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Kennesaw State's Bohannon names Brian Newberry Defensive Coordinator

KENNESAW, Ga. -- Brian Newberry, who has 14 years of collegiate coaching experience at four different levels (Football Bowl Subdivision, Football Championship Series Division, Division II and Division III), has been named defensive coordinator at Kennesaw State, head coach Brian Bohannon announced on Monday.

"I am grateful to Coach Bohannon and Vaughn Williams for this tremendous opportunity and thrilled to be joining the KSU family," Newberry said. "KSU is a special place and I couldn't be more excited about getting to work with this staff and beginning the process of building a successful program that we will all be proud of."

Tree crashes into Kennesaw home, 15 displaced

KENNESAW, Ga. -- No one was hurt when a large oak tree crashed into a Kennesaw home Monday morning.

The tree came down at around 2 a.m. at a house on Jesica Way.

Homeowner Cathy Neher said the tree fell on two bedrooms, including the master bedroom where she and her husband were sleeping.

Fifteen people were inside the home, including several children. Neher said three people live there permanently -- she, her husband and their daughter. The rest of the people were guests who had gathered at the house for a Father's Day party.

The house is now uninhabitable, and Neher said the gas and power have been turned off.

Elijah Staley is Wheeler's dual threat

MARIETTA, Ga. -- Wheeler High School's Elijah Staley is a Blue Chip recruit in both football and basketball.  The basketball forward and football quarterback is searching for a school where he would be welcomed to play both.

Wheeler Football Coach, Michael Collins, says "It's the first time that I have ever coached a player who is a Blue Chip athlete in two sports." Last season, Staley threw for 16 hundred yards and 14 touchdowns as the Wildcats advanced to the state playoffs for the first time in 7 years.

Then there is basketall, where Elijah averaged 18 points and 10 rebounds a game for a Wheeler team that made it to the Final Four. "Trying to get that ring," says Staley.  "I haven't won a state championship and now I am a senior. This is the year to do it."

Trio of Owls selected on third day of MLB Draft

SECAUCUS, N.J. -- After Stephen Janas was selected in the sixth round of the Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft by the Atlanta Braves on Friday, June 7, three Kennesaw State players got the call from the big leagues on day three.

Kevin McCoy, Alan Busenitz and Travis Dean were each selected on Saturday, McCoy went in the 24th round to the Seattle Mariners with the 717th pick, Busenitz one round later to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim as the 757th pick and Dean in the 26th round to the Texas Rangers as the 790th player selected.

Simmons earns Freshman All-American status

TUCSON, Ariz. -- Kennesaw State freshman shortstop Kal Simmons has been named to the Louisville Slugger Freshmen All-American Team, it was announced on Wednesday, June 5, by the Collegiate Baseball Newspaper.

Simmons helped turn over 50 double plays at shortstop this season, helping the Owls lead the A-Sun in that statistic.

Simmons, who also hauled in Atlantic Sun Conference All-First Team and unanimous All-Freshmen Team honors, was a staple at shortstop for Kennesaw State this season, playing and starting in 52 games while batting .289 with a fielding percentage of .929.

"Kal had a tremendous year for us," said Kennesaw State head coach Mike Sansing. "He did a great job for the team both offensively and defensively. Shortstop is such a difficult position so for him to earn this honor is just a huge accolade for him and it shows what he did for us all season long."

Student loan interest rates could go up as debt soars

WASHINGTON -- Senate Democrats and college students will gather on Capitol Hill on Wednesday to call on Congress to hold the line on interest rates for subsidized Stafford Loans.

Unless there's a compromise, those interest rates are set to double to 6.8 percent on July 1, and that would affect about 7 million college students taking out new loans.

Another issue is the overall student loan debt level.

More students are borrowing more money than ever before since the cost of college is going up faster than family incomes.

Two-thirds of recent graduates had an average debt of more than $25,000.

"My aspiration in going to college was to be able to support a family in the future and not struggle. Now I feel like I'm in a worse place than my parents ever were," said college graduate Melissa Rubio.  

Most political analysts expect a compromise on the Stafford Loan interest rates by the end of the month.

Bells Ferry Road closed after crash

KENNESAW, Ga. -- A portion of Bells Ferry Road in north Cobb County is closed after an accident brought down power lines Tuesday morning.

The wreck happened at the intersection of North Booth Road in Kennesaw.

Crews are working to repair the fallen power poles and power lines. There was no immediate word on when the road will reopen.

11Alive traffic anchor Elle Duncan recommends taking Canton Road as an alternate route.

For the latest traffic conditions in metro Atlanta, visit 11Alive.com/Traffic.