First Slice 6/8/14: Gunman wounds officer, shot dead at Forsyth County Courthouse

Plus, Atlanta group considers purchase Georgia Theatre

On Friday morning, 48-year-old Dennis Marx, a former Transportation Security Administration employee and member of a large “sovereign citizen” movement, fired off shots inside the Forsyth County Courthouse, injuring one deputy before being shot and killed. Authorities later discovered that the gunman, who was scheduled to plead guilty in a drug case, had an assault rifle, grenades, homemade explosive devices, and plastic restraints. “It was very close to being a major catastrophe,” Forsyth County Sheriff Duane Piper said. “The deputy that was shot ... averted what, I think, would have been a lot more deaths.”

A group of Atlanta investors could soon be the latest owners of the iconic Georgia Theatre in Athens, Ga. Owner Wilmont Greene told the Athens Banner-Herald that he’s in talks to sell the 1,000-person music venue.

The Guardian has taken a close look at how a dire lack of public defenders in Georgia, particularly in the small town of Cordele, has set some teenagers back for life. “Adults don’t do well in court without the benefits of counsel, but children - they don’t have a prayer,” Sara Totonchi of the Southern Center for Human Rights says.

Georgia Attorney General Sam Olens has sided with federal officials over the fact that a controversial Georgia measure passed this year by state lawmakers requiring drug testing for some food stamp recipients conflicts with federal law. On Friday, Olens penned a letter to Gov. Nathan Deal that backed a recent U.S. Department of Agriculture statement about the law first proposed by state Rep. Greg Morris, R-Vidalia.

Kane Zipperman, a 17-year-old teenager from Canton, Ga., has turned into a Twitter hero of sorts. He’s amassed more than 65,000 followers during the past few days for his tweeting about his breakup with his cheating girlfriend. And that’s viral post garnered him interviews on CNN and other major media outlets.






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