Friday March 29th, 2024 12:52AM

ICYMI: Weekend stories you may have missed

Here are some of the top stories you may have missed this weekend.

Newtown Florist Club to hold 'Good Trouble' community rally next week

The Newtown Florist Club, a Gainesville civil rights group, has planned a community rally for Thursday, April 29 following the recent guilty verdict in the trial of a former Minneapolis police officer for the murder of George Floyd.

According to Newtown Florist Club Executive Director Rev. Rose Johnson, the rally, scheduled for 6:30 p.m. along the Midtown Greenway in the Grove Street area, is intended to start conversations about the verdict and to make sure the Gainesville-Hall County community never faces a similar case locally.

In the weeks following the rally, the club plans to host a series of virtual community conversations on related topics and issues. READ MORE

Riley named Hall County School District’s teacher of the year

Heather Riley, a teacher at Mount Vernon Elementary School, was recently named the Hall County School District’s FY 2022 District Teacher of the Year.

Riley has taught in the Hall County School District for 18 years, the last four of them at Mount Vernon, where she began the STEM program in 2017. Prior to teaching at Mount Vernon, Riley taught at Martin Technology Academy of Math and Science. According to HCSD Superintendent Will Schofield, Riley “…exemplifies excellence in the classroom and beyond.” READ MORE

Forsyth County breaks ground on Eagle’s Beak Park expansion project

Forsyth County held a groundbreaking ceremony last Wednesday for an expansion project at Eagle’s Beak Park. The park, located at 8420 Old Federal Road in northwest Forsyth County, will get an expansion through a $2.25 million Georgia Outdoor Stewardship Program grant from the Georgia Department of Natural Resources.

The expansion will include new walking trails, a river walk along the Etowah River, Trail of Tears historical signage, scenic overlooks and other amenities. In addition, funding for the project will allow for the addition of new pavilions, an inclusive playground and 12 acres of open green space. READ MORE

Gainesville Schools employees to get $500 bonus

The Gainesville City School Board has approved an additional bonus to school system employees who worked through the pandemic.

The bonus, set at $500/each, will come from CARES 2 funding, with the projected local funds at $600,000. These are the same funds the governor announced would be used in January for teacher bonuses, with the $500 from the school system funds in addition to the initial $1,000 bonus. READ MORE

Hunter launches blog on life as 2021 Miss Georgia candidate

Lauren Hunter, a multimedia reporter at Jacobs Media Corp. who grew up in Gwinnett County, launched a new blog Friday about her journey to the 2021 Miss Georgia Scholarship Competition.

Hunter’s blog, which will run weekly on Fridays until the week of Miss Georgia, will cover topics such as her social impact initiative and her experiences preparing to compete on the 2021 Miss Georgia stage, where she will represent the title Miss Greater Atlanta. Hunter’s social impact initiative is “From Shelter to Forever,” which focuses on finding permanent homes for rescue animals. READ MORE

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