Power Realty Alpharetta Listing Of The Week!

Courtesy Power Realty

445 Chattahoochee Street Roswell, GA 30075

Five bedroom / four bath brick and frame home with a two car garage.

Located in Manor at Chattahoochee Commons subdivision.

Beautiful bank-owned new construction in the heart of Historic Roswell. Great floorplan, large bedrooms, tons of upgrades and full unfinished basement. Charming home on quiet side street close to restaurants and shops. A must see!

To find out more about this Milton Georgia home, go to http://www.powersoldit.com/ today! Alpharetta Office - 770-888-7653 - fax 678-990-5565 178 S. Main Street, Suite 300, Alpharetta, GA 30009

Alpharetta High's Andrew Jeschke Wins First Road To Safety Competition.

By Temura Bly; Accessmilton.com

The first "Road To Safety" Video competition was held this past Thursday at Alpharetta High School in the media center at 6pm.

With a crowd of an estimated 25 plus, familiar faces were in attendance including Milton Principal Jones, Alpharetta Principal Dunn, and Milton City Council Member Longoria.

A friendly wager was placed between the two competing principals with the loser buying the winner lunch...Congratulations to Mr. Dunn!

Two videos were submitted from Milton High School and two from Alpharetta High helping to kick of the "Road To Safety" inaugural event.

With the help of the Fulton County Board Member Katie Reeves, Protectmilton.com's Lisa Cauley, and Tim Enloe of Accessmilton.com, the competition plans on including all North Fulton High Schools north of the Chattahoochee River in 2011.

Every single video submitted for this year's competition was impressive and the judging intense.

From a fictional safe driving character dubbed "Safety Sam" to a shootout with special ops, every student involved poured their heart and soul into the project. Each approaching the topic in a unique way while still driving the message home.

If you would like to view the videos, awards will be presented and videos shown at Alpharetta City Hall on December 6th. Milton City Hall will showcase the videos on December 20th.

In the weeks to come, Accessmilton.com and Accessalpharetta.com will be showcasing all four videos along with the wondeful sponsors as well.

John Albers for State Senate.

Double Click To Enlarge Image.

NOTE: Accessalpharetta.com encourages all candidates running for office both locally and state wide to share information with us on their campaigns. This type of information does not mean that Accessmilton.com is endorsing one candidate as opposed to another. Here, all are treated equally and with respect.

Help Recreate Milton County!

Engage With Us! Phone Bank for the Re-creation of Milton County!

Greetings Belle Isle Supporters!

This week is do-or-die for the legislation to Re-create Milton County in 2010. Of all the legislation currently being considered this piece will directly affect our way of life in a positive way! We need to encourage 20 Democratic legislators to vote for H.R. 21 to ensure its passage into law. We need your help!Please join us to call the legislators and encourage them to vote yes!
We will meet Tuesday March 23rd, 2010 at 9:30 AM until 11:30 AM at:

Belle Isle Law Group
178 S. Main St. Suite 250
(corner of Hwy 9 and Old Milton Pkwy)
Alpharetta, GA 30009

We have a list of the legislators that need to be called and a script you can read from if your not sure of what to say. I'll put the coffee on and we will have some bagels and pastries to keep you going.If you need more information or directions call me at 770-572-1570.

Thanks!
Belle Isle Campaign

____________________________________

www.belleisleforsenate.com

The gift limit is $2,400 per person or company, but all contribution levels are welcome! Checks should be made payable to "Belle Isle For Senate" and mail to:

178 South Main Street
Suite 250
Alpharetta, GA 30009

NOTE: Accessalpharetta.com encourages all candidates running for office both locally and state wide to share information with us on their campaigns. This type of information does not mean that Accessmilton.com is endorsing one candidate as opposed to another. Here, all are treated equally and with respect.

John Albers for State Senate.

Milton County News!

Last Friday, 3/19 another legislative educational session was held downtown. John Albers, leading candidate for State Senate once again represented North Fulton residents. As the first speaker to the committee, Albers reminded legislators why 234 years ago we declared our independence – taxation without proper representation. The facts are clear and the time for Milton County has come. For more information, please contact us at www.votealbers.com.

NOTE: Accessalpharetta.com encourages all candidates running for office both locally and state wide to share information with us on their campaigns. This type of information does not mean that Accessmilton.com is endorsing one candidate as opposed to another. Here, all are treated equally and with respect.

Jones Is Pulling Out All The Stops For Milton County.

Courtesy John Fredricks / Beacon Media

House Speaker Pro-Tem Jan Jones (R-Milton) is the Joan of Arc of re-creating Milton County.

Hopefully, she'll end up with a better result than the famous French national heroine did.

The resolute Jones is determined to make sure of that. And she's pulling out all the stops to get the 125 votes she needs in the House next week to insure her constitutional amendment -- HR21 --gets to the senate.

Jones, speaking before a record crowd this morning at the annual Greater North Fulton Chamber of Commerce Expo breakfast in Alpharetta, said she is a handful of votes short of the two-thirds majority she needs -- as of today. "We have been working the other side of the aisle, and we have picked up considerable Democrat house support," Jones said. "We've closed the gap considerably in the last several days." Earlier this week Jones stated, "Good governance and economic efficiency is non-partisan and slices thourgh party affiliation." She says Fulton County cannot be fixed. "The only way to fix it is to eliminate it," Jones argued. The North Fulton legislator maintains that the resolution is good for all Georgians. "It [HR21] is gaining momentum as more House members review the facts behind it," she claimed. Jones says she needs about 20 Democrat votes to get it over the top.

REPUBLICAN BAILOUTS

Jones' Milton county supporters got thrown for a loop last week when her Majority Whip, Rep. Ed Lindsey (R-Buckhead) came out against the resolution and tacked on an amendment at the last minute to stall it from getting out of one obscure house committee. His Kamikaze bid failed, 9-7, but his opposition forewarned trouble ahead

One veteran North Fulton Representative vented his disgust with the Lindsey stealth bombshell, referring to Atlanta's only Republican representative as "Judas."

BIG GUN CALLED IN

Jones countered the Lindsey defection by rolling out her big gun: Rep. Mark Burkhlater (R-Johns Creek). The former Speaker Pro-Tem, who has staked his political career on making the re-creation of Milton County a reality, delayed several business trips to help Jones and her North Fulton legislative team round up votes. Burkhalter, immensely popular in the Gold Dome with deep ties to many Democrat house colleagues, has been working feverishly to gain support for the resolution, sources say. "He's made great progress, as our entire team has," Jones said.

DO OR DIE IN RULES NEXT WEEK

Jones says she is confident the resolution will make it out of the Rules committee next week. Once accomplished, the gnostic house leader said the historic floor vote would then get on the docket. But Jones warned that she would not bring the resolution to the floor if she didn't have the votes. "If we are not successful in this session, I will bring it back next year," Jones vowed. "It's not a matter of 'if' for Milton County," she predicted. "Its a matter of when."

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Police seize 10 pounds of pot, arrest six after Alpharetta burglary.

By Marcus K. Garner
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Police scored a major drug bust Sunday trying to arrest burglars.

Alpharetta and Gwinnett County police tracking suspects of an Alpharetta home invasion found 10 pounds of marijuana when they served a search warrant in Gwinnett, authorities said.

This came after arresting the sixth person apparently connected to an alleged band of house thieves.

Sunday around 6 p.m., police responded to the report of burglars inside a home on Broadwell Oaks Drive, where a teen and a 10-year-old were hiding from the intruders, Alpharetta police spokesman George Gordon said.

"Officers engaged in a foot chase which resulted in two males being taken into custody," Gordon said, saying that Danny Mosquera, of texas, and Eric Glen Bierd-Rivera, of Louisiana were arrested.

Witnesses identified two vehicles seen at the home, and police began a search for a dark-colored Nissan Maxima and a gold Honda Accord.

Later Sunday evening, police spotted the Nissan on Wills road. After a short car chase, Omar Rodriquez, of Myrtle Beach, S.C., was arrested.

Gwinnett County police stopped a gold Honda around 9 p.m. as part of a felony traffic stop, and arrested the two men inside after finding evidence tying them to Bierd-Rivera, Rodriquez and Mosquera, Gwinnett police spokesman Brian Kelly said.

Officers conducted a search warrant in Gwinnett at an address connected to the Honda, and there found the marijuana and a woman wanted by police, authorities said.

The driver of the Honda, Joselyn Rodriguez, and the woman, Lucy Cabral, both were charged with marijuana possession with intent to sell. The second man in the car has not been charged, Kelly said.

All three were taken to the Gwinnett County jail.

Bierd-Rivera, Mosquera and Rodriquez are being held without bond at the Fulton County jail in Atlanta, authorities said.

The investigation continues.

Residents Help Break Burglary Ring.

Courtesy WSB

Six people have been arrested following a home invasion in Alpharetta. And police say residents of the neighborhood deserve a lot of the credit in tracking them down.

Two of the suspects were nabbed immediately after neighbors saw them kick in the back door of a home on Broadwell Oaks Drive. One neighbor recorded the suspect's car on his cell phone while another neighbor wrote down the tag number. Danny Pierce tells Channel 2 Action News they look out for one another in their neighborhood.

"I think it proves you don't want to mess with our neighborhood, you know. We're a tight neighborhood and we stick together," said Pierce.

A 10-year-old and 17-year-old were at home at the time of the break-in. They ran upstairs, hid and called 911.

Danny Mosquera of Texas, and Eric Glen Bierd-Rivera of Louisiana were arrested at the scene. A short time later, a third suspect, Omar Rodriquez of South Carolina, was taken into custody.

Three more people were arrested in Gwinnett County, two of them while driving a second suspected car.

Gwinnett County Police Officer Brian Kelly tells WSB the vehicle was spotted in Gwinnett and two men were arrested. When police went to the apartment linked to the vehicle, they executed a search warrant and discovered more than ten pounds of marijuana.

Joselyn Rodriguez and Lucy Cabral have been charged with one count of possession of marijuana with intent to distribute.

Kelly says they're still working on how this is all linked. More charges and arrests are possible.

Forgehouse Names Christian Negri President, Ending Leadership Vacuum - cbl

By citybizlist Staff

ALPHARETTA, Ga. - Forgehouse Inc. (OTC BB: FOHE) has named Christian Negri as president, treasurer and director, ending a vacuum in its leadership since the resignations late last year of founder CEO John Britchford-Steel, director Jose Alonso and CFO Jose Vargas, according to an 8-K filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

On March 12, Philip Mann, the sole director and assistant secretary, named Negri, 41, a six-year veteran in the Alpharetta-based software company, to the positions. Negri owns 12 million shares.

Britchford-Steel and Alonso held board seats until their resignation Dec. 29.

Neenah Paper completes sale of timberlands for C$82,500,000.

Courtesy What They Think

Alpharetta, GA. - Neenah Paper, Inc. today announced it had completed the previously announced sale of its remaining 475,000 acres of timberlands in Nova Scotia for C$82.5 million to Northern Pulp Nova Scotia, through their affiliate, Northern Timber Nova Scotia. Cash received at closing was used to reduce debt. A pre-tax book gain on the sale of approximately $75 million will be recognized in the first quarter as well as a non-cash gain of $88 million for the reclassification of deferred foreign currency translation gains from accumulated other comprehensive income. Both of these gains will be recorded as income from Discontinued Operations.

Mad Hatter Service Company Giving 10% Discount on Firemagic and LYNX Gas Grills.

Courtesy Your Story. Org

Alpharetta, GA , 16 March 2010 : The trusted name for chimney cleaning, Mad Hatter Service is giving a discount of 10% on the range of LYNX and FireMagic gas grills to buyers. The offer has already benefited the company, as it is receiving lot of queries and orders from new & the existing clients.

“We always come up with discount offers on the products and services we offer. A lot of clients have been benefited with these money saving deals, and our new offer is yet another effort to provide better deal to customers. The products we sell are the best in terms of quality and our team ensures that a discount offer does not affect the durability & efficiency of the product at any cost,” said, Marketing Head of the Service Company.

Mad Hatter Service is a renowned name for carrying out chimney sweep Atlanta, air duct and fireplace cleaning tasks. The company also gives a workmanship guarantee of 12 months and ensures that all the cleaning work delivers 100% satisfactory experience to clients.

Apart from selling a variety of chimney and gas stove accessories, Mad Hatter Service also provides outdoor kitchens Atlanta design and build projects. The team of designers working at the company makes sure to come out with designs that match the exact requirement of the customer.

Bank Chief Accused of TARP Fraud.

Courtesy The Wall Street Journal

By LINGLING WEI And CHAD BRAY

A lifelong banking-industry executive was arrested Monday on numerous charges, including allegations of defrauding regulators in connection with what prosecutors said was his desperate effort to save his New York bank from failing.

Charles J. Antonucci Sr., the former president and chief executive of the Park Avenue Bank of New York, made false statements to regulators in an effort to obtain about $11 million from the U.S. government's Troubled Asset Relief Program, prosecutors said. He is the first person to be charged criminally with attempting to defraud TARP, the bank bailout program passed as the nation teetered on the verge of an economic meltdown in 2008, prosecutors said.

Park Avenue Bank, a lender with more than $500 million in assets that specialized in commercial-real-estate loans, failed on Friday after piling up more than $27 million in net losses last year. Bad real-estate loans shrank the bank's capital to just $3.3 million at year's end, down 87% from two years earlier, according to filings the bank made with the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.

"The bank was broken, so, in October and November 2008, [Mr.] Antonucci methodically went about pretending to fix it," said Preet Bharara, the U.S. attorney in Manhattan, at a press conference.

Prosecutors charged Mr. Antonucci with 10 counts of fraud, bribery and other crimes, including accepting free plane rides from a bank customer and stealing $103,000 from pastors of a church in Coral Springs, Fla. He could face up to 30 years in prison for each fraud and embezzlement charge. The bank's four branches were taken over by Valley National Bank.

Mr. Antonucci was taken into custody by federal agents at 7 a.m. at his home in Fishkill, N.Y. Unshaven and bespectacled, he sat quietly next to his lawyer and said little at a bail hearing Monday. He wore a red St. John's University hooded sweatshirt, blue track pants and brown loafers.

Bail was set at $2 million, to be secured by his home in Fishkill and his wife's apartment in Queens, N.Y. "These charges are what they are," said Charles Stillman, a lawyer for Mr. Antonucci. "We're going to study them and consider what our appropriate response to the charges will be."

The criminal charges against Mr. Antonucci come as regulators are ratcheting up their efforts to hold bank executives responsible as more financial institutions succumb to bad real-estate loans and other problems.

In January, a former executive at Omni National Bank, a failed bank in Atlanta, pleaded guilty to charges he overvalued bank assets in a bid to hide mortgage fraud. The former executive, Jeffrey Levine, is scheduled to appear before United States District Judge Jack Camp on March 23 for sentencing in his case.

The lending practices at Integrity Bank, an Alpharetta, Ga., lender seized by banking regulators in 2008, are under investigation by the FDIC. Lawyers for bank executives have declined to comment.

Mr. Antonucci held numerous positions in the banking industry before organizing a group of investors in 2004 to invest more than $10 million in Park Avenue for about 85% of the common stock, according to a person familiar with the matter. The bank, named after its location on Park Avenue, was struggling at the time, and Mr. Antonucci touted to investors his experience at working with regulators and turning around troubled banks, the person said.

The lead investor was real-estate developer David Lichtenstein, best known for his ill-fated acquisition of the Extended Stay Hotels chain, which is operating under bankruptcy protection. Mr. Lichtenstein hasn't been accused of wrongdoing.

Under Mr. Antonucci, the bank increased assets to $500 million from $100 million at the end of 2004, making loans throughout the region to commercial-real-estate owners, and to a racetrack in the Catskill Mountains. But like many other small banks across the country, Park Avenue saw its soured loans jump after the financial crisis hit in 2007.

According to Foresight Analytics, a banking research firm in Oakland, Calif., delinquencies on commercial property loans held by the bank jumped to 23% at year's end, up from about 18% a year earlier and 7.7% at the end of 2007. In September 2008, the FDIC declared that the bank was "undercapitalized."

This growing stress led to one of the schemes alleged in the criminal compliant. In the fall of 2008, Mr. Antonucci announced he had shored up the bank's capital base by investing $6.5 million of his own money, according to the complaint. But, in fact, the money came from the bank. Mr. Antonucci had set up a series of fraudulent transactions to make it seem like it was coming from him, the complaint states.

The federal investigation of Mr. Antonucci began about five months ago, when the Ecuador office of the Department of Homeland Security's U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement learned of a person interested in engaging in an illegal business deal with Mr. Antonucci, according to James Hayes, the agent in charge of ICE's New York office. He declined to elaborate.

The complaint also alleges Mr. Antonucci used a bank-consulting firm he owns to funnel Park Avenue Bank's money to himself. In addition, according to the bank bribery section of the indictment, he received free flights on more than 10 occasions in 2008 and 2009 on the private plane of a bank customer, including to the Super Bowl, Panama and the Masters golf tournament in Augusta, Ga.

Federal prosecutors alleged Mr. Antonucci arranged for Park Avenue to lease space from three properties he owned, causing the bank to spend more than $1 million to improve, lease and pay expenses on the properties, the complaint says. The bank used only one of the properties, according to the complaint.

Mr. Antonucci also was accused of stealing more than $103,000 from pastors of a church in Coral Springs, Fla., by offering to pay four times their investment through a purported bond, according to the complaint.

The money was deposited in an account he controlled at the bank and never repaid, according to prosecutors. Instead, Mr. Antonucci divided the money with an unnamed co-conspirator, according to the complaint.

Park Avenue Bank of New York isn't affiliated with Park Avenue Bank in Georgia.

Jury Awards $15 Million in Accident Case, Clears Lawyerless Chrysler.

Courtesy Law.com

A Georgia state court jury has held an alleged drunk driver responsible for $15 million in damages to a girl injured in a car accident, but the plaintiff likely will get only a fraction of the award because the driver has few resources and the designer of the girl's seat, which broke during the wreck, was cleared by the jury.

Complicating matters, according to the plaintiffs lawyers, was the bankruptcy-mandated dismissal of what was then DaimlerChrysler Co. from the case. Jurors faced a verdict form containing a line allocating blame to Chrysler, but no one represented the automaker at trial.

"The jury wanted to attribute some portion of the liability to Chrysler, given that Chrysler had designed the vehicle," said Law & Moran partner E. Michael Moran, who spoke to the panel after the Feb. 17 verdict (pdf) was released. "But as they were working through that, they had concerns about the fairness issue, because Chrysler didn't have a lawyer there defending them."

Chrysler went into bankruptcy protection last year, and the bankruptcy court approved its sale to Italian automaker Fiat last June; its new incarnation, Chrysler Group LLC, is protected from liability for cars manufactured prior to its bankruptcy declaration. But, in accordance with Georgia's 2005 tort reform law, Chrysler was still listed as a non-party defendant on the verdict form, which provided a space for apportioned damages.

"Under the law, Chrysler would not have had to pay anyway," said Moran. "We attempted to explain to the jury how it worked, but it's a bit complicated, and I guess we didn't do a good enough job explaining it."

The case began Jan. 1, 2007, when a Honda Accord driven by Joseph J. Covert ran a red light in Alpharetta, Ga., and hit the right side of a 2000 Jeep Grand Cherokee carrying Michael and Jacqueline Maybaum and their daughters, Jennifer, then 5, and Erica, then 11.

Erica was in the rear left-hand seat and wearing her seatbelt, according to the pretrial order. The impact caused a hinge pin at the base of her seat to pop out and she was pitched backward into the cargo compartment.

According to the pretrial order, Erica's head struck "something hard" with such force that her skull was dislocated from her spine, and she suffered "catastrophic brain injuries that have permanently compromised her endocrine and pituitary systems, as well as her bodily hormone balance."

The other three seats remained upright, and Moran's partner Peter A. Law said the other passengers in the Jeep, also named plaintiffs in the case, suffered "no significant injuries at all."

The complaint in the original suit, filed in April 2007 by Law and Jason L. Crawford and Peter L. Daughtery of Columbus, Ga.'s Daughtery, Crawford, Fuller & Brown named Covert and DaimlerChrysler as defendants. It claimed that the automaker "has been on notice for years that many of its seats and seating systems, including the seat and seating system in this case, are defectively designed and inadequate at keeping occupants restrained from rearward movement in foreseeable collisions."

Six months later, Johnson Controls, which designed and manufactured the seats, was added as a defendant to the suit.

Chrysler initially expressed interest in taking the case into mediation, but broke off talks as its financial situation deteriorated, said Moran. The automaker was eventually severed, then re-entered as a non-party at-fault defendant for trial.

In the defense portion of the pretrial order (pdf), Johnson Controls argues that the seats it provided "met and exceeded Chrysler's performance requirements, were tested and approved by Chrysler, and exceeded all Federal Motor Vehicle Standards."

Following a seven-day trial before Fulton County State Court Judge Patsy Y. Porter, the jury took about four hours to find Covert liable for $15 million in damages to Erica Maybaum; $10,000 to her sister, Jennifer; $15,000 to Michael Maybaum and $60,000 to Jacqueline Maybaum.

Johnson Controls was represented by Richard K. Wray and Tracy G. Ferak of Chicago's Reed Smith and Ronald D. Reemsnyder of Cumming's Ragsdale, Beals, Seigler, Patterson & Gray, who served as local counsel.

Ferak said post-trial conversation with jurors indicted that they had little trouble finding for her client.

"They said they reached a unanimous verdict [on Johnson Controls] on the very first ballot, then moved on to Chrysler, which was more mixed," she said.

Ferak said the panel was particularly impressed with the testimony of Timothy Brademyer, a Johnson Controls engineer.

"They said he just seemed very honest," she said, telling jurors, "'Look, I'm the engineer, here's how we do it.' And I think they thought some of the plaintiffs' experts were just not as believable."

"They also said our presentation style was more credible; they used the term 'classy.'"

William T. Casey Jr. of Marietta, Ga.'s Hicks, Foster & Casey, who represented Covert, said via e-mail that his client "admitted negligence and causation on all but the catastrophic injuries of Erica Maybaum. His policy limits were offered long ago.

"The Plaintiffs and co-defendant could not have tried a better case," added Casey. "I tried to push some blame onto the co-defendant without appearing to run from my client's culpability. The jury simply did not think the injuries were caused by the seat manufacturer and returned a verdict against Mr. Covert only. I do not anticipate an appeal on behalf of Mr. Covert."

Moran said that Covert's insurance and the Maybaums' underinsured motorist coverage would cover some of the judgment, but "nothing close" to the total award. Covert, whose DUI charges are still pending, has few assets to go after, he said.

"We got such a great trial from Judge Porter, there's little chance that we'll appeal," he said.

Law said Erica Maybaum has since recovered well, although she had to have a steel rod and screws inserted to reconnect her skull to her spine.

"She does really well," he said. "She plays softball, or has played softball; you wouldn't be able to tell she's had such a traumatic injury."

Lichdom announced; will use CryEngine 3

Crytek seems to be busy licensing their new CryEngine 3 graphics technology that will be used for their own upcoming game Crysis 2. Crytek has also announced that CryEngine 3 will be used by new game developer Xaviant for their just announced game Lichdom. There's little info on the game itself in the press release other than it will be an action game with RPG elements and that it will be released for the PC and other platforms. No release date was announced.

There's also little info on Xaviant itself. The developer is apparently based in Alpharetta, Georgia and their web site is not only Flash heavy but provides little info on their company (although the cryptic messages are fun).

Lichdom announced; will use CryEngine 3 originally appeared on Big Download Blog on Tue, 16 Mar 2010 21:00:00 EST.

Bruder Healthcare to expand Thermalon line.

Courtesy Drug Store News

ALPHARETTA, Ga. (Mar. 16) Bruder Healthcare Co. is looking to extend its line of Thermalon heat therapy products into the cough/cold arena, the company noted recently.

A recent sinus compress (covering the eyes and nose) test-marketed in the allergy set generated three-times the sales as compared to a similar SKU merchandised alongside other hot/cold therapies, the company shared with Drug Store News. The moist heat helps relieve sinus pain and congestion.

Kyocera supplies Georgia’s largest commercial solar array.

Courtesy Brighter Energy

Kyocera Solar, Inc., has supplied photovoltaic modules for the largest commercial solar array yet developed in the state of Georgia.

The 144.48 kilowatt rooftop array is located at flooring retailer USFloors in Dalton, in the north of the state.

It was designed and installed by United Renewable Energy LLC, a photovoltaic integrator based in Alpharetta, Georgia.

The system comprised 672 of Kyocera’s 215GX PLU solar modules, spanning 14,500 square feet of roofspace.

Kyocera, which has its headquarters in Scottsdale, Arizona, said the array should generate 171,216 kilowatt-hours of power each year, the equivalent of an electricity supply for 14 homes.

It will provide all of the building’s current electrical needs, allowing for cost savings that should preserve company jobs.

Steve Hill, president of Kyocera Solar, Inc., said: “This solar project demonstrates Kyocera’s commitment to sustainable energy. Kyocera strives to help organizations achieve their sustainability goals—we are pleased to work with companies such as USFloors and United Renewable Energy LLC who share Kyocera’s commitment to the environment.”

Grants

United Renewable Energy said US Floors was taking advantage of a 30% federal grant and a 35% state tax credit for its system. Excess power will be sold at a premium to the North Georgia EMC.

The system developers said that ownership of solar power systems meant business owners had the opportunity to hedge against “dramatic” energy price rises.

William Silva, President of United Renewable Energy LLC, said: “USFloors continues to show leadership in sustainable manufacturing practices and job growth. This solar power system is impressive in it’s size alone, but more importantly because this is the largest commercial solar photovoltaic installation in Georgia since the 1996 Olympics.”

Cox Wants To Raise Lottery Ticket Prices To Fund State's Schools.

Kathy Cox



Courtesy Beacon Media

State schools Superintendent Kathy Cox says lottery ticket prices should be raised to help pay for K-12 education in Georgia.


Cox said during an appearance Friday on CNN that hiking the price by just 50 cents per ticket could raise $350 million to help fill a massive hole left by state budget cuts in the last two years. Cox said raising prices would ensure K-12 got money while also preserving funding for the HOPE college scholarship and state's pre-kindergarten program.


The state constitution already allows lottery revenue to go to technology and buildings for elementary and high schools, but lawmakers stopped allotting that money to K-12 in 2003. Cox said the state's education budget has been slashed by nearly $3 billion in the last 19 months.


Cox, a Republican, is running for her third term as state school chief.


A lottery spokeswoman said she would have a comment early next week.

Fulton anti-burglary task force asks have citizens ‘had enough, already?'

By Marcus K. Garner
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Fulton County's district attorney is fed up with burglaries.

So Paul Howard Jr. is joining with the Fulton County Sheriff and police chiefs throughout the county to form a multi-jurisdictional burglary task force that aims to reduce home break-ins by 30 percent over the next two years.

The team formed in December, with chiefs from south Fulton police departments meeting to share information about a growing number of burglaries.

As more departments began responding to more and more break-ins, they came together to begin a formal cooperation against crime.

Since then, the task force has busted a $2 million Internet-based burglary ring with three arrests.

Eight jurisdictions -- East Point, Sandy Springs, Fulton County, Alpharetta, Atlanta, Johns Creek, the Fulton Sheriff's office and the DA's office -- will share a $20,000 federal grant intended to fight crime.

The burglary-reduction strategy will engage a public weary of what has been deemed an increase in home and business break-ins across the county.

The "Had Enough Already" campaign will team with the Atlanta Police Foundation and Crime Stoppers Atlanta to offer increments of up to $2,000 for credible burglary tips or for information on stolen property, authorities said.

Howard will unveil the plan Monday at 10 a.m. at the J.R. Crickets Sandtown at 5819 Campbellton Road in Atlanta.

Robbins Umeda LLP Announces Investigation of Schweitzer-Mauduit International, Inc.

Courtesy Market Watch

SAN DIEGO, Mar 14, 2010 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Robbins Umeda LLP has commenced an investigation into possible breaches of fiduciary duty and other violations of state law by certain officers and directors at Schweitzer-Mauduit International, Inc. ("Schweitzer " or the "Company") /quotes/comstock/13*!swm/quotes/nls/swm (SWM 45.88, +0.89, +1.98%) . Schweitzer manufactures and sells paper and reconstituted tobacco products to the tobacco industry, as well as specialized paper products for use in other applications. The Company was founded in 1995 and is headquartered in Alpharetta, Georgia.

Robbins Umeda LLP's investigation concerns whether the Company's directors and officers caused the Company to issue materially false and misleading statements. Specifically, the investigation will determine whether these directors and officers misrepresented the strength of Schweitzer's competitive position in the United States and its ability to withstand European competition.

The alleged material misstatements and omissions may have caused Schweitzer's stock to trade at artificially inflated prices, reaching a high of $83.63 per share on January 14, 2010. It appears that inflation in the Company's stock price allowed them to complete a secondary offering of 1.8 million shares of its stock at $60 per share in November 2009.

On February 10, 2010, after the market closed, Schweitzer reported its fourth quarter and 2009 financial results, as well as the filing of a patent infringement action alleging that certain foreign companies infringed on Schweitzer's U.S. patent. Upon this news, Schweitzer's stock fell $23.58 per share to close at $46.65 per share on February 11, 2010, a one day decline of nearly 34%.

A lawsuit alleging violations of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 has been filed on behalf of shareholders who purchased or otherwise acquired Schweitzer stock between August 5, 2009 and February 10, 2010 against the Company and certain of its officers. Securities class actions like this can potentially cause additional damage to the Company.

If you purchased your Schweitzer stock prior to August 5, 2009, continue to hold your shares, and would like more information about your rights as a shareholder, please contact attorney Lauren Levi at 800-350-6003 or by e-mail at llevi@robbinsumeda.com.

Robbins Umeda LLP is a California-based law firm, which has significant experience representing investors in shareholder derivative actions, securities fraud class actions, and merger-related shareholder class actions. For more information about the firm, please go to http://www.robbinsumeda.com.