News

Weekend Countdown! Several big events headed to Atlanta

Submitted by Blayne Alexander, 11Alive Reporter

Thursday, September 22nd, 2011, 11:32am

ATLANTA -- We're still a few days away from the weekend, but with several major events descending upon the city, you may need a head start to get in on the fun.

On Saturday, Music Midtown will return after a six-year hiatus. The event will be scaled down from years past, but is still packed with ten artists on two stages, headlines by Coldplay and The Black Keys.

General admission tickets are $55 and can be purchased at the gate or online.

PHOTOS: Music Midtown Bands

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Metro unemployment exceeds Cherokee rate in August

Submitted by Beth Sawicki, Where U Live Producer

Thursday, September 22nd, 2011, 6:25am

Metro unemployment exceeds Cherokee rate in August

ATLANTA -- Metro Atlanta's preliminary unadjusted unemployment rate increased to 10.4 percent in August, State Labor Commissioner Mark Butler announced Thursday.

The unemployment rate was 10.3 percent in July. Butler said it increased because there were more layoffs in construction, trade, administrative and support services, and accommodation and food services.

The lowest area rates, at 7.8 percent unemployment, were recorded in Athens and Warner Robins, while the highest, at 12.7 percent, was in the Heart of Georgia-Altamaha region near Dublin.

Cherokee County's unemployment rate was 8.7 percent in August.

Statewide, the unemployment rate rose to 10.2 percent in August, up from 10.1 percent in July.

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CANTON: Flag removal results in controversy

Submitted by Duffie Dixon, 11Alive Reporter

Tuesday, September 20th, 2011, 1:38pm

CANTON, Ga. -- In the garage of Lori Pesta who heads up the group Salute to Our Veterans, she shows several large tupperwear storage boxes full of neatly rolled American flags.

They are the 3,000 flags she and volunteers carefully planted in the lawn of the park in downtown Canton for the tenth annivesary of the 9/11 attacks.

They are the same flags she thought were stolen three days later -- until she found them piled in the old courthouse across the street behind a reception desk in boxes and trash cans.

"I filed a police report saying they were stolen then started walking to nearby buildings to ask if anyone had seen the flags. When I saw them all piled there, upside down and some of them broken I was mortified," said Pesta.

It turns out Solicitor General David Cannon, Jr. is the person responsible for having the flags removed.

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11Alive is first local television station listed on GetGlue

Submitted by Chris Sweigart, Manager of Digital Content | 11Alive News

Monday, September 19th, 2011, 6:33pm

ATLANTA -- 11Alive newscasts are becoming more interactive. Viewers can now check in to the live television broadcasts, thanks to a new, first-of-its kind relationship with GetGlue.

CHECK IN: 11Alive Newscasts on GetGlue

The social network gives its users the opportunity to check in to television shows, music, movies and books, much like Foursquare allows people to check in to physical locations. GetGlue's check-ins can be shared within the network's community and on Facebook and Twitter.

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Drive First - Great Hang Up Campaign

Submitted by Ross Mclaughlin, 11Alive Reporter

Saturday, September 17th, 2011, 8:13am

ATLANTA -11Alive is committed to the Great Hang Up campaign which is why we continue to bring you new ideas to help keep you and your family safe on the road.

Sprint has released a new app for your smart phone that will disable the phone while you drive.

"Go to Sprint.com forward slash'Drive First'," Kristen Wallace of Sprint said, as she demonstrated how it works.

However, that wasn't good enough for us. We needed to put it to the test.

The app is supposed to disable the phone after you go over 10 miles per hour. It tracks your progress by tracking the phone from cell towers.

Also, if you make a phone call and then drive, the app will disconnect your call.

After a few start-up hiccups, on our test drive, it worked! You can disable the app or bypass it to call 911 while you're moving.

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I-75/I-575 toll project hits snag

Submitted by Atlanta Busines... on Friday, September 16th, 10:44 am

ATLANTA -- A $1.1 billion proposal to add toll lanes to interstates 75 and 575 in Cobb and Cherokee counties won approval from two state agencies Thursday but hit a bump with the third.

The Georgia State Financing and Investment Commission (GSFIC) tabled consideration of the West by Northwest project after Gov.

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Fight brews over Cherokee hospital

Submitted by Julie Wolfe, 11Alive Reporter

Thursday, September 15th, 2011, 7:40pm

CANTON, Ga. -- Thursday morning, 11Alive News received a press release titled "Wellstar seeks to block Cherokee County residents from getting a new hospital." And so, the fight begins.

In one corner, Northside Cherokee Hospital. Their current hospital sits on Hospital Road, hidden up a hill behind businesses. It was built in 1962. There have been numerous renovations (including some current work in the lobby right now), but there's really no way around it: it's old.

The new state-of-the-art facility would be right off of I-575 and Ga. Hwy 20. It's less than three miles from its current location. Because of that proximity and the fact they are not increasing the number of beds, Northside Cherokee skips much of the complicated and lengthily process required for new hospitals. In 2008, the Georgia legislature passed a new law allowing for exemptions of the certificate of need (CON) review.

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