Gwinnett Daily Post

23 Ga. counties get federal disaster declaration

ATLANTA - The governor's office said 23 additional Georgia counties have received a federal disaster declaration related to severe thunderstorms and flooding that began in Georgia in late March.

The disaster declaration follows one issued for 27 counties on April 23.

As a result, federal funding will be available to local governments and some private nonprofit organizations on a cost-sharing basis for emergency work and the repair or replacement of facilities.

The counties added Friday are: Brooks, Calhoun, Cook, Crisp, Decatur, Dodge, Dougherty, Irwin, Jeff Davis, Lanier, Miller, Monroe, Pulaski, Tattnall, Telfair, Thomas, Tift, Turner, Upson, Wayne, Wheeler, Wilcox and Worth.

University track team's bus catches fire on I-285

SANDY SPRINGS - Sandy Springs police said a bus carrying the University of Alabama at Huntsville's track team to a meet in Atlanta caught fire on Interstate 285, but all 45 passengers got off the bus safely.

Police spokesman Steve Rose says a witness told police something fell from the rear of the bus and that smoke and flames then erupted. The fire happened around 4 p.m. Friday.

Jamie Gilliam, UAH assistant sports information director, said the school's athletes probably lost all their gear. Gilliam says the men's and women's teams were headed to the Division II South Regional Championship at Morehouse College.

UAH spokesman Ray Garner said Kelton Tours of Gadsden was sending a replacement and the passengers were taking public transit to their hotel.

No new cases of swine flu discovered in Georgia

ATLANTA - Georgia health officials said specimens from patients in the state are being tested for swine flu, but there are no new positive results.

Dr. Elizabeth Ford, head of Georgia's Division of Public Health, said Friday the state health lab has received 22 specimens in the past 24 hours, bringing the total to 70. She says 50 did not meet the criteria for H1N1, 19 were still being tested and one was positive.

The positive case is the Kentucky woman hospitalized in an intensive care unit in LaGrange. Ford said the woman, considered a Kentucky case by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, is showing improvement.

Ford expects the lab to receive an advanced testing kit next week, eliminating the need to send specimens to the CDC for swine flu confirmation.