The city of Savannah will close River Street public parking lots beginning at 5 p.m. today and lasting through the weekend as a precaution in anticipation of high river levels caused by increased releases into the Savannah River from dams upstream combined with a full moon high tide.  

City and Savannah-Chatham police crews will be on-hand throughout the weekend to monitor conditions on the waterfront, and restrict access to Rousakis Plaza if necessary. 

While emergency crews do not expect businesses to be impacted, River Street could experience flooding in the low-lying parking lots, as well as flood water coming onto some low-lying portions of the plaza, with the potential increasing during high tides on Sunday and Monday.

Anson Calmes, an emergency specialist for Chatham Emergency Management Agency, said the county remains on standby in the event flooding overtakes U.S. 80.

He said if access to Tybee Island becomes impeded metro police, in cooperation with the city of Tybee, will establish barricades to prevent traffic from trying to navigate that particular section of highway. 

He also said that, if needed, ambulances will be dispatched to Tybee Island to assist with any potential medical emergencies and that medical air-transportation will also be alerted if the road becomes impassible for emergency vehicles. 

The Fort Stewart soldier accused of organizing an anti-government militia and orchestrating plots to takeover the Coastal Georgia Army post, bomb the Forsyth Park Fountain and poison Washington state’s apple crop appeared at the Long County Courthouse Friday to plead guilty in his civilian court case.

Isaac Aguigui, an Army private accused of being the ringleader of a group calling itself F.E.A.R. — for Forever Enduring Always Ready — was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

The case was uncovered after he and three other soldiers were arrested in the Dec. 5, 2011, shooting deaths of Michael Roark and Tiffany York.

Aguigui, 22, had been charged with malice murder, felony murder, criminal gang activity, aggravated assault and using a firearm while committing a felony in the couple’s deaths.

Prosecutors said Aguigui ordered the killings to keep Roark, with whom he’d served in the 3rd Infantry Division’s 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, from revealing information about F.E.A.R.

The Friday plea negotiated by Chatham County Assistant District Attorney Isabel Pauley, working on the case as a special prosecutor to Atlantic Judicial Circuit District Attorney Tom Durden, kept Aguigui from receiving the death penalty.

Durden is seeking the death penalty for two other soldiers in the killings — Sgt. Anthony Peden and Pvt. Christopher Salmon. A fourth soldier, Pfc. Michael Burnett, pleaded guilty in August to manslaughter charges. He said Aguigui ordered the killings and told a judge he saw Salmon shoot Roark and Peden shoot York.

The Army in April charged Aguigui in the 2011 deaths of his wife and their unborn child. Sgt. Deirdre Aguigui was found dead July 17, 2011, in her Fort Stewart apartment.

Civilian prosecutors in the Long County case have said money from the more than $500,000 life insurance payout Aguigui received after his wife’s death was used to fund F.E.A.R.

An Article 32 hearing, similar to a civilian grand jury, was held in that case earlier this month. The hearing’s presiding officer, Maj. John McLaughlin, will report to Fort Stewart commanders whether there’s enough evidence to try Aguigui in a court-martial.

Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.

The Chatham County Health Department has lifted the swimming advisory for Polk Street Beach on Tybee Island. 

The advisory area covered the northern most part of Tybee Island at the mouth of the Savannah River from the end of the beach to the jetty.

The advisory was issued on Wednesday after routine water quality tests showed a high level of enterococci bacteria which increase the risk of gastrointestinal illness in swimmers.

Subsequent water samples taken showed that the bacteria levels had dropped below Environmental Protection Agency’s recommended limits. Therefore, the advisory has been lifted.

TLANTA (AP) — A day after workers unearthed an apparent cannonball from a downtown Atlanta construction site, an expert on the American Civil War said there are at least two possible scenarios for how it got there.

The battered round ball was found Thursday near Centennial Olympic Park. Police, concerned about public safety, blew it up and are unsure of its history.

One likely theory: It was a cannonball that was among an estimated 100,000 shells fired into Atlanta by the Union Army while the city was under siege in the summer of 1864.

Gordon Jones, the Atlanta History Center's senior military historian and curator, said it could have been fired by federal soldiers from outside the city in an effort to strike the Confederate's Railroad Roundhouse, a key military target in the general area where the device was found.

The area where the cannonball was found, which now contains the Georgia Dome and CNN Center, was inside the Confederate defense line before Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman's Union forces finally invaded the city and burned much of it.

"The Railroad Roundhouse was right there in the area of Centennial Olympic Park, so it really could have been that this thing was fired at the Round House," Jones said. "That would strike me as the most likely big target."

Another target, a passenger railroad depot near the site of the present-day Underground Atlanta shopping area, was also just east of the construction site where the device was found, near Marietta and Baker streets.

"Between the passenger depot and the Round House, that was the central part of the city," Jones said. "Those are the juiciest military targets."

Another theory: It could have been a Confederate cannonball that was being transported on rail lines or in storage, then left behind and covered by the ground for nearly 150 years, Jones said.

Though it is unusual to find cannonballs in the downtown area, relics of the weapons used in the Civil War are occasionally unearthed.

"We get calls like this on average probably twice a year," Jones said. "It's still out there."

He added that some items are occasionally found in the area of Peachtree Creek, a creek that runs through Atlanta, where a fierce battle was fought on July 20, 1864.

Bomb technicians who detonated the cannonball found downtown were unable to precisely date or identify it, the Atlanta Police Department said in a statement.

A downtown Savannah walk and prayer service sponsored by two churches will close some roads Saturday morning.

Savannah-Chatham police will begin moving cars from the area around Wright Square about 8 a.m. to prepare for the crowd expected to participate in the Rally for Justice for Trayvon Martin, said Julian Miller, police spokesman.

Participants are expected to convene before 10 a.m. at the parking lot at Gwinnett Street and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. They will walk east on West Gwinnett to Montgomery Street, north on Montgomery to Charlton Street and then north on Bull Street to Bay Street.

A short prayer service is scheduled to be held on the south side of Bay Street before the assembly walks back to Wright Square from about 11 a.m. until noon, Miller said. Bay Street will not be closed but streets around City Market could be affected during the short prayer service in front of City Hall.

Traffic will be blocked at Whitaker and York streets, Bull and Oglethorpe Avenue, Drayton and President streets, Drayton and State streets, and Bull and Broughton streets for the duration of the rally. Miller said drivers may experience intermittent delays as the procession makes its way to Wright Square.

The walk and rally are being sponsored by Connor’s Temple Baptist Church and First Tabernacle Baptist Church.

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Police say a man hoping to dodge the $15 entrance fee at the San Francisco Zoo led security officers on a wild chase as he dashed through animal exhibits.

The Oakland Tribune reports (http://bit.ly/18m7vbx) 24-year-old Justin Montgomery was arrested on trespassing charges Sunday after he was held for police by zoo security.

Zoo spokeswoman Abbie Tuller says visitors saw the man climbing an exterior fence and running through the African Savanna exhibit, an enclosure occupied by giraffes, zebras and ostriches.

When security officers gave chase, the Los Angeles resident ran into the Primate Discovery Center. He was discovered hiding in bushes near an exhibit containing mandrills, large monkeys from West Africa.

Animal caretakers moved quickly to secure the mandrills into their enclosures. No animals were hurt.

NEW BERN, N.C. (AP) — Jerry Eubanks has his old wedding band because his grandson likes playing in the mud.

The Sun Journal of New Bern reports (http://bit.ly/12LhCSP) that 7-year-old Liam Eubanks was staying with his grandparents and was playing with his toys in the mud behind their house when he stepped on something. Liam said he told Shirley Eubanks he thought he'd found some treasure.

Actually, it was the 14-karat band Jerry Eubanks lost in 1982. Eubanks remembered he had been painting the workshop behind his house. Several days later when the family was going to the beach his wife noticed the ring missing.

Jerry Eubanks said he may wear the old ring again, but also said he would leave it with his grandson as something he could treasure the rest of his life.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack grappled with the Trayvon Martin case in the most personal of terms on Friday, telling Americans that the slain youth "could have been me 35 years ago" and urging them to do some soul searching about their attitudes on race.

The nation's first black president said the nation needs to look for ways to move forward after the shooting and trial in Florida. And he said it may be time to take a hard look at "stand your ground" self-defense laws, questioning whether they contribute "to the kind of peace and security and order that we'd like to see."

"Where do we take this?" Obama wondered aloud during an unscheduled appearance in the White House briefing room. "How do we learn some lessons from this and move in a positive direction?"

His appearance marked his first extended comments on the Martin case since neighborhood watch volunteer George Zimmerman was acquitted last weekend of second-degree murder and manslaughter charges in Martin's death last year. Jurors found that Zimmerman was acting in self-defense when he shot the unarmed black teenager. Zimmerman identifies himself as Hispanic.

Obama said that as people process the verdict, it's important to put the pained and angry reaction of many African-Americans into context.

Protests and demonstrations, he said, are understandable, adding that "some of that stuff is just going to have to work its way through — as long as it remains nonviolent."

"It's important to recognize that the African-American community is looking at this issue through a set of experiences and a history that doesn't go away," he said.

The president said that distrust shadows African-American men: They sometimes are closely followed when they shop at department stores; they can draw nervous stares on elevators and hear car locks clicking when they walk down the street — experiences that he said he personally felt before becoming a well-known figure.

"It's inescapable for people to bring those experiences to bear," he said.

Obama said black Americans recognize a history of racial disparities in how laws are applied on the death penalty and involving drug cases, but he also said the African-American community was not "naive about the fact that African-American young men are disproportionately involved in the criminal justice system, that they're disproportionately both victims and perpetrators of violence."

The president said it's time "for all of us to do some soul searching," though he said it's generally not productive when politicians try to orchestrate a national conversation that ends up being stilted and politicized.

He added that conversations within families and at churches and workplaces, where people may be more honest, could help people to ask themselves, "Am I wringing as much bias out of myself as I can?"

Overall, Obama said, race relations in the United States actually are getting better. Citing his own daughters and their interactions with friends, the president said, "They're better than we are. They're better than we were."

"Each successive generation seems to be making progress in changing attitudes when it comes to race," he said.

The president declined to wade into the detail of legal questions about the Florida case, saying, "Once the jury's spoken, that's how our system works."

But he said state and local laws, such as Florida's "stand your ground" statute, need a close look.

Obama said it would be useful "to examine some state and local laws to see if they are designed in such a way that they may encourage the kinds of confrontation" that led to Martin's death. He questioned whether a law that sends the message that someone who is armed "has the right to use those firearms even if there is a way for them to exit from a situation" really promotes peace and security.

And he raised the question of whether Martin himself, if he had been armed and of age, "could he have stood his ground on that sidewalk" and shot Zimmerman if he felt threatened when being followed.

Obama also said the country needs to look at ways to improve local law enforcement through better training and resources, and needs to look for ways to "bolster and reinforce" African-American boys.

U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder has said the Justice Department has an open investigation into the case. The department is looking into whether Zimmerman violated Martin's civil rights.

DETROIT (AP) — At the height of its industrial power, Detroit was an irrepressible engine of the American economy, offering well-paying jobs, a gateway to the middle class for generations of autoworkers and affordable vehicles that put the world on wheels.

But now the once-mighty symbol of the nation's manufacturing strength had fallen into financial ruin, becoming the biggest U.S. city ever to file for bankruptcy — the result of a long, slow decline in population and auto manufacturing.

Although the filing had been feared for months, the path that lay ahead was still uncertain. Bankruptcy could mean laying off employees, selling off assets, raising fees and scaling back basic services such as trash collection and snow plowing, which have already been slashed.

Gov. Rick Snyder said Friday that the bankruptcy process would allow for improvements to the city, with a greater emphasis on public safety and other city services, which he acknowledged have long been "unacceptable."

He said it also should offer — for better or worse — a more certain path for creditors, who don't know how much or whether they will be paid. The process, he said, would clarify that "this is a debt that can be paid and will be paid," he said.

"Now is our opportunity to stop 60 years of decline," he said.

Still, Kevin Frederick, an admissions representative for a local career training school, called the step "an embarrassment."

"I guess we have to take a couple of steps backward to move forward," Frederick said.

Now city and state leaders must confront the challenge of rebuilding Detroit's broken budget in as little as a year.

Kevyn Orr, a bankruptcy expert hired by the state in March to stop Detroit's fiscal free-fall, said Detroit would continue to pay its bills and employees.

But, said Michael Sweet, a bankruptcy attorney in Fox-Rothschild's San Francisco office, "they don't have to pay anyone they don't want to. And no one can sue them."

The city's woes have piled up for generations. In the 1950s, its population grew to 1.8 million people, many of whom were lured by plentiful, well-paying auto jobs. Later that decade, Detroit began to decline as developers started building suburbs that lured away workers and businesses.

Then beginning in the late 1960s, auto companies began opening plants in other cities. Property values and tax revenue fell, and police couldn't control crime. In later years, the rise of autos imported from Japan started to cut the size of the U.S. auto industry.

By the time the auto industry melted down in 2009, only a few factories from GM and Chrysler were left. GM is the only one with headquarters in Detroit, though it has huge research and testing centers with thousands of jobs outside the city.

Detroit lost a quarter-million residents between 2000 and 2010. Today, the population struggles to stay above 700,000.

The result is a metropolis where whole neighborhoods are practically deserted and basic services cut off in places. Looming over the crumbling landscape is a budget deficit believed to be more than $380 million and long-term debt that could be as much as $20 billion.

In recent months, the city has relied on state-backed bond money to meet payroll for its 10,000 employees.

Orr made the filing in federal bankruptcy court under Chapter 9, the bankruptcy system for cities and counties.

He was unable to persuade a host of creditors, unions and pension boards to take pennies on the dollar to help with the city's massive financial restructuring. If the bankruptcy filing is approved, city assets could be liquidated to satisfy demands for payment.

Two public employee pension systems are the top unsecured creditors, according to bankruptcy documents. The city General Retirement System's claim is just more than $2 billion. The Police and Fire Retirement System is owed more than $1.4 billion. The documents filed also show more than 100,000 creditors that include individual retirees, city workers, banks, other businesses, property owners and litigants, though amounts owed aren't listed.

Orr said Thursday that he "bent over backward" to work with creditors, rejecting criticism that he was too rigid. "Anybody who takes that position just hasn't been listening."

The bankruptcy could last through summer or fall 2014, which coincides with the end of Orr's 18-month appointment, he said.

Snyder determined earlier this year that Detroit was in a financial emergency and without a plan for improvement. He made it the largest U.S. city to fall under state oversight when a state loan board hired Orr.

Creditors and public servants "deserve to know what promises the city can and will keep," Snyder wrote in a letter that was part of the filing. "The only way to do those things is to radically restructure the city and allow it to reinvent itself without the burden of impossible obligations."

A turnaround specialist, Orr represented automaker Chrysler LLC during its successful restructuring. He issued a warning early on in his tenure in Detroit that bankruptcy was a road he preferred to avoid.

Some city workers and retirement systems filed lawsuits to prevent Snyder from approving Orr's bankruptcy request, said Detroit-area turnaround specialist James McTevia.

They have argued that bankruptcy could change pension and retiree benefits, which are guaranteed under state law.

Others are concerned that a bankrupt Detroit will cause businesses large and small to reconsider their operations in the city. But General Motors does not anticipate any impact to its daily operations, the automaker said Thursday in a statement.

Detroit has more than double the population of the Northern California community of Stockton, Calif., which until Detroit had been the largest U.S. city ever to file for bankruptcy when it did so in June 2012.

Before Detroit, the largest municipal bankruptcy filing had involved Jefferson County, Ala., which was more than $4 billion in debt when it filed in 2011. Another recent city to have filed for bankruptcy was San Bernardino, Calif., which took that route in August 2012 after learning it had a $46 million deficit.

Savannah will be joining the growing list of cities around the country with bike share programs in the coming weeks.

Chatham Area Transit is preparing to roll out a pilot bike share program to begin in conjuction with the completion of renovation work to the downtown transit center on Oglethorpe Avene in September. 

A bike dock/station that can hold up to eight bicycles is to be housed at the transit center. Customers will be able to rent a bicycle short-term through a solar-powered kiosk, Ramond Robinson, CAT’s chief development officer, told CAT board members this week.

The bicycles themselves will be three-speed without chains and individually equipped with GPS tracking devices.

Washington, D.C., New York, San Francisco, Chicago, Philadelphia, Boston, Charlotte and Portland, Ore., are among cities that have either already launched bike share programs or are in the process of doing so. It’s a growing movement.

John Bennett, executive director of Savannah Bicycle Campaign, a nonprofit that encourages bicycling, said after examining other cities, the success of a bike share program depends on the number and placement of bike stations. Savannah, he said, has “great potential.”

“Data from a multitude of sources indicates Americans, and especially young people, are increasingly drawn to places where they can walk, ride bikes and use public transit,” Bennett said in an email.

“Compared to many other cities, Savannah is in a good position to attract young professionals and others seeking a more livable, less automobile-centric community.”

Officials here see the bike share program ideally used for trips less than three miles, whether for errands, meetings or recreational activities. The rental price has yet to be determined, but officials say it will range between $3.25 and $9 an hour. Daily and annual memberships that come with perks will be offered.

The overall cost of the bike share program is approximately $70,000 and is categorized as an amenity to the renovated transit center, according to CAT. Rental revenues will go toward preserving the program, Robinson said.

As a pilot program, the transit agency doesn’t see the operation as a moneymaker per say. Instead, it hopes to expand the bike share concept in partnership with the city of Savannah and Chatham County-Savannah Metropolitan Planning Commission.

Robinson told me that bike sharing is great because it provides “vibrancy” to our community, improves access to businesses and creates recreational options for visitors and local users.

He envisions a resident looking to eat downtown taking a CAT bus to the transit center, getting off and renting a bicycle to travel to the restaurant, then returning to go home.

“That is the new CAT we’re talking about creating,” Robinson told CAT board members on Tuesday. “That’s the multi-modal trip and business component of how we shift and get people to do things.

Just minutes before his freestyle and butterfly races at the Chatham County Aquatic Center, Isle of Hope’s Sam Parker wasn’t displaying any butterflies.

“Not really,” said the 10-year-old, when asked if he was nervous before diving into the pool at the Georgia Swimming 14 & Under Long Course Championships.

Parker, a state champion in short course competition at Georgia Tech in February, placed third in both the 50-meter freestyle and 50-meter butterfly events while swimming for the Georgia Coastal Aquatic Team (GCAT) on Friday afternoon.

Parker swam in the 10-and-under age group. About 50 boys and girls teams and 922 athletes overall were competing in the four-day championships which included swimmers in age groups up to 14 years old.

Parker, who will attend fifth grade at Savannah Christian in the fall, doesn’t play other sports. He was lured to the water by following his brother to the Isle of Hope community pool.

Eventually, Parker joined GCAT.

“Sam is just a strong powerful kid,” GCAT coach Bill Forrester said. “He works hard. He loves to swim, and he does a great job of it. We’re very proud of him.”

Forrester, who knows a little something about swimming talent, sees Parker as one of the team’s rising stars.

Forrester was a bronze medalist in the 200-meter butterfly for the United States at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal.

Forrester’s daughter Patricia, a top freestyle swimmer, is headed to the University of Tennessee.

Parker swims freestyle, breaststroke, butterfly and backstroke and does the individual medley. At the recent Savannah Coastal Swim League City Meet, he won eight events and was high-point scorer. He set a meet record with a 33.76 in the 50 backstroke.

“We’re looking for great things from him,” Forrester said.

In the short course competition in Atlanta, Parker won the 50-yard and 100-yard backstrokes. He was third in the 100 freestyle.

“I’ve been working (at swimming) for a few years now and my favorite stroke is the backstroke,” Parker said.

Big crowd

Parking for the Chatham County Aquatic Center spilled across Sallie Mood Drive and parents and grandparents armed with cameras and video equipment crowded around the eight-lane pool.

A constant buzz of youthful excitement pierced the eardrums.

The big winners during this four-day tournament might be local merchants who are seeing increased business.

“I hear a lot of people love Savannah and while they’re here, they’ll visit downtown and Tybee,” Forrester said. “Hopefully, they’ll spend a day or two extra to have fun.”

Johnson High graduate Greg Mortimer had some specific goals in mind before his final season of basketball as an Atom Smasher, and he checked them off his list one by one in a season that culminated in a Class AAA state championship.

Today Mortimer will achieve another objective when he signs to play Division I basketball at South Carolina State University.

Mortimer, a 6-foot-3 guard, joins teammates Tim Quarterman (LSU) and Saadiq Muhammad (Savannah State), who also signed with Division I programs.

“I’ve been playing since I was 5 years old, so this is a great feeling to be able to play at the next level,” said Mortimer, who averaged 10.2 points, 4.1 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game last season. “We had a goal with Tim (Quarterman) and Rico (Bonds) and I to leave our mark as the best backcourt in the state and to win a state championship. We were able to do that, and now I’m going play college ball and push myself to get better.”

Mortimer was an All-Savannah Morning News first-team selection, and All-Region 1-AAA pick and was named honorable mention all-state by the Georgia Sportswriters Association.

“Greg was our sleeper,” Johnson coach Utaff Gordon said. “People would key on Tim (Quarterman) or Saadiq (Muhammad), but Greg was the straight killer. He always came up big. He’s an understated player; there isn’t much chest pounding with Greg. But the dunk he made in transition on a guy from Carver-Columbus — that was the turning point in our season and it helped propel us to the championship.”

Mortimer said he is excited about playing in the MEAC — and getting the chance to play against his Atom Smasher teammate, Muhammad, when SCS faces Savannah State.

“Saadiq and I are really close, but when we meet on the court it’s going to be all business,” Mortimer said. “I’m ready to play college ball, but the work doesn’t end — I’m going to keep grinding to get better.”

Friday was a big day for Mortimer’s classmate Tajara Muhammad, a standout on the Atom Smasher girls basketball team who signed a letter of intent to play at Voorhees College, an NAIA program in South Carolina.

“Tajara was a force in the middle for us,” Johnson coach Brandon Lindsey said. “She is a defensive hawk; she’s the kind of player who loves to crash the boards. She never complains and those are the kind of things you just can’t coach.”

Muhammad, a 6-foot forward, averaged 5.5 points, 10.5 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per game for an Atom Smasher squad that finished 15-8 last year.

“Coach Lindsey was always fussing over me, but he made me improve as a player,” Muhammad said. “I chose Voorhees because of the education I can get there as well as the athletic program. I think the coach is going to help me improve as a player so I can reach my goal and play professionally overseas.”

Muhammad plans to major in education and said she might someday like to coach.

“Tajara was a leader for us in the locker room, if something was going wrong she would correct it,” Lindsey said. “She kept the team’s morale up. She is a well-rounded kid, with a sweet spirit. She’s very personable and I think she’s going to do well in college.”

CHICAGO — Brian McCann hit a three-run homer in the sixth inning to break open a tie game and the Atlanta Braves started the second half of the season with a 6-4 victory over the Chicago White Sox on Friday night.

Braves starter Tim Hudson (7-7) earned his third straight win after a 10-start winless streak. He pitched 7 1/3 innings, giving up four runs on eight hits while striking out four and walking two. Craig Kimbrell pitched the ninth for his 27th save in 29 outings.

White Sox starter John Danks (2-7) took his seventh loss in his last 10 starts. Danks pitched seven innings, allowing all five Atlanta runs on seven hits, including homers by McCann and Andrelton Simmons. He struck out four and walked none. Danks also uncorked a wild pitch before to McCann’s homer.

Atlanta, which ended the first half of the season losing two of its last three, snapped a five-game interleague losing streak to the White Sox.

It was Chicago’s eighth loss in its last 11 games, 22 of 31 and 32 of 45. The White Sox are now 19 games under .500 for the first time since Sept. 27, 2007, when they were 70-89.

Atlanta took a 2-0 lead in the third inning. Chris Johnson, who had three hits in the game, led off with a single and scored on Simmons’ ninth home run, to left field.

Chicago tied the game in the bottom of the third on a two-run double to right-center by Alex Rios.

The White Sox had a good chance to take the lead in the fifth. Alejandro De Aza and Ramirez had back-to-back one-out singles, putting runners at first and third. Rios’ grounder to short was bobbled by Simmons, but he recovered in time to turn an inning-ending double play.

The Braves broke the game open with a three-run sixth. Joey Terdoslavich and Justin Upton both had singles and then advanced to second and third on a wild pitch by Danks. McCann then hit a two-out, 3-2 pitch for his 13th home run, giving the Braves a 5-2 lead.

Chicago scored two runs in the eighth to get within 5-4. De Aza led off with walk and stole second and scored on Ramirez’s RBI double to left. Jeff Keppinger’s bloop single to right scored Ramirez.

The Braves added an insurance run in the ninth when Upton singled off White Sox reliever Matt Lindstrom, went to second on an infield out and scored on Johnson’s single to right.

Before to the game, White Sox RHP Jake Peavy (6-4, 4.30) was activated off the disabled list. He will start Saturday against Braves lefty Paul Maholm (9-8, 3.98).

Peavy had been sidelined since June 5 with a rib he fractured June 4 at Seattle.

NOTES: Braves RF Jason Heyward remains out with a strained right hamstring he injured July 11 against the Reds. “He’s making a lot of progress,” manager Fredi Gonzalez said. As for 1B Freddie Freeman, out with a jammed thumb since July 13, “Hopefully he’s good tomorrow,” Gonzalez said. . Braves RHP Brandon Beachy made his third rehab start Friday at Triple-A Gwinnett (Ga.). He’s recovering from Tommy John surgery. . White Sox RHP Jesse Crain threw on the sideline Friday and hopes to return from a strained right shoulder in about a week. He’s been on the DL since July 3. . White Sox OF Dewayne Wise was returned to Triple-A Charlotte due to a strained right hamstring. The White Sox also signed INF Travis Ishikawa and assigned him to Charlotte. . Attendance was 25,613.

The Savannah River is rising. And with potential flooding possible, both city and county officials are taking steps to ensure those who are out-and-about this weekend can enjoy themselves safely.

As a precaution the city of Savannah closed River Street parking lots at 5 p.m. on Friday. Shawn Emerson, a coordinator for Savannah Parking and Mobility Services, said she expects the lots will remain closed until sometime on Monday.

A statement released by the city indicated that “while emergency crews do not expect businesses to be impacted, River Street could experience flooding in the low-lying parking lots, as well as flood water coming onto some low-lying portions of the plaza, with the potential increasing during high tides on Sunday and Monday.”

Heavier than normal rains in the upper basin of the Savannah River have caused The U.S. Army Corp of Engineers to relieve the water levels of three different lakes north of Augusta, increasing the river’s water level. The national weather service’s prediction of scattered showers and thunderstorms for the Savannah area throughout Saturday combined with a full-moon high tide could also potentially add to the mix.

The islands are also on alert.

Anson Calmes, an emergency specialist for Chatham Emergency Management Agency, said the county remains on standby in the event flooding overtakes U.S. 80.

He said if access to Tybee Island becomes impeded, metro police, in cooperation with the city of Tybee, will close the road.

He also said that, if needed, ambulances will be dispatched to Tybee Island to assist with any potential medical emergencies and that medical air-transportation will also be alerted if the road becomes impassible for emergency vehicles.

ATLANTA — Georgia officials demonstrated how welcoming they are of motion-picture production companies this week by opening up the state Capitol to them.

All week, government staffers tiptoed over cables and ducked under lights to get to their offices during filming of the feature movie “Kill the Messenger” staring Jeremy Renner, who played Hawkeye in “The Avengers.”

Renner plays Gary Webb, a real, Pulitzer-winning reporter who becomes tangled in a smear campaign after alleging the Central Intelligence Agency was selling drugs to poor Americans as a way to get funds to Central American revolutionaries despite a congressional prohibition.

The movie is set to be released in 2014, a decade after Webb died of two gunshot wounds to the head, which was ruled a suicide.

Following behind California and New York, Georgia has made its way in the Hollywood circle.

With Georgia’s versatility from the Blue Ridge Mountains to the coast line in Savannah, filming and production has become a $3.1 billion industry here.

Tax incentives have helped.

“We have a whole package of incentives, perfect climate, diverse cities, mountains, coasts, and infrastructures. Everything put together creates a firestorm here,” said Lee Thomas, division director of Georgia’s film, music and digital entertainment office.

The state is home to studios such as EUE/Screen Gems Studios, Tyler Perry Studios, Atlanta Filmworks, and the new Pinewood Atlanta studio that opens spring of 2014. A $90 million studio is planned for Effingham County near Savannah.

“Georgia is growing rapidly. One of the reasons that it’s growing is because of the cable production, which is a booming part of the industry. Over 40 networks are producing their own original productions,” said Kris Bagwell, executive vice president of the Atlanta EUE/Screen Gems Studios.

Founded by George Cooney, EUE/Screen Gems Studio is headquartered in New York City and opened its Atlanta location in the summer of 2010.

Since then, numerous networks have used the studios on Atlanta’s Southside, including ABC Family, Fox, Disney and more.

One of the major benefits of filming in Georgia is the 30 percent tax credit.

The state provides a 20 percent tax credit for companies that spend $500,000 or more on production and post-production in either a single project or on multiple ventures.

The state also grants an additional 10 percent tax credit if the finished product promotes the state with the peach logo or offers something with equal value.

“For a long time Georgia lost a lot of business to Canada and Louisiana, so this tax credit has made it beneficial for companies looking to film here,” Thomas said.

In addition to the tax-credit bonus, the talent infrastructure also sets the state apart.

Experienced professionals ranging from painters and hair dressers to costume designers and camera operators are based in Georgia or have moved here for work in recent years as the industry has created more than 25,000 jobs, and 11,000 of them full-time.

MACON, Ga. — Give yourself some extra time if you're driving through central Georgia on Interstate 75 this weekend.

Crews will repair guardrails on I-75 northbound in Peach County beginning Saturday morning.

Starting Saturday night, workers will close as many as three lanes from I-75 to Interstate 16 to repair bridge joints over the Ocmulgee River near Macon.

And crews will be working on I-75 northbound near Pierce Avenue in Macon all day Monday.

ATLANTA — One week after a Florida jury found George Zimmerman not guilty in the death of unarmed teen Trayvon Martin, rallies are scheduled in 100 cities to press for civil rights charges against the former neighborhood watch leader.

Zimmerman claimed self-defense after shooting Martin during an altercation. The case has become a flashpoint in national debates over guns, race relations and self-defense laws. Zimmerman identifies as Hispanic. Martin was black.

The Rev. Al Sharpton's National Action Network has organized the "Justice for Trayvon" rallies and vigils outside federal buildings from New York and Los Angeles to Des Moines, Iowa, and Little Rock, Ark. He wants the Justice Department to pursue a case.

The group says Martin's mother and brother will attend the New York event. His father will appear in Miami.

WASHINGTON — Helen Thomas, the irrepressible White House correspondent who used her seat in the front row of history to grill nine presidents — often to their discomfort and was not shy about sharing her opinions, died Saturday. She was 92.

Thomas, who died at her apartment in Washington, had been ill for a long time, and in and out of the hospital before coming home Thursday, according to a friend, Muriel Dobbin.

Thomas made her name as a bulldog for United Press International in the great wire-service rivalries of old, and as a pioneer for women in journalism.

She was persistent to the point of badgering. One White House press secretary described her questioning as "torture"— and he was one of her fans.

Her refusal to conceal her strong opinions, even when posing questions to a president, and her public hostility toward Israel, caused discomfort among colleagues.

In 2010, that tendency finally ended a career which had started in 1943 and made her one of the best known journalists in Washington. On a videotape circulated on the Internet, she said Israelis should "get out of Palestine" and "go home" to Germany, Poland or the United States. The remark brought down widespread condemnation and she ended her career.

In January 2011, she became a columnist for a free weekly paper in a Washington suburb, months after the controversy forced her from her previous post.

In her long career, she was indelibly associated with the ritual ending White House news conferences. She was often the one to deliver the closing line: "Thank you, Mister. President"— four polite words that belied a fierce competitive streak.

Her disdain for White House secrecy and dodging spanned five decades, back to President John Kennedy. Her freedom to voice her peppery opinions as a speaker and a Hearst columnist came late in her career.

The Bush administration marginalized her, clearly peeved with a journalist who had challenged President George W. Bush to his face on the Iraq war and declared him the worst president in history.

After she quit UPI in 2000 — by then an outsized figure in a shrunken organization — her influence waned.

Thomas was accustomed to getting under the skin of presidents, if not to the cold shoulder.

"If you want to be loved," she said years earlier, "go into something else."

There was a lighter mood in August 2009, on her 89th birthday, when President Barack Obama popped into in the White House briefing room unannounced. He led the roomful of reporters in singing "Happy Birthday to You" and gave her cupcakes. As it happened, it was the president's birthday too, his 48th.

Thomas was at the forefront of women's achievements in journalism. She was one of the first female reporters to break out of the White House "women's beat"— the soft stories about presidents' kids, wives, their teas and their hairdos — and cover the hard news on an equal footing with men.

She became the first female White House bureau chief for a wire service when UPI named her to the position in 1974. She was also the first female officer at the National Press Club, where women had once been barred as members and she had to fight for admission into the 1959 luncheon speech where Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev warned: "We will bury you."

The belligerent Khrushchev was an unlikely ally in one sense. He had refused to speak at any Washington venue that excluded women, she said.

Thomas fought, too, for a more open presidency, resisting all moves by a succession of administrations to restrict press access.

"People will never know how hard it is to get information," Thomas told an interviewer, "especially if it's locked up behind official doors where, if politicians had their way, they'd stamp TOP SECRET on the color of the walls."

Born in Winchester, Ky., to Lebanese immigrants, Thomas was the seventh of nine children. It was in high school, after working on the student newspaper, that she decided she wanted to become a reporter.

After graduating from Detroit's Wayne University (now Wayne State University), Thomas headed straight for the nation's capital. She landed a $17.50-a-week position as a copy girl, with duties that included fetching coffee and doughnuts for editors at the Washington Daily News.

United Press — later United Press International — soon hired her to write local news stories for the radio wire. Her assignments were relegated at first to women's news, society items and celebrity profiles.

Her big break came after the 1960 election that sent Kennedy to the White House, and landed Thomas her first assignment related to the presidency. She was sent to Palm Beach, Fla., to cover the vacation of the president-elect and his family.

JFK's successor, Lyndon Johnson, complained that he learned of his daughter Luci's engagement from Thomas's story.

Bigger and better assignments would follow for Thomas, among them President Richard M. Nixon's breakthrough trip to China in 1972.

When the Watergate scandal began consuming Nixon's presidency, Martha Mitchell, the notoriously unguarded wife of the attorney general, would call Thomas late at night to unload her frustrations at what she saw as the betrayal of her husband John by the president's men.

It was also during the Nixon administration that the woman who scooped so many others was herself scooped — by the first lady. Pat Nixon was the one who announced to the Washington press corps that Thomas was engaged to Douglas Cornell, chief White House correspondent for UPI's archrival, AP.

They were married in 1971. Cornell died 11 years later.

Thomas stayed with UPI for 57 years, until 2000, when the company was purchased by News World Communications, which was founded by the Rev. Sun Myung Moon, leader of the Unification Church.

At age 79, Thomas was soon hired as a Washington-based columnist for newspaper publisher Hearst Corp.

A self-described liberal, Thomas made no secret of her ill feelings for the final president she covered — the second President Bush. "He is the worst president in all of American history," she told the Daily Breeze of Torrance, Calif.

Thomas also was critical of the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq, asserting that the deaths of innocent people should hang heavily on Bush's conscience.

"We are involved in a war that is becoming more dubious every day," she said in a speech to thousands of students at Brigham Young University in September 2003. "I thought it was wrong to invade a country without any provocation."

Some students walked out of the lecture. She won over others with humorous stories from her "ringside seat" to history.

In March 2005, she confronted Bush with the proposition that "your decision to invade Iraq has caused the deaths of thousands of Americans and Iraqis" and every justification for the attack proved false.

"Why did you really want to go to war?" she demanded.

When Bush began explaining his rationale, she interjected: "They didn't do anything to you, or to our country."

"Excuse me for a second," Bush replied. "They did. The Taliban provided safe haven for al-Qaida. That's where al-Qaida trained."

"I'm talking about Iraq," she said.

Her strong opinions finally ended her career.

After a visit to the White House, David Nesenoff, a rabbi and independent filmmaker, asked Thomas on May 27, 2010, whether she had any comments on Israel. "Tell them to get the hell out of Palestine," she replied. "Remember, these people are occupied and it's their land. It's not Germany, it's not Poland," she continued. Asked where they should go, she answered, "They should go home." When asked where's home, Thomas replied: "Poland, Germany and America and everywhere else."

The resulting controversy brought widespread rejection of her remarks. White House spokesman Robert Gibbs called them "offensive and reprehensible." Many Jews were offended by her suggestion that Israelis should "go home" to Germany, Poland and America since Israel was initially settled in 1948 by Jews who had survived or escaped Hitler's attempt to kill all the Jews in Germany, and many in neighboring conquered countries.

Within days, she retired from her job at Hearst.

Hundreds of people marched through downtown Savannah on Saturday during the Justice for Trayvon rally.

Rallies were held in dozens of cities across the country to press for civil rights charges against George Zimmerman who was found not guilty in the death of Florida teen Trayvon Martin.

The Savannah rally was sponsored by Connor's Temple Baptist Church and First Tabernacle Baptist Church.

Click 'Play' to watch video of the march

Join the DerbyTaunts
2-4 p.m. July 21. Garden City Gym, 160 Priscilla Thomas Way. Girls ages 10-17 and their parents are invited to learn more and meet players at a meet-and-greet hosted by the Savannah Jr. DerbyTaunts, the little sister league of the Savannah Derby Devils. The event takes place at the Garden City Gym behind Groves High School on Ga. 21. The building is adjacent to the Garden City Stadium. The event is free and open to the public. Girls accompanied by a parent are welcome to skate while parents learn about the league. Skates, helmets and protective gear are available for free use. New skaters may join the DerbyTaunts during the league’s next and final open enrollment period of 2013 starting July 21. Prior skating experience is helpful but not required. Dues are $10 per month. RSVP for the meet-and-greet is appreciated at savannahjuniorderby@gmail.com so we can have the appropriate sizes ready. For more information, go to www.savannahderby.com.

Open enrollment for the Sk8 City Sirens
12-2 p.m. July 21. Join the fun at Sk8 City. We will be having an open enrollment July 21. It’s your chance to check out the team and decide if Roller Derby is for you. For girls ages 10-17. Bring a mouth guard and a helmet. A bicycle helmet will do for now. We will provide the rest. For more information email gena@sk8citysirens.com or jennifer@sk8citysirens.com.

‘Jazz in July’
5 p.m. July 21. The Mansion on Forsyth Park, 700 Drayton St. The Coastal Jazz Association presents “Jazz In July Summer Swingin’ in Savannah” featuring The Kelly Scott Jazz Quartet with vocalist Lisa Kelly, trumpeter JB Scott, pianist-bassist Jeff Phillips and drummer Clyde Connor. Admission is $10 and free to members and students.

Masquers Summer Theatre: ‘A Company of Wayward Saints’
3 p.m. July 21. Armstrong Jenkins Hall Theater, 11935 Abercorn St. Armstrong AMT Masquers Summer Theatre presents George Herman’s slapstick comedy, “A Company of Wayward Saints.” A commedia dell’ arte group wanders by mistake into the eye of an allegory. They are humanity, wayward saints all, who are far from home and without means. A nobleman may be their salvation if they can put on a good show for him. Surprisingly, the company chooses to present the history of man, from the Garden of Eden through everyman in birth, adolescence, marriage and death. Along the way, they enact other wayward adventures, such as the assassination of Julius Caesar and the homecoming of Odysseus. It is a fine mosaic of life redeemed. General admission tickets are $10, with discounts available to military, seniors and students. For more information, go to www.tickets.armstrong.edu.

Annual Camp meeting
July 19-24. The Effingham Campground, Laurel Street, Hwy 21, Springfield. The Effingham Campground will hold its 223rd Annual Camp meeting between July 19-24. The preaching schedule will be Friday, July 19, 7:30 p.m. Evening Service. Saturday, July 20, 10 a.m. Morning Service and 7:30 p.m. Evening Service. Sunday, July 21, 10 a.m. Sunday School, 11 a.m. Morning Service, 7:30 p.m. Evening Service. Monday- Wednesday, July 22-24, 11 a.m. Morning Worship and 7:30 p.m. Evening Service. Daily Meals are available, Friday–Sunday only, for individuals or groups, Reservations should be made one day in advance with kitchen crew or contact Stella Seckinger at 912-657-4050.

Gallery 209 artist of the month
July. Gallery 209, 209 East River St. Gallery 209 will feature the work of artists Alaine Daniel and Angela Erdy for the month of July. Alaine’s work is influenced by people, places and things from the South. Vibrant colors fill her carefully devised compositions primarily in watercolor. Angela’s beautiful line of jewelry is a combination of melting and fusing precious metals as well as hammering to create texture. Open daily 10:30 a.m.-9 p.m. Go to, www.gallery209savannah.com or call 912-236-4583.

SCAD Museum to offer free admission to military families
Through Sept. 2. The SCAD Museum of Art is pleased to honor America’s brave servicemen and women and has announced its participation in Blue Star Museums. In collaboration with the National Endowment for the Arts, Blue Star Families, the Department of Defense and museums across America, SCAD Museum of Art will offer free admission to active-duty military personnel and their families through Labor Day. For more information, go to www.scadmoa.org.

Christmas in July Cat Adoption Sale
11 a.m.-2:30 p.m. July 21 and 27. PetSmart, 11132 Abercorn St. Save-A-Life Animal Welfare is celebrating Christmas in July. Enjoy our lowest adoption fees this year! Just $45 for any cat or kitten adopted July 20 and July 27. All cats and kittens are altered or come with a voucher for a free surgery at selected veterinary partners. Hurry in to the PetSmart Store on Abercorn Street from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on these Saturdays to find a loving companion while saving a pet’s life. You can also visit us and our pets at www.savealifepets.org. Adoption fee is $45 no charge to look.

Ostomy Support Group meeting
3:30 p.m. July 21. Lewis Cancer & Research Pavilion, second floor conference room, 5353 Reynolds St. Ostomy Support Group will have a free meeting Sunday, July 21, at 3:30 pm. Meeting located in Lewis Cancer & Research Pavilion, second floor conference room. For more information, contact Howard Taylor at 912-225-4174, 912-481-4453 or email hltravelin@aol.com.