NEWTON COUNTY, Ga. -- The Supreme Court of Georgia has upheld the murder conviction and life prison sentence given to a Newton County woman who smothered her infant daughter.

Quanitta Yvette Turner appealed to the state's high court, saying her original jury was not show enough evidence to send her to prison. She also argued that a police officer who interviewed her after her daughter's death coerced her into admitting she beat the baby, which "grossly misrepresented (her) Fifth Amendment right to remain silent."

But a Supreme Court of Georgia justice wrote in Tuesday's decision that Turner had been read her Miranda rights, and the statements she made during her police interview "were voluntary and admissible," and not made under fear of injury or punishment.

FULTON COUNTY, Ga. -- When the weather report calls for freezing temperatures overnight, you do not want to be rushing outside in the dark to cover cold-sensitive plants.

According to University of Georgia experts, protect plants in containers either by placing them inside a protective structure (house, garage, greenhouse or shed) or by placing a protective covering over them.

“People put a lot of time and expense in caring for their plants,” states Menia Chester, Director of Fulton County Cooperative Extension. “It is important for them to know how to protect their investments to nurture them for growth when the weather is cold.”

Container plants are especially susceptible to cold temperatures; their roots are more exposed because they are above ground. Plants with roots that are damaged by cold temperatures may not show immediate signs of damage; these plants will show signs of stress when temperatures rise and the demand for water from the roots are greater.

ATLANTA -- Georgia State University is poised to become the state of Georgia's largest university.

At the Jan. 6 meeting of the state Board of Regents, Chancellor Hank Huckaby recommended that the board merge Georgia State and Georgia Perimeter College, a move that would create the largest university in the state and one of the largest in the nation.

Georgia State had a fall enrollment of 32,556 and Georgia Perimeter 21,371, for a combined 53,927. That would make the combined school far larger than The University of Georgia, which had a fall enrollment of 35,197.

"The consolidation would greatly improve opportunities for students and expand Georgia State's reach and impact across the metro-Atlanta area and the state," said Georgia State President Mark Becker in a message broadcast to the campus.

The consolidation would leave the University System with 29 institutions.