🌱 East Hall Student Wrongly Charged + GDOT Construction Until Apr. 30

Hey, Gainesville. I'm here in your inbox this morning to get you up to speed on everything you need to know about what's going on in town.

But first, your local weather:

• Thursday: Plenty of sunshine. High: 70 Low: 48.
• Friday: Cloudy, a shower in the p.m.. High: 73 Low: 60.

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Here are the top three stories in Gainesville today:

1. An East Hall High School student, Jhonny David Mendez, who was wrongly charged with felony battery, will be allowed to return to school after a judge waived his bond conditions. Mendez was charged on Mar. 10 after he was accused of kicking teacher Heather Hawkins in the face during a fight with another student, but East Hall High Principal Jeff Cooper later admitted they wrongly charged Mendez. While District Attorney Lee Darragh's decision to drop Mendez's charges is still pending, the school has allowed him to return. (Subscription: The Times)
2. The Georgia Department of Transportation, in collaboration with Backbone Infrastructure, will install a second left-turn lane westbound on state Route (SR) 369/Jesse Jewell Parkway at SR 60/E.E. Butler Parkway near downtown Gainesville. The project aims to provide each direction with two left-hand lanes at the intersection and will include signal upgrades with two left-turn lights for the new traffic flow. Motorists should expect delays and consider alternate routes of travel during construction, which will take place from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. daily until Apr. 30, weather permitting. (City of Gainesville, Georgia via Facebook)
3. Five new homes have been listed for sale in the Gainesville area. Available properties range from a 1,351-square-foot, three-bed, three-bath home for $299,900 to a $1.5 million home with five beds, five baths, and 6,227 square feet. Get all the property details at the link. (Gainesville Patch)

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Today and tomorrow in Gainesville:

Thursday, March 30

• Little Sprouts Storytime At Gainesville Branch Library (11:00 AM)
• Live Music With JP Hester At Tap It Gainesville Growlers (7:00 PM)

Friday, March 31

• Annual Spring Art Showcase At Outside Of Simmons Visual Arts Center, Brenau University (10:00 AM)

From my notebook:

• Healthgrades, a database of physician, hospital, and healthcare provider ratings, recognized nine Georgia hospitals – including Emory University Hospital in Atlanta and Northside Hospital Forsyth in Cumming – for their patient safety and experience among hundreds across the United States. To see the full list of rankings of Georgia hospitals, visit the link. (Georgia Patch)
• Schools in the Hall County School District recently took part in the American Heart Challenge, a program that aims to raise funds and awareness for congenital heart defects, nutrition security, and more to help end heart disease and stroke. Students and staff engaged in various activities to promote healthy heart awareness, including sharing healthy snacks and recipes, participating in games that increase cardiovascular strength, and receiving hands-on CPR training. (Hall County Schools)
• The WeGo rideshare transportation system and app have experienced stalled services due to the increasing demand that surpasses the number of transit buses. With a 55 percent increase in users compared to last year, WeGo has faced difficulty in accommodating the 480-500 requests per day with only 17 buses available, leading to a shortage of drivers and limitations in fulfilling rides. (Subscription: The Times)

Thanks for following along and staying informed! I'll see you soon.

— Lauren Kubiak

About me: Lauren is an Editor for Lightning Media Partners. She graduated from Rowan University with a Bachelor’s in journalism. She was previously a full-time editor at an association management firm, editing peer-reviewed nursing journals, textbooks, and newsletters.