(WSB Radio) A Cobb County police officer was injured after an alleged drunk driver crashed into his police cruiser, a police spokesman said.

Sgt. Dana Pierce with the Cobb County Police department told WSB Radio, the officer was working a part-time job helping construction crews close lanes on I-575 southbound to do work on the Bells Ferry road bridge. The officer's cruiser was in the right lane with it's lights flashing when he was hit from behind by a man driving 65-miles-an-hour in a Ford F-150.

"The actual police car itself is totaled," Sgt. Pierce said. "The back seat was actually pushed up toward the back of the front seat, so it literally took out the entire back seat."

Sgt. Pierce said the officer had to be extricated from the vehicle. He was unconscious. Both vehicles were totaled. An off-duty Cobb County police officer witnessed the crash and was able to help both victims.

They were transported to Kennestone Hospital. The police officer has head injuries , but is expected to survive.

The truck driver was in "very critical condition " with head injuries, according to Sgt. Pierce. He is facing several charges, including a charge of failing to move over.

(WSB Radio) A man stabbed his ex-girlfriend multiple times and her daughter once following a break-up, a Clayton County police spokesman said.

Clayton County Police Officer Kevin Hughes told WSB Radio's Jennifer Griffies the stabbing happened early Friday night at an apartment on Arrowhead Drive near Jonesboro. The mother was taken to Atlanta Medical Center and was listed in serious condition. The daughter was stabbed in the leg. Her injuries are not as serious, Officer Hughes said.

Police said they do know the suspect's name, but are not releasing it or his description.

"You got to be careful who you pick up as a boyfriend and bring into your house around the kids," witness Sabrina Nesbitt told WSB-TV. "You never know when they are going to flip out and try to hurt your or your kids. This is a product of one of those situations."

It is not known if the suspect lived with the victims.

WASHINGTON (AP) President Barack Obama is traveling to Capitol Hill on Saturday to try to close the sale on his signature health care overhaul, facing a make-or-break vote in the House certain to be seen as a test of his presidency.

Obama scheduled a late-morning visit with House Democrats convening a rare Saturday session on legislation to remake the U.S. health care system, extending coverage to tens of millions now uninsured and banning insurance company practices such as denial of coverage based on pre-existing medical problems.

Late Friday, House Democrats cleared an abortion-related impasse blocking a vote and officials expressed optimism they had finally lined up the support needed to pass Obama's signature issue.

Under the arrangement, Democratic Reps. Bart Stupak of Michigan, Brad Ellsworth of Indiana and other abortion opponents were promised an opportunity to insert tougher restrictions into the legislation during debate on the House floor.

The leadership's hope is that no matter how that vote turns out, Democrats on both sides of the abortion divide will then unite to give the health care bill a majority over unanimous Republican opposition.

``We wish to maintain current law, which says no public funding for abortion,'' Stupak said. ``We are not writing a new federal abortion policy.''

Ellsworth added, ``From day one, my goal has been to ensure federal tax dollars are not used to pay for abortions and to provide Americans with pro-life options on the exchange. And I am proud to be part of an effort to help make this goal a reality.''

With Democrats' command of the necessary votes looking tenuous in the final hours, Obama threw the weight of his administration behind the effort to round up support. He and top administration officials worked the phones to pressure wavering lawmakers.

Rep. Jason Altmire, D-Pa., said he heard Friday from Obama, White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and Education Secretary Arne Duncan.

Their message: ``This is a historic moment. You don't want to end up with nothing,'' said Altmire, who remained undecided.

Democratic leaders hoped to hold the vote Saturday evening, but Majority Leader Steny Hoyer said it could slip.

Democrats hold 258 seats in the House and can afford 40 defections and still wind up with 218, a majority if all lawmakers vote. But all 177 Republicans were expected to vote ``no,'' and Democratic leaders faced a series of complications trying to seal the needed votes for their complex and controversial legislation that would affect one-sixth of the economy and touch the lives of countless Americans.

The final hurdle was a controversy over federal funding for abortion, which simmered into Friday night with tensions running high as Democratic leaders shuttled between meetings of anti-abortion and abortion rights lawmakers.

Federal law currently prohibits the use of federal funds to pay for abortions except in the case of rape, incest of situations in which the life of the mother is in danger. That left unresolved whether individuals would be permitted to use their own funds to buy insurance coverage for the procedure in the federally backed insurance exchange envisioned under the legislation.

Democrats have little room for error, with the prospect of the 2010 midterms looming large and a some of their own moderates already declaring their opposition.

The 10-year, $1.2 trillion House bill would create a new federally supervised insurance marketplace where the uninsured could purchase coverage.

Consumers would have the option of picking a government-run plan, the most hotly contested item in the legislation.

Associated Press writers David Espo and Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar contributed to this report.

(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

FORT HOOD, Texas (AP) A chaplain exhorted hundreds of mourners gathered at a candlelight vigil to not give up hope as Fort Hood and its surrounding community looked to each other for comfort after an Army psychiatrist allegedly went on a deadly shooting spree at the military base.

A grief counseling center was set up Friday at the Killeen Community Center to help residents struggling to make sense of one of the worst mass shootings ever on a base in the United States. At least 13 people died and more than two dozen were wounded in the attack a day earlier.

The alleged gunman, Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, was wounded and taken into custody after a gunfire exchange with two civilian police officers. At least 13 people died and more than two dozen were wounded.

Like other military installations nationwide, the bonds between Fort Hood and the town at its doorstep are tight. Town merchants depend on the soldiers who shop at their stores and eat at their restaurants. Locals show their appreciation and support for the troops, hoisting giant yellow ribbons and raising money for charities benefiting Fort Hood soldiers stationed in Iraq or Afghanistan.

``Most of our clientele are soldiers, so this affects everyone in the community,'' said James Carpenter, 34, a tattoo artist at Zombie Ink and a former soldier who had been stationed at Fort Hood before he left the Army in 2003. ``Everyone is asking why and saying, `I can't believe he did that.'''

Witnesses said Hasan stood on a desk and began firing after walking into the Soldier Readiness Processing Center, where troops who are about to be deployed or who are returning undergo medical screening. Those who weren't hit by direct fire were struck by rounds ricocheting off the desks and tile floor.

Officials say the gunman was stopped after two civilian police officers arrived on the scene and began a firefight with Hasan, who was hit four times including at least once in the torso.

Most of the shooting survivors remained hospitalized, many in intensive care. Hasan was transferred Friday to Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, about 150 miles southwest of Fort Hood. Army officials late Friday gave no indication of his condition except to say he was ``not able to converse.''

Some who knew Hasan said he may have been struggling with a pending deployment to Afghanistan and faced pressure in his work with distressed soldiers, although authorities still did not have a motive.

Fort Hood spokesman Col. John Rossi said that the assailant fired more than 100 rounds and that his weapons were not military arms, but ``privately owned weapons ... purchased locally.''

Shock over the shootings persisted into Friday night, when hundreds attended a candlelight vigil in the first formal community gathering since the killings. Earlier in the day, a moment of silence was held at U.S. military installations as a show of respect for the victims, and 13 flag-draped coffins departed from Fort Hood for Dover Air Force Base and the military's mortuary based in Delaware.

At the vigil, husbands wrapped their arms around their wives, babies cried and old men in wheelchairs bowed their heads during the service at a post stadium.

The Army's chief chaplain, Douglas Carver, offered prayers and encouragement to those in attendance.

``Remember to keep breathing. ... Keep going,'' Carver told the crowd of several hundred, many dressed in fatigues and black berets.

The crowd sang ``God Bless America'' and ``Amazing Grace'' in the bleachers under the stadium lights. After about 20 minutes, the stadium went dark, the only light from camera flashes and surrounding buildings in the distance as candles were passed around the bleachers.

It was a tough night for Maj. Dan Walker, 34, who returned from Kuwait in June, his third deployment overseas.

``I've been to a lot of these in my career,'' Walker said as he walked through the dark parking lot after the service. ``They definitely don't get any easier, and this one is probably one of the toughest ones just because it came so close to home.

``When you go to war, you expect it and understand it,'' he added. ``But this is different. When you come home, you try to relax and live as normal a life as possible. You don't expect this.''

Among the victims were Francheska Velez, 21, of Chicago, who was pregnant and preparing to return home. Family members said Velez had recently returned from deployment in Iraq and had sought a lifelong career in the Army.

Pfc. Michael Pearson, 21, of the Chicago suburb of Bolingbrook, Ill., quit what he figured was a dead-end furniture company job to join the military about a year ago. Pearson's mother, Sheryll Pearson, said he joined the military because he was eager to serve his country and broaden his horizons.

Sgt. Amy Krueger, 29, of Kiel, Wis., joined the Army after the 2001 terrorist attacks and had vowed to take on Osama bin Laden, her mother, Jeri Krueger said. Amy Krueger arrived at Fort Hood on Tuesday and was scheduled to be sent to Afghanistan in December, her mother told the Herald Times Reporter of Manitowoc.

Michael Grant Cahill, a 62-year-old physician assistant, suffered a heart attack two weeks ago and returned to work at the base as a civilian employee after taking just one week off for recovery, said his daughter Keely Vanacker.

Cahill, of Cameron, Texas, helped treat soldiers returning from tours of duty or preparing for deployment. Often, Vanacker said, Cahill would walk young soldiers where they needed to go, just to make sure they got the right treatment.

``He loved his patients, and his patients loved him,'' said Vanacker, 33, the oldest of Cahill's three adult children. ``He just felt his job was important.''

Associated Press writers Caryn Rousseau in Bolingbrook, Ill., Robert Imrie in Wausau, Wis., Monica Rohr in Houston and Sophia Tareen, Michael Tarm and Amy Shafer in Chicago contributed to this report.

(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

ATHENS, Ga. (AP) Mark Richt says the ball simply has not bounced Georgia's way this season.

Georgia ranks 119th of 120 FBS teams in turnover margin. Through eight games, the Bulldogs have recovered only one of their opponents' 10 fumbles. They've lost eight of their 14 fumbles.

Georgia (4-4) will try to solve its turnover problem as it plays FCS opponent Tennessee Tech (5-3) on Saturday.

Richt said his players are trying to recover the fumbles. He said game film proves the balls usually fall closer to opposing players.

It's enough to drive a coach crazy and knock a team out of Southeastern Conference contention. Last week's 41-17 loss to Florida left Georgia 3-3 in the SEC.

``Why is the ball bouncing that way? I don't know,'' Richt said. ``... I've studied that film, and for whatever reason, when the ball is on the ground it ends up closer to one of their guys than our guys. Why's that happening? I don't know. It's just happening, but that's football.

``But I do think that if we did a better job in that area who knows what the record would be today, so that's definitely a big issue.''

Even Miami of Ohio, the only team to rank below Georgia's minus-15 turnover margin, has recovered three fumbles two more than Georgia.

Opponents have scored 88 points off Georgia's 21 turnovers. The Bulldogs have scored only 21 points after forcing six turnovers.

Defensive tackle Kade Weston said he hopes the bad bounces will even out in the team's final four regular-season games.

``Hopefully it will but it's not a round ball so there's no telling where the ball is going to bounce when it comes out,'' Weston said. ``When you look at it you say 'Why couldn't the ball bounce this way?' There's not too much you can do about it.''

The turnover deficit grew last week when quarterbacks Joe Cox and Logan Gray combined to throw four interceptions, leaving the Bulldogs with a minus-four turnover margin in the lopsided loss to the Gators. Neither team lost a fumble.

Cox has 15 touchdown passes and 12 interceptions. Richt considered benching the senior early this week before announcing the coaching staff's unanimous decision to stick with Cox.

Even so, Richt said he plans to play Gray for at least one series against the Golden Eagles of the Ohio Valley Conference.

Richt hasn't given in to calls from some fans to turn the offense over to freshman quarterback Aaron Murray and begin playing for 2010.

``I can't do that,'' Richt said. ``I can't do that to our seniors. We tell our guys to finish the drill. We tell our guys to never quit. If we made that move with a young guy, I'd have the confidence that I could say in all honesty that he gives us the best chance to win right now. Because we couldn't come to that conclusion, we went with the guy that gives us the best chance to win right now.

``If we made a move and say we are playing for next year, in my mind, we've given up on the season, we've quit. We don't quit at Georgia, and we don't teach our guys to quit.''

Richt announced one significant lineup change. Caleb King will start at tailback ahead of Washaun Ealey, who led Georgia with 70 yards rushing against Florida. Richt said Ealey struggled in pass-blocking against the Gators.

Watson Brown's Tennessee Tech team is 4-2 in the OVC, including wins over in-state rivals Tennessee State, Tennessee-Martin and Austin Peay.

Brown has previous experience at Sanford Stadium as the coach at Vanderbilt and Alabama-Birmingham. He acknowledges the challenge is greater with his Tennessee Tech team, which already has a 49-7 loss at Kansas State this season.

``Anytime you play these games ... you want to see your team play good and make these top Division I teams beat you,'' Brown said. ``That's what we hope we can do. They are very talented and they're better than us. For us to have to have any chance to play with them we'll have to play really, really well.''

Watson said his players won't mind being big underdogs.

``Our coaches may not look as forward to it as the kids do,'' Brown said. ``The kids love these things.

``I don't think I'll have any problem getting them to play hard or be excited about going to Athens. It's a thrill for the kids to be able to do this. If you get out of these games without injuries, I think you do get a lot out of it. For our kids this will be something they never forget.''

(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

ATLANTA (AP) Only about a third of adults who have tried to get a swine flu vaccine have been able to get it, according to a new national poll released Friday.

That's true even for people who are at extra risk for severe complications and should be at the front of the line. The numbers are about the same for parents who tried to get the vaccine for their children, the Harvard School of Public Health poll found.

Swine flu vaccine has been available in the United States for about a month, but supplies have been limited because of manufacturing delays. However, availability is picking up, said Dr. Anne Schuchat of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. About 38 million doses of swine flu are currently available, a one-week increase of about 11 million doses. Another 8 million doses are expected next week, she added.

Overall, the poll found about 80 percent of the adults in priority groups said they haven't tried to get it yet and 60 percent of parents haven't sought it out for their kids.

The Harvard telephone poll surveyed about 1,000 adults last weekend. The margin of error was plus or minus 3.8 percentage points.

Many of the poll's findings seemed consistent with what the government has been hearing and seeing, said CDC officials. Nearly a third of Americans who tried and failed to get vaccine said they were very frustrated, the poll found, and that frustration has been evident at long lines at vaccination clinics.

But it was encouraging to see that nine in 10 people who couldn't get vaccine will try again, said Schuchat, who heads the CDC's National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases.

The poll also found:

About 5 percent of those surveyed said they'd been vaccinated.

About 60 percent said there were swine flu vaccine shortages in their community.

About half who tried couldn't find information about where to get the vaccine.

Because of limited supplies, there have been situations in which vaccine went to doctor's offices or clinics intended for children or other priority groups and it wasn't publicized, Schuchat said.

``When you have limited supply, advertising is difficult. You don't want to frustrate the demand,'' Schuchat said at a Friday press conference in Atlanta.

Swine flu is currently widespread in 48 states; Hawaii and Mississippi are the exceptions. Mississippi dropped off the list this week, reflecting that flu activity seems to be waning in some parts of the Southeast.

CDC officials said 129 children have died from swine flu complications since the virus was first identified in April. About two-thirds of them had other health conditions, like asthma or neurological problems like cerebral palsy or muscular dystrophy. The government does not keep a close count of all swine flu deaths, but estimates the number is above 1,000. Many millions of Americans have been infected with the virus, though most suffered only mild illness, health officials say.

(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

EAST POINT, Ga. (AP) East Point police are looking for whomever who broke into a Kay Jewelers store and made off with at $1 million worth of jewelry.

East Point Police spokesman Cliff Chandler said investigators had few details Friday afternoon.

Police said someone forcibly entered the jewelry store after it was closed. Officials are unsure if there were more than one suspects.

An undetermined amount of jewelry was stolen, but Chandler said it was at least $1 million.

Chandler said this is the first such break-in East Point police have handled recently, but other law enforcement agencies will be contacted to see if similar break-ins have happened nearby.

(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

ATLANTA (AP) Two is a crucial number for both Georgia Tech and Wake Forest.

The No. 10 Yellow Jackets are chasing the higher prize, needing two wins to clinch a spot in the Atlantic Coast Conference championship game. But two victories also would be meaningful for Wake Forest, which is trying to become eligible for its fourth straight bowl trip.

With larger goals looming over their seasons, both teams are trying to keep the focus on Saturday's game.

``We don't want to get caught up in that stuff,'' Georgia Tech defensive end Derrick Morgan said. ``It could be gone in the blink of an eye.''

The Yellow Jackets (8-1, 5-1 ACC) would lock up a spot in the ACC championship game by beating the Demon Deacons (4-5, 2-3) and winning again at Duke next weekend. Georgia Tech hasn't won an outright conference title since 1990, also the season they finished No. 1 in the coaches' poll.

``That was a long time ago. I was a 1-year-old,'' Morgan said with a chuckle. ``That is on everybody's mind. We're just trying to take Georgia Tech to the next level. We've done a good job so far, but we've got to keep pushing.''

And keep running like they have. The Yellow Jackets rank second nationally with an average of 304 yards per game on the ground, and the spread option has really kicked it into high gear the last five weeks. During that span, the team is averaging 42 points and 483 yards per game.

Coach Paul Johnson has certainly defied the skeptics who said a triple-option, run-oriented offense would never work in a big-time conference.

``He's wearing people out with that offense,'' Wake Forest coach Jim Grobe said. ``It's a unique thing that nobody else does. When you're the only show in town, that makes it really hard on people to get ready for it.''

The quarterback is the one who makes the spread option go, and Josh Nesbitt shouldered more of the running load for Georgia Tech early on when defenses focused on stopping 2008 ACC player of the year Jonathan Dwyer.

But Dwyer has come on strong in recent weeks, including an 186-yard performance against Vanderbilt last Saturday, and he's now leading the team with 904 yards, averaging 6.2 yards every time he touches the ball. Nesbitt has 763 yards rushing and leads Georgia Tech with 13 touchdowns, while A-back Anthony Allen also ranks among the ACC's leading rushers with 470 yards on a mere 44 carries.

Defenses have to focus on stopping the run, which usually leaves 6-foot-3, 229-pound receiver Demaryius Thomas in single coverage. The Yellow Jackets have gone to him enough that he leads the ACC in receiving yards per game (91.4) and made the list of semifinalists for the Biletnikoff Award as the nation's top pass-catcher.

Johnson clearly relishes the success of his offense, even though he's still driven by those who didn't think it would work against top-level competition and maybe still don't, all evidence to the contrary.

``I could go out tomorrow and put in the same offense that everybody else runs,'' Johnson said. ``I think I'm smart enough to do that. But I don't choose to. I choose to do what I think gives us the best chance to win.''

Wake Forest has a better chance to win now that fifth-year senior Riley Skinner has been cleared to start at quarterback after sustaining a concussion last week in the closing minutes of yet another gut-wrenching loss, 28-27 to Miami.

Skinner did not practice Monday and got only minimal time the following day, but he was able to return to a regular routine by the end of the week after showing no lingering symptoms from the head blow. He'll make his 33rd consecutive start against the Yellow Jackets, who had been expecting all along to face the No. 1 quarterback.

Not that it mattered much in their preparations. ``You get ready for Wake Forest,'' Johnson said. ``You don't get ready for certain people.''

And you don't let your mind wander to what might lie ahead.

``We've got to be ready for Wake Forest,'' Johnson said. ``It's a one-game schedule right now and all we're doing is getting ready for them. You can't worry about somebody down the road. If you do, you'll trip up. You better take care of what's at hand.''

(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) A 65-year-old Georgia man accused of killing a former University of Missouri student more than 30 years ago is a devoted father who ``absolutely'' didn't commit the crime, his attorney said.

Johnny Wright appeared in court Friday for the first time since his arrest in late September after walking into the Lawrenceville police department in suburban Atlanta. Wright was seeking a criminal background check to apply for a job as a driver.

He was arrested more than two decades after Boone County prosecutors charged him with second-degree murder in the death of 23-year-old waitress Rebecca Doisy. The woman disappeared in August 1976, and her body has never been found.

``He had nothing to do with Ms. Doisy's disappearance,'' said defense attorney Cleveland Tyson Jr. ``The only thing my client has been doing for the past 30 years is working and raising a family.''

Tyson said Wright has two adult children and is also a grandfather. Wright moved away from Columbia in the late 1970s and was not aware of the outstanding warrant, his lawyer said. Wright relocated ``because of the scrutiny'' of being a suspect, not to avoid arrest, according to Tyson.

``He felt it was best to relocate and get a fresh start,'' Tyson said in an interview after the brief court hearing. ``He wasn't trying to escape prosecution.''

Wright's case was delayed until Dec. 11 to allow prosecutors to continue collecting evidence and attempt to find possible witnesses. He remains at the Boone County Jail after Associate Circuit Judge Christine Carpenter denied Tyson's request to lower a $100,000 bond.

Wright, who wore glasses, handcuffs and a gray goatee, did not speak at his court appearance. A woman identified by Tyson as a family member from Atlanta attended the hearing but declined to comment.

Assistant prosecutor Richard Hicks did not immediately respond to a request for comment after the hearing.

Wright's arrest stunned Doisy's family members, who said they were told by police a decade ago that he had possibly fled the country or died. The detective who worked the initial case and the prosecutor who issued the warrant are long retired.

Doisy's co-workers at Ernie's Steak House had said that Wright a former convict from St. Louis who had been arrested a dozen times and spent time in prison for burglary badgered her for a date but was rebuffed.

A resident of Doisy's apartment complex reported seeing her leave with Wright the day she went missing.

And Wright's former roommate, Harry Moore, told Columbia police he had seen Doisy's body in Wright's car. Prosecutors initially charged Moore with murder before he implicated Wright.

``He fabricated (information) in order to curry favor with the authorities,'' Tyson said, referring to Moore.

Doisy was the granddaughter of Edward A. Doisy, who shared the 1943 Nobel Prize in medicine with another researcher for their discovery of vitamin K. A research building at St. Louis University, where he taught, is named after the scientist.

She completed three years at Missouri's education school but dropped out to avoid relocating from Columbia for a student teaching job.

(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

ATLANTA (AP) Right-handed pitcher Scott Proctor has signed a minor league contract with the Atlanta Braves after missing all of last season recovering from elbow surgery.

The 32-year-old Proctor has pitched five years in the majors with the New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers. He began experiencing elbow pain in 2008, causing him to miss 63 games, and underwent Tommy John ligament replacement surgery this past May 12.

Proctor's best season was 2006, when he led the American League with 83 appearances and big league relievers with 102 1-3 innings. He went 6-4 with one save and a 3.52 ERA for the Yankees that year.

Proctor will attend the Braves' spring camp as a non-roster invitee.

(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)