State may need to tap savings for shortfall
ATLANTA --- Tax collections in Georgia plummeted by more than 31 percent in May, offsetting a sharp rise in revenue in April and raising fears that the state will have to dip into its reserve fund.
State leaders quickly responded to the figures released Monday, reassuring residents that the drop was expected and that Georgia's $1.5 billion reserve fund will help it withstand the sluggish economy.
Gov. Sonny Perdue said the drop in May seemed so startling in part because Georgia's tax collectors improved their process in April, resulting in a 34 percent jump in cash that month.
State money managers reported that tax collections were down in most categories. Individual income tax collections were down 41.8 percent in May, while sales tax revenues fell 8.3 percent and corporate income tax dropped 32.8 percent. For the fiscal year ending June 30, revenues are down 0.1 percent.
Man shoots himself after 11-hour standoff
DOUGLASVILLE, GA. --- Authorities say a man died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound after an 11-hour standoff with police.
Sheriff Phil Miller says David Spence shot himself Monday after officers funneled tear gas into his home and stormed in, hoping to keep him from hurting himself.
They had been negotiating with the 56-year-old since about 5 a.m. Monday, when he fired at officers trying to arrest him on aggravated stalking charges. No officer was injured.
Trial date set for man charged as accomplice
BRUNSWICK, GA. --- A man charged with helping hide the body of a slain 6-year-old boy will stand trial July 7, a Glynn County judge ruled Monday after scolding attorneys on both sides for delaying the case.
Donald Dale would be the first of four defendants to face a trial in slaying of Christopher Michael Barrios, who was sexually assaulted and choked to death in March 2007.
Prosecutors say Mr. Dale, 35, helped George Edenfield, a convicted child molester, and Mr. Edenfield's parents dispose of the boy's body.
4-year-old shoots self in chest at Sam's Club
COLUMBIA --- A 4-year-old girl shot herself in the chest Monday after snatching her grandmother's handgun from her purse while riding in a cart at a Sam's Club store, authorities said.
A witness, Lueen Homewood, said store workers grabbed first-aid materials off store shelves to help the grandmother as she cradled the wounded child near the store's pharmacy, The (Columbia) State newspaper reported.
The girl was rushed to a hospital in critical condition and was recovering after surgery, said police department spokesman Brick Lewis.
Mr. Lewis said the grandmother, Donna Hutto Williamson, has a permit to carry a concealed weapon and the purse containing the small-caliber handgun was in the cart near the child. The 47-year-old Salley woman had not been charged Monday.
School board delays vote in gay club's fate
IRMO, S.C. --- A school district has delayed until later this month a vote on whether to ban student clubs that don't relate to academics or sports as a way to close a gay student organization.
Vice Chairman Robert Gantt said Monday that the Lexington-Richland School District 5 board wanted to get more public input.
Irmo High School Principal Eddie Walker said last month he would step down at the end of next school year because the Gay-Straight Alliance conflicts with his religious convictions.
Officials had said the district couldn't stop the alliance from forming because federal law prohibits discriminating against a club based on its purpose.
-- Edited from wire reports
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