21 Confirmed Cases of West Nile in Georgia

21 Confirmed Cases of West Nile in Georgia

With the number of confirmed West Nile virus cases in Georgia at 21, state health officials are urging residents to protect themselves from mosquitoes that may carry the potentially fatal virus.

"The problem of mosquitoes and West Nile virus appears to be escalating in Georgia and across the country," said Dr. J. Patrick O’Neal, the Georgia Department of Public Health’s director of health protection. "More West Nile virus cases have been confirmed by the third week in August than at any time in the last 10 years."

Bomb Threat Suspect ID'ed

The man behind a bomb threat that recently put Carmike theaters around metro Atlanta has been identified, the spokesman for the Columbus movie chain said in a one-sentence statement.

"The FBI has identified the person responsible for the bomb threats that occurred last Friday, August 17, 2012, involving Carmike Cinemas and believes he is no longer a threat," the statement said.

It did not mention if the suspect had been arrested, and the FBI did not offer additional details beyond a short statement of its own.

New Playground Equipment Coming to Cobb Park

The bad news is Smyrna kids weren't able to play in Cobb’s Kidscape Village last weekend, but the good news is brand-new equipment will be installed this week.

As Assistant Director of Parks and Recreation Tonya Jackson said, the current wooden play structure that was installed in 1997 “has finally lived its life.”

She said the new equipment will be made of metal and plastic and is designed for children ages five to 12, though there will be some features designed for children ages two to five.

Six-Foot Snake Hitches Ride

John Gambrell and Mike Bird were returning to their company from a worksite Wednesday evening along U.S. 92 when they were flagged down.

When they stopped, the man was waving his hand and pointing to the bumper of the company van, shouting: “There is a snake wrapped around your bumper!"

Report: Police Raid Area Food Trucks

Atlanta police raided the food truck event in Virginia-Highland on Wednesday and issued citations for improper permits.

Five trucks were cited, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Each truck must have a license for each specific address they operate from.

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