Dozens charged in poaching sting
RALEIGH, N.C. - About 80 people are accused of being involved in the poaching of bears, deer and other wildlife in North Carolina and Georgia, according to officials who cracked down on the illegal hunts.
Officers found more than 900 violations and began making arrests Tuesday.
Besides illegal hunting, the violations include illegal use of dogs, operation of illegal bear enclosures and hunting on national forest lands without permits.
The four-year undercover investigation, called Operation Something Bruin, targeted poachers mostly in the two states, with some work in neighboring states.
West Walnut tops for crashes
DALTON, Ga. - West Walnut Avenue in Dalton has the city's highest number of recorded crashes month after month, Dalton police said in a news release warning of the dangers of distracted driving.
Most of the crashes occur in an area from Market Street to Dug Gap Road, and while most are not severe many could be avoided, the release states.
According to police, 42 percent of all crashes in the city are rear-end collisions, often caused by drivers in congested areas distracted by other actions.
Because of the high number of rear-end crashes and distracted driving-related crashes, the Dalton Police Department will be stopping cars and speaking to motorists in high-crash areas.
Appeals end in quarry case
SHELBYVILLE, Tenn. - A nine-year effort by Shelbyville to stop excavation of a rock quarry has run its course in state courts.
The Shelbyville Times-Gazette reported local officials were told last week that the Tennessee Supreme Court decided not to review the case.
The city lost its appeal to the Tennessee Court of Appeals in November. An appellate judge ordered the city board of zoning appeals to hear the request by Wright Paving Co. Inc. and Custom Stone LLC at the earliest possible date.
The end of state appeals means a $10 million federal lawsuit filed by the Wrights against the city can proceed.
Motto planned for courthouse
CLINTON, Tenn. - The Anderson County Commission has voted 12-4 to place "In God We Trust" on the county courthouse in Clinton.
The issue was sent to the commission's operations committee to schedule the work and the county law director to review the decision.
The proposal was supported by Christian churches in the county, and money has been pledged to pay for the project.