Man sentenced for stealing prisoners' identities

Submitted by Beth Sawicki, Where U Live Producer

Monday, March 10th, 2014, 12:44pm

ACWORTH, Ga. -- A Cobb County man will spend 10 years and one month in federal prison for stealing victims' identities and using them to collect millions of dollars in fraudulent tax refunds.

Bradford Thomas, 47, pleaded guilty last November to wire fraud and aggravated identity theft. He must also spend three years on supervised release after getting out of prison and pay more than $1.6 million in restitution.

U.S. Attorney Sally Quillian Yates said Thomas submitted more than 1,200 phony tax returns to the IRS between January 2010 and May 2013. He used the names and Social Security numbers of several victims, most of whom were inmates.

Yates said the scheme netted Thomas about $5.5 million, more than $1.6 million of which was taxpayer money.

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Chipotle may get rid of guacamole

Submitted by Atlanta Busines... on Wednesday, March 5th, 2:31 pm

DENVER -- Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc. is cautioning that factors beyond the company's control -- the weather in particular -- may prompt the removal of guacamole from its menu.

Denver-based Chipotle uses 97,000 pounds of avocados daily to make its guacamole to serve at its locations, including 22 in metro Atlanta.

The company noted higher prices of some ingredients could force the company to increase what it charges for its menu, or it could just do away with some portions of the menu.

"In the event of cost increases with respect to one or more of our raw ingredients, we may choose to temporarily suspend serving menu items, such as guacamole or one or more of our salsas, rather than paying the increased cost for the ingredients," the company says in its annual report.

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Submitted by 11Alive News Staff

Tuesday, March 4th, 2014, 6:13pm

(USA TODAY) -- After reporting dismal fourth-quarter earnings, RadioShack said Tuesday that it would close about 1,100 poorly performing stores, roughly 20% of the electronic retailer's locations.

The store closings will leave about 4,000 locations in the U.S. The company has been struggling to revamp its stores for the past year.

Total net sales and operating revenues were $935.4 million in the fourth quarter, vs. $1,171.4 million last year, a 20% decline. Comparable store sales were down 19%, which the company blames on poor performance in its mobile phone business.

RadioShack stock was down more than 20% in premarket trading.

"Even in this environment, we're continuing to make progress on the five pillars of our turnaround plan: repositioning the brand, revamping the product assortment, reinvigorating the stores, operational efficiency and financial flexibility," CEO Joseph C. Magnacca said in a statement.

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Submitted by Beth Sawicki, Where U Live Producer

Tuesday, March 4th, 2014, 8:23am

Ga. Connections Academy accepting students for 2014-15 school year

(WXIA) -- A few seats are still available at Georgia Connections Academy for the 2014-15 school year.

Georgia Connections Academy is a virtual K-12 public school that allows students to learn at their own pace. It is fully accredited and open to all school-age Georgia children.

"We are enrolling 1,000 additional students across all grade levels for the coming academic year," lead principal Heather Robinson said in a release. "We have a waiting list as we open enrollment, so we encourage parents to get their applications in now."

Georgia Connections Academy will hold a number of information sessions across the state for parents who want to know more. Additional enrollment information is available at connectionsacademy.com/georgia-virtual-school.

Upcoming information sessions in the Atlanta area include:

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Weekend roadwork planned for I-85, Ga. 400, Connector

Submitted by Beth Sawicki, Where U Live Producer

Friday, February 28th, 2014, 2:41pm

Weekend roadwork planned for I-85, Ga. 400, Connector

(WXIA) -- With a warm weekend on the horizon, the Georgia Department of Transportation plans to perform some much-needed roadwork throughout north Georgia.

Closures and delays can be expected on a number of major roads and highways.

"Plan ahead -- I can't say it enough," GDOT District Construction Engineer Shun Pringle said in a release. "If you plan ahead, you can avoid some potentially heavy delays."

Some notable roadwork includes:

Downtown Connector
Two right lanes of I-75/85 north near University Avenue will be closed for pavement work Saturday from 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.

I-285
Three lanes will be closed in both directions between West Paces Ferry and Roswell roads for sign replacements. All work will take place overnight -- from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m.

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Cobb County teachers to get bonus for ice storm duty

Submitted by 11Alive on Friday, February 28th, 6:45 am

COBB COUNTY, Ga. -- The Cobb County School Board approved a reward for educators who stuck around to care for students during the January ice storm.

Hourly employees who stayed with students past 3 p.m. will get overtime and a $25 per hour bonus.

Salary employees will get a comp day.

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Best Buy to cut hundreds of jobs

Submitted by Atlanta Busines... on Thursday, February 27th, 7:15 am

(BUSINESS JOURNAL) -- Best Buy Co. Inc. plans to cut hundreds of jobs throughout its U.S. store operations, according to a report in the New York Post.

The article, citing anonymous insiders, says the "layoffs could affect upwards of 2,000 managers," though the exact scope isn't known. The retailer does not plan to close any of its 1,055 U.S. stores at this time.

Best Buy, which reports its fourth-quarter earnings on Thursday, declined to comment. The chain has 19 stores in metro Atlanta.

Late last month, Best Buy announced it was laying off roughly 950 full-time employees at its Best Buy and Future Shop stores in Canada as part of a store-restructuring initiative. The company said it will consolidate sales departments and reduce management layers in an effort to "streamline its store operating model as part of the company's long-term growth strategy in Canada."

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