Friday, January 30th

Economists from the University of Georgia’s Terry College of Business continue their annual swing around the state: they’re at East Georgia College in Swainsboro for today’s East Georgia Economic Outlook luncheon.

Today’s campus blood drive: noon til 5 in the University of Georgia’s Science Library.

Today is a jobs fair day at Athens Technical College: the Power Partners jobs fair starts at 9 and lasts til 3. Power Partners say it is looking to fill jobs and wants applicants with at least 3 years manufacturing experience.

Athens-Clarke County Commissioner Melissa Link hosts a Saturday town hall, 3 o’clock at the Rock Springs Community Center.

All Star First baseman Freddie Freeman is among the Atlanta Braves scheduled to appear in Athens tomorrow: he and other Braves coaches and players will be at the Academy Sports on Atlanta Highway between 3 and 4:30. It’s part of the annual Braves Country Caravan that also features stops in Douglasville and Chattanooga.

Athens-Clarke County Police are investigating more burglaries: a restaurant on Hiawassee Street was robbed, with cash reported stolen in that break-in. Cash was also reported taken in a burglary at a residence on Fairway Terrace, and DVDs and a cell phone were said to have been stolen in a home break-in at the Athens Gardens apartments on Carriage Court.

The first public hearing was held last night in Nicholson: another is set for next Thursday next in Jefferson, as Jackson County School officials are looking at the likelihood of closing Benton Elementary School.

The Jefferson City Council sets qualifying dates for November elections: August 31 through September 4 for three Council elections that will be held on November 3. There will also be three elections for seats on the Jefferson City School Board.

The Barrow County Chamber of Commerce holds its annual Dinner and Awards banquet: the Saturday evening festivities start at 6 at Chateau Elan in Braselton.

The Elbert County Sheriff’s Office gets a $10,000 grant from the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety. Officials in Elberton say they’ll use the money to purchase new traffic safety equipment.

There was more talk about Bobby Brown State Park Thursday in Elberton: Elbert County Commissioners held a special called meeting to look at the latest proposal for a county takeover of the park property. Plans call for Elbert County to lease the park from the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, with a takeover date of March 1.

The Gainesville City Council is looking at updates to a Gainesville alcohol ordinance that hasn’t seen many changes since it was adopted in 1958: a revised alcohol ordinance will get a first public reading at next week’s Gainesville City Council meeting.

Hall County drug agents arrest a drug suspect: they say cocaine, prescription pills, and firearms were found at the home of 28 year-old Jonathan Gaudlock. He's in the Hall County jail.

A busy day for the TSA at Hartsfield-Jackson: in separate incidents Thursday, two guns and two hand grenades were found by security screeners at the airport in Atlanta.

Testimony in the Atlanta Public School System cheating trial: a former aide to former School Superintendent Beverly Hall says Hall ordered that documents be destroyed. A dozen former Atlanta educators and administrators are on trial, accused of changing student answers on standardized tests.

Cobb County police are looking for a man they say tried to abduct a young girl. It happened near Marietta. The girl was able to escape.

Funerals for the Runions tomorrow in Cobb County: Bud and June Runion were murdered in Telfair County, their bodies found earlier this week. They drove there from Marietta to meet a man who answered a Craigslist ad about a car. That man—28 year-old Jay Towns—is charged in their murders.

A Bartow County high school teacher has been accused of having an inappropriate relationship with a 17 year-old student. 41 year-old Chad Clift is from Rome. He’s been arrested and charged with one count of sexual assault.

Two of the protestors who converged on Fort Benning outside Columbus in November have learned their punishments: One demonstrator against the installation's Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation was sentenced to five years probation and another drew a $5,000 dollar fine for trespassing onto the base.

State Representative Wendell Willard is pitching a bill he says could help local school systems raise revenue: the Sandy Springs Republican is introducing legislation that would allow for advertising on school buses, ads to be sold by city and county school districts around the state.

The Georgia Senate passes the bill that requires insurance companies to provide coverage for autistic children.