The Atlanta Constitution from Atlanta, Georgia • B1

Filename: B1-METRO-AJCD0105-3THRE created: Jan 5 2008 Username: SPEED2 Saturday, Jan 05, 2008 METRO 1 3DOT 1 Cyan Magenta Yellow Black 1 Cyan Magenta Yellow Black 3DOT File name: B1-METRO-AJCD0105-3THRE created: Jan 5 2008 Username: SPEED2 METRO Saturday On ajc.com/metro: Your weather photos See reader photos and learn how to send yours. Metro SATURDAY, JAN. 5, 2008 Newsroom Customer Care 404-526-7003 THE ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION CHECK FOR BREAKING NEWS UPDATES AT AJC.COM In her own class at 104 Long after retiring as a high school English teacher, Bertha Turner still her former students with awe, even at 104. B6 OBITUARY 5,000 city pay delayed By AARON GOULD SHEININ Barack campaign on Friday promised to create the grassroots campaign in Georgia to deliver the state and the Democratic nomination for Obama on Feb. 5.

Still giddy with enthusiasm after victory in Iowa, Georgia leadership said it is ready. scored a decisive victory in the Iowa caucuses, and the momentum is going to carry us through New Hampshire, South Carolina and the Feb. 5 states, including state Sen. David Adelman of Atlanta said. outcome was decisive for Obama, giving him an 8-percentage-point victory over John Edwards, who second, and Hillary Clinton, a fraction of a percentage point behind in third.

But the future, particularly primary in New Hampshire, is far from certain. Clinton might have ished third, a dismal showing to be sure, but she has the resources to compete. She and Obama have consistently been atop the polls in Georgia, with Obama holding a slight lead in the Countdown 2008 By AARON GOULD SHEININ Mike Huckabee got his victory in Iowa on Thursday night and immediately showed how important Feb. 5 Republican primary will be to his presidential hopes. Before the results in Iowa were even the Huckabee campaign released a video of the candidate calling on Georgians to rally to his cause.

For Republicans here to have a chance to do so, the former governor of Arkansas must remain viable for another month. After spending the six months of the campaign relegated to the second tier of the campaign, Huckabee has a victory but has yet to erase doubts about his staying power. A top Georgia supporter of a GOP rival on Friday referred to Huckabee as of the If Huckabee follow up his win with a strong showing in New Hampshire primary, then the campaign shifts south and to South Carolina on Jan. 19 and Georgia on Feb. 5.

It could be Southern Or it could be his curtain. Huckabee needs Georgia Associated Press photos presidential primary a month from today might be more important for Republican Mike Huckabee, the former governor of Arkansas who won his caucus in Iowa, than the Democratic winner in Iowa, Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois. VINO WONG Staff The Gwinnett County Rapid Response Team searches Blood Mountain. ALLEN SULLIVAN Staff A helicopter over the North Georgia mountains Friday in the ongoing hunt for missing hiker Meredith Emerson.

ZcibX By TIM EBERLY and By GEORGE CHIDI Four days after a Buford woman went missing in the North Georgia mountains, authorities made two discoveries Friday, a of at a DeKalb County gas station hours after the dog turned up at a Cumming-area grocery store. The man named as a of in the case, Gary Michael Hilton, 61, was found Friday evening by DeKalb County police at a convenience store along Ashford-Dunwoody Road, authorities said. Hilton was being questioned at 9:30 p.m. by GBI agents at the headquarters in south DeKalb, GBI spokesman John Bankhead said. Hilton is believed to have been the last person to see hiker Meredith Emerson, 24, of By ERIC STIRGUS and RHONDA COOK An estimated 5,000 Atlanta government employees were not paid Friday morning, city said.

Chief Financial cer Janice Davis said it appeared the problem was caused when an electronic with payroll information from Wachovia, the cial institution Atlanta uses, did not get to the banks. Wachovia released a statement apologizing for the glitch. Some workers received their paychecks by 5 p.m., but it clear how many were left unpaid by the close of business Friday. Bank spokesman David Oliver would not discuss how the problem happened, citing concerns for city employees. He said the bank will do an internal review to determine what went wrong.

Davis said the problem was not connected to the conversion to a computer software system designed in part to put all of the employees on the same payroll schedule. The $46 million conversion, completed earlier this week, was one year behind schedule. Other cities have reported problems with the software, designed by Oracle. Wachovia apologize for glitch. software conversion had no role.

Strong showing Feb. 5 will help winner Thursday night remain GOP front-runner Democrats riding high Obama, Edwards camps hope strong Iowa nishes mean wins in Georgia, other states Please see PAY, 4 about defense team on agenda By BILL RANKIN The public defender council may be about to shake up Brian defense team. The cost of defense, which already has billed a reported $1.8 million so far in legal fees and expenses, has touched off an uproar in the Legislature. The board, at its meeting Friday, directed its staff to prepare a motion to be considered at a specially called meeting Jan. 18 that addresses about the Nichols defense team.

The board did not spec ify its concerns, but there is great pressure on the council, which oversees a statewide public defender system, to cut costs. Jerry Word, who heads the capital defender said Friday that the funds for defending death-penalty cases is likely to run out in about a month about months before the end of the current year. defense has been criticized by legislators for its high cost and because Nichols was provided four lawyers, when Georgia law calls for only two in death- Please see GOP, 4 Please see PRIMARY, 4 Please see NICHOLS, 6 Please see SEARCH, 5 The GBI questioned Gary Michael Hilton Friday night about seeing Meredith Emerson on a hiking trail..