Dogfighting ring busted in north Georgia

Two men in north Georgia have been arrested on dogfighting charges. Investigators are linking Randall Thaxton of Canton, and Ellijay resident Ray Beavers to the same "significant pit bull breeding operation". The lead investigator in the case says 30 pit bulls were recovered, all with scars consistent with dogfighting. Since May, eight dogfighting operations have been raided by law enforcement officials. That’s when a new Georgia law went into effect making it a felony to own, possess, train, transport or sell any dog for the purpose of dogfighting.

Two hurt in plane crash

Two people have been hospitalized after a small plane crashed after takeoff from the Gilmer County Airport.

The Piper Cherokee took off from the airport after 10:15 a.m. Wednesday, according to Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman Kathleen Bergen.

Bergen says witnesses reported the plane's engine stopped and the plane crashed short of the runway after the pilot tried to return back to the airport.

Bergen did not have identification of the people in the plane.

(The Associated Press)

State apple crop in 'pretty good shape'

Apple growers have been affected by the state's weather problems this year, but not as much as might be expected.

Officials say the quality of the apple crop is in "pretty good shape", despite the weather patterns in Georgia this year. This despite production down to about 50-percent in 2007.

Michael Wheeler with the University of Georgia Extension Service in Gilmer County says the Easter freeze was somewhat good to cut-down the apple load on trees. Concerning the lack of rainfall in north Georgia, it's not necessarily a bad thing.

"Rainfall is a double-edged sword because we need rain for adequate-size production on the individual apples, but with rain comes moisture and tendency to have a lot of disease pressure on the crop".

Wheeler said the 'Rome', and 'Golden' and'Red' Delicious varieties look to be the best this year.

Apples are center-stage the next two weekends, with the Georgia Apple Festival in Ellijay getting underway.

North Georgia man arrested for hitman scheme

A 72-year-old Ellijay man was arrested on charges that he tried to hire someone to kill his estranged wife and her caregiver. Authorities in north Georgia say Robert Goldman paid who he thought was a hitman, and asked that the killings be made to look like the result of a home invasion and robbery. Authorities protected Goldman’s wife and caregiver during a 2-week undercover investigation. Authorities say divorce appears to be the motive.

Wildfires update

The massive wildfire that is affecting southeast Georgia into Florida has burned over 240-thousand acres, and continues to cause havoc for firefighters, travelers, and residents.

The blaze was sparked just over a week ago from a lightning strike in the Okefenokee Swamp. Officials today report 30-percent containment on the fire. In Florida alone, it has burned over 102-thousand acres. Windy conditions in the forecast are expected to test new and existing fire-lines that have been constructed.

Road travel continues to be greatly affected. Several highways in Georgia and Florida were closed. Travel on Interstates 75 and 10 is allowed when visibility permits. Roads closed in Georgia: US 441 from Homerville to the state line; SR 177 between Stephen C Foster State Park and Fargo; SR 94 closed to through traffic--from Moniac west to the state line; SR 94 entirely closed from the Florida line through Fargo to Statenville; SR 185 is open for local traffic only.

Firefighters in Georgia are battling another massive blaze nearby, which has charred more than 130-thousand acres since mid-April. And just from this past weekend, north Georgia had a new blaze flare-up from what may have been a lightning strike—over 900 acres burned in the Chattahooche National Forest in Gilmer County. The fire is about 10 miles north of Ellijay.