Fresh Loaf

INVESTMENT BANKS: A thing of the past.

RED, WHITE AND SACRÉ BLEU: TIME magazine bears the sobering message that all this federal financial fiddling is making us kind of French.

BRIAN NICHOLS TRIAL: Scheduled to begin today.

PUMP SLUMP: Gas is hard to find in parts of the Southeast as pipelines are slow to rebound from Ike, but the current Georgia shortages should wane soon.

1400 PEACHTREE: You know what we need to solve this real-estate crisis? A new 70-story skyscraper.

HOT AND BOTHERED: A man and woman flee police in a van after being caught by police midcoitus, then crash the van and run.

HELL TO THE CHIEFS: The Falcons dismantled Kansas City Sunday for their second win of the season, while handing the Chiefs their 12th straight loss.

BLACKOUT: UGA holds onto No. 3 in both polls; coach Mark Richt announces the team will wear black jerseys for the third time against No. 8 Alabama this Saturday, when ESPN GameDay will be in Athens.

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Georgia’s two most prominent football teams head into the season with very different prospects. The rebuilding Atlanta Falcons are expected to scrape the NFL’s dregs; the Georgia Bulldogs enter today’s opener as No. 1 in the NCAA.

“[U]nless Richt is holding that crystal football in Miami at around 11:30 p.m. on Jan. 8, 2009, this season will be a failure.”
– Pete Fiutak, FOXSports.com

“Our goals won’t be measured in wins and losses this year. We need to move forward and grow as a team.”
– Falcons general manager Thomas Dimitroff

“I think everybody is expecting good things.”
– Georgia head coach Mark Richt

“He’ll be running behind a shaky offensive line that looks as if it’s held together by duct tape purchased from one of [Arthur] Blank’s old stores.”
– The Sports Network’s Scott Garbarini, on new Falcons running back Michael Turner

“It’s cool to say you were part of that team that was preseason No. 1, but it would be a lot nicer to say it at the end of the season. There’s a lot of time between now and then.”
– Georgia quarterback Matthew Stafford

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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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TERMINAL ILLNESS: Delta cancels flights for safety inspections; hundreds sleep overnight at Hartsfield-Jackson terminals.

VOUCHERS: With Clayton County in mind, state House committee passes voucher bill that would use state funds to send kids in deaccredited school districts to other districts or private schools.

IF I ONLY HAD A CRANE: 2005 Buckhead crane sitter deemed competent to stand murder trial, which makes sense, since he was competent to stand on a crane 350 feet in the air for 56 hours.

RICHT IN MIDDLE EAST: Joins handful of other college football coaches in program to entertain soldiers abroad and coach them in flag football games.

GROWTH DISORDER: Metro Atlanta is No. 2 in the nation in population growth in the past year. Our drought is now only “extreme,” so there’s nothing to worry about.

T.I.: Expected to plead guilty today.

LA TIMES: Apologizes after being hoaxed by inmate on Diddy/Tupac story.

MASS TRANSIT: Advocates push legislators to include bus and rail provisions in transportation budget.

FROM HOSPITALITY TO HOSPITAL: Study finds the hospitality industry has the highest rate of alcohol abuse of all industries.

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A DELEGATE SITUATION: Michigan and Florida want to redo their Democratic primaries, and want national party to pay for them.

PERDUE: Hosts McCain fundraiser at Westin Buckhead just three days after endorsing him. McCain visits Chick-fil-A HQ in College Park this morning.

DRIVE-BY SHOOTING: In Stone Mountain; seven injured.

NICHOLS TRIAL: “Meeting of the minds” yields defense funding agreement.

CLAYTON: Parents to call for all school board members’ resignations at Monday’s meeting. Perdue pushes a bill that would allow voters in deaccredited school districts to vote out board members via referendum. BoE suspends search for permanent superintendent, will hire “corrective” interim chief within weeks.

RICHT GETS RICHER: UGA coach gets $800,000 raise, still only fifth-highest paid coach in the SEC.

LOUSY SMARCH WEATHER: Temperatures drop, snow possible Saturday in North Georgia.

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