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July 2009 Archives
WASHINGTON (AP) The House voted Friday to rush $2 billion into the popular but financially strapped ``cash for clunkers'' car purchase program, heeding calls from consumers who hope to keep taking advantage of the trade-in incentives.
The bill was approved on a vote of 316-109. House members acted within hours of learning from Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood that the program was running out of money.
President Barack Obama said he was encouraged by the House action to keep alive a program that had ``succeeded well beyond our expectations.''
Rep. Steve Israel, D-N.Y., said of the program: ``This is a test drive, and people bought it big time.''
Called the Car Allowance Rebate System, or CARS, the program is designed to help the economy and the environment by spurring new car sales. Car owners can receive federal subsidies of up to $4,500 for trading in their old cars for new ones that achieve significantly higher gas mileage.
House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer said the new money for the program would come from funds approved earlier in the year as part of an economic stimulus bill.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said the cars purchased under the program were much more fuel-efficient than the bill requires.
``Consumers have spoken with their wallets, and they've said they like this program,'' said Rep. David Obey, D-Wis.
Republicans argued that Democrats were trying to jam the legislation through. Some lawmakers also complained that many dealers were left to contend with a chaotic government-run program.
``The federal government can't process a simple rebate. I've got dealers who have submitted the paperwork three times and have gotten three rejections,'' said Rep. Pete Hoekstra, R-Mich. ``What is a dealer supposed to do?''
There had been a $1 billion budget for rebates for new car sales in the program that was officially launched last week and has been heavily publicized by automakers and dealers.
The program offers owners of old cars and trucks $3,500 or $4,500 toward a new, more fuel-efficient vehicle, in exchange for scrapping their old vehicle. Congress last month approved the plan to boost auto sales and remove some inefficient cars and trucks from the roads.
The Senate was not scheduled to vote on Friday but lawmakers hoped to win approval for additional funding next week.
Senate action is likely next week, making sure the program would not be affected by the sudden shortage of cash.
Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich., said the administration assured lawmakers that ``deals will be honored until otherwise noted by the White House.'' But he suggested that ``people ought to get in and buy their cars.''
At the White House, press secretary Robert Gibbs sought to assure consumers that the program is still running and will be alive ``this weekend. If you were planning on going to buy a car this weekend, using this program, this program continues to run.''
Gibbs would not commit to any time frame beyond that.
It was unclear how many cars had been sold under the program.
Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., said about 40,000 vehicle sales had been completed through the program but dealers estimated they were trying to complete transactions on another 200,000 vehicles, putting the amount of remaining funding in doubt.
John McEleney, chairman of the National Automobile Dealers Association, said many dealers have been confused about whether the program will be extended and for how long. Many had stopped offering the deals Thursday after word came out that the funds available for the refunds had been exhausted.
The clunkers program was set up to boost U.S. auto sales and help struggling automakers through the worst sales slump in more than a quarter-century. Sales for the first half of the year were down 35 percent from the same period in 2008, and analysts are predicting only a modest recovery during the second half of the year.
With so much uncertainty surrounding the program, North Palm Beach, Fla., dealer Earl Stewart said he planned to continue to sell cars under the program but would delay delivering the new vehicles and scrapping the trade-ins.
``It's been a total panic with my customers and my sales staff. We are running in one direction and then we are running in another direction,'' he said.
AP Business Writer Stephen Manning in Washington contributed to this report.
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
(WSB Radio) A Johns Creek police officer is recovering after being in a crash that looked a lot worse than it was.
Officer James Cool was responding to a call of a shooting last night, driving on a wet Old Alabama Highway, when he lost control of his police cruiser.
The crash happened at about 8 o'clock, near the entrance to the Autrey Mill Nature Preserve.
Investigators say the crusier went through a puddle of standing water, causing Officer Cool to lose control.
The car flipped several times, coming to a crashing halt in a creek and trapping Officer Cool inside.
He was able to radio for help and emergency crews were able to cut him free a short time later.
Cool was taken to Emory Johns Creek Hospital, where he is recovering from non life threatening injuries.
(WSB Radio) An icon of Atlanta television is retiring.
Channel 2 sportscaster Chuck Dowdle will be hanging it up at the end of the year, after 24 years with WSB-TV.
Dowdle, a native of Atlanta, was a star athlete in college before going into broadcasting.
He played freshman basketball at the University of Georgia and, after a transfer to Georgia State, he was a pitcher on the baseball team.
Dowdle says he plans to relax a bit, but he also plans to continue to be part of the UGA football broadcasts on WSB radio, doing the postgame show and the weekly coach's show with Mark Richt.
He invited Alabama Gov. Bob Riley and Florida Gov. Charlie Crist to a summit in Atlanta to hash out a deal over federal water rights.
The letter offered 40 possible dates between Aug. 12 and Nov. 5 for the three leaders to try to settle the regional tug-of-war over federal water rights.
It's the latest round in the gamesmanship between the governors after a federal judge's ruling earlier this month that found Georgia had little rights to Lake Lanier, the massive federal reservoir that supplies most of metro Atlanta with its water.
The judge set a three-year deadline for Congress to approve a settlement.
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
(WSB Radio) If the economy doesn't turn around soon, Georgia's Unemployment Trust Fund risks running out of money.
Labor Commissioner Michael Thurmond says in December 2008 there was one billion dollars in the fund. Today, that number is $596 million.
"The next 60 days are critical," said Thurmond.
Georgia paid out a record $300 billion in benefits last month. The state received some $220 million dollars in stimulus money earlier this year, but there are some 200,000 Georgians drawing benefits.
"I am convinced that things will continue to get worse before they get better," Thurmond said.
He says if he doesn't see the economy turn a corner soon, he'll have to look to other sources to replenish the fund. Thurmond is just back from Washington where he was in meetings about the state's unemployment situation.
(WSB Radio) Dr. Joseph Lowery has an invitation to the White House for a very special honor next month.
The presidential medal of freedom is the nation's top honor for a civilian. Dr. Lowery, a methodist minister and icon of the civil rights movement, will receive the honor from President Obama.
Lowery delivered the benediction at Mr. Obama's inauguration; he and the president met in Selma in 2007 at the 42nd observance of the bloody sunday march.
President Harry Truman created the medal of freedom to honor civilians in World War Two.
Other recipients from Atlanta include Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and former mayor Andrew Young.
(WSB Radio) DeKalb County police are hunting for the man who beat and tied up an 84 year old man, then ransacked his home and stole his ATM card.
Patrick Forbes in a World War Two veteran who lives on Briarcliff Road. He says the robber wasn't a nice guy.
"He said, 'Do you want to die? Do you want to die?'" Forbes says. "I said, 'Not particularly.'"
Forbes was able to tip over his chair, free himself and call police.
The suspect was caught on surveillance video trying to use Forbes' ATM card. The crook also took some jewelry, then drove off in Forbes' car.
He says if the robber ever comes back, he'll be waiting for him with a gun.
"I'd love to have him in my sights."
(WSB Radio) Atlanta police are investigating an unusual murder in downtown.
Homicide detectives say the victim was shot, but did not die from the bullets. Instead, they say, the unidentified man was run over.
Police got the call at about 12:30 this morning of a body on Cone Street. When officers arrived they discovered the man lying in the road near Williams Street.
Investigators say the man had been shot several times, but it was a car that killed him. And, they say, it appears the man was intentionally struck by the car.
The man was pronounced dead at Grady Hospital.
Police have no motive for the killing and they have not determined any suspects.
(WSB Radio) Atlanta police hope surveillance video will help catch the killer of former boxing champion Vernon Forrest.
Police have released video that shows the robbery of Forrest by as many as four suspects.
The video is from cameras positioned at three locations near Saturday night's robbery and shooting.
Lieutenant Keith Meadows says police believe at least three, and possibly four people were involved.
Meadows said the video produces a clear image of the suspected robber, but not the man who shot the 38 year old former welterweight champion.
The video does provide a timeline, Meadows says, showing that Forrest was shot about three minutes after he was robbed.
"One individual actually gets out of the vehicle," Meadows says. "It was at that time the individual walks up to Mr. Forrest and demands several items from him."
Meadows said the robber took Forrest's championship ring and Rolex watch.
Meadows says Forrest gave chase and that led to his death.
"When Mr. Forrest comes around the corner, he sees another individual standing there, we believe with a handgun," says Meadows. "Mr. Forrest realizes that's not the individual that actually robbed him. The two of them exchange words and, at some point, Vernon Forrest turned to walk away and that's when the individual shot him a number of times in the back."
Meadows says the video did not capture the actual shooting of Forrest.
Forrest's funeral is planned for Monday in Lithonia.
(WSB Radio) -- The Rev. Dr. Joseph Lowery, icon of the Civil Rights Movement, will be honored by President Obama with the Presidential Medal of Freedom.It is the highest award for a civilian.
Lowery is one of 16 Medal recipients announced by the President on Thursday. Others include U.S. Senator Edward M. Kennedy, Archbishop Desmond Tutu of South Africa, the late U.S. Congressman Jack Kemp, tennis player Billie Jean King, actor Sidney Poitier, actress Chita Rivera, Former Ireland President Mary Robinson, and retired Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor.
Lowery is a long-time Methodist minister who helped lead the bus boycott in Montgomery, Alabama after Rosa Parks was denied a seat. He co-founded the Southern Christian Leadership Conference with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in 1957.
Lowery first met President Obama in 2007 at the 42nd observance of Bloody Sunday on the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama.
Lowery, 87, later endorsed Obama's candidacy and campaigned for him in Mississippi, Alabama, and Iowa.
He also delivered the benediction at Obama's Inauguration.
President Harry Truman created the Medal of Freedom in 1945 to honor civilians in World War II. Past recipients include Dr. King, President John F. Kennedy, former Mayor Andrew Young and comedian Bob Hope.
The medals will be presented on August 12.
Gov. Sonny Perdue called last week for the state's 128,000 public school teachers to take three unpaid days by the end of the calendar year to help close a $900 million budget gap.
Cox said ``that's not a good way to start the year and keep people focused.'' But she said the rare decision to furlough teachers likely the first such move in 25 years proves the state is at a ``pretty critical juncture.''
Three of the state's largest districts the city of Atlanta and Cobb and DeKalb counties are trying to find other ways to make up the funding cut rather than forcing teachers to take unpaid leave.
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
(WSB Radio) Mayor Shirley Franklin plans on adding more police officers, but Atlanta's top cop will be one that's leaving.
The mayor, speaking this morning at a news conference concerning the recent series of violent crimes, says she'll add 139 more police officers to the city's department, with the new initiative starting September 15.
Police Chief Richard Pennington, who was also at the news conference, says he will leave his office at the end of the year, when Franklin's second term ends.
The mayor, answering criticism about her response to the violent crime that has hit the city, says that, on September 15, 27 new police officers will take to the streets in areas where the recent carjackings have taken place.
In addition, the police gang unit will be increased from 6 officers to 25 and gang sweeps will be doubled.
This past weekend, Atlanta City Councilman Ceasar Mitchell was carjacked at gunpoint, just a few hours after former boxing champion Vernon Forrest was shot and killed during another attempted carjacking.
A recent study shows violent crime is actually down in Atlanta, but the high profile crimes have led to a public outcry for more police and better protection.
(WSB Radio) State wildlife officials are on the lookout for what might be an unusual prowling predator in Hall County.
"Several of the reports described, not a mountain lion but what people seem to think was an African lion," says Scott Frazier, wildlife biologist with the Georgia Department of Natural Resources.
That's right. There may be a lion loose in Hall County.
"We found some consistency in those reports," Frazier tells WSB. "So we went there and set some traps but didn't catch anything."
There has not been a sighting of a wild mountain lion in Georgia since 1973, so Frazier discounts the possibility that this is a natural occurrence . But, he thinks there is some possibility that this could, in fact, be a lion from Africa.
"In all of these big cat sightings, our first thought is that we're probably, if we're dealing with a legitimate, accurate report, we're probably dealing with something that someone had a role in being there," he says.
"Any big cat report now, bigger than a bobcat, we first think of illegal pets, illegal importation, escaped animal from a facility," says Frazier.
The first sightings were in May, four in all. The witnesses all described the same type of animal, in the same general area.
"The reports were geographically close by, and, on a timeline, they was enough time for one animal to get from Point A to Point B," Frazier says. "And the descriptions that people gave of the animal were consistent between the four reports."
Since word first got out of a possible lion in Hall County, Frazier says his office has been inundated with calls, with descriptions varying, locations all over the map and people telling wild tales, all of which has made the search for the lion more difficult.
"After the original reports and story, it's been a mismash of reports," Frazier says. "We did have a horse killed and the big cat was suspected. We did have a cow attacked and the big cat was suspected."
Frazier says there are reasons to doubt whether there is, in fact, a lion on the prowl.
A few years back, two Florida panthers traveled into Georgia, separately.
"They were collared, radio tagged animals,' he says. "It was part of their work down there with the endangered cats.
"In both instances, people immediately began seeing those cats," says Frazier. "And, in both instances, those cats were ultimately shot within two weeks of being in Georgia."
Those sightings lead to skepticism from Frazier over the current reports.
"When I think about how quickly that occurred," Frazier says, "and then the potential that we have another cat that's out there now that nobody can produce a picture of and nobody runs over with a car and nobody shoots, um, it seems unlikely."
But Frazier admits, right now, officials with the DNR just aren't sure.
The figures released Wednesday are the first snapshot since state officials lifted the restrictions last month and are considered an important test for a state locked in a legal battle with Alabama and Florida over federal water rights.
The figures show that water use in June in the 55-county north Georgia region rose an average of 1.8 percent compared to the same month the year before. The strict drought restrictions that covered the area were lifted June 10 as increasing rainfall elevated the state out of drought status.
The numbers also show that the month's water is down 18.4 percent compared to the same month in 2007, which was before the strictest restrictions were put in place.
``These numbers indicate that Georgians have made water conservation part of their daily lives,'' said Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue. ``Conservation is obviously critical during drought, but I am particularly encouraged to see our efforts continue now that the rains have returned and the drought is over.''
It comes as the tug-of-war between Georgia, Florida and Alabama over water rights intensifies.
A federal judge ruled this month that Georgia had little legal right to draw drinking water from Lake Lanier, the massive federal reservoir that is Atlanta's main supply. The judge set a three-year deadline for Georgia to find a solution.
Georgia environmental officials say the water use figures will help burnish the state's image as it tries to reach an accord.
``There's a perception promoted by our neighboring states that somehow Georgians are water pigs, and these data refute that,'' said Carol Couch, director of the state environmental protection division.
The state banned virtually all outdoor water use across parched north Georgia and ordered utilities to cut water use by 10 percent in September 2007 as the drought gripping the region spread and sent Georgia's streams and reservoirs plunging.
But months of replenishing rainfall have helped Georgia's main water sources rebound. Perdue declared the drought was over on June 10 and officials lifted the tough restrictions.
Environmental groups say they are optimistic about the data, but want more time to delve into the details. Sally Bethea of the Upper Chattahoochee Riverkeeper said there appears to be a ``disconnect'' between the figures and what she is hearing from her group's members.
``This is good news if these numbers are accurate and hold up through the summer,'' she said. ``Based on our anecdotal information, it appears to us that outdoor watering has risen dramatically in metro Atlanta, especially during daytime hours.''
The data released Wednesday did show that use in some areas skyrocketed. Water use in south Fulton County's Union City jumped almost 70 percent compared with last year. And water use in Locust Grove, a Henry County city, climbed more than 53 percent over the period.
But those increases were offset by drops among some of the biggest utilities. Water use in the city of Atlanta, the region's largest, fell by 6.4 percent. And water use in the north Georgia city of Dalton fell by 5.3 percent.
Couch said conservation-minded residents helped tamp down water use, but she also said efforts by utilities and local governments to increase efficiency and plug costly leaks during the drought have paid off.
``These are things that happened during the drought and we still reap the benefits today,'' she said. ``Those fixes now are permanent and they continue to contribute.''
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
Officials from the state labor and education departments were set to speak at a committee hearing at the Statehouse Thursday.
Senate minority leader Robert Brown, a Macon Democrat, called the hearing to try to get a better handle on the effect of the state's share of the $787 billion stimulus package.
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
(WSB Radio) Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin says she has not ducked the press following a series of violent crimes that have placed the city in the national headlines.
Pressed by reporters to comment about the sudden surge, Mayor Franklin declined the chance to talk to reporters, saying "I have not run from the press. I do not run from issues. I have a reputation for being open. I will not do it now."
A short time later, the mayor's office announced a briefing with Police Chief Richard Pennington, scheduled for 10 o'clock this morning.
A rash of carjackings and other violent crime has dominated headlines and city leaders have yet to speak out about the public's concern.
"I have a crisis everyday as mayor," Franklin said in her comments to the press.
She'll hold a news conference with Chief Pennington to discuss, among other crimes, the carjacking of Atlanta City Councilman Ceasar Mitchell and the robbery and murder of former boxing champion Vernon Forrest.
(WSB Radio) A waitress at a Waffle House restaurant in Austell won the top prize in the $500,000 Monopoly instant game.
Now 26-year-old Autumn Laney is considering her own restaurant with the half million dollars she won.
"To own your own home, that's always your number one," she tells WSB. "But I guess I'm looking at a restaurant or getting a small business going."
The mother of two bought her winning ticket at a Quick Pick Food Store. She scratched the ticket in her car and was overwhelmed at the sight of ``all those zeros.''
"I had to wait all weekend to cash it in because the place was closed," she says, "so I was just trying to be patient."
Laney said that, in addition to opening a restaurant, she plans to buy a new home.
(WSB Radio) A Clayton County home invasion investigation is now a murder probe.
22 year old Shereeka Pitts died at Atlanta Medical Center after being shot during the home invasion on Norman Crossing.
Police say two armed men entered into the house, where they found Pitts, along with another woman and some children.
"Immediately they demanded money by saying 'give me the money'", says Clayton County Deputy Police Chief Tim Robinson. "They then conducted a search of the house."
When Pitts refused their demands, Robinson says, the suspects shot her in the stomach. She died a few hours later.
The killing has neighbors stunned.
"I'm putting a for sale sign on my house tomorrow," one woman says. Another says "it's awful. Especially having kids see something like that."
Police are continuing their investigation and their search for the two suspects.
(WSB Radio) The first day of school is less than two weeks away and Cobb County school officials are still trying to finalize plans concerning the county's school bus stops.
The district sent parents a phone message, saying they are reconsidering some bus stop cuts, this after parents complained.
"It (the message) was very vague and brief and we didn't know anything about it until we got that message," says parent Pat Bittinger, "after we had gotten a bulletin from someone in the neighborhood telling us it had already been decided."
Schools officials insist the plan is not a done deal and parents will still have input into any changes.
The county school board has voted to reduce the number of school bus stops as a cost cutting measure.
(WSB Radio) Dunwoody Police have recovered thousands of dollars in stolen merchandise from Perimeter Mall.
Sgt. Mike Carlson tells WSB since April 1st, they've recovered $50,000 worth of merchandise, mainly in high-end clothing.
With the help of Perimeter Mall Security, they've made more than 30 arrests.
"When they are surveilling a suspect or suspects. A lot of times, they'll give us a heads-up. What we'll do is wait for them to leave the mall and we'll apprehend them as they exit," said Carlson.
Carlson says the booster teams will use special bags to get past detectors at the door. Once inside, they'll spend hours inside the mall.
"Booster teams are basically two or three people that work together. Usually, you'll have one that is picking out the items. Another individual is actually removing the security sensor off of the item; and then, either that second or third person will walk out of the store with the piece of clothing," said Carlson.
The biggest arrest came on June 5th. Felipe Torres, Yuliana Flores, and Luisa Chavez were arrested and charged with felony shoplifting, possession of burglary tools, and theft by receiving stolen property.
"We had one last month where a booster team that consisted of three people. By the end of the day, they tried to walk out with over $22,000 worth of merchandise," said Carlson.
He says they will continue to crack down on shoplifters.
"The city of Dunwoody has a zero tolerance policy for shoplifting here in the city. It doesn't matter how small or major the merchandise is, you will go to jail," said Carlson.
(WSB Radio) Back to school shoppers get to shop tax free from 12:01am Thursday through midnight Sunday. Gov. Perdue kicked off Georgia's eighth sales tax holiday at the Walmart in Newnan.
"It gives the public an opportunity to have an automatic six, seven, or eight percent discount and I think that money will continue to ripple through the economy," he says.
Asked if the state could afford the 13 million dollar loss in tax revenue, Perdue says it could ultimately help.
"We can't determine how much money we gain from the jobs created and the economic activity from the profits from the companies who are making those sales... that is still taxed and will be returned in income tax, business tax from those businesses and we hope it's a lot," he says.
Perdue says while he considers the sale tax holiday positive, he thinks it may be a tough sell before the legislature next year.
During the sales tax holiday, clothing and footwear up to $100 per item are exempt from sales tax. If the price exceeds $100, the item will be taxed at the full retail price.
Clothing accessories, jewelry, handbags, umbrellas, eyewear, watches, watchbands and similar items are not exempt from sales tax during the tax-free period.
School supplies including pens, pencils, notebooks, paper, book bags, calculators, dictionaries, thesauruses, and certain books are exempt if they cost $20 or less per item.
Purchases of personal computers and accessories are exempt up to $1,500 per transaction including monitors, personal computer base units, keyboards, handheld computers, printers, modems, non-recreational software and other peripheral devices.
(WSB Radio) Two DeKalb County police officers have been suspended after they ran a background on President Obama.
Dekalb County spokesperson Sheila Edwards said Officer Ryan White and Officer C.M. Route were put of administrative leave with pay, pending the outcome of an Internal Affairs investigation.
Both of the officers have been with the county of about 2 years.
The Secret Service informed DeKalb County that two police databases were accessed on July 20 around 4:40 a.m. The GCIC and NCIC databases were used to run the background check on the President.
"DeKalb County was contacted by Secret Service and made aware that system was used run a background check on the president," Edwards told WSB.
Edwards said one of the officers was on duty at the time and the other is believed to have been off-duty, but she did not clarify which was working at the time.
"We have taken swift action by placing the officers on administrative leave and we are going to ask Chief William O'Brien and Public Safety Director "Wiz" Miller to work with internal affairs to ascertain what occurred ," Edwards told WSB.
Public Safety Director William "Wiz" Miller said he takes the allegations very seriously .
"We expect our officers to adhere to professional standards and departmental policy," Miller said. "Futhermore, we do not and will not condone the inappropriate use of county equipment or resources."
The Secret Service has left he investigation up DeKalb County.
(WSB Radio) Alpharetta Police arrest an International fugitive.
Officer George Gordon tells WSB they nabbed 40-year-old Nedrick Thomas after his girlfriend came to the police station to report his passport was missing.
"Alpharetta authorities determined that Mr. Thomas was wanted in Canada for attempted murder and for a felony offense involving a handgun," said Gordon.
They set up surveillance at his home and arrested him during a traffic stop.
"Undercover officers observed him getting into a silver SUV with a little girl. We determined later that he was going to take the girl to school. When it was safe to do so, a traffic stop was conducted on his vehicle and numerous officers moved in and he was taken into custody without incident," said Gordon.
Thomas, who had been on the lam for 12 years, had been arrested eight times in Georgia, but wasn't caught because he was arrested under a fake name.
"Obviously, he felt comfortable that he has scammed the system by obtaining fraudulent identification; but obviously, that did not work for him in Alpharetta," said Gordon.
Thomas, who faces additional charges of giving a false name and date of birth, forgery, and driving without a license, is awaiting extradition to Canada.
Shortly thereafter her office announce a briefing with Police Chief Richard Pennington at 10am Thursday.
A rash of carjackings and other violent crime has dominated headlines and city leaders have yet to speak out about the public's concern.
Pinkie Minor Huiel announced Monday that she will pen the story of her sister, Alice Jane Minor Hawthorne. The 44-year-old Augusta resident was visiting Atlanta for the Olympics when Eric Robert Rudolph set off a bomb, killing Hawthorne and injuring 111 people.
Rudolph is serving four consecutive life terms after pleading guilty to the bombing and three others at abortion clinics and a gay nightclub in 2005.
Huiel says four publishers have expressed interest in the book so far.
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
(WSB Radio) The decades long water war between Georgia, Alabama and Florida has cost the state millions.
Attorney General Thurbert Baker is out with the tally for legal costs over the past 12 years of the fight with the neighboring states.
According to Baker, Georgia has spent $6.7 million on outside legal help over the last dozen years, hiring a big name Atlanta law firm for representation. Prior to the outsourcing Georgia used its own attorneys.
The Atlanta Regional Commission says it's paid another prestigious Atlanta law firm about $5 million since 1999.
A spokesman for the Governor says Georgia was just defending itself from lawsuits filed by the other states.
Earlier this month a federal judge ruled Georgia has no legal right to use Lake Lanier for drinking water.
(WSB Radio) Grady Memorial Hospital has begun paying back the state about $20 million because of medical overpayments in 2004 and 2005.
The financially strapped hospital took advantage of a program that allowed overpayments to help cover costs.
They knew they'd eventually have to pay that money back. The new management at Grady hopes to have the full amount owed repaid by October, even though the hospital projects finishing the year with an operating loss of about $37 million.
Much of Grady's annual income comes from the Medicaid program.
(WSB Radio) A proposed foot bridge over the Chattahoochee River is drawing mostly praise, but some criticism, as well.
Hundreds of people told officials with the National Park Service what they thought of the idea, and the response was, for the most part, positive.
Of the 560 people who sent in comments, about 400 approve of the plan, with the rest either against it or unsure.
The proposed foot bridge would span the river near Morgan Falls Dam, connected Cobb County and Sandy Springs.
The bridge would carry a price tag of about $1.2 million, but it's not clear where that money would come from.
Most of those sending in comments to the park service say the bridge would be ideal for bicycle riders.
The 3.9 million square-foot conference center campus in downtown Atlanta lost $1.3 million in the fiscal year that ended June 30. It's the first budget decline for the expansive center since 2005.
Center executive director Michael Graveline had expected to take an $800,000 budget hit after the convention industry declined amid the sagging economy. Companies are not sending workers to big meetings at the same rate, and trade shows are using less space than they have in the past.
Graveline says this year will be much worse, with a projected loss of $5.7 million, most of which will come in the first six months of the fiscal year.
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
(WSB Radio) New information is out on the murder of a metro Atlanta man, found dead in a burned out car in North Carolina.
The girlfriend of William Henderson says the Snellville man left his home on July 21 and was heading for South Carolina. Instead, he was found, shot to death, inside the car in Charlotte on Monday.
His girlfriend had contacted police when Henderson did not arrive in South Carolina, telling officers that he said he was going to sample some music tracks.
Investigators say there had been activity on his mobile phone after he left Snellville, but the nature of that activity has not been disclosed.
Gwinnett police are assisting in the investigation, which is being handled by the Charlotte police.
(WSB Radio) The state attorney general's office says it's reviewing a report by state auditors that details "possible financial statement fraud" at Georgia's troubled Department of Transportation.
Spokesman Russ Willard said Tuesday that Attorney General Thurbert Baker's office received the inspector general's report Monday evening and was ``reviewing the findings to determine what, if any, action is appropriate.''
He said he did not know how long that would take.
The report released Monday said the transportation department overstated federal accounts and used two invalid budget amendments to mask a $2.2 billion deficit in June 2007 and tapped state motor fuel funds to offset a deficit of more than $450 million in 2008.
(WSB Radio) A Dawson County middle school teacher may not have a job when school starts in two weeks.
Authorities say 35-year-old Clinton Pruitt was arrested when he bought methamphetamine from an undercover agent.
"It came to our attention that Mr. Pruitt allegedly wanted to buy some methamphetamine," says Forsyth County Sheriff's Captain Frank Huggins. "He figured into this investigation and he was arrested with 14 grams of methamphetamine that he had purchased from an undercover person."
The Dawson County Superintendent says it's a personnel matter and they're keeping an eye on the situation and will take the appropriate action as necessary.
"We understand the seriousness of the allegations," says Superintendent Keith Porter. "We're definitely monitoring the situation and will take appropriate action, if necessary."
Students and their parents found the allegations against Porter had to believe.
"It's just shocking," says 15 year old Aliciah Farmer, who attends the middle school where Pruitt is a teacher. "You're around him for so long, you don't think he'd be caught up in anything like that."
(WSB Radio) Despite weekend violence that claimed the life of a former boxing champion, a top Atlanta Police Department official says crime in the city is down 9 percent when compared to the same time last year.
APD Deputy Chief George Turner says perception is not reality. He tells Channel 2 Action News "as we see it, as we track our numbers, violent crime is down significantly in every category in the city."
Atlanta police learned Tuesday the department was one of 48 law enforcement agencies in the state to receive federal stimulus money to hire additional officers. The funds, totaling $11 million dollars, will allow APD to hire and train another fifty officers.
A total of $1 billion dollars in funds is being distributed to 1046 law enforcement agencies in the U-S, with $31 million allocated to Georgia.
In addition to Atlanta, DeKalb County will get $3.1 million for 15 new hires, while Fulton County will be able to take on 7 new cops with its $1.2 million in grants.
The agencies in Georgia getting the funds, along with the number of officers to be hired and the amount in grants are:
- Atlanta, City of 50 $11,209,300.00
- Helen, City of 1 $148,309.00
- Fulton County 7 $1,278,158.00
- Quitman Police 1 $105,709.00
- DeKalb County 15 $3,112,845.00
- Albany Police 9 $1,384,092.00
- Clayton County 5 $862,035.00
- Macon, City of 14 $1,700,160.00
- Douglasville 4 $709,688.00
- Riverdale Police 2 $288,150.00
- Tennille, City of 1 $131,251.00
- Ashburn Police 1 $124,157.00
- Garden City 2 $307,738.00
- Roberta Police 1 $83,163.00
- Cordele Police 1 $133,007.00
- Dublin Police 3 $418,872.00
- Tifton Police 2 $234,312.00
- Jesup Police 1 $138,286.00
- Moultrie Police 2 $278,186.00
- Marietta Police 6 $856,974.00
- Camden County 3 $346,545.00
- Winder, City of 2 $332,868.00
- Statesboro 3 $437,775.00
- Carrollton 3 $498,333.00
- Homerville Police 1 $205,713.00
- LaGrange Police 4 $672,584.00
- Forest Park 3 $579,567.00
- Morrow, City of 2 $294,846.00
- Elberton Police 1 $140,057.00
- Bainbridge Police 2 $254,712.00
- Calhoun Police 2 $299,478.00
- Metter, City of 1 $123,203.00
- Vidalia Police 2 $258,014.00
- Valdosta Police 7 $1,055,957.00
- Monroe, City of 2 $290,932.00
- Americus, City of 2 $271,142.00
- Cedartown Police 2 $366,196.00
- Monticello Police 1 $121,636.00
- Buena Vista 1 $113,864.00
- East Dublin 1 $119,670.00
- Conyers Police 3 $409,728.00
- Eastman Police 1 $115,019.00
- Eatonton Police 1 $121,795.00
- Franklin, City of 1 $116,355.00
- Alma Police 1 $106,901.00
- Adairsville Police 1 $156,726.00
- LaFayette 1 $123,307.00
- Villa Rica 2 $321,516.00
The Justice Department, which is meting out the funds, says it received over 7200 applications from law enforcement agencies, asking for $8.3 billion in aid.
(WSB Radio) Our nation's emergency departments are places to receive treatment for injuries, but for thousands of nurses, emergency departments are the sources of injury.
A new study by the Emergency Nurses Association (ENA) finds that more than half of emergency nurses report experiencing physical violence on the job, including as being "spit on," "hit," "pushed or shoved," "scratched," and "kicked." One in four has experienced such violence more than 20 times in the past three years. Just as alarming, one in five nurses have experienced verbal abuse more than 200 times during the same period.
"People who work in helping professions shouldn't have to put their physical and emotional well-being on hold to do their jobs," said ENA President Bill Briggs, RN, MSN, CEN, FAEN. "Emergency nurses provide crucial health care services. Their departments and their hospitals depend on them being able to deliver high quality care. They can't do that if they're in danger of being verbally or physically abused."
More than half of the nurses surveyed for Violence Against Nurses Working in U.S. Emergency Departments, cited one or more of the following as precipitating factors when they experienced abuse: patients or visitors under the influence of alcohol or illicit drugs; psychiatric patients being treated in the emergency department; crowding; prolonged wait times; and shortage of emergency department nurses. Research indicates that such situations can cause frustration and feelings of vulnerability, which may result in physical and verbal abuse against emergency department staff.
More than two in three (67 percent) of emergency nurses rated their perception of safety in the emergency department at five or lower on a ten point scale and one in three said she or he had considered leaving her or his department or emergency nursing altogether because of the violence. Reports of violence were lowest among nurses in pediatric emergency departments and highest among nurses who worked night shifts and on weekends. Male emergency nurses were more likely than their female colleagues to indicate having experienced workplace violence.
The risk of experiencing workplace violence was lower for nurses who worked in facilities that had policies for reporting violence, facility responses to incidents, and hospital and emergency department administrations who were committed to eliminating workplace violence against emergency nurses.
The risk for experiencing violence was higher in facilities that had barriers to reporting violent incidents. Among those barriers are: the perception that reporting violent incidents might have a negative effect on customer service reports or scores; ambiguous policies for reporting incidents; fear of retaliation by emergency department management, hospital administration, nursing staff or physicians; the perception that reporting incidents was a sign of incompetence or weakness; lack of physical injury as a result of an incident; the attitude that violence is to be expected; and lack of support from administration and management.
The report includes several recommendations to reduce emergency department violence and address the barriers to reporting that violence when it does occur. They include:
· Ensuring that emergency department staff know that senior administration is aware of the issues and support efforts to prevent and mitigate violence.
· Encouraging nurse executives to take steps to make the department safe.
· Establishing a culture of acceptance for reporting violence incidents.
· Developing clear and consistent procedures for reporting violent incidents.
· Providing access to medical care and follow up counseling as needed for emergency department staff who are victims of workplace violence.
· Appointing an interdisciplinary task force to identify vulnerabilities in the emergency department and develop a plan for preventing, mitigating, responding to and reporting violence.
The report's authors also recommend federal and state laws to protect emergency department nurses from violence. Currently, laws protecting emergency nurses vary widely by state and several have no such laws.
Violence Against Nurses Working in U.S. Emergency Departments is published in the July/August issue of the Journal of Nursing Administration.
The ENA surveyed 3,465 emergency nurses nationwide. The 69-question survey was conducted online for one month in Spring 2007. The majority of respondents (87 percent) worked in general emergency departments; 64 percent worked as staff nurses and more than half (52 percent) worked a day shift. The mean years of emergency nursing experience among respondents was twelve. Nearly 84 percent of the respondents were women.
(WSB Radio) Gwinnett County police responding to a noise complaint on Purcell Road, never dreamed they'd stumbled upon a possible strip club.
Corporal David Schiralli says they found a party full of minors who ran off when they arrived at the home on Purcell Road.
"The officers that did respond did have what appeared to him to be some sort of gentleman's club or strip club being conducted at that time," said Schiralli.
20-year-old Lester Ramirez told officers there were dancers in the garage/basement area and she was selling Jello shots for a dollar.
Ramirez was found with marijuana. The owner, Constance Trahan, has been charged with maintaining a disorderly house, a misdemeanor.
(WSB Radio) Despite Georgia's highest unemployment rate ever, metro Atlanta has seen 3400 jobs created so far this year, nearly as much as predicted for the entire year.
"It's no consolation to those people who've lost jobs and we feel deeply for all of them, but the fact remains that this economic development effort that's going on is a key part of this recovery," says Kenneth Stewart, commissioner of the Georgia Department of Economic Development.
He says 34 new companies have located in metro Atlanta and nine existing one have expanded over the past year.
"We have everything from headquarters to manufacturing... from international to domestic ... large to small and every industry segment. That's like a personal diversified portfolio... giving us strength to weather storms," says Stewart.
And he says Georgia's workforce is its greatest asset , something verified by CNBC. The cable network ranked Georgia's workforce the best in the nation. In addition to workforce, Georgia scored highly in the cost of living category and transportation and infrastructure ranking.
Sam Williams, president of the Georgia Chamber of Commerce, says when deciding whether to locate here, businesses consider transportation, education, and water among their top quality of life concerns.
He says both the Metro and State Chambers of Commerce will push legislators to address all three in the upcoming session.
"Infrastructure is a critical part of economic development," says Williams.
ATLANTA (AP) The state Board of Education has approved flexibility for Georgia's school districts, paving the way for systems to furlough teachers and other employees three days this year and up to seven additional days in 2010.
The board voted Tuesday to allow districts to fall short of the 190 days the state requires educators to work each year. Gov. Sonny Perdue called last week for the state's 128,000 public school teachers to take three unpaid furlough days by the end of the calendar year.
The school districts are not required to enact the furloughs, but the state is cutting the sum of those days' salaries from the districts' funding. Most of the state's 180 school districts are expected to go along with the furloughs.
Atlanta Public Schools Superintendent Beverly Hall said in an e-mail to staff Monday evening that, ``At this time, we will not be furloughing teachers.''
She said that she hopes the state's economy ``continues on the path to recovery eliminating the need for additional budget cuts.''
Two of the state's other largest districts Cobb and DeKalb counties also are finding other ways to make up the funding cut rather than furloughing teachers.
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
(WSB Radio) Gwinnett County police responding to a noise complaint on Purcell Road, never dreamed they'd stumbled upon a possible strip club.
Corporal David Schiralli says they found a party full of minors who ran off when they arrived at the home on Purcell Road.
"The officers that did respond did have what appeared to him to be some sort of gentleman's club or strip club being conducted at that time," said Schiralli.
20-year-old Lester Ramirez told officers there were dancers in the garage/basement area and she was selling jello shots for a dollar.
Ramirez was found with marijuana. The owner, Constance Trahan, has been charged with maintaining a disorderly house, a misdemeanor.
July 28, 2009
Massaquoi, the 50th overall selection in the NFL draft, agreed to terms on Tuesday, the Browns announced.
Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Massaquoi ranked fourth on the school list at Georgia, where he recorded 158 catches for 2,282 yards and 16 touchdowns. He also was a first-team All-Southeastern Conference and Academic All-SEC member in 2008.
The Browns signed their first-round pick, center Alex Mack, last weekend.
Cleveland has only one unsigned draft choice, Brian Robiskie, an Ohio State receiver taken in the second round.
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
A five foot block of concrete disintegrated onto a couple of cars in an Alpharetta parking deck Tuesday afternoon.Fire department officials say no one was hurt and they describe the damage to a Jeep and an SUV as minor.
"It was concrete that had fallen," said George Gordon of the Alpharetta Department of Public Safety. " It's not anywhere near a joint or where bolts would be. The concrete just became dislodged for some reason."
Engineers will determine what caused the concrete to fall. The garage has been deemed structurally safe, and is open to traffic.
The garage is adjacent to the Northside Hospital Medical Building in Alpharetta at 3400 Old Milton Parkway.
Firefighters say there had been some repair work done on that part of the garage.
(WSB Radio) DeKalb Police have arrested a man believed to be responsible for a multimillion dollar Ponzi scheme. Among his victims? His own parents.
Anthony Ray was taken into custody in connection with an ongoing Real Estate investment scheme that, police say, bilked as many as 30 people out of a total of about $5 million.
Police first got wind of the scheme when Ray's parents paid them a visit in July of last year.
"They said they were victims and had lost a lot of money," says DeKalb Police Lieutenant Myron Logan. "They said, unfortunately, the suspect was their son."
According to investigators, Ray was operating out of various offices in metro Atlanta, including the Pinnacle Building, on Peachtree Road; 830 Oakview Road, in Decatur; and 2801 Candler Road, in Decatur.
Police say Ray's business operated under the name of the Key Funding Group for four years.
Logan says Ray used the depressed housing market as a premise for the scheme, taking in money from his victims and promising to buy up houses for low costs, then turning them around for sale at a profit.
Ray has been charged with operating a Ponzi scheme, financial identity fraud, theft by deception and mortgage fraud.
Logan says police are hoping to recover some of the money lost by Ray's victims, including his parents.
"They're hurt, shock and devastated, all at the same time," Logan tells WSB. "Most Ponzi schemes require a lot of time and trust and getting to know your victims. You can't put a pricetag on trust."
He is being held in the DeKalb County jail on $980,000 bond.
A total of $1 billion in funds is being distributed to 1046 law enforcement agencies across the country, with $31 million of the grants coming here.
The money will be used by police departments and sheriff's departments to hire and train new law enforcement personnel.
The money was announced Tuesday in Washington, D.C., by Vice President Joe Biden and U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder. The funding will pay for the officers' salaries and benefits for three years.
A total of 48 departments in Georgia will split the funding, with Atlanta receiving the bulk. The city police department will received $11.2 million to hire 50 new officers.
DeKalb County will get $3.1 million for 15 new hires, while Fulton County will be able to take on 7 new cops with its $1.2 million in grants.
The agencies in Georgia getting the funds, along with the number of officers to be hired and the amount in grants are:
- Atlanta, City of 50 $11,209,300.00
- Helen, City of 1 $148,309.00
- Fulton County 7 $1,278,158.00
- Quitman Police 1 $105,709.00
- DeKalb County 15 $3,112,845.00
- Albany Police 9 $1,384,092.00
- Clayton County 5 $862,035.00
- Macon, City of 14 $1,700,160.00
- Douglasville 4 $709,688.00
- Riverdale Police 2 $288,150.00
- Tennille, City of 1 $131,251.00
- Ashburn Police 1 $124,157.00
- Garden City 2 $307,738.00
- Roberta Police 1 $83,163.00
- Cordele Police 1 $133,007.00
- Dublin Police 3 $418,872.00
- Tifton Police 2 $234,312.00
- Jesup Police 1 $138,286.00
- Moultrie Police 2 $278,186.00
- Marietta Police 6 $856,974.00
- Camden County 3 $346,545.00
- Winder, City of 2 $332,868.00
- Statesboro 3 $437,775.00
- Carrollton 3 $498,333.00
- Homerville Police 1 $205,713.00
- LaGrange Police 4 $672,584.00
- Forest Park 3 $579,567.00
- Morrow, City of 2 $294,846.00
- Elberton Police 1 $140,057.00
- Bainbridge Police 2 $254,712.00
- Calhoun Police 2 $299,478.00
- Metter, City of 1 $123,203.00
- Vidalia Police 2 $258,014.00
- Valdosta Police 7 $1,055,957.00
- Monroe, City of 2 $290,932.00
- Americus, City of 2 $271,142.00
- Cedartown Police 2 $366,196.00
- Monticello Police 1 $121,636.00
- Buena Vista 1 $113,864.00
- East Dublin 1 $119,670.00
- Conyers Police 3 $409,728.00
- Eastman Police 1 $115,019.00
- Eatonton Police 1 $121,795.00
- Franklin, City of 1 $116,355.00
- Alma Police 1 $106,901.00
- Adairsville Police 1 $156,726.00
- LaFayette 1 $123,307.00
- Villa Rica 2 $321,516.00
The Justice Department, which is meting out the funds, says it received over 7200 applications from law enforcement agencies, asking for $8.3 billion in aid.
The hospital's board is set to vote on the cost-cutting measures Tuesday morning. The moves include reducing weekend pay for nurses, increasing employees' share of their health insurance and cutting 15 to 20 workers.
Larry Webb, senior vice president and chief financial officer of the hospital's parent company, Athens Regional Health Services, says job cuts would be steeper without the reductions in spending. The hospital employees 2,500 full-time workers and 500 part-time employees.
Its expenses totaled more than $413 million this year.
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
Police say Luis Mesqueda Hernandez was caught on security cameras sneaking into the women's bathroom at the store Sunday afternoon and using his cell phone to take photos of a woman. The store's security officers detained Hernandez until police arrived.
The woman told police she did not notice Hernandez was in the bathroom.
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
(WSB Radio) Don't run a red light if you're driving in Duluth.
The city is reactivating three red light cameras, just 4 months after turning them off. When the cameras were shut down, city officials cited the budget, saying the cameras were not paying for themselves.
The Duluth City Council has now voted to get the cameras back up and running, this after reaching an agreement that will cost less to operate them.
The three cameras, which watch over the north, south and westbound sides of the Pleasant Hill Road-Peachtree Industrial Boulevard intersection, will begin operating, again, by September 1.
(WSB Radio) Atlanta police call it a case of self-defense.
Investigators say 24 year old Matthew Hunt had gone to his ex-girlfriend's apartment on Lenox Road Monday afternoon and, upon arriving, confronted her new boyfriend when he arrived.
They struggled, then the new boyfriend went into the apartment, got a gun and shot Hunt.
Hunt died later at Grady Hospital.
Charges are not expected against the current boyfriend.
Police say Hunt had recently gotten out of jail and had a history with his ex-girlfriend.
(WSB Radio) There's more bad news for the Georgia Department of Transportation.
A new report from the state inspector general accuses the department's former treasurer of abusing his authority through creative accounting.
Governor Perdue is comparing it to the way the books were cooked at Enron. He's urging the Attorney General to follow up on the inspector's report.
The state auditor says a number of misstatements suggest "possible financial statement fraud."
The former treasurer, Earl Mahfuz, is accused in the report of telling his staff not to enter certain charges into the system.
Mahfuz was demoted to assistant treasurer last year.
(WSB Radio) Former Toccoa State Representative Jeannette Jamieson has been indicted on two counts of tax evasion.
The state revenue department claims Jamieson, who was defeated last year. failed to file state income tax returns the two previous years.
The indictment says that, in 2006, Jamieson had less than $62 withheld on her state income tax. Her income that year was approximately $127,000.
Each count of tax evasion carries a possible sentence of between 1 and 5 years in prison and a fine of up to $100,000.
The DeKalb County school board voted Monday to eliminate payments to retirement savings accounts for teachers and administrators rather than furlough employees. School district officials expect the move to save $26 million.
The plan cuts payments to the 100,000-student district's tax sheltered annuity from August through June. The district will continue to make payments to the state's pension system for educators
Cobb County schools announced last week the district would use money from its reserve fund rather than do furloughs.
The state is planning nearly $191 million in cuts this year to help make up a budget shortfall amid plummeting tax collections.
(WSB Radio) A Marietta woman believes the man who broke into her home intended to sexually assault her and her sister.
"I turned on the hallway light and I saw something move," says April Wright. "That was him. Next thing you know, he was coming towards me with a hammer."
She says she locked herself in her bedroom for safety and then started yelling.
"I went hysterical, screaming as loud as I could," Wright says. "I ran into my room. I was trying to lock the door, but he was trying to push his way through at the same time."
The intruder then went after her sister, who injured herself after she jumped out a window to escape.
Cobb County Police believe he is the same men who used a hammer to get a woman's purse down the street a short time later.
"Our detectives believe it's the same individual," says Cobb County Police Officer Joe Hernandez. "It was a very similar description given by the victims."
(WSB Radio) Atlanta police are investigating an overnight shooting that sent a sleeping man to Grady Hospital with a gunshot wound to the back.
Atlanta Police Detective David Coleman tells Channel 2 Action News the victim was shot around 2 o'clock this morning through the open bedroom window of a house on Lansing Street in southeast Atlanta.
Witnesses told police they heard someone yell "give it up" before a single shot was fired.
Investigators believe robbery was the motive for the shooting. Detectives have not been able to speak to the victim.
(WSB Radio) An Atlanta family on vacation, returns to find one of their family pets has been shot to death by a police officer.
Elizabeth Feichter tells WSB they were called by their alarm company that an alarm was going off at their Kirkwood home. That's when she called her dog sitter, who had been watching the two labs since they were puppies, to go by their house and make sure everything was okay.
An Atlanta police officer came to the home and determined that it was a false alarm. Elizabeth says she spoke with the officer who said he'd do a final check of the back yard before leaving. She was still on the phone with the pet sitter when the shooting occurred.
"All of a sudden, she said, Oh my God, he just shot her. And I couldn't quite understand - it was muffled and there were some weird sounds - and I said what do you mean he shot her, he shot who? And she just kept saying over and over again, he shot her. I could understand from a very confusing conversation with her, where she was very upset, that he had shot and killed our other dog," said Feichter.
The officer, who admitted he was scared of dogs after being attacked by a 110 pound Chow, shot Ciarra when it startled him in the back yard.
"She barked at the officer. She was confused, the alarm had been going off, and she just went out into our yard. As I understand it, he walked into our back yard, which is open, and I believe, was startled, and turned around, instantly pulled his weapon, and shot her without thinking," said Feichter.
She said the officer was visibly upset. He was leaning over the dog, stroking it, saying he was so sorry.
"I understand that there's an element of skittishness maybe. But, I think there are so many other alternatives to shooting a family pet. She's the furthest from an aggressive dog. She was very sweet, very timid and shy. We actually call her the sweet one - not that the other one isn't sweet - but she was just particularly sweet and sensitive and had such a kind soul," said Feichter.
She says shooting the six-year-old Lab mix was not the right decision.
"There are so many other alternatives. He could've yelled stop. He could've held up his hands, or he could've stepped two feet back and gone behind our garden fence, which was right there. He could've pulled out MACE and maced her, I don't care, or his club and waved it around. Any one of those things would've sent her running in the other direction. I understand from later conversations that the officer had been confronted by a dog in the past and was particularly fearful of animals. My reaction to that is just that I don't think he's in the right job then. You know, maybe he shouldn't be patrolling houses and answering calls where there is going to be family pets," said Feichter.
Feichter says this should never have happened and she hopes that it will never happen to anyone else.
"I'd like for the police to get training on this. It strikes me as bizarre that there aren't things in place, protocol and trainings in place, that teach officers who are obviously going to come into contact with family animals, the way to respond in a responsible way," said Feichter.
She says another thing that bothers her is that it was 9 o'clock in the morning and two shots were fired.
"We live beside a church and the parking lot was full of kids having a car wash and having a barbecue, and he shot in the direction of the church. Maybe he could control his bullets enough so that they go into my dog; but at the same time, he risked not only my housesitter and friend's life, but a whole entire church parking lot full of kids because he was afraid of a family pet," said Feichter.
The Atlanta Police Department, who says they are not doing any interviews, says they've opened an investigation into firearm usage. They also said an officer can draw his/her weapon when he or she has a reasonable belief that his or her life or a third party may be in jeopardy of being seriously injured, maimed, or killed.
This isn't an isolated case. Two other dogs were killed by officers in other metro Atlanta police departments under similar circumstances in recent months.
(WSB Radio) -- While crime statistics show Atlanta is a safer city, safe is the last word residents and some government officials would use to describe Atlanta.
Following the carjacking of colleague Caesar Mitchell over the weekend, Atlanta City Councilmember and Public Safety Committee Chair C-T Martin wants police to bring solutions to his meeting this afternoon.
"We've got to get control of our streets," Martin said.
Atlanta's zone five has reported 24 carjackings in the last six months including another incident over the weekend that took the life of welterweight boxer Vernon Forrest.
"After this weekend, we cannot afford to sit back and do nothing," said Rev. Timothy McDonald, head of Atlanta's Concerned Black Clergy.
The FBI Bureau of Crime Statistics reports violent crime in Atlanta down 8.3 percent from 2007 to 2008. Preliminary figures for 2009 indicate another 10 percent drop.
Following the city's violent weekend, citizens are hard pressed to see the decline.
"We need to stop reacting to crisis and get more involved in prevention," Martin said.
The public safety committee meets at 3pm.
Vick can immediately participate in preseason practices, workouts and meetings and can play in the final two preseason games if he can find a team that will sign him. A number of teams have already said they would not.
``Needless to say, your margin for error is extremely limited,'' Goodell said in a letter to Vick. ``I urge you to take full advantage of the resources available to support you and to dedicate yourself to rebuilding your life and your career. If you do this, the NFL will support you.''
Goodell suspended Vick indefinitely in August 2007 after the former Atlanta Falcons quarterback admitted bankrolling the ``Bad Newz Kennels'' dogfighting operation. Goodell said then that Vick must show remorse and signs that he has changed before he would consider reinstating him.
Once the season begins, Vick may participate in all team activities except games, and Goodell said he would consider Vick for full reinstatement by Week 6 (Oct. 18-19).
Goodell called a news conference for late Monday afternoon.
``I would like to express my sincere gratitude and appreciation to commissioner Goodell for allowing me to be readmitted to the National Football League,'' Vick said through agent Joel Segal. ``I fully understand that playing football in the NFL is a privilege, not a right, and I am truly thankful for the opportunity I have been given.
``As you can imagine, the last two years have given me time to re-evaluate my life, mature as an individual and fully understand the terrible mistakes I have made in the past and what type of life I must lead moving forward.
``Again, I want to thank the commissioner for the chance to return to the game I love and the opportunity to become an example of positive change.''
The announcement came after a busy first week of freedom for Vick, who met with union leaders and Goodell on consecutive days last week. His 23-month federal sentence ended when an electronic monitor was removed from his ankle early on July 20 at his home in Hampton, Va.
He met with DeMaurice Smith, executive director of the NFL Players Association, last Tuesday and, on Wednesday, he sat down with Goodell at a security firm in Allendale, N.J.
But his issues are far from over. Already, the owners of the New York Giants and New York Jets said they have no interest in the 29-year-old quarterback, who once was the league's highest-paid player.
Overall obesity-related health spending reaches $147 billion, double what it was nearly a decade ago, says the study published Monday by the journal Health Affairs.
The higher expense reflects the costs of treating diabetes, heart disease and other ailments far more common for the overweight, concluded the study by government scientists and the nonprofit research group RTI International.
RTI health economist Eric Finkelstein offers a blunt message for lawmakers trying to revamp the health care system: ``Unless you address obesity, you're never going to address rising health care costs.''
Obesity-related conditions now account for 9.1 percent of all medical spending, up from 6.5 percent in 1998, the study concluded.
Health economists have long warned that obesity is a driving force behind the rise in health spending. For example, diabetes costs the nation $190 billion a year to treat, and excess weight is the single biggest risk factor for developing diabetes. Moreover, obese diabetics are the hardest to treat, with higher rates of foot ulcers and amputations, among other things.
The new study's look at per-capita spending may offer a shock to the wallets of people who haven't yet heeded straight health warnings.
``Health care costs are dramatically higher for people who are obese and it doesn't have to be that way,'' said Jeff Levi of the nonprofit Trust for America's Health, who wasn't involved in the new research.
``We have ways of changing behavior and changing those health outcomes so that we don't have to deal with the medical consequences of obesity,'' added Levi, who advocates community-based programs that promote physical activity and better nutrition.
About a third of adult Americans are obese, and the obesity rate rose 37 percent between 1998 and 2006, the years covered by Monday's study.
Prescription drugs for obesity-related illnesses account for much of the rise in spending. Medicare spends about $600 more per year on prescriptions for an obese beneficiary than a normal-weight one, the study found.
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
(WSB Radio) A Marietta woman is safe after being forced to jump from her second floor balcony by an armed intruder.
Police say the man, who was wielding a hammer, broke into her apartment early this morning.
He got into the Delk Road apartment through an open window or door. Neither of the two women inside, sisters in their 20's, saw the man enter or leave.
One woman ran to the balcony and jumped. The other barricaded herself in her room.
The woman who jumped was taken to the hospital with minor injuries.
Cobb police don't know why the man broke in.
He's described as a light skinned black man with bushy hair, wearing a red shirt and blue pants.
The second-annual Southeastern United States-Canadian Provinces Alliance began Sunday and runs through Tuesday. Some 200 delegates from across the Southeast and Canada are expected to attend the conference, which is held in St. John's, Newfoundland.
Perdue said the conference is ``critically important'' in part because Canada is Georgia's top trading partner.
He said it will help the state ``form business connections and collaborations that will only improve the trade and investment relationship.''
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
The state's third largest school district, DeKalb, won a three-year, $1 million federal grant to help improve students' social studies test scores through professional development for teachers. Nearly 30 DeKalb County elementary, middle and high school teachers will be eligible to take history and education classes annually at the downtown Atlanta university.
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
(WSB Radio) The suspect in a domestic dispute in Fairburn is an East Point cop. So is the victim.
Fulton County police were called to the home at 7290 Connell Street, after the female officer went to a neighbor's house, looking for help.
"The female, off-duty police officer alleged that the male officer choked her, handcuffed her and held her against her will, at gunpoint, for approximately two hours," says Melissa Parker, with the Fulton County police.
When officers arrived the Connell Street house was vacant. Police finally tracked down Officer Jessie Lee Burden, Jr., in Spalding County.
He's been charged with aggravated assault, false imprisonment and battery.
Due to the nature of the crime, the victim's name has not been released.
Police say the two officers involved in the dispute are not married.
(WSB Radio) Three people are dead in a murder-suicide at a family gathering in East Point.
Officers responded to the home at 2867 Stone Road about 2:30 Saturday afternoon.
"The three individuals had suffered gunshot wounds in the backyard of this residence," says East Point Police Detective Cliff Chandler. "Included among them is a 12 year old child."
Chandler tells WSB, the victims also include the boy's 87 year old grandfather and 82 year old grandmother.
Authorities say 87-year-old George A. Doby shot and killed Jacob Doby first, before killing 82-year-old Moiselle "Edna" Doby and then himself.
Chandler says the couple's family was inside the home when they heard gunshots. They found the three bodies in the backyard.
It was the Doby's 57th wedding anniversary.
Officers are looking for motive and are not saying how many times each person was shot.
The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. was appointed receiver of the banks: six bank subsidiaries of Security Bank Corp., based in Macon.
The six Security banks had total assets of $2.8 billion and deposits of $2.4 billion as of March 31. State Bank and Trust Co., based in Pinehurst, Ga., has agreed to assume all of the banks' deposits and $2.4 billion of the assets, the FDIC said. In addition, the FDIC and State Bank and Trust signed an agreement to share losses on around $1.7 billion of the six banks' assets.
With the latest closings, 16 Georgia banks have failed this year, more than in any other state. Most of the failures have involved banks in the Atlanta area, where the collapse of the real estate market brought economic dislocation.
The 64 bank failures nationwide this year compare with 25 last year and three in 2007.
(WSB Radio) Friends and other boxers are remembering Vernon Forrest, the former welterweight champion and U.S. Olympian who was shot and killed during a robbery in northwest Atlanta Saturday night.
Homicide detectives say Forrest, apparently, tried to catch the armed robber and was shot in the attempt.
"He lived by what he did and he died by what he did," says former heavyweight champ Evander Holyfield, a long time friend of Forrest's. "It was like no one was going to take advantage of him."
The suspects are described as two black males, driving a red Monte Carlo.
According to police, Forrest was putting air into a tire of his Jaguar near the intersection of Whitehall and McDaniel Streets when he was approached by the robbers.
Forrest also had a gun, pulled it and that led to a foot chase. During that chase, Forrest was shot in the head.
While Forrest made his living with his fists, his friends says it was his heart they will remember.
Forrest's longtime publicist says he was a humanitarian, "who always stood up for what he believed to be the fairness of life.''
"It was truly his calling," Kelly Swanson says of his work with children. "When he wasn't boxing, this was his full-time job. ... When they would see him, they would just light up, and some of them couldn't even talk. Vernon was very much involved. He'd have some of the kids over to his house on Sundays. They were part of his family."
"Vernon was one of the few decent people in boxing," says his promoter Gary Shaw. "I don't know what to say. I'm still in disbelief, I'm still in shock."
"He was a great fighter, a great champion," said Ken Hershman, vice president in charge of boxing at Showtime. "He was coming to the end of his career, but wasn't ready to hang 'em up. He still had a lot of life ahead of him."
Forrest, a native of Augusta, was 38.
There were tentative plans for a title fight against Sergio Martinez, perhaps in October, Shaw said. Plans for an August fight against Martinez were pushed back because of a rib injury, and the delay led the WBC to strip Forrest of his title.
(WSB Radio) Atlanta police are searching for the gunman who carjacked City Councilman Ceasar Mitchell early Sunday morning.
The carjacking was in northwest Atlanta, the same area where former boxing champion Vernon Forrest was shot and killed during a carjacking attempt.
Police are trying to determine whether the two crimes are connected.
Mitchell had his car taken, at gunpoint, on the 1000 block of Lena Street, at about 2 o'clock Sunday morning. The car was recovered two hours later.
Mitchell was not injured during the robbery.
(WSB Radio) Cobb County has decided to absorb the loss and not furlough any teachers this year.
Not so for Gwinnett, however.
The largest school district in the state, says they cannot absorb a $12 million loss in revenue.
So, School System Spokeswoman Sloan Roach tells Channel 2 Action News teachers and bus drivers will be furloughed during days when no students would be at school. For teachers, two days of the week are during planning before school begins and one staff development day in October.
School districts across metro Atlanta are trying to figure out if they have enough money to avoid teacher furloughs.
Last week, Governor Sonny Perdue announced school funding cuts that amount to three furlough days.
(WSB Radio) Cobb police make three more arrests in the case of a Sprayberry High School cheerleader charged with stealing $150 from a group of children, one of whom was in a wheelchair.
The victims, ages nine to 11, were selling t-shirts and hats for the 4th of July at their neighborhood pool when they say 17-year-old Chelsea Steele struck up a conversation with them and then took off with the cash box.
Police say the other three girls,18-year-old Alexa Michalski, 18-year-old Katy Leathers and a 16-year-old, distracted the children as Steele took the money.
Joe Green, father of two of the children, tells WSB 's Sandra Parrish he's not upset that it's taken police three weeks to make the additional arrests.
"I'm not really upset that it's taken so long, I guess I'm more upset that the girls didn't own up to it in the beginning," he says.
Michalski and Leathers will be charged as adults and bond has been set at $15,000. The 16-year-old will be charged as a juvenile.
(WSB Radio) Former boxing champion and U.S. Olympian Vernon Forrest was shot and killed in an attempted carjacking in the Mechanicsville community, a police spokesperson said.
Lt. Keith Meadows with the Atlanta police department told WSB Radio, Forrest was putting air in the tires of his Jaguar around 11 p.m. Saturday at a gas station on White Hall St. at McDaniel St. Investigators said at least two men jumped out of a red Chevrolet Monte Carlo and tried to steal Forrest's car. The boxer had a gun and started running after the suspects.
"The victim and suspect became involved in a brief foot chase," Lt. Meadows said. "At some point, gunfire was exchanged between the two of them. The victim was shot at least once in the head."
Lt. Meadows said Forrest was shot 7 or 8 times by two semi-automatic weapons. Investigators said they are talking to several witness.
"At this point we have a general description of at least two black males driving a red Monte Carlo." Lt. Meadows said.
Police don't think the suspects knew Forrest, 38, was a professional boxer. His girlfriend's young son was in the car at the time of the shooting. Family members are flying in from Texas to pick up the child, Lt. Meadows said. He is in police custody and is unharmed.
Forrest, who lived in Atlanta, was a member of the 1992 U.S. Olympic team in Barcelona, Spain. He was best known for two WBC welterweight wins against Sugar Shane Mosley in 2002. Forrest, nicknamed the Viper, beat Sergio Mora for the WBC junior middleweight title in September.
The Augusta, Ga. native was stripped of his WBC belt in May because of a rib injury. He was supposed to fight Sergio Martinez on August 1st. His career record was 41-3 with 29 knockouts.
(WSB Radio) A 3-year old girl who disappeared while camping with her family has been found in Lumpkin County, authorities said.
Darren Martin with the Lumpkin County sheriff's office told WSB Radio Brianna Guthrie was found ok. He did not have any details. She was camping Saturday in an area near the Chestatee River and Copper Mines Road. It's about five miles outside Dahlonega in northeast Lumpkin County. She was reported missing around 5:15 p.m.
"The family was eating and actually doing some dredging in the water." Martin said. "Everyone (was) doing their own thing and the three year old wandered off for no apparent reason."
Martin said it doesn't appear Guthrie was kidnapped.
"We've got the Chestatee River that runs through," Martin said. "It's a heavily wooded area. The copper mines are indeed what they say. They're several mines and shafts that make it a dangerous area that we are dealing with."
ATLANTA (AP) Gov. Sonny Perdue has given final clearance for three Georgia transportation projects that will be covered by $8.6 million in federal stimulus funds.
The projects certified Friday include more than $4.2 million for bridges on State Road 7/U.S. 41 at Giddens Mill Creek in Cook County. Also approved are intersection improvements at Strickland Street and Old Alma Road in Pierce County and State Roads 18/109 at 74 in Pike County.
Perdue said the money obtained through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act improves the state's transportation while putting Georgians to work.
The projects are expected to begin sometime this fall.
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP) Four people died Saturday when a pickup truck going the wrong way on Interstate 95 collided head on with a minivan headed from New York to Florida, the Georgia State Patrol said.
The patrol said southbound lanes were closed for about four hours after the accident around 6:30 a.m. in Richmond Hill, south of Savannah.
Trooper Chris Cuddington said the pickup was headed north in the center southbound lane. The accident was under investigation, but ``alcohol is going to be a factor,'' Cuddington said.
The truck driver, Michael Delph, 28, of Clemson, S.C., and the female driver and two men in the minivan were killed, the trooper said.
He identified them as Michelle Carryl, 41, of Apopka, Fla., and passengers Cyril Millington, 59, of Queens, N.Y., and Dwight Spencer, about 19, of Apopka.
Carryl's children, a 15-year-old boy and girls 9 and 13 were taken to Memorial Health University Medical Center in Savannah. They were expected to survive their injuries, Cuddington said.
He said Delph's mother lives in Phenix City, Ala.
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. (AP) In 43 seasons in the NFL, the Atlanta Falcons have had only 10 winning campaigns and never two in a row.
Reaching that modest goal consecutive seasons above .500 is the task that falls to second-year quarterback Matt Ryan. As a rookie, he led the Falcons to a surprising 11-5 record in 2008.
Ryan has heard much about Atlanta's long history of futility. All he asks is that he and the 2009 team not be judged on that inglorious past.
``What's done is done. The past is kind of the past,'' he said. ``Our focus is on just trying to be the team that we feel we can be.''
Ryan and the Falcons open training camp on Saturday with a team that will have five new starters on defense, but looks deep and balanced on offense, thanks in part to the addition of 10-time Pro Bowl tight end Tony Gonzalez.
As for Ryan, he started every game last season, passing for 3,440 yards and 16 touchdowns and winning NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year.
There is ample talent surrounding Ryan on offense. Michael Turner rushed for 1,699 yards and 17 touchdowns in his 2008 breakout season. Jerious Norwood gives the Falcons depth at running back. Roddy White caught 88 passes for 1,382 yards and seven touchdowns and Michael Jenkins added 50 catches for 777 yards.
And now Ryan has Gonzalez, who gives the offense a receiving threat over the middle of the field, making it more difficult for defenses to load up against the run or place an extra defensive back on White.
``I think we set a certain standard for ourselves,'' said Ryan of last year's success. ``And with the experience we had last year I think we did a pretty good job, but I think the bar has raised. We have to feel like we have to go out there and play better than we did last year because what we did as an offense wasn't good enough to get us where we ultimately want to go.''
The Falcons lost in the first round of the playoffs to Arizona last year, so added winning a playoff game to the list of goals.
The lack of sustained success has been especially painful in the last decade.
In 1998 the Falcons finished 14-2 in the regular season and made it to their only Super Bowl, but they fell back to 5-11 in 1999.
In 2002, Michael Vick led Atlanta to a 9-6 record and a playoff win at Green Bay, but again the Falcons fell back to 5-11 the following year.
In 2004, coach Jim Mora's Falcons won the NFC South with an 11-5 record. The goal of back-to-back winning seasons seemed to be a lock when the Falcons were 6-2 midway through the 2005 season, but a 2-6 collapse in the second half left the team 8-8.
The key to ending the pattern may be on defense. Gone are linebackers Keith Brooking and Michael Boley, defensive tackle Grady Jackson, safety Lawyer Milloy and cornerback Domonique Foxworth.
The Falcons' first two draft picks, defensive tackle Peria Jerry and safety William Moore, could earn starting jobs in training camp.
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
HOOVER, Ala. (AP) Joe Cox might not become the next Matthew Stafford, a top draft pick now enjoying NFL riches.
Georgia's new starting quarterback would happily settle for being the latest incarnation of D.J. Shockley, a guy who patiently waited his turn and then took advantage of it four years ago.
``I would love to have a chance like D.J. had to play for an SEC championship,'' said Cox, a senior with one college start under his belt. ``Obviously I would like to do exactly what he did during that season as far as preparation and how he handled everything.
``It's kind of scary how similar our situations are.''
Also frightening for fans and coaches is just how many new starters the Southeastern Conference could have at quarterback. Sure, Florida has Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow. Mississippi is led by Jevan Snead, a one-time Texas Longhorn projected as a potential No. 1 overall pick like Stafford.
Beyond them, there are no proven stars.
Nine SEC teams, including Alabama and LSU, figure to either have new starters or loads of competition in fall camp or both.
It makes for intriguing if unsettling situations around the league when teams open practice in the next couple of weeks.
At Arkansas, Bobby Petrino has Tyler Wilson vying with 6-foot-7 Ryan Mallett, a one-time starter as a freshman at Michigan who tight end D.J. Williams said has ``the strongest arm in college football.''
``He's going to be a great quarterback to watch this year,'' Williams said.
But Petrino points out the importance of experience for a quarterback, especially when it comes to eluding the tough, fast defenses in the SEC.
``I think it's very critical just to experience the speed,'' said Petrino, who has worked with such quarterbacks as Jason Campbell, Chris Redman and Jake Plummer. ``You go out there and you practice and you can throw the ball, but until you understand how fast those defensive rush men are going to be getting to you, how you can train yourself to keep your vision downfield when things are flashing in front of you and moving in front of you, you really don't have any idea what it's like.''
South Carolina (Stephen Garcia) and LSU (Jordan Jefferson) both are expected to start sophomores, who gained an idea of what it's like last season.
Jefferson flashed plenty of potential in leading the Tigers to a 38-3 rout of Georgia Tech in the Chick-fil-A Bowl.
``The kid played a phenomenal game,'' LSU offensive lineman Ciron Black said. ``He really stepped up to the challenge. When Jordan got his chance, he really showed up. He's got to step up to the challenge again.''
Garcia takes over for Steve Spurrier, who hopes the troublesome quarterback will adopt an approach more along the lines of Tebow's preparation and commitment.
``That's a commitment level that (Tebow) has that is unmatched by any other player probably in the nation,'' Spurrier said.
Auburn has the potential for a three- or four-man race, though Kodi Burns and Neil Caudle are the front-runners.
``We'd like to get that cleared up, but the fact of the matter is it's not,'' Tigers coach Gene Chizik said. ``It's wide open.''
Tennessee also has holdovers Jonathan Crompton and Nick Stephens vying to run an offense that ranked 115th out of 119 major college teams last season.
``We've got a great quarterback competition to look forward to,'' Volunteers coach Lane Kiffin said.
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
WASHINGTON (AP) Robert Gates is on a roll. Question is, how long will it last?
The politically savvy defense secretary scored big legislative wins when the Senate voted convincingly to end production of the high-priced F-22 jet fighter and killed an aircraft engine project that he says isn't needed.
Gates, a Republican holdover from the Bush administration, is on a campaign to change the way the Pentagon does business. In his sights are unnecessary or financially troubled weapons that siphon money away from the troops and gear required for irregular wars now being fought in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Yet getting Capitol Hill to go along with further deep cuts to big-ticket programs remains a huge challenge as lawmakers claw to protect the jobs these projects create in their states and districts. Others have serious disagreements with the Obama administration's strategic choices.
Case in point: House lawmakers want to spend hundreds of millions of dollars for equipment Gates doesn't want, including more than $400 million for the VH-71 presidential helicopter that the Pentagon wants canceled for being behind schedule and vastly over budget.
``It's the rarest occasion when a mature weapons system, with all the contracts and subcontracts, is terminated by the Congress of the United States,'' Republican Sen. John McCain, who voted in favor of killing the F-22, said recently.
Those hoping the defense budget will be purged of Cold War-style weapons look to be disappointed.
Iran and North Korea are perceived threats in the short run, and superpowers China and Russia still loom as potential threats over time. That means the U.S. arsenal will remain loaded with aircraft carriers, ballistic missiles, nuclear submarines, tanks and long-range bombers like the durable B-52 of Cold War-vintage.
What Gates wants is a better balance between the heavy weapons for a large-scale war and the needs of ground troops going into their ninth year of combat against unconventional foes. For too long, he and his senior advisers have argued, those pressing demands have taken a back seat.
``It would be nice to win our current wars,'' Michael Vickers, the Pentagon's top special operations official, said Thursday.
The grounding of the $65 billion F-22 program that played out last week was aided by special circumstances, according to defense policy analysts.
The Obama White House used substantial political capital to stop F-22 production at 187 aircraft, threatening to veto any legislation that included money for more new planes. It's unlikely such an effort will often be repeated given the stuttering economy, health care reform and other serious challenges the administration needs Capitol Hill's help with.
``They've got bigger fish to fry,'' said Loren Thompson of the Lexington Institute in Arlington, Va.
Lockheed Martin, the large and influential defense contractor that makes the F-22, didn't lobby to keep the production line open. That's perhaps because the company also builds the F-35, an aircraft built for ground attack missions that Gates says is better suited for the uncertainties of unconventional warfare.
The Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps plan to buy more than 2,400 F-35s.
And the Air Force's top leadership, which backed Gates on the F-22, may not be so cooperative with other moves to drop major weapons from its budget.
``It's very hard for the stars to align in a constellation that allow a hardware program to be terminated,'' said Gordon Adams, a former Clinton administration budget official who specializes in defense issues. ``They just happened to align very nicely here.''
Aside from its reputation as the world's most advanced jet fighter, the F-22 has strong backing in Congress because hundreds of companies in dozens of states are involved in its production. The most prominent are Georgia, Texas, California and Connecticut.
The Senate's decision on the F-22 isn't the final word. There's a push in the House of Representatives to buy more planes. But Rep. David Obey, chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, has indicated the fight is all but over.
``I am considerably dubious about moving forward to fund the F-22 in light of the administration's opposition to it,'' he said Wednesday.
Obey's committee, though, has challenged Gates' recommendations on several other projects.
Its version of the 2010 defense budget includes money for the presidential helicopter, $674 million for the Air Force's C-17 cargo jet, nine additional F-18 Super Hornet fighter jets, and $560 million for an alternative F-35 engine a project the Senate also voted to end as Gates wanted.
The helicopter money was sought primarily by Rep. Maurice Hinchey, D-N.Y., whose congressional district includes a Lockheed Martin Corp. factory where the aircraft are being assembled.
Lawmakers defend the moves, saying the Defense Department is being too quick to shut down programs U.S. taxpayers have invested heavily in. Close to $3.2 billion has been spent on the presidential helicopter and another $2.5 billion on the reserve engine, they say.
``You can't keep spending (money) on research and not get anything out of it,'' said Rep. John Murtha, D-Pa.
Gates would need at least two full terms as defense secretary to curb the influence Congress wields over the military's procurement system, said Thompson of the Lexington Institute.
``You're not going to take politics out of the way we buy weapons,'' Thompson said.
It may be different story inside the Pentagon, said William Nash, a retired Army general and a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations in Washington.
It is significant that Gates, backed by President Barack Obama's veto threat, didn't strike a back room deal and allow a few more planes to be built to mollify F-22 proponents in Congress, he said.
Top military leaders ``saw that the secretary of defense and the president of the United States, having drawn a line, stuck with it,'' Nash said. ``That will bring a discipline, I think, into the building.''
On the Net:
Defense Department: http://www.defenselink.mil/
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
(WSB Radio) Cobb police make three more arrests in the case of a Sprayberry High School cheerleader charged with stealing $150 from a group of children, one of whom was in a wheelchair.
The victims, ages nine to 11, were selling t-shirts and hats for the 4th of July at their neighborhood pool when they say 17-year-old Chelsea Steele struck up a conversation with them and then took off with the cash box.
Police say the other three girls,18-year-old Alexa Michalski, 18-year-old Katy Leathers and a 16-year-old, distracted the children as Steele took the money.
Joe Green, father of two of the children, told WSB 's Sandra Parrish he's not upset that it's taken police three weeks to make the additional arrests.
"I'm not really upset that it's taken so long, I guess I'm more upset that the girls didn't own up to it in the beginning," he says.
Michalski and Leathers will be charged as adults and bond has been set at $15,000. The 16-year-old will be charged as a juvenile.
MILWAUKEE (AP) Yovani Gallardo and Tommy Hanson dueled nearly to a draw on the mound. It was Gallardo's bat that proved to be the difference.
Gallardo's single bounced over Chipper Jones at third base to drive in the only run Milwaukee needed off the previously unbeaten Hanson in the Brewers' 4-0 win over the Atlanta Braves on Saturday night.
With runners on the corners and one out in the fifth, Gallardo (9-7) squared to bunt on the first slider Hanson threw with no success before manager Ken Macha took off the sign.
``It was pretty exciting,'' Gallardo said after Macha's decision. ``It was kind of hard to bunt that first pitch he threw me.''
Instead, Gallardo, who scattered four hits in 7 1-3 scoreless innings, chopped the next pitch from Hanson over the drawn-in Jones to break open a scoreless game, giving the struggling Brewers a boost of confidence in a miserable July.
Milwaukee had lost 13 of 19 to fall from first to fourth in the NL Central, but Gallardo drove in the winning run for the third time this season after April homers were the difference against San Francisco's Randy Johnson and Pittsburgh's Ian Snell earlier this year.
``You always can help yourself out,'' Gallardo said. ``I was trying to put the ball in play and hopefully hit a fly ball deep enough to score the guy from third. I wasn't planning on hitting one over Chipper's head.''
Gallardo's recent performances matched the Brewers' slide and he said he tweaked his mechanics to keep from lunging forward off the mound after starting July 0-3 with a 5.09 ERA.
Hanson (5-1) came in looking for the best start by a Braves rookie since Larry McWilliams won his first seven decisions in 1978, and the duel between two of the NL's most promising young pitchers didn't disappoint.
Gallardo worked around runners in scoring position in the third, fourth and fifth innings by inducing grounders to get out of each jam. Brewers second baseman Felipe Lopez, acquired in a trade last week from Arizona, snagged the sharpest shot from Martin Prado to end the fifth instead of bringing Jones to the plate.
``Gallardo was outstanding. The guy pitched a great game. We had a couple of chance and that's all we got,'' Braves manager Bobby Cox said. ``Prado hit a bullet right at Lopez. If that gets through, with Chipper and (Brian) McCann coming up, that was kind of the turning point for the offense.''
Instead, the 23-year-old right-hander walked four and struck out six, leaving to a standing ovation in favor of Todd Coffey, who got the final two outs in the eighth.
Rookie Casey McGehee then drove in two insurance runs with a two-out, pinch-hit single in the bottom of the inning off Manny Acosta to make it 4-0 after Eric O'Flaherty was pulled when he walked the bases loaded with one out.
The 22-year-old Hanson lasted seven solid innings despite flulike symptoms.
Hanson, who gave up seven runs in his June 7 debut against the Brewers in a no-decision, said he'd lost 12 pounds this week because a severely sore throat limited him from eating. Tests were negative for strep throat and mononucleosis.
``He lost a lot of weight, but I think he was strong,'' Cox said. ``He's tough. He's not a quitter.''
In the fifth, Frank Catalanotto led off with a single, J.J. Hardy walked on four pitches and Jason Kendall's deep fly to center advanced Catalanotto to third to bring up Gallardo.
``We planned on bunting the ball to third base. They were alerted to that,'' Macha said. ``The second pitch, I let him go ahead and swing. For us, against that guy who'd been pitching extremely well, that was a big break through.''
Lopez then singled to load the bases and Hanson's only play on Craig Counsell's dribbler was to first, which scored Hardy to make it 2-0. That proved to be enough for Gallardo and the bullpen.
``It happens all the time,'' Hanson said of the two plays that turned into the only runs he allowed off nine hits and two walks. ``You would like for it not to go that way, but it did. You just have to deal with it and keep moving forward.''
NOTES: Plate umpire C.B. Bucknor received attention from Brewers trainer Roger Caplinger after taking a liner off his face mask on Gallardo's foul tip in the seventh, but stayed in the game. Gallardo followed with a single. ... Brewers RHP Seth McClung (elbow) was placed on the 15-day DL just before the game. RHP Tim Dillard was called up from Triple-A Nashville. ... The teams wore uniforms honoring Negro League teams from their respective cities the Atlanta Black Crackers (1919-52) and the Milwaukee Bears (1923).
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
(WSB Radio) If you need to get to Atlanta this weekend, go around.
That's the message from the state DOT. It's closing three northbound lanes of I-75 this weekend until 5 a.m. Monday to set beams for the new 17th Street off-ramp. It's part of the ongoing 14th Street bridge project. Only the HOV lane will be open.
The DOT says the best alternate is to take I-285 around the city.
The project continues in a couple of weeks when the DOT plans to repave a short stretch of the Connector north of 10th street. Paving will continue during the next ten weekend.
The delays are expected to be similar to those felt last summer when crews laid new asphalt on the Connector from University Ave. to 10th Street.
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) An Atlanta judge piloting a small airplane tried to reach an Alabama airport after the engine failed but crashed just minutes away from the runway, killing him and a passenger and hurting two others, according to a control tower recording released Friday.
Sanford Jones, a Fulton County juvenile court judge who was flying the Beech A-36TC to Georgia from the Florida Panhandle on May 15, hurriedly told controllers he needed a place to land after the engine went out on the six-seat aircraft.
``Give me the nearest airport, please,'' said Jones, 56.
The controller said the Auburn airport was about 13 miles to the northwest, and U.S. 80 was about a mile away.
``Are you going to be able to make it to the Auburn airport?'' asked a controller.
``... I hope so,'' he said quickly.
Jones radioed moments later that he could see the airport.
``... That's great,'' said the controller.
But another pilot soon reported seeing an apparent crash site and picking up an electronic emergency signal about 2 1/2 miles from the Auburn airport.
``... I have smoke in front of us,'' said the pilot, who wasn't identified in the recording, which was released by the Federal Aviation Administration.
A preliminary accident report released by the National Transportation Safety Board said the airplane slammed into trees and went down in a field. The report did not give a cause for the crash but said the aircraft still had fuel in its tanks.
The board will determine the likely cause of the crash later, a spokesman said.
Jones and Sasha Medina, 19, of Newnan, Ga., died in the crash. Sarah Conklin and Joshua Rumohr, both 18-year-olds from Newnan, were injured. The four knew each other from church in Newnan.
Authorities said Jones had flown the plane to Destin, Fla., to pick up the three teenagers, who had driven a car to the beach for someone. Jones was flying the plane back to Newnan when it developed engine trouble and went down in rural Beauregard.
The survivors told investigators the plane was flying at an altitude of 7,000 feet when Jones told them he was having engine problems, according to the report. The pilot tried to restart the engine, but it failed again after about 30 seconds.
The airplane crashed into trees and fell into a field. The survivors, neither of whom was seriously injured, climbed out the wreckage and called authorities on the cell phones.
Jones became a juvenile court judge in 1992 and was the presiding juvenile judge in Fulton County. He first got a pilot's license in 1985 and had more than 1,600 hours of flight time, according to the NTSB report.
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
ATLANTA (AP) In a disturbing new projection, health officials say up to 40 percent of Americans could get swine flu this year and next and several hundred thousand could die without a successful vaccine campaign and other measures.
The estimates by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are roughly twice the number of those who catch flu in a normal season and add greater weight to hurried efforts to get a new vaccine ready for the fall flu season.
Swine flu has already hit the United States harder than any other nation, but it has struck something of a glancing blow that's more surprising than devastating. The virus has killed about 300 Americans and experts believe it has sickened more than 1 million, comparable to a seasonal flu with the weird ability to keep spreading in the summer.
Health officials say flu cases may explode in the fall, when schools open and become germ factories, and the new estimates dramatize the need to have vaccines and other measures in place.
A world health official said the first vaccines are expected in September and October. The United States expects to begin testing on some volunteers in August, with 160 million doses ready in October.
The CDC came up with the new projections for the virus' spread last month, but it was first disclosed in an interview this week with The Associated Press.
The estimates are based on a flu pandemic from 1957, which killed nearly 70,000 in the United States but was not as severe as the infamous Spanish flu pandemic of 1918-19. The number of deaths and illnesses from the new swine flu virus would drop if the pandemic peters out or if efforts to slow its spread are successful, said CDC spokesman Tom Skinner.
``Hopefully, mitigation efforts will have a big impact on future cases,'' he said. Besides pushing flu shots, health officials might urge measures such as avoiding crowded places, handwashing, cough covering and timely use of medicines like Tamiflu.
Because so many more people are expected to catch the new flu, the number of deaths over two years could range from 90,000 to several hundred thousand, the CDC calculated. Again, that is if a new vaccine and other efforts fail.
In a normal flu season, about 36,000 people die from flu and its complications, according to the American Medical Association. That too is an estimate, because death certificates don't typically list flu as a cause of death. Instead, they attribute a fatality to pneumonia or other complications.
Influenza is notoriously hard to predict, and some experts have shied away from a forecast. At a CDC swine flu briefing Friday, one official declined to answer repeated questions about her agency's own estimate.
``I don't think that influenza and its behavior in the population lends itself very well to these kinds of models,'' said the official, Dr. Anne Schuchat, who oversees the CDC's flu vaccination programs.
The World Health Organization says as many as 2 billion people could become infected in the next two years nearly a third of the world population. The estimates look at potential impacts in a two-year period because past flu pandemics have occurred in waves over more than one year.
Swine flu has been an escalating concern in Britain and some other European nations, where the virus' late arrival has grabbed attention and some officials at times have sounded alarmed.
In an interview Friday, the WHO's flu chief told the AP the global epidemic is still in its early stages.
``Even if we have hundreds of thousands of cases or a few millions of cases ... we're relatively early in the pandemic,'' Keiji Fukuda said at WHO headquarters in Geneva.
The first vaccines are expected in September and October, Fukuda said. Other vaccines won't be ready until well into the flu season when a further dramatic rise in swine flu cases is expected.
First identified in April, swine flu has likely infected more than 1 million Americans, the CDC believes, with many of those suffering mild cases never reported. There have been 302 deaths and nearly 44,000 laboratory-identified cases, according to numbers released Friday morning.
Because the swine flu virus is new, most people haven't developed an immunity to it. So far, most of those who have died from it in the United States have had other health problems, such as asthma.
The virus has caused an unusual number of serious illnesses in teens and young adults; seasonal flu usually is toughest on the elderly and very young children.
Associated Press writer Frank Jordans in Geneva contributed to this report.
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
(WSB Radio) The Judicial Standards Council has voted in favor of new policy to balance security concerns with a person's right to practice religion in a public place.
The decision comes seven months after a Douglas County woman was ordered in contempt of court after she refused to remove her head scarf while she accompanied her nephew to court. Lisa Valentine tells Channel 2 Action News, who is Muslim, wears her head covering for religious reasons.
"I'm a Muslim, yeah, but you know, I'm human too and we deserve rights just like everyone else," said Valentine.
When she refused to move the head scarf, Douglasville Municipal Court Judge Keith Rollins had her taken away in handcuffs and ordered her to serve 10 days in jail.
"I said, it's ridiculous and it's b.s. and I did use the full term of the word because, you know, I was violated," said Valentine.
The story made national headlines and attracted attention from several civil rights groups.
The new policy, which takes effect immediately, requires a search of a person wearing a head covering for medical or religious reasons. The individual can have the inspection performed by a same-sex officer conducted in a private area. The person is then allowed to put his or her head covering back on following the investigation.
Valentine never had to serve the full ten days.
July 24, 2009
(WSB Radio) A Gwinnett County police officer has resigned after another employee informed the department that he was stealing.
Corporal David Schiralli tells WSB they immediately began an investigation of 47-year-old David Butler.
"During the course of that investigation, the officer in question decided to resign in lieu of termination," said Schiralli.
Schrialli would not comment on what Butler was accused of stealing.
"I can tell you that it was not anything that has to do with the property or evidence room. It had to do with the departmental property, stuff that is owned by the police department," said Schiralli.
Butler, who resigned as a Lieutenant, could still face criminal charges.
"At this time, we still have an active investigation, criminally and also departmental," said Schiralli.
July 24, 2009
DULUTH, Ga. (AP) Police have identified a suburban Atlanta police officer who fatally shot two women after she said one of them pointed a gun at her.
Gwinnett County police on Friday said Officer Lyndsey K. Perry on Tuesday shot 75-year-old Barbara Baker of Duluth and Baker's daughter, 51-year-old Penny Schwartz.
Autopsies released Friday showed that Schwartz was shot in both arms and twice in her side, and Baker was shot once in the chest.
Baker had called 911 shortly before 9 p.m. and said her daughter was threatening to kill herself. Perry responded to the call. Police say that as Baker was explaining to Perry that Schwartz had said she wanted to be killed by police, Schwartz came downstairs and pointed a gun at the officer.
Police have said Perry felt threatened and fired, hitting both women.
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
WASHINGTON (AP) Regulators on Friday shut six banks in Georgia, raising to 64 the number of federally insured banks to fail this year nationwide.
The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. was appointed receiver of the banks: six bank subsidiaries of Security Bank Corp., based in Macon, Ga.
The six Security banks had total assets of $2.8 billion and deposits of $2.4 billion as of March 31. State Bank and Trust Co., based in Pinehurst, Ga., has agreed to assume all of the banks' deposits and $2.4 billion of the assets, the FDIC said. In addition, the FDIC and State Bank and Trust signed an agreement to share losses on around $1.7 billion of the six banks' assets.
With the latest closings, 16 Georgia banks have failed this year, more than in any other state. Most of the failures have involved banks in the Atlanta area, where the collapse of the real estate market brought economic dislocation.
The 64 bank failures nationwide this year compare with 25 last year and three in 2007.
The six Security banks had a total of 20 branches, which will reopen during normal business hours starting Saturday as branches of State Bank and Trust, the FDIC said. They are: Security Bank of Bibb County, based in Macon; Security Bank of Houston County, based in Perry; Security Bank of Jones County, based in Gray; Security Bank of Gwinnett County, based in Suwanee; Security Bank of North Metro, based in Woodstock; and Security Bank of North Fulton, based in Alpharetta.
The FDIC estimates that the cost to the deposit insurance fund from the failure of the six Security banks will be $807 million.
As the economy has soured with unemployment rising, home prices tumbling and loan defaults soaring bank failures have cascaded and sapped billions out of the deposit insurance fund. It now stands at its lowest level since 1993, $13 billion as of the first quarter.
While losses on home mortgages may be leveling off, delinquencies on commercial real estate loans remain a hot spot of potential trouble, FDIC officials say. If the recession deepens, defaults on the high-risk loans could spike. Many regional banks hold large numbers of them.
The Treasury Department has launched a program in which financial firms will buy as much as $40 billion worth of banks' soured, mortgage-linked investments. That amount is far below the potential $1 trillion in assets that the government originally hoped to take off the banks' books through the program and another that would have targeted bad loans.
The problem assets helped spark the financial crisis as they lost value and banks became unable to sell them. They have been weighing down banks' balance sheets one reason the industry has had trouble providing the credit necessary to support an economic recovery.
The number of banks on the FDIC's list of problem institutions leaped to 305 in the first quarter the highest number since 1994 during the savings and loan crisis from 252 in the fourth quarter. The FDIC expects U.S. bank failures to cost the insurance fund around $70 billion through 2013.
The May closing of struggling Florida thrift BankUnited FSB is expected to cost the insurance fund $4.9 billion, the second-largest hit since the financial crisis began. The costliest was the July 2008 seizure of big California lender IndyMac Bank, on which the insurance fund is estimated to have lost $10.7 billion.
The largest U.S. bank failure ever also came last year: Seattle-based thrift Washington Mutual Inc. fell in September, with about $307 billion in assets. It was acquired by JPMorgan Chase Co. for $1.9 billion in a deal brokered by the FDIC.
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
MILWAUKEE (AP) Chipper Jones felt he let Javier Vazquez down after failing to break the game wide open with the bases loaded in the fourth.
Turns out, he just needed one more chance.
Jones hit a go-ahead homer in the sixth and Martin Prado and Nate McLouth also homered to pace a season-best 17-hit effort by Atlanta, lifting Vazquez and the surging Braves over the Milwaukee Brewers 9-4 on Friday night.
Vazquez struck out nine over seven innings, Prado hit a three-run homer in the third and McLouth a two-run insurance drive in the eighth for Atlanta (50-47), which has won seven of nine since the All-Star break.
``(I) was still seething over that bases-loaded, one-out strikeout,'' said Jones, who went 3 for 4 and reached base five times. ``I had a feeling that might come back to haunt us at some point.''
Vazquez (8-7) gave up four runs off seven hits and struck out home run derby champ Prince Fielder four times after Fielder had homered off him in their last meeting June 6.
``He's a great hitter, and I treat him like a great hitter,'' Vazquez said. ``He got me last time with the home run and I got him this time.''
Vazquez wasn't as sharp as his previous nine starts, allowing three walks and a two-run homer to Ryan Braun to tie it at 4 in the fifth before Jones answered off Carlos Villanueva (2-7).
``If we could just get Javy one more run, I think they had done the majority of their damage to get it tied up,'' Jones said. ``Once we got the run and he got through that inning, striking out Braun and Fielder in the seventh that was absolutely huge.''
Already up 1-0, Vazquez doubled off Brewers starter Manny Parra to start the third and McLouth walked.
Prado homered down the left-field line to make it 4-0 and added an RBI single in the ninth after coming into Friday's game with 31 hits in July to lead the majors.
``I don't think about that, I'm thinking that we're a team, we're playing as a team. That's the most important thing right now,'' Prado said. ``Somebody's going to step up.''
Parra, trying to build off two sharp starts following a month in the minors, worked out of a bases-loaded, one-out jam in the fourth by retiring Jones for the first time in six career at-bats. But the next time Jones came up against Milwaukee's bullpen would prove to be the difference with a line-drive homer off Villanueva to break a 4-4 tie.
Vazquez showed a momentary lack of control in the third with four-pitch walks to Jason Kendall and Braun after not allowing two total over his previous 23 innings. Craig Counsell's two-run double cut Atlanta's lead to 4-2 before Vazquez struck out Fielder and Casey McGehee to strand two.
``My command wasn't that good today,'' Vazquez said.
Braun's shot, his 19th this year, snapped a streak of 77 2-3 innings by Braves pitchers without allowing a home run, but that wouldn't be enough for Milwaukee, which has lost 13 of 19 and is fourth in the NL Central after entering July with a two-game lead. It's the first time since May 2 the Brewers (48-48) have been at .500.
In the seventh with a man in scoring position, Vazquez struck out Braun and got Fielder for the fourth time to end his night.
``I didn't make any contact. I don't know what else to say. Good swings, though,'' said Fielder, who went 0 for 4 with four strikeouts on opening day in 2006 when he was a rookie. ``I was hitting line drives to the catcher.''
Said Jones: ``That was a fluky night for Prince, but man, I'm glad he had it.''
McLouth added his homer moments later and Garret Anderson's RBI single made it 8-4.
``A lot of hits,'' Braves manager Bobby Cox said. ``Prado to put us way ahead, Chipper to get us back ahead and McLouth to ice it down for us.''
NOTES: Parra allowed four runs off 10 hits and three walks in five innings. ... Braves C Brian McCann went 0 for 6, the only starter who was hitless. ... Brewers GM Doug Melvin said his trade discussions have been quiet, but mentioned Toronto GM J.P. Ricciardi's decision to set a July 28 date for a deal to be in place for starter Roy Halladay was a good move. ``I'd rather do that before the deadline, too, and not play into that 'final deadline' stuff,'' Melvin said. ... Brewers owner Mark Attanasio is in town to talk trades, too, but said it's ``disruptive'' to float names.
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
LOS ANGELES (AP) E. Lynn Harris, a pioneer of gay black fiction and a literary entrepreneur who rose from self-publishing to best-selling status, has died, his publicist said Friday. He was 54.
Publicist Laura Gilmore said Harris died Thursday night after being stricken at the Peninsula Hotel in Beverly Hills, and a cause of death had not been determined. She said Harris, who lived in Atlanta, fell ill on a train to Los Angeles a few days ago and blacked out for a few minutes, but seemed fine after that.
Assistant Chief Coroner Ed Winter said only that a man matching Harris' name and date of birth had died Thursday night at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, which was confirmed by hospital spokeswoman Simi Singer. Gilmore said an autopsy would be performed Monday or Tuesday.
An improbable and inspirational success story, Harris worked for a decade as an IBM executive before taking up writing, selling the novel ``Invisible Life'' from his car as he visited salons and beauty parlors around Atlanta. He had unprecedented success for an openly gay black author and his strength as a romance writer led some to call him the ``male Terry McMillan.''
He went on to mainstream success with works such as the novel ``Love of My Own'' and the memoir ``What Becomes of the Brokenhearted.''
His writing fell into several genres, including gay and lesbian fiction, African American fiction and urban fiction. But he found success in showing readers a new side of African American life: the secret world of professional, bisexual black men living as heterosexuals.
``He was a pioneering voice within the black LGBT community but also resonated with mainstream communities, regardless of race and sexual orientation,'' said Herndon Davis, a gay advocate and a diversity media consultant in Los Angeles. ``Harris painted with eloquent prose and revealing accuracy the lives of African American men and the many complicated struggles they faced reconciling their sexuality and spirituality while rising above societal taboos within the black community.''
Harris published 11 novels, 10 of which were on The New York Times best-seller list. There are over 4 million copies of his books in print, according to his publisher, Doubleday.
``We at Doubleday are deeply shocked and saddened to learn of E. Lynn Harris' death at too young an age,'' said Doubleday spokeswoman Alison Rich, his longtime publicist. ``His pioneering novels and powerful memoir about the black gay experience touched and inspired millions of lives, and he was a gifted storyteller whose books brought delight and encouragement to readers everywhere.''
In an interview last year, Harris recalled the first time he realized he was poor, when as a young boy his family was invited to the housewarming of a well-to-do family in his hometown of Fayetteville, Ark. Fresh from an afternoon of playing outside, he tried desperately to tuck his bare, dusty feet underneath the sofa after another guest remarked on his appearance.
``I didn't grow up in the kind of environment that my characters grew up in, or the kind of environment that I live in now,'' he said. ``It was one of the things that I always aspired to.''
His 1994 debut, ``Invisible Life,'' was a coming-of-age story that dealt with the then-taboo topic.
``If you were African American and you were gay, you kept your mouth shut and you went on and did what everybody else did,'' he said. ``You had girlfriends, you lived a life that your parents had dreamed for you.''
Harris was not living as an openly gay man when ``Invisible Life'' was published, and could not acknowledge the parallels between himself and the book.
``People would often ask, 'Is this book about you?' I didn't want to talk about that,'' he said. ``I wasn't comfortable talking about it. I would say that this is a work of fiction.''
Harris said that the courage readers got from the book empowered him to be honest about himself. He continued to tell stories dealing with similar issues, to tell black middle class readers about people they knew, but who were living secret lives.
For years, he was alone in exposing the ``down low,'' but the phenomenon exploded into mainstream culture in 2004, a decade after ``Invisible Life.'' That year, J.L. King's ``On the Down Low: A Journey Into the Lives of 'Straight' Black Men Who Sleep With Men'' hit bookstores and the author appeared on Oprah Winfrey's TV show.
His 10th novel, ``Just Too Good to Be True,'' focused for the first time on a straight relationship, telling the story of a 21-year-old football star, his mother, and his cheerleader love interest. Harris taught writing classes at his alma mater, the University of Arkansas, and leaned on his students there to gather material for the book.
The last book Harris published, ``Basketball Jones,'' focused on a hidden relationship between a successful business professional in New Orleans and an NBA star.
Janis F. Kearney met Harris when the two were among a handful of black journalism students at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville. The two became fast friends and their relationship deepened as they both evolved into authors. Kearney, who now lives in Little Rock, Ark., recalled Harris' huge heart.
``I've seen him help so many people,'' Kearney said. ``He was very open, very giving, very caring, someone you felt so fortunate to have in your life. He's just one of those people I'll never stop missing.''
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
WASHINGTON (AP) Trying to tamp down an uproar over race, President Barack Obama said Friday he used an unfortunate choice of words in commenting on the arrest of black scholar Henry Louis Gates Jr. and could have ``calibrated those words differently.''The president said he had telephoned the white policeman who arrested Gates, and he said the conversation confirmed his belief that the officer was a good man and an outstanding officer.
The president caused a stir when he said at a prime-time news conference earlier this week that Cambridge, Mass., police had ``acted stupidly'' by arresting Gates, a friend of the president's, for disorderly conduct.
On Friday, Obama made an impromptu appearance at the daily White House briefing in an effort to contain the controversy. He said he continued to believe that the both the officer, Sgt. James Crowley, and Gates had overreacted during the incident, but the president also faulted his own comments.
``This has been ratcheting up, and I obviously helped to contribute ratcheting it up,'' he said. ``I want to make clear that in my choice of words, I think I unfortunately gave an impression that I was maligning the Cambridge police department and Sgt. Crowley specifically. And I could've calibrated those words differently.''
The incident began when police went to Gates' home last week after a passer-by reported a potential break-in. It turned out that Gates had tried to jimmy open his own door, which was stuck, and there was no intruder. Gates protested the police actions and was arrested, although the charges have since been dropped.
Two people familiar with the meeting confirmed the NFL commissioner, Vick, agent Joel Segal and two other members of the suspended quarterback's team met Wednesday at a security firm in New Jersey. The two people requested anonymity because the league has not acknowledged the meeting.
NFL spokesman Greg Aiello declined to confirm the meeting when contacted by The Associated Press on Thursday and insisted no decisions on Vick's future have been made.
``This is a serious matter,'' Aiello said in an e-mail. ``We are engaging in a careful and thoughtful process.''
Roger Goodell told the AP on Tuesday, a day after Vick was released from federal custody, that he hoped to make a decision ``in the near future.''
Goodell suspended Vick indefinitely in August 2007 after the former Atlanta Falcons quarterback admitted bankrolling the ``Bad Newz Kennels'' dogfighting operation. Goodell has said Vick must show remorse and signs that he has changed before he would consider reinstating him.
SI.com first reported the meeting at Buckley Petersen Global Inc. in Allendale.
Earlier Thursday, Vick's Virginia-based attorney Lawrence Woodward denied reports that Vick spent his first night of freedom at a Virginia Beach strip club.
``It is absolutely, categorically false,'' Woodward told the AP.
An Internet blogger reported Vick was seen at the strip club Atlantis on Monday night, hours after the electronic monitoring device he wore for two months under home confinement was removed. Woodward said Vick was not in Virginia Beach that night and was not at any strip club.
``He has been spending time with his family and friends and working with his advisers on legal matters and trying to get back to playing football,'' Woodward said.
Vick also denied the reports in an interview with the Daily Press of Newport News.
``That's crazy,'' he told his hometown newspaper. ``That is the last place on my mind. I was out of town. I guess it's just someone trying to be hurtful.''
Two dancers arriving at the club Thursday, who identified themselves as Tropical and Tara, said they did see Vick and NBA free agent Allen Iverson there Monday night.
Leon Rose, Iverson's agent, said the basketball star hasn't seen Vick since his release from prison.
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
The Gainesville-Hall County Animal Control Department captured a skunk Sunday that had come into contact with two dogs in the eastern part of the county. The skunk was shipped Tuesday to the lab-virology section of the Georgia Public Health Section in Decatur, where it was confirmed to be rabid.
Residents in the area where the skunk was found are advised to watch out for animals acting strangely. Any cases should be reported to animal control at 770-531-6830.
Information from: The Times, http://www.gainesvilletimes.com
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
(WSB Radio) It's enough to make you think twice about checking your bags when you fly.
Atlanta police are looking for a well-dressed crook who stole six suitcases from Hartsfield-Jackson Airport.
The thefts were this week and passengers were left searching for luggage that had vanished. That is until the bags turned up at a local hotel.
Daryl Fox waited at the baggage claim area after getting home from a trip to Dallas. She waited for an hour, only to discover her bag had been stolen. She then received a call from the Hyatt Regency, telling her that some of her things were there.
"They actually found six large trash bags, full of clothing," she says.
Police say hotel security surveillance video did capture the man, who was wearing a suit, bringing luggage belonging to several passengers into the hotel's bathroom.
The thief takes jewelry and electronic devices, but leaves the clothing behind.
(WSB Radio) Pollstar Magazine has ranked Philips Arena the best arena in the country.
Philips Arena President Bob Williams tells WSB he's thrilled.
"We're elated. I'm up in New York at some NBA meetings and it's pretty cool to be congratulated by Commissioner David Stearn and the Chairman of Ticketmaster and Frontline Management Urban Meyer in the same lunch," said Williams.
Philips, which is celebrating its tenth anniversary, has made the list before but never beat out places like Madison Square Garden in New York City and the Staples Center in Los Angeles.
"This ranking validates what both artists and their fans have told us repeatedly - in that they love Philips Arena for live entertainment," said Williams.
The ranking was based on attendance figures.
So, could they have hosted the Michael Jackson funeral?
"Well, of course we could. We've had NBA Allstar games and NHL Allstar games. I date back to the Omni days where we had the Democratic National Convention. We hosted the Olympics; so yeah, we're used to doing big events and pulling them off," said Williams.
(WSB Radio) The Gwinnett County officer, who shot and killed a mother and daughter, says she's at peace with what she did.
Lindsey Perry posted her statement on Facebook. She's currently on administrative leave while the incident is being investigated.
51 year old Penny Schwartz and her 75 year old mother, Barbara Baker, were killed Tuesday night in their home.
Baker had called 911, saying her daughter was suicidal. When Officer Perry arrived at the home, Schwartz, reportedly, aimed a gun at her and the officer fired.
Family members believe Baker tried to shield her daughter. The family is now weighing its legal options.
(WSB Radio) It appears Cherokee County animal control will have to euthanize more than 20 dogs discovered in an abandoned home.
The conditions in the house were so bad that control officers had to don moon suits and breathing equipment to enter.
The house, on King Lane in Canton, was owned by a woman who died last year. Her daughter tells police that she would occasionally stop by to feed the animals.
Most of the dogs were inside the house, but some were discovered living in a van.
Sue Garcia, with the county animal control department, says the dogs were caged as puppies and had never had human contact.
"From what the lady described, she put them in as puppies and they'd been in there a year and had never come out," she says. "There were no signs of food. No water, that I can see. They were just in horrible conditions."
Besides being malnourished and sick, Garcia says the dogs want nothing to do with humans, meaning they will likely be put down.
DeKalb police spokeswoman Mekka Parish said the man, who is in his 70s, had been threatening his girlfriend over the telephone throughout the day.
The girlfriend called police around 5:30 p.m., saying the man fought her when he arrived at the home.
Police said the woman had cuts on her hand after the fight and fled the home.
After the man told police he would not leave without force, S.W.A.T. was called and after about three hours investigators convinced the man to give himself up.
Parish said the man, who was not identified, will be charged with aggravated assault.
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
(WSB Radio) A stolen car lead caused Marietta Police to uncover a possible chop shop on Powder Springs Road.
The operator of the unlicensed and unnamed business, Felix Lopez, 59, was arrested after police executed a search warrant on Wednesday.
Detective Gwen Lewis with the Marietta Police said they received a tip that a stolen vehicle was located at the business.
When officers investigated the scene, they found several vehicles at various stages of disassembly.
"The vehicles that we recovered had been reported stolen a couple years ago," Lewis said.
Police also located a stolen motorcycle and license plate at the garage.
Lopez has been charged with two counts of Theft by Receiving, operating a business without a license and other code violation charges.
Lewis said the garage was operated by Lopez and his son. Charges have not been filed against the son.
"He has not been charged with operating a chop shop. The only thing he's been charged with other than the city violations is Theft by Receiving stolen property," Lewis said. "Which is different than the actual charge of operating a chop shop."
The garage was in operation for about two years.
(WSB Radio) A $2000 reward is being offered for information leading to the arrest in the murder of a man in the parking lot of the Georgia World Congress Center.
The GBI's John Bankhead tells WSB they believe the person driving an SUV, captured on surveillance video, is the person who murdered 39-year-old Darren Williams of South Carolina.
"It was a Lincoln Navigator. It's light in color, we think a 2006 or 2007 model. It was driven by a black male in his mid to late 30's. He had a heavy build and had a distinct tattoo on his right forearm," said Bankhead.
While authorities believe they have a motive behind the murder of Williams, they're not releasing the information to the public.
"We think we know what might have happened. We're not sure at this point; but right now, we're withholding that information because of the value to the investigation," said Bankhead.
Williams was killed on July 14th, after repeatedly being run over.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the GBI, the Georgia World Congress Center police, or Crimestoppers Atlanta.
(WSB Radio) Finally, some relief for dozens of people whose cars were either damaged or destroyed in a Midtown parking deck collapse last month.
The owner of the Centergy Center is offering interest free loans to cover their expenses until insurance companies settle the claims.
Many of the some 40 people whose cars were damaged have had to pay for insurance deductibles or for car rentals.
In a letter that was sent out to those affected, the owner of the building is offering building tenants and employees a six-month, no interest loan of up to $500 to cover vehicle expenses.
The company has also waived parking space charges for July and reduced parking rates at the other location until the deck is repaired.
Although work has begun, repairs aren't expected to be finished until early fall.
(WSB Radio) The three furlough days Governor Sonny Perdue ordered every state employee to take between now and the end of the year no longer apply to teachers in Cobb County.
On Thursday night, the Cobb County Board of Education voted 6-1 to pull $10.4 million dollars from the school system's rainy day fund to pay the teachers.
The move eliminates the unpaid work days for the teachers and avoids the possibility of litigation from educators who were under contract with the county to be paid.
(WSB Radio) Despite open pleas by parents and students to leave the transportation system alone, the Cobb County Board of Education has decided to let stand a June 10th vote to eliminate nearly 11,000 of the county's 50,000 school bus stops.
On student told the board "I think some of my fifty friends may be hurt while waiting for the bus." A parent added "I understand we have to make cuts, but a million dollars is not worth one child's life."
The board, which heard more than an hour of public comment before making its decision, did agree to take another look at bus stops deemed unsafe, moving some off of busy roads and back into subdivisions.
The changes to the school system's transportation plan, which will save $1 million dollars a year in fuel costs, take affect with the upcoming school year.
(WSB Radio) -- More resistance to the president's health reform plan -- this time, in the form of a state doctor's organization that's taking on the American Medical Association. WSB's Pete Combs reports the Medical Association of Georgia is at the forefront of what it's president calls a nationwide doctor's revolt.
Dr. Todd Williamson says his group, opposed to health care reform as it stands now, is growing faster than he ever imagined.
"In the first 36 hours (after) we released our later and asked states to sign on, we had six states sign on," he tells WSB's Pete Combs.
Williamson's coalition now boasts 43-thousand doctors who don't side with the American Medical Association in endorsing the White House reform plan.
"This is not the way to fix it," Dr. Williamson says.
Every day, he says, more and more doctors agree.
23 July 2009(WSB Radio) A stolen car lead caused Marietta Police to uncover a possible chop shop on Powder Springs Road.
The operator of the unlicensed and unnamed business, Felix Lopez, 59, was arrested after police executed a search warrant on Wednesday.
Detective Gwen Lewis with the Marietta Police said they received a tip that a stolen vehicle was located at the business.
When officers investigated the scene, they found several vehicles at various stages of dis-assembly.
"The vehicles that we recovered had been reported stolen a couple years ago," Lewis said.
Police also located a stolen motorcycle and license plate at the garage.
Lopez has been charged with two counts of Theft by Receiving, operating a business without a license and other code violation charges.
Lewis said the garage was operated by Lopez and his son. Charges have not been filed against the son.
"He has not been charged with operating a chop shop. The only thing he's been charged with other than the city violations is Theft by Receiving stolen property," Lewis said. "Which is different than the actual charge of operating a chop shop."
The garage was in operation for about two years.
It's the highest closing level for the blue chips since November.
Stocks rose Thursday following the third straight monthly increase in existing home sales.
Stronger-than-expected earnings and more optimistic forecasts have pushed stocks up more than 11 percent in less than two weeks.
The Dow is up 188 at 9,069. The Standard Poor's 500 index is up 22 at 976. The Nasdaq composite index is up 47 at 1,974.
Five stocks rose for every one that fell on the New York Stock Exchange. Volume came to 1.4 billion shares.
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
(WSB Radio) Gov. Perdue meets with more than 100 business and community leaders, including local and state government officials, to strategize over Georgia's next move in its fight over water with Alabama and Florida.
"We concluded that this is a Georgia issue... we'll deal with it with one voice and one movement," he told reporters afterward.
He appointed Georgia Power President Mike Garrett to the lead the effort.
Perdue says they'll take a multi-pronged attack which will start with an appeal to a federal judge's ruling that Georgia does not have a right to use Lake Lanier for drinking water.
He says while the state is still open to negotiating with Alabama and Florida to come up with a water sharing agreement, he's not convinced that will work anymore.
"Obviously negotiation will continue to be a part of that, but the judge's ruling has more than likely given Alabama and Florida reason to say 'why negotiate ," says Perdue.
He says they'll also ask local businesses with national ties to urge Congress to act.
"The reach of Atlanta business and political leaders is nationwide and I think we'll be calling on all of the partners to help," says Sam Williams, president of the Metro Area Chamber of Commerce.
In the meantime, Perdue says they'll look at contingency plans including drawing water from other sources like the Chattahoochee River.
"That's not a federal constructed program... that's God-constructed, and the fact is we have a right to that water in the Chattahoochee River," he says.
23 July 2009
(WSB Radio) Cherokee County authorities have rescued about 20 dogs from conditions that are being called "horrifying."
An anonymous call led officials to the home on Russell King Lane, in Canton. Upon arrival, they found some dogs living in a van on the property, with the rest inside the abandoned house.
The conditions were so atrocious that animal control officers had to don moon suits and breathing devices to go inside.
Wooden floors had been rotted away due to dog waste. The home also had no ventilation.
As for the animals in the van, officials say they had not been let out in at least a year.
15 dogs have been removed from the site, but at least five more are still in the house, hiding under floorboards.
According to investigators, the owner of the home died last year and the dogs belonged to her. The woman's daughter has told authorities she would, on occasion, stop by the house to check on the dogs.
A veterinarian has examined the dogs and has determined that many will have to be euthanized, due to either illness, aggressive behavior or their inability to socialize.
No charges have been filed, as of yet.
SALINAS, Calif. (AP) A major California lettuce grower has recalled about 22,000 cartons of romaine lettuce over concerns that the product may be tainted with salmonella.
Some of that lettuce was distributed in Georgia.
Tanimura Antle Inc. of Salinas issued the voluntary recall Wednesday for cartons of bulk or wrapped romaine marked with the lot code 531380. The lettuce was harvested between June 25 and July 2, and sold to retail, wholesale and food service outlets across the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico.
Company officials say technicians are reviewing the firm's food safety procedures.
Salmonella can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections, especially in young children, the elderly and those with weakened immune systems. No illnesses have been reported.
The states were the lettuce was shipped include:
Alabama, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Texas, Massachusetts, Louisiana, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, North Carolina, Michigan, Missouri, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Nevada, Ohio, Oregon, Utah, Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming.
Georgia Superintendent of Schools Kathy Cox had announced she was giving the money she received from her August appearance on Fox's ``Are You Smarter than a 5th Grader?'' to three public schools for the deaf and blind.
But the superintendent and her husband filed for bankruptcy Nov. 17, claiming $3.5 million in debt, and the bankruptcy trustee is demanding the prize money. He says it's part of Cox's personal income.
``I think the underlying documents show it was her money and she simply elected to give it to charity,'' said Alex Teel, who represents Newnan-based bankruptcy trustee Gary Brown.
The trustee and the state sent letters to Fox Broadcasting Co. earlier this month, each demanding the money.
Russ Willard, spokesman for Georgia Attorney General Thurbert Baker, said the state believes the money was always intended for the schools and never belonged to Cox.
``The state's position is Ms. Cox was only on the program in her capacity as state schools superintendent that she was on a program designed to win money for charities and she would not have been invited to program if she was not playing for a charitable purpose,'' Willard said. ``Any monies won while on that program are to go to her designated charitable interest, which are the schools.''
Fox has said it will not relinquish the prize money until the state and the trustee agree who is the rightful owner. If no agreement is reached, Fox will go to court to seek the answer, according to a July 15 letter to the state from Anatole Klebanow, vice president for legal affairs at Fox.
Teel said he is trying to determine if the bankruptcy trustee should sue to recover the money or try to work out an agreement with the state.
Cox said last fall she and her husband, John, decided to file for bankruptcy because of losses incurred in his home building business.
Cox declined comment on the situation Wednesday, but her office issued a statement on her behalf.
``The superintendent has made it clear that she went on '5th Grader' as the State Superintendent of Schools and always intended to give the money to the state schools,'' spokesman Dana Tofig wrote in an e-mail. ``She is determined to see that all of the money will end up being used as she expected to enhance the educational experience for students at the Georgia Academy for the Blind, the Georgia School for the Deaf and the Atlanta Area School for the Deaf.''
Lee Shiver, executive director for the Georgia School for the Deaf in Cave Spring, said he had planned to use the money to start a foundation for the 164-year-old school, the only public residential school for deaf students in the state. The foundation would support college scholarships for students who graduate from the school, he said.
``I'm really glad we did that, because if we had counted on it or planned to use in our budget, we could be really hurting right now, more so than we already are,'' he said.
Officials with the Atlanta Area School for the Deaf and the Georgia Academy for the Blind in Macon could not immediately be reached for comment.
Michael Jason Registe is charged with murder in the deaths of Randy Newton Jr., 21, and Bryan Kilgore, 20, who were found by Columbus police fatally wounded in a truck at an apartment complex July 20, 2007. Newton was a basketball player at Columbus State University and Kilgore was a pitcher on the baseball team.
Registe, 26, will be flown to Columbus on Thursday, the FBI said.
He was captured on the Dutch island of St. Maarten last August after the FBI put him on its Top 10 Most Wanted list and a reward in the killings was increased from $20,000 to $100,000. Registe also was featured on ``America's Most Wanted'' twice and on Interpol's Web site.
The Supreme Court of the Netherlands ruled Registe could be extradited after Gray Conger, the former district attorney in Columbus, agreed not to seek the death penalty.
His attorney argued that Registe could not get a fair trial in Georgia because he is black and continued to fight the extradition. St. Maarten's governor declined to block Registe's return to the United States, and last week a local court on the island rejected an appeal of that ruling.
Registe also is wanted on an unrelated charge of aggravated assault in Columbus in 2005. The victim survived but was severely wounded.
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
Many of the graves date back to the late 19th century.
The Clayton County Commission issued Stephens MDS, a rock and dirt company, permit in December to relocate the graves.
The commission's approval spawned lawsuits, civil rights protests and a district attorney's investigation. The investigation found no wrongdoing. Last month, a Clayton County judge dismissed the last of the lawsuits, and descendants say they are giving up their legal fight.
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
(WSB Radio) Dunwoody Police have arrested a former Comcast employee in an undercover sting operation.
Sgt. Mike Carlson tells WSB 26-year-old Rony Chery, who still drove around with Comcast magnets on his car was caught, red-handed, trying to sell cable service to the security manager of the Broadstone Apartments.
For $50 one-time fee, he promised to hook up cable service with no monthly bill.
"What raised Comcast's suspicions, is that they have seen about a 30 percent increase in the cancellations of their customers in the Dunwoody area," said Carlson.
Chery, who has been charged with misdemeanor criminal attempt to commit theft of services, was caught after an undercover Comcast employee told him he had seen his pamphlet and would like cable service.
"He was bold in the matter he was passing out pamphlets with his personal cell phone number on there. He was passing out these pamphlets, stating that he could give you cable service without a monthly fee. Of course, it was pretty bold and Comcast was able to pick up on it pretty quick," said Carlson.
Police are still trying to figure out how many victims are out there and how long this scam may have been going on. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Dunwoody Police Department at 678-382-6914.
(WSB Radio) Arrests have been made in connection with the execution style murders of two women in College Park.
Police have arrested three men and are still looking for a fourth in the killings of 28 year old Lanaetria Butler and 34 year old Karida Winkler.
The women were found shot to death on Sunday at the Hidden Woods Apartments.
"I'm grateful that someone was arrested for a crime like this," says Michael Langford, who lives in the same complex. "It's unbelievably good that police worked so fast. We needed an arrest in this case because we have so many women and children around here."
In custody are 18 year old Boubacar Tradre; 19 year old Anthony Wilder; and 19 year old Carnell Owens. All three are charged with murder.
Butler and Winkler were roommates. Butler was also the mother of five children.
Police say, as of now, they have not determined a motive in the murders.
(WSB Radio) They're icons along I-85. Now, their days are numbered.
Two infamous water tanks displaying slogans about Gwinnett County for more than three decades will soon be coming down.
The Gwinnett Commission has voted to tear down the two tanks on Goshen Springs Road because recent upgrades to the Norcross Pump Station have made them obsolete.
The county will also tear down another large tank on Medlock Bridge Road and a narrow surge tank near Duluth.
"Decomissioning all these tanks and pump stations will save about $100,000 in annual operating costs and about the same in annual capital costs," according to County Administrator Jock Connell. "So the dismantling cost of about $350,000 would be paid back in cost savings in less than two years."
At one time, the Goshen Springs tanks held two million gallons and helped pressurize water mains in the area.
Water officials say the capacity at all four tanks is the equivalent of 90 minutes of water usage at today's pumping rates.
(WSB Radio) Georgia joins the likes of other states and plans to close a couple of rest areas in order to save money.
Both sites along I-85, one on the northbound side in Franklin County and the other on the southbound side in Gwinnett County, will be barricaded at the exit beginning August 25th.
"These rest areas are very old and have deteriorated and the cost to maintain them is very high," says Teri Pope, spokeswoman for the Georgia Department of Transportation.
She tells WSB's Sandra Parrish that closing them will save the state $350,000 annually.
Pope says crime has been on the rise at both locations and that also played a factor in the decision to close them.
The DOT currently operates 19 rest areas across the state and more could be on the chopping block.
But Pope says motorists have more options now than they did when the sites were first built.
"Now you can get off at every single interchange on I-85 and have multitudes of choices for places to go to the restroom and get snacks and drinks," she says.
(WSB Radio) Gwinnett County receives more federal stimulus money, this time $1.1 million for a new senior services center.
"Our senior population has doubled and tripled since the last census. Our staff and services are scattered throughout the county so this gives a focal point where if any consumer, a care giver or family member needs information or help getting services, we'll have a single location for them to go to," says Linda Bailey, manager of Gwinnett County Senior Services.
HUD Deputy Secretary Ron Sims presented the check to Gwinnett Commission Chair Charles Bannister at the site which is the former driver services center on Swanson Road in Lawrenceville.
"Since the recession hit us last year, we've had to cut and delay a number of our projects, so we're very grateful to have HUD support from the federal stimulus funds to help us get this one under construction," says Bannister.
Sims calls the center a prefect project for stimulus money.
"America's aging, so it was the right priority, it was the right project... it was innovative, imaginative, done quickly, and done within its budget," Sims tells WSB's Sandra Parrish.
The current building on the site will be torn down and the new center built in its place which will be energy efficient. With construction and the employees to staff it, the project is expected to create more than 100 jobs.
(WSB Radio) A new fee proposal in Dekalb County would charge youth sports groups to use parks fields.
Under the plan, each group would be charged $100 per field per day to use local parks. This could mean thousands of dollars for local sports leagues.
Local youth sports groups claim the proposal would demand money from them that they simply don't have.
Atlanta Colts Youth Football President Jim Delany says the proposed fees would cost his group an extra $75,000 each year.
"We can't do it this season. I mean there is no question that we don't have the revenue to do what we think they're proposing," Delany said.
Delany also said the plan would cost each player $75 each season.
"How can they do this to a youth sports program?," Delany said. "I mean this is just unheard of."
Young baseball players would face even higher cost as a result of the plan. Each little leaguer could be forced to pay up to $150 to continue playing.
If the plan goes through, it could force the baseball league to cancel the fall season, which is already underway.
The proposal has outraged some Dekalb County residents.
"It upsets me as a tax paying member in Dekalb County that they would do something to hurt children," Dan Perez tells Channel 2 Action News.
(WSB Radio) Cobb County Police arrested a suspect already in custody on Wednesday for a violent home invasion last week.
Johnnie Culbreath, 44, from Austell is accused of tying up three people and shooting one of them inside of a Mableton home on Nickajack Road.
According to Joe Hernandez with the Cobb County Police, Culbreath was charged with aggravated assault , burglary, false imprisonment and kidnapping.
"At the time when he was identified as a suspect he was already in the Cobb County Adult Detention Center," Hernandez told Channel 2 Action News.
Hernandez wouldn't comment on what the motive was.
Police said Culbreath shot Danny Carlson in the leg, prompting Carlson's 83-year-old father-in-law to grab his own gun and shoot Culbreath before he could escape.
Police said their suspect had recently been shot.
(WSB Radio) How many times have you heard your grandmother say they had to walk a mile to school everyday? Under a plan being considered by the Cobb County School Board Thursday night, some students may have to walk up to a half mile to school.
School System Spokesman Jay Dillon tells WSB the plan to eliminate about 11,000 of the county's 50,000 bus stops could save the county up to one-million-dollars.
"With the budget situation that we're in, it's absolutely necessary. We had a $58 million deficit and we had to find ways to save costs. Transportation is one area where we can do that," said Dillon.
Dillon says this is nothing new.
"This is a step that other districts throughout the metro area have taken in recent years, so we're a little bit late to do this," said Dillon.
He says the consolidation may mean some students may have a little farther to trek.
"Asking the students to walk up to a half mile to board a bus is no different than the students who live within that transportation zone as it stands now," said Dillon.
If approved, the plan would take effect in the upcoming school year.
(WSB Radio) - New figures from the Georgia Department of Labor show the preliminary unadjusted unemployment rate in the metro Atlanta area rose to 10.7 percent in June, up 1.2 percentage points from a revised 9.5 percent in May.
Among the state's metro areas, Dalton had the highest rate of joblessness at 13 percent. The lowest unemployment rate is 7.6 percent for metro Athens.
Hancock, in east central Georgia, posted the highest unemployment rate for an individual county at 19.5 percent. The lowest rate of unemployment is 6.6 percent in Oconee County.
The state's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate jumped to 10.1 percent in June, the highest rate ever recorded in Georgia. The jobless rate was up five-tenths of a percentage point from a revised 9.6 percent in May.
Last month, 483,394 unemployed Georgians were looking for work, an increase of 65 percent from June of 2008. Of that number, 160,249, or 33 percent, are receiving state unemployment insurance benefits, while approximately 93,000 are receiving federal extended benefits.
The June jobless rate was up 4.0 percentage points from 6.1 percent at this same time last year. Georgia's unemployment rate remained above the national rate of 9.5 percent for the 20th consecutive month.
The number of payroll jobs in June decreased 209,500, or 5.1 percent, from June of 2008. The over-the-year losses came in professional and business services, including temporary employment agencies, manufacturing, trade, transportation and warehousing, and in the construction industry.
On a positive note, healthcare and educational services, showed a combined increase of 12,000 jobs.
Metro Atlanta County by County rates are:
- DeKalb 10.6%
- Gwinnett 9.6%
- Fulton 11.0%
- Cobb 9.8%
- Clayton 12.6%
- Hall 9.6 %
(WSB Radio) Two infamous water tanks displaying slogans about Gwinnett County for more than three decades will soon be coming down.
The Gwinnett Commission has voted to tear down the two tanks on Goshen Springs Road because recent upgrades to the Norcross Pump Station have made them obsolete.
The county will also tear down another large tank on Medlock Bridge Road and a narrow surge tank near Duluth.
"Decommissioning all these tanks and pump stations will save about $100,000 in annual operating costs and about the same in annual capital costs," according to County Administrator Jock Connell. "So the dismantling cost of about $350,000 would be paid back in cost savings in less than two years."
At one time, the Goshen Springs tanks held two million gallons and helped pressurize water mains in the area.
Water officials say the capacity at all four tanks is the equivalent of 90 minutes of water usage at today's pumping rates.
(WSB Radio) Gwinnett County receives more federal stimulus money, this time $1.1 million for a new senior services center.
"Our senior population has doubled and tripled since the last census. Our staff and services are scattered throughout the county so this gives a focal point where if any consumer, a care giver or family member needs information or help getting services, we'll have a single location for them to go to," says Linda Bailey, manager of Gwinnett County Senior Services.
HUD Deputy Secretary Ron Sims presented the check to Gwinnett Commission Chair Charles Bannister at the site which is the former driver services center on Swanson Road in Lawrenceville.
"Since the recession hit us last year, we've had to cut and delay a number of our projects, so we're very grateful to have HUD support from the federal stimulus funds to help us get this one under construction," says Bannister.
Sims calls the center a prefect project for stimulus money.
"America's aging, so it was the right priority, it was the right project... it was innovative, imaginative, done quickly, and done within its budget," Sims tells WSB's Sandra Parrish.
The current building on the site will be torn down and the new center built in its place which will be energy efficient. With construction and the employees to staff it, the project is expected to create more than 100 jobs.
Georgia teachers are bristling at the governor's call for three-day furloughs in this latest round of budget cuts, announced by Governor Sonny Perdue as he again cut the budget and warned state agencies that more cuts could be on the way.
"We... will be instituting statewide furloughs of teachers and school personnel who are state-funded," Perdue said Tuesday.
Georgia Association of Educators President Jeff Hubbard says he's not happy -- and neither are Georgia's 42,000 teachers.
"The economics will hurt our teachers in the pocketbook," Hubbard tells WSB's Pete Combs. But even worse, he says, will be the effects on students. While Governor Perdue expects teachers to take the furlough days instead of using them to plan for the fall session, Hubbard says those days are vital to making a good first impression on students.
Grousing at the governor is nothing new for the GAE. Hubbard says since taking office, Governor Perdue has cut $1.6 billion from education. The GAE president wonders how much longer teachers will be expected to do more with less.
Georgia Superintendent of Schools Kathy Cox had announced she was giving the money she received from her August appearance on Fox's ``Are You Smarter than a 5th Grader?'' to three public schools for the deaf and blind.
But the superintendent and her husband filed for bankruptcy Nov. 17, claiming $3.5 million in debt, and the bankruptcy trustee is demanding the prize money. He says it's part of Cox's personal income.
``I think the underlying documents show it was her money and she simply elected to give it to charity,'' said Alex Teel, who represents Newnan-based bankruptcy trustee Gary Brown.
The trustee and the state sent letters to Fox Broadcasting Co. earlier this month, each demanding the money.
Russ Willard, spokesman for Georgia Attorney General Thurbert Baker, said the state believes the money was always intended for the schools and never belonged to Cox.
``The state's position is Ms. Cox was only on the program in her capacity as state schools superintendent that she was on a program designed to win money for charities and she would not have been invited to program if she was not playing for a charitable purpose,'' Willard said. ``Any monies won while on that program are to go to her designated charitable interest, which are the schools.''
Fox has said it will not relinquish the prize money until the state and the trustee agree who is the rightful owner. If no agreement is reached, Fox will go to court to seek the answer, according to a July 15 letter to the state from Anatole Klebanow, vice president for legal affairs at Fox.
Teel said he is trying to determine if the bankruptcy trustee should sue to recover the money or try to work out an agreement with the state.
Cox said last fall she and her husband, John, decided to file for bankruptcy because of losses incurred in his home building business.
Cox declined comment on the situation Wednesday, but her office issued a statement on her behalf.
``The superintendent has made it clear that she went on '5th Grader' as the State Superintendent of Schools and always intended to give the money to the state schools,'' spokesman Dana Tofig wrote in an e-mail. ``She is determined to see that all of the money will end up being used as she expected to enhance the educational experience for students at the Georgia Academy for the Blind, the Georgia School for the Deaf and the Atlanta Area School for the Deaf.''
Lee Shiver, executive director for the Georgia School for the Deaf in Cave Spring, said he had planned to use the money to start a foundation for the 164-year-old school, the only public residential school for deaf students in the state. The foundation would support college scholarships for students who graduate from the school, he said.
``I'm really glad we did that, because if we had counted on it or planned to use in our budget, we could be really hurting right now, more so than we already are,'' he said.
Officials with the Atlanta Area School for the Deaf and the Georgia Academy for the Blind in Macon could not immediately be reached for comment.
On the Net:
Fox Broadcasting Co.: http://www.fox.com
(WSB Radio) Delta Air Lines says it narrowed its second-quarter net loss to $257 million.
The results reported Wednesday by the Atlanta-based company for the April-June quarter were equivalent to 31 cents a share, compared to a loss of $1.04 billion, or $2.64 a share, a year earlier.
In the meantime, AirTran Airways is reporting a net income of $78.4 million for the second quarter, bringing the carrier's profits for the year to date to $113.9 million.
Excluding merger-related expenses, Delta would have lost $199 million, or 24 cents a share. AirTran is reporting a net of 56 cents per diluted share.
Delta revenue in the quarter rose 27 percent to $7 billion, compared to $5.5 billion a year earlier before Delta completed its acquisition of Northwest Airlines.
Analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters, who generally exclude one-time items from their estimates, expected a loss of 29 cents a share on revenue of $6.94 billion.
Prado had three hits and scored three runs, Brian McCann hit a three-run homer and drove in four runs and the Braves (48-46) continued their offensive surge.
The Braves have averaged 7.2 runs in a 5-1 start to their eight-game homestand and are 9-3 in their last 12 games overall.
The Giants, who fell out of the NL wild-card lead with Monday night's 11-3 loss to the Braves, have lost five of six.
Prado has been a catalyst as Atlanta's .296 batting average for July led the majors entering Tuesday's games.
Before the game, Braves manager Bobby Cox said Prado's move to the No. 2 spot in the batting order, allowing Yunel Escobar to have more RBI chances deeper in the order, ``has made a world of difference.''
Prado began the night tied for the major league lead with 26 hits in July. He had a career-best 10-game hitting streak end Monday night and was the NL player of the week for the week ending July 5.
Prado singled and scored on McCann's double in the first, and added another single in the three-run third. Chipper Jones had a run-scoring double, Garret Anderson had a sacrifice fly and Escobar added an RBI single in the inning.
The Braves added four runs off Ryan Sadowski (2-2) in the fourth. Prado drove in Ryan Church with a single. McCann's three-run homer over the 400-foot sign in center gave Atlanta an 8-0 lead.
Derek Lowe (9-7) allowed seven hits and one run in six innings as the Braves improved to 12-6 in July. Atlanta was last two games over .500 on May 25.
The Giants scored in the fifth when Juan Uribe's single drove in Matt Downs, who led off with a double.
Sadowski, the rookie right-hander recalled from Class A San Jose before the game, gave up eight runs and eight hits in 3 2-3 innings.
Braves center fielder Nate McLouth left the game after the sixth inning with a mild lower back strain. The Braves said McLouth's status is day to day.
NOTES: Giants IF Rich Aurilia was placed on the 15-day DL with a right big toe infection. The Giants optioned IF Kevin Frandsen to Triple-A Fresno and recalled Downs, who started at second base. ... Giants CF Aaron Rowand (bruised right forearm) did not play. He was hit on the arm by pitch on Monday. ... Casey Kotchman's infield single in the fifth extended his career-best hitting streak to 13 games.
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
The university said 14,619 students are attending classes in Athens this summer - 10,021 undergraduates, 4,177 graduate students and 421 students enrolled in the professional schools.
Enrollment at UGA extended campuses includes 197 at Buckhead; 75 at Griffin; 27 at Tifton; and 351 at UGA's Gwinnett Campus. An additional 279 students are enrolled in UGA independent-study programs, a 19.7 percent increase from last summer.
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
The university has an EPD permit authorizing the destruction of animal tissues and carcasses in incinerators, but the dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine, Sheila Allen, said it does now allow the school to incinerate waste classified by the state as medical/infectious.
The university stopped burning medical and infectious waste after a July 8 EPD inspection.
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
That doomsday scenario would cut off water from Lake Lanier for more than 3 million residents, driving a stake through the heart of Atlanta's decades of rampant growth and threatening one of the Southeast's main economic engines amid a sour economy.
Experts say they doubt a recent federal court ruling will shut the taps off, but it does put Georgia in a weak position and could finally push the three states back to the negotiating table after nearly two decades of stalemate.
After all, said Atlanta Regional Commission Chairman Sam Olens, ``FEMA isn't going to provide enough trucks to have drinking water for 4.5 million residents'' in the Atlanta region. About 3 million of the residents get their water from Lake Lanier.
Georgia could be forced to make significant concessions to Florida and Alabama that it so far has been unwilling to adopt, like spending hundreds of millions of dollars on infrastructure, establishing tighter drought restrictions and offering rebates for more efficient toilets, dishwashers and washing machines.
Friday's ruling by U.S. District Court Judge Paul Magnuson found that nearly all Georgia's withdrawals from Lake Lanier are illegal because the lake was built for hydroelectric power, not to supply water.
Magnuson acknowledged the decision was ``draconian'' but said he had to recognize how far the lake's operation had strayed from the law.
The governors of Alabama and Florida celebrated the ruling, while Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue vowed to fight, saying he would appeal the decision while working for a favorable outcome in Washington.
``I will not negotiate a deal that's harmful to the future of Georgia. Just won't happen,'' a defiant Perdue said Tuesday. ``We'll take our chance in court before we'll agree to a deal that does not meet the needs of a growing and prosperous Georgia.''
Both Congress and the courts could be difficult routes. A federal appeals court in Washington already ruled against Georgia in a related case last year, and Georgia lawmakers would face an enormous challenge to overcome resistance in Congress from their Florida and Alabama colleagues.
Georgia's congressional delegation is looking to Perdue for guidance, and leaders in all the states said any compromise would require significant leadership at the state level. The delegation met to discuss the matter Tuesday, with Perdue on a conference call. But members said afterward that the meeting just explored how to proceed.
``I think the governors all felt they were likely to be victorious. I kept telling them that if you don't settle it, somebody's going to win and somebody's going to lose,'' said U.S. Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala. The clear victory for Alabama and Florida ``strengthens our hand in a number of ways,'' he said.
``I don't see Congress resolving this,'' said U.S. Rep. Allen Boyd, a Democrat who represents parts of the Florida Panhandle downstream from Georgia. ``I think it's important that the governors come to grips with this and get it resolved.''
Georgia, which just emerged from an epic drought, contends the issue is about the survival of its biggest metropolitan area.
But Florida and Alabama depend on downstream flow from Lake Lanier for commercial fisheries, farms, industrial users and municipalities. The Army Corps of Engineers also is required to release adequate water to ensure habitats for species protected by the Endangered Species Act.
Magnuson ordered the lake's water usage to be kept at current levels for three years. If an agreement isn't reached by then, he said the lake's operations would return to its level in the 1970s, when Atlanta was a fraction of its current size.
Perdue, a Republican whose term ends in 2011, will face increasing pressure to forge a deal before his successor takes office.
``The three governors ought to come together quickly ASAP to discuss the decision and craft a joint resolution,'' said state Rep. Tyrone Brooks, a leading Atlanta Democrat. ``Or else the hammer is coming down on us.''
Florida and Alabama may also be more inclined to negotiate with Georgia rather than risk an unfavorable outcome in Congress or by the courts on a possible appeal particularly if Georgia is willing to hand over long-sought concessions.
``The fact of the matter is we can do more with water conservation that would be appealing to the governors of Alabama and Florida,'' Olens said.
``This conflict should have been resolved long ago,'' said Daniel Sheer, founder of HydroLogics, a national water planning consulting company that has worked with Atlanta municipalities. ``There really is quite enough water to do everything you need to do.''
But, he said, ``There is an enormous amount of bad will and an enormous amount of political posturing going on, politicians getting elected by exploiting the conflict ... particularly among the governors.''
Environmental groups hope the ruling sounds the alarm for conservation.
``It's a definite signal to Atlanta to examine the way it's been growing the past 30 years and whether that's keeping with the water resources,'' said Gil Rogers of the Southern Environmental Law Center. ``I think this ruling is a signal we can't afford that kind of attitude anymore.''
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
The governor also ordered most state agencies to slash another 5 percent from their spending plans and called on other state employees to take three unpaid days to trim the state's spending to help fill a $900 million shortfall amid plummeting tax collections. He struck the deal with legislative leaders to avoid a special session, but Perdue added that the state may be forced to cut deeper if Georgia's tax collections don't rebound.
``We've got to live in the reality of the moment,'' he said. ``These steps are necessary and prudent to make sure we keep our promises to the taxpayers of Georgia.''
Teachers groups, which said they were disappointed by the move, said it has been more than two decades since educators last took unpaid days. But Perdue said he called for furloughs rather than pay cuts because he wanted to show that the move was temporary.
Perdue was forced to order similar slashes to public schools and Medicaid last year, but more painful cuts were blunted earlier this year thanks to $1.2 billion in federal stimulus dollars to plug holes in the programs.
But Perdue said the latest round of cuts was unavoidable amid falling revenues that have forced the state to slash about $3.7 billion from its spending plan over the last few months.
That takes Georgia's funding down to the level it was around 2005, when Georgia had about 1 million fewer residents.
``That gives you a perspective on how our people delivering services are doing more with less,'' the governor said.
Georgia agencies were scrambling to grapple with the latest round of cuts. One of the only departments exempted from the reductions is state's troubled mental health division, which has been under scrutiny by the U.S. Justice Department.
The state's judicial system also faces cuts. Perdue said he consulted with judicial leaders to avert a showdown over whether the governor has the power to order cuts to the judiciary. Georgia was on the brink of a constitutional crisis in June when judicial leaders threatened to refuse the cuts.
Many of Georgia's 100,000 state employees have already had to take furlough days, but school systems had been spared until Tuesday. Perdue said he's hopeful that teachers would take the furloughs during planning periods and other times when students are not in class.
But school groups point out that the furloughs will likely affect students, as the furloughs would also extend to other school employees, from administrators to bus drivers and food service employees.
``In some way it would seem to have to impact an instructional day,'' said Angela Palm, the policy director for the Georgia School Boards Association.
She said furloughs for teachers hadn't been called for in more than 25 years, and other educational groups could not pinpoint the last time they were needed.
State School Superintendent Kathy Cox said she appreciated that Perdue and lawmakers worked to cut education less than other areas, but said that implementing the cuts would be challenging.
And teacher's groups said they were concerned over the effect the furloughs and funding cuts would have on Georgia's students, most of whom are just weeks away from starting the next school year.
``We're really cutting into the bone now. And unfortunately we're going to do harm to students' education, to teachers' activities,'' said Tim Callahan of the Professional Association of Georgia Educators.
``We're not back to school yet and I'd say the school year is off to a bad start.''
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
At a donation ceremony Wednesday in Marietta, the ambulance company plans to announce it also will provide dispatch and billing services at no cost to Quitman County residents. The hope is that with the expertise, equipment and initial startup costs, Quitman County will be able to generate revenue to maintain an affordable service.
MetroAtlanta, the designated 911 ambulance provider for more than 700,000 residents of Cobb County, says the donation of a new fully operational and equipped vehicle as a primary response unit, and another as a backup, is valued at about $120,000.
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
Nichols escaped on March 11, 2005, from the Fulton County Courthouse where he was on trial for rape. He murdered Judge Rowland Barnes, court stenographer Julie Ann Brandau, deputy Sgt. Hoyt Teasley and federal agent David Wilhelm before he surrendered the following day.
Records released on Tuesday show that Fulton County paid defense attorney Henderson Hill nearly $500,000. The state's share of defense costs was more than $2.3 million, including $463,000 for mental health experts.
Nichols was sentenced in December to life without parole.
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
Officials said Tuesday that 23 of the projects were either fully or partially financed by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, for a total of $39 million in federal stimulus money.
Gov. Sonny Perdue said infrastructure investment creates jobs, and improving health and safety is critical to prosperity.
Among the largest projects, Gwinnett County gets a $2 million loan and a $3 million subsidy for a generator fueled by sewage gas to produce electricity for wastewater treatment.
Hinesville will get a $2.6 million loan to finance watershed improvements at three sites for stormwater control, and Thomaston $3.3 million for water-main replacement.
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
(WSB Radio) Good news for some DeKalb County swimmers.
The Georgia Recreation and Parks Association has decided that 67 swimmers will be allowed to swim in a state meet after all.
The group had to forfeit after two employees with the DeKalb Recreation Department failed to do the necessary paperwork for them to participate.
On Monday, DeKalb CEO Burrell Ellis fired the Director of DeKalb County Parks and Recreation and placed its acting Deputy Director on paid administrative as a result of the incident.
Ellis asked for a reconsideration of the disqualification, saying the children should not be penalized for the mistakes of others.
The association agreed and will allow the children to participate.
The swim meet will be held on Friday.
(WSB Radio) Remember when actress Anne Heche wandered into a stranger's home, sat on their bed, and started talking to them? The Cherokee County Sheriff's Office is investigating a similar incident.
Lieutenant Jay Baker tells WSB 20-year-old Scott Nielson of Woodstock, wandered into a woman's home around 5 o'clock Tuesday morning at the Whispering Pines Mobile Home Park.
"Apparently, this young girl woke up and he was sitting on her bed," said Baker. He became upset when she asked him to leave.
"He got into a fight with her and her father. He actually left the location and came back and tried to apologize and got into another fight," said Baker.
When authorities arrived , he had taken off into the woods and was seen swimming across the lake. Nielson, who was eventually caught and who has warrants from the city of Holly Springs, Cherokee, Carroll, and Dawson counties, is being held at the Cherokee County Adult Detention Center.
Baker says they're still figure out his bizarre behavior and whether or not he may have been on drugs.
"A little bit unusual . We're not sure what his motivation was. His behavior was very erratic. We're trying to piece it together, but it certainly was an unusual call," said Baker.
(WSB Radio) A teacher is being credited with rescuing four women from a huge fire in Alpharetta.
Officer Jennifer Howard with Alpharetta's Police Department tells WSB a fire broke out Tuesday afternoon at a duplex-type home in the Seasons Subdivision on Memories Drive, off Rucker Road. Steve Kehoe, a teacher, arrived in the knick of time.
"The gentleman came home who lives there in the summertime with his mother, who is 80-years-old, and found the house was full of flames. She was in the shower and didn't know. He got her out, and from what I understand, he went next door and helped some other folks out, one of whom was in a wheelchair, and her mother also," said Howard.
Howard says although the building was badly damaged, it could've been a whole lot worse.
"I don't know what the situation was with their smoke detectors; but certainly - if that first unit where the fire started - if she didn't have a working smoke detector and couldn't go alert people, you know, who knows what she would've come out of the shower and found," said Howard.
"I think he could be conceived as a hero, and I hope that anyone would do that too. If you find a situation, I hope you'd help people get out of the building and try as help as many people as you can. I think he I guess, exemplifies what we hope most people are," said Howard.
Besides Alpharetta, firefighters from Milton and Roswell helped put out the blaze.
No one was injured. The cause is still under investigation.
(WSB Radio) A Cobb County Sheriff's deputy is on paid leave after a shooting Tuesday night outside the Cobb Galleria Center in Marietta.
Cobb Chief Deputy Linda Coker says the deputy, a member of the Sheriff''s Department's Fugitive Apprehension Squad, shot a suspect as the man attempted to run down three officers outside the main entrance to the complex on Cobb Parkway.
The unidentified suspect, who was wanted on a felony obstruction warrant, fled the scene but was captured a short time later by Sandy Springs police at a Chevron station on New Northside Drive.
The suspect is hospitalized in stable condition at North Fulton Regional Hospital.
(WSB Radio) They're icons along I-85, but their days are numbered.
Two infamous water tanks displaying slogans about Gwinnett County for more than three decades will soon be coming down.
The Gwinnett Commission has voted to tear down the two tanks on Goshen Springs Road because recent upgrades to the Norcross Pump Station have made them obsolete.
The county will also tear down another large tank on Medlock Bridge Road and a narrow surge tank near Duluth.
"Decomissioning all these tanks and pump stations will save about $100,000 in annual operating costs and about the same in annual capital costs," according to County Administrator Jock Connell. "So the dismantling cost of about $350,000 would be paid back in cost savings in less than two years."
At one time, the Goshen Springs tanks held two million gallons and helped pressurize water mains in the area.
Water officials say the capacity at all four tanks is the equivalent of 90 minutes of water usage at today's pumping rates.
(WSB Radio) Gwinnett County police are investigating an officer involved shooting that left a mother and her daughter dead.
Officers were called to the home on Tracey Drive, in Duluth, just before 9 o'clock Tuesday night, when the mother contacted 911.
75 year old Barbara Baker told dispatchers that her daughter, 51 year old Penny Schwartz, was suicidal.
When an officer arrived, Baker invited him in. Police say schwartz then came downstairs and pointed a gun at the officer who opened fire, striking both women.
Baker was pronounced dead at the scene. Schwartz was taken to a local hospital where she died overnight.
The officer, a ten year veteran of the department, has been placed on paid administrative leave.
The incident is being investigated by the department's deadly force unit.
He also ordered most state agencies to slash an additional 5 percent from their thinning budgets.
The cuts take Georgia back to the level it was in 2005, when the state had about 1 million fewer people. Purdue said it was necessary to deal with plummeting tax collections amid the down economy.
He said, ``The sooner you begin these actions, the more effective you can be.''
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
(WSB Radio) Good news for nearly 70 DeKalb County swimmers. The Georgia Recreation and Parks Association has decided that 67 swimmers will be allowed to swim in a state meet after all.
The group had to forfeit after two employees with the DeKalb Recreation Department failed to do the necessary paperwork for them to participate. On Monday, DeKalb CEO Burrell Ellis fired the Director of DeKalb County Parks and Recreation and placed its acting Deputy Director on paid administrative as a result of the incident.
(WSB Radio) Remember when actress Anne Heche wandered into a stranger's home, sat on their bed, and started talking to them? The Cherokee County Sheriff's Office is investigating a similar incident.
Lt. Jay Baker tells WSB 20-year-old Scott Nielson of Woodstock, wandered into a woman's home around 5 o'clock Tuesday morning at the Whispering Pines Mobile Home Park.
"Apparently, this young girl woke up and he was sitting on her bed," said Baker. He became upset when she asked him to leave.
"He got into a fight with her and her father. He actually left the location and came back and tried to apologize and got into another fight," said Baker.
When authorities arrived, he had taken off into the woods and was seen swimming across the lake. Nielson, who was eventually caught and who has warrants from the city of Holly Springs, Cherokee, Carroll, and Dawson counties, is being held at the Cherokee County Adult Detention Center.
Baker says they're still figure out his bizarre behavior and whether or not he may have been on drugs.
"A little bit unusual. We're not sure what his motivation was. His behavior was very erratic. We're trying to piece it together, but it certainly was an unusual call," said Baker.
July 21, 2009
The Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners has voted to cut 250 county positions through attrition or early retirement.
Commissioners voted to retain the county's Quality of Life Unit and Code Enforcement officers and a deportation program run through the Gwinnett County Sheriff's Department.
The Board voted for a 50-cent increase in transit fees. The county will now charge visitors to Gwinnett who use county parks as well as charge fees for turning on lights at county ball fields.
The county still faces a $7.3 million dollar budget deficit for 2010, so there are likely more budget cuts to come.
(WSB Radio) The Senate has sided with the Obama administration in agreeing to cut off new spending for the F-22 jet fighter program.
The 58-40 vote removes $1.75 billion set aside in a defense policy bill to build seven more F-22 Raptors, adding to the 187 stealth technology fighters already in the pipeline.
The F-22's are manufatured by Lockheed Martin at their plant in Marietta.
Defense Secretary Robert Gates has said that the Pentagon has enough of the $140 million jets to meet operational needs and President Barack Obama has threatened to veto the defense bill if Congress ignores the request that the program be terminated.
But for many lawmakers, the F-22 means thousands of jobs for their state or district, and resistance to ending the program has been fierce.
The defense bill is S. 1390
(WSB Radio) Police in Coweta County are hunting for the man who robbed a Newnan bank this morning.
Officers were called to the Bank of Georgia, at 471 Highway 29, at about 9:35.
Witnesses say a black man, armed with a semi-automatic handgun had entered the bank, pointed the gun at an employee and demanded money. The robber then gave a teller a plastic bag for the cash.
After receiving the money, the suspect fled the bank on foot and was seen running behind a nearby convenience store. From there he ran across an open field, towards a grocery store where, it is believed, he got into a waiting car.
A search of the area located some of the money apparently dropped by the suspect as he fled the bank. The trail of money ended at the grocery store driveway.
The suspect is a black man, 5'5 to 5'6 and between 170 and 180 pounds. He was wearing a dark blue ski mask, dark gloves, a gray jacket, dark pants and was wearing boots.
The pistol is described as a large, black semi-automatic handgun.
No one was injured during the robbery, but the suspect is considered armed and dangerous.
Anyone with information concerning this bank robbery is asked to contact Newnan Police Department at 770-254-2355.
Profit rose mostly because last year's quarter was dragged down by big restructuring charges and asset write-downs.
The Atlanta-based seller of Coke, Sprite and VitaminWater on Tuesday said it earned $2.04 billion, or 88 cents per share, in the three months ending July 3. That's up from $1.42 billion, or 61 cents per share, a year earlier.
The company recorded significant one-time charges a year earlier that dragged down comparable profit by 40 cents per share, compared with 4 cents per share in charges in the most recent quarter.
Excluding restructuring charges, write-downs and other items, Coca-Cola earned 92 cents per share in the most recent quarter. Analysts expected 89 cents per share.
Sales fell 9 percent to $8.27 billion, mostly hurt by the strong dollar. Wall Street's revenue estimate was $8.66 billion. Companies that do significant international business are hurt by a stronger dollar as sales revenue is translated from local currencies into fewer dollars.
In pre-market trading, shares fell 34 cents to $50.69.
Total case volume the amount of the company's beverages sold worldwide rose 4 percent, with international case volume up 5 percent. That figure includes 33 percent growth in India and 14 percent in China. The company said it saw weakness in Spain and Eastern Europe, two areas hit hard by economic woes.
In North America, case volume fell 1 percent but Coca-Cola gained slightly in its share of sales volume. Sales volume of Coke Zero grew 24 percent. Consumers have cut back spending on soft drinks, partly motivated by wanting to save money and by health, as they opt to switch to juices and teas. Coca-Cola said its unit case volume for soda fell 2 percent in North America in the quarter, while its volume of still beverages like teas and juices rose 1 percent.
The company said it saw strong sales in food service and hospitality, with overall volume up 7 percent there, while retail unit case volume dropped 4 percent.
The company is on track to save $500 million a year by 2011 through restructuring, CEO Muhtar Kent said in a statement. More than half of the savings would be achieved by the end of the year, Kent said.
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
The study released by the Georgia Department of Labor Tuesday examined joblessness among black men and women, and white men and women. It found the number of men of any race drawing unemployment insurance increasing 160 percent from December 2007 through May.
Among white males, it increased 211 percent, to 51,562 men. That's compared to a 78.8 percent increase for black females the smallest increase in unemployment benefit claims among any of the four groups studied.
The study links the male job losses to cuts in the construction and manufacturing industries.
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
(WSB Radio) The state child welfare director says his agency ``missed the signs'' while investigating child abuse against a 6-year-old boy who police say was beaten to death by his mothers boyfriend.
Mark Washington, director of the state Division of Family and Children Services, said Monday that DFCS responded to four prior complaints regarding trouble in Bryan Guzman-Morenos Forsyth County home.
Police say the mother's boyfriend, 20-year-old Eder Acosta of Cumming, beat Bryan to death Thursday.
Washington said he could see his agency missed asking the right questions, using the right specialists and making right decision at the right time.
Capt. Frank Huggins, spokesman for the Forsyth County Sheriff's office, said Acosta was arrested Saturday and charged in Bryan's death.
(WSB Radio) The FBI says a bank robber known as the "Limping Bandit" has been arrested after robbing 23 banks across the Southeast, including some in Georgia.
Agents say 51-year-old Cecil Haire of Douglas, Georgia, was arrested after witnesses got his license tag number following a robbery at a bank in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina.
FBI agents say Haire has been robbing banks in the Southeast since June 2006, linking him to three hold ups in Georgia; 12 in South Carolina; five in Florida; and three in Alabama.
Authorities say Haire limped as he ran away from the robberies because childhood polio left his right leg shorter than his left.
Haire is being held at the Charleston County jail.
ATLANTA (AP) Authorities say a 4-year-old girl who was rescued from drowning at Lake Lanier on Saturday has died.
Athra Abdulla remained in critical condition after being rescued and taken to Childrens Healthcare of Atlanta at Scottish Rite in Atlanta where she died Monday night.
Emergency officials said She had been swimming at the lake with family in Buford Saturday when she disappeared.
Gwinnett County Fire Department spokesman Capt. Thomas Rutledge said after her rescue, an off-duty nurse revived her.
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
Authorities said 38-year-old Dawn Myers, who was arrested on a charge of cruelty to children, took two other children into the vet's office.
Forsyth County Sheriff's Department spokesman Capt. Frank Huggins said the incident happened last Thursday. He said the child was in the car for 30-40 minutes and the temperature in the car was around 90 degrees. The baby was treated and released from a Cumming hospital.
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
(WSB Radio) The manager of a Kennesaw daycare center has been arrested after she failed to report a case of possible child abuse.
Kennesaw Police Officer Scott Luther tells Channel 2 Action News when the child told the mother she had been abused while at the Great Expectation Daycare on Jiles Way, she immediately reported to daycare manager Patricia Ingram, who did nothing.
"It has to be reported to the local authorities or to DFACS. If not, it's a violation of state law," said Luther.
The charge is a misdemeanor and Ingram has bonded out of jail.
The case is still under investigation.
Parents who use the daycare find the allegations of abuse hard to believe.
"They treat the kids good," says Timicia Boyce. "When I first started I came and did the in and out visits. I never had a problem. Never, ever, ever."
(WSB Radio) Park rangers have cut down a rope swing, very popular at Vickery Creek in Fulton County, after a second accident in a week.
Last Monday, Kevin Bridges, who was on his way to the rope swing, fell 25 feet down a waterfall and had to be rescued.
One week later, another man fell about 15 feet from the rope swing and was knocked unconscious.
"He swung over the lake, but he froze over the lake, he wouldn't let go," says Ryan Cox, a witness to the accident. "Then he swung back and he went to the ground and he let go and fell on his face."
Once again, rescue crews from Roswell were called out to help the man.
(WSB Radio) DeKalb County CEO Burrell Ellis has fired the Director of DeKalb County Parks and Recreation and placed its acting Deputy Director of Recreation Services on paid administrative leave.
The move comes after 67 DeKalb County swimmers who had qualified for a state competition had to forfeit their spots because two county recreation employees didn't follow through on necessary paperwork.
"It's disappointing that we've been practicing, we've been trying hard, and we got an email that we couldn't go," says Lisa Medford, one of the swimmers denied entry into the meet.
Ellis has also asked appealed to the Georgia Recreation and Parks Association that they take a second look at the decision.
The meet is set for later this week.
(WSB Radio) Smyrna Police have arrested two people in last month's murder of an instructor at Chattahoochee Tech.
Lt. Robert Harvey tells WSB they did not have any major leads in the June 21st murder of Joseph Gunn until almost a month later.
"The arrests were made through a conjunction of getting information through the Clark Atlanta University shooting incident," said Harvey.
Atlanta Police informed them that the weapon used in the July 20th shooting at Clark Atlanta University was the same weapon used to kill Gunn.
Gunn was shot to death when he caught two men trying to break into his truck at his home on Highlands View Place.
"From we understand, the gun that they'd taken from Mr. Gunn's vehicle, was the one used in the shooting. Now, this is all contingent on the ballistics testing," said Harvey.
18-year-old Matthew Wells, who escaped shortly after being arrested in the CAU shooting, has been charged with felony murder, aggravated assault, burglary and malice murder. 28-year-old Curtis Billings, who is still recovering from the shooting at CAU, faces the same charges.
Harvey says they're glad to solve this murder case.
"If the criminal has a history of committing crimes - if they caught, normally, this is what usually gets 'em is the entry in to GCIC of these stolen items," said Harvey.
More arrests are expected in this case.
(WSB Radio) Some Gwinnett County residents who balked at the idea of a property tax increase are now angry over possible service cuts by the county commission.
The commissioners will vote today on $20 million in budget cuts that could mean layoffs and the loss of police officers and firefighters.
In addition to public safety cuts, some libraries could be closed permanently, while other branches could have their operating schedules cut by two days a week.
Other elements of the proposal, much of which would be implemented in 2010, include closing the Gwinnett Justice and Administration Center on weekends, closing the Peachtree Corners police substation, consolidating polling locations and outsourcing functions of the tax assessor's office.
The commission had considered proposed 25% millage rate hike as a way of avoiding cuts, but residents protested.
Commission Chairman Charles Bannister says that left the board very few options.
"To get back to where they would be satisfied and we can do this with no tax increases\, we have to dump 250 people," Bannister tells WSB. "We've got to cut our hours of funding. There's no other way to do it."
The cuts mean 53 police officers will be let go this year and 250 will not be hired over the next five years.
Police Chief Charles Walters says the proposed budget cuts could mean specialized units like the Code Enforcement Unit, could be cut.
It's a similar story for the Gwinnett County Fire Department.
Gwinnett County Fire Chief Steve Rolader says proposed budget cuts mean eliminating 51 positions by the end of the year and up to 250 future hires over the next five years.
In addition, Rolader says three fire stations that are currently under construction may remain empty and response times may be slower.
"The bottom line is, when someone calls 911, I've got to have a unit to send there," he says. "We just have to realign our priorities and go back to the basics."
Commissioners say they've been flooded with emails from residents, some of whom are now asking for a tax hike. Others want a chance to address the commissioners before today's budget vote. The commissioners say the public will get a chance to speak, but only after the vote is taken.
Bannister says commissioners did try, but the public said no to tax increases, so cuts are the only thing left to do.
"If we had the money, we wouldn't have to cut," he says. "But, to get the money, we needed the tax increase."
(WSB Radio) A lunch at Mrs. Winner's was anything but on Monday.
East Point Police Detective Cliff Chandler tells WSB an Atlanta firefighter was eating lunch at the Mrs. Winners on Headland Drive and McAlpine Drive, when a man decided to hold up the place just after 1 o'clock.
"When he observed that the robbery was taking place, he fled the restaurant in an attempt to seek cover. As he was fleeing, the other firefighters who were on the apparatus observed this and they also sought cover," said Chandler.
In the meantime, the robber, who was armed with a gun, took money from the register and fled the scene, only to run into the firefighters on his way out.
"At some point, the suspect encountered the firefighters and three shots were fired. We're trying to determine now whether he was actually firing at the firefighters or was he just trying to fire in the air," said Chandler.
No one was struck, but one officer was injured trying to escape and another suffered chest pains during the incident. Both were taken to the hospital.
The search continues for the suspect, described as a black male, in his late teens or early twenties, approximately 6', thin-build, wearing blue jeans and a dark long-sleeved shirt with white tennis shoes.
Chandler says the boldness of the suspect to hit in broad daylight during lunch hour is something he has no words for.
"I don't even know how to characterize it, he laughed. I really don't have words, I just don't," said Chandler.
July 20,2009
(WSB Radio) -- A Sawnee Elementary School student is dead and now, his mother's live-in boyfriend is charged with murder.
WSB's Pete Combs reports it happened in the span of just a few minutes. Captain Frank Huggins at the Forsyth County Sheriff's Office says 20-year old Eder Acosta took his live-in girlfriend to work around six Thursday morning, then went back to the home they share in Cumming and beat her six-year old son to death.
"The child died as a result of blunt trauma to the head and body," Huggins says.
Huggins says six-year old Bryan Guzman-Moreno died Thursday after Acosta took him to a hospital emergency room. Acosta is now jailed without bond, leaving law officers like Huggins to shake their heads in frustration.
"A child six-years old cannot defend himself against a fully grown adult male," Huggins says. "It's terrible. It's horrible."
Huggins says the boy's mother won't be charged. Two other children home at the time Bryan was beaten to death are now in state custody. Huggins says neither is hurt.
(WSB Radio/AP) -- Yunel Escobar had two of his four RBIs in a five-run fifth inning and the Atlanta Braves beat New York 7-1 on Sunday night as the Mets lost yet another player to an injury.
Mets starting pitcher Fernando Nieve left the game in the second inning with a strained right quadriceps.
Escobar hit his ninth homer in the second inning and had a run-scoring single in the fourth to give Atlanta a 2-1 lead. The shortstop delivered a bases-loaded two-run double in the fifth as the Braves stretched the lead to 7-1.
The fourth-place Mets fell nine games back of NL East-leading Philadelphia, their largest deficit since they were nine games out after play on Sept. 29, 2005, according to STATS LLC.
The Braves, who won three of four in the series, moved past Florida into second place in the East, 6½ games behind the surging Phillies.
Braves right-hander Javier Vazquez (7-7) gave up six hits and one run in seven innings. He walked one and struck out five, shutting down New York's paltry offense.
Since June 22, the injury-ravaged Mets have lost 15 times in 24 games and have scored just 74 runs, the fewest in the majors.
Vazquez caught Nieve's high bouncer with his right hand and threw out Nieve on a close play in the second inning. Nieve then fell to the ground, grabbing his leg in obvious pain. He was driven off the field.
Nieve, who has been filling in for John Maine, will fly with the team to Washington, where the Mets play on Monday, and then continue to New York for an MRI.
Nieve joins New York's long injury list.
Gary Sheffield did not play for the second straight game because of cramping in his right hamstring that began Friday night. Mets manager Jerry Manuel said before the game Sheffield is still sore.
The Mets are also without outfielders Carlos Beltran and Fernando Martinez, first baseman Carlos Delgado, shortstop Jose Reyes, and relievers J.J. Putz and Billy Wagner due to injuries.
Tim Redding (1-4) replaced Nieve and gave up five runs, two earned, on four hits and three walks in three innings.
Martin Prado and Casey Kotchman had RBI singles in the fifth. Chipper Jones drove in another run with a sacrifice fly.
The Mets scored their only run in the third. Luis Castillo hit a one-out single and scored on Jeff Francoeur's single.
Braves reliever Mike Gonzalez, who had been out with tendinitis in his left elbow, made his first appearance since July 9. He retired the Mets in order in the eighth. Rafael Soriano added a perfect ninth.
NOTES: Six Mets pitchers combined for eight walks. ... CF Nate McLouth set a career high with four walks. ... Braves RHP Tim Hudson allowed only one walk in two innings for Class A Myrtle Beach in his first injury rehab assignment since his elbow ligament-replacement surgery last year. Hudson is scheduled to throw three innings on Thursday.
(WSB Radio) -- A 4-year old girl who nearly drowned in Lake Lanier remains in critical condition.
Athra Abdulla of Clarkston was with her family at the lake on Saturday when she disappeared near Lower Overlook Park in Buford around 2 p.m.
As the search for her began, a man on a personal watercraft pulled her from the water, said Gwinnett Fire Captain Tommy Rutledge.
"A gentleman on a jet ski came over and jumped in," Cpt. Rutledge said. "He immediately found the girl. We were fortunate he was able to go right to her."
An off-duty nurse performed CPR until emergency personnel arrived. Abbulla was not breathing on her own when she was transported to the hospital, authorities said.
According to Gwinnett Fire Department officials, it is unknown whether the child jumped or fell in the water.
The child's pulse returned and she was airlifted to Children's Healthcare of Atlanta at Scottish Rite, Sanders said.
Rutledge told WSB Radio a group of boy scouts helped save a 56-year old man who fell into the Chattahoochee River Saturday morning.The man fell off a floating tube while fly-fishing near Settles Bridge, Cpt. Rutledge said. The man's son, another person, the scouts, ages 12-14, and their adult leader helped pull the victim out of the river. His son was performing CPR when firefighters arrived, authorizes said.
"A very successful story," Cpt. Rutledge told WSB Radio. "Thanks to the quick action of the man's son, another bystander, and the boy scouts who happened to be on the water as well."
The man was taken to Gwinnett Medical Center in Lawrenceville for evaluation. His name has not been released.
The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. was appointed receiver of the Winder-based bank, which had about $115 million in assets and $109 million in deposits as of July 6th.
The FDIC says all of First Piedmont's deposits will be assumed by First American Bank and Trust Company of Athens, Georgia, which also agreed to buy about $111 million of its assets.
The FDIC retains the rest for eventual sale. First Piedmont's two offices will reopen Monday as First American branches.
The 15 Georgia banks to fail since the beginning of 2008 are more than any other state. The 54 bank failures this year compare with 25 last year and three in 2007.
The North Carolina Wing of the Civil Air Patrol said Sunday that friends of the missing pilot, identified as Bill Allison, spotted the wreckage on a peak in Clay County near the Georgia border.
They confirmed that the wreckage was that of the missing plane.CAP spokesman Don Penven said Clay County emergency management personnel were contacted and a ground team was dispatched to the remote crash site, which took several hours to reach.
The Federal Aviation Administration said the Cessna left Cleveland, Ga., for the Andrews-Murphy Airport in western North Carolina about 10 a.m. Friday. Allison's wife reported him missing.
(WSB Radio/AP) -- NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, teams, fans and sponsors are among those who will weigh in on Vick's future.
First and foremost, Goodell must decide whether Vick's suspension will end and, if so, when -- allowing the former Atlanta Falcons quarterback a chance to play in the league again. Goodell is expected to act fairly quickly, so Vick and teams know his status for the coming season. Training camps for veterans start opening next weekend.
There has been communication between Vick's camp and the league about the process, although neither side is making substantive comments publicly about where things stand.
"As we said in 2007, when he was indefinitely suspended, Michael Vick's status will be reviewed following the conclusion of the legal proceedings," NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said.
Vick has kept silent and probably will continue to until Goodell makes an announcement. While Goodell is declining interview requests on this topic, his position is fairly well-outlined: He wants a face-to-face meeting, and Vick must show serious contrition.
"Michael's going to have to demonstrate to myself and the general public and to a lot of people: Did he learn anything from this experience? Does he regret what happened?" Goodell said in May. "Does he feel that he can be a positive influence going forward? Those are questions that I would like to see when I sit with him."
Once Goodell's ruling is rendered, NFL clubs will have to determine what, if any, interest they have in Vick. Among the questions teams will ponder: What kind of shape is he in? What position should he play? What type of public relations hit might he bring?
"Teams certainly are going to want to know: Where is his mind-set? Going forward, is he going to be a good citizen? You'd interview him and hope you get a good feel in the interview. That's the first thing," former Redskins and Texans general manager Charley Casserly said. "The second thing is: You've got a guy two years out of football, with no structured conditioning program."
NFL teams are allowed to initiate talks with Vick, because the Falcons released him in June. He was cut less than five years after signing a $130 million, 10-year contract.
Vick's agent, Joel Segal, would not discuss whether teams havebeen in contact about his client.
An AP survey of the 31 other NFL clubs in November found that at least a half-dozen teams would not shut the door on the possibility of acquiring Vick at some stage.
At his best, Vick -- who turned 29 last month -- was as dynamic an athlete as there was in the NFL, a No. 1 overall draft pick and three-time Pro Bowl selection who led the Falcons to the 2005 NFC championship game. He was the first NFL quarterback to rush for 1,000 yards in a season; he also never threw for more than 3,000 yards or 20 touchdowns in any season, and his career completion percentage is below 55.
"His best chance to have success would be a Wildcat formation. He was running the Wildcat before they called it the 'Wildcat,'" said Casserly, who works for NFL Network. "Would I give him a tryout? Yeah, I'd give him a tryout -- assuming the interview went fine."
Vick's release from federal custody comes Monday, when he can stop wearing an electronic monitor as he begins three years' probation. He is finishing a two-month home confinement in Hampton, Va., which completes a 23-month sentence after he admitted bankrolling a dogfighting operation. Court papers revealed gruesome details about the operation, including the killing of underperforming dogs by electrocution, drowning and hanging.
That is why his toughest critics moving forward could be animal rights activists. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals wrote to Goodell in January, saying Vick shouldn't be allowed to return to the NFL unless he submits to a psychological evaluation.
"We haven't taken the possibility of protests off the table, by any stretch of the imagination," PETA assistant director Dan Shannon said Friday. "But at the same time, we have to see how it's handled before we make any kind of determination."
Eventually, if Vick reshapes his public image, and if he gets the OK from Goodell, and if he finds a team, and if he plays football well, there will come a day where there will be one more group that will pass judgment: endorsers.
Vick used to earn millions in sponsorship dollars on top of his Falcons salary, but that all dried up. Vick's actions cost him his fortune and his NFL career, and some fans feel he deserves a second chance.
They have demonstrated their support, shouting encouragement and wearing Vick jerseys when he has made court appearances.
But would advertisers ever come back?
"Over time, a truly apologetic sports star is forgiven easily by the general public," said Bob Williams, CEO of Burns Entertainment&Sports Marketing. "People said Kobe Bryant was persona non grata for product endorsements after what happened in Colorado, and he's done a terrific job rehabilitating his image and getting back into the endorsement market. He could be a role model for Michael Vick."
Williams thinks Vick needs to begin his image-shaping efforts off the field. If that's accomplished, there is one other key factor.
"The American sports public loves winners," Williams noted. "It would expedite Michael Vick's efforts tremendously if he were on a winning team, a team that went deep in the playoffs, a team that won the Super Bowl."
Potential teammates and foes alike will assess when and whether Vick deserves to return.
The general consensus among NFL players appears to line up with the opinion expressed this week on Twitter by Washington Redskins cornerback DeAngelo Hall, who like Vick played at Virginia Tech: "I honestly think Mike has paid his debt to society. I would love to see him play again sooner than later! But I respect the NFL."
As NFL scouting director Gil Brandt put it: "He has to convince both the fans and his teammates that he's a new man."
First things first:It seems quite clear Vick must start the next phase of his life by convincing Goodell of that.
___
AP Football Writer Dave Goldberg contributed to this report.
For Lee Westwood it stayed just out of reach in his 47th and Sergio Garcia got nowhere near in major No. 41.
While Cink's one-sided playoff victory over five-time champion Watson stopped a fairytale ending at Turnberry, it meant he went home with the famous claret jug after a long wait for one of golf's top titles.
"How much I needed it I don't know," said Cink, whose first major was the 1996 US Open. "I'm not sure I really thought much about whether I was good enough to win a major or not. I knew I'd been close a few times but I never really heard my name tossed in there with the group of best ones not to have won.
"So maybe I was starting to believe that _ that I wasn't one of the best ones to never have won a major."
Even before Cink captured his Open title, the dubious honor of the best player not to have captured one of the four top prizes in golf belonged to Garcia.
The Spaniard came close 10 years ago when he finished one stroke behind Tiger Woods at the 1999 PGA Championship as a 19-year-old.
That performance suggested he might become Woods' biggest rival. While the American added 12 more to take his total to 14, however, Garcia is still waiting for his first.
At 1 under halfway through the tournament and four shots off the lead, he appeared well positioned to make another challenge here, two years after he lost a playoff to Padraig Harrington at Carnoustie. But a third round 76 ended his chances.
"I had a couple of good rounds to start with then unfortunately I had a bad day yesterday," Garcia said of his 6-over 76. "Today was a weird day. It was the kind of day when, every time I got myself going, I screwed it up on the next hole. I couldn't ride the momentum. Every time I made a birdie I made a bogey on the next hole.
"I'm fairly positive. I would love to have played much better. But there are a lot of positive things I can take away from the first two days."
Westwood got a lot closer to the Open title here and, like Garcia, was considered one of the leading contenders.
In contention throughout the tournament after a 68 and two 70s, the 36-year-old Englishman led going to the 15th hole. But he bogeyed three out of the last four holes and his eagle putt at 17 rolled up to the cup but stayed agonizingly out.
That left him at 2 under and his tee shot on No. 18 landed in a deep fairway bunker with the flag fluttering in the breeze a long way in the distance. But he produced one of the best shots of the championship from the sand and managed to find the green, 60 feet from the flag.
A shot behind Watson at that stage and knowing that Cink was already in the clubhouse at 2-under, he went for broke and his birdie attempt rolled 10 feet past. He missed that, too, and wound up with a 71, 1 under for the championship with no chance of even a playoff.
As it turned out, Watson bogeyed the last hole. If Westwood had played safe, rolled his birdie putt close to the pin and finished 2-under, he would have been in the playoff too.
"I've gone from frustration to sickness now," Westwood said after finishing tied for third behind Cink and Watson.
"I figured _ I thought I'd have to hole it, to be perfectly honest. I didn't see Tom bogeying the last, since he's such an experienced player. But he obviously got a bogey there.
"You've just got to keep working," said Westwood, who also finished fourth at the 2004 British Open at Troon. "I'm putting in the hard work at the moment, and it's obviously paying off because I'm getting closer."
(WSB Radio) -- College Park Police this morning are looking for suspects and a motive in the execution style murders of two roommates.A third roommate found the bodies of Lanaetria Butler and Karida Wikler early Sunday in their apartment in the 3100 block of Godby Road early Sunday. Butler was 28. Winkler was 34.
Two days before Butler had told her mother in a telephone conversation that she hoped her former boyfriend would let her see the couple's three children. That was the last time her mom would hear from her.
College Park police spokesman, Sgt. Eddie Atkins says one of the women was discovered in the apartment's dining room. The other in the kitchen. Each woman had been shot once in the head.
"We're open to anything at this point," Atkins said.
It was Lanaetria Butler's ex-boyfriend that called her family in Jacksonville, Fla., with the news of her murder.
"He said, 'A boy that knows me and Renee told me Renee had gotten killed,'" said Elizabeth Butler, Lanaetria's grandmother. "He was crying when he called me."
Lanaetria Butler left Jacksonville five years ago and moved to Atlanta, according to her mother.
Butler is survived by five children, the youngest of whom would be a year old in August. The oldest, ages 6 and 7 are being cared for by her mother in Jacksonville.
Authorities say investigators are continuing to question possible witnesses and follow leads. No suspect has been identified.
WASHINGTON (AP) The American soldier who went missing June 30 from his base in eastern Afghanistan and was later confirmed to have been captured, said in a video posted by the Taliban that he's ``scared I won't be able to go home.''
Two U.S. defense officials confirmed to The Associated Press that the man in the video posted Saturday on the Internet is the captured soldier, but the Defense Department has not released his name. The video provided the first glimpse the public has had of the missing soldier.
The soldier is shown in the 28-minute video with his head shaved and the start of a beard. He is sitting and dressed in a nondescript, gray outfit. Early in the video one of his captors holds the soldier's dog tag up to the camera. His name and ID number are clearly visible. He is shown eating at one point and sitting cross-legged.
The soldier, whose identity has not yet been released by the Pentagon, says his name, age and hometown on the video, which was released on a Web site pointed out by the Taliban.
He said the date was July 14 and that he was captured when he lagged behind on a patrol.
He's interviewed in English by his captors, and he is asked his views on the war, which he calls extremely hard, his desire to learn more about Islam and the morale of American soldiers, which he said was low.
Asked how he was doing, the soldier said on the video:
``Well I'm scared, scared I won't be able to go home. It is very unnerving to be a prisoner.''
He later chokes up when discussing his family and his hope to marry his girlfriend.
``I have a very, very good family that I love back home in America. And I miss them every day when I'm gone,'' he said.
He is also prompted by his interrogators to give a message to the American people.
``To my fellow Americans who have loved ones over here, who know what it's like to miss them, you have the power to make our government bring them home,'' he said. ``Please, please bring us home so that we can be back where we belong and not over here, wasting our time and our lives and our precious life that we could be using back in our own country. Please bring us home. It is America and American people who have that power.''
A U.S. military spokeswoman in Afghanistan, Lt. Cmdr. Christine Sidenstricker, said the Taliban was using their captive for propaganda.
``I'm glad to see he appears unharmed, but again, this is a Taliban propaganda video,'' she said. ``They are exploiting the soldier in violation of international law.''
It is unclear from the video whether the July 14 date is authentic. The soldier says that he heard that a Chinook helicopter carrying 37 NATO troops had been shot down over Helmand. A helicopter was shot down in southern Afghanistan on July 14, but it was carrying civilians on a reported humanitarian mission for NATO forces. All six Ukrainian passengers died in the crash, and a child on the ground was killed.
On July 2, the U.S. military said an American soldier had disappeared after walking off his base in eastern Afghanistan with three Afghan counterparts and was believed to have been taken prisoner.
Details of such incidents are routinely held very tightly by the military as it works to retrieve a missing or captured soldier without giving away any information to captors.
But Afghan Police Gen. Nabi Mullakheil said the soldier went missing in eastern Paktika province near the border with Pakistan from an American base. The region is known to be Taliban-infested.
Afghans in contact with the Taliban told The Associated Press that the soldier was held by a Taliban group led by a commander called Maulvi Sangin, who operates in the area where the American went missing. They said the fighters initially planned to smuggle the soldier across the border into Pakistan but ruled that out because of U.S. missile strikes and Pakistani bombing attacks against militant targets in the area. Instead, they decided to move him north into Taliban-controlled areas of Ghazni province.
The Afghans spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of arrest or reprisal, and it was impossible to independently confirm their information.
A brigade commander for the Afghan national army in southeastern Afghanistan, Gen. Asrar Ahmad Khan, said Afghan and coalition forces have been working together for 15 days searching for the missing soldier.
A Taliban spokesman, Zabiullah Mujahid, said the militants holding the soldier haven't yet set any conditions for his release.
Associated Press writers Robert H. Reid, Kathy Gannon and Jason Straziuso in Kabul and Christine Simmons in Washington contributed to this report.
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
(WSB Radio) Boy scouts, bystanders, family members, and an off-duty nurse helped save two people from drowning in separate incidents in Gwinnett County, authorities said.
Gwinnett Fire Cpt. Thomas Rutledge told WSB Radio a group of boy scouts helped save a 56-year old man who fell into the Chattahoochee River Saturday morning.
The man fell off a floating tube while fly-fishing near Settles Bridge, Cpt. Rutledge said. The man's son, another person, the scouts, ages 12-14, and their adult leader helped pull the victim out of the river. His son was performing CPR when firefighters arrived, authorizes said.
"A very successful story," Cpt. Rutledge told WSB Radio. "Thanks to the quick action of the man's son, another bystander, and the boy scouts who happened to be on the water as well."
The man was taken to Gwinnett Medical Center in Lawrenceville for evaluation. His name has not been released.
Then, around 2 p.m. Saturday a 4-year old girl from Clarkston nearly drowned in Lake Lanier.
Athra Abbulla was with her family when she went missing near Lower Overlook Park in Buford, Cpt. Rutledge said.
Investigators aren't sure if the girl fell or jumped into the lake.
"A gentleman on a jet ski came over and jumped in," Cpt. Rutledge said. "He immediately found the girl. We were fortunate he was able to go right to her."
An off-duty nurse performed CPR until emergency personnel arrived. Abbulla was not breathing on her own when she was transported to the hospital, authorities said.
She was reported in critical condition as of Saturday night.
ATLANTA (AP) Georgia will receive $7.8 million in federal stimulus money for transit improvements, mostly for Atlanta's rail system.
Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said Friday that MARTA will get $7.4 million for upgrade and replacement of the fire protection system for rail stations, lines, and facilities. Funding will also be used to support engineering, design of the models for each facility, and initial implementation.
Henry County is to receive $427,674 for two 30-foot, 16-passenger, wheelchair-equipped buses and one 15-passenger van. Funds will also be used to update communications equipment, software, security radios and cameras, and for preventive maintenance.
The money is part of $3.5 billion in Recovery Act funds for transit improvements nationwide.
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
ATLANTA (AP) Federal agents say they have arrested a member of the Black Mafia Family, once a nationwide crime organization that ran a violent drug enterprise.
The U.S. Marshals Southeast Regional Fugitive Task Force said Friday that Vernon Marcus Coleman was the last of about 150 indicted members of the organization, which once controlled or had a hand in virtually all the cocaine and crack sold in Atlanta, Detroit and Los Angeles.
Coleman was picked up Thursday morning at a north Atlanta apartment. He was indicted more than two years ago on a federal charge of possession with the intent to distribute cocaine.
The others who were indicted have been convicted on drug or weapons charges in various cities.
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
Clarence Harrison walked away that day with a promise of $1 million from the state. Douglas Echols and Samuel Scott left empty-handed and have spent much of their time since wishing they had the kind of compensation Harrison received.
Yet looking at the lives of these three men today, it's tough to tell who got paid and who got nothing.
For all its certainty when it comes to solving whodunits, DNA evidence cannot answer a question that can be tougher to determine than guilt or innocence: When people are put away unjustly, how much money is enough to undo the damage?
Seven years after DNA evidence exonerated Echols and Scott, neither has received a cent from the state of Georgia. Their appeal was doomed by the influential district attorney of ``Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil'' fame who locked them both away in 1987 and is still not convinced they're innocent.
``We're like ghosts,'' Scott said recently. ``They want to pretend we don't exist.''
Georgia is among 23 states that have no law governing compensation for the wrongly convicted, so anyone who suffers that fate has to ask the Legislature for an individual bill to make them whole. That's what Harrison, Echols and Scott were doing in early 2005 when they strode through the marble hallways and were ushered into a packed hearing room of a Senate Appropriations subcommittee.
Harrison, a large, soft-spoken man, was 44 years old when he was released in 2004 after serving 17 years in the abduction and sexual assault of a woman waiting for a bus. Lawmakers approved a $1 million payout, which Harrison said seemed like a dizzyingly large sum.
Echols and Scott were up next. In 2002, DNA cleared them of raping and kidnapping a woman at Scott's Savannah home. The woman claimed Echols held her down while Scott raped her. A third assailant was never identified. Echols served five years before being freed on parole. Scott was in prison for 15 years.
No one had told Scott or Echols that Spencer Lawton, the Chatham County district attorney who had convicted them and was still in office in 2005, had sent a letter to legislators arguing that the men were never exonerated and could not be characterized as factually innocent despite what the DNA testing revealed.
Lawton the tough prosecutor made famous in John Berendt's book ``Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil'' held considerable sway with lawmakers, who didn't want to be seen as soft on crime. Echols' and Scott's claim was quickly dead.
Former state Rep. Tom Bordeaux, the Savannah Democrat who sponsored the legislation to compensate Echols and Scott, recalls that they were ``blindsided'' by Lawton.
``He wasn't man enough to admit he may have convicted the wrong guys,'' Bordeaux said. ``It was wrong in the most fundamental way. It was indecent.''
Echols has since sued Lawton, claiming the prosecutor violated his constitutional rights when he lobbied the lawmakers against compensation.
Lawton declined to comment for this report, citing the pending lawsuit.
Lawton opted not to prosecute Echols and Scott again after their convictions were thrown out. Their records weren't expunged though, so every time they apply for a job they must reveal their criminal background.
Not everyone is understanding.
``You're walking around with a jacket on your back (that) says 'rapist' all your life,'' said Echols, who had spent 11 years in the Army when he was arrested and now lives in Hinesville, Ga., with a woman who became his pen pal while he was in prison.
``Only thing I ever wanted to do was be a soldier and they took that away, and that's all I ever had,'' he said.
Scott has a small home in Pooler, Ga., with the woman he married after he was freed. He had a drug record before his rape conviction and has had a few brushes with the law since getting out, including a domestic violence charge.
Like Echols and like most ex-cons, he's struggled to find steady work since he got out. He started a small landscaping business but has few customers these days. He had a line on a job waxing and cleaning floors that he says would have paid about $15 an hour, but when the company discovered he had a criminal record, it was a no go. He is two months behind on his mortgage.
Scott and Echols have both wondered what life would be like if they'd gotten a big payout the way Harrison did.
The difference between $1 million and nothing, it turns out, can be very little.
Harrison emerged from prison deeply suspicious of nearly everyone and everything. Finding prices far higher than they'd been when was arrested in 1986, he was convinced store clerks were trying to cheat him.
He had to rely on help from family, friends and complete strangers. Many wanted to be paid back when the first installment in his state compensation a $100,000 lump sum payment arrived some two years later.
The money went fast. About $12,000 went to his ex-wife for years of child support he wasn't able to pay for their daughter. His big splurge was a Chrysler 300 for his wife, Yvonne, whom he married 18 days after leaving prison and who had supported him for years. He was encouraged to obtain credit cards to set up a credit history and quickly ran up balances.
He admits he overspent.
Harrison, who lives in the Atlanta area, has been unable to hold down a job. He worked for a time stocking books in a warehouse and as a security guard at a Christian school.
Under the 20-year structured settlement, Harrison gets about $47,000 a year before taxes. When the state check comes in, he uses it to pay off last year's debts including a growing pile of medical bills, because he has no insurance.
``I used to think that it would be a lot of money, but after you get it you see it's not as much as people think it is,'' he said.
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
Michael Vick's federal dogfighting sentence is scheduled to end Monday and that is also when he will go back on trial facing a whole new series of judgments.
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, teams, fans and sponsors are among those who will weigh in on Vick's future.
First and foremost, Goodell must decide whether Vick's suspension will end and, if so, when allowing the former Atlanta Falcons quarterback a chance to play in the league again. Goodell is expected to act fairly quickly, so Vick and teams know his status for the coming season. Training camps for veterans start opening next weekend.
There has been communication between Vick's camp and the league about the process, although neither side is making substantive comments publicly about where things stand.
``As we said in 2007, when he was indefinitely suspended, Michael Vick's status will be reviewed following the conclusion of the legal proceedings,'' NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said.
Vick has kept silent and probably will continue to until Goodell makes an announcement. While Goodell is declining interview requests on this topic, his position is fairly well-outlined: He wants a face-to-face meeting, and Vick must show serious contrition.
``Michael's going to have to demonstrate to myself and the general public and to a lot of people: Did he learn anything from this experience? Does he regret what happened?'' Goodell said in May. ``Does he feel that he can be a positive influence going forward? Those are questions that I would like to see when I sit with him.''
Once Goodell's ruling is rendered, NFL clubs will have to determine what, if any, interest they have in Vick. Among the questions teams will ponder: What kind of shape is he in? What position should he play? What type of public relations hit might he bring?
``Teams certainly are going to want to know: Where is his mind-set? Going forward, is he going to be a good citizen? You'd interview him and hope you get a good feel in the interview. That's the first thing,'' former Redskins and Texans general manager Charley Casserly said. ``The second thing is: You've got a guy two years out of football, with no structured conditioning program.''
NFL teams are allowed to initiate talks with Vick, because the Falcons released him in June. He was cut less than five years after signing a $130 million, 10-year contract.
Vick's agent, Joel Segal, would not discuss whether teams have been in contact about his client.
An AP survey of the 31 other NFL clubs in November found that at least a half-dozen teams would not shut the door on the possibility of acquiring Vick at some stage.
At his best, Vick who turned 29 last month was as dynamic an athlete as there was in the NFL, a No. 1 overall draft pick and three-time Pro Bowl selection who led the Falcons to the 2005 NFC championship game. He was the first NFL quarterback to rush for 1,000 yards in a season; he also never threw for more than 3,000 yards or 20 touchdowns in any season, and his career completion percentage is below 55.
``His best chance to have success would be a Wildcat formation. He was running the Wildcat before they called it the 'Wildcat,''' said Casserly, who works for NFL Network. ``Would I give him a tryout? Yeah, I'd give him a tryout assuming the interview went fine.''
Vick's release from federal custody comes Monday, when he can stop wearing an electronic monitor as he begins three years' probation. He is finishing a two-month home confinement in Hampton, Va., which completes a 23-month sentence after he admitted bankrolling a dogfighting operation. Court papers revealed gruesome details about the operation, including the killing of underperforming dogs by electrocution, drowning and hanging.
That is why his toughest critics moving forward could be animal rights activists. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals wrote to Goodell in January, saying Vick shouldn't be allowed to return to the NFL unless he submits to a psychological evaluation.
``We haven't taken the possibility of protests off the table, by any stretch of the imagination,'' PETA assistant director Dan Shannon said Friday. ``But at the same time, we have to see how it's handled before we make any kind of determination.''
Eventually, if Vick reshapes his public image, and if he gets the OK from Goodell, and if he finds a team, and if he plays football well, there will come a day where there will be one more group that will pass judgment: endorsers.
Vick used to earn millions in sponsorship dollars on top of his Falcons salary, but that all dried up. Vick's actions cost him his fortune and his NFL career, and some fans feel he deserves a second chance.
They have demonstrated their support, shouting encouragement and wearing Vick jerseys when he has made court appearances.
But would advertisers ever come back?
``Over time, a truly apologetic sports star is forgiven easily by the general public,'' said Bob Williams, CEO of Burns Entertainment Sports Marketing. ``People said Kobe Bryant was persona non grata for product endorsements after what happened in Colorado, and he's done a terrific job rehabilitating his image and getting back into the endorsement market. He could be a role model for Michael Vick.''
Williams thinks Vick needs to begin his image-shaping efforts off the field. If that's accomplished, there is one other key factor.
``The American sports public loves winners,'' Williams noted. ``It would expedite Michael Vick's efforts tremendously if he were on a winning team, a team that went deep in the playoffs, a team that won the Super Bowl.''
Potential teammates and foes alike will assess when and whether Vick deserves to return.
The general consensus among NFL players appears to line up with the opinion expressed this week on Twitter by Washington Redskins cornerback DeAngelo Hall, who like Vick played at Virginia Tech: ``I honestly think Mike has paid his debt to society. I would love to see him play again sooner than later! But I respect the NFL.''
As NFL scouting director Gil Brandt put it: ``He has to convince both the fans and his teammates that he's a new man.''
First things first: It seems quite clear Vick must start the next phase of his life by convincing Goodell of that.
AP Football Writer Dave Goldberg contributed to this report.
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
ATHENS, Ga. (AP) A University of Georgia study will be aimed at determining effects that estrogens in the Oconee River have on fish. In other American rivers, researchers have detected measurable quantities of the chemicals, called environmental estrogens. Until now, no one has tried to measure the chemicals' impact in Georgia rivers.
Male fish exposed to even small levels of environmental estrogens in other researchers' studies 5 or 6 parts per trillion begin producing female egg proteins. And females begin producing fewer viable eggs.
This summer, UGA researchers will begin administering small doses of chemicals to minnows, and then will measure how different levels are changing sexual characteristics and ability to reproduce.
In the fall, they will begin to put fish in the Oconee River upstream and downstream of outlets of Athens wastewater treatment plants. They'll also trap wild fish from the same spots and look for evidence that they have been exposed.
Some of the chemicals are natural sex hormones produced in female ovaries. But scientists also find synthetic estrogens, used in birth control pills and for hormone replacement therapy, and chemicals that affect humans and other animals in the same way estrogens do.
The researchers suspect that even fish exposed for a short time especially at critical stages of development might have effects that may not show up until the fish are adults and try to reproduce.
``It's fairly predictable, if you look in any area that receives wastewater effluent,'' said Robert Bringolf, a professor of fish biology and ecotoxicology in UGA's Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources.
In UGA's fishery labs in Whitehall Forest, graduate student Kristen Kellock is working on the first part of the study, growing hundreds of fish called fathead minnows, a species common across much of the country that often is used in research.
In a third stage, the researchers plan to measure levels of some of the chemicals in river water.
Bringolf and Kellock won't be surprised to find relatively high levels of environmental estrogens in the North and Middle Oconee rivers.
Bringolf wants to find out how these chemicals are affecting river ecology and whether harmful effects are limited to relatively few fish or spread to other aquatic life.
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
LOGANVILLE, Ga. (AP) Gwinnett County police say two men are charged with murder and a teenager faces drug charges after a fatal shooting that stemmed from a drug transaction.
Investigators say 18-year-old Jeremy Williams of Snellville and a 16-year-old from Loganville met 22-year-old Samatar Heban of Grayson and Gentry Allison, age and address unknown, Friday night at a restaurant parking lot near Loganville for a transaction involving Xanax.
Police say shots were exchanged from their vehicles, and Allison was fatally wounded.
Investigators charged Williams with murder, and he and the 16-year-old with violation of the state Controlled Substance Act. Heban was charged with armed robbery and murder for his role in the shooting.
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
COCHRAN, Ga. (AP) Victoria Jackson's house is batty.
Exterminators estimate more than 1,000 bats make Jackson's middle Georgia home their roosting spot.
The 70-year-old has been living with bats since she moved there in 1983, but the problem has worsened in the past six months. The smell from their droppings is almost unbearable. And there's a threat of diseases, including rabies.
Jackson has tried eliminating the bats, but an exterminator she consulted told her it would cost about $10,000. She can't afford it, and efforts to get government grants have been rejected.
``There's no way I can afford to do it,'' said Jackson.
The bats enter the house through gaps between the walls and roof, Jackson said. Usually, they stay in the attic, but sometimes they squeeze into her kitchen, living room, bathroom and bedroom.
``I'll see one flying around at least once a day,'' Jackson told The Telegraph newspaper in Macon.
The bats can be heard chirping above the walls of the house almost constantly.
Neighbors say they can smell the bats from inside their homes. Rose Coley, the 84-year-old who lives next door, said she's scared they will invade her house.
``I can smell them really strong, especially when a breeze blows through,'' Coley said. ``But what really scares me is the thought that one will come here and bite me.''
Earlier this week, Jackson's daughter, Ann Cumby, had a friend try to plug up the holes on the outside of the house where the bats have been entering, but so far, she's been unsuccessful in her efforts to eradicate them.
``It's going to take a professional,'' Cumby said. ``And that's something I just don't think we can pay for right now.''
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
ATLANTA (AP) Manager Bobby Cox and Greg Maddux have mutual interest in Maddux serving as an instructor for the Atlanta Braves in spring training next year.
``We've talked to him about that,'' Cox said Saturday, one day after Maddux had his No. 31 retired by the Braves. Maddux also was inducted into the team's Hall of Fame on Friday.
After the induction ceremony, Maddux said he was enjoying his first year away from the game. He said he didn't miss baseball as much as he expected, and that he has filled the void by spending more time with his family.
Maddux also said he enjoyed serving as a guest instructor for the San Diego Padres in spring training this year in Arizona, near his Las Vegas home.
``I was glad I had the chance to do it. I enjoyed doing it,'' Maddux said.
When asked how he would respond if asked about a similar opportunity to work with Cox, Maddux said, ``I would 100 percent think about it. I would absolutely think about it.''
Cox said he would welcome Maddux in any role ``for as long as he wants to do it.''
Cox said he realizes it may be easier for Maddux to make the short trip to Arizona than the longer flight to the Braves' spring training site in Kissimmee, Fla., when his children are in school in Las Vegas.
Maddux said he wants to allow one full season to pass so he can better evaluate his desire to return to the game as a coach.
``If anybody loves the game more than Maddux, I'd like to meet him,'' Cox said.
Maddux and his 12-year-old son, Chase, each threw out the first pitch before the Braves' game against the New York Mets on Friday night. Maddux's 15-year-old daughter, Paige, also attended the game.
Maddux has been watching his son's baseball games. Cox said Maddux also said he has enjoyed playing golf regularly with his son.
``I'm enjoying it right now,'' Maddux said of his retirement. ``I really, kind of surprisingly, don't miss it as much as I thought I would, which is a good thing. I'm enjoying being home.
``I think I still consider myself a baseball player and it's still the offseason. I guess I've got to get over that. I'm enjoying going to my kids' games.''
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
MURPHY, N.C. (AP) Officials say the search will continue for a single-engine plane and its pilot, who went missing during a 38-mile flight from Georgia to North Carolina.
A Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman said Saturday the Cessna left Cleveland, Ga., for the Andrews-Murphy Airport in western North Carolina about 10 a.m. Friday.
Civil Air Patrol units from Georgia and North Carolina are looking for the plane and pilot Bill Allison, whose wife reported him missing. He had no passenger. Allison runs the Cherokee County airport in the Nantahala Forest.
Lt. Col. David Crawford of the North Carolina Wing said Saturday evening the nearly 20-hour search had produced no leads. His unit planned to break for the night and resume searching early Sunday.
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
ATLANTA (AP) Second-half success is nothing new for Johan Santana.
Beating the Atlanta Braves? Now that was a career first for the left-hander.
Santana threw seven scoreless innings to take some pressure off New York's struggling offense and the Mets beat the Braves 5-1 on Saturday.
Santana earned his first career victory against the Braves, improving to 1-4 despite his 1.96 ERA in seven career starts against Atlanta.
``It's always good to get the first one out of the way,'' Santana said.
The Mets had lost 8 of 11, including the first two games of the four-game series to the Braves by a combined margin of 16-3.
``We needed that one really bad,'' Santana said.
``We still have a long way to go. We need to get on a roll.''
The fourth-place Mets, eight games back of NL East-leading Philadelphia, scored two runs in the sixth to snap a streak of 19 consecutive scoreless innings. Kenshin Kawakami's bases-loaded walk to Jeremy Reed forced in the first run.
It's only the seventh time in the last 23 games that the Mets have scored more than four runs.
``We did some things right on offense,'' said Mets manager Jerry Manuel.
Chipper Jones hit his 10th homer in the eighth off Pedro Feliciano.
The Mets led only 2-1 before scoring three runs in the ninth off Manny Acosta. Angel Pagan had three hits, including a run-scoring triple in the ninth.
Mets left fielder Gary Sheffield, who left Friday night's game with cramping in his right hamstring, did not play. He said he may return as early as Sunday.
For his second straight start, Santana (11-7) gave up only five hits in seven scoreless innings.
Kawakami (5-7) gave up five hits and two runs in 6 2-3 innings.
Santana was sharp in his first start since the All-Star break, continuing his career trend. He improved to 59-17 in his career after the break. His .776 winning second-half percentage is the best all-time for pitchers with at least 75 decisions.
He was 8-0 with a 2.17 ERA in 15 second-half starts in 2008.
``When you face a guy like Santana you've got to do everything that you can to get one run or to hold them,'' said Braves manager Bobby Cox. ``He was that good today. Today goes to Santana.''
Santana gave up a first-inning double to Martin Prado and a second-inning single to Casey Kotchman and then didn't give up another hit until the Braves loaded the bases with one out in the seventh with singles by Matt Diaz, Church and pinch-hitter Garret Anderson.
Santana struck out Nate McLouth, who is in an 0-for-15 slump, and ended the threat on Martin Prado's groundout to third base.
``I didn't lose my composure,'' Santana said. ``I was able to throw the right pitches.''
Santana has thrown 15 straight scoreless innings, lowering his ERA (2.92) under 3.00 for the first time since he gave up nine runs to the Yankees on June 14.
The Braves issued intentional walks to David Wright in the first, sixth and ninth innings, each time putting runners on first and second for former Braves outfielder Jeff Francoeur.
``That was interesting,'' Manuel said. ``We don't know Jeff as well as Bobby does. We still have to try to figure him out.''
In the first, Francoeur grounded out to shortstop Yunel Escobar to end the inning, but the strategy backfired on the Braves in the sixth and ninth innings.
In the sixth, Francoeur's infield single loaded the bases with one out. Kawakami walked Reed to force in Luis Castillo, who led off the inning with a single. Omir Santos drove in Wright with a grounder that forced out Reed at second base, giving the Mets a 2-0 lead.
The Mets scored their first two runs in the ninth on Pagan's run-scoring triple and Castillo's suicide squeeze bunt. Acosta walked Daniel Murphy, who stole second, setting up the third intentional walk of the game to Wright. Francoeur's single up the middle drove in Murphy.
The sixth-inning runs were the first for the Mets since the fourth inning of Thursday night's series opener. They had a streak of 23 straight scoreless innings end on July 8.
NOTES: Attendance was 51,175, a season high at Turner Field for the second straight day. ... RHP Tim Hudson is scheduled to throw two innings for Class A Myrtle Beach on Sunday in his first injury rehabilitation appearance since his elbow ligament-replacement surgery last year.
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
(WSB Radio) One woman was killed and another man burned following a fast-moving house fire in Duluth, Gwinnett firefighters said.
Gwinnett Fire Cpt. Thomas Rutledge told WSB Radio, about 40 firefighters responded to the burning home in the 2900 block of Ennfield Lane around 8 p.m. Friday.
A woman's body was discovered inside the home, while a man was outside with burn injuries. He was found conscious and alert. The victim was later transported to Gwinnett Medical Center. His condition has not been released.
It took firefighters about 35 minutes to extinguish the fire. Neighbors said they saw flames shooting about 15-feet from the roof of the home (Photo Courtesy WSB-TV).
"The fire gutted the home," Cpt. Rutledge said. "The majority of the damage is on the interior, there is heavy damage. Inside, there are stains of smoke and broken glass."
Fire officials are investigating to find the cause. Cpt. Rutledge said technicians with the Gwinnett police crime scene unit are on the scene. He said they are helping fire investigators document the scene since there was a fatality.
"It's something that's commonly done," Cpt. Rutledge said.
The victims names have not been released.Reaction to the death of Walter Cronkite:
``His passing is, of course, a major loss for journalism. He was a great broadcaster and a gentleman whose experience, honesty, professionalism and style defined the role of anchor and commentator. For almost two exciting and turbulent decades during the 1960s and 1970s he helped inform our nation, and bring us together.'' CBS Corp. chief executive Leslie Moonves.
``How many news organizations get the chance to bask in the sunshine of a half-century of Edward R. Murrow followed by a half-century of Walter Cronkite?'' CBS News executive producer Don Hewitt, who created ``60 Minutes'' and was Cronkite's first executive producer on the CBS Evening News.
``I've been proud over the years to see Walter become not just one of the best-known people on television but one of the best-known people in the whole world of people. He was proud of me, too and there's no better feeling in life than that. I wouldn't trade Walter Cronkite liking me for just about anything I've ever had.'' ``60 Minutes'' commentator Andy Rooney.
``He was there through wars and riots, marches and milestones, calmly telling us what we needed to know. And through it all, he never lost the integrity he gained growing up in the heartland. But Walter was always more than just an anchor. He was someone we could trust to guide us through the most important issues of the day.'' President Barack Obama.
``Walter Cronkite was an icon of American journalism who shaped his profession in countless ways during his decades on the air. Tonight, his family is in our thoughts and prayers.'' Former President George W. Bush.
``I'm saddened to learn of the passing of Walter Cronkite, one of the most influential newsmen of our time. I will never forget our memorable visit together to Hanoi on the 10th anniversary of the fall of Saigon.'' Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz.
``You will never meet anyone who is as warm and as much of a gentleman as Walter Cronkite. He loved music, he loved the Grateful Dead. He collected drums, including one from the drummer of the Grateful Dead. He adopted them and they adopted him; he was totally a fan. There were many sides to Walter.'' CBS News and Sports president Sean McManus.
``It's hard to imagine a man for whom I had more admiration than Cronkite. ... He was a superb reporter and honorable man, a fine friend and I have nothing but admiration for Cronkite.'' CBS ``60 Minutes'' correspondent emeritus Mike Wallace.
``He was so revered and beloved here. ... He was a personification of integrity and decency and humanity.'' CBS Evening News anchor Katie Couric.
``He was wise and good and fun. He was America at its best. We loved him dearly and shall miss him deeply.'' Luci Baines Johnson, daughter of former President Lyndon B. Johnson and Lady Bird Johnson.
``He had a passion for human space exploration, an enthusiasm that was contagious, and the trust of his audience. He will be missed.'' Astronaut Neil Armstrong.
``From the earliest days of the space program, Walter brought the excitement, the drama and the achievements of space flight directly into our homes. But it was the conquest of the moon in the late 1960s that energized Walter most about exploration. He called it the most important feat of all time and said that the success of Apollo 11 would be remembered 500 years from now as humanity's greatest achievement.'' NASA director Charles Bolden.
``A call, a note, a compliment from Walter was pretty much the Nobel Prize for a young reporter.'' ABC News' Diane Sawyer, who worked at ``60 Minutes.''
He was ``a jolly and supportive friend. He will be missed by each of us individually who knew him and by the whole country who loved him.'' ABC's Barbara Walters.
``What was so remarkable about it was that he was not only in the midst of so many great stories, he was also the managing editor of CBS News and the managing editor for America. Walter always made us better. He set the bar so high.'' Former NBC News anchor Tom Brokaw.
``Walter Cronkite was and always will be the gold standard. His objectivity, his evenhandedness, his news judgment are all great examples. He, as much as anyone, is responsible for developing network television news.'' ABC News anchor Charles Gibson.
``One of the things we tell students is if you can meet the values of Walter Cronkite-style journalism accuracy, objectivity, fairness and thoroughness in your reporting you're going to be pretty great.'' Christopher Callahan, dean of The Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University.
``Walter was who I wanted to be when I grew up. After I got there, I discovered he was exactly the same off the air as he was on the air. He was a great mentor of mine and he always encouraged me.'' CBS ``Face the Nation'' host Bob Schieffer, who started work at CBS News in 1969.
``America has lost an icon, our industry has lost its living giant, and all those who learned about the world from Walter Cronkite have lost an exceptional teacher.'' NBC News anchor and managing editor Brian Williams.
``As president, I knew I would be treated fairly by Walter. Although his questions might be tough, I always enjoyed the challenge.'' Former President Jimmy Carter.
He was ``the father of television news. ... The trust that viewers placed in him was based on the recognition of his fairness, honesty and strict objectivity ... and of course his long experience as a shoe-leather reporter covering everything from local politics to World War II and its aftermath in the Soviet Union. He was a giant of journalism and privately one of the funniest, happiest men I've ever known.'' ``60 Minutes'' correspondent Morley Safer.
``It's a great time to look back and think about someone who played such a major role in explaining what was going on and did it in a calm, fact-based way without embellishments that too often get in the way of really understanding what's going on.'' Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton.
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
WASHINGTON (AP) President Barack Obama on Friday praised Walter Cronkite as a journalistic icon, calling the CBS anchor the ``voice of certainty in an uncertain world,'' who will be truly missed.
Cronkite, 92, died Friday night at his Manhattan home. In a statement, Obama described Cronkite as a trusted voice who calmly guided America through wars and riots, marches and milestones.
``His rich baritone reached millions of living rooms every night, and in an industry of icons, Walter set the standard by which all others have been judged,'' Obama said. ``But Walter was always more than just an anchor. He was family. He invited us to believe in him, and he never let us down.''
``Through it all, he never lost the integrity he gained growing up in the heartland,'' Obama said.
Secretary of State Hillary Rodman Clinton, on a diplomatic mission in India, said she and former President Bill Clinton became friends with Cronkite in the early 1990s and found him to be a man filled with ``energy and life.''
``It's a great time to look back and think about someone who played such a major role in explaining what was going on and did it in a calm, fact-based way without embellishments that too often get in the way of really understanding what's going on,'' she said.
Cronkite's death also brought praise from some leading lawmakers.
``I'm saddened to learn of the passing of Walter Cronkite, one of the most influential newsmen of our time,'' said Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz. ``I will never forget our memorable visit together to Hanoi on the 10th anniversary of the fall of Saigon.''
A CBS crew including Cronkite prepared a special telecast for that anniversary.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Cronkite ``was the face and voice of American journalism for generations.'' The California Democrat said ``he set the standard for news even today: fair and thorough.''
``From the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, to the war in Vietnam, to the landing on the moon 40 years ago next week, Walter Cronkite delivered the news and provided trusted commentary on the events that shaped our history,'' she said.
Pelosi said Cronkite should be honored ``by remembering the essential role that a free press plays in our democracy, and by protecting the right of journalists to report the news.''
House Republican leader John Boehner of Ohio said Cronkite ``was a giant in his field and a welcome guest in American families' homes for decades.''
``From the Kennedy assassination to the moon landing and beyond, he was always there to inform and educate us, with the high standards and rigorous commitment to the truth that Edward R. Murrow set at CBS News.''
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., called Cronkite ``One of the most iconic news reporters of the 20th century.''
``He will be forever memorialized as a pioneer in broadcast news, and remembered fondly by legions of Americans as one of the most trusted men in America,'' he said.
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
WASHINGTON (AP) Fifteen states have crossed a painful threshold: 10 percent unemployment. More states, and the nation, likely will follow, one of the biggest dangers to an economic recovery.
How consumers behave in the face of rising unemployment will figure prominently in shaping a broader rebound. If they go back into hibernation and sharply cut spending like they did at the end of last year, the recovery could cave in. More likely is that consumers will stay cautious, making for a fragile and slow-moving national economic turnaround, economists said.
The Labor Department on Friday said unemployment topped 10 percent in 15 states and the District of Columbia last month. And the jobless rate in Michigan surpassed 15 percent, the first time any state hit that mark since 1984.
The Federal Reserve this week projected that the national unemployment rate, currently at a 26-year high of 9.5 percent, will pass 10 percent by the end of the year. Most Fed policymakers said it could take ``five or six years'' for the economy and the labor market to get back on a path of long-term health.
``With so much uncertainty, companies will stay in cost-cutting mode and consumers will watch their spending,'' said Steve Cochrane, managing director at Moody's Economy.com.
The news was not all bad. North Dakota, helped by the oil business, reported the lowest unemployment rate of 4.2 percent in June. It was followed by Nebraska at 5 percent and South Dakota at 5.1 percent, supported by farm businesses. None of those states ever got carried away with the housing boom, either, so their residents didn't suffer as big a hit to household wealth.
Still, the state unemployment report underscored the damage that the longest recession since World War II has inflicted on companies, workers and communities, and the challenges the economy faces getting back on its feet.
A common theme running through states suffering from high unemployment was heavy layoffs tied to the troubled auto industry and the collapse of the housing market. Workers in manufacturing, construction, retail and finance have been the hardest hit.
``A lot of older industries are having to shut down and many of these jobs will never come back,'' said Bernard Baumohl, chief global economist at the Economic Outlook Group.
Take Michigan, ground zero of the recession.
Home to the nation's struggling auto makers, Michigan has been clobbered by lost factory jobs. Its jobless rate of 15.2 percent in June was the nation's highest. It was the first time in 25 years that any state has suffered an unemployment rate of at least 15 percent.
If laid-off workers who have given up looking for jobs or have settled for part-time work are included, the state's jobless rate was 22.5 percent, according to Michigan's Department of Energy, Labor and Economic Development. Nationwide unemployment by that measure was 16.5 percent in June, the highest on government records dating to 1994.
``In Michigan and elsewhere, the unemployment rate is just the tip of the iceberg of the extensive adverse impact of this 'Great Recession,''' said economist Lawrence Mishel, president of the left-leaning Economic Policy Institute.
Many workers have seen hours trimmed, their pay cut and have lost benefits. Combine that with a dismal housing market making it difficult for people to sell their homes and move to other places to find work, some jobseekers are trapped.
The other states where unemployment topped 10 percent last month were: Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Nevada, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Carolina and Tennessee. In May, 13 states plus the District of Columbia watched their jobless rates surpass 10 percent. Alabama and Georgia joined the list in June.
Rhode Island had the second-highest unemployment rate in the country in June at 12.4 percent. When including people who stopped looking for work and those forced into part-time jobs, the state's unemployment rate was 22.7 percent, Mishel estimated.
Oregon had the third-highest unemployment rate at 12.2 percent, which was 21.6 percent by the broadest measure. South Carolina's jobless rate of 12.1 percent jumped to 22 percent when underemployed workers were included. It was followed by Nevada with a jobless rate of 12 percent, or 21.6 percent by the broadest measure, Mishel said.
The June jobless rates for Nevada, Rhode Island and South Carolina were the highest ever for those states in records dating to 1976. Other record-highs: Florida at 10.6 percent, Georgia at 10.1 percent and Delaware at 8.4 percent.
Associated Press Writer Tim Martin in Lansing, Mich., contributed to this report.
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
ATLANTA (AP) The head of an Atlanta-based foreign exchange investment house has been sentenced to three years in federal prison in a fraud scheme.
U.S. District Judge Marvin Shoob also ordered 43-year-old Carlin King of Decatur on Friday to pay $2.5 million in restitution to investors. King pleaded guilty to wire fraud Feb. 23.
Federal prosecutors say his Hanover Stevens firm stopped investing money in foreign exchange transactions about February 2006. Evidence showed he began lying to clients about their returns and began a Ponzi scheme, using money from new investors to pay off previous investors.
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
ATLANTA (AP) Fulton County District Attorney Paul Howard says a man accused along with former congressman Pat Swindall of being involved in an illegal campaign contribution has pleaded guilty.
Howard says bowling alley owner Bruce Richardson pleaded guilty on Thursday to charges involving donations to the 2005 runoff campaign of Atlanta City Councilwoman Joyce Sheperd.
Howard says felony charges were dropped in exchange for Richardson agreeing to testify against co-defendants Swindall, an Atlanta developer, and business associate Christopher McCreary. Swindall represented an Atlanta-area district in the 1980s.
Richardson was sentenced to a year of probation and a $1,000 fine.
Swindall and McCreary are scheduled to appear in court on Monday.
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
The 29-year-old teacher, Charles Thomas McClendon, was denied bond on Friday and was being held in the Clayton County jail charged with child molestation and enticing a child for indecent purposes.
Police Major Tim Jessup said an officer spotted two people in the back seat of a pickup truck parked behind a restaurant around 2:30 a.m. Thursday.
Police said as the officer pulled up, McClendon tossed a condom, jumped out of the truck and pulled on his pants.
McClendon, of Decatur, initially told police the student was his girlfriend, but later admitted she attended the school where he teaches.
His attorney, Keith Adams, did not return a call seeking comment Friday. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that Adams said McClendon knew the girl from the school but thought she was older.
``There is every reason to believe that if she is holding herself to be 18, she may have done that to Mr. McClendon,'' Adams was quoted as saying. He said Thursday morning was the first time the teacher had met the student outside of school.
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
ATLANTA (AP) Josh Childress said Friday the Atlanta Hawks' ``hardball'' negotiations forced him to return for a second season in Greece with Olympiakos.
Childress signed a three-year, $20 million deal with Olympiakos last year after scoring in double figures in each of his four seasons with the Hawks.
The Hawks retained rights to Childress, who as a restricted free agent could negotiate with other NBA teams. Meanwhile, Childress also faced a Wednesday deadline to commit to his return to Greece.
Childress and his agent, Jim Tanner, said in a telephone interview on Friday that they visited Milwaukee and had interest from other teams. They said those teams couldn't reach an agreement with the Hawks.
``I knew I didn't have a ton of time and honestly didn't want a ton of time,'' Childress said, referring to this week's deadline with Olympiakos. ``If (the Hawks) wanted to get something done it would get done early.''
The Hawks will again retain the NBA rights to Childress after next season. Childress said ``it's not out of the question at all'' for him to return to Atlanta.
``I just think there needs to be some kind of agreement where both parties meet in the middle,'' he said. ``This idea of hardball is kind of old. I'm not the type of guy that's gonna bad mouth and do all the other things. I've kind of been the kind of guy who wants to move forward and get something done.''
Hawks coach Mike Woodson said on Monday he would welcome the return of Childress.
``I'd accept him with open arms, without a doubt,'' Woodson said.
Childress said he was open to a return to Atlanta.
``The Hawks were definitely in my scope,'' he said. ``I spent four years there. I'm familiar with the team and the organization. I'm familiar with the city. I still have a home there. I think it just came down to whether or not I felt like negotiations would move forward with them. I really didn't, just being quite honest.''
Tanner said his hope was to find Childress a home with another NBA team.
``I would say with a couple of teams in particular we went pretty far down the road, in both cases talking about sign-and-trade transactions,'' Tanner said.
``We did have a visit to Milwaukee. We had extensive conversations with other teams.''
Tanner wouldn't reveal details of any sign-and-trade offer to the Hawks.
Childress averaged 13.3 points and 3.6 rebounds for Olympiakos.
Childress, from Stanford, was the No. 6 overall pick by Atlanta in the 2004 NBA draft. He started in a career-high 44 games as a rookie and averaged 10.1 points.
He averaged a career-high 13.0 points in the 2006-07 season. He played in 76 games, all in a reserve role, while averaging 11.8 points in the 2007-08 season.
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
ATLANTA (AP) The last time the government embarked on a major vaccine campaign against a new swine flu, thousands filed claims contending they suffered side effects from the shots. This time, the government has already taken steps to head that off.
Vaccine makers and federal officials will be immune from lawsuits that result from any new swine flu vaccine, under a document signed by Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius, government health officials said Friday.
Since the 1980s, the government has protected vaccine makers against lawsuits over the use of childhood vaccines. Instead, a federal court handles claims and decides who will be paid from a special fund.
The document signed by Sebelius last month grants immunity to those making a swine flu vaccine, under the provisions of a 2006 law for public health emergencies. It allows for a compensation fund, if needed.
The government takes such steps to encourage drug companies to make vaccines, and it's worked. Federal officials have contracted with five manufacturers to make a swine flu vaccine. First identified in April, swine flu has so far caused about 263 deaths, according to numbers released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Friday.
The CDC said more than 40,000 Americans have had confirmed or probable cases, but those are people who sought health care. It's likely that more than 1 million Americans have been sickened by the flu, many with mild cases.
The virus hits younger people harder that seasonal flu, but so far hasn't been much more deadly than the strains seen every fall and winter. But health officials believe the virus could mutate to a more dangerous form, or at least contribute to a potentially heavier flu season than usual.
``We do expect there to be an increase in influenza this fall,'' with a bump in cases perhaps beginning earlier than normal, said Dr. Anne Schuchat, director of the CDC's National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases.
On Friday, the Food and Drug Administration approved the regular winter flu vaccine, a final step before shipments to clinics and other vaccination sites could begin.
The last time the government faced a new swine flu virus was in 1976. Cases of swine flu in soldiers at Fort Dix, N.J., including one death, made health officials worried they might be facing a deadly pandemic like the one that killed millions around the world in 1918 and 1919.
Federal officials vaccinated 40 million Americans during a national campaign. A pandemic never materialized, but thousands who got the shots filed injury claims, saying they suffered a paralyzing condition called Guillain-Barre Syndrome or other side effects.
``The government paid out quite a bit of money,'' said Stephen Sugarman, a law professor who specializes in product liability at the University of California at Berkeley.
Vaccines aren't as profitable as other drugs for manufacturers, and without protection against lawsuits ``they're saying, 'Do we need this?''' Sugarman said.
The move to protect makers of a swine flu didn't go over well with Paul Pennock, a prominent New York plaintiffs attorney on medical liability cases. The government will likely call on millions of Americans to get the vaccinations to prevent the disease from spreading, he noted.
``If you're going to ask people to do this for the common good, then let's make sure for the common good that these people will be taken care of if something goes wrong,'' Pennock said.
AP Medical Writer Lauran Neergaard contributed to this report from Washington.
On the Net:
CDC: http://www.cdc.gov/H1N1flu/
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
ATLANTA (AP) On the day the Atlanta Braves retired Greg Maddux's number, his former manager Bobby Cox led the praises.
``I get asked by managers and press people all the time, how good was he?'' Cox said. ``Was he the best pitcher I ever saw? Was he the smartest pitcher I ever saw? Was he the best competitor I ever saw? Was he the best teammate I ever saw?
``The answer is yes to all the above.''
Maddux was always grouped with Tom Glavine and John Smoltz as the team's most dominant starting pitchers. Maddux said his former teammates also deserve their places in the team's history.
``When you talk about Atlanta pitching, there's always three names you mention, there's never just one,'' Maddux said Friday.
Many predict each of the three are bound for baseball's Hall of Fame. Glavine, released by the Braves last month, has not announced his retirement. Smoltz is in his first season with the Boston Red Sox.
The 43-year-old Maddux was inducted into the Braves Hall of Fame at a luncheon attended by about 900 fans. He had his No. 31 retired Friday night before the Braves played the New York Mets.
``Now Greg, it is yours forever,'' said team president John Schuerholz, pointing to the jersey in the pregame ceremony.
Maddux's jersey was painted on the field behind home plate, and the number was unveiled on the outfield facade.
``Thank you, and let's beat the Mets tonight,'' Maddux said.
Cox directed the Braves' run of 14 straight division championships from 1991-2005. Maddux joined the staff in 1993, the first of his 11 seasons in Atlanta.
Maddux won the 1992 NL Cy Young award with the Chicago Cubs and then won three straight with the Braves from 1993-95, becoming the first to win four straight. Glavine won two Cy Young awards in the 1990s and Smoltz won one.
``The three of us were able to do something pretty special,'' Glavine said in a video message to Maddux. Glavine said he, Smoltz and Maddux created ``at least pretty good speculation'' about forming the greatest pitching trio in baseball history.
Schuerholz, who as general manager signed Maddux after the 1992 season, said there is ``no doubt, no question'' that Maddux is the greatest right-hander he has seen.
Maddux, who retired after pitching for San Diego and the Los Angeles Dodgers last season, ranks eighth in career wins with 355. He won 15 or more games a record 17 consecutive seasons and won 18 Gold Gloves.
Maddux was 19-2 with a 1.63 ERA in 1995, when the Braves won the World Series.
``As a broadcaster I used to watch and think that's not the best fastball, that's not the best curveball, that's not the best slider and not even the best changeup, but that's the best pitcher in the game,'' Don Sutton said.
Sutton said in his 44 years around baseball he has seen such great pitchers as Sandy Koufax, Bob Gibson and Tom Seaver.
``None of them ever gave me the thrill and joy of watching a game like watching you did,'' Sutton said to Maddux. ``It was a remarkable experience.''
Maddux appeared stunned by the compliments.
``It was very humbling, very exciting,'' he said. ``If I had known I was that good, I'd probably still be playing.''
Maddux insisted the speakers at the luncheon were ``forced to say something nice.'' He acknowledged the praise from Cox was special.
``It was nice to hear,'' Maddux said. ``I have a lot of respect for Bobby. It meant a lot coming from him.''
Former Braves pitching coach Leo Mazzone said he and Cox rarely had to visit the pitcher they called ``Mad Dog'' on the mound. Mazzone said Maddux once complained ``It gets lonely out there'' and asked that Mazzone come out to the mound in the sixth inning.
``Sure as heck in the sixth inning he's got a three-hit shutout going and he gets the first guy out and then he's looking in the dugout,'' Mazzone said. ``Bobby goes 'Leo, Mad Dog is looking for you. Go out there and find out if he's OK.'
``I go running out there and he said 'How you doing coach?' I said 'Hey, Mad Dog.' He said 'How do I look?' I said 'You're doing a great job. You've got a three-hit shutout.' He says 'OK, well it was nice talking to you,''' Mazzone said.
Maddux is the sixth Braves player to have his number retired, joining Hank Aaron (44), Eddie Mathews (41), Dale Murphy (3), Phil Niekro (35) and Warren Spahn (21). The Braves and all major league teams also retired Jackie Robinson's No. 42.
Niekro and Murphy attended the ceremonies.
It was the second time Maddux's 31 was retired this season. Maddux and Ferguson Jenkins, who each wore No. 31 for the Chicago Cubs, were honored together in May.
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
CARROLLTON, Ga. (AP) Carrollton police say they've found a baby sitter accused of feeding a 9-month-old boy wine, causing his blood-alcohol level to exceed four times the legal limit for an adult.
Carrollton police Sgt. Tony Johnson says authorities have found 40-year-old Tammy Demice Truitt of Carrollton. She was being sought on charges of first-degree cruelty to children and reckless conduct.
Police say Truitt was called to watch the baby and four other children ages 3 to 9 earlier this week when their mother had to leave town to care for a sick relative who has since died.
Doctors said the baby's blood-alcohol content of .33 was considered a life-threatening condition.
Johnson said the baby was released from the hospital on Wednesday and is doing fine.
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
Katie Douglas scored 25 points to help the Fever beat the Atlanta Dream 84-79 on Friday night, their sixth home win in seven games. Now, Indiana (11-2) will play road games against Connecticut on Sunday, Washington on Tuesday and San Antonio on Thursday.
Indiana got away with committing 19 turnovers against Atlanta. Tamika Catchings, who had 14 points, eight rebounds and four steals for the Fever on Friday night, doesn't think that kind of sloppy play will work during the final stretch before the All-Star break.
``The turnovers we had tonight, we're not going to be able to get away with on the road,'' Catchings said. ``We have a big test ahead of us, but I think if we all stick together and do the little things that have made us win and made us get to this point, we'll be all right.''
One more win for Indiana would tie the Eastern Conference record for consecutive wins set by Connecticut in 2006, and would match the third-longest streak in WNBA history. The league record is 18 in a row by the Los Angeles Sparks in 2001.
Erika de Souza scored a career-high 23 points and grabbed 14 rebounds for the Dream (7-9) on Friday, but Atlanta allowed Indiana to make 9 of 16 3-pointers. Atlanta coach Marynell Meadors said her team played well but ran into a hot squad.
``Indiana is playing the best in the league,'' Meadors said. ``They are our measuring stick.''
Atlanta jumped out to a 15-8 lead, but the Fever responded with a 17-2 run to take the lead for good. Indiana coach Lin Dunn wasn't happy with the way the Fever started the game.
``I would say they looked a lot ragged,'' she said. ``We may have been a little too excited. We knew this was a big game, we were really focused on this game, and we knew we'd have a good crowd. I thought we settled down after that, and I thought we adjusted to the fact that they are long and quick.''
But like it has numerous times during the streak, Indiana maintained its confidence and came back.
``I never thought the game was in jeopardy, but they do have good scorers and continue to come at you,'' Douglas said.
Atlanta trimmed Indiana's lead to 72-67 midway through the fourth quarter, but Indiana responded with an 8-3 run. A 3-pointer by Ebony Hoffman as the shot clock expired gave Indiana an 80-70 lead with just under 2 minutes left.
The Fever left with respect for the Dream. Atlanta is one of two teams to beat the Fever this season.
``I think Atlanta is one of the most athletic teams in the league,'' Catchings said. ``Player for player, from one to 11, everybody they put on the court is good.''
Indiana has embraced the challenge ahead.
``It's time to go on the road so we can really be tested,'' Dunn said. ``I'm glad to go on the road with the momentum we have.''
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
ATLANTA (AP) Jair Jurrjens celebrated Greg Maddux's big day with a Maddux-like pitching effort.
Jurrjens combined with three relievers on a two-hitter, Brian McCann drove in four runs in the first three innings and the Atlanta Braves beat the New York Mets 11-0 on Friday night.
Jurrjens (8-7) gave up both hits and two walks in six innings after the Braves retired the No. 31 worn by Maddux. Boone Logan, Luis Valdez and Kris Medlen each pitched an inning after Jurrjens left.
The Braves inducted Maddux into the team's Hall of Fame at a luncheon earlier Friday. Players and coaches then watched as Maddux became only the sixth Braves player to have his number retired by the team during a pregame ceremony.
``I think it was a special night for everybody in Atlanta,'' Jurrjens said. ``He did a lot of great things for this city and I think everybody wanted to come out with a bang, to make it more special.''
The slumping Mets lost Gary Sheffield to a hamstring injury in the fifth inning and were shut out for the sixth time in 22 games since All-Star center fielder Carlos Beltran went on the disabled list, going 8-14. The Mets have scored a major league-low 68 runs in that span.
Sheffield pulled up and grabbed the back of his right thigh after catching up to a double hit by Yunel Escobar in the fifth inning. He dropped the ball and leaned over while center fielder Angel Pagan threw the ball back to the infield.
Sheffield declined a ride but walked slowly off the field favoring his right leg.
``When I got ready to throw the ball, that's when I felt it grab,'' he said.
Manager Jerry Manuel said Sheffield won't start on Saturday but may be available as a pinch hitter.
The Mets already are without outfielders Beltran and Fernando Martinez, first baseman Carlos Delgado, shortstop Jose Reyes, starting pitcher John Maine and relievers J.J. Putz and Billy Wagner due to injuries.
The injuries and losses are beginning to take a toll on the Mets.
``I have to say there is frustration,'' Manuel said. ``To a degree, I am frustrated.''
The Mets fell 8.5 games back of the NL East-leading Philadelphia, which beat Florida 6-5 in 12 innings. It's New York's largest deficit since it was nine games out after play on Sept. 29, 2005, according to STATS LLC.
Manuel said it's not too late for a turnaround.
``I will say it doesn't outweigh my faith,'' he said. ``I still believe. I still think it can happen.''
McCann hit a two-run double in the first and a two-run homer in the third as the Braves led 10-0 after five innings. Martin Prado homered in the third.
McCann finished with three of Atlanta's 14 hits. The Braves set a season high with nine extra-base hits and equaled their season best with seven doubles.
Mike Pelfrey (7-5) gave up nine hits and a career-high nine earned runs in 4 1-3 innings. Pelfrey gave up nine runs, including eight earned, in an 11-6 loss at Pittsburgh on June 4.
Manuel said he didn't see ``life'' from Pelfrey ``until after there were runs on the board, and that concerns me a little bit.''
``He's going to have to step it up,'' Manuel said. ``He's the guy we depend on, and we have to have better from him.''
Pelfrey's ERA rose from 4.47 to 5.07.
``I felt bad for everybody playing behind me,'' Pelfrey said. ``It's embarrassing.''
With their second straight win over the Mets, the Braves (45-45) moved back to .500 for the first time since June 12.
``We've been playing good the last two games,'' Jurrjens said. ``I hope we can keep it going.''
Escobar had three hits and three RBIs. He drove in McCann with a single in the first and added a two-run double in the fifth.
Ryan Church made his first start against his former team since he was traded to Atlanta for Jeff Francoeur and cash last Friday. The right fielder went 1 for 4 and made a sliding catch on Omir Santos' line drive to end the fifth inning.
Francoeur went 0 for 3 for New York.
The start of the game was pushed back about 15 minutes due to the pregame ceremony for Maddux.
NOTES: Maddux and his 12-year-old son, Chase, threw out the first pitches. ... Braves LHP Mike Gonzalez, who was diagnosed with left elbow tendinitis last week, said inflammation has moved to his forearm. He hopes to be able to pitch by Sunday. ... With his first-inning walk, Atlanta's Chipper Jones has 1,298 for his career, passing Hank Aaron for second place on the franchise list. Eddie Mathews is the leader with 1,376. ... Attendance was 50,704, a sellout and a season high at Turner Field.
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. was appointed receiver of the First Piedmont Bank which had about $115 million in assets and $109 million in deposits as of July 6.
All of First Piedmont's deposits will be assumed by First American Bank and Trust Co. of Athens, Ga., which also agreed to buy about $111 million of its assets.
In addition, the federal agency and First American Bank and Trust entered into a loss-sharing agreement covering about $90 million of First Piedmont Bank's assets.
With First Piedmont, 15 Georgia banks have failed since the beginning of 2008, more than in any other state. Most of the failures have involved banks in the Atlanta area, where the collapse of the real estate market brought economic dislocation.
The 57 bank failures nationwide this year compare with 25 last year and three in 2007.
The FDIC estimates that the cost to the deposit insurance fund from the failure of First Piedmont Bank is $29 million.
As the economy has soured with unemployment rising, home prices tumbling and loan defaults soaring bank failures have cascaded and sapped billions out of the deposit insurance fund. It now stands at its lowest level since 1993, $13 billion as of the first quarter.
While losses on home mortgages may be leveling off, delinquencies on commercial real estate loans remain a hot spot of potential trouble, FDIC officials say. If the recession deepens, defaults on the high-risk loans could spike. Many regional banks hold large numbers of them.
The Treasury Department has launched a program in which financial firms will buy as much as $40 billion worth of banks' soured, mortgage-linked investments. That amount is far below the potential $1 trillion in assets that the government originally hoped to take off the banks' books through the program and another that would have targeted bad loans.
The problem assets helped spark the financial crisis as they lost value and banks became unable to sell them. They have been weighing down banks' balance sheets one reason the industry has had trouble providing the credit necessary to support an economic recovery.
The number of banks on the FDIC's list of problem institutions leaped to 305 in the first quarter the highest number since 1994 during the savings and loan crisis from 252 in the fourth quarter. The FDIC expects U.S. bank failures to cost the insurance fund around $70 billion through 2013.
The May closing of struggling Florida thrift BankUnited FSB is expected to cost the insurance fund $4.9 billion, the second-largest hit since the financial crisis began. The costliest was the July 2008 seizure of big California lender IndyMac Bank, on which the insurance fund is estimated to have lost $10.7 billion.
The largest U.S. bank failure ever also came last year: Seattle-based thrift Washington Mutual Inc. fell in September, with about $307 billion in assets. It was acquired by JPMorgan Chase Co. for $1.9 billion in a deal brokered by the FDIC.
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
Cronkite died at 7:42 p.m. with his family by his side at his Manhattan home after a long illness, CBS vice president Linda Mason said. Marlene Adler, Cronkite's chief of staff, said Cronkite died of cerebrovascular disease.
Morley Safer, a longtime ``60 Minutes'' correspondent, called Cronkite ``the father of television news.''
``The trust that viewers placed in him was based on the recognition of his fairness, honesty and strict objectivity ... and of course his long experience as a shoe-leather reporter covering everything from local politics to World War II and its aftermath in the Soviet Union,'' Safer said. ``He was a giant of journalism and privately one of the funniest, happiest men I've ever known.''
Cronkite was the face of the ``CBS Evening News'' from 1962 to 1981, when stories ranged from the assassinations of President John F. Kennedy and the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. to racial and anti-war riots, Watergate and the Iranian hostage crisis.
It was Cronkite who read the bulletins coming from Dallas when Kennedy was shot Nov. 22, 1963, interrupting a live CBS-TV broadcast of the soap opera ``As the World Turns.''
He died just three days before the 40th anniversary of the moon landing, another earthshaking moment of history linked inexorably with his reporting.
``What was so remarkable about it was that he was not only in the midst of so many great stories, he was also the managing editor of CBS News and the managing editor for America,'' former NBC News anchor Tom Brokaw said. ``Walter always made us better. He set the bar so high.''
Cronkite was the broadcaster to whom the title ``anchorman'' was first applied, and he came so identified in that role that eventually his own name became the term for the job in other languages. (Swedish anchors are known as Kronkiters; In Holland, they are Cronkiters.)
``He was a great broadcaster and a gentleman whose experience, honesty, professionalism and style defined the role of anchor and commentator,'' CBS Corp. chief executive Leslie Moonves said in a statement.
CBS has scheduled a prime-time special, ``That's the Way it Was: Remembering Walter Cronkite,'' for 7 p.m. Sunday.
President Barack Obama issued a statement saying that Cronkite set the standard by which all other news anchors have been judged.
``He invited us to believe in him, and he never let us down. This country has lost an icon and a dear friend, and he will be truly missed,'' Obama said.
His 1968 editorial declaring the United States was ``mired in stalemate'' in Vietnam was seen by some as a turning point in U.S. opinion of the war. He also helped broker the 1977 invitation that took Egyptian President Anwar Sadat to Jerusalem, the breakthrough to Egypt's peace treaty with Israel.
He followed the 1960s space race with open fascination, anchoring marathon broadcasts of major flights from the first suborbital shot to the first moon landing, exclaiming, ``Look at those pictures, wow!'' as Neil Armstrong stepped on the moon's surface in 1969. In 1998, for CNN, he went back to Cape Canaveral to cover John Glenn's return to space after 36 years.
``He had a passion for human space exploration, an enthusiasm that was contagious, and the trust of his audience. He will be missed,'' Armstrong said in a statement.
He had been scheduled to speak last January for the 50th anniversary of the U.S. Space Rocket Center in Huntsville, Ala., but ill health prevented his appearance.
A former wire service reporter and war correspondent, he valued accuracy, objectivity and understated compassion. He expressed liberal views in more recent writings but said he had always aimed to be fair and professional in his judgments on the air.
Off camera, his stamina and admittedly demanding ways brought him the nickname ``Old Ironpants.'' But to viewers, he was ``Uncle Walter,'' with his jowls and grainy baritone, his warm, direct expression and his trim mustache.
When he summed up the news each evening by stating, ``And THAT's the way it is,'' millions agreed. His reputation survived accusations of bias by Richard Nixon's vice president, Spiro Agnew, and being labeled a ``pinko'' in the tirades of a fictional icon, Archie Bunker of CBS's ``All in the Family.''
Two polls pronounced Cronkite the ``most trusted man in America'': a 1972 ``trust index'' survey in which he finished No. 1, about 15 points higher than leading politicians, and a 1974 survey in which people chose him as the most trusted television newscaster.
``He was the most trusted man in America and he was a reporter. Imagine. Who could we say that about today?'' said Jeff Fager, executive producer of ``60 Minutes,'' who began working at CBS News the year Cronkite stepped down from the anchor job.
Like fellow Midwesterner Johnny Carson, Cronkite seemed to embody the nation's mainstream. When he broke down as he announced Kennedy's death, removing his glasses and fighting back tears, the times seemed to break down with him.
And when Cronkite took sides, he helped shape the times. After the 1968 Tet offensive, he visited Vietnam and wrote and narrated a ``speculative, personal'' report advocating negotiations leading to the withdrawal of American troops.
``We have been too often disappointed by the optimism of the American leaders, both in Vietnam and Washington, to have faith any longer in the silver linings they find in the darkest clouds,'' he said, and concluded, ``We are mired in stalemate.''
After the broadcast, President Lyndon B. Johnson reportedly said, ``If I've lost Cronkite, I've lost middle America.''
In the fall of 1972, responding to reports in The Washington Post, Cronkite aired a two-part series on Watergate that helped ensure national attention to the then-emerging scandal.
``When the news is bad, Walter hurts,'' the late CBS president Fred Friendly once said. ``When the news embarrasses America, Walter is embarrassed. When the news is humorous, Walter smiles with understanding.''
More recently, in a syndicated column, Cronkite defended the liberal record of Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry and criticized the Iraq war and other Bush administration policies.
But when asked by CNN's Larry King if that column was evidence of media bias, Cronkite set forth the distinction between opinion and reporting. ``We all have prejudices,'' he said of his fellow journalists, ``but we also understand how to set them aside when we do the job.''
Cronkite was the top newsman during the peak era for the networks, when the nightly broadcasts grew to a half-hour and 24-hour cable and the Internet were still well in the future.
As many as 18 million households tuned in to Cronkite's top-rated program each evening. Twice that number watched his final show, on March 6, 1981, compared with fewer than 10 million in 2005 for the departure of Dan Rather.
Rather, who replaced Cronkite at the anchor desk, called Cronkite ``a giant of the journalistic craft.''
``Walter loved reporting and delivering the news, and he was superb at both,'' he said. ``He deserves recognition and remembrance, too, for the way he solidly backed his correspondents and producers, defending them vigorously in coverage of difficult stories such as the Vietnam War and the Watergate crimes.''
A vigorous 64 years old, Cronkite had stepped down with the assurance that other duties awaited him at CBS News, but found little demand there for his services. He hosted the shortlived science magazine series ``Walter Cronkite's Universe'' and was retained by the network as a consultant, although, as he was known to state wistfully, he was never consulted.
He also sailed his beloved boat, the Wyntje, hosted or narrated specials on public and cable TV, and issued his columns and the best-selling ``Walter Cronkite: A Reporter's Life.''
For 24 years he served as on-site host for New Year's Day telecasts by the Vienna Philharmonic, ending that cherished tradition only in 2009.
After the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, Cronkite was selected to introduce the postponed Emmy awards show. He told the audience that in its coverage of the attack and its aftermath, ``television, the great common denominator, has lifted our common vision as never before.''
Cronkite joined CBS in 1950, after a decade with United Press, during which he covered World War II and the Nuremberg trials, and a brief stint with a regional radio group.
At CBS he found a respected radio-news organization dipping its toe into TV, and it put him in front of the camera. He was named anchor for CBS's coverage of the 1952 political conventions, the first year the presidential nominations got wide TV coverage. From there, he was assigned to such news-oriented programs as ``You Are There'' and ``Twentieth Century.'' (He also briefly hosted a morning show, accompanied by a puppet named Charlemagne the Lion.)
On April 16, 1962, he replaced Douglas Edwards as anchor of the network's ``Evening News.''
``I never asked them why,'' Cronkite recalled in a 2006 TV portrait. ``I was so pleased to get the job, I didn't want to endanger it by suggesting that I didn't know why I had it.''
He was up against the NBC team of Chet Huntley and David Brinkley, which was solidly ahead in the ratings. Cronkite lacked Brinkley's wry wit and Huntley's rugged good looks, but he established himself as an anchorman to whom people could relate.
His rise to the top was interrupted just once: In 1964, disappointing ratings for the Republican National Convention led CBS boss William S. Paley to dump him as anchor of the Democratic gathering. Critics and viewers protested and he was never displaced again.
Cronkite won numerous Emmys and other awards for excellence in news coverage. In 1978, he and the evening news were the first anchorman and daily broadcast ever given a DuPont award. Other honors included the 1974 Gold Medal of the International Radio and Television Society, a 1974 George Polk journalism award and the 1969 William Allen White Award for Journalistic Merit, the first ever to a broadcaster.
In 1977, Cronkite conducted a two-way interview in which he got Sadat to say he wanted to go to Israel if invited and then got Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin to say Sadat was invited if he wanted to come. Sadat's trip was a major step in Middle East peace efforts, and the leaders of the two nations received the 1978 Nobel Peace Prize.
``Walter was who I wanted to be when I grew up,'' said CBS' ``Face the Nation'' host Bob Schieffer. ``He set a standard for all of us. He made television news what it became. We'll never see his like again.''
His salary reportedly reaching seven figures, he was both anchorman and star interviewed by Playboy, ham enough to appear as himself on an episode of ``The Mary Tyler Moore Show.'' But Cronkite repeatedly condemned television practices that put entertainment values ahead of news judgment.
``Broadcast journalism is never going to substitute for print,'' he said. ``We cannot cover in depth in a half hour many of the stories required to get a good understanding of the world.''
The evening news program expanded from 15 minutes to half an hour in September 1963, 17 months after Cronkite took over, but it never got to the full hour he said he needed to do a proper job.
Cronkite denied rumors that he had been forced out by Rather, but chastised him upon his 2005 departure as anchor in the wake of a disputed ``60 Minutes'' story about President Bush's military service.
``Dan gave the impression of playing a role, more than simply trying to deliver the news to the audience,'' Cronkite said. He apparently felt more warmly about Katie Couric, providing a voiceover to introduce the former ``Today'' show host when she debuted as the CBS anchor in 2006.
Couric broke into ``Ghost Whisperer'' at 8:13 p.m. to announce Cronkite's death.
She said on CNN that everyone at the network was aware of Cronkite's deteriorating health.
``We were all worried about when this day would come,'' she said. ``He was so revered and beloved here. ... He was a personification of integrity and decency and humanity.''
Walter Leland Cronkite Jr. was born Nov. 4, 1916, in St. Joseph, Mo., the son and grandson of dentists. The family moved to Houston when he was 10. He joked years later that he was disappointed when he ``didn't see a single damn cowboy.''
He got a taste of journalism at The Houston Post, where he worked summers after high school and served as campus correspondent at the University of Texas. He also did some sports announcing at a local radio station.
Cronkite quit school after his junior year for a full-time job with the Houston Press. After a brief stint at KCMO in Kansas City, Mo., he joined United Press in 1937. Dispatched to London early in World War II, Cronkite covered the battle of the North Atlantic, flew on a bombing mission over Germany and glided into Holland with the 101st Airborne Division. He was a chief correspondent at the postwar Nuremberg trials and spent his final two years with the news service managing its Moscow bureau.
Cronkite returned to the United States in 1948 and covered Washington for a group of Midwest radio stations. He then accepted Edward R. Murrow's invitation to join CBS in 1950.
In 1940, Cronkite married Mary Elizabeth ``Betsy'' Maxwell, whom he had met when they both worked at KCMO. They had three children, Nancy, Mary Kathleen and Walter Leland III. Betsy Cronkite died in 2005.
In his book, he paid tribute to her ``extraordinarily keen sense of humor, which saw us over many bumps (mostly of my making), and her tolerance, even support, for the uncertain schedule and wanderings of a newsman.''
AP National Writer Hillel Italie, AP Television Writer David Bauder and Associated Press writers Polly Anderson, Virginia Byrne and Cristian Salazar contributed to this report.
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights
(WSB Radio) Gwinnett County Police are asking for the public's help in identifying a man whose body was found in some woods on Woodward Mill Road, near Satellite Boulevard.
Corporal Illana Spellman tells WSB a man, who lived in the area, wanted to find the source of a foul odor he'd been smelling for more than two weeks.
He made a gruesome discovery, a body wrapped in a plastic bag.
"Basically, all four appendages were cut on the body, at the mid thigh for the legs, and at the upper arms for both arms. The body was also decapitated," said Spellman.
While they're still early in the investigation, they do believe the body is that of a man.
"We don't know the ethnicity nor the age, all we know is that it is an adult male. We're hoping that anybody can call in with information," said Spellman.
They don't think the body is that of Justin Gaines, who disappeared nearly two years ago, after last being seen at Wild Bill's.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Gwinnett County Police or Crime Stoppers at 505-577-TIPS.
A reward of up to $2000 is being offered for information leading to an arrest.
July 17, 2009
The Republican has drawn criticism for calling Sotomayor a racist over her comments that a ``wise Latina'' would reach a better conclusion than a white man without similar experiences. He has since backed away from those remarks, saying his comments may have been too harsh.
However, Friday he said he still has lingering concerns about Sotomayor after her performance at her Senate confirmation hearings this week. She's on track to become the high court's first Latina.
The 55-year-old nominee was raised in a South Bronx housing project, educated in the Ivy League and rose through the legal ranks to spend 17 years on the federal bench.
``The person who has testified this week is dramatically more moderate than the person who made those speeches,'' he said before delivering a speech at the conservative American Legislative Exchange Council. ``It will be very interesting to see how she winds up as a justice.''
The remarks by Gingrich, considered a potential 2012 presidential candidate, created a furor among Sotomayor's backers and caused problems for GOP figures who have been pushing to bring more diversity to the party.
He apologized again for the remarks, but said there's no telling how Sotomayor will act on the bench.
``If she turns out to vote as a justice the way she has recently testified, then people who are conservative won't have very much to complain about,'' he said. ``If she turns out to have in fact gotten accepted by fundamentally misleading the Senate, then I think we'll have a very different situation.
``It will take us three or four or five years to figure out which Justice Sotomayor shows up,'' he added.
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
(WSB Radio) -- A federal judge on Friday ruled against Georgia in the state's water dispute with Alabama and Florida, deciding that Atlanta-area municipalities must stop withdrawing water from a massive federal reservoir within three years unless they can get approval from Congress. U.S. District Court Judge Paul Magnuson said Lake Lanier wasn't built for water supply and the state's withdrawals are illegal. He acknowledged it would be impossible to immediately stop using the lake because it is metro Atlanta's main water supply for 4 million people. But he said if the state can't get permission from Congress within three years, the withdrawals must end.
``The Court recognizes that this is a draconian result,'' Magnuson wrote. ``It is, however, the only result that recognizes how far the operation of the (lake) has strayed from the original authorization.''
Alabama Gov. Bob Riley said the ruling would have a tremendous impact on his state's economic future.
``Atlanta has based its growth on the idea that it could take whatever water it wanted whenever it wanted it, and that the downstream states would simply have to make do with less,'' Riley said. ``Following the Court's ruling today, this massive illegal water grab will be coming to an end.''
The case involves a 2003 water-sharing agreement with the Army Corps of Engineers that would have allowed Georgia to take far more water from Lanier for its drinking supply over the coming decades. The deal would have allowed Georgia's withdrawals to jump from about 13 percent of the lake's capacity to about 22 percent.
Florida and Alabama contested the pact, saying the lake was initially built for hydropower and providing water to Georgia was not an authorized use.
Magnuson cited a lengthy historical record of testimony before Congress and Corps of Engineers documents to establish that serving Atlanta's water needs was only an incidental purpose for the lake. He noted that Georgia officials argued as much to avoid having to pay for part of the project when the reservoir was built in the 1950s.
Without congressional approval, the judge said the lake would return to 1970s levels, with only the cities of Gainesville and Buford allowed to take water. Others who get withdrawals just downstream from the reservoir would also see their water supplies drastically reduced.
The ruling could drive the states' governors back to the negotiating table with Georgia in a weakened position after a series of talks failed to yield a compromise in recent years.
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
(WSB Radio/WSB Washington Bureau) -- After working most of the night the House Education and Labor Committee has approved its part of the Health Care Reform bill with three Democrats voting no.
It was the second committee in the House to act as another panel early Friday morning approved over $500 billion dollars in tax increases to pay for the Democratic reform bill.
Democrats have been beating back many GOP changes mainly on party line votes.
Here are details on the House Democrats' health care overhaul bill. Two House committees Ways and Means and Education and Labor finished their portions of the $1.5 trillion, 10-year bill on Friday. A third committee, Energy and Commerce, is aiming to complete the legislation by Wednesday:
WHO'S COVERED: Around 94 percent of non-elderly residents (those not covered by Medicare, which kicks in at age 65) would be covered compared with 81 percent today. Nearly half of the 17 million non-elderly residents who remain uninsured would be illegal immigrants.
COST: About $1.5 trillion over 10 years.
HOW IT'S PAID FOR: Revenue-raisers include: $544 billion over the next decade from new income taxes on single people making more than $280,000 a year and couples making more than $350,000; $37 billion in business tax increases. About $500 billion in cuts to Medicare and Medicaid. About $200 billion from penalties paid by individuals and employers who don't obtain coverage.
REQUIREMENTS FOR INDIVIDUALS: Individuals must have insurance, enforced through tax penalty with hardship waivers. The penalty is 2.5 percent of income.
REQUIREMENTS FOR EMPLOYERS: Employers must provide insurance to their employees or pay a penalty of 8 percent of payroll. Companies with payroll under $250,000 annually are exempt.
Employers could apply for a two-year exemption from the mandate if they can prove the requirements would result in job losses that would negatively impact their communities.
SUBSIDIES: Individuals and families with annual income up to 400 percent of poverty level ($88,000 for a family of four) would get sliding-scale subsidies to help them buy coverage. The subsidies would begin in 2013.
HOW YOU CHOOSE YOUR HEALTH INSURANCE: Through a new Health Insurance Exchange open to individuals and, initially, small employers; it could be expanded to large employers over time. States could opt to operate their own exchanges in place of the national exchange if they follow federal rules.
BENEFIT PACKAGE: A committee would recommend an ``essential benefits package'' including preventive services, mental health services, oral heath and vision for children; out-of pocket costs would be capped. The new benefit package would be the basic benefit package offered in the exchange and over time would become the minimum quality standard for employer plans. Insurers wouldn't be able to deny coverage based on pre-existing conditions.
GOVERNMENT-RUN PLAN: A new public plan available through the insurance exchanges would be set up and run by the secretary of Health and Human Services. On average it would pay Medicare rates plus 5 percent to doctors.
CHANGES TO MEDICAID: The federal-state insurance program for the poor would be expanded starting in 2013 to cover all non-elderly individuals with incomes up to 133 percent of the federal poverty level ($14,404).
Sources: AP research; Congressional Budget Office; House Ways and Means Committee.
Police tell WSB thieves broke a window at the T.J. Maxx store on the Buckhead loop around 4:00 a.m.
The store manager told police the suspects took 30 pair of jeans and 50 Polo shirts.
Other stores nearby, including the Macy's at Lenox Square mall and Filene's Basement have also been targets of the smash and grab bandits in recent months.
17 July 2009
Smith had to cut short his trip that was supposed to include his annual visit to the British Open golf tournament.
Smith was riding in a care that left the road in Rodez, France around 11:30 p.m. July 12th. Smith's friend, Francois Pelou, was driving the Peugot which rolled several times before coming to a stop on the driver's side in the middle of a cornfield.
Smith needed 12 stitches to close a gash in the top of his head. He also broke two ribs and suffered a concussion. He spent Sunday night in a hospital, then flew back to Atlanta on Wednesday, then returning to Athens.
Smith says he's sore but will be okay. He says had he not been wearing his seat belt he might have died.
Smith, a Leukemia survivor, co-hosts the UGA Tailgate Show with WSB's Neil "Hondo" Williamson on News/Talk 750 WSB. He is also the editor of the football game programs and has written 11 books on Georgia and other topics.
Smith says he and Pelou, who is a retired journalist, were driving home from dinner at Pelou's girlfriend's home.
Smith says his friend dozed off. "All I know is all of a sudden we were crashing, rolling over, I don't know how many times," he told the Atlanta Journal Constitution. "When I came to, we were upside down and I couldn't open the door. I ended up climbing into the back seat and crawling out of a broken window."
Smith says Pelou was shaken up, but not injured.
JONESBORO, Ga. (AP) Authorities say they arrested a Stone Mountain Middle School teacher when he was about to have sex with a 15-year-old student.
The 29-year-old teacher, Charles Thomas McClendon, has a first appearance hearing scheduled before a Clayton County magistrate Friday charged with child molestation and enticing a child for indecent purposes.
Jonesboro Mayor Tim Jessup said an officer was patrolling when he spotted two people in the back seat of a pickup truck parked behind a restaurant around 2:30 a.m. Thursday.
Police said as the officer pulled up, McClendon tossed a condom, jumped out of the truck and pulled on his pants,
McClendon, of Decatur, initially told police the student was his girlfriend, but later admitted she attended the school where he teaches.
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
(WSB Radio/AP) Carrollton police are searching for a baby sitter they say fed a 9-month-old boy wine, causing the baby's blood-alcohol level to exceed four times the legal limit for an adult.
Carrollton police Sgt. Tony Johnson said authorities are searching for 40-year-old Tammy Demice Truitt of Carrollton on charges of first degree cruelty to children and reckless conduct for giving the baby alcohol.
Police said Truitt was the regular baby sitter for the baby and four other children, ages 9, 7, 5 and 3, but was called when the mother had to leave town for a family emergency.
Doctor's said the baby's blood-alcohol content of .33 is considered a life-threatening condition.
Johnson said the baby was released from the hospital on Wednesday and is doing fine.
Information from: Times-Georgian, http://www.times-georgian.com/
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
WASHINGTON (AP) Construction of new U.S. homes rose in June to the highest level in seven months as builders rushed to pour foundations for homes that must be completed by the end of November for first-time buyers to take advantage of a special tax break.
The Commerce Department said Friday that construction of new homes and apartments jumped 3.6 percent last month to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 582,000 units, from an upwardly revised rate of 562,000 in May.
It was better than the 530,000-unit pace economists expected, and was the second straight monthly increase after April's record low of 479,000 units.
Homebuyers are being attracted by lower prices, and first-time buyers can also take advantage of a tax credit worth 10 percent of the purchase price, with a cap of $8,000, which was included in the Obama's stimulus package.
``The largest spark...has been the looming deadline,'' said David Crowe, chief economist for the National Association of Home Builders. His trade group said Thursday that the confidence level of builders has risen to the highest level in nearly a year.
Shares of major homebuilders rose on the news, with KB Home and Hovnanian Enterprises up about 5 percent in late morning trading.
``This was the most positive housing report in ages,'' wrote Patrick Newport, an economist with IHS Global Insight.
Over the past three years, the collapse in the housing market led to soaring loan losses, a severe banking system crisis and the longest recession since World War II. Even with the better-than-expected figures, the pace was still 46 percent below last year, and analysts don't expect a quick rebound. That's because companies are still shedding jobs and home prices are falling, making people hesitant to commit to buying a new home.
``There's still a long way to go before one wants to declare anything that begins to look like a strong recovery or success,'' said Rebecca Blank, undersecretary of commerce for economic affairs.
The jump in housing starts reflected a more than 14 percent rise in construction of single-family homes, the largest monthly increase since December 2004. Construction of multifamily units a particularly volatile part of the market fell nearly 26 percent from a month earlier.
Meanwhile, applications for building permits, seen as a good indicator of future activity, rose almost 9 percent in June.
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
(WSB Radio) The state Senate is joining its counterparts in the House and furloughing its members one day a month. House Speaker Glen Richardson and Lt. Gov. Casey Cagel will also do the same.
It will mean a savings of $140,000, a drop in the bucket compared to the state's $18 billion budget.
"It may not make a monetary difference, but it's a perceptive difference that everybody has to participate... you can't ask someone else to take a cut if you're not going to," says House Rules Committee Chair Rep. Earl Ehrhart.
Many state employees have had to take furlough days as department heads have been required to further slash their budgets.
Ehrhart tells WSB's Sandra Parrish that legislative leaders still have not ruled out a special session this year to make further cuts to the budget as revenue continues to decline.
LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. (AP) Two 14-year-old middle school students have been arrested in a double shooting in which a man died and a teenager was wounded in suburban Atlanta.
Gwinnett County police are searching for another suspect, a 20-year-old from California.
Police said Thursday that 14-year-olds Brandon Ennis and Michael White, both of Lawrenceville, are charged with murder and aggravated assault in the June 11 shooting.
Officers found 21-year-old Demitrius White of Duluth dead in a car. Police say 17-year-old Carl Judson of Norcross had fled on foot and was found wounded at a nearby shopping center. He was treated at a hospital and released.
Police say a murder warrant has been issued for 20-year-old Kevin Henderson, believed to be from the Oakland, Calif., area.
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
(WSB Radio) Former Georgia Governor and US Senator Zell Miller didn't mince words when it came to his feelings for the Democratic Congress and the Obama administration. Speaking before the annual meeting of the American Legislative Exchange Council, Miller who's a Democrat in name only, criticized what he calls over-spending in Washington. "The government spending machine has but two speeds... fast and faster," he says. Miller says the government is spending like Paris Hilton and taxing like a Democratic Congress. He also criticized President Obama for his recent global travels saying he needs to spend more time dealing with domestic issues. "I think (chief of staff) Rahm Emanuel ought to get some Gorilla Glue and put it in that chair in the Oval Office and say 'Sit here awhile.'" It's one of the first public appearance by Miller since Obama took office. 
(WSB Radio) -- There are new developments in the death of a man at the Georgia World Congress Center.
The GBI is asking for the public's help in identifying the driver of a 2006-2007 light in color Lincoln Navigator which was seen in the area around the time Darren Williams was killed.
Williams' body was discovered around 8:20 a.m. on Tuesday in a parking lot next to the Georgia Dome.
"Agents determined at the scene that he had apparently been run over several times by a vehicle," said Bankhead.
Williams parents identified his body. The 39 year old man was from Colulmbia, South Carolina.
They're looking into whether or not Williams knew the person who killed him.
"That's part of the ongoing investigation. Right now, we're limited on what we can say specifically about that particular situation, given the status of the investigation. More could possibly come out later," said Bankhead.
Bankhead would not say what kind of vehicle may have run over Williams.
"That's not an issue I can get into at this point. It's something critical to the investigation. It's information that's critical to the leads that we have right now," said Bankhead.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the GBI Tip Line at 1-800-597-TIPS.
July 16, 2009
(WSB Radio) -- A body, partially decapitated and wrapped in plastic, has been found along a gravel road in the northern part of Gwinnett County.
Investigators tell WSB's Richard Sangster the remains were found around 10:30 p.m. Wednesday in an area along Woodward Mill Road, between Buford and Suwanee.
The body was discovered by a resident who was investigating a foul smell in the area, according to police Cpl. David Schiralli.
Schiralli said the body was partially decomposed, is believed to be male and an autopsy will be needed to determine a cause of death.
The City Council's transportation committee has approved an ordinance that would allow police officers to boot cars parked on public streets if they have multiple violations. Authorities will target vehicles with three parking tickets or more. Drivers will have to pay at least $50 to remove the boot.
The change starts in the fall.
The city currently allows booting of vehicles on private property, such as parking lots.
A city plan calls for meter installation and maintenance, meter revenue collection, electronic processing of ticketing and payments, and delinquent collections.
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
(WSB Radio) -- Atlanta police may have thwarted a plan by thieves to pull off another smash and grab robbery in Buckhead.
Two of three suspects spotted by police casing a business on Lenox Road are behind bars following an early morning chase that ended in Dekalb County.
Using a K-9 unit and the Dekalb County police helicopter, APD officers needed about an hour to capture the men after they ditched their vehicle in a residential area on Shady Valley Drive off of Roxboro Road.
A third suspect remains at large and investigators hope the men they have in custody will identify him.
(WSB Radio) -- Georgia is getting top billing as a top state for cargo theft, as organized gangs are stealing everything from beef to electronics.
WSB's Richard Sangster reports state and federal agents are investigating the theft from a Temple truck stop of a tractor-trailer loaded with about $8.8 million in pharmaceutical drugs, including blood thinners and cold medicine.
GBI spokesman John Bankhead said this was the second time since May that an unattended tractor-trailer rig had been stolen from the Pilot truck stop at Interstate 20 in Haralson County. Each time, the driver was showering.
In the most recent case, the driver left the 2007 Peter Built tractor-trailer in the parking lot around 8 p.m. Friday, and when he returned the $100,000 truck and the load were gone.
The cab had been locked and the driver took the key, according to investigators.
"Georgia is one of the top states for cargo theft," GBI Director Vernon Keenan told the Atlanta Journal Constitution.
The thieves prefer electronics and pharmaceutical drugs, Keenan said. A recent case investigated by the GBI's new major theft unit involved the hijacking of a load of frozen beef.
"There are organized gangs that are involved in cargo theft. Many of the thefts are of the high-end cargo," Keenan told the AJC. "Many times they [the thieves] will have buyers already lined up for the product. Many times they are shipping [the stolen cargo] out of the United States. This is very much an organized criminal activity."
(WSB Radio) -- Proposed budget cuts in Gwinnett County could become a matter of life or death.
In fact, the fire chief says decreased staffing could reduce emergency response times.
Steve Rolader expects to lose 52 positions when commissioners approve the spending cuts next week. The chief tells Channel 2 Action News a 9 percent decrease in his budget will also prevent the department from manning two newly built fire stations.
Less fire protection across the county could also cause homeowners' insurance policies to increase.
County commissioners will take up administrator Jock Connell's proposed budget cuts when they meet on Tuesday.
Commission chairman Charles Bannister says the cuts are necessary because residents did not want the commission to approve a 25 percent property tax increase to fund county spending.
Grilled further, Sotomayor couldn't remember which episode and neither could Franken.
We used our crack investigative skills to find the culprit, ``The Case of the Deadly Verdict,'' which aired in 1963. And there's a twist: It stars an actor named Franken.
Who is this other Franken? We called up Stephen Franken, a working actor who most recently starred in ``Angels Demons,'' to find out.
His bombshell?
``I can tell you Al Franken is my cousin. His father and my father were first cousins.''
If we were Perry Mason, we might say that Al Franken should have been more familiar with the episode in question.
But cousin Steve doesn't remember it too well, either. ``All I can remember is that I had to wear high heeled shoes and I'm a small man I wound up wearing the same high-heeled shoes Jack Lemon wore in 'Some Like It Hot.'''
The other Franken played the villain and made his escape because he was wearing a raincoat and only seen from behind.
Does the actor think the Senator can take any lessons from famed defense attorney Perry Mason?
``Live a long life and stay in the Senate for a very long time. 'Perry Mason' had a long run and I hope he does, too.''
Oh, and one more thing: ``Can you please tell Al that I'm in seventh heaven about his being seated in the Senate? We haven't talked in a couple of years, but I'm absolutely thrilled and excited by his election.''
AP researcher Rhonda Shafner contributed to this report.
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
(WSB Radio) -- The Georgia Bureau of Investigation has completed an autopsy on a man whose body was found in a parking lot at the Georgia World Congress Center.
The GBI's John Bankhead tells WSB the man died from blunt force trauma to the chest.
"Agents determined at the scene that he had apparently been run over several times by a vehicle," said Bankhead.
The parents of 39-year-old Darren Williams of Colulmbia, South Carolina, identified the man.
They're looking into whether or not Williams knew the person who killed him.
"That's part of the ongoing investigation. Right now, we're limited on what we can say specifically about that particular situation, given the status of the investigation. More could possibly come out later," said Bankhead.
Bankhead would not say what kind of vehicle may have run over Williams.
"That's not an issue I can get into at this point. It's something critical to the investigation. It's information that's critical to the leads that we have right now," said Bankhead.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the GBI Tip Line at 1-800-597-TIPS.
(WSB Radio) -- An Acworth couple welcomes a new baby boy, but even more special is that the husband, a US Marine stationed in Iraq, got to witness the birth 8000 miles away.
Thanks to the Freedom Calls Foundation, Cpl. Chad Guess was able to take part via video conference.
"It was amazing that he was able to be there because like any mother-to-be I was nervous and he kept me laughing and entertained me throughout the whole thing just like he would have done if he were here," says wife Lauren Guess.
She contacted Freedom Calls late last year when she found out her husband would be leaving for his second deployment to Iraq in January.
The non-profit organization founded by John Harlow five years ago connects soldiers with their families via telephone, internet or video conferencing free of charge.
"We do weddings... we've had people get married over the internet... participate in graduations," he says.
Harlow came up with the idea after watching a news report of a soldier dealing with a $7000 phone bill trying to stay in touch with his family back home.
"Most of these folks are young families... and when you start taking thousands of dollars out of their paychecks just to talk to family, it didn't seem right to me that these families should be commercially exploited," he says.
Harlow says the organization exists on donations and volunteers like those at Northside Hospital in Atlanta where the birth of baby Cole took place.
"We're certainly equipped and know that this can happen. If we're asked to do it we'll do everything we can to help out," says hospital spokesman Russ Davis.
The Guess family will be able to continue their video conferencing from home until Chad returns from Iraq next month.
(WSB Radio) -- Two more people have been arrested in a home invasion and murder at a home on Brass Trail in Austell. Not long after, a female was discovered in a burned out car on South Gordon and Old Alabama Roads.
Cobb County Police Officer Joe Hernandez tells WSB 27-year-old Joshua Marchman of Marietta, was arrested on Tuesday in Montgomery, Alabama, and is currently awaiting extradition.
"He is currently charged with murder and kidnapping," said Hernandez.
One day later, another arrest was made.
"Joshua Arnold, a 23-year-old male from Marietta, Georgia, was taken into custody by Cobb County Police Department S.W.A.T. officers at Arnold's parole office. He is also charged with murder and kidnapping," said Hernandez.
25-year-old Marcus Woodward of Hiram was arrested later that night following a car chase. He has been charged with Obstruction of Law Enforcement and Aggravated Assault on a Police Officer. A woman in the car, 42-year-old Kiturah Thomas has not been charged. 26-year-old Isiah Walker, who is also believed to involved in the Austell murder, committed suicide before the chase ended.
More arrests and charges in the case are pending.
(WSB Radio) -- Cobb County Police say a man wanted in a violent home invasion in Mableton, was likely shot.
Cobb County Police Officer Joe Hernandez tells WSB the suspect was more than likely shot in the stomach.
"We've notified all local hospitals. Anyone who comes across anyone- family, friends, or otherwise, or know someone that would have this kind of injury- is asked to call the Cobb County Police Department," said Hernandez.
On Tuesday, the suspect broke into the home of Danny Carlson where several people, including children were, and tied them up. An elderly man escaped, got his own gun, and fired at the suspect. Carlson was hit in the crossfire.
(WSB Radio) -- The Senate has postponed a vote that could cut funding for jets built at the Lockheed Martin plant in Marietta.
Lawmakers pulled the amendment on the F-22 fighter, but the debate on what to do about the military jet is far from over.
President Obama says he'll veto any defense spending bill that includes money for the F-22. The Raptor gets a stay for now, and Georgia Senator Saxby Chambliss says the fight is far from over.
"You've gotta be optimistic in this business so we're working hard to secure the number of votes that would be necessary to defeat the McCain Levin bill," Chambliss said.
Chambliss leads lawmakers fighting to save the F22 despite the fact the jet has not been used in the wars in Iraq or Afghanistan.
Union workers who build the aircraft argue it remains a viable weapon in America's arsenal.
"These aircraft are ready. They're standing by and can be deployed at a moment's notice and do a mission no other aircraft in the world has the capability of doing," said David Edwards of local union 709.
More than 700 union workers at the Marietta Lockheed Martin plant build the F22. Without funding production will shut down in less than two years.
(WSB Radio) -- A Clayton County grand jury indicts a former GBI medical examiner in the January death of Robert James.
Kellie Bennett was driving a GBI SUV to the scene of a suicide with lights and sirens when she allegedly ran a red light striking the car driven by James' wife.
The accident happened in December of last year. James died on January 9th. The grand jury indicted Bennett on charges of vehicular homicide and reckless driving.
Bennett has apologized for her part in the accident telling Channel 2 Action News in an exclusive interview, "I hate that this happened. I really do. I feel for them, they are in my prayers constantly."
At issue is whether Bennett had the authority to use flashing blue lights to race to the scene. A GBI internal investigation determined Bennett was runing under lights and siren at the sign of the crash, against direct orders and without training to do so. The agency says Bennett was fired. She says she resigned.
"I think I had a momentary lapse of judgement with the redlight because I was so tired," Bennett said. "We had been working so hard, all of us. We were down to three investigators."
GBI spokesman John Bankhead says the GBI was down to three full-time medical examiners at the time of the crash with two back up investigators and three trainees. Bankhead now says the GBI has eight investigators and three back ups.
WASHINGTON (AP) Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor is following the tradition of predecessors who came before the Senate Judiciary Committee and declined to specify how they might rule on hot-button issues.
At Senate confirmation hearings Wednesday, Sotomayor opted not to disclose her views on abortion rights, the Second Amendment and regulation of financial markets.
Asked about the Roe v Wade decision that legalized abortion, Sotomayor said it's a settled precedent.
In addition to tradition, her responses appears to reflect a calculation by Sotomayor and administration officials that she is on her way toward confirmation and has nothing to gain by giving specifics.
The Judiciary Committee hearings are expected to conclude Thursday and a full Senate vote could come in August.
Here's the scorecard kept by Associated Press reporters:
THE WINNERS
Sotomayor. So far, at least, she's looking like a very wise Latina. Confident, smart, unflappable, and deftly laying the groundwork for good relations with those likely to soon be her fellow justices on the Supreme Court.
Sessions. A critic of Sotomayor with his own history of racism allegations, Sessions walked a fine line but came across as aggressive without being mean or insensitive. The Alabama Republican made the case against Sotomayor without the votes to derail her confirmation.
Desi Arnaz. The hearings thrust the late actor back in the spotlight in his role as Cuban-American bandleader Ricky Ricardo on the hit television series ``I Love Lucy'' from the 1950s. Resurrecting one of Ricardo's signature lines and mimicking his accent, Sen. Tom Coburn told Sotomayor, ``You'll have lots of 'splainin' to do.'' Coburn was jokingly responding to Sotomayor's attempt at humor when she talked about getting a gun to shoot him in self-defense.
Television cameras in the Supreme Court. Sotomayor signaled a willingness to allow cameras in the marble courtroom, and suggested she could be a strong advocate behind closed doors for broadcasting proceedings. She would replace a firm opponent of cameras, Justice David Souter, who said famously that they would have to ``roll over my dead body.''
Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C. He wins the prize as the most quoted senator at Sotomayor's confirmation. ``Unless you have a complete meltdown, you're going to get confirmed,'' Graham told Sotomayor. He also said elections have consequences, a deft way of acknowledging her all-but-certain confirmation.
THE LOSERS
Sotomayor: She heads toward confirmation remembered perhaps more for her ``wise Latina'' quip and her ruling against white firefighters than for anything else. On Tuesday she said that ``no words I have ever spoken or written have received so much attention'' as ``wise Latina, which she said was ``a rhetorical flourish that fell flat.''
Sessions: Wondering out loud about Sotomayor's racial biases made Sessions' past relevant, and front page news. Sessions was blocked from the federal bench himself two decades ago for making insensitive remarks about the Ku Klux Klan and the NAACP.
Baseball in Washington: The hearings featured lots of talk about the Yankees and Mets. The Nationals? Not so much. When Sotomayor tried to throw a shout-out to the hometown team, she incorrectly referred to the ``Senators.''
Anti-abortion activists who disrupted the hearings. Coburn, an obstetrician and one of the Senate's staunchest opponents of abortion, apologized to Sotomayor for the activists' disruptive behavior. ``The way you change minds'' is not to disrupt hearings at which you are a guest, Coburn said. ``You create a level of understanding, not condemnation.''
The English language. Sotomayor and senators often tortured it, but for different reasons. The judge was trying to avoid weighing in on any legal matter that could come before the court, or getting pinned down on past statements that have been attacked by her critics. Senators were talking to their core supporters and trying to draw out Sotomayor on key hot-button issues such as abortion and gun rights.
Contributing to this story were AP reporters Nancy Benac, Julie Hirschfeld Davis, Ron Fournier, Mark Sherman, Jesse Holland, Laurie Kellman and Merrill Hartson.
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
(WSB Radio) Georgia Tech Police are stepping up patrols following another robbery.
The latest happened on Tuesday afternoon when Georgia Tech employee Stephen Wooten was sideswiped on Tech Parkway.
Georgia Tech Police say when Wooten got out to check for damage, a man jumped out of a white Chevy with a gun, and robbed him.
Officer Ian Mayberry tells Channel 2 Action News people need to be aware of their surroundings.
"Anytime you witness any kind of suspicious activity or such an event as what transpired yesterday, we encourage: please, please, please call police immediately," said Mayberry.
The suspect is described as a black man, wearing a white tank top T-shirt, tan shorts, dark sunglasses, and was armed with a black automatic handgun.
The white Chevy is an 80's model and has red paint on the driver's side door.
There have been several armed robberies near the Georgia Tech campus including one in which a student was shot.
Several arrests have been made as the investigation continues.
(WSB Radio) The Georgia Bureau of Investigation has completed an autopsy on a man whose body was found in a parking lot at the Georgia World Congress Center.
The GBI's John Bankhead tells WSB the man died from blunt force trauma to the chest.
"Agents determined at the scene that he had apparently been run over several times by a vehicle," said Bankhead.
The parents of 39-year-old Darren Williams of Colulmbia, South Carolina, identified the man.
They're looking into whether or not Williams knew the person who killed him.
"That's part of the ongoing investigation. Right now, we're limited on what we can say specifically about that particular situation, given the status of the investigation. More could possibly come out later," said Bankhead.
Bankhead would not say what kind of vehicle may have run over Williams.
"That's not an issue I can get into at this point. It's something critical to the investigation. It's information that's critical to the leads that we have right now," said Bankhead.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the GBI Tip Line at 1-800-597-TIPS.
July 15, 2009
WASHINGTON (AP) With four simple words ``Give it to me!'' President Barack Obama took possession of the economy.
For months, the White House and Obama's economic team have laid the economic crisis at the feet of President George W. Bush. But there comes a point in a presidency when inheritance becomes ownership. Obama made that pivot Tuesday in Michigan, the state suffering the worst unemployment in the nation.
``I love these folks who helped get us in this mess and then suddenly say, 'Well, this is Obama's economy,''' the president said in a pointed deviation from his prepared text. ``That's fine. Give it to me!''
It was a defiant moment, reminiscent of Bush's own ``Bring 'em on!'' taunt in 2003 to militants in Iraq.
Like Bush's brash challenge, Obama's could haunt him, too. It's a calculated risk that confronts his critics head-on and casts him as an activist, on-the-job president.
``My job is to solve problems, not to stand on the sidelines and harp and gripe,'' he said Tuesday, his sleeves rolled up, barely disguising his targets as congressional Republicans.
Still, most economists and Obama's own advisers foresee a slow economic recovery. The president himself conceded Tuesday that unemployment, already at a 26-year high, will likely ``tick up for several months.'' Republicans see the economy as Obama's Achilles' heel come next year's elections, and they have found a political vulnerability in the continued rise in unemployment despite a $787 billion economic stimulus that Obama pushed through Congress in February.
In choosing Michigan to attach his name to the economy, Obama picked a state whose 14.1 percent unemployment rate could linger as evidence of policy failure. As home to the U.S. auto industry, it could also stand as a symbol of one of his first economic successes. Both General Motors and Chrysler have emerged in surprisingly swift fashion from bankruptcy protection proceedings that were imposed by the Obama administration.
``Remember, folks said there was no way they could do it?'' Obama told his audience in hard-hit Warren, Mich. ``They've gotten it done already, in record time, far faster than anybody thought possible.''
After a week spent overseas, the feisty, confrontational approach aims to regain the agenda from his critics. In one bold step this week, the Obama administration singled out Sen. Jon Kyl, a member of the Senate Republican leadership, for calling for an end to economic stimulus spending. Using Obama's Cabinet members as muscle, the White House on Tuesday made public letters from four department secretaries listing transportation, housing, Indian education and other projects in Kyl's home state that they said would be eliminated if the senator had his way. The letter was addressed to Arizona's Republican governor, Jan Brewer.
At the same time, Obama is appealing for patience. In his weekly radio and Internet address Saturday and in a newspaper opinion piece, Obama argued that the stimulus program was designed as a two-year plan and that it had already halted the economic free fall. It hasn't helped Obama, however, that the jobless rate now stands at 9.5 percent, even though his economic team initially predicted that the stimulus would prevent unemployment from going higher than 8 percent.
Obama and his advisers say the recession turned out to be worse than anticipated when they made that forecast in January. Still, 2 million jobs have been lost since Congress passed the stimulus package.
``I want the president's economic stimulus to work, but guess what? It's not happening right now,'' Rep. Candice Miller, R-Mich., said Tuesday, voicing a common GOP refrain. ``I don't even think we have Wendy's jobs anymore. Where's the beef? Where's the jobs?''
Obama's unflinching embrace of his economic policies means he now is responsible for their consequences. If the free fall is now in check, as he claims, then the economy can no longer be Bush's legacy alone.
What's more, even amid indicators that show the economic plunge is slowing, unemployment in recent recessions has been slow to recover as quickly as the rest of the economy. And jobs are the clearest yardstick by which the public measures success. For Obama and his fellow Democrats, the danger lies in unemployment rates that remain high in time for next year's congressional elections, or in a slow recovery that peters out and leads back into a recession.
Obama has already taken ownership of the nation's foreign policy. In March, he announced a new approach in Afghanistan that included sending an additional 17,000 combat troops. Marines have just kicked off an offensive in Taliban strongholds in the south of the country. And two weeks ago, American troops in Iraq handed over security urban areas to Iraqi security forces, the first step toward meeting Obama's pledge to end an unpopular war.
Now, just days shy of the symbolic six-month anniversary of his presidency, Obama has laid claim to the full measure of the job. When it comes to the economy, no one certainly not his Republican critics is going to keep him from taking it.
EDITOR'S NOTE Jim Kuhnhenn covers economics and politics for The Associated Press.
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
(WSB Radio) -- The downturn in the economy has actually been a good thing for community colleges.
At Georgia Perimeter College enrollment is at a record 15,000 this summer thanks to students who attend larger universities, both in and of state, looking to save money.
Richard Baubien, director of recruitment and admissions for GPC, tells WSB's Sandra Parrish they're also seeing a lot of older students returning to school to find a new career.
"Criminal justice, nursing and teacher ed... those are fairly safe positions whatever the economic situation is and a lot of people are looking for safety and security," he says.
Baubien says he expects record enrollment for the fall as well.
"Our goal was 25,000 enrolled... I would not be surprised to see 27,000 or more," he says.
Because of the trend, President Obama is pushing for $12 billion for two year colleges to help fund new programs as well as to renovate outdated facilities or build new ones.
"Bring it on we need the space, we need classrooms. Right now we're pretty much maxed out on physical capacity," says Baubien.
Under the initiative, schools could qualify for "challenge grants". The money could be available by the 2010 budget that begins October 1st.
NEW YORK (AP) One trip for their Jack Russell terrier in a plane's cargo hold was enough to convince Alysa Binder and Dan Wiesel that owners needed a better option to get their pets from one city to another.
On Tuesday, the first flight for the husband-and-wife team's Pet Airways, the first-ever all-pet airline, took off from Republic Airport in Farmingdale, N.Y.
All commercial airlines allow a limited number of small pets to fly in the cabin. Others must travel as checked bags or in the cargo hold a dark and sometimes dangerous place where temperatures can vary wildly.
Binder and Wiesel used their consulting backgrounds and business savvy to start Pet Airways in 2005. The last four years have been spent designing their fleet of five planes according to new four-legged requirements, dealing with FAA regulations and setting up airport schedules.
The two say they're overwhelmed with the response. Flights on Pet Airways are already booked up for the next two months.
Pet Airways will fly a pet between five major cities New York, Washington, Chicago, Denver, and Los Angeles. The $250 one-way fare is comparable to pet fees at the largest U.S. airlines.
For owners the big difference is service. Dogs and cats will fly in the main cabin of a Suburban Air Freight plane, retooled and lined with carriers in place of seats. Pets (about 50 on each flight) will be escorted to the plane by attendants that will check on the animals every 15 minutes during flight. The pets are also given pre-boarding walks and bathroom breaks. And at each of the five airports it serves, the company has created a ``Pet Lounge'' for future fliers to wait and sniff before flights.
The company will operate out of smaller, regional airports in the five launch cities, which will mean an extra trip for most owners dropping off their pets if they are flying too. Stops in cities along the way means the pets will take longer to reach a destination than their owners.
A trip from New York to Los Angeles, for example, will take about 24 hours. On that route, pets will stop in Chicago, have a bathroom break, play time, dinner, and bunk for the night before finishing the trip the next day.
Amanda Hickey of Portland, Ore. is one of the new airline's first customers. Her seven-year-old terrier-pinscher mix Mardi and 2-year-old puggle Penny are taking their first flight soon.
Hickey said the service was a welcome alternative to flying her dogs in cargo when she transplants them from her soon-to-be Denver home to Chicago to stay while she and her fiance travel to Aruba to get married.
``For a little bit more money, I have peace of mind,'' she said.
It was a stressful experience in a cargo hold that spurred Binder and Wiesel to start their airline. Their Jack Russell terrier, Zoe, flew once in cargo and Binder said they worried about how the dog was doing, but were unable to check on her or get information. The couple soon started looking for a better solution.
``One time in cargo was enough for us,'' Binder said, walking through an airplane hangar as Zoe trotted in front of her. ``We wanted to do something better.''
The company, which will begin with one flight in each of its five cities, is looking to add more flights and cities soon. In the next three years, Binder hopes to fly to 25 locations.
Among the big U.S. carriers that offer pet services, AirTran, Spirit, Southwest and JetBlue only allow pets to fly in the cabin. Most U.S. airlines charge between $100 and $125, but Delta and Northwest charge $150 for cabin trips. AirTran is the cheapest among big carriers at $69.
The charge is more to fly in the cargo or check-baggage holds. Delta and Northwest are the most expensive at $275. Alaska Airlines and Midwest charge the least, at $100. Frontier prices its checked pets fees between $100 and $200 and only takes pets as checked baggage.
Anne Banas, executive editor of SmarterTravel.com, questions the viability of an airline with such a specific niche.
``I'm not sure how sustainable it is,'' she said. ``But if people are trying to go for a first-class service, it could make sense.''
She said the service's popularity could spike in peak summer or winter months when airlines in some areas don't allow pets to travel.
Betsy Saul, co-founder of Petfinder.com, which has ranked the pet-friendliness of airlines for three years, said she's excited about the expected impact Pet Airways will have on pet travel across major airlines.
``The entire industry will stretch because of Pet Airways,'' she said. ``It's a challenge that says 'let's make this (experience) better for pets.'''
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
ATLANTA (AP) Georgia schools fared much better this year on federal benchmarks than last year, with nearly 80 percent passing muster.
New data released by the state Tuesday shows Georgia is catching up after seeing performance on ``adequate yearly progress'' plummet last year because of lagging math test scores. The highest gains this year were in elementary grades, with a 13 percentage point jump in AYP to 89 percent.
Middle school performance improved from 64 percent to 75 percent of schools meeting standards. High schools, which have traditionally posted the weakest results on federal benchmarks, remained the same with 47 percent passing, even as the state's graduation rate rose from 74 to nearly 79 percent.
State schools Superintendent Kathy Cox said the state's improvement means students are meeting the challenge of a tougher curriculum and more rigorous standardized tests.
``Everybody has worked so hard and been focused,'' Cox said in a telephone interview. ``The one thing that people forget, too, is AYP is a moving target. It gets tougher to make it every year.''
AYP is measured based on math and reading test scores, attendance and graduation rates, among other factors. It is part of the federal No Child Left Behind law, which was adopted in 2002 and aims for all U.S. students to perform math and reading at grade level by 2014.
Schools that miss AYP two years in a row are put on the federal ``needs improvement'' list. Those schools must offer extra tutoring for struggling students and give parents the option to send their children to another, higher-performing school.
Schools on the list for several years in a row face more severe sanctions, like having to replace teachers and enter into a contract with the state on improving performance.
The number of Georgia schools on the ``needs improvement'' list this year decreased by six to 334, and 58 schools came off the list after making AYP for two years in a row. Another 60 schools on the list made AYP this year, which means they will be off it if they hit the benchmarks again next year.
The state has 2,172 public schools.
Susan Walker, director of policy and research for the Georgia Partnership for Excellence in Education, said this year's results indicate that the state's new harder curriculum is working.
``Schools and students will rise to higher standards,'' said Walker, whose organization advocates for education in the state.
The improved scores are a relief for Georgia educators, who have been grappling with a state audit released last month that showed four elementary schools cheated on their fifth-grade math standardized tests in order to make AYP last year. The state Board of Education voted last week to void the test scores and revoke the schools' AYP standing from last year.
Three of the schools in the audit Deerwood Academy in Atlanta, Parklane Elementary in Fulton County and Atherton Elementary in DeKalb County made AYP this year. Burroughs-Molette Elementary in Glynn County did not, and it remains on the ``needs improvement'' list.
Cox stressed that the audit found someone had altered answers on tests in just four of the 600 elementary schools reviewed.
``The vast majority of people out there are doing the right thing,'' she said. ``We're getting results because we are doing the right thing, not just with honesty, but educationally and instructionally.''
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
ATLANTA (AP) The Georgia Bureau of Investigation is investigating a homicide at the Georgia World Congress Center in downtown Atlanta.
Mark Geiger, a spokesman for the Congress Center, says authorities found the victim about 8:30 a.m. Tuesday after receiving word of an injured person in a parking lot underneath an overpass not far from the Georgia Dome.
The GBI is investigating because it is state property.
The dead man is believed to be from Columbia, S.C., but GBI spokesman John Bankhead says positive identification and exact cause of death await autopsy results.
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
DETROIT (AP) Icy winter roads and vacation-clogged summer highways might seem the most dangerous for motorists, but new research says fall is when driving is at its deadliest.
A new report has found that October has the year's highest death rate per distance driven. In fact, the danger of dying in a crash is 16 percent greater in October than in wintry March the safest month of the year.
``Everything else being equal, inclement weather snow and ice should increase the risk of driving,'' said Michael Sivak at the University of Michigan Transportation Safety Institute in Ann Arbor. ``However, because inclement weather also leads to general reductions in speed, the net effect is not clear.''
Sivak analyzed monthly crash death figures for the U.S. from 1994 to 2006 and reported his findings in the July issue of the journal Traffic Injury Prevention.
October had a death rate of 10.2 per billion kilometers, compared with March's 8.8 per billion kilometers, he found.
November and December were next in deadliness, while February and April followed March in safety, Sivak said.
He said he knows of no single reason why October driving is the riskiest and March the safest.
``This pattern is likely the consequence of joint contributions of several factors,'' he wrote, saying future research could examine the specific seasonal effects.
A key factor could be daylight, said Peter Kissinger of the Washington-based AAA Foundation. October combines the relative warmth of early fall with the lengthening hours of darkness.
``The risks at night are substantially higher than during the day,'' Kissinger said.
In the 13 years covered by Sivak's study, traffic deaths in the U.S. fell from 10.7 to 8.8 per billion kilometers driven.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced this month that 7,689 motorists were killed in January through March this year, a 9 percent decline from a year ago and a low not seen in nearly half a century. Traffic safety advocates said there's little reason for pride or complacency.
``Setting aside the days with the most risk, we often lose sight of the fact that motor vehicle deaths happen like a constant drumbeat every day of the year,'' said Russ Rader, spokesman for the nonprofit Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. ``Imagine if more than 100 people were dying in a plane crash every day. The country's air fleet would be grounded and the media and the public would be demanding that something be done.''
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
(WSB Radio) -- Cobb County Police are looking for a man involved in a violent home invasion.
Neighbors say several people were attending a tennis camp at a home on Nickajack Road in Mableton, when an armed man broke into the home and tied everybody up.
Officer Joe Hernandez tells WSB one person managed to escape.
"At some point, one of the individuals that the suspect initially encountered was able to get free, at which time that male retrieved his own handgun. He moved through the house toward where the suspect was and there was an exchange of gunfire," said Hernandez.
The suspect, who may or may not have been shot, fled on foot, heading toward Fontaine Road. He's described as black, 40-50 years of age, 200-230 pounds, 6', wearing a t-shirt and jeans, and may be armed.
The homeowner was taken to Atlanta Medical Center.
No one else in the home was hurt.
(WSB Radio) -- Georgia's unemployment rate hit double digits at 10.1 percent last month, according to the state Department of Labor.
The jobless rate is now at its highest level ever recorded in Georgia and is up five-tenths of a percent from May.
"Georgia is in the midst of a deepening economic crisis," said State Labor Commissioner Michael Thurmond.
Last month, 483,394 unemployed Georgians were looking for work, an increase of 65 percent from June of 2008. Of that number, 160,249, or 33 percent, are receiving state unemployment insurance benefits, while approximately 93,000 are receiving federal extended benefits.
Thurmond added, "Georgia leaders should develop a bi-partisan recovery plan that focuses on three critical elements: protecting vulnerable citizens, including children, the elderly, and the sick; preserving our health, safety, and educational institutions; and encouraging economic development investments that promote job creation and future prosperity."
The June jobless rate was up 4.0 percentage points from 6.1 percent at this same time last year. Georgia's unemployment rate remained above the national rate of 9.5 percent for the 20th consecutive month.
The number of payroll jobs in June decreased 209,500, or 5.1 percent, from June of 2008. The over-the-year losses came in professional and business services, including temporary employment agencies, manufacturing, trade, transportation and warehousing, and in the construction industry.
On a positive note, healthcare and educational services, showed a combined increase of 12,000 jobs.
Charleston, W.Va., airport spokesman Brian Belcher says passengers on the 737 aircraft could see the outside through the 1-foot-by-1-foot hole in the rear of the plane. The cabin lost pressure, but no one was injured. The plane, which originated in Nashville and was headed to Baltimore, landed safely in Charleston Monday evening.
It's not clear what caused the damage.
Southwest Airlines Co. spokeswoman Marilee McInnis says the company inspecting all of its 737-300s overnight as a precaution. Service Tuesday shouldn't be affected.
The 137-seater makes up about a third of the carrier's fleet of 544 jets.
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (AP) A Delta Airlines flight from Dayton, Ohio, to Atlanta made an unscheduled landing Monday at Chattanooga with 76 passengers aboard to check out a smell of smoke Monday.
Delta spokesman Trebor Banstetter referred questions about the landing of Flight 926 to the flight operator, Memphis-based Pinnacle Airlines Corp.
Pinnacle spokesman Joe Williams said there was a crew of four and 76 passengers aboard the CRJ 900. No smoke was located.
``We suspect something near the flight attendant's station,'' Williams said. ``We will undertake a thorough investigation of that.''
Chattanooga Airport Authority spokeswoman Christina Siebold said the flight made a routine landing.
Banstetter said passengers were transported by bus to Atlanta.
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
ATLANTA (AP) Georgia State University has received a new federal grant to study school bullying.
The $800,000 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention grant will help the college's Department of Counseling and Psychological Services faculty conduct research on children in metro Atlanta school systems. The study is part of a five-year, $5 million grant awarded to the Emory University Center for Injury Control to look at how to prevent and treat a wide variety of injuries.
The Georgia State researchers will work with students who are victims of bullying as well as those who have been identified as bullies.
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
WASHINGTON (AP) Disgraced financier Bernard Madoff was being held in a federal prison in Atlanta Tuesday after his transfer from a New York lockup, according to a Bureau of Prisons Web site.
It's not clear how long he'll be there. The site was updated early Tuesday to list Madoff's location as the United States Penitentiary in Atlanta, but gave no further details. Bureau spokeswoman Traci Billingsley wouldn't comment on the change.
The Atlanta lockup isn't Madoff's final destination, according to a law enforcement official who spoke to the Associated Press on Monday. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the person wasn't authorized to discuss prisoner transfers, said Madoff was headed to a federal prison in Butner, N.C., to begin serving his 150-year sentence.
Madoff, 71, was sentenced last month after pleading guilty in March to charges that his investment advisory business was a multibillion-dollar scheme that wiped out thousands of investors and ruined charities.
Authorities said Madoff had carried out the fraud for at least two decades before confessing to his sons in December that his investment business was a fraud and that he had lost as much as $50 billion.
The Butner Federal Correctional Complex, located about 45 miles northwest of Raleigh, includes two medium-security facilities, a low-security facility and a hospital, according to the Bureau of Prisons Web site.
Among the well-known criminals being held at Butner are:
John Rigas, founder of Adelphia Communications, and his son, Tim, the company's chief financial officer. They were convicted on multiple charges of securities fraud, conspiracy to commit bank fraud and bank fraud.
Jonathan Pollard, the American convicted of spying for Israel more than two decades ago.
Omar Abdel-Rahman, also known as the blind sheik, who was sentenced to life in prison in 1995 for his role in a plot to kill Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and blow up New York City landmarks, including the United Nations. He was sentenced to life in prison in 1995 and moved to Butner in 2007.
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
(WSB Radio) -- Gwinnett County Administrator Jock Connell is proposing a series of what's being called "severe budget cuts" over the next five years that could lead to the elimination of more than 250 jobs, including 53 positions in the police department and the entire Department of Corrections.
Commission chairman Charles Bannister tells the Atlanta Journal-Constitution "major capital projects, like seven new fire and EMS stations, two new police precincts and at least five new parks" won't be built because residents balked at the county's plans to raise property taxes to fund the spending through 2014.
In an interview with the Gwinnett Daily Post, Bannister said "unless the taxpayers wish to change their minds and replenish some of the lost funding we have encountered, the only option is to reduce spending, and that's the direction we're going."
Commissioners are scheduled to vote on Connell's plan next Tuesday.
The Georgia DOT's Terri Pope tells WSB's Sandra Parrish as the fourth and final phase of the median project gets underway from High Point Road to Hwy 124, work on the third phase from Killian Hill to High Point will continue.
"We've widened the footprint of the road there and are about to start installing the concrete median down the center of the roadway," she says.
Pope says work will continue overnight Sunday through Thursday throughout the remainder of the project.
She says the project is running on time and due to be completed the end of November.
(WSB Radio) -- A former crossing guard, employed by the Cobb County police department, has been arrested on child molestation charges.
Officer Joe Hernandez tells WSB 62-year-old Jerry Cox worked as a crossing guard at Tritt Elementary School, Hightower Trail Middle School, and Walton High School.
"The Cobb County police department is over the crossing guards; however, he is not a sworn officer. He is a crossing guard employee under the department and he has been employed for 24 years," said Hernandez.
The investigation came to light when the 12-year-old victim said she had been abused by a family acquaintance.
"Jerry Cox has been a family friend of the victim and he's known the family longer than the victim has been alive," said Hernandez.
Cox, who has been charged with three counts aggravated child molestation, one county of sexual battery, and one count of child molestation, has been fired.
Although the incident appears to be isolated, police are asking anyone who may know other possible victims to call the Cobb County Police Department's Crimes Against Children Unit at 770-801-3470.
(WSB Radio) -- A Buford man has been arrested for raping a a 15 year old girl.
Sgt. Kiley Sargent with the Hall County Sheriff's Office tells WSB the incident happened on the fourth of July on a boat at the Holiday Marina.
"They were all acquaintances. I mean this was not a stranger-to-stranger contact. From what I understand in the investigation, all of these people were at the party," said Sargent.
50-year-old Kevin New has been charged with rape, child molestation, public drunkenness, and probation violation and remains in the Hall County Detention Center without bond.
(WSB Radio) -- This could be the break terrified Tech-area residents have been looking for: the arrest of three young men police say tried to rob a pedestrian at gunpoint.
The suspects are identified as Justin Johnson, and Xavier Mosteller, both 21; and 19-year old Dandre Barnwell.
Atlanta Police Sergeant Reginald Moorman says the suspects were armed and very dangerous.
"It looks like they were prepared for anything," says Atlanta Police Sgt. Reginald Moorman.
The three suspects were arrested early Sunday near the Tech campus. When they were pulled over, Moorman says they had in their car, "a fully-loaded AK-47 assault rifle, military body armor and ski masks."
Moorman says they could be gang members and they're all suspects in many of the robberies that have plagued the Georgia Tech area over a span of months.
(WSB Radio) -- Federal agents arrested a Chinese national at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport on Monday, for smuggling technology and money laundering.
Chi Tong Kuok was arrested after a 3 year long investigation that followed his attempted purchases through Western-Union, Paypal accounts and bank tranfers.
Kuok is suspected of trying to purchase high tech gadgets such as, radios, sensitive military encryption gear and a controller for secure satellite communications for military aircraft.
Agent Ken Smith, with Immigration and Customs Enforcement, said the devices Kuok was trying to purchase are so sensitive that you need special permission to export them out of the country.
"Our primary goal is to prevent the illegal export of goods that can be used by another country's military to do us harm," Smith said.
When agents arrested Kuok he said he was "acting at the direction of officials for the People's Republic of China" and that they "sought the items to figure out ways to listen to or monitor U.S. government and military communications."
Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Department of Defense agents arrested Kuok during his layover from Paris to Panama.
"Often times components are purchased so that specific technology can use reviewed, copied or re-engineered for other purposes," Smith said.
(WSB Radio) -- A man walking with his son and dog at Big Creek in Roswell survives a 30 foot fall.
Kevin Bridges had to be pulled from the water by Roswell firefighters after he slipped and went over a waterfall Monday afternoon.
Eagle Scout John Seely was kayaking in the rain swollen creek when he heard the man's 11-year-old scream for help. He tells Channel 2 Action News "on a normal day there's not much current there so you can swim across fairly easily. But on a day like today (Monday), the current's much much faster and stronger and you can sucked over the edge pretty easily."
Rescue crews secured the man with a rope and used a pulley system to slide a rescue basket across the creek.
Bridges is being treated for non-life threatening injuries at North Fulton Regional Hospital. His son and dog were not hurt.
(WSB Radio) -- A man accused of manufacturing methamphetamine in Lumpkin County has been arrested during a drug raid in east Atlanta.
James Wiggins, 61, of Dahlonega was tracked down Monday night by local, state and federal authorities to a house on Ormewood Avenue.
Agents with the GBI, the DEA and the Appalachian Drug Task Force donned haz-mat suits before entering the residence, where they found a large amount of materials used to make meth. Similar chemicals were seized from a storage facility rented by the suspect in Lumpkin County.
Wiggins faces multiple drug charges in Lumpkin and Fulton counties. He's being held without bond in the Lumpkin County jail.
WASHINGTON (AP) President Barack Obama nominated for surgeon general a Deep South family physician who has faced hurricanes, flood and fire to care for impoverished patients along Alabama's Gulf Coast.
Obama says Dr. Regina Benjamin understands the needs of the poor and uninsured, making her uniquely qualified to be America's doctor as his administration tries to revamp the health care system. Benjamin is known along Alabama's impoverished Gulf Coast as a country doctor who makes house calls and doesn't turn away patients who can't pay--even as she's had to find the money to rebuild a clinic repeatedly destroyed by hurricanes and, once, even fire.
Benjamin, a 1982 Morehouse School of Medicine graduate who completed her residency at the Medical Center of Central Georgia in Macon, said that her family was not present at the Rose Garden announcement because of preventable diseases.
Her father died with diabetes and high blood pressure, her only brother of HIV, her mother of lung cancer "because as a young girl, she wanted to smoke just like her twin brother could"--and an uncle now on oxygen as a result, she noted.
"I cannot change my family's past. I can be a voice in the movement to improve our nation's health care and our nation's health,'' Benjamin said. "I want to be sure that no one falls through the cracks as we improve our health care system.''
President Obama returned from a weeklong overseas trip to find that the timetable for a comprehensive health care overhaul continues to be pushed back. So today, as he nominated Alabama Dr. Regina Benjamin for Surgeon General, he said she would be a vital part of getting reform approved.
"There was a lot of chatter during the week that I was gone," said the president. "We are going to get this done. Inaction is not an option. For those naysayers and cynics who think that this is not going to happen, don't bet against us."
Moderate and conservative Democrats have balked at a price tag that could cost an estimated $1 trillion over 10 years, mostly for subsidies to help cover some 50 million uninsured Americans.
House Democrats have proposed raising taxes on wealthy Americans to pay for the plan. That idea appears to face opposition in the Senate, where a bipartisan group of senators is trying to reassemble a financing package now missing a key component: an unpopular tax on high-cost health insurance benefits, which would have raised $320 billion out of a $1 trillion package.
A bipartisan deal would have a better chance of winning broad support. That's what Obama says he wants, and the best chance for such a deal is still in the Senate.
WASHINGTON (AP) President Barack Obama nominated for surgeon general a Deep South family physician who has faced hurricanes, flood and fire to care for impoverished patients along Alabama's Gulf Coast.
Obama says Dr. Regina Benjamin understands the needs of the poor and uninsured, making her uniquely qualified to be America's doctor as his administration tries to revamp the health care system. Benjamin is known along Alabama's impoverished Gulf Coast as a country doctor who makes house calls and doesn't turn away patients who can't pay--even as she's had to find the money to rebuild a clinic repeatedly destroyed by hurricanes and, once, even fire.
Benjamin, a 1982 Morehouse School of Medicine graduate who completed her residency at the Medical Center of Central Georgia in Macon, said that her family was not present at the Rose Garden announcement because of preventable diseases.
Her father died with diabetes and high blood pressure, her only brother of HIV, her mother of lung cancer "because as a young girl, she wanted to smoke just like her twin brother could"--and an uncle now on oxygen as a result, she noted.
"I cannot change my family's past. I can be a voice in the movement to improve our nation's health care and our nation's health,'' Benjamin said. "I want to be sure that no one falls through the cracks as we improve our health care system.''
President Obama returned from a weeklong overseas trip to find that the timetable for a comprehensive health care overhaul continues to be pushed back. So today, as he nominated Alabama Dr. Regina Benjamin for Surgeon General, he said she would be a vital part of getting reform approved.
"There was a lot of chatter during the week that I was gone," said the president. "We are going to get this done. Inaction is not an option. For those naysayers and cynics who think that this is not going to happen, don't bet against us."
Moderate and conservative Democrats have balked at a price tag that could cost an estimated $1 trillion over 10 years, mostly for subsidies to help cover some 50 million uninsured Americans.
House Democrats have proposed raising taxes on wealthy Americans to pay for the plan. That idea appears to face opposition in the Senate, where a bipartisan group of senators is trying to reassemble a financing package now missing a key component: an unpopular tax on high-cost health insurance benefits, which would have raised $320 billion out of a $1 trillion package.
A bipartisan deal would have a better chance of winning broad support. That's what Obama says he wants, and the best chance for such a deal is still in the Senate.
The Arizona Republican, along with Michigan Democrat Carl Levin, filed an amendment to cut the extra money for seven more F-22s. The Senate Armed Services Committee last month narrowly approved the additional funding requested by Georgia Republican Saxby Chambliss.
McCain and Levin, the committee's chairman, voted against the additional finds. The full Senate may vote on the defense spending bill this week. The House last month voted to include a $369 million down payment for 12 additional fighters to its version of the defense bill.
The White House has threatened to veto legislation that includes money for more of the radar-evading jets.
On the Senate floor, McCain said he also will strongly recommend the White House veto the defense bill if lawmakers don't act to end F-22 production.
Supporters of the F-22 have said capping production at 187 aircraft is too risky with potential adversaries like Iran, North Korea and China looming.
McCain disputed such arguments. Focusing on timely delivery of the Joint Strike Fighter, also built by Lockheed Martin, is in the best interest of the country and will be a weapon system that can meet future threats, he said.
Chambliss and other lawmakers who represent districts where F-22 production jobs are at stake have lobbied hard to keep the program. Lockheed's primary manufacturing plant is in Georgia, but key parts of the plane also are made in Texas and California.
McCain said the rationale for keeping a weapon system should never be about job creation, but about defending the nation.
The extra money would extend production of the F-22 beyond the 187 aircraft that Defense Secretary Robert Gates says are needed. Gates has argued that buying any more of the jets, which cost $140 million a piece, will undermine the Pentagon's ability to increase the size of U.S. ground forces and purchase gear for fighting unconventional wars against insurgents.
WASHINGTON (AP) It only took 19 minutes for "wise Latina'' to enter the conversation.
For a blink in time, the Senate Judiciary Committee's hearing on Sonia Sotomayor's historic Supreme Court nomination Monday was all about grace notes and niceties. The committee's top Democrat and Republican escorted her to her seat facing the white marble wall and the lawmakers who will decide the fate of the high court pick.
At the urging of Vermont Sen. Patrick Leahy, the Democratic chairman, she introduced her front-row fan club: Her mother, brother, stepfather, sister-in-law, niece, nephews, godchildren and dearest friends. She joked that she could consume the morning introducing everyone from her extended family in the room.
Smiles all around. "Your family is proud and rightfully so,'' said Sen. Jeff Sessions of Alabama, senior Judiciary Committee Republican. He dared hope that senators were beginning "the best hearing this committee has ever held.''
The comity soon began to fray.
Opening Republican scrutiny, Sessions warned of a "brave new world'' of jurisprudence in which judges vote with their biases. He talked of a justice system "further corrupted'' by President Barack Obama's view that empathy is a quality prized on the bench.
He noted Sotomayor's now-famous comment that she hoped a wise Latina would come to a better judgment on the bench than a white male without the same life experience, and he cast the choice facing senators in stark terms. Other Republicans followed suit, although with a dose of recognition that they may have little hope of stopping her.
"Unless you have a complete meltdown, you're going to get confirmed,'' said South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham. That prompted laughter through the room and a slight grin from the nominee, who otherwise kept a steady gaze on those who spoke, giving away little with her face.
Waiting his turn to speak, the newly minted Democratic senator from Minnesota, Al Franken, proved to be a prolific note-taker, rarely pausing from his scribbling in the early going. The former TV comedian, winner of an eight-month recount against GOP incumbent Norm Coleman, sauntered over to the nominee's family during the first break, to say hello.
Hearing Excerpts
Some excerpts from comments during the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing for the confirmation of Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor.
"I would trust that all members of this committee here today will reject the efforts of partisans and outside pressure groups that sought to create a caricature of Judge Sotomayor while belittling her record and achievements, her intelligence. ... Let no one demean this extraordinary woman.'' Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., committee chairman.
"I will not vote for--no senator should vote for--an individual nominated by any president who believes it is acceptable for a judge to allow their own personal background, gender, prejudices, or sympathies to sway their decision in favor of, or against, parties before the court.'' Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., ranking member on the committee.
"One attack that I find particularly shocking is the suggestion that she will be biased against some litigants because of her racial and ethnic heritage. This charge is not based on anything in her judicial record because there is absolutely nothing in the hundreds of opinions she has written to support it.'' Sen. Russ Feingold, D-Wis.
"The Supreme Court is meant to be a legal institution, not a political one. But some individuals and groups don't see it that way. They see the Supreme Court as ground zero for their political and social battles. They want justices to implement their political and social agenda through the judicial process.'' Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa.
"So I do not believe that Supreme Court justices are merely umpires calling balls and strikes. Rather, I believe that they make the decisions of individuals who bring to the court their own experiences and philosophies. ... So I believe you, too, will bring your experiences and philosophy to this highest court. And I believe that will do only one thing and that is strengthen this high institution of our great country.'' Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif.
"We cannot simply brush aside her extra-judicial statements. Until now, Judge Sotomayor has been operating under the restraining influence of a higher authority the Supreme Court. If confirmed, there will be no such restraint that would prevent her from to paraphrase President Obama deciding cases based on her heartfelt views.'' Sen. Jon Kyl, R-Ariz.S
"First, as we will hear in the next few days, Judge Sotomayor puts rule of law above everything else. Given her extensive and evenhanded record, I am not sure how any member of this panel can sit here today and seriously suggest that she comes to the bench with a personal agenda.'' Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y.
"There must be a vigorous debate about the kind of judge America needs, because nothing less than our liberty is at stake. Must judges set aside, or may judges consider, their personal feelings in deciding cases? Is judicial impartiality a duty or an option?'' Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah.
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
MARIETTA, Ga. (AP) State officials say a Marietta veterinarians license has been suspended after repeated code violations, including keeping dead cats in a freezer alongside food.
The Georgia State Board of Veterinary Medicine has suspended Dr. Anji Bodanas license for three years, fined him $3,000 and is requiring him to undergo continuing education courses stemming from uncorrected code violations found in 2006.
Bodana denied the claims made by an investigator of the Secretary of State's Office of Inspector General, saying, ``They're not right.''
Bodana runs the Cobb Pet Clinic in Marietta.
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
Bartow County fire battalion Chief Bryan Keeling said 28-year-old Marcus McDonald, an Army Reservist, was swimming off the U.S. Army Recreating Center beach when he disappeared Saturday afternoon.
Keeling said divers found McDonald's body shortly before 6 p.m., about three hours after he disappeared.
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
(WSB Radio/AP) -- The confirmation hearing for Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor begins Monday in the Senate.
Republicans have signaled they will press the veteran federal judge to explain past rulings.
The sharpest comments about her so far came Sunday from Sen. Jeff Sessions of Alabama. The senior Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee told CBS that Sotomayor has views that are ``philosophically incompatible with the American system.''
Her defenders portray her as a meticulous judge who has strictly followed the law in her 17 years on the federal bench.
Sotomayor's prospects for confirmation are considered excellent, especially with the Democrat's comfortable majority in the panel and the party's filibuster-resistant 60 seat majority.
The White House says President Barack Obama called Sotomayor Sunday to wish her luck at the hearings and to express his confidence that she'll be confirmed.
ATLANTA (AP) Atlanta might have to return millions in federal aid money allocated to help some of the city's poorest communities.
The city expects to give back more than $30 million at year's end unless program administrators get an extension from the federal government.
Program officials say few applicants have been able to qualify or get the cash because of the red tape required. The money remains from the city's designation as a $100 million federal Empowerment Zone in 1994.
William McFarland, executive director of the nonprofit organization the city created to handle the money, said local officials have strictly followed program rules required by the federal government.
Atlanta's Empowerment Zone covered 30 inner-city neighborhoods.
The program expires Dec. 31.
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) State health officials are working on a new Web site that will allow diners to access more information on inspection reports before eating out.
The new Georgia Environmental Health Information System Web site will include the inspection forms with specific violations and inspector notes.
That will allow consumers to better understand what a score means, said Mike Allison, environmental health manager for the Richmond County Health Department.
He said a score can be misleading because a restaurant could still score in the 90s even with a major violation such as undercooking hamburgers.
A spokeswoman for the Georgia Division of Public Health said the Environmental Health Information System will be available online by year's end. She did not specify when.
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
DENVER (AP) Brad Hawpe prepared for his first All-Star game by sending the Colorado Rockies into the break on a positive note.
Hawpe hit a game-ending RBI double to give the Rockies an 8-7 victory over the Atlanta Braves on Sunday and a split of the four-game series.
``What a way for Brad Hawpe to leave here and head for St. Louis,'' Rockies manager Jim Tracy said. ``That's a very nice send-off for a class human being.''
Seth Smith set up Hawpe's clutch hit with a one-out single off Luis Valdez (0-1), who was making his major league debut. After Garrett Atkins flied out, Hawpe lined an 86-mph changeup into the gap in right-center to score Smith from first.
``He threw me a couple of fastballs early on and in the back of my mind I wanted to be ready for an off-speed pitch,'' said Hawpe, who leads the Rockies in hitting (.320) and RBIs (59).
Hawpe, Smith and Troy Tulowitzki homered for Colorado, and Huston Street (3-1) worked a perfect ninth for the win.
Brooks Conrad hit a two-run homer and finished with three hits for Atlanta, which led 7-3 after six innings.
``Nice to be able to have a game like I did, but bitter losing the game,'' Conrad said. ``These are the hardest ones to take.''
Colorado pushed across three runs in the seventh and tied it in the eighth. Dexter Fowler scored on left fielder Garret Anderson's error before Smith's two-run homer cut it to 7-6. Pinch-hitter Ryan Spilborghs doubled in the tying run.
``What really hurt us was walking Fowler with one out in the seventh with a four-run lead,'' Braves manager Bobby Cox said. ``That led to everything. We had played a great game until then, and it got away from us.''
Jason Hammel gave up five runs and nine hits over three innings for Colorado. It was his shortest outing since he went three innings against San Diego on April 27.
Chipper Jones hit a sacrifice fly and Conrad had an RBI triple in Atlanta's three-run first. Martin Prado gave the Braves a 4-0 lead with a run-scoring single in the second.
The Rockies chipped away at Atlanta's lead. Hawpe hit his 14th homer in the second, Atkins singled in a run in the third and Tulowitzki's leadoff homer in the fourth cut it to 5-3.
``To come back and win a ballgame like that, it was a fun game for us,'' Hawpe said.
Kris Medlen went four-plus innings for Atlanta, allowing three runs and six hits.
NOTES: Rockies RHP Manuel Corpas (elbow) threw one inning for Triple-A Colorado Springs on Saturday and was scheduled to pitch again Sunday. The Rockies will examine him Wednesday. ... Rockies 1B Todd Helton sat out with flulike symptoms. ... The Braves activated INF Greg Norton (right ankle strain) from the 15-day disabled list and optioned OF Gregor Blanco to Triple-A Gwinnette. ... Rockies C Yorvit Torrealba left in the seventh inning with a strained right hamstring.
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
(WSB Radio) -- It could be sometime Monday morning before Georgia Power restores electricity to about 4,300 homes and businesses in metro Atlanta.
The lights went out around 8 p.m. Sunday when heavy rain and thunderstorms rolled across the region.
The weather system knocked down trees in Cobb and Dekalb counties, damaging a house in Powder Springs and two vehicles on LaVista Road in northeast Atlanta. No one was hurt.
Minor flooding was reported along Peachtree Creek in Virginia Highland and heavy rain forced the FAA to issue a temporary groundstop at Hartsfield-Jackson.
(WSB Radio) An Army Reservist from Decatur drowned at Lake Allatoona Saturday, authorities said.
Bartow County's fire Chief said Marcus McDonald, 28, went under Saturday afternoon. He was at the lake for a family day event with fellow Army Reservists.
"A loss is like a part of the family," said Sargent First Class Wesley Sellers, McDonald's commanding officer. "He was part of the family."
Sellers told WSB-TV McDonald went missing around 2:30 p.m. Saturday. The group called his cell phone, searched the woods near the lake, and even conducted a formation roll call. When the group couldn't find McDonald, they called 911.
Bartow fire Chief Bryan Keeling said firefighters arrived 10 minutes after the 911 call. But it took the volunteer dive team more than two hours to assemble and search the water. The body was found around 6 p.m., about ten minutes after divers entered the water.
"You can't send one person in the water," said Keeling. "If you do you have another possible victim in the water. At least two have to go in diving at a time. You have to have a rescue diver standing by in case one of them gets injured or disoriented."
Chief Keeling said the dive team followed all procedures properly.
This is the second drowning this weekend from the Bartow County side of the lake, Keeling said.
Another man drowned Friday evening.
WASHINGTON (AP) Former CIA Director Gen. Michael Hayden angrily struck back Saturday at assertions the Bush administration's post-9/11 surveillance program was more far-reaching than imagined and was largely concealed from congressional overseers.
In an interview with The Associated Press, Hayden maintained that top members of Congress were kept well-informed all along the way, notwithstanding protests from some that they were kept in the dark.
``One of the points I had in every one of the briefings was to make sure they understood the scope of our activity 'They've got to know this is bigger than a bread box,' I said,'' said Hayden, who also previously headed the National Security Agency.
``At the political level this had support,'' said the one-time CIA chief, jumping foursquare into an escalating controversy that has caused deep political divisions and lingering debate on the counterterrorism policies of an administration now out of power.
Hayden was reacting to a report issued Friday by a team of U.S. inspectors general which called the surveillance program in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks ``unprecedented.'' The report also questioned the program's legal rationale and the excessive secrecy that enshrouded it.
Hayden, who in 2001 designed and carried out the secret program, told The AP he is distressed by suggestions that Congress was not fully informed. He said that he personally briefed top lawmakers on the entire surveillance operation and said he felt that they supported it.
The details of the wider surveillance program described by the federal investigative report remain classified. The program included the wiretapping of American phone and computer lines and was intended to detect communications from the al-Qaida terrorist network. That was revealed by the New York Times in 2005 and later confirmed by then-President George W. Bush.
Several Democratic members of the House and Senate expressed surprise and concern Friday about the still-secret surveillance program.
Hayden asserted that just weeks after Bush approved the activity, senior Republicans and Democrats on the intelligence committees in the House and Senate started getting briefed regularly on its details. He said these sessions happened about four times a year. Hayden also said the number of lawmakers informed was intentionally kept small because the program was highly classified.
On occasion, he said, the briefing audience was expanded to include top members of the House and Senate leadership as well.
Hayden also said that the members of Congress who were briefed were told the average daily level of surveillance activity and the cumulative activity since the program started. And he said the meetings nearly always occurred at the White House, with Vice President Dick Cheney in attendance.
The Bush surveillance program has been contentious since it was first revealed, raising concerns about the extent of secret activities undertaken since the terrorist attacks on New York and Washington and the potential violation of civil liberties. Indeed, the report released Friday said that most of the information gathered under the wider program ultimately did not have any connection to terrorism.
It was so secret that few members of Bush's inner circle were ``read in'' on program. Even John Ashcroft, who was attorney general at the time, got an accurate description of one surveillance activity only two years after he first certified it as legal. And his initial request to brief his chief of staff and deputy on the program were refused by the White House.
Just what those activities involved remains classified, but the report released Friday pointedly said that any continued use of the information gathered in the secret programs must be ``carefully monitored.''
Bush authorized the warrantless wiretapping program under the authority of a secret court in 2006, and Congress approved most of the intercepts in a 2008 electronic surveillance law. The fate of the remaining and still-classified aspects of the wider surveillance program is not clear from the report.
In the interview Saturday, Hayden called the program extremely valuable and said that it served as an early warning system to help prevent further al-Qaida attacks.
Some members of Congress are calling for a full independent inquiry and others are urging further congressional investigations.
Rep. Jane Harman, D-Calif., told The AP Friday that she was shocked by the report. She said she asked former White House counsel Alberto Gonzales after the wiretapping was revealed in 2005 whether the government was conducting any other undisclosed intelligence activities. She said he told her there were no additional operations.
Robert Bork Jr., Gonzales' spokesman, said Friday: ``It has clearly been determined that he did not intend to mislead anyone.''
In a separate but related move, House Democrats are pressing for legislation that would expand congressional access to secret intelligence briefings. The Obama administration has threatened to veto it over concerns about protecting secrecy.
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
(WSB Radio) Commuters will no longer see reversible lanes on Hwy 78 as they drive into Atlanta beginning Monday morning. The last of the reversible lane system comes down overnight Sunday into Morning morning.
The Georgia DOT's Terri Pope tells WSB's Sandra Parrish as the fourth and final phase of the median project gets underway from High Point Road to Hwy 124, work on the third phase from Killian Hill to High Point will continue.
"We've widened the footprint of the road there and are about to start installing the concrete median down the center of the roadway," she says.
Pope says work will continue overnight Sunday through Thursday throughout the remainder of the project.
She says the project is running on time and due to be completed the end of November.
ATLANTA (AP) Atlanta writer Paul Hemphill, who chronicled the blue-collar South with his memoir ``Leaving Birmingham'' and wrote a biography of country singer Hank Williams, has died at the age of 73.
Hemphill died early Saturday, according to A.S. Turner Sons funeral home. He had spent some time in hospice care with cancer.
The son of a long-distance trucker, Hemphill grew up in Birmingham, Ala., and served with the Alabama Air National Guard. He worked in public relations and newspapers, arriving in Atlanta in 1964 with the Atlanta Times.
He was hired away by the Atlanta Journal as a columnist.
During a Nieman Fellowship in 1968-69, he wrote ``The Nashville Sound,'' which sold 75,000 copies in hardcover as a groundbreaking look at country music and the Grand Ole Opry.
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
ATHENS, Ga. (AP) A storefront preacher has been sentenced to life in prison for molesting young boys in Athens.
Authorities say 36-yeare-old Antonio Andrette Sands, who called himself a prophet, pastor and apostle to ingratiate himself with single mothers, molested and sodomized their sons. The boys, 7 to 13, all had learning disabilities.
Superior Court Chief Judge Lawton Stephens on Friday ordered Sands to serve life plus 60 years in prison after a jury found him guilty of aggravated sexual battery and child molestation.
As he was led from the courtroom, Sands said: ``The only thing I have to say to the families is I forgive them.''
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
ATHENS, Ga. (AP) The University of Georgia will split a $1.7 million federal stimulus grant with two local governments in a project to retrofit diesel engines to burn cleaner.
The Environmental Protection Agency said Friday that the grant, part of the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act, will enable UGA, Athens-Clarke County and Washington County to install filters on 239 transit buses, fire trucks, earthmovers and other heavy equipment.
Ryan Adolphson, director of the UGA Faculty of Engineering Outreach Service, and Dan Geller, another engineer in the outreach service, wrote the grant application for the governments and the university.
They estimate the retrofits will eliminate more than 100 tons of pollution a year from the vehicles.
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
ROME, Ga. (AP) U.S. District Judge Harold Murphy has lifted the stay of a lawsuit by the city of Rome against online hotel-booking sites, which has been halted since 2007.
The suit, filed in November 2005, alleges sites are keeping back some of the local taxes they collect when they reserve rooms. The defendants contend they are liable for tax only on the discounted price they pay local innkeepers, not the full price they charge their online customers.
The city filed a motion to lift the stay but the court refused, citing similar cases from the cities of Atlanta and Columbus pending before the Georgia Supreme Court. A ruling in the Columbus case stated that the travel companies cannot shield their financial records.
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
WASHINGTON (AP) Live from the Capitol, Sonia Sotomayor's confirmation hearings promise high political theater this week, beamed to the world in dramatic, historic, perhaps comedic glory.
When the curtain rises Monday on Sotomayor's nomination to become the Supreme Court's first Hispanic justice, a large cast of ambitious players will be ready to explore themes from racial conflict to legal controversy, as well as personal facts and views.
If this is a show, top billing must go to Sotomayor herself, the federal appeals court judge who grew up in a New York housing project where her parents had moved from Puerto Rico. But with camera-loving politicians in charge, the Senate Judiciary Committee drama won't be just about her.
This is about them, too.
Two lawmakers, a Vermont liberal and an Alabama conservative, will have leading roles. Backing them is a supporting cast that will include the Defenders, the Skeptic, the Patriarch, the Doyenne, the Wild Card and the Novice.
Visually, they'll be grouped like this: Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy and Sotomayor at center stage facing each other. Eleven other Senate Democrats nine white men, two white women will sit to the audience's right, eager to help Sotomayor defend herself against any conservative charges. Their mandate: do no harm to her overwhelming prospects for taking over retired Justice David Souter's seat on the nine-member court.
On the audience's left but to the right on your scorecard will be seven white male Republican senators with a delicate task: respectfully challenging the Latina nominee on crutches, recovering from a broken ankle without alienating women or Hispanics.
And try to do it while facing two visible reminders of the GOP's rout in the 2008 elections.
Seated at the end of the Democratic side will be Sen. Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania, until this year a Republican, and Sen. Al Franken, D-Minn., the former TV comedian making his Senate debut. He just emerged as the victor in an eight-month recount battle against Republican incumbent Norm Coleman.
A viewer's guide to the faces certain to nab key screen time during the Sotomayor's made-for-TV hearings.
THE LEAD PLAYERS
Chairman Leahy, D-Vt.
If he looks familiar, it could be because he's been in the Senate for more than three decades and participated in hearings of every Supreme Court nominee since now-retired Justice Sandra Day O'Connor. Or it could be the Batman movies. With white hair and bifocals, the man with the gavel has had cameos in all of them, and a speaking part in ``The Dark Knight.''
Leahy, 69, will be in charge of keeping senators to their allotted 30 minutes for questions, tamping down the inevitable showboating and issuing stern warnings to any protesters who get out of hand.
It's good to be chairman, by the way: He can allot himself all the time he wants to rebut points Republicans try to make or to ask clarifying questions of the nominee. Leahy was a state prosecutor for eight years before coming to the Senate. The grandfather of five is an avid photographer seen at previous hearings snapping pictures of news photographers as they snap photos of him.
Ranking Republican Jeff Sessions of Alabama.
Taking his first turn as the lead Republican at a Supreme Court hearing, the 62-year-old Sessions will sit next to Leahy and, in broad terms, try to reassure the vanquished GOP base that their interests are being represented in this most visible forum.
Sessions wants to know whether Sotomayor allows personal views, not just the law, to influence her rulings. He has raised doubts about her support for the constitutional right to keep and bear arms. But he's had trouble rallying opposition to Sotomayor's confirmation and early on he ruled out trying to block it with a filibuster.
Personally and politically, he's got big shoes to fill and a delicate line to walk in this role. Sessions is succeeding the sharp-tongued Specter, chairman at the previous two Supreme Court hearings.
Sessions, in his third term, has plenty of experience grilling witnesses; he's a former federal prosecutor. But he has stumbled over issues of race. Comments he allegedly made sank his own nomination by President Ronald Reagan to be a federal judge.
THE DEFENDERS
Senate Democrats Dick Durbin of Illinois and Charles Schumer of New York.
They're Obama's guys, for different reasons.
Durbin, in his third term at 64, is the president's chief ally in the Senate and served with him during Obama's meteoric rise. Schumer, 58, and in his second term, represents Sotomayor's home state, is thus her sponsor. By tradition, he will introduce her to the committee when the hearings open.
Durbin and Schumer have leadership positions in their party, are regarded by Republicans as fierce partisans and are fond recipients of news coverage. They share a house with other members of Congress in Washington while away from their families.
THE PATRIARCH
Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah.
Hatch, 75, has been the committee chairman twice and participated in hearings for eight Supreme Court justices. A musician and great-grandfather, Hatch is known for a generally cool demeanor that sometimes gives way to frank rejoinders.
He has a strong conservative philosophy, and in past hearings he staunchly defended the troubled nominations of Robert Bork (who wasn't confirmed) and Clarence Thomas (who was). But Hatch has departed from party dogma, too, on stem cell research and other issues.
He has said he's concerned that Sotomayor takes a ``somewhat dim view of the Second Amendment'' to the Constitution to keep and bear arms. But he also has said he's keeping an open mind and generally believes presidents should be given leeway on the people they nominate.
THE WILD CARD
Specter, D-Pa.
``Snarlin' Arlen,'' 79, enters these hearings more experienced at running them than Leahy, yet without the privileges of the seniority that ordinarily comes with five Senate terms.
Democrats stripped him of that when he joined their party this year. He switched, he said, because he could not have won a GOP primary in Pennsylvania as a Republican.
Specter is not expected to behave in the traditionally deferential manner of a junior senator. He was chairman at the hearings of now-Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Samuel Alito. And he knows Senate tradition, the law and the Constitution as well as any expert in the room. He's famous for bucking the leadership of his party, a trait that vexed the Bush White House.
THE DOYENNE
Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif.
In her fourth term, Feinstein, 76, is the most senior woman on the committee and represents a statewide constituency that is 36 percent Hispanic and half women, according to the Census Bureau.
Feinstein told reporters last week she plans pushing back hard against any Republican implication that Sotomayor might be an ``activist judge'' who tries to make laws from the bench. Roberts and Alito, Feinstein said, have participated in high court reversals of precedent plenty of times since their confirmations, though they pledged to not be activists.
Now head of the Senate Intelligence Committee, Feinstein has considerable clout in the Senate and with Obama's White House. Viewers might recall her presiding over Obama's inauguration in January.
THE SKEPTIC
Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas.
The second-term senator, 57, has perhaps the best picture of this particular nomination and its political implications of anyone on the panel. Like Feinstein, he represents a large state and a constituency that's about one-third Hispanic.
Cornyn also is the Republican point man for the 2010 Senate elections, charged with raising money and helping the GOP rebound from a defeat that handed Democrats a 60-seat, filibuster-resistant majority.
In Texas, he served on the state Supreme Court and as attorney general.
Cornyn has said he has questions about whether Sotomayor will uphold the Constitution's guarantees of equal protection and the right to keep and bear arms.
THE NOVICE
Franken, D-Minn.
The former ``Saturday Night Live'' performer is now 100th out of 100 senators in seniority. Not a lawyer, he was awarded a committee seat almost as soon as he was sworn into office this past week.
His victory over Coleman after their eight-month recount battle is a trophy Democrats are eager to display. Franken had less than two weeks to prepare for these hearings. But as a veteran of the big stage, he just might fit right in.
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
GAINESVILLE, Ga. (AP) The Georgia Bureau of Investigation is looking into allegations that a Gainesville police officer abused a police dog during training.
Police Chief Frank Hooper says the 10-year veteran, the senior dog handler, resigned three weeks ago. Hooper says it was learned the dog that had been assigned to him, a Belgian Malinois named Diego, was uncontrollably vicious. It had to be euthanized.
The chief said a videotape of training sessions showed what appeared to be an electric shock collar around the dog's midsection that delivered shocks to the genitals in an attempt to keep it from biting.
No charges have been filed, and the officer has not been identified. The handler denied mistreating the dog.
District Attorney Lee Darragh asked the GBI to investigate.
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
ADAIRSVILLE, Ga. (AP) Mourners packed a northwest Georgia church for the funeral of a 20-year-old Marine killed in Afghanistan.
Lance Cpl. Seth Sharp of Adairsville had joined the Marines at 17 and previously had served in Iraq. He was with Company E of the 2nd Battalion, 8th Marines, when he was killed July 2 in the latest push against the Taliban.
Four pastors spoke Saturday at Northpointe Church in Adairsville of Sharp's sacrifice and his faith. One of them, Doug Hasty, said: ``As I was thinking about Seth and his short life, I thank God for the young men who signed the line and protect our freedoms.''
Sharp's body was returned home Thursday, and he was laid to rest with full military honors while surrounded by loved ones at Eastview Cemetery.
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
NEW YORK (AP) Cathrine Kraayeveld made two free throws with 11.5 seconds left to lift the New York Liberty to a 71-69 victory over the Atlanta Dream on Saturday night.
Shameka Christon scored 18 points and Essence Carson had 17 to help New York (4-7) win for the second time in three games.
Iziane Castro Marques scored 18 points and Sancho Lyttle added 17 for Atlanta (6-8). Erika DeSouza had 10 points.
After New York trailed by six points earlier in the fourth quarter, Christon's 3-pointer pulled the Liberty to 67-66 with 1:11 to go. Chamique Holdsclaw had a layup 16 seconds later for Atlanta, and Janel McCarville tied it at 69 on three-point play with 44 seconds left.
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
NEW YORK (AP) Jeff Francoeur got a flood of phone calls and text messages after he was traded to the slumping Mets on Friday, including some advice from former New York left-hander Tom Glavine.
``He just told me, 'Make the most of it. If you play hard, you hustle, you do the things right up here, the fans will love you,''' Francoeur said. ``I like to believe I'm kind of that type of player, where I love to play hard. I love to get dirty and play the game the right way.''
Francoeur joined the Mets on Saturday and had an immediate impact, finishing with two hits and two RBIs in New York's 4-0 victory over the Cincinnati Reds. He dumped a two-run single into right in his first at-bat.
New York acquired the notorious free-swinger and cash from the Atlanta Braves for Ryan Church in a trade of outfielders in need of a change of scenery. The Mets are counting on him to give their anemic lineup some punch while they await the return of some of their injured stars.
``He performed right away. That's what we're looking for and it's good to see that,'' left-hander Johan Santana said. ``It fires everybody up.''
Francoeur didn't waste any time getting to work. He took fly balls in right field hours before the game and sent a stir through Citi Field with a couple drives into the second deck in left during batting practice.
``He seems to bring a lot of energy and enthusiasm,'' manager Jerry Manuel said. ``He seems very excited about being here, about playing in New York.''
An Atlanta native, Francoeur was a favorite with Braves fans and management during his first full season in 2006, when he hit 29 home runs with 103 RBIs while playing all 162 games.
Francoeur hit .293 with 19 homers and 105 RBIs in 2007, when he won a Gold Glove, but slumped badly last year and was demoted to Double-A Mississippi for three games last July, a move he found embarrassing. He was benched for three games last weekend by Braves manager Bobby Cox.
``I loved my time in Atlanta,'' Francoeur said. ``It's where I was from. But at the same time I feel I needed a change and this is something that's going to, I think, fit real well.''
That fit looked a little loose at first, when Francoeur's name was misspelled when it was posted in the lineup outside the clubhouse. The Mets quickly corrected the mistake, and the slugger laughed about it afterward.
``I've had my name misspelled so many times. That doesn't bother me,'' said Francoeur, who returned to the No. 12 jersey he wore in high school and the minors before donning No. 7 with the Braves. ``As long as there is a number and I've got a position I'm happy.''
Francoeur's big hit in the three-run first was a welcome sign for the Mets, who were in desperate need of an offensive spark. New York had scored three runs or fewer in 13 of its previous 18 games and been shut out five times. The Mets had three shutout losses in a five-game span for the first time since getting blanked three times in a row July 25-27, 1992, according to STATS LLC.
With Carlos Delgado (hip surgery), Jose Reyes (right calf) and Carlos Beltran (bruised right knee) on the disabled list, New York's offense has gone into a tailspin.
``You get those guys back in three or four weeks, you can make a run,'' Francoeur said. ``There's still 80 games left or whatever, and this team, I've played them long enough to know that this team can beat you in a lot of different ways.''
Francoeur has played almost every day over the last three seasons, a plus for the Mets. But he struck out more than 100 times in each of the last three seasons and has only 127 career walks.
Manuel said he met with hitting coach Howard Johnson on Saturday, and the club plans to watch Francoeur for a while before advising him to make any changes. He is batting .253 with five homers and 37 RBIs in 83 games this season.
``I'm 25 years old and I still feel like the best years are ahead of me,'' said Francoeur, who makes $3.375 million and is eligible for free agency after the 2011 season.
The Mets, who optioned outfielder Nick Evans to Triple-A Buffalo to make room for Francoeur, are hoping the strong-armed outfielder is right and just needs a new situation to deliver on the promise he showed earlier in his career.
``He's got unbelievable potential,'' said Delgado, who fielded grounders and hit off a tee before the game, and could take batting practice in the next couple days. ``We all know that he's got good power. He's a Gold Glove-caliber outfielder. He's got a great arm so he can be a big help.''
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
Jurrjens pitched six strong innings and singled twice for his first career multihit game to drive in a run and score another, leading the Atlanta Braves past the Colorado Rockies 4-3 on Saturday night.
``Any time you have a chance to help yourself out, you want to at least make the pitcher work,'' Jurrjens said. ``Don't be an easy out. Don't just go up there swinging. Have an idea of what you're trying to do. I know can't get a hit every time, but I can make the other pitcher work every time and waste more pitches and that also helps my teammates by showing them what the other pitcher is trying to do.''
Jurrjens (7-7) won for just the second time in his last eight starts. He had taken five losses in that span, including four in which he received two or fewer runs in offensive support.
``He could easily have 12 or 13 wins, that's how good he has been pitching all season long,'' said Braves catcher Brian McCann, who doubled and scored and drove in a pair of runs with sacrifice flies. ``We just really haven't been scoring for him. Tonight, we got the timely hits and we were able to pull it out, and he helped. He's an athlete. He can hit. He can run.''
Rafael Soriano, the last of five Braves pitchers, allowed a bloop single to Seth Smith to start the ninth inning but then struck out the side for his 12th save in 13 opportunities.
Trailing 4-0, the Rockies rallied to within one with a three-run seventh. Troy Tulowitzki connected off Jurrjens for his 15th homer of the season. Ian Stewart followed with a double off the center-field wall, finishing Jurrjens, who went six innings and gave up two runs on five hits with three strikeouts and three walks.
Peter Moylan relieved and struck out Chris Iannetta, but Smith delivered an RBI single and pinch-hitter Garrett Atkins singled, moving Smith to third, where he scored on a passed ball.
Colorado starter Jason Marquis (11-6) went six innings, allowing three runs on seven hits but was denied in his bid for a major league-leading 12th win.
Marquis retired the first three batters he faced to extend his scoreless inning streak to 18 before seeing it come to an end in the second, when the Braves scored twice, including a chopper by Jurrjens that went through to left field for an RBI single.
Jurrjens scored the Braves third run after beating out an infield single leading off the fifth.
``It's part of the game,'' Marquis said of giving up a couple of hits to the opposing pitcher. ``I left a sinker in the middle of the plate, it found the hole. He hit it on the ground like I wanted him to. Sometimes, they're going to find holes. The second one, I made my pitch and he hit it off the end of the bat.''
Overall, Marquis said he struggled with his location.
``I wasn't getting ahead early,'' Marquis said. ``I didn't really have any fastball command. I felt really good with my slider and cutter. I battled through it, tried to keep my team in it the best I could. It just didn't work out.''
Ryan Church started in right field for the Braves a day after he was acquired from the New York Mets in exchange for outfielder Jeff Francoeur. Church went 0 for 4, but just missed a grand slam by a couple feet when Smith caught his long fly ball against the left-field fence. Church had also made a nice running catch near the wall of a fifth-inning drive by Smith.
NOTES: The Braves announced that RHP Javier Vazquez has been scratched from Sunday's scheduled start to rest a strained lower abdominal muscle. RHP Kris Medlen will start in his place. ... Tim Hudson, on the mend from ``Tommy John'' surgery on his right elbow, pitched batting practice for the Braves before the game. A team spokesman said Hudson was scheduled for a rehab assignment at Single A Myrtle Beach starting July 19. ... Braves reliever Mike Gonzalez was sent back to Atlanta, where team doctors examined his sore left elbow. A Braves spokesman said it was determined Gonzalez had some tendinitis in the elbow, but should be available after the All-Star break. ... Rockies reliever Alan Embree underwent surgery to repair a fractured right tibia a day after suffering the injury when struck by a line drive off the bat of the Braves' Martin Prado. Embree was placed on the 15-day disabled list, and the Rockies recalled reliever Matt Belisle from Triple A Colorado Springs. ... Tulowitzki has hit 10 of his 15 home runs since June 8.
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
(WSB Radio) A Cobb County judge denied bond Saturday for a man involved in a police chase that authorities think is connected to a double homicide.
Marcus Woodward was charged with driving with attempt to allude an officer and aggravated assault of a police officer, both felonies. The judge said he was a threat to the community and denied bond.
Investigators said they received a tip the suspects involved in a quadruple shooting Friday morning in Austell were in a Mercury Grand Marquis Friday night in Mabelton.
Woodward was one of two people arrested following a police chase at speeds more than 80 miles an hour. Officers followed the vehicle down Six Flags Parkway when someone inside the car started shooting.
"That passenger had turned around and fired at the Cobb County police officers as they were being pursued in that Mercury Marquis," Cobb County Police Sgt. Dana Pierce said. "At some point, after firing those shots at officers and blowing out the back window of his Mercury Marquis, the man turned the gun on himself."
Police said the man firing the shots was a passenger in the car. They found his body at 7:15 p.m. A female passenger in that vehicle was also arrested.
"The fact is," said Pierce. "At least one of those people was directly involved (in the shooting)."
Woodward was not charged in connection with Friday morning's fatal home invasion or the death of a woman found in a burned out car near the shooting.
Nicholas Garner, 20, was shot and killed and three other men were injured when someone broke into the home. Dimitri Hunter, 22; Aaron Garner, 22; and Brandon Cox, 25, were taken to a local hospital. Police think those victims will survive.
The shooting happened at 2:42 a.m. at a home on Brass Trail. Neighbors say two of the men who lived in the house went to South Cobb High School.
Cobb County firefighters also found a woman's body inside a burning vehicle just a few miles from the location of the shooting. The car was found at 3:36 a.m. on South Gordon Rd. at Old Alabama Rd. Investigators said the vehicle was seen near the home during the robbery.
Police are still looking for suspects. They think the man who commuted suicide during the police chase was involved in the double homicide.
MARIETTA, Ga. (AP) A Cobb County judge has ruled that a 12-year-old Florida boy will remain in jail in the death of his 5-week-old cousin.
Juvenile Court Judge A. Gregory Poole ordered the boy, who is from Tampa, held until the Sept. 8 trial at a hearing on Friday. The boy entered a not guilty plea.
Police say a 22-year-old Kennesaw woman left her daughter in the car with the boy Saturday while she went into a store, and called police when she came back and found the baby was not breathing.
The baby was pronounced dead at a hospital Sunday night. Police say an autopsy showed the baby died of blunt force trauma.
The boy is being held at the Cobb County youth detention center on charges of murder and cruelty to children.
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
ATLANTA (AP) The union that represents flight attendants who worked for Northwest Airlines before it was bought by Delta Air Lines is crying foul over Delta's failure to offer bigger sizes for its signature red dress uniform designed by Richard Tyler.
When he was hired to create his uniform collection, Tyler said he wanted them to ``look sexy and great.''
The Northwest chapter of the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA has filed a grievance with the world's largest airline operator, asking it to offer the red dress up to size 28. The union hopes the grievance will go to mediation in August.
The red dress currently is only offered up to size 18, though a Delta spokeswoman said the airline offers a range of outfits in other colors and styles up to size 28 that flight attendants can wear.
Patricia Reller, who handles grievances for the union's executive committee, said Friday that even if there was only one flight attendant who wore a size over 18, that person should be able to wear the stylish red dress.
``I think red is an eye-popping color and it's not subtle, and to me by not offering it in a size over 18, Delta is saying, 'We don't want you wearing that if you are over size 18,''' Reller said. ``But the job isn't about being sexy. It's about safety.''
Reller said she did not know how many pre-merger Northwest flight attendants want to wear the red dress but need a size bigger than 18.
``If the dress wasn't a tiny size 18, there would be less,'' Reller said. ``It's a very small size 18, so that makes the numbers a lot larger.''
Delta spokeswoman Gina Laughlin could not immediately say why the red dress is not available in bigger sizes while other uniform options are. But she said there have been few complaints.
``The majority of pre-merger Northwest flight attendants have given us very positive feedback about the Richard Tyler Collection,'' Laughlin said.
Delta hired Tyler in 2004 to do a makeover of its gray employee uniforms. Tyler, whose dresses have been worn by stars such as Julia Roberts, Heather Locklear and Jamie Lee Curtis, promised a classier and in some cases, sexier look for flight attendants, airport agents and other workers.
``I want them to look sexy and great, but you have to keep that classic look as well,'' Tyler told The Associated Press at the time.
The uniforms including white blouses and navy dresses besides the red dress debuted in 2006. Atlanta-based Delta acquired Northwest in October 2008. Pre-merger Northwest employees began wearing the Delta uniforms on March 30.
Delta said at the time it announced its plans for the new uniforms that the decision was a ``wise investment'' that would boost morale among employees and increase the airline's bottom line in the long run.
According to Delta, flight attendants must be able to perform the safety and security functions of their job, including being able to reach and close overhead bins, reach and close any of the aircraft doors and be able to sit on the aircraft jumpseat and fasten the flight attendants seatbelt.
Reller said a flight attendant who wears above a size 18 can do all of those functions well.
``The sizing of our red dress has not been an issue with Delta flight attendants since the program's inception three years ago. This is AFA hype leading up to the election,'' Laughlin said.
There are roughly 21,000 flight attendants at the combined airline, 14,000 from pre-merger Delta and 7,000 from pre-merger Northwest.
The Northwest workers are represented by a union, while the Delta workers are not. At some point there will be a representation election at which the combined workforce will decide whether it wants to be represented by a union or not. The two groups also must decide on how to integrate their seniority lists.
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
CANTON, Ga. (AP) A former Georgia State Patrol trooper has been sentenced in Cherokee County after pleading guilty to trafficking in methamphetamine and narcotics possession.
County officials said Friday that 37-year-old Trent David McWhirter of Canton was arrested in February with methamphetamine, ecstasy and other drugs in his possession. He was on probation at the time for a prior arrest in 2004.
McWhirter was sentenced to 30 years in prison, suspended after 12 years, and was fined $200,000.
The State Patrol says McWhirter was a state trooper for 10 years.
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
ATLANTA (AP) Georgia's tax collections plummeted sharply again in June, leaving the state's bank account more than $1.9 billion below where it stood this time last year and forcing Gov. Sonny Perdue to dip even deeper into dwindling reserve funds.
The announcement that state tax collections for June dropped by 15.7 percent from the same month a year ago led to fresh calls from a budget analyst for a special legislative session to grapple with the state's financial woes.
But legislative leaders have discouraged the idea and Perdue's aides said again Friday that the governor has the power to handle the falling revenue without calling lawmakers back to the Capitol.
``I don't think it increases the odds of a special session,'' said Perdue spokesman Chris Schrimpf. ``The governor has the tools necessary.''
As Georgia's tax collections have plunged amid the souring economy, Perdue has asked state agencies to slash budgets by 25 percent for the month of June and another 3 percent in July. Agencies have heeded his call, although the judicial branch threatened a lawsuit in June to stave off the cuts until a compromise was brokered.
Perdue has also relied on the ever-thinning budget reserves.
Georgia began the last fiscal year, which ended June 30, with about $1 billion in its rainy day fund. Officials expect that by this time next year, all but about $200 million of it will have been spent.
That will leave a perilously thin cushion, analysts say.
``The reserves are dangerously low and this leaves us with little leeway for error,'' said Alan Essig of the Georgia Budget and Policy Institute, a nonpartisan think tank. He said legislators have little other choice but to return to the statehouse and overhaul the budget.
``I think lawmakers have a responsibility to come back,'' he said. ``There needs to be a fundamental rethinking of the budget.''
Perdue has said he would consider calling a special session if legislative leaders reach a ``consensus'' that one is needed. He plans to meet with them next week, but leading lawmakers have said a special session is not likely.
``Maybe a wise direction would be to all agree on what cuts to take, what path we should take, and give our public agreement to our governor's plan, and announce that's the way it will be handled,'' state Sen. Jack Hill, the chair of the Senate's budget-writing committee, said earlier this week.
Still, Friday's figures will give them little encouragement. Corporate income tax receipts dropped $248 million more than 26 percent between fiscal year 2008 and 2009. And individual income tax receipts fell by about $1 billion, or about 9 percent, over the same period.
``It's not good,'' said Essig. ``And there's no sign of it getting better.''
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
ATHENS, Ga. (AP) No one who packed the humble cinderblock community theater Friday could forget the real-life tragedy that unfolded there a few months ago, the shooting spree that claimed three of the troupe's members.
But the sold-out performance, the first since the members were gunned down, was not about the ``elephant in the room,'' as several members referred to the April 25 shooting.
Instead, it was about healing. And, above all, the performance of Neil Simon's comedy ``Fools'' was about having fun.
``It's cathartic,'' said Drew Doss, who stepped in to direct the show after the previous director's husband was gunned down. ``It's obviously been difficult. But this is something we needed to do to move forward.''
The community troupe was finishing one play's run and preparing to start rehearsals for ``Fools'' on April 25 when former University of Georgia marketing professor George Zinkhan opened fire on his wife and others gathered around the benches outside the Athens Community Theater during a reunion.
The gunfire claimed three beloved members of the Town Gown Players: Zinkhan's wife Marie Bruce, the group's president and a gifted actor and director; Tom Tanner, a brainy performer; and Ben Teague, a master set designer who kept his own blog on the technical aspects of the theater.
The killings ended the run of ``Sherlock Holmes: The Final Adventure,'' which featured Tanner as John Watson.
The group had already cast the performers for ``Fools,'' a comedy about a town cursed with stupidity. Though none of those killed were to act in the play, Teague's wife stepped down as its director.
The troupe members took a few weeks off to mourn before returning to their routine schedule: About six weeks of weeknight rehearsals of three or four hours each, and weekends full of building sets. Their hard work paid off with a crisp performance that earned them laugh after laugh and a heartfelt standing ovation.
Authorities say Zinkhan first targeted Tanner, a 40-year-old Clemson University economist his wife may have been seeing. Then he turned the gun on his 47-year-old wife, who was an attorney. The third victim, 63-year-old Teague, was apparently in the wrong place at the wrong time, police say.
Just as quickly, Zinkhan was gone. Bulletins were issued nationwide and authorities watched airports in case he tried to flee to Amsterdam, where he had taught part-time at a university.
Police soon found Zinkhan's wrecked Jeep in a ravine in on the outskirts of Athens. Two weeks after the shootings, they found the 57-year-old's body hidden in a shallow grave he dug before shooting himself in the head.
For many of the troupe members, retaking the stage was the best way they knew to honor their friends.
``This was a big part of their lives and they would want us to move on,'' said Florence King, a member of the troupe for 22 years. ``We can't let it take over.''
Eric Wagoner, the troupe's new president, said the performance helped them ``reclaim'' the theater and begin to heal.
``For me, it's a marker to put the events behind me and look to the future,'' said Wagoner. ``I'll carry Ben, Marie and Tom with me. But I'm also happy that George could not destroy what Ben, Marie and Tom worked so hard to build.''
Doss, the director, acknowledged the ``trying times'' before the play. And then he quickly issued a plea urging talented actors to join the troupe.
After all, casting for the next play begins Monday.
On the Net:
www.townandgownplayers.org/
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
NEW YORK (AP) The free-falling Mets finally made a move, trading Ryan Church to the Atlanta Braves for Jeff Francoeur and cash on Friday in a swap of outfielders who had fallen out of favor with their teams.
The rare deal between NL East rivals came with both teams below .500. The Mets (40-45) are desperate for a spark with stars Carlos Beltran, Jose Reyes and Carlos Delgado on the disabled list and also are looking toward 2010, preferring Francoeur's right-handed bat and strong throwing arm in right at spacious Citi Field.
``What's just weird is you imagine to be traded, but you never imagine to be traded to maybe your biggest rival,'' Francoeur said in Denver, before the Braves played the Rockies.
Discussions began only this week, and Church was told when he came in from batting practice Friday, just before he was to get taped up. The Mets receive $270,218 as part of the trade to equalize salaries.
``As a front office, we're going to continue to try to do things to, you know, shake it up a little bit, not just be complacent and say this is it,'' Mets general manager Omar Minaya said. ``I'm hoping that between here and the All-Star break, you know, we have other things that we talk to teams about, and they may come to reality.''
Church is hitting .280 with two home runs and 22 RBIs. A solid right fielder with a good arm, he got off to a terrific start last year in his first season with the Mets before he was slowed by a second concussion. Church collided with teammate Marlon Anderson during spring training, then was accidentally kneed in the head by Braves shortstop Yunel Escobar while trying to break up a game-ending double play at Atlanta on May 20.
Church was stunned by the deal.
``Shocker. Came out of nowhere,'' he said outside the Mets clubhouse. ``The good thing is I get to play these guys next week.''
New York opens the second half at Turner Field on Thursday. Church immediately sent Chipper Jones a text message.
``They're going to have to change up a lot of signs. I know everything,'' Church said. ``I'll definitely fill them in.''
Church tried to play after his second concussion last year but struggled to shake the symptoms.
``Around the league, people are saying it could have been handled different, but it was just one of those things where we were in uncharted waters,'' he said. ``Being a baseball player, you want to play. You want to be there every day. And it just so happened it didn't help.''
Mets manager Jerry Manuel never seemed to warm to him, and seemed particularly peeved after Church missed third base while running home earlier this season in a game New York lost. The 30-year-old is in his sixth major league season and is a career .273 hitter.
``He told me, he sat down in spring training, that he was going to be tough on me regardless,'' Church said. ``Maybe he was trying to motivate me. ... There was never anything that was negative.''
Braves general manager Frank Wren likes Church's bat, ``especially against right-handed pitching.''
``He gives us an additional offensive spark and plays very good defense and can also play center field,'' he said.
An Atlanta native, Francoeur is hitting .250 with five homers and 35 RBIs. He was a favorite with Braves fans and management during his first full season in 2006, when he hit 29 home runs with 103 RBIs while playing all 162 games.
Francoeur hit .293 with 19 homers and 105 RBIs in 2007, when he won a Gold Glove, but slumped badly last year and was demoted to Double-A Mississippi for three games last July, a move that he found embarrassing.
``It was probably time for a fresh start,'' Wren said.
Francoeur was benched for three games last weekend by Atlanta manager Bobby Cox.
``Frenchy was our guy from right out of high school. It's hard to move guys when you sign them like that and when they've been around,'' Cox said. ``Maybe a transition over there in a Mets uniform will get him going again and we can get Ryan Church going.''
Francoeur makes $3,375,000 and is eligible for free agency after the 2011 season.
``No. 1, I think he's a tremendous defensive player, even though I'm not looking for defense right now,'' Manuel said before laughing a dozen times.
Church, who makes $2.8 million, also can become a free agent after the 2011 World Series.
Francoeur stays healthy he played 162 games in 2007 and 2008 and 152 last year a plus for the Mets. But he struck out more than 100 times in each of the last three seasons and joins a batting order in which David Wright entered Friday with 84 strikeouts already.
``Plate discipline has been an issue with Jeff,'' Minaya said. ``I do believe because he's 25 years old, I think that he can improve that.''
Francoeur had three doubles against the Rockies on Thursday, making the timing of the trade a surprise. He likely will start for the Mets in right field on Saturday night in New York where he'll face fans he once found hostile.
``I've always gotten my hazing and I've hazed them when I was playing in the outfield,'' he said, ``but, hopefully, if you go up there, you play hard and lay it on the line, they'll get behind you.''
Wright was looking forward to having him on his side.
``Jeff brings a certain energy,'' he said. ``He can really come here and make an immediate impact.''
NOTES: New York activated OF Angel Pagan from the 15-day DL. He strained his right groin on May 31. ... The Mets at first said they were optioning 1B-OF Nick Evans to Triple-A Buffalo, then canceled the move for Friday because of the trade.
AP Sports Writer Charles Odum in Atlanta and AP freelance writer Dale Bublitz in Denver contributed to this report.
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
DENVER (AP) Coors Field has been a house of horrors for Derek Lowe. On Friday night, he threw six strong innings in the ballpark that has vexed so many visiting pitchers.
Lowe earned his first win in a month, Garrett Anderson and Diory Hernandez hit two-run doubles and the Atlanta Braves beat the Colorado Rockies 4-1.
Lowe entered the game 2-4 with a 6.23 ERA in nine starts in Denver, but he felt he was due for a strong outing in the Mile High air.
``I came in this time believing I could pitch a good game here,'' Lowe said. ``To be able to pitch this well in a place I struggled and the way I had pitched the last five games in really important.''
Lowe (8-7) was 0-4 in five starts since beating the Pittsburgh Pirates on June 9. He ended his personal skid with what he said was his best game all season. He gave up one run and four hits, struck out five and walked one. He left after a 52-minute rain delay that began at the end of the sixth inning.
``Derek Lowe was the No. 1 reason for us winning tonight,'' Braves manager Bobby Cox said. ``He used that sinker an awful lot. He got groundballs and got some strikeouts, too. I think he's back to normal again.''
Lowe's sinker got him out of trouble in the fifth when the Rockies had runners on first and second and no outs. Lowe got Carlos Gonzalez to ground into a double play and struck out pitcher Ubaldo Jimenez to end the threat.
``I had been killing myself over the past five starts thinking over what I had done,'' Lowe said. ``So I thought zero mechanical stuff. I thought just to get the ball and throw it and keep it on the ground.''
Lowe got all the support he needed in the first when Milton Prado and Chipper Jones had consecutive one-out singles, and one out later, Anderson knocked in both with a double to right-center.
``It was probably a little up, but wasn't that bad of a pitch,'' Jimenez said. ``He was looking for my fastball and he sat on that pitch.''
Todd Helton made it 2-1 with a 418-foot homer with two outs in the sixth, his 10th of the season. One out later, the game was delayed by rain, ending Lowe's night.
``I was bummed,'' Lowe said. ``The way I was struggling it would have been really nice to keep going.''
Anderson and Prado both had two hits for the Braves, who before the game traded right fielder Jeff Francoeur and cash to the New York Mets for outfielder Ryan Church.
Jimenez (6-9), who no-hit Arizona for 6 2-3 innings in his last outing, is 0-3 in his last four starts. He gave up two runs and six hits, struck out eight and walked one in six innings.
The Braves extended their lead in the eighth on Hernandez's two-out double that drove in Brian McCann and Matt Diaz.
The Rockies threatened in the bottom of the inning, but reliever Eric O'Flaherty struck out Helton and Hawpe with runners on second and third.
``O'Flaherty saved the day again,'' Cox said. ``That was a huge turning point when he got the two big strikeouts.''
The Rockies, who rallied three times Thursday to beat Atlanta, couldn't come up with the big hit Friday.
``We had opportunities to score runs and we came away empty,'' Rockies manager Jim Tracy said. ``That was the difference in the game. They capitalized on a couple of pitches with runners in scoring position and we had opportunities to score runs tonight and they put us down.''
The Rockies lost reliever Alan Embree for the season when he was hit by a line drive and fractured his right tibia.
Embree, who relieved Jimenez after the rain delay, was taken off the field on a cart after being struck by a line drive hit by Prado in the seventh. The Rockies said he will have surgery Saturday and is done for the year.
``It's tough to take when you see something like that happen,'' Tracy said.
NOTES: Braves SS Yunel Escobar was out of the lineup Friday after straining his lower back in Thursday's game against Colorado. Cox said Escobar is day to day. ... Jones (sore groin) returned to the lineup after not starting the last three games. He didn't play Tuesday and Wednesday, but he came in as a pinch-hitter in the eighth inning Thursday.
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
(WSB Radio) Babies may have been conceived in Waffle House parking lots at 2am, but probably not delivered... until now.
Powder Springs Police Officer Kathy Green tells WSB she was patrolling an area across the street from the Waffle House parking lot on Thornton Road.
"I pulled in. I saw her in the backseat, obviously in labor. She had just had a contraction. I was there probably there two minutes, she had another contraction and said the baby is coming out. At that time, I looked down and I saw the head and I told her she's gonna have to put her legs up and we're gonna have to push. She put her legs up and pushed and the baby's head came out. Her water never broke, so I had to puncture the sac with my fingernail and get her water to break. From there, the rest of the baby kind of slid out from the shoulders. They had a hooded jacket and I wrapped him in that and then placed him on her, so he could hear her heartbeat and get her warmth," said Green.
About ten minutes later, EMS crews arrived and took 22-year-old Maris Escamilla and her little boy to the hospital.
As far as being prepared to deliver a child or what kind of training she had..."We have very basic training when it comes to childbirth and labor, just because that honestly does not happen everyday," said Green.
She says her woman's instinct just took over. "I don't know if I watched one too many child birthing t-v shows; but it definitely kicked in and I just did it," said Green.
Green, who does not have children, says she was thrilled to be a part of it, and has seen the six pound, 13 ounce, 18 inch long baby boy, whom she feels a special bond with.
"It's very odd. When I was up there, she (the mother) for my information and I was just eststatic to give it to her. She said that before I had come up there that they were wondering how they were going to get back in contact with me, and that she wanted to bring him up to see me. It just made my day," said Green.
7/10/09
A news release from DCH states a 43- year-old woman from Cobb County suffered from underlying health conditions when she became infected with the novel H1N1 virus.
"I am saddened to report the first death of a Georgia citizen associated with the novel H1N1 virus," said DCH Commissioner and Acting Public Health Director Dr. Rhonda Meadows. "Although most of the individuals who have contracted the novel H1N1 virus so far, have had mild to moderate symptoms, this viral illness has claimed 170 lives in other states throughout the country.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services reports 37,000 lives are lost to seasonal flu each year.
The majority of people who contract swine flu experience mild to moderate symptoms and recover without complications. Symptoms of the virus are similar to seasonal influenza and include fever, cough, sore throat, headache, body aches, extreme fatigue, and possible nausea and vomiting - especially in children.
As of Wednesday, Georgia had confirmed 143 cases of swine flu n the state. The H1N1 virus has most commonly been seen in children and yound adults with outbreaks in schools, child care centers and residential camps.
Complications from infection with this virus are most common in childrne and adults with underlying medical conditions and pregnant women.
The department reminds people of the following tips to prevent the spread of H1N1 and seasonal flu:
- Frequent hand washing reduces transmission of the virus;
- If you become ill, stay home. Take care of of yourself and your children at home and follow the advice of your health care professional and avoid exposing others;
- Connect with a trusted source of health information whether it be the CDC, your local health department of DCH. Follow the health updates as flu season appproaches and be aware of evolving plans regarding both H1N1 and seasonal flu vaccine availability and share what you learn with friends and family.
(WSB Radio) Cobb County police are investigating a multiple shooting in Austell which left one person dead and three other wounded.
Police are not saying much about the shooting at the home at 4222 Brass Trail.
The house where the shootings occurred is on a cul-de-sac that has been cordoned off by police.
Investigators are in the process of talking to neighbors to try and determine what exactly happened.
Police have released no information about suspects or about a possible motive for the shootings.
WASHINGTON (WSB/AP) Clark Howard has been a stronf advocate for years. Now, the idea is one step closer to reality.
People in the United States could get lower-cost drugs from Canada over the Internet under a plan that has passed the Senate.
The plan, sponsored by Louisiana Republican David Vitter and approved 55-36, dealt a defeat to the powerful drug lobby, which has so far prevailed in defeating widespread imports of drugs from Canada and other places where prices are far lower than in the United States.
Vitter's plan was attached to a bill funding the Customs Department and other homeland security agencies. It's unclear whether the idea will survive House-Senate talks on a final version of the bill.
Currently, visitors to Canada can return with a three-month supply of drugs.
Opponents of the idea say it will open the door to Internet scam artists.
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
The Town Gown Players are set to perform Neil Simon's ``Fools'' Friday evening.
It's the first time the community group has performed on its stage since George Zinkhan shot and killed his wife Marie Bruce, Tom Tanner and Ben Teague while they were attending a reunion outside the theater.
Police launched a nationwide manhunt for Zinkhan after the April 25 shootings. His body was found two weeks later in a shallow grave he had dug for himself in the woods near his home.
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
arrested on child molestation charges.</p>
<p>Major Jim Strickland with the Hall County Sheriff's Office says they, along
with the GBI, began investigating after 42-year-old Michael D. Nix after they
got a complaint of misconduct.</p>
<p>"The preliminary investigation revealed an allegation of child molestation
involving a three-year-old female that Nix's wife had been babysitting in their
Clermont home," said Strickland.</p>
<p>On Thursday, Nix, who was an investigator in the internal affairs unit, was
charged with aggravated child molestation.</p>
<p>"It is unfortunate to have a veteran officer arrested on such charges. We
take this very seriously; therefore, as a result of his arrest, the officer has
been terminated and jailed," said Strickland.</p>
Wednesday at Clark Atlanta University, is back behind bars. <p><br /><br />The suspect, who
hasn't been identified, was being questioned in an interrogation room when he
somehow managed to slip out of his leg irons, leave the room, get on an elevator and walk out of the building and over the razor wire.<br /> <img class="img" src="/images/2009/07/cau%20suspect_m.jpg" align="right" width="250" height="169" border="0"></p>
<p>Deputy Chief Carlos Banda says they just moved into the new station.</p>
<p>"Yes, this is supposed to be a better design. It's a high security place;
and again, we just moved in this place in the last month and there may be
certain glitches that still need to be worked out," said Banda.</p>
<p>The suspect was caught Thursday afternoon on Magnolia Way.</p>
<p>On Wednesday, two armed men got into an argument on the Clark Atlanta
campus. When an officer told them to drop their weapons, one of them opened
fire. One suspect was shot and is in the hospital. The second suspect, who
hasn't been identified, will now also be facing escape charges.</p>
(WSB Radio) First time jobless claims are up, again, in Georgia.
The Georgia Department of Labor says 88,756 laid-off workers filed first time claims for unemployment insurance in June. That's an increase of almost 95% from June of 2008.
In Georgia cities, the numbers are even worse.
The number of people in metro Atlanta filing for first time claims was up 104% from a year ago. And that's not even close to being the largest increase.
The metropolitan areas with the greatest increases are Rome, up 181%; Gainesville, up 173%; and Athens, which posted an increase of 163%.
The areas with the smallest increase in claims are Dalton, up 48%; Albany, up 66%; and Savannah, up 69%.
"Rising unemployment continues to plague local economies throughout North Georgia," says State Labor Commissioner Michael Thurmond. "Fortunately, lay-offs in the hard-hit Dalton area appear to be moderating, although the recession-resistant Athens labor market experienced an unusually sharp increase in first-time jobless claims."
(WSB Radio) Too many citizens are packing heat and walking into the Dekalb County Courthouse.
Deputies at the courthouse says they've confiscated more weapons in the first six months of this year than during all of 2008.
Among the latest people arrested in Laventress Hammond, who had a loaded .380 handgun in her purse.
"I wasn't mine," she says. "I didn't know it was in there."
Hammond says the gun belongs to her husband. He says they simply forgot it was there.
"We were just rushing to get to the courthouse," says "Slick" Hammond. "This ain't no Brian Nichols attempt."
DeKalb Solicitor General Robert James says there's been a real uptick in the number of people trying to carry weapons into the courthouse, despite signs clearly stating weapons are prohibited. In fact, James says this week deputies arrested two people in a span of 15 minutes.
The sheriff's office usually confiscates one gun a year. To date they've seized three guns and one knife.
It's a misdemeanor crime punishable by up to a year in jail and a one thousand dollar fine.
(WSB Radio) Close to 1200 fugitives wanted for crimes ranging from murder to sexual assault are off the streets of metro Atlanta thanks to a month-long sting in June called Operation FALCON (Federal and Local Cops Organized Nationally).
In Georgia, 110 law enforcement agencies teamed up with state and federal authorities to conduct the arrests.
It's the fifth year of the round up and U.S. Marshall for the Northern District of Georgia, Richard Mecum, calls it the best so far.
"Statewide for the month of June, we had total arrests in the state of Georgia of 1927. That's what we've been able to do by bringing this partnership together," he says.
Among those arrested was Gavin Murray, an escapee from New York state wanted for at least four murders and suspected in several others.
Federal prosecutors say 53-year-old Steven H. Ballard of McDonough took in more than $2 million over three and a half years, using bogus warranty deeds, sales contracts or other documents to reflect non-existent property purchases.
Prosecutors say that in a classic Ponzi scheme, Ballard used a portion of the proceeds to repay earlier investors with gains of up to 50 percent, but all the money came from new investors.
The real estate and business law attorney, disbarred in 2006, pleaded guilty to wire fraud Thursday. He could receive up to 20 years in prison at sentencing Sept. 29.
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
(WSB Radio) Gwinnett County police are searching for the man accused of raping a woman at the home of Atlanta Falcons receiver Harry Douglas.
The woman, who is in her 20's, told police she was attending a party at the house in Buford early Thursday morning.
"During that time she had gotten tired," says Gwinnett Police Corporal David Schiralli. "She went to a bedroom to go to sleep. She was then awoken by a male who was in the process of sexually assaulting her."
Schiralli says the woman gave police the name of the man under suspicion.
Police are stressing that Douglas himself had nothing to do with the incident.
(WSB Radio) The Georgia Department of Transportation has stopped all work on the Highway 92 Overpass near I-20 in Douglasville, after a man is nearly killed by a swinging cable.
Veteran truck driver Herman Griggs tells Channel 2 Action News he was on his routine route to Kennesaw, going under the Highway 92 Overpass, when he noticed a cable dangling in the air.
"I saw what I thought was a power cable in front of me dancing. The truck in front of me made it. I was braking pretty hard, and all of a sudden the windshield just exploded in my face," said Griggs.
He says had the cable hit a few inches closer, he would probably have been killed.
"I'll be just thanking the Lord that I'm all right," said Griggs.
Industrial Painting, Inc. had been painting the Overpass. The D-O-T thinks the cable became entangled in the cable. Work won't resume until the investigation is complete.
The Transportation Department also said Thursday that fewer flights were canceled and passengers reported fewer cases of mishandled baggage.
Airlines have been cutting flights since last year, first in response to rising fuel prices, then to cope with a slump in travel due to the recession. In June, capacity mostly measured in the number of flights was down about 6 percent from last June at the largest U.S. airlines.
That's made it easier for airlines to stay on schedule, which the Transportation Department defines as arriving within 15 minutes of the ending time listed in the airline's own computerized reservations system.
Overall, 80.5 percent of May flights arrived on time, compared with 79 percent in May 2008 and 79.1 percent in April of this year, according to the Transportation Department.
Hawaiian Airlines topped the list of 19 airlines, with 90.3 percent of its May flights arriving on time.
At the bottom of the rankings: Delta Air Lines Inc. regional subsidiary Comair, at 65.7; and Atlantic Southeast Airlines, which is owned by SkyWest Inc. and provides feeder service for Delta, at 70.8 percent.
Comair owned the two most frequently delayed flights in May. Comair Flight 6313 from New York's Kennedy Airport to Minneapolis was late 96.8 percent of the time, and Flight 6652 from Kansas City to New York's LaGuardia Airport was tardy 92 percent of the time.
Among the largest carriers, the best on-time rankings were turned in by Southwest Airlines Co. and Continental Airlines Inc., while the worst was Delta.
The longest delay on the tarmac was a May 29 Mesa Airlines flight that was stuck at Washington's Dulles Airport for five hours and 11 minutes. A Delta flight on May 16 stayed on the ground at Kennedy Airport nearly five hours.
Cancellations declined to 0.9 percent of flights in May, compared with 1 percent a year earlier and 1.5 percent in April. American Eagle, Comair and American had the highest cancellation rates. Eagle is American's regional affiliate.
Airlines reported 3.56 incidents of mishandled baggage for every 1,000 passengers in May. That marked an improvement over the May 2008 rate of 4.60 and this April's mark of 3.79 cases per 1,000 passengers.
The Transportation Department said it got 656 complaints about airline service from consumers, down 25.9 percent from a year earlier and down 16 percent from April.
The worst large airport for delayed takeoffs was Miami, with 29 percent of takeoffs running late, followed by two New York-area airports, LaGuardia and Newark (N.J.) Liberty. LaGuardia was worst for late arrivals.
Salt Lake City had the lowest rate of late departures and arrivals of the 32 airports surveyed.
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
(WSB Radio) The proportion of U.S. adults who are obese increased to 26.1 percent in
2008 compared to 25.6 percent in 2007.
The data come from CDC's Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS), a state-based phone survey that collects health information from adults aged 18 and over.
In six states - Alabama, Mississippi, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee and West Virginia - adult obesity prevalence was 30 percent or more. Thirty-two states, including those six, had obesity prevalence of 25 percent or more. Only one state, Colorado, had a prevalence of obesity less than 20 percent. But no state showed a significant decrease in obesity prevalence from 2007 to 2008.
More than 400,000 U.S. adults were surveyed in the 2008 BRFSS, which is the world's largest telephone health survey. To assess obesity prevalence, survey respondents are asked to provide their height and weight, which is used to calculate their body mass index (BMI). A person is considered obese if they have a BMI of 30 or above.
"Obesity is a major risk factor for many chronic diseases such as heart disease and diabetes. As obesity increases among all age groups, we are seeing chronic diseases in much younger adults compared to a few decades ago," said Dr. William Dietz, director, CDC's Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity and Obesity.
"For example, we now see young adults who suffer from heart disease risk factors and other conditions such as type 2 diabetes that were unheard of in the past."
The 2008 BRFSS obesity data indicate that none of the 50 states or the District of Columbia has achieved the Healthy People 2010 goal of reducing obesity prevalence to 15 percent or less.
"The latest BRFSS survey data show that the obesity problem in this country is getting worse," said Liping Pan, CDC epidemiologist and lead author of the 2008 BRFSS obesity map analysis. "If this trend continues we will likely see increases in health care costs for obesity related diseases."
(WSB Radio) The Georgia Department of Transportation has stopped all work on the Highway 92 Overpass after a man is nearly killed by a swinging cable.
Veteran truck driver Herman Griggs tells Channel 2 Action News he was on his routine route to Kennesaw, going under the Highway 92 Overpass, when he noticed a cable dangling in the air.
"I saw what I thought was a power cable in front of me dancing. The truck in front of me made it. I was braking pretty hard, and all of a sudden the windshield just exploded in my face," said Griggs.
He says had the cable hit a few inches closer, he would probably have been killed.
"I'll be just thanking the Lord that I'm all right," said Griggs.
Industrial Painting, Inc. had been painting the Overpass. The D-O-T thinks the cable became entangled in the cable. Work won't resume until the investigation is complete.
July 9, 2009
The suspect, who hasn't been identified, was being questioned in an interrogation room when he somehow managed to slip out of his leg irons, leave the room, get on an elevator and walk out of the building and over the razor wire.
Deputy Chief Carlos Banda says they just moved into the new station.
"Yes, this is supposed to be a better design. It's a high security place; and again, we just moved in this place in the last month and there may be certain glitches that still need to be worked out," said Banda.
The suspect was caught Thursday afternoon on Magnolia Way.
On Wednesday, two armed men got into an argument on the Clark Atlanta campus. When an officer told them to drop their weapons, one of them opened fire. One suspect was shot and is in the hospital. The second suspect, who hasn't been identified, will now also be facing escape charges.
(WSB Radio) A 20-year veteran of the Hall County Sheriff's Office has been arrested on child molestation charges.
Major Jim Strickland with the Hall County Sheriff's Office says they, along with the GBI, began investigating after 42-year-old Michael D. Nix after they got a complaint of misconduct.
"The preliminary investigation revealed an allegation of child molestation involving a three-year-old female that Nix's wife had been babysitting in their Clermont home," said Strickland.
On Thursday, Nix, who was an investigator in the internal affairs unit, was charged with aggravated child molestation.
"It is unfortunate to have a veteran officer arrested on such charges. We take this very seriously; therefore, as a result of his arrest, the officer has been terminated and jailed," said Strickland.
(WSB Radio) Gwinnett County Police are looking for a man suspected of raping a woman at an Atlanta Falcons house.
Corporal David Schiralli tells WSB the victim, in her 20's, told police she was attending at party at Falcons wide receiver Harry Douglas house in Buford Wednesday night and into Thursday morning.
"During that time, she had gotten tired, she went to a bedroom to go to sleep, she was then awoken by a male who was in the process of sexually assaulting her," said Schiralli.
She managed to escape and to another location where she called 9-1-1 on her cell phone.
"She was able to the location and a possible suspects' name. When we did go that location, we met with the homeowner, his name was Harry Douglas. He stated that the individual looking for to question, was no longer at the residence. We continued to interview Mr. Douglas and found out that he had no part or no knowledge of the incident," said Schiralli.
The name of the suspect, who is still being sought, has not been released.
July 9, 2009
(WSB Radio) Close to 1200 fugitives wanted for crimes ranging from murder to sexual assault are off the streets of metro Atlanta thanks to a month-long sting in June called Operation FALCON (Federal and Local Cops Organized Nationally).
In Georgia, 110 law enforcement agencies teamed up with state and federal authorities to conduct the arrests.
It's the fifth year of the round up and U.S. Marshall for the Northern District of Georgia, Richard Mecum, calls it the best so far.
"Statewide for the month of June, we had total arrests in the state of Georgia of 1927. That's what we've been able to do by bringing this partnership together," he says.
Among those arrested was Gavin Murray, an escapee from New York state wanted for at least four murders and suspected in several others.
(WSB Radio) -- Georgia is making it more difficult for someone to create a fake ID or driver's license.Governor Sonny Perdue says the Georgia Department of Driver Services is gearing up to issue new and improved driver's licenses and identification cards by fall 2009.
The state says the new cards will combat document fraud and protect the identities of Georgia citizens by using the latest credentialing technology.
New card production will take place in Conyers, Covington and Locust Grove beginning in September. Implementation of the system statewide should take a couple of months with all license renewal centers producing the new cards by the end of November.
If you have recently renewed a license or ID card, it will remain valid until its expiration date when it will be exchanged for the newly-designed card.
"We are very excited about these innovative changes allowing Georgians to have one of the most secure cards in the nation," said Gregory C. Dozier, DDS Commissioner. "It is a bright and modern card that our customers will be proud to carry."
The state says the new documents are designed to be more difficult to counterfeit, alter or replicate. Size does not change. The license will be roughly the size of a credit card. The new cards make use of a number of security features including ghost photos, a laser-engraved signature over the primary photo to minimize alterations and a tamper resistant coating placed over the card.
The card will also feature machine readable barcodes that can be used by banks, retailers and other businesses to verify the information printed on the card's front.
Fees will not increase and customers will still be able to chose between a five-year or ten-year license or ID.
Other Features:
"Under 21"
A major security feature of the new process is designed to combat underage drinking. Cards issued to those "Under 21" will be printed in a vertical format, aiding retailers and law enforcement in identifying minors.
Interim
Another new security practice will be the issuance of an interim driver's license or ID. Interim documents will be printed on special security paper which is highly sensitive and will discolor after any attempt to alter it. It contains a photo and signature to allow its use for identification purposes. Interim cards will be valid for up to 45 days or until a permanent laminated license or ID is mailed from the central production print facility to the applicant's mailing address on file with DDS.
Permanent License/ID
The permanent licenses and IDs will be mailed directly to the customer on a mailing carrier that is folded and enclosed in a generic envelope without exposing the actual cards. When the permanent card is received, the interim should be destroyed in accordance with Georgia law and to safeguard personal information. The carrier should be filed by the customer to access later should their license be lost or stolen.
Customer Service Improvements
The new licensing system includes a new data management system with electronic imaging to scan documents where they may be securely stored and easily accessed later. DDS has taken great care in safeguarding our customer's private information. Each customer's personal information becomes a part of the personal driver's license record. It will remain confidential and is disclosed only as authorized or required by law.
When visiting DDS in person, a more efficient one-window-process provides customers with a "one-stop shopping" experience at most locations eliminating the need to visit multiple windows.
If a transaction can not be completed once begun, data can be filed and stored until the required information is presented to complete the service. A customer may visit another location where the stored information may be quickly accessed.
New state-of-the-art equipment will be installed including modern computer and photography equipment and printers that will be faster and more reliable.
For more information, please visit www.dds.ga.gov .
WASHINGTON (AP) President Barack Obama is adding his personal call to states to get ready for a possible swine flu resurgence in the fall.
Obama telephoned the National Institutes of Health all the way from Italy Thursday to tell a meeting of 500 flu officials not to promote panic but to make sure ``we are promoting vigilance and preparation.''
Saying the potential for a significant fall outbreak is looming, Obama said steps taken now to prepare are crucial to protect ``our neighbors and our friends and co-workers.''
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius says no final decision has been made. But she says first in line for shots likely will be school-age children, young adults with conditions such as asthma, pregnant women and health workers.
Studies of the brand-new vaccine are set to start in early August, and the government will make its final decision once results are available. But Sebelius told officials from all 50 states Thursday to figure out now how they would deliver the shots to people who need them.
ATLANTA (AP) Zoo Atlanta has raised more than $40,000 in the month since it announced a fundraising campaign to help keep its giant pandas.
The zoo launched the ``Give So They Can Stay'' program June 17 in hopes of bringing in $500,000 to keep the popular animals. The fundraising will continue through the end of the year.
The zoo's lease with China for its panda pair, Lun Lun and Yang Yang, is up this year. The couple has had two cubs Mei Lan and Xi Lan since 2006.
Mei Lan will return to China in the next year to breed, while Xi Lan will stay with his parents.
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
WASHINGTON (AP) The Obama administration put the states on notice Thursday: Swine flu promises to create a mess this fall. Are you ready?
Swine flu may have faded from the headlines but it's still sickening people here and abroad and is certain to worsen when influenza-friendly fall temperatures arrive. The federal government called together health and education officials from every state to check their preparations for the likely prospect of vaccinations and determine how they'll handle flu-riddled schools.
``I want to be clear: This summit is not about raising alarms or stoking fears. It is about being prepared,'' Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said. ``We must avoid complacency.''
The government estimates that 1 million Americans so far have been infected with the never-before-seen virus known formally by its scientific family name, H1N1.
No longer do many public health experts warn of the new virus' ``return'' in the fall. Summer's heat and humidity usually chase away influenza, but the swine flu has never left. Children are spreading it in summer camps, and U.S. deaths have reached 170.
It has spread worldwide, and is causing larger problems in parts of the Southern Hemisphere, where it's currently flu season.
In the U.S., even if the virus doesn't mutate to become more dangerous, greater spread is considered inevitable as students return to crowded classrooms and temperatures drop and regular winter flu makes its own return.
``This fall, it's daunting, all that will be required,'' said Paul Jarris, executive director of the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials.
At the top of his worry list is finding enough workers for two vaccination campaigns.
The 100 million-plus doses of regular winter flu vaccine are set for the usual October inoculation start. But those shots won't protect against swine flu.
Within a few weeks, manufacturers will deliver test doses of a swine flu vaccine for a study to see if they're safe and seem to work. If so, the Obama administration will quickly decide whether to press forward with a second swine-flu vaccine campaign and determine who would be first in line.
Looking back at school closings that disrupted the spring, communities also are struggling to determine when such a drastic step one that has the chain reaction of parents missing work is necessary.
A key theme to Thursday's summit: Consider now how your family would handle a disruption even bigger than what happened last spring when the outbreak began. To spur those discussions, HHS will host a contest at http://www.flu.gov for the best anti-flu video to turn into a national public service announcement.
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
(WSB Radio) The Sprayberry High School cheerleader, accused of stealing from children, has bonded out of jail.
17 year old Chelsea Steele had been in the Cobb County jail since Saturday. That's when she was arrested and charged with robbery and underage possession of alcohol.
According to investigators, Steele stole $147 from kids at a community pool in Marietta on Friday.
The children, one of whom was in a wheelchair, were selling Fourth of July gear, such as t-shirts and hats, to earn money for the summer and help out.their father's embroidery business.
According to police, Steele approached the kids, started a conversation with the father of two of the children, then, when the man left, took the cash and ran. She then got into a car and drove off. Three other teenage girls were in that car with Steele. Police have not yet decided whether to charge the other teens.
"To think that she could get away with that, with all the parent sitting there, it just blows my mind," says Joseph Green, the father of two of the victims.
Steele has issued an apology through her attorney, but Green will have none of it.
"To be honest, that does nothing for me," he says. "Anybody is going to say anything to get out of jail."
Green says Steele's mother has contacted him by way of e-mail, offering to repay the stolen money if the charges against her daughter were dropped. He has not responded.
"I want a lesson learned," Green says. "Everyday I'm getting angrier about it, thinking my girls were taken advantage of."
The state Board of Education is set to vote Thursday on whether to void the test scores for four elementary schools and revoke their favorable standing on federal No Child Left Behind measurements. A state audit released last month shows someone changed students' answers on the math portion of the fifth-grade Criterion-Referenced Competency Test after the exams were turned in.
State data released Wednesday indicates the students whose tests are in question were not prepared for sixth-grade math, though the questionable tests showed them performing well on the fifth-grade test.
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
(WSB Radio) Two Georgia soldiers, killed in Afghanistan during Operation Enduring Freedom, have been brought back to the United States.
The bodies of six soldiers and one sailor were returned Wednesday to Dover Air Force Base in Delaware.
Spc. Isaac Johnson was from Columbus, Georgia. He was assigned to Rome's Troop A, 1st Battalion, 108th Reconnaissance, Surveillance and Target Acquisition Squadron.
Sgt. Brock Chavers, of Bulloch, was assigned to Americus' Company D, 2nd Battalion, 121st Infantry.
The other servicemembers who were returned to this country are
- Capt. Mark A. Garner, 30, of State Road, N.C.
- Pfc. Nicolas H.J. Gideon, 20, of Murrieta, Calif.
- Petty Officer Second Class Tony Michael Randolph, 22, of Henryetta, Okla.
- Spc. Chester W. Hosford of Hastings, Minn.
2nd Lt. Derwin I. Williams of Glenwood, Ill.
Defense officials say Johnson and Chavers died July 6 of wounds from an Improvised Explosive Device near Kunduz
2008 compared to 25.6 percent in 2007. The data come from CDC's Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS), a state-based phone survey that collects health information from adults aged 18 and over.
In six states - Alabama, Mississippi, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee and West Virginia - adult obesity prevalence was 30 percent or more. Thirty-two states, including those six, had obesity prevalence
of 25 percent or more. Only one state, Colorado, had a prevalence of obesity less than 20 percent. But no state showed a significant decrease in obesity prevalence from 2007 to 2008.
More than 400,000 U.S. adults were surveyed in the 2008 BRFSS, which is the world's largest telephone health survey. To assess obesity prevalence, survey respondents are asked to provide their height and weight, which is used to calculate their body mass index (BMI). A person is considered obese if they have a BMI of 30 or above.
"Obesity is a major risk factor for many chronic diseases such as heart disease and diabetes. As obesity increases among all age groups, we are seeing chronic diseases in much younger adults compared to a few decades ago," said Dr. William Dietz, director, CDC's Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity and Obesity.
"For example, we now see young adults who suffer from heart disease risk factors and other conditions such as type 2 diabetes that were unheard of in the past."
The 2008 BRFSS obesity data indicate that none of the 50 states or the District of Columbia has achieved the Healthy People 2010 goal of reducing obesity prevalence to 15 percent or less.
"The latest BRFSS survey data show that the obesity problem in this country is getting worse," said Liping Pan, CDC epidemiologist and lead author of the 2008 BRFSS obesity map analysis. "If this trend continues we will likely see increases in health care costs for obesity related diseases."
(WSB Radio) The minister of a Gwinnett County church says thieves broke into his car and took thousands of dollars worth of stuff that belonged to the church.
Bishop Wayne Pugh, who has preached all over the world, says there is one item he really wants back.
"There was thousands of dollars worth of equipment. I mean there was, you know, probably lost about $50,000 of equipment. But, all I asked him was - I want my Bible back," said Pugh.
Pugh, who found his abandoned the day after the burglary in a neighborhood near Simonton Glen Way in Lawrenceville, believes he knows who the suspect is.
"I mean he's standing there wearing my clothes - and I said I just want my Bible back," said Pugh.
Gwinnett County Police say they know about the suspect and believe he is part of a bigger investigation.
(WSB Radio) A 38 year old Coweta County woman is jailed, accused of having sex with her 15-year old sometime babysiter.
The boy's father says Stephanie Der is a friend of the family and he feels shocked, hurt and betrayed that she would have sex with his son.
Coweta County Police Major Jimmy Yarborough says Der faces charges including "statutory rape, creulty to a child, and having sexual relations with a 15-year-old."
Der has two children ages 13 and 4, and told police the teen would sometimes baby sit for her. When he sent her a suggestive text message, Der told police she was surprised that someone so young would show interest in her.
Yarborough says detectives are taking to the boy's family about counseling.
For now Der remains in the Coweta County jail.
(WSB Radio) A DeKalb County contractor is facing jail time on animal cruelty charges. Dario Harris is a contractor who was supposed to spray paint where gas lines should go, could get up to a year in jail, if he's found guilty of spray painting a man's dog.
Jeffrey Tompkins tells WSB he's still trying figure out why Harris was in his yard in the first place.
"Why he decided to walk a good 120 to 150 feet away from where he did all of his flag posting and marking on the ground with a spray paint, over to the fence to spray my dog through the fence, is still a mystery to me," said Tompkins.
Harris claims he spray painted the dog, Bear, in self-defense.
"I just have a real hard time believing that it could possibly be an act in self-defense. If it had been one spray mark - maybe the dog startled him - again, why he's over there, we still can't figure that out. Even to put that much paint on the fence to where it hasn't even washed off since March, each time he shot he was sure soaking the dog," said Tompkins.
Bear, who was spray painted in the face, had to go the vet to have her eyes flushed and be treated with antibiotics.
Tompkins rescued Bear and the rest of a litter he found near some trash in some woods where he was hunting.
"Originally, I just wanted to see maybe six months probation, restitution on the vet bills, and maybe a $200 fine, and that be it. I just wanted to be enough of a shot across his bow as it were, to make sure he never attempts this again," said Tompkins.
If convicted, Harris could get up to a year in jail.
(WSB Radio) No more smoking in Glover Park, in the town square of Marietta.
The city council, in a unanimous vote, has banned lighting up in the park. The move comes a week after the council received numerous complaints about excessive smoking during a concert on the square.
"I come here and park and just sit back and relax. It's just beautiful," says Dakota Lee, who was pleased by the council's action. Others were not so happy.
"I thought it was a free country," says Tavares Copley. "If a person chooses to smoke, then they should smoke, as long as they're not inside of a building."
The smoking ban went into effect immediately. It's sponsor was Marietta Councilwoman Holly Wolquist.
"People will actually be able to go there and not have to have cigarette smoke and cigar smoke, not having to inhale," Wolquist tells Channel 2.
For people like Dakota Lee, who used to wear a mask in the park because of a lung problem, the new smoking ban it a great thing.
"I really don't have to put it (her mask) on," she says. "It's wonderful. "
(WSB Radio) A convicted sex offender, on the run for eight years, has been recaptured in Knoxville, Tennessee. Chief Deputy Stan Copeland with the Douglas County Sheriff's Office tells WSB 52-year-old Larry Whitley has been on their radar for the last couple of years.
"One of our officers apparently got information on what alias he might be using and located him through that alias. He was using the name of Robert Moon," said Copeland.
"He served a good stint in prison; and then once he was released and had a long-term probation, he absconded," said Copeland.
Whitley, who had been working at a Wal-Mart in Knoxville, was arrested at the store. Copeland says Whitley, who was convicted and served some time for molesting a family member in Douglas County, was slightly injured when he tried to flee.
They did alert Knoxville Police because they were concerned there may be more victims.
"We did learn that he was attending a local Baptist church there and our information is that he was working with the youth in some capacity," said Copeland.
Copeland says Whitley, who waived extradition, is on his way back to Douglas County.
"Thrilled to get that one off the books. We have a top ten fugitive list and he would probably be number two on our fugitive list," said Copeland.
(WSB Radio) Atlanta residents will be breathing a little easier beginning today.
The city council's vote to increase property taxes means no more furloughs of public safety workers, meaning fire stations will reopen and police will be back on full schedules.
The reopening of Fire Station 23 is being met with elation from area residents.
"The neighborhood and the area in general are ecstatic that the station is reopening," says Michael Wagoner, president of the Berkeley Homeowners Association. "We've been fighting for this for a number of months."
Seven months, to be exact. The city was forced to close down the station and furlough police and firefighters, due to budget concerns. But, the property tax increase has provided the necessary funds to end the furloughs and open the fire station doors.
"We're not really excited about the way that we had to get the fire station back," Wagoner tells WSB, "with the these tax increases with the new budget. But we're happy to have the crew back. It's really a sense of relief for our area."
The reopening of the fire stations and the return of the police department to full strength might also mean some extra money for Atlanta homeowners.
State Insurance Commissioner John Oxendine says the city's ISO rating, used to determine a city's fire readiness, should improve.
The rating had dropped, going from a 2 to a 4 (lower numbers are better). That meant an increase in premium costs for Atlanta homeowners and businesses with insurance .
Oxendine says ending the furloughs alone should get the city a rating of 3, and he believes a 2 is possible.
(WSB Radio) Atlanta Police are investigating following a shooting on the campus of Clark Atlanta University. This witness tells Channel 2 Action News he got out of the way when he heard gunshots near Fair and Elm Streets.
"I heard the Clark Atlanta officer say - get down, get down - the next thing, pow, pow, pow, pow, pow, pow. It went on for a couple of seconds," said the witness.
One suspect is in custody. Another is hospitalized in critical condition.
(WSB Radio) A convicted sex offender, on the run for eight years, has been recaptured in Knoxville, Tennessee. Chief Deputy Stan Copeland with the Douglas County Sheriff's Office tells WSB 52-year-old Larry Whitley has been on their radar for the last couple of years.
"One of our officers apparently got information on what alias he might be using and located him through that alias. He was using the name of Robert Moon," said Copeland.
"He served a good stint in prison; and then once he was released and had a long-term probation, he absconded," said Copeland.
Whitley, who had been working at a Wal-Mart in Knoxville, was arrested at the store. Copeland says Whitley, who was convicted and served some time for molesting a family member in Douglas County, was slightly injured when he tried to flee.
They did alert Knoxville Police because they were concerned there may be more victims.
"We did learn that he was attending a local Baptist church there and our information is that he was working with the youth in some capacity," said Copeland.
Copeland says Whitley, who waived extradition, is on his way back to Douglas County.
"Thrilled to get that one off the books. We have a top ten fugitive list and he would probably be number two on our fugitive list," said Copeland.
(WSB Radio) A Sprayberry High School cheerleader is facing felony armed robbery charges after she's accused of stealing a cash box from four girls ages 9 to 11, one of which was in a wheelchair.
The theft occurred last Friday when the four girls were selling fourth of July t-shirts and hats at their neighborhood pool in Cobb County. Joe Green is the father of two of the girls who were trying to help their dad's struggling embroidery business.
Green tells WSB's Sandra Parrish he couldn't believe it when 17-year-old Chelsea Steele spoke to him face to face and then turned around and stole the box off the lap of the 9-year-old girl who was in a wheelchair.
"To think she could get away with it and with all the parents sitting there, it just blows my mind away," he says.
Green says he chased after Steele on foot who drove off with three other teen girls. He lost them, but police arrested Steele later that night.
Besides felony robbery charges, Steele is also facing misdemeanor charges of underage drinking.
So far none of the other three teens have been charged.
Steele's attorney Mike Moran tells Parrish his client is remorseful.
"She'd like to express to the children and to their families that it was a very bad mistake on her part to have been there... to have been involved," he says.
But so far, Green says he's not buying the apology.
"I'm sure she's sorry, every criminal is sorry for what they did... nobody wants to go to jail," he says.
(WSB Radio/AP) -- Consumers know less about the water they pay dearly for in bottles than what they can drink almost for free from the tap because the two are regulated differently, researchers and congressional investigators say in new reports.
Both the Government Accountability Office and the Environmental Working Group, a research and advocacy organization, recommend in reports being released Wednesday that bottled water be labeled with the same level of information municipal water providers must disclose.
The researchers plan to urge Americans to make bottled water ``a distant second choice'' to filtered tap water during their testimony before a congressional subcommittee Wednesday morning.
Bottled water an industry worth about $16 billion in sales last year has been suffering lately as colleges, communities and some governments take measures to limit or ban its consumption. As employers, they are motivated by cost savings and environmental concern because the bottles create unnecessary waste and can be hard to recycle.
Bottled water sales were growing by double-digit percentages for years and were helping buoy the U.S. beverage industry overall. But they were flat last year, according to trade publication Beverage Digest.
Beverage Digest editor John Sicher said some consumers are turning on the tap during the recession simply because it's cheaper.
From 1997 to 2007, the amount of bottled water consumed per person in the U.S. more than doubled, from 13.4 gallons to 29.3 gallons, the GAO report said.
The issue on Wednesday though, before a subcommittee of the Energy and Commerce Committee, was less about waste and water quality concerns and more about the mechanics of regulating bottled water.
As a food product, bottled water is regulated by the Food and Drug Administration and required to show nutrition information and ingredients on its labels. Municipal water is under the control of the Environmental Protection Agency.
The two agencies have similar standards for water quality, but the FDA has less authority to enforce them, the GAO said, and the environmental agency requires much more testing.
The GAO noted the FDA also has yet to set standards for chemicals called phthalates, found in many household products, while the EPA limits their presence in tap water.
In a survey of officials in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, the GAO found they think consumers are misinformed about bottled water.
``Many replied that consumers often believe that bottled water is safer or healthier than tap water,'' according to the GAO report.
The Washington, D.C.-based Environmental Working Group said in its report that consumers do not get enough information to determine which water best for them.
Both groups said some bottled water brands include the same information required of tap water providers on either labels or company Web sites.
The GAO called for more research but said the FDA should start by requiring that bottled water labels tell consumers where to find out more.
Community water systems must distribute annual reports about their water's source, contaminants and possible health concerns.
Consumers should know where all their water comes from, how it is treated and what is found in it, said Richard Wiles, senior vice president for policy and communications for the Environmental Working Group.
``If the municipal tap water systems can tell their customers this information, you would think that bottled water companies that charge 1,000 times more for this water could also let consumers know the same thing,'' he told The Associated Press.
The bottled water industry's trade group, the International Bottled Water Association, planned to testify Wednesday that the product, subject to the same regulation as other soft drinks, teas, juices and other beverages is safe. Additional standards apply for bottled water products labeled as ``purified water'' or ``spring water,'' among other labels, because they must meet prove a connection to those sources, according to planned testimony from Joseph Doss, president and chief executive of the International Bottled Water Association.
Doss said consumers can learn about bottled water by contacting the company, reading its Web site and visiting sites run by state governments.
State safeguards for bottled water often exceed the federal, though they are less stringent than for tap water, the GAO wrote.
The trade group declined to comment on the reports before they are released.
WASHINGTON (AP) Drivers are spending less time stuck in rush-hour traffic for a second straight year, the first-ever two-year decline in congestion as high gas prices and the economic downturn force many Americans to change how they commute.
Atlanta had the third-worst congestion, but driving times are actually improving.
The study shows that in 2006, the average Atlanta driver spent 59 hours in traffic delays for the year. In 2007, the last year for which there is a report, the number of wasted hours dropped to 57.
In individual cities, Los Angeles traffic is getting better but is still the worst in the nation. Washington's is getting worse, now ranking second.
The average U.S. driver languished in rush-hour traffic for 36.1 hours in 2007, down from 36.6 hours in 2006 and a peak of 37.4 hours in 2005, according to a study being released Wednesday by the Texas Transportation Institute. Total wasted fuel also edged lower for the first time, from 2.85 billion gallons in 2006 to 2.81 billion, or roughly three weeks' worth of gas per traveler.
The records go back a quarter-century, to 1982.
The last time traffic congestion had declined was in 1991 amid a spike in oil prices during the first Gulf War.
This time, demographers attributed the decrease to a historic cutback in driving as commuters reduced solo trips, took public transit or carpooled after gas prices surged toward $4 a gallon and then the economy faltered. The housing downturn beginning in 2006 also has played a factor by reducing U.S. migration to far-flung residential exurbs.
But it won't last, assuming the economy recovers.
``Congestion won't be as bad as before for a while, but it will still be very frustrating, very unreliable and it will take a lot of time out of your day,'' said Tim Lomax, researcher at the Texas Transportation Institute, which is part of Texas A University. ``The average traveler still needs 25 percent more time for their rush-hour trips.''
The Los Angeles metropolitan area, with its car pool lanes and emerging mass transit, shed two hours of wait-time in rush-hour traffic. Still, its sprawling freeway system remained the nation's worst for congestion, with drivers wasting an average of 70 hours in 2007.
Other large metro areas showing congestion declines were San Francisco, Chicago, Dallas-Fort Worth and Seattle.
In contrast, the Washington, D.C., area had more bumper-to-bumper traffic, surpassing Atlanta as the second worst in congestion. With the Washington regional economy faring relatively well, drivers heading to work in the nation's capital and surrounding suburbs wasted 62 hours in rush-hour traffic in 2007, up from 59 hours.
Houston, Las Vegas, Charlotte and Raleigh-Durham, N.C., had worse or equally bad traffic compared with the previous year, victims of a fast-growing population that outpaced roadway capacity.
In Montclair, Va., the 30-mile commute to Washington, D.C., has always been so bad that Ray McInerney, 29, and three co-workers decided years ago to car pool. He has no major complaints about the ride to their jobs at the Interior Department so long as they leave by 6 a.m. and head home at 4 p.m., taking advantage of high-occupancy vehicle lanes along I-95.
Shuttling around the region for his 12-year-old son's baseball practice and tournaments is a different story, but McInerney says he endures the traffic along with everyone else because cutting back on trips is not an option.
``It's definitely something that came to mind when gas prices came close to four dollars,'' he said. ``But we would have to have serious cutbacks for him not to be able to play.''
The Texas Transportation Institute analyzed state and Federal Highway Administration data for 439 urban areas. It estimated:
The overall cost of U.S. traffic congestion in 2007 reached $87.2 billion, more than $750 for every traveler.
The amount of wasted time in traffic totaled 4.2 billion hours, nearly an entire work week for every traveler.
After Los Angeles and Washington, the most congested metro areas were Atlanta, Houston, San Francisco, Dallas-Forth Worth, San Jose, Calif., and Orlando, Fla.
The least congested metros were Lancaster-Palmdale, Calif., and Wichita, Kan., where drivers were delayed an average of six hours a year.
The report urged state and federal governments to act now to develop highways or mass transit, since these programs can take 10 to 15 years to complete. It said short-term fixes such as rapidly removing crashed vehicles and timing traffic signals also would help, while employers can offer flexible work hours and telecommuting to reduce travel during traditional rush hours.
The findings come as the Obama administration has signaled that it wants to keep transportation funding at current levels for 18 months, rather than move forward on a proposed six-year, $500 billion bill that would increase highway aid 40 percent and double transit funding. There are questions about how to pay for that.
Robert E. Lang, co-director of the Metropolitan Institute at Virginia Tech, said while the recession is altering how many people work, live and travel, that won't be enough to hold back traffic congestion. With the U.S. growing by three million people each year, the nation's aging infrastructure won't be able to keep up without broad upgrades especially once the economy picks up again.
``It's the lull before the coming storm,'' he said.
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
Two of the leading GOP contenders have raised nearly a million dollars during the six-month reporting period, and two other candidates took in more than $400,000.
The figures are less revealing on the Democratic side, however, as one of the top contenders didn't formally enter the race until July and another did not submit his report by late Tuesday.
U.S. Rep. Nathan Deal led the crowded field, raking in $980,000 since he entered the race about two months ago. The Gainesville Republican said in an e-mail to supporters the strong numbers were a sign he has ``a strong and viable candidacy.''
State Sen. Eric Johnson of Savannah was a close second, attracting about $960,000 after he abandoned his run for Georgia's lieutenant governor seat in April and decided to run for the top spot instead.
``Even in these challenging economic times, Georgians are investing confidently in our campaign and in our state's future,'' Johnson said.
Two other Republican statewide officeholders said they had strong support from fundraisers. Secretary of State Karen Handel said she raised more than $430,000 during the six-month reporting period, while Insurance Commissioner John Oxendine took in about $415,000.
``This means that we are well on our way to having the resources we need to get our message out,'' Handel said in the e-mail. ``It also means that we are building a grassroots team of dedicated Georgians who have invested personally in our campaign and will work hard toward our victory.''
Oxendine, one of the first candidates in the race, has about $1 million cash on hand. He said in a note to supporters that voters he has met around the state have been enthusiastic about his campaign.
Rounding out the GOP field, state Rep. Austin Scott has raised about $180,000 and long-shot GOP candidate Ray McBerry has raised about $18,000.
The numbers are a bit murkier on the Democratic side, partly because former Gov. Roy Barnes raised no money during the period because he formally entered the race in July. Attorney General Thurbert Baker, another top contender, had not submitted his report by late Tuesday night.
Two other candidates said they were pleased with their fundraising hauls. House Minority Leader DuBose Porter reported raising about $230,000 since he entered the race after the legislative session ended in April.
And former Georgia National Guard commander David Poythress raised about $150,000. He pointed out that about $75,000 came in the month of June after Barnes announced he was entering the race.
``We are pleased by the outpouring of grassroots support for our campaign,'' Poythress said.
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
Vazquez allowed a run and five hits in seven strong innings and Brian McCann had a pair of two-out RBIs Tuesday night as the Braves beat the Cubs 2-1.
``We played great defense today. That's the first thing I want to say. Great defense out there by everybody and those two runs were enough,'' said Vazquez, who has received just 11 runs of support over his last eight starts.
``He just pitched like he's been pitching all year. We were making a joke about it, one (run) should be enough for him,'' McCann said.
``That's basically what he's been getting this year. It was enough tonight.''
Backed by some fine infield play from shortstop Yunel Escobar and second baseman Brooks Conrad, Vazquez (6-7) outdueled Carlos Zambrano.
In his last nine starts, Vazquez has two wins both against the Cubs. He walked none and struck out six. At one point, he retired 13 of 14 batters.
``It feels good that I got the win and we played good baseball today. That's what it takes,'' he said.
Zambrano was pitching on three days' rest, starting in place of Ryan Dempster, who went on the 15-day disabled list Tuesday with a fractured right toe. Dempster was injured when he toppled over a dugout railing to get on the field and celebrate a Cubs' victory Sunday.
Zambrano (4-4) allowed five hits and two runs in six innings. He hasn't won since June 6 a stretch of six starts.
He said the short rest between starts was no big deal. He found out this morning he would be pitching.
``I felt good,'' Zambrano said.
``I went home yesterday with that mentality, that I could pitch today. I saw Dempster's toe and to me it didn't look good.''
Nate McLouth walked to lead off the game, moved up on a sacrifice and after he was nearly picked off second, made third on a grounder. McCann then delivered a two-out RBI single. Chicago tied it in the second when Koyie Hill hit a two-out RBI single, the Cubs' third hit of the inning.
McCann delivered again in the third with a slicing two-out double to score Martin Prado, who singled. McCann is now 7-for-12 lifetime against Zambrano.
``Didn't know that. I came early today, tried to work on my mechanics,'' McCann said. ``The last four or five games I haven't felt like I've contributed a whole lot. Tonight was good to get a couple hits that meant something in the game.''
Mike Gonzalez worked the eighth, surviving a double by Ryan Theriot, and Rafael Soriano got his ninth save in 10 chances by pitching the ninth.
NOTES: Braves 3B Chipper Jones sat out with a groin strain, an injury he got Monday night in the series opener. INF Greg Norton was recalled from his rehab stint and will rejoin the Braves in Colorado to work out but will not be activated from the DL. ... RHP Tim Hudson threw live batting practice and a 5-minute bullpen session for a second straight day and said he felt better Tuesday. He's trying to come back from Tommy John surgery and is on target for a late July minor league rehab stint. ... RHP Kevin Hart never left town after he was sent to the minors Monday and was back on the big league team much sooner than expected. He got a call to stick around after Dempster was put on the DL. Hart, who has made four relief appearances for the Cubs this season, will make his first major league start Wednesday.
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
(WSB Radio) OSHA will not make a federal case out of the midtown Atlanta parking deck collapse.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration has decided not to launch its own investigation of the June 29 collapse at the Centergy garage along Spring Street.
Parts of four floors of the deck fell, crushing dozens of cars. No injuries were reported.
OSHA's decision runs counter to the claims of the Atlanta Fire Department, which had stated since the collapse that the investigation into the cause would be left up to the feds.
Following the OSHA announcement on Tuesday, the Atlanta Fire Department said it would not conduct an investigation, either, and did not know who would look into the cause.
The focus of the preliminary investigation has been on a beam that may have popped out.
(WSB Radio) Residents and businesses in north Atlanta are being advised to boil their water.
The order comes after a power outrage struck at the Northside Pumping Station.
The area in question includes the Lenox Square and Phipps Plaza malls. In addition, the advisory includes West Wesley Road to the south; the DeKalb County line to the east; Northside Drive to the west and Wieuca Road, Loridans Drive and Churchill Downs to the north.
"We're getting to the bottom of what happened," says Rob Hunter with the Atlanta Department of Watershed Management," of why the backup generator didn't kick in and activate the switch."
Officials say the water should be safe to drink by about 12:30 Wednesday afternoon.
(WSB Radio) The state's newest four-year college continues to grow... literally. Ground has been officially broken for the first dorms at Georgia Gwinnett College.
"This facility is critical for our growth," says GGC President Dr. Daniel Kaufman.
He tells WSB's Sandra Parrish Phase One is due to house 1000 students in Fall 2010. Phase Two will follow housing another 1500.
"It makes us attractive to a much broader range of students... people from beyond the confines of Gwinnett County or even northeast Georgia. And we can accommodate a much larger student load," Kaufman says.
The dorms will be built exclusively with private funds through the sale of commercial bonds. The same holds true for the college's library which is currently under construction and the new student center which will break ground next week.
"It allows all institutions not just us to build facilities quickly... that there'd be no hope of getting taxpayer dollars for," says Kaufman.
Just last month the three year old college received accreditation, a milestone coming nearly two years sooner than expected.
(WSB Radio) Thousands of people insuranced with Aetna may no longer be able go to Wellstar Hospitals.
Wellstar and Aetna Insurance are fighting over rates.
Aetna has stated in letters to its customers that Wellstar is asking for a large rate increase, which would benefit its doctors and hospitals.
Aetna said if the rates don't come down, they will no longer be able to pay claims from Wellstar facilities effective September first.
Ron Mosley lives in Marietta and said if an agreement is not met, he would have to look for a new hospital.
"This is my primary place where I go, so definitely would be very impacted by this, so it raises some concerns," Mosley said.
Wellstar told Channel 2 Action news that it is trying to keep its rates in line with what Aetna pays other local area hospitals.
Wellstar has recently made agreements with United, Cigna and Blue Cross-Blue Shield and hopes to do the same with Aetna.
(WSB Radio) He's nothing if not persistent .
Atlanta police are hunting for the man who has held up the same bank not once, not twice but three times in the past three months.
"During my time in robbery, we investigate in the hundreds of bank robberies," says Police Sergeant Tommie Collins, "but I don't think we've ever had the same individual hit the same bank three times.
The suspect has targeted the SunTrust Bank, at 760 West Peachtree Street. Police say he enters the bank and always asks for $1000.
"The note he presents to the teller always says the same thing," Collins says. "I want $1000 and I've got a weapon.
"It always seems to be the early morning hours in the first part of the month," he says.
He first robbed the bank in May. The most recent hold up was Monday.
The suspect is described as a black man, 45-50 years old, 5'7 and about 150 pounds. He also appears to have a thin moustache with some gray in it.
(WSB Radio) Cobb County Police have charged a 12-year-old with the murder of his five-week-old cousin.
Sgt. Dana Pierce tells WSB the incident happened on July 4th, at the Target on the Dallas Highway.
Pierce says the 22-year-old mother left her daughter in the car with the girl's 12-year-old cousin.
"Apparently, when the mother came out, she found her infant unresponsive and she immediately dialed 9-1-1," said Pierce.
The little girl was taken to Kennestone and then to Children's Healthcare of Atlanta at Egleston, where she was taken off life support the following day and pronounced dead.
After interviewing the mother and the boy, who was visiting from Tampa, Florida, Cobb police decided to charge the 12-year-old with felony murder and cruelty to children.
"The manner and cause is not being discussed at this time. The medical examiner has ruled this to be blunt force trauma to the infant's head," said Pierce.
The 12-year-old could be charged as an adult.
"This particular crime is considered one of the seven deadly sins involving juveniles who can possibly bound over to adult court," says Pierce. "But, at this time, he does have to go through a formal process with a juvenile in the Cobb County Juvenile Detention Center and the juvenile court system. Originally, it'll end up there. Where it goes from there is gonna be up to those people who will formally charge him."
LOS ANGELES (AP) Michael Jackson's public memorial, watched by millions around the world, struck a tone more spiritual than spectacular Tuesday, opening with a church choir serenading his golden casket and continuing with somber speeches and gospel-themed musical performances.
Pastor Lucious W. Smith of the Friendship Baptist Church in Pasadena gave the invocation, followed by Mariah Carey singing the opening performance with a sweet rendition of the Jackson 5 ballad ``I'll Be There,'' a duet with Trey Lorenz.
``We come together and we remember the time,'' said Smith, riffing off one of Jackson's lyrics. ``As long as we remember him, he will always be there to comfort us.''
Millions of fans around the world gathered at odd hours to watch the ceremony, which was broadcast from Tokyo to Paris and streamed everywhere online.
Among those who saluted Jackson were music mogul Barry Gordy, the Rev. Al Sharpton and basketball greats Magic Johnson and Kobe Bryant. Jennifer Hudson sang Jackson's hit ``Will You Be There'' and John Mayer played guitar on a whisper-light rendition of ``Human Nature.''
``This is a moment that I wished I didn't live to see,'' Stevie Wonder said before his performance.
The singer Smokey Robinson began the service by reading statements from Jackson's close friends Diana Ross and Nelson Mandela. The South African leader's statement ended with a poignant admonition: ``Be strong.''
After a long period of silence punctuated only by camera flashes, the tension broke with the organ strains of a black spiritual, ``Hallelujah, hallelujah, going to see the King.''
Lionel Richie gave a gospel-infused performance in front of a shaft of light evoking a cross.
An estimated 20,000 people were in the Staples Center as Jackson's flower-draped casket was brought to the venue in a motorcade under law enforcement escort. Those who gathered constituted a visual representation of Jackson's life: black, white and everything in between, wearing fedoras and African headdresses, sequins and surgical masks.
``Words really can't explain how I feel,'' said Dani Harris, a 35-year-old stay-at-home mom from Los Angeles. ``I'm happy to be here, but the occasion is not so cool. I'm happy to be here and have some closure. It still doesn't seem real.''
Fans with a ticket wore gold wristbands and picked up a metallic gold program guide on their way in. Acting as pallbearers, Jackson's brothers each wore a gold necktie, a single spangly white glove and sunglasses.
Members of the Jackson family sat in the front row of the Staples Center, including his brothers and what appeared to be his three children. Brother Jermaine Jackson took the stage and sang the standard ``Smile'' as he fought back tears.
Jackson's hearse had been part of a motorcade that smoothly whisked his body 10 miles across closed freeways from a private service at a Hollywood Hills cemetery to his public memorial and awaiting fans.
The traffic snarls and logistical nightmares that had been feared by police and city officials had not materialized. The thousands of fans with tickets began filing in early and encountered few problems, and traffic was actually considered by police to be lighter than normal.
``I think people got the message to stay home,'' said California Highway Patrol Officer Miguel Luevano. ``When you have people staying home, it clears up those freeways.''
Deputy Police Chief Sergio Diaz, operations chief for the event, said authorities had expected a crowd of 250,000. Besides reporters and those with tickets to the memorial service, the crowd around the Staples Center perimeter numbered only about 1,000, he said.
Outside the Staples Center, Claudia Hernandez, 29, said she loved Jackson's music as a girl growing up in Mexico. Now a day-care teaching assistant in Los Angeles, Hernandez said she cried watching TV coverage of his death.
``I'm trying to hold in my emotions,'' said Hernandez, wearing a wristband to allow her admittance to the service and holding a framed photograph of Jackson. ``I know right now he's teaching the angels to dance.''
More than 1.6 million people registered for the lottery for free tickets to Jackson's memorial. A total of 8,750 were chosen to receive two tickets each.
``There are certain people in our popular culture that just capture people's imaginations. And in death, they become even larger,'' President Barack Obama told CBS while in Moscow. ``Now, I have to admit that it's also fed by a 24/7 media that is insatiable.''
The city of Los Angeles set up a Web site Tuesday to allow fans to contribute money to help the city pay for his Staples Center memorial service. Mayoral spokesman Matt Szabo estimated the service will cost $1.5 million to $4 million.
It was not clear what will happen to Jackson's body. The Forest Lawn Memorial Park Hollywood Hills cemetery is the final resting place for such stars as Bette Davis, Andy Gibb, Freddie Prinze, Liberace and recently deceased David Carradine and Ed McMahon.
But Jackson's brother Jermaine has expressed a desire to have him buried someday at Neverland, his estate in Southern California.
AP Entertainment writer Sandy Cohen, AP Music writer Nekesa Mumbi Moody, AP Special Correspondent Linda Deutsch, Associated Press writers Solvej Schou, Christina Hoag, Amy Taxin, Andrew Dalton, Anthony McCartney, Danica Kirka, and AP researcher Monika Mathur contributed to this report.
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
(WSB Radio/AP) -- Los Angeles Police Chief William Bratton says Michael Jackson's casket will be taken to the downtown Staples Center for the singer's star-studded memorial service.
The addition of the body adds to the spectacle currently gripping downtown Los Angeles. Police blocked off roads and warned those without tickets to stay away because they would not be able to get close to the Staples Center.
Fans have been arriving early for what could end up as the biggest celebrity send-off of all time.
The memorial service is being broadcast live around the world, and the 20,000-seat arena is expected to be packed.
Participants include an all-star cast from the music world, headlined by Stevie Wonder, Mariah Carey, Lionel Richie and Usher among others.
Los Angeles police have officers out in force in case large crowds of fans without tickets crowd the streets around Staples Center. But early this morning, L.A. Police Chief William Bratton told KTLA-TV that those sorts of crowds hadn't been seen yet. He says police will ``ramp down very quickly'' if it stays that way.
The Jackson family is expected to hold a private funeral at the Forest Lawn Cemetery in the Hollywood Hills. Last night a casket was seen arriving and sister La Toya Jackson was also spotted.
WASHINGTON (AP) New safety standards aimed at reducing salmonella and E. coli outbreaks are part of a government effort to try to make food safer to eat.
A food safety panel established by President Barack Obama developed the new rules for eggs, poultry, beef, leafy greens, melons and tomatoes as well as for better coordination and communication among the agencies overseeing the nation's food supply.
The panel was to announce Tuesday that the Food and Drug Administration and the Agriculture Department would adopt the standards, which follow a string of breakdowns in food safety.
Earlier this year a massive salmonella outbreak in peanut products sickened hundreds, was suspected of causing nine deaths and led to one of the largest product recalls in U.S. history. In the past month, Nestle Toll House cookie dough and 380,000 pounds of beef produced by the JBS Swift Beef Co. of Greeley, Colo., have been recalled due to connections with outbreaks of E. coli.
In March, Obama said he would create a special advisory group to coordinate antiquated food safety laws and recommend ways to update them. The FDA does not have enough money or workers to conduct annual inspections at more than a fraction of the 150,000 food processing plants and warehouses in the country, Obama said.
Under the new rules:
The FDA will help the food industry establish better tracing systems to track the origins of a bacterial outbreak.
A new network will be established to help the many agencies that regulate food safety to communicate better.
Egg and poultry producers will have to follow new standards designed to reduce salmonella contamination.
The Food Safety Inspection Service, the Agriculture Department agency that inspects meat, will increase sampling of ground beef ingredients in an effort to better find E. coli contamination.
The FDA will recommend ways that producers of leafy greens, melons and tomatoes can reduce disease strains, and require stricter standards in those industries within two years.
The FDA and the Agriculture Department also will create new positions to better oversee food safety.
The Agriculture Department inspects meat and poultry, and shares inspections of eggs with the FDA. The FDA inspects most other foods, but at least 15 government agencies are a part of the food safety system.
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
(WSB Radio) -- Mike Bibby will remain with the Hawks.
The free agent point guard and the team are said to have reached agreement on a three-year deal worth $18 million.
Bibby, 31, guided the Hawks to back-to-back playoff appearances in his year and half with the team after being acquired in a trade with Sacramento at the trade deadline in February 2008.
An 11-year veteran, Bibby averaged 14.9 points, 5.0 assists, 3.5 rebounds and 1.2 last season for the Hawks, who won 47 games during the regular season and advanced to the second round of the Eastern Conference playoffs for the first time in over a decade.
As in Jackson's life, Tuesday's public memorial at the downtown Staples Center includes the spectacle surrounding the show legal drama, screaming fans, star power, live worldwide broadcast, unsavory accusations, even a parade of elephants all adding up to what could be the biggest celebrity send-off of all time.
On the eve of the memorial, activity was spotted late Monday at the Forest Lawn Cemetery involving the Jackson family. The cemetery is the location where relatives were expected to hold a private funeral.
La Toya Jackson, wearing sunglasses and a wide-brimmed hat, was seen being driven away from the cemetery. KCAL-TV showed helicopter footage of a hearse backing up to the Hall of Liberty a circular building at the cemetery that contains a 1,200 seat auditorium to deliver a casket.
A few hours later, the casket was reloaded into the hearse and delivered to another nearby building, this time covered in a blue cloth.
More than 1.6 million people registered for free tickets to Jackson's downtown memorial. A total of 8,750 people were chosen to receive two tickets each.
``I got the golden ticket!'' one fan screamed out of his car window in a Willy Wonka moment as he drove out of the parking lot.
The family announced that participants will include Stevie Wonder, Mariah Carey, Usher, Lionel Richie, Kobe Bryant, Jennifer Hudson, John Mayer and Martin Luther King III.
The legal maneuvering that marked Jackson's extraordinary and troubled life also continued Monday, with his mother losing a bid to control his enormous but tangled estate. And in one of the few reminders of Jackson's darkest hours, a New York congressman branded Jackson a ``pervert'' undeserving of so much attention.
British Airways reported a surge of bookings as soon as the memorial arrangements were announced. Virgin's trans-Atlantic flights to San Francisco, Las Vegas and Los Angeles were all packed with fans and VIPs, spokesman Paul Charles said.
About 50 theaters across the country, from Los Angeles to Topeka, Kan., to Washington, D.C., were planning to broadcast the memorial live, for free.
In Los Angeles Superior Court, a judge appointed Jackson's longtime attorney and a family friend as administrators of his estate over the objections of his mother, Katherine. Attorney John Branca and music executive John McClain had been designated in Jackson's 2002 will as the people he wanted to oversee his empire.
Katherine Jackson's attorneys expressed concerns about McClain and Branca's financial leadership. ``Frankly, Mrs. Jackson has concerns about handing over the keys to the kingdom,'' said one of her attorneys, John E. Schreiber.
Branca and McClain will have to post a $1 million bond on the estate, and their authority will expire Aug. 3, when another hearing will be held.
``Mr. Branca and Mr. McClain for the next month are at the helm of the ship,'' the judge said.
Jackson died at age 50 with hundreds of millions in debts. But a court filing estimates his estate is worth more than $500 million. His assets are destined for a trust, with his three children, his mother and charities as beneficiaries.
Debbie Rowe, Jackson's ex-wife and the mother of Jackson's two oldest children, had planned to attend the memorial but backed out Monday. ``The onslaught of media attention has made it clear her attendance would be an unnecessary distraction,'' her attorney Marta Almli said in a statement.
In New York, Republican Rep. Peter King released a YouTube video calling Jackson, who was acquitted of child molestation charges, a ``pervert'' and a ``low-life.''
But the memories of Jackson's problems were far from the minds of fans preparing to say goodbye.
``It's the passing of a great soul,'' said Matt Tyson, 31, of Ojai, Calif. ``He brought people together, helped express something that's in us all.''
Downtown hotels were quickly filling. Police, trying to avoid a mob scene, warned those without tickets to stay away because they would not be able to get close to the Staples Center.
All those involved say the heart of Los Angeles will become a circus. In one way, that characterization will be literal.
Ringling Brothers and Barnum Bailey starts a run at Staples Center on Wednesday, a booking long planned in advance. In the pre-dawn hours before Jackson's memorial, the elephants will walk from the train station to the arena.
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
ATLANTA -- Tom Glavine said Monday family obligations will prevent him from attending next week when former Atlanta Braves teammate Greg Maddux has his number retired by the team.
The Braves will retire Maddux's number before a home game against the New York Mets on July 17. Maddux also will be inducted into the Braves' Hall of Fame.
Maddux, Glavine and John Smoltz were the leaders of the team's pitching staff through most of the 1990s, including their 1995 World Series championship.
The Braves released the 43-year-old Glavine on June 3, prompting a bitter reaction from Glavine. But Glavine said Monday his unexpected release would not have prevented him from supporting Maddux next week if not for the family obligations.
"Unfortunately, we've got dueling events next week," Glavine said. "I've got one boy going to Boston for a hockey tournament and one boy going to Florida for a baseball tournament."
Glavine said he will tape a video message this week that will be played at the ceremonies.
(WSB Radio) The Stone Mountain woman who went into Lake Lanier to try and save a young relative from drowning has died.
Officials with the Georgia Department of Natural Resources say 24 year old Ngoc Minh Vo died at 6:30 Monday morning at Northeast Georgia Medical Center, in Gaineville, less than 16 hours after she was pulled from the lake.
"Ngoc Minh Vo was trying to help the child who slipped off a float," said Robin Hill , a spokesperson for the DNRl. "She was resuscitated at the site and had a heart beat before being transported to the medical center."
The 6 year old boy was taken to Children's Healthcare of Atlanta at Egleston, where he is said to be recovering.
(WSB Radio) A member of the MARTA board has pleaded no contest on charges he had sex in a bathroom at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.
Edmund Wall was sentenced to 12 months probation and given a $500 fine. He must also perform 64 hours of community service.
Wall, who was MARTA board chairman at the time of his arrest, is also the former Clayton County financial advisor.
The case was scheduled to go before a jury on Monday, but Wall, instead, entered his no contest plea. He had been charged with one count of public indecency.
.
Police found Wall, 45, and Michael Pettry, of Indianapolis, engaged in oral sex in an airport bathroom on March 13, 2007.
This past February, Pettry also pleaded no contest and was given the same sentenced as Wall; 12 months probation, 64 hours of community service and a $500 fine.
(WSB Radio) Two people are dead following a single vehicle accident in Gwinnett County.
Police say the SUV was found at about 7:15 Monday night, down an embankment on I-85 northbound, just south of State Route 20, in Buford.
Investigators say the maroon 1998 Ford Explorer was heading north on 85 when, for reasons that have not yet been determined, the driver lost control. The SUV overturned several times, then flipped over the guardrail and down the embankment.
A passenger in the Explorer was ejected and died at the scene. The front seat passenger, who was wearing a seatbelt, was also killed. The driver was taken to Gwinnett Medical Center with non life threatening injuries.
The names of the dead have not been released, pending notification of family.
It came when he was called up by the Chicago Cubs in May. And the way he's been pitching, there won't be a return trip to Triple-A.
``I can't really put in words, even if I try, to be in the position I'm in when they told me I was going to make a couple of starts early in May,'' Wells said Monday night after beating the Atlanta Braves 4-2 for his fourth straight victory.
``It's rewarding for me,'' he added. ``It's been a long journey. I couldn't ask for anything more.''
Wells (4-3) gave up seven hits and two runs in six innings, including a homer to Nate McLouth. He got early support when the Cubs scored four runs in the first two innings, including a two-run homer by Derrek Lee off Jair Jurrjens in the first.
Wells nearly made the Cubs' roster out of spring training as a reliever. But being sent back to Triple-A Iowa allowed him to stretch out as a starter and work on his pitches. Now the rookie has become a key member of the Cubs' rotation.
``Sitting in Iowa for three or four years, whatever it was, you are on the cusp,'' Wells said. ``All you can ask for is the shot, get an opportunity to show you can play.''
Jurrjens (6-7), who held the Phillies hitless for 6 2-3 innings in his previous start, gave up four runs and seven hits in six innings, including Lee's 16th homer.
``He's been hot a couple weeks, and when you hang a pitch like that you're going to pay,'' Jurrjens.
``I wish I could take those two innings back, especially the pitch to Lee.''
Lee's been swinging a strong bat since mid-May, helping the Cubs make up for the absence of Aramis Ramirez, who returned Monday after two months on the DL with a dislocated shoulder.
``Basically he's been carrying us,'' Cubs manager Lou Piniella said of Lee, who has four homers in the last five games.
``You feel like if you get a good pitch to hit, you're going to hit it hard,'' Lee said. ``It's definitely a lot more fun than grounding out to the shortstop every at-bat and running back to the dugout.''
Ramirez got a loud ovation in his first at-bat. He went 0 for 4.
``I want to go out there and play. That's what I get paid to do and finally I'm doing it,'' said Ramirez, who was admittedly rusty. ``Of course, I haven't played in two months. I went down to the minors and get nine at-bats, but it's not the same.''
Jurrjens had given up only six homers all year before Lee drove a pitch deep into the left-field bleachers in the first one out after a leadoff single by Kosuke Fukudome to give the Cubs an early cushion.
The Cubs tacked on two more in the second with four straight two-out hits. Mike Fontenot and Wells singled, Fukudome lined an RBI double into the right-field corner and Ryan Theriot beat an out an infield single to short as Wells scored for a 4-0 lead.
``JJ was fine, just made a real bad pitch to Derrek,'' Braves manager Bobby Cox said. ``The other one, he had two outs with Fontenot and the pitcher and they ended up getting two more. After that, they got nothing.''
Atlanta had three singles off Wells in the fourth, including an RBI liner to center by Yunel Escobar that cut the lead to 4-1. And when Wells' fumbled Casey Kotchman's dribbler to the left of the mound for an error, the Braves had the bases loaded. Wells escaped by striking out Matt Diaz and getting Jurrjens to hit into a forceout.
McClouth led off the fifth with his 14th homer fifth since joining the Braves to cut the lead in half.
Kevin Gregg worked the ninth for his 15th save in 18 chances.
NOTES: Wells is the first Cubs rookie to win four straight starts since Kerry Wood in 1998, according to Elias Sports Bureau. ... Jeff Francoeur was out of Atlanta's starting lineup for a third straight day Monday, benched in favor of hot-hitting outfielder Matt Diaz. Francoeur pinch hit in the seventh and had an infield single.
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
(WSB Radio) Another swine flu outbreak spoils the fun at YMCA camp in north Georgia.
Three children at Camp High Harbor in Clayton, Georgia, have confirmed three cases of swine flu, while several other campers have gone home with common flu symptoms and sore throats.
Metro Atlanta Communication Director Kristen OBaranec told WSB the camp is screening newcomers for flu-like symptoms and requiring them to take precautionary measures while at the camp.
"The screening, when kids come to camp, includes hand washing, lots of that, environmental cleaning and proactive communication," OBaranec told WSB.
OBaranec said kids at the camp are still enjoying camp activities and only a few campers have been affected by the outbreak.
"I think we've seen a minimal effect from it," OBaranec said. "We have a Web site parents can go to and parents can look at the updates and see exactly what's happening."
(WSB Radio) A Gwinnett County Police cadet has resigned after being charged with burglary.
Sean Filyaw, 24, attempted to steal his neighbors PlayStation while wearing his cadet uniform but a former neighbor witnessed this act. When police arrived on the scene they found Filyaw on the roof of his car, still wearing his cadet uniform.
Gwinnett County Police Corporal David Schiralli told WSB the city of Auburn arrested Filyaw after they arrived on the scene.
"From what I am told he had only been in the academy only five to six weeks," Schiralli said.
Gwinnett County police gave Filyaw the option of resigning instead of being fired after they learned of the charges.
"We will not tolerate anything that will reflect badly on the department," Filyaw said.
Filyaw is currently free on bond.
(WSB Radio) It looked like the foreclosure situation was starting to improve, but on Tuesday, a record number of houses will be auctioned off on the courthouse steps.
Several months ago, there were a record number of foreclosures up for sale, but that record is expected to be broken. On Tuesday, more than 13-hundred properties in foreclosure, nearly double this time last year.
Realtor Patty Kendrick with ES Johnson tells Channel 2 Action News these foreclosures are a real downer on a slowly-improving real estate market.
"The resales and even the new construction, can't compete with all these foreclosures. The banks are taking sometimes as much as 50 cents on the dollar, just to get rid of these houses," said Kendrick.
Meantime, the auctions of the Fayette County houses belonging to former heavyweight Champion Evander Holyfield and state school Superintendent Kathy Cox have been postponed.
The houses were scheduled to be sold Tuesday after both houses went into foreclosure, but an attorney handling the auction would not say why they're being put on hold.
(WSB Radio) The Atlanta Police Department plans to release documents related to the 2006 Neal Street shooting on Tuesday.
The announcement came late Monday, after the department failed to meet the July 6 deadline to deliver the documents.
The Atlanta Civilian Review Board requested investigative files from the fatal shooting of 92 year old Kathryn Johnston and the fatal officer involved shooting of Pierre George.
In a letter, District Attorney Paul Howard stated the department would not release the documents until the police investigation was completed. Howard also said releasing the files would compromise a case against another defendant.
"I believe that producing these documents to a citizens group prior to the completion of this investigation will only taint the police shooting investigation," Howard said in his letter.
Atlanta Civilian Review Board Chairman Rod Edmond said they subpoenaed the documents because they did not expect the department to turn them over otherwise.
"It is the law of the land. The law of the Atlanta," Edmond told Channel 2 Action News. "And the police department, who's supposed to enforce the law, is violating the law."
Edmond told Channel 2 Action News on Monday that he intended to ask the courts to enforce the subpoena.
On Monday, the Atlanta Police Department said it will not release documents related to the 2006 Neal Street shooting without a court order.
(WSB Radio/AP) -- South Carolina police confirm a gun found on a man shot and killed during a robbery attempt today in North Carolina matches the weapon used in a series of murders in that state.
A man matching the description of a suspected serial killer was shot to death by North Carolina police early Monday, witnesses said, and South Carolina authorities were on the scene investigating.
Authorities didn't immediately say if the man killed was linked to five deaths in South Carolina last week, but a sport utility vehicle similar to the one police think the serial killer may have been driving was at the scene of the North Carolina shooting.
South Carolina State Law Enforcement Division spokeswoman Jennifer Timmons said agents traveled to Gastonia after a burglary suspect was shot about 3 a.m. The shooting happened about 30 miles north of Gaffney, S.C., a city terrorized by a suspected serial killer.
The slain man first gave a fake name to officers and then pulled a gun on them when they tried to arrest him on a warrant from Lincoln County, N.C., authorities said.
The suspect was killed and an officer was shot in the foot, but is expected to recover, police said. The suspect's name has not been released.
Police came to the home near Gastonia after getting a call about a suspicious SUV
pulling into a usually vacant home. The SUV matched the champagne-colored Ford police have said the suspected serial killer might have been driving.
The neighbors who called police, Mike and Terri Valentine, were on edge because Gaffney was just a short drive away.
They watched two people that sometime visit the home get out of the vehicle, followed by a third man who matched the description authorities have given for the serial killer. The man appeared to be very intoxicated, Mike Valentine said.
When officers went inside the home, Terri Valentine said she heard someone yell ``put it down'' and heard a gunshot.
Then ``bam, bam, bam, bam. Next thing I know, all of Gaston County was here,'' she said.
Gaston County police said the other two people were in custody, but didn't indicate whether they were facing any charges.
The killing spree in Gaffney occurred in a 10-mile area over six days. A peach farmer was killed June 27, an 83-year-old woman and her daughter were found bound and shot four days later and the next day a father and his teen daughter were shot in their family's furniture store.
People throughout the northwestern South Carolina region have armed themselves, locked their doors and reported anything suspicious.
Cherokee County Sheriff Bill Blanton has said physical evidence linked the five killings in this 54,000-person county known for mills and peach orchards, but he has not elaborated.
Investigators won't give a motive for the killings. They said they haven't determined if the killer knew any of the victims or whether anything linked the five people killed.
``He's just a cold-blooded murderer,'' Blanton told ABC's ``Good Morning America on Monday. ``He's ruined the lives of these three families and has torn our community up. But folks are dealing with it and dealing with it well.''
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
(WSB Radio) -- It will be a star studded send off for the late King of Pop, Michael Jackson, and Atlanta will be well represented at Tuesday's memorial service.The Jackson Family confirms Martin Luther King, III, his sister the Reverend Bernice King, and Usher Raymond will take part in the memorial.
The 90-minute service will follow a private funeral for the family at Forest Lawn Memorial Park where many Hollywood celebrities are buried.
Others who have been confirmed to either speak or sing at Jackson's service include Jackson's friend of 35 years, the Reverend Al Sharpton, Civil Rights Leader the Reverend Jesse Jackson, Motown Records Founder Berry Gordy, Jr., Stevie Wonder, Smokey Robinson, the Lakers' Kobe Bryant, John Mayer, actress Brooke Shields, Mariah Carey and Academy Award winner, Jennifer Hudson.
On eBay, bids for tickets for Tuesday's event were reaching as high as $3,000, though it was impossible to verify the seriousness of those bids. On Craigslist, asking prices also were in the thousands. Some unable to attend, though, simply wanted to give away their tickets as one post read ``to only true fans.''
Throughout the day, both eBay and Craigslist were taking down postings attempting to sell tickets to the memorial service, which will be held at Los Angeles' Staples Center.
More than 1.6 million fans registered online for a chance to attend, and only 8,750 names were chosen each of whom received two free tickets.
Organizers have also made efforts to prevent scalping. Staples Center spokesman Michael Roth said organizers will check IDs to make sure those picking up wristbands are the same people who originally applied online.
Ticket winners also have to present a unique code when picking up tickets, as many did Monday at Dodger Stadium. A bracelet for the event was immediately placed on ticketholders' wrists, though they were permitted to give anyone their second bracelet.
Demand for the tickets was likely to only increase after representatives for Jackson's family released a list of participants Monday.
Even the rejection notices fans received informing them that they had not won tickets to the memorial service were being auctioned. For a dollar or two, some on eBay offered to forward a copy of their rejection e-mail as ``a collector's piece for a fan.''
(WSB Radio) -- A pair of notable metro Atlanta foreclosure auctions have been postponed.
The auctions of the Fayette County houses belonging to former heavyweight Champion Evander Holyfield and to state schools Superintendent Kathy Cox have been delayed for a month.
The houses were scheduled to be sold Tuesday at the Fayette County courthouse after both went into foreclosure. Philip Hasty, an attorney with the law firm handling the auctions, declined to give a reason why they were put on hold.
Holyfield's 109-room Fairburn mansion valued at $10 million has gone into foreclosure twice. His second home valued at $216,000 is also scheduled to be sold at auction.
This is the second time in the past year that Holyfield's property has gone into foreclosure.
Holyfield has grossed more than $248 million in the ring, but two divorces, several failed business ventures and child- support payments believed to total $500,000 annually have taken a toll on his financial situation.
Cox has said she is working with her mortgage company to help save her family's $450,000 Peachtree City home. Cox and her husband filed for bankruptcy earlier this year.
"My husband and I, like so many other families across America, were deeply affected by the sudden and unprecedented downturn in the housing market," Cox said in a recent e-mail.
Given that he battled a frustrating eye injury earlier this season, Sunday's news that McCann had been voted by his peers to be a backup in the July 14 game at St. Louis was particularly rewarding.
``This is probably the happiest I've been because I didn't know what was going on earlier in the season. But we found the solution and I bounced back,'' McCann said.
Earlier this year, McCann experienced deteriorating vision in his left eye after undergoing corrective laser surgery on his eyes after the 2007 season. He wound up on the 15-day disabled list when the condition didn't improve, then unsuccessfully tried three types of contact lenses before switching to two specially fitted pairs of glasses one used in the field and the other when he hits.
``His vision is fine right now,'' said Braves manager Bobby Cox.
McCann was the only Brave named when All-Star Game rosters were announced Sunday, and he will be making his fourth consecutive appearance.
``I'm disappointed we didn't get some more guys on there, but that's fine. You can't get everyone,'' said Cox. ``This is the fourth one in a row for him. It's something we've grown to expect.''
Added teammate Chipper Jones: ``(McCann) deserves it. He's the best catcher in the league.''
McCann finished second to surprise winner Yadier Molina of St. Louis in the fan voting, amassing 2,375,808 votes to Molina's 2,641,467. McCann, however, beat Molina in the player balloting, 499 votes to 314, giving him the edge among his peers for the reserve role.
It's the fourth selection for McCann, who is hitting .304 with eight homers and 33 RBIs, and has hit safely in 36 of 50 games since returning from the 15-day disabled list on May 8.
Since the start of the 2006 season, the 25-year-old McCann leads all Major League Baseball catchers in homers (73), extra-base hits (204), doubles (129) and RBIs (305). He is tied for first with 40 game-winning RBIs.
McCann has appeared in each of the past three All-Star Games as a reserve, and is 0 for 2 lifetime.
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
(WSB Radio ) A local humane society is asking for the public's help after a suspected drunk driver forced it to close.
Police say the driver of a stolen truck had been drinking when he crashed the vehicle into a thrift store that benefits The Humane Society of Cherokee County.
The store manager and another man chased down the driver when he tried to run.
Nobody was hurt in the crash that took out the front area of the store.
"The sad part is that our little humane society thrift store, which is open 7 days a week and we're so broke we can't pay attention is now out of business for a couple of days, at least," says store manager Ottis Moore.
The store was closed at the time of crash, shutting down early for the holiday.
(WSB Radio) Gwinnett County fire investigators have some serious questions about how a house fire in Snellville began.
Fire officials say they've talked to the owner of the house on Beau Point Court and Grand Manor Trail. Now they're trying to find the home's occupants.
"We've not labeled the fire arson," Gwinnett County Fire Captain Tommy Rutledge tells WSB, "but are calling the circumstances surrounding that fire certainly suspicious."
The fire was called in at about 3 o'clock Sunday morning. But that wasn't the first time the house caught the attention of authorities.
Police say they were called to home on Thursday about a possible robbery.
In addition, neighbors say a man was inside the house when the fire broke out, but slowly drove his car away from the scene and never returned. Investigators are now searching for that man.
Rutledge says the house was destroyed and the fire did damage some nearby homes.
(WSB Radio) A Georgia Marine has been killed in Afghanistan, that according to family members.
Lance Corporal Seth Sharp, 20, was killed during Operation Strike of the Sword against the Taliban last Thursday.
Sharp had arrived in Afghanistan just six weeks ago. He was serving in Company E of the 2nd Battalion, 8th Marines.
Sharp's relatives say he had previously served in Iraq after signing up for the military at 17 years old.
Sharp was a student at Adairsville High school and played football, but left early to join the Marines.
He is survived by his mother, Angie Sharp, and his father and stepmother Rick and Tiffany Sharp.
(WSB Radio) Former Georgia Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney is heading home.
McKinney, who was being held by Israel after a ship she was on tried to pass through a naval blockade, was let go, taken to Ben Gurion airport in Tel Aviv and placed on a plane back to the United States.
McKinney's mother tells the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, "We finally got word that she was released," Leola McKinney said late Sunday afternoon. "We don't know what time she is supposed to fly out. All we know is that they took her to the airport.
"I would be more relieved when I know she's on the flight," Leola McKinney added. "But I am relieved that she's away from there."
McKinney had been in Israeli custody since Tuesday when she and 20 others tried to guide their ship to Gaza.
McKinney was on board with members of the "Free Gaza Movement," and left Cyprus on Tuesday aboard the Greek ship Arion.
Cynthia McKinney and other members of the "Free Gaza Movement " left Cyprus Tuesday on the Greek-registered ship Arion.
They were stopped later that day by Israeli naval ships. The blockade is in place to prevent munitions from being smuggled into Gaza.
McKinney says she was delivering humanitarian aide to the Palestinians. Israeli officials say the ship will be searched and any such aid will be delivered, by ground, into Palestine.
Israeli officials blame McKinney and her group for the controversy, saying they were looking for confrontation to attract publicity.
(WSB Radio) It was a deadly weekend on Georgia's roads, but not as bad as had been predicted.
Seventeen people were killed in wrecks in the state from 6 o'clock Thursday night through Sunday night. Seven people died in accidents in the metro Atlanta area.
Believe it or not, that better than had been expected.
The Georgia Department of Public Safety had estimated there would be 22 traffic deaths in Georgia over the holiday weekend.
However, there had been 2,308 crashes, far more than the 1,874 projected. Those accidents resulted in 640 injuries.
Last year, 22 people died and 910 were injured in traffic accidents over the July 4th weekend.
(WSB Radio) A Stone Mountain woman is in grave condition after trying to save a young boy from drowning in Lake Lanier.
Divers pulled 24 year old Ngoc Min Vo from the water Sunday afternoon.
"She's on life support now at Northeast Georgia Medical Center, up in Gainesville," says Rick Lavender, with the Department of Natural Resources. "She was resuscitated and her heart was beating, but she is on life support."
The 6 year old boy slipped off of a floatation device at Van Pew South Park. He's hospitalized at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta at Egleston.
"She apparently was trying to help the child," Lavender tells WSB. "911 got the call at 3:46 and her body was recovered at 4:10."
The boy is, apparently, a relative of the woman.
This is the second incident at the lake in a week.
On June 29, a Gainesville man drowned in Lanier after diving off of a bridge.
LOS ANGELES (AP) The more than 1.6 million fans who registered for tickets to Michael Jackson's memorial service will wait until Monday to learn if they received one of the 11,000 tickets for Tuesday's ceremony.
The two-day registration period for the service at Staples Center in downtown Los Angeles ended Saturday. Another 6,500 tickets will be given away for the Nokia Theater overflow section next door.
Fans had to register for free at staplescenter.com between 10 a.m. Friday and 6 p.m. Saturday for the random drawing of 8,750 names. Each person selected will receive two tickets and will be notified by e-mail after 11 a.m. Sunday.
Before the drawing, officials at AEG, the owner and operator of the Staples Center, will ``scrub'' the entries to eliminate duplicates and any suspected of being made by automated systems or ``go-bots,'' said Jackson family spokesman Ken Sunshine in a statement.
Winners will receive a unique code and instructions on how to pick up their tickets at an off-site distribution center on Monday. At the distribution center, they will receive the ticket and a wristband that will be placed on their wrists at that time.
Fans must have both the ticket and the wristband to enter Staples Center on Tuesday. Wristbands that have been ripped, taped or tampered with will be voided.
Sunshine said those steps are being taken to prevent ticket-scalping.
City officials are preparing for massive crowds. Assistant Police Chief Earl Paysinger says anywhere from a quarter-million to 700,000 people may try to reach the arena, even though a wide area around Staples Center will be sealed off to those without tickets.
City Councilwoman Jan Perry strongly urged people to stay home and watch the memorial on TV. The ceremony will not be shown on Staples' giant outdoor TV screen and there will be no funeral procession through the city.
No details were given about the actual memorial events, which come as the nation's second-largest city struggles with a $530 million budget deficit. Perry said the cost of police protection for ``extraordinary'' events like the memorial is built into the Police Department's budget, but she still solicited help for ``incremental costs.''
Last month, donations covered about $850,000 of the city's $1 million cost for the Los Angeles Lakers' NBA championship parade. Critics had blasted the idea of using city money when it is considering layoffs to close its budget gap.
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
(WSB Radio) A 21-year old man drowned trying to save a drowning boy at Callaway Gardens, a spokesman with the Department of Natural Resources said.
DNR spokesman Rick Lavender told WSB's Charley O'Brian, Rico Ramos Cruz-Armando was trying to save a 9-year old who was having trouble swimming. Cruz-Armando, from East Point, and another boy were able to save the child. But Troup Co. divers recovered Cruz-Armando's body from Robin Lake around 12:30 p.m. Saturday.
Authorities said the 9-year old is fine.
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin didn't wait long to give some hint of what her political life might look like after she leaves office at the end of the month.
After staying out of the public eye for most of Saturday, a day after abruptly announcing she would soon give up her job as governor, Palin indicated on a social networking site that she would take on a larger, national role, citing a ``higher calling'' to unite the country along conservative lines.
``I am now looking ahead and how we can advance this country together with our values of less government intervention, greater energy independence, stronger national security, and much-needed fiscal restraint,'' the former Republican vice presidential candidate wrote in a posting on her Facebook page. Palin's spokeswoman, Meghan Stapleton, confirmed Palin wrote the entry.
Palin shocked even her closest friends on Friday when she announced she would resign July 26, more than a year before her first term ends. But the controversial hockey mom has not revealed many details of bigger plans and national agenda.
Palin instead cast herself as a victim and blasted the media, calling the response to her announcement ``predictable'' and out of touch.
``How sad that Washington and the media will never understand; it's about country,'' the statement said. ``And though it's honorable for countless others to leave their positions for a higher calling and without finishing a term, of course we know by now, for some reason a different standard applies for the decisions I make.''
The abruptness of her announcement and the mystery surrounding her plans have fed widespread speculation. But Palin attorney Thomas Van Flein on Saturday warned legal action may be taken against bloggers and publications that reprint what he calls fraudulent claims.
``To the extent several websites, most notably liberal Alaska blogger Shannyn Moore, are now claiming as 'fact' that Governor Palin resigned because she is 'under federal investigation' for embezzlement or other criminal wrongdoing, we will be exploring legal options this week to address such defamation,'' Van Flein said in a statement. ``This is to provide notice to Ms. Moore, and those who re-publish the defamation, such as Huffington Post, MSNBC, the New York Times and The Washington Post, that the Palins will not allow them to propagate defamatory material without answering to this in a court of law.''
He also told the Anchorage Daily News that Palin wasn't in any criminal legal jeopardy.
``I can say definitively I am aware of no criminal investigation whatsoever involving Sarah Palin. Zero,'' he said.
The FBI reiterated that claim Saturday, telling the Los Angeles Times for a story Sunday that the Federal Bureau of Investigation was not investigating Palin's activities as governor, a former mayor or in any other capacity.
''There is absolutely no truth to those rumors that we're investigating her or getting ready to indict her,'' Special Agent Eric Gonzalez, the bureau's Alaska spokesman, said.
Palin has kept a low profile since her sudden announcement Friday at a hastily called news conference at her home in suburban Wasilla, outside Anchorage. All of her public communication since then has been on the social networking sites Facebook and Twitter, or through statements released by her office.
At the same time, Palin informed her spokesman David Murrow early Saturday that someone using the name ``exgovsarahpalin'' on Twitter was spreading a false rumor that there was to be a party at her suburban home in Wasilla, outside Anchorage. Palin was afraid her home would be mobbed, and security was dispatched, Murrow said.
With only a few weeks before she steps down on July 26, and Alaska Lt. Gov. Sean Parnell takes her place, the governor spent the Fourth of July weekend in the state capital, Juneau, but was only spotted briefly on the sidelines of the city's parade.
She had been invited to ride in a convertible, as she did last year, but never told organizers whether she would attend.
Juneau parade director Jean Sztuk said officials drew up banners in case Palin showed and was willing to take part.
As the last of the parade's clowns and marching bands headed past her, Sztuk gave up on Palin. ``What governor wants to be at the end of the parade?'' she asked.
Her low-profile and vague Internet messages left mounting questions about her plans for the future shrouded in mystery. Will she lay the groundwork for a 2012 presidential bid? Will she find a high-profile place in the private sector, maybe on the speech circuit? Will she drop out of the limelight and focus on her five children?
Her constituents, for one, wanted to know, especially in Juneau, where she has struggled to win over residents.
``I think she owes it to Alaskans to tell us why,'' said state Sen. Dennis Egan, D-Juneau, the son of Alaska's first governor, Bill Egan.
Egan, hosting a 50th anniversary statehood ceremony, said he was disappointed Palin decided not to finish out her term, which was scheduled to end in 2010.
``It's sad she abandoned us at this critical time,'' said Egan, who was appointed by Palin to an open seat on the last day of the legislative session in April, after a protracted battle with Senate Democrats.
Palin's departure can't come soon enough for Laurel Carlton, a waitress at the Capital Cafe in the Baranof Hotel, where the city's political movers and shakers meet every morning before walking a few blocks to the Capitol.
``I think she has a game plan that's not Alaska, and hasn't been for awhile,'' Carlton said.
She noted Palin has a book deal, and seems headed for the national stage.
``If you're really not going to stay and do your job every day, you should leave anyway, and so the sooner the better so somebody can step in and actually do the job,'' Carlton said.
And as far as Carlton is concerned, Palin doesn't need to explain why she's leaving.
``We don't care. We just want her gone,'' she said.
Palin, whose popularity in Alaska has waned amid ongoing ethics investigations, gave many reasons for stepping down: She didn't want to be a lame-duck governor; she was tired of the tasteless jokes aimed at her five children, including her son Trig, who has Down syndrome; she felt she could do more in another, still-to-be-defined role.
Sen. John McCain didn't rule out a return to politics for his former running mate, saying Saturday he believes ``she will continue to play an important leadership role in the Republican Party and our nation.'' He gave no other details.
Even Parnell, who plans to run for re-election after finishing out Palin's term, said he was shocked at first when he learned of his boss' decision.
``But then as she began to articulate her reasons, I began to understand better,'' he said. ``And nobody unless they've been in her position and understood what she has gone through and dealt with and who she is as a person really understands.''
Associated Press Writer Rachel D'Oro in Anchorage contributed to this report.
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) Former NFL quarterback Steve McNair, who led the famous Tennessee Titans' drive that came a yard short of forcing overtime in the 2000 Super Bowl, was found dead Saturday with multiple gunshot wounds, including one to the head. Police said a pistol was discovered near the body of a woman also shot dead in a downtown condominium.
Nashville police spokesman Don Aaron identified the woman as 20-year-old Sahel Kazemi, whom he called a ``friend'' of McNair's. She had a single gunshot wound to the head.
Police said the 36-year-old McNair was found on the sofa in the living room, and Kazemi was very close to him on the floor. Aaron said the gun was not ``readily apparent'' when police first arrived.
Autopsies were planned for Sunday.
Aaron said McNair's wife, Mechelle, is ``very distraught.''
``At this juncture, we do not believe she is involved,'' he said. ``Nothing has been ruled out, but as far as actively looking for a suspect tonight, the answer would be no.''
Fred McNair, Steve McNair's oldest brother, said some family members likely will travel to Nashville on Monday to consult with Steve McNair's wife.
``It's still kind of hard to believe,'' Fred McNair said. ``He was the greatest person in the world. He gave back to the community. He loved kids and he wanted to be a role model to kids.''
He said he did not know who Kazemi was.
The bodies were discovered Saturday afternoon by McNair's longtime friend, Wayne Neeley, who said he rents the condo with McNair.
Aaron said Neeley told authorities he went into the condo, saw McNair on the sofa and Kazemi on the floor but walked first into the kitchen before going back into the living room, where he saw the blood.
Neeley then called a friend, who alerted authorities.
Police said a witness saw McNair arrive at the condo in the upscale Rutledge Hill neighborhood between 1:30 and 2 a.m. Saturday and that Kazemi's vehicle was already there. The condominium is located within walking distance of an area filled with restaurants and nightspots, a few blocks from the Cumberland River and within view of the Titans' stadium.
Two days ago, Nashville police arrested Kazemi on a DUI charge while driving a 2007 Escalade registered to her and McNair. McNair was in the front seat, but didn't break the law and was allowed to leave by taxi.
The arrest affidavit said Kazemi had bloodshot eyes and the smell of alcohol on her breath, but refused a breathalyzer test, saying ``she was not drunk, she was high.''
McNair and his family frequented the restaurant where Kazemi was a waitress, according employees and patrons of Dave Buster's in Nashville. Keith Norfleet, Kazemi's ex-boyfriend, told The Tennessean newspaper that McNair and Kazemi met at the restaurant.
``She was reliable 90 percent of the time,'' manager Chris Truelove said of Kazemi. ``She was pretty outgoing. A lot of the guests liked being around her, and she liked being around the guests.''
Co-worker Shantez Jobe, 33, she said was friends with Kazemi.
``We talked about who had more fashion sense, and who was the cutest, and who could get more boys, you know some of the stuff girls do,'' Jobe said.
In June, McNair opened a restaurant near the Tennessee State University campus. It was closed Saturday evening, but had become a small memorial, where flowers, candles and notes had been placed outside the door.
On the restaurant's windows were messages: ``We will miss you Steve'' and ``We love you Steve.''
A note attached to a small blue teddy bear read, ``We will never forget you, Steve. Once a Titan, always a Titan.''
``We don't know the details, but it is a terrible tragedy and our hearts go out to the families involved,'' NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said in a statement.
McNair, a four-time Pro Bowl selection, led the Titans to the 2000 Super Bowl, which they lost 23-16 to the St. Louis Rams. He was co-MVP of the NFL with Colts quarterback Peyton Manning in 2003. He also played for the Baltimore Ravens before retiring in April 2008.
His most notable moment came in that Super Bowl, when he led the Titans 87 yards in the final minute and 48 seconds, only to come up a yard short of the tying touchdown. Kevin Dyson caught his 9-yard pass, but was tackled at the 1-yard line by the Rams' Mike Jones.
McNair accounted for all of Tennessee's yards in that drive, throwing for 48 yards and rushing for 14. The rest of the yardage came on penalties against the Rams. Before that, he brought the Titans back from a 16-0 deficit to tie the game.
``If you were going to draw a football player, the physical part, the mental part, everything about being a professional, he is your guy,'' former Ravens and Titans teammate Samari Rolle said. ``I can't even wrap my arms around it. It is a sad, sad day. The world lost a great man today.''
McNair grew up in rural Mount Olive, Miss., and became a nationally known college football star playing for Alcorn State, a Division I-AA school in his home state. He was so dominant in the Southwestern Athletic Conference, he became a Heisman Trophy contender. National media flocked to little Lorman in the southwest corner of the Magnolia state to get a look at ``Air McNair.'' He still holds the Division I-AA (now known as Football Championship Subdivision) records for career yards passing (14,496) and total offense (16,823).
McNair was the third overall draft pick in 1995 by the Houston Oilers, who eventually became the Titans. He finished his career with 31,304 yards passing and 174 touchdowns. McNair's rugged style led to numerous injuries and aches. He played with pain for several years, and the injuries ultimately forced him to retire.
``On the field, there isn't a player that was as tough as him, especially at the quarterback position,'' the Ravens' Derrick Mason said. ``What I have seen him play through on the field, and what he dealt with during the week to get ready for a game, I have never known a better teammate.''
During a five-game stretch at the end of the 2002 season, McNair was so bruised he couldn't practice. But he started all five games and won them, leading the Titans to an 11-5 record and a berth in the AFC championship game for the second time in four seasons.
McNair played all 16 games in 2006, his first season in Baltimore, and guided the Ravens to a 13-3 record. But he injured his groin during the season opener in 2007 and never regained the form that put him in those Pro Bowls.
``I am deeply saddened to learn of today's tragic news regarding the death of Steve McNair. He was a player who I admired a great deal,'' said New England Patriots senior football adviser Floyd Reese, who was GM of the Titans when McNair played for them. ``He was a tremendous leader and an absolute warrior. He felt like it was his responsibility to lead by working hard every day, no matter what.''
Titans coach Jeff Fisher was out of the country, taking part in the first NFL-USO coaches tour to Iraq.
Ozzie Newsome, Ravens executive vice president and general manager, said he immediately thought of McNair's four sons.
``This is so, so sad. We immediately think of his family, his boys. They are all in our thoughts and prayers,'' he said ``What we admired most about Steve when we played against him was his competitive spirit, and we were lucky enough to have that with us for two years. He is one of the best players in the NFL over the last 20 years.''
No funeral arrangements have been made.
Associated Press Writer Emily Wagster Pettus in Mount Olive, Miss., AP Writers Randall Paul Dickerson and Lucas L. Johnson II in Nashville, Tenn., and AP Sports Writer Teresa Walker in Fort Walton Beach, Fla., contributed to this report.
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
(WSB Radio) A man in his late teens or early 20s was shot multiple times and killed while walking in Northwest Atlanta, police said.
Atlanta Police Lt. Keith Meadows told WSB Radio, Dominique Smith was walking near 754 Griffin Street when someone pulled out a handgun and opened fire.
"The suspect discharged the weapon at least 11 times," Lt. Meadows said. "The victim was hit 8 times in the torso."
Police think Smith was targeted in the shooting. There appears to be only one gunman.
"It seems pretty excessive," Lt. Meadows said. "We are trying to determine an actual motive for the shooting. We hope some of the witness will be able to shed some light on why this shooting occurred."
Investigators did not have any suspects. The shooting happened around 9:30 p.m. Saturday. No one else was shot.
ATLANTA (AP) Atlanta police say they have arrested 11 suspects in the theft of blue jeans from high-end clothing boutiques and have recovered $10,000 worth of stolen merchandise.
Police Sgt. Lisa Keyes says officers were tipped Friday to suspicious activity at a house and arrived to find the suspects removing tags from shirts and hundreds of jeans.
Keyes said much of the merchandise had labels and security tags attached.
Atlanta boutiques have been plagued for months by a series of smash-and-grab burglaries, in which the thieves break through the windows and quickly make off with the merchandise.
Keyes said two other suspects arrested Friday were linked to an attempted break-in Thursday at a Midtown store that was hit twice last month.
Information from: The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, http://www.ajc.com
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
BRUNSWICK, Ga. (AP) The College of Coastal Georgia has banned the use of tobacco on campus.
The rule applies to students, faculty, staff and visitors making the college one of 160 in the nation to go totally tobacco-free.
Valerie Hepburn, president of Coastal Georgia, which is transitioning from a two-year community college into the state's newest four-year school, said the college as focused on raising awareness through signs, information on its Web site and a partnership with local health agencies to offer smoking cessation classes to faculty and staff.
Signs announcing the tobacco ban are up at campus entrances .
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
JERUSALEM (AP) Former Georgia Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney and most other members of a group of foreign peace activists seized at sea by the Israeli navy remain in custody after an attempt to run Israel's blockade of the Gaza Strip.
In the latest attempt by activists to break a crippling two-year blockade of Gaza, a group called the Free Gaza Movement sent the ship loaded with humanitarian supplies and 21 activists and crew from Cyprus.
The Israeli navy intercepted the ship Tuesday after it ignored repeated messages saying it would not be allowed to enter Gaza waters and ordering it to turn back.
Among those still being held pending a hearing Sunday is McKinney, who represented Georgia's Fourth District as a Democrat.
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
STONE MOUNTAIN, Ga. (AP) A 68-year-old Snellville man died while kayaking on Stone Mountain Park lake.
Stone Mountain police told Atlanta television stations that Belton Dykes drowned after falling out of a kayak between 7:30 and 8 p.m. Friday.
Dykes widow, Mary Lou Dykes, told The Atlant Journal-Constitution on Saturday that the cause of death was unknown but she suspects he had a stroke because he was capable of swimming the 40 feet to shore.
Witnesses told park police they saw his boat overturned and moments later Dykes started swimming. But within a few strokes, he went under again.
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
WASHINGTON (AP) A mammoth milestone home run by Adam Dunn was upstaged by his simple single that helped Washington rally to beat Atlanta.
Atlanta's Tommy Hanson extended his scoreless innings streak to 26 before Dunn's 300th career homer and the Washington Nationals rallied for four eighth-inning runs and a 5-3 victory over the Braves on Saturday.
``That 300th home run would have been hard to talk about. It would have been a useless home run if we hadn't won the game,'' said Dunn, whose RBI single off Eric O'Flaherty snapped a 3-all tie.
Hanson departed with a 3-1 lead after seven innings and was in line for his fifth straight victory before the Braves bullpen blew up, halting Atlanta's winning streak at a season-high five.
``It was remarkable,'' said Nationals manager Manny Acta.
Mike Gonzalez (3-1) loaded the bases with one down in the eighth on a pinch-hit single by Ronnie Belliard and a pair of walks before Peter Moylan relieved and yielded a two-run, game-tying single to Ryan Zimmerman.
O'Flaherty replaced Moylan and was greeted by Dunn's decisive single up the middle on the first pitch he threw. Josh Willingham followed with an RBI single to left.
``That's the most frustrating part right now. I could really care less about how I did. Tommy goes out there and does such a great job, and obviously our offense is doing really well,'' Gonzalez said. ``We're playing really good ball. Hopefully this doesn't put a chink in what we're doing right now.''
Atlanta's bullpen had pitched to a 3.98 ERA and had retired 167 of 243 first batters faced (69 percent) before Saturday's implosion.
``It's been terrific. I don't think we're ever due (for a bad game), but it happens. You're not going to be perfect all the time,'' Braves manager Bobby Cox said.
Lannan was the beneficiary of the rally. The left-hander allowed three runs and nine hits in eight innings, ending Washington's losing streak at four games. Lannan (6-5) walked one and struck out one.
Mike MacDougal worked the ninth for his fourth save, escaping a two-on, one-out jam.
Hanson, who was recalled from Triple-A Gwinnett on June 7 to make his major league debut, took a no-decision in that game and has yet to lose. He allowed only Nick Johnson's single to center in the first and a second-inning infield hit by Anderson Hernandez over the first six innings.
The right-hander walked one and struck out five, lowering his ERA to 2.25 in a 105-pitch effort.
Acta said Hanson deviated from the video scouting report the Nationals had on him, not hurting himself with walks and failing to fall into pitch patterns hitters could recognize.
When asked what was working for him, Hanson said: ``I think everything. I felt good with all my pitches and my command of everything. I was just trying to keep them off balance and it worked out.''
Dunn hit his milestone blast leading off the seventh, crushing a 2-2 fastball deep into the second deck in right field to ruin Hanson's shutout bid. The 29-year-old is the fifth player major league history to reach that total in less than 4,200 at-bats, succeeding in his 4,145th at-bat. The others are Babe Ruth (3,830), Mark McGwire (3,837), Ralph Kiner (3,883) and Harmon Killebrew (3,928).
The Braves took a 1-0 lead in the third on Nate McLouth's RBI single. Brooks Conrad led off with a single to center, moved to second on Hanson's sacrifice bunt and scored when McLouth blooped a single over second base.
In the sixth, McLouth drew a leadoff walk and Martin Prado followed with a double to left before consecutive RBI singles to center by Chipper Jones and Garret Anderson made it 3-0.
NOTES: Lannan has thrown six straight quality starts. ... Atlanta and Washington are tied for the National League lead with nine victories from rookie starting pitchers. ... Washington is 3-2 on July 4 since moving from Montreal before the 2005 season, winning three straight on Independence Day. ... Braves OF Matt Diaz is 11 for 17 (.647) with five RBIs in his last five games. ... Dunn's 300th home run ball was caught by U.S. Army Col. William Sanders, who returned it to Dunn, asking for nothing in return. Dunn gave him an autographed jersey, a couple of autographed baseballs and told Sanders to call him if he ever wanted tickets to a game.
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
ROME, Ga. (AP) A Marine from northwest Georgia, who was killed in Afghanistan, joined the military when he was 17 and previously had been in Iraq, his uncle said.
Lance Cpl. Seth Sharp of Adairsville was killed Thursday, just six weeks after arriving in Afghanistan, Shane Rogers told the Rome News-Tribune.
Rogers says the 20-year-old Sharp played football at Adairsville High School but left high school early to join the Marines.
He is survived by his mother, Angie Sharp, and his father and stepmother, Rick and Tiffany Sharp.
Sharp was killed during Operation Strike of the Sword, the latest push by the United States Marine Corps taking on the Taliban. He was serving in Company E of the 2nd Battalion, 8th Marines.
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) North Korea fired six ballistic missiles off its eastern coast Saturday, South Korea said, a violation of U.N. resolutions and an apparent message of defiance to the United States on its Independence Day.
The launches, which came two days after North Korea fired four short-range cruise missiles, will likely further escalate tensions in the region as the U.S. tries to muster support for tough enforcement of the U.N. resolution imposed on the communist regime for its May nuclear test.
South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said three missiles were fired early Saturday, a fourth around noon and two more in the afternoon. The Defense Ministry said that the missiles were ballistic and are believed to have flown more than 250 miles (400 kilometers).
``Our military is fully ready to counter any North Korean threats and provocations based on strong South Korea-U.S. combined defense posture,'' the Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement.
South Korea's Yonhap news agency quoted military officials as saying the missiles appeared to be a type of Scud missile. North Korea's Scuds are considered short-range, the South's military said.
North Korea is not allowed to fire Scuds, medium-range missiles or long-range missiles under a resolution that bans any launch using ballistic missile technology. Thursday's launches, on the other hand, did not violate the resolution as they were cruise missiles rather than ballistic, according to South Korea's Foreign Ministry.
Ballistic missiles are guided during their ascent out of the atmosphere but fall freely when they descend. Cruise missiles are fired straight at a target.
The North has a record of timing missile tests for the U.S. national day, which fell on Saturday.
``The missiles were seen as part of military exercises, but North Korea also appeared to have sent a message to the U.S. through the missile launches,'' a senior official in South Korea's presidential said, without elaborating.
The official told The Associated Press that North Korea could fire more missiles in coming days, but said there was little possibility it could fire an intercontinental ballistic missile, as it threatened in April.
He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to media.
North Korea's state news agency carried no reports on the launches. But the North had warned ships to stay away from its east coast through July 10 for military exercises an indication it was planning launches.
The chief of U.S. Naval operations, Adm. Gary Roughead, said Saturday the American military was ready for any North Korean missile tests.
``Our ships and forces here are prepared for the tracking of the missiles and observing the activities that are going on,'' Roughead said after meeting Japanese military officials in Tokyo before the news of the launches.
South Korea and Japan, which are within easy range of North Korean missiles, condemned the launches as a ``provocative'' act that violates the U.N. resolution.
South Korea ``expressed deep regret over the North's continuous behavior that escalates tensions in Northeast Asia by repeatedly defying'' the resolution, the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
In Tokyo, Chief Cabinet Secretary Takeo Kawamura said in a statement that the launch of missiles ``is a serious act of provocation against the security of neighboring countries, including Japan, and is against the resolution of the U.N Security Council.''
In Beijing, a Foreign Ministry spokesman said he had no immediate comment. China is the North's closest ally.
During the U.S. Independence Day holiday in 2006, Pyongyang fired a barrage of missiles, including a long-range Taepodong-2 that broke apart and fell into the ocean less than a minute after liftoff. Those launches also came amid tensions with the U.S. over North Korea's nuclear program.
A long-range missile launch by North Korea toward the United States would further flout the U.N. sanctions resolution punishing Pyongyang for its May 25 nuclear test. The U.S. last month said it had positioned more missile defenses around Hawaii as a precaution.
But spy satellites have apparently not detected any of the preparations that would normally precede such a launch.
The North wants to show Washington that it is not yielding to pressure, and the regime is likely to save a long-range launch for later, Kim Yong-hyun, a professor at Seoul's Dongguk University and an expert on the country, said Friday.
Associated Press writers Yuri Kageyama and Tomoko A. Hosaka in Tokyo, Henry Sanderson in Beijing, and Jae-soon Chang in Seoul contributed to this report.
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
ATLANTA (AP) Sammy Kitwara of Kenya won the 40th Peachtree Road Race with a time of 27:21 in his debut in the annual 6.2-mile event through the streets of Atlanta.
Ridouane Harroufi of Morocco was second, and Ethiopia's Gashu Ibrahim Jeilan third.
Abdi Abdirahman of Tucson, Ariz., captured his third straight USA Men's 10-kilometer championship in the race Saturday, holding off Anthony Famiglietti in the final mile. Abdirahman, a three-time Olympian, finished in sixth place overall in the international field with a time of 28:11. Famiglietti wound up eighth, four seconds behind Abdirahman.
The top seed in the women's field, Lineth Chepkurui of Kenya, won her first Peachtree race, while Switzerland's Marcel Hug and Edith Hunkeler swept the wheelchair divisions.
Hunkeler, a five-time Peachtree winner, defended her title with a course-record 23:09.98, surpassing the previous mark of 23:11.
About 55,000 runners took part in the race, which started with temperatures in the lows 70s and very little humidity.
Abdirahman picked up $10,000 for winning the USA 10-kilometer championship. This was fifth stop for the men on the 2009 USA Running Circuit, a USA Track and Field road series that features championships ranging from one mile to the marathon and attracts elite U.S. distance runners.
Famiglietti leads the men's side with 27 points, while Magdalena Boulet currently tops the women's list with 27 points.
There are 10 events each in the series for the men and women.
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
(WSB Radio) A kayaker fell and drowned in a lake at Stone Mountain Park Friday, authorities said.
"Witnesses said that he overturned, swam a little ways and went under," Stone Mountain Park police Chief Chuck Kelly told WSB-TV the drowning happened after 6 p.m. "11 minutes later we located the gentleman in about 15 feet of water and about 40 feet from the shoreline."
Doctors did not immediately know the victim's identification. Investigators said he was not wearing a life vest.
"It's your best protection," said Chief Kelly. "You never know what can happen on the water. You could fall out of a boat, anything could happen. A life preserver could truly save your life."
On Memorial Day 2007, a fisherman found the body of a woman who had drowned in the lake at Stone Mountain Park. Another woman drowned in the park's lake in 2001. The medical examiner ruled both deaths accidental.
WASILLA, Alaska (AP) Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin abruptly announced Friday she is resigning from office at the end of the month, a shocking move that rattled the Republican party but left open the possibility she would seek a run for the White House in 2012.
Palin, 45, and her staff kept her future plans shrouded in mystery, and it was unclear if the controversial hockey mom would quietly return to private life or begin laying the foundation for a presidential bid.
Palin's spokesman, David Murrow, said the governor didn't say anything to him about this being her ``political finale.'' He said he interpreted Palin's comment about working outside government as reflecting her current job only.
``She's looking forward to serving the public outside the governor's chair,'' he said.
And Pam Pryor, a spokeswoman for Palin's political action committee SarahPAC, said the group continues to accept donations on its Web site, with an uptick in funds after Palin's announcement.
The announcement caught even current and former Palin advisers by surprise. Former members of the John McCain campaign team, now dispersed across the country, traded perplexed e-mails and phone calls.
But personal pressures have been mounting scrutiny on her family, legal bills, ethics investigations and a running, public fued with McCain's camp that has flared up again.
In a hastily arranged news conference at her home in suburban Wasilla, Palin said she will formally step down July 26, and Lt. Gov. Sean Parnell will be inaugurated at the governor's picnic in Fairbanks. She said she had decided against running for re-election as Alaska's governor, and believed it was best to leave office even though she had well over a year left to her term.
``Many just accept that lame duck status, and they hit that road. They draw a paycheck. They kind of milk it. And I'm not going to put Alaskans through that,'' she said.
The 2008 vice presidential nominee was seen as a likely presidential contender in 2012 and had proved formidable among the party's base. But the last week brought a highly critical piece in Vanity Fair magazine, with unnamed campaign aides questioning if Palin was ever really prepared for the presidency. The backbiting continued with follow-up articles recounting the nasty infighting that plagued her failed bid. Her advisers sniped with other Republicans, underscoring the deeply divided GOP looking for its next standard bearer.
Meghan Stapleton, Palin's personal spokeswoman, shot down speculation that ranged wildly from Palin dropping out of politics altogether to eyeing runs against fellow Alaska Republicans U.S. Rep. Don Young and U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski. Palin's comment about serving outside government refers to the present, she said.
Stapleton, however, said it's too early to say whether Palin would seek the presidency. In the meantime, the governor will continue to work ``toward affecting positive change as a citizen without a title right now,'' she said.
``Her vision is what's best for Alaska, which translates into what's best for America,'' Stapleton said.
Palin's resignation, timed on the eve of the July 4 holiday when many Americans had already begun a three-day weekend, seemed designed to avoid publicity. She alluded to how she could help change the country and help military members code that she didn't think her time on the national stage was over.
One senior Palin adviser, who spoke to the family in recent days, described the governor and her husband as tired of the constant media scrutiny. Nevertheless, the adviser was shocked to hear Palin's announcement Friday.
A longtime confidant who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss private conversations, the adviser counseled the Palins that leaving government was politically unwise, but the governor was resolute.
Though the announcement touched off a flurry of speculation among Democrats and Alaska political bloggers that Palin had been drawn into one of the many criminal investigations that have upended Alaska politics in recent years, the adviser reported seeing no evidence of such an investigation and said if one is under way, then Palin has kept it to herself and it would be yet another surprise to supporters.
Jerry McBeath, a veteran political science professor at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, called the pending resignation a ``smart move,'' both for Palin and the state.
But political analyst Larry Sabato, in Charlottesville, Va., said Palin's announcement left many confused. ``I think it eliminates her from serious consideration for the presidency in 2012.''
Palin said her family weighed heavily in her decision.
``I polled the most important people in my life, my kids, where the count was unanimous,'' she said. ``Well, in response to asking, 'Hey, you want me to make a positive difference and fight for all our children's future from outside the governor's office?' It was four yeses and one 'Hell, yeah!'' And the 'Hell, yeah' sealed it.''
Palin's decision not to seek re-election was a familiar one for a potential presidential candidate. Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney chose not to seek another term as he geared up for an unsuccessful 2008 presidential bid. Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty has announced he won't seek another term, giving him plenty of free time ahead of a potential 2012 bid.
Palin emerged from relative obscurity nearly a year ago when she was tapped as then Republican presidential candidate John McCain's running mate.
She was a controversial figure from the start, with comedian Tina Fey famously imitating her elaborate updo and folksy ``You betcha!'' on ``Saturday Night Live.''
In the presidential race, Palin became the butt of talk-show jokes and Democratic criticism after news broke that the Republican Party had spent $150,000 or more on a designer wardrobe, accessories and hair and makeup services for her. The high-end spending spree contrasted with the down-to-earth image she sought to craft for herself and became an unwelcome issue for the McCain campaign.
She didn't leave the limelight once McCain lost the presidency. She recently led a public spat with ``Late Show'' host David Letterman over a joke he made about one of her daughters being ``knocked up'' by New York Yankees baseball player Alex Rodriguez during the governor's recent visit to New York. Palin's 18-year-old daughter, Bristol, is an unwed, teenage mother. Letterman later apologized for the joke.
Palin also complained that her 14-month-old son, Trig, who was diagnosed with Down's syndrome, had been ``mocked and ridiculed by some mean-spirited adults recently.'' She didn't elaborate.
Fred Malek, a Republican strategist who has advised Palin over the past year, said Palin was ``really unhappy with the way her life was going.''
``She felt that the pressures of the job combined with her family obligations and the demands and desires to help other Republican candidates led her to decide not to run again. Once that decision was made, she realized, why not do it now and let the lieutenant governor take over and get a head start on his election,'' Malek said.
Palin's move also prompted speculation among bloggers and critics that the governor was facing a looming political crisis or embarrassment.
``There's got to be something below the surface that's about ready to come to the surface that quite potentially she just didn't want to deal with as governor,'' said Andrew Halcro, a Palin critic who lost the 2006 gubernatorial race to her.
Stapleton, Palin's spokeswoman, dismissed the rumors of damaging news on the horizon.
``No truth whatsoever. Period,'' she wrote in an e-mail to The Associated Press. ``Just more nonsense from the same people who choose to waste state resources.''
Palin has become a polarizing figure in Alaska since the national campaign, leading to multiple ethics complaints to be filed against her with the state personnel board. The complaints have ranged from accusing her of wearing the logo of her husband's sponsor at snowmobile races to illegally gaining from office with the creation of a legal defense fund.
All but two of the 15 complaints have been dismissed with no findings of wrongdoing, although one complaint led to Palin's agreement to reimburse the state about $8,100 for costs associated with trips taken with her children. The state says it has spent nearly $300,000 to investigate the complaints, and Palin says she has racked up more than $500,000 in legal fees fighting them.
Palin was first elected in 2006 on a populist platform. But her popularity has waned as she became embroiled in partisan politics following her return from the presidential campaign. Her term would have ended in 2010.
Palin expressed frustration with her current role as governor.
``I cannot stand here as your governor and allow the millions of dollars and all that time go to waste just so I can hold the title of governor,'' Palin said, referring to the alleged impact of multiple ethics complaints against her, most of which have been dismissed.
Palin remaining as governor is not good for Alaska, given the ``political bloodsport'' by her critics, Stapleton said. Stepping down is a ``fighter's move,'' Stapleton said, essentially Palin stepping around political barriers in her way and pursuing her vision.
Palin's announcement comes after several recent blows to the Republican party. Ensign, a member of the Christian ministry Promise Keepers, stepped down from the Senate Republican leadership last month after admitting he had an affair for much of last year with a woman on his campaign staff who was married to one of his Senate aides. Ensign later disclosed he had helped the woman's husband get two jobs during the affair.
A government watchdog group, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, wants the Senate ethics committee and the Federal Election Commission to investigate.
Just days after news of Ensign's affair broke, Sanford admitted an affair with a woman in Argentina. Some lawmakers are now calling for his resignation. Before the admission, Sanford had been missing from the state for five days visiting his lover. He had slipped his security detail, lied to his staff about where he was and failed to transfer power to the lieutenant governor in case of a state emergency.
The party's troubles seem to have left two prominent 2012 prospects, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and 2008 presidential hopeful Mitt Romney, unscathed, however.
Palin has the potential to make far more money in