1. DeKalb County CEO Burrell Ellis was found guilty of attempted extortion and perjury Wednesday, and several deputies immediately escorted him from the courtroom into custody. A jury was unanimous in convicting Ellis on the four felony charges related to allegations that he strong-armed county contractors into contributing to his 2012 re-election campaign. [Read more]
2. A group of about 50 teens reportedly swarmed a Georgia Wal-Mart and began smashing up the place. One customer in a motorized scooter was dragged from his seat and dragged on the floor, police said; and $2,000 in damaged property was reported, which is an average of $40 per unruly mob member. [Read more]
3. Former CNN Headline News anchor Lynne Russell faced off against a robber at an Albuquerque, N.M., motel, alongside her husband, former CNN correspondent Chuck De Caro. De Caro shot and killed the thief. De Caro himself was reportedly shot three times by the robber but is expected to survive. Russell was not hurt. [Read more]
4. Atlanta's not a bad place to live — for a year or two: In his new column, Bill Torpy writes about the culture shock of moving here in 1990 from Chicago. And all the men with two first names (Joe Mack, Joe Frank) he ran into. [Read his new column]
5. A Georgia-led 'SEC primary' is very, very real: What was once a gleam in the eye of Georgia's top elections official has become reality in recent months, as most of the South has aligned for a blockbuster March 1, 2016, presidential primary. [Read more]
