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RINCON - A 39-year-old Guyton man was killed early Friday morning in a work-related accident at Georgia-Pacific's Savannah River Mill plant.

Savannah-Chatham police are investigating the Friday morning slaying of a 28-year-old Savannah man.

The body of Ronald Gene Ervin was found about 5:15 a.m. on the side of Barnard Street near 45th Street. His death marks this year's 16th homicide. At this time last year, there were 18.

Police said Ervin suffered at least one gunshot wound to the chest.

A woman driving to work saw Ervin's body laying near railroad tracks and called Savannah-Chatham police.

Metro police forensics units combed the scene for gun casings and other clues to the homicide throughout the morning hours. As of Friday night, they said they had no new leads.

Area neighbors said they did not hear any gunshots, but they noted that at least two nightclubs are located in the area where Ervin's body was found, which is mainly commercial. A custom millwork warehouse is located nearby.

An underground electrical fire on Friday forced officials to shut down power to a large section of downtown Savannah, where electricity remained off for hours.

The underground fire on Bull Street between Bay and Bryan streets likely was caused by an explosion in the electrical service decks under the street, but what caused the explosion had not been determined late Friday.

"The explosion was most likely in some transformers, causing manhole covers to pop, heavy smoke and subsequent electrical eruptions," said Capt. Matt Stanley, spokesman for Savannah Fire & Emergency Services.

Fire Chief Charles Middleton said at least three manhole covers in close proximity to each other blew off.

While the U.S. men's and women's gymnastics teams have won bronze and silver medals, respectively, the Islands YMCA kids brought home the gold Friday morning.

Ten summer campers in gymnastic director Melissa Vinston's program participated in a weeklong mini-Olympics, which featured events such as the water-balloon toss, Frisbee golf and the foam-pit long jump.

Vinston used the event to introduce the 4- to 8-year-olds to Olympic games, which most have been watching all week on TV from China.

At one time, Jefferson Webster couldn't control his anger.

But today, he says he knows how.

Jefferson, 15, had punched another classmate in the nose and was at risk of not graduating from middle school. But things are turning around for him and 13 other young men and women.

On Friday, the youngsters, ages 13 to 16, graduated from an eight-week summer enrichment course provided by Savannah Impact Program police, parole and juvenile probation officers.

"I would say that now, I can control my behavior and my actions," Jefferson said. "I know now that I can't overstep my boundaries."

Chiquitta Blount, coordinator of the program, said the goal in Savannah Impact's fourth year was to give guidance, to help the children cope with their anger, and to keep them from getting into trouble with the law.

ATHENS - Savannah's Seiler family has picked the bulldog that will be Uga VII - but don't plan to get a look at the newest University of Georgia mascot for a few weeks.

Last month, Joanne Ellis had one of those days.

That morning, her car wouldn't start. As her husband drove her to work, they had a flat tire. Her computer in her office was on the blink, the copier was jammed, and her boss, she says, "was doing his best Attila the Hun imitation all day."

That night, when she got home, Ellis discovered that her refrigerator had inexplicably become unplugged, ruining the food inside.

"I walked out into my backyard, wanting to cry,'' she said. "When I looked up, I saw it was a full moon.

"Then I thought, 'Well, of course.' "

Somehow over the centuries, the moon - especially when it's full - has become a celestial scapegoat, blamed for all sorts of mortal misadventures and failings.

Like crime rates. Suicides. Mental illness. Car crashes. Even werewolves.

COLUMBIA, S.C. - The state Department of Revenue is reviewing whether the nonprofit Lower Savannah Council of Governments acted properly by working on behalf of supporters of a ballot initiative to incorporate Graniteville, Vaucluse and Warrenville.

Higher, faster, longer - and ever more exciting: The only scenes that could be more exhilarating than the ones from the first week of the 29th Olympics of the modern era in Beijing are those of next week's competitions. Of course, as prosaic an event as it is - with almost daily fairy-tale endings and such that resemble the saddest of Greek tragedies - there is also always the counting.

Fuel costs have always been a factor in produce prices at grocery stores, but now they are having a more profound effect at farmers markets. Many growers say rising gas prices are cutting so deeply into their profits that it's often not worth the drive to sell their goods.

For Chuck Lee, the cotton business is "a tight-wire act you walk on all the time."

WASHINGTON - Industrial output rose in July at a slightly better pace than expected as a further rebound in the auto industry offset a big plunge in output at the nation's utilities.

The Federal Reserve reported Friday that industrial production edged up 0.2 percent last month. That was half the pace of the 0.4 percent gain in June, but it did surpass analysts' expectations for flat production in July.

The increase reflected a 0.4 percent gain in output at manufacturing plants. Motor vehicles and parts showed the biggest increase in manufacturing, advancing for a third straight month.

These gains were not seen as signaling a sustained rebound, however, given the problems facing the auto industry this year. Instead, the rebound in auto activity was viewed as a temporary improvement because a strike ended at parts supplier American Axle.

COMING SUNDAY: Developers at Savannah River Landing have modified their timeline for a completion date.

PHOENIX - With the price of oil still above $100 a barrel, everything from wood chips to chicken fat is being scrutinized as an alternative to traditional fuel. But when it comes to airplanes, finding the right mix poses a special challenge.

"When you're in an airplane, you don't want your fuel to start solidifying," said Robert Dunn, a Department of Agriculture chemical engineer who is studying biodiesel jet fuel.

The airline industry is aggressively pushing for homegrown alternatives to petroleum-based jet fuel, while leaning on customers with a variety of new travel charges to help control a projected $61 billion industrywide fuel expense this year. A number of alternatives to standard jet fuel have been studied for years, although aircraft manufacturers say the challenge is to find ideas that will work now.

SAN FRANCISCO - Online DVD rental leader Netflix Inc. resumed normal shipments Friday after its distribution centers were crippled by three days of severe technical problems, a spokesman said.

NEW YORK - Oil fell to its lowest price in three months Friday, briefly touching the $111 level after the dollar muscled higher and OPEC predicted the world's thirst for fuel next year will fall to its lowest point since 2002.

NEW YORK - Oil prices fell about a dollar Thursday, pulling back from the previous day's rally as waning U.S. demand for energy overshadowed supply threats from the conflict in Georgia.

ATLANTA - The number of consumer complaints about getting ripped off by inaccurate or fraudulent gas pumps has risen along with fuel prices.

Cheryl Haworth is an Olympic medal favorite in one expert's opinion. Her own.

BEIJING - With history hanging in the balance, Michael Phelps decided to take one more stroke. His long arms soared above the water, windmilled past his ears and slammed into the wall.

STATESBORO - Nothing is set in stone, but Georgia Southern football coach Chris Hatcher named players who have shot up to No. 1 on the depth chart after a two-hour scrimmage Friday morning.

Exactly two weeks remain before the Eagles open the season against top-ranked Georgia in Sanford Stadium.

"Slowly but surely we're getting where we need to be," Hatcher said.

Friday's workout followed a three-practice set Thursday, and the team understandably looked worn down.

Hatcher is giving the Eagles today, Sunday and Monday off before getting back to work for the Bulldogs.

"We're mentally and physically tired, and you could really see it in the young players," Hatcher said. "Too many (times) you get to game preparation and instead of worrying about who you're playing, you're worried about (fatigue). During this little break, we ought to come back physically and mentally fresh. ..."

Off the softball field, Calvary Day's Brittany Tuten is all smiles, as pleasant and effervescent as any 17-year-old who enjoys the two S's - school and socializing.

ATLANTA - Jair Jurrjens kept the Braves close against Matt Cain and the Giants. Atlanta's bullpen had much less success in stopping San Francisco.

FRIDAY'S SCORE: Delmarva 6, Savannah 2

BROOKLYN, Mich. - The official announcement came Friday that Ryan Newman would be the second driver at the newly formed Stewart Haas Racing, and few, if anyone, was surprised.

ATHENS - Trinton Sturdivant walked the Sanford Stadium sideline Friday with the help of crutches, wearing a sizable brace on his left knee after suffering a season-ending knee injury there four days earlier.

LOCAL

ATLANTA - Michael Jenkins just wants to have fun.

It might not rank with spiders and snakes as phobias go, but as a sport, the triathlon does put fear in some people.

ATHENS - Fans who show up for Georgia's Picture Day today at Sanford Stadium aren't the only ones that will miss out on getting a photo snapped with Bulldogs mascot, Uga, this weekend.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - The hourglass of activity allotted to Fred Taylor won't contain much more than a grain or two of sand in tonight's preseason game against the Miami Dolphins.

Margaret Burnett and Pat Persse attended Sacred Heart School during the 1930s with writer Flannery O'Conner and paid a dollar a month for tuition. By the time Steve Williams came along a few years later, the monthly cost for school had skyrocketed to a whopping $9.

Although the tuition rate in those days seems more than reasonable by today's standards, it was very much a different era and parents made "tremendous sacrifices" to send their children to Catholic schools, the three agreed.

The lively trio of longtime Savannahians sat down recently at the Catholic Chancery to share their memories of Sacred Heart Parish. The "Memory Lane" project is an effort by Gillian Brown who is recording the treasured recollections for both posterity's sake and the archives department of the Catholic Diocese of Savannah.

Its time to start looking towards fall, with cool weather and new fashion trends on the way. But before you just head-first into fall, let's take one last look at the best of summer and get our closets cleared.

"The person who compared their dogs with children is sick, sick, sick. I mean, sick."

Attention back-talkers, daydreamers, misbehavers and other back-to-school demons.

Get ready for a fight.

Stacy Cerone is looking for other mothers from around the Coastal Empire willing to put their hands together - in prayer - for their children.

The Savannah mother will host a Monday informational gathering for Moms In Touch International, a worldwide network of Christian women who meet to pray away the dangers and misdeeds that threaten education and safety at local private and public schools.

The goal of MITI (pronounced "mighty,") is to see every public and private school in the world "covered with prayer."

"I'm hoping many, many more groups will get started," Cerone said. "I just think that will really bless our schools in Savannah and the surrounding areas."

ATLANTA - AishCafe's flashy Web presence makes it look more like a gambling site than the religious experience it is.

There are interactive animations, clickable icons and even a mock iPhone to lure in Jewish college students. And, like gambling, it could pay to play.

The site, run by Aish HaTorah, an Orthodox Jewish educational network based in Israel, offers students willing to learn about their faith a payout of up to $250 or a $300 subsidy for a trip to Israel.

AishCafe has shelled out about $300,000 to students since it launched a year and a half ago. Supporters see the approach as an effective way to reach young Jews at a time when a dwindling number have strong ties to their religious roots and community.

"There's a sense today that college students are very busy with their schedules and their lives, and in order for them to take time out, they need to be incentivized," said Rabbi Raphael Shore, the program's director. "It's the same way colleges offer scholarships."

TODAY

Send items two weeks before an event to calendar@savannahnow.com or fax to Faith Matters, 525-0796. Notices must be typed and include the name and telephone number of a contact person to answer questions. Faith Matters items are printed in the Saturday Accent and Thursday Closeups as space allows. Additional events are published on savannahnow.com/know.

I have become one of the ranks of the two-wheeled. I have joined the scooter nation.

IF YOU lived and worked in Atlanta, how likely would you be to notice new businesses popping up in Coastal Georgia?

Workers' compensation reform needed

The first scandal of the Beijing Olympics is in, and the loser, apparently, is China.

The Russia-Georgia cease-fire brokered by France's president is less than meets the eye. Its terms keep moving as the Russian army keeps moving.

Whew, that was close.

Richmond Hill became 290 acres wealthier on Monday when Larry Jordan signed over the deed to the 290 acre wetland area north of J.F. Gregory Park that is home to the city's three-mile exercise and nature trail.

Meeting of the Friends of the Pembroke Library

Paine Bacon has begun serving as treasurer for Park Place Outreach, Inc.

Cub Scout Packs 400, 486 and 527 will be hosting a fall recruitment campaign from 7-8 p.m. Aug. 21 in the multi-purpose room of Richmond Hill Primary School.

Sol C. Johnson High School

I was standing on the porch talking to my dad when I glimpsed movement near the red blooms on the scarlet bouvardia plant. My first thought was butterfly, but then my eyes caught an iridescent green shimmer and a blur of fast-moving wings.