MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – College football coaches and players from all over the Peach State descended upon Macon Tuesday for the annual Pigskin Preview, an event designed to give media around the state a sneak peek of all the programs a few months before the season gets under way. For the Georgia Bulldogs, they’re ready to move on from last…
MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – A new, first of its kind report released Tuesday shows Georgians are lacking when it comes to civic health. According to the Georgia Civic Health Index, the Peach State’s rate of civic engagement is among the lowest in the nation. The study is based on four indicators: social connectedness, community involvement, political action, and confidence in…
WARNER ROBINS, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – Another Warner Robins City Council member says he’s ready to take the lead of the International City. Surrounded by family and close friends, council member Daron Lee announced he will run for mayor of Warner Robins. “I will represent all of the people, not some of the people,” Lee said during a news conference on…
MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) — Stephen McDaniel’s lawyers argue his bond is too high in the case where McDaniel is accused of killing Mercer Law graduate Lauren Giddings in June 2011. In a motion filed Monday, McDaniel’s defense team asked that his bond be reconsidered. They argued that the $850,000 bond is excessive and that the withdrawal of the death penalty…
MILLEDGEVILLE, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – The Milledgeville Ethics Committee found parts of the complaint filed against a city councilman are valid and they are opening an investigation. The board met Tuesday night. It took them almost two hours to review the complaint filed against Councilman Phillip Joiner. They will look into two of the three allegations. The complaint claims Joiner didn’t…
WARNER ROBINS, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – Only one Warner Robins citizen spoke up Monday in a public hearing about the fiscal year 2014 budget. That citizen told Mayor Chuck Shaheen and council he hadn’t seen a copy of the budget. Shaheen explained the budget has been available for the last two weeks in the city clerk’s office and on the city’s…
MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – One thing that Georgia is known for that it should not be proud of, is the fact that it is the second in the country in childhood obesity cases. Despite startling numbers that should be cause for worry, there are things we can do to help fight against those numbers and get our kids healthier. Chris…
ROCHELLE, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – A lawsuit may force the city of Rochelle to rethink its sewage system. Residents on the north side of town say every time it rains, raw sewage flows from the pipes getting into their homes and yards. John Jackson and his neighbors believe local officials are avoiding the filth because the problems are in a predominantly…
MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) — Hugs, hand shakes, and standing ovations greeted Dr. E. Steven Smith at the Bibb County Board of Education Monday afternoon. Dr. Smith took his oath of office as the interim superintendent of Bibb Schools in front of a packed house, and energetic crowd. He said he was flattered by the show of support from former colleagues,…
MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – Every day, 25,000 people die from hunger and related illnesses. On Monday, hundreds of people packed bags of food. They say it is a small thing they can do to help combat this worldwide problem. “It’s about helping those who are in need, those who are less fortunate,” volunteer Mark Hardin said. And you don’t have…
MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) — Stephen McDaniel’s lawyers filed a motion asking the court to prohibit wearing the color pink during trial. McDaniel is accused of killing Mercer Law graduate Lauren Giddings in June 2011. After filing 17 new motions late Thursday, lawyers Floyd Buford and Franklin Hogue added one more motion to the pile Friday afternoon. The latest motion stated,…
WARNER ROBINS, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – A Warner Robins man is dead after being shot once in the chest by a home-owner Sunday morning. In a news release by Warner Robins police, 36 year old Ronald Lewis Burnett was found unconscious outside the home of 32 year old Travis Lucas with a single gunshot wound to the chest. Officers were told…
MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT)- At least one car struck and killed a woman on Riverside Drive around 11 Friday night. Bibb County Coroner Leon Jones identified the victim as 46-year-old Vanessa Rozier of Culloden. Jones told 41NBC Rozier thought she left something on top of her vehicle, and pulled over on Riverside in front of Locos to check, when two vehicles…
TOOMSBORO, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – A young man in Toomsboro suffering from a chronic illness got the surprise of a lifetime on Friday. Cutting Edge Landscaping has chosen a patient at the Children’s Hospital for its 2nd Annual Backyard Makeover project. Jonathan Tompkins suffers from Jackhammer Esophagus. It’s a rare condition that causes the muscles in his throat to spasm. The…
MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) — Stephen McDaniel’s lawyers filed 17 new motions Thursday. McDaniel is accused of killing Mercer Law graduate Lauren Giddings, and dumping her dismembered torso in a trash can in June 2011. The motions filed on Thursday are primarily focused on search and seizure and further details of the murder case surrounding McDaniel. McDaniel’s lawyers requested that any…
MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) — Community members and leaders from around middle Georgia went to jail Thursday. The Muscular Dystrophy Association Lock Up is an annual fundraiser that puts participants ‘behind bars’ to raise money for 43 different neuromuscular diseases. The participants are essentially ‘locked’ insidea room while they network and call friends, asking for donations to support the cause and…
MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – After hearing a 70-page proposed budget for the 2014 fiscal year, Bibb County school board members decided to hold off on approving it. Thursday interim Chief Financial Officer Sharon Roberts presented the tentative budget, which would shave off nearly $14 million from the 2013 budget, which totaled aroudn $284 million. The cuts have major implications for…
MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – Bullying is a problem sweeping the nation, and middle Georgians are doing something about it. The Mentors Project has signed on to give kids a voice. They teamed up for an anti-bullying rally to show young people a better way. Mentors project Executive Director, June O’Neal, wants kids to be safe this summer, and encourage friends…
JEFFERSONVILLE, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) — Twiggs County Sheriff Darren Mitchum fired two jail guards after he says they weren’t properly checking on inmates when one escaped Sunday morning. Early Sunday morning, 45-year-old Troy Criswell escaped from the jail after pulling a shower head off the wall, and escaped through the hold in the wall. He was found three days later after…
MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMFT) — Former State Senator Miriam Paris is getting back on the campaign trail. At a news conference on Coleman Hill with family, friends, and community leaders by her side, Paris announced she wants her seat back in 2014. Paris said she announced early to let her constituents know she’s ready to get back to serving them. “I’ve…
MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – In the ever-changing landscape of college athletics, there’s always a chance a school could switch conferences. But it was still a surprise to some Thursday when one of the Atlantic Sun’s charter members announced it was heading elsewhere. “This afternoon, we formally accepted an invitation to join the Southern Conference, effective July 1, 2014,” Dr. William…
MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – Have you heard of the exercise trend making its way across the country called stand-up paddling? What started as a mode of transportation in Hawaii, is quickly becoming a favorite way for people to get a full-body workout. The boards being used out on Lake Juliette are called ‘YOLO Boards’. YOLO stands for You Only Live…
MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – A driver has crashed into a McDonald’s on Rocky Creek Road early Thursday morning. The car hit the side of the building away from where patrons order their food. Macon police officers that responded to the scene say the woman that was driving was taken to the hospital. There were children in the vehicle, but did…
DRY BRANCH, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) — Twiggs County Sheriff Darren Mitchum launched an internal investigation after an inmate escaped from jail Sunday. At a news conference Wednesday morning, Mitchum thanked the Bleckley County deputies who found 45-year-old Troy Criswell. Criswell escaped from the jail after ripping a shower head out of a wall and crawling through the hole that was left…