Change in the Air: Atlanta Foreclosure Rates Drop in August Notices Fall to Four-Year Low Many Atlanta area homeowners received encouraging news in August. Notices for home foreclosures dropped from 9,317 in July to 6,426. The reduction is especially nice for homeowners after a May report revealed that Georgia had the highest foreclosure rate in the nation. The new numbers bring Atlanta's foreclosure numbers to the lowest numbers it has seen since 2008. So what is behind the sudden drop in foreclosures? A lawsuit as it turns out. In July, the Georgia Court of Appeals ...

Penn State Scandal May Change State Law, Extend Time to File Charges It is a piece of legislation that is more than six years in the making. The proposal aims to give victims of childhood sexual abuse more time to hold abusers accountable for their actions, allowing an extension on filing deadlines for civil and criminal suits. A bill attempting to reduce the rate of these injuries to children should easily make it through the legislature and be passed, so why the delay? The House Judiciary Committee chairman has been notoriously reluctant to advance bills addressing ...

New Texas DWI Task Force Addresses "Over-Serving" Issue An ongoing effort in Montgomery County, Texas, is trying to cut down on the number of DWI-related deaths. The impetus for the effort was a series of fatal, wrong-way accidents on Montgomery County roads in early July 2012. The DWI task forces, made up of local law enforcement, representatives from the county attorney's office, members of the Texas Department of Public Safety and agents of the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission, are trying a new tactic to keep drunk drivers off the road: stop the flow ...

Georgia Restaurateurs Subject of Dram Shop Claim in Federal Court The Neighborhood Dining Group operates a series of popular restaurants that feature some of the finest selections Southern dining has to offer. Moreover, what would a good Southern meal be without an accompanying cocktail? However, while one or two aperitifs may enhance the dining experience, things can get out of control quickly when alcohol is over-served to a patron about to drive. This is just what the family of Quentin Miller is alleging in the crash that took his life earlier this year. Victim's ...

New Legislation on Sinkholes Could Hurt Property Owners in Florida Sinkholes are a natural geologic event and fairly common occurrence in Florida. They can range in size from small and shallow depressions to large holes that can consume multiple buildings. The presence of a sudden sinkhole on one's property can lead to a significant amount of damage, and large insurance claims. According to the Insurance Journal, private insurers reported to the Office of Insurance Regulation that the number of sinkhole property damage claims increased from just over 2,000 in 2006 ...

Fifth Circuit Limits Reach of Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA) In a somewhat surprising move, the federal Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals recently issued a verdict that has limited the reach authorities have over certain people convicted of federal sex crimes. Background of the Kebodeaux Case The case -- Fifth Circuit No. 08-51185, U.S. vs. Kebodeaux -- involves a Texas resident (and former servicemember) convicted in 1999 of having "carnal knowledge of a child" under Article 120 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice. Kebodeaux ...

Child Custody: Fathers' Rights Then and Now After what appeared to be a long and contentious child custody battle, entertainer Usher Raymond was recently granted primary custody of his two sons with former wife Tameka Foster. While there was a time when mothers had the advantage walking into a child custody dispute, the ruling reflects a shift in child custody law which has leveled the playing field for fathers. From the English-based common law doctrine of paternal rights to the "tender years" doctrine to today, the evolution of child custody laws in the United ...

Social Media's Role in Your Divorce Digital technology and social media are ever-present in American's lives. Accordingly, when couples divorce, social media is playing a role in the divorce process. Information shared on social media sites like Facebook and Twitter may have been the catalyst behind the divorce, or they may serve as an evidentiary goldmine during a contested proceeding. Knowing how social media sites and digital technology can affect a divorce is important for anyone in this information age. The Break-Up Did Facebook cause your break-up? According ...

Workplace Fatalities Increased in 2010, Federal Report Shows In 2010, the number of workplace fatalities in the United States rose 3.3 percent from 2009's numbers, to a total of 4,690 worker deaths. While several large workplace disasters contributed to the increase, 4,551 workers not involved in these tragedies were killed on the job. What Were Common Causes of Workplace Fatalities in 2010? Transportation accidents were the number one cause of workplace fatalities in 2010, causing 1,857 deaths nationwide and increasing by 100 from 2009. The second most common ...

Summer Road Trips Often End in Tragic Accidents Summer road trips can be fun for the whole family. They are full of sun, fun and memories. Unfortunately, though, summer road trips can also end in tragedy. In fact, eight of the ten deadliest days on the road all take place between Independence Day and Labor Day. Furthermore, the period between Memorial Day and Labor Day is tragically known as the "100 deadliest days on the road for teens," and data compiled by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) shows that August is the deadliest month ...

Florida Foreclosures Continue to Increase In the last 12 months, home prices have increased in Miami, Fort Myers and other Florida resort communities. Despite the improvement in house prices, Florida foreclosures continue to escalate at a rapid rate. Economists warn that the sudden upswing in home value is not a sign that Florida's foreclosure crisis is over. In fact, Florida's distressed property inventory is estimated at 1.1 million. That number includes: -530,000 homes where the mortgages are 90 days delinquent and subject to foreclosure -200,000 Real Estate ...

The personal injury attorneys at Trolman, Glaser & Lichtman recently received a favorable appellate court opinion after a long court battle. The case (index #19005/06) involved a 23-year-old construction worker who fractured several bones after falling from a ladder. The worker had to undergo two surgeries as a result of his injuries. A personal injury lawsuit was filed against the owner of the premises on which the worker was hurt. As noted in the appellate opinion, the court had previously granted a motion for summary judgment holding the property owner liable, ...

Recently, the U.S. District Court Judge who is in charge of supervising the court-appointed monitoring of New Jersey's child welfare system voiced his concerns regarding budgetary cuts to the department's funding. Specifically, the judge's concerns stemmed from a recent $11.5 million cut to New Jersey's Department of Child and Families -- which includes the Division of Youth and Family Services (DYFS). In response to the budget cuts, the Star-Ledger reported that federal judge Stanley R. Chesler was concerned that "[e]very gain which we have made will start to vanish," ...

For those involved in social networking, a day can hardly go by without logging in to keep track of current events -- whether they use Facebook, Google+ or even Twitter. Even for those not involved with social networking, references to the most recent outrageous celebrity "tweet" or updated "status" can be heard almost daily in the media. Since it seems almost impossible to avoid social networking in today's day and age, some lawmakers in New Jersey want to make it a requirement for New Jersey Megan's Law registrants to identify themselves as sex offenders ...

For many families, worries about birth defects and birth injuries start immediately upon learning of a pregnancy. While many parents fret over finding 10 fingers and 10 toes, there are many defects and injuries that have a more traumatic impact on a child's life than missing digits. One such birth injury is shoulder dystocia with brachial plexus injury. A program was recently developed to help identify women whose unborn children are at an increased risk of this injury. If successful, the program could dramatically reduce this form of birth injury. The Impact of Shoulder ...

Last week, a Jackson County jury awarded a heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) technician $13.6 million in damages for injuries he sustained while working on a commercial grade heat pump -- which, he argued, was defectively designed with insufficient warnings. The award, which was against the manufacturer of the heat pump and included $4.5 million in punitive damages, ends a four year struggle for the victim which began the day of his horrific accident. According to court documents, the victim had been working on the heat pump in the recessed ceiling ...

Eyeglass World warns individuals about the potentially devastating effects the sun can have on unprotected eyes. Proper sunglasses or prescription eyeglasses with added UV protection can help prevent future eye damage and blindness. Prolonged exposure to the harmful sunlight can cause a myriad of eye disorders, including surface damage, cataracts, macular degeneration and possible blindness. The risk of these eye disorders can be decreased by wearing sunglasses when outdoors for long periods of time. "Much of the damage optometrists see can be prevented by continuous ...

Eyeglasses retailer America's Best would like to remind parents of the importance of scheduling back-to-school eye exams for your kids each year. Keeping your child's vision at its best is critical for fostering a learning environment that will help your child thrive. As any parent knows, growing children are changing constantly. For many kids, their vision will be changing right along with their bodies. Regular eye exams are the best way to stay on top of any issues with your child's vision that may develop and to know if any preexisting vision troubles are getting ...

Glover's Flooring America, an Atlanta flooring company, encourages local homeowners to utilize their community flooring specialty stores instead of the big box chain stores. Local flooring specialty stores, like Atlanta hardwood flooring company Glover's Flooring America, can offer greater experiences and customer service to clients because of their connections to the community. "Home owners will find that working with their community neighbors has more benefits," stated Judi Provence, co-owner of Glover's Flooring America, a local Atlanta hardwood flooring ...

Sunday school can help church reach every member of the congregation, states Mill Brooks Industries, a church chairs supplier. Weekly group meetings to discuss religious texts and issues of faith can help increase the sense of community within the congregation. In order to properly be able to organize Sunday school classes, churches should look at their church seating to ensure that there is enough for everyone, and that it is not in need of replacement or repair. Remember that it is best for families to be able to attend Sunday school classes at the same time, so it ...

The Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between Nicaragua and Mexico entered into force this Saturday, September 1st, with the ratification of three of the six Central American countries, according to the Ministry of Development, Industry and Trade of Nicaragua (MIFIC, for its acronym in Spanish). The FTA will foster the growth of trade relations through clear regulations and mutual trade benefit, thus contributing to the development of the participating countries' economies. The treaty will simplify commercial operations in goods in services, as well as regulate investments ...

Rocketship Education, a leading non-profit public charter school system, will begin using the non-profit MIND Research Institute's ST Math program with all students in grades 2-5 across its seven schools in San Jose this fall. Rocketship Education started piloting the ST Math instructional software program with third graders in Spring 2010. Rocketship's schools, which serve students who are 90 percent low-income and 75 percent English Language Learners (ELL), saw immediate success with the program. By 2011, the charter network brought JiJi, ST Math's penguin, to grades ...

Don't miss this year's premiere amateur bass fishing tournament, the 2012 Fall Lake of the Ozarks Big Bass Bash, which will be held on October 6th and 7th. Over 200 places will be paid out throughout the weekend, totaling more than $200,000 in cash. Catch the biggest bass of the weekend and walk away with an astounding $61,500 in cash. The Big Bass Bash is for amateurs only. Its unique format allows the weekend angler a chance to win big money like the professionals. Unlike most fishing tournaments which have a team arrangement where prizes are based on total weight, the ...

Anton & Chia, LLP is a full service accounting firm that focuses on auditing financial statements for domestic and international clients to prepare them for listing on a U.S. stock exchange and/or we provide the required audit compliance for those companies already listed in the United States of America. Anton & Chia, LLP announced today that it has appointed Robert A. Aleshire as its Tax Managing Partner and Anton & Chia, LLP and Aleshire Accountancy Corporation has effectuated a merger of its mutual practices as of September 4, 2012. Mr. Aleshire has over ...

With the launch of Trafalgar's (www.trafalgar.com) biggest and best USA & Canada brochure to date comes their new Taste of North America program. Targeted towards those with a passion for the finer tastes in life, the program invites guests to learn about food specific to their destination as well as indulge in some of the continent's most delicious dishes. The new USA & Canada brochure features the 4 gastronomic itineraries - San Francisco & Wine Country Delights, Wonder & Flavors of the Golden State, Tastes & Sounds of the South, New York Zest & ...