Across Georgia

Request to remove hospital board denied

WOODBINE - A judge has rejected a request by St. Marys city officials to remove the St. Marys Hospital Authority from office. The judge also clarified Friday how proceeds from the sale of Camden County's only nursing home would be spent.

Senior Superior Court Judge Tom Pope described the city's request to remove the hospital board from office as "an exercise in futility" because one of the requirements to remove a board from office is a petition signed by 5 percent of the city's voters. No such petition was circulated.

The authority sold the St. Marys Convalescent Center to Southeast Georgia Health System in September for $1.5 million. The new owners plan to ask state officials for permission to move the nursing home from downtown St. Marys to a site next to Southeast Georgia Health System's Camden Campus, about five miles away.

Crash with police car under investigation

SNELLVILLE - Authorities are investigating an accident that killed a Snellville man after his car collided with a Gwinnett County police car.

An on-duty police officer was traveling in a marked police vehicle at 11:58 p.m. Friday on Georgia Highway 78 when his police car collided with a car driven by Willie Allen Sargent Jr., according to a police news release.

Mr. Sargent, 52, was trying to turn left into a business when the accident happened. He died at the scene. His 1990 Plymouth Acclaim has been listed as the at fault vehicle for failure to yield while turning left, police said.

The police officer received minor injuries.

Divers come up empty in search for weapon

ROME - Divers combed a Polk County pond Friday after receiving a tip that a weapon used in the shooting death of an elderly woman had been discarded there, authorities said. However, no weapon was found in the pond, which is near state Georgia Highway 101, police said.

Vera Elizabeth "Nib" Hyde, 80, was found dead Dec. 2 in her Lindale home after missing a church meeting. Authorities, who initially thought she died of a fall, opened a homicide investigation after her Dec. 5 autopsy showed she had been shot.

Police said they have served search warrants in both Floyd and Polk counties in connection with the investigation.

Seafood company will change name

ST. SIMONS ISLAND - One of the world's largest family-owned food companies will change its name in 2007.

Rich-SeaPak Corp. will become Rich Products Corp., company officials said. The frozen seafood company has annual sales of more than $2.4 billion.

The Rich family acquired SeaPak Corp. in 1976.