Albany Herald | News for Saturday, December 29, 2012

SATURDAY'S LOCAL COLLEGE/PREP HOOPS ROUNDUP: Lady Titans close Classic with loss; ATC, SGT men and Darton women all roll

One night after a solid win in its opener of the Albany Tech Holiday Classic, the Lady Titans are routed by Alabama Southern on Saturday. (ADDS: items on Albany Tech and South Georgia Tech men, and Darton women winning Classic finales; Terrell Academy girls capturing Lakeside Christmas Tournament title)

BCS CHAMPIONSHIP: In battle of lesser evils, neutral fans unsure who to pick in 'Bama vs. N.D.

Neutral fans are having a hard time choosing who to root for in the upcoming BCS title game because — let’s face it — fans love to hate the Tide and the Irish.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL NOTEBOOK: UGA ready to defend Nebraska's Martinez; FSU's Werner went from German unknown to superstar in Tallahassee

Georgia coaches and players speak to the media Saturday for the first time since arriving in Orlando about Tuesday's Capital One Bowl against Nebraska and its dangerous QB, Taylor Martinez. (ADDS: items on FSU's Bjoern Warner; N.D. installing 11 p.m. curfew in Miami for players)

Hawks jump on Pacers early, hold on for fourth win in a row

Lou Williams had 21 points and a career-high 12 assists, Al Horford added 20 points and the Atlanta Hawks won their fourth straight, 109-100, against the Indiana Pacers on Saturday night.

Counting down Southwest Georgia’s Top 10 sports stories of 2012 --- #3: Albany native Taylor wins silver medal at Summer Olympics

The Herald’s sports staff has chosen, in our eyes, Southwest Georgia’s Top 10 sports stories from 2012. Today marks the eighth of 10 we’ve picked as having a significant impact as we count down to No. 1, which will appear in the Jan. 1 edition. Look for No. 2 in Monday’s edition of The Herald.

PREVIEW: Despite playoff spot clinched, Falcons look to finish regular season strong vs. Buccaneers

Atlanta — despite being locked in to the NFC’s No. 1 seed and a first-round playoff bye — is taking its business-as-usual approach into today’s regular-season finale against Tampa Bay at home.

Weathering the storm

Georgia Southwestern has lost three starters already this season, but the Hurricanes haven’t let that hold them back from making school history by starting the year undefeated in the Peach Belt Conference for the first time.

COLLEGE HOOPS ROUNDUP: UGA men win third straight; Auburn nearly upsets No. 12 Illinois; FSU, Georgia Tech both extend win streaks

It wasn't pretty, but Georgia managed to win its third straight game Saturday against a four-win FAMU program, 82-73. (ADDS: stories on FSU, Auburn and Georgia tech; men's Top 25 roundup; recap of No. 1 Stanford women vs. No. 2 UConn)

Looking Back - Dec. 30, 2012

History column

Each week Albany Herald researcher Mary Braswell looks for interesting events, places and people from the past. You can contact her at (229) 888-9371 or mary.braswell@albanyherald.com.

On the Job with Frank Griffin

Staff writer Jim West holds a Q&A with Frank Griffin, the executive vice president of Flint Community Bank.

Business must prep for ACA

Businesses, large and small, must be ready to handle the nuances of the Affordable Care Act.

Kitchen inspections for December 30, 2012

Here are the results of recent kitchen inspections.

Soldiering on for weapons of mass destruction

Opinion column

As I slowly recovered from the shock of the tragic events that unfolded in Newtown, Conn., on Dec. 14, I watched/read/listened with growing disbelief to the reaction of many Americans to the shooting of 20 children and six school officials at Sandy Hook Elementary School.

Alien Astronaut invades Athens, spawn debut album

ATHENS — Orbit has been achieved and the invasion has begun. In a world seemingly devoid of the classic music made famous by the likes of Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath, Another Alien Astronaut has arrived to remind earthlings how to rock.

Wang Chung lives on

An ‘80s rock music favorite makes a triumphant return with an album of (mostly) new material.

Births 30 Dec 2012

Unless otherwise noted, the following births took place at Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital in Albany from Dec. 15-24.

Be kind in a nice way

Features column

‘I am too busy to be nice,” she said, and I looked up to catch a glimpse of the person who would say such a thing out loud. She wasn’t an old woman, maybe 50 at best, and her hair was pulled back in such a way that you couldn’t see her eyes, not clearly, anyway.

Some things are better left unsaid

‘Tis the season when columnists write mea culpas, make predictions and list their resolutions.

Hurricane Sandy aid bill packs plenty of extras

What fiscal crisis? That might be the response from the U.S. Senate's passage Friday of a bill that aims at helping the victims of Superstorm Sandy in October.