Brian Vanderhoff's North Fulton Real Estate Blog: November 2007

Mats Sundin scored his 13th goal, and Nik Antropov had two assists to help the Toronto Maple Leafs end a four-game losing streak with a 4-2 victory over the Atlanta Thrashers on Thursday night.

Ilya Kovalchuk scored his NHL-leading 20th goal 16:20 into the second, breaking an offensive drought for Atlanta that lasted seven-plus periods and covered 166 minutes.

In losing their third straight, the Thrashers never really threatened Toronto, which scored four goals for the first time in 14 games.

Sundin, 26th in NHL history with 536 goals, put the Leafs up 2-0 with a backhander from the left circle that beat goalie Johan Hedberg to the stick side.

Antropov earned his 13th assist on Andy Wozniewski's bizarre goal that opened the scoring with 5:50 left in the first. Wozniewski might want to credit Hedberg, who inadvertently knocked in the puck with the back of his left glove.

Regardless, Wozniewski raised his arms in triumph after watching his shot sail over the net, ricochet off the rear boards and bounce off the goalie. Hedberg was in the crease and facing forward with the back of his skates at the goal line when the puck went into the net.

Alex Steen's fourth goal gave the Leafs a 2-0 lead with 4 seconds left in the first and ended a personal 11-game scoring drought. Matt Stajan hadn't scored in his last 10 games before his fifth goal put Toronto ahead 4-1 with 13:56 remaining.

Tobias Enstrom's third goal for Atlanta, coming on the power play with 7:29 left in the game, made it 4-2.

Leafs goalie Vesa Toskala improved to 7-8-3 after stopping 18 of 20 shots. Hedberg made 21 saves.

Toronto, which had lost seven of eight, will try on Saturday against Pittsburgh to win consecutive games for the first time since taking two straight from the Penguins and New York Rangers Oct. 25-27.

Atlanta had won four straight before consecutive shutout losses at New Jersey and Pittsburgh, but the Thrashers now have an 11-7 record since general manager Don Waddell took over as coach last month.

Notes:@ Sundin needs five goals to pass Teemu Selanne for 25th place on the NHL's career list. ... Atlanta has earned just eight points at Philips Arena this season. ... Despite the Thrashers' recent offensive problems, Kovalchuk has 12 points, including six goals, in his last seven games.

Labels: Atlanta Thrashers, Hockey, Maple Leafs

A newly released report ranks Georgia fifth in the nation in the number of home foreclosures. The number of foreclosures across the nation more than doubled in October, compared to the same period in 2006.

Labels: Forclosures, Georgia

December 3, 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Social Hall of the Alpharetta Crabapple Government Center


The Public is invited to attend a meeting to discuss updating the Crabapple Crossroads Community Plan between 7:00 and 8:30 p.m. on December 3 in the Social Hall of the Alpharetta Crabapple Government Center. The meeting will provide an opportunity for citizens to meet with the consultants preparing the City of Milton’s Comprehensive Plan and to help identify major issues and concerns regarding the Community


Another meeting is scheduled for January 7, 2008, to refine the issues and opportunities and to determine what measures and priorities should be considered to address these issues in an interim update to the adopted Community Plan.

Labels: City Council Meeting, Crabapple, milton

A few dozen patient people had waited more than two hours in line just to catch a glimpse of Mitchel Musso, who plays Oliver Oken on the Disney Channel sensation, "Hannah Montana."

Musso, 16, stopped by the Verizon Wireless store in Alpharetta Nov. 27 in an effort to promote the Hannah Montana concert at the Gwinnett Center in Duluth.

The line of fans holding photos, posters and other Hannah Montana memorabilia nearly wrapped around the Verizon store – all to have their photo snapped with Musso and receive his autograph.

Disney Radio kept children busy with hula hoop contests and other activities while they waited for their chance to see Musso.

Once inside, fans got the chance to ask him questions and tell him about their favorite Hannah Montana episode.

Musso said he loves his job, especially since he's able to be with his best friends on set of the show. But sometimes it's hard to juggle work and school.

"When you do something you love, it's worth it," said Musso. "I love it."

Musso said he is a little like his character on the show, Oliver Oken, but unlike his character, he doesn't mind getting a little dirty or sweaty at times.

Musso, who co-resides in Texas and Los Angeles, has been acting since he was around 10 years-old. He has appeared on "King of the Hill," "Oliver Beene," and Disney's "Phineas and Ferb."

Currently, Musso is keeping busy promoting the Hannah Montana concert, but has learned that he loves writing songs and would like to dive deeper into music.

Labels: Hannah Montana

November 28, 2007
Since the school's inception, Northview High's International Night has been one of its biggest and most popular events among students, faculty, staff and parents. But this year, the Northview family outdid itself. There wasn't an empty seat in the house.

The event, presented by the school's Kaleidoscope Club, was coined this year as a "night of enrichment and culture." And that it was.

The event featured the many countries and cultures represented at Northview through the sampling of tasty delights, the "Collision" of cultures fashion show and the extremely popular cultural talent show. Acts like the Bollywood Film Dance and the Korean Hip Hop commanded the packed auditorium. And other acts, like the mother-daughter Chinese Guzheng performance, had students enthralled by the talent of their peers.

But there was a serious aspect to the event this year. The school invited Bill Nigut, the southeast regional director of the Anti-Defamation League, who spoke about the importance of stifling discrimination and making the world a better place for all right now.

"If not now, when?" he asked attendees. "When will we make the world a better place to live?"

Nigut said that task has become even harder in recent years.

"We live in perilous times," he said. "9/11 changed our universe. It made us more suspicious. We have to find a way to balance respect for individuals against our security needs."

At night's end, the Kaleidoscope Club challenged students to sign its "No Place for Hate" pledge to ensure the proud display of differences at Northview.

Labels: Johns Creek, Northview

November 30, 2007
An audit requested by the Forsyth County Board of Commissioners into the financial practices of the voter registration office showed undocumented spending for food and travel.

Superintendent of Elections Gary Smith said he has done nothing wrong and can account for everything mentioned in the 31-page audit presented to the board Nov. 29

"I have made some mistakes and I apologize for that," he said. "But I haven't done anything that wasn't practiced in this county since the office was created in 1987."

Smith said he was never contacted by Bates Carter and Company, the organization conducting the audit and did not know the audit would be released until 20 minutes before the meeting.

The county had approved the audit for an amount not to exceed $10,000.

Commissioner Linda Ledbetter, who requested the audit Sept. 25, said the results of the audit bring Smith's credibility into question because of his knowledge of the county's electronic voting system.

"I feel he let down the county," she said. "Either he is a bad department head or is into some kind of fraud. I respectfully ask for his resignation."

The commissioners did not take any action at the Nov. 29 work session.

Ledbetter said the county should at least appoint a monitor to be with Smith at all times during elections.

But Smith said county voters should not be concerned.

"I think there is a deeper reason for these attacks," he said. "I think there is a group out there opposed to electronic voting in Georgia and I believe there are people in our county that are trying to tear down the process of elections."

The audit shows thousands have been spent on dinning in and out of the county, some without proper receipts. Smith said the restaurant expenses inside the county have been to pay poll workers and those delivering voting machines to precincts.

"I buy lunch for those people on the day they deliver the machines and the day they pick them up," he said. "If I had to hire off duty firemen, it would cost $6,000. Am I doing something wrong in trying to save the county money?"

Smith said it is important to treat the poll workers "like gold" so he can retain their services.

The commissioners have since updated their policies on expenditures and Smith said he will comply.

There were also questions surrounding Smith's travel. Smith said he was attending conferences recommended and in some cases required by his office.

"I've always felt it was important to find as much education about this job as possible," he said. "If you want mistakes to be made, not having education and training is a good way to get that started."

The audit also showed Smith spent time working in Cherokee County while still being employed by Forsyth County. But Smith said this was not accurate.

"I was using my comp time," he said.

This is not the first time Smith was audited in 2007.

The county conducted its own internal audit over the summer into the Smith's expenses and found he owed about $230, which he said he paid back in August. The audit was prompted by county resident Terry Sweeney's allegations made at the June 7 meeting regarding improper expenditures and travel reimbursement of the voter registrar's office.

Sweeney attended the Nov. 29 work session and said he still had questions.

"There's a question that somebody's hiding something because we need answers to more questions," he said.

Commission Chairman Charles Laughinghouse said he would like to know the total amount the entire issue surrounding Smith has cost the county.

Labels: Audit, Forsyth, Voter

MALIBU, Calif. -- Flea isn't soured on living on Malibu, even though another house the Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist owns in the coastal enclave was among those destroyed in the weekend's wildfires, a spokeswoman said.

"Obviously he's very upset," said Gayle Fine, a spokeswoman for band manager Q Prime Inc.

Flea, whose real name is Michael Balzary, had been trying to sell the rental property, Fine said. He lives in another Malibu home farther north that was untouched by the flames, she said.

"I know he loves living there," she said.

A real estate listing advertised the destroyed four-bedroom home for $4.8 million and described it as a "private 2.4 acre compound" set "in a botanical paradise."

It was among 53 homes leveled by the blaze, which erupted Saturday.

Balzary, 45, is a founding member of the Chili Peppers, which released their first album in 1984.

Labels: Flea, Malibu, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Wildfires

DETROIT -- Rising foreclosures will lead to billions of dollars in lost economic activity next year in the nation's major metropolitan areas, but homeowners and financial institutions have the ability to work together to contain the effects, according to a report compiled for the U.S. Conference of Mayors.

The report was released Tuesday ahead of a meeting of mayors from across the country in Detroit, where they hope to create policy recommendations to help address the nation's housing crisis.

Prepared by forecasting and consulting firm Global Insight, the report said weak residential investment, lower spending and income in the construction industry and curtailed consumer spending because of falling home values will combine to hold back the nation's economic activity.

"The wave of foreclosures that has rippled across the U.S. has already battered some of our largest financial institutions, created ghost towns of once vibrant neighborhoods -- and it's not over yet," the report said.

The biggest losses in economic activity are projected for some of the nation's largest metropolitan areas. New York is expected to lose $10.4 billion in economic activity in 2008, followed by Los Angeles at $8.3 billion, Dallas and Washington at $4 billion each, and Chicago at $3.9 billion.

The report estimates U.S. gross domestic product growth in 2008 will be 1.9 percent, coming in about $166 billion -- or one percentage point -- lower as a result of mortgage problems. GDP is the value of goods and services produced and is considered the best barometer of the country's economic fitness.

The report also projects property values will decline by $1.2 trillion in 2008, due in part to the foreclosure crisis, with drops in home prices across the U.S. averaging 7 percent. And it said the loss of property, sales and real estate transfer taxes will hurt local and state governments.

But homeowners, banks, holders of mortgage-backed securities and loan servicers can work together to ease the economic effects, the report said. Agreeing to new payment terms on some loans, for example, could make the difference between a family keeping a home and losing it in foreclosure.

"Such actions will help to lessen the number of foreclosures thereby avoiding the further negative effects on local housing markets and on the broader economy," according to the report, titled "The Mortgage Crisis: Economic and Fiscal Implications for Metro Areas."

The National Forum on Homeownership Preservation and Foreclosures, organized by the Conference of Mayors, includes discussions about the state of the mortgage industry, ways homeowners can avoid foreclosure, and strategies to keep foreclosed properties from dragging down the quality of life in neighborhoods.

Recommendations developed at Tuesday's forum, which is closed to the media, are to be presented at a Conference of Mayors meeting in January.

"We're coming to Detroit with a dogged determination to fight for the families in our cities, our cities and the national economy," said Douglas Palmer, mayor of Trenton, N.J., and president of the mayors group. "We're optimistic that we're going to come up with models that will work."

In addition to Palmer and Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, who is hosting the gathering, mayors expected to attend include Jerry Abramson from Louisville, Ky.; Michael Coleman from Columbus, Ohio; Richard Kaplan of Lauderhill, Fla.; Brenda Lawrence of Southfield, Mich.; and Elaine Walker of Bowling Green, Ky.

The housing market slump has made it harder for financially strapped home buyers to sell their homes and avoid missing payments or losing their homes in foreclosure. Increasingly, many borrowers who took out adjustable-rate mortgages and other loans with monthly payments that increase after an initial period also are finding they can't afford the higher payments.

Jim Diffley, managing director of Global Insight's regional services group, wrote the report with his team and was to discuss the forecasts during the mayors' meeting. He said the goal was to provide a broad look at the effect of foreclosures, a problem mayors are keenly aware of locally.

"This is not a new issue," Diffley said. "We've know about it. It's been swelling up."

Labels: Detroit, Forclosures

CLEVELAND -- Indians reliever Juan Lara remained hospitalized in critical condition Monday with a head injury sustained in an accident that killed two people on a motorcycle in the Dominican Republic.

Lara, who pitched in one game for Cleveland last season, was returning from a winter league game Saturday night in San Pedro de Macoris when the sports utility vehicle he was driving was hit by a motorcycle, killing both its rider and passenger.

The 26-year-old is breathing with help from a ventilator and has two fractured ribs, said Dashira Martinez, a spokeswoman for the Plaza de la Salud Hospital in Santo Domingo.

The Estrellas Orientales, Lara's winter league team, reported the pitcher also had a perforated lung and a blood clot from the head injury.

"The prognosis for Juan is day to day for the moment," team president Jose Mallen said. "The doctors say they have to see what develops with the blood clot. Otherwise they would have to operate on it."

Lara was stopped at an intersection when he was struck on the driver's side. He was pinned inside the vehicle. Lara's girlfriend was with him at the time. She's also in the hospital, but her injuries are not as serious as Lara's.

Indians pitcher Fausto Carmona was the first to report the accident to the Indians, team spokesman Bart Swain said.

"The only concern we have right now is Juan's overall health," Indians general manager Mark Shapiro said. "He and his family are in our thoughts and prayers as we continue to monitor his status."

Lara may need to be transported to the U.S. for surgery, Swain said.

The Indians sent Lino Diaz, director of Latin American Operations, to the Dominican Republic to check on Lara's condition. He was expected to arrive Monday night.

Lara, originally signed by the Indians in 1999, spent most of last season with Triple-A Buffalo. He was recalled from the minors on Sept. 4 and made his only appearance for the Indians two days later, working 1 1-3 innings against the Los Angeles Angels.

The left-hander pitched in nine games for the Indians in 2006. That year, Lara also pitched for Buffalo and Double-A Akron, compiling a 5-3 record before making his major league debut Sept. 8 against the Chicago White Sox.

Lara had seven scoreless outings for the Indians, who signed him out of their Dominican Academy in 1999. He is on the club's 40-man roster.

Labels: Cleveland Indians, Crash, Juan Lara, Tribe Pitcher

The board of trustees of Atlanta's Grady Memorial Hospital voted unanimously Monday to establish a nonprofit governing board for the troubled public hospital. The move is intended to attract $300 million in funding.

Dozens of activists, doctors, clergy, lawmakers and citizens packed an auditorium across from Grady and demanded to be heard before the board made its decision.

The Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce in July proposed that Grady change its governing structure to create a nonprofit board to control daily operations, though the current board will retain ownership of the health system. The plan has been met with skepticism from activists and citizens who fear the change would threaten the hospital's mission as a safety net hospital that cares primarily for the city's poor.

Under the resolution adopted, the Fulton Dekalb Hospital Authority -- Grady's current ten-member board -- will create the Grady Memorial Hospital Corporation composed of 17 members. Four of them will be members of the current board.

The nonprofit board will have a lease agreement with the current board. Several conditions of the proposal hinge on that agreement, including a $200 million four-year commitment from the business, charitable and philanthropic communities -- including $50 million in cash or in escrow before the lease agreement is executed.

There also must be a commitment to raise $100 million in private donations over three years by the same groups, plus $30 million from the state.

Labels: Grady Memorial Hospital. Atlanta

December 3, 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Social Hall of the Alpharetta Crabapple Government Center.

The Public is invited to attend a meeting to discuss updating the Crabapple Crossroads Community Plan between 7:00 and 8:30 p.m. on December 3 in the Social Hall of the Alpharetta Crabapple Government Center. The meeting will provide an opportunity for citizens to meet with the consultants preparing the City of Milton’s Comprehensive Plan and to help identify major issues and concerns regarding the Community.

Another meeting is scheduled for January 7, 2008, to refine the issues and opportunities and to determine what measures and priorities should be considered to address these issues in an interim update to the adopted Community Plan.

Labels: Crabapple, Crossroads, milton

WASHINGTON -- Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said Thursday that a host of economic problems, including the severe housing slump, will cause business growth to slow noticeably in coming months.

Bernanke told Congress' Joint Economic Committee that the central bank is watching developments closely, but gave no signal that it's prepared at the current time to cut interest rates even further.

He stressed that the central bank was keeping all options open, saying the Fed would be closely watching economic growth and the threat of inflation.

If the economy slows to a crawl, the Fed cuts rates to boost activity while if inflation becomes a threat, it raises interest rates to dampen price pressures.

Going forward, Bernanke said the Fed would not be "dogmatic" in what it might do.

"We will try to make judgments over time as we get more information," Bernanke said, adding at another point that there were a "lot of uncertainties" at present.

A day after a huge selloff, stocks fluctuated on Thursday with the Dow Jones industrial average swinging between positive and negative territory.

Fed policymakers last week cut a key interest rate for the second time in two months, but disappointed Wall Street by discouraging expectations that it would follow with further rate cuts.

Bernanke said he and his colleagues believe economic activity will "slow noticeably in the fourth quarter" compared to the 3.9 percent pace of the third quarter.

"Growth was seen as remaining sluggish during the first part of next year, then strengthening as the effects of tighter credit and the housing correction begin to wane," Bernanke told the JEC.

Many economists believe the economy's maximum point of danger of falling into a recession will occur in the early part of next year.

A variety of problems from the steepest housing downturn in more than two decades to a severe credit crunch, surging oil prices and a falling dollar have roiled Wall Street in recent days, triggering big plunges in stock prices.

The Dow Jones industrial average plunged by 360.92 points on Wednesday, the second drop of that magnitude in the past week.

Much of that anxiety stems from a steady stream of bad company news as corporate giants such as General Motors, Merrill Lynch and Citigroup have reported huge losses.

Bernanke acknowledged the recent market turmoil, but he generally took a more upbeat view of things, saying the Fed believes the economy should rebound from the current problems by the second half of next year.

He also repeated worries the Fed expressed last week: recent increases in oil and other commodities could raise the threat of inflation.

The Fed last week said the threats from weak growth and higher inflation seemed roughly in balance. Such a view, which Bernanke repeated on Thursday, will likely mean that the central bank plans no further interest rate cuts.

"All told, it was the judgment of (Fed policymakers) that, after its action on Oct. 31, the stance of monetary policy roughly balanced the upside risks to inflation and the downside risk to growth," Bernanke said.

However, members of the congressional panel said they believed a much more aggressive response was needed.

"I think we are at a moment of economic crisis," Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., told Bernanke. "I am not surprised to hear experts such as your predecessor, Alan Greenspan, warn about the threat of a recession. I have begun to worry about it to."

The steep slump in housing has been worsened by rising numbers of mortgage foreclosures as borrowers are unable to meet higher payments as their initial low "teaser" rates reset.

Bernanke said that on average about 450,000 subprime mortgages will reset to higher rates each quarter through the end of next year.

Bernanke said the number of foreclosures that will result from these resets can be reduced if financial institutions work with borrowers. The Bush administration and federal banking regulators have stepped up pressure on loan servicers in recent weeks to be more aggressive in offering loan work-outs to borrowers in trouble.

Bernanke said the Fed plans to issue a proposal by the end of the year that would create new standards and rules for all lenders that issue subprime loans, mortgages offered to borrowers with weak credit histories.

Labels: Ben Bernanke, Congress, Economic Problems, Fed Chairman, Inflation

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Sam Hornish Jr. is leaving the IndyCar Series for a full-time ride in NASCAR, joining the mass exodus of open-wheel stars fleeing to America's most popular racing series.

The three-time IndyCar champion told The Associated Press he will drive the No. 77 Dodge next season for Penske Racing with Mobil 1 as the sponsor.

"I feel like this is something that is a new and unique challenge for me," Hornish said Thursday. "It may or may not be the right way to look at it, but I feel like I accomplished just about everything in Indy cars. I got to do more than I ever thought I would."

Penske will officially introduce Hornish as the third driver for his NASCAR team on Saturday night at the Penske Racing Museum in Phoenix. He'll join a team that already fields cars for Kurt Busch and Ryan Newman.

He'll join Juan Pablo Montoya, Dario Franchitti and Jacques Villeneuve as former Indianapolis 500 winners and IndyCar series champions now racing in NASCAR's top series. Patrick Carpentier is also moving to NASCAR after a long open-wheel career, and AJ Allmendinger fled Champ Cars for NASCAR this season.

Scott Speed, who spent the last two years in Formula One, has also migrated to stock cars and will drive in the low-level ARCA Series next year to prepare for NASCAR.

Hornish, last year's Indianapolis 500 winner, has been leaning toward moving to NASCAR for some time. But his struggles in making races -- he's failed to qualify for all six Cup races he's entered -- had led many to speculate he might stick with IndyCars another year.

But the failure has made him want it more. Although he called choosing NASCAR "one of the more difficult decisions" he's ever had to make, Hornish said he has faith he can adapt to stock cars.

"There are so many things that I have elected to do that are a lot easier," he said. "But I've tried to qualify for these Cup races, and it's kind of lit a little bit of fire in me to see if we can't get to the point where I am competitive.

"I am a much better racer than I am a qualifier, and if I can just get in, I feel confident I can figure it out."

NASCAR rules currently guarantee a starting spot to the top 35 teams in owner points. It leaves just eight spots in the field each week for everyone else, and this season has been a horrendous struggle for many top-name drivers.

Penske could ensure Hornish a spot in the field for the first five races of next season by moving the points currently owned by Busch. The 2004 series champion has a provisional that would lock him into the field should he fail to qualify on speed.

Hornish said he wasn't sure what Penske will do with the points, and a spokesman for the car owner said he was not available for comment Thursday.

But Hornish said making the first five races of 2008 will be critical to his success, and pointed to Montoya as proof.

The former F1 star inherited a team locked into the top 35 and didn't have to worry about making races at the start of the season, and Hornish believes that accelerated Montoya's adjustment.

"People always ask me why Montoya has been so successful, and the easy thing to say is because he had the points," Hornish said. "He had those first five races and he was automatically guaranteed to get that seat time.

"So if Roger wants to give me Kurt's points, I'm not going to tell him no. I'll take whatever I can get."

Franchitti, the reigning IndyCar and Indy 500 champ, is also inheriting a team inside the top 35. Carpentier and Villeneuve will both start the season outside, as will Allmendinger, who has been outside the top 35 all season and has qualified for just 17 of 34 races this year.

Hornish will again try to make his Cup debut this weekend. He's entered in both the Nextel Cup and Busch Series races at Phoenix International Raceway, where he has two wins and three top-five finishes in Indy cars.

He made his NASCAR debut at Phoenix last season in the Busch race, finishing 36th.

Labels: Hornish, IndyCar, Nascar, Sports

Former Roswell football coaches and mayors helped Roswell High School honor Charlie Horne, the head football coach for the Hornets from 1967-1974.

Horne was inducted into the Georgia Coaches Hall of Fame in June after 37 years of coaching. His oustanding record first at Roswell and then at Winder Barrow High was 128 wins and 81 losses in football. At Roswell, he compiled a 73-18 record, with state championships in 1968 and 1970. The first championship was especially sweet when his team went undefeated on the season at 13-0 and a Class B victory over Irwin County.

Two years later the team did it again, this time in Roswell's first year in Class A competition. A 12-2 record brought them a state championhip with a victory over Warren County. Numerous region and sub region victories also marked his tenure at Roswell High.

On the baseball diamond, Horne also had great success, going 170-70 lifetime and two state championships, in 1970 and 1971.

Labels: Coach, Roswell, Sports

TUCKER, Ga. (AP) -- Rapper Da Brat was arrested early Thursday after a dispute at a nightclub northeast of Atlanta, where she is accused of hitting a waitress over the head with a bottle of rum.

Dekalb County Police spokeswoman Mekka Parish said the 33-year-old rapper, whose real name is Shawntae Harris, is charged with aggravated assault.

Parish said officers answered a call to Studio 72 about a "brief pushing sort of thing."

Police could not say whether the club is the one that record producer Jermaine Dupri opened earlier this year, but the street address is the same. Club owners could not immediately be reached for comment.

Parish said the police report indicates Harris and a 24-year-old waitress at the club got into a squabble after the waitress bumped into the rapper. She said at some point the waitress walked away and moments later was hit in the face with the bottle of rum. She sustained a deep laceration to the cheek and some swelling on the forehead.

Parish said the waitress had a friend drive her to a hospital. Parish said Harris' address is listed as Chicago; she does not know why the rapper was in Atlanta.


Hits by Da Brat include the song "Funkdafied." She also has appeared on reality shows such as "Celebrity Fit Club" and "The Surreal Life."

Labels: Arrested, Da Brat, Rapper

SINGAPORE -- Australia's Gavin Flint and Kane Webber and Jin Park of the United States upstaged the big names at the Singapore Open, shooting 5-under-par 66s to share the first-round lead Thursday.

Flint and Webber both had five birdies in bogey-free rounds while the Korean-born Park had six birdies and a bogey to top the leaderboard at the $4 million tournament at a remodelded Sentosa Golf Club.

Angelo Que of the Philippines was one stroke back.

Phil Mickelson's double-bogey on the par-4 third hole ultimately cost him a share of the lead, and he finished at 3 under along with South Korea's K.J. Choi and Japan's Tetsuji Hiratsuka.

Vijay Singh -- who had an eagle on the par-4 10th hole -- and two-time defending champion Adam Scott were among 13 players at 70.

U.S. Open champion Angel Cabrera also recorded a double-bogey on the troublesome third hole and ended even-par, along with Darren Clarke and Lee Westwood.

Ernie Els, the European Tour money leader who elected to play this tournament instead of the Volvo Masters and thus jeopardize his chances of claiming the Harry Vardon trophy without a fight, had a 72. The South African recorded a double-bogey on the par-5 seventh hole, and also had two bogeys and three birdies.

Labels: Gavin Flint, Golf

It's been called the "Super Bug" and the "Super Germ," but for nearly 20,000 people last year it was called a death sentence.

The bacteria that causes "multiple resistant staphylococcus aureus" (MRSA) is present everywhere, but when it invades and settles into open wounds and sores it can be resistant to many common antibiotics.

Recently four students in North Fulton schools acquired a form of MRSA, and school officials are now issuing guidelines for school hygiene, particularly for athletes.

Susan Hale, a spokesperson for the Fulton County School System, said all four students recovered completely and are back in school.

According to the the Centers for Disease Control, MRSA is responsible for 94,000 serious infections and nearly 19,000 deaths per year in the United States. These numbers would make MRSA responsible for more deaths each year than AIDS.

Nearly all of the deaths occurred in health care settings, such as hospitals and nursing homes, and it is debatable whether MRSA actually casued those deaths, or just attributed to them.

But what is not debatable is the danger the germs pose if left untreated.

Cases of MRSA were reported at Centennial and Milton high schools, Taylor Road Middle School and Dolvin Elementary. Hale noted parents are not required to report incidents of staph infections to school personnel, so it is not known how many cases of MRSA occur each year.

Classrooms were scrubbed at Centennial High School because of the location of the infection on the student, but actions were deemed unnecessary at the other three schools, said Hale.

"After investigation, there is nothing to suggest the students picked up the MRSA bacteria at the school," said Hale. "The incidents were isolated, and we did not identify the need to scrub down the school."

MRSA was first identified in the 1960s and was generally found only in hospital settings. It is spread primarily through lack of basic hygiene, such as washing hands and equipment.

A newer version of the same infection surfaced recently and is now referred to as "community acquired" MRSA (CA-MRSA). It occurs mainly among athletes and can cause infections in young people with no association to a health care environment.

Death from CA-MRSA is very rare, but just last month a 17-year-old student in Virginia died from complications of the infection.

Affects of CA-MRSA can range from minor skin infections to a flesh-eating pneumonia that can destroy healthy organs in less than 24 hours.

Children who contract CA-MRSA generally fall into two groups, say medical officials. One group are those who have compromised skin disorders, such as eczema, which allows the organism to easily penetrate the skin, and the second are athletes who share equipment and tight spaces such as locker rooms.

Of the four recent cases of CA-MRSA in Fulton schools, only one student was an athlete involved in a team sport.

Sports participation guidelines

Fulton County high schools will soon be following new guidelines regarding sports participation to mitigate the chances of an MRSA outbreak. Athletes are deemed to be the most vulnerable class of students to the bacteria because of shared equipment and close contact.

"We've been working on this for a while now and will be introducing it to the high school principals next week at our monthly principals meeting. The timing is coincidental with what is happening in the news, but at least it adds extra awareness to the effort," said Hale.

Hale noted the guidelines were developed based on Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Fulton County Health Department recommendations.

Labels: Fulton County, Infections, School

Gov. Sonny Perdue and other government officials stood on landlocked boat ramps Oct. 20 at Mary Alice Park on Lake Lanier to declare a state of emergency in 85 of Georgia's counties due to the prolonged drought.

Perdue has also asked President Bush to declare a major disaster area in an effort to exempt the state from complying with the water reservoir releases that could cause "catastrophic harm."

"This drought is a natural disaster," Perdue said. "We are experiencing the worst drought in North Georgia's history. On top of that, we are also mired in a frustrating manmade disaster of Federal bureaucracy. The actions of the Corps of Engineers and the Fish and Wildlife services are not only irresponsible, but downright dangerous. And Georgia cannot stand for this negligence."

Perdue said more than 3.2 million gallons of water are released daily out of the Georgia reservoirs.

"That's enough to fill three and a half Olympic-sized swimming pools every minute," he said. "Even the consultation periods of changing these policies are just fiddling while Rome burns. Georgia needs action today."

On Oct. 19, Perdue filed an injunction with the Middle District of Florida Federal Court requiring the Army Corps of Engineers to restrict water flows from Lanier and federal reservoirs.

"We need to cut through the tangle of unnecessary bureaucracy to manage our resources so that in the long term all species may have access to clean water," he said.

Perdue said current laws prohibit even heavy rains from helping the situation.

"The sad part is that if we got relieving rains," he said, "we could not save it. These are the silly parts of rules that we need to get around. That's why people have no confidence in government."

Rep. Nathan Deal agreed this was a "serious situation."

"This is a situation we have not confronted in a very long time," he said. "It is important to work with the federal government to find an immediate solution."

Millions of gallons of water have been shipped downstream in an effort to preserve endangered species of mussels. Many government officials said this has to stop.

"Wildlife officials have decided that mussels are more important than our children and grandchildren," said Rep. John Linder. "This is a serious problem."

Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle agreed.

"This is not a situation we cannot conserve our way out of," he said. "The idea that individuals would put mussels in front of human consumption is absolutely and utterly ridiculous."

Jonathan Davis, operations manager for the Army Corps of Engineers at Lake Lanier, said the morning before Perdue's declaration that the Corps doesn't have the authority to deviate from the law in its mandated water releases that include protecting endangered species.

"But it does not mean we are doing it blindly and we are not aware of the impacts of that – that's my job and I can assure you I am doing that," he said.

The Corps is asking the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to re-examine its study on endangered mussels and sturgeon downstream in the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint Basin, he said.

Perdue compared a lack of action to the situation Louisiana faced when Hurricane Katrina hit in 2005.

"In asking for this disaster declaration, this is exactly what we failed to do in Katrina," he said. "The state of Louisiana was criticized for not asking for a declaration of disaster soon enough so our federal partners could get involved."

While Georgians are being forced to adhere to water restrictions, Perdue said it was wrong to allow Alabama and Florida residents to live without such restrictions.

"No one is sacrificing," he said. "No one is sharing the pain like the people in North Georgia are."

Perdue said Georgians will do what it takes to conserve water.

"Georgians will step up to the plate and do what it takes to conserve our previous resources," he said. "We need our federal partners to do the same and not continue to ship this water downstream when it is needed drastically here."

Carol Couch, Director of the Environmental Protection Division, said drinking water could become very scarce within 80 days.

"This is a natural disaster that did not happen overnight," she said. "This is something that happened slowly. We need the President to declare this as a disaster. It will be a multiple front effort that needs the federal government's help."

If water levels continue to drop, so will the certainty of clean water. Couch said water below a certain level requires further treatment and the quality at that level is unsure.

Lake Lanier will not run dry in just a few months, Davis told members of the Alpharetta Rotary Club, which includes several local elected officials.

Davis said the lake stores water in what is called its normal pool at 1,071 feet. The amount of water down to 1,035 feet is its conservation pool.

Corps experts in Mobile, Ala., who decide what flow of water should be released from the lake, calculated 100 days of water were left as of Oct. 19 before the lake got down to 1,035 feet.

"From 1,035 down to the bottom of the lake is still 100 feet of water," Davis said. "In other words, the lake will not be dry in 100 days."

Perdue said he was "confident" there would be a positive outcome for Georgia in this situation.

"We will emerge from this disaster stronger than before with a solution that will benefit all of Georgia's interests for years to come," he said.

For now, Perdue said Georgia will continue their conservation efforts to preserve water throughout the state.

Labels: Lake Lanier, Water Ban, Water Restrictions