stable food supply.

For more information on how to help, visit gamountainfoodbank.org or call 770-534-4111.

Nonprofit organizations across Georgia were the real winners Thursday as the third annual Georgia Gives Day saw another increase in donations from the inaugural event in 2012.

The Georgia Center for Nonprofits collaborates with over 1,200 organizations to raise money for local communities.

Many Hall County organizations take part in the event and benefit from the generous donations from Georgia residents. Julie Edwards, executive director of Hall County Humane Society of Northeast Georgia, had nothing but good things to say about the statewide event that raised almost $700 for the shelter Thursday.

“We have several different fundraising avenues and that certainly is one that’s a great thing they’ve started with Georgia Gives,” Edwards said. “People give through different avenues so it certainly gives folks that are online savvy a way to give to organizations to as well.”

The money raised will help with the growing costs for maintaining the local shelter, while Saturday’s Pet Photos with Santa Claws event offers another opportunity for the community to support the nonprofit.

“It’s one of our favorite fundraisers,” Edwards said. “We don’t raise a lot of money like at some of our other fundraisers, but it’s a great community event for people to come out with their pets and enjoy the holiday season.”

Every November for the last 20 years, photos with Santa Claws has given residents a chance to have their pets’ photos taken with Santa.

“We are very grateful because we have a lot of people volunteer for this event,” Edwards said. “We have professional photographer Fox Gradin with Celestial Studios who comes in and donates her time and talent to spend two days taking photos of people with their pets, or just their pets, or just the people sometimes. Some folks just bring their kids because our Santa’s great. He’s very laid back and just great with the animals and does a wonderful job.”

In addition to the Santa Claws fundraiser, the Humane Society also holds other events throughout the year including a 5K marathon over the summer, a golf tournament in the fall and an art auction in February.

“Every dollar counts, especially when you are a nonprofit but it goes to our general care for animals and the day-to-day care for the animals,” Edwards said.

All the money raised and donated goes toward feeding the animals, making sure they are vaccinated, having them spayed or neutered and getting every animal microchipped before they are put up for adoption.

As the recession declines, the housing market improves and area schools scramble to make room for students in their halls.

It’s a trend across the country today, and Gainesville High School is no exception to its effects. As the only high school in the city school system, Gainesville currently enrolls 1,800 students on a campus with a capacity of approximately 2,000.

“Our main building holds about 1,200,” Principal LaCrisia Larkin said. “Then of course we have some outer buildings, including our (Career, Technical and Agricultural Education) building, our gyms and we are using two 12-unit modulars. That increases the number of students we can accommodate.”

Since 2012, the high school has seen an annual increase of 250-300 students, meaning it could reach capacity in the next year if the growth continues.

The growth is systemwide, according to Superintendent Wanda Creel, much of it in the elementary and middle schools.

As those students age, their growing class sizes then fill the high school as well.

Larkin said the growth at the middle school level in the last few years certainly contributed to growth at the high school, but they also have students coming in from surrounding areas.

“It’s growth all over,” Larkin said.

The high school accepts tuition from students who live outside the city limits in Hall County. Currently, 99 students living outside the city limits pay to attend the high school.

“For one student, it’s $585 a year,” Larkin said. “Of course, if you have additional children, for the second and on the price goes down.”

Creel said the administration has to address the growth from not only a facilities perspective, but also instruction.

“Growth is being looked at from a holistic standpoint throughout our entire system,” Creel said. “Looking at our elementary schools, our middle schools and our high school as we continue to look at facilities and capacity, it’s part of our capital outlay plan that we turn into the state department.”

Class sizes at the high school average between 30-32 students.

“If you did a comparison of class sizes at our high school versus other high schools, we really do have a pretty low pupil-teacher ratio,” Creel said. “We’ve been working toward about a 28:1 pupil-teacher ratio. A lot of high schools have a much higher ratio than that.”

According to the Georgia Department of Education, Gainesville High School’s pupil-teacher ratio rose significantly this year from 17:1 last year, a relatively low number compared to others in the state. Last year’s highest high school pupil-teacher ratio in the state, according to the DOE, was 28:1.

Creel said the growth in schools is due primarily to the diminishing recession.

“We’re starting to see that homes are being purchased in our area that maybe had been on the market a while,” Creel said. “Additionally, we’re seeing new homes, particularly in the Mundy Mill area. There’s a contract out for 81 homes to be built in the next year in that area, so we’ve got new people coming into our community.”

Both Creel and Larkin said there are solutions to accommodating additional students in the high school. Larkin said she believes they will continue to admit paying students from the county, saying they wouldn’t “literally close the doors to outside students.”

“But we can certainly look at expanding our usage of the buildings available on our campus,” Larkin said. “We would love to expand by renovating some of our buildings. That’s always something that should be talked about, looked at and addressed as our growth continues.”

Another solution, according to Larkin, is enrolling more students in dual enrollment opportunities, which can balance class loads at the high school.

Larkin said building a second high school isn’t something she thinks the community will want as a solution.

“People love our single high school situation,” she said.

Creel said a second high school or changes to the existing high school have not been discussed in the four months she’s been at the system’s helm, nor are they part of the capital outlay plan.

That said, she believes there are multiple viable options for high school facilities. Officials have to carefully determine the best fit, not only for the high school, but for all students pre-kindergarten through 12th grade.

“We just really don’t have that element laid out yet,” Creel said. “Hopefully by July 1, 2015, we will have that plan in place and our board will carry out with that.”

In a year’s time, decades of experience in Hall County Juvenile Court have been lost.

In 2013, Hall County’s two juvenile judges had a combined experience of almost 60 years. Come January, the number of judges moves to three, but their combined experience in juvenile court can be counted on one hand.

On Oct. 8, attorneys Alison Toller and Bo Weber Jr. were appointed Juvenile Court judges after an interview process conducted by Hall County Superior Court judges. Toller previously worked in the Hall County District Attorney’s office, while Weber worked in real estate and banking law.

Retired judge Mary Carden, a 36-year veteran of Hall County Juvenile Court, has three decades of experience more than the two attorneys recently appointed to the bench.

Juvenile Judge Cliff Jolliff, retiring at the end of the year, is ending a 24-year career in this field.

Carden, who retired in 2013, said she is dismayed at the appointments, citing the knowledge needed to be successful in that post.

“I was shocked. I was absolutely shocked. I just knew that there was a strong field of candidates, and I just assumed that whoever was selected would be one of those people who had qualifications,” she said.

Carden’s opinions were echoed by several fellow litigators practicing in Hall County, but none chose to speak with The Times on the record for fear of reprisal.

Superior Court Judge Kathlene Gosselin expressed her confidence in the two recent appointees.

A member of Superior Court Judge Bonnie Oliver’s office said she would defer comment to Court Administrator Reggie Forrester. He said the decision was unanimous among the four Superior Court judges: Gosselin, Oliver, Andrew Fuller and Jason Deal.

Attempts to reach Fuller and Deal were unsuccessful.

The Times obtained a list of applicants for the positions, with several names carrying a long history of work in the juvenile court system.

On the list was Nicki Vaughan, who now works in the Hall County Public Defender’s Office and is one of the co-founders of Georgia Court-Appointed Special Advocates. The organization, started 26 years ago, assigns volunteers to help represent children’s best interests in cases involving abuse or neglect.

Vaughan declined to comment.

Others on the list included adoption attorneys and child attorneys.

“To a little bit, I was a little bit hurt by it. I felt the appointments were almost to say anyone can do this job. You don’t have to have any experience, just pick somebody,” Carden said.

Toller rebutted Carden’s claims, touting her experience in criminal cases involving child victims and treatment court, over which she will succeed Jolliff in presiding. For the last year and a half, she has focused on custody matters, having spent a couple of years on the Judicial Citizen Review Panel.

“I believe I’m qualified for the position, and I believe I will act in the children of Hall and Dawson Counties’ best interests,” she said.

One of the applicants, attorney Clint Bearden, said questions asked during the process revolved around temperament and philosophy.

“There was discussion about the fact that of course juvenile court judges have effectively kind of two dynamics,” Bearden said. “On the criminal side, they have a dynamic of dealing with youth offenders, And then on the civil side, they have essentially a family law type of practice in that regard, looking out for the best interest of minor children.”

Bearden said more of his work is seen in State and Superior Court. Because most attorneys are appointed to cases, it’s “hit or miss” for attorneys to work in juvenile court, he said.

“Juvenile judges are kind of difficult for that purpose, because some folks are going to be well qualified on one side, maybe not as well qualified on the other side,” Bearden said.

With the juvenile code being rewritten Jan. 1, Bearden said it will be as fresh to a seasoned juvenile court veteran as to a newcomer.

But for Carden, connections with agencies to help children in foster care are unwritten benefits.

“That makes it difficult for somebody new, because that’s not really spelled out in any one place. You have to learn that over time by experience, by trial and error, and by knowing who to call and where you can find the answer,” she said.

Attempts to reach Weber for comment were unsuccessful.

Carden’s particular passion is for children phasing out of the system after they reach 18. Without someone to assume their care, she said, a large group of foster children become homeless.

“We have learned by trial and error and working very, very hard pulling information from both federal and state agencies how to get all these benefits for our older foster kids, so they have scholarships to college or to technical school, where they can get funding for graduation expenses and even emergency funds once they reach age 18,” Carden said. “That’s information that you can’t replace anywhere, and it really puts at jeopardy some of our older children who are going to be leaving the system and nobody there to catch them.”

Filling out college applications, as well as signing them up for SAT and ACT exams, are a part of conferences that Carden began eight years ago for these mature foster children. She hopes to see these continue for the now young adults that need help, she said.

“I’ve offered to do them for them this year and they haven’t followed up on it,” Carden said.

Jolliff and Juvenile Court Judge Lindsay Burton have expressed their support for the new juvenile judges in previous interviews with The Times, but attempts to reach them again for comment were unsuccessful.

Toller said she hopes to continue providing children with these same resources during her tenure.

“I do think one of my roles will be to encourage children to take advantage of those opportunities, but also to encourage the community to provide resources to those individuals,” she said.

While significant attrition at the Hall County Sheriff’s Office over the last two years has largely been filled by new hires, recent staffing shortages in the patrol division have prompted a new directive subjecting officers to 24-hour availability.

And though the reasons for the turnover vary, documents obtained by The Times reveal that reasons behind some recent resignations and terminations range from sexual misbehavior and questionable courtroom conduct to the falsifying of records and criminally excessive use of force.

The numbers are worrisome and concern Hall County Sheriff Gerald Couch.

Eighty-four employees lost between July 2012 and June 2013. Another 64 between July 2013 and June 2014. And an additional 21 since July 1.

During the past 28 months, the Sheriff’s Office has suffered 169 departures in all — deputies, sergeants, jailers and clerks, among others — according to Human Resources records.

The majority of the attrition is due to resignations (115), followed by terminations (42) and a scattering of retirements (12).

The department currently has about 430 employees, about 80 in administrative positions. The patrol division and detention center account for the largest share of officers.

Couch said resignations often are prompted by the fact that sheriff’s departments and law enforcement agencies in neighboring counties, such as Forsyth and Gwinnett, pay better than Hall. He said county officials will need to address this issue, particularly as new growth comes to Hall, bringing with it more residents and, subsequently, increased demand for law enforcement services.

Couch added that new development would expand the tax base and, ideally, help raise pay rates.

Many of the departures come from the Hall County Jail/Detention Center, which Couch calls the “ground floor” for starting a career with the Sheriff’s Office.

But because many officers in the jail are new to the job, the tough professional standards and high demands sometimes lead to mistakes and disciplinary actions, Couch said.

For example, Dana McCloud, a classification officer, and Franklin Morrow, a jailer, both were fired last month for falsifying records.

According to internal documents obtained by The Times, McCloud and Morrow failed to properly conduct and verify security checks on inmates, while also deliberately fabricating the information in security logs.

Then there’s the prominent case of Dustin Charlton, a former jailer who pleaded guilty in August to misdemeanor battery charges relating to an incident in 2012 when he punched a handcuffed and subdued inmate.

Departures from the patrol division, meanwhile, have been less significant in recent months, though no less troubling for the Sheriff’s Office.

To address staff shortages, a rotating on-call schedule, which applies to patrol deputies and supervising sergeants, was implemented recently. The purpose, Couch said, is to ensure staffing levels are adequate at all times, particularly when emergencies require all hands on deck.

Some officers, however, are reportedly upset about the new directive.

In some ways, Couch said, the directive is “standard operating procedure” in law enforcement.

For example, Couch said, investigators and other personnel have long been subject to a similar on-call mandate.

Couch said he knows how difficult the directive can be on officers. He recalls working shifts on Christmas and other holidays.

Couch said on-call scheduling is often applied based on specific needs, and added that it would likely be scrapped, except in critical situations, once a handful of patrol division vacancies are filled.

The staffing shortages stem in part from the recent firings and resignations of several officers in both the patrol and special operations divisions.

In one case, Deputy Robin Lee Hoffman resigned in August in lieu of pending termination due to repeated absenteeism.

Sgt. Stephen Edward Mickels resigned in October following an August incident in which he raised the ire of department officials. He had resigned his assignment as a tactical flight officer attached to the Georgia State Patrol aviation unit stationed at Lee Gilmer Memorial Airport in Gainesville in a heated email to GSP command and staff members that explained his many frustrations.

But Mickels had not notified his supervisors in the Sheriff’s Office about his intention to leave this post. His actions concerned Sheriff’s Office management, according to internal documents, who worried their relationship with the State Patrol might be harmed.

Mickels later said he regretted sending the email, but disciplinary action was to be taken against him.

In another case, Deputy Michael Wester was placed on paid leave in September and fired with cause in October, according to internal documents. Trouble had been brewing for Wester since May when he appeared in uniform at a Gwinnett County civil court proceeding along with Cynthia Brown, part owner of Big Creek Tavern in Buford, in a case involving Brown and a temporary restraining order against Jeffrey Gimotty. Wester reportedly stood up in the gallery at the hearing and asked to speak on Brown’s behalf.

Douglas Fox, Gimotty’s attorney, filed a complaint with the Sheriff’s Office stating his belief that Wester had abused his power and tried to intimidate the court in a matter that did not involve Hall County. Fox said it appeared Wester was acting as Brown’s legal adviser.

Wester knows Brown from working weekend security shifts at Big Creek Tavern, an off-duty detail the former deputy had not been granted permission from the Sheriff’s Office to perform.

In a separate incident that led to Wester’s ouster, he improperly responded to the scene of an incident involving Brown, according to county officials.

Finally, there is the case of Sgt. Jacob Haney and his relationship with Flowery Branch Police Officer Laura Anderson.

According to internal affairs investigations obtained by The Times, the story began when top officials in the Flowery Branch Police Department began suspecting Anderson was engaging in on-duty improprieties and began tracking her movements via GPS.

Between mid-August and mid-September, Anderson was repeatedly unresponsive to calls for service and backup, and lied about her whereabouts to supervisors.

On Sept. 8, for example, Anderson left her jurisdiction and was reportedly eating lunch for about a three-hour period. During that time, 911 calls came from Kohl’s department store reporting a fire. The store was evacuated, but Anderson did not respond to calls for assistance until she was phoned by Police Chief David Spillers.

On Sept. 12, officials from the Flowery Branch Police Department and Hall County Sheriff’s Office tracked Anderson to an unoccupied home off Seminole Drive in Flowery Branch owned by former Atlanta Falcons football player John Abraham.

That’s where Haney came in. When officers arrived, they found both Anderson’s and Haney’s patrol cars parked at the residence.

Both Anderson and Haney later admitted to having met at the home multiple times while on duty after the two developed a sexual relationship over the summer, according to internal affairs documents.

The repeated “dereliction of duty” cost Anderson her job.

Haney, Couch said, was to be demoted for his actions, but resigned instead.

The former Lee’s Pure Oil Service Station has been renovated and set up as a new corporate headquarters.

The Oxley Group, a consulting firm that works with clients on communication, leadership and customer service, moved into the space the first week of September after heavy renovations.

“We haven’t completely decorated everything yet or anything like that or furnished everything, but we are in,” said President and founder Andrew Oxley.

The group has been on Green Street for the past 20 years, hoping to use this space as its corporate headquarters. Crews worked over the summer to revitalize the decaying property.

Oxley said the group is trying to decide the proper furniture and installations inside to match its corporate goals. As the group works with clients often on hiring best practices, building a relaxed conference space can put the clients at ease.

“We want to create more of a relaxed atmosphere with some more comfortable chairs and maybe some tables ... almost make it feel more like a coffee shop atmosphere than a conference room,” Oxley said.

The group has old-style carriage doors installed on the exterior, stripping down the old portico.

“There was a lot of stuff we had to tear out because it was rotten underneath the façade there and different places,” Oxley said in June during the renovations.

The building, which is believed to have been built in the 1940s, had been a staple of Green Street and Gainesville as a gas station. The business, operated by M.L. Lee, stood for around 30 years.

When Home Federal Savings & Loan Association bought the location in the 1970s, it was used as office space for rent. The group would later merge with SunTrust, with the space being used for storage and parking in recent years.

Five people are homeless after an early morning mobile home fire in the 2300 block of Mountain View Road.

After getting a call at 6:07 a.m., Hall County firefighters arrived to find smoke pouring from the single-wide trailer.

Firefighters, including responders from the Gainesville Fire Department, were able to quickly put out the fire.

The occupants were able to leave the structure without injury, said Scott Cagle, Hall battalion chief and spokesman for the department.

“Fire damage was kept to the back half of the home, but smoke damage was noticed throughout,” Cagle said.

The blaze appears to be accidental, starting near an electric space heater and miniature Christmas tree on a nightstand.

The American Red Cross was called to the scene to help the residents with clothing and housing, Cagle said.

Dollar amount of the damage wasn’t immediately available.