Atlanta News | Minute by minute (Oct. 7)

The Minute by Minute is a daily time-stamped compilation of news stories of Atlanta interest. Bookmark it and come back frequently. Send your news tips to breakingnews@ajc.com or follow us at our main Twitter account. As always, you are welcome to comment below. But keep it reasonable, eh?

5:15 p.m. Four hours until the Braves start up in San Francisco for their first postseason since that monumental run. Here are some resources. Daily DOB: Comment on game here. Follow on Twitter. Braves page on AJC.com.

4:44 p.m. Man, working is hard. Almost time to call it a blog for the day, find some Sweetwater and put on my Braves-watching socks. Here’s a quick recap (scroll below for a slower recap).
>> Big Halloween warehouse fire clogged Atlanta commute. Photos. Story.
>> There’s a robber on the loose in Virginia Highlands and he’s attractive. Story.
>> Christians and Yoga don’t mix, says Southern Baptist preacher. AJC Update.
>> Stripper informant that helps bust arrested judge is outed by Smoking Gun. Affidavit. Smoking Gun.
>> Canton city manager gets E-Mail in Mouth Disease.

4:42 p.m. Here’s more on the Gavin Newsom-Kasim Reed throwdown on Giants-Braves. Next week, a flag featuring a proud Phoenix will continue to fly over Atlanta’s City Hall. Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed is just hoping the flag doesn’t read SAN FRANCISCO. Hours before the first pitch in tonight’s Braves-Giants playoff game, Reed has issued at challenge to his San Fransisco counterpart. Reed entered into a friendly wager with San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom on the ultimate outcome of the 2010 National League Division Series between the wild card Atlanta Braves and the N.L. West Champion San Francisco Giants.

3:38 p.m. For the first time since he became the Republican nominee for governor, Nathan Deal has reached the magic 50 percent mark in a Rasmussen Reports poll. Democrat Roy Barnes comes in at 41 percent, and Libertarian John Monds ties with undecided voters at 3 percent. Last month, Rasmussen had the pair closer, with Deal at 45 percent and Barnes at 39 percent. Also: Deal, Barnes talk taxes and water.

3:36 p.m. Hey Thrashers fans. Just a reminder in all of this Braves hooplah. Season opens at home Friday night. Preview.

2:38 p.m. Marietta police are looking for two men who robbed a guard with Dunbar Armored, a security company, police spokesman Michael Gardner said. The armed robbery near Southern Polytech State University early Thursday afternoon put the campus on lockdown for about an hour. The guard was making a pickup at the Mex America store at 641 Marietta Parkway around 1 p.m. when two men entered the store and held a gun to the guard’s head, Gardner said.

2:01 p.m. Police say all is clear at Southern Polytech State University in Marietta, where the campus had been shut down after an armored car robbery.

1:59 p.m. Here’s a tweet from San Francisco Mayor @GavinNewsom: “Made a friendly wager w/ my friend ATL Mayor @KasimReed. Winning team flag to fly over loser’s City Hall in @sfgiants vs @braves series!”

1:48 p.m. Update: Southern Polytech State University is on lockdown after an armored car was robbed near campus, Marietta police spokesman Michael Gardner said. Marietta police are at the scene.

1:41 p.m. We’re getting reports of a huge police presence at SPSU in Marietta and reports of an armored car robbery. Check back, we’ll follow.

1:33 p.m. Weekend football predictions are in from AJC’s Jeff Schultz. Eagles and 49ers? He’s going with Eagles.

1:14 p.m. The man who was killed in an Ellijay home explosion was Reed Bearden, according to Glenn Allen, a spokesman for the state Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner’s office. Bearden, who was in his 70s, died in the 9 a.m. blast on Roy Road, off Ga. 52 east of Ellijay. Investigators believe the explosion occurred when Bearden attempted to light a propane heater inside the home, Allen said. Story.

1:09 p.m. The Braves have released their 25-man roster for the Braves-Giants playoff series. Key omissions: Freddie Freeman and well, Chipper. Beat blog.

12:43 p.m. The stripper who allegedly had an affair and consumed drugs with a federal judge was convicted five years ago on felony charges in connection with a methamphetamine ring, The Smoking Gun reported Wednesday. The website identified the woman as Sherry Ann Ramos, a 26-year-old woman who spent three years in prison following a 2005 conviction. An affidavit filed Monday in the arrest of senior U.S. District Judge Jack Camp Jr. referred only to the woman as confidential informant CI-1.

12:26 p.m. Oh boy. A Canton City Manager was apparently insulting in an e-mail about a citizen who wanted the city to fix a broken sewer. As city manager, of course, his e-mail is public record. Full story here.

12:21 p.m. About to publish a story that identifies and tells the back-story of the stripper that worked as an informant with the FBI, leading to drug charges filed against Federal Judge Jack Camp.

12:06 p.m. Channel 2 Action News had these stories to lead their Noon newscast.
>> Crew is on the scene in Gilmer County trying to find a cause on the Ellijay explosion.
>> Firefighter was injured in early morning Halloween warehouse fire that crippled commute.
>> Zach Klein is in San Francisco for the Braves playoff opener. Story. Follow Zach on Twitter.
>> Weather update: It’s 72 and clear in Atlanta. Meteorologist Karen Minton’s forecast: Sunny skies. Winds NW 5-15 mph. Highs in the low 80s. Weather.

11:46 a.m. San Francisco 49ers head coach Mike Singletary owns up – to a degree – for not shaking hands with Falcons coach Mike Smith after the 16-14 last-minute loss Sunday. Falcons beat blog. Earlier: Smith shakes it off.

11:14 a.m. ‘Extremely attractive’ robber targeting Midtown, Virginia-Highland. Yes, you read it right: The victims in several of the robberies, which began in early September, described one of the two suspects as “an extremely attractive man, a very good-looking fellow,” Atlanta police Sgt. Curtis Davenport told the AJC. Full story here. WSB Video.

11:08 a.m. More news on the fire off Piedmont Road: Wall has collapsed on firefighter working fire-damaged Halloween building. Atlanta fire Capt. Jolyon Bundrige told the AJC that firefighters went into the building around 10 a.m., and that’s when a wall collapsed, injuring a firefighter. Bundrige said the injury was not believed to be life-threatening. The firefighter was taken to Grady Memorial Hospital for treatment.

11:06 a.m. In Ellijay, the Channel 2 helicopter is there and has sent a quick photo. Their report: Hard to see exploded home through the trees. Looks like lots of debris in a wooded area, still smoking. Follow WSB story here.

11:01 a.m. From Atlanta Police regarding traffic because of the fire this morning: Piedmont Road will be closed from I-85 north & south to Garson Drive until noon today.

10:57 a.m. Here are some of the better comments or headline ideas for the story about the Southern Baptist leader who says yoga isn’t Christian.
>> “That’s a stretch”
>> Yoga nation bent out of shape over comment
>> Yoga teachers push back in slow, methodical, peaceful manner
>> Pilates group: “We’ve been saying this for years”
Comment with yours below.

10:48 a.m. More photos in the Halloween warehouse fire from AJC photojournalist John Spink. Story: Fire create havoc on Piedmont road this morning.

10:44 a.m. Channel 2 Action News is en route to Ellijay to check into the house explosion that killed at least one, according to officials. The explosion happened on Roy Road in Ellijay around 9 a.m., according to Georgia Insurance Commissioner’s Office spokesman Glenn Allen. No word yet on the cause. WSB. AJC.

10:33 a.m. For all of you UGA football fans. Mark Richt on the UGA beat blog: “I’m coaching my tail off.” Comment here.

10:30 a.m. The Nation reports that Lou Dobbs, who became notorious for his CNN rants against illegal aliens, “has relied for years on undocumented labor for the upkeep of his multimillion-dollar estates and the horses he keeps for his 22-year-old daughter, Hillary, a champion show jumper.” Political Insider.

10:19 a.m. Booking mug shot is in on the mother who left her son unattended at an Atlanta daycare. Her 2-year-old boy chased her car in the middle of the street after she dropped him off at a daycare facility without permission, Atlanta police said. Neighbors saw the child running in the street and called 911, police said.

10:10 a.m. One person is reported dead in a house explosion in Ellijay. Follow the breaking story here.

9:00 a.m. Update on the peculiar situation facing firefighters in 3-alarm fire near Piedmont Road and I-85 in Atlanta. “Essentially, this building has been turned into a haunted house,” Atlanta fire Capt. Jolyon Bundrige told the AJC. “Initially, operations were being conducted on the interior, but due to the compartmentalization of this building and it being turned into a maze on the inside as a haunted house, interior operations were suspended.” Photos. Story. Traffic updates on Twitter.

8:37 a.m. About 11 hours until first pitch in the NLDS between Atlanta and San Francisco. Wednesday, the Phillies, Rangers and Yankees took 1-0 series leads.

8:32 a.m. Atlanta Police refute study identifying four Atlanta areas among most dangerous in nation.

8:15 a.m. … And don’t even get him started on Pilates. News: Southern Baptist leader calls for Christians to avoid yoga and its spiritual attachments.

8:06 a.m. What happens in Dakar doesn’t necessarily stay in Dakar. Nice lede by AJC’s Ty Tagami in this story about a Delta flight attendant who is suing colleagues and the Atlanta-based airline for covering up drunken and belligerent behavior in the Muslim land. Delta flight attendant Jeanette French claims in the suit filed Friday in Fulton County State Court that pilot Loren Gus Pryor attacked her during an overnight layover in the African city. The Georgia woman claims the pilot from Texas was among a group from the Delta flight who were swilling beer taken from their aircraft and that they were making a scene while they were poolside at the Pullman Teranga Hotel in August 2008. When she told them to cool it and warned that alcohol was illegal there, Pryor allegedly lashed out at her, grabbing her by the shoulder, twisting her around and shoving her away. “You’re not my mother,” the lawsuit claims he said. “Now get the [expletive] out of here.” He also allegedly warned her, as nearby pilots laughed and shouted more obscenities, that “You don’t want to [expletive] with me.” That’s some weird [expletive].

7:57 a.m. Now for a quick rundown of some talkers you may have missed overnight.
>> Phillies Roy Halladay throws second ever postseason no-hitter. AP Story. Photos.
>> A Delta flight attendant accuses pilot, fellow flight attendant of covering up drunken and belligerent behavior in Dakar. Story.
>> Cops say Atlanta mom leaves 2-year-old at Day Care without permission; 2-year-old runs into street after said mom. Story.
>> The widow of a Cherokee County jogger killed when a plane hit him during an emergency landing on a South Carolina beach has sued the plane’s manufacturers and owner for wrongful death and negligence, according to court documents filed recently.

7:47 a.m. Let’s start with the big warehouse fire off Interstate 85. One hundred firefighters were on the scene battling a three-alarm blaze that created a traffic logjam near I-85 and Piedmont Road in northeast Atlanta. WSB Radio was reporting the building was being turned into a maze for Halloween, which was keep the firefighters from entering and getting lost. Photos. AJC Story. Traffic updates on Twitter.

7:46 a.m. Yo readers, it’s Thursday.