Man Fights Intruders with Bat; Tractor Trailer Crash Kills 3

- Athens Patch

Around 6:40pm on December 18, the four occupants of a Chateau Terrace apartment heard a knock at the door. Two were from Athens, one from Homer and one from Commerce. One looked out and saw four men but did not open the door. The suspects then kicked open the door.

As the suspects entered the residence, one of the residents struck a suspect with a bat and all the suspects fled. .

3 Killed in 2 Tractor-Trailer Crash in Cartersville - Cartersville Patch

A crash involving two tractor-trailers on Interstate 75 has claimed three lives and shut down the Cartersville roadway for hours this morning.

Following a series of events that began about 1:50 a.m. with a big rig running off the road, both trucks caught fire and the interstate in both directions was shut down near Cass-White Road, exit 296, Georgia State Patrol spokesman Gordy Wright said. .

- Woodstock-Towne Lake Patch

A bow hunter on property near Mountain Road Elementary had the school's administrative team activating a "Code Red" alert that diverted buses to an area high school, locked down the school and brought police to the scene.

At 6:50 a.m. the administrative staff responded to the sighting of a man believed to be carrying a weapon near the school After diverting the buses that were en route to the school, the staff worked with the Cherokee County School District's Police Department, the Cherokee County Sheriff's Office, the school district's Transportation Department and the Office of School Operations. Visit Woodstock-Towne Lake Patch for more on this story.

Midtown Prayer Service for Newtown set for Friday - Midtown Patch

Peachtree Christian Church in north Midtown will be holding a special Service of Prayer and Remembrance for Newtown, Connecticut on Friday, Dec. 21, 2012.

The church sanctuary will be open at 11:30 a.m. for silent prayer, with a brief service of hope and remembrance from 12:00 to 12:30 p.m.

Alpharetta City Council Approves City Center Design Plans - Alpharetta-Milton Patch

Alpharetta City Council took another big step toward development of the City Center site this week by approving a design development plan. Any major changes to the building or site plan designs after this point would send their architects and designers literally back to the drawing board and cost more money. .