Legals, May 22, 2013

18 hurt in shuttle bus crash near Atlanta airport

COLLEGE PARK, Ga. (AP) - Eighteen people were taken to the hospital Friday, at least two in serious condition, after they were hurt in a crash between a hotel shuttle bus and a tractor-trailer near Atlanta's airport, officials said.

DeKalb moves commencements from religious settings

DECATUR, Ga. (AP) - None of the DeKalb County school system's commencement ceremonies will take place in places of worship this year in response to parent complaints.

Legal woes piling up for GA Democratic Party chair

LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. (AP) - Legal woes are piling up for the leader of Georgia's Democratic Party.

Boy Scouts approve plan to accept openly gay boys

GRAPEVINE, Texas (AP) - After lengthy and wrenching debate, local leaders of the Boy Scouts of America have voted to open their ranks to openly gay boys for the first time, but heated reactions from the left and right made clear that the BSA's controversies are far from over.

Man dies after accident at Lake Jackson

A Conyers man died on the way to the hospital following a boating crash on Lake Jackson Tuesday. Authorities are still determining the cause of death.

Lowest gas price - May 24

The lowest price for regular fuel is $3.52 at Shell, located at 10700 Covington Road and Flat Shoals Road.

County OKs new landscaping firm

The county's lawn maintenance contract mini-saga ended Tuesday night when the Newton County Board of Commissioners approved a low bid from Conyers-based G & G Landscape Management Group.

BOE approves tentative budget

Members of the Newton County Board of Education approved a tentative budget for the 2013-14 school year, but did not vote to eliminate Ombudsman transportation, leaving that decision on the table.

School system to begin summer hours

Newton County School System's county offices (the Board of Education Building and Service Center) will begin summer hours next week.

Memorial Day event to honor the fallen

The annual Memorial Day service will take place on the square at 10 a.m. Monday, with keynote speaker Max Vincent, senior pastor at Allen Memorial United Methodist Church in Oxford.

Owens named Alcovy principal

Newton High School assistant principal Sandra Owens has been named principal of Alcovy High School, and the educator said she is honored to be named the school's new leader.

Several Covington events coming up

The city of Covington will have several road closures around the square this summer as the events schedules ramps up along with the heat.

Area grads at the top of their class

Social Circle High School

County official seeks budget priorities

Tasked with paring down an additional $5.47 million worth of budget requests in fiscal year 2014, County Manager John Middleton is leaning on department heads to tell him what they most need to move the county forward.

House OKs lower alcohol limits for boat operators

ATLANTA (AP) - Reacting to high-profile deaths on Lake Lanier, the Georgia House of Representatives has approved a proposal to lower the allowable blood-alcohol limits for hunters and anyone driving a water vessel in the state.

Pa. school asks students to cut back on body spray

BETHLEHEM, Pa. (AP) - A Pennsylvania high school wants its students to cut back on the body spray.

US stocks rise ahead of Federal Reserve meeting

U.S. stocks rose strongly Wednesday ahead of a decision by the Federal Reserve about whether to push ahead with aggressive measures to boost the economy.

Porterdale volunteer fire dept. looking for vendors

The Porterdale Volunteer Fire Department is looking for vendors to join their Spring Fling, and donations for the department to raffle off. The funds will be used to benefit the volunteer department so they can make repairs and maintain the department, which is not covered in budgets for the city of Porterdale or Newton County Fire Service.

Social Circle answers legal complaint

Social Circle has responded to accusations made by former director of public safety Tom Fox. Fox filed a lawsuit against the city claiming he was fired for being a whistleblower, and the city has listed 14 defenses against Fox's accusations, one being Fox failed to do his job. Fox worked as director of public safety for Social Circle from 2010 until the position was eliminated in July 2012 after city officials decided to ...

Lowest gas price - March 20

The lowest price for regular fuel in Covington is $3.46 at the Quick Spot, located at 10260 Ga. Highway 36 and Eagle Drive.

Mayor unveils plan to attract retail

Covington Mayor Ronnie Johnston rolled out a three-point plan at Monday night's Covington City Council meeting to attract new residents, put existing residents to work and attract more retail stores to the city.

Forum Monday on proposed gun laws

Citizens will have the opportunity to voice their concerns with proposed changes to the county's discharge of a firearm ordinance at a forum next week.

ABC pilot to film downtown this week

A pilot for a new paranormal-themed ABC drama will be filming in Covington later this week, as the iconic downtown square has attracted yet another production.

E-SPLOST passes in low turnout election

The education SPLOST passed Tuesday by 260 votes in a special election that saw a voter turnout of only 3.31 percent.

Fazio: A great day for croquet

It doesn't have to be about winning, scholarships, money and notoriety. Sports is relaxing, therapeutic and – well –fun. At least that's what it was designed as, a way to get recreation and prepare for hunts and survival. Nowadays, I often find myself thinking of sports as a business more than a way to run out your stresses and enjoy time with the other participants. Saturday the Heartland Woman's Club brought things back to the ...

Oxford, NCRC partner for tennis programs

The Newton County Recreation Department and Oxford College of Emory have partnered for the first time to bring the community a new tennis experience.

Eagles split doubleheader

Eastside baseball suffered its first loss of the season to Jackson County Saturday, before picking up revenge in the nightcap of the doubleheader by beating Jefferson.

Montessori hosts 12th annual chili luncheon

The Montessori School of Covington hosted its 12th annual Community Appreciation Chili Luncheon Monday with a meal prepared by students of the early childhood program.

Social Circle hosts cleanup

Social Circle is hosting a city-wide cleanup Saturday, beginning at 8 a.m. Groups will be assigned a street each to pick up trash until either they are done or 11 a.m. Participants of this cleanup include civic clubs, citizens, the mayor and members of the city council.