Georgia's Top 5: Our Most Popular Facebook Stories This Week

From body cameras for police officers to a new Texas Roadhouse, check out the stories Georgia Patch readers were sharing, reading and commenting on for the week of April 3.

Woodstock Police Roll Out Body Cameras For Officers

As part of ongoing efforts to promote itself as a transparent agency, the Woodstock Police Department said its officers will be equipped with body-worn cameras. The program's implementation, the agency added, is viewed as a "valuable tool" for both officers and the community. Woodstock officers will be equipped with a small camera displayed on the outer portion of their uniform in order to capture audio and visual information acquired during the course of their official duties.

Texas Roadhouse To Replace Ryan’s On Dowdy Road

The Oconee County Development Review Committee has approved preliminary site plans that call for demolition of the building that was once a Ryan's Grill on Dowdy Road. The plans show a new building to house a Texas Roadhouse Restaurant, calling for a second building on the site that could be used for retail space and a restaurant.

KeHe Distribution Center Opening In Douglasville

KeHe Distributors, a distributor of natural and organic, specialty and fresh products, is set to open a new distribution center in Douglasville. A grand opening and ribbon cutting will be held at the center at 1851 Riverside Parkway on Wednesday, April 12, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. KeHe distributes products to natural food stores, chain grocery stores, independent grocery stores and other retailers throughout North America.

Tips for Tornado Safety Ahead Of Severe Storms in Georgia

Almost two dozen tornadoes recently touched down in Georgia on Monday, and forecasters say severe conditions on Wednesday could be even worse in the Atlanta area. Emergency officials say it's a good time to make sure families have a plan to find shelter if damaging storms or tornadoes move through the area, to ascertain their flashlights have fresh batteries, their cell phones charged and vehicles have plenty of gas.

Kindergarten Teacher Was Drinking, Toting Pistol At School

A Paulding County kindergarten teacher who was reportedly drinking on the job Thursday was later found to be in possession of a semi-automatic handgun, officials said. Melanie Bullard, 39, teaches at Shelton Elementary School in Dallas. She was charged with reckless conduct and possession of a weapon on school property.

Photo credit: Woodstock Police Department