Weekend roadwork lessens for Easter weekend

Submitted by Beth Sawicki, Where U Live Producer

Friday, April 18th, 2014, 9:26am

Weekend roadwork lessens for Easter weekend

(WXIA) -- Only one major daytime closure will affect drivers on Atlanta's highways this weekend.

The leftmost lane on I-285 north will be closed between I-20 and Ga. 400 on Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Crews must close the lane to remove a barrier wall.

"With only that one closure on I-285, everyone should have an easier time getting to their destination," Georgia Department of Transportation District Construction Engineer Shun Pringle said in a statement.

Nighttime closures will still occur in a handful of locations.

Three right lanes of I-20 west between Wesley Chapel and Candler roads will be closed for striping every night from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m.

Two left lanes of I-285 north between I-20 and Peachtree Dunwoody Road will be closed nightly from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. Crews will work to replace a barrier wall in that location.

Other scheduled closures for sweeping, drain cleaning and slab replacement include:

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Submitted by Beth Sawicki, Where U Live Producer

Friday, April 18th, 2014, 7:54am

Tri-Cities HS dominates Shuler Hensley Awards

(WXIA) -- The 2014 Georgia High School Musical Theater Awards, otherwise known as the Shuler Hensley Awards, were held Thursday night, with one Fulton County school scoring the majority of the honors.

Tri-Cities High School's production of Dreamgirls crushed the competition. It won a whopping 13 awards, including Best Musical, Best Director and all the acting prizes.

Milton High School's Legally Blonde won two awards, while Pebblebrook High School's Les Misérables and Wesleyan School's Into the Woods each took home one.

Six students also received special Shuler Scholarships at the ceremony, which took place at the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre.

See this year's nominees. The winners are:

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Submitted by Beth Sawicki, Where U Live Producer

Wednesday, April 16th, 2014, 10:30am

COBB COUNTY, Ga. -- Two Cobb County teens will spend time in prison after being convicted of a gang-related burglary.

Tuesday, a Cobb County Superior Court Judge sentenced 18-year-old Jamal Akeem Lisbon of Smyrna to 10 years, with two to be served in custody. A co-defendant, 17-year-old Calvin "Roscoe" Jermaine McKinney of Austell, was sentenced to 11 years, with three to be served in prison.

Both men pleaded guilty to five counts of violating Georgia's Street Gang Terrorism and Prevention Act. They are members of the Triple G gang, described by prosecutors as a "hybrid gang," or one that can easily be absorbed by a larger, better known gang.

Lisbon and McKinney burglarized a Mableton home on Sept. 3, 2013, and were spotted by several witnesses walking through nearby woods with stolen televisions, according to prosecutors. They were arrested later that day. The burglary was reported staged to strengthen Triple G's criminal purposes.

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Submitted by Michael H. King, Digital Executive Producer

Friday, April 11th, 2014, 5:46pm

Road work continues this weekend over parts of Metro Atlanta

(WXIA) – Motorists will face a number of lane closures this weekend around Metro Atlanta.

I-285 Northbound from Hollowell Parkway (US 78/278) in Atlanta to Paces Ferry Road in Vinings will have one left lane closed for sign replacement.

I-20 West and Eastbound will have two left lanes closed between Ga. 5 in Douglasville to Liberty Road in Carroll County for ongoing concrete construction.

Nightly lane closures will continue on the Downtown Connector, along with portions of I-75 and I-85 inside the Perimeter for overhead sign replacement.

Retaining wall construction continues on Techwood Drive between 16th Street and 18th Street in Midtown Atlanta.

Construction continues on I-75 Northbound between I-675 and Mount Zion Boulevard in Clayton County. Two right lanes are closed in that area.

Landscaping operations are continuing along I-285 Westbound near Bouldercrest Road in DeKalb County.

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Submitted by Michael H. King, Digital Executive Producer

Friday, April 11th, 2014, 5:21pm

AUSTELL, Ga. – Cobb County Police said a man died when his truck overturned Thursday night.

The wreck happened on Old Alabama Road at the intersection with South Gordon Road in Austell at about 8:50 p.m.

In a statement, Cobb Police Sgt. Dana Pierce said 78-year-old Paul Osborne of Austell was traveling eastbound on Old Alabama Road when he lost control of his vehicle and overturned.

Osborne was pronounced dead at the scene. Investigators said he may have experienced a medical emergency which contributed to the crash. The Cobb County Medical Office is working to determine an exact cause of Osborne’s death.

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Submitted by Kevin Rowson, 11Alive Reporter

Wednesday, April 9th, 2014, 10:38pm

MABLETON, Ga. -- A Mableton man was arrested for pretending to be a police officer.

Danny Ponder was arrested when police say they caught him directing traffic for a funeral procession.

There were a number of things that caught the attention of a Cobb County Police officer that told him that 48-year-old Ponder was not a real police officer. Now police are wondering how long he's been impersonating one.

It was a funeral procession leaving Word of Faith Family Worship Center on Saturday that got the officer's attention. Leading the procession stopping and directing traffic was Ponder He looked like a cop and was driving a motorcycle with red and white flashing lights.

One problem: police use blue flashing lights.

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Submitted by Beth Sawicki, Where U Live Producer

Tuesday, April 8th, 2014, 11:10am

13 Cobb high schools among America's Most Challenging

(WXIA) -- The Washington Post has unveiled its 2014 list of America's Most Challenging High Schools.

The newspaper determines the annual rankings through a ratio: the number of Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate and Advanced International Certificate of Education tests a school gives each year, divided by the number of graduating seniors.

Thirteen Cobb County schools made the list, which features more than 2,000 high schools across the country. The listed numbers are each school's national ranking.

183. Walton HS
495. Lassiter HS
755. Harrison HS
936. Pope HS
1082. Campbell HS
1133. Wheeler HS
1184. North Cobb HS
1206. Kell HS
1334. Sprayberry HS
1474. Hillgrove HS
1523. Kennesaw Mountain HS
1718. McEachern HS
2001. Pebblebrook HS

Additionally, Marietta High School, which is part of a charter system, is No. 1058 on the list.