Atlanta news | Minute by minute (Oct. 11)

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?

4:07 p.m. Oh, and it’s 86 degrees. A record high for the date. Good job, weather.

4:04 p.m. The big story tonight will be the Braves and whether they can extend the career of legendary coach Bobby Cox. It’s been a wild ride, and the patchwork lineup has struggled for every run. Check AJC.com throughout the game to interact with fans at Dave O’Brien’s blog or with Mark Bradley. We’ll have plenty of photos throughout the night. Game starts at 7:37 p.m.

4:03 p.m. The man who will ultimately decide whether Atlanta will get as much as $56 million in federal funding for its proposed Peachtree Streetcar project said no decision has been made — but he warned that the city faces very stiff competition for the grant money. In one sign that the city may still be in the running for the money, U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood was scheduled to talk with Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed, U.S. Rep. John Lewis of Atlanta and other state and local officials late Monday about the city’s application for the streetcar money under the TIGER grant program. “I know this TIGER grant is very important to the city of Atlanta, and I told [Reed] I’d be happy to listen to them,” LaHood said. Reed told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution that he and others planned to try to reinforce with LaHood that the city was putting plenty of its own money behind the $70 million-plus project as well, and that an initial phase would be finished in two years and create hundreds of job.

4:00 p.m. Update to Braves beat writer Dave O’Brien’s post on Brooks Conrad: “Rough time to be Brooks Conrad, a good dude.”

2:52 p.m. Brooks Conrad will be on the bench tonight for the Braves. Omar Infante is at second base and Troy Glaus gets the start at third. Conrad had three errors Sunday and two cost the team runs in the 3-2 loss.

2:35 p.m. It’s 84 now, according to Channel 2 Action news and outside. Getting close to that record high of 86 degrees in 1954. WSB.

2:28 p.m. A teenage driver from Fayetteville ran a stop sign, killing another driver from the same city during the Monday morning commute, authorities said. James Buck, 55, died by the roadside after a car plowed into his SUV, causing it to overturn, according to the Fayette County Sheriff’s Office. Buck was ejected from the 2004 Toyota Sequoia that he had been driving north on Antioch Road around 8:50 a.m., said Major Bryan L. Woodie, the Fayette sheriff’s field operations director. Buck was driving alone and was not wearing a seatbelt, Woodie said.

2:21 p.m. From Channel 2 Action News: A civil rights group has called on the Board of Regents to reject a proposal that would limit the attendance of illegal immigrants at state colleges and universities.

The American Civil Liberties Union of Georgia issued a statement Monday urging the regents to continue to allow illegal immigrant students to attend University System of Georgia schools.

2:06 p.m. The names of the two people killed in a multi-vehicle crash on Beaver Ruin Road Saturday night are being withheld as Norcross police continue to try and find their next of kin, Capt. Brian Harr said. The accident, which happened on Beaver Ruin Road at Beaver Falls Drive in Norcross, remains under investigation, and no charges have been filed at this point, Harr said. According to Lt. Eric Eberly with the Gwinnett County Fire Department, one of the first responders to the accident, one car clipped another one and then slammed head on into a Gwinnett County Transit shuttle bus.

1:47 p.m. The eldest granddaughter of gubernatorial candidate and former governor Roy Barnes was released from the hospital after a head-on collision Sunday, but her 4-year-old sister remained in the hospital Monday and was to undergo surgery for broken bones, a spokeswoman for Barnes said. The Cobb teenager who was driving the other car remained in critical condition Monday.

1:05 p.m. Two fatalities reported out of Gwinnett today:
>> Gwinnett child, 7, dies after being hit by vehicle. AJC story.
>> A Lawrenceville man is dead, and a Norcross woman faces charges after running a red light Saturday morning and slamming into his vehicle, police said. AJC story.

12:35 p.m. Atlanta’s Shepherd Center has begun the nation’s first FDA-approved testing of human embryonic stem cells on a human patient. The patient, partially paralyzed by a spinal cord injury, had millions of embryonic stem cells injected into the site of the damage.

12:15 p.m. Metro Atlanta’s unseasonably warm weather will continue on Monday, and the predicted high of 86 would tie the all-time record for Oct. 11, which has stood for more than 50 years. It’s 79 now. WSB weather.

12:10 p.m. More on Ondrej Pavelec, who collapsed on the ice in a scary moment Friday in the Thrashers home opener. The team released a report Monday that stated that Pavelec had a neurocardio syncope episode (a type of fainting spell). He will undergo further testing on his heart, in addition to blood and genetic tests. Photos from Friday. Pavelec interview.

12:05 p.m. Here’s the TV news rundown and what’s leading Channel 2 Action News at 12.
>> Teen Critical After Crash With Barnes’ Daughter. Story.
>> Homeowner Tied Up, Pistol-Whipped During Burglary. Story.
>> UGA running back Caleb King arrested. WSB. AJC.

11:54 a.m. A hearing-impaired North Carolina girl with a prosthetic leg vanished over the weekend, and her father said Monday it was possible that his wife was involved in the disappearance. The 10-year-old girl’s stepmother, Elisa Baker, was in police custody, charged with about a dozen crimes unrelated to the disappearance of Zahra Clare Baker. The child, who had bone cancer, was reported missing Saturday afternoon in Hickory in western North Carolina, several hours after backyard fire was reported at the family’s home. More from CNN. Hickory Daily Record.

11:28 a.m. Just a heads up. Because the Phillies wrapped up their series Sunday with the Reds, the Braves-Giants game is pushed up to a 7:37 p.m. start. Game preview.

11:20 a.m. AJC report here. A special grand jury investigating questionable land deals in Gwinnett County declined to indict former Commission Chairman Charles Bannister on a charge of making false statements, according to documents released by a court Monday morning.

11:16 a.m. We’re checking reports that the Gwinnett County grand jury declined to indict former Gwinnett County Commission Chairmen Charles Bannister on charges of making false statements. Bannister abruptly resigned Friday after appearing before a special grand jury investigating county land purchases.

10:30 a.m. More on UGA’s spate of football player arrests. This time from the AJC’s Jeff Schultz who says “UGA’s embarrassment is about arrests, not wins.”

9:44 a.m. New blog/column by AJC’s Mark Bradley on why Bobby Cox can’t start Brooks Conrad tonight.

9:41 a.m. Thrashers goaltender Ondrej Pavelec was released from the hospital Sunday and is resting at home. After losing consciousness and collapsing minutes into the team’s season-opening game Friday, Pavelec remained hospitalized for testing over the past three days. All tests were normal and, currently, the cause of the incident remains unknown. He suffered headaches from a concussion sustained after hitting his head on the ice. Photos from Friday.

9:31 a.m. More on Caleb King. University of Georgia tailback Caleb King was booked into the Clarke County Jail early Monday for allegedly failing to appear in court on a traffic charge.

8:33 a.m. UGA starting running back Caleb King is being held in the Athens-Clarke County Jail, according to jail records. More on this coming.

8:23 a.m. Photos from the Atlanta Pride parade Sunday.

8:20 a.m. Here’s a quick recap of morning stories.
>> Excessive speed may have caused a crash that left a Cobb County teenager in critical condition and injured gubernatorial nominee Roy Barnes’ daughter and two granddaughters Sunday.
>> President Barack Obama on Monday plans to meet with Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed and mayors from six other cities across the country at the White House to discuss plans for a major push for more investments in road, railway and airport runway improvements.
>> Atlanta police Monday were investigating yet another burglary where thieves smashed out a restaurant’s glass window and stole a flat-screen television.

8:06 a.m. The big talker today must be the Braves and their heartbreaking loss Sunday in the playoffs to the San Francisco Giants. The Braves are still alive – barely. Down 2-1 in the best of five series with Game 4 tonight at Turner Field. Last night, after Eric Hinske hit a go-ahead two-run homer in the eighth, the Braves were unable to get three outs for the win. In addition, the Giants scored the go-ahead run on Brooks Conrad’s third error of the game. We’ve got plenty on the game.
>> Braves face elimination. Sunday’s game story. Photos. Quotes. Celebrities show up.
>> As tough a loss as I’ve ever seen, Leyritz game included. Bradley.
>> Phillies sweep Reds. Tampa forces game 5.

8:03 a.m. It’s 63 and clear in Atlanta right now. We could be facing record highs today, says Channel 2 Action News meteorologist Karen Minton: Record on this date is 86 set in 1954. Forecast high for today is 86. Today: Sunny skies and very warm. High today in the mid to upper 80s. WSB weather.

7:59 a.m. Welcome to Monday.