GOOD EVENING AND THANKS FOR JOINING US..
I'M LEAH JOHNSON.
TONIGHT... 13-W-M-A-Z HAD A CHANCE TO LEAD A LIVELY CONVERSATION ABOUT MACON-BIBB CONSOLIDATION.
FRANK MALLOY WILL WRAP UP THE DEBATE... WE'LL ALSO HEAR OPINIONS FROM BOTH SIDES OF THE ISSUE...
THAT'S COMING UP IN JUST A MOMENT.
BUT FIRST... THE CRAWFORD COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE IS INVESTIGATING THE DEATH OF A MAN AND WOMAN ... FOLLOWING AN AFTERNOON SHOOTING IN MUSELLA.
SHERIFF LOUIS WALKER SAYS DEPUTIES WERE CALLED TO A HOME ON PINE FOREST DRIVE AROUND THREE-O-CLOCK.
HE SAID BOTH VICTIMS WERE PRONOUNCED DEAD AT THE SCENE.
WALKER SAYS THE BODIES ARE BEING SENT TO THE GBI CRIME LAB... BUT HE'S NOT RELEASING THE NAMES OF THE VICTIMS UNTIL NEXT OF KIN HAS BEEN NOTIFIED.
WALKER SAYS THE CASE IS STILL UNDER INVESTIGATION....BUT THEY'RE NOT LOOKING FOR ANY SUSPECTS AT THIS TIME.
LAST NIGHT.. THE STATE'S HIGHEST COURT GRANTED A STAY OF EXECUTION FOR A DEATH ROW INMATE... AFTER HIS LAWYERS QUESTIONED A NEW LETHAL INJECTION FORMULA.
NOW GEORGIA'S ATTORNEY GENERAL IS ASKING THE JUSTICES TO EXPEDITE THEIR APPEAL.
WARREN LEE HILL RECEIVED THE DEATH PENALTY FOR THE 1990 BEATING DEATH OF ANOTHER INMATE.. WHILE HE WAS ALREADY SERVING A LIFE SENTENCE FOR THE FATAL SHOOTING OF HIS GIRLFRIEND.
LAST NIGHT, THE SUPREME COURT GAVE HIM A STAY OF EXECUTION.
TODAY... ATTORNEY GENERAL SAM OLENS SAID IN A COURT FILING... THE STAY ESSENTIALLY KEEPS *ANY* EXECUTIONS FROM BEING CARRIED OUT IN GEORGIA.
THE HIGH COURT SAID IT WOULD CONSIDER WHETHER THE CHANGES IN EXECUTION PROCEDURE WOULD BE SUBJECT TO THE STATE'S ADMINISTRATIVE PROCEDURE ACT..
THAT ACT REQUIRES PUBLIC HEARINGS TO BE HELD BEFORE SUCH A CHANGE IS MADE.
SO FAR... THAT HASN'T HAPPENED.
A SIX YEAR OLD GIRL IS DEAD AFTER THE MONROE COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE SAYS... HER THIRTEEN YEAR OLD BROTHER ACCIDENTALLY SHOT HER WITH A RIFLE..
A NEWS RELEASE SAYS THE TEEN ACCIDENTALLY DISCHARGED THE WEAPON INSIDE THE HOUSE AROUND MIDNIGHT LAST NIGHT.
EARLIER...THE BOY HAD BEEN USING IT TO SHOOT ARMADILLOS IN THE YARD.
THE NEWS RELEASE SAYS THE SINGLE SHOT HIT THE GIRL IN THE WRIST AND ABDOMEN.
SHE LATER DIED AT THE MEDICAL CENTER OF CENTRAL GEORGIA.
SHERIFF'S SPOKESWOMAN ALLISON SELMAN WILLIS SAYS THE BOY WAS FOLLOWING PROPER SAFETY PROCEDURES... AND THEY DON'T EXPECT ANY CHARGES.
ONE WEEK FROM TODAY... MACON AND BIBB COUNTY VOTERS WILL HAVE HAD THEIR SAY... ABOUT WHETHER OR NOT THE TWO GOVERNMENTS SHOULD CONSOLIDATE.
AND AS WE COUNT DOWN TO THE JULY THIRTY-FIRST PRIMARY.... 13-W-M-A-Z LED A DEBATE TODAY... TO HELP YOU REACH AN INFORMED DECISION ON WHAT COMMUNITY MEMBERS SAY ARE THE PRO'S AND CONS OF UNIFYING.
PARTICIPANTS INCLUDED FORMER MACON CITY COUNCILMAN MIKE CRANFORD AND ATTORNEY JEFFREY MONROE SUPPORTING CONSOLIDATION...
AND COUNCILWOMAN ELAINE LUCAS AND COUNCILMAN TOM ELLINGTON STANDING IN OPPOSITION.
AMONG THE HOTTEST TOPICS - WHETHER OR NOT THE SAVINGS MANDATED BY THE CONSOLIDATION DOCUMENT CAN BE ACHIEVED IN THE TIME FRAME REQUIRED..
Mike Cranford, Consolidation Supporter:.The bottom line is we have a mayor and his staff, a city council and their staff, the county commission and their staff and just by eliminating all that duplication right there you're gonna save over a million and a half dollars so it starts from the top and trickles down.
The savings will also come because the franchise fees that we'll be getting now within the county will equal about six million dollars or so, so that way we'll have some saving from that.
If it's mandated and it is then we can do it. I mean it's gonna take some budget cuts but we can do it.
Elaine Lucas, Consolidation Opponent:..There is an out in the legislation so that if the government feels because of economic conditions or whatever that that five percent cannot be achieved then in the legislation the commissioners can vote to do whatever is necessary to keep government going so the folks that put this flawed legislation together know that the only way that you could save that kind of money is to lay off massive numbers of people and reduce services so they wanted to have a way out of it.
FOR MORE INFORMATION AND RESOURCES ON CONSOLIDATION... GO TO OUR WEBSITE...
13-W-M-A-Z-DOT-COM... AND SCROLL DOWN TO THE CHECK IT OUT SECTION ON THE RIGHT HAND SIDE OF OUR PAGE.
THERE... YOU'LL FIND BREAKDOWNS ON KEY ISSUES... LIKE HOW AREAS LIKE PAYNE CITY WOULD BE AFFECTED... AND WHAT OTHER COMMUNITY LEADERS THINK ABOUT THE UPCOMING VOTE.
CHECK IT OUT... AT 13-W-M-A-Z-DOT-COM.
LEAH?
A FEDERAL PROSECUTOR IN NEW HAMPSHIRE SAYS HE EXPECTS TO BRING MORE CHARGES AGAINST A FORMER HOSPITAL TECHNICIAN ACCUSED OF INFECTING PATIENTS WITH HEPATITIS C...
THAT'S ACCORDING TO THE ASSOCIATED PRESS.
TODAY... NEW INFORMATION REVEALS THAT HE MAY HAVE PRACTICED IN EIGHT STATES INCLUDING GEORGIA... WHERE HE WORKED AT HOUSTON MEDICAL CENTER.
EARLIER, INVESTIGATORS BELIEVED THAT NUMBER OF STATES TO BE SIX.
NOW.... WITH THIS NEW FINDING... A DOCTOR WE SPOKE WITH SAYS THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE WILL HAVE TO UNDERGO TESTING.
JENNIFER MOULLIET HAS MORE.
THE HOUSTON MEDICAL CENTER SAYS IT'S COOPERATING WITH A MULTI-STATE INVESTIGATION INTO WHETHER A FORMER LAB TECHNICIAN MAY HAVE SPREAD HEPATITIS C TO PATIENTS.
ACCORDING TO A PRESS RELEASE... DAVID KWIATKOWSKI WAS A FORMER CONTRACT EMPLOYEE AT HOUSTON MEDICAL CENTER.
(QUIT'-OW'-SKI) KWIATKOWSKI WAS ARRESTED THURSDAY AT A HOSPITAL IN MASSACHUSETTS.
OFFICIALS IN NEW HAMPSHIRE SAY (QUIT'-OW'-SKI) KWIATKOWSKI WAS ENGAGING IN DRUG DIVERSION... AND REUSING SYRINGES ON PATIENTS. THEY'RE ACCUSING HIM OF INFECTING THIRTY PEOPLE WITH HEPATITIS C.
(QUIT'-OW'-SKI) KWIATKOWSKI WORKED IN SIX DIFFERENT STATES... AND AT HOUSTON MEDICAL CENTER FOR SIX MONTHS...
BETWEEN OCTOBER 2010 AND MARCH OF 2011... IN THE CARDIAC CATH LAB.
OFFICALS AT THE HOSPITAL SAY HE DID NOT HAVE ACCESS TO THEIR MEDICATION SYSTEM... AND THEY'RE ACTIVELY IDENTIFYING ANY PATIENTS WHO MAY HAVE COME IN CONTACT WITH (QUIT'-OW'-SKI) KWIATKOWSKI.
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER... CARY MARTIN ISSUED THIS STATEMENT...
QUOTE "THE HEALTH OF OUR PATIENTS... AS WELL AS OUR EMPLOYEES... IS OF THE UTMOST CONCERN TO US... AND WE ARE TAKING A PROACTIVE APPROACH TO ENSURE THE SAFETY OF OUR EMPLOYEES AND THOSE IN OUR COMMUNITY."
IN THE NEXT TWO WEEKS HOUSTON MEDICAL CENTER PLANS TO SEND OUT CERTIFIED LETTERS TO THOSE PATIENTS... LETTING THEM KNOW WHAT THE NEXT STEP WILL BE.
AS THIS INVESTIGATION UNFOLED... WE CONTACTED THE CENTER FOR DISEASE CONTROL TO EXPLAIN DRUG DIVERSION.
HERE'S WHAT WE FOUND OUT...
Joseph Perz, Epidemiologist at CDC: "Drugs that a healthcare worker obtains that they're not authorized to have and an example of that would be narcotics in a healthcare facility if those were stolen for the personal use of a healthcare worker that's a prime example of diversion in healthcare."
WE ALSO SPOKE WITH DOCTOR HAROLD KATNER... CHIEF OF INFECTIOUS DISEASES AT MERCER UNIVERSITY.
HE SAYS MEDICATION TO TREAT HEPATITIS C HAS IMPROVED OVER THE YEARS.
ANOTHER FACE FAMILIAR TO AN ENTIRE GENERATION OF AMERICAN T-V VIEWERS LEFT US TODAY.
ACTOR SHERMAN HEMSLEY DIED AT HIS HOME IN EL PASO....AND WHILE HE WAS BEST KNOWN AS GEORGE JEFFERSON... HEMSLEY HAD QUITE A FEW MORE ROLES TO HIS CREDIT.
ED LAWRENCE TAKES A LOOK.
THE MAN MADE MOST FAMOUS FOR 'MOVIN ON UP TO A DELUX APARTMENT' DIED AT THE AGE OF 74.
EL PASO POLICE SAY SHERMAN HEMSLEY WAS FOUND IN HIS HOUSE.
HEMSLEY'S AGENT CONFIRMS HE PASSED AWAY.
NATSOT 7:23:44 Florence don't make nothing but burnt meatloaf.
THE ACTOR FIRST ROSE TO FAME IN 1971 PLAYING GEORGE JEFFERSON ON ALL IN THE FAMILY.
TWO YEARS LATER HEMSLEY STARRED IN A SPIN OFF CALLED THE JEFFERSONS.
HE MADE AN ART OUT OF BEING THE BUT OF A JOKE.
NATSOT 7:24:13 I will just have to go over the bosses head. It will be a short trip.
MR. JEFFERSON WOULD THEN BE QUICK WITH A RETURN DIG.
HEMSLEY PLAYED ON BROADWAY.
HE SANG, DANCED, EVEN RELEASED A SINGLE IN 1989 CALLED "AIN'T THAT A KICK IN THE HEAD."
IN RETIREMENT, HEMSLEY STILL MADE CAMEO APPEARANCES ON TELEVISION.
AND WALKED THE RED CARPET FOR BIG CBS EVENTS.
SOT TUES 436: I went to the movies always to see these people. I knew them before I even got in the business.
BORN IN PHILIDELPHIA... HE HAD NO CHILDREN OR WIFE.
>>
NOW A FEW YEARS AGO.. HEMSLEY TRIED ON ANOTHER ROLE...
BEN JONES HAS A LOOK.
FRANK... LEAH... A FEW YEARS AGO.. HEMSLEY VISITED ONE OF OUR FELLOW C-B-S AFFILIATES K-D-B-C, IN EL PASO.. AND GAVE THE FOLKS IN MY BUSINESS A RUN FOR THEIR MONEY.
SHERMAN HEMSLEY DOES THE WEATHER
BEN, FRANK, LEAH - AD LIB - TAKE BEN FULL FOR WEATHER TEASE.
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