Marion County residents report accounts thefts

MARION COUNTY, Tenn. - The Marion County Sheriff's Office has received several reports of identity theft in the last couple of weeks.

Some residents have told officers that, after using their debit cards at local gas stations, their checking and saving accounts have been wiped away. However, Chief Detective Gene Hargis said, the department has not reached any conclusions about the cause of the problem. The investigation is ongoing.

While some people have told detectives that they use their debit cards only to pay for gas, Hargis pointed out that victims also pay their bills online. The banking website may have been compromised, he said. It's just too early to tell.

"If someone is a victim of identity theft, you don't know where the information was stolen from," he said. "If it is a Russian or Chinese scam, for example, you may never know."

Speeds to increase on part of I-285

ATLANTA - State officials say the speed limit on part of Interstate 285, the freeway that forms a perimeter around Atlanta, will be increased soon.

The Georgia Department of Transportation recently approved the higher speed limit for part of I-285 in south DeKalb County. Starting Nov. 1, the speed limit south of the Interstate 20 interchange will increase to 65 mph.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports the speed limit north of the I-20 interchange will remain at 55 mph for now.

Women protesting Obama attacked

LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. - Police near Atlanta are investigating an attack on a group of women as they protested on an interstate overpass and carried signs calling for President Barack Obama's impeachment.

The women told police they were demonstrating on the Steve Reynolds Boulevard overpass in Gwinnett County on Saturday when a man pulled up beside them. They said he pointed a gun at one of them and splashed another with an unknown liquid.

Marge Moore told WSB Radio that she felt the liquid burning on her foot and thinks it was a household chemical. She said a couple in a car had driven by moments before the incident and threatened to kill them.

The women said they plan to hold another protest Saturday at the same spot.

Renew boat decals or face fines

SOCIAL CIRCLE, Ga. - Georgia Department of Natural Resources officials say boaters will face fines later this month if they fail to renew their boat decals on time.

Department spokeswoman Melissa Cummings said boaters who don't renew expired registration decals before Oct. 24 will be charged a $10 late fee.

Dan Forster, director of the Wildlife Resources Division, said lawmakers passed a regulation in 2013 to encourage timely renewal. He said boaters typically put off renewing their registration until just before the summer holidays.

Boat registration decals are valid for three years and expire on the last day of the owner's birth month.