Across Georgia

Rubber war rifle causes scare at Georgia college

ATLANTA - A rubber rifle used by a Vietnam War expert in a presentation has led to a scare at Young Harris College in North Georgia.

College officials said a student spotted Dr. Lee March carrying the fake weapon and alerted campus authorities Monday morning.

The college police and Towns County Sheriff's Office responded and determined the gun was a rubber replica of a Vietnam War weapon.

Officials said the student acted responsibly.

March directs the Vietnam Veterans Oral History Project at Young Harris.

He was taking several instructional replicas and materials back to his office Monday after using them in a presentation on Friday.

2 men sentenced in Georgia bribery scheme

ATLANTA - An ex-Army official and a former military contractor have been sentenced to federal prison on charges of bribery of a public official, wire fraud and money laundering.

Richard E. Long and 56-year-old Mack S. Smith, were sentenced Monday in connection with the scheme.

Long, who is 63, was a civilian manager of the Army's water and petroleum program between 1996 and 2004. He was sentenced to more than 17 years in prison.

Smith, the owner of a Tennessee-based water-purification company, was sentenced to 12 years in prison.

Prosecutors say Long repeatedly awarded Smith's company contracts worth more than $66 million in exchange for payments totaling about $550,000 between 2001 and 2007.

Acting U.S. Attorney Sally Yates says the bribery undermined the "well-being of the men and women who put themselves in harm's way to protect our freedom."

Ga. woman escapes just before train hits minivan

LITHIA SPRINGS, Ga. - A Georgia woman says she jumped out of her minivan just before an Amtrak train slammed into it.

The Crescent train was on its way from New York to New Orleans when it hit the minivan at a railroad crossing 20 miles west of Atlanta on Monday morning.

Minivan driver Sayda Guerra tells The Atlanta Journal-Constitution that she was on her way to work and stopped in traffic when the crossing gates came down in front of and behind her. She says she tried to go back but couldn't make it. She got out of the vehicle and wasn't hurt.

The train was able to continue after a 90-minute delay. Amtrak says there were 96 passengers on board but no one was injured.

Fulton County logger killed by falling tree

CHATTAHOOCHEE HILLS, Ga. - Police say a 60-year-old logger has been killed by a falling tree in Chattahoochee Hills.

The tree fell at an intersection near the Fulton-Coweta County line just before 11 a.m. Monday.

Chattahoochee Hill Police Chief Damon Jones said John Thompson III was working with a logging crew near Ga. 70 when a crew member noticed he was missing.

Jones said the crew told police the tree fell on Thompson and no one else was around.

Thompson's family owns the logging business. He had spent more than 20 years cutting trees with the company.

Carpet manufacturer will bring jobs to Calhoun

CALHOUN, Ga. - A carpet manufacturer will expand its operations in Calhoun, creating 200 new jobs.

Shaw Industries Group, Inc. plans an overall expansion of operations within its carpet division and will occupy its formerly idled facility in Calhoun.

The company processes filament yarn, which is used in residential carpet products. Shaw expects the facility's expansion to be completed by mid-2010.

Previous Shaw employees in the community who have been displaced over the past few months due to economic conditions will be given the first opportunity to fill the new positions.

Beary interesting: stuffed bear arrives in Cobb

MARIETTA, Ga. - Things have gotten a bit wild at Cobb County's recreation department.

The stuffed body of a black bear killed by a car in summer 2008 along a busy road in the north Atlanta suburb has arrived from the taxidermist this month. The bear will soon go to the county's Cato Environmental Education Center in Austell, but for now it's greeting visitors to the Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs office.

State officials estimate about 2,200 black bears live in Georgia.