Across Georgia

Substance found at Ga. Capitol appears nontoxic

ATLANTA - Suspicious white powder found Thursday at Georgia's Capitol does not appear to be toxic, authorities said.

An envelope containing the powder arrived at a state Capitol office that processes mail from constituents to state officials. It was not immediately clear Thursday to whom the envelope was addressed.

"We tested the substance and did not find anything to indicate it was toxic," Atlanta fire Capt. Bill May said.

Eighteen state workers who were in and around the room when the powder was found were being evaluated but showed no immediate health effects, May said.

Georgia is the latest in a string of states that have received powder-laced packages in the mail. Envelopes containing suspicious powder have been received this week by governor's offices in Alabama, Alaska, Hawaii, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, South Carolina and Texas.

In Georgia, fire trucks and emergency workers in biohazard suits swarmed a street outside the state Capitol soon after the powder was detected at 12:11 p.m. The first floor office where the substance was found was sealed off but the building was never evacuated.

Tasers used to calm courtroom melee

ATLANTA - An altercation in a Fulton County courtroom escalated to the point where sheriff's deputies had to use Tasers to calm the brawlers.

Superior Court spokesman Don Plummer says Thursday's fight began during the preliminary hearing for 19-year-old Jarquavius Tisinger, who is accused of the Nov. 9 shooting death of high school senior Joshua Richards. Members of Richard's family and Tisinger's family members began arguing and then fighting.

Plummer said four people were arrested. Their names have not been released.

He said no injuries were reported.

The rest of the hearing was held in a courtroom closed from the public.

Inquest into death of hanged man

ROME, Ga. - A coroner's jury has ruled the death of a missing man found hanging from a tree in September to be a suicide.

Floyd County Coroner Barry Henderson said Thursday that James "Booney" Wade's skeleton was found hanging by a belt near his family's home in Coosa about nine months after he went missing. Police have said they did not suspect foul play.

Wade was last seen alive on Christmas night 2007, when he reportedly told family members he was going to go to Alabama to see his daughter. He never made it there, and took no change of clothes, a toothbrush or even his cell phone.

Henderson said he is unsure how long Wade had been dead when his skeleton was found.

Zoo Atlanta shuttering panda cam due to budget

ATLANTA - People who keep up with Zoo Atlanta's giant panda cubs online soon will have to drive to see them.

The zoo announced Wednesday that it is shuttering its popular online panda cam at the end of the year because of budget constraints. The cam has been up on the zoo's Web site for more than a decade.

It drew millions of hits from across the globe after cub Mei Lan (MAY LAHN) was born in 2006 and again when new cub Xi Lan (SHE LAN) was born Aug. 31.

For now, the live feed of Xi Lan will air each day from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The webcam will be turned off Jan. 1.

Woman helped $2.6 million tax scheme

ATLANTA - A Gainesville woman has been convicted of tax conspiracy and passing fake bonds.

A federal jury found 50-year-old Jacqueline Ann Demer guilty late Wednesday of conspiracy to impede the collection of income taxes of Jerry Robert Lahr, who failed to report $2.6 million in income between 1996 and 2003.

Lahr pleaded guilty to conspiracy charges Dec. 3 and agreed to pay $1.1 million in back taxes to the Internal Revenue Service.

Demer also was convicted of mailing five fake bonds to the IRS to pay Lahr's income taxes.

The U.S. Attorney's Office says Demer used "shell" businesses and post office boxes in seven locations to conceal Lahr's ownership of assets including property and cars.

Lahr and Demer will be sentenced in February.