1. Off-duty cop, good Samaritan rescue woman from burning car.
He was on his way to his job cleaning nightclubs. She was headed home from her overnight shift as a Brookhaven police officer. Both made a split-second decision to save a stranger's life. Shortly before 6 a.m. Thursday morning, a car ignited on the Downtown Connector, just south of University Avenue. Hector Cisneros saw the flames and asked his mother, Lorena, to stop the car the two were in. But he didn't bother to wait for the car to stop before he jumped out and ran toward the flames. Cisneros, 21, knew someone was inside the car. The flames were too heavy on the driver's side, so Cisneros reached for the woman through the passenger side. By then, another person was there to help. After her 12-hour shift, Officer Lois Strong was ready to get to her East Point home when she also saw the car on fire. Read more.
New Georgia Tech coach Josh Pastner's contract is worth an average of $1.87 million over six years, starting out at $1.6 million in the upcoming academic year. The contract details were in a memorandum of understanding between Pastner and athletic director Mike Bobinski, which was obtained through an open records request. The deal is worth a total of $11.2 million. Starting at $1.6 million, the annual salary escalates by $100,000 in the second through fifth years and bumps $200,000 to $2.2 million in the sixth year, 2021-22. The contract will also include incentives, not determined in the memorandum, worth up to $500,000. The letter was dated April 7, last Thursday, when news broke that he was being targeted for the job. Pastner signed and dated the memorandum April 8. Read more.
3. Barney Simms, 70, held a passion for the city and its residents.
Barney Simms grew up in a close-knit Florida family. He was born in Jacksonville but grew up mostly in Davenport. His parents, migrant workers, moved around for work, which meant sometimes Simms and his siblings had to pitch in as well. It's a lesson he practiced the rest of his life. Simms, 70, died April 9. His funeral service will be at noon Saturday at Antioch Baptist Church North, 540 Cameron M. Alexander Blvd. N.W. Read more.
4. Fulton leaders agree to return $5 million to judicial departments.
Fulton County commissioners have agreed to restore $5 million in funding that was taken from the budgets of the sheriff's department, district attorney's office and other criminal justice agencies. Commissioners cut funds from the departments to finance programs aimed at criminal justice reform. Criminal justice reform has been a rallying cry for County Commission Chairman John Eaves, who wants to start programs that will reduce recidivism and keep people with mental health issues out of the jail. To fund the reforms, commissioners took a portion of the money normally allotted for general operations. Read more.
5. Georgia Rep. Tom Taylor charged with DUI in Rabun County.
Georgia state Rep. Tom Taylor on Thursday said he he will work to regain the trust of his constituents after being arrested for driving under the influence with a blood alcohol content nearly three times the legal limit. Taylor, 54, a Dunwoody Republican, had a blood-alcohol content of .225, when arrested April 7 with four children in his SUV and while wearing a gun in Rabun County, according to a Clayton Police Department incident report obtained by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Taylor's arrest was first reported Thursday by The Clayton Tribune. Taylor was stopped at 2:45 p.m. for driving 72 mph in a 45 mph zone, according to the police report. Officer Michael Bennett reported that Taylor exited his vehicle and was legally carrying a gun on his hip. Read more.
About the Author
