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Posted: 9:05 a.m. Friday, May 18, 2012

Mixed Bag of Evidence in Trayvon Martin Shooting; Pleas in FAMU Band Hazing Case 

By Veronica Waters

When George Zimmerman tries to convince a judge or a jury that he shot Trayvon Martin in self-defense, the evidence in the second-degree murder case appears to be a mixed bag.

More than 200 pages of photos and eyewitness accounts released by prosecutors Thursday show he and Martin were in a loud and bloody fight in the moments leading up to the shooting and that Zimmerman appeared to be getting the worst of it, with wounds both to his face and the back of his head.

But the original lead detective in the case believed Zimmerman caused the fight by getting out of his vehicle to confront the 17-year-old, who wasn't doing anything criminal, and then could have defused the situation by telling Martin he was just a concerned citizen and tried to talk to him. He didn't think Zimmerman could legally invoke Florida's "stand your ground" law, and said the 28-year-old should be charged with manslaughter.

Two defendants plead no contest to lesser charges of misdemeanor hazing in the beating of a fellow Florida A&M University band member. Aaron Golson and Sean Hobson were sentenced to 30 days in a work camp and 12 months of probation. Medical records didn't support a felony count of serious bodily injury to Bria Hunter, who was originally thought to have a broken thigh bone. Golson is also charged in the hazing-related death of FAMU drum major Robert Champion, Jr. Hunter's attorney in Atlanta, B. J. Bernstein, says they will be filing a lawsuit.

Hazing gets a fraternity tossed off of Georgia Tech's campus for two years. Now, some members of Beta Theta Pi may also face yearlong academic suspensions. Details of what they did to their pledges last month were not revealed, but Tech says the frat violated its code of conduct.


Gwinnett County students will be in bigger classes next school year. The school board adopted a new budget which saves $43 million dollars by, in part, increasing class sizes by two students per teacher. District staffers will also have to take two furlough days.

Your drive at the Perimeter is changing. The interchange of I-285 near Perimeter Mall is being remodeled to ease congestion. The new roadway is a "divergent diamond," and is to be completed next month. To help drivers become familiar with it, the DOT is holding a golf cart "test drive" on Saturday, May 19, in the parking lot of Perimeter Mall.

Like the King of Pop or the Queen of Soul, Donna Summer was bestowed a title fitting of musical royalty: the Queen of Disco. Yet unlike Michael Jackson or Aretha Franklin, it was a designation she wasn't comfortable embracing.

"I grew up on rock 'n' roll," Summer once said when explaining her reluctance to claim the title. Some of Summer's most pulsating hits during the 70s were "Hot Stuff," `'Love to Love You Baby" and "Last Dance."

The disco legend passed away Thursday at the age of 63, reportedly of cancer.

President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama are among those who are expressing sadness over the death of Donna Summer. The president and first lady say their thoughts and prayers are with her family and fans. And they praised her music, saying the music industry had lost a legend. In a statement, the president and his wife described Summer has having an "unforgettable" voice.

Screen on the Green will not be back at Piedmont Park this summer, and the Piedmont Park Conservancy president says she is not sure if it ever will. She says their focus now is on raising enough money to complete a 53-acre park expansion.

A Texas natural gas company serving a dozen states has warned customers that President Barack Obama will not be paying their bills. Dallas-based Atmos Energy says the scheme falsely claims Obama is providing credits or directly paying utility bills. The company serves more than 3 million customers in states including Georgia.

How high -- or low -- will it go? That's the question being asked about the price of Facebook stock, which is for sale to the general public for the first time. The shares were initially priced at $38, but the online betting market Intrade says there's a 77 percent chance that Facebook stock will close today at $45 or higher. That would represent a first-day gain of 18 percent.

The KISS 104 weather forecast: partly sunny, high of 83.

Veronica Waters

About Veronica Waters

Veronica Waters is the morning news anchor on KISS 104.1 and B-98.5FM. She is also an anchor and reporter for 95.

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