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(AP) -- WATER WARS-POLITICS
    Georgia tries goodwill to end water crisis
   
    ATLANTA (AP) - When Gov. Sonny Perdue pitches in this week to
help Gov. Charlie Crist of Florida in his bid to become a U.S.
Senator, the gesture may be about more than helping a fellow
Republican in a tough campaign.
    It's also a useful political favor when it comes to the
three-state water war that has pitted Georgia, Florida and Alabama
against one another for rights to water flowing from Lake Lanier.
    As Georgia officials work to strike a deal before a federal
judge's deadline that could cut metro Atlanta off from its main
drinking water supply in 2012, the state is pulling out all the
stops. Last, week, state legislators approved sweeping water
conservation bills to show that Georgians were working to control
their thirst.
   
Heart Disease-Diabetics
    Atlanta cardiology conference: Study finds intense treatment
fails to prevent heart attacks in diabetics
   
    ATLANTA (AP) - A new study released in Atlanta is disappointing
for diabetics looking to lower their risk of heart attacks. Doctors
say that trying to aggressively lower blood pressure or fats in the
bloodstream beyond the targets they aim for now did not reduce the
number of heart attacks that diabetics suffered.
    The analysis of nearly 10,000 people was sponsored by the
federal government.
    Medical experts say no one should go off any medicine without
first checking with a doctor. However, the new study means that it
is even more important for diabetics to keep a healthy diet and
exercise.
    The results were made public Sunday at an American College of
Cardiology conference in Atlanta.
   
RIVER DEATH-QUESTIONS
    Family doubts warning system after river death
   
    BUFORD, GA (AP) - Relatives of a man killed on the
Chattahoochee River earlier this month in Gwinnett County are
questioning whether a faulty warning system played a role in his
death.
    Relatives of 64-year-old Ira Braitsch say he never would have
been on the water had he known water was being released through
Buford Dam, raising levels and creating a hazard.
    But an official with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is
defending the agency's warning system.
    Corps operations manager Tim Rainey says records show an
automated alert system was updated before Braitsch's death on March
7 to warn of a release of water. He calls the dam's warning system
one of the most effective in the nation.
   
CAMPUS CRIMES
    West GA students on guard after assault, robbery
   
    CARROLLTON, GA (AP) - Police are warning students at the
University of West Georgia to be extra careful after two major
crimes on campus.
    Authorities are investigating reports that a female student was
raped on the campus at Carrollton on March 1. Another student was
the victim of an armed robbery on campus just days before.
    No arrests have been made.
    The university police chief, Tom Mackel, says there isn't much
either student could have done to avoid the crimes. But he says
students need to walk in pairs and be aware of what's going on, and
pepper spray is a good idea.
    Because of the reported rape, police offered a special course
last week teaching women to fend off would-be attackers.
   
AIRPORT-FUEL
    Fuel problem at GA airport leaves planes parked
   
    COVINGTON, GA  (AP) - Covington Municipal Airport has all the
things of a typical small airport - airplanes, pilots, taxiways and
runways. But it's missing a key ingredient: Fuel.
    The city-owned airport doesn't have a reliable storage place for
airplane fuel, a problem that leaves some planes on the ground.
City officials could consider at a meeting Monday whether the
contractor that runs the airport is violating its contract.
    The owner of the company that operates the airport, Bob Riddell
of Atlanta East Aviation, says the problem is the lack of a
suitable storage facility.
    The airport's fuel farm has been out of operation since July. A
new one is under construction, but the completion has been delayed.
   
COCKFIGHTING ARRESTS
    GA cockfighting bust nets 60 arrests
   
    CHATSWORTH, GA (AP) - Dozens of people are facing animal
cruelty charges after a cockfighting raid in north Georgia that
could still yield additional arrests.
    Murray County Sheriff Howard Ensley said officers raided a
cockfighting site near Chatsworth on Saturday. He says the
operation had been under investigation for some time.
    Ensley said more than 60 people were arrested, and there could
be additional arrests.
    The sheriff said most people were charged with cruelty to
animals and gambling. Two were charged with drug offenses.
   
HEALTH OVERHAUL-VOTES
    House vote counter hunting for health care votes
   
    WASHINGTON (AP) - The Democrat's chief U.S. House vote counter
on Capitol Hill says that right now there aren't enough votes to
pass President Barack Obama's health care overhaul.
    But Rep. James Clyburn of South Carolina says he's confident
that the legislation will pass. He says the White House and
Democratic leaders in Congress have gotten to a point where there's
a way to send the measure to the president's desk for his
signature.
    Clyburn told NBC's "Meet the Press" on Sunday that "a comfort
level" has been reached among the House, Senate and White House on
details about the sweeping legislation. But he concedes that House
supporters don't have the necessary votes right now.
    House Democratic leaders are pressing for a vote on their bill
as early as later this week.
   
GOLF HALL OF FAME
    On the hook for Golf Hall, GA considers transfer
   
    AUGUSTA, GA (AP) - Building a Georgia Golf Hall of Fame in
Augusta sounded like a good idea in 1996, but the project faltered
and today the site sits unused on the bank of the Savannah Rivers.
    Some lawmakers now want the state to give the land to the city
of Augusta for $1, even though Georgia taxpayers will pay $500,000
annually on the defunct project for five more years.
    Sen. Hardie Davis of August says the tract is an eyesore. He is
sponsoring a bill that would give the 17 acres of land along the
Savannah River to the city.
    A spokesman for Gov. Sonny Perdue, Bert Brantley, says everyone
agrees the land isn't being used properly. But Brantley says
selling the land for $1 would be unconstitutional.

(Copyright ©2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)