Jones County Using Cutting Edge Road Paving Method

GRAY, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) — Jones County is putting cutting edge techniques to work on its roads. Thursday a crew was on Oak Valley Drive micro-surfacing. It’s a new way to preserve the road. Jones is only the second county in the state to use it. Commissioner Tommy Robinson says traditionally the county used a method called chip sealing, but the…

Study Shows College Hill Corridor’s Property Tax Revenue Doubles Bibb County

MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – Home revitalization in the College Hill corridor in Macon is having an impact on the entire community, and that’s good news for Bibb county residents. Macon Mayor Robert Reichert and other officials spoke Thursday outside a house that’s on its way to being completely revitalized. “An older in-town neighborhood that was deteriorating has been revitalized through…

Smoking Ban for Milledgeville Businesses Pose Potential Problems

MILLEDGEVILLE, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – Restaurants and bars in downtown Milledgeville are cracking down on lighting up. State law says you can’t smoke in those places, but businesses found a loophole, that is until now. It’s written in black and white: no smoking. But just a few months ago, customers at The Brick could light up. “Our interpretation of the law…

Members of Georgia’s Legislative Black Caucus Meet in Macon to Discuss Upcoming Session

MACON, Georgia — Several members of Georgia’s Legislative Black Caucus met at Mercer University for what State Representative James Beverly called a meeting of “great minds.” “The mind share, the intelligence of this caucus is tremendous,” said Beverly. State Representative Dee Dawkins-Haigler is the chair of the caucus. She says the goal of this August meeting is to begin building…

Three Milledgeville Businesses Win First BOOST Grants

MILLEDGEVILLE, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – Three small downtown business owners are getting the boost they need to run their store. The Milledgeville MainStreet Downtown Development Authority awarded its first set of BOOST grants on Thursday to Blossoms Florists, HairBar, and Amici’s Italian Cafe. Each business won $1,000 to help pay for signage and roof repair. “This is helping them to market…

Bibb County Schools Beef Up Security

MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – When parents in Bibb County drop their kids off for the first day of school Monday morning, officials will be watching closely and guarding the doors. “We do place a high priority on our safety programs and safety infrastructure,” said David Gowan, Bibb County Schools Risk Management Director. A new buzzer system will be installed at…

Jones County Ready to Start Full Pads Thursday

GRAY, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – It sure has been a long time since football season, hasn’t it?  Can you believe now it’s right around the corner? Good news for high school football fans: teams from all over Georgia have already started practice.  For the last few days, players have only been in helmets, but starting Thursday, they’ll be dressed in full…

Wilcox Co. Elementary Students’ First Day of School Delayed Two Weeks

ABBEVILLE, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – Wilcox County Elementary school students who were supposed to go back to class Thursday, don’t start back until August 13th! Wilcox Schools Superintendent Steve Smith says that’s because of a mold problem. Smith said in a news release sent to 41NBC Wednesday that the heavy rains this summer caused mold and mildew to grow inside several…

Macon-Bibb Leaders Work on New Economic Development Strategic Plan

MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – Macon-Bibb County leaders met on Wednesday to find out what the community says is its strengths and weaknesses. It was the first step of a new economic development strategic plan. Economic development is all about improving the lives in your community. A group of leaders are taking on that task, but before they could get started…

Vote for Macon in National “Best Small Town” Contest

MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – The City of Macon is asking for your vote again to win a second national online competition. The Rand McNally “Best of the Road” contest is looking for the country’s best small towns. Towns and cities are eligible to win in one of six categories: most beautiful, most fun, most patriotic, friendliest, best food, and best…

Crawford County Man Dies in Bibb Crash

MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – A Crawford County man is dead after a two vehicle crash Wednesday morning in south Bibb County. It happened around 9:45 near the intersection of Highway 247, Broadway and Pio Nono Avenue.  Bibb County coroner Leon Jones says the victim is 52-year-old Marco Romero-Castaneda. Officers on the scene say the driver of a red pickup truck…

Christ United Methodist Church To Host Third Blood Drive This Year

MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) — The American Red Cross has issued an emergency call for all blood types and platelets. Christ United Methodist Church is hosting it’s third blood drive of the year. This time, it is in support of someone close to them, George Ealer, who is recovering from aortic dissection. Al Fatkin stopped by Daybreak to promote the blood…

Houston County Parents Frustrated with Central Registration Process

WARNER ROBINS, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – A new process aimed at making enrollment easier is complicating things for some parents in Houston County; many of them using one choice word to sum up Central Registration—”ridiculous”. “It’s like ridiculous, straight ridiculous,” Phillip Leslie said. “We came once and we were missing the lease, so we had to turn around and go home,”…

UPDATE: Escaped Peach Co. Inmate Captured

BYRON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – An escaped inmate that led several Middle Georgia law enforcement agencies on a three hour manhunt, is back in custody tonight. Byron Police Lieutenant Bryan Hunter tells 41NBC, Johnathan Pettigrew was hiding in bushes about a quarter of a mile from where he first escaped at 7:30 Tuesday evening, when he was caught at around 10:30….

Kids Pair up with Cops to Shop for School Supplies

MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – It’s a tradition that dates back decades, and it’s been going on here in middle Georgia now for the past 14 years. Thanks to the Fraternal Order of Police, underprivileged kids in the community get to shop with a cop two times a year.  The best part is.. their parents don’t have to pay for it!…

Deputy Superintendent Griffin-Ziebart Leaving Bibb County Schools

MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) — One of the Bibb County School District’s deputy superintendents is packing up and moving back to her home state. Deputy superintendent of school improvement and redesign, Suzanne Griffin-Ziebart, is heading to Minnesota to serve as the chief academic officer for the Minneapolis School District. Griffin-Ziebart says she applied for the job in April, and went on…

Centerville Police Testing Out New Tag Reader Gear

CENTERVILLE, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) — Centerville Police are testing out some new gear that’s helping them take illegal drivers off the road. The tag reader system rapidly scans license plates and within seconds pulls up information related to the vehicle. There’s three cameras that help the system capture the information. Centerville Police Captain Roger Hayes says, in just one week, an…

City of Macon Nationally Recognized for Financial Reporting

MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – A national finance association recognized the City of Macon for how it reports financial information to the public. The Government Finance Officer’s Association has recognized the city for its Popular Annual Financial Report for FS2012. The PAFR is a user friendly version of the city’s comprehensive annual financial report which highlights major points of the audit…