Fresh Loaf

The federal judge that recently ruled against Georgia in the decades-long tri-state “water war” basically told the state on Monday that he wasn’t pleased with the state’s legal maneuvering.

From the AJC:

In a three-page order, Senior U.S. District Judge Paul Magnuson frowned upon the Georgia parties’ appeals to the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta.

He said an appeal “will only delay and further complicate the resolution of the important claims at issue.” [...]

“The court stayed the matter for three years, to allow the parties and the political system to attempt to reach a solution to this inherently political problem,” Maguson wrote Monday. Magnuson said he “fully anticipates” the parties will resolve their differences before the deadline.

But Magnuson also noted that “keeping with the gamesmanship evidenced throughout this litigation,” the Georgia parties never abandon their legal claims.

Since Magnuson’s July ruling, Gov. Sonny Perdue has said the state will continue the legal fight, consider building more reservoirs, and — after some huffing and puffing — look at conservation measures. The state’s finding out those first two solutions are more tricky now that Georgia’s behind the eight ball in this little dispute.

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Estimated damage caused by last week’s the flood, in millions of dollars: 250

Level at which the Chattahoochee River reaches “flood stage,” in feet: 14

Peak crest of the Chattahoochee near Vinings on Monday night, in feet: 28.1

Years since the Chattahoochee has reached that height: 90

Number of flooding records broken last week: 9

Number of flood-related deaths: 9

Number of feet that Lake Lanier rose in the week leading up to the flood: 3.5

Difference in the depth of Lake Lanier last week vs. the lowest point of the 2007-2008 drought, in feet: 17

Number of months between Gov. Sonny Perdue’s 2007 prayer service for rain and President Obama’s call to Perdue pledging help for the flood: 23

Sources: AJC.com, lanier.uslakes.info

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Joe Cook

Faced with the threat of losing most of Lake Lanier as a source of drinking water in 2012, Gov. Sonny Perdue and state lawmakers have signaled they’re willing to pursue some water-conservation measures during the next legislative session. Joe Cook, executive director and riverkeeper of the Coosa River Basin Initiative in Rome, Ga., offers politicos a laundry list of solutions.

In a federal judge’s decision earlier this summer, our state may have encountered, if you’ll pardon the pun, a watershed moment.

The judge ruled that Lake Lanier on the Chattahoochee River was not authorized for the purposes of water supply by Congress and therefore, Metro Atlanta communities are not entitled to the water that they’ve been taking from the lake.

He gave Georgia three years to convince Congress to change the lake’s authorized purposes. Without that authorization, some taps in the area may well go dry.

The judge dropped a ticking water bomb in the laps of Georgia leaders. The judge’s decision now forces Georgia’s to get serious about securing alternative water supplies, and it appears to be having an effect.

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State Sen. Jeff Chapman

This is several days old, but since there’s been quite a buzz about a recent op-ed by state Sen. Jeff Chapman, R-Brunswick, we thought we’d share it for the rest of the world.

Chapman’s one of the Gold Dome’s greatest enigmas. He’s one of the few Republicans who doesn’t march in lockstep with his fellow pachyderms and isn’t afraid to butt heads with leadership over his constituents’ concerns. Last year, he won an army of fans when he pointed out problems with Jekyll Island’s proposed redevelopment.

One day after Sen. Chip Pearson, R-Dawsonville, published an op-ed banging the reservoir drum, Chapman released an op-ed titled “Fixing the holes in Georgia’s water bucket.” It was a welcome response to Pearson’s call to simply build more holes.

In it, Chapman says the state should first offer incentives and tax credits for low-flow toilets and fixtures, tighten up its infrastructure, and dredge existing reservoirs. To do so would save money, prevent intrastate water wars, and send a clear signal to Alabama and Florida — and Congress — that the state is serious about its precarious situation.

After the jump, for posterity’s sake, Chapman’s full op-ed.

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Because the only thing worse than potentially losing metro Atlanta’s main source of drinking water is, well,  potentially losing another.

The next skirmish in metro Atlanta’s so far losing battle for drinking water will begin in a federal courtroom here Monday.

Last month a Minnesota judge ruled that Atlanta has no right to drink from Lake Lanier, a potentially crushing blow for future growth and development in North Georgia.

But what happens in Birmingham could prove doubly dire for Atlanta. U.S. District Court Judge Karon Bowdre is weighing whether North Georgia illegally taps Lake Allatoona, too. Her ruling is expected next year.

Lake Allatoona provides drinking water to roughly 800,000 customers in Cobb and surrounding counties.

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Number of years since Buford Dam began operations on the Chattahoochee River, creating Lake Lanier: 53

Number of years since Alabama filed the lawsuit that began the “tri-state water wars”: 19

Daily volume of water Atlanta withdraws from the Chattahoochee, in million of gallons: 180

Daily volume of water Gwinnett County withdraws from Lake Lanier, in million of gallons: 150

Duration of metro Atlanta’s most recent drought, in years: 3

Time between official end of drought and state’s lifting of water restrictions, in months: 2.4

Year that Atlanta’s water demands are projected to exceed river capacity: 2030

Daily per capita indoor water consumption in metro Atlanta, in gallons: 69

Daily per capita indoor water consumption for a water-conserving home, in gallons: 50

Sources: Atlanta Department of Watershed Management, Upper Chattahoochee Riverkeeper, AJC.com

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Flanked by Mayor Shirley Franklin, Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle, state lawmakers and business bigwigs, Gov. Sonny Perdue this morning told reporters the state would appeal a recent ruling that said metro Atlanta’s use of Lake Lanier for its primary water supply was illegal.

Perdue met behind closed doors with 130 officials at the Governor’s Mansion this morning to discuss Georgia’s next step in the ongoing water wars dispute with Florida and Alabama. (Jim Galloway has a list of those who attended.)

U.S. District Judge Paul Magnuson has given Georgia three years to seek Congressional approval for the use of Lake Lanier. If not, withdrawals would return to 1975 levels, when the metro region population was a third the size it is today. Perdue, who earlier this week said he’d “fight to the death” for Georgia’s water, said he hopes to bring other states on board because the federal management of reservoirs is a “national” issue.

For nearly 20 years, the three states have argued over water withdrawals from the lake, which was originally built by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in the 1950s for flood control, hydroelectric production and downstream barge navigation.

When asked by CL if he’d considered asking his floor leaders to introduce legislation that would encourage conservation or set mandates, Perdue bristled. He said the state had made strides over the last 18 months  simply by asking local governments and residents to reduce their use of water.

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Good to know our elected officials are thinking big when it comes to dealing with a recent ruling that says metro Atlanta’s use of Lake Lanier as a source of drinking water is illegal.

SOCIAL CIRCLE – State Sen. John Douglas is poised to take the water wars between Georgia, Florida and Alabama to a new front – the football field.

…

Douglas said this ruling comes just as the contract between the University of Georgia and the University of Florida to play the annual football game in Jacksonville, Fla. – which has been called the World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party – is set for renewal.

“But if the state of Florida wants to play hardball, then as far as I’m concerned, the vendors in Jacksonville can frankly pay the price,” the Social Circle Republican said.

Douglas said he traditionally “doesn’t have a dog in the fight,” but with the recent ruling in the tri-state water wars, he’s ready to work with UGA’s Athletic Association to bring the Georgia-Florida game to Georgia at least every other year.

…

“Now is the time for us to use economic leverage,” he said when contacted by the Citizen on Wednesday. “This is one of the few economic tools we have at our disposal, and I don’t think we should ask the people of Georgia to spend their money in Florida and then have them use that money against us in a courtroom.”

Never mind that the annual Georgia-Florida game is a boon for South Georgia, particularly in the areas of St. Simons, Sea Island and Savannah. Hotels, condo and restaurants along the Golden Isles are packed to capacity during the event. We’re sure business leaders there won’t mind at all.

(Courtesy Senate Press Office)

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Gov. Sonny Perdue has released a statement on Judge Paul Magnuson’s ruling that metro Atlanta’s use of Lake Lanier as its water supply is illegal:

“Obviously, I am deeply disappointed by Judge Magnuson’s decision today. His conclusions rely on decades-old assumptions about the construction of federal reservoirs and the role those reservoirs play in providing water supply for growing states such as Georgia. Our country has changed substantially since the 1940s, when many of these reservoirs were constructed, and I will use this opportunity not only to appeal the judge’s decision but, most importantly, to urge Congress to address the realities of modern reservoir usage. The judge’s ruling allows a three-year window for either Congressional action or an agreement by the states and we will work diligently with Georgia’s delegation and members of Congress to re-establish the proper use of federal reservoirs throughout the country.”

Perdue’s always talking about how the country has changed. Regardless, the AJC’s Jim Galloway, who knows where the bodies are buried, writes that Georgia’s Congressional delegation has scheduled a rare meeting on Monday to get lawmakers on the same page. His post is worth a read if you’re wondering about the political dynamics at play on this issue.

(CL file photo Joeff Davis)

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Mayor Shirley Franklin just released this statement on U.S. District Judge Paul Magnuson’s ruling that metro Atlanta can’t tap Lake Lanier for its drinking water:

“Water is a critical resource. The City of Atlanta is spending billions of dollars rebuilding its water infrastructure under federal consent decrees. As mayor, I recognize the seriousness of the ruling and also the value of proper resource stewardship. Clean water is needed for public health, fire protection and economic development for every person and community in Georgia. The Governor and the State have the lead in this case and we and the other Metro Area water providers are following their lead. This is not only a local or regional issue, but a national issue. We welcome the opportunity to resolve it fairly and amicably.”

C’mon! Give us a little pep! Throw some jabs! CL hereby orders all elected officials to attend the Bob Riley School of Public Speaking and Press Release Posturing. We’ve got free papers to sell, after all.

(Cl file photo Joeff Davis)

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Score one for Alabama in the never-ending “water wars” debacle.

U.S. District Judge Paul Magnuson today ruled that metro Atlanta’s water withdrawals from Lake Lanier — long a bone of contention between Alabama, Florida and Georgia — are illegal and ordered withdrawals frozen at their current levels.

Magnuson gave the Peach State three years to receive Congress’ approval should it want to keep dipping its straws in the giant jetski-filled pond. (PDF of the judge’s ruling)

Alabama Gov. Bob Riley, whose state has argued for years that Lake Lanier was never authorized to be metro Atlanta’s water fountain, was gracious when he heard the news. According to a statement from the governor printed in the Birmingham Business Journal:

“The significance of today’s ruling for Alabama’s economic and environmental future is tremendous…Atlanta has based its growth on the idea that it could take whatever water it wanted whenever it wanted it, and that the downstream states would simply have to make do with less. Following the court’s ruling today, this massive illegal water grab will be coming to an end.”

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Good news! This weekend’s nonstop rain gave Lake Lanier a boost. Bad news! The metro region’s chief source of drinking water may have peaked for the year.

Three days of rain lifted Lake Lanier to its highest level since late 2007.

But the half-foot gain may be the last big hurrah for metro Atlanta’s primary water source before next winter. As temperatures start to climb along with water use, Lanier most likely is “peaking out,” said the state’s top water official.

“We’re still well off where we’d hoped to be,” Georgia Environmental Protection Division Director Carol Couch said Monday.

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Jetski enthusiasts, bass fishermen and bass were shocked — shocked! — Monday after the U.S. Supreme Court said it wouldn’t consider the decades-old legal war between Georgia, Florida and Alabama about how those three states share water from Lake Lanier.

The court’s decision raises fundamental questions about Georgia’s rights to Lake Lanier, a huge federal reservoir outside Atlanta that serves as the city’s main water source. It could also play a key role in deciding related water-rights disputes in lower courts.

Monday’s decision involves a 2003 water-sharing agreement with the Army Corps of Engineers that would have allowed Georgia to take far more water from Lanier for its drinking supply over the coming decades. The deal would have allowed Georgia’s withdrawals to jump from about 13 percent of the lake’s capacity to about 22 percent.

Florida and Alabama contested the pact, arguing that larger withdrawals would cripple downstream flows into their states. They said the lake was initially built for hydropower and providing water to Georgia was not an authorized use.

And now Lake Lanier is the primary source of drinking water for metro Atlanta! Yikes. Gov. Sonny Perdue! Sir, what’s your take on this?

“While we are disappointed with the Supreme Court’s decision today to not correct a flawed ruling by the D.C. Circuit, it is important to remember that this decision simply maintains the status quo in terms of the operation of Lake Lanier by the Army Corps of Engineers.

We felt strongly that Supreme Court review of this case could have resolved a major piece of our ongoing water negotiations, and we will now move forward continuing to work with our neighbors and other stakeholders to reach consensus on a plan that fairly shares our limited resources and adequately protects the headwaters of the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint River Basin.”

Thanks, governor! Other officials will most likely weigh in throughout the day. We’ll include their thoughts as they become available.

UPDATE: After the jump, view Florida Gov. Charlie “Tan-tastic” Crist’s statement on the matter.

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HAULING ASSET: U.S. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson held a press conference this morning about the federal government’s plan to take all those pain-in-the-ass assets off the hands of struggling financial companies. It’s expected to be the biggest federal meddling in the free market since the 1930s, and markets around the world are digging it.

HADRON COLLIDER: A 30-ton transformer breaks in the world’s largest particle collider, halting the experiment. I can only assume it’s because of black holes.

FLORIDA: Thinks it’s too good for Clayton students.

HEAD-TO-HEAD: NFL commish Roger Goodell issues a warning about helmet-to-helmet collisions following Tampa Bay cornerback Elbert Mack’s skull-rattling hit on Matt Ryan.

DICK CHENEY: Can’t get enough war.

GA. MUSIC HALL OF FAME: Accepting seven new inductees Saturday, including Ludacris and Widespread Panic.

IT’S NOT THE HUMIDITY: UGA prepares to play in the Arizona desert for the first time in its 115-year history.

COKE: Named the No. 1 brand in the world for the eighth year in a row.

LANIER: Five feet away from last December’s all-time low.

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SARAH PALIN: The NY Times examines her governing style, which includes hiring several high school friends to high-paying state jobs for which they had no relevant experience.

BEAR MARKET TO FLEA MARKET: The Lehman Brothers investment bank announces it will file for bankruptcy, and despite the possibly market-soothing buyout of Merrill Lynch by Bank of America, the Dow drops 300 points.

FALCONS: Can’t overcome early deficit to the Bucs despite a near-comeback in the fourth quarter.

LAWYER MILLOY: The Falcons’ star safety was arrested on charges of DUI and speeding early this morning. No word yet on whether he will represent himself.

GALVESTON: Rendered a wasteland by Ike, with packs of stray dogs and loose steer wandering the sewage-strewn streets. Hurricane hold-outs now want off the island after lack of power and water has made it almost uninhabitable.

CUTBACKS: State lawmakers, judiciary and the governor’s office say they’ll cut back on their budgets in addition to upcoming state budget cuts made necessary by the colossal statewide shortfall.

QUORUM: The revamped Clayton school board can now move forward with official business after reaching a quorum by recruiting two former candidates for board seats.

DOG CALLS 911: To report owner’s seizure.

LANIER: Not filling back up anytime soon.

LINGERING: Linger Longer Communities says it’s making progress on plans for its Jekyll Island redevelopment, but navigating the environmental laws and public input may be bogging down the process.

UGA: Drops to No. 3 despite staying undefeated, but still has four top-10 teams on its schedule, all SEC foes.

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ELECTORAL CURRENT: The Christian Science Monitor examines this year’s swingingest states, and how swinging they are compared with 2004.

HURRICANE IKE: Hits Cuba, downgraded to a Category 2. It’s expected to head Gulfward from there, meaning Georgia’s streak of dodging major hurricanes will likely stay intact. The downside of that is Lake Lanier won’t get much rain from it.

FALCONS: Win their season opener against Detroit behind breakout performances from their two new stars. QB Matt Ryan threw a a 62-yard touchdown on his first NFL pass and had an unrookielike afternoon, while RB Michael Turner set a team rushing record to power a surprisingly potent offense.

BEGGARS CAN BE BOOZERS: Atlanta city officials are starting a new campaign to discourage downtown pedestrians from filling handled pans, and giving the money to charities instead.

FOOD BANK: The Atlanta Community Food Bank is suffering from the lowest food supply of its 30-year history.

LEAVING HOME: Richard Blais leaves his job at Tom Catherall’s restaurant to focus on several personal business ventures, including FLIP, his new burger joint.

EXOTIC GECKO: Found in Savannah.

BLACK BEARS: Are attacking people more often throughout their ranges in North America, including Southeastern forests such as the Great Smoky Mountains.

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“FIGHT WITH ME”: Says John McCain during his speech accepting the Republican nomination for president. I haven’t listened to the audio of his speech, but I assume he emphasized “with,” and not “fight.”

WARRIN’ POLICY: The New York Times examines how the hawkish and moderate wings of the GOP are vying beneath the surface to influence McCain’s foreign-policy compass, and what to make of his bellicose statements about Iran and Russia.

FIRING RANGE: After her aides improperly peeked at her sister’s ex-husband’s personnel files in an effort to get the Alaska state trooper fired, and then unsuccessfully pressured the public safety commissioner to fire him, Gov. Sarah Palin just fired the public safety commissioner, according to the Alaska state police union.

GATOR CHOMPED: The alligator that’s been sporadically spotted around Lake Lanier during the past month has been caught.

MASS TRANSIT: Can save the average Atlanta household $9,129 a year, according to the American Public Transportation Association. But APTA assumes the household would also get rid of a car, so those estimated savings include no longer paying to register and insure it.

NO BLACKOUT: Three Falcons sponsors bought the remaining 1,500 tickets to Sunday’s season opener to prevent a TV blackout. The game marks the beginning of the Mike Smith era, which players are thrilled about, especially when compared with the Bobby Petrino error “era.”

HOT PANTS: In addition to the ongoing rash of high-priced blue-jean thefts in Atlanta, four Gustav evacuees from New Orleans were arrested Thursday afternoon and charged with yet more blue-jean banditry. Hours earlier, Atlanta police arrested three other smash-and-grab suspects after a car chase.

HANNAH: Will bypass the Georgia coast today, bringing just wind and rain, but Savannah officials hope the false-ish alarm won’t discourage future hurricane wariness.

IKE THE DICKENS: The hurricane, which had been a Category 4 storm, is “extremely dangerous,” according to forecasters, even though it’s weakened to a Category 3.

TURF WARS: California’s attorney general and the nonprofit Center for Environmental Health are suing artificial-turf makers in Georgia and Florida for their turfs’ lead-based coloring, which the lawsuits claim violate California’s environmental laws.

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Number of tornado warnings issued last Tuesday in metro Atlanta because of Tropical Storm Fay: 5

Gallons of rain the tempest added to Lake Lanier, the metro area’s main source of drinking water: 22 billion

Number of days that additional water can last metro Atlanta: 50

Inches Lake Lanier rose last Monday and Tuesday thanks to the storm: 30

Number of feet the lake is still below full level: 15

Average number of gallons released daily from Lake Lanier this month: 1.2 billion

Number of years since the lake’s level has been that low: 52

Gallons that could be saved if pre-1993 metro Atlanta homes replaced their antiquated plumbing fixtures: 183 million

Percentage of respondents in a recent poll who said they were less concerned about the drought this year than they were in 2007: 48

Sources: Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Rasmussen Reports, Metropolitan North Georgia Water District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

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MCCAIN: Picks Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as his running mate. He’ll introduce her in Dayton, Ohio today.

ROCKY MOUNTAIN HIGH: Barack Obama accepts the Democratic nomination for president in Denver with a speech CNN analyst David Gergen calls a “political masterpiece.”

CLAYTON: School system loses accreditation, but can get it back at any point during the next school year if it can meet the SACS mandates. Superintendent John Thompson plans to appeal the SACS decision.

GUSTAV: Bearing down on Cuba as it becomes a hurricane, with a Tuesday landfall in Louisiana expected.

LANIER: The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has slowed flows from the lake because tributaries and reservoirs south of Buford Dam were replenished by Fay.

UGA VII: The new mascot will be announced today and debuted tomorrow when Georgia hosts Georgia Southern in Athens.

RAMBLIN’ WRACK: Fay pushed excessive wrack, or decomposing seaweed that’s naturally washed ashore, beyond normal high tide in coastal Georgia, and it’s filled with trash.

RAMBLIN’ WRECK: Tech beats Jacksonville State 41-14 to open the season.

MEDAL OF SCIENCE: The nation’s highest science award will be given to Georgia Tech chemistry professor Mostafa El-Sayed, who’s working to treat cancer with cylindrical gold nanorods and lasers.

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OBAMA: Officially becomes the Democratic nominee for president, the first black person ever nominated by a major party. He’ll give his acceptance speech tonight.

MCCAIN: Has picked his running mate, whom he’ll inform of his decision today and introduce Friday in Ohio.

UNDERDRIVE: As gas prices and environmental worries have driven down driving, highways and other transportation projects, including commuter rail, have lost a major source of funding — gas taxes.

CLAYTON IS THE HARDEST PART: SACS will announce its accreditation decison at a 1 p.m. press conference today. [UPDATE: Accreditation lost.] Meanwhile, a state judge has recommended that Gov. Perdue remove four Clayton school board members from office for violating Georgia’s open-meetings laws and ethics code. 

FREE REFILL: Fay has now added two feet back to Lake Lanier, as rainwater continues to move downhill through the basin. It’s still 15 feet below full pool, but that one storm has made up for the month of August so far, which has been especially dry.

FUNNEL VISION: The National Weather Service says up to four tornadoes may have touched down in Hall County as Fay passed through.

OUR DEERLY DEPARTED: Rome’s world-famous six-legged deer died last week after surgery to remove his two unnecessary legs.

PAUL JOHNSON: The New York Times profiles Georgia Tech’s new skipper and his stubbornly distinctive coaching style, which he’ll debut in Atlanta tonight as Tech hosts Jacksonville State to open the season.

BRAVES: Call up minor-league outfielder Josh Anderson after trading CF Mark Kotsay to Boston Wednesday for minor-league outfielder Luis Sumoza. Atlanta also signed journeyman relief pitcher Elmer Dessens.

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CLINTON: Addresses the Democratic National Convention by pleading for unity in supporting Obama, telling her supporters, “I want you to ask yourselves: Were you in this campaign just for me?” Bill speaks tonight, along with Biden.

GLITCH, PLEASE: A computer glitch at an FAA facility south of Atlanta is blamed for delaying hundreds of flights across the country Tuesday.

SAXBY ON THE BEACH: Saxby Chambliss, who helped secure federal funding for the pork project, attended a coastal ceremony on Tybee Island Tuesday to announce a restoration plan for its eroding beaches. “I’m a beach bum,” he announced. “I love the beach.”

KOTSAY: The Braves’ center fielder may be headed to Boston, with Atlanta unlikely to get much besides a free roster spot in return.

SPELMAN: Gets an anonymous donation of $17 million.

ROCK YOU LIKE A TROPICAL DEPRESSION: Fay flooded Helen, Ga., and battered Hall County, but she also put a dent in our drought and raised Lake Lanier by a foot.

NO. 1 WITH A BULLET: UGA’s offense and defense say they’re ready to live up to the hype, but the loss of OL Trinton Sturdivant and “sloppy” blocking in practice has raised some nerves.

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SPY VS. PIE: The AP reports that Julia Child left a career as a WWII-era spy to become a chef; Child is one of several well-known Americans whose previously secret spy career was revealed this morning, as the personnel files of the pre-CIA Office of Strategic Services were declassified.

SHOOTING: The chairman of the Arkansas Democratic Party is dead after a recently fired Target employee mysteriously drove more than 30 miles to Little Rock and shot him.

LANIER: Georgia officials asked SCOTUS this morning to overturn a February appeals-court ruling requiring congressional approval for the state to take more water from Lake Lanier to quench Atlanta’s growing thirst.

STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE: The NYT reports on the resurgent popularity of streetcars in at least 40 U.S. downtowns such as Cincinnati, New Orleans, Houston and Charlotte. Not mentioned: Atlanta’s distant visions for the Beltline and Peachtree Street streetcar.

SACS: The accrediting agency is in Clayton County today, part of its review to determine whether the school system will be the first since 1969 to have its accreditation revoked.

SCRATCH PAPER: Cox Newspapers is selling all but three of its newspapers.

RESCUE 911: The recent death of a Johns Creek woman highlights problems in the Fulton County emergency services, as the 911 operator who sent emergency crews 30 miles in the wrong direction had a long history of such routing mistakes. She also repeatedly was disciplined for sleeping on the job, chronic tardiness and fighting with co-workers, and records show her behavior wasn’t uncommon in the department.

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MICHAEL PHELPS: The U.S. swimmer becomes the winningest Olympian ever with his 11th career gold medal.

RUSSIAN INTO WAR: Georgia’s government continues to accuse Russia of attacking the city of Gori despite the cease-fire, and even of moving toward the capital of Tbilisi, although confirmation is difficult.

DRINKING PROBLEM: A judge will decide whether metro Atlantans ever had the right to use Lake Lanier for drinking water.

JOSH SMITH: Interviewed on the Sporting Blog by Bethlehem Shoals following his re-signing with the Hawks.

SILVER BULLET: Transportation officials are discussing the possibility of building a 310-mph, mag-lev bullet train connecting Nashville, Chattanooga and Atlanta.

LAVONIA: Police are accusing a man of keeping his wife and four children captive for three years in a single-wide trailer.

CLAYTON: School board member Rod Johnson becomes the latest to resign. He stepped down after school system attorneys declined to represent him because he had skipped meetings where they were discussing defense strategies for upcoming administrative hearings.

ACCREDIT CHECK: North Carolina Central University’s now-defunct Atlanta satellite campus has been retroactively stripped of its accreditation by SACS, essentially nullifying the degrees earned there by 25 students.

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— A somewhat sobering post at Atlanta Water Shortage. They chart out Lake Lanier’s levels over the last three years. Right now, the lake is down to 1,055 feet above sea level. That’s nearly 10 inches feet lower than this time last year, and equal to the level last November.

— At The Daily Whim, Reid Stott says House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s idea to dip into our Strategical Oil Reserve to lower gas prices is foolish and amounts to little more than pandering.

— At the Daily Kos, there’s a tantalizing call for Obama to name Max Cleland as his vice-presidential running mate.

— Duane Moody’s birthday is coming up and to pre-celebrate, he shares five songs he’s certain we’ll all love.

— It’s going to be a long August because Live Apartment Fire is going on a break, although Doug Richards assures his loyal readers that he’s pre-packaged some timeless posts that will go up throughout the month. Today, there’s rules for a local TV shot game that could have you toasted in minutes. And if you’re a Tom Waits fan, you’ve got to see the press conference clip Richards has posted.

— And speaking of amazing video, A.man.I at My Urban Report went down to Orlando for the World Yo-Yo Contest (who knew?). A true how’d-they-do-THAT? pleasure to watch.

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SKIP CARAY: The voice of the Atlanta Braves dies at 68.

OLYMPICS: Beijing’s unprecedented attempts to clear its polluted skies for the Games are drawing scientists from around the world seeking the rare window to study pollution’s dynamics and health effects.

BOLT FROM THE BLUE: Obama starts making moves on seven historically red states, including Georgia, where he opened five offices over the weekend.

LAKE LANIER: Has an alligator in it.

SHOOTING: At Jermaine Dupri’s party at Club Dream early Saturday was reportedly over guests who were angry at being double charged; the only injury reported was a security guard who was shot in the arm but later released from the hospital.

THE VARSITY: Turned 80 this weekend.

TOO EXTREME: The Augusta Chronicle’s editorial board writes that the recently foreclosed “Extreme Makeover” home in Clayton County shows that charity can be taken too far.

COAST NOT CLEAR: Jellyfish, the “cockroaches of the open waters,” are growing in numbers on coasts around the world and forcing many beach closures, which scientists say is a result of overfishing, pollution and rising temperatures killing off their natural predators.

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