Pickens Co. town placed on "bear alert"

NELSON - City officials in the north Georgia town of Nelson are warning residents to "bear-proof" their properties after the police chief had a run-in with a black bear.

Nelson City Manager Brandy Edwards said residents should be on guard after recent calls about bears at homes and reports of missing cats and kittens around town.

The Marietta Daily Journal reports that bears are believed to be moving into the town in Pickens County in search of food to fatten up for the winter.