Intense Lighting Sparks Several Metro Atlanta House Fires

Firefighters were busy Thursday night responding to fires that were sparked by lightning strikes in north Georgia.Firefighters responded to a report of a fire and a lightning strike just before 6:00 p.m. at a home on Slash Pine Court in Lawrenceville.

Video: Intense Lightning Sparks Several Metro Atlanta House Fires FOX 5's Chris Shaw Reports Smoke was pouring from the roof of the two-story house when crews arrived. Firefighters were able to knock the fire down quickly.The fire caused moderate damage to the roof, chimney and exterior wall. The home's occupants were home at the time of the fire, but were able to escape unharmed.Lightning also sparked a fire at a home on Rivermist Drive in Lilburn.

Crews arrived around 6:30 p.m. and found a fire in a detached garage. The fire was contained and caused moderate damage. There was no damage to the main house and there were no injuries reported.

Ga's Newest College To Graduate First Class

LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. (AP) -

The state's first new public 4-year college in more than a century is holding its first commencement.

The 17 students who were part of Georgia Gwinnett College's charter class in 2006 are getting degrees Saturday in a graduation ceremony on the Lawrenceville campus. Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle will deliver the commencement address.

Enrollment at Georgia Gwinnett has grown from 119 students when the college first opened to about 1,000 this year, including the campus' first freshman class. Billed as "the campus of tomorrow," the four-building college is working toward enrolling 10,000 students in the next five years with promises of high-tech gadgets in classrooms and personal attention from faculty.

Body Of 4 - Year Old Girl Found In Attic

Girl's Father Has Been Charged

POSTED: 12:41 pm EDT June 25, 2008

GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. -- A man killed his 4-year-old daughter more than a year ago and stashed her body in the attic of his Lawrenceville home before moving with the rest of his family to Mexico, authorities said Wednesday.

The girl’s body remained undiscovered until Friday, when a tip from a relative prompted police to search the home on Stillwater Lane. The family member told officials the girl’s mother, Amy Yesenia, told her over the phone that one of her children had died of natural causes while the girl was living with them in Gwinnett County.

Yesenia told the relative her husband hid the body in the house before they left for Mexico in April 2007 and said her husband didn’t want her to tell anyone the child died because they would get in trouble, authorities said.

Gwinnett County authorities found the body of 4-year-old Prisi Vasquez in the attic. Homicide investigators said the autopsy determined the child had been killed.

"There seemed to be blunt force trauma to the child so they ruled it a homicide," said Cpl. David Schiralli with the Gwinnett County Police Department.

The girl’s father, Christian Vasquez, 23, was charged Wednesday with his daughter’s death. He is not in custody and police believe he is still in Mexico. No charges have been filed against Yesenia.

Officials said someone does currently live in the house on Stillwater Lane. Police said the homeowner complained of an odor but never suspected a body.

Investigators told Channel 2 they are working to contact authorities in Mexico to help in the search for Vasquez.

WSB-TV Channel 2 will have a live report on Channel 2 Action News @ 5.

Cyclists Rally To Lift Up Cancer-Stricken Mate

By EUNICE LEE www.ajc.com

Russell Tindol knows a thing or two about fighting uphill battles.

Most of the time, it's been while the competitive cyclist was perched on his road bike, strapped in a helmet and climbing an incline surrounded by his teammates from the Frazier Cycling Juniors of Suwanee.

But now, the 15-year-old from Lawrenceville wages a different battle — against cancer. And his teammates are still by his side.

Cyclists, family and friends brought out their bikes to "Ride for Russell" Wednesday night in Duluth. The 15- to 20-mile ride began at CycleWorks as a joint fund-raising effort between the Frazier Cycling Juniors and Rally Across America, an annual charity bike ride sponsored by the nonprofit group Rally Foundation for Childhood Cancer Research.

In 2006, Russell and his team participated in that ride, when cancer wasn't even on the teenager's radar. In fact, he was the first on his team to turn in a donation.

Two years later, his teammates are rallying around Russell. A few days after Russell's teammates found out he was diagnosed with a brain tumor and would need chemotherapy, four boys showed up with buzzed haircuts, recalled coach Ralph Frazier. By the end of the week, almost all of the boys had followed suit and even some of the fathers had cropped their hair in solidarity.

The tumor was discovered in April after Russell experienced sickness and dizziness at races. He had surgery shortly after.

"It comes so fast, a diagnosis like that, you don't have a whole lot of time to think," said Russell's father, Mike Tindol, a cyclist and triathlete. "You go into survival mode for your kid."
Frazier, who has coached Russell since he was 9 years old, described him as a slight kid with a knack for conquering hills. "That was his strong suit," Frazier said.

Russell planned on making it out to the ride but had to head to the Children's Healthcare of Atlanta at Scottish Rite when a fever broke out Tuesday night.

He paid his regrets on his blog where he keeps friends and teammates updated. "I'm feeling much better now and don't have a fever," he wrote. "I got a blood and platelets transfusion today to bring my counts back up."

His father said Russell lives by one motto these days: "Just deal with it."
"You win one battle, you fight one race — and you got another," Tindol said.

Wednesday night, Russell's teammates joined with two cyclists with the Rally Foundation riding from Washington, D.C., to Nashville, Tenn., during the leg of the tour passing through Atlanta.
"This is a way for us to fight back against this disease," said Tindol. "I see cancer being beaten one day."

Gwinnett Residents Consider Marta Rail Line Expansion

Residents In Favor Of Rail Line Cite Rising Gas Prices, Traffic Woes

http://www.wsbtv.com/

NORCROSS, Ga. -- With rising gas prices and a nationwide push to go green, many residents in Gwinnett County are throwing their support behind a possible extension of MARTA's rail line into the county.

At an informational meeting held Monday at the Global Mall in Norcross, residents learned about the proposed plan and what it could mean for their bottom line. The plan calls for an extra 1-cent sales tax in the county. MARTA General Manager and CEO Dr. Beverly A. Scott was on hand Monday evening to present information about the MARTA system and the potential benefits of rail transit in Gwinnett County.

Visual renderings of potential MARTA stations and rail technologies in Gwinnett County were also available for viewing.

Gwinnett County residents will express their views during the July 15 primary election, when they’ll be asked non-binding ballot questions about paying a one-cent sales tax for MARTA rail service in the county.

MARTA’s first train, the East Line, began operating between Avondale and Georgia State Station in June 1979. It also marked the start of MARTA’s combined bus and rail service. MARTA currently provides rail transit to Fulton and DeKalb counties. Residents in Cobb and Gwinnett rejected a plan for MARTA to provide rail transit service to those counties.

A second informational meeting is scheduled for Tuesday at Georgia Gwinnett College in Lawrenceville. The meeting will be held in the atrium of building B.

Korean Church Vehicle Vandalized In Suwanee.

From www.ajc.com

A Korean Church van was vandalized with racist epithets and found Sunday morning in Suwanee, Georgia, reported the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. A spokesman for the Church said this must have happened late-night Saturday.The police were called early on Sunday. The van was sprayed with an upside down crosses, Nazi signs, the anarchy sign and other symbols. The words “Jesus is dead” and “chink mobile” were also written.

The cost of repainting the van makes the crime a felony, according to local police.“I think it's more anti-social than anti-Korean," said Police Spokesman Captain Clyde Byers. "Kids are out of school, it's summer. But whoever did this knows some of the bad symbols.”

“I think it's irresponsible to just dismiss a crime like this simply as ‘anti-social,’” said a blogger for AngryAsianMan, an Asian-interest blog. “It's a hate crime. This is hate, and it comes from somewhere.”