Across Georgia

Savannah firefighters battle downtown blaze

SAVANNAH, Ga. --- Savannah firefighters worked to extinguish burning embers inside a vacant three-story building that suffered heavy damage after catching fire in the heart of the city's downtown historic district Monday night.

Fire department spokesman Mark Keller said the blaze broke out at about 9 p.m. Monday. Firefighters kept the flames from spreading to adjacent homes and businesses amid gusty winds.

No injuries were reported, and Keller said the fire was under control after 2 1/2 hours.

Keller said the fire collapsed the roof of the building. Firefighters had to rip boards off the windows to douse the interior with water.

Court to rule on paying lawyers for good work

WASHINGTON --- The Supreme Court will decide whether a judge can award more money to winning lawyers because the judge thought they did a good job.

The high court on Monday agreed to hear an appeal from the state of Georgia over attorney fees for lawyers who sued to force dramatic changes in Georgia's foster care system.

U.S. District Judge Marvin Shoob awarded them $10.5 million in attorney fees, a $4.5 million enhancement on top of a $6 million award. Judge Shoob said he increased the award because of the exceptional results that children's advocates achieved. The 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals refused to overturn his decision.

The class-action lawsuit against Georgia, settled in 2005, prompted the state to reduce worker case loads, improve investigations into abuse and prevent overcrowding in foster homes. Gov. Sonny Perdue, one of the defendants in the lawsuit, authorized hiring 500 additional child welfare workers.

Judge Shoob said the attorneys deserved the award because their lawsuit had beneficial results despite the state's resistance to reform. The state settled the case after nearly three years.

Lawyers for Georgia say appeals courts around the nation have split on whether a judge can give lawyers extra money based on their performance.

Author's archive soon will be open to public

ATLANTA --- The literary archive of Pulitzer Prize-winning author Alice Walker will be opened to the public for the first time since she placed them at Emory University two years ago.

The Atlanta-based university will open the archive April 23 with a daylong symposium featuring feminist Gloria Steinem, historian Howard Zinn and a lecture by Ms. Walker.

Her archives include journals, drafts of her fiction and letters from friends and family. It also includes early drafts of her book The Color Purple , which won a Pulitzer in 1983.

She announced in 2007 that her archive would be kept at Emory, but the memorabilia has been sealed since then so librarians could catalog it.

School district to vote on Bible-based classes

WINDER, GA. --- The Barrow County school board is expected to vote this week on whether to support Bible-based classes in the district's schools.

Board member Larry Ballard says he wants to pass a resolution tonight letting teachers and principals know the board would support them if they decided to offer state-approved curriculum on Biblical history and literature.

Georgia became the first state in 2007 to allow Bible classes as electives in public schools.