OUR TOP STORY TONIGHT - THE MERCER BEARS HIT THE COURT TONIGHT FOR THEIR FIRST POST-SEASON BASKETBALL GAME SINCE A 1985 APPEARANCE IN THE NCAA..
THE BEARS BATTLED THE TIGERS OF TENNESSEE STATE IN THE OPENING ROUND OF THE COLLEGEINSIDER DOT COM TOURNAMENT..
MARVIN JAMES ON HAND AT THE UNVIERSITY CENTER..HE'S HERE TO SHOW US WHAT HAPPENED..
MARV -
FRANK THE ATMOSPHERE WAS SET...
MERCER AND TENNESTATE GETTING SECOND CHANCES TO REDEEM THEIR SEASON.. IN POST SEASON PLAY
TWO TWENTY PLUS WIN TEAMS BATTLING IT ON CENTER COURT AT THE UNIVERISTY CENTER.
TENNESSEE STATE ENTERING THE GAME.. ONE BUCKET AWAY FROM THE NCAA TOURNAMENT WITH A LOSS TO MURRAY STATE IN THEIR CONFERENCE FINALS.
THE MERCER BEARS IN SEARCH OF ONE MORE WIN TO TIE THE SCHOOLS MOST WINS IN HISTORY WITH 23..
CAME OUT A BIT SLUGGISH EARLY
MERCER UP 5-2 WHEN JAKOB GOLLON FINDS A WIDE OPEN MONTEY BROWN FOR THE TWO HANDED FLUSH 7-2 MERCER.
JUST BEFORE THE BREAK TIGERS LEAD 20-16... SHAQUILLE HARRIS HITS THE 3 AS THE SHOT CLOCK DWINDLES DOWN. ITS 21-19 TSU AT THE HALF...
DOWN THE STRETCH MERCER CATCHES FIRE AND LEADS BY 6.. THE BIG MAN COURSEY HELPS PUT THE GAME OUT OF REACH... MERCER GETS BACK ON THE WINNING TRACK... AFTER THE VICTORY TONIGHT 68-60 TO ADVANCE.
ILL HAVE MORE ON WHATS COMING NEXT FOR THE BLACK AND ORANGE COMING UP NEXT IN SPORTS.
ALRIGHT.. .THANKS MARVIN
MACON MAYOR ROBERT REICHERT SPENT TONIGHT'S COUNCIL WORK SESSION... TALKING ABOUT THE CITY'S 5 BY 5 BY 5 PLAN....
IT'S AN EFFORT TO SPEND 5 WEEKS... ON FIVE BLOCKS... IN FIVE WARDS... TO SPRUCE UP AREAS IN MACON.
REICHERT SAYS THE PLAN AIMS TO BUILD THE COMMUNITY LITTLE BY LITTLE.
IN A PRESENTATION... REICHERT SHOWED A CALENDAR ROAD MAP OF WHO DOES WHAT... AND WHEN.
AND TONIGHT.. THE MAYOR ANNOUNCED THEY HOPE TO BULLDOZE SOME DILAPIDATED HOMES IN AN OVERGROWN AREA IN WARD FOUR... OFF MERCER UNIVERSITY DRIVE.
Robert Reichert: "Sometimes we find that things are not merely cosmetic, that they're more substantial or significant. There may be an abandon or blighted house in the middle of the neighborhood, in the middle of the five block area that needs to be torn down. So what we're trying to do now is get a heard start, go through the legal process to condemn the house, get it to where we can take it down, do the abatement so we can time it so we can take the house down while we're doing everything else. We're making it an even greater impact."
REICHERT SAYS THEY'RE ALSO WORKING ALONGSIDE REBUILDING MACON... FOR OTHER PARTS OF THE PROJECT.
BIBB COUNTY PLANS TO TAKE OVER ALL ACTIVE RECREATIONAL PARKS IN MACON.
IT'S A PART OF THE SERVICE DELIVERY STRATEGY AGREEMENT THAT GOES INTO EFFECT IN JULY.
AS AMY AUBERT SHOWS YOU... SOME COUNCIL MEMBERS HAVE QUESTIONS ABOUT HANDING OVER MACON'S CENTRAL CITY PARK.
Nats, car
HUNDREDS COME EACH YEAR... TO PLAY... RELAX... AND CELEBRATE.
BUT COME JULY FIRST... THE DOWNTOWN STAPLE... CENTRAL CITY PARK... WILL BE HANDED OVER TO THE COUNTY.
Rick Hutto: "It certainly is part of the service delivery strategy, it will certainly take a great deal of responsibility off the back of the city."
THE PARK'S MAINTENANCE TAB....
Nats, mowing lawn
...ALONG WITH ALL OTHER COSTS... WILL BE INCLUDED IN THE HAND OFF.
BUT COUNCIL MEMBERS QUESTIONED SPECIFIC PARTS OF THE PLAN...
Nats, Hutto
COUNCILMAN RICK HUTTO SAYS SOME OF THE PARK'S BUILDINGS NEED REPAIR... AND IF THE COUNTY DECIDES TO TEAR THEM DOWN... THAT COST STILL FALLS PARTLY ON THE CITY.
THE FUNDS WOULD COME OUT OF THE CITY'S PORTION OF THE RECREATION SPLOST MONEY.
Rick Hutto: "What they would do is they would deduct from that small amount of money they're giving back to us, for our small amount of recreation, they would deduct that cost."
BUT OVERALL... HUTTO SAYS FOR THE PARK'S VISITORS... THINGS WILL STAY THE SAME.
Rick Hutto: "If they go down to walk, they're still going to go down there to walk. If they go down for a fall fair, they're still going to go down for a fall fair."
THE CENTRAL CITY PARK... HAS JUST A FEW MONTHS... BEFORE IT'S COUNTY RESPONSIBILITY.
AMY AUBERT 13 WMAZ EYEWITNESS NEWS.>>
THE ORDINANCE GOES BEFORE FULL COUNCIL AT THE NEXT MEETING... MARCH 20TH.
MACON COULD FIND ITSELF IN AN EXCLUSIVE GROUP AS IT TAKES IT'S FIRST STEP TO BECOMING AGE-FRIENDLY.
MEMBERS OF THE A-A-R-P SAY THE COMMUNITY ALREADY FEATURES FLOWING TRANSPORTATION... DOWNTOWN HOT SPOTS... AND SOCIAL PARTICIPATION.
THEY ATTENDED A COUNCIL WORKSESSION TONIGHT TO DISCUSS REACHING OUT TO BABY BOOMERS.
A-A-R-P OFFICIALS SAY IF MACON GETS THE DESIGNATION... IT'LL BE INCLUDED IN GLOBAL NETWORKS OF COMMUNICATION.
Mayor Reichert: "There are great things not just for the elderly, but for parents with young children and the populaiton at large. So, Great places to walk, great places to sit and think and meditate, and relax. Streets that are easy to negotiate whether you're driving or walking."
THE FIRST STEP TOWARD THE DESIGNATION... IS SUBMITTING A LETTER TO THE A-A-R-P... WHICH REICHERT SAYS HE PLANS TO DO.
A-A-R-P OFFICIALS SAY CURRENTLY... ONLY TWO OTER U-S CITIES HAVE THE DESIGNATION... PORTLAND, OREGON... AND NEW YORK CITY.
MACON CITY AND BIBB COUNTY LEADERS SAY IT'S GOING TO TAKE UNITY TO TRANSFORM BIBB COUNTY SCHOOLS THROUGH THE MACON MIRACLE STRATEGIC PLAN.
MAYOR ROBERT REICHERT AND COUNTY COMMISSION CHARIMAN SAM HART JOINED SUPERINTENDENT ROMAIN DALLMEAND...OFFICIALS AND BUSINESS OWNERS... TO CALL FOR COMMUNITY SUPPORT AS THE PLAN IS PUT INTO EFFECT.
"It is going to take bold courageous action. think outside the box, think of new ways of doing things. This plan offers a road map that I think we can all follow so lets get beyond the dissention, lets get beyond the rhetoric, lets pull together as a community and show the world we care about our children, we're going to prepare them to compete with the world."
REICHERT SAYS HE HAS BEEN MEETING WITH HART AND DALLEMAND MONTHLY TO BRAINSTORM HOW TO USE CITY AND COUNTY RESOURCES TO HELP THE SCHOOL SYSTEM..
A SPARTA POLICE OFFICER NOW FACES CHARGES OF DOG FIGHTING AND CRUELTY TO ANIMALS.
TOM DAVIS WITH THE G-B-I SAYS THEY ARRESTED 33-YEAR-OLD TRAVIS EDWARDS AT HIS HOME MONDAY NIGHT.
HE'S NOW IN THE MORGAN COUNTY JAIL.
DAVIS SAYS INVESTIGATORS FOUND FOUR ADULT PIT-BULLS AND FIVE PUPPIES AT THE HOUSE.
HE SAYS ALL OF THE DOGS LOOKED UNDER-NOURISHED.
OFFICERS TOOK THEM TO A VET CLINIC IN BALDWIN COUNTY.
SPARTA POLICE CHIEF RONNIE EVANS SAYS EDWARDS SIGNED ON WITH THE POLICE DEPARTMENT IN 2007.
EVANS SAYS HE'S DISAPPOINTED ... BUT WOULD NOT COMMENT FURTHER ON THE CASE.
OFFICERS ALSO ARRESTED 42-YEAR-OLD REGINALD SHIVERS.
HE FACES THE SAME CHARGES AND IS BEING HELD AT THE HANCOCK COUNTY JAIL.
A TIGHT RACE IN THE SOUTH TONIGHT... AS VOTERS IN THE SOUTHERN STATES OF ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI... CASTS THEIR BALLOT IN THEIR RESPECTIVE PRIMARIES.
COMING INTO TONIGHT..
MITT ROMNEY HELD A COMANDING LEAD... WITH 237 MORE DELEAGES THAN HIS NEAREST COMPETITOR IN RICK SANTORUM.
BUT... ALL THAT COULD CHANGE TONIGHT... WITH 90 DELEGATES UP FOR GRABS IN THE SOUTH... AND 19 MORE IN HAWAII AND AMERICAN SAMOA.
FIRST... WE'LL TAKE A LOOK AT ALABAMA....
GEORIGA'S NEIGHBOR TO THE WEST HOLDS THE NIGHT'S BIGGEST PRIZE.. WITH 47 DELEGATES THERE FOR THE TAKING.
RIGHT NOW CBS NEWS PROJECTS RICK SANTORUM WILL WIN ALABAMA....
IT'S A CLOSE RACE... AND EACH OF THE TOP THREE CANDIDATES... LED... AT SOME POINT TONIGHT.
NOW... WE'LL HEAD JUST ONE STATE WEST...
TO MISSISSIPPI...
THE MAGNOLIA STATE WILL AWARD 37 DELEGATES TO THEIR WINNER...
SANTORUM IS ALSO PROJECTED TO WIN THERE... GIVING HIM A SWEEP OF THE SOUTHERN STATES... UP FOR GRABS TONGIHT.
NOW... HAWAII'S POLLS ARE STILL OPEN... SO YOU CAN CHECK THE RESULTS OF THAT RACE... TOMORROW ON OUR WEB SITE... AT 13 WMAZ. COM.
NOW GINGRICH AND TEXAS CONGRESSMAN RON PAUL HAVE FOUND THEMSELVES AT THE BOTTOM OF ALMOST EVERY CONTEST... EXCEPT FOR GINGRICH'S WINS IN SOUTH CAROLINA AND GEORGIA.
SUSAN MCGINNIS HAS THE STORY ON HOW GINGRICH'S RESOLVE TO STAY IN THE RACE... HAS GOTTEN CRITICISM FOR ONE OF HIS FELLOW CANDIDATES
NATS rally
Mitt Romney spent the day rallying supporters in Missouri.. looking ahead to Saturday's caucuses there.
He's calling himself the one guy in the race who can beat President Obama.
SOT: (Mitt Romney/R-Presidential Candidate)
"He said he'd cut taxes for middle-income americans...are you taxes down?"
NATS Santorum: "Don't vote with what the pundits say!"
Rick Santorum took his message directly to evangelical voters in Alabama and Missisippi leading up to today's primaries.
He's stepping up calls for Newt Gingrich to drop out - saying in a radio interview quote: "it would be great if he would get out of the race because clearly the vast majority of the votes that he is taking are coming from me."
Gingrich is fighting for the same conservative voters.. but says he's actually helping Santorum.
SOT: (Newt Gingrich/R-Presidential Candidate) "There's a certain advantage I think right now in having both of us tag team Romney because neither one of us ourselves can raise the money to match Romney."
Standup: (Susan McGinnis/Birmingham, AL) "Gingrich made a big push here in the deep south. He was the only candidate still in town on primary day.. trying to sway undecided voters.. and get supporters to the polls.
Gingrich must add to his wins in South Carolina and Georgia to keep his campaign alive. Some Albama voters say it is time for him to go.
SOT: (too short to cg) "I just don't think he has a chance."
NATS Gingrich
So far, Gingrich is resisting calls to end his campaign and says he plans to go all the way to the convention.
THE WEEKEND VOTERS IN MISSOURI WILL CAUCUS TO DECIDED WHERE THEIR 52 DELEGATES WILL GO... AND PUERTO RICO WILL HOLD THEIR PRIMARY AS WELL.
AS WIRED AS MOST MAJOR CITIES CAN BE... THEY STILL HAVE PLENTY OF WI-FI DEAD SPOTS.
FOR THIS YEAR'S SOUTH BY SOUTHWEST FESTIVAL... SOME HOMELESS FOLKS IN THE CITY ARE HELPING TO FILL IN THE GAPS.
HOW THEY'RE DOING IT IS A FIRST FOR THE CITY.
ANDREW HORANSKY TAKES A LOOK AT THE METHOD AND THE CONTROVERSY.
IN THIS WEEK'S GEEK 13.
AT THIS YEAR'S SOUTH BY SOUTHWEST, DUSTY WHITE IS A LIVING, BREATHING HOT-SPOT. HE CARRIES A 4-G DEVICE IN HIS BAG WHICH ALLOWS PEOPLE AROUND HIM TO GET ONLINE.
There's so many programs.
ON MONDAY -- WE MET UP WITH HIM AS HE OFFERED INTERNET ACCESS. WHAT PEOPLE AROUND HIM MIGHT NOT HAVE KNOWN -- IS THAT HE'S HOMELESS.
I look at it like this. I've swallowed my pride. At first I was kind of embarrassed about it. Being homeless has changed me and given me a different outlook at life on people.
THE FORMER CAR SALESMAN IS PART OF A PILOT PROGRAM CALLED HOMELESS HOTSPOTS. HE EARNS TWENTY DOLLARS A DAY, PLUS CASH, FOR ANYONE WHO LOGS ONLINE. USERS ASK FOR A PASSWORD, WHICH IN TURN -- STARTS A CONVERSATION.
THAT'S SUPPOSED TO BE THE POINT OF IT.
So much of our time is spent is walking with our hands to our palms. And to actually make eye contact and have a conversation with a person that you may not necessarily ever do is a nice way to start the program.
THE BRAINCHILD OF AD AGENCY B-B-H -- IT IS ALSO SEEN AS A STEP UP FROM THE DAYS WHEN THE HOMELESS SOLD THEIR OWN NEWSPAPERS.
THE WIFI DEVICE IS SMALLER THAN AN IPHONE. ONE OF THEM IS CAPABLE OF PROVIDING INTERNET FOR UP TO FIVE USERS.
AUSTIN'S ARCH RESOURCE CENTER PUT DUSTY -- AND TWELVE OTHERS -- IN TOUCH WITH HOMELESS HOTSPOTS.
They get a chance to tell their story, to personalize this experience.
BUT OTHERS SEE IT DIFFERENTLY. ONE VIEWER ON OUR FACEBOOK INSIDER PAGE CALLED IT DEHUMANIZING AND DISTASTEFUL. ANOTHER SAID IT SOUNDS LIKE WE'RE USING THE HOMELESS. THEY'RE PEOPLE, SHE WROTE. WHITE, MEANTIME, SAID HE DOES NOT FEEL TAKEN FOR GRANTED. HE CALLS HIMSELF A PEOPLE PERSON, AND SAYS HE LOVES MEETING PEOPLE.
(nats)
YET, FROM WHAT WE COULD TELL -- NOT ONE PERSON HE MET WENT ON TO USE THE SERVICE. WE FOLLOWED HIM FOR AN HOUR.
Y'all having any problems with your wifi or anything like that? Picking up your lines or anything? Your computers...
SOME MEMBERS OF OCCUPY AUSTIN HAVE GIVEN THE PROGRAM THE THUMBS UP.