American Idol Finalists Perform at Microsoft Store in Atlanta - Lauren Alaina

Lauren Alaina got the biggest reception from the fans at the Lenox Mall performance on Saturday, but that's for good reason, she's from Georgia!  Performing about 2 hrs from her hometwon of Rossville, Ga suits this 16-year old just fine.

He voice wasn't quite 100%, but she brought it home.

Storms Slam the South

Storms swiped through the South and the aftermath is mind blowing.  87 people killed in six states — including two people thought to have died in floods — and that number was likely to increase.

61 people are reported dead in Alabama as a result of the storm, including 15 in Tuscaloosa, a city of 93,000 and home to the University of Alabama. Sections of the city were destroyed and the city's infrastructure devastated, the mayor said, after a tornado hit the area.

Further north, a nuclear power plant west of Huntsville lost power and was operating on diesel generators.

The storms spread destruction from Tuesday night and Wednesday from Texas to Georgia, and it was forecast to hit the Carolinas before moving further north-east. Several states suffered power outages as well as property and infrastructure damage that could prove costly to repair. Floods were a concern throughout the storm-hit area, where rain compounded with melted snow to cause rising rivers and saturated soils.

Storms also killed people in Georgia and in Tennessee on Wednesday.

Storms Hit Alabama, Moving into Georgia

Five people were killed Wednesday as a wave of thunderstorms laced with tornadoes and winds blowing near hurricane force snapped trees, damaged buildings and left more than 260,000 without power across a wide area of Alabama, prompting the governor to declare a state of emergency.

State and local authorities reported two deaths in St. Clair County, northwest of Birmingham, one death in Jackson County bordering Tennessee and Georgia, and another person killed in Cullman County in northern Alabama. A fifth person was reported dead south of Birmingham in Jefferson County.

Mike Ashburn, assistant emergency management director for Jackson County, said the storm toppled so many trees across roadways that emergency responders were having trouble accessing neighborhoods with storm damage.

"You can't assess all the damage yet because you can't get through," Ashburn said. "You've got the fire departments and EMS clearing roads."

The storms are moving into Georgia and North Georgia is under a tornado watch until 2am Thursday morning.



A.J. Green Turns Heads at NFL Combine

All eyes were on A.J. Green.  As one of the first high-profile, likely top-10 picks to make his way into the NFL Scouting Combine media center Friday, Georgia WR A.J. Green drew quite a crowd of reporters.
Off the bat, Green was asked about his decision to enter the draft after his junior season.

“Just because of the window of opportunity, it can close on you,” Green said. “It’s a small window. You have to capitalize on it. I feel like with school, I’m very close to getting my degree. So I’m making the best decision for me and my family.”

The consensus top receiver available — he’s also Mike Mayock’s top ranked wideout– Green seems to hold that position in high regard.

“I’m not going to settle just being an average receiver,” Green said. ”I take that to heart, being one of the best. I don’t want to fall by the wayside in being the No. 1 receiver coming out and then just being the other guy. I want to be mentioned with the best.”

Green, who said he measured in at 6-foot-3 and 211 pounds, plans to participate in all combine drills.

Unless Green runs a disappointing 40 time, he will be the wideout in demand. The team that does draft him will be getting a football-hungry player. Could it be Buffalo, Cincinnati or even Cleveland?

I think Green is going to be a star.  If he gets in the right organization, with the right quarterback and offense, he'll be huge.

Everyone Who Thinks They are Going to Take the GA 400 Toll Away, Take One Step Forward

Officials are meeting this week to determine wheter they will keep the toll booths on GA 400 in North Metro Atlanta when the bonds are paid off in 2011.

When the toll booths were installed almost twenty years ago I remember telling a friend of mine they will never take those booths down, even though by law they are supposed to in 2011.

Now they say they needto keep the tolls going because there are other road projects to do, many of which have nothing to do with GA 400 and its use.

Why should those that use GA 400 be forced to pay for projects all over Fulton County?  The toll booths should come down in 2011, or at the very least a vote should be put to the people to see if they want the toll money to be used for future road projects.  And if approved they should be used for projects that help make GA 400 a better highway and take away some of the congestion that plagues this road every day.