Peduli Penampilan

Black Friday chaos around Atlanta and the country

Written By Kom Limpulnam on Sabtu, 30 November 2013 | 15.21

Target shoppers at Atlantic Station Thursday night

ATLANTA -- It was a busy day for shoppers around the metro, trying to find the best deals.

Things got out of hand at a Walmart in Chamblee, but most other stores reported no major issues.

After the initial rush late Thursday night, things calmed down until the second round of deals began Friday morning.

Some stores are offering deals through the entire weekend, and Saturday is Small Business Saturday, a push to get people to shop at locally owned businesses.

And of course, Monday is the day known as Cyber Monday, when you'll find many online retailers offering big discounts.
LEARN MORE from Ways to Save Valerie Hoff here.

Other Black Friday Stories:
- SLIDESHOW | Black Friday shopping
- Violence flares over best Black Friday deals
- Dunwoody Police tweet-a-thon covers Black Friday
- Thanksgiving day sales trump early morning rush on Black Friday
- More Black Friday Coverage

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Atlanta man fights rare blood disorder

ATLANTA -- It's a story of hope.

A mother at her son's bedside as he fights against a deadly and rare blood disease known as MDS.

What makes it so rare? It usually happens to folks who have gone through chemo.

Dylan Martin's grandmother, mother and his brother have all been diagnosed with MDS.

But they have never gone through chemo before.

"He's been doing great," said Dylan's mother, Leigh Ann Martin, "He's a real special person."

22 year old Dylan is also a hope scholar and junior at Kennesaw State University.

"He was a junior there studying computers," said his mom.

The vibrant young man, now spending the holiday weekend at Emory Hospital, was diagnosed five years ago with MDS.

He was left with no other choice but to drop out of school. "Hopefully, he'll get back to school," Martin said. "That's what he really wants."

In desperate need of a bone marrow transplant, Dylan came close to losing his life.

But thanks to a donor through the "Be The Match Foundation", it appears his transplant, more than 24 hours before Thanksgiving day, was a success.

"I'll get kind of teary, but very thankful for that," said Martin.

MDS, short for Myelodysplasia is when the bone marrow doesn't function normally and produces an insufficient number of normal blood cells.

And, it's nothing new to the Martin family. In fact, 57 year old Leigh Ann, her 78 year old mother and her oldest son have been diagnosed with the blood disorder.

"I think we are the only possible family with four people," said Martin.

Martin's MDS turned into leukemia and the only way to save her life was through a transplant.

Her mother was diagnosed this year. But Martin refuses to give up hope.

"Certainly, its put a damper on things - I have to be honest and say that but you know thank goodness - I have to be so, thankful," said Martin. "I keep thinking one day, my older son will need a bone marrow transplant and there may be somebody out there who would be a perfect match for him."

Dylan was still in recovery at the time of our interview. But he wants everyone to help by donating bone marrow.

To donate to 'Be the Match' in honor of Dylan and his family, click here.

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Car of missing 72-year-old Atlanta woman found

STOCKBRIDGE, Ga. -- Henry County police found the car of a missing 72-year-old woman.

Lucilla Harris has been missing since last Saturday. Relatives say she has bouts of dementia.

A Henry County homeowner called police and said he saw a car matching the description of what Harris was driving.

Joey Smith with Henry County Police says the car was found off of White Castles Dr. in Ellenwood, and was abandoned since Monday afternoon.

Smith says K-9 officers conducted a cursory search of the area and wood line with no results.

There have been no reported sightings of Harris.

MORE | Relatives search for their missing aunt, Lucilla Harris, over Thanksgiving

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POLL: What is your favorite Thanksgiving pie?

Written By Kom Limpulnam on Kamis, 28 November 2013 | 15.20

Americans choose pumpkin pie as their favorite Thanksgiving pie, according to a new survey. The survey was conducted by KRC Research. In the weeks before Thanksgiving, KRC surveyed 500 adults to better understand their holiday traditions and habits.

According to the company's website, the finding show: "While Americans have strong traditional ideas about many of the foods and activities associated with the holiday, they are largely split on regarding the polarizing topic of Black Friday shopping and retailer behavior."

SHARE PHOTO| What are you Thankful for this year?

The survey shows:

58% of people believe turkey is the best part of Thanksgiving dinner, stuffing was second with 31%

56% of Americans choose Pumpkin Pie as their favorite pie

76% believe retailers should stay closed on Thanksgiving

What's your favorite Thanksgiving pie?

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Cop won't rest until man who shot him is caught

MARIETTA, Ga -- More than four months after he was shot in the chest a Cobb County police officer is talking. He wants the public to know that man who shot him at point blank range is still on the street.

Police are making another concerted effort to try to find the unknown assailant. A $15,000 reward is being showcased on a billboard on South Cobb Drive.

Officer Danny Rogers is a detective with the police department's property crimes division. Every day he said he thinks about the shooting that happened on July 12, 2013. It has changed his life. "I think I've slowed down a little bit, in a good way," Rogers said.

At the same time he was asking for help to find the man who shot him, he wanted to warn the public. "If he'd do this to an officer in a uniform he'd do it to anybody," Rogers said. "I think he's a threat to anybody out there right now."

RELATED | Cobb officer shooting leads to manhunt for suspect

Rogers was patrolling an apartment complex on Hurt Road when he saw something suspicious. "I was riding around and I saw a male that looked like he had just walked out of the woods," he said.

Rogers said he approached the man in a non-threatening manner and asked him "come here." The man ran and Rogers chased him. After a short distance the fell to the ground. "As he started to get back up I started to make the arrest and he shot me at pretty close proximity," Rogers said.

A 38-caliber bullet hit Rogers right in the chest. It would have hit his heart if he was not wearing a ballistic vest. "It felt like somebody took a sledge hammer and hit me across the chest with it," he said.

Rogers still has a picture on his cell phone of the bullet lodged in his vest. Another picture shows the mark on his chest from the impact. When asked if the vest saved his life, Rogers said "Without a doubt, absolutely."

Rogers said he thinks about the incident every day and he thinks about catching the man who shot him. "It would be closure for my family, and for me," he said.

Anyone with information about the shooting of Officer Rogers is asked to call Crime Stoppers Atlanta at 404-577-TIPS (8477).

You can follow Kevin on Twitter @krowson11alive

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Covington Police officer and family burned out of home

COVINGTON, Ga. -- A Covington Police Officer and his entire family were without a place to stay Wednesday night. A fast raging fire sent the man and his two children running for their lives.

The daughter had just arrived in town from college for thanksgiving. But officer Chris Smith said he still has reason to be thankful this time of year.

PHOTO SHARE | What are you thankful for this year?

The fire left nothing but the walls still standing. The place was completely charred inside out.

"I woke up to glass breaking," said Officer Smith. "My first thought was someone was breaking in the house - so I jumped out of bed from a dead sleep."

A picture taken while the house was engulfed in flames is posted on the Covington Police Department's Facebook page. "My kids bedrooms were on the other side of the house," the officer said. "And, I just saw nothing but red flames. You couldn't even see out the window."

Officer Smith's 7-year-old son and 19-year-old college student, who had just arrived home from school for the holiday, were in another room. "Both of them were still in the bed asleep," said Officer Smith. "The room was just glowing red from the outside."

Desperate for help, the father knew he had to act fast. "Both of them were lying in the bed not moving. I thought the worst." But then came the screams and calls for help. "Which was the biggest relief of my life was to hear them at that time. Anybody that has kids knows that was my number one priority, making sure they were okay," said Officer Smith.

"Nobody is in the hospital. Nobody is hurt. We won't be attending any funerals - so, that's a blessing. That right there is my Thanksgiving."

The Covington Police Department is collecting donations for the family through the Covington Police who Care Fund. Donations can be dropped off at the department 24 hours a day. It's located at 1143 Oak Street SE. Clothing sizes needed include:

MEN'S: 33x34 pants, XL shirts, shoes 10.5 med

WOMAN'S: med shirt, size 10 skirt knee length or longer, 8.5 shoes, jacket needed

YOUNG WOMAN: med shirt, size 8 skirt knee length or longer, bra 34B, shoes 8.5, jacket needed

BOY: size 7-8 shirt and pant, size 2 shoes, med 8-10 underwear

Visit DeMarco Morgan's Facebook page for more of his stories.

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Winter Weather Advisory for North Georgia

Written By Kom Limpulnam on Selasa, 26 November 2013 | 15.20

ATLANTA -- A mix of rain and freezing rain is expected Monday night across parts of the northeast Georgia mountains, generally north of a line from Chatsworth to Jasper to Dahlonega to Cleveland.

LOCAL RADAR | See conditions and forecast for your community

Although only a light glaze of ice is expected on elevated surfaces, this could be enough for bridges and overpasses to become slick and hazardous.

For this reason, a Winter Weather Advisory has been issued for this area for Monday night.

A second round of winter precipitation is expected across portions of northern Georgia late Tuesday night and Wednesday.

Rain will become mixed with snow after midnight Tuesday. The rain and snow mix will become all snow at elevations above 1,500 feet.

Snowfall amounts of up to a half-inch on grassy areas are possible across north Georgia, with amounts of up to 1 inch possible in the higher elevations.

Strong low pressure moving in from the Gulf will bring widespread rain to Georgia beginning late this afternoon and continuing into Wednesday.

On average, one to three inches of rainfall is expected.

Locally higher amounts of rain across north Georgia will have the potential to create minor flooding.

More Weather:
- Send us your weather pictures to photos@11alive.com
- Weather forecast and information
- Weather Photo Galleries
- Sign up for weather alerts
- Sign up for weather forecast emails
- Weather App
- Weather Information Zone Blog

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Fox Theater vandalized by concert-goer who slept over

Kevin Royal Jr. (Courtesy of Fulton County Sheriff)

ATLANTA -- Joe Patten, the Phantom of the Fox Theater, is recovering from injuries he sustained after a laggard concert goer vandalized the theater on Saturday morning.

According to a police report, Kevin Royal Jr. was located locked inside a fence at the Fox Theater by officers with bloody lacerations. Royal said he was unable to get out of the stairwell because he couldn't unlock the gate.

Royal claims he attended an event at the theater on Friday evening and that he fell asleep -- and when he woke up the building was uninhabited. Authorities say Royal then broke a window to get out of the building but was impeded by the gate, where he was located.

Authorities, along with building maintenance, searched the building and located Mr. Patton who was in need of medical attention due to "lacerations to the hands and feet" due to the fallen glass.

After conducting a brief investigation, APD officers concluded that Royal attempted to commit felonious acts but was disturbed when he discovered Patten inside the home.

Patten and Royal were rendered medical treatment on the scene. Royal was arrested and transported to the Fulton County Jail.

STORIES ABOUT PHANTOM OF FOX THEATRE:

Phantom to stay, for now

Settlement reached between Phantom and Fox

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Black Friday 2013: Stock lists for every major store

(WXIA) -- 11Alive has been working on Black Friday coverage since June. This year, with the help of our friends at DealGuppy.com, we've gathered and verified Black Friday stock lists for major retailers.

LOCAL BLACK FRIDAY | Special Section of local store hours, deals and reviews

Join the conversation and let us know the deals you find. Tweet @11Alivenews with #ATLblackfriday.

The lists showcase which products will be on sale Black Friday. The products marked (Early Bird) are limited quantity items.

In some cases, items on "sale" are not even reduced. You'll find such items on the Lowe's stock list.

Please keep in mind that stock of the hottest items will sell out extremely quickly, may vary by location and stores sometimes make last-minute adjustments.

Unlike those circulating ad-scans, every price point is sorted for you and hand-checked, as we detail the deals by the thousands.

Plan your Black Friday shopping now by clicking the store names below and downloading our detailed stock lists.

• Ace Hardware
• A.C. Moore
• Bass Pro
• Belk
• Best Buy
• BJ's Wholesale Club
• Bon-Ton
• Cabela's
• Costco
• CVS
• Dick's Sporting Goods
• Dollar General
• Fred Meyer
• GameStop
• Gander Mountain
• Gordmans
• Harbor Freight Tools
• h.h. gregg
• J.C. Penney
• Jo-Ann Fabric and Craft Stores
• JustDeals.com
• Kmart
• Kohl's
• Lowe's
• Macy's
• Sears
• Target
• Walgreens
• Walmart

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Henry Co. police identify body found alongside I-75

Written By Kom Limpulnam on Senin, 25 November 2013 | 15.20

HENRY COUNTY, Ga. -- Authorities have identified a woman they believe may have frozen to death on Sunday morning.

The woman was identified as 55-year-old Robin Lynn Hubbard.

According to Sgt. Joey Smith of Henry County Police, the woman, who is believed to be homeless, was discovered in a treeline just north of the Interstate 75 ramp to Highway 138.

Authorities say her family lives in the McDonough area.

Sgt. Smith said the area where was woman's body was discovered is a popular spot for local homeless people.

The Henry County Medical Examiner has not yet released an official cause of death.

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Citizen groups join forces to delay Cobb Braves vote

Sketches for new Braves stadium and retail complex in Cobb County

Cobb County, GA-- 11Alive News has obtained the letter that will be delivered to Cobb County commissioners Monday asking for a delay in their vote on the move of the Atlanta Braves.

According to Richard Pellegrino, The Cobb Citizens for Government Transparency lists at least 12 other groups that have now joined in formally asking for another 60 days, at least, before the commission goes ahead with the estimated $650 million dollar deal.

"I've never seen such diverse interests join forces on something, which tells you how much we need some time to take a closer look at this proposed move," said Pellegrino.

The Braves are looking to move their organization just outside the perimeter and build a new stadium on a 60 acre tract of land near Cumberland Mall.

The Cobb County SCLC, Atlanta Tea Party Patriots and the Cobb Immigrant Alliance are among those who think the deal is moving too fast.

"The memorandum of understanding is 20 pages long. Our attorneys and accountants say there's a lot here that needs to be examined. The bonds for instance have Cobb County taxpayers on the hook according to their preliminary investigation which we're being told is not the case," said Pellegrino.

Once the letter is delivered, those who signed it also plan to attend three remaining town hall meetings before the Cobb County Commission meets Tuesday at 7pm.

County Commission Chairman, Tim Lee, told 11Alive News previously that he saw no reason to delay the vote on the Braves.

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Emani Moss' DFCS file: a sad tome of failure

GWINNETT COUNTY - Through an open records request 11alive obtained the DFCS case file of 10 year-old Emani Moss.

The little girl was found murdered this month in Gwinnett County. Police say she died at the hands of her parents.

What initially stands out about the file is the file itself. It is more than 200-pages thick, documenting the troubling life history of Emani and her family: the failures, the successes, the lies, and finally the murder of an innocent little girl, whose life literally got lost in those voluminous pages.

We focused primarily on the years from 2010 to 2013, the years of violence against Emani, who, after being beaten by her stepmother and removed from the home, was terrified of going back.

And despite the objections of an advocate, the court judge sent her home, nonetheless, in keeping with the DFCS mandated goal of "family preservation."

The documents show the family went through months of extensive counseling and follow-up in 2010. They appeared to be functioning well and making progress, with "love" being cited as the bond.

But in 2012, there were signs of trouble again.

First, there was a report Emani was being spanked again. It was screened out, dismissed as minor.

Another report followed, with a suspicion of danger. This was screened out as well because DFCS couldn't find the family.

The next time Emani's name popped up on the agency's radar, she was dead - murdered, police say, by her parents. The case file notes how her father described to police the torture she endured: scalding with boiling water; isolation like a prisoner; and the starvation that ultimately killed her.

Ironically, even without reading the mountainous document, it still speaks for itself. A reasonable person would likely surmise simply from the sheer volume that there was a problem.

A big problem.

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Brian McCann is a Yankee: 5 years, $85 million

Written By Kom Limpulnam on Minggu, 24 November 2013 | 15.21

Carlos Gomez #27 of the Milwaukee Brewers is confranted at home plate by Brian McCann #16 of the Atlanta Braves after hitting a first inning home run at Turner Field on September 25, 2013 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Scott Cunningham/Getty Images)

(USATODAY) All-Star catcher Brian McCann has reached agreement on a five-year, $85 million contract with the New York Yankees, a major first step in an off-season that the club has vowed would be an active one.

RELATED | McCann turns down Braves' qualifying offer
RELATED | Tim Hudson, San Francisco Giants close in on deal

The agreement was confirmed to USA TODAY Sports by a club official with knowledge of the deal but not authorized to speak publicly, because it is still pending McCann passing a physical examination.

McCann's agreement was first reported by Fox Sports.

McCann, who turns 30 in February, made seven All-Star appearances in his nine seasons with the Atlanta Braves, and represents a major upgrade behind the plate for the Yankees, who cited financial inflexibility in not re-signing Russell Martin before the 2013 season. Martin signed a two-year, $17 milllion deal with the Pittsburgh Pirates, and Yankees catchers batted .213 with an American League worst eight home runs.

The Yankees missed the playoffs for the first time since 2008, and they followed that season with a spending spree that greatly aided a World Series title run in 2009. They hope to chart a similar course this winter.

That cause would be greatly aided by third baseman Alex Rodriguez serving at least a significant portion of the 211-game suspension levied by Major League Baseball for his alleged role in the Biogenesis performance-enhancing drug scandal.

Rodriguez is due to make $25 million in 2013, but every game he's suspended would save the Yankees a pro-rated portion of his salary and perhaps let them add players and slip under baseball's $189 million payroll tax. Rodriguez's appeal of his suspension has concluded and arbitrator Fredric Horowitz is expected to rule on it by January.

Whether or not they gain some financial freedom with a Rodriguez suspension, the Yankees have many holes to fill. They need at least one outfielder - landing Carlos Beltran on a short-term deal would be ideal - and multiple starting pitchers, with part of that equation dependent upon right-hander Hiroki Kuroda's decision to return, retire or play in Japan. And there's the small matter of retaining All-Star second baseman Robinson Cano, who figures to command a contract with a total value north of $180 million.

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Georgia Southern stuns Florida 26-20 in Swamp

Georgia Southern Eagles safety Matt Dobson (7), quarterback Jerick McKinnon (1) and guard Zach Lonas (62) celebrate after they beat the Florida Gators at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Photo: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) -- Kevin Ellison ran for two touchdowns, Jerick McKinnon had a huge score late and Georgia Southern stunned Florida 26-20 Saturday in what will go down as the worst loss in school history.

No lower-division team had ever beaten the Gators, who won their previous seven games against Football Championship Subdivision teams by an average of 45 points.

PHOTOS | Georgia Southern stun Florida, 26-20

So this was a shocker, even though Florida (4-7) has lost six in a row and secured its first losing season since 1979.

Georgia Southern (7-4) ran for 429 yards and didn't complete a pass all afternoon.

McKinnon finished with 125 yards rushing, including a 14-yard touchdown with 2:57 remaining. Ellison added 118 yards on the ground, scoring on runs of 45 and 1. Fullback William Banks also gashed the Gators, getting 94 yards up the middle. His 53-yarder on a third-and-2 play set up the winning score.

Florida had a chance to win it, thanks partly to two missed extra points.

Skyler Mornhinweg, making his second consecutive start in place of Tyler Murphy (shoulder), got the Gators in scoring territory, but his final two throws fell incomplete. He had Quinton Dunbar open in the corner of the end zone on third down from the 17, but his pass floated high. He tried to force one to Solomon Patton on the final play, but two defenders broke it up.

Georgia Southern's players rushed the field and celebrated wildly. They stopped long enough to pose for a team picture on the field, and then the party really started.

Florida, which paid Georgia Southern $550,000 for this game, was left to ponder the fate of coach Will Muschamp.

Athletic director Jeremy Foley and school president Bernie Machen said last week Muschamp was safe, but that was before the worst loss in school history and before there were thousands of no-shows in The Swamp.

The Gators have pinned their problems on a slew of injuries. But that doesn't work against Georgia Southern, which won its third consecutive game despite playing without 19 of 65 scholarship athletes.

Florida was beaten soundly - on both sides of the ball.

Georgia Southern ran wild from the triple-option formation.

McKinnon gained 66 yards on the first play of the second half, setting up Ellison's 1-yard plunge on fourth down. The touchdown put the Eagles up 14-10.

And that could have been enough against Florida's inept offense.

Mornhinweg was mostly ineffective, though he completed 14 of 25 passes for 122 yards and two touchdowns. He hooked up with Patton for a 46-yard score with 5:41 left that tied the game at 20.

But Florida's defense couldn't get a much-needed stop.

And on the final drive, the Gators started with a crucial penalty and some questionable clock-management issues.

Kelvin Taylor ran for 92 yards behind an offensive line that allowed steady pressure all day. And after Mornhinweg nearly threw two interceptions in the first quarter, the Gators stopped taking chances in the passing game until late.

Equally alarming as Florida's woeful offense was the team's defensive effort.

The Eagles gashed the Gators early and often, producing runs of 45, 53 and 66 yards. Eight Georgia Southern players had at least one run of 10 yards or longer.

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World powers reach deal over Iran nuclear program

European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton, left, and Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif attend a news conference at the end of the Iranian nuclear talks in Geneva on Nov. 10, 2013. (Photo: Jason Reed, AFP/Getty Images)

Six world powers and Iran have reached an interim agreement with Iran on its disputed nuclear program after four days of talks in Geneva.

The spokesman for the European Union's representative Catherine Ashton tweeted "We have a reached agreement between E3+3 and Iran," referring to the United Kingdom, France, Germany, USA, Russia and China.

RELATED | Nuclear talks begin, Iran warns of limits

RELATED | Iran criticizes Kerry for 'conflicting statements'

RELATED | Obama speaks to Iran leader by phone

U.S. negotiators and their counterparts from the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Russia and China had been meeting with the Iranians since Wednesday in an effort to strike an interim deal to delay Iran's nuclear program while a larger deal is worked out that would prevent the Islamic republic from obtaining nuclear weapons.

The interim agreement was applauded as a substantial step by some nuclear and national security analysts.

"This first phase agreement ensures that we will continue to negotiate a complete end to Iran's nuclear program and should reassure U.S. allies in the region that Iran cannot make a dash for the bomb," said Joe Cirincione, president of the Ploughshares Fund, a group focused on nuclear non-proliferation.

Dave Solimini, a spokesman for Democratic-leaning Truman Project, a Washington-based national security group, said the interim agreement proves that years of sanctions against Iran have worked.

"These are basic requirements after 30 years of distrust, ensuring that negotiations will not be used to buy time to build a nuclear weapon," Solimni said. " Iran's sincerity in these negotiations must always be subject to proof, which is why ongoing inspections and surveillance of their facilities is even more important now. The secondary sanctions which were switched off can just as easily be switched back on if Iran fails to keep their word."

Earlier Saturday, Britain's Foreign Secretary William Hague spoke of "very difficult negotiations, saying "narrow gaps" remain on the same issues that blocked agreement at the last round earlier this month.

"We're not here because things are necessarily finished," Hague told reporters. "We're here because they're difficult, and they remain difficult."

Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Abbar Araqchi said they were "close to a deal," but said differences remained Saturday over two to three key issues, according to Reuters.

Secretary of State John Kerry decided to attend the meeting after consulting with Ashton and his negotiating team in Geneva, State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said in a statement Friday.

The current talks, which were in their third round, aimed to take what Kerry had called "a first step" that would delay Iran's progress toward the ability to produce nuclear weapons for six months while a more comprehensive agreement is worked out.

The last round of talks broke down over French concerns about the status of Iran's heavy water power plant under construction in Arak, and over Iran's demand that any agreement recognize the production of nuclear fuel as Iran's sovereign right. The USA does not recognize such a right.

World powers have imposed crippling economic sanctions on Iran to persuade it to suspend production of nuclear fuel in accordance with United Nations Security Council resolutions, and to prove its nuclear program is peaceful in compliance with the Non-Proliferation Treaty, which Iran has signed.

Iran, which seeks to have the sanctions lifted, says its nuclear program has peaceful aims. But the U.N.'s nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency, has reported over the years multiple discoveries of secret Iranian nuclear sites, work on nuclear detonators and implosion devices with assistance from foreign scientists, documents describing safety arrangements for a nuclear test, and plans for a spherical payload for Iranian missile.

The United States, Israel and European countries have said they suspect Iran of developing a nuclear weapons program. President Obama has said the USA will prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon and Israel has threatened to use military force to prevent what it considers an existential threat.

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Website uses social media to forecast "sick weather"

Written By Kom Limpulnam on Sabtu, 23 November 2013 | 15.20

ATLANTA -- Are the "sick calls" piling up in your office? Are the Clorox wipes and hand sanitizer flying off the shelves?

It seems everywhere you turn, the sound of coughing, sneezing and sniffling is growing louder and louder.

Welcome to cold and flu season.

But wouldn't it be nice to know when a wave of illness is coming, so you can stay away? According to Graham Dodge, creator of sickweather.com, his website does just that.

"We call ourselves the Doppler radar for sickness," Dodge said. "We search Facebook and Twitter for people complaining about their symptoms. Once we've identified through social media who's getting sick, we're able to alert other users as to when that's happening so they can take precautions."

A recent "sick map" for Atlanta shows an increase in the common cold, fever and cough from the beginning of the week to the end.

Even though it's social media based, Dr. Charlotte Grayson Mathis of Piedmont Hospital said the model isn't far off base. She has seen an increase in cold and flu patients over the past two weeks - a normal trend for the end of November.

Dr. Mathis warns sickness rates will really pick up in December and January.

Dodge said the website recently launched a smartphone app to alert users before they enter a "sick zone" - an area where other users have reported illness.

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Gov. Sanders & the Assassin 11-22-63

ATLANTA -- It is the most repeated question of the week. "Where were you when JFK died?"

For those old enough to remember November 22, 1963, it is easily answered.

Governor Carl Sanders has never forgotten that day or the night.

As Georgia's 74th governor, he was JFK's friend, and a political ally. And he too was being threatened by a would-be assassin because of his connection to the president.

"President Kennedy was a good friend of mine and a good friend to the state of Georgia," said Sanders.

Hanging on the wall in his Atlanta office of Troutman Sanders, two pictures of the then 37 year old Georgia governor and the 44 year old president from November of 1962. Both men were young, handsome, stylish leaders who served bravely in WWII.

Their friendship was immediate.

"Every time I asked him to give us some help he responded positively."

Gov. Sanders was playing golf at Augusta National the afternoon of November 22nd, 1963, when he was approached by the Georgia State Patrol on the course.

"The state patrol rode up and said, 'Governor, we have to take you to Atlanta -- the President and the Vice President have been assassinated'."

Golf game over.

The governor learns from his security detail, he too is the target of an assassin.

"We're going to take you back to Atlanta because we have had a threat on your life. I said where did you get that from? They said he got a threat from someone in Macon, Georgia.'

The threat occurred in the afternoon.

So the governor returns to the old mansion in Ansley Park near Montgomery Ferry Road. Only the carriage house remains there by 2013. Gov. Sanders tells his wife of the threat, she is nervous, both retire and go to bed. Then around 2 am, the phone rings.

"About an hour later, they woke me up and they say we caught the guy on the premises. And I said, do you have him in the troopers shop?"

That's right -- the assassin is on the grounds scoping out the mansion looking to to kill Carl Sanders. The intruder is arrested and taken inside the building, the carriage house which serves as the state patrol post.

As a former B-17 wing commander, the governor said he wants to see what the guy looks like.

"I went down and looked at him, he was a nice looking Marine discharged from the Corps for mental reasons."

The former Marine had a plan to kill the 74th Governor of Georgia.

"I said how are you going to kill me? He said he was going to engage in hand to hand combat, I'm glad to know that."

Gov. Sanders has led one of the most amazing lives ever in this state.

He was also very good friends for years with Texas Governor John Connolly and his wife Nelly -- who were both in the limousine in Dallas with President and Mrs. Kennedy.

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Unruly passenger: 'There's a bomb on the plane!'

Atlanta police remove unruly airline passenger

ATLANTA -- police had to forcefully remove a passenger from a Spirit Airline plane after he was being unruly during the flight from Fort Lauderdale to Atlanta. Before he was removed he fought officers and screamed "There's a bomb on the plane!"

Passengers on the flight were terrified. "Everybody was nervous when you hear something like that," said Charles Davis. "You start doing a lot of soul searching because you don't know what the next two minutes would hold."

Spirit Airline flight 404 left Fort Lauderdale at 7:42AM and landed at Atlanta Hartsfield Jackson International Airport at 9:42AM. Davis said the passenger in seat 7A was acting unruly the entire flight. "We thought he was having an anxiety attack," he said. "You couldn't run, you couldn't get off the plane so you were there for the whole story whether you liked it or not."

Davis' wife recorded the incident with police on her cell phone. The man said the following when a female Atlanta police officer told him to get out of his seat: "There's a bomb on the plane. There's a bomb on this f-king plane! If she takes me off I will blow the f-king plane up! I will, get the f-k out!"

Three minutes after the man was removed from the flight passengers were told they could get up and depart the plane. Davis said he didn't feel comfortable until after the man and his luggage were taken off. "I didn't know what he had in the belly of the (plane), if it was set on timers, nobody knows that at that moment," he said. "We can only presume and hope for the best."

According to a police incident report the pilot told Atlanta police "the behavior started directly after takeoff and continued throughout the one hour and a half flight."

The officer wrote in her report "I ascertained that subject was suffering from some sort of mental illness or suffering some sort of psychotic break."

The man was taken to Grady Memorial Hospital.

You can follow Kevin on Twitter @krowson11alive

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Atlanta council member Cleta Winslow fined: used city money for her campaign

Written By Kom Limpulnam on Jumat, 22 November 2013 | 15.21

Atlanta City Councilwoman Cleta Winslow

ATLANTA -- What happens when an elected official spends taxpayer money on her own political campaign? And it's not the first time she's done it?

Her name is Cleta Winslow, she's an Atlanta city council member, and Thursday night the seven members of the city's Ethics Board spent a few minutes discussing her repeat violation, and then -- by a voice vote -- they ordered her to pay a fine of $2,000 by December 31.

The amount of taxpayer money that she spent on her own re-election campaign earlier this year was all of $390. And Winslow paid the money back to the city after the misappropriation was caught.

Ethics Board members said the amount was not the point, the point is that any amount of taxpayer money should never be used for personal expenses by any employee or elected official. And this was Winslow's second violation.

Winslow was a no-show at the meeting.

She did write a letter to the board, on October 29.

In the letter, she blamed a staff member for mistakenly paying one of her campaign expenses, for $390, by submitting an invoice to the Finance Department.

"My former staff member," Winslow wrote, "who incorrectly submitted the invoice is no longer in my employment. And she did not have authorization to submit this invoice. In addition she did not have authorization to sign her name to this request and submit it to be routed to the Finance Department. Until I received a letter from you today, I had no knowledge of this invoice and was not aware that it was sent to my office.... I would certainly not have had the city pay for a campaign activity."

The Ethics Board Chair, Caroline Johnson Tanner, and other members said they are frustrated that the fine they imposed on Winslow four years ago did not act as a deterrent; they fined her $1,500 because she spent $5,420 of city money on her 2009 re-election campaign. She also had to reimburse the money to the city.

Winslow blamed a staffer, then, too.

"I'm very disappointed," Tanner said Thursday night, "to see the same code violation from the same person. And I am hoping that this $2,000 fine will truly act as a deterrent."

It was Winslow's 2013 campaign opponent, Torry Lewis, who filed the ethics complaint against her. During the campaign, Lewis also pointed out how much money Winslow had claimed in expenses in the previous fiscal year, 2012-2013 -- it was $21,000, about four times more than each of the other council members claimed.

Winslow said the amount was justified because she does so much for her constituents.

Then in May, 2013, Winslow was arrested and charged with DUI. She pleaded not guilty.

| Police report: Councilwoman "Out Of It" During DUI Stop |

After all of that, earlier this month 1,800 voters returned her to office -- nearly 69 percent of the vote.

Thursday night, the Ethics Board ordered Winslow to pay the latest fine from her personal funds.

As it turns out, her personal funds are about to get a boost. She will be making an extra $20,000 a year as a council member, beginning in 2014. Winslow was in the majority of ten Atlanta council members who, in December, 2012, voted themselves a 52 percent pay raise.

| Atlanta City Council Approves 52% Pay Increase |

It was a controversial decision at the time, raising questions about whether it could hurt the members' re-election chances in 2013. But this month, 14 of the 15 council members won re-election to another four-year term.

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Person hospitalized after shooting in Lithonia

LITHONIA, Ga. -- Authorities are on the scene of a shooting at a Lithonia apartment complex.

The shooting happened on the 200 block of Meadowwood Place.

According to dispatch, one person was injured and has been transported to Grady Memorial Hospital. No word on the victim's condition.

No further information was immediately released.

15.21 | 0 komentar | Read More

Write a Letter - Leave Nothing Unsaid

(WXIA) -- We are approaching the holiday season, a time of year that's about gratitude and the joy giving. Here at 11Alive, we invite you to join us to "Leave Nothing Unsaid." It's a movement that was started by Jody Noland, a former IBM executive who exchanged her corporate life for what she feels is her vocation -- helping all of us "Leave Nothing Unsaid."

WATCH | Jaye Watson writes letter to son Jude
WATCH | Elle Duncan writes letter to sister Kelli
WATCH | Karyn Greer writes letter to mother Jeanette

Leaving Nothing Unsaid is about more than writing a letter. It's a specific way to tell the people in your life what they mean to you, right now. On Thursday, Jaye Watson will share Noland's story, and the stories of people whose lives have been changed and improved by a single letter. Noland led 11Alive's morning team in a 'Leave Nothing Unsaid' workshop. Throughout the week, members of our team will share their letters live on the air.

In the meantime, with Noland's help, we are giving you a chance to write a letter and 'Leave Nothing Unsaid' to those you care about.

Purchase the Leave Nothing Unsaid workbook at leavenothingunsaid.com.

Section 1 - Share your feelings:
The purpose of this section is to provide a perspective about YOU. This is your opportunity to express what is has meant to be in that person's life. It's a place to put into words your love and affection. It can be short and sweet but it's very important.

Section 2 - Affirm their uniqueness:
This is the heart of your letter. The purpose is to highlight what you see as the greatest attributes about the recipient, and why those qualities are so important.

Section 3 - Share your hopes and dreams:
This section provides your opportunity to convey your words of wisdom. What advice would you share. What things would you want them to always remember?

Join us in the Leave Nothing Unsaid movement and help spread the word on social media. Write a letter and tell people in your life what they mean to you, right now. Use the form below to help you get started. Post a picture on Twitter or Instagram with hashtag #LeaveNothingUnsaid and share the message on social media. Your picture will be added to our photo wall below and we may use your photo on-air throughout the week!

Fill out the form to email your special message to someone special in your life.

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Mike Francis' 2013 Winter Weather Forecast

Written By Kom Limpulnam on Kamis, 21 November 2013 | 15.20

ATLANTA -- Every year around this time of I dig into my bag of tricks and put out my "Official Winter Forecast for 20XX" and every year I learn and see something new.

Part of long range forecasting is looking at the right signals the atmosphere is giving you, and part of it is just plain luck. It is not an exact science so as you read this and put it into your memory bank, as will I, know that there is a tremendous amount to be learned about long range forecasting. But also know that I am a student of mother nature short term, mid range, and long range and I am always studying to try to figure out why she does what she does.

First of all, let me tell you what the main things are that I look at:

Persistence and trends
Current Global Patterns
El Nino / La Nina
The North Atlantic Oscillation
To some extent I also listen to local folklore
Persistence and Trends

This is exactly what it sounds like. Persistence in the world of weather essentially means that the weather you are having right now will most likely persist for a while. In other words when you are deep into a drought, you will most likely stay in a drought. When you are in a heat wave, you will have a better chance of staying in that heat wave than you will have getting out of it. That's just how mama nature works. The main thing that has been persistant this fall is what has been going on in Canada... My goodness it is COLD up there. Take a look at the image below and you will see that this is abnormally cold for this time of year! This has been the trend for the last few months, a much colder fall for a large part of Canada! That region along the Canadian Rockies is the area that mid latitude cyclones (the storms that affect us here in the US) tap into to and bring down the cold air and with it being this cold already, this winter for them could be brutal. This is the air we will be tapping into.

When you get temps down to -30 and -40 this time of the year it almost impossible to warm that part of the world until spring due to the lack of sunlight in that part of the country and the snow pack. Right now most of N America is below normal for this time of year for depth of snow, but also below normal for temps in the US east of the Rockies!

If this trend continues it means that storms coming across the US will have a much richer mass of cold air to tap into. This means also that storms originating in the mid lattitudes will be stronger with more cold air!!

El Nino

Just a brief history on what El Nino is: El Nino was discovered by fishermen off the coast of Peru a very very long time ago. They noticed that every once in a while the fish that they needed to survive on sometimes died off..... Basically some years the fishing would be so bad that they would actually go hungry until the fish came back.... What was happening was a change in the trade winds in S. America. Normally the winds blow from the land out to sea, this would create what is known as upwelling. The winds coming off the land would push the layer of water at the top out to sea so that the cooler water from below would come up to replace it. This happened most of the time, but every once in a while the winds would change direction and the upwelling would stop. When the upwelling stopped the natural mechanism that kept the water off of S America cool stopped also, and the water warmed. Warm water is not good for nutrients for fish, so they would all die.... Since the fishermen in Peru and Chile noticed this around Christmas every time it happened they named it El Nino for "The Christ Child"..

ENSO, or El Nino Southern Oscillation, this year has been going back and fourth from slightly negative to slightly positive. When it is negative that means the water temperature in region 3.4 is slightly cooler or more towards what would be considered La Nina. When it is warmer in that region it is considered to be more towards El Nino. The water temperature must be more than 0.5 C warmer or colder for three consecutive months for it to be considered an El Nino or a La Nina. If it is neither of these it is considered to be "ENSO Neutral" and that is where we are right now, in an ENSO neutral pattern. La Nina and El Nino patterns actually have statistical correlations, but ENSO neutral is not as highly correlated. From a case study though the NWS was able to find some recognizeable patterns and you can see it below.

ENSO Neutral patterns tend to be very volatile across the eastern US with the southern jet active and rainy, but the northern branch also very active with cold air coming down from Canada. So with the cold air we have already seen this year you can imagine if that air persists and this pattern holds true.

North Atlantic Oscillation

The NAO is an index that is taken from the difference in pressure between the area near Iceland and the Azores Islands in the south Atlantic. When the index is negative, the eastern US typically sees cooler than average weather and there are more Nor'easters. When the index is positive we can see warmer than average temps and less rain. For the last few weeks the NAO has been on the negative side as we have been below normal in N Georgia for temps and few east coast storms have developed. What makes the NAO such a strong patter is this: a large blocking high forms over the North Atlantic in the upper levels of the atmosphere that forces a big east coast trough. This takes the storm track from Canada and pushes it down into the eastern US creating lots of east coast storms and also tapping into that colder canadian air. The NAO was a big negative for both winters in 2010 and 2011 which were both much colder than average for the eastern US and all of N Georgia. The only thing that is making me a little iffy on my forecast is the NAO is forecasted to stay slightly positive for the next 2 weeks. At the same time though, some of the coldest air in a while will be coming down this way this weekend and stay down here for a while! I think that the NAO is still not as well understood as El Nino.

The North Atlantic Oscillation is not as reliable of a forecasting tool as En Nino since it is based on sea level pressure rather than ocean temperatures. Ocean temps change much slower that air temps, just like the air in your house warms faster than water in a pool, so changes in the NAO happen rapidly and without explanation... kind of like every day weather.

The "Official CPC Winter Forecast"

As you can see below the CPC is forecasting equal chances for a cold / warm / wet / dry winter!! In other words they see all the factors that I have talked about above to very difficult to forecast what they tink will happen over the next 3 months accurately. Like I said at the beginning of the blog, it is pretty tough to nail a forecast for 3 weeks much less 3 months!! I do remember last December that had forecasted the winter to be dry and warm...... same with spring..... and same with summer. In a nut shell, the CPC thinks that we will be about average temperature wise and average rain wise....

My Official 2013 / 2014 Winter Outlook

Based on persistence, and ENSO Neutral pattern, the potential for a negative NAO pattern I am thinking that we will see a colder than average winter!! I think also that with the southern branch of the jet becoming active we will see multiple chances to see snow across N Georgia! Now I can't go so far to say how many events we will have, but I think there will be chances from December through February to see winter events as far south as Atlanta!

Again, there is an incredible amount of uncertainty that goes into this forecast and remember that this is for the entire winter (December, January, and February) so some weeks will be warmer than average and some will be colder than average. But at the end of the winter I think that this will be a pretty accurate forecast. Through the years I have had some good ones, some bad ones, and some horrible ones.... We will see in March where this one stacks up!

15.20 | 0 komentar | Read More

DDP Yoga: From the wrestling ring to the mat

SMYRNA, Ga. -- Eighteen people are packed into the living room of a Smyrna house.

"We got some new people here," he says.

The newbies stand out. They shift foot to foot, trying to prepare for something they've never done: yoga.

"Inhale cobra, exhale down dog," he says.

And it's not yoga. As they reach their arms toward the ceiling, the instructor yells, "Superstar!"

PHOTOS | Amazing before/after body transformations these DDP Yoga students have achieved

That word also describes the teacher. Diamond Dallas Page was a three-time professional wrestling world champion.

"That's how I lived my life -- high impact. Bam. Bam. Bam! Beating up my body," he said.

Then, 13 years ago, he blew his back out.

"I was the guy who wouldn't be caught dead doing yoga," he admitted.

But yoga is what healed his back and took his life in a new direction. He took the traditional yoga that healed him, and put his spin on it. He holds free yoga classes five days a week in his living room.

"They can buy the DVDs," Dallas says with a laugh.

Dallas has sold more than 50,000 of his DDP Yoga DVDs. DDP has achieved cult status, with many devotees converted by the video of a man named Arthur Voorman, a disabled war veteran who chronicled how DDP Yoga changed his life. It's been viewed almost 10 million times.

"I gave one guy hope. He's given millions hope," Dallas said.

Dallas's yoga class is filled with convincing poster kids, which is important. This is a man whose business reincarnation depends on believers.

But maybe the most famous DDP convert is Jake Roberts -- Jake the Snake Roberts --- a world champion wrestler and admitted drug addict.

"I had hip replacement and my rehab was beer and cocaine," Roberts said.

He has lived with Dallas for a year. "He's Mr. Positive. God, he's positive," Roberts said of his roommate.

And he does DDP Yoga.

"I look better today than since I was 35. And I'm 58. Just got the hair plugs done. Yeah baby, can't stop me!" he joked.

Diamond Dallas Page is the kind of Svengali you get when you cross a pro wrestler, with a yoga teacher, with a salesman, with a drill sergeant.

And his followers can't get enough.

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Police seek help locating missing child

MARIETTA, Ga. -- Police are asking the public's help in locating 13-year-old Keith Price of Marietta.

The child was last seen in the area of Kimberly Way at about 6:30 p.m. Wednesday. He was wearing a blue Marietta City Schools hooded sweatshirt, blue jeans and black Adidas shoes. Keith is a black male, 5'5", 135 lbs with short hair.

Foul play is not suspected in this case.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Detective Shane Merritt at 770-794-5324 or the Marietta Police Anonymous Tip Line at 770-794-6990.

11Alive News

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No foul play suspected in UGA student death

Written By Kom Limpulnam on Rabu, 20 November 2013 | 15.20

ATHENS, Ga. -- Athens-Clarke County Police said they discovered the body of a 22-year-old University of Georgia student Tuesday morning in Athens.

Police said the body of Rebecca Elaine Greene was discovered Tuesday morning in a creek on The Plaza off of West Broad Street.

Investigators said the last time anyone had had any contact with Greene was Monday evening at about 5:30.

THE SCENE | Photos of area where body of missing UGA student was found

Her body was found by police who were searching the area where here telephone was last detected.

Greene's body is being transported to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation's Crime Lab in Decatur for an autopsy and to determine a cause of death.

Along with the GBI, the University of Georgia Police is assisting with the investigation.

On Tuesday evening, GBI officials concluded that there were no signs of foul play in Greene's death and that her death can not be called a homicide. Authorities are still unsure of how Greene died but they are certain that no one killed her.

Police are requesting that anyone with any information regarding the case should call the Athens-Clarke County Police Department Crime Stoppers tip line at 706-613-3342.

For Metro Atlanta crime reports and local crime maps, visit 11Alive.com/crime.

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Georgia DDS computers expose personal information

ATLANTA -- 11Alive's Center for Investigative Action went undercover to expose how a state agency that you trust to protect your personal information is putting people at risk for identity theft.

Your private information, available for anyone to see -- tax returns, Social Security numbers, you name it. It may not have been intentional, but it needed to be fixed.

"It was a little disconcerting that my complete tax returns were on the computer," said Michelle Hogan.

Hogan alerted 11Alive News to it, after going to a DDS center in Marietta to get her son's driver's permit. She needed to use the public computer to access her account in order to print out her tax return to prove he was a dependent.

"Tried to delete it and wasn't able to off of the computer," she said.

She told 11Alive that a supervisor wasn't much help either, and that's why she contacted us.

We went in with a hidden camera and discovered all kinds of private and personal information on the computer for all to see.

"We've got pay stub information," said investigative reporter Ross McLaughlin, while looking at the documents file on the public computer. "There's a bank statement here."

How'd you like the whole world to see the $12,000 you've got in your bank account? It was right there just as you walk in the door. We even saw tax returns, Social Security numbers and all!

McLaughlin, along with producer Shawn Hoder, had not trouble finding it.

"What do you think of that?" McLaughlin asked a customer who was using the computer. "You see somebody's personal information is in here?"

"All kinds of it," the man responded, "looks like you can pull any of it up to."

The public computer was made available for customers who forgot the necessary identification documents, required under new Homeland Security rules.

"Of all places that you're supposed to have secure information, you'd think that the DMV would be the place to have it!" Hogan said.

All the sign on the door says is to close the browser. But some information is getting stored. What is supposed to be customer convenience is putting them at risk.

"Do you guys come in and periodically delete this at all?" McLaughlin asked the woman at the information desk.

"I try to delete it once a day," she said.

However, we found all kinds of private information, as much as two weeks old. Jennifer Ireland's pay stub with identifying information was there, and that's how we found her.

"Check that out. You know what that is?" McLaughlin asked.

"Yes. My pay stub," Ireland responded.

"Guess where that is?" McLaughlin replied.

"Where?" she asked.

"Sitting on the computer at the DMV" he said.

"Oh!" Ireland was stunned. "I specifically asked them ..."

She could hardly get the words out. She had asked the DDS folks to delete it.

"Yeah that makes me very unhappy, cause that's all my, I said that's very important information," Ireland said, taking a deep breath.

We found Ankit Patel's cell bill too.

"That makes me feel nervous now," Patel replied.

It wasn't just the Marietta location. We visited another DDS center on Roswell Road in Atlanta and found the sensitive information on another computer for all to use.

All we had to do was ask where the public computer was to look up identification information. They pointed us it, no questions asked.

Lease agreements, private loan information, even a copy of a Social Security card were all easily seen.

"Oh lovely!" responded a supervisor when McLaughlin showed her what was on the computer.

We learned there are 16 public computers at the Department of Driver Services in metro Atlanta and as far away as Columbus, Ga.

"Well they're not supposed to download at all that's the thing. They're not supposed to download anything," the supervisor at Roswell Road location told us.

"Maybe this stuff needs to be deleted," McLaughlin pointed out.

"Yeah," she responded.

"I'm just pointing it out," McLaughlin said.

"Thank you," she replied as she walked back behind the counter.

We pointed out the security risks at the Marietta location too.

"Well that's why we tell you when you exit out of the computer to make sure you exit out of all your information," the information clerk said.

However, the people we talked to didn't even realize they'd downloaded it and it was being stored. All they knew was to close the browser.

"Are you going to clear that bin? That cache?" McLaughlin asked.

"I will. I can't clear it right this minute, 'cause I have a line," she said, walking away.

She told us it would be deleted. However, we when came back the next day to check, it was still there.

"Fix it, oh absolutely!" Ireland demanded.

She and Ankit Patel asked us to delete their information from the computer. We did. It wasn't difficult. In fact, it wouldn't be difficult for DDS to set up a system that would not allow that information to be downloaded or stored at all.

"They need to do it right," Hogan said.

"What do you want us to do?" McLaughlin responded.

"Hold the powerful accountable," she stated.

We did. We sat down with Susan Sports, Public Information Officer for the Georgia Department of Driver Services.

"DDS takes the privacy and security of our customers personal information very seriously and I apologize," Sports said.

She says the public computers were just put in over the last year and she wasn't aware of the problems, until 11Alive brought it to her attention.

"We are, have an action plan and we will ensure that all of the public computers are set up correctly so this won't happen again. So the documents can't be downloaded or saved. We'll also have an additional process in place, where the computers will be checked by management at the close of business every day, to ensure that nothing's left on the computer," Sports said.

"At every computer?" McLaughlin asked.

"Correct," she said.

"And make sure everything's cleared every time another user comes on?" McLaughlin inquired.

"Yes sir," she responded, making a promise to do it in less than a week.

On Friday November, 15, Sports sent us an update and a plan:

Here are the enhancements we are adding this morning (Friday November 15th) to the DDS business center computers available for customer use:
- Desktop Data erased at login
- My Documents data erased at login
- Downloads folder data erased at login
- Recycle Bin bypassed
- Scheduled reboot every day at 8 pm
-Erase data routines runs after 10 minutes of inactivity

We're going to hold them accountable. We will check back at some of those centers.

MORE DRIVER RELATED STORIES:

- Department of Driver Services confusion prompts Fayette County mom to overheat

- License renewal leads Douglasville woman to her lost loved ones

- S. Koreans exempted from Georgia drivers tests

- Get ready... The GA400 tolls are coming down!

- Church offers drive-thru prayer

15.20 | 0 komentar | Read More

Racist serial killer left trail in Atlanta

Joseph Paul Franklin in recent prison interview

ST. LOUIS -- A federal judge in Missouri has given a stay of execution to white supremacist serial killer Joseph Paul Franklin hours before he was scheduled to die.

The self-proclaimed racist was convicted of nine murders that stretched from Tennessee to Utah. He has been connected to at least a dozen other racially motivated shootings. Some of those happened in the Atlanta metropolitan area.

It was a three year killing spree from 1977-1980 that Franklin said he did because he wanted to start a race war.

Franklin is most notoriously known for admitting to the 1978 shooting of Hustler Magazine publisher Larry Flynt. Flynt was on his way back to the Gwinnett County Courthouse in Lawrenceville where he was being tried on obscenity charges, when he was shot twice. Flynt would never walk again.

In the past and in a recent prison interview Franklin said he shot Flynt after he saw an interracial couple photographed in Hustler. "I threw the magazine down on the coffee table and I thought I'm going to kill that guy," he said.

Atlanta Police Major Keith Meadows travelled to Missouri to interview Franklin in 1999 about two unsolved cases in the city. Meadows was a homicide Sergeant at the time. He said Franklin said he had information about the cases. "It was kind of unsettling," Meadows said. "He had this eerie air about him that just made me feel a little unsettled."

Meadows, who is black, said Franklin refused to talk to him until he got a local female police officer to sit in on the interview.

Meadows said he is convinced Franklin shot an interracial couple walking near their home on Blue Ridge Avenue in 1978. Johnny Brookshire, was with his pregnant wife Joy Williams, who is white. Brookshire was killed, Williams was paralyzed from the waist down.

Atlanta police also believe Franklin is responsible for shooting a black cab driver who was talking to a white woman near Piedmont Park in the summer of 1979. "He knew facts about the murders that only the murderer could have known," Meadows said. "He was able to tell us exactly what the victims were wearing at the time the shooting took place."

DeKalb County Police have tied two murders to Franklin. In 1979 they say he killed Mercedes Masters, 15, because he believed the white teenager had sex with a black man.

That same year police say he killed a black restaurant manager, Harold Mciver on Buford Highway because he was being cross with a white customer.

Franklin was scheduled to die at 12:01AM Wednesday for the murder of a man outside a synagogue in St. Louis in 1977. U.S. District Court Judge Nanette Laughrey ruled that a lawsuit filed by Franklin and 20 other death-row inmates challenging Missouri's execution protocol must first be resolved.

You can follow Kevin on Twitter @krowson11alive

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Georgia DDS computers expose personal information

Written By Kom Limpulnam on Selasa, 19 November 2013 | 15.20