Danger, death on the tracks on Georgia movie shoot

Submitted by Keith Whitney, 11Alive Reporter

Wednesday, March 5th, 2014, 11:58pm

(WXIA) -- The train trestle in Jessup, Georgia, where Sarah Jones lost her life, is an ancient but solid span of iron that crosses the Altamaha River. It is a busy section of track, with an estimated ten trains using it every day.

Officials say the film crew she was with did not have permission to be on the tracks, just in the surrounding area.

Jones, a camera assistant, was a popular figure in the movie industry. Thousands took time to remember her on social media, and hundreds showed up for her memorial in Atlanta over the weekend.

"She was a one of a kind person," said one attendee. "She was full of a lot of life and laughter she made everything an adventure."

Hair stylist Joyce Gilliard also knew Jones. She was inches away from her when she was killed.

Gilliard suffered a compound fracture when the train that hit them broke her arm.

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Submitted by Beth Sawicki, Where U Live Producer

Tuesday, March 4th, 2014, 7:23am

Ga. Connections Academy accepting students for 2014-15 school year

(WXIA) -- A few seats are still available at Georgia Connections Academy for the 2014-15 school year.

Georgia Connections Academy is a virtual K-12 public school that allows students to learn at their own pace. It is fully accredited and open to all school-age Georgia children.

"We are enrolling 1,000 additional students across all grade levels for the coming academic year," lead principal Heather Robinson said in a release. "We have a waiting list as we open enrollment, so we encourage parents to get their applications in now."

Georgia Connections Academy will hold a number of information sessions across the state for parents who want to know more. Additional enrollment information is available at connectionsacademy.com/georgia-virtual-school.

Upcoming information sessions in the Atlanta area include:

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Submitted by Beth Sawicki, Where U Live Producer

Friday, February 28th, 2014, 1:41pm

Weekend roadwork planned for I-85, Ga. 400, Connector

(WXIA) -- With a warm weekend on the horizon, the Georgia Department of Transportation plans to perform some much-needed roadwork throughout north Georgia.

Closures and delays can be expected on a number of major roads and highways.

"Plan ahead -- I can't say it enough," GDOT District Construction Engineer Shun Pringle said in a release. "If you plan ahead, you can avoid some potentially heavy delays."

Some notable roadwork includes:

Downtown Connector
Two right lanes of I-75/85 north near University Avenue will be closed for pavement work Saturday from 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.

I-285
Three lanes will be closed in both directions between West Paces Ferry and Roswell roads for sign replacements. All work will take place overnight -- from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m.

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Submitted by Beth Sawicki, Where U Live Producer

Sunday, February 23rd, 2014, 7:35am

Horizon Theatre kicks off new season with 'Elemeno Pea'

ATLANTA -- Horizon Theatre will begin its 30th season next month.

The Little Five Points theater will celebrating this milestone year with a staging of Elemeno Pea, a comedy that premiered at the 2011 Humana Festival for New American Plays.

Horizon Theatre provided this synopsis of the play, the title of which is pronounced L-M-N-O-P:

This haves and have nots comedy is about a siblings' weekend on Martha's Vineyard gone awry when the younger sister's boss crashes the party. Summer's ending on the Vineyard, but before everything is shuttered, Simone invites her sister Devon down for a fun weekend.

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Submitted by Beth Sawicki, Where U Live Producer

Friday, February 21st, 2014, 7:09am

(WXIA) -- The Georgia Department of Natural Resources has brought back its Give Wildlife a Chance Poster Contest for 2014.

This year's theme is Plug into Nature, emphasizing the importance of experiencing wildlife and plants firsthand.

All Georgia students in grades kindergarten through 5 are invited to enter the contest. The top 12 winners' posters will be displayed on the DNR's Flickr site and at the Go Fish Education Center in Perry during the first two weeks in May.

Contest entries are due Apr. 16. Three winners will be picked in four categories (kindergarten, grades 1-2, grades 3-4, grade 5).

Visit georgiawildlife.com for more information about the contest.

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Submitted by Sam Crenshaw, 11Alive Sports Anchor

Wednesday, February 19th, 2014, 6:27pm

ATLANTA-- The latest edition of the USA Today Metro Atlanta Super 25 Girls Basketball Poll is here. McEachern maintains the lead as the state tournament begins.

For much of the season McEachern and Southwest DeKalb have been 1 and 2. That continues this week with Parkview, Redan, and Archer the top 5.

Next comes Tucker, Hillgrove, Wesleyan, North Forsyth, and Southwest Atlanta Christian making up the top 10.

The Metro Atlanta Super 25 is computer generated and produced exclusively for 11 Alive News and 11 Alive.Com by USA Today High School Sports.

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Submitted by Michael H. King, Digital Executive Producer

Wednesday, February 19th, 2014, 6:07pm

SAN FRANCISCO (USA Today) - Google unveiled big expansion plans for its fast Fiber Internet service on Wednesday, stepping up pressure on incumbent cable and Internet providers such as Comcast, Verizon and AT&T.

Google, the world's largest Internet search engine, identified nine urban areas encompassing up to 34 cities across the U.S. as possible sites for deployment.

"We aim to provide updates by the end of the year about which cities will be getting Google Fiber," Google said on its blog. "Between now and then, we'll work closely with each city's leaders on a joint planning process that will not only map out a Google Fiber network in detail, but also assess what unique local challenges we might face."

Google Fiber is about 100 times faster than what most Internet users live with today, according to the company.

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