The Atlanta Constitution from Atlanta, Georgia • F1

MAIN0326-A-F -Composite Proof 0:00 0:00 Judge for future trial selected ByBETH WARREN Longtime DeKalb County Superior Court Judge Hilton Fuller has agreed to oversee the anticipated criminal trial of alleged courthouse killer Brian Nichols, officials announced Friday. Attorneys familiar with Fuller praised the selection. a very good said attorney J. Tom Morgan, former DeKalb County district attorney. not sure ever been reversed.

make sure both the prosecutors and the defense stay in Attorneys describe Fuller, 64, as serious, knowledgeable and slow to anger. like Rowland Barnes, is universally loved never treated anyone bad, said defense attorney Don Samuel. ranks on list among the best judges in the state of said Samuel, who appeared before Fuller while representing the accused ringleader of the in the torture and murders of teenage girls in DeKalb and Fulton counties in the 1990s. Fuller presided over the case in DeKalb and then traveled to Atlanta for the death penalty trial so that anew judge have to take over the complicated case. Fuller, a graduate of Emory University School of Law, served 24 years on the DeKalb County Superior Court, which handles all felony cases and many civil lawsuits.

During the past six years, he oversaw Hilton Fuller is a senior judge who cut back to part- time status last year. Please see JUDGE, F7 Divorce bill may be dead for now Committee unsure proposal helpful By SONJI JACOBS Aproposal to make it tougher to get a divorce in Georgia probably make the final cut before this legislative session ends. The House Judiciary Committee voted Thursday night to table Senate Bill 25 for the rest of the year, signaling that the bill does not have the support necessary for final approval. The measure, introduced bySen. Mitch Seabaugh (R-Sharpsburg) would extend the waiting period for an uncontested, no- fault divorce from 30 days to four months for a couple without children.

A couple with children would have to wait six months and would be required to attend parenting classes on the effect of separation or divorce on kids. The classes would cost $30, but ajudge could waive the fee for low-income couples. House Judiciary Committee Chairman Wendell Willard (R-Atlanta) said the committee was not convinced that extending the waiting time for a divorce would help Georgia families. He said that several committee members argued that the process of ending a marriage often starts long before divorce papers are filed in court. The extra waiting time might serve to LEGISLATURE Please see DIVORCE, F7 More legislative news, F5 With temperatures in the 70s Friday, 6-year-old Raphael Villalobos resist dipping his hands into the water in a Woodruff Park fountain.

be warm again today, but cloudy, with storms expected tonight and Sunday. JOHN SPINK Staff Spring beckons ANDY SHARP Staff By YOLANDA What started as a dream of airplane and history buffs in Cobb County two decades ago is closer to becoming a reality. The Air Force has agreed to lease land it owns on South Cobb Drive and Atlanta Road, clearing the way for construction of the Aviation Museum at Marietta. Museum officials hope to display planes built in Marietta from the B-29 bomber in 1943 to massive C-130 transport and the sleek Raptor. Plans also include aneducation center for children and a historical look at the impact that airplane production has had on Cobb.

OnTuesday an official from Wright- Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, will be in Cobb to stake out the 15.5 acres, near Lockheed Martin Aeronautical Co. and Dobbins Air Reserve Base, and to work out the details of the lease. Now the board can go after the $10 million needed for design and construction of the first phase of the museum, but officials are confident the money can be raised. real critical thing was to get the said Bob Ormsby, who was president ofthe Lockheed-Georgia Co. from 1975 to 1984 and is president of the board of directors.

support has been incredibly Adream may fly Cobb group finds land for air museum Please see MUSEUM, F4 Bob Ormsby of the board of the proposed Aviation Museum at Marietta, now hopes to raise money to build it. CONTACT US: Bert Roughton Metro editor 404-526-5342 SATURDAY, MARCH 26, 2005 F8 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Metro OBITUARIES INSIDE Crackers ace Slugger Bob Montag set Atlanta records for home runs, including one that traveled 518 miles. AJC.COM THE ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION CHECK FOR BREAKING NEWS UPDATES AT AJC.COM ajc a Easter happenings abound. Visit our events calendar. Sign up for free breaking news e-lerts.

ajc.com/metro Photos by SUNNY SUNG Staff Bryan Anderson claimed second place at the state spelling bee Friday after misspelling the word which means medical treatment of animals in a zoo or By PATTI GHEZZI It was a Herculean bee the longest state spelling showdown in recent history. Five spellers stayed alive deep into the competition. Three parents lodged protests. And there was one peculiar request over a hearing aid that exist. The bee, held at Georgia State University, started with 22 spellers, all winners of local bees.

Last year, the competition only lasted about 45 minutes. But on Friday, judges had to halt the bee after almost two hours to change the tape in the recorder. The bee then continued another half-hour. The first two parent protests were over homonyms, words Letter perfection As challenges set parents abuzz, spellers ace state bee Winner James Clark goes on to nationals in June. Please see SPELLING, F7 Legislators vague about occupations By JAMES SALZER The General Assembly is full of folks who say their business is business.

Period. Twenty years ago, the most common occupation for legislators was lawyer. This year, 57 of the 236 legislators list their occupation as or designations that tell the public little about their jobs and possible conflicts of interest. So the public may not know that House Rules Chairman Earl Ehrhart (R-Powder Springs) is senior vice president of an architectural and engineering firm that does business with state and local governments. Or that, until last year, Senate Majority Leader Bill Stephens (R-Canton) worked for a public relations firm that had a state agency on its client list.

Or that House Appropriations Chairman Ben Harbin (R-Evans) sells insurance, serves on the House Insurance Committee and frequently carries insurance legislation. Under state law, legislators are only required to disclose if they hold a fiduciary position such as a board directorship or an ownership stake of at least $20,000 in a company. They also must disclose if they have done business with the state in excess of $20,000. Nature of their ties to state or local government, ought to be business, critics contend. Please see BUSINESS, F5 RMAIN0326OF1 FMAIN0326OF1 4star 1F 1F Blue Red Yellow Black Blue Red Yellow Black.