Atlanta news | Minute by minute (Oct. 12)

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?

4:10 p.m. Pretty big story out of San Diego: A federal judge issued a worldwide injunction Tuesday stopping enforcement of the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy, ending the U.S. military’s 17-year-old ban on openly gay troops. Cynthia Tucker column.

4:01 p.m. More from Channel 2 Action News: A Henry County man accused of pushing his pregnant ex-wife out of a moving car is out of jail. James Bishop, 29, of Hampton, was released on $5,000 bond over the weekend. Police said Bishop had been arguing with his ex-wife when he pushed her from a moving car on Old Jackson Road on Friday night. The victim was treated at Henry Medical Center and is recovering.

3:58 p.m. The BET Awards are on tonight at 8 p.m. Red Carpet photos here.

3:53 p.m. Well, this is filed under good news, because a missing woman was found, but also weird news for sure. Woman missing six days found at Buford Dam wearing only a garbage bag. Sounds like the beginning tease of an hour cable drama where viewers spend the rest of the show finding out what happened in those six days. Channel 2 Action News has the story here.

3:49 p.m. Update on the Chilean miners. The first of 33 trapped miners is expected to be lifted to the surface late Tuesday after surviving more than two months about half a mile below ground, Chilean officials announced.

3:16 p.m. Here’s a nice story about one of two men who jumped onto MARTA tracks yesterday to help save a man’s life:

Al Robinson, 53, was one of the two MARTA passengers who leaped to the aid of a man who fell onto the tracks Monday afternoon, according to MARTA police. And last week, he helped chase down a 2-year-old boy who was running alone in a northwest Atlanta street, according to Atlanta police. These rescues would make stories of a lifetime for most people, but for the Chicago native they’re kind of a habit. He says clutch plays in life and death situations are nothing new for him. When he was 14, he said, he stepped between a friend and a gunman just as the trigger was pulled. Thankfully, the bullet missed both of them. And about five years ago, he said he and his wife’s cousin plucked a baby from a car that had caught on fire at a gas station in Albany. “I’ve had so many,” he said. “I just react.”

3:00 p.m. Nice tweet by Braves rookie Jason Heyward: Big thanks to all the support frm everybody this season. I’m grateful. Thanks @MLB for the opportunity. #2010season Follow here.

2:57 p.m. The State Board of Regents has postponed a decision on UGA’s proposal to offer new engineering degrees after Gov. Sonny Perdue strongly advised a delay when he visited their meeting Tuesday. Perdue reminded the regents – all of whom he appointed or re-appointed – that while they are a governing board, they must check in regularly with him and the Legislature before making any decisions that have significant implications for the system. Engineering is the second- most-expensive degree program to offer and Georgia is suffering financially because of the recession. “With this UGA engineering decision, sadly I’m a little late to the party,” Perdue said. “This process has been wrong. And I frankly cannot tell if that has been by design or simple omission.”

1:47 p.m. And, now this: a Bobby Cox tattoo from a devoted (obviously) fan.

1:34 p.m. A Georgia Bureau of Investigation spokesman says three people are dead and another injured in what investigators say is an apparent murder-suicide in Colquitt County. GBI Special Agent in Charge Steve Turner says the body of Kejie McDougald, and those of a 15-year-old youth and 8-year-old child were discovered by deputies Monday night.

1:08 p.m. The Atlanta Falcons rank as 10th most popular NFL team according to an annual poll by Harris Interactive. Two years ago, the Falcons, coming off the Michael Vick dogfighting scandal and another losing season, ranked as the 27th. This year — led by Michael “The Burner” Turner and Matt “Matty Ice” Ryan — the Birds rank 10th, up three spots from 2009. Their previous high was 18th in 1999, the year they made their only Super Bowl appearance.

11:47 a.m. The New York Times on Monday had this story of a Delta baggage handler from Atlanta who may or may not have been abducted by the Taliban and held for months.

11:28 a.m. Here’s more on King’s suspension from UGA beat writer Tim Tucker. Here is what Richt said: “I expect all of our players to take care of their responsibilities on and off the field. When players don’t do that, it damages the reputation of the player, our team and our university. My goal is for Caleb to learn a lesson and for other players to learn from his experience.”

11:27 a.m. WSB Radio reports now that UGA running back Caleb King is suspended for two games for arrest on a charge of failing to appear for court date on speeding ticket

11:17 a.m. AP is reporting that Chile’s mining minister says first trapped miner expected to reach surface late Tuesday.

11:12 a.m. Where does Bobby Cox rank among the best managers of all time? Vote here.

11:02 a.m. Atlanta Police have a little more on the Friday shooting death of a Kirkwood man, but there are still plenty of unanswered questions. A 57-year-old man was shot and killed while walking down the street in the Kirkwood neighborhood Friday afternoon, but police still don’t have a suspect or a motive. Atlanta police Maj. Keith Majors identified the man Friday night as Everett Collins. Collins was walking to a neighbor’s house around 1:30 p.m. when he was shot near the intersection of Ridgedale Road NE and Norwood Avenue. Witnesses told police Collins was talking on his cellphone when a man, armed with a gun, approached him. “Some of the neighbors heard him arguing with an individual,” Meadows told reporters. Meadows told Channel 2 Action news detectives believe that argument was the reason for the shooting. Beyond that, police said they don’t have a motive.

10:57 a.m. AJC’s Buzz reports Phipps Santa reservations start Wednesday. Online reservations start at 3 p.m. Wednesday. Last year all appointment slots were taken within 48 hours. Web site.

10:49 a.m. Some photos of the Chilean rescue here.

10:41 a.m. We’re trying to get more on this one. Two Good Samaritans came to the aid of a man who fell from the platform down to the train tracks Monday afternoon at the Five Points MARTA station.

10:33 a.m. The school bus driver trainee involved in a crash that killed a Carroll County student last week had trouble keeping an empty bus in its own lane along that same route, according to personnel records obtained by Channel 2 Action News. Video. Profile on student killed.

10:16 a.m. Celebrities – they’re just like us! They shop at Publix. They need food to survive! Ryan Seacrest, Julianne Hough spotted in Midtown Publix.

10:06 a.m. A recap of The Real Housewives of Atlanta is here. Radio & TV with Rodney Ho.

9:13 a.m. Two boys, ages 12 and 13, have been charged with breaking into several cars in a Cherokee County neighborhood.

8:34 a.m. This was making the rounds on Twitter yesterday and if you’ve ever seen the opening sequence on The Simpsons, you should take a look at the one from Sunday night, It was, as the AP reported, “a darker-than-usual turn, depicting the animation process for the Fox cartoon series as sweatshop drudgery performed by an exploited Asian underclass. Created by the street artist and activist Banksy, the sequence began with the sight of hometown Springfield covered with graffiti — and tagged by Banksy himself.” See the opening here.

8:33 a.m. DeKalb County police Tuesday were investigating an early-morning shooting at an apartment complex near Decatur that left one man dead and another wounded.

8:29 a.m. Here’s an awful and weird crime story out of Athens: Authorities have arrested an ex-con who they say used a toilet seat lid to bludgeon an Athens man to death early Sunday then kidnapped and later raped a woman who witnessed the attack.

8:25 a.m. AJC Pulitzer Prize winning editorial cartoonist Mike Luckovich has a cartoon today on Brett Favre.

8:21 a.m. Police release the sketch of the “handsome man” who has been terrorizing the Virginia Highlands with robberies for the last month. In two robberies, the victims described one of the two suspects as “an extremely attractive man, a very good-looking fellow,” Atlanta police Sgt. Curtis Davenport told the AJC.

8:20 a.m. The two competing investor groups looking to buy Georgia’s iconic Sea Island resort spent most of Monday battling each other in a bankruptcy auction before coming together on a joint bid to buy the tony coastal retreat. At nearly 10 p.m., Monday, a coalition of Oaktree Capital Management, Avenue Capital Group, Starwood Capital and Anschutz Corp. announced a joint bid to acquire the beleaguered Sea Island Co.– including its luxurious Cloister and Lodge hotels and four golf courses — for $212.4 million.

8:19 a.m. Neighbors in a North Carolina city feared the worst in the case of a missing 10-year-old girl with the bright smile who stayed upbeat even as she battled bone cancer that left her with a prosthetic leg and hearing aids.

8:13 a.m. It’s 63 degrees and mostly cloudy. Today’s forecast from Channel 2 Action News meteorologist Karen Minton: Partly sunny. 30% chance of showers this afternoon and evening. Winds West 5-15 mph. Highs in the low to mid 80s. WSB Weather.

8:11 a.m. Here’s a late update to the story about Caleb King, the UGA running back who spent about six hours Monday in the Clarke County Jail on a bench warrant issued after he failed to appear in court in Walton County to address a speeding ticket. It’s the 11th player arrested this year. By late Monday morning, King was released on $380 bond, which officials said would be used to satisfy the speeding fine. But how the issue will affect his status on the Georgia team remains unclear.

8:06 a.m. Embattled Bishop Eddie Long took a hit Monday as a new suit was filed, ordering him and two others to pay $1.9 million for defaulting on a property loan. The suit filed Monday asked the DeKalb County State Court to order Long and the others to pay off the debt in 10 days or incur additional fines and attorneys’ fees. This is the fifth lawsuit filed against the New Birth Missionary Baptist Church leader in less than a month. The other four suits, which were also filed against the DeKalb County megachurch, accuse Long of coercing four young men into sex in exchange for cars, lavish trips and jobs.

7:46 a.m. Let’s talk baseball. Some really nice moments this entire year with the Atlanta Braves, who even when healthy, weren’t the most talented ball club in the National League. That’s probably safe to say. But even after a nine-game losing streak in April, the Braves seemed to rely on a different player each night and a solid bullpen all year in manager Bobby Cox’ final season. And last night, loss and all, was special. Derek Lowe’s great performance and then asking to face one more batter – and Cox letting him. The great home run and defensive play by Brian McCann. The salute to Bobby Cox by the Giants. Not everything works out for the home team, but it was a memorable season and a memorable final game.
>> ‘Not a dry eye in the place’ – Cox addresses players after the game.
>> Mark Bradley: A great ride ends for Bobby and his fans. Column.
>> Game story | Photos

7:41 a.m. Good morning. Reminder: morning traffic updates on our WSB/AJC Twitter feed.