(31 December 2008) -- Call it another bad "economic sign of the times."  Home values in Atlanta are not only down again, but the decline is in double digits.  A report out on 20 cities finds Atlanta home values fell an average of 10.5% in the year ending in October.  Atlanta is one of 14 cities to experience a double-digit decline. Home values declined the most in Phoenix where the decline was 32%.  Dallas was the best of the worst with home values down only three percent.


Rod "the Defiant" Blagojevich governor of Illinois has appointed former state Attorney General Roland Burris to the Senate seat vacated by President-elect Barack Obama despite objections from Senate Democrats including Obama. They vow to block the appointment because Blagojevich is accused of trying to sell the appointment to the highest bidder.

It is possible to get tickets to the Inauguration next month without knowing somebody important - that is if you write well. The Obama Inaugural committee is sponsoring an essay contest giving people a chance to win tickets to the event. The essay should be about what attending the Inauguration would mean to you. A minimum donation of $5 to the committee is requested, but not required. The essay, however, is mandatory.

Georgia Tech and LSU face off tonight in the Chick-fil-A Bowl at the Georgia Dome. While Tech fans love the idea of an at home bowl game, fans of Atlanta's economy would have preferred two visiting teams. Officials say the hospitality industry will suffer a $5 to $10 million dollar hit in lost revenue.

Police believe they have identified a man suspected of stealing from a Cobb fitness center and others around Atlanta. Derrick Jones Ivey matches photos of a man caught on surveillance at the L.A. Fittness on Cobb Parkway. Ivey, who is not a member of the club, is suspected in similar crimes in Conyers. He has a long criminal history and remains at large.

A non-profit that helps homeless HIV and AIDS victims find housing has been robbed by theives who took computers and welcome baskets. The Living Room's director Nick Danna says the angency's offices in Atlanta and Clayton County were struck by theives before Christmas. They lost six computers and welcom baskets containing basic household supplies. The agency helps about 2000 people each year.

Now for the words we hate Number one on the list for 2008 is "maverick" so say the people at Lake Superiour State University in Michigan. They release an annual list of words and and phrases that ought to be banned. Politics gets the blame for many of the selections such as "from Wall Street to Main Street," but the list also includes trendy terms like "green."