Monday, May 18th

John Padgett begins his second term as Chair of the Georgia GOP: the Athens businessman was reelected during this weekend’s state Republican Party Convention, a two-day gathering that was held for the second time in the past three years at the Classic Center.

An Athens woman has been arrested accused of abusing elderly patients at an unlicensed adult care facility in her home. Emma Heard was booked into the Clarke County Jail, facing charges that include imprisonment and elder abuse. Athens-Clarke County Police say four elderly men she housed were living in filthy conditions.

The Athens-Clarke County Leisure Services Department says portions of the Birchmore Trail in Memorial Park are closed til further notice: two bridges—bridges 6 and 7 on the upper loop of the trail—have been declared structurally unsafe. There is no word on when the bridges might be repaired and those stretches of the trail reopened.

Athens-Clarke County Police are investigating a reported armed robbery: the victim tells police it happened in the parking lot of a convenience store on Jefferson Road. He says he was held up by two men, one with a gun. He says he lost cash and a cell phone.

Today begins the last week of the school year for students and teachers in the Clarke County School System: the last day of class is Thursday.

Robert Howard is on the University of Georgia campus today: Howard is chief information officer at Armstrong State University; he’s among the finalists to be the next Chief Technology Officer at the University of Georgia.

The Oconee County Planning Commission meets tonight, 7 o’clock at the Oconee County Courthouse in Watkinsville.

Watkinsville-based Extra Special People gets $13,500 from the Foundation of the Jefferson-based Jackson EMC: it’s part of a $123,000 grant package that distributes money to six social service agencies in northeast Georgia. Other Jackson EMC Foundation grant recipients include Camp Twin Lakes and the YWCO in Athens.

Jackson County Commissioners meet, 6 o’clock this evening at the courthouse in Jefferson. Commissioners will tackle a long list of zoning and rezoning requests.

Hall County government officials hold budget forums today and tomorrow at the Government Center in Gainesville, both getting underway at 10 in the morning: Hall County Administrator Randy Knighton says they’re looking for input on the budget that is due to finalized by Hall County Commissioners before the end of June and the July 1 start of the new fiscal year.

The Georgia State Patrol has released the name of the Habersham County man killed in a weekend crash in Rabun County: James Stripling was 64 years old, from Mt. Airy. He was killed when his motorcycle was struck by a truck on Highway 441 near Tiger.

One man is dead and another behind bars after a stabbing in Forsyth County: the Forsyth County Sheriff's Office says it happened at a house trailer in Cumming; one roommate, stabbing another.

A deck collapse during a gathering in Lithonia: seven people were injured; DeKalb County emergency responders say none seriously.

Another officer-involved shooting in metro Atlanta: the latest in Cobb County, where a suspect was shot and wounded at a motel off I-75 in Smryna.

A fatality at a music festival in Cobb County: a woman hit by a car, killed while walking across a street at the Shaky Boots festival.

The Douglasville City Council will decide the fate of Douglasville Police Chief Chris Womack: he is on leave amid an investigation into allegations that two of his police officers used excessive force during an I-20 traffic stop. It happened back in March.

The Georgia State Patrol is investigating a deadly officer-involved car crash in Paulding County: a 24 year-old woman, hit by a deputy’s car while walking across a highway in Hiram.

A suspect is arrested in Fort Valley, possibly the accused serial rapist responsible for a string of sexual assaults that have occurred since April, many near the campus of Fort Valley State University: Darrell Russell is 25 years old.

A Delta Air Lines flight bound for Atlanta returned for an emergency landing shortly after taking off from an airport in Los Angeles.

Georgia has its first case of canine flu this year, but it's not clear if it is the same strain that sickened more than 1,000 dogs in Chicago.

A new report says the number of Georgia bars and restaurants allowing smoking has doubled since 2006.