Atlanta news | Minute by minute (Oct. 8)

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?

4:05 p.m. Closing down the blog for the weekend. Gotta beat that Atlanta traffic (you can check traffic here, by the way). Just a few things to send you off with, mostly sports related.
>> Braves try to avoid an 0-2 hole tonight in San Francisco and come home to play at 4p Sunday. Beat Blog.
>> Atlanta Thrashers open at home tonight. Beat blog.
>> As always, big high school football action all night. Follow and interact here.
>> Falcons are on the road Sunday as they try to go 4-1 against Cleveland. Falcons coverage.
>> There will also be college football games Saturday. Tennessee and Derek Dooley will be at UGA. Virginia visits Ga. Tech.

4:01 p.m. More on the Canton City Manager with E-mail in Mouth Disease. A snarky e-mail from Canton’s city manager about a senior citizen earned him a reprimand Thursday from the City Council, but he still got his raise. The council handed out the reprimand to Scott Wood and then honored a clause in his contract that guaranteed him a $5,600 raise. He now makes $145,600 a year. “He got his increase because he did good work,” Councilman Bob Rush said. “He just made one mistake.”

3:49 p.m. The NFL says it is reviewing allegations involving the Vikings’ Brett Favre, who the website Deadspin says sent racy messages and photos to a former sideline reporter while he played for the Jets. League spokesman Greg Aiello said Friday, “We are reviewing the matter,” when asked about reports that Favre sent voice mails and photos to Jenn Sterger. Asked about the website report on Thursday, Favre, now with the Minnesota Vikings, said, “I’m not getting into that.” The Vikings and Jets play Monday night in New York. New York Post story.

3:46 p.m. Kappa Sigma’s Beta-Lambda chapter at UGA has been suspended by its national organization, not the university, Mitch Wilson, executive director of the Kappa Sigma national chapter, told the campus newspaper, The Red and Black. Wilson would not say why the frat was sanctioned nor what was being investigated. “There’s been no decision that the chapter [has] lost its charter,” he said, according to an article published on the newspaper’s website, redandblack.com.

3:44 p.m. The probation officer for T.I. is recommending that the rapper face eight to 14 months in prison if his probation is revoked following his recent arrest in Los Angeles. The rapper’s attorneys countered in court filings this week the probation officer’s recommendations are “erroneous” and that he should at most face between five to 11 months behind bars. U.S. District Judge Charles Pannell Jr. has set the hearing for 2 p.m. on Oct. 15 for T.I., whose real name is Clifford Harris. More from WSB via AP.

3:38 p.m. The Griffin-Spalding County School System posted a statement on their Web site, which identifies the student as Michael Hollis.

3:33 p.m. The Griffin Daily News has more on the Griffin High School band member that died during a performance of the school’s drum line at Orrs Elementary School, according to a news release from the Griffin-Spalding County School System.

Read more: Griffin Daily News – GHS band member dies after performance

3:31 p.m. Report from Channel 2 Action News: Griffin High School band member dies after performance. Ch2’s Tom Jones live at 5 p.m. with details.

2:51 p.m. Just a note that the Kirkwood fatal shooting today was just a block away from where a man was shot last year while mowing his lawn in what police said was a robbery.

2:28 p.m. AJC blogger Jeff Schultz tackles the controversial Buster Posey steal in Game 1 of the National League Division Series between the Braves and San Francisco. But of course, as many have said, it’s hard to blame a call in a game where you score 0 runs and have 2 hits. Schultz: “Yes, the Giants’ Buster Posey should’ve been called out on a stolen base attempt in the fourth inning of Game 1, and he eventually scored what would be the game’s lone run. But please, no more whining about how the Braves got robbed.” See the controversial call in photos.

2:24 p.m. Perhaps lost in Braves playoffs, High School football and Thrashers home opener: The 3-1 Atlanta Falcons. Here are 3 keys to their Sunday 1 p.m. matchup with the Cleveland Browns.

2:17 p.m. More photos for our Photos in the Week series. Best of news | Best of entertainment.

1:48 p.m. Homicide detectives are en route to the Kirkwood neighborhood where a man has been shot in the head, Atlanta police Sgt. Curtis Davenport said. The shooting took place in the 2070 block of Ridgedale Road NE, Davenport said. We’ll update the story here.

1:41 p.m. Tommy Hanson will still make his Game 2 start in the National League Division Series, despite being hit in the eye during batting practice before Game 1. The Braves trail 0 games to 1 in the Best of Five series with San Francisco. Game 2 is at 9:37 p.m. tonight. Game breakdown. Photos of the crucial Game 1 controversial call.

1:39 p.m. Police are asking for the public’s help in finding a 10-year-old DeKalb County boy who’s been missing since Thursday night. Eric Nyandwi went missing from his apartment at 3843 Brockett Road. He has a history of unruliness at school and had been in trouble the previous day, police said. Eric, who is 4-foot-5 and weighs 90 pounds, was last seen wearing black pants with a black and white polo-style shirt. Anyone with information on his whereabouts should call DeKalb County police at 770-724-7710. Photo here.

1:15 p.m. A man arrested in the killing of a 20-year-old Riverdale woman has confessed, Clayton County police said Friday.

12:06 p.m. UGA fans are talking about this item from AJC’s Junkyward Dawg: A student representative at this week’s meeting of the UGA athletics board raised the issue of some of the commercials on the Sanford Stadium video board being ill-timed and “killing the atmosphere.” The complaint prompted new AD Greg McGarity to say he thinks the way-too-loud “canned music” needs to be cut back some, too. As he put it, “I’m pretty much a traditionalist. If the band’s there, I want to hear the band playing. I think our fans do, too.”

12:01 p.m. Update on Charles Bannister, who resigned as Gwinnett County Commission Chairman Friday morning as a special grand jury wrapped up a nine-month investigation of county land purchases

11:58 a.m. Bank of America Corp., the nation’s largest bank, said Friday it would stop sales of foreclosed homes in all 50 states as it reviews potential flaws in foreclosure documents.

11:28 a.m. For those in Gwinnett wondering about who will take charge in light of Charles Bannister’s surprise resignation: Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners Vice-Chairman, Shirley Lasseter, will now fill the Chairman’s responsibilities. Over the next several days, county officials will review state law to determine the timing and process for permanently filling the Chairman’s seat, according to statement released by the county. More.

11:12 a.m. From AP: Hurricane Otto forms in the Atlantic; on track that will take it farther out to sea.

10:55 a.m. Here’s a timeline on the career of Charles Bannister, who announced his resignation today as Gwinnett County Commissioner. Bannister’s statement.

10:51 a.m. More on what was believed to be an AK-47 killing in Atlanta. Atlanta police homicide Lt. Paul Guerrucci told the AJC that investigators found more than 20 shell casings that were possibly fired from an AK-47 in a predawn shooting that left a man dead. He could not say how many of the rounds struck the victim, only that he was shot “multiple” times.

10:41 a.m. Normally, alerts of a masked man driving around in a pickup truck asking children if they want a ride would be a real reason for concern. And it was, in Johns Creek before police “extensively interviewed the man and determined that he is not a threat.” More.

10:31 a.m. Just a reminder for hockey fans. Atlanta Thrashers open their season tonight against Washington Capitals. Thrashers Beat Blog. Twitter.

10:30 a.m. Photos of the week published.

10 a.m. Bannister’s resignation came as a grand jury convened this morning for a final meeting following a nine-month investigation of questionable Gwinnett County land purchases. Wednesday’s AJC story on the news of Bannister and the grand jury. More background on the investigation.

9:50 a.m. Gwinnett County Commission Chairman Charles Bannister has resigned, effective immediately says his lawyer. Check back soon for updates. His resignation letter. Story. Political Insider.

9:05 a.m. Here’s the weather for the weekend, courtesy of Channel 2 Action News meteorologist Karen Minton: Today: Sunny skies. Winds shift to SW this afternoon. Highs in the low 80s. Tomorrow: Sunny. Winds West 5-10 mph. Lows in the mid 50s in town, mid 40s in the suburbs, low 40s to upper 30s in the mountains; Highs in the mid 80s. Sunday: Sunny. Winds West 5-10 mph. Low in the mid to upper 50s; highs in the mid 80s. Weather updates.

9:02 a.m. We’ve had a rash of Moms Behaving Badly stories lately, and this sort of fits the bill. Channel 2 Action news is reporting a 27-year-old pregnant woman from Lithonia was arrested after police said she beat up a 6-year-old boy. She apparently knocked out two of his teeth. Channel 2 has the photo of the boy on its Web site. Warning: They may be considered graphic.

8:54 a.m. The Blue Angels are in town, and in honor of this event, we bring back one of the most popular videos ever at AJC.com. A former reporter went up in the air and the camera catches him passing out. It’s worth your time.

8:44 a.m. From today’s AJC: The Carroll County school system acknowledged Thursday that the school bus driver involved in Monday’s deadly crash did not have the proper credentials to operate a school bus.

8:39 a.m. News alerts out just now from CNN and Washington Post: U.S. economy lost 95,000 jobs in September, but private sector gained 64,000 jobs, U.S. says. Unemployment rate stays at 9.6%. AJC’s Biz Beat.

8:28 a.m. Interesting news from Ga. Elections blog. Karen Handel’s most recent campaign finance report shows she spent $100,000 to bring in Sarah Palin the day before Handel’s close Republican Gubernatorial Primary loss to Nathan Deal.

8:23 a.m. Police believe man may have been shot with an AK-47 early this morning in Atlanta.

8:12 a.m. Clayton County police believe they have found the body of a 20-year-old woman missing since July and a 19-year-old man has been charged with her killing her. Janell Crystal Aaron was last seen on July 15 in Riverdale, Officer Otis Willis with Clayton police said. Details about where the woman’s body was found or how she died are not yet being released, Willis said.

8:11 a.m. A 17-year-old Locust Grove High School student was killed late Wednesday afternoon when his car collided with oncoming traffic, Henry County Police said.

8:08 a.m. Atlanta Pride is also this weekend. Events here.

8:06 a.m. The AP has this: Former Agriculture Department employee Shirley Sherrod pleaded with officials to hear her out after she was ousted from the USDA during a racial firestorm in July, internal e-mails show. Sherrod’s pleas reached Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack’s e-mail soon after he ordered her dismissed from the department because of supposed racist remarks she made earlier in the year. He initially stuck by his decision despite her warnings that he didn’t have the full story.

7:55 a.m. You probably know about the Braves. The young Tim Lincecum struck out 14 Braves and allowed two hits in a 1-0 playoff opening win against the Braves. The Braves trail 1-0 in the Best of Five series. They have a game tonight in San Fran and then play Game 3 in Atanta on Sunday afternoon. A major point of contention last night is that many felt the Giants Buster Posey, who scored the game’s only run, should have been out at second during a previous play. See for yourself. Game photos. Quotes.

7:53 a.m. Friday in the ATL. Big sports weekend ahead. Braves in the playoffs again. Thrashers back in town. High school and college football per usual.