Posted: 4:06 p.m. Friday, Dec. 11, 2009
12-Year-Old Gets Split Verdict In Cousin's Death; MARTA Cracks Down On Distracted Drivers; Disney's First Black Princess Debuts
Previous Posts
- Not Guilty Verdict In Teacher Sex Case; President Obama Accepts Nobel Prize; Guilty Plea In Test Cheating Scandal
December 10, 2009 - Baby Dies Of Overheating; TSA Security Breach; Baby Bed Recall; Tyler Perry Grieves Mother; Kasim Reed Wins Recount
December 9, 2009 - Medical Emergency At Tiger Woods' Mansion; Sade's New Single (AUDIO); Winans' Domestic Charge Dropped
December 8, 2009
By Veronica Waters
- For the second time in the last three months, an east Cobb County homeowner has been attacked outside his home. The man and his wife were shot at when they got out of their car on Glasgow Drive in Marietta Thursday night. The man was injured but returned fire, wounding one of the suspects and killing the other. No word yet on a motive.
- A Cobb County juvenile court judge issued a split verdict today in the trial of a Tampa boy accused of beating his baby cousin to death over the 4th of July weekend. The 12-year-old boy cried as Judge Gregory Poole handed down the verdict: not guilty of murder or child cruelty, but guilty of two counts of battery. The boy didn't testify, but the judge was apparently swayed by his statement to police. Poole noted, "He was scared and didn't know what to do so he tried everything he could to get the baby to stop crying. He didn't know what to do and I don't expect him to know what to do." Sentencing is scheduled for January 6, and the judge says he will probably give the child probation. The boy will remain in a DeKalb County group home until then.
- MARTA approves one of the toughest policies in the country aimed at cracking down on distracted drivers, after several drivers were caught eating, reading or texting on the job. From now on, anyone found doing something considered to be "distracted driving" is subject to termination on the first offense. The new policy applies to all MARTA personnel except police.
- Disney's first black princess debuts on the silver screen today. "The Princess and the Frog," set in New Orleans, opens nationwide today with stars including Anika Noni Rose, Jenifer Lewis, Terrence Howard, and Oprah Winfrey.
- President Barack Obama is taking his Nobel Peace Prize and heading back to Washington this morning, to refocus on his top domestic priority--health insurance overhaul. There's a loophole in the Senate health care bill that would let insurers limit medical care for people with costly illnesses such as cancer. The president's speech in Oslo on the necessity of war drew praise from some of his harshest critics, including Newt Gingrich and Sarah Palin.
- The Federal Trade Commission busts up a huge telemarketing operation headquartered in Cobb County. The robo-calls offered customers a way to reduce credit card interest, but the feds say in most cases they didn't actually try to help--just made off with consumers' money. The FTC is now trying to recover the $32 million the company, Card Services, collected.
- A private eye finds no evidence teachers were browbeaten into supporting a controversial balanced school calendar in Cobb County. A school board member kicked off the investigation after hearing from teachers who say their principals pressured them into voting for the calendar change; the school board, citing teacher support, adopted the new calendar over the objections of parents. While the investigator didn't find proof the teachers were pressured, she didn't talk to any teachers, either--only interviewing the front office staff at several schools.
- Michael Vick's uncle is in trouble with the law. Joseph Vick Jr., the brother of Vick's mom, was arrested in Virginia this week with 21 others, accused of being a mid-level distributor in a heroin trafficking ring. The 57-year-old Vick has a string of drug convictions dating back to 1987. Investigators allege this ring supplied heroin to servicememembers and veterans at three Virginia military facilities.
- No injuries are reported, but four families have lost their homes after an early-morning fire at the Terrace Condominiums in Decatur. The cause of the blaze is unknown.
- An Atlanta man will go to prison for life for the fatal beating of his 2-year-old daughter in 2005. 32-year-old Miguel Padilla was caring for the girl while her mom was at work. He'd mentioned to a neighbor the girl was holding her stomach and had blood in her diaper; he didn't want to call 911 b/c he was on parole for burglary. An autopsy found the girl died from a blow comparable to the impact of a car wreck.
- MotorTrend names the 2010 Chrysler Ram Heavy Duty its truck of the year. It beat out competition including the F150 and Toyota Tundra. MotorTrend praises the Ram's powerful engine, comfortable ride and towing capacity. Earlier this week, the Dodge Challenger was named the most satisfying sports coupe by Consumer Reports.
- The KISS 104.1 weather forecast: partly cloudy, breezy high of 43; Friday night's low around 33. Saturday: 90% chance of late-day or evening, high of 42. Sunday, overcast, with a 50% chance of light rain and a high of 53.
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