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285 Drag Race Turns Fatal; Zicam Warning; Stallworth Begins DUI Sentence/Poll Question
(Wednesday, 17 June 2009) Drag racing leads to two deaths in DeKalb; the FDA has a warning about Zicam; Donte Stallworth has begun his jail time for killing a pedestrian while driving under the influence. What do you think of his sentence? Tell us, and vote in our poll on today's KISS News Now!
- Police search for the Mustang driver who was drag racing with a Corvette last night on I-285 northbound in DeKalb County before a fatal crash. The 'Vette smashed into a guardrail just south of LaVista Road, killing the two inside, and the Mustang took off. Two people in a nearby SUV are in critical condition after being hit.
- A new survey ranks Atlanta the fourth worst city in America for road rage. New York is number one. AutoVantage, a national auto club, has commissioned the In the Driver's Seat Road Rage Survey for the past four years. Miami topped the annual poll for the last four years but voters in 25 major metropolitan areas gave New Yorkers the prize for angriest, most aggressive drivers who tailgate, speed, honk their horns, overreact and lose their tempers.
- In KISS news about your health: it may help kill a cold, but certain Zicam nasal products may also kill your sense of smell. The FDA urges consumers to stop using Zicam nasal gel and both the adult and kid-size nasal swabs. The company stands by their safety record, but will pull those products off the shelves.
- President Barack Obama today spells out new rules of the road for financial institutions like banks and mortgage companies--to avoid a repeat of this economic crisis. The Federal Reserve will get new powers and a new consumer protection agency will govern lending and credit. The president also today makes good on a campaign promise to extend benefits to the same-sex partners of federal employees. An Oval Office announcement comes this afternoon.
- In Gwinnett--$20 million in cuts to the budget mean a hit to public safety. County commissioners eliminated nearly 50 new police positions, in addition to 100 other non-filled county positions. Six new fire stations have also been put on hold; the board said they had no choice because residents fought off a property tax increase.
- Will Lun Lun and Yang Yang continue to be part of Zoo Atlanta's family? The zoo's 10-year lease with China ends this year, and they'll announce Wednesday whether the agreement will continue. Right now it costs about $2 million a year, and that includes the loan fees of about $1.1 million. They've had two cubs since coming to Atlanta, and Zoo Atlanta is only one of four American zoos to display giant pandas.
- Cleveland Browns wide receiver Donté Stallworth is going to serve 30 days in jail after pleading guilty in Florida to a DUI manslaughter charge. The plea deal calls for the 28-year-old Stallworth to also pay $10,000 in fines, serve two years' house arrest and 10 years' probation, and do 1,000 community service hours for killing a pedestrian. Stallworth had a blood alcohol level of .126 when he got behind the wheel of his 2005 Bentley, hitting and killing 59-year-old construction worker Mario Reyes. He reached a confidential financial settlement with the Reyes family.
Police said Stallworth was probably going about 50mph in a 40mph zone, but stopped immediately, called 911 to tell cops what had happened, and submitted to roadside alcohol testing--even though he'd been drinking all night at the Fontainebleau Hotel.
"I accept full responsibility for this horrible tragedy,'' said Stallworth, who was accompanied at the hearing by his parents, siblings and other supporters. "I will bear this burden for the rest of my life.''
Stallworth will probably be able to play again for the NFL while under house arrest, depending on what sanctions the league gives him--but he will need a lift to the stadium because his driver's license has been suspended for life.
What do you think of Stallworth's sentence? Have you had any experiences with you or someone you know involved in a DUI? Give us your comments below! - The Miami priest who left the Catholic church after he was caught smooching his babe on the beach has now married her. Father Alberto Cutie met Ruhama Canellis in church. He's now an Episcopal priest.
- A Lilburn mother is jailed without bond, accused of trying to perform an exorcism on her son. 46-year-old Sandra Alfred allegedly denied the boy food for three days before taking him to a local church for the ritual--which included handcuffing him.
- The wife of a Snellville man accused of kidnapping a Morningside woman and assaulting her in Tennessee says her husband may be a cheat--but he's no rapist. Christy Jansen says she doesn't wish David Jansen ill, but she won't put up with him anymore. "What an idiot that he would be taken in by this young woman and made to spend all of our money," she says. David Jansen says he spent thousands on the stripper, from tips at the club to car repairs to laser hair removal.
- Floyd County Animal Control will put down 16 of the 26 pit bulls seized last week from a dog fighting operation in Lindale. Three have already been euthanized--two because they were so aggressive, and the other because wounds from a recent fight had become infected. The remaining seven are a mom and her litter of 6, which have been adopted by someone outside the county.
- How about this for a schoolyard matchup: Alonzo Mourning vs. former U. S. Attorney General Janet Reno, for the title?! Today the Miami-Dade school district votes on whose name goes on a new high school. A committee favors naming it for Alonzo and Tracy Mourning.
- The KISS 104.1 weather forecast: a mix of sun and clouds, highs 88-92; low tonight 73. Thursday, mostly sunny, with a high near 94.
What others are saying
- Interesting points, MarcusMarcus,
Thanks for taking the time to post a comment here. You bring up several interesting topics that I can see: 1: Are athletes automatically role models and if so, is it because of what they do ON the field or court, or OFF the field or court? 2: Mr. Stallworth faced up to 15 years for the DUI manslaughter case. How would you have sentenced him in this case? - Donte StallworthI don't think the punishment here fits the crime. If he had killed someone by others means say a gun then he would be in prison for life so why not a car! This is exactly the reason so many kids wants to be in sports because they think they are above the law and in most cases they are. I would receive a harsher (if a word) punishment for a first time DUI in the state of Georgia. I think I will tell my kids to strive and be sports persons (not). He should have been sentenced to prison for sometime and not allowed to play football again because that is probably why he felt he could drink and drive super(not)man!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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