METRO WEEK IN REVIEW: Nov. 2-8

1) Obama wins historic vote

Democratic Sen. Barack Obama made history Tuesday when he became the first African-American president-elect of the United States. Although he failed to win in Georgia, carried by Republican Sen. John McCain with 52 percent of the vote, nationally Obama received 364 electoral votes to McCain’s 163 as of Friday, according to the Associated Press. Record numbers of ballots were cast —- 3.8 million people voted in Georgia and about 133 million voted nationwide.

2) Brian Nichols found guilty

A Fulton County jury on Friday found Brian Nichols guilty of murder in the March 2005 courthouse shootings. Jurors will return to court Monday to begin deliberating whether Nichols, 36, will be sentenced to life in prison or death. Nichols killed a Fulton County Superior Court judge, court stenographer, sheriff’s deputy and U.S. Customs agent.

3) Chambliss, Martin likely headed for runoff

Election madness isn’t over yet. U.S. Senate candidates Republican Saxby Chambliss and Democrat Jim Martin appear to be headed for a runoff Dec. 2. Early Friday, Fulton County poll workers were still tallying the county’s provisional ballots. As of Friday morning, Chambliss had received just under 50 percent of votes, with Martin close behind at 47 percent. About 3 percent were cast for Libertarian Allen Buckley.

4) Economic crisis leads to layoffs, store closings

As unemployment rose and the stock market stayed depressed, news of budget cuts and store closings continued to affect metro Atlanta. Gwinnett County officials said Thursday they will eliminate 93 jobs from the planning and water departments. In addition, the DeKalb County school board said Monday it plans to lay off 127 employees and cut back on busing. Businesses also took a hit: Circuit City announced last Sunday it will close 155 stores, including its 16 metro area locations.

5) Grady Hospital gets passing marks

Grady Memorial Hospital is back in the clear on safety and health issues, according to a national health care accrediting agency. The Joint Commission, which stopped by the hospital Tuesday for a surprise inspection, said Thursday that Grady is fully accredited. Last year’s inspection found problems with equipment, sanitation and patient documentation, putting the hospital’s accreditation and access to federal funding in jeopardy.

6) 250 Atlanta firefighters could retire soon

A possible mass retirement could mean trouble for the Atlanta Fire Rescue Department, current and former fire officials said. About 250 of 977 city firefighters are eligible for retirement over the next three years. “It’s going to be very stressful on the Atlanta Fire Department and the city of Atlanta to lose that many people and maintain a high standard of quality,” said William Rhodes, a retired Atlanta Fire Department assistant chief. Earlier this year, 26 fire recruits were laid off and a fire station near West End Mall closed.

7) Georgia gets new child welfare chief

Georgia has a new child welfare chief, the state’s human resources commissioner announced Monday. Mark A. Washington, 38, took over the post vacated by Mary Dean Harvey, who resigned in March following controversy over her handling of a top welfare official’s 2007 arrest on child cruelty charges. Washington is the former head of Kentucky’s child welfare system.

8) Fulton animal shelter chief quits amid cruelty claims

The head of the Fulton County Animal Shelter resigned Monday amid animal cruelty accusations. Shelter director Jere Alexander’s departure was a “mutually agreed-upon decision,” said David York, the founder of the company that manages the shelter, Barking Hound Village. But former shelter kennel manager Myles Swain, whom Alexander fired in July, recently accused Alexander of putting dangerous pit bulls into cages with other dogs, resulting in some of the other dogs’ deaths.

9) Def Jam exec dies from self-inflicted gunshot

A music executive for the country’s best-known hip-hop label died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, Cobb County police said last Sunday. Shakir Stewart, 34, of Def Jam Recordings was found dead about 4 p.m. Nov. 1 in his Marietta home. Stewart, an Oakland, Calif., native who attended Morehouse College, succeeded rapper Jay-Z five months ago as the label’s executive vice president. A private funeral was held Thursday.

10) Lanier likely to set record low Dec. 5

The drought isn’t close to being over. Lake Lanier on Dec. 5 is expected to fall to a record-low 1,050.6 feet above sea level, according to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ four-week forecast. The lake reached its lowest point, 1,050.79 feet above sea level, last December.

How we compiled the list: Staff writer Michelle Ewing considered more than three dozen news items from the past week before settling on this list of top stories. E-mail her at mewing@ajc.com.