Metro news for Friday

The Civic League for Regional Atlanta will host a town hall meeting on metro Atlanta transportation from 8:30 a.m. to noon Saturday at the Loudermilk Center, 40 Courtland St., NE, Atlanta. The event, called Get a Move On: A 10-County Town Hall on Transportation, Growth and the Future of the Atlanta Region, will bring together hundreds of participants representing all 10 metro Atlanta counties to discuss topics central to the regional transportation debate. Information: www.getamoveonATL.com. JEFFRY SCOTT

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Georgia's restaurant industry is reporting labor shortages following the passage of the state’s tough new immigration enforcement law, a new survey by the Georgia Restaurant Association shows.

Nearly half of the 523 restaurateurs across the state who voluntarily participated in the electronic survey this month are having trouble finding workers, a summary of the survey results shows. That summary, however, doesn't say how many pinned the labor shortages on Georgia's new anti-illegal immigration law, also called House Bill 87. But almost a third of those who took part in the survey gave additional feedback, and 91 percent of them said they were opposed to Georgia's "immigration reform."

The restaurant industry has been particularly critical of HB 87. After the Legislature passed the law in April, the Georgia Restaurant Association raised concerns that it would create additional costs for small businesses and possibly trigger boycotts targeting the state. The association took the position that it supports comprehensive immigration reform, but only at the federal level.

JEREMY REDMON

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County by county

Police (Off)Beat

George Mathis takes on the strange and sometime funny world as it unfolds in police blotters across metro Atlanta. B4

Bragbook

Someone in your neighborhood deserves a pat on the back. Find out who. B5