Last week, we brought you a marketing ploy by one Albany pawn shop looking to expand its customer base by giving spurned mothers a way to get back at their exes. Now, Consumerist reader Brady sends us a photo of a Georgia shop that is trying to limit certain people — namely those who smoke crack cocaine — from entering. [More]
georgia
1 Dead, 9 Sick From Fumes Inside A McDonald's
An 80-year old woman is dead and nine are sick after succumbing to fumes emanating from a Georgia McDonald’s bathroom. [More]
Police Bust Tweens For Operating Unlicensed Lemonade Stand
It’s the middle of summer, and we all know what that means: adorable kids learning the basics of capitalism by running lemonade stands. Among those basics: you need to lay down a few hundred bucks at City Hall before you even think about buying lemons and paper cups. Three Georgia girls thought they would earn money for a trip to the water park by selling lemonade in their neighborhood. They were successful…until the police chief happened to drive by, and shut them down for selling lemonade without business and food vendors’ licenses totaling $180. [More]
HOAs Feeling The Financial Sting Of Abandoned Houses
With a sea of homes left empty by erstwhile homeowners who couldn’t afford the mortgage, a number of homeowner associations around the country have are stuck having to pay for the upkeep on vacant properties lest the value of the remaining homes be harmed any further. [More]
Georgia Program Replaces Migrant Farm Workers With Ex-Cons
Recent immigration crackdowns in Georgia have left the agricultural sector with a labor shortage. A big one. An unscientific poll puts the gap as high as 11,000 workers, but plants still have to be harvested. The governor responded to farmers’ complaints with a new program that puts people on probation to work in the fields at minimum wage, with bonuses for high production. This seems like an ideal match: probationers have a higher unemployment rate than the general population, and farmers need people in the fields. It turns out, though, that hard work, hot weather, low pay, and inexperienced workers don’t make for a very bountiful harvest. [More]
Walmart Employee Arrested After Driving Her Car Into The Store
Early morning shoppers at a Georgia Walmart got a little more than a nice elderly person greeting them at the entrance this morning when a store employee drove her vehicle into the building. [More]
ID Thief Mars Victim's Record With DUI
Another thing that can suck about having your identity stolen is that the crook can rack up crimes in your name. That’s what happened to one University of Georgia student who opened up the campus paper to find his name underneath the mug shot of another young man for a DUI, reports Red And Black. [More]
Georgia Jury Awards Soldier $21 Million Over Mortgage Mix-Up
A Staff Sergeant in the U.S. Army went up against a terrifying enemy — the mortgage industry, in the form of PHH Mortgage Corporation — in court and came away victorious after a jury awarded him $21 million for his troubles. [More]
Cellphone Stops Bullet, Saves Man's Life
A valet in Atlanta was leaving the club he works at when he got caught in a crossfire between two armed patrons. A stray bullet went through his jacket and would have seriously injured or killed him, had he not happened to have his HTC Droid Incredible Evo 4G in his breast pocket. The phone’s battery stopped the bullet, saving his life. The only questions is whether Asurion covers “hail of hot lead” damage. [More]
Dedicated Domino's Driver Scales Icy Hill To Deliver Pizza
Some of you may remember the Domino’s driver who slogged through a couple feet of flood water while making his rounds. Well, here’s his cold-weather counterpart. [More]
Delusional Thieves Caught Stealing Entire Mansions
A ring of confused folk in Georgia are stealing entire million-dollar homes, deeding themselves the property with bogus paperwork and squatting inside. [More]
Your Saggy Pants Are Not Welcome In Dublin, Georgia
Even though other municipalities have tried — and failed — to enact laws regulating the bagginess and sagginess of their citizens’ trousers, the mayor of Dublin, GA, is moving forward with his plan to sign an ordinance that would fine violators up to $200 for low-riding pants. [More]
VIDEO: Sonic Drive-Thru Gets Eaten By A Massive Sinkhole
Ever wonder what it would be like if the ground opened up and swallowed a Sonic whole? Well the people of Cleveland, GA, almost got to see just that when much of their local fast food joint — along with the parking lot of the neighboring car wash — sunk several feet into the earth earlier this week. [More]
Sorry, We Really Have No Idea When We Are Open Saturdays
Reader Colin writes in to let us know that in Atlanta the emission station might be open on Saturday, but they’re really just not sure when. [More]
Bank of America Forecloses On, Then Auctions Off, Home With Paid-Up Mortgage
Imagine that you’re a homeowner who has managed to stay current on all your mortgage payments. And then you find out that the bank has not only foreclosed on your house, but they’ve also sold it at auction. That’s exactly what happened to to a couple in Georgia. [More]
Arrest Warrant Issued For JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon
Last week, JP Morgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon was a wanted man in the city of Atlanta. The city solicitor issued a warrant for his arrest. [More]
Police Say Walmart Shopper Slapped A Stranger's Kid
Holy crap! A random Walmart shopper apparently just went and slapped some other shopper’s toddler because the kid wouldn’t stop crying. A police report says that the man told the toddler’s mother to keep her quiet saying “If you don’t shut that baby up, I will shut her up for you.”