ATLANTA (AP) Atlanta United has mutually agreed to terminate the contract of 38-year-old striker Lisandro López after the death of his father. Lopez returned home to Argentina after his father's death and is reportedly contemplating retirement.
SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP) Fentanyl overdoses, including by people taking pills falsely sold to them as Xanax or Percocet, are spreading across Georgia. Officials say they have found clusters in the Savannah and Columbus areas after an initial set of cases was found mostly around Augusta.
Defense attorney: Newlywed killed husband in self-defense
May 14, 2021 GMT
COLUMBUS, Ga. (AP) The defense attorney for a Georgia woman charged in her husband’s fatal shooting says he plans to argue she was a victim of domestic violence, who shot the man in self-defense.
Charise Douglas, 31, was charged with murder and using a gun to commit a crime in the May 1 killing of John Anthony Johnson, 38, her husband of one month, news outlets have reported.
Attorney Anthony Johnson, no relation to the victim, said Thursday outside of a Columbus courtroom that he intends to argue Douglas shot her husband to protect herself and her 6-year-old son as she was attempting to escape the home and physical abuse, according to the Columbus Ledger-Enquirer.
May 13, 2021 GMT
AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) Days after announcing a plan to buy four other hospitals for $950 million, Atlanta-based Piedmont Healthcare has signed an agreement to take over Augusta’s University Hospital system, pushing deeper into a statewide expansion.
Directors of the three-hospital University system announced Wednesday that they have approved a nonbinding letter of intent. Jim Davis, CEO of the nonprofit University system, says the merger could be completed late this year or early next year. Davis tells WJBF-TV that University is likely to change its name to Piedmont-Augusta.
Hospitals have been merging to seek greater market power in bargaining for reimbursement rates with insurers. University began seeking a partner in 2019, saying remaining independent would have been difficult with payment rates declining and costs rising. Piedmont also offers access to technology and data systems University can’t afford.
GAINESVILLE, Ga. (AP) Police in northeast Georgia are investigating after someone spray-painted graffiti on two veterans' monuments.
The Times of Gainesville reports that Gainesville parks employees discovered the orange paint on concrete at the base of one monument honoring veterans from 20th century wars.