Peach State politics
War may be days away, Chambliss says; GBI hunts for paroled ex-legislator.. More.

Business
Monster cranes invade Savannah; Lockheed lands hefty Air Force contract.. More.

Education
Medical College opens classes to ordinary citizens, sort of; Glynn County battles dropout rates.. More.

Environment
Fish kill in Jefferson County puzzling; what is killing the great salt marshes of Georgia?..More.

Health care
Blood pressure guidelines for African-Americans; hospitals put fast food on the menu.. More.

Major local news
Augusta airport rejects terrorism insurance; Gwinnett wants Northern Arc; south Georgia flooding worsens.. More.

Opinion
Carter's criticism of White House appropriate; bankruptcy rates call for changes in laws; Blix buries the lead..and his head.. More.

UGA suspends Harrick; Bulldogs out of SEC, NCAA tournaments
The University of Georgia has suspended head basketball coach Jim Harrick in the midst of an NCAA investigation which has led to findings of academic fraud and ethical misconduct, and announced the Bulldogs will not be participating in the upcoming Southeastern Conference Tournament or the NCAA tournament, to which the 19-8 'Dogs, ranked 21st nationally, were virtually assured a bid. Washington Post, WSB-TV, Athens Banner-Herald, New York Times, Gwinnett Daily Post, Atlanta Journal Constitution, Gainesville Times

• Severe punishment accompanies stunning announcement.  Augusta Chronicle
• Dooley: 'this is as bad as it gets.'  Augusta Chronicle
• 'Cardinal findings' sink hoop season.  Rome News-Tribune
• Reaction ranges from pain to praise. WXIA-TV
• Probe widens at Rhode Island.  Athens Banner-Herald
• When hiring a coach, it helps to check his past.  New York Times
• Blow to program saddens UGA fans. Macon Telegraph
• Allegations nothing new for university. Savannah Morning News
• How UGA came to take such drastic action.  Atlanta Journal-Constitution
• Players furious at abrupt ending.  Atlanta Journal-Constitution
• Georgia joining season of scandal.  Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Perdue plans to cut school lottery funds
Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue wants to reserve lottery funds solely for the state pre-kindergarten program and HOPE scholarships, dropping the program which funds technology, including paying for computers and software in the classroom. Augusta Chronicle

Cold weather, low supplies lead to further hikes in natural gas prices
Continued cold weather in many parts of the country is combining with reduced supplies of natural gas to send the price of heating homes and offices soaring. Savannah Business Report

If you get a ticket, you may request a jury
Drivers charged with minor offenses can now demand a jury trial in light of a ruling made Monday by the Georgia Supreme Court. Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Drought is over, but year-round water restrictions may go back in place
The five-year drought which struck Georgia has been declared officially over, but the state's Environmental Protection Division is discussing the possibility of instituting year-round restrictions of water use, a move prompted by lessons learned during the prolonged period of lower than normal rainfall. Hinesville Coastal Courier

Hating the French all over again
American dislike for the French is finding new footing in the French-led effort to persuade the United Nations not to approve a U.S.-led invasion of Iraq. Fed up with Gallic independence, Americans--and Georgians--are finding new reasons to hate all things French. Atlanta Journal-Constitution

KB Home acquires Colony Homes
KB Home has acquired Woodstock-based Colony Homes, one of the largest privately owned house builders in the Southeast. Atlanta Business Chronicle

Massive cranes arrive at port of Savannah
There were a few tense moments as two massive cranes, representing an investment of $11.6 million, barely cleared the 194-foot high Talmadge Bridge at Savannah. The monster cranes are considered a giant leap forward for the Port of Savannah, with hoist speeds 50 percent faster than any other cranes currently in use at the port. Savannah Business Report

Lockheed lands hefty Air Force contract
The U.S. Air Force has awarded Marietta's Lockheed Martin Aeronautical Systems Company a $13.4 million contract for aircraft devices to be built in Marietta and Tampa, Fla. Atlanta Business Chronicle

GE Hydro gets $47 million Virginia project
GE Hydro, a division of Atlanta-based GE Power Systems, has won a five-year, $47 million contract for the refurbishment of a Virginia powerhouse. Atlanta Business Chronicle

BellSouth to bring 160 jobs to Columbus
Atlanta-based BellSouth more than doubling workforce at National Directory Assistance Center. Columbus Ledger-Enquirer

Atlanta's Atlantic Station lands Irish pub
Claddagh Irish Pub, a full-menu Irish pub and restaurant, will make its Atlanta debut with a two-level location at Atlantic Station. Atlanta Business Chronicle

UGA grad students launching cash remittance company
Looking past the slumping economy, three University of Georgia MBA students are launching International Cash Connections, a company which would allow Hispanic immigrants to send sums of money back to relatives in their native country via a small plastic card. Athens Banner-Herald

Herman Miller Inc. to cut 50 metro jobs
In response to continued weakness in demand, office furniture maker and seller Herman Miller Inc. will cut about 115 manufacturing jobs, including about 50 in the metro Atlanta area. Atlanta Business Chronicle

Privacy laws a windfall for shredders
Recent privacy regulations passed by the federal and state governments have been quite a boon to shredding companies and other privacy-related businesses, industry officials say. Savannah Business Report

Gainco buys Weigh Systems South
Gainesville-based Gainco has bought Weigh Systems South in an acquisition that brings together the two largest manufacturers of sorting, weighing and distribution equipment for the poultry industry. Atlanta Business Chronicle

Women entrepreneurs urged not to necessarily be afraid of risks, debt
Women entrepreneurs could improve their lot considerably by following the lead of their male counterparts and consider risk and debt as not necessarily bad options, businesswomen gathered in Savannah were told by Nancy Staton, director of the Georgia Women Entrepreneurs office of the University of Georgia's Small Business Development Center. Savannah Business Report

Marietta's FiberNet posts nearly $300,000 February loss
Marietta FiberNet's financial woes continued in February as the city-owned fiberoptic company posted a loss of nearly $300,000. Marietta Daily Journal

Home Depot hires Ketchum and Manning Selvage & Lee
The Home Depot Inc. has hired Ketchum and Manning Selvage & Lee to handle some of its public relations jobs. Atlanta Business Chronicle

Macon's Capital City Bank turned down again on zoning request for branch site
The Macon-Bibb County Planning and Zoning Commission has denied Capital City Bank's request for another hearing on its request to have a part of Zebulon Road rezoned to allow the bank to build a branch location there. Macon Telegraph

Valdosta, VSU seek grant to research charter school
Valdosta City School System and Valdosta State University officials plan to meet Friday at the university to formulate their proposal for a Charter School Planning Grant. Valdosta Daily Times

Medical College of Georgia classes will open to the public
For the first time since the Medical College of Georgia opened its doors in Augusta in 1828, ordinary citizens will be able to attend classes there. Sort of. Augusta Chronicle

Glynn County schools battle dropout rates
New schedules, student groupings among solutions as Glynn County battles dropout rates higher than the state average. Brunswick News

Dublin can't agree on race plan for school
The Dublin school board failed to agree Monday on a plan to make classes at the middle school more racially balanced. Macon Telegraph

Jefferson County fish kill leaves scientists puzzled
State and independent labs have been unable to find what killed nearly all animal life in a pond near Wrens in mid-February. Augusta Chronicle

Fence may keep some species safe from larger predators
Scientists at an ecological research center in Baker County are in the initial stages of a five-year study to see whether fencing out some predators will help gopher tortoises, bobwhite quails and some songbirds to prosper. Albany Herald

What is killing the great salt marshes of Georgia?
The Georgia General Assembly may be about to join the search for what is killing large stretches of salt marsh along the Georgia coast. Gainesville Times  

Corps can pay to cut trees, not clean up
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, faced with a massive pine beetle infestation, is cutting down trees in many parks around Lake Lanier, but it can't pay to clean up the mess. Gainesville Times

Sewage spills into Lake Tobesofkee
The Macon Water Authority searched on Monday for the break in a sewer line which allowed at least 50 gallons of sewage to spill into Lake Tobesofkee. Macon Telegraph

Gwinnett wastewater fight moves to appeal
Gwinnett County and Georgia state officials decided Monday to fight a judge's ruling prohibiting the release of 40 million gallons of treated wastewater from being released into Lake Lanier. Gwinnett Daily Post

Sewer overflow dumps wastewater onto Augusta streets
Heavy rains are being blamed for the overflow of an Augusta sewer which dumped 140,000 gallons of wastewater of all types onto streets and grounds on Milledge Road near the Augusta Country Club. Augusta Chronicle

Cleanup crews resume work at Augusta gas plant
The excavation of contaminated soil at a defunct downtown Augusta gas plant resumed Monday after a two-week delay caused by excessive toxic fumes. Augusta Chronicle

African-Americans get high blood pressure guidelines
Most blacks with high blood pressure need more aggressive treatment, including at least two drugs to effectively control hypertension, health officials say. Washington Post

Fast food in hospitals: a mixed message?
As more attention focuses on an obese nation, the institutions that heal us are being criticized for increasingly offering what many say is a leading cause of obesity: fast food. Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Georgia Tech student tests positive for TB
Officials at Georgia Tech say a 26-year-old graduate student has been quarantined at his off-campus residence after testing positive for tuberculosis. WGNX-TV

Drug offers life-saving hope for peanut allergy sufferers
Researchers have developed the first drug that can protect the 1.5 million Americans who suffer from an allergy to peanuts-- the leading cause of all allergy deaths. Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Judge OKs open-heart surgery certificate for Waycross hospital
A Superior Court judge has ruled that Satilla Regional Medical Center of Waycross is entitled to a certificate of need to perform open-heart surgery. Florida Times Union

Deadline nearing on health care privacy rules
While the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is readying to enact a number of privacy regulations on the health care industry, Georgia medical providers and those who do business with them are working to insure they comply by an April deadline. Savannah Business Report

The real cost of a cold
The common cold does more than make a lot of Americans feel yucky. It puts a $40 billion dent in their pocketbooks each year. Athens Banner-Herald

Three midstate hospitals seek certificates of need
Hospitals in Milledgeville, Eatonton and Eastman have applied for certificates of need, which would clear the way for expansion of services or renovation. Macon Telegraph

Augusta transport agency searching to replace lost funds
The expiration of a Community Development Block Grant has, for the past month, stalled the operations of a local non-profit transport agency, stranding 60 elderly and disabled clients who rely on it as their only means of transportation. Augusta Chronicle

Bogus state flag brought down in Bartow County
A fake Georgia flag--like the real one but with five small Confederate emblems-- was spotted above the Bartow County Courthouse in Cartersville on Sunday. No one knows how long it flew. Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Echols County swears in 26-year-old sheriff in wake of resignation
Twenty-six-year-old Randy Courson has been sworn in as sheriff of Echols County following the resignation of Sheriff Donald Fender, the subject of a federal investigation. WALB-TV

Augusta airport says no to terrorism insurance coverage
The Augusta Aviation Commission says the cost of continued coverage against terrorism at Augusta Regional Airport is too high. Augusta Chronicle

• Airport collects unpaid bills in midst of shortfalls.   Augusta Chronicle

S.C. Congressman visits Fort Gordon to show support
U.S. Rep. J. Gresham Barrett, a South Carolina Republican, visited Fort Gordon near Augusta on Monday to show his district's support for any troops who might be deployed for wartime duties in the Persian Gulf. Augusta Chronicle

Mixed-income housing cluster planned in Fulton
Just before the plug was pulled, Fulton County has received $17.2 million in federal funding for a mixed-income housing development, to be constructed in an area near College Park. Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Soldiers leave Atlanta's Fort Gillem
The U.S. Army 52nd Ordnance Group will be in charge of disarming the most lethal weapons of mass destruction if the United States goes to war with Iraq. WXIA-TV

Augusta man organizes yet another protest
New demonstrators will rally against Burk, Jackson, KKK, others. Augusta Chronicle

Store owner takes Rockdale County to task over alcohol ordinance
The question of whether Rockdale County's alcohol ordinance is constitutional has now been moved to Superior Court after being questioned by a county store owner. Rockdale Citizen

Lake merchants hope for business flood
Store owners credit increase in business to full Thurmond Lake. Columbia County News Times 

Flooding Satilla River closes schools in southeast Georgia
Floodwaters from the rain-swollen Satilla River forced further cancellation of school classes in Brantley and Pierce counties on Monday, and schools in Bacon County closed as well. Augusta Chronicle/AP

• Rains end, but floods worsen near Folkston. Florida Times Union

College students use spring break to help jump start Columbus housing project
Habitat for Humanity officials are hoping for a break in the rains as college students begin arriving in Columbus to aid in building 10 houses in the East Wynnton area of Columbus. Columbus Ledger-Enquirer

Poll: Gwinnett Countians favor Northern Arc idea
In a recent poll, 61 percent of Gwinnett County residents favored the idea of an east-west corridor in the northern Atlanta metro region, similar to the long-debated--and now apparently dead-- Northern Arc. Gwinnett Daily Post

Dalton residents resent neighborhoods' designations as 'slums'
Some residents of areas near Dalton's downtown resent the actions of Dalton's city council, which last week declared some blocks as "slums" and began making plans for redevelopment. Dalton Daily Citizen

Court's decision upholds Glynn County tax
The Georgia Supreme Court has upheld a lower court ruling that a lawsuit filed against the collection of a one-cent sales tax in Glynn County was filed too late. Florida Times Union

Marietta residents decry development plan
More than 50 angry residents worried that a redevelopment plan would force them out of their homes spoke out at a Marietta City Council meeting Monday night. Marietta Daily Journal

Electronic signs go up on I-75 near Dalton
Drivers on Interstate 75 near Dalton will soon be seeing traffic messages on electronic signs, similiar to those on interstate highways in metro Atlanta. Dalton Daily Citizen

*Clayton County considering changing restrictions on massage businesses
Massage therapists may soon carry a county-issued photo identification card. Jonesboro News Daily

Irish naval vessel heads for Savannah
Savannah's huge Saint Patrick's Day celebration draws a real-life part of the Irish navy. Savannah Morning News

Record high bankruptcy rates beg for changes in laws
"A record rise in personal bankruptcy filings is fueled by the bad economy, but it also reflects a tendency in our society to avoid responsibility for our behavior. Some lawyers have made it a lucrative trade to help individuals who have fallen into deep debt to file for protection from their creditors and absolution of their debt. They make it seem o.k." Valdosta Daily Times 

Carter's criticism of White House policy on Iraq appropriate
"Former President Jimmy Carter's criticism of White House policy on Iraq in an article written for the New York Times has caused some to question whether or not it is proper for a former chief executive to criticize the policies of a sitting chief executive. Traditionally, former presidents have refrained from criticizing sitting presidents, and there are those who feel that Carter should not have violated that taboo. The argument against such criticism is that it is divisive and not in the best interest of the United States. To which we say, "horsefeathers." To suggest that Jimmy Carter, or, for that matter, any other former president, should not have the right guaranteed any citizen - to criticize the government - is downright ludicrous. A former president may choose to impose such a rule upon himself; that is his option. But the last time we checked, the Constitution had not been amended to prohibit former presidents from speaking their minds." Macon Telegraph

Blix buries the lead
"In journalism it's called burying the lead--putting the most important information far from the beginning of the story. What was Hans Blix doing last Friday: burying the lead, or burying his head in the sand? In his oral report to the Security Council, Mr. Blix, the United Nations' chief weapons inspector, spoke optimistically about Iraq's "progress" in disarming itself of weapons of mass destruction."  Savannah Morning News

Limit lottery money's use to program's core mission
"Perhaps the only two state programs not yet in financial trouble are the HOPE Scholarship and statewide pre-kindergarten. Both are funded by the state lottery, which is still generating millions more dollars than it costs to fund these two popular and important education programs. Nonetheless, the state's severe budget problems raise the possibility that sometime in the next few years, the cost of sending every student with a B average to a Georgia college and putting every 4-year-old in pre-k will outstrip the lottery's ability to pay for it. The crisis can be avoided, however, with modest changes in how the program is managed." Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Scott Michaux: Quick reaction might save UGA further sanctions
"What Georgia is trying to do is save the program for the long haul. The school, SEC and NCAA are still investigating the allegations originally made by former player Tony Cole about financial favors and academic fraud. They hope that by acting decisively they can fend off further sanctions by the NCAA. All this to cover up past mistakes. Adams shouldn't have hired Harrick four years ago, and he knows that now. Georgia should never have admitted a player of such well-reported dubious character as Cole. This is the program's penance. The president hopes to salvage his and the school's reputation by being tough." Augusta Chronicle

* Elliott Brack: There are many more costs than fighting cost of war
"War....costs. Realizing the cost of war is no reason not to fight a "just" war, of course. But remember, war costs. Diplomacy, by its very nature, costs less than war. Eventually, diplomacy may fail, and in that case, you go to war. But war costs. Let's look closer at the cost of war.The smallest cost may be the fighting of the war itself. The soldiers, and tanks, and airplanes and bullets and bombs and missiles all are major costs, and that in itself, might be enormous." GwinnettForum.com

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