Oxendine Blasts AJC Article Over Contributions

Republican candidate for governor John Oxendine is returning more than $100,000 in campaign contributions brought into question by a recent investigative report by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Oxendine in a statement Monday on his website says his campaign believes nothing was done illegally, but out of quote “an abundance of caution”, the disputed money is being returned.

The report claims two insurance companies tied to Rome and headed by the same person directed $120,000 to Oxendine’s campaign through 10 political action committees.

Campaign spokesman Jeff Breedlove says Oxendine became aware of some "technical issues" with the contributions last week, before the story ran Sunday, and filed an advisory opinion request with state ethics officials.

Breedlove says it was shoddy reporting by the AJC to run the story before interviewing Oxendine’s attorney:

"The fact is in this case a young, overzealous reporter who’s drank the liberal Kool-Aid at the AJC failed in his professional obligation to wait to Monday to talk to the attorney with the campaign."

The paper says it asked Oxendine about the allegations before its Sunday story.

Oxendine is Georgia’s Insurance and Fire safety commissioner, and was the first Republican to announce his entry into the 2010 governor’s race.

Former AJC editor dies

John Walter, a founding editor of USA Today and former executive editor of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, has died. He was 61. Walter died Thursday at a hospital in Springfield, Mass., from complications of surgery, the Atlanta newspaper reported. Walter was managing editor of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution from 1989 to 2002.

First Chinese Olympic gold for Atlanta

A Georgia runner expects to bring home Atlanta's first gold medal from Beijing. The Atlanta Journal Constitution reports Angelo Taylor won the 400-meter hurdles competition yesterday. Taylor attended Southwest DeKalb High School and ran for Georgia Tech.

Gilmer County breaks smog standard

Gilmer County in north Georgia county recorded the state's worst smog yesterday – the first day of smog season. Gilmer County, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, broke federal ozone standards. A spokesperson says it's because Atlanta's air pollution blows north. Other Georgia counties have been caught with high levels of ground-level ozone this year. On April 17th, Augusta, Macon, Athens and the town of Dawsonville violated the limit.

Newspaper announces cuts

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution is making job and distribution cuts. The paper will eliminate 62 jobs and cut back from 74 to 49 counties. The change, effective June 2, affects mainly the northwest corner of the state, and along the South Carolina border in eastern Georgia.

Report details 22-billion-gallon mistake

A new report details how billions of gallons of water were accidentally released from Lake Lanier. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports miscommunication over a $138 pulley led the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to set a calibration gauge wrong. The gauge then indicated the lake was higher than it actually was. That led to the accidental release of 22 billion gallons of water over a 52-day period ending in June 2006. Today, Lanier is approximately 13 feet below its full level.

Atlanta Journal-Constitution Endorses Obama

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Georgia's largest newspaper, is endorsing Illinois Sen. Barack Obama in the Democratic race for the White House.

The newspaper said in an editorial published on its Web site Saturday and to be printed Sunday that it believes Obama has demonstrated an appeal across many of the lines that have divided America.

"That is a critically important attribute, because the scale of changes that must be made to correct America's course cannot be accomplished with majorities of 50 percent plus one," the newspaper said.

Of Obama's chief rival in the Democratic race, New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, the newspaper said she has too often chosen to play within the Washington system rather than dare to challenge its assumptions.

"Different moments in history require different types of leaders, and part of the art of picking a president is matching the person to the challenge and to the time," the newspaper said. "So while both Clinton and Obama would make very good presidents, Obama is the person; this is his time."

The newspaper plans to endorse a candidate in the Republican presidential race next Sunday.

Georgia's presidential primary is Feb. 5.

Click here to read more GPB News coverage of the presidential primaries.

(The Associated Press)