UGA Researcher, Family Killed In Israel

University of Georgia researcher Efrat Gamliel-Atinsky, her two children and her mother, were all killed in a car crash in Israel on Sunday.

Gamliel-Atinsky, 39, her mother Esther Gamliel, her daughter Noam, 5, and her 9-month-old son Ya'ari died Sunday in Israel's Negev desert when another vehicle crossed the center line, causing a four-vehicle crash.

Gamliel-Atinsky took the children to Israel over spring break so her elderly grandparents could meet Ya'ari. Her husband, Bryan Atinsky, was in Milwaukee with relatives.

Missing Teen Found Dead

Authorities say the body of a 15-year-old McIntosh County boy was found in a rugged state wildlife management area after a 12-hour search.

McIntosh County Sheriff Steve Jessup says a Georgia Department of Natural Resources ranger and other searchers found the body of Daniel Head Monday afternoon about three miles from the nearest paved road.

The sheriff says Daniel and his stepfather, Brian Gale, had gone into the Altamaha Wildlife Management Area in on Sunday and got lost.

Jessup says Daniel became too tired to walk and that Gale carried him as far as he could but finally left him to go for help. The sheriff says the family called the sheriff's office after the two failed to come home on Sunday and a search was begun.

Georgia Considers Banning Sex Offenders From Facebook, MySpace

Georgia sex offenders could soon be removed from popular online social networking sites.

State Rep. Rob Teilhet introducing a measure Tuesday that would allow the Georgia Bureau of Investigation to send sex offenders' information to Facebook, MySpace and other sites.

COMMENT: On This Story On Facebook

The sites could then remove their information, ban them from creating profiles and notify state authorities of any suspicious activity.

Teilhet, a Smyrna Democrat running for attorney general, said the proposal will help clear the Internet of dangerous child predators.

"The Internet is a powerful social and educational tool for our children. It should not be a danger-zone populated by pedophiles."

A similar proposal has already been adopted in New York and others are being considered in California and Oklahoma.

Anti-Tax Group Rallies At State Capitol

Tax hike opponents warned state legislators not to raise taxes to balance the state's budget. The rally today was headlined by Grover Norquist, head of the national anti-tax group Americans for Tax Reform. About 100 protesters - some wearing tea party T-shirts - gathered on the Capitol steps.

Anti-smoking advocates are pushing for a $1-per-pack increase in the cigarette tax to help fill a growing budget hole.

But Norquist said legislators need to address spending. He accused elected officials who are proposing tax hikes of failing to govern and make tough decisions. The event today drew a number of conservative political candidates for the Legislature and Congress.

Gun Goes Off In Classroom; Teen Injured

Police in Dublin, Georgia say a 15-year-old is charged with having a firearm on campus after a handgun he was carrying discharged in a classroom and a bullet fragment struck another student.

Dublin Police Chief Wayne Cain said the 15-year-old told authorities he brought the gun to Dublin High School on Monday for self-protection. Cain said he was putting the gun in his backpack when it went off.

Cain said a bullet fragment ricocheted off the floor, striking the leg of a 17-year-old student, causing a bruise.

Cain said the 15-year-old was being held at a Youth Detention Center pending a hearing. He says the gun belongs to a family member.

WSB; Georgia Radio News Service; 360.

Judge Facing Teen Alcohol Charges Resigns

A Cobb County judge accused of serving alcohols to minors is stepping down.

Woodstock municipal judge Diane Busch was charged with allowing underage drinking in her home, police said.

WSB-TV spoke to Marietta Mayor Steve Tumlin on the phone Sunday night and Tumlin confirmed Busch is stepping down.

Police said Busch is charged with 21 misdemeanor counts, including 10 counts for providing alcohol to minors in December 2009 at her Cobb County home.

Jimmy Berry, Busch's attorney, said the judge went to bed after a holiday party and didn't know that 10 teens were drinking in her basement.

Berry's comments contradict a police report where Busch said she would rather have teenagers drinking at her home than "out driving around."

Ed: Apparently, this judge has no concept of the law as it applies to her. Has anyone stopped to recognize that her last name is a "beer name?"

Search Resumes Today For Missing Boater

The search for a missing boater along the Chattahoochee River will resumed Monday morning, according to Atlanta news sources.

The scene is just south of Abbotts Bridge Road in Duluth and learned that a second person believed to have been with the missing man was rescued by a group of people in a nearby boat. Authorities told Martin that the group could not get to the other boater. The second person was taken to Gwinnett Medical Center with symptoms of hypothermia. Temperatures in the water are typically between 45-48 degrees year round.

The cause of the incident is still under investigation, but it happened following a release of water from the Buford dam.

The boat reportedly struck a log in the river, causing it to overturn and sending the two men into the cold waters.

Investigators said thet the two were not wearing life jackets according to a witness. The victims are identified as friends who were enjoying a day on the river. The missing man is in his late 50's. Firefighters have been in contact with the man's wife. His name has not yet been released.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which was responsible for the water release, said conditions are usually dangerous and the rivers treacherous after such a release.

The Corps has a special hotline for people to call for details on when the releases will happen. The number is 770-945-1466.

Rescue crews from Forsyth, Gwinnett and Johns Creek assisted with the investigation.

Explosions Blow Up Manhole Covers In Gwinnett

Firefighters blamed a buildup of methane gas for a series of explosions that blew at least three manhole covers into the air Sunday night along Lawrenceville Highway in Tucker.

Southbound lanes of Lawrenceville Highway near Jimmy Carter Boulevard were still closed on Monday morning. All lanes of the busy highway were closed for about 10 hours.

Firefighters used fans to clear the methane gas from manholes and sewers in the area. Investigators are trying to determine what sparked the explosion.

"It could have been a power surge," said Capt. Tommy Rutledge, of the Gwinnett County Fire Department. "It could have been any number of things, but right now we're not sure what exactly caused the explosion."

Workers from AT&T were called out because the explosions damaged some of their underground equipment in the area.

"There are about 8-10 vaults in this area," said Rutledge. "We found high concentrations of methane gas."

There's no word on when the southbound lanes of Lawrenceville Highway will reopen.

Commuters who usually drive south of Lawrenceville Highway are using the Stone Mountain Freeway/Highway 78.

City of Marietta; WSB; AP; Georgia News Network.

Deal Pushes Back Retirement

Republican gubernatorial hopeful Nathan Deal is pushing back his resignation date from Congress citing the looming vote on health care.

Deal said in a statement on Thursday that he would step down from the U.S. House on March 31, instead of March 8, as originally planned. He added that he changed his mind after President Obama pledged to push for a quick vote on health care.

Critics had blasted Deal's decision to leave arguing it would make it easier for Democrats to push through a health care overhaul bill. Deal, of Gainesville, said he was stepping aside to focus full-time on his GOP gubernatorial bid.

He has represented the 9th District in north Georgia since 1992.

Woman Shoots Herself At Smyrna Hospital

A woman walked into Emory-Adventist Hospital on South Cobb Drive early Thursday morning and shot herself in the head, according to police.

The woman, 20-30 years old, survived and no one else was hurt in the shooting. Detectives from the Smyrna Police Department are investigating.

Children Find Mother's Body; Police Seek Boyfriend

Police said early this morning they are seeking the boyfriend of a woman found stabbed to death at the Centennial Place Apartments in downtown Atlanta Thursday evening.

The slain woman has been identified as Yolanda Johnson, 35. The victim is the mother of four.

The victim's mother told Stouffer that her daughter was discovered by three of her children when they came home from school Thursday afternoon. Police said the woman's boyfriend is not a suspect, but they do want to interview him.

There were signs of a fight between Johnson and her attacker, according to police.

"During the altercation, the suspect produced a knife and stabbed the victim, at least 4-5 times," said Major Keith Meadows of the Atlanta Police Department.

Johnson's children found her on the bathroom floor of their apartment. Johnson's mother, Barbara Moon, said her daughter worked as an assistant manager at a Dollar Tree store.

Two Students Taint Teacher's Drink

For two straight days, two Cherokee County elementary school students put something into their teacher's drink, police said.

The teacher is fine. But the students have each been charged with misdemeanor reckless conduct, according to Mike McGowan, school district spokesperson.

The incident apparently happened on Feb. 9 and 10 at Johnston Elementary School in Woodstock, according to the school system police report. School police were notified on Feb. 12.

Georgia Girl Wins 'Beautiful Baby' Contest

A child from metro Atlanta was named the winner of the Beautiful Baby Search on "Live with Regis and Kelly" this morning. Maggie Sue Romeo, 3, from Braselton won the contest over four other finalists.

She received $125,000 from Gerber, toward a college education. John Jeffrey Simmons from Mableton also made the list of finalists. Viewers were able to vote for their favorites at the "Live with Regis and Kelly" website.

WSB; Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Snow Time #3: Snow Possible Wednesday Morning In North Georgia

A quick-moving weather system will bring some light rain mixed with snow on Wednesday morning.

"With surface and ground temperatures above freezing, no snow accumulation is expected in the Metro Atlanta area," according to WSB-TV Severe Weather Team 2 meteorologist David Chandley. "The higher elevations of the north Georgia mountains could see light accumulations to a dusting."

Only Rabun County in extreme northeast Georgia is under a Winter Weather Advisory.

Delta has already announced that there could be departure and arrival delays at Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport.

"We will have significant weather delays throughout the day Wednesday due to wintry precipitation in the morning," a company representative said. Customers should check their scheduled flight times prior to departing for the airport.

The big weather story will be the cold temperatures rolling in Wednesday night, with lows on Thursday morning in the low to mid-20s.

Kennesaw Firm Adding 1,400 Temporary Jobs

A Kennesaw-based call center operator contracting with the upcoming 2010 Census will bring more than 1,400 temporary jobs to Georgia.

Ryla will serve as a subcontractor to IBM partner TeleTech for the 2010 Census program, which will kick off on April 1. The program will require customer service agents for temporary positions from April through August.

Ryla is interviewing Monday through Thursday only, from February 8 through March 15 at Bailey Park at 1000 Cobb Place Blvd Building 300, Suite 340 in Kennesaw. Sessions begin at 8:00 a.m., 10:00 a.m., 12:00 noon and 2:00 p.m.

For more information go to www.ryla.com/job_opportunities.

You can send your resume to resumes@ryla.com. Indicate the desired position in the subject line.

Data collected by the U.S. Census Bureau during the 2010 Census will be used to apportion U.S. House of Representatives seats in each state and to distribute more than $400 billion annually in federal funds to local, state and tribal governments for projects such as new roads, bridges, buildings, schools, electronic infrastructure and social services.

Police: Thieves Make Off With 10 Tons Of Loot

LaGrange police are trying to figure out how thieves managed to steal two rooftop air conditioning units each weighing five tons.

Police say it happened at a building along East Depot Street.

A man working at the vacant building tells police he knew the heat had been working but it would not turn on. After searching for the problem, he realized two Carrier air conditioning units valued at $3,600 were missing from the top of the building.

It's unclear how long the units have been missing.

Pro-Life Billboards Stir Controversy

Pro-life billboards in black neighborhoods across Atlanta are hitting nerves on both sides of the issue of abortion.

The message is simple: that black children are an "endangered species" because of "too many abortions" in the black community. The billboards were put up by pro-life African Americans.

Of the 35,000 women in Georgia who received abortions in 2008, nearly 21,000 were black women - more than twice the number of white women. It has become a heated debate among many African Americans.

"My people are dying and nobody cares that my people are dying," said Catherine Davis, director of minority outreach for Georgia Right to Life. "And I want people to look at this and ask, 'Is there any truth to what we are saying?'"

"To a black woman when you talk about not being able to control the timing and the spacing of our children guess what that harkens back to? Slavery," said Loretta Ross, executive director of the SisterSong Women of Color Reproductive Health Collective in Atlanta. "Why should we be discriminated against and have you suggest that it's for the good of the race."

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says black women are three times more likely to get an abortion than white women.

WSB; AJC

DeKalb Schools Spending $382K On Hollywood Conference

We've reported many times on government waste and abuse of taxpayer money. It doesn't just happen on the state and federal level, but also on the county and city levels. In this instance, WSB-TV is reporting that nearly 200 DeKalb County school employees will be boarding flights to Los Angeles this week to attend an education conference that will cost taxpayers nearly $400,000. The money isn't coming from local tax dollars but from federal dollars that came to the county as part of the Obama administration's 2009 stimulus package.

Stimulus money from Washington is often discussed in terms of "shovel ready" construction projects that are supposed to create jobs for unemployed Americans. But the DeKalb County School System has decided to use stimulus money to attend a four-day conference sponsored by America's Choice, which a schools spokesman calls "a great thing."

The organization's Web site describes it as a "solution provider" ... that offers "comprehensive, proven solutions to the complex problems educators face in an era of accountability." The Web site also says America's Choice has "an unparalleled history as a national thought leader."

School spokesman Dale Davis told WSB investigative reporter Richard Belcher that 184 principals, instructional coaches, district staff and teachers are scheduled to attend the conference in Hollywood. We found that the primary conference hotel is the Renaissance Hollywood Hotel and Spa.

Davis said the school system will spend $91,500 for conference registrations and another $291,400 for hotels, flights, meals and incidentals. That's a total of $382,900 in federal tax money. In an email, Davis wrote, "I am happy that you are expressing interesting in this training opportunity for our employees. We are focused on student improvement. America's Choice is in partnership with the district to help improve the academic success in 40 of our lowest performing schools."

DeKalb's Board of Education recently touched off angry public protests by teachers when it awarded a new contract with a $15,000 raise to Superintendent Dr. Crawford Lewis. The board has defended the raise, even though it came at a time when the system is facing severe budget problems. Lewis is not attending the America's Choice conference.

We'll update this story as soon as we get new information.

Sinkhole Opens Up In Georgia Diner Parking Lot

A deep sinkhole opened up in the parking lot of a popular Gwinnett County restaurant. There are concerns it could get worse during the upcoming rains and there's debate over who will fix it.

Barricades and yellow tape surrounded a sinkhole in the parking lot next to the Georgia Diner on Pleasant Hill Road Wednesday. The sinkhole had already eaten a tree and some pavement.

The sinkhole isn't very wide – but it is at least 20 feet deep.

"Yeah well…somebody's got to fix it I would think," said customer Edward Powell.

But the fix is turning out to be complicated.

A restaurant employee, who did not want to be named, said the restaurant hired attorneys because the owners believe the sinkhole repair is the county's responsibility since the broken pipe joint links up to the storm water system. But the county said there's an easement – a clear agreement that when the property was developed, the property owner would become responsible for management and maintenance of pipes.

The county estimated the cost of repairs could be $500,000, not just because of how deep it is and the utilities that might be down there, but because of how close it is to the diner.

The county said the owner was warned about the issue. The employee said that the owner feels the county's fix of another problem two years ago caused the current issue.

"Well they need to fix it before a big rain comes and the whole thing will flood," said Powell.

The restaurant owner's attorneys couldn't be reached for comment. The county said it will monitor the issue in the coming days to make sure it doesn't become a threat to public safety.

Body Discovered On Train Tracks

East Point police are investigating the discovery of a body on a set of train tracks. It happened near the intersection of Willingham Drive and East Main Street.

Authorities have not released details on how the individual got onto the tracks, but they are still investigating.

Bear Sighted Wandering Through Cumming

Some residents in Cumming are concerned that a bear is making himself quite at home in their neighborhood.

"New Year's Eve, my wife looked out and said ‘there's a bear in the back yard!'" said John Lalonde.

And sure enough, Lalonde said there was. The bear has been spotted at least six or seven times at four or five different houses, and residents say he keeps coming back. Apparently, the bear is a fan of birdseed.

"He mosied onto the bird feeder, drank water and went through the bushes. He came back the next night did the same thing," said Lalonde.

"He was here 25 minutes the last time he was here. He spent 25 minutes eating," said Lalonde.

In that time, Lalonde managed to get a picture of the bear. Although grainy, you can make out a large dark figure that appears to be looking back.

"He's over 6 feet … 400 pounds. Big," said Lalonde.

The bear stopped by Ron Williams' back yard a few doors down. It climbed over his fence and made a beeline for the birdfeeders too.

"I heard this loud growl and I turned around and the bear was standing at the tree," said Williams. "Full grown black bear, beautiful shiny coat … I mean he's full grown," he said.

Williams was only 15 feet away. He was concerned about his dogs, Blue and Blazer, who had no idea what they were dealing with.

"My dogs were all over, they're at the bear nipping at its heels and I'm trying to get them away," said Williams.

For now, people in the area say they won't go out after dark until they're sure the bear is gone.

"I take the feeder down at night," said Lalonde, hoping that will get rid of their unwanted visitor.

"I'll put up with a dog, a coyote or a deer because they will run from you. But a bear … that's a different story," said Williams.

Information taken from WSB-TV and AJC.com

Snow Headed To North Georgia; Rain For Atlanta

Snow, sleet and freezing rain are headed to north Georgia; as a result, the National Weather Service issued a winter storm warning for the north Georgia mountains from Friday afternoon through Saturday afternoon for sleet and ice accumulations from freezing rain.

So, It appears most of metro Atlanta will dodge the snow bullet, with just a slight chance of snow flurries or freezing drizzle.

With the threat of snow, ice, sleet and freezing rain, school officials in two north Georgia counties were prompted to dismiss school early on Friday.

Gilmer County schools will close at 2 p.m. Students in Towns County will be dismissed at 1:30 pm. In Gilmer County, all after school activities, including After School Care, were also canceled, according to officials. Lumpkin County canceled all evening classes and weekend activities.

Man Snaps Picture Of Atlanta Cop Surfing Facebook

An Atlanta man claims he was arrested for catching an on-duty officer chatting on Facebook. Chandler Brown told WSB-TV that he has since filed a formal complaint with the Atlanta Police Department and the mayor's office.

A copy of that complaint shows startling accusations made about the officer allegedly chatting on Facebook when he was on the job.

"It was Thanksgiving night … my friend called me and said, ‘I've been in an accident,'" said Brown, and he immediately hailed a cab and went to the scene on Interstate 85 near Cheshire Bridge Road.

Brown said his friend wanted to leave, and as they pulled off, they were stopped by police because she couldn't leave the scene of an accident. So they were put in the back of an Atlanta police car, and that's when Brown said he noticed something.

"The police officer was chatting on Facebook," said Brown. "I think that's wrong."

So Brown took out his cell phone and took a picture. That's when he claims the officer arrested him.... "Pulled me out of the car, grabbed my phone, and I said I don't think I'm breaking the law here … I'm not under arrest," said Brown.

Brown said the officer then said "Well, you're under arrest now."

Brown said the officer handcuffed him, took the phone and hauled him off to jail.

Brown claims he was never read his rights and the officer wouldn't give him his name. As for that picture, Brown said when officers returned his phone, the picture was gone.

Brown was charged with giving false information to an officer, even though he wasn't involved in the accident.

Brown went to court last week.... "The judge said, ‘There's no evidence here, this is a joke and threw it out," said Brown. That's why now, Brown has filed a formal complaint and hopes to shed light on what he calls a misuse of time and taxpayer money.

"I can't sit on Facebook at work all day and neither can you. Why should someone whose salary is being paid by the taxpayers," he said.

Atlanta Police Department stated they've forwarded the complaint on to the division of professional standards and are looking into it. Late Thursday, Brown, got a call from police saying they are taking his complaint seriously.

Psychologist Accused Of Billing For Fake Sessions

An Athens psychologist will spend two years in prison for defrauding the state's Medicaid program out of more than a half million dollars. A federal court judge in Atlanta sentenced 62-year-old Paul D. Mangum Thursday.

According to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Georgia, he submitted thousands of fraudulent Medicaid claims between May 2003 and April 2009, for treatment he never provided.

As part of his scheme, officials say Mangum submitted claims for patients younger than 21 who at one time had received treatment from him but had stopped.

In one case, he saw one child once a week for only a few months, but then submitted over 100 fraudulent claims for the patient over five years and received thousands of dollars in Medicaid payments for therapy sessions he never performed.

Military Explosive Found In North Fulton

Fulton County Sheriff's Office officials say a mortar round that turned up in Chattahoochee Hill Country Thursday is not a threat. Chattahoochee Hill Police requested assistance after receiving a call from a citizen who reported finding what he believed to be an explosive device inside a cylindrical container underneath a house at along Mixon Road.

When the Fulton County Bomb Unit arrived, bomb technicians determined the device was a military mortar round. After consulting with federal authorities about the condition of the round and the markings on it, the officers removed the device. The mortar round will be turned over to a military explosive ordnance disposal team.

Senate OKs Handsfree Phones While Driving

The state Senate has approved a bill legalizing the use of handsfree cell phone devices while driving.

The bill's sponsor, state Sen. Bill Heath, said the measure brings the state up to speed with current technology, like BlackBerries and Bluetooth devices. Heath, a Republican from Bremen, sponsored the bill after he was contacted by a citizen who was cited under the old Georgia code for the use of a handsfree device.

Current law prohibits driving while using headphones that would impair one's ability to hear. The bill passed unanimously on Thursday. It was the first to win approval in the Senate this legislative session.

WSB; Reuters; National Weather Service

Rare Disease Kills A Dozen Dogs At Shelter

The State Agriculture Department imposed a quarantine at the Paulding County animal shelter after dogs contracted a rare form of strep. It's the first time the disease, usually seen in horses, has been reported in dogs in Georgia, researchers said.

"It didn't appear to be anything we've ever seen before. The dog seemed healthy one day and literally dead the next," said shelter director Tracy Thompson.

The animal shelter has been shut down temporarily. The remaining dogs are on penicillin and Thompson said everything is being washed with bleach. The quarantine will be lifted and they'll open back up after they've gone seven days without any of the dogs being sick.

The last day a dog was sick was Jan. 24. The shelter hopes to reopen Monday.

Testing at University of Georgia determined the dogs were getting strep zoo. No one is sure yet how the dogs got the disease. One couple was surprised when they came to drop off their cats at the shelter.

Thompson said Douglas County is helping people in Paulding County find shelters. They can contact the Douglas County shelter to see if they have room to take strays found in Paulding.

County Clerk Accused Of Pocketing $3,800

A former clerk for the Fayette County Solicitors Office is accused of stealing taxpayer money.

Investigators said Sabrina Miller, 38, of Fayetteville, took $3,800 of county funds designated for pre-trial intervention, victim restitution and converted warrant dismissal fees for personal use.

The theft occurred from late 2008 to October 2009 during Miller's employment at the solicitor's office, said investigators. The irregularities were discovered during a review of finances and subsequently reported to District Attorney Scott Ballard. Miller is charged with one count of felony theft by taking.

Sinkhole Threatens To Eat Marietta House

A fast-spreading sinkhole threatened to swallow a Marietta home and part of a street this morning.

WSB-TV reporter Ross Cavitt was back at the scene in the 1100 block of Charlton Trace on Tuesday morning after checking it out Monday night. He said the sinkhole spread dramatically toward both the house and the street overnight and estimated that it was over 50 feet across.

The driveway leading up to the home dangled precariously over the sinkhole Tuesday morning and appeared ready to topple in.

Crews from the Marietta Public Works Department were at the scene trying to figure out how to stop the spread of the sinkhole.

"It appears there is some sort of underground cavern or underground spring," said Dan Conn, director of the Public Works Department.

Utilities to the house were cut off, according to Conn. The owners of the home were warned to evacuate and the family spent the night with friends in Woodstock.

Recent heavy rains may have opened up the sinkhole, but neighbors told city workers there was a mining operation in the area years ago.

Missing Woman's Mom Issues Emotional Plea

The mother of a missing Blairsville woman issued an emotional plea Tuesday for the writer of a letter linked to the case to come forward. This month, police said the anonymous letter writer was a grandmother worried her grandson might be involved in the disappearance of Kristi Cornwell. The letter was sent to the sheriffs in both Union County, Ga. and Cherokee County, N.C. Cornwell disappeared from a rural road near her parents' house in August 2009.

On Tuesday, Cornwell's mother, Jo Ann Cornwell, asked for the writer of the letter to identify herself.

"I know how hard it would be to implicate your own grandson in such a horrible crime," Cornwell wrote on kristicornwell.com, a Web site put together by the missing woman's family. "I am a grandmother too, and I can certainly understand your love for your grandson and wanting to protect him."

She then asks the letter writer to put herself in Cornwell's place.

"I know you must remember what it felt like to hold your baby in your arms for the first time," she wrote. "Remember the overwhelming love that you felt at that moment, and that a mother continues to feel no matter how old their child is."

She then describes the family's anguish over her missing daughter.

"My heart is breaking! It not only is breaking for myself, but for Kristi's 15 year-old son. The last time he saw his mama was the morning she dropped him off at school on the day of her abduction. My heart breaks when I think about whether Kristi is cold, hungry or being abused."

She closes ends the plea with "I beg you as the grandmother of Kristi's possible abductor, to rid yourself of the guilt you must be feeling, knowing you may have the information that could lead us to Kristi. Please come forward and end the nightmare our family is going through!"

There is a $50,000 reward in the case.

Ft. Stewart Soldier Found Dead In Barracks

Fort Stewart officials said a 20-year-old Army soldier whose body was found in his barracks room appears to have died from accidental causes.

Pvt. Adam Kiedrowski was found dead Friday night on the Army post in southeast Georgia.

Fort Stewart spokesman Kevin Larson said Tuesday investigators found no apparent signs of foul play. Though autopsy results were still pending, Larson said it appeared to be an accidental death.

The soldier from Trempealeau, Wis., was an Army mechanic who arrived at Fort Stewart last month. Larson said he joined the Army a year ago and was scheduled to deploy to Afghanistan with his unit this spring.

From WSB and WAGA

Notes From All Over Georgia

Great White Shark Tracked Past Georgia

Massachusetts marine biologists say one of the great white sharks tagged last summer off Cape Cod has traveled as far as the shore of Georgia and on to Florida.

The great white was one of five sharks tagged by harpoon near Chatham by state marine biologists in September. Officials said it was the first successful tagging of great whites in the Atlantic using electronic satellite technology.

Officials say the tag popped off the shark on Friday and began transmitting data via satellite.

Scientists expect tags on the other sharks to begin sending data in the coming months. The tags collect water temperatures and depth and light levels. The information can help scientists better understand shark's migratory behavior.

High School Looks To Ban Blue Jeans

Villa Rica High School principal Dennis Brown wants to set out a new dress code for his students and it includes them not wearing blue jeans. He said he believes students should dress for success whether on the football field or in the school hallways.

According to the new dress code, which could go into effect next fall, students must wear approved non-revealing shirts and coats and most controversial of all, no jeans of any kind except on Fridays.

"If you're put in a position where you look more successful you're going to act more successful," Brown said.

Reaction from students have been mixed.

"Some of them aren't too happy about it. They're not really enthused with having to wear khaki pants or collared shirts or stuff like that," said student Sarah Sams.

Former Villa Rica student Eric Townon doesn't like the code at all.

"I'd probably get kicked out," Townon said.

Parents have responded positively about the new rules. "I think it's a nice thing for the kids because the majority of kids, now a days, are interested in gangs and all, so I think it's beautiful idea," said parent Bynarozella Malone.

Brown believes the dress code will help change student behavior and the community's perception of Villa Rica High.

"The research we've done a direct correlation between academic achievement, behavior and student dress," Brown said. Brown plans to hold three public hearings to hear reaction. The dress code is subject to approval before it is enforced.

Police: Mom Forces Son To Kill Pet Hamster Over Bad Grades

A Georgia mother is accused of forcing her 12-year-old son to kill his pet hamster because of a bad report card.

It happened last Thursday at the family's home, said Meriwether County Sheriff Steve Witlock.

Investigators said Lynn Geter made her son use a hammer to kill the hamster. Geter was arrested Friday following an interview with investigators. She is charged with battery, cruelty to children and cruelty to animals. Investigators said Geter also violated probation and remains in jail.

Georgia News

Man Dies Stealing Copper From Georgia Power Pole, Police Say

ROCKMART, GA - A 36-year-old man is dead after authorities said he tried to cut copper cable from a Georgia Power pole. Floyd County police investigator Sabrina Hall identified the victim as Derek Charles Siniard.

Hall said the incident happened at about 6 a.m. Saturday in the 400 block of Rush Chapel Road. While cutting the line, Hall said, Siniard collapsed. Authorities are awaiting an autopsy to determine how the victim died.

Hall said two females took the victim to Floyd Medical Center. But investigators said Siniard didn't act alone. Another individual, Stephen Kyle Williams, 39, also from Rockmart, was later arrested. Hall said among the evidence recovered is night-vision equipment and equipment to cut wire.

"Since the beginning of summer, we've had at least half a dozen cases involving Georgia Power lines and AT&T phone lines," said Hall.

Hall said a statewide hot line was recently set up to offer rewards to people who spot such activity. She said citizens may call 877-732-8717.

"They're looking for copper. They'll melt the wire off, the insulator, and take the copper and sell it," said Hall.

The victim's body was taken to the GBI Crime Lab in Atlanta. Williams was charged with two felonies and two misdemeanors and transported to Floyd County Jail.

Lilburn Woman Wins Miss Georgia USA Title

CARTERSVILLE, GA - Kimberly Ann Gittings of the suburban Atlanta city of Lilburn has won the 2009 Miss Georgia USA title. The 20-year-old Gittings accepted her crown from Amanda Kozak, the reigning Miss Georgia USA, during the pageant Saturday night at the Woodland Performing Arts Center in Cartersville.

The first runner-up was Miss Pike County USA, Chelsea Thompson. Second runner-up was Miss Savannah USA, Cassady Lance. Brooke Fletcher, a 16-year-old from Fayetteville, was crowned earlier Saturday as the winner of the Miss Georgia Teen USA contest. First runner-up in the teen event was Brina Potvin of Alpharetta. Winners of the Miss Georgia USA and Miss Georgia Teen USA titles will represent Georgia in the Miss USA and Miss Teen USA pageants.

Three Georgia Tech Grads Heading Into Space

ATLANTA, GA - Space shuttle Endeavour's seven astronauts will spend Thanksgiving circling Earth, and one of them — Sandra Magnus — will stick around for Christmas and New Year's as well.

Commander Christopher Ferguson said at least seven turkey dinners have been stowed aboard Endeavour for the trip to the international space station. Liftoff for the two-week mission is set for Friday night.

"They've given us the full seven-course Thanksgiving meal, and all we need to have now is the time to eat it," Ferguson said.

The made-to-order holiday menu includes irradiated smoked turkey, thermostabilized candied yams, rehydratable green beans and mushrooms, fresh corn bread dressing and cranberry-apple dessert.

A look at the five men and two women who will fly on Endeavour:

Commander Christopher Ferguson secretly wanted to be an astronaut even before he joined the Navy. His wish came true 10 years ago, and now he's about to command his first space mission.

"I've had this on my mind, I would say, since perhaps high school, and I'm just lucky enough to be able to fulfill the dream," he said. "It's nice to be in charge, but it's also nice to see how the whole thing comes together."

Ferguson, 47, a Navy captain and former test pilot, has flown in space once before, as co-pilot on a 2006 mission. He loves music and is a drummer in an astronaut rock 'n' roll band. He and his wife, Sandra, have a 16-year-old daughter and two sons, ages 14 and 12. All their children play in the school band. He grew up in Philadelphia.

Pilot Eric Boe can't wait to take "a ride of a lifetime."

The first-time space traveler has been flying for the Air Force since the late 1980s, and has logged more than 4,000 flight hours in more than 45 types of aircraft. Flying in space has "always been kind of a far-off dream," said Boe, 44, an Air Force colonel who grew up in Atlanta and earned a master's degree from Georgia Tech. He got into the astronaut corps on his first try in 2000 and will be the first shuttle pilot in his astronaut class to reach orbit.

Wife Kristen, now a full-time mother to their 10-year-old daughter and 8-year-old son, used to be a military pilot, too. It makes life easier being married to a pilot, Boe said, "but I can't tell as many stories ... she calls my bluff a lot more."

This time, Donald Pettit will visit the international space station for 1 1/2 weeks. Last time, he spent 5 1/2 months there. Pettit, 53, who has a Ph.D. in chemical engineering, was living at the space station when shuttle Columbia shattered during re-entry in 2003. He ended up returning on a Russian Soyuz spacecraft that plunged too steeply to Earth and briefly was lost with his crewmates in remote Kazakhstan. The unflappable Pettit has no hesitation about returning to space.

It helps when you're on the space station, Pettit said, to have grown up in a small logging and farming town like Silverton, Ore., his hometown. He worked as a heavy equipment mechanic to help pay his way through college.

Pettit will help hook up a new water recycling system at the space station and operate a robotic arm, or crane, which he says won't be that different from his construction jobs during summers as a student. Two years ago, he spent a few months in Antarctica searching for meteorites, in part to draw comparisons between polar expeditions and space station life.

His twin sons will turn 8 while he is in orbit. He missed their 2nd birthdays on his last space trip, but wife Micki did her best to make up for his absence. She'll do so again. This is his second spaceflight since becoming an astronaut in 1996.

Heidemarie Stefanyshyn-Piper is the first woman assigned as the lead spacewalker on a shuttle flight.

She will perform three spacewalks to clean and lubricate a jammed solar-wing rotating joint. On her only other mission in 2006, she took two spacewalks. Stefanyshyn-Piper, 45, wanted to fly for the Navy in the mid-1980s, but failed the eye exam. She joined the Navy anyway and went into diving and underwater salvage. She would have been "perfectly happy" with that career, but put in an astronaut application and was selected in 1996.

"I decided that spacewalks were more like diving than flying. So I figured now I'd get to fly in the ultimate machine, the space shuttle," said the Navy captain, who grew up in St. Paul, Minn.

Her engineer husband, Glenn Piper, works for NASA and, in fact, is in charge of all the equipment used in her underwater training for the mission. They have one child, a 19-year-old son who is a college sophomore.

Navy Capt. Stephen Bowen hopes to put his ceramic tiling experience to work on the mission when he uses a caulk gun to apply grease to a jammed space station joint. He helped out in his father's tiling business while growing up in Cohasset, Mass. One brother still does that sort of work. Another is a house painter, another a banker.

"Hopefully, the critiques of my brothers (after seeing his space station repair work) won't be so harsh that they don't let me work on my house anymore," he joked.

Becoming an astronaut was right up there with fireman and professional hockey player when Bowen was a boy. He became a submariner instead — Jacques Cousteau inspired him during the 1970s — and was the first submarine officer to be selected as an astronaut in 2000. He saw it as a logical step "if you want to live in a metal tube for long periods of time."

Bowen, 44, will perform three spacewalks on his first spaceflight. Bowen and wife Deborah have a 17-year-old son, 15-year-old daughter and 12-year-old son.

Robert "Shane" Kimbrough got rockets in his blood while visiting his grandparents who lived near Kennedy Space Center. He spent lots of time there in the early 1970s; his father was an Army field artillery officer in Vietnam.

Kimbrough, 41, followed in his father's footsteps, joining the Army and becoming a helicopter pilot and platoon leader. He went to NASA in 2000 as a flight simulation engineer for the aircraft meant to simulate shuttle landings and became an astronaut four years later. This is his first spaceflight. He will perform two spacewalks.

A huge sports fan, Kimbrough coaches his 8-year-old son's football team and tries hard to be humble and "a normal guy."

"I just tell the kids, 'Hey, I'm just going on a little business trip for a couple weeks and I'll be back when you guys are in the playoffs.' I try to keep it down at their level," said Kimbrough, a lieutenant colonel who grew up in Atlanta and was captain of his West Point military academy baseball team.

Like Boe he earned a master's degree from Georgia Tech. Kimbrough and wife Robbie also have 11-year-old twin daughters.

Bound for a 3 1/2-month space station stay, Sandra Magnus is leaving behind a hurricane-damaged roof near Johnson Space Center in Houston that needs to be replaced. Friends have promised to take care of it for her. Magnus briefly visited the international space station in 2002. This will be her second space trip.

Magnus, 44, decided while growing up in Belleville, Ill., that she wanted to be an astronaut, but was shy about her dream. It stuck with her even as she worked as an engineer and her Ph.D. at Georgia Tech in 1996, and she applied to the astronaut corps in 1995, failing to get in. She reapplied the next year and was accepted.

She doesn't dwell on the risks of spaceflight.

"To me, this is an interesting job. It's a challenging job. It's a job, I think, that is useful, doing something positive. It's something I've always wanted to do. It's how I've wanted to spend my life, and certainly there are risks involved, but there are risk involved in everyday life."

Magnus, who is single, considers her brother's policeman job in the suburbs of St. Louis far riskier on a day-to-day basis.

Congratulations Endeavor Astronauts!

Walter

Georgia Tech, NASA