Andrews Complains About Paparazzi in 911 Call

ESPN reporter Erin Andrews, who much to her surprise was videotaped nude in a hotel room expressed frustration over reportedly being "treated like Britney Spears" when she called 911 to report paparazzi gathered outside her Atlanta area home.

In an audiotape released Wednesday, Andrews is heard speaking with a 911 operator in suburban DeKalb County on July 22 to complain about a pair of people sitting in a car outside her home in a gated community.

Andrews identifies herself and tells the operator, "I'm all over the news right now," and describes herself as "the girl that was videotaped in my hotel room in the nude." Andrews reportedly uses expletives to describe the two men whom she says also knocked on her door.

"I did nothing wrong, and I am being treated like (expletive) Britney Spears, and it sucks," Andrews told the operator. Dunwoody police officers responded to the Andrews call but no incident report was filed.

It is not clear when the video of Andrews in the hotel room first appeared on the Internet. The individual who initially posted the video didn't identify the nude woman, but Andrews' attorney has come forward to say the video was of the 31-year-old reporter.

The blurry, five-minute video shows the woman standing in front of a hotel room mirror, fixing her hair in the nude. Andrews' attorney said the video was shot without his client's knowledge and Andrews plans to pursue criminal charges and file civil lawsuits against whoever shot the video and anyone who publishes it.

Andrews has covered numerous sports for ESPN since 2004, often as a sideline reporter.

Atlanta Home Starts Continue to Drop

According to a report from Metrostudy (www.metrostudy.com), Atlanta’s housing starts dropped 69.6 percent year-over-year in June 2009 as demand continued to decline.

Metrostudy believes starts will continue to drop in 2009, in part to many builders still reducing inventory to be in line with the slow demand for homes.

Annual starts in north Atlanta came in at 4,113 for the year ending in June, compared with 13,617 starts for the same period of 2008. Annual closings for north Atlanta totaled 11,146 in June 2009, in comparison to 18,694 the previous June.

For south Atlanta, annual starts totaled 1,992 in June, compared to 6,500 the previous year. Annual closings totaled 5,921 in the second quarter, a drop from 11,343 in the second quarter the prior year.

In a bit of good news, Metro Atlanta’s total housing inventory, which also encompasses finished vacant, under-construction and model homes, has seen a decline of 37.6 percent since the second quarter of 2008.

UGA Awards 2009 Charles and Arlene Woods Scholarship

The University of Georgia has awarded the Charles and Arlene Woods Scholarship to incoming first-year student Geoffrey Nolan, a Newton High School graduate from Oxford. He is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Todd Nolan.

This scholarship recognizes an incoming first-year student who has demonstrated outstanding achievement in academics from Newton County. The award provides $1,000 for one year. The Woods are UGA graduates and were members of the university’s Redcoat Marching Band.

For general information on scholarships, see http://www.admissions.uga.edu.

Cobb County Keeping Citizenry Informed

Cobb County is using many social media outlets, such as Facebook and Twitter, to keep the community actively involved.

The county also made accessing vital information even easier by creating a page on YouTube. Many videos can be found on the site, including details on becoming a emergency-911 operator, pets available for adoption and how to stay safe while using a recreational trail. Videos from the Emergency Management Agency help you protect your family by providing a wealth of information on topics ranging from sheltering in place and first aid kits to reporting suspicious activity and how to join the Community Emergency Response Team program.

To view informative county videos, visit youtube.com/cobbcountytv23.

Cobb Fire and Emergency Services also has an official YouTube page to provide fire and life safety information to the public. Videos featured include episodes of 3rd Alarm, which takes a closer look at the fire department and explores the field of fire fighting. The show is written and produced by career firefighters.

Other videos include information on how to become a firefighter and how to check your smoke detector.

For more information, visit youtube.com/cobbfirevideos.

Construction Underway at State Botanical Garden's Horticulture Complex

Construction began this week on the State Botanical Garden of Georgia’s new $2.5 million horticulture complex, a facility that will support the 313-acre public garden.

This facility will include outdoor growing areas, greenhouses, spaces for repair and storage of equipment and offices for the horticulture staff.

“This behind-the-scenes facility is essential to the collections and displays throughout the garden,” said Shirley Berry, interim director. “Moving these facilities to this new location is another step in enriching the visitor’s experience and safety in the garden. Although the initial impact will be visible, soon this area will be screened with plantings. Maintenance equipment and delivery trucks will no longer need to intrude into public areas to reach the horticulture complex.”

In the International Garden, bog garden restoration and lawn resodding are taking place this week. The outdoor Sunflower Concert Series moved from the International Garden to the new 5-acre, terraced Flower Garden this summer. The Alice Hand Callaway Visitor Center and Conservatory renovation is nearing completion. Updates include new classrooms and a redesigned café. Construction of the horticulture complex is scheduled to be completed in July 2010.

The State Botanical Garden of Georgia is a public educational facility operated under the auspices of the University of Georgia. It is a “living laboratory” for university students and faculty who utilize the collections and natural plant communities for studies in a variety of disciplines. The garden is also a public garden for enjoyment by the general public.

Some 1,315 Students Eligible for Degrees Aug. 1

An estimated 1,315 students will be eligible to receive degrees at the University of Georgia’s summer commencement exercises Aug. 1 at 9:30 a.m. in Stegeman Coliseum.

The exercises are a combined ceremony for undergraduate and graduate students who complete degree requirements at the end of summer semester. About 730 candidates for bachelor’s degrees and 585 candidates for doctoral, master’s and specialist in education degrees are anticipated to be eligible to participate in the ceremony. Final numbers won’t be known until the conclusion of final exams on July 31.

Suzanne Yoculan, retiring head coach who has led the University of Georgia’s women’s gymnastics team to ten NCAA championships—the most in NCAA history—will be the speaker for the university’s summer commencement exercises.

In her 26 years at UGA, Yoculan’s team has also produced 16 Southeastern Conference titles, 21 NCAA Regional crowns, 37 individual NCAA champions, 306 All-America citations and 836 career victories. She guided her team to the nation’s top three in 20 of the last 21 years. In 19 of her 26 years, Yoculan led Georgia to an SEC title, an NCAA title or both. She was chosen as the National Coach of the Year five times and the SEC Coach of the Year eight times. Under Yoculan, only three gymnasts have left UGA without their degrees, and no gymnast has ever transferred from UGA’s program.

As part of the ceremony, two undergraduates will be recognized as First Honor Graduates for having maintained perfect 4.0 grade point averages on all undergraduate-level work. The students include Dustin Charles Elliott from Athens who is graduating with a bachelor of arts degree in philosophy. Additionally, George Frederick Akers from Atlanta is graduating with a bachelor of arts in journalism with a major in advertising. He was previously recognized as a First Honor Graduate when he received a bachelor of arts degree in theatre.

The ceremony will be broadcast live on University Cable Channel 15 and streamed live on the UGA Web site.

Fall semester classes at UGA begin Aug. 17 and a commencement will be held Dec. 18 for students who complete degree requirements in the fall.

Cobb County Opening Safety Training Facility

On Friday, July 31 at 10 a.m., local dignitaries and sponsors will gather to cut the ribbon and officially open Cobb County's state-of-the-art safety training facility.

The 27,000-square-foot Cobb Safety Village was designed to offer hands-on education for all ages and is the first of its kind in the Southeast.

The public is invited to the community open house 10 a.m.-2 p.m., Saturday, Aug. 1, at 1220 Al Bishop Dr, Marietta. The open house will feature food, fun learning opportunities, safety education programs and full tours of the village.

For more information on this event, call (770) 852-3270 or visit cobbcounty.org/safetyvillage.

Gwinnett Co. Requests Ability to Bill Taxes

Gwinnett County Commission Chairman Charles Bannister announced today the Board of Commissioners will seek a Temporary Collection Order (TCO) for collection of 2009 property taxes.

According to Bannister, this action, which is provided for in state law, will be filed in Gwinnett Superior Court and is most likely the speediest way to get bills to taxpayers so that local governments can begin to receive needed revenues. The decision to file a TCO petition was finalized today.

Bannister said, “Tax billing has been tangled in the ongoing SDS dispute. Other options run the very real risk of inviting actions that could take several more weeks or longer to resolve. We think this action strategy will get the billing process going for 2009. All of us – the County, the cities and especially the schools – need tax revenues to meet payrolls and other obligations.”

Administratively there are downsides to the TCO. “A TCO is, as the name implies, temporary. Ultimately there will be the need for some type of final accounting, which could happen in November or December, we just don’t know right now” said County Administrator Jock Connell. “This will present administrative concerns and questions for our finance staff and especially the tax commissioner.”

Bannister stated that whichever judge gets the case will decide the details, but that the county would recommend using the 2009 property values as the basis for the billing.

Details on the billing calendar will not be available until after the TCO hearing; meanwhile, County staff has begun consultations with the tax commissioner. The County intends to file a TCO petition as quickly as possible.

Fugitive Returned to Georgia Soil

Special Agent in Charge (SAC) Gregory Jones, FBI Atlanta, and Chief Ricky Boren, Columbus, Georgia Police Department, announced the return of FBI Top Ten Fugitive Michael Jason Registe to Columbus.

Registe, wanted for the July, 2007 double murders of Columbus State University students Bryan Kilgore and Randy Newton Jr. at Columbus, Georgia, was arrested by St. Maarten police officials in conjunction with the Antilles Director of Public Prosecution and through coordination with the FBI’s Legal Attaché, Bridgetown, Barbados.

Registe, accompanied by FBI agents as well as a Columbus, Georgia police officer, landed at Columbus, via government jet last week and, upon landing on U.S. soil, was turned over to local authorities for processing.

Registe has been indicted by a grand jury and will now await arraignment on those state charges.

Gwinnett Co. Receives Stimulus Funds for Center Construction

Gwinnett County Senior Services has received $1.1 million in federal stimulus funds through the American Recovery and Investment Act of 2009 from HUD Deputy Secretary Ron Sims to construct Phase I of a new $1.4 million Senior Services Center in Lawrenceville. The remaining funds will be provided by the Community Development Block Grant Program.

“Currently, the staff is spread out over at four different locations. This new building will bring staff together and serve as a one-stop center for seniors and their caregivers,” Linda Bailey, senior services manager, said.

Staff at the Senior Services Center will be able to match seniors with available resources such as home meal delivery, counseling and respite care. There will also be two community rooms that will be used for educational programs and meetings for senior-related issues.

“With baby boomers now reaching retirement age, our senior population will grow dramatically over the next decades. We will not only provide services to more than 2,000 seniors annually, but also their family members and caregivers,” Bailey said.

The new facility is designed as a LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Silver building to maximize energy savings when compared to conventional construction. The facility will be built using recycled material from the building that currently sits on the 6.4 acre site. It will also feature energy-efficient windows, a reflective roof and low-flow plumbing fixtures.

“We are grateful for HUD’s support to help us get this center constructed in order to meet the needs of our growing senior population,” Chairman Charles Bannister said. “This project is a great example of one that was ready to go, one that will serve our community, and one that uses sustainable techniques in its deign and construction."

Braves Moving to New Station in 2010

As they battle for a spot in the 2009 playoffs, the Atlanta Braves this week announced that they are moving to a new radio home in 2010.

Dickey Broadcasting Co. reported it will become the Braves radio rights holder in 2010 for five years and will broadcast all 162 of the team’s games on 680 The Fan (WCNN-AM) and Rock 100.5 (WNNX-FM). 680 The Fan also is the flagship station for the Atlanta Thrashers.

Currently Braves games air on 640 WGST-AM and Project 9-6-1 96.1 FM.

Dickey Broadcasting also will oversee the Braves radio network to include at least 150 radio stations across the Southeast.

Former pitching great Don Sutton and Jim Powell will call the Braves games. All-day programing will include pre- and post-game shows, a coaches' show and other shows.

High School Students Learn Through UGA Program

For the past two weeks, about 45 Athens-area high school students have learned about advanced mathematics and science, and possible careers in those fields, during a Summer Academy hosted by the University of Georgia’s department of mathematics and science education.

The college-bound high school juniors and seniors from Athens, Watkinsville, Commerce, Jefferson, Madison, Monroe and Franklin have engaged in topics not usually encountered in high school, such as electron microscopy, veterinary science and the mathematics of body mechanics. The free, three-week program held in UGA’s College of Education involved sessions each morning from July 6-24, allowed students access to tools, technologies and instructors usually reserved for university students.

The students have created museum-style exhibits on science and mathematics topics which they shared with 6-to-13-year-old children in the Athens community on July 22 at the Lyndon House Art Museum and the Boys and Girls Club of America on Fourth Street.

Exhibits included human evolution, educational simulated video games, an osmosis simulation and neuroscience. There was also origami and the mathematical reasoning behind it, Darwin's animals, marine biology and hydrology. All of the exhibits were hands-on and interactive so that the younger children can experience science, math and technology in various and inquisitive ways.

The STEM Summer Academy, funded by a state Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Initiative grant, was directed by Cory Buxton, an associate professor in elementary and social studies education, along with Joe Long, a faculty member in science education, and Doug Griffin, a doctoral student in mathematics education. Other faculty from the COE and the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences also worked with the students.

Gwinnett County Keeps Cutting Budget

The Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners continued making deep budget cuts on Tuesday, warning that the service reductions would “ripple through” the County budgets for many years to come.

After cutting $54 million and adding $7 million in new revenue earlier this year to balance the 2009 budget, commissioners voted Tuesday to cut $39.3 million in future spending as the County continues to find ways to bring rising expenses in line with decreasing revenue forecasts. Revenue gained from rapid residential and commercial growth in the ‘90s and early into this decade helped Gwinnett County fund increasing operational costs and even allowed the County to roll back property taxes by 3.98 mills, or 26 percent, over the past 12 years.

As forecasted, however, Gwinnett’s growth has slowed as it transitions from high growth to a more mature community. Revenue derived from new growth is no longer sufficient to meet the service needs in this still-growing county. While the current economic downturn is compounding the County’s funding challenges with a more than $1.5 billion decrease in the residential property tax digest and slow sales tax collections, it is not a primary cause.

The County will eliminate more than 250 jobs by the end of the year. Employees will not get any raises in 2010, and staff reductions will even hit the Fire and Emergency Services Department as well as Gwinnett Police, where approved positions will be reduced from 740 to 687, back to 2003 levels. Internal support departments have been directed to cut personnel by 15.4 percent and overall costs by 9.6 percent, on average. Parks and Recreation will cut staff costs by 9.1 percent. Transit operations will be cut by 21 percent and express service by six percent.

In addition, Constitutional and elected officials have been asked to reduce their 2010 budgets in light of the County’s financial challenges. The Department of Corrections is planned to be eliminated by July of 2011, meaning convicted prisoners will have to be moved to state-run facilities and the County could lose a valuable source of convict labor.

“We know these are severe reductions that will affect all Gwinnett residents in one way or another,” said Commission Chairman Charles Bannister. “We regret having to cut services so drastically but we’re trying to avoid increasing the property tax, which is our primary alternative.

“Decisions for next year and beyond are not binding yet, so there’s still plenty of time for citizen input,” added Banister.

The 2010 budget will be officially formulated later this year for commission action in January. Bannister announced earlier this week the establishment of a community engagement initiative in partnership with the Gwinnett Chamber. Participants of this initiative will spend the next six months examining Gwinnett’s five-year needs for critical services and proposing future funding strategies.

A complete list of the budget cuts approved on Tuesday is available online on the County’s Web site at www.gwinnettcounty.com.

Gwinnett County Road Upgrades Get Green Light

Gwinnett County Commissioners on Tuesday awarded three contracts for roadway safety and sidewalk improvements to be funded from 2005 SPLOST revenues.

Hope Hollow Road will get safety improvements including wider shoulders from Plantation Run Drive to Hope Hollow Lane and an intersection upgrade at Hope Hollow Lane. Gary’s Grading and Pipeline Inc. was the lowest of 11 bidders at $1.02 million for the nine-month project.

The Dickerson Group Inc., was the lowest responsive bidder out of 13 bids received for two other safety projects.

One will improve the intersection of Pate Road and Old Loganville Road by adding turn lanes at the i 072109_DOT_SPLOSTprojects.docntersection and at the entrances to nearby neighborhoods. The bid was just under $818,000 for the nine-month project.

Dickerson will also extend sidewalks on Bethany Church Road from SR-124 to the Centerville Library. The four-month, $310,000 project will provide a continuous pedestrian connection from Shiloh High School to State Route 124.

Leader of Atlanta-based Investment Scam Sentenced

Carlin King, 43, of Decatur, has been sentenced by United States District Judge Marvin Shoob to serve three years in federal prison on a charge of wire fraud, in connection with his operation of the foreign exchange investment house “Hanover Stevens,” based in Atlanta.

King was sentenced to three years in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $2.5 million. King pleaded guilty to the charge on Feb. 23, 2009.

According to the information presented in court: King was a professional securities broker, who traded equity stocks and commodities for clients at various financial firms, mostly in Atlanta, since the 1990s.

In approximately 2002, King founded and began operating “Hanover Stevens,” a retail foreign exchange brokerage firm. Beginning in approximately February 2006, however, King stopped actually investing client money in foreign exchange transactions. The evidence shows he began lying to clients about the returns their investments were supposedly making, and he began operating a fraudulent “Ponzi” scheme. Instead of investing client money in the foreign currency markets as he promised, King began using those funds to pay Hanover Stevens’s increasing operating expenses, investors who had requested distributions, and substantial personal expenses (including living expenses at luxury hotels).

To create the impression that their investments were profitable, King provided account statements to his investors containing fabricated numbers as to the balances in their accounts and supposed investment gains. Because there were no actual investment gains—and because the balances being reported to investors were fabricated—the only way that King could pay any requested distributions was to use newly-invested funds from new investors.

By December 2007—when the unsustainable scheme collapsed—the losses to the investors exceeded $2.5 million.

Gwinnett County Saves Money on Fuel Purchase

The advantages of a new fuel purchasing co-op became apparent Tuesday when the Gwinnett Board of Commissioners approved a one-year, $14-million contract for gasoline and diesel fuel that is expected to save Gwinnett County about $65,000 per year.

The County announced in April that it was forming the co-op with 15 other local government agencies to use their combined purchasing power to get reduced rates. The primary supplier, based on competitive bids, is Mansfield Oil Company of Gainesville. Secondary and tertiary suppliers are D-Jay Petroleum Inc., and Indigo Energy Partners, respectively. The fuel will be used by cars, trucks, school buses and other government vehicles.

Last year, Gwinnett County bought two million gallons of gasoline and four million gallons of diesel fuel at a cost of $18 million, according to Fleet Management Director Michael Lindsay. The added benefit of improved communication among the 16 agencies is likely to lead to additional cooperation and cost savings, Lindsay said. Gwinnett Purchasing Director Scott Callan said the agencies combined will save around $450,000 annually.

Participants include seven counties, five cities and four of the largest county school systems in the metro Atlanta area.

UGA's Food Services Wins National Award

The University of Georgia’s Food Services recently received the top prize for a residence hall theme dinner from the National Association of Colleges and University Food Services.

UGA Food Services won both a gold and a national Loyal E. Horton Dining Award for its Jan. 22 “Spotlight on Broadway” dinner. The dinner was judged on menu selection, merchandising and presentation, marketing and overall impression—including the dinner’s “wow factor.”

“It’s significant for us because it’s a benchmark program,” said J. Michael Floyd, executive director of food services. “We use this program to constantly upgrade our services and see what we can do better for our customers. The national recognition is great, but the event is really for our customers.”

Served in all four dining halls, the “Spotlight on Broadway” dinner featured foods inspired by renowned New York City restaurants, indoor and outdoor décor and live entertainment.

The dining halls were decorated with outdoor marquees announcing the dinner. Inside were ticket counters, show posters and floor-to-ceiling displays reminiscent of Phantom of the Opera.

The menu included Oysters Rockefeller from Garrick, spinach gratin from Savoy Restaurant, pistachio cannoli from Rocco’s Pastry Shop and cheesecake bars with minted blueberries from Blue Hill Restaurant.

Athens Creative Theatre provided live vignettes from Broadway musicals, including Grease, Hairspray, Oklahoma and Wicked, during the dinner.

Bryan Varin, cafeteria manager at Snelling Dining Commons, spearheaded the project along with Snelling Dining Commons’ management. The idea for the dinner was a group effort, Varin said.

He said a Broadway dinner sounded like it would be fun for the students. Broadway hadn’t been done before and sounded like a good option, especially since entertainment is a major factor.

“Not only do we want to provide delicious food that we don’t serve everyday, we want to go above and beyond to really provide something memorable for the students,” Varin said.

In the dining halls, theme dinners are held about every four weeks throughout the school year, with new concepts debuting in the spring.

Planning, from dessert ingredients to center pieces, is already under way for the next round of dinners, which will include a “Welcome to the Neighborhood” dinner on Aug. 27, a “Five Star” dinner on Oct. 8, “Bulldog Bite” Homecoming dinner on Nov. 4, “Café Cretaceous” dinner on Jan. 28 and “Keep on Truckin’” dinner on March 25.

In addition to the national grand prize and the gold award, food services also won a bronze award for its retail outlet, The Red Clay Café. The award judged the diner on menu, marketing, food preparation and café design.

For its standard residence hall menu, food services won an honorable mention in the Residence Hall Dining Multiple Outlets/Concepts category.

Gwinnett Chairman, Board Note Initiative

Gwinnett County Chairman Charles Bannister and the Board of Commissioners on Monday announced the establishment of a community engagement initiative in partnership with the Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce and other business and civic leaders.

Members of this initiative will spend the next six months examining Gwinnett’s five-year needs for critical services and proposing future funding strategies.

“Gwinnett is experiencing an unprecedented challenge to balance declining revenues with desired service levels. Although we are not unique to other counties around the nation in the challenges we face, we will successfully emerge from the current economic situation if we pull together uniquely as a community. We are asking concerned citizens, the Constitutional Officers, Gwinnett Municipal Association, State Legislative Delegation and others to join the County government and chamber in an initiative designed to intentionally and strategically involve Gwinnett stakeholders in making informed recommendations to the BOC about future service levels, funding needs and revenue resources in advance of adoption of the 2010 budget,”
Bannister said.

Gwinnett Chamber President and CEO Jim Maran said the economic health of Gwinnett County should be a major consideration in the County’s long-range planning, which is why the Gwinnett Chamber has agreed to support the initiative. “The business community has much at stake in ensuring Gwinnett County’s continued success, so it makes sense that we would step up to being a part of this planning process,” Maran said.

Both business and citizen input are critical in the success of the initiative.

“Gwinnett County has been very successful historically and continues to attract new businesses and residents because we’ve always planned well for our future needs and made this a great place to live,” Maran said. “But the current economic crisis has hit our local governments hard just as it has our families and businesses. Continued investment in our infrastructure and services like public safety are essential to maintaining a world-class quality of life in Gwinnett County, and we are seeking advice from our community leaders about the best way to accomplish this. Now is the time to pull together as a community and find common sense solutions.”

“Every citizen in this county has a stake in the quality of life we experience today, and the environment we’re creating for our future generations,” Bannister said. “The Board understands that citizens value their opportunity of living in a safe, productive, enjoyable community, and we are looking forward to developing a true countywide and community-wide plan to responsibly meet the demands of the future.”

General objectives to be accomplished by the initiative include citizen education and involvement in:

• Determining funding needs and gaps
• Preparing a draft report of recommended solutions to meet those gaps (including exploring funding strategies used or available to meet growth requirements in other fast-growing regions)
• Conducting a community forum to share the draft report and receive feedback
• Preparing a final report to be delivered to the Board of Commissioners

World Experts Gather for UGA Flu Conference

The emergence of the H1N1 virus, or swine flu, in April has highlighted the influenza virus’s ability to constantly change. Natural and selective pressures allow the virus to evolve in ways that make it increasingly resistant to anti-viral drugs. The loss of immunity to the virus requires annual reformulation of vaccines to prevent against potentially pandemic strains.

In an effort to address the ongoing H1N1 pandemic and to prepare against future ones, leading influenza experts from around the world will gather at the University of Georgia for the third annual “Immunobiology of Influenza Virus Infection” conference at the University of Georgia Center for Continuing Education Conference Center and Hotel on July 26-28.

The multi-disciplinary conference will provide a forum for virologists, immunologists and vaccine researchers from academia, government and industry to discuss advances in basic and applied influenza research.

It is organized by Andrew Park in the Odum School of Ecology, as well as Georgia Research Alliance Scholar Ralph Tripp and Professor S. Mark Tompkins in the College of Veterinary Medicine’s department of infectious diseases.

A particular aim of this year’s conference is to advance the use of mathematical modeling tools to predict the behavior of influenza virus and its interaction with hosts and the environment, according to Tompkins.

The conference features keynote speaker Dr. Jeffery Taubenberger from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases at the National Institutes of Health at the National Institute of Health, who will discuss the insights derived from his studies of the 1918 “Spanish” influenza on July 26.

Taubenberger hopes to shed light on the emergence, evolution, and severity of future influenza pandemics as well as seasonal influenza.

In 2007, the National Institutes of Health awarded the University of Georgia a $7.4 million contract to collaborate with Emory University through its Regional Center for Excellence for Influenza Research and Surveillance. Emory and UGA will receive a total of $32.8 million for over seven years for the Influenza Pathogenesis and Immunology Research Center, one of six national influenzas centers funded by the NIH National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.

The UGA Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study is also an external partner in a second $22.5 million NIH CEIRS contract to the University of Minnesota established to support parts of their avian influenza surveillance program.

For more information about the conference or to register, see http://www.virus-eid.org.

Library Asks Residents for Input on New Sites

Atlanta-Fulton Public Library System is seeking input from citizens on the location of five new libraries to be constructed as part of the library’s facility master plan.

A total eight total new libraries will be built. Of those, three will be located on existing or donated land parcels.

The Facility Master Plan, approved in the Nov. 4, 2008 general election, will significantly enhance Fulton County’s public libraries with 8 new libraries, 2 expanded libraries and 23 renovated libraries. Of the 8 new libraries, 5 have not yet been sited, and the library system requests input of site recommendations by July 30, 2009. Phase one of project will include the new and expanded libraries.

Site selection applies to the five of eight new library sites where a parcel of land has not yet been identified:

• Milton
• Alpharetta
• Stewart-Lakewood
• Southeast Atlanta
• Northwest Atlanta

Sites have been identified for three other libraries:

• Wolf Creek
• Palmetto/Chattahoochee Hill Country
• East Roswell

Residents may submit site recommendations by July 30 to the Atlanta-Fulton Public Library System via the following ways:

- Atlanta-Fulton Public Library System Website
- Email: librarycomments@fultoncountyga.gov
- Fax: 404-335-5291
- Via Mail: Branch Services, Central Library, One Margaret Mitchell Square, Atlanta, GA 30303

Teacher arrested; Allegedly dropped his pants with teen in vehicle

Police say a Stone Mountain Middle School math teacher has some explaining to do.

Authorities arrested a 29-year-old man who allegedly had his pants down in his vehicle in the parking lot of an area restaurant, which also included a 15-year-old girl.

According to police, a Jonesboro officer pulled up behind a pickup truck around 2 a.m. Thursday outside El Tarasco Restaurant in Clayton County.

Officers reported they witnessed Charles Thomas McClendon, 29, of Decatur, exiting the back seat and pulling up his pants. Police also report that McClendon dropped an unwrapped condom on the floor.

Police reported the presence of a teen girl in the back seat, who later told authorities she was a student of McClendon, who was charged with child molestation and enticing a child.

Tucker Resident Sentenced in Law Firm Scam

Pamela D. Jones , 36, of Tucker, has been sentenced by United States District Judge Orinda Evans to serve 18 months in federal prison on charges that she embezzled more than $139,000 from ServeHAITI, a charitable organization that receives federal funds.

Jones was sentenced to 18 months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release. She has repaid $10,000 of the embezzled amount and was ordered to pay the remaining $129,454.79 in restitution to ServeHAITI. Jonespleaded guilty to the charges on May 5.

According to information presented in court: While working as a records management assistant at an Atlanta law firm, Jones was assigned to work part time as Assistant Treasurer of ServeHAITI Inc., a non-profit organization that receives federal funding and provides assistance to certain parts of Haiti.

ServeHAITI’s initial projects included sponsoring a program for water purification and construction of a medical clinic. In 2006, ServeHAITI was the recipient of a three-year award of $1.17 million funded by USAID under the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, to provide HIV-related education and prevention services in Haiti. ServeHAITI also receives private contributions.

While acting as Assistant Treasurer, from June 2007 through December 2008, Jones diverted a total of $139,454.79 from ServeHAITI’s bank accounts to her own personal accounts. She initially wrote checks to herself or “cash” and then, in July 2008, began using wire transfers to divert the money.

During the course of her embezzlement scheme, Jones changed the on-line password to ServeHAITI’s bank accounts, advised the bank that only her authorization was necessary to effect wire transfers, and instructed the bank to stop mailing wire confirmations to the Treasurer of ServeHAITI.

Once she had exclusive authority to effect wire transfers, she was able to transfer money on-line from ServeHAITI accounts to her own on dozens of occasions while concealing her actions from the Treasurer and without making any verbal request of the bank.

Jones used the embezzled money to purchase a car, clothes, and other personal items for herself, and to take a trip to Las Vegas.

Georgia Unemployment Sits at 10.1% for June

A new report from the Georgia Department of Labor shows that the state's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate increased to 10.1 percent in June. The unemployment rate for May was a revised 9.6 percent.

Looking at Atlanta specifically, Atlantans lost nearly 134,000 jobs in June. That number was down 5.5 percent from the same time a year ago.

For Georgia as a while, this year's June jobless rate increased 4 percentage points from the same time a year ago, while the state's unemployment rate was still above the national rate of 9.5 percent for the 20th straight month.

One positive figure is that health care and educational services saw a total increase of 12,000 jobs.

Gwinnett Chairman Pens Letter to Taxpayers

The following letter from Gwinnett County Commission Chairman Charles Bannister to Gwinnett County taxpayers about proposed budget cuts has been posted on the County’s Web site, www.gwinnettcounty.com.

July 13, 2009

Dear Fellow Gwinnett County Taxpayer:

Earlier this year, your Board of Commissioners approved a 2009 budget and a five-year financial plan designed to fund the Unified Plan and sustain and bolster our dynamic community. Despite incorporating $40 million in cuts and fee increases, that budget recognized the need for a millage rate increase, and in May we conducted three public hearings on that proposed tax increase. The public input we received directed the Board to task county staff with determining how to cut expenditures to avoid a tax increase.

Now we come to the hard work of making the service cuts required by a decision to hold the line on taxes, and I think we have a responsibility to detail for you the service reductions necessitated by these decisions. If implemented, the cuts identified and recommended by county staff will ripple through our budgets and services for many years to come.

As citizens, you will see the result of these decisions in a variety of ways, ranging from noticeable cutbacks in park maintenance to longer fire and EMS response times, as departments attempt to service a still-growing population with a static or reduced workforce. The recommended cuts are detailed in the accompanying tables, and the county commission is scheduled to vote on them on July 21.

If approved, we will eliminate more than 250 full-time positions by the end of 2009 and entirely phase out the Department of Corrections by July 1, 2011. Those state prisoners will be moved to state correctional facilities. Planned growth in our police, fire, and EMS operations will be delayed. The police department’s authorized strength of 740 will be cut back to 687, which provides coverage equivalent to our services level in 2003. As our county continues to grow, the impact of these cuts in public safety will inevitably be slower response times.

There will be no staff salary increases in 2010. At the same time, the county’s internal support functions – County Administrator, Finance, IT, Human Resources, Support Services, and Law – will be tasked to cut personnel by 15.4 percent and all costs by 9.6 percent. Parks and Recreation will have to cut staffing by 9.1 percent. The hold-the-line budget also means that the county will not be able to fund any new judgeships or expansions in the operations of our constitutional officers through 2014. We would also cut local transit operations by 21 percent and express service by six percent. If these reductions are insufficient to balance the budget in the coming years, we will consider even deeper cuts.

Obviously, these are not trivial decisions, and they will impact the quality of life and economic vitality of Gwinnett County for decades to come. I have been in public service for more than 34 years, as a mayor, a state legislator and, for the past five years, chairman of the county commission. In all that time, I have voted for only one tax hike, an increase in the state’s tobacco tax.

I am well aware of the public response generated by the proposed tax increase. I continue to believe it is necessary to meet the public needs of our county. That having been said, the challenge now is to make deep cuts in county operations and service delivery to balance lost revenues.

Respectfully,

Charles E. Bannister, Chairman

Gwinnett County Board of Commissioner

GPS Unveils Final Fourth of July Numbers

Officials with Georgia Public Safety recently reported the final numbers for the July Fourth holiday period.

According to officials, the final traffic count involved:

2,490 Crashes; 682 Injuries; 20 Fatalities; 17 Fatal Crashes.

Fatal crashes were reported by Athens-Clarke Co. Police, Chamblee Police, DeKalb Co. Police (2), Dougherty Co. Police, Floyd Co. Police, Henry Co. Police, and the Georgia State Patrol Posts in Calhoun, Conyers (2), Hinesville, LaGrange, Statesboro, Thomaston, Toccoa, Valdosta, and Villa Rica.

The holiday traffic count is a joint safety initiative of the Georgia State Patrol and the Crash Reporting Unit of the Georgia Department of Transportation. The holiday count is updated every six hours during the holiday periods for Memorial Day, July Fourth, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's.

Former Ga. Attorney Pleads Guilty in Ponzi Scheme

Steven H. Ballard, 53, of McDonough, has pleaded guilty in federal district court to committing a real estate investment scam that lasted over five and a half years and defrauded over a dozen victims in Georgia, Florida and Tennessee.

According to the information presented in court: Ballard, a former real estate and business law attorney based in McDonough, operated a fraudulent real estate investment scam, commonly known as a “Ponzi” scheme.

From September 2002 through May 2006, he collected over $2 million dollars. In Georgia alone, he solicited funds from investors in Duluth, Dunwoody, Fayetteville, Jackson, Jonesboro, Newnan, Palmetto, Peachtree City, and Whitesburg. Ballard also solicited funds from victims in Florida and Tennessee.

Authorities say Ballard told the victims that he was making “lucrative” real estate and other investments which were not actually transacted. He often used bogus HUD-1 Settlement Statements, Warranty Deeds and Sales Contracts to reflect non-existent property purchases, while using a portion of the scheme proceeds to repay former victim investors. The repayments included their principal plus substantial “returns” often exceeding 50% of the initial investment, but those repayments were all funded with money from new victim investors. Ballard’s law license was suspended by the State Bar of Georgia in September 2005, and he was disbarred in May 2006.

Ballard was charged in a Criminal Information in June 2009 with one count of wire fraud, which encompasses the entirety of his five and a half year scheme.

He could receive a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000, plus full restitution to all victims who have not been repaid to date. Sentencing is scheduled for Sept. 29.

DDS to Issue New Driver's Licenses, I.D. Cards

Gov. Sonny Perdue has announced that Georgia Department of Driver Services (DDS) is preparing to issue new and improved driver’s licenses and identification cards by fall 2009. The new cards will combat document fraud and protect the identities of Georgia’s citizens by using the latest credentialing technology.

New card production will begin at Conyers, Covington and Locust Grove in September 2009. Statewide implementation of the new system is scheduled to take approximately two months with all customer service center locations producing the new cards by the end of November 2009. All previously issued Georgia licenses and IDs will remain valid until the expiration date when they will be exchanged for a newly-designed card.

The new documents are designed to be more difficult to counterfeit, alter or replicate. The license will remain roughly the size of a credit card. The new cards have several 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 cards will feature machine-readable barcodes that can be used by banks, retailers and other businesses to verify the information printed on the front.

Fees will not increase, and customers will continue to choose between a five-year or ten-year license or ID.

“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, visit www.dds.ga.gov.

Atlanta Drivers Stuck Behind the Wheel

Drivers in Atlanta can take pride or not in knowing that they have the sixth-worst rated roads in the nation when it comes to traffic delays.

According to the "Urban Mobility Report" from the Texas Transportation Institute, a unit of the Texas A&M University chain, drivers in the Atlanta metro area spent nearly 136 million hours in traffic delays in 2007, the most recent year of available data.

Metro Atlanta drivers also were estimated to have used up nearly 96 million more gallons of fuel two years ago than they would have if it were not for traffic delays, according to the report. That figure is also the sixth-worst rate in the nation.

A staggering financial number, traffic congestion in the metro Atlanta area cost approximately $3 billion in 2007, the fourth-most in the nation, according to the study.

The worst traffic congestion was the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana, Calif. area, where motorists spent 485 million hours stuck behind the wheel in 2007, the study notes.

Emory Among '2009 Great Colleges to Work For'

Emory University has been named to the honor roll in The Chronicle of Higher Education's 2009 Great Colleges to Work For program, its second annual nationwide survey of 41,000 administrators, faculty and staff of two- and four-year colleges and universities.

Emory was selected based on its responses to a questionnaire covering everything from salary, benefits and programs that support faculty and staff, to leadership development and governance structure.

"That Emory faculty and staff find the university a wonderful place to work is a testament to the entire community," says Emory President James Wagner. "Throughout our campus people are working hard every day to make a positive difference — and it shows."

The Chronicle's Great Colleges to Work For program recognizes groups of colleges (based on enrollment size) for specific best practices and policies. There are 26 recognition categories for four-year institutions. Of the 247 institutions that completed the entire survey process, 39 were named to an honor roll, which highlights the top 10 colleges in each size category based on the number of times they were recognized in the individual recognition categories.

Emory was recognized in 11 categories, including: compensation and benefits; physical workspace conditions; confidence in senior leadership; disability insurance; facilities and security; healthy faculty-administration relations; internal communications; policies, resources and efficiency; respect and appreciation; teaching environment; and tenure clarity and process.

"The survey participants value Emory for its teaching environment, its working conditions, leadership, relationships and collegiality," says Peter Barnes, Emory's vice president of human resources. "As one considers what it means to be a destination in which faculty and staff seek to be a part, we are clearly well on the way."

"Despite the down economy, colleges are still hiring," says Jeffrey Selingo, editor of The Chronicle. "Through this program, The Chronicle is able to provide more information to job seekers about the colleges that are the leading innovators when it comes to providing a rewarding work environment."

The Great Colleges survey included a two-part assessment process: a survey administered to faculty, administrators and professional-support staff, and an institutional audit that captured demographics and workplace policies and practices from each institution. The primary factor in deciding whether an institution received recognition was the employee feedback collected from faculty and staff.

Georgia to Receive $4M from USDA for SNAP Management

Gov. Sonny Perdue announced Tuesday that the state of Georgia will receive a High Performance Bonus of $4 million from the U.S. Department of Agriculture for its management of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly the Food Stamp Program.

The average national payment error rate for FY 2008 was 5.01 percent. Georgia’s average, 2.5 percent, was less than half of the national average. Georgia was also the most improved in the country. In FY 2007, Georgia’s payment error rate was 8.13 percent.

In addition, Georgia also outperformed the nation in the negative error rate which measures whether a state correctly determines eligibility. Georgia’s negative error rate was 4.13 percent, while the national average was 10.88 percent.

In her letter announcing the High Performance Bonus, USDA Food and Nutrition Service Administrator Julia Paradis wrote to Gov. Perdue, “I personally want to commend you for your achievement and encourage you to continue your efforts to improve program integrity and the overall administration of SNAP. Proper administration of this important nutrition assistance program results in public confidence as we work together to provide services to needy Americans.”

New Miss Georgia Officially Takes Crown

Emily Cook, the new Miss Georgia, was crowned Sunday, replacing the woman who relinquished the title the day after the June pageant.

Cook, of Marietta, was formally crowned at the Cunningham Center in Columbus. She was the first runner-up to the winner, Miss Capital City Kristina Higgins, who indicated she could not fulfill the time commitment to be Miss Georgia on June 27, the day following the pageant.

Higgins said she relinquished the title because her responsibilities as a school teacher would not leave her the necessary time to serve as Miss Georgia.

Gardening Programs Set for Cobb County

The Cobb County Master Gardeners will host a new series of programs in the coming months where residents can bring lunch and enjoy an hour presentation on a plant-related subject.

The lunch-and-learns will be held on the second Friday of each month at the Central Library, 266 Roswell Road, Marietta. The first one will be this Friday, July 10. Sue Burgess will teach how herbs from the historic Root House were used in the 19th century and which ones are still important today.

Other dates are Aug. 14, Sept. 11, Oct. 8 and Nov. 13. The presentations are free and participants should bring their own lunches.

For more information on Cobb Master Gardeners, visit cobbmastergardeners.com.

Six Flags Adds to Partnership with Nintendo

Six Flags Inc. is increasing its partnership with Nintendo in order to prominently feature the new Wii Sports Resort video game.

The game, which features a dozen different sports activities including archery, basketball and table tennis, will be highlighted at nine participating theme parks including Six Flags over Georgia in Atlanta.

Wii Sports Resort will be available as part of the Wii Experience at the participating parks, along with being featured in an in-park media program.

The game will be open to park patrons during the July 4th weekend before the game’s retail launch date of July 26.

Meyer Named to Chair IAAO Tax Collection Council

President Josephine Lim of the International Association of Assessing Officers (IAAO) has appointed Gwinnett Tax Commissioner Katherine Meyer chair of the newly created Tax Collection Council of IAAO, an international source for innovation, education, and research in property appraisal, assessment administration and property tax policy.

Meyer has recruited members from various states to serve on a steering committee for the new council which is designed to provide information and education for professionals in the field of tax collection.

“The Council plans to send out a survey to state tax collection associations to help us further develop the council. We need to learn more about the educational needs of those who collect revenues for government entities and how to share this information on an international level,” Meyer explained.

Report: Georgia 14th Heaviest State in the Nation

According to a new report from the Trust for America's Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Georgia residents definitely like their food.

Georgia ranked 14th in a nationwide report of adult obesity. Not to be outdone, eight of the Top 10 were in the South.

In the study, “F as in Fat: How Obesity Policies Are Failing in America 2009”, nearly 28 percent of Georgia's adult population resided in the obese range.

Even more alarming, Georgia ranked worse in the rate of obese children ages 10-17, placing third with 37.3 percent.

According to the study, factors, including economic conditions that may result in higher food prices and added levels of depression and stress, contributed to the problems when it came to obesity.

Gwinnett County Offices Closed July 3

All Gwinnett County government offices, with the exception of those operations required for the comfort and safety of the citizens of the county, will be closed July 3 for the Independence Day holiday. All offices will resume regular working hours on July 6.

A Magistrate Court judge will be available at the Gwinnett County Detention Center.