MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) — Fourth grader William Ford had never played a game of chess until this school year. Now his love for the game has helped him become a mastermind on the chessboard and inside the classroom. “It helps me with my multi-tasking and also thinking ahead,” said Ford. Ford’s teacher, Kendra Chambless is a teacher of the gifted…
MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – If you need something to do this weekend around middle Georgia, look no further than downtown Macon Saturday morning. The Big House Museum, which is full of Allman Brothers Band memorabilia and artifacts, is hosting the fun-run through the streets of downtown. Executive Director of the museum, Lisa McLendon, stopped by our Daybreak studio to fill…
MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – Thursday night, parents, teachers and even students pled with the Bibb County School District to think twice about cutting teachers, counselors and assistant principals from county schools. Perhaps the most touching of the public comments came from a group of Rutland Middle School triplets, who are all seventh graders. Fighting back tears, they begged the board…
BONAIRE, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – Third graders at Hilltop Elementary honored active and veteran servicemen on Thursday by giving each of them a handmade quilt featuring patriotic squares they created. It is a hug from a small patriot and a quilt. “Just about the time you think the kids here lost their respect for the military and they really don’t care…
FORT VALLEY, Georgia (41 NBC/WMGT) – Success has been the trend in the city of Fort Valley. New businesses opened their doors for the first time and millions of dollars have been given to the government for road projects and renovations. There have been five new businesses that have opened in the last 90 days Mayor John Stumbo has figured out…
MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – In 2012, the Mercer baseball team set a school record for wins with 37. At 37-13, the 2013 Bears are just one win away from breaking last year’s record, but they don’t want to stop there. Their goal is to win 40. “Whenever you’re getting close like this, everyone’s wanting to win, wanting to come out…
MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – We’ve all heard about national signing day–it’s when athletes from all across the country pick which school they’ll be attending to play football or some other sport. Wednesday night, a local fraternity chapter held the first annual signing day for students who are going to college on academic scholarships. The Macon-Warner Robins chapter of Kappa Alpha…
MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – Students in our area are making their coins count by collecting money in loose change and donating it to charity. Macon’s Upward Bound group raised a little over a thousand dollars in pennies, nickels and dimes to donate to non-profit organizations. The federally funded program encourages students to go to college and give back to the…
MILLEDGEVILLE, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – A Milledgeville woman is calling for the resignation of a city councilman for allegedly misusing city funds and other ethics violations. The City of Milledgeville became a City of Ethics back in March 2012. That is when an ethics board was created to review any complaints filed against elected officials. Danielle Fields, a downtown business owner,…
MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – Georgia’s new report card for public schools is out and some Middle Georgia schools made a grade A, while others lagged behind. Alexander II Magnet School ranked at the top in Bibb County with 96.3%. In Houston County, Lake Joy Primary School and Quail Run Elementary were best in the class; the two schools received a…
MILLEDGEVILLE, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) — A Baldwin State prison inmate was sentenced to life in prison without parole for beating and choking his cell mate. Carl Merkerson was already serving a life sentence for a 2007 murder in Dekalb County when he got into a fight with his cellmate Terrence Bowen in 2010. Bowen died from injuries sustained in the fight….
ROBERTA, Georgia (41 NBC/WMGT) – Officials in Crawford County are trying to pay down debt for their water system. Tuesday night, plans moved forward to reduce the 3 million dollar water debt that began in 2009. It was supposed to be paid for by the customers using water in the area. That didn’t happen. County officials want to refinance and…
MACON, Georgia (41 NBC/WMGT) – There’s construction on Cherry Street in Downtown Macon and the plans are to continue to build. It’s part of a push to get new businesses and residents in downtown Macon to create an economic boom in the area. Newtown Macon is a nonprofit organization looking to revitalize the downtown area. The group focuses on increasing…
MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) — Former Wilcox County Sheriff Stacy Bloodsworth is sentenced to 10 years in prison for beating an inmate in his jail. Last October, Bloodsworth pleaded guilty in federal court for assaulting an inmate in the Wilcox County Jail and then conspiring with other officers to cover up the assault. “We expect our law enforcement officers to protect…
MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – Macon Judicial Circuit District Attorney David Cooke is seeking the death penalty against a woman accused of killing her co-worker last October. Tracy Michelle Jones is accused of killing Gail Spencer. Jones worked with Spencer at Calder Pinkston & Associates, along with three other people also accused in Spencer’s murder. Cooke says there are four factors…
MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – Macon Police, Macon-Bibb firefighters, Macon-Bibb EMA, the local National Guard, Georgia State Patrol’s helicopter unit, K-9 Units from the Twiggs County Sheriff’s Office, Warner Robins Police, and Georgia Department of Corrections are currently at Riverside Cemetery in Macon to search for missing 71 year old David Mann. Mann’s van was found around 7:30a.m. Wednesday inside the…
JULIETTE, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – Monroe County deputies believe robbery could have been the motive behind a double homicide that happened in south Monroe County near Juliette. According to a news release, 36-year-old Russell Jacobs and 40-year-old James Pittman Wood were found dead in their home at 170 Woods Road Tuesday around 1 p.m. Jacobs was Wood’s brother-in law and lived…
MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) — Andi Willis with Good Life Organizing is no stranger to Daybreak. Wednesday, she stopped by with tips on getting your car in order. It’s easy to find things out of place and unorganized in the set of wheels you cruise around in everyday so Willis suggests a few helpful tips to keep the inside of your…
NASHVILLE, Tennessee (41NBC/WMGT) — Studio41’s Joey Stuckey went to Nashville to highlight an artist who is no stranger to Macon. Stuckey sat down with legend Jimmy Hall from the band Wet Willie to get the scoop on Hall’s start in music and how middle Georgia was instrumental in boosting his career. During the early 1970’s, Jimmy Hall and his newly…
AUGUSTA, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – A Georgia man dying of cancer has an unusual request at the end of his life: He’s seeking corporate sponsorship for his tombstone. David Hunter is quiet, contemplative, and determined. Three adjectives you might expect about someone who was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer last year…The Augusta man has less than a year to live….
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…
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…
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…
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…