AJC.com > Breaking News > Archives > 2007 > January
January 2007
I-20 eastbound lanes closed
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Two eastbound lanes of I-20 are closed so workers can remove a damaged overhead sign, the Department of Transportation said in a press release today.
Two right-hand lanes are closed at the Hamilton Homes Interchange west of downtown Atlanta.
The lanes will remain closed through the evening rush hour.
Motorists are advised that traffic will be slowed considerably in the area just inside the I-285 perimeter.
Permalink | Categories: Traffic
Piedmont Road lanes closed
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Lanes of Piedmont Road in Buckhead were closed Tuesday afternoon for work on a sewer expansion project.
Motorists are advised that only one northbound lane remains open. Two southbound lanes are open.
The project, which will continue through February, is part of the $3.9 billion Clean Water Atlanta program to improve the city’s water and wastewater infrastructure.
Permalink | Categories: Traffic
Cobb to shut down pre-k program
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The Cobb County School District announced Friday it is shutting down its pre-kindergarten program at the end of the school year citing lack of classroom space and costs not reimbursed by the state.
The program currently serves 519 students in 26 classrooms in 19 schools across the district. The school system, Georgia’s second largest, is transferring its pre-K program slots to the Georgia Department of Education for reassignment to private pre-school providers in Cobb.
A separate program serving special needs pre-K students in 39 of the district’s elementary schools will not be affected, school system officials said in a prepared statement. Those classes will continue.
Chief academic officer Diane Bradford said that while pre-K classes will no longer be available in Cobb schools, she encouraged parents to enroll their pre-schoolers in programs offered by private providers in the community. “There is tremendous value in exposing children to a learning environment before they begin kindergarten.”
Parents seeking pre-K classes for the 2007-08 school year were encouraged to search a directory of local providers on the Bright From the Start Web site at www.decal.state.ga.us or call 404-656-5957.
Whale shark dies at aquarium
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Another star attraction at the Georgia Aquarium is dead.
Ralph the whale shark stopped swimming early Thursday afternoon. Eight hours later, as veterinarians worked over the 22-foot-long fish, he abruptly died. Aquarium officials said they don’t know why.
“Sometimes, nature is that way,” said Jeff Swanagan, the aquarium’s executive director and chief executive officer. “It can be cruel in terms of back-to-back tragedies.”
The death is the second signature attraction the aquarium has experienced this month. Gasper, a beluga whale whose bubble-blowing antics and underwater acrobatics charmed thousands, was euthanized Jan. 2. He suffered from a bone disease contracted before coming to the aquarium in 2005.
Officials know less about what happened to Ralph, one of four whale sharks in the aquarium’s Ocean Voyager exhibit.
When he stopped swimming about 1:30 p.m., the aquarium removed the whale shark from view, placing him in a sling that it had used for checkups. A team of husbandry specialists and veterinarians began working with the fish, trying to get him to eat, moving his fins and more, Swanagan said.
“Nothing was working,” he said.
Around 9:30 p.m., the whale shark abruptly died, leaving his handlers shocked and puzzled.
Ralph showed no sign that anything was wrong, nor did the other whale sharks, said Dave Santucci, the aquarium’s director of public relations.” The other three whale sharks are swimming normally in the exhibit,” he said Thursday night.
The aquarium planned to perform a necropsy on the animal quickly, he said.
Ga. 400 north closed
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
All lanes of Ga. 400 north are closed after an accident involving a tractor-trailer.
A fuel spill has been reported and the road is closed for cleanup. No injuries have been reported.
The accident occurred at Holcomb Bridge Road. All lanes are expected to be closed until 3:15 p.m.
