Morris Brown College avoids building auction

Morris Brown College is avoiding the auction of one of its building to help pay its debt. The historically black college struggled to keep its doors open recently in the face of a 385-thousand dollar overdue water bill. Courts intervened on the school’s behalf in that matter.

Morris Brown officials say lienholders have given the college a 60-day reprieve to keep the Jordan hall classroom building off the auction block for now.

Morris Brown is recovering from a 2002 embezzlement scandal that brought the institution to the brink of extinction.

Tornado Warning Across N. Georgia (UPDATE)

---UPDATE:

THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR SOUTHEASTERN WALKER COUNTY IS CANCELLED...

THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM HAS EXITED WALKER COUNTY.

...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 615 PM EST FOR MURRAY...SOUTHEASTERN WHITFIELD...GORDON AND NORTHERN BARTOW COUNTIES...

AT 545 PM EST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR CONTINUED TO INDICATE A LINE OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS CAPABLE OF PRODUCING DAMAGING WINDS UP TO 60 MPH. THESE STORMS WERE LOCATED ALONG A LINE EXTENDING FROM CHATSWORTH TO AUDUBON TO ADAIRSVILLE...MOVING EAST AT 45 MPH.

OTHER LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO ETON... REDBUD...RAMHURST...FARMVILLE...FORT MOUNTAIN STATE PARK...FOLSOM...SONORAVILLE...OAKMAN...CARTERS...RANGER...FUNKHOUSER AND FAIRMOUNT.

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A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 5:45 PM EST FOR EASTERN CHATTOOGA AND FLOYD COUNTIES...

AT 524 PM EST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR CONTINUED TO INDICATE A LINE OF TORNADO PRODUCING STORMS. THESE TORNADO PRODUCING

STORMS WERE LOCATED ALONG A LINE EXTENDING FROM EVERETT SPRINGS TO ARMUCHEE TO ROME...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 50 MPH.

A ROOF WAS BLOWN OFF A HOME NEAR HOLLAND! THIS IS A DANGEROUS LINE OF STORMS.

OTHER LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO SHANNON AND PINSON.

Click here for detailed National Weather Service updates.

Drought Affecting Rome's Ability to Pay

The City of Rome may not be able to pay their bills if it abides by the 10% cut in water consumption asked for by Governor Perdue. Rome has spent the last three years updating its water treatment plant. This process racked up 40 million dollars worth of debt, which is paid in most part, by citizen’s water bills. To scale back 10% is about a million gallons of water the city won’t make money on.

The Director of Rome’s Water and Sewer Department, Lee Ross, says something has to give.

"We would not be able to meet our fixed costs and our debt payment with out making some severe changes to the way we operate or to our rate structure."

As of now, Rome uses a little more than eight million gallons of water a day, six of which is returned to the Etowah River.