Macon family honors late daughter by helping to less fortune for holidays

In memory of Merrie Kaplan, parents Nancy and Michael Kaplan honored their daughter by helping those in need. MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) — One Macon couple lost their daughter last year and want to keep her memory alive while helping the less fortunate for the holidays.  In memory of Merrie Kaplan, parents Nancy and Michael Kaplan honored their daughter by providing a…

Man wanted for Jones County arson arrested in Ohio

GRAY, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – A man linked to several arsons across Georgia, including a fire in Jones County, is now behind bars. According to the Office of Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner, authorities in Ohio arrested 36-year-old Brandon Morton, Tuesday morning during a traffic stop in Euclid. According to the Commissioners Office, Morton will be extradited to Georgia in the…

Cox gives $5,000 grant to The Mentors Project in Macon

MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – The Mentors Project in Macon plans to use grant money to focus on quality education and poverty reduction programs. Tuesday, Cox Communications announced a $5,000 grant for The Mentors Project, a local organization that provides role models for students who need additional support outside their family to succeed academically, socially and personally. Additionally, during the pandemic,…

Macon-Bibb Commission requests renaming interchange after former mayor

MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – Macon-Bibb Commissioners want to rename a road interchange after a former Macon mayor. During Tuesday night’s meeting, commissioners approved a request to renaming the interchange at Eisenhower Parkway and Interstate 475 after Major David Carter. The measure requests state lawmakers proposal legislation for the renaming since the area is a Georgia Department of Transportation interchange. Carter…

Macon-Bibb County Commission approves new employee pay scale

MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT)— Macon-Bibb County employees are getting a pay raise. The Macon-Bibb County Commission approved an ordinance Tuesday night for a 1.5 percent pay increase for all county employees. The change comes after a pay scale study. The goal is to make the county more competitive when it comes to recruiting, retaining, and promoting employees. “We’re short a little…

Southwest High School continues remote learning due to COVID issue

MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) — The Bibb County School District announced that Southwest High School students will remain in remote learning through Thanksgiving Break due to staffing related to COVID-19.  Elam at Southwest High School — Face-to-face resumes instruction on Thursday, November 19. As a reminder, Elam Alexander Academy at Burke was not previously impacted. Southwest High — Face-to-face resumes instruction…

City of Byron cancels Christmas parade amid pandemic

BYRON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) — The City of Byron canceled its 2020 Christmas. This is according to the city’s Facebook page. The Byron Welcome Center, along with our Mayor and other City of Byron officials said in the Facebook post: We sadly made the decision to cancel the parade for this year. We know many people look forward to our parade…

Alzheimer’s Association Georgia Chapter offers free yoga classes for caregivers

MACON, Georgia (41NBC/ WMGT) — The Alzheimer’s Association Georgia Chapter offers free yoga classes for caregivers. Originally, the classes met in person but the pandemic forced the classes to meet online. This allows them to reach more people throughout the state. How to join a class To join a class, visit the Alzheimer’s Association website. You can also call 800-272-3900….

Baldwin County Schools graduation rates above state average

MILLEDGEVILLE, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) — Getting a child to graduate truly is a team effort. That’s why Baldwin County School District uses a graduation committee to help its students stay the course. The committee started in 2014 when the graduation rate was at 66 percent. Six years later, the graduation rate is now at 85 percent. The 2020 graduating class dealt…

Two Macon-Bibb rec centers closed due to COVID-19 exposure

MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – Two Macon-Bibb County recreation centers are closed after a staff member was exposed to a positive case of COVID-19. Macon-Bibb County shared the news on Facebook. According to the post, the Memorial Park Recreation Center and the Rosa Jackson Center are temporarily closed until further notice. The recreation centers reopened earlier this month. They first closed…

CGTC offering new sustainable farming certificate in 2021

MILLEDGEVILLE, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – Central Georgia Technical College will have a new Sustainable Farming Certificate available for students starting January 2021. CGTC is working in collaboration with STAG Vets, Inc. in Baldwin County and Fort Valley State University (FVSU) to create the sustainable foods technical certificate program. The new program will be a 17-hour, short-term, specialized Technical Certificate of Credit …

Volunteers still needed to test variety of COVID-19 vaccines

(AP) — Two COVID-19 vaccines might be nearing the finish line, but scientists say it’s critical that enough people volunteer to help finish studying other candidates. Moderna and competitor Pfizer recently announced preliminary results showing their vaccines appear to be strongly effective. More vaccine types will be needed to meet global demand. And different types may work better in different…