Last Week October 07 2000
SEPT. 26
I tawt I taw a kneejerk: A Cobb County sixth-grader is suspended for 10 days for carrying a Tweety Bird wallet with a 10-inch chain, which school officials deem a weapon. ... Who you gonna call? Emergency workers and government honchos are rattled when south Fulton County’s official ambulance service notifies the state that it will only provide service for four more days before confining operations to East Point. ... By a hair: A California-based forensic scientist trashes the Georgia State Crime Lab’s handling of hairs used as evidence in the 1981 murder trial of Wayne Felker, executed in 1996 for the killing of college student Joy Ludlum. ?
Sept. 27
Mama said there’d be days like dis: Accused Gambino crime family member Michael “Mikey Scars” DiLeonardo pleads not guilty in the federal case alleging racketeering, prostitution and other charges against the Gold Club operators. ... It’s who you know: Atlanta City Council Chairman Robb Pitts questions the city’s signing of a $75,000 consulting deal with former Acting Chief Financial Officer Judith Blackwell.?
Sept. 28
Use it or lose it: Two days after a 13-year-old girl is dragged to an abandoned house and raped, Mayor Campbell threatens negligent property owners in Vine City with six months in jail or $1,000 fines if they don’t shape up. ... Talk about touchy: Secretary Shirley Henson goes on trial in Columbiana, Ala., for shooting and killing another woman who spit on her following a traffic altercation. ?
Sept. 29
School supplies: A second-grader at Collier Heights Elementary School is suspended for five days after bringing a BB gun to school. ... Officer Too-Friendly: DeKalb County Police officials say the incidents that led to charges that Officer Timothy H. Turner molested a 6-year-old girl occurred while he was off-duty. ... We stand firmly behind ... oh, never mind: Stung by national attention following their 10-day suspension of a child for carrying a chained wallet to school, Cobb County officials lift the punishment.?
Sept. 30
Something to cheer about: No fatalities or serious injuries are reported after a caravan of busses carrying Clark Atlanta University band members, cheerleaders and boosters has a chain-reaction wreck in Mississippi. At least 130 people are injured, none seriously. ... Just gimme the keys and go to bed: A youth summit convened by the Georgia Legislative Black Caucus finds teens in favor of mandatory drivers training, but opposed to mandatory curfews. ... Isn’t that — wheeze — better? Atlanta’s “smog season” wraps up after logging 45 “bad air” days, and two “very bad” days; last year’s figures were 69 and seven, respectively.?
Oct. 1
Shoulda gone to Disney World: Decatur resident Claire Whitfield narrowly escapes with her life when a Greek yacht sinks in the Aegean. One passenger drowned. ... Bad day for the home teams: The Braves blow a home-field advantage with a 10-5 loss to the Rockies. Meanwhile, the Falcons fall to the Eagles 38-10.?
Oct. 2
Accused shooter asks for mercy: T.J. Solomon, 17, accused of shooting six fellow students at Heritage High School in Rockdale County on May 20, 1999, enters pleas of guilty and guilty but mentally ill to the charges ... Second thoughts? Post Properties chief John Williams says his company may pull out of ambitious mixed-use development projects near the Lindbergh MARTA station and at the old Atlantic Steel site. ... Don’t smoke that ham: The Atlanta City Council approves a measure giving restaurants a 20-percent cut in business license fees in return for banning smoking on their premises.