Ga. Race to the Top 'Year Three' Report

Submitted by Beth Sawicki, Where U Live Producer

Monday, March 24th, 2014, 10:25am

(WXIA) -- The U.S. Department of Education recently released its "Year Three" Report for the 12 states participating in the Race to the Top grant initiative.

Educational practices and successes in Georgia were highlighted throughout the report.

"We have taken on some major initiatives and our success is a direct reflection of the collaborative efforts between our department, other education agencies and the hundreds of participating teachers, principals and district leaders around our state," Dr. Susan Andrews, Deputy Superintendent of Race to the Top Implementation in Georgia, said in a release.

"While educational reform work is never easy, we are pleased with the significant progress that our state has made as reflected in this report," Andrews added.

Some highlights from the report include:

* Nearly 300 Georgia teachers were placed in state public schools from alternative certification programs.

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Submitted by 11Alive News Staff

Wednesday, March 19th, 2014, 8:18pm

COBB COUNTY, Ga. -- A F-350 truck pulling a trailer full of furniture was struck by a CSX train as it crossed railroad tracks at School Street and Main Street in downtown Acworth.

There were no injuries, according to Captain Mark Cheatham, however, the accident closed Lemon Street, Main Street and School Street at Main Street for much of the morning.

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Furniture was was scattered all over Northside Drive. The trailer itself was carried approximately a quarter of a mile down the track by the train.

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Submitted by Beth Sawicki, Where U Live Producer

Saturday, March 15th, 2014, 8:01am

AJC Peachtree Road Race registration is open!

ATLANTA -- It's that time of year again -- time to register for the world's largest 10K.

AJC Peachtree Road Race lottery registration is now open. It will close Saturday, Mar. 22 at 11:59 p.m.

Those who are chosen for the race will be informed by Tuesday, Mar. 25.

Visit ajc.com/peachtree to sign up.

The five finalists in the Peachtree T-shirt design contest have also been revealed. Vote for your favorite!

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Submitted by Beth Sawicki, Where U Live Producer

Friday, March 14th, 2014, 7:27am

Expect heavy spring break traffic this weekend

(WXIA) -- Many colleges and universities will begin their spring breaks this weekend, which may contribute to heavier traffic than usual on metro Atlanta roads.

In addition to more people on the road, Georgia Department of Transportation crews will be out and about, working on scheduled projects.

GDOT engineer Shun Pringle said the largest project will be sign installation on Georgia 400 south between Peachtree Road and Sidney Marcus Boulevard. One right lane will be closed daily from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Work will also continue on the Ga. 400/Interstate 85 Interchange project. Several roads will be affected all weekend, including Cheshire Bridge Road, Sidney Marcus Boulevard and the Buford-Spring Connector.

From 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. nightly, three lanes in both directions of I-285 will be closed for sign replacements between Riverside Drive and Peachtree Dunwoody Road.

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Submitted by 11Alive News Staff

Thursday, March 13th, 2014, 7:46am

(USA TODAY) -- Brick-and-mortar retailers have been suffering from slow economic activity for years, as well as from increased competition from online retailers. The rise in store closings is a prominent sign of their struggles. Weakened companies cannot afford the real estate and personnel costs that go along with supporting hundreds of unprofitable locations. The clearest proof of the problem was RadioShack's recent decision to close more than 1,000 stores.

RadioShack is hardly alone. During that last several years Gap has closed 20% of its locations. Even Macy's, which has forecast strong earnings and is considered the most successful of the mid-market retailers, closed stores recently.

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Kohl's Scholarship Program application phase ends Friday

Submitted by 11Alive on Tuesday, March 11th, 10:35 am

Visit kohlskids.com for more information

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Submitted by Beth Sawicki, Where U Live Producer

Monday, March 10th, 2014, 12:44pm

ACWORTH, Ga. -- A Cobb County man will spend 10 years and one month in federal prison for stealing victims' identities and using them to collect millions of dollars in fraudulent tax refunds.

Bradford Thomas, 47, pleaded guilty last November to wire fraud and aggravated identity theft. He must also spend three years on supervised release after getting out of prison and pay more than $1.6 million in restitution.

U.S. Attorney Sally Quillian Yates said Thomas submitted more than 1,200 phony tax returns to the IRS between January 2010 and May 2013. He used the names and Social Security numbers of several victims, most of whom were inmates.

Yates said the scheme netted Thomas about $5.5 million, more than $1.6 million of which was taxpayer money.

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