Slumping Braves fall at home again

ATLANTA - Alfonso Soriano hit three home runs in the first four innings and the Chicago Cubs continued their strong road play by beating the Atlanta Braves 9-1 on Friday night.

Pentagon tabs admiral to replace Pace as head of Joint Chiefs of Staff

WASHINGTON - Bitter divisions over the Iraq war, particularly on Capitol Hill, led the Bush administration to change course and replace Gen. Peter Pace as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, a grim Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Friday.

Police Report - June 9

Note: All information included in this report is taken from law enforcement incident reports and arrest records, which are public records and available for review at any and all local law enforcement agencies. Not every arrest leads to a conviction. Guilt or innocence is determined by the court system.

Buie-Hendrix

Mr. and Mrs. Ben G. Buie Jr. of Brooklet announce the engagement of their daughter, Ashley Lorraine Buie, to Corey Madison Hendrix of Statesboro, son of Mr. and Mrs. G. Tracy Hendrix of Statesboro.

James, Cavs can't get by Spurs in game one

SAN ANTONIO - One of the most anticipated debuts in NBA finals history was way, way off the mark.

Tornado tears through northern Wis. resort as severe weather pounds region

WAUSAU, Wis. _ Severe thunderstorms and tornadoes tore through the Upper Midwest on Thursday, damaging homes and a resort, producing baseball-size hail and dropping more than 6 inches of rain in some areas.

Happy 100th birthday, Ms. Lucille Bentley!

Passport crunch ahead: Feds relax one rule but say tougher ones ahead

WASHINGTON - Even as it bowed to complaints about vacation-ruining passport delays, the Bush administration insisted Friday it is pressing ahead with restrictions next year that could mean even bigger travel headaches.

AP IMPACT: Police departments relax age and fitness standards to get more and better recruits

Police departments around the country are relaxing age and fitness standards, forgiving minor criminal convictions and easing other requirements to relieve shortages in their ranks and find officers who are wiser, more worldly and cooler-headed in a crisis.

Judge orders Paris Hilton back to court for hearing on her early release from jail

LOS ANGELES - Paris Hilton's release from jail may be short lived.

Hours after she was sent home under house arrest Thursday for an undisclosed medical condition, the judge who put her in jail for violating her reckless-driving probation ordered her into court to decide if she should go back behind bars.

Astrograph 6/9

A substantial lessening of negative factors that have been hampering your progress could be replaced with positive occurrences. Objectives previously denied you could now be attained.

Ask Dr. Gott 6/9

DEAR DR. GOTT: I am a 74-year-old white male. For the past two years, I have noticed a progressive weakening and unsteadiness in my legs. Although I still walk for about 45 minutes three times a week, I have to be very careful not to trip and fall. Going up a flight of stairs is becoming more and more difficult, and I'm very unsteady and slow going down stairs. Is this condition something other than normal aging?

Dear Abby 6/9

DEAR ABBY: I am 27 and thinking about the future. After much consideration, I have decided that unless I have a very strong relationship in place by the time I am 30, I plan on going to a sperm bank and having a child on my own.

Kathy Bradley

A summer morning at Sandhill sounds like the first day of kindergarten - 15 or 20 high-pitched voices all talking at the same time. The kindergartners, in this case, being the birds - cardinals and sparrows and crows - that share my living space. An experienced birder could surely distinguish among the songs and calls; I am satisfied to sit in the concert hall and listen. This morning I get more than a performance.

Paris Hilton in hysterics as she’s sent back to LA jail for probation violation

LOS ANGELES - Paris Hilton was sent screaming and crying back to jail Friday after a judge ruled that she must serve out her sentence behind bars rather than in the comfort of her Hollywood Hills home.

School board rolls back millage

The Bulloch County Board of Education is rolling back its millage rate 1 percent to avoid what would have to be announced as an increase in property taxes. Even so, total revenue and local revenue to the schools still will increase compared to last year's.

Wilson to teachers: Bulloch schools will overcome challenges

As teachers prepare for the upcoming school year, Bulloch County Schools Superintendent Charles Wilson addressed the hardships the system has faced in the past months but remained positive the district will overcome them.

Hospital gunman kills caseworker, intended to kill others, official says

MEDIA, Pa. - A psychiatrist's patient ranted about a gun ban at a suburban medical complex before opening fire there, killing his caseworker and grazing his psychiatrist before the doctor pulled out his own weapon and fired back, authorities said Friday.

Emory University releases app for Civil War battle sites in Atlanta

ATLANTA - This week marks the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Atlanta, one of the key conflicts of the Civil War, and researchers at Emory University's Center for Digital Scholarship have released a mobile app for the tour.

Take science seriously, but believe

At times, I enjoy the computer because there is so much information accessible at the touch of a button. I remember asking a student to type in the word cuneiform to see what she could find. She said, "It seems to be some kind of language, Mesopotamian or something, printed on a clay tablet. So what's the big deal?"

12-year-old girl finds, returns Georgia Southern lecturer's camera

While vacationing in Helen, Georgia, with her grandparents and cousins during the Fourth of July weekend, 12-year-old Emily Root stepped on what she believed was a fish.

Cause sought for gunfight between patient, doctor

DARBY, Pa. - Authorities are attempting to determine why a man identified as a patient fatally shot a caseworker at a hospital complex in a Philadelphia suburb and whether a psychiatrist who pulled out his own gun and wounded the patient had concerns about him.

Toppled crosses in China spur defiance

WUXI VILLAGE, China - The battle started when a government-hired crew tore down the metal cross atop the one-room church in this village surrounded by rice paddies last month.

July 25 - Mr. Austin Emerson Deal, age 81, died Tuesday, July 22, 2014, at his residence under the c

Mr. Austin Emerson Deal

Saltalamacchia peppers Braves, Marlins win

ATLANTA - Jarrod Saltalamacchia drove in the go-ahead run in the ninth inning, Henderson Alvarez won for the first time in three starts and the Miami Marlins beat the Atlanta Braves 3-2 on Thursday.

Georgia Southern AD, SBC commish address potential NCAA changes

On Tuesday at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans at the Sun Belt Football Media Day, SBC commissioner Karl Benson expressed his support for a recent proposal that would change the NCAA Division-I landscape.

Big 12's Bowlsby against changes

DALLAS - Big 12 Commissioner Bob Bowlsby had a dire warning Monday for anyone who likes intercollegiate athletics the way they are now.

White signs 4-year extension

FLOWERY BRANCH - The Atlanta Falcons agreed to a four-year extension with receiver Roddy White on the eve of training camp on Thursday.

NCAA enforcement director defends investigators

INDIANAPOLIS - Jonathan Duncan understands that a perfect NCAA enforcement division won't catch every cheater in college sports. He still believes his team is getting the job done.

Pucker up! NASCAR returns to Brickyard

INDIANAPOLIS - Dale Jarrett loved his win so much he had to celebrate it with a kiss.