Sex Scandal is Subject at Augusta Middle School

Apparently there was more going on than just reading, writing and arithmetic at an Augusta middle school.

According to authorities, seven Richmond County educators are being punished after school officials uncovered a sex scandal involving teachers, coaches and even the principal of the school.

School Superintendent Dana Bedden reports that seven Spirit Creek Middle School faculty members have been implicated in a number of incidents that included daytime sexual encounters on an inflatable mattress in the school's public safety office.

No students reportedly took part in any of the encounters, which came to light after a former teacher sent an e-mail about the allegations to school system leaders.

Denise Ogden resigned last month after her reported involvement in a love triangle that also cost former Principal Sharon McAlevy and former school board public safety officer Ronnie Collins their employment in the district.

Multi-jurisdictional Stolen Truck Ring Busted

The GBI and Houston County Sheriff’s Office culminated a yearlong investigation today by serving search warrants and arrest warrants at a Macon County trucking company. The trucking company is located at 2524 Drayton Road, Montezuma, Ga.

While running a trucking business, the group reportedly stole tractor trailer trucks and took them to the business where employees would disassemble the trucks and sell the parts to different venders.

Some of the stolen parts were sold in Bibb, Jones, and Houston Counties. A truck was recently stolen from Nebraska and was recovered by Ft. Valley Police Department during a traffic stop after it reportedly left the Freeman property. Other trucks were stolen from Houston County, Dooly County, Quitman, and Montezuma.

Fletcher Freeman, Sr; Fletcher Freeman, Jr; Sean Benard Freeman, and Timothy Tookes were arrested and charged with Theft by Receiving Stolen Property. Additional charges are pending.

Insurance Commissioner Issues Claims Directive

State Insurance Commissioner John Oxendine has issued a directive informing automobile insurance companies statewide regarding the proper handling of diminished value claims.

Oxendine's order makes it so all auto insurers cease using any language that implies that the Georgia Insurance Department has endorsed or approved a particular formula for determining diminution of value in physical damage automobile claims.

Diminished value is the loss of value in a vehicle that suffers damage and is then repaired. The commissioner had previously issued a directive seven years ago regarding the Georgia Supreme Court ruling that set precedent for diminished value claims. In the present, Oxendine wants to be sure that companies understand there is no single formula for determining the amount of diminished value to be paid in a particular claim.

"There seems to be some misunderstanding in the industry that a particular formula exists for diminished value," Oxendine said. "I want to clarify the matter by reminding insurers that my office has never issued any regulation requiring the use of a specific formula for determining diminished value, so each claim should be evaluated on its own merits."

For further information, visit www.gainsurance.org/

Rain, Rain Go Away

The weatherman can assure local residents of one thing - your grass and plants will be nice and wet.

Heavy rains continue in the local forecast as a flood watch is in effect for the majority of the metro Atlanta region and northern Georgia through tomorrow.

Weather officials have also issued a tornado watch for north Georgia today, to include metro Atlanta as severe storms come through the area.

Heavy rain is forecast to continue into the day tomorrow, before tapering off by late Thursday evening.

See the full Atlanta forecast on the right side of the blog for more information.

Mega Millions Amount Continues to Rise for Friday

If you are looking for a little extra holiday cash, plan on stopping by a store in the coming days that sells lottery tickets.

Tuesday night's Mega Millions drawing produced no major winner, therefore resulting in an estimated jackpot of $207 million for Friday's drawing.

Tuesday's winning numbers were 11, 12, 26, 31, 33 with the Mega Ball being 27. One ticket purchased in Georgia did produce five of the numbers, but not the Mega Ball. The end result is someone is $250,000 richer.

Mega Millions is played in Georgia, California, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Texas, Virginia and Washington.

Passenger Gets 'Hung Up' at Hartsfield-Jackson

Chalk this one up as a different way to smuggle drugs through an airport. Or at least attempt to do such.

Authorities at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport arrested a passenger Monday evening who reportedly tried to sneak cocaine through in coat hangers.

According to authorities, Julio Alejandro Almonte, 28, was arrested and charged with felony drug trafficking when U.S. Customs agents noticed something unusual in one of his bags.

A set of wooden hangers was lying on top of his clothes, which prompted officials to do a secondary check. When checked a second time, it was discovered the hangers had been altered and filled with cocaine.

Almonte had flown into Atlanta from Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, with a final stop planned to LaGuardia International Airport in New York City.

Needless to say, Almonte missed his next flight and was being held in the Clayton County Jail in Jonesboro.

Fighter Plane Crash Claims 4 Victims, Pilot Safe

Editor's note: This information provided by our sister site at: gocalifornia.blogspot.com

Authorities in San Diego today discovered the fourth victim of yesterday's deadly F/A-18D plane crash in the city's University City section.

At approximately noon (PST) yesterday, a distressed fighter plane that had taken off from the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln crashed onto a street in the UC community after the pilot reported engine problems. The pilot safely ejected from the plane shortly before it went down.

Three bodies were found in one home, while a second home was apparently empty when it was destroyed by the crash and ensuing fire. The plane crash-landed on a street and plowed into the two homes, setting off a massive fire. Six other homes suffered damages from the crash and fire.

The deceased victims in the home were identified as a 36-year-old Korean woman, her daughter, and the child's grandmother. The fourth victim, a baby girl, was located in the home early this afternoon.

View home video at: http://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/local/Home_Video_from_the_Crash_Site_San_Diego.html

Three Georgians Arrested in Alleged Hazing

Louisiana authorities have arrested seven men who were reportedly involved in an alleged hazing incident involving members of the Southern University band. Among those arrested are three Georgia residents.

Among those arrested was:

1. Carlo-Andres Carter, 03/03/89, Stone Mountain, Ga.
2. Harvey Harrison, 04/10/89, Augusta, Ga
3. Joseph Lee Webb, 07/09/87, Columbus, Ga.

All were charged with Aggravated Second Degree Battery, and Ritualistic Acts.

According to authorities in East Baton Rouge Parish, three members of the band were beaten with a two-by-four wooden board as part of an initiation into the band’s French horn section. Two of the victims were hospitalized and were in serious condition in the intensive care unit at a Baton Rouge hospital.

A witness reportedly identified seven members of the band’s French horn section as being present and taking part in the ritual.

Girl Reportedly Abducted Near MARTA station

Editor's Note: Police have updated this information and are now saying the reported abduction may have been a false alarm. Authorities spent several hours this morning searching for a missing girl and have found no evidence. Police began their search after receiving a tip from a witness about a possible abduction.

A young girl was reportedly kidnapped early this morning around the Westlake MARTA station.

According to authorities, a man was taken into custody near the scene, but there was no sign of the reported victim, whom police say was walking in the area and was between 5 and 7 years old.

The MARTA station is located north of I-20 on Westlake Avenue.

Gays, Lesbians Calling for Work Boycott Dec. 10

EDITOR'S NOTE: Although this site is primarily geared towards Atlanta area news, we will from time to time take a look at national and world events, with some opinions thrown in. We welcome your comments at all times!

With their recent defeat of same-sex marriage in California, Arizona and Florida, gays and lesbians are taking a new approach to getting their way.

A number of same-sex marriage supporters are urging people to take a day off from work this Wednesday and "call in gay" to their bosses, showing how much the country depends on gays and lesbians to make offices run.

Backers of "Day Without a Gay" — scheduled to coincide with International Human Rights Day and tooled after similar work stoppages by Latino immigrants — also are encouraging people to perform volunteer work and refrain from spending money.

Witeck-Combs Communications, a Washington public relations firm specializing in the gay and lesbian market, published a study this year that estimated that gay and lesbian consumers spend $700 billion each year.

Sean Hetherington, a West Hollywood, California comedian and personal trainer, came up with the notion along with his boyfriend, Aaron Hartzler.

The duo were reading online that a small number of angry gay-rights activists were seeking a daylong strike to protest California voters' passage last month of Proposition 8, which reversed this year's state Supreme Court decision permitting gay marriage.

California voters for the second time this decade said no to same-sex marriage, yet gays and lesbians once again vow to find judges who will turn the wishes of the majority around.

Several lawsuits were brought against the vote and will reportedly be heard by judges in March.

Editor's Take: While it is certainly one's right to take a "sick" day from work, those in the gay and lesbian community need to realize that much of mainstream America are not bigots. Those of us who have no problems with civil unions simply draw the line at redefining marriage. Californians have voted twice now on this issue and both times said no to redefining marriage. While the gay and lesbian community vow to fight the vote's outcome, I have no doubt that those who backed Prop 8 (keeping marriage as that of between a man and a woman) will stand behind their beliefs too. One of the biggest outrages I have with the gay and lesbian community is comparing their fight to that of black people who fought decades for civil rights. The two issues are entirely different, and it is rather insulting to many black people to have the two compared. Gays and lesbians have made great strides, but there comes a time to know when enough is enough. For many of us in the heterosexual community, that time has come.

Annual Peach Drop at Underground Atlanta Returns

The giant peach is back and ready for the countdown to 2009!

Ring in the New Year from midnight to 4 a.m. at the 20th Annual Peach Drop at Underground Atlanta (50 Upper Alabama St.) with family fun, singing sensation Julianne Hough and Atlanta's own 800 lb. peach! Peach Drop is the largest New Year's Eve Countdown celebration in the entire southeast and this year's celebration is set to be the best one yet!

Visit www.PeachDrop.com to find answers to frequently asked questions, fun facts and up-to-the-minute information about Peach Drop 2009.

Murphy the Dog Gets a New Home

An Atlanta area resident is getting a special gift for Christmas - a new dog.

Robert Kennedy, who rescued a dog from Murphey Candler Park last week, will become its new owner once all the paper work has been finalized.

The German Shepherd, who now goes by the name of Murphy, was found with severe head injuries after being hit in the head with a sledgehammer.

The dog's previous owner, Joseph Waters (pictured above), was arrested and taken to DeKalb County Jail on $25,000 bond, charged with a felony count of animal cruelty.

Murphy, who was named for the park where he was discovered, was taken to Pets are People Too of Dunwoody for treatment. Despite losing an eye in the attack, Murphy does not appear to have suffered permanent brain damage, according to vets.

Kennedy has set up a trust fund Thursday to help cover the costs that may reach $6,000.

Those interested in helping Kennedy with Murphy's medical bills can make a gift at any Wachovia Bank branch, to the Murphy the Dog account, number 1010209642669.

Students Show Improvement on State's Writing Test

Georgia's High School students showed steady improvement on the state's writing test this fall.

Eighty-nine percent of students met or exceeded standards on the Georgia High School Writing Test (GHSWT) -- up one percentage point from fall, 2007. Many of Georgia's student subgroups showed dramatic gains, including English Language Learners and Students with Disabilities.

"Our high schools are doing an excellent job teaching our students the importance of writing and the results are showing on the GHSWT," said State Superintendent of Schools Kathy Cox. "Using our new curriculum, the Georgia Performance Standards, Georgia is growing a strong generation of writers and communicators."

More than 106,000 students took the GHSWT this fall, of which 96,444 were first-time test takers in grade 11. The pass rate for first-time test takers was 91 percent.

The pass rate for English Language Learners was 65 percent, a jump of 12 percentage points from last year. The pass rate for Students with Disabilities was 60 percent, an increase of five percentage points. The scores of African-American (85 percent) and Hispanic (82 percent) students each rose two percentage points, while the pass rate of white students held steady at 93 percent.

"We are seeing high achievement and improvement across the board on the writing test," Cox said.

Radio Broadcaster Kavanagh Dead at 57

Veteran Atlanta radio broadcaster Mike Kavanagh passed away over the weekend at the age of 57.

According to WSB, where Kavanagh hosted "Money Matters Radio Talk Show" most recently, Kavanagh suffered a heart attack on Saturday at his residence.

Kavanagh's work included 15 years as co-anchor of "Atlanta's Evening News" on News/Talk 750 WSB with Lisa Campbell before hosting "Money Matters."

Kavanagh was also a senior partner in the financial firm Capital Investment Advisors Inc. in Atlanta.

Tough Economy Leads to Belt Tightening for Many

Some 61 percent of employees said they plan to spend “much less” this holiday season, according to a Tell It Now^SM poll released by ComPsych Corporation. Another 29 percent of employees said they plan to spend “somewhat less” this year.

Employees were asked: Are you changing your holiday spending due to the economic downturn?

• 61 percent said – Yes, I am spending much less than last year
• 29 percent said – Yes, I am spending somewhat less than last year
• 7 percent – No, I am spending the same as last year
• 3 percent – No, I am spending more than last year

Calls to ComPsych’s FinancialConnect service have increased considerably in the current economic climate as employees rethink their budgets. “Are people worried? Absolutely,” said Dr. Richard Chaifetz, chairman and CEO of ComPsych. “We’ve seen a significant increase in calls related to overhauling household budgets and also in hardship cases, where people are seeking outside assistance for paying basic bills. Providing financial information and resources has become more important than ever given the challenges employees are facing.”

The following is a list of the top reasons for calls to ComPsych’s FinancialConnect service:

1. Credit cards/debt management

2. Budgeting questions

3. Mortgage issues

4. Hardship issues

5. Tax questions

ComPsych’s FinancialConnect service is an employer-provided benefit that helps workers navigate financial issues with support, resources and information. The program provides access to certified financial planners, certified public accountants and other financial experts to answer employee questions and help develop solutions.

School Counselor Arrested for Interaction with Child

A Fulton County school employee found herself in trouble over the weekend as she was arrested for allegedly attacking a 10-year-old girl in a public bathroom at the AMF Woodstock Lanes.

According to police, Amy Syrinek-Ross, 32, a counselor at Woodland Charter Elementary School, allegedly grabbed the arm of a young girl in a bathroom during a birthday party.

Police reported that the child said she went in the bathroom to check on her hair and was approached by a woman who allegedly said how cute the girl was. After reportedly asking the girl if she needed help putting stick on tattoo and the girl said no, the accused allgedly grabbed the girl's arms and began to go through her pockets. Another woman in the bathroom reportedly intervened in the situation.

Syrinek-Ross, of Marietta, turned herself in to police this morning and was charged with simple battery before posting bail.

Dawgs, Spartans to Meet in Capital One Bowl

The Georgia Bulldogs will head to Orlando for the New Year's holiday as they will battle the Michigan State Spartans Jan. 1 in the Capital One Bowl.

Both teams will enter the game with 9-3 records, and both come in losing their season-ending games. Georgia lost a 45-42 decision to rival Georgia Tech, while Michigan State was blown out at Penn State.

Missing Paulding Co. Woman Found Dead in Austell

The family of Paulding County resident Laneeka Varnado got the terrible news Saturday evening - their loved one was found dead.

According to authorities, Varnado, 22, who had been missing since Nov. 25, was found inside her 1999 Mercedes on the property of a landowner in Austell.

Both the body and the vehicle were removed from the scene and taken to a vehicle examination spot on the grounds of the Cobb County Police Department Headquarters compound.

According to a preliminary examination by the Cobb County Medical Examiners Office, Varnado died as the result of an automobile accident.

Authorities said Varnado departed her residence in Paulding County on Nov. 24, to attend an event at the Georgia International Convention Center in Atlanta.

See related story at: goatlanta-ga.blogspot.com/2008/11/search-on-for-woman-missing-since.html

November National Job Losses Top 500,000

Georgians and others in the rest of the country felt the pain last month, as the U.S. Government reported this past week that the nation’s economy lost 533,000 non-farm jobs in November. The decline is the largest one-month job loss, in terms of raw numbers, since December of 1974.

The loss increased the nation's unemployment rate to 6.7%, up from a revised unemployment rate of 6.5% the month prior. The unemployment rate is the highest its been in some 15 years.

Since the recession began in December last year, more than 1.9 million jobs have been lost, according to the Labor Department.

On the local front, (November numbers not yet available), the Georgia Department of Labor (GDOL) reported that the unemployment rate in metro Atlanta rose to a preliminary unadjusted rate of 6.8 percent in October, up 2.4 percentage points over the year from October of 2007. The jobless rate in metro Atlanta rose four-tenths of one percentage point from a revised 6.4 percent in September.

Meanwhile, Georgia's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate rose to 7.0 percent in October, the highest rate in more than 16 years. The jobless rate was up 2.5 percentage points from 4.5 percent at this same time last year. The October unemployment rate was up six-tenths of one percentage point from a revised 6.4 percent in September. At present, 343,093 unemployed Georgians are looking for work.

Pruitt Loses Battle with Cancer

The head of the Fayette County Sheriff's Drug Task Force lost his battle with cancer on Saturday.

Mike Pruitt, who was suffering from kidney and lung cancer, died peacefully with family and friends at his side.

Visitation is slated for Monday starting at 4 p.m. at the C.J. Mowell and Sons Funeral Home in Fayetteville.

Pruitt's funeral services are scheduled for Tuesday at 11 a.m. in Harp's Baptist Church.