Latest news, weather and high school sports for Albany and Southwest Georgia

(AP) -- GEORGIA AFTER THE SESSION
    Real work begins now that grueling session is over
   
    ATLANTA (AP) - The grueling 2010 session of the Georgia
Legislature is over and now the hard work begins.
    It's time for outgoing Gov. Sonny Perdue and other state leaders
to begin the difficult work implementing tough budget cuts in a
sputtering economy.
    Perdue must study dozens of bills and decide which ones he will
sign and which ones he will veto. Perdue also will be part of a
newly formed panel to study reforming the state's taxes.
    Perdue spokesman Bert Brantley said the governor will begin
reviewing this session's passed legislation during the week.
    Perdue has until June 8 to sign bills into law.
   
SEVERE WEATHER
    At least 7 killed in Tenn. flash flooding, 4 by severe weather
in Miss.
   
    MEMPHIS, TN (AP) - Emergency officials in Tennessee are
assessing the damage from heavy weekend flooding that killed at
least seven people there and four others in northern Mississippi.
And there's more rain in the Monday morning forecast across a wide
swath of the Southeast.
    Thunderstorms dumped at least 10 inches of rain on Memphis and
flooded highways and roads throughout the state. Hundreds in
Tennessee had to be evacuated because of the flash flooding.
    State emergency spokesman Jeremy Heidt said Sunday morning that
Interstate 24 southeast of Nashville remains closed from high
waters and will likely stay closed for some time.
    About 80 National Guard soldiers have been activated to help
with rescue efforts. Heidt says no other fatalities have been
reported, but officials won't know for sure until they can search
by daylight.
    The strong thunderstorms scattered tornadoes and hail along the
Mississippi River Valley in Mississippi, Arkansas, Missouri,
Kentucky and several other areas.
   
BASE JOBS
    Base has openings for 200 more maintenance workers
   
    MACON, GA (AP) - Robins Air Force Base plans to hire an
additional 200 workers to maintain the Air Force's fleet of F-15,
C-130 and C-5 aircraft.
    The base announced last month that it intended to hire 400 to
500 for the 402nd Maintenance Wing. The wing is charged with
maintaining the aircraft.
    The Macon Telegraph newspaper reports that the base now plans to
hire 700 new workers for the unit by the end of the year.
    Earlier this week, Air Force officials said a backlog of
aircraft maintenance work has built up at its three aircraft
maintenance installations.
    Base officials say demand for the position is expected to be
heavy. Last month about 5,000 applications were received for 170
apprenticeship positions at the base.
   
NEW RESIDENTS
    Army personnel plan for upcoming move to Georgia
   
    FORT KNOX, KY (AP) - School officials from Columbus, Ga.,
Phenix City, Ala. and other areas in east Alabama and west Georgia
were in Fort Knox, Ky. hoping to convince people coming to Fort
Benning to choose their schools.
    The Fort Knox soldiers, civilian employees and dependents say
they have been on the Internet and on the phone researching the
Columbus area.
    The latest U.S. Army numbers indicate 28,000 new people will be
moving into the Chattahoochee Valley over the next 18 months. That
includes more than 11,400 service members, government civilian
workers and defense contractors. The rest are spouses and children.
    Greater Columbus Chamber of Commerce President Mike Gaymon said
he found the Fort Knox residents already knew plenty about the
Columbus area.
   
GAMBLING CHARGES
    Georgia men charged after gambling operation raid
   
    CHAMBLEE, GA (AP) - Two men have been charged with trying to
bribe a Chamblee police officer for information about upcoming
gambling raids.
    Police told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that the gambling
operation run by the two men was raided Saturday. 36-year-old Duoc
Van Le was arrested at his home in Woodstock. The second man
charged, 35-year-old Thien Nguyen of Lilburn is still being sought.
    Authorities searched the homes of the men Saturday, in addition
to eight DeKalb and Gwinnett businesses. They seized 68 video
gambling machines and $164,000 in cash.
    Police say Le is accused of leasing the machines to businesses
and shared in revenue from illegal winnings.
    Le is being held at the Chamblee Detention Center and is
scheduled to make his first court appearance Tuesday afternoon.
   
TEEN CLUB-SHOOTING
    3 teens shot outside southwest Atlanta club
   
    ATLANTA (AP) - Atlanta police say three teenage boys have been
shot out an illegal club for teenagers in southwest Atlanta.
    Police told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution at about 1:30 a.m.
Sunday a car pulled up and someone inside the vehicle fired into a
large crowd.
    The victims - ages 13, 14 and 16 - were shot in the legs.
Authorities said their injuries did not appear to be
life-threatening.
    No one has been arrested in the shooting.
    But police arrested club operator 50-year-old Earl Norman for
operating a business without a license, operating an adult dance
hall without a license and operating a teen dance hall without a
license. Police said it was unclear how long Norman had been
operating the club, which is in an industrial warehouse.
   
ROSALYNN CARTER-MENTAL HEALTH
    Rosalynn Carter pens new book on mental health
   
    ATLANTA (AP) - Former First Lady Rosalynn Carter says that even
though there have been dramatic advances to treat people suffering
from mental illness, the stigma still lingers.
    The 82-year-old details her efforts to bring mental health
issues to the forefront in a new book titled, "Within Our Reach:
Ending the Mental Health Crisis."
    Carter said there should be no more shame or stigma attached to
mental illness than any other illness.
    She said popular television crime dramas still portray the
mentally ill as violent when they are far more likely instead to be
crime victims.
    Carter says the treatment of Hurricane Katrina victims and
veterans coming back from Afghanistan and Iraq show there's still
much that is misunderstood about mental illness.
   
ASTROS-BRAVES
    Heyward drives in 3, Braves sweep Astros
    (Braves 7, Astros 1.)
   
    ATLANTA (AP) - Jason Heyward and Melky Cabrera each drove in
three runs and the Atlanta Braves beat Houston 7-1 on Sunday to
complete a three-game sweep and leave the Astros with a six-game
losing streak.
    The Braves outscored the Astros 21-4 in their first three-game
sweep of Houston since 2003.
    Heyward, the rookie sensation who had homers in three straight
games before Sunday, had two hits. He ranks among the NL leaders
with seven homers and 23 RBIs.
    Heyward gave Atlanta a 1-0 lead in the second with a sacrifice
fly to deep right field. He had a run-scoring double in the Braves'
three-run fourth inning off Bud Norris and drove in another run
with a bases-loaded infield single in the three-run fifth.
   
BUCKS-HAWKS
    Crawford, Horford lead Hawks past Bucks 95-74
    (Hawks 95, Bucks 74.)
   
    ATLANTA (AP) - The Atlanta Hawks weren't going to let another
game slip away on their home court.
    After keeping their season alive with a gutty win in Milwaukee,
the Hawks made sure the Bucks were in no position to duplicate
their improbable Game 5 upset. Jamal Crawford scored 22 points, Al
Horford put up a double-double and Atlanta pulled away for a 95-74
win Sunday that gave the Hawks a 4-3 triumph in the
tougher-than-expected series. It was the only series to go the
distance in the opening round.
    The third-seeded Hawks advanced to face No. 2 Orlando in the
Eastern Conference semifinals. The Magic, who have been resting
since wrapping up a sweep of Charlotte last Monday, will host the
first two games of the series beginning Tuesday night.

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