UPDATE: Monroe County Deputies Investigating Double Homicide

JULIETTE, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) — Monroe County deputies are investigating a double homicide that happened in south Monroe County near Juliette. According to spokesperson for the sheriff’s office, Allison Willis, the victims are Russell Jacobs and James Pittman Wood. The two were found around 1 p.m. Tuesday inside a home at 170 Woods Road. Monroe County coroner Joey Proctor says the…

Family, Friends Search for Missing MGSC Student

COCHRAN, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – Family, friends and church members of a missing Middle Georgia State College student canvassed the Cochran campus and community passing out flyers. 19-year-old Jmaal Keyes has been missing for nearly two weeks now. Police say he left his dorm on April 25 and never came back. Now his family is pleading for a safe return. “We…

Wilkinson Co. Summer Reading Program Facing Major Budget Cuts

IRWINTON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – Wilkinson County’s summer reading program is facing major budget cuts. Library officials are asking for the county’s help to make up for the shortfall. The county library’s $50,000 budget is made up of funds from the City of Irwinton, McIntyre, and Wilkinson County. McIntyre cut $5,000 this year which leaves the library’s popular summer reading program…

Central State Hospital Offers Free GED Program to Employees

MILLEDGEVILLE, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – With impending closures and job cuts at Central State Hospital, officials are doing what they can to help employees who could be out of a job. The hospital is offering a free GED program to employees to gain valuable skills needed to get a job. Big changes are coming to CHS. By the end of this…

New Peach Regional Medical Center Almost Complete

BYRON, Georgia (41 NBC) – Peach County’s new medical center in Byron has been in the works for the past 12 years and is set to open on June 13. Nancy Peed, CEO of Peach Regional Medical Center, says the current building, that’s been used for the past 50 years, has been holding progress back from a growing community. “The…

Completion of Road Improvement Project in Macon

MACON, Georgia (41 NBC) – Macon and the Medical Center of Central Georgia celebrated the completion of the New and Pine Street intersection project with a ribbon cutting on Tuesday. The work improved roads, sidewalks, and traffic flow along Pine Street in front of the hospital. Before the road work, the area had broken pavement and a lack of handicapped…

Jones County Deputies Using New Technology to Identify People on the Spot

GRAY, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) — Jones County deputies are sporting some new technology that’s helping them identify criminals within seconds. They’re using a finger print scanning system called Rapid ID. Deputies ask a for a person’s name, type it in, and then they take prints from two different fingers.  The hand-held machine then runs through state and federal databases to help…

Macon Police Torch Run for Special Olympics

MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) — For as long as Sgt. Charles Whitaker with the Macon Police Department can remember the Special Olympics torch run has been a tradition for MPD officers and SWAT members. “This is my fifth time doing this and it makes me feel good inside to be able to do a little bit,” said Sgt. Whitaker. MPD SWAT…

Warner Robins Police Search for Bank Robbery Suspect

  WARNER ROBINS, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT)- The Warner Robins Police Department is looking for a man who walked into the HEA Federal Credit Union on Osigian Boulevard and robbed it. Police say the man walked up to the counter, handed the teller a note demanding money, then left the business on foot. If you have any information, or recognize the suspect,…

Orphan Drug Act Turns 30, Helps Macon Man with Rare Disease

MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – It’s been three decades since legislation gave people with rare diseases more options to live a better life, and one man in Macon is living life to the fullest because of it. Jameson Atkinson has a rare condition, but because of the Orphan Drug Act passed 30 years ago, his life can be as normal as…

Unadilla Native Wins NASCAR Race in Talladega

UNADILLA, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – A Unadilla native wins big during this year’s spring NASCAR race at Talladega Speedway. It came down to the last two laps and David Ragan pulled ahead to take the checker flag. One hundred eighty-eight laps, two major crashes, and rain delays that pushed the race into over time. With two laps to go, Ragan started…

UPDATE: Macon City Hall Returns to Work, Unattended Suitcase Left Near Building Detonated

MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – Macon City Hall was evacuated for about an hour this afternoon after an unattended suitcase was left on the side of the building. City spokesman Chris Floore told 41NBC Macon police evacuated the building around 1:30. Employees were standing outside across the street at Rosa Park Square. The Macon Police bomb squad x-rayed the suitcase, and…

College Day Sunday Prepares Local Students for Higher Education

WARNER ROBINS, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – Mercer University’s Educational Opportunity Center is working to move more people from poverty to prosperity. This weekend, the organization hosted its second “College Day Sunday” event at Christian Fellowship Church in Warner Robins. Dozens of vendors were at hand helping families with everything from financial aid to college applications. “We know that in Houston County…

Middle Georgia Amputees Take the Plunge in Scuba Dive Class

MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – Losing a limb hasn’t stopped Cory Cochran from enjoying life, in fact, he’s are diving right in! When he was four, Cochran was run over by a riding lawn mower, struggling for years on the wounded leg. This October, after nearly 20 years of suffering and unsuccessful surgeries, his leg was amputated. This weekend, for the…

Air Force Reserve Band Performs Last Public Show in Macon

MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – After 15 years of service and sweet music, Senior Master Sergeant Bill Granger took the stage for one final selection. On Saturday, the Band of U.S. Air Force Reserve performed its last public show with the Macon Symphony Youth Orchestra. Granger, a concert band tuba player, spent his final show playing alongside his daughter. “We put…

Georgia State Fair Returns for the Weekend

MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – An old tradition returns once again, as the Georgia State Fair began Thursday at Central City park in Macon. The fair runs through the weekend, ending Sunday night at 10pm. Nick Harmeier, Vice President of Business Development for the company that runs the fair, says there will be several different kinds of attractions for people to…

Old Book Sale in Perry Ends Tomorrow

PERRY, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – The Old Book Sale is on again at the Georgia National Fairgrounds in Perry. The Houston County Friends of the Library is once again holding the book sale to benefit the county’s several libraries. Georgette Lipford, president of the organization, says the libraries are in need of funding to purchase new books, as money from the…

FPD’s Longest Serving Faculty Member Set to Retire

MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) — Students honored one of their teachers at a surprise assembly at First Presbyterian Day School in Macon Thursday. After 50 years of teaching, 8 years at Riley Elementary and the last 42 years at FPD, English teacher David Walton will be retiring at the end of the school year. Several of his students took turns sharing…

Dodge County Residents Read Bible from Cover to Cover

EASTMAN, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) — From Genesis to Revelation, Dodge County residents read every word of the Bible this week in the county’s first ever Bible reading marathon. “I’m just that vessel being used by him, and it’s not about me, it’s about all of us,” said organizer Lydia Daniels. Daniels said God called her to organize Dodge County’s the reading…

National Day of Prayer at Macon City Hall

MACON, Georgia (41 NBC/WMGT) -National Prayer Day in Macon was a chance for believers to recognize how important prayer is, and the people at city told 41 NBC how it impacts their daily lives. It was a ceremony filled with passion, performances, and prayer. Bruce Leicht is on the National Day of Prayer committee in Macon and opened the ceremony…

Congressman Barrow Hopeful for Partisan Compromise on National Budget Cuts

DUBLIN, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – The recent compromise on air traffic control in Congress gives one Georgia congressman hope that partisan politics can be put aside to tackle national budget cuts. Congressman John Barrow says this is great example of prioritizing. He believes the problem could have been solved before the furloughs and thousands of flight delays if congress originally did…