🌱 Man Arrested For Drug Trafficking + Boys & Girls Clubs Expansion

Welcome back, Gainesville! I'm here in your inbox per usual to tell you everything you need to know about what's going on in town.

But first, your local weather:

• Thursday: Occasional afternoon rain. High: 57 Low: 46.
• Friday: A shower and thunderstorm. High: 64 Low: 38.

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Here are the top three stories today in Gainesville:

1. A man has been arrested for drug trafficking after authorities found nearly 155 grams of suspected heroin in his truck at the intersection of Mundy Mill Road and Mathis Drive in Gainesville. The heroin has a reported street value of $23,000, and the driver, Samuel Lopez of Flowery Branch, has been charged with trafficking heroin. He is currently being held without bond at the Hall County Jail. The investigation was conducted by the Hall County Sheriff's Office and the Oakwood Police Department. (WSB Atlanta)
2. The Boys & Girls Clubs of Lanier is expanding to nearby Buford this summer to serve after-school and summer programs for 100 kids, targeting academic success, character and citizenship, and healthy lifestyles. The Buford site will be centrally located, serve surrounding schools, and support kindergarten through fifth grade from Monday to Friday. The organization serves Hall and Habersham counties, and a new site is planned to open in Forsyth County next year. (The Times)
3. Georgia senators voted in favor of a Republican-sponsored bill that would allow anyone, including the attorney general, to sue local governments if they fail to enforce ordinances that ban public camping. The bill could criminalize local homeless camps while allowing the state to sanction its own camps. Senate Bill 62 would also allow the state to audit any public spending on homelessness and would mandate local governments to enforce their own public camping bans. (Yahoo News)

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Today and tomorrow in Gainesville:

Thursday, March 9

• Little Sprouts Storytime At Gainesville Branch Library (11:00 AM)
• Live Music: Paul Noga At Pelican Pete's Tiki Bar And Grill (5:00 PM)

Friday, March 10

• Club 201 Workshop At 631 Dawsonville Hwy. (12:00 PM)

From my notebook:

• Ten Martin students were chosen to represent their school at the Statewide Elementary Honor Chorus and performed alongside 200 fourth and fifth-grade students from across the state after rehearsals on Friday. The students represented Martin School exceptionally well –congratulations! (Hall County School District via Facebook)
• Mark your calendars! Mutts on Main, a pet expo that highlights dog adoption and fostering, will be held on Mar. 25 in Downtown Gainesville. The event will feature K-9s in Flight disc dog shows, K-9 units from the Hall County Sheriff's Office and Gainesville Police Department, and in-person adoptions hosted by the Hall County Animal Shelter, among other dog-related activities. (City of Gainesville, Georgia via Facebook)
• The Gainesville Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB) celebrated International Women's Day by highlighting the women working at the bureau, including Nicole Parham, the Main Street manager for downtown Gainesville. Nicole has been with the CVB since late 2019 and is responsible for organizing some of the largest events in Gainesville, as well as fostering connection and promotion of downtown Gainesville. (Explore Gainesville via Facebook)

Now you're in the loop and ready to head out the door on this Thursday! I'll see you around.

— 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.