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.

Thousands of Georgians without power after storms

ATLANTA (AP) - Thousands of Georgians were without power Tuesday morning after rain, hail and heavy winds buffeted parts of Georgia.

AP: Costs of US wars linger for over 100 years

OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) - If history is any judge, the U.S. government will be paying for the Iraq and Afghanistan wars for the next century as service members and their families grapple with the sacrifices of combat.

Police: Fla. college student plotted an attack

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) - A University of Central Florida student who pulled a dorm fire alarm in the middle of the night had a more sinister plan than sending students scurrying out into the night, authorities said.

Jekyll Island inn to become Holiday Inn Resort

JEKYLL ISLAND, Ga. (AP) - Another major hotel chain could add its name to Jekyll Island's oceanfront.

Lowest gas price - March 19

The lowest gas price for regular fuel in Covington is $3.48 at the Shell station, located at 10724 ByPass Road and Monticello Street.

Newton County back to tornado watch until 10 p.m.

(7:10 p.m.) Rockdale, Henry and Newton are back under a tornado watch until 10 p.m. (6:30 p.m.) A tornado warning has been issued for parts of southern Rockdale, northern Henry and central Newton counties until 7 p.m. by the National Weather Service. A warning means a tornado has been sighted or picked up on radar in the area. (4:36 p.m.) A torndao watch has been issued for Newton County until 10 p.m. ...

Ga. man sentenced in fatal drunken driving crash

DOUGLASVILLE, Ga. (AP) - A 22-year-old west Georgia man has been sentenced in a DUI crash that killed two people in Douglas County.

Wildfire burns outside Great Smoky Mountains

PIGEON FORGE, Tenn. (AP) - A wildfire burning in a resort area outside the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in eastern Tennessee has damaged or destroyed nearly 60 large rental cabins and is threatening additional homes.

Woman who lost downloading case says she can't pay

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - A Minnesota woman at the center of a long-running court fight over the unauthorized downloading of copyrighted music said there's still no way she can pay record companies the $222,000 judgment she owes after the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear her appeal Monday. The justices did not comment on their decision. Attorneys for Jammie Thomas-Rasset, of Brainerd, argued the amount was excessive. The music industry filed thousands of lawsuits in ...

High court divided over Ariz. voter requirement

WASHINGTON (AP) - Supreme Court justices disagreed Monday over whether states can require would-be voters to prove they are U.S. citizens before using a federal registration system designed to make signing up easier. Arizona and other states told the justices the precaution is needed to keep illegal immigrants and other noncitizens from voting. But some justices asked whether states have the right to force people to document their citizenship when Congress ordered the states ...

Campaign against sex trafficking in Ga. kicks off

ATLANTA (AP) - The Georgia attorney general and other law enforcement officials kicked off a public awareness campaign Monday to target sex trafficking with the focus on those who pay for sex. The campaign bears the slogan "Georgia's not buying it" and includes a public service announcement featuring professional athletes from Atlanta sports teams speaking out against sex trafficking. The campaign also is being promoted through billboards, a designated website and on social media. ...

Accused shoplifter fatally shot by Ga. police

LILBURN, Ga. (AP) - Authorities in Gwinnett County say an accused shoplifter has been fatally shot by police.

Lawyer: Paternity suit against Jordan withdrawn

ATLANTA (AP) - A lawyer for a woman who says Michael Jordan fathered her teenage son has withdrawn her paternity suit, but left open the possibility that it could be refiled. Pamela Smith "stands by the facts alleged in her original filing," Atlanta attorney Randall Kessler told The Associated Press on Monday. Kessler said the lawsuit was withdrawn Friday without prejudice, meaning it can be refiled. Smith filed the suit herself last month against ...

Stocks edge lower, rebounding from Cyprus losses

NEW YORK (AP) - Stocks were little changed on Wall Street after recouping losses from an early sell-off caused by concern that a bailout plan for the Mediterranean island nation Cyprus would re-ignite the European debt crisis.

Brazil: police puzzle over 7 gift-wrapped skulls

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) - Police in the Brazilian city of Sao Paulo are baffled by a macabre puzzle: someone has been leaving gift-wrapped human skulls around town.