Thursday, February 16, Eyewitness News at 11

1:30 PM, Feb 16, 2012   |    comments
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How are you gonna bridge that disconnect because right now that gap is so wide, it's driving me nuts!"

BIBB COUNTY PARENTS AND TEACHERS GATHERED LATE THIS AFTERNOON AT CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL.
THEY TALKED ABOUT WHAT THEY LIKE, WHAT THEY DON'T LIKE, AND WHAT ELSE THEY WANT TO KNOW ABOUT THE MACON MIRACLE STRATEGIC PLAN.

GOOD EVENING, EVERYONE, AND THANKS FOR JOINING US FOR EYEWITNESS NEWS AT ELEVEN.
I'M FRANK MALLOY.

AND I'M LEAH JOHNSON.

THE STRATEGIC PLAN HAS BEEN OUT FOR TWO WEEKS... AND MANY PEOPLE IN BIBB COUNTY ARE STILL REELING FROM THE 26-PAGE MACON MIRACLE PLAN.

TONIGHT... CANDACE ADORKA WAS AT THE CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL AUDITORIUM WHERE SCHOOL OFFICIALS TRIED TO CLEAR UP SOME LINGERING QUESTIONS.

***nats meeting***
CENTRAL HIGH PRINCIPAL JEFF HOMAN AND OTHER SCHOOL OFFICIALS FIELDED QUESTIONS AND COMMENTS FROM ABOUT 50 PEOPLE...
***NATS***
RONNIE ANDERSON SAYS HE WAS HOPING TO GET SOME MORE DETAILS ABOUT THE PLAN.
"thats what I was hoping for them when I got here, I realised well they really cant answer some of the questions that we need answered because the plan is not in detail form yet."
ALIDA RUTHERFORD SAID SHE WANTED TO HEAR ABOUT SAFETY AND DISCIPLINE IN SCHOOLS... AND ABOUT THE GIFTED PROGRAM.

"it's a lot to read in the Plan and the administrators involved i think you do need to come in and listen one on one without reading the plan and making your own interpretations of it. It was very insightful."
"I feel like im still looking for more answers."
16 YEAR OLD ETHAN HAMMOCK... WHO PROTESTED THE PLAN LAST WEEK... SAYS HE WAS HOPING HE'D GET AN ANSWER TO THE QUESTION HOW.
"we're gonna give free internet service to all these kids and we're gonna give them free home computers but theres no way to guarantee you can do that."
THOSE WITH UNANSWERED QUESTIONS AND SUGGESTIONS WERE ASKED TO FILL OUT A FORM WITH THEIR CONCERNS TO GO DIRECTLY TO THE DISTRICT OFFICE.
"I will fill out the questionnaire form the question is is it gonna get read, or be left in a pile on someone's desk?"
CANDACE ADORKA 13 WMAZ EYEWITNESS NEWS.
THE BIBB COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT HAS ANNOUNCED A PUBLIC FORUM NEXT WEEK...FOR ANYONE WHO WANTS TO COMMENT ON THE MACON MIRACLE STRATEGIC PLAN.

THAT'S HAPPENING NEXT THURSDAY...THE 23RD....AT SOUTHWEST HIGH SCHOOL ON WILLIAMSON ROAD.
IT STARTS AT 6.

ANYONE CAN COMMENT... BUT THE DISTRICT SAYS YOU MUST FILL OUT A FORM BEFORE THE MEETING IN ORDER TO SPEAK.

SUPERINTENDENT DALLEMAND IS NOW USING HIS BLOG TO TALK MORE ABOUT SPECIFICS RELATED TO THE MACON MIRACLE PLAN.

A NEWS RELEASE FROM THE SCHOOL SYSTEM TODAY SAID DALLEMAND WILL BE ADDRESSING SPECIFIC POINTS AND CONCERNS THERE.
THIS WEEK, HE STARTS WITH AN ARTICLE ON HOW HE SAYS THE STRATEGIC PLAN WILL MAXIMIZE THE USE OF EXISTING FACILITIES.

WE CAN HELP CONNECT YOU TO THAT ARTICLE FROM OUR WEBSITE, 13WMAZ-DOT-COM.
SIMPLY LOOK FOR THIS STORY FROM OUR HOMEPAGE.
INSIDE, YOU'LL FIND A LINK TO COMPASS POINTS.

THE BLOG ALSO FEATURES A COMMENTS BOX, WHERE YOU CAN OFFER YOUR FEEDBACK.

LAST YEAR.... MACON POLICE INVESTIGATED 247 COMPLAINTS AGAINST PERSONNEL.

THAT'S ACCORDING TO CAPTAIN JIMMY BARBEE.. THE HEAD OF INTERNAL AFFAIRS.
BARBEE SAYS 100 CAME FROM OUTSIDE THE DEPARTMENT AND 147 CAME FROM OTHER OFFICERS.
HE SAYS SIX OFFICERS WERE TERMINATED BECAUSE OF THOSE COMPLAINTS.

WEDNESDAY.... TWO OFFICERS WERE FIRED.
FREDDIE FOUNTAIN IS CHARGED WITH HAVING SEX WITH A SUSPECT.... AND ANTHONY CASON WAS CHARGED WITH THEFT BY TAKING.
Barbee: "who investigated this? Macon police department. Who put them in jail. Macon police department. We will police ourselves, we'll hold ourselves to a higher than we will citizens."

BARBEE SAYS POLICE CHIEF MIKE BURNS HAS CALLED 2012 THE YEAR OF ACCOUNTABILITY.... BECAUSE HE PLANS TO HOLD SUPERVISORS MORE ACCOUNTABLE FOR WHAT GOES ON IN THEIR UNITS.
SELLING ALCOHOL ON SUNDAY'S IN BOWLING ALLEYS WAS ON THE MINDS OF WARNER ROBINS CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS TODAY..
FRESH FROM THEIR RETREAT LAST WEEKEND...MAYOR CHUCK SHAHEEN AND COUNCIL WRE READY TO TACKLE ITEMS AHEAD OF NEXT WEEK'S COUNCIL MEETING..

THE MEETING STARTED WITH A PRESENTATION PITCH FROM HASKELL... A CONSTRUCTION COMPANY BIDDING ON THE SANDY RUN CREEK EXPANSION.
THE COMPANY PROMISES TO STAY ON TIME AND ON BUDGET IF CHOSEN.
COUNCIL ALSO DISCUSSED AN ORDINANCE THAT WILL MAKE IT LEGAL FOR BOWLING ALLEYS IN THE CITY TO SELL ALCOHOL ON SUNDAYS.
COUNCILMAN PAUL SHEALY SAYS IT'S SOMETHING THAT WAS OVERLOOKED IN THE OVERALL SUNDAY ALCOHOL SALES ORDINANCE.
Paul Shealy, Councilman: "They don't want to exclude any business since all the other businesses are allowed to buy a license on sunday and so all we're doing really is offering them a chance to buy their license to sell their alcohol on sundays if they would like to."


WARNER ROBINS MAYOR AND COUNCIL MEMBERS WILL VOTE ON THE ALCOHOL ORDINANCE TUESDAY AT THEIR COUNCIL MEETING.

MACON'S MAYOR ROBERT REICHERT IS MOURNING THE LOSS OF HIS FATHER TONIGHT.

ACCORDING TO HART MORTUARY, ALBERT PHILLIPS REICHERT DIED TODAY AT THE AGE OF 98.
HE WAS BORN IN COLUMBUS, GEORGIA AND GRADUATED FROM LANIER HIGH SCHOOL IN MACON.
HE THEN ENROLLED AT EMORY UNIVERSITY IN 1932 AND WORKED VARIOUS JOBS TO HELP PAY HIS WAY THROUGH COLLEGE.

REICHERT ALSO GRADUATED FROM DUKE UNIVERSITY WITH A MASTER'S DEGREE IN PHILOSOPHY BEFORE ENLISTING IN THE UNITED STATES NAVAL RESERVE AND SERVING IN WORLD WAR II.
A MEMORIAL SERVICE WILL BE HELD AT VINEVILLE UNITED METHODIST CHURCH AT 11:00 AM ON TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 21st.
TONIGHT...ON THE FIRST NIGHT OF THE MACON FILM FESTIVAL....MACON'S BOWDEN GOLF COURSE TOOK CENTER STAGE IN A LOCAL FILM-MAKER'S DOCUMENTARY.

THE FILM BY SAM MACFIE... AN EXECUTIVE WITH COLISEUM HEALTH SYSTEM... SHOWCASED MORE THAN JUST THE COURSE'S HISTORY.

MACFIE TOLD KATELYN HECK WHY EVERYONE CAN RELATE TO HIS STORY ABOUT STRUGGLES AND TRIUMPH.

(NATS)
OLD... YOUNG... BLACK... WHITE... ANYONE CAN TEE OFF AT BOWDEN GOLF COURSE... BUT IT HASNT ALWAYS BEEN THAT WAY.
(SOT: we werent allowed to do some things on the golf course. most of the time we were allowed just to caddy.)
CHARLES GLOVER REMEMBERS WORKING AS A CADDY BEFORE THE COURSE INTEGRATED IN 1961.
(SOT: we would go play out in old cow patures and out in the yard and old fields and things... and we got interested in playing golf, so we just put our own team together in the neighborhood.)
BUT TEN YEARS LATER.... GLOVER AND FIVE OTHER CADDIES... SWUNG THEIR WAY TO THE TOP.... AND BECAME THE FIRST ALL AFRICAN AMERICAN TEAM TO WIN THE HIGH SCHOOL REGIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP.
(SOT:we was picked last to win the tournament, and that was what was so beautiful about it. We was the underdogs because we weren't supposed to know how to play golf.)
SAM MCFIE... AN EXECUTIVE WITH COLISEUM HEALTH SYSTEM... SAYS GLOVERS TALE INSPIRED HIS DOCUMENTARY ABOUT THE INTEGRATION OF BOWDEN.
(SOT:macon is eager for good stories... i think macon is eager to learn about other people in the community.)
MCFIE'S FILM... "PLAY IT DOWN"... MADE IT TO THE MACON FILM FESTIVAL.
GLOVER SAYS HE HOPES GOLFERS.... AND NON-GOLFERS... LEARN A LESSON .
(SOT: if you make up your mind that you are going to be a good golfer, or a good track star, or whatever you want to be, if you try hard enough, if you pay enough attention, and you practice hard enough... you can be anything you want to be .
MCFIE AND GLOVER SAY THEY WANT TO INSPIRE PEOPLE TO NEVER BE AFRAID... (NATS) TO SWING FOR THE STARS.

KATELYN HECK
13WMAZ EYEWITNESS NEWS
YOU CAN CATCH MCFIE'S FILM AGAIN TOMORROW AT THREE THIRTY AT THE 567 CENTER FOR RENEWAL... ON CHERRY STREET.
CENTRAL GEORGIA ROLLED OUT THE PROVERBIAL RED CARPET FOR ONE OF ITS OWN TONIGHT AT THE FESTIVAL.

JOSEPH ULIANO HAS MADE A NAME FOR HIMSELF IN THE MUSIC INDUSTRY IN L.A.
HE'S PRODUCED MUSIC VIDEOS FOR MAJOR ARTISTS, WORKING ON A FEW NETWORK TELEVISION PROJECTS, AND EVEN TAKING HOME A GRAMMY.

BUT BEFORE HE EARNED HARDWARE FOR HIS WORK, ULIANO WAS A KID FROM DUBLIN, GEORGIA, WITH A LOVE FOR MUSIC.
HE TALKED TO US TONIGHT ABOUT WHAT'S BEEN MOST SPECIAL ABOUT HIS CAREER.
ULIANO WILL BE SHOWCASING SOME OF HIS WORK THROUGH-OUT THE FESTIVAL.
FRANK
FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THE EVENTS, YOU'LL FIND A LINK TO THE ENTIRE FESTIVAL'S SCHEDULE ON OUR WEBSITE... 13-W-M-A-Z-DOT-COM
WE'RE TALKING ENTERTAINMENT OF THE STAR VARIETY THIS WEEKEND, FOLKS! AND YOU'VE GOT A FRONT ROW SEAT TO THE PREVIEW SHOW. SCENE THIRTEEN STARTS...NOW!

THE SEVENTH ANNUAL MACON FILM FESTIVAL IS THE TALK OF MIDDLE GEORGIA...AND FAR, FAR BEYOND!

THE FILMS, THE STARS, THE PARTIES...

...THEY ALL TAKE CENTER STAGE IN MACON THIS WEEKEND! AND THIS IS YOUR CHANCE TO GET A LITTLE TASTE OF HOLLYWOOD...RIGHT IN YOUR OWN BACKYARD. HEAD ONLINE TO MACON-FILM-FESTIVAL-DOT-COM OR HEAD TO FESTIVAL HEADQUARTERS AT 5-6-7 CHERRY STREET IN DOWNTOWN MACON FOR TICKETS AND A DAILY SCHEDULE.

ALRIGHT, LET'S TAKE THIS PARTY FROM THE BIG SCREEN TO THE BIG STAGE...ENTER THE BACK DOOR THEATRE!

THIS VAUDEVILLIAN-ESQUE SHOW IS FUNNY, IT'S THOUGHT-PROVOKING...SATIRE ALL THE WAY! AND IT'S SO, SO GOOD...

GET THEE ON TO THE CAMPUS OF MERCER UNIVERSITY AND INTO THE BACK DOOR THEATRE FOR THIS AMAZING SHOW. SEE IT FRIDAY AND SATURDAY AT SEVEN AND SUNDAY AT TWO. GET TICKETS BY CALLING 301-2974 OR GRAB 'EM AT THE DOOR.

IT'S A GOLD, GLITZ AND GLAMOUR-OUS AFFAIR IN WARNER ROBINS THIS SATURDAY...

THE DELTA SIGMA THETA ALUMNAE CHAPTER'S ANNUAL SCHOLARSHIP BALL BEGINS RIGHT AT THE STROKE OF SEVEN-THIRTEEN. YOU MUST GIVE THE LADIES A CALL AT 319-4050 TO GET THOSE TICKETS.

AND ON SUNDAY, VINEVILLE METHODIST CHURCH WELCOMES THE INTERNATIONALLY-RENOWNED AMERICAN BOYCHOIR TO TOWN! THESE KIDS ARE FROM ALL OVER THE U.S. AND BEYOND...AND THEY'VE PLAYED TO AUDIENCES ALL OVER THE U.S. - AND BEYOND! BASICALLY, THEY'RE KIND OF A BIG DEAL. AND HERE'S THE BEST PART FOR YOU - THE CONCERT THAT THEY'RE PERFORMING THIS SUNDAY AFTERNOON, FOUR O'CLOCK, VINEVILLE METHODIST CHURCH - IT'S FREE! GET THERE, FOLKS!

THEN NEXT THURSDAY, SEVEN-THIRTY, MIRANDA LAMBERT ROLLS INTO TOWN TO LIGHT UP THE MIDDLE GEORGIA NIGHT WITH HER ON FIRE TOUR! CHRIS YOUNG AND JERROD NIEMANN WILL ALSO BE IN THE HOUSE - ALL TO ROCK YOUR WORLD WITH SOME OF THE HOTTEST COUNTRY MUSIC YOU EVER DID HEAR. HERE'S THE THING THOUGH - TICKETS ARE GOING MIGHTY FAST FOR THIS ONE. MACON-CENTREPLEX-DOT-COM AND TICKET-MASTER-DOT-COM HOLDTHE KEYS TO YOUR ONLINE TICKET ACQUISITION.

I NOW INVITE YOU TO GO FORTH AND GET YOUR PARTY ON! DID YOU HEAR THE SEVENTH ANNUAL MACON FILM FESTIVAL'S HAPPENIN' THIS WEEKEND? YEAH - I'VE GOT TO SEE A MAN ABOUT A FILM! SO I'LL SEE YOU LATER...THAT'S A WRAP.

FOR MORE LOCAL EVENTS HAPPENING ON THE CENTRAL GEORGIA SCENE -- HEAD ON OVER TO OUR SCENE 13 PAGE AT 13-W-M-A-Z-DOT-COM

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