Across Georgia

Law firm's formation under investigation

ATLANTA --- Georgia's inspector general is investigating whether two state ethics officials acted improperly when they formed their own law firm.

WSB-TV reported that Thomas Plank, the Georgia Ethics Commission's acting executive secretary, and staff attorney Yasha Heidari opened the law firm Heidari & Plank LLC this year despite having full-time state jobs.

WSB reported that the investigation is not criminal, but Inspector General Elizabeth Archer and one or more Georgia Bureau of Investigation agents went to the firm and took hard drives.

The aim is to determine whether Mr. Plank and Mr. Heidari's law practice conflicts with their state jobs and whether they were practicing law privately on state time.

The firm's Web site says its practice areas include civil litigation, immigration, regulatory law and business law.

Commission Chairman James Gatewood told WSB he and other commission members were aware of the firm and had told Mr. Plank and Mr. Heidari to think about whether it could become a problem. He said he was told the two men are in the process of dismantling their law firm.

Mr. Plank told WSB he welcomes the investigation and hopes it will produce a positive result.

Wrong-lane driver held in death of mother of 4

ATLANTA --- The driver of a car traveling in the wrong direction on Interstate 20 in Atlanta collided with another vehicle early Saturday, killing a mother of four, police say.

Police say Robert Ayiteyfio was drunk when the accident happened around 3:30 a.m. Saturday. He was denied bond.

Police say Shameyka Welch, 24, of Austell, died at Grady Memorial Hospital. Her boyfriend and two children were also hurt and were in stable condition Saturday evening.

Police say Mr. Ayiteyfio ran away as police were questioning him but was later caught. He was taken to Fulton County jail and charged with DUI, homicide by vehicle and driving the wrong way.

A police officer was injured when he was hit while investigating the accident. He was in stable condition.

Suspicious package, note found at Benning

FORT BENNING --- Army officials are investigating "a suspicious note and package" found at Fort Benning, a fort spokesman said Saturday.

Spokesman Bob Purtiman said a soldier found the note and package Thursday morning in an outdoor gazebo. The soldier immediately notified a supervisor, who called 911.

Mr. Purtiman declined to comment on what the note said or what was in the package.

He said there is an ongoing criminal investigation into whether there is a viable threat against Fort Benning. In the meantime, he said, security measures are being taken to ensure the safety of the base and surrounding community.

Gen. David Petraeus, the commander of Army Central Command, was at the base Thursday for a graduation ceremony at the officer training school.

Researchers focus on how rivers are shared

ATHENS --- Two University of Georgia researchers plan to study how to prevent and manage conflicts between nations who share freshwater sources.

The two-year project is to be conducted by professors Jaroslav Tir and Douglas Stinnett. It will examine the role of international institutions and look at how well treaties work in governing the use of rivers that cross national borders.

Because of population growth, pollution, development and climate change, there is concern about the increasing demand on freshwater sources.

The research is being funded by the National Science Foundation and the Department of Defense.