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Roderic Edwards went through the substance-abuse program at Chatham County jail about three years ago.

ATLANTA - God might not strike down someone who packs a pistol in the pews, but a judge will.

Idyllic, suburban Hesse Elementary School just got better for its students.

FORT STEWART - Patrick is a big tease, triumphantly running around the play area with a faded tennis ball hanging out of his mouth.

As they sat around table No. 7 on Tuesday night, Bessie Carson, Judith Goethe and other members of their group all agreed housing was their primary concern along DeRenne Avenue.

ATHENS - A barrage of computer-generated phone calls left a trail of frightened voters from Carroll County to Commerce on election-runoff day last week, but the messages might not have broken any laws, and officials might never know who's behind them.

RICEBORO - Lisa Stone loved spending her spare time riding behind her fiance, Liberty County Sheriff's Deputy Wade Long, on his 2007 Nomad motorcycle.

John "Buck" Elliott isn't one to shy away from challenges.

A woman stopped her car on the side of the road after she saw blue lights in her rearview mirror, but there was a problem: The guy who pulled her over was not a sworn Savannah-Chatham police officer.

AUGUSTA - Within 10 days, drought-parched Lake Thurmond is expected to fall to its lowest level since 2002, triggering Level 3 of the Corps of Engineers' drought-management plan for only the second time since it was adopted in 1989.

COLUMBIA, S.C. - Soon after a state law was passed allowing American Indian chiefs and spiritual leaders to preside over marriages, Buster Hatcher and Susan Hayes were dressed in buckskin and pledging their love at a powwow.

ATLANTA - A lawsuit that would force taxpayers statewide to spend more on education likely will go to trial after a judge rejected the state's effort to have the case thrown out.

The hand signals for bicycle safety were identified incorrectly in Sunday's Accent section. The correct hand signals can be found today on page 1E.

One issue more than any other dominated a community meeting Monday night about a 22-acre development on West Gwinnett Street.

When it comes to retirement savings, the gender gap is ever widening.

Publix salad kit recalled

WASHINGTON - After months of rising food prices, there may be some relief coming with farmers on track to produce the second largest corn crop and fourth largest soybean crop in history.

FORT WORTH, Texas - In May, American Airlines' chief executive, Gerard Arpey, called the run-up in jet fuel prices a "game changer" for the airline industry and said it had spurred his plans to downsize the airline in the fall and begin charging customers a host of new fees.

WASHINGTON - The U.S. trade deficit unexpectedly fell in June as exports advanced to an all-time high, offsetting another big surge in oil imports.

WASHINGTON - Two-thirds of U.S. corporations paid no federal income taxes between 1998 and 2005, according to a new report from Congress.

Mirroring a national trend, exports through the port of Savannah have exploded in the past few years, exceeding 1 million 20-foot containers for fiscal year 2008 alone, a new first for Georgia Ports Authority.

In Sunday's column, I discussed a couple of underutilized downtown areas that have great potential for both residential and commercial development over the next 50 years or so.

ATLANTA - Thousands of shoppers have been flocking to malls in more than a dozen states for back-to-school sales-tax holidays, buying millions of dollars' worth of clothes and school supplies - and depriving states of much-needed revenue.

It started showing up on the menu at Debi's Restaurant about a year ago.

WASHINGTON - More banks are tightening lending standards on home mortgages and other consumer and business loans as a deepening credit crisis exerts a heavier toll on the economy.

NEW YORK - Oil prices fell below $114 on Monday for the first time since early May as the dollar extended its rebound and more signs emerged that China's energy demand could be leveling off.

When it comes to protecting your financial well-being, most of us think first about auto insurance because we are such a mobile society.

Name: Crystina Bronk

Title: Bartender

Age: 28

Salary: $22,000-$45,000

What she does: Bronk is a bartender at Six Pence Pub, located in the Historic District.

How she got the job: "A friend of mine, who still works here, recommended me. There was a fabulous bartender who moved away so they needed a bartender. I was really lucky, and the timing was perfect because Six Pence doesn't usually hire a bartender straight from an interview, you usually spend about six months on the floor," she said.

Educational background: Bronk recently earned a bachelor's degree in biology from Armstrong Atlantic State University. She also says she has "14 years of experience in the school of hard knocks."

They were different shapes and sizes, from petite gymnast Zuzana Sekerova to 6-foot-5 sprinter Stephen Lugor to husky weightlifter Michael Cohen, who used to compete at 181 pounds.

BEIJING - A daily double. Michael Phelps swam into history as the winningest Olympic athlete ever with his 10th and 11th career gold medals - and five world records in five events at the Beijing Games.

ATHENS - The Georgia football team didn't have to wait for its season to begin to confront its first major dose of adversity.

Someday, Tommy Bowden says, the fortunes of the Atlantic Coast Conference are going to change.

BEIJING - The Chinese crashed what was supposed to be a U.S. Olympic party.

COMMENTARY

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - Derrick Harvey's holdout will reach a milestone today.

LOCAL

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - The Jaguars haven't had a No. 1, go-to receiver since Jimmy Smith retired in the spring of 2006.

ATHENS - Baccari Rambo moved into a backup role at safety alongside Statesboro's John Knox for Georgia when Quintin Banks went down with a torn MCL.

BOSTON - In one of the wildest games of the season, Kevin Youkilis' go-ahead homer sent the Boston Red Sox to a 19-17 win after the Texas Rangers fought back from a 10-run first inning Tuesday night that included a pair of three-run homers by David Ortiz.

ATLANTA - Late Atlanta Braves broadcaster Skip Caray might have had something funny and sarcastic to say about Gov. Sonny Perdue and others who lined up to remember him Tuesday. But Caray probably would have had something nice to say about the fans who came to listen.

NASCAR downplayed reports of failing interest in the Craftsman Truck Series, saying it would continue next year with a full 25-race schedule.

TUESDAY'S SCORE: Lakewood 4, Savannah 0

ATLANTA - The Chicago Cubs and Atlanta Braves got another day to recharge their slumping right fielders.

"That was a great article about the Ronald McDonald House. We have a Ronald McDonald family room at Candler Hospital that is doing a great job."

One of the loveliest and, at the same time, oddest vegetables of summer is surely the eggplant. With its skin covering a spectrum from creamy white to streaky-lavender to almost black purple, and shape ranging from egg-like ovals to long, slender goosenecks, this voluptuous vegetable whispers of exotic places.

Few Paso Robles wine industry names are as recognizable as Benito Dusi. He reigns over a gnarled vineyard with more than 80 years production to its credit. The Zinfandel grape has been the show stopper year after year - and those grapes have been the foundation of some great Zins from the likes of Turley, Dover Canyon and today's subject, Peachy Canyon.

Recipe from Joseph Martin, executive chef, Levy Restaurants at Dodger Stadium: At the stadium, the carne asada is served with corn tortillas, pico de gallo, tomatillo sauce, chopped onions, chopped cilantro, grilled whole serrano chiles and slices of lime.

How to get your event in the calendar

"Why is gasoline $3.74 a gallon in Savannah and only $3.54 in Statesboro? Puzzling, isn't it?"

Dominique Dawes has three Olympic medals, one of the best nicknames in sports ("Awesome Dawesome") and the ability to sit in a split for hours on end. So what doesn't the legendary gymnast have? Weights.