Report: Georgia Ranked 10th for Teen Pregnancies

The teen birth rate increased in more than half of all 50 states in 2006, according to a report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, with Georgia rounding out the Top 10 list for the year.

CDC had reported in December 2007 that the teen birth rate for the nation as a whole increased for the first time in 15 years in 2006 from 40.5 births per 1,000 women aged 15-19 in 2005 to 41.9 in 2006. That information was based on 99 percent of all birth certificates in the United States for 2006.

The latest report from CDC′s National Center for Health Statistics, “Births: Final Data for 2006,” includes state-by-state teen birth rate information based on all birth certificates issued in the United States in 2006.

The data show teen birth rates were highest in the South and Southwest, with the highest rate recorded in Mississippi (68.4), followed by New Mexico (64.1) and Texas (63.1).

Teen birth rates in 2006 were lowest in the Northeast in 2006, with the lowest rates occurring in New Hampshire (18.7), Vermont (20.8), and Massachusetts (21.3). The only states with a decrease in teen birth rates between 2005 and 2006 were North Dakota, Rhode Island, and New York.

The report also features birth data on a variety of topics, including state-based and national information on teen, unmarried, and multiple births, along with health data on smoking during pregnancy, Caesarean delivery, preterm birth, and low birthweight.

The full report is available at www.cdc.gov/nchs.

Allison & Partners Unveils Atlanta Office

Allison & Partners, a national strategic communications, public relations and public affairs firms, has launched a new office in Atlanta and added healthcare, advocacy and public affairs expert Brian Feldman to its senior leadership team. With the addition of Feldman, who has worked with the healthcare industry in more than 20 states, the agency has launched a new national practice area dedicated to serving the needs of healthcare and biotechnology clients.

"The launch of our seventh office in Atlanta, following our significant revenue growth in 2008, is a validation of our unwavering focus on attracting the very best entrepreneurial talent in the industry,” said Andy Hardie-Brown, co-founder of Allison & Partners. “Our commitment to offering clients full-service capabilities makes the addition of the healthcare practice – along with the addition of Brian to our management team – a natural next step for the firm. His experience in healthcare, public affairs and grassroots strategy will benefit our clients nationwide.”

Clients joining Allison & Partners healthcare practice include The Healthcare Leadership Council (HLC), a coalition of chief executives from all disciplines within the health care system, and the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA), a membership organization that represents the country’s leading pharmaceutical research and biotechnology companies.

The new practice will round out Allison & Partners’ core practice areas which include corporate communications, technology, consumer marketing, social impact and public affairs. The healthcare practice will provide clients with the ability to elevate public policy issues on national and local levels, develop effective digital advocacy and health education programs, recruit partners and activate grassroots networks in support of key issues.

For further information, visit www.allisonpr.com.

EXCLUSIVE: How to Improve Your Credit Score

Editor's note: We are beginning a series of blogs from Stu Lustman of Atlanta-based Southern Lending Solutions. If there is a financial topic of interest to you, feel free to drop us a line.

By Stu Lustman

All 3 credit bureaus generate a FICO score. FICO is a proprietary formula calculated by Fair Isaac to determine the credit risk of the borrower. Due to the fact that they all don't get the same information, the scores tend to vary, sometimes in a small tight window and sometimes as much as 50 or 60 points.

Generally speaking, 700 and higher is considered to be a good score. Often this credit score will get A or B+ paper pricing for a lease.

So how do we raise our credit score? One of the easiest ways is to tackle the Revolving Debt. Revolving Debt is all the non-mortgage debt listed in a credit report. All revolving debt (usually credit cards and store cards) have the common trait of once a bill is paid, then that amount of credit becomes available for borrowing again. Think of a CC where when you pay $500, then your credit limit increases by $500 allowing you to use that $500 for another purchase. So one of the first things we look at (as well as our funders and anywhere else where you borrow) is the % of Revolving Debt available.

Why? Because people believe (rightly) that the first thing to happen when someone is struggling financially is more is put on their CC and that % goes down. So the technique for reducing your revolving debt and increasing your FICO score is to take the minimum payment showing on your bill and add 20% to it (multiply by 1.20). Make this payment for 3 straight months and your Revolving goes down and your FICO goes up. 3 months are required as credit reports only update every 90 days so they need to see at least 3 months of doing this. Its not uncommon to see scores increase as much as 40 or 50 points in 90 days, which translates into a significant savings on lease payments.

For further information on Southern Lending Solutions, visit www.southernlendingsolutions.com

Salmonella Outbreak Sickens Residents in 42 States

Health officials are trying to get their hands around a nationwide salmonella food poisoning outbreak that has sickened nearly 400 people in 42 states.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the outbreak began last fall. The Department of Agriculture, state health officials and the Food and Drug Administration are also working on the case.

According to the CDC, poultry, cheese and eggs are the most common culprit of this particular strain, known as Salmonella typhimurium.

Which states have been impacted has been hard to uncover, with only Ohio state health officials agreeing to have their state named as one of those affected, noting an estimated 50 cases.

Delta Passenger Subdued After Claiming to Have Bomb

A normal trip to the West Coast from Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport proved anything but Wednesday afternoon.

A Delta Air Lines passenger, who stated he was carrying a bomb and refused to cooperate with flight attendants, was subdued by fellow passengers.

The male passenger, who reportedly lunged for the emergency exit door, was taken down by at least a half dozen passengers on the Flight #110 from Atlanta to Los Angeles shortly after 1 p.m. EST. as the flight was close to landing at LAX.

The flight, carrying some 250 passengers, landed safely in Los Angeles.

Curry to Run Athletics at Georgia State Temporarily

Current Georgia State and former University of Alabama football coach Bill Curry was named interim athletic director at GSU Wednesday.

According to school officials, Curry will direct the athletic program as it searches for a permanent replacement for Mary McElroy, who was fired in December by outgoing president Carl Patton.

Curry was hired by GSU in June to start a football program that will commence play in 2010.

Standard Food and Spirits Employee Dead in Robbery

An employee at the Standard Food and Spirits on Memorial Drive is dead after being shot multiple times in a robbery at the facility.

According to authorities, John Henderson, 27, a bartender, died early Wednesday morning at Grady Memorial Hospital.

Police say that as two employees were closing up the restaurant early in the morning, four men threw a rock through the front window of the establishment. After entering the restaurant, the four suspects reportedly demanded and received cash from the employees, then shot one of the two employees.

The surviving victim, a female, was not injured.

Former Teacher Gets 6 Years for Sex With Teens

The sentence is six years in prison for a former Cherokee County High School teacher charged with having sex with two female students.

Matthew Gantz, 41, a former drama teacher at the high school, is also being placed on 14 years probation after pleading guilty to a pair of counts of sodomy.

Gantz, who had been employed in the school system for a decade, was taken into custody back in September after a woman came forward to say she had sexual relations with the Canton resident, beginning in 2007, when she was a 17-year-old student.

A second teen later informed police that she too had a sexual relationship with Gantz in 2005, when she was a student.

Pair of Men Nabbed for Impersonating Police Officer

Powder Springs police officers are hoping this was a one time event.

According to authorities, two Marietta men have been arrested for impersonating a Powder Springs police officer.

Christopher Vandevere and Zachary Ayers were both taken into custody for allegedly conducting a traffic stop by using flashlights on a 2005 Black Ford F150.

Authorities said the victim, who was not identified, called 911 and trailed the suspects' vehicle until the real police apprehended them. A female juvenile in the truck with the duo was released by police.

Police are asking anyone else who feels they may have been victims of the duo to call Powder Springs Police in reference to case #09-000131. The number is 770-943-1616.

Brick Plaza Near Underground Atlanta Dropping

While no one was injured, local officials are reporting that a brick plaza close to Underground Atlanta started sinking only minutes after the Peach Drop on New Year's Eve. The plaza has continued to sink since that time, according to officials.

The gap began to form in the brick plaza just a few feet from Peachtree Street and directly on top of one of MARTA's busiest train stations.

City maintenance inspectors constituted a preliminary assessment of the area Monday morning and determined it would be best to keep barricades around the area until a full analysis of the area is completed.

Officials added that the area impacted is relatively small and visitors can still access Underground Atlanta.

New Year's Holiday Period Ends With 21 Road Fatalities

The New Year's holiday travel period ended at midnight Sunday with 21 traffic deaths reported to the Georgia State Patrol over the 102-hour period. The traffic deaths were recorded in 18 fatal crashes that occurred between 6 p.m. New Year's Eve and midnight Sunday.

Traffic estimates for the holiday period from the Georgia State Patrol and the Crash Reporting Unit at the Georgia Department of Transportation had been for 3,008 traffic crashes, 1,350 injuries, and 21 traffic fatalities. During the 2007-08 New Year’s holiday travel period, which was also 102 hours long, there were 3,108 traffic crashes, 1,250 injuries, and 22 traffic deaths recorded.

Wet roads for the third consecutive holiday period contributed to a higher than normal number of crashes, especially between noon and midnight Friday. During that 12-hour period, 955 traffic crashes and 240 injuries were reported.

Over the holiday period, fatal crashes were reported by the Putnam County Sheriff's Department, Atlanta Police, DeKalb County Police (2), Gwinnett County Police (2), Savannah-Chatham Police, Richmond County S/O, and the Georgia State Patrol posts in Americus, Dalton, Dublin (2), Lafayette (2), Lagrange, Newnan, Reidsville, and Sylvania. Three people were killed in a fatal crash Wednesday night in Screven County and two people were killed Sunday night in Coweta County.

The highest number of traffic deaths recorded over a New Year’s holiday travel period occurred in 1981 and 1987 when 23 fatalities occurred and the lowest was three in 1958.

Man who Allegedly Defrauded Clients Arraigned

The former Atlanta investment manager, indicted by a federal grand jury last month and facing charges of wire fraud, mail fraud and securities fraud, was arraigned Monday before a U.S. Magistrate.

Frederick J. Barton was arraigned on charges of defrauding investors of $3 million.

The 13-count indictment alleges Barton defrauded several clients and investors of $3 million. Barton reportedly defrauded nearly the entire life savings of an elderly woman suffering from Alzheimer’s disease among his victims.

From at least 1995 through 2002, Barton was a manager at an Atlanta branch of A.G. Edwards & Sons Inc. After being fired from the St. Louis-based company, Barton started his own investment advisory firms, Barton Asset Management LLC and Twinspan Capital LLC in Atlanta.

According to the indictment, Barton allegedly during a six-year period fraudulently moved the funds of clients to himself.

One of his reported victims was a 90-year-old woman suffering from Alzheimer's. It is alleged that Barton moved more than $1 million of the woman's assets into his own checking account for personal lifestyle expenses and to fund the development of Twinspan Capital.

North Georgia Under Flood Watch

With heavy rains expected later today, a flood watch has been issued for much of north Georgia, including a portion of metro Atlanta.

Forecasts indicate that as much as four inches of rain could hit the area starting this evening.

Habersham, Rabun and Stephens Counties in Georgia are under a flash flood watch, as forecasters say up to five inches could fall there.

Georgia counties under the flood watch are Bartow County, Chattooga County, Cherokee County, Clay County, Cobb County, Dawson County, Fannin County, Floyd County, Forsyth County, Fulton County, Gilmer County, Gordon County, Haralson County, Lumpkin County, Paulding County, Pickens County, Polk County, Towns County, Union County and White County.

Shaw Taken Off Life Support; Phillips Remains in Custody

Authorities reported that Julia Shaw, the Cherokee County woman who was beaten and left on a road New Year's Eve, has died. Shaw was discovered on the road on McClure Drive in Ball Ground.

Shaw's boyfriend, Robert Phillips, 46, of Jasper, remains in custody in her death. According to authorities, Shaw, who had been in critical condition since arriving at Northside Regional Hospital, was removed from life support on Saturday. Police reported that the pair had a history of domestic violence.

Phillips is looking at charges of aggravated battery, aggravated assault and criminal attempted murder.

Barkley Reportedly On His Way to Sex Act When Stopped

Former NBA star and current TNT commentator Charles Barkley was reportedly in a hurry when he was pulled over earlier in the week in Arizona and ticketed for alleged DUI.

According to information from authorities recently released, Barkley, who starred for the Philadelphia 76ers, Phoenix Suns and Houston Rockets, was in a hurry to pick up a woman for a sex act

"I was going to drive around the corner and get [oral sex]," the basketball Hall of Famer told law enforcement in Scottsdale, according to a police report.

He reportedly said the woman had performed the sex act for him a week ago and "it was the best one he had ever had," the report said.

Police said the former Auburn star blew through a red light, then pulled over to pick up the woman, who wasn't charged.

According to authorities, an officer with a task force that focuses on drunken driving witnessed Barkley run a stop sign about 1:30 a.m. Barkley was in Scottsdale's Old Town area when he was pulled over.

Authorities reported that Barkley failed field sobriety tests after the officer smelled alcohol on him, and he was arrested. Barkley turned down a breath test but was given a blood test.

Atlanta Vice Squad Continues Crack Down on Crimes

The Atlanta Police Department's vice squad continues to crack down on crimes in the greater Atlanta area.

To report a crime to the vice squad, call (404) 853-4265.

To see names/photos of recent arrests, visit: www.atlantapd.org/index.asp?nav=vicearrests

Woman Awakes to Naked Man in her Condo

One Atlanta area woman got an unwelcome surprise to start the New Year.

According to police, the woman awoke Thursday evening in her Briarcliff Road condo to find a naked man in her bedroom. Entry to the gated complex reportedly requires a key code.

Police said that the woman, who fled the residence, was not injured.

In the meantime, police are warning women in the area to be vigilant of their surroundings.

11 Dead in Holiday Fatalities to Date

With the holiday weekend still ongoing, Georgia Public Safety reported 11 roadway fatalities as of 6 p.m. EST today.

The New Year's holiday period traffic count as of 6 p.m. today is:



1,638 Crashes
396 Injuries
11 Fatalities
9 Fatal Crashes

Fatal crashes have been reported by: Putnam Co. S/O, Dekalb Co. P/D, Gwinnett Co. P/D, and the Georgia State Patrol posts in Americus, Dalton, Dublin (2), Lafayette, and Sylvania.

New Clayton County Sheriff Removes 14 Deputies

New Clayton County Sheriff Kem Kimbrough made quite an impact on his first day behind the desk Thursday, reportedly firing 14 deputies.

According to Kimbrough, the firings were part of his campaign promise to clean up the department. The new sheriff said he has put in plan a new code of conduct that will rely on integrity and honesty. Those now out of a job have a different story.

Some of the former deputies allege they were removed because of their ties with the former sheriff, Victor Hill. In his last week in office, Hill, who lost in an election contest with Kimbrough earlier this year, filed for bankruptcy.

One television report noted that Kimbrough claimed the former sheriff “hired outcasts, thugs and rejects from every agency.”

Family, Friends Remember Emerson One Year Later

Family and friends are remembering Meredith Emerson, who was killed one year ago after being kidnapped while hiking along the Appalachian Trail in North Georgia.

Emerson went missing one year ago today, and her body was discovered one week later in Dawson Forest. Emerson's de-capitated body was located off a dirt road that runs through Dawson Forest. Her killer, Gary Hilton, 61, was arrested and is behind bars for life.

According to Hilton, he drove around with Emerson in his white van attempting to use her ATM card. Hilton then kept Emerson alive in the forest for two days before brutally killing her. A suspect early on, Hilton informed authorities where Emerson's body would be found in exchange for escaping the death penalty.

While he escaped the death penalty in Georgia, Hilton is facing the death penalty in Florida where he is charged with the murder of 46-year-old Cheryl Dunlap. Her body was discovered in the Apalachicola National Forest southwest of Tallahassee two weeks before Emerson died.

Hilton is also a suspect in the murders of two elderly North Carolina hikers who went missing while hiking in Pisgah National Forest in North Carolina in October 2008.

Since Emerson's death, a hiking group called "Right-to-Hike" began a scholarship in her name at the University of Georgia. The group also offers GPS tracking devices for hikers.