E-Verify database goes dark in government shutdown

Screen capture of federal E-Verify website

GAINESVILLE, Ga. (AP) -- A database used to make sure that new employees can legally work in the United States has gone dark during the government shutdown.

The Times of Gainesville reports that the E-Verify system is among a number of government services brought to a halt by a budget dispute in Washington.

RELATED | House GOP offers debt limit hike, end to shutdown
RELATED | Federal shutdown could put state employees out of work
MORE | Starbucks petition takes on government shutdown
FULL COVERAGE | Federal government shutdown

Employers use the system to make sure newly hired workers are legally eligible to work in the country. Georgia and other states have required that many employers use the system in an attempt to discourage illegal immigrants from entering the workforce.

The president of the Georgia Poultry Federation, Mike Giles, said employers will be allowed to process newly hired workers once the system is reactivated.

(The Associated Press)

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Pride Parade highlights Atlanta Pride Weekend

ATLANTA -- While the 43rd Atlanta Pride Festival may have officially begun on Wednesday Oct. 9, the highlight of the festivities took place on Sunday Oct. 13 as the largest Pride event in the southeast took to the streets.

PHOTOS | 2013 Pride Parade 
COMPLETE COVERAGE | Atlanta Pride Headlines, Video and Galleries

Thousands lined up from the Civic Center MARTA station all the way to Peachtree Street at Piedmont Park to watch and take part in the annual Pride Parade.

All throughout the weekend there was live music, food and entertainment.

Well-known companies like Delta Airlines and Coca Cola as well as the Atlanta police department took part in the parade festivities.

Watch the Complete Parade:
- 2013 Pride Parade Part 1 
- 2013 Pride Parade Part 2 
- 2013 Pride Parade Part 3 
- 2013 Pride Parade Part 4
- 2013 Pride Parade Part 5
- 2013 Pride Parade Part 6 
- 2013 Pride Parade Part 7

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Early voting begins statewide today

ATLANTA -- Early voting is underway across the state for the Nov. 5 elections.

Many areas across the metro are voting on local government leaders.

Fulton County voters can cast their ballots early for the November 5, 2013 General Municipal Election during Advance Voting, starting at four sites on Monday, October 14, 2013.

Residents encouraged to vote early.

Hours will be from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. at the following four locations.

• Fulton County Government Center, 130 Peachtree Street, SW, Suite 2186, Atlanta
• North Fulton Service Center, 7741 Roswell Road, Room 232, Sandy Springs
• South Fulton Service Center, 5600 Stonewall Tell Road, Room 108, College Park
• Roswell City Hall, 38 Hill Street, 2nd Floor, Roswell

MORE | Find your voter information on Georgia's My Voter Page

Four additional Early Voting locations will be added during the final week of early voting. Starting Monday, October 28, 2013 through Friday, November 1, 2013, the following eight locations will be open for early voting from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.:

• Adamsville Recreational Center, 3201 Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive SW, Atlanta
• Fulton County Government Center, 130 Peachtree Street, SW, Suite 2186, Atlanta
• North Fulton Service Center, 7741 Roswell Road, Room 232, Sandy Springs
• South Fulton Service Center, 5600 Stonewall Tell Road, Room 108, College Park
• Alpharetta City Hall, 2 South Main Street, Alpharetta
• Coan Recreation Center, 1530 Woodbine Ave., SE, Atlanta
• Peachtree Hills Recreation Center, 308 Peachtree Hills Ave., NE, Atlanta
• Roswell City Hall, 38 Hill Street, 2nd Floor, Roswell

Fulton County voters can also cast their ballots at three locations on Saturday, October 26, 2013. On that day, registered voters are invited to share the voting experience with their children as Fulton celebrates Family Voting Day at the following locations from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.

• Adamsville Recreational Center, 3201 Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive SW, Atlanta
• Coan Recreation Center, 1530 Woodbine Ave., SE, Atlanta
• Peachtree Hills Recreation Center, 308 Peachtree Hills Ave., NE, Atlanta

Voters must present an approved form of Photo Identification, as required by Georgia law. During early voting, any voter may cast their ballot at any early voting location.

For more information on voter registration and the upcoming 2013 General Municipal Elections, log on to www.fultonelections.com or 404-730-7072.

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Report: Netflix seeking apps for cable set-top boxes

(USA Today) -- Netflix is targeting a new outlet for sharing its streaming media service: cable boxes.

According to Monday's Wall Street Journal, the company is exploring deals with Comcast and Suddenlink Communications to launch a Netflix app for set-top boxes.

Citing "people familiar with the matter," the report says a potential stumbling block is Netflix wanting to include special technology that improves how video is streamed.

If the deal gets done, it would be Netflix's first with a cable operator in the U.S. The service is already available through web-connected television sets, media players including Roku and Apple TV as well as video game consoles such as the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and Nintendo Wii U.

The company has recently branched out into the content realm, producing its own original programming, including House of Cards and Orange is the New Black.

(USA Today)

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Kendrick Johnson's parents talk to 11Alive

(WXIA) -- Kenneth and Jacquelyn Johnson are fighting to find out exactly what happened to their son Kendrick.

The 17-year-old student-athlete was found dead inside a rolled-up gym mat at Lowndes High School in Valdosta earlier this year.

Kendrick's parents and their attorney C.B. King spoke exclusively to 11Alive News Monday morning. Contrary to the investigation, they believe the teen's death was no accident.

RELATED | Second autopsy questions Kendrick's death
RELATED | Groups demand answers in Valdosta teen's death

Initial reports said Kendrick dove into the mat to retrieve a lost shoe; he got stuck upside down and died from asphyxiation. The local sheriff's department closed the case.

But a second autopsy ordered by Kendrick's parents determined he was killed by blunt force trauma to the neck. Attorney King said an EMT at the scene noticed a neck injury on the teen's body.

"We've got a wealth of evidence that requires that this case be reopened," King said.

Kenneth Johnson said he decided to continue the investigation because the first report into his son's death "just didn't fit." He said police gave him two different accounts of how they found Kendrick's body -- they initially said he got into the rolled-up mat feet first, then said the next day that he entered headfirst.

Videotape from inside the gym could reveal exactly how Kendrick died. Kenneth Johnson is pleaded with the sheriff's department to release the tape.

"It'd show up and tell us everything that happened," he said. "If (Kendrick's death) was an accident, they'd have showed us the tape by now."

"Nobody thinks it's an accident," Jacquelyn Johnson added, saying several of Kendrick's friends have approached her to offer their support of the second investigation.

The teen's mother said she learned of her son's death on Jan. 11, a day after he was reported missing.

"We all know that Kendrick was murdered," Jacquelyn Johnson said. "He didn't just fall into a mat. It wasn't an accident."

The Johnsons swear they will not give up until they find out exactly how their son died.

"We're going to continue until we get justice for Kendrick," Jacquelyn Johnson said.

Harold Copus, a private investigator and former FBI agent, also spoke with 11Alive News about the case.

VIDEO | Harold Copus talks to 11Alive

He stressed that the idea the teen's death was accidental doesn't make sense. Copus pointed to photographs from the scene that show both of Kendrick's shoes at his feet, contradicting those reports that he was going after his shoe.

"You couldn't do that if you were a Las Vegas magician," Copus said.

Copus said he believes Kendrick's death is not under a massive investigation because it wouldn't look good for the Lowndes County Sheriff's Office to contradict itself in changing the cause of death.

When Kendrick's body was exhumed for the second autopsy, officials discovered many of the organs were missing and the teen's remains were stuffed with newspaper. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation and the funeral home that prepared the body for burial offer differing accounts of what happened to the organs.

"You have a conflict here," Copus said. "You would expect the organs to be with the body. They're not, so ... somebody's covering up there."

Copus said he expects the case to continue as a federal civil rights investigation.

"I find it highly suspicious that this young man died the way they said that it occurred. It doesn't make any sense to me," he said. "There are too many questions right now."

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11 Things You Need to Know: Monday, October 14, 2013

ATLANTA - The parents of the Valdosta teen who was found dead, rolled up inside a wrestling mat at a high school spoke exclusively to 11Alive's Karyn Greer - plus day 14 of the government shutdown top our list of the 11 Things You Need to Know for Monday, October 14.

The parents of 17-year-old Kendrick Johnson, along with their attorney, C.B. King, sat down with Karyn Greer Monday morning. They said that contrary to the initial investigation into the teen's death, they believe his death was not an accident. According to initial reports, Kendrick dove into the rolled up mat to retrieve a lost shoe, got stuck upside down and died of asphyxiation. A second autopsy ordered by Kendrick's parents indicated the teen was killed by blunt force trauma to the neck. Watch Karyn's full interview here: http://on.11alive.com/1geUWSQ

A number of federal parks and monuments - most notably the Statue of Liberty, the Grand Canyon and Mount Rushmore - have reopened over the past few days, thanks to deals between individual states and the federal government. Under the deals, the state governments will pay the costs associated with the opening of the federal parks. Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal says no such deal will be put in place for national parks in the state of Georgia. More details here: http://on.11alive.com/1fxkqd4

Macy's is planning to open their stores on Thanksgiving Day - a first-ever move in the retail giant's 150-plus year history. http://on.11alive.com/192pnWd

Early statewide voting begins today in advance of next month's general election. Four sites are open in Fulton County, while single sites are being opened in some other Metro counties. http://on.11alive.com/192prFj

The annual Pride Parade was a big weekend highlight for many in-town visitors this past weekend. We've got video of the entire parade along with plenty of photos in our gallery. http://on.11alive.com/192pvF0

Veterans all over the nation protested loudly over the weekend, in a massive show of solidarity against the ongoing federal shutdown. Many who protested talked about the reports of the World War II Memorial in Washington being barricaded, followed by delays in death benefits for families of soldiers killed in action, and even reports of VA benefits possibly being affected if the shutdown continues. One supporter pointed out, "Benefits should never be cut off. And these memorials were built for veterans and paid for with their blood, sweat and tears." http://on.11alive.com/192pyRh

Electronic Benefit Transfer cards in 17 states, including Georgia, are working again this morning after the verification system used for them went offline Saturday. Xerox, the company behind the verification system, said a power failure in a processing center caused the disruption. The system was back online and working by late in the day Saturday in most locations. The cards are used to provide government food assistance to families receiving welfare benefits. http://on.11alive.com/1fxkSbi

A stolen car was pulled out of the Chattahoochee River at the Fulton-Douglas county line early Sunday. Thankfully, no one was inside the car. Police said the car was stolen in Fairburn in early October. http://on.11alive.com/192pOQg

Netflix is talking to Comcast and other cable companies, according to the Wall Street Journal, about launching a Netflix app for cable boxes. The service is already available through web-connected television sets, video game consoles like the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, and set-top media players like the Roku and Apple TV. The programmer has made significant moves into providing original programming like House of Cards and Orange is the New Black. http://on.11alive.com/1geVHvd

NBC's Bob Costas waded into the ongoing controversy over the Washington Redskins' name Sunday evening. Costas said the team's name was an insult to Native Americans. He also said that while offense is not intended, offense can be taken from the name. More than 1,000 11Alive viewers voted in a text-to-vote poll Sunday night, with 84 percent of them disagreeing with the sportscaster's comments.

Another casualty of the federal shutdown is that the federal E-Verify system. The system is used to verify the citizenship of employees at US firms, and has been offline for the 14 days since the shutdown began. Many companies affected are simply moving ahead with hiring and employing new folks, with the promise of running their credentials through the system once it comes back online.

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Would you support a sales tax for teacher salaries?

MARIETTA, GA - One of the questions 11 Alive often hears from viewers is why don't school systems, like Cobb County's, take some of their special sales tax money they spend on new buildings, computers or new football fields, and spend it on teachers instead.

That's because by law they can't.

But some of Cobb's school board members want the state legislature and Georgia's voters to change that.

Under the state constitution, money from a SPLOST (Special Local Option Sales Tax) can only be spent for capital improvements, like buildings and equipment.

It can't be spent on operating costs like teacher salaries.

Like other school systems, Cobb's has seen its share of state education funds shrink the past several years, forcing cuts like no raises and another 5 furlough days expected again next year.

School Board member David Banks thinks a SPLOST for operating costs, like teacher pay, could help fill the gap.

"We need another source of funding that's sustainable that gives local control over the money and how it's spent," he told 11 Alive News on Wednesday.

Banks is proposing a constitutional amendment that would let voters decide on a penny sales tax specifically designated for operating costs, like salaries.

He thinks each local school system should be able to decide exactly where they need to spend it.

Under Banks' suggested amendment, if voters approved such a tax, any school system in a county with at least 50,000 residents would have to roll back property taxes using 30% of the proceeds from the tax.

The Cobb County School Board debated his idea during a long work session Wednesday.

Banks wanted the board to sign a letter promoting the amendment to the Georgia School Board Association.

But the issue was tabled until Thursday night's regular board meeting after two of the seven members objected.

"As a conservative Republican, I cannot support another tax," said board member Kathleen Angelucci.

She called a SPLOST a perpetual tax that once it starts, doesn't stop.

Banks replied that all he wants is for Georgia's voters to be able to decide for themselves.

Chairman Randy Scamihorn said he's also a conservative Republican, but added, "the ship's taking on a lot of water and this is our ship."

"Our dilemma is the same whether we like taxes or not," he said.

In order for Banks' idea to become law, two-thirds of the State Legislature would have to pass the constitutional amendment, which voters would then have to approve.

Even then, voters in each local school system would still decide whether to approve an operating sales tax.

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Meeting tonight to discuss new bike license tag

GAINESVILLE, Ga. -- There's a meeting tonight for people to share their thoughts on a new fee for bike riders.

Under a new bill, if you have a bicycle and fail to register it with the state and pay a fee, you could face a misdemeanor and a $100 fine.  That isn't all that's in Georgia House Bill 689.  

It also requires license plates to be put on any bike that shares a road with other vehicles.  Groups of bicycle riders would have to stay in single file lines, no more than four cyclists per line, with four feet between each bike.  50 feet would have to separate each group of four riders.

The public hearing on the bill is tonight at 6 p.m. at the Hall County Government Center in Gainesville.

MORE BIKE RELATED NEWS:
- New restaurant donates bikes to police department
- A chaotic Atlanta corridor gets new bike lanes
- Police department donates bicycles to Goodwill

News of the law has spread all over the state through social media sites and chain emails within cycling groups.  

"I've probably gotten about 25 emails about it in the past week," said cyclist Craig Forest on the Silver Comet Trail.  "They tried it in San Diego and had to repeal it a year later.  There would be widespread disobedience, it would be violated on an hourly basis with cyclists riding in groups."

Bikers in Gainesville, where the bill originated, said they were equally surprised by the bill.  

"When I first saw it, I honestly thought it was a joke and something that was pretty crazy," said Kevin Mooney, a manager at Bike Town USA in Gainesville.

The bill has been put forward by three lawmakers from Gainesville.  They are Carl Rogers (R-Gainesville), Lee Hawkins (R-Gainesville) and Emory Dunahoo (R-Gainesville).  They declined to comment on the bill before a public hearing Monday night starting at 6pm in the Hall County Government Center. 

The three men were reportedly influenced by local businessman Jim Syfan, of Syfan Logistics in Hall County.  Syfan told 11Alive Thursday he had been pushing a bill like this for years. 

"It's not meant to stop anyone from riding," Syfan said.  "What it's meant to do is create an identification process."

Syfan said if every other wheeled vehicle on a state road has to be registered, why not bicycles?

"[Most bikers] are nice guys, they're people, but once in awhile you'll get a guy that will ride in the middle of the road and flip you off," Syfan said.  "This is to identify the guys that are not abiding by the rules."

Syfan also said it's a safety issue.  The more riders know they'll be accountable to the rules of the road, the more cautious they'll be.  

Gainesville riders said social media sites had exploded with outrage when cyclists started hearing about HB 689.  They plan to show up in numbers at the Monday meeting and bury the bill. 

"I don't think it's something that's going to go anywhere, I think after the meeting on Monday it will fall through the cracks," Mooney said.  

Take our poll below! Do you think bikers should have to pay to register their bikes?

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Wet weather brings down trees around Atlanta

ATLANTA -- Monday's wet weather brought down trees on at least two Atlanta houses.

One person was hospitalized when a tree fell on his house on Shanter Trail SW just off Cascade Road at 2 a.m.

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW | A guide to dealing with falling trees
RELATED | Weather-related road problems this morning

Atlanta Fire Battalion Chief Douglas Hatcher said the weight of the tree, which is about two feet wide, took out much of the house's roof. It also crashed through several layers of brick and caused the house to shift on its foundation.

A man inside the house was taken to the hospital as a precaution, but did not appear to be seriously hurt. Nobody else was injured.

A second tree fell at around 5:15 a.m. at a house on Enota Place SW, also in southwest Atlanta.

Dispatchers said a mother and daughter inside the house were taken to a local hospital. Their conditions were not immediately known.

And in Buckhead, a tree fell and is blocking Carlton Drive.  Power is out in the area. 

MORE WEATHER | What's it doing in your community. interactive radar for your county
SIGN UP FOR ALERTS | Severe Weather alerts for your mobile device
YOUR WEATHER PICTURES | See pictures from Atlanta weather events

Send us your weather photos - email them to photos@11alive.com

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Monday is final day to register to vote in Georgia

Fulton County voters, summer 2012

ATLANTA -- Monday is the final day to register to vote in elections coming up November 5 in Georgia.

This year is an off-year cycle, which means most elections taking place are for local offices, including city council, school board and other local slots.

Georgia's Secretary of State, Brian Kemp says people can visit the secretary of state's My Voter Page - http://mvp.sos.state.ga.us/ - to obtain information on registering, checking voter status and applying for absentee ballots.

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Dr. Joseph Lowery celebrates 92nd birthday

Dr. Joseph Lowery turns 92

ATLANTA -- The smile on Dr. Joseph Lowery's face had to be bittersweet.   

PHOTOS | Rev. Lowery's Birthday Bash

He was celebrating his 92nd birthday at the Martin Luther King, Jr. International Chapel Sunday night.  That is the same venue he was at just four days prior, for his wife Evelyn's homegoing service.  

She died after suffering a massive stroke.  The two have been married for 67 years and were considered a powerhouse couple in the civil rights movement.

Celebrities and local dignitaries attended Dr. Lowery's birthday celebration and fundraiser for the Lowery Institute for Justice and Human Rights.

The night was dedicated to his late wife.

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U.S. Supreme Court will not hear Warren Hill death penalty case

ATLANTA -- The U.S. Supreme Court has declined to take up the case of a Georgia death row inmate whose lawyers say is mentally disabled.

The high court issued an order Monday declining to review Warren Hill's case.  Hill's lawyers had filed papers with the Supreme Court in May asking for a review after three doctors who initially said Hill was not mentally disabled changed their opinions and now say he is.

The Supreme Court did not issue any explanation for its denial.

Hill was sentenced to die for the 1990 beating death of a fellow inmate Joseph Handspike.  He was serving a life sentence at the time for the slaying of his girlfriend.

A separate appeal in Hill's case is pending before the Georgia Supreme Court.

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Boehner to Obama: No debt hike without concessions

WASHINGTON -- The United States is edging closer to the possibility of the first-ever default on the government's debt.

RELATED | Treasury: U.S. to run out of money Oct. 17

But Speaker John Boehner, appearing on "This Week," has ruled out a House vote on a straightforward bill to boost the borrowing authority without concessions from President Barack Obama.

With no resolution in sight, Treasury Secretary Jack Lew is warning that Congress is "playing with fire." And he's calling on lawmakers to quickly pass legislation re-opening the government and a measure increasing the nation's $16.7 trillion debt limit.

The government shutdown precipitated by the budget brinkmanship entered its sixth day Sunday with hundreds of thousands of federal employees furloughed, national parks closed and an array of government services on hold.

COMPLETE COVERAGE | Government shutdown

Lew says Obama has not changed his opposition to coupling a bill to re-open the government and raise the borrowing authority with Republican demands for changes in the 3-year-old health care law and spending cuts.

Boehner, however, insists that Obama must negotiate if the president wants to end the shutdown and avert a default that could trigger a financial crisis and recession that would echo the events of 2008 or worse.

(Associated Press)

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AmberAlert.gov back online after being pulled due to shutdown

Upon accessing AmberAlert.gov on Mon., Oct. 7, this is the message displayed.

ATLANTA -- The federal Amber Alert site was back online late Monday morning after being offline due to the federal shutdown.

The federal Amber Alert website on Sunday displayed a sparse, white screen with a simple message: It's a victim of the government shutdown.

COMPLETE COVERAGE | Government shutdown

"Due to the lapse in federal funding, this Office of Justice Programs (OJP) website is unavailable," the message reads, just below a U.S. Department of Justice seal.

The website normally displays information about Amber Alerts, but it is not the vehicle by which an alert is sent. The process by which an alert is sent is determined on a state-by-state basis.

Justice Department spokesman Brian Fallon responded to the criticism late Monday morning and said the site had been restored.

"At no point as AmberAlert system been interrupted during shutdown," Fallon said on Twitter. "To prevent confusion, informational site has been restored."

The website's status does not mean the Amber Alert system has been shut down. Check the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children for recent alerts.

In Georgia, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation will continue to provide updates and alerts to local media in the event of a child abduction alert during the federal shutdown. That information is also provided to other states when and where necessary.

(KNBC contributed to this report.)

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