1. 'Oh, my God': 911 calls describe chaos as man jumps from ambulance.
It was a scene so chaotic, callers found it hard to explain to 911 operators, and dispatchers found it equally hard to sort out. But after multiple calls, recordings of which were obtained Wednesday by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the pieces slowly came together. With a patient in the back, a Rural/Metro ambulance was stopped in the emergency lane, just south of University Avenue. That patient, Hill, was on his way to Grady Memorial Hospital, Atlanta police said. But for unknown reasons, Hill exited the back of the ambulance and ran across the interstate. Hill made it from one side of the interstate to the other side, where a concrete median separated him from southbound traffic. Then, he tried to run back across the Connector. This time, Hill didn't make it across. Read more.
The families of four of the five Georgia Southern University nursing students killed last year in a fiery wreck on I-16 have been awarded millions to settle wrongful death lawsuits, attorneys said Wednesday. A settlement also was reached with the family of one of the two nursing students who survived the tragedy. But the money does nothing to explain why the tractor-trailer driver blamed in the wreck failed to stop. Joe Fried, who represented three of the families, declined to release the settlement amount, but his partner told The Associated Press that one family would receive $14 million. Read more.
3. Progress! The Braves are giving us moments.
It was one game in April, one game in a six-month season that — prognosticating boldly here — won't be recalled as the greatest in Braves annals. It was a game we'll have forgotten in three months if not three weeks. Still, it was a nice little moment. On Tuesday, the Braves beat Alex Wood, whom they'd traded to yelps of protest last July. It was their fourth consecutive win after starting 0-9. The victory didn't impel anyone to calculate magic numbers. As of Wednesday, they still held the second-worst record among big-league teams. Still, 4-9 beats the heck out of 0-13. The Braves have shown a little life. They're the same modestly appointed team, just with a more presentable record. If you're the Braves and you're poured the preponderance of your resources into seasons beyond this, you'll take presentable. Read more.
4. Gwinnett band teacher charged with child molestation.
A former Gwinnett teacher at one of the state's most prestigious high schools was jailed Wednesday on felony child and sexual molestation charges against two students. Michael Appelbaum, 40, who was a band teacher at the Gwinnett School of Mathematics, Science and Technology, is accused of having sex with a student at the school and her home, between November 2011 and August 2012. He is also charged with child molestation for allegedly fondling the buttocks of another student in 2013. Gwinnett authorities began investigating Appelbaum on the sex charges last month, after the former student who accused him of having sex with her came forward with her allegations. School police arrested him Tuesday. Read more.
5. F-22 revival floated in Congress.
A congressional panel wants the Defense Department to think about restarting production of the F-22 stealth fighter jet, a program carried out largely at Lockheed Martin's plant in Marietta. F-22 assembly lines, which employed thousands of workers in Georgia and Texas, have been shut down for nearly five years. This week a House subcommittee proposed "a comprehensive assessment and study of the costs" of getting the F-22 lines up and running. The program stopped in late 2011 at 187 aircraft — about one-quarter of the number originally planned. One reason was the program's massive cost in a time of budget deficits, according to Defense News. Read more.
About the Author
