GOOD EVENING AND THANKS FOR JOINING US..
I'M LEAH JOHNSON..
FRANK MALLOY HAS THE NIGHT OFF.
OFFICIALS AT ROBINS AIR FORCE BASE SAY MORE THAN 12 HUNDRED EMPLOYEESS HAVE APPLIED FOR VOLUNTARY EARLY RETIREMENT AND SEPARATION INCENTIVES.. THAT'S ACCODING TO CHRISSY MINER WITH ROBINS AIR FORCE BASE.
MINER SAYS THE APPLICATION WINDOW FOR THE SECOND ROUND OF INCENTIVES CLOSED SUNDAY.. AND THAT THE BASE BEGAN MAKING OFFERS TO EMPLOYEES TODAY.
SHE SAYS SOME OF THE OFFERS ARE TIED TO AIR FORCE REDUCTIONS... BUT OTHER OFFERS MAY GO TO AS MANY AS 540 EMPLOYEES.....INCLUDING WORKERS IN THE 402ND MAINTENANCE WING.
MINER SAYS THOSE WHO ACCEPT THE OFFER MUST RETIRE OR LEAVE ON APRIL 30TH.
BIBB COUNTY SCHOOLS REPLACED THEIR CAMPUS POLICE CHIEF YESTERDAY... ACCORDING TO BIBB SCHOOLS SPOKESWOMAN ALISHA ALLEN-CARTER.
CARTER SAID BY EMAIL THAT SERGEANT ULRIC BELLAIRE IS THE "INTERIM CHIEF".
SHE SAID CHIEF STEPHANIE PRATER WAS PLACED ON LEAVE YESTERDAY PENDING THE COMPLETION OF AN INVESTIGATION.
SHE WOULD NOT COMMENT FURTHER... BECAUSE SHE SAID THIS WAS A PERSONNEL MATTER.
SUPERINTENDENT ROMAIN DALLEMAND SAID HE WAS UNAWARE THAT BIBB COUNTY CAMPUS POLICE... NOT MACON POLICE... WERE INVESTIGATING AN ALLEGED RAPE AT NORTHEAST HIGH SCHOOL.
HE ALSO APOLOGIZED BECAUSE SCHOOL OFFICIALS HAD NOT NOTIFIED NORTHEAST PARENTS AND STUDENTS OF THE ALLEGED RAPE.
IN A PRESS RELEASE... SPOKESWOMAN JAMI GAUDET SAID MACON POLICE TOOK OVER THE ALLEGED RAPE CASE ON JANUARY 31ST.
SHE SAID THE CASE HAS BEEN ASSIGNED TO DETECTIVES IN THR CRIMNAL INVESTIGATION DEPARTMENT.
GAUDET SAYS THEY'LL REVIEW AND EXPAND ON THE BOARD OF EDUCATION'S INVESTIGATION BECAUSE THEY HAVE THE MAN POWER TO DO SO.
DISTRICT ATTORNEY GREG WINTERS SAYS HE PLANS TO TRY ALL SEVEN YOUNG PEOPLE ACCUSED OF RAPING THE NORTHEAST HIGH SCHOOL GIRL AS ADULTS.
WINTERS SAYS THE ACCUSED ARE 17 YEAR OLD GREG WATKINS, 18 YEAR OLD ANTONIO JACKSON, 17 YEAR OLD JIMMIE LEE MCKNIGHT, 17 YEAR OLD ASHLEY CLARK, AND THREE UNIDENTIFIED JUVENILES....TWO 15 YEAR OLDS AND A 14 YEAR OLD.
THE DISTRICT ATTORNEY SAYS JUVENILES WON'T BE IDENTIFIED UNTIL THEY'RE INDICTED ON RAPE CHARGES.
**TURN TO 4**
A YEAR AGO THIS WEEK... ROMAIN DALLEMAND WAS SWORN IN AS SUPERINTENDENT OF BIBB COUNTY SCHOOLS.
WHEN HE TOOK OVER.. DALLEMAND CARVED OUT A LIST OF ACTION STEPS FOR HIMSELF... INCLUDING LISTENING TOURS... LAUNCHING SUMMER READING... AND CREATING A BOLD PLAN TO REPAIR THE SCHOOL SYSTEM.
HE SAYS BASED ON THOSE GOALS... HIS FIRST YEAR HAS BEEN A SUCCESS.
"I can proudly say that I have accomplished everything that were included in the action steps and so if it's based on performance, I would say it's an A-plus.
"Last year alone, our students lost 48 thousand days of instruction, 48 thousand days of instruction. What it means is that if they're not in classroom, they're not learning. I wish I could have solved that from day one, but the reality on the ground is that it takes time."
DALLEMAND SAYS THE STRATEGIC PLAN HE'LL UNVEIL NEXT WEEK WILL REVOLUTIONIZE BIBB COUNTY EDUCATION AND THE COMMUNITY.
TO WATCH HIS ENTIRE INTERVIEW... JUST LOOK FOR THIS STORY ON OUR HOMPAGE AT 13 WMAZ DOT COM.
REAL ESTATE TYCOON DONALD TRUMP IS MAKING WAVES AGAIN IN THE REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL RACE.
HE PLANS TO MAKE A "MAJOR ANNOUNCEMENT" TOMORROW AFTERNOON IN LAS VEGAS.
THE ANNOUNCEMENT... WHICH MANY SUSPECT MAY BE AN ENDORSEMENT FOR A CANDIDATE... COMES AHEAD OF NEVADA'S PRESIDENTIAL CAUCUSES.
LAST YEAR.. TRUMP CONSIDERED JUMPING INTO THE RACE BUT DECIDED AGAINST IT.
SEVERAL POTENTIAL CANDIDATES HAVE MET WITH TRUMP DURING THEIR CAMPAIGN RUNS... INCLUDING NEWT GINGRICH.
BUT THE FORMER HOUSE SPEAKER SAYS HE DOESN'T KNOW WHAT THE ANNOUNCEMENT IS ABOUT.
I have no idea what the Donald is going to do. He is always interesting, and I don't know of anybody who does a better job of getting attention by announcing that he will presently announce something.
NEVADA HOLDS IT'S CAUCUSES ON SATURDAY.
STUDENTS IN GEORIGA CONVICTED OF HAZING MAY SOON FACE TOUGHER PUNISHMENT.
STATE LAWMAKERS ARE CONSIDERING A BILL THAT WOULD STOP ANY STUDENT FOUND GUILITY OF HAZING FROM ENROLLING IN GEORGIA SCHOOLS OR UNIVERSITIES... EVEN IF THE INCIDENT HAPPNED IN ANOTHER STATE.
THE LEGISLATION ALSO INCLUDES ATHLETIC TEAMS TO THE LIST OF ORGANIZATIONS COVERED UNDER THE LAW.
THE PROPOSED LAW WAS INTRODUCED SIX MONTHS BEFORE THE DEATH OF A FLORIDA A AND M DRUM MAJOR FROM GEORGIA.
WARNER ROBINS POLICE ARRESTED A MAN SUSPECTED OF SHOOTING ANOTHER MAN LAST WEEK..
A POLICE NEWS RELEASE SAYS 22-YEAR-OLD KEN SOLOMON IS CHARGED WITH AGGRAVATED ASSAULT IN LAST WEDNESDAY'S SHOOTING ON WENDAN WAY.
THE RELEASE SAYS SOLOMON WAS TAKEN INTO CUSTODY TUESDAY ON RUSSELL PARKWAY..
SOLOMON IS BEING HELD AT THE HOUSTON COUNTY JAIL.
HE DIED FROM SUSPECTED HAZING.
NOW YOU CAN KEEP TRACK OF CRIME THAT HAPPENS IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD.
ALL YOU NEED TO DO IS HEAD OVER TO THE "WHERE YOU LIVE" PAGE AND LOOK FOR THE "TRACK CRIME IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD" LINK.
YOU'LL FIND IT IN THE TOP LEFT.
FROM THERE... YOU CAN CLICK ON EACH ICON TO SEE WHERE AND WHEN THE CRIME HAPPENED.
THE MAP KEY SHOWS YOU THE TYPES OF CRIME... WHETHER IT'S AN ASSAULT, ARSON OR BURGLARY.
IT'S OUR WAY OF HELPING YOU KEEP TRACK OF THINGS WHERE *YOU* LIVE.
ben gives three day forecast
THANKS BEN.. WE'LL TALK WITH YOU AGAIN IN JUST A FEW MINUTES.
TONIGHT'S FACEBOOK FAN OF THE DAY IS BELINDA LAYFIELD.
BELINDA... YOU'LL NEED TO EMAIL FAN OF THE DAY AT 13WMAZ DOT COM TO CLAIM YOUR COFFEE MUG.
GETTING INTO THE RUNNING FOR FAN OF THE DAY IS AN EASY THREE-STEP PROCESS.
ONE... VISIT FACEBOOK DOT COM SLASH 13WMAZ.
TWO... BECOME A FAN... AND THREE... GET IN ON THE CONVERSATIONS.
WE PICK OUR FAN OF THE DAY RANDOMLY.
UNITED WAY OF CENTRAL GEORGIA IS CELEBRATING A RECORD-BREAKING CONTRIBUTION.
IT'S A STORY THAT COMES STRAIGHT FROM THE HEART.
GEICO... UNITED WAY'S TOP CONTRIBUTER... DONATED MORE THAN 9-HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS.
OVER THE PAST TEN YEARS.... GEICO HAS MORE THAN DOUBLED THE AMOUNT OF MONEY THEY GIVE TO THE UNITED WAY.
ASSOCIATES AT GEICO RAISED CLOSE TO 8-HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS WHICH WAS ADDED TO THEIR CORPORATE GIFT.
IT TOTALED ALMOST EIGHTY-THREE THOUSAND DOLLARS MORE THAN THEY RAISED LAST YEAR.
AMY HARP... AN EMPLOYEE AT GEICO AND A COORDINATOR FOR UNITED WAY SAYS.... SHE'S PROUD OF WHAT HER CO-WORKERS ACCOMPLISHED.
Amy Harp, United Way Coordinator: "We are extremely estatic to raise so much money and give it to United Way this is the largest amount that has ever been raised and so we're just overjoyed that I was a part of the campaign to do that and we're expecting even bigger things for next year's campaign."
UNITED WAY OF CENTRAL GEORGIA FUNDS HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES.
THE CONTRIBUTION FROM GEICO WILL HELP SUPPORT FIFTY EIGHT PROGRAMS WITH PARTNERING AGENCIES.
THE GEORGIA STATE FAIR'S NEW OWNERS SAY THE CENTURY-OLD FAIR WILL BE BACK THIS SPRING.
THE FAIR WILL RUN TEN DAYS THIS YEAR ACCORDING TO AN EMPLOYEE AT UNIVERSAL FAIRS.. THE NEW OWNERS.
IT WILL BE HELD APRIL 27-TH TO MAY 6-TH AT CENTRAL CITY PARK IN MACON.
THE MACON EXCHANGE CLUB... THE FAIR'S LONGTIME SPONSORS... AGREED TO SELL THE FINANCIALLY TROUBLED FAIR LAST YEAR.
AT THAT TIME.. UNIVERSAL FAIRS SPOKESMAN MARK LOVELL PROMISED "MORE RIDES, BIGGER RIDES, BETTER ENTERTAINMENT, MORE FREE ATTRACTIONS" FOR MACON IN 2012.
AND ONE LAST QUICK LOOK AT TOMORROW'S FORECAST WITH CHIEF METEOROLOGIST BEN JONES.