HELLO EVERYONE AND THANKS FOR JOINING US.... I'M FRANK MALLOY.
THIS IS EYEWITNESS NEWS AT SIX...
OUR TOP STORY TONIGHT... THE SUPREME COURT HEARD MORE ARGUMENTS ON PRESIDENT OBAMA'S HEALTH CARE OVERHAUL.
AND FOR THE SECOND DAY....DAVID OEDEL.....A MERCER LAW PROFESSOR...WAS IN THE COURTROOM TO HEAR THE DEBATE. HE'S WORKING WITH GEORGIA STATE OFFICIALS ON THEIR APPEAL OF THE HEALTH-CARE LAW.
HE JOINS US BY PHONE FROM WASHINGTON D-C... WITH AN UPDATE.
What did today's argument focus on?
What are we expecting to hear tomorrow?
GEORGIA AND 25 OTHER STATES HAVE CHALLENGED THE LAW... SAYING IT'S UNCONSTITUTIONAL FOR THE GOVERNMENT TO REQUIRE PEOPLE TO GET HEALTH INSURANCE.
AND NOW ONE OF OEDEL'S COLLEAGUES... MERCER LAW PROFESSOR JOHN COLE... JOINS LEAH NOW WITH TO BREAK DOWN THE LEGAL ISSUES IN THE CASE.
2. AN ARGUMENT ON BEHALF OF THIS LAW IS THAT IT'S NOT ABOUT FORCING SOMEONE TO BUY INSURANCE BUT REGULATING HOW IT IS PAID FOR.
3. FROM WHAT YOU KNOW SO FAR... HOW DO YOU EXPECT THE JUSTICES TO RULE ON THIS ISSUE?
PEACH COUNTY WILL SOON GET A NEW HOSPITAL.
OFFICIALS SAY IT'LL BOOST THE ECONOMY AND THE QUALITY OF HEALTHCARE IN THE AREA.
THE PEACH COUNTY REGIONAL MEDICAL CENTER WILL HOLD ITS GROUND BREAKING THURSDAY... AND AS CANDACE ADORKA REPORTS... OFFICIALS SAY IT'S BEEN A LONG TIME COMING.
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THESE 20-ACRES OFF THE HIGHWAY 247 CONNECTOR WILL SOON HOUSE THE NEW PEACH COUNTY REGIONAL MEDICAL CENTER.
"The hospital will sit right back here in this beautiful spot
ELLEN TERRELL... PEACH COUNTY HOSPITAL'S DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT... SAYSTHE CURRENT HOSPITAL IN FORT VALLEY...WAS BUILT BACK IN THE 50'S.
"When you have a facility that's this age, that's nearly 60 years old, there's always issues coming up and so we just need additional space as well as more modern facilities."
SHE SAYS A NEW HOSPITAL HAS BEEN IN THE WORKS FOR ABOUT A DECADE.... BUT WAS DELAYED BY THE ECONOMY.
"To actually have the groundbreaking on Thursday it really is like a dream come true. Everybody is so excited. The community the employees, it is goign ot be a fun day on Thursday."
MAYOR JOHN STUMBO SAYS SOME PEOPLE WERE AGAINST MOVING THE HOSPITAL OUT OF FORT VALLEY...
"Really the only choice was we either do this and have a beautiful new facility state of the art or we lose our hospital and to me that was no choice to make."
THE 30-MILLION-DOLLAR BUILDING WILL HAVE THE SAME CAPACITY AS THE CURRENT ONE -- 25 BEDS-- BUT... A LARGER EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT... THE OPTION OF AN INTENSIVE CARE UNIT... AND A AN IMPROVED OPERATING ROOM.
"most of this is outpatient services here.."
TERRELL SAYS THEY'LL HIRE ABOUT TWICE AS MANY PEOPLE...WITHIN THREE YEARS
"A lot of people don't realise what an economic engine the hospital is. If you look at our total budget, our total number of employees, total salaries paid, it's one tf the most significant employers in Peach County. "
STUMBO SAYS THAT'S ENOUGH TO MAKE THE GROUND BREAKING A SYMBOL OF HOPE.
CANDACE ADORKA 13WMAZ EYEWITNESS NEWS.
>> CONSTRUCTION ON THE NEW SITE IS SCHEDULED TO START MAY FIRST.
NANCY PEED... C-E-O OF THE PEACH REGIONAL MEDICAL CENTER... SAYS THEY PLAN TO MOVE INTO THE NEW BUILDING IN JUNE NEXT YEAR.
TERRELL SAYS THEY'LL HIRE ABOUT TWICE AS MANY PEOPLE...WITHIN THREE YEARS
IT'S THE LAST TUESDAY OF THE MONTH.. THE DAY WHEN WE REMIND YOU TO HANG UP THE PHONE AND PLEDGE STAY KEEP SAFE BEHIND THE WHEEL.
THIS MONTH WE'RE TAKING A LOOK AT HOW YOUR CELL PHONE CAN ACTUALLY HELP CUT DISTRACTION WHILE DRIVING.
BRITTINY BARBER SHOWS YOU HOW ONE APP CAN DO JUST THAT.
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TO HELP CURB DISTRACTED DRIVING.. SEVERAL DEVELOPERS OFFER APPS THAT CAN BLOCK TEXT MESSAGES.. CALLS OR OTHER PHONE CAPABILITIES.. WHILE THE CAR MOVES..
THERE'S DIFFERENT VERSIONS FOR ANDROID, I-PHONE AND BLACKBERRY'S AND WE'RE GOING TO TAKE A LOOK AT ONE OF THOSE.. IT'S CALL PHONE GUARD.
RIGHT NOW I/M A PASSENGER IN A CAR AND WE'RE GOING ABOUT 35 MPH AND I'M GOING TO TRY TO SEND A TEXT MESSAGE ON MY ANDROID.
AS I UNLOCK THE PHONE THIS IS THE SCREEN THAT POPS UP. IT SAYS THE PHONE IS IN MOTION DO NOT TEXT]. EVEN IF I TRY TO GO BACK TO THE HOME SCREEN AND TO MY MESSAGES THE SCREEN POPS UP AGAIN.
NOW I'M GOIN GTO SEND A MESSAGE FROM A DIFFERENT PHONE.
THE MESSAGE IS SENT. AND THAT'S THE NOTIFICATION THAT I;VE RECEIVED THE TEXT BUT AGIAN WHEN I UNLOCK THE PHONE AND TRY TO VIEW IT, THE PHONE GUARD POPS UP AND SAYS THAT THE PHONE IS IN MOTION AND I CAN NOT SEE THE TEXT MESSAGE.
ANOTHER INTERESTING FEATURE OF PHONE GUARD, IT ALSO SENDS A RESPONCE MESSAGE BACK TO THE PHONE NUMBER THAT SENT ME THE TEXT.
THIS ONE SAYS I'[M DRIVING NOW CALL YOU WHEN I STOP
NOW THAT THE CAR IS STOPPED, I CNA UNLOCK MY PHONE AND VIEW ALL OF MY MESSAGE .
IT ALSO BLOCKS PHONE CALLS INTERNET BROWSING AND OTHER APPS.
AGAIN THIS IS JUST ONE OF SEVERAL APPS. SOME CHARGE YOU MONTHLY, SOME A ONE TIME FEE, BUT THE COST FOR PHONE GUARD IS ABSOLUTLEY FREE.
IT MAKES IT AN EASY WAY TO TRY TO KEEP YOUR LOVED ONES SAFE BEHIND THE WHEEL
BRITTINY BARBER 13WMAZ EYEWITNESS NEWS
>> YOU CAN JOIN THE GREAT HANG UP AND PLEDGE TO BE SAFE BEHIND THE WHEEL BY HANGING UP THE PHONE WHILE YOU DRIVE.
JUST LOOK FOR THE GREAT HANG UP UNDER THE FEATURES TAB AT THE TOP OF THE HOMEPAGE.
AND ONCE YOU SIGN... LET US HEAR FROM YOU.
EMAIL THE-GREAT-HANG-UP AT 13WMAZ DOT COM TO SHARE YOUR STORY.
TODAY'S 13WMAZ DOT COM WEB POLL ASKS... ARE YOU STARTING ACTIVITIES OUTSIDE EARLY THIS YEAR DUE TO THE WARM WEATHER?
SO FAR 87 PERCENT OF YOU SAY YES... YOU ARE.
AND 13 PERCENT SAY NO.
VOTE NOW... VISIT 13WMAZ DOT COM AND LOOK FOR THE QUESTION ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE HOMEPAGE.
SINCE 19-27... THE RITZ THEATER IN THOMASTON HAS SHOWN MOVIES ON THE BIG SCREEN
FOR THE MOST PART... USING THIS 35 MILLIMETER FILM.
BUT WHAT WAS ONCE THE STANDARD.. COULD SOON BECOME A PART OF HISTORY.
PRODUCTION COMPANIES SAY BY THE END OF THIS YEAR.. THEY PLAN TO STOP MAKING 35 MILLIMETER.. AND TRANSITION TO ALL DIGITAL.
BRITTINY BARBER SHOWS US WHAT THAT MEANs FOR MANY SMALL TOWN THEATERS LIKE THE RITZ.
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FOR ABOUT THE LAST 15 YEARS... MALCOM NEAL AND HIS WIFE HAVE INVESTED TIME AND MONEY... INTO THE HISTORIC RITZ THEATER IN THOMASTON.
Neal: "It's not a get rich quick business in fact it's not a get rich at all business."
AFTER RENOVATIONS AND TECHNOLOGY UPGRADES... THE THEATER NOW FACES A $70-THOUSAND DOLLAR CHALLENGE.
Neal: "This is a major investment and it's being forced on theaters by the studios. It's not the theaters choice. It's because their doing away with 35 mm film so everybody has to go digital or else."
nats
Bob Berkey: "You're stepping into history and all the things that happened before that. Once it's gone all you can do is look at the pictures."
THE THEATER.. WHICH FIRST OPENED IN 19-27... HOLDS DEEP a MEANING FOR MANY.
Self: "My parents brought me to this theater and it must have been somewhere in the late 40's."
GARY SELF AND OTHERS PROMISED TO FIGHT TO RAISE MONEY... TO KEEP THESE CHAIRS FILLED WITH MOVE-GOERS.
Self: "It's going to be devisting to our ocmmmunity if we lose this theater so obviously we've got to come together."
Penny Cliff, Dir Thomaston Upson archives boar dof upson historical society : "There are alll sorts of ideas floating about. and when you get a group of people together who are determined to make something happen even if that something is 70-thousand dollars it can be done."
EVEN THE YOUNGEST OF FANS PROMISING IN A NOTE... TO DO ALL THEY CAN...
nats: "35 mm it's been around for 100 year and it's time to call it quits the studios say."
NEAL SAYS THEY'LL CONTINUE TO WORK.. IN HOPES THAT THIS BIG SCREEN NEVER GOES SILENT.....
BRITTINY BARBER 13WMAZ EYEWITNESS NEWS
>> OWNER MALCOM NEAL SAYS HE PLANS TO PARTNER WITH THE UPSON COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY TO HELP RAISE MONEY.
UNITED WAY HOSTED ITS ANNUAL MEETING TODAY.. AND THE GROUP HAD MORE THAN JUST AWARDS TO CELEBRATE.
IT'S A STORY THAT COMES.. STRAIGHT FROM THE HEART.
ATTENDEES GATHERED TO CELEBRATE CAMPAIGN PERFORMANCES AND CONTRIBUTIONS.
THE TEAM EXCEEDED THEIR GOAL OF RAISING FOUR... POINT TWO MILLION DOLLARS.
THE EXTRA 42-THOUSAND DOLLARS HELPS INCREASE FUNDING TO PARTNERING AGENCIES... BY FIVE PERCENT.
GEICO WAS RECOGNIZED AS THE LARGEST CONTRIBUTER IN THE HISTORY OF UNITED WAY CENTRAL GEORGIA.
THEY RAISED CLOSE TO 780-THOUSAND DOLLARS.